John Rowan and the Battle of Gettysburg

Knowing so little about my Ancestors’ lives can be frustrating.  I am always looking to learn more, so, when small bits of information become available, I am very excited.

My paternal great great grandfather, John Rowan, fought in the Civil War. (see blog post The Civil War Record of John W. Rowan) After learning John was in the Civil War I wanted to learn more about his military service.  I learned John was a member of the 145^th NY Infantry and fought at the Battle of Gettysburg from July 1^st-3^rd in 1863.  John survived this horrific battle and was not reported injured during the battle.  How amazing!

While I have been to Gettysburg several times in the past, I wondered how the experience would change for me knowing that my Ancestor was there and part of the action?  This Summer, as part of a cross country road trip, I decided it was time to go back and see what else I could learn while there.

The first thing I wanted to do was find the stone marker for John’s 145^th NY Regiment.  I had been able to find a picture of it on the internet but the Battle of Gettysburg covered a large area.  Where was John physically during the 3 days of fighting?

Searching on the internet for the monument under The Battle of Gettysburg I learned the monument was located “southeast of Gettysburg on Culp’s Hill, on the east side of Slocum Avenue about 150 yards north of the intersection with Geary Avenue”. 

There it is!

"The granite monument is twelve and a half feet tall.  A circular bronze relief of the Seal of the State of New York and a bronze star symbol of the Twelfth Corps are on the front.  The monument was dedicated in 1890 by the State of New York."

Looking from several directions I can now see what the terrain was like:

From the account given by Col. E. Livingston Price, 14th New York Infantry, I have excerpted these pieces of his report to better understand how the battle progressed:

• "On the morning of July 1, my command moved from Littletown, PA., and halted about 2 miles from Gettysburg.

• About 4 o'clock on the morning of the 2nd instant, I received orders to be in readiness to move farther to the front, in order to take up a new line.

• At 6 o'clock I accordingly moved my command to the front by the way of the Gettysburg turnpike.

• About 12 m. I received orders to detach a company of my command as skirmishers.  ...a volley was fired directly in front of my command (probably by the enemy's skirmishers), wounding 2 of my men and causing some confusion; order was, however, quickly restored.  It was now 10.30 o'clock.  In this position my men rested on their arms during the night; nothing occurred.

• About 4 o'clock on the morning of the 3d, some twelve guns belonging to artillery, posted some 500 paces in rear of my regiment, opened upon the woods in front of my command, and skirmishers became briskly engaged.  The artillery opened upon the woods in my front, the shells of which barely cleared, the men of my command, who at that time were lying down.  Subsequently several of my men were wounded by the fire of our artillery, and, deeming it advisable and proper to report the facts to my commanding officer...  On the delivery of this message, the said Sergeant-Major Shanly was instructed by the commanding officer of the brigade to tell Colonel Price "not to fret."  Shortly after the arrival of this message, 3 more of my command were wounded, including a commissioned officer.

• My command was afterward moved forward to occupy the position of the day before, the enemy having been driven beyond the stone wall and breastworks before alluded to.  My command remained in this position, under a severe fire from the enemy's artillery, until 4.30 o'clock, when it was moved to the support of the center, but had hardly reached there before receiving orders to return to my former position on the right.  My regiment was afterward thrown forward into the first line, behind the breastworks, where it engaged the enemy's sharpshooters until darkness put an end to further operations. 

• Nothing unusual occurred during the night save teh alarm in the first line which caused it to fire.

• Thus for four days and three nights were the men of my command subjected to the severest hardships, besides trials and dangers of almost every description; yet throughout all I cannot speak int he highest terms of both the officers and men of my command.  All behaved with a nobleness of spirit well worthy of record; each and every one seemed aware of the great issues involved, and the importance of the struggle in which they were engaged."

       (Price's entire report can be found at The Battle of Gettysburg Official Report.)

John had already served for 11 months prior to this and fought in battles at Charlestown, Berryville and Chancellorsville.  John would go on to fight in additional battles before being wounded a little over a year later in Georgia.

Now I feel like by having walked in the area and read this document I have a much better idea of what these few days of battle were like for John.  At the time I also remembered that John was a young, unmarried man of merely 17 years.  I can only imagine the horror he felt.  I wonder if he questioned his decision to lie about his age and enlist so young?

While staying in Gettysburg I was able to take about a two hour horseback trail ride given by a park historian of some of the battlefields.  This was not the battlefield where John fought but somehow being on horseback and being on the grounds where men had fought and died also helped add to my understanding of what the experience must have been like for John.

There is so much to be gained by walking in my ancestors’ steps!  Whenever you can experience the areas where your ancestors lived and worked please do it.  Yes, I can learn a lot about the experiences of their lives from my computer but I assure you, even 158 years later, I can learn so much more by being there.

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

Enjoy the journey,
Debby

 

Allegheny College and Timothy Alden

Usually, I post links to my blog posts on Genealogy pages for the area my ancestor lived. I am always hopefully that I will find ‘cousins’ through my post and that they may have additional information about my ancestors that I previously hadn’t known. More pieces of the puzzle that tells about the lives of my ancestors.

Recently, I wrote about my maternal 5x great-grandmother Lois Wilcox Alden. (See post Celebrating the Life of Lois Wilcox Alden). Surprisingly a woman responded to my blog post and gave me new information about Lois’ husband, my maternal 5^th great-grandfather, Timothy Alden. (See posts Sunday Obituary-Timothy Alden, Tombstone Tuesday-Timothy Alden and Using County Histories to Find Information-Timothy Alden)

I started by reviewing the research I had to see if I had just missed the information she shared or if this was all new information. Nothing I had previously found related to this new information. What my cousin shared is that “Timothy Alden was the founder of Allegheny College.” Wow! That is very exciting! What can I find out to add to this story?
Allegheny College is perched on a hill overlooking Meadville in Northwestern Pennyslvania. According to the college’s website the college was founded in 1815. At that time of the college’s founding Timothy was 45 years old. Allegheny College is listed as the oldest college in continuous existence under the same name west of the Allegheny Mountains.

On their website Allegheny College states “In 1815, Meadville was still a raw frontier town of about 400 settlers, of whom an unusually large number had come from Massachusetts and Connecticut. They dreamed of a college that might bring the educational opportunities of New England to the frontier. The Rev. Timothy Alden was recruited to take on the task, and two months after his arrival in April 1815, Allegheny was established-with Alden as its first president.  Within half a dozen years, Alden succeeded in attracting sufficient funds to begin building a campus, having traveled throughout the eastern states seeking support for a planned library and classroom building. The need of a building to house a library led to the construction, in the 1820s, of Bentley Hall, today a leading example of early American architecture. Designed by Alden, this handsome structure still crowns the hill on which the campus is located.”


Allegheny College goes on to say that Rev. Timothy Alden was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. Further research on Harvard Divinity School showed that it dates from 1816 when it was established as “the first non-denominational divinity school in the United States”. Timothy Alden was born in 1770 in Tyringham, Massachusetts and married his wife Lois Wilcox there in 1790. The family moved to Monroe, Bradford County, PA in 1801. My guess is he would have attended Harvard Divinity School before 1801.

In the book entitled “Allegheny College Register of Alumni and Non-graduates, Allegheny College” Centennial Edition 1915 I found the following information on Timothy Alden:

There was also a new preparatory school building built in 1905 on the Allegheny College campus called ‘Alden Hall’.

When thinking about this, I remember that I found nothing in Timothy Alden’s obituary that talks about Allegheny College but then his obituary is one of the more interesting ones I have found that does not talk a lot of his accomplishments but more about his character. I have found him referred to as ‘Captain’ but not as ‘Reverend’ except at Allegheny College. Monroe, PA, where the family is known to have lived, was about 280 miles away. In the early 1800s that would have been a very long distance. Was, perhaps, Rev. Timothy Alden a different family member and not my Capt. Timothy Alden (married to Lois Wilcox) with the same name?

When I looked at the census records for 1830, when Rev. Timothy Alden was President of Allegheny College, I found two Timothy Aldens:

one listed in Mead Township, Crawford County, PA:

one listed in Monroe Township, Bradford County, PA:

To my knowledge Capt. Timothy Alden and Lois Wilcox Alden did not have a son named Timothy either.

This is a wonderful story and I wish they were the same person but right now I think they were probably two different men. I still want to check with the Harvard Divinity College to find out about Timothy Alden.  

Reminder, not all family stories turn out to yield information for your ancestors.  But by posting on The Pennsylvania Genealogy Network on Facebook…I found a new cousin and that’s more important than any story!

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

Revolutionary War Soldier John Jacobs

An image of Sgt. Jasper raising the battle flag of the colonial forces over present-day Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776 during the Battle of Sullivan’s Island by Johannes Oertel-New York Public Library

In honor of the 4th of July this year I wanted to look at one of my Revolutionary War Veterans-John Jacobs to see what I could find out about his service.  John is my maternal 6th great-grandfather and the father of Eleanor Jacobs Coolbaugh  and the husband of Eliza Pensel Jacobs (click on links to see their stories).  John was a Pennsylvania native.

I was able to learn that John Jacobs (1748-1831) served as a private in the 1st battalion, Essex County, New Jersey militia, and was in the battle of Sullivan's Island.  I was able to find the following listing of Enlisted Men in the book History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey on page 34 which lists John as a Private in Captain Cornelius Speer’s Company; also Captain Craig’s Company, State Troops in Continental Army.

I was also able to learn that John was in the battle of Sullivan’s Island.  When researching the Sullivan Island Battle, sometimes referred to as Battle of Fort Sullivan or First Siege of Charleston, I learned that Sullivan’s Island is in Charleston County, South Carolina off the coast at the entrance to Charleston Harbor.  This battle, part of the Southern Theater 1775-1782,  took place on 28 June 1776.  This was the first attempt by the British with their superior navy to begin a military push into the rebellious southern colonies.  The British were unable to break the American defense following stiff resistance from an entire day’s bombardment and significant damage to their fleet making this an American Victory!

I also learned in my research that John’s widow Eliza received a pension starting in 1832.  After some additional research I was able to locate the following pension card for John Jacob:

Finally, I now have a Pension # so I can get a copy of John’s Pension Records to see if there is any additional information, perhaps even about his parents.  More to follow on this.

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

3 July 1778 The Wyoming Massacre

If you have ancestors that lived in North Eastern Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War, were they affected by the Battle of Wyoming, also known as the Wyoming Massacre?  Have you even heard of this battle?  When I think of ‘Wyoming’ I think of the 44th state, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks, and Jackson Hole.  I didn’t realize until I was researching my maternal 5x great grandmother Eleanor Jacobs Coolbaugh (click on link to read her story) in Pennsylvania that long before the state of Wyoming became a state in 1890 there was a Wyoming Valley and ‘Wyoming County’ in Pennsylvania.

The battle, part of the Northern Theater 1778-1782,  was an encounter between the American Patriots and the Loyalists along with Iroquois raiders.  The British saw the patriots, about 360 soldiers, gathering in large numbers outside of Forty Fort.  The large numbers that were gathering led the Loyalists to begin the Battle of Wyoming. 

The Battle reportedly lasted about 45 minutes.  The  inexperienced militiamen were confused when an order was given to reform their lines of battle, panicked and began to run.  Some reports show about 60 Patriots managed to escape.   Almost all those that were captured by the Loyalists and Iroquois were tortured and killed.  Coronel Butler reported Indian allies had taken 227 scalps.  Estimates of about 340 Patriots were killed.   The British suffered the deaths of about 3 soldiers and about 8 wounded.  All those Patriots that were killed were buried in a common grave.  The Patriots surrendered the next day of Forty Fort.  This fort had become a refuge for displaced settlers during the Battle of Wyoming.  Read more about this battle at The Battle of Wyoming Valley (Massacre).


While researching Eleanor Jacobs Coolbaugh I came across the following hand written account (in the Ancestry online Strunk Family tree) about the battle, written down by Eliza's great-great-granddaughter, and believe the ‘baby’ was Eleanor who was a little over 2 years old at the time.  Her mother Elizabeth was also pregnant with Eleanor’s brother Samuel.     

Transcription:
“Eliza Pensil Jacobs made her escape from the Indians at the time of the Wyoming Massacre by walking on the old corn path from Newport (near Wilkes Barre) to Easton and carried her baby with her …”

What an amazing story of how my ancestor survived and kept her baby safe!  I am glad this story was handed down and has survived.  I am always thankful for these accounts that others have saved for telling the story of how directly involved our ancestors were in the historical events of their day.

Today there is a Wyoming Monument located at the site of a mass grave containing the bones of many of the victims of the battle and massacre. Commemorative ceremonies at the site of the massacre began in 1878, to mark the 100th anniversary with President Rutherford B. Hayes as the speaker.  Since then there is an annual program on the grounds sponsored by the Wyoming Commemorative Association. One hundred and seventy-eight names of Patriots killed in the battle are listed on the Wyoming Monument, and the names of about a dozen militia who were killed or died in captivity a day or so prior to the main battle. A possible explanation for the difference between the number of names on the monument (178) and the reported number of scalps taken in the battle (227) is that allegedly numerous civilians (perhaps as many as 200)—instead of surrendering to Colonel Butler—elected to flee and died of exposure in a swamp known as the "Shades of Death" after the battle.    See the website Durkees Men of Wyoming for the list of names of those killed on the memorial. 


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

Eleanor Jacobs Coolbaugh

Eleanor Jacobs Coolbaugh

243 years ago today my maternal 5x great-grandmother, Eleanor, was born in Hanover, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. During the time of Eleanor’s birth in 1776 this area of Pennsylvania was part of the Connecticut Colony and a year into the American Revolutionary War.  George Washington had just been appointed to command the Continental Army by Congress in the same month as Eleanor’s birth.  What a time of turmoil to be born!

Her parents were John and Elisabeth Pensel Jacobs*.   Eleanor was the fourth of seven children: William, John Jr., Charity, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Benjamin, and Samuel.

• When Eleanor was just 2 years old the Battle of Wyoming happened in the area.  Also known as the Wyoming Massacre, the battle along the Susquehanna river between the British Loyalists (with the Seneca Indians) and the Patriots was a defeat for the Patriots with over 220 killed.  Settlers claimed the Iroquois hunted, tortured and killed fleeing Patriots.
• Pennsylvania became a state 12 December 1787.

Eleanor married Peter Coolbaugh and they would have 8 children; Benjamin (my 4x great grandfather), William, Aaron, Susannah, Lovina, Mary, Eli and Sarah.
By the time of Benjamin’s birth in 1797 Eleanor and Peter were living in Wysox,
In 1818 Eleanor was living with her family in Lockville, Luzerne County,Lockville, PA PA. 

• Wyoming County was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County.

Eleanor would live to the age of 79 dying on 25 August 1855 in Lockville, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania.  Less than 20 miles from where she was born.

• Eleanor would outlive her husband Peter by 15 years and her children Benjamin and Lovina.

Happy Birthday, Eleanor!

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

*Special thanks to my newly found cousin John, a descendant of one of Eleanor’s brothers.  He was able to give me information on Eleanor’s parents.  Thank-you John!!

Celebrating the Life of Asahel Johnson

Asahel Johnson, my maternal 5x great-grandfather, was born 251 years ago today.   

• While doing research about a year ago on I was able to get my female direct maternal line back to Amanda Johnson and I was stuck.  A brick wall.  Hmm… What to do next?  I tried a new technique for me, by developing a research plan for Amanda and in the course of following my plan discovered some valuable sources of information. (click on titles to read previous posts Trying Out a New Research Technique: Finding Ancestors in the Early 1800s, Follow Up Friday-Trying a New Research Technique and My Maternal Line and Mitochondrial DNA to learn more) When I was looking at family trees on Family Search I found Amanda Johnson Browning and about another 6 generations beyond Amanda!  Wow!  I emailed Steve, the owner of the Tree, to say thank-you and ask about his sources.  I was delighted to find someone who shared the passion I have for family history and the dedication to verifying information.  Then my search was on for information about Amanda’s grandfather-Asahel Johnson.

What can I learn about Asahel?

Asahel was born 28 February 1768 at Woodbury, Connecticut.  Asahel is believed to be the 2nd of nine children born to Artemas and Mary Barns Johnson.

• Woodbury, founded in 1673 is currently in Litchfield County, CT

• As reported in the London Magazine in July 1753 America-Connecticut :  “Several hundred people of this Colony [Connecticut] have agreed to purchase a large tract of Land of the Six Nations of Indians of the Susquehanna River, about 300 leagues to the Westward, lying within the bounds of their Charter, to settle upon it.  Expecting that it will be in a short time a distinct Government.”  The land was in what is now Pennsylvania. 

I believe Asahel arrived in Pennsylvania, first locating in Shesequinn and later settling in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  Asahel purchased land from the Connecticut Delaware Company on Towner Hill.  The title supposedly proved worthless but he decided to stay and reportedly took 3000 acres.

Asahel would marry Beulah Hitchcock on 3 March 1782 in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania.  They would have 12 children: Lydia, Artemus, Simeon, Amanday, Charlotte, Joel (my 4x great-grandfather), Welthy, Julia, Clarissa, Lydia, Nelson, and Mary.

In 1797 it is reported that Asahel moved into the wilderness with his family.  “His first years were a severe struggle, and he was compelled to work at  Sheshequin to produce grain for family supplies, during which time Mrs. Johnson remained alone with her small children [possibly 5], caring for them and the cow, their only stock.”  (from the Files of the Bradford County Historical Society in family history titled Twiggs from Family Trees Hoagland)

Asahel died 25 November 1857 in Orwell and is buried in the Darling Cemetery.

• Oh, how I wish Asahel had kept a diary of that journey back in the 1780s from Woodbury, CT to the Susquehanna Valley, PA area, a distance of about 200 miles in a westward direction.  I wonder what he went through to get there and to settle in the then ‘wilderness’.  Looking at the map I guess I can see why the Connecticut Colony contained the land westward in to what is now Pennsylvania.  I just wonder about that strip of land above New York City?

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

*I always try to remember to thank those who have done a lot of research and graciously shared their trees to give me the bread crumbs I love to follow that help me kick down my brick walls!  Thank-you Steve!!  Steve also shared a link to a website for the Spencer-Benham Reunion Association.  The reunion has been held in Illinois for 122 consecutive years and Steve remembered that Amanda Johnson Browning was mentioned in the minutes. Steve and Judy Witt transcribed most of the minutes and posted to the Genealogy Trails History Group, Carroll County, Illinois website.

Follow Up Friday–Trying a New Research Technique

Finding records on my ancestors in the early 1800s I knew would be difficult.  What should I do? 

In my last post entitled Trying Out a New Research Technique: Finding Ancestors in the Early 1800s I described a research technique I heard about in a workshop at Jamboree.  I developed a research question and listed all the possible sources where I could look for the answer.  I was pleased at how many suggestions I was given from readers, many of which I have used in the past, that I could add to my list of possible sources of information.

I tried searching in serval sources and found a lot of great information on my maternal 3x great-grandmother Amanda Johnson Browning’s grandparents, her marriage to William Browning, etc. Great information for other stories but what about

my research question:  When and where was Amanda Johnson born?

I had to keep refocusing myself to my research question.  The additional information is great but I needed to stay on track and answer my question.  (Those rabbit holes sure are intriguing.)  After several days of research I started looking in a book that was on my list of sources that might have information.  The book was by the author H. C. Bradsby entitled History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania: with biographical selections.   The link for the book I had listed in my spreadsheet from the Family Search Wiki didn’t work but I found the book on Ancestry when I searched Pennsylvania, Bradford County in the Card Catalog.




I was familiar with this author’s name and his work is listed on the website Tri-Counties Genealogy and History Site-Bradford and Tioga County (PA) and Chemung (NY). I have found his information to be very useful in the past.  At the time I thought this was the same book on my list but it was another book by another author.  (I used my original spreadsheet to research from and realized this book was on my spreadhseet but I somehow left it off when transferring the information to my blog post-oops.) 
Here is what I found:




Orwell township is in Bradford County, PA and I knew Amanda had married William Browning.    SUCCESS!  My research question is answered. Happy dance time!

Some thoughts on this research technique I had not used before:

• I have to admit that it was very difficult to not just start hitting SEARCH with each record source I found when I was making my initial list.
• Coming up with a list of possible sources to research was very helpful even if it seemed time consuming to set up on the front end.  I have short time periods here and there to search with working full time.   When I have the time to sit down for a few minutes I search haphazardly for information.  Having the list of sources made my time searching much more focused and actually more productive.  I didn’t need to stop and think about what I had already done because I kept results of my searches in my spreadsheet.
• My list of sources of information will come in handy as I continue to search for information on Amanda’s life.
• I have other family lines from this area of Pennsylvania.  Now that I have developed a list of resources for this county I can use that list to search other family lines as well.
• Even though you think you are familiar with an author’s work look for other titles by the same author.  I wonder why Mr. Bradsby collected this information?  Was he paid to record the information or was it a hobby?
• 
  

I will definitely use this research technique again!  Thank-you Annette Burke Lyttle. 

In future posts I will talk about 2 interesting finds while I was researching Amanda’s birth information.

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

Gap filled profile of Isaac Cornell

As we try to fill in the pieces of our ancestors’ lives there are frequently gaps and brick walls.  It’s not so neat and tidy as we get back to the early 1800s and late 1700s, especially if your ancestors moved around and there are several people you find with the same name.  This is definitely the case as I try to research my maternal 3rd great grandfather Isaac Cornell.  UGH but then no one ever said it would be easy.  And for me it’s the pursuit of finding the answers, no matter how difficult the journey, that keeps me going.



I have profiled the life of my maternal 2nd great grandfather Joseph Cornell in posts entitled Civil War-Certificate of Disability for Discharge and Organizing Information Joseph Cornell.  With the information I have on Joseph I thought I would look for information on his father Isaac/Isaiah.  I also enlisted the help of my cousin Wendy because I hadn’t previously found much.  Wendy and I have shared information before and I so enjoy working with her.  We’re good at brainstorming together and we each often find information in different places that the other person hasn’t found.  I think we’re really stumped on this one.

In the mid 1990s while driving from Elmira, NY to Long Island, New York with my mother and son we decided to make a quick stop in Laceyville, Pennsylvania to see what I could find in the cemetery there.  I knew several ancestors had lived there and hoped we could find the cemetery and some additional information.  I decided to stop at the local Post Office and ask for directions to the cemetery.  As I walked up to the Post Office there was a mail carrier named Ellen, heading in to the building.  I asked if she could give me directions to the Lacey St. Cemetery and she said she could.  She asked what name I was looking for.  She said she was interested in genealogy as well and while she worked as a mail carrier she frequently would go through local cemeteries and look for her family and her husband’s family tombstones.  I told her I was looking for the Coolbaugh Family and for Isaac Cornell.  She laughed and said her husband’s great-grandfather was Cyrus S. Cornell (I think I am remembering this correctly) the brother of my Joseph Cornell.  She had no idea where their brother Isaac was buried or who their parents were.  She said her father-in-law had a family bible but she hadn’t been able to get much access to it. I must try to find her again.

Here is what I do know, so far:

1810 Isaac (Jr.) is born in Pennsylvania and his father’s name is Isaac (Sr.) as well.
Isaac (Jr.) married Sally before 1837.  I have Sally listed as Sarah Ranght but not sure where this is from.

Isaac and Sally had 4 sons:  Joseph in 1835, Isaac in 1837, Benjamin in 1839 and Cyrus in 1845.

1850 US Federal Census Isaac 40, Farmer, couldn't read/write; Sally 35; Joseph 15, attends school; Isaac 13, attends school; Benj 11, attends school; Cyrus 5; Isaac 70, no occupation; all born in PA. 

The Isaac that is the head of the household is my 3rd great grandfather and the father of Joseph Cornell, my 2nd great grandfather.  There is an Isaac living with them which I believe is Isaac’s father.  Since Isaac is listed as 40 in 1850 that would make his year of birth as 1810 and Sally as his wife.

23 Aug 1863-“Isaiah Cornell was alive when his son, Joseph Cornell, provided answers to fill out an 'Individual Record of Personal History of Officers and Soldiers Belonging to Regiments from NY In the Service of the United States' form at Carver Hospital on 23 Aug 1863.  Joseph Cornell described his parents' nationality as German on a form he provided information for on 23 Aug 1863.”  I have this note in my records, unfortunately, it was before I knew the importance of citing my sources and cannot locate the original source to see if there is additional information.


Sometimes you just can’t find anything.  Sure wish I had cited my sources early on.  We’ll just have to keep working on this.

A reminder…you never know where that next lead or family connection will come from.  It could be at the local Post Office.

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

Follow up-Hattie Browning DeLeon Coolbaugh

I remember a few years ago at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree I took a workshop that was given by Paula Stuart-Warren.  During the workshop she stated that one of the best things to do when researching was to have someone to work with.  I always find this to be true!  Sometimes they can find things you can't and may have ideas you hadn't thought of for researching.

I was researching the life of my maternal 2nd great-grandmother Harriett Browning DeLeon Coolbaugh.  I published my first of now 4 blog posts entitled Harriett Browning DeLeon Coolbaugh on what I had found out about Hattie’s life.  While researching I had hit a major brick wall in regards to Hattie’s first husband.  All I knew was that his last name was DeLeon.  I had spent hours searching for information to no avail.  Within an hour, I think, of publishing that first post my distant cousin Wendy had figured out who Mr. DeLeon was and that he and Hattie had had a daughter.  Major WOW!!

• Wendy was able to find Hattie in the 1870 US Federal Census as the wife of…Charles DeLeon.

(click on image to enlarge)

• In the census Hattie is listed as 20 years old.  Her husband is listed as Charles DeLeon, 24 years old and his occupation is Physician.  He was born in Cuba and he is listed as a Citizen.  His parents are both listed as foreign born.  Hattie and Charles are listed as living in LeRaysville, Bradford County, Pennsylvania on the 15th of August 1870.  The question of who Hattie’s first husband was is answered! I still don’t know when Hattie and Charles married or when Charles died?  I am guessing Charles died somewhere between 1872 and 1875. 

Right above Hattie and Charles on the census are listed Hattie’s parents-William and Amanda Browning along with her brothers Eustace and Gay.  This all fits!  Actually, I had found William and Amanda before on this census but never looked at the names below theirs to find Hattie and Charles…ugh!  How did I miss that?? Reminder: always look at other names on the Census page.

• Wendy also found on Family Search a marriage certificate in Pennsylvania that listed Harriet DeLeon as the mother of a Florence DeLeon.  From this marriage certificate Wendy was able to determine that Harriet DeLeon listed “now Coolbaugh” on the certificate was the mother of Florence DeLeon who was 17 years old (b. 1872) at the time of her marriage on 10 January 1889.  Florence married Harry Burch and both were living in Towanda, Bradford County, Pennsylvania at the time. 

In the blog post Sunday Obituary-Harriett “Hattie” Browning DeLeon Coolbaugh the obituary states that Hattie was survived by a daughter “Mrs. Harry Bruch”.  Obviously there was a spelling error but the pieces are fitting together.  YEA!  And we now know that Harriett had a daughter with Charles DeLeon, her first husband.

I wondered who Florence was living with in 1880 since she wasn’t listed with Hattie and Portis in Towanda, Bradford County, PA?  Well, after some additional research I did find her and she was living with her maternal grandparents-William and Amanda Browning in Towanda, Bradford County, PA as well.

So, four Blog posts later I now have a much better picture of Hattie’s life.  I was amazed at how much information I was able to find on her!  The information just kept coming but it took Federal and State census records, marriage records for her daughter Florence, searching City Directories (see post Tip-Searching City Directories), an obituary, Civil War Pension records, North American Family History records (Coolbaugh Family) and the tremendous help of my cousin Wendy to put all the pieces together.  Sometimes the information just keeps coming.  I know there is probably even more information to find.

Wendy and I have worked together previously and I so enjoy not only talking to her to find out about her life but the rich research talks we have as well!  I am looking forward to one day soon actually meeting her in person. 

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

Harriett Browning Deleon Coolbaugh

I thought I’d see what I could learn about my maternal 2nd great-grandmother Harriett Browning Deleon Coolbaugh.  Frequently as I search my ancestors in the mid to late 1800s I am unable to find much information of them in public records.  This is especially true for the women in my family.  I was certainly surprised at how much I was able to learn about Hattie.

Harriett “Hattie” Browning was born in June 1850 to Amanda Johnson Browning and William Browning in Orwell, Pennsylvania.

In the 1850 US Federal Census on the 20th of September in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania Harriett W. was 3 months old (born June).  Her father William W. Browning was 34 years old, a Chair Maker by occupation, birthplace Pennsylvania and owning real estate worth $400.  Harriett’s mother Amanda was 27 years old and her birthplace was listed as Pennsylvania. There are no other children or adults living with them.

In the 1860 US Federal Census on the 26th of July in Orwell, Bradford County, Pennsylvania (Post Office -Potterville) Harriett was 11 years old, birthplace listed as Pa.  Her father William W. was 44 years old, his occupation Chair Maker, with Real Estate valued at $1400 and Personal Property valued at $740.  Her mother Amanda was 37 years old, birthplace Pa.  Her brother Euster was 8 years old and birthplace PA.  Her brother Gay was 2 years old with a birthplace PA.  17 year old Edwin Sherman lived with them and is listed as a Chair Maker apprentice.

In the 1870 US Federal Census on 15 August for Le Raysville, Bradford, PA I can find William, Amanda, Eustace and Gay but not Amanda.
Harriett reportedly 1st married a man named __ DeLeon.  I am not sure what year or how long they were married before he died. I am unable to find them in the 1870 census but I know that Harriett was not living with her parents then.

Portis, who’s first wife died during childbirth,  married Hattie Browning Deleon on 22 June 1875.  (See post Portis/Porter M. Coolbaugh)
Their children were:

• Max Morris Coolbaugh in 1877
• Amanda who was born in 1880
• Nettie Emily (my great grandmother) in 1881.  (See post Searching for Nettie Emily Coolbaugh Cornell)
• Charles in 1886

In the 1880 US Federal Census on 3rd of June in Towanda Borough, Bradford , PA shows Harriett 30 is Keeping House with Portis 35 with an occupation as Engineer Stationery.  Living with them are Portis’ son from his first marriage Lewis 11, their son Max M. 3 and daughter Amanda 2 months old.

In the 1892 New York State Census on 16 February in Barton, Tioga County, New York Harriett age 42 is living with her husband Portis age 48 with occupation Carpenter, son Max M. age 15, daughters Amanda age 12 and Nettie age 10, and son Charles age 7. This is the first record of the family living in New York.

In the 1900 US Federal Census on the 8th of June 1900 in Baldwin Township, Chemung County, New York Harriett is 50 years old and her husband Portis is 55 years old and his occupation is Farmer.  Their sons Max M. age 22 is listed as a Sailor and son Charles is 13 years old and at School. Everyone is listed as being able to read, write and speak English.

In the 1905 New York State Census on 1 June in Baldwin, Chemung County, New York Harriet is 55 years old living with her husband Portis age 60 who was a Farmer and their son Charles 19 years old who was also listed as a Farmer.

In the 1910 US Federal Census on the 20th of April in Genoa Town, Cayuga County, New York Harriett is 60 years old, has been married for 35 years.  She has had 5 children and 4 are still living.  Portis is 65 years old and they are living with their daughter Nettie Emily (my great grandmother) and her family.

Harriett’s husband Portis died 16 October 1910.

On 21 October 1910 Hattie filed for a Widow’s Pension after the death of her husband Portis, who was a Veteran of the Civil War.

In the Elmira, New York, City Directory for 1914 I see Hattie living with her son Charles at 101 1/2 Front Street.

In the 1915 New York State Census on 1 June in Elmira Ward 2, Chemung County Hattie was 65 years old and was living with her daughter Amanda Cooper and her family on John Street.

In the 1920 US Federal Census on 2 January in Town of Spencer, Tioga County, New York Hattie is 69 years old and living with her daughter Amanda and her family. 

In the Ithaca, New York, City Directory, for 1926 Hattie is living with her daughter Amanda and her family at 502 N. Plain St.

In the Ithaca, New York, City Directory, for 1927 Hattie is living with her daughter Amanda and her family at 502 N. Plain St.

In the Ithaca, New York, City Directory, for 1930 Hattie is still living with her daughter Amanda and her family at 502 N. Plain St.


Harriett died in March 1930.  She lived to be 80 years old.  I need to try and get a copy of her death certificate.  Hattie’s daughter Nettie Emily would die before her in 1925.

There is so much information in public records on Hattie!  I wish I could locate a photo of Harriett.  Maybe if I can find a descendant of Amanda Cooper’s family they might have one since they are the last ones that Hattie lived with.  I wonder if she preferred Harriett or Hattie?  As she was getting older I find her listed more as Hattie.

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

Sunday Obituary-Timothy Alden

As genealogists we are always looking for obituaries to find those missing pieces of information such as a birth location, a missing family member, etc.  When I found the following obituary for my maternal 5th great-grandfather Timothy Alden, I was amazed at how different this obituary was from the others that I have been able to locate.  This has no mention of his wife or children, his year or location of birth, or even his connection to his very famous 5x great-grandparents John & Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower.  Yet, I feel like I know so much about him as a man from the following very eloquent description of the personality of the man Timothy was.  I believe it also shows the author’s admiration for Timothy.

The Bradford County Historical Society was able to locate the obituary for me from the

Bradford Reporter dated Thursday, Oct. 13, 1859:

Transcription:  In this village, on the 20th ult, Capt. Timothy Alden, of Monroe township, aged 89 years and seven months.

Capt. Alden was one of the pioneer settlers of northern Pennsylvania; emigrated from Massachusetts, and fixing his home in these sylvan wilds in December of the 1880.  His axe cut the road for the teams as he approached the place which he had selected for a home. -- He grappled manfully with the inconveniences of frontier life, and the wild beasts of the mountains, and the forests alike stood out of his way, and the earth and his mechanical industry were compelled to yield him a support.  He has lived until all the original surroundings have changed while he gazed upon them-the village, the church, the railroad, and all the accompaniments of thirst, now occupy the cities upon which he gazed, in their original attire.  The red man has gone to his imaginary hunting ground, the sturdy pioneer has fallen a martyr to his privations and hardships; and two generations have passed away from this western home, leaving a patriarch to tell us of events that were well nigh a century agone; and thus to stand as a connecting link, associating us with men and events of quite another era of time.  The aged oak has finally fallen and the connecting link is broken and forever gone.  Bowed with age and with locks whitened by the frosts of many winters, the sluggish stream is stayed and the weary wheels of life have ceased to move.  Panoplied by a life of rich experience, and fed by fruitful thought and meditation, and nerved for the event, by long and careful observation, he wrapped around him the mantle of his christian faith, and sat down to await the day of his appointed time as quietly as the infant reposing in the arms of maternal affection.  He has gone on that long journey.  Verily, “As the waters fail form the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down and riseth not, till the heavens be no more.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                COM.

I wish I could thank the author of this obituary for the care he/she took in preparing this and the style of writing used.

See also Tombstone Tuesday-Timothy Alden and Using County Histories to Find Information-Timothy Alden for additional information.

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

Enjoy the journey,
Debby