My 64 ~ Researching My Fourth Great Grandparents : Jacob Steeves and Eleanor Bleakney

My fourth great grandfather, Jacob Steeves, was born on May 3, 1788, most probably in Hillsborough, Albert County, New Brunswick, the first son of Matthias Steeves and Sophia Beck, and the second of thirteen children. He was the grandson of Heinrich Stief and Regina Stahlecker, who settled in Hillsborough 250 years ago.

My fourth great grandmother, Eleanor "Nellie" Bleakney, was born in the early 1800's, the daughter of William Bleakney and Barbara Jacques. She was the granddaughter of David Blakeney and his wife Elizabeth, who were part of a group of South Carolina Loyalists who had arrived in Canada in late 1782.  I wrote of her grandfather in 2015, in my blog series My Canadian Branches.

The couple were married in Westmorland County on November 12, 1818. They settled on the Pollett River, a tributary of the Petitcodiac, undoubtedly near where the Bleakney clan had settled. This map shows the area very well.

According to Esther Clark Wright, they had four children, two sons and two daughters. I have found William Bleakney and Jacob, Barbara and possibly Eliza:

Barbara, b. abt. 1821

William Bleakney, b. abt. 1823

Eliza, b. possibly 1827

Jacob, b. abt. 1828

The Steeves House Museum lists two additional children, a son George Bleakney Steeves, born abt. 1832, and a daughter Catherine Bleakney Steeves, b. abt. 1834, but further research is needed on these.

Daughter Barbara married Andrew Anderson, and is buried with him in Boundary Creek Cemetery in Moncton.  William Bleakney married a granddaughter of Henry, Christian's son, Charlotte Ann Steeves, and is buried with her in Hillside United Baptist Church Cemetery in Hillside.

The graves of Jacob and Eleanor are unknown.

Map Credit:

Roe Brothers, (A.D. & W.B. Roe), base maps are from British Admiralty charts and National Surveys [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Petitcodiac-river-map-closeup1.png)

Sources:

"Canada Census, 1851," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW5B-TDL : accessed 21 May 2015), Eleanor Steeves, Coverdale, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada; citing p. 2, line 35; Library and Archives Canada film number C_994, Public Archives, Ontario..

Canada, Marriages, 1661-1949," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F2P9-PMD : accessed 30 December 2014), Jacob Steves and Eleanor Bleakney, 12 Nov 1818; citing Westmorland,New Brunswick, reference ; FHL microfilm 847,576.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  16 Nov 2016), memorial page for Barbara Steeves Anderson (unknown-1874), Find A Grave Memorial no. 119762001, citing Boundary Creek Cemetery, Moncton, Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  16 Nov 2016), memorial page for William B Steeves (1823-1899), Find A Grave Memorial no. 158435290, citing Hillside United Baptist Church Cemetery, Hillside, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Wright, Esther Clark. Samphire Greens: The Story of the Steeves. 2nd ed. (Hillsborough, NB: The Steeves Family Inc., 2001), p. 63.

My 64 ~ Researching My Fourth Great Grandparents : Christian Steeves and Christiana Jones

My fourth great grandfather, Christian Steeves, was born in Coverdale, Albert County, New Brunswick, sometimes in 1806. His parents were Henry Steeves (1780-1856) and Ann "Nancy" Sinton (1777-1856). This Christian Steeves is the great grandson of Heinrich Stief and Regina Stahlecker, who arrived in Hillsborough 250 years ago.

Little is known about Christian, until he and Christiana Jones, registered their intention to marry on July 26, 1827, in Westmorland County. They were married three months later on the same date.

My fourth great grandmother, Christiana Jones, was also born in 1806, in Hillsborough, the daughter of Henry Jones (1758-1840) and Ann Christiana Somers (1763-1837). She descends, on her father's side, from the original Monckton settler, Charles Jones, and, on her mother's side, from the early Monckton settler, Matthias Sommer.

Model of the Lovey, which carried the Monckton Settlers to the banks of the Petitcodiac.
Picture taken by me in the Steeves House Museum in Hillsborough
 during Steeves250 in July 2016

Description of the Lovey model.

The 1851, 1861, and the 1871 Censuses of Canada show my great grandparents living first in Moncton, and later in Elgin, in Albert County. Christian was a farmer, and, as such, required a large family. Christian and Christiana had 11 children, by most accounts, seven sons and four daughters:

Henry, b. 1828

Charlotte Ann, b. abt. 1829 *

Jacob Watson, b. 1832

Ellen, b. 1836

Caroline, b. 1837

Jordan Kennie, b. 1839

Abigail, b. 1841

Thomas Ansley, b. 1845

Oliver Christian, b. 1847

Johnson, b. 1848

and

Howard, b. 1850

*my third great grandmother

The Christian Visitor newspaper, in Saint John, noted the passing of my fourth great grandfather thusly, in their July 24, 1878 issue:

"Died at Gowland Mountain, 11th June, of inflammation of the lungs, Christian STEEVES, age 71. Our dear brother was born at Coverdale (Albert Co.) in the year 1808; moved to Elgin in the spring of '55; and in the Auntumn '63, while attending a series of meetings held by Brothers M. Starrett and J.C. Steadman was led by the Divine Spirit to believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Himself, his wife and three sons were all baptized and united with the third Elgin Church. Our brother has left a widow, three sons and five daughters."

Two years later, The Times of Moncton, mentioned my 4th great grandmother's death, in their February 3, 1880 paper.

"d. Elgin (Albert Co.) 4th Jan., of inflammation, Christiana STEEVES relict of Deacon Christian STEEVES. She professed faith in Christ, Sept. '64 and was baptized by Rev. Daniel V. Crandall and united with the 3rd Elgin Baptist Church where she remained a member until her death., age 73, left five sons, four daughters."

Although I discovered one of their sons, Thomas Ansley Steeves, and his wife, Berthina Jane Gibson, buried in Southside Cemetery, in Skowhegan, Maine, I do not know where my fourth great grandparents are buried.

Sources:

1851 Census of Canada of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia ; Census Place: Moncton, Westmorland County, New Brunswick; Schedule: I; Roll: C_997; Page: 65; Line: 6

1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.

1871 Census of Canada; Census Place: Elgin, Albert, New Brunswick; Roll: C-10395; Page: 25; Family No: 73.

"Canada Marriages, 1661-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F2P9-4NT:5 December 2014), Christian Steves and Christiana Jones, 26 Jul 1827; citing Westmorland,New Brunswick, reference ; FHL microfilm 847,576.

Bowser, Les. The Settlers of Monckton Township. (Omemee, ON: 250th Productions, 2016).

Daniel F. Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics, 1784-1890, Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada. http://archives.gnb.ca/. Accessed  11/13/2016.

Wright, Esther Clark. Samphire Greens: The Story of the Steeves. 2nd ed. (Hillsborough, NB: The Steeves Family Inc., 2001).

My 64 ~ Researching My Fourth Great Grandparents : "Squire" George Steeves and Martha Smith

Having traveled this July to Hillsborough, New Brunswick, to attend the Steeves250 celebration, I will focus my next 3 posts on my 3 sets of Steeves 4th great grandparents :

"Squire" George Steeves and Martha Smith

Jacob Steeves and Eleanor Bleakney

and

Christian Steeves and Christianna Jones

Steeves House Museum during the Steeves250 celebration (July 2016)

My fourth great grandfather, George Steeves, was born most probably in Hillsborough, New Brunswick, on December 1, 1785, the fifth child of Jacob Steeves and Anna Catherina Lutz, and their fourth son. He was the grandson of Heinrich Stief and Regina Stahlecker, who settled in Moncton, and later in Hillsborough, in 1766.  The Steeves250 celebration this summer commemorated Heinrich and Regina's arrival in Canada, 250 years ago, from Philadelphia, having begun their long journey in Germany.

Map showing Hillsborough, Moncton,
and the Petitcodiac River 

My fourth great grandmother, Martha Smith, was also born, probably in Hillsborough, on June 18, 1788, the daughter of Charles Smith and Suzanne Govang. She was the granddaughter of James Smith, an Irishman who had been one of the first settlers of Hillsborough in 1770.

Together, George and Martha Steeves, as was common in farming families of this era and locale, had 11 children in quick succession, probably all born in Hillsborough:

Mary, b. 1813

Ann, b. 1814

Caroline, b. 1816

Albert D., b. 1818

Rachel, b. 1820

George William, b. 1822

Martha, b. 1824

Catherine, b. 1825

Susan, b. 1827

James Jacob, b. 1830

and

Permilia Jane, b. 1834

With eight daughters and three sons, with one son never marrying, and another having only daughters, George hardly contributed to furthering the family name. Not to worry; there were plenty of other Steeves family members to do so.

George came to be known in his later years as "Squire" George. Although there has been the suggestion that he was a schoolmaster, it is more likely that he may have handled legal matters for the Steeves clan. Whether he had the training to do so, however, is in doubt. The title may have been bestowed simply because of his stature, physical or by reputation, in Hillsborough.

Martha died on June 6, 1839. Five years after her death, the widower George married Elizabeth Smith, the eldest daughter of my fourth great grandparents, Robert Smith and Hannah Veckle Beck (more on them in a future post!). George died on May 16, 1870, and his second wife, Elizabeth, died exactly one year later, on May 16, 1871.

George and his two wives, Martha and Elizabeth, are buried in the Hillsborough Pioneer Cemetery, right in the heart of Hillsborough, next to the First Hillsborough United Baptist Church. Hence, Find A Grave designates the burial ground as the First Hillsborough United Baptist Church Cemetery.

Hillsborough Pioneer Cemetery during Steeves250

Hillsborough Pioneer Cemetery during Steeves250

Headstone of Martha Smith Steeves

Close-up of Martha's Headstone

Monument to George and 2d wife Elizabeth

Close-up of George and Elizabeth's monument

Sources:

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  24 Aug 2016), memorial page for George Steeves (1784-1870), Find A Grave Memorial no. 142780831, citing First Hillsborough United Baptist Church Cemetery, Hillsborough, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  24 Aug 2016), memorial page for Martha Steves (1788-1839), Find A Grave Memorial no. 142772904, citing First Hillsborough United Baptist Church Cemetery, Hillsborough, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  24 Aug 2016), memorial page for Elizabeth Steeves (1793-1871), Find A Grave Memorial no. 142780888, citing First Hillsborough United Baptist Church Cemetery, Hillsborough, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Wright, Esther Clark. Samphire Greens: The Story of the Steeves. 2d ed. (Hillsborough, NB: The Steeves Family Inc., 2001).

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : Andrew Lovell and Sarah Joy

My fourth great grandfather, Andrew Lovell, was born in Maine around 1800, likely the son of Zelotes Lovell, who had migrated from Barnstable, Massachusetts. Zelotes had married a woman named Meribah Blossom, but it unclear whether Meribah was Andrew's mother.

Andrew appears residing in Starks, in Somerset County, Maine, in 1830, as head of a family of 5, so it can be assumed that he married sometime before that year. He married a woman named Sarah Joy, my fourth great grandmother, the daughter of Levi Joy and Sarah Carr. who had migrated from Raymond, in Rockingham County, New Hampshire.

By 1830, Andrew and Sarah had three small children:

Stacy W., b. 1822

Abijah Joy, b. 1827

and

Andrew Carr, b. 1829

One of the more intriguing story about their life in Starks involves the murder, in July 1827, of a three-year-old child named Warren P. Taylor, by a 13 year old girl named Adeline Joy. At the time of the crime, the two children were "paupers in the town, in the family of Andrew Lovell." Although Adeline was acquitted, it was the first capital crime in Somerset County.

The following article appeared in Eastern Argus (Portland, Me.) the following February:

A month later, this short gruesome piece made the Gloucester (Mass.) Telegraph:

Adeline's trial and eventual acquittal was publicized in June of 1828:

Somerset County Courthouse in Norridgewock, Maine

There are many questions still unanswered about the relationship of Adeline Joy/Taylor to Andrew and Sarah Lovell. Also, one theory is that she was the mother of the child.  But that would have meant she was only 10 when she gave birth (highly unlikely). In 19th Century Maine, there was a frequent custom of towns to bid off the support of the poor at public auction. Town records listed the name of each pauper, the name of the successful bidder and the amount the town had to pay to the winning bidder each week. The auction winner obtained the advantage of the labor of the paupers. Perhaps Andrew had won the bid for Adeline and Warren.

Ultimately, Andrew and Sarah had five more children, including a set of twin boys:

Israel F., b. 1832

Permelia, b. 1834

Warren A. and William Wallace, b. 1838

Sarah R., b. 1843

The family lived in several towns and plantations in and around present-day Carrabassett Valley, in Franklin County, Maine, and later in Aroostook County, Maine.

Andrew lived to at least June of 1880, per that year's census, but there is no record of Sarah's passing. Neither of their graves have been found.

*****

Postscript ~ I want to acknowledge my research "buddy" on this story. Kim Lovell, wife of 4th cousin, 1x removed, Roger, has been working on the Lovell family ever since their daughter brought home a school assignment. From way out in Turlock, California, Kim has collaborated with me on her progress, and I have gladly provided any tidbits I find. At least I get to Maine more frequently than she does!

THANKS KIM!

Photo Credit:

History of Somerset County (Chapter Nine), p.144.

(http://somersetcounty-me.org/DocumentCenter/View/210)

Sources:

1830 US Census; Census Place: Starks, Somerset, Maine; Series: M19; Roll: 51; Page: 120; Family History Library Film:0497947.

United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHY5-CXL : accessed 17 April 2016), Andrew Lovell, Kingfield, Franklin, Maine, United States; citing p. 73, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 140; FHL microfilm 9,703.

United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6J5-CS4 : accessed 17 April 2016), Andrew Lovell, Franklin county, part of, Franklin, Maine, United States; citing family 521, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

1860 US Census; Census Place: Presque Isle, Aroostook, Maine; Roll: M653_434; Page: 167; Image: 167; Family History Library Film: 803434.

1870 US Census; Census Place: Lyndon, Aroostook, Maine; Roll: M593_538; Page: 248A; Image: 267344; Family History Library Film: 552037.

1880 US Census; Census Place: Caribou, Aroostook, Maine; Roll: 476; Family History Film: 1254476; Page: 139A; Enumeration District: 204; Image: 0279.

Groves, Marlene A., comp., Vital records of Mercer, Maine (Rockland, Me.: Picton Press, 2009), p.18.

Hanson, J.W. History of the old towns, Norridgewock and Canaan, comprising Norridgewock, Canaan, Starks, Skowhegan, and Bloomfield, from their early settlement to the year 1849 : including a sketch of the Abnakis Indians. (Boston: The author, 1849), p. 346, 356-357.

"Capital Trial," Eastern Argus, Portland, Maine, 20 June 1828, p.2; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (http://genealogybank.com : accessed 19 June 2016), Newspaper Archives, 1690-2010.

"Miscellany," Gloucester Telegraph, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1 March 1828, p.3; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (http://genealogybank.com : accessed 19 June 2016), Newspaper Archives, 1690-2010.

“Murder,” Eastern Argus, Portland, Maine, 26 February 1828, p.3; digital image, GenealogyBank.com  (http://genealogybank.com :  accessed 19 June 2016), Newspaper Archives, 1690-2010.

"Public Member Trees," database, Ancestry.com, "Lovell Family Tree," , with linked images.

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : Benjamin Griswold and Elizabeth Eastman

My fourth great grandfather, Benjamin Griswold, was born in Canaan, Connecticut, on December 3, 1756, likely the son of Benjamin Griswold and Susanna Spaulding. Nothing is known of his youth, until the stirrings of rebellion harkened this 19 year-old to battle.

His "Affidavit in Support of An Application for a Pension," in 1818, reads:

"In June 1775 at Crown Point in the State of New York he enlisted in the Company commanded by Capt. James Noble in the Regiment of Col. Easton in the Continental troops for the northern expedition, that he continued to serve in said corps which was principally commanded by Major Solomon Brewer until the retreat of the army from Quebec on the sixth day of May 1776; that his term of service had expired in April 1776, but that he served until May and was sent on ... to Crown Point and was there dismissed but had no written discharge ...

The Company that Benjamin joined in June of 1775

 came to be known as the

 Green Mountain Boys.

In the fall of 1780 he enlisted at Sheffield in Massachusetts and was placed in a company commanded by Capt. James Wade, Regiment of Col. Michael Jackson in General Patterson's Brigade in the Massachusetts line of Continental troops; that he continued to serve in said corps in service of the United States until, in the fall of 1783, when, having served his term of three years, he was honorably discharged, and his discharge was signed by Gen. Knox ... that he was in the storming of Quebec, that he is in reduced circumstances and stands in need of the assistance of his country for support ..."

Two years later, in 1820, his "Certification of Pensioner's Estate and Income" reads:

"... I was discharged in the fall or winter of 1783 at West Point; that I was in an engagement near to Kingsbridge on the North River... " (This would have been in present-day Bronx, New York.)

Sometime after Benjamin was discharged, he met and married Elizabeth Eastman. She was the widow of Josiah Terrill, who had died sometime in 1782. Elizabeth was born around 1751 or 1752, the daughter of Jonathan Eastman and Elizabeth Wood. Jonathan Eastman was a prominent citizen of Bennington, Vermont (then part of New Hampshire). Four children were born to the couple, all in Bristol, Vermont:

Horace, b. 1787

Huldah, b. 1788

Robert, b. 1790^*
 Benjamin, Jr., b. 1792

*my 3rd great grandfather

who married Amanda Prior

Shortly before 1800, Benjamin moved his family to Cambridge, Vermont, and about thirty years later sold that property. Perhaps the sale signals the passing of Elizabeth. By the 1820 Certification, he had stated:

"I further state that I am 63 years old, my wife Elizabeth is aged Sixty Eight years. I am by occupation a farmer and have a heart which renders me unable to labour much..."

In any event, no records have been found for the deaths of Benjamin and Elizabeth, and no graves discovered in Vermont.

Benjamin is Ancestor # A048653 in the Daughters of the American Revolution GRS. Perhaps someday I will send in a supplemental application under his name.

Green Mountain Boys Memorial, Rutland, Vermont
Courtesy: Tom E Canavan

In the meantime, there is a Griswold Family Association, which also has a Facebook page. I am greatly indebted to my new 5th cousin, Sara L. French, whose mother's DAR application I purchased, and who is a past president of the GFA. Sara's parents, Robert and Esther (Griswold) French co-authored the book, "The Griswold Family : The First Five Generations in America," (Elmira, N.Y., 1990), available (with corrections and additions) on CD at www.griswoldfamily.org.

Photo credit:

Green Mountain Boys Memorial

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/vtscapes/264528217)

Sources:

Ancestry.com. Connecticut Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

Membership application, Esther Griswold French, no. 521253, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D.C.

Vermont Births, Marriages and Deaths to 2008. (From microfilmed records. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013.).

Ancestry.com. Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

French, Robert L. and Esther G., The Griswold family : The first five generations in America. (Elmira, NY (1990)., biography of Benjamin Griswold.

Lossing, Benson John. The pictorial field-book of the Revolution, Vol. 1. (New York : Harper and Brothers, 1851), p.155.

Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFVH-44H : accessed 27 Oct 2014), Robert Griswald and Amanda Prior, 28 Aug 1822, Marriage; citing State Capitol Building, Montpelier; FHL microfilm 0027567.

“Revolutionary War Pensions,” database and images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com/image/23010189/ : accessed 13 April 2016); S.38773 of Benjamin Griswold (Massachusetts); citing Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

St. Albans Daily Messenger, St. Albans, Vermont, online images (www.genealogybank.com)., Revolutionary Soldiers. A list of the names of the men who fought for independence and who are buried in Vermont. Saturday, August 19, 1905.

Recommended Reading:

Anderson, Mark R. The Battle for the Fourteenth Colony: America's War of Liberation in Canada, 1774–1776. University Press of New England (2013). ISBN 1-61168-497-8.

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : Richard Norris and Jane

My fourth great grandfather, Richard Norris, was born in England sometime around 1820. In the fall of 1836, he married Jane, who was born in Scotland.

He apparently had an early military career in the British army, which may have required him to travel to such places as Gibraltar and Barbados. Two of their first children were born there.

In the early 1840's, the Norris family arrived in the United States, and by 1850, Richard and Jane were living in Aroostook County, Maine, in Letter D Plantation, with 5 children. Three more children were born in the next five years. In March of 1855, Richard became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

As tensions leading to the Civil War were heating up, Richard organized a local militia in Aroostook County in May of 1861. However, he was arrested for desertion and put in jail in August, supposedly for not moving out with his company. He went so far as to write a letter to Maine Governor Washburn's wife Mary, petitioning her for his release. I have transcribed it below:

He eventually was released, and enlisted on October 24, 1861, in Co. A, Me 7th Infantry. He was, however, given a disability discharge one year later, having been found unfit for duty for 60 days.

Following the War, Richard returned to his wife and family in Fort Fairfield. It is apparent, however, that his homelife was less than happy. 

In divorce papers filed in 1883, Jane attested to abandonment, physical abuse, and extra-marital affairs:

"In a plea of libel for divorce wherein showeth Jane Norris of Fort Fairfield aforesaid, that she was lawfully married to Richard Norris aforesaid, in the fall of the year eighteen hundred and thirty six, in the City of Dublin, Ireland; that she has lived, always observant of her marriage vows, in the marriage relation with said Norris, since said marriage, in different places and countries, and for more than twenty years, ending in June 1874, she so lived with said Norris, in said Fort Fairfield; that of said marriage were born eleven children, seven of whom are now living, all being of age and all married but one; that on or about June 10^th 1874, said Richard Norris, without cause from your libellant, or intent upon her part to procure divorce, did willfully desert and abandon your said libellant, and has never since then contributed to her support, nor lived with her as her husband; that since said desertion, said Norris has returned three times, at intervals of  from three to five years, remaining but a short period at each time; that he came back the last time about September 1882, and has since that time treated your libellant with great cruelty and abuse; that on the 4^th day of February last past, he assaulted your said libellant with force and arms, and struck her in the face and breast to her great injury; that at other times he has assaulted and beaten her; that your libellant believes and has good reason to believe that said Norris committed adultery with a Mary Ellsworth,  prior to his desertion of her in 1874; also with one Annie Weaver just previous to his deserting her as aforesaid; your libellant also believes and has good reason to believe that said Norris since his desertion of her in 1874 has committed adultery with a woman whose name is not known to your libellant, living in New York City, where said Norris has made it his home for most of the time since 1874; that said Norris, since his last return, has continually  interfered with her property and has habitually threatened your libellant that he will take her life, and so speaks, acts and threatens her, that she is afraid of her life, and is put in constant and continual dread.  Wherefore inasmuch as it is reasonable and proper conducive to domestic harmony, consistent with the peace and morality of society, and in accordance with the statute in such cases made and provided, your libellant prays that a divorce from the bonds of matrimony now subsisting between her and the said Richard Norris may be decreed.

Fort Fairfield.  February 10^th 1883

Witness Nicholas Fessenden                Jane X Norris (her mark)"

The divorce was granted on February 27, 1883. Jane lived another 8 years, died on October 4, 1891, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Fort Fairfield.

Richard's ties to New York remained after the divorce. He passed away on May 12, 1893, in the Soldiers and Sailors Home, in Bath, New York. He is buried in Bath National Cemetery there.

Sources:

1870 US Census, population schedule, Maine, Aroostook; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com).

Ancestry.com. Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  6 June 2016), memorial page for Richard Norris (unknown-1893), Find A Grave Memorial no. 1038200, citing Bath National Cemetery, Bath, Steuben County, New York.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  6 June 2016), memorial page for Jane Norris (unknown-1891), Find A Grave Memorial no. 26228046, citing Riverside Cemetery, Fort Fairfield, Aroostook County, Maine.

Maine. Aroostook County. Supreme Judicial Court, divorce file (February 1883), Jane Norris v. Richard Norris. Vol. 14, Page 345. Maine, Divorce Records, 1798–1891. Augusta, Maine: Maine State Archives.

The National Cemetery Administration; Bath National Cemetery, Burial Ledger No 1, Jun 25, 1879-1921.

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6JK-9WQ : accessed 28 September 2015), Richard Norris, Aroostook county, part of, Aroostook, Maine, United States; citing family 59, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

"United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDHR-B68 : accessed 6 June 2016), Richard Norris, 1860.

United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXRH-F1K : accessed 28 September 2015), Richard Norris, 1855; citing Maine, NARA microfilm publication M1299 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 97; FHL microfilm 1,429,767.

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : William Prior and Elizabeth Ellis

My fourth great grandfather, William Prior, was born in Enfield, Connecticut, on September 24, 1761. His father, Ebenezer, first married Hannah Simons in 1737, and had 10 children with her. Hannah likely died after their last child was born in 1754 (perhaps in childbirth), and five years later he married Catherine Simons, possibly a sister of his first wife. William was the second child of Ebenezer and Catherine, and their oldest son.

Until May 1749, the town of Enfield was part of Hampshire County, Massachusetts.

At the age of 16, William enlisted on November 8, 1777 in the Revolutionary War. A private, he served in Capt. Joseph Walker's Company, Col. Samuel B. Webb's Regiment of the 9th Connecticut Line. At the time of his enlistment, Colonel Webb was a prisoner of war, and the regiment was commanded by a Major Hunter. William affirmed in his affidavit dated April 30, 1818 that he was in the battle at Rhode Island.

Following his discharge on November 8, 1780, he married Elizabeth "Betsey" Ellis, the daughter of Samuel Ellis and Zilpah Hammond. They were married in Chester, in Hampden County, Massachusetts on December 7, 1782. Betsey was born around 1757 in Becket, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

By the 1790 U.S. Census, the Priors were living in Cambridge, Vermont, in present-day Lamoille County. Except for a brief period around the time of the 1810 U.S. Census, when they lived in Franklin, Vermont, they lived in Cambridge.

They had six children:

Daniel, b. 1785 in Chester, Mass.

Zilpah, b. 1787 in Chester, Mass.

Catey/Catherine, b. 1789 in Cambridge, Vt.

William, Jr., b. 1792 probably in Cambridge, Vt.

Alvah, b. 1797, probably in Cambridge, Vt.

and

Amanda, b. 1805 in Cambridge, Vt.^*

* Amanda Prior would marry Robert Griswold in 1822, the son of another 4th great grandfather of mine, Benjamin Griswold.

His "Certification of Pensioner's Estate and Income" in 1820, lists the following personal property:

1 potash kettle $10.00

1 5-pail kettle damaged 1.00

1 pail-full pot 2.00

1 dish kettle 1.25

1 spider 1.25

1 tea kettle 1.00

1 fire shovel 1.00

1 fire tongs 1.50

1 earthen platter .70

10 earthen plates .50

3 earthen bowls .25

as well as "a lease of forty-five acres of land with a log house"

He further stated that "I am by occupation a farmer but am some what[sic] infirm in consequence of a tumor on my thigh, that my wife Elizabeth is aged sixty years but almost a cripple."

Elizabeth Prior's Widow's Pension application states that William died on January 4, 1837, while staying with their son, in Westport, Essex County, New York. They had apparently moved to Westport about two years prior to William's death. Affidavits in the pension file from sons Daniel and Alvah, and his brother Heman, state that Elizabeth was "removed" to Vermont following his death, but there is no mention of where William was buried.

The only evidence of his body being returned to Vermont for burial is an article in the St. Albans (Vt.) Daily Messenger, entitled "Revolutionary Soldiers: A list of the names of the men who fought for independence and who are buried in Vermont," dated August 19, 1905. In the paragraph for Franklin County, his name does appear.

Elizabeth lived another 11 years, but her final resting place is also unknown.

P.S. I have not been able to find him in the DAR database of Patriots (even using alternative spellings of Pryor, Prier, and Pryer) so if I manage to submit him as one of my supplementals, I would be the only Daughter.

Sources:

1790 US Census; Census Place: Cambridge, Chittenden, Vermont; Series: M637; Roll: 12; Page: 150; Image: 129; Family History Library Film: 0568152.

1800 US Census; Census Place: Cambridge, Franklin, Vermont; Series: M32; Roll: 51; Page: 420; Image: 237; Family History Library Film: 218688.

1810 US Census; Census Place: Fairfield, Franklin, Vermont; Roll: 64; Page: 648; Image: 00577; Family History Library Film: 0218668.

1820 US Census; Census Place: Cambridge, Franklin, Vermont; Page: 29; NARA Roll: M33_127; Image: 183.

1830 US Census; Census Place: Cambridge, Franklin, Vermont; Series: M19; Roll: 183; Page: 58; Family History Library Film: 0027449.

1840 U.S. Census; Census Place: Cambridge, Lamoille, Vermont; Roll: 543; Page: 32; Image: 73; Family History Library Film: 0027440.

Allen, Francis Olcutt, History of Enfield, Connecticut, 2 vols. (Lancaster, Pa.: Wickersham Printing Co., 1900).

Ancestry.com. Revolutionary War Pensioner Census, 1841 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Ancestry.com. U.S. Pensioners, 1818-1872 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Ancestry.com. Vermont, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1860 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.

Ancestry.com. Vermont Pensioners, 1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1998.

Dodd, Jordan, Liahona Research, comp. Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

Elizabeth Prior, widow’s pension application no. W18783, for service of William Prior (Pvt., Capt. Joseph Walker's Company, Col. Samuel B. Webb's Regiment of the 9th Connecticut Line, 1777-1780), Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2010).

“Revolutionary War Service Records,” database and images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com/image/16834359/ : accessed 13 April 2016); service of William Prior (Capt. Joseph Walker’s Co., in the 9th Connecticut Regiment commanded by Col. Samuel B. Webb, Revolutionary War); citing Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, compiled 1894 - ca. 1912, documenting the period 1775 – 1784, Record Group 93, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

St. Albans Daily Messenger.  Vermont, St. Albans.  online images.  www.genealogybank.com.

Western Massachusetts Families in 1790. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012. (From various authors, Helen S. Ullmann, FASG, ed.).

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : Simon Packard and Nancy Jordan

My fourth great grandfather, Simon Packard, was born around 1803, in Minot, Maine. He is likely the son of Nehemiah Packard and Betsy Bennett Bray. Nehemiah enlisted as a 14 year old drummer boy in the Revolutionary War, and served along with his father Reuben and his brother Ichabod. The family had migrated from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to Minot, Maine, perhaps as a result of being granted Bounty land as veterans.

Minot, Maine, and neighboring towns

Nancy Jordan, my 4th great grandmother, was born in Durham, Maine, sometime around 1806, the daughter of Jedediah Jordan and Rachel Turner. She was the 3d great granddaughter of Rev. Robert Jordan and Sarah Winter, who settled on Richmond Island, off present-day Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in the mid-1600's.

Simon and Nancy were married in Minot on January 2, 1831, as the third hand-written record of "Marriages Returned by James Goff, Esq." shows.

Simon and Nancy had eight children, all born in Kingfield, in Franklin County, Maine:

Cyrus, b. 1834

Harriet, b. 1836

Hannah, b. 1837

William, b. 1839

Matilda, b. 1844^*

James, b. 1847

Olive, b. 1849

and

Joseph, b. 1851

*My 3rd great grandmother

Their oldest son, William, my 3rd great grand uncle, enlisted in the Massachusetts Infantry, and fought at Gettysburg.

William H. Packard,  1840-1897

During the next 50 years, Simon and Nancy lived in small towns in Franklin County, Kingfield (1840), Freeman (1850 and 1860), Salem (1870), and back in Freeman (1880), where Simon was a farmer.

By 1880, both of them were considered elderly, and financially destitute. In column 16 of the regular 1880 Census for Freeman, Nancy is noted as being blind. They both appear in the 1880 Supplemental Census for the "Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes," in this case, for the "Pauper and Indigent." They were supported at the expense of the Town.

Following this enumeration, the whereabouts of Simon and Nancy Packard is unknown. There are no records of their death or burial, and their graves have not been found.

Two of their children, Hannah and Joseph, were living in neighboring Kingfield during this time, died in Kingfield, and are buried there. Perhaps their parents were buried ignominiously there. Oftentimes in Maine during the 1800's, the poor suffered all kinds of shame.

"To be poor in 19th century Maine could mean suffering all kinds of indignities, but the final degradation often came at death.

With no family to assume responsibility, and towns ready to finally cash in on the liability they had assumed, paupers' cadavers were crated and sold to the medical school at Brunswick's Bowdoin College"
-- "19th century poverty full of indigities," by Sandy Gregor, staff writer, Lewiston Sun-Journal, June 14, 1997

Sadly, their ultimate resting place may never be known.

Sources:

1840 US Census; Census Place: Kingfield, Franklin, Maine; Roll: 140; Page: 69; Image: 143; Family History Library Film: 0009703.

1850 US Census; Census Place: Freeman, Franklin, Maine; Roll: M432_253; Page: 225B; Image: 436.

1860 US Census; Census Place: Freeman, Franklin, Maine; Roll: M653_435; Page: 838; Image: 253; Family History Library Film: 803435.

1870 US Census; Census Place: Salem, Franklin, Maine; Roll: M593_543; Page: 186A; Image: 192251; Family History Library Film: 552042

1880 US Census; Census Place: Freeman, Franklin, Maine; Roll: 479; Family History Film: 1254479; Page: 440C; Enumeration District: 072; Image: 0637.

"Norlands Seminar: 19th century poverty full of indignities," by Sandy Gregor. Lewiston (Me.) Sun-Journal, June 14, 1997; accessed 4 May 2016 (http://www.poorhousestory.com/MAINE_PovertyArticle_page1.htm)

Ancestry.com. U.S. Federal Census - 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Borders of Auburn, Androscoggin, Maine, USA, on a map of Androscoggin County. Familysearch Research Wiki, based on original in Michael J. Leclerc, Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, 5th ed. (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012), 90. (https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/File:ME_Androscoggin_Co_Auburn_map.png#filelinks)

Early Vital Records of Minot, Maine, pp. 58, 98, emailed to me from Lucille Hodsdon, 8 Oct 2012.

Jordan, Tristram Frost, comp. The Jordan Memorial: Family Records of the Rev. Robert Jordan, and His Descendants in America. Boston: Press of David Clapp & Son, 1882, pp.363-364.

Maine, Marriages, 1771-1907," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F4FV-N8Z : accessed 4 June 2012), Simon Packard and Nancy Jordan, 1831.

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : William Brackley and Anna Clayton

William Brackley, my 4th great grandfather, was probably born January 7, 1788, probably in Dedham, Massachusetts, since his parents, William Brackley and Sarah Everett, were married there six months later. His father had been born in England and allegedly had fought with Burgoyne in the Revolutionary War.

"Surrender of General Burgoyne" painted by John Trumbull

In April of 1809, William married Anna Clayton in Farmington, Maine. She was the daughter of John Clayton, a British-born former soldier in the 20th Regiment of Foot and 17th Light Dragoons, who became a prison of war following Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga.

There is evidence that William may have fought in the War of 1812, although no information outside this index card is available.

William and Anna lived all their married life in Freeman, in Franklin County, Maine, where they raised six children:

Abel Everett, b. 1811

Betsey, b. 1813

John Clayton, b. 1817

Elias and Eli, twins b. 1822

and

Howard Winslow, b. 1829^*

^*My 3rd great grandfather

When the U.S. Census Mortality Schedule was published for Freeman, Maine, for the year ending June 1, 1870, both William and Anna were listed with their respective "Profession, Occupation, or Trade" as "Gentleman" and "Lady."

William and Anna are buried side by side in North Freeman Cemetery.

William and Anna Brackley Graves, North Freeman Cemetery

Footstones at the Graves of William and Anna Brackley, North Freeman Cemetery

Sources:

1850 US Census; Census Place: Freeman, Franklin, Maine; Roll: M432_253; Page: 229A; Image: 443

1860 US Census; Census Place: Freeman, Franklin, Maine; Roll: M653_435; Page: 852; Image: 267; Family History Library Film: 803435.

Ancestry.com. U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016).

Thompson, George A. and F. Janet Thompson. A Genealogical history of Freeman, Maine, 1796-1938, in three volumes. 3 vols. (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1996).

Vital Records of Farmington, Maine, 1784-1890 (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016).

“War of 1812 Service Record Index,” database and images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com/image157/307523257 : accessed 24 April 2016); service of William Brackley, Jr. (3rd Regiment (Fairbanks’) Massachusetts Militia, War of 1812); citing Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812, Record Group 94, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

My 64 ~ Researching My 4th Great Grandparents : Enoch Morse and Eunice Russell

My 4th great grandfather, Enoch Morse, was born on July 3, 1772, in Gray, Maine. He was the second son born to John Morse and Sarah Sanders. John is the DAR Patriot from whom I descend; I became a Daughter on March 5th this year.

In 1794, Enoch married Eunice Russell, with whom he had 10 children. Not much is known about Eunice Russell, and that made my DAR application quite challenging. Most researchers of the Russell Family assume that she is the daughter of James Russell and Lydia Mitchell. Most convincing for me was the marriage between Enoch's sister Sarah and James' son Nathaniel.


For all of their married life, Enoch and Eunice lived in New Gloucester, Maine, where Enoch was a farmer and blacksmith, and where all their children were born.

Mark, b. 1795

Enoch, Jr., b. 1799

Stephen, b. 1803

Susan F., b. 1804

Mary, b. 1806

Happia, b. 1808

Benjamin, b. 1809

Cynthia, b. 1811^*

Hannah, b. 1815

and 

Margaret, b. 1820

*My 3rd great grandmother

It was daughter Hannah's death record which gave me Eunice's maiden name:

Eunice died in New Gloucester on December 24, 1825, according to this death record, but I have not yet found her grave.

Following her death, Enoch married Eleanor Bradbury, of Minot, Maine, the daughter of Benjamin Bradbury and Eleanor Fellowes, on May 27, 1826. With Eleanor, Enoch had three children:

Russell B., b. 1827

Alfred J., b. 1828

Apphia Jane, b. 1829

At the age of 80, Enoch Morse passed away on August 16, 1852, in New Gloucester. He is buried in Webber Cemetery there.

Sources:

Ancestry.com, 1810 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, Year: 1810; Census Place: New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: 11; Page: 272; Image: 00274; Family History Library Film: 0218682.

Ancestry.com, 1820 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, 1820 U S Census; Census Place: New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine; Page: 283; NARA Roll: M33_33; Image: 155.

Ancestry.com, 1830 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, 1830; Census Place: New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine; Series: M19; Roll: 46; Page: 149; Family History Library Film: 0009700.

Ancestry.com, 1840 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, Year: 1840; Census Place: New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: 138; Page: 313; Image: 556; Family History Library Film: 0009702.

Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009), Ancestry.com, Year: 1850; Census Place: New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine; Roll: M432_250; Page: 79A; Image: 350.

Ancestry.com, Maine, Death Records, 1617-1922 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, Maine State Archives; Cultural Building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084; Pre 1892 Delayed Returns; Roll #: 78.

Ancestry.com. Maine, Marriage Records, 1713-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Ancestry.com, Web: Maine, Find A Grave Index, 1700-2012 (Provo, UT. USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Ancestry.com.

Gray, Ruth, editor. Maine families in 1790 (Camden, Maine, Picton Press, 1990), p.202.

"Maine Deaths and Burials, 1841-1910," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4ZV-XMJ : accessed 6 October 2015), Eunice Morse, 24 Dec 1825; citing reference yr 1745-1858 p 477; FHL microfilm 11,587.

Morse, J. Howard and Emily W. Leavitt, Morse genealogy, comprising the descendants of Samuel, Anthony, William, and Joseph Morse and John Moss, being a revision of the Memorial of the Morses, published by Rev. Abner Morse in 1850 (New York, New York, The Morse Society, 1903.