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Month: February 2017

Levi Scott Hubbard

On this day in 1905, Levi Scott HUBBARD passed away. He was my paternal 4th great grandfather. I wrote about his wife here. As I noted in that previous post, it appears this family subscribed to the Campbellite faith (Church of Christ).

Portrait of Levi and Indiana (White) Hubbard.
Portrait of Levi and Indiana (White) Hubbard.

A photo of Levi and his wife, Indiana, in their later years.
AN ALL-AROUND GOOD GUY
Levi’s obituary appeared in the 2 March 1905 edition of the Bethany Republican newspaper. It stated that Levi died at his home at the age of 88. It also provided information that Levi was an old settler and very respected in the community. I haven’t gotten to see the actual obituary- I’m working off a transcription from another researcher and I haven’t been able to find my own copy. According to the other researcher, the cause of death was “a stroke of paralysis”. Levi never quite recovered after the stroke. His funeral was conducted by Elder Johnson and he was buried at Hoffman Cemetery in Eagleville, Harrison County, Missouri. A notation on the FindAGrave website states that no marker currently exists for Levi.
Levi made at least three appearances as a witness for friends and family testifying that he was acquainted with them and their situation. The first record of his official testimony was dated 15 June 1863 when he appeared on behalf of his widowed daughter, Mariah Jane HUBBARD HUFFMAN. Her husband, Hiram HOFFMAN, contracted measles while serving in the War of 1861 (now called the Civil War) and died. Levi testified that she was Hiram’s widow and that she had children under the age of 16 living with her that depended on her for their care including her daughter with Hiram (Adeline) and the son (James B. HUFFMAN) of Hiram and his first wife. At the time of the affidavit, Adeline was 2 and James was 6. In this pension file, both Levi and his wife Nancy (called Indiana) appeared.
Levi appeared before Judge Hesseltine on 2 Feb 1867 on behalf of Mahala Fish, a long-time acquaintance of his and someone to whom he was related by marriage. He testified that she was indeed the widow of William Fish and that her son, Edwin, had been hers and her younger children’s sole source of support until Edwin was wounded and died while serving in the military during the War of 1861. Levi attested to Mrs. Fish’s worldly goods and finances. It was, in part, Levi’s testimony that helped her get a military pension so she could finish raising the 14-year-old child she still had living in her home as well as keep herself alive. It wasn’t just that Levi’s community thought him a good man at his death. Justice of the Peace Horatio F. Hesseltine of Harrison County, Missouri made a statement about Levi in a court document. Judge Hesseltine stated he was personally acquainted with Levi and Levi was “entitled to full faith and credit” of the court to appear as a witness.
On 8 January 1875, Levi went back to court to testify on behalf of Mrs. Fish regarding the same information listed above. By that time, he had known her for more than 18 years, according to his testimony. In this later affidavit, Levi named two of her sons so I’m wondering if both sons were deceased at that point. I’m guessing that being a Campbellite would include a religious obligation to assist widows and orphans but from the way people talked about him, both in life as well as death, I’m guessing he would have helped her no matter his religious convictions.
I love these affidavits because two of them contain Levi’s signature.

Signatures of Levi Hubbard.
Signatures of Levi Hubbard.

Levi’s signatures. His signatures show evidence of aging. The second signature is shakier than the first.
If you have an interest in Levi and you find information that isn’t included on the blog, I’d love for you to share it with everyone. For now, I’m signing off.


Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog

2017 Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas

I just sent in my syllabus, class description, etc. for the workshop I’m presenting at the 2017 Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas.  You all should definitely register for the conference.  2017 schedule and registration is live now.  You can register at this link: Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas Registration.  You get to choose which classes you want to go to but if you change your mind at the last minute you aren’t locked in to the class you chose.  I love this conference for it’s flexibility!  AND DID I MENTION IT’S FREE???
Here is the schedule of classes.  You choose one class per time segment.

Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas conference schedule 2017.
Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas conference schedule, 2017.

You can go see the schedule for yourself at Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas Class Schedule 2017. I hope to see you all there.  Don’t feel obligated to come to my presentation (although I’d love to see you there).  This is a great opportunity to learn new information and new skills at a local conference.


Until tomorrow,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Sunday Schedule, Week 8 of 2017

Welcome to Week 8 of 2017!
There are only two scheduled posts this week.  (Next week will be really busy on the blog, though!) This week I’ll be blogging about:
Wednesday February 22nd: Levi HUBBARD, my paternal 4th great grandfather. We’ll be celebrating his death date anniversary.
Friday February 25th: Eliza BELL, my paternal 2nd great grandmother. Eliza’s death date anniversary is the 25th.
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the lives of these two people this coming week. In the meantime, enjoy the Sunday snapshot of the week:

Woodmen of the World gravestones at Felicity Cemetery, Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio.
Woodmen of the World gravestones at Felicity Cemetery, Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio.

These Woodmen of the World gravestones are in Felicity Cemetery in Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio. I photographed them in October of 2015 on a short trip to Ohio to visit Bart (and do a little family history research).  The Longworth’s are not related to us that I know of  –  Bart and I just like the Woodmen gravestones so I frequently photograph them when I see them.  I promised to show some of the Woodmen stones to you when I did Milo’s blog post last week and today I found one of my photographs to show you.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. See you on Wednesday to talk about Levi (or sooner if I get time to do an extra blog post).


Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Karl August BRUMM, Woolen Mill Laborer

I don’t know much about Karl but I will share what I have about him. Karl is my husband’s maternal 3rd great grandfather. Like Bart’s other maternal immigrant ancestors that I’ve written about, Karl is from Saxony- the same area of Prussia (now Germany) that his other immigrant ancestors were from (the ones that I’ve written about so far, that is). The information I’m giving you today is from the 1880 census because that is one of the few documents I have that I feel certain belongs to Karl.
On this date in 1834, Karl August BRUMM was born. He married at the age of 26. He and his wife, Wilhelmina, were married in Saxony. On the 1880 census, Karl was 46 years old. Living with him were his wife, Mina, and his daughters- Pauline, Rosa (Therese Rosa- Bart’s 2nd great grandmother whom I wrote about here), Emma, Anna, and Clara- and his sons- Clemens, Oliver, and George – all of whom were born in Saxony. All of the children attended school except 4-year-old George. In 1880 they were living in Delaware Township, Sanilac County, Michigan.
The story in this census record that is begging to be told is the story about Karl’s occupation. He gave his occupation as “Farmer & works in wool mill”. There were not very many woolen mills in Sanilac County in 1880. In fact, the only woolen mills I found in Delaware Township, where the BRUMM family was living, were the mills in Minden. (This information is from the book, Atlas of Sanilac County, Michigan : containing maps of every township in the county, with village and city plats, and outline map of the county, also maps of Michigan, United States and the world, by E. R. Cookingham, J. S. Randall, J. L. Smith, and L. D. Cookingham found at University of Michigan Library’s digital archives.)

Village of Minden map.
Village of Minden map.

This is a map of the village of Minden from the book mentioned above.

Enlarged portion of the Village of Minden map showing the woolen mills.
Enlarged portion of the Village of Minden map showing the woolen mills.


This is an enlarged portion of the map showing the woolen mills.

Business ad for Minden City Woolen Mills.
Business ad for Minden City Woolen Mills.

Business advertisement for Minden Woolen Mill. There were no other ads so I’m assuming that Mr. Leavenworth owned all the woolen mills in Minden. I found no information about how many woolen mills there were but they were all in one place on the map so possibly there were only 2.
I don’t know what job Karl did at the woolen mill but I did find a great video from a woolen mill in Frankenmuth, Michigan that is still in operation. It’s very interesting. I hope you’ll watch it. It talks about how they process wool.
Frankenmuth Michigan woolen mill video.
If you ever get a chance to visit Frankenmuth or Delaware Township in Michigan, you definitely should go. It’s a wonderful summer trip and a beautiful area. I’ve so enjoyed introducing you to Karl and the wool milling process. Be sure to check back on Saturday for the weekend wrap up where I give you any additional information that didn’t make it into the weekly blog posts and on Sunday for next week’s schedule. Happy Friday!!


Until tomorrow,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Weekend Wrap-Up #6 and a SURPRISE!

It’s the weekend! YAY! I haven’t been able to do much extra research for a couple of weeks now but I’m thankful for Becky who was able to do a little extra research this week and share it with us. Also, be sure to read to the end because there’s a big surprise at the end of the wrap-up!
Sarah DAVIS REITER
Becky and I are looking into whether or not Sarah was a midwife. We may never know definitively but we’re trying. Rebecca WORK, who was at two of the three births documented in my post earlier this week, was also recorded as being at other families’ births in the same locale. I’m fairly certain Rebecca was a midwife. My question comes in whether or not Sarah was a midwife or midwife-in-training (or neither).

Fold3 record showing Rebecca was present at the birth of Alice Hobbs.
Fold3 record showing Rebecca was present at the birth of Alice Hobbs.

Fold3 record from Becky- one of the records showing Rebecca was present at the delivery of the HOBBS children.
Becky and I have also both questioned whether or not that is really Sarah on the 1870 Mortality schedule. Something’s going on- we’re just not sure what. There is a Sarah living with Nicholas and his children in 1880.

1880 Federal Census record for Nicholas and Sarah Riter family.
1880 Federal Census record for Nicholas and Sarah Riter family.

So the timeline goes like this:
1870 Mortality schedule- Sarah dies of consumption.
1870 Federal census- Nicholas and children are censused without Sarah.
1880 Federal census- Nicholas and children are censused with Nicholas’ wife, Sarah.
So, is this a second wife named Sarah? Was Sarah, for some reason, mistakenly assumed dead or mistakenly censused as dead in 1870? We don’t’ know all the answers yet but we’re still looking so there may be a future update on Sarah.
Lucille DEWITT WILLIAMS CULLOM and Mary McATEE WEDDING
I have no updates yet on these two women. My husband’s Uncle Gerry is in the process of sending me copies of some records so there will, at some point, be an update on Lucille. For now, there is no new information to post.
John WILLIAMS- I forgot him!
When I posted the week’s schedule last Sunday I completely forgot to add in John WILLIAMS, my paternal 3rd great grandfather! John was born on this date in McKeesport, Illinois. You will never find this place on a map. I’m not sure where it is, actually. The information I have on his birth comes from his obituary and gravestone as well as this biographical piece in Historical Review of Arkansas: Its Commerce, Industry and Modern Affairs, Volume 3 by Fay Hempstead.

Biography of Edgar Williams, son of John Williams.
Biography of Edgar Williams, son of John Williams.

Biography of Edgar WILLIAMS, son of John WILLIAMS.
John was “a highly respected citizen of Roubidoux” in Texas County, Missouri. This was reported by the local paper in 1904. (The Houston Herald, 8 Sep 1904) He must have been well acquainted with the folks at the newspaper office because there were quite a few times that the local paper reported in the gossip column that John had come into town (Houston) to do business.
John was married at least three times. His son Samuel was my 2nd great grandfather and was John’s first known son by his first known wife. I say “known wife” loosely since I don’t have any idea what her name was.
John professed his faith in Christ at age 20 and joined the Methodist Church. He had one child by each of his first two wives and eight children with his third wife. It is said that when John’s son Samuel (my 2nd great grandfather) married my 2nd great grandmother Eliza Emma BELL that John disowned him. The reason is not known. You can read more about John and this particular issue at my cousin Annie Blanchard’s blog, Digging Genealogy. That link will get you to all of Annie’s posts about John and his son Samuel and that branch of the family. Much of what I know about John comes from Annie’s blog posts and from two incredible obituaries (one for John’s wife Armazinda and one for John) written by John’s friends at The Houston Herald.

Armazinda Wallace Williams' obituary.
Armazinda Wallace Williams’ obituary.

Armazinda WALLACE WILLIAMS’ obituary (sorry for the quality- it was the best I could do). 20 August 1903 The Houston Herald, Houston, Missouri.

John Williams' obituary.
John Williams’ obituary from the Houston Herald 8 September 1904.

John WILLIAMS’ obituary. 08 September 1904 The Houston Herald, Houston, Missouri.
I know that type is hard to read so here is a transcription of the article:
“Death of John Williams.
_____
God in His infinite wisdom has seen fit to remove from this earth Mr. John Williams, aged 64 years, 6 months, 22 days. He died Sept. 2, 1904; he was born in Illinois Feb. 11, 1840, and came to Missouri in 1869. He made a profession of faith in Christ at the age of 20 and united with the Methodist church. He lived a Christian life and a few weeks before his death he was baptized in the Christian church at Prairie Point [Texas County, Missouri].
“Uncle John, as he was commonly called, has been a sufferer from chronic bronchitis for the past eight years, but has been gradually growing worse the last two years. He was taken worse a few days ago and God relieved him Saturday morning at 10:50. His last hours seemed to be his happiest ones.
He was married three times; 8 children resulted from his last union, all of whom are still living.
During his life he accumulated a great deal of wealth and was very honest in all his dealings. He was industrious and his children have an example before them as to industry and serving God. He was ready and willing to go and did not fear death at any time.
His wife preceded him to that better world about one year ago and was there waiting the coming of her loved one who was very lonely after the death of his companion. His sons and daughters are heart stricken as they are fatherless and motherless, which as w[e] all know is very sad indeed, yet we are born to die and our Lord knows best. He has led another dear one from this earth into the arms of rest. He is sweetly sleeping and his spirit has returned to the God that gave it.
No more will his children hear his good words of advice, but all is silent; a place is vacant in their home. His chair can’t be placed for papa to sit down to rest again, for alas, he is at rest in Heaven; he is around the Great White Throne with the angels and has joined them forever.
Dear ones, you can’t bring him back, but you can go to him. You have the blessed assurance of meeting him never more to part; you have two bright lights in Heaven awaiting your coming, which we hope to know you will prepare to do and that is to meet them over there. They are safe in the vale. They are sleeping in the bosom of God.
During his illness everything that relatives and neighbors could do was done but the angel of death was the only reliever.
Funeral services were conducted at Liberty graveyard Sept. 4th by Rev. Johnson. He delivered a very touching sermon to a very large crowd. Tears filled the eyes of all the attendants as they beheld the orphans that gathered round to take the last look at father. Now, to the bereaved ones I would say, weep not, for your loss is Heaven’s eternal gain. He is at rest and has left this unfriendly world. His home is above and not built by hands. Make preparations to meet him and rejoice of his being with his Savior. While this is a dark hour to you, remember, be still, sad hearts, and cease repining; behind the clouds the sun’s still shining; your fate is the common fate of all; late each life some rain must fall; some days must be dark and dreary. May God be with you is the prayer of Celia Neal.”
That is quite an obituary! I don’t know that I’ve ever found a longer, more flowery obituary for any of my ancestors as Celia’s was for John WILLIAMS. Armazinda’s was equally long and flowery. I’d be happy to provide a transcription for hers if anyone wants it. Family, you can never say again that you didn’t have any wealthy ancestors. You’ve heard it from The Houston Herald yourself- John was wealthy, well-respected, and a pillar of the community!
That’s your update for this week. I found an error while proofing this post but when I went back in to correct it later I couldn’t find it again, so you get a bonus error (probably more than one, truth be known!) with your blog post! Enjoy your weekend and be sure to come back tomorrow for next week’s schedule.


Until tomorrow,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Mary McATEE WEDDING: Her Final Resting Place on Earth

On this date in 1788, Mary McATEE was born in Maryland. Mary is my paternal 5th great grandmother. Her parents were Samuel and Mary MASSEY McATEE. Mary McATEE married John WEDDING in 1810 in Maryland. I blogged about Mary a couple of years ago here.
I’ve told you what I know about Mary in my previous blog post about her. However, last year over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks I was so fortunate to get to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio and I took side trips (of course!) to Clermont County. One of the places I went to was Calvary Cemetery in Felicity, Clermont County, Ohio. I got to visit John and Mary’s graves for myself. I even got to visit two of their daughters’ graves. It’s one thing to find the grave on the FindAGrave website. It’s quite another to go visit in person, leave flowers, take photographs, and just spend some time reflecting at the gravesite.
Here are some of the photos I took while I was there. I hope you all have a great weekend. Enjoy!

John and Mary Wedding's gravestones.
John and Mary Wedding’s gravestones.

What’s left of John and Mary WEDDING’s gravestones. You can see that the name ‘Wedding’ is spelled differently on John’s stone.

Matilda Wedding Padget's (and husband William's) gravestone.
Matilda Wedding Padget’s (and husband William’s) gravestone.

Matilda WEDDING PADGET and husband William. Matilda is the daughter of John and Mary.

Nackey Ellen Wedding Richards' gravestone.
Nackey Ellen Wedding Richards’ gravestone.

Nackey Ellen WEDDING married Thomas RICHARDS. Nackey was the daughter of John and Mary WEDDING.

Felicity Cemetery.
Felicity Cemetery.

Do you remember Theodore Clay LARKIN (the man with the penchant for baseball bats)? He was buried in the Felicity Cemetery- another cemetery in Felicity. When I went I couldn’t find his grave. I’ve been in touch with another researcher who says she will give me a photograph of his grave. If I receive it I will be sure to share it with you. For now, all I have is this building at the cemetery.


Until tomorrow,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Sarah C. Davis Reiter

Sarah C. DAVIS is my maternal 2nd great grandmother. She married Nicholas REITER whom I wrote about here. Sarah passed away in February of 1870 in Illinois. Today I’m honoring her life.
Sarah was born in July of 1836 in Perry Township, Pike County, Illinois. As far as I know, she never left that area. That area is where she was born, where she lived, and where she died. It’s been difficult to find Sarah in records, in part due to the short duration of her life. In the 1850 census (the first one that included details on each and every person residing in a home), Sarah was only 12 years old and living with her parents. I have not been able to find her at all in the 1860 census and in 1870 she passed away before the census was done. There is an 1865 Illinois state census but it doesn’t list each person in the household. One of the most interesting documents found about Sarah was found by my sister-in-law, Becky. She found three affidavits Sarah gave on behalf of her mother, Rachel, when Rachel was applying for John DAVIS’ military pension (John was Rachel’s husband and Sarah’s dad). Sarah gave affidavits stating that her brothers (Charles D., Alpheus B., and Harvey D.) were the legitimate children of John and Rachel DAVIS and she knew this because she was present at their births. Sarah would have been between 16-20 years old when her brothers were born.
THE AFFIDAVITS
58-year-old Rebecca WORK, and 29-year-old Sarah RITER – both residents of Perry Township, Pike County, Illinois – signed an affidavit on 3 May 1867 declaring they were both present at the birth of Charles D. DAVIS (Sarah’s brother) on 31 May 1852.

Affidavit of birth of Charles Davis.
Affidavit of birth of Charles Davis.

Affidavit regarding the birth of Charles D. DAVIS. Their handwritten portion of the statement is difficult to read. It says they know the information they swore to “from the fact that we were both present at the house of said John F. Davis and in the presence of said mother Rachel Davis at the time the said Charles D. Davis was born.”
Rebecca and Sarah signed a second affidavit declaring they were both present at the birth of “Alphis B. Davis” (should be spelled Alpheus) on 17 Apr 1854 stating they knew this information “from being present in the house and in the room when and where said Alpheus B. Davis was born.”

Affidavit of birth of Alpheus Davis.
Affidavit of birth of Alpheus Davis.

Affidavit regarding the birth of Alpheus B. DAVIS.
Dr. Harvey DUNN Jr. and Sarah A. RITER (both residents of Perry Township, Pike County, Illinois) signed the third affidavit declaring they were both present at the birth of Harvey D. Davis on 4 Mar 1857.

Affidavit of the birth of Harvey Davis.
Affidavit of the birth of Harvey Davis.

Affidavit regarding the birth of Harvey D. DAVIS. Their reason for knowing this information was “from being present and assisting when the said Harvey Davis was born into the world.”
All three children were sworn to be legitimate children of Corporal John F. and Rachel DAVIS.
WAS SHE OR WASN’T SHE?
When I read these affidavits I wondered if Sarah might have been a local midwife. I have no proof that she was or that she wasn’t. Another thought crossed my mind. Sarah died from “Consumption”. You’d know that disease better as Tuberculosis. My thought was whether Sarah contracted Tuberculosis while delivering a baby. I don’t know if that’s possible. That’s just the thought that crossed my mind. She was present at the births of her brothers from age 16 until the last recorded sibling of hers was born. She attended these births with another older woman for the 1852 and 1854 births. I have tried researching Rebecca WORK but have not made much progress. My goal was to find out if she was a relative, a local midwife, a good friend, etc.. I can’t answer for any of these possibilities at this point. While researching I did find a biography for Dr. Harvey DUNN, Jr. If you’re interested, you can read it on Google Books in the book, History of Pike County, Illinois or on FindAGrave website.
Just an FYI, Rachel (Sarah’s mom) did have another child in 1853- a boy named Jonathon. Because of the wording in the pension paperwork that Rachel filed, I believe that this child died prior to the filing of the pension paperwork.
In February of 1870 Sarah died of Tuberculosis. My niece read a book when she was younger entitled, Breathing Room by Marsha Hayles. It’s about a young girl who contracts Tuberculosis and moves to a sanitorium to be cured. Now that I’m thinking about that book, it makes me think that perhaps Sarah was in a sanitorium in 1860 and that’s why I can’t find the family on the census. Isn’t it funny what types of things give us an inspirational idea like that? I think I’ll go research that angle now and maybe see if I can check out that book, too. I’m so thankful for modern medicine. If you’re sick, go to the doctor! There are so many people in your life that would miss you and need you if you were gone. Do it for them if that’s what you need to do. This illness that’s currently going around is nothing to mess with and in Nevada a woman died recently from a Superbug that we have no medicines to treat. Don’t take chances with your health. We need you here!


Stay healthy until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog

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