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Despite having thousands of old books at our fingertips online, there are still some we have to hunt down. For example, this periodical I learned about on FamilySearch. The contents of the book were not available online when I first discovered it, but now it is! "Yesteryears : a quarterly magazine for the appreciation and study of New York State history" was written by Francis V. Grifone (1896-1977) and published in Scipio Center, New York. My interest in this work is for general local history and biographies written by Elizabeth M. Reese in a section called "Nutshell Biographies: of early settlers of Cayuga County". She provided a brief history-genealogy of early settlers, birth dates and places, names of parents, children, occupation, and her work was published in portions in the following volumes of Yesteryears: p. 47-54 - Yesteryears - v. 7, no. 25 (Sept. 1963) ADAMS through BALDWIN [Link] p. 115-122 - Yesteryears - v. 7, no. 26 (Dec. 1963) BALDWIN through BOWEN [Link] p. 165-176 - Yesteryears - v. 7, no. 27 (Mar. 1964) BOWER through CLARK [Link] p. 238-247 - Yesteryears - v. 7, no. 28 (June 1964) CLARK through DE SHONG [Link] p. 37-46 - Yesteryears - v. 8, no. 29 (Sept 1964) DE SHONG through FORSHEE [Link] p. 109-113 - Yesteryears - v. 8, no. 30 (Dec 1964) GAYLORD through GWYNN [Link] p. 173-180 - Yesteryears - v. 8, no. 31 (Mar 1965) HALE through HOWLAND [Link] p. 238-242 - Yesteryears - v. 8, no. 32 (June 1965) HOWLAND through KELLY [Link] p. 52-56 - Yesteryears - v. 9, no. 33 (Sept 1965) KENYON through LOCKE [Link] p. 106-112 - Yesteryears - v. 9, no. 34 (Dec 1965) MILLER through McINTOSH [Link] p. 161-168 - Yesteryears - v. 9, no. 35 (Mar 1966) McINTOSH through OLMSTED [Link] p. 217-224 - Yesteryears - v. 9, no. 36 (June 1966) ORR through PHILLIPS [Link] p. 45-52 - Yesteryears - v. 10, no. 37 (Sept. 1966) PIERCE through REED [Link] p. 101-108 - Yesteryears - v. 10, no. 38 (Dec. 1966) ROCKWELL through SEARLS [Link] p. 159-164 - Yesteryears - v. 10, no. 39 (Mar. 1967) SHARPSTEEN through SPOOR [Link] p. 216-221 - Yesteryears - v. 10, no. 40 (June 1967) SPRAGUE through THOMAS [Link] p. 47-52 - Yesteryears - v. 11, no. 41 (Sept. 1967) THOMAS through VAN LIEW [Link] p. 103-108 - Yesteryears - v. 11, no. 42 (Dec. 1967) VAN PATTEN through WHEELER [Link] p. 159-164 - Yesteryears - v. 11, no. 43 (Mar. 1968) WHEELHOUSE through WINSLOW [Link] p. 213-214 - Yesteryears - v. 11, no. 44 (June 1968) Assorted Names [Link] To find more volumes of Yesteryears, sign into FamilySearch and use this link. See also: Thousands of free genealogy resources See more Cayuga County genealogy resources Learn about my branch of the Reese Family of Cayuga County Learn about my branch of the Leonard Family in Cayuga County #centralnewyork #upstatenewyork #cny #genealogy #resources #todo #reese #leonard #cayugacounty

Most men living in the United States in the 1860s participated in the Civil War and there are many places to look for information about them. (Click here to see my Military resources!) In this blog, I will share my research on men named Charles Leonard, living in New York, at the time of the Civil War. In June of 1863, my 3rd great-grandfather, Charles R. Leonard, was counted among the men "subject to do military duty". He was a married farmer, age 32, living in Groton, Tompkins County, New York. This information matches what we believe to be true of Charles. He was born in December of 1830, which would make him 32 years old in June of 1863. He would have turned 33 later that year. His family was still living in Groton when the 1865 New York State Census was taken two years later. Since no further proof of his service had been found (that I know of), I believed he was not called to serve. However, I recently found a potential match in the Civil War pension index, shown below. I hope to obtain a copy of the file from the National Archives to share soon. The cost is currently $80 (minimum), so if you'd like to see it sooner, scroll down and use the donation button to help facilitate this acquisition for the family! The pension index indicates that Charles lived in Groton in 1903 and was in 9th Regiment, New York Infantry. Charles Russell Leonard did live in Groton in 1905, so this also matches! This also corresponds with an entry under "Unassigned Recruits" in the book The Ninth New York heavy artillery : a history of its organization, services in the defenses of Washington, marches, camps, battles, and muster-out, with accounts of life in a rebel prison, personal experiences, names and addresses of surviving members, personal sketches and a complete roster of the regiment, by Roe, Alfred Seelye, 1899. [Link] The relevant excerpts from the book are shown here: Notice, however, that in this list it indicates he enlisted on January 28, 1864, but he was 29 years old. This would make his birth year about 1834, which does not correspond with what we know about Charles Russell Leonard. Was it a clerical or transcription error? Looking back at the 1905 New York State Census, we see, however, that his age was given as 72. The census was taken in June, so that would make his birth year 1832. Was he really born in 1830? Notice also, Charles lived in Groton in 1864, but the "Unassigned" list indicates Cortland. Did he enlist in Cortland? Perhaps he lived near the border of the two towns? Another resource, Smith's History of Cortland County [Link], Chapter XX, page 253, under "History of the Town of Cortlandville", indicates he was paid a bounty of $300 in October of 1863. The "Unassigned Recruits" list indicates he enlisted January, 1864. Perhaps he enlisted multiple times, as this was not uncommon. (Click here for page image). Transcription: Call of October 17th, 1863 Bounty paid to each, $300. Edward P. Merritt, Henry Hollenbeck, Abel G. Tuttle, George Ellsworth, John R. Beden, George L. Waters, Wilson J. Dayton, John G. Cobb, Alfred B. Hicks, Darius Lindsley, Frank Dolson, John D. Frederick, Franklin Hotchkiss, Daniel Johnson, Albertus Pierce, Sylvester Rounsevell, Isaiah Simpson, John L. Mann, John B. Daball, John Paulson, William H. Mason, Andus Berggren, John Lundin, James Stowell, H. Deloss Cole, Franklin D. Russell, William Otis Tiffany, Joseph Hicks, Clark A. Edgecomb, George A. Marshal, Michael P. Masten, Oringer Stimpson, Harrison Webster, Nathan P. Allen, William C. Tripp, Peter C. Carr, Stephen A. Hastings, James M. Boorr, John Sullivan, Peter Smith, William Jones, Henry Ward, Robert Gilmore, John Jones, James Pierce, Charles H. Waters, Charles A. Van Hagen, Frederick B. Farnham, Charles R. Leonard, William A. Clark, John W. Stebbins, William Brown, Isaac Benson, Adin W. Danes, James H. Curtis, William Hollenbeck, Charles B. Hollenbeck, Caspar Hable, Theodore F. Noble, William H. Burdick, George W. Newton, John W. Dougherty, Winfeld S. Carrier, John J. Joyner, vet., Archibald Bowker, John H. Crocker, Edmund Andrews, Gillispie B. Corwin, vet., Lyndon H. Goodenough, John C. Sherman, Charles H. Estabrook, Barney Carter, George W. Barrett, Albert G. Wood, vet., Martin Edgcomb,vet., William H. Myers, vet., John Van Rennsselaer, Watts L. Bishop, vet., John Corl, Elwood F. Gates, Roswell Johnson, Charles Francis, vet., Franklin J. Johnson, Samuel Hammond, Darius S. Ellis, George Harrington, Albert J. Jarvis, vet., Robert Arlow, Charles W. Cook, William H. Galpin, Thomas G. Meacham, James Simpson. Another resource, the Report of the Adjutant-General, corresponds with the "Unassigned Recruits" list above, reporting the following: U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles Name: Charles R Leonard, Age at Enlistment: 29, Enlistment Date: 28 Jan 1864, Rank at enlistment: Private, Enlistment Place: Cortlandville, NY State Served: New York, Service Record: Enlisted in Company U, New York 9th Heavy Artillery Regiment. It may also help to know that this regiment was "Organized at Auburn, N.Y., as the 138th Regiment New York Infantry and mustered in September 8, 1862. Left for Washington, D.C., September 12, 1862. Designation changed to 9th Heavy Artillery December 9, 1862." The regiment lost 461 men during service. Read more about this regiment at civilwararchive.com. ----------------------- A search of all men named Charles Leonard, arranged by State, is shown here. As you can see, there were many men sharing the name: New York (Dist. 26) - Charles T Leonard born abt 1825. Unmarried New York (Dist. 23) - Charles Leonard born abt 1826. New York (Dist. 4) - Chas Leonard born abt 1827. New York (Dist. 19) - Charles Leonard born abt 1828. New York (Dist. 25) - Charles W Leonard born abt 1828. Married New York (Dist. 26) - Charles J Leonard born abt 1829. Married New York (Dist. 31) - Charles W Lenhart born abt 1829. Married New York (Dist. 17) - C W Leonard born abt 1830. Married New York (Dist. 26) - Charles R Leonard born abt 1831. Married (*Shown above) New York (Dist. 17) - C C Leonard Jr born abt 1836 . Married New York (Dist. 28) - Charles N Leonard born abt 1837. Unmarried New York (Dist. 17) - Chas H Leonard born abt 1838. Married New York (Dist. 26) - Charles R Leonard born abt 1840. Unmarried (*27th Reg NY Vols (Infantry), enlisted Oct. 12, 1861, Private, age 22, Binghamton, NY, mustered out at Elmira on May 31, 1863. NARA Pub #T289. See also Beer's Atlas on Rootsweb.) Illinois - Chas P Leonard born abt 1821. Married Illinois - Charles P Leonard born abt 1822. Illinois - Charles O Leonard born abt 1827. Illinois - Charles Leonard born abt 1835. Unmarried Indiana - Charles E Leonard born abt 1839. Unmarried Indiana - Charles G Leonard born abt 1840 . Unmarried Iowa - Charles B Leonard born abt 1823. Iowa - Chas E Leonard born abt 1833. Married Kentucky - Chs E Leonard born abt 1820. Maine - Charles H Leonard born abt 1835. Unmarried Maine - Charles H Leonard born abt 1835. Unmarried Massachusetts - Chas D Leonard born abt 1825. Massachusetts - Charles A Leonard born abt 1827. Massachusetts - Charles E Leonard born abt 1831. Married Massachusetts - Chas W Leonard born abt 1833. Married Massachusetts - Charles S Leonard born abt 1835. Unmarried Massachusetts - Charles Leonard born abt 1836. Married Michigan - Chas S Leonard born abt 1820. Michigan - Charles Leonard born abt 1827. Minnesota - Charles Leonard born abt 1837. Married Minnesota - Charles Leonard born abt 1837. Missouri - Charles Leonard born abt 1839. Unmarried New Jersey - Charles Leonard born abt 1829. Married Ohio - Charles Leonard born abt 1825. Ohio - Charles S Leonard born abt 1828. Ohio - Charles J Leonard born abt 1831. Married Ohio - Chas K Leonard born abt 1837. Unmarried Ohio - Chas Lemert born abt 1837. Unmarried Pennsylvania - Charles Leonard born abt 1827. Pennsylvania - Charles Leonard born abt 1833. Married Pennsylvania - C L Leonard born abt 1837. Unmarried Rhode Island - Charles R Leonard born abt 1832. Married Rhode Island - Charles T Leonard born abt 1839. Unmarried Vermont - Chas S Leonard born abt 1831. Married Vermont - Charles R Leonard born abt 1833. Unmarried Vermont - Chas Q Leonard born abt 1833 . Married Vermont - Calvin C Leonard born abt 1839. Unmarried Wisconsin - Charles A Leonard born abt 1839. Unmarried Copies of Civil War pension files can be purchased from the National Archives. The current fee is $80 for the full packet of files up to 100 pages. Visit archive.gov for more information and ordering information. To request copies, complete and submit NATF Form 85. Cannon illustrations from "Hand-book of field fortifications and artillery; also manual for light and heavy artillery", by Egbert L. Viele, 1861. [Link] Click here to learn more about my ancestor, Charles R. Leonard. Click here for more Civil War records. Click here for thousands of free genealogy resources. #charlesleonard #charlesrussellleonard #civilwar #military #genealogy #leonard

Another resource for finding military history for the State of New York is The Annual Report of the Adjutant General. The year's happenings are included in the reports, which were sent to the Legislature. Reports for the following years can currently be read online at Archive.org free: 1861 - Part 1 [Link] Part 2 [Link] 1862 - Part 1 [Link] Part 2 [Link] 1863 - Part 1 [Link] Part 2 [Link] 1864 - Part 1 [Link] 1865 - Part 1 [Link] Part 2 [Link] 1868 [Link] Officers commissioned in the Volunteer regiments from 1861-1865 1885 [Link] 1895 [Link] - Registers of the First and Second Veteran Cavalry and the First and Second Mounted Rifles 1897 [Link] - Registers of the 70th and 80th Artillery in the War of the Rebellion 1901 [Link] - Registers of the 75th, 76th, 77th, 78th, 79th and 80th Regiments of Infantry 1903 [Link] - Registers of the 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, 118th, 120th Regiments of Infantry 1906 [Link] If you find reports for other years, please share in the comments below! Click here for more Military resources and finding aids. Click here for thousands of free genealogy resources. #civilwar #military #resources #genealogy

Much of New England's colonial history and church history can be found in the book written in 1702 by Cotton Mather, called "Magnalia Christi Americana; or, The Ecclesiastical History of New England". Several editions and volumes can be found here. This work is packed full of stories and valuable information about the lives of the early settlers of New England. For example, an event involving Samuel Leonardson (Leonard) is recounted in the excerpt shown below. Article XXV - A Notable Exploit; Dux Faemina Facti (a woman of notable achievement) Click here to learn more about my Leonard family. Click here for thousands of free genealogy resources. #indians #nativeamericans #leonard #samuelleonard #resources #newengland

It is said that the number of Mayflower descendants living today is 35 million. I don't know if that number includes known descendants or all descendants, because I had no idea I was a Mayflower descendant and if any of my relatives did know and didn't tell me, I'll be upset! So are those of us who had no idea included in that number? And what about those who descend from more than one of the Mayflower couples? Are they counted multiple times in the number of Mayflower descendants? To join The Mayflower Society, you must prove your relationship by providing birth records for every ancestor all the way back to the Mayflower passenger (or passengers) you descend from. In my case, I'm still working on a missing link (see my previous blog about Solomon Leonard), so I won't be joining the society anytime soon but that hasn't stopped me from learning about my Mayflower ancestor, James Chilton and his wife. James Chilton was among the passengers from the Leiden Congregation. They were devout followers of Jesus Christ who had fled England in order to achieve religious freedom, perhaps upon the threat of execution for their refusal to conform to the doctrines of the Church of England. The pilgrims' successful escape in 1609 was nothing short of a miracle. After two failed attempts to flee, the males planned to depart for Leiden first with the goal of returning to get their wives later, one by one. During the men's voyage to Holland, a deadly storm raged overhead. Even the ship's crew had abandoned control of the vessel and retreated below into the ship's cargo hold with the passengers. With the ship being tossed about violently, they taunted and mocked the pilgrims, saying their loving God was going to let them all die at sea. Then, the pilgrims prayed and called out to God and finally the storm subsided. Hundreds of ships were destroyed in that storm, yet the prayer of the pilgrims was heard and mercy was granted. They landed safely in Holland with a miraculous tale to tell and later returned to retrieve their wives and children. The group remained in Leiden, Holland, for a decade, until their opportunity to form their own colony in the New World came in 1620. (See my previous blog, Pilgrims and Strangers at Plymouth, for more details about their escape and voyage). James Chilton, born abt. 1555, was the oldest passenger on the Mayflower, being about 65 years old at the time. He was born in Canterbury, Kent, England. He and his wife had several children, but only 13-year old Mary came on the Mayflower with them. Sadly, James died aboard the ship while it was anchored off Cape Cod in early December, 1620. His wife also died on the ship, on January 11, 1621. Only their daughter, Mary, survived. She married John Winslow and died in 1679. Mary was laid to rest in King's Chapel Burying Ground, where her parents and sibling had been buried years before. Paul Revere was later buried beside her. James Chilton's other daughter who came later was Isabella Chilton. She was baptized on Jan. 15, 1587, in St. Paul's Parish in Canterbury, England. She was about 22-years old when she fled with her family to Holland in 1609. There she was married at Leiden on July 21, 1615, to Roger Chandler, a "cloth-worker from Colchester". Isabella and Roger Chandler had at least four daughters and one son. They sailed from Leiden to Plymouth before 1632, as Roger's name appears on a Plymouth Colony tax list dated Jan. 2, 1632. With them came Solomon Leonard, who married their daughter, Sarah Chandler, about 1640, in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony. Click here for my interactive Mayflower Passenger list! Click here for more information on James Chilton. Click here for 20,000+ free genealogy resources by place or type. Sources: The descendants of Roger Chandler of Concord, Mass., 1658, compiled by Charles H. Chandler, 1949, p.6-7. [Link] Signers of the Mayflower Compact, by Annie Arnoux Haxtun, 1896, p.24. [Link] #leonard #mayflower #jameschilton #chilton #plymouth

Cremation was a pagan practice dating back to the Iron Age and open air pyre is an ancient Hindu tradition still practiced in India, Nepal and Eastern religions. Christians who believed in the physical resurrection of the body, did not approve of cremation. The body of Jesus himself, whose example Christians follow, was ceremonially wrapped and placed in a tomb. He was resurrected three days later, with the piercings from the stakes in his hands still visible. While the Bible doesn't specifically forbid cremation, it does explain that the custom of the Jews was to bury their dead (John 19:40). The apostle Paul, stated that the earthly bodies of the dead are sown (planted) and raised in a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 42-44) to either everlasting glory or eternal judgement. Paul also taught that the body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 3:16-18). The incineration of corpses in the Bible was almost always a curse or punishment. The Bible also speaks against those who pass their children through the fire (Leviticus 18:21). These teachings are some of the reasons many devout Christians have rejected cremation. In fact, the practice of cremating the bodies of the deceased was outlawed and made punishable by death in the year 789 by Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great and Holy Roman Emperor from 800 to 814 (crowned by Pope Leo III). It wasn't until a newly invented cremating device was introduced at the Vienna Exposition in 1873, that cremation became a topic of debate again. Queen Victoria embraced the idea, but the church fiercely opposed it and would not allow the burial of cremated ashes on consecrated ground. Three years later, in 1876, a man by the name of Dr. Francis Julius LeMoyne, also inspired by the model presented at the Vienna Exposition, built the first crematorium in America. It was built on his property in Pennsylvania, sparking much controversy. In 1884, a Welsh man named Dr. William Price carried out the first cremation in the United Kingdom in modern times. In what appears to have been a fit of anger and defiance against God, he named his stillborn son "Iesu Grist", the name of Jesus Christ in the Welsh language. When he attempted to cremate the infant's body, the townspeople intervened and he was arrested. He was later acquitted and carried out the cremation ceremony, complete with pagan prayers, on March 14, 1884. Parliament passed the Cremation Act in 1902 and Mormon, Baptist, Protestant, and Catholic churches slowly began allowing the practice, although discouraging it. By the 1960s it was becoming widely accepted. Today, cremation has become much more widely accepted with about half of dying Americans opting to be cremated. It is especially convenient in urban areas where land is scarce and burial plots are more costly. Only the Eastern Orthodox Church continues to forbid cremation, making few exceptions. Click here for 20,000+ free genealogy resources including vital records Sources: [1] Bregman, Lucy (2010). Religion, Death, and Dying. 3. ABC-CLIO. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-313-35173-0. [2] Hutton, Ronald (2009). Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14485-7. [3] Encyclopædia Britannica: Or, A Dictionary of Arts and Science ..., Volume 9, p. 263.

Did you know there's a difference between a cemetery and a graveyard? If the burial grounds are on church property it is technically a graveyard. Cemeteries, traditionally, were burial places not associated with a church. Cemeteries could contain graves, tombs, and urns containing ashes, but church graveyards did not permit the burial of cremated ashes until about the 1960s. Source: Dictionary.com Click here for places to find cemetery records online. Click here for 20,000+ free genealogy resources. #cemeterytips #graveyard #burials

In 1850, John and Elizabeth Rider (or Ryder) were living in Franklin, Lycoming Township, Pennsylvania. Both their ages were reported as 60, making them born abt. 1790. John's occupation was "Laborer". John "Reace" and several other Riders lived nearby. The earliest map I could find is from 1873, showing several Riders, Reeses, Temples and other names familiar to the family such as Swisher, Phillips, Allen, and Stackhouse. Comparing this historic map to a modern Google Map shown below, it appears that this is the area of town they lived in. The red marker on Route 239 (Unityville) shows the approximate location of the "J. Rider Est." shown on the map above. Notice Franklin Church at top, where several other members are buried including the following ancestors in my line: John Ryder, Abraham Reese, Sr., Josiah Mackey Reese and his wife, Effie (Shaner) Reese, John Lloyd Temple and his wife, Martha (Allen) Temple, and Rebecca (Reese) Temple. Source: "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4C9-WBQ : 12 April 2016), John Rider, Franklin, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 1501, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Click here to learn more about this branch of my family! Click here for more information about John Rider. #ryder #rider #johnrider #johnryder #reese #census #genealogy

John Webster was one of the first settlers and founders of the State of Connecticut. In addition to being the 8th great-grandfather of my great-grandmother, Mary (Harvey) Reese Gaul (click here to learn more about John Webster and his genealogy), he was also an ancestor of three U.S. Presidents, including Rutherford B. Hayes, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. A few of his other notable descendants include Johnny Carson (the celebrity, 1925-2005), Emily Dickinson (the poet, 1830-1886), Katherine Hepburn (the actress, 1907-2003), and Janis Joplin (the singer, 1943-1970). He died in 1665 and rests in Old Hadley Cemetery in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. A memorial erected in his honor, shown below, is engraved as follows: "To the memory of John Webster, Esq., one of the first Settlers of Hartford in Connecticut, who was many years a Magistrate or assistant & afterwards Deputy Governor & Governor of that Colony & in 1659 with three sons Robert, William, & Thomas, associated with others in the purchase of a settlement in Hadley where he died in 1665, this monument is erected in 1818 by his descendants." Sources: History and genealogy of the Gov. John Webster family of Connecticut, by William H. Webster [Link] List of colonial governors of Connecticut. (2017, December 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colonial_governors_of_Connecticut John Webster (governor). (2017, December 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster_(governor) Click here for 20,000+ free genealogy resources! #johnwebster #governor #connecticut #cemetery #grave #burial #harvey

The U.S. Social Security Death Index contains over 94 million records of people who died between 1935 and 2014. The file may include the first and last name, social security number, state issued, birth date, death date, and last residence. With a subscription to Ancestry.com, you can access these records. If not, you can visit FamilySearch to access the index free of charge. Search the SSDI for free at FamilySearch! Click here! Tip: If you know the person's social security number, you can determine what state it was issued in just by looking at the number. Click here for more free genealogy resources and tips! #resources #genealogy #freegenealogyresources #socialsecurity #ssdi

Shown here is the Church of St Andrew and St Mary, an ancient church still standing today, in Pitminster (Diocese of Bath and Wells, Church of England), County of Somerset, England. Ceremonies performed here marked life's major milestones for at least two or three generations of my ancestry. The present church shown below, was built on the site of an old Saxon church more than seven centuries ago. While parts have since been rebuilt and added, the tower and part of the nave are over 700 years old. The effigy tombs of the Colles family, lords of the manor in the 1500s and 1600s, are still displayed inside. In this church, my 10th great-grandmother, Susanna (Treat) Webster, was baptized on October 8, 1629. Susanna came to America with her parents about 1637 and married Robert Webster, son of Gov. John Webster, on Nov. 10, 1653. Susanna's father, Richard Treat, was baptized at Pitminster, too, on August 28, 1584. He was also married to Alice Gaylord there, on April 27, 1615. Alice, too, had been baptized here, on May 10, 1594. Furthermore, Richard's father, Robert Treat, was born in Pitminster, and may have been baptized here as well. There may have even been other ancestors who were baptized, married, or buried here as well. Stay tuned for future updates or share your own discoveries about people and records associated with this church and town in the comments below! (Keep scrolling for a tour!) Have a look around the Churchyard and Cemetery with this interactive Google image: Side view: Or take a walk around the village! Click or tap the white arrows to navigate. Sources: Pitminster church history [Link] Church of St. Andrew and St. Mary, Historic England [Link] The Treat family: a genealogy of Trott, Tratt, and Treat for fifteen generations, and four hundred and fifty years in England and America, containing more than fifteen hundred families in America, by John Harvey Treat, 1893. [Link] My family's line of descent from Richard Treat is as follows: Richard Treat (1584-1670) - Susanna (Treat) Webster (1629-1705) - Elizabeth (Webster) Seymour (1673-1754) - John Seymour III (1694-1758) - Lucretia (Seymour) Ensign (1730-1814) married Datus Ensign Sr (1729-1787) - Datus Ensign Jr (1752-1832) - Royal Ensign (1792-1868) - Esther A. (Ensign) Shirley (1826-1861) - Royal J. Shirley (1851-1928) - Gertrude (Shirley) Harvey (1878-1937) - Mary E. (Harvey) Reese (1910-1930) - Click here to learn more about this branch of my family tree. Click here for 20,000* free genealogy resources!

Learn all about the life and times of Gov. John Webster of Connecticut, my 11th great-grandfather in this three-volume work titled "History and genealogy of the Gov John Webster family of Connecticut", by William H. Webster, 1915. Volume 1 - Volume 2 - Volume 3 #johnwebster #governor #connecticut #harvey

Rather than honoring and celebrating the early settlers of America, in today's "politically correct" - but literally incorrect world, we often hear of "white man" coming to America and stealing the land from the Indians. Like most propaganda, this is a stereotype, not always true. However, the truth has a way of resurfacing, especially when you're a genealogist digging through old historical documents and books . First of all, Native Americans didn't believe in the individual's right to own land. They believed all land belonged to the "Great Spirit". They were peaceful and often friendly to the settlers upon arrival and some maintained good relationships with their new white neighbors. Yes, conflicts arose, as they do with all people, but there is more to the story than most people know. In my research, I have found evidence of several sales between the whites and the Indians. One great example was William Penn. He was granted the land of Pennsylvania by King Charles II of England, for money owed to his father. Still, Penn and his sons paid the Indians for the land, possibly to avoid conflict or maybe just out of the goodness of his heart. The Indians traded for things they didn't have, such as a wheelbarrow. This may seem like an unfair trade but the logic behind it was simple. The Indians knew there was much more land to be had in America. The white men had no idea at that time and the Indians were glad to have a new wheelbarrow! In another documented example, a deed of sale between Roger Ludlow and the "Norwalke Indians", shows that Norwalk was purchased in exchange for eight fathoms of wampum*, six coats, ten hatchets, ten hoes, ten knives, ten scissors, ten jewse-harpes*, ten fathoms of tobacco, three kettles, and ten looking glasses (mirrors). * Click the bold links to find out what these items were. From "Norwalk", by Charles Melbourne Selleck, 1896. [Link] #connecticut #rogerludlow #nativeamerican #indians #newengland #settlement #norwalk #land

In the book "A history of the Seymour family: descendants of Richard Seymour of Hartford, Connecticut, for six generations", by Donald L. Jacobus, George D. Seymour, Mary K. Talcott, and Tyler S. Morris, 1939, much information is given about our line of the Seymour family. John Seymour II was my 9th great-grandfather, a son of John Seymour and Mary Watson. Click here to learn more about John and his family. John's tombstone at the Ancient Burying Grounds in Hartford represents typical Puritan burial practices. In accordance with the Scriptures forbidding graven images, Puritans did not use religious symbols such as crosses or figures on their tombstones. The carving shown here on John Seymour's headstone is the "death's head" which was the first imagery used on headstones. The skull and wings and/or crossed bones were used to represent spiritual regeneration and prompt the living to ponder their eternal destination. Source: A history of the Seymour family : descendants of Richard Seymour of Hartford, Connecticut, for six generations; with extensive amplification of the lines deriving from his son John Seymour of Hartford, by Jacobus, Donald Lines, 1887-1970; Seymour, George Dudley, 1859-1945; Talcott, Mary Kingsbury, 1847-1917; Morris, Tyler Seymour, 1863-1921. [Link] #JohnSeymourII #seymour #hartford #connecticut #cemetery #burial #grave

James Ensign was an early settler of Hartford, Connecticut. His name is memorialized on the "First Settlers Monument" in the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford, shown here in this Google image: This image is from Record of the descendants of James Ensign and his wife Sarah Elson, 1634-1939, by Martha Ensign Nelson, 1939. (Click here to read the book at Archive.org for free). Click here to see more Ensign family memorabilia. #JamesEnsign #Hartford #Connecticut #Ensign #ensign #harvey #Harvey

Samuel Stowell was born in England in 1625 and came to America by 1635. In my previous blog, details about his home were discussed. It was located less than a quarter mile (about 875 feet) from Fort Hill Cemetery in Hingham, Massachusetts, but no record or evidence of his burial has been found. In light of two important facts, this does not rule out Fort Hill as Samuel's burial place, however. First, early church records were destroyed by fire in 1770, leaving no record of early town burials. Second, the God-fearing Puritans used simple rough hewn stones to mark their burial places. They did not advocate engravings or carvings of symbols or marks, in accordance with Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth". Their markers were not elaborate memorials like those used later after the settlers were more established. The date above the cemetery's gate says "1895", but the cemetery is obviously much older. The oldest gravestones in the cemetery date back to the 1750s. According to the family tradition, however, Samuel Stowell does rest at Fort Hill. Mention of it was made at the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Stowell Family Association in 1926. The following statement[1] pertaining to Fort Hill Cemetery was made by Luther Stowell Conger: "There are a great many historic things to be seen in the cemetery. Peter Hobart is laid away there, and a great many close connections of those who are here today are laid away there. We will also see the spot where Samuel Stowell is supposed to be buried." As mentioned in my previous post, Peter Hobart, was one of the original settlers of Hingham. Samuel Stowell came to Hingham with his party. Therefore, it seems highly probably Samuel was indeed laid to rest in the same place. The monument at the end of the path is a memorial "TO THE FIRST SETTLERS OF HINGHAM". Use this interactive map to browse the area. [1] Annual Meeting, Stowell Family, p. 6, by the Stowell Family Association, 1925. [Link] [2] Cemetery Transcription at US GenWeb [Link] Click here to see more of my ancestors in my Virtual Family Cemetery. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #stowell #harvey #forthillcemetery #hingham #massachusetts #burial #cemetery #samuelstowell

Located in County Somerset, six miles from the Bristol Channel, lies the village and civil parish of Cothelstone. It is situated in the Quantock Hills, six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane District. The village was the home of my Stowell ancestors since the time of the Norman Invasion of 1066. “During the English Civil War, Sir John Stawell of Cothelstone had raised a small force at his own expense to defend the King. When Taunton fell to parliamentary troops and was held by Robert Blake he attacked Stawell at Bishops Lydeard and imprisoned him. After the restoration, Charles II conferred the title of Baron Stawell on Sir John's son, Ralph.” (Source: Cothelstone page at Wikipedia.org). Cothelstone Church, Quantock, England – “The church is quite near the Manor House and was always a part of it and the livings and advowsons* belonged to the Stowell family. It is of great antiquity and contains old medallions of ancient stained glass and monuments and tombs of the Stowell family dating back to 1300. Members of the Stowell family have worshipped here since 1066.” [Stowell Genealogy] *An advowson is the right to nominate a person to be parish priest (subject to episcopal approval), and such right was often originally held by the lord of the manor of the principal manor within the parish. Source: Saul, Nigel (2000). A Companion to Medieval England 1066–1485. Stroud: Tempus. p. 11. Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. Click here to learn about Samuel Stowell. #stowell #england #church #photos

From "Stowell Genealogy", this photo of Stowell House in Quantock, England, was taken. For details about this branch of the family, click here. The estate dates back to a Saxon King and Queen who settled there abt. 600 A.D. At the Norman Conquest of 1066, the manor was given to Sir Adam de Coveston by William the Conqueror "for his support at the time of the Norman Conquest". Adam's descendants remained there until 1792. Today the Stowell house is called "Cotherlstone Manor". Today it is a bed and breakfast and is available for weddings and other events. It is one of Somerset's most historic houses. Visit their website for more details. The manor is located in Taunton, County Somerset, England, "six miles from the Bristol Channel". The Google map below shows the location. The following is an excerpt from “Stowell Genealogy”, by W.H. Harrison, regarding Samuel Stowell: It is reasonably certain he belongs to the Stowell or Stawell family that settled in County Somerset, England, over eight hundred years ago.” The founder of the family was the Norman knight Adam, who came over with William the Conqueror in 1066 and his services were rewarded by giving him the manor called "de Coveston or de Cothelstone" and the manor of "de Stawelle" in Moorlinch, County Somerset. Gerard in 1633 wrote: "The Manor of Cothelstone dates back to long before the Conquest of 1066, when a Saxon King and Queen are said to have been its founders. They secluded themselves within its walls in fulfilment of a vow taken at the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. It has more the appearance of a cloister than a knightly castle such as the warrior, Sir Adam, might have desired." "Cothelstone is a very remarkable place on account of its great antiquity, being one of the oldest homes in England, situated six miles from the Bristol Channel, in Quantock, County Somerset. It came into the possession of the Stawell family in 1066. At that time the manor consisted of a beautiful and extensive mansion with many buildings belonging to it and immediately clustered around it, including the Church, eleven farm houses and fifty-four cottages. This manor has been retained in the Stawell family in an unbroken line, from oldest son to oldest son, from 1066 down to the present time. On the summit is a round tower, nothing whatever being known of its builder or the date of its erection. From it a magnificent view is obtained, said to be the most extensive in England. The manor of "de Stawelle" also dates back to old Saxon times when it was known as "Estawella" or Eastern Spring. Originally these Norman knights were known only by their Christian names, but gradually they adopted for purposes of identification, as their surname, the name of the manor or estate where they lived. Thus Sir Adam became Sir Adam de Coveston. This was very soon changed to Sir Adam de Cothelstone and later on to Sir Adam de Stawelle. The titled branch inherited by the eldest son was very influential in the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th centuries and in the time of the Civil Wars was the most prominent family in South Western England, as they had acquired by marriage or purchase some twenty-six additional manors or estates with the church livings and advowsons that accompanied them. They built one of the largest mansion houses in England. They were royalists and staunch supporters of the Stuarts. When the Parliamentary Party and Cromwell came into power their estates were confiscated and their mansion house and the church badly damaged and Sir John Stawell was imprisoned for several years in the Tower of London, living in poverty with his health completely broken down. Under Charles II a restoration was made of such property as remained and his son Ralph as recompense was created on the fifteenth of January, 1683, a Baron under the title of "Lord Stawell of Somerton," named after one of the other manors. Later, when the title of Baron lapsed owing to the failure of male issue it was continued by special Act of Parliament upon the daughter Mary as Baroness Stawell, 21 May 1760, with the right of inheritance by her male descendants, but after a few generations the title of Baron again became extinct owing to the lack of male issue. Some of the younger sons were created Knights in their own right through their ability and prominence and thus acquired the title of Sir and served as members of Parliament and in other high offices. The church at Hingham, Mass., which was organized in 1635 and attended by Samuel Stowell, the immigrant, has had Stowell worshippers continuously from 1649 to the present day. While not the oldest church society or organization, the church building itself, erected in 1680, is the oldest meeting house in America that has been continuously used for public worship, hence the church at Cothelstone and the church at Hingham have between them had Stowell worshippers from 1066 to the present time. Samuel was not a common name in the family in the early days. In Col. George D. Stawell's History of the Stawell family, the name of Samuel does not appear in a single instance until recorded in the Registers of Bath and Chudleigh in 1562. Forty Stowells are mentioned therein; thirty-five of these are spelled Stowell and five are spelled Stawell. The name of Samuel appears in the Bath Abbey Register which gives the birth of a Samuel Stowell on the 5th of January 1581 and the Chudleigh Parish Register gives the death of a Samuel Stowell, 7th of December 1628, probably the same Samuel. He may have married and had children though I find no record either of his marriage or of any children. Possibly our immigrant Samuel may have been a son of his. We know the date of death of our Samuel to be in 1683, but as we do not know his age at time of death, we cannot definitely fix upon the date of his birth, but indications point to about 1625. As far as dates are concerned this would fit in with his being the son of the above Samuel who died in 1628. Although there were a few scattered families there prior to that date, the real settlement of Hingham, Mass., occurred in 1635 when a large colony from Hingham, England, came over with the Rev. Peter Hobart among them as their pastor and organized the town naming it Hingham after their old English home. This would make Samuel about ten years old at that time. He may have been brought over by some relative on his mother's side, or by some friend of the family or as an orphan apprenticed to one of the immigrants. This was probably the case for his name does not appear on any of the ship's registers or in any of the Hingham records until his marriage in 1649 to Mary Farrow is recorded in Hobart's Diary. #stowell #harvey #reese #Reese

Archelaus Stowell was the 2nd great-grandfather of Mary (Harvey) Reese., via her paternal grandmother, Betsy A. (Stowell) Harvey. Archelaus' biography can be found on page 180 of "Stowell Genealogy". He was born on April 4, 1764, in Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut. Archelaus married Olive Bugbee, daughter of Timothy Bugbee and Hannah Wood, on November 4, 1791, in Ashford, Connecticut, and their union was blessed with six known children: Alpheus, Amasa, Alladuran, Mary, John and Nathan. Archelaus died at the age of 87, on July 22, 1851, in Virgil, Cortland County, New York. He rests at Forest Hill Cemetery in Blodgett Mills, Cortland County. You can read Stowell Genealogy free online by clicking here or for a hard copy you can find it on Amazon.com or ebay.com. Click here to see more about this family. See also "Reese Family Record 2014". See also The Stowell House. #stowell #harvey #reese #Reese

This hundred-year old class photo from New Milford School, New York, shows Delaphina "Mary" Decker attending "New Milford School", New York, school with her class in 1909. Delaphina is the girl with the check mark over her head in the back row. She was born in January of 1897 and was the daughter of Charles Decker (1862-1909) and Lydia Mayo. After she married W. H. Dickinson, she went by the name Mary Dickinson. This photo was from 1909, around the time her father, Charles Decker, died. (Photo from the collection of James H. Dickinson). See more on the Decker page. It appears this school house was located on Covered Bridge Road in New Milford (Town of Warwick). #delaphinadecker #dickinson #decker #warwick #school #class #photo #newmilford #newyork #orangecounty

It was the year 1624 when the first Dutch settlers began to arrive in New York, settling along the Hudson River. They established what they called "The Colony of New Amsterdam" on Manhattan Island in 1626, but in 1664 the English seized control of the colony and changed the name to New York. Counties were established in 1683, of which Albany County was the largest. It wasn't until 1788, twelve years after America won it's independence from Great Britain, that New York was officially established as a U.S. State. The County Seat is Albany. Albany County originally encompassed most of central and western New York. The following counties were formed from Albany County and most were later sub-divided: Washington County (1772) part of Montgomery County (1772) Charlotte County (1772, renamed Washington in 1784) Tryon County (1772, renamed Montgomery in 1784) Columbia County (1786) Rensselaer County (1791) Saratoga County (1791) part of Schoharie County (1795) Schenectady County (1809) The Annals of Albany by Joel Munsell contains a wealth of information about Albany County, New York. Church records, historic events, illustrations, portraits, and much more! Choose a volume to read or search for free at Archive.org: Volume 1 [Link] Volume 6 [Link] Volume 2 [Link] Volume 7 [Link] Volume 3 [Link] Volume 8 [Link] Volume 4 [Link] Volume 9 [Link] Volume 5 [Link] Volume 10 [Link] Click here for more genealogy resources. Click here for more New York genealogy resources. Click here for more Albany County resources including a list of towns. #albanycounty #albany #newyork #resources #genealogy

Sophronia, mother of Charles Russell Leonard, is supposed to have been born about 1815 in either Broome or Chenango County. (On the 1855 census "Chenango" is given under the column for the county of her birth. On the 1875 census, however, "Broome" is given as her county of birth. Note that the boundaries of these counties were already in place by 1810, so they were fairly well established by 1815, when she was supposedly born. There is a town called Chenango in Broome County. Was this the place she was referring to? See notes at bottom). Sophronia's eldest son, Charles, was supposedly born in Union Springs in 1830, although at the time it was Springport. The village of Union Springs was not incorporated until Nov. 1848, from part of Springport. The first solid mention of Sophronia, wife of Russell Leonard, is in 1834 when she published a missing persons ad in the newspaper. She asked for any information to be given to the postmaster at Port Byron. Whether or not she ever found out what happened to Russel remains a mystery. We are told that her maiden name was Sophronia Burrill (or Burlet) and that she remarried to Thomas Knapp. This may be a mixup. Her true maiden name has yet to be confirmed. On Sept. 11, 1837, Thomas H. Knapp and Sophronia (Leonard) were married, in Genoa, Cayuga County, New York. He was born about 1810-1811 in Fort Ann, Connecticut. According to his 1863 enlistment card, he was 5 feet 8.5 inches tall and had blue eyes, light hair, and light complexion. In 1840 we find Thomas "Napp" living in Scipio, Cayuga, New York and his household contained two boys under 5 years old (their son Joseph Knapp was age 3 and Thomas Knapp Jr. was age 2), one man age 20-30 (Thomas Knapp was 29), one girl age 5-10 (Jenette Leonard was 7), and one woman age 20-30 (Sophronia was 25). Based on this information, her son Charles R. Leonard, who would have been about 9-10 in 1840, either did not live with his mother, or this is not the correct household of his mother. In 1850 Thomas Knapp's family appears in Genoa, Cayuga County, New York. Her son, Charles would have been 19-20, but is, again, not found in the Knapp home. Charles' location in 1850 has yet to be found. The census was taken on Sept. 24, 1850: Thomas Knapp (age 39) Saphronia Knapp (age 35) est. 1815 Joseph Knapp (age 13) Thomas Knapp (age 12) Mariah Knapp (age 9) Sophia Knapp (age 7) Lydia Knapp (age 4) Dewey Knapp (age 2) William Knapp (age 6 mos) In 1850 they lived next door or near to Sophronia's daughter, Jenette (Leonard) and Nelson Reynolds and their baby daughter, Virginia: Nelson Reynolds (age 22) Genette Reynolds (age 17) Virginia Reynolds (age 3 months) Nelson and Jenette were also counted on the census of Lansing, that same year. Lansing is 15 miles south of Genoa. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCTG-K87 : 12 April 2016), Saphronia Knapp in household of Thomas Knapp, Genoa, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing family 217, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Note: In 1850, the only Charles Leonard age 19 in all of New York was one in Marshall, Oneida County. He was a farmer residing on the farm of John & Mahitable Green. John Green was 71 and born in Massachusetts and Mahitable was 63 and born in Wales. In 1855 the family was living in Locke, Cayuga County, New York. The census was taken on June 28th and they report living in the town only two months*. In the home was: Thomas Knapp (age 44, born Connecticut), Laborer Saphrona Knapp (age 43, wife, born Chenango**) Joseph Knapp (age 17, son, born Cayuga) Thomas H. Knapp, Jr.*** (age 15, son, born Cayuga) Mariah Knapp (age 14, daughter, born Cayuga) Sophia Knapp (age 12, daughter, born Cayuga) Lydia A. Knapp (age 9, daughter, born Cayuga) Dewey Knapp (age 6, son, born Cayuga) William Knapp (age 6, son, born Cayuga) Saphrona Knapp (age 2, daughter, born Cayuga) Arnold Knapp (age 6 mos.,, son, born Cayuga) *On the same census, Charles and Mary Leonard were living in nearby Genoa with their first son, Joseph R. Leonard, who was 1 year old. Charles was 23 and Mary was 17. It is interesting to note that they, too, report living in the town only two months. Did they move into Sophronia's house? **"Otsiningo or Chenango, an important Indian town abandoned and destroyed by Indians in the winter of 1778-9, located four miles north of Binghamton in the present town of Chenango, Broome County" [Source: The Journal of Lieut. John L. Hardenbergh] ***The 1855 census reveals the name of Thomas and Sophronia's son was Thomas H. Knapp, Jr., indicating that Thomas Sr.'s middle name began with an "H" as well. "New York State Census, 1855," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K67R-YWB : 19 November 2014), William Knapp in household of Thomas Knapp, Locke, Cayuga, New York, United States; count clerk offices, New York; FHL microfilm 1,435,218. Note: There were at least 112 people with the Knapp name living in Cayuga County in 1855. In 1860, "Sofronia" was 45 years old, living in Springport, New York, with her 49-year old husband, Thomas, the following people, all born in New York: Maria Knapp (age 19) Thomas Knapp (age 20) - born in Venice, Cayuga Co., NY as per muster roll abstracts Sophia J. Knapp (age 17) Lydia A. Knapp (age 15) Dewey Knapp (age 12) William Knapp (age 9) Arnold Knapp (age 5) Sophronia Knapp (age 7) Oscar Thompson (age 21) Abner Thomson (age 19) John Hix (age 26) Source: "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCW9-J1V : 26 July 2017), Sophronia Knap in entry for Thomas Knap, 1860 Thomas Knapp, Sr., enlisted in the 16th Regiment, Third New York Heavy Artillery*, Company K, on Nov. 12, 1861. He mustered in the same day and mustered out on June 2, 1863. (*Formerly 19th Infantry). Another enlistment dated Oct. 26, 1863 was also found. He mustered in as a Private in 16th Artillery, Company D, on Dec. 1, 1863 and mustered out on Aug. 9, 1865. His son, Thomas Knapp, Jr., also enlisted and served at least three times. Source: "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FSM9-J29 : 4 December 2014), Thomas Knapp, Private, Company D, 16th Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery, Union; citing NARA microfilm publication M551 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 78; FHL microfilm 882,134. In 1865, Sophronia was 50 years old, and was head of her household in the village of Union Springs. Birthplace: "Can't tell". She reported having 11 children and two marriages. She reports being "now married" instead of widowed. Her neighbors appear to be the same as in 1860 so it was probably still the same house. In 1865 it was specified as a "Stone" house with the following people living in it: Saphrona Knapp (age 50) Sophia Thompson (age 22), her daughter Albert Thompson (age 28), her son-in-law, husband of Sophia Sarah Thompson (age 2), her granddaughter Lydia A. Hicks (age 18), her daughter Anna V. Hicks (age 3), her granddaughter William Knapp (age 16), her son Ella Knapp (age 15), her daughter in law (Luella?) Saphrona Knapp (age 13), her daughter Edward Thompson (age 23), her nephew (?), born in Cayuga County, "Army" Laura Thompson (age 19), her niece (?), born in North Carolina Source: "New York State Census, 1865," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVNJ-CXKX : accessed 25 December 2016), Saphrona Knapp, , Union Springs, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing source p. 10, line 15, household ID 69, county clerk, board of supervisors and surrogate court offices from various counties. Utica and East Hampton Public Libraries, New York; FHL microfilm 853,201. On that 1865 Union Springs Census their possible neighbors are: Mary Schoby (wood house) Hiram Finch (wood house) Nathan Howland (wood) Lucinda Reeves (wood) Laura McCossens (brick) James Everitt (wood) Charles Adams (wood) Deborah Moore (wood) Charles Day (wood) John Hoff (wood) Sophronia Knapp (stone) Alvin Coburn (wood) Sarah Griffing (brick) Edward Eldredge (wood) John Vickery (wood) Thomas Knapp reportedly died May 10, 1869. In 1870, Sophronia appears to have been missing from the census. There are two blank entries between the Hoff and Coburn homes, indicating the homes were vacant or did not participate. Source: "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6Q19-KTD?cc=1438024&wc=92K4-G5S%3A518819101%2C519929201%2C519935501 : 22 May 2014), New York > Cayuga > Spring Port > image 40 of 58; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). Anna Hicks and Sophia Thompson were living in Springport with Loren and Lilian Thompson, ages 27 and 24, respectively. A baby, Derel Thompson, age 2 ("female"?), appears to have been Sophia's child. Two other children appear to have been Loren and Lillian's: Joseph Thompson (age 3) and Charles Thompson (age 2). Source: "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6Q19-V2S?cc=1438024&wc=92K4-G5S%3A518819101%2C519929201%2C519935501 : 22 May 2014), New York > Cayuga > Spring Port > image 25 of 58; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.). In 1875, Sophronia was living alone in Springport. She was widowed. Her age was given as 57 and her county of birth, Broome. The census was taken June 25, 1875. Source: "New York State Census, 1875," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-95MB-9Q9P?cc=1918735&wc=M6LY-R29%3A209415601%2C209591801 : 21 May 2014), Cayuga > Springport > image 18 of 41; State Library, Albany. In 1880, Sophronia was living in Summerhill, Cayuga County, New York, with her son-in-law, Benjamin Wilson (age 37), and his wife, Nellie S. Wilson (age 26). They had two children: Ada Wilson (age 10) and Calvin W. Wilson (age 8). Source: "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZZ4-ZKR : 20 August 2017), Benjamin Wilson, Summer Hill, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing enumeration district ED 40, sheet 377B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0814; FHL microfilm 1,254,814 Sophronia died in Moravia, December 3, 1883, at the age of 69. Her burial may have been in Union Springs. Her death was announced in the December 6th edition of the Union Springs Adverstiser. Other Notes For interesting reading about Union Springs see The Indian and the Pioneer. Chenango County towns: Afton Bainbridge Columbus Coventry Earlville (village) German Greene Guildford - Formed from Oxford and called Eastern from 1813-1817 Holmesville (hamlet) Lincklaen - Formed from German in 1823 McDonough - Formed from Preston n 1816 Mount Upton (hamlet) New Berlin - Formed from Norwich in 1807. Name was changed to Lancaster briefly from 1821-1822. North Norwich Norwich - Settled by people from Norwich, Connecticut Otselic - Formed from German in 1817. Oxford Pharsalia Pitcher - Formed from German and Lincklaen in 1827. Plymouth Preston Rockdale (hamlet) Sherburne - John Burrel (1820) four people in the home Smithville - Israel Burrell (1820) 7 people in the home Smyrna A look at Burrills and Leonards in Chenango County and Broome County in the census: 1810: Asa Leonard (10 people in the home) in Berkshire, Broome, NY Samuel Burwell (9 people in the home) in New Berlin, Chenango, NY (No Leonards in Chenango County. No Burrills in Broome County.) 1820: Arnold Burrell (9 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Aurora Burrell (5 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Israel Burrell (6 people in the home) in Smithville, Chenango, NY John Burrel (3 people in the home) in Sherburne, Chenango, NY Ainga Leonard (10 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Joseph Leonard (5 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Seth Leonard (7 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Solomon Leonard (11 people in the home) in Berkshire, Broome, NY Asa Leonard (7 people in the home) in Berkshire, Broome, NY Stephen B Leonard (9 people in the home) in Owego, Broome, NY Betativer Leonard (3 people in the home) in Guilford, Chenango, NY Elexes Leonard (3 people in the home) in Otselic, Chenango, NY Heman Leonard (9 people in the home) in Columbus, Chenango, NY Isaac Leonard (3 people in the home) in Green, Chenango, NY James Leonard (3 people in the home) in Green, Chenango, NY Jonas Leonard (7 people in the home) in German, Chenango, NY Joseph B. Leonard (6 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY Thadeus Leonard (4 people in the home) in Otselic, Chenango, NY Timothy Leonard (6 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY 1830: Aurora Burrell (9 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Isaac Burwell (5 people in the home) in Union, Broome, NY Anson Burrel (5 people in the home) in Norwich, Chenango, NY Hannah Burrel (3 people in the home) in New Berlin, Chenango, NY Joseph Leonard (10 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Seth Leonard (11 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Joseph Leonard (7 people in the home) in Lisle, Broome, NY Zenas Leonard (3 people in the home) in Union, Broome, NY Alexer Leonard (8 people in the home) in Otselic, Chenango, NY Hane Leonard (8 people in the home) in Oxford, Chenango, NY Hernan Leonard (4 people in the home) in Columbus, Chenango, NY Jonas Leonard (5 people in the home) in German, Chenango, NY Joseph B. Leonard (6 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY Joshua Leonard (3 people in the home) in Lincklaen, Chenango, NY Noah Leonard (3 people in the home) in Coventry, Chenango, NY Pettyre Leonard (6 people in the home) in Guilford, Chenango, NY Stephen A. Leonard (8 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY1840: Awra Burrell (7 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Giles Burnill (7 people in the home) in Oxford, Chenango, NY Amasa Leonard (7 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Jos. Leonard ( 4 people in the home) in Chenango, Broome, NY Z. Leonard (6 people in the home) in Union, Broome, NY George W. Leonard (5 people in the home) in Bainbridge, Chenango, NY Isaac Leonard (8 people in the home) in Oxford, Chenango, NY Joseph B. Leonard (2 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY Letitia Leonard (5 people in the home) in New Berlin, Chenango, NY Rufus Leonard (5 people in the home) in Smyrna, Chenango, NY Sabina Leonard (3 people in the home) in Oxford, Chenango, NY Other notes: Checked "Reminiscences, anecdotes and statistics of the early settlers and the olden time in the town of Sherburne, Chenango County, N.Y.". No Burrells or Leonards found. Checked "Book of biographies : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Chenango County, New York", by Biographical Publishing Company, 1898. Checked "History of Chenango county, containing the divisions of the county and sketches of the towns; Indian tribes and title", by Hiram C. Clark, 1850, and found no mention of Burrell or Burrill. The Annals of Binghamton says this: "The same year (1809) Arnold Burrell, a wagon-maker, and the father of Arora Burrell, built upon the south west corner, and opposite Mr. Brownson. The house is a part of the present dwelling of Mr. Myron Merrill. (South-west corner of Main and Front Streets)" *Note: One of Sophronia's sons was named Arnold. Broome County reports on p. 85 the first newspapers pubished in Binghamton stating, "In 1818 the Republican Herald was started by Abraham Burrell". The book The Knapp Family in America reveals no clues but there is a strikingly similar occurrence on p. 40 under Hiram Knapp, born 1804 who married in 1835 to Sophronia, daughter of Edward B Brown and his wife Lucy Risley. Sophronia was born in Hanover, N.H., on Feb. 10, 1815. If you have any information or comments to contribute, please feel free to comment below. We would like to find proof of her name and her parentage. Was she Native American? Click here for my genealogy tips and resources Click here for more about the Leonard family #sophronia #leonard #Leonard #burrill #ChenangoCounty #BroomeCounty #timeline #sophroniaburrill #sophroniaknapp #sophronialeonard

Quote by Henry David Thoreau: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined. Photo by the late Rev. James I. Dickinson (1927-2003) Click here to see more! #famousquotes #quotes #motivation #inspirational #JIDPhotos

#happynewyear #oldprint #newspaper

A Prayer for Our Country Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with humble industry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and many tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be peace and justice at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. - George Washington #GeorgeWashington #America #patriotic #quotes #prayer #blessing

The Star Spangled Banner was gigantic flag measuring 30-feet by 42-feet. It was ordered by Major George Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. Armistead wanted a flag so large, the British would be able to see it from afar. It was delivered on August 19, 1813. In September of 1814, Francis Scott Key, a young American lawyer, boarded a British flagship to persuade the British to release a friend they had recently captured. While he was there, on September 13, he watched the barrage of gunfire and rockets the British released on Fort McHenry. The bombardment lasted 25 hours and Key was convinced it was an American defeat. But as the smoke cleared and the sun rose, he looked and saw the giant flag, the Star Spangled Banner, flying high over the Fort. It was declaring an American victory! It was a fateful moment in the annals of American history, forever memorialized in Key's song. [Image: Star Spangled Banner, NMAH, Smithsonian Institution Archives]. Listen to Renald Werrenrath sing it here: (click play) The Star Spangled Banner O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep, Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream: 'Tis the star-spangled banner, O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. And where is that band who so vauntingly swore That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion, A home and a country, should leave us no more? Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave: And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war's desolation. Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.' And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! #military #patriotic #folksong #song #americanrevolution #lyrics #quotes #warof1812

Philip Shaner was a son of Jacob Shaner, Sr., and brother of my ancestor, Jacob Shaner, Jr. His complete biography can be found in “The Biographical Record of Henry County, Illinois”, by S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1901, p. 377-379, from which the following excerpt is taken: “PHILIP SHANER, The subject of this review is one of the oldest and most honored citizens of Henry county, his home being on section 27, Wethersfield township. Years of quiet usefulness and a life in which the old fashioned virtues of sobriety, industry and integrity are exemplified have a simple beauty that no words can portray. Youth has its charms, but an honorable and honored old age, to which the lengthening years have added dignity and sweetness, has a brighter radiance, as if some ray from the life beyond already rested upon it. Mr. Shaner was born in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, April 14, 1814, and is a son of Jacob Shaner, a native of Germany, who came to America with his parents when a young man of nineteen years and settled in Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was married near Philadelphia, and reared his family upon a farm. On leaving the old homestead at the age of seventeen years, Philip Shaner went to Cattaraugus county, New York, where he worked upon a farm for a few years, and while there he was married January 18, 1835, the lady of his choice being Miss Melinda Jackson.” The biography continues to explain that Philip moved west in 1838, “by team, the journey occupying about a month. He located in what is now Stark County, Illinois”, and had ten children. Click here to read more. Philip's name was found in another source as well. In the book "Sketches of Wethersfield township, 1836-1925", by Frank H. Craig, 1926, pages 65-66, the following excerpt is copied: Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #reese #shaner #petershaner #genealogy #shanerfamily #illinois #pennsylvania

Datus Ensign's bravery during the American Revolution was recalled in The Saratogian newspaper on February 18, 1966. From the article, we learn of a book called "The sexagenary: or, Reminiscences of the American revolution", by John P. Becker (1765-1837) and Simeon D. Bloodgood (1799-1866), published in 1866. On page 109, the story is told: A similar article had been printed in 1952. Click here to learn more about Datus Ensign, Jr. and his family. #datusensign #americanrevolution #revolutionarywar #harvey

This antique rolling pin was given to me by my great-aunt, Mary Ruth. It belonged to my 2nd great-grandmother, Ada (Temple) Reese, the wife of Maynard Reese and mother of ten. I can imagine there must have been a lot of baking going on in their home! While I never had a chance to meet her, I have seen photos and heard stories and she seems to have been the portrait of an all-American grandma. Together with this photo of her wearing her apron, I can almost smell an apple pie baking in the oven. Photo before 1947, courtesy of Sandy Jackson: See the Reese page for more about their families. #reese #temple #Reese

Percy Henry Daniels was said to have been born in 1880 in Olympia, Washington. (Click here to see more about his life and family). In 1892, the following census was recorded in Kamilche, Mason County, Washington. I believe this to be Percy Henry Daniels. He was living with his father or grandfather, perhaps - or even an uncle - William Daniels, age 51, a logger, born in Missouri (illegible?). Percy H. Daniels, age 6, born in Finland. If Percy was 6, he was born in 1885-1886. If you have information about this family, please comment or contact me! #Daniels #Washington #daniels #PercyDaniels