Witches, Madames, and Turncoats

Stop Eloping Across the State Line!

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:00:28 -0500

For years I suffered from what I'm going to call "tunnel vision."
I looked for marriage records in the area that the family lived. And for years I had problems with the Howard/Helms side of the family in finding marriage records. Here's what happened when I expanded my search. For starters you need to understand the western PA, WV, Ohio borders. I've cobbled together a map, here. My trouble was finding marriage records for the family members. Well, after 20 some years, here they are:

My great-grandparents: Malvern Howard and Ray Welsh (both born and raised in PA) were married 28 Feb 1917 in Wellsburg, WV.

My great-great grandparents James E. Howard and Elizabeth G. Helms (both born and raised Marshall Co., WV near Moundsville, WV, lived their adult lives in the Pittsburgh, PA area) married Dec. 23, 1889 in Belmont County, Ohio. I never thought to look in Ohio, until 2010!

Her parents (3-G grandparents) George W. Helms and Eliza J. Arnold (born Ohio, died Marshall County, WV) have a marriage record listed in Greene County, PA for George Hellums and Eliza Jane Arnold on June 11, 1843.

So the Ohio ancestors married in PA, the WV grandparents married in Ohio, and the PA folks married in WV. Please, please, please ... stop eloping across the state line!

Breaking through the Brick Wall - Cynthia L. Webb

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:32:00 -0500

All genealogists have what we call brick walls. The person you just can't get past to find out who their parents were. Usually they are women, as womens names and especially maiden names weren't often recorded. One of my brick walls was my 3rd great grandmother. Cynthia L. Putnam wife of Ebenezer Putnam. Cynthia was Ebenezer's third wife, he was her second husband. they married in 1840 and together they had three children; John Howard (My GGgrandfather) Abbie, and Mary Ann.

For years, all I knew about Cynthia Putnam came from the Groton marriage record that said Ebenezer Putnam married Mrs. Cynthia Conning. I had no birth date, no death date and most importantly no maiden name.

I began chipping away slowly over the years. Census records stated she was born in Maine. I didn't know her husbands first name, so I started searching for any Conning's who died in Groton, Mass (where Cynthia was living when she remarried) before 1840 and came up empty. Mostly because, as I now know, his name was properly CONNIG.

Every few months (or at least once a year or so) I'd dutifully plug the names of Cynthia Putnam or Conning into on-line databases and have another look. About a year ago, I found a marriage in Portsmouth, NH for Cynthia L. WEBB and Isaac CONNING in 1826. The names and date looked logical enough, but I had nothing tying them to Maine or Massachusetts. Later I found a newspaper mention of Isaac Conning in Kittery, Maine. Then I found probate records for a Cynthia A. Putnam who died in Leominster, Mass. in 1885 and who's birthplace was listed as Kittery, Maine. This seemed to tie things together a little further, but with two big problems. 1) My grandmothers middle initial was L. not A. 2) Why was she in Leominster instead of Groton?

Nonetheless, all this felt "right." So one of my goals when heading to the NEHGS in Boston on a research trip was to find some conclusive proof that my 3-g grandmother was indeed Cynthia WEBB. It was there that I began attacking the problem from her children's records. I found her daughter Abbie Putnam married to David Haley and living in Leominster in 1880. Now all of the sudden it made sense for my Cynthia to be in Leominster at the time of her death. And it looked like Cynthia A. Putnam who died in Leominster in Dec. of 1884 was probably in reality Cynthia L. Putnam and someone indexed the name wrong. I also found Abbie's death record which listed her mother as only Cynthia Putnam but did give her mother's birthplace as Westbrook, Maine. Still, I left NEHGS with no conclusive proof as to her maiden name.

Last week here at the house, I did some more on-line searching; again, looking at the children's records, I found her daughter Mary Ann Putnam Haley's death record. And yes, her husband was David Haley who was first married to her sister Abbie. When Abbie died in childbirth; it looks like Mary Ann stepped in to raise her children and married David. FINALLY, in 1903 at MaryAnn's death someone thought to put her mother's maiden name on an official record! There in black and white it listed Mary Ann Haley, maiden name Putnam, father Ebenezer Putnam and mother Cynthia L. Webb.

With this information, a lot more has now fallen into place, including the person I suspect of being her father. William WEBB has a daughter named Sylvia born in Westbrook Maine on July 26, 1805 (Same date and place as my Cynthia Webb). Again, I have access only to the index and I think this was another transcription error. This seems too coincidental; I think it's supposed to be Cynthia.

So, for family needing the official information. Pertinent names/dates are listed below. And here's a bonus from Andrea IDSO (another of JH Putnam's great-great granddaughters): a photo of Cynthia Webb Putnam.

Cynthia L. Webb was born on 26 Jul 1805 in Westbrook, Cumberland, Maine[2, 3, 4]. She died on 16 Dec 1884 in Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts,

USA

[3]. She married (1) Isaac P. Connig on 06 Nov 1826 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire,

USA

[5]. He was born. He died in Feb 1839in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA. She married (2) Ebenezer Putnam on 23 Nov 1840 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts[6], son of Roger and Hannah Putnam. He was born about 1786 in Medford, Massachusetts. He died in 1848 in West Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Children of Cynthia L. Webb and Isaac P. Connig are:

i. Issac P. Connig, B: 30 Nov 1837 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA[7], D: 07 May 1911 in Fitchburg, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA[7].

Children of Cynthia L. Webb and Ebenezer Putnam are:

2. i. John Howard Putnam, B: 08 Apr 1841 in Groton, Massachusetts, D: 10 Nov 1910 in Sawtelle, Los Angeles, California[8], M: Antoinette Adele Parsons, 01 May 1864 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts[9].

3. ii. Abbie Connig Putnam, B: 24 Apr 1843 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA, D: 17 Jan 1883 in Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA[2].

iii. Mary Ann Putnam, B: Feb 1845 in Groton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, D: 02 Mar 1903 in Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA[1].

Sources

1 Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841 - 1910, Vol. 541, p 479. Leominster Deaths.

2 Death Certificate, Leominster Deaths. Vol. 348 p. 420.

3 Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841 - 1910, v 357 p 416 [Leominster Deaths].

4 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900, Database, FamilySearch. Index entries derived from digital copies of originals housed in various repositories throughout Maine. Source Film # 12615.

5 New Hampshire Marriages 1720-1920, "New Hampshire Vital Records Index," database, FamilySearch. Source Film #1000977.

6 Vital Records of Middlesex Co., MA to the end of the year 1849. (Search & Research Publishing. Wheat Ridge, CO. 1999), Groton Marriages, p. 141.

7 Massachusetts Deaths 1841-1915, Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915", database, FamilySearch; from Massachusetts State Archives. "Deaths, 1841-1971". Massachusetts Division of Vital Statistics, State House, Boston, Massachusetts. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Film #2394508 Image #1881.

8 Mary Kathryn (Owens) Putnam birthday book.

9 Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910, Vol, 172, p. 90.

They all came on ships

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:43:02 -0500

My last post was about the shipwreck, but one of my goals for this research trip was to find specifically the names of some of the ships and/or arrival and naturalization dates for a number of folks.

The topic for this particular NEHGS conference was 19th century immigrants. So I gathered up my (or my husband's) 19th c. immigrant ancestors and headed off. I had varying degrees of success. Here is some of the new info, some of the old info, and where I intend to go from here.

My husband's 4th great-grandparents John D. and Elizabeth (Mullen) GIBB immigrated from Northern Ireland in the middle of the 19th century. I'm now happy to report that John D. Gibb, his wife Elizabeth and their children John, Elizabeth, Agnes, Paul and Mary all arrived on the 13th of July 1857 on the ship Ellen Austin. [1]Ellen Austin was one of Grinnell, Minturn & Co's Blue Swallowtail line of London to New York Packets. She was a big ship, of 1,812 tons, 210 feet in length, built of white oak at Damariscotta, Maine in 1854. The Ellen Austin later gained fame when it's crew disappeared off the ship in the Bermuda Triangle.[2]

His 4th great-grandparents John and Elizabeth (Gibb) Stevenson arrived 13 Mar 1871 on the ship Europa.[3] The ship drawn here has the exact same specs as the Europa.

Shipping Line:	Anchor
Ship Description:	Built by Alexander Stephen & Sons, Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 1,746. Dimensions: 278' x 34'. Single-screw, 10 knots. Inverted engines. Three masts and one funnel. Iron hull. Compound engines in 1874.
History:	Maiden voyage: Glasgow-New York, September 25, 1867. Lengthened to 338 feet (2,277 tons) in 1874. Sunk in collision, July 17, 1878. [4]

I'm still looking for the ship's names on the SWANSON and BLOOM lines from Sweden though I'd like to share with anyone reading information about Carl Swanson's trip across the Atlantic as written down by Brian's great-aunt who handed down his actual trunk to his father and it now waits for us.

AMERIKA CHEST

It was pulled from its place in a cobweb-infested corner of the attic, carried down to the kitchen for inspection and dusting. No one knew how old it was. It had passed from Father to Son through many generations.

Under the lid of the CHEST valuable things had been secreted. The lid had been lifted by shaking hands of old women, and by the young, strong maiden fingers. It had been approached by those in need, mostly at life's great happenings: Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals.

It was the strongest packing case they could find. It was tested in its joints, and scrubbed clean inside. After timeless obscurity the heavy, clumsy thing was unexpectedly honored again as Karl Emil Svensson prepared the family's most treasured pieced of furniture for his trip to Amerika. So he called it the AMERIKA CHEST.

In the bottom of the AMERIKA CHEST were placed the heaviest items - iron and steel timberman's and carpenter tools: Adz, Hatchet, Chisel, Drawknife, Plane, Hammer, Horseshoe tongs, Auger, Sticking knife, Skinning knife, Rule, Yardstick and Hunter's gear.

Next he packed warm woolen garments, underwear and outer garments, working clothes, and Sunday best. His mother placed camphor and lavender between the clothes to prevent mildew and bad odors certain to develop during the long boat trip to Amerika. In the top compartments she packed some honey, sugar, dried apples, loaves of rye bread, a wooden tub of strongly salted butter, one cheese loaf, 6 smoked sausages, a piece of salt pork, and 20 salted herrings.

To protect against contagious ship maladies and sea sickness, he also took a half gallon of wormwood-seed brännvin. A drink of this every morning at sea on an empty stomach would keep the body working. (See Moberg. The Immigrants.)

The AMERKIA CHEST traveled safely and intact to Burlington, Iowa, and later became his tool chest for work on the farm and while building the Atcheson Topeka & Santa Fe railroad stockyard and depot in Stronghurst, Illinois, and while building the Svenska Lutheran Church in Stronghurst, Illinois.

And now, 120+ years after leaving Småland (in May of 1887) and crossing the Atlantic, the AMERIKA CHEST passes on to more generations.

Sources:
[1] New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 Microfilm serial: M237; Microfilm roll: M237_176; Line: 49; List number: 830; .
[2]On-line website: http://www.bermuda-triangle.org/html/ellen_austin.html
[3] New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 Microfilm serial: M237; Microfilm roll: M237_307; Line: 34; List number: 255;
[4] Ancestry.com. Passenger Ships and Images [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Shipwrecked - The Meister Family

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:56:09 -0500

This is another one of my favorite family stories. I've been trying to actually document it and apparently I'm never going to be able to get beyond the handed down oral tradition. Here's the story...

Carl (later anglicized to Charles) MEISTER was born in Berlin, Prussia (now Germany) on 14 Feb 1784. His wife Elizabeth Hierotte FINCK was born 1 May 1796 in Ansbach, Barureuth, Prussia (now part of Bavaria). They married in Ansbach on 17 June 1812 and then set sail for North America. It's a little unclear what their final destination was supposed to have been. However, they were "shipwrecked in the West Indies" and their two oldest daughters were born in St. Lucia. Sometime between 1815 and 1817 the family of four caught a ship north to Nova Scotia and settled in Sherbrooke, which is now New Ross, Nova Scotia.

My grandmother had some china that had been her g-grandmothers (Elizabeth Finck Meister) that was stamped Prussia on the bottom. After she died, and the family was dividing heirlooms my aunt asked if it came over on the boat with Elizabeth Meister. My reply (as I was the surviving family historian once my grandmother passed away) was "I don't see how, since they were shipwrecked in the West Indies." But my uncle pointed out that if the ship merely ran aground and was not actually sunk they could have carried all of their possessions off the ship easily enough. And the survival of some Prussian china in the family might mean exactly that.

At the NEHGS getaway I was hoping for some confirmation of the shipwreck or ship run aground story. It looks like I will never get it. I was told that if the ship into Nova Scotia really came from the West Indies, then there are no passenger lists. There was no need to keep any record of a sailing vessel going from one British colony to another. Might there be some records of ships that ran aground or sunk off of St. Lucia - maybe. But there would be no passenger lists associated with them. So, I'm left with the story that Clara Belle Benjamin Parsons (grandaughter of Charles and Elizabeth Meister) passed down to us.

While I couldn't find confirmation of the shipwreck story, I did find many deeds involving Carl (Charles) and Elizabeth Meister in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia. I now have copies of those and of maps that show where the original homestead was. They had 14 children total over a 28-year period. Charles died when the youngest was only 7, I expected to find probate records, especially for someone who had quite a lot of land, but I did not. David Lambert the Nova Scotia expert at NEHGS says that they weren't always very good with the probate records.

I was also able to get some Canadian census records that list Elizabeth at age 90 in Nova Scotia, born in Germany (making the birthdate she gave her granddaughter Clara of 1796 suspect; if she was 90 in 1881 she was born in 1791 not 1796. Making her one of MANY women in my family who seem to shave 5 years off their age).

My Rock Stars - the NEHGS Staff

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:14:59 -0500

For context to this post you should watch this commercial--

Now you know what I mean when I say "My rock stars aren't like your rock stars."

Last week I was at a three-day program at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, arguably the East-coast Mecca for genealogists. Let me just say that this program was fantastic! Organized by Josh Taylor, it was well-constructed; it mixed informative lectures with lots of time for personal research and consultations with their VERY helpful staff. I had no less than five professional genealogists helping me with my research throughout the program. And here's a big shout out to "rock stars" Julie Otto, Rhonda McClure, Judy Lucey, David Lambert, and Gary Boyd Roberts for their help and guidance. Gary especially didn't quit with the participants until he got them to someone notable. In my case a few royal Plantagenet lines that I didn't know about.

I highly recommend this program to any genealogist, and especially those with New England roots.

I Still Love the "Leg Work"

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:54:50 -0500

For most genealogists these days, our research revolves around the Internet. Since I work for Penn State's on-line education my whole life usually revolves around the Internet. But as thrilled as I am with the Internet and the new resources becoming available every day, I still love just taking a research trip (even when the ancestors aren't mine!).

Interestingly, I usually do plenty of research before a trip and gather family sheet information from my database, cemetery information and maps from the web, and then set upon my quest. A few weeks ago, I agreed to accompany a friend on one of her research trips. As we had to travel 2 hours to our destination it gave me time ask a few basic questions like what our goals were for the day.

She wanted to find her GG grandmother's grave and her GG grandfathers grave. She knew they were in two different cemeteries, her GG grandfather having remarried and moved after the death of his first wife.

Me: "So where is GG Grandma buried?"
S: "It says here she was buried on the Frey family farm in Franklin County."
Me: " Did you do some internet research? Do we have directions to this cemetery?"
S: "No, we're women. We can stop and ask."
Me: Stunned. I say nothing. I think to myself, 'Do you really think random people are going to know where the Frey family farm was in 1856?'

We arrive in Chambersburg, PA and S. directs me to turn right. I ask why and then see a yarn shop in front of me. "Oh, that's why." S. points out that not only is it a fabulous yarn shop (she's a knitter) but that "old women hang out in yarn shops", and this is probably a good place to start asking.

One of the women taking a yarn class that Friday morning does indeed know where the Frey family farm is and gives us directions to the only cemetery she knows of on that road. We get there, and it's not the right one. But a chat with a Mennonite woman from across the street, puts us on our way to the Frey dairy farm. We stop and the farm and look for someone to ask if there is a family plot on the farm. On the farm a phone call from hired help to the owner tells us that the the current "Frey family farm" has only been here for two generations. For something in the mid-1800's we should head to the other side of town. We get directions to another cemetery, and head off once again.

At the next stop we do not find our goal Elizabeth Stauffer Swartz wife of Henry Swartz; but we do very unexpectedly find Henry Swartz's mother. Anna Swartz Frey (twice married). Not only that her headstone says she is the daughter of Joseph Martin and Elizabeth Miller. I LOVE tombstones with that kind of information! Imagine my friends excitement to get another generation back. I was completely in awe of a headstone that told us wife of (both husband's names), daughter of (parents names) and mother of (etc...) Yet we were still disappointed at not being able to find the one grave we actually came looking for. Enter the man who lives next door, he's the keeper of the small cemetery, only about 20 graves. And he tells us that yes, this was the original Frey family farm and this would be considered "Frey Family Farm" cemetery but that there are three family plots on the huge original homestead. Maybe our Elizabeth is in one of the others and we again get directions and proceed on for about another mile. And there she is nestled in the plot that is along Grand Point Road. It took only 2.5 hours total and six very helpful and friendly people!

We came away from the day with new genealogy information for S. and a story for all time of what all the best detectives call the "leg work."

Researching the HOWARDs- Part 2: A trip to West Virginia

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:52:04 -0500

As I mentioned in part 1 of this story, I began armed with this bit of information from my grandmother, They were the "Howards of Virginia, wealthy and important." Visions of southern plantations waft through my brain. When I finally got an official copy of James E. Howard's death certificate which gave his birthplace as West Virginia, I was a lot less impressed. True, that my grandmother didn't really lie, after all, when he was born in 1859 there was no West Virginia it was just Virginia. However, I now had to put away visions of southern gentility and replace it with a more realistic vision of the hard-scrabble, oft-feuding, mountain-folk.

To find out even more I decided that a trip to Marshall County, West Virginia was in order. So I left my husband with the family car and the kids and took his pickup off for a weekend in West Virginia. The trip to Marshall County was a story in itself and really why we should all get out there at times to dig for our roots rather than just sitting and researching at our computers.

Sure at the courthouse I found wills, records, etc... but I found so much more...politics... geography... and beauty.

First politics: A trip to the local historical society gleaned the names of a few John Howards (my 4th great grandfather) buried in the area. I asked one of the volunteers for directions to the Howard Cemetery in Cameron. I got a chuckle and a follow up question. "Which Howard Cemetery, the Howard Republican Cemetery or the Howard Democratic Cemetery?" At this point I was flabberghasted, there are TWO different cemeteries for the same HOWARD family, separated in distance by about a half mile apart but apparently worlds apart politically. During the drive I couldn't help but wonder what a post-Civil War family must have been like; to have such deep-seated political wounds as to not want to be buried in the same cemetery. Quite the family feud indeed!

Geography: Now let me set a scene for you, I grew up in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, and WV has the exact same mountain range, it's all Appalachia. But I'd never been to West Virginia before. The first observation I made was that here in PA, all the roads are at the base of the mountains. OK, new highways may be at the top, but old roads that lead to real villages tend to follow the creeks and rivers, with tiny dirt roads leading up into the mountains. In short, you get used to driving along in PA and looking up at the mountains. After driving in WV for a while I began to notice that I was driving on roads that were at the top of mountains and I was constantly looking down and the little dirt roads led down into the hollows. That alone set me up for a surreal experience.

I arrived at the Democratic Cemetery first at the top of a hill. There were some folks who I thought were probably cousins, but no stones that seemed to be any direct relations, so I moved on to the Republican Cemetery down the dirt road that lead to the ravine. I got to the bottom and what was there, well... pretty much a swamp. With a cemetery on one of it's banks. I put the pickup into park at the end of the dirt road, and got out. Squish! My foot was now covered in mud. Furthermore I noticed that the tires seemed to be pretty mired in mud as well. Next something LARGE that I glimpsed out of the corner of my eye, slipped into the pond that formed the center of this seeming swamp. I shuddered, I didn't want to know! After not finding my 4th-great grandfather's grave in this cemetery either, I climbed back into the pickup and at first went nowhere, just spun in the mud. There was no cell phone service, my truck was stuck in the middle of a swamp and I remember thinking that I would die right there and I'd have to be buried with the "poor relations" after all if they'd been better off surely they could have been buried up on the hill! Anyway, 4-wheel drive and some luck did get me back out.

Absolute beauty: After my mud experience I still tried many more cemeteries. Though I never did find my 4th great-grandfather HOWARD, I did find the tombstone for my 4th-great grandfather James LAUGHLIN (1796-1873) in Rock Lick, WV. At the time, I couldn't conclusively prove that he was my grandfather, frankly I still can't but as I stood over his tombstone, the sun broke through the clouds and the most beautiful rainbow appeared. That rainbow continued to follow me for the rest of the day and back to the hotel. Coincidence, sure. But I like to think that it was great-grandpa smiling at someone who'd found him -- someone who's blood, and someone who cares. :-)

Researching the HOWARDs- Part 1: Don't be afraid to ask the locals!

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:25:29 -0500

Gear up for a long post - but I think this story is worth it. My grandfather, father, and brother all had/have the middle name HOWARD, after my great-grandmother Malvern Blanche Howard. When I decided to get started on the HOWARD line, my great-grandmother and my grandfather were already gone. My grandmother filled me in on what she knew of her husband's HOWARD ancestry. I got the following information:

" The 'Howards of Virginia' were a very wealthy and important family."
"Pop's grand-daddy James Enos Howard was a doctor who used to light his pipes with $100 bills."
"James Enos Howard wrote a book once, I think there might be a copy of it somewhere in the house."
"Malvern Howard was disowned when she married Ray Welsh, a conductor on the B&O railroad."
"James E. Howard offered to pay for his grandson's (my grandfathers) college tuition if he would only drop the last name WELSH and use only Ray Howard. My grandfather refused and worked in a steel mill his whole life."

OK, that and a few dates/places seemed like a lot of good information with which to get started. The book "In the Beginning" by James Enos Howard [1916, Roxburgh Press, Boston, Mass. Library Of Congress # BS1235.H68} about the biblical book of Genesis was indeed written by my GG-Grandfather. Since the family had only the one copy, I have a photocopy of the book.

Next, my mother decided that since James Howard was the doctor in Mill Run, PA, we should take a trip over to find his grave. I said that we had no idea what cemetery he was buried in, and her reply was that there's probably only one in a town that small anyway. So, off we went one Saturday. We arrived in "town" which is pretty much one road, and couldn't seem to find any cemetery, so we stopped and asked someone which way to the cemetery.

"Which one?," he said.
"There's more than one?"
"Well, who are you looking for?", he asked.

My thinking was that I'm looking for a man who died in 1934, it's not like this guy would know him; but my mother didn't miss a beat and piped up "Old Doc Howard."
"Oh, my father knew him. He'd be buried in the Baptist Cemetery." And he gave us directions.

Flabberghasted but happy, I followed his directions and in no time we found his grave. Not fifteen minutes later, this same man pulls in behind us with his car. Mr. Dull as it turns out, had more information to share that he thought we'd want to know. His 90-year-old dad lives with him and he went inside to tell his Dad after giving us the directions. His Dad relayed these two stories and so he came up to the cemetery to share them with us.

1) Doc Howard had stitched up Mr. Dull's father when he was a little boy after the sled he was riding wedged him under a barbed-wire fence, and

2) that this was a story that Doc Howard himself liked to tell:

Mrs. Shipley had asked him to come around (remember doctors used to make house calls) and check on her teenage daughter. The girl was prone to bouts of nausea that seemed to come and go. It was like no flu she'd ever seen. The doc examined her and informed Mrs. Shipley that her daughter didn't have the flu or any other ailment, she was pregnant. The indignant woman told him that just wasn't possible, as her daughter was now and had always been a good girl. 'Why she's never even been with a boy'. At this point, he shook his head, laughed and said that "God hadn't done it that way in 1900 years, and he'd guess that wasn't going to change now."

So what did I learn on that trip? Birthdate and death date from the tombstone, but priceless stories from Mr. Dull. Don't be afraid to ask the local folks!

The Thrill of Finding Another Generation

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:04:24 -0500

As I've mentioned before, the detective work inherent in genealogy research is one of the things I enjoy and the thrill of uncovering a juicy story is equaled by the thrill of finding the next generation back. When I started my grandmother had most of her genealogy already done, back 9 or 10 generations in most cases, so there wasn't a lot to discover on my own for that side of the family. Luckily, I had three other grandparents who didn't know (or maybe didn't care). In any case, there were lots of unknown ancestors to find! And find I did. However, after 20 years of research the new finds are fewer and farther between. We get so far on a line and hit our "brick walls" and they remain that way for years. But this past weekend, one of those walls moved!

I found a death certificate for my 3rd great-grandfather Charles C. Parsons; it listed his parents names (including mother's maiden name!)- Joseph Parsons and Julia Safford. I just want to say, I love those anal-retentive New Englander's who felt the need to document everything that ever happened in their town. My Pennsylvania ancestors, were born, married, and died and nobody official ever took note.

So here's to my 4th-great grandparents - Joseph and Julia. So far that's all I have but I look forward to finding out more about them in months (maybe years) to come.

Indian John or Wounded John Miller

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:50:36 -0500

I love history in general. Mine or anyone elses. Since I have a large collection of resource books, I volunteer to do lookups in them for others. When a request came to me to do a lookup for Indian John Miller, I knew I had a good bit of information in many different places. This was a great excuse to cull it all together and add some coherent notes into my database for my 7th great-grand-uncle. (i.e., brother to my 7th great-grandmother). Of my 7G-grandmother who married Benedict Lehman, I know virtually nothing, not even her first name, but her brother was a big part of Somerset County lore. So...

According to Gingerich & Kreider(1) John Miller was know by the names "Wounded John" "Crippled John" or "Indian John." He was born in Europe and died in Somerset County PA in 1798.

DJH (2) p. 953. states that "John MIller, was wounded by the Indians when they were taking the family of Jacob Hostetler into captivity." That means that it also puts John living in the Northkill Settlement, Berks Co., PA in Sept. 1757. Since that was the date and place of the Indian attack mentioned. He later moved to Somerset County as did many of the Amish in that area. DJH p. 953 also mentions that it gets it's information from an account of the Indian John Miller family by Moses B. Miller of Geistown, PA.

This family info is from G&K p. 270. Order of issue uncertain. All children were born in Berks Co, PA . children of John Miller & ?:

Barbara, born circa 1750 married Jacob Hochstetler
John, born circa 175, married Veronica, nicknamed "Fanny". He died June 13, 1802 in Somerset County
Jacob, born August 1754, married Anna Stutzman. He died 2/25/1835 in Tuscarawas co., Ohio
Peter, born 1756 married Mary Stutzman. he died 11/1/1818 in Somerset county.
Catherine, born circa 1758 married Jacob Kauffman
Christian born circa 1760, married Veronica. He died in 1839 in Somerset county.
Joseph, born circa 1762 married first Barbara Speicer, then Barbara Bontrager
Mary, born circa 1764 married John Schrock
Veronica "Franey", born circa 1766 married Christian Speicer
a duaghter born circa, 1768 married Christian Mishler
Elizabeth, born circa 1770 married Joseph Speicher

Somerset county orphans Court records July 28, 1798 show Magdalena widow of John Miller renouncing the right to administer the estate in favor of eldest son John and son-in-law Joseph Speicher. G&K (still p. 270) notes that Magdalena MAY have been Indian John's second wife and therefore NOT the mother of his children. But it's also possible that she was indeed his only wife. The reason for the confusion over the wife is as follows: "A near neighbor of wounded John was Benedict Lehman. Since a grandson of Wounded John was named Benedict Miller and since Benedict is a quite uncommon name among the Amish in America except for the Benedict Miller's descendants, it seems likely that there was some connection between the Miller and Lehman families. Benedict Lehman was on the ship list of Oct. 8, 1737 with apparently a son benedict on the list of women and children but no daughter Magdalena. Thus the widow of Wounded John Miller could not have been a daughter of Benedict Lehman But Barbara or Catherine Lehman, probable daughters of Benedict on the ship list might have been the first wife of Wounded John and the mother of his children.

As to when John Miller arrived in America, no one is quite certain, but G&K. p. 269 offers up the following:
"Among the many well-known Amish names on the 9/15/1749 ship list are Hannes Miller, Jacob Miller, Christian Miller, Peter Miller, Jacob Mishler, Joseph Mishler, Benedict Lehman, David Miller, and Abraham Kurtz. It seems likely that three or more of the MILLERs named above were members of the Miller family under consideration. Since the real name of Wounded John's son John was Hannas, it's likely that Wounded John's real name was also that and the Hannes Miller listed might well have been "Wounded John."

And in case that really is him, here's the information from the ships list. (see source 3). "At the Court house at Philadelphia, Friday, the 15th September 1749. The foreigners whose Names are underwritten, imported in the ship Phoenix, John Mason, Master ... did this day take the usual Qualifications to the government. By the List 261. 550 whole freights, from Zweybrech, Nassau, Wirtemberg, and Palitinate." [Just FYI, 550 whole freights were the total number transported. The list has only 261 names since only men over the age of 16 were required to swear allegiance to the English crown.]

Lastly, Indian John was most probably the son of Christian Miller (also listed on the above-mentioned ships list.)

DJH p. 33 says (when describing the story of the captive Hostetler family being marched off) "There is a traditional what while crossing the mountains they passed a cleaning where a man named Miller, was chopping. He was shot at and hit in the hand as he raised his ax; he fled and was not pursued." DBH (see source 4, written after 26 more years of research by the author)) on page 26 relays the exact same language but with a footnote that this Miller was indeed Indian John or Wounded John Miller.

Source list:

(1) Gingerich & Krieder, Amish & Amish Mennonite Genealogies, (Pequea Publishing, Gordonville, PA. 1986.).

(2)Harvey Hochstetler, Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, (Gospel Book Store. Reprint. originally published, 1912).

(3) Strassberger, R. B., Pennsylvania German Pioneers, (Picton Press. Camden, Maine. 1992.). Volume 1, pp. 404-407

(4)Harvey Hochstetler, Descendants of Barbara Hochstetler and Christian Stutzman, (Gospel Book Store. Reprint. originally published, 1938).

William Henry Benjamin goes off to War

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:19:36 -0500

My great-great grandfather William Henry Benjamin was born in 1841, the son of a well-to-do Concord, Massachusetts family. At some point in the late 1850's the family hired Victoria Regina "Jenny" Masters, an immigrant from Nova Scotia, to be their maid. She was nearly five years older than their eldest son William. When he was 19 in 1861, he married Jenny Masters (age 24) and one month later enlisted in the Civil War and didn't come home for three years. I can only imagine what poor Jenny's life must have been, being stuck in the same house with her former employers as their new daughter-in-law and without her husband around. Anyway, I do know some of what William's life was while in the war, thanks to this family heirloom.

The following is a transcription of a long-hand letter written by W. H. Benjamin to his daughter Clara on Oct. 30, 1898 describing his Civil War service:

The principal battles I took part in are Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Glendale, Malvern Hill,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Locust Grove, Wilderness, Spottsylvania
Court House, besides several skirmishes. Now the difference between a skirmish and
battle is this a skirmish is where a small number of troops are sent out to find the enemy
how they are located etc. but not to bring on a general engagement but sometimes it
cannot be avoided. A battle is a general engagement where both sides exert themselves
with brains and force, to drive the enemy and secure a victory, the battles above named
were all very severe and stubborn with greats loss of life on both sides. The strain and
hardships in time of battle are great, loss of sleep with little chance to eat or drink.
Sometimes feeling as though you could not breathe for want of water, and then in battle
you have a great deal of marching as well as fighting. I have been 48 hours without food,
and on the march at that, some of the time double quick or double time. The Battles of
Fair Oaks, Glendale, Malvern Hill followed one after the other, seven days of fighting
and seven nights marching. One might picture to themselves some of the hardships in a
soldiers life in time of war, scarcity of water was one of the greatest hardships, one hardly
realizes what it is to almost die for the want of it, long marches in rain and hot sun,
sometime fifteen miles a day or rather that was an average days march. I remember one
day we made forty-five miles when I dropped unable to go any farther, as I had the
chronic diarrhea (is that spelt right). A soldiers life in camp is rather lazy a great deal of
the time, some of the time there is excitement - enough to make pleasant. I will not write
any more, although, if I should have commenced at the beginning of my three years and
follow it out, there would be quite a book.

Oh, how I wish he would have written a book!

Irish Eyes are Smiling

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:37:06 -0500

Since today is St. Patrick's Day, my thoughts always turn to my Irish ancestors, all of whom, I'd like to think are smiling down at me. Let me start with the 'green' (Irish Catholic) side of the family tree.

My 3rd-great grandfather Frank Fagan (1826-1897) was part of the huge migration from Ireland during the potato famine. He was probably from county Westmeath in central Ireland. What his circumstances were in Ireland, I don't really know, but here's a pretty fair guess. "Devon in February 1845 reported that 'It would be impossible adequately to describe the privations which they [Irish labourer and his family] habitually and silently endure . . . in many districts their only food is the potato, their only beverage water . . . their cabins are seldom a protection against the weather... a bed or a blanket is a rare luxury . . . and nearly in all their pig and a manure heap constitute their only property.' The Commissioners concluded that they could not "forbear expressing our strong sense of the patient endurance which the labouring classes have exhibited under sufferings greater, we believe, than the people of any other country in Europe have to sustain." (source: Cecil Woodham-Smith, The Great Hunger, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1991, p. 24).

Frank married Elizabeth Martin born in Ireland in December 1829, she died 17 Oct 1901. I don't have a date or place for their marriage but my guess is that it was here in America, circa 1851. Their first child, was born in March of 1852 in West Troy, New York.

Frank and Elizabeth lived in the south section of West Troy - just north of the Watervliet Arsenal. Perhaps Frank who is listed on census records as simply "laborer" worked there. The Fagans had seven daughters. Four of them are in this photo. Mary Fagan Owens my gg-grandmother is the dark-haired beauty in the center. My guess is that her sisters Catherine, Elizabeth & Bridget are the other three, those being the four oldest.

The Fagans attended St. Brigid's Church and Frank & Elizabeth are buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Watervliet.

I realize this post doesn't have the same "story value" as most of my others, but the fact is I know very little of this family, and there's probably not much more to uncover. I attended a genealogy workshop on finding Irish ancestors (specifically Northern Ireland, but it applies to the rest of the island too) and the fact is that the English have destroyed most Irish records, so finding out anything more is not very likely. But I still hold out hope that the luck of the Irish may yet turn up something new about this family.

Opposing Viewpoints, they're "All in the Family"

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:58:01 -0500

The TV show "All in the Family" brought the opposing viewpoints of Archie & Meathead to the nation in the 70's. And my own family is full of conservatives while I remain a proud liberal. Heck, one of my Dad's friends got a hearty belly laugh to find out that Bill Welsh raised a Democrat! As I've gone back over family information it's often hard to tell what our ancestors political views were, but here are some I've discovered. The good, the bad, and the West Virginia feuds!

Here's one on the HESS side of the family {my grandfather's ancestors} that I'm proud of. Source: History of Bedford & Somerset Counties, by Blackburn & Welfley, Vol. 1, p. 376. [discussing the Underground Railroad]There was, however, in this county[Bedford], as well as in many eastern and a few western ones, a pretty well defined line of travel, which gave aid and assistance to fugitive slaves in their efforts to secure their freedom beyond the Canadian line. ... The persons most actively engaged in this business along the line were ... Samuel Hess, George Hess and John Hess of Pleasantville."

However, on my grandmother's side of the family, my great-grandfather's diary (in my aunt's posession) talks about the Klan meetings he attended in the 1920's. So, while I can claim abolitionists, I'm forced to claim the Klan member too.

My favorite political story though has to do with just that political hot topic - abolition - dividing the family. While tracing my HOWARD line, I made a trip to Marshall County, West Virginia. There I was hoping to find my 4th great-grandfather's grave. From census records, I deduced that he died in Marshall County between 1860 and 1870. Some research at the local historical society turned up a Howard Cemetery in Cameron, West Virginia.

Upon asking one of the volunteers if she knew where it was, I got a chuckle and a follow up question. "Which Howard Cemetery, the Howard Republican Cemetery or the Howard Democratic Cemetery?" At this point I was flabberghasted, there are TWO different cemeteries for the same HOWARD family! I drove to them both; they are about a half mile apart. During the drive I couldn't help but wonder what a post-Civil War family must have been like; to have such deep-seated political wounds as to not want to be buried in the same cemetery.

I did not, however, find my 4th great-grandfather's grave in either cemetery. I wonder if he was seeking neutral ground.

The Ride of Dr. Samuel Prescott

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:44:35 -0500

On his return from Lexington, in the night previous to the 19 of April 1775, where he had spent the evening in paying his addresses to the daughter of a Mr. Mulliken, he soon overtook Paul Revere and William Dawes on their way to Concord to alarm the people and apprise them of the intended expedition of British soldiers upon Concord. When the three had arrived near Hartwell's tavern in the lower bounds of Lincoln, they were attacked by four British officers of a scouting party send out the preceding evening. Revere and Dawes were taken prisoners, Prescott was also attacked and had the reins of his horse's bridle cut, but he succeeded in making his escape by jumping his horse over a wall; and taking a circuitous route through Lincoln, pushed on with the utmost speed to Concord, and gave the alarm of the approach of the British. he was subsequently taken prisoner on board of a privateer, and carried into Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he died in prison. [Source: "The Prescott Memorial" by Eben Prescott. page 66.]

Dr. Samuel Prescott (19 Aug 1751 - ?) was the 1st cousin to my 5th great-grandmother Ann Prescott Heywood. (For any Putnams reading this, you read it correctly; he is most closely related through the Heywood side of the family not the Prescott side of the family.) My grandmother had a much fuller speech on this ride that she delivered to her DAR chapter. But I don't know where that got to.

After I first posted this, Uncle Bob sent me the following addition via e-mail. - Your Dr. Sam Prescott story reminded me that I'd never shared with you the same incident as related in Allen French's book "The Day of Lexington & Concord". pp 91ff:

"In the meantime, (William) Dawes [another relative of ours, via the same branch by which Cal Coolidge enters, as I recall, but Nancy can confirm] having arrived (at the Clarke house in Lexington) Revere had set out again with him to alarm Concord. They were overtaken by a young Doctor Samuel Prescott (a Concord man who had been calling on his sweetheart in Lexington) whom they found to be a "high son of Liberty". As they rode Revere told his companions of his experience with the two officers, and his belief that still others were on the road before them. Nevertheless, they went on, arranging to alarm every house, Prescott willingly helping them, and useful because he knew the people. As Revere expected, he came upon more officers; it was when he was again alone, the others having stayed to alarm a house. Seeing before him two officers, as he thought, he called to his friends to come up: "there were two, & we would have them." In an instant he was surrounded by four, and! when young Prescott came up, the officers, with drawn pistols and emphatic oaths and threats, forced them to go through a pair of bars, which had been let down, into a pasture. [this spot is now marked by a tablet]
"When we had got in, Mr. Prescott said "put on,"" and taking to the left, while Revere took to the right, jumped his horse over allow stone wall, and escaped. Revere had no such luck. Observing a small wood, he spurred for that, intending to leap from his horse and escape on foot; but when he reached it, out started six officers, who seized his bridle, and at the muzzle of their pistols made him dismount.
Some of his captors abused him much; later, he said, they insulted him, calling him rebel, which we do not consider as much of an insult as did he. But one of his captors was a gentleman, questioned him courteously, recognized his name, and played a game of bluff with Revere, at which the Yankee had the better. "He said...they were only waiting for some deserters they expected down the road: I told them I knew better, I knew what they were after; that I had alarmed the country all the way up, that their Boats were catch'd aground, and I should have 500 men there soon."
Surprised, these officers called their leader from the road, Major Mitchel of the 5th Regiment. His questions getting no better answer from Revere, he ordered his whole party to the road, and with them Revere and four other prisoners who now appeared from the bushes. These were Solomon Brown, Hancock's messenger to Concord, and two other Lexington men; having fallen into the officer's ambush, they had waited here some two hours. The fourth man was a harmless peddler......at the sound of guns from Lexington) the major... consulted with his subordinates.
....But with Prescott escaped toward Concord, and Dawes vanished back toward Lexington, with Revere's story in their minds, and now this volley of alarm guns in their ears, they well have felt that their mission had come to a fruitless end.
.....Dawes had escaped from the two officers who pursued him by a trick characteristic of the man. Riding at full speed into the next barnyard, he shouted as if to call the inmates of the house to his aid. His horse stopped so quickly that he fell and lost his watch; but though the house was empty, his pursuers departed more quickly still, and he got safely away. The watch was later returned to him. But little more is known of his doings later that night; Dawes is out of the story."

I'm on YOUR side - Eliphalet Robert

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:08:20 -0500

This was apparently the answer given by my 5th great-grandfather no matter who was asking the question. When my son was studying the Revolutionary War in 6th grade, I showed him a list of all the ancestors he had who fought in the War. (You can be sure that one of these days, I'll get around to putting that list in a blog post.) Anyway, as he looked at the list, he asked if all of them were Patriots or had some of them been Tories. After I proclaimed them all Patriots, I found this record just a few short weeks later in the book "The Robertses of New England," by Thomas A. Jacobsen.

Eliphalet Roberts (15 Apr 1750 - 27 Sept 1843) was one of the first settlers of Strafford, Vermont, having a 100 acre farm there as early as 1774. He was also the father of at least 16 children. Yes, I said at least 16. The above-mentioned book suggests may he had 22 children in all, but I have names for only 16.[1] Anyway, Eliphalet enlisted in the Revolutionary cause in early 1777 and served at Ticonderoga.[2] The following petition signed by fourteen citizens of Strafford tells what happened next:

"Strafford April ye29, 1778
These may certify Any Gentlemen to whom it may concern that Eliphalet Roberts is an inhabitant of this town and that he did in July last desert his Countreys Cause and fled to the Enemy and their remaind til the Surrender of General Burgoin and Quick after that he returned to this town and Appeared to be very sorry for his Conduct made all the Recantations that could be thought proper He promises to be friendly for the future and to be subject to our laws since he came home appears to be Agreable to his Confession and promises He has a large family of small children and if he should be stript of what little improvements he has theirs some danger of his famelyes being some charge to the State Therefore if the Honorable Counsil in their wisdom should see fit sofar to Restore him as to allow him the use of his land upon his good behavour for the future it would be lokt upon as an act of generosity and be well accepted by the town in general."[3]

So... Patriot --> Loyalist --> Patriot again and with apologies this time. It sounds to me like Grandpa Roberts was on the side of whomever he judged to be the most advantageous to himself and his family. Can't say that I really blame him.

[1} By the way, the children listed in the book are incorrect. The author lists 17 of the supposed 22 chidlren, but one of the 17 is actually his granddaughter, not his daughter.
[2] Miles, pp. 77-8; Holbrook, Jay Mack. Vermont's First Settlers. Oxford, Mass.: Holbrook Research Institute, 1982, p. 71.
[3] Document at the Vermont Historical Society.