The Short Life of Joseph Haines

Joseph Haines/Hains, my 3rd great uncle, was the elder brother of my 3rd g-grandfather, William John “John” Haines.  He was likely born in Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada, 22 June 1849 to John Hains and Alice Edith Childs, the eldest of seven, a family of five boys and two girls.

Joseph’s mother died in 1859, when he was ten years old. His father’s widowed sister, Patience, joined the family, likely to help raise the children.

As depicted in his sister Mary’s diary, they were a close knit happy family, until their father remarried in 1865 (to Jane Clare) when Joseph was about sixteen. The couple added four children to the family, all girls.

Letters imply their step-mother was not well liked. In a letter to his sister Mary (original here), Joseph writes in part:

Now Mary, you know as well as I can tell you that your step-mother doesn’t like you or me either and no wonder when I threatened to throw her out of the window as she told you and you know that is too strong a language for the laws of any country. Not only that, but before you went home last year to see father you knew very well that you could not meet Jane, as you call her, on any friendly terms whatever . Now tell me what was the use of your going home when you wanted nothing from them. You have a good name, good wages, good head….

Probably the reason Joseph left home and became a ship’s mate.  Although no record of Joseph’s voyages have been located in Ancestry.com’s database, Seafarers of the Atlantic Provinces, 1789-1935 (brothers John and George are named in this database).

Despite a disdain of their step-mother, the elder children did seem to have a relationship with their younger sisters, based on their exchange of letters (Mary’s descendants hold letters from three of her four younger sisters).

When Joseph became ill, on 7 May 1879, he was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital in London, County of Surrey, sub district Lambeth Church.  After a lengthy illness, he died in his 32nd year, on 24 Jan 1881, and is buried at Norwood Cemetery, London. Cause of death was: “aneurysm of the thoracic aorta” [an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. A thoracic aortic aneurysm occurs in the part of the body’s largest artery, the aorta, that passes through the chest].

In October of 1880, Joseph wrote to his sister Mary that his artery is getting hard or consolidated, he is likely to choke at any time while he is coughing, thus he can eat nothing hard like potatoes or apples.  The nurses make him soup, so he needs only to have it reheated at dinnertime.

He tells her that the doctor says that there is a 1 in 10 chance that he would go home.  He hasn’t been allowed out of bed for 6 months (although he did walk a bit without the nurse and the doctor would be angry if he knew as his pulse raised to 100).

He says he will never get better and will not be able to work. He tries to explain his illness – the artery is so large in his chest that it blocks other arteries so the blood doesn’t circulate as it should. Joseph includes a hand drawn picture:

Joseph has found religion and Jesus a comfort and writes lengthy letters to Mary quoting the bible. He says that his life is in God’s hands.

He asks on a few occasions that she not mention girl’s names in her letters.  The nurse gets his letters downstairs and very often he lets her read them. He has had to burn a few so that she would not read them.

He speaks of receiving occasional letters from his father, sister Lizzie and brother Alex.  His writes of his brother “Johnie” (William John Haines, my 3rd g-grandfather) who is admittedly in a 5-year “wild and reckless” phase (read here):

April 1880…Johnie came twice with someone half drunk, he spent all his pay day in rum without buying any clothes for himself, so I could not help him when he went away as I had not a cent too much for myself….

Sept 1880…you grumble about Johnie being exposed by the family, but you screen him too much. That is really too bad that he has never went home, as he promised me when he left the hospital; the nurse gave him a Bible and I gave him a large quantity of books, some bought and some were presents to me, so that [is] the last I have heard of him, but still I am trying to make myself believe that he is short of funds and that he is working somewhere until he gets on his feet, so as he may go home respectable.

Joseph’s last days are captured in his sister Mary Ann “Alice” (Haines) Stevens’s diary:

1 Jan 1880:  This past year has been a very sad one for me.  My dearest brother Joseph entered the St. Thomas Hospital, London as a patient May 7, 1879. May 22nd I received a letter from him telling me all about himself. I shall never forget how I felt on reading his letter, and then to think he will never be the same active brother again. Today I am very dull and lonely for we were all seven children at home with my father, how many happy days we had together and this is one of the days we all loved so well.  Today I am in the crowded city of Boston far from home and the brothers I loved so well.

Mary writes of receiving letters from Joseph every two weeks.  He seems to be improving and expects to be home by Christmas.  She records his birthday on 22 June.

1 Nov 1880: Received a letter from my dear brother, and photos of his nurses. He is still improving. He has charged me to keep Miss Corrie Rice’s [his nurse] photo for him. I have promised to do this and have given it a place in my album which was mine along side of his.

On 7 Dec 1880, Mary receives what will be Joseph’s final letter to her.  Over the next few months, she wonders why no others have come and prays that he is headed home.

5 Feb 1881: …My God, the sad, sad hour has come for me.  A letter this morning from dear Miss Rice informing me of the death of my dear, dear brother Joseph. He breathed his last on her own dear arm he loved so well, twenty five to five Monday morning, January 24, 1881.  She states that to the last, he said, “don’t weep for me dears, I am only going to Jesus”. Then he said goodbye, left his last message to me with her, for me, and his dying gift. Then he raised his dear hands as if to meet the Lord, and said come Lord Jesus and take me for I am waiting for you.  And his dear true spirit returned to God who gave it.

Mary continues:

He was a good kind true brother, always pleasant, always full of fun. He was tall and handsome. Had beautiful form, quick step, and just as light as it was quick. He had beautiful (neither light nor dark) curly brown hair when he let it grow, but he frequently kept it short. He had hazel blue eyes, red cheeks, his complexion fair. Wore his beard French style. His features were very even. In fact his face and form were handsome. He was very affectionate and generous. Always happy himself and liked to see everyone the same. If he had anything to divide, always gave the largest and best half away. I have lost dear friends but have never experienced anything like this…I miss his dear letters and his kind words of love and advice. All the pet names we called each other are fresh in my mind.

Many friends sent poems offering their condolences.  Mary mourned. She received a second letter from Miss Rice saying that she followed Joseph’s remains to his resting place on 31 Jan and saw them lay peacefully in the grave.

Mary speaks of reading Joseph’s dying gift to her, a book.

She describes a letter from Miss Rice filled with yellow buttercups and daisy’s from Joseph’s grave and tells how Miss Rice planted the forget-me-not seeds which Mary had sent to England.

Mary reminisced of Joseph frequently:

16 May 1881: Five years ago today my dear brother Joseph came home from sea.  I shall never forget how happy I was to see him.  How I bounded to the door to meet him.  Little did I think then it was the last time I would meet him there, or welcome him home.

12 July 1881: This is one of the days we all looked forward to with so much pleasure at home, the Orange parade**.  Seven years ago today I went to the grand parade with dear brother Joseph. What a lovely time we had.

**July 12 is the date that commemorates the Battle of the Boyne, and the victory in 1690 of a Protestant army led by William of Orange over A Roman Catholic one led by James II, the deposed English king….the Orange Lodge, an extreme anti-Catholic organization rooted among the Scots-Irish, Protestant culture of Northern Ireland wielded considerable and often provocative power. Scots-Irish immigrants to English Canada brought their Orange loyalties, and anti-Catholic attitudes with them. The Orange Parade would have been put on by the Orange Lodge, which was an association of Northern Irish Protestants, The Orange Lodge became politically powerful, well into the 20th Century it was virtually impossible for anyone who wasn’t a member of the Orange Lodge to get elected to city council. The annual Orange Day parade was one of the biggest public events in the predominantly “white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant (WASP)” city of the time.

23 Aug 1881: Five years ago today I spent the day mending dear brother Joseph’s clothes…Then I packed his trunk, putting in all the little surprises, presents that he was to find when at sea.  Oh dear, how lonely I felt as I sat down and looked at all the things all packed up and ready to start.  When just then I heard on the stairs, the well known proud step of my brother, and as quick as I could, I brushed away my tears and tried to smile. But he saw me and said, now Mary, why can’t you be like other sisters and let me go away in peace, and not act as if I were never coming back again.  You know seafaring men can’t all stay at home and as long as my heart is on the sea then I must work.  And you know Mary I have the same God on the sea as on land and he will take care of me, and I will always write to you, and I will come home before long, and we can have another good time…..

Mary, cousin Jenny and Joseph then went for a walk.  Mary recalls:

I will never forget how particular he was about my dress saying, now it may be some time before you have the pleasure of walking with as fine a looking man as me. So go take off that horrid looking dress and put on the one I like best to see you wear.  So I did, and as I came downstairs again he met me at the foot of the stairs, and in his own mischievous way he offered me his arm.  And said he only wished I was his bride and showed how he would walk with me if I were.

All hands laughed, and although I was not in the mood for laughter, I had to laugh. So we three walked on together little dreaming it was our last walk forever on earth, and so it proved to be. We talked over all our childish days, things we used to do and say, and had many good laughs. It was the last time I ever heard him speak of dear mother and he turned to cousin Janet and said “Mother laid the cornerstone of my heart”.

This day was spent very pleasantly. Joseph stayed most of the day upstairs where I was spinning and told sea stories. This was the last day we were together and in the evening his friend Robert Morton and he went to make a few calls.

The sun rose bright and clear (25 Aug 1876) I rose early and went to my brother’s room to have the last conversation with him. I tapped on his door and there was no answer, so I walked in. He was still sleeping. I sat down on the bedside and he woke up saying “darn glad you came, for I want to talk with you”. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed me for the last time.

I never shall forget all this kind advice, and all the kind words he said. I went to the kitchen, got his breakfast ready, and he was soon ready to start on the train. Well 6 o’clock came at last, and when I got him seated at the breakfast table, I asked him if there was anything more for me to do. No dear, he said, looking up at me, unless you wash and mend my cap. And I had to laugh for he was so comical. Then I stole upstairs and gave that to my tears.

But I was not there long when I heard the sweet voice of my brother calling. He and all the family but me had gathered in the front entry. Through my tears I called one goodbye, God bless you, and a safe passage across. I look from my window and they’re on the front doorstep he stood. I shall never forget how handsome he looked, even more beautiful than ever as he tripped off up the road leading to the station where he was to take the train.

The last words ever I heard him say were, “goodbye Mary”, and never since his death have I ever been called by the name Mary but I think of him dear boy for that is the last remembrance I have of him. And to be called by that name always sends a pang to my heart to think of him [in her younger years Mary was called Alice or Allie, her middle name]. I sat for a little while, then I went to the room that he occupied when home but everything was gone belonging to him. I did not sit there long till the train on which he was to go came along, and there on the platform stood my dear brother Joseph waving goodbye to all. I waved my handkerchief till he was out of sight and the train entered the big cutting [she later says that this event took place at her Aunt Mary (Childs) Morton’s home in Restigouche].

Mary later (in 1882) travels to Europe as a nursemaid for Henry Longworth Longfellow’s grandchildren and has the opportunity to visit Joseph’s grave twice in Norwood Cemetery and to make aquaintence with his nurses at the hospital near the Westminster Bridge. They point out Joseph’s former bed, #28, in Sister George’s ward.

Mary did try to reach another of her brother’s nurse decades later at an address in Ireland, however the letter was returned as undeliverable.

A Letter from John Hains to his daughter Mary

I have encountered many a genealogist who document only their direct line. Many times, in documenting the lives of your collateral relatives (aka siblings of your direct ancestors) you will find that your distant cousins hold documents or photos that offer glimpses into the lives of your direct ancestors or help to break down brick walls.

For hundreds of years, people who wished to stay in touch with others had only one way to do it, they wrote letters, the only means of long-distance communication.  Today I share one such letter written by my 3rd great grandfather John Hains to his daughter Mary in which he names a number of his children, including my 2nd g-grandfather William John  (who was working as a chemist for Cabot in Chelsea, Massachusetts).

John Hains was likely born 5 Mar 1824 in Fredericton, York, New Brunswick, Canada to Joseph Hains III and Nancy Ann Boone (see post here).  By 1848 he had moved to Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick where on 17 Mar 1849 according to church records (1848 according to the family bible) he married Alice/Alise Edith Childs, daughter of Joseph Childs and Jannet Dunn.

The couple had seven children: Joseph, Alexander, George, James, Mary Alice, William John and Elizabeth (aka Lizzie). Alice died in 1859.  John married second Jane Clare, daughter of James Clare and Elizabeth Langen.  They had four daughters, Alice, Annie,  Caroline “Carrie” and Christina.  John later resided in Derby and owned a farm in Miramichi.  He spent some winters in Boston, Massachusetts near (or with) a few of his children, who resided there.  John died 20 April 1901 in Derby, New Brunswick.

Censuses:

1851 – likely Richibucto (Kent County census records have not survived)
1861 – resides in Richibucto, age 37, native NB, G. Laborer, Episcopalian
1871 – resides in Richibucto, age 47, English origin, Laborer, Church of England
1881 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 57, English origin, Carpenter, Church of England
1891 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 66, born NB, parents born England, Mechanic/Bridge Builder, Church of England
1901 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 76, born 5 April 1824, born NB of Dutch origin, Farmer, Church of England/Episcopalian

**The original letter is held by Mary’s g-granddaughter who is one of our DNA matches! She shares 29.0 centimorgans across 3 DNA segments with my uncle, her third cousin, and 45 centimorgans across 4 DNA segments with me, her third cousin once removed.**

Lower Derby

15 Jan 1896

Dear Daughter,

I received your kind and welcome letter which I read with much pleasure I also received your present which I much prised and for which I return many thanks I crave —- your indulgence for delaying so long in my answer one thing is my eyesight is getting so bad that I can only manage to write in clear weather besides I have had poor health since the winter set in but we have a fine winter so far.

As snow is concerned we have very little snow but cold weather. I had a letter from George a few days ago, he was in San Diego, he still has a notion of me going to San Diego, he thinks it would be better for my health, but I think I am too old and feeble to go so far. I also had a letter from John [William John] with my allotment in he has his land paid for he is thinking of leaving Calbot [Cabot] soon as Calbot [Cabot] is not doing with him as he promised. He wrote me that Alex was to see him lately about going into business, he was on his way to Portland to buy another Vessel that he was selling the old one. John says Alex is doing well at the fishing. Annie says she received your letter she has neglected to write but she will write soon. Carrie has another young son making three in all. So no more at present I remain your affectionate father

John Hains

My Acadian DNA

My Aunt’s DNA finally finished processing on Ancestry and all of a sudden I am in 28 DNA circles! I know it’s beta (and only good as Ancestry trees are accurate), but cool (previously I had only one circle!). It will be interesting to see if we get any more once her brother and their first cousin’s tests are done processing!!

The trees begin with my mother’s maternal grandparents, and a red star indicates we have a DNA circle (each circle includes between 5 and 40 folks who match DNA with my Aunt and I, who also have those people in their tree).

My Aunt (as of today) has 1748 Shared Ancestor Hints & 5,847 4th cousins or closer.  Crazy!!  It will take years to go through all of them!!  Just for comparison, my non-Acadian Uncle has only 52 Shared Ancestor Hints & 236 4th cousins or closer.

Another “Oops” In My Tree, Learn from my Mistake!

Many years ago, as I built my husband’s tree, I puzzled over his grandmother Dorothy (LeBlanc/White) Little.

You see, in 1920 and 1930 Dorothy was living with Herbert and Annie White in Lynn, Massachusetts and listed as “daughter”. By 1940, she  resided at the same address as Herbert and Annie, and was listed as “wife” to David Little. Dorothy’s first three children, also enumerated, were named David, Dorothy and Herbert, and in all three censuses, Dorothy’s birthplace was listed as Massachusetts.

Herbert White’s Naturalization papers name a daughter Dorothy, born 12 June 1912.  

Yet, I couldn’t locate Dorothy’s birth in the Massachusetts indexes or vital record collections on Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org or AmericanAncestors.org. Frustrated, I wrote to the Lynn Town Clerk.  Within a week, I had a transcription of Dorothy’s birth record.  The transcription offered the same birth date, named her father Herbert LeBlanc (note that White is a common Americanized version of LeBlanc) and mother Annie Brown.

Hmmmm, I thought, “the birth  must be misindexed in every online database”.

I couldn’t find a marriage record for Herbert and Annie under White or LeBlanc between Herbert’s 1908 arrival from Canada and Dorothy’s 1912 birth. Perhaps they returned to Canada (where Herbert was born), married and had the baby there? Or was that misindexed too! Sigh.

Although I had plans to visit the Massachusetts Vital Records office in Dorchester to view Dorothy’s marriage and death records, it just hasn’t happened.  I built out my husband’s tree and have Herbert Leblanc descending from Daniel LeBlanc who died in Acadia about 1695. Ironically, my mother also descends from this family, thus I am Herbert’s 6th cousin 3x removed.  My husband and I are cousins!

I did make it to the Essex County Courthouse.  Dorothy died about 10 years before her father; she left six children and those children received not a penny when Herbert died in 1974!  His sister Agnes’s five children were named as sole heirs to his $19,000 estate.  He must have disowned Dorothy’s children (I blogged about it here)! This came as no surprise.  I won’t go into detail, but my husband’s father (now deceased) was a despicable human being who literally should have spent his life in prison.

I haven’t looked at this line in about four years. This morning, I tracked down a number of Agnes’ grandchildren on Facebook, introduced myself as a cousin and asked if they knew why Herbert might have disowned his grandchildren.  The response?  SHOCKING!

It went something like:

Here is a picture of Herbert and his wife Annie. But, as far as we know, Herbert didn’t have children or grandchildren.

He married a woman named Annie who already had a baby named Dorothy.  He helped raise her, but it wasn’t his baby.

WHAT? But I have a Naturalization and birth certificate that name him as her father!!! She named a child after him!

Then, I took another look at the Lynn birth records for 12 June 1912.

There it was…

….a female…

…”Chambers”, born to Frank Chambers and Annie Brown in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Then, in the 1910 census…. a Frank Chambers was enumerated as a boarder in the home of Annie Brown, in Lynn (http://tinyurl.com/jz5daj3).

Next, a marriage on 20 Aug 1911 between Frank Chambers and Annie Brown in Lynn.

And last, (double sigh)…a marriage dated 12 June 1916 in Lynn between a Hubert LeBlanc and a divorced Annie Chambers, daughter of William Brown.

Oops, I did it again!

I explained away inconsistencies by making them fit my story.

I did not do an exhaustive search. I still don’t have Dorothy’s marriage and death records (perhaps they do name Chambers as her father). I did not look for Herbert and Annie’s marriage after Dorothy’s date of birth.

I trusted that the birth transcription from Lynn was accurate.  I did not carefully look at all the births registered in Lynn on that date (there were only three).

I do have another case where my g-grandmother named her step-father as her father (first when she married and then when she applied for social security), I’ve been through this, yet clearly I missed the lesson!

So my husband has a new tree and we are not cousins (at least through this line).  Annie Little was born Annie Chambers and her father of Irish descent, not French Canadian. But…I am thrilled to have a photo of Herbert and Annie. And although Herbert will always be part of our story having raised Dorothy and being my distant cousin, I am glad to have been able to correct the error vs. passing it to future generations.

And the new tree looks something like this:

UPDATE: I contacted the Lynn Town clerk and they seem reluctant to send me a photo of the original birth record.  They claim there are no anomalies (i.e. erasures, margin notes or the entry being written years after the birth) and could not explain the discrepancy between their entry and the state record, but offered to call vital records and will get back to me…..

Meanwhile, one of Herbert’s nieces, who I met on Facebook, has DNA tested with Ancestry.com.  The niece’s matches are with Acadians (many in common with my 50% Acadian/50% Lithuanian mom), many of them LeBlanc.

The niece uploaded her results to GEDMATCH for me (since hubby tested on 23andme) and my husband matches 56 cMs on 21 segments with the largest being just 5.2cM’s.  Certainly not indicative of a 2nd cousin once removed (who should share on average 106.25 cM’s – see the ISOGG Wiki – here). Lots of smaller segments likely indicate that they have many distant Acadian matches (my husband is perhaps Acadian through his maternal brick walled LeBlanc line – he, my mother and the niece have a few hundred common matches in “People who match both kits”).

The divorce paperwork arrived.  The Annie M. Chambers who married Samuel F. Chambers on 20 Aug 1911, filed for divorce on the grounds of abuse, 30 March 1915.  She asks for custody of the 2 year, 9 month old minor child, Dorothy E. Chambers, who was “born of the said marriage”.

 

Peter Penno of Norton, House Fire 1806

The Norton Historical Society in Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts has a gold mine of unpublished documents dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. Unfortunately many of the documents were damaged by water.  An outside vendor was able to preserve much of the collection, however they were returned in random order.  The documents now sit in boxes at the society .  No one has time to sort through and organize them (if only I lived closer!).

While there last month, I was able to go through one of the boxes, and photographed a few documents of interest, even though there seemed to be no link to my family.

One such document was a signed by the mark of Peter Penno, 26 January 1806. Peter lost his home, possessions, clothes and provisions in a house fire, causing his family, which included young children, to be separated.  He asked for assistance, during this “inclement season”:

 To the Church of Christ and Society in the Town of Norton – Greeting,

The Petition of Peter Penno of said Norton Humbly shows and would beg leave to represent that on the 21st day of January instant while his family were at Dinner his house suddenly took fire and baffled every exertion of the family to stop its progress, in a few moments that, together with most part of their furniture, Beds, some Cloaths and their whole stock of Corn and provisions were wraped in, and consumed by that all devouring element fire, whereby himself, Wife and Children (and some of them quite small), are bereft of their little ___ and turned out of Doors at this Inclement season without Cloaths, Provisions, or Furniture, and his family are now Separated and must remain so unless relieved by the Charitable assistance of the Benevolent and can not we say with good old God? who can withstand Gods mighty cold? Soft eyed pity is the Child of Goodness and is the native inmate of every virtuous mind, and he that puts forth his hand to the relief of the distressed, and to save the wrathed from perishing we are to Sin the sacred Volume, are lending to the Lord, and will assuredly receive their reward by Contributing a  small portion from your abundance, to the relief of a Poor, but really Industrious family, you will raise them from Wretchedness and  Wants, and this Cumforth into their almost disponding minds.

Norton January 26, 1806

A History of the town of Norton,  details “dwelling houses burned” and mentions Peter Penno’s house burned midday, 21 January 1806 :

Who was Peter Penno?

Peter Penno was born about 1756.  He married Elizabeth Munro, 15 Apr 1779, at Providence, Rhode Island.

In 1790, Peter was enumerated in Providence; his household included six members: one free white male over 16; two free white males under sixteen and three free white females.

In 1794, when Peter signed a petition against Bristol Rhodes, he was residing in Providence in the neighborhood near the Congregational Church.

By 1800, the family had relocated to Norton, Bristol, Massachusetts and was enumerated with eleven household members:

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10	2
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25	3
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over	1
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10	2
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15	1
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25	1
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over	1
Number of Household Members Under 16	5
Number of Household Members Over 25	2
Number of Household Members	11

Thus, the Penno family likely included nine children at the time of the fire, four of them under the age of ten!  Online unsourced trees include only John, Hannah (Woodcock), Nathaniel, Benjamin, William and Jeremiah.

Although additional research is needed, there are a number of marriages that were recorded in Norton that have potential to be some of Peter Penno’s children:

Providence, Rhode Island vital records point to additional candidates:

In 1810, Peter was enumerated in Norton, a neighbor of my 5th g-grandmother Abiah (Crossman) Hall and her sons, Silas and my 4th g-grandfather Brian Hall. John Penno resided nearby (perhaps Peter’s son).

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:	2
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over :	1
Number of Household Members Under 16:	2
Number of Household Members Over 25:	2
Number of Household Members:	6

Land Deeds

Land deeds mention the fire and my ancestors.

In a deed filed March 1812, Nathaniel Munro transferred land to Peter Penno (Bristol, book 95, page 448).  It reads in part:

….A lot of land being in Norton and on the southerly side of the road that leads from Brian Hall’s to George Leonard’s Esq. bounded as follows…..

…..Land that I purchased of Brian Hall and Silas Hall by deed, January 15, 1794, and the same land I gave to Penno’s wife, a deed of which they say is burnt, whereon a house has been lately burnt and if said deed is found, this deed to be void….in witness whereof I, the said Nathaniel with my wife Nancy… this 27th day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six….

Brian and Sally Hall sign as witnesses.

My family was likely present the day of the fire!  Perhaps they assisted in extinguishing the flames and took in a few of the children. I like to think they would have come to the aid of their neighbors.

Peter later coveyed this land to Nathaniel Penno [his son] of Cranston, Rhode Island, June 11, 1813 (Bristol, book 95, page 448/9).

In 1818, Nathaniel Penno of Providence, leased this same land to his parents, the deed reads in part (Bristol, book 106, page 63):

I,  Nathaniel Penno of Providence…for love and affection I have for my honorable father Peter Penno and my affectionate mother Elizabeth Penno, the wife of my father, both of said Norton….

….A lot of land being in Norton and on the southerly side of the road that leads from Brian Hall’s to George Leonard’s Esq. bounded as follows…..the same lot that I purchased of my said father by deed, be it the same more or less together with a dwelling house and barn….also 10 acres of land adjoining land of Josiah Hodges and Nathanial Munro that I purchase of John Penno by deed….

Nathaniel and wife Phebe [Dyer] sign…..

Brian Hall signs as a witness.

Pension file

The fire was mentioned in Peter’s pension file. In 1818, he was awarded a Revolutionary War pension of $8 a month. In an affidavit, he states:

• he was nearly 62 years old and a current resident of Providence;
• he participated in the Revolution as a “gunner’s mate” aboard the “Picket Galley”;
• his discharge papers were consumed, along with his house, by fire.

Probate

After Peter died (intestate),  my 4th g-grandfather, Brian Hall, esquire, along with Peter’s widow Elizabeth and John Munro, yeoman, on 4 July 1820, appeared in probate court, Bristol County, and posted bond. Elizabeth was named Administrix. The deceased was said to be of Norton.

Silas Hall, Elisha Crossman and John Munroe Jr., were assigned to take an inventory, as the Penno estate was more than ten miles from the Judge of Probate’s home.  Brian Hall signed the authorization as Justice of the Peace. The estate was valued at $184.41.

Peter was not found as a head of household in the 1820 census. He was likely deceased (the census was conducted 7 August 1820).   Elizabeth Pennos whereabouts are unknown. She is later found, as a widow, in the 1830 Providence city directory, residing at 13 Pawtuxet.  She is not found in the 1930 Federal Census, and the city directory gives no insight as to with whom she was residing (Brian Hall had also relocated to Providence, and was residing on Hope). Record of Elizabeth’s death has not been located.

 

Side note for future research:

Brian and Silas Hall had a sister Nancy (aka Anna) Hall who married Nathaniel Munro[e] at Norton, 29 Mar 1786.  In 1790 Munro was recorded in the census next to Nancy’s mother Abiah Hall, brother Brian/Bryant Hall and Benjamin Stanley [Stanley was related to Silas Hall’s wife Nancy Stanley].

Nathaniel was perhaps related to Elizabeth (Munro) Penno.  Recall that Nathaniel and his wife Nancy were the ones who sold land “to the wife of Peter Penno” (Bristol, book 95, page 448).

Nathaniel’s parents have not been identified.

In Nathaniel’s will (admitted to probate April 1844), he mentions his wife Nancy, his children (1) Betsey Munroe, wife of John Munroe, (2) Nancy, wife of Crocker Babbitt,  (3) Nathanial and (4) William, and his granddaughter Nancy Chace, wife of Buffington Chace. His sons Nathanial and William are deceased and their unnamed heirs are awarded real estate.

Moral

The moral? Record the names of all the folks who were associated with your ancestors and keep an eye out for them as you research! The FAN Club (friends, associates and neighbors] will mention your ancestors and give you insights to their lives.

A Sailor’s Story; the sinking of the Ticonderoga

In an undated letter, my gg-grandfather, William John “John” Haines writes to his sister Mary (Haines) Stevens:

Dear Sis,

….my son went down with the transport that was torpedoed, I regret that they didn’t have a fighting chance but were brutally murdered…..

Your brother John.

I have written of this son, my gg-uncle, Alexander “Alex” Haines, who died when the Ticonderoga was attacked in World War I: story here

In that post, I quote my uncle, who surmises:

…There is no way of knowing exactly what happened to Alex.  My guess is that he was every bit as scared as we would have been but still did what he was supposed to do and probably a little more….

A few weeks ago I attended the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), a one week program offering in-depth study of material held by the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and College Park, Maryland.  This led me to Record Group (RG) 45, US Naval Vessels, entry 520, box 1391 and 1392 where I learned more of that grievous day.

 

A short history of the Ticonderoga quotes several survivors:

While stories differ slightly, a manuscript gives a complete account: “A Sailor’s Story, Comprising the Log of the U.S.S. Ticonderoga and an American Officers Experience Aboard the German Submarine U.K.-152)“, written 1 December 1920, by Frank L. Muller, Lieutenant Commander, U.S.N.R.F., Manuscript courtesy of Rev. Albert Muller O.P.  (a brother of Frank Muller) Dominican House of Studies, 467 Michigan Ave., Washington, D.C.

Frank Muller writes:

Nearly the whole of the “TICONDEROGA’S” story is from memory as both the ship’s and my personal log is buried in the Deep…. [he continues, saying he was able to retain notes to aid in documenting the later part of his story].

…We arrived in Newport News about September 12, 1918, completing the third voyage of the U.S.S. TICONDEROGA.  One hundred fifteen artillerymen under the command of Lieutenant Frost, U.S.A., marched over the gangway.  The  TICONDEROGA cast off her lines, about to depart on her fourth voyage over there. We went from Newport News to New York to join our East-bound convoy.  Our convoy, consisting of twenty four ships and one cruiser escort, sailed from New York September 22. On September 28, six of the ships had been detached from the main convoy.  They were bound further to the Northward. The night of September 29, the last night in this world for ninety percent of the TICONDEROGA’s complement, was unusually dark.  The sky was over-cast, obscuring even the starlight.

With the first hint of day on September 30, 1918, the TICONDEROGA was found to be in the rear of the convoy, approximately four miles.

In his report, Captain Madison elaborates. He claims the Ticonderoga could not hold it’s speed the evening prior to the attack (which he attributed to a bad batch of coal).  The convoy pulled ahead, the night was dark and misty and by 2:30AM they were no longer visible.

Report of Captain Madison to the District Supervisor, New York, 24 October 1918:

Muller’s story continues:

However, not much time for an exact determination of the distance remained just then, for the moment after the shapes of the convoy ahead were made out, another gray shape, very low on the surface of the water, was sighted by Ensign Stafford, the Navigating Officer. Ensign Stafford immediately reported it to Captain Madison, who had been on the bridge the entire previous night. Captain Madison recognized it as an enemy submarine.  He ordered the rudder to put “hard a left” in a vain attempt to ram the submarine.  The bow of the TICONDEROGA missed the submarine by a bare ten feet.  With the very missiles of his gun against our port side, he fired the first volley from his two 6-inch guns.  Both shots stuck the bridge, reduced it to wreck, killed Quartermaster Hudson, who had the wheel, and the two seamen on lookout.  The submarine was then on our starboard bow.  About forty-five seconds later, it fired two more shots, which destroyed the 3-inch gun forward and killed all the gun crew.

Captain Madison put the wheel “hard a right” in another attempt to ram the enemy, but their third volley struck the bridge, destroyed this structure absolutely and wounded Captain Madison very severely; so he did not succeed in either attempt to ram the enemy. Owing to the steering gear having been shot away, we had lost ship control. The submarine was speeding away from the ship and also keeping a hail of shrapnel bursting over our decks.  For the next fifteen minutes, he had us at his mercy.  Our remaining gun, the 6-inch aft, could not be trained forward of the beam, owing to the superstructure and Sampson posts forward of it.  At last our ship had drifted around with the action of the sea and we commenced firing our 6-inch gun. The submarine was about two miles off.  About twenty five shots had been fired by the enemy, every one of which had taken a large toll in lives.

The shots from our 6-inch gun were striking all within a few feet of the U-boat, which was increasing the distance between us every moment.  The tenth shot fired apparently struck the submarine and he submerged immediately.  We ceased firing after dropping two shots at the point where he submerged.

Only one of the dangers had been temporarily removed when the U-boat submerged, for our ship was a mass of flames, fore and aft. All the wooden upper superstructure had been set afire by the enemy’s shrapnel. Besides, fully fifty percent of all on board had been killed or wounded in that first engagement of one-half hour.  It was about 5:40 a.m., when the enemy was sighted and about 6:10 a.m. when we forced him to submerge.

However, not a moment was lost.  One party of sailors and soldiers, under the direction of Ensign Stafford was detailed to clear away the wreckage of the life boats that had been destroyed by shell fire and prepare the remaining ones for use; another party, under the direction of Ensign Gately, was detailed as fire brigade to get under control the fire, which at the moment threatened to drive us from the ship; Ensign Riengleman, and his 6-inch gun crew stood by their gun, waiting for the Hun to appear above water. I, personally took charge of a repair party for the purpose of rigging up the auxiliary steering gear. Paymaster S.S. Magruder had established a first-aid station amid-ships during the first part of the engagement and was doing his best to relieve the shrapnel-torn youngsters of some of their pain.

Captain Jimmy Madison, whose master spirit had saved his ship and the lives of his crew six months before, was still the directing mind. Although severely wounded and covered with blood, he carried on. Never were men confronted with so many disadvantages and never was the spirit of “carry on” so well personified as it was during the last hours of the TICONDEROGA.

Captain Madison had ordered the wells sounded and it was found that we were yet in a floating condition. The pumps were started, both for the purpose of pumping the water out of the holds and putting out the deck fires.

About 6:25 the auxiliary steering gear was in order.  Captain Madison ordered the ship put on a West course. The West course would take us in the general direction of America, as it would have been useless to continue onto France in that condition. Besides, the West course aided greatly in getting the fire under control, because it prevented the fire from spreading amidships.

At 6:30 Ensign Gately and his tireless fire party had gotten the fire under control. Although all our wooden deck houses were burned to the level of the main deck, the fire was prevented from spreading to the lower holds and magazines.

About forty-five men were aboard the ship after the three remaining lifeboats had been launched. For these forty-five to abandon ship, there remained but one life-raft, and one small, wooden boat termed a “wherry”.  Both the life-raft and wherry were in a very un-seaworthy condition, owing to the effects of the shrapnel fire. The life-raft was secured to the center of the upper boat deck. In order to launch it over the side, it was necessary for the seventeen officers and men to drag it twenty five feet to the ship’s side. The upper boat deck was forty five feet from the water, so they waited until the ship had sunk low enough to decrease this distance in order to avoid wrecking the raft.

The wherry presented the same problem. It had never been used as a lifeboat and had been secured to the center of No.6 hatch aft, on the quarter-deck, for three trips. It could not be dragged to the side, owing to ventilators and other obstructions. Our only means of launching it was to wait for the quarterdeck to become awash; then it would float. The quarterdeck was but ten feet from the water, so we would not have long to wait. Still, it was a long chance to take; for the ship might have sunk before the quarterdeck became submerged.

As I mentioned before, seventeen were gathered around the life-raft amidships. The remaining twenty eight were with me on the quarterdeck. We were busy collecting wooden hatches, boat spars, etc., for those whom the wherry couldn’t accommodate – the wherry could carry but twenty persons at the very most – when a shrapnel shell burst over the quarterdeck. About fifteen were killed outright and a number of the remaining twelve wounded.  This must have been about 7:35. For the third time, at least, and in two particular instances, which I will briefly describe, I miraculously escaped death.

Muller explains he was in his room early morning, just beneath the bridge, when the first explosion occurred. He was impacted by the shell gas, but able to flee, only to find himself surrounded by fire.  He jumped eighteen feet to the forward well deck, escaping with a few scrapes and bruises. His story continues:

About the same instant, the shell exploded among us, a torpedo struck us amidships [the submarine log book has no record of a torpedo, see reference below]. The ship commenced settling rapidly after that. During the next few minutes, the quarterdeck became submerged and the wherry floated clear of the ship’s side. We had placed seaman J.L. Davis who had had his foot shot off, and two wounded soldiers in the boat. The remaining six clung to the sides of the wherry as it floated clear. The wherry filled with water far quicker than it could be bailed out. Even the three wounded man were forced to hang to the side with the other six of us. How their wounds must have smarted! But there was never a murmur from them. Davis in particular must have suffered terribly, but to all appearances, he was one of the coolest of the nine.

Our position at that time was a most dangerous one. The TICONDEROGA was rising and plunging heavily and with every swell, sinking lower in the water. As every plunge threatened to be her last, we prayed for our waterlogged craft to drift clear of the deriliot [?]. Our prayers were answered and we succeeded in placing one hundred yards between our wherry and the ship before she sank. Davis was facing the ship while I faced him across the four feet breadth of the wherry. He called my attention to the final plunge of the TICONDEROGA with the following words, “there she goes Mr. Muller, there goes the old “TICON” our home for the past nine months”. I turned my head to watch her sinking and answered, “Yes, Dave, she was a good home, too, and probably the last we shall have in this world.” Even as I finish speaking, the TICONDEROGA had disappeared beneath the surface of the Atlantic. She sank stern first, her bow high in the air and pointing toward the zenith. It is a solemn sight to witness the sinking of a great ship far out to sea, especially when she has been your little world for nine months. The only effect we felt of the TICONDEROGA sinking was a larger swell than usual. Apparently, there was no suction, for we did not notice any. All that remained of what had been a 6,000 ton ship, was wreckage, with men clinging to some of it. When we were elevated above the level on the crest of a swell, the life-raft could be seen, approximately two hundred yards away. It appeared to be crowded with men. We could not see the submarine.

With chattering teeth, we discussed the possibilities of our being picked up, fifteen hundred miles from both America and France, in the very heart of a great ocean, our chances were very slight, but the hope of a breathing human is always evident no matter how faint it may be at times. So we reasoned that the water would close the torn seams of our boat very soon, then we could hope to bail it out and put it in shape for our accommodation. The wherry had been turning over and over with the action of the swells. At times, it would be upside down, with the keel showing just above the water. When it would capsize in this manner, of course, we were forced to release our hold from the gunwales and scramble for a new grip on the keel until it would again return to the upright position. We had gone through this procedure about four times and was back to our original positions about the gunwales when we drifted among a great number of floating potatoes–we kept our potatoes on deck on the TICONDEROGA and when the ship sank, they floated off.

These potatoes were a great boon to us, for they would furnish both food and drink. Everyone seized a potato and commenced chewing on it. Then we decided upon a scheme for reserving potatoes for future use. As all the soldiers had four pockets in their coats we decided to fill their pockets with raw potatoes. I was busily engaged reaching out for potatoes with my right hand while I held onto the gunwale with my left. The first sergeant of the troops, who was next to me on the wherry side was stowing them in his pockets as I handed them to him. I was reaching several that were just beyond arm’s length, facing away from the wherry, when an extra-large swell capsized the wherry on top of me.

Muller describes his terror as he tries to escape, while his life preserver holds him captive and unable to swim under the boat to freedom.  After a few minutes, the boat rolled again, releasing him, but he lost consciousness.

The events which led to the sinking of the Ticonderoga end here.  We don’t know if Alex made it to one of the lifeboats, the wherry or lost his life from shrapnel or fire.

Details of the submarine’s log is included in “The Submarine Warfare, 1914-1918” by Vice Admiral Andreas Michelson:

The log did not note the torpedo shot which the survivors thought to have seen, so that the action was a pure military engagement. This occurred in latitude 43 5′ N and longitude 38 34′ W; the submarine firing 83 shells, 35 in the first phase before diving and 48 in the second.

Muller’s story continues.

At about 3:30 PM that same day he awakened, finding that had been taken hostage by the German submarine.  He describes the U-boat and the men he encountered. He was seen by the doctor, given whiskey and dry clothes and told to rest. They offered food, but he was feverish and too sick to eat.

For several days, the Captain, a man called Franz and others interrogated him asking of his background, the origins of the ship and the convoy’s destination.  Muller claimed to know nothing.  The ship surgeon continued to treated him and soon he felt better and hungry. His last meal had been aboard the Ticonderoga when Mcgruder’s men had given all hands a cup of coffee and a corned bill sandwich [Alex worked in the ship’s kitchen as a baker].

Muller later names and describes his thoughts of other crew members, including the Executive of the U-boat, Von Werm; Navigator and Diving Control Officer, Wille (who he dubs “a real gentleman”);  the Chief Engineer, Heine; the Surgeon, Fuelcher;  the Communications Officer, Swartz; and Ordinance and Gunnery Officer, Franke.

He describes Captain Franz as a 33 year old nervous man with a violent temper, with bravery approaching recklessness (having witnessed him attacking a group of three armed vessels on October 17) , Franz had been in the German Navy nearly fourteen years and had an evil side. He killed harmless enemies and subjected the crew to violent verbal abuse.

Despite this, Muller was treated well, perhaps because he confessed his father was a German who had come to America 50 years earlier.  On 3 October, the Captain invited him to eat at his table, a meal of canned brown bread, marmalade, butter and very good coffee, offered with white sugar and canned sweet milk.  His dry clothes were returned. He was given a dozen thin cigarettes and permission to venture to the outside deck.  Here he interacted with the scraggly looking, dirty crew, several of whom spoke English and had visited America, including his hometown of Oakland, California. He observed that most of the ship’s company, about 80 of them, were boys between the ages of sixteen and twenty.

The crew explained, after the Ticonderoga sunk, they were searching the loose parts floating in the water.  They saw what appeared to be a dead body, had roped it and brought it aboard thinking it was the ship’s captain.  The doctor pronounced the person “alive” and the crew proceeded to resuscitate him [in a New York Tribune interview, published 18 December 1918, Muller reports that he was ordered aboard “at the muzzle of the German captain’s revolver].  They confessed they had seen men anxiously clinging to debris and were sorry they were not allowed to save others.  Franz had ordered them to fire upon the Ticonderoga life boats; two with wounded men sunk.  Five shots were fired at the remaining life boat, however the 22 aboard survived.

The following day, the Captain informed Muller that Lieutenant Fulcher, the Assistant Engineering Officer, had been rescued from a life-raft;   The Captain indicated he would have rescued more souls, but had no room on the ship.

In a conversation with Fulcher, Muller learned that the submarine had submerged because the Ticonderoga shots had taken out a Gun Captain and carried away part of the rail on the forward deck.  Franz had assumed they were using shrapnel.  A vessel in the convoy had also fired shots, which came 1,500 yards short.  Franz’s intent was to capture the Ticonderoga’s Captain and Gunnery Officer as evidence to his German leaders they had “strafed” an American ship.

Muller wrote of the men’s work on the ship, them mending torn clothes, playing cards and checkers and of a five member orchestra which played German tunes as the men sang along while the officers “drank as much booze as they could put away”.  The U-boat made daily practice dives and on several occasions unsuccessfully chased and fired upon other vessels.  Meanwhile Muller and Fulcher played cribbage a few hours each day and lived for the days when the sea was calm so they could breathe fresh air and gaze at the night sky.

On October 10th it seemed as something strange was going on.  All 80 men were permitted on deck and the wireless officer carried frequent messages to the Captain.  At lunch the next day, the Captain informed Frank that all U-boats had been given the order to cease operations on the American coast.  They were 370 miles from New York.  Apparently the German government was proposing peace, on the terms of President Wilson’s New York speech.

On October 12, the men washed their clothes, took baths, and gave themselves “a general overhauling”.  The boat stopped, a smaller boat launched with the Captain and several others, who paddled along taking photos; several of which included Muller and Fulcher.

The next day, the wireless man told Muller in confidence that the German Army was suffering a number of reverses on the Western Front.  The British had retaken Cambrai and the Allies were making successful advances.

On October 13, the submarine overtook a sailing vessel; a Norwegian ship which they looted and then sunk after ordering its crew to the boats, who sailed toward Newfoundland (1,000 miles away).  Among the articles were a belt and life ring with the name Steifinder.

The submarine secured canvases, ropes, sails, flour and all kinds of provisions including 3 live pigs, a stout sow and two small sucklings. The cook killed the pigs immediately and served fresh meat for three days (the only time in their 57 days of captivity). From the haul, Muller was given a cap, pair of slippers and American newspapers and magazines (he had been bare-footed and bare-headed since arrival on the ship). Fulcher was given underwear and socks. The haul would allow them plentiful amounts of fresh bread and potatoes, for the remainder of the voyage.

On October 15th, the submarine went after an unarmed English steamer and was attacked by destroyers responding to their SOS.  They survived nine violent explosions.

On October 20th, the Captain announced that they were to cease war on all merchant vessels and return to Kiel as quickly as possible. They were only to confront ships of war.  The crew erupted, shouting, singing and laughing.  The captain felt peace was imminent and invited Muller and Fulcher for a celebratory glass of Rhine wine. From this point forward, the crew was allowed beer and wine on Sundays and Wednesdays and each got a daily ration of a half bottle of Cognac.

On October 25th they learned Ludendorff had resigned; October 27th that Austria had sued for peace and October 30th that Turkey had been granted an Armistice.  The Allies continued a successful drive along the entire Western Front.

The submarine continued, avoiding destroyers and bombing planes by submerging.  On November 3rd news of the Kiel mutiny and surrender of Austria leaked to the crew. The Captain paced, muttering to himself.  There were endless messages from the wireless room to his cabin.

On November 7th, news was received of Bavaria having proclaimed herself a republic. On the 9th, news was received of the abdication of the Kaiser [Wilhelm II] and of the revolution in Berlin. On the 11th, the Captain officially informed Muller that an armistice had been agreed upon by all the powers, which would take effect at 1:00 AM. At that time he and Fulcher would cease to be prisoners of war. They would be his guests, until such time he could get them to Germany or a neutral country.  The captain went on to say:

Mr. Muller, the cause that Germany has fought for during these four years is lost.  Our Allies have all deserted us during these last fifteen days. There have been mutinies and revolutions all over Germany…..When the big ships were called upon to fight and make one last offensive at sea for the Fatherland, our crews mutinied and refused to go to sea. Then they started to revolt, which spread through my country….and even now they are killing men on submarines who did all the fighting.  My country is ruined.  My King is deposed.  I am a brokenhearted man.

The submarine continued toward Kiel, avoiding mine fields.  They came across another German submarine a U-53 commanded by Captain Von Schrader. The two captains exchanged war stories on the megaphone. Franz exclaimed in German: “We sank an American auxiliary cruiser in the Atlantic Ocean with 300 American soldiers aboard, they were all killed”. The U-53 led them through the final mine field, they anchored and several of their officers boarded where they spoke of the war.

The U-boat continued, anchoring a bit in Copenhagen, then resuming it’s trek to Kiel which was then delayed due to heavy fog. They encountered a U-B boat, a delegate of the Soldiers and Workmen’s Council boarded and assured them that the conditions were again normal in Kiel.  He informed Muller and Fulcher that they would be well cared for and would get home quickly.

Upon arrival, the crew was mustered and given passes.  Muller and Fulcher boarded the Prinz Heinrich, were given real beds with sheets and pillows, had a bath (the first in 45 days), were given four bottles of beer and a package of cigarettes.  The next day, they were given a pass to visit Kiel proper where they walked the main streets and entered some of the better cafes.  Everyone stared.  The streets were crowded and the police presence high.  There were plenty of souvenirs that could be bought, but no clothing. Shopkeepers told them the Soldiers and Workmen’s Council had requisitioned all clothing to provide for the soldiers returning from the front and the sailors discharged from the fleets.

The next morning, they had breakfast with the crew of the submarine.  They were told that the crew voted Franz, Von Wurn, Heins, Swartz and Franke off the ship and elected Wille as Captain.  The submarine was to be surrendered to England.

After a bit of red tape, Muller and Fulcher were slated to sail on the transport ship that would be accompanying the submarines.  The night prior to their departure, Captain Wille and the entire crew invited them to instead sail aboard the submarine on which they had been prisoners.  They gladly accepted this offer, which included a luxury state room and an abundance of food.  They were given discharge papers and set sail on November 20th, eager to get home.  Fulcher had a wife and child [Ruth] and Muller a father and six brothers, all of whom surely thought them dead.

Upon landing in England, a launch came alongside, the German crew boarded and were taken to the merchant vessel that would convey them back to Germany. As the launch left the U-boat’s side, the crew gave three cheers for their ex-prisoners.

A second launch arrived and took Muller and Fulcher to the vessel Maidenstone.  Here they were presented to Sir Eric Geddes [the First Lord of the Admiralty] who gave them a hardy hand and welcomed them back to their own people. From there they were sent by train to London where a government taxi was waiting to take them to the Washington Inn, St. James Square.  In Burberry’s the next day, they ordered new uniforms. They enjoyed a few days in London and set sail on December 7th on the S.S. Corona. [spelled Caronia on the ship manifest] 2:00 AM on December 17th.  Muller writes:

…the S.S. Corona dropped anchor in sight of the Green Goddess that guards the entrance to the City Wonderful, where more than fifty homeward bound Canadian and American officers raised a glass of champagne and drank to Her, the symbol of Liberty.

Source Citation

Year: 1918; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 2614; Line:20; Page Number: 67

Source Information

Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Original data:

Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897. Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls. NAI: 6256867. Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36. National Archives at Washington, D.C.

William Bell Clark, in his book, “When the U-boats came to America”, in the chapter “The Epic Of the Ticonderoga” offers yet another slant with a bit more detail.  Copy online – here  This version gives details of the men who were on the Norwegian, Steifinder.  After 15 days, one group was picked up and taken to New York.  The remaining men landed on November 5th at Turks Island,  British West Indies.

A slightly different version of Muller’s story was published in the New York Tribune:

 

Coming soon… a version of the story from witnesses on the US cruiser Galveston and a court martial!

Epilogue:

Frances “Frank” Louis Muller, USN Reserve Force, was awarded the Navy Cross by The President of the United States of America, for distinguished and gallant service as an officer of the U.S.S. TICONDEROGA on the occasion of the engagement of that vessel with a submarine.

According to city directories, in 1923, Frank, a Master Mariner, was residing with his wife Irene in Houston, Texas. By 1928, the pair had relocated to San Fernando, California (no occupation mentioned).

By 1930 they owned a home on Mountain View Street in San Fernando.  Frank is listed in the census with his wife Irene, who is said to be born about 1898, in North Carolina. His occupation is recorded as “none”.  The census enumerator notes that Muller’s father [Major Henry Muller] was born in Hesse Kassel, Germany.

Frank died 23 October 1932 in San Fernando, California and was buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery with full military honors. His cause of death was pulmonary tuberculosis, nephritis and parenchymatous which he contracted in 1924.  His obituary mentions he was a Captain in the Merchant Marine until he became ill and had to be hospitalized.

He was of a large well known military family. Survivors are named as his widow [likely Irene] and six brothers: George and Harry of the Army Transport Service, San Francisco;   Captain William, U.S.A. Wichita, Kansas; Lieutenant Walter, U.S.A. Gainsborough, Florida; Captain Charles, U.S.A. Fort Worth, Texas and Reverend Albert, Antioch, California.

Junius Fulcher died 5 November 1967 in Norfolk, Virginia at the age of 91.

His obituary reads:

Retired Navy Reserve Lt. Junius Harris Fulcher, 91, of Norfolk, Va., a veteran of 40 years with the U.S. Lighthouse Service, died Sunday [Nov. 5, 1967] at 11:25 a.m. in a hospital.

A native of Frisco he lived in Norfolk 58 years. He was the husband of Mrs. Grace (Talbot) Fulcher and a son of the Rev. George L. and Mrs. Cynthia Stowe Fulcher.

During World War I he was captured by a German submarine off the North Carolina Outer Banks and subsequently escaped.

Besides his widow surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Edwin Ricket of Rockville Centre, Long Island, N.Y.; a son, Junius Harris Fulcher, Jr. of Houston, Texas; a sister, Mrs. Anges Styron of Hatteras, N.C. and 6 grandchildren.

A funeral service was conducted Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home by the Rev. Ira Austin of Fist Methodist Church. Burial with Masonic rites was in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Fulcher’s daughter Ruth was a Genealogist.  Her obituary reads:

RUTH A. RICKERT–Ruth A., age 96, died February 24, 2014. Beloved wife of Edwin Rickert, mother of Jean, Wendy and Allen. Grandmother of Michael, Henry and Thomas. Born in Norfolk, VA, January 3, 1918, Daughter of Junius and Grace Fulcher. Ruth graduated from Sullins College, the Maryland Institute of Art and Teachers College at John Hopkins. She taught high school art in Maryland. She was a leader in Scouting, the PTA, and an active member of the United Church of Rockville Centre, NY. Her art was exhibited and she published several books on family genealogy. She was related to preachers, farmers, revolutionary and civil war veterans but her most sentimental heritage was of the generations of Cape Hatteras lighthouse keepers. She kept a light in her heart for everyone. She is survived by her children Jean and Allen. Donations may be made in Ruth’s name to the charity of your choice .
– See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?pid=169898459#sthash.5k3oulGD.dpuf

 

 

52 Ancestors, week #15 – Louis Napoleon Chalifour – UPDATE!!

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year’s Challenge: “Have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.”  

My husband ran into a cousin, who mentioned her mom was interested in genealogy.  He returned home and asked “does the name Napoleon ring a bell?”  Yes, husband, we have talked extensively about Napoleon….he is your g-grandfather.   Husband says, “I thought the name sounded familiar, I can’t remember all these people!”

I took a French Genealogy class at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) years ago, and was able to trace Napoleon back to Mathurin Chalifour born abt 1593 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France.  My husband’s response when I shared the news: “You mean I am French?”…. “Yes, dear, where did you think the French Canadians came from? Australia?  🙂

Mathurin Chalifour’s son Paul Chalifour, the first in the line to immigrate to Quebec was 15 years old during the Siege of La Rochelle in 1627.  The Siege of La Rochelle (French: Le Siège de La Rochelle, or sometimes Le Grand Siège de La Rochelle) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28. The siege marked the apex of the tensions between the Catholics and the Protestants in France, and ended with a complete victory for King Louis XIII and the Catholics. During the siege, the population of La Rochelle decreased from 27,000 to 5,000 due to casualties, famine, and disease.

Paul Chalifour (master carpenter specializing in putting up timber-work) is the only child of Mathurin  who later appears in Canada (he married there in 1648).  We don’t know if he had siblings and what became of them and his parents.  He likely lost many relatives and friends in the siege

The remaining Protestants of La Rochelle suffered new persecutions, when 300 families were again expelled in November 1661, the year Louis XIV came to power. The reason for the expulsions was that Catholics deeply resented a degree of revival of Protestant ownership of property within the city.

The episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” featuring Tom Bergeron which first aired on 30 Aug 2015 recounts the horrific details of these ancestors who were subjected to starvation and religious persecution: http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/who-do-you-think-you-are/videos/tom-bergeron/.

Louis Napoleon “Napoleon” Chalifour, a descendant of Mathurin and Paul is the subject of today’s sketch.  He was born to Jean Elie Chalifour and Helene Gagnon and baptized 29 January 1879, in Plessisville, Québec, Canada.

In 1891, Napoleon, age twelve (placing his birth at about 1889), is found residing in Plessisville (also known as  the village of Somerset) with his widowed mother and a few siblings.  He was enumerated as Louis Chalifour.

He married Marie Josephine Rose de Lima LeBlanc, daughter of Antoine LeBlanc and Herméline Thuot, on 5 Feb 1902 in Montreal, Canada.

The marriage record names Napoleon’s parents and indicates his father is deceased and his mother is of Saint Cecilia de Valleyfield (she likely moved to be near or with family; Napoleon’s sister Beatrice married two years earlier, in 1900, and at that point, their widowed mother was said to be of Plessisville).

Napoleon had four sons – Henry, Leon Pierre, Louis Albert and George between 1903 and 1907.  My husband descends from Albert.

In 1911, the family lived in Jacques-Cartier, Quebec.  They are Catholic, primary language is French, and Napoleon is in construction. Napoleon is listed as age 32 and his birth as January 1879.

Napoleon emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts (my husband’s birthplace) before May 1915 – the date when his family crossed the border, claiming they were to join him.

The family lived together on Foster Street in 1920. A 43 year old Napoleon, which places his birth at about 1878, was listed as a house carpenter who had applied for naturalization.  He is listed in the 1922, 1924 and 1926 city directories, as a carpenter, at this address.

That’s where the trail ends. The 1927 and 1928 city directories are not available online. In the 1929 & 1930 city directories and 1930 census, his wife is listed as a widow. The only Chalifour’s listed in the 1926 to 1930 Massachusetts death index are Alfred J A, Elie and James Henry all of Salem. A Declaration of Intent to become Naturalized has not been found.

Family lore says: “We do not know when Napoleon died as he went to Pennsylvania to find work, and no one ever heard from him after that.  He may have been killed in a log-jam as he was working there. ”

Napoleon was in Pennsylvania, years earlier, working as a Carpenter, in 1918, when he registered for the WWI draft.  He lists a birth date of 27 July 1870 and names Rose Chalifour of Salem, Massachusetts as his wife and nearest relative.  The birth year is a bit off (perhaps an error, or he was trying to make himself appear older to avoid military service).

It appears he posted ads in the local paper seeking carpentry work (the following ad appeared 4 weeks in a row).

So… Napoleon is on my “list” of folks to research this summer. Did he return to Pennsylvania? To date, I haven’t found any evidence to support this nor have I located a record of his death there (Pennsylvania death certificates are online at Ancestry.com).

UPDATE: 22 August 2016

A Napoleon Chalifour  registered for the draft in 1942 in Oklahoma.

This Napoleon is listed as 5’5″, 160 pounds with blue eyes, blonde hair and ruddy complexion.  The WWI draft card list’s my husband’s Napoleon as medium height, stout build with blue eyes and brown hair – not exactly a similar description….other than the blue eyes.

But, he claims a birth of 27 January 1878 in Plessisville, Canada. This birth day (January 27th) matches that of the WWI draft record.

All baptisms were examined in Plessisville and there was only one Napoleon listed in that parish in that time period. Yes, my husband’s “missing” g-grandfather, who was baptized 29 January 1879.

Further, there was only one other Chalifour family baptizing children in Plessisville in that time frame (records were examined from 1854 to 1885).  Hilaire Chalifour and his wife, Flavie Moreau baptized a son Georges in April of 1879, thus it is unlikely that they also had a son Napoleon that same year who’s baptism went unrecorded. Note that baptisms were recorded individually, implying the children were baptized soon after birth (vs. having to travel to a priest or wait until a traveling priest was in town to baptize multiple children at once).

Last, my husband has a 2nd-3rd cousin Autosomal DNA match on 23andme to another descendant of Jean Elie Chalifour and Helene Gagnon through their son Elie, so it is pretty likely hubby’s Napoleon is the one baptized in Plessisville and the one who appears later in Oklahoma.

In 1942, Napoleon’s close contact (at the same address) is Mary Chalifour.

The 1940 census lists Napoleon and Mary as husband and wife living in Crutcho, Oklahoma.  Napoleon’s occupation is “carpenter”.  The same occupation as my husband’s Napoleon.

A Find-A-Grave entry lists  a Napoleon Chalifour buried at Fairlawn Cemetery, Oklahoma City

Birth: 1879 – Death: 1947

A note on Mary’s record reads:

Birth:	1882 Toronto Ontario, Canada
Death:	Jun. 29, 1949 Oklahoma County Oklahoma, USA
Died of cancer at St Anthony Hospital. Lived in the United States about 30 years. No living relatives are known.

A social security death claim was made for Napoleon Chalifour in 1947:

Name:	Napoleon Chalifour
SSN:	444100923
Birth Date:	27 Jan 1876
Birth Place:	Verdun, France
Death Date:	1 Mar 1947
Claim Date:	11 Mar 1947
Type of Claim:	Death Claim
Notes:	10 Nov 1977: Name listed as NAPOLEON CHALIFOUR

Although the birth year and place differ from the 1942 draft registration (but the date is again listed as 27 January).

Other records have not been located – I primarily searched for a marriage record to Mary, the 1930 census, his application for Naturalization, death certificate and obituary. I also searched for the Napoleon of Oklahoma in earlier records without success; this negative result is another indicator that Napoleon of Oklahoma and Napoleon of Salem are the same person.

A comparison of the 1918 and 1942 signatures are inconclusive.   It is interesting that both sign as Nap not Napoleon. The C in Chalifour is similar.

I ordered Napoleon of Oklahoma’s SS-5 (social security application) to see who he named as parents and to match up the signature with that of the draft cards!  Note that social security numbers beginning with 444-10 were issued in Oklahoma from 1936-1950, so this neither supports or disproves the theory……  A copy of the application, completed by Napoleon, should arrive within 3 weeks  Stay tuned!

UPDATE 3 September 2016

The SS-5 has arrived!  Napoleon Chalifour of Oklahoma likely filled out the application, dated 17 July 1937, where he names his parents as Eli Chalifour and Helen Gagnon (a match to the man baptized in Plessisville, Canada and to the man who married Josephine Rose de Lima LeBlanc)  and a birthdate of 27 January 1876 (matching the birth month/day of the Napoleon of Salem; he perhaps added four years to his age to claim Social security benefits earlier?).

He does report a birth place of Verdun, France (perhaps he was fearful the government would identify him as the missing Salem man? or perhaps this fib makes it less likely they would have the ability to disprove the 1876 birth year).

However, the signature on the SS-5 and employer [Mack Denny/ MH Denney] matches that of the 1942 WWII draft card, where he reports a birth year of 1878 and place of Plessisvill[e], Canada

Despite a few inconsistencies, this further supports the theory that Napoleon of Salem and Napoleon of Oklahoma are the same man.

A Potential Breakthrough! – Jennie Ferguson

My “Greatest” Aunt Natalie was instrumental in piquing my interest in genealogy and most recently entrusted me with her work of 30+ years.  When she passed, exactly a year ago today, I wrote “Rest in Peace my Greatest Aunt Natalie and thanks for the wonderful legacy….AND if you can hear me, please send a SIGN to help us FINALLY find Jennie Ferguson’s parents John and Elizabeth!!!!” (click here for post about Aunt Natalie).

This post tells what I know of Jennie Ferguson’s life (click here).

In a nutshell, Jennie might have been born in the area near Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada (according to daughter Jennie Haines Johnson’s 1919 death certificate, informant was her husband Ernest Johnson; other records specify a generic birthplace of New Brunswick) likely about 1858, records place her birth between 1856 and 1864**.

** Jennie’s birth year ?

• The Boston Globe death notice lists her as age 82 (b. abt 1856) Her death certificate puts her age at 74 (b. 1864);
• Her gravestone reads 1858-1938;
• the 1880 census puts her age at 22, b. abt 1858 (assuming it is really her and not someone of the same name – she is working as a domestic);
• She is listed as age 23 when she married in 1882 (b. abt 1859);
• the 1900 census lists a birth date of Jun 1866, age 33 and says she was married 18 years. If correct, this would put her age 15 at marriage;
• the 1910 census gives her age as 51 (b. 1859);
• 1930 census, there is a woman of the same name as an inmate at a hospital in Boston, age 73, b. 1857 – not sure if this is her as she supposedly owned and was living in a house in Billerica (no records in Billerica have been located – land deeds of Middlesex North are not online and I have not had the opportunity to visit)
• If she is really the Jane Ferguson in the 1861 Canadian census (mentioned herein), her age was 4, thus she was b. abt 1857

Jennie relocated to Boston in the late 1870’s or early 1880’s where she likely was employed as a servant. She married there on 7 March 1882. Her husband was William John “John” Haines, born 7 Mar 1856 in Richibucto, son of John Haines/Hains and Alice Edith Childs. They likely knew each other before arrival in Boston, from Richibucto, as Jennie was a best friend to John’s sister Mary Haines (according to Mary’s diary).  The marriage record names Jennie’s parents as John and Elizabeth. The Rev. John Hood, who married them, is listed in Boston City Directories in that time period at United Presbyterian, corner of Berkeley and Chandler Streets (the church record of this marriage has not been located).

An entry in Mary Haines’s diary reads:

26 January 1882: “John came over from Chelsea this evening. We had a lovely time together. Jenny Ferguson my dear friend came down from Richibucto. She was here tonight.  Just came on the boat today. I am so glad to see her. She is my dearest friend” [ship manifest not located].

All available birth, marriage and death records for Jennie, John and their eight children have been reviewed.  She is named as Jennie or Jennie Ferguson in all except one – her daughter Margaret Elizabeth’s marriage in 1909 names her as Jennie Garfield. Garfield might be a typo or a clue….

Another “clue”might be the name Glatis/Galatis.  Jennie named her first son John Glatis Haines.  Glatis is not a name of the Haines family, so perhaps it is linked to the Fergusons.

Records were examined in New Brunswick and no individuals with a surname similiar to “Garfield” or “Glatis/Galatis” seemed to be associated with Fergusons. Both names were uncommon in that area.

Other children’s names may offer clues: Ella May, Margaret Elizabeth, Minnie and Jennie (Edith, Alexander, John and Joseph are Haines family names). Mary Haines’ diary mentions her closest friend besides Jennie is Minnie Gordon, was Jennie’s daughter named after this Minnie? Minnie has not been identified in records, but there was a Gordon family who resided near or next door to Elizabeth (Potts) Ferguson, Jennie’s probable grandmother, in 1861 in Weldford, Kent New Brunswick.

Jennie was Aunt Natalie’s (and my grandmother Edith’s) paternal grandmother, thus my paternal gg-grandmother.

1861 Ferguson Family

In Weldford Parish, Kent, New Brunswick, 1861 (census page 27), an Elizabeth Ferguson was enumerated with her “brother” Archibald and his two nieces, 4-year old Jane (a common nickname for Jennie) and infant Jepie (perhaps Jessie). Further research places the family in South Branch, a village about twelve miles from Richibucto. Mary Haines’ diary circa 1880-1883 mentions her visit home to Weldford.

Right next door to Archibald Ferguson is James Alexander Clare.  John Hains (Jennie Ferguson’s father-in-law) married a Jane Clare in 1865; online trees name James and Jane as siblings. Thus a potential connection as neighbors, between the Ferguson and Haines families.

Two pages away, and thus likely nearby, in this same census (page 25), listed just after the family of Thomas Gordon, is Elizabeth Ferguson, of the age to be Elizabeth and Archibald’s mother, with her children Agnes, Robert, Andrew, Mary and granddaughter Mary, age 6 [this granddaughter is listed as age 21 in 1871, then is not found marrying or in later censuses – who are her parents? – could this be Jennie listed by a middle name? or her sister?].  There is also a John Graham listed as Elizabeth’s son. The census is unclear, but further analysis indicates this may be her son from a prior relationship.

The Robert Ferguson named in this census as a son of Elizabeth Ferguson, filed a delayed birth record in 1932 where he names his parents as William Ferguson and Betsy Potts, he writes that his mother had 6 children, all of whom were living.  If Elizabeth had eight children, he would have been Elizabeth’s 6th child in birth order: (1) John Graham, (2) Jane, (3) Elizabeth, (4) Archibald, (5) Agnes, (6) Robert, (7) Andrew, (8) Mary.  Or if his statement is accurate, it is possible two of these children were not born to Elizabeth (a land deed, discussed later in this narrative, names children 2-8 as heirs of William Ferguson).

Side note: Robert named children Jennie and Jessie (perhaps family names?)

The marriage of this couple was published:

PANB, Daniel F. Johnson. Date December 28 1830, County Northumberland, Place Chatham, Newspaper The Gleaner and Northumberland:

m. Thursday 10th, by John Jardine, William FERGUSON, Esq. / Elizabeth POTTS, Harcourt (Kent Co.)

Land deeds further connect the Ferguson, Potts and Graham families.

For example, in 1856 Archibald Ferguson, Andrew Ferguson and John Graham all of Weldford jointly buy land of John Potts of Wellington.

A cemetery transcription at GALLOWAY CEMETERY in Rexton (formerly Kingston, just south of Richibucto) reads:

FERGUSON, William  died  Apr 19 1844  aged 59
native of Dumfrieshire, Scotland

William Ferguson and Elizabeth Potts’s apparent last child, Mary was born in 1841.  The 1851 census for Kent County did not survive.  Elizabeth is widowed by 1861 and the census offers a race/where born of “Scotch Newcastle Dumfries”.  Thus, this grave transcription could be her husbands (although there was a land deed filed in Weldford, 18 October 1844 where William Ferguson and his wife Betty sell land to John Graham – the deed reads that William appear on this date, if accurate he could not have passed six months prior to his appearance).  Jannet (Dunn) Childs, mother to Alice Edith Childs and James Childs, grandmother to William John Hains was also said to be of Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Perhaps a connection between the families.

Elizabeth is buried at St. Andrews in Rexton next to Captain Simon Graham’s second wife Mabel Plume. Was Simon related?

FERGUSON, Elizabeth  died Jan 16 1872  age 72
wife of William FERGUSON

Elizabeth’s grave states that she is of New Castle on Liddesdale, Rocborough Shire [Newcastleton, is a village in the Scottish Borders and within the historic boundaries of Roxburghshire, a few miles from the border of Scotland with England. The village is in Liddesdale and is on the Liddel Water, and the site of Hermitage Castle. The planned village of Newcastleton locally titled “Copshawholm” was founded by Henry Scott the 3rd Duke of Buccleuch on the 4th March 1793 taking the place of the original village of Castleton as a centre of development for flax, wool and cotton handloom weaving].

Kent County probate records were destroyed by fire, however an 1869 a deed was filed that names the heirs of William Ferguson:

Andrew Ferguson, Archibald Ferguson of Weldford….Agnes Ferguson, Elizabeth Ferguson and Mary Ferguson, all of the same place spinsters.  Jane Evans, wife of John Evans of the same place, all heirs of the late William Ferguson deceased.  It then goes on to name Eliza Ferguson wife of Archibald Ferguson and Robert Ferguson also heirs.

Marriage

While it is possible that Elizabeth Ferguson had two children out of wedlock, she may have also have been widowed and thus Archibald’s sister-in-law.  However, she is named as a heir to William Ferguson and a “spinster” indicating that perhaps she never married.  Since Elizabeth Potts named a son John Graham, she likely did not name a subsequent son John Ferguson. This might indicate that although Jennie’s father may have been named John, his surname would not likely have been Ferguson.

In 1871, Elizabeth, a servant, and Jessie Ferguson were enumerated in Richibucto Parish (Jennie/Jane was not found this census year); given the age variations for Jennie in various documents, it is also possible that she was “Jessie” and her name was misinterpreted by the census enumerator:

William Fitzgerald (widower, wives were Honora Hickey/Jean Potts)- 78
Elizabeth Ferguson – 32
Jessie Ferguson – 9
John McWilliams – 4

That year’s city directory places Fitzgerald in Weldford, South Branch.

William Fitzgerald was likely related through his marriage to Jean Potts, probably a sister to Elizabeth Ferguson’s mother, thus William was probably an uncle.  In 1871 there was an exchange of land between William Fitzgerald and Robert & Andrew Ferguson, his likely nephews. Fitzgerald’s will is found in December 1875 New Brunswick land deeds; assets are left to his son-in-law and daughter, Richard English and wife Mary.

No definitive connection has been found between the Fergusons and John McWilliams, but he could be a relative. There was a John Childs, age 14 enumerated with Elizabeth in 1881. This could be John McWilliams enumerated with another surname in error. He was not found under either surname after this date. In 1871 there is a McWilliams family near Elizabeth (Potts) Ferguson in Weldford: William (63, b. Scotland), Christine (58, b. Scotland), Alexander (30), David (22), Janet (24), Anne (20), Christina (18), John (18), Archibald (10).

Elizabeth Ferguson married James Childs, son of Joseph Childs and Jannet Dunn, 28 January 1875; both were of Richibucto.  The marriage was solemnized by Rev. James Law (1822 – 1882) minister of St Andrews Church, Rexton for 32 years from 1845 to 1877 – the church yard where Jannet Dunn and Alice Edith Childs are buried). More of the church and it’s origins here – A-historical-account-of-St-Andrews-Church. Witnesses were Nicholas Childs (James’s sister) and William English.

Note: In the 1871 census, Elizabeth Ferguson was enumerated as family #155; James Childs’s with his father and siblings are listed on the prior census page, families #147 & 148 – this is also where Mary Haines was enumerated in 1861,  she and Jennie Ferguson might have crossed paths and become friends while neighbors between 1861 and 1871. 

An entry in Mary’s diary dated 1 Dec 1881 reads: Seven years ago today [1874] dear Joseph [her brother] and I left Weldford for Nova Scotia.  Confirmation that both Haines and this Ferguson family were residing in Weldford.

A witness to Elizabeth and James’ marriage, William English (son of Richard English and Nancy May Fitzgerald,  daughter of the William Fitzgerald with whom Elizabeth resided in 1871), was part of family #149.  There were also several land transactions recorded between William Fitzgerald and William English.

James Childs was brother to Alice Edith Childs, who was mother to Jennie Ferguson’s husband John Haines and her best friend, Mary Haines!!  This seems to be another connection between the Haines and Ferguson families!!!!!! (more details on the Childs’ family here).

In 1881 and 1891, James and Elizabeth were enumerated in Weldford Parish.  They had two sons, James and William Joseph (neither seemed to marry or have children).

There was a John Childs, age 14 enumerated with them in 1881 (possibly the John McWilliams listed in 1871). It appears this John died in 1888.  The newspapers reports: “John CHILDS of New Brunswick, while at work in a gravel pit on Sourdinahunk stream, Maine [Nesowadnehunk, Northern Maine near Mt Katahdin] was killed last Friday by the bank caving in on him. He lived a few hours”.  He is buried at St Andrews near James’s mother Jannet and sister Edith.  Death records list cause as an accident, his age as 22 but a residence of New Hampshire.

By 1901 James and Elizabeth relocated to British Columbia, where Elizabeth died 31 July 1913.

In 1915, James next married his g-grand niece, Elizabeth Mitchell, who was 20 years his junior (widow of Adam Stothart; daughter of James Walter Mitchell and Elizabeth Mary Haywood), with whom he had four children – Janet Bertha (1915-1922), William Albion (1916-1976), Sarah Jean (1919-1930)  and Hattie (1922-2011) before he died in 1923.  Elizabeth Mitchell mother, Elizabeth Mary Haywood was the daughter of James Childs’ sister, Jane Childs.

Jennie’s best friend, Mary Haines’s grandson Ralph Stevens, inherited a photo from Mary’s collection. Mary kept in touch with her uncle James and his wife, the photo was included with a letter by Elizabeth (Mitchell) Childs.  The photo reads: These are Bertha and Billy Childs my half bro. + sis. Don’t you like my little Billy boy? Yes, he is a little darling + mouse.

 

To date, I have only located Hattie Childs’s obituary and it it has no mention of Jennie. If a Stothart descendant wrote the obituary they may not have been aware of a relationship if there were one.

Maps

A map of the area and the 1865/6 Kingston (now Rexton) directory further connects families.  William Ferguson is in RED.  Nearby in GREEN are the following connected families:

James A. Clare – father of Jane Clare, second wife of John Hains (m. 1865) and step-mother of Jennie Ferguson’s husband John and best friend Mary Haines.

Joseph Childs – Grandfather of William John Haines, Jennie Ferguson’s husband.

Richard English – son in law of William Fitzgerald, likely his wife is 1st cousin to Elizabeth Ferguson.

Simon Graham – Elizabeth Ferguson seems to have had a child named John Graham and she is buried next to Simon’s second wife Mabel Plume.  They could be related.

James Morton – father of Alexander Morton who married Mary Childs, sister to James Childs (husband of Elizabeth Ferguson) and daughter of Joseph Childs and Janet Dunn

William Fitzgerald – likely family with whom Elizabeth Ferguson was living in 1871, likely a maternal uncle.

John Potts, Jr. – likely relation to Elizabeth Potts, wife of William Ferguson.

Potential Jessie connection (likely not accurate if Elizabeth Ferguson was a biological daughter of William)

A search of the 1871 New Brunswick census reveals only one Jessie Ferguson born between 1855 and 1865 in New Brunswick (using search criteria Jes* F*s*n – where * is a wildcard).  There is one other enumerated in New Brunswick as Jessie C Furgusson who was born in PEI  abt 1857. Her parents seem to be John and Sharleen. The same search in the United States, in 1870 with a birth place of Canada (and Maine), yielded no matches.

A Jessie Ferguson of the correct age to be Elizabeth’s daughter, born in New Brunswick, is found in 1880 working as a servant in Portland, Maine.

On 07 Nov 1882 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, she married George W. Johnston.  The couple relocated to Wisconsin and then to Washington State. Children included Ernest, Ada, Sarah, Gordon and Bernice. Most census records list Jessie’s birthplace as Maine, only the 1880 census lists New Brunswick.

Jessie died 17 Oct 1934, Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington.  Her death record names her parents:

Jennie Ferguson’s parents were also named as John and Elizabeth!  Could Jessie be a sister and Elizabeth’s maiden name Wallace?  Or did Jennie’s sister die young and Elizabeth Ferguson daughter of William have two children out of wedlock?

Conclusion

I am still searching!  But this information is intriguing…Aunt Natalie, are you listening? – send me a sign!!

A few last notes: The only other Ferguson family in the area of Richibucto was that of Jacob Ferguson (first wife Elizabeth McNarin , second wife Agnes Dickie).  I took a photo of his grave at Saint Andrews, Rexton cemetery when I visited in 2014.  His stone states that he was a native of Wallace, N.S. (census record also list a Nova Scotia place of birth about 1824 – 6 years prior to the Ferguson/Potts marriage).  Descendants of this Ferguson family appear in the Drouin Collection of Catholic Church records, Richibucto; the Ferguson family I’ve outlined and Jennie were likely Presbyterian.

Thus Jacob is probably not a member of William Ferguson’s family. Although he is buried in the same churchyard and both of his marriages were also performed by the Rev. James Law….

UPDATE October 2016 – We have a DNA match!!!!!!  The tree of a 94 year old tester, J.F., states he is the grandson of Archibald Ferguson, son of William Ferguson and Elizabeth Potts!!!  We mutually match four testers who have not responded to my inquiries (one with a 56 CM match and three in the 20-27 cM range), three of them have no family tree and the fourth has a sparse tree with no similar surnames or locations.

The largest shared match (56 cM) has an Acadian screen name.  When I select “in common with” I get 10 pages of Ancestry matches (thus a connection to my mother and not Jennie who is on my dad’s side)!  Same with one of the other smaller matches. The other two matches and I only have J.F. in common.

J.F. shares 68 cMs with me across 4 segments on Ancestry.com, thus about 1%  (he is not on GEDMATCH so I have been unable to identify specific segments).  A match of this size would predict us being about third cousins, so second cousins three times removed essentially falls into this range.

J.F.’s other lines were reviewed.  He does have a number of French surnames, many of which are likely Acadian. We do not have any common matches back 5 generations on those lines. My mother is 50% Acadian, it is possible that we have common ancestors many generations back.  Given that we only have matches in common with four other testers (and I have about 1,400 Acadian 4th cousin or closer matches on Ancestry.com), despite endogamy, it is unlikely that Acadian ancestors back more than 5 generations could contribute such a high percentage of DNA and if it did, we might expect to see a number of smaller segments vs. just matching on four.

I have hopes that the tester will eventually upload to GEDMATCH (my mother’s results are there) so that I can further prove or disprove matches to my maternal Acadian line, and perhaps increase confidence this is a true Ferguson match.

UPDATE March 2017: My paternal uncle’s results are in!!  He would be a second cousin 2x removed to this tester if my theory is correct.  My uncle shares 183 centimorgans across 7 DNA segments. Second cousins 2x removed on average share 81 cMs, but the range (according to Blaine Bettenger) is 0-201.  

The testers grandson also tested (thus my 4th cousin 1x removed and my uncle’s 4th cousin).  I do not share any DNA with the grandson, however my uncle shares 39 centimorgans across 3 DNA segments (average is typically 31 with a range of 0-90 according to Blaine’s chart).

Another Ancestry.com tester, bwest984, matches my uncle at 26.8 cMs and me at 19.6cMs.  She is a 2nd g-grandaughter of William Ferguson and Betsey Potts, thus my uncle’s 3rd cousin 1x removed (they should share 0-156 cMs) and my 3rd cousin 2x removed (we should share 0-82 cMs) .

One of Jennie’s grandchildren  has also tested and results are pending.

In summary, Jennie’s grandparents were most likely William Ferguson and Elizabeth Potts and Archibald was likely her uncle.  One of William and Elizabeth’s children was likely a parent to Jennie.  Although not proven, information seems to suggest that her mother might have been Elizabeth.

My Brick Wall – Brian Hall b. 1727 Bristol County

I recently attended the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy Problem Solving Course.  The abridge course description:

Choose a project focus, ancestor, time period, geographical area, and research questions.

Under guidance from professional consultants, student’s will use a group collaborative approach to discuss research progress each day, utilizing the combined knowledge and experience of the group to solve problems.

Although I am “more organized”, I did not solve the mystery.  If you want to help, here’s the abridged version!

RESEARCH QUESTION:

Who are the parents of Lt. Brian/Briant Hall, my 5th-great grandfather?

Lt. Brian/Briant Hall, a soldier in the Revolution, was born about 9 Jul 1727, perhaps in Taunton (later Raynham), Bristol, Massachusetts.  He married, 14 Nov 1751, Abiah Crossman, daughter of Samuel Crossman and Joanna Leonard and died about 13 Dec 1778 in Norton, Bristol, Massachusetts.  He is buried with Abiah at Norton Common Cemetery who died 15 Feb 1814.

Known children: Isaac, Nancy/Anna, Prudence, John, Brian, Abiah & Silas

BIRTH RECORDED:

The First Book of Raynham (Massachusetts) Records 1700–1835 (Online database: NewEnglandAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003), (Handwritten unpublished transcription, transcriber unknown, “First Book of Raynham Records,” donated to NEHGS in 1897) lists:

Birth: 9 July 1727 – Brian son of John Hall 3d of Taunton & Mary his wife

See Ancestry.com: http://tinyurl.com/q9a3ddk

The eastern end of Taunton, was incorporated as Raynham when Brian was about four, on April 2, 1731. The entries around his birth record date circa 1752/3. The entry is surrounded by other Hall families. Brian was married in August 1751. Thus, Brian perhaps reported the birth himself, about the time of his marriage.

As one is unable to recollect their own birth and because the records appear to be in the same handwriting (perhaps copied from an earlier book), the source and reliability of this information is unknown.

The 1733 Raynham tax list shows only one John Hall.

The 1757 Raynham tax list shows a Brian Hall with a John Hall 3rd as the following entry.

PUBLISHED WORKS:

Unsourced publications assert that Brian Hall was the son of John Hall and Mary (unknown) and name him as a descendant of George Hall, an early settler of Taunton, Massachusetts through:

• George’s son John m. Hannah Penniman,
• George’s grandson John m. Elizabeth King and
• George’s g-grandson John m. (1) Mary and (2) Hannah Williams

1. The earliest of these (likely the source of all others) appears to be “The Halls of New England. Genealogical and biographical”. By David B. Hall, published Albany, N.Y., Printed for the author by J. Munsell’s Sons, 1883. George’s ancestry is found on pages 567-648, with Brian named on pages 574, 580 & 581 (screen shot below) – http://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002005232799

In his preface, the author writes, “…My first intention was to compile only my own line, the Halls of Medford, but afterwards I concluded to embrace in the work all the records that I could find. And I have found much more than I then supposed was in existence, and still the work is far from containing all that might be obtained….”  Perhaps less effort was given to unrelated Hall families.

I surmise that much of this genealogy was crafted through letters from Hall families residing in New England in 1883 vs. use of original sources.

Richard Henry Hall, a great-grandson of Brian Hall, in December 1886 became the mayor of Taunton, Massachusetts.  The election may have given him reason to name himself (and thus Brian) as a direct descendant of George Hall (See page 730 – Our Country and Its People: A Descriptive and Biographical Record of Bristol County, Massachusetts, Part 2) or perhaps he really believed that he decended from George as did all other Halls in the Taunton area.

The concept of “John 3^rd” likely had different meaning in the 1700’s vs. current day, and should not be interpreted as the third generation of John in that particular family. It may mean there were at least three John Hall’s in the area from same or different families, and Brian’s father John was the youngest of the three.

2. Excerpt from George Hall and his Descendants (1603-1669) compiled by Robert Leo Hall, published in 1998 [copy in my private collection]:

John Hall born 1694, in Taunton, Bristol County, MA; died 1766 in Raynham, MA. First married Mary (Ukn) and had children Freelove and Brian. He second married Hannah Williams and had children John, Hannah, Elkanah, Elisha, Joseph and Noah.

His source: ALLRED RECORDS in the home of Marcella G. Allred, 349 W. 3rd St., Lovell, WY 82431. I have been unsuccessful in tracking her work.

Robert Leo Hall is deceased and his descendants do not know what became of this cited source.

In 2009, a descendant of Marcella wrote to me: Aunt Marcella Allred passed away a number of years ago.  I am not sure where any of her living children are, possibly in Utah.  Aunt Marcella was famous in this area for the amount of genealogy work that she did.  Her maiden name was Graham.  I am assuming that she must have been related to your ancestors.

3. In “Brian Pendleton and his Descendants, 1599-1910”, Everett Hall Pendleton, asserts that Brian’s mother was Mary Brettun/Britton, daughter of William Brettun and granddaughter of Mary (Pendleton) Brettun Cross Morey, who married (1) Joseph Hall and (2) John Hall, descendant of Brian Pendleton, born about 1599, one of the early settlers of Watertown and Sudbury, Massachusetts who owned land the Maine and New Hampshire. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89069624344

Mary Morey left a will recorded 10 Jan 1732/3.  It is indexed under the name “Marcy Morey” in ”Abstracts of Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1687-1745″ H. L. Peter Rounds.  In it she names her father, grandfather, husbands and grandchildren.

The actual will (copy in my files) reads:

….Item – I Give and Bequeath to my Grand Children William Brettun, Abiale Brettun, Ebenezer Brettun, Pendleton Brettun, Mary Hall, Lydia Brettun, Sarah Brettun, Elizabeth Brettun, & Abigail Brettun,  all the remaining three quarters of my Real Estate lands Meadows & ____ which belong to me to be equally divided between them Only that my granddaughter Mary Hall is to enjoy her part during her life and after her deceased her children to enjoy her part equally between them and their heirs….

THEORIES

Is Brian’s father John Hall, g-grandson of George who married 2nd Hannah Williams?

1. Brian Hall, son of John (with Mary) and John Hall, son of John (with Hannah) were born within 7 months of one another, if the Rayhnam records of birth are accurate, and the pregnancies were full term – either John Hall got two women pregnant at the same time or there were two John Hall’s in Taunton/Raynham in 1727 (John Hall, son of John Hall and Hannah is born January 26, 1728. Date based on the birth record in the original Raynham Vital Records, he was conceived around May of 1727, Brian was born two months later).
2. Brian Hall is not mentioned in John Hall of Raynham’s will of 1766. All 6 of his children by Hannah are mentioned (including those who got nothing):
   • He left of to John Hall eldest son of the deceased all the aforesaid of five lots of land one small right in the old iron works in Raynham and two seventh parts….
   • It is stated in the will “Nothing is left to Joseph Hall son of deceased because he already got a gift in his lifetime of 95 acres estimated at 3 quid and 50 pounds”. and “Nothing is left to Noah Hall son of the deceased because he already got a gift in his lifetime of four pieces of land which are estimated at three hundred pounds the land being about 84 acres”
3. All land deeds in Bristol County were examined (by me) for Brian Hall. There was no land exchanged between the two men during their lifetime.
4. None of Brian’s children followed the naming patterns of the John who married  Hannah’s parents/grandparents.
5. A number of errors have been discovered by other researchers in the “Halls of New England”, most of which were repeated in the book “George Hall and his Descendants (1603-1669)”. One example is “A Maze of Halls in Taunton, Massachusetts: Correlating Land Description to Prove Identity” written by Marsha Hoffman Rising, and originally published in National Genealogical Society Quarterly in 1993 which sorts the Samuel Halls of George of Taunton and Edward of Rehoboth.
6. Y-DNA evidence suggests there is no relationship between the two men. As of today, there are four testers through George Hall’s son Samuel. One from Samuel’s son Ebenezer and three from Samuel’s son Samuel. None of these match the DNA of three of Brian’s descendants, one through Brian’s son Brian and two through Brian’s son Silas.  As of Jan 2016 one of George’s son Joseph’s likely descendants has tested and we are awaiting results.  If he matches Samuel this will further support the theory that Brian does NOT decend from George. No living male Hall descendants have been located for George’s son John and thus that line remains untested. Y-DNA of Brian’s descendant do not match that of Edward Hall of Rehobeth either.

Results here: https://www.familytreedna.com/public/hall/default.aspx?section=yresults  Brian is family #47, George is family #24 and Edward family #6

Is Brian’s mother Mary Brettun/Britton, descendant of Brian Pendleton?

1. In 1727, the name “Brian/Briant/Bryant” was quite uncommon. It is plausible that Brian was named after Brian Pendleton.  Many years later, the 1790 census on Ancestry.com lists just thirteen Brian/Briant’s as head of households in the United States (even with indexing errors and the fact that other household members are not listed, this seems low and indicates the name uncommon). *Note that on a 1728 map of Taunton (available for purchase at Old Colony Historical Society), in the area which is now Raynham, there was a Briant/Bryant family residing next to the Crossman/Britton families could Brian instead be a family surname?
2. Mary Morey’s will is very detailed. Mary Hall is the only grandchild called out separately in the will: “Mary Hall is to enjoy her part during her lifetime but after her deceased her children to enjoy her part equally between them and their heirs” Although not direct evidence, this seems to imply that perhaps Mary already had children in 1732.
3. There is record in Bristol County of Pendleton Britton and Brian Hall owning land together implying the two were associates and perhaps cousins?
4. Brian was recorded as a cordwainer (shoemaker) in land deeds and Iron Works records beginning when he was 23. Mary Britton’s brother, Ebenizier, also of Raynham, was a cordwainer. Perhaps Brian was raised by the Britton’s and apprenticed with his uncle as a young man.
5. In Raynham, 1731, a John Hall and William Britton are paid for supplying pine boards to the town.  This suggests a relationship between the two – Brian’s supposed mother was Mary Britton, William Britton’s daughter.  If John was a Miller with William Britton, maybe their kids married?

POTENTIAL THEORY

There is a John Hall who got land near Cobbler’s Corner (book 9, page 72 – an area which is now Mansfield) in 1715 it seems with Mill rights*.  He might be the same John Hall listed as an early Norton church member (a member of the First Church of Norton and witnessed the ordination of its first Minister, Joseph Avery in 1714). Wife of John Hall, Bethiah joined in 1716.

Then John Hall and wife Ruth record births of Bethiah 1 Dec 1721 and Benjamin 10 Aug 1720 in Norton (at that time Mansfield was part of Norton). So maybe Bethiah died, he married Ruth and named a child after his deceased wife?  In 1723 (not filed until 1735) there is a deed where a John Hall is selling land near Cobbler’s Corner, with Ruth his wife (book 23 page 494)

In Raynham, 1731, a John Hall and William Britton are paid for supplying pine boards to the town.  This suggests a relationship between the two – Brian’s supposed mother was Mary Britton, William Britton’s daughter.  If John was a Miller with William Britton, maybe their kids married?

There is also a marriage recorded of John Hall to Sarah Wellman both of Norton 7 March 1726/7. Then in 1730, there is a deed for purchase of land in Raynham by Samual Wellman of “John Hall of Norton, Miller” he also mentions his Mill, with a Sarah Hall as wife (book 25, page 116). Other witnesses include Benjamin Wellman, Isaac & Isaac jr Wellman***.

There is a John Hall, husband of Sarah who died intestate in 1736 in Raynham.  Others mentioned James Hall & John Hall yeomen.

None of these “Johns” appear to be listed in the “Halls of New England” book…  Unfortunately none of the John Hall wives were named Mary.

A Mary Hall who was born in 1699/1700 and is buried in Mansfield Cemetery called Happy Hollow Cemetery on York Street (Mansfield Vital Records).  She is called a widow when she died February 20, 1760 and her gravestone gives her age as being in her 60th Year.

**Halls of New England claims John Hall (a descendant of George) who married Esther Bell was the John who received the mill privilege in 1714 in Norton (which is modern day Mansfield) and that he lived at a place called Cobblers Corner…based on a review of land deeds this seems inaccurate.

*** Isaac Wellman died intestate before 1743 his heirs are listed as the widow Mary, sons Isaac, Ebenezer and Timothy and daughter Hannah.  A “deceased child” is also mentioned, it seems the other siblings are splitting her share – this might be Sarah.

TIMELINE

Note: Brian recorded 63 land transactions in Bristol County and several in North Providence, Rhode Island in his lifetime, all have been examined but not all have been added to this timeline yet.

• 9 July 1727 born to John 3^rd and Mary (thus conceived around October/November 1726 – Brian’s birth record was recorded about 1752) – record indicates  a Raynham birth, however Raynham was not broken off from Taunton until 1731.
• Sept & Oct 1747 – Hewing Timber and working with the carpenters at the forge (one of them being Thomas Crossman) – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society], Iron Works records for the Taunton/Raynham area.
• 1750 – Land purchased of Solomon Printice for 80 pounds by Pendelton Bretton of Easton and Briant Hall of Raynham; land in Easton containing 40 acres that was laid out 30 Sept 1713 to James Phillips of Taunton on the 50 acre division that lies near the land of John Selleson [?] also another tract of land that lies next to this land in whole 90 acres; land conveyed to Printice as warranted by heirs of James Phillips – witnesses Abigail & Katherine Leonard [Bristol Deeds 37:536]
• 1750 – Living next to Elijah Leonard in Raynham, MA – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• 1751 – Owns a Shop – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society] Several entries 1750 – 2 in regards to services as a cordwainer.
• 1751 – Account book kept by the Leonard Family of Norton; References a brother several times, Brian receives credit for the services of the brother, no name given. – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• August 1751 – married Abiah Crossman (Abiah Crossman; Female; Birth: 28 AUG 1726 Taunton , Bristol, Massachusetts; Death: 15 FEB 1814; Father: Thomas Crossman; Mother: Johanna; (Joannah Crossman has a sister Alice Leonard and parents are Thomas Leonard and Joanna all of Raynham – per probate records) Spouse: Brian Hall; Marriage: 1751; Sealing to Spouse: 01 OCT 1953; Film Number: 458137) 
• October 1751 – Signs a petition against a new road in Raynham, MA – Raynham Town Records
• 18 May 1752 – Brian Hall saw that the 2 calves skins and one dog skin which he brought from Swanzey today comes to 4-10-00 at tenor [Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• September 26, 1752 – child of Brian Hall died in Raynham, MA  – Vital Records
• 1752- Brian Hall – Distribution of Iron Shares [Old Colony Historical Society]
• December 9, 1752 – Pendleton Britton and Brian Hall buy land in Easton, MA.
• April 1753 – Brian Hall buys land in Raynham, MA from Alice Leonard, give several names including land bordered by Nehimiah and Nathanial Hall, filed 1758 [Bristol Deeds 43:115]
• August 16, 1753 – son Isaac Hall born in Boston according to historical accounts – birth not located in Vital Records. The History of Norton reads:

Isaac Hall, Esq. (grad. H.U. 1775), was the son of Brian Hall ; and was born in Boston, Aug. 16, 1753. His father moved to Norton before Isaac entered college, and ever after resided there. Mr. Hall studied law, and died soon after entering upon his professional career. For more particulars of him, see Funeral Sermon by Rev. Sylvester Holmes. His tombstone, in the ” Norton common graveyard,” informs us that he was an attorney-at-law, and that he died Dec. 14, 1779, aged twenty six.  In the Providence Gazette of January 29 1780, may be seen a notice of him which says: “His learning, abilities as a lawyer, and strict adherence to the principles of virtue, rendered him dear to his friends, an honor to his profession, and highly esteemed by all his acquaintance.”

• Historical accounts read: A year or more after their marriage and the death of their first child, they moved to Boston (WHY??), living there a few years, during which time their eldest son Isaac was supposedly born (no birth record located). Having purchased a farm in Norton, they moved there and Brian subsequently became a large owner and operator in real estate

• April 1, 1755 – daughter Nancy Hall born, Norton – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• May 2, 1755 – Mentioned in the Account of Abijah Wilbore as receiving Iron – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• Sept 1755 – Brian Hall buys land in Raynham from Thomas White, 2 1/2 acres measured by Taunton proprietors – mentions Brian’s other property, filed 1758 [Bristol Deeds 43:116]
• 1756 – Brian Hall – Ministers Rate/Tax Rate, Raynham Tax Records  [Old Colony Historical Society]
• 16 & 17 January 1756 – by 2 quarts & half of rum; buy 1/2 gill of rum [Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• 6 August 1756 – by 2 quarts of NE rum to you at ___[Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• 10 August 1756 by 2 gills of NE rum to your workmen about hay [Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• 12 Aug 1756 – by 3 gills of NE Rum to your workmen [Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• 19 August 1756 – by 2 quarts NE rum to you at 26p per gallon [Old Colony Historical Society, Iron Works Account Book]
• 1757 – Bryan Hall of Raynham for 240 pounds from John Gilmore land in Dighton purchased of Abijah Wilbur and land near the house of John Crane, land he sold to Wilbore, signed by Brian & Abiah Hall – witnesses Zephaniah & Anna Leonard [Bristol Deeds 42:507 – deed reads Bryan, signs as Brian]
• 1757 – Brian Hall sells land to Alice Leonard in Easton, part of land bought with Pendelton Brittan of Solomon Prentice – 43 acres – witnesses are Leonards [Bristol Deeds 42:534]
• 1757 – Brian Hall, Raynham Tax Records [Old Colony Historical Society]
• 1757 – John Hall 3rd recorded next to Brian Hall in the Raynham Tax Records.  [Old Colony Historical Society]
• 1757 – Last entry in account book, he is settling his account with Elijah Leonard – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• January 8, 1758 – daughter – Prudence Hall born Norton? – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• October 7, 1758 – Agreement between John Gilmore and Brian Hall – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• February 8, 1758 – Agreement between Abijah Wilbore and Brian Hall – Account Book [Old Colony Historical Society]
• 1758 – Sale of Pew in Raynham Church, Brian Hall sells to Elijah Leonard his pew in Westward part of the church.  Witnesses: Thomas Crossman and Silence Hall.
• April 13, 1758 – Brian Hall buys land in Norton: Elijah Leonard of Raynham for $240 lawful money sells to Brian Hall of Raynham, corwainer, a tract of land with dwelling house upon it – land description mentions land of Elnathan Jones, Josiah White, Seth Briggs, Cobb & 5 acres in Cedar Swamp mentions land of Thomas Shaw deceased, Joshua Fairbanks  – dated 31 Mar 1758 – witnesses Ebenezer Brettun & Ebenezer Brettun jun [Bristol Deeds 43:79]
• October 12, 1759 – Brian Hall sells 114 acres of Land with a house, for £236 in Attenborough to Stephen Pond
• October 10, 1759 – Brian Hall sells land in Norton, MA, to Elijah Leonard
• 1750’s (??) per Old Colony Historical Society there is a land reference in Mansfield, MA, involving Brian Hall and a John Hall.  They are both pitching for the same piece of land in the 1750’s? Can not locate deed to which they are referring? –  there is a 1774 deed – Brian Hall of Norton yeoman (seller) for 2 pounds, 5 shillings paid by John Hall of Norton gentlemen transfers 2 1/2 acres of land in a tract of land known by the name Taunton North Purchase in Norton, Mansfield & Easton in Bristol County Common undivided land of said purchase bound on the East side from Moses Copland to Mansfield fur river (?) and by land owned by said John. And is ye 2 1/2 acres of land which Brian Halls house pitched for this day as may appear by said pitch if ye land is to be had in ye above described place and if it is not to be had these to be when me anyplace in common and undivided land where it is not pitched for to have and to hold said same. May 11, 1774, 14th year of his majestries reign King George 3rd. Witnesses: Benjamin Morey & Anna Hall
• October 21, 1760 – son John Hall born Norton ? – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• October 3, 1765  – daughter Abiah Hall born Norton – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• October 30,1766 – Brian Hall buys land in Norton, MA, from Elijah Leonard
• 1767 – Brian Hall sells land to David Manley
• June 19, 1768 – son Silas Hall born  – – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• April 10, 1762/3 – son Brian Hall born  – – historical accounts, not listed in Norton vitals/births
• 1771 – Brian Hall listed twice in the Massachusetts Tax Valuation List of 1771, both entries in Norton (his son Brian was age 11).
• 27 November 1772 – Brian Hall buys land in Easton, MA, from Alice Leonard
• 25 May 1774 – Brian Hall buys land in Easton, MA, from George Leonard
• 1774 – Properitors of the North Purchase to Brian Hall
• 1774 – Jobe Hunt sells land to Brian Hall
• 1776/8 – He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and according to published accounts  “one of the first to act and respond. He was also a member of the select committee of correspondence (read more of the committee here), to take into consideration the “Confederation of the Union of States” proposed by Congress, and also being on the committee to devise means for the formation of a State constitution”.
  • Hall, Brian (also given Briant), Norton. 1st Lieutenant, Capt. Isaac Hodges’s (2d) co., Col. John Daggatt’s (4th Bristol Co.) regt. of Mass. militia; list of officers chosen by the several companies in said regiment, dated Attleborough, March 18, 1776; ordered in Council March 21, 1776, that said officers be commissioned; reported commissioned March 21, 1776; also, Lieutenant, Capt. Isaac Hodges’s co., Col. John Daggit’s (Daggett’s) regt.; service, 25 days, in Dec., 1776, and Jan., 1777, on an alarm, including travel (34 miles) from Norton to Tiverton, R. I., and return; also, 1st Lieutenant, Capt. Samuel Robinson’s co., Col. Wade’s regt.; engaged June 18, 1778; service, 25 days, at Rhode Island; company raised to serve for 21 days from June 21, 1778; roll dated Attleborough.
• Brian held positions in the town of Norton and was assessor the year previous to his death in 1778.
• 13 December 1778 – died, buried at Norton Common Cemetery – Hall plot found to the right of the main entrance near the road at marker 126 behind a rust colored stone entitled “Briggs”.  Hall Stones in order are:
  • John Hall, died April 13, 1840, aged 79 years
    • Son of Brian and Abiah
  • Wells Hall, died Dec. 13, 1828, aged 19 years
    • Son of John and Dilly
  • Dilla wife of John Hall, died May 2, 1857
  • John S. Hall, died Nov. 27 1827
    • Son of John and Dilly
  • Silas Hall, died Jun 29, 1841, aged 73 years
    • Son of Brian and Abiah
  • Nancy Stanley, wife of Silas Hall, died March 26, 1833, aged 63 years
  • Anna, daughter of Silas and Nancy Stanley Hall, died Nov. 14, 1818 in the 22 year of her age
  • Prudence, daughter of Brian and Abiah Hall, died March 28, 1839, aged 81 years
  • Isaac Hall, Attorney at Law, son of Brian and Abaih Hall, died Dec. 14, 1779, aged 26 years
  • Lieut Brian Hall, A Patriot of the American Revolution, Died Dec. 13, 1778, in the 52 year of his age
  • Abiah, wife of Brian Hall, died Feb. 15, 1814 in the 88 year of her age

QUESTIONS:

• Why did Brian and Abiah supposedly move to Boston after the death of their first child, did they have family there? Is there any evidence of this other than historical town/county histories and published genealogies?
• Who is Silence Hall? “1758 – Sale of Pew in Raynham Church, Brian Hall sells to Elijah Leonard his pew in Westward part of the church. Witnesses: Thomas Crossman and Silence Hall”.  Could she be the wife of Jacob Woodward named as “brother in law” in Brian’s will and Brian’s biological sister?
  • I leave to my brother in law Jacob Woodward and Silence [?] his wife to them their heirs an assigns forever real estate lying in North Providence in the state of Rhode Island excepting only ten acres to be measured of according to Quantity & Quatily [?] which I have herein given to my son Issac.
    • Brian’s wife Abiah Crossman was a 2^nd cousin of Jacob Woodward – Robert Crossman was their g-grandfather. Would this cause Brian to refer to Jacob as brother-in-law?
    • Mary Britton’s brother William Britton jr. married Sarah Woodward (daughter of Robert Woodward and Hannah Briggs) who was a first cousin to Jacob Woodward (son of Ezekial Woodward and Sarah____). Would this cause Brian to refer to Jacob as brother-in-law?
    • Who is the Brian Hall Woodward b. 1778 (year of Brian Hall’s death); d. 1798 and buried North Providence at Hopkins burial ground (grave #35) next to Capt Richard Hutchins (grave #36)? All other surrounding stones blank. (Rhode Island Roots, Volumes 13-15 – Rhode Island Genealogical Society, 1987 – Registers of births, etc) – could this be a child of Silence and Jacob?
    • North Providence land deeds for the Halls and Woodwards were examined the only connection seems to be:
      • Ruth Woodward in N. Providence deeds pg 199 (1748 or 1768?) mentions brothers Jacob & Paul Woodward and father Ezekiel (will A774, 1760 N Prov.). One of the witnesses signs as Mary Hall. Brian did not have any children named Mary.
      • A Providence deed from 1821 [book 5 pg 86] mentions a Jacob Woodward, Mary Woodward and Henrietta Hutchins selling land.  Brian Hall (Brian’s grandson through his son Brian) signs as a witness.  He later marries Henrietta Hutchins daughter of Capt. Richard Hutchins (the man buried with Brian Hall Woodward) and Henrietta Woodward.  Could Henrietta Woodward also be a daughter of Jacob and Silence?
    • According to death indexes for Silence & Jacob – Silence was born abt 1740 – 13 years younger than Brian. So John 3rd would still be alive in 1740 if she is a sister! If correct, the age difference is further evidence that the John Hall who fathered Brian could not be the John Hall who married Hannah Williams!
      • • WOODWARD Jacob, in 85th year, at Providence, Aug. 5, 1822 (birth about 1737).

        • WOODWARD Silence, wife of Jacob, at North Providence, in 76th year, Nov. 26, 1816 (birth abt 1740).

    • *** Update 22 January 2022 – “The First Congregational Church History, Volume 1” has been digitized by the Raynham Public Library. A baptism for Silence Hall is on page 160 :“September 27, 1741 Silence Dean the daughter of Mr. Abiel Dean was baptized the same day Silence Hall the daughter of Mary Hall was baptized.” But…it raises more questions – Why isn’t her father listed? – was he dead, or was she illegitimate born to a widowed Mary, or was he simply not a church member, or did he run off…..

• Who is Brian’s “brother” listed in Leonard’s account books? Full brother? Half brother? Husband of Brian’s sister? 
• When Brian died, why was Ephraim Burr of Norton selected as guardian to Brian’s minor children, Brian and Silas? How was he related or associated with Brian (or Abiah)? partial probate transcription here: will
  • The Legal Genealogist’s blog tells us that Burr was likely not a close relative of Brian’s:

…..But when property was involved, the preference was overwhelmingly for the nearest male relative who couldn’t inherit from the child to serve as guardian. Even the example used by Blackstone points this out: “where the estate descended from his father, … his uncle by the mother’s side cannot possibly inherit this estate, and therefore shall be the guardian…… Read more here.

• There is a Bristol land deed with witnesses signing as Pendleton Hall and Anna Hall who were they?
  • 11/27/1772 Brian (Hall)    Alice Leonard      Easton book 55           page 37

PLAN:

• The article “A Maze of Halls in Taunton, Massachusetts: Correlating Land Description to Prove Identity” written by Marsha Hoffman Rising, originally published in National Genealogical Society Quarterly in 1993, mentions the Greenlaw Collection at NEHGS. This was reviewed in 2008 but should be looked at again!  COMPLETE JAN 2016 – NOTHING FOUND
  • The article also implies that Ms. Rising already reviewed Bristol land records, contact JAN 2016 – NOT AT NEHGS – EMAILED HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN MISSOURI THEY OFFERED TO CONTACT MARSHA’S FAMILY – FAMILY CAN NOT LOCATE.
• Examine Church Records.
  • Raynham (1731 from Taunton) First Church Records – there are no John Hall listed among the member of the church.
  • Norton (1710 from Taunton) – There is a John Hall listed in early church members, his wife Bethiah joined 1716. John Hall and wife Ruth record births of Bethiah 1 Dec 1721 and Benjamin 10 Aug 1720.  There is also a marriage recorded in Taunton John Hall to Sarah Wellman both of Norton 7 Nov 1726.
  • Taunton
  • Mansfield  (1770 from Norton)
  • Other? Towns established from modern day Taunton:
    • Freetown (1683 from Taunton)
    • Dighton (1712 from Taunton)
    • Easton (1725 from Norton)
    • Berkley (1735 from Taunton/Dighton)
• Examine court records PARTIALLY COMPLETE – ALL COURT RECORDS ON MICROFILM AT FHL EXAMINED JAN 2016.
• Research all Halls in Bristol [then expand to Rhode Island and nearby counties] and related surnames/FAN club (witnesses to Hall deeds and will’s, neighbors on early map and in censuses, war associates, the Britton’s, Ephraim Burr, Jacob Woodward & Silence, etc.) in all Bristol County (and Rhode Island) records. BIG PROJECT! Define scope and priorities.
• Land deeds – Just John & Brian? All Hall’s? Other surnames, maybe Britton’s? Have transcribed microfilm index for Bristol County Hall’s in Excel and have reviewed some deeds (online).
  • JAN 2016 – REVIEWED DEEDS IN BRISTOL COUNTY FOR JOHN HALL, BRIAN HALL, MARY HALL, AND NORTH PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND FOR HALL AND WOODWARD.
• Trace the land described in the will of Mary (Pendleton) Brettun Cross Morey in Maine, New Hampshire and possibly Rhode Island (?), to determine how it was distributed and who sold it to whom….
  • COMPLETE – This was done at the FHL in SLC Jan 2016. Portsmouth and York land deeds were examined for all Britton transactions. Although Pendleton land changed hands, only James Britton was mentioned.
• Research the genealogy of our DNA match Charles Rowland Hall (b. Poplar Flat, Lewis County, Kentucky). The match might be many generations in the past and research might prove difficult. Contacted tester Jan 2016 to see if he would add a SNP test which will help to further determine the potential number of generations between us.
• Reach out to the Norton Historical Society, Raynham Historical Society & Wheaton College Library to determine what records might be available. CONTACTED NHS – THE DO HAVE EARLY CHURCH RECORDS FOR NORTON AND MANSFIELD IN BOXES ONSITE – SCHEDULED TO VISIT JULY 2016.
• Review area town records on Ancestry.com. PARTIALLY COMPLETE JAN 2016.
• Take a look at the nearby Taunton/Raynham Briant Family (Ichabod) – PARTIALLY COMPLETE – A VITAL RECORDS/LAND DEED/PROBATE REVIEW RESULTED IN NO CONNECTIONS WITH THE HALL FAMILY – there was another likely unrelated Briant Hall residing in New England in the same time frame, born about 1767 in Connecticut.  He appears to be a Yale graduate and the son of Amos Hall and Betty Briant. It is unclear if he is the same man who participated in the war of 1812.

Saving the Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Grandson

On 28 May 1880, the entry in Mary Alice Haines  journal reads:

I came to Mrs. Dana as a nursery maid to dear little Dicky, a lovely little blue-eyed baby of nine months.

Mrs. Dana, was the former Edith Longfellow, daughter of poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The “golden-haired” Edith immortalized in her father’s poem “The Children’s Hour” was Wadsworth’s middle daughter.

Edith married Richard Henry Dana III, son of author, Richard Henry Dana, a friend of Longfellow.  Their first child, Richard Henry Dana IV “Dicky”, was born in his grandfather’s home, the Craigie House, Cambridge, Massachusetts on 1 September 1879.

Dicky’s nursery maid, Mary Alice Haines (who the Dana’s called “Allie” or “Alice”), was my 3rd great-aunt, born 8 May 1855, in Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada, to John Hains and Alice/Alise Edith Childs. Siblings included Joseph, Alexander, George, James, William John (my 2nd g-grandfather) and Lizzie.  After their mother’s death in 1860, their father remarried Jane Clare adding four half sisters, Alice, Annie Elizabeth, Caroline Sophia and Christina.

Mary was enumerated with the Dana family on 4 June 1880 at 39 Mount Vernon Street [likely an error, they lived at number 33 not 39] in Boston, Massachusetts.  She was listed as a servant.

Ten days later, on 14 June 1880, Mary writes:

Mrs. and Mr. Dana start for Nahant [Massachusetts] to spend the summer, taking with them their dear little Dicky and myself.

The following day she adds:

I don’t like Nahant. I think it is a perfectly horrid stupid place.

Then on 1 Sepember 1880

We expect to return to Boston soon. I shall be glad, although I have had a very nice time after all.  I went to ride often with Mrs. Dana and took little Dicky; and very often we row in the evenings.

They arrived in Boston 20 September 1880.  On Christmas she writes:

Mrs. and Mr. Dana went to Cambridge with Dicky to lunch with his Grandpapa, Mr. Longfellow, and I had the afternoon to myself.

She writes often of her days with Dicky. Mary’s brother Joseph passed away 24 January 1881 in a hospital in London.  A few weeks later she writes:

Ever since the death of my dear brother I have had lovely flowers sent to me. Little Dicky frequently brings me a pretty rose in his own, sweet, dimpled hand.

Two days after her brother’s death, Mary writes:

Dicky had  little brother born last night. He calls him a little dolly and wants to shake hands with him [Henry “Harry” Wadsworth Longfellow Dana]

Pictured below, Mary with Dicky and Harry:

On her birthday, Mary received an apron from Mrs. Dana and flowers from Dicky. On 28 May 1881 she writes:

One year ago today I came to take care of little Richard H. Dana III, a dear little blue eyed boy of nine months with long golden hair.  I was not at all taken with his appearance for I thought him very dull and not at all interesting.  But today he is a real boy in every degree and running around and saying many words. He is very fond of flowers. I am now with him in Cambridge making a visit to his grandfather, Professor Longfellow, and he enjoys being here. He is a dear little fellow. I am getting so fond of him. I hardly know how I can ever leave him and he is so fond of me. He calls me A-ie; and since he has been here he has learned to hail the horse car; and if it doesn’t stop he will run into the street and scream, car! car!

Beginning on 18 June 1881 she again summered in Nahant with the family. When they returned to Boston on 21 Sept 1881 she reports that Mrs. Dana and Dicky were sick with “slow fever”.  On 15 October 1881 she comes to Cambridge (from Boston)  to Mr. Longfellow as Mrs. Dana is very sick with typhoid fever. On 8 November she writes that she is still in Cambridge, with no hope of returning to Boston for weeks, as Mr. Dana is now very sick. The children are fine.

28 November: We are still in Cambridge. Oh dear I do wish I could go home. I am so tired of Cambridge.

Mrs Dana writes to Mary: Dear Allie, Miss Alice said the children went to bed at half past five. I don’t understand, for Harry always had his supper at six. Have you changed all his hours–and why? I want him to have his supper as late as possible so as not to make such a long night, and I don’t understand why both children don’t go to bed as they always used to. Do write and tell me about it. I miss you all very much and wish you could come home again. I had no idea you would have to stay more than a week or two, but now I suppose we can’t have you back until Mr. Dana gets better.

17 December: This is my last Saturday in Cambridge. I was so glad Mrs. Dana came out to Cambridge and said we could go home Monday. I am so delighted. Mr. Longfellow had a party for the children today. Dicky and my sweet little Harry were there.

On Christmas, Longfellow and Dicky presented Mary with the Longfellow Birthday Book written by Charlotte Bates, with quotes from the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to go with each day of the year. The quotes appear on the left-hand page, and opposite them, two dates appear. There is room under each date to write the names of people who have that birthday. Longfellow added his signature under his own birth date.

On 24 March 1882 she writes:

This is a sad day in our home. Mrs. Dana’s father, Professor Longfellow died. We were to sail today but owing to Mr. Longfellow’s death we are to remain till 6 April.

On April 4th Mary traveled to New York with the Dana family.  It was stormy and rainy. They boarded a ship, which departed for Europe, the following morning.  Mary woke to sailors singing, it reminded her of her five brothers (all of whom were seamen).  The sea was calm for a few days, then “frightful…running mountains high” causing seasickness. Finally, on April 15th they arrived in Liverpool.

Mary writes extensively of her journey, the tug boat that pulled them ashore, a forest of vessels, so many colors, funny looking cabs and ancient buildings.  First stop was the Northern Western Hotel.  She was shocked to learn, in Europe, she and the children were to eat dinner with the other servants in a separate small dining room.

A few days later the group traveled by rail to London, where she noted pretty green fields, so much greener than those at home, trees in bloom and “funny” thatched houses.  They drove four miles via carriage through the lovely Hyde Park to the hotel.  She loved London’s cleanliness, the grand looking granite buildings and pretty Thames River.  She rode from Kensington to Westminster using the underground railroad (which she described as a horrid black hole”), to visit the hospital where her brother Joseph died, to meet his nurses. She describes the view out his window which includes Westminster Bridge, Parliment House and Big Ben  A few days later she visited his grave.

On April 24th they arrived via steam car at Hotel St. Romain in Paris, Mary writes:

I went to ride today with Mrs. and Mr. Dana and the children. We had a lovely ride. How beautiful. I think I never saw anything so lovely. We saw the ruins of the castle of the French Emperor, and also the castle where Napoleon lived, all all the beautiful monuments….little did I think when I used to read about these historical buildings when I went to school, that I would ever see them.

Next stop, via steam car, was Skes La Barre, France [?], then over the Alps into De Touin, Italy, on to Florence then out to the Villa Angelina [possibly in Sorrento ?] where she describes oranges, lemon and olive trees and writes of Dicky tossing bread into a pond with hundreds of kinds of fish who swam to feed. Two girls at the villa taught her some Italian.

Mary is amused to see people washing clothes in the river instead of with a tub and washboard.  They slapped the clothes on stones to beat the dirt out, instead of rubbing them with the hands.

After several days, they returned to Florence where they visited a high cliff overlooking the city and she attended a Scotch-Presbeterian church service (her journal describes the beautiful church, tells of them chanting hymns vs. singing and mentions the sermon was a striking one), then on to Milan for shopping and to see a cathedral and the evening gaslight illumination, then to Lake Como where they sailed in a steamboat and the following day took out a rowboat, “which charmed the children”.  On her second anniversary with Dicky, he presented her a jewel case with a pretty set of ear drops and pin.

On 28 July she notes “there are eight of us” Mr. and Mrs. Dana, Dicky, Harry and myself, Miss Dana, Miss Isabella Dana. They travel to a number of villages – Switzerland is cold.

On July 30th she says she has been Harry’s nurse for one year.  She is homesick much of the time.  Although she enjoys the trip, she longs for letters from home and to be able to see home.

They traveled to Bologna, then Mr. and Mrs. Dana leave for Switzerland leaving Mary and the children behind. Here Mary writes “baby walked all around the yard for the first time”.  A few days later she and the children traveled to Switzerland first by steamboat then via a carriage drawn by four horses.

on 11 August she writes:

Thusis, Hotel Viennala: We left here today but met with a sad accident and had to return to the hotel until Monday.

Mrs Dana writes home of the accident, where our Mary Alice saves baby Harry:

…We meant only to stay here a day or two but an unfortunate accident has upset our plans and shaken our nerves. We engaged a very nice three horse carriage and started in fine style yesterday morning about nine o’clock , Richard and I upfront in the banquette with Dicky between us and Alice [Mary] and Harry inside. About 1 1/2 miles from Thusis the leader shied at a log on the side of the road and bolted right off the other side of the road, which was built seven or eight feet above a grassy meadow, with trees.  There were no posts or railing and the leader going over first dragged the pole horses and carriage after him.

Richard told me to jump out as I was on the up side, but it seemed so preposterous that we could go over and spoil our nice trip and perhaps all be killed in the bargain that I seemed paralyzed and stuck to my seat.  R. could not get out past me and so over we went crash, the carriage turning completely over us but by a happy chance, whether by the struggling of the horses or not I don’t know, it turned half over again on to its side and so set us free.

I had a confused sensation of dust and darkness, breaking wood and brown horses legs flying across my face and then with great effort I made a sidelong plunge to get away from the debris. I saw Dicky lying in a small ditch with Richard on top of him, but both alive.  I was perfectly sure Harry was killed, and dashed back to the carriage turned on its side where in the midst of broken glass, cushions, baskets and boxes I found poor Alice crouching on her knees with Harry in her arms. His face was all bloody and she thought he was very much hurt for the carriage door had stuck him full in the face, but it turned out to be only a bad knock on his forehead and scratches on his face and nothing serious. Alice showed great presence of mind for Harry was sitting on the seat by her and when she found the carriage going over, she seized him in her arms protecting him from the sides and top of the carriage which pressed down upon her, bruising her arm and tearing her dress and apron.

Presently we were all seated on the grass, dusty and bloody, the children wailing dismally, but all absolutely unimpaired! Was it not a miracle? It was such a relief to find we were not all killed or broken to pieces, we could hardly believe it, and I cannot really understand now how we escaped.  Richard was very faint, but fortunately we had brandy in the lunch basket which revived us both and he was well enough to go back to the hotel.  The driver with many “A, Dio!s” had disappeared and the horses were standing quiet as lambs, eating branches of the tree. Meanwhile we were the object of much interest and curiosity for the passers by, who saw with much dismay the broken carriage in the field below and two disheveled women holding two wailing children. All the beggars and children in the neighborhood flocked to the scene of disaster, the diligent stopped to inquire and many carriages. When they heard no one was hurt they went on again, the nervous females probably very unhappy for the rest of their journey.

One very kind Englishman came down to see if he could do anything for us. He seemed very much shocked, and finally presented me with a bottle of coloque [?] which I took to please him although we did not need it. My first thought was to get Dr. Wigglesworth and by dint of running part of the way Richard succeeded in getting back to the hotel just as he and his wife were on the point of taking the diligence over the Splugen [?]. They not only gave up going then but with the greatest kindness and generosity they insisted upon staying over until this morning to make sure that we were alright.  I thought it was very good of them but I wished they would not do it for it was not necessary and it seemed too bad to spoil their plans as well as our own. And worse than all Mrs. Wigglesworth is very nervous about driving and of course this accident will not do much to reassure her. We saw them off in the diligence this morning and I felt very badly to see her so nervous. Dr. W came back in a carriage with R. to the scene of disaster and examined Dicky’s knee under an apple tree. It was very badly bruised and hurt him a good deal. Nothing was broken, however, and Dr. W. has examined it twice since and thinks it will be nothing serious. Poor little Dicky was very much frightened and I am afraid his nerves have received a severe shock. Dr. W. carried him carefully up to the carriage and all the town turned out to see us as we drove slowly through the main street.

Dr W. got us new rooms (ours had been given to others) escorted us to them and made us lie down. We kept Dicky in bed all yesterday but today he is dressed and sitting on a shawl in the garden. Harry did not say a word for full twenty minutes after the accident then when we were sitting on the grass he opened his mouth suddenly and said in the most piteous little voice “Dumpy down!” which made us all laugh….

After a few days of recovery, they end the trip by touring Germany, visiting several spots including Heidelberg Castle and Strasburger Cathedral, they stopped again in Paris to shop and London where Mary again visited her brother’s nurses and grave.  On 17 September they departed Europe, arriving in New York by the 25th on the Servia.

The journal comes to an end:

29 Sept: One more day and I leave my dear boys. I am give them up to a new nurse Sunday evening.

2 Oct: What a lonely day I spent. My first day away from my dear boys.

22 Oct: John R. Stevens arrived here today from Michigan. We have not met for seven years.

Edith Dana writes from Cambridge, 15 October:

Dear Alice,

It seems a very long time since you went away although it is only two weeks today. It was very hard at first. The first night I slept with Dicky and could not sleep at all. I was so worried and troubled and did not know how we could ever get on without you.  The new nurse did not come until three o’clock Monday afternoon. And I was so tired out by that time, she had to take the children that night and has had them ever since.

Dicky seemed to feel your going more than Harry. He cried a great deal the first night “oh Mary gone!”, “Mary come back! come back!””Mary stay” and he was very suspicious of Margarete at first and would not let her do anything for him. She seems to be a very good girl and is kind and gentle with the children.

I am only afraid she will be too gentle with Dicky and will not be firm enough with him. She is very fond of Harry already and thinks he is the best baby she ever saw. Everything goes on the same as when you were her, only Dicky’s hair that looks a little differently. Margarete curls it, but it looks more meek than when you did it. Dicky has a velocipede now and can ride it in the street.

They have seen “Cuddy Waddy” several times and she is going to be with Grandma in Boston. At least until Christmas time she and her ___ are now going to stay at 33 Mt Vernon St. and perhaps you will see her there.  I hope I shall meet you there someday.  Have you got all your things? Your parasol was in the corner of the big closet.

Miss Annie is very glad you like her presents and says you need not trouble about writing.  I was very sorry to here that John Stevens hurt his eye.  I hope it is nothing serious. Be sure to tell him before you are married about your fainting fits.  He has a right to know and it is your duty to tell him. If you do not he may blame you afterwards.  Have you decided when to be married. I hope Johnie and Jenny are well [my gg-grandparents].

I did not dare to tell the children I was writing to you but they would send a great many kisses if they knew. They are fast asleep now and look so sweetly.  When Dicky plays steam cars he always says “Mary go too”.

Harry has learned a good many new words. He can say “Jumbo” and “corner” and many others.  Mr. Dana and I went to Newport last week for three days and saw Mr. Appleton and the girls who were all interested in hearing about you.  The girls liked the bows we bought for them at the “Bon Marelie”

I hope you will write to me.

Yours very truly

Edith L. Dana

Mary was married in Boston, 26 October 1882, to John Roderick Stevens, an old flame from Canada (he had first married Lucy A Higgens on 10 Jul 1880, she died ten days later).

Alice Longfellow sent a painting as a gift.

The newlyweds returned to Michigan where they raised a family of six (four who lived to adulthood).

For some time, Mary kept in touch with the family writing to Edith Dana and her sisters Alice and Allegra.  The letters indicate they valued Mary’s confidence, advice and sympathetic ear as well as her more mundane services as nursemaid to the boys and any other family member needing help. Edith updates her with stories of the boys antics and progress and always sends their kisses.

Drawing to Mary [Allie] from Dicky:

A year after their European voyage, Edith writes saying:

Dear Allie, It is just a year ago today that we left this house to to to New York and sail for Europe. How thankful I am we are not starting off now! I wounder how how now we ever had the courage to undertake it with that two small children.  Harry not even able to stand alone. I think we ought to be very grateful all at home again safe and sound. And you really married and out at “Dan Teacy’s house” [?] in Michigan!  How much has happened in one short year!…

It goes one to tell stories of the boys and how excited they were to receive her letters. She congratulates Mary on the baby expected in August and offers to send some of Harry’s baby clothes.  She mentions Mrs. Dana’s fall on Mt. Vernon St. which resulted in a broken hip which is making her quite uncomfortable and depressed.  She expresses how much they miss her and sends kisses from the boys.

In 1884, Mary is still sending gifts to the boys.  She writes “Harry Haines” on Harry’s card, perhaps a private joke between them which Mrs Dana mentions in a thank you note sent from 33 Mt Vernon Street.

In another letter, Edith writes to Allie with well wishes for Jennie [Ferguson ?] and says that God can save her, just as he saved them in the carriage upset:

In 1885, Edith Dana writes saying it was very kind of Mary to name her baby Edith after her and hopes that she can meet her someday.

Dana children 1893:

**Special thanks to Mary’s descendants for sharing her journal, photos, artifacts and letters.

UPDATE August 2016:

Today I visited the Massachusetts Historical Society on Beacon Street in Boston.  In their manuscripts collection are the Dana family papers which include the journal of Richard and Edith (Longfellow) Dana III (a few pages below).  Richard notes that Edith did not write in this time period. His writing adds color to Mary’s experiences.  He speaks of Dicky as an infant and Harry’s birth; summers at Nahant; intimate details of having typhoid fever; his father-in-law’s death and the trip to Europe which includes his version of the carriage accident.

To be transcribed at a later date….  Next stop Cambridge to read through the Longfellow family letters!!

 

 

My Family Owned Wall Street!!!! or Not :-(

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW A LARGER VERSION

Haines Family Lore

Family lore sometimes gets jumbled –  like the “telephone game” we played as children – one person whispers a message to another, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. Errors typically accumulate in the whispers, so the statement announced by the last player differs significantly, and often amusingly, from the one told by the first, but might hold a grain of truth.  The game is a metaphor for cumulative error, or more generally, for the unreliability of human recollection.

A daughter, Annie Elizabeth (Haines) Morell (b. 1865- d. 1960; New Brunswick), of my 3rd-g-grandfather, John Hains, left a historical account of the Haines origins.  Within the transcription, my notes are within brackets [ ], as those points are not addressed in the blog post.

The first of our forebears Joseph Haines who came to America between the year 1620-1650 was a Dutchman a native of Amsterdam, Holland. He belonged to a firm of rope makers and incidentally it was he who brought the rope making industry to America and I am told that somewhere in the Haines family there is a piece of the first rope made in America. [These Haines men were certainly not the first ropemakers in America, nor does it seem they took part in bringing the industry to America. From the The West End Museum, Boston: …Just a decade after settlement in 1630, Boston had established its first shipyard big enough to launch a 160-ton merchant vessel, the Trial. At the same time, the rope-making industry grew right along with Boston’s nautical fortunes. From the mid-17th century to the end of the 19th century, the rope-making industry thrived in Boston…].

Young Haines had been sent with a cargo of merchandise (presumably rope) to England and while crossing the channel was captured by a French privateer but before they were towed into France an English man-o-war scooped down and capture both vessels and took them to England.

Those were the days of the press gang when men were sand-bagged or shanghaid and taken on board vessels. This was one of the methods of recruiting their navy and merchant marines. Young marines fell into the hands of the press gang and was taken on board a vessel ready to sail for the colonies namely America.

However on there return voyage when about a mile from land young Haines sprang overboard one night and swam back to land. He made his way to New Amsterdam as New York was then called as it was settled by the Dutch. He was given or took a section of land on Manhattan, he married a girl named Margaret Burne from Northern Ireland and raised a family. When the family was well grown he wished to go back to Holland to visit his old home and in order to defray expenses he borrowed money from one Edward Beaugardes a Protestant Dominick with the agreement that it would be repaid with a certain amount of money and a bushel of wheat per annum.  However the boat on which he sailed either going or coming was lost at sea so Joseph Haines never returned to America.

Eventually Beaugardes married the widow [Margaret] and it was (her) he (Beaugardes) who built the first Trinity Church in New York on what was originally Joseph Haines land.

My great grand father Joseph Haines was a United Empire Loyalist and came to Saint John with the Loyalists in 1783. He was a sergeant in the New York volunteers and being honorably discharged from the army was given a grant of land on the river Keswick and it was there that my grandfather Joseph Haines and my father John Haines were born [strong evidence of her father’s birthplace, as she likely heard this from him].  My grandfather married Annie Boone a daughter of William Boone who was also a Loyalist and a brother of Daniel Boone the celebrated Indian Scout and pioneer [Daniel Boone was born in Pennsylvania; he is not a brother to our William Boone, whose life was documented here, I have not found a connection between these Boone families, although it is possible they had the same origins in England].

When great grand father Joseph came with the Loyalists he brought with him a niece Charlotte Haines  as well as a daughter Elizabeth. Charlotte married William Peters and their daughter married a Tilley and she was Sir Leonard Tilley’s grandmother [historians do not know much of Charlotte’s early life and whether she was connected to our Haines, but the 10-year old who arrived in 1783, likely with her Uncle David, and the story of her slipper, later titled her as one of New Brunswick’s famous Loyalists; she was the grandmother of Tilley, a Canadian politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation who descended from Loyalists on both sides of his family – her story, likely part fairy tale, from The New Brunswick Reader, 16 May 1898, here and another examining facts here]. 

Elizabeth married a man named Whitman and their daughter married a man named Henington so she was chief justice Henington’s grandmother [there is no name similar to Henington on the list of New Brunswick Chief Justices; it is unknown if Joseph had a daughter Elizabeth, she is not named in his will].

The Haines family has always been noted for their honesty and their loyalty to church and state; open handed and charitable. Perhaps that is why the majority of them were always poor.

Annie Elizabeth Morell (nee Haines)

Land on Wall Street? 

My third g-grandfather John Hains (Haines) in 1895 writes to his daughter Lizzie (who in 1890 resided in Chicago and in 1900 Boston and was half-sister of Annie Elizabeth Morell), that according to a New York Lawyer visiting Fredericton, York, New Brunswick, Canada in 1895, an estate valued at three hundred million, in the business part of New York, belonged to the Hains!  Our family would be entitled to a portion, if they could prove their heirship!!!!

East Boston
15 March 1895
Mrs Lizzie Higgeland

Dear Daughter

I take this opportunity to let you know that we are all well at present and hope to find you in good health.  I had a letter from George since writing to you and also one from Mary Stevens.  We had several visits from Alexander in one of them he took me to Gloucester on a visit where I enjoyed myself greatly he laid off for a week. I hope to visit Concord before going home I expect to leave here about the first of May as that will be time to repair my fences I think that after I get the hay cut I will return to Boston. We are having what they call a cold blustering weather here we had quite a snow storm here on Saturday but the weather is clear but windy today.

This Hains Estate is now engaging our families at present it seems that a Lawyer from New York has been to Fredericton looking up the Heirs to put in their claims he says that the estate is worth three Hundred Millions as it takes all the business part of New York but I am in doubt if we can prove our Heirship. They have the records down to Grandfather but possibly some of the old families in Nova Scotia may have kept the records.

So no more at present – I remain your affectionate father.

John Hains

Turns out there was a land dispute in the early 1700’s involving 62 acres, that was granted by a representative of Queen Anne of England to Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan, at the intersection of Wall Street (Trinity Church has since sold off much of the land and today holds only fourteen acres inclusive of 5.5 million square feet of commercial space).

The case is a subject of many books, newspaper accounts and other publications (just Google “Anneke Jans”):

In 1636 Roelof Jansen was granted thirty-one morgans (62 acres) of land in New Amsterdam which included parts of today’s Greenwich Village, So-Ho and Tribeca in New York City (note that the land did not actually include land which subsequently became Trinity Church).

Soon after arrival in New Amsterdam, Roelof died and his widow, known as Anneke Jans, inherited the land. She married second, Domine Bogardus and the land became known as the Bogardus farm. Bogardus reportedly drowned in 1647, off the coast of Wales, shipwrecked in a violent storm.

Anneke’s will mentions the acreage in Manhattan.  In 1671, her living children conveyed the land to Governor Lovelace for a “valuable consideration” (her son, Cornelius, was deceased).

Around the time of the Revolution, a great-grandson of Cornelius, laid claim to one sixth of then called “church farm”. He claimed Cornelius, had not agreed to the sale; therefore, one sixth of the land was due to his heirs.  Lore claims he took possession of a building on the property, built a fence around it, which the church had burned.  Later, the church won the case and he moved away.

In 1830, a John Bogardus, filed a case to recover the land. He failed; but the case fills 130 pages in the 4^th volume of Sandford’s Chancery Reports, eessentially saying there was no case, people can not question property rights from 150 years in the past, when America was just a developing nation, otherwise no land would be secure.

Descendants of Anneke’s sued repeatedly and unsuccessfully for decades.

Plenty of dishonest attorneys, genealogists and others continued to encourage “descendants” to contribute to the costs of the heir association suits and likely collected millions from countless, very gullible, “heirs” who expected to be awarded millions in a lawsuit (even creating fictitious pedigrees to convince folks with the same surnames that they were related).  As recently as 1920, descendants were still being swindled (26 January 1920, Philadelphia Inquirer Page: 14):

Initially I surmised that our early surname “Hans” sounded a lot like “Jans”.  Turns out none of the descendants used the surname Jans or Jansen.  The children of Anneke  and Roelofs Jansen/Jans took the patronym Roelofs or Roelofszen as a family name and the children of Anneke  and Domine Bogardus used Bogardus.

It is plausible that the Haines descended from Anneke’ through some other line as they owned land in the same vicinity, about 40 miles from Wall Street, but it is just as likely that the New York lawyer who appeared in Fredericton was a con artist.  The positive in the story is that the letter written by John Haines and the historical account written by his daughter further strengthens the case that John Hains had family ties to Fredericton (it is likely his birthplace – see blog here).

The “Real” Haines Story As Written by Others

Our earliest known ancestor, and likely my 7th-great grandfather, was Godfrey Hans (Hains/Haines).

Estelle Hobby Haines inherited original family records (which I am attempting to track down) placing Godfrey on a tract of land known as Harrisons Purchase, in Westchester County, New York. Her historical account of the family was published in April 1949 – “The Haines Family of Rye and Bedford,” The Westchester County Historical Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 45-55.  In the article, Estelle thanks Aunt Sarah Haines for preserving the information of the Haines ancestors, a written record passed on to successive generations, given to her husband in 1885.

Excerpt (to read the full article click HainesArticle).

Godfrey Haines, my first ancestor to come to this country, was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1675. When in his country’s service, he was taken prisoner by the Turks and with them traveled in sight of Jerusalem. They liberated him for some unknown reason, perhaps because of his youth. After his return to Germany, he was pressed into service again. The fleet to which he belonged was bound for South America. He was shipwrecked and picked up by a British man-of-war which came into New York Harbour. He found that they intended to make him fight against his country and so decided to escape. Accordingly one foggy morning he left ship, being a good swimmer, and started for land. He came to shore at Kip’s Bay (East 36th street) which was some distance from where the man-of-war lay at anchor. He went to a log house but there being only a woman at home and he in scant attire, he was obliged to retreat. Later he returned, found the woman’s husband at home, was supplied with a suit of clothes and directed to a Mr. DeLancey who was in need of a ship rigger and immediately put to work. His knowledge of rope making proved of much value. He was furnished with the means to commence business by Col. Caleb Heathcote, who became much interested in him. He became very prosperous and married a lady whose father was said to be a British Lord and who had come to this county with the Heathcote family.

[Godfrey is indeed first mentioned as “ropemaker” in a deed dated 1709/10 for a home lot in Mamaroneck, Westchester Co., New York, that he purchased of John Bloodgood, carpenter, of Flushing, Queens County, NY. – Westchester County Land Office, Liber, D, page 49]

Settling in the Town of Mamaroneck in 1709, Godfrey Haines moved to Rye five years later. He and his descendants became rope makers and large property owners on Budd’s Neck and in other parts of Rye. Their earliest extant deed is one of my treasured possessions and declares in beautiful script:–

“To all People to whom these Presents shall come Greeting Whereas James DeLancy and Anne his wife and Lewis Johnston and Martha his wife did for a valuable Consideration on the fourteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty, grant, bargain and sell unto Godfrey Hains in fee simple all that certain Tract or parcell of Land situate lying and being within a certain large Tract of Land called and known by the name of Harrisons Purchase in the County of Westchester – butted and bounded as follows that is to say Beginning at a Stake with a heap of Stones about it in the middle Line of said Patent so called Thence running south by marked Trees and David Heights to a red Oak Tree in said middle Line marked Thence Westerly by marked Trees between the Premisses hereby granted and the other part of said Lott sold to Samuel Miller to a White Oak Tree marked standing in the road leading towards the White Plains, Thence along the East side of the said road as the same runs to a heap of Stones which is a corner Bounds between the Premisses herby conveyed and one other part of the said Lott sold to Caleb Purdy Thence by marked Trees between said Purdy Land and the Premisses hereby conveyed to the first mentioned Stake where it began containing within the said Bounds by Estimation two hundred Acres be the same more or less-And Whereas Matthew Hains of the County of Westchester aforesaid Yeoman one of the sons of the aforesaid Godfrey Haines is now Intitled to part of the Lands contained within the Bounds herein before particularly mentioned and described. Now Know all men by these Presents that David Johnston of the City of New York, Gentlemen Heir at Law to David Jamison the surving Patentee for Harrisons Purchase afoesaid-hath released and forever Quit Claimed and by these Presents for himself and his heirs doth remise release and forever quit Claimed-unto the said Matthew Hains(in his full quiet and peaceable possession now being) and to his heirs and Assigns foever-“

Upon his death Godfrey Haines left each of his six sons a large farm [in the article, six sons and three daughters are named – Godfrey, James, Daniel, Joseph, Solomon, Mathew, Mollie, Tamar and Eleanor]. He and his wife are buried in the Blind Brook Cemetery in Rye. Their inscriptions read “In Memory of Godfrey Haines who departed this LIfe July 22, 1768 aged 93 years. In Memory of Anne wife of Godfrey Haines who departed this Life Feb’ry 19, 1758 aged 68 years”.

.

The History Of Rye, NY  Chronicle of a Border Town Westchester County, New York Including Harrison and White Plains to 1788, by Charles W. Baird New York, names only three potential sons:

FAMILIES OF RYE

II. LATER INHABITANTS – 1700 to 1800 – and THEIR DESCENDANTS.

HAINS

I. 1. Godfret or Godfrey Hanse, or Hains (1), first mentioned 1717, came over from Germany about that time, and settled on the lower part of Budd’s Neck. He was a rope-maker by trade, like many of his descendants, whose ‘rope-walks’ were numerous in that part of the town. He died July 22, 1768, aged ninety-three. (Milton Cemetery) Godfrey, junior, was his son, and probably Joseph and Solomon.

1. Godfrey Hains (2), son of Godfrey (1), called junior, 1734, had land on Budd’s Neck, part of which is now (1870) comprised in the Jay property. He was drowned in the East River in 1766. He had four sons at least: Godfrey, James, Daniel and Solomon.
Gilbert was probably another son.
2. Joseph Hains (2), probably a son of Godfrey (1), was a rope-maker, and in 1741 bought a farm of seventy acres on Budd’s Neck below the country road and Westchester old path, ‘beginning at a rock within a few feet to the westernmost of the school house.’
3. Solomon Hains (2), perhaps a son of Godrey (1), had land on Budd’s Neck in 1739.

The book reads:

By the middle of the last century, however, we find quite a variety of trades carried on in Rye : such as those of wheelwrights,cordwainers, carpenters, saddlers, tailors, hatters, weavers, ropemakers, and the like. We are not to suppose that the persons so designated were employed exclusively in these occupations. They were generally farmers, who joined some kind of handicraft to their ordinary business, particularly in winter. The weaver’s or wheelwright’s shop was no unusual appendage to a farm-house a century ago.

As in all old-time rural places, these occupations were very generally pursued by the same families age after age. In one branch of an ancient family, for instance, the designation “house-carpenter” occurs through as many as four successive generations. Another family is said almost to have covered the lower part of Budd’s Neck with its “rope-walks”….

.
Ropewalk

Most ropewalks were set up outdoors, sometimes underneath a wooden shelter.

The ropewalk method is described in the book “Handbook of Fibre Rope Technology” (the illustration comes from the same source):

“At one end, there is the jack, which has three hooks that can be rotated. At the other end, there is a carriage with a single, rotatable hook. In stage one, three sets of yarns are pulled off bobbins and are held along the length of the ropewalk.

In stage 2, an assistant turns the crank handle of the jack so that the yarns are twisted into strands by the rotation of the three hooks on the jack. Twist causes the lengths to contract, so that the carriage has to move along the ropewalk, under the control of the ropemaker.

In stage 3, the hook on the carriage rotates in order to twist the strands into the rope. In the usual mode of operation, the initial strand twist is made as high as possible without kinking. When the single hook on the carriage is released, the high torque in the strands causes the hook to rotate, and this, in turn, cause the three strands to twist together and form the rope. The ropemaker controls the production of the rope by continually pushing back its form of formation to give a tight structure. Meanwhile, the assistant continues to rotate the crank to make up for the loss of twist in the strands.”

Direct Line Ancestor

 .

Our family likely descends from Godfrey’s son Joseph and his wife Margaret.  In her account of our family history, Annie Elizabeth (Haines) Morell, gives Margaret’s maiden name as Burns.  In 1750, a Margaret Haines nee Burns acknowledged the signature of Alexander Burns, on a deed, in Rye.  Based on a search of the county’s records there seems to be just one Margaret Haines in that time frame, in that place, thus she was likely a Burns.

Joseph died in 1783.

Just after his death, in a deed dated 1784, Margaret names her sons Alexander, Joseph, William and Peter (in her will she also names a daughter Ann Dorothy).

We likely descend from Joseph and Margaret’s son, Joseph [who I will refer to as junior to separate the two], who married Elizabeth Saunders, 11 Sep 1767, in New York [the marriage bond records were heavily damaged in the State Capitol fire of 1911; while the bond of Elizabeth and Joseph’s survived, it was thoroughly singed around the edges.  The archives were able to reproduce a somewhat legible copy…”].

Another document places Joseph (a farmer) Joseph Hains, junior, and a number of other Hains men, in the Rye area in 1771, when a group petitioned for a town fair in Rye, Westchester County so they could sell their goods:

COPY OF A PETITION OF CITIZENS OF RYE, N. Y., THAT DR. E. HAVILAND
MAY HOLD A FAIR IN SAID TOWN. FROM PP. 42, 43
OF VOI. 97 OF THE NEW YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS
IN THE NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY.
BY GEO. R. HOWELL.

To his Excellency the Right Honble John Earl of Dunmore Commander
in Chief in and over the Province of New York and the
Territories thereon Depending Vice Admiral and Chancellor of
the same,
The Petition of a great Number of the Principal and other Inhabitants in the Town of Rye in the County of West Chester,
Humbly Sheweth,
Whereas by an Act of general Assembly of the Province of New York made many years since, it was Enacted that the said Town of Rye should every year after making of said Act be Entitled to, and have the Benefit of keeping and holding a Fair in said Town of Rye, Once in every year, Viz. in the month of October for selling of all Country Produce and other Effects whatsoever, as by said Act may at large Appear; and Whereas Notwithstanding that the Inhabitants of said Rye never as yet have applied to have the Fair held, as by said Law they had Right; But now Believing the keeping of a Fair as aforesaid in said Town of Rye would be of general Service to said Town, your Petitioners therefore Humbly Pray for the purpose aforesaid, That your Excellency would please to appoint Doctor Ebenezer Haviland of said Rye to be Governor, and to have full power according to said Act of Assembly, to keep and hold a Fair in said Rye in the month of October next at the time in said

Act Appointed; and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever Pray Rye, April 8th, 1771.,
Sylvanus Merritt
Isaac Brown, Elijah Weeks
David Brown, Jonathan Brown
Philemon Hallsted , Solomon Purdy
Amos Kniffen , John Hawkins
Nehemiah Kniffen , John Carhartt
Nathaniel Moore , Ezekiel Hallsted
Zebediah Brown , Josiah Burril
Abraham Wetmore, Daniel Brown
William Brown , John Doughty
Gilbert Brundige, Timothy Wetmore
Samuell Tredwell , James Purdy
Roger Park , Joseph Theall
Charles Theall , Gilbert Theall
Joshua Purdy , Obadiah Kniffen
Hachaliah Purdy , James Hains
John Hains , Solomon Gedney
James Mott , Joseph Hains
Alexander Hains , Godfrey Hains
Joseph Hains, Junr
Jotham Wright , Jonathan Gedney
Caleb Gedney,
Isaac Gedney , James Horton
Jonathan Horton , William Ritchie
James Horton Junr , William Sutton
Gilbert Budd , Daniel Strang
Thomas Brown , Henry Carey
James Wetmore , Samuel Haviland
John Kniffin , Hachaliah Brundige
Gilbert Theall Junr , Benjamin Brown

The Revolutionary War had a devastating impact on Rye, even though no battles were fought within its current boundaries. Rye was “neutral ground” between the Patriots in Connecticut and the British in New York. As a result, Rye was subject to marauding and devastation by both sides. Rye’s population was divided between Patriots and Loyalists/Tories, with the Loyalists holding a slight advantage. Feelings ran high on both sides and families often faced divided loyalties.

Joseph Haines, junior, and many other Haines of Westchester were Loyalists; on 11 April 1775 they signed a Declaration with many others in the County of Westchester declaring support to the King (Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution, Henry Barton Dawson, 1886 – New York, pg 72-73)
.

.

Joseph, junior was with the Regiment of the New York Volunteers.  I have not yet fully researched his service; but a short history of the regiment can be found here. He is listed on the Muster Roll of Lieut. Colonel George Turnbull’s Company of New York Volunteers, Savannah, Georgia 29 November 1779. [Future research: Muster rolls for the New York Volunteers may be found in the National Archives of Canada, RG 8, “C” Series, Volumes 1874-1875. The muster roll abstracts can be found in the Ward Chipman Papers, MG 23, D 1, Series I, Volume 25].

.

Land Taken??
.
Godfrey’s likely son Joseph, also named as “ropemaker”, with his wife Margaret transacted land as follows:

In a land deed (Westchester County Land Office, dated 12 April 1775, book R, page 136).  An indenture was filed between Peter Ray and Joseph Haines of Rye and Margaret his wife, stating that Alexander Haines of Harrison Purchase and Joseph Haines are bound to Peter by certain obligation in the penal sum of 561 pounds, 8 shillings with condition written for payment of two hundred eighty pounds, eight shillings and six pence with lawful interest to Peter Jay on or before the 12th day of April next, for two certain tracts of land.  One on which Joseph Haines dwells in Rye, which he purchased of Samuel Miller.  The land description mentions the schoolhouse, Westchester Old Path, the land of Joseph Horton, deceased of about 70 acres. The second tract of six additional acres, purchased of John and Ann Guion, adjacent to land he already owned, also adjacent to the land of Henry Griffens, on Budds Neck on the Post Road.

In a second deed (Westchester County Land Office, dated 13 July 1752, book R, page 139), Samuel Miller (remember that name!) and Phebe his wife sell to Joseph Haines for 143 pounds, names the same 70 acres on Budd’s Neck.

In a third deed (Westchester County Land Office, dated 13 July 1752, book R, page 141),  John and Ann Guion his wife sell to Joseph Haines for 20 pounds, names the same six acres on Budd’s Neck.

All three documents were recorded years later, 26 Sep 1814. Why?

It was not unusual for deeds to be filed at later dates. Many executed deeds were held by the family who could not afford or did not wish to pay the filing fees. They were typically recorded when the land was later sold.

Joseph Haines died in Rye in 1793.  Margaret died in 1812 in Rye; she only names her son Peter and daughter Ann Dorothy in her will. The recording was likely due to Margaret’s death so the land could be sold. However, I found no later land transactions for this acreage.

Why weren’t the others named in her will? After the Revolution, her son Joseph junior’s family settled in New Brunswick and Alexander with his wife Clarina and their children in Sissiboo (now Weymouth), Digby County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Nothing is known of her son William.

1867 & 1868 map of the area where the Haines might have resided in Rye/Harrison’s Precinct, Westchester County

There were at least three Haines who were property owners on these maps – J. Haines, George (later map Peter) Haines and D.M. Haines.  Based on later land descriptions, the property in the same area of George/Peter/D. M. Haines likely belonged to my direct ancestors.  It names all the same landmarks as mentioned in the land deeds – it is near a school and the Post Road, there is land owned by Guion (from whom Joseph later purchased six additional acres) and it is on Rye’s Neck, which had previously been called Budd’s Neck. The Miles and Mill families are nearby, the names are close enough in spelling to Miller to suggest a connection (special shout out and thanks to the Rye Historical Society who helped identify the land location!!).

Without tracing the deeds forward, it appears that the property was in the vicinity of what today is Tompkins Avenue, Mamaroneck, New York, between the blocks of Melbourne Ave and Beach Ave.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Joseph, junior’s Claim

Joseph Junior had land taken from him at the time of the Revolution.  In his claim he names land as “Harrison’s Precinct, Westchester County”,  which he purchased of his brother [Alexander], about 1773; likely the same area where his Grandfather Godfrey owned land [recall that Alexander of Harrison’s Purchase was named in the earlier deed with Joseph and Margaret].  A witness verifies his story and further states: “Joseph had the Character of being very Industrious and supported himself by farming. He and his family were very Loyal”.  Joseph asked for £650 NY Currency and was eventually awarded £60 Sterling and land in New Brunswick.

.

To The Honourable The Commissioners

appointed to examine the Claims of Persons

who have suffered in their Rights, Properties

& Professions during the late unhappy

dissensions in America, in consequence of

their Loyalty to His Majesty, and

Attachment to the British Government &c.

&c. &c.

Joseph Haynes late of West Chester County in the province of New York now of York

County in the province of New-Brunswick

Most humbly shews

That He has ever been a true and faithful subject to his Majesty, and that in the

beginning of the late dissensions He was persecuted & abused, and he availed himself of

the earliest opportunity to join the British Army. And in August 1776, he effected his

purpose and entered into the Regiment of New-York Volunteers, & served in that Corps

until it was disbanded in October 1783. That your Memorialist owned a comfortable

Farm of the value of Four hundred pounds N. York Cury. and had of his own – Stock –

Farming Utensils & other articles to the amount of Two hundred & fifty pounds – of all

which (in consequence of his joining the British Troops) his Family were dispossessed –

and the same was wasted – or sold by authority – so that your memorialist has never

received a farthing’s benefit therefrom. And he now is reduced to great distress – after

long & faithful services. He therefore humbly hopes that the Honourable Commissioners

will take his case into consideration and grant him leave to attend them in New

Brunswick, & to produce his evidences of the Facts herein alleged. And that they would

afford him such relief as they may think right. And as in duty bound shall pray &c.

Joseph Hains

Fredericton March 28^th 1786.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Great Britain, Public Record Office, Audit Office, Class 13, Volume 13, folio 190.

St. Mary’s 15^th Jany. 87

Sir

I have the Honor to inform the Commissioners through you that from the 15^th July to the 20^th of October I was on Duty with my Regt. at New York & at Sea and was discharged the 20^th – since which Period I have resided in the Parish & County aforesaid.

I have the Honor to be with Great Respect

Your Most Obt.

hum. Ser.

Joseph Haines

Peter Hunter Esq.

Sec’ry

Commissioners

——————————————————————————————————————————–

St John 20^th March 1787

Evidence on the Claim of Joseph Haines

Late of New York

Claimant Sworn

Says he came in 1783, was disbanded in October, w, 26.12 p acre went up the River immediately, staid there all the Winter.

Produces his Discharge from New York Volunteers 10^th October 1783.

Lived in Westchester County, joined the British in 1776, enlisted in New York Volunteers, Served during the war.

Had 50 acres in Harrison’s Precinct, Westchester County, purchased about three years before the War of his brother, £6..12 p acre; had a Deed, produces a letter from his Mother in the State of New York mentioning the Deed of his Farm, but she doesn’t send it not having time to take a Copy.

Built a framed House, improved the Estate, about 30 acres clear, values it at £9 p acre.

One William Miller has taken possession of it.  Claimant did not owe him anything.  Says he may pretend some Rights in consequence of a Bond Claim and had given to appear before Congress ___  Miller was Deputy Chairman.

Lost a Mare, 2 colts, 3 Cows, 2 Heifers, Farming utensils, Furniture.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Timothy Witmore Sworn

Says he knows the Claimant’s Farm it was in Harrison Precinct, Witness surveyed it for him about 15 years ago, he bought it of his brother – Remember Claimant continuing his possession of it – Values it at £8 p acre.

A good deal of Meadow, thinks 2/3rd of it were clear.

He had the Character of being very Industrious and supported himself by farming.

He and his family were very Loyal.

Miller was Chairman of the Committee, lived in that Neighborhood, has no doubts but that Miller has it.

Land Grants in New Brunswick

A number of petitions for land were filed by Joseph Haines [copies of the actual grants are on order and will be posted at a later date].  He was awarded at least 242 acres.

A number of Haines land deeds were also recorded in York County, New Brunswick:

William Miller, Who Reportedly Took the Haines Land

The Miller’s and Haines had prior interactions.  Joseph senior,  reportedly bought from Samuel Miller, in 1741, the first Miller family homestead in Rye and then in 1814 purchased land of Samuel Miller on Budd’s Neck [Sept 26 1814; R 139]. There were other land transactions, the families lived in close proximity and were likely friends or acquaintances.

William Miller, however, was notorious (in the eyes of Westchester County Loyalists) Deputy Chairman (later Chairman) of the Westchester County Committee accused of being responsible, with the Thomases, for much of the obnoxious revolutionary actions against Loyalists.

For Example:

The Petition of fifteen Prisoners confined in the Jail at White-Plains, presented by Mr˙ Miller, Deputy Chairman of Westchester County, wherein they represent that they are confined as persons dangerous to the safety of the State, and being desirous of being enlarged, they are willing to bind themselves either to aid in repelling the enemies of the State when necessary, or surrender themselves into the custody of any Jailer, as this or any future Convention or Legislature may direct, was read.

Whereupon Mr˙ Miller was called in and examined as to the said fifteen Prisoners, and testified in regard to them respectively, as follows, viz: Joshua Purdy has never been friendly to the American cause, is a man of influence, and towards whom lenity would be advisable. Gabriel Purdy has acted unfriendly to the cause of America. Caleb Morgan he does not know, but has heard he is a Tory. Of Wm˙ Barker, John McCord, John Bailey, Bartw˙ Haynes, and Joseph Purdy, he knows nothing favourable. Gilbert Horton is a man of no influence. Isaac Browne has been neutral. Josiah Browne says he will join in the defence of the State, and has generally understood that he was a Whig. Edmund Ward he don’ t know. Samuel Merrit has been active against, and Jonathan Purdyhas been publickly inciting others to act against us. And as to Philip Fowler, he is reputed a bad man.

Interesting Developments

(1) A land deed dated 1799 [Westchester County, book M, page 362] shows our Joseph, junior (of New Brunswick) selling about 20 acres of land at Harrison, New York for $500 to Joseph Carpenter.  The deed claims that it is the same land which he purchased of his brother Alexander Haines and wife Clarina on 17 June 1773 [I have not found a copy of the 1773 deed].

What?  This sounds like the land that William Miller reportedly took illegally, on which Joseph filed a claim!

Interesting that William Miller seems to have verified Joseph’s identity (Is that what the last section means? – any lawyers out there?).

Did Joseph really travel from New Brunswick to New York to sell the land? or did Miller illegally sell the land and pocket the cash? What happened to the other 30 acres? (Joseph claimed to own 50? – I have examined William Miller’s deeds in Westchester County from that time period and nothing in Harrison was sold under that name in the late 1700’s/early 1800’s).

(2) Alexander Haines, likely Joseph’s brother (who is called “ropemaker” and named “son of Joseph” – whoop, whoop!) purchased 100 acres in Harrison; Joseph Miller and his wife Tamer, held the mortgage for 687 pounds, ten shillings.  In 1765 Miller claimed the debt had been satisfied (however, the deed was filed eighteen years later 28 Oct 1783 – Book I, pg 193 Westchester).

Had Joseph already left for New Brunswick or was this filed before he left? – his unit disbanded in October 1783 and he says he immediately left for Canada.  Was this deed for the same land that Miller reportedly took from him? In Joseph’s claim he says, “One William Miller has taken possession of it.  Claimant did not owe him anything.  Says he may pretend some Rights in consequence of a Bond Claim and had given to appear before Congress”.

Joseph Haines, junior probate

The will of Joseph Hains, dated 20 March 1827 was filed in the Parish of Douglas, York County,

Early New Brunswick Probate Records 1785-1835
by R Wallace Hale, on page 192

Eldest son Peter £5 and use for life of Lot 18 on Keswick Creek, originally granted to Peter McLARREN, and at his death the Lot to be divided between my grandsons George HAINS and Israel HAINS, the sons of Peter HAINS. Second son Robert use for life of Lot 10 originally granted to Robert McCARGAR, and at his death the Lot to be divided between my grandsons Joseph HAINS and William HAINS, the sons of Peter HAINS, reserving a maintenance for my grand-daughter Jane HAINS, daughter of son Robert. Should Robert’s wife Amy survive him, she to have the privilege of dwelling on Lot 10 while widow. Third son Joseph use of residue of estate for life, and at his death to be divided among the male issue of son Joseph born of the body of Nancy BOONE alias HAINS Wife of my son Joseph. Son Joseph HAINS sole executor. Witnesses: Thomas WHITE, David MOREHOUSE, William Henry Boyer ADAIR.

A Cousin Story – Cecelia “Celia” “Kess” Perry/Parry Stevenson

When my g-grandmother Georgianna (Hughes/Clough) Hall passed in 1964, a Cecelia Stevenson sent condolences from Indianapolis, Indiana.  Next to her name, in my grandmother’s handwriting, was written “relative”.  Something about this intrigued me.  I searched for cousin Cecelia “Celia” Perry/Parry for years and am finally able to share a small part of her story.

In Georgianna’s address book was written:

• Mrs. L.A. Stevenson – Celia Cynthia [address crossed off] Indiana.
• C.K. Stevenson – 1320 N. Delaware Indianapolis Indiana

I never put two and two together! I hadn’t realized this was my missing Celia Parry!

Cecelia “Celia” was born 12 August 1899 in Galeton, Pennslyvania to George Perry/Parry and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Phillips.  She was a first cousin to my g-grandmother, Georgianna.   Georgianna’s mom, Kittie (Perry) Hughes/Clough/Shipman, and Celia’s father George were siblings.

Lizzie (Phillips) Parry

Celia’s mother, Lizzie, gave birth to at least eight children (censuses indicate nine), three of whom died in 1891 of diphtheria.  At the time of their illness/death, Celia’s father, George, had deserted the family, to marry another woman (story here). Her mother’s sister, Miss Alice Phillips, chanced exposing herself to the illness and cared for the family. Lizzie and her eldest son Daniel, age eight, recovered, but the younger children—George, Alice, and Arthur—died.  When George’s second wife learned he was a bigamist, he disappeared.

By 1893, George and Lizzie reunited and relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota where their children William “Will” and Elizabeth “Bessie” were born. George’s mother Ann (Jones) Perry Evans passed in 1896 and her obituary places George in Oregon (no other evidence places the family there).  By 1897 the family removed to Galeton, Pennsylvania, near George’s sister Cordelia (Perry) Palmer/Spoor, where their last two children, Celia and Frederick “Fred” were born.

By 1910, they were living in Westmoreland, Oneida, New York. When Celia was thirteen (5 April 1913), her 50 year old mom died in Oriskany, Oneida, New York, cause unknown. It seems the family then returned to Pennsylvania.

On 30 March 1916, at age sixteen, Celia gave birth to  baby boy  in Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania. She named him Richard [my Autosomal DNA matches that of Richard’s daughter]. The name of the boy’s father is unknown, but based on family lore, it is possibly something like “Schwartz”.

The boy was adopted by Henry and Jennie (Dykeman) Seltz of Galeton, Pennsylvania. Perhaps Celia selected the adoptive family; they were neighbors of her aunt Cordelia’s step-son, Leland Spoor (she likely thought of Leland as a first cousin; his mother died when he was two and Aunt Cordelia raised him).

Celia’s photo album (now with her granddaughter) includes photos of little Richard and Mrs Seltz.  The Seltzs must have kept in touch!

By 1920, Celia was a “roomer” in the home of Eugene and Laura McKee in Jamestown, Chautauqua, New York.  She was employed at a garment factory as a machine sewer.  On 1 March 1920, she married her fellow roomer, Phillip Lee Kessler, a street car railroad conductor, later a mechanic, son of Charles Kessler and Nellie Phillips (no known relation to Celia’s mother). At that time Celia worked at a glove factory. The marriage was short lived; the pair divorced 12 Aug 1921. Despite the divorce, Celia’s nickname “Kess”, stuck for the remainder of her life.

When Celia’s dad passed in 1923, she signed as the informant on his death certificate, listing her residence as Galeton, Pennsylvania.

Her father’s obituary, lists Cincinnati, Ohio as her place of residence. She was enrolled at the Good Samaritan Nursing School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated in 1924.  After graduation, she took a position in the same town as a nurse for a private family, rooming with fellow classmate and good friend, Marie Barlow and a 59-year old widow named Mary Sohngen. The three paid a total of $75/month rent.

Celia next married Lincoln Augustus Stevenson, son of Frank Stevenson and Catherine Freil.  In 1932 they were living in Columbia, South Carolina.  They had a daughter, Mary Cynthia “Cynthia” Stevenson, born 12 Sept 1933 in Indiana. She was likely close to Lincoln’s 10 year old son by a prior marriage, Richard Lincoln Stevenson, as he was named in her obituary. Cynthia’s birth certificate mistakenly lists her mother’s maiden name as Kessler.

Although Celia and Lincoln were divorced by 1940, she continued to use the name Mrs. Celia K. Stevenson for the remainder of her life; Celia appears in the 1940 census as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Marion, Indiana. She worked 48 weeks that year and made a total of $660 (she also received more than $50 from other unnamed sources).  Eight year old Mary Cynthia was not found in 1940, but when her father died in 1950, she was listed as resident of Indianapolis.

Cynthia’s daughter offers the following detail:

Due to WWII, my mom Cynthia “Cindy” was sent to a Catholic boarding school, St. Joseph’s Academy, in Tipton, Indiana.  She became a Nun but never did her final vows.  She went to St Mary ‘s Notre Dame and then to St Louis University where she met her husband (“my dad”).

.

Cindy has another half brother-  Young Stevenson, of Montgomery Alabama.  He has five kids and lots of Grandkids!

Cecelia never drove a car and lived for years at 1320 N. Delaware, Indianapolis ( I still remember that address); a studio apartment.  She inspired me to become a nurse.

.

On 10 September 1946, Celia’s eldest brother Daniel died in Wellsville, Allegany, New York. 

In 1947 Celia’s aunt Alice E. Phillips (her mother Lizzie’s sister) died. Alice had never married and did not have children.  There was a four year court proceeding over her will – numerous newspaper notices offer details of her sister and brother arguing over the inheritance – A number of them named “Cecelia Parry Stevenson” as a heir (she was not one of those directly involved in the suit).

In Summary:

Celia’s mother Lizzie (Parry) had siblings Alice, Arthur, Lena (Hatcliffe), Mary Ann (Valentine), Rose (McBride) and Fred.  At the time of the trial, only Lena and Fred were living.  Alice never married, worked hard, lived frugally and left a sizable estate.  She had changed her original will, which was essentially a 50/50 split between Arthur and Lena (with Arthur’s portion in a trust, paying him income for life) to one which left the majority of the estate to Arthur.

.

Lena contested this, saying he forced Alice to revise the will,  utilizing his attorney  (just six months after the initial will was written) and supplying his own associates as witnesses. She further claimed Arthur was a drunk who rarely worked, who physically and orally abused Alice, forged signatures on checks to draw money from her bank account and threatened her with “the bug house” if she didn’t modify the will to be in his favor.  Alice feared him; he kept her isolated from friends and family as she was not mobile in her last years.

.

The testimony of the witnesses tended to prove these facts. Arthur admitted that he threatened Alice with the “bug house”.  Lena won the case, the jury having found that the will was procured through undue influence. Arthur appealed and lost. According to newspapers, the case was settled in 1951.

.

Read details here, type Alice Phillips in the search box

.

In 1953, Celia served on a panel at St. Vincent’s entitled “The Nurse as the Priest’s Assistant in the Spiritual Care of the Sick”.

In 1954, Celia’s picture was in the local paper, as an attendee at a private duty nurse’s brunch (likely on the far right).

In 1968, she was a prize winner at the Grand Opening of a local shopping center!

On 1 May 1977, Celia’s brother Fred died in Conneaut Lake (shore), Pennsylvania.  She never mentioned other siblings to her grandchildren.  Although one grandchild, while in college was in touch with her brother Daniel’s daughter, Elizabeth I. “Bette” (Parry) VanDurme in New York.

The whereabouts of Celia’s sister Elizabeth “Bessie” Parry (who married John Burge) and brother William “Will” Parry are unknown.  The last source mentioning them was in probate notices, related to their Aunt Alice, in 1951. Her sister might be the Elizabeth Burge who died 8 Dec 1966 and is buried with John Burge (d. 1978), at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York.

 Celia died 2 December 1997 in Greenwood, Johnson, Indiana at the age of 98. The inscription on her tombstone reads: “MRS SANTA CLAUS”.  The cemetery office and local historical society could not provide further information about this title.

 .

UPDATE: Celia’s granddaughter writes:  “We called her Grandma Cel”….”By the way, ” Mrs. Santa Claus” was because she always sent cards at Christmas signed that way.  I think I was a teenager before I realized it was her!”

Celia’s children

• Son Richard Dykeman Seltz, who she gave up for adoption, married Mary Johnson and had four children. He died 12 March 1996 in Kissimmee, Polk, Florida.

Richard Dykeman Seltz, 79, of 728 Yucatan Court, Poinciana, died March 12. Born in Williamsport, Pa., he moved to Poinciana from Galeton, Pa., in 1986. He was a self-employed glove manufacturer and a member of the Masonic Lodge of Couldersport, Pa., and the Elks Club of Kissimmee. Survivors include his wife, Mary; sons, Richard H., Houston, Texas, Scott J., Chatham, N.J.; daughter, Jeanne Wenzel, Jacksonville, Anne Seltz, Rockville, Md.; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Fisk Funeral Home, St. Cloud, was in charge of arrangements.

• Daughter, Mary Cynthia Stevenson, married a man named Charles Ford and had three children.  She died  9 July 1989 in Sarasota, Florida.

Mary Cynthia Ford, 55, Sarasota, died July 8, 1989.  She was born Sept. 12, 1933 in Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind. and came to this are three years ago from Pelham, NY. Survivors include two sons, Christopher of Northport, Conn., and Carl of Westport, Conn., a daughter, Cathleen of Richmond, Va., two brothers, Richard Stevenson of Sarasota and Young Stevenson of Montgomery, Ala., her mother Cecelia Stevenson of Indianapolis, and a granddaughter. Services will be at 11 a.m. today at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, Gulf Gate Chapel. Memorial donations may be made to The American Cancer Society, 3807 Bond Place, Sarasota, 34232.

• Stepson Richard Lincoln Stevenson died 19 April 2010 in Sarasota, Florida

Richard Lincoln Stevenson, 87, of Sarasota, formerly of Fort Wayne, Ind., died April 19, 2010. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Sarasota National Cemetery.

He is survived by his son, Alan; children by marriage Mark and Marian Kennell, Karl and Becky Kennell and Kathleen and Jon Sutter; grandchildren Lydia Mortensen, Michelle Sexton, Erin Stevenson, Alex, Katie and Trevor Kennell; four great-grandchildren, sister Patricia and Ed Epperson, brother Young and Susan Stevenson; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Shirley; a son David; a sister, Cynthia Ford; and a brother, Sherrad Denley.

Richard was just 19 when he enlisted in cadet school and became a World War II pilot flying in the Pacific. He flew a C-47 called “Gooney Bird” as a member of the legendary Jungle Skippers in the 317th Troop Carrier Group, which later became the 375th. He followed his retirement from the Air Force Reserves in 1956 with a 30-year career as an accomplished jeweler and gemologist. He was also an award-winning gardener, who could literally make anything grow, especially his beloved orchids. He will forever be remembered for his stories that touched the hearts of so many.

Memories

Celia kept in touch with her college roommate, Marie.  Marie’s son recently shared  his memories and photos:

I knew her (1950s – 1990s) as a very caring, wonderful person. She was very close friend, originally to my parents.  Kess trained with my mother, Marie Barlow (her maiden name), at The Good Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati, OH.

 .

My mother, before she met my father, came from Grafton West Virginia, to Cincinnati to become a nurse.  Kess, my mother and another nurse actually shared an apartment near the Hospital/ school for several years in the 1920s.

 .

Unfortunately, much of my info about her is from memories now. My older brothers, who have all passed, may have had pictures and a more complete history of her. But the pictures they had did not survive the years. I have little knowledge of the marriages, or children. (Back in the 30, 40s and 50s, children did not talk unless a parent said okay)  So the adults kept private issues among themselves. Later in life, she did talk about a daughter and son-in-law and their children, but I don’t recall details now. I believe Kess actually survived her daughter by a year or so. The daughter had a difficult medical condition, I believe. Kess died at a Convalescent Retirement home near Indianapolis.

.

Over the years, Kess came to visit when she could, but the last 20 – 30 years of her life were very difficult. Her mobility was very difficult due the pain, arthritis, I think. From about 1940s to 1990s, she lived in a modest apartment on N. Delaware Ave in Indianapolis, IN with a major hospital nearby. She worked there at one time, I think. I visited her a few time over the years. She came to Cincinnati for various holidays and events, including the funerals of my mother and father, for my college graduation, 1968, and later for my wedding in 1978.

She is buried in Section J, Lot 576, grave #8, Washington Park East Cemetery.

Kess’ grand-children could be still living. I am thinking also that they are part of the reason for Mrs Santa Claus. I believe, there were times when Kess would send small gifts or notes to children and others, anonymously.

 .

Another thought about Kess, relates to her Garden. I believe she was a volunteer at the President Harrison Home. Volunteers would help with the Gardens, among other things, there. That home was nearby on N Delaware Ave. – http://www.bhpsite.org

 

 

UPDATE: And the COOLEST part of this whole story???  After this was posted, Celia’s six grandchildren, three by her son Richard “Dick” who she gave up for adoption and three by her daughter Cynthia “Cindy” have  met online!!  Happy dance!  The best part of genealogy – connecting cousins!!

Error in Online Trees and FindAGrave

Several online trees have Celia linked to Curt Stevenson and Lydia Fullmer.  These are the wrong parents!  This Celia’s maiden name was Stevenson.  She married Frank Meals and died in 1978 in Pennsylvania.

Censuses (right click and open image in another tab to see a larger version)

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

 

The Life of William John Haines

My 2nd g-grandfather, William John “John” Haines, was the sixth born, to John Hains and Alice/Alise Edith Childs, on 7 March 1856, in Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada.  He joined brothers Joseph, Alexander, George, James and sister Mary.  Sister, Lizzie was born a few years later.

John was just three when his mother died.

A few years after his mother’s death, his father married Jane Clare [online unsourced trees give a date of 29 May 1865; but given the age of their eldest child, they could have been together earlier].

By 1871 the pair had three daughters (the eldest age eight), residing with them in the Parish of Richibucto. Family letters imply that Jane was loathed by her stepchildren, the feeling seemingly mutual.  John’s elder brothers had departed the uncomfortable environment and gone to sea, while his sisters were sent to live with relatives; only John (age 14) and his brother James remained at home, working as laborers.

By the age of 18, John joined his brothers at sea, a letter written years later to his sister Mary, indicates he was a runaway. He is listed as crew, rank “boy” on the vessel Ida E, which departed Saint John, 19 Jan 1874.  He was paid $18 a month and discharged in England, 13 March 1874 (Vessel Registration Number J866006, noted as “wrecked”).  John continued to sail until he married in 1882.

Nothing is known of his voyages other than a narrative written by his nephew Ralph Stevens:

Uncle John was my favorite man in those days and I shadowed him at every opportunity.

He told me wonderful stories about his many years at sea in the merchant fleet. He had been all over the world and shipwrecked several times.

[The Steven’s family has artifacts from Asia, that belonged to Mary, reportedly gifts from her brother John].

After seven years at sea, his last voyage was likely as a Merchant Mariner on the Barkentine, Falmouth, which arrived in Boston, 31 May 1881 (according to his sister Mary’s journal):

31 May 1881: I have seen today the arrival of the Barkentine, Falmouth.

1 June 1881: I sat last night till late watching for my brother John to come, but he has not come yet. I do hope he will come tonight. I am lonely tonight, for lonely feelings are creeping over me and all sorts of imaginations coming in my head. Dear brother do come tonight.

2 June 1881: I sat here waiting for brother to come today until I was tired. Then I started for Boston in search of him. I went to number 11 North Square to the Mariner’s house [a historic hotel, built in 1847 which operated as a boarding house for sailors]. Waited for a few minutes till my brother came in. He did not expect to see me.  It was a happy meeting. I threw myself into his arms and it was so nice to have a real brother once more.

North Square circa 1895

John’s family worried.  Brother Joseph who was a patient at St. Thomas Hospital in London, writes to Mary of “Johnie’s” visit in April 1880:

…Johnie came twice with someone half drunk, he spent all his pay day in rum without buying any clothes for himself, so I could not help him when he went away and i had not a cent to much for myself….

In another letter to Mary, dated 29 September 1880, Joseph writes:

Dear Sister,

I received your letter of the 16^th

Stating as usual you were still with the world on your shoulder. I am surprised at some of your letters.  I could understand if Sister Lizzie wrote such Book but without jesting, it doesn’t become you.

Now Mary, you know as well as I can tell you that your step-mother doesn’t like you or me either and no wonder when I threatened to throw her out of the window as she told you and you know that is too strong a language for the laws of any country. Not only that, but before you went home last year to see father you knew very well that you could not meet Jane, as you call her, on any friendly terms whatever . Now tell me what was the use of your going home when you wanted nothing from them. You have a good name, good wages, good head….

[line unreadable]

…and instead of going where you knew you would not be friendly you had for better stay away so whenever you find a person you cannot agree with you should keep away from them….

…you grumble about Johnie being exposed by the family, but you screen him too much. That is really too bad that he has never went home, as he promised me when he left the hospital; the nurse gave him a Bible and I gave him a large quantity of books, some bought and some were presents to me, so that [is] the last I have heard of him, but still I am trying to make myself believe that he is short of funds and that he is working somewhere until he gets on his feet, so as he may go home respectable.

So one thing is this, if you do not like people at home say nothing bad against them let everyone enjoy their own opinion, never say anything to him against home all your relations are ready to tell you, you should have pity on anyone like them, not hatred. Your place was to give them good advice, you must not think because you are not a Minister of the Gospel that it is not your duty to instruct anyone ignorant of salvation….

John’s half sister Alice writes to him 27 July 1881:

…be a good boy and don’t drink like a dear….

She ends with a poem:

They say the years since we last met
Have wrought sad change in thee
That it was better to forget
Our youth’s fond history
But I would gladly clasp that hand
And view those eyes once more
One moment by thy side would stand
As I have in days of yore

In 1881, John, now age 25, writes to his sister Mary and admits to five years of a “wild and reckless life”, but he has changed:

__ Hains  Feb th

Dear sister,

i now write to you to let you know I am well in present hoping to find you the same.

our dear Joseph died [24 Jan 1881]  a few days before i arrived in London but you must not fret for him, for he is happy now dear sister.

i hope you will forgive me for not writing to you before but i have had a wild and reckless life this last five years. i have not cared for anyone as myself and cared not which course it steered but have come to myself at last and can see the changes.

i have reason, that woman [Jane Clare Haines] who came into our home some years ago has been a bitter enemy to me. She is a feared that I will come home as she cast up to me the last time I was home that i had come home to rob them of their rights, but what they call their rights, is mine.

You must write to miss rice [his deceased brother Joseph’s nurse in England] for she is a dear friend and sister to you and more and i hope some day she will be more than a friend to me.

So no more from your brother Hains, miss rice will tell you all in her letter about Joseph’s have some books and watch and some money which he left for you.

The following 27 October, Nurse Louise Rice writes John from the St Thomas Hospital.  She is happy to hear he is doing better and is hopeful that Joseph’s spirit can see that; she thanks him for the invitation to the United States; but she likely won’t come there, she is old and feels he would be happier with a wife closer to his age:

My Dear John,

I received your kind letter a few days ago.  I was so pleased to hear from you and to hear that you are doing so well. I do hope dear boy that you still continue to do well and that God will bless you in your every undertaking, how pleased our dear Joseph would be if he was here to know how you were trying to get on and improving every day, he always used to speak of you as if he was very fond of you and he used to be so worried about you.

So I am sure now you will try to make up for any pain or anxiety you may have caused him for his dear spirit may be capable of knowing if you are doing well. I hope dear boy you will read and know the bible as he did, for I don’t think there was a part but what he knew and you know he must live close to God by constant prayer for without his continual help he cannot keep right or do right  for we are luck poor ___ creatures of ourselves of be trust only to our own strength we are sure to fail.

I am so very sorry dear if I have caused you any anxiety through not writing sooner. I have written to your sister Mary and explained to her the reason. I have been___ ____ _____ lately for we have to work very hard for there are so many people sick, if was very kind of you dear to ask me to come to the United States and I have no doubt the voyage and change of air should do one good but I don’t think now I shall ever come there, and you my dear boy will be much happier if you get someone else more suited to your own age for I am getting quite an old lady now and you must look upon one has an elder sister and I should be so pleased to hear that you had got a nice good little girl for your wife to share your happiness and help you through what ever may be your lot in life and I do hope and pray that God will bless you now and always.

I have been yesterday to dear Joseph’s grave. I sent your sister a little mignonette off his grave. I thought very much of you today, of the time we went to the cemetery when you were here in London. Now I must conclude, hopng you are well with fond love, from yours affectionately, Louise Rice

 

Louisa was just four years older than John, a night nurse at the Hospital.

Mary writes often of John in her journal; John married her dearest friend from home Jenny Ferguson: story here.

8 June 1881 – I went to Boston. After doing some shopping I went to Chelsea to see brother John. He is well and working with cousin James Emroe [Aunt Patience Haines son].

4 July 1881 – I did expect brother John to see me today, but he did not come. But I only hope and trust that kind providence will guide him in the path of duty not vice.

3 August 1881 – My brother John came to spend the afternoon with my sister and myself.

28 August 1881 – My brother John came to Nahant today, while I went to Lynn and missed him. But he came back to Lynn and cousins Joshua, Jane and family went to camp meeting. It was perfectly lovely. Remarks and chalk drawing were by Rev. Mr. Wait. He drew a little boy flying his kite and then the Holy Ghost came to him asking him to give his heart to God. But he thought he would wait a little longer. The next time he thought, not now, and on and on till he was old and then it was too late. He was on the brink of eternity before he knew it. He had tumbled head long down into the fiery furnace. My brother liked it very much, I wish I could go more often.

5 Nov 1881 – I went to Chelsea to meet my sister and look at some rooms. We are going to furnish a house.  John and Lizzie are going to keep house. We found rooms we all liked very much. Three delightful rooms up [on the] third flight. We expect to be already in our own home by eight next Tuesday, dear mother’s anniversary, and take tea together.

15 Jan 1882 – I went to Chelsea this evening, and had a pleasant evening home with my brother and sister. We read verse aloud in the bible and it was like dear old times at home in the happy childhood hours with my dear departed brothers [James and Joseph are deceased].

26 January 1882: “John came over from Chelsea this evening. We had a lovely time together. Jenny Ferguson my dear friend came down from Richibucto. She was here tonight.  Just came on the boat today. I am so glad to see her. She is my dearest friend”.

13 February 1882: “I had my two brothers, John and Alexander, and my dear friend Jenny call”.

15 February 1882: “I went to a party in Lynn in company with my brothers, cousin and Jenny”

17 February 1882: “I had dear Jenny and John to see me tonight and also dear Minnie. We will meet tomorrow night to go to church.”

23 February 1882: “I left Boston and am now in Chelsea of a little vacation of two weeks. Jenny, Albert and I went house hunting. We found a house we all liked, we decided to take it and will move in on Monday.” [89 Matthew Street].

2 March 1882 – “I cut today Jenny’s wedding dress and coat”.

3 March 1882 – “We finished Jenny’s wedding dress and coat”.

6 March 1882 – “I went to Boston today with John. He bought his suit of clothing and marriage certificate. And I completed the wedding wardrobe for Jenny and helped to put the house in order”.

7 March 1882 – “What a busy day we had yesterday. John and my dear Jenny Ferguson were married. She wore cardinal satin trimmed with a darker shade of goods, velvet I mean, neck filled in with lace and tea roses. John was in full dress. They looked so happy. The room was full of people.  They were married by our Pastor Reverand Mr. Good [Hood?].  John and Jenny walked into the room arm in arm. Our cousin Albert and Miss Annie Stickeny stood up with them. John looked so happy. It did my heart good to see him. We had a very happy evening. Some of the party stayed all night”.

24 March 1882 – “My dear brother John was baptized. How nice it was to see him. He seemed to be in real earnest”.

28 March 1882 – “I went to Chelsea to spend the evening with John and Jenny”.

2 April 1882 – “I went home to my brother’s, and took tea; and spent the evening with him and his wife”

3 April 1882 – “Brother John and Jenny, my new sister, came over to spend the evening with me. This is my last evening in Boston for a long time for tomorrow we are to leave for New York, and from there to Europe” [Mary was traveling as a nurse with the Dana family soon after Longfellow’s death]

John became a citizen of the United States on 4 Dec 1890 (cousin James Emero signed as a witness):

John and Jennie had eight known children, the first born about nine months after the marriage: Edith, John Galatis, Alexander, Ella May, Margaret Elizabeth, Joseph (who died as a child), Minnie and Jennie.

The 1884 through 1890 city directories place the family in Chelsea, Massachusetts.  On 2 November 1892 the family purchased a home, and 5,000 square feet of land, on Wordsworth Street, in East Boston (on the corner of Homer near Bennington – the southwesterly portion of lot #256) – they were enumerated there in 1900 and 1910.

After raising their family, John and Jenny separated.  A letter dated 20 March 1976 from Jennie’s granddaughter Ruth (Walsh) Frawley, to another granddaughter, Marian Haines (daughter of John Galatis) reads:

My mother did not seem to have much love for her mother; but her father was her pride and joy. John her father was a part time minister in the Congregation church at Orient Heights and a Chemist.  He invented disinfectant and had a small lab in the backyard [note: city directories do confirm that William John Haines reported his occupation as “chemist”, working from home, from 1906-1908] . Jenny sold the formula to Cabot Chemists and that was the last straw. So they separated. Never legally divorced, as in those days it would have been a disgrace, my mother felt, despite her tyrannical ways, her husband was very much in love with her.

My mother was nineteen and Minnie Haines Collins was 15 and Jenny Haines Johnson was 13. When Jenny and John separated and gave up the homestead, my mother took Minnie and Jenny, her two young sisters to live with her.

After the separation, in 1920, John moved to Vallejo, California and ran the family Chicken Farm: story here.  Below he is pictured with his sister Mary and nephew (Mary’s grandson, Ralph Stevens).

When Mary died in 1924, John returned to Boston where he resided with his son John’s family and a few years later with his daughter Ella’s family, then was placed in a rest home where he resided until his death, 21 October 1939.

the letter from Ruth (Walsh) Frawley continues:

 Approximately 13 years later I can remember Minnie meeting my grandfather John at the train. He was returning from California, from a 4 year visit.  Then he lived with us for many years. When I was 16, which must have been 1934, my grandfather had a shock and John Marshall and Bill Collins [sons-in-law] decided that he should go to a rest home. I was furious and too young to do anything about it. As a youngster, I thought those places were a place to get rid of people. 

“Certificate of Death” #71; Registered No. 8936 lived at 206 Neponset Ave. Boston cause: cere. hemorrhage & art. sclerosis Buried at Mt. Pleasant Cementary ‘Q’ section, plot #566 Grave head stone: 1853-1939

 

 

Losing A Mom, Alice/Alise Edith Childs

Alise/Alice Edith (Childs) Hains, my 3rd g-grandmother, was born 19 April 1822, married 17 March 1848 and died 8 November 1860, age 38 [gravestone reads 1859 and age 37], according to entries in a family bible [a possession of the descendants of Alise/Alice Edith’s daughter, Mary Alice (Haines) Stevens].

Her parents were likely Joseph Childs (of England) and Jannet Dunn (of Dumfries, Scotland):

Joseph CHILDS Northumberland Co. Janet DUNN married: 3 Aug 1821 Carleton Parish by J Wheaton wit: George Pagan, B Goldsmith – EARLY NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY MARRIAGES transcribed by D. Purdue from PANB Microfilm # 15488

To read more of their family, click here.

Alice/Alise Edith was buried in the churchyard of St Andrews Church, Rexton, Kent County, New Brunswick. She left a husband John Hains, son of Joseph Haines and Nancy Ann Boone and seven young children: Joseph (b. 1849), Alexander (b. 1850), George (b. 1851), (James b. 1853), Mary Alice (b. 1855).William John “John) (b. 1856, my gg-grandfather) and Edith Elizabeth “Lizzie” (b. 1858)

In 1861, Joseph and Jannet resided in the Parish of Richibucto, New Brunswick (http://tinyurl.com/lltgpj9).  Their widowed son-in-law, John Hains, resided nearby.  John’s sister Patience (Hains) Ameraux/Emroe, was residing with the family, likely caring for the motherless children and household, while John worked as a laborer (http://tinyurl.com/kzxexm2):

John Hains 37
Joseph Hains 11
Alexander Hains 10
George Hains 9
James Hains 7
Mary Hains 6 (also enumerated with her maternal grandparents as age 7)
John Hains 4
Elizabeth Hains 3
Patience Ameraux 45

A few years later, John remarried to Jane Clare with whom he had four daughters.  In a poem, one of the children (likely Joseph, Alexander or George) wrote of the marriage and the loss of his mom:

Daughter Mary, who was residing in Boston, returned to Richibucto and writes of visiting her mother’s grave on 15 May 1880:

I have today for the first time in my life visited dear mother’s grave alone. This dear grave has grown green with 20 years and I still sadden. There are other graves, but no loved one by her side. I am indeed lonely.  My heart yearns for dear brother Joseph who lies sick in the hospital in London. For he is my favorite brother, and with him I have everything and without him nothing. Goodbye dear sacred spot in the little churchyard. Goodbye friends and childhood spots I once loved so well. Goodbye all.

Mary’s descendants have Alise/Alice Edith (Childs) Hains bible.

Inside is a lock of hair! Could this be of my 3rd-great grandmother?

My family has no photos of Alise/Alice Edith (Childs) Hains. However, her daughter, Mary tore a photo out of a magazine and wrote: “Like my mother’s face”.

Sadly we do not know much more of this matriarch’s life; surviving letters paint a picture of the Hains children being a close knit, loving clan who had quite a bit of fun together, likely attributable to loving parents. Although step-mother Jane was loathed by these children (the feeling seemed to be mutual), they adored their father and surely missed and longed for their dead mother.

 

Tragedy, Remembering James Haines, a Young Life Lost Too Soon

According to a family bible, James Haines, my 3rd Great-Uncle was born 1 July 1853, likely in Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada.  He joined brothers Joseph, Alexander and George, as the fourth born, to John Hains and Alice/Alise Edith Childs.  By 1859, children numbered seven, with the addition of sisters Mary and Lizzie and a brother, William John “John” (my 2nd g-grandfather).

James was seven, when his mother died, in 1860.

By 1861, his father’s sister Patience (Hains) Ameraux/Emroe was residing with the family in the Parish of Richibucto, likely helping to care for the young children and household, while John worked as a laborer.

Their life was a good one.  On New Year’s Day, 1880 his sister Mary writes in her journal:

Today I am very dull and lonely, for when we were all seven children at home with my father, how many happy days we had together, and this is one of the days we all loved so well.

On Christmas Eve 1880 she writes:

Part of the day was pleasant, and part of it was not so pleasant.  I have been thinking of that night 16 years ago when we were all seven children together with dear father. How happy we were; and tonight I sit so far from home and all alone.

A few years after his mother’s death, James’ father married Jane Clare [online unsourced trees give a date of 29 May 1865; but given the age of their eldest child, they could have been together earlier]. By 1871 the pair had three daughters (the eldest age eight), residing with them in the Parish of Richibucto. Family letters imply that Jane was loathed by her step-children, and the feeling was mutual.  James’ elder brothers had departed the uncomfortable environment and gone to sea, while James’ sisters were sent to live with relatives; only James and John remained at home, working as laborers.

The gay and gleeful childhood home described in sister Mary’s journal, was no more, likely driving James and John to join their brothers at sea.  In 1875 James sailed on the Merchant Fishing Vessel, Mary E. Daniels, out of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

 

Sadly, on 3 Mar 1875,  James, a fisherman and boy of 21,  drowned someplace between Gloucester and Georges Bank (a large elevated area of the sea floor between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia).  His death was recorded in Gloucester.

James death notice, with tribute, was in the local paper:

“Lost at sea” is the ultimate tragedy.  Historians estimate that over 8,000 fisherman of Gloucester have perished since the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, at Cape Ann, in 1623.  Overall 1875 was a tough year:

About a month after James’ death, the Schooner Mary E. Daniels arrived from Georges with 115,000 pounds of codfish, one of the largest hauls of the season.

On 7 May 1875, brother Alexander writes of James death to his sister Mary:

….Dear sister, you wrote to me to know how brother James was lost, or if he will ever be found.  He was lost overboard about 50 miles from Cape Ann in the act of taking in the foresail in a gale of wind, and was not missed until a half an hour after. And he was then five or six miles astern. As for his body being found, that is impossible, for it is likely devoured by the finney tribe ere it was many hours in the water.  I have a photograph belonging to him that he had taken before he left Richibucto, and he has had some in Gloucester. And if I can find one of them I shall have some copied off to send to you and father….

His sister Mary, recorded the death in her bible and in her journal, sad thoughts on his birthdays:

July 1 [1880]: This is another day to make me feel sad and gloomy, dear brother James’s birthday.  How I wish I could forget these sacred days.

July 1 [1881]:

This is poor dear James’s birthday, but he lies sleeping beneath the dark blue sea.

My Aunt Natalie and her sisters were poets, I suspect this tradition came from the Haines side of our family; Alexander Haines, wrote a poem of remembrance, for his sister Mary, date unknown:

My Brother

I had a brother James by name
And he loved most dear
But now he’s gone and left us here
To shed for him salt tears

He was a gay and brisk young youth
His heart ner harbored fear
But now he’s lost and left his friend
Tho for him shed many a tear

He’s but a boy in years yet a man
Both hardy, stout and brave
But now he lies with many more
On their wide and watery grave
It’s little I thought when amongst that crowd
I saw his smiling face
That in one short week he would sink in the deep
To be food for the finney race

On board of a vessel on Georges Bank
Was the crowd in the last verse named
But it’s little I thought when I saw him then
That I would ner see him again
The Mary E Daniels was the vessel that took
Him away from Cape Ann Shore
And that same vessel was the one that robbed
A father of a son he adored

by Alexander Hains, Gloucester

Rest in Peace Young James……We Remember You Always.

The Haines Chicken Farm, Vallejo, California circa 1920

My 2nd g-grandfather, William John Haines, “John”, born  7 March 1856, Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick, to John Haines/Hains and Alice/Alise Edith Childs, married Jennie Ferguson, daughter of Elizabeth Ferguson, on 8 Mar 1882 in Massachusetts.

John and Jennie had eight known children: Edith, John Galatis, Alexander, Ella May, Margaret Elizabeth, Joseph (who died as a child), Minnie and Jennie.  Much of their story can be found here. 

A letter dated 20 March 1976 from John and Jennie’s’s granddaughter Ruth (Walsh) Frawley (daughter of Ella), to another granddaughter, Marion (daughter of John Galatis) reads:

…My mother did not seem to have much love for her mother; but her father was her pride and joy. John, her father, was a part time minister in the Congregation church at Orient Heights and a Chemist.  He invented disinfectant and had a small lab in the backyard. Jenny sold the formula to Cabot Chemists and that was the last straw. So they separated….[city directories indicate William John Haines was a “chemist”, working from home, 1906-1908] . 

After separation, John rented a room at 5 Dwight Street, Boston.

In a letter to his sister, Mary Haines Stevens, 27 July [likely 1918] from Boston, John implies a breakup:

Dear Sis, have not heard from you in quite a while, did I offend by my strange statement about my son, but i want you to know he is no good [likely John Galatis Haines], he aided his mother to break me up in business and when they got possession of it, they began to rage each other and soon broke up, so you can understand how i feel towards them. i am now living a happy lonely life, hoping to hear from you soon, i remain your brother John.

John and Mary’s siblings, George Haines and Lizzie Haines Heggland died, and the pair corresponded of jointly inherited property in California.

On 12 September [likely 1918] from Boston, John writes:

Dear Sis just rec[eived] your letter today was glad to hear from you, i had a letter and documents from your lawyer but i considered him insulting and did not answer him, but will sign and forward the papers to you, and if i should come you can give me a small corner on a rainy day, if i come i will fix it up for you.

my address is 5 Dwite St Boston care Mis Sulivan

i am rooming and take my meals in a restaurant, i am surprised that there is anything left from George’s estate, do what you think is best.  Edith is working in Lowell, will write a long letter next time, i am sending you back the envelope, you will laugh to see it, i have hid it away from everybody and enjoying good health and a fair share of the world’s goods.

i met the old lady the other day [Jenny ?], she turned her back on me, she has got quite vain, she dies [dyes] her hair brown, so you see what I am missing, believe me she is some babe.

i have a nice room and enjoy the evenings reading. my youngest boy is on a troop ship he has maid [made] a number of trips to France, my oldest boy is working in the fo__ river yard, they are launching a destroyer every four days, he gets 65 dollars a week, Minnie is working at a bank on State St, good by[e] for the present.

Next on 30 September from Boston, John writes:

Dear sister Mary, just rec[eived] your two letters tonight , i am mailing you a quit claim on Lizzie’s land so the home will be yours, and make that man put everything back as it was. i think the fairest way to settle George’s land is for you to sell the land and divide it fifty fifty, if i should come out i will fix up your little home for you, if this propishing [? proposing/proposal] meets your approval go ahead and sell George’s land, i remain your brother John

On 2 October, John writes:

Dear sis i wrote that letter in hast[e] but on careful thought you had better sell the land in napa and reserve the other land, we can divy fifty fifty on the napa land for i may have Christmas din[n]er with you and then we can make plans for the future. your brother John

That was my son Alex’s letter [he encloses a letter he received from Alex who was aboard the Ticonderoga in WWI], he is on a troop ship, he has be[e]n acrost [across] a number of times. i mailed you the quit claim yesterday.

The next letter written was postmarked 17 October 1918, a few weeks after his son Alex was killed [read Alex’s story here: https://ticonderogashiplog.wordpress.com/]:

Dear Sis,

I am moving tomorrow near my work _ a steam heat, elec[tric] lights, write to Boston Consolidated Gas Co Everett, ____, Mass.

Use your own judgement about the property.

My son went down with the transport that was torpedoed, I regret that they didn’t have a fighting chance but were brutally murdered.

Your brother John.

An undated letter, likely in the same time frame:

Dear Sis – Rec[eived] your letter i read the case of your cousins husband in the Boston paper and wondered who he was.  you can send the deed to me and i will have it filled out and send back. You can send the check to the gas works making it payable on the National Shaumut Bank of Boston.

Jenny is tooling around with Alice Emroe, the Emroes are a bad lot, there is only one good one among them, that is Jim, i have not seen him for years, your brother, John [James Ameraux/Emroe is the son of Patience Haines, John and Mary’s aunt]

In a letter dated 7 Dec [likely that same year], John further expresses interested in coming to California and asks for a chicken:

Dear Sis rec[eived] your letter, i want you to come to Boston next summer and we will go to our Old home town and go back to Cal[ifornia] together. i have too [a] young couple who are going with me to settle down, he was in the navy and is very happy [?] he wants to buy that lot of land in Vallejo but i stared [steared] him of[f] as of i want him to go out and look the field over and then buy, his wife is an angel. How many foot of land is there in that lot, is it a corner lot or center lot.  Let the Napa land go for what you can get for it.  I am alone in the world, get me a chicken when I come, brother John.

In February [likely 1919] John writes again from Boston:

Dear sis just rec your letter tonight and am more prompt in answering, you are mistaking about me not coming, i am leaving boston the first of august, i lent a young couple two hundred dollars on a short loan, they were to raise a loan and pay me back, they could not raise the loan as they had no security to give so I told them they could pay me five dollars a week without interest, if i only get part of it by the first of august i will come, i have some stock in the company, i can turn into cash so i will have a little start when i get there, i shall perhaps come by water and see the canal, there are nothing here for me to stay for, remember me kindly to george and mildred, i remain your brother John.

I am sending you my identification card, it will tell the story.

Later in 1920, John made it to California.  Below he is pictured with his sister Mary and nephew (Mary’s grandson, Ralph Stevens)

In 1978, John’s nephew Ralph wrote to my Aunt Natalie (John’s granddaughter):

Note English cap and hanky in pocket – your Grandpa was a dude when he dressed, smoked long clay pipes, had neat pen knives.

Ralph wrote a short narrative of his “favorite” Uncle John and the Chicken Ranch (which he describes as “Home Acres” between Vallejo and Benicia, opposite Catholic Cemetery):

…When Uncle William John inherited half interested in the house at 235 Wilson from Aunt Lizzie, generous brother that he was, he quit-claimed his interest to his sister [Mary]. He and grandma had an understanding that for his share he would have the privileged of living at the house, if he so chose. He was in Boston with his children at that time but soon decided to move to Vallejo.  Uncle John was my favorite man in those days and I shadowed him at every opportunity.

He told me wonderful stories about his many years at sea in the merchant fleet. He had been all over the world and shipwrecked several times. Also he was an expert whittler and bought me fancy jack-knives, which my mother promptly took away since I was only about five.  However she later gave them to me and I promptly lost them all. I remember my favorite one was shaped at the handle like a ladies leg. I remember when he came home with that one, my mother saying “What a thing to buy for a five year old”.

Despite Uncle John being such a neat guy, for some reason Grandma could not abide the old sailor and we inherited him at our house.  I was overjoyed that my favorite man would be living with us. Not so sure mother shared my anticipation, but good Christian that she always was, she agreed, and Uncle John came with his duffle and sea chest.

This raised a question. What could Uncle John be employed at age sixty plus. Dad’s brother John Robert [Stevens] wanted to move to California but had a really fine position with Deluth Railroad, with steady income, pension benefits and all the goodies that go with a middle executive position in a small but very stable railroad that hauled iron ore to the smelter year after year, from the world’s largest open pit mines in the world at that time.  But he and dad had a really good thought. We will set Uncle John up on a Chicken Ranch and Uncle Robert would move in and take over when it began to produce. But that is another story.

Robert Stevens wrote his mother often, and many times asked about the chickens, one example, 8 May 1922:

….How is everybody and the chickens? I suppose Uncle is having an awful time fighting disease and lice. Do not let him work too hard Mother as I know he would kill himself to make a success out of them.  He sure is a good old scout and we sure miss him. When are they figuring on buying new chicks?…

Ralph when writing of his grandmother Mary adds more of his Uncle John and the ranch:

…They decided on a chicken ranch as a family business. Mary arranged for her retired brother William John Haines to move to Vallejo to start the business. [Mary’s] Son George purchased a small ranch between Vallejo and Benicia and stocked it with 5,000 chickens, and Uncle John, an old sailor man, was not a good manager, as he was well into his sixties.  The ranch did not do well….

What Ralph neglects to mention is the “Rooster Story” as relayed to me by his daughter Catherine:

As a small boy, about age six, it was Ralph’s “job” to feed the hens. He was terrified of the rooster [a farm typically just had one rooster] who went after him daily.  His father suggested that he carry a stick to protect himself. Ralph, far from dainty, took it a step further.  He brought a two by four! The rooster was beaten to death. Boy was everyone mad!

We do not know much more of the Haines/Stevens farm, but historically in the early 1900’s, families who had flocks of this size sold eggs as their primary income source (the average chicken would lay between 80-150 eggs per year). Chicken meat was a delicacy being reserved for special occasions and holidays only (although as an adult Ralph had an aversion to chicken; anytime a chicken died or was injured from becoming stuck in the coop wire, they would have to eat it – apparently he was made to eat plenty in his younger days!).

After his sister Mary’s death in 1924, John returned to Boston where he resided with his son John’s family and a few years later with his daughter Ella’s family, until his death, 21 October 1939.

 

Genealogy Cousin Sharing, Haines/Dunn/Childs

This week I traveled to California to meet my third cousin, once removed, Catherine, and her 92 year old mom, Peggy. Peggy’s husband, Ralph Stevens, was a nephew of my gg-grandfather, William John Haines, through his sister, Mary (Haines) Stevens.

In the 1970’s Peggy and Ralph discovered their love of genealogy.  They typed hundreds of letters, read through microfilms, ordered documents, placed ads in magazines seeking cousins and visited libraries, cemeteries and ancestral homes.  They never used a computer. Ever.

Through ads, they connected with my Aunt Natalie, our family genealogist, in 1978.  The pair became long distance cousin-friends sharing not only genealogy, but children’s accomplishments, life’s challenges, Christmas cards and ultimately of the death of Natalie’s husband Ed in 1984.  Ralph passed in 1990 and Peggy found the hobby now lonely, without a partner to share discoveries.  She hasn’t revisited their work in 25 years.

Over the years, Ralph, Peggy and Catherine corresponded with loads of cousins. Apparently I was the first to visit!   I had a wonderful stay and loved hearing family stories, sharing meals, seeing artifacts and meeting the cats; I believe we will become cousin-friends too.

They shared over 1,800 documents!  No that’s not a typo – I scanned 1,800 letters and photos in two days!  There was more.  I ran out of time.  I estimate that it will take me over 500 hours to go through what they have generously shared.

My Aunt Natalie had a few brick walls.  One of her biggest? She was unable to identify the parents of Alice Edith Childs, wife of John Hains/Haynes, my 3rd  g-grandmother.

I haven’t uncovered a document that names Alice Edith Childs parents, but indirect evidence, when correlated, appears to point to Joseph Childs of England and Jannet Dunn of Dumfriesshire, Scotland – as discussed in a previous blog post – click here to read

Although also indirect evidence, a letter in the Stevens’ files from Jessie (Dunn) Allan written to Ralph’s grandmother Mary (Haines) Stevens definitively points to our Childs/Dunn connection:

56 Williams St.
Moncton N.B.
Feb. 22, [19]25
Dear Mrs Stevens,

I remember you very well indeed when you used to come to our old home in Harcourt and have often wondered where you were now living.

I have before me a letter from you to my cousin Robert Richardson (who died in June 1922).

His wife gave me the letter some months ago, I said I would write you, as she was not well, and with a great deal of care on her mind since my cousin’s death.

And I am ashamed that so long a time has gone by without my having written, my life is a busy one, but that is not sufficient excuse.  I should have taken time for it and am really sorry for my neglect.

In reply to your enquiry as of the purpose of his trip to Scotland, it was not his mother’s family’s money that he inherited.

It was his share of his father’s, the Richardson estate which he came into when he came of age, and that was the business which took him there.

There has never been any of the Dunn estate come to any of the heirs. We have always understood that there was some property held be the crown, but no one of the connection has ever been able to find out anything very definite about it.  In these unclaimed estate cases there is always so much expense, and so much red tape in order to prove claims, that it is a weighty undertaking and no one ever had the necessary means to spend on it.

Your uncle, Robert Childs, made an effort, I believe, I remember that he wanted the heirs to contribute to a fund to send someone over, but it never came to anything.  However it seems that he made the trip on his own resources some time later (so I was told by Myra Quint McLean, who visited us eight years ago) but he did not get anything by it.

Myra could tell you more than I could, really did not think much more about it never having attached much importance to it as those old country fortunes are usually so hard to materialize.  Myra was living in Spokane when I last heard of her in poor health. I do not know her address but I think I might be able to get it for you through some of the Christy connection as John Christy’s widow and son live somewhere near there I think.

Or there is a Mrs McMillan (I think that is the name) living in Vancouver who may know something about Robert Childs trip to Scotland.  She is your first cousin, a daughter of Alex Morton.

Well now, that is about all that I know to tell you and it is not of very much encouragement is it.

We have a baby photograph of one of your daughters, Edith, sent us in the days when you lived in Marquette.

My old home was broken up years ago, after my father’s death in 1909.

We passed through much sorrow in a few years.  My sister Mariela died in 1907, my father in 1909.  Mariela’s only child, a young man, in 1910 and my sister Isabel in 1911.  Isabel left a son he is working in the Government Railway Offices here.  Isabel’s husband and I were married four years ago. And we with Gilchrist, the son, have been living here for three years.  My mother lived to be nearly eighty nine and enjoyed good health up to the last year of her life.

My brother Stephen has four children, all married except for the youngest who teaches in Winnipeg. Last summer she went on the Teachers Exchange and has been teaching in London, England. Since then she will soon be coming home now as the exchange is just for the year.  Her Christmas holidays were spent in Italy so she is seeing something of the world.

Now, I must close this lengthy epistle and hope it finds you in good health, I should be please to hear from you at any time and would try to do better in replying than I have this time.

With kind remembrance I am yours affectionately,

Jessie Dunn Allan

People Named in the Letter

Particulars of folks named in the letter, further corroborate this Childs/Dunn presumption:

Jessie [Payne] Dunn Allan, writer of the letter, names her parents as Andrew Dunn and Jane Quint, when she marries George Howe Allan in 1921.

Andrew Dunn’s obituary (dated 1909) lists his parents as Robert Dunn and Janet Armstrong.  Robert Dunn (see my earlier referenced blog post) is likely the brother or cousin of Jannet (Dunn) Childs.

Robert Childs

Robert, named as Mary’s uncle in the letter, appears in the 1861 censuses with his likely parents Joseph and Janet Childs.  Mary Haines, granddaughter,  resides with them. They were enumerated in Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick  (http://tinyurl.com/lltgpj9).

The household is as follows:
Joseph Childs 72
Janet Childs 64
Nicholas Childs 25
Robert Childs 16
Mary Haines 7

Alex Morton

Mary (Haines) Stevens kept a diary [transcribed and published by her grandson Ralph Stevens and his wife Peggy] recording events of the three year period  (1880-1883) she was employed by Mrs. Richard H. Dana of Boston . Mrs Dana was the former Edith Longfellow, daughter of Professor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of Cambridge. Mary was nurse to Edith’s two sons Dicky and Harry. Mary wrote frequently of her family..

She mentions the following:

• Visiting her Aunt Mrs Morton at Restigonche Bay – she later names Aunt Mary & cousin Janet Morton.
• Doing the old mill walk April 24 1880 with cousin Jenny Morton (same dates she was in Restigonche Bay)

The 1881 census of Restigonche lists the following Morton family (http://tinyurl.com/kns345p):
Alexander Morton 59
Mary Morton 47
Annie Morton 25
Janet Morton 19
Lizzie Morton 11
Edith Morton 6
William Morton 30
Robert Morton 28
David Morton 21
Angus Morton 17
Joseph Morton 14

Mary Morton’s maiden name in a number of online unsourced trees is listed as Childs.

Myra Quint McLean

A Mary Ann Haines of the same age as our “Mary” in 1871 is found living in Chipman, Queens County, New Brunswick with a Quint family. Household members include 2 year old Myra (http://tinyurl.com/nxh98or):
Anson Quint 47
Henry D Quint 36
Euphemia Quint 40
Anson Quint 3
Myra Helen Quint 2
Robert B Quint 6 months
Mary Ann Haynes

Further research reveals that Euphemia Quint’s maiden name was Childs. In 1861, a 30 year Euphemia (indexed as Uphemy) Childs is found living in Harcourt, Kent, New Brunswick with a 60 year old Robert Dunn (http://tinyurl.com/kl847mq).

Robert Richardson

Robert’s death certificate (dated 1922) reveals that Robert’s middle name is Dunn.  His mother was Margaret Dunn, likely a daughter to Robert Dunn, thus as she indicates, a cousin to Jessie Dunn Allan.

So there you have it!  Off to add all these folks to my tree and read through more documents!

Five Generation Chart

Genealogists on Facebook have been posting five generation charts, which show the birthplace of  their ancestors through gg-grandparents. J Paul Hawthorne inspired the idea, and Miriam Robbins posted an Excel template here.

Here’s mine!

I have color coded by state/country.  If after gg-grandparents my ancestors were in the United States or Canada, I indicated where the earliest known ancestor from that branch came from.

 

And here is my hubby’s:

Remembering Little Arthur Collins and his Family

135 years ago this month, three-year old Arthur Collins died.  He is not related, but the words in Mary (Haines) Stevens’s diary, my gg-grandfather’s sister, touched me:

Feb 3 1881: This is dear little Arthur’s birthday; a dear child I once took care of. He is three years old today;

Mar 15 1881: Received a letter from Mr. Collins which hastens me to the death bed of little Arthur;

Mar 19 1881: A telegram came this evening telling me of his death;

Mar 21 1881: I followed the remains of little Arthur to its last resting place and gazed on his dear little face for the last time. As I saw him lay in his little casket, I felt as if I could not have it so. He was covered with flowers. I took a lovely basket of white roses and smilacks.

Mar 21 1882: One year ago today dear little Arthur was buried.

Mar 22 1882: I had Mrs. Collins, dear little Arthur’s mama, to see me.

Massachusetts Vital Records report that Arthur died in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts of Meningitis.

Arthur’s parents were Edward Augustus Collins and Sarah Elizabeth Powers, both born in Salem. The couple married 27 August 1868.  Edward, a Civil War veteran, was the son of James Collins and Hannah Bickford Larrabee.  Sarah the daughter of Joel Powars (Powers) and Eliza Francis.

Arthur was the couple’s fourth loss.  Other children:

• Frank A. Collins died 1 December 1871; 13 days old, of nervous prostration (extreme mental and physical fatigue caused by excessive emotional stress; neurasthenia)
• Frank P. Collins died 5 October 1873;  1 year, 10 months, 19 days, of dysentery
• A stillborn brother, unnamed, died 13 Oct 1876.

Little Arthur’s life was recorded in only one census – in 1880, he was two.

Edward who was 5’8″ with a light complexion, brown hair and blue eyes, collected a small Civil War pension (initially $4/month, later $10) for serving in Company A, 23rd Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers from 4 Sept 1861 to 11 May 1863 when he was honorably discharged (he also served another 90 days of service between May and August 1864). He claimed this service caused near deafness after the battle of New Bern (14 Mar 1862, North Carolina). He does clarify that: “at home he can hear what his wife says by having learned the notion of her likes”.  He further complains of hemorrhoids and internal bleeding.

In a handwritten letter he describes his service and disability:

During his life, he worked as a seaman/mariner, ran a small grocery, worked as a barber and ship chandler. He died suddenly,in 1895, of heart disease, at Salem Harbor while rowing a boat.  He was 57.

In 1900, his widow, Sarah, age 62, was living in Salem with her brother Charles Powars, he petitioned on her behalf for a widow’s pension.

She owned two homes – 38 Essex Street, Salem valued at $3,100 with a $1,000 mortgage (a portion rented at $11/month) and 46 English Street, Salem, valued at $1,500 (rented at $10/month).  Her annual rental income was $252 annually; $70 was needed to cover costs of city taxes, water, etc., leaving her just $182 for repairs and to support herself.  She is unable to work due to physical disability.

Her claim was denied, the determination that she was not in need of additional income.

She never remarried. She died of Chronic Bright’s disease, 5 May 1905, age 63.

Remember little Arthur; remember his parents who buried their four children….how many lives this family, now forgotten, must have touched….

Major Brian Hall married to Polly/Mary Lane

TO VIEW ANY IMAGE, RIGHT CLICK AND OPEN IN A NEW TAB OR WINDOW

Major Brian and Polly, sometimes called Mary (Lane) Hall were my 4th g-grandparents.

Early Life

Major Brian (Briant, Bryant) Hall was likely born in Norton, Massachusetts around 10 April 1763 to Brian Hall and Abiah Crossman.

When, his father died in 1778, Brian was just 15.

Brian is mentioned in father’s will and probate records.

He is referred to as “second surviving son, a miner” [minor]:

Duly we left of to Brian Hall a miner the second surviving son of said deceased Eleven acres and seventy three rods of land at the South end of the home farm bounded as follows Beginning at a large stump in the line of the widow third thence by the widow third to Josiah Hodges Land Hence. South twenty nine degrees East to Silvanus Branans Land thence by said Bramans Land north sixty six degrees east fifty two rods to a corner thence north thirty five degrees west eight and a half rods to a turn thence a straight line to the first mentioned stump together with one half the dwelling house to wit the with half and one half the cellar under said house and privilege to pass and repass through the other part of the house necessary to improve his own part and privilege to use the well and one half of the barn and all an __ Buildings Standing behind said Dwelling house with Liberty to move it off all which buildings being on the widows thirds. Said Brian to have the liberty to improve the same and also Eighteen acres and one hundred and twenty two rods of Land on the north west corner of the Lincoln farm lying on the West side of the road bounded as follows . Beginning at a heap of stones by said road a little to the South of a small brook thence west twelve degrees south forty eight rods to a corner thence south three and a half degrees East to the river thence up stream said river to Noah Wiswalls [?] Land thence by said Wiswall Land north twenty three degrees west forty four and a half rods to a corner thence North fifty four degrees east twenty one rods to a turn thence north seventy degrees east to the road thence by said road to the first mentioned corner and one third part of all the outland or any other Estate not particularly mentioned that was given to sons by the deceased being his full share of said estate appraised at one hundred seventy one pounds twelve shillings and eleven pence.

Ephraim Burr, relationship unknown, was named as Brian’s, and his brother Silas’ guardian in 1782. This wasn’t a “guardian” in today’s sense. Burr was appointed as guardian because there was an estate involved. Ephraim would not likely have legal custody of the children, just legal authority over the property they inherited.

Why not to Abiah? The Legal Genealogist’s blog explains – In Blackstone “Commentaries on the Laws of England” he writes: “a mother … is entitled to no power, but only to reverence and respect…”

The Legal Genealogist goes on to say:

…At common law, there were three essential types of guardians….The guardian by nature or guardian for nurture had the right to physical custody of a minor child. That was always the father or, if the father died without naming a guardian in his will, then the mother.The difference between the two was that the guardianship by nature lasted to age 21 and gave the guardian control over the child’s personal property. Guardianship for nurture lasted to age 14 and didn’t involve property at all. The guardian in socage was the one who had custody of a minor’s lands and person…. (read more here):

What About School?

We don’t know if Brian attended school. Puritans believed literacy was a religious obligation, thus most children were taught to read by their parents, primarily so they could read the bible.  Any further education was typically determined by the social class of the family. Brian’s elder brother Isaac was our family’s first Harvard graduate in 1775, and both Isaac and Brian became Attorneys, so it is highly likely all the Hall boys were well educated.

A 1647 Massachusetts law mandated that every town of 50 or more families support a ‘petty'(elementary) school and every town of 100 or more families support a Latin, or grammar, school where a few boys could learn Latin in preparation for college, the ministry or law. In 1770, Boston’s public education system was quite unequal and narrow. School was available only to white boys, who typically enrolled at age seven. Choices were either Writing Schools or Latin Schools. It is also possible that in lieu of attending school the boys had private home tutors.

Marriage

Brian married Polly (Polley/ sometimes named as Mary) Lane, 1 Jan 1788 (by Rev. Joseph Palmer), daughter of Ephraim Lane of Norton. The Lane family genealogy links her to William Lane who settled in Dorchester, MA as early as 1635. The family was thought to come from England.

A land deed filed in Taunton on 23 December 1796 (vol 79, pg 569, recorded March 28, 1801) names Isaac White, wife Mehetable, Brian Hall, wife Polly and Chloe Lane (single woman) all of Norton selling land to Ephraim Lane also of Norton. The deed explains that this is piece of land that was left by William Stone to his heirs, one of whom was his daughter Mehetable Lane.  Mehetable is the late wife of the purchaser, Ephraim Lane, who is buying said land from three of her children/heirs, named as Mehetable White, Polly Hall and Chloe Lane. Witnesses are Nancy Hall, Silas Hall, Polly Lane and Ruth Phillips.

Later Years

According to “The Halls of New England” Brian was a farmer and landholder. There are numerous deeds registered in Bristol County with Brian Hall, as the seller of land, most in Norton with Polly Hall signing as his wife, giving up her right’s of dower/widow’s thirds. Brian is listed with the title “Esqr” indicating he was an Attorney.

Index images for Bristol County, Massachusetts include land deeds for Brian who married Polly (d. 1833), his father Brian who married Abiah (d. 1778) and son Brian who married Henrietta (d. 1839).

Grantor Index (seller), Excel summary: Deeds Brian Hall

Grantee Index (buyer)

Revolutionary War and Town Involvement

Brian volunteered at an early age in the Revolution, he served for three months in a Company of State Militia, in Capt. Jabez Barney’s company, from Swansea, attached to Col. Luke Drury’s Regiment, in the expedition to West Point, 1781.

Colonel Luke Drury’s regiment was in charge of guarding the garrison at West Point, New York, a critical point in the navigation of the Hudson River. West Point was an area of strategic importance throughout the war as the Americans feared the Hudson River would be used by the British to separate New England from the rest of the colonies.

The time frame was during the siege at Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, when Cornwallis surrendered there on 19 October 1781.

Brian subsequently became a member of the Norton Artillery Company in the old 4th Regiment. On 20 April 1797 he was promoted to Major. Brian and his sons were not among the list of Norton participants in the War of 1812 (History of Norton).  Brian was close to age 50 and all of his son, except Isaac, minors.

Brian took a leading position in public affairs as Town Moderator (1805, 1810, 1812), a member of the Board of Assessors for about twenty years (between 1795 and 1816), Selectman (1802, 1805, 1807-10), Representative in General Court (1809, 1812-13) and was appointed  Justice of the Peace, 21 June 1809. He was a prominent adviser in town and county affairs, and a member of the old Congregational Society.

Norton – Town Assessors

1795…..Brig. Silas Cobb, Elisha Cobb, Brian Hall.
1796…..Noah Clap, Elisha Cobb, Brian Hall.
1797…..Noah Clap, Brian Hall, Joshua Pond.
1798…..Joshua Pond, Noah Clap, Brian Hall.
1799…..Timothy Briggs, jun., William Burt, Capt.Jonathan Hodges.
1800…..Major Brian Hall, Lieut.. John Hall, Capt.Jonathan Hodges.
1801…..Capt. Jonathan Hodges, Major Brian Hall, Lt.Elisha Cobb, Lt. Rufus Hodges, Lt. Samuel Hunt.
1802…..Major Brian Hall, Lieut. Elisha Cobb, Capt.Samuel Hunt.
1803…..Brian Hall, Samuel Hunt, David Arnold.
1804…..Major Brian Hall, Capt. Samuel Hunt, John Arnold.
1805…..Major Brian Hall, Capt. Samuel Hunt, John Arnold.
1806…..John Arnold, William Verry, Brian Hall.
1807…..Major Brian Hall, Lieut. William Verry, Lieut.John Hall.
1808…..Brian Hall, William Verry, Samuel Hunt.
1809…..Brian Hall, William Verry, Samuel Hunt.
1810…..Brian Hall, Samuel Hunt, William Verry.
1811…..Brian Hall, Samuel Hunt, William Verry.
1812…..Brian Hall, William Verry, Samuel Hunt.
1813…..Brian Hall, Isaac Hodges, Samuel Hunt.
1814…..Seth Hodges, Daniel Smith, Jonathan Newland.
1815…..Brian Hall, Isaac Hodges, Samuel Hunt.

Brian in 1797 became a Mason.

Census data 

In 1790, Bryant Hall was enumerated in Norton, Massachusetts next to his widowed mother, Abiah Hall. Brian would have been 27, and is listed in a household with one male child under 16 (Isaac) and two women (wife Polly and daughter Polly).  Benjamin Stanley was enumerated directly after Brian. Benjamin was the father of Nancy Stanley, who became Brian’s sister-in-law by marrying Silas. Polly’s father Ephraim Lane was enumerated a few households away.

The town of Norton had 195 dwelling houses and 1,428 residents.

In 1800, Brian is listed in Norton with a household of 9. In this year Polly had given birth to only 6 of the 8 children. The 9th family member is listed as a female age 26-45.  The census enumerator alphabetized the town, thus we can not determine who may have been Brian’s neighbors.  His brothers Silas and John 3rd were also listed in the Hall grouping. Abiah was not listed and does not seem to be enumerated with Silas or John 3rd.  She could possibly be the 9th individual in Brian’s household, enumerated in the wrong age bracket.

FREE WHITE MALES.
Under ten years of age – 2 (Brian age 3, Milton age 1)
Of ten and under sixteen – 1 (Isaac age 10)
Of twenty-six and under forty-five, including heads of families – 1 (Brian)
FREE WHITE FEMALES.
Under ten years of age– 2 (Sophia age 8, Marcia age 6)
Of ten and under sixteen – 1 (Polly age 12)
Of twenty-six and under forty-five, including heads of families – 2 (Polly & ??)

In 1810, Brian is listed in Norton with a household of 10 next to Abiah and Silas.

FREE WHITE MALES.
Under ten years of age – 2 (Horatio age 8, Ephraim age 6)
Of ten and under sixteen – 2 (Brian age 13, Milton age 11)
Of sixteen and under twenty six – 1 (Isaac age 20)
Of forty-five and upward – 1 (Brian)

FREE WHITE FEMALES.
Ten and under sixteen – 1 (Polly age 12)
Sixteen, under twenty six–2 (Sophia age 18, Marcia age 16)
Of forty-five and upward – 1 (Polly)

In 1820 the Briant (spelled Briatt) Hall household is listed as having 7 people. There are two extra females, one under age 10 and another between ages 10 and sixteen. The census was again alphabetized, thus giving us no insight to who may have been neighbors.

FREE WHITE MALES.
Ten and under sixteen years – 1 (Ephraim)
Sixteen and under twenty-six– 1 (Horatio or Brian or Milton – none of the boys were found enumerated elsewhere)
Forty-five and upwards– 1 (Brian)

FREE WHITE FEMALES.
Under ten years – 1 (???)
Ten and under sixteen years – 1 (???)
Sixteen and under twenty-six– 1 (Sophia or Marcia?)
forty-five and upwards– 1 (Polly)

A letter written to support his brother’s application for a pension (below) indicates Brian relocated to Providence, Rhode Island in 1821. The reason for his move is unknown, but it appears that he and all of his children (all grown men and women) relocated to the area near Providence and Seekonk.

In 1830, Brian was recorded in Providence East Side of River, Providence, Rhode Island

Free White Persons – Males – 5 thru 9 (1 – ??? perhaps Augustus Hall, born about 1824, who in later years is found residing with Brian’s daughter Sophia and her husband Horatio Barney – his parents are unknown)
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29 (2 – Horatio & Ephraim)
Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39 (2 – Brian & ??? – Milton and Isaac are listed at alternate addresses in the 1830 city directory)
Free White Persons – Males – 60 thru 69 (1 – Brian)
Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39 (1 – likely Polly who never married)
Free White Persons – Females – 60 thru 69 (1 – Polly)
White Persons – Aliens – Foreigners not Naturalized (1 – ???)
Total Free White Persons (8)

Letter Regarding his Brother John Hall

When Brian’s brother John applied for a Revolutionary War pension, Brian wrote an undated letter [likely 1833] as follows:

I Brian Hall of Providence in the County of Providence and State of Rhode Island do testify and say that I am in my seventieth year of age, that I well remember John Hall of Norton in the County of Bristol & Commonwealth of Massachusetts that in 1776 said John Hall enlisted in the month of January in the Company of Capt Silas Cobb and marched to winter Hill and from there to Dorchester Heights [?] and was in Service until the British troops evacuated Boston. —- after serving three months That said John Hall in July 1776 again enlisted in Capt. Samuel Whites company and were ordered to New York then he returned home the winter following after serving five months.

In June or July 1777 said John Hall again enlisted in Capt. Silas Cobbs company and was ordered to Swanzy [Swansea] in said county of Bristol to guard that shore and that he was in General Spencer’s expeditions to Rhode Island and served seven months.

In July 1778 the said John Hall again enlisted in Capt. Samuel Whites company and was ordered on to Rhode Island and was in General Sullivans [?] expedition and served four months.

In June 1780 s[ai]d John Hall again enlisted in Captain Abner Howard Company and marched on to West Point, was stationed there and served six months.

In October & November 1778 John Hall engaged with one Norton a Waggon Master that he drove his Fathers Team  and was employed in Transporting Articles for the army at Providence and served two months.

I further testify and say that I the said Brian Hall was born in said Norton and always lived in said town until 1821 when I moved to Providence.  Brian Hall

Death

Brian died on Jan 14, 1833 in Providence, Rhode Island.

HALL Maj. Brian, formerly of Norton, Mass., at Providence, in 70th year, soldier of the Revolution, Jan. 13, 1833 – THE RHODE ISLAND AMERICAN

He and Polly are said to be buried in Norton Common Cemetery [although a visit here did not find them in the family grave site with Brian and Abiah and siblings Seth, Isaac & Prudence], West Main Street Rt 123 near Olympia Street or elsewhere.

In the 1836 Providence City directory, a widowed Polly is found residing at India Point, the same address as a few of her sons.

No death record has been located, the The Halls of New England states Polly died 3 April 1846.

No probate records were located in Massachusetts or Rhode Island for Brian or Polly.

Children

(1) Polly was born in Norton, 28 June 28, 1788.  Polly died 27 August 1834, single, at age 46 in Providence, Rhode Island.  The same article tells us that her mother’s sister,  Chloe Lane, age 76, also single, died the same day.  Nothing more is known of Polly’s life.

(2) Isaac was born in Norton, 24 October 1790.

Isaac seemed to have a bit of an issue with money, he was committed to the Providence County Jail for debts owed in Sept., Oct. & Nov. 1825 – more here Isaac Hall Prison Committments – Debtor. He is listed in Providence the 1830 & 1832 directories as a laborer residing on Angell St., however he was not found in the 1830, 1840 or 1850 census.

It is possible that Isaac had a child Augustus, born about 1824.  Augustus, a fisherman, and Isaac, a laborer, are found residing in the home of Isaac’s sister Sophia Barney in Seekonk, Massachusetts in 1855.  Augustus resided with the Barney’s through at least 1880. He was enumerated as a fisherman, running an oyster saloon and a laborer. He had epilepsy. His birth/death records have not been located.

In 1865, Isaac, a laborer, was found as an inmate in the Norton, Massachusetts almshouse. He died of “old age”, single, 16 Dec 1869 in Norton, Massachusetts. His death record lists him as a farmer.

(3) Sophia was born 1 August 1792.  Sophia married Horatio Barney of Seekonk, son of Israel (a marriage record was not located but Horatio Barney and wife are listed as heirs in her brother Brian’s probate records). A land deed transfering land in India Point from several Hall siblings to their brother Milton is recorded in Rhode Island where a Horatio Barney is listed as husband to Sophy, signed as Sophia (vol 77, pg 184, March 1838).

No record has been located, however Halls of New England claims that they had a child, Ephraim H. (who died age 1); Vital records and censuses name a son Briant Hall Barney b. 1831 (he is called Israel B. in 1855). He married Sarah J Goff of Rehoboth and had at least eight children. He died 11 April 1904 in Providence.

Sophia died 11 March 1862.

Horatio remarried six months later to Ardelia A Evans.  They had two children. Mary Sophia who died after five days and Delia Maria who married Charles Carpenter.

(4) Marsha was born in Norton, 10 December 1794. She married George Samuel Sutton of Seekonk. A land deed is recorded in Rhode Island where a George Samuel Sutton is listed as her husband (vol 77, pg 184, March 1838, see Sophia above). A second land deed is recorded in Rhode Island where Marcia purchases 1/7 of the land previously owned by Brian Hall (her brother) and Henrietta Huchins in India Point (vol 77, pg 61, November 1839). Marcia Sutton is listed as married to Samuel Sutton of Seekonk.

Hall’s of New England states that she had 3 children: Marcia M. (died age 2); George L. (married Mary Eddy & Mary Brayton); Mary H. (married Nathaniel Stanton, W.H. Trim & Victor Broughton).  George and Mary are listed as part of the family in the 1850 census.  George’s marriage to Mary Eddy, daughter of Comfort, was recorded 22 Jun 1856 in Seekonk, they had a child Georgianna.

Marsha is said to have died November 16, 1862 at age 67. No record of this has been located.

(5) Brian was born 24 May 1797.  Brian married Henrietta Huchins, of Providence, daughter of Richard. She is mentioned as his wife, giving up rights of dower in numerous land deeds through 1838, a year before his death.  They had a baby age in February 1835 who died at 2 weeks of age.

Brian & Henrietta own a piece of land called India Point in Seekonk (after his death we find siblings Horatio & Ephraim L. and widow Polly living here). Seekonk was at times part of Rhode Island and part of Massachusetts in the area of East Providence. The portion of what was Seekonk is now Providence, Rhode Island situated at the mouth of the Seekonk and Providence rivers and at the head of Narragansett Bay, Providence quickly went from a poor farming community to a bustling seaport in the colonial era.

In March of 1838 Brian sells the land to his brother Ephraim L. Hall. The land is then resold to various siblings as described below. Prior to these transactions brothers Ephraim Lane, Horatio and a widowed Polly were living on this land.

Rhode Island, book 70, pg 415: Brian Hall and wife Henrietta of Seekonk sell for $1,000 to Ephraim L Hall of Providence on March 10,1838 land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same lot Josiah B____ (?) purchased of John Brown Esq by deed book 24, page 273 in the records of Providence.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 38: Ephraim L. Hall of Providence for $200 sells in Nov 29, 1839 to Milton Hall of Providence 1/7th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate he purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 1838.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 50: Ephraim L. Hall of Providence for $200 sells in Nov 29, 1839 to Horatio Hall of Seekonk 1/7th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate he purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 1838.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 50: Horatio Hall of Seekonk for $200 sells in March 9, 1840 to Milton Hall Providence of 1/7th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate he purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 1838. Note that this is about the time that Horatio moved to Malden, MA.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 61: Ephraim L. Hall of Providence for $200 sells in Nov 29, 1839 to Isaac Hall of Providence 1/4th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate he purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 1838.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 61: Ephraim L. Hall of Providence for $200 sells in Nov 1839 to Marcia Sutton wife of Samuel Sutton of Seekonk 1/7th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate he purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 1838.

Rhode Island, book 77, pg 184: Polly Hall of Providence, Isaac Hall of Providence, George Sutton and wife Marcia of Seekonk, Horatio Barney and wife Sophy of Providence for $200 sell (no date but filed Mar 28, 1840) to Milton Hall of Providence 1/7th of land at so called India Point 20×80 feet plus a house of the same estate which Ephraim L Hall purchased from Brian and Henrietta Hall in March 10, 1838.

Henrietta Hall b. about 1796 died on 11 March 1838 and is buried at the same cemetery where Brian is buried a year later.

HISTORICAL CEMETERY #: PV001 NORTH BURIAL GROUND, Providence, RI Location: 20 ft west of NORTH MAIN ST at TEL pole # 140 100,000 burials with 40000 inscriptions from 1711 to 2000

A marriage intention in Seekonk was made between a Brian Hall and Lucy Mason about a year later on 23 March 1839. There is no marriage record found. Five days later Brian died on 28 March 1839 at age 42.

Brian’s brother Horatio had two daughters (one died at age 5) that were named Lucy Mason Hall. There is a Mason mentioned in Brian’s inventory as owing $3.00 and his probate records mentions property owned near the Mason’s. A few years later on March 13, 1842 another intention in Seekonk is found between Lucy Mason and Abel Cooper.

Partial transcription of Brian’s probate records can be found here, all of his siblings are named as heirs.  Additional details of his life were documented in another blog post here.

(6) Milton was born 19 October 1799. He married, 20 Nov 1824, Rosanna Pitman b. England who likely died young. No further information has been located (Halls of New England, which is riddled with errors, lists a maiden name of Cheney, which may be an associated name or maybe just be an error) .

They had one child, Milton L. P., b. June 1826, who married Ellen Maria Dart, in Wrentham, he became a Boot Maker and later Postmaster, they had 3 children: William Pitman, Edward Milton and Emma Carrie Dart.

On 24 April 1849, Milton was issued a Seaman’s Protection Certificate in Rhode Island.  He was listed as being born in Norton, age 45 with a dark complexion.

By 1850 he is a miner in  Tuolumne, California, living at Don Pedro’s Bar (one of the most famous gold mining centers).

Milton resided in California for several years, returned to the East Coast and married, 1 June 1856, Ursula Maria Vose of Wrentham, daughter of Stephen Vose (he is listed as a laborer and reports it is his second marriage).

They had one child Harrison Vose “Harry” (who married Annette B Dupee of Medfield and had at least three children – Marion Inez, Frances Dupee, who died as an infant, and Bertha Annette). In 1860 & 1870 Harrison and his mom are found residing in Wrentham, 1860/5 with his grandparents and in 1870 with his grandfather. The 1865 state census Ursula Maria is noted as “married”.  In 1880 & 1900, mother and son are residing together, his mother is noted as “widowed”.

Family lore claims that Milton return to California.  In 1860 through at least 1866, he is a miner in Don Pedro Bar, Tuolumne, California and by 1870 a miner in Mariposa, California.  In 1872 when he registered to vote in Mariposa, he was listed as the Tollkeeper for Myler’s Bridge.

He possibly died there, no death record was located.

(7) Horatio is my 3rd g-grandfather whose life is outlined in a separate blog entry here

(8) Ephraim Lane was born 16 October 1804. He married Lydia Woodward of Rehoboth, daughter of Samuel, and had no known children. He was residing on Hope Street, Providence as early as 1830 and in later years India Point with an occupation of “furnace”. The 1860 census has him in Providence, Rhode Island as a “toll keeper”. Lydia died in Seekonk 17 Feb 1865; in 1865 Ephraim was residing with a Ross family in Seekonk.

His death was recorded in Norton and lists him as a mechanic, he died on 22 January 1870, from diabetes, at the age of 66.  His death records lists him as “married”, however no record was located indicating a second marriage.

In summary, descendants of Brian Hall and Polly Lane came from Sophia, Marcia, Milton and Horatio.  Additionally, Augustus Hall, who likely never married or had children, was probably also a grandchild, parents unknown.

 

My Acadian 30 – week #15, Nathalie Sarah Boudreau

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor in each post.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

Week #10 – Georges LeBlanc

Week #11 – Madeleine LeBlanc

Week #12 – Laurent Melanson

Week #13 – Pélagie Leger

Week # 14 – Jean-Bénoni DuPuis

15. Nathalie Sarah Boudreau, likely the daughter of Thaddee Boudreau and Louise/Lucille Melanson, was probably born in April in either 1826/7 or 1828 in Memramcook, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada.

There is no baptismal record at Memramcook during any of these years of a Nathalie Boudreau, or of any other Nathalie who might have been known by the name Boudreau.(however her civil death record dated 1908, indicates she was born at Memramcook eighty-one years earlier). The 1901 census puts her birth at April 1826, rather than 1827, and the 1861 census places her birth in 1828).

Renowned Acadian genealogist Stephen A. White and my mtDNA results offer evidence of Nathalie’s parentage, Stephen writes:

There were only four Boudreau families in Memramcook who were having children in 1828, and among these, that of Thaddée Boudreau and Lucille Melanson appears to be the only one with a “gap” in which Nathalie might have been born, and this “gap” coincides with early 1828. (They were married in January 1827, but their first previously known child was born near the end of 1829.) So, it looks like Nathalie could have been a daughter of that couple, and that the priest for some reason forgot to
record her baptism. Thaddée and Lucille also had a daughter named Domithilde, who in 1857 married Denis Dupuis, another son of Joseph Dupuis and Anne Richard. As multiple intermarriages among Acadian families were common, this makes it seem all the more plausible that Nathalie was likewise a daughter of Thaddée and Lucille.

If the above suppositions are correct, then your maternal-line ancestry would run back to Geneviève Lefranc through Apolline Forest (m Joseph Melanson), Anne Bourque (m to Paul Forest), Marie Thériot (m Jean-Baptiste Bourque), Marguerite Cormier (m Claude Thériot), Marguerite LeBlanc (m François Cormier), and Catherine Hébert(m Jacques LeBlanc). Catherine was of course the daughter of Geneviève Lefranc and Antoine Hébert.

My mtDNA results do match those of other testers (nine as of this posting, but with one mutation, 16189C ) who report lineage to Geneviève Lefranc (all trees have been verified): click here  to view mtDNA results at acadian-home.org compiled by Lucie LeBlanc Consentino.

Nathalie is not with this family in 1851, nor was she located elsewhere in the Canadian census returns.

If she is part of this family, her known siblings include:

• Henriette baptized 26 Oct 1829 in Memramcook, married Olivier Moise Bourgeois, died 22 March 1899 in Memramcook.
• Domitille baptized 4 June 1832 in Memramcook (listed with the family in 1851 census)
• Osite baptized 15 December 1834 in Memramcook (listed with the family in 1851 census)
• Euphémie baptized 28 Aug 1837 in Memramcook (listed with the family in 1851 census)
• Delfin born bout 1840 (listed with the family in 1851/61 censuses)
• Ferdinand born about 1844 (listed with the family in 1851/61/71 censuses), by 1900 he was residing in Fitchburg, Massachusetts where he died 11 November 1917. He married Domitilde Gautreau, according to death records, daughter of Thaddee Gautreau and Marguerite Melanson. She died in 1913.

• Rosanna born bout 1851 (listed with the family in 1851 census)

She married Bénoni Dupuis at Memramcock on 3 August 1852.

Known children included:

• Eustache, baptized Memramcook, 30 Jun 1854 [8-64]; appears on a farm in Malakoff with his parents, brother’s Ferdinand’s family and finally Phillias’ family; no marriage or children found; likely died 10 Apr 1914 in Scoudouc (laborer, died of dropsy after six months illness – record here).
• Marie, baptized Memramcook, 13 May 1857 [8-131]; buried Memramcook 14 April 1868  [M-53].
• Ferdinand, twin, baptized Memramcook, 15 Nov 1859 [9-20]; married Olive Melanson, daughter of Laurent Melanson and Pelagie Leger (his sister Osite married Olive’s brother); he was buried 1890 at Scoudouc, age 30 [record here].
• Phillias #1, twin, baptized Memramcook, 15 Nov 1859 [9-20]; buried Memramcook 25 Dec 1859 [9-24]
• Phillias #2, baptized Memramcook, 15 Jun 1862 [9-90]; married Adeline Melanson, daughter of Hippolyte Melanson and Anne Melanson; in 1911 he was enumerated on the farm in Malakoff.  He likely died 5 Dec 1918, in Malacoff, age 56 from Influenza.
• Antoine, baptized Memramcook, 16 Oct 1864 [9-174]; buried 1876 Scoudouc, age 12 [record here].
• Ausithe/Osite, baptized Memramcook 16 Jun 1867 [M-27A] – see sketch week #7.
• Marie Bibianne, baptized Scoudouc 15 Mar 1871 [15]; married Jaddus Melanson, son of Pierre Melanson and Madeleine LeBlanc, in Scoudouc. She died 1 Dec 1950 in Springhill Jct., Cumberland, Nova Scotia from Breast Cancer (record here).

1861 Census – see Benoni’s sketch for images/details.

In 1861, Benoni, Nathalie and their three children, with several of Joseph’s siblings, resided on a farm adjacent to his father’s, in Scoudouc, which in 1866 became known as Malakoff (by 1898 Malakoff was a farming and lumbering settlement with 1 store and a population of 150 so it was likely a smaller community in 1861).

1871 Census – see Benoni’s sketch for images/details.

In 1871, the family is enumerated on the same farm.

1881 Census

Benoni died between 1871 and 1881, likely after 1875.  His death entry has not been located in parish or civil records. Nathalie Sarah’s father Thaddee passed away on 15 October 1875, in Memramcook, New Brunswick, at the age of 70.

In 1881, a widowed Nathalie is enumerated in the household of her son Ferdinand along with several of her children, in Scoudouc at Dorchester Road, Shediac Parish, a farm which Ferdinand had purchased of his father in 1875, for two hundred pounds. Ferdinand later took a mortgage on the land; which was noted as land in Malakoff.

The census microfilm is unreadable in places, the family is indexed on Ancestry.com as:

Ferdinand 20, farmer
Natallie  53, [Nathalie]
Eustash  26, farm laborer [Eustache]
Phillias  18, farm laborer [Philias]
Osite  14, [Ausithe]
Bibienne  9, [Bibianne]

1891 Census

Her son Ferdinand passed away on 17 September 1890, in Scoudouc, New Brunswick, at the age of 30.

By 1891, Nathalie  resides with her son Philias’ who appears to be running her deceased husband’s farm with his young family.  Her son Eustache and her daughter Ausithe Melanson and their families reside nearby (or perhaps on the same farm). The census notes that Nathalie can not read.

Philias, 27
Adeline,  27
Adnas, 2
Elizabette, 8/12
Natalie, 64

1901 Census

Her daughter Osite/Ausithe passed away on 28 August 1897, in Scoudouc, New Brunswick, at the age of 30. Nathalie resided next door to her young grandchildren by Ausithe, Laura and Melesse Melanson who were ages five and two. Nathalie’s  mother Lucille Louise passed away on 27 September 1898, in New Brunswick, at the age of 95.

In 1901, Nathalie  continued to reside with her son Philias and his family on the farm.  Her son Eustache resides with them:

Philias, 36
Deline, 36
Edna, 12
Honoré, 9
Celine, 5
Arthur, 3
Zelda, 2
Nathalie, 74
Eustache, 40

Death

Nathalie died on 07 May 1908 of “general disease” in Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada.

Humphrey’s Hughes’ Claim to Millions!

One of my brick walls is my 2nd g-grandfather John Hughes.  When he married Kittie (Katherine) E. Perry, daughter of George Perry and Ann Jones (who were Welsh and of Rome, NY) in June 1880, the newspaper lists Hughes as being of Ilion, Herkimer, New York. Ilion was a small section of German Flatts.

On 18 Feb 1889 Kittie married second Frank Clough of Bath, NH in Frankfort, NY.

The listing from the 1889 village directory shows Humphrey L. Hughes as a boarder at the home of Frank Clough, 129 Main Street, Frankfort.  In the 1891 directory this same man is living at 26 Main Street and is a “car inspector.” He is also listed in the 1892 State Census as a “car builder”.

A memorial book created by Kittie’s niece Annabelle Palmer (daughter of Kittie’s sister Cordelia b. 1885) has three entries – her father, a brother who died at age 16 and Humphrey who died when she was ten.  This leads me to believe that Humphrey was related.  Is there a tie to John or another of my ancestors?  Hughes was a common Welsh name in the area.

Humphrey was born in Tremeirchion, Flintshire, Wales about 1846. His baptismal record has not been located.

He does not appear in Herkimer County in the 1850, 1860 or 1870 federal censuses or in the 1855 or 1865 New York State censuses which leads me to believe that he is not a native of the county. There is a Humphrey Hughes (no middle initial) listed in Little Falls in the 1880 census as “single” and a “hostler,” but it is impossible to know if this is the same man.

He was injured at work in January 1895, died 29 March 1895 in Utica, New York and is buried in Floyd, New York.

Also buried at Floyd Cemetery:

Hughes, Elizabeth, d. 25 Aug 1898, age: 66yrs, wife of Edward Hughes
Hughs, Edward, d. 21 Nov 1894, age: 80yrs

A death notice from the Ilion Citizen  (5 April 1895) reads:

“Alleged Heir To Millions – It is claimed that Humphrey Hughes, who died Wednesday, was a nephew of Blythe, the California millionaire. Hughes was a railroad workman, and spent considerable money attempting to prove his claim the Blythe millions. Hughes’ death was a result of an accident about a year. ago.”

Another obituary from the Little Falls “Evening Times,” 4 April 1895:

“Humphrey Hughes died at the residence of his sister in Utica Monday morning. He was born in Tremerchion, Flintshire, Wales, 49 years ago and came to this country about 20 years ago. …”

It appears Humphrey never married.  He left his assets to George Twill, relation unknown.

Humphrey’s living relatives seemed to be: Maria Jones (aka Mrs David J Jones) of Utica, Elizabeth Roberts of Romeo St. Kirkdale, Liverpool, England and John Hughes of Detroit Michigan and perhaps two other brothers. Could John Hughes of Detroit be my gg-grandfather???

But what about the millions?

The Thomas Blythe case was well documented Nationwide and in Europe I have read a few hundred newspaper articles seeking a connection between Humphrey Hughes and Blythe, finding none.

There are many versions of the story, one follows:

Blythe came to California in 1848/9 from Wales. In 1850/1, through the purchase of two quitclaim deeds for the total price of slightly over $2,000, he had acquired a triangular-shaped, block sized parcel of real estate located amid the sand dunes in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco peninsula. This area afterward became the heart of downtown San Francisco and this single piece of property, which came to be known as the Blythe Block and which was bounded by Market, Geary, and Grant (then Dupont) streets, made Blythe a millionaire.

Blythe went on to invest in other properties and companies. He died in 1883.

Blythe’s estate, exclusive of the Mexican holdings, was worth between $2,000,000 and $3,000,000. Although Blythe’s attorney, W. H. H. Hart, claimed that Blythe had made a will, and produced an office copy to prove it, no legally admissible will was ever found.

Nearly two hundred aspirant heirs from various parts of the United States and the United Kingdom filed their claims with the San Francisco probate court.

Another reads:

On the evening of April 4, 1883, the person whose name heads this article died in the city of San Francisco, leaving an estate at that time worth at least $6,000,000, and which said estate has increased in value until it is now worth at least $20,000,000.

At the time of his death little was known of the millionaire Blythe, except that he was the sole owner of that splendid property on Market street in San Francisco, comprising all of the block of land and building bounded by Market, Grant avenue and Geary street; and being now the best block of real property in the city of San Francisco, and, perhaps, the very best upon the American continent, from the fact that its position in the city of San Francisco makes it the key to the entire business portion of the city.

Mr. Blythe had so lived that none of his most intimate friends seemed at that time to know much about him, or who, or where, his kinspeople, if he had any, lived. Having left no wife or family, and dying intestate, it was for a time the all absorbing topic of the community as to what disposition would be made of his vast fortune.

The case was finally resolved in 1897 when Blythe’s illegitimate daughter, Mrs. Florence Hinkley, was determined to be sole heir of the fortune!

The article states:

The case of ” Tom” Blythe, thus settled, Is historic. Blythe was an eccentric old Welshman, over whose millions his relatives, real and imaginary, have quarreled in the courts for twelve years….

Blythe’s real name was not Blythe at all, but Thomas Williams. Blythe came to America from Wales In 1848, when he was 21 years old…..

Blythe went on a visit to Europe In 1873. Hle dressed shabbily, but he gave champagne suppers Ad libitum. One day he met Julia Perry….

Blythe left Julia and returned to San Francisco, and in December 1873, he received a letter from Julia Perry in London announcing that a daughter had been born to him and that she had been named Florence. In response Blythe sent her a draft and a friendly letter. When Florence was 3 years old her mother married a London man named Asheroft, a drunk.

It Is not known that Blythe ever knew of the of Asheroft. Up to the time of his death he and Julia Ashcroft wrote to each other as man and wife might have done, and the little girl, Florence, also received numerous letters from her father, many of which were preserved and have been the most important of all the evidence In the twelve years’ litigation.

In these letters Blythe displayed great affection for the little girl he had never seen. He referred to her as his darling child, and promised to educate her.

Although the millions were awarded to Blythe’s illegitimate daughter, the Williams family made a good case that Blythe was actually Thomas Henry Williams, one of five children born to John Williams and Elizabeth Savage, about 1822, in Mold, Flintshire, Wales (about 13 miles from Humphrey Hughes’ reported birthplace).  Siblings included  John, Elizabeth Powell and Sarah Roberts.

It seems that all court records related to this case were destroyed by the San Francisco earthquake. CA Supreme Court record on the case: http://archive.org/details/reportsofdecisio02cali

I am posting with hopes that someone reading knows more of Humphrey, his family, relationship to Blythe and perhaps his connection to my family!

UPDATE May 2017: My Uncle has a Hughes DNA match (56 cM) to a descendant of Edward Hughes born abt 1813 in Dymeirchion (aka Tremeirchion), Flintshire, Wales [also birthplace of Humphrey], died November 1894, Floyd, Oneida, New York [Edward and Humphrey are buried together at Floyd Cemetery]. The tester comes through Edward’s son James and thus would be a half 3rd cousin to my uncle. Although one DNA match won’t “prove” a relationship, 56 cM is about what would be expected for this relationship.  I have built out the tester’s tree and no other relationships seems plausible.  At the moment, the two have no other shared matches.

Humphrey was likely the son of Edward (as noted previously Edward, his wife Elizabeth and Humphrey are the only Hugheses recorded as being buried at Floyd Cemetery).

Another son of Edward was William. His obituary names living siblings:  Maria, Elizabeth, Edward, Reuben, John, Robert & James!   “John of Buffalo” could be my gg-grandfather!!

Edward was married at least twice, thus some of these children may have had different mothers.  Birth/marriage records for Dymeirchion (aka Tremeirchion) for this time frame are not currently online, microfilm is available at the archives in Wales (unfortunately there are no copies at the FHL).  A researcher will be hired to locate these records.

UPDATE December 2017: The same cousin who holds Annabelle Palmer’s memorial book (mentioned above), recently came upon a family scrapbook in his collection.  Inside is the obituary of John D. Hughes dated 1904.  John’s siblings are named as Mrs. David Jones [Maria] of Utica, Mrs. Mary E. Roberts of Liverpool, England & half brother James of Whitestown.  His first job was in Illion (the residence of the John Hughes who married Kitty Perry).  John is likely Humphrey’s brother and father to my great-grandmother Georgiana!

A number of descendants of John’s sister, Elizabeth Roberts of Liverpool, have online trees at Ancestry.  I have hopes that one or more of them will consider an AncestryDNA test to help prove/disprove my relationship to John (I am also seeking descendants of John’s other siblings!). If you are related to this family, and reading this, please email me 🙂

And if the newspapers are correct, Blythe might be my 1st cousin 5x removed!!

UPDATE March 2018: Last month, a descendant of John and Humphrey’s sister, “Mary E. Roberts, of Liverpool” agreed to take a DNA test.  His results are in, and we are a match!! With two matches, one who descends from the only sibling who remained in Wales (and whose family still resides there), coupled with documentary evidence, I am highly confident that Georgianna’s father has been  found!!!!

Remember When Your Mother Said “Don’t Trust Everything You Read?”

Most of us newbies made the same mistakes, “back in the day”.  We viewed Ancestry.com trees or Googled our ancestors and added everything found, as “fact”, to our tree.

Years later we are still correcting errors added from those damn trees!

But what about published books?  They are correct, right?  NO!!!!!!!

Unless the book lists sources, and you see the source with your own eyes, you should be leery of publications. Obviously some are better than others.  I trust NGSQ articles, recently accepted DAR application (many of the older ones are unsourced) or  publications by well known genealogists like Thomas W Jones, CG℠, CGL℠ or Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG℠, CGL℠.  But if possible, I still seek out original sources for my files.

One that has been a problem for me for a long time? A book: “The Halls of New England. Genealogical and biographical”. By David B. Hall, published Albany, N.Y., Printed for the author by J. Munsell’s Sons, 1883.

This “Bible” which has been used by many New England, Hall researchers, for generations, is riddled with errors.

George Hall, was an early Taunton, Massachusetts settler, who’s ancestry is given on pages 567-648.  As of this writing, 195 Ancestry.com tree users, copied the text exactly!

HALLS NARRATIVE:

The writer lists a son of George Hall as:

(Lt) John b. 1640 d. 1693 m. Hannah Penniman, their children:

1. John b. 1672
2. Joseph b. 1674
3. James b. 1675
4. Benjamin b. 1677
5. Sarah b. 1678 (died young)
6. Jacob b. 1680
7. Hannah b. 1682, m. Samuel Haskins

He then goes on to claim that John and Hannah’s son John d. 1768 (age 96) m. Elizabeth King, their children:

1. John d. 1766
2. Judith m. John Tisdale
3. Phillip and perhaps others

A review of Bristol County, Massachusetts land deeds (available free at FamilySearch.org) offers alternate information.

Book 57/Page 110  – This deed indicates that Lt. John’s son, John, was deceased by 1747 – so he couldn’t have died in 1768!  It further indicates that Lt. John’s daughter Hannah was in 1747 married to John Andrews (which may or may not be her first husband, but this husband is not listed in Hall’s narrative – he lists Samuel Haskins).

We don’t know why all of the grandchildren of James are named and only one grandchild, John, is named of John.  Were Phillip and Judith actually associated with this family?

….Agreement made 22 May 1747 by Joseph & Jacob Hall of Raynham, yeoman; Benjamin Hall of Raynham cordwainer John Andrews of Norton yeoman and Hannah his wife children of Lt John Hall late of Taunton and John Hall of Raynham, yeoman, grandson of the deceased and James Hall, Nathan Hall,  Marey Hall, Edmund Hall, David Hall all of Raynham husbandman and grandchildren of deceased and coheirs, children of James Hall deceased late of Raynham who was the son of Lt John Hall deceased have come to Agreement on division of land…

The following page continues item #5 states….John Hall in right of his father John Hall deceased….

The deed was not filed until thirty years later, in 1777; this might be the source of Hall’s confusion. It is typical for deeds to be recorded years later – your ancestors may have lived a distance from the courthouse, couldn’t afford the filing fees, just didn’t bother to file until they were ready to sell the land or their heirs were settling the estate.

Book 24 page 72 and page 74 & book 27 page 557– give us further information. It appears that if John, Judith and Phillip are Lt John Hall’s grandchildren, then their father John died before 19 June 1729 – at least 40 years before Hall’s notation of 1768!  These pages seem to indicate that John’s daughter did marry John Tisdale.  But we discover a second unmentioned daughter, Mehitable, who married Nehemiah Dean. We also discover that Lt. John’s widow, Hannah, likely remarried a man named Haskins

dated 19 June 1729…..John and Judith Tisdale of Taunton have received of our brother John Hall of Taunton the sum of 130 pounds which we receive as our full part and portion out of the estate of John Hall late of said Taunton (our honored father) who died intestate and also out of the real estate of Hannah Haskins late of said Taunton deceased (our honored grandmother)…..

dated 26 July 1733…..Nehemiah and Mehitable Dean his wife, both of Norton have received of our brother John Hall of Raynham 130 pounds full part of honorable father John Hall of Taunton deceased and grandmother Hannah Haskins late of Taunton….

dated 29 June 1739…Phillip Hall of Raynham, yeoman, for 200 pounds paid by John Hall my brother of the same town of Raynham aforesaid yeoman – rights in estate of Honored father John Hall late of Taunton and grandmother Hannah Haskins late of Taunton

…. wait Haskins – grandmother Hannah Haskins? maybe Hannah (Penniman) Hall married Samuel Haskins?? vs. her daughter marrying him as Hall’s book surmises?  Hannah born abt 1682 would have been “marrying age” (20) in 1702, but it seems more likely, based on the language in these deeds, that her mother Hannah (Penniman) Hall married Samuel!

Book 16, page 310 – tells us that John was alive in 1700 when the deed was signed,  but we don’t know if he was alive in 1725 when the deed was filed.

….Hannah Hall widow of Lieutenant John Hall deceased and her sons Joseph, James, Benjamin & Jacob all of Taunton, for 5 pounds to the eldest son John of said John Hall deceased…twenty acres of land…Taunton, eastward from the meeting house….six acres….on the Neck Plain so called and ten acres of land bounded Eastward by 6 acres of plain and westward by the land of Phillip King and four acres of land joining to the northward side. Ten acres of land is bounded Eastward, Northward and Westward by the land of Thomas Dean which twenty acres of the land by agreement and settlement of the estate of the above Lieutenant John Hall deceased did belong to the above Hannah Hall during her natural life…. but now said Hannah Hall and her sons….grant to said John Hall….

I did find the probate record of Hannah Haskins, 1726, in Taunton, which seems to mention the “Hall Division” and names Jacob, John and James.  This seems to indicate that Hannah (Hall) Penniman did remarry and thus we are pretty sure John, father of John, Judith, Mehitable and Phillip is the son of Lt. John since grandmother Hannah Haskins is named in the deeds. It further seems plausible as John did have brothers Jacob and James…..  Of course additional research is needed.

[Note: Bristol book 17: page 167 dated November 1926 where Benjamin sells land of his deceased mother to his brother in law John Andrews is further evidence that that Hannah Haskins who’s estate was settled in 1726 was his mother and that Hannah married to John Andrews, his sister].

Further examination of probate records reveals a John Hall junior of Taunton with a sister Hannah and wife Elizabeth who died about 1708. This is likely Lt John Hall’s son.  He passed a 60 years before the date attributed to his death in Hall’s book – perhaps a typo on Hall’s part, yet copied into at least 195 Ancestry.com trees and likely hundreds more on other sites and private genealogies!

There is quite a bit of research that can be done which could add further details and perhaps correct additional errors, including an analysis of the land descriptions.

My interest is to examine all the Hall deeds to identify the parents of my ancestor Brian Hall b. 1727 to John 3rd and Mary.  Brian was a cordwainer (shoemaker) who may have apprenticed with a relative.  I examined this set of deeds with interest, since Lt. John’s son Benjamin Hall is identified as a cordwainer, who would have been about 50 when Brian was born.

———————————————————————

How to find Massachusetts Land Records in Bristol County

Click here https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2106411, Select Bristol County, and open first the Grantor Index (seller), then the Grantee Index (buyer) for the time period you are seeking. Make note of the book and page number for your ancestors.

Grantor Index for Brian Hall

Return to the original link, select the appropriate book # and then search for the page.

It is faster to search on the Registry of Deeds, just type book and page under “Recorded Land” site: http://www.tauntondeeds.com/Searches/ImageSearch.aspx; here you can only view the images.  They are $1 to download, but free to view and free to download on the Family Search site.

 

The Lesson of James A. Wilson – There Are Exceptions to Every Rule!

[CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE}

Two things happened yesterday.

Ancestry.com posted a nifty “cheat sheet” which can be used to determine if your ancestors served in one of the US conflicts back to the Revolution.

Second, a third cousin, in my Wilson line, contacted me through Ancestry.com asking to compare notes, which prompted me to review the pending “shaky leaves” for that line.

A Find-A-Grave hint popped up for James Alexander Wilson, my 2nd-great uncle and brother to my 2nd g-grandmother, Roxanna “Anna” Aurelia (Wilson) Hall (her story here).

Attached to this Mount Hope Cemetery grave record was a photo referring to 11th Regiment Massachusetts [Light] Battery.  A Google search revealed that this was a Civil War unit “Organized at Readville and mustered in for three years January 2, 1864 … Mustered out June 16, 1865″

The Ancestry.com chart reads: “Civil War birth years 1811-1848”. Another mistake in my tree!  My James died on 14 Sept 1886, which matches the Find-A-Grave entry, but I recorded his birth at St. John, New Brunswick, on 27 February 1850, thus implying an age of fourteen in 1864. Did I have the wrong birth date?

I re-reviewed the records, most concurred – James was born in 1850!  Was it possible a 14 year old served in the Civil War?

At bit of research revealed at least 100,000 Union soldiers were boys under 15 years old and about 20 percent of all Civil War soldiers were under 18. Many lied about their age to join. As the casualties grew and more soldiers were needed, recruiters looked the other way. The exact number of children who enlisted during the Civil War is unknown, but it is known that 48 soldiers who were under the age of 18 won the Congressional Medal of Honor for their bravery and service.

Census/Marriage/Death Records Analyzed for Birth Year

No birth/baptism has been located at St John for James Wilson.

In 1851, a one year old James Wilson was enumerated with his parents, David and Elizabeth, in Saint John County, Dukes and Queens Wards, http://tinyurl.com/3ag9nzd

The 1855 Massachusetts Boston, Ward 03, census reports his age as five.

In 1860, he was enumerated in Boston Ward 3 as age ten.

In 1865, he was residing in Boston Ward 3, listed as age 16.

He was 20 in 1870 when enumerated in Boston Ward 4.

He was 21 when he married Susan “Susie” Jane Perkins, daughter of George Perkins and Margaret Taylor on 17 May 1871 in Boston.

He was listed as age 34 in the 1880 Boston census (the only record which implies a birth in 1846 – note that his parents were married in 1847 – their story here).

When James Naturalized in 1882, he gave a birth date of 27 February 1850.

A signature comparison (beautiful handwriting for a 14 year old!) confirms that the James Wilson who joined the Civil War and the James Wilson who applied for Naturalization are likely the same man.

James’ Massachusetts death entry dated 14 September 1886 lists his age as 36 years, 6 months, 14 days (implying a birth of 28 Feb 1850).  Cause of death was Consumption. The newspaper notice of his death also lists an age of 36.

Side Note: James was a Fresco Painter – I have not uncovered any information specifically related to his work. Given his beautiful handwriting, I wonder where he was educated, his mother was unable to write, thus he must have had schooling in this craft.  An article published in Massachusetts, in that time frame, describes the study:

Fold 3- CMSR for James

Fold 3 has digitized the Massachusetts Compiled Military Service Records.  Although James Wilson is a common name, knowing he served in the 11th Regiment Massachusetts Battery helped in locating the record. In his file, was a volunteer enlistment form, dated 2 December 1864, with a claim that he was seventeen and ten months.  The form includes minor consent from his father.

The enlistment occurred in Cambridge (the family resided in Boston, perhaps he intentionally enlisted in a place where he would not be known?) and James was described 5’4″ tall (quite short for an almost 18 year old).  He was given a $33 recruitment bounty in exchange for a one year commitment (the family was quite poor and likely needed the funds). His pay was later docked for loss of Clothing Camp and Garrison equipage (typical kid ?).

Pension Search

Whenever I find a Veteran, I check for a pension file.  The pension laws changed frequently not everyone who participated was entitled.  A good place to start in understanding Civil War pensions is the Family Search Wiki – here.

There are two indexes, one on Fold3 and the other on Ancestry.  They can differ.

Ancestry.com’s  “U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934” (NARA T288) tells us that James’ widow Susan applied, and received a pension.

Fold 3’s Civil War Pensions Index (officially called the “Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900”; NARA T289) lists a widow’s pension and mother’s pension (the lack of certificate number means that the mother’s pension request was denied).

National Archives

This morning I headed to the National Archives in DC and placed my request for these two files.  If you ask that the file be delivered to the new Innovation Hub, not only do you avoid having to wait for a specific pull time (they pull it right away for you) but you can use their scanners for free and once scanned the digitized documents are posted on NARAs website for others to find.  If you don’t live near the Archives, you can place a request online (the fee is $80 for the first 100 pages – order here).

The two pension requests were consolidated into one file.  Nothing in the file mentions James’ enlistment age and the death certificate in the file implies a birth in 1850.

It seems that James’ mother, Elizabeth, age 70, who was unable to sign her name, applied for a pension in 1890 saying that her son was unmarried, without children and prior to his death she relied on him for some support.

Her witnesses included, Elizabeth’s daughter, my 2nd g-grandmother, “Anna” aka Roxanna (Wilson) Hall and Anna’s sister-in-law, Mary (Hall) Patten.  Elizabeth was residing in Everett, the address was c/o Charles Baker, Simpson Court. Later documents give her address as Richardson Court, Malden (the address of my Hall ancestors).

When James’ widow later placed a claim, Elizabeth’s claim was thus rejected. Elizabeth’s attorney stated that he was told there was no widow or children. Elizabeth, was likely desperate.  Her husband David had died, probably by suicide in 1879 (story here), thus she likely had relied on her eldest son James for some support.

The file (although one of the smaller I have pulled – just 36 pages) is chock full of family details (albeit nothing confirming my suspicion that James parents were born in Ireland)! A witness statement indicating that Susan was a laundress working for $1.50/week for 22 year old Margaret E. Clark who she had known for five years.  Susan relied on her minor children, two boys and two girls, earnings of five to six dollars a month, as aid. She owned some household furniture valued less than $25.

Susan was removed from the Pension rolls in 1895 as she was “reported dead”. She wasn’t deceased, she remarried Brenton B. Cook on 07 Oct 1895 in Boston (record here). She died 2 March 1908 from Chronic Brights Disease and Edema of Lungs.

In summary, while a great tool, use Ancestry’s “cheat sheet” as a guide.  There are always exceptions. Without the Find-A-Grave hint, I wouldn’t have searched for these records and I would have missed some great family details!

The Family of James Alexander Wilson 1850-1866

Service according to civilwararchive.com

The service of the 11th Independent Battery, Massachusetts Light Artillery after James joined in December 1864 was as follows (text from Wikipedia):

Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run, February 5-7, 1865.

The Battle of Hatcher’s Run, also known as Dabney’s Mill, Armstrong’s Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of Union offensives during the Siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate supply traffic on Boydton Plank Road and the Weldon Railroad west of Petersburg, Virginia. Although the Union advance was stopped, the Federals extended their siegeworks to the Vaughn Road crossing of Hatcher’s Run. The Confederates kept the Boydton Plank Road open, but were forced to extend their thinning lines.

 Fort Stedman March 25.

The Battle of Fort Stedman, also known as the Battle of Hare’s Hill, was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon. The attack was the last serious attempt by Confederate troops to break the Siege of Petersburg. After an initial success, Gordon’s men were driven back by Union troops of the IX Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. John G. Parke.

 Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9.

The Appomattox Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865 in Virginia that concluded with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to the Union Army (Army of the Potomac, Army of the James and Army of the Shenandoah) under the overall command of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. In the following eleven weeks after Lee’s surrender, the American Civil War ended as other Confederate armies surrendered and Confederate government leaders were captured or fled the country.

Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2.

The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War. The Union Army (Army of the Potomac, Army of the Shenandoah and Army of the James) under the overall command of General-in-chief, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, launched an assault on General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s Petersburg, Virginia trenches and fortifications after the Union victory at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. As a result of that battle the Confederate right flank, rear and remaining supply lines were exposed or cut and the Confederate defenders were reduced by over 10,000 men killed, wounded, taken prisoner or in flight.

The thinly-held Confederate lines at Petersburg had been stretched to the breaking point by earlier Union movements that extended those lines beyond the ability of the Confederates to man them adequately and by desertions and casualties from recent battles. As the much larger Union forces, which significantly outnumbered the Confederates, assaulted the lines, desperate Confederate defenders held off the Union breakthrough long enough for Confederate government officials and most of the remaining Confederate army, including local defense forces, and some Confederate Navy personnel, to flee Petersburg and the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia during the night of April 2–3. Confederate corps commander Lieutenant General A.P. Hill was killed during the fighting.

Union soldiers occupied Richmond and Petersburg on April 3, 1865 but most of the Union Army pursued the Army of Northern Virginia until they surrounded and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender that army on April 9, 1865 after the Battle of Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

Pursuit of Lee to Appomattox C. H. April 3-9.

the Siege of Petersburg ends with the Union assault and breakthrough of April 2. The remainder of the war in Virginia is classified as “Grant’s Pursuit of Lee to Appomattox Court House.

Moved to Washington, D.C., April 20-27.

Grand Review May 23 (note that James was enumerated with his family in the Massachusetts census on 1 May 1865 with no occupation listed. Records do indicate he mustered out June 16, 1865.  It is possible that whoever spoke to the census taker listed him as residing with the family even though he was not present).

The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 23 and May 24, 1865, following the close of the American Civil War. Elements of the Union Army paraded through the streets of the capital to receive accolades from the crowds and reviewing politicians, officials, and prominent citizens, including the President of the United States, Andrew Johnson

General Sylvester Mathews of Buffalo, War of 1812 and Battle of Chippawa Hero

CLICK TO ENLARGE ANY IMAGE

I have been lucky enough to spend time at the National Archives in Washington DC over the past months.  I have no known direct ancestors who fought in the War of 1812 or Civil War, but wanted to familiarize myself with the record sets, so I selected a friend’s ancestor, General Sylvester Mathews (her 3rd g-grandfather).

Origins Unknown

Sylvester Mathews/Matthews (born about 1793) is first found in 1814, in the wilderness which later became Buffalo, Erie, New York (then a population of about 500).  It is unlikely he was native; in the 1790’s there were just a few families there, none named Mathews.

In the summer of 1795, the Duke de la Rouchefoucault Liancourt passed through “Lake Erie,” which was the name he understood was given to the “collection of houses” of white people he found to be near the Seneca village, which to him was “Buffalo Town.” He wrote: “We at length arrived at the post on Lake Erie, which is a small collection of four or five houses, built about a quarter of a mile from the lake.”

As part of the Holland Purchase, Dutch investors procured the area which became Buffalo, from the Seneca Indians, and began selling lots in 1801. Their representatives dubbed the settlement New Amsterdam, but the name did not stick. It was first called Lake Erie, then Buffalo Creek, then Buffalo.

It is unknown if Sylvester emigrated alone or with family members or friends to Buffalo. There are no Mathews found in the area in 1800 or 1810. In those census years only head of household was listed, so it is possible that he or his family were in the area, but residing with others.

At the breaking out of the War of 1812, Sylvester resided in the Hamlet of Black Rock (today part of Buffalo), a mile wide strip of land along the Niagara River that the state of New York purchased from the Indians in 1802. Adjacent to the river, village streets were laid out. A black rock ledge (now gone) protruded 200 feet into the river, forming a naturally protected harbor downstream.

In 1820, Sylvester was the only Mathews enumerated in Buffalo and the surrounding communities.

In later years there are a number of Mathews who appear in the area, but their relation, if any, is unknown. Sylvester is the only Mathews who was an original land purchaser from the Holland Land Company.

Battle of Chippawa and Early Struggles in Buffalo

John Haddock wrote an account of his arrival, with family and $18, at Buffalo, from Bath, New Hampshire, in 1811. For a short time John made a living as a chair maker, then established a small grocery and bake shop in the village. Haddock was likely a neighbor, friend and/or business associate of Sylvester, also a baker, who in June 1919, married John’s daughter, Miss Louisa Haddock.

Buffalo Harbor 1810

Although Haddock made a comfortable living, he and the community were in constant fear of the British and Indians.  In 1812 John claims to have made 6-8 coffins a day, due to savage killings and epidemics.

On 30 December 1813, the enemy, who were “scalping and killing everyone in their path”, crossed the Niagara River and advanced into Buffalo. Haddock, his wife and six children (including Sylvester’s future wife) fled on foot twenty minutes before their home was pilfered and burned. They walked fifteen miles, in the cold, on the beach of the lake, with many of their neighbors (although not named, young Sylvester may have been part of this group). John was barefoot, having given his shoes to his wife. They slept on the floor at a strangers and used their only salvaged possessions, two blankets, for warmth.

A few days later John, and another young lad, returned to view the ruined town (and dig up cash buried in the cellar).  The fires had not yet burnt out; dead soldiers and inhabitants lay all over town. He returned to his family, they walked further, put up a log house with a good fire and had plenty of pork, potatoes and Indian Johnny Cakes. His three year old child was carried off and he did not see her for three weeks [he does not say by whom – Indians?].

The Haddocks returned to Buffalo a few months later, in April 1814.  John writes of the Battle of Chippawa and having to again relocate his family, 80 miles outside of the village (this time, salvaging some possessions). After being away from him for five months, in January 1815, the family was again together.  He mentions that he was lucky to get a position of baking for the Army, which gives him “tolerable good support” and he is “able to live in pretty good style”.  He says there are 3,000 troops in town who he expects will protect them through the winter.

By 1817 John has amassed a fortune – a well furnished house and lot worth $5,000; a decent store valued at $1,500; two 5-acre lots in the village worth $3,000; a 100 acre farm eight miles from Buffalo where he produces wheat, hay and potatoes and keeps three cows and two horses.  In addition, he expects $4,000 of the government, as retribution.

He died in 1818.

Letters – CLICK to enlarge the image.

During the War of 1812, Sylvester was also involved at the Battle of Chippawa (5 July 1814), as part of the New York Militia. He was likely a baker working with his future father-in-law Haddock.

Historical newspaper accounts claim: “Sylvester frequently volunteered his services to repel the enemy. He was attached to the Commissary Department, and distributed provisions to the army shut up in Fort Erie during the siege. The premises which he occupied were frequently penetrated by the shot and shells from the enemy’s batteries”.

Of this American victory over British forces, historian Henry Adams wrote:

The battle of Chippewa was the only occasion during the war when equal bodies of regular troops met face to face, in extended lines on an open plain in broad daylight, without advantage of position; and never again after that combat was an army of American regulars beaten by British troops. Small as the affair was, and unimportant in military results, it gave to the United States Army a character and pride it had never before possessed.

After the war, in 1816, Sylvester was appointed fireman in the village of Buffalo (likely not a full time position, but a volunteer role when the need arose).

His 1818 marriage to Louisa Haddock was announced in the paper.

1820 Census

In August 1820, Sylvester was listed as head of household, in Buffalo, with five others, two are under the age of ten – he had been married just a year, so perhaps one was his child [note that the first child I have located was not born until 1821]. Since his father-in-law, John Haddock died two years prior, it is possible that some of his wife’s relatives or others were residing with the Mathews:

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25: 2
Number of Persons – Engaged in Manufactures: 1
Free White Persons – Under 16: 3
Free White Persons – Over 25: 1
Total Free White Persons: 6
Total All Persons – White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 6

Remarried

Some time prior to 1824, Sylvester’s wife died leaving him with young children.  Online unsourced trees claim she died 9 Jun 1823.

In September 1824, Sylvester remarried to Eliza B. Wadsworth. She was born about 1802, daughter of Henry Wadsworth and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bidwell of Hartford, Connecticut.  Her parents were deceased and she may have been residing in nearby Canandaigua, New York, where they married at the First Congregational Church. In 1820 a John Wadsworth resided there, with six others in his home.  Historical accounts say that Eliza’s brother Richard settled in Buffalo and a Richard is listed as a fireman in 1824 town records.  Eliza hailed from a prominent family. Her grandfather, Jonathan Wadsworth was mortally wounded at the Battle of Saratoga on 19 September 1777 during the Revolutionary War, while commanding a company at the battle of Bemis Heights, and her 3rd-g-grandfather, William Wadsworth, was one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut

The Erie Canal

Black Rock was the rival of Buffalo for the terminus of the Erie Canal, but Buffalo, with its larger harbor capacity and greater distance from the shores of Canada, won the competition.

The win was not without struggle. In 1823, the citizens of Buffalo enticed a steamship builder to select Buffalo over Black Rock by offering cheaper timber and promising to pay $150 daily penalty for each day the harbor was obstructed.  In the spring of 1823, an ice obstruction necessitated removal to avoid penalties. The citizens stepped up and donated what they could to aid this effort, Sylvester’s donation being $25 of bread (further evidence that he worked as a baker).

Finally on the 9 August 1823, Sylvester saw canal excavations actually begun within the village boundaries. For fifteen years the villagers had been waiting for this canal which was to bring them wealth an increased commerce. For six or eight years they had longed for the canal, had fought for it, had despaired of ever getting it. But now there was no longer cause for doubt. Johnson’s “History of Erie County” has a paragraph regarding the event:

“On the 9th of August, 1823, work on the grand canal was begun in Erie county. Ground was broken near the Commercial street bridge, in Buffalo. There was of course a celebration, including procession, speech-making, etc. The assembled crowd were so interested in the great work that they did not content themselves with the formal removal of a few spadefuls, but fell in procession behind the contractor’s ploughs, and followed them for half a mile, with music playing and cannon firing. ‘Then,’ says the account, ‘they partook of a beverage furnished by the contractor,’ and afterwards dispersed with vociferous cheers.”

Indians

In 1823 and 1824, Sylvester was paid for supplying bread and provisions to the Indians.

Murder Trial

In 1824, three young men, murdered a townsmen, John Love. In 1825, they were sentence to be hung. The event drew a large number of people from Western New York and Canada.  The military was called out to keep order. Colonial Sylvester commanded a troop of horse.

1830 Census

Sylvester purchased from the Holland Land Company: Lot # 28 on 5 October 1825 which he sold in 1830. He purchased a larger lot on Buffalo Creek, # 84, on 20 January 1830.

In June 1830, Sylvester was listed as head of household, in Buffalo, and was residing with fourteen others:

Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Buffalo, Erie, New York
Free White Persons – Males – Under 5: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 14: 2
Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 2
Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39: 2
Free White Persons – Females – Under 5: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9: 2
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 14: 2
Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 20 thru 29: 1
Free White Persons – Under 20: 10
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49: 5
Total Free White Persons: 15
Total – All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 15

The home was a low, white, wooden building.  When Sylvester sold it later in the 1830’s, Kremlin Hall (pictured) was built in its place.

Town Involvement

The Buffalo History Museum holds an Inspection return of the field and staff of the 17th Regiment of Cavalry, 4th Brigade, commanded by Col. Sylvester Mathews, 22 Sept 1829 (catalog here); this was likely a town militia unit.

The 1830 town records name Sylvester as a Lieutenant Colonel in the fourth brigade.

By 1834, he was a Brigadier General of Cavalry, first Division, 4th Brigade.

In 1833 and 1834, Sylvester served as Alderman of Ward 5 (the governing executive or legislative body of a town).

In 1836, he was a Street Commissioner.

Sylvester was thought of as “one of the prominent citizens of Buffalo”.

Also in 1836 he was elected as a director of the Bank of Buffalo.

In 1838 he was named as a trustee at the Lockport Bank in the village of Lockport, New York.

In 1838, Benjamin Rathbun was accused (and later acquitted) of forging a check In the name of Sylvester Mathews. Unfortunately we do not know the details of their relationship (if any).

Independence Day 1830

A newspaper recounts the festivities and tells us that marshal of the day was Colonel, afterward General, Sylvester Mathews,

The enthusiasm of our people for their country and flag can usually be measured by the beat of the natlonul pulse. A typical celebration of the day Is that of 1830 in Buffalo. N. Y., which Is described afsome length in the Buffalo Journal. That newspaper says: “The return of our national jubilee was celebrated In this village with more than ordinary splendour and the day was duly honoured, ‘not In the breach but the observance.'” The procession formed at the Eagle—a famous tavern located on Main street between Court and Eagle streets—and consisted of veterans of the Revolution citizens and strangers, escorted by the Washington and Frontier guard and the cadets of the Western Literary and Scientific academy, “the whole enlivened by muslck from the Buffalo band.” The oration: was pronounced by Sheldon Smith, Esq., at the Baptist church and religious services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Shelton of St. Paul’s. From the church the procession marched to the Buffalo House in Seneca street and there an “excellent dinner was partaken of.” Dr. “Powell was landlord of the house at that time and the papers recorded as something worthy of special mention that there were no liquors on the table. But the good lesson this statement was Intended to convey loses Its moral In the very next line of the ( narrative : “After the cloth was removed wine was served with the toasts, which were drank with the utmost regularity.” It Is hardly necessary to draw on the Imagination to any extent to picture the . final state of many In that noble company of 100 who drank the wine “with the utmost regularity.” But that was before the days of temperance societies and adulterated liquors. The marshal of the day was Colonel, afterward The enthusiasm of our people for their country and flag can usually be measured by the beat of the natlonul pulse. A typical celebration of the day Is that of 1830 in Buffalo. N. Y., which Is described afsome length in the Buffalo Journal. That newspaper says: “The return of our national jubilee was celebrated In this village with more than ordinary splendour and the day was duly honoured, ‘not In the breach but the observance.'” The procession formed at the Eagle—a famous tavern located on Main street between Court and Eagle streets—and consisted of veterans of the Revolution citizens and strangers, escorted by the Washington and Frontier guard and the cadets of the Western Literary and Scientific academy, “the whole enlivened by muslck from the Buffalo band.” The oration: was pronounced by Sheldon Smith, Esq., at the Baptist church and religious services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Shelton of St. Paul’s. From the church the procession marched to the Buffalo House in Seneca street and there an “excellent dinner was partaken of.” Dr. “Powell was landlord of the house at that time and the papers recorded as something worthy of special mention that there were no liquors on the table. But the good lesson this statement was Intended to convey loses Its moral In the very next line of the ( narrative : “After the cloth was removed wine was served with the toasts, which were drank with the utmost regularity.” It Is hardly necessary to draw on the Imagination to any extent to picture the . final state of many In that noble company of 100 who drank the wine “with the utmost regularity.” But that was before the days of temperance societies and adulterated liquors. The marshal of the day was Colonel, afterward General, Sylvester Mathews, a veteran of the war of 1812 a hero of the Battle of Chippewa. Apart from these proceedings was discourse by Rev. Mr. Eaton of the Presbyterian church on civil and religious’ liberty. The festivities closed according to time honored custom with a ball in the evening.  a veteran of the war of 1812 a hero of the Battle of Chippewa. Apart from these proceedings was discourse by Rev. Mr. Eaton of the Presbyterian church on civil and religious’ liberty. The festivities closed according to time honored custom with a ball in the evening.

Business Ventures

Mathews and Wilcox Cemetery

Sylvester Mathews and Birdseye Wilcox, about 1836, purchased twelve acres of land for $36,000, on farm lot No. 30, next to the the five acres which the city had purchased in 1832 for the Potter’s Field. Some accounts claim that the city was negotiating to purchase the land and they intervened.

This twelve acre field was improved, and burial lots sold to individuals: the land was more desirable than that on the corner of Delaware and North streets as there was a considerable attention paid to decorations and monuments; the cemetery remained open in their names until 1854, when Birdseye sold it for $5.000 to The Buffalo Cemetery Association (Mathews, deceased was not named in the sale and his widow likely received nothing).

 

In the early 1900’s the grounds, on the southeast corner of North and Best, were converted for building of the 65th Regiment Armory and human remains were removed to Lakeside cemetery.

Baker

It appears that he may have been part owner of Mathews & Simmons, a Baking Company.  Although we can not be sure the Mathews named was Sylvester, given that he lists his occupation as a baker with an office on 294 Main (the bakery seemed to be at 290 Main), it is likely him. Other than city directories, no records have been located mentioning the business. A Kinyon Mathews b. 1807 who had previously resided in Auburn, New York, seems to be involved with the business and is perhaps a relative.

1840

In 1840, Sylvester resided in ward 5 in Buffalo and had 10 other people in his household. Note that Sylvester would have been about 48 years old and there is no “tic mark” in that category.  This may be an enumerator error as there are no other residents in the county that could be Sylvester.

Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Buffalo Ward 5, Erie, New York
Free White Persons – Males – Under 5: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 14: 1
Free White Persons – Males – 15 thru 19: 2
Free White Persons – Males – 20 thru 29: 2
Free White Persons – Females – Under 5: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 5 thru 9: 1
Free White Persons – Females – 15 thru 19: 2
Free White Persons – Females – 30 thru 39: 1
Free White Persons – Under 20: 8
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49: 3
Total Free White Persons: 11
Total All Persons – Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 11

In the June 1841 Buffalo City directory, Sylvester is listed on Frank at the corner of Niagra.

Death

Sylvester died on 10 August 1842, age 49 or 50, from heart disease.

He is buried at Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery, Hamburg, Erie, New York – Plot: Section B-1 [he was likely buried at the Mathews & Wilcox Cemetery and later moved here].

Probate

Sylvester did not leave a will.  His widow Eliza filed in probate court fourteen years later, in 1856, after being cited for Sylvester’s unpaid taxes from 1837, in the amount of $7.86, now with interest $18.31.

Eliza, who was residing in Buffalo, claimed that the estate [which she had been living on for fourteen years] was valued at less than twenty dollars.

She named Sylvester’s descendants as:  a daughter, Cordelia dead with two children under age 21 , Mathew and William of Houlton, Maine; daughter Louisa the widow of George Townsend of Buffalo; a son Eugene of Cambridge, Massachusetts; daughter Eliza, wife of Jesse Stone living in Columbus, Ohio and Josephine of Buffalo.

Eliza never remarried, she is listed at the same home in 1848 and in the 1850 and 1855 censuses in Buffalo with her daughters Eliza and Josephine.

In 1860 she is listed in the home of her married daughter Eliza, in Columbus, Ohio. She died 24 Nov 1863 in Columbus, age 61.

Family Life

Sylvester had a at least 11 children, possibly more. Those known were:

Children with Louisa Bliss Haddock (but raised by his second wife, Eliza; Louisa died when they were babies)

Cordelia “Delia” C. Mathews
1821 – 1850

Cordelia was named in Sylvester’s probate as his daughter.  She married William Holman Cary, son of William Holman Cary and Catherine Hascall.  They had two sons, both named in Sylvester’s probate: Sylvester Mathew Cary and William Holman Cary. Cordelia died of consumption in Houlton, Maine, April 1850, at the age of 28.

Hannah Mathews
1823 –

Hannah was NOT named in Sylvester’s probate record.  “Recollections of Buffalo in the 1830’s” published in 1891 claims that Sylvester’s “eldest” daughter married Augustus Q. Stebbins.  In 1891, Cordelia was deceased and Augustus married a Hannah. She may have been his eldest living daughter.  No other record has been located that that ties Hannah to the Mathews family.  In many undocumented online trees, she is given a different maiden name.  Therefore it is unclear if she was a daughter or if the entry in the book is an error.

Louisa Catherine Mathews
1824 – 1916

Louisa, who was named in Sylvester’s probate, married George Coit Townsend, son of Judge Charles Townsend and Jane Corning.   Their known children included Charles born 1844; Louis born 1847, Edward Winslow born 1849; and George born 1852.

They also relocated to Columbus, Ohio where George died in 1852, Louisa married second Reverend Daniel Frederick Warren, Rector of St. Mary’s Protestant Episcopal Church, New Jersey. She likely died in New Jersey.

Children with Eliza B. Wadsworth [of nine known children, only three lived to adulthood]

Sylvester’s wife Eliza was confirmed at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Buffalo, in 1831 and subsequently had her children baptized at the same church.

Morris Sylvester Mathews #1
1825-26, died age 14 months

Eugene Henry Mathews (my friend’s 2nd g-grandfather)
1833 – 1889

Eugene, who was named in Sylvester’s probate, was baptized with siblings Eliza, Josephine and Morris in 1836.

He fought in the Civil War as a Union soldier. He was a private in Company A, Regiment 47, Massachusetts Infantry.

Eugene married Lizzie Frazier, daughter of Alexander and Mary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 12 Jan 1868.

• They had four known children:
  Harrison Eugene Mathews 1869 – 1875
  Edward/Frederick William Mathews 1872 – 1907
  Franklin Eugene Mathews 1875 – 1941 (my friend’s g-grandfather; father of Frederick D. Mathews)
  Flossie Paine Mathews 1878 – 1902

He worked as a printer.

Eugene died on Christmas Day 1889 of tyfoid fever/spinal meningitis, age 60.

His wife filed for a widow’s Civil War pension. She received $8 a month until she died in 1917.

Eliza Maria Mathews
1832 – 1891

Eliza, who was named in Sylvester’s probate, is listed in the 1848 city directory as a tailoress.

She married Jesse Rice Stone, son of John Stone and Lora Parish.  He was a merchant. He made a good living.  In 1860, the family included two servants. They relocated to Columbus, Ohio where she died 29 Jul 1891, age 59.  She is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery.  The couple had no known children.

Josephine Mathews
1834 – 1911

Josephine, who was named in Sylvester’s probate, never married.  She is found in the 1850 and 1855 censuses living, with her mother, in Buffalo.  The pair moved to Columbus, Ohio by 1860 and resided with or near her sister Eliza’s family. She died there in 1911 of Grippe, age 76.

Maria Mathews
1835 – 1835 – Baptized March 1835, age 3 months; buried age 7 months.

Morris Sylvester Mathews #2 
1835 – 1841

It was common for parents to give a subsequent child the same name as a deceased child.

Many of Sylvester’s children died at a young age.  Most tragic was the death of 5 1/2 year old Morris.  One evening, Morris rose from his bed to get a drink of water.  He placed a board over the cistern to reach the bucket of water; the board gave way and Morris drowned.

unbaptized child Mathews
1837 – 1837

Mary Mathews
Baptized in 1839, age 1; not named in Sylvester’s probate and not included with Eliza in the 1850 census, so likely died before 1850.

Ann Mathews
Baptized in 1842, age 4 months; not named in Sylvester’s probate and not included with Eliza in the 1850 census, so likely died before 1850.

My Acadian 30 – week #14, Jean-Bénoni DuPuis

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

Week #10 – Georges LeBlanc

Week #11 – Madeleine LeBlanc

Week #12 – Laurent Melanson

Week #13 – Pélagie Leger

14. Jean-Bénoni DuPuis, second known child and eldest son of Joseph DuPuis and Anne (Nancy) Richard, was baptized on 05 Jan or Feb 1823  (Stephen A. White mentions that the entry is dated January, but comes after January records, so he feels that the priest likely continued to write January in error and that he was actually born in February). He was born “the night before”, in Memramcook, Westmorland, Dorchester Parish, New Brunswick, Canada).

Known siblings included:

Modeste, baptized Memramcook, 20 May 1821 [4-157]; buried Memramcook, 4 Mar 1825 [5-106]
Marie, baptized Memramcook, 9 May 1825 [5-111]
Henriette,  baptized Memramcook, 22 Nov 1827 [5-232]
Denis, baptized Memramcook, 1 Dec 1829 [6-41]
Marcelline, baptized Memramcook, 2 Feb 1832 [6-88]
Anne, baptized Memramcook, 10 July 1834 [6-124]
Donat, baptized Memramcook, 29 May 1837 [6-197]
Aime, baptized Memramcook, 27 Feb 1840 [6-204]
Dominique, baptized Memramcook, 10 May 1846 [7-36/37]; buried 5 July 1869 [M-89A]

And perhaps others – also listed in the 1851 census are Teton and Osite?

It is likely that the family resided on a farm in an area that would later be named Malakoff in Scoudouc (also called Bellevue Settlement). Scoudouc would not become a parish until later; it was thus administered by priests from Memramcook, Saint-Anselme, or Shediac.

There are a number of land deeds in the grantor/grantor indexes for John (perhaps Jean Benoni ?), Joseph, Benoni’s grandfather Pierre and other Dupuis in Dorchester, however the deeds are not available online.  A map listing land owners does mark their location.

CLICK TO SEE A LARGER IMAGE

The green arrow marks the spot on the map just slightly North of the farm.

1851 Census

In 1851, Benoni continued to reside with his parents and siblings on the same farm:

Joseph, 50, Farmer
Nancy, 50  [likely Ann: Nancy, was originally a diminutive form of Anne or Ann.  In medieval England, Agnes would’ve been Annis. Or Anice. Or Annes. Nancy emerged as a pet form of Agnes via all those variants. As Annis and company faded from use, Nancy attached itself to Anne]
Balona, 26, Farmer [Benoni]
Denna, 21, Farmer [Denis]
Donat, 2?, Farmer
Marcelline, 19
Ann, 14
Dominick, 13 [Dominique]
Orietta, 11 [Henriette]
Teton, 6 [No baptism located for this child]
Osett, 4 [Osite ? – No baptism located for this child]

Marriage and Children

Bénoni married Nathalie Sarah Boudreau on 03 Aug 1852 in Memramcook (nothing was found in parish registers; the civil record survived, but does not name parents).

Known children included:

Eustache, baptized Memramcook, 30 Jun 1854 [8-64]; appears on a farm in Malakoff with his parents, brother’s Ferdinand’s family and finally Phillias’ family; no marriage or children found; likely died 10 Apr 1914 in Scoudouc (laborer, died of dropsy after six months illness – record here).
Marie, baptized Memramcook, 13 May 1857 [8-131]; buried Memramcook 14 April 1868  [M-53].
Ferdinand, twin, baptized Memramcook, 15 Nov 1859 [9-20]; married Olive Melanson, daughter of Laurent Melanson and Pelagie Leger (his sister Osite married Olive’s brother); he was buried 1890 at Scoudouc, age 30 [record here].
Phillias #1, twin, baptized Memramcook, 15 Nov 1859 [9-20]; buried Memramcook 25 Dec 1859 [9-24]
Phillias #2, baptized Memramcook, 15 Jun 1862 [9-90]; married Adeline Melanson, daughter of Hippolyte Melanson and Anne Melanson; in 1911 he was enumerated on the farm in Malakoff.  He likely died 5 Dec 1918, in Malacoff, age 56 from Influenza.
Antoine, baptized Memramcook, 16 Oct 1864 [9-174]; buried 1876 Scoudouc, age 12 [record here].
Ausithe/Osite, baptized Memramcook 16 Jun 1867 [M-27A] – see sketch week #7.
Marie Bibianne, baptized Scoudouc 15 Mar 1871 [15]; married Jaddus Melanson, son of Pierre Melanson and Madeleine LeBlanc, in Scoudouc. She died 1 Dec 1950 in Springhill Jct., Cumberland, Nova Scotia from Breast Cancer (record here).

1861 Census

In 1861, Benoni, Nathalie and their three children, with several of Joseph’s siblings, resided on a farm adjacent to his father’s, in Scoudouc, which in 1866 became known as Malakoff (by 1898 Malakoff was a farming and lumbering settlement with 1 store and a population of 150 so it was likely a smaller community in 1861):

Joseph, 62 – husband
Nancy, 61 [Ann] – wife
Denis, 26 – son
Aime, 21 – son
Dominique, 15 – son

Benoni, 38 – husband
Sarah, 33 – [Nathalie] wife
Eustashe, 7 – son
Marie, 4 – daughter
Ferdinand, 2 – son
Harriet, 33 [Henriette ?] – sister
Ann, 21 – sister
Osite, 18 – sister

1871 Census

In 1871, Benoni and family are enumerated on the same farm.

The family is Catholic and includes:

Benoni, 47, can not read or write
Sarah [Nathalie], 44, can not read or write
Eustache, 15
Ferdinand, 11
Phillias, 8
Antoine, 5
Osite, 3
Bibianne, 1/12
John, 80 [relationship undefined, but likely a relative]

In 1871, Benoni owned 100 acres of land, twelve of which were improved, with one dwelling house.  He had one plow or cultivator and one car/wagon or sled.

The farm appeared to be much smaller that that of their Melanson neighbors. They produced twenty-five bushels of oats, fourteen of buckwheat and fifteen of potatoes.

The family had no horses, one milk cow, two sheep and two swine/pigs (one pig was exported or slaughtered).  They produced seven pounds of wool and thirty yards of homemade cloth/flannel.

Jean-Bénoni also lumbered 125 standard spruce and other logs, two cords of tan bark (which might have been used for fuel) and four cords of firewood.

  

Benoni died between 1871 and 1881, likely after 1875.  His death entry has not been located in parish or civil records. His widowed wife is enumerated in the household of their son Ferdinand, in 1881, which Ferdinand had purchased of his father in 1875, for two hundred pounds. Ferdinand later took a mortgage on the land; which was noted as land in Malakoff.

My Acadian 30 – week #13, Pélagie Leger

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

Week #10 – Georges LeBlanc

Week #11 – Madeleine LeBlanc

Week #12 – Laurent Melanson

13. Pélagie Leger

Michael Melanson’s book, Melanson-Melancon: The Genealogy of an Acadian and Cajun Family, does not name Pélagie Leger’s parents, but mentions a birth date of 10 May 1833 in New Brunswick, likely taken from the 1901 census.

Many in cyberspace say that Pélagie, is the daughter of Jean Léger and Henriette Cormier, born 23 Jan 1823, Memramcook. It seems likely this Pélagie was single and buried in Saint Anselme, 1 March 1898, age 76. Parents are not mentioned, but the age at death implies a birth year of about 1822.

Pélagie, daughter of Pierre Léger and Henriette Cormier, born 13 May 1833 (very close to the date in the 1901 census), baptized 28 May 1833 in Barachois is likely our Pélagie.

When Stephen A. White reviewed my tree last summer, he called out several issues but made no mention of errors in this line.

[Yes, the spine of the image reads “Bouctouche”; according to Facebook researchers and Acadian genealogist/researcher Lucie LeBlanc Consentino (website here) in digitizing the parish registers, Jean-Pierre Pepin, somehow mixed up the spine image from Barachois to Bouctouche. From what I understand, this effects Drouin records dated 1812-1838.  Ancestry.com has them indexed correctly as Barachois].

When Pélagie married in Memramcook, in 1853, she was said to be “of Dorchester”.  Thus the 1851 census further corroborates this set of parents, as there is a Pélagie residing in the household of “Peter” and “Oriette” Leger, in Shediac Parish, very close to her future husband’s family (the Legers are on page 43, the Melansons on page 46). Since Firmin Melanson received a land grant in 1838 at Dorchester Crossing, we can likely assume both families were enumerated at “Dorchester” in 1851 and still resided there at the time of the marriage two years later.

Index card from the office of Stephen A. White

1851 census and siblings

Also in the household of “Peter” and “Oriette” Leger  in 1851, are a 22 year-old-son Joseph and a 15-year-old daughter Rosalie.

A Joseph born to Pierre Léger and Henriette Cormier was also baptized in Barachois, just 5 years before Pélagie, in 1828.  It mentions that Pierre being a farmer of Memramcook.

A Rosalie born to Pierre Léger and Henriette Cormier was also baptized in Barachois, just 3 years after Pélagie, in 1836; (record here); both further evidence that I have the correct Pélagie.

Other siblings named in this census include Henriette #2, Laurent, Modeste, Osite, Joseph and Casimir.

In time, I hope to identify all of her siblings.  Baptisms in Memramcook include Marie, Henriette #1, Marguerite, Laurent, Modeste and a child who was not given a name (the image references are from https://www.genealogiequebec.com/en/, big thank you to Sébastien Robert who is working on indexing these records with the inclusion of parent’s names, he hopes to have an index online by year end!):

Of these, only Laurent and Modeste were included in the 1851 census.  Henriette #1 and the unnamed child died young. I haven’t found Marie or Margurite’s death or marriage (neither was with the family in 1851).  The Osite, Casmir and Henriette #2, all included in the 1851 census, have not been located in other records.

Something to work on before I get to the sketches of Pierre Léger and Henriette Cormier!

Pélagie’s Later Years

Pélagie married Laurent Melanson on Monday, 18 Jan 1853, at Memramcook; witnesses were Simon Léger & Apollonie Melanson (likely Laurent’s sister born about 1834).

Known children include: Maximin, Nazaire, Rosalie, Olive, Alexandre, Maglorie #1, Maglorie #2, Osite, Pierre, Madeline, Patrice, Marie-Exilda and Zelica.  Lineages of these children are included in Michael Melanson’s book, so I won’t add them here.  However if you are a cousin and would like to share your line, I would love to add you to my database! Please write!

Pélagie is included in the 1871  & 1881 censuses in the Shediac district, likely Dorchester Road, Scoudouc [see Laurent’s sketch].  Her husband Laurent died on 14 Sep 1881 in Scoudouc and was buried there 16 Sept 1881.

In 1891, Pélagie’s occupation is listed in the census as “general housekeeping”, she is a 56 year old widow, living on her deceased husband’s farm in Shediac Parish, likely Dorchester Road, with her son Magloire listed as head of household.  Also residing there is Magloire’s wife and Pélagie’s children Pierre, Osite, Madeline, Marie-Exilda and Zelica.

By 1901, Pélagie, her four unmarried daughters Rose, Magdeline, Marie and Zelica, and two granddaughters (children of Magloire’s, who’s wife had died) Laura and Melesse are residing together on the family farm now run by her 27-year-old unmarried son, Pierre, at Dorchester Road. Next door (or close by) was Magloire’s deceased wife’s brother Phillas Dupuis, his wife, children and his mother, Nathalie (Boudreau) Dupuis. Other Melansons and Dupuis lived nearby, likely all related. Pélagie’s son Magloire’s whereabouts are unknown in the 1901 census year.

Scoudouc included the community of Dorchester Crossing which in 1898 was a farming and lumbering settlement with 1 post office, 1 sawmill, 1 grist mill and a population of 250.

In 1911, Pélagie continued to reside on the farm with her now widowed son Pierre and her six year old grandson, Joel.  The location of the farm is further described by the census enumerator as at Malakoff in Scoudouc.

Pélagie died on 11 Oct 1918 in Malakoff, Scoudouc, age 87, of pneumonia after a seven day illness.

My Acadian 30 – week #12, Laurent Melanson

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

Week #10 – Georges LeBlanc

Week #11 – Madeleine LeBlanc

12.  Although there are a few inconsistencies, it is likely  that Laurent Melanson, was the son of Firmin Melanson and Barbe Richard, and was baptized on 18 Jul 1819 at Memramcook, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada, aged about one and a half months.  His godparents were Romain Melanson and Apolline LeBlanc.

NOTES:

The 1851 census of Shediac Parish does include a son, “Lorong”, residing with Firmin Melanson, however his  age of seventeen, is not in line with the recorded baptism of the Laurent born to Firmin Melanson and Barbe Richard on 18 Jul 1819 at Memramcook (he would be 32 in 1851).  The 1861, 1871 census and his 1881 death record for Laurent in this same parish do not concur either; only the 1881 census lists an age appropriate to be the child recorded in the baptism. His marriage does not record the names of his parents.  I initially surmised that the Laurent baptized at Memramcook died, and a second son, for whom a baptismal record does not survive, was given the same name (a common practice).  However, we do not know to whom the census taker spoke; perhaps a step-mother who did not know the ages of the children, I believe it is a possibility that the census information is inaccurate, especially since the ages of Laurent’s siblings also seem to be misreported in 1851.

Rosalie Melanson’s (likely Laurent’s sister) 1859 death is recorded in Scoudouc. She is named as the 30 year old daughter of Firmin (record here).

This lines up pretty closely with the Rosalie born to Firmin Melanson and Barbe Richard in Memramcook in 1827, 32-years earlier (record here)

Using Michael Melanson’s book as a basis, it seems that the name Firmin Melanson was unusual. Thus, if the Rosalie born to Firmin Melanson and Barbe Richard in Memramcook, died unmarried in Scoudouc, then it is likely that the entire family relocated to Scoudouc and my Laurent of Scoudouc was the same Laurent born to this couple in Memramcook.

A land transaction occurred between the years 1848 and 1858 (book MM page 397), where a “Ferman” and “Lorang” Melanson sold land in Shediac to the Roman Catholic Congregation.  Thus, further proving a connection in Westmorland of the two Melanson men with names similiar to Firmin and Laurent.   Although FamilySearch.org has the land deed indexes online for Westmoreland County back to 1785, the images of the deeds date only from 1870 forward.  Between 1830 and 1883 there are many transactions for Lorang, Lorang F., Laurent, Laurent F. and Laurent R. Melanson in Shediac, Scoudouc and Dorchester.  There is also one transaction in Aboujagane.  Although it is unlikely that these deeds would name a parent, they would reveal more of Laurant’s life and his relationships (and whether there were multiple men of that name in the area), I would like to examine these land deeds; they are likely available on Microfilm at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.   I plan to visit myself next year and/or hire a local researcher.

Microfilms related to Westmorland land deeds held at the FHL in Salt Lake City “Index to folders 58-60, 1764-1848; Deeds, folder 58” film #862073  and Deeds, folders 59-60 film # 862074 may hold additional information.  Some probate records for Westmorland County are also held at the FHL (here); since Firmin and Laurant likely left estates, there are perhaps probate documents.  I am visiting Salt Lake City in January 2016 and will examine those records.

I contacted Michael Melanson, genealogist and author of: Melanson-Melancon: The Genealogy of an Acadian and Cajun Family, to ask for help.  Michael’s book, documents the lives of nineteen Laurent Melanson’s, seven of whom were born between 1807 and 1829.  Just one appears in Scoudouc.  Additionally, he names only one Firmin Melanson born in the time frame to be the father of Laurant named in the baptismal record. He died in Scoudouc, 30 August 1858.

Michael’s response to my query  follows (published with his permission):

Unfortunately, all my notes on the Melansons are “archived” in the basement
– lots and lots of boxes and I don’t recall the exact method I used to
determine Laurent’s father was Firmin Melanson. However, I can tell you how
I would begin to do so.

When doing a surname genealogy, it’s done geographically. As a researcher,
you get to know the community quite well, which helps to weed out and see
beyond erroneous information.

Firmin Melanson received a land grant of 180 acres at Scoudouc in 1838,
where he moved his family and started a farm. Earlier, his father, David,
and three of his brothers had received land grants at Scoudouc, as well. By
1861, Firmin was deceased and his farm had been divided among his sons.

In 1861, as the census taker went house to house in Scoudouc, here’s the
order of Melanson families he visited: house no. 19 Jean  Melanson, no. 20
Thaddée Melanson, no. 21 Frank Melanson, no. 22 Raphaël Melanson, no. 23
Laurent Melanson, no. 24 Joseph Melanson. Five of these six men were
Firmin’s sons. Frank was his nephew. Using the Scoudouc parish registers,
subsequent census records, etc., the pieces begin to come together.

As you know, Acadian genealogical research is often not done in the
conventional way 😉

The Life of Laurent Melanson

Known siblings of Laurent included: Joseph (b. 11 Mar 1814), Raphael (b. 3 Mar 1816), Thaddee (16 Sep 1821), Jean (b. 8 Apr 1824), Rosalie (b. abt Mar 1827 at Memramcook and died 13 April 1859 and was buried at Scoudouc) and Apolline (b. abt 1834).

Laurent’s mother died between 1834, the date of her last known child’s birth and 1843 the year he remarried to Marguerite Leger. Marguerite also died, and Firmin married third Marguerite Babineau in 1850 as per “La généalogie des trente-sept familles hôtesses des « Retrouvailles 94 » by Stephen A. White:

9. DAVID MELANSON (à Pierre à Charles à Charles), m (1) MARGUERITE LE BLANC. Enfants :

vii. Firmin, n v 1787; m (1) Grande-Digue 12 oct 1812 Barbe RICHARD (Joseph & Marguerite LeBlanc); m (2) Grande-Digue 1 août 1843 Marguerite LÉGER (Charles & Apolline Bourque); m (3) Memramcook 3 sept 1850 Marguerite BABINEAU (Jean & Françoise LeBlanc); d Scoudouc 30 août 1858.

In 1851, Laurent, age 17 (not accurate if he was born in 1819? – he should be 32) was enumerated with his father, a Farmer, his stepmother Marguerite Babineau and siblings Raphael (20? – he should be 35), Rosalie (15? – she should be 24) and Apollonie (11? – she should be 17), in Shediac parish, likely Dorchester or Dorchester Road.

Laurent married Pélagie Leger on Monday, 18 Jan 1853, at Memramcook; they are recorded as being of Dorchester (Shediac parish), witnesses were Simon Léger & Apollonie Melanson (likely Laurent’s sister born about 1834).

Known children include: Maximin, Nazaire, Rosalie, Olive, Alexandre, Maglorie (1), Maglorie (2), Osite, Pierre, Madeline, Patrice, Marie-Exilda and Zelica. Known lineages of these children are included in Michael Melanson’s book, so I won’t add them here.  However if you are a descendant of Firmin and Barbe and would like to share your line, I would love to add you to my database! Please write!

In 1861 Laurent is a Farmer, age 27 [not accurate if he was born in 1819? – he should be 42], residing in an area known as Dorchester Road, in the parish of Shediac, with his wife and four young children Maximin, Alexander [Nazaire ?], Rosalie and Olive.

In 1871, Laurent was enumerated, in the Shediac district (likely Dorchester Road) as a Farmer, age 44 [not accurate if he was born in 1819? – he should be 52], .  Neither Laurent or his wife could read or write.  Only their son, 17-year-old Nazaire is listed as being in school.  Children living with the couple include: Nazaire, Rose, Olive, Alexander, Mack [Maglorie], Osite, Peter [Pierre] and Madeline.

In 1870, 21 residents of the village died, most from consumption (tuberculosis).  There were two Melanson’s listed, an infant and a four-year old, likely related; schedule here.

Laurent owned 100 acres of land,  80 of which was improved and included one dwelling house and one barn/stable.  He had one plow or cultivator.  The family had one horse over three years old, one milk cow and one swine/pig.  They produced twenty pounds of butter and twenty yards of homemade cloth/flannel.

They dedicated one acre to producing twenty-five bushels of buckwheat.  Another acre produced 150 bushels of potatoes.  Six acres were dedicated to producing the hay crop (six tons of 2,000 pound bundles of 16 pounds of hay), one bushel flax-seed and ten pounds of flax or hemp.

Laurent seemed to be involved in the lumber business, the farm produced 1,300 cubic feet square of timber and 100 standard spruce and other logs and ten cords of firewood.

In 1881, Laurent was enumerated, in the Shediac district (likely Dorchester Road) as a Farmer, age 63 [first census with an accurate age?]. Children living with the couple included: Alexander, Maglorie, Olive, Osite, Pierre, Madeline and Zelica.

Children not included in any census were Maglorie (1) born 11 Oct 1860 and baptized in Scoudouc 28 Oct 1860, he died 24 Apr 1861 and is buried at Scoudouc; Patrice, born about 1873, he died 7 May 1875, age two years and was buried at Scoudouc; and Marie-Exilda born 5 Feb 1877 and baptized 3 March 1877 in Scoudouc, she likely died young.

Laurent died on 14 Sep 1881 in Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada and was buried there 16 Sept 1881.  A stone has not been located in the St Jacques, Scoudouc Cemetery. The record appears to say that he was 64, the baptismal record would make him 62 (thanks to a reader for the translation!).

An Underutilized Treasure! Spread the Word!!

A few months ago, my husband accepted a new job and relocated to the Washington, D.C. area, giving me the opportunity to explore the genealogical treasures held at the Library of Congress, DAR Library and the National Archives (NARA).

One underutilized “treasure” is the newly opened Innovation Hub at NARA.

It is a place where you scan the documents of our ancestors, held at NARA, for FREE! Once scanned, you keep a digital copy for yourself, then the NARA folks put your scans on their website where anyone can access them for FREE!

I visited yesterday and the room was empty.  It seems the word hasn’t gotten out yet; everyone is still standing in long lines on the public side of the building to see the Declaration of Independence. While that is also cool, it is not as cool as touching your own gg-grandfather’s pension file! or some other original document held in the Archives.

They accept groups (any 8th grade teachers or genealogical societies planning an outing?). If you are visiting as a family or solo you can pull/scan documents related to your own family or simply help scan “The Box of the Month”.  What better history lesson for your kids or grandkids (kids do have to be age 14+; exceptions require prior approval of research room management).

The process is simple.

• Head to the researcher door at the Archives (on the opposite side of the building from the public entrance – on Pennsylvania Avenue, directly across the street from the Yellow/Archives Metro Station).
• After you get through Security, walk straight ahead, into the ground floor research room.
• Watch a quick Researcher Orientation Presentation (preview here) then go to the desk and get your Researcher Card (valid for a year).
• Find the records you wish to scan (At this time, they only allow you to scan pension files and Compiled Military Service Records) with the help of the Archives staff, and put in a pull request (pulls Mon-Fri, 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00 & 3:00; no pulls on Saturday).  When you submit the request, tell them that you want the records delivered to the Innovation Hub.
• Head to the Innovation Hub (also on the main floor next to the research room) – I have learned that the Hub employees don’t exactly adhere to “pull times”, since it isn’t that busy, they typically retrieve your file in 5-10 minutes vs. the 45 minutes it normally takes.
• The staff in the Hub will help you scan.  The process is simple:
  • Fill out a form that tells what is in your file (to help when they later put the file online);
  • Name for your file;
  • Line each page up on the scanner and press the scan button;
  • If a page is connected to another page and can’t be placed on the scanner, notify staff and they will scan it for you on a larger scanner;
  • Return the file to Archives staff;
  • Copy the files to your flash drive  (don’t forget to bring one!).
• Best is that once the file is scanned, they post it on their website for anyone to access for free!  If you want, they give you credit – here is an example of one I scanned https://research.archives.gov/id/24495666

Please spread the word of this incredible new service available at no cost to all of us (which also will help to get these wonderful documents online FREE to others)!! Read more here.

What can you find?  LOTS of really COOL stuff!!  Here are a few finds from yesterday’s visit:

Inside a pension file, was a marriage record for Robert Humphreys and Sarah E. Carpenter, dated 1860.

Also in the file was a document detailing the birth of their child, Frank, signed by the mid-wife who helped deliver him.  Really cool!  Information that you would not find elsewhere!

A card for Pren Metham giving his age, occupation, birthplace, description and list of his promotions.

And a card listing briefly describing his military service (which could lead to other records such as medical records related to his stay at Hamburgh Hospital, Tennessee).

So what are you waiting for!  Plan your visit today!!

UPDATE:

A Reader asks: Thanks for the kick to get me down there! How did you prepare? I haven’t “worked” their files yet.

Reply

• 

  Posted by passagetothepast on September 12, 2015 at 9:18 PM  edit

  Good question and a tough one to answer.

  Here is a video from the NARA website – https://youtu.be/5HNYhMlXYhU

  Several years ago I attended NIGR (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~natgenin/) and I also took a week long Military Records course at IGHR at Samford this year so I knew what types of collections they have and what might apply to my family.

  They have records related to many different topics – explore their website.

  Do you have Civil War ancestors? If yes, you can find your ancestors Civil War Pension Index on Ancestry.com and Fold3 (look at both as the cards are different). Print those out and use them when you arrive at the Archives to order the pension file….

  There are also finding aids – for example, I knew my G-Uncle was on the Ticonderoga in WWI, I was able to use the finding aids in advance and saw that the Ticonderoga ship log was there – here is a summary of what I found –https://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/three-officers-and-104-enlisted-men-of-the-u-s-army-board-the-ticonderoga/

  A popular Record Group are the Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, record group 94 – here is what you might find –http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/094.html – there is a published guide called Preliminary Inventory #17 that that is helpful for these records –http://heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Product_Code=101-P3632&Category_Code=

  You need to think about how your ancestor might have interacted with the Federal Government and what records may have been kept…

  All that being said, the staff and volunteers there are all very helpful – if you have a family tree and know where your ancestors lived and when they should be able to help.

Who are the Parents and Siblings of John Hains/Haines/Haynes?

According to census data, my third g-grandfather John Hains/Haines/Haynes was born in New Brunswick, Canada about 1824:

1851 – Richibucto (census records have not survived)
1861 – resides in Richibucto, age 37, native NB, G. Laborer, Episcopalian
1871 – resides in Richibucto, age 47, English origin, Laborer, Church of England
1881 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 57, English origin, Carpenter, Church of England
1891 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 66, born NB, parents born England, Mechanic/Bridge Builder, Church of England
1901 – resides in Parish of Derby, age 76, born 5 April 1824, born NB of Dutch origin, Farmer, Church of England/Episcopalian

His son John’s death certificate places his birth in Nova Scotia, but all other records place his birth in New Brunswick. Unsourced online trees cite a birth date of 5 Mar 1824 in Frédéricton, York, New Brunswick.

There seems to be no surviving record that directly names the parents of John. However, I believe that his parents were Joseph Haines and Ann(ie) (Nancy) Boone who resided near each other as children, on Keswick Creek/Burtts Corner, New Brunswick a few miles from Frédéricton.

John Hains’ daughter left a historical account (albeit mostly inaccurate) of her Hains ancestors, naming her fathers’s birthplace on the river Keswick and parents as Joseph Haines and Annie Boone. John Hains himself wrote a letter to his daughter alluding to Fredericton origins. These two documents (here) strengthen the case, as they were written by people who likely had first hand knowledge and no reason to lie.

Patience Haines’ (sister to John) death record names her parents as Joseph Haines and Annie Boone in New Brunswick

John Hains writes to his daughter of the recent death of her aunt Patience McKinnon, likely his sister, on 15 February 1895.  He tells her that the death occurred at the home of Joshua Sharp, who has also died.

Patience Hains, a Catholic, was married to Peter Ameraux both of Frédéricton (Bureau de Santé), Parish of Douglas, County of York, New Brunswick on 12 June 1835.  Witnesses were Joseph and Alexander Hains.

In 1861, Patience Ameraux, age 45, was enumerated in Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada in the household of our John Haines, age 37 and listed as his sister.  John had been widowed in 1859 and his sister may have helped raise his children.

Patience then married William McKinnon in New Brunswick 11 Nov 1862.

Patience Haines McKinnon’s death record of 14 December 1894, recorded in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts  names her parents as Joseph Haines and Annie Boone, all three born in New Brunswick. She was said to be 79 years, 8 months, 16 days 9 (thus born about 28 Mar 1815).

In 1870 and 1880, Patience McKinnon is enumerated in Massachusetts the household of Joshua Sharp (name of the second deceased in John’s letter to his daughter).  In 1880 she is noted as Marital Status: “Widowed; Relation to Head of House: Mother-in-law”.  His death is recorded about a month after Patience, on 11 Jan 1895 in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Alexander Haines – likely brother to John, names his parents as Joseph Hains and Ann Boone in a delayed birth record, recorded in New Brunswick

A delayed birth record found for Alexander Haines (also probably the witness to Patience’s first marriage), records his birth in York County, New Brunswick, 3 Aug 1810, to Joseph Hains, a farmer and Ann Boone.

In 1865/6, Alexander and John were both residing on Main Street in Richibucto.

Alexander’s death entry on 13 May 1896 in Richibucto, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada does not name any parents.

Our John named his second eldest son, who was born in 1850, Alexander.

Other Siblings

There were likely other siblings, however I have not found evidence that directly links others to Joseph Haines and Annie Boone.

Unsourced online trees include: Whitman, Elizabeth, Polly (Mary), Joseph, Abigail (Abby), Ann, Samuel and George.

Whitman

Annie Boone’s paternal grandmother (mentioned here) was said to be Mary Wightman.  This sounds quite a bit like Whitman and he may have been given the family name.

Whitman was married in St. Mary’s (York Co.) and although his parents are not named, it places him in the same area of our Hains/Boone families.

Whitman’s obituary places his birth at Keswick, an area where Joseph Hains inherited land from his father Joseph (see probate section).

Daniel F. Johnson : Volume 101 Number 2719

Date March 18 1896
County York
Place Fredericton
Newspaper New Brunswick Reporter and Fredericton Advertiser

Whitman HAINES, a well known resident of St. Mary’s (York Co.) died at that place Monday at the advanced age of 91 years after a brief illness. He was a native of Keswick and carried on a lumbering business for many years on the Upper St. John. About 45 years ago he moved to St. Mary’s and engaged in bridge building. For some seven years he was government bridge inspector. He continued the work of bridge building up to five years ago when he was compelled to retire by the infirmities of age. Three brothers and two sisters, all in advanced years, survive him. He leaves six daughters and two sons, all of whom reside in St. Mary’s. The sons are Alfred HAINES, bridge inspector and Frederick HAINES. The daughters are Mrs. Walter McFARLANE, Mrs. Trueman BURTT, Mrs. Jas. BOONE, Mrs. Samuel BOONE, Mrs. Thomas STAPLES and Mrs. Jas. GILBERT. He leaves eight children, 42 grandchildren, 84 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Deceased had been a Freemason for upwards of 40 years and took an active part in matters pertaining to that order. The funeral takes place this afternoon and will be in charge of Alexandria Lodge.

George

One son of George was named Joseph Whitman Haines and another William Boone Haines. The naming conventions indicated that he was likely a brother to our John.

In 1847, our John bought land with George Haines in Richibucto on the road to Bouctouche.  A few years later, in 1850, John purchased the lot from George and his wife Margaret.

In 1871, a George Hains resided in Richibucto next to (or on the same farm) as our John’s brother Alexander Hains.

Abigail & George

Abigail and George Haines sign as witnesses when our John marries 17 March 1849 Alice Edith Childs.

Abigail

Abigail was married to a William Shaddock.  In 1871, a 54-year-old Abigail Shaddock (presumably widowed) is found living in the same household with a nineteen year old William Shaddock and an 84-year-old Annie Hains.  This Annie Hains is of the correct age to be Annie Boone, based on dates in the Boone bible (see transcription here).  Annie’s father was William, so it would make sense for Abigail to name a son William after her grandfather.

Abigail named her daughter Patience who appears to have married Abigail’s sister Patience’s son (thus her first cousin) Elias Ameraux. They named her first four children Alice, George, Allen and James, all names common to this Haines family.

Abigail died 1 May 1904; her death entry names a birthplace of Richibucto, but no parents.

Joseph Haines probate (our John’s grandfather; father of Joseph Haines who married Annie Boone).

In the Parish of Douglas, York County (the location of Patience’s marriage), the will of Joseph Hains, dated 20 March 1827 names Joseph Hains and his wife Nancy Boone.

Early New Brunswick Probate Records 1785-1835
by R Wallace Hale, on page 192

Eldest son Peter £5 and use for life of Lot 18 on Keswick Creek, originally granted to Peter McLARREN, and at his death the Lot to be divided between my grandsons George HAINS and Israel HAINS, the sons of Peter HAINS. Second son Robert use for life of Lot 10 originally granted to Robert McCARGAR, and at his death the Lot to be divided between my grandsons Joseph HAINS and William HAINS, the sons of Peter HAINS, reserving a maintenance for my grand-daughter Jane HAINS, daughter of son Robert. Should Robert’s wife Amy survive him, she to have the privilege of dwelling on Lot 10 while widow. Third son Joseph use of residue of estate for life, and at his death to be divided among the male issue of son Joseph born of the body of Nancy BOONE alias HAINS Wife of my son Joseph. Son Joseph HAINS sole executor. Witnesses: Thomas WHITE, David MOREHOUSE, William Henry Boyer ADAIR.

Nancy, was originally a diminutive form of Anne or Ann.  In medieval England, Agnes would’ve been Annis. Or Anice. Or Annes. Nancy emerged as a pet form of Agnes via all those variants. As Annis and company faded from use, Nancy attached itself to Anne.

The will of Israel Estey in the same parish further associates the Haines and Boone families:

Parish of Douglas, York County, Yeoman. Will dated 4 February 1827, proved 18 November 1831. Wife Salome household furniture, one Cow, 4 Sheep and a good room in my house. Son Isaac Lot 81 already deeded to him and Lot 82 in the grant to the late Corps of New York Volunteers. Son William Lots 32 and 33. Grand-children Salome STONE, Lydia ALLEN, George HAINES, Israel HAINS, Hannah BREWER and Peter HAINS each 5 shillings. George BOONE of Douglas sole executor. Witnesses: Joshua STONE, James WHITEHED, Chloe STONE.

George and Israel Haines, sons of Peter Haines  are the grandchildren of both Joseph Haines and Israel Estey; thus Peter Haines must have married Estey’s daughter.

Boone and Haines cousins, would love to hear from you with further information!!

My Acadian 30 – week #11, Madeleine LeBlanc

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

Week #10 – Georges LeBlanc

 

11. Madeleine LeBlanc, daughter of Joseph Leblanc and Marguerite Collet, was baptized 21 Jan 1844 in Bouctouche, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada.

According to Stephen A. White, Madeleine’s full siblings included: __?__, Henriette, Marie, Damare, Nicolas, Suzanne, Anselme, Georges, Osite, Daniel and Olivier  (see his handwritten notes below).

In 1861 Madeleine (White) LeBlanc, age 18, resides in Wellington Parish with her parents Joseph & Marguerite and siblings Daniel and Oliver; next door (or nearby) is her future husband, Georges (White) LeBlanc, age 16, who is living with his mother Victoire, step-father Julian LeBlanc & half-siblings.

As mentioned in prior posts:

– Joseph LeBlanc & Marguerite Collet had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

– Sifroi LeBlanc & Victoire Bastarache had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

One child from each family married the other – Georges to Madeleine and Georges to Madeleine!

My Madeleine married Georges LeBlanc of Sifroi LeBlanc and Victoire Bastarache in Bouctouche on 2 May 1864. They were both about 20 years of age.

According to Stephan A. White, the couple had eleven known children (I did not spend much time gathering records/details for them as this is a project for my “to do” list when I next visit Moncton, but I welcome additional information from cousins!):

• Victoire, Henriette, Matilde, Vitaline, Eugenie, Zelie, Nerie, Marguerite, Adelard, Sara, Annie

Vitaline died as an infant.

Madeleine appears with her husband and children in the 1871 (Wellington Parish) and 1881 (Ste Marie, St Mary’s Parish) censuses [see Georges sketch].

Her daughters Henriette and Matilde died in 1890. Georges died on 14 Feb 1891 in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, of consumption, he was 47.

In 1891, the family is found in St Mary’s Parish. They were on image 34 and daughter Victoire (my direct ancestor) on image 36, with many LeBlanc families, likely related, in between:

Madeleine, 47 (widow, can not read or write, no occupation, “ad” written in the “occupation” box, unclear of meaning)
Eugenie, 18 (can read and write)
Zelie, 16 (can read and write)
Nerie, 11
Marguerite, 9
Adelard, 8
Sara, 6
Annie, 4
Georges Roy, 2 (no relationship listed – likely Madeleine had taken in her grandson, son of Henriette. Henriette had married Vital Roy, had one son then died in 1890, of consumption; sadly her son Georges died at age three in 1892 of la grippe, likely influenza).

 

Madeleine married second, Marc LeBlanc, son of Joachim and Prudentienne Maillet, widower of Cécile Bastarache  on 22 May 1893 in Ste Marie.

In 1901, the family is found in St Mary’s Parish (likely in Ste Marie).

Marc, 49, born 25 Mar 1851, farmer, can speak French and English, can not read or write
Madeleine, 58, born 15 Jan 1843, can read, can not write, speaks only French
Pierre [Marc’s son], 26, born 29 June 1874, occupation – farmer’s son, can read, write, speak English and French.
Nerie,  21, born 13 May 1879, occupation – farmer’s son, can speak French and English, can not read or write
Adelard, 17, born 2 April 1883, occupation – farmer’s son, speaks only French, can not read or write
Sara, 16, born 16 Sept 1884, can read, write, speaks only French
Annie, 14, born 28 May 1886, been in school 2 months in past year, can read, write, speaks only French
Joseph Caissie, border, 36, born 15 Mar 1864, journalier making $100, can speak French and English, can not read or write (he is also with the family in 1921 and noted as “father-in-law”).

In 1911, Madeleine (68, born Feb 1843) and Marc (60, born Nov 1851) were enumerated in St Mary’s Parish (likely in Ste Marie). Living with them were Madeleine’s son Adelard (age 28, born Apr 1883) his wife Emma and children Alyce, Madeleine and Mathilde and Madeleine’s widowed son Nerie (age 32, born May 1879), his children Marie Bertha and Edgar.

Much of the detail in this census are unreadable. Familyseach index here and here, Ancestry.com census image here.

Madeleine’s son Adelard died of consumption at age 29, 9 June 1912 (record here).  Her husband Marc died, 8 June 1919, age 66, in Ste Marie of heart and kidney trouble. They had no known children together.

In 1921, a widowed 78-year-old, Madeleine, was noted as head of household (she owned the property) living with her widowed daughter-in-law, Emma, and grandchildren (by her deceased son Adelard), Alyce, Madeleine, Mathilde and Adelard in Ste Marie.  A 54-year-old Joseph Caissie, who was a border with the family in 1901, is listed as “father-in-law”.  His actual relationship is unknown.

Madeleine lost her daughter Eugenie, 30 Oct 1933, and daughter Victoire, 25 Sep 1934.  At least six of Madeleine’s eleven children and two husbands predeceased her. 

Madeleine died 4 May 1935, age 92, 4 months in St Damien.  According to her death certificate, was buried in Mt. Carmel cemetery in Ste Marie (I did not find her grave during my 2015 visit).  She died of old age, with no doctor. Her son Nerie was the informant.

Loyalist William Boone

During the American Revolution, conservative estimates claim that 10-15% of settlers in the thirteen colonies (or about a quarter of a million people), remained loyal to Great Britain (other historians quote figures upwards of 30%).  Since the winning side writes the history books, Loyalists are typically portrayed as traitors.  In reality, the Loyalists were simply loyal to their government.

Loyalists came from every class and walk of life, with varying reasons for loyalty to the Crown.  Some had business interests in England and believed the connection guaranteed them a secure life with wealth and property; others chose sides based on specific events happening in their own communities; some had emotional ties to their mother country; and others were simply fearful of the British Army as there was a high probability that the British would prevail and later persecute the rebels.  Some choose the British side because their military was large and strong, thus offering protection against indians, pirates and other insurgents.

A common theme was the apprehension of replacing a stable and seemingly successful government with democracy, which they believe to be a form of mob rule, and thus a breakdown of law and order which would likely result in chaos. Although the King was said to be a tyrant, Reverend Mather Byles said it best: “Which is better – to be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away or by three thousand tyrants one mile away?”

In 1783,  upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which recognized the independence of the United States, exiled Loyalists returned to England or settled in another British colony. About 35,600, primarily English-speaking, Loyalist refugees fled, with few possessions, to the then isolated and untamed areas of Nova Scotia. At the time, Nova Scotia’s population was about 53,000, thus one can imagine the impact on demographics.

To each family, Nova Scotia authorities granted adequate food and clothing for two years, 200 to 1,200 acres of land and farm implements. The Loyalists initially resided in tents while they cleared the land, erected a house and barn and worked to produce crops to sustain themselves and their livestock while enduring harsh winters. They had access to the river only in the few months it wasn’t frozen. The wife of one soldier recalled:

We pitched our tents in the shelter of the woods and tried to cover them with spruce boughs. We used stones for fireplaces. Our tents had no floors but the ground… how we lived through that winter, I barely know…

There are many tales of the hardships faced by New Brunswick Loyalists. After that first hard winter of 1783, however, most New Brunswick Loyalists probably took the attitude expressed by Edward Winslow, just being pleased not to be ” in danger of starving, freezing, or being blown into the Bay of Fundy”

The Loyalists wished to separate from Nova Scotia; they felt that the government represented the Yankee population who had been sympathetic to the now Americans. The British administrators felt that the capital, Halifax, was too far away from the developing territory to allow proper governance. Thus, on 16 August 1784, the colony of New Brunswick was created, with Sir Thomas Carleton as its first governor.

Among this group, was the family of my 5th g-grandfather, William Boone.

William Boone was likely born to Mary Wightman and Samuel Boone, a Loyalist who was captured at Manor St George on Long Island by Major Bemjamin Tallmadge and taken as a prisoner to Camp Security in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (Peter Force Papers, Series IX, Reel 105, p. 334), where he likely died, perhaps during the fever outbreak that hit the camp in 1782/3 killing many (history here) .

In the book Graveyards of North Kingstown, Rhode Island by Althea H. McAleer, is a transcription of Mary (Wightman) Boone’s tombstone, from work done by Harris, who visited on 28 Feb 1880, and referred to the cemetery as the “Old Boone Yard.”

“ Here lies interred Mary Boone consort of Samuel Boone Esq. He lies interred at Lemchester [likely Lancaster].  She died Sept. 12, 1782 in the 68th year of her age.”

William married Ruth Hill, 21 May 1761, in Rhode Island, and by 1774, according to census data, the couple resided on a farm in Exeter with eight children. His parents and several siblings resided nearby in North Kingston.

A genealogist  (year of writings unknown) documented much of their history. Below are some extracts posted to an ancestry message board. The writings are unsourced, but it seems that the writer had access to the family bible. We do not have access to the original, nor do we know who made entries in the bible and how long they were made after actual events. The names do match up to those listed in Boone’s will. The list includes two children who died at a young age, perhaps indicating that the writer had first hand knowledge.

THE HISTORY OF THE FLEWELLING FAMILY, OR, MY ANCESTORS
GEORGE HAVELOCK FLEWELLING, and others

THE BOONE FAMILY

William Boone Sr.1743-1829

William Boone and his wife, whose maiden name was Ruth Hayward [Ruth’s maiden name was actually Hill], natives of Suffolk County, England, came to America and settled about the year 1765 [unlikely – he was probably born in Rhode Island, where record of his parents marriage is found]. They were people of considerable means and importance, their lands comprising most of the site of the present city of Providence, Rhode Island. The title deeds of which remained in the Boone family, and were finally in care of Mrs. Robert Allen (a direct descendant); but were destroyed when their home on the Hanwell Road [in Fredericton] was burned a few years ago.

William Boone and family were compelled to abandon their home and property in common with others who remained loyal to the Old Flag at the close of the war, and came to New Brunswick in 1783 [other records state that the property was taken from him].  Arriving at St. John, where they remained for a time, we find him applying for lands first at Swan Creek in 1786; and the next year, on the Oromocto River, where he remained for a few years.

Part of his family, who by that time were mostly grown up, settled there; but he not being entirely suited with the location, removed later with some of the family to the Keswick [River], receiving a grant of some 868 acres of land, at what is now Burtt’s Corner.  His first house being built on the farm now owned by Thomas Fowler, and standing just back of Charles Inch’s residence.

He and his wife spent the remainder of their days there and are both buried in the Baptist Cemetery at Burtt’s Corner. Suitable monuments mark both graves. They had a large family, and below is the record as copied from the Family Bible.

Name	Born	Married	Died
William Boone	Aug. 22, 1743	none listed	April 28, 1829
Ruth	Feb. 25, 1744	none listed	May 12, 1833
Children
John	July 12, 1762	none listed	none listed
Samuel	March 9, 1764	March 21, 1785	Nov. 4, 1848
William Jr	June 22, 1766	March 17, 1788	Nov. 17, 1849
Hannah	Feb. 26, 1768	Dec. 8, 1788	June 17, 1860
Mary	April 26, 1770	none listed	March 9, 1840
Lucy	Aug. 5, 1772	Jan., 1805	Aug. 13, 1842
Henry	July 4, 1774	June 8, 1798	June 14, 1846
Wightman	Feb. 26, 1776	none listed	Dec. 12, 1778
Howe	Dec. 12, 1777	none listed	Dec. 12, 1777
James (Rev.)	May 8, 1780	Oct. 7, 1806	Oct. 23, 1865
Elizabeth	Nov. 3, 1783	none listed	July 6, 1800
George Sr.	June 6, 1785	Oct. 18, 1809	Jan. 13, 1861
Anna	March 17, 1787	Oct. 14, 1842	Feb. 23, 1881

.

Travel to Canada

Other records confirm that Boone’s property at Rhode Island was confiscated; and further state he was imprisoned for twenty months after serving in the Hazard’s Corps (Refugees-irregulars who served without pay or uniforms and provided firewood, food, etc., to British establishments, to earn money).

“William Boon”, a Rhode Island farmer, his wife and six of their children (two under the age of ten) are recorded as passengers on the ship “Union”.  A Samuel Boon is also recorded, probably William’s brother, who’s wife and child remained behind in Rhode Island:

The Union was part of the “Spring Fleet” and departed from Huntington Bay on April 16th with the “Kingston Loyalists” and proceeded to New York, where forty-three of the passengers disembarked on April 23rd. The Union sailed for New Brunswick on April 24th with the remaining one hundred and sixty-four passengers. (this list indicates 209 passengers) The Union arrived at Partridge Island, NB on May 10th, and was moored at St. John on May 11th. The passengers did not land immediately, but “remained comfortable on board ship” until June 4th 1783 (passenger list here).

They shortly disembarked onto a small sloop and set sail up the St. John River to Belleisle Bay. Despite their caution in looking for a good place to settle, when they first arrived, they found “nothing but wilderness,” and the “women and children did not refrain from tears” Nevertheless, it was not long before an area at the head of Belleisle Creek was laid out by a surveyor who reserved land for a church and a school, as well as setting out lots. The Loyalists named their new village Kingston. By the time winter set in, according to Walter Bates’ account, “every man in the district found himself and family covered under his own roof… enjoying in unity the blessings which God had provided… in the country into whose coves and wild woods we were driven through persecution.”

Read more of their experiences here

Memorial

Almost all land in New Brunswick, then called Nova Scotia, was Crown owned. Settlers wanting land, petitioned the Governor of Nova Scotia, usually noting the location they wanted. The request was made in a document, called a “Memorial”. The document might be written by the petitioner, but usually was prepared by a notary or Justice of the Peace (typically the requester had limited reading/writing skills).

Once approved, the Surveyor-General of Lands was directed to survey a certain tract or number of acres in a specified location and issue a certificate permitting the grant. The Provincial Secretary’s Office, drafted the grant which was signed by the Attorney-General and the Governor. A transcript of the final grant was also entered by hand into large bound record volumes kept in the Crown Lands Office.

The official grant was a large document on heavy paper with the Great Seal of the Province (a large embossed red wax disc) attached to it with a ribbon. This often was a prized possession, and many documents exist today with descendants.

Claims and Memorials
Memorial of William Boone of Rhode Island

To the Honble Col. Thos. DUNDAS and J. PEMBERTON Esqrs. two of the Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament to enquire into the losses of his Majestys Loyal Subjects in America. The Memorial of Wm. BOONE of Rhode Island now of the County of Sunbury in New Brunswick.

Most humbly Sheweth

That Your Memorialist was possessed of considerable property in Kings County in Rhode Island untill the commencement of the late dissentions in America, at which time he was called on to aid and assist his Majestys enemies in America and on his refusal was insulted, abused and imprisoned, his effects and property taken and sold to the ruin of himself and family and he obliged to flee to his Majestys Troops for protection and during his continuance with them did his endeavour to annoy and distress those who attempted to subvert the British Government in America and in consequence thereof he was taken a prisoner and continued as such for near twenty months.

That Your Memorialist not having an Opportunity at this present [time], of procuring Deeds and other necessary pieces of writing to support his pretensions, but expecting hourly to receive the same, together with the evidences of Capt. Wm. CLERK, Mr. George SWEET and Joseph RATHBONE, all of this Province and others who will prove his Loyalty and Losses most humbly prays that your honours will take his distressed circumstances into consideration, as he having a large family to support in a wilderness Country, could not make a personal application in England, and from the same cause is prevented from an attendance on the honourable Commissioners at Halifax, but humbly hopes that his Claim will be admitted and that he may be allowed to prove the facts before the Commissioners when they arrive in New Brunswick.

And he is as in duty bound will ever pray

William BOONE

Great Britain, Public Record Office, Audit Office, Class 13, Volume 80, folios 42–43.

Notes continue saying that Boone under oath says he is of Rhode Island, now of Sunbury County, New Brunswick and from 15 July 1783 to 25 March 1784 he resided in the County of Sunbury and Nova Scotia and explained why his claim was late as per the above.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE A LARGER VERSION

(GRANT BOOK DATABASE)
BOONE, WILLIAM
Volume: A, page 198, Grant number 98
Original province of registration: Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia registration date: 1784/06/14
New Brunswick registration date: 1785/01/20
Accompanying plan: No
Acreage: 200 acres
Place and County: GAGE TOWNSHIP OF, Sunbury County

A number of land transactions are recorded in Sunbury County, the site where they initially settled, before removing to Burtt’s Corner in York County.

William and Ruth are buried in the Burtts Corner Community Cemetery in the Baptist Cemetery section.

Extract from Boone’s will:

BOONE, William
Parish of Douglas, York Co., Yeoman. Will dated 22 April 1826. Proved 8
June 1829.

He asks first for a decent Christian burial.

He leaves his dearly beloved wife, Ruth, fifteen pounds annually until her death, in lieu of her thirds; bed, bedding, furniture, half a dozen silver tea spoons and “a small room in my house and to be found with fire wood cut suitable length for the fire place Winter and Summer”.

He leaves to his beloved son, Henry, a lot of land bought from Jacob Knai.  To his beloved son, George “my homestead of this my farm” and land, which he describes. Both sons are named executors.

He leaves five shillings each to to his well beloved Samuel [he does not call Samuel “son”; this may be a transcription error], beloved sons William and James Boone; and three pounds each to his well beloved daughters Mary Jones, Lucy Estey, Elizabeth Lawrence, Ann Haines and Hannah Coggeshall.

It is further understood that all household goods which have not been given to Ruth, my well beloved wife, I bequeath to my beloved son George Boone, each and every one of those my children freely to be possessed and enjoyed.

Witnesses: Joshua Stone, Samuel Boone, Thomas White

My Acadian 30 – week #10, Georges LeBlanc

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

Week #9 – (Judith) Angélique Belliveau

10. Georges LeBlanc, son and fourth known child of Sifroi LeBlanc and Victoire Bastarache, was baptized on 09 Feb 1844 in Bouctouche, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada.

According to Stephen A. White, Georges’ full siblings included: Madeline, Jacques, Aime and Sifroi (see his handwritten notes below)

In 1861 Georges (White) LeBlanc, age 16, and mother Victoire are living in Wellington Parish with step-father Julian LeBlanc & half-siblings. Next door (or nearby) is Georges future wife Madeleine (White) LeBlanc, age 18 who resides with her parents Joseph & Marguerite and siblings Daniel and Oliver.

As mentioned in prior posts:

– Joseph LeBlanc & Marguerite Collet had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

– Sifroi LeBlanc & Victoire Bastarache had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

One child from each family married the other – Georges to Madeleine and Georges to Madeleine!

Georges married Madeleine of Joseph LeBlanc & Marguerite Collet in Bouctouche on 2 May 1864. They were both about 20 years of age.

You are noticing that the marriage record from the Drouin indexes does not specifically name Georges and Madeleine’s parents.  Stephen White has been working these families for decades!  He has been able to determine the likelihood of who was married to whom and born to whom because he has studied the entire population.  There are likely additional analyses and records to which I do not have access or that I have not reviewed (like all of the birth/marriage/death records of each of their children).

According to Stephan A. White, the couple had eleven known children (I did not spend much time gathering records for them as this is a project for my “to do” list when I next visit Moncton, but I welcome additional information from cousins!):

• Victoire (my direct ancestor, see week #5 sketch)

• Henriette – She married Vital Roy 22 April 1887 at Ste Marie, son of Joseph Roy/Roi (King) and (Judith) Angélique Beliveau.  He was a brother to Victorie’s husband. She died, age 23 on 20 Oct 1890 of consumption, and was buried at Mont-Carmel (record here and here).

              They had one known child:

(a) Georges, b. 13 Mar 1889, St. Mary’s (PANB birth); d. 1892, age 3, buried 6 June in Ste Marie de Mont-                 Carmel (Drouin Collection death)

• Matilde – She died in 1890, cause unknown, age 21, no known children (record here).

• Vitaline – She died in 1871, as an infant (record here).

• Eugenie – She married Richard LeBlanc, 7 Sept 1891, in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent (record here).  She died in Ste-Marie-de-Kent, age 61, on 30 Oct 1933 (record here)

• Zelia – She married David Caissie 18 Nov 1895 and died 7 Feb 1944. Thanks to a Facebook friend for providing details!

• Nerie – He married Marguerite LeBlanc, daughter of  ___zade and Genevieve LeBlanc, on 03 Feb 1902, at St Mary’s (record here).  He married second Alice Cormier, daughter of Josue (?) Cormier and Marie Melançon, on 15 Feb 1912 at St Mary’s (record here).

• Marguerite

•  Adelard – He married Emma Gaudet, daughter of John Gaudet and Veronique Maillet, on 26 Nov 1906, at St Mary’s (record here). He died 9 June 1912 (record here).

•  Sara – may have died 10 Dec 1905 in Ste-Marie, age 21, of consumption, no parents named on the death entry (record here).

• Annie – Married Sylvain Gaudet, son of Laurant and Genevieve LeBlanc, Mar 1905, at St Mary’s (record here), she was the last to die. Thanks to a Facebook friend for locating her obituary in Evangeline Newspaper dated 9 Jan 1970.

In 1871, the family was enumerated in Wellington Parish (possibly in or near Ste Marie; Wellington was established in 1814 and included Saint Mary Parish until 1867) .

• George, 27 (unable to read or write);
• Madeleine, 27 (unable to write);
• Victoire, 6;
• Henriette, 4;
• Matilde, 2;
• Vitaline, 2 months

Georges owned 50 acres of land, 25 of which was improved and included one dwelling house and one barn/stable.  They had two carriages/sleighs; four cars/wagons or sleds; two plows or cultivators.  The family had one horse over three years old, five sheep and four swine/pigs.  Two swine had been killed or sold for slaughter or export. They produced nice pounds of wool; thirty-three yards of homemade cloth/flannel and three yards of homemade linen.

They dedicated one acre to producing five bushels of spring wheat, one bushel of barley, 300 bushels of oats, 15 bushels of rye and 35 bushels of buckwheat.  Two acres produced 160 bushels of potatoes and two bushels of turnips.  One and half acres were dedicated to producing the hay crop (one ton of 2,000 pound bundles of 16 pounds of hay), one and a half bushels flax-seed and five pounds of flax or hemp. He also produced 100 pounds of maple syrup. The land produced sixteen cords of firewood.

Georges was a fisherman. He did not own any type of water vessel but reported  23 fathoms of nets and seizes of all sorts (a fathom is about six feet) . He caught 1/3 barrel gaspareaux (name of a common salt-water fish of Acadia, also called alewife), ten barrels of oysters and 10 barrels of other fishes (not defined – see list of fishes that were categorized in image below).

In 1881, the family was enumerated in Ste Marie, St Mary’s Parish.

• George, 38;
• Madeleine, 38;
• Victoire, 15;
• Henriette, 13 (attending school);
• Matilde, 11  (attending school);
• Eugenie, 8;
• Milie Zeliah (Zelie), 6,
• Nerie, 1;
• Marguerite, 1 month

Georges died on 14 Feb 1891 in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick, of consumption, he was 47 and had been sick for a year. I did not locate his grave during my 2015 visit or at http://www.acadian-cemeteries.acadian-home.org/frames.html

The City of Bangor vs. Asa P. Lansil – 1863

 

 

My 3rd g-grandfather, Asa Paine Lansil, the fifth known child of Charles V. Lansil (Lancel/Lanselle) and Ruth Paine, was born 17 Oct 1812 in Bucksport, Hancock, Maine.   He married Betsey Turner Grout, daughter of Amos Grout and Rachael Couillard, 2 November 1834, in Bucksport.  Asa, a Cooper, settled in Bangor, Maine, with his wife and six (or perhaps seven) children, where they remained until about 1871, at which time the family relocated to Boston Massachusetts. 

I have written of Asa in the past but not of his noteworthy case as a defendant at the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine against the City of Bangor (the plantiff) in 1863.

Asa, purchased land on the corner of Maine and Lincoln Streets in Bangor for $500 from Wiggins Hill, a merchant, on 15 Dec 1848 (book 192, page 375).  The land is described as:

Beginning at the corner of Maine and Lincoln Street, hence running Westerly on the line of Lincoln Street 100 feet thence at right angles with Lincoln Street Northerly about 70 feet to the dividing lines between said lot and land owned by Thomas Curtis and others as divided by George W Pickering and others, hence Easterly on said line to Maine Street hence Southerly on Maine Street to the point began at more or less.

On 28 Jan 1851 Asa bought land (book 212/page 140) on Buck Street for $500 from his brother James (formerly known as Lincoln Street, lot #8) which Martha Lansil (his brother’s wife) had previously purchased of Wiggins Hill (book 150/page 554). It measured 70 feet on Buck Street and 107 feet deep, per an 1844 survey by Gilman.   Asa later sold this parcel to Joshua Miller on 2 Feb 1853 (book 231/ page 341).

On 1 May 1852, Asa purchased land adjoining to that purchased in 1848 (known as lot #2) on Lincoln Street from Wiggins Hill (book 248/page 470) for $150.  It was an additional 69 1/2 feet by 500 feet.

On this land there was a swale (a low tract of land, that is moist or marshy).  When Lincoln Street was constructed in 1834, the water flowed in gutters down the street until it got to Asa’s lot where it flowed over his property in larger amounts than it had previously.  Asa add fill to the lot, in 1852, to stop the water.  The Bangor Street Commissioner, without town approval began to dig a drain; Asa finished it himself. Later, the drain fell into disrepair.  Asa choose not to repair it, the City of Bangor (after giving Asa notice), repaired and enlarged the drain, then took Asa to court to recover $43 in expenses.

The appeal went to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s role is to decide on questions of law that arise when a case is appealed from a trial court. Opinions are published and become binding on all the (Maine) courts when they adjudicate similar disputes. The Lansil decision is still cited in cases today.

In the Lansil case, the Court issued the following opinion:

“The owner of land has a legal right to fill it up so as to interrupt the flow of surface water over it, whether flowing from a highway, or any adjoining land. Nor does the fact, that the land filled up was a swale (a low tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy), make any difference in the owner’s rights, provided no natural watercourse is obstructed. If, in filling up his lot, the owner construct a drain for the flow of surface water from the highway, which had been accustomed to flow across his lot, and afterwards allow the drain to become obstructed, and it is repaired by the town, the latter can maintain no action to recover the expense of such repairs. Such a drain is not a “private drain,” within the meaning of § 12 of c. 16 of the Revised Statutes”.

Case, under § 12, c. 16, of E. S., to recover the amount expended by the plaintiffs in the repair of a drain.

The evidence, affecting the questions of law raised, tended to show that the drain in question was from Lincoln street, through the defendant’s lot, and another lot, to a drain made by the city; that the defendant’s lot was formerly a swale, and the surface water flowed across it, but there was no natural watercourse on it; that Lincoln street was constructed in 1834, and, after that, the surface water flowed in gutters down the street, till it came to the defendant’s lot, and then passed off across his lot, in greater quantities than before the construction of the street; that, in 1852, the defendant filled up his lot so as to prevent the water from flowing from the street over it; and, thereupon, the street commissioner, without authority from the city, dug the drain and the defendant finished it, and the water from the street had passed off through it, until recently; that, the defendant failing to repair the drain after proper notice, the plaintiffs had repaired and enlarged it; and this action was brought to recover $43, the expenses incurred.

The presiding Judge instructed the jury, that it appeared by the testimony that there was a low swale on the lot of defendant, over which the water from the land in the vicinity naturally flowed; that, if defendant bought the lot under these circumstances, he had no legal right to fill up the lot and obstruct the natural flow of the water, and thus cause it to flow back into the street, and upon adjoining owners; that, if defendant filled up his lot, he was bound to make a suitable drain to carry away the water, so as, not to injure the highway and adjoining proprietors; that, if defendant made the drain under these circumstances, it was a private drain, which he was bound to keep in repair, and, if he neglected to do so, and in consequence of such neglect, the highway was injured, the plaintiffs, after due notice, could themselves repair such drain and recover the expense of the defendant in this action.

The defendant (inter alia) requested the presiding Judge to instruct the jury, that, if the plaintiffs duly laid out and constructed Lincoln street, and the water flowed down the drains of such street to the defendant’s lot which abutted upon said street, and a drain across the defendant’s lot was needed to drain the water from the street, the defendant was under no legal obligation to construct such*drain, but the law provided another remedy to secure the construction of the drain, and, if defendant, without permit from the proper authorities, and through a misapprehension of his legal rights and obligations, constructed such drain, such construction would not of itself constitute it a private drain.

The presiding Judge refused to give the requested instructions, but did instruct the jury that, if more water was brought by the drains on Lincoln street down to the defendant’s lot than naturally flowed there, the jury would deduct from the expenses of repair in like proportion.

The jury returned a verdict for plaintiffs of twenty-seven dollars, and stated, in answer to an inquiry from the Court, that they reduced the damages, because more water was brought to the defendant’s lot by the construction of the street than formerly flowed there.

The defendant excepted [objected].

W. H. McCrillis, for defendant.

A. Q. Wakefield, for plaintiffs.

The opinion of a majority of the Court was drawn up by

Davis, J.—By our statute of 1821, c. 121, copied from the Massachusetts Act of 1797, a person needing a drain “for his cellar,” or for other purposes, could construct it, upon his own premises, to the street; and then, “by the consent and under the direction of the selectmen,” he, either alone, or with others, might extend it across or along the street, to some suitable place of discharge. If there were several owners, it was a “common sewer.” But, whether owned by one or more, it was a private drain.

Such drains were entirely different and distinct from gutters, made as part of streets, to drain off the surface water. Such gutters had always been made, under the general power and duty to open the streets and keep them in repair.

Unless by some city charters or by-laws, no public sewers, for the accommodation of the inhabitants, were authorized by law, until 1844. All such sewers, though constructed under and along the streets, were private property. And no change has ever been made in the law, making such drains other than private property. Many such may be found in all our cities and large towns.

By c. 94 of the laws of 1844, the municipal authorities were, for the first time, empowered to locate and construct public drains, for the common use of such adjacent proprietors as, for a stipulated price, desired to connect private drains therewith. These public sewers were to be located, either under the streets, or, if necessary, through the lands of any person, who was to be compensated therefor. The proceedings of the location are, in many respects, like the proceedings in locating streets.

As cities and towns were only authorized, and not required, to construct public drains, the sewerage of our cities has been, and still is, to a large extent, by private drains. These have, many of them, been made across or along the streets. As they were liable to get out of repair, there had always been a provision by which any owner could repair a “common” sewer, at the expense of all.

But it was found that, in some cases, none of the owners would repair such drains; and that, by their want of repair, the streets across or along which they were constructed, were thereby made unsafe for the public travel. And therefore, by c. 77, § 9, of the laws of 1854, the street commissioner of the city of Portland was authorized, in any such case, to repair the defective “private drain ;” and the owners were made liable to the city for the expense of such repairs. This special statute was made general, by R. S., c. 16, § 12.

The action before us was brought under this provision of the statute.

Was the drain repaired by the city in this case such a drain as is contemplated by the statute?

It is quite obvious that it was not a public drain, or sewer, within the meaning of the statute. It was neither located, nor constructed, as such. None of the provisions relating to sewerage by public drains, to be made and owned by the city, for the use of the abutters on the streets, are applicable to it.

In discussing the question whether it was a “private drain,” it is contended, in behalf of the city, that the defendant, in 1852, had no right to fill up his house lot, which was at the lowest point of a swale crossed by Lincoln street, so as to prevent the water flowing down the gutters either way, during a storm, from passing off over his lot, as before it was filled up.

His right to fill up his lot, depended on the question whether there had been a natural watercourse across the lot before Lincoln street was made. That street was made in 1834. No right to flow water across it had therefore been acquired, by prescription or otherwise, in 1852, unless there had been a watercourse there before 1834. If there had not been a watercourse there, though it was low, swampy land, and, with the adjacent lots, had been overflowed at certain seasons of the year, he had the right to fill it up.

A natural watercourse “consists of bed, banks, and water; yet the water need not flow continuously; and there are many watercourses that are sometimes dry. There is, however, a distinction to be taken in law, between a regular flowing stream of water, which at certain seasons is dried up, and those occasional bursts of water, which in times of freshet, or melting of ice and snow, descend from the hills, and inundate the country.” Angell on Watercourses, 5th ed., § 1. *

In accordance with this definition, it has been held, that, “when there is no watercourse, or stream of water, one cannot claim a right of drainage, or flow of water, from off his land, upon and through the land of another, merely because his land is higher than that of the other, and slopes towards it, so that the water which falls in rain upon it would naturally run over the surface in that direction.” Luther v. Winnissimet Co., 9 Cush., 171.

Whether there had been a watercourse was a question for the jury. If there had not been, then the defendant had the right to fill up his lot; and he was under no obligation to make any drain, or permit the city to make one.

But, if there had been a watercourse, though the defendant had no right to fill it up, still this action could not be maintained. The statute applies only to a “private drain,” made strictly for private use, which the owners may keep open, or fill up, at their option, leaving the street in good repair. But a watercourse is private property only in a restricted sense. The owner of the land through which it flows has no right to fill it up, to divert the water from the land below, nor to turn it back upon the land above. For so doing, he is liable to indictment, or to an action on the case at commonlaw, for the damage caused by the detention or flowage of the water. Calais v. Dyer, 7 Maine, 155.

But the action given by the statute, for the expense of repairing, cannot be applied to a watercourse, even if it is used for a drain. The language is clearly applicable only to drains and sewers which are strictly private property. The city can have no right to use such drains. The owners cannot be under obligation to keep such drains open for the benefit of the city. If the street gutters were opened into them, they would no longer be private, but public.

It is clear that the drain in this case is not such as the statute refers to, as a “private drain.” If it was a watercourse, and the defendant was bound to keep it open, the remedy must be sought in a different action, not for the expense of repairing, but for the damage caused by obstructing it. The verdict must be set aside, and a new trial granted.

Appleton, C. J., Kent, Walton and Barrows, JJ., concurred.

Cutting, Dickerson and Danforth, JJ., disseuted.

Cutting, J. — There are only two kinds of drains known to the law—one a public and the other a private drain. Public drains arc those constructed by the municipal officers of a town under R. S., c. 16, § 2. All other drains are private drains, and embrace two classes. The first such as connect with a public drain by permission of the municipal officers, and the second without such connection; of which latter class the defendant’s drain was one.

It appears that Lincoln street was established and built in 1834, running through a low swale, extending from above and below the sides of the road down and across the lot subsequently purchased and filled up by the defendant; that a culvert was built across the street above the lot, bellow which culvert a drain extended down and through the defendant’s lot to a public drain below. As to the construction of this drain, thus passing through the defendant’s land, by whom and for what purposes built, there was controversy, but none whatever as to its actual existence. It was not a public drain, for it was not constructed by the municipal officers, and, if the street commissioner assisted in its construction, it was without authority and consequently a gratuitous act. It is true the defendant swears “that it is not a private drain nor any use to his lot, nor of any private advantage to him.” The existence of the drain being admitted, it became a question of law as to its character. He may perhaps, now, in a certain sense truly say, after having filled up his lot, dammed up the road, and caused an overflow of water, that the drain is of no use to him so long as he is high and dry, and suffered so to remain in consequence of this drain. But the more important question now is, whether that drain is of any use to the public. When a road is legally laid out, and constructed, no owner of adjoining lands has lawful right by embankments to create an overflow of water; otherwise highways instead of being a public benefit would be a public nuisance, and such would be the situation of Lincoln street, if the defendant should prevail in this suit. Against such an, act even the common law would afford a remedy, which is also found in § 12 of the Act before cited.

The instructions were in harmony with this construction of the law, except they were too favorable for the defendant, by which the damages were reduced as found by the jury.

Dickerson and Danporth, JJ., concurred.

My Acadian 30 – week #9, (Judith) Angélique Beliveau

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

Week #8 – Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

9. (Judith) Angélique Belliveau, the second known child and daughter of Amand Belliveau and Nathalie Bourgeois, was born 08 Nov 1831 (birth date from 1901 census) and baptized the next day at St Henri Parish, Barachois [Yes, the spine reads “Bouctouche”; according to Facebook researchers and Acadian genealogist/researcher Lucie LeBlanc Consentino (website here) in digitizing the parish registers, Jean-Pierre Pepin, somehow mixed up the spine from Bouctouche to the Barachois parish registers. From what I understand, this effects Drouin records dated 1812-1838.  Ancestry.com has them indexed correctly as Barachois].

Siblings

I am still sorting through her siblings (I am guessing Stephen A. White’s binders at the University of Moncton could add some clarity – another project for my next visit!), but they seem to include:

[note: if a census year is listed, it refers to the child residing with parents in 1851 & 1861, or mother in 1871]

Marie –  baptized 13 Oct 1828 (Memramcook book/page 6-8, record here).  No entry for a marriage or death has been found.

Calixte – baptized  7 April 1832 (Memramcook, book/page 6-90), 1851 census, 1861 census (as Charles?), 1871 census (as Clis?), married Bibiane Leblanc, daughter of Benoni and Marie Bourque, in 1864 at Cap-Pelé (record here). He was a farmer; they had at least five children: Sifroi, Honore, Donat, Obeline and Louis. He died 1875, age 43 at Scoudouc (record here).

Justine – baptized  3 Oct 1833, godparents Joseph LeBlanc and Marie Richard (Memramcook, book/page 6-108, record here), 1851 census, may have married Joseph Bourque in Scoudouc in 1854, parents are not named (record here), she is not listed with Amand/Nathalie in 1861 census (unless she was enumerate as Saley – see below)…. In the 1851 census  “she” is listed as a “he”.  Looking at the birth record, I couldn’t read fils or filles. Some family trees (unsourced) list “him” as Justin. A death entry has been found for the Justine who married Jospeph Borque (thanks to a Facebook friend!), however no parents are named:

Denis – baptized 8 Dec 1834 at Barachois, godparents Jean Goudet and Marie LeBlanc (record here), 1851 census, on 31 Jan 1859 he may have married Marguerite D’Aigle at Bouctouche, Pacifique Belliveau was a witness, no parents named (record here).  Or he could still be with his parents in 1861 and enumerated as Dominique (see below). No death entry has been found.

Pacifique – baptized 9 Jan 1837 (Memramcook, book/page 6-192), 1851 census, 1861 census, it is possible that he married Rose LeBlanc in Memrmcook, parents are not named but the couple received a marriage dispensation for 3rd and 4th degree consanguinity, so additional research may confirm  (record here);  the Pacifique who married Rose died at St-Anselme 02 Jan 1883 (record here), he was age 45, thus the right age to be “our” Pacifique.

Euphemie – b. abt 1839, 1851 census, 1861 census, possibly married Dominic Landry in Memramcook (8-121) on 25 Nov 1856, parents are not named, but Justine Belliveau is a witness (record here). No death entry has been found.

Vital – b. abt 1840, 1851 census, 1861 census, died 1862 age 22 – record here. He was enumerated with his parents in 1861, and his parents are mentioned in his death record (not a spouse), so unless he was widowed, it seems unlikely that he married.

Sifroi – b. Aug 1841 (per 1900 census), 1851 census, possibly 1861 census (perhaps as Israel?, Amand had a brother of this name) named as “Dr. Sifroi of Boston” here.  In 1870 he is living in Boston with his wife Kate/Catherine (Bergin) and two year old daughter Nathalie, he is a clerk in Hadley Company (record here). They had a second child, Joseph, born 1871. Katherine died 28 March 1874 of Phthisis/Tuberculosis (record here). He married second Henriette Azelda Leger in Waltham, Massachusetts, 24 Nov 1874, his occupation is “trader” (record here). By 1900, they are living in Melrose, Massachusetts with their 19-year-old daughter Edna, he is a dentist, has been naturalized and claims to have entered the country in 1866 (record here). No death entry has been found.

Eustache – b. abt 1844, 1851 census, 1861 census, possibly married Francoise Richard daughter of Ambroise and Marguerite LeBlanc as listed in unsourced trees. In 1871, there is a single 22 year old man of this name residing in Dorchester (record here). No marriage or death entry has been found. 

Hyppolite – baptized  7 Feb 1845 (Memramcook, book/page 7-5, record here), 1851 census, 1861 census, 1871 census, married 23 Nov 1868, Adelaide Goguen, daughter of Magloire and Eulalie Bourque (record here). Known children include Urbain, Nathalie, Eugenie, Donat, Leonie, Melina, Marcel, Octavie and Emile.   He was widowed and married second, Marie Belliveau, daughter of Max and Justine Melanson, 14 Oct 1912 in Scoudouc (record here).  In the census years 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921 he resided in Shediac Parish in the area of Malakoff/Dorchester Road, Scoudouc. No death entry has been found.

Dosithee – baptized 27 Aug 1846 (Memramcook, book/page 7-41, record here), 1851 census, 1861 census. No death entry has been found.

Osithe – baptized 24 July 1848, godparents were Jean Belliveau and Marie Belliveau, (Memramcook, book/page 7-61), 1851 census, 1861 census, 1871 census, married Urbain Cormier, son of Simon and Clemence Goguen 1871, Scoudouc, names her father as deceased (record here).  Children include: Antoine Joseph and possibly others.  She was not located in later censuses; no death entry has been found.

Henriette – baptized 16 Feb 1852 (Saint Jacques, Scoudouc – record here), 1851 census [? is this really her ?], 1861 census (maybe, as Jane ?), 1871 census, married Eustache Babin in 1884, Scoudouc, (record here); It says that her parents were both deceased – it also says that the couple received a marriage dispensation for 2nd degree consanguinity (de sang) and 3rd degree affinity. And there having been no other impediments , we priest undersigned received their mutual consent of marriage and have given them the nuptial blessing in the presence of Dominique Belliveau and Elizabeth, etc.. She died 23 Feb 1915 and is buried in Scoudouc (link here).

Benoni – baptized 2 Apr 1854 godparents Pacifique Belliveau and Marguerite Leger (record here), d. 1855 (record on Ancestry.com here) – both Saint Jacques, Scoudouc

Questionable:

Saley (??) b. abt 1834 – “daughter” in 1861 census but not in 1851 census?? The age is right for this to be Justine.

Dominique (??)  –  b. abt 1834 – “son” in 1861 census but not in 1851 census?? The age is right for this to be Denis.

Gertude (??) – b. abt 1835 – “son” in 1861 census – not in 1851 census??

Edouard – no baptism located and not listed with Amand in the 1851 census, but unsourced online trees list a marriage date of 21 Nov 1854 in Scoudouc to Domitille Boudreau.  The marriage record (found here) does not name parents.  The given name of the Belliveau witness can’t be read but does not appear to be a child of Amand. The entry is recorded immediately preceding Justine’s marriage. Could this be the Gertude enumerated in the 1861 census?

1851 Census

In 1851, Angélique  was residing with her family in Shediac Parish (likely in Scoudouc); her father was a farmer.

1861 Census – Amand and Nathalie (record here)

Marriage and Children

Angélique married Joseph Roy/Roi (King), the fifth and youngest known child, of François Roy/Roi and Vénérande Savoie, 13 Nov 1855, in Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick.

As outlined in Joseph’s sketch, known children of Joseph and Angelique included:
Docite/Dosithee, Sifroi, Henriette, Sylvain, Cécile, Vital, Olivier and Jude.

Her father Amand died between 1861 and 1871.  Her widowed mother, Nathalie who died 21 May 1878 in Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada is listed in her brother, Calixte’s, household in 1871 (record here).

Angelique is found in the 1871-1901 censuses as detailed in her husband Joseph’s sketch.

Angelique, a farmer’s wife, died on 13 March 1907 at age 77, the cause was “decline”, she had been ill “all winter”. She is likely buried in St Mary’s.

My Acadian 30 – week #8, Joseph Roy/Roi (King)

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

Week #7 – Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

Generation 4

8. Joseph Roy/Roi (King), the fifth and youngest known child, of François Roy/Roi and Vénérande Savoie, was likely born about 20 May 1829 in Wellington Parish, in the village of Bouctouche, New Brunswick (no church entry has been located; the 1901 census reports an exact birth date and his death certificate claims a Wellington parish birth.  The informant is unknown in these documents, thus the accuracy can not be predicted, however census data consistently points to a birth year of about 1829).

No document directly names Joseph’s parents; my source for this information is Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies]; he allowed me to photograph his notes (published here with his permission):

Indirect evidence corroborates:

• The 1861 census lists our subject as Joseph “junior”, his likely father as François “junior” and likely grandfather as François “senior”.  Perhaps the enumerator meant to communicate that Joseph was the son of Francois Roy/Roi who resided next door or on the same farm.
• Joseph’s middle name is François [as recorded at the baptism of Joseph’s son, Sylvain];
• François and Venerande were named as godparents to Joseph’s daughter Libie;
• François witnessed Joseph’s first marriage, and
• their single daughter Agnes (named as godmother to Joseph’s sons Cyrille and Docite), in 1861 resided with François and then likely resided with Joseph’s eldest son Cyrille from at least 1871 until her death in 1894. Agnes’s baptism entry (below) does name François and Venerande as her parents.

 

• Joseph Jr., his wife Angelique and Francois Jr., owned land together in Wellington Parish which they jointly sold to Dominique Robicheau as recorded in deed book T, page 79 on 17 December 1869 (Venerande died prior to the transaction, in 1858).

The proximity, frequent interaction and transactions between Joseph, Francois and Venerande during their lifetime point to them being close kin.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Joseph’s  known siblings, whose baptism’s were recorded in Bouctouche, include: Olive, Agnes, Pierre and Marie.

Nothing is known of Joseph’s early years; he was likely an uneducated farm hand, working for his father in the small village of Bouctouche, where the population was under 500.

In the parish of St-Jean-Baptiste, Bouctouche a marriage is recorded between Joseph Roi and Henriette Legere in 1847:

Le 2 fevrier 1847 apres après la publication ordinince des bans de mariage faite a nos  messes paroissiales entre Joseph Roi et Henriette Legere apres avoir accorde dispense du 3 au 3 et du 4 au 4me degre de consanguinite en vertue des facultes accordees a monseigneur William Dallard par un indulte du sd Octobre 1842 par le St. Siege Ad decennium ces dites facultes nous ayant ete accordies nous avons reçu leur  consentement mutual de mariage et leur avons donne la benediction nuptiale en presence de Francois Roi, Isaac LeBlanc

Which translates to something like:

On February 2, 1847 after the publication of banns ordinance made ​​to our parish masses between Joseph Roi and Henrietta Legere after having granted dispensation from 3 to 3 and 4 to the 4th degree of consanguinity in virtue of the powers granted by a Monseigneur William Dallard indulte of October 1842 by the St. Siege Ad Decennium these faculties having been said we accordingly received consent mutual of their marriage and have given the nuptial benediction in the presence of  Francois Roi, Isaac LeBlanc

Thus, Joseph Roy was related to his first wife in two ways:

• 3 to 3 (third degree): second cousins, sharing g-grandparents
• 4 to 4 (fourth degree): third cousins, sharing 2nd g-grandparents

During my 2014 visit, Stephen A. White, consulted his notes and in minutes crafted the following to define the kinship:

Children of Joseph and Henriette included:

(1) Cyrille – baptized  20 November 1847, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche.

(2) Pierre – baptized 30 November 1849, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Pierre Hebert and Marie Roi.

(3) Libie (Lébée/Lybie?)– baptized 28 Dec 1851, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche; godparents were François Roy and Vénérande Savoie. It is possible that she died young, was adopted and/or the name “Libie” is in error, as it is not a “typical” name of the place/time. To date, she has not been found in other records.

(4) Hippolite – baptized 9 Feb 1853, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche; godparents were Louis Legere and Olive LeBlanc. He was not living with the Roy family in any census year and according to his marriage record, was adopted after his mother’s death by Eustache Poirier and his wife Cecile Legere (daughter of Simon Legere and Marie-Rose Arsenault and his mother Henriette’s biological cousin). He resided with them in 1871 in Grande-Digue and was enumerated as Hyppolyte Poirier. It is unknown whether he had a relationship with his biological family, nonetheless, with the exception of this census, all records seem to indicate that he used the Roy surname for his lifetime.

Henriette’s death was registered at St-Jean-Baptiste in Bouctouche : On 23 April 1853, Henriette Legere, 31 years old, spouse of Joseph Roi, died the “day before yesterday and was buried in the cemetery of this parish”.

Joseph married second, on 13 Nov 1855, (Judith) Angélique Beliveau, in Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada, daughter of Amand Belliveau and Natalie Bourgeois.

The marriage record reads:

Scoudouc, Westmoreland N.B., St Jacques- le 13 Novembre 1855, après la publication ordinince des bans de mariage entre Joseph Roy veuf majeure de défunt Léger de Bouctouche d’una part, et Angelique Beliveau fille mineure de Amand Beliveau et de Natalie Bourgeois de la missons de Squédouc, d’autre part ne s’étant découvert aucun empêchement et __ le consentement des parents nous prêtre soussigné avons  reçu leur mutual consentement de mariage et leur avons donne la benediction nuptiale en presence de Joseph Maillet et de Euphamie Beliveau qui ainsi que les époux niut su signer.

Which translates to something like:

Scoudouc, Westmoreland N.B., St Jacques- the 13 November 1855, after the publication of banns of marriage ordinance­­ between Joseph Roy, of legal age, widower of deceased Léger of Bouctouche on the one part and Angelique Beliveau minor daughter of Amand Beliveau and Natalie Bourgeois of the mission of Scoudouc on the other part, having received no impediment and having ___ consent from the parents we priest undersigned have received their mutual consent of marriage and have given them the nuptial blessing in the presence of Joseph Maillet and of Euphamie Beliveau which together with the spouses sign this night.

 

Children of Joseph and Angelique included:
Docite/Dosithee, Sifroi, Henriette, Sylvain, Cécile, Vital, Olivier and Jude

1851/1861 Canadian Census

The 1851 Canadian census for Kent County did not survive.

By 1861, the family resided on a farm in the Parish of Wellington, Kent County (which included the area of St. Mary’s Parish until 1867) and used the surname King (English translation of Roy); they were Roman Catholic.

• Joseph, junior, age 31, farmer
• Angélique, age 29, wife
• Ceril, age 14, son [likely Cyrille]
• Peter, age 12, son [likely Pierre]
• Docité, age 4, son [see sketch week #4]
• Cephor, age 3, son [likely Sifroi, baptized 12 November 1858, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparent was Charles Maillet]
• Onriette, age 1, daughter [likely Henriette, baptized 2 December 1860, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Jean C. Maillet and Marraine Henriette Bastarache]

Next door (or on a farm nearby) are Joseph’s likely paternal relatives:

• Frank, junior, age 63, widower, farmer [Joseph’s father, Francois – According to Stephen White’s “La généalogie des trente-sept familles, hôtesses des « Retrouvailles 94 »  – SAVOIE , his wife, Vénérande,  died in Bouctouche 27 May 1858]
• Olive. age 39, daughter [likely Joseph’s sister]
• Onyez [Agnes ?], age 37, daughter [likely Joseph’s sister]
• Frank, senior, age 92, lodger [likely Joseph’s paternal grandfather – Francois]

Joseph had 33 acres, of which 20 had been improved, valued at $150, with other farm machinery valued at $20.  He had no employees.  His father’s farm was quite similar (details in a future sketch).

His animals included: two horses; two milk cows; two working oxen; four sheep; and six swine/pigs.

He reported slaughtering 400 pounds of pork; netted eight pounds of wool; and created $20 of cloth (or similar manufactured products).  Eight acres of land was dedicated to production of hay (he netted three tons).  The farm produced 30 bushels of wheat (from three acres), eight bushels barley (from 1/2 acre), 50 bushels oats (from four acres), twelve bushels buckwheat (from one acre) and 300 bushels potatoes (from three acres).

The farm was likely situated in Bouctouche in the area labelled “Francis King” on the map (No100) below. Since Joseph’s mother, Vénérande,  died in Bouctouche in 1858; this further strengthens the case that they resided there.

Land deeds have not yet been examined fully.  The known grantor/grantee indexes for the Roy/King surnames in Kent County from 1827 to 1941 can be found here: New Brunswick Roy deeds

The census reported that none of Joseph’s children had attended school the prior year.  At that time, schooling was largely through traveling teachers who served many villages at once. It was not until the time of the Canadian Confederation, in 1867, that the Acadians were able to re-establish some semblance of their pre-expulsion society. At that time, schools were founded (although education was not highly valued in many areas and the offerings were not ideal for several decades) and the people began taking an active part in political life (as Catholic’s they were previously denied the right to vote or participate in the legislature). Although many continued to lived in abject poverty; a contributing factor being that Acadian farmers primarily held land along the coast, in less fertile areas.

1871 Canadian Census

In 1871 the family was enumerated (with four additional children) in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent (Olivier born 1870 was the first Roy child baptized in Ste Marie at Mont-Carmel), which in 1871 had a population of 100.

Sainte-Marie-de-Kent (often called Sainte-Marie) is a Canadian village in Kent County, New Brunswick. Today located in the parish of Saint Mary’s, which was established in 1867 from part of Wellington Parish; the same year Canada officially become a country. The village is located about 28 miles north of Moncton on North side of the Buctouche River, 1.4 miles North East of Upper Bouctouche. Its residents are largely Acadian, most of whom speak French in its local variant Chaic.

• Joseph, 42, cultivateur (farmer), can not read or write
• Angelique, 40, can not read or write
• Docitée, 13  
• Sigefroi,12
• Henriette,10
• Sylvain, 9 [ baptized 12 December 1861, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Sylvain Maillet and Marraine Jeanette LeBlanc. Joseph’s middle name is given as Francois]
• Cécile, 5 [baptized 4 June 1866, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Cyrille Roy and Cecile Allain]
• Vitál, 8 [likely baptized 30 March 1868, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Edouard and Marraine Genevieve Belliveau.  Note that his mother is recorded as “Julie”, this was the only record in the parish that was likely the correct baptism for Vital, perhaps Julie is in error and it was meant to be Judith. His marriage record names Judith as his mother, and when he travels to the US in 1916 he gives a contact in Canada as a brother Sylvain.]
• Olivier, 10 months [baptized 5 June 1870, at Ste. Marie de Mont-Carmel. Godparents were _____ Maillet and _____ Richard]

Joseph’s sons Cyrille and Pierre are residing together nearby, in Saint Marie, with Agnes Roy [sister of Joseph].  No other members of the King/Roy family were found nearby in 1861. A widowed Frances Roi, of the correct age to be Joseph’s father was found in Wellington residing with the family of Joseph & Mary Ferware (enumerated as Jerway in 1861 and two census pages away from the Roy’s in Wellington), perhaps Fougere?

Joseph and Angelique were unable to read or write (this question was only asked of those over age 20) but presumably no one in the family could read/write as none of the children were attending school.

Joseph, in 1871, seemed to own significantly more acreage than he did in 1961.  He had 125 acres of which 30 were improved and 12 were pasture (they did not have a garden). There were two dwelling houses on the property, one of which was uninhabited.  They had one barn or stable, two carriages or sleighs, 2 cars/wagons or sleds and one plough or cultivator.

Animals included:  one horses over 3 years old; two working oxen; three milk cows; one “other horned cattle”; six sheep – 6 (one was killed or sold for slaughter/export); five swine/pigs (one was killed or sold for slaughter/export)

The farm produced eight acres of wheat crops on which he netted the followings bushels – 30 of spring wheat (sown in the spring and is harvested in the fall), seven of barley, 60 of oats and 90 of buckwheat.  He had four acres of potatoes which netted 125 bushels.  He had two acres of hay which netted three-ton of 2,000 lbs or bundles of 16 lbs of hay and 40 bushels of apples.  The sheep netted 20 pounds of wool which produced 60 yards of home-made cloth or flannel.

Joseph did not appear to be involved with fishing, forestry or mineral products.  It is possible that he was involved with steel/iron as a Blacksmith “Ouvrages et réparations de Forgerons en tout genre” (Works and Repairs of Blacksmith of all kinds).  The schedule has a line through his name, it is unknown if the enumerator crossed this out or if it was done later – he was only involved in the business for 1/2 a month and although he had $40 in capital only made a few dollars. It could be a business that was discontinued that census year but was perhaps run in years prior.

Sixteen people died in St Marie the prior year, most from consumption, malaria or diarrhea.  There were two Roy’s, likely related – schedule here.  Joseph’s father, who had lived near them in 1861, Francois Roy,  died 25 April 1875.

1881 Canadian Census (only schedule 1, population was preserved)

In 1881, the family continued to reside in the parish of Sainte-Marie (with one additional child):

• Joseph, 52, cultivateur (farmer)
• Angelique, 51
• Silvin [Sylvain], 19
• Aurietta [Henriette], 20
• Cecille [Cécile], 15
• Vitál, 13
• Olivier, 11
• Jude, 7 [baptized 24 June 1873, at Ste. Marie de Mont-Carmel. Godparents were Dosite Roy and Domtilda Cormier]

• Docitée, 23 was listed as a widower and enumerated separately [the day after the remainder of the family was recorded, see margin notes], it appears that he resided on the same farm.

Jude and Vital were attending school (Olivier, age 11, was not marked as in school which may have been an enumerator error, although 1901, 1911 and 1921 censuses specify he can not read or write).

Cyrille, his wife Genevieve, six children and Joseph’s sister, Agnes Roy live together in Sainte-Marie, as does Pierre, his wife Madeline, and four children, Sigefroi, his wife (name unreadable, likely Judeste) and daughter [E]ugenie. Hyppolyte/Hippolite resides in Moncton with his wife Marie Rose and two children; he is a farmer.  They are residing next door or possibly in the same home as Hyppolyte’s adoptive parents.

1891 Canadian Census (only schedule 1, population was preserved)

In 1891, Joseph and Angelique with a few of their children continue to reside in the parish of Sainte-Marie:

Joseph, 61, alt
Angelique, 60
Olivier, 20
Jude, 16

Next door [or possibly on the same farm] is their son Sylvain, his wife Marie and their 5 children;  nearby in Sainte-Marie are son Cyrille, his wife Genevieve, ten children and Joseph’s sister Agnes Roy, also son Pierre, his wife Madeline and seven children, son Docitée, his wife Victorie and their three children. Daughter Cécile is next door (or perhaps on the same farm) as her brother Docitée with her husband Jean Collet/Collette and two children.

Henrietta was in Wellington with her husband Domicien LeBlanc and three children. Sigefroi was living with his wife Adele and five children in Grande-Digue, Dundas Parish. Hippolite and Vitál were not definitively identified in the 1891 census.

 

in 1898 St. Mary’s was a farming and fishing community with 1 post office, 4 stores, 1 cheese factory, 1 church and population had grown to about 1,000.

1901 Canadian Census (this census includes birth day, month and year)

In 1901 some of the family continues to reside in the parish of Sainte-Marie:

Joseph, 71, cultivator
Angelique, 69
Jude, 27

Next door [or possibly on the same farm] is the family of their son Olivier, his wife Celeste and their five children. Cyrille, his second wife Barbe and ten children also live in Sainte-Marie; two teenagers named Octavia & Henriette LeBlanc reside with them, he names them as daughters [perhaps step-daughters ?]. Also in  Sainte-Marie is their son Sylvain, with his wife Marie and nine children and Cécile who was residing with her husband Jean/John D. Collet/Collette with six children.

Docitée (enumerated as Doss King), his wife Victorie and their three children have relocated to Lancaster, Saint John, New Brunswick. Sigefroi was living with his wife Adele and five children in Grande-Digue, Dundas Parish.  Vitál was residing nearby in the Parish of Wellington, with wife Margerite and four children.  Pierre, Hippolite  and Henrietta were not definitively identified in the 1901 census.

1911 Canadian Census

Angelique, noted as a farmer’s wife, died on 13 March 1907 at age 77, the cause was “decline”, she had been ill “all winter”. She is likely buried in St Mary’s.

In 1911 a widowed Joseph and his widowed son Jude, reside in the parish of Sainte-Marie on the farm now owned by his son Docite’s family:

Docite, 53, cultivateur (farmer)
Victorie, 46
Pius, 24 [my g-grandfather]
Laura, 19 [Pius’ wife; my g-grandmother]
Joseph, 83, retired
Jude, 47

Olivier was still in Ste Marie with his wife Celeste and eleven children. He was a farmer. Cyrille was also enumerated in St Mary’s with his second wife and several children. Pierre resided in Dundas with his wife Madeline and two children near Sigefroi who resided there with his wife and several children.

Sylvain was enumerated in Moncton under the surname King, at 7 Harper’s, with his wife Marie, four children and three young boarders all using the surname King (likely relatives). Interestingly, his wife is listed as head of household and he is enumerated as “husband”.  The only death certificate located for a Sylvain Roy of the right age, gives his death as 1910 at St. Mary’s; he may be deceased but was somehow mistakenly enumerated, which would explain why his wife is listed as head of household.

Hennrietta, Cécile & Vital were not definitively identified in the 1911 census. Hippolite died 18 Jun 1911 in Grande-Digue; his family has not been located in the 1911 census.

Joseph died suddenly on 26 May 1913  of “old age” and is likely buried in St Mary’s; he was 84 and a retired farmer.

 

Probate records do not survive for Kent County.

Joseph was the subject of a past blog post, which can be found here; although not comprehensive and likely having errors, it includes additional details of Joseph’s children and many of his grandchildren.

Comments, corrections and updates appreciated!

My Acadian 30 – week #7, Ausithe/Osite Dupuis

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

Week #6 – Magloire Melanson

7. Ausithe/Osite/Osithe Dupuis, daughter of Jean-Bénoni DuPuis and Nathalie Boudreau, was born on 15 Jun 1867 (Registres de la paroissede Memramcook, vol/page M-27A) and baptized as Marie Ausithe Dupuis at Memramcook, Westmorland, New Brunswick the following day. She was perhaps born in Scoudouc.   Scoudouc would not become a parish until 1907; it was therefore administered by priests from Memramcook, Saint-Anselme, or Shediac.

Ausithe’s marriage record lists a birthplace of Scoudouc; death record lists a birthplace of Memramcook, her parents were enumerated in the district of Dorchester in 1861 and Scoudouc at Dorchester Road in Shediac Parish in 1871 .

Known siblings (found in the Registres de la paroisse de Memramcook, index général 1806-1900 – document here) include:

• Eustache: b. 30 Jun 1854, Memramcook vol/page 8-64
• Marie: b. 13 May 1857 Memramcook vol/page 8-131; buried 14 April 1868 Memramcook vol/page M-53
• Ferdinand: b. 15 Nov 1859, Memramcook vol/page 9-20 – twin
• Philias #1: b. 15 Nov 1859 Memramcook vol/page 9-20 – twin; buried 25 Dec 1859 Memramcook vol/page 9-24
• Philias #2: b. 15 Jun 1862, Memramcook vol/page 9-90
• Antoine: b. 16 Oct 1864, Memramcook vol/page 9-174 AND
• Bibianne: who was baptized May 1871 at St Jacques, Scoudouc (image on Ancestry.com here)

1871 census – Ausithe was three and enumerated as Osit, in Scoudouc at Dorchester Road in Shediac Parish, with her parents and siblings; she is a neighbor to her future husband, Magloire Melanson [see red arrow in image].

The family is indexed on Ancestry.com as:

William, 47 [likely Jean-Bénoni]
Sarah, 44, [likely Nathalie]
Natash, 15, [likely Eustache]
Fardinan, 11, [likely Ferdinand]
Phileos, 8, [likely Philias]
Antony, 5, [likely Antoine]
Osit, 3, [likely Ausithe]
Libane, 1/12, [likely Bibianne]
John Dupee 80, [“John” is likely related to Jean-Bénoni, but the relationship is unknown].

Ausithe’s parents and John can not read or write (the census question was only asked of those over age 20). No one in the family was attending school.

In 1871, Ausithe’s father owned 100 acres of land, twelve of which were improved, with one dwelling house.  They had one plow or cultivator and one car/wagon or sled.

The farm appeared to be much smaller that that of their Melanson neighbors. They produced twenty-five bushels of oats, fourteen of buckwheat and fifteen of potatoes.

The family had no horses, one milk cow, two sheep and two swine/pigs (one pig was exported or slaughtered).  They produced seven pounds of wool and thirty yards of homemade cloth/flannel.

Jean-Bénoni also lumbered 125 standard spruce and other logs, two cords of tan bark (which might have been used for fuel) and four cords of firewood.

Ausithe’s father died between 1871 and 1881.  His death entry has not been located in parish or civil records.

1881 census – Ausithe was 14, enumerated as Osite, in Scoudouc at Dorchester Road, Shediac Parish, with her widowed mother and siblings; although the census microfilm is unreadable in places, she is still a neighbor of the Melansons.  No one in the family is attending school.

The family is indexed on Ancestry.com as:

Ferdinand 20, farmer
Natallie  53, [Nathalie]
Eustash  26, farm laborer [Eustache]
Phillias  18, farm laborer [Philias]
Osite  14, [Ausithe]
Bibienne  9, [Bibianne]

On Sunday, 8 Feb 1891, Ausithe/Osite Dupuis married Magloire Melanson son of Laurent Melanson and Pélagie Leger.

On that date, Magloire was reported as a farmer residing in “Scoudouc near Shediac” (likely Dorchester Road; the same farm owned by his father).  They were neighbors and likely knew one another their entire lives. Father Louis-Joseph-Octave Lecours, of the College of Saint Joseph in Memramcook, who was in charge of the Scoudouc mission for 24 years, until 1892, was the officiating clergyman.  The couple was married at the church of Scoudouc, near Shediac (St. Jacques), in the presence of witnesses Joseph Bourque and Bibiane Dupuis (Ausithe’s sister).

To view several old church photos, on the McCord Museum website – click here

1891 census – Later that year, the couple was enumerated in Scoudouc, Shediac Parish, with Magloire listed as a general laborer; it seems he had assumed the position of head of household on his late father’s farm. Although it is his brother Peter/Pierre who is noted with the occupation of farmer. Living with them were Magloire’s widowed mom and Magloire’s single siblings:

• Magloire,laborer, 25
• Osite, 23
• Peter [Pierre], farmer, 21
• Pélagie, general house, 56
• Osite, servant, 23
• Madeleine, servant, 21
• Marie, 13
• Zelica, 9

No one in the family could read or write.

Ausithe’s widowed mother, a few brothers and their families are still nearby, running her deceased father’s farm.

Scoudouc in 1893

L’école aux apparitions mystérieuses, Bourgeois, Philéas-Frédéric, published 1896 (https://archive.org/details/cihm_00208), is a book of the testimonies of the children between ages seven and eleven, and a few adults, who supposedly saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the local school at Scoudouc, in the fall of 1893. The book is of further value as it describes life in Scoudoc and the school at Dorchester Road, likely the school of the Dupuis and Melanson children (although it is unclear if any of my direct ancestors actually attended school).  Since Ausithe and Magloire married in 1891, neither they or their children were likely present to see the apparitions, but were surely friends, neighbors and relatives of those quoted.

Following is an excerpt (with the aid of google translate; since I don’t know French):

“The mission of Scoudouc is located in the county Westmoreland, New Brunswick, midway, or so between Memramcook and Shediac. It’s rugged plain contrasts with the mountainous terrain rising south and southwest of the county. Here, the traveler will not find around town the church, as in most of the parishes of the province of Quebec and some of ours in Acadia. All householders are farmers; they are mounted on a corner of their percent acres of land, and this is what explains why houses are scattered over a distance of four or five miles. The soil of this area is very fertile, and people who deal exclusively with the culture of their land, reap, year after year, an abundant yield to maintain in a modest competence….

The mission today is close to a hundred and twenty families. Its inhabitants are labor serious, sober, honest and good Catholics. They obey the priest with a primitive docility and their piety and obedience to the divine offices are in general, really uplifting. In most families, the rosary is recited together, every night of the year”…

Processions are made ​​to the honor of the Blessed Virgin, the faithful always attend. Hence one can conclude that devotion to the Mother of God is firmly rooted in the heart of these populations and that if, in our country, a group of Catholics deserved special favors from Mother which is in heaven, it is the faithful of St. Jacques, Scoudouc. We have already said that this mission extends over an area of ​​several square miles. it includes the District of Scoudouc itself and those of Painsec, Meadow Brook and Dorchester Road.  The latter village is so-called because of  the first group of settlers in District Shédiac in the direction of Dorchester. It is located two miles from the church Scoudouc, on the way to Shediac. In the area ​​Dorchester Road, we see a rising school at the corner of the highway and Belliveau, whose direction is west to east. It is a building of 32 x 20 feet and its appearance is poor both within and outside.  In front of the school, there are willows to shade the children where they go to sit or to rest after their games, or to shelter from the sun in the summer. The path of Belliveau and small yard adjacent to the school provide a place of recreation  for students. The interior of this village school is as simple and humble in appearance  A large pole of wood stands in the middle of the aisle, there are twenty-two desks. At the bottom of the class, there is a desk reserved for the teacher. Behind this desk stands a table in black to use for writing, arithmetic and mathematics lessons. A large world map runs until the bottom of the wall,  the interior is covered with wall paper whose background is yellow”…

Ausithe’s death – 1897

Ausithe died on 28 Aug 1897, age 30 and 2 months, of consumption, after two years of illness, in Scoudouc and was buried two days later. Her children were about five and two. They were likely raised by their grandmothers and aunts (who were neighbors) and later their step-mother Judith Cormier.

No photos of Ausithe are known to exist, but she perhaps resembled her sister Bibianne, pictured below.

My Acadian 30 – week #6, Magloire Melanson

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

Week #5 – Victoire LeBlanc

The Melanson surname is unique in the fact that it’s use can be traced to the family of Pierre Laverdure and his wife Priscilla, who likely landed in Acadia in 1657, onboard the ship Satisfaction after sailing from England with their sons, Pierre and Charles, the first to take the surname “Mellanson”.   They were known as Pierre Mellanson dit La Verdure and Charles Mellanson dit La Ramée.  The “dit” name is essentially an alias or nickname used by the French, read more about “dit” names here.   A interesting account of this family (one of my favorite books) has been written: The Melanson story : Acadian family, Acadian times; 2nd edition, July 2014 by Margaret C. Melanson, with a preface by Stephen A. White.

The Melanson Genealogy is well researched  and has been published by Michael B. Melanson of Dracut, Massachusetts, in “Melanson ~ Melançon: The Genealogy of an Acadian and Cajun Family”. This hardcover has 1,040 pages, a 20,000+ person index, complete footnotes and a full bibliography. It covers the Melanson and Melançon descendants of Pierre and Charles Mellanson, to the early twentieth century. If you are a Melanson, it is a “must” for your collection.

On pages 305, 565-566 Magloire’s line which begins after me, my mom and my grandmother, starts with his daughter Laura, then our subject Magloire, and continues with Laurent, Firmin, David, Pierre dit Parrotte, Charles, Charles Mellanson dit La Ramée, back to Pierre Laverdure.

6. Magloire Melanson, son of Laurent Melanson and Pélagie Leger, was born at Scoudouc, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada on 18 February 1862. He was baptized five days later at Église (Church) de Saint-Jacques (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FLR3-RF2); godparents were Jude Melancon and M. Modeste Leger. They were Roman Catholic.

According to Wikipedia (French to English translation): Scoudouc was founded in 1809 by 11 families from Minoudie and Memramcook , it was a farming community.  On 6 May 1815, 6,000 acres of land were officially granted to: David Melanson [Magloire’s g-grandfather], Mathurin Comeau, Pierre Melanson senior, Dominique Melanson, Fabien Melanson, Laurent Bourque, Maximin Leblanc, Laurent Melanson, François Comeau, Jean Leblanc, François Lightweight, John Melanson, Pierre Babin, Romain Pierre Melanson and Bourque . Scoudouc would not become a parish until 1907. It was therefore administered by priests from Memramcook, Saint-Anselme, or Shediac.

`

Pélagie gave birth to at least 13 children. Magloire was her seventh known child and second of that name.  The first Magloire was born 28 Oct 1860 and died 24 April 1861 (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FLGF-BV2). In that time period, a common naming custom involved parents giving a subsequent child the same name as their deceased offspring.

Other known siblings include: Maximin, Nazaire, Rosalie, Olive, Alexandre, Osite, Pierre, Madeleine, Patrice, Marie-Exilda and Zelica.

In 1871, a 9 year old Magloire (indexed on Ancestry.com as “Mack Malonson”) was living with his parents and eight siblings in Scoudouc, Shediac Parish, a farming community population 500; his dad is a farmer. It seems that Magloire’s future wife Ansithe/Osite Dupuis is a neighbor [see the red arrow in the image].

• Lorang [Laurent], 44
• Pélagie, 35
• Nazaire, 17
• Rose, 16
• Olivia, 13
• Alexandre, 12
• Mack, 9
• Osite, 5
• Peter [Pierre], 3
• Madeleine, 2

Magloire’s parents can not read or write (the census question was only asked of those over age 20). Only Nazaire is noted as attending school.

In 1870, 21 residents of the village died, most from consumption (tuberculosis).  There were two Melanson’s listed, an infant and a four-year old, likely related to Magloire; schedule here.

Magloire’s father owned 100 acres of land,  80 of which was improved and included one dwelling house and one barn/stable.  They had one plow or cultivator.  The family had one horse over three years old, one milk cow and one swine/pig.  They produced twenty pounds of butter and twenty yards of homemade cloth/flannel.

They dedicated one acre to producing twenty-five bushels of buckwheat.  Another acre produced 150 bushels of potatoes.  Six acres were dedicated to producing the hay crop (six tons of 2,000 pound bundles of 16 pounds of hay), one bushel flax-seed and ten pounds of flax or hemp.

Laurent seemed to be involved in the lumber business, the farm produced 1,300 cubic feet square of timber and 100 standard spruce and other logs and ten cords of firewood.

In 1881, 18-year-old Magloire (indexed on Ancestry.com as “Magloir Malonson”) was a laborer, living with his parents and seven siblings in Scoudouc,  Shediac Parish. None of the children were attending school. The family included:

• Lorang [Laurent], farmer, 63
• Pélagie, 48
• Alexandre, laborer, 22
• Magloire, laborer, 18
• Osite, 17
• Pierre, 13
• Madeleine, 12
• Zelica, 0 (born March)

Magloire’s future wife Ansithe/Osite Dupuis is the next family listed in the census, and perhaps lives next door or down the road [see the red arrow in the image].

On 14 September 1881 Magloire’s father died at age 62 (cause unknown).

On Sunday, 8 Feb 1891, Magloire, married Ausithe/Osite Dupuis,  daughter of Jean-Bénoni DuPuis and Nathalie Boudreau,  likely a girl he had known his entire life.  On that date, Magloire was reported as a farmer residing in “Scoudouc near Shediac” (likely in an area known as Dorchester Road; the same farm owned by his father). The couple was married, with the consent of their parents, at the church of Scoudouc, near Shediac (St. Jacques), in the presence of witnesses Joseph Bourque and Bibiane Dupuis (Ausithe’s sister).

Later that year, the couple was enumerated in Scoudouc, Shediac Parish, with Magloire listed as a general laborer; it seems he had assumed the position of head of household on his late father’s farm. Although it is his brother Peter/Pierre who is noted with the occupation of farmer. Living with them were Magloire’s widowed mom and single siblings:

• Magloire,laborer, 25
• Osite, 23
• Peter [Pierre], farmer, 21
• Pélagie, general house, 56
• Osite, servant, 23
• Madeleine, servant, 21
• Marie, 13
• Zelica, 9

No one in the family could read or write.

*Clarification from cousin Michael Melanson 29 Jan 2014: “The confusion regarding Scoudouc and Shediac comes about because Scoudouc is an area within Shediac Parish. The nineteenth-century censuses in Westmorland County were done by parish (with the town rarely mentioned) and, sometimes, the word parish was omitted. Since Shediac was both a town and parish, it can lead to a lot of confusion. In 1891, Magloire Melanson and his family were living on his late father’s farm in Scoudouc.

The issue regarding Sackville is something else entirely. There appear to have been some issues with the microfilming (and subsequent digital scanning) of the 1891 census of Westmorland County, NB. I’m not privy to what actually occurred. However, in this case, some of Shediac Parish was tacked onto the end of Sackville Parish. At the top of each census page on the right is a notation as to the “S. Division” (subdivision) which was noted by a letter. Sackville was the letter “E”. Shediac was the letter “G”. The page with Magloire’s family was noted as “G” div. 1, p. 20. [It would have been a lot easier if they had filled in the name of the place ….] If you go back three pages, you’ll find “E” div. 3, p. 70, which was Sackville. Ten pages (with two census sheets on each page) of Shediac were (accidentally) added to the end of Sackville during the microfilming process. This was never corrected, so now digitalized copies (such as on Ancestry.com) have this part of Shediac noted as Sackville in the search engine. I’ve found similar issues in other localities in the 1891 census, which makes the research all more challenging”.

Magloire and Ausithe had two daughters.  Laura Marie [my grandmother] born 23 Mar 1892 and Marie Melesse Belzemie “Nelsey” born 16 Nov 1894, in Scoudouc. 

Ausithe/Osite died on 25 Aug 1897 in Scoudouc at age 30 after a 2 year illness of “consumption” (likely  tuberculosis) – https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XG4S-SZD.

I have not located Magloire in Canada in 1901, but Magloire’s daughters, Laura and Melesse lived with their widowed paternal grandmother,Pélagie (Leger) Melanson, and four paternal unmarried aunts Rose, Magdeline, Marie and Zelica, on the family farm which continues to be run by their 27-year-old unmarried uncle, Pierre Melanson (Laura’s godfather), in an area known as “Dorchester Road/Malakoff”,  in Shediac Parish.  His mother’s death certificate (1918) lists her place of residence as Malakoff.  Next door (or very close by) lived Magloire’s brother-in-law (Ausithe’s brother) Phillas Dupuis who likely took over his father’s farm. His wife, children and Ausithe’s mother, Nathalie (Boudreau) Dupuis reside with him. Other Melansons and Dupuis lived nearby, likely all related.

Scoudouc included the community of Dorchester Crossing which in 1898 was a farming and lumbering settlement with 1 post office, 1 sawmill, 1 grist mill and a population of 250. Nearby Shediac was a sub-port of entry and a station on the Intercolonial Railway and had 1 post office, 13 stores, 2 hotels, 1 boot factory, 2 steam sawmills, 1 flour mill, 1 tannery, 3 carriage factories, 5 churches, 1 convent, and a population of 2,000.

Photo from my 2014 trip to NB

Magloire married second, Judith Cormier, on 26 May 1902, Acadian daughter of George Cormier and Madeleine LeBlanc in Scoudouc. It was her first marriage.

They had two known children Antoine, born 1903, who died at 10 months, 12 days, cause unknown and Marie Alida, born 1905, both in Shediac.

Magloire, Judith and Alida circa 1912

Around 1907/8 Magloire relocated to Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Central Street, Gardner circa 1908

In 1932, when his daughter Laura Marie Melanson returned  from a visit to Canada, she stated that she had resided in the US from 1908-1911 and 4/12/1916-11/11/1932. It is likely that she resided with her father and step-mother upon arrival in 1908. She was married in 1910 and returned to Canada where she resided with her in-laws for 5 years.

Ancestry.com

In 1909, Magloire appears in the Gardner, Massachusetts city directories living on 184 Reagan Street and working for Heywood-Wakefield Company, a US manufacturer of wicker and rattan furniture established in Gardner in 1897.

In 1910, Magloire (48), Judith (45), Laura (18), Melesse (15) and Alida (5) resided at 184 Reagan Street, a rented home. Magloire runs a circular saw at a wood chair shop, he is the only member of the household who can not read or write.  He has not become a US citizen.  Judith is a self employed washer woman, Laura and Melesse also work and are not attending school.

The 1912 city directory places Magloire at 27 Reagan in Gardner, still working for H Bros & W Co., in 1914 and 1915 his address is given as 31 Regan (we don’t know if they moved a few doors away or if perhaps the house numbers changed).

The 1920 census places him at 137 Connors in Gardner.  He is not a citizen and is working as a planer at a chair shop, Judith is not working.  Alida (14) resides at home.  Magloire and Judith have two lodgers, Albert and Arthur LeBlanc (likely relatives) and rent in a 3 family home with a Landry and LeBlanc family in the other units. Daughter Melesse, her husband and 4 boys are next door at 139 Connors. Daughter Laura and her husband are about a half mile away on Parker Street with 5 children and a lodger.

By 1923 Magloire and Judith purchased a home at 88 Nichols, Gardner (it was valued at $7,000 in 1930 and Judith is listed as the widowed owner, it is a multi unit home; her renters were paying $28 monthly in 1930 & 1940). In June 1948 the home caught fire (sadly Alida died at age 43 in the fire while trying to save her youngest son) the photos below depict what the home likely looked like when Magloire resided there.

photo courtesy http://www.gardnerfirefighters.org/history/

Magloire’s known residences, all a block apart were less than a mile from his work location. The French inhabitants of Gardner sought to preserve their culture; as a result, they established a community within a community. They first established themselves in the Park Street area, which became known as “Little Canada”. As more arrived, French residential and businesses flourished in the area of Nichols, Parker (home of the Roy’s), and West Street. The Nichols Street area with church, school, hotel and small shops formed the heart of the French community and eventually became the center of activity for both Canadians and Acadians who assimilated themselves within this community to become one.

In 1917 the Fitchburg Sentinel published the following compilation from the 1915 census. Of 5,821 foreign born residents, about 1/3 were of Canada, 426 of them from New Brunswick.

Googlemaps

Magloire died of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis (a kidney condition characterized by swelling in between the kidney tubules), on 17 Sep 1926, in Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Fitchburg Sentinel, 18 Sept 1926, page 4: “Magloire Melanson, 64, of 88 Nichols street, died in his home yesterday. Born in Scoudouc, New Brunswick, son of Laurent and Pelagie (Leger) Melanson he had made his home in this city for the past 17 years. He leaves his wife Judith (Cormier) Melanson; three daughters, Mrs. Paul Roy, Mrs. Thaddee Landry and Alida Melanson, all of Gardner; a brother Pierre of Scoudouc, NB and five sisters, Mrs. Rose Bourgeois, Mrs. Phillip Donnell, Mrs. Zelica Leger, Mrs. Pierre Foster and Mrs. O. Melanson all of Shediac, NB. The funeral will be held tomorrow at 2 in the Holy Rosary Church. Burial will be in the St. John’s cemetery.”

The obituary claims burial in the St. John’s cemetery, his death certificate places him at Notre Dame Cemetery. His grave has not been located.

Magliore’s second wife, Judith is remembered by Laura’s daughter, Alida:  Judith did not like Magloire’s daughter Laura and was very mean to her, but seemed to adore her step-daughter Melesse with whom she shared the two family home. When her step-granddaughter Alida and her brother stopped by the house after school to pick up the newspaper, Judith would scream at them in a threatening manner as they approached, making sure they did not make it past the front porch.

Strangely, in later years, she would call Laura’s youngest daughter Alida (who resided with Laura), every Sunday, and insist she be picked up and brought to Athol farm for Sunday dinner.

Judith passed away 18 August 1957.  Her biological grandchildren (her daughter Alida’s children) inherited the home and it remained in the family until October 2009.

That’s it  –  Was he a good dad/husband? Who were his friends? Did he belong to any clubs? Was he involved in his church? Why did he relocate to Gardner – for work? How did he get into the chair building profession?

With at least 20 grandchildren, Magloire’s descendants are likely numerous.  His daughter Laura married Pius/Paul Roy and gave birth to 8 known children.  Melesse married Theodore/Thadee Landry and  gave birth to at least 9.  Alida married Maxime Lavoie and had at least 3.  There are 21 public trees on Ancestry.com who include Magloire. My research plan includes some cousin tracking, locating the original land deed for Nichols Street and searching for a probate record with hopes to learn a bit more of his life.

My Acadian 30 – week #5, Victoire LeBlanc

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Prior Weeks (click on a name to read the sketch)

Generation 1

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Generation 2

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

Week #4 –  Docité OR Dosithée Roy

My 2nd g-grandmother was Victoire LeBlanc.  Sadly we know nothing of her personality and little of her life.  There are no known photos. An immigration card describes her as 5’6″, 140 pounds, of medium complexion, brown hair and eyes.  We can assume that because she was the eldest child, born in 1865, to an Acadian farmer, she likely took on the burden of aiding her mother in running the farm, household, and raising ten siblings.  She was likely uneducated. She became a farmer’s wife, and the hard work continued between the farm and raising nine of her own children, five of whom she lost as infants or in their youth, she later lost a sixth child who was a young woman living in Massachusetts with five children of her own. As young adults, three of Victoire’s children left for Gardner, Massachusetts in hopes of a better life; only one remained close by. Victoire’s was a difficult life, yet she was likely surrounded by a large support system of close-knit family and friends, in their small picturesque village in New Brunswick.  Alcoholism was rampant in future generations and may have affected Victoire as well. She did attempt to join her children in a strange new country at the age of 57.  Although the area was filled with fellow French-speaking Canadians and Acadians, it must have been difficult.  She soon returned to her homeland and likely had little communication with her loved ones in Massachusetts since she could not read or write well, if at all.

5. Victoire LeBlanc, daughter and eldest child of Georges LeBlanc and Madeleine LeBlanc, was likely born on 1 May 1865 and baptized the same day at Bouctouche, New Brunswick. Godparents were Julien and Basilisque [Basilice ?] LeBlanc (further research needed, but likely relatives). The 1901 census claims a birth date of 25 Apr 1865, however we do not know who spoke to the census taker.  The church record is more likely to be accurate as the entry was likely recorded by a person who had first hand knowledge of the event and close to the date of the actual event.

This birth year matches up with an immigration record dated 9 Dec 1922, where Victoire claims to be age 57 (image towards the end of this post; she is traveling to her son Edmund’s home).  She lists a birthplace of “St Mary’s”.  Residents of that area were baptized, married and buried in Bouctouche until the arrival, in St Mary’s Parish, of Ste-Marie’s Mont-Carmel’s first resident pastor in 1870. Since Victoire was not present at her own birth, she may have just reported St Mary’s since that is where she resided as a child.  She likely was born in Bouctouche as stated in the church record. Her father’s land deeds have not yet been examined to determine if the family moved or if they stayed put and the parish boundary changed.

In this time frame and area, there were two Georges LeBlanc’s and two Madeleine LeBlanc’s, each a brother/sister pair:

– Joseph LeBlanc & Marguerite Collet had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

– Sifroi LeBlanc & Victoire Bastarache had a son name Georges and a daughter named Madeleine.

Just to make things confusing for future family historians, George #1 married Madeleine #2 and George #2 married Madeleine #1.

Stephen A. White at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies], has sorted out these families. My 2nd g-grandmother Victoire LeBlanc descends from Georges of Sifroi LeBlanc & Victoire Bastarache and Madeleine of Joseph LeBlanc & Marguerite Collet. There are many trees in cyberspace that have them mixed up!!  To see Stephan’s comments and photocopies of his documentation, read my blog post here.

According to Stephan A. White, Victoire had ten known siblings:

• Henriette, Matilde, Vitaline, Eugenie, Zelie, Nerie, Marguerite, Adelard, Sara and Annie

Stephen has been working these families for decades!  He has been able to determine the likelihood of who was married to whom and born to whom because he has studied the entire Acadian population.  There are likely additional analyses and records to which I do not have access or that I have not reviewed (i.e. all of the birth/marriage/death records of each of their children).  Yet another reason to return to Moncton! (on a future trip to Moncton, I will copy the related index cards, which will make it easier to find them in the church registers).

In 1871, Victoire’s family was enumerated in Wellington Parish (possibly in or near Ste Marie; Wellington was established in 1814 and included Saint Mary Parish until 1867) .

• George, 27 (unable to read or write);
• Madeleine, 27 (unable to write);
• Victoire, 6;
• Henriette, 4;
• Matilde, 2;
• Vitaline, 2 months

Victoire’s father owned 50 acres of land, 25 of which was improved and included one dwelling house and one barn/stable.  They had two carriages/sleighs; four cars/wagons or sleds; two plows or cultivators.  The family had one horse over three years old, five sheep and four swine/pigs.  Two swine had been killed or sold for slaughter or export. They produced nice pounds of wool; thirty-three yards of homemade cloth/flannel and three yards of homemade linen.

They dedicated one acre to producing five bushels of spring wheat, one bushel of barley, 300 bushels of oats, 15 bushels of rye and 35 bushels of buckwheat.  Two acres produced 160 bushels of potatoes and two bushels of turnips.  One and half acres were dedicated to producing the hay crop (one ton of 2,000 pound bundles of 16 pounds of hay), one and a half bushels flax-seed and five pounds of flax or hemp. He also produced 100 pounds of maple syrup. The land produced sixteen cords of firewood.

Georges was a fisherman. He did not own any type of water vessel but reported  23 fathoms of nets and seizes of all sorts (a fathom is about six feet) . He caught 1/3 barrel gaspareaux (name of a common salt-water fish of Acadia, also called alewife), ten barrels of oysters and 10 barrels of other fishes (not defined – see list of fishes that were categorized in image below).

In 1881, the family was enumerated in Ste Marie, St Mary’s Parish. Victoire was not attending school.

• George, 38;
• Madeleine, 38;
• Victoire, 15;
• Henriette, 13 (attending school);
• Matilde, 11  (attending school);
• Eugenie, 8;
• Milie Zeliah (Zelie), 6,
• Nerie, 1;
• Marguerite, 1 month

On Monday, 11 May 1885, Victoire, married Docité OR Dosithée Roy at Ste Marie de Mont Carmel, son of Joseph Roy/Roi and Angélique Beliveau. Witnesses were Pierre L. Roy and Maria Blanche (?) Bastarache.

Victoire’s married life and children are documented in the sketch’s of her husband and son Pius (see weeks 2 & 4 sketches).

As mentioned in Pius’ sketch, known children born to the Victoire and Docite include: (1)Pius/Paul, (2) Marie Albina, (3) Mathilde, (4) Marie Emma, (5) Aurelie, (6 & 7) Dieudonné #1 and Joseph Hector (twins), (8) Edmund and (9) Dieudonné #2

Sadly, four of the children likely died in 1899.  Joseph Hector, 1 Jan 1899 [cause unreadable], age 4 months;  Marie Albina, 13 April 1899, age 10, of consumption [likely influenza]; and a week later, 20 April 1899, Dieudonné (7 months) of la grippe [likely influenza]. No further record of Aurelie has been located, he likely died in the same time frame.

Victoire’s father, Georges died of consumption (tuberculosis) and was buried 14 Feb 1891 in Ste Marie; he was 47.

In 1891 she resided in St Mary’s parish (see Docite’s sketch).  Her Mother and siblings living at home were living nearby [her mother was on image 34 and Victoire on image 36 of the census, with many LeBlanc families, likely related, in between]:

•  Madeleine, 47 (widow);
• Eugenie 18;
• Zelia 16,
• Niry (Nerie), 11;
• Marguerite, 9;
• Dolore (Adelard), 8;
• Sara, 6;
• Anne, 4;
• Georges Roy, 2 (no relationship listed – likely Madeleine had taken in her grandson, son of Henriette’s. Henriette had married her sister Victoire’s brother-in-law (Docite’s brother) Vital Roy.  Henriette died in 1890, of consumption; sadly her son Georges died at age three in 1892 of la grippe, likely influenza).

Victoire’s mother remarried to Marc LeBlanc son of Joachim and Prudentienne Maillet, widower of Cécile Bastarache  on 22 May 1893 in Ste Marie. He died, 8 June 1919, age 66 in Ste Marie of heart and kidney trouble. They had no known children together.

By 1901, Victoire’s family had moved from their rural community to the “big city”, Lancaster (today part of Saint John), New Brunswick.  After a few year, it seems Docité, Victoire, Mathilde, Emma and Edmund (Pius left for Gardner, Massachusetts, likely for work) returned to Ste Marie, as  Dieudonné #2, was born 17 May 1906 and baptized at Mont Carmel.  In 1911, they were living in Puellering, Kent, New Brunswick. Victoire was not identified in the 1921 census likely because there were large portions of the Moncton census, where the enumerator did not capture resident names (he just wrote “Westmoreland” next to each).  She was likely at 70 Pearl St., Moncton, the address that she, her husband and son Edmond all list as their home address when they immigrated to the United States the following year.

Victoire who was admitted to the US to visit her son Edmund on 9 Dec 1922 was described as 5’6″, 140 pounds, of medium complexion, brown hair and eyes. She claimed that she would be there less than 6 months and that it was her first visit.  Her husband joined her six months later, when he immigrated “permanently” to Gardner, Massachusetts from Moncton in May 1923.

Docite and Victoire are listed in the 1924 Gardner, Massachusetts city directory on Parker Street (the same address as their son Edmond and Docite’s first cousin Calixte Roy).

Victoire’s young daughter Emma (wife of Frederick LeBlanc), age 32, died in Gardner in 1924, leaving five young children, Joseph, Ernest, Lauretta, Albert and Viola LeBlanc, all of whom were living on Parker Street, Gardner with their widowed father in 1930.

Thus, six of Victoire’s nine children predeceased her, leaving just three: Pius/Paul, Mathilde and Edmund.

It is unknown why/when Docite and Victoire returned to New Brunswick, however his death was recorded there on 16 Nov 1932 in St-Antoine, Ste Marie, Kent, New Brunswick.  According to his death certificate, he was buried at St-Antoine.

Victoire died a few years later, 25 Sep 1934, age 70, of vieillesse (old age), in the community of Mount Carmel, Ste Marie, Kent, New Brunswick and her death certificate indicates that she was buried there.  Victoire’s mother Madeleine died about 8 months later, 4 May 1935, age 92, 4 months in St Damien.  She was also buried in Mt Carmel cemetery in Ste Marie (neither of their graves have been located).

My Acadian 30 – week #4, Docité/Dosithée Roy

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura “Laura” Melanson

Generation 3

4. Docité OR Dosithée Roy, son of Joseph Roy/Roi and Angélique Beliveau, was born on 29 Jul 1857  and was baptized the following day at Saint-Jean Baptiste Catholic Church in Bouctouche, Kent, New Brunswick, Canada.  His godparents were Agnes Roy (paternal aunt) and Pacifique Beliveau (maternal uncle).

Docité was Joseph’s fifth known child and Angélique’s first.  He joined the following siblings:

(1) Cyrille –  Joseph’s son from his first marriage to Henriette Legere, baptized  20 November 1847, St-Jean Parish  in Bouctouche.

(2) Pierre – Joseph’s son from his first marriage, baptized 30 November 1849, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Pierre Hebert and Marie Roi.

(3) Libie (Lébée/Lybie?)– Joseph’s daughter from his first marriage, baptized 28 Dec 1851, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche; godparents were François Roy and Vénérande Savoie (Docité’s paternal grandparents) It is possible that she died young, was adopted and/or the name “Libie” is in error, as it is not a “typical” name of the place/time. To date, she has not been found in other records.

(4) Hippolite – Joseph’s son from his first marriage, baptized 9 Feb 1853, in St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche; godparents were Louis Legere and Olive LeBlanc. He was not living with the Roy family in any census year and according to his marriage record, was adopted after his mother’s death by Eustache Poirier and his wife Cecile Legere (daughter of Simon Legere and Marie-Rose Arsenault and his mother Henriette’s biological cousin). He resided with them in 1871 in Grande-Digue and was enumerated as Hyppolyte Poirier. It is unknown whether he had a relationship with his biological family, nonetheless, with the exception of this census, all records seem to indicate that he used the Roy surname for his lifetime.

Although the church pictured in 1893 is in the same location as the 1857 church, the actual church where Docité was baptized, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1886. It was rebuilt only to be destroyed again by fire on 18 December 1921.  This is a beautiful spot, overlooking the cemetery where many Acadian ancestors are buried, offering picturesque ocean views, as they walked to attend church services (albeit chilly in wintertime).

After the second loss, the parish had a difficult decision to make. The convent, church, priest’s residence and the cemetery had been the center of the village life, even though the village was located some two kilometers away. Family members were buried in the cemetery and many didn’t want to “abandon” them. Others argued that the spot was subject to very severe climate and attending services was becoming more difficult. Finally the parishioners made the difficult decision to rebuild the church and priest’s residence in a calmer spot in the village.

The first priest’s residence of Bouctouche, (left in top photo) has been converted to a lovely (reasonably priced) country inn called Auberge le Vieux Presbytere; where I stayed for two nights in 2014.

1861 Canadian Census

In 1861, 4-year-old Docité and his family resided on a farm in the Parish of Wellington, Kent County (which included the area of St. Mary’s Parish until 1867) and used the surname King (English translation of Roy); they were Roman Catholic.

• Joseph, junior, age 31, farmer  [Docité’s father]
• Angélique, age 29, wife [Docité’s mother]
• Ceril, age 14, son [likely Docité’s half-brother, Cyrille, from his father’s first marriage to Legere, baptized  20 November 1847]
• Peter, age 12, son [likely Docité’s half-brother, Pierre, from his father’s first marriage to Legere, baptized 30 November 1849]
• Docité, age 4, son 
• Cephor, age 3, son [likely Sifroi, baptized 12 November 1858, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparent was Charles Maillet]
• Onriette, age 1, daughter [likely Henriette, baptized 2 December 1860, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Jean C. Maillet and Marraine Henriette Bastarache]

Next door (or on a farm nearby) are Docité’s likely paternal relatives:

• Frank, junior, age 63, widower, farmer [Docité’s grandfather, Francois – According to Stephen White’s “La généalogie des trente-sept familles, hôtesses des « Retrouvailles 94 »  – SAVOIE , his wife, Vénérande,  died in Bouctouche 27 May 1858, when Docité was still an infant]
• Olive. age 39, daughter [likely Docité’s aunt]
• Onyez [Agnes ?], age 37, daughter [likely Docité’s aunt and godmother]
• Frank, senior, age 92, lodger [likely Docité’s paternal g-grandfather – Francois]

Docité’s father had 33 acres, of which 20 had been improved, valued at $150, with other farm machinery valued at $20.  He had no employees.  Docité’s grandfather’s farm was quite similar (details in a future sketch).

His dad Joseph’s animals included: two horses; two milk cows; two working oxen; four sheep; and six swine/pigs.

He reported slaughtering 400 pounds of pork; netted eight pounds of wool; and created $20 of cloth (or similar manufactured products).  Eight acres of land was dedicated to production of hay (he netted three tons).  The farm produced 30 bushels of wheat (from three acres), eight bushels barley (from 1/2 acre), 50 bushels oats (from four acres), twelve bushels buckwheat (from one acre) and 300 bushels potatoes (from three acres).

The farm was likely situated in Bouctouche in the area labelled “Francis King” on the map (No100) below.  Docité’s paternal grandmother, Vénérande,  died in Bouctouche in 1858; this further strengthens the case that they resided there.

Land deeds for Docité’s parents and grandparents have not yet been examined.  The known grantor/grantee indexes for the Roy/King surnames in Kent County from 1827 to 1941 can be found here: New Brunswick Roy deeds

The census reported that none of the children had attended school the prior year.  When Docité was a child, schooling was largely through traveling teachers who served many villages at once. It was not until the time of the Canadian Confederation, in 1867, that the Acadians were able to re-establish some semblance of their pre-expulsion society. At that time, schools were founded (although education was not highly valued in many areas and the offerings were not ideal for several decades) and the people began taking an active part in political life (as Catholic’s they were previously denied the right to vote or participate in the legislature). Although many continued to lived in abject poverty; a contributing factor being that Acadian farmers primarily held land along the coast, in less fertile areas.

On 8 July 1867, a week after the Confederation, Le Moniteur, the first French newspaper of the Maritimes, began to be published weekly in Shediac (although its start was a bit bumpy, and there were a few stops and starts along the way, it was published until 1926). This aided with Acadian efforts to improve their situation by providing a platform for them to express ideas to aid in solving the problems they faced, it’s motto being “Notre langue, notre religion et nos coutumes” – “Our language, our religion, our customs”.

1871 Canadian Census

In 1871 Docité and family were enumerated (with four additional children) in the newly formed parish of St. Mary’s in Sainte-Marie-de-Kent (Olivier born 1870 was the first Roy child baptised in Ste Marie at Mont-Carmel), which in 1871 had a population of 100. Docité’s parents were unable to read or write (this question was only asked of those over age 20) but presumably no one in the family could read or write as none of the children were attending school.

• Joseph, 42, cultivateur (farmer), can not read or write
• Angelique, 40, can not read or write
• Docitée, 13  
• Sigefroi,12
• Henriette,10
• Sylvain, 9 [ baptized 12 December 1861, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Sylvain Maillet and Marraine Jeanette LeBlanc. Joseph’s middle name is given as Francois]
• Cécile, 5 [baptized 4 June 1866, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Cyrille Roy and Cecile Allain]
• Vitál, 8 [likely baptized 30 March 1868, St-Jean Parish in Bouctouche. Godparents were Edouard and Marraine Genevieve Belliveau.  Note that his mother is recorded as “Julie”, this was the only record in the parish that was likely the correct baptism for Vital, perhaps Julie is in error and it was meant to be Judith. His marriage record names Judith as his mother, and when he travels to the US in 1916 he gives a contact in Canada as a brother Sylvain.]
• Olivier, 10 months [baptized 5 June 1870, at Ste. Marie de Mont-Carmel. Godparents were _____ Maillet and _____ Richard]

Joseph’s sons Cyrille and Pierre are residing together nearby, in Saint Marie, with Agnes Roy [sister of Joseph].  No other members of the King/Roy family were found nearby in 1861. A widowed Frances Roi, of the correct age to be Docité’s grandfather was found in Wellington residing with the family of Joseph & Mary Ferware (enumerated as Jerway in 1861 and two census pages away from the Roy’s in Wellington), perhaps Fougere?

Docité’s father, in 1871, seemed to own significantly more acreage than he did in 1961.  He had 125 acres of which 30 were improved and 12 were pasture (they did not have a garden). There were two dwelling houses on the property, one of which was uninhabited.  They had one barn or stable, two carriages or sleighs, 2 cars/wagons or sleds and one plough or cultivator.

Animals included:  one horses over 3 years old; two working oxen; three milk cows; one “other horned cattle”; six sheep – 6 (one was killed or sold for slaughter/export); five swine/pigs (one was killed or sold for slaughter/export)

The farm produced eight acres of wheat crops on which he netted the followings bushels – 30 of spring wheat (sown in the spring and is harvested in the fall), seven of barley, 60 of oats and 90 of buckwheat.  He had four acres of potatoes which netted 125 bushels.  He had two acres of hay which netted three ton of 2,000 lbs or bundles of 16 lbs of hay and 40 bushels of apples.  The sheep netted 20 pounds of wool which produced 60 yards of home-made cloth or flannel.

Joseph did not appear to be involved with fishing, forestry or mineral products.  It is possible that he was involved with steel/iron as a Blacksmith “Ouvrages et réparations de Forgerons en tout genre” (Works and Repairs of Blacksmith of all kinds).  The schedule has a line through his name, it is unknown if the enumerator crossed this out or if it was done later – he was only involved in the business for 1/2 a month and although he had $40 in capital only made a few dollars. It could be a business that was discontinued that census year but was perhaps run in years prior.

Sixteen people died in St Marie the prior year, most from consumption, malaria or diarrhea.  There were two Roy cousins of Docité – schedule here.  Docité’s grandfather, who had lived near them in 1861, Francois Roy,  died 25 April 1875.

Docité became a Cultivateur [farmer].  He married first, on 2 Feb 1880, at Ste Marie de Mont Carmel, Genevieve Cormier daughter of the deceased Aimé Cormier and deceased Henriette Roy after being granted dispensation for the 4th degree of double consanguinity (meaning they were 3rd cousins two different ways  – 3rd cousins share 2nd g-grandparents).

The Catholic Church required couples to gain permission prior to marrying a relative, as the offspring of consanguineous relationships are at greater risk of certain genetic disorders and they considered marrying a close relative immoral.  The dispensation was granted for the degree of consanguinity without distinguishing between half and full siblings or “spiritual” relatives (i.e. if your father married a second wife who had her own offspring, then you were technically related to the second wife’s children from her first marriage and would require dispensation for the degree of affinity).

Genevieve died six months later, at age 19 (cause unknown), on 24 Aug 1880 and was buried 27 Aug at Ste Marie de Mont Carmel.

1881 Canadian Census

In 1881, Docité continues to reside in the parish of Sainte-Marie (his parents have one additional child):

• Joseph, 52, cultivateur (farmer)
• Angelique, 51
• Silvin [Sylvain], 19
• Aurietta [Henriette], 20
• Cecille [Cécile], 15
• Vitál, 13
• Olivier, 11
• Jude, 7 [baptized 24 June 1873, at Ste. Marie de Mont-Carmel. Godparents were Dosite Roy and Domtilda Cormier]

• Docitée, 23 was listed as a widower and enumerated separately [the day after the remainder of the family was recorded, see margin notes], it appears that he resided on the same farm.

Jude and Vital were attending school (Olivier, age 11, was not marked as in school which may have been an enumerator error, although 1901, 1911 and 1921 censuses specify he can not read or write).

The first Acadian National Convention was held 20/21 July 1881 in Memramcook.  About 5,000 Acadians participated, although in reality only about 200 actively participated in discussions. They spoke of many things including emigration, religion, education, political issues,  trade, farming and industry. There they selected the Acadian Holiday – 15 August, the day of the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

According to Wikipedia, The flag of Acadia was adopted on 15 August 1884, at the second Acadian National Convention held on Prince Edward Island with nearly 5,000 Acadian delegates from across the Maritimes. It was designed by Father Marcel-Francois Richard, a priest from Saint-Louis-de-Kent, New Brunswick. The Musée Acadien at the Université de Moncton has the original flag presented by Father Richard to the 1884 Convention. It was sewn by Marie Babineau.

On 18 August 1881, Docité sold eight acres of land, in the Parish of St Mary’s, to Maxime and Louis Cormier  (Book A-2 page 175) for the sum of $25.   The land was on the South side of the Bouctouche River, on the East bounded by Thomas Nowlen and in the South land owned by Dennis Cormier and Thomas Allain.   No deed (or land grant) has been found documenting how Docité originally acquired this land (perhaps through his grandfather or deceased wife).

On 3 Sept 1883, Docité’s parents sold him 25 acres of their land on the South side of the Bouctouche River in Ste Marie for $25. The land is described as: On the South by land occupied by the family of the late Laurent B. Cormier; on the East by a certain road on the South by said owned and occupied by the named Joseph Roy and on the West by said owned and occupied by William Nowlen. In 26 April 1884, he sold this same land to Peter Fabien Arseneau for $75.

On 12 May 1885, Docité married second,  Victorie LeBlanc, at Ste Marie de Mont Carmel, daughter of George LeBlanc and Madeline LeBlanc.

1891 Canadian Census

Docité, his wife Victorie (the only family member who is listed as being able to read), now with three children Pius/Paul, (5 years) Marie Albina, (3 years) Mathilde (8 months) continue to reside in Sainte-Marie. His parents and several siblings live nearby.

As mentioned in week #2 (Pius’ sketch), known children born to the couple include: (1) Pius/Paul, (2) Marie Albina, (3) Mathilde, (4) Marie Emma, (5) Aurelie, (6 & 7) Dieudonné #1 and Joseph Hector (twins), (8) Edmund and (9) Dieudonné #2

Sadly, four of the children likely died in 1899.  Joseph Hector, 1 Jan 1899 [cause unreadable], age 4 months;  Marie Albina, 13 April 1899, age 10, of consumption [likely influenza]; and a week later, 20 April 1899, Dieudonné (7 months) of la grippe [likely influenza]. No further record of Aurelie has been located, he likely died in the same time frame.

1901 Canadian Census

By 1901, Docité had moved the family from their rural community to the “big city”, Lancaster (today part of Saint John), New Brunswick where he worked as a Millman. He was an employee who had worked for seven months that year and made $200.  He could not read or write, and spoke both French and English (French was his native tongue).

Pius also worked as a Millman (likely with his father) for five months that year and made $50 (he was 14). He was not in school. Interesting articles on employment conditions, child labor and a portrait of a young girl growing up in rural New Brunswick in St John in 1900: 2012-34-Spring-e

A few years earlier, in 1898, Lancaster was known as Fairville, a station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, a lumbering and manufacturing village with 1 post office, 25 stores, 2 hotels, 1 brewery, 1 sawmill, 1 pulp mill, 2 carriage factories, a provincial lunatic asylum, 5 churches and a population of 1,500.

In 1902, son Edmond’s birth record (registered in 1967) names a birthplace of Randolph (a neighborhood in the West Side of Lancaster which in 1967 became known as St John West) his father was listed as a mill ride.

It seems Docité, Victorie, Mathilde, Emma and Edmund (Pius left for Gardner, Massachusetts, likely for work) returned to Ste Marie, as  Dieudonné #2, was born 17 May 1906 and baptized at Mont Carmel (a community within Ste Marie; in 1904 Mount Carmel was a farming settlement with 1 post office, 4 stores, 2 churches and a population of 250); 3 years later, 2 Sep 1909, he died from measles at St Mary’s.

Docite’s mother, Angelique, noted as a farmer’s wife, died on 13 March 1907 at age 77, the cause was “decline”, she had been ill “all winter”.  She is likely buried in St Mary’s.

1911 Canadian Census

In 1911, Docite, a Cultivateur, was living in Puellering, Kent, New Brunswick with his wife, sons Edmond and Pius and Pius’s wife Laura Melanson.  His widowed father, Joseph and brother Jude were also part of the household.  Edmond had been in school for 4 months that year and he and Laura were they only family members who could read and write.

• Docitée, 53, cultivateur (farmer)
• Victorie, 46
• Pius, 24 [my g-grandfather]
• Laura, 19 [my g-grandmother]
• Joseph, 83, retired
• Jude, 47

Daughters Mathilde and Emma had relocated to Massachusetts; both married in Gardner – in 1910 Mathilde married Cyrille Allain son of Mélème Allain and Marie Leblanc; in 1912 Emma married Frederick LeBlanc son of Calixe LeBlanc and Anastasia Tazie Cassie.

Docite’s father Joseph died suddenly on 26 May 1913  of “old age” and is likely buried in St Mary’s; he was 84 and a retired farmer.

In about 1918/19, Docite sold land in St Mary’s Parish to Calixte Richard (land deed book I-3 page 166 – image not available online).  He perhaps relocated to Moncton around this time.

1921 Canadian Census

Docite was not identified in the 1921 census likely because there were large portions of the Moncton census, where the enumerator did not capture resident names (he just wrote “Westmoreland” next to each).  He was likely at 70 Pearl St., Moncton, the address that he, his wife and son Edmond all list as their home address when they immigrated to the United States the following year.

At age 63, he was described as 5’7″, 135 pounds and having a fair complexion, gray hair and blue eyes and could not read or write , when he immigrated “permanently” to Gardner, Massachusetts from Moncton in May 1923.  It was Docité’s first visit to the United States. His wife and three of his four living children had previously immigrated to Gardner.

The following year, 1924, Docite’s young daughter Emma (wife of Frederick LeBlanc), age 32, died in Gardner, leaving five young children, Joseph, Ernest, Lauretta, Albert and Viola LeBlanc, all of whom were living on Parker Street, Gardner with their widowed father in 1930.

Sadly, six of his children were now dead, leaving just three: Pius/Paul, Mathilde and Edmund.

Docite and Victoire are listed in the 1924 Gardner city directory on Parker Street (the same address as his son Edmond and his first cousin Calixte Roy); his occupation is Clerk. Many other Roy’s are listed nearby, including sons Pius and Edmond. Docite was not found in other online city directories, including the 1926 Gardner directory.

It is unknown why/when he and Victorie returned to New Brunswick, however his death was recorded there on 16 Nov 1932 in St-Antoine, Ste Marie, Kent, New Brunswick.  According to his death certificate, he was buried at St-Antoine.  He died from Lobar Pneumonia, a form of pneumonia that affects a large and continuous area of the lobe of a lung. He was 75. His daughter-in-law, Laura Marie (Melanson) Roy (my g-grandmother) had traveled from Gardner to New Brunswick several days before Docite’s death, and may have been at his bedside. A obituary has not been located.

Kent County probate records do not survive, it is unknown if he had an estate. There are some land index entries for a sale of land in Pellerin by Edmond Roy around this time period which may or may not be the sale of land belonging to Docite (the actual deeds are not online; PANB holds microfilms of Kent County Registry Office Records for the years 1846-1973 which include copies of deeds, leases, mortgages, liens and other land transactions, a number of wills – those which transfer title of land are also found in this series – on my list to track down!)

My Acadian 30 – week #3, Laura Marie Norma Melanson

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO SEE A LARGER VERSION!

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Week #1 – Yvonne Marie (Roy) Billings

Week #2 – Pius/Paul Dost Roy

Week #3 –  Marie Laura Norma “Laura” Melanson – my mother’s maternal grandmother

My mother, Elizabeth Norma Billings aka “Betty”, did not know her grandmother well.  Betty was taken away from her parents, Yvonne (Laura’s daughter) and Charles Billings and placed in foster care.  Laura, in her early 50’s, could not financially (or likely emotionally) care for four young grandchildren, all under eight.  She raised seven of her own children in abject poverty (her youngest was just 13 years old when the state took the Billings children), her husband was an alcoholic who worked little and Laura, working menial odd jobs, was the sole family supporter.  Betty, being about six or seven may not have understood why Laura or another family member could not step in and take them. In later years she reached out to her grandmother with a note attached to a high school photo, which read:

Gramma – To the most wonderful Grand Ma in the whole wide world. May you have everything you may ever want for the rest of your life. God only knows you deserve it. Please take good care of yourself.  – With loads of Love – Always – Betty.

Betty recalls:

“I didn’t really know my grandmother. I can count on one hand the few times I saw her except for a week I stayed with her after high school when she moved to Florida with her daughter. I did go to Athol to visit her once but when I got there she said it was bingo night and she was going out.  I never went back to visit. She was a nice lady but devoted to her daughter Alida. Alida was a widow at a young age [editor’s note: Alida was actually in her late 40’s when her husband passed] with four kids. My grandmother lived with her until the day she died”.

3. Marie Laura Norma “Laura” Melanson, daughter of Magloire Melanson (a farmer) and Ausithe/Osite Dupuis, was born on 23 Mar 1892 in Scoudouc, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. She was baptized two days later on 25 March; her godparents were Pierre Melanson (her uncle) and probably Marie Bibianne Dupuis (her aunt).

Laura’s sister and only full sibling, Melesse “Melissa” Belzemie Melanson, was born in Scoudouc 16 Nov 1894.

Their mother, Ausithe, passed away a few months after Laura’s fifth birthday, 28 Aug 1897.

Around that time, a 10-year old local girl (death record lists her age a 7 1/2), Salome Bourque was killed by the train in Scoudouc near Dorchester Road. The girl and her widowed mother were likely well known by the Melanson family and the tragedy likely affected the entire community.  The story tells us that the St. John accommodation train ran through the community and gives a glimpse of the responsibilities given to young children (the girl was driving her mother’s cows across the track when she was killed).

By 1901, Laura and Melesse lived with their widowed paternal grandmother, Pélagie (Leger) Melanson, and four paternal unmarried aunts Rose, Magdeline, Marie and Zelica, on the family farm run by their 27-year-old unmarried uncle, Pierre Melanson (Laura’s godfather), in a place called Dorchester Road, located 4.51 km SW of Shediac in Shediac Parish, Westmorland County.  Next door (or very close by) lived their uncle (Ausithe’s brother) Phillas Dupuis, his wife, children and Laura’s widowed maternal grandmother, Nathalie (Boudreau) Dupuis. Other Melansons and Dupuis lived nearby, likely all related. Laura’s father, Magloire’s whereabouts are unknown in the 1901 census year.

This is likely where Laura was born.   Scoudouc included the community of Dorchester Crossing which in 1898 was a farming and lumbering settlement with 1 post office, 1 sawmill, 1 grist mill and a population of 250.

I hoped to visit the Melanson farm in 2014; some locals in Shediac knew exactly where it “used to be”….  The farm was torn down to make way for a highway/bridge and what remains is a field.

Nine-year-old Laura was Roman Catholic and in April 1901 had been enrolled in school for 6 of the last 12 months.  She could read, write, speak French and English (French was her native tongue).  Laura reports attending school through the 7th grade when she spoke to the 1940 census taker.  There were at least four schools  in Shediac Parish, Westmorland County.  The “Annual Report of the Schools of New Brunswick – 1903” describes the general state of the schools in this parish as follows:

Laura’s father, Magloire, remarried on 26 May 1902 in Richibouctou, and reported his residence as Scoudouc, so he did perhaps live near the girls.  Laura’s granddaughter Pat, wrote in 2015 saying:

Meme told me she worked on the farm as young child, she was sent there after her father married his second wife. Not sure exact age, she earned .25 per week and had to buy all her needs out of that income. She did not say if any help financially from her Father.  That is where she learned to cook and bake and she was a great baker.

His second wife was Judith Cormier, of St. Mary’s Parish, daughter of George Cormier and Magdalene LeBlanc.  Judith gave birth to  Laura’s half-brother, Antoine on 12 July 1903.  He died at the age of 10 months, 12 days, on 25 May 1904 in Scoudouc (cause unknown).  On 17 Mar 1905, Laura’s half-sister Marie Alida was born in Shediac. 

Laura’s daughter Alida, recalls that Judith did not treat Laura well.  Judith favored Melesse, with whom in later years she shared a two family home.  Judith would intentionally tell Laura that she planned to leave Melesse certain items when she was gone, usually an item Laura admired.  Laura’s young daughter and son would trek up the street to Judith’s after school to pick up the newspaper.  Judith always seemed angry and yelled at them regularly, stopping them in their tracks before they could enter her house.  Yet, in her later years, Judith would call Laura’s daughter in Athol (with whom Laura resided)  every Sunday to demand an invitation and ride from Gardner to Athol for dinner.

Laura, 17-years-old, 5’5″ with fair skin, brown hair & eyes, crossed the border in Vanceboro, Maine, Apr 1909, claiming that she had no relatives in the area from whence she came in Canada (it is not clear where her journey started but she lists her last permanent address as Shediac; the manifest completion instructions say that a friend should be listed if there is no family, but in Laura’s case, simply “no relation” was written).  Her father had paid her passage, she had $3.00 in her pocket and was listed as “Class-E” on the manifest.  She was a domestic; final destination was her father’s home, 4 Knowleton Street, Gardner, Massachusetts. It was the first time she had ever been to the United States, and she appears to be traveling all alone and likely journeyed to Gardner via train.

Arrival documents have not been located for other family members, but Magloire is next found listed in the 1909 & 1910 Gardner, Massachusetts city directory employed by Heywood Brothers & Company (a furniture manufacturer) and living at 184 Reagan Street; presumably Judith, Laura, Melesse and Alida reside with him.

Central Street, Gardner circa 1908

In 1910, Magloire, Judith, Laura (18), Melesse (15) and Alida (5) resided at 184 Reagan Street, a rented home. Magloire runs a circular saw at a wood chair shop (Heywood Brothers & Company), he can not read or write.  He is an alien.  Judith is a self employed washer woman, Laura and Melesse also work.  Laura as a hoodmaker at a ??? shop and Melesse a winder at a reed and  rattan shop.

Two days after Christmas, a cloudy cold Tuesday (temperatures were in the low 30’s), on 27 Dec 1910, Laura Marie Melanson, married Pius/Paul Dost Roy, the eldest child of Docité/Dosithée Roy and Victorie LeBlanc, in Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a 24-year-old Chairmaker and she a 19-year-old shop girl. The marriage was performed by Wilfred J. Choquette, a priest, of the Acadian French, Holy Rosary Church, Nichols Street, Gardner.

Their eight known children were –

(1) Leo: Leo born in New Brunswick in 1911, had some type of head trauma and Laura cared for him until he died.   He died 1929 in Gardner; his death certificate is on order, he was 18 years old.

(2) Yvonne Marie : Yvonne, born 16 Aug 1912 in Ste Marie, New Brunswick, Canada was my grandmother – her sketch here.

(3) Joseph Magloire: Magloire was stillborn or died soon after birth in New Brunswick, in 1913. 

(4) Melisse/Elsie “Nelsey”: Nelsey was born in New Brunswick 16 Nov 1914. She attended school through grade six. In 1938 married Emil P Bergeron, son of Amador Bergeron and Geneve Dayer, and had three children, one who died in infancy. In 1940, she worked in a shoe factory. She lived all her life in Gardner and Athol.  She passed 10 Sep 1987.

My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting her son Alfred, his wife and daughter in the summer of 2017.

(5) Lena: Lena, my mother Betty’s godmother, was born 08 Mar 1917 in Gardner and married three times – (1) Earl Cromp son of Fred B. Cromp and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Venette with whom she had at least three children (James, Fred Earl and Edward), one who died in infancy. She divorced Earl (who was a bit strange according to a niece), his second wife, who he married while stationed in Europe, also divorced him, citing cruelty.

Lena then married (2) Millard Cummings son of John Norman Campbell/Cummings and Emma/Eva Venette [her sister Alida married Millard’s brother and Emma/Eva Venette was a sister to Elizabeth Venette; mother of Lena’s first husband], he died in 1949 at the age of 34; Lena next married (3) Frank McGuire (parents unknown). She lived all her life in Gardner and Athol; she passed in 1989.

(6) Edmund Sylvio: Sylvio, my mother’s godfather, was born 28 Sep 1919 in Gardner.  When he was young and living in Massachusetts, he (and his sister Lena) would visit my mother Betty and aunt Shirley in their foster home most Sundays. He love his cars and showing them off. In 1940, Sylvio, who attended school through the 6th grade was living at home and working as a laborer at a baby carriage factory.

He participated in WWII, after enlisting 8 Aug 1942 at Fort Devens. 

Sylvio married Lena Ida “Johney” Paul daughter of Napoleon Paul and Eva Duval in New Hampshire, 4 Aug 1945, and then relocated to Florida, they had no known children.  Aunt Lena used to send me (and my siblings) $25 every Christmas until I was well into my 30’s or early 40’s.  We would send thank you cards, but in reality, at the time, I had no idea how she was related.  I do not recall ever meeting her.  Cousins say she was a very controlling and protective of Sylvio.  He died in 1977, she died in 2006.

(7) Alfred: Alfred was born 7 Jan 1923 in Gardner, he served in WWII – Technician fifth grade, Battery Company 440, Civil Affairs Battalion; he was given a number of awards which are now with his niece.

Alfred passed a week after his mom in 11 Nov 1968, at age 45. He never married and had no known children.

A niece recalls: “Alfred showed up one time in Florida very sick. His sister (my Mom) got a call from the Tuberculous clinic in Boston tell her to be careful about all of us being exposed.  She was furious that he put us at risk.  Dad drove him to the VA Hospital.  None of us kids ever saw him again.  Such a sad situation.”

(8) Marie Alida “Lee”: Aunt Lee married Earl Cummings and had four children. She raised a great family and had many friends, and was loving life in Florida until her passing in 2017.  Although I didn’t meet her until 2015, she welcomed me into her life, shared stories and pictures. She was truly a wonderful woman!

Sadly, three of Laura’s children, Alfred, Yvonne and Lena became alcoholics.

What is known of Laura’s married and family life and their Acadian community is described in last week’s sketch of Pius – here.

Laura’s sister Melesse married Joseph Theodore or Thadee Landry and had at least nine children – Alfred, Herve, Edward, Jean Ulysses, Lionel, Raymond, Pauline, Lorraine and Albert. Her half-sister Alida married Maxime Lavoie and had three children Claudette (who became a nun), Joseph Herve Emile and William.

Laura endured her share of tragedy, she lost her dad 17 Sep 1926; son Leo to a head injury in 1929; sister Alida in 1948 to a house fire while trying to save her son, husband Pius in 1954, step-mother Judith in 1957, daughter Yvonne in 1961 and sister Melesse in 1967.

Magloire, Judith and Alida

Laura returned to New Brunswick at least once, on 11 November 1932 for an 11 day stay. Her father-in-law, Docité/Dosithée Roy, died 16 Nov 1932 in Ste Marie, New Brunswick while she was there.  She perhaps went to see him.  She appeared to be traveling alone. On 22 November 1932, she returned via Vanceboro, Maine and listed her contact in Canada as Aunt, Miss Rosie Melanson of Shediac.

Laura’s husband Pius was an alcoholic and rarely able to work.  He gambled away their home or rent money [land records have not been examined in the US, but they did not own a home before 1940 in the US nor was Pius located in the New Brunswick Grantor/Grantee land deed indexes before 1917].

In later years, Laura, known as “Meme” and Pius had no choice but to move in with their youngest daughter, Alida, on her farm on New Sherborn Road in Athol.  Laura, had a very sad life, she raised their children close to abject poverty.  She worked very hard to keep things together.  She basically ran the small family furniture business (the 1922-24 city directories lists an occupation of “second-hand furniture”),  laundered for people and held other odd jobs. Pius died 9 Aug 1954.

Shortly after Pius’s death, in 1955, Sylvio called from St. Petersburg, Florida and suggested to his sister Alida and husband Earl that they come to Florida.  He promised great jobs and housing! So they sold the farm, gave the animals to neighbors, packed up the car with the four kids, Laura, the dog and all their worldly possessions. The furniture was shipped, but arrived damaged. They of course arrived in Florida to no job and no house!   They had to live with Sylvio and Lena for a several weeks, but then found jobs, housing and decided to stay permanently.  Laura stayed with the Cummings for the remainder of her life.

Her granddaughter Phyllis recalls:

“Meme (Laura) had no friends in Florida, did not drive and became very isolated.  Her only outlets were church and a weekly bingo game. Her other children didn’t seem to have much contact, nor did they assist financially. 

Her Social Security checks were $145.  I can remember her waiting at the mailbox for them. Had my folks not taken her in I am not sure how she would have lived.  Her daughter Elsie (Nelsey) came to visit her one time while she was alive.  They spent most of the time playing cards and speaking French.  Sivio (Sylvio) was not much help with her, never bothered to take her anywhere and never provided her with any financial support.

I shared a room with her, she was very superstitious and would make me look in the closets and under the bed for little people that might be hiding to steal her stuff.  If something went missing then they stole it.   She would buy a pack of Dentine gum once a week, at night she would save the chewed piece next to her dentures to chew the next morning.  

She owned five dresses, one was for church , one for bingo and the other three for around the house. We all ate most meals together around a big table my Dad built, my brother sat at Dad’s left and by ages we ranged around the table. She would admonish us girls to leave enough food for Dad and my brother. 

She was never a physically demonstrative person but showed her love by baking our favorite treats. I remember opening the door from school to the smell of warm pies and bread. She always made me a tiny pie all to myself.  She collapsed one day from abdominal pain. Dad and Mom rushed her to the hospital. She died a few hours later from abdominal cancer. The doctors said she must have been in awful pain but never let on. I still miss her.”

Her granddaughter Pat recalls:

Phyllis mentioned when she was home from school if it was baking day, Meme always had a little pie or something special just for her to eat, but she did that for all 4 of us kids and I think she baked twice a week or more. With 4 kids and 3 adults the food went fast.

 .

Also when I got married I didn’t know how to cook very many dishes or bake, well she taught me how gave me a lot of recipes but no cook book they were all in her head.

 .

She also was a great seamstress, and we all had the best dressed dolls in town as well as clothes for us.  She also made beautiful quilts, Phyllis was the only one that knew to keep one unused so it is in great condition, next time you come have Phyllis show it to you.

 .

I have one but well used and both my kids want it left to them in my will. May have to draw straws on that.

She was never idle always making something by hand, quilts rugs, doilies, doll clothes or making something for us. She also made her own patterns for tablecloths and doilies. She was artistic and wound sketch out birds flowers etc on the doilies or table cloth.

 .

I always admired her, while she may not been much to hug or give you a kiss, she showed us her love in other ways.

 .

She had a lot of sayings that were superstitious, or maybe just a way to have you do something. To this day I have to put things in place, before I go to bed shoes in the closet, clothes hung up, things in place so the borrowers would not take them. Ha I think it was her way to keep our rooms neat. And I can’t sleep if the closet door is open , and few years ago we were all talking and I brought it up and found Phyllis and Wilda do the same thing. Funny !

 .

She used to tell us if we could peel a potato in one unbroken strip, when we dropped it on the ground it would tell us the initial of our future husband.  We tried again and again (surely just a way to get us to peel potatoes)!

 .

Also not sure if you knew Pepe (Paul Roy) lived with us as well in Athol, he used to rock me and sing me funny little French songs, he died when I was around 3 or 4 years old.

.

Laura died at St. Petersburg, Florida on 3 November 1968.  She is buried at Gethsemane Cemetery in Athol.

My Acadian 30 – week #2, Pius/Paul Dost Roy

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother Yvonne Marie Roy. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one ancestor each week.

Click on any picture to see a larger version!

Generation 2

2. Pius/Paul Dost Roy, was the eldest child of Docité/Dosithée Roy and Victorie LeBlanc, likely born 09 Jul 1886 in Ste Marie de Kent, St Mary’s Parish, Kent, New Brunswick (in 1871 the village had a population of only 100 people; by 1898 St. Mary’s was a farming and fishing community with 1 post office, 4 stores, 1 cheese factory, 1 church and a population of about 1,000). Pius’s Declaration of Intent (to become a US citizen), draft registrations, censuses, marriage and death records corroborate this date and parents.

It seems the Acadian Roy family was one of the first to settle in that area. The book “La Vie à Sainte-Marie”, by Emery Leblanc, Sackville, N.B. : Tribune Press, 1985, ©1984 (in French) reads:

“The first settlers of St. Mary were from Bouctouche. They obtained a land grant in 1824 and settled in the district now called “Roy Office” on the south side of the river, named in memory of Joseph Roy, one of the first settlers, and one of the most remarkable”.

Pius was baptized two days after his birth, 11 Jul 1886 at Mont-Carmel; his godparents were Pierre Roy (his dad’s half-brother) and Henriette LeBlanc (his dad’s sister who married Domicien Leblanc).

2014 photo

In 1891, 5 year old Pius lived with his parents and two sisters Albina (age 3; b. 10 July 1888) and Mathilde (8 months; b. 3 Aug 1890) in the parish of St Mary’s in the district of Ste Marie de Kent. His father was a farmer. They were Roman Catholic, Acadians. Little is known of Pius’s childhood. His father did own land in St Mary’s Parish that was purchased of his parents (which will be described in a later sketch). The 1940 census tells us Pius attended school through the 4th grade (as reported to the census taker by his wife) and he was unable to read or write (the 1930 census says he did not attend school at all, but we do not know who spoke with the census taker). According to Inspector reports in 1889, education was not valued in St. Mary’s Parish and many of the schools were closed, “for no good reason”; by 1892 the inspector reported some improvement but in 1901 again reported degrading conditions.

The family grew. Siblings who joined the family included Marie Emma (b. 26 Nov 1892), Aurelie (b. 27 July 1896), Dieudonné and Joseph Hector (b. 3 Sept 1898), apparently twins.

Sadly, four of Pius’s young siblings died in 1899.  Joseph, 1 Jan 1899 [cause unreadable], age 4 months;  Albina, 13 April 1899, age 10, of consumption [likely influenza]; and a week later, 20 April 1899, Dieudonné (7 months) of la grippe [likely influenza]. No further record of Aurelie has been located, he probably died in the same time frame.

Pius’s sister Emma, who resided in Fitchburg, Massachusetts married Fred LeBlanc, a Chairmaker residing in Gardner, son of Calixe LeBlanc and Anastasia Tazie Cassie on 1 July 1912.  She died in Gardner, in 1924, age 32 (cause unknown).

Based on family photos, Pius seemed to stay in touch with his two siblings who lived to adulthood, Edmund (who married Marie Laura Leblanc, daughter of Arcade Leblanc and Marie Boudreau) and Mathilde (who married Cyrille Allain, son of Mélème Allain and Marie-Blanche LeBlanc).

By 1901, Pius, his parents, Mathilde and Emma had moved from their rural community to the “big city”, and were living in Lancaster (today part of Saint John), New Brunswick.  A few years earlier, in 1898, Lancaster was known as Fairville, a station on the Canadian Pacific Railway, a lumbering and manufacturing village with 1 post office, 25 stores, 2 hotels, 1 brewery, 1 sawmill, 1 pulp mill, 2 carriage factories, a provincial lunatic asylum, 5 churches and a population of 1,500. Pius worked as a Millman (likely with his father) for five months that year and made $50 (he was 14). He was not in school, and spoke both French and English (French was his native tongue). They used the surname King (the English translation of Roy).

On 20 Aug 1902, another sibling, Edmund Doss was born in Randolph, a community in or near Lancaster.

Meanwhile, Gardner, Massachusetts, like other New England communities, developed from an agricultural village to an industrial center. The furniture industry was in the forefront of this industrial expansion, which made possible with the completion of the local railroad connection from Boston to New York and Western markets.

With Heywood Brothers (Pius’s employer, when he worked, over 30 years) and other furniture manufacturers expanding, (Gardner was known as the “The Furniture Capital of New England”; by 1910 it had 20 chair factories which produced 4 million chairs per year), the need for help skyrocketed, creating jobs for incoming immigrants from Canadian Provinces. Records show that in 1878 Heywood Brothers employed 467 and seven years later 1300. In 1884 Gardner had a French population of 270 families and it expected growth to 600 families (a large majority of Bouctouche, the town Pius’s father was born and a few miles from Ste Marie).

Thus, in about 1904, an 18-year-old Pius removed to Gardner, Massachusetts, likely for work, where he remained for several years, through at least 1910, and met his future wife.

It seems that the rest of the family returned to Ste Marie.  A child, also named Dieudonné, was born 17 May 1906 and baptized at Mont Carmel; 3 years later, 2 Sep 1909, he died from measles at St Mary’s.

Two days after Christmas, a cloudy cold Tuesday (temperatures were in the low 30’s), on 27 Dec 1910, Pius married Laura Marie Melanson, daughter of Magloire Melanson/Melancon and Osite/Ausithe Dupuis in Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a 24-year-old Chairmaker and she a 19-year-old shop girl. The marriage was performed by Wilfred J. Choquette, a priest, of the Acadian French, Holy Rosary Church, Nichols Street, Gardner.

Pius and his wife Laura returned to New Brunswick, and by 1911 resided in the village of Pellerin, St Mary’s Parish, Kent, New Brunswick (another village of early Roy settlers). He was living with his parents at their residence working as an assistant on the farm “on his own account” (likely for/with his family). Residing with them were his 8-year-old brother Edmund, widowed 83-year-old grandfather Joseph Roy and his Uncle Jude Roy. Only Laura and Edmond could read and write.

Pius and Laura had four children baptised at Ste Marie de Kent: Leo born about 1911, Yvonne Marie born 16 Aug 1912; Joseph Magloire born 8 Nov 1913 and  Melesse/Melissa “Nelsey” born 16 Nov 1914. Magloire likely was stillborn or died soon after birth. He is not found in other records and in 1940, Laura, who spoke with the census taker directly, reported having given birth to 7 children (not 8) – the question specifically read “do not count stillbirths”.

On 17 April 1916, Pius and family returned to Gardner, Massachusetts permanently, via Vanceboro, Maine, likely via train  (nice write-up of the evolution of trains in New Brunswick here).  Acadian researcher Lucie LeBlanc Consentino in 2015 writes: ” I have been listening to an interview with Regis Brun (in French) – he said that there was a depression in the Acadian villages in 1910 and that is when families began migrating. In this interview he is talking about people who moved to the Moncton area for jobs with the railway… however, this gives a glimpse into why your ancestors would have decided to move on to the States too”.

Pius and Laura’s daughter Marie Lena was born in Gardner 08 Mar 1917. Pius registered for WWI (he did not serve), and apparently could not sign his name, as he marked his “X” on the draft card.  He claims to have a wife and four children. The card is dated 17 June 1917, further evidence that their son Magloire was deceased.

The pair rounded out the family with three more children in Gardner: Edmund Sylvio born 28 Sep 1919; Alfred born 7 Jan 1923 and Alida born 3 Oct 1926.

On 6 June 1918, under declaration #16313 at Worcester Superior Court, Pius declared his intent to become a US citizen. He then declared his intention again at Fitchburg  #43781 and on 6 Dec 1934, was awarded permanent residence under certificate #1106013.  Pius did make one short trip to New Brunswick in May 1921 for reasons unknown, it appears he was only in Canada for a few days.

In December 1922, Pius’s mother Victorie arrived in the US and was permanently headed to her son Edmund’s home in Gardner, 244 Parker Street (which was the address of Pius and Laura that year).  His father, Docite arrived in May of 1923 with the same contact and intentions.  His parents’ deaths were later registered in New Brunswick (1934 – Victorie and 1932- Docite) and thus they likely returned home at some point.

Pius did appear to sign his own Naturalization paperwork and his 1942 WWII draft card. He may have learned to sign his name in later years. Pius is described as medium height, 5′ 6″ with a slender build, at 132/135 pounds with brown eyes, black hair and a ruddy complexion

Pius was a member of the Gardner Assumption Society.  With the growth of the Acadian presence in Gardner, it became apparent there was a need to preserve the Acadian culture and language; fifteen Acadians met in 1900 and began the formation of what became a national society. Fred Richard as leader of the group contacted Acadian leaders in other communities and eventually in 1903, La Société Mutuelle de L’Assomption (“Assomption Society”) came to life, as a fraternal insurance organization. By 1935, this organization conceived in Gardner grew to eleven thousand members throughout New England and the Maritime Provinces – some history here.

The French inhabitants of Gardner sought to preserve their culture; as a result, they established a community within a community. They first established themselves in the Park Street area, which became known as little Canada. As more arrived, French residential and businesses flourished in the area of Nichols (home of Laura Melanson’s father), Parker (home of the Roy’s), and West Street. The Nichols Street area with church, school, hotel and small shops formed the heart of the French community and eventually became the center of activity for both Canadians and Acadians who assimilated themselves within this community to become one. As is typical of immigrant renters of that time, our family moved frequently.

1916/17: 13 Greenwood, Gardner
1917-22: 242/244 Parker, Gardner (in 1920 the Roy’s had a 3 1/2-year-old “lodger” Joseph Fredette, son of French Canadians Theophile Fredette and Eliza Ledorex, who were also living at 244 Parker, it is unclear why Joseph was enumerated with the Roys). In 1920 there were five families at this address, all French Canadian.

1928:29 Limerick, Gardner
1929-31: rear 5 or 45 Moran, Gardner (in 1930 they rented for $20)
1934: 91 Regan, Gardner
1938-40: 40 Connors Street, Gardner (in 1940, they rented for $20)
1942: 197 Pine, Gardner
1944-47: 163 Pleasant Street, Gardner
1948-54: New Sherborn Road, Athol (same address as Earl and Alida Cummings, their daughter).

In 1921 Pius was a chair maker, later in life he became a machinist/welder/drill washer.  His obituary, city directories and other records indicate he was employed by Heywood-Wakefield Furniture in Gardner for more than 30 years. In 1940, Laura claimed that Pius worked 26 weeks in 1939, as a metal cutter, and made $500 that year and that he worked 44 hours the week before the census was taken in 1940. There was no other family income reported. About 1947, they removed to Athol, where he took a position with Union Twist Drill Company as a drill washer.

 Pepe (Pius), Earl Cummings (Alida’s husband), Frank McGuire (Lena’s 3rd husband) and Tony Thibedeau (Yvonne’s boyfriend)

Family members who knew him, paint a different picture.  A granddaughter recollects that he did maple sugaring. Pius, who was known as Paul, or “Pepe” by the grandkids, was an alcoholic and rarely able to work.  He gambled away their home or rent money [land records have not been examined in the US, but they did not own a home before 1940 in the US nor was Pius located in the New Brunswick Grantor/Grantee land deed indexes before 1917].

In later years, Pius and Laura had no choice but to move in with their youngest daughter on her farm in Athol.  Pius’s wife Laura, had a very sad life, she raised their children close to abject poverty.  She worked very hard to keep things together.  She basically ran the small family furniture business (the 1922-24 city directories lists an occupation of “second-hand furniture”),  laundered for people and held other odd jobs.  Another granddaughter recalls, “Leo, one of her children, had some type of head trauma and Laura cared for him until he died”.   A Leo Roy is listed in the Gardner death indexes in 1929; I have not yet obtained this death certificate, he was 18 years old.

Sadly, three of the children, Alfred, Yvonne and Lena became alcoholics like Pepe.

Alida’s wedding 1946

Pius died 9 Aug 1954 in Athol, Massachusetts; his granddaughter recalls “one night a cow got out and Pepe and my Dad spent a rainy night looking for it, Pepe, who continued to drink heavily became sick and died the next morning”.  His death certificate lists a cause of Coronary Thrombosis. He is buried at Gesthemane Cemetery (off St Matthew Ta (9) 2).  I believe the Matilda Allen listed in the first obit is a misprint and is a sister, not a daughter as stated.

My Acadian 30 – week #1, Marie Yvonne “Yvonne” Roy

In 2007, I joined Ancestry.com.  It never occurred to me that online, unsourced trees were inaccurate.  I essentially “copied” my entire Acadian family from potentially erroneous public trees and never looked back.  Although my newer entries are sourced, a visit to Stephen A. White, at Moncton University’s Centre d’Études Acadiennes [Center for Acadian Studies] in 2014,  revealed a number of errors. I am determined to start from scratch, and verify that I have all available records beginning with the 30 direct ancestors, connected to my maternal grandmother Yvonne Marie Roy. This includes her parents, grandparents, g-grandparents and g-g-grandparents.

To keep the project manageable, I will write of one each week for the next 30 weeks.

Click on any photo to see a larger version.

Generation 1 – my grandmother – Marie Yvonne “Yvonne” Roy

1. Marie Yvonne “Yvonne” Roy, daughter of Pius/Paul Roy and Laura Marie Melanson, was born on 16 Aug 1912 in Ste Marie de Kent, New Brunswick, Canada. She was baptized at Eslise du Mont-Carmel four days later.  Her godparents were Dosithe Roy (her grandfather) and Domithilde Roy (likely a relative).

Ste-Marie de Kent is located on the north side of the Buctouche River; in 1898 St. Mary’s was a farming and fishing community with 1 post office, 4 stores, 1 cheese factory, 1 church and a population of about 1,000. Pictured is the cemetery/Mont-Carmel Church and Bouctouche River at Ste-Marie and the view as we arrived during my 2014 visit.

Yvonne likely immigrated to Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts with her mother, when she was almost four, on 17 April 1916 (the immigration date reported in her mother’s November 1932 border crossing documents when she returned to Canada for an eleven day visit and also the date which Yvonne’s father’s claimed to enter the US in his Declaration of Intent to become a US Citizen). The 1920/1930 censuses further supports this 1915/1916 arrival.

The family moved frequently.

In 1920, Yvonne (age 8, attending school, can read and write), was living at 244 Parker Street, Gardner, with her parents and four of her siblings (two siblings were born after 1920). There were five families at this address, all French Canadian.

In 1930, Yvonne (age 17, not in school or working), was living at 5 Moran, Street, Gardner,  with her parents and five siblings (brother, Leo passed away in 1929), likely all in one room. There were nine families at this address, all French Canadian [photo not available, but in 2015, it was described as “a 4,968 square foot multi-family home which sits on a 0.26 acre lot and features 9 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms”].

In 1934, Yvonne first appears in city directories living with her parents at r 91 Regan, Gardner. She worked as a toymkr for Royal Manufacturing Company at rear 58 Main.

According to her sister Alida, Yvonne was a big drinker/party girl who had many boyfriends. On 20 August 1934, Yvonne gave birth to her first child (1) Mary Constance Shirley “Shirley” Billings. Based on DNA testing, her father is unknown but he was likely Eastern European.

A few months later, Yvonne married at the Holy Rosary Church, in Gardner, 6 October 1934, Charles Billings, who was born 27 Jun 1904 in Pittsfield, Berkshire, Massachusetts, son of  Juozas (Joseph) Baltrūnas (Billie) and Salomėja Markevičiūtė (Morris) of Stanioniai and Preibiai, Pasvalys, Lithuania.  The first in her line, since the late 1600’s, to marry a non-Acadian.

Yvonne gave birth to three children while married to Billings: (2) Elizabeth “Betty” b. 1935, (3) Ralph b. 1938 and (4) Charles b. 1941 [DNA testing reveals Billings was Betty’s bio-father, he was not the bio-father of Ralph, whose father had Finnish origins; child #4, Charles, is deceased, with no issue, and thus his paternity could not be tested].

From 1935 to 1936, the family resided in Gardner, Massachusetts.  In 1935 on r 91 Regan (with Yvonne’s parents) and in 1936 on 63 Parker (# 14); Charles worked as a cutter and assembler for FSCo.   By 1937 directories indicate they had removed to Baldwinsville in the town of Templeton, Worcester, Massachusetts.

By 1939 they were back in Gardner, at 103 Pine and Charles was an inspector for FSCo.  In 1940, they were renting 16 Willow Street where they paid $16/month.  Charles was an Insulator who had worked 50 weeks in the prior year and made $1,250.

The 1941 Gardner city directory notes that Mrs. Yvonne Billings removed to Athol, Massachusetts.  Charles is not mentioned.  Did they separate?  (Charles’ sister Connie resided in Athol; Yvonne’s parents relocated to Athol about 1947).

 

In the early 1940’s, according to Yvonne’s daughters, the family moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, where Charles was employed by GE [General Electric].  Yvonne was hospitalized for tuberculosis (a deadly epidemic for which there were no antibiotics until the 1950’s) and the children, infant to about age eight, were left alone, with agreement that the upstairs neighbor would watch them, so Charles could work.  Another neighbor reported the situation and the state stepped in and placed the three eldest in foster care. The youngest, Charles, was placed in an institution, unbeknownst to his siblings, who were told their little brother had died. Sadly, I never met my uncle; but he was an amazing man, read of his life by “clicking here“.  The remaining children were placed  in Malden, Massachusetts (the girls together at 167 Main Street with Joseph and Margaret (Daley) Galiack). My aunt Alida and other relatives recall that both Yvonne and Charles were raging alcoholics and likely not fit for parenting.

In later years, my mother obtained case files from the state of Massachusetts to learn more of her parents.  She choose to destroy  the documentation and noted “they were full of lies”.  The last memory my mother had of her father, was him sitting at the kitchen table, crying and begging them not to take his children.  My mother never heard from her father again and contact with her mother was sparse.

The state files read:

8 Nov 1944 – Essex County Superior Court

Lynn police complaint of neglect, parents attended hearing. Mother Yvonne, born in New Brunswick 1912 was found in a rooming house in Lynn, nude and intoxicated, she had been away from home for several days. The father stated that Yvonne had not been “well” since the birth of her youngest child.

The four children were verminous, undernourished and school attendance was irregular.  They had been observed in the Lynn City Home for two weeks and given outfits of clothing.

The parents had been in court previously on 4 Nov 1941 on the charges of neglect and both were on probation.

Yvonne was found guilty of lewd and lascivious neglect, she was sentence to 30 days at the reformatory for women in Framingham (which she appealed) and was fined $100.

Charles was found guilty, placed on probation and was to pay $10/week.

Charles and Yvonne separated sometime after the children were placed in foster care, I do not believe they legally divorced. Her husband Charles is listed alone in the 1945 Lynn, Massachusetts city directory – r 14 Munroe, “Libson the lodging house” [court records indicate he may have gone to Bridgeport, Connecticut to reside with relatives there]. No later city directories have been located for Yvonne or Charles, but photos indicate that by 1945 Yvonne had a new boyfriend, Tony Thibodeau. In May 1950 she told social workers that she hoped to marry him and was vague on the status of her marriage to Billings.

When my mother was a young adult she and her best friend Patsy Gowell (later McDevitt) would, on occasion, take a train to Boston and visit the bar where Yvonne worked.

In 1950 Yvonne claimed to have been working at the Franklin Café, Boston (as a bartender and/or a waitress) with her sister Lena Cummings, 2278 Shawmut Ave., making $12/week plus tips and meals.   Her boyfriend, Tony, an alcoholic, was not a nice man; he unsuccessfully attempted to sexually molest Yvonne’s eldest teenage daughter, Shirley (she left foster care and moved in with her mother for a short time).

State case file:

Sep 1950 – Yvonne was charged for visiting without a permit.  This very much disturbed the eldest girl. According to the foster mother, Yvonne told the girls they could wear cheap jewelry, lipstick and rouge and could visit her anytime in Boston and she would pay for the cab.

12 Nov 1951 – Yvonne requested permission to take the girls to visit their grandmother in Athol for Thanksgiving. Permission was granted with hopes that this would eliminate any longing the children have to live with her.

15 Nov 1951 – Yvonne resides at 10 Taylor Street, Boston and is working at Walton’s restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue.  She makes $50/week plus tips.  She was asked to help support the children.  She stated that she was not interested.

10 Oct 1952 – Yvonne’s eldest daughter was discharged from foster care. She went to reside at the home of Yvonne on 10 Taylor Street, Boston.  Soon after her arrival, Yvonne went on a 12 day drinking binge. Shirley is having a hard time with her mother being drunk and promiscuous.

Yvonne is having an affair with a taxi driver.  On three occasions they drove to Malden, picked up Betty and Ralph and took them to Revere Beach.

14 May 1953 – Yvonne admitted to Rutland State Sanitarium, Maine with advance pulmonary TB, prognosis poor.

July 1954 – the hospital reported Yvonne improving, expected to be ambulatory soon.

Yvonne’s sister Alida recalls Yvonne appearing at the door in Athol exposing her children Tuberculosis, an infectious bacterial disease characterized by the growth of nodules (tubercles) in the tissues, especially the lungs. Alida was angry, but drove her to the hospital and visited. Nothing more is known of Yvonne’s life.

By 23 August 1960, Yvonne was again hospitalized with Tuberculosis. Her daughter, Betty, was listed as her “next of kin”, which made her quite angry as her mother had not been a part of her life.  Betty did visit at least once, on 31 Aug 1960.

Yvonne died on 14 Jul 1961, age 48 (almost 49), in Mattapan (Boston) and was buried three days later in Athol, Worcester, Massachusetts (Gethsemane Cemetery, Plot: St. Matthew, Row TB, Lot 2) with her father and later her mother and son Charles.  Her death was recorded in Boston, her daughter Elizabeth “Betty” Billings was the informant.

She spent 10 months and 21 days in the Boston Sanatorium (a historic tuberculosis hospital at 249 River Street in Mattapan) prior to her death which was caused by “Far Advanced Pulmonary Tuberculosis” .

Prior to her death, Yvonne had been residing at, 624 Tremont Street, Boston (a section known as “The South End”, where buildings here were tenements and in the 1960s absentee landlordism was rampant and the neighborhood was one of the poorest of the city ). She was a waitress at a restaurant (she was not found in Boston city directories at any address under the name Billings or Roy).

It seems that the only family members who attended the funeral were her daughter Betty and sister Nelsey (many relatives lived out of state, including Yvonne’s mother who was almost 70).  The funeral was held in Malden at Leo Norton’s (a very good friend of my grandfather Dr. Charles G. Hall). Betty paid the $511 in fees, noting that Yvonne had not been in her life since she was five.

Aunt Connie’s Narrow Escape!

My Lithuanian grand aunt, Connie Barton was a resident at the Windsor House (which also housed the Lithuanian club) off Exchange Street in Athol, Massachusetts when on 14 July 1946, a fast moving kitchen fire caused by “hot fat” inflicted $20,000 in damage.

There were 16 occupied rooms and some “very narrow escapes”:

– William P. Cleary, 58, jumped from the third floor ledge to a roof next door and broke his ankle.

– Nik Ross, 65 was overcome by smoke and suffered burns on the hand and face.

– Marion Stangvilla, 19, daughter of the owners Walter and Sophie Stangvilla was taken out of the third story by the firemen and,

– My aunt, Connie Barton, 37, escaped the flames by hanging from the third story ledge by her fingertips until she was rescued by firemen!

The owners did plan to rebuild, Connie relocated to 387 South Street in Althol.

 

The story hit newspapers nationwide.  Mrs. Henri F. Guthuz [?] of 619 No. State Street, Chicago, Illinois,  wrote Connie on 16 July:

My Dear Miss Barton, 

In my newspaper (The Chicago Times) yesterday, I saw an item about you and your great courage.  

I did so want to tell you how much I admire you and of my heart felt sympathy.  

I can imagine to a small degree how you must have suffered and no doubt still are — strained muscles – back – hands and nerves.

I hope you recover soon –

Sincerely 

 Helene Guthuz [?]

This was not the first time that the Winsor House burned!  A February 1896 the structure, then owned by Mrs. M. A. Coles, burned – no lives were lost but many lost all their possessions.  The cause was a tipped over lantern or a defective boiler.

The hotel was rebuilt and named a summer “Vacation Resort” reachable via the Boston & Maine in 1908:

The hotel was next owned by Frank H. Ball and later purchased by a long time employee, a Lithuanian, August Sklenis who died in 1936.

Served in the Merchant Marine – Radio Officer Uncle John “Jack” Galatis [Glatis] Haines, Jr.

My grandmother Edith’s brother, John Galatis [or Glatis] “Jack” Haines Jr., was second of eight, born 11 Sept 1910 to John Galatis “Jack” Haines and Edith Bernice Lansil  in the Allston section of Boston.

By Jack’s second birthday, the family had moved to Melrose, Massachusetts.  As the family grew, the Haines’ moved frequently between Melrose, Malden and for a short time to Saugus.

Pictured: Edith (E), Jack (J) and Doris (D) Haines

In 1920, the family was living in Malden, Jack was a 9 year old student.

There were some hard times in Jack’s young life.  The Depression had disrupted the family with a move to a less expensive house in a less expensive town. The children slept using winter coats in place of blankets; blankets being an unaffordable luxury.  One story tells of Jack’s dad, Jack Haines Sr. coming home after a very late trip through the city on Christmas Eve, carrying a floor to ceiling tree which he and my mother decorated while everyone else slept. Foreverafter they told the story of how he scouted the town for a marked-down tree but the only ones he could find had been abandoned hours earlier. As he picked one up and started for home with his cache, a policeman suddenly appeared and asked what he was doing. The truth of six children sleeping at home with nothing to look forward to except Christmas morning, prompted the policeman to turn his back and walk away as he shouted, “I didn’t see a thing! Merry Christmas!”

Although times were tough, through her poetry, Jack’s sister Natalie recalls a house filled with joy:

You’re Only Young Once

… A rhyming version of Depression days

Natalie Thomson

Depression Days were then at hand
(Financial woes throughout the land.)
A seventh child was added to
A family which grew and grew.

Their worries big, their money small,
Their laughter rang from hall to hall.
Each day brought on a new event
From buying shoes to paying rent.

They picked blueberries in the sun
And sang on rides ’til day was done.
The castles were all made of sand;
The water cool, the sunshine grand.

The root beer was, of course, homemade;
Each holiday, a new parade!
The bonfires bright, who can deny,
Were better than the last July.

The icy tunnels dug in snow;
The car would need a push to go.
The swan-boat rides meant trips “in town”.
The clothes were mostly hand-me-down.

The marks in school were of the best…
Such praise for every “A” in tests!
A photograph in groups, you know,
Would find them always in front row.

The house was clean, there was no clutter,
But, oh, “Go easy on the butter!!”
The Market on those weekend nights,
With pushcarts for their city sights.

Their visiting was done in groups,
But picnics called out all the troops!
A wink from Dad, a smile from Mum,
Would mean a happy time to come

With dishes washed and windows closed,
The bathroom busy, off they’d go!

Jack, a good-looking boy, graduated from Melrose High School in 1928 [A copy of the yearbook has not been located, but according to Melrose Library Staff, he is listed as a sophomore in the 1926 yearbook].

In 1930, 20 year old Jack was living with the family in Melrose working as a bank messenger.

At age 22 and a resident of Saugus, he became a Mason of the Mount Vernon Lodge, Malden, Massachusetts.

In 1940, 29-year-old Jack (who spoke directly with the census enumerator) had removed from the family homestead and was boarding at a home in Boston, paying $12/month, working as a bank clerk at First National Bank of Boston, making $1,160 annually, a large salary in comparison to fellow boarders and neighbors. His obituary further tells us he was employed by the Old Colony Bank and Trust, Boston for many years.

Jack married Allene Day, born 28 June 1909, in Hartford, Michigan, to William and Katie (Rice) Day.  The pair likely met in Boston, where Allene attended Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing and attained a Registered Nursing degree in 1941. Their marriage was registered in Malden in 1942, just months before Jack’s father’s death, 10 days prior to Christmas. Did Jack come to the aid of his widowed mother who had lost everything in the Depression?  We don’t know.  Jack and Arlene soon relocated to Michigan where they likely had two sons born 1943 and 1945 [no births were located in the Massachusetts indices].  For reasons unknown, by 1947, Jack and Allene separated and Jack left Michigan and appears to have had no further contact with his children. Jack and Allene’s divorce was finalized on 3 Dec 1951 in Kalamazoo, Michigan and in 1965, Allene married second Porter Dent of Vicksburg, Michigan.

By 1947, Jack was serving in the Merchant Marine. He was a Radio Officer given the nickname “Sparks” (as were most others in his field).  It is worth noting that one serves in the Merchant Marine (never plural) someone who serves in the Merchant Marine is a sailor or a seaman or their rank (Captain, Mate, etc.) they are never referred to as a Merchant Marine.

It took a special personality to work as a Radio Officer, most were loners (some not by choice as  many got hooked by the “Well paid to see the world” publicity).  Jack was alone in the radio shack most of the time. Others crew members had the chance to interact and speak of projects they were working on.  No one understood the radio operator’s duties.  Few visited “the shack”, the noise of Morse code and static drove most away quickly.

The school where Jack received his training in unknown, but we can surmise that all schools in that era had a similar program and philosophy.

The Radio Training Station on Gallups Island in Boston, in 1944, described the requirements for the position:

“As Radio Operators, we will be the voice and hearing of the ship. Upon our ears will fall the first warning signals of danger and upon our shoulders will be placed the responsibility of flashing the first call for help in the event of disaster. In short, the success or failure of a voyage may well depend upon our skill and knowledge.

So important will be our future duties that we are receiving a very practical technical course of training. It includes code, touch typing, operating procedure, radio laws, regulations, international conferences, radio theory, practical laboratory work, operating positions, construction of composite transmitting and receiving equipment, radio-frequency and audio-frequency amplifier systems and related subjects.

Code is, however, one of our more important studies, for once we are assigned to active sea duty we must be able to carryon as efficiently as if we had been constantly engaged in the work for some time and that means taking messages on typewriters as fast as they come over the earphones.

Learning code is a fairly simple task, consuming but a comparatively short time. Building up speed, however, is quite another story, for it takes practice and concentration to acquire the art of copying and sending at rates generally used in commercial work

Before we came here most of us thought of code only in terms of dots and dashes. The letter A, for example, was dot dash, while the letter D was dash dot dot. One of the first things they taught us when we got here, though, was to forget all about dots and dashes and to think of code in terms of dits and dahs.

Now, the letter A is dit-dah, while the letter D is dah-dit-dit. In the beginning code is shot to us at such a low rate of speed, that letters are easily distinguishable. It is more difficult, however, as trans- mission becomes more rapid, to distinguish between letters. Consequently, more than half of our school day is spent in practicing code.

Each man has his own individual equipment which consists of headphones, speed selector panel, a hand sending key and a typewriter. Code is sent by hand and automatically by code sending machines, which can be regulated to any speed by the instructor.

Before graduating we must be able to copy mixed Code Groups at the rate of 18 words per minute. The ability to do this enables most of us to make plain language copy at the rate of 24 or more words per minute. Before we can get to the point of taking messages on the typewriter we must become fairly efficient at typing. We are learning the touch systems in the best “secretarial” manner and before graduation are able to type at the rate of 35 words per minute which is sufficient for practical operating work. 

While code is one of our most important studies here, other subjects of equal or near equal consequence require a great deal of our attention. Take, for instance, radio theory. In order to thoroughly understand how to make necessary repairs we have to know why our equipment functions as it does. Fundamentals of electricity, which many of us studied in high school under the general heading of physics, have to be thoroughly understood. Ohm’s law, and others, have to be more than a series of memorized words.

Today’s radio equipment is much more complicated than it was during the days of the First World War, with the result that a good portion of our time is spent in the service laboratories learning how to repair receivers, transmitters, direction finding apparatus and other paraphernalia that we may be called upon to service in mid-ocean

Most interesting to all of us, perhaps, is the actual watch standing that we do. In this phase of our work, we take live messages from the air and learn through experience the routine of shipboard procedure.

Upon completion of our course here we take the usual Federal Communications Commission examinations which are given at the Custom House in Boston. In the first place, requirements for obtaining the coveted second class license [Jack held a first class license!] are that the applicant must send and receive code at the rate of 16 words per minute mixed code and successfully pass the required elements of the test covering the rules and regulations, basic and advanced radio theory and operating practice.

Strange as it may seem, we complete our work here in somewhat less than half the time required for a like course of study in recognized civilian schools. This is due in great measure to the fact that our curriculum was outlined and prepared by men who are thoroughly familiar with all aspects of radio work. We put in a full six hour day in class, lectures and laboratory work, and facilities are available for an additional three hours at night for those requiring extra study, or wishing to practice.

Then, of course, we have to work hard in order to keep abreast of the schedule that must be maintained. A good deal of outside study is required. Textbooks, especially prepared by members of the faculty, are used in our class work, while standard electrical textbooks and technical magazines are used for reference purposes and may be drawn from the more than 3,000 copies in the school library.

Add to these the fact that all of us who were admitted had to measure up to the educational standards set by the Maritime Service and you begin to see why this intensified course is so successful. Among other things, a high school education that included at least one year of algebra is necessary for admittance to the school. Physics, though not required, is a subject that should have been included in our high school work

At the conclusion of the war we’ll be members of a Merchant Marine that will be the queen of the seas – members who will enjoy the privileges and pay of specialists aboard ship.“

A rare look into the duties of a Radio Operator [click on any image to see a large version], examples include:

Keep emergency life boat transmitter battery charged.

Have an understanding with Master, Mate and Armed Guard CO as to procedure in time of distress.

Burn and destroy the ashes of any paper on which there is classified information.

Don’t break radio silence.

Online records provide details of at least 26 voyages where Jack was stationed on the vessel Kyska (all-purpose cargo ship with 5 holds, 6,190 gross tons built in Mobile, Alabama).

A 38-year-old Jack is first found, after having served one year, departing New York on 7 May 1948 arriving in Yokohama, Japan 18 Jul 1948.  He reports to be 5’10”, 165 pounds and of English descent.

In the years that follow Jack travels to Kobe, Moji and Yokohama, Japan; Davao City, Philippines; Campbell River, British Columbia; New York; California; Seattle, Washington; and Portland, Oregon.

By 1953, a 5’11”, 185 pound Jack is reported as a radio officer who had served at sea for six long years. He is one of the few onboard without tattoos or scars.

He lands in Honolulu, Hawaii 10 Dec 1951, them on 24 January 1952 departs New Orleans, Louisiana where he lists his sister [my grandmother] Edith as a contact on a voyage headed to multiple ports.

2 September 1952 he was engaged at San Francisco on a mission to Yokohama, Japan through 17 October 1952 when he landed in Seattle, Washington. Interestingly, he reports his race to be Welsh [he ancestry was approximately 25% Welsh, 68.75% English and 6.25% French].

A day later, 18 October 1952 he again departed to Yokohama, arriving back in Seattle 11 December 1952.

On 1 February 1953 he sailed from Portland to Yokohama, returning to Seattle 30 March 1953.

Jack rarely had time off the ship.  A sampling of voyages in this time period included:

• departed Los Angeles 6 April 1953 to Yokohama, returning to Seattle 27 May 1953
• departed San Francisco 2 June 1953 to Yokohama, returning to Seattle 25 Jul 1953
• departed Seattle 27 July 1953 to Pusan, South Korea via British Columbia, returning to Seattle 21 Sep 1953
• departed Los Angeles 13 November 1953 to Muroran, Japan, returning to Seattle 2 Jan 1954
• departed Seattle 24 April 1954 to Yawata, Japan, returning to Seattle 15 Jun 1954

There are a few books available on radio operators that are recommended reading by the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Research Center:

Sparks at sea: the experiences of a ship’s radio offices

by Chandler, R. W.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/701849

From the high seas to low comedy : memoirs of radio man Monroe Upton.

by Upton, Monroe.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/17964680

Wake of the wirelessman /

by Clemons, B. J.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/33961206

 
In later years, Jack relocated to New York and for about 20 years was employed by RCA Global Communications. He retired a few years before his death and resided in North Tonawanda, New York.

Jack was a member of the American Contract Bridge League and won or placed in a number of local tournaments in Tonawanda as early as 1964.

He also belonged to the International Propeller Club of the United States, a business network dedicated to the promotion of the maritime industry, commerce and global trade.  The Propeller Club aggressively promotes the maritime industry through many of its programs and partnering with other similar organizations. Their goal is to educate legislators and the public as to the importance and necessity of all waterborne commerce.

Jack’s youngest sister Natalie, describes this chapter of her eldest brother’s life.  She writes:

“My active involvement in the arrangements and decisions, which, of necessity, I had to make following his unexpected death, caused me in the days and weeks following it to do an enormous amount of reflection and in-depth contemplation about his life — as I knew him, as others knew him, and as he might have known and/or seen himself.  I am far from being the psychologist or the writer who could, at this point in time  accurately tell anyone about Jack.  But to answer the question, “What has he been doing?” over the last 35 years, I’ll address myself to that.

As I know it, he spent many years (I don’t know the exact number) after leaving Michigan, in a Merchant Marine as THE radio operator on ships that touched ports throughout the world, most often in Japan, whose culture he learned, respected and seemed to like very much.  He was extremely proud of holding a master radio operator’s license (no small feat), enjoyed being known by the traditional maritime nickname, “Sparks” while at sea, and felt comfortable with the Petty Officer rank he held aboard ship…a notch above seaman and a notch below officer.  He was capable of easily mingling with both groups.

In later years, when both his energies and the glamorous escape of the sea diminished, he worked on land, still as a communicator, for a company with large shipping interests on the Great Lakes and off the New England Coast [RCA Global Communications, New York].  He retired on Social Security a few years ago.  His pension ended upon his death.

Most of the time, while working in private industry, he lived in upper New York State, alone, as he seemed to prefer. He visited us often here in Malden whenever “the spirit moved him” and one of the ways in which I saw him was a man who wanted to be unencumbered, yet who couldn’t completely relinquish all of his family ties.

He was avidly interested in the keenness of playing bridge and was competitively active in the local club; good enough to often participate in their tournaments. He was equally proud of his membership in the Masons, keeping his dues up to date in the Malden Lodge until the end, although he had not actively participated in it for many years”.

Jack died suddenly 31 May 1979 in North Tonawanda, Niagara, New York and was buried Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose, Massachusetts alongside his parents. 

Patriots Day and Ancestor William Grout

My dad worked as an Engineer, at Honeywell, in Lexington, Massachusetts, and enamored with the area and its history, cherished Patriots Day.  In the 1970’s, whilst much of Boston had plans to attend the Red Sox game or cheer for Boston Marathon runners, we rose Monday morning at 4AM and trekked to Lexington to view the early morning reenactment of the battle on Lexington Green. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War, fought within the towns of  Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy [Arlington] and Cambridge.  Although dark, typically cold and sometimes rainy, it was always exciting!

The Colonists wished to run their own affairs and sought their independence from England. In an effort to stop this, the Regulars headed for Concord, on the morning of 19 April 1775, with orders to destroy muskets, powder, cannons and provisions stockpiled at Colonel Barrett’s farm. The Red Coats arrived in Lexington at dawn to find the militia gathered on the Green. The British ordered them to lay down their arms and disperse. Then a shot rang out, “the shot heard around the world”, signifying the start of the American Revolution. When the smoke cleared, two were dead and several wounded.  Women and children ran to their fallen loved ones as the march continued to Concord [a YouTube video of the reenactment, filmed in 2010 can be found here].

Later, we attended the parade, toured historical homes and snacked.

Turns out, my 5th g-grandfather, William Grout, was engaged in the Lexington Alarm! [click on any image for a larger view]

William Grout was born 25 June 1754 in East Sudbury [now Wayland], Massachusetts to William Grout and Eunice Moore (widow of Samuel Cutting). William was their only known child, as the elder William, age 29, was likely killed in action, during the French & Indian War while part of Captain Dakin’s company in Lake George.  

On 20 July 1758, the Indians attacked a group of ten who were scouting. Others from the fort went out to assist; the Indians shot and killed fourteen, including William. The dead were scalped by the Indians and later buried in a mass grave.

Dr. Ebenezer Roby, jr. who was part of the Alarm List (persons between the age of 16 and 60 ordinarily exempt from military duty) that were called to join the First Foot company in Sudbury on 25 April 1757 during the 4th French and Indian war, kept a journal of his service which documents the elder William Grout’s death:

Thursday, 27  [July, 1758]

 A warm morning.  A smart thunder shower about 11 o’cock, very warm before.  I see William Rice who told me that Captain Dakin, Jones and Lawrence, Lieutenant Curtis, William Grout, Jonathan Paterson was killed.  A shower in the afternoon. Lodged on straw bed.

Click for full Diary.

The elder William was the grandson of John Grout, the Puritan, born 1616 who immigrated to America in the early 1600’s, and who from 1675 to 1676  saved Sudbury from certain annihilation in King Phillip’s war. Read of him here – “The Original Captain America Save Sudbury”  After his heroics in the King Phillip War, Grout was promoted to captain, equal to knighthood in England.  Grout was not in the employ of the government and was entitled to pay, but he volunteered his service and received no bounty. he died in 1697 age of 81.

According to g-grandsons Walter Franklin & Wilbur Henry Lansil’s SAR applications, the younger William carried forward his family’s patriotic tradition as part of the Minute Company under the command of Captain Nathaniel Cudworth, in Colonel Abijah Pierce’s regiment, at the Lexington Alarm; he was a private in Captain Thadeus Russell’s company in Colonel Jonathon Brewer’s regiment 1775; in Captain Ashiel Wheeler’s company, Colonel Reed’s regiment 1776 at Ticonderoga; in Captain M. Sawyer’s Company, Colonel Dyke’s regiment 1777-1778; in Captain Seth Newton’s Company, at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Colonel Abijah Stern’s regiment and in Captain William Howe’s Company, Colonel John Rand’s Regiment, 1776, thus serving sixteen months in Revolutionary War times.

Captain Nathaniel Cudworth’s participation in April 1775 is documented in written accounts:

The news spread quickly that men had been killed on the Lexington Green.  In Revolutionary Times, this was known as “the Day of the Lexington Alarm”.  The alert went out to every Middlesex village and farm, and developed a life of its own, reaching Worcester and Hampshire counties, New Hampshire and Maine.  The roads began to fill with minutemen and militiamen, advancing on Concord from many directions.

Sudbury sent several units, one being Captain Nathaniel Cudworth’s, with 40 men, likely one of whom was our William Grout.  There is a strong town tradition that Captain Cudworth’s Sudbury Company was heavily engaged on Brook’s Hill [Hudson, Sudbury, 380] and it is also possible that the other six units from Sudbury joined the ambush at Hardy’s [Brook’s] Hill, about a mile from Meriam’s corner, on Wednesday, March 22, 1775 – the fourth day of the Battle.

In 1833, when William applied for a pension he wrote:

“I William Grout of Frankfort in Said County of Waldo [Maine], do hereby on oath further certify that from old age and bodily infirmity I cannot recollect the precise times which I enlisted in the War of the Revolution, but as near as I can recollect my first enlistment was on or about the 19th day of April 1775 with Captain Thadeus Russell and that I served eight months, the term for which I enlisted….”

Grout’s signed pension file tells us:

1. He was born in East Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1754.

2. That he believes his age is recorded at East Sudbury.

3. That he was living at East Sudbury when he enlisted and since the Revolutionary War he lived seven years in Hillsborough [New Hampshire], from thence two years in east Sudbury and from thence he removed to Frankfort [Maine] where he now lives.

4. That he volunteered his services.

5. That he recollects Col. Josiah Fuller, that General Putnam commanded on Cambridge Side, Prospect Hill, so called; that Col Patterson commanded a regiment and have up a ____ on Bunker Hill; that he recollects Col Carlton of Ticonderoga, but does not now recollect any other material fact but what is contained in his declaration.

6. That he never received any discharge for they were not generally asked for or given at that time.

7. The he is well known by the Rev Joshua Hall, Archibald Jones, Benjamin Shaw, Nehemiah Rich, esq., W. William Andrews and Tisdale Dean of said Frankfort, all or any of whom will testify to his character for veracity and their belief that he was a soldier of the Revolution.

On 1 April 1779, William Grout married Hannah Jennison, daughter of Robert Jennison/Jenison and Sibbella/Sybil Brintall at Sudbury and worked as a carpenter.

Although my research is “work in progress”, they are said to have had at least seven children: Joel, Amos, William, Mary “Polly”, Nancy, Hannah and Eunice.  Census data indicates there may have also been a fifth daughter.

None of these births are recorded in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, however William does appear on the tax records there from 1781 to 1785, after which he apparently relocated to Maine, where many records did not survive.   Since William was the only “Grout” to reside in Hancock County, Maine in that period, and as he had no siblings, it is likely that all Grouts recorded there are descendants.  His children William and Nancy are documented as residing with he and Hannah in 1822.  Nancy later married Nathanial Grant and his pension file further confirms her parentage.

According to the Lansil’s unsupported SAR applications and family lore, my family descends from William’s son Amos of Frankfort, who married Rachael Couillard of Bucksport.  At that time, SAR did not require documentation.  Walter and Wilbur’s mother, Betsey Turner Grout, likely told her sons that her grandfather had fought in the Revolution.  She had first hand knowledge, unlike today’s requirements, further proof was not a requirement.

A land deed, dated 8 October 1810, filed in Hancock County transferring land from Amos Grout of Frankfort, Gentleman to William Richmond Marc and Tisdale Dean offers further evidence of the marriage. Rachael Grout signs by mark and Joshua Couillard and Arch. Jones witness to signing of Rachael Couillard. This probable error further implies that Rachael Grout was formerly Rachael Couillard.

William Grout was sued in 1800 in the Court of Common Pleas by Benjamin Thompson and Jesse Wyman who asked that Grout, a carpenter, be imprisoned in gaol (jail) at Castine, for debt of fifty dollars and fifty one cents plus thirteen dollars and thirty eight cents for the cost of the suit.

They filed a second suit for forty four dollars and twenty six cents plus twenty five cents more for this writ plus your fees.

100 acres of William’s real estate was set off as debt repayment of one hundred and twenty dollars (he still owed seven dollars and seventy six cents).  The land is described in the case file:

In 1802, probable sons Amos and Joel repurchase the same land, William is a witness – Grout deed 17 Aug 1802`

Another land deed dated 1809 seems to further link father William with sons Amos and Joel (note that Amos’ wife Rachael gives up her rights of dower, thus confirming this is likely “our Amos”).

Click here to read – Grout deed 25 Feb 1809

Amos and Rachael’s daughter, my third g-grandmother, was named Betsey Turner Grout [her story here], perhaps after an aunt –  a Hannah Grout, who according to cemetery records, was born in 1791 on Orphan Island, Maine (home of William Grout the 1790 census year), married a Samuel Turner and named a child William Grout Turner.  Amos and this elder Hannah are likely siblings and he choose to give his child the Turner name, perhaps after a child of his sister’s who was deceased.

A granddaughter of Joel Grout, through his son Robert Clark Grout, Elizabeth Sarah “Lizzie” (Grout) Smith (b. 26 Jul 1849 d. abt 1935) left a short family history.  She recalls her grandfather having three siblings.  Aunt Turner, who resided on Isle Au Haut, Maine; Aunt Drake and a brother who had a son Amos.  She further recalls that Aunt Turner’s daughter married Captain Lampher of Searsport.  Copy here: story-grout

A Mary (Turner) Lampher’s death is reported in Everett, Massachusetts in 1910.  She was reported to have been born in Isle Au Haute to  Samuel Turner and Hannah Grout. Hannah’s birth location is said to be Orphan’s Island, Maine (which is where William Grout was enumerated in 1790).

“Aunt Drake” was likely William’s daughter Mary “Polly” Grout who supposedly married Lemuel Drake (unsourced online trees).  The death certificate of Phoebe (Drake) Perkins, recorded in Winterport in 1905 reports parents as Polly Grout or Grant and Samuel Drake. Samuel and Mary are found in the 1850 census in Newburgh, Maine; an ancestry user reports that Samuel was actually Lemuel.  The 1840 census does include a Lemuel Drake in Newburgh.  In 1820 & 1830 a man of that name was residing in Dixmont, Maine.

In 1850 a Friend Drake was enumerated with this family.  His death, recorded in Winterport, Maine in 1899 names parents as Lemuel and Mary Grout or Grant.  It further reports his mother’s birthplace as Massachusetts. This is possible, given that William Grout’s pension file reports: “he lived seven years in Hillsborough [New Hampshire], from thence two years in east Sudbury and from thence he removed to Frankfort [Maine] where he now lives.”

The “brother” of Joel, who Lizzie names in her history  “had one son named Amos”. My guess it that this brother was Amos, my direct ancestor, son of William Grout, husband of Rachael Couillard, who did have a son Amos.

Lizzie writes: “In the fall of 1859, father sold his Jackson property and we all moved to the old home in Monroe.  Grandfather was dead and uncle Amos (Joel’s son) was living on the place. Sure enough, we find that in Joel’s will, written Nov 1856, he leaves Lizzie’s father, Robert Clark Grout, land in Monroe. Joel’s son Amos is appointed as executor. A copy can be found on FamilySearch.org: here.

William Grout in Later Years

1790 – Orphan Island, Maine [which was part of Massachusetts until 15 March 1820]

The William Grout household in 1790 included seven members:

Home in 1790 (City, County, State):	Orphan Island, Hancock, Maine
Free White Persons – Males – Under 16:	2
Free White Persons – Males – 16 and over:	2
Free White Persons – Females:	3
Number of Household Members:	7

Description of Orphan Island, once a shipbuilding village:

1800 Buckstown [later Bucksport], Maine [which was part of Massachusetts until 15 March 1820]

The 1800 census, having a column “from whence immigrated” further verifies William as the William Grout born in Sudbury. The household included 10 members; the children include three boys and five girls:

Home in 1800 (City, County, State):	Buckstown, Hancock, Maine
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:	2
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:	1
Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:	2
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:	2
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over:	1
Number of Household Members Under 16:	4
Number of Household Members Over 25:	2
Number of Household Members:	10

Description of Buckstown [later Bucksport in 1827]

1810-1830 (and likely until death) Frankfort, Maine [which was part of Massachusetts until 15 March 1820]

In 1810 and 1820, the household included five members:

Home in 1810 (City, County, State):	Frankfort, Hancock, Maine
Free White Persons – Males – 16 thru 25:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over :	1
Number of Household Members Under 16:	1
Number of Household Members Over 25:	2
Number of Household Members:	5

Home in 1820 (City, County, State):	Frankfort, Hancock, Maine
Enumeration Date:	August 7, 1820
Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 45 and over:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:	1
Free White Persons – Females – 45 and over :	1
Number of Persons – Engaged in Agriculture:	2
Free White Persons – Under 16:	1
Free White Persons – Over 25:	3
Total Free White Persons:	5

And in 1830, just two are listed in the household, likely William and his son William (Hannah likely died between 1824 and 1830 as she does not appear in the 1830 census but is listed on William’s 1822/4 pension application – see below).

Home in 1830 (City, County, State):	Frankfort, Oxford, Maine
Free White Persons – Males – 30 thru 39:	1
Free White Persons – Males – 70 thru 79:	1
Free White Persons – 20 thru 49:	1
Total Free White Persons:	2

History of Frankfort can be read here

On March 18, 1818, Congress enacted legislation which provided lifetime pensions to poverty stricken Continental Line and US Navy veterans who had served at least 9 months or until the end of the war.  The benefits provided for $20 per month for qualifying officers and $8 per month for non officers.  So many applications were filed under this Act that the legislation was amended on May 1, 1820 to require applicants to submit certified schedules of income and assets with their applications and empowering the Secretary of War, in his sole discretion, to remove from the pension rolls such beneficiaries as he may determine were not in need of financial assistance. On March 1, 1823, Congress passed legislation which resulted in the restoration of some of the pensions disallowed by the Secretary.

Mr. Arthur Livermore, State Representative for New Hampshire, requested a pension on William’s behalf on 19 January 1820 at the 16th Congress, session 1 (recorded on Journal Page 147).  He was referred to the Committee on Pensions and Revolutionary Claims.

On 24 January 1820, his claim was referred to the Secretary of War (recorded on Journal Page 165).

On 29 March 1820 the report of the Secretary of War, in regards to his pension. was laid before the house (recorded on Journal Page 350).

Library of Congress, American Memory, A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 – 1875, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwhj.html , Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 

William’s application for a pension under this act [although the database is labeled land grants?] is found in Hancock County, Maine for his Revolutionary Service. Original documents stored at the Maine State Archives here:Revolutionary war application

He was a carpenter, age 68, who is unable to work due to sickness and great debility. He did not own real estate. His possessions included: 1 hog $4.00, tea kettle & other iron ware $3.00, crockery ware $1.00, chairs, tubs and wooden ware $2.00, sundry small articles $6.00 – total $16.00. He resided with his wife Hannah (66) in Frankfort and two children, Nancy (24) and William (27).

On June 7, 1832, Congress enacted pension legislation extending benefits more universally than under any previous legislation.  This act provided for full pay for life for all officers and enlisted men who served at least 2 years in the Continental Line, the state troops or militia, the navy or marines. Men who served less than 2 years but at least 6 months were granted pensions of less than full pay. Benefits were payable effective March 4, 1831, without regard to financial need or disability and widows or children of were entitled to collect any unpaid benefits due from the last payment to a veteran until his death. William finally was approved to collect under this act.

Payments under this act, which were made available in March and September, began in March 1832 but were retroactive to 4 June 1831. The numbers in the ledger below indicate whether the payment was collected by William (or his representative) in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th quarter.  It also tells us that he likely did not move from Maine in this time frame (usually a notation would indicate a transfer to an alternate pension office).

Ancestry.com. U.S. Pensioners, 1818-1872 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Ledgers of Payments, 1818-1872, to U.S. Pensioners Under Acts of 1818 Through 1858 From Records of the Office of the Third Auditor of the Treasury, 1818-1872; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T718, 23 rolls); Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Record Group 217; National Archives, Washington, D.C..

William is listed in the 1835 lists of Pensioners.

Ancestry.com. U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.Original data:United States Senate.The Pension Roll of 1835.4 vols. 1968 Reprint, with index. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992.

Based on the date of last pension payment, in the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) of 1836, Grout, in his early 80’s likely died late 1836/early 1837.

The Mystery of Edith Haines….and Scandal!

Click on any image to see a larger version.

What I Know

My 2nd g-grandparents, William John “John” Haines and Jennie Ferguson both of Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada, had eight children: Edith, John Galatis (my g-grandfather), Alexander (who died tragically in WWI – http://tinyurl.com/l8m4oja), Ella May, Margaret Elizabeth, Joseph (who died as a child), Minnie and Jennie.  I have photos and a pretty complete genealogy of those who lived to adulthood, with the exception of their first-born, Edith.

The pedigree chart prepared by my Aunt Natalie claims Edith married twice –  a Savard and a Taylor.  A handwritten note in the files I inherited places her death at 20 October 1940 and burial at Mt Hope, Dorchester section G #1541.  An arrow points to Edith Taylor and Edith Savard with a notation “SAME”.

In 1918, Mary Alice (Haines) Stevens (William John “John” Haines sister) writes a letter and addresses it to her niece, Edith Taylor on Wadsworth Street (a known address of William John “John” Haines).  The letter was returned.

A Look at Vital Records

Since John and Jennie’s marriage was recorded in Chelsea, Massachusetts on 8 March 1882 and my g-grandfather’s birth (the second child) was also recorded there on 22 Feb 1885, Edith was likely born in Chelsea. Other records place her birth in Chelsea [death/marriage record] on December 1882 [1900 census], just 9 months after her parents were married, however a search of Massachusetts Vital Records revealed no likely birth record for an Edith or female Haines in Chelsea or elsewhere.

A 25-year-old Edith married 24-year-old Edward Savard, son of Joseph Savard and Mary Emmen on 25 May 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts. Both claimed it to be their first marriage.  They resided at 7 Temple Street, she a waitress, he a waiter. They were married by JP, Robert McLeish.

No records were found of Edith Haines’s marriage to a man called Taylor.

Edith died from “Cancer of both Breasts” at age 57, on 20 October 1940, and is listed as the widow of Edward Savard.  Her death was recorded in Fall River, but her residence was given as 3 Malbow [likely Malbon] Place, Roxbury, Massachusetts. She was buried at Mt. Hope.

Census Data

I began with the most recent and worked backwards:

In 1940, Edith, age 50 [likely an error since her death certificate a few months later lists her as age 57] was living as the wife of Peter Savard, age 57, at the same address of her recorded death, 3 Melbon [likely Malbon] Place; the same place they had resided in 1935. They were renting for $16 a month.  He was Massachusetts born, a barber working on his on account.  She was not employed.  Both had been educated through grade 8.  Peter was the informant, so the information is likely accurate. There were three families residing at this address.

Peter?  not Edward?  Was her husband’s name Edward Peter?   Did he change careers from waiter to barber? If Edith was a widow when she died, there should be a death record of Edward or Peter Savard between the census date of 11 April 1940 and her death 20 October 1940.  A search of the Massachusetts death indexes revealed no likely death.

In 1930, the pair is found at 58 Highland Street, Boston with a border, Catherine Nash, a helper at a factory.  They were renting a home for $30 a month and had a radio set.  Peter, age 47 was “first married” at age 25.  Edith, age 46, was “first married” at 24.  Peter, born in Canada, was Naturalized and he worked as a Barber on his own account.  Edith is not working. There were three families residing at this address, the informant is unknown.

The likely 1917 draft registration card was located for Edward.  He is a waiter living on 112 Howard Ave in Roxbury and claims that his nearest relative is Edith Savard of 490 Middlesex, Lowell.

A search of the 1920 census reveals only one possible match of an “Edith Savard” of about the right age (33), and sure enough, it is in Lowell.  She is married and working as a waitress.  But there is one inconsistency, Edith is listed with Massachusetts born parents, not Canadian.   But since Edward’s 1917 draft registration card indicates that his closest relative, Edith, resides in Lowell, there is a strong possibility this is our Edith.

Interestingly, a Peter Savard, age 49, is listed two lines away as “widowed”, born in Massachusetts to Canadian born parents. A different Peter? Neither an Edward or Peter were identified elsewhere in 1920.

No likely entry was found for Edith with Edward or Peter in the 1910 census.

In 1900, Edith resided with her parents at their home on Wadsworth Street, East Boston.  She is 17 and working as a Baker’s helper.

City Directories

I reviewed city directories with hopes they would reveal a move to/from Lowell or give a date of Edward/Peter’s death.

There were two entries in the Lowell directories, likely our Edith:

In 1920, Edith is residing on Central, but the only Peter (a barber), is at the same address as Catherine; 53 Washington. Interestingly, a Mrs. Catherine Savard (according to Massachusetts marriage records, Peter’s wife) is also listed separately at this address.  This is unusual as in the time period, women were typically listed only if single, divorced or widowed.

There is an Edouard (Malvina) listing, but through other records, I determined this was a different man and not the Edouard who Edith married.

By 1920, Peter the barber has relocated to Central, he is in room 53 and Edith is in room 42.  Mrs Catherine Savard continues to reside at 53 Washington.

Peter’s 1917 draft card reveals that he resides with Catherine on 53 Washington.  I begin to think this is not our Peter…. Then I notice that the draft registration lists a work address of 490 Middlesex.  This is the SAME address Edward gave for his closest relative Edith Savard on his draft registration.

Edith was residing with Peter, a barber, and his wife Catherine in Lowell?  There must be a connection!   I began to look at Boston directories. Peter is listed in Boston beginning in 1923.  No listings were found for Edward.

In 1932, the directory lists Edith, widow of Edwd, at 52 Lambert Ave. Roxbury and two Peters.  Both are barbers – one listed as residing at the same address as Edith, the other works at 170 Neponset but resides in Lowell.  So Edward and Peter are two different people? Are there two Peters? Business directories list only one Peter Savard as a barber in Boston.

The 1940 directory lists one Peter (Edith) implying they are married.  Peter is a barber at 170 Neponset (the same address where the Lowell Peter worked in 1932). Further review shows that they began being listed together in city directories commencing in 1934.

I begin to suspect that Edith first married Edward, he died and subsequently she married Peter, however a second marriage record was not found.

The Savards

With the aid of some Savard descendants, I pieced together the Savard tree.  Edward and Peter appear to be brothers born to Joseph Theophile “Taffy” Safford and Marie Louise Emond/Hemond.  They were born in Canada, but by 1900, resided at 67 Leverett St., Lowell, Massachusetts.  Their mother, reported giving birth to 18 children, only 8 of whom are living in 1900.  Besides Edward and Peter, those with the family included Joseph, Henri, Charles, Frederick [Alfred ?] and Robert.  The 8th was likely Antoinette, who had married Edmund J. Charron in 1894.

Edward married Edith Haines and had no known children while Peter married Catherine Wilkes, daughter of Job Wilkes and Helen Wilson, and had two known children, Alice Helen (who likely died young) and Beatrice (m. Arthur Pratt).

My theory is that at some point, Edward and Edith separated.  He is last known to have been residing in New York in 1938, according to a sister Antoinette (Savard) Charron’s obituary (although this is inconsistent with the 1932 city directory which lists Edith as widow of Edward; it would not be unusual for a woman to claim being a widow to avoid the embarrassment of abandonment).

Antoinette’s obituary dated 1938 lists six brothers: Peter of Boston, Henri of Lowell, Edouard of New York City, Charles of Lake Sargent, Canada, Alfred of Lowell and Robert of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Whether Edward died or left the marriage, Peter appears to have taken up with Edith. They could live as husband and wife without anyone knowing as they both used the surname Savard.  This would explain why Edith’s death record reported she was the widow of Edward (especially if Peter or one of her siblings was the informant).  The order of events is unknown.

Peter is mentioned as Catherine’s husband of 44 years in her obituary of 1950, yet she is living without him from at least 1920 to 1940.  It’s unlikely they reconciled after Edith’s death as Catherine’s obituary mentions she was living with her daughter in Chelmsford.  No spouse is listed in Peter’s obituary.  No obituary has been found for Edith or Edward.

That being said, although they were residing in different locations, Peter’s 1942 draft registration does list Catherine as “someone who will always know your address” and in parenthesis writes “wife”.

I love a good family scandal!  Perhaps a “cousin” will find my post and have the answers…..

My questions: 

1. Who was the Taylor that most online trees and my aunt have connected to Edith as a spouse?

2. What is the story behind Edith living with Peter Savard?  Would Peter’s living g-grandchildren, the children of Arthur Pratt & Patricia (Pratt) Ludwig, have additional information?

3. Where/when did Edward die?

4. Was there an obituary for Edith or Edward?

5. Are there other Savard family obituaries that may have clues?

6. Would Mt Hope Cemetery have additional information? The records are held at the City of Boston Archives and Records Management Division and are available to researchers by appointment only at 201 Rivermoor Street West Roxbury, MA 02132, 617-635-1195. The require 24 hour advanced notice.  The collection consists of 37 cubic feet of records and spans the period of 1876-1952, click here for: Guide to the Mt. Hope Cemetery records_tcm3-33013

7. Why was Edith’s death reported in Fall River when she resided in Roxbury? I’d like to pull the original death record at the Vital Records office when I am next in Boston to see if information was omitted.

8. Why are there no photos or family memories in the collection of correspondence I have for Edith?  Was she estranged?

9. Where are Edward in Edith in 1910?  and where is Edward in 1920, 1930 & 1940?  It would be unusual for a person to avoid census takers for four decades! there is a potential in 1930 there is a widowed Edward in Fall River of about the correct age working as a Hatter – link (requires Ancestry.com subscription) in 1920 the same man might be listed as a single roomer working as a Hatter in New Jersey – link.  The 1942 draft registration – here – claims this Edward, a hatter, was living in New Jersey in 1942 . His birth is given as 18 Feb 1880 in Fall River [slightly off – our Edward likely was born in Canada in 1883 given an age of 24 when married, however our Edward did list a birth year of 1880 on his 1917 draft registration] He lists a contact name of Irma Martel in New York.

It is difficult to tell if the signatures on both registration cards were by the same hand…the E and S are clearly different… but both appear to be abbreviated Edwrd:

Descriptions are similar – both have brown eyes, medium height/5’4″, medium build/130 pounds, brown hair/gray hair – the 1942 card claims he is “very deaf”.  No birth has been located, but there is a marriage record (FamilySearch) in Fall River, for a Ophelia Gagnon to Edward Savard born 1880, son of Jean C Savard and Mathildel Stebin….so this may not be our Edward.

There was also an Edward residing in Franklin County, New York during this time period who through other records has been proven to be another Edward.

Uncle Anthony Has Been Found!!

I have written of my long-lost great-uncle Antanas Baltrūnas born on 8 April 1898 in Preibiai, Panevezio, Lithuania to Juozas Baltrūnas (Joseph Billie) and Salomėja Markevičiūtė (Sally Morris) – here. He immigrated to the United States arriving in New York on Tuesday, 22 April 1902 with his mother. The pair joined his father in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he resided with his family and later a cousin Anthony Gaston/Gasson and wife Ona/Anna (Vyšniauskas/Wishnewski) Gasson (his mother’s niece through her sister Elžbieta). He used the name Anthony George Billie/Billings.  The 1923 Pittsfield City Directory reads ”Anthony Billings, rem to Detroit Mich. Then he is gone….

His two nieces recall that “Uncle Tony” arrived on Easter with solid chocolate bunnies for them (one Easter, many Easters?).  Details are fuzzy, but they recollect his joining the military, losing a leg (or maybe an arm) and residing in New York. His sister Connie, in 1959, mentioned at a funeral that her brothers were all deceased. So he presumably died after 1939 [the youngest niece would have been four and at an age to recall chocolate bunnies] and before 1959. When his sister Connie died in 1974, her estate was split between my mother and her siblings, so likely he never married and had no offspring.

My brother found a box of letters and photos whilst cleaning out my mom’s house this week. Amongst these papers was an envelope. In Aunt Connie’s handwriting it reads:

Family deaths
Ralph March 4, 1943
Tony May 26, 1955
Charles Sept 9,1959

Happy dance!!! – Tony May 26, 1955!!!

Then I opened the envelope. A mass card and a receipt for a single grave for Anthony Billings at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery from the trustees of St John’s Catholic Church in Rensselaer, New York!!!

Happy, happy dance!

That led to the discovery of him (likely) in the 1930 Albany, New York census residing with 73-year-old John Bruce at 103 Broadway:

Anthony was single.  It appears that he never married. The census tells us that he never attended school but could read and write.  He was a laborer working odd jobs. His birth year is off slightly (not unusual) and his birthplace is listed as Massachusetts (perhaps in error or he might have fibbed to avoid filing for Naturalization (which could explain why an alien registration card has not been located).  Both parents are reported to be of Russia (common for Lithuanians as the country had previously been under Russian rule).

The next discovery was a newspaper article mentioning an Anthony Billings of Troy being treated at the hospital for lacerations to his head, received while on a job site (Hotel Van Curler, Schenectady), working for Atlas Roofing of Newburgh as a sheet metal worker:

I haven’t located my uncle in the 1940 census or the 1942 draft.

I do have his 1940 Alien Registration Papers.  Although his signature is different from his 1917 draft registration and he reports his birth in the town of Kaunas (which is the Province of his birth; Pumpenai is the town and Panevezys the district) all other details are consistent, including a reported birth date of 20 April 1900 (same as his 1917 draft registration).

Tony reports a residence of 530 East Washington Ave., Bridgeport, Connecticut on 23 Dec 1940.  He “thinks” he entered the United States through New York in 1900 (exact date and ship name/unknown) under the name Anthony Baltrun. He uses the name Tony Billie.  He is single with no wife or children; parents are deceased.  He is 5’4″, 140 pounds with brown-gray hair and blue eyes.  He has been in the United States for 40 years, having been born in or near Kovono (Kaunas), Lithuania (but does not know the Providence) has not registered for citizenship and plans to remain in the United States permanently.  He is usually a laborer but at the time was unemployed.  He has never been arrested or in the military and belongs to no clubs or other organizations. Included is a print of his right index finger.

  

We do not know how long he stayed in Connecticut or when he returned to New York.

I spoke to the cemetery.  Anthony died at Memorial Hospital in Albany, New York of conjunctive heart failure.  His last known address was 25 Glen Street in Rensselaer, New York.

I searched the New York newspapers on Fulton History for an obituary or death notice with success!

Happy, happy, happy dance!

Don’t let the name “Fulton History” fool you, the site offers a plethora of free New York papers; I have discovered hundreds of articles on other family members.  Hmmmm….  If I had searched “Connie Barton” AND Athol in this database, I would have located his death years ago – another lesson learned!

Off to order a death certificate!

Fingers crossed for more Anthony happy dances over the next few weeks!

The “Greatest” Aunt

This week, we lost my “Greatest” Aunt Natalie, Nana Hall’s sister, the youngest of eight, born four days shy of my grandmother’s 21st birthday.  My grandmother, the eldest, married at 22 and had a child about a year later.  I suspect three-year old Natalie got a kick out of having a nephew, perhaps requiring him to address her as “auntie” amongst their classmates, when they reached school age. She was seven when my dad was born, and adored “little Bobby”.

Life wasn’t easy. The Great Depression began when she was a babe. The family struggled; being unable to afford blankets, they used coats to keep warm while they slept. They moved frequently and Natalie’s father, John Galatis Haines, held many different jobs (read about them here).  Natalie lost her dad at fourteen, just before Christmas, and her mom, Edith Bernice (Lansil) Haines, just eight years later.

July 13, 1935, 228 Main St., Malden, Massachusetts
Joan Newhall, Natalie (Haines) Thomson, Charles G. Hall Jr.

Aunt Natalie and Nana, Edith Haines Hall 

My grandmother married into a wealthier family and initially had little contact with her kin. Likely her new husband feared that the financial burden of Natalie’s struggling family  (during the era of the Great Depression) would fall into his hands. Despite this inequity and the vast age difference, Ede and Natalie were close.  Aunt Natalie was the only of my grandmother’s siblings who was with us on holidays, birthdays and special occasions. She was our fun, wild, outgoing and crazy (in a good way) great-aunt who we jokingly referred to as our “Greatest” Aunt Natalie – she got a kick out of the pun.  Christmas gifts were delivered with the “wrong” labels –  Linda got David’s, David got Nancy’s and Nancy got Linda’s.  It was the same every year; she would claim exasperatingly, “I can’t believed I mixed things up again!!!”. We unwittingly believed, and laughed at her foolishness (while she likely had a good laugh at our gullibility).

On Christmas she came armed with handouts for our annual sing-along; poems she crafted from family history, set to familiar Christmas tunes.

Natalie, an avid genealogist, planned vacations around our heritage.  She tracked the Lansil’s in Bangor, Maine, dragged her husband and children through cemeteries and visited our homelands of Llanfairfechan, Wales and Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada.  She spoke of Stephen Hopkins, our Mayflower ancestor and William Grout, our Revolutionary War hero – she “hooked” me and I became a genea-adict!  Several years ago, I was overjoyed to become the recipient of the Roots Research Books – Lansil & Haines  full of letters from many long deceased (and living) cousins, photos and other fascinating documents (such as”Mary Haines Diary” and the record of seaman Charles V. Lansil’s drowning off Bar Harbor) rich with details of our heritage, captured in the 1970’s, long before the public Internet.

This past summer, on a trip to New Brunswick, my husband and I followed her footsteps with hopes to locate the, “Welcome to Richibucto”, signs Natalie had visited in the 1970’s when she was about my age, and to FINALLY locate the “long lost” family of Jennie Ferguson, Natalie’s paternal grandmother and my g-g-grandmother  (her story here). Alas, we succeeded at neither.

 

Natalie was ahead of her time and a “blogger” in 1999, long before the term blogger was coined.  She left a wonderful array of posts with touching family stories and experiences: click here for her BLOG and here for a post I wrote of her blog.

Natalie’s self-written bio reads:

 

Melrose, Massachusetts welcomed me on September 26, 1928. Of the two boys and five girls, I was the baby of the Haines family. That family moved to the next town, Malden, in 1931. My claim to fame was portraying the princess in the 5th grade operetta at the Glenwood School. I graduated in 1946 from Malden High School’s Commercial Course. Then, at a bank in Boston, learned how to wire the control boards for IBM computers.

Ed Thomson, a returned combat veteran of WWII, and I married in October, 1947, and had two outstanding children, Joanne, born 1953 and Edward, born 1958. Later, they further enriched the family by marrying Don and Patty and parenting five wonderful grandchildren.

For about a decade, I taught Sunday School while my children were growing. Ed served as a Deacon and we both worked on varied committees at church. In addition to our careers, our interests centered around our children’s activities. Starting in 1965, I helped organize the Central Little League Auxiliary in Malden. My husband coached a winning team. For many years I took various courses at local colleges. Ed died of cancer-from-smoking in April 1983.

It took a lot of money and several futile attempts for me to give up smoking. Then, by chance, I learned about a group called Nicotine Anonymous. I faithfully attended meetings, absorbed the message, and now it is eleven years since I’ve smoked a killer-cigarette.

For twenty years I worked for Intercity Homemaker/Home Health Aide Service. I retired as Administrative Assistant after years as a Caseload Manager.

In 1993, I moved back to Melrose. My stride has become comparatively a stroll, but retirement continues to be pleasant, productive and poetically progressive.

Rest in Peace my Greatest Aunt Natalie and thanks for the wonderful legacy….AND if you can hear me, please send a SIGN to help us FINALLY find Jennie Ferguson’s parents John and Elizabeth!!!!

Natalie Haines Thomson – Obituary

Natalie Haines Thomson, longtime resident of Malden and Melrose, died Friday, March 13, 2015. She is survived by her daughter the Rev. Joanne Thomson (Donald Hausch) of Madison, WI; her son Edward M. Thomson of Malden; by grandchildren Patrick Kelley, Paul Hausch, and Jessie Hausch; by her step-grandson Justin Maggs; and nephew Charles (Ann) Hall. She was preceded in death by her husband Edward Joseph Thomson; by her daughter-in-law Patricia (Carrico) Thomson; by her step-grandson Richard Maggs; by her parents Edith (Lansil) and John Haines; and by seven brothers and sisters (Edith, John, William, Doris, Walter, Marion, and Bernice).

Natalie was for many years a case manager at Intercity Homemaker Service in Malden, and through her work she became acquainted with almost everyone in the area who needed help caring for an elderly or disabled loved one. She thrived on the many relationships she made while matching home health aides and homemakers with her clients. In addition to her work at Intercity, Natalie worked throughout her life at a variety of jobs in Malden and Boston as a bookkeeper or as an administrative assistant.

She brought her considerable organizational talents to volunteer and community work. She belonged to the First Congregational Church in Malden, where she taught Sunday School, served on committees, and produced masterful roast beef dinners. She organized one of the first auxiliaries of the Malden Central Little League, raising funds to support players and teams.

But in her family, Natalie was known as a poet, writer and genealogist. Every family event, each birthday, graduation, or anniversary, was marked by a poem created uniquely for the occasion. Natalie kept journals throughout her life, recording her thoughts and observations. She spent years researching her ancestors long before the Internet, creating meticulous documentation for future generations. After retirement she became part of the Silver Stringers at the Melrose Senior Center, which developed an online newspaper for senior citizens, one of the first of its kind.

Natalie loved nothing better than being with people. She was the most extroverted person ever born, had a legendary sense of humor, and was filled with endless curiosity about people and their stories. She made numerous friends among the shopkeepers in and around Melrose Square while on her daily walks for the past 20 years.

Visitation will be held at Weir MacCuish Family Funeral Home at 144 Salem St, Malden on Friday, March 20th from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 21 at 11:00 am at the Melrose Highlands Congregational Church (UCC) at 355 Franklin St., Melrose, with the Rev. Beth Horne officiating. Visitation will precede the service at 10:00 AM at the church.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Special Olympics.

Natalie Haines Thomson – Eulogy written and read by her daughter Joanne

Many years ago I swore that I would never, ever, speak at a family funeral.  It’s just way too hard.  But I think that my mother appreciates the fact that I want to try to have the last word.

I want to start with a few thank you’s.  Thank you to all of you who have come today.  You probably have some idea how much it means to my brother Eddie and I that you are here.  I also want to thank  the people of Melrose Highlands Congregational Church for offering us a church home today.  And I want to say thank you to my brother.  He has been there for Natalie through thick and very thin.  His commitment to our mother over these last few years of her dementia and illness has been extraordinary.  I have been proud of him for the way he has taken care of our mother, and I know our father would be proud, too.

By this point in our lives, we’ve all listened to a lot of tributes given at funerals.  Sometimes I’m jealous when I listen to these tributes, because more often than not, the eulogy makes it sound like the person who died was a perfect angel living on earth.  Sitting there listening, I’d envy that family, and I’d wish that my family members were as perfect as those people appeared to be.  Because my family members are not.  Perfect.  With all due respect.

But that’s what I want my last word to be.  My mother was not perfect.  And yet she set an extraordinary example for us.  There are things she did that hurt or confused us.  Some things I will never really completely understand.  And yet she was an incredible woman who loved us and who let us know how much she loved us, right up until the moment when she couldn’t communicate anything anymore.

I think about the values that our mother and father instilled in us, for example.  Hard work, honesty, compassion, laughter, love of family, and of the friends who become your family — I’m incredibly grateful to have grown up with parents who were rock solid committed to values like these.  But our parents’ values went much deeper and much farther.  There was something that led them to roll past other people’s expectations and do what they knew was right.  I mean, Natalie married a Catholic.

Here’s an example of the kind of values I’m talking about.  This is an excerpt from one of her journals.   She wrote this on the Sunday after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.  “I attended church this morning,” she wrote.  “I regretted that (the sermon) bypassed an opportunity to promote brotherhood (and make) inroads (into) some people’s staunch bigotry….   Instead of propounding on God’s law, and reminding us of Jesus’ strength, (it) eloquently and fervently spoke on a theme of ‘America’s strength is in the obedience (she underlined obedience) of her laws.’ (she double underlined this)….Not a word of what Dr. King had accomplished or of what we (double underlined again) should try to accomplish.”   That is a mother to be proud of.  We are indebted to her for values like that.

On a lighter note, let me share that the following page of her journal records that, quote, “Joanne’s essay on ‘How We Can Build A Better Malden’ won at Lincoln Junior High.”  If only this masterpiece had been preserved for future generations, think of the Malden we would have today.

That’s the first last word I have:  a tribute to our mother’s independence of mind and spirit, and the values she passed on to us that go far beyond compassion and fairness and honesty.

The last last word I have is that she was the embodiment of the very deep truth that it is never too late, and that the world and its possibilities are always greater than you think they are.  There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God:  not mistakes; not wounds and scars; not a lack of options; not even our own confusion about how to do our best for the people we love.

Going through my mother’s papers, I found a print out (because she saved every piece of paper; every single piece of paper); of her registration for classes for a human services certificate program at UMass Boston from the early 1990’s.  She should have gone to college.  We all know this.  But at the age of 64 or so, she decided to commute after work on the subway to UMass Boston to take classes for a certificate in human services administration.  So what if she never had the chance to go to college.  She had the chance now.  I think of her finishing her class at UMass probably around nine at night, getting on the Red Line, changing to the Orange, walking back to her car through Malden Square.   It’s never too late.

But what will always be for me the greatest example of her character was that she gave up drinking and gave up smoking.  It would have been great if she’d stopped earlier. But it surely was magnificent that she gave up alcohol in her 50’s and smoking in her 60’s.  I remember when my father was sick, the very first night that he spent in the hospital, at the old New England Memorial.  I was at the hospital with her, and it was finally time to leave.  It was probably about eight o’clock at night, and the sun had gone down since we’d gotten there.  She asked me to follow her in my car from the hospital in Stoneham to her house on Kimball Street because she had never before driven alone after dark.  This is maybe a 10 minute drive.  She was 55 years old.  She had a long, long way to go.  But she brought all of her drive and all of her relentless energy to both of these challenges, and she did it.  I think she was astonishing.  Boy, was she mad at me when I made her smoke outdoors in Wisconsin in January.  And it’s true, she drove us completely crazy with all of the stories from her supposedly “anonymous” groups.  But what she did was pretty incredible.   She changed her life.  She saved her life.  She looked like a completely ordinary person.  She was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.  But she was extraordinary.  

There is far, far more good that is possible than you might at first believe.  So don’t give up.  She never gave up.

 

Meet Michael J. Hall – 2015 NERGC Speaker

I met Michael J. Hall, in July 2011, a fellow student, at the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), held annually at the National Archives, Washington DC (Mike later became the assistant director and instructed at NIGR 2012-2014).  I had no idea who he was, or of his role in the genealogy world.  We spoke because name tags revealed a shared surname (my maiden name is Hall and my brick wall, Brian Hall, b. 1727, of Taunton [now Raynham], Bristol County, Massachusetts). I was interested to discover if our family tree connected.  It did not (as later confirmed by Y-DNA).

I, a “wanna be” runner, mentioned a desire to run on the National Mall.  Mike, a Marine, indicated that it was far too dangerous to run alone and offered to join me (okay, so he didn’t offer, he informed me that I wouldn’t be running alone – once a Marine always a Marine!).  We met each day at 5AM (before the heat of the day, when it was still a “cool” 100 degrees) and ran/walked between trees then finished with some intensive stair-climbing.  By sharing these mornings, I came to learn of this amazing man.

Michael J. Hall

As a young man, Michael, a Marine, was first stationed in Okinawa, Japan where he found the LDS Church, and then later at the Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California, he developed a desired to research his personal family history.

After discharge from active duty, he moved to Provo, Utah where he attained a BS in Anthropology from Brigham Young University (BYU).  He “tested out” of several genealogy courses, certifying proficiency as a self-taught genealogist.   Initially Michael became a Research Archaeologist and was recognized as among the top in his fauna research. He had the ability to identify and apprise everything about a bone, albeit a job not long lasting.  His love for genealogy emerged; he switched careers and has worked in the Family History field for over thirty-two years.

Mike is currently the Deputy Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch (familysearch.org), the largest genealogical organization in the world, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He is tasked with working with libraries, archives, historic and genealogical societies around the world to educate how FamilySearch might help these organizations and to build goodwill.

During his tenure, Mike experienced many ups and downs. He was present  on 15 April 1999 when a mentally ill man stormed the Family History Library, killing two and wounding four before being shot by Salt Lake City police. Mike, who was working as a reference consultant, remembers the “pop, pop” sound and knew immediately what was happening. He and library supervisor, Stephen Young, mobilized to evacuate people from the building. Both were awarded the “Sons of the American Revolution” Medal for Heroism.

Mike’s role at FamilySearch keeps him away from his beloved family at least 12 weeks a year; he participates in 6-7 conferences annually.  Mike, a member of the Bristol Chapter of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists is ALWAYS excited to come home to New England.  Although born in Germany to parents in the US military, over half of his ancestry has New England roots.

At NERGC, he will be speaking on one of his favorite topics, a lecture based on his maternal Portuguese ancestors who emigrated from the Azores to Fall River, Massachusetts (where Mike still has a lot of cousins). Mike began his Portuguese research by looking through church records on microfilm at the Family History Library using a Portuguese pocket dictionary.  Soon he could recognize key phrases. He jokingly adds “Don’t ask me to pronounce the words, but I am now pretty good at reading the language”.

Several years ago, Mike presented on the subject at a conference in Bologna, Italy in the presence of professional Portuguese researchers.  They inquired as to how he was able to translate the documents.  Mike asked “Why, did I do it wrong?”. They responded, saying they were just curious, the translations were perfect. Last year they honored Mike by inviting him to become a member of the Associação Portuguesa de Genealogia in Lisbon, Portugal (membership is by invitation only).

Mike has written various genealogical guides for the Family History Library, chairs the Genealogy  Committee of the American Library Association and serves in the Genealogy and Local History Committee on the International Federation of Libraries and Associations (IFLA). These groups allow Mike to participate in solving worldwide genealogy concerns.  For example, a group in Africa may be wary of losing their oral history as the younger generation might not want to learn. Mike offers creative solutions, not necessarily through FamilySearch but by working with whichever organization has the best resources to offer for a particular situation, be it Find My Past, Ancestry.com or another organization.

Mike’s latest endeavor is that of “The War of 1812 Pension Digitization Project” (http://www.preservethepensions.org/), an initiative of FGS. These deteriorating files, housed at the National Archives (NARA), are chock full of, as Mike puts it, “unreal stuff” – such as original bible pages and insane asylum records. Fundraising is in progress and 100% of your tax deductible donation goes to digitizing these records (.45 cents per page) which once online will be available to anyone forever for FREE. Currently 50% of the funds have been raised.  Ancestry.com has generously stepped up and agreed to cover costs to digitize half of the records. So every dollar donated will actually go twice as far.

The talented Mike initially crafted and sold little soldiers, and then dragoons for the project (now sold out) and was looking for another method to raise money and awareness of this cause. He has decided to run, bike and walk 1,812 miles this year and is seeking sponsors. He is registered to race in three 5Ks, three 10Ks, two half marathons, two sprint triathlons and one Olympic triathlon.  You can support him by pledging through The Legal Genealogist (http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2015/02/13/halfway-home/). In addition, Mike has found a source for little sailors, and will have them painted and ready for the National Genealogical Society annual conference in St. Charles, Missouri this coming May.

A goal of 1,812 miles might have been difficult a year ago, but in the past 6 months Mike has lost 80 pounds!  His doctor gave him an excellent bill of health and he credits the “Fast Metabolism Diet” by Haylie Pomroy (and more importantly his wife’s inspiration and cooking) for this new “35 year old body” and renewed energy.

Mike and his wife Joanne, the love of his life, a classmate at BYU, reside in Orem, Utah. Together they had four children and are now the proud grandparents of fifteen.

Catch Mike at NERGC April 15-18, 2015:

Sailing Beyond Names, Dates, and Places in Family History Research: Using Newspapers to Provide the Rest of the Story  Michael Hall Int./Adv T-112 –  This presentation will focus on newspapers and how they can be used to provide clues to resources that can assist in proving the identity of your ancestor.

Sailing From the Azores to Fall River: The Documentation of One Family’s Journey  Michael Hall Beg./Int. F-236 –  This presentation will focus on how one emigrant Portuguese family from the Azores navigated through the various legal, cultural, and family obstacles to sail into a brighter future.

Early Bird registration ($120) ends 28 February 2015.
Registration after 28 February 2015 is $150.
Single day registration increases from $90 to $100 after 28 February 2015.

Register here, read the program brochure here.