Tea with Emily

#Ancestors


                                                       Tea with Emily  

     It is week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge and this week's prompt is "I'd Like to Meet."  As soon as I saw that prompt the first name that came to mind was Emily.  Although there are many fine folks and a few scoundrels in my tree, I am fascinated with my 3rd great-grandmother.  In the second week of this challenge I wrote about my maternal great-grandmother, Josie.  This week I am writing about her maternal grandmother, Emily.
     My search for Emily started with an old leather clutch that my mother gave me.  She told me that it had belonged to Josie and didn't know what it contained but thought I might want it since I save everything.  I opened the clutch with excitement!  I remember that day like it was yesterday.  I found a stack of papers consisting of old letters, a report card from my great-uncle, and death certificates.  One death certificate in particular which interested me the most was that of Josie's mother, my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa.  This is the lady that died in the fire with her son.  I was curious to see who Teresa's parents were and where they were born.  I knew we had Irish ancestors and now I've found them.  Emily's parents were Patrick Devine and Emily O'Leary.  My mother had told me that my grandmother's cousin was working on the family tree and that I should call her.  I did not want to call a stranger so I sent her a letter.  My grandmother had died many years before so I had to reach out to her first cousin for answers.  I had sent the letter to Janet but it was actually her older sister Geraldine who was doing genealogy.  Geraldine replied to my letter with chock full of information about the family and also enclosed a copy of Teresa's baptismal certificate.  I was beyond excited to have this certificate until I saw that her mother's last name was not listed.  I wrote to the church to request a copy of Teresa's baptismal certificate and the one they sent had a last name of  'Sheldon' but that was the name of the sponsor on the first certificate.  I now had three documents with two different surnames and one of those was the sponsor.  I called the church to explain and spoke to a nice man who mailed me a photocopy of the page  from the book of baptismal records.  Emily's last name was Sheldon!
     Emily J. Sheldon was born about 1846 in Ireland.  She immigrated to the United States in 1851.  I don't know when she married my 3rd great-grandfather, Patrick but the 1865 New York State Census has 20 year old Emily listed as a wife and that this was her first marriage.  This was Patrick's second marriage and I later found out that the three children listed, ages 8, 6, 3 1/2 are from his first wife.  Emily had given birth to three children by the time the 1870 Federal Census was taken.  Another child was born in 1873 and she appears in the 1875 NY State Census but my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa is not listed because she was born later in the year.  I cannot find Patrick, Emily, or any of their children in 1880.  I have searched far and wide and have no idea where they might have been hiding.  Emily's youngest child, a boy named William was born in 1882.
     It is now 1900...  a new decade, a new century, and a new woman.  Emily is listed as divorced on the 1900 Federal Census and living with her youngest son, William in the town of Esopus which is in Ulster County, NY.  It was stated that she had 9 children and 7 still living.  I counted 10 but one of those children was at the bottom of the 1870 census instead of the top near the other close in age so maybe he was Patrick's nephew?  Of those 9 children, the oldest three were from Patrick's first wife but Emily raised them so they were hers.  I do not know which two children were deceased by 1900 because I do not have a date of death for all the children.
     in 1903,  Emily's youngest child, William died of a head injury in New York City.  At some point, Emily moved in with her daughter, Emma and family.  The 1905 NY Census shows them living in Rifton, NY which is also in Ulster County.  I found Emily's daughter, Emma, son-in-law, Simon and grandchildren in the 1910 Federal Census.  They were still living in Rifton but Emily is not with them.  Emma, Simon, and the children moved to Toronto, Ontario in Canada.  I don't know if Emily moved with them or followed but she was living with them at the time of her death in March 1928.  Emily's final resting place is Mt Hope Cemetery in Toronto.  She also has a burial plot in St Peter's Cemetery in Rosendale, NY which is near Rifton.  William I buried in St Peter's Cemetery and although his parents' names are inscribed on the tombstone, they are not there.
     If I could meet any of my ancestors, I would love to meet Emily.  I would love to sit and have tea with my 3rd great-grandmother.  I would even make scones for the special occasion.  I would ask Emily if it was the potato famine that had her emigrating from her homeland of Ireland.  I would sk about her parents and siblings.  Where did she meet Patrick and why did they break up?  Why did she move to Canada, could she not have stayed in NY with one of her other children?  So many questions but not enough answers.  I still have not ordered her death certificate.  I need to get that ordered so I can hopefully find out the names of her parents if the informant actually knew.  I'm hoping it was Emily's daughter, Emma who provided the information.  Rest in Peace.

                                            Emily J Sheldon  1846 Ireland - 1928 Canada
                                            3rd great-grandmother
                                                 
                                           

Ferris

    #52Ancestors

      I'm a few days late but this is my post for week 3 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge and this week's prompt is 'Unusual Name'.  My direct ancestors all had traditional names such as Samuel, Daniel, Robert, and of course Mary.  I've been helping a friend with her genealogy and came across a ton of unusual names but since those are not my people I'll have to find someone in my family.  I checked Ancestry.com and looked over the names.  I didn't want any in-laws or distant cousins.  The only person I found with a name that I find unusual is the younger brother of my 3rd great-grandfather, William Davis.
     Ferris G Davis, my 4th great-uncle was born 5 July 1842 in Marlborough, NY to Charles Davis and Susan Lounsbury both of NY.  He was 10 years younger than my 3rd great-grandfather William and one of 8 children that I found but I might be missing one or more if a child was born and died between censuses.  I'm sure I'm missing children because I have Charles and Susan's first child, Isaac born in 1824 and the next child born eight years later was William.  After William I found the children to be born, one or two years apart with a few three years apart.
     Ferris was 20 years old when he volunteered to serve in the Civil War with his two brothers, David and Daniel. In Marlborough, NY the young men enlisted 6 August 1862 in Company A, New York 120th Infantry Regiment.  He served a year and a half in the Battle of Fredericksburg, was wounded at Chancellorsville and discharged 4 September 1864 due to injuries.
     In September of 1866, Ferris married a young lady named Mary in downtown Manhattan, New York City.  Their first child, a boy they named John was born in November 1868.  They were still living in lower Manhattan by the time the 1870 federal census was taken.  Their second child, daughter Margaret was born in 1872 and I'm guessing this joyous event occurred upstate because a year earlier, the Gazeteer and Business Directory for Ulster County has Ferris listed as a fruit farmer in Marlborough, NY.  In the 1875 New York State Census, Ferris, his wife Mary, and their two children are found living next-door to Ferris's mother, Susan and step-father, John (his father, Charles died in 1850).
     In March of 1876, Susan died.  I'm guessing that Ferris and family headed west soon after that because I found them in the 1880 federal census living in Minnesota.  By 1900, Ferris and his wife are living in Benton, Missouri where they would live out the rest of their days.  Mary died in 1919 and Ferris moved in with his son and family.  The 1920 census shows Ferris, a widower, living with his son, John, daughter-in-law and grandson.  Sadly, Ferris died at the age of 80 on 12 March 1923.


Ferris G Davis  1842 - 1923
4th great-uncle
Veteran of Union Army, Civil War

~ Silent World ~

  #52Ancestors

     This post is a week late. I was exhausted last week and busy with my son's school and scout activities.
     It is week 2 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge and this week's topic (writing prompt) is 'Challenge'.  I wrote about my great-grandfather, Samuel last week and this week I am writing about his wife.  I have read other stories by people participating in this writing challenge and saw that some had written about a 'challenge' they had in their research.  I chose to write about the 'challenges' that my great-grandmother dealt with in life.
     Josephine Agnes Duper was born 11 December 1894 in Rosendale, NY to Stephen Duper who had emigrated from Austria and Teresa Devine from Stuyvesant Falls, NY.  She was a healthy baby girl at birth and at some point in the first few years of her life had contracted Scarlet Fever causing her to lose her hearing.  I can't imagine how she felt going from hearing the sound of her mother's voice, the birds chirping, the everyday noises of life around her to dead silence.  Josie had to learn to communicate with her family and survive as a deaf child in a hearing world.  The challenge had begun...
     The family moved to Manhattan, NY and by 1900, Josie was a 5 year old enrolled as a student at the Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf Mutes.  She was still there in 1910 according to the federal census.
     On December 18th of 1916, Josie married Samuel Davis, a man who can hear but had parents who were deaf (like Josie, they lost their hearing due to Scarlet Fever).  Their first born child, my grandmother Eleanor, was born in June of 1917.  There were four more children that followed, 3 boys and a girl, each born about two years apart.
     In January of 1927, Josie's youngest daughter, Dorothy died at the age of 3, a day before Josie's baby boy's 1st birthday.  She had been sick but also suffered from 3rd degree burns when her dress caught fir from the kerosene heater.  I don't know how long it took Josie to realize that her daughter was on fire because she wouldn't have heard the little girl's cry.
     The family split up.  The 1930 federal census shows my grandmother, Eleanor living with her maternal grandmother, Teresa in Brooklyn, NY and I'm guessing that the boys were living with their father upstate NY.  I did not find Josie in 1930 or 1940 but I think she was living in Brooklyn.
     Tragedy struck again on New Year's Eve, 1955 when a fire caused by a kerosene heater broke out in the apartment where Josie's mother and two brothers were living.  Her brother Stephen was on his way out with their mother until Teresa realized that her youngest son, Gerald was not with them.  She ran back inside and perished along with Gerald who was in one of the back rooms.  Stephen barely made it out.
     Josie's husband, Samuel died in 1947 and Josie found love with a nice man named Benson who was deaf like herself.  The couple were part of a deaf club that met for parties and card games and socializing with others like themselves.
     My mother had fond memories of Benson.  When I told her I was writing a story about the challenges and hardships that Josie faced, I mentioned a church in Manhattan where Josie's sister-in-law had her funeral Mass.  I told my mother that this was a deaf church called St Ann's Church for the Deaf Mutes.  She told me that she had been there a few times with Josie and Benson.  My grandmother had taught my mother sign language so she was able to follow along and understand the Mass.  Benson died in 1960.  Josie spent a lot of time with her daughter, Eleanor then eventually moved in.  I remember Josie from my days of visiting my grandmother.
     Josie, my maternal great-grandmother, had a hard challenging life but finally found eternal peace when she went to Heaven  17 July 1977
Josie as a young mother with one of her sons and her mother, Teresa. It looks like she's pregnant with her second son.  about 1921

JOSIE and Benson 1950's

Josephine Agnes Duper  1894 - 1977
great-grandmother

Samuel George Davis

     I've neglected this blog for so long that I almost forgot I had a blog.  What better way to get back into writing and revive my dead bog than to participate in Amy Crow Johnson's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.  I found out about this challenge in one of my genealogy groups on Facebook.  Each week there will be a different theme, a word or phrase to prompt  us to write and it can be about anything.  Week 1 is "First".  I had already decided that this week's post would be about my great-grandfather, Samuel George Davis because today was his birthday and also my son's birthday.  Although I had chosen to write about my great-grandfather, I couldn't think of a "first" for him until I sat and thought about his life.
     Samuel George Davis was born 5 January 1885 in Spring Hill, Ohio to Daniel J Davis who was originally from Ulster County, New York and Flora H Braught from Ohio.  Daniel and Flora were both deaf-mutes who lost their hearing at a young age due to Scarlet Fever.  Samuel was healthy and his hearing was fine.  I don't know if growing up with deaf parents and a father who drank contributed to his behavioral problems but this boy ended up in a reform school.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this tidbit of information on the 1900 federal census.  The census showed him with his parents and in the column for occupation it states 'at Lancaster Reform School' but for his younger sister it just states 'at school'.  I looked up Lancaster Reform School on the internet and found that at the time of my great-grandfather's incarceration or should I say 'detention' since he wasn't an actual 'prisoner', this institution was called Boys Industrial School and was located in Fairfield County.  I called the Ohio Historical Society to inquire about obtaining a copy of Samuel's record.  The lady I spoke to was helpful and friendly.  I mailed my payment along with the name, date of birth and record #, and received a copy of the 'inmate record' with a brief history of the institution about a week later.
     Samuel Davis was admitted to the Boys Industrial School 17 January 1899, just 12 days after his 14th birthday.  The case record has his personal information such as name, date and place of birth, parents names and current residence.  His nationality is listed as German-Irish.  There is a column for health and special marks which has a physical description.  There are columns for education and employment.  The miscellaneous column asks about profanity, tobacco and alcohol use which there is none but he is listed as truant.  For the commitment column it is shown that he was committed by the probate court in Henry County.  He is a first time convict and his offense is being Incorrigible and a Truant.  Let's go back to the miscellaneous column...   at the bottom it is written that he is "pleasant" with a "bright face".  So, my great-grandfather, Samuel George Davis was a pleasant, incorrigible truant.  He was lucky though because before this school was established, young offenders were housed with adult felons.  The new school had boys living in cottages, being treated as students rather than prisoners, and worked the farm along with academic classes. There was a demerit system at this school.  Samuel was released 9 August 1900.
     By 1910, Samuel was living with his parents and younger sister in Brooklyn, NY according to the federal census.  I don't know when he moved from Ohio to New York but found his parents in the 1905 New York state census living at a different address in Brooklyn.
     In December of 1916, Samuel married Josephine Duper and the following June, their first born daughter, my grandmother, Eleanor was born.  They had four more children, each born about two years apart.
     At some point the marriage fell apart.  I don't know if it had been crumbling for years but by 1930, I found my grandmother, Eleanor living with her maternal grandmother according to the federal census.  I did not find Samuel or Josephine in 1930, nor did I find their sons.  There was another daughter who was born in 1923 and tragically died in 1927, a day before their youngest son's first birthday.  I don't know where Josephine was in 1930 but I think the boys stayed with their father who didn't bother answering the census.  I wonder if Josephine had a breakdown due to her daughter's death and was in a hospital at the time the census was taken?  I met my grandmother's cousin years ago (long after my grandmother had died) and she told me that the boys stayed with their father upstate and their mother lived in Brooklyn and would sometimes visit on the weekends.  She said that her mother (Samuel's sister) used to help care for the boys.  She loved her Uncle Sammy.  She described him as a man who liked to drink a lot and when he was drunk he would buy the neighborhood kids ice cream.  I guess he was a jolly drunk.  I don't know if he consoled himself with alcohol after the death of three year old Dorothy or if he had been drinking for years.  His reform school record described his father as intemperate.  I wonder if he was prone to drinking because of his father?  He died of stomach cancer in July of 1947.

Samuel George Davis 1885-1947  great-grandfather
 
#52ancestors   52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks