Anybody remember this song? It's known by several different titles: "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" and "The Erie Canal Song" and "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal" and "Mule Named Sal" and last: "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal." It was one of my favorite songs when I was in third or fourth grade. Actually, I'm discovering a lot of things that held my fascination when I was eight or nine years old is proving to be relevant in my genealogical trekking. [I'll have to write about Pocohontas, too...]
Anyway, here's the song. You'll see the genea-connection below.
"Low Bridge" by Thomas S. Allen
I've got a mule, her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge 'cause we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever, ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Get up here Sal, We've past that lot,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
And we'll make home before six a-clock
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
One more trip and back we'll go
Through the rain and sleet and snow
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.....
We sang this song in Girl Scouts, and at school, too, if I remember correctly. I sang it everywhere. As I walked down the slope from my house to Lake Ivanhoe, as I walked to school and as I walked home. I still find myself humming this song.
Fast Forward 40 years. I discover that my great great grandmother Kate Valentine was born in Buffalo, NY. Huh? Buffalo? Near Niagra Falls? Ha. Another place I've always wanted to visit. [And the movie with Marilyn Monroe, Niagra (1952), that always held my fascination, too!] Kate was born in 1852 in Buffalo, NY to William Valentine and Katherine Mee.
Valentine and Mee
I'm pretty sure Katherine Mee Valentine died giving birth (or soon after) to her daughter ('my') Kate. Katherine was only 38 years old, born in England in 1814. She and William had had four children: George b 1834, Lois b 1843 (nine years later--were there children in between who died young?), Matilda "Tilly" b 1849, and 'my' Kate b 1852. The picture to the right is of these girls, left to right: Tilly, Lois and 'my' Kate. What I don't know: Where did Katherine and William meet and marry? When did either of them immigrate to the United States? Note: cousin Ginny O'Neel graciously sent me this digital photo of our ancestor sisters just a month ago!
Their eldest child, George was born in 1834, in Buffalo. Essentially William and Katherine were living in Buffalo while portions of the Erie Canal were being completed. William was a mason and a bricklayer. I wonder if any of the buildings he worked on are still standing there in Buffalo today?
After Katherine's death, William remarried Mrs. Sarah Ann Baker (a widow who had a daughter Sarah, the same age as 'my' Kate). William and Sarah had a daughter Ida b 1857 (but she never appears in a census after 1860, so I assume she dies before then), and a son Frank b 1861. Then they move west! To Davenport, Iowa where George has married a Mary Snow. George has established himself as a brickmason and businessman. He and a business partner designed many early historic buildings there. The photo to the left is one of his many buildings.
All Valentine Children Move Westward
Eventually, all the Valentine children moved westward.
Lois married Joseph Sandman and they move to Chicago, IL. Tilly married Joseph Kemmerer and lived in Nora Pct, Nebraska, where they had their first son William V, 1879. Later they moved to Davenport, IO. The 1900 census states Tilly has had six children, but only her eldest William is still living. My Kate married Francis V Phillips; they had their daughter Harriet “Hattie” Ellen Phillips in London, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada in 1877 and by 1880 they are living in Chicago, IL.
I found the above photo of The First National Bank at this link (where you can search for more buildings):
http://www.umvphotoarchive.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/scdpl&CISOPTR=148&CISOBOX=1&REC=6
Back to the Erie Canal
More images of the Erie Canal, Buffalo, NY are at this link: http://www.eriecanal.org/
Buffalo and Erie Canal images
And one last coincidental bit: Between Buffalo, NY and Niagra Falls is Tonawanda, NY. My mother Lois was a camp counselor at Camp A-Ton-a-Wonda in western North Carolina one summer! I can't wait to go see Buffalo, NY, now!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
mtDNA Test Results
I just got back my mtDNA test results. Maternal DNA tests reveal the maternal line back to an ancestral area, not a surname (since surnames change each generation...).
Maternal DNA is consistent as it is passed down mother to daughter or son. My mtDNA results would be the same as my maternal grandmother's. Same as her siblings' would be, too. My mother, my siblings or my daughter would receive the same mtDNA test results. This mtDNA would be pertinent for any descendants of Lola Blakesley Morgan who are interested in 'mapping' her maternal line as well. It would apply to anyone who has any of these women listed below in their genealogical lineage:
Their (and our) maternal history is this:
1. Lola Blakesley Morgan, daughter of
2. Mary Elizabeth Blakesley Blakesely, daughter of (yes she married a cousin)
3. Eliza Swan Blakesley, daughter of
4. Susanna Judd Swan, daughter of
5. Mary Andrews Judd, daughter of
6. Anna Eddy Andrews, daughter of
7. Mary Meakins Eddy, daughter of
8. Mary Goodwin Meakins, daughter of
9. Elizabeth Pratt Goodwin, daughter of
10. Elizabeth Young Pratt.
Elizabeth married 2 July 1626 at Baldock in Hertfordshire, England, to John Pratt (later settled at Hartford, Connecticut). [See NEHGR 149(1995):377.] The line stays in New England until Eliza marries and moves west with her husband.
The wonderfully concise list above was generously contributed by cousin William S Morgan.
Thank you Billy!
DNA Findings, 5/3/10,
Breaking down the mtDna results for Patricia
The W haplogroup ultimately descends from the N group, sister of R, I, X, and A.
The W group is not related to any of the "7 Daughters of Eve,” even though 95% of Europeans do descend from any one of those 7 groups. How large is the W haplogroup? At the present time, I'm wondering if it's a smaller group than the Daughters of Eve. The "W" group is found 'first' in the Middle East and traveled from there to northwest Europe, and also east to India and Asia. The "W" group subdivided from the "N" group (which Ashkenazi Jews descend from), and earlier from L3, L2, L1 going back to Africa.
W1c2 Subgroup
Only 12% of the Ws have 'lost' (don’t have) the 16292T marker .
This loss appears not to be "post N" subdividing. [What does that mean?]
Further, I have ‘added’ 143A-192C-194T-196C: this is unique within the W haplogroup.
The 194T change is cited as "clade" defining.
The www.thecid.com site discusses W haplogroup, naming it the "Wilma" group as no one else has given it a 'name' yet!
The list of W test results totaled 1212. There were only 20 in the group that matched my W1c2, [ the ‘lost’ 16292T, added 143A-192C-194T-196C sequence]. Those 20 descended from Finland, Ireland and Sweden. [Yet my ancestor Elizabeth Young married her husband John Pratt in England.]
There are some really neat maps at this site: http://www.capecoloureddnaproject.com/Maps.htm
which show the migratory pattern of W.
Giving credit where credit is due: The above map is Family Tree DNA's MtDNA Human Migration map. It beautifully illustrates MtDNA migration patterns.
Maternal DNA is consistent as it is passed down mother to daughter or son. My mtDNA results would be the same as my maternal grandmother's. Same as her siblings' would be, too. My mother, my siblings or my daughter would receive the same mtDNA test results. This mtDNA would be pertinent for any descendants of Lola Blakesley Morgan who are interested in 'mapping' her maternal line as well. It would apply to anyone who has any of these women listed below in their genealogical lineage:
Their (and our) maternal history is this:
1. Lola Blakesley Morgan, daughter of
2. Mary Elizabeth Blakesley Blakesely, daughter of (yes she married a cousin)
3. Eliza Swan Blakesley, daughter of
4. Susanna Judd Swan, daughter of
5. Mary Andrews Judd, daughter of
6. Anna Eddy Andrews, daughter of
7. Mary Meakins Eddy, daughter of
8. Mary Goodwin Meakins, daughter of
9. Elizabeth Pratt Goodwin, daughter of
10. Elizabeth Young Pratt.
Elizabeth married 2 July 1626 at Baldock in Hertfordshire, England, to John Pratt (later settled at Hartford, Connecticut). [See NEHGR 149(1995):377.] The line stays in New England until Eliza marries and moves west with her husband.
The wonderfully concise list above was generously contributed by cousin William S Morgan.
Thank you Billy!
DNA Findings, 5/3/10,
Breaking down the mtDna results for Patricia
The W haplogroup ultimately descends from the N group, sister of R, I, X, and A.
The W group is not related to any of the "7 Daughters of Eve,” even though 95% of Europeans do descend from any one of those 7 groups. How large is the W haplogroup? At the present time, I'm wondering if it's a smaller group than the Daughters of Eve. The "W" group is found 'first' in the Middle East and traveled from there to northwest Europe, and also east to India and Asia. The "W" group subdivided from the "N" group (which Ashkenazi Jews descend from), and earlier from L3, L2, L1 going back to Africa.
W1c2 Subgroup
Only 12% of the Ws have 'lost' (don’t have) the 16292T marker .
This loss appears not to be "post N" subdividing. [What does that mean?]
Further, I have ‘added’ 143A-192C-194T-196C: this is unique within the W haplogroup.
The 194T change is cited as "clade" defining.
The www.thecid.com site discusses W haplogroup, naming it the "Wilma" group as no one else has given it a 'name' yet!
The list of W test results totaled 1212. There were only 20 in the group that matched my W1c2, [ the ‘lost’ 16292T, added 143A-192C-194T-196C sequence]. Those 20 descended from Finland, Ireland and Sweden. [Yet my ancestor Elizabeth Young married her husband John Pratt in England.]
There are some really neat maps at this site: http://www.capecoloureddnaproject.com/Maps.htm
which show the migratory pattern of W.
Giving credit where credit is due: The above map is Family Tree DNA's MtDNA Human Migration map. It beautifully illustrates MtDNA migration patterns.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Ohhh, the inconsistencies!
Sometimes it's the inconsistencies that make finding your ancestors so difficult!
Here are two recent inconsistencies:
1. My grandfather Paul Lee's middle name. It's Haid. Not Henry. But my grandmother didn't like "Haid", so she changed it to Henry. Not legally. She just did it. Named their youngest son Paul Henry Lee, Jr. Just like that. I had always HEARD that granddaddy's middle name was Head or some alternate spelling of it. I finally found proof of it. May 6, 2010. Took me several years. I was googling the name of the orphanage my grandfather had lived at approx ages 2-14. Nazareth Orphanage in Belmont, NC.
Googling led to an article about Father Thomas Frederick Price who had convinced Bishop Leo Haid that an orphanage for boys was needed. My eyes opened wide! There was the name! Haid! A little more digging revealed that one of my grandfather's brother Peter's middle initial was "L". Could his middle name have been Leo?? Hmmm... I discovered that my great-grandmother Mary Troublefield Lee had given two of her son's middle names undoubtedly to honor Bishop Leo Michael Haid! Mystery solved.
2. My great-great grandfather Francis E Phillips. It has taken me forever to learn more about Francis. I knew he was born approximately 1854 in New York. I knew he'd moved from Cook Co, Il to Orlando Florida in the early 1900s. But I kept coming up short on where in New York he started from. His wife Kate Valentine had been born in Buffalo, NY in 1851/2. Maybe Francis had been born there, too? I knew they both died in Florida. It wasn't until my cousin William "Billy" Morgan, another family gene-bug, suggested two sites. He suggested searching Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, FL, which I had done previously, but he had a book that gave a detail that helped me find Francis' death date. THEN I was able to find his burial information at http://www.ucf.edu/ through the Carey Hand Funeral Home archives. Having that information, I was able to find out his place of birth which was indeed Buffalo, NY and that his father's name was Thomas B Phillips (also the name he gave his son). Here's where it got interesting. Billy also gave me another link to search Orange County, Florida's Comptroller's site. Honestly, I'd looked for a site like that, but I couldn't find it! http://or.occompt.com/recorder/eagleweb/docSearch.jsp There I discovered that Francis' middle initial was NOT "E" but was "V" instead. I began searching for Francis V. Phillips and began finding more. My cousin Billy did another amazing thing. He thought to search for Philips with only one 'l' instead of two. Bingo! We found Francis with his parents in Buffalo in 1860. Thank you, Billy!
Here's cousin Billy's blogpage: http://sockdryer.blogspot.com/
I still have one more mystery about dear old granddad. He listed his name as "Frank Rosburgh Phillips" on his daughter Harriet Ellen Phillip's birth certificate. She was born in Middlesex, Ontario, Canada. I wonder if I'll ever find out if they traveled while Kate was pregnant, or stopped and lived in Canada for a while. Were they on their way to Illinois? Kate's family lived in Davenport, Iowa. Did any of Francis/Frank's family move the mid-west?
If you don't ask the questions, you'll never find the answers!
Here are two recent inconsistencies:
1. My grandfather Paul Lee's middle name. It's Haid. Not Henry. But my grandmother didn't like "Haid", so she changed it to Henry. Not legally. She just did it. Named their youngest son Paul Henry Lee, Jr. Just like that. I had always HEARD that granddaddy's middle name was Head or some alternate spelling of it. I finally found proof of it. May 6, 2010. Took me several years. I was googling the name of the orphanage my grandfather had lived at approx ages 2-14. Nazareth Orphanage in Belmont, NC.
Googling led to an article about Father Thomas Frederick Price who had convinced Bishop Leo Haid that an orphanage for boys was needed. My eyes opened wide! There was the name! Haid! A little more digging revealed that one of my grandfather's brother Peter's middle initial was "L". Could his middle name have been Leo?? Hmmm... I discovered that my great-grandmother Mary Troublefield Lee had given two of her son's middle names undoubtedly to honor Bishop Leo Michael Haid! Mystery solved.
2. My great-great grandfather Francis E Phillips. It has taken me forever to learn more about Francis. I knew he was born approximately 1854 in New York. I knew he'd moved from Cook Co, Il to Orlando Florida in the early 1900s. But I kept coming up short on where in New York he started from. His wife Kate Valentine had been born in Buffalo, NY in 1851/2. Maybe Francis had been born there, too? I knew they both died in Florida. It wasn't until my cousin William "Billy" Morgan, another family gene-bug, suggested two sites. He suggested searching Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, FL, which I had done previously, but he had a book that gave a detail that helped me find Francis' death date. THEN I was able to find his burial information at http://www.ucf.edu/ through the Carey Hand Funeral Home archives. Having that information, I was able to find out his place of birth which was indeed Buffalo, NY and that his father's name was Thomas B Phillips (also the name he gave his son). Here's where it got interesting. Billy also gave me another link to search Orange County, Florida's Comptroller's site. Honestly, I'd looked for a site like that, but I couldn't find it! http://or.occompt.com/recorder/eagleweb/docSearch.jsp There I discovered that Francis' middle initial was NOT "E" but was "V" instead. I began searching for Francis V. Phillips and began finding more. My cousin Billy did another amazing thing. He thought to search for Philips with only one 'l' instead of two. Bingo! We found Francis with his parents in Buffalo in 1860. Thank you, Billy!
Here's cousin Billy's blogpage: http://sockdryer.blogspot.com/
I still have one more mystery about dear old granddad. He listed his name as "Frank Rosburgh Phillips" on his daughter Harriet Ellen Phillip's birth certificate. She was born in Middlesex, Ontario, Canada. I wonder if I'll ever find out if they traveled while Kate was pregnant, or stopped and lived in Canada for a while. Were they on their way to Illinois? Kate's family lived in Davenport, Iowa. Did any of Francis/Frank's family move the mid-west?
If you don't ask the questions, you'll never find the answers!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Could this be for real? One hundred and TWO years old?
My grandmother's cousins were Zudie Tison and Addie Shelfer. Their mother was Emma Butler. My grandmother's mother was Sallie Ada Butler. I don't know who Emma married, but I know her two daughters were Zudie and Addie. I don't know if Tison and Shelfer are maiden names or not. Ohhhh, this is soooo frustrating!
I found an Addie Shelfer, b 22 Jun 1884 and d Nov 1986 in zip 32701. I know this cousin Addie lived in Orlando, so this is making sense. But 102 years old and change?! This is incredible.
Why didn't she make the news or something? An obituary? Hellooo?
ADDING a quick note on 5/30/2010. Addie really did live to be 102 years old! She never had children. Shelfer was her married name. Her sister Zudie had married twice, once to a Fields who already had two children. Zudie and Elwynn had two more children. Then Zudie married a Tison with whom she had a daughter June. Their maiden name was Johnson. Their mother Emma Butler was Sallie Ada Butler's sister.
I found an Addie Shelfer, b 22 Jun 1884 and d Nov 1986 in zip 32701. I know this cousin Addie lived in Orlando, so this is making sense. But 102 years old and change?! This is incredible.
Why didn't she make the news or something? An obituary? Hellooo?
ADDING a quick note on 5/30/2010. Addie really did live to be 102 years old! She never had children. Shelfer was her married name. Her sister Zudie had married twice, once to a Fields who already had two children. Zudie and Elwynn had two more children. Then Zudie married a Tison with whom she had a daughter June. Their maiden name was Johnson. Their mother Emma Butler was Sallie Ada Butler's sister.
How did they get there?
On Facebook (my other addiction), I'm participating in the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy weekly challenges. This week's was to go visit THE genealogy search engine: cindi's list.
http://www.cindislist.com/
Visitng this link got me to thinking "how did they get there?" I know how I might go to Florida today, I might travel by plane, train or automobile. But 'back then,' it was horse and buggy or maybe a boat (by canal or river or ocean), or maybe a train. So Cindi's list may help me figure some of that out.
http://www.cindislist.com/
Visitng this link got me to thinking "how did they get there?" I know how I might go to Florida today, I might travel by plane, train or automobile. But 'back then,' it was horse and buggy or maybe a boat (by canal or river or ocean), or maybe a train. So Cindi's list may help me figure some of that out.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
My sheepfarming great great great grandfather Lorenzo Grow
Lorenzo and Harriet (Currier) Grow
parents of Mary Frances (Grow) Newell
mother of Samuel Arthur Newell
father of Arthur William, Harold Francis and George
father of Lois Agnes (Newell) Lee -- my mother
One of my most interesting finds was my 3x great grandparents Grow. I love sheep, want to live in New England and specifically Maine...
Lorenzo Grow was born in Hartland, Windsor County, Vermont*, on March 11, 1806. His parents were Samuel and Jerusha (Stowell) Grow. Samuel Grow was a native of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. Jerusha Stowell was from Pomfret, Connecticut. Samuel and Jerusha’s ancestors were owners of large tracts of land and were of English origin.
Lorenzo Grow was the third of a family of seven children. He was educated at the common schools of Vermont and Maine. When just a boy, he worked in a saw-mill at Queechy Falls, Vermont and later went to Penobscot County, Maine where he engaged in the lumber business which he continued for eight years. Then he went to farming and sheep-raising in Kennebec County, continuing for fifteen years.
Lorenzo married Miss Harriet Felker Currier, of Windsor, Kennebec County, Maine on December 8, 1838. One record indicates December 5th, marrying in Oldtown, Penobscot Co., Maine. Harriet was born May 13, 1820. She was the daughter of Charles and Mary (Baker) Currier, both of Maine. According to an 1860 census, the Grows lived in China, Kennebec Co., Maine.
In 1865, when Lorenzo was 59, the Grows moved to Monona County, Iowa, and bought a quarter-section of land in Lincoln Township as well as town property in Onawa City. San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biographies indicates that Lorenzo Grow “took up 160 acres of school land, improved a good property and became a well-to-do farmer.” Imagine moving across the country to establish a farm when one is sixty years old, and the car has not yet been invented!
Further stories centered upon Lorenzo’s son Walter indicate that the Indians were still to be found in large numbers in Iowa. Mr. Grow farmed in Iowa until 1883 when at the ate of 77, he left the farm in charge of his son, Wallace D. Grow, and came to California to "spend the evening of his life with the wife of his youth."
Lorenzo died 10 July 1890 in Highland, San Bernardino, California, at the age of 84. In 1920, according to a census, his widow Harriet lived with her daughter Mary Frances (married then to William E Burgess) in Fullerton City, Orange Co., California. She was 89 years old, and three of her five children were still living.
Lorenzo and Harriet had five children.
1. The oldest son, Charles Currier Grow (b ~1841), entered the army in the Thirty-second Regiment Maine Volunteers, was in Banks’ Expedition and was killed in the battle of Cane Crossing. He was First Lieutnant at the time of his death. A biographical sketch of his younger brother Walter cites: “Charles Currier Grow enlisted in the Union service during the Civil War, and while fighting with the forces under General Banks met his death in the battle of Sugar Loaf Mountain.” An 1860 census, China, Kennebeck Co., Maine, lists him as a school teacher. ??1920 census, Nebraska Charles J Grow, could this be Charles’ son?
2. The second son is Samuel Lorenzo (b Feb 1843). The San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biography indicates that S.L. Grow was engaged in the livestock business as a shipper and dealer. He made several trips to Sacramento and San Francisco to ship cattle. He induced his younger brother Walter to come to the Golden State. A 1900 census lists Samuel L Grow as living in Los Angeles, California. He was 57y, his wife Etta was 49y. His daughter Gladys was 15y. The 1900 census lists Harriet as living with him at that time. She was 80y. Another census in 1900 lists his occupation as with a brewery. He and his wife Etta (b Sep 1850) had been married 33 years. They had 9 children, 7 of which were living. Gladys (Apr 1883, b California).
Mother Harriet, born May 1820, five children born and four still living (at the time of the census).
3. The third child was Mary Frances who married Arthur Newell of LaGrange, Illinois. Mary Frances was born 23 Oct 1846 in Vassalboro, Kennebec Co., Maine. An 1860 census at age 14 shows she was living in China, Kennebec Co., Maine. Mary Frances had four children, two daughters and a son by her first husband and a daughter with her second husband.
On 24 May 1868, Mary Frances married Arthur William Newell, in Lincoln, Tama Co., Iowa. She was 21 years old. In 1870, they lived in Doublas, Nebraska according to an 1870 census. In 1880, she and Arthur were living in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois. Mary and Arthur had three children, “Nellie,” Samuel and “Mamie.” Arthur died, presumably of tuberculosis, in 1889. Children listed below:
• “Nellie” Ellen Newell, born 25 March 1869 in Nebraska. Also listed as Nellie Eliza and Ellen E (1870 census). She died in Orange Co., California 2 Nov 1949. Her address, according to her brother Samuel Newell’s address book was Route 4, Box 660, Santa Ana, California. Nellie married Frederick M Baldwin, their daughter Eunice Mayadelle Baldwin. Eunice married John Wiliam McIntosh and had eight children. Their names, in order of birth were Arthur Ray, John Baldwin, Charles Frederick, Nellie Matilda, Victoria "Tordie" Ann, Gladston(e) Whitfield, Eunice Mary, and Sarah Jean.
• Samuel Arthur Newell, born 1872. Samuel moved to Orlando, Florida by 1910 and died there in 1961. He married Harriet E Phillips, born in Canada to parents who were both born in New York. Samuel and Harriet had three sons, Arthur William b1898, Harold Francis b 1900, and George A. b 1904. In 1910, the census indicates they lived on Summerlin Avenue, Orlando, Florida. However, that is incorrect. They first lived in Winter Park, Florida, in 1903. In 1910, they were living in the 400 block on E Pine Street. By 1920, they were living at 624 E Pine Street. In 1930, Samuel’s occupation was listed as a bookkeeper with an auto storage company.
• Harriet “Hattie” May, also called “Mamie” Newell, born 13 August 1883, in Illinois and lived until 1964. Mamie married Cary W. Iler and also moved to California. They had twelve children. One, Myrtle died when she was just two years old. All others lived to adulthood!
1910 census: Richard Iler (father of Cary) (69y) born in Canada lived with them, as well as their children: N (Newell) Cary (4y), Arthur J (3y), Lois N (7/12y) Bishop, Iny Co., California.
1920 census: Cary Iler (51) was a house contractor, Hattie M (36), Newell Cary (14y) was an errand boy, Arthur (12y), Lois May (10y), Grace H (9y), Mary Katherine (7y), John Francis (5y), Elizabeth (1 8/12y)
1930 census: Cary W. Iler (62y), a carpenter listed as French Canadian, Hattie M (46y), married for 21 yrs, daughter Lois M (20y) was a law file clerk, Grace H (19y) was a stenographer, Mary C (17y) was a sales lady, John F (15y), Elizabeth (12y), Joseph P (10y), Benjamin W (7y), Ruth E (5y), Flo E (3 5/12y).
On 7 October, 1891, Mary Frances remarried to William E. Burgess in LaGrange, Cook Co., Illinois. William Burgess was nine years younger than Mary, and was born in Massachusetts as were both of his parents. When Mary was ~48 yrs old, they had a daughter,
• Eugenia “Jeanie” and “Jeannie” W. Burgess, born 1894, living until 1963. She married a C.G. or Clarence G. Koon, a police officer in 1930. A 1930 census, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, Redondo lists her children as: Mary Eunice (16y, b Calif), Clarence E (13y, b Iowa), Lillian A (10y, b Iowa) and Joseph (2 9/12y, b Iowa).
Mary Frances resided in Fullerton, Orange Co., California in 1910 (census), at age 64, with her husband William Burgess. In 1920, he was a dairy farmer. She died at the age of 73 in Feb 1920. She’d lived at Gardena, Los Angeles, California and died (or was buried) at Riverside, Riverside Co., California.
4 & 5. Their fourth and fifth children, Walter Fremont and Wallace Dayton were twins, born in Maine on July 19, 1852. Lorenzo left the farm in Iowa in charge of his son, Wallace D Grow in 1883 when he and Harriet moved to California. Wallace died 16 Aug 1944 (in San Bernardino?).
Walter Fremont Grow was born in Maine, on July 19, 1852. When he was nine years old, his family moved to Monona County, Iowa. He moved to California in 1881. He married Carrie Ella Burroughs, a native of Iowa on 11 July 1880. She was born May 21, 1861 and died August 7, 1890. They had three children: Edna May (Mrs. Wm. E. Bromelow) of Highland; Ernest Prentiss who died at 3 months, and Laura Myrtle. Walter remarried 15 Dec 1900 to Caroline Lowrie Wilson. She was born 27 Aug 1852 in Pittsburg PA, the daughter of WilliamWork and Caroline (Lowrie) Wilson. They had two children: one who died an infant, and Walter Lowrie, born 4 June 1904.
According to the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biography, Walter moved to California and purchased ten acres of land at Highland. Then he sold that and purchased his home site, 86.71 acres, a Government claim, from a man named Bulger, a homesteader. The land was rocky and covered with wild brush. Walter planted an orchard and grew a vineyard of raisin grapes, delivering the raisins to Colton. He sold his dried deciduous fruits to buying travelers. He hired out his services to other settlers when he needed extra income, and developed an orchard of thirty-three acres which yielding oranges of “the best quality.” The ranch home had a view of the mountains and valleys. He married Miss Carrie E. Burroughs in Iowa in 1880. He died 19 Oct 1946 in San Bernardino.
Sources:
http://www.cagenweb.org/cpl/sumbios2.htm, History of the State of CA southern coast counties Page 2046, 26 Jan 2009
San Bernandino County Biographies http://www.calarchives4u.com/biographies/sanbernardino/sber-grow.htm 26 Jan 2009. SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 598-599 Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
Photos found on ancestry.com, posted by nancyalexander21 for bromilo family tree, submitted by Ruth Hancock. **I need to ask Ruth if she can send me the photos because they are very small images.
San Bernandino and Riverside Counties Biographies, by John Brown, Jr. and James Boyd, p 1337-1339, digitalized p 412/619,
NOTES:
Lorenzo Grow
1860 census, China, Kennebec Co., Maine
*1870 census, Lincoln, Monona Co., Iowa, Maple Landing P.O., lists Lorenzo’s birthplace as NH.
1880 census, Lincoln, Monona Co., Iowa
Mary Frances (Grow) Newell Burgess historical records:
1860 census, China, Kennebec Co, Maine
1868, 24 May 1868, age 24, Lincoln, Tama Co, Iowa, marriage to Arthur W Newell
1870 census, Douglas, Nebraska, w/Arthur A. Newell
1880 census, Chicago, Cook Co, Illinois
1891, 7 Oct 1891, age 44, La Grange, Cook Co, Illinois
1910 census, Fullerton, Orange Co., CA, md. to William E Burgess. Dau “Winnie” (17y) w/ mother, Harriet F. Grow (widow), 5 children born, 3 living.
1920 census, age 74, Westin Ave., Gardena, Los Angeles Co., California
1920 Feb, age 73 (??) death, Riverside, Riverside, California
Arthur William Newell’s name varies on censuses as does his occupation.
1860 Rockland, Knox Co., Maine census, while living with his parents Samuel J (46y) and Nancy D (36y), his name is listed as Nathaniel W (16y) and his occupation as an ornamentalist. His siblings are listed as followsw: Ellen E (12y), Milton (8y), Eben(ezer) P (4y), Effie F (1 y). Effie F Newell married Daniel Smiley, one of the brothers who founded Mohonk Mountain House in New York, a beautiful lodge still operating to this day.
1870 Douglas, Nebraska, Arthur A. Newell, farm laborer, one child: Ellen E.
1880 Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, June. N.W. or A.W., portrait painter, children Nellie A and Samuel; all
listed as lodgers.
Nellie and Samuel are listed on TWO separate 1880 censuses:
1 Jun 1880, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois as living with their parents N.W. and Mary F. Newell
15 Jun 1880, Lincoln, Monoa, Iowa, living with grandparents Lorenzo and Harriet.
parents of Mary Frances (Grow) Newell
mother of Samuel Arthur Newell
father of Arthur William, Harold Francis and George
father of Lois Agnes (Newell) Lee -- my mother
One of my most interesting finds was my 3x great grandparents Grow. I love sheep, want to live in New England and specifically Maine...
Lorenzo Grow was born in Hartland, Windsor County, Vermont*, on March 11, 1806. His parents were Samuel and Jerusha (Stowell) Grow. Samuel Grow was a native of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. Jerusha Stowell was from Pomfret, Connecticut. Samuel and Jerusha’s ancestors were owners of large tracts of land and were of English origin.
Lorenzo Grow was the third of a family of seven children. He was educated at the common schools of Vermont and Maine. When just a boy, he worked in a saw-mill at Queechy Falls, Vermont and later went to Penobscot County, Maine where he engaged in the lumber business which he continued for eight years. Then he went to farming and sheep-raising in Kennebec County, continuing for fifteen years.
Lorenzo married Miss Harriet Felker Currier, of Windsor, Kennebec County, Maine on December 8, 1838. One record indicates December 5th, marrying in Oldtown, Penobscot Co., Maine. Harriet was born May 13, 1820. She was the daughter of Charles and Mary (Baker) Currier, both of Maine. According to an 1860 census, the Grows lived in China, Kennebec Co., Maine.
In 1865, when Lorenzo was 59, the Grows moved to Monona County, Iowa, and bought a quarter-section of land in Lincoln Township as well as town property in Onawa City. San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biographies indicates that Lorenzo Grow “took up 160 acres of school land, improved a good property and became a well-to-do farmer.” Imagine moving across the country to establish a farm when one is sixty years old, and the car has not yet been invented!
Further stories centered upon Lorenzo’s son Walter indicate that the Indians were still to be found in large numbers in Iowa. Mr. Grow farmed in Iowa until 1883 when at the ate of 77, he left the farm in charge of his son, Wallace D. Grow, and came to California to "spend the evening of his life with the wife of his youth."
Lorenzo died 10 July 1890 in Highland, San Bernardino, California, at the age of 84. In 1920, according to a census, his widow Harriet lived with her daughter Mary Frances (married then to William E Burgess) in Fullerton City, Orange Co., California. She was 89 years old, and three of her five children were still living.
Lorenzo and Harriet had five children.
1. The oldest son, Charles Currier Grow (b ~1841), entered the army in the Thirty-second Regiment Maine Volunteers, was in Banks’ Expedition and was killed in the battle of Cane Crossing. He was First Lieutnant at the time of his death. A biographical sketch of his younger brother Walter cites: “Charles Currier Grow enlisted in the Union service during the Civil War, and while fighting with the forces under General Banks met his death in the battle of Sugar Loaf Mountain.” An 1860 census, China, Kennebeck Co., Maine, lists him as a school teacher. ??1920 census, Nebraska Charles J Grow, could this be Charles’ son?
2. The second son is Samuel Lorenzo (b Feb 1843). The San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biography indicates that S.L. Grow was engaged in the livestock business as a shipper and dealer. He made several trips to Sacramento and San Francisco to ship cattle. He induced his younger brother Walter to come to the Golden State. A 1900 census lists Samuel L Grow as living in Los Angeles, California. He was 57y, his wife Etta was 49y. His daughter Gladys was 15y. The 1900 census lists Harriet as living with him at that time. She was 80y. Another census in 1900 lists his occupation as with a brewery. He and his wife Etta (b Sep 1850) had been married 33 years. They had 9 children, 7 of which were living. Gladys (Apr 1883, b California).
Mother Harriet, born May 1820, five children born and four still living (at the time of the census).
3. The third child was Mary Frances who married Arthur Newell of LaGrange, Illinois. Mary Frances was born 23 Oct 1846 in Vassalboro, Kennebec Co., Maine. An 1860 census at age 14 shows she was living in China, Kennebec Co., Maine. Mary Frances had four children, two daughters and a son by her first husband and a daughter with her second husband.
On 24 May 1868, Mary Frances married Arthur William Newell, in Lincoln, Tama Co., Iowa. She was 21 years old. In 1870, they lived in Doublas, Nebraska according to an 1870 census. In 1880, she and Arthur were living in Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois. Mary and Arthur had three children, “Nellie,” Samuel and “Mamie.” Arthur died, presumably of tuberculosis, in 1889. Children listed below:
• “Nellie” Ellen Newell, born 25 March 1869 in Nebraska. Also listed as Nellie Eliza and Ellen E (1870 census). She died in Orange Co., California 2 Nov 1949. Her address, according to her brother Samuel Newell’s address book was Route 4, Box 660, Santa Ana, California. Nellie married Frederick M Baldwin, their daughter Eunice Mayadelle Baldwin. Eunice married John Wiliam McIntosh and had eight children. Their names, in order of birth were Arthur Ray, John Baldwin, Charles Frederick, Nellie Matilda, Victoria "Tordie" Ann, Gladston(e) Whitfield, Eunice Mary, and Sarah Jean.
• Samuel Arthur Newell, born 1872. Samuel moved to Orlando, Florida by 1910 and died there in 1961. He married Harriet E Phillips, born in Canada to parents who were both born in New York. Samuel and Harriet had three sons, Arthur William b1898, Harold Francis b 1900, and George A. b 1904. In 1910, the census indicates they lived on Summerlin Avenue, Orlando, Florida. However, that is incorrect. They first lived in Winter Park, Florida, in 1903. In 1910, they were living in the 400 block on E Pine Street. By 1920, they were living at 624 E Pine Street. In 1930, Samuel’s occupation was listed as a bookkeeper with an auto storage company.
• Harriet “Hattie” May, also called “Mamie” Newell, born 13 August 1883, in Illinois and lived until 1964. Mamie married Cary W. Iler and also moved to California. They had twelve children. One, Myrtle died when she was just two years old. All others lived to adulthood!
1910 census: Richard Iler (father of Cary) (69y) born in Canada lived with them, as well as their children: N (Newell) Cary (4y), Arthur J (3y), Lois N (7/12y) Bishop, Iny Co., California.
1920 census: Cary Iler (51) was a house contractor, Hattie M (36), Newell Cary (14y) was an errand boy, Arthur (12y), Lois May (10y), Grace H (9y), Mary Katherine (7y), John Francis (5y), Elizabeth (1 8/12y)
1930 census: Cary W. Iler (62y), a carpenter listed as French Canadian, Hattie M (46y), married for 21 yrs, daughter Lois M (20y) was a law file clerk, Grace H (19y) was a stenographer, Mary C (17y) was a sales lady, John F (15y), Elizabeth (12y), Joseph P (10y), Benjamin W (7y), Ruth E (5y), Flo E (3 5/12y).
On 7 October, 1891, Mary Frances remarried to William E. Burgess in LaGrange, Cook Co., Illinois. William Burgess was nine years younger than Mary, and was born in Massachusetts as were both of his parents. When Mary was ~48 yrs old, they had a daughter,
• Eugenia “Jeanie” and “Jeannie” W. Burgess, born 1894, living until 1963. She married a C.G. or Clarence G. Koon, a police officer in 1930. A 1930 census, Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles County, Redondo lists her children as: Mary Eunice (16y, b Calif), Clarence E (13y, b Iowa), Lillian A (10y, b Iowa) and Joseph (2 9/12y, b Iowa).
Mary Frances resided in Fullerton, Orange Co., California in 1910 (census), at age 64, with her husband William Burgess. In 1920, he was a dairy farmer. She died at the age of 73 in Feb 1920. She’d lived at Gardena, Los Angeles, California and died (or was buried) at Riverside, Riverside Co., California.
4 & 5. Their fourth and fifth children, Walter Fremont and Wallace Dayton were twins, born in Maine on July 19, 1852. Lorenzo left the farm in Iowa in charge of his son, Wallace D Grow in 1883 when he and Harriet moved to California. Wallace died 16 Aug 1944 (in San Bernardino?).
Walter Fremont Grow was born in Maine, on July 19, 1852. When he was nine years old, his family moved to Monona County, Iowa. He moved to California in 1881. He married Carrie Ella Burroughs, a native of Iowa on 11 July 1880. She was born May 21, 1861 and died August 7, 1890. They had three children: Edna May (Mrs. Wm. E. Bromelow) of Highland; Ernest Prentiss who died at 3 months, and Laura Myrtle. Walter remarried 15 Dec 1900 to Caroline Lowrie Wilson. She was born 27 Aug 1852 in Pittsburg PA, the daughter of WilliamWork and Caroline (Lowrie) Wilson. They had two children: one who died an infant, and Walter Lowrie, born 4 June 1904.
According to the San Bernardino and Riverside Counties Biography, Walter moved to California and purchased ten acres of land at Highland. Then he sold that and purchased his home site, 86.71 acres, a Government claim, from a man named Bulger, a homesteader. The land was rocky and covered with wild brush. Walter planted an orchard and grew a vineyard of raisin grapes, delivering the raisins to Colton. He sold his dried deciduous fruits to buying travelers. He hired out his services to other settlers when he needed extra income, and developed an orchard of thirty-three acres which yielding oranges of “the best quality.” The ranch home had a view of the mountains and valleys. He married Miss Carrie E. Burroughs in Iowa in 1880. He died 19 Oct 1946 in San Bernardino.
Sources:
http://www.cagenweb.org/cpl/sumbios2.htm, History of the State of CA southern coast counties Page 2046, 26 Jan 2009
San Bernandino County Biographies http://www.calarchives4u.com/biographies/sanbernardino/sber-grow.htm 26 Jan 2009. SOURCE: An Illustrated History of Southern California: Embracing the Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the Peninsula of Lower California… Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1890. p.- 598-599 Transcribed by Kathy Sedler
Photos found on ancestry.com, posted by nancyalexander21 for bromilo family tree, submitted by Ruth Hancock. **I need to ask Ruth if she can send me the photos because they are very small images.
San Bernandino and Riverside Counties Biographies, by John Brown, Jr. and James Boyd, p 1337-1339, digitalized p 412/619,
NOTES:
Lorenzo Grow
1860 census, China, Kennebec Co., Maine
*1870 census, Lincoln, Monona Co., Iowa, Maple Landing P.O., lists Lorenzo’s birthplace as NH.
1880 census, Lincoln, Monona Co., Iowa
Mary Frances (Grow) Newell Burgess historical records:
1860 census, China, Kennebec Co, Maine
1868, 24 May 1868, age 24, Lincoln, Tama Co, Iowa, marriage to Arthur W Newell
1870 census, Douglas, Nebraska, w/Arthur A. Newell
1880 census, Chicago, Cook Co, Illinois
1891, 7 Oct 1891, age 44, La Grange, Cook Co, Illinois
1910 census, Fullerton, Orange Co., CA, md. to William E Burgess. Dau “Winnie” (17y) w/ mother, Harriet F. Grow (widow), 5 children born, 3 living.
1920 census, age 74, Westin Ave., Gardena, Los Angeles Co., California
1920 Feb, age 73 (??) death, Riverside, Riverside, California
Arthur William Newell’s name varies on censuses as does his occupation.
1860 Rockland, Knox Co., Maine census, while living with his parents Samuel J (46y) and Nancy D (36y), his name is listed as Nathaniel W (16y) and his occupation as an ornamentalist. His siblings are listed as followsw: Ellen E (12y), Milton (8y), Eben(ezer) P (4y), Effie F (1 y). Effie F Newell married Daniel Smiley, one of the brothers who founded Mohonk Mountain House in New York, a beautiful lodge still operating to this day.
1870 Douglas, Nebraska, Arthur A. Newell, farm laborer, one child: Ellen E.
1880 Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois, June. N.W. or A.W., portrait painter, children Nellie A and Samuel; all
listed as lodgers.
Nellie and Samuel are listed on TWO separate 1880 censuses:
1 Jun 1880, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois as living with their parents N.W. and Mary F. Newell
15 Jun 1880, Lincoln, Monoa, Iowa, living with grandparents Lorenzo and Harriet.
Friday, March 12, 2010
What's in a name? Mindwell, Thankful, Experience and Deliverance
My ancestor "Deacon" James Trowbridge* married twice and had seven children by each wife named Margaret. His parents and two elder brothers, Thomas and William, were born in Taunton, England, and he was the first of the Trowbridges born here in America. I focused on James because his children's names were fascinating to me. First, the family history:
Thomas3 TROWBRIDGE (Edmund2, John1) was born in England between 1598 and 1610. The Trowbridges likely came from Wiltshire County, England. The stained glass window of the chancel of St James' Church in Taunton has arms identical to the Wiltshire Trowbridge arms. [Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs, Middlesex County, Mass, Vol 1, by Wm Richard Cutter, pages 279-80.] Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and their two sons Thomas Jr (b 1632) and William (b1634) had all been born in Taunton, England. Elizabeth's parents were John Marshall and Alice Bevys.
The Trowbridges settled in Dorcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1636. Thomas and his wife Elizabeth, joined the church in Dorcester in 1636, and their son James (my ancestor), was born later that year, and baptised in 1938. Thomas drew a lot of land 2 Jan 1637 and various times after that. He removed to New Haven by 1639. Thomas was in the foreign shipping business and he continued making voyages between the Barbados and England.
On July 11, 1664, James, his wife Margaret, Thomas Wiswan, and Goodman Kindwright were dismissed by the Dorchester Church to the church gathered at Cambridge Village. James was elected deacon to succeed his father-in-law in 1674 and held the office forty-two consecuitve years. In 1674, he bought an 85 acre farm from Deputy Governor Danforth. It had a house and other buildings. By the seventh generation, this land had stayed in the family and was owned by Nathan Trowbridge. James was selectman on the very first board, elected 27 Aug 1679. He was clerk of writs 1692-3, lietuenant of the military company, and deputy to the general court from 1700-1703. [ Cutter, p 280]
James m (1) Margaret Atherton, daughter of Maj Gen Humphrey Atherton. She died 17 Jun 1672 in Newton, MA Their children were:
i. Elizabeth, b 1660
ii. Mindwell, b 1662
iii. John, b 1664
iv. Margaret, b 1667, m Ebenezer STONE, 1686. [Stone is another lineage in my tree.]
v. Thankful, b 1667
vi. Mary, b 1670
vii. Hannah, b 15 Jun 1672, her mother Margaret died two days later.
James married (2) Margaret Jackson* on 30 Jan 1673/4 in Newton, Middlesex, MA. She was the daughter of Deacon John Jackson* and Margaret. Their children were:
viii. Experience, b 1675
ix. Thomas, b 1677
x. Deliverance, b 1679
xi. James*, b 1682 my ancestor, married Hannah Bacon* on 6 Jan 1708/9
xii. William, b 1684
xiii. Abigail, b 1687
xiv. Caleb, b 1692
What's in a name? James had seven children by each Margaret! The names that strike me as most interesting are Mindwell, Thankful (by Margaret #1), and Experience, and Deliverance (by Margaret #2). The other names are somewhat typical, named after an ancestor, or a person in the Bible. But what is up with these names?! It must've been James who was masterminding these names as the tradition continued with his second Margaret.
Was Elizabeth so headstrong that he said we need to name our next child Mindwell in hopes she'll be more obedient? Fifth child, he has a fourth daughter, was he remembering to be Thankful for all his blessings, even if he just had mostly daughters? Were they thankful that their children were healthy? Surviving? James and Margaret (Atherton) have their seventh child, whom they name Hannah. Hannah means grace. She is born on 15 Jun 1672 and two days later Margaret dies. Her children's ages? Infant, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. I can't imagine what that might have been like for her. Did she have a sense she wouldn't survive childbirth?
James married again, to another Margaret, within six to eighteen months. The dates I found for marriage were 30 Jan 1673 or 1674. I'd almost presume it was 1673, since he probably needed help with the seven young children. She was probably about ten years younger than the earlier Margaret. I wonder how the children responded to her. Did Elizabeth resent her stepmother? Or was she relieved that she didn't have to mind her younger siblings? #2 Margaret's first child is Experience, b 1 Nov 1675. Why Experience?! Was this because having children was a great experience?! And four years later, another girl, born 31 Dec 1679, and she is named Deliverance. Were they telling a story with some of their daughters' names? If you Mindwell, you are always Thankful, and you will Experience Deliverance in every area of your life. Maybe that's it. Maybe not.
I saw another name Relief somewhere, but apparently not in this group. I think I would've named the fourteenth child Relief. But it was a boy, and they named him Caleb, b 7 Nov 1692. Caleb was one of two courageous Israelites who believed God would deliver as promised. Caleb and Joshua were the only of their generation that made it to the Promised Land.
James died 22 May 1717 at 71 yrs. His youngest child, Caleb was 25. His oldest child, Elizabeth was 57. His children's ages ranged 32 years! #2 Margaret died 16 Sep 1727 at 78 yrs of age.
I'm going to check out Colonial naming practices next, but I have to believe there was some creative rendering going on with James and his Margarets, don't you?
Interesting tidbits:
http://preachersfiles.com/caleb-a-different-spirit/ More on the name Caleb
Newton, Massachusetts is the home of The American Jewish Historical Society.
Thomas3 TROWBRIDGE (Edmund2, John1) was born in England between 1598 and 1610. The Trowbridges likely came from Wiltshire County, England. The stained glass window of the chancel of St James' Church in Taunton has arms identical to the Wiltshire Trowbridge arms. [Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs, Middlesex County, Mass, Vol 1, by Wm Richard Cutter, pages 279-80.] Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and their two sons Thomas Jr (b 1632) and William (b1634) had all been born in Taunton, England. Elizabeth's parents were John Marshall and Alice Bevys.
The Trowbridges settled in Dorcester, Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1636. Thomas and his wife Elizabeth, joined the church in Dorcester in 1636, and their son James (my ancestor), was born later that year, and baptised in 1938. Thomas drew a lot of land 2 Jan 1637 and various times after that. He removed to New Haven by 1639. Thomas was in the foreign shipping business and he continued making voyages between the Barbados and England.
Thomas was rated as one of the richest men of the colony as he paid taxes on five hundred pounds. In 1641, the Trowbridges moved to New Haven. The celebrated pedagogue, Mr Cheever, received payment for teaching Trowbridge's children in 1644. That same year, Thomas traveled to England, leaving all of his property in charge of Henry Gibbons who was unfaithful to his trust in caring for the Trowbridge sons. I suspect that Elizabeth must have died as Sgt Thomas Jeffries took Thomas' sons into his own family. Thomas wrote frequently from England for Gibbons to disberse funds, but it wasn't until after Thomas' death, 7 Feb 1672/3 in Taunton, England, that Gibbons attempted to settle the estate.
By the age of 21, ~1657, James returned to Dorchester to occupy the land his father owned. In 1664, he removed to Cambridge Village, now Newton, Massachusetts.
James m (1) Margaret Atherton, daughter of Maj Gen Humphrey Atherton. She died 17 Jun 1672 in Newton, MA Their children were:
i. Elizabeth, b 1660
ii. Mindwell, b 1662
iii. John, b 1664
iv. Margaret, b 1667, m Ebenezer STONE, 1686. [Stone is another lineage in my tree.]
v. Thankful, b 1667
vi. Mary, b 1670
vii. Hannah, b 15 Jun 1672, her mother Margaret died two days later.
James married (2) Margaret Jackson* on 30 Jan 1673/4 in Newton, Middlesex, MA. She was the daughter of Deacon John Jackson* and Margaret. Their children were:
viii. Experience, b 1675
ix. Thomas, b 1677
x. Deliverance, b 1679
xi. James*, b 1682 my ancestor, married Hannah Bacon* on 6 Jan 1708/9
xii. William, b 1684
xiii. Abigail, b 1687
xiv. Caleb, b 1692
What's in a name? James had seven children by each Margaret! The names that strike me as most interesting are Mindwell, Thankful (by Margaret #1), and Experience, and Deliverance (by Margaret #2). The other names are somewhat typical, named after an ancestor, or a person in the Bible. But what is up with these names?! It must've been James who was masterminding these names as the tradition continued with his second Margaret.
Was Elizabeth so headstrong that he said we need to name our next child Mindwell in hopes she'll be more obedient? Fifth child, he has a fourth daughter, was he remembering to be Thankful for all his blessings, even if he just had mostly daughters? Were they thankful that their children were healthy? Surviving? James and Margaret (Atherton) have their seventh child, whom they name Hannah. Hannah means grace. She is born on 15 Jun 1672 and two days later Margaret dies. Her children's ages? Infant, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. I can't imagine what that might have been like for her. Did she have a sense she wouldn't survive childbirth?
James married again, to another Margaret, within six to eighteen months. The dates I found for marriage were 30 Jan 1673 or 1674. I'd almost presume it was 1673, since he probably needed help with the seven young children. She was probably about ten years younger than the earlier Margaret. I wonder how the children responded to her. Did Elizabeth resent her stepmother? Or was she relieved that she didn't have to mind her younger siblings? #2 Margaret's first child is Experience, b 1 Nov 1675. Why Experience?! Was this because having children was a great experience?! And four years later, another girl, born 31 Dec 1679, and she is named Deliverance. Were they telling a story with some of their daughters' names? If you Mindwell, you are always Thankful, and you will Experience Deliverance in every area of your life. Maybe that's it. Maybe not.
I saw another name Relief somewhere, but apparently not in this group. I think I would've named the fourteenth child Relief. But it was a boy, and they named him Caleb, b 7 Nov 1692. Caleb was one of two courageous Israelites who believed God would deliver as promised. Caleb and Joshua were the only of their generation that made it to the Promised Land.
James died 22 May 1717 at 71 yrs. His youngest child, Caleb was 25. His oldest child, Elizabeth was 57. His children's ages ranged 32 years! #2 Margaret died 16 Sep 1727 at 78 yrs of age.
I'm going to check out Colonial naming practices next, but I have to believe there was some creative rendering going on with James and his Margarets, don't you?
Interesting tidbits:
http://preachersfiles.com/caleb-a-different-spirit/ More on the name Caleb
Newton, Massachusetts is the home of The American Jewish Historical Society.
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