Discovering the Purpose of a Group Photo

Unexpectedly this week I received a small envelope of old photos from my cousin Diane. I am always happy to get any photos I can. As I started looking at the photos I was saddened because there were no names, dates or locations listed on most of the photos. I immediately know that identifying many of the people or the occasion will be impossible. While I may recognize someone in the photo or the location of the photo I will probably never know the reason the picture was taken, unfortunately. What was going on and why did someone want to remember the circumstances around the photo? I always want to know more about my ancestors’ lives and what they did beyond births, marriages and deaths.

One old photo of my paternal grandfather caught my eye. I recognized him and probably one or two of his five brothers but had no idea who the others in this group photo were. I was delighted to turn the photo over and see names written on the back in a handwriting I did not recognize. I still wasn’t sure who the named people were or why the photo was taken.

I started by scanning the photo and the handwriting on the back. When you are scanning photos always remember to scan the backs. Names, locations and even perhaps a photographer’s name (if the picture was done professionally) may be there to offer ideas.

Transcription:

This is most of the boys that were down for the anniversary.  

Olin, Hollis, Albert, Clinton, Wesley and Doris, Erwin, Russ, Milton & Hollis Jr.

I decided I needed to get the help of several 2^nd and 3^rd Warner and Terry cousins to see if they recognized the handwriting and the people. I was confused about the term ‘anniversary’. Was the ‘anniversary’ a remembrance of someone’s death? The photo was dated 1924. My great grandparents John Benjamin Warner and Carrie Terry Warner had died in 1920 and 1910 respectively. My grandfather had a brother Terry Warner who had died tragically in 1921. Was it a remembrance for them? Look for clues in the photo. Oh, the men had overcoats on so it was definitely during colder weather and not June when John & Carrie died. The names of the other people weren’t jumping out at me. Hmm. 1924, what was the significance of that year? I continued to search my family tree database and couldn’t come up with anything of significance for 1924.

I remembered that many important and ordinary events in my paternal family side were memorialized in the local newspaper and that local newspaper is on line. Growing up I remember Mrs. Laura Rogers always calling my grandmother, Agnes King Warner, on Monday mornings to see what our family had done over the past week so it could be recorded in the newspaper. Oh, how important my cousins, siblings and I felt when we found our names in the newspaper. So, I began searching the local newspaper (Suffolk County Historical Newspapers) for one of my great uncles and grandfather for the year 1924 and found 4 items where someone was mentioned. One in particular in The County Review newspaper for 14 March 1924, page 12 seemed most promising. Could this one hold the answers?

This one had four of the brothers mentioned in it. The four brothers were in the picture. They would be wearing overcoats in March on Long Island, New York so that piece also fit. Hollis, Jr. was Hollis and Charlotte Warner’s son who was not quite 3 years old at the time. Hollis Jr. would die before his 11^th birthday and there are few remaining pictures of him, so, this is a treasure for his family.

But who were the other people in the photo? If I could figure that out then perhaps that might verify that the newspaper article fit.

I went back to the article. ‘George Billard of Cutchogue’ I knew was a first cousin to the four brothers. George’s mother was Ella Terry Billard, my great grandmother Carrie’s sister. (See Carrie’s Letters) Perhaps she was incorrectly referred to as ‘Mrs. Terry’ in the newspaper since her maiden name was Terry (Ella was alive in 1924) and to denote the connection between the families? This made perfect sense. Now who were the other people in the photo?

Once I knew the family connection I looked at my Terry family names in my Legacy family tree. Forrest Terry was Ella and Carrie’s brother. Oh, maybe ‘Mrs. Terry’ referred to Mrs. Forrest Terry (Theresa Hambler Terry). They were both living in 1924. Forrest and Theresa had 3 children: Clinton (age 15 at the time), Doris (age 7 at the time) and Erwin (age 20 at the time). Looking at the picture the ages seem right. That was it! This is a family photo of the Warner Terry Family Reunion that happened in March 1924! Now I know the purpose of this photo. This photo was commemorating the get together of the Terry sibling (Carrie, Forrest & Ella) descendants!!

After sharing my findings with my cousins one of them sent me the following photo (thanks Suzanne and Marie):

Wow! This photo was taken the same day as the ‘Terry Reunion’. This added the actual date of the get together. This tells another piece of the story. My cousin who had the photo knew it was of the three brothers but didn’t know the purpose/significance of the photo and now she does.

Thankfully, someone wrote on the back of these photos and they survived and came together to show us that the Terry cousins continued to get together over the years even after Carrie & John were gone. The bond was maintained. Today we would have referred to this gathering as a ‘family reunion’ and not an ‘anniversary’. The term threw off my initial thinking. Newspaper articles can be a real help in helping us determine why a group photo was taken.  No matter how many times I carefully read a document it takes going back multiple times to gather all the information possible from even a small news article. This makes perfect sense that they would photograph the children that were there of siblings Carrie, Ella and Forrest Terry. What an important picture now that we know who is in it and why the picture was taken. I so enjoy working with my cousins to put the pieces together. It frequently takes all of our little bits of information together to make another great story about our ancestors. What a fun journey back in time this was!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Tombstone Tuesday- Sophronia and Joel Johnson

This summer when I was traveling I was determined to find the graves of several of my ancestors.  Finding Joel and Sophronia's was interesting.  From my research I knew they were buried in Orwell, Bradford County, PA.  I found their tombstone listed on FindAGrave but I was determined to see it myself and take my own picture.  I wanted to get a feel for the area where my maternal 4th great grandparents are buried.  The cemetery is in north eastern Pennsylvania in a beautiful area called Endless Mountains. I was able to get directions to the Darling Cemetery in Orwell at the Bradford County Historical Society.  I wasn't sure my GPS would get me to this cemetery in the middle of the country so I wanted a back up.  I was told to head on Orwell Hill Road until I got to the corner of Kadar and Orwell Hill Road.  I drove for what seemed miles and was sure I had missed a turn when I finally found the cross streets of Kadar and Orwell Hill Road.  

Off to the left I saw the sign for the cemetery:

Now finding their tombstones would be easy because somewhere in my research the headstone was listed as being in Tier 11.  This was a beautiful, peaceful area and the Tiers were marked.  A storm was approaching the area so I knew I needed to find the grave, take my pictures and be on my way.  Well, the stone was not on Tier 11.  

I searched and searched as the storm approached and finally found the headstone at about Tier 19 or 20.  Thankfully, the storm held off and I was able get my pictures and let my ancestors know that I had found them, finally!

Transcription:

Joel Johnson       Born May 13, 1799            Died Nov. 5, 1880

Sophronia Benham  Wife of Joel Johnson Died June 25, 1893  Aged 89 YRS & 6 months

• The symbol of the cross and crown at the top of the stone could be interpreted as a Christian symbol denoting the reward in heaven (the crown) coming after the trials in this life (the crown).  It could also be a Freemasonry symbol.  I wonder if Joel was a Mason?

Getting a feel for the area is important to me even though it is now about 130+ years after their deaths.  The hills, mountains, farmland and rivers are still here.  

(click on images to enlarge)

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Sunday Obituary–Sophronia Benham Johnson

Sophronia is my maternal 4^th great-grandmother:

From the Reporter-Journal newspaper dated 13 July 1893:

Transcription:

Again we have been most forcibly reminded us the truth of the saying, “The old must die and the young may die.” … a dear old lady, Mrs. Sophronia Johnson, but as she was known by nearly everyone, “Grandma Johnson,” quietly slept the sleep that knows no waking, June 25, after a lingering illness of many months, which she bore with true Christian fortitude. She had lived to the advanced age of 89 years and six months. One by one the old people of our little village are leaving us, but their memory will always remain with us, and the world will be the better for their having lived in it.”

See previous post entitled The Life of Sophronia Behnam Johnson for information about her life.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

The Life of Sophronia Benham Johnson

Sophronia Benham Johnson

217 years ago my maternal 4^th great grandmother was born.  Unfortunately, there is so little information we can find out about women in the 1800s so I wonder what I can learn about her?

Sophronia was born on 25 December 1803 in New Hartford, Litchfield County, Connecticut to Jehiel and Lydia Cadwell Benham.  Their 10th and last child was a Christmas baby.

Sophronia, at 16 years of age, married Joel Johnson, aged 20 on 1 June 1820 in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Ten children were born to them: Asahel, Amanda (my 3^rd great grandmother), Jehiel, George W., Harriett, Emeline, Avery, George N., Frank, and Charlotte.

• The first settlement in what is now called Orwell was in 1796. The first township was officially begun and named Mount Zion in 1801. Some of the first settles to this new frontier were from Litchfield and Tolland Counties in Connecticut.

According to the US Federal Census for the years 1830 to 1880 Sophronia and husband Joel continued living in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.

In 1850 when Sophronia was 47 years old, there are 6 children still at home and daughter Amanda (my 3^rd great grandmother) and her family were living right next door.

In 1860 when Sophronia was 57 years old there were still 5 children living at home.

In 1870 when Sophronia was 67 years old her daughter Charlotte, her husband and child were found living with Sophronia and Joel.

In 1880 when Sophronia was 77 her daughter Harriett, nephew and niece (Johnson side) and a domestic servant were living with them.

Sophronia’s husband Joel died after 60 years of marriage in November of 1880.

Sophronia died 25 June 1893, six months before her 90^th birthday, in Orwell, Pennsylvania.

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas Sophronia

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Jacob Hamman’s Land Deed

One of my goals for my Genealogy Road Trip 2020 was to find and stand on my maternal great-great grandfather’s land in Fredonia Township, Plymouth County, Iowa. While traditional searching (see previous posts Finding Jacob Hamman’s Land-First Understanding Iowa Land and Searching for the Will and the Land of Jacob Hamman) on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Bureau of Land Management, etc. yielded no results going to the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars, Iowa this summer allowed me to accomplish my goals of finding and standing on Jacob’s land.

While I knew now  where Jacob’s land was, I wanted to be able to get a copy of his actual land deed. Would this deed give me more information about Jacob and the land? I knew the actual deed would be in Book 5 page 280 of Land Deeds. I have been disappointed before to find the ledger I am looking for to have disappeared or the print in the ledger to be difficult to read. I don’t get too excited until I have a copy of the actual deed in my possession. What would happen his time?

Copy of Plymouth County, Iowa Land Deeds Book 5 page 280:

(click on images to enlarge)

Transcription:

This indenture made this Twenty second day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety five between The Western Land Company a corporation created and organized under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Iowa party of the first part and Jakob Hamman of Plymouth County State of Iowa party of the second part, Witnesseth, That the party of the first part in consideration of the sum of Six Thousand four hundred ($6,400) Dollars paid by the said party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged does thereby grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said party of the second part his heirs and assigns forever all that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the County of Plymouth and State of Iowa described as following to wit:

The West half (W ½) of Section No. of the second part this Eleven (11) in Township No. Ninety three (93) North of Range No. Forty four (44) West of the Fifth Principal Meridian containing according to the United States Survey three hundred twenty (320) acres be the same more or less being the same premises contracted to be sold to Jakob Hamman by The Western Land Company by contract executed the 20^th day of September 1886 in pursuance and fulfillment of which said contract this conveyance is made and executed.

To have and to hold the same, Together with all the hereditaments and appurtenances thereunto belonging, or in anywise appertaining to the said party of the second part his heirs and assigns forever, and the said The Western Land Company, party of the first part, does covenant with the party of the second part his heirs and assigns that it is well seized in fee of the lands and premises aforesaid, and has good right to all and convey the same in manner and form aforesaid that the same are free from all incumbrances; created, and the above _? and granted lands in the quiet and peaceable possession of the said party of the second part his heirs and assigns, against all persons lawfully claiming or to claim the whole or any part thereof, the said party of the first part will warrant and defend. Excepting however from the operation of the foregoing covenants all taxes and assessments levied or imposed upon said premises or any part thereof since the 20^th day of September 1886 and also all titles, interests, liens or encumbrances, created, suffered or imposed thereon by said Jakob Hamman or his assigns.

In testimony, Whereof the said The Western Land Company, party of the first part, has by Ephraim McMurtrie Its Attorney in fact, duly appointed in writing under the seal of said Company, caused these presents to be signed and sealed the day and year first above written.

The Western Land Company (seal)

By Ephraim McMurtrie

Attorney in fact

State of Illinois

County of Cook on this 28^th day of October A. D. 1895 before me, F. L. Brown a Notary Public written and for said County personally came Ephraim McMurtree personally to me known to be the identical person whose name is subscribed to the foregoing instrument as attorney in fact for the Western Land Company, the grantor therein named and acknowledged said instrument to be the act and deed of The Western Land Company grantor, by him as its attorney in fact thereunto appointed, voluntarily done and executed.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my Notarial seal on the date last above written.

F. L. Brown

Notary Public

(seal)

Filed for Record October 31 A.D. 1895 at 8 o’clock A.M.

G.W. McLain

Recorder

Some thoughts about this find:

About 320 acres of land at a cost of $6,400 would mean that the land in 1895 cost $20/acre.

What was The Western Land Company? After doing some additional research I learned that “it was a corporation created and organized under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Iowa". In my previous post Searching for the Will and the Land of Jacob Hamman I have a copy of the ledger which shows this was the first transaction for this piece of land. Everything fits!

• Except…after doing some research at the State level with an archivist I found out more about The Western Land Company. I learned that “Section 11, Township 93N Range 44W was part of a large grant of land by the State of Iowa to the Iowa Falls and Sioux City Railroad for railroad construction. It appears that there were at least a couple of transactions involving this property prior to the Western Land Company selling the W 1/2 of the section to Jakob Hamman in 1895. The Real Estate Transfer Books kept at the County Auditor's Office in Plymouth County should record all transactions for T93N R44W, Section 11.” Interesting.

As a blogger I like to share my blog posts on Facebook with groups from the area where I am researching. Sometimes you may find a ‘cousin’ you didn’t previously know about, a new source to search for documents or a researcher in the area may find an idea from something I have done that helps them in their research.

I posted my last blogs on the Iowa Genealogy Facebook page. Several people made suggestions or even found a record I previously was unable to find. The following is one such record. (Thank-you Alan Cable for yet another piece of this puzzle.) I have searched Bureau of Land Records for years trying to find Jacob’s land. I have used a variety of spellings and even after finding out the Township, Range and Section numbers I was still unable to find Jacob’s land. This find adds another piece to the puzzle:

Transcription of second listing on page:

All of Section 11 Township 93 Range 44 /640 acres/ Selected for the Dubuque and Pacific Rail Road and Branch under Act May 15, 1856 / Approved December 27, 1858

• The Act of May 15, 1856 was an Act of Congress making a grant of lands to the State of Iowa, in alternate sections to aid in the construction of certain railroads in the State. The railroad was slated to be built from Dubuque, Iowa on the Mississippi River west to the Missouri River near Sioux City.
• The Iowa Falls & Sioux City Railroad was incorporated 1 October 1867 and was a subsidiary of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad.

I have gained so many pieces of this puzzle about Jacob’s land.  More then just 'land purchased' and dates.  I am very grateful to everyone that helped on this journey!

Now I’d like to know what the ‘covenant’ was and if I can obtain a copy of that?  Any ideas?

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Searching for the Will and the Land of Jacob Hamman

On my recent Genealogy Road Trip 2020 I wanted to find the land that my Great-Great Grandfather Jacob owned in Plymouth County, Iowa so I could go and see it. In my previous post Finding Jacob Hamman’s Land-First Understanding Iowa Land I learned about Iowa land and that I needed the township, section and range numbers in order to see where the land was located today. Would I be able to find these mentioned in Jacob’s Will perhaps?

In several previous posts I learned a great deal about the life of my maternal Great-Great Grandfather Jacob Hamman who immigrated from Luxembourg in the mid 1800s. (See previous posts: Immigration, Naturalization and Ship Travel Presentation, My First Naturalization Papers-Jacob Hamman, and Sunday Obituary-Jacob Hamman.) I also thought I had found a Will for Jacob and talked about that in the post The San Diego Genealogical Society Presents Laurice Johnson. As I transcribed the Will I realized it was not for ‘my’ Jacob Hamman who lived in Plymouth County, Iowa. Bummer! Back to square one.

I went back to his obituary and remembered that Jacob had died suddenly from an asthma attack. Did he already have a Will or did he die intestate, not having made a will before he died?

Already having been to the Plymouth County Courthouse the day before I returned the following day to see if I could find Jacob’s Will. Traveling to sites during Covid was an adventure. Would sites be open? Would I be able to search? What might I find? Traveling with a dog in the Summer added another obstacle I was dealing with. It meant leaving Harley in my Camper. The day was not too very hot and I did find a tree right outside the Courthouse to park under. Windows open, water available and I told Harley I wouldn’t be long. LOL! How many times have you said that exact same thing to a family member or friend that was with you while you were doing research?

I was VERY fortunate to have found a clerk ready to help and there was no one else there searching for records. She helped me search and sure enough there was a Probate Record for Jacob Hamman who died…intestate as I had guessed. No Will but the record of his estate was there. Would these documents help me locate his land?

I looked through the file and decided which records I should get copies of. I handed over my rather lengthy list to the clerk and asked if she’d mind if I left the room to go check on my dog outside in my vehicle while she made copies. She surprised me by saying, “Only if you bring him up here for us to see and, oh, can we pet him?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! People often help us because it’s their job, sometimes very grudgingly, but never before has anyone asked me to bring my dog into a records room so I wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hot.

You never know how helpful others will be when you are looking for records. Sometimes you meet the nicest people who go out of their way to help you. A very special thank-you to all the people I met with at the Plymouth County Courthouse! What a wonderful group of people who went out of their way to help me.

What could I learn from the pages and pages of records? The numerous documents about Jacob’s Estate were in no particular order. I continued to scan documents, records of what Jacob owned from plows to livestock and what he owed at the time of his death. (More on the contents of Jacob’s Estate in a later post.) As I looked through the pages … there it was! On the last page of the Final Report In the matter of the estate of Jacob Hamman, deceased presented to the District Court of the State of Iowa, In and for Plymouth County at the October Term 1902:

…the west half of section 11, township 93, range 44 west of 5 P.M. [prime meridian] …YES!! I found it!!!

Now back to the Plymouth County Recorder’s office one floor below. Once I knew the township, section and range numbers I could find the right ledger for the names. This is what I found on page 375:

(click on photos to enlarge)

Wow! Jacob was listed as the first buyer (Grantee) of the land. He purchased the land from the Western Land Company who was working on behalf of the State of Iowa to sell the land. Jacob filed his claim on 31 October 1895. Now I can find a copy of the land deed in Book 5 on page 280 in the Auditor’s Office. Luckily, the Auditor’s Office is just across the hall on the same floor in the Plymouth County Courthouse.

The Clerk in the Auditor’s Office was also able to look at a current map of this land in Fredonia township, Plymouth County and tell me that today if I drove from the Courthouse (Le Mars, Iowa) on Route 3 out to Polk Avenue (before the town of Remsen) and then drove out to 120^th Street Jacob’s land would be on the right hand side of Polk north of 120^th street. OK, Harley and I are off.

As I turned off Route 3 Polk Avenue was paved for a bit. The first numbered street I came to was 160^th Street. I had a way to go. I was in the middle of huge fields of corn and now the road turned to dirt. I drove and drove and drove on a bumpy dirt road past 

Deep Creek, which didn't seem too deep right now, and drove 

until ... there it was! I came to the cross street … 120^th. Finally, I had arrived!

This was once Jacob's land.

WOW!! How amazing! What a feeling of success! I was able to shout (there was no one around) “Jacob, I found your land!” One hundred and twenty years after your death in 1900 your great-great-granddaughter came to see the land that you farmed and where you raised your family. You came all the way from Luxembourg to start a new life here in Iowa. I only drove from San Diego. I can’t help but wonder how the actual land and life you built here in Iowa compared to the dreams of that young man of 25 years who came across the Atlantic Ocean on the ship Atlantic in 1859 and landed first in New York City before your journey to Iowa?

Now, can I find a copy of the actual land deed and will it tell me more about Jacob and this land?

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Finding Jacob Hamman’s Land - First Understanding Iowa Land

(click on images to enlarge)

Recently, I was in search of land possibly owned by my maternal great-great grandfather Jacob Hamman in Plymouth County, Iowa. (See previous posts Immigration, Naturalization and Ship Travel Presentation, Sunday Obituary-Jacob Hamman,  My First Naturalization Papers-Jacob Hamman)  I wanted to be able to go and stand on the land my ancestor once owned in Iowa or at least see where the land was while I was on my Genealogy Road Trip. (see previous post)

Understanding the history of the land and how the land was portioned was going to help me understand any possible land deed I found for Jacob. Doing the background research first always helps in locating and understanding local land deeds. I actually did not do this first but rather as I went along. Good time to learn from my mistakes. I would have understood so much more if I’d done this first.

First, the history of the land: what we now know as Iowa first belonged to France, then Spain, then France again. The land was then purchased by America as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1834 this land was part of the Michigan Territory and then in 1836 it was under the Wisconsin Territory.

The Iowa Territory wasn’t actually established until 1838. (Many places to consider when looking for records!) After Iowa became part of the United States most of the land was listed as ‘public domain land’, land that legally belongs to the citizenry. ‘Public domain land’ is managed by a public entity such as a state, region, province or municipality-directly or by institutes or state companies. This land was then surveyed and divided into townships (36 square mile sections).

Iowa was termed a Federal land state with the land being public domain land. The government granted land through cash sales, homesteads, military bounty land warrants, etc. The sale of the land was used to build schools, roads, etc.

According to America's Public Lands, the Homestead Act of 1862 was a law passed by Congress “to facilitate the settlement and development of vast areas of public domain west of the Mississippi River by citizens and masses of immigrants moving to America for a better life.” Most of the laws required some level of development effort on the land before it could be purchased.

Iowa uses the rectangular land survey system of section, township and range. The townships were six-mile square blocks of land, divided into 36 one-mile squares called sections. The township was numbered north and south, starting from the centerline, and the range was numbered east and west starting from the centerline.

The records for Plymouth County Iowa, where my ancestor lived, are located at the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars, Iowa.

Once I got to the Plymouth County Recorder's Office  I learned I would need the township, range and section number for the land in order to identify where the land is located today. There wasn’t an index to look in to find Jacob’s land by searching his name. Where could I possibly find the township, range and section numbers? Back to square one. The only thing I could think of was would Jacob have mentioned the land in his Will? Luckily, I was already in the right building and only needed to go upstairs to get a copy of his Will and see if the land was mentioned.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

The Life of Israel Alden

In honor of Thanksgiving and the 400^th Anniversary of the Mayflower, I wanted to learn about Israel Alden, my maternal 6^th great grandfather. Israel is the great-great grandson of John and Priscilla Mullins Alden. (click on highlighted names to view additional posts)

Israel was born to Noah and Joanna Vaughn Alden on 18 May 1747 in Stafford, Tolland County, Connecticut.

11 July 1765 Israel married Lucy Thankful Markham in Stafford, CT. 

Lucy and Israel would have 13 children: Israel, Noah, Timothy (my 5^th great grandfather), Lucy, Benjamin, Thankful, Samuel, Zilphah, Moses, Abner, Elisha, David and Ruth. Only their first child Israel was born in Stafford. The other children were born in Tyringham, Massachusetts. If oldest son Israel was born in 1766 and son Noah was born 6 March 1768 then Israel must have moved to Tyringham, Mass between 1766 and 1768.

14 June 1768 – Daniel Markham of Tyringham sold 41 acres of land to Israel also then of Tyringham, Massachusetts. Lucy also had a brother named Daniel but I believe they are referring to Lucy’s father here. Was the land sale the reason that the young couple moved to Tyringham? What was the area like when they moved there?

• This area was first settled in 1735 and began as a town named Tyringham (after a village in Buckinghamshire, England) in 1762 shortly before Israel and Lucy moved here. The town started as an agricultural community. In 1786 the town had 182 dwelling houses, forty shops, two tanneries, four potash works, two iron works, four grist and saw mills. From the town valuations we also know that the townspeople made 1185 barrels of cider that year and there were more than 10,000 acres of wooded land and a bout 2500 acres improved for growing crops. There were 500 horses, 800 swine, 178 oxen, 500 cattle and 541 milk cows. Quite a thriving community when Israel and Lucy were raising their family here.

Israel Alden served as a private in the American Revolution from 19 September 1777 to 16 October 1777 serving in the Berkshire County Militia.

In 1790 US Federal Census, the first census, and in the 1800 US Federal Census Israel and family are living in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.

26 July 1792 there is a sale of their rights in the thirds set off to their mother Thankful from Lucy’s siblings to Israel. On the same day Israel and Lucy sell 54 acres to Daniel Markham.

12 March 1816 Israel and Lucy, living in Tyringham, sold 50 acres of land (lot #104) for $400. I wonder if they intended to move to Windsor, New York and this was their money for the new land and the move.

25 December 1816 Israel Alden bought 60 acres in Broome County, New York. The village of Windsor, where Israel lived, is located on the Susquehanna River. In 1805 Windsor had a population of 1,000. On 2 March 1807 the township of Windsor was created. I always wonder why my ancestors moved to a different location. What were the possible reasons for the move when Israel was 69 years old?

• In reading the book Binghampton It’s Settlement, Growth and Development I may have found an answer to my question. The editor William S. Lawyer explains that about 250 survivors of the Revolution came to this area and made homes for themselves and their families. As expected, I see “Israel Alden” in the list of Revolutionary soldiers who came to this area. Lawyer states “Nearly all of these patriots of the war for American independence were in modest circumstances, some of them very poor, while few indeed of the number could afford any of the luxuries of life as then enjoyed. They came to the region, as did other pioneers, hoping to benefit their condition and provide comfortable homes for their families. Their land was purchased at reasonable prices, and they at once set about its cultivation and development.”  Did Israel follow other soldiers of the Revolution to Windsor?

On 20 July 1817, only seven months after purchasing land there, Israel died in Windsor, Broome County, New York at the age of 70.

I am amazed at how far Israel moved in his life during that time period.  He was born in Stafford, CT.  He then moved his family to Tryingham, MA and later he would move them yet again to Windsor, NY.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

5th Blogiversary of Debby's Family Genealogy Blog

A look back at the last year:

Over the past year I have created and published only 28 blog posts. This is about half of what I normally post… but wait a minute, a lot has happened over the last year. Everything in life was going well and in the second week of March I became the proud owner of a 2020 Winnebago Travato. I was making plans for retirement and getting on the road in my new RV. A week later Covid hit and everything changed in all our lives. Similar to many others I was suddenly working from home and everyone was trying to determine what exactly was going on and when our lives would ever get back to ‘normal’. I had a very difficult time blogging in March and April and May with everything that was going on. While I was safe many others were not. With the uncertainty of the time blogging just didn’t seem that important to me.

I continued to dream of retiring and taking my genealogy road trip. At the end of June I did retire after 35 years as a Special Education Teacher. Retirement during Covid was very different. Eventually I made the decision that I could safely travel in my camper with my dog Harley. I knew what to do to be safe.  I believed I could travel, be safe and still do many of the things on my genealogy road trip list. (see post Genealogy Road Trip 2020) After about 10,000 miles and a little over three months I am back home safely with my trusted companion Harley. The unpacking is done and I am ready to start blogging again … and adding to the list for the next road trip.

Some of my Favorite Posts this year:

Visiting the home where my grandfather was born and grew up - The History of the Warner Homestead and Visiting the Warner Homestead.

Going to places where my ancestors lived is so important to me.  Completing my post Gerald G. Warner, Land Owner was a success because I found my great uncle’s land in South Dakota and was actually able to stand on land that once belonged to him. 

Finding out about my great grandmother’s siblings (The Missing Rowan Children-Who Were They?), who died very young, was important to me so that these children would not be forgotten.

All time History Page Views - this year went from 96, 989 to 115,077.

Followers – this year went from 22 to 24

In Case You Missed Them, My Top Five Most Viewed Blog Posts Were:

The Missing Rowan Children-Wo Were They?

Visiting the Warner Homestead

The Wyoming Massacre and Congress

Genealogy Road Trip 2020

The Life of Merrit Howell, Jr.

What I’ve learned:

When possible, being able to actually visit repositories is invaluable when searching for those elusive records. (See post- The Twists and Turns of Finding Baptismal Records for 1878 )

Visiting the land/area where my ancestors lived gives me more insight into who they were and how they lived. I can’t get the ‘feel’ for an area from pictures alone.

Developing chronologies of my ancestors’ lives in a story format helps me better put together the pieces of the data that I have found.

My Frustrations:

Finding the time to write the posts about all that I have learned about my ancestors continues to frustrate me.  I hope that retirement will give me more time to write.

Several ancestors remain elusive but with time I hope I will learn more about them.

I have several projects in the works related to my ancestors and hope that being retired will help me accomplish them sooner.

My goals for this next year:

Now that I am retired, I am hoping to finally complete my edit of my paternal great grandmother Carrie’s Letters in a digital format so that my cousins and others can easily read them.

To once again publish at least 50 posts.

To figure out how to add writing blog posts to my agenda while camping. This year as I embarked on my first genealogy road trip I focused mainly on how my camper works, traveling with Harley, seeing family and friends and doing some research.

Accomplished:

I was able to meet three cousins (a first cousin, a second cousin and a third cousin) in the last several months that I had found through DNA. What an amazing experience!! I cherish the time I was able to spend with them and look forward to our time together in the future.

I have been blogging now for 5 years and have published 234 posts. When I look back that seems like a lot but I have so much discovered information that I want to write about. Now it’s just setting aside the time to write the posts and get the information published to continue to tell my ancestors’ stories.

Despite all that has been happening since March I was able to publish 28 blog posts over the last year.

A VERY SPECIAL THANK-YOU TO ALL MY READERS!  I enjoy the comments you make and/or questions you ask.  I’m always looking for new directions to search or information that is questionable and needs verification.

My updated Surname word cloud:

It has been an interesting, and at times, very exciting year for me as a blogger.  On to new discoveries and new cousin connections.

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

Genealogy Road Trip 2020

I haven’t published any posts in a while and if you have wondered why…let me explain.

At the end of June I retired from work as a Special Education Teacher. I had worked at this job full time for over 35 years. What to do next? Lots of Genealogy among other things!! Well, in March, a week before Covid hit, I brought home my first ever camper, a 2020 Winnebago Travato.

Several years ago I decided that to celebrate my retirement I wanted to do a Genealogy Road Trip. I started keeping a list on Evernote with places I wanted to go visit and basic information I wanted to learn. Yes, you can keep a list in many of the family tree software programs but this was a little different type of list. I arranged items/locations by states and that helped me plan my trip, more or less.

Harley and I started our “Enjoy the Journey Road Trip 2020” at the end of July and just returned a couple of weeks ago after traveling for over 3 months, 10,000 miles and visiting 27 states.

I decided that despite Covid I still wanted to go on my trip. I listened to the experts about how to stay safe and used all the necessary precautions I could to keep myself and others safe. As I was getting ready to leave on my trip my son suggested that before I begin this journey I should think about what my primary goal was for the trip and then see if what I thought before beginning was still true at the end. (Great idea and made me think of all the trips he and I took while he was growing up. I would ask him each day what his favorite part of the trip had been and saved many of those on a postcard from the place we visited.)

With Covid I knew that I had to be FLEXIBLE, that things were likely to change as I headed around the country. Along with genealogy information or pictures to gather there were people I wanted to meet. I had found and corresponded with several newly discovered cousins through DNA that I really wanted to meet for the first time. There were also family and friends to see. The answer to my son’s question before I started was…I wanted to see the people and spend time with them. The genealogy information could wait (a lot of places may be closed due to Covid) but the people were the top priority!

So, how did I do? I was able to meet one first cousin, one second cousin and one third cousin I had never met. I was able to see a dear friend I hadn’t seen in years, see other friends and spend precious time with my family as we created many new memories.

What about the genealogy research you ask? Well, I was able to visit a lot of cemeteries. That’s one place that is easy to visit during Covid. Several were way out of the way and it look some time looking but I found them!

Oh, where to begin looking?? This might take a while.

I think Harley was getting tired of traipsing through all the cemeteries with me but it was a good time for a walk. I only found one cemetery in Pennsylvania that stated no dogs were allowed.

I did get to add in some unexpected little side trips. I grew up watching old westerns and when I saw a sign for this cemetery I just had to stop…

(click on images to enlarge)

Gravesite for Billy the Kid

How ironic that as I walked in to the cemetery, good friend and fellow blogger, Diane Gould Hall would call me. Like she knew I was going in to a cemetery lol.

I found it very valuable to physically be in the areas that my ancestors lived. Yes, I could look locations up on maps but it’s not the same as actually being there. Physically being there gave me insight in to distances people might have traveled, how far they lived from each other, what the terrain was like, etc.? Talking to the people also led to new discoveries and/or new leads to pursue that I hadn’t thought of before.

I was able to visit two county buildings and gather information so I could go and stand on land ancestors had once owned which was so amazing! (See post Gerald G. Warner, Land Owner.  More to follow in later posts on other discoveries.) It was exciting to go back to my Evernote list and say…’Done’ next to certain items.

Hopefully, the next time I start out on my road trip Covid will be a thing of the past, or at least under control enough, so that I will be able to cross more things off my list. While driving I decided on another visual that will help me concentrate my efforts back East on searching all the different towns where my many ancestral lines lived. I also needed to figure out the whole camping thing as well as traveling full time with a dog. That adds a new layer to going and doing research. This is the main reason I didn’t do more blogging while on the road. Several posts were started but I was unable to finish them with everything else that I had to do and that I was learning about camping in general.

Well, my camper is unpacked, cleaned and restocked. Ready for the next road trip. I thought about the ‘purpose’ of my trip. My answer was still the same as when I began-to see and spend time with the people that I cared about.

A very special thank-you to all who helped make this an amazing trip! If I was unable to see you this year then I hope I will be able to see you on the next trip. 

What a beautiful country we live in!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

The Wyoming Massacre and Congress

In an earlier post entitled 3 July 1778 the Wyoming Massacre I wrote about the Wyoming Massacre that occurred during the Revolutionary War and the connection to ancestors of mine. Visiting this historic site was very important to me in order to pay respect to all those who died for our country and be grateful for my ancestors that survived this attack.

While I was searching for the location of the monument (Wyoming Valley, PA) the GPS on my phone was having difficulty pinpointing the actual location. I realized that I needed to get further directions the old fashioned way and ask someone. A local man helped me with directions and informed me about a connection between the Wyoming Massacre and Congress that I hadn’t heard before. He stated he was grateful to help because I was telling the story of the Battle of Wyoming and it’s significance in history.

Did you know that there are bronze doors in Congress at the House wing and the Senate wing? Each half of the door consists of three panels and a medallion depicting significant events in American history.

The bronze doors at the east portico entrance of the US Capital’s House wing were designed by American sculptor Thomas Crawford in 1855-1857. After Crawford’s death William H. Rinehart took the sketches and had models made between 1863-1867. The models were stored in the Capital Building Crypt until 1903 when they were cast in Massachusetts by Melzar H. Mosman. The doors were installed in 1905.

The panels on this door depict the following events:

• Upper left: Wyoming Massacre, Pennsylvania
• Middle left: Battle of Lexington
• Lower left: Presentation of Flag and Medal to General Nathaniel Greene
• The medallion on the left represents the Death of General Montgomery

• Upper right: Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia
• Middle right: The Signing of the Treaty at Paris Between the United States and Great Britain
• Lower left: Washington’s Farewell to His Officers in New York
• The medallion on the right represents Benjamin Franklin in his studio

You can learn more about the Capitol building at Architect of the Capital.

How interesting to know that a historical event that my ancestors were part of helped shape the colonists’ response during the Revolutionary War and that this event would be important enough to be part of the Capitol Building. I wonder how many people walk by this door every day and have no idea of the significance of the panels?

While I always love learning about what my ancestors’ lives were like I very much enjoy learning how their experiences helped shape the history of our Country. I am so grateful to the man I met while looking for directions who helped me learn more about my ancestors’ connection to history. You just never know how those chance meetings with strangers can help you learn more about history and where that history will be displayed. A very special thank-you to this man who took the time to help me learn more!

If you have any corrections or additions or stories to share I look forward to hearing them.
Enjoy the journey,
Debby