Sunday's Obituary - Mrs. Sarah Emily Williams

As mentioned in an earlier blog I am transcribing obits and society notes from my mother-in-law’s scrapbooks. The one I am working on now is the scrapbook of Mary Lufanny Puff who died in 1898. The scrapbook was continued by her daughter, Mrs. Ada Horton, passed down to her daughter, Edith Horton, and then to Kathryn Cutter Maki.  I found the circumstances surrounding the timing of Mrs. William’s funeral interesting and thought I would share with my readers.

 Sudden Death – Mrs. Sarah Emily Williams, wife of the late D.A. Williams and daughter of Benjamin Atwater of this place, dropped dead of heart disease while visiting at the residence of P.S. Dudley in Newfield on Friday last. Mrs. Williams had but recently returned from the west and was apparently in her usual health when death called her hence without a struggle. The remains were brought to Ithaca, but in consequence of their life like appearance the funeral did not take place until Tuesday afternoon when all doubt as to her being in a trance was removed. The funeral services took place from the residence of her father, corner of Cayuga and Green streets, and was very largely attended. Deceased leaves one daughter besides a large number of relatives and friends to mourn her sudden death.

Sports Center Saturday - James Monroe High School Swim Team - 1937

1937 Swim Team, James Monroe High School
Bronx, New York

Tomorrow is my father’s birthday.  Edward Francis Nunn was born May 1, 1920 to Mary (Doyle) and Harry Nunn in Manhattan, New York. At the time of his birth, the family, which also consisted of my uncle, Harold “Bus” Nunn, lived with Patrick and Maggie Doyle in their Manhattan apartment. That summer the Nunns moved to their Cruger Street home in the Bronx. All this I learned from genealogy research; Dad never talked about his growing up years.

Consequently it was not long ago I learned my father was on his high school swim team, and I found this great photo. It then made sense why I have always loved to swim – it’s in the genes!

In honor of Dad’s birthday I post this photo of him with his 1937 swim team at James Monroe High School in the Bronx, New York.  Edward Nunn is in the second row, third from the right.  There are some names on the back of the photo. They are: “Ike” Siegel, “Dizzy” Fishman, Jos. McCarthy, “Kid” Warose, Voltaire Nathan, Irving Zucker, Nathan P. Chambers.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

The Saga of Joseph Myers and Lena Stanley continues...

Mrs. Joseph Myers now Miss Stanley

Ithaca Journal, September 10, 1906

Trumansburg Free Press and Sentinel, September 15, 1906

A Trumansburg lady, who for a time was Mrs. Joseph Myers, of Trumansburg, has resumed her maiden name and is again Miss Lena Stanley. The annulment of her marriage to Joseph Myers took place in Supreme Court in Owego last week before Justice Sewell. The marriage of Miss Stanley to Joseph Myers, occurred in Ludlowville, November 19, 1904. Miss Stanley is the daughter of a Trumansburg barber and studied music at the Conservatory in this city. She is a tall blond and of striking appearance. Joseph Myers was a student in the University Preparatory School. He became infatuated with Miss Stanley and one evening they went to Ludlowville where they were married by the Rev. Mr. Humphreys.  They returned immediately and left for Texas by steamer from New York.  Mayer’s (sic) father, who is a wealthy manufacturer residing in Denver, Colorado, read of his son’s marriage through the Associated Press dispatches and hastened to Ithaca. Mr. and Mrs. Myers returned to Ithaca after only a week’s absence and the happy bridegroom was taken to Cambridge, Mass by his father to enter Harvard. Mrs. Myers sometime ago began an action for annulment of the marriage, claiming fraud. She was represented in court by A.P. Osborn of Trumansburg. Young Myers was in court and made no defense. He was represented by Attorney William N. Noble of this city.  No alimony was mentioned when the annulment was granted by the court. Miss Stanley still resides in Trumansburg.

So…

How powerful was Joseph’s father?

Was it he who needed to see public announcement of the annulment?

Again, no mention of the child born in February 1906.

Perjury most probably was committed by this couple in the annulment documents.

The Myers-Stanley saga continues.

Amanuensis Monday - McCorn-Weatherell Nuptials

This wedding announcement was found in the scrapbook of Mrs. John L. Puff of Newfield. The articles in this book are dated between 1890 and 1912, so I suspect this wedding took place within those years.

Wedding bells have been ringing again in Newfield (NY). The house of Mr. and Mrs. Wm H. Weatherell was the scene of joyous festivity yesterday afternoon at the marriage of their daughter Maggie to Wm. A. McCorn. The bride was elegantly attired in wine-colored silk, en train. The floral decorations were very beautiful, and were artistically arranged by Mrs. David Keppel and excited considerable comment. Among the guests present were Mrs. Geo. Cox, Miss Rose Broadhurst and Mr. Thomas Bradley, all of Elmira; Mrs. O.D. Smith of Syracuse, Rev. Noble Palmer of Buffalo performed the ceremony according to the Episcopal rite. Mr. and Mrs. McCorn left on the 6:25 p.m. train for Buffalo where Mr. McCorn is to pursue his medical studies at the Buffalo Medical College. May joy and prosperity go with them is the wish of their many friends. 

Sunday's Obituary - Mrs. Emeline Puff

My mother-in-law recently moved into an assisted living facility and we inherited her scrapbooks. The books contain obituaries for the years 1898 – 1920, the 1950s, and 1980-1990.  I am almost finished transcribing the latter, and when finished I will donate it to Tompkins County Rootsweb as well as to the Newfield, NY Historical Society. I am intrigued by the earlier obits as most did not include the date of death. Luckily someone wrote the date of death – as best they knew - on the bottom of the obit and I have included that date in brackets. 

Mrs. Emeline Puff, said to be the oldest resident of the Town of Newfield, died [November 1, 1919] at the home of her son, Fred Puff, in that town on Saturday. Had she lived until next month, she would have been 93 years of age. She had spent her life in Newfield where she was much esteemed She was the widow of Oliver Puff, who died many years ago. She leaves, besides the son named, several nieces and nephews, among whom are Mrs. Randolph Horton, Ithaca, Mason C. Cook, Newfield and Seward D. Cook, Rochester. The funeral was held this morning; the Rev. George Hine officiating. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Sympathy Saturday - Maggie Houlihan

Last year we developed a database of Newtown Deaths that occurred between 1890 and 1899 in order to fill in the gap presented by the loss of the 1890 census.  The editor of Connecticut Ancestry was interested in the project, but what he really wanted was some stories behind the deaths.  We complied an article about the Newtown Deaths database and added some stories surrounding a few of those deaths that was published in the February 2011 issue of Connecticut Ancestry. Here is one of those stories:

Twenty-six-year old Margaret “Maggie” Houlihan worked as a hat trimmer in Danbury, Connecticut until she received a “partial shock” which caused her to convalesce at home for several weeks. She tried to return to work, but her sickness affected her brain and she would become irrational. She could not continue to work. On a Friday afternoon in early February 1894, Maggie spoke of visiting her friends the Misses Brennan. Her parents discouraged her. But, “About 6 o’clock… she said she was going on an errand. Shortly afterward her parents heard the milk train whistle and stop and Mr. Houlihan ran down to see what was the matter, only to find his daughter had been struck by the engine and was in a dying condition…She was taken to the house where she soon died. Whether Miss Houlihan deliberately threw herself in front of the engine or whether she still had it in her mind to call on the Misses Brennan, and becoming confused fell on the track will never be known.”  (Newtown Bee February 16, 1894.)

Wordless Wednesday - Four Generations - Shepard & Day

I found this photo last weekend and placed it in the Shepard genealogy that I am in the process of writing.  The baby in the photo is Howard Shepard, my aunt's father. His grandmother Sophronia A. Day married La Grange Shepard. The Shepards lived in Spencer, Tioga County, New York. The four generation photo also shows Sophronia’s mother, Almira E. Monroe Day. 

 

  

Four Generations

Almira E. Monroe Day, wife of Henry Day

Sophronia A Day Shepard

Eugene L. (son) of L.S. Shepard

Howard (son) E.L. & Myra Shepard

Tuesday's Tip - Zotero

I would be remiss if I did not share information on Zotero, a free citation and note manager plug-in for Firefox.

Connie Reik, Research Librarian at Tuft University's Tisch Library, did a great job explaining and showing her audience at NERGC how this citation manager works.  I hope Connie doesn’t mind if I share her reasons of why to use Zotero:

·      To keep track of research, hits and misses, especially researching on the Internet;

·      Organize your research with tags and subject headings, naming them what you wish;

·      Import bibliographic citation from library catalogs, websites; capture web images;

·      Attach notes to items to record ideas, impressions of sources, etc. as you research.

·      Create standalone notes;

·      Plan your research ahead of time;

·      Create proper citations for standard books, articles, websites, etc.

·      Print bibliographies in proper citation styles;

·      Cite while you write

·      Use offline if the Internet is not available.

Connie methodically went through the steps of using Zotero, explaining how to use many of its functions.  The audience became believers when she showed how a book citation Zotero had captured from a web site was put into correct citation format by this software. She then seamlessly placed that citation into her text as a footnote. At this point one member of the audience couldn’t contain himself. He blurted out, “Where has this been?”  The rest of us were speechless!

Zotero can be downloaded at http://www.zotero.org. Make sure the status bar is activated and you create a Zotero account.  You are now ready to go.  The software is a bit complicated, so plan some time getting used to it and all that it can do for you.

Surname Saturday - Shepard

My blog followers know from previous posts that I am working on a family narrative for my cousin and her children on the Shepard family.  The papers and photos she gave to me in December included several pages of handwritten notes on the Shepard family genealogy. I transcribed those and they are included as an introduction in my narrative. Using the handwritten notes as a starting point, I began to verify each generation, but I immediately had trouble with the second generation. The handwritten notes had the progenitor as Ralph Shepard, born 1609 in Stepheny Parish London and arriving in Boston in October 1635. Ralph, his wife, Thankful, and their daughter Sarah are well documented. But the second generation listed, John Shepard, presented a problem as Ralph did not have a son named John.

I spent the afternoon in our library’s genealogy room where there resides a three volume set of Shepard Genealogy. This book was carefully researched by Gerald Faulkner Shepard and edited by the well-known genealogist Donald Lines Jacobus. So I was pretty confident that the information contained therein was correct.

Mr. Shepard states that there were two large Shepard families that immigrated to the new world. Those were the Ralph Shepard family of Dedham, MA, and the Edward Shepard Family of Cambridge, MA. Those two families take up the first two volumes of Mr. Shepard’s works.  The third volume contains several other Shepard families that immigrated, and he has them carefully marked.  The Shepard family I am researching is actually from John Shepard of Concord, MA who was born about 1633 in Concord, MA. He married Sarah Goble in 1661.  This family eventually ended up on Spencer, Tioga County, New York.

I am so glad I got this straightened out before I wasted any more time trying to connect Ralph Shepard with this family line. 

Connecticut Historical Society

On April 13, the Genealogy Club of Newtown learned about the holdings of the Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library.  I, for one, was amazed at the amount of genealogical information housed there and accessible for easy research access.

They have family genealogies, the Hale Tombstone index, local histories, the complete Hartford Courant, with the issues 1764-1820 indexed by Doris Cook. They have recent Hartford Courants online, NEGH Register, the Rhode Island Arnold Collection. They also house the Colonial Dames Church Records 1700-1800 of 106 Connecticut parishes.  They have the Lucius Barnes Barbour Probate Abstracts, the Camp Collection of the Smith family, diaries, journals, account books, Revolutionary War and bible records.  Just to name a few.

If you cannot visit their beautiful facility located in West Hartford, CT, they have staff on hand to give you the assistance you need. They will discuss your research goals, provide a list of the sources that will be examined, and provide an estimate of how many hours it will take to conduct the research.  You will then receive a comprehensive report listing all sources consulted, including photocopies of relevant materials. Their rates are $30/hr for members; $50/hour for non-members.  For research, call 860 236 5621 x 212, or research_center@chs.org.  The Connecticut Historical Society address is: One Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105. 

Anyone with Connecticut ancestors should have the Connecticut Historical Society in their genealogical toolbox.  Stop by their web site, search their online catalog for your ancestor, but keep in mind, only a portion of their collection is indexed online at this time. So if in doubt, contact them. They are waiting to help you! The Society is sustained by its membership dues and its annual fund; it is not state funded. So any financial assistance they receive is most welcome. 

Warnings Out and other things I learned at NERGC

Were any of your ancestors “warned out” of their New England town? My husband’s ancestor, Ephraim Cutter, was. In 1669 that meant that after three months of moving into a town (the time was later extended to twelve months) a family could receive a “warning out” notice. That meant that the decision had been made that the town would not be responsible for the family should hard times befall them.  It didn’t mean they had to leave, but it did mean they would not receive the same level of support as others in the town.  And it could have brought about a somewhat uncomfortable environment for the family.

Was your ancestor married in a Gretna Green?  For over 250 years this small town in southeast Scotland has been synonymous with quick and easy weddings. Over the years, some states had much easier marriage and divorce laws than others, and those states became known as “Gretna Greens.”  (www.gretnaweddings.com) An example of Gretna Green in the U.S. is Las Vegas.  What about divorce, inheritance laws, dower rights? Helen Shaw’s presentation, “Genealogy and the Law,” showed a number of examples of how local laws affected our ancestor’s lives.  Since each state had their own particular laws, she repeated over and over, “Check the law at the time in the state your ancestor lived.”  Some Resources to find these answers are: Black’s Law Dictionary, Val Greenwood’s The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, and your state’s law library.

Wordless Wednesday - Cutter School June 1932

Cutter School House
VanBuskirk Gulf Road
Newfield, NY

Left to right: Maila Joki Michelson, Joyce Cutter Maki, Meime Joki, Kathryn Cutter Maki, Kenneth Cutter, Harry Wright, Raymond Weisman, Charles Hendrix, Gordon Hendrix, Donald Hendrix, Lillian Christfield Payne (Teacher), Gerald Hendrix

Tuesday's Tip - Navigating Your Family Tree Using GPS

Whether you are an experienced researcher or a beginning genealogist, it is critical to follow the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS).

Elissa Scalise Powell states, “Proof is a fundamental concept in genealogy.”  To achieve GPS in your genealogy research Ms. Powell states you need to follow these basic guidelines and conduct:

·      A reasonably exhaustive search;

·      Complete and accurate source citations;

·      Analysis and correlation of the collected information;

·      Resolution of any conflicting evidence; and

·      A soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion.

Ms. Powell led her NERGC audience through one of her more challenging research cases using GPS. She said, “all records lie!” She showed us how to resolve conflicting evidence and how conclusions should reflect all conflicting data so your reader will better understand how and why you reached your conclusions.  The process, she repeated, is to do a reasonably exhaustive search.

Ms. Powell has developed her own worksheet to keep track of her research. She also advises researchers to work collateral lines and test conflicting data. Use a timeline if that would be helpful. And, of course, use complete and accurate source citations to show the veracity of your sources.

Two publications helpful for conducting research and preparing a coherently written conclusion are:

Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, 2 ed., Elizabeth Shown Mills.

The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual, Board for Certification of Genealogists, www.BCGcertification.org

NERGC - Migration Patterns and the Burpee Seed Catalog

From Burpee Seed online

“What kind of genealogists are you?” bellowed Craig Roberts Scott, when not one hand was raised to his question, “How many of you use the Burpee Seed Catalog in your genealogy research?”

Mr. Scott reiterated several times during his talk that if you want to follow the path of your ancestors in America you need to understand the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, as many of them were farmers who settled in temperature zones that were similar to what they were used to.  We are now believers.

Besides learning to use our Burpee Seed Catalog for something other than ordering tomatoes, this incredibly entertaining and knowledgeable speaker taught the standing room only audience about the effect of various wars on the westward expansion through the granting of bounty lands, and why people settled where they did - back to the Burpee Seed Catalog.

We learned about Fire Lands, which was property in Huron County, Ohio where civilians who were burned out of their towns by the British could settle. In our area residents of Danbury and Ridgefield, CT qualified. We also learned that British military officers retired and came to the colonies, then fought against England. Bounty land grants promoted settlement on the frontier for the purpose of defense, with people who knew how to fight.  An assignee was a person who purchased bounty land from the one it was granted to, and many of these were land speculators. The bounty land distribution ended in 1855 when the Homestead Act began. 

Mr. Scott recommended Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants books on this topic by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 

NERGC Report - Getting There and Back

Sitting in construction-related traffic for the better part of an hour on I-91 just south of Hartford notwithstanding, our first day of the New England Regional Genealogical Conference was great.  Like old home week, we ran into Leslie Huber in the parking garage, was behind our local professional genealogist Harlan Jessup at the registration desk, and continued to meet many friends and colleagues during the sessions we attended.

The conference was scheduled in two hotels, across the street from each other, with an above the street walkway between.  Unfortunately, it was a long twisty voyage from the Sheraton meeting rooms to the meetings scheduled at the Marriott.  After navigating this distance, I had the unpleasant realization that all the meetings in the Marriott were on the sixth floor with the only access being an elevator.  I do not like elevators, especially crowded ones. So I went back to the Sheraton and reworked my session schedule for those meetings in that venue.  Overhearing other participants, I realized I wasn’t the only one disturbed by the meeting location at the Marriott.  I did find it quite strange to have the grand ballroom and meeting rooms located on the sixth floor.

The absolute best session we attended was by Craig Roberts Scott on The Impact of Bounty Land on Migration within and out of New England.  I will write more on this topic in another post.

We, as well as many others, encountered a minor glitch as we tried to leave Sheraton’s overflow parking lot. Upon entry we were given a token that we were asked to have validated, which we did. Upon leaving, however, there were no attendants to be found, and the only way to pay once your token was put in the slot was with credit card. Unfortunately, several of the machines didn’t work and cars were stuck with lots of cars back upped behind them. Finally a kind gentleman assessed the situation and physically raised the bar so that the cars could exit.  A detail the Sheraton needs to work out.

Wordless Wednesday - Willow Creek, NY Home Bureau

This picture of the Willow Creek Home Bureau was taken at Vann’s cottage on Cayuga Lake in the mid to late 1930s. Those named are from left: Alice Hopkins Alice Viele, Maude Agard, Adeline Agard, Addie Tucker, Mrs. Weaver, Libbie Fowler, Mrs. Atwater, Mrs. Horton, Grace Thompson, Pearl Vann, Mattie Ryder, Carol Agard, Lottie Vann, Jessie Agard, Miss Thompson. 

One Lovely Blog Award

Several weeks ago Leslie Huber of The JourneyTakers blog honored me with the One Lovely Blog Award. The honor came at a time when I was inundated with transcription work, had company, and was running up against packing up and leaving beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida for the cold northeast. But enough excuses!

I thanked Leslie and told her I looked forward to seeing her at NERGC that begins for us this Thursday, April 7. Can’t wait!!

The Rules are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

2. Pass the award on to blogs that you've newly discovered. (Leslie’s site stated 15; other award sites state various numbers, so I picked six.)

3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So many blogs; so little time. These are the ones I have chosen:

1.            Carolannkg’s writing in Adventures in Family History is concise, and I love her photos.

2.            Andrea in Stories from Springer Hill touches my heart. Andrea is a gifted writer, talented cook, and a good friend. I especially love her Lu Stories. Don’t miss her "Our 2000 Pound Neighbors" blog.

3.            Donna of Donna’s Genealogy Blog. Actually she has two; one for general genealogy information, the second dealing specifically with Irish genealogy. We have had the pleasure of attending Donna’s presentations at the Genealogy Club of Newtown (CT) and at the Manasota Genealogy Society (Bradenton, FL). Donna is very knowledgeable and is a gifted writer and teacher. She, too, will present at NERGC.  

4.            Heather of Leaves for Trees. This is a new Geneablogger blog with the goal of helping each other solve brick walls. We all need that – thanks, Heather.

5.            John of New York History. For those of us with Upstate New York roots, this is a great web site to keep up on current news dealing with New York History.

6.            Emily of Writing Your Memories. I appreciate tips on writing my genealogy research and journal posts. Thank you, Emily. 

Military Monday - Ralph Watkins Shepard

As I work through the suitcases of genealogical treasures my cousin bestowed upon me at Christmas I found Ralph Shepard’s Application for Membership to the Board of Managers of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Ralph was born in Spencer, New York on June 30, 1882 and he lists his descent line from John Shepard born June 17, 1752.  Ralph wrote on his application:

“John Shepard served as a private in Capt. Israel Healds Co., Col Eleazer Brooks (Middlesex, County) Regt. of Mass. militia for six days from March 4, 1776. Company marched from Acton, Mass to Roxbury. Company composed of Acton men.

From “Mass. Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolution.”

Reference to D.A.R Member #71005 (Mrs. D.F.) Cora Spaulding Rolison”

I am happy to share the information on this application with anyone researching the Shepard family line.

Sunday's Obituary - Jeannette Beach, Newfield, NY Town Clerk

“When Jeannette Beach died two weeks before Christmas 1985, Newfield lost part of its history. From 1956 until her retirement in 1983, Beach served as the Newfield town clerk. It was her responsibility to assist residents in obtaining required licenses and paying their bills. She issued licenses for marriages, dogs, hunting and fishing; she collects the town’s water and tax bills. Because licenses and taxes touch almost everyone’s life, Beach quickly came to know everyone and they her.

“She will be missed by many,” said Ethelyn Tompkins, her deputy town clerk for nine years. Tompkins noted that, for the first 20 years of Beach’s service the town clerk’s office was in her Bank Street home. Newfielders would stop by her house at all times, including evenings and weekends, to buy a license or pay a bill. “She was so gracious, she never turned anyone away,” Tompkins said.

Jeannette Beach was born in Newfield 77 years ago, the daughter of Sylvenus and Lillian Sincebaugh Cornish. In 1928 she moved to Bank Street with her husband George Beach.”  Ithaca Journal December 1985

Sorting Saturday - Photo Organization

It began yesterday – a cold dreary day in the Northeast - and continued today.  Two perfect days to dive into the boxes of family photos yet to be sorted and culled.  I planned two days because a project of this kind takes time and emotional energy. 

I was not starting from scratch. Years ago I learned that the sticky-back photo albums were deadly to photos, and so I sat on the floor with one album at a time. I went through and made piles, sorting into family, friends, and those photos I no longer wanted to keep.  I realized then that for all those years we considered photos somewhat sacred items that couldn’t be throw away. Well, that changed! I culled out bags of photos - the landscape photos of - we don’t remember where or why they were taken; pictures of people that you have no idea who they are - you get the idea.

Photo albums with margin space for labeling were purchased. I made a good start, but I had so much more to do. And I have been putting it off until my Sorting Saturday project.

Decisions: We now take digital photos, so there are new decisions to be made on preservation. Do we print them or sort and organize to produce a photo book from one of the many online photo book companies?  Photo books are a great option, but they tend to be expensive. We know low cost printing is not an option if we want long lasting photographs. We have to make sure our digital photos are printed on archival quality 100% cotton fiber paper with pigmented inks.  We also know we should not store our photos in a cedar chest! 

So we are utilizing a combination for our photo preservation.  Some photos are displayed in the above mentioned conventional photo albums, with much labeling yet to be done; many photos are stored in labeled archival sleeves in acid-free boxes (from Light Impressions), and a few recent photos are in the on-line produced photo books. 

As Sorting Saturday comes to an end I feel very good about the state of our family photo organization.  Until, of course, I turn my attention to the boxes of old photos from my mother’s house…

Funeral Card Friday - Emil O. Lintala

A recent addition to our personal genealogy collection is my mother-in-law's scrapbook containing local obituaries and funeral cards.  The funeral card featured today was for their neighbor who had a small farm in the hills of Newfield, NY.  Emil and his wife Alice earned their living by milking cows and raising veal calves. It is my husband's belief they had no children, but there may be a distant cousin out there searching for this couple.