Goodbye 2010

I am more than ready to say goodbye to 2010! It was a very tough year for me both physically and emotionally. Rather than reflect on all the things I'd rather forget I want to take a moment and highlight the things that made me happy. Top ten lists seem quite popular this year, so here is mine.

1. I am most proud of my biography of my second great-grandmother, Sarah Ann Camfield. It was written for the 91st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy and I was honored to be chosen as the featured author of that edition.

2. I was also honored to have Apple's Tree included as one of Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs.

3. I really enjoyed composing Faces of My mtDNA.

4. Randy Seaver prompted me to have some fun with creative writing - SNGF - WDYTYA Starring Apple.

5. It was sad to come to the end of Etoley Robinson's letters and discover that she died quite young but I was pleased to be able to honor a woman that meant so much to my family.

6. I was able to add many memorials to Find A Grave including several for Ellisburg Cemetery.

7. I stumbled across a beautiful piece of needlework created by one of my cousins honoring my fourth great-grandfather.

8. Along with learning something about my ancestors early relationships with the Church at Oaks Corners I also had the opportunity to hopefully help others by transcribing the information that I found.

9. I made progress on my Kelly, Badgley and Glover lines.

10. I added lots and lots of new information to my tree and updated or added lots of source information. I also spent many hours uploading photographs and documents to my Ancestry.com trees both as a way to have an extra backup and in hopes that others will find them.

So it wasn't a great year here at Apple's Tree but a lot got accomplished and it wasn't a totally bad year!

Heirs of Lewis E Glover, 1805-1863

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

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I am continuing with the Glover's in Niagara Falls. This article was found in an Albany paper which is clear across the state. I assume it was published there because it was the state capitol. There are a couple of omissions that I will address below. Lewis died a widower and childless.

Albany Journal, Wednesday, August 17, 1864 (no page number, front page?)

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK to Milton Glover, residing at Chattanoga, in the state of Tennessee; Melvina F. Parker, and Lowell H. Glover, residing at Cassopolis, in the state of Michigan; Hannah L. Carlisle, Harrison Glover, Jay Glover, Tamesin H. Glover, William Glover, Orville D arlisle[sic], Tamesin O Carlisle, Mary E. Carlisle, and Fanny S. Carlisle, residing at Buchanan, Berrien county, Michigan; Lewis E. Glover, Josephine. Glover, Malona _ Glover, and Wilber W. Glover, residing at White Pigeon, St Joseph county, Michigan, the heirs at law and next of kin to Lewis E. Glover, late of the town of Niagara, in the county of Niagara, deceased:

Whereas, James Vedder and Reuben Glover, executors named in the last will and testament of the said county of Niagara, to have the will of the said Lewis E. Glover, deceased, which relates to both real and personal estate proved and admitted to probate: you and each of you are therefore hereby __ted and required to appear before the said surrogate, at his office at Lockport, in said county on the 17th day of October, 1864 at 10 o'clock in the forenoon of that day, to attend the proof and probate of said will.

In testimony whereof, we have caused the seal of the surrogates court, of said county of Niagara, to be hereunto affixed. Witness Henry D. ___ipture, surrogate of our said county, at the office of said surrogate: the 11th day of August, A. D. 1864. GEO. W. PER__GO
Clerk of Surrogate Court

Executor, Reuben Glover was his brother and lived in Niagara Falls.

Milton Glover was his brother and was in Tennessee due to his service in the Civil War.

Melvina F Glover Baily Parker was his sister.

Hannah Lewis Glover Carlisle was his sister.

Harrison, Lowell H., Jay O., Tamesin H (aka Tamerson), and William H. Glover were the children of his deceased brother, Orville B. Glover, 1804-1852.

Orville D., Tamesin O. (aka Tamerson Z.), Mary E. and Fanny L. Carlisle were children of his deceased sister, Louisa Lambert Glover Carlisle, 1801-1851 (and step children of his sister Hannah L. Carlisle, named above.) [Not included was Louisa's son Isaac Ashley Carlisle. Orville, Ashley and Hannah were all away from home, serving in the Civil War at that time.)]

Lewis E., Josephine, Malona, and Wilber W. Glover were the children of his deceased brother, William H. Glover. 1809-1863.

Survivors not listed were sisters, Eveline Glover Hibbard of Barre, Orleans Co., NY and Rhehamah Glover Smith of Orleans Co, NY. I assume they were not listed as they were more or less local and undoubtedly had been contacted in person.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

You are undoubtedly surprised to be hearing from me so late this year but frankly I know I must be on your "naughty" list and so I almost didn't write at all!

But I did want to thank-you for your gifts last year. I was quite pleased to find the mp3 player under the tree. It certainly isn't your fault that I can figure how how to use it for podcasts! I haven't used it much but promise to either figure it out or swallow my pride and ask the grandkids to show me.

Last year I also asked for a little hint about the parents of William Wisner. You certainly took me literally as it was a little hint but still, I am grateful. I'm not certain I would have caught the discrepancy otherwise and while it didn't give me an answer it did give me more leads to track down.

I know I haven't been good this year. I let myself wallow in self pity for much of the year. I know, not like me at all, but there it is. I didn't keep up with correspondence as I should have,  I stopped transcribing letters and my index project is at a standstill. I even stopped following my friends, leaving comments and writing my weekly rewind posts. I feel very bad about that! I did have a few redeeming moments; I contributed to the Ontario GenWeb site and worked at adding pictures and photos to Find A Grave. Yes, I know, that little bit hardly offsets the rest.

I promise to get back on track! I have already started transcribing more letters. I have also been reading through many of the letters that were written about Christmas' past and they have made me very ashamed. They had so little and were often separated from family and yet they were happy with whatever little extras they could scrounge up and the little remembrances they made for each other. While times have been tough the last several years I truly feel wealthy compared to my ancestors.

While I am not asking for anything for myself, all of my friends have been very good girls and boys!

It has been an unbelievable year for too many of my friends medically and they all handled their trials with much more grace than I. Would you please, please, scatter some healing dust when you visit those that have struggled so much this year? And perhaps you have some magic that will protect them from injury and illness in the coming year!

Almost all of my friends complain that they simply do not have enough time and for them I would like you leave a Time Turner under the tree!

Many of my favorite authors have either stopped writing all together or changed their focus away from the wonderful family stories that they used to share. For them I ask that they find a Muse next to the tree to inspire them. (OK, this is also a gift for me but please do not punish them on my account!)

A few of my friends have been fortunate enough to travel. For them I ask for all the mechanical parts they need to keep going and unlimited internet access so they can stay in touch.

I know that there are many that would love to find something a bit more practical under the tree. I hope your sleigh is filled with scanners, hard drives, smart phones and such!

And lastly, I ask for sledgehammers for everyone!

I'm not certain where you'll be taking your vacation after your long night but if you find yourself in Florida after January, know that you and Mrs. Clause will be more than welcome!

Love,
Apple

Buried Treasure in Niagara Falls

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

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Two weeks ago I shared the very sad death of Alice Glover. As I continued to dig for more information about her and the other Glover family members that lived in Niagara Falls, New York, I found another very unusual story.

Niagara Falls Gazette, Friday, June 11, 1886. Front page.

HIDDEN TREASURE

Finding Money Under an Old Building - Who Placed it There?
------

The finding of a sum of money under an old building at Suspension Bridge has created considerable excitement in that locality. The exact find is variously estimated, about $700 being standard. While the sum is somewhat smaller, still the amount is considerable larger than many people would care to have lying around loose. The facts learned by a GAZETTE representative are as follows:

A short time ago Mr. J. T. Brundage of this place purchased a lot at Suspension Bridge of Miss Glover, the lot being a portion of the Glover estate. Standing on the lot was an old barn and cooper shop. Wishing the barn for use Mr. Brundage had the cooper shop moved up and the barn repaired. Mr. Geo. Haberlee was employed to do the work and on Wednesday afternoon last four of his men were at work digging a place for putting a support under the barn. Throwing out a shovel full of earth one can imagine his surprise upon finding several hundred dollars in gold pieces ranging from $1 to $20 roll of the shovel. The money was gathered up and divided by the workmen who took it home. Of course such a discovery could not be kept long a secret, and soon everybody knew of it, and of course everybody had a theory as to whom it belonged. The law says that treasures found shall belong to the finder where no owner can be found. It does not seem to be the desire of the finder to keep what belongs to others, and this morning all of the money was placed in a sealed package and deposited in the Bank of Niagara by Mr. Haberlee.

There are many theories as to how the money came there and who put it there. The date on the various pieces varies from 1848 to 1861. During the early part of the sixties the war was in progress and large bounties were being paid. A very feasible theory is that the money was paid to a volunteer or substitute who buried it thinking to get it when he returned and was probably killed in the army. If the person who placed the money is now living he can no doubt have it by proving that he is the rightful owner.

The Miss Glover mentioned above was Alice, which is made clear in the next article. The beginning of the article repeats almost word for word what was written just days before. The last paragraph is new and quotes Alice's mother, Charlotte Ainsworth Glover.

Niagara Falls Gazette, Wednesday, June 16th, 1885, page 5

HIDDEN TREASURE

Finding Money Under an Old Building - Who Placed it There?
------

The finding of a sum of money under an old building at Suspension Bridge has created considerable excitement in that locality. The exact find is variously estimated, about $700 being standard. While the sum is somewhat smaller, still the amount is considerable larger than many people would care to have lying around loose. The facts learned by a GAZETTE representative are as follows:

A short time ago Mr. J. T. Brundage of this place purchased a lot at Suspension Bridge of Miss Glover, the lot being a portion of the Glover estate. Standing on the lot was an old barn and cooper shop. Wishing the barn for use Mr. Brundage had the cooper shop moved up and the barn repaired. Mr. Geo. Haberlee was employed to do the work and on Wednesday afternoon last four of his men were at work on the barn. One was employed digging a place for putting a support under the barn. Throwing out a shovel full of earth one can imagine his surprise upon beholding several hundred dollars in gold pieces ranging from $1 to $20 roll off the shovel. The money was gathered up and divided by the workmen who took it home. Of course such a discovery could not be kept long a secret, and soon everyone knew of it, and of course everybody had a theory as to whom it belonged. The law says that treasures found shall belong to the finder where no owner can be found. It does not seem to be the desire of the finder to keep what belongs to others and this morning all of the money was placed in a sealed package and deposited in the Bank of Niagara by Mr. Haberlee.

There are many theories as to how the money came to be there and who put it there. The date on the various pieces varies from 1848 to 1861. During the early part of the sixties the war was in progress and large bounties were being paid. A very feasible theory is that the money was paid to a volunteer or substitute who buried it thinking to get it when he returned and was probably killed in the army. If the person who placed the money in this singular place is now living he can no doubt have it by proving that he is the rightful owner.

WHO DOES IT BELONG TO?

This is the question everybody is asking everybody else in regard to the gold that was found on the Brundage property formerly part of the Glover estate. Who do you think will get it? Who put it there? are questions we also often hear. In a very pleasant interview with a GAZETTE representative Mrs. Glover tendered the imformation that the question of ownership would be fully contested by her daughter Miss Alice Glover and that she had already employed a leading lawyer at the Falls to look after her interest. Mrs. Glover said that she personally has not the least doubt but what Teine Glover put the money there, that whenever a piece of gold coin came into his possession he was always very careful of it, and frequently wrapped it in paper, that he would never pay his men off with gold coin but at all times had that longing to retain it in his possession. During his life he was known to have silver spoons in the barn and that it was invariably kept locked either he or Reuben carrying the key. Teine Glover has very emphatically and often said, "I have given Alice the deed to the barn and lot, don't let her under any circumstances dispose of it." Saturday morning Miss Glover's lawyer demanded of Mr. Geo. Haberlee, in whose name the money is deposited in a sealed package in the bank, all money found, but it was not forthcoming. Geo. Haberlee being interviewed said that of course he thought it belonged to the men in his employ who found it and that he would like to see them retain possession of it.

So who should the gold go to?

Why wasn't Alice's father, Reuben Glover, quoted? Family notes say he didn't die until 1887 but those notes have been off a year or two in other cases. Why can't I find an obituary for him?

More importantly, who was Teine Glover?! "During his life" would indicate that he had died. My best guess would be Alice's uncle, Lewis E Glover who had died in 1863 based on the next article.

Niagara Falls Gazette, Monday, June 28, 1886, Front page

--- There are fourteen claimants on the Glover side for the gold that was found on the Brundage property; offers have been made by them to the finder for a compromise, but were rejected by the men.

Fourteen claimants! So Alice wasn't in line to get all of the money. I mentioned Lewis E. Glover above. He died a widower without issue so I'm guessing that is where all of the claimants came from. There were sixteen heirs listed in a newspaper notice and that did not include all of his heirs. Was my great-grandfather, Ashley Carlisle, one of the fourteen?

In the end it didn't matter. The finders keepers rule won out. The last little blurb in the paper gives no indication as to how the matter was decided.

Niagara Falls Gazette, Wednesday, September 8, 1886, page 8

Suspension Bridge Briefs

--- The gold that was found on the Glover property has been divided equally between the finders.

A great story that begs more questions than it answers. I see a vacation to the Falls in the not too distant future.

.

Let Heavenly Music Fill the Air

It's time for one of my favorite Christmas traditions - Blog Caroling! Our choir director is once again the ever gracious footnote Maven.

This year I have selected Alan Jackson's,
Let it Be Christmas.

"Feel the love of the season wherever you go."

Tuesday's Tip - Finding NY Estate Notices in the 1800's

Recent searches have turned up two different estate notices that listed all of the next of kin of the deceased. One of the men I was searching for died in Jefferson County, New York in 1855 and the other in Niagara County, New York in 1864. Both of the notices were found in Albany, New York newspapers. I assume that because Albany is the State Capitol that Surrogates around the state were required to publish these legal notices there as well as locally. The page from 1855 is filled with tiny print and notices from around the state. There are fewer notices on the 1864 page, but again they seem to be state wide. I've also found that many papers around the state picked and repeated stories published in other papers so you may find something about your ancestor published in a paper far from where they lived.

I use Old Fulton Postcards to access old papers from around the state. To use the site effectively be sure to read the FAQ's. Also keep in mind that the site uses OCR technology for searches and while it works very well, some of the older papers were in rough shape when filmed and an OCR search may not work. If you don't find what you are looking for and you have a date you can try searching the old fashioned way, by browsing page by page.

Baptism, Marriage and Death on the Same Day

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

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Over the weekend I was trying to fill in some gaps about the Glover's of Niagara County, New York. I stumbled on this very sad article about my 1st cousin, 3x removed, Alice E Glover Chase.

The Courier
Buffalo [NY], Monday, November 14 1887

A Bride's Funeral
Special Correspondente of The Courier.

SUSPENSION BRIDGE, N. Y. , Nov. 13, -- The funeral of Mrs. Chase, the young lady who was married only a few hours before death came, was observed at half-past two o'clock this afternoon at the Congregational church which was appropriately trimmed in white. From a text taken from Proverbs, 27th chapter, 1st verse. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what the day may bring forth," the Rev. C. M. Bartholomew preached a very affecting sermon.

In all the relations of life Mrs. Chase was a most estimable young woman, of a bright, cheerful disposition, endeared to many by the strongest ties of friendship, and an ornament to the social circle in which she moved.The many beautiful floral tributes told in their silent way of the friendship and love that were hers while in life, and how much she would be missed in the circle from which she has departed. The remains rested in a brocade white plush covered casket, the plate on which bore the inscription, "Alice Glover Chase, aged 27 years, died November 10." The honorary pall-bearers were Garry McFeggan, George Stevens, Robert Waite and Bennett Pierce; the bearers John Snyder, John Kramer, W. D. McEwen, Leavitt Ackley, Louis Silberberg and Mr. Collins.

Prior to finding this, the only thing I knew about Alice was that she was a school teacher. The story of her dying on her wedding day did not get passed down through our branch of the family. I wanted to know more about what had happened so I searched for her local obituary. The story became even more heart wrenching.

Niagara Falls Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 1887

Page 8

OBITUARY.
---------------
CHASE.

Mrs. Alice E. Chase died at the residence of her parents Suspension Bridge, Thursday, Nov. 10th, of Typhoid fever.

Mrs. Glover Chase was the only surviving daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Glover and was born at Suspension Bridge, Jan. 29th, 1860. For the past ten years she held a position as teacher in the Union school, and beloved by her fellow teachers and scholars, her sudden death falls with almost crushing weight.

The circumstances surrounding her death were of a peculiary sad nature, she having recieved the rite of baptism, marriage and death all on the same day and almost within the same hour. An engagement had existed between Miss Glover and Mr. Chase for some time, and in response to the question being asked as to whether she would like to bear his name when the final call came, she replied in the affirmative, and with death in sight the solemn ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr. Bartholomew of the Congregational church. The funeral was observed from the family residence and the Congregational church Sunday afternoon and largely attended. The Board of Education and the principal and teachers of the public school walked from the house to the Congregational church in a body. The profuse contribution of flowers from her many friends and scholars of the school of which the deceased was an honored and beloved teacher, bore testimony of the high esteem in which she was held by her pupils, associate teachers and friends. The ceremonies at the church, and the services and singing at the house, were of a very impressive character. The deceased was robed in her bridal dress of satin, and the remains were encased in a beautiful brocaded white velvet covered casket, with eleborate silver trimmings. The remains were interred at Oakwood Cemetery, the following gentlemen officiating as bearers: George Stevens, Garry McFeggan, Robert Waite and Bennett Pierce. Carriers, Louis Silberberg, W. D. McEwen, Leavitt Ackley, John Kramer, John Snyder and Mr. Collins.

The obituary confirms that she was the daughter of Reuben E Glover but never names her husband. A search of the census includes too many possibilities to even make a guess. "Only surviving daughter" makes me wonder if she had a sister. She had a brother, L. Edward Glover, and I haven't tracked him down after the 1870 census. Does only surviving mean he had died? (I suspect his name was Lewis Edward Glover.) Family notes say that Reuben also died in 1887 but I have been unable to find an obituary for him.

I have just started working on this branch of the family. I'll be looking for more newspaper articles and digging through the letter collection to see if I can discover more.

Conant - Surname Saturday

Conant is a line I have not written about. I have done little research of my own beyond Ebenezer Conant and may therefore have mistakes.

Me
>Mom
>>Daniel Michael Carlisle, 1885-1960; Buchanan, MI
>>>Isaac Ashley Carlisle, 1842-1929; Edwardsburg, MI - Buchanan, MI
>>>>Daniel Carlisle, 1797-1872; Westmoreland, NH - Buchanan, MI
>>>>>Daniel Carlisle, 1767-1822; Lunenburg, MA - Western New York
>>>>>>Lydia CONANT, 1737-1774; Concord, MA - Westmoreland, NH
>>>>>>>Ebenezer CONANT, 1698-1784; Beverly, MA - Ashburnham, MA
>>>>>>>>Roger CONANT, 1669-c. 1745; Beverly, MA
>>>>>>>>>Lot CONANT, c. 1624-1674; Nantasket, MA - Beverly, MA
>>>>>>>>>>Roger CONANT, c. 1591-1679; England - Salem, MA

A Headstone Before It's Time - Tombstone Tuesday

This has been a very tough year for me both physically and emotionally. Mom was hospitalized for a week and then spent several weeks in rehab. She was able to return to her home. Ended up in the hospital again, thankfully for a very short stay that time. These events were wake up calls for my siblings and I. We realized that if Mom was going to be able to stay in her home, as is her wish, that we'd need help.

We found a wonderful program and now have the support we need. The process of getting her into the program was emotionally painful. There were many, many things that we had to do get Mom's home and finances in order. Because my recovery from surgery was so long and drawn out, most of the tasks fell to my sister. I felt that I could handle preplanning Mom's funeral and purchasing her headstone. It was much harder than I thought it would be, after all Mom is still with us.

Before I could do anything else we had to choose a cemetery. We talked with Mom about what she wanted. She did not want her remains returned to the family plot in Michigan. She had always assumed that she would be interred in Valley Cemetery as my paternal grandparents are there. That was our first thought too, however none of us visit the cemetery very often because it is so far away. We asked her how she felt about Ellisburg Cemetery, which is not far from my sister's home and after thinking about it a bit she thought that was a good idea. The cemetery is two counties away from where Mom has spent the majority of her life but it is convenient for both me sister and I. I wonder if this will cause confusion for descendants 100 years from now?

The location of the cemetery helped me decide on a monument company. I looked into three different companies and made my choice. I was under the mistaken impression that all businesses were handicap accessible and that was not the case but we were able to work it out. The sales rep was a very young pleasant woman and she told me what the options were and gave me some basic pricing. The cemetery didn't have any restrictions so I narrowed out choices down to an upright or a slant. After talking to my brother and sister we decided to go with an upright. Now the sales rep was a little less helpful than I would have liked. I was shown pictures of a few monuments of the type and size we would be purchasing and also shown some pages of clip art that I could pick from. Nothing she showed me was what I was looking for but honestly, I wasn't sure what I wanted.

I tried my hand at sketching some of my ideas. While there have been many very talented artists in the family I am not one of them. Because we would be getting our stone from Rock of Ages, I starting searching the web for ideas. There were so many choices but I started a file with ones that had an element or two that I liked. I started also looking up what various symbols meant. I also wanted something uniquely Mom.

I chose Dogwood because it is pretty and represents Mom's belief in the Resurrection.

I chose song birds because Mom spends her days watching the birds that visit her feeder. However when the design came in for approval it had doves instead. My initial thought was to send it back for redesign but as I looked at it I actually liked the way it looked better than what I had come up with. So the doves represent both Mom's love of birds and peace.

The doves and more dogwood were placed in a circle representing eternity.

The last symbol is one that should puzzle anyone outside of the family as it is an inside joke. When Mom was in the Navy she worked on some secret project. While she is happy to tell us she worked on the project, what the project was is information she plans to take to her grave with her. In the family we jokingly refer to this as "the paper clip project." I wanted something to symbolize her time in the Navy but she was adamant that she did not want a military symbol. So I had to settle for having a paper clip rather than a dash between the dates.

I also wanted some type of saying included. I found one that I loved and shared it with my sister and we realized we had a major difference in theology which almost led to a major argument. It took me several days but finally I stepped back and thought how unhappy I'd be if she included something that I wasn't comfortable with. We settled on "loving memories last forever," which we both liked.

The entire process took several months. I did send the design back for minor changes so there were several trips aback and forth to see the design changes as they came in. The stone was set back in October and I drove up to have a look. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I snapped a couple of pictures but they will stay hidden on my hard drive for now because it just seems like it would be testing fate to share them now.

I have been working to document the older part of the cemetery and plan to return in the spring to work on taking new pictures but I think I will avoid the side of the cemetery where Mom's stone is because it still feels wrong for it to be there waiting.

Wheeler - Surname Saturday

I have written nothing about my Wheeler ancestors. I'll have to work on that!

Me
>Mom
>>Daniel Michael Carlisle, 1885-1960; Buchanan, MI
>>>Isaac Ashley Carlisle, 1842-1929; Edwardsburg, MI - Buchanan, MI
>>>>Daniel Carlisle, 1797-1872; Westmoreland, NH - Buchanan, MI
>>>>>Zipporah WHEELER, 1772-1841; Shrewsbury, MA - Western NY
>>>>>>Solomon WHEELER, 1747-1822; Shrewsbury, MA - Westmoreland, NH
>>>>>>>Cyrus WHEELER, 1717-1782; Marlborough, MA - Shrewsbury, MA
>>>>>>>>John WHEELER, 1695-1747; Marlborough, MA - Bolton, MA
>>>>>>>>>John WHEELER, 1661-1721; Concord, MA - Marlborough, MA
>>>>>>>>>>Thomas WHEELER, 1633-1686; England - Concord, MA
>>>>>>>>>>>George WHEELER, 1605-1687; England - Concord, MA

A Most Memorable Year

In every family, perhaps every few generations, there is a year that stands out. For my Carlisle ancestors certainly 1862 was their year. Two sons and their step-mother off to war, their house burned down and most of their possession lost. A daughter forced to take a job she did not want and that set her on a very interesting course for the rest of her life.

Years such as these, though they have a deep impact of the family, are not necessarily talked about and future generations may have no idea how greatly they impacted the family.

For my family the year was 1984. The year started out well. Plans were being made for my wedding. We had decided that after the wedding I would leave my job and become a full time mother. On the day that I gave my notice the company announced layoffs that would have included my position so we considered ourselves lucky that it worked into our plans.

The wedding was a small affair and went well despite despite the winter weather. We had decided to postpone our honeymoon and we quietly began our life as a blended family.

Less than a week later we received the shocking news that my uncle had died while working away from home. His date of death was also my brother and sister's birthday. Not the 18th birthday every girl looks forward to. My husband's introduction to my father was at the calling hours. Not the introduction any of us had envisioned. My grandfather was battling cancer and unable to attend. I feel that the loss of his youngest son sped his decline.

My first husband did not take the news of my remarriage well and started a custody battle that would drag on for years and profoundly affect all of us. The next few months were spent with lawyers. We also were dealing with combining two families and very different parenting styles. My grandfather and his wife needed my help and I often found myself torn between helping them and preparing for court. My daughter became a favorite of the residents of the nursing home but was terrified every time we visited.

There was more good news on the horizon however. My sister graduated from high school and was making plans for college. My brother and his fiance were planning their wedding. It would be a traditional wedding with many attendants and a large reception. I feel I let them down with my legal problem taking up my time.

Just three days before the wedding my grandfather lost his battle with cancer. We held a hurried funeral, followed by the rehearsal dinner. While his death did overshadow the wedding somewhat, it was a beautiful ceremony and we did have a good time at the reception. My brother and new sister left on their honeymoon.

Tragedy would quickly strike again. A week to the day after my grandfather's death, his wife and caretaker died. She had not been obviously ill and I believe that she died of a broken heart. I missed the funeral because I was in court, my brother was on his honeymoon, and my father had returned to Texas so the only one left to represent the family was my sister.

The rest of the year was, thankfully, uneventful.

1984 was was both the best of years and the worst of years.

This was written for the 100th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: There's One in Every Family, to be hosted at Creative Gene. Jasia is looking for 100 posts for this edition - let's no let her down!

Thanks for the poster fM!

Surname Saturday - Badgley

I have written relatively little about my Badgley ancestors but I have spent untold hours researching them. If I can ever get my DAR membership application back on track, I hope to use my ancestor, Anthony Badgley, as no one has gained membership through his line.

Me
>Mom
>>Pearl Vivian Camfield (1886-1972) South Bend, IN - Berrien County, MI
>>>Joseph Harrison Camfield (1847-1927) Syracuse, NY - South Bend, IN
>>>>Sarah Ann Wisner (1817-1912) Onondaga County, NY - Branch County, MI
>>>>>Elizabeth "Betsey" BADGLEY (1791-1877) Albany, NY - Avon, IL
>>>>>>Anthony BADGLEY (1750-1829) Clinton, NY - Dewitt, NY
>>>>>>>Anthony BADGLEY (1721-1810) Flushing, NY - Clinton, NY
>>>>>>>>Anthony BADGLEY (c. 1695-1732) Flushing, NY
>>>>>>>>>Anthony BADGLEY (c. 1660-aft.1715) ??? - Flushing, NY


Some previous posts about the Badgley family:

Badgley and Wisner Deed Extracts, Onondaga, NY

Sarah Ann Wisner, The Early Years

Henry Bogardus, Shirt-tail Cousin

A Bad Run of Luck for the Badgley's

Plant Orchards - 1853

When I saw that Bill West would be hosting the Second Great Local Poem and Song Genealogy Challenge I admit that I groaned just a bit. Poetry has never really interested me and often I simply don't understand it.

Bill recommended that I search for poets or poems from an area that my ancestors lived. Easier said than done! I found several but could not see how they might have related to my ancestors in any way. I finally just searched for 'Michigan poem' and ended up finding myself reading from the 1853 volume of the Michigan Farmer at Google Books. The poem was not what I was looking for but I did find myself skimming through the articles. I would think that if they could afford to buy a copy that my family would have been interested in reading the magazine themselves. Further along I ran across the poem below. I know nothing about the author, Samuel Arnold, but Gilead is not far from where Mike and Sarah Ann Camfield settled. Apples were a staple for my family so even though I don't believe the following to be great poetry I do feel it connects to my ancestors.

Michigan Farmer, Volume XI, Detroit, June 1853, No. 6, page 175

Plant Orchards
For the Michigan Farmer.

An opinion too long in this country's prevailed,
As though on the people 'twere fully entailed,
That the climate of Michigan never could suit
Good peaches, or apples, or any such fruit.

For the buds of such trees would expand premature,
This being the case it must follow for sure,
That the frost with his cruel and sharp biting sting
Would wither the fruit in the blossoming spring.

The "old settlers" were sure that the buds would all freeze,
Than where was the use to be planting young trees,
If the trouble and pains would not warrant such cost,
When fruit would not grow the labor was lost.

To my shame must I own that I too was deceived,
This do-nothing story I partly believed;
In this manner I lived something more than eight years,
Neglecting my duty in doubt and in fears.

Of my friends, some had tried, and their fruit, who could beat?
Of which they did cordially press me to eat,
And whilst I of the same sis most freely partake,
I thought of my duty, and then was awake.

I soon planted some trees, and to all gave them stations,
Inserting choice scions and inoculations,
And e'en now my young orchard I highly do prize,
For we've apples in plenty for sauce and for pies.

There are those who stick to this miserable pies,
Refusing to plant e'en the first apple-tree.
O How lazy the man, how ungrateful the heart,
That never performeth his duty or part.

And what if though our orchards do fail in some years,
To yield us good fruit in spite of our cares?
We should know our Creator most surely has said,
In wisdom He's numbered the hairs of our head.

That He shows in abundance His fatherly care,
O'er beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air.
In His promise of faith all who hope may confide,
That also for man He will surely provide.

My do-nothing friends, you can do as you please,
But I shall advise you so plant fine young trees,
And no longer to make such a flimsy pretense,
But trust the event to a kind Providence.

Gilead, Branch Co., March 1853 SAM'L ARNOLD

Spanish American War Pension Index

Military records are free at Ancestry this weekend so I thought I'd pass on a discovery I made this morning. Included in the Civil War Pension Index are records for Spanish American War veterans also. The description of the index gives no indication that Spanish American War veterans are included.

Below is the card for Francis Ashley Carlisle, 1878-1926. He served in the Second Illinois Infantry, Co M. He initially applied for a pension in 1903 while still living in Michigan. His widow applied for benefits on behalf of his young children in 1927. (His wife was Mary Frances Carlisle. Now I have to figure out why she was listed as Mary F. C. Schive on the pension card. On the 1930 census she is listed as Mary Carlisle.)

The Church at Oaks Corners - Part 3

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

******************************** 

Part 1 is here. Part 2. The full series is also available at Ontario County GenWeb.

The Phelps Citizen, May 23, 1889
Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners
(Continued from last week)

List of members of the Union Religious Society of Phelps, Located at Oaks Corners, with time of their admission:

Names Dates

Julia Ann Bush, 1826
Adeline Warner,
Sarah Glover,
Caroline Whipple,
Rhoda Wright,
John W. Klepeattle
Laura Strong,
Selah B. Wilder,
Tobias W. Stoutenburg, 1827
Mary Hill,
Maria VanFleet,
Betsey Burt,
Erastus Burt,
Caroline Porter,
Thankful Glover, [sic]
Betsey Brower,
Richard VanVranken, 1828
Esther VanVranken
Martha Maria Flynn,
Lemuel Trussdale Nichols,
____________ Bevier,
Oris Frazer,
Catherine Frier,
M. Frazer,
Betsey Goodale, 1829
Ann Frazer,
Mrs. Kniffen,
Rufus Goodale,
Mary Ann Glover, 1831
Elvira Armstrong,
Mrs. Morse,
Nancy Moody,
Julius Babcock,
John Wright,
Lucy Wright,
David Pies,
Eleanor Pies,
Catherine Brower,
Maria Brower,
Phoebe Brower,
John Brower,
Frederick Brower,
Betsey Brower,
Abigal Brower,
Julia Hinman,
Charlotte Hinman,
Lydia Hinman,
Lydia Webster,
Ann Eliza Case,
Peter Bruzee,
Reuben W. Stevens,
Dudley L. VanAuken,
Lucinda Crittenden,
Mary N. Doty,
Chloe Humphrey,
Mrs. Roaman Cooper, 1832
Mrs. Philomela Cooper,
David S_tfris,
Lois Cooper,
Rachael Burnett
Rousona Bainbridge,

This finishes up to the time that the church was organized at Vienna.

SOME EARLY MARRIAGES BY REV. C. M. MOSHER.

John Melvin and Catherine Flint, 1815 [or 1816 very hard to read]
Imley Prescott and Maria Cross,
Stuart Parker and Charlotte Gates,
Rufus Streeter and Orpha Brusee
Desbrow Taylor and Mary Jacobs,
Noah Crittenden and Mrs, Shattuck, 1817
Freeman Robers and Rebecca Woolson,
Kellogg and Wetmore,
Robert Halliday and Rhoda Ward,
Thomas Smith and Pamelia Landon,
Wm. Hubbard and Sopia Gates
W. Partridge and Miss Crum
J. Hovey and Polly Harris
Joseph Annis and Sally Widham
Lettie Paine and Salome Phillips,
Daniel Trowbridge and Sally Blenplay
Andrew Haville and Jane Miller,
John Elman and Esther Olmstead,
Thomas Annis and Sarah Brace, 1818
H.D. Williams and Mary A. Bardwell,
John Turnbull and Mary Cahonen,
John Humpgrey and Pollina Wiggins
Eli Dickinson and Mary Pullen,
Name obliterated and Dolly Dickinson,
Daniel Gates and Maria Boyd,
Wm. Parmalee and Atherine Wright, 1819
Harvey Dean and Mary Crosby,
Carpenter and Smith,
Hugh Humphrey and Phoebe Wiggins,
Nathan Raid [or Rald or Bald] and Sally Chase
Daniel Shattack and Chloe Crittenden,

Many of the above names were obliterated and consequently there will be mistakes.

These marriages were all performed by the Rev. Charles Mosher during his pastorate from 1816 to 1819.

There seems to be no record of marriages during the incumbency of pastors Brace and Strong.

It is exceedingly desirable, in this, our centennial year, that as much of our town's past history as possible may be preserved.

An original Town Historical Society with a paid Secretary, would be the proper thing, to insure thorough work and permanency, with preservation of records.

We thus close the hasty glance of our early religious history, and cannot but admire the sturdy manhood, and strict Integrity tenacity of purpose, and conscientious devotion to religious principles, of the noble men and women, who founded and left unto us so rich a heritage.

It would be befitting as we take leave of the century, to erect a suitable monument to their memory, so that in the generations to come, it may be said that we were not "degenerate sons of Noble ancestry." and we enter upon another century, may we be stimulated to higher and nobler endeavors, ever sustaining the right and condemning the wrong, reaching out to a pure and ennobling citizenship.

A PHELPSTONIAN

Surname Saturday - Hall

I have two different Hall families in my tree. The first series of letters that I transcribed were called the Hall Family Letters. That line belongs to cousins through my Wisner / Badgley ancestry.

The Hall family that I descend from is:

Me
>Mom
>>Daniel Michael Carlisle, 1885-1960
>>>Isaac Ashley Carlisle, 1842-1929
>>>>Louisa Lambert Glover, 1801-1851
>>>>>Tamesin Hall Glover, 1779-1843
>>>>>>William Hall, c. 1740-1822

Family oral history says that William Hall was a ship carpenter and rope maker who decided to try his luck in Massachusetts. His obituary gave a few more details:

Geneva Gazette, 14 August 1822, page 3, column 3

Died,

In Phelps, the 10th inst. Capt. William Hall, aged 82 years, father of Maj. Joseph Hall.

Geneva Gazette, 21 August 1822, page 3, columns 3 & 4

Deaths

The following obituary notice of Capt. William Hall, whose death was inserted last week, has been handed to us for publication.

Capt. H. was a native of Lyme, in England. Being deprived by death of his parents at the age of 14, he took to a seafaring life, which he followed as common sailor, and commander for twenty years; during which time he suffered shipwrck and capture five times, and narrowly escaped with his life the perils of the ocean and the murderous hand of the piratical Barbarian. During all the trying scenes thro' which he passed during his long life, he was never heard to utter an oath. His life was that of the righteous - and his last end apparently the same.

He married Ruhamah Andrews (or Andrus) c. 1867 and they had 12 0r 13 children. They lived at Conway, Massachusetts before moving on to Phelps, Ontario, New York.

I have a public tree at Ancestry.com that has all of the records I have found to date. If you do not have a paid subscription and would like access to the tree please let me know and I can give you access.


Previous Posts about the Hall Family Descendants

Ruhamah Andrews Hall's Intemperance

Laura Carter - Surrogate Record

Tamesin Hall Glover
Hannah Lewis Glover Carlisle

Milantha Hall Marsh
Milantha Hall Marsh, Newspaper Clippings

The Church at Oaks Corners - Part 2

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

******************************** 

I continue with the Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners as published in the Phelps Citizen as a series in 1889. Part 1 is here. The full series is also available at Ontario County GenWeb.

 

The Phelps Citizen, May 16, 1889


Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners.
(Continued from last week)

List of members of the Union Religious Society of Phelps, located at Oaks Corners, with time of their admission:

[Names without a date after them had ditto marks for the date above. I cannot get that to format correctly here.]

Lackey Morrow, Elder, Aug 7, 1806
Caleb Case. "
Letitia Harris,
John VanAuken,
Catherine Myers,
Joseph Griffith,
Mary Griffith,
John Griffith,
Jane Baggerly,
Margaret Morrow,
Eunice Seager,
William Hutchinson,
Mary Hutchinson,
Sally Barnard,
Catherine Carae,
Ebenezer Fields,
Anna Deit,
Mathew Denniston, Elder
Henry Farbush,
Phoebe Farbush, 1807
Elizabeth Howell 1806
Phoebe Doty,
Mercy Benton 1807
Esther Hobart, 1808
Caleb Phillips,
Sally Phillips,
Walter Norris,
Mary Moffatt,
Rahannah Hall,
Nancy Maynard,
Osee Crittenden, Elder
Lydia Maxwell,
Abraham D. Spoor, 1809
Amy Merry,
Irene Cooley,
Polly Parker,
Mary Moore,
Amanda Flint,
Caroline Melvin,
Fanny Bannister,
Temperence Jones,
Polly Woodard,
Hannah Moore,
Jacob Brazee,
Bildad Brooks, 1810
Rahannah Glover,

An intermission occurs of four years to the next admission.

Hannah Grover, 1814
Seth Chase, 1815
Letty Barden, 1812
George VanAuken, Elder 1814
Jamison Glover, 1815
Hamilton Bell, 1816
Thomas Bruce,
Sophia Bruce,
Elijah Case,
Cephas Field,
Ruth Hudson,
Lydia Taylor.
Laura Mosher, 1817
Mercy Humphrey,
Eunice Lang,
Margaret VanAuken,
Abigal Winter,
Busnell B. Downs,
Eunice Chase,
Enoch Wing, Elder,
Daniel Trowbridge, Elder,
Robert J. Griffith,
Maria Prescott,
Sabrina Webster,
John Partridge, 1818
Sally Trowbridge,
Reuben Stevens,
Mrs. Stevens,
James VanAuken,
Elizabeth VanAuken,
Freelove Beals,
Elizabeth Griffith
Mary Shattuck,
Mrs. Rogers,
Electa Partridge,
Sarah Ashley,
Thomas Eckley,
John Rose,
Susan Moore,
Anna Hubbard, 1819
Lucy Pullen,
Theodore Partridge, Elder,
Submit Brown,
*John Gates, 1808
*Archelaus Gates 1810
Arena Staats, 1816
*Deborah Flint, 1808
Lucena VanAuken, 1820
Loa Wells,
Jane Rees,
Sarah Rees,
Mrs. Clark,
Charles W. Glover, Elder,
Erastus Lovett,
William Frisbie,
Elizabeth Frisbis,
Elias W. Frisbie,
Sally C. Deming,
Abigal Glover,
Henry Hubbard,
Rhoda Crosby,
Jabez Joslyn,
Nancy Young,
Minerva Walt,
Abigal Baldwin,
Lucy Phillips,
Eliza Wing,
Ninera E. Glover,
Richard Smith,
Hannah Smith,
Elizabeth Disbrow,
Mary Hubbard,
Maria Paralee,
Persis Dickinson,
Jerusha Benjamin,
Mary Case,
*Chairty Humphrey, 1815
*Betsey Bennett,
Abel B. Hobart, 1820
Sophronia Gould,
Lovica Bigelow,
Betsey Stevens,
Mary Bedell,
Elizabeth Bedell,
John Jones,
Orrilla Grover,
Betty Densmore,
Mary Smith 1821
Harriet Brace,
Charles Yale,
Sally Yale,
Luana Bedell,
Charity Stevens,
Robert Harris,
Polly Glover,
Miller Eddy,
Lemerce Glover,
Milan Glover,
Samuel Glover,
Conway Wing,
Sarah Crosby,
Alfred D. Crosby,
George Bedell,
Mary Ann Williams,
Benjamin F. Hough
Mehitable Sumner,
Rebecca Phillips,
Elizabeth Humphrey,
Robert Cross,
George W. Glover,
Peter Cook, 1822
Rachel Cook,
Mary Hathaway,
Catherine Cook,
Nellie Kanouse
Silas Hathaway,
Sarah Beeman,
Diadema Brown,
Louisa Baker,
Experience Field,
Benoni Grover,
Enoch Eddy, Elder,
Samson Loyd,
Joanna Russell, (now Sheckels,)
Roana Nichols,
Harriet Hall,
Minerva Hickey,
Zachariah Drumb,
Hannah Drumb,
Caty Hathaway,
Jacob Hickey,
Francis M. Lansing,
Susannah Lansing,
Olive Burnett,
Samuel Wright,
Isaac Hathaway,
Elizabeth Simmons, (now Green,)
Jacob Cooper,
Jacopa Hovey,
Mary Hovey,
George Kanouse
Betsey Kanouse,
Ann Patterson,
Persis Baker,
Murana Hoburt,
Mary Lane,
Nancy Ford,
Parmela Foster,
John Whipple, Elder,
Elizabeth Hibbard, 1823
Asa Hovey,
Almira Hovey,
Ruth Hubbard,
Maria Guilford,
Mary Bigelow,
Peter Brower,
Catherine Brower,
John Brower,
Joseph Brower,
_inche Brower,
Joseph Brower,
Leah Brower,
Abram Crumb,
Catherine Crumb,
Abigal Wright,
Damaris Hall,
Catherine Christian,
Sophia Schutt,
Elizabeth Bruzee,
Lurena Sears,
Lucretia Bruzzee,
Rachael VanVoorhees
Sally Monet,
Peter VanBlaircum,
Mary VanBlaircum,
Enoch Crosby,
Nancy Colton,
Wealthy Burgess,
_10 in commision at this time.
Asahel Bannister,
Polly Bannister,
William Butler,
Esther Butler,
Benjamin Heartwell,
Jane Heartwell,
Eli Dickinson,
Abigal Parks,
Jacob Cook,
Harriet Stewart,
Diantha Lewis,
_ethuel Dodd,
Anna Dodd,
Eunice Merrill,
Nancy Gates,
Lucy Kellogg,
Sarah Dickinson, 1824
David G, Monet,
Jacob Hollenbeck,
David Shirrill, 1825
Elizabeth Shirrill,
Robert Allen,
Andrew Robison,
Jacob Gaul,
Darius Seager,
Mary Spafford,
Phoebe Stephenson,
Mrs. Whipple,
Girty Christler,
Sarah Lyons,
Mary Jane Morrow,
Dolly Covil,
Eleanor Bartholf, 1826
Winans Bush,

Ruhamah Andrews Hall's Intemperance

Ruhamah Andrews Hall was my 4th great-grandmother and I know woefully little about her. She was supposedly born in Wales c. 1745. She married William Hall c. 1767 in Massachusetts. It is possible that her maiden name was Andrus rather than Andrews.

I can place her in Conway, Hampshire (now Franklin) County, Massachusetts in May 1774 at which time two of her children were baptized. She had 12 or 13 children that I know of. (Her daughter, Sophia, was baptized in 1790 and I have found nothing further about her. Then there was daughter, Ruhamah for whom there was no baptism record. Were they one daughter or two?)

The family relocated to Phelps, Ontario, New York, along with many others families from Conway, in 1798 or 1799. At age 50+ I can only imagine how difficult life would have been.

While I have found many references to the family in the history and records of Phelps, nothing specifically referenced Ruhamah until I started looking at the history of the Church at Oaks Corners. (Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners that appeared in The Phelps Citizen, May 1889.)

In 1804 it was decided that there was a need for a real church rather than holding services in barns or inns as the community had been doing. On 9 January 1804 Ruhamah's son, Joseph Hall, was chosen as one of the first trustees of the church. Construction began later that year.

In 1808, Ruhannah Hall was admitted to the church. There is no way to know for certain that this is the elder Ruhamah. It is certain that she was a member of the church. History of Oaks Corners Church, by Mabel E. Oaks, 1954 gives a good overview of the church's history. From the section titled, The Church Judicial:

The next examples of the church's authority have to do with intemper­ance. In 1834, the church body put itself on record with a lengthy resolution declaring its disapproval of "the traffic in ardent spirits and the use of them as a drink." It had already proved this disapproval many times. In 1817, Ruhannah ______________, living on the Naham Cobb farm, Lester Road, received a summons to appear before the session, as common fame charged her with having been " for a long time in the intemperate use of ardent spirits." She sent word she was sorry, promised to reform and to come to the next session meeting. When she still did not appear after two more citations, she was suspended and later excommunicated, put outside the pale. The Interesting thing about this is that her son was then a trustee of our church, which fact must have made this performance of duty most embarrassing for all concerned.

The author left out the surname Hall but there is no doubt that this section referred to my ancestor. Interesting to me are the terms "common fame" and "ardent spirits." The first says to me that she did not attempt to hide her drinking. I'm not quite sure which ardent spirits she may have partook but the area was later know for its hard cider. Assuming she was born c. 1745 she was in her 70's when she was excommunicated from the church.

Family records indicate that Ruhamah died in 1821. I have yet to confirm that and I do not know her burial location. 

So now I have new questions. Why was she living on the Cobb farm? Was her husband living with her? Why did she drink? Was she shunned by her neighbors? What was her relationship like with her children and grandchildren?

Surname Saturday - Turner

Since I spent a considerable amount of time working on my Turner line over the summer, I'll focus on it this week. After lots of poking around I don't know a whole lot more than I started with. The Turners were from the eastern shore of Virginia and this is a fairly new research area for me so there is a learning curve as I try to learn what is available and how to access it.

Me
>Mom
>>Pearl Vivian Camfield 1886-1972
>>>Susan Arazina "Rose" Graham 1852-1931
>>>>Elizabeth Doughty 1826-1880
>>>>>Littleton Doughty c1799-c1842
>>>>>>Susanna Turner c1770- bet 1823-1833
>>>>>>>John Furbush Turner c1735-1803

I've found a couple of trees that have John Furbush Turner as the son of Andrew Turner and Sarah Read but as yet I haven't been able to verify that.

I have found the Miles Files at the Virginia Eastern Shore Public Library helpful in getting started on this family.

Previous posts:
John Furbush Turner's Petition, 1781
What Does it Mean?

What do you see?

I'm still working on trying to either prove or disprove that one set of Badgley's is related to another and I keep finding Badgley's in Central New York that I can't identify. I found this at Family Search (Beta), 1850 census for Syracuse city, ward 3, Onondaga, New York. I am interested in lines 31, 32, and 33 (near the bottom) but have included of lines for handwriting comparison. The indexer and I agree on John, age 32, and James, age 1. What is the woman's name on line 32? The indexer and I agree only on the first letter. The last name? And where was the family born? This isn't part of the indexed information and I'm stumped. Any thoughts on occupation?

When You Can't Go Yourself

I was searching for information on East Fox Lake Cemetery, Lake County, Illinois. I believe that my 3rd great-grandparents, William and Elizabeth (Badgley) Wisner are buried there, however I've yet to find anything that confirms that. Their son, Prentis Wisner is listed. One place I never would have thought to search was YouTube. The video doesn't give me any information on my family but it does give me a feel for what the cemetery is like.

David, Daniel, Donald!

In early August I was contacted by a young woman asking if I had information on her ancestor, Daniel. She was struggling because one census record listed him as Danial and another as Donald and it made no sense to her. I checked my files and even though I have a very large data base for the surname that she is researching I had nothing on this man. I explained that the only reason I could think of for the census discrepancies was an error on the part of either the census taker or the person that supplied the information.

I was intrigued by her request because the only persons with the surname she is researching in the Syracuse area seem to be descendants of my 4th great-grandparents. I decided to see what I could find for her.

A month earlier and I would have just logged onto Ancestry.com and searched several data bases at once, however I gave up my paid subscription at the end of July. I was forced out of my comfort zone.

My first stop was Family Search. I tried both the Labs and Beta sites and came up with only the 1930 census where he was listed as Donald, living in the home of a married daughter. One of his sons was also living there. He was recorded as Danial on the 1910 census and the 1910 census is not available anywhere for free. (She later provided me with a copy of the 1910.) Let me say that this is a surname that can be misspelled a dozen different ways

My next stop was Old Fulton Post Cards to see what I might find in the newspapers. I quickly found three articles, all of them sad. They did place the family in Syracuse in the 1915 - 1916 time frame and provided me with the names of some of the children.

Through emails I learned a little bit more about what she already knew about the family and some of the things she had been told. She was expecting Native American and Irish ancestry. (I believe she will be disappointed.)

I went back to the newspapers and did some very creative boolean searches. I found an obituary for Mrs. Charles _____, 1903 in Oswego County, just north of Syracuse. Daniel was listed as one of her survivors living in Hastings. But was this the correct Daniel? I went back to Family Search and tried to find him on the 1900 census. First I tried searching for just the surname in Oswego, New York. I found one of the other sons mentioned in the obituary but not Daniel. Next I searched for him with just a first name, year of birth +/- 5 years. No luck. Next I searched for just his wife's first name, Ida,  year of birth +/- 5 years. BINGO! I had never seen the surname spelled with an s in the middle and he was listed as DAVID! The children were the same as listed on the 1910 census so I'm fairly certain it is the correct record.

So now I had David on the 1900 census, Danial in 1910, MIA in 1920 and Donald in 1930. But where was the rest of the family in 1930? Ida and their youngest child were living with another family and she was listed as a domestic. My best guess is that times were tough in 1930 and Ida took a job when it was offered. Both of them listed their marital status as married so I don't believe they had divorced. I have been unable to locate Daniel on the 1880 census but I did find Ida with her parents. [Update below]

Frustrated with the census I returned to newspapers. I found an obituary for Charles ____  from 1906 that listed the same sons as the Mrs. Charles ______. This time Daniel was said to be of Amboy. There are two Amboy's, one in Oswego County and the other in Onondaga County. I found several article about the other sons of Mr and Mrs Charles ______ but they didn't help me any with tracking down Daniel.

I started looking for Charles in the census. The only record I found was for a Charles born abt 1836, one town west of where I had been looking. He was living with his parents, Egbert and Charity. This couple was in my file however I was chagrined to realize that I had Egbert as a son of John but with no firm source. This would be a distant cousin and I had never followed up.

Partly due to frustration, mostly due to life I put this project aside. As I was writing the above I decided that I WOULD find Daniel, hopefully with Charles and the siblings I had listed. And I did! I finally found them by going to the original FamilySearch.org, choosing just the 1880 US census to search and looking for a family from the 1900 census. After only two tries I found myself in the town I wanted and clicked through, household by household. Another odd spelling of the surname. Then the masochist in me went to the Family Search Beta site and searched for Charles with the birth year +/- 5 years, residence in 1880, Oswego, New York. Of course the record came right up. Previously I had searched for Daniel with the wrong year of birth as shown on the 1900 census.

Meanwhile I put my tree for the surname on Ancestry and extended her an invitation. As I found things I added them to the tree and she was able to access them there. I transcribed some of the newspaper articles I found and placed them there too. She can easily evaluate what I've found and post it over to her tree as she sees fit. If we can ever find a source naming Egbert as a son of John she will have one line of her family tree back to 17th New York, perhaps with a couple of other glitches too.

It was interesting working on a line I knew nothing about. Because I have previously (as in several years ago) researched the surname in the area I think I actually handicapped myself, thinking I knew more than I did. I also learned how to more effectively search at Family Search and that switching between their three sites can be beneficial. I also should have tried to find records at both Footnote and World Vital Records but even though I have subscriptions to both, I find them frustrating to use. Many newspapers have been added to the OFP site and I found many articles that weren't available a few years ago.

I expect to continue to work on this because I love a good puzzle. Next I need to tackle the 1860 and 1870 censuses. And while I was searching for this group of _____ I found others that didn't already reside in my tree so I'll be taking another look at them to see if / how they connect to me.

This was written for the 97th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, Research From Scratch, to be hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene. The task was to spend 3-5 hours of online research to get someone else started. Jasia is just too funny! Who could stop at just five hours?


Thanks for the poster fM!

The Church at Oaks Corners - Part1

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Amanuensis Monday, hosted by John Newmark at Transylvanian Dutch.

******************************** 

Part 1 is here. The full series is also available at Ontario County GenWeb.

 

I have spent many hours reading old newspapers this summer. Three branches of my family were all in Ontario County, New York in the early 1800's, with the Hall's and Glover's settling in the town of Phelps at Oaks Corners. This is the only place other than family notes that I have ever found a reference to my gr-great-grandmother, Louisa Glover! I have found many other names of persons I know I am related to and I'm still exploring my file to see if any others are there. I hope that others find their families listed here.

***************************

The Phelps Citizen. [Phelps, Ontario, New York. No author name with article.]
Thursday, May 9, 1889

Sessional Records of the Church at Oaks Corners

A synopsis of the same will only be attempted. I have been unable to obtain any sessional records, as such, till April 1st. 1814, at which time the Society was transformed into a Presbyterian Church. Therefore, the records, printed In the business records from 1804-1814, must suffice.

The record in question opens with a written confession of faith and covenant, as held by the Presbyterian Church. The first recorded meeting, was held at the house of Thaddeus Collins, April 1813.

Resolved, That the church adopt the Presbyterian standards and form of government. Dr, Peter Woodward was appointed delegate to Presbytery of Geneva, to present the notion of the church.

Said action was presented at a meeting of Presbytery, April 23d, 1813, at Housoye, and the church was made a constituent member of Geneva Presbytery.

Rev. Mr. Powell , as far as I know, was the only officiating pastor from 1805 up to this time, 1813.

Lackey Morrow, Peter Woodward, Mathew Denniston and John Burnham were the first board of ruling elders.

A meeting was held at the union school house in Phelps to consider a call to the Rev. Mr. Barritt. Committee: John Burnham, Moses Youngs, Joseph Griffith, M. Denulaton, Thaddeus Collins, Caleb Case, John Griffith, Joseph Hall and Thadeus Oaks.

This committee did not meet with sufficient success, resulting in a failure to call Mr. Barritt.

At the next meeting, August 14th, 1814, the Rev. Ambrose Porter presided, and undoubtedly was the officiating minister, as his name appears as moderator of the session for some length of time.

Peter Woodward was dismissed to join the church at Gorham. George VanAuken was admitted membership, on profession, October 2d, 1814.

During this period John Burham was clerk of session.

At a church meeting, May 14th, 1815, Joshua King and Caleb Case were chosen elders. Charity Humphrey and Betsey Burnett were received into the church. Anthony VanAuken and wife dismissed to join the church in Lyons. September 12th, 1816, Rev. Charles Mosher was Installed as pastor.

December 11th, 1816, Cephas Field, Ruth Hodson and Lydia Hindman were admitted.

January 26th, 1817, Simeon VanAuken was dismissed to join a church in Wolcott.

May 4th, 1817, Lucinda Richards, Louisa Baker and Mercey Humphrey were admitted to the church.

May 9th, 1817, Maria Prescott, and Salmira Webster. Reuben Bardwell and Robert J. Griffith, were received January 16th, 1818.

A number were dismissed to join a new church in the north-west part of the town, Brewer, Post, Sears, VanBlarnacom and others.

May 17th, 1818, James VanAuken, Mary Shattuck and Mr. Rogers were admitted to the chrch.

August 1st, 1819, received Theodore Partridge and Summit Brown.

Theodore Partridge was a school teacher in Phelps, and became a ruling elder, and prominent in church affairs many years. He was clerk of the session many years. His fine work is still to be seen on the books.

The resignation of Rev. Charles Mosher was accepted September 20th, 1819.

Rev. Samuel Brace was ordained and installed December 29th, 1819. Present, Rev, Axtell, Clark, Stephen Porter, Townsend, Pomeroy, Merrill, Bacon.

January 16th, 1820, received into the church Lucena VanAuken, Loa Wells, Jane and Susan Rees, Mrs. Clark, Charles W. Glover, and Erastus Lonett, William Frisbie and wife, Elias W. Frisbie, Sally C. Deming, and Abigail Glover.

March 23d, 1820, Doctor William Frisbie was chosen Deacon, and Enoch Wing, Daniel Trowbridge, Theodore Partridge, Elders.

Jabez Joslyn, Nancy Young, Minerva Wait, Lucy Phillips, Eliza Wing, Abgail Baldwin, Vinera Glover, were admitted. The names of Charity Stephens, Mary and Elizabeth Bedell appear. Cases of discipline occurred which were conducted in a straight forwrd manly manner, to positive results.

November 24th, 1820, Rev. Mr Brace baptized Christopher, Augustus, Caleb, Lorenzo, and Sophia Dickenson, children of Fanny Bannister, also Samuel B. an infant of Robert J. and Elizabeth Griffith

March 23d, 1821, Elder Nathan Denniston and wife were dismissed to join the church at Sodus.

April 22d, 1821, Charity Stevens, Robert Harris, Polly Glover, Miller Eddy, Louisa Glover, Milan Glover, Samuel Glover, Conway D. Crosby, were admitted to the church.

August 25th, 1821 Charles Yale was elected elder.

November 13th, 1821, received into the church, Mehitable Sumner, Rebecca Phillips, Elizabeth Humphrey, Robert Cross, George Glover.

February 4d, 1822, Enoch Eddy, Benoni Grover, Harriet Hall, and others.

May 12th, 1822, received into the church, Olive Burnett, Susannah Lansing.

August 11th, 1822, received on profession, Jacob Cooper and Elizabeth Simons.

November 7th, 1822, by S. W. Brace, baptized Willard, child of Henry Farbush; also Nathan, son of Thaddeus and Fanny Oaks.

April 27th, 1823, received into the church, Asahel Bannister, Polly Banister, William Butler, Esther Butler, Benjamin Heartwell, Eli Dickinson, Abigal Parks, Mrs. Harriet Stewart, Jacob and Diantha Lewis.

The Rev. Samuel W. Brace closed his labors with the church February 8th, 1824.

November 10th, 1834, the Rev. Henry P. Strong was installed pastor of the church. Present, Rev's Stockton, Larndsbury, Lansing, Axtell, Pomroy, Wm. Eddy.

October 12th, 1826, Samuel Wright and Charles W. Glover, were chosen Elders, and Doctor Winens Bush, Deacon. Presbytery, Seneca Falls, February 4th, 1830

STEPHEN PORTER, Moderator.

May 10th, 1831, the relation existing between the Union Religious of Phelps, and Presbyterian Society of Vienna, and the Rev. H. P. Strong, is dissolved.

The persons named as follows, constitnted [sic] a new church at Vienna: Lackey Morrow, (Elder,) Richard Van Vranken. Esther his wife, John, Lucy, and Mary Wright, Ann Frazier, Enoch Wing, (Elder,) Elizabeth Bulkley, Rufus Goodale, Samuel Wright, Daniel Peer, David G. Monett, Francis M. Lansing, A. D. Crosby, Ann Johnson, Sally Beman, Robert J. Griffith, E. Willard Frisbie, Minerva Wait, Jane McCormac, Anny Merry, Nancy Gates, Rhoda Crosby, Elizabeth Frisbis, Walter Laidlow, Loa Wells, Orres Frazer, David Sherrill, Wynan Bush, Robert Allen, Elizabeth Hibbard, Julia A. Bush, Mary J. Morrow, Margaret Morrow, Elizabeth Sherrill, Elizabeth Griffith, Polly Woodward, Darius Seager, Eunice Seager, Eunice Wilson, Sarah Deming, Maria Flynn, Wm. H. Thomson, Catherine and Sally Crumb, Andrew Robison, Sophia Schutt, Joseph Bronson, Sarah, Catherine and Mary Brower, Ellen Poe, Joseph Griffith, Peter and John Brower, Cyntha Brower, Lydia Taylor, Julia Hindman, Charlotte and Lydia Hindman, Mary Harmon, Jane Laidlow, Nancy Moody.

The above persons were constituted into a church at Vienna. In addition the following persons were dismissed June 4th, 1831:

George, Betsey, Phoebe, John and Frederick Brown, Betsey, Charlotte and Abigal Brown, Lucretia Bruzee, Elizabeth Goodale, Anna Morse, Anna Hubbard, Wm. and Mary Hutchinson, Mrs. Guilford, Enoch Crosby, Tobias Mercy, Mary Sarah Stoutenburg, and Catherine Loomis, to the Vienna church. Eighty four in all.

The wholesale emigration to Phelps nearly stranded the old church. We may well imagine their feelings, with Minister and some Elders, and a large membership gone. But with courage undaunted, the remnant proceeded to hold up the banner.

June 22d, 1831, Asahel Bannister and Enoch Eddy were chosen Elders. Cha's Glover and Daniel Trowbridge, Deacons.

July 31, received into the church, Othniel Hall, Peter Brizee, Sally Brizee, Eliza Bigelow, Dudley L VanAuken, Reuben Worthy Stevens, Mary Doty, Elwin Thompson, Elizabeth Brown, Lucinda Crittenden, Chloe Humphrey.

April 8th, 1832, Eli Dickenson was chosen Elder, Osee Crittenden and Reuben Stevens, Deacons.

September 1832, Rev. Wm. R. Betts was ordained and installed pastor.

John Whipple elected Elder January 20th, 1833.

Osee Crittenden and George VanAuken elected Elders July 25d, 1833.

The pastoral labors of Wm. R. Betts closed April 14th, 1834.

Rev. Isaac Crabbe appears on the record, July 13th, 1834. At this point the records are missing from page 70 to 93. 1836, Isaac Crabbe is still pastor, but closed his labors in the autumn.

November 27th, 1836, Hiram Armstrong was received by profession into the church.

Wm. Young chosen Elder February 16th, 1837.

August 27th, 1837, were received into the church, Sylvanus Burtis, Oscar Heartwell, Victoria Bannister and others.

Rev. Ezra Scoville installed pastor Febraury 20th, 1838.

March 11th, 1838, Cotton Dickenson, I. Clinton Stevens, Catlin Webster, ordained Ruling Elders.

September 7th, 1840, Rev. Mr. Scoville closed his labors.

February 15th, 1842, Rev. Mr. Everett installed.

I. C. Stevens, November 17th, 1842, was dismissed, at his request, to join the church at Vienna.

May 26th, 1843, Hiram Armstrong was ordained Elder.

Twenty years elapsed without any more additions to the Eldership.

Rev. Mr. Everett was succeed by Rev. J. R. Moser in 1843, he by John R. Young in 1847, A. G. Moore in 1849, Rev. Ira Ingram 1853, Chester 1857, Stoutenburg 1860, A. T. Young 1864, twelve years, Rev. Mr. Werner 1876, Rev. Mr. Salmon 1880, Mr Richardson 1884, Rev Samuel Murdock 1887.

A Day Spent at Find A Grave

I spent most of the day today at Find A Grave. I spent a few minutes doing searches and then the rest of the day adding to Ellisburg Cemetery. The photos I have were taken over a year ago - so shame on me! Here are some random thoughts from today.

• If you add a memorial you agree to manage it. I understand that typos happen but if I ask you to make a correction I feel you are obligated to do so, or transfer the memorial to someone who will.
• Ditto if I ask you add relationship links or other information.
• Is there a prize I'm not aware of for managing the most memorials?
• Copying newspaper obituaries is plagiarism and not allowed under FAG rules, so why are there so many there?
• What happens to memorials when contributors die?
• I find it maddening when a photo of a stone was added but not transcribed. If I can see that he died on May 10th certainly that should have been added rather than just the year.
• A search for the last name "Unknown" results in 21,085 records! 13,655 of those also have the first name "Unknown."
• Am I the only one that feels the need to poke around and see if I can find out a little more? For example today I had two stones next to each other. Her stone said she was the wife of Samuel and daughter of P & A Williams. The next stone was for S. Eugene. Ten minutes later I knew that her husband was Samuel Eugene and I also was able to determine her parents names and link them. (This led to an hour detour through old newspapers but I found some great stuff!)
• I really need to spend more time adding memorials for people I am related to.
• I also need to organize my virtual cemetery.
• There is a way to add someone even though you don't know where they are buried.

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Pancratius Boll and Elizabeth Deiss

I am not related to the Ball family. This record is for my grandchildren.

Pancratius Boll was a man of many names. I also have Pancratius Ball, Pomgrotry Poll, Pomgratzy Boll, Pomgratzy Ball, Pomgratzy Poll, Pomgratzy Pole, Pomgrety Poll. Pomgrety Boll, Pomgrety Ball, Pancratz Boll, Pancratz Ball, and Bumgratz Ball.

The birth and death information I have for him comes directly from his monument in Old St. Mary's Cemetery, Minoa, New York.

Pancratius Boll
Born At
The Town Of
Bozol, Baden
Mary 12, 1802
Died Aug. 28, 1853
Age 51 y's
3 m's & 16d's

I could find no place called Bozol in Germany. Based on something else I had found I tried a search for Bozol, Switzerland and the very helpful Google search engine asked "did you mean Basel?" (When trying to repeat that search Google is no longer helpful so I guess I must have searched on my lucky day!) Basel, Switzerland is pronounced very close to Bozol in German and is located where Switzerland, France and Germany meet.

I do not know when, how or with whom Pancratius traveled to the United States. He was in New York by 1834 when his son, John, was born. The only record I have found so far is the 1850 Census, New York, Town of Dewitt (162 written top left corner) Dwelling 1189. (Found at Family Search) If you look closely the first name appears to have been written initially with a W and changed to an R. I would love to know if/how the Ripple family was related to the Ball's.

William Ripple, 38, m, Farmer, 2500, Germany, could not read or write
Catherine Ripple, 42, f, Germany, could not read or write.
Anthony _ousing, 22, m, Farmer, Germany, could not read or write
Catherine Ripple, 16, f, Germany, attended school in the last year
Pomgrotry Poll, 50, m, Farmer, 3500, Germany
Elizabeth Poll, 40, f, Germany
John Poll, 16, m Farmer, NY
Joseph Poll, 14, m, NY, attended school in the last year
Pearce Poll, 12, m, NY, attended school in the last year
Anthony Poll, 10, m, NY
George Poll, 5, m, NY
Jacob Poll, 3, m, NY
Elizabeth Poll, 1, f, NY

Elizabeth's maiden name was most likely Deiss as next to Pancratius' monument is a stone for Mary Ann Deiss, Mother of Elizabeth Ball. Her stone has been broken and reset. An online transcription of Old St. Mary's Cemetery gives her date of death as Oct. 2, 1852 ae. 77-0-10. An obituary for one of her children gives her name as Elizabeth Ties. (Note that the online transcription has her name as Diess while the stone clearly shows Deiss.)

After Pancratius' death, Elizabeth married Oliver A. Snavely. They are found on the 1860 census at Footnote.com, New York, Onondaga, Dewitt, Collamer PO, page 178, family 1344.

Oliver Snebly, 30, m, Farmer, 5600, 1000, France
Elisabeth Snebly, 47, f,  Baden
Joseph Ball, 24, m, Farm Laborer, NY
Pierce Ball, 22, m, Farm Laborer, NY
Anthony Ball, 20, m NY, Farm Laborer, NY, could not read or write
George Ball, 16, m NY, Farm Laborer, NY, attended school within the year
Jacob Ball, 14, m, NY, attended school within the year
Mary Ball, 9, f, attended school within the year.

Elizabeth and Oliver had a son, Oliver Shnable born 14 Dec 1857 and died 15 Dec 1857.





Thus far I have been unable to locate Elizabeth and Oliver on the 1870 or 1880 census.

Elizabeth died 31 Jan 1892, East Syracuse, New York. Two obituaries were found at the Old Fulton Post Cards site.

The Syracuse Daily Journal, Wednesday, February 3, 1892; page 8[?].

Neighborhood News - Collamer.

Mrs. O Snavely of East Syracuse, the mother of Anthony Ball, died at her home on Sunday morning, aged 82 years. The funeral was held to-day (Tuesday) at St. Mathew's R. C. Church and internment was made at Manlius.

Her name does not appear on the St Mary's cemetery transcription.

Syracuse Weekly Express: Thursday, February 4, 1892; page 4

East Syracuse

Elizabeth, wife of Oliver Snavely, who had been ill for four months, died on Saturday of pld age, aged eighty one years. She was one of the oldest residents of the town and leaves a husband, five sons and one daughter. The funeral was held at St. Matthew's Church yesterday.

Oliver A. Snavely is found on the transcription of Assumption Cemetery in Syracuse, New York. Snavely, Oliver A. 1831-1909. Section S.


In the St Mary's cemetery transcription I found:
Weber, Theresa (lot 19-I) b. 1795 d. 2/5/1884 aunt of Pius Ball. Pius was also known as Pierce Ball so it would seem that Theresa Weber must have been the sister of either Pancratius or Elizabeth. I have not been able to find Theresa in census records or through newspaper searches.

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