Laura CARTER - Surrogate Record

I have had several cousins contact me over the last couple of months about the descendants of William Hall 1740-1822 and Rheuhama Andrews or Andremer 1745-1821. I can't remember when I went to Ontario County Records and Archives to look at the Surrogate record of Laura Carter but here is the transcription I made of a small portion of the file. Laura was the granddaughter of William and Rheuhama. She never married and her immediate family predeceased her so her probate records were a gold mine for discovering some of the other descendants. I have added notes as to what I have discovered and what I think are the correct relationships.

To the Surrogate Court of the County of Ontario:

The petition of Samuel SOUTHWORTH and Montgomery S SANDFORD of the village of Geneva in said County of Ontario respectfully shows
That Laura CARTER late of the village of Geneva in said County of Ontario, deceased, died in the said village of Geneva on or about the 5th day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety one being at that time a citizen of the United States and a resident of the County of Ontario. That she died having a last will and Testament, which bears the date - the - 12th day of April 1880 and a codicil thereto, which bears date the 25th day of November A.D. 1890 which affects, or purports to affect both real and personal property, and by which said Last Will and Testament the said decedent nominated and appointed Samuel SOUTHWORTH and Montgomery S SANFORD executors thereof: That the said decedent died possessed of real and personal property in the said County of Ontario, which does not exceed in value about $70,000. and that the following named persons are all the heirs at law and next of kin of the said decedent as far ??? as your petitioners can with - due diligence ascertain. The same and their places of residence are as follows, viz.,

That said decedent left no husband, child, descendant, Father, Mother, brother, sister or any descendant of any sister or brother her surviving. [Laura Carter was the daughter of Dr James Carter and Sarah Hall. She never married. She had a sister Harriet who predeceased her. I do not yet believe there were other siblings]

That as your as your petitioners are informed and believe to be true said descendant left no relatives of her surviving upon her paternal side and that her only surviving relatives are the descendants upon her maternal side. Your petitioners have made diligent inquiry from descendants surviving relatives, known to them, to ascertain the names and residences of said decedents surviving relatives, but cannot ascertain them all. So far ?? as they can ??? them , they are as follows:

Milantha MARSH and Wallace HALL of Phelps, New York only know descendants of John HALL her deceased maternal uncle. [John HALL had 5 children, however I have only learned the names of two, Olney HALL and Milantha HALL MARSH, the youngest. Olney Hall died in 1871 leaving four surviving children: John Edward HALL, William Wallace HALL, Helen Elizabeth HALL BRUSIE, and Mary Jane HALL CORWIN.]

Mary CRITTENDEN, Ypsilanti, Michigan only known descendant of Joseph Hall, her deceased maternal uncle. [Mary Hall b abt 1815 m William Salisbury CRITTENDEN s/o Osee CRITTENDEN & Sarah SALISBURY GLOVER. They lived in Lenawee Co & Jackson Co, MI. Joseph’s other children: Elizabeth d.1879, wife of Erastus BURT – some of her descendants mentioned below; Harriet d. 1876, wife of Sullivan HOLMAN – she was mistakenly listed as Laura’s aunt below; Othniel , not certain when he died, more below.]

Charles HOLMAN, Owasso, Michigan, Hattie WESTON, Alma, Michigan, Laura GARLOCK, Port Gibson, N.Y., Christina DENSMORE, Albion, N.Y., Howard BURT, Newark, N.Y., J. Hall BURT, West Kendall, N.Y., Othniel HALL, residence unknown ???? and other descendants of Harriet HOLMAN her deceased maternal aunt is petitioner unknown. [Charles HOLMAN and Harriet WESTON were children of Harriet HALL & Sullivan HOLMAN. Both Harriet b 1806-1807 & Charles b 1830 are buried in Oakhill Cemetery, Shiawassee Co, MI. Laura GARLOCK, Christina DENSMORE, John Howard BURT & Joseph Hall BURT were chil. of Erastus BURT & Elizabeth HALL. Elizabeth Hall BURT's cemetery record on the Orleans Co genweb page states that she was the daughter of Joseph HALL. Nowhere in the records of Laura CARTER is Elizabeth HALL mentioned. Othniel HALL was the son of Joseph m. Lamira Glover d/o Philander GLOVER & Polly MELVIN. His aunt, Ruhamah Hall, was her step-mother. He was in Lenawee Co, MI by 1840.]

Comfort HALL, Randolph, New York, Harriet BRIGGS residence unknown, Almira SWEET, Oil City, Pa. and others, to petitioner unknown, descendants of Samuel Hall, descendants of Samuel Hall, her deceased maternal uncle. [I think* Samuel’s children were Almira SWEET, Harriet BRIGGS, Comfort HALL, Othinal HALL, William HALL and Romina RAPPOLE. More research nedded.]

Lyman BAKER, Phelps, N.Y., Roswell BAKER, Knowlesville, N.Y., Alice JEFFERY, Tehama, California, Jessie BAKER, residence unknown, Benjamin F MEYERS, Ithaca, Michigan and others, to petitioners unknown, descendants of Persis BAKER her deceased maternal aunt. [Persis HALL m. Roswell BAKER, Sr. Lyman and Roswell Jr. were their sons. Their daughter, Philena BAKER m. John W. MYERS and their children were: Eliza MYERS m. Albert BOVEE; Benjamin F. MYERS, Philena MYERS m. Elijah BOVEE; Susan C. MYERS m. Marshall ISLES; and Mary P. MYERS. I do not know how Alice JEFFERY and Jessie BAKER are related.] [Edited 7 Aug 2009 to add: I now believe that Jessie Baker and Alice Jeffery were daughters of another son of Persis and Roswell Baker, Sr. The Orleans County genweb page lists a Ruel C. Baker, d. 1861, in Tanner Cemetery where other members of the family are buried. I found him on the 1860 in Tehama, Tehama, CA with daughters Alice Baker and Jesse McCutcheon. In 1850 he was in Jackson, Jackson, MI. On the 1870 census I found an Alice Jeffress in Red Bluff, Tehama, CA]

Reuhamma CORBIN, Albion, NY, Evelyn HIBBARD, residence unknown, Hannah CARLISLE, Albion, N.Y. and others, to petitioners unknown, descendants of Tamma Hall GLOVER, her deceased maternal aunt. [Tamesin aka Tamerson Hall m David GLOVER and they had 11 children; Eveline aka Evelyn m Jabez HIBBARD, Louisa m Daniel CARLISLE, Hannah who also m Daniel Carlisle after her sister's death, Orville m Julia CARR, Lewis m Elizabeth SEELIG, Malvina, William m Abigail ??, Rheuma m 1st Elijah SMITH m 2nd Joseph CORBIN, Sr, Reuben m. Charlotte ??, Mentoria and Milton. Evaline & Rheuma settled in Orleans Co, many moved on to Michigan]

Levi GROVER, Porter GROVER, Caroline P WHITNEY whose residences are unknown and others, unknown to petitioners, unknown descendants of Hannah GROVER, her deceased maternal aunt. [Hannah Hall was twice married, 1st to Asa Porter. Caroline P WHITNEY would be a child of this marriage. They had eight children including Caroline, two having died in 1845 and the rest I have not tracked down as yet. Hannah m 2nd Benoni GROVER with whom she at least six more children: Levi, Asa Porter, Thankful, Christina m. Russell BLAKELY,Augustus d. young and Alonzo.]

The descendants of Ruehama GLOVER her deceased maternal aunt, whose names and places of residence are to your petitioners wholly unknown. [Ruhamma m Philander GLOVER as his second wife. Her step-daughter, Lamira, m her nephew , Othniel Hall. See above. Ruhamma & Philander Glover had four children, Wellington A b 1815, Rev. Livingston M, Luther M, & Mary Jane]

Percy COOK, Minard COOK, John COOK whose places of residence are unknown to your petitioners, and other, to petitioners unknown, descendants of Sophia COOK her deceased maternal aunt. [Did they get Sophia and Sybil mixed up or did Sophia also marry a COOK?]

The descendants of William HALL, her deceased maternal uncle, whose places of residence are to your petitioners wholly unknown. [I have found nothing about William Jr. after the family left MA]

[Not mentioned were Abram Hall or Sybil HALL COOK.]

Your petitioners are unable to state whether any of the heirs at law of said Laura Carter are infants - or persons of unsound mind or ???
Therefore your petitioners pray that the said Last Will and Testament and codicil thereto may be proved and letters of testamentary granted thereon according to law and the above named and described heirs and next of kin of said decedent may be cited to attend the probate thereof: and for such other or further order in relation to the proof of said will and codicil or the service of said citation, as may be just and proper.
Dated July 14th 1891.

Signatures of S SOUTHWORTH
M S SANDFORD

A Great Newspaper Find and Tips for Searching

In the spring of 2005 I ran across the following:

From Geneva Advertiser 19 June 1894

(Abstracted from classified Legal Notices)

Malantha Marsh, Wallace Hall and Lyman Baker, Phelps, N. Y.
Mary Crittenden, Ypsilanti, Mich.
Charles Holman, Owasso, Mich.
Hattie Weston, Alma, Mich.
E. Burt Garlock, Jefferson City, Missouri
Cyrus Garlock, Mary C. Garlock, W. F. Garlock, Port Gibson, N. Y.
Christina Densmore and Reuhama Corbin, Albion, N. Y.
Howard Burt, Newark, N. Y.
J. Hall Burt, West Kendall, N. Y.
Harriet Briggs, Jamestown, N. Y.
Almira Sweet, Oil City, Pa.
Roswell Baker, Knowlesville, N. Y.
Alice Jeffery, Tehama, Cal.
Benjamin F. Myers, Ithaca, Mich.
Hannah Carlisle, Sioux City, Iowa
Othniel Hall, Comfort Hall, Jessie Baker, Evelyn Hibbard, Porter Grover, Caroline P. Whitney, Percy Cook, Minard Cook, John Cook, and all others, heirs at law and next of kin of LAURA CARTER, deceased.

Ann Lawson, Augusta, N. Y.
Caroline Field, Geneva, N. Y.
Mary E. Tulett, Anna W. Tulett, Laura L. Tulett and Clarence E. Tulett, all of the Town of Fayette, N. Y.,
who are interested, as creditors, next of kin, heirs at law, legatees, or otherwise, in the estate of LAURA CARTER. late of the town of Geneva, Ontario County NY.

Some kind soul had transcribed this and put it on the web for me to find! I have bolded the two names that jumped out at me, two of my great-grand-aunts, daughters of David Glover and Tamesin Hall. I had no idea who Laura Carter might be but I noticed several other Hall's and there was Roswell Baker who had been in my tree for years as an unrelated person that I knew was somehow tied to the Carlisle family.

From this small item in an old paper I was eventually able to fill in several generations of the descendants of of Capt. William Hall and Reuhama Andrews/Andros. I never would have looked at the will of Laura Carter had I not found this one small mention in an old newspaper.

The draw back to newspaper research is that you find out very few good things. Happy items make the paper far less often than sad times. Births merit a quick line - son born to, weddings and anniversaries get a nice write up if the family submitted the information. But mostly you find death notices, accident reports and arrests. All of these are wonderful for filling in and untangling family lines but often make me sad.

Since finding this I have been hooked on newspaper searches. The newspaper article above was transcribed. Here are some tips for searching old newspapers online:

• When searching old papers be sure to use every conceivable spelling of a surname.


• Search by known addresses. In my husband's family some of the family homes were passed down through the family for 100 years. You may find spelling variations this way that otherwise wouldn't occur to you.


• Be sure to put your search terms in quotes, ie: "500 Carbon". Do not include St., Ave., or Rd. as sometimes they may have been spelled out and other times omitted.


• The optical readers that search engines use sometimes get hung up on old and faded type so use creative searches. 500, 506, and 509 may all look the same to the search engine. When looking for articles about my Hollington family I found twice as many articles by changing the i to l - Holllngton. Interchange a, e, and o to generate more hits. Try interchanging the number 0 and the letter o.


• Try search first by given and surname, then add a middle initial, add the middle name and then begin again with surname and given name, etc.


• In small town papers search for just a surname with various spellings. This can have big payouts in in city papers. Most of the Grabowski's in Syracuse are related but when searching just by surname I restrict the number of years I'm searching to making sorting through all of the hits manageable.


• If you still do not find the marriage notice or obituary you are seeking you can try searching for terms like were wed, wedding, death, funeral, etc but restrict the dates of the search as much as possible. I have had only limited success searching this way.

A slightly different version of this post first appeared at The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree on 2 January 2006. Since that time I have learned how to create links ;-), I no longer have a subscription to NewspaperArchive.com and wish I could afford it again, and I have added some more tips for searching.

Ella Jeffery to Anna Camfield, 24 Oct. 1875

United States Postal Card
[postmarked Oct 25 11 AM, Boston Mass.

To Miss Anna Canfield
Burr Oak
Michigan

reverse

13 Sheridan Ave.
Boston, Mass.
Oct. 24” 1875

Friend Anna,
I wrote you in Aug. and sent you my picture I have never heard from you since. Did you receive it? I went to a consert last week heard two of the finest singers in B—Mrs West + Mrs Kimbell Twas splendid. – Katie has been sick for weeks is better now – Is Mr + Mrs M – with you now. are they well – write the Buch. news. been a heavy fog all day. Business very dull here for his time of year. write soon to your friend
E. A. J.



Ella Jeffery was a friend of Anna Camfield. This is the last of only three letters by her that were kept by Anna. I found Ella on the 1870 census In Buchanan, Berrien, MI with her parents, Allen and Ester Jeffery, and siblings William, Catherine, Frederick and Edwin. Ella was still single and living with her parents on Sheridan St, Boston, MA at the time of the 1880 census. I haven't done any more research into the family.

Katie was Ella's older sister, Katherine.

I'm guessing that Mr + Mrs M refer to a family named McKnight. I have found several other references to the McKnight's in other letters but as of right now I'm not sure who they were.


Ella A. Jeffery,(Boston, MA) to “Friend Anna”
[Anna Camfield]. Postcard. 24 October 1875.
Digital Images 1-2. Privately held by Apple,
[ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2008.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1875 - 1876,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Ella Jeffery to Anna Camfield, 12 Sept. 1875

13 Sheridan Ave.
Boston, Mass
Sept 12th 1875

Dear Friend Anna,

Rec’d your letter over three weeks ago, thought I should answer sooner. – went down to Boston and had some tin types taken on purpose to send you the same week I rec’d yours.

I have been back to my work two weeks. have been very busy so have not written before. I was home three weeks had a very pleasant time during my vacation. had sewing to keeps me busy most of the time. finding a great many

page 2

little things to do I spent much of my time at home. have not had any pleasure trips this summer. – business has been very dull., has been some better the last two weeks, plenty of peaches in market this season + very cheepe You say you had great many currants, they are something very dear here, very few, we have not peserved or canned this summer. – grapes have just come in market, they will sonn be cheepe + plenty.

I was surprised to hear that John Haslett + Libbie Blake were married. they were the last two I ever though would be married to each other. – Is Emma

page 3

Hamilton the youngest Hamilton girl. – is it the one that used to be in Katies Sunday school class. there must be a great changes in Buchanan during the three years we have lived here. – it was 3 yrs July since we came to Boston.

I was 21yrs the 17th of Aug. you was 20 you say the 5th of Aug. I havent any thing nice to send you for a birthday present. here is a picture of mine. all say it looks like me when sober. I think it is good.-

The weather has been quite cool the last few days have had several frosts. – have not taken in our house plants yet.

page 4
I am tired to night so please excuse this letter written with a pencil. I don’t believe you can read half of it – if you can you do better than I can. I hope you are all well. We are all usually well. now please send me a photo in your next letter. I do not think I have changed much for 3 yrs do you, only a little older.

Give my love to all friends + your-self
write soon
your friend
Ella Jeffery

[in a different hand]
Burr Oak. Mich




Ella Jeffery was a friend of Anna Camfield. This is the second of only three letters by her that were kept by Anna. I found Ella on the 1870 census In Buchanan, Berrien, MI with her parents, Allen and Ester Jeffery, and siblings William, Catherine, Frederick and Edwin. Ella was still single and living with her parents on Sheridan St, Boston, MA at the time of the 1880 census. I haven't done any more research into the family.

John Haslett was 16 and living with his family in Bertrand, Berrien, MI in 1870. Parents, William & Mary; siblings, Robert, William and Charles.

Mary Elizabeth (Libbie) Blake was also 16 and living with her family in Buchanan, Berrien, MI in 1870. Parents, Charles & Elizabeth; siblings, Theophelies, Charles and Anna.

John & Libbie were married 19 June 1875 In Berrien Co, MI. Their daughter, Minnie Belle Haslett was born 8 July 1876 in Bertrand. Minnie was married late in life (sometime in the 1920's) to my cousin, Jay M. Glover; he was born 18 Jan 1880 in Buchanan, the son of Jay O. Glover and Eliza Ann Alexander. My mother remembers Jay & Belle, they lived on Moccassin Ave which ran along the back of the Carlisle home. Jay used to clear the sidewalks in the winter with a horse drawn plow.

I'd love to know what the gossip about Emma Hamilton was. An Emma Hamilton married Lenard Eastman on 3 July 1875, so that is my best guess. There was an Emma Hamilton living in Buchanan on the 1870 census. She was 11 years old, daughter of Nathaniel & Julia with older siblings Martha and John. In 1880 I find Leonard & Emma in Kewanee, Henry Co, IL with daughters, Gertrude age 3 and Maud age 1.



Jeffery, Ella A. (Boston, MA) to “Dear Friend Anna”
[Anna Camfield]. Letter. 12 September 1875. Digital Images 1-4.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2008.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1875 - 1876,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]

Ella Jeffery to Anna Camfield, 25 July 1875

Boston, Mass
July 25th 1875

Dear Friend Anna

It is a lovely Sabbath day. I could not go to Church or Sabbath school for I have been sick with “Cholera Morbus”. all of us have been sick with it. Children are dying / over fifty a day with it. – I thought when I rec’d your letter it would be answered before this, but if you could have been here you would see that I have been busy all the time since it

page 2

came. The 2nd of June I went to cleark in a store in Boston, go in at 8 o’clock in the morn, + return at 6 oclock in the evening, so you see my time is pretty much occupied. I was very much surprised to here of your moving from Buchanan. You must live in a very pleasant place. I think, from your description, am glad you like it. sorry to hear your mother had been sick. Should think you would have been pretty busy having all the work to do while moving we have moved since I last wrote you. to. “13 Sheridan Ave.” it is very pleasant here. I like it better than on “Bowe St.” – I suppose you have heard of the “Centennial” 17th of June”, before this time

page 3

I wish you could have been here at that time you would have enjoyed it I know. It was one of the greatest sights I ever saw. to see all of those soldjers “,a procession six miles long. – It looked like a great army, coming up to battle. after this procession a string of teems of about 2 mi long represinting mechanics, manufacturers and business men in Boston in wagons with specimens of their merchandise. Bells of verious churches were rung at sunrise, noon, + sunset. Salutes were fired at the same time from the Navy Yard It was grand, + we enjoyed seeing it. The 4th of July there was not much going on except

page 4

a boat race, on Jamaica Plain Pond. it rained hard in the evening so we could not see much of the “fire works” in Boston. I have not told you about the store, it is very large. larger than any building in Buchanan two storys of the store, six of the building. There is over a hundred girls in this store in the busy seasons, about 50 now. most of them are away on vacations. now during the hot weather. I shall have my vacation in Aug about my birthday. two weeks is all I can have. My Department is Corsets, a lady can go in + but a suit of under clothes, dress boots + stockings we keep every thing a lady wares. I like very much. What are you doing this summer.? (Please write soon)

Sideways down page 1

I have written my pages full. + havnt any more room this time. I think I will have some photographs taken when I have my vacation shall send one to you + shall expect one in return. The sun is setting beautiful in the west. I must close for I am very tired todays. I fainted once to day + dont wat to again I assure you. – all the rest of the family are usually well Hope you all are well + enjoying the summer. the weather is very changeable. cold one day + hot the next.

On the fold between pages 2 and 3

now please write soon to Ella Jeffrey


Ella Jeffery was a friend of Anna Camfield. This is the first of only three letters by her that were kept by Anna. I found Ella on the 1870 census In Buchanan, Berrien, MI with her parents, Allen and Ester Jeffery, and siblings William, Catherine, Frederick and Edwin. Ella was still single and living with her parents on Sheridan St, Boston, MA at the time of the 1880 census. I haven't done any more research into the family.

17 June 1775 was the date of the Battle of Bunker Hill. A book about the Centennial celebration is available at Google Books; Proceedings of the Bunker Hill Monument Association at the Annual Meeting. 1875.

I didn't find anything specific to a Cholera epidemic in Boston in 1875. Wikipedia's epidemics page does list an influenza outbreak in North America from 1873-1875

Also from Wikipedia:

Cholera morbus

The term cholera morbus was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to describe both non-epidemic cholera and other gastrointestinal diseases (sometimes epidemic) that resembled cholera. The term is not in current use, but is found in many older references.^[26] The other diseases are now known collectively as gastroenteritis.

Jeffery, Ella A. (Boston, MA) to “Dear Friend Anna”
[Anna Camfield]. Letter. 25 July 1875. Digital Images 1-6.
Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,]
Snowville, New York. 2008.
[Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1875 - 1876,
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. 2008.]