My Belated Thanksgiving Post: My Mayflower Ancestors

Numerous bloggers have posted their Mayflower lines in celebration of Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, I was a bit busy right then and didn't have the time to blog.  So, I'm starting now to add my lines to the conversations.

Note:  The top of the line of descent is underlined and the passengers on the Mayflower are in Italics.

As you will probably notice lots of somewhat distant relatives married.

1. William Bradford and Alice Carpenter
William Bradford and Alice Richards
Hannah Bradford and Joshua Ripley
Faith Ripley and Samuel Bingham
Jerusha Bingham and Benjamin Robinson
Irene Robinson and John Blodgett
Luke Blodgett and Sarah Bangs
Laben Blodgett and Rebecca Blodgett
Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett and Charles Copeland
Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey
Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

2. Isaac Allerton and Mary Norris
Mary Allerton and Thomas Cushman
Isaac Cushman and Rebecca Harlow
Icabod Cushman and Patience Holmes
Sarah Cushman and Daniel Vaughan
Jabez Vaughan and Lois Soule
Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb
Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss
Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington
Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson
Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

3. Myles Standish and Barbara [Unknown]
Alexander Standish and Sarah Alden
Lydia Standish and Isaac Samson
Isaac Samson and Sarah Barlow
Uriah Samson and Ann White
Hannah Samson and John Reed
Hannah Reed and Jonathan Copeland
Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett
Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

4. Myles Standish and Barbara [Unknown]

Alexander Standish and Sarah Alden

Sarah Standish and Benjamin Soule

Zachariah Soule and Mary Eaton

Jabez Vaughan and Lois Soule

Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

5. William Mullins and Alice (Unknown)

Priscilla Mullins and John Alden

Joseph Alden and Mary Simmons

Joseph Alden and Hannah Dunham

Daniel Alden and Abigail Shaw

Hannah Alden and Joshua Blodgett

Benjamin Blodgett and Mary Berngs Riddle

Rebecca Blodgett and Laben Blodgett 

Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett and Charles Copeland

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

6. William Mullins and Alice (Unknown)

Priscilla Mullins and John Alden

Sarah Alden and Alexander Standish

Lydia Standish and Isaac Samson

Isaac Samson and Sarah Barlow

Uriah Samson and Ann White

Hannah Samson and John Reed

Hannah Reed and Jonathan Copeland 

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

7. William Mullins and Alice (Unknown)

Priscilla Mullins and John Alden

Sarah Alden and Alexander Standish

Sarah Standish and Benjamin Soule

Zachariah Soule and Mary Eaton

Lois Soule and Jabez Vaughan

Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

8. William Mullins and Alice (Unknown)

Priscilla Mullins and John Alden

Ruth Alden and John Bass

Mary Bass and William Copeland

Jonathan Copeland and Betty Snell

Jonathan Copeland and Mehitable Dunbar

Jonathan Copeland and Deborah Otis

Jonathan Copeland and Hannah Reed

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

9. William White and Susanna Fuller

Peregrine White and Sarah Bassett

Daniel White and Hannah Hunt

Benjamin White and Ann Bicknell

Ann White and Uriah Samson

Hannah Samson and John Reed

Hannah Reed and Jonathan Copeland 

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

10.  Richard Warren and Elizabeth March

Elizabeth Warren and Richard Church

Abigail Church and Samuel Thaxter

Sarah Thaxter and Peter Dunbar

Samuel Dunbar and Melatiah Hayward

Mehitable Dunbar and Jonathan Copeland

Jonathan Copeland and Deborah Otis

Jonathan Copeland and Hannah Reed

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

11. Francis Cooke and Hester Mahieu

Jane Cooke and Experience Mitchell

Sarah Mitchell and John Hayward

Joseph Hayward and Mehitable Dunham

Melatiah Dunham and Samuel Dunbar

Mehitable Dunbar and Jonathan Copeland

Jonathan Copeland and Deborah Otis

Jonathan Copeland and Hannah Reed

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

12.  Francis Cooke and Hester Mahieu

Mary Cooke and John Thompson (Tomson)

Esther Thompson and William Read

William Read and Alice Nash

Solomon Reed and Abigail Stoughton

John Reed and Hannah Samson

Hannah Reed and Jonathan Copeland 

Charles Copeland and Hannah Elizabeth Blodgett

Alice Copeland and Joseph Elliot Harvey

Adelaide Copeland Harvey and Robert Worthington Richardson [my grandparents]

13. Francis Eaton and Christian Penn

Benjamin Eaton and Sarah Hoskins

Benjamin Eaton and Mary Coombs

Mary Eaton and Zachariah Soule

Lois Soule and Jabez Vaughan

Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

14. George Soule and Mary Buckett

John Soule and Rebekah Simon

Benjamin Soule and Sarah Standish

Zachariah Soule and Mary Eaton

Jabez Vaughan and Lois Soule

Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

15. Stephens Hopkins and Mary (Unknown)

Constance Hopkins and Nicholas Snow

Rebecca Snow and Samuel Rickard

Samuel Rickard and Rachel Whiton

Lemuel Rickard and Persis Harlow

Mehitable Rickard and Nehemiah Cobb

Nehemiah Cobb and Lois Vaughan

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

16. Degory Priest and Sarah Allerton

Sarah Priest and John Coombs

John Coombs and Elizabeth Barlow

Mary Coombs and Benjamin Eaton

Mary Eaton and Zachariah Soule

Lois Soule and Jabez Vaughan

Lois Vaughan and Nehemiah Cobb

Nathan Cobb and Elnora Esther DeLoss

Esther Elnora Cobb and Robert Searing Worthington

Martha Elnora Worthington and Harry Bogart Richardson

Robert Worthington Richardson and Adelaide Copeland Harvey [my grandparents]

My Quilt/family history book published using Lulu.com

In the past month or two, genealogists have posted on G+ about their experiences with online publishing. A couple of times people asked about Lulu.com.  I said I didn't want to say anything until after Christmas.

Well, now that it has passed Christmas and so I can share what I wrote over the past few months as my present for my children and siblings and a some Dakin cousins: Quilts in our Family.  I documented the family quilts, most done by "Mother Dakin."  I photographed all of the quilts I could locate.  I wrote about Mary Alice Smith Dakin (Mother Dakin) who was born in Kent CT in 1855 and died just over the town line in Gaylordsville CT in 1931.  I included information on the Richardsons who used those family quilts and then I told the story behind each of my family quilts.

As a bonus, when researching Mary Alice Smith and her husband Edward Dakin, I found another DAKIN cousin and her sister -- such a bonus!!  I wrote about that in another post on this blog:  A fortuitous post found in spam


I found Lulu.com a wonderful choice to use to self-publish.  If you want the services of a publisher, you pay for them.  If you're on a budget, you can "do it yourself" with help from their techs who patiently answer questions via e-mail once you actually start the project.  They are a print on-demand company with a quick turn around on the delivery of the order.  They will print a run of one book to an order of thousands.  You do not need to buy large numbers upfront.  I chose to order a few books to use as gifts.  I made it available publically, just in case another DAKIN cousin emerges in the future and wants a copy.

I would recommend that if you were going to self-publish with Lulu.com, to download the format for the book before you start writing so you work in the format rather than adapt your already existing manuscript to their formats.

The Massachusetts Genealogical Conference's Call for Speakers

Here is a copy of the MGC's press release.  If you're an expert in any of these countries, consider talking.

The Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC) is excitedly preparing for our upcoming 21 July 2012 Seminar. A Call for Papers has been issued for speakers and presenters on the theme of  "Ethnicity and Genealogy." If you are or know of an expert in French-Canadian, Italian, Irish, Polish, Jewish, Scandinavian or any other ethnic group found in the area, WE WANT YOU! Whether it be migration routes, religious affiliations, methodology, record groups, or cultural implications, we are looking for a wide variety of topics . Follow the link below to see details on the MGC website.

SEE DETAILED CALL FOR PAPERS HERE: http://tinyurl.com/7e2lmmg

We look forward to seeing you all in July!

Kind Regards,
Mary Tedesco and Phil Hermann
Program Co-Directors, MGC
program@massgencouncil.org

Ancestors GeneaMeme

As part of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, he suggested we participate in the Ancestors GeneaMeme created by Jill Ball on the Geniaus blog.

Here are the directions:

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item 

Which of these apply to you?

1.  Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents [Robert DAKIN, Hannah Maria COLBY, Stephen SMITH, Abigail JENNINGS, Charles EVANS, Hannah Elizabeth RADFORD, Eric HELSTEN, Mary HEARTY, William RICHARDSON, Mary AC BOGART, Robert Searing WORTHINGTON, Elnora Esther COBB, Enoch Dole HARVEY, Mary Hubbard NYE, Charles COPELAND, Hannah Elizabeth BLODGETT.]

2.  Can name over 50 direct ancestors

3.  Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents [7, not 8; unfortunately, no one seems to have a picture of Joseph E HARVEY; I checked with various distant relatives who might have HARVEY pictures with no success.]
4.  Have an ancestor who was married more than three times [Dennison WORTHINGTON buried three wives, but I don't think he tried a forth time.  I don't know of anyone else who had more than three.  Will keep my eyes open!]
5.  Have an ancestor who was a bigamist [not to my knowledge, we did discover a family "friend" was a bigamist years ago.]
6.  Met all four of my grandparents [never will happen -- my father's father, Robert Edward DAKIN died when my father was 2 years old in 1918.]
7.  Met one or more of my great-grandparents [all died before I was born, however, my great grand daughter can answer this question yes!]
8.  Named a child after an ancestor 
9.  Bear an ancestor's given name/s [only by accident.  My mother thought no one in the family had the name, when told my name, my grandmother announced "you named her after my grandfather Eric HELSTEN!  Thank you!"  Years later, doing family history, I discovered Eric had a sister Erica.]
10.  Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland 
11.  Have an ancestor from Asia [not to  my knowledge]
12.  Have an ancestor from Continental Europe 
13.  Have an ancestor from Africa [not to my knowledge]
14.  Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer [lots of farmers in the old censuses]
15.  Have an ancestor who had large land holdings [not to my knowledge, unless those "royality in everyone's background" counts]
16.  Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi [Rev John REED 1751-1831) and his father Rev Solomon REED (1719-1785), I think there might be more but I don't remember who they were.]
17.  Have an ancestor who was a midwife [not to my knowledge]
18.  Have an ancestor who was an author [after my father died, I discovered he wrote an article: "The Effect of Penicillin on  the Development of the the Primary Lesion of Syphilis" in VENEREAL  DISEASE INFORMATION (December 1944).  In 1895, my GGgrandfather Eric HELSTEN saved a man from drowning and wrote and sold a pamphlet on his method.  I've written weaving and math books, but I'm not my own ancestor!]
19.  Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones [my G grandmother was Mary Alice SMITH (1855-1931) and I have her line traced back into the 1600s in Connecticut:  Stephen SMITH, Aaron SMITH, Peabody SMITH, Stephen SMITH, Stephen SMITH, John SMITH.], [I have Mary JONES (b. 1698) possible line: Isaac JONES, Wm JONES]
20.  Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng 
21.  Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X 
22.  Have an ancestor with a forename beginnining with Z [Zachariah SOULE (1694-1751), Zachary BICKNELL (abt 1590-abt 1637) 
23.  Have an ancestor born on 25th December [I have a cousin born on 25 December 1983] 
24.  Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day [Thomas DAKIN's 1st wife, Susanna SLATER, not a direct descendant.]  
25.  Have blue blood in your family lines [supposedly if Royal Descendants book is right]
26.  Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth [my husband can claim this, not me.]
27.  Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth [my husband can claim this, but not me; my most recent immigrants were GG grandparents, Eric HELSTEN from Sweden and his wife Mary HEARTY from Ireland.] 
28.  Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century [numerous direct lines]
29.  Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier [numerous direct lines] 
30.  Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents [Edward DAKIN, Mary Alice Smith DAKIN, Charles Harold EVANS, Harry Bogart RICHARDSON]
31.  Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X [probably true, not seen  yet.]
32.  Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university [after watching a canal for the hydroelectric power plant being dug thru their family farm, he grew up and went to university and became a civil engineer and supervised the addition to the plant which brought electricity to his neighborhood; when he died young, his wife went to school to become first extension nutritionist for the state of Connecticut:  Robert DAKIN and Marion Evans DAKIN.  I suspect he paid for college with the money they got from the sale of part of their farm to the power company.] 
33.  Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence [probably, but not to my knowledge]
34.  Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime [probably, but not to my knowledge]
35.  Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine [see my blogs, this one and Will the real Ursula Wright please stand up.
36.  Have published a family history online or in print [part of my family tree is on Ancestry.com]
37.  Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries [my mother grew up in the house built for her grandmother as a wedding gift by her father who built the house next door.  They were married in 1889.  For my mother's 80th birthday, we had a family portrait taken in the photography studio that is located there now] 
38.  Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family 
39.  Have a family bible from the 19th Century [1806, it includes listing of births in late 1700s.]
40.  Have a pre-19th century family bible

GeneaMeme

Amanuensis Monday: Paul Dakin's Disownment in 1780

I have written about Edward DAKIN (1836 Hudson NY - 1914 Gaylordsville CT) and his son Robert Edward DAKIN.  We have many unanswered questions about Edward and going back to his parents and grandparents might lead to clues.  So today, I want to mention Paul DAKIN, Edward's grandfather.

Paul Dakin (1761 in Pawling NY - 1829 in Hudson NY) was the son of Timothy Dakin and Lydia Fish.  Timothy had moved as a child from Concord MA to the Quaker community in Oblong NY and Lydia had likewise moved from Dartmouth MA to Oblong.  Timothy and Lydia raised their twelve children as part of Oblong Monthly Meeting.

In searching the list of Quaker records online in the James Hazard index for the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, I found two references to Paul Dakin, his birth and his disownment.  So I sent for the records.  The xerox of the microfilm of the disownment was not completely readable, so I ordered a scan of the original documents.  I can not reproduce the scan here since it is for personal use only.  But, I will provide the transcription.  I couldn't read a couple of words, and a wonderful person at the library, Patricia Chapin O'Donnell translated them for me.

Oblong Monthly Meeting Men’s Minutes 1757 -1781, Box NY - 105 Page 519 Paul Dakin Acknowledgement, 18th day 10th month 1780

The acknowledgements of Paul Dakin Ferris Doly Daniel Akin & James Akin Condeming their going to frollicks and Places of Diversion Is Left for the Consideration of Next M^o Meeting

______________________________________________________________________

Oblong Monthly Meeting Men’s Minutes 1781 - 1788 Box NY - 105 pages 50, 51, Paul Dakin Disowned, 15th day 11th month 1780

 One of the Friends appointed on Paul Dakins account Report that he has answered his appointment and as there to Nothing appears to alter Conclusion of Last Meeting Concerning him there after Due Consideration this Meeting Doth Testifie against his Mis Conduct and Disownes him from Being any Longer a Member of our Society untill he by his Conduct Manifest Sincere Repentance and amendment of Life and Make Satisfaction to this Meeting which that he may to own Desire and Testification being prepared against him was Read approved and Signed and the following Friends are appointed to give him a copy of his Denial if he Desires it and acquaint him of his Rite to an appeal and if he Shews No Intention of appealing Read it at the Close of a first Day Meeting at at Oblong and Report at Next Meeting That is Wing  Killey & Benjamin Ferris Jr ------------

As you can tell by reading the documents, he had the option of "reforming his ways" and returning to Meeting.  I have no evidence that Paul ever did that.  I find him ten years later in the 1790 Census, living in Hudson NY.  By 1794 I find him in newspapers articles in Hudson.  By now he is listed as one of the newly elected town Assistants in Hudson NY (15 May 1794, Albany Gazette).  In New England at that time, running for public office would get you disowned from Meeting, so I suspect he was no longer a Quaker.

Another clue on the Whereabouts of Susannah Dole Harvey NYE

I was thinking about that 1860 census listing mentioned in my last post for Tombstone Tuesday and started thinking about:  Who are those people who she is living with in Aurora, Kane County IL?

I tried searching for Justin DODGE.  Was that a grandson of hers?  Was Juliet a granddaughter?  Afterall they came from Vermont and when she was married to Elijah NYE until he died in 1852, they were living in Montpelier VT.

I didn't have much luck on the birth, marriage, death records for Justin DODGE.  So I decided to try the family trees.  Maybe some hints can be found there.  I found a Justus DODGE, not a Justin DODGE who was married to Juliette NYE!  NYE -- that's Susannah NYE's second husband's last name.    Could this be a daughter of Elijah NYE?  According to the Ancestry.com tree of Travis Bennett, her parents were Ellis NYE and Susannah FRENCH.  There children were:  Henry Dodge, Mattie Dodge, and Willie Dodge.  The census has Henry J and Martha.  Willie hadn't been born yet (1864).

Time to check my NYE family history book:  Benjamin NYE of Sandwich, Massachusetts, and His Ancestors and Descendants by George Hyatt Nye and Frank E Best, 1907.
I found Juliette NYE, daughter of Ellis NYE from Montpelier VT.  Montpelier VT is where Susannah and Elijah NYE lived on his farm until he died in 1852.
According to Nye and Best, she married Justus  DODGE and had three children:  Henry, Mattie and Julia.

Sounds like the same DODGE family.  Now, was Juliette related to Elijah?  Two NYE families in Montpelier around the same time?
According to Nye and Best:
Juliet - Ellis - Iram - Benjamin - Benjamin - John - Benjamin
Elijah - Melatiah - Ebenezer - Caleb - Benjamin
So Juliet and Elijah were third cousins twice removed.

Susannah was living with her second husband's third cousin twice removed!

Now, if only there was someone named who she lived with between 1810 and 1850 censuses we might have something to go on.  But, she is in the 1850 census and her husband (and unnamed family) are in the 1820 census ... just not between.

Tombstone Tuesday: A partial answer to a family mystery found in Lake Mills!

What happened to Susanah DOLE HARVEY after her husband left for Canada "not to return until he could pay his debts" when she was left with at least 2 young children?  Joseph HARVEY never did return supposedly to die in Canada in the War of 1812.  The story of her husband is the topic of another (or many) posts since it is more complicated.

I have found Vermont records for the birth of two children of Susannah DOLE and Joseph HARVEY.  Enoch Dole HARVEY was born 10 January 1811 and Judith Dole HARVEY was born 11 December 1808.  The family story says that Enoch (my GGG grandfather) was "farmed out" to an old family member who was a Deacon (another story here).  I have not verified where he went because this was before the 1850 census where everyone is listed by name.

So, what do I know about Susannah's location?
• Over the years she told the census takers that she was born in Massachusetts or in New Hampshire.  The town history of Bedford NH mentions her birth there as a child of Deacon Silas DOLE.
• She married Joseph HARVEY on 10 September 1807 (VT vital records).
• The 1801 census for Shrewsbury, Rutland, VT includes the Joseph Harvey family with 1 male between 16 & 25 [Joseph], 1 female between 16 & 25 [Susannah], 2 females under 10 [Judith & ??].  So it fits if this is the correct HARVEY family.
• If Joseph left the family after 1810 and probably before the 1820 census (based on family legend and lack of finding him in the census).
Over the years I don't know what happened to Susannah, for example, the numbers don't fit to find her in her parents' household in the following census and she isn't listed as a head of family.
• The 1850 census for an unknown township in Washington VT lists a farmer, Elijah NYE, the grandfather of Enoch's wife Mary Hubbard NYE, with a wife of Susannah.  The family history says he married Mary HUBBARD and she died in 1838.  So I checked the Vermont records and discovered Elijah NYE married "Mrs HARVEY"  on 24 January 1840. Looks like he remarried.   Could thi "Mrs. Harvey"  be my Susannah DOLE HARVEY?  Looks like she got remarried to the grandfather of her daughter-in-law!
• Elijah NYE died in 1852, so where did Susannah go then?
•There is a Susan NYE, age 78, in Aurora, Kane County, IL born in MA in the 1860 census.  Is this the same Susannah?  Why Aurora?  Her son was in Lake Mills Wisconsin at this time.  I have no idea where her daughter was.  She is living with the Justin and Juliet DODGE family.  Is she a boarder or possibly a grandmother?
• In the 1870 census for Lake Mills WI, Susan NYE is living with her son and his family.  Under occupation "In the family" and she is from Massachusetts.
• Horatio Gates book on the McGeoch-Harvey Descent says she died in Lake Mills WI on 3 April 1871.
I didn't find a death certificate for her in Jefferson County WI.

The above tombstone puts her in the HARVEY family plot.  Susannah is buried with her granddaughter Isabel Susannah HARVEY and her husband August Henry WEGEMANN.

This tombstone was a wonderful find on my trip to the Lake Mills cemetery on my tour with my Genealogical Hostess from Heaven, Marie Copeland, that I wrote about in my last post.  I confirmed that she made it to Wisconsin and spent the last few years living with her son Enoch HARVEY.  The details about the years in between, are a bit fuzzy and fruit for some more research.  Does it ever end?

The Genealogical Hostess from Heaven in Jefferson WI

I enjoy reading Randy Seaver's blog, Genea-Musings.  After attending the FGS conference in Springfield IL, he has extended his genealogical tour around the midwest.  On day 10, he starts his morning in Jefferson WI and talks about the generosity and help from folks there and in Dodge County.  Reading his blog brought back fond genealogical memories from my own experience in Wisconsin.

I grew up hearing my grandmother say, "I am Adelaide Copeland Harvey Richardson -- Copeland of the Copeland Ryder Shoes."  So years later, when I got to wondering about "Copeland & Ryder Shoes," I googled it.  I discovered there really was a Copeland & Ryder Shoe Company in Jefferson WI for many years and it had been sold to Dr Scholls Shoes in 1946.  In 1868, George COPELAND and Lewis RYDER arrived in Jefferson WI, from Bridgewater MA, with plans to establish a shoe company.  Their business was originally opened as the Jefferson Boot and Shoe Factory.   I was looking for information on the Copeland's of the shoe company and discovered that, yes, they were her relatives.   My grandmother, who was born in 1893 in Lake Mills WI, was a first cousin twice removed from George COPELAND.

In 2002, I checked to see if there was any local historical society that I might find in Jefferson and Lake Mills.

In my search for a local historical society, I got a letter from a local resident which started, "Hi Cousin!"  Marie Copeland had been told by someone at the historical society "to get all the information together and send it to" me since she was also researching the COPELAND family.  Starting in 2002, we sent information back and forth, comparing our own records on the Copeland family.  Our relationship has continued over the years.

As a budding family historian, I needed to verify the data I had on my family and decided to take a genealogical field trip to Wisconsin on my school spring vacation in 2004.  I figured I could check out where the factory was located, maybe identify some pictures, find tombstones and vital records to verify the data I had on the COPELAND and HARVEY families in Lake Mills and Jefferson.   I also wanted to see if I could find where the WORTHINGTONs were buried in Oconomowoc WI.   Marie graciously invited me to stay at her home in Jefferson.  

I flew to Chicago and drove to Jefferson.  Since M.C. wasn't related to either my WORTHINGTON or to my HARVEY family, I figured I'd explore those parts of my family on my own.  My amazing hostess had different plans.

I arrived and she welcomed me as a long-lost relative who has finally come home.  She had prepared for my visit.  When I arrived she gave me a copy of a book on the history of Lake Mills WI, People Their Places & Things by Roland R Liebenow, M.D.  Since there was no index, she had already gone through the whole book with a highlighter and picked out every mention of anyone named Harvey, Brun and Wegemann (other family connections) so we would be prepared for our first day of exploring.

The next morning she put me and her husband into the car and we headed for  Lake Mills.  She had called the cemetery ahead of time,  and had made an appointment to meet someone there to show us where all the HARVEYs were buried.  As we arrived, I commented:  "We didn't stop at a bakery to take something to the nice caretaker who met us" -- no problem, she had planned ahead and took a bottle of wine out of the car trunk to give him.  The next stop was the house my grandmother lived in as a young child (she not only highlighted the book but she checked out the address ahead of time -- this was before those handy GPS machines and Google Maps!).  Here one of the mystery photos I had brought with me was identified!

210 East Madison St, Lake Mills Wisconsin.  My grandmother's first childhood home.

We also visited the local library and the town Clerk's office to see the vital records.

The next field trip for the three of us was to explore Jefferson.  She headed to the cemetery where the COPELANDs are buried and then we did a tour of the various houses in town that the large extended COPELAND family had lived in -- including all those aunts that my grandmother talked of so fondly.  We headed to the vital records office and the town library and then we needed to go home because she had invited her whole family to dinner (her children, their spouses and children).  A wonderful large family dinner -- much larger than any dinner in my experience, I never had any cousins or relatives in the same state in my childhood.  Everyone graciously welcomed me.

The next morning, I got up ready to drive to Oconomowoc to try to find the cemetery where my WORTHINGTON family was buried.  Much to my surprise, Marie, her husband and I made the trip.  It was good she was driving. First of all she knew where Oconomowoc was located and knew the back roads to get there.  Finding the cemetery wasn't easy; and sure enough, she had checked out where to find it.

My Genealogical Hostess from Heaven was definitely a blessing.  I might have stumbled on all the information I gathered on my research trip to Wisconsin without Marie Copeland.  But, I probably wouldn't have done it as efficiently or in three days.  I was a real genealogical newbie at that point and didn't know all the questions to ask or to compile before taking the adventure.  Best of all, I found a wonderful friend/distant family member and we have stayed good friends all these years.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Ahnentafel Roulette! Back to Eric HELLSTEN

Randy Seaver challenged us Geneabloggers  with his Saturday Night challenge.  It became a good learning  moment since I usually don't look at Ahnentafel Numbers in relation to my family history since I like a more visual model.

1) So age of my great grandfather (hmmm ... 4 to choose from, but based on my birth name) 2011 - 1836.  My Great Grandfather would be 175 on his next birthday, 3 October, so Edward DAKIN would be 174 now.  Divide it by 4, gives 43.5.

2) Rounded off to 44, I get Eric HELLSTEN.  No my previous posts initially focused on Edward DAKIN,  the postmaster of South Kent CT in 1872.  Then my next group of posts were on Eric Adolf  HELSTEN and his apprentice John CARLSON.  Tombstone Tuesday this week was his father and mother's tombstone:  Eric HELLSTEN and Lovisa Charlotta ROBBERT.  Last Saturday was Surname Saturday and I focused on the HELSTEN/HELLSTEN name.

3)  Eric HELLSTEN, was born 2 March 1786 in Sweden, died 24 March 1839 in Uppsala, Domkyrkoförsamling, Sweden.  On 6 January 1815 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden he married Lovisa Charlotta ROBBERT.  She was born 21 August 1795 in Norrtälja, Stockholm, Sweden and died 25 November 1863 in Uppsala, Sweden at age 53.  He had thirteen children. When he died, his youngest was 4 months old and the oldest was 24.  I don't have a lot of information on Eric that I haven't already written about.

Death of Eric HELLSTEN, 24 March 1839

in Uppsala, Domkyrkofösamling, Sweden.

4) Three facts about Eric Hellsten:

   i.  Like is father, Jonas, Eric was a tanner.  He had a tannery on the Fyrisån River, maybe the same one his father Jonas HELLSTEN had before him.  

   ii. His oldest son Eric Adolf, was 17 when Eric died.  Eric was apprenticed as a tanner in Sweden before he came to the US.  Could he have been his father's apprentice?

   iii.  I have been unable to find a place of birth for him.  In 1858, his wife Lovisa Charlotta wrote to their son Eric A in Connecticut telling him that another son, Calle, has moved to a place called Stenbro and "they don't live very far from Hellsten's birthplace, but there are no more living relatives of his now."

http://www.maplandia.com/sweden/ostergotlands-lan/norrkoping-kommun/stenbro/
Stenbro on the map

Based on this map, I guess the next time I have access to the Swedish birth records, I should search for Eric's birth record in Norrköping and Nyköping.

1870 Census: Surprise Occupation

Archives.com is having a contest in celebration of their inclusion of the complete US census.  The census is  a great way to get to know more than birth/marriage/death information about your ancestors.

Some years they ask unusual questions, such as: how many children you've given birth to, and how many are alive?  Or do you own a radio?  What is the value of the property?  Or, if you look at agricultural schedules, how much of each crop they're growing.

If you search the census, sometimes you find surprising occupations.  For example, here is my ancestor Beers Radford:

If you look carefully is occupation is "Old man of the house."

Surname Saturday: ROBBERT a.k.a. ROBERT: Uppsala > Film > Ununge > Norrtälje > Uppsala, Sweden

Lovisa Charlotta ROBERT HELLSTEN
(1795 - 1863)

This week, for Tombstone Tuesday, I wrote about the tombstone of Eric HELLSTEN (1786 - 1839) and his wife Lovisa Charlotta ROBBERT (1795 - 1863).  Last Saturday for Surname Saturday, I started with the earliest HELLSTEN that I have found, so today I'm going to start with the earliest ROBBERT I have found.

Most often the name is spelled ROBBERT, but on Lovisa Charlotta's tombstone it is spelled ROBERT.

As you will probably notice, for generations these folks lived in communities built about the forges and worked in the various Uppland ironworks.

Generations:

1.  Martin ROBBERT
born about 1635 in Ullfors, Uppsala, Sweden.  He died 15 January 1693 in Österbybruk, Film, Uppsala, Sweden.  He worked as a wheelwright and then the coal sheriff when he was older and probably unable to do heavy labor.  About 1662 he married (Unknown) BOUVIN.

Child:
a. Claes (abt. October 1671 - 26 August 1750)

death Claes ROBBERT 1750

2.  Claes ROBBERT
born about October 1750.  He died 26 August 1750 in Skebobruk, Ununge, Sweden.  He was a blacksmith.  About 1694 he married Catherine BLANCK.  She was born about 1677 in Österbybruk, Film, Sweden.

Children:
a. Maria (before 29 November 1696 - before 13 March 1698)
b. Henrik (14 March 1699 - before 27 July 1702)
c. Mårten (28 March 1705- 21 April 1707)
d. Claes (16 October 1708 - 18 January 1768)
e. Abraham (about 1717 - 31 October 1786)

death Claes ROBBERT 1768

3. Claes ROBBERT
born 16 October 1708 in Skebobruk, Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden. He died 18 January 1768 in Skebobruk, Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden.  On 1 November 1731 In Skäfthammar, Uppsala, Sweden he married Anna BOIVIE who was born 18 September 1708 in Gimo bruk, Skäfthammar, Uppsala, Sweden and died 12 May 1789 inSkebobruk, Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden. He was a blacksmith.

Children:
a. Katrina (17 January 1733 - 1 February 1738)
b. Claes (21 February 1735 - 18 May 1792)
c. Frans (1739 - 23 October 1813)
d. Mårten (19 October 1740 - ?)
e. Maria (10 February 1743 - 27 August 1816)
f. Abraham (8 June 1745 - 27 May 1819)
g. Anton (10 April 1747 - 9 March 1811)
h. Jacob (25 July 1750 -?)
i. Isak (1 February 1755 - ?)

marriage of Abigail ÖSTERMAN and Frans ROBBERT 1761

4. Frans ROBBERT
born in 1739 (or 1730) in Gimo bruk, Skäfthammar, Uppsala, Sweden.  He died 23 October 1813 in Skekobruk, Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden.  On 24 September 1761 in Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden he married Abigail ÖSTERMAN.  Her family sometimes called themselves VESTERMÄN.  He was a farrier.

Children:
a. Claes (20 July 1762 - 1797)
b. Noach (Noak, Frans) (18 October 1764 - 6 April 1820)
c. Anna Maria (3 May 1767 - 1 July 1769)
d. Frans (8 July 1770 - 1779)
e. Abigael (1 March 1773 - 5 March 1843)
f. Johanna (14 July 1775 - 25 November 1776)
g. Adam (1778 - 27 January 1855)

marriage Lovisa HULTMAN and Noach ROBERT, 1792

6. Noach (Noak, Frans) ROBERT
born 18 October 1764 in Ununge, Stockholm, Sweden and died 6 April 1820 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden.  On 29 April 1792 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden he married Lovisa HULTMAN.  Lovisa HULTMAN was born 16 October 1765 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden and died 23 May 1829 in Uppsala, Domkyrkoförsamling, Sweden.  He was a blacksmith.  On his christening records he's called Frans, all the other records call him Noach (Noak).  He had a younger brother named Frans.

children:
a. Frans Gustaf (11 February 1793 - ?)
b. Lovisa Charlotta (21 August 1795 - 25 November 1863)
c. Per Gustaf (20 January 1798 - 1800)
d. Maria Abigael (25 March 1802 - 1879).
e. Noach Emanuel (10 April 1807 - 1810)

Lovisa Charlotta ROBERT birth, 1795

7. Lovisa Charlotta ROBERT
born 21 August 1795 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden and died 25 November 1673 in Uppsala, Sweden.  On 6 January 1815 in Norrtälje, Stockholm, Sweden, she married Eric HELLSTEN.
He was born 2 March 1786 and died 24 March 1839 in Uppsala, Domkyrkoförsamling, Sweden.

Children:

a. Lovisa Charlott (15 October 1815 - 7 November 1890)

b. Ingrid (Mari) Maria (11 February 1817 - 23 Jun 1880)

c. Gustava (Lina) Carolina (4 November 1818 -  21 February 1880)

d. Erica Wilhelmina (2 February 1820 - 27 April 1884)

e. Eric Adolf (27 February 1822 - 4 January 1903)

f. Matilda (Tilda) Bernhardina (22 April 1824 - 23 December 1889)

g. Carl Robert (14 June 1826 - 13 December 1909)

h. Ottiljana Josephina (20 March 1828 - 20 May 1910)

i. Edla Cecilia (25 July 1830 - 13 March 1910)

j. Theodor (Manne) Emanual (1 November 1832 - 9 June 1910)

k. Frans Elof (17 October 1833 - 27 December 1880)

l. Knut Alfred ( 27 January 1836 - 21 November 1891)

m. Oskar Eugén (5 November 1838 - 1 July 1900)

8. Eric Adolf HELSTEN,

born 27 February 1822, Uppsala, Domkyrkoförsamling, Sweden, died in Gaylordsville, Litchfield,  Connecticut on 4 January 1903.  On 12 August 1849 in Patterson, New York he married Mary HEARTY.  She was born in March 1823 in Dorsey, Parish Creggan, County Armagh, Ireland and died 17 September 1902 in Gaylordsville, Litchfield, Connecticut.

Children:

a. Mary Louisa (7 June 1850 - 23 May 1942)

b. William Henry (7 September 1852 - 22 June 1917)

c. Caroline Matilda (13 February 1855 - 9 December 1918)

d. Sarah Jane (20 July 1860 - ?)

9. Caroline Matilda HELSTEN,

born 13 February 1855 in New Milford, Connecticut and died in Danbury, Connecticut on 9 December 1918.  She married  Charles Harold EVANS on 26 May 1881 in New Milford, Connecticut.  He was born 23 May 1853 in Sherman, Connecticut and died 18 February 1928 on the train from Florida to NYC (near Savannah, Georgia).

Children:

a. Harold H (8 January 1883 - 8 May 1884)

b. Clarice Theodora (21 April 1884 - 7 July 1953)

c. Marion Elizabeth (11 February 1886 - 4 July 1974)

d. Howard Eric (7 July  1893 - January 1972)

10. Marion Elizabeth EVANS,

born 11 February 1886 in Sherman, Connecticut and died 4 July 1974 in New Milford, Connecticut.

On 13 September 1913 in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, she married Robert Edward DAKIN.  He was born 2 July 1888 in Gaylordsville, Connecticut and died 15 December 1918 in Danbury, Connecticut.

Children:

a. Robert Edward (25 May 1915 - 26 Ma 1915)

b. Theodore Robert (11 November 1916 - 1972)

c. Edward Evans (28 January 1918 - 10 December 1918)

11. Theodore Robert DAKIN,

born 11 November 1916 in New Haven, Connecticut and died 20 November 1972 in Berwyn, Illinois.  On 8 January 1943 he married Alice Josephine RICHARDSON in Albany New York.  She was born 26 January 1917 in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois and died 16 January 2001 in in Oak Park, Cook, Illinois.

1928 advertising for car repair.

Here is an ad for maintaining your car sent out in 1928.  Enjoy.

Joe Martos shared this with  his e-mail friends.

Tombstone Tuesday: Eric HELLSTEN, Lovisa C ROBERT

Since I had chosen the HELSTEN/HELLSTEN name for Surname Saturday, I thought it would be appropriate to include the only tombstone picture I have from Sweden.

This is the 1984 photo I took in my trip to Sweden.  It is in Uppsala and it is for Eric HELLSTEN (1786 - 1839) and his wife Lovisa Charlotta ROBBERT/ROBERT (1795 - 1863).  Most often I see Lovisa's last name spelled with 2 b's, here it is just one.  There are 13 gold stars on the top front edge of the stone, these stand for their 13 children.

These are the parents of Eric Adolf HELSTEN who came to the US and was the person who employed John CARLSON who I've written about in recent posts.    When I traveled to Uppsala, I stayed with Alice HELLSTEN, the granddaughter of Theodor (Manne) Emanual HELLSTEN.  She died in 1990.

If any other descendants of Eric and Lovisa read this, I would love to hear from you.  I do not have contact with any other HELLSTEN descendants.  I would love to share family information.