Wednesday morning has arrived after a restless sleep last night. I am almost speechless as I try to understand the past. Almost a wordless Wednesday, but not quite.
Imagine the scene, if you will, of the events following our beloved country's 1776 Declaration of Independence from the super power across the pond. The early events in the blossoming war were not very successful for the Americans. In fact, in the fall of 1776, the British officers Richard Howe and William Howe issued a proclamation from New York City offering a pardon for treasonable acts to anyone who would take an oath of allegiance to the King.
The new states then issued a mandatory oath of allegiance to the new and present government in the spring and early summer of 1777. In looking at several states, it seems that all white men had to sign the oath of allegiance or be subject to imprisonment or forfeiture of their property or even being exspelled from the area of their residence. All allegiance to George the Third, King of Great Britain, had to be renounced. All those suspected of treason or conspiracies were to be made known to the government, as declared by Congress.
Until last night, it had not dawned on me that the oath was a forced oath of allegiance to the Americans. Gee, I wonder how that went over. Can you imagine the revolt today if we had to go to court and sign an oath of allegiance to a new government? Yikes.
Anyway--
Last night's research sent me to the Minutes of the Council of Safety of the state of New Jersey 1777-1778. (Many thanks to the kind volunteer who found the book for me online.) In reading many of the entries, I was stunned to see how people turned in their neighbors for being suspicious, or dangerous to the present government, or how Quakers were brought in to testify.
Here is a portion of one man's plight which I thought interesting. Was he one of the men who had accepted Howe's pardon?
Daniel Hendrickson, who was summoned to appear as a Person suspected of being disaffected and dangerous to the present Government, did accordingly attend, and on Examination acknowledged that he had recd a Protection from the Enemy, which he refused to give up when demanded by the Board....
He refused to take the Oath of Allegiance but was dismissed on account of his good behavior as he prepared for his next appearance before the next Court. I didn't follow up on this gentleman, so I am unaware if he changed his mind or went to prison for supporting the Crown.
And another one which caught my eye.
The petition of Benjamin Morgan, now in confinement at Morristown, was read, setting forth, That he is desirous to take the Oaths of Abjuration & Allegiance agreeably to Law, and is willing to be circumscribed in his Boundaries & laid under such Penalties as the Board may think necessary; and praying that he may be permitted to return home.
The one I for whom I was searching was found to have appeared July 8, 1777, on a demand of the Council with the charge of being "suspected." William Honeywell appeared and requested time to think about it. The Council agreed. Honeywell returned the next morning and signed the Oath of Allegiance to New Jersey and the United States. That afternoon, his brother, John Honeywell also appeared and signed the oath.
What must these men have thought? Their family had been in the colonies since the early 1600s and had never even been to England. They were born under the Crown, but lived as Americans for generations. Did they wonder if the Americans would, or could, win the battle against the Crown? Did they really care? Were their daily lives affected by all the troops around? I don't know the answer, but I do know that two of William's children were contacted by the militia to serve. One of the sons served in place of the other, so only one of his sons has a revolutionary war pension. So, William did support the American cause.
Even though I have known of the Oaths of Allegiance for many years, it never dawned on me that it was a forced oath of allegiance. If a man didn't sign it, he stood to lose everything. Of course, if the British had won the war, he would have most likely lost everything.
Ahhh, genealogy. William's declaration of wanting to think about signing the oath reminds me of that immortal classic song by Meatloaf. I've been humming, "Do you love me? Will you love me forever?....Let me think on it, baby baby. Let me think on it. I'll give you an answer in the morning."
And just like the song, grandpa William Honeywell said yes.
©2013 AS Eldredge
Ahhh, genealogy. A glimpse of the past shows of what I am made.....
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Serving America Through Politics and the Military
Everyone of us has a viewpoint on politics. While I don't always agree with all of my kin on their thoughts, I find it interesting to go back in time to see how my family has been involved in politics in one way or another throughout America's history.
The first mayor of New York on land that was American, not English, was installed at the Wall Street tavern of my grandpa.
"...The little two-story affair on the west corner of Nassau Street deserves more extended notice than its size would seem to justify. It was John Simmons' tavern, where, in February, 1784, the common council met and with appropriate ceremonies installed the newly appointed Mayor, James Duane, in the presence of the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. It is said that Simmons weighed more than four hundred pounds, and was of such bulk that at the time of his funeral the doorway of the tavern had to be enlarged to admit the coffin. His widow continued the business for several years, and among its later proprietors were David King and Samuel Randolph. After it ceased to be a tavern it was occupied by T. & W. Benton, bootmakers ; Thomas L. Rich, merchant tailor ; John N. Baur, watchmaker, and others.
In historic interest the site on the east corner of Nassau Street is the most important in New York. Here stood the second city hall, built in 1699-1700. In 1789, having been made over into the most elegant building in America and renamed Federal Hall, it became the first capitol of the United States, and on its balcony General Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the Republic...." (Source: file:///Users/username/Desktop/newSimmons2009:10/New%20York%20City%20-%20Wall%20Street%20Ninety%20Years%20Ago.webarchive)
It's not hard to imagine my grandpa and his family leaning out of the windows to see General Washington become the first president of the United States. After all, history books have documented that Washington had eaten at the family tavern back in 1784, and had hired a distant family member on his staff.
History books have also shown an uncle as being the first keeper of the door when Congress first met in NY.
Fast forward in time and see who else in the family has served America in elected office.
Uncle Samuel Smith HENRY (1786-1853)- Ohio State Representative
Cousin Ashmen Cooke HENRY (1828-1907) - Mayor of Oakland, CA
Couisn James BUCHANAN - President of the United States
My dad- City Council Member
While this is not a complete list, it serves to show my family has always been interested in serving America. Not everyone has an elected office. Many chose to serve America in the military- starting with the American Revolution.
So, elections. Yep, they are important. They were important to my ancestors.
Ahh, genealogy. My ancestors fought so I could vote. What a gift.
©2010 AS Eldredge
The first mayor of New York on land that was American, not English, was installed at the Wall Street tavern of my grandpa.
"...The little two-story affair on the west corner of Nassau Street deserves more extended notice than its size would seem to justify. It was John Simmons' tavern, where, in February, 1784, the common council met and with appropriate ceremonies installed the newly appointed Mayor, James Duane, in the presence of the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. It is said that Simmons weighed more than four hundred pounds, and was of such bulk that at the time of his funeral the doorway of the tavern had to be enlarged to admit the coffin. His widow continued the business for several years, and among its later proprietors were David King and Samuel Randolph. After it ceased to be a tavern it was occupied by T. & W. Benton, bootmakers ; Thomas L. Rich, merchant tailor ; John N. Baur, watchmaker, and others.
In historic interest the site on the east corner of Nassau Street is the most important in New York. Here stood the second city hall, built in 1699-1700. In 1789, having been made over into the most elegant building in America and renamed Federal Hall, it became the first capitol of the United States, and on its balcony General Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the Republic...." (Source: file:///Users/username/Desktop/newSimmons2009:10/New%20York%20City%20-%20Wall%20Street%20Ninety%20Years%20Ago.webarchive)
It's not hard to imagine my grandpa and his family leaning out of the windows to see General Washington become the first president of the United States. After all, history books have documented that Washington had eaten at the family tavern back in 1784, and had hired a distant family member on his staff.
History books have also shown an uncle as being the first keeper of the door when Congress first met in NY.
Fast forward in time and see who else in the family has served America in elected office.
Uncle Samuel Smith HENRY (1786-1853)- Ohio State Representative
Cousin Ashmen Cooke HENRY (1828-1907) - Mayor of Oakland, CA
Couisn James BUCHANAN - President of the United States
My dad- City Council Member
While this is not a complete list, it serves to show my family has always been interested in serving America. Not everyone has an elected office. Many chose to serve America in the military- starting with the American Revolution.
So, elections. Yep, they are important. They were important to my ancestors.
Ahh, genealogy. My ancestors fought so I could vote. What a gift.
©2010 AS Eldredge
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Wordless Wednesday: Wall Street in 1784
This illustration is from the 1908 book authored by Frederick Trevor Hill on the early history of Wall St. The tavern in the picture is that of my 5g grandfather, John Simmons, and is the site of the 1784 inauguration of the first American Mayor of New York, James Duane.
A previous illustration was posted of the tavern as it appeared about 1825 in a New York Tourist Guide.
A special thanks goes to my cousin who found this, and who noted---
"See the pigs feeding on Wall Street. Not much has changed in 225 years!"
Genealogy. Ain't it grand!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Pretty in Pink…After All These Years
One of my delightful cousins recently sent pictures of her Pink Schoolhouse in Upper New York along with pictures of her reunion. I was so enchanted with the schoolhouse that I invited her to write something about its history so I could share it with my genealogy friends. Without further ado, I give you E.G. Child's Pink Schoolhouse. Enjoy.
On a recent beautiful early autumn evening, a hundred smiling people, some from as far away as California, gathered in the Victorian Garden on the grounds of the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown, New York, to toast a newly refurbished icon of a bygone era in the north country. Appropriately, there was champagne available for the toast, since the icon had been donated to the Historical Society by David Champagne, and his sister, Diane Champagne VanDorsselaer, but that part of the story comes later.
Jefferson County, in the northwestern corner of New York State, bordering on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to the northwest, and the Adirondack foothills on the east, is known to the rest of New York as “God’s Country,” or, less politely, “the Back of Beyond.” Probably due to its distance from the more civilized parts of the state and its extreme winters, Jefferson County wasn’t settled until the very late 1700’s. Even the Native Americans tended to use the area for summer hunting and fishing.
The Town of LeRay remained pristine wilderness until the early 1800’s when James LeRay de Chaumont was rewarded for his father’s heavy financial support of the American Revolution, with the opportunity to purchase large tracts of wilderness in Northern New York, for pennies an acre, which he was then able to sell to incoming settlers for dollars an acre. While most of the Towns (or townships) of the county were developed around the considerable water power of the Black, Indian, and Perch rivers, the Town of LeRay, a flatland, in ancient times the bottom of an inland sea, was settled later than much of the county, and Jefferson Valley, the neighborhood of the Pink Schoolhouse did not become populated until well into the first quarter of the 1800’s.
The pattern of the communities in the area was to have a cheese factory, a school and if waterpower was available, a sawmill. The schools were usually used as a church, pastors from larger communities traditionally holding Wednesday evening services at the schoolhouses. According to the custom of the time, and the vivid memories of 96-year-old alumnus, Eldon Schell, the “Pink,” as it was called, had become the social and spiritual center of the district. Mr. Schell tells of box socials, spelling bees and religious services held there, and there were probably singing schools, a popular activity and courtship tradition of the 19th century. There was, in recent memory, an ornate organ with pedals and stops that would have accompanied the hymns and popular ballads of the day.
In those days there would have been horses and buggies or sleighs, depending on the season, tied to the rail fence beside the schoolyard. Later, in the 1940’s and 50’s, there would be bicycles surrounding the softball field after supper and evening chores, and the school would be open for 4-H club functions or school board meetings. By that time, the Valley families drove to Evans Mills, Theresa or even Watertown to attend church services.
Based on the building style and lumber used, the Pink Schoolhouse was probably built in the 1860’s to replace a building that no longer met the needs of the neighborhood. By the 1890’s, according to Haddock’s Growth of a Century in Jefferson County, and Child’s Gazetteer of Jefferson County, there were at least 19 district schools in the Town of LeRay, with salaries ranging from $2.50 a week, plus board for female teachers, and $25.00 to $35.00 per week for male teachers[1]. Over the years, many local families were represented on the school board, most prominently the Van Allen-Drake family and the Schell family.
Dozens of children from those families attended over the life of the Pink, many to go on to become teachers, engineers, librarians and lawyers. One spring, in the early 1930’s, two eighth grade students petitioned the nearby Theresa High School to be permitted to take the New York State Regents’ Examination in calculus. The high school principal agreed despite his better judgments. After all, what district school marm could prepare students in higher mathematics? Miss Iva McLaughlin and Miss Florence Drake (remember her name!) earned the highest grades on that year’s calculus Regents. Miss McLaughlin went on to become valedictorian of her class at Theresa High School.
The size of the student body depended on the number of farm families with children in the district, ranging in its heyday of twenty-five to thirty students, and at its lowest point with only one student, Doris Schell, the youngest of that generation’s Schell clan, for a year. After she had moved on to Evans Mills High School, the school closed until the later 1930’s, when there was a new crop of farm children to be taught their ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s.
"Why in the world," you ask, "Was it called the Pink Schoolhouse?" Bureaucracy, pure and simple. In its early days, the “Pink” had been painted with durable red barn paint, as many little red schoolhouses were. Sometime in its middle history, the state of New York mandated that all district schools must be painted white. The school board complied, but that year the budget could only manage one coat, and long before they could afford to rectify the situation, the red paint bled through, and the schoolhouse glowed pinkly across the valley for all to see.
Forevermore, even after subsequent coats of white paint triumphed over the red, District School #7 was known to everyone in the county as “the Pink Schoolhouse.”
By the mid 1950’s when it had become part of the Indian River School District, it became difficult for the school board to comply with the New York State Education Department rules and regulations. The two attached one-seater outhouses were specifically frowned upon, as was the necessity for the teacher to tend the big coal stove and pump the water to fill the pottery crock that provided drinking water for thirsty students. Probably there were also insurance concerns to cover liability to the district for 4-H parties, neighborhood soft ball games, and other non-school related functions. By 1957 the neighborhood children were riding the big orange bus to Evans Mills to attend school, and the Pink Schoolhouse became silent and empty. No longer could nearby farmers tell time by the 8:45 a.m. squeak of the big iron pump in front of the school, or the teacher vigorously ringing the hand bell to signal the start of the school day or the end of recess or lunch time.
Spirited bidding took place at the District’s auction, and Florence Drake Champagne won custody of the school. While the Pink Schoolhouse had kept it’s distinctive name, the building had long been pristine white. Mrs. Champagne, whose many relatives had attended and even taught at the school over the years, painted it pink again. Her family maintained it as best they could until the Jefferson County Historical Society accepted the donation of the school by David Champagne, and his sister Diane, to be restored to it’s 1940’s condition as part of the Society’s collection, and once again to be an educational influence to school children of Jefferson County and beyond.
__________________________________________________
Author Child's note: Some of the historical information included in this essay was provided by Haddock’s Growth of a Century in Jefferson County, and Child’s Gazetteer of Jefferson Countyand some from the unpublished memoir of Mr. Eldon Schell, who attended the Pink Schoolhouse along with his brother and three sisters in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Some of the information is part of my own history, since, along with Mr. Schell’s three children, David and Diane Champagne, and several other Schell and Drake descendants, as well as Iva McLaughlin Walts’ two daughters, I attended the Pink Schoolhouse in the mid-1950’s. My graduating class’ statistics? Eventually 75% of us received masters’ degrees; 50% of us became librarians, 25% an engineer, and 25% a bookkeeper. Yes—“an” engineer and “a” bookkeeper. There were exactly four of us in the class, the largest in the school that year!
[1] Haddock. Growth of a Century, 1895, p. 622
On a recent beautiful early autumn evening, a hundred smiling people, some from as far away as California, gathered in the Victorian Garden on the grounds of the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown, New York, to toast a newly refurbished icon of a bygone era in the north country. Appropriately, there was champagne available for the toast, since the icon had been donated to the Historical Society by David Champagne, and his sister, Diane Champagne VanDorsselaer, but that part of the story comes later.Jefferson County, in the northwestern corner of New York State, bordering on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River to the northwest, and the Adirondack foothills on the east, is known to the rest of New York as “God’s Country,” or, less politely, “the Back of Beyond.” Probably due to its distance from the more civilized parts of the state and its extreme winters, Jefferson County wasn’t settled until the very late 1700’s. Even the Native Americans tended to use the area for summer hunting and fishing.
The Town of LeRay remained pristine wilderness until the early 1800’s when James LeRay de Chaumont was rewarded for his father’s heavy financial support of the American Revolution, with the opportunity to purchase large tracts of wilderness in Northern New York, for pennies an acre, which he was then able to sell to incoming settlers for dollars an acre. While most of the Towns (or townships) of the county were developed around the considerable water power of the Black, Indian, and Perch rivers, the Town of LeRay, a flatland, in ancient times the bottom of an inland sea, was settled later than much of the county, and Jefferson Valley, the neighborhood of the Pink Schoolhouse did not become populated until well into the first quarter of the 1800’s.
The pattern of the communities in the area was to have a cheese factory, a school and if waterpower was available, a sawmill. The schools were usually used as a church, pastors from larger communities traditionally holding Wednesday evening services at the schoolhouses. According to the custom of the time, and the vivid memories of 96-year-old alumnus, Eldon Schell, the “Pink,” as it was called, had become the social and spiritual center of the district. Mr. Schell tells of box socials, spelling bees and religious services held there, and there were probably singing schools, a popular activity and courtship tradition of the 19th century. There was, in recent memory, an ornate organ with pedals and stops that would have accompanied the hymns and popular ballads of the day.
In those days there would have been horses and buggies or sleighs, depending on the season, tied to the rail fence beside the schoolyard. Later, in the 1940’s and 50’s, there would be bicycles surrounding the softball field after supper and evening chores, and the school would be open for 4-H club functions or school board meetings. By that time, the Valley families drove to Evans Mills, Theresa or even Watertown to attend church services.
Based on the building style and lumber used, the Pink Schoolhouse was probably built in the 1860’s to replace a building that no longer met the needs of the neighborhood. By the 1890’s, according to Haddock’s Growth of a Century in Jefferson County, and Child’s Gazetteer of Jefferson County, there were at least 19 district schools in the Town of LeRay, with salaries ranging from $2.50 a week, plus board for female teachers, and $25.00 to $35.00 per week for male teachers[1]. Over the years, many local families were represented on the school board, most prominently the Van Allen-Drake family and the Schell family.
Dozens of children from those families attended over the life of the Pink, many to go on to become teachers, engineers, librarians and lawyers. One spring, in the early 1930’s, two eighth grade students petitioned the nearby Theresa High School to be permitted to take the New York State Regents’ Examination in calculus. The high school principal agreed despite his better judgments. After all, what district school marm could prepare students in higher mathematics? Miss Iva McLaughlin and Miss Florence Drake (remember her name!) earned the highest grades on that year’s calculus Regents. Miss McLaughlin went on to become valedictorian of her class at Theresa High School.
The size of the student body depended on the number of farm families with children in the district, ranging in its heyday of twenty-five to thirty students, and at its lowest point with only one student, Doris Schell, the youngest of that generation’s Schell clan, for a year. After she had moved on to Evans Mills High School, the school closed until the later 1930’s, when there was a new crop of farm children to be taught their ABC’s and 1, 2, 3’s.
"Why in the world," you ask, "Was it called the Pink Schoolhouse?" Bureaucracy, pure and simple. In its early days, the “Pink” had been painted with durable red barn paint, as many little red schoolhouses were. Sometime in its middle history, the state of New York mandated that all district schools must be painted white. The school board complied, but that year the budget could only manage one coat, and long before they could afford to rectify the situation, the red paint bled through, and the schoolhouse glowed pinkly across the valley for all to see.
Forevermore, even after subsequent coats of white paint triumphed over the red, District School #7 was known to everyone in the county as “the Pink Schoolhouse.”
By the mid 1950’s when it had become part of the Indian River School District, it became difficult for the school board to comply with the New York State Education Department rules and regulations. The two attached one-seater outhouses were specifically frowned upon, as was the necessity for the teacher to tend the big coal stove and pump the water to fill the pottery crock that provided drinking water for thirsty students. Probably there were also insurance concerns to cover liability to the district for 4-H parties, neighborhood soft ball games, and other non-school related functions. By 1957 the neighborhood children were riding the big orange bus to Evans Mills to attend school, and the Pink Schoolhouse became silent and empty. No longer could nearby farmers tell time by the 8:45 a.m. squeak of the big iron pump in front of the school, or the teacher vigorously ringing the hand bell to signal the start of the school day or the end of recess or lunch time.
Spirited bidding took place at the District’s auction, and Florence Drake Champagne won custody of the school. While the Pink Schoolhouse had kept it’s distinctive name, the building had long been pristine white. Mrs. Champagne, whose many relatives had attended and even taught at the school over the years, painted it pink again. Her family maintained it as best they could until the Jefferson County Historical Society accepted the donation of the school by David Champagne, and his sister Diane, to be restored to it’s 1940’s condition as part of the Society’s collection, and once again to be an educational influence to school children of Jefferson County and beyond.
__________________________________________________
Author Child's note: Some of the historical information included in this essay was provided by Haddock’s Growth of a Century in Jefferson County, and Child’s Gazetteer of Jefferson Countyand some from the unpublished memoir of Mr. Eldon Schell, who attended the Pink Schoolhouse along with his brother and three sisters in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Some of the information is part of my own history, since, along with Mr. Schell’s three children, David and Diane Champagne, and several other Schell and Drake descendants, as well as Iva McLaughlin Walts’ two daughters, I attended the Pink Schoolhouse in the mid-1950’s. My graduating class’ statistics? Eventually 75% of us received masters’ degrees; 50% of us became librarians, 25% an engineer, and 25% a bookkeeper. Yes—“an” engineer and “a” bookkeeper. There were exactly four of us in the class, the largest in the school that year!
[1] Haddock. Growth of a Century, 1895, p. 622
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Happy 400th Anniversary to New York!
Hudson, Hudson, hmmm....
Back in 1609, Henry Hudson, an English sea explorer, took a trip down the river now known as the Hudson River in an effort to find a quicker route to the Orient. Well, he may not have found that route on this adventure, but we in America can now celebrate the area in New York he explored 400 years ago.
To help celebrate 400 years, ancestry.com has gathered its databases on NY on a special New York Anniversary page.
The majority of the databases there at this time are from the mid 1800s on. So, it most likely won't be a jump for joy moment for genealogists who are always searching for those elusive New York roots from the 1700s.
Me? My quest in genealogy certainly has taken me back to the mid 1700s in New York. I have been fortunate to find some records on my family as they owned a tavern on Wall St before and after the American Revolution. Now, if I could just find the place of burial for "Big John" when he died in 1795. The papers at the time named him the largest man in New York. He was also a member of the Trinity Anglican Church in New York City, but we family genealogy types have not uncovered any evidence of him being buried there or in the other really old New York Cemetery.
So, enjoy the databases on New York. Perhaps, Ancestry will release more that really date back in time. Perhaps, someone, somewhere will point me in the direction so I can finally put "Big John" to rest.
Back in 1609, Henry Hudson, an English sea explorer, took a trip down the river now known as the Hudson River in an effort to find a quicker route to the Orient. Well, he may not have found that route on this adventure, but we in America can now celebrate the area in New York he explored 400 years ago.
To help celebrate 400 years, ancestry.com has gathered its databases on NY on a special New York Anniversary page.
The majority of the databases there at this time are from the mid 1800s on. So, it most likely won't be a jump for joy moment for genealogists who are always searching for those elusive New York roots from the 1700s.
Me? My quest in genealogy certainly has taken me back to the mid 1700s in New York. I have been fortunate to find some records on my family as they owned a tavern on Wall St before and after the American Revolution. Now, if I could just find the place of burial for "Big John" when he died in 1795. The papers at the time named him the largest man in New York. He was also a member of the Trinity Anglican Church in New York City, but we family genealogy types have not uncovered any evidence of him being buried there or in the other really old New York Cemetery.
So, enjoy the databases on New York. Perhaps, Ancestry will release more that really date back in time. Perhaps, someone, somewhere will point me in the direction so I can finally put "Big John" to rest.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday Madness: Oh, Sammy, Where Have You Gone?
Finding information on Samuel Simmons is like looking for the place where the alien ship picked him up in Pittsburgh.
For many a year, all I had to go in my quest for Samuel was the mention of him in a history book in Pittsburgh. I searched high and low in Pittsburgh to find....nothing.
Several years ago, a very kind gent responded to one of my inquiries with some information. See this post from 2006 for some of the background. And, the rest as they say, is history.
Except for Samuel. Samuel was born c. 1788 in New York to John Simmons the younger and Mary Nelson. At least the DAR says her name was Nelson. To date, there has been no proof uncovered. One professional group has even suggested her name was Provost of NJ. Once again, there is no proof and no overwhelming circumstantial evidence.
Samuel is mentioned in the 1794 will of his grandfather, John Simmons the Elder, as receiving some land in Chenango County, NY. Samuel and his wife sell this land while living in St. Clair, Allegheny, PA in 1814. How did they get there? Why did they get there?
Samuel is found in the War of 1812 when he mustered in on September 14, 1812, to an infantry company under the command of Captain James Turbett from St. Clair Twp. He is discharged as a Sergeant in December 1812.
There is a last legal mention of Samuel in 1816 when he sold more Chenango County, NY land.
Poof! He's gone. The 1820 census shows his wife as head of household with the three children and an older female. I'm guessing it is her mother who lives with them. The 1830 census shows the wife as head of household with the three children.
I know names of two of his children. One is William who married and remained in St. Clair for the duration of his life. He is buried at St. Clair Cemetery on Scott Rd.
One of the other names I know is that of Maria as we have a sampler completed by her in 1825.
To date, there has been no other sightings of Maria or her unknown name sister. What happened to Samuel? I suspect he died in Pittsburgh before 1820 but have yet to find him. There is no evidence in the Orphans' Court Records and there was no will.
Oh, Sammy, where are you?
For many a year, all I had to go in my quest for Samuel was the mention of him in a history book in Pittsburgh. I searched high and low in Pittsburgh to find....nothing.
Several years ago, a very kind gent responded to one of my inquiries with some information. See this post from 2006 for some of the background. And, the rest as they say, is history.
Except for Samuel. Samuel was born c. 1788 in New York to John Simmons the younger and Mary Nelson. At least the DAR says her name was Nelson. To date, there has been no proof uncovered. One professional group has even suggested her name was Provost of NJ. Once again, there is no proof and no overwhelming circumstantial evidence.
Samuel is mentioned in the 1794 will of his grandfather, John Simmons the Elder, as receiving some land in Chenango County, NY. Samuel and his wife sell this land while living in St. Clair, Allegheny, PA in 1814. How did they get there? Why did they get there?
Samuel is found in the War of 1812 when he mustered in on September 14, 1812, to an infantry company under the command of Captain James Turbett from St. Clair Twp. He is discharged as a Sergeant in December 1812.
There is a last legal mention of Samuel in 1816 when he sold more Chenango County, NY land.
Poof! He's gone. The 1820 census shows his wife as head of household with the three children and an older female. I'm guessing it is her mother who lives with them. The 1830 census shows the wife as head of household with the three children.
I know names of two of his children. One is William who married and remained in St. Clair for the duration of his life. He is buried at St. Clair Cemetery on Scott Rd.
One of the other names I know is that of Maria as we have a sampler completed by her in 1825.
To date, there has been no other sightings of Maria or her unknown name sister. What happened to Samuel? I suspect he died in Pittsburgh before 1820 but have yet to find him. There is no evidence in the Orphans' Court Records and there was no will.
Oh, Sammy, where are you?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Chief Who, You Say?
It's another one of those mailman moments. Over the weekend, another envelope appeared out of his truck and into my eager hands. Now this one was a surprise.
The letter was from a grandson of one of the cousins who had dropped by to see us about six years ago. This grandson was on the visit with his grandfather as we sat and talked genealogy. We had been trying to decipher some old floppies that reportedly had information going back to Charlemagne. I've yet to find anyone who can break into these floppies. (The author has since passed.)
This young man, who is a now a grown up man, was kind enough to send some updated information on the family. He has linked his bloodline to that of Chief Wampage II of the Siwanoy Indians of Westchester County, New York.
I've not heard of this Chief, so I was eager to learn the significance of this. In my quick (and admittedly, not thorough) research, I find Chief Wampage signed a treaty under the "Treaty Oak" with Thomas Pell for something like 50,000 acres of land extending from the Bronx area to the Hutchinson River.
Of interest in my readings was the name Anne Hutchinson. Wampage is said to have murdered her himself when a group of Indians came calling on the settlers. Hutchinson has quite a story, and it is one worth reading. She was the daughter of Francis Marbury, and she reportedly had a brilliant mind. She was a devout Believer and went as far as to hold Bible studies in her Massachusetts home for both men and women. She stood trial for being a "strumpet" and later moved down to the New York area with her husband, William Hutchinson.
She's a fascinating woman. At her trial, it is reported she said, "You have no power over my body, neither can you do me any harm. I fear none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I do verily believe that He will deliver me out of your hands…."
I urge you to find a book or just look online for her story. What a woman. What a time she lived in. What a fate she suffered.
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The letter was from a grandson of one of the cousins who had dropped by to see us about six years ago. This grandson was on the visit with his grandfather as we sat and talked genealogy. We had been trying to decipher some old floppies that reportedly had information going back to Charlemagne. I've yet to find anyone who can break into these floppies. (The author has since passed.)
This young man, who is a now a grown up man, was kind enough to send some updated information on the family. He has linked his bloodline to that of Chief Wampage II of the Siwanoy Indians of Westchester County, New York.
I've not heard of this Chief, so I was eager to learn the significance of this. In my quick (and admittedly, not thorough) research, I find Chief Wampage signed a treaty under the "Treaty Oak" with Thomas Pell for something like 50,000 acres of land extending from the Bronx area to the Hutchinson River.
Of interest in my readings was the name Anne Hutchinson. Wampage is said to have murdered her himself when a group of Indians came calling on the settlers. Hutchinson has quite a story, and it is one worth reading. She was the daughter of Francis Marbury, and she reportedly had a brilliant mind. She was a devout Believer and went as far as to hold Bible studies in her Massachusetts home for both men and women. She stood trial for being a "strumpet" and later moved down to the New York area with her husband, William Hutchinson.
She's a fascinating woman. At her trial, it is reported she said, "You have no power over my body, neither can you do me any harm. I fear none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I do verily believe that He will deliver me out of your hands…."
I urge you to find a book or just look online for her story. What a woman. What a time she lived in. What a fate she suffered.
-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
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