Labor Day-They Were Millers

In honor of Labor Day I decided to look at the unusual career of my great great Grandfather (Gilbert Terry) who was a Miller and found out about other Millers in the family. It’s amazing sometime what you can learn from a newspaper article and how it can enhance your family tree. 

I knew that my great-great Grandfather Gilbert Terry had run the Old Mill in Peconic, NY for many years.  When I found this newspaper article about The Old Mill I learned more about Gilbert but also about several other Terry men in the family and their connections to Mill work.

I found this article in the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Free Library.  There is a Research Room that has local genealogy information that my parents took me to one time when I was visiting back East.  In this room was a treasure trove of binders.  There was a woman (wish I had written down her name)  from the area who over the years, long before computers, would cut out articles from the local newspaper and glue them on pieces of paper by family names.  Yes, now days I can search many of the newspapers on line from my home in California because they are digitized.  The search engines are pretty good, not perfect, and you can search by date but sometimes you have no idea what is out there to search for.  I have found numerous articles that I never would have known about if not for the wonderful gift this woman left for us.

The Old Tide Mill

Peconic, NY

Gilbert Terry was born in 25 June 1833 to Walter Franklin Terry and Eliza Ann Tooker Terry.  Gilbert had 5 brothers and 4 sisters.

From an article entitled “He Knew Peconic Mill” published in the Long Island Forum in September 1954 I learned more specifics about my great-great-grandfather’s career.  The following excepts help tell the story;

“…in 1872 the Coxes sold their holdings there to Capt. Joshua U. Terry who, after retiring from his seafaring life in 1847, conducted the Marttituck Mill for over twenty years.”

• I am not sure who Joshua U. Terry is and how he is related.

“The next miller at the Peconic mill after Cox and his son was Edward H. Terry who conducted it until the growing infirmities of age compelled his retirement.  He was succeeded by his brother Gilbert Terry who as the last miller there ran the Peconic mill for thirty-four years.  He gave up milling in 1902, and thereafter lived in Orient with his niece Mrs. Wilson L. Petty.” 

• Not mentioned-that he lived with his wife Almeda Robinson Terry.  Mrs. Wilson Petty would be referring to Gilbert’s niece Annie Robinson Petty, daughter of his wife Almeada’s brother Barnabas.  I find Annie Petty and her husband Wilson living in Peconic, NY in the 1900 and 1910 census, not Orient, NY.

Gilbert Terry married Almeda V. Robinson.  They had a daughter Ella who as Mrs. George Billard lived or lives at Cutchogue.  Joshua U. Terry who ran the Mattituck mill for over twenty years, dying about 1900, was a brother of Gilbert Terry.

• I find it interesting that they mention their daughter Ella but not Carrie Terry Warner or sons Forrest Terry and Millard Terry.  Ella was the only one alive at the time of the article though.

“In these tide-water-mills the rising tide swept into the rock-walled channel through the open gates.  As the tidewater retreated the gates would close, storing the water in the creek for use when it flowed out, turning the big water wheel.”

“During his ownership of the Peconic mill, Gilbert Terry enlarged and improved it in the early 1870’s by adding an extension on the north side and putting a windmill wheel atop a tower.  The windmill much increased the efficiency of the plant as the tide-wheel would only operate during part of the fall of the tide, or some ten hours at most.”

“With the second set of stones installed, Terry ground over 200 bushels per day on numerous occasions.  His largest grind was 300 bushels, when he worked a greater part of twenty-four hours.”

• I can imagine how dedicated he was if he worked the greater part of 24 hours at times. 

In the 1880s they ground “wheat, corn and oats into flour, light and dark canaille, and meal for the kitchen and bran for the barn.”

• In the 1880s ‘canaille’ meant a low grade of flour.

“ During the 1880s Gilbert was reported as saying, “We are grinding a bushel a minute, using both tide and windmill.””

“…The Inlet windmill was destroyed during a great storm on November 26 and 27, 1898.  The wheel of the mill was blown to pieces and the wreckage left hanging.  One by one the few remaining sticks dropped before the wind until the standard stood alone.”

• According to the LI Traveler newspaper there was a blizzard with hurricane force winds known as the ‘Thanksgiving storm’.

“By this time farmers had found it more profitable to grow potatoes and cauliflower than grain.  Consequently the amount of work brought to the mill rapidly decreased until finally the water-wheel was stopped to turn no more.”

• I also learned from this article that Walter Franklin Terry, Gilbert’s father was a miller.  That Gilbert was a miller (ran the Old Mill in Peconic, NY)  as was his brother Edward H. (who ran the Mill in Mattituck and later one in Patchogue, NY) and that Joshua Terry was also a miller.  A family of Millers-what interesting work and different from the common practice of farming.

For those of you regularly following my blog you may be interested in knowing that Gilbert Terry was the father of Carrie Terry Warner-Carrie's Letters.  See additional blog posts- Carrie's Letters.

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

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Tombstone Tuesday-Margaret Hamman (Hammond) Shove

Until about 6 months ago I really knew nothing about my Great Aunt Margaret (Maggie) Hamman Shove.  I’m not even sure I knew my grandfather James Jacob Hammond had a sister named Maggie.
In April I found out that my grandfather (James Jacob) had 2 sisters-Margaret and Mary and 3 brothers- Arthur (John), Michael and Joseph Hamman all  born in Remsen, Iowa to Henry Hamman and Suzie Bentz Hamman.  Their mother Suza died in 1908 when the oldest Mary was 10 and the youngest Michael was barely a year old.

I can find most of the siblings except for Margaret in an orphanage in Dubuque, Iowa in 1910.
In 1915 I find Aunt Maggie living in Meadow, Plymouth, Iowa.
I believe Frank Shove and Margaret Hammond were married about 1920.
In 1930 I find Margaret and Frank Shove in Cherokee, Iowa with daughters Betty June and Delores.
In 1934, when my grandparents, James Jacob Hammond and Edna Mae Cornell were married in Spencer, NY,  I know that Mrs. Frank Shove of Cherokee, Iowa attended and signed the Guest Book.
In 1966 Margaret passed away in San Diego, CA.  She was buried in Mt. Hope, San Diego and was 65 years old.

I find it interesting that whoever gave the above information for the Death Notice did not mention or possibly know of my Grandfather who was still alive and living in Van Etten, NY.

I have not been able to locate the children of Frank and Margaret’s daughters yet.  I know that Betty June Shove Goodburn passed away in 2015 leaving 2 children and 8 grandchildren.  Delores Reiter passed away before 2015.

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

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Train Depot Robbery-Carrie’s Letters

I am very fortunate to have over 100 letters that my Great-Grandmother Carrie Terry Warner wrote from 1880-1910 mainly about rural life in Baiting Hollow and nearby Riverhead, N.Y.  I have enjoyed reading her letters and researching about events and people she has talked about in the letters.  I grew up a few miles from where my grandfather, Olin F. Warner, Sr. was born and grew up.  In one of Carrie’s letters she talks about a robbery at the train depot in Riverhead.  I am always amazed at how close her account is compared to the local newspaper account especially in a time of person to person communication and not even a telephone.

 

 

 

Carrie’s account:

September 1893-“It seems Saturday night someone broke into the depot at Riverhead, ate watermelon, apparently had a good time, and being unable to open the safe took it on one of the hand trucks up north in the swamp and with an ax tried to break it open, but failed after all to get inside of it.  These two men were arrested on suspicion.  The wagon was not much injured, broke the shafts all to pieces and took out one stud staff.  In my opinion the shafts are no loss for they were too short and I was always afraid something would happen with them.”

 

Newpaper account-The Long Island Traveler reporting on October 6, 1893:

Stole the Safe

     At some hour between 12 and 5 Sunday morning burglars broke into the station of the Long Island Railroad Company at Riverhead and carried off the safe containing about $200 in cash and express matter valued at $300.  The safe was about three feet high and nineteen inches wide.
     The burglars broke a pane of glass and turning an ordinary window fastening, raised the sash and stepped in.  On gaining entrance they removed the locks from the doors and brought in several watermelons.  These were eaten and the seeds and the rinds  thrown about the waiting room.  After completing their repast a baggage truck was secured.  Placing the safe upon this the burglars started east, going nearly a mile, then turned north, going towards the swamps.  Reaching the swamps they dumped the safe in to a ditch and made an attempt to open it.  From the appearance of the door the men used an ordinary axe.  The handle and combination lock were broken off and the door battered from the effects of the blows.  The men gave up the job, and after covering the safe with brush left it without getting its contents.
     Early Sunday morning a party passing the station noticed the broken window and the open door and notified the agent, Otis G. Pike.  Prints of bare feet were discovered around the building, also the trail of the truck.  Deputy Sheriff Robert Nugent started in Pursuit.  He found the safe shortly before noon.

 

I was able to find the newspaper account online at Suffolk Historical Newspapers.

 

You can check out some of the following additional posts about Carrie’s Letters:

• Christmas 1896
• Independence Day 1897
• Birth 1897 Style
• Snow Days
• Bringing Ancestral Letters to Life

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

 

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Presentation “Carrie’s Letters: Bringing Ancestral Letters to Life”

(you can click on an image to enlarge it)

Yesterday, I had the amazing privilege of being the presenter for the San Diego Genealogical Society at their monthly meeting.  It was a great honor to present Carrie’s Letters: Brining Ancestral Letters to Life for the Society I also belong to. 

I began with how my father was given a box of letters, which I realized he had about 8 years ago, that were written by my paternal great-grandmother Carrie Terry Warner.  My presentation was about how a box of letters can become so much more interesting when you transcribe them and investigate the events the author of the letters is referring to. 

While I worked at transcribing the letters I felt at times like a little girl sitting at Carrie’s feet while she told me ‘stories’ about herself and those around her.  In addition to learning information about Carrie and John and their family I was also able to learn so much about the happenings in Baiting Hollow, N.Y. from 1885-1910.  After I transcribed the letters I set out to find out more about the family members and events mentioned in the letters.  I was frequently able to find newspaper articles about events she told her sister Ella Terry Billard about.  I was surprised to see that without telephones and computers the account Carrie relayed about an event like ‘the train depot robbery’ in nearby Riverhead, N.Y. was so accurate.


These are some things that were mentioned in the letters that I was able to find:

• copies of the books Carrie had read on Google Books (Lena Rivers and Marvels of the New West)
• copies of magazines on line that Carrie referred to and being able to purchase them to see what Carrie read               (The Delineator and Mayflower Seed Catalog)
• information on my paternal Great-Grandfather’s service as ‘Postmaster’ in Baiting Hollow, N.Y.
• the actual land deed for my great-grandfather John B. Warner’s first land purchase

I was able to share about my paternal grandfather’s birth and learned that it was his older brother Terry Warner who was actually the one who named him.

I was pleased with the interaction of members who shared information and or experiences they have had with letters as well.  Some members when I explained a dilemma I’d had in understanding something in the letters like the term ‘fools cap’ knew exactly what is was.  This reinforced what Paula Stuart-Warren discussed in her workshop at Southern California Genealogy Jamboree about researchers working together and not by yourself.

A special THANK-YOU to The San Diego Genealogical Society for the opportunity to be a presenter and share my passion for Carrie’s Letters.  See the following blog posts for additional information on Carrie’s Letters;
I also want to thank fellow blogger, member of SDGS and friend Diane Gould Hall for the photos!

I tried videotaping the presentation. If I am successful in downloading the presentation and the quality is good I will let you know how to access it if you are interested in viewing it.

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Amanuensis Monday-Will for Daniel Warner Sr. 1857

Amanuensis, as I’m referring to here, is the act of transcribing an historic document.

This will complete my collection of 5 generations of my paternal Warner family line starting from my great-grandfather John B. Warner’s will dated 1920 to James Warner’s will dated 1801.  I have not had the opportunity to transcribe them all yet but you can check out the blog posts I have already done for my 4x great grandfather James Warner and my 2X great grandfather Daniel Warner, Jr. 

To add to the collection is the will of Daniel Warner, Sr. my paternal 3x great grandfather.  (The ‘Daniels’ become a little confusing at times since there were actually 4 Daniel Warner’s that I know of in my direct Warner line.)  I was able to locate this Will at the Probate Office at the Suffolk County Center in Riverhead, NY.

Will Liber 10  pages 369-372

My descendant chart from Legacy helps put the family into perspective as they are named in the will.  The will was written in 1857 and you will notice that there are 6 children (3 boys and 3 girls). 

The transcription is as follows;

Several thoughts I have after reading;

• Daniel’s wife Jemima Howell Warner was still alive when this will was written.  Was it just expected that she would be taken care of by her children and she didn’t need to be mentioned in the will?  She would actually die 8 months after Daniel in 1870.
• Daughter Susan was married (2 years) at the time of the will to Beriah Cleaves.
• Son Lewis I believe was married at the time of the will to Eliza Fanning Warner.
• Son Goldsmith would never marry.
• Son Daniel (my 2x great grandfather) was appointed one of the Executors.  He was married at the time of his father’s will (16 years) to Eleanor Howell Warner.
• Daughter Joanna was married at the time of the will (17 years) to David Wells Howell.
• Daughter Jemima was 23 years old and unmarried.  She would later marry Stephen Randall. 
• It seems that Daniel was trying to distribute materials and property evenly among his children.
• There is no mention in Daniel’s will of any grandchildren.  I know that Daniel and Eleanor had at least 8 children at the time of their grandfather’s will.

I also obtained a copy of the probate record for Daniel’s will.  Interesting find.  More to follow.

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

Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Using Tax Records and Maps-Warner Family

I recently rediscovered an old tax record that I found years ago at the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead, Suffolk, New York referencing my paternal great-great-grandfather and his brothers.  While I was looking over it I remembered that I had a copy of an old map from the same time period that actually shows where property owners were located.  Now I am able to see where my paternal ancestors’ property was and how much land they owned.

Assessment Role of the town of Riverhead, of the County of Suffolk, State of New York in the month of June 1874 by Abil Corwin, Samuel Griffing, James L. Skidmore, Assessors.
Names of Owners and (?)Parcels                      Acres/Real/Personal/Amount

1873 Beers Map of Riverhead, Suffolk County, Long Island (New York)

 

Now I know that;

• Allen M. Warner (great granduncle) had 40 acres of land valued at $1100.00
• Lewis Warner (2nd great granduncle) had 136 acres of land valued at $1100.00, personal property valued at $400 with a total value of $1500.00
• Goldsmith Warner (2nd great granduncle) had 90 acres of land valued at $1300.00
• Daniel Warner (2nd great grandfather) had 150 acres of land valued at $1300.00, personal property valued at $200 with a total value of $1500.00        

It was very interesting to have these 2 pieces of information (tax record and local map) and how used together they greatly compliment each other!

A question my father raised “ Do you think the School property (located in the middle of Warner property) was owned by the Warner Family and perhaps donated for the school?”  Another great research question…..I’ll let you know……  
I would appreciate any additional information or corrections you may have.
Enjoy the journey,

Debby

Independence Day 1897-Carrie’s Letters

I always find it interesting to see how my ancestors celebrated Independence Day.  The following is a letter that my paternal great-grandmother, Carrie Terry Warner, (see blog posts Carrie’s Letters) wrote to her sister Ella Terry in 1897.  Carrie and John lived very close (I believe the family property actually went to the water) to the Long Island Sound in Baiting Hollow, Suffolk,  New York.

When my father and I scanned all the letters we sometimes missed a page.  My father is the keeper of the letters.  When I head back East to visit I catch up on pages that I have missed.  I seem to be missing a scan of the 2nd page to this letter but luckily I have the transcription. 

John is Carrie’s husband who was a farmer.  Terry is their 9 year old son. 

B. H. (Baiting Hollow) July 4. ‘97 (Sunday) Dear Sister. I believe I have answered your last letter but am not sure. It is nearly eleven P.M. have four letters all ready to mail. Can not write much to you this time. I attended the children’s day exercises last Sunday morning. They were good. The children all did well. Mr. DeFriest was buried last Sunday. Funeral in the church in the afternoon, burial at R. H. (Riverhead) Annie has been home again today. John took her to Calverton this morning did not get home in time for church, so no one went from here today. Just had an invitation today to a picnic up on the beach tomorrow afternoon. I don’t want to go, but suppose I shall have to. The men are not going to work, so John is not going to work, and having nothing to do he will want to go. Terry has his fireworks tomorrow evening. Tuesday I must wash. Annie barely got the ironing done by Saturday night when we wash Monday. John has just written for Wesley to come home Wednesday morning. I shall have to meet him when I take Terry to the Dr’s. Terry put his right hand in one of the bay fork wheels and took the ends off of three fingers last Monday. Tore the flesh all off of two so I went down to the village Thursday morning and helped the Dr. take the bones off to the first joint. They seem to be doing very nicely. Baby seems to be improving all the time. It’s a mystery to me how he can. Russel keeps well I hope, and yourself too. Have you got him in short clothes? There were four children baptized last Sunday. Lida Hulse or Luce now, Gene Terry’s little boy Mrs. Columbus Terry’s little grandson, which she has had since its birth when its mother died. Grace Ketchams or Edwards little boy, and Mrs. Downs little girl. How are you making out canning? Doing up lots of strawberries and cherries I suppose. Do write to me when you can. Uncle Albert is in R. H. (Riverhead) again. Wonder if he will drift east to Peconic for the Summer. I have not seen him to speak with but Terry has. I heard the other day that Jennie Smith or Wells is likely to increase her family some time in the definite future. Must say good night, from your loving sister Carrie.

My first thought was why wouldn’t Carrie have enjoyed going to the beach as we all did as kids growing up but then…. I thought about it ….and put a few more pieces together and think I can understand that Carrie may not have been excited about going to the beach for the festivities.  Carrie was about 5 months pregnant with their 4th child and had boys ages 7(Wesley) , 3(Gerald)  along with 9 year old Terry for a ‘treck’ by wagon to the beach for a picnic…hmm…think I understand.
I hope you enjoy your 4th of July this year!

I would appreciate any additional information or corrections you may have.
Enjoy the journey,

Debby