tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46442565891026803932024-03-14T01:15:22.481-05:00My Other BlogFamily History and Genealogy . . . Where I came from and how I got here.Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-3107156229446452372022-10-14T19:38:00.006-05:002022-10-27T18:24:16.952-05:001950 Census - Another Milestone<p>Back in 2012, I was really excited about the release of the 1940 US Census - I called it once in a lifetime and it was. But low and behold, these past 10 years have gone by fast and another 'once' is happening. The 1950 census data has been released.</p><p>72 years ago, census takers where going around the country gathering information about the population. My my mom was 12 years old and growing up in small town Wisconsin. As a matter of fact, her home town (and mine) had a population that was about 4.5 times smaller than it is today. 1950 ushered on an era of prosperity and growth for much of the country. World War II was in the rear view mirror and the future looked bright. In my own family search, many of the boys and girls from the 1940 census are adults and starting families of their own by 1950 and there are new names in the lists - new children who were not yet born in 1940. There are also those that have disappeared from the record, yes, some have died in the intervening years. The census brings home the the full circle of life in cold hard facts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PdLzdb2vAECdpPu--hPqevLRyinZ32vE9EjWai8OvpTTfpJ3hDa3L2iRkIEVfQMW_5_3rxJaMJDEmPs-i6rRK8wM4nEeK7Ipgy_K0ozVfwzfD8UN9pYkqGgHeQZxiw1qB3ZBPGv4YTl-KMYP0GOQgiBxsyr-Oa5BFkjk7feDb7lB0WOXTulb5zM_Yw/s959/1950%20Census.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="714" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PdLzdb2vAECdpPu--hPqevLRyinZ32vE9EjWai8OvpTTfpJ3hDa3L2iRkIEVfQMW_5_3rxJaMJDEmPs-i6rRK8wM4nEeK7Ipgy_K0ozVfwzfD8UN9pYkqGgHeQZxiw1qB3ZBPGv4YTl-KMYP0GOQgiBxsyr-Oa5BFkjk7feDb7lB0WOXTulb5zM_Yw/w298-h400/1950%20Census.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Thanks to modern technology, i.e. the Internet, amateur genealogists like myself can amass large amounts of information in a rather short amount of time and with relative ease. The census records have become the bedrock of my research and I find it to be the best place to start when searching for information. I first got eyes on real census data back in 2000 when the 1900 census came on line and ever since, I have been constantly surprised an delighted at what one could find about one's family history from these 10 year snap shots of America. </p><p>So now the work of searching has begun. Using the 1940 records in my collection, I have started the process of looking up those same folks and sometimes their children in the 1950 census. I am searching at Ancestry.com and am very appreciative that they have decided to make both the 1940 and 1950 census records available for free. They make it easy but there is still some serious time to be spent looking for all of those folks.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSHMaI-igxhMPaWID0fSTiahpa98mmWooHD-B7ad3Bl8Fe895soGJz7wiosxO5ijAwvL04g6YV9toVrtr46v7ogSIgI9RilW7iEqLER0nKl_hUD0VeMNXsXL_ZUPzvhs5LbK1hrRMd87UW6II8AuP0OX6FaqNvjCrObI6fYyIowNe0RtACqKvzk_Wjg/s1116/1950%20Census%20Tabulators.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1116" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSHMaI-igxhMPaWID0fSTiahpa98mmWooHD-B7ad3Bl8Fe895soGJz7wiosxO5ijAwvL04g6YV9toVrtr46v7ogSIgI9RilW7iEqLER0nKl_hUD0VeMNXsXL_ZUPzvhs5LbK1hrRMd87UW6II8AuP0OX6FaqNvjCrObI6fYyIowNe0RtACqKvzk_Wjg/w400-h324/1950%20Census%20Tabulators.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950 United States Census enumerators using<br />pre-computer machines to tabulate the data. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />My thoughts about this great event, the release of the 1950 census, are not much different then what I was thinking 10 years ago about the 1940 release. If your interested, you can read about it <a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/1940-census-once-in-lifetime.html" target="_blank">here</a>. In the mean time, I'm off, wish me luck.<div><br /></div><div>Additional Reading:</div><div><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/six-years-of-blogging-about-genealogy.html" target="_blank">Six Years of Blogging about Genealogy</a></div><div><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/two-years-of-blogging-about-genealogy.html" target="_blank">Two Years of Blogging about Genealogy</a></div><div><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/genealogy-mother-load.html" target="_blank">The Genealogy Mother Load</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-1127469596629431882022-08-13T21:21:00.003-05:002022-10-16T12:31:51.293-05:00The Buell Family - Colonial Americans<p>Martha Buell was the wife of Nathaniel Holcombe II. She was born in Simsbury, Connecticut in 1675. Martha was the third of nine children of Sergeant Peter Buell (b.1644, d.1728) and his first wife, Martha Cogan (Coggins / Cozzins) (b.1648, d.1686) both of Windsor, Connecticut.</p><p>Martha and Nathaniel Holcombe were married in 1695. She was raised on the frontier at Hop Meadow and would raise her family in the remote outpost at Salmon Brook. By the early 1700s the area was becoming more settled and less of a frontier but there were still dangers lurking about. </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span style="font-size: xx-large;">Peter Buell</span></p><span style="font-size: small;">Sargent Peter Buell and family were one of the first settlers of Simsbury arriving before 1670 after being awarded one of the first land grants at a place called Hop Meadow. He was part of a committee of three from Simsbury that granted privileges to the Indians to hunt venison and he served as an elected representative from the town to the General Assembly in 1687. Peter was married three times and had children with two of his wives. His first wife was Martha Cogan; they were married in 1670 and had nine children. After Martha died, he married Mary Strong (d.1688) in 1687 and then Mary Gillett (b.1667, d.1734) in 1698. He and Mary Gillett had four children. </span><div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div>Martha Cogan was born in New Plymouth and was the Daughter of Thomas Cogan (b.1610?, d.1653) from Somersetshire, England and Joan Borridge (?) (b.1610?). Martha and Peter are buried at Simsbury Cemetery (know historically as Hop Meadow Cemetery). The children of Peter Buell and Martha Cogan were:</div><div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Peter (b.1671).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Abigail (b.1673, d.1727), married Thomas Barber (b.1671, d.1714) in 1699. They had three known children: Thomas, Sarah and Abigail.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Martha (b.1675, d.1760), married Thomas Holcombe in 1695 and lived in Salmon Brook which was then a part of Simsbury. They had 13 known children.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Mary (b.1677, d.1720), married Jonathan Holcombe (Nathaniel's brother) in 1695. They had eight knows children: a son (name unknown), Jonathan, Elizabeth, Azariah, Persis, Damaris, Jacob and Mary.</span></li><li>Sarah (b.1679/80, d.1734), married William Goring in 1700 and after his death, she married Elias Slater around 1715. She is known to have a daughter with Elias.</li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Peter (b.1681, d.1703).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Ephraim (b.1682/83, d.1718/19), married Mary Holcombe in 1713. He was noted to have gone into the wilderness to hunt for horses and froze to death along with his stepson, John Barber. Ephraim and Mary had two children: Mindwell and Ephraim.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Hannah (b.1684).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Samuel (b.1686).</span></li></ul><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o3njgD_SC3fHvyXIItfxrmgywhWHKfv51_G2Og6bCaj2_AZExw8Mwg__uQTxq3CRC-vXUIMAmNtMqd6LBICRlLaCp_7BfG-CalilnjRKs-Y55jPlMJefQ0xokwTw1heMKbeRN_uFSCTAZeL8cCCyjVzR_yU9UkWCFsdwEQNsDvNHYJiaQthsdPwY_Q/s800/Buell%20-%20Peter-%20Gravesite%20-%20Hop%20Meadow%20Simsbury%20-%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o3njgD_SC3fHvyXIItfxrmgywhWHKfv51_G2Og6bCaj2_AZExw8Mwg__uQTxq3CRC-vXUIMAmNtMqd6LBICRlLaCp_7BfG-CalilnjRKs-Y55jPlMJefQ0xokwTw1heMKbeRN_uFSCTAZeL8cCCyjVzR_yU9UkWCFsdwEQNsDvNHYJiaQthsdPwY_Q/w400-h300/Buell%20-%20Peter-%20Gravesite%20-%20Hop%20Meadow%20Simsbury%20-%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravestone of Peter Buell at Simsbury Cemetery. Text on his<br />stone is deteriorated but still visible; no stone for Martha has survived.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">William Buell</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Peter Buell was the son of William Buell (b.1605?, d.1681), possibly from Huntingdonshire, England and Mary (Post or Thomas?) (b.1607?, d.1684). It has also been claimed but not proven, that William was the son of Sir Robert Bevill(e) of Devon. Based on newer research, it seems highly unlikely that William was the son of Robert. Another source noted that he was “<i>a Welshman, joiner by trade, an early and respectable settler of Windsor.</i>” William first settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts, having arrived in the new world sometime around 1630. He migrated with the group from Dorchester to the Connecticut River valley and was included in the first land division of Windsor. His will was written, inventory taken, and probated in summer and fall of 1681. After the death of his wife, his lands were divided between his son Samuel and Peter.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzc_vqYcYx204p7nX66tTl_zOQbXknudih-3I2xlqFqpK3LerB3IWnbIbFPLhpj-JWBvhBd49rllnikUHLh9uJQrN27j46irF5h-p5Q4wW5Y3kop_rqrkhLsNcEH1lWKx13Jmvrl4DBUfebo5MueYRWB-FRuBV2K9DXZmafigTOttYfXxb0layU4tew/s713/Connecticut%20-%20Hartford%20County%20-%20Ancient%20Windsor%20-%20Buell%20-%201636.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="713" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzc_vqYcYx204p7nX66tTl_zOQbXknudih-3I2xlqFqpK3LerB3IWnbIbFPLhpj-JWBvhBd49rllnikUHLh9uJQrN27j46irF5h-p5Q4wW5Y3kop_rqrkhLsNcEH1lWKx13Jmvrl4DBUfebo5MueYRWB-FRuBV2K9DXZmafigTOttYfXxb0layU4tew/w400-h236/Connecticut%20-%20Hartford%20County%20-%20Ancient%20Windsor%20-%20Buell%20-%201636.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Home of Peter Buell was in the center of Windsor, just<br />west of the Palisades and across the Farmington River.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>From Probate Records, an abstract of William's Will</u>: Bewell, William, Windsor. Died 16 November 1681. Invt. Pounds 147-12-10. Taken 30 November 1681, by John Loomys sen., John Moore. Will dated 26 July, 1681. I William Buell do give to my son Samuel the house and half the Home lot, with all the Land, purchased of William Thrall; & to my son Peter half the Home lot on the North side & all the Meadow & the Wood Land that was my own by gift of the Town. My Tools to be equally divided betwixt Samuel & Peter. My son Samuel is to pay out 11 pounds and Peter 6 pounds & this, with the rest of my goods, to be equally divided between my daughters, only my daughter Mary to have pounds 5 more than either of the others. These two parcels of land, one by the gravel hill, the other by the Mill Brooke, which I leave to my wife's disposing if she out lives me, & she is to enjoy all this as long as she lives. Witness: Nathaniel Gillett, Timothy Phelps, Job Drake, son of John Drake, James Hillier.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>The children of William Buell and Mary where:</div><div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Samuel (b.1641, d.1720), married Deborah Griswold in 1662. They had 12 children: Samuel, Deborah, Hannah, Mary, John, Hannah, William, David, Josiah, Mehitable, Peter, and Benjamin.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Mary (b.1642, d.1718), married Simon Mills in 1659/60. They had 11 children: Samuel, Simon, Mary, Hannah, Simon, John, Sarah, Abigail, Elizabeth, Prudence, and Simon.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Peter (b.1644, d.1728/29), married Martha Cogan, Mary Strong, and Mary Gillett and he had 13 children (see above). His four children with Mary Gillett were: Miriam, William, Jonathan, and Hester.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;">Hannah (?) (b. 1646/47, d.1703/04), married Timothy Palmer in 1663</span></li><li>Hepzibah (b.1649, d.1703/044); married Thomas Wells in 1672/73. They are thought to have had eight children. In 1693, Hepzibah and three of her daughter were 'tomahawked' by Indians and the family was broken up. She was later taken prisoner when the town of Deerfield was sacked during Queen Ann's War in 1704 and died on the march to Canada.</li><li>Sarah (b.1653/54, d.1684), her death may gave been later, in 1734 (?).</li><li>Abigail (b.1655.56, d.1684), her death may have been earlier, in 1681 (?).</li></ul></div><div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Thomas Cogan</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Martha Cogan's father, Thomas, was the son of Philobert Cogan (b.1563?) of Somersetshire and Anne Marshall (b.1576?) of Hampshire. It should be noted that it is unclear if Thomas was the son of Philobert - that is in dispute. Thomas was mentioned as owning land in Taunton in 1638 and as '<i>able to bear arms</i>' at Touton in 1644. After his death, his wife Joan married Obadiah Miller and she outlived Thomas by 40 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some sources have traced the Cogan family back another dozen generations, possibly to a Miles or Milo de Cogan (b.1135?, d.1182?) from Cogan, Glamogan, Wales. Miles was noted to be of Norman nobility and played a key role in the Norman Invasion of Ireland that began in about 1169. He was granted large tracks of land in Ireland after the conquest. Many with the name Cogan claim Irish ancestry but probably descended from Milo. Anne Marshall was the daughter of Thomas Marshall (II) (b.1545, d.1617) and Mary Cotton (b.1553) both from Hampshire, England. Thomas Marshall (II) was the son of Thomas Marshall (I) (b.1513) and Ellen (?) (b.1517) from Hampshire. Thomas Marshall (I) was the son of Nicholas Marshall (b.1500?) and Ann Doane (b.1550?) both from Lincolnshire, England. Mary Cotton was the daughter of Henry Cotton (b.1521) and Margaret (?) both from London. Ann Doane was the daughter of Thomas Doane (b.1472) from Lincolnshire.</div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additional Information:<br />For the five-part story of the Holcombe family, go </span><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">here . . .</span></a></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />Research Notes: There is a wealth of information about the Buell family that can be found on the internet, including: the website geni.com; the website ancestry.com, the website familysearch.org, the website wikitree.com, the website find-a-grave.com and many other family websites. There are also print books on the family available.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>This post is one of a series about the allied Colonial Families that branch off from my Holcombe line. From time-to-time, additions to the series are made. For an overview of all of the families covered and links to each story, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here . . .<br /></a></em></span></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-21695167788568308992021-12-27T17:28:00.004-06:002022-03-29T16:09:14.758-05:00Salmon Brook (Granby), ConnecticutSalmon Brook, which started out as no more than a small cluster of houses and a remote outposts of Simsbury, would later became part of the newly formed Town of Granby. It was the home of Nathaniel Holcombe I, II and III and is an important place in the history of this family line. Every Holcombe in Granby was a descendant of the first Nathaniel and hundreds of them raised families and lived out their lives there. Six generations from this writer's direct line lived there, for over 120 years, starting with Nathaniel and ending with Apollas.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tbMJPzW0sCk/WFROKCOKHeI/AAAAAAAAOQ0/RNaAzvlL8V8eSSIrIq7sQYYHnBFDB9W3gCLcB/s1600/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2B1892%2B-%2BGranby%2BCenter%2BUSGA%2B-%2BPartial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="341" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tbMJPzW0sCk/WFROKCOKHeI/AAAAAAAAOQ0/RNaAzvlL8V8eSSIrIq7sQYYHnBFDB9W3gCLcB/s400/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2B1892%2B-%2BGranby%2BCenter%2BUSGA%2B-%2BPartial.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granby Center (Salmon Brook); from the United States Geological Survey, 1892</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Remote Outpost</span><br />
<br />
Dorchester, Massachusetts, as the arrival point of Thomas Holcombe and Windsor, Connecticut, where he settled, are important places in the family history, for obvious reasons, but Salmon Brook / Granby could truly be called the ancestral home to this Holcombe line. Located in Hartford County in far north-central Connecticut, the original settlement of Salmon Brook was named for a stream formed by two forks that merge and empty into the Farmington River. The first settlers made their homes between the forks. At the time, there were just a handful of families and they fell under the jurisdiction of the Town of Simsbury but were far removed from Hopmeadow, the main Simsbury settlement. Because of this isolation, the settlers were fiercely independent and self-reliant.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the <u>Salmon Brook Historical Society</u>: . . .The image of a New England town as a rural, peaceful oasis is a myth. Granby, Connecticut has the traditional Green and the classic white Congregational Church, along with a history of conflict and change. The town was settled by a rugged and adventurous group of rebels, dissenters, and outlanders.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From <u>The Brittle Thread of Life</u>: . . . Salmon Brook’s roots lay in the early settlement patterns of the Connecticut River valley, in the various motives behind the colony’s expansion, and in the social and economic tensions that emerged in the course of the seventeenth century. These forces provided considerable momentum behind the creation of this frontier village. Yet, in contrast to the founding of communities in eastern Massachusetts and coastal Connecticut in the days of the Puritan Migration of the 1630’s, it would take decades to establish a permanent and secure settlement at Salmon Brook . . . Promoters of the expansion of the English domain had to cast a broad net and reach deeply into their increasingly stratified society to find willing settlers. The result was not what they might have hoped.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_7KGnXD3o/Ufm-dMGmXlI/AAAAAAAABgQ/g5xvh6EjlnwPm3FouzT1qik0M3-rDlpjwCPcB/s1600/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BSimsbury%2B-%2B1736%2B-%2BAlternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_7KGnXD3o/Ufm-dMGmXlI/AAAAAAAABgQ/g5xvh6EjlnwPm3FouzT1qik0M3-rDlpjwCPcB/s400/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BSimsbury%2B-%2B1736%2B-%2BAlternate.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Settlements in Simsbury, the "Northwest Society" would eventually<br />
split-off to form Granby (from The Brittle Thread of Life).<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Colonial expansion west from the Connecticut River valley was inevitable and planning had already begun by the 1660’s. A small settlement was formed at Simsbury but abandoned during King Phillips War. After the war, the settlers returned to find homes and farms burned to the ground. While a scarcity of land was one reason for expansion, local Indian tensions as well as more global concerns also played a role in the movement west. The authorities at Windsor and Hartford planned a series of small clusters of homes along the frontier, thus creating a line of defense against the known and unknown dangers that lurked in the wilderness beyond. Those who ventured out into this frontier to live where taking a real risk as the threat from both the French and Spanish and their Indian allies was real. They were living at the edge of English civilization and along a volatile imperial border.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WWwqOHO4Js/UgEhkUDRzQI/AAAAAAAABhM/HVlCU-FjpE0iiJZX_nZn_--G7WXh8FOJACPcB/s1600/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BSalmon%2BBrook%2B-%2B1688%2B-%2BAlternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WWwqOHO4Js/UgEhkUDRzQI/AAAAAAAABhM/HVlCU-FjpE0iiJZX_nZn_--G7WXh8FOJACPcB/s320/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BSalmon%2BBrook%2B-%2B1688%2B-%2BAlternate.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first plats at Salmon Brook, just north of the west (or wouth) branch of the brook.<br />
Nathaniel Holcombe's homestead is at plat number one (from the Brittle Thread of Live).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Like many settlements in New England, Salmon Brook, despite some diversity, was predominately a tight-knit “covenanted” Puritan society with the Congregational Church as the focal point of cultural and political life. As it grew and continued to became more diverse, the closed puritan society would begin to collapse. The church’s role would forever change with the formation of the United States. A state constitution of 1818 officially disestablished the Congregational Church as the official religion. <br />
<br />
The nineteenth century saw many economic hardships in northern Connecticut. Granby fell victim to the rise and fall of the milling industry in much the same way as Massachusetts and slid into, what has been described as, a sleepy eight decade depression. This economic stagnation, along with the opening of the frontier would lead many to leave for new opportunities west. This left Granby rural, under-developed and with a population that remained relatively flat. Which is one of the reasons this area still retains much of its historic New England flavor.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Granby</span><br />
<br />
Granby was spit-off from Simsbury 1786 and this was treated as a form of independence by the locals. In the 1790 census, there were 489 families and a population of 2,595. In 2011, Granby celebrated its 225 birthday. Historic Salmon Brook is in the south-center of the town (called Granby Center). Covering over 40 square miles with a current population of over 11,000, Granby has always had a rural character and much of it is still that way today. More recently, however, suburban development has crept into the town. The physical topography consists of rolling hills, plains and woodlands, with some larger hills and small “mountains” that rise to over 1000 feet. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm2MkrIrb3I/WFReg9uY60I/AAAAAAAAORE/A245-9S9E40aQq1nZWQjXL3JPlTdWsz3QCLcB/s1600/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BSalmon%2BBrook%2BHistoric%2BBuildings%2B-%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm2MkrIrb3I/WFReg9uY60I/AAAAAAAAORE/A245-9S9E40aQq1nZWQjXL3JPlTdWsz3QCLcB/s400/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BSalmon%2BBrook%2BHistoric%2BBuildings%2B-%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buildings at the Salmon Brook Historical Society.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The 1790 census listed over 50 Holcombe households in Granby and an 1855 map shows well over 40 Holcombe homes and farms scattered throughout the town. The Salmon Brook Historical Society has extensive documentation on the family and at least three eighteenth century Holcombe houses have survived. In addition, there are many landmarks, both natural and man-made, named after the family.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lj-UByfliG8/WJUD2Zs8OoI/AAAAAAAAOUA/-wO4ORVkPfs34VoORTKvXF2yWTebzlEvwCLcB/s1600/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BHouse%2B-%2BWinter%2B-%2Balt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lj-UByfliG8/WJUD2Zs8OoI/AAAAAAAAOUA/-wO4ORVkPfs34VoORTKvXF2yWTebzlEvwCLcB/s400/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BHouse%2B-%2BWinter%2B-%2Balt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nathaniel Holcombe III house at Bushy Hills in Granby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>Granby still fashions itself as a rural community on the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains and it is far enough away from Hartford to maintain its small town feel. Dense forests, rolling farmland and raging waters are abundant. It also has a robust historical society and take great pride in showcasing its colonial roots.</div><div><br /></div><div>
Additional Information:<br />
For the five-part story of the Holcombe family, <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">go here . . .</a> <br />
For the colonial family series, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></div>
<br />
Research Notes: There is an abundance of information available on the web about Salmon Brook and Granby. For this report, information was gleaned primarily from the Salmon Brook Historical Society, the Book: <em><u>The Brittle Thread of Life</u></em> and the Holcombe Family website.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post is one of a series about the places my ancestors lived. From time-to-time, additions to the series are made. For an overview of all of all of the towns and places covered and links to each story, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-towns-of-my-ancestors.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></span> <span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-29875699506833952062017-03-02T16:23:00.006-06:002023-12-04T19:11:45.259-06:00In Search of David HollisterOne of the joys of family research is discovering lines of ancestors that you had never heard of. In my search there have been a few of these, mostly from my paternal grandmother’s family. I did not have much information on her and so there was a lot waiting to be found. One of these families, the Hollisters, started out in colonial Connecticut and ended up, via New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, in far western Iowa.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRvvjMyuKDg/WKT2EpxMN_I/AAAAAAAAOYU/Grhd4kEcyYoA-cxq5-1BnuIs_PXe6SuWQCLcB/s1600/New%2BYork%2B-%2BStuben%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BDansville%2B-%2B1873.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRvvjMyuKDg/WKT2EpxMN_I/AAAAAAAAOYU/Grhd4kEcyYoA-cxq5-1BnuIs_PXe6SuWQCLcB/s400/New%2BYork%2B-%2BStuben%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BDansville%2B-%2B1873.JPG" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Town of Dansville, Stuben County, New York;<br />
where David Hollister spent his youth?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I did not know anything about this family but have found that they are a fairly well documented group. This might be due to the fact that they were active in society and seemed to leave a mark (or at least a trace) as they proceeded across America. In each of my family lines there are plenty of interesting people but every once and a while, someone stands out. David Hollister is one of those individuals. He is not famous, instead, he is rather ordinary, except for the fact that he had a large family, set down roots in a number of places but also seemed to be constantly on the move and his life spanned the entire 19th century. <br />
<br />
You might say that I have been enamored by David Hollister from the first time I discovered him. Born to a colonial family, he ventured west and lived, for a time, very close to where I was born and raised but he ended up much farther west as he grew to old age. Pealing back his history has been a lot of fun but there was just one problem with the whole thing. Noone seemed to know exactly where he came from and who his parents were. I wanted to connect him back to a man named Lieutenant John Hollister, the first Hollister in America, but at every turn, there was a dead-end.<br />
<br />
This post is not about the adventures of David Hollister, instead, it is about my adventure tracking him down. The process of finding an ancestor, the research and all of the trials and tribulations is what I am writing about. In the case of David, the process was messy, confusing and required a bit of luck to succeed. We might all hope that discovering one’s genealogy would be an organized and systematic process leading you back in time to uncover all of your family history. I have found it is much more difficult, something more akin to a scavenger hunt. Often there are pieces of information and clues but the final arrangement of the puzzle is a mystery. You come across individuals who look like they might belong to you. There is just enough information to make a case but they are hiding something. Further investigation reveals the obvious truth, they are not a match. To make matters worse, the emotion of the whole thing can get in the way of discovery and sometimes contributes to these sloppy results and erroneous assumptions. Even the professionals make these mistakes. Late 19th and early 20th century genealogies on some of the most prominent families in America have information and claims that have later been proven false.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNRWm9i8_30/WKT9-S39gaI/AAAAAAAAOZI/4k_fHZCICtM16dC3Bn0mb4wdkgL9nfpVgCLcB/s1600/CensusPage-HollisterDavid-1850%2B-%2BPartial%2BPage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GNRWm9i8_30/WKT9-S39gaI/AAAAAAAAOZI/4k_fHZCICtM16dC3Bn0mb4wdkgL9nfpVgCLcB/s400/CensusPage-HollisterDavid-1850%2B-%2BPartial%2BPage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An excerpt from the 1850 United States Census. David Hollister and family<br />
have arrived in Wisconsin; settling in the Town of Ridgeway, Iowa County.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">In the Beginning</span><br />
<br />
I have always been interested in family history but as a child, I only had oral information, shared by my parents or others and covering just a few generations. I started collecting some data in the late 1980s (pre-internet) but it was a very modest undertaking, consisting mostly of photographs and it stayed modest for a number of years. Around 2000 the effort picked up a bit but was still not a serious endeavor. It wasn’t until 2007, when I found a colonial connection, that I hit the ground running and really started gathering information. In 2010, this blog came online and that opened up another avenue to receive and share information.<br />
<br />
It was around that time, 2007-2008, that I discovered the Hollister family and David. My sister had pulled the birth certificate for my Grandmother, Grace Holcomb. That led to her mother and grandfather’s names: Stella Hollister and Thomas Jefferson Hollister and eventually to Thomas's father, David Hollister. Within about a year I was on AncestryDotCom, looking at census records. There are many resources on the web but at that time, Ancestry was (and I believe still is) one of the best. Still, searching those records was not always easy as the transcription software they were using made a lot of spelling mistakes and so searches would often come up empty. I have noticed that the quality of handwriting of the census takers in the 19th and early 20th century varies a great deal. Couple that with the fact that the records are degraded by the microfilm process and that leads to information that can be hard to read. So names can easily get garbled in the translation.<br />
<br />
In looking for David, one of the early hurdles was to find a place called Adamsville, Wisconsin – not townships named Adams or incorporated places named Adams or Adams County but Adamsville. Turns out, it was just down the road from my hometown but I didn't have a clue. Located at the border of the Town of Brigham (originally the town of Ridgeway before Brigham was formed) and the Town of Moscow. Adamsville does not exist in the present day. At its peak, the settlement boasted a mill, store, cheese factory, church, school, post office and cluster of homes and farms but that is all gone now. A small breakthrough occurred when I found a short entry for Adamsville (identified as a place-name) online at the State of Wisconsin Historical Society and that led me to old township maps and finally I found it. Knowing the township and county it was in helped me narrow down the census files. Once found, I had names, dates of birth and locations of birth of some of David’s children and then I could dig up earlier and later census records. In the case of David, I found records from 1850 to 1880, all in Iowa County, Wisconsin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWzeUzkE_1c/WKT3RnKt20I/AAAAAAAAOYg/fzVIP8g2secJr4ly2qKLUgHcaNto0bNvQCLcB/s1600/Wisconsin%2B-%2BIowa%2BCounty%2B-%2BAdamsville%2B-%2B1877.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWzeUzkE_1c/WKT3RnKt20I/AAAAAAAAOYg/fzVIP8g2secJr4ly2qKLUgHcaNto0bNvQCLcB/s400/Wisconsin%2B-%2BIowa%2BCounty%2B-%2BAdamsville%2B-%2B1877.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adamsville at the border of the Town of Ridgeway and the<br />
Town of Moscow in Iowa County, Wisconsin, 1877.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CK2_SaE25BI/YT_HC-5dLII/AAAAAAAAQWY/BxQvtm815iQ9q7LpkzKIn8aToDXQCp-_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s542/1870%2BTown%2Bof%2BRidgeway-Moscow%2BDeatail%2B-%2BIowa%2BCounty%2BWisconsinx.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="542" height="373" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CK2_SaE25BI/YT_HC-5dLII/AAAAAAAAQWY/BxQvtm815iQ9q7LpkzKIn8aToDXQCp-_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h373/1870%2BTown%2Bof%2BRidgeway-Moscow%2BDeatail%2B-%2BIowa%2BCounty%2BWisconsinx.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Hollister's homestead on Section 9 in the Town of Ridgeway (now the<br />Town of Brigham) shows up on the 1870 Atlas; he is directly north of Town of<br />Moscow and the settlement at Adamsville.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">A Database of Information Grows</span><br />
<br />
At the same time, general searches for David pulled up some additional information. For example, I found out that he had been one of the original investors in the mill at Adamsville and that he was married twice, his first wife being the widow of his brother Abraham. Abraham was a piece of the puzzle that would help later. I also found that Abraham and his wife Celinda (Giddings) were living in western New York and then David and Celinda were living in northern Pennsylvania. Later I found a published book on the Colonial Giddings family that confirmed this information. More importantly, I discovered that others were looking for information on David as well. Queries that had been floating around on the web from the late 1990s and early 2000s (they never seem to go away) were seeking David. The great thing about these queries was that they might also provide me with some new information. This is one of the ways I found out that David had moved on the Iowa in the late 1880s and that solved the mystery of his (and most of his kids) disappearance from Wisconsin census records. Using this info, I could once again grab census records right up to his death. Of course, while I was doing all of this, I was also collecting records of the children (whenever possible). Many of them had gone to Iowa as well, including David's son (Thomas). I found another good source of information to be the personal (but public) geologies on AncestryDotCom. I do not take these as gospel because it is not always clear if the info is accurate but they are a good starting point and in this case, they did confirm some of the information I already had.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I would find some marriage, death, military and land records of the family. David’s final home, Mapleton, Iowa is a small place so it would be easy to assume that he would be mentioned in local history and he was, but mostly just short mentions and not much detail. An Iowa database of cemetery records came on-line and coupled with Find-A-Grave led me to many cemeteries including the one that David was buried at. As time went on, I would happen across some more information (and I mean it was usually new information that came to the web). In the early days of the web, we were all scrambling around trying to find the same information but ancestry on the internet was new phenomenon and information was still sparse. This lack of information is what led to all of those early queries. That would change and continues to change as new data is added every day. It is important to continue to search because there is always new information coming on-line. This is a tedious process because you will tend to come across the same information found years before but there will be new discovers as well. For example, in 2012, I found a history of a nearby town in Wisconsin that had recently been scanned into a local website. That history had detailed information on Adamsville and helped me understand its place in the world in the middle of the 19th century.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cFKQml19rw/WKT6Ji_GwSI/AAAAAAAAOYw/y0FMn_-O7UE7mWzOHNE5-eN7V2OYhXDVwCLcB/s1600/Iowa%2B-%2BMonona%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BMaple%2B-1919.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cFKQml19rw/WKT6Ji_GwSI/AAAAAAAAOYw/y0FMn_-O7UE7mWzOHNE5-eN7V2OYhXDVwCLcB/s400/Iowa%2B-%2BMonona%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BMaple%2B-1919.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town of Maple, Monona County, Iowa. The<br />
Village of Mapleton is in the center of the map.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I stated earlier, the search can be difficult at the start but each new piece of information will give you clues and help the process along. Eventually, I found David's obituary (also in 2012) and a series of records on he and his children. But one thing continued to elude me and it was eluding a lot of people include those who were making queries in the 1990s. Where was David actually born and who where his parents? What we all did know was that he was born in New York in about 1802, probably western New York. The stated location of his birth in Livingston or Genesse or other places in New York did not help the search, if fact, they just made in more frustrating. The vary nature of the development of New York State was part of the problem. As the state's population grew, new counties were carved out of existing ones and so places where easily confused. To add to that there is more than one Livingston and Genessee in New York (just as there was more than one Adams in Wisconsin).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Help is on the Way</span><br />
<br />
I was pleasantly surprised when I started receiving inquires on my website. These came in the form of comments or more directly via one of my "contact" buttons, which allows someone to send me an e-mail. I started the blog as a platform to write about my genealogy and family history. The point was to get away from paper and be able to share easily with anyone but specifically my family. Little did I realize that folks would come from far and wide to my site. Like me, they were searching the web for their ancestors and some of those searches led to me. Not only could I share with them but also receive. Information, stories and most importantly, photographs of distant (and not so distant) ancestors began arriving in my e-mail. This was an amazing development, it changed the course of my quest and substantially increased my knowledge of the family. Yet, despite all of this: more and more info on the web, personal contact from others and my growing base of knowledge on this subject, David still eluded me. Who was he?<br />
<br />
The key lay somewhere in the vast stretches of rural western New York, which had been opened to settlement after the Revolution. Many of the next generation of the descendants of Colonial America headed into the New York wilderness looking for land as all the "good land" in New England was running out. It could be hard to track these people; early genealogies tended to loose them and census records from the first half of the 19th Century provide no detail on the families or where they came from. As an example, spouse and children's names, birth dates and birth places were not listed in census records before 1850. Though I was finding a lot of information, it was now 2012, almost five years after I first discovered David and I didn't seem much closer to finding his parents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UFfbcVW2c_U/WKTw1SuTJPI/AAAAAAAAOYE/_X3IWtcK050MWTlUs0Zp8LwXB0-7hkZ1ACLcB/s1600/Hollister%2BTravels%2BMap.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UFfbcVW2c_U/WKTw1SuTJPI/AAAAAAAAOYE/_X3IWtcK050MWTlUs0Zp8LwXB0-7hkZ1ACLcB/s400/Hollister%2BTravels%2BMap.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hollister's travels across America (1640 - 1890)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">The Breakthrough</span><br />
<br />
The blog was the key to the breakthrough but it came from a most unlikely source. I started to find people who claimed to know who David’s parents were (a Hollister family that settled Milwaukee, for example) but these claims could be proven wrong, and so I kept looking. Eventually, I found a couple of genealogies on AncestryDotCom that listed a John and Elizabeth Hollister from Steuben County, New York as David’s parents, however there was no source information or backup. I even contacted the owner of one of the genealogies to ask about the information. That person could not tell me where they got the info and had no sources. This led me to speculate that the other genealogies listing John and Elizabeth were all borrowing the same information and none of them had any real proof. This is a very common phenomenon, you find the same information at a number of sites and assume that it must be valid as it is in so many locations but that is no guarantee . . . sometimes that same bad information is copied over and over. Still, this was the best lead I had found and could not be easily disproven like some of the other claims.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ynD4T9v_4M/WKUCyVKyD0I/AAAAAAAAOZY/oFeTRXlz2ckWRiKJwYPwk9ByqoIy3dtrwCLcB/s1600/Hollister%2B-%2BJohn%2B-%2BFamily%2BBible%2B-%2BNames.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_ynD4T9v_4M/WKUCyVKyD0I/AAAAAAAAOZY/oFeTRXlz2ckWRiKJwYPwk9ByqoIy3dtrwCLcB/s400/Hollister%2B-%2BJohn%2B-%2BFamily%2BBible%2B-%2BNames.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Family Bible of John Hollister and Elizabeth Van Scoter. The photo is<br />
a bit blurry but the names can be made out. Abram is the second from the top<br />
in the left column and David is the second from the top in the middle column.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I started looking for information on John and Elizabeth and found an entry in a published history about Elizabeth’s family. In that book she is listed as married to John and all of the children are also listed. Two of the children are Abram and David. I already knew that David had married his brother Abraham’s wife Celinda after his brother had died. I also knew that Abraham had died around 1825 which corresponded to the information in the book. One other clue, the book noted that David went west, never to be seen again. Unfortunately, there was no information in this publication on either Abram or David’s marriages or families and of course it listed his brother as Abram instead of Abraham. It also had David as being born in 1805 rather than 1802 as most other sources indicated. Still, I felt that this had potential and once again it could not easily be disproven. I added the Steuben information to the Hollister story on my blog but with the caveat that it was only a theory and had a ways to go to be considered accurate. Not too long after that, something amazing happened.<br />
<br />
Seemingly out of the blue, I received a comment on my Hollister family post from a women in Missouri. She ran a small bookstore and had come across a bible that belonged to the Hollister’s of Steuben. The bible named the children of John and Elizabeth and those names matched up with the listing in the book on Elizabeth’s family. A possible breakthrough but the names alone proved nothing as it was the same information I already had. But there was more, in the bible were a number of papers, mostly deeds and other legal documents. Two of these documents had significance. One of these was a will from John but that did not mention David at all but the other was a partial letter from non-other than David Hollister to one of his brothers. The letter described the great opportunity in Wisconsin, encouraged the recipient to head west and check it out and was address from David Hollister of Adamsville, Wisconsin. A stranger, no connection to the family, buys an old bible, searches for information on-line, finds my website, makes a comment and asks the question.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVnalMdkYLI/WKT8FKHesNI/AAAAAAAAOY8/DO2xkTa7op0uXoVzNz6_-YRG3phxx5OVACLcB/s1600/Hollister%2B-%2BDavid%2B1%2B-%2BPage%2Bfrom%2BLetter%2Bto%2BHome%2B-%2BSign-off.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVnalMdkYLI/WKT8FKHesNI/AAAAAAAAOY8/DO2xkTa7op0uXoVzNz6_-YRG3phxx5OVACLcB/s400/Hollister%2B-%2BDavid%2B1%2B-%2BPage%2Bfrom%2BLetter%2Bto%2BHome%2B-%2BSign-off.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The end of the letter from David Hollister, found in the Bible of the<br />
John Hollister family of Dansville, Stuben County, New York.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now I suppose there is still a chance that David is not the son of John and Elizabeth but I feel confident that he is and I hope to find additional documentation to seal the deal forever. There have been a lot of exciting moments in my quest to find out about my ancestry but this find may trump all of that. After reading through numerous inquiries from people, desperately look for David, I never imagined that I would be the one to find him. Don’t get me wrong, it would not have happened if I had not come across those websites that listed John and Elizabeth (but without any proof) and got me thinking about them or if the young women from Missouri had not contacted me. It often takes many individuals each going in some direction to put together a find and this one is no exception. I am just happy that I had a role in the process and that I could actually contribute to the knowledge base that is out there. By the way, I recently made a connection with another Hollister descendant who has a lot of good information, including more of those precious photographs. One of those pictures, faded and grey is of the old man, David Hollister, and so as one part of the search ends, others go on . . . the hunt continues.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hurZvOkbl6Y/WKI5Iks3RWI/AAAAAAAAOUs/odPyMzi06fcckFjI2CMEPn0GbeJOA7VYwCLcB/s1600/Hollister%2B-%2BDavid%2B-%2BAlt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hurZvOkbl6Y/WKI5Iks3RWI/AAAAAAAAOUs/odPyMzi06fcckFjI2CMEPn0GbeJOA7VYwCLcB/s400/Hollister%2B-%2BDavid%2B-%2BAlt.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Hollister, pulled from a granddaughter's album. He is old, the picture is faded<br />
and a bit hard to make out but I am willing to except all of that to finally see his face. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Post Script . . . Now that I have found David, there are still some loose-ends hanging out there. For one, I am not 100% sure of the connection from David's father, John, back to the first Hollisters in Connecticut. I have a theory but still need more evidence. In addition, little has been found on Caroline Wheaton (David's wife and my 3rd Great Grandmother). I recently came across some information on her and her parents but there is conflicting data and I am not sure of the accuracy. Finding where she is buried is especially frustrating. Assuming she died in southern Wisconsin in 1881 (+/-), one would think she would be in a local cemetery but I have not found her. Finally, I have found good information on Elizabeth Scoter's (David's mother) family back to colonial times in the eastern New York frontier. The family book was the start but there is also other info on the web.<br />
<br />
<br />
Go to my <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/p/history.html" target="_blank">History Page</a> to see the lost mill at Adamsville, David’s Iowa County Wisconsin land purchase record and his gravesite at Monona, Iowa.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additional Information:<br />
For the three-part story on David and the Hollister family, go </span><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/david-hollister-hollister-family-1.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">here . . .</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Read about another Mapleton, Iowa ancestor, Francis O'Neil, <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/francis-oneil-short-biography.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: </span></span><br />
Information on David and the Hollisters had been compiled from data found at AncestryDotCom, IowagravestonesDotOrg, Find-A-GraveDotCom, other web based sources and from cousins who have contacted me and helped fill in the story. In addition . . .<br />
-Elizabeth Van Scoter (wife of John Hollister) was found in "<em>Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America.</em>"<br />
-Celinda Giddings (wife of Abraham and then David Hollister) was found in "<em>The Giddings Family or the Descendants of George Giddings</em>."<br />
-The colonial Hollisters can be found in "<em>The Hollister Family in America, Lieut. John Hollister of Wethersfield, Conn. and His Descendants</em>."<br />
-The history of Adamsville, Wisconsin can be found in "<em>Weehaukaja or A History of the Village of Barneveld and the Town of Brigham</em>."<br />
-A personal family history at a website called TribalPages was also helpful but I am now having trouble finding that site (that is why it is a good idea to copy these records off the web as website can come and go).<br />
<br />
<br /></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798229.047880866923741 -105.2079232 54.708346333076257 -70.0516732tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-4820524103438498612017-02-03T16:42:00.001-06:002021-09-19T20:18:43.821-05:00Windsor, ConnecticutLocated north of Hartford on the Connecticut River, Windsor was the first permanent settlement in the, soon to be, Connecticut Colony and the home of Thomas Holcombe. In 1633 a group from Plymouth established a trading post at the meeting of the Connecticut and Farmington Rivers. A year later, the first group from Dorchester, Massachusetts established themselves just north of the trading post. Others from Dorchester would follow and a foothold in Connecticut was established.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMMBnc7ZFyg/WJTX8A6mvqI/AAAAAAAAOTo/kwew-Q_GGPMkXNgRK5V9yKE37Slez5j9gCLcB/s1600/Connecticut%2B-%2B1625%2B-%2BPartial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fMMBnc7ZFyg/WJTX8A6mvqI/AAAAAAAAOTo/kwew-Q_GGPMkXNgRK5V9yKE37Slez5j9gCLcB/s400/Connecticut%2B-%2B1625%2B-%2BPartial.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North-central Connecticut prior to 1625 showing tribal settlements<br />
along the Connecticut River in the area of future Windsor.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Connecticut is divided in half by the Connecticut River, known as "The Great River". Connecticut, in Mohegan means "the long river" (originally quonehtacut, quinnehtukguet, or connittetuck). To the west lies the Hudson River and Housatonic River valleys inhabited by the Mohawk and Iroquois. To the east lies the Thames River valley inhabited by Pequot. Four main tribes made up the "River Indians" in the Connecticut River valley. They were the Podunk on the east shore and Poquonock, Saukiog and Tunxis on the west shore. <br />
<br />
After scouting out the area in 1635, the Reverend John Warham, members of his congregation and a few others established a permanent settlement at Windsor. Officially founded in 1636, the town was briefly called Dorchester. The Warham group had some disagreements with Governor John Winthrop’s Massachusetts Bay Colony over land distribution, governing procedures and religious policies. Although discouraged by the Colonial Government to settle in Connecticut they, non-the-less, set off into the wilderness to start their new settlement. Windsor was the first town established in Connecticut. The river gave the settlers access to the coast and supplies, but it was far from the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies and defined the edge of the frontier in the 1635.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the <em><u>Windsor Historical Society</u></em> website . . . Land and water shaped Windsor's settlement patterns from its earliest years. For the local River Indians, the Connecticut and Farmington Rivers were transportation corridors to the interior fur trade, also providing fish for sustenance and fertile floodplains for seasonal agriculture. The River Indians existed between two stronger warring groups, the Pequot and Mohawk Nations who exacted regular tributes from them in exchange for an uneasy peace. In 1631, River Indians journeyed north to English settlements at Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth, inviting English settlement in the Connecticut valley with descriptions of fertile lands and abundant wildlife. Their hope with such an alliance was to strengthen defenses in their area.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There was little interest from the English in Massachusetts until 1633, when word reached them that the Dutch had established a trading post in what is now Hartford. Now, the pressure was on to establish an English outpost on the Connecticut River, a major transportation artery with headwaters far to the north, providing access to promising fur trade. A party of Plymouth settlers under the leadership of William Holmes sailed upriver past the Dutch fort in Hartford, arriving on September 26, 1633 to establish a trading post just south of where the Farmington River joins the Connecticut. Within the next two years, two other groups of settlers would arrive, the first from Dorchester Massachusetts and the second, a group that had just migrated from England under the auspices of Lord Saltonstall. <em>For text sources and additional information, go to </em><a href="http://www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org/"><em></em></a><em><a href="http://www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org/">www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org</a></em><a href="http://www.windsorhistoricalsociety.org/"></a><em>.</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGe1Att7N94/UCl1WS3ljXI/AAAAAAAABtU/k-Yua2Kg5-MI6xUStmCEYv7pptpP2rBiQCPcB/s1600/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BAncient%2BWindsor%2B-%2B1636%2B-%2Bwith%2Bnotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tGe1Att7N94/UCl1WS3ljXI/AAAAAAAABtU/k-Yua2Kg5-MI6xUStmCEYv7pptpP2rBiQCPcB/s640/Connecticut%2B-%2BHartford%2BCounty%2B-%2BAncient%2BWindsor%2B-%2B1636%2B-%2Bwith%2Bnotes.jpg" width="436" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A plan of Windsor, 1633 - 1650, depicting the first settlers.<br />
A drawing from <u>The History of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thomas Holcombe and his young family would be part of the group from Dorchester that came to Windsor. He would first live on one of the lots that lined the Connecticut River but soon move north to the outskirts of the settlement to a place called Poquonock.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the <u>Holcombe Website</u> . . . In the Summer of 1635 some Dorchester people had already reached the river and sat down at the place where William Homes, and others of Plymouth, had erected a trading house and made preparations for bringing their families and settling permanently; and in November, 60 persons with a large number of cattle, traveled from Dorchester and arrived in safety at the river, after much tribulation. During the first winter the sufferings of these persons were intense and they lost nearly all their cattle. Some individuals wandered back to Dorchester and others avoided starvation by dropping down the river and taking refuge in a vessel at anchor at the mouth. In the spring of 1636, Reverend John Wareham left Dorchester and came to Windsor, Connecticut, bringing his flock, including Thomas Holcomb, with him . . . </blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yzoajZIKsM/UCl2aTM8MNI/AAAAAAAABFQ/ivgRwOWp3nAn4i9Gj3cCyTkRMYzM7o55wCPcB/s1600/Holcomb%2B-%2BThomas%2B-%2BHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yzoajZIKsM/UCl2aTM8MNI/AAAAAAAABFQ/ivgRwOWp3nAn4i9Gj3cCyTkRMYzM7o55wCPcB/s400/Holcomb%2B-%2BThomas%2B-%2BHouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drawing of the Thomas Holcombe house made in the early 1800's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There are approximately 138 names listed as founders of Windsor; most of the names are male so it seems that those listed represent the heads of household. 60 came in the first group from Dorchester in 1635. Some single men, carpenters and tradesmen, arrived on the ship Christian that same year and many of those stayed on at Windsor. Most of the rest arrived from Dorchester the next year in 1636. The Holcombe family is related by marriage to a great many of these original families. Some notable Windsor residents include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Mathew Grant; Mathew was the 5th Great-Grandfather of Ulysses S. Grant. Mathew was on the Mary and John and as town clerk was an important documenter of Windsor history. Much of the early family histories of Windsor exist because of Mathew. Though somewhat convoluted, the Holcombe and Grant families are intertwined through various marriages.</li>
<li>Mathew Griswold and son Roger Griswold; Mathew was the Great-Grandson of another Mathew Griswold who came to Windsor with his half-brother Edward (and Edward’s three sons) and settled at Poquonock. He later moved on to Saybrook. Mathew the younger was active during the Revolutionary War in many capacities and later served as Governor of Connecticut. </li>
<li>Roger Griswold would also serve as Governor. Earlier in his career, as a congressman, he was noted to have brawled with another congressman from Vermont. He also proposed succession of the New England states during the Jefferson administration. This branch of the Griswold family had many marriages with the Wolcott family (see below), while the other branch, led by Edward Griswold, had many marriages with the Holcombe family.</li>
<li>Major John Mason was a British officer who settled at Windsor. He led the Puritan effort against the Pequot tribe and was considered “one of the most trusted men in Connecticut.” His descendants include James Garfield and other notable people.</li>
<li>Oliver Phelps; Oliver was the Great-Grandson of Windsor founder, George Phelps. Oliver was born at Poquonock but spent his childhood in other parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts (as his father died when he was three months old). He served as Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army, supplying the troops for the duration of the war and was commended by General Washington. As with the Griswold family, there were a number of Holcombe / Phelps marriages.</li>
<li>Roger Wolcott, son Oliver Wolcott Sr. and Oliver Wolcott Jr.; Roger was the Grandson of Windsor founder Henry Wolcott (Roger’s father, Simon was five years old on the voyage to America). “Henry Wolcott stands first in a list of the inhabitants of Windsor . . . and was probably, after the pastor, the most distinguished citizen of Windsor.” Rodger was a weaver by trade, active in colonial life and served as Colonial Governor of Connecticut.</li>
<li>Oliver Wolcott Sr. participated in the French and Indian War, was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress and was a General in the Revolutionary War. </li>
<li>Oliver Wolcott Jr. succeeded Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury and served under President’s Washington and Adams. He resigned in 1800 due to unpopularity, and a particularly vitriolic campaign against him in the press in which, among other things, he was falsely accused of setting fire to the State Department building. He also served as Governor of the State of Connecticut and presided over the adoption of the 1818 state constitution.</li>
</ul>
Two of Thomas Holcombe's sons would move west to Simsbury and raise large and prominent families in the new settlements away from the Connecticut River but one son would stay on at Windsor. In addition, a number of daughters would marry local men and raise their families in the town. Holcombe descendants can still be found there today.<br />
<br />
<div>
Additional Information:<br />
For the five-part story of the Holcombe family, <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">go here . . .</a> <br />
For the colonial family series, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></div>
<br />
Research Notes: There is an abundance of information available on the web about Windsor and its history. For this report, information was gleaned primarily from the Windsor Historical Society and the Holcombe Family website.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This post is one of a series about the places my ancestors lived. From time-to-time, additions to the series are made. For an overview of all of all of the towns and places covered and links to each story, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-towns-of-my-ancestors.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></span> Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-51294671941671856202017-02-03T14:01:00.004-06:002023-12-04T19:10:17.029-06:00The Towns of My AncestorsThe primary focus of Genealogy is often concentrated on individual ancestors and there connection to others in the family. It is concerned about birth, parents, marriage, children, work, service, accomplishments and eventually death. These are the markers of a life and form a thread that connects each generation to the next. The place where they lived is another point of data but not always the focus of a Genealogy. Place was certainly an important part of each individual's life and yet, one constant seems to be that these folks were always on the move. It took a lot of work to put down roots and build a life but often, just as they had make a place for themselves, they would pack up and head out, usually toward the horizon of the setting sun. Still, those places . . . their home . . . was everything to the colonists and pioneers of America. Being able to settle in a place of one's own was the very definition of the freedom these people were looking for.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjkEcFbBYug/WJKGRDE5rXI/AAAAAAAAOTY/m7bxvwlbzOMTzB36Fw4mjaL_iXmZ48qrQCLcB/s1600/Wisconsin%2B-%2BDane%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BBlue%2BMounds%2B-%2B1833%2B-%2BSurvey%2B-%2BCrop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjkEcFbBYug/WJKGRDE5rXI/AAAAAAAAOTY/m7bxvwlbzOMTzB36Fw4mjaL_iXmZ48qrQCLcB/s400/Wisconsin%2B-%2BDane%2BCounty%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BBlue%2BMounds%2B-%2B1833%2B-%2BSurvey%2B-%2BCrop.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. A survey from about 1833 shows the military<br />
road (on the ridge at the top of the map) and one settler (upper left corner). Like<br />
the calm before the storm, over the next 30 years the town will fill up; first with<br />
Yankees from the east, then a mix of Germans, Norwegians, Swiss and others.<br />
<a name='more'></a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some of the important places where my ancestors lived, is the subject of this report. They stretch all the way across the country from Boston to Los Angeles. Thomas Holcombe and the many others from the allied colonial families ventured across the Atlantic on a perilous journey to reach the "New World." It seems only fitting and probably inevitable that their descendants would continue to trek west across the great expanse of North America, which came with its own peril. Sometimes they stopped and stayed a while. There they would interact with a new group of immigrants, mostly from the European Continent and create the so-called "melting pot."<br />
<br />
This post, which is a work in progress, will provide a link to short articles about some the towns and places that became the home of my ancestors.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Important Places - Where they Lived</span><br />
<br />
<u>Windsor, Connecticut</u><br />
Noted as the first town in Connecticut, Windsor was established by a group of Puritans from the Great Migration. After a short time in Dorchester, Massachusetts, one of the early Puritan towns on Boston Harbor, these families headed into the frontier. The new towns along the Connecticut river would be the first wave of an endless march west across North America,<br />
<br />
<em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/windsor-connecticut.html" target="_blank">Read about Windsor, Connecticut here</a></em><br />
<br />
<u>Salmon Brook, Connecticut</u><br />
When the next generation of men from the Connecticut River valley needed land of their own, the colony encouraged them to move west to the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. This was a wild frontier filled with danger and these new settlements would form a sting of strategic outposts at the edge of the British Empire.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Read about Salmon Brook, Connecticut here</a></em><br />
<br />
<u>Freeburg, Illinois</u><br />
Located on the far western extreme of a new country, the area around Freeburg was first claimed by the Colony of Virginia. The earliest settlers arrived just before 1800 in what was then Saint Clair County of the Northwest Territory (the county covered over 1/2 of present day Illinois). The closest thing to white civilization, at that time, was Saint Louis but it was across the Mississippi River and in the domain of a foreign power. Some of the generation that fought in the Revolution would venture west into a vast wilderness that stretched from the Application mountains to the Mississippi. This wilderness would become Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.<br />
<u></u><br />
<em>Read about Freeburg, Illinois here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<u></u><br />
<u>New Glarus, Wisconsin</u><br />
Some places are named after immigrant's former homes in the "old country" but in the case of New Glarus, it really was the place settled by scores of Swiss from Canton Glarus in western Switzerland. The Glarus government sponsored the new settlement in America and encouraged immigration to help ease the burden of hard economic times at home. It thrived as a "Swiss Colony" and resulted in even more settlement, from all over Switzerland to south-central Wisconsin. The Swiss farming traditions, including cheese making, contributed to the development of the "Dairy State."<br />
<br />
<em>Read about New Glarus, Wisconsin here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<u></u><br />
<u>Blue Mounds, Wisconsin</u><br />
Named from two mounds that rise up from the rolling countryside and located along an important military road that stretched from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, Blue Mounds would start to see settlement in the 1830s. Like many places in the vast expanse of the Northwestern Territory, the first to arrive would come from the east, usually men seeking a claim. In southwestern Wisconsin, it was Lead. Most of the early speculators did not stay but the next group, mostly Germans and Norwegians would plant themselves on 40 or 80 acres. There they would farm, build churches and one room schools. With the arrival of the railroad, small settlements would follow. <br />
<br />
<em>Read about Blue Mounds, Wisconsin here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<br />
<u>Maple (Mapleton), Iowa</u><br />
In far western Iowa on the flat and endless prairie, towns like Mapleton grew out of the homesteader's need for supplies and bit of civilization. The coming railroad would encourage these settlements and for a while, they would thrive. Some would disappear but Mapleton would continue as a small but stable farming center. <br />
<br />
<em>Read about Mapleton, Iowa here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<br />
Research Notes: Available information on most of these places is plentiful and can be found across the web as well as in older, more traditional, history texts (mostly local publications). Some of the more prominent and useful sources will be mentioned at the end of each of the individual articles.Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-76341508006718375532016-12-08T18:49:00.003-06:002023-12-05T18:09:34.795-06:00The Chapin Family - Colonial AmericansCatherine Chapin was the wife of Nathaniel Bliss and mother of Mary Bliss. She was born is Pomeroy, Devin, England in 1622. Catherine was the third of 10 or 11 children of Samuel Chapin (b.1598? d.1675) and Cicely Penny (b.1602, d.1682).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">John Chapin</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />The Chapin family is believed to have come to America about 1638, landed at Boston and settled in Roxbury. Samuel Chapin was born in Paignton, Devon, England and was baptized on October 8, 1598 at Saint John the Baptist Church. He was the fourth of five children of John Chapin (b.1566? d.1600) and Phillipa Easton (b.1569? d.1615) both of Paignton. There other children were: Joane, Phillipe, Thomas and Margaret. Phillipa Easton was the daughter of Henry Easton and Joan Cliffe.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18inyoe_Kjk/V-WvGFUWW_I/AAAAAAAAOOQ/HTR6YEA02Vcgk0vtrMle4JqmCXUlbbXzQCLcB/s1600/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BJohn%2Bthe%2BBaptist%2BChurch%2B-%2BPaignton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-18inyoe_Kjk/V-WvGFUWW_I/AAAAAAAAOOQ/HTR6YEA02Vcgk0vtrMle4JqmCXUlbbXzQCLcB/s400/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BJohn%2Bthe%2BBaptist%2BChurch%2B-%2BPaignton.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint John the Baptist Church, Paignton, Devon, England<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-size: small;">
<br />John Chapin is believed to be the son of Roger Chapin (b.1534) and his wife, Joanna Urdde (b.1538, d.1590). The circumstances and date of John's death seem to be in doubt. A source indicated that he may have been on the voyage to America with his son Samuel; another source indicated that he may have died at sea. John and Phillipa's other children were: Margery (d.1569), Johan (bap.1560), Margett (bap.1570/1) and Luke (bap.1576, d.1590). It was noted that Luke died of the Plague.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Samuel Chapin</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Samuel, married Cicely Penny about 1623. She was the daughter of Henry Penny (b.1571, d.1630) and Jane? (d.1637). Henry Penny was the son of William Penny (b.1542).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Samuel and Cicely had 10 children, eight of which traveled with them to the new world. It is unclear exactly what year they came over but Samuel was known to own land at Roxbury by 1639. About 1642 the family moved to Springfield where Samuel became a leading citizen and held many public offices including: Selectman, Auditor and Magistrate and Deacon of the church. He was noted as a Freeman in1644 (may have been a Freeman as early as 1641). The children of Samuel and Cicely:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">David (b.1624/5, d.1672), married Lydia Crump 1654. There children were: Lydia; Caleb, who married Sarah (?); Sarah; Hannah; Ebenezer, who married Elizabeth Adams; and Sarah Gilbert; Johnathan, who married Elizabeth Burt; Union: and Ruth.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Catherine, married Nathaniel Bliss. Refer to the Bliss Family – Colonial Ancestors (link at the end off this post) for more information on Catherine and Nathaniel.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Sarah (bap.1628, d.1684), married Rowland Thomas (d.1698) in 1657. There children were: Joseph; Samuel; Mary; Joseph, who married Mary (?); Benjamin, who married Anna Belding; Josiah: Josiah: Samuel: Sarah, who married James Warringer; Mary; and Mercy, who married John Bagg.</span></li>
<li>Samuel (bap.1630/1, d.1634), died in England.</li>
<li>Henry (bap.1630/1, d.1718), married Bethia Cooley (b.1644, d.1711) in 1664 and settled in Chicopee Parish, Springfield. She was the daughter of Benjamin Cooley and Sarah (?). There children were: Henry: Mary, who married Benjamin Wright; Sarah: Bethiah: Henry who married Hannah Garnzey and Ester Bliss; and Benjamin, who married Hannah Colton.</li>
<li>John (bap.1632/3), died young in England.</li>
<li>Honor (bap.1636), probably died in England.</li>
<li>Josiah (bap.1637, d.1726), married Mary King (b.1639, d.1676) in 1658. She, was the daughter of John King. After her death, Josiah married Lydia Brown? (b.1658, d.1711) the widow of Thomas Pratt. After her death, he married Mehitabel Metcaff. Children of Josiah and Mary were: Samuel, who married Mary Hobart; John; Mary, who married Joseph Adams; Deborah, Joseph; Shem; Seth, who married Bethiah Thurston; Joseph; Henry; Ephraim, who married Margaret Torrey; and Deborah, who married Samuel Read. Children of Josiah and Lydia where: Lydia, who married Daniel Taft; Sarah, who married Ebenezer Read; David; and Hannah, who married John Holbrook.</li>
<li>Japhet (bap.1642, d.1711/2), married Abelehah Cooley (b.1643, d.1710) in 1664. She was the daughter of Samuel Abelehah. After her death, he married Dorothy Root. Japhet was selectman for Springfield eight times and was in the 1676 Turner Falls battle in King Philip's War. Children of Japhet and Abelehah where: Samuel, who married Hannah Sheldon; Sarah, who married Nathanial Munn; Thomas, who married Sarah Wright; John, who married Sarah Bridgman; Ebenezer, who married Ruth Janes; Hannah; Hannah, who married John Sheldon; David, who married Sarah Stebbins and then Mindwell Allen; Jonathan; Jonathan, who married Elizabeth Burt; and Daniel (?).</li>
<li>Hannah (b.1644), married John Hitchcock 1666. He was the son of Luke Hitchcock and Elizabeth Gibbons.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIwjx97b9gs/V-W-qc9XNoI/AAAAAAAAOOg/dN86PxzVBOIsx7ZJLNMTMPwn_3LxLOF5wCLcB/s1600/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BFirst%2BChurch%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIwjx97b9gs/V-W-qc9XNoI/AAAAAAAAOOg/dN86PxzVBOIsx7ZJLNMTMPwn_3LxLOF5wCLcB/s400/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BFirst%2BChurch%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The First Meeting House in Springfield, 1645.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Samuel Chapin was an important member of early Springfield and his line of descendants include many influential US citizens but perhaps is greatest claim to fame is the fact that a prominent American sculptor used his name in a large bronze piece that still resides in Springfield. In 1881 Augustus Saint-Gaudens was commissioned by Chester W. Chapin, a railroad tycoon and congressman, to sculpt a large-scale bronze likeness of an ancestor, Deacon Samuel Chapin, one of the three founders of Springfield. The sculptor wrote in his “Reminiscences” that “the statue . . . was to represent Deacon Samuel Chapin, but I developed it into an embodiment . . . of the Puritan.” On Thanksgiving Day, 1887, “The Puritan” was unveiled on Stearns Square in Springfield, at one end of a site designed by Architect Stamford White (Gauden’s great friend). The monument was relocated to Merrick Park in 1899. In “The Puritan” Saint-Gaudens successfully translated an abstract idea into three dimensional form. The figure is not an individual portrait, but a representation of Puritan Dogma. Eyes focused downward, he strides with a knotty pine walking stick across the pine-strewn New England wilderness, symbolized by a few scattered branches on the base.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7PiZH1W3z8/UEDtkU9d6UI/AAAAAAAABHU/f5kTPtcLSTgPkJOKrKoZXB6_hZ8z5DaIgCPcB/s1600/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BThe%2BPuritan%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7PiZH1W3z8/UEDtkU9d6UI/AAAAAAAABHU/f5kTPtcLSTgPkJOKrKoZXB6_hZ8z5DaIgCPcB/s400/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BThe%2BPuritan%2B2.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“The Puritan” by the American Sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens<br />
at Merrick Park in Springfield. The text reads: “1595, Anno Domini,<br />
1675, Deacon Samuel Chapin, One of the Founders of Springfield.”</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Samuel, Cicely and a number of descendants were originally buried at Chicopee Cemetery (Chicopee Street Burying Ground) in Springfield (all graves later moved).<br />
<br />
Direct descendants of Samuel Chapin include: John Brown, Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft, J.P. Morgan, Lillian Gish and Spencer Tracy.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additional Information:<br />
For the five-part story of the Holcombe family, go </span><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;">here . . .</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">To read about the Bliss Family and more on Catherine Chapin, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-bliss-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: There is a wealth of information about the Chapin family that can be found on the internet, including: the website geni.com; the website ancestry.com, the website familysearch.org, the website find-a-grave.com and many other family websites. There are also print books on the family available.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>This post is one of a series about the allied Colonial Families that branch off from my Holcombe line. From time-to-time, additions to the series are made. For an overview of all of the families covered and links to each story, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></em></span>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-35925769644428744582016-11-04T13:10:00.003-05:002023-12-04T19:09:08.458-06:00The Bliss Family - Colonial AmericansMary Bliss was the wife of Nathaniel Holcombe. She was born is Springfield, Massachusetts in 1651. Mary was the third of four children of Nathaniel Bliss (b.1622, d.1654) and Catharine Chapin (b.1630, d.1711).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNP3QyPftKI/WBzOxkDe0MI/AAAAAAAAOP8/Vk0n-XJNJzAeq_zbPSgTOTRHr8BKY1LcwCLcB/s1600/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BFirst%2BChurch%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNP3QyPftKI/WBzOxkDe0MI/AAAAAAAAOP8/Vk0n-XJNJzAeq_zbPSgTOTRHr8BKY1LcwCLcB/s320/Chapin%2B-%2BSamuel%2B-%2BFirst%2BChurch%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old First Church of Springfield - 1645</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Thomas Bliss</span><br />
<br />
The Bliss family came to America in the first half of the 17th century. There is some disagreement about the first generation of Bliss and where exactly they came from (early genealogists wrongly stated that the family came from Belstone in Devonshire). Current researchers refer to three lines of early settlers: Thomas Bliss (from this line), probably of Gloucestershire and two brothers, another Thomas and George, both of Northamptonshire. Thomas Bliss (b.1590, d.1650/51) may have been a cousin of Thomas and George and was believed to be from Painswick, Gloucestershire. Thomas married Margaret Hulins (b.1595? d.1684), of Rodborough at St. Nicholas in Gloucester on October 18, 1621. It is not proven but possible that Thomas emigrated with his cousins about 1638 (maybe as early as 1635) and he is known to have owned land in Hartford on the Connecticut River by 1639. By the time of his death, he owned 58 acres of land and a house lot on a road west of Lafayette Street in Hartford. Thomas’s son, Nathaniel, who was about 13 at the time, travelled to America with his father and at least two other siblings with Margaret Hulins and the rest of the children following later. Thomas has been noted as a likely a descendant of John Bliss of Tyringham, a feudal serf.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7DvHECmLF7c/V-G1plleolI/AAAAAAAAONU/CQ1WztZSGcYy7KXRavQp5GfraJ0JPYUOQCLcB/s1600/Bliss%2B-%2BSaint%2BNicholas%2BChurch%2B-%2BGloucester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7DvHECmLF7c/V-G1plleolI/AAAAAAAAONU/CQ1WztZSGcYy7KXRavQp5GfraJ0JPYUOQCLcB/s400/Bliss%2B-%2BSaint%2BNicholas%2BChurch%2B-%2BGloucester.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Nicholas Church - Gloucester. Started around 1109,<br />
added to, rebuilt and restored a number of times over the years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Margaret’s maiden name is not entirely clear; it may have been Hulinge, Hulings or even Lawrence. Here ancestry is in question but Margaret might be the daughter of John Hulins (b.1595, d.1638?) from Rodborough and Margaret (b.1566?). John Hulins (b.1540, d.1609) was the son of Henry Hulins (Huling) (b.1540, d.1608) also from Rodborough and Joane (d.1612). After the death of Thomas, Margaret Hulins would join some of her sons in Springfield, Massachusetts. She carried on after Thomas without remarrying, something that was not that common in Puritan society. Also a bit unusual, she ran the household as the head of the family and grew her husband’s wealth after his death. At the writing of her will, the estate was worth about £280 of which about £250 was land. She had a house on South Main Street between Fremont and Margaret Streets.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DXWk_LkCs/UEDnlU0KaFI/AAAAAAAABG4/p5-jVuBxIrExyCfR-UlQjuHJ7JAi35SpQCPcB/s1600/Bliss%2B-%2BMargaret%2BHulins%2B-%2BMarble%2BHouse%2Bat%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645-1%2B-%2Bsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DXWk_LkCs/UEDnlU0KaFI/AAAAAAAABG4/p5-jVuBxIrExyCfR-UlQjuHJ7JAi35SpQCPcB/s400/Bliss%2B-%2BMargaret%2BHulins%2B-%2BMarble%2BHouse%2Bat%2BSpringfield%2B-%2B1645-1%2B-%2Bsmall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Hulins Bliss House - Springfield, still standing in the mid-1800s.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The possible children of Thomas and Margaret were:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hannah (d.1660).</li>
<li>Ann (b.1617, d1685), she married Robert Chapman in 1642. There children were: John (b.1644, d.1712), Robert (b.1648, d.1711), Ann (b.1648, d.1648), Hannah (b.1650, d.1719), Nathaniel (b.1653, d.1726), Mary (b.1655, d1726), Sarah (b.1657)</li>
<li>Thomas (b.1618, d. 1688), married Elizabeth Brichard and they would eventually settle in Norwich, Connecticut. There children were: Elizabeth (b.1645, d.1689), Sarah (b.1647, d.1730), Mary (b.1648, d.1698), Thomas (b.1651, d.1681), Deliverance (b.1655, d.1731), Samuel (b.1657, d.1729), Anne (b.1660), Rebekah (b.1663, d.1737).</li>
<li>Nathaniel (b.1622, d.1654), married Catherine Chapin in 1646. He would be an early settler in Springfield. More on Nathaniel below.</li>
<li>Samuel (b.1624, d.1720), married Mary Leonard and settled in Springfield. Their children were: Hannah (b.1666), Thomas (b.1668, d.1733), Mary (b.1670, d. 1707), Jonathan (b.1672, d.1740), Martha (b.1674), Sarah (b.1677), Experience (b.1679, d. 1697), Mercy (b.1680, d.1763), Ebenezer (b.1683, d.1717), Margaret (b.1684, d.1736), Esther (b.1688, d.1768).</li>
<ul>
<li><u>From First Century of the History of Springfield</u>: Samuel Bliss married Mary Leonard, daughter of John and Sarah Leonard, November 10, 1665. He received several grants of land from the town,—at Freshwater Brook and on the north side of Agawam River, at Ackanunset, at the latter place 35 acres. He was Selectman in 1685, ‘92, and ‘99. He died March 23, 1720, aged 96, outliving all his brothers living here. His widow died January 1, 1724.</li>
</ul>
<li>Lawrence (b.1628, d.1676), married Lidia Wright and settled in Springfield. There children were: Lidia (b.1655, d.1656), Sarah (1658, d.1659), Samuel (b.1660, d. 1660), Samuel (b.1662, d.1733), Hannah (b.1665, d.1737), Sarah (b.1667), William (b.1670, d.1733), Pelatiah (b.1674, d.1747).</li>
<ul>
<li><u>From First Century of the History of Springfield</u>: Lawrence Bliss married Lidia, daughter of Deacon Samuel Wright, October 23, 1654. He was chosen Constable in 1660 and Selectman in 1665 and 1669. He died in 1676. His widow married John Norton October 31, 1678. John Lamb, January 27, 1688, and Quartermaster George Colton in 1692. She died February 13, 1699.</li>
</ul>
<li>Mary (b.1628, d1712), married Joseph Parsons in Springfield in 1646. There children were: Hannah (d.1729), Joseph (b.1647, d.1729), John (b1650, d.1728), Samuel (b1653, d.1734), Ebenezer (b.1655, 1675), Jonathan (b.1657, d.1694), Mary (b.1661, d.1711), Abigail (b.1666, d1689), Esther (b.1672, 1760).</li>
<ul>
<li>Mary was tried and acquitted of witchcraft in 1674 in Northampton, Connecticut. Most allegations of witchcraft evolved out of feuds between families and this case was no exception. The Parsons’s family was very successful and envy seemed to be the impetus for the accusations.</li>
</ul>
<li>Elizabeth, (b.1637, d.1683), born in Boston, she was the second wife of Miles Morgan and was married in 1670. She is known to have at least one child.</li>
<li>Sarah, (1638, d.1705), born in Boston, she married John Scott in 1659 and Samuel Terry in 1690.</li>
<li>Hannah (b. 1639, d. 1660), never married.</li>
<li>John (b. 1640, d. 1702), married Patience Burt and settled in Springfield. Their children were: Infant child, John (b.1669), Nathaniel (b.1671), Thomas (b.1673), Joseph (b.1676, d.1754). Hannah (b.1678), Henry (b.1681, d.1684), Ebenezer (b.1683).</li>
<ul>
<li><u>From First Century of the History of Springfield</u>: John Bliss, the youngest of Widow Margaret’s children married Patience Burt, daughter of Henry and Eulalia Burt, October 7, 1667. The town granted him several pieces of land before he was married, as did also Northampton where his sister, Mary Parsons, resided. His homelot in that town was next north of his brother-in-law’s, Joseph Parsons, and extended from the present Market Street on the west, to Bridge Street on the east, or in front of the cemetery. He resided in that town several years after marriage, but returned to Springfield and resided in that part of the town now within the limits of Longmeadow. He died November 4, 1702, and his widow October 2, 1732.</li>
</ul>
<li>Hester (?) (born after 1640), she married Edward Foster.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ty3_7xVJVuI/V-G3Wj8A10I/AAAAAAAAONo/MppAYyXgC9EQm-AbgawjpwXg4RgVhqPcgCEw/s1600/Massachusetts%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BSpringfield.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ty3_7xVJVuI/V-G3Wj8A10I/AAAAAAAAONo/MppAYyXgC9EQm-AbgawjpwXg4RgVhqPcgCEw/s400/Massachusetts%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BSpringfield.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Map of Springfield with the plots of Margaret and<br />
her son Nathaniel. Samuel Chapin, a founder of Springfield<br />
is also on the map (see the Chapin family in this series).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thomas Bliss was buried at the Ancient Burying Ground, Harford, Connecticut. Margaret was originally buried at Chicopee Cemetery (Chicopee Street Burying Ground) in Springfield.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nathaniel Bliss</span><br />
<br />
Nathaniel Bliss, the third or fourth child of Thomas and Margaret came to America, at the age of about 13, with his father and some of his siblings. In about 1643 he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. Some writing indicate that he accompanied his mother to Springfield, which is possible as we know she did settle there but Nathaniel’s father lived until 1650 so it seems unlikely that she would have gone to Springfield before her husband’s death. In Springfield, Nathaniel met and married Catherine Chapin (m. 1646). Nathaniel’s home lot was noted as “<em>ten rods wide and was the second below the present William Street</em>.”<br />
<br />
Nathaniel and Catherine had four children:<br />
<ul>
<li>Samuel (b.1647, d.1749), married Sarah Stebbins and lived in Springfield. They would have about eight children: Sarah, Nathaniel, Samuel, Margaret, Thomas, John, Samuel, and Ebenezer</li>
<li>Margaret (.1649, d.1745), married Nathaniel Foote. He was noted and a Carpenter and Lawyer and fought in King Philip’s War. They would live in Wethersfield and possibly for a time in Simsbury, Connecticut. Margaret and Nathaniel would have nine children: Sarah, Margaret, Elizabeth, Mary, Nathaniel, Ephraim, Josiah, Joseph and Eunice.</li>
<li>Mary (b.1651, d.1722), married Nathaniel Holcombe and lived in the wilderness at Salmon Brook, Connecticut. To read about the colonial Holcombe family, see link at the end of this post.</li>
<li>Nathaniel (b.1653, d.1736), married Deborah Colton and lived in Springfield. They would have at least one child: Nathaniel (b.1679).</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-acAZDU47dKM/V-GnFU8V3NI/AAAAAAAAONE/ZOfz_gMCc6I3FoAbCtzzhM2YzGozcCt1gCLcB/s1600/Massachusetts%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2BLongmeadow%2B-%2Balternate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-acAZDU47dKM/V-GnFU8V3NI/AAAAAAAAONE/ZOfz_gMCc6I3FoAbCtzzhM2YzGozcCt1gCLcB/s640/Massachusetts%2B-%2BTown%2Bof%2BSpringfield%2B-%2BLongmeadow%2B-%2Balternate.jpg" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longmeadow extension of Springfield. Thomas, Joseph<br />
and Nathaniel Bliss Jr. where granted plots in this section.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After Nathaniel’s death, Catherine Chapin would marry Thomas Gilbert (m. 1655) and have four more children: Sarah, John, Thomas and Henry. When Thomas died, she married yet again to Samuel Marshfield (b. 1664) and had an additional four children: Josiah, Hester, Unknown and Margaret (so, four with each husband). It is also reported that Thomas Gilbert's first wife, Lydia was executed for witchcraft at Springfield in 1654.<br />
<br />
A direct descendant of Thomas Bliss is the actor Clint Eastwood. A direct descendant of Nathaniel Bliss is Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of many books, her most famous being “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”<br />
<br />
Additional Information:<br />
For the five-part story of the Holcombe family, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a> <br />
To read more about Catherine Chapin's family, go <a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-chapin-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: There is a wealth of information about the Bliss family that can be found on the internet, including: Bliss Family in America found at usgennet.org; late 19th century books on the family – "<em>Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America from about the year 1550-1880"</em> and "<em>First Century</em> <em>of the History of Springfield</em>;" the website geni.com; the website ancestry.com, the website familysearch.org, the website find-a-grave.com and many other family websites.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>This post is one of a series about the allied Colonial Families that branch off from my Holcombe line. From time-to-time, additions to the series are made. For an overview of all of the families covered and links to each story, go <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a></em></span>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com4Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.629798213.567879763821153 -122.7860482 70.188347436178844 -52.473548199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-62042778360589278222016-10-01T11:30:00.001-05:002023-12-05T18:38:49.442-06:00Six Years of Blogging about Genealogy“<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Other Blog - Family History and Genealogy</a>" celebrated its 6th anniversary yesterday, September 30, 2016. On that same day in 2010, the very first post, just under 400 words and titled “<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/yet-another-blog.html" target="_blank">Yet Another Blog</a>” was published.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3rBxBKfZ-xg/V-1C5zDbjBI/AAAAAAAAOO8/c0Y7A2ovbI8becC8jrurVsP1kD5RgM-UwCEw/s1600/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BHafslo%2BShoreline%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3rBxBKfZ-xg/V-1C5zDbjBI/AAAAAAAAOO8/c0Y7A2ovbI8becC8jrurVsP1kD5RgM-UwCEw/s320/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BHafslo%2BShoreline%2B3.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farms at Hafslo, Sogn og Fjorde, Norway.<br />
Home of my ancestors - connection<br />
found, thanks in part to this blog.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, six years is technically correct but it is also true that I did not publish a post for almost three years between November 2013 and September 2016. After working diligently for the first three years I began to slow down in 2013 and only delivered five posts that year. Then I stopped. Was I burned out or maybe just needed a break? Not sure but I was running out of big ideas for new posts. This site has strived to write solid history "stories" about my family lines and individual family members, most of whom are not well know in the genealogy world on the web. In addition, I would also write a short, non-specific and non-family, post every once-and-a-while. These posts let me talk about the process or something of interest that happened during the search (or something wonderful that just fell in lap). Toward the end, I was publishing the five part Holcombe story, and with that, was already deviating from writing about ancestors unknown to the word - as that family (especially the colonial generations) are very well know to the internet and genealogists. My needed break turned into a long slumber but I did get an occasional comment to answer and sometimes another family connection was made and new information gathered. So it was not totally dormant!<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Here are some stats after six years:<br />
<ul>
<li>47 Posts</li>
<ul>
<li>7 multi-part, in-depth family stories (22 total posts).</li>
<li>12 short articles on interesting individuals.</li>
<li>13 special interest / general posts.</li>
</ul>
<li>Over 80,000 page views.</li>
<li>Numerous contacts with distant cousins or others with family connections.</li>
<ul>
<li>Shared information, photos and documents.</li>
</ul>
<li>Six new stories in development - the colonial families.</li>
</ul>
What to do next? There are certainly more family characters to write about but those first 34 posts covered a lot of ground and touched most of my known family history. Still, I felt a bit guilty not keeping up with the blog. I know I should have written at least a couple of stories each year, if for no other reason than to keep the blog fresh. One commenter, looking for family information wondered if I was still active. Noting the dates of the last post and total lack of activity, she probably thought that I had abandoned my effort or maybe I was dead.<br />
<br />
So, I have been thinking about the whole thing and decided that I should take it up again (that thought process has been developing for a number of months). To round out the site, it seemed obvious that I could expand on the colonial families related to my Holcombe line. Even though these families tend to have a lot of information already available on the web and even on this site. Some of the content may be redundant but I am having a go at it anyway. I wrote an introduction of sorts that will link all of these families. That intro has already been posted and can be found <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/colonial-families-overview.html" target="_blank">here</a>. A couple of posts in the group, about the Bliss and Chapin families are mostly complete and will be posted soon.<br />
<br />
So, I am on my way again but I am going to keep is slow and hopefully steady. A good way to honor the blog and start year seven.<br />
<br />
Additional Reading:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/two-years-of-blogging-about-genealogy.html" target="_blank">Two Years of Blogging about Genealogy</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/big-peterson-family-reunion.html" target="_blank">The Big Peterson Family Reunion</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/ode-to-genealogist.html" target="_blank">Ode to the Genealogist</a><br />
<br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-72169086247245238892016-09-20T14:35:00.003-05:002022-08-13T21:27:20.204-05:00Colonial Families - An OverviewSince first discovering that my grandmother, Grace Holcomb could be traced back to Thomas Holcombe, an early settler to New England, I have spent considerable energy researching the Holcomb(e) name with, perhaps, some neglect of the many other colonial families that I am also connected to. It took some time to make the Holcombe connection complete and it was only after the fact that I started to look at the spouses and their ancestry. I also found myself getting more interested in the stories of the more recent "immigrants" from the 19th Century and so, once again as the focus shifted, the allied colonial families remained on the back burner. Still, I do have a some good information on those colonial families, some of which is already on this website. My goal with this post, is to try and regroup and put forward even more information about those other families.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O1c8QjRRY2Q/VKG8_hwsP-I/AAAAAAAAI94/T0500f41-tA/s1600/New%2BEngland%2B-%2BJohn%2BSeller%2B-%2B1675%2B-%2Balt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O1c8QjRRY2Q/VKG8_hwsP-I/AAAAAAAAI94/T0500f41-tA/s1600/New%2BEngland%2B-%2BJohn%2BSeller%2B-%2B1675%2B-%2Balt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of New England by John Sellers from about 1670.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As my ancestry marches backward in time, there is a linear connection from one Holcombe to the next; son to father, generation to generation and so on moving backward. Each of these generations is like a node that connects one family to another. Branching off these nodes are the stories of the spouses and their ancestors, the other colonial families.<br />
<br />
This report, which is a work in progress, will provide a link to short articles about some of the my colonial families.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Colonial Families</span><br />
<br />
<u>Bliss Family</u><br />
Mary Bliss would marry the first Nathaniel Holcombe in 1670. He was the third son of the Puritan settler Thomas Holcombe and is my eight great-grandfather. He and Mary would settle in the wilderness west of the Connecticut River and be responsible for a huge line of descendants. The Bliss family would first settle in Boston, then Hartford, Connecticut and finally, Springfield, Massachusetts.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-bliss-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">Read about the Bliss Family Here</a></em><br />
<br />
<u>Chapin Family</u><br />
Catherine Chapin was the mother of Mary Bliss and came from a well-documented colonial family. They settled in Springfield, Massachusetts in about 1642. Catherine's father, Samuel was one of the founding fathers of Springfield and the family boasts many notable descendants.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-chapin-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">Read about the Chapin Family Here</a></em><br />
<br />
<u>Buell Family</u><br />
Martha Buell would marry the second Nathaniel Holcombe in 1695. He was the oldest son of Nathaniel I and is my seventh great-grandfather. Martha's family were early settlers to Simsbury, Connecticut and thus also from the larger group of people who pioneered the wilderness west of the Connecticut River.<br />
<br />
<em><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-buell-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">Read about the Buell Family Here</a></em><br />
<em></em><br />
<u>Cogan Family</u><br />
Martha Cogan was the mother of Martha Buell and comes from a family that some trace back to the middle ages. Martha's father, Thomas may have came from Chard, Somersetshire, England (though the origins of Thomas remain unproven) and settled in Tauton, Plymouth Colony before 1638. As such, the Cogan family has been grouped in my post on the Buell family.<div>
<br />
<em><a href="https://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-buell-family-colonial-americans.html" target="_blank">Read about the Cogan Family Here</a> (included in the article about the Buell Family).</em><br />
<br />
<u>Hayes Family</u><br />
Thankful Hayes would marry the third Nathaniel Holcombe in 1717. He was the eldest son of Nathaniel II and is my sixth great-grandfather. The Hayes family were prominent settlers of wilderness at Salmon Brook, which later became Granby, Connecticut. The Holcombe and Hayes family are forever entwined by multiple marriages during the early generations of the families.<br />
<br />
<em>Read about the Hayes Family Here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<br />
<u>Wilcockson Family</u><br />
Elizabeth Wilcockson would marry Joseph Holcombe sometime before 1750. He was a middle child of Nathaniel III and is my fifth great-grandfather. Elizabeth's family where early settlers to Massachusetts and Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<em>Read about the Wilcockson Family Here . . . coming soon</em><br />
<br />
Additional Reading:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">The Holcombe Family - Colonial Generations</a> <br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/wilderman-family-colonists-and-pioneers.html" target="_blank">The Wilderman Family - Colonists and Pioneers</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/david-hollister-hollister-family-1.html" target="_blank">David Hollister and the Hollister Family</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: Available information on most of these families is plentiful and can be found across the web as well as in older, more traditional, genealogy texts. Some of the more prominent and useful sources will be mentioned at the end of each of the individual articles.<br />
<br /></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-61822977582459547062013-11-05T14:35:00.005-06:002021-08-24T18:41:02.086-05:00Holcombe Family (5) - Colonial Generations<span style="font-size: large;">Part 5 - Joseph, Micah and the Movement West</span><br />
<br />
Three generations named Nathaniel Holcombe carved out lives for themselves and their families in a rugged wilderness called Salmon Brook. On the colonial frontier, far removed from the more established society along the Connecticut River, these families played and important role in the settlement of America. They were a vanguard, a buffer against the unknown and a fragile line of defense for the British Empire. At the same time, they went about their business of staking a claim for themselves, conducting public and private business and building a town. They cleared land, planted orchards, establishing farms, and raised families in the meadows, forests and rocky foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. By the time Nathaniel III turned 80 years old, the revolution was in full swing and America was entering a new chapter. These would be the times of the next generations in this family line: Joseph and his son Micah.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/holcombe-family-colonial-generations-4.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 4 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 3 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 2 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tm0DrbY-LwE/Uf_BiC0m_HI/AAAAAAAABgk/Bbtv8VQQxzY/s1600/North+Hartford+County+1766.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tm0DrbY-LwE/Uf_BiC0m_HI/AAAAAAAABgk/Bbtv8VQQxzY/s400/North+Hartford+County+1766.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Hartford County in the 1760's. At the time of this map, Salmon Brook<br />
is still a small settlement in the northern part of the Town of Simsbury.<br />
Eventually, it would break away and become the Town of Granby.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Joseph Holcombe - 4th Generation at Salmon Brook</span><br />
<br />
Joseph was born in 1728 and was the 6th child and 3rd son of Nathaniel Holcombe III and Thankful Hayes. Early genealogists and family researchers don't have much to say about Joseph and in fact, his very existence has sometimes come into question. It is unclear if he served in the French and Indian War (of which he would have been the right age) but cemetery records indicate that he did serve, at least for time in the Revolution as a Sergeant in the 18th Regiment of the Connecticut Militia. Joseph married Elizabeth Wilcox (or Wilcockson) (b.1723, d.1824) sometime around or before 1750. They would farm and raise seven children in Salmon Brook.<br />
<br />
Joseph would live in a tight-knit community surrounded by a large extended family. Both his grandfather and great-grandfather would live long enough for him to know them. He would also witness great changes to the frontier outpost at Salmon Brook. In his childhood, the area was still sparsely populated and concerns of invasion from the enemies of England seemed to be always present. At the same time, all of Simsbury was growing and becoming more established. As a young adult, Joseph would witness the last event of outside aggression with the French and Indian War. After that, the frontier would move far from the Connecticut foothills. But just when peace and tranquility seemed at hand, internal strife would start to affect the farmers of Salmon Brook. The split from England was at hand and the American Revolution would soon consume the life of the colonies.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cRYCKMYMXro/Ui3ne3dxT2I/AAAAAAAABhw/bs6fL2K1FbM/s1600/Holcombe+-+Joseph+-+Gravestite+-+Granby+Center+Cemetary.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cRYCKMYMXro/Ui3ne3dxT2I/AAAAAAAABhw/bs6fL2K1FbM/s400/Holcombe+-+Joseph+-+Gravestite+-+Granby+Center+Cemetary.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Joseph Holcombe at Granby Center<br />
Cemetery. His wife Elizabeth is also buried here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">The Family of Elizabeth Wilcockson</span><br />
<br />
Elizabeth Wilcockson was the only child of Joseph Wilcockson (b.1701, d.1760) and his first wife Elizabeth Holcombe (b.1703, d.1727). Joseph was the son of Samuel Wilcockson (II) (b.1666, d.1713) of Windsor and Mindwell Griffin (b.1661, d.1725). He is buried at Granby Center Cemetery. Samuel (II) was the son of Sergeant Samuel Wilcockson (I) (b.1640, d.1712) of Stratford and Hannah Rice (d.1713?). Samuel (I) was the son of William Wilcockson (Wilcoxon) (b.1601, d.1652) from Derbyshire and Margaret Birdseye (b.1611). William and family, including their first born son John, who at the time was two, sailed from London to Boston in 1635 on the ship Planter. He was a linen weaver by trade and the family first settled in Concord and in 1639 and were one of 17 founding families of Stratford, Connecticut. Samuel (I) was an early settler of Simsbury in 1677 and settled at Meadow Plain. He served for many years as a representative of Simsbury to the assembly.<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Holcombe was the daughter of Sergeant Jonathan Holcombe (b.1678, d. 1761) and Mary Buell (b.1677, d. 1720). Jonathan was the son of Nathaniel Holcombe I and Mary was Martha Buell’s sister (see previous post on Nathaniel I), making Joseph and Elizabeth cousins, twice. Mindwell Griffin was the 7th of 10 children of John Griffin (I) (b.1601, d.1681) and Anna Bancroft (b.1627) from Derbyshire, England. By the late 1640’s John Griffin was manufacturing Tar Pitch and Turpentine in the wilderness around Salmon Brook thus making him a very early (perhaps the first) settler of Simsbury. Anna Bancroft’s parents, John Bancroft (b.1596, d.1647) and Jane (?) sailed from England with their children in 1632 aboard the ship James. John Bancroft is descendant from (1) Thomas, (2) Ralph, and (3) John Bancroft of Chellaston, England. Ann Langfort was the daughter of Edward Langfort of Wales. Hannah Rice was the 3rd of nine children of Richard Rice (b.1609?, d.1709) and Elizabeth. Richard came to America in 1635 and resided at Cambridge and Concord, Massachusetts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Joseph Holcombe and Elizabeth Wilcockson</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Son Micha Holcombe and his descendants are covered in detail farther down in this article.</li>
<li>Daughter Rosanna Holcombe (b.1752, d.1843) married Isaac Goddard (b.1752, d.1840), the son of John Goddard II and Mary Hillyer in 1776. They had nine children and lived out their lives in Granby. Isaac served in the Revolution and is buried at Granby Center Cemetery; Rosanna is assumed to be buried there as well.</li>
<li>Daughter Louisa Holcombe (b.1754, d.1815) married Abner Phelps (b.1761), the son of Charles Phelps in 1785. They settled on a farm in Bloomfield, Connecticut. After Abner’s death, Louisa moved to Johnstown, Fulton County, New York and lived with her only known child, Eli.</li>
<li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcombe (b.1755?) married Elisha Hinsdale (b.1761, d.1827) the son of Jacob Hinsdale and Mary Brace. She was his second wife and they had three children and settled in Norton, Ohio (see Betsey, below). Elisha served in the Revolution as a Fifer in a company commanded by Captain Theophilus Munson of Colonel John Chandler's 8th Connecticut Regiment.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg5zr__yRkk/UjyE_dULA-I/AAAAAAAABkE/ZCYyEu4LaeE/s1600/Holcombe+-+Elizabeth+-+Daughter+of+Joseph+-+Gravesite+-+Woodlawn+Cemetery+-+Wadsworth+Ohio.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg5zr__yRkk/UjyE_dULA-I/AAAAAAAABkE/ZCYyEu4LaeE/s320/Holcombe+-+Elizabeth+-+Daughter+of+Joseph+-+Gravesite+-+Woodlawn+Cemetery+-+Wadsworth+Ohio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth and Elisha's Gravesite, Wadsworth, Ohio</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Son Joseph Holcombe II (b.1758) married Sarah Ford (b.1765), the daughter of John Ford and Sarah Wood in 1784. Joseph was a Sergeant, then Lieutenant in Lieutenant Joel Hayes command, Connecticut Militia in the Revolutionary War. Joseph and Sarah eventually settled in western Massachusetts in the 1830’s. Joseph and Sarah had eight children.</li>
<ul>
<li>Joseph and Sarah’s son, Lory, served in the War of 1812 under Sereno Pettibone at New London, Connecticut with his cousin Luman (son of Joseph I’s sister Mercy).</li>
</ul>
<li>Daughter Betsey Holcombe (b.1760?) was born but little is known about her. One source indicated that Betsey married Elisha Hinsdale but a more trusted source lists the marriage to Elizabeth (of which Betsey would be short for). It may be that they are the same person.</li>
<li>Son Levi Holcombe (b.1767, d.1831) married Martha Benjamin (d.1850) in 1797 and they lived out their lives in North Granby. Levi and Martha had two known children. There was also noted to be another Levi Holcombe (a cousin) who married the same Martha so it is unclear which family Levi belongs to.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YbNeIscEgGQ/UjyA9m6Cl5I/AAAAAAAABj4/pz0itZmdMLk/s1600/Holcomb+-+Levi+and+Wife+Martha+-+Son+of+Joseph+-+Gravesite+-+Granby+Center+-+alt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YbNeIscEgGQ/UjyA9m6Cl5I/AAAAAAAABj4/pz0itZmdMLk/s320/Holcomb+-+Levi+and+Wife+Martha+-+Son+of+Joseph+-+Gravesite+-+Granby+Center+-+alt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levi and Martha's gravesite at Granby Center Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Joseph and Elizabeth would live out their lives in the place first settled by Nathaniel Holcombe (I) almost 130 years earlier. They would witness the formation of a new nation and the newly formed Town of Granby. Joseph died on 1813 and Elizabeth would live until 1824 and die at age 100.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Micha Holcombe - West to New Frontiers</span><br />
<br />
Born in 1751, he was the eldest child of Joseph Holcombe and Elizabeth Wilcockson, Micha (or Micah) was the last of this line to start a family in the Salmon Brook/Granby area of Connecticut. His son Apollas would therefore be the last of the line to be born in the town first settled by his Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Nathaniel I in the late 1600s. After serving in the Revolutionary War, Micha headed west and settled in the Town of Bloomfield and Town of Mendon, Ontario County, New York. The combination of new opportunities in the west, economic stagnation at home, and a shortage of farmable land enticed young men like Micha to take their families and head out into the frontier. His movement west was part of a greater migration of New Englanders as western New York, much of which was still wilderness and part of which was set aside for Revolutionary War veterans, was opened up to settlement after 1790.<br />
<br />
The exact time of his departure from New England is not entirely clear. He was still recorded in the 1800 census of Granby, Connecticut and then appears in the 1810 census in the Town of Bloomfield, New York (noted as four males and one female in the household). In 1813, he was listed as a taxpayer on the first assessment roll of the Town of Mendon along with his sons Samuel and Apollas. He has not been found in the 1820 or 1830 Census but there is a Michael Holcombe living in the Town of Washington, Macomb County in the 1840 Census and listed as between 80 and 90 years old.<br />
<br />
The present-day Town of Bloomfield was formed in 1990 with the merger of the hamlets of East Bloomfield and Holcomb. Holcomb was probably named after a different Holcombe who settled next to the train station and developed much of the town after 1860. It seems that all of Micha’s children moved on, either to Michigan, to neighboring counties in New York or to parts unknown.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
About Micha from a biography on Ira Holcombe from <u>The History of Macomb County</u> . . . <em>Micha Holcomb, father of Apollos Holcomb was born in 1752; served in the Revolution and died in 1840, in Washington, Macomb Co., Mich.; his wife was Hannah Hayes . . . the patriot ancestor of Mr. </em>(Ira)<em> Holcomb left in the family three varieties of ancient buttons – one stamped “Mayflower” one a relic of the Revolution with an “eagle,” and another sort whose date and meaning are unknown.</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnHaXEZDQao/UjiQbhkSLnI/AAAAAAAABiY/zGy-aC0HpW8/s1600/New+York+-+Holland+Map+-+1910.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BnHaXEZDQao/UjiQbhkSLnI/AAAAAAAABiY/zGy-aC0HpW8/s400/New+York+-+Holland+Map+-+1910.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western New York about 1810 with some of the first counties formed.<br />
Between 1801 and 1820, the area grew in population to over 100,000.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Hannah Hayes and the Children of Micha and Hannah</span><br />
<br />There is limited information available on the ancestry of Hannah Hayes. However, since we know that Micha was born and raised in Salmon Brook / Granby it can be assumed that Hannah was of the same Hayes family that has been described in previous reports and a descendant of the George Hayes family of Salmon Brook. Looking at the Hayes genealogy, it might be surmised that this is the same Hannah (b.1762) that was the daughter of Silas Hayes (b.1740, d.1801) and Hannah Holcombe (b1738, d.1823). Hannah Holcombe was the daughter of Judah Holcombe and Hannah Buttolph (see Part 3 of this series). Micha and Hannah’s marriage has been recorded in the records of the Congregational Church in Turkey Hills (East Granby).<br />
<br />
Available information on the children of Micha Holcombe and Hannah Hayes is also somewhat limited. As families expanded and became more mobile, some of these generations are less likely to be included in 19th century family genealogies. In addition, census data from the early 19th Century is not very detailed and that makes it much harder to determine family connections. Computer translation errors (of microfilm) and incomplete information also makes it difficult to find names. The 1820 census lists a Horace living in Rush, Virgil living in Mendon (both in Ontario County) and Samuel and Apollas living in Hartland (Niagara County), all in western New York. It would seem to make sense that these would be Micha’s sons as Rush and Mendon are very near Bloomfield and Hartland was known to be the home of Apollas. This was prior to various family members heading to Michigan.<br />
<ul>
<li>Son Virgil Holcombe (b.1787, d.1855) was listed in both the 1840 and 1850 United States Census living in Milan, Monroe County, Michigan. He married Sophronia Hubbard and had nine known children (all boys): Edward, Lorenzo, Julius, Justin, Seymour, Ansel, Samuel, Earl and Albert. Virgil and Sophronia are buried at Rice Cemetery, Milan along with many descendants. A couple of sources have indicated that he is the son of Micha Holcombe and Hannah Hayes, so as research has continued, this writer has become more confident that this is the right Virgil Holcombe. Cemetery records in Michigan and other records from New York indicate that Virgil served in the War of 1812 and it is known that a Virgil Holcombe served in the same regiment as brother Apollas.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obtMr4xi7P8/UjiKlJgzjlI/AAAAAAAABiE/BvDT43lYLwY/s1600/Holcomb+-+Virgil+-+Gravesite+-+Rice+Cemetery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obtMr4xi7P8/UjiKlJgzjlI/AAAAAAAABiE/BvDT43lYLwY/s400/Holcomb+-+Virgil+-+Gravesite+-+Rice+Cemetery.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virgil Holcombe's gravesite at Rice Cemetery outside<br />
Milan, Michigan. There are at least 28 Holcombe names<br />
at Rice Cemetery. Most, if not all of these names, are<br />
descendants of Virgil Holcombe and Sophronia Hubbard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><ul><li>Son Julius served in the Civil War with the Michigan 20th Infantry Regiment, Company ‘D.’ This regiment saw action at Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Petersburg and Appomattox. </li>
<li>Son Justin served in the Civil War with Hall’s Independent Battalion of the Michigan Shartshooters, Company ‘B.’ Organized toward the end of the war, the battalion saw action at Petersburg, Five Forks and Appomattox.</li>
<li>Son Samuel served in the Civil War with the Michigan 6th Infantry, Company ‘F.’ He was mustered out early in New Orleans in the summer of 1862 and died in October of that year of disease. Of the 582 casualties suffered by the 6th Infantry, all but 76 were from disease.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Samuel Holcombe was born but not much is known about him. If he survived to adult-hood, he could be the Samuel living in south-eastern Michigan or one living in Ohio. Both are of the right age to be the sons of Micha. There was also a Samuel Holcomb from New York serving in the same Regiment as Apollas in the War of 1812 and as stated above, the 1820 United States Census lists a Samuel Holcombe living in Hartland, New York (also the home of Apollas).</li>
<li>Son Horace Holcombe has also been hard to track down. One might think that the name was not that common but in fact, there were a number of Horace Holcombe's living in the 19th Century and it seemed to be a popular name with this Holcombe family as well. This may be the Horace that settled in Monroe or Washtenaw County, Michigan. A Horace Holcomb was listed as a Veteran of the War of 1812, from New York and living in Monroe County and census records indicate that there was a Horace Holcomb, of the right age, living in Washtenaw in the later years of his life. Also, a Horace and Horace Jr. from Monroe County, Michigan served in the Civil War (possibly a son and grandson or possibly the Horace noted as the son of Apollas or his son). In addition to Michigan, there is at least one Horace Holcombe of the right age that was living in western New York State at the time.</li>
<li>Son Apollas Holcombe (b.1791, d.1823), the next in this family line is covered in detail in a separate post <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/apollas-holcombe-short-biography.html" target="_blank">found here</a>.</li>
<li>Son William Holcombe (b.1792?) like Samuel and Horace has been hard to trace. If he lived to adulthood, he could be the William living in far western New York at Collins in Erie County or the William living at Union in Montgomery County, Indiana. A better guess is that it is the William living in Norton in Summit County, Ohio in the 1850 census and Parma in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in the 1860 and 1870 census. This William was noted to have been born in Connecticut and his wife was born in New York. Even more interesting, they had a son named Apollas; a very rare name and the same as William’s brother who was, by that time, deceased.</li>
<li>Son Micha Holcombe II (b.1794?, d.1861?) is likely the Micha recorded as living in Dryden, LaPeer County, Michigan in the 1840 Census. That Census lists one boy under the age of 5, one boy between the ages of 15 and 20 and one female (presumably his wife) between the ages of 40 and 50. In the 1850 Census, Micha (spelled Michiel in that record) is living in the same house as his widowed sister-in-law, Mehitabel Bunnell, the wife of Apollas Holcombe. A source has indicated that Micha and Mehitabel were married and that would not be unusual. Mehitabel was known to have traveled to Wisconsin toward the end of her life and died in Green County in 1851 so it could also be that she lived in Micha’s home after the death of her husband Apollas but never remarried. In the 1860 census, Micha is living with his son James, also in Dryden.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-no4VrzJPiog/UjiL234R6aI/AAAAAAAABiM/MYdRPU0d65w/s1600/Holcomb+-+Micha+2+-+Gravesite+-+Dryden+Pioneer.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-no4VrzJPiog/UjiL234R6aI/AAAAAAAABiM/MYdRPU0d65w/s400/Holcomb+-+Micha+2+-+Gravesite+-+Dryden+Pioneer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micha Holcombe II's gravesite at South Dryden Pioneer Cemetery. Also<br />
on the stone is the name Larned Holcomb, born 1840. There are a few<br />
other Holcombe names in this cemetery, including a nephew, James.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Micha went on to Michigan in his old age. He may have lived his last years with one or more of his sons or even grandsons who had settled in the state. He died in the Town of Washington and is reportedly buried at Washington Cemetery. Micha’s generation represents a real milestone in the timeline of American History. When he was born, America was a colony of England hugging the Atlantic coast. By the time of his death, the nation was over 50 years old and drifting toward civil war.<br />
<br />
Research Notes: The Holcombe family in America is well documented, both on-line and in print. I would encourage you to search the web to find out more. The <a href="http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/" target="_blank">Holcombe Family Genealogy</a> website is a good place to start and provided me with a wealth of information about the family. I also found a some great information in "<em>The Brittle Thread of Life</em>," a fairly recent book about Salmon Brook by Mark Williams (2009). Other sources include: <a href="http://www.colonialct.uconn.edu/" target="_blank">Colonial Connecticut Records</a>, the <a href="http://www.usgennet.org/family/bliss/" target="_blank">Bliss Family Website</a>, genealogy books on the Holcombe, Buell and Bliss families (some of which are now available on line), various census and other vital records found on-line (some at AncestryDotCom) and other sources.</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-69008294233870103732013-10-01T13:57:00.002-05:002023-12-05T18:12:48.894-06:00Spike Peterson - Short Biography<span style="font-size: large;">Curtis "<em>Spike</em>" Peterson, the "<em>Rassler</em>"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
One of the most colorful characters in my family history was “Spike” Peterson. He was a locally famous wrestler, who traveled the wrestling circuit, primarily in southern Wisconsin from the 1930’s until his tragic death in 1951. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-42aMdtwKe3k/UjnbEPpS8BI/AAAAAAAABi8/KtqKgYqfD_U/s1600/Peterson+-+Spike+-+1945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-42aMdtwKe3k/UjnbEPpS8BI/AAAAAAAABi8/KtqKgYqfD_U/s320/Peterson+-+Spike+-+1945.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis "Spike" Peterson, circa 1940s.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Spike was born Curtis Peterson on August 11, 1911 in Blue Mounds Wisconsin. He was the second youngest of four children of Henry Peterson and Gena Lewis. Both of his parents would suffer during the 1918 flu pandemic. His mother would die, along with an unborn child but his father would eventually recover. His older sister, Martha, probably filled the role of both sister and mother to young Curtis after that time. By all accounts, he would grow into a tall, strong and good looking young man, described by one reporter as "<em>blessed with beautiful muscles, a height of 6’-1” and 200 pounds of well-knitted body</em>." His only real deficiency was his deteriorating eyesight which was a handicap in the ring. Spike was often portrayed as the country bumpkin and that was part of his wrestling persona but he was actually a very smart fellow, with a keen wit and generous sense of humor. How and why he decided to become a professional wrestler is a mystery. It is also unclear when this adventure began, but by the 1930’s he was a regular fixture on the wrestling scene in southern Wisconsin. One reporter described him as “<em>a young fellow of fabulous strength and tremendous determination to become a wrestler</em>.” After 1940, Spike lived in Madison, in his infamous trailer and junk yard compound at 405 Center Street.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From an article on Spike at the time of his death; Wis. State Journal, 05/29/1951 . . . <em>Spike was a crowd-pleaser and the wrestling fans looked forward to his impromptu “speeches.” I was part of the crowd of thousands who saw him that gave him the nickname – “Spike” – after he had showed them how to pound a spike through a board with his bare fist. They loved it too, when he would take a straight, strong spike and bend it into a ‘U’ shape. Spike had a touch of showmanship that Madison will long remember . . .</em></blockquote>
Professional wrestling has always lived on the fringes of respectable sport; somewhere between an athletic event and carnival side show. This was especially the case in the days of Curtis Peterson and his contemporary wrestlers. Known as “Spikedriver” Peterson or just “Spike” for short, his claim to fame was driving a railroad spike into a piece of wood with his fist. For most of his career, Spike was associated with Jimmy Dementral. Jimmy was a well-known wrestler and promoter who traveled a circuit that consisted of county and state fairs, eagles clubs, gymnasiums, local football and baseball fields and other small venues. Many times (and especially in the early days), Spike’s role in the show was that of the “spoiler” or “ringer.” Dressed in overalls with his trade-mark derby hat and often chewing on a long sprig of straw, Spike would slip into the audience and wait for his moment of fame. At the appointed time, the call would go out for a volunteer to face the champion. That was Spike’s cue; he would rise and say “<em>I’ll do it</em>!” Spike understood the showmanship aspects of the sport. In the ring he was a talker. He would talk, almost non-stop, both to his opponent and the spectators. This along with his “everyman” appearance connected with the audience and made him a crowd favorite, especially in the farming communities of central Wisconsin.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On an upcoming match with his friend and nemesis Jimmy Demetral; Henry J. McCormick, <u>Wis. State Journal</u>, 9/9/47 . . . <em>If you like comedy, “Spike” will provide that with his speeches before, during and after each bout. The Mount Horeb Norwegian loves to address the crowd and the crowd always get a big belt out of his maunderings . . . if you like your wrestling straight, with an overtone of mayhem, this match will provide it, for there is a definite animosity between the two . . .</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EnGcmAu2YM/Ujn8mn19oYI/AAAAAAAABjY/zVevFYfvjNM/s1600/Jimmy+Demetral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EnGcmAu2YM/Ujn8mn19oYI/AAAAAAAABjY/zVevFYfvjNM/s320/Jimmy+Demetral.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jimmy "Gentleman Jim" Demetral in his hayday.<br />
He was a wrestler and wrestling promoter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Demetral was both his nemesis and mentor, friend and foe. Spike prodded him, time and time again, for a match and they did eventually wrestle each other on several occasions. On one particular instance, Spike was verbally assaulting Jimmy in an effort to get into the ring. Spike's routine was getting old and hoping to get rid of him, Jimmy remarked that he was not taking-on "<em>any farmers today</em>." Then, someone in the crowd yelled out, "<em>what's the matter with farmers</em>?" Spike jumped on that, also demanding to know what was wrong with farmers. Soon the whole crowd demanded an answer to the questions. Demetral had no choice but let Spike into the ring. After a few minutes of wrestling, Jimmy had him up over his head and then down on the mat hard. Spike passed out. Jimmy called out to the audience, "<em>someone call an ambulance!</em>" and soon Spike was being taken away on a stretcher. This caused a sensation as word of mouth spread that Demetral had killed a farm boy in the ring. Of course, Spike was up and about within 45 minutes but the whole thing was a boon to Demetral as the wrestling tent was packed for the rest the day. Jimmy seemed to take a liking to Spike and despite their public squabbling, they must have become friends. Jimmy would teach Spike how to train, build his strength and often gave him wrestling pointers. Eventually, Spike was a regular on Demetral’s circuit. When Spike lay dying in a hospital bed, Jimmy was by his side until the end.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From an article on Spike at the time of his death; <u>Capital Times</u>, 5/28/1951 . . . <em>Peterson’s career was colorful both in and out of the wrestling ring and his outside activities frequently brought him into contact with the police and the courts . . .</em> </blockquote>
Spike was a notable character out of the ring as well. Madison newspapers dubbed him a modern day “robin hood” and he had many brushes with the law for stealing (or borrowing) various items to help his friends and fellow man. One reporter described him as a “<em>frequent guest of the Sheriff</em>,” though mostly for very short durations. In addition to regularly losing his driver’s license, he was also known to steel coal from the railroad so others would not “<em>freeze to death,</em>” and he noted to the judge that he had an oil burner so the coal was definitely not for him. His most serious brush with the law was when he helped two thieves load a stolen safe on to their truck. He claimed to not know that they were thieves or the safe was stolen but that is not the real story. For his part, Spike served 60 days in prison. Spike’s appetite, especially his love of dairy products (and meat), was also the subject of discussion around the wrestling circuit and it was remarked that he had “<em>stomach trouble . . . he could never keep it filled</em>.” It was reported that once, on the last evening of the fair, he polished-off 35 unsold hamburgers in one sitting. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From an article on Spikedriver Peterson; <u>Wis. State Journal</u>, 2/27/1944 . . . <em>he showed up one lunch hour, with a small electric plate, a cooking pot, three and a half pounds of beef, a box of crackers, a bottle of catsup, two loaves of bread, two quarts of milk, and a horrific slab of cheese; received Jimmys’</em> (Demetral)<em> reluctant permission to plug the electric plate into a tent connection and prepare his noon repast . . .</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Mbmz_07TOM/UjnZIiKXarI/AAAAAAAABiw/s30jej4PGM4/s1600/Peterson+-+Spike+-+Safe+Burglary+Sentencing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Mbmz_07TOM/UjnZIiKXarI/AAAAAAAABiw/s30jej4PGM4/s400/Peterson+-+Spike+-+Safe+Burglary+Sentencing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis Peterson (second from left) and his co-defendants, the Dickie<br />
brothers, who stole a safe from a roofing company on Park Street in<br />
Madison on October 29th, 1948. Peterson claimed he did not know<br />
they were stealing the safe when he helped them load it into their truck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From an article on Spike’s troubles with the law; <u>Wis. State Journal</u>, 6/13/1950 . . .<em>The troubles and cares of Curis O. “Spike” Peterson, Madison’s spectacular, bespectacled “rassler,” were recounted at length before the patient care of Superior Judge Roy H. Proctor Monday afternoon, and Spike had plenty of both . . .</em></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
About one of Spike’s encounters with the law; from two articles Madison Papers, late 1940s . . . <em>Curtis O. “Spike” Peterson, 39 year old Madison wrestler, was sentenced to 10 days in jail Monday by Circuit Judge Alvin C. Reis for failing to obey a court order directing him to remove the junk from his property at 405 Center Street . . . Spike yawned audibly as he listened to Building Inspection Superintendent Ray F. Burt, Fire Inspection Captain Paul Gabbei, and Frank Harrison, and investigator for the city attorney’s office, tell the court for the ump-teenth time that Spike had failed to move the “junk yard” from his property . . . “Yeah, I know it is a mess,” Spike interrupted. “But I been on a little vacation. I went down to the state fair and did a little rasslin.” Judge Reis reminded Spike that the last time he was in court, his excuse for not having the property cleaned was that he had been “ton busy” with wrestling matches at the Eagles Club . . .</em></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
and</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em> . . . Peterson was charged with maintaining a trailer camp, using a garage for living quarters and storing junk and rubbish on his premises . . . In court today, “Spike” explained he had been “busy at the State Fair,” but he admitted his place was a mess. He added he was trying to clean it up, but claimed, “I’m no flying machine.”</em></blockquote>
<div>
The results of 14 matches Spike wrestled at in Madison in 1950 and early 1951 (mostly at the Eagles Club and Breese Stevens Field) showed his record as six wins, four draws and four losses with two of the losses to Jimmy Demetral. Spike died the way he lived, with a bang. He passed away on May 28, 1951 as a result of a broken neck in a match the night before. A wrestler, named Sam Abraham had lifted Spike into the air and when he struggled to get free, Spike fell hard to the mat and was critically injured. He lived through the night and died in a hospital in Richland Center, Wisconsin, where the match had taken place. His funeral was attended many including Jimmy Demetral and Judge Proctor. Spike was buried with his parents at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On news of Spike’s death; Lew Cornelius, <u>Wis. State Journal</u>, 5/28/51 . . . <em>Wrestling in and around Madison isn’t going to seem the same for a long, long time. Curtis “Spike” Peterson, a wrestler who couldn’t see without his glasses and never actually knew his own strength on the mat because of that handicap is dead.</em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From an account of Spike’s funeral; Hank Casserly, <u>Capital Times</u>, 6/1/1951 . . . <em>They buried Curtis “Spike” Peterson Thursday in Mount Horeb . . . Spike was simple soul who never harmed anyone as the Reverend E.R. Anderson remarked as he preached the funeral service of the Lutheran church over the departed “Robin Hood.” Reverend Anderson, who baptized and gave confirmation to Spike presided at Gesme Funeral Parlor and at the Mount Horeb Lutheran Church. Reverend Anderson not only preached a beautiful sermon over the departed wrestler, but also sang several hymns suited to the occasion. There were friends of all degrees at Spike’s funeral. Not a few Madison people attended, among them Judge Roy Proctor, Jimmy Demetral, Alec London and Dan Brown of Milwaukee. There were others from Madison and the surrounding territory. The church was packed for the services and there wasn’t a dry eye as Reverend Anderson related Spike’s growth from a baby to the time of his death following an injury received in a wrestling match in Richland Center . . . Funerals are depressing, but Spike’s was robbed of all depression by the words of the Reverend Anderson's “Farewell Spike.”</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu2qevtAMbI/UjnYbwwxb1I/AAAAAAAABis/ASDb_6oKKp4/s1600/Peterson+-+Spike+-+1951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tu2qevtAMbI/UjnYbwwxb1I/AAAAAAAABis/ASDb_6oKKp4/s320/Peterson+-+Spike+-+1951.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis O. Peterson, about 1950.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zITVBFUUQTI/UjncewGmLXI/AAAAAAAABjM/SM3DmDP9a1I/s1600/Spike+Peterson+Grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zITVBFUUQTI/UjncewGmLXI/AAAAAAAABjM/SM3DmDP9a1I/s320/Spike+Peterson+Grave.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curtis Peterson is buried at Union Cemetery in Mount<br />
Horeb with his parents on each side of him.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Additional Information:<br />
Read about the Peterson Family of Blue Mounds and Mount Horeb Wisconsin <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-1.html" target="_blank">here . . .</a> <br />
<br />
Research Notes: Much of the information for this report was obtained from articles found in two Madison newspapers, the Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times. Additional information was obtained from the United States Census, other vital records and other on-line sources. <br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is one of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.</span></em>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-81094528668338970152013-09-04T09:07:00.004-05:002022-05-10T18:04:31.885-05:00Holcombe Family (4) - Colonial Generations<span style="font-size: large;">Part 4 - Nathaniel Holcombe III</span><br />
<br />
Nathaniel Holcombe I, the first of three Nathaniel's and son of Thomas Holcombe settled in the Town of Simsbury, Connecticut in the late 1670's in the remote wilderness at Salmon Brook. He was one of the first of the next generation of colonial pioneers to venture farther west and away from the settled areas along the Connecticut River. His son, Nathaniel II, would also raise his family in Salmon Brook. By that time, the small settlement had become more established but still lay at the edge of the British Empire in America. The next generation, the third Nathaniel would grow up in this wilderness but as he came of age, he would raise a family in an increasingly more settled 18th Century Colonial America. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 3 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 2 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_7KGnXD3o/Ufm-dMGmXlI/AAAAAAAABgQ/CEbgF6boVKQ/s1600/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Simsbury+-+1736+-+Alternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wD_7KGnXD3o/Ufm-dMGmXlI/AAAAAAAABgQ/CEbgF6boVKQ/s400/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Simsbury+-+1736+-+Alternate.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From "The Brittle Thread of Live," The Town of Simsbury in the 1730's. Salmon Brook<br />
(the future Town of Granby) is toward the top. Hop Meadow (the main Simsbury settlement)<br />
is toward the bottom. West of the Connecticut River and approaching the foothills of the<br />
Berkshires, a number of settlements have been established along the colony's western frontier.<br />
<a name='more'></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nathaniel Holcombe III - 3rd Generation at Salmon Brook</span><br />
<br />
The eldest son of Nathaniel Holcomb II and Martha Buell, Nathaniel III was born October 25, 1696. He would have the benefit of growing up in a large family and even larger extended family that included his grandfather and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was 20 when he married Thankful Hayes; she was just 17. The second generation to be born at Salmon Brook were marrying earlier in life than their parents and there was a tendency to live a few years in their parent’s homes before moving on. It was not until 1719 or 1720 at the time of the birth of their second child, that they had a house of their own.<br />
<br />
Nathaniel and Thankful would settle a bit farther west in Salmon Brook after being granted a six acre parcel by the Town of Simsbury, described as, “<em>house-and-barn plots set amidst large areas of commons for Simsbury’s young men coming of age</em>.” At the base of Bushy Hill along “crooked creek” they built their first home, still standing and recognized as the oldest surviving house in Granby. In 1733 they would build a new house on an 11 acre lot just west of their meadow lands.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Land description from <u>Town of Simsbury Records</u> <em>. . . the piece beginning at the crossing of Crooked Brook and the road was granted to Nathaniel Holcombe III, a twenty-three year old man, married three years, with one daughter, child number two on the way, and who is ready to move out of his father’s house two miles east . . . </em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the <em>Holcombe Website</em> . . . <em>Nathaniel would clear the stumps of huge trees, begin his orchard, and build a barn for the animals he hoped to raise. Thankful would keep her garden, process and prepare foods, probably with only a few utensils, and share in the care of the animals. Over the next twelve years she would give birth to five more children in the little borning room in the back south corner of the house. In their next house she would have six more, for a total of thirteen. Within a year, they would have a few neighbors - all young people they had grownup with at Salmon Brook . . .</em></blockquote>
Getting a land grant for his meager six acres was no easy task for Nathaniel III. His generation, frustrated with the politics of colonialism, ever shifting frontier boundaries in England’s struggles with France and Spain and the slow process of granting land, decided to take matters into their own hands and stake-out claims without legal title. In fact, as John Humphries was surveying land along “Crooked Brook” for new parcels, Nathaniel had already cleared the land and built his house. This is something that would never have been tolerated in previous generations.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From <u>The Brittle Thread of Life</u> <em>. . . as we stand with Humphries, though, and look around, we soon encounter more of interest. For one thing, he does not seem to be pacing off his lines in the midst of forest. Quite the contrary, some of the landmarks for this and other nearby plats are stumps, the species of which he can identify – someone has taken down the trees. And not only do we see that the lot is already partially cleared, but we are astonished to find that young Holcomb, “being the third Nathaniel,” has already built a substantial house on this land! . . . Nathaniel and his wife Thankful, accompanied by a toddler and an infant, are probably watching Humphries mark out these boundaries for the house they built last summer. And the same can be said for other families in the immediate vicinity. Simsbury seems to be allowing its young people to pick a spot for their homestead, “improve” it, and by that act alone, get title to the land . . .</em></blockquote>
It was not a done deal, however. It was left to Nathaniel’s grandfather, Nathaniel Holcombe I to make the case for the land grants at the colonial court in Hartford. By this time, Nathaniel I was one of the most respected citizen of Salmon Brook, a respect which apparently stretched to Hartford. Small land grants where approved but it was not until 1723 that the inhabitants of Salmon Brook finally gained control of the process and their own destinies.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDYkR3z1_tk/YSwl9llSbiI/AAAAAAAAQPU/nqWgIao8HjoCkfiVh1YtGdxv5H62xtIuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BHouse%2B-%2BFront%2B-%2BSE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="500" height="299" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDYkR3z1_tk/YSwl9llSbiI/AAAAAAAAQPU/nqWgIao8HjoCkfiVh1YtGdxv5H62xtIuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h299/Holcomb%2B-%2BNathaniel%2B-%2BHouse%2B-%2BFront%2B-%2BSE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nathaniel Holcombe III House on Bushy Hills Road in Granby. Built in 1719 and a<br />national registered landmark, it is possibly, the oldest surviving colonial house in the town.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In addition to his own large family, Nathaniel III was appointed guardian of his sister Sarah's three minor children in 1754, Ephraim Case, age 13, Amy Case, age 10, and Dorothy Case, age 7. Sarah’s husband had died that year and it does not appear that she remarried. Nathaniel III was not considered wealthy but he did manage to pay off all of his debts and build a substantial farm. As a Captain and militia leader he was highly respected in the community. <br />
<br />
He was noted to have accompanied the force at Housatonic with his father and he would serve the British Empire in the French and Indian War. Connecticut State Military Records indicate that a Captain Nathaniel Holcombe of Simsbury commanded Company Eight of the Connecticut First Regiment during the French and Indian War in 1758. Another source indicated that he organized a company of men to participate in the invasion of Quebec by way of Crown Point. The British had been loosing the war on all fronts up until 1758, when they turned the corner and began to push the French back. Part of the offensive was a major push into Quebec in that year. British forces assaulted the French fort at Crown Point twice before the French destroyed the fort and abandoned the position.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Family of Thankful Hayes</span><br />
<br />
Thankful Hayes was born in 1700, the 9th of 11 children of George Hayes (b.1655, d.1725), from Scotland and his second wife, Abigail Dibble (b.1666, d.1725). Some sources have indicated that George was living in Dover, England prior to departing for America. Thankful Hayes was born at Salmon Brook. Thankful’s father, George, was the son of Robert Hayes (b.1629?) and Mary Margaret Molster (Malster) (b1633?) of Scotland (?).<br />
<br />
It is not entirely clear when the Hayes family came to America. George Hayes seems to have arrived alone about 1682 and was possibly and indentured servant. He first lived at Windsor where he married his first wife Sarah? She died in 1683 leaving him with one son. He then married Abigail Dibble and they had seven more children at Windsor. The family moved to Salmon Brook around 1698 where four more children would be born. The Hayes family would figure prominently in the history and development of the Salmon Brook / Granby area. In addition, there were many marriages between the branches of the two families, Holcombe and Hayes, living in the Simsbury and Salmon Brook, including at least two in this line. Thankful’s brother, Daniel Hayes and his second wife (Daniel was first married to Martha Holcombe, the sister of Nathaniel III) were the great-great Grandparents of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States.<br />
<br />
Abigail Dibble was the only child of Samuel Dibble (b.1643, d. 1709) and Abigail Graves (b. 1645, d.1668?) and was born in Stamford, Connecticut. Samuel Dibble’s parents were Thomas Dibble (b.1613, d.1700) and Mary Frances (b.1614, d.1681). Thomas’s father, Robert Dibble (b.1581, d.1641) came to America from Somersetshire, England. The Dibble family has been traced back to John Dibble (b.1505). Like the Hayes family, there are a number of Holcombe/Dibble marriages.<br />
<br />
Abigail Graves was the oldest of five children of William Graves (d.1679). He is believed to have been married three times with his second marriage being to a women named Sarah who was the widow of John Dibble (Samuel Dibble’s uncle). It is not know when William came to America but in 1642 he was one of the original settlers of Stamford, Connecticut. Abigail Graves died of complications from childbirth. After that, her husband, Samuel Dibble, accused his father-in-law, William Graves of witchcraft in the death of his wife but it turned out that this was really a dispute over her dowry. It is believed that William Graves was actually indicted for witchcraft but apparently no action was ever taken against him. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The C</span><span style="font-size: large;">hildren of Nathaniel Holcombe and Thankful Hayes</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Daughter Hannah Holcombe (b.1718, d.1756) married John Reade or Read (b.1708), the son of Doctor Jacob Reade and Elizabeth Law, in 1736. He was in-turn the son of Doctor Phillip Reade and Abigail Rice. Hannah and John settled in Granby and had seven children.</li>
<ul>
<li>One of Hannah and John’s sons, Ami, died in 1762 at the Battle of Havana. He was serving with the British during the French and Indian War.</li>
<li>Another son, Martin, served in the Revolutionary War in Captain Jonathan Buttolph's company, Eighteenth Regiment in 1776.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Nathaniel Holcombe (IV) (b.1719) married Margaret Cossett (b.1719), the daughter of Raney Cossett, in 1740. Nathaniel and Margaret settled in Granby and are believed to have had eight children, though the exact number is not entirely clear as there is some confusion among historians over the wives and children of Nathaniel IV, V and VI.</li>
<ul>
<li>Zaccheus, who is believed to be the son of Nathaniel and Margaret, served in the Revolutionary War in Captain Thaddeus Weed's 5th Connecticut Regiment in 1779.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Ephraim Holcombe (b.1721, d.1808) married Dorcas Hayes (b1727, d.1798), the daughter of Samuel Hayes and Elizabeth Wilcockson, in 1741. Samuel was the brother of Daniel Hayes and Ephraim’s mother, Thankful Hayes. As they were all children of George Hayes that would make Ephraim and Dorcas cousins. They would settled in Granby and had 10 children.</li>
<li>Daughter Ruth Holcombe (b.1723, d.1784) lived to be 51 but it seems she did not marry and there is little information available about her.</li>
<li>Daughter Thankful Holcombe (b.1725, d.1827) married Captain Adonijah Burr (b.1726, d.1798) from Farmington, Hartford County about 1748. They settled in Wintonbury (now Bloomfield), Connecticut. Adonijah died of phenomena. Thankful and Adonijah had five children.</li>
<ul>
<li>At least two sons of Thankful and Adonijah served in the Revolutionary War. Adonijah II and Asa are both known to have served.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Joseph Holcombe (b.1728, d.1813) and his descendants are covered in detail in the next part of this report.</li>
<li>Daughter Ann Holcombe died at the age one in 1731.</li>
<li>Son Amos Holcombe (b.1732, d.1814) married Mary Dibble (b.1738), the daughter of Abraham Dibble and Dorothy Hayes, in 1756. The Dibble family settled in Windsor and there are a number of Holcombe/Dibble marriages including two in this immediate family. It should be noted that Amos’s grandmother (Thankful Hayes’ mother) was also a Dibble. Abraham’s Dibble’s wife, Dorothy Hayes was certainly of the Hayes family of Salmon Brook and related to Thankful Hayes, probably a cousin. Amos was a farmer in Granby and served in Captain Prior’s Company, Colonel Samuel Canfield’s Regiment in the Revolutionary War. Amos and Mary first settled in Granby and later migrated to the State of Vermont finally settling in Grand Isle County. Amos and Mary had eight children. Today, there are at least 44 named Holcombe buried at North Cemetery in Isle la Motte, Grand Isle County, Vermont.</li>
<ul>
<li>Amos and Mary’s son Amos served in the War of 1812 guarding the frontier in Captain James Taylor and Gideon Spencer's companies of the 30th Vermont Regiment.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Elijah Holcombe (b.1734, d.1799) married Violet Cornish (b.1737), the daughter of Captain James Cornish and Amy Butler, in 1756. James was a farmer and leading citizen of Simsbury and his father, Deacon James Cornish was a large and prosperous land owner in Simsbury. A cooper by trade, Elijah settled in Four Corners (now Southwick) Massachusetts. It is likely that he served in the French and Indian War as five Elijah Holcombes are listed from Connecticut. He also served in the 3rd Company, 2nd Connecticut Regiment under Colonel Spencer in the Revolutionary War. Elijah and Violet had seven children. Today, there are at over 80 Holcombes buried at Old Southwick and New Southwick Cemeteries in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Elijah, however, may have returned to Granby before his death as he is noted to be buried at Granby Street Cemetery.</li>
<ul>
<li>At least two sons of Elijah and Violet served in the Revolutionary War. Elijah II Served in 1778 and then again from 1781 until the end of the war in Captain Noah Phelp's company, Colonel Andrew Ward's Regiment of the Connecticut Line where he rose from the rank of Private to Lieutenant. Ladoce served in Captain Prior's Company, also of Connecticut in 1777-1778.</li>
<li>A notable descendant was Amassa Holcombe (b.1787, d.1875) the son of Elijah II. Amassa was a scientist, clergyman, genealogist, inventor and manufacturer. He grew up almost without access to schools or instructors, but used his remarkable intelligence in self-instruction. By age 16 he was teaching school, had acquired a collection of scientific books and was studying surveying and astronomy. In 1806, at 19, he correctly predicted the eclipse of the sun. In 1807-08, he published his own almanac. Later, he turned his attention to inventing and began manufacturing surveying equipment, magnets, telescopes and other devices. His reflecting telescope, the first by an American, is on display at the Smithsonian. He was also an ordained minister, family genealogists, served in the Connecticut state house and Connecticut senate and for years served as Justice of the Peace.</li></ul></ul><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5RD83FQzc0/Uf_RNgwC0lI/AAAAAAAABg0/KKcm6OR8WX8/s1600/Holcomb+-+Amassa.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5RD83FQzc0/Uf_RNgwC0lI/AAAAAAAABg0/KKcm6OR8WX8/w156-h200/Holcomb+-+Amassa.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amassa Holcomb.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><ul><li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcombe (b.1736, d.1812) married Lieutenant Moses Dibble (b.1735, d.1815), the son of Abraham Dibble and Dorothy Hayes. Moses was the sister of Mary Dibble (see above). Elizabeth and Moses settled in Granby and had two children. Moses and Elizabeth are buried at Granby Center Cemetery.</li>
<li>Daughter Sarah Holcombe (b.1738) married Joseph Wilcox. Little is know about this couple but they are thought to have had at least one child.</li>
<li>Daughter Mercy Holcombe (b.1740, d.1826) married Obed Holcombe (b.1736, d.1789), the son of Deacon Azariah Holcombe and Hannah Loomis. Azariah was the son of Jonathan Holcombe and Mary Buell (see Nathaniel Holcombe I in previous pages), which would make Mercy and Obed cousins and it should also be noted that Obed was quite a bit older than Mercy. Obed served under his father-in-law, Nathaniel in the French and Indian War and also served in Captain Jonah Gillett’s Company, Wadsworth Brigade of the Connecticut Line in the Revolutionary War. Mercy and Obed had seven children.</li>
<ul>
<li>At least two of Mercy and Obed’s Sons served in the War of 1812. Oliver was an Ensign in the 9th New York Regiment in 1815. Luman served under the command of Sereno Pettibone in 1813, at New London, Connecticut.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son Roger Holcombe (b.1742, d.1824) married Mercy Gillett (b.1745, d.1826), the daughter of Joseph Gillett and Elizabeth Hayes in 1766. Sometime after 1788, Roger and some of the family moved on to Attica in Genesee County, New York. Roger served in the 18th Regiment in the Revolutionary War. Roger and Mercy had 10 children. Roger died in Attica, Wyoming, New York but is noted to be buried in Granby Center Cemetery.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykwnCnH3EE0/UkYBcYia_nI/AAAAAAAABkc/EorVbF8dJa8/s1600/Holcomb+-+Roger+-+Gravesite+2+-+Granby+Center.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykwnCnH3EE0/UkYBcYia_nI/AAAAAAAABkc/EorVbF8dJa8/s400/Holcomb+-+Roger+-+Gravesite+2+-+Granby+Center.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Rodger Holcombe at Granby Center<br />
Center Cemetery. His wife's stone in nearby.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thankful Hayes died in 1771. After her death, Nathaniel married Mary Buttolph, the daughter of Sergeant David Buttolph and Mary Buck. She was a widow, her first husband being Joseph Wilcockson. He had been a widower who first married to Elizabeth Holcombe, Nathaniel’s cousin. As noted in the previous section, two of Nathaniel’s brothers and two of his sisters were married to brothers and sisters of Mary.<br />
<br />
Life was hard, and sometimes treacherous, on the colonial frontier. Yet, each of the three Nathaniel's lived very long and fulfilling lives. Nathaniel III would live long enough to see a new nation form. He would die about 1782. Like his father and grandfather before him, he would leave a large family. Some would continue in the newly formed town of Granby and others would venture out into the new and expanding United States.<br />
<br />
Joseph, Micha and Apollas would be the next generations in this line to live in Salmon Brook / Granby and move west as the country expanded. You can read about them in <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/holcombe-family-5-colonial-generations.html" target="_blank">Part 5 of the report here . . .</a><br />
<br />
For additional information: One of the best on-line sources about the Holcombe family can be found at <a href="http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/" target="_blank">Holcombe Family Genealogy</a>. For a great source of information about Salmon Brook and with some information about the three Nathaniel Holcombes that resided there, read: "The Brittle Thread of Life" by Mark Williams (2009).<br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-59540087087377467382013-08-01T14:32:00.011-05:002021-09-03T23:04:59.665-05:00Holcombe Family (3) - Colonial Generations<span style="font-size: large;">Part 3 - Nathaniel Holcombe II</span><br />
<br />
Thomas Holcombe, an early Puritan settler would arrive in New England sometime between 1630 and 1633. A few years later, he would be part of the party that founded the first colonial town in Connecticut. He would prosper and raise a large family on this early American frontier. His youngest son, Nathaniel would move further west as the towns along the Connecticut River filled-up and good farmland became harder to come by. Nathaniel would be a prominent figure in the area of Simsbury known as Salmon Brook. There he would establish himself and live to see his children and grandchildren spread out in the rugged foothills of an area that would eventually become the Town of Granby, Connecticut.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 2 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hZAA6kyY4SQ/UjsnvAzqCiI/AAAAAAAABjo/boh7JeGfvy0/s1600/New+England+-+John+Seller+-+1675+-+partial+-+alt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hZAA6kyY4SQ/UjsnvAzqCiI/AAAAAAAABjo/boh7JeGfvy0/s400/New+England+-+John+Seller+-+1675+-+partial+-+alt.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An excerpt from John Seller's map of New England. The Connecticut<br />
River Valley in 1675. The river towns are visible and most everything<br />west is still the wilderness but that is soon to change.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Nathaniel Holcombe II - 2nd Generation at Salmon Brook</span></div>
<br />
The eldest son of Nathaniel Holcombe and Mary Bliss would also be named Nathaniel. He was born in 1673, probably at Springfield, Massachusetts. By 1680, his parents had begun to carve out and existence at Salmon Brook and young Nathaniel would grow up in this isolated settlement known as the "outland." Of the three Nathaniel's in this line of the family, this middle one seems to be the individual with the least amount of information available.<br />
<br />
Still, there are a few instances where he is noted in colonial records and other writings. The frontier seemed to always be in a state of turbulence and uncertainty during this period. In addition to the risks of war with England's enemies, there was also economic uncertainty. In 1723, Nathaniel is said to have joined a force sent to the Housatonic Valley to search for enemy Indian forces (probably as part of Chief Grey Lock’s war of 1723-1727). Nathaniel would take his turn and serve as a representative from Simsbury to the General Court of Connecticut (the colonial assembly) from 1748 to 1753. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
From <u>Colonial Connecticut Public Records</u> . . . <em>At some time after 1725, William Thrall, was calling in his debtors. Nathaniel at one point owed Thrall £41 and Thrall had Nathaniel confined to the county jail, but Nathaniel "from thence breaking the gaol made his escape, and has since gone at large;" requiring Thrall to petition the legislature to order the sheriff to pursue Holcomb “with horse and foot, and to remand said prisoner back again to the gaol, there to remain until he satisfy said execution and be by law released."</em> </blockquote>
Nathaniel Holcombe II is often noted as a Lieutenant in the local militia but colonial records indicate that he was elevated to Captain in 1716. In 1695, Nathaniel would marry Martha Buell and they would raise 12 children in Salmon Brook.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Family of Martha Buell</span><br />
<br />
Martha Buell was the 3rd of nine children of Sergeant Peter Buell (b.1644, d.1728) and his first wife, Martha Cogan (Coggins) (b.1648, d.1686) both of Windsor, Connecticut. Peter was married three times and had children with two of his wives. Peter Buell and family were one of the first settlers of Simsbury arriving before 1670 after being awarded one of the first land grants at a place called Hog’s Meadow. He was part of a committee of three from Simsbury that granted privileges to the Indians to hunt venison and he served as an elected representative from the town to the General Assembly in 1687. Martha Buell was born at Simsbury. Peter Buell was the son of William Buell (b.1605, d.1681), possibly from Huntingdonshire, England and Mary Post (b.1607, d.1684). It has also been claimed but not proven, that William was the son of Sir Robert Bevill(e) of Devon. Based on newer research, it seems unlikely that William was the son of Robert. Another source noted that he was “a Welshman, joiner by trade, an early and respectable settler of Windsor.” William first settled at Dorchester, Massachusetts and was included in the first land division of Windsor.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f715gj8X3zQ/UfmlGXH6yYI/AAAAAAAABf0/d2hzUFSn3mA/s1600/Buell+-+Peter-+Gravesite+-+Hop+Meadow+Simsbury+-+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f715gj8X3zQ/UfmlGXH6yYI/AAAAAAAABf0/d2hzUFSn3mA/s320/Buell+-+Peter-+Gravesite+-+Hop+Meadow+Simsbury+-+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravestone of Peter Buell, father of Martha Buell.<br />
He is buried at Hop Meadow Cemetery in Simsbury.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Martha Cogan was born in New Plymouth and was the Daughter of Thomas Cogan (b.1610?, d.1653) from Somersetshire, England and Joan Borridge (?) (b.1610?). Martha’s father, Thomas, was the son of Philobert Cogan (b.1563?) of Somersetshire and Anne Marshall (b.1576?) of Hampshire. Some sources have traced the Cogan family back another dozen generations, possibly to a Miles or Milo de Cogan (b.1135?, d.1182?) from Cogan, Glamogan, Wales. Miles was of Norman nobility and played a key role in the Norman Invasion of Ireland that began in about 1169. He was granted large tracks of land in Ireland after the conquest. Many with the name Cogan claim Irish ancestry but probably descended from Milo. Anne Marshall was the daughter of Thomas Marshall (II) (b.1545, d.1617) and Mary Cotton (b.1553) both from Hampshire, England. Thomas Marshall (II) was the son of Thomas Marshall (I) (b.1513) and Ellen (?) (b.1517) from Hampshire. Thomas Marshall (I) was the son of Nicholas Marshall (b.1500?) and Ann Doane (b.1550?) both from Lincolnshire, England. Mary Cotton was the daughter of Henry Cotton (b.1521) and Margaret (?) both from London. Ann Doane was the daughter of Thomas Doane (b.1472) from Lincolnshire.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Nathaniel Holcombe and Martha Buell</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Son (Captain) Nathaniel Holcombe (III) (b.1696, d.1782) would be the third generation to settle and raise a family in Salmon Brook. His story is covered in detail in the next section.</li>
<li>Son (Lieutenant) David Holcombe (b.1696, d.1784) married Mehitabel Buttolph (b.1704, d.1767), the daughter of Sergeant David Buttolph and Mary Buck in 1722. This was one of five Holcombe/Buttolph marriages all within this immediate family. A shoemaker by trade, David Buttolph was born in Boston but his family eventually settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut. His father, Lieutenant John Buttolph was a glover by trade (as was his father) and a veteran of King Philip’s war. The Buttolph house in Wethersfield has been restored and is a museum (circa 1711) though it is now not entirely clear if the house was built by John or someone else. Some think David Holcombe was a twin to Nathaniel but is more likely that he was born a year later. A source indicated that David fought in the French and Indian War. David and Mehitabel had 12 children.</li>
<ul>
<li>Notable descendants included the Reverend Rueben Holcombe (b.1751, d.1824), a graduate of Yale and a Pastor in Massachusetts but also well known for advancements he made in Agriculture and Horticulture on his large farm.</li></ul></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVDbUd_Pums/YSVrvYonccI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/MBOrXp3l7oMIYCH4Gpgt0e47F0n58pgbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Holcomb%2B-%2BReuben%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BII%2B-%2BCirca%2B1800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AVDbUd_Pums/YSVrvYonccI/AAAAAAAAQNQ/MBOrXp3l7oMIYCH4Gpgt0e47F0n58pgbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BReuben%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BII%2B-%2BCirca%2B1800.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverend Rueben Holcombe</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
<li>Also, James Huggins Holcombe (b.1806, d.1889), a lawyer who served as clerk of the Superior Court in Hartford, clerk of the State House of Representatives and clerk of the State Senate.</li></ul></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzyLPRVXjJE/YSV4F3xHSwI/AAAAAAAAQOg/w-HqqfHVWygpxQDolSZF_Mm272Xj0taNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Holcomb%2B-%2BJames%2BHuggins%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzyLPRVXjJE/YSV4F3xHSwI/AAAAAAAAQOg/w-HqqfHVWygpxQDolSZF_Mm272Xj0taNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BJames%2BHuggins%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Huggins Holcombe</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
<li>Also, Doctor William Frederick Holcombe (b.1827, d.1904), "one of the most distinguished physicians in New York and a noted specialist on diseases of the eye and ear."</li></ul></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGAlXWaHBrc/YSV3PDGcjgI/AAAAAAAAQOY/kZC2dVvElrw_M2Sl8vg3e5hHksBG2OPPACLcBGAsYHQ/s480/Holcomb%2B-%2BWilliam%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNahtanel%2BII%2B-%2BCirca%2B1880s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="278" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGAlXWaHBrc/YSV3PDGcjgI/AAAAAAAAQOY/kZC2dVvElrw_M2Sl8vg3e5hHksBG2OPPACLcBGAsYHQ/w185-h320/Holcomb%2B-%2BWilliam%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNahtanel%2BII%2B-%2BCirca%2B1880s.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctor William Frederick Holcombe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
<li>Also, John Marshall Holcombe (b.1848, d.1926), the son of James Huggins Holcombe (listed above). A prominent citizen of Harford, he was an actuary, insurance executive and served as an Alderman (a seat also held by his son and grandson) and in other capacities for the City of Hartford.</li></ul></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9OdA88KQms/YSV4lGGujAI/AAAAAAAAQOo/G0G2MAuYcW0PsedxSwHXVpoDhbSn94L6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s496/Holcomb%2B-%2BJohn%2BMarshall%2B-%2BDecended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9OdA88KQms/YSV4lGGujAI/AAAAAAAAQOo/G0G2MAuYcW0PsedxSwHXVpoDhbSn94L6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w232-h320/Holcomb%2B-%2BJohn%2BMarshall%2B-%2BDecended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Marshall Holcombe</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul>
<li>Also, Tudor Frederic Holcombe (b.1886, d.1978), an innovative farmer recognized by the State of Connecticut for his agricultural advancements. He also served in the state legislator and financed a number of public buildings in Granby. His farm is now Holcombe Farm, a registered landmark owned by the Town of Granby. Still a working farm, it serves as a learning center and nature preserve. </li>
</ul></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHItA9-FT1U/YSV5GlXO5QI/AAAAAAAAQOw/wh_PknYymG4VJC_6lg0nf0XzFGoPwTvxACLcBGAsYHQ/s409/Holcomb%2B-%2BTudor%2BFrederick%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHItA9-FT1U/YSV5GlXO5QI/AAAAAAAAQOw/wh_PknYymG4VJC_6lg0nf0XzFGoPwTvxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BTudor%2BFrederick%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tudor Frederick Holcombe</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Son Daniel Holcombe’s existence is unclear but some sources list him.</li>
<li>Son Benjamin Holcombe (b.1697, d.1700) only lived to the age of two.</li>
<li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcombe died at the age of one month in 1700.</li>
<li>Daughter Martha Holcombe (b.1701, d.1725) married Doctor Jonathan Buttolph (b.1697, d.1769), the son of Sergeant David Buttolph and Mary Buck (the second Holcombe/Buttolph marriage - see above) in 1723. Martha died during childbirth along with her second child, Benoni. Jonathan would marry twice more and have many more children.</li>
<ul>
<li>Martha and Jonathan’s son, Captain Jonathan Buttolph commanded the 18th Connecticut Militia in the Revolutionary War and died soon after the battle of Long Island.</li>
</ul>
<li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcomb’s existence is unclear but some sources list her.</li>
<li>Son Judah Holcombe (b.1706, d.1802) married Hannah Buttolph (b.1711, d.1765), daughter of Sergeant David Buttolph and Mary Buck (the third Holcomb/Buttolph marriage - see above) in 1730. Judah served as Justice of the Peace and Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly. He served in the French and Indian War and though close to 70 at the time, also served in some limited capacity in the Revolutionary War (and is listed as a Patriot by the DAR). Judah and Hannah had 11 children. At his death, Judah had 196 surviving descendants including a great-great-grandchild. </li>
<ul>
<li>At least four of Judah’s sons served in the Revolutionary War. Silas was a Lieutenant in 2nd Battalion under Colonel Thaddeus Cook in 1776; Ozias and Benajah both served in Captain Samuel Hayes Company. Judah II was also known to have served. </li></ul>
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-OAh_urmRc/Ufls_lCksHI/AAAAAAAABfk/Z7yfZm-L1dE/s1600/Holcomb+-+Judah+-+Gravesite+-+Granby+Center.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-OAh_urmRc/Ufls_lCksHI/AAAAAAAABfk/Z7yfZm-L1dE/s320/Holcomb+-+Judah+-+Gravesite+-+Granby+Center.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Judah Holcombe's tombstone at Granby Center Cemetery.<br />
His somewhat famous inscription reads: "<em>Death is</em><br /><em>debt to nature due, which I have paid and so must you</em>."<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;">
</ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhJig1tLa8k/YSV7M_vNXHI/AAAAAAAAQO4/5gvd-kfzBTolSg-nUmY9oqhYM4v2VphwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/Holcomb%2B-%2BJudah%2B-%2B257%2BNorth%2BGranby%2BRoad%2B-%2B1776.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="750" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhJig1tLa8k/YSV7M_vNXHI/AAAAAAAAQO4/5gvd-kfzBTolSg-nUmY9oqhYM4v2VphwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BJudah%2B-%2B257%2BNorth%2BGranby%2BRoad%2B-%2B1776.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judah Holcombe House on Granby Road,<br /> Built in 1776 buy Judah Holcombe Jr.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Son Jacob Holcombe died in infancy in 1707.</li>
<li>Daughter Mary Holcombe (bap.1709, d.1810) married David Buttolph (b.1709, d.1783), the son of Sergeant David Buttolph and Mary Buck (the fourth Holcombe/Buttolph marriage - see above) in 1731. Mary and David were known to be living in Wintonbury, Connecticut in 1741 and later settled in northeast, Dutchess County, New York where they lived out their lives. Mary and David had five children.</li>
<ul>
<li>At least one of Mary and David’s sons served in the Revolutionary War. Son Roger served in Captain Silas Goodroch’s Company from Berkshire County, Connecticut and was noted to be at Bunker Hill.</li>
</ul>
<li>Daughter Sarah Holcombe (b.1713, d.1780) married Timothy Case (b.1707, d.1754), the son of Captain Richard Case and Amy Reed in 1730. Richard’s father (John) sailed from Gravesend, England in 1635 on the ship Dorset and landed at Newport, Rhode Island, but settled first in Windsor, then Newton, Long Island and finally, in Simsbury sometime after 1740. Timothy’s cousin married a son of Nathaniel Holcombe I (see previous). Sarah and Timothy moved on to Massachusetts. They had eight children.</li>
<ul>
<li>At least one of Sarah and Timothy’s sons, Philip in known to have served in the Revolutionary War.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son (Lieutenant) Peter Holcombe (b.1715, d.1800) married Margaret Case (b.1713, d.1750), the daughter of Captain Richard Case and Amy Reed (the second Holcombe/Case marriage - see above) in 1740. They had six children before Margaret died. Peter then married Tryphena Case in 1751 (relation to Margaret Case unknown). Peter and Tryphena had 12 children. It is unclear if Peter served in the French and Indian War but it seems likely that he did and although 60 by the time of the Revolution, Peter “went out for a short term in 1778, enlisting in the Connecticut militia for duty on the Hudson, serving in Captain Burr’s Company, Colonel Increase Moseley’s Regiment of the Connecticut Line.”</li>
<ul>
<li>Peter and Margaret’s son Jacob was killed in the French and Indian War; another son, Noadiah served in the Revolutionary War with the 9th Massachusetts Regiment.</li>
<li>In addition, at least four of Peter and Tryphena’s sons also served in the Revolutionary War. Asahel was a volunteer from Simsbury at the Lexington Alarm and later served with Sheldon's Light Dragoons where he rose to the rank of Captain. Peter II served seven years in the Connecticut line with the army of General George Washington. He fought in the battles of Monmouth, Brandywine and Trenton and spent the winter at Valley Forge in Captain Burr's Company, Colonel Increase Moseley's Regiment (probably with his father). During the course of the war, he was promoted from the ranks to a Lieutenant Colonel. Ebenezer served in Captain William Judd's company, Colonel Samuel Wyllys's Connecticut regiment in 1778-79. Jacob also served as noted on his tombstone at Granby Center Cemetery.</li>
</ul>
<li>Daughter Catherine Holcombe’s existence is unclear but some sources list her.</li>
</ul>
During his lifetime, Nathaniel would witness great changes in the back-country of Connecticut. He would see Salmon Brook go from an isolated frontier into an established community and like his father before him, Nathaniel would live a long life. Martha, would die in 1760 and he would follow in 1766, in his nineties. <br />
<br />
Nathaniel Holcombe III would be the next generation in this line to live in Salmon Brook / Granby. You can read about him in <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/holcombe-family-colonial-generations-4.html" target="_blank">Part 4 of the report here . . .</a><br />
<br />
For additional information: One of the best on-line sources about the Holcombe family can be found at <a href="http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/" target="_blank">Holcombe Family Genealogy</a>. For a great source of information about Salmon Brook and with some information about the three Nathaniel Holcombes that resided there, read: "<em>The Brittle Thread of Life</em>" by Mark Williams (2009). Post updated on 8/2021.<br />
<br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-49055030198797145602013-03-22T20:13:00.004-05:002023-12-04T19:05:46.757-06:00Louis Goldner - Short Biography<span style="font-size: large;">Louis Goldner - Chicago, Illinois</span><br />
<br />Louis Goldner was born on October 28, 1861 in Chicago. He was the middle child of three sons of Frederick Goldner and Louise Ebersold. His father Frederick had come to America from Wittenberg (or possibly Bavaria). He came over sometime in the 1850's and may have been in eastern Michigan prior to coming to Chicago. Louise Ebersold came to America from Bavaria and is believed to be the sister of Frederick Ebersold and Peter Ebersold. Frederick and Peter where both civil war veterans and Chicago police officers. Frederick rose to the rank of Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department in 1885. Louise's arrival date is also uncertain but probably was in the middle of the 1850's.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5LjU6WXu4A/TXAFsZUOOgI/AAAAAAAAAKc/1UwQJHikbDA/s1600/Goldner+-+Louis+-+Oak+Park+-+small.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5LjU6WXu4A/TXAFsZUOOgI/AAAAAAAAAKc/1UwQJHikbDA/w270-h400/Goldner+-+Louis+-+Oak+Park+-+small.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Goldner, probably<br />in Oak Park, Illinois<span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YH1gKIDbvjE/UUz8uoufr8I/AAAAAAAABT4/MgxeD2xqyyo/s1600/Pazel+-+Annie+-+Wife+of+Louis+Goldner+-+small.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YH1gKIDbvjE/UUz8uoufr8I/AAAAAAAABT4/MgxeD2xqyyo/w216-h400/Pazel+-+Annie+-+Wife+of+Louis+Goldner+-+small.jpg" width="216" /></a><br />Annie Pazel<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>At the time of the arrival of Frederich Goldner and Louise Ebersold, Chicago was still a relatively small place. The population in 1850 was only about 30,000 but it was starting a period of rapid growth. Louis Goldner would grow up in this boomtown. At the time of his birth, the population was about 110,000. By the time he was married, it had grown to over 1,000,000. From the 1850's to the 1950's, three generations of Goldners would watch Chicago grow from a cow town to a large and complex industrial city.</div><div>
<br />
By the 1870's, the Goldner Family, Frederick, Louise and sons, Peter, Louis and Frederick Junior were living on the near south side of Chicago on Lisle Street. The house was just off Halsted Street no longer exists . By 1880, the parents were divorced and Frederick was living in Michigan at the Charles Goldner house. There he is listed as a "border" but was thought to be the brother of Charles. Frederick was still alive in 1900 and living with his son Louis. About 1890, Louis Goldner would marry Annie Pazel and they would settle on the south side of Chicago.<br />
<br />
Annie Pazel (b.1863, d.1937) was the daughter of Louis Pazel and MaryAnn Wurster. Both had immigrated to Chicago before 1860 from the Baltic region of Germany (Mecklenburg/Prussia). They had two additional children, Lousia and Charles and lived on the south side of Chicago where Louis Pazel was employed as a teamster and later worked for a brewery.<br />
<br />
The Louis Goldner family lived at 184 West 18th Street in 1900 and 825 South Washtenaw by 1910. Louis owned and operated a Saloon that was said to be located in the vicinity of Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street. Later, the family would move to Oak Park where they owned a two-flat at 823 Euclid Avenue.<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z8bIA7Xe6aM/UUz_Kb8FTJI/AAAAAAAABUI/1EUGx6J3SHE/s1600/Goldner+-+Louis+-+3+Shots.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z8bIA7Xe6aM/UUz_Kb8FTJI/AAAAAAAABUI/1EUGx6J3SHE/w400-h176/Goldner+-+Louis+-+3+Shots.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left, Louis and Annie, the two flat in Oak Park<br />
and Louis at the "swimming hole."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The children of Louis Goldner and Annie Pazel:<br />
<ul>
<li>Louise (b.1882, d.1964) - married Frederick Roth in 1908. He had come to Chicago from Wisconsin and was a police officer until 1915. The family would head back to his home town of Monroe, Wisconsin in about 1920 and he would own and operate the Monroe Hotel. They had two children Frederick and Edward and lived out their lives in Monroe. <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/frederick-roth-ii-short-biography.html" target="_blank">Read more about Frederick Roth here</a>.</li>
<li>Emma (b.1884, d.1969) - married Thomas White in about 1905. According to the 1930 census, they were living in Forest Park. The 1940 census has them living on West Diversey Avenue in Chicago. He was employed in the dry goods business and she was noted to have worked at Carson Pirie Scott. They had no children and later in life she lived in Fox Lake, Illinois.</li>
<li>Annie (b.1888, d.1969) - married Charles Hecker in about 1917. According to the 1930 census, they were living on Henderson Street in Chicago’s 39th Ward. The 1940 census has them living on Narraganset Avenue. He was employed as the driver of an Oil Truck. They had no children and later in life she lived in Fox Lake with her sister Emma.</li>
<li>Charles (b.1891, d.1970) - never married and lived most of his life with his parents and then with one or more of his sisters. He was noted in census records as a clerk at the Board of Trade. Family stories say he had a seat on the board and lost it in the Great Depression. Census records also indicate that he was a veteran and he was of the right age to serve in WWI but it is unclear if he did.</li>
<li>Edward (b.1902, d.1982) - twin of Frederick, married Gladys Calcott in 1933. They had one daughter, Audrey. According to the 1930 census (and prior to his marriage), Edward was employed as an auto mechanic. Edward and Gladys lived in Oak Park, Illinois for a time and later retired to Florida.</li>
<li>Frederick (b.1902, d.1985) - twin of Edward, married Alice Eis in about 1926. According to both the 1930 and 1940 census, they were living in Forest Park, Illinois and Frederick was employed as a clerk in a broker’s office. They had two children, Alice Joyce and Donald. Frederick and Alice also retired to Florida.</li>
</ul>
Annie Pazel died in 1937 and Louis followed three years later. They are buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in the western suburbs of Chicago. Their son, Charles is in the same plot and daughters Annie and Emma (and husbands) are nearby.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlNGia99E3k/UUz9MEJKJAI/AAAAAAAABUA/B8qzzFUCj2g/s1600/Goldner+-+Louis+and+Wife+Anna+Pazel+-+Gravesite+-+Oak+Ridge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LlNGia99E3k/UUz9MEJKJAI/AAAAAAAABUA/B8qzzFUCj2g/w400-h300/Goldner+-+Louis+and+Wife+Anna+Pazel+-+Gravesite+-+Oak+Ridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Annie Pazel at Oakridge Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Additional Information:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/goldners-of-chicago-finding-lost-family.html" target="_blank">Read the story "The Goldners of Chicago - Finding a Lost Family," here</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: The information for this report is mostly from the United States Census, other vital records and with additional information from the authors own family papers.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is one of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.</span></em></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-68115070540060492092012-11-28T15:41:00.002-06:002021-11-10T18:39:03.889-06:00Alfred Peterson - Short Biography<span style="font-size: large;">Alfred Peterson of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin</span><br />
<br />
Alfred Peterson (who also shows up in some records as Albert) was born on March 29, 1882 in the Town of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. His parents were Ole Peterson and Martha Breisnes. Ole had come to America in 1862 and settled in Blue Mounds where he first farmed 80 acres on section 10 and then over 200 acres on section 11 at the western edge of the fledgling community of Mount Horeb. About a year after Alfred’s birth, his mother would die from complications of childbirth. This would leave Ole to care for a large family, including a number of young children. It is likely that Alfred, his brother Olaus and perhaps some other children went to live with a women named Betsy Peterson. She was a widow and had a farm near the Ole Peterson farm.<br />
<a name='more'></a><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13Q2wCOuw3c/T6wymh9HB3I/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z49kLvNdJM4/s1600/Alfred+Peterson.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13Q2wCOuw3c/T6wymh9HB3I/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z49kLvNdJM4/w300-h400/Alfred+Peterson.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young Alfred Petersen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div>You can read more about Ole and the rest of the Peterson clan in the three part series: “<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-1.html" target="_blank"><em>Ole Peterson & the Peterson Family</em></a><em>.</em>”</div><div>
<br />
By 1905, Alfred, along with his brother’s Olaus and Henry where living in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin with their sister Lovina and her husband John Bakken. This was soon after Ole’s death and was a time of great change in the lives of the Peterson children. A year later, in 1906, Alfred would take his inheritance and try his hand at homesteading. At 24 years old, he would pack up some meager belongings and head out into the prairie on his own. He would end up in the Town of Pleasant, Stanley County, South Dakota. Located near Midland and not too far from Pierre, Alfred's homestead was right in the center of the state.<br />
<br />
In addition to working the homestead, Alfred was known to make a little extra money on the side ferrying travelers from the train station to a hotel in Midland. That is where he would meet his future wife, Mary Stevens. She was working at as a waitress at the hotel, in part, to combat the boredom of life on the frontier. She was the daughter of Benjamin Stevens and Mary Phelps and was born on April 14, 1890 in Hedrick, Iowa. Her family had also ventured to South Dakota to try their hand homesteading.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDIC_jvYzU4/UH8lO9CtAzI/AAAAAAAABPs/YVusMAV8euY/s1600/Stanley+SD+Pairie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rDIC_jvYzU4/UH8lO9CtAzI/AAAAAAAABPs/YVusMAV8euY/s400/Stanley+SD+Pairie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stark prairie landscape of Stanley County, South Dakota</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Alfred and Mary would be married in 1909 and lived in Alfred's sod/tar paper shack. Two sons, Wallace and Waldo where born on the prairie. In the case of Waldo, Alfred left in a snow storm to get the midwife and missed the birth entirely. These would certainly be hard times for the Peterson family. The land was not great for farming and the great plains could be a very unforgiving place, especially in the winter. Sometime around 1911, after many crop failures, Alfred gave up on the homestead and returned, with his family, to Wisconsin. Before he left, he fulfilled the five year homestead obligation and took title to the property. According to a 1913 addition of the Mount Horeb Times, Alfred sold his 200 acres of South Dakota property in 1912. The family was in Mount Horeb for a few years and then in Stoughton, Wisconsin where Alfred worked for the Stoughton Wagon Company. Son Kenneth was born in Mount Horeb and daughter Dorothy was born in Stoughton.<br />
<br />
By 1920, the family was back in Mount Horeb in a house they owned and Alfred was working as a house painter. In 1924 he built the Parkway Theater and Dance Hall. The Parkway was located at the corner of Main Street and Grove Street in Mount Horeb (the building survives) and showed movies, featured live music and hosted dances. Alfred would operate that business until about 1940.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EX0IkSTAafo/UH8l4AGvEJI/AAAAAAAABP0/lnSiS-IA1nQ/s1600/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Painters+License.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EX0IkSTAafo/UH8l4AGvEJI/AAAAAAAABP0/lnSiS-IA1nQ/w400-h234/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Painters+License.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred's painters license<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3g6Sp7jdoRc/UH8m6uiLhoI/AAAAAAAABP8/IMM29zQ91qs/s1600/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Parkway+Theater+Bill.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3g6Sp7jdoRc/UH8m6uiLhoI/AAAAAAAABP8/IMM29zQ91qs/w288-h640/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Parkway+Theater+Bill.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parkway Flyer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>The children of Alfred Peterson and Mary Stevens:</div><div>
<ul>
<li>Wallace (b.1910, d.1951) - he suffered from Muscular Dystrophy and died at the age of 41.</li>
<li>Waldo (b.1911, d.1994) - he married Florence Hottman in 1938. They lived in the Madison area and raised three children.</li>
<li>Kenneth (b.1916, d.1983) - he married Hilda Johnson in 1939. He worked for Kroger Grocery for 37 years and he and Hilda raised five boys in the Madison / Lake Delton / Wisconsin Dells area.</li>
<li>Dorothy (b.1918) - married Vincent Handel in 1941 and raised two children. As of this writing, Dorothy is still living in southern Wisconsin.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TULGR9V9Tok/UH8n5YQi4JI/AAAAAAAABQE/fv5tWXb-i_U/s1600/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+50th+Wedding+with+Family.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TULGR9V9Tok/UH8n5YQi4JI/AAAAAAAABQE/fv5tWXb-i_U/s400/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+50th+Wedding+with+Family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred Peterson (left) with the Kenneth Peterson family. Kenneth and Hilda<br />
Johnson are to the right, their five boys are in the center and Alfred is on the<br />
left. Photo taken at Alfred and Mary's 50th wedding anniversary in 1958.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Alfred Peterson family first lived on Fourth Street and then moved to a house at 104 North Grove Street. This was on the former Ole Peterson farm property, right behind the Parkway Theater and next to the house owned by Alfred’s brother Olaus. Along with running the Parkway, Alfred would continue painting houses. With the exception of some winters spent in West Palm Beach, Florida, Alfred and Mary would live out the rest of their lives in Mount Horeb. He would die on November 21, 1971. Mary would die on January 04,1994 at the age of 104.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8IZfX5MlQY/UH8ohhAy0LI/AAAAAAAABQM/Zan1EEFXtqQ/s1600/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8IZfX5MlQY/UH8ohhAy0LI/AAAAAAAABQM/Zan1EEFXtqQ/s400/Peterson+-+Alfred+-+Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Alfred, Mary and son Wallace at<br />
Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Additional Information:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/big-peterson-family-reunion.html" target="_blank">Read about the "A Big Peterson Reunion" here</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/peterson-moe-whats-in-name.html" target="_blank">Read the story "Peterson - Moe . . . What's in a Name?" here</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: Much of the information for this report was provided by two Peterson cousins who are grandchildren of Alfred Peterson and by my own personal papers. Additional information was obtained from the United States
Census, various records and other on-line sources.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is one of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.</span></em></div></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-86457846656142057362012-10-26T15:17:00.005-05:002023-12-05T18:21:31.730-06:00Frederick Roth II - Short Biography<span style="font-size: large;">Frederick Roth - Monroe and Chicago</span><br />
<br />My Great-Grandfather, Frederick Roth II was born on October 20, 1885. He was the oldest child and only son of Frederick Roth I and Mary Zweifel of Monroe, Wisconsin. His father had immigrated from Switzerland around 1880 and settled in Monroe where he operated the Monroe House and later a tavern near the Illinois Central train station. Mary (or Maria) Zweifel was the daughter of Fridolin Zweifel and Regula Oswald (or Oswalt). Fridolin, along with five brothers, came to New Glarus form “old” Glarus, Switzerland in the 1850’s. He settled just south of New Glarus where he farmed 200 acres on sections 4, 8 and 9 in the Town of Washington.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/six-zweifel-brothers-glarus-1.html" target="_blank">You can read more about the Zweifel family in a three part report here.</a><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsxWu-moKsrluL64VtdoF2jGKVhxwI_twa5vQjpXlKqMlLCv1pgpG4KxheywIx__m1CugIpDyUSbVktopVHgqTmqlhCk6yU1PF_5a2re8TNeEGz_kAYcNVVQGW0dsZqPJ_PaLve2CzUiUIuj_WcluE5yYNz4IBuj7Eb4Q4Gu2ATRSkNjTJX98Q8CHIA/s2011/Roth%20-%20Frederick%201%20and%20Family.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1397" data-original-width="2011" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsxWu-moKsrluL64VtdoF2jGKVhxwI_twa5vQjpXlKqMlLCv1pgpG4KxheywIx__m1CugIpDyUSbVktopVHgqTmqlhCk6yU1PF_5a2re8TNeEGz_kAYcNVVQGW0dsZqPJ_PaLve2CzUiUIuj_WcluE5yYNz4IBuj7Eb4Q4Gu2ATRSkNjTJX98Q8CHIA/w400-h278/Roth%20-%20Frederick%201%20and%20Family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Roth family of Monroe, Wisconsin about 1900; Frederick I,<br />daughter Rose, son Frederick II, and Maria (Zweifel).</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>Frederick Roth would grow up in Monroe and at least part of the time (in the 1890’s) the family lived in the back of the Monroe House. In the fall of 1903, he would leave Monroe and head to Chicago, Illinois. For the first few years he worked at Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, both furniture manufacturers. In March of 1907, he joined the Chicago Police Department as a patrolman. He would serve in the department for about eight years and rose to the rank of Detective Sergeant before quiting the force in 1915.<br />
<br />
As a patrolman, Frederick (Fred) worked out of the old 24th Precinct. The station house was at 2250 West 13th Street and the precinct was bounded by Harrison Street on the north, Wood Street on the east, 16th Street on the south and Kedzie Avenue on the west.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V98V4wZ9IKs/UIr2Foi3oUI/AAAAAAAABSU/xGh-theYXZI/s1600/Illinois+-+Chicago+-+1910+Map+-+24th+Precinct.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V98V4wZ9IKs/UIr2Foi3oUI/AAAAAAAABSU/xGh-theYXZI/w400-h263/Illinois+-+Chicago+-+1910+Map+-+24th+Precinct.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">Located
just south and west of the Loop, the old 24th Precinct,<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">centered
on Ogden Avenue and Western Avenue was where</span></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 9.5pt;">patrolman
Frederick Roth would be stationed.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
While in Chicago, Fred Roth would meet Louise Goldner. They were married in January of 1907. She was the daughter of Louis Goldner and Anna Pazel and was born on the south side of the city. Louis ran a saloon near the corner of Halsted and Roosevelt Road (now gone) and the family lived nearby. Louise had uncles and cousins in the police force and it seems that this may have had something to do with Fred Roth’s introduction to that profession. Fred and Louise would have two sons, Frederick Roth III and Edward Roth (Fred and Ed). Louise Goldner had twin brothers, named Fred and Ed who were much younger than her. She was so fond of them that she named her two sons after them. The family resided in a small house at 4150 Grenshaw Street which at that time, was on the outskirts of the city and just east of Cicero, Illinois; the house is still standing.<br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--K_bNtbdRMI/UIGE5wHqmvI/AAAAAAAABQ0/5ohZMZc_1Fg/s1600/Roth+-+Frederick+2+-+Chicago+Police.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--K_bNtbdRMI/UIGE5wHqmvI/AAAAAAAABQ0/5ohZMZc_1Fg/s400/Roth+-+Frederick+2+-+Chicago+Police.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederick Roth, Chicago Police, circa 1909.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
The following is an excerpt from a two part post where I uncover the Goldner family. <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/goldners-of-chicago-finding-lost-family.html" target="_blank">You can read the rest of that story by clicking here.</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By 1915, Frederick had risen to the rank of detective. But all was not well with his career. Being a cop in Chicago in the first half of the 20th century was not an easy task. Police were often tools of the establishment, used to uphold the status-quo and the status- quo of that time was corrupt government, Robber Barron industrialists, protected crime syndicates and cheap labor. Radical elements . . . socialists, communists, anarchists and not-so radical elements . . . social reformers, the temperance movement and women’s suffrage were all agitating, to one degree or another, for change and the police were often caught in the middle. Many of these agitators were immigrants who had come to the United States expecting opportunity but found that life was hard, freedom was fleeting and democracy was not always evident. Add to that an extremely corrupt police department with low pay, lack of professional standards and incomplete training. “<em>On December 2, 1914, the state’s attorney made his famous declaration that the detective bureau was a den of thieves</em>.” So was the world of Frederick Roth II, who by then was an experienced police officer, married and with two young children at home. In 1915 he, along with another dozen or so detectives, including the head of the department were charged with graft. He was later acquitted and quit the force soon after. I have yet to delve into the details of this incident. He may have been offered a deal to step down in exchange for an acquittal or perhaps, with his career tarnished and a bit disillusioned, he just decided to leave the force.</blockquote>
After his resignation from the police department, Fred and family would stay in Chicago for a few years. The 1920 census indicates that Frederick Roth, age 35, his wife Louise, also 35 and their sons Fred, age 10 and Edward, age 7 were living with his in-laws, the Goldner Family, who by then had moved to Oak Park. Fred was listed as “out of work.” In late 1920 or early 1921, the Roth family would leave Chicago and head back to his hometown for a new start.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQnf6s3gF3k/UIGDz1BYdAI/AAAAAAAABQs/LcMyhmspTJc/s1600/Monroe+Hotel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQnf6s3gF3k/UIGDz1BYdAI/AAAAAAAABQs/LcMyhmspTJc/s400/Monroe+Hotel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A busy street scene in front of the Monroe House (early 20th Century).<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hD4_VgaFt3E/UIGI8OtVVnI/AAAAAAAABRM/ouG7mhIqLEg/s1600/Monroe+Hotel+Ad.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hD4_VgaFt3E/UIGI8OtVVnI/AAAAAAAABRM/ouG7mhIqLEg/s400/Monroe+Hotel+Ad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hotel Monroe" advertised in the 1922 Monroe City Directory.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
In Monroe, Frederick Roth would purchase the Monroe Hotel (formerly the Monroe House), the same establishment his father had owned some 20 years earlier. He and Louise would operate the Hotel into the 1940s before retiring. Louise would be in charge of the kitchen and the hotel was known “<em>to enjoy a large dining room clientele</em>.” Because of his Chicago police experience, he was pressed into service on occasion as a Deputy Sheriff and also a Corner for Green County, Wisconsin. Frederick and Louise lived just around the corner from the hotel at 1508 9th street. Both the hotel and their house are now gone. Frederick Roth was a civic leader and a prominent fixture in Monroe during the middle part of the 20th century. <br />
<br />
Frederick Roth and Louise Goldner had two children:<br />
<ul>
<li>Frederick (III) (b.1909, d.2008) was born in Chicago, Illinois but spent his school-age years in Monroe, Wisconsin. A rabble-rouser, he dropped-out of high school and was sent back to Chicago to live with his grandparents for a time in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. He came back to Monroe in the early 30’s and married Grace Holcomb. They would have one child and then were divorced. He would marry his second wife, Kathryn Baltzer in 1946 and they would have two children. Frederick and Kathryn would settle in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin and the Roth brothers ran a cheese business in the Town of Blue Mounds until the mid-1960s. Fred's health began to deteriorate in the early 1960’s and in 1966, Fred and Kathryn moved to Clearwater, then to New Port Richey, Florida. In 1980 they move to Columbia, South Carolina where they spent the rest of their lives.</li>
<li>Edward (b.1912, d.2000) was born in Chicago but spent most of his school years in Monroe. He married Kate Montieth (b.1914) of Monroe, Wisconsin. Sometime in the 1940’s he went to work in the cheese business for Al Henze at Mount Horeb. Later he would partner with his brother, Fred and run Blue Mounds Cheese Company for about 20 years. Ed and Kate had two children. Ed was active in the community in Mount Horeb including a stint on the School Board. In the late 1960’s he retired and lived out the rest of his life in Florida. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Monroe.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRhEkEeOBZs/UIGFsPls_SI/AAAAAAAABQ8/9clm4CErLNk/s1600/Roth+-+Frederick+2+and+Louise+Goldner+-+Anniversary.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aRhEkEeOBZs/UIGFsPls_SI/AAAAAAAABQ8/9clm4CErLNk/s400/Roth+-+Frederick+2+and+Louise+Goldner+-+Anniversary.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederick Roth and Louise Goldner on their<br />
50th wedding anniversary in 1957.<br /><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRktuRJUhfs/UIGJ52ZGwrI/AAAAAAAABRU/C1xbGUwQKj0/s1600/Northernaire+Hotel+-+Postcard+-+cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rRktuRJUhfs/UIGJ52ZGwrI/AAAAAAAABRU/C1xbGUwQKj0/s400/Northernaire+Hotel+-+Postcard+-+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Northernaire "Resort and Spa" shown in its heyday on an old postcard. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After his retirement from the Hotel business, Fred Sr. helped Carl Marty operate the Northernaire, a somewhat famous resort just north of Three Lakes, Wisconsin. The resort was known for its amenities such as a golf course and many in-house services not found in the “north woods” at that time. The Roth family, including Frederick III and son Dean spent a few summers in Three Lakes, just after World War II, helping to launch the resort.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
About Frederick Roth II from a letter to a Monroe Newspaper . . . <em>So Long, Neighbor! Among the happier experiences, after moving to this community 15 years or so ago, was the opportunity for new friendships, especially with those personalities who contributed to Monroe’s uniqueness. One of those acquaintanceship which we came to treasure was with Fred Roth Sr. It took no special perceptive sense to discover quickly that Fred Roth had added his own special touch to Monroe’s delightful atmosphere. Down through the years, we had found Fred Roth to be possessed with a penetrating – and entertaining – sense of humor, liberally sprinkled with the sort of philosophy which is all to rare these days. A veteran member of that unofficial clan of “wise old birds,” which is fast disappearing, Fred Roth could be helpful and informative in a subtle way, usually punctuated with chuckles, which cut problems or people down to their unmistakably proper size. And, he often did just that during our numerous chats. Things aren’t going to be quite the same for a great many of us now that Fred Roth has left us. We share with his family, at least to a degree, the knowledge that something very wonderful is gone.</em><br />
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtDEhFbpqec/UIGHmtoCOQI/AAAAAAAABRE/Uyct6YiGRDg/s1600/Fred+Roth+II+Grave.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dtDEhFbpqec/UIGHmtoCOQI/AAAAAAAABRE/Uyct6YiGRDg/s400/Fred+Roth+II+Grave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Frederick Roth and Louise Goldner in Monroe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Fred and Louise would live out their lives in the house on 9th Street and are buried at Greenwood Cemetery.<br />
<br />
Research Notes: Much of the information for this report was taken from my own personal papers and from information provided by other family members. Additional information was obtained from the United States Census, various vital records and other on-line sources.<br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is one of a series of short biographies of individual ancestors. These are undertaken, from time-to-time, when enough information becomes available about an individual.</span></em><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-63160547248905617792012-10-03T16:49:00.004-05:002023-12-04T19:04:28.785-06:00Wilderman Family (3) - Colonists and Pioneers<span style="font-size: large;">Part 3 - From Frontier to Settled Territory</span><br />
<em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/wilderman-family-colonists-and-pioneers_19.html" target="_blank">Find Part 2 of the Story Here . . .</a> </em><br />
<em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/wilderman-family-colonists-and-pioneers.html" target="_blank">Find Part 1 of the Story Here . . .</a></em><br />
<br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note, this post has been revised. The
original 2-Part Wilderman Family series has been updated and more information has been
added. The series has been expanded to 3 Parts with most of the new information in this part.</span></em><br />
<br />
Jacob Wilderman and Johann Meyer left their small village in Baden, Germany and came to Colonial America in 1751. Jacob would marry Elizabetha Meyer and make his home in Maryland. There he would raise a family, farm, fight in the revolution and live out his live. After the Revolution, his son George would marry and head to western Pennsylvania to live in the company of other Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. Later he would pick-up once more and venture into the frontier of the Northwest Territory and settle just east of the Mississippi in what is now Illinois.<br />
<br />
The Wilderman family would thrive in Saint Clair County. A number of sons would operate large farms of their own. Later generations would continue to farm but some family members would seek other callings including one of George's grandsons, Alonzo, who would become a Circuit Court Judge. Many descendants still live in the area and the family history is well documented.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kGWq11jIisQ/UGtasGG5nSI/AAAAAAAABMw/Z98m_CZqmT8/s1600/Wilderman+-+James+-+Cemetery+Photo+1+-+Alternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kGWq11jIisQ/UGtasGG5nSI/AAAAAAAABMw/Z98m_CZqmT8/s400/Wilderman+-+James+-+Cemetery+Photo+1+-+Alternate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wilderman Cemetery in the countryside on Section 8 in the Town of Freeburg.<br />
James Wilderman, Sarah Jarvis and a number of their children are buried here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">The Next Generation, James Wilderman</span><br />
<br />
When George Wilderman, Patience Dorsey and family arrived in Western Illinois in 1807, their fifth son, James was just 16 years old. He would marry Sarah Jarvis (b.1795, d.1856) in 1812 in Saint Clair County. James Wilderman would serve in the War of 1812 with two of his brothers, George and Jacob. They were "Mounted Rifleman" and part of of Captain Jacob Short's 1st Company of the 2nd Regiment Militia of the Illinois Territory. Their task was to defend the territory from hostile Indians tribes which had sided with the British in the war. James was also noted to have served in the Blackhawk war is some capacity.<br />
<br />
Records indicate that James and Sarah had 17 children and operated a large farm on section eight in the Town of Freeburg in Saint Clair County. The children of James Wilderman and Sarah Jarvis were:<br />
<ul>
<li>Elizabeth (b.1814, d.1892?); married Archibald Hammil or Hamil in 1837 and Newit Drew in 1847. She had three children with her first husband and at least six with her second. Newit Drew may have come from Tennesee and they farmed in Saint Clair County.</li>
<li>Nancy (b.1815, d.1846); married Jacob Carr in 1815. They raised five children and lived in Saint Clair County. Jacob's family came to Illinois from Virginia.</li>
<li>Franklin (b.1816, d.1857); married Lucy Switlett in Wisconsin in 1850. Franklin was listed as a Miner living in Shullsburg in the 1850 US Census. They raised at least two children and lived out their lives in Wisconsin. After Franklin's death at age 41, Lucy remarried.There is a stone for him at the Wilderman Cemetery but he is probably buried in Wisconsin.</li>
<li>Cyrena (b.1818, d.1890); married Sydney Shook in 1839. They raised 10 children and farmed in Saint Clair County. Their farm was on Section 7 and right next to James Wilderman Jr. Cyrena and her sister, Mary Ann married two Shook brothers in a double wedding ceremony.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-PNT9jo5kM/UGy1mp7RmJI/AAAAAAAABOI/YITW0zWHzRA/s1600/Wilderman+-+Syrene+-+Daughter+of+James+-+Gravesite+-+Green+Mount+Cemetery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-PNT9jo5kM/UGy1mp7RmJI/AAAAAAAABOI/YITW0zWHzRA/s320/Wilderman+-+Syrene+-+Daughter+of+James+-+Gravesite+-+Green+Mount+Cemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravestone of Cyrena Wilderman, Green Mount<br />
Protestant Cemetery, Belleville, Illinois</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Lucinda (b.1819 d.1865?); married R.M. Jackson in 1840. They were in Illinois for a few years and then settled in Green County, Wisconsin where they farmed in the Town of Adams and raised 11 children. In 1861, they moved to Monroe where R.M. ran the Junction Hotel. Lucinda and two of her children died from diphtheria. Sometime after she died, he went to Missouri with some of the children. R.M. would marry two more times and live to the age of 93.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBWIBIeAA-A/UG280ZpzP8I/AAAAAAAABOo/NH_E9USx-W4/s1600/Wilderman+-+Lucinda+-+Daughter+of+James+-+Gravesite+-+Greenwood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBWIBIeAA-A/UG280ZpzP8I/AAAAAAAABOo/NH_E9USx-W4/s320/Wilderman+-+Lucinda+-+Daughter+of+James+-+Gravesite+-+Greenwood.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravestone of Lucinda Wilderman,<br />
Greenwood Cemetery, Monroe, Wisconsin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Mary Ann (b.1819, d.1892?); married the other Shook brother, Samuel in 1844. They had at least one child and farmed in Saint Clair County.</li>
<li>William Jackson (b.1821, d.1850); was thought to have purchased land from the Federal Land Office in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, but not much else is known about him. He died at age 29 in Wisconsin.</li>
<li>James (b.1824, d.1901); operated a successful farm in Saint Clair County but never married. On the 1874 map of The Town of Freeburg, his farm covered 300 acres on Section 7 and 8.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KfsK6a6lJWo/TkvOr_KEAjI/AAAAAAAAAX8/q2xE2b4dZFE/s1600/Wilderman+-+James+-+Farm2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KfsK6a6lJWo/TkvOr_KEAjI/AAAAAAAAAX8/q2xE2b4dZFE/s400/Wilderman+-+James+-+Farm2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The James Wilderman Jr. & brothers farm,<br />noted as 5 miles southeast of
Belleville.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>John H. (b.1826, d.1892); was the twin of Sarah. He also did not marry and may have farmed with his brother James.</li>
<li>Sarah (b.1826, d.1910); married Reuben Holcomb and is discussed in greater detail below.</li>
<li>Delilah J. (b.1828, d.1916); married Herbert Heberer or Hoelerer in 1866. They had no children and operated a 320 acre farm on Section 14 and 15 in the Town of Freeburg.</li>
<li>Thomas L. (b.1830, d.1892); not much is known about him and he did not marry.</li>
<li>Elinor (b.1832, d.?); she is reported to have died young.</li>
<li>male infant (b.1834, d.1834); did not survive childbirth.</li>
<li>Amanda (b.1835, d.?); she was a twin of Maria and reportedly died young.</li>
<li>Maria (b.1835, d.1925); married John McGuire in 1860. They had at least four children and lived in Saint Clair County. John's family came to Illinois from Pennsylvania, probably with the Wilderman party.</li>
<li>George W. (b.1837, d.1858); he reportedly never married and only lived to the age of 21.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sarah Jarvis, Early Illinois Pioneer</span><br />
<br />
Sarah Jarvis is almost certainly from a family of one of the early pioneer settlers of western Illinois. She is probably the daughter of Franklin Jarvis (b.1757?) and Elizabeth Scott (b.1778). Sarah Jarvis has been noted to have been born in Virginia or Maryland but most likely it was Virginia. Franklin Jarvis was one of the first settlers in western Illinois. He came with his wife’s family, led by her father, William Scott. Franklin moved from Virginia and first settled in Kentucky. The Scott/Jarvis group made the trip to Illinois by wagon train from Fort Massac on the Ohio River, arriving first at New Deal where they remained for a few months, then moved on in the fall of 1797, and settling at “Turkey Hill” in Saint Claire County. These early settlers were mostly on their own and had little contact with the outside world for the first few years. Their closest neighbors were the Kickapoo and relations were reported to be cordial.<br />
<br />
Franklin's lineage is not entirely clear but he may be the son of John Jarvis (II) (b.1725, d.1799) from Westmorland County, Virginia and Elizabeth Field (b.1729?) from Botetourt County, Virginia. It is also possible that he is the son of Field Jarvis and Francis Franklin also of Virginia. Field Jarvis is definitely the son of John Jarvis and Elizabeth Field but it is unclear of Franklin is the son or brother of Field (sources of birth and death dates vary, making it harder to determine who is the son of whom). However, Francis Franklin’s last name may hint that Franklin is her son and thereby the grandson and not the son of Elizabeth Field. <br />
<br />
James Wilderman, Sarah Jarvis and many of their children are buried at the Wilderman Cemetery located on Section 8 in the Town of Freeburg. The cemetery is located off the road in a farm field and not easily accessible. There is another Wilderman Cemetery about a mile away where James' brother Dorsey and many of his descendants are buried.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXSjLuxgu6A/UGw7ZqBR_nI/AAAAAAAABNo/b_mNSF4rM9s/s1600/Jarvis+-+Sarah+-+Gravesite+-+Wilderman+Cemetery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RXSjLuxgu6A/UGw7ZqBR_nI/AAAAAAAABNo/b_mNSF4rM9s/s320/Jarvis+-+Sarah+-+Gravesite+-+Wilderman+Cemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravestone of Sarah Jarvis at Wilderman Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Sarah Wilderman, A Little House on the Prairie</span></div>
<br />
The 10th child of James Wilderman and Sarah Jarvis, Sarah (b.1826, d.1910), the twin of John, would grow up on the prairie farm near Freeburg and apparently gained a good education. Some time before 1850, she would head north to Wisconsin to teach in the newly formed state. In the 1850 census, Sarah, age 21, was noted as a border, living in the Town of Primrose. It was near there, in the Town of Perry, that Sarah was noted to have been the first teacher a the newly organized Perry school - later called Meadow View. A few years later, she and Sarah Scott (probably of the Saint Clair County Scott family) would be teachers in a "log school," noted as the first school house in District Five, located on Section 22 in the Town of Adams, Green County, Wisconsin. That School house was about two miles from the recently acquired lands of Reuben Holcomb (b.1816, d.1899). Reuben and Sarah would be married in 1855. He was also a pioneer and had come to Wisconsin from New York, via Michigan, about the time Wisconsin became a state. The Holcomb's first lived in a log house and later built a larger frame home where Sarah would raise a family and live out her life on their 300+ acre farm in the Town of Adams.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o7_j4p-3Qj8/YSw7fBTRKII/AAAAAAAAQPs/NkS6enfZcEMrDNGYYX6tifu5r6cZ50JNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/Wilderman%2B-%2BSarah%2Band%2BSiblings%2B-%2Bwith%2Bnotes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o7_j4p-3Qj8/YSw7fBTRKII/AAAAAAAAQPs/NkS6enfZcEMrDNGYYX6tifu5r6cZ50JNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h640/Wilderman%2B-%2BSarah%2Band%2BSiblings%2B-%2Bwith%2Bnotes.jpg" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Wilderman and surviving<br />siblings, from about the 1890s</td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mz0C9IMReMc/UGtdZNivUmI/AAAAAAAABNM/JtQbeW-o2Q4/s1600/Log+School+House.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mz0C9IMReMc/UGtdZNivUmI/AAAAAAAABNM/JtQbeW-o2Q4/s400/Log+School+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical rural Wisconsin log school house. Sarah<br />
Wilderman would have taught in a structure similar to this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sarah and Reuben had five children: James (b.1856, d.1937), Ernest (b.1861, d.1931), Florence (b.1861, d.1863), Reuben (b.1864, d.1949) and Jennie (b.1866, d.1966). Just before her death, Sarah was living with her son Reuben in Monroe, Wisconsin. She would die in 1910 and is buried with her husband at Greenwood Cemetery in Monroe. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/reuben-holcomb-i-short-biography.html" target="_blank">You can read more about the Reuben Holcomb family here . . .</a> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion</span><br />
<br />
In 1751 Jacob Wilderman would arrive in Colonial America, an early German settler in the new world. He would serve his new land, along with his son George, in the Revolutionary War. George Wilderman and family would head to western Pennsylvania and then pressed west into the frontier of the Northwest Territory. He would settle near the the Mississippi in future Illinois in 1807. His son James would come of age in the "west" and see the territory firmly settled and become the State of Illinois. Sarah Wilderman, a daughter of James would grow up on the prairie. She would venture north to teach school in the new State of Wisconsin and live to see the 20th Century.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
German peasants, colonial citizens, patriots, pioneers, farmers, Americans; this is the story of the Wilderman family; it is the story of America.<br />
<br />
Research Notes: Much of the information about the Wilderman Family was found on-line at RootsWeb (part of AncestryDotCom) and a good deal of that information came from "<em>The Wilderman Family Tree</em>" by Mike and Debbie Krug and the book "<em>The Wilderman Family</em>" by Lora Wilderman Stookey. A number of other sources where also used including: census records, local (Saint Clair County and State of Illinois) histories, public family trees found at AncestryDotCom and other vital records and on-line sources. Post updated on 8/2021.</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-65167073445713446192012-10-01T11:48:00.001-05:002023-12-05T18:38:28.472-06:00Two Years of Blogging about Genealogy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6CuXoHKomFg/UGnH2rygYPI/AAAAAAAABMQ/PXP3IIVDD00/s1600/Holcombe+-+Nathaniel+-+Granby+Sign+-+alternate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6CuXoHKomFg/UGnH2rygYPI/AAAAAAAABMQ/PXP3IIVDD00/s200/Holcombe+-+Nathaniel+-+Granby+Sign+-+alternate.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before I started leaning about<br />
my Genealogy, I had never <br />
heard of Granby, Connecticut.<br />
Now I know that it played an<br />
important role in my own<br />
family history.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
“<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Other Blog - Family History and Genealogy</a>" celebrated its 2nd anniversary, yesterday September 30, 2012. On that same day in 2010, the very first post, just under 400 words and titled “<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/yet-another-blog.html" target="_blank">Yet Another Blog</a>” was published.<br />
<br />
At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly what this blog was going to focus on but writing about my ancestry was certainly one of the options I was entertaining. The decision to move in that direction didn't take long, however. The next two posts, both in October of 2010 were about my family history quest and once I started down the road toward genealogy, I never looked back. <br />
<br />
With a total of 36 posts (including this one) the website has grown at a slow but steady pace. In addition to the output that comes out of this blog (writing and posting), there has also been some worthwhile input. I have received more than a handful of connections to distant cousins. Prior to being contacted, I did not know any of them and they have contributed a lot of great information about my family history. Hopefully, I have also been able to provide them with some good information as well. <br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em><strong>9/30/10 - 9/30/12: Two Years of Blogging About My Family History - 36 posts, 10,000 visitors and some great new connections.</strong></em></blockquote>
<strong>
</strong>In addition to the two year anniversary, another milestone . . . 10,000 visitors . . . was also reached in September. This is a small blog, very focused and with no marketing or advertising so I do not expect much traffic. I now receive anywhere from 600 - 900 visitors per month which has far exceeded my expectations. Here are some highlights of the first two years:</div>
<ul>
<li>September 2010 - First Post: <em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/yet-another-blog.html" target="_blank">Yet Another Blog</a></em></li>
<li>February 2011 - First Family Post: <em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/goldners-of-chicago-finding-lost-family.html" target="_blank">The Goldners of Chicago - Finding a Lost Family</a></em></li>
<li>May 2011 - First Full Family Biography: <em><a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/david-hermann-arrived-1862.html" target="_blank">David Herman - Arrived 1862</a></em></li>
<li>June 2011 - First Contact with Other Researchers - Peterson/Moe Family</li>
<li>August 2011 - First Short Biography:<em> <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/lars-p-moe-short-biography.htm" target="_blank">Lars P. Moe - Short Biography</a></em></li>
<li>April 2012 - Accessed 1940 U.S. Census</li>
<li>May 2012 - History Page Added</li>
<li>September 2012 - 10,000 Visitor Mark</li>
</ul>
Right now, I am in the middle of writing about the Holcombe Family, the ancestry that first got me really excited about my own genealogy. I have two articles published with a couple more to go. I look forward to continuing with the blog and sharing my information with others for some time to come.<br />
<br />
Related Reading:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/flow-of-information.html" target="_blank">History Page Added</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/flow-of-information.html" target="_blank">The Flow of Information</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/genealogy-mother-load.html" target="_blank">The Genealogy Mother Load</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-37064870977772208202012-09-25T16:40:00.011-05:002022-05-10T17:43:15.325-05:00Holcombe Family (2) - Colonial Generations<span style="font-size: large;">Part 2 - Nathaniel Holcombe of Salmon Brook</span><br />
<br />
Thomas Holcombe would arrive in New England sometime between 1630 and 1633. A few short years later, he would be living on the outskirts of Connecticut's first settlement, Windsor. There, he and his wife, Elizabeth would raise a large family and prosper. Their youngest son, Nathaniel would be only nine years old when Thomas died. After that time, Nathaniel's stepfather, James Enno and his older brothers would probably have a great influence on him as he grew to manhood in the wilderness at Poquonock.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank"><em>If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GbV7VidAUik/UEDZE9ZKJJI/AAAAAAAABGc/laJ1FYfijmQ/s1600/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Poquonock+-+1640.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GbV7VidAUik/UEDZE9ZKJJI/AAAAAAAABGc/laJ1FYfijmQ/s400/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Poquonock+-+1640.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original settlers at the remote outpost at Poquonock, circa 1640. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Nathaniel Holcombe was born on November 4th, 1648 at Poquonock, Windsor, in the colony of Connecticut. The circumstances of his upbringing seem to have had a direct relationship to him later becoming one of the "outlanders" of the region. He was born into a Puritan family and thus would start off as part of that society but after his father died, his rank in the society might have been affected by his mother's marriage to James Enno.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Settlement at Salmon Brook</span><br />
<br />
In 1660, Nathaniel received £28-12s (28 pounds, 12 shillings), his allotment from the estate of Thomas Holcombe. Nothing is known about his early adult life until 1670, when he was married to Mary Bliss of Springfield, Massachusetts. He and Mary may have lived for a few years with her family in Springfield. They would be back in Windsor by 1675. That was the same year that Springfield was attacked as part of a greater conflict known as King Philip's War. The extent of Nathaniels involvement in the war is unclear but respect and rank in later town militias seems to confirm that he gained fighting experience during the war. Nathaniel and his young family would be one of the first settlers at a place called Salmon Brook (now the Town of Granby, Connecticut) arriving as early as 1677.<br />
<br />
Colonial expansion west from the Connecticut River valley was inevitable and planning had already begun by the 1660’s. A small settlement was formed at Simsbury but abandoned during King Phillips War. After the war, the settlers returned to find homes and farms burned to the ground. While a scarcity of land was one reason for expansion, local Indian tensions as well as more global concerns also played a role in the movement west. The authorities at Windsor and Hartford planned a series of small clusters of homes along the frontier, thus creating a line of defense against the known and unknown dangers that lurked in the wilderness beyond. Those who ventured out into this frontier to live where taking a real risk as the threat from both the French and Spanish and their Indian allies was real. They were living at the edge of English civilization and along a volatile imperial border.<br />
<br />
How Nathaniel ended up in Salmon Brook as opposed to more desirable locations in Windsor or Simsbury seems to have something do with his childhood circumstances. As stated above, living in remote Poquonock and being the stepson of James Enno may have worked against him in the politics of land distribution in northern Hartford County. His brother Joshua was rewarded with more choice land in Simsbury but he was much older and associated more with his father in the eyes of the town leaders. Nathaniel may have been more associated with James Enno, who sometimes rocked the boat in Windsor and as a Huguenot who worshiped in the Anglican Church, was always somewhat of an outsider. Nathaniel may have been guilty by association and passed-over in the race for the best land. It should be noted that most of the settlers offered land in the more remote “outer settlements” like Salmon Brook were Welsh, Anglicans, Huguenots and other non-Puritans.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aztOCrofVhU/UgEgxZH0VxI/AAAAAAAABhA/FsN163e3d0U/s1600/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Simsbury+-+1686+-+Alternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aztOCrofVhU/UgEgxZH0VxI/AAAAAAAABhA/FsN163e3d0U/s400/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Simsbury+-+1686+-+Alternate.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simsbury in 1686: Salmon Brook Meadow is at the top;<br />Hop Meadow, the more established settlement is toward the center.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(ABOVE) From "<u><em>The Brittle Thread of Life,</em></u>" A map of Simsbury (what the Indians called Massaco) as surveyed about 1686. Already cleared areas (meadowland) made parts of Simsbury an ideal place for expansion. The “river towns” to the east, along the Connecticut River were filling up fast and open land for farming was starting to become scarce. </blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WWwqOHO4Js/UgEhkUDRzQI/AAAAAAAABhI/IHSF46No0fg/s1600/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Salmon+Brook+-+1688+-+Alternate.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--WWwqOHO4Js/UgEhkUDRzQI/AAAAAAAABhI/IHSF46No0fg/s400/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Salmon+Brook+-+1688+-+Alternate.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The plats of the first settlers at Salmon Book.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
(ABOVE) From "<u><em>The Brittle Thread of Life,</em></u>" The first plats at Salmon Brook about 1688. At a bend at the West Branch of Salmon Brook. The occupants are: [1] Nathaniel Holcombe, Mary Bliss and seven children; [2] Samuel Willcockson Jr.; [3] Samuel Adams, Elizabeth Hill and a daughter; [4] Nicholas Gossard, Elizabeth Gillet and three children; [5] Richard Segar, Abigail Griffin and two children; [6] Thomas Griffin; [7] Josiah Owen, Mary Osborn and seven children; [8] Joseph Owen, Elizabeth Osborn and three children; [9] John Matson. </blockquote>
Nathaniel received his Land Grant as a result of the Land Division in 1680. In that year his family, along with the Owens were the only two families living at Salmon Brook. In 1681 he was elected Town Constable. He was a joint signer of an agreement with the pastor of Hop Meadow in 1687. In that same year, he was also noted as a lister (tax assessor). In 1688, he signed an offer to citizens of Salmon Brook and Low Meadow for exchange of parts of land to better fortify against Indians. Nathaniel served as Deputy to the General Court of Connecticut for Simsbury (Colonial Assembly) between 1703 and 1705 and again between 1720 and 1722. One source noted that he was a Sergeant in the militia, “an experienced Indian fighter” and a veteran of King Philip’s War. Early in the settlement of Salmon Brook, possibly because of their experience in the Indian Wars, he and Daniel Adams were called up to lead Simsbury’s 'train band' (militia).<br />
<br />
As the years wore on, Nathaniel would develop a reputation as a well-respected citizen, a sort of elder statesmen of Granby. His grandson’s generation would call on him to help them secure their land grants and he would serve his second stint in the colonial court while in his 70’s. Salmon Brook, which became part of the Town of Granby is an important place in the history of this family line (my family line). Every Holcombe in Granby was a descendant of Nathaniel and hundreds of them raised families and lived out their lives there. Six generations from my family line lived there, for over 120 years, starting with Nathaniel and ending with Apollas.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Family of Mary Bliss</span><br />
<br />
Mary Bliss was the 3rd of four children of Nathaniel Bliss (b.1622, d.1654) and Catharine Chapman (or Chapin) (b.1630, d.1711) and was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Mary’s father, Nathaniel, was born in Rodborough, Gloucestershire, England and came to America at about the age 13 with his father, Thomas Bliss (b.1589? d.1650?) of Northamptonshire or Gloucester and some siblings. His mother, Margaret Hulins (b.1595? d.1684) and other siblings followed soon after. They are reported to have been living in Belstone Parish, Devon prior to embarking for New England and settled in Harford, Connecticut. Nathanial Bliss settled in Springfield, Massachusetts about 1645. His mother, Margaret, and some of Nathaniel’s siblings also went to Springfield at about the same time and after Margaret’s husband died. She was noted as a very able manager of the family estate as it tripled in value under her guidance.<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DXWk_LkCs/UEDnlU0KaFI/AAAAAAAABG4/yWHMfd41XpQ/s1600/Bliss+-+Margaret+Hulins+-+Marble+House+at+Springfield+-+1645-1+-+small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9DXWk_LkCs/UEDnlU0KaFI/AAAAAAAABG4/yWHMfd41XpQ/s400/Bliss+-+Margaret+Hulins+-+Marble+House+at+Springfield+-+1645-1+-+small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Marget Hulins Bliss house in Springfield (late 19th century photo)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There were at least three Bliss immigrants, two brothers and a cousin (Thomas was the cousin) that came to New England in the first half of the 17th century. According to the Bliss Family History and Genealogy website, Thomas Bliss is likely a descendant of John Blisse of Tyringham, a feudal serf. The family has been traced back, with some gaps, to the 13th century. Margaret Hulins was the daughter of John Hulins (b.1595, d.1638?) from Rodborough and Margaret (b.1566?). John Hulins (b.1540, d.1609) was the son of Henry Hulins (Huling) (b.1540, d.1608) also from Rodborough and Joane (d.1612).<br />
<br />
Catherine Chapin was born in Pomeroy, Devon and was the 3rd of 10 or 11 children of “Deacon” Samuel Chapin (b.1598, d.1675) and Cicely Penney (b.1602, d.1682) both from Paignton, Devon. Samuel was the 5th child of six of John Chapin (b.1560) and Phillipa Easton (b.1569, d.1614) also from Devon. The Chapin family has been traced back with certainty, at least one more generation to Roger Chapin.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7PiZH1W3z8/UEDtkU9d6UI/AAAAAAAABHU/jkGIbOE8NiM/s1600/Chapin+-+Samuel+-+The+Puritan+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N7PiZH1W3z8/UEDtkU9d6UI/AAAAAAAABHU/jkGIbOE8NiM/s400/Chapin+-+Samuel+-+The+Puritan+2.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Puritan, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, depicting Samuel Chapin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><div>
Samuel and Cicely sailed to America with at least five of their children and possibly Samuel’s father, John, sometime before 1638. Samuel was one of the founders of Springfield in 1642 and an important leader of the community. At various times, he served as a Selectman, Deacon and Magistrate. His many notable descendants include: Grover Cleveland, William Taft, Spencer Tracy, J.P. Morgan and John Brown. Samuel, Cicely and a number of descendants are buried at Chicopee Cemetery (Chicopee Street Burying Ground) in Springfield. Catherine Chapin was married three times and had children by all three of her husbands (four with each). Cicely Penney was the daughter of Henry Penney and Jane (?) both probably from Paignton. Phillipa Easton’s parents were Henry Easton and Joan Cliffee. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTl7S_V4ZOM/UFziLRxkmTI/AAAAAAAABLc/zUJiZe88h-g/s1600/Massachusetts+-+Town+of+Springfield+-+1645+-+alternate.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wTl7S_V4ZOM/UFziLRxkmTI/AAAAAAAABLc/zUJiZe88h-g/s400/Massachusetts+-+Town+of+Springfield+-+1645+-+alternate.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Springfield from about 1645 shows the plats of the Bliss and Chapin families.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Nathaniel Holcombe and Mary Bliss</span><br /></div><div>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>
Son (Lieutenant) Nathaniel Holcombe (II) (b.1673, d.1766) would raise his large family at Salmon Brook. His life and times are covered in the next section.</li>
<li>Daughter Mary Holcombe (b.1675, d.1744/45) was born at Springfield and though she lived a long life, she never married. In her will she left a Bible to her brother Benjamin “<em>to be his forever, and the Lord be with him</em>” her best quilt and a pair of silver clasps to her sister Esther, and to all four sisters “<em>rest and residue</em>.”</li>
<li>Son (Sergeant) Jonathan Holcombe (b.1678, d.1761) married Mary Buell (b.1677, d.1720), the daughter of Sergeant Peter Buell and Martha Cogan in 1695. Mary was the sister of Nathaniel II’s wife, Martha. Jonathan reportedly “died of the falling of a small tree.” Jonathan and Mary had nine children.</li>
<ul>
<li>Notable descendants included William Horace Holcombe (b.1837, d.1908), a civil war veteran who helped build the Chicago and Iowa Railroad and later the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. He was a political leader in Rochelle, Illinois and in 1893 was active in the management of the Transportation section of the World’s Columbian Exhibition. His house is a Rochelle landmark.</li>
</ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yne2FxyfECk/YSVtlra8GaI/AAAAAAAAQNY/ehg2WhhCpR4N0iRhfTJeswqTNtN9LKvZACLcBGAsYHQ/s374/Holcomb%2B-%2BWilliam%2BHorace%2B-%2BDescended%2BFrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yne2FxyfECk/YSVtlra8GaI/AAAAAAAAQNY/ehg2WhhCpR4N0iRhfTJeswqTNtN9LKvZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BWilliam%2BHorace%2B-%2BDescended%2BFrom%2BNathaniel%2BI.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Horace Holcomb</td></tr></tbody></table><ul style="text-align: left;">
<ul>
<li>Also Chester Holcombe Jr. (b.1844, d.1912), a missionary and diplomat. The son of a pastor, he began as a teacher and later studied theology. His mother’s interest in missionary work seemed to have passed to her son. In 1869 he departed for Peking and spent the next 20 years in China. He learned the language and began interpreting for American diplomats, eventually becoming a diplomat himself. He served 11 year with the American Legation which included stints as Charge d’Affaire. ”<em>As United States minister, he accompanied him (President Grant) and his party through China . . . and entertained him for several weeks in the legation at</em> <em>Peking."</em> He was also involved in Chinese immigration issues and wrote and taught about China later in life.</li>
</ul>
<li>Son (Ensign) John Holcombe (b.1680, d.1744) married Ann Pettibone (b.1679, d.1753), the daughter of John Pettibone and Sarah Eggleston in 1706. John Pettibone, a freeman at Windsor in 1658, came to America, perhaps from Wales and was possibly a soldier under Cromwell. John and Ann had 10 children. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_Q9-hSpW_Q/UEpr8n69KXI/AAAAAAAABH4/6tK2fAVt6nk/s1600/Holcomb+-+Ensign+John+Holcombe+-+Gravesite+-+East+Granby.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_Q9-hSpW_Q/UEpr8n69KXI/AAAAAAAABH4/6tK2fAVt6nk/s320/Holcomb+-+Ensign+John+Holcombe+-+Gravesite+-+East+Granby.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Holcomb gravesite at the East Granby Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Daughter Martha Holcombe (b.1682, d.1717) married Daniel Hayes (b.1686, d.1756), the son of George Hayes and Abigail Dibble in 1716. Martha’s nephew, Nathaniel III would marry Daniel’s sister, Thankful Hayes. Daniel was taken prisoner by Indians in 1707, carried to Canada and kept in captivity for five years. He earned his own ransom, for which he was reimbursed by the colony. His future sister-in-law, Martha Buell (Nathaniel II’s wife), witnessed Daniel’s capture as she was walking to get cows at the bottom of a far hill. Martha and Daniel had one son after which Martha died. He remarried and had 11 more children. His son Ezekiel would be the grandfather of President Rutherford B. Hayes.</li>
<li>Daughter Hester Holcombe (or Esther) (b.1684, d.1760) married Ensign Brewster Higley (b.1679, d.1760), the son of Captain John Higley and Hannah Drake in 1708. John Higley came from Frimley, Surrey, England. It is noted that all of Hester and Brewster’s eight children lived to old age (averaging 80) and had numerous descendants, many of which settled in Vermont, Central New York and the Ohio counties of Meigs and Windham.</li><ul><li>A famous descendant was the Reverend John Brown (b.1800, d.1859), the abolitionist. President Lincoln said he was a "misguided fanatic" and Brown has been called one of the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans. His attempt to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia electrified the nation. He was tried for treason against the state of Virginia, for the murder of five pro-slavery Southerners and for inciting a slave insurrection and was hanged. Southerners alleged that his rebellion was the tip of the abolitionist iceberg and represented the wishes of the Republican Party. Historians agree that the Harpers Ferry raid in 1859 escalated tensions that a year later led to secession and the American Civil War.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZUqR08dAsM/YSVuXI299rI/AAAAAAAAQNg/jTccSFceHSoVdSHW1dzrDq_Ac83rojZJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1348/Brown%2B-%2BJohn%2B-%2BAbolitionist%2B-%2B1856.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1138" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZUqR08dAsM/YSVuXI299rI/AAAAAAAAQNg/jTccSFceHSoVdSHW1dzrDq_Ac83rojZJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Brown%2B-%2BJohn%2B-%2BAbolitionist%2B-%2B1856.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reverend John Brown</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><ul>
<li>Another notable descendant was Doctor Brewster Higley VI (b.1822, d.1911), who penned a poem in Kansas in 1872 which he called “My Western Home.” He later turned it into the song “Home on the Range.” Still popular, it serves as the official state song of Kansas.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODts9onZ5Yw/UEprC2aHFvI/AAAAAAAABHw/ZD3dxDoqIZQ/s1600/Higley+Gravesite.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ODts9onZ5Yw/UEprC2aHFvI/AAAAAAAABHw/ZD3dxDoqIZQ/s400/Higley+Gravesite.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewter Higley and Hester Holcombe tombstones at Hop Meadow Cemetery at<br />
Simsbury, Connecticut. The inscription on Hester's marker has all but wore away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVF_XDrCViA/YSPYCXVGh4I/AAAAAAAAQMs/V2ujbn0a_90Nd4U3R81s4-eFJgAvV4EEACLcBGAsYHQ/s166/Higley%2B-%2BBrewster.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="120" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVF_XDrCViA/YSPYCXVGh4I/AAAAAAAAQMs/V2ujbn0a_90Nd4U3R81s4-eFJgAvV4EEACLcBGAsYHQ/w231-h320/Higley%2B-%2BBrewster.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doctor Brewster Higley VI of Kansas Fame<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><ul><li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcombe (b.1685, d.1700), lived to the age of 15.</li>
<li>Daughter Margaret Holcombe (b.1687, d.1777) married Nathaniel North, who is likely a descendant of John North and Hannah Buell (?) in 1704. Margaret and Nathaniel had eight children.</li>
<li>Daughter Catherine Holcombe (b.1689, d.1769) married Joseph Messenger (b.1687, d.1763), the son of Nathaniel Messenger and Rebecca Kelsey in 1707. Catherine and Joseph lived near Raven Swamp south of the south branch of Salmon Brook (now the west branch). Catherine and Joseph had nine children.</li>
<li>Daughter Sarah Holcombe (b.1691, d.1787) married Samuel Barber (b.1673, d.1725), the son of Lieutenant Thomas Barber II and Mary Phelps in 1712. Samuel’s grandfather, Thomas Barber I was from Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. He first came to Windsor in 1635 with the advance party and was also known to have been a soldier in the Pequot War. Sarah and Samuel had six children.</li>
<li>Son Benjamin Holcombe (b.1697, d.1758) married Hannah Case (b.1698, 1769), the daughter of Samuel Case and Mary Westover in 1727. Samuel’s father (John) sailed from Gravesend, England in 1635 on the ship Dorset and landed at Newport, Rhode Island, but settled first in Windsor, then Newton, Long Island and finally, in Simsbury. There would be many Case/Holcombe marriages including two of Hannah’s cousins, who would marry children of Nathaniel Holcombe II. Benjamin and Hannah had two known children.</li>
</ul>
Mary Bliss would die around 1722 at the age of about 70. After that, Nathaniel would marry Sarah Owen. Nathaniel would live another 18 years and die in 1740 at the age of 92. His long life would stretch from the early days of the colony to a time of almost complete settlement of Connecticut and greater New England.<br />
<br />
The next generation, Nathaniel II, would stay-on in Salmon Brook. You can read about his story in <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">Part 3 of the report here . . .</a><br />
<br />
For additional information: One of the best on-line sources about the Holcombe family can be found at <a href="http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/" target="_blank">Holcombe Family Genealogy</a>. For a great source of information about Salmon Brook and with some information about the three Nathaniel Holcombes that resided there, read: "<em>The Brittle Thread of Life"</em> by Mark Williams (2009). Post updated on 8/2021.<br />
<br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-7812651308962099622012-08-10T12:23:00.010-05:002022-05-10T17:20:40.965-05:00Holcombe Family (1) - Colonial Generations<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Thomas Holcombe of Windsor, Connecticut and his descendants are well documented in both written text and on the Internet. This report presents a narrative of the early generations in my personal family line and is not meant to be a full and complete history of Thomas Holcombe or the Holcombe family.</span></em><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Part 1 - Thomas Holcombe in the New World</span><br />
<br />
It is unclear exactly when Thomas Holcombe arrived in New England. It could have been as early as 1630 on the Ship Mary & John or as late as 1633 on the Ship Thunder. As passenger lists for many of the Puritan voyages did not exist, the actual date that he first stepped foot on New England soil will probably never be known. Regardless, his arrival 10 - 15 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth puts him in the company of the first few hundred or few thousand white men to live in North America.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ea0na4jUmE/TK6EKLmoCTI/AAAAAAAAAJU/M5UQ7XXNgVQ/s1600/Ship+Mary+and+John.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ea0na4jUmE/TK6EKLmoCTI/AAAAAAAAAJU/M5UQ7XXNgVQ/s400/Ship+Mary+and+John.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing of the Mary and John. While it is unclear if Thomas Holcombe came<br />
to the New World on this particular ship, it represents the type of vessel that <br />
was plying the Atlantic Ocean between England and America in the 1630's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Also unclear and in dispute, is the ancestry of Thomas Holcombe and even his birth date. He was born sometime between 1601 and 1610. The earliest genealogists, working in the first half of the 20th century and long before the information age, placed him as the son of Gilbert Holcombe and Ann Courtney. They resided at Hole House in Branscombe, along the cost, in the "west country" of Devon. Hole House, which still stands, was at one time a minor "manor house" and the Holcombe clan had some connections to royalty and some say, to the Crusades and as far back as Charlemagne. There is evidence, however, that Thomas was not the son of Gilbert as an 1887 publication (J.L. Vivian's Visitations of Devon) notes that Gilbert and Ann had no children and that, according to Gilbert's will, his possessions were left to his brother-in-law. So for now, despite what you might read in Holcombe genealogy books or find on the web, the ancestry of Thomas Holcombe remains a mystery.<div><br /></div><div>It does seem likely that Thomas was from the west country area and probably somewhere in Devon as that was the launching point for the Puritan invasion that would send a couple dozen ships to the future Boston Harbor in the 1630s. New DNA information has connected Thomas to some other Holcombe individuals in the new world, including John Holcombe of Hunterdon County, New Jersey and William Holcombe of Kent County, Virginia. Another individual, William Harcum of Northumberland County, Virginia is not a DNA match.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Dorchester, Massachusetts</span><br />
<br />
Thomas's ancestry and the circumstances that lead him to America remain unknown but on May 4, 1634, his existence and status were confirmed. On that date, he and about 58 other men took the 'Freeman's Oath' and he was recorded as a resident of Dorchester. The oath would mean he could own land and vote, something reserved for only the most privileged white men of the day. By December of 1634, Thomas would be granted and eight acre "Great Lot" and other acreage in the town's meadowlands.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilV-O9G8RHg/UClvM90uLuI/AAAAAAAABEs/ntmnYNP5Hcg/s1600/Colonial+Cottage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ilV-O9G8RHg/UClvM90uLuI/AAAAAAAABEs/ntmnYNP5Hcg/s320/Colonial+Cottage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This scene is a good representation of very early colonial life in America about<br />
the time that Thomas Holcombe lived on his eight acres at Dorchester, Massachusetts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thomas was married to a women named Elizabeth. She is often referred to as Elizabeth Ferguson but it seems unlikely that her last name was actually Ferguson and their marriage date is unknown. They had their first child, daughter Elizabeth in 1634 which has lead genealogist to estimate her birth date around 1617 and to speculation that they were married about 1633 or earlier. Depending on when Thomas actually arrived in America, it is possible that they were married in England or in New England but no New England records have been found.<br />
<br />
Puritan New England was a society in which civil life and religion where entwined. As such, each town around the Boston Bay and the Charles River had a meeting house (church) which was the prime gathering place and focal point of village life. The members of the congregation (the town residents) could be a tight-knit group and often acted in concert with each other. By 1635, there seemed to some disputes arising between some at Dorchester and the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A large group of these residents, let by the Reverend John Wareham would sell their landholdings at Dorchester and head west into the wilderness to Connecticut. <br />
<br />
The first group left in the summer of 1635 for a place on the Connecticut River where the Plymouth Colony had setup an Indian trading post. In August of that year, Thomas would sell his lands and begin preparations to go west. He would be part of the second group, which arrived in the spring of 1636. Just a few years after his adventure to the new world had begun, Thomas was once again, on the move, this time to a new and untamed wilderness.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Windsor, Connecticut</span><br />
<br />
Connecticut is divided in half by the Connecticut River, then known as "The Great River." Connecticut, in Mohegan means "the long river" (originally quonehtacut, quinnehtukguet, or connittetuck). To the west lies the Hudson River and Housatonic River valleys inhabited by the Mohawk and Iroquois. To the east lies the Thames River valley inhabited by Pequot. Four main tribes made up the "River Indians" in the Connecticut River valley. They were the Podunk on the east shore and Poquonock, Saukiog and Tunxis on the west shore.<br />
<br />
The initial party of settlers suffered greatly in the first winter at Windsor. Some headed back to Dorchester and some ventured down the river for refuge on a ship but most remained. The next summer (1636) with the arrival of the balance of the Dorchester group, the fate of the town seamed sealed. They had originally been discourage by Colonial leaders to make the trek but seemed resolved to make their own way in the new world. Soon after their arrival, the Pilgrim trading post was abandoned and Windsor was officially established as the first town in Connecticut. Still, times would be hard for the first few seasons. The river gave the settlers access to the coast and supplies, but it was far from the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies and defined the edge of the civilized frontier. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGe1Att7N94/UCl1WS3ljXI/AAAAAAAABFI/cTJmUPD4Qtg/s1600/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Ancient+Windsor+-+1636+-+with+notes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tGe1Att7N94/UCl1WS3ljXI/AAAAAAAABFI/cTJmUPD4Qtg/s640/Connecticut+-+Hartford+County+-+Ancient+Windsor+-+1636+-+with+notes.jpg" width="438" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windsor Connecticut from 1635-1650, annotated. In the far upper left, is the Thomas Holcombe<br />
homestead at Poquonock. A drawing from <u>The History of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut.</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thomas was granted a plot of land north of the fortified Palisado along a road that paralleled the river. This included land across the road in a large meadow that stretched to the river bank. He would stay in this location for only about three years. In 1639, he sold the lands and the family moved to a place known as Poquonock. It was north of established Windsor along the Farmington River (then known as the Rivulet). The Griswold and Bartlett families had also come to Poquonock and although it was only a couple of miles from the main town, these families were isolated and on their own for the first few years.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">The description of the Thomas Holcombe land holdings from the <u>History of Ancient Windsor</u> . . . <em>Distribution of Home Lots of the first settlers of Ancient Windsor . . . HOLCOMB (Holcombe, Holcom, Holkom), Thomas, 1635, or soon after (D.), lot gr. 14-1/2 r. wide, abt. opp. the old Lemuel Welch ho. and garden, E. line 3-1/2 r. N. of S. line of Welch garden; sold to Josiah Hull and rem. 1639 to Poq., where he had lot next N. of Ed. Griswold, " from the brook before his house to the Rivulet." His son Joshua had the homestead.</em></blockquote>
The risk the settlers at Poquonock were taking was recognized in Hartford and they were given some leeway in their expected military training and duties at Windsor (as recorded in the proceedings from the General Court)<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">From <u>Colonial Connecticut Public Records, 1636-1776</u> . . . <em>This Courte taking into consideration the many dangers that the familyes of Thomas Holcombe, Edward Grisswold, John Bartlitt, Francis Grisswold and George Grisswold, all of Wyndsor, are in and exposed unto, by reason the their remoate living from neighbors and neareness to the Indians, in case they should all leave theire families together without any guard, doth free one souldger of the forementoned families from training upon every training day, each family aforesaid to share herein according to the number of souldgers that are in them, provided that man which tarryes at home stands about the aforesaid howses upon his sentinell posture . . .</em> </blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yzoajZIKsM/UCl2aTM8MNI/AAAAAAAABFQ/t9FzeJCTyfY/s1600/Holcomb+-+Thomas+-+House.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8yzoajZIKsM/UCl2aTM8MNI/AAAAAAAABFQ/t9FzeJCTyfY/s400/Holcomb+-+Thomas+-+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drawing of the Thomas Holcombe house made in the early 1800's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Thomas in not mentioned that often in public records and so not that much "official information" about him exists. He was known to be a delegate to Hartford in 1639 when Connecticut adopted the 'Fundamental Orders' which is often considered the first constitution in America. We also know from his will that he acquired a considerable amount of land which would equate to a certain level of wealth and respect in New England society. He lived during the Pequot War, the first major armed conflict with the Indians but we do not know if he served in any capacity in that conflict. His death in 1657 (in his late 40's or 50's) would leave Elizabeth a widow with a number of young children still at home and she would soon remarry.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The landholdings of Thomas Holcombe as recorded in his will, from the <u>Holcombe Website</u> . . . <em>eleven acres in home lot with housing and orchard (£50); four acres and a half adjoining to the home lot (£6); ten acres and a half of meadow (£10-10s.); in the fourth meadow twelve acres (£15); twenty-five acres of woodland over the brook against the house (£3); forty-eight acres of woodland (£7-10s.); ten acres of woodland (10s.); and his part in that called Tinker's Farm, eighty acres and a barn (£3). </em></blockquote>
After his death, Elizabeth would marry James Eno (Enno), also of Windsor. She was James third wife out of a total of four. He is said to be descendant of Belgian (or French) Huguenots from Valenciennes, a protestant center, in what is now northern France. His family went to London to escape religious persecution from the Catholics and it is claimed that he was born in London. He was not a Puritan and as such was not always accepted by the closed Puritan society but even so, he still managed to become a prominent citizen of Windsor, served in various public capacities and was successful land owner. James and some children from his previous marriages moved into the Holcombe house at Poquonock. Later they would move to the “Scotland” section on the east bank of the Farmington nearer to Simsbury. Elizabeth would live another 20 years and died in 1679.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Thomas and Elizabeth</span><br />
<br />
Thomas and Elizabeth would have at least 10 children. Some would head into the wilderness and some would stay in Windsor. The three boys who survived to adulthood would each have large families of their own (as was the custom of the day) and their descendants would spread across New England and follow America's expansion west.<br />
<ul>
<li>Daughter Elizabeth Holcombe (b.1634, d.1712) was probably born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She married Sergeant Josiah Ellsworth (b.1629, d.1689), the son of John Ellsworth and Lucia Bower in 1654 at Windsor. They first settled at Windsor, south of the Farmington River near the “old mill” and later moved to what became known as Elmwood, which stayed in the family until the early 20th Century. The current house dates form the 1780s and is now a museum operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Elizabeth and Josiah had nine children.</li></ul>
<ul><ul><li>A notable descendant was Oliver Ellsworth (b.1745, d.1807), a lawyer and politician who was one of the drafters of the United States Constitution, the first U.S. Senator from Connecticut, the third Chief Justice of the United States, being nominated for the post by George Washington, and an envoy to Napoleon’s Court. Ellsworth was noted as an active player in the details of the drafting of the constitution (including the “Connecticut Compromise”) and the development of the Federal Judicial system.</li></ul></ul><div><ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d_8bCoSO27U/UCl8NYPZYOI/AAAAAAAABFs/HgKUc8bM2-w/s1600/Ellsworth+-+Oliver+-+1780.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d_8bCoSO27U/UCl8NYPZYOI/AAAAAAAABFs/HgKUc8bM2-w/w235-h320/Ellsworth+-+Oliver+-+1780.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oliver Ellsworth.</td></tr></tbody></table></ul></div><ul><li>Daughter Mary Holcombe (b.1535, d.1708) was born at either Dorchester or Windsor. She married George Griswold (b.1633, d.1704), the son of Edward Griswold and Margaret (?) in 1655 at Windsor. George came to America with his parents and brothers and settled in Windsor. Edward Griswold and sons were founders of Windsor and neighbors to the Holcombes at the “outpost settlement” of Poquonock. George was a large landowner, engaged in trade with England and the West Indies and was known to deal honestly and fairly with the Indians. Griswold is a notable family name in Connecticut and New England. Mary and George had 10 children.</li>
<ul>
<li>A notable descendant was Erwin Nathaniel Griswold (b.1904, d.1994), a distinguished lawyer with a long resume that included a stint as Dean of the Harvard Law School and culminated with an appointment as Solicitor General of the United States (1967 to 1973).</li>
</ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36ecbaF5GOk/YSVvYo7sunI/AAAAAAAAQNo/KpGfYaUUOJ0XbApiTZjvgBfMjug151lYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Griswold%2B-%2BErwin%2BNathaniel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36ecbaF5GOk/YSVvYo7sunI/AAAAAAAAQNo/KpGfYaUUOJ0XbApiTZjvgBfMjug151lYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w261-h320/Griswold%2B-%2BErwin%2BNathaniel.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin Nathaniel Griswold</td></tr></tbody></table><ul>
<li>Daughter Abigail Holcombe (b.1638, d.1688) was born at Windsor. She married Samuel Bissell (b.1636, d.1697), the son of Captain John Bissell and Mary Drake in 1658 at Windsor. John Bissell, probably a Huguenot, was one of the founders of Windsor. Abigail and Samuel had 10 children.</li>
<ul>
<li> A notable descendant was Lorenzo Snow (b.1814, d.1901) who took up Mormonism in the 1830’s after Joseph Smith settled near his home in Ohio. He would follow Brigham Young to Utah and later become the fifth president of the Morman Church, a position he would serve until his death. He would have nine wives and over 40 children and be the subject of a United States Supreme Court case involving polygamy.</li>
</ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kyBzcQ9TRJg/YSVwjtVrHjI/AAAAAAAAQNw/qOuKhx48N-cvCv0YsMxxeoUdMIckbWi8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1299/Snow%2B-%2BLorenzo%2B-%2BDescendend%2Bfrom%2BThomas.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1299" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kyBzcQ9TRJg/YSVwjtVrHjI/AAAAAAAAQNw/qOuKhx48N-cvCv0YsMxxeoUdMIckbWi8wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h265/Snow%2B-%2BLorenzo%2B-%2BDescendend%2Bfrom%2BThomas.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Young Lorenzo Snow - Mormon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><ul>
<li>Son Joshua Holcombe (b.1640, d.1690) was born at Windsor. He married Ruth Sherwood (d.1699), the daughter of Thomas Sherwood and Mary (?) of Fairfield, Connecticut in 1663 at Windsor. Thomas Sherwood, his first wife, Alice (?) and four children came to Boston in 1634 on the ship Frances. Thomas Sherwood was noted to have fought in the Pequot War. After his marriage, Joshua Holcombe took his family and his father’s movable property and headed to Windsor Center, now Simsbury, and settled on four acres that were granted to him in 1667. He was a prominent citizen of Simsbury and often found in the public records of the town. He and Ruth had 11 children. This branch of the family would continue in Simsbury for a number of generations and there are still Holcombes living there today.</li>
<ul>
<li>Notable descendants included Brigadier General Samuel Robert Holcombe (b.1777, d.1868) who was in the War of 1812. He was born in New York and settled in Ohio where he would serve the as a local Sheriff and State Legislator.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SuATeReYzsM/YSV2CBPsPdI/AAAAAAAAQOQ/3b_bTnAvNus1HNuZdGrxz3MW6XeVesP1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s951/Holcomb%2B-%2BSamuel%2BRobert%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SuATeReYzsM/YSV2CBPsPdI/AAAAAAAAQOQ/3b_bTnAvNus1HNuZdGrxz3MW6XeVesP1ACLcBGAsYHQ/w288-h400/Holcomb%2B-%2BSamuel%2BRobert%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samuel Robert Holcomb</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><ul>
<li>Also, Frederick D. Holcombe (b.1786, d.1872), an ordained priest and one of the founders of Trinity College in Hartford. Trinity is the second oldest college in Connecticut, behind Yale, and was founded in 1823. Frederick was curator at the college from 1832 to 1872. He also was a founder of the Episcopal Seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut.</li>
<li>Also Marcus Hensey Holcombe (b.1844, 1932), a teacher and lawyer, he served in many elected and appointed positions in Connecticut culminating in the Governorship in 1915.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ALu4H8GJvlE/YSPdk76XfUI/AAAAAAAAQM4/FhmWE0BRtDU6tONry0a8gAuS9daie6b0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s377/Holcomb%2B-%2BMarcus%2B-%2BDescendent%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ALu4H8GJvlE/YSPdk76XfUI/AAAAAAAAQM4/FhmWE0BRtDU6tONry0a8gAuS9daie6b0gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Holcomb%2B-%2BMarcus%2B-%2BDescendent%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcus Hensey Holcombe</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><ul>
<li>Also, Willard Anselm Holcombe (b.1868, d.1941), a newspaper man, playwright and well known press agent on Broadway in the early 20th century. He was noted to be associated with a number of successful Broadway productions of the time.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XiWtfcqOT-0/YSVz-eaGrGI/AAAAAAAAQOA/nrEX3BSoObECVnJDX2lOjubOu9KhFYwMwCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Holcomb%2B-%2BWillard%2B-%2BDescended%2BfromThomas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="378" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XiWtfcqOT-0/YSVz-eaGrGI/AAAAAAAAQOA/nrEX3BSoObECVnJDX2lOjubOu9KhFYwMwCLcBGAsYHQ/w269-h320/Holcomb%2B-%2BWillard%2B-%2BDescended%2BfromThomas.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willard Anselm Holcomb</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><ul>
<li>Also, Four Star General Thomas Holcombe (b.1879, d.1965), World War I and II veteran with a long and distinguished career culminating in his appointment as the 17th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Early in his career, he served in the Philippines and China. During WWI, he commanded a battalion in France. Between the wars, he served as marine commander at the naval station at Guantanamo, at marine headquarters, again in China and at naval operations. At the beginning of 1942, he became the Commandant of the Marines and commanded the Marine Corps for the balance of the war. After the war and his retirement from active duty, he served as a U.S. Envoy to South Africa. He was married to the daughter of a Rear Admiral and his only son also served as an officer in the Marine Corps. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.</li></ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHmvT_xFx8s/YSVy9CdY1DI/AAAAAAAAQN4/5JL3z7b9Dj8eKHmuuHCbTh0yVg5RtkwZACLcBGAsYHQ/s326/Holcomb%2B-%2BThomas%2B-%2BUSMC%2B-%2BCirca%2B1940s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UHmvT_xFx8s/YSVy9CdY1DI/AAAAAAAAQN4/5JL3z7b9Dj8eKHmuuHCbTh0yVg5RtkwZACLcBGAsYHQ/w283-h320/Holcomb%2B-%2BThomas%2B-%2BUSMC%2B-%2BCirca%2B1940s.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Thomas Holcomb, USMC</td></tr></tbody></table><ul><ul>
<li>Also, Lieutenant Commander Joseph F.D. Holcombe (b.1917, d.1994) who was a Pearl Harbor survivor and later the Director of Logistics for North American Rockwell Corporation’s 'Man in Space' program. </li>
</ul></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XH8sAiGfhM/YSV05fjM6VI/AAAAAAAAQOI/l1vN_dIIM-QGDwA2gKNOZ-QFrgPihXSJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s318/Holcomb%2B-%2BJoseph%2BFD%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6XH8sAiGfhM/YSV05fjM6VI/AAAAAAAAQOI/l1vN_dIIM-QGDwA2gKNOZ-QFrgPihXSJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w242-h320/Holcomb%2B-%2BJoseph%2BFD%2B-%2BDescended%2Bfrom%2BThomas.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph FD Holcomb</td></tr></tbody></table><ul>
<li>Daughter Sarah Holcombe (b.1642, d.1654) was born at Windsor. She only lived to about the age of 12.</li>
<li>Son (Sergeant) Benajah Holcombe (b.1644, d.1736) was born at Windsor. He married Sarah Eno (b.1649), the daughter of James Eno and Anna (?) or possibly the daughter of Richard Bidwell who was Anna’s first husband. James Eno married Elizabeth Holcombe after the death of Thomas which meant Sarah was a stepsister to Benajah. Benajah did not follow his brothers to Simsbury and Salmon Brook but instead he stayed on at Windsor. Historians have often had a harder time tracking Benajah’s line partially because of his unusual name which was sometimes confused with Benjamin. Benajah and Sarah had nine children. There are still Holcombes in Windsor today.</li>
<li>Daughter Deborah Holcombe (b.1646, d.1649) was born at Windsor. She only lived to about the age of three.</li>
<li>Son Nathaniel Holcombe (I) (b.1648, d.1740) would venture into the wilderness to a place called Salmon Brook. He and his descendants are covered in detail in the next section of this report.</li>
<li>Daughter Deborah Holcombe (1649/50, d.1686) was born at Windsor. She married Daniel Birge (b.1644, d.1697), the son of Richard Birge and Elizabeth Gaylord in 1668 at Windsor. Richard Birge was from Lancashire, England, was said to have been on the voyage of the Mary and John and was one of the founders of Windsor. Deborah and Daniel had six children and after the death of Deborah, Daniel remarried and had five more children.</li>
<li>Son Jonathan Holcombe (b.1651/52, d.1656) was born at Windsor. He lived to about the age of three or four.</li>
</ul>
Thomas Holcombe was buried at the Old Poquonock Burial Ground which was located very close to his homestead. Later his head stone and possibly his remains were removed and relocated to a cemetery in Granby.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zx50bvRJCU/UCl-PJYt64I/AAAAAAAABF0/fYLM55Rcksc/s1600/Holcomb+-+Thomas+-+Burial+Ground.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2zx50bvRJCU/UCl-PJYt64I/AAAAAAAABF0/fYLM55Rcksc/s400/Holcomb+-+Thomas+-+Burial+Ground.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Poquonock Burial Ground, the original resting place of Thomas<br />
Holcombe. It is noted on the cemetery sign that no stones still exist for any<br />
burials prior to 1722. There are some Holcombe family members buried<br />
here and at least another 60 just up the road at Elm Grove Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Nathaniel Holcombe, the youngest son of Thomas and Elizabeth was only about nine years old when his father died. He would grow up with James Eno as his stepfather in a house where two families lived together. When he came of age, he would continue in the ways of his father and venture into the wilderness to make his mark.<br />
<br />
You can read about Nathaniel's story in <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-holcombe-family-colonial.html" target="_blank">Part 2 of the report here . . .</a><br />
<br />
For additional information: One of the best on-line sources about Thomas Holcombe and the greater Holcombe family can be found at <a href="http://www.holcombegenealogy.com/" target="_blank">Holcombe Family Genealogy</a>. Post updated on 8/2021.</div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-64386909167753569392012-07-26T12:48:00.003-05:002023-12-04T19:02:34.589-06:00Ole Peterson & the Peterson Family (3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Part Three - Olaus and the Next Generation</span></div>
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-1.html" target="_blank">If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-2.html" target="_blank">If you missed Part 2 of the story, go here . . .</a><br />
<br />
The family of Peter Olsen Moe and Anna Augundsdatter Lad came to Wisconsin from Norway in 1864 and eventually settled in the Town of Blue Mounds. Their eldest child Ole, who went by the name Ole Peterson had come over a couple of years earlier. After a brief stint in the Union Army, he would set down roots in Blue Mounds and would be a founding father of the Village of Mount Horeb. By the turn of the century, large parts of his farm would be absorbed into village limits. After his death, Ole would leave a large family in the Blue Mounds / Mount Horeb area to carry on. One of children, Olaus would build a house just a few doors down from the Peterson farmhouse, operate his own business and raise his family.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXdF-rtVEzI/UAWdTKHcmBI/AAAAAAAAA6g/Sg81QqY8eYE/s1600/Wisconsin+-+Dane+County+-+Village+of+Mount+Horeb+-+Peterson+Farm+-+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXdF-rtVEzI/UAWdTKHcmBI/AAAAAAAAA6g/Sg81QqY8eYE/s400/Wisconsin+-+Dane+County+-+Village+of+Mount+Horeb+-+Peterson+Farm+-+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Present-day north-central Mount Horeb showing the heart of the former Ole<br />
Peterson farm with the farmhouse (toward the top). Also note Ole's Main<br />
Street house, the Olaus Peterson house and Peterson Plumbing and Heating.<br />
<a name='more'></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Olaus Peterson, 3rd Generation living in Wisconsin</span><br />
<br />
Olaus Peterson, also sometimes known as Olaf, was born in 1878 in the Town of Blue Mounds. Just two years before his birth, another child named Olaus died at the young age of three. In Norwegian tradition, the next born son would inherit that name. His sister Lovina was born two years later, followed by his bother Alfred. A year after that, his mother, Martha, would die as a result of complications of child birth. This left Ole Peterson with a rather large family that included nine children with ages varying from 2 to 16 years old. How did he manage this large family? Recent discoveries and some speculation on the part of family researchers have concluded that Olaus, his younger brother Alfred and some others might have been living at a nearby farm. That farm was the home of Betsy Peterson (no relation), whose husband had died some years earlier.<br />
<br />
The 1890 census records might have shed some more light on this, unfortunately, those records do not exist. The 1900 census shows two Peterson families listed next to each other but as separate households. In one is Ole and his daughter's Mary and Lovina. In the other is Betsy along with boys named Peterson, Henry, Olaf and Alfred. The place listed is Mount Horeb and the boys are listed as sons under Betsy. None of them are actually Betsy's sons as the names and birth dates prove that they are the son's of Ole. The one listed as Peterson is a mystery; he is not Peter the son of Ole as that Peter was married and farming on his own by then; nor is he one of Betsy's children. By 1900, two of Betsy's actual sons were operating her farm in the Town of Blue Mounds. The three boys, Henry, Olaf and Alfred were all adults by 1900 and working. The fact that the two families are listed right next to each other on the census page might lead one to think they were living side-by-side but that may not have been the case. Were the three sons of Ole living with Betsy in a separate home, on her farm, at the Ole Peterson farm, at the Ole Peterson home on Main Street? None of these questions have been fully answered but it does seem as if the two families relied on each other for an extended period of time. There also seems to be no internal family knowledge of this situation but in and interesting footnote; later in life, Olaus would buy the Betsy Peterson farm and own it for a number of years (he would never farm it but rented it out).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aU-OginEkoA/T6142BLIWXI/AAAAAAAAA3M/sOrPyUWSn1U/s1600/Ole+Peterson+1900.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aU-OginEkoA/T6142BLIWXI/AAAAAAAAA3M/sOrPyUWSn1U/s400/Ole+Peterson+1900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excerpt from the 1900 Census showing the Ole Peterson / Betsy Peterson entries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Olaus Peterson married Augusta Kahl (b.1880, d.1960) in 1901. Augusta was the daughter of Henry Kahl (b.1852, d.1927) and Elizabeth Ostenberg (b.1858, d.1931), both of the Town of Blue Mounds. Henry's parents were George Henry Kahl (b.1817, d.1866) and Elizabeth Hinkel (b.1820, d.1862). They came to Blue Mounds in the late 1840's from Birkenbringhausen, a small town in Hesse-Kassel, Germany and settled in "German Valley" in central Blue Mounds. The Kahl family is still numerous in the area to this day as four Kahl men come over from Germany (two in the late 1840's and two in the 1890's). Elizabeth Ostenberg's parents also came to Wisconsin about that same time. Her mother was Elizabeth (or Martha Elizabeth) Bilse (b.1835, d.1892) also from the town of Birkenbringhausen and her father was Frederick Ostenberg (b.1816, d.1880) from Elberfeld, Rhine Province. Frederick Ostenberg and his brother Charles both farmed in Blue Mounds in the mid-19th Century. Charles and much of his large family (including a number of boys) headed to Nebraska in the 1880's and although many of Frederick's children stayed around Blue Mounds, they were mostly girls, so the Ostenberg name disappeared from the area. Read more about <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/frederick-fritz-ostenberg-short.html" target="_blank">Frederick Ostenberg here</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wzpiFpWgiiE/T615hiixQPI/AAAAAAAAA3U/an8R9KJSEvU/s1600/Peterson+-+Olaus+and+Augusta+Kahl+-+Wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wzpiFpWgiiE/T615hiixQPI/AAAAAAAAA3U/an8R9KJSEvU/s400/Peterson+-+Olaus+and+Augusta+Kahl+-+Wedding.jpg" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Augusta Kahl and Olaus Peterson on their<br />
wedding day in 1901.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Olaus Peterson family lived on Grove Street just a few houses down from Ole Peterson's farmhouse. One block farther south at the south-west corner of Grove and Main Street was Peterson Plumbing and Heating.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the July 1913 <u>Mount Horeb Times</u>: <em>Olaus Peterson's new house is about ready for the plasterers and then comes the finishing touches. Mr. Peterson will have a very cozy home when completed and handily located near the business places.</em></blockquote>
The 1890 census lists Olaus occupation as tin-smithing and that seemed to have been his introduction into the plumbing and heating business. He would, eventually, open a full-service business in the building at the corner of Grove and Main Street. This became much more than just plumbing and heating. They would sell everything from hardware supplies to Allis-Chalmers farm machinery and even Dodge cars. On the second floor was tin and metal workshop which served the core plumbing and heating business. Son's Leonard and Olin and even son-in-law Vernon would all work at the business at some point. Leonard would make it his career.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From Aunt Phyllis (a granddaughter of Olaus): <em>I remember going upstairs of the shop and picking up the solder drops on the floor - which I wonder if they were lead - I am sure they were - but I never ate them but there was something fascinating about all the different shapes of the drips lying on the floor. I don't know what I did with them. I don't remember Lenny being in the business, but when Bruce and I rebuilt the little house in the country - Lenny was working there then and (I think I told you) he and/or grandpa drew up the plans for the heating system and the local heating man couldn't do it for what grandpa charged us so grandpa and his man did the work. I remember putting newspapers in the wall behind the water to the sink (outside wall) and grandpa thought that was something - that I would insulate that area!</em></blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KiCSLJ5uaw0/T618dBjnzCI/AAAAAAAAA3g/eTTTY3xO9bc/s1600/Peterson+-+Olaus+-+Peterson+Plumbing+and+Heating+-+1950+-+multiply.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KiCSLJ5uaw0/T618dBjnzCI/AAAAAAAAA3g/eTTTY3xO9bc/s400/Peterson+-+Olaus+-+Peterson+Plumbing+and+Heating+-+1950+-+multiply.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peterson Plumbing and Heating, on Main Street at<br />
the intersection of Grove Street, in Mount Horeb.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2m9e5bkorfs/T7VisaC99DI/AAAAAAAAA4A/TTnvUZUp29I/s1600/Peterson+-+Olaus+-+Home+2+-+Mount+Horeb.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2m9e5bkorfs/T7VisaC99DI/AAAAAAAAA4A/TTnvUZUp29I/s400/Peterson+-+Olaus+-+Home+2+-+Mount+Horeb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Olaus Peterson House on Grove Street in Mount Horeb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Olaus and Augusta</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Son Leonard (b.1903, d.1968) married Esther Gilbertson (b.1906, d.1994) in 1931. They raised two children in Mount Horeb and Leonard worked in the family business for 30 years. They first lived on Academy Street in a house that Leonard designed. Later, they would move to a home on Fifth Street that had belonged to Esther's parents. He also studied engineering and was a registered professional engineer in Wisconsin. Leonard and Esther are buried at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb.</li>
<li>Daughter Corella (b.1905, d.1970) married Vernon Hermann (b.1898, d.1948) in 1924. They lived in Mount Horeb at 108 South Fourth Street, raised four children and ran a bowling alley/bar in town. They were divorced in 1939 and in the 1940 census, Vernon is noted to be living in Beloit. After that, Corella would work and raise her children with the help of the extended Peterson / Kahl family. She would marry James Comiskey (b.1923, d.2006) in 1948. In addition to the bowling alley, Corella also dabbled in construction, collected real estate and peddled antiques. Corella is buried at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb in the same area as Leonard, Olin and their parents. Vernon is buried at the Middleton (Junction) Cemetery with his brothers, sisters and parents.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikryxrSUXgc/T62IHA8_xDI/AAAAAAAAA3s/pxSUoZ9wvl4/s1600/Hermann+-+Vernon+and+Corella+Peterson+-+Wedding.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikryxrSUXgc/T62IHA8_xDI/AAAAAAAAA3s/pxSUoZ9wvl4/s400/Hermann+-+Vernon+and+Corella+Peterson+-+Wedding.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vernon Herman and Corella Peterson on their wedding day<br />
in 1924. Leonard Peterson (center) is the best man and Leona<br />
Ward, a cousin from the Kahl side is the maid of honor.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Daughter Evelyn (b.1913, d.1999) married Aldro Schaack (b.1911, d.1999) in 1938. They raised two children and lived in Verona, then Mineral Point and finally, Darlington, Wisconsin. Evelyn had a teaching degree and at various times, taught High School. Evelyn and Aldro are buried at the Verona Cemetery on the east side of Verona.</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RNI-XTr_qlI/T9ECMKmFi1I/AAAAAAAAA5o/P2BjxxykM6g/s1600/Peterson+-+Evelyn+-Gravesite+-Verona+Cemetery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RNI-XTr_qlI/T9ECMKmFi1I/AAAAAAAAA5o/P2BjxxykM6g/s320/Peterson+-+Evelyn+-Gravesite+-Verona+Cemetery.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gravesite of Evelyn Peterson and her husband Aldro<br />
Schaack at the Verona Cemetery in Verona, Wisconsin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Daughter Isabelle (b.1915, d.1989) married Wilburt (Burt) Wittwer (b.1914, d,1992) in 1938. He was the son of Albert Wittwer and Freida Spring and grew up in the Monticello / New Glarus, Wisconsin area. They lived in the Madison area and raised two children. Isabelle and Burt are buried at Sunset Memorial Gardens on West Mineral Point Road in Madison.</li>
<li>Son Olin (b.1917, d.1964) never married. He served as a Sergeant in the 7th Fighter Command of the Army Air Force in Word War II. In mid-1942, he was noted to be in England but then, at some point, was deployed to the 7th which served in the pacific. After the war, he may have first worked at Peterson Plumbing and Heating but eventually, he would live in Madison, working as a plumber. He died unexpectedly at the age of 46. He is buried near other family members at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDRPiKsEW38/T62I9CbcVAI/AAAAAAAAA30/DxlsR4-x-c0/s1600/Peterson+-+Olin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UDRPiKsEW38/T62I9CbcVAI/AAAAAAAAA30/DxlsR4-x-c0/s400/Peterson+-+Olin.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olin Peterson, circa 1942.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Olaus and Augusta would live out there lives in Mount Horeb. They were married for almost 60 years. Augusta would die in 1960 and Olaus about a year later in 1961.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Obituary of Olaus Peterson from the <u>Wisconsin State Journal</u>: <em><strong>Olaf Peterson, of Mount Horeb, Dies at Age 83</strong> - Olaf Peterson, 83, Mount Horeb, former partner in the Peterson Plumbing and Heating Company, died Saturday in a Madison Hospital. He and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1951. She died in 1960. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday in the Immanuel Lutheran Church. Friends may call at the Gesme funeral home, Mount Horeb, after 3:00 p.m. today. Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Burt Wittwer, 302 W. Sunset Court, Madison; and a son, Olin, 301 West Main Street, Madison. Also surviving are two other daughters, Mrs. James Comiskey, Mount Horeb and Mrs. Aldro Schaack, Mineral Point; another son, Leonard, Mount Horeb; a sister, Mrs. Lavina Bakken, Mount Horeb; a brother, Alfred, Mount Horeb; 10 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. </em></blockquote>
As is common in the history of all places, some family names remain and some disappear. That is the case with the four families of this line - Peterson (and Moe), Kahl, Bilse and Ostenberg. The Kahl name is still common and the Bilse name survives while the Ostenberg name disappeared from the landscape almost 100 years ago. The Peterson name has also all but died out even though there are still some descendants of Ole Peterson in the Mount Horeb / Blue Mounds area. In a common refrain, children and grandchildren have moved-on and settled elsewhere but it is interesting to note that many of those have maintained a connection to the town and recognize it as an important placed in their family history. The Village of Mount Horeb just celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2011. It was in 1861 that the name came to be with the establishment of the Mount Horeb Post office. One year later, Ole Peterson would arrive in America. He would come to the area and plant himself next to that fledgling community. From there forward the Peterson family and the village would be forever entwined.<br />
<br />
Additional Information:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/david-hermann-arrived-1862.html" target="_blank">Read about another Dane County related family, the Hermanns here.</a><br />
<br />
Research Notes: Information for this report comes from a number of sources: United States and State of Wisconsin Census records, historical publications, other vital records and other on-line sources. In addition, much of the information is from the personal papers of the writer, the research of other family members and work of researchers in Norway who uncovered and made available a massive trove of information.<br />
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Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-68724264169805392892012-06-25T13:22:00.004-05:002023-12-04T19:02:03.199-06:00Ole Peterson & the Peterson Family (2)<span style="font-size: large;">Part Two - The Petersons, a First Family of Mount Horeb</span><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-1.html" target="_blank">If you missed Part 1 of the story, go here . . .</a><br />
<br />
The family of Peter Olsen Moe and Anna Augundsdatter Lad were farmers from the fiord's of Norway. They would leave their home and venture to America between 1862 and 1864, settling in the Town of Blue Mounds in south-central Wisconsin. Son Ole came first, but he was not an early settler to Blue Mounds. The first settlers had come as early as the 1830's and were mostly "easterners" that were heading west after America's independence. Later, starting in the 1840's and accelerating in the 1850's and 1860's, European immigrants from Germany, Switzerland, Norway and other places began to populate the Blue Mounds area.<br />
<br />
When Ole Peterson purchased 200 acres at, what is now, the western third of the Village of Mount Horeb, the area was just fields with a small cluster of buildings about 1/2 mile to the east. As the years went on, Ole and his family would put their imprint on the emerging community.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQs1novhmt4/T0e6L1zT4bI/AAAAAAAAAu0/VvPwdDSjHXY/s1600/Peterson+-+Ole+-+Farmhouse+-+1870's+-+alt.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" lda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQs1novhmt4/T0e6L1zT4bI/AAAAAAAAAu0/VvPwdDSjHXY/s400/Peterson+-+Ole+-+Farmhouse+-+1870's+-+alt.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Peterson farmhouse; built in the late 1870's or early 1880's. It still<br />
stands today on what is now Grove Street in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;">Ole Peterson, Patriarch of an American Family</span><br />
<br />
When Ole first arrived in America, he spent a couple of years in the Village of Black Earth. Black Earth is located just a few miles north of Blue Mounds and by the late 1850's was already a bustling community. Nothing is known about Ole's time in that community but in early 1865, he would enlist in the Union Army.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Enlistment Information: "<em>Ole Peterson, Black Earth, Dane County, Wisconsin. Enlistment credited to Pleasant Springs, Dane County. Born in Norway, Age 20, farmer, unmarried, blue eyes, light hair, light complexion, 5'-6". Enlisted for one year on February 9, 1865 at Madison and began service on February 15, 1865. Private, discharged on May 28th, 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee."</em></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The war was winding down and had all but ended by the time Ole got involved and he spent his few months of enlistment on guard duty in Nashville.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WJJpl2ueos/T0e4bWzp0EI/AAAAAAAAAuk/M4DUFaYyzgA/s1600/Peterson+-+Ole+-+GAR+Members.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" lda="true" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WJJpl2ueos/T0e4bWzp0EI/AAAAAAAAAuk/M4DUFaYyzgA/s400/Peterson+-+Ole+-+GAR+Members.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ole Peterson (back row - center) with other members of the Grand Army<br />
of the Republic - Lorenzo Dixon post 191 at Mount Horeb (1890's)<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After the war, Ole returned to Wisconsin and in 1866 he married Martha Hansdatter Breisnes (b.1841, d.1883). Family tradition had her as Martha Bredenson from Boscobel, Wisconsin but with that name, information on her was never found. Family researchers have just recently uncovered her past and family history. She shows up as Martha Kjeldson (Kjelson or Kjellson) or Martha Hansdatter (in various American records). The Wisconsin Marriage index listed her as Martha Kjelson. She was the daughter of Hans Kjeldson Breisnes Indrelid and Kari Heldgesdatter Breisnes. Both Breisnes and Indrelid are Norwegian farm names. She came to America in 1858 and it is known that at least four or five of her nine siblings also came to America and settled near Kenyon, Minnesota. How she ended up in Wisconsin or met Ole Peterson is still a mystery.<br />
<br />
Ole and Martha first farmed 80 acres on Section 10 in Blue Mounds. The family would move to a larger, 200 acre farm on Section 11 sometime around 1880. They would have 10 children and Martha would die in childbirth on Christmas day. After that time, it is thought that some of the younger children were raised with the help of a neighboring widow named Betsy Peterson (no relation). Ole served as treasurer of the Town of Blue Mounds and was a founding member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). He also was a founding member of the East Blue Mounds Lutheran Church (Norsk Evangelisk Kirke) which was built in 1868. Ole, his wife and parents are all buried at the East Blue Mounds Lutheran Church Cemetery.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qn4XqklpAvM/T-ipHpoxYyI/AAAAAAAAA54/kgU0m_XsS4g/s1600/East+Blue+Mounds+Lutheran+Church.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qn4XqklpAvM/T-ipHpoxYyI/AAAAAAAAA54/kgU0m_XsS4g/s400/East+Blue+Mounds+Lutheran+Church.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Norwegian Lutheran Church in eastern Blue Mounds.<br />
The Church is gone now, but the cemetery still exists.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Peterson Farm and Mount Horeb, Wisconsin</span><br />
<br />
The Peterson homestead was just west of a small cluster of buildings originally known as "the corners" and later Horeb's Corners or Mount Horeb. The town had established itself on the military road that connected forts on Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. The road was an early stage line west and a rail line later followed the same route through western Dane County. Ole took an interest in the town and when the railroad came, he donated a slice of land to help insure that Mount Horeb would have rail service. Businesses moved from their original location, at the corners, to about 1/2 mile west to the place on the ridge where a depot was established. Mount Horeb and the Peterson farm became close neighbors and part of Ole's property was platted. As such, he might be considered one of the founders of the present day Village of Mount Horeb. A number of Ole's children would build houses on the property and Ole himself, would eventually move to a Victorian home on Main Street (the house still stands but has been altered considerably). Ole's eldest son, Peter would take over the farm for a while but he would relocate and over time the farmstead would be fully absorbed by the growing community. Ole was reported to have ongoing health problems and died in 1902 at the age of 60.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4dWhirz1Slc/T6RSoyUEsdI/AAAAAAAAA1U/sx-tj5icpsU/s1600/Wisconsin+-+Dane+County+-+Village+of+Mount+Horeb+-+1890+-+Partial.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4dWhirz1Slc/T6RSoyUEsdI/AAAAAAAAA1U/sx-tj5icpsU/s400/Wisconsin+-+Dane+County+-+Village+of+Mount+Horeb+-+1890+-+Partial.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Village of Mount Horeb about 1890 showing the two original plats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4cDtKYT-9A/T6RS-uA-_UI/AAAAAAAAA1c/exhCjRODCbA/s1600/Peterson+Farm+Map.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t4cDtKYT-9A/T6RS-uA-_UI/AAAAAAAAA1c/exhCjRODCbA/s400/Peterson+Farm+Map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Village of Mount Horeb today and the original Ole Peterson farm<br />
overlayed with a red red dashed line and the farmhouse (star).<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-52D0Omx2ZMc/T6wzkR4Ln3I/AAAAAAAAA20/yfFePDJW_Tk/s1600/Peterson+-+Ole+-+Farm+-+wide+shot.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-52D0Omx2ZMc/T6wzkR4Ln3I/AAAAAAAAA20/yfFePDJW_Tk/s400/Peterson+-+Ole+-+Farm+-+wide+shot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A horse drawn threshing operation on the Ole Peterson farm, circa 1880's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Children of Ole and Martha Peterson</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Daughter Lena (Lina) (b.1867, d.1894) who shows also up in some records as Caroline, married John Vilberg and had two sons, Clarence and Frederick but she died as a result of complications of childbirth at the age of about age 27. John was born in Norway and census records indicate that he was a postmaster and later worked in real estate. He remarried after Lena’s death and had at least three more children.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0OtdoEMr4U/T6wuWZ7XcuI/AAAAAAAAA2E/tdELG6qMwvA/s1600/Lena+Peterson+Boys.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0OtdoEMr4U/T6wuWZ7XcuI/AAAAAAAAA2E/tdELG6qMwvA/s320/Lena+Peterson+Boys.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lena Peterson's sons, Clarence and Fredie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>Son Peder O. (Peter) (b.1869, d.1950) married Julia Thompson in 1890. She was the daughter of Andrew Thompson and Guri? They initially farmed part of the Ole Peterson farm in Blue Mounds/west Mount Horeb. Sometime between 1900 and 1905, he and the family moved to Rice Lake in Barron County, Wisconsin where he farmed and lived out the rest of his life. They had four children, Maybell, Gladys, Thelma and Orville.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2W54-UyRLzI/T6wugxpCmYI/AAAAAAAAA2M/t80Q2BCedq8/s1600/Peter+Peterson+Girls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2W54-UyRLzI/T6wugxpCmYI/AAAAAAAAA2M/t80Q2BCedq8/s320/Peter+Peterson+Girls.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Peterson's three daughters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Daughter Anna Mathea (Annie) (b.1870, d.1934) married Albert Lewis in about 1894. They had no children and lived on Main Street in Mount Horeb. It is said that Annie worked very hard to support her alcoholic husband. At one, point, he took the papers to their house and sold the house without her knowledge. After he spent the money, he was found drunk somewhere and Annie brought him back home. Father Ole came to the rescue. Despite all of that, she could not live without him and died soon after him, reportedly of a broken-heart. In census records, Albert’s employment was listed as laborer or “odd jobs.”</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AspT9rL0TFk/T6wtUJzPmlI/AAAAAAAAA18/bRtM--y4HFA/s1600/Annie+Peterson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AspT9rL0TFk/T6wtUJzPmlI/AAAAAAAAA18/bRtM--y4HFA/s320/Annie+Peterson.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie Peterson and Albert Lewis.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Son Henry (b.1872, d.1938) married Gena Lewis in 1907 and farmed in Blue Mounds. Gena was a cousin of Albert Lewis who had married Annie. They had five children, Martha, Harold, Curtis, Morris (Maurice) and an infant. Both Henry and Gena fell victim to the 1918 Influenza Pandemic and developed Pneumonia. Gena was pregnant at the time and neither she or the baby survived the childbirth. Henry was heartbroken and although he did eventually recover from his illness, it is said that he was never the same again. He seemed to have a death wish and often talked about wanting to have died with his wife. Twenty years later he did die as a result of injuries from an explosion as he was trying to blast out a tree stump on the farm. Their son, Curtis Peterson gained local notoriety as the wrestler named Spike Peterson and was killed in the ring in 1951. Spike Peterson is discussed in further detail <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/10/spike-peterson-short-biography.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GecbhiFHJXU/T6wvIIJSI6I/AAAAAAAAA2U/4qaMVq6SMoU/s1600/Henry+Peterson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GecbhiFHJXU/T6wvIIJSI6I/AAAAAAAAA2U/4qaMVq6SMoU/s320/Henry+Peterson.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Peterson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Son Olaus (b.1873, d.1876) died at the age of about three years old. The family would use the name again two years after his death when Olaus #2 was born.</li>
<li>Daughter Gjertrud Marie (Mary) (b.1876, d.1902) married Deforest Blackney (b.1876, d.1974) around 1900. He was born in Mineral Point. His parents had come there from Pennsylvania and his grandfather had emigrated from Cornwall, England. Mary died in childbirth at the age of about age 26 but her daughter, Mary survived. She was reportedly raised by her paternal grandparents in Nebraska. In 1900, just prior to their marriage, Deforest was a border in the Town of Springdale and listed as a telegraph operator. Sometime before 1920, he went to Saint Paul, Minnesota where he reportedly lived out the rest of his life having never remarried.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V6CDXGJlxTY/T6wv6dLLbfI/AAAAAAAAA2c/VWyZY75A4aI/s1600/Mary+Peterson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V6CDXGJlxTY/T6wv6dLLbfI/AAAAAAAAA2c/VWyZY75A4aI/s320/Mary+Peterson.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Peterson and DeForest Blackney</td></tr>
</tbody></table><ul><li>Son Andreas (Andrew) (b.1876, d.1924) who was the twin to Mary was noted as a drifter, might have been called “the fiddler” and reportedly worked for a time with the circus and probably at the winter home of the Ringling Brothers in Baraboo. His wife was said to have run off with a farmhand. One story says he come back to Mount Horeb a sick man, perhaps having contracted tuberculosis. Another story says he came back, after being allegedly cured in a sanitarium in Milwaukee. He died of pneumonia in a hospital in Madison. These are family stories and there accuracy is not assured. He was married in 1899 to Emma Gilbertson (b.1882, d.?) and in 1900 they were living on or next to the Gilbertson farm in the Town of Perry. Two of Emma’s brothers seemed to be running the farm. By 1910, Emma was living on Blair Street, off the square in Madison with her mother and her two children but still listed as married. It has been discovered that Andrew went west with his brother Alfred and was in South Dakota in 1910. The 1920 census has him in the Wisconsin Tuberculosis Hospital in Delafield. Their children were Grace, Orville and Esther (who died as an infant).</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ILJdouKtgBo/T7Vl88JPxqI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/sTTDw_CCiX4/s1600/Peterson+-+Andrew+-+Gravesite+-+Union+Cemetery+-+alt.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ILJdouKtgBo/T7Vl88JPxqI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/sTTDw_CCiX4/s320/Peterson+-+Andrew+-+Gravesite+-+Union+Cemetery+-+alt.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grave of Andrew Peterson at Union<br />
Cemetery in Mount Horeb.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Son Olaus (b1878, d.1961), sometimes called Olaf will be discussed in Part 3 of this series.</li>
<li>Daughter Lovina (b.1880, d.1963) may have actually been named Bethilde Rowena. She married John Bakken (b.1883, d.?) in 1904 and lived on Wilson Street in Mount Horeb. John, whose formal name was Olaf John was born in the Town of Vermont, Wisconsin. John’s family has been traced back to the 1600’s to Sor Aurdal, Norway. Lovina reportedly used her inheritance to send John to barber school and help set him up in business. In various census records, John is listed as working in insurance and owning a barber shop. They had no children and Lovina was noted to be "very prim and proper."</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DlQlsWrJ_10/T6wxX9yv4bI/AAAAAAAAA2k/VPZ4uf-jGes/s1600/Lovina+Peterson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DlQlsWrJ_10/T6wxX9yv4bI/AAAAAAAAA2k/VPZ4uf-jGes/s320/Lovina+Peterson.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lovina Peterson and John Bakken</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Son Alfred, (b.1882, d.1971) shows up in more than one source as Albert and was apparently baptized under that name. He took some inheritance and headed west to homestead in South Dakota. There he met and married Mary Stevens in 1909. They lived in a sod hut and after many crop failures, returned to Mount Horeb. He was noted in census records as a painter and manager of a theater – the Parkway Theater and Dance Hall at the corner of Grove and Main Street. They had four children, Wallace, Waldo, Kenneth and Dorothy. Alfred is discussed in further detail <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/alfred-peterson-short-biography.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13Q2wCOuw3c/T6wymh9HB3I/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z49kLvNdJM4/s1600/Alfred+Peterson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13Q2wCOuw3c/T6wymh9HB3I/AAAAAAAAA2s/Z49kLvNdJM4/s320/Alfred+Peterson.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred Peterson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Son Martin, (b.1883, d. 1884?) died in child birth or soon after. His mother, Martha, just 45 years old, would also perish during the birth.</li>
</ul>
Ole would spend his last years living on Main Street in Mount Horeb. His health was bad and he would die in 1902 at the age of only 59. He did not live the long life of his father (who was still alive in 1902) but in his years in eastern Blue Mounds, he lived long enough to see his family and his town grow up. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Obituary of Ole Peterson: <em><strong>Veteran at Rest</strong> - Ole Peterson passed away last Saturday at his home here, after a long and painful suffering covering a period of many years. Thought at times he was apparently on the gain, yet the changes were usually of short duration, and his sufferings were great. Deceased was 59 years and three months of age when death relieved him. He came with his parents from Norway in 1862 and while a new-comer enlisted in the rebellion, where he served his new country on the union side with fidelity. He was a charter member of the Ren Dixon Post of this place. Mr. Peterson leaves a large number of relatives to mourn his death. His aged father still survives. He leaves there brothers, P.P. Moe of this place, L.P. Moe of Dawson and C.P. Moe of Madison, Minnesota, four sisters, Mrs. Larson, Mrs. Charles Steinhauer, Mrs. L.O. Mennes and Mrs. Finke. Eight of his children are living, Peter, Henry, Olaf, Andrew, and Alfred</em> (spelled Albert in the actual obituary)<em> and Mrs. Albert Lewis, Mrs. Blackney and Miss Lovina at home. All have the sympathy of the entire community in their sorrow. The funeral was held Tuesday, and was largely attended. The remains were interred at the East Blue Mounds cemetery. Reverend Gunderson officiated. the pall bearers were comrades of the deceased, "Old Glory" being prominent in the decorations.</em></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-4lpIjF2Is/T6w9q8FaZaI/AAAAAAAAA3A/tG9ToN0FMBs/s1600/Peterson+Graves.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D-4lpIjF2Is/T6w9q8FaZaI/AAAAAAAAA3A/tG9ToN0FMBs/s400/Peterson+Graves.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Peterson and Moe Gravesites at East Blue Mounds Lutheran Church Cemetery<br />
in the Town of Blue Mounds. The two stones to the left are Ole and Martha and the<br />
obelisk shaped stone to the right mark the Peter and Anna Moe grave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/ole-peterson-peterson-family-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3 - The story of Ole's son Olaus and his family can be found here . . .</a><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-34677812949727805112012-05-25T08:31:00.010-05:002023-12-04T19:00:07.347-06:00Ole Peterson & the Peterson Family (1)<span style="font-size: large;">Part One - Before there was Peterson, there was Moe</span><br />
<br />
The Peterson family, their descendants and allied families have lived in the Town of Blue Mounds, the Village of Mount Horeb and other surrounding communities for about six generations. Ole Peterson, who arrived in 1862 would have a large family and thus the Peterson name would be fairly prominent in the area during the later half of the 19th Century and for much of the 20th Century. In the telling of family history, Ole is often sited as the starting point . . . the immigrant who came to America and started a family in this new place.<br />
<br />
Ole may be the beginning of the "Peterson" story but the family does not start with him. It might be better to start the story with his father, Peter Olsen Moe who also came to America about the same time. The reason Ole and Peter had different last names was a result of the way Norwegians named themselves and the changes in that naming process as they became American. The Norwegian tradition of naming children after fathers and often adding a place of residence to the end of a name meant that virtually every generation had a different name. For a more detailed discussion on the naming system in Norway, read the post titled, <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/peterson-moe-whats-in-name.html" target="_blank">Peterson - Moe, What's in a Name?</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kT9Ss-XlW7w/T6QERsUXAdI/AAAAAAAAA0g/oZZVO7NLJn4/s1600/Norway+-+2012+with+notes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kT9Ss-XlW7w/T6QERsUXAdI/AAAAAAAAA0g/oZZVO7NLJn4/s400/Norway+-+2012+with+notes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sogn e Fjord and Hafslo are located in west-central Norway. This<br />
is the ancestral home of Peter Olsen Moe and Ole Peterson.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ9xCGEFj5s/YVO4AjnHMOI/AAAAAAAAQY4/TZSqWh2z80AxgUi1I5aK71Yh885W_HS0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1409/Norway%2B-%2BSogn%2Be%2BFjord%2B-%2BHafslo%2B-%2B1880s_close.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1409" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ9xCGEFj5s/YVO4AjnHMOI/AAAAAAAAQY4/TZSqWh2z80AxgUi1I5aK71Yh885W_HS0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h204/Norway%2B-%2BSogn%2Be%2BFjord%2B-%2BHafslo%2B-%2B1880s_close.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haflso, from a late 19th century map of Norway. Both the<br />Mo (Moe) and La (Lad) farms are noted on this map.<span><a name='more'></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The Moe Family in Norway</span><br />
<br />
Thanks in large part to family researchers and with help from Norwegian farm books and the Norwegian researchers behind those, a number of family lines and many of the ancestors of Peter Moe have been identified. Peter Olsen Moe (also spelled Peder Olson or Oleson Moe) (b.1818, d.1912) was born in Mohaugen at the Mo farm on the shore of Lake Hafslo in the fjord country of west-central Norway. He married Anna Agundsdatter Lad (or Lahd) (b.1821, d.1888) in 1842. Anna was born on the La farm, also in Hafslo. Peter and Anna farmed, as tenants, on four farms between 1842 and their immigration to America in 1864. The were at a Mo farm at Mobakken, a Hilleskar farm in Sogndal, a Yngsdalen farm in Hafslo and finally at the Kjornes farm in Sogndal. <br />
<br />
Peter Olsen Moe was the son of Ole Thorsen (Torsen) Langeteig Moe (b.1792, d.1827) and Gjertrud Kristine Clausdatter Reutz (b. 1792, d.1845). They lived in a cottage at Mohaugen which was actually a sub-farm up the hill from the main Mo farmhouse. They had three children, the oldest son lived to adulthood and married but drowned in Lake Hafslo, their second son was Peter and they also had a daughter Mari. When Ole died, Gjertrud remarried and had additional children. From Ole Thorsen Langeteig Moe, the family line has been traced back another six generations to Erik Berge (b.1600, d.1660). Gjertrud's parents were Claus Rumohr Adamsen Reutz (b.1759, d.1803) and Dorothea Pedersdatter Lomheim (b.1767, d.1840). The line of Claus Rumohr Adamsen Reutz has been traced back another five generation to Erik Jacobson Hauge (b.1570, d.1672).<br />
<br />
Anna Augunsdatter Lad, the wife of Peter Olsen Moe, was the daughter of Augund Olsen Lahd (b.1798) and Margretha Larsdatter (b.1798). It seems that Anna's father died when she was a child and she was raised by her mother and her second husband, Erik Olsen. Some of these family lines have been traced back a few more generations, some to the 1500's and there are sub-branches that have been traced back even further and into the European continent.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_QqfFGqs88/YSw0zpCVTtI/AAAAAAAAQPc/QJc50RVNODoK65lp_6_9iU2c-la-CNgxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s899/Lad%2B-%2BAnna%2BAugunsdatter%2B-%2B1880s.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="638" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_QqfFGqs88/YSw0zpCVTtI/AAAAAAAAQPc/QJc50RVNODoK65lp_6_9iU2c-la-CNgxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Lad%2B-%2BAnna%2BAugunsdatter%2B-%2B1880s.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Augunsdatter Lad,<br />wife of Peter Olsen Moe</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />
Peter Olsen Moe and his wife, Anna started out farming at the Mo farm, where he had grown-up. Neither he nor his parents had owned any land at the farm but Peter's mother was a descendant of the farm's owners. The farm first came into the family when a very wealthy Danish Priest named Jens Hanson Orbech purchased the property in the early 1600's. He was the 6th great-grandfather of Gjertrud (Peter's mother). This area of Norway, near Bergen was the home to many non-Norwegians. These were mainly wealthy merchants, headquartered in Bergen, who built summer homes in the picturesque fjord country. Some settled in the area permanently. Thus many of the branches of this family are not "pure-bred" Norwegians and contained continental roots from places like Denmark and Germany.<br />
<br />
At the time Jens Hanson Orbech bought the farm, it was by far the largest and "richest" farm in the area. It included lakefront, wooded areas, farm lands and mountain pastures. It is unlikely that Jens ever actually farmed the land but instead, probably rented parts to local families. At some point, the family lost the farm but Peter Olsen Moe's grandfather and family stayed on as tenant farmers. They most likely lived at one of the satellite farms in a small cottage. Peter Olsen Moe's mother, Gjertrud had a sister named Karen who married a wealthy man and they bought back the farm. Karen's descendants still operate the Mo farm to this day.<br />
<br />
In addition to farming, Peter was also noted as a blacksmith. It was not uncommon for a tenant farmer like Peter to also work a "day job" since their small plot of land would not provide a great deal of excess farm products to sell. With the exception of their last child, all of Peter and Anna's children would be born in Norway. Their children were: Ole, Lars, August, Claus, Gjertrud, Dorothea, Anna Margretta, Margaret, Claus, Peter, Mary and Amelia.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fk7_oToh-eI/T6P5fHH1tcI/AAAAAAAAA0E/ZrZvm9thC1U/s1600/Hafslo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fk7_oToh-eI/T6P5fHH1tcI/AAAAAAAAA0E/ZrZvm9thC1U/s400/Hafslo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farms dot the landscape all along the north bank of Lake Hafslo,<br />in the Sogn og Fjordane region of Norway. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAk1mL9dA_o/WJIAF3ty_PI/AAAAAAAAOSs/TFpcZcalrMw092xYEDp6qugd9bn-Y581gCLcB/s1600/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BHafslo%2B-%2BClause%2BMoe%2BFarm%2Bwith%2BLake.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAk1mL9dA_o/WJIAF3ty_PI/AAAAAAAAOSs/TFpcZcalrMw092xYEDp6qugd9bn-Y581gCLcB/s400/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BHafslo%2B-%2BClause%2BMoe%2BFarm%2Bwith%2BLake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Haflso, Norway, part of the remaining Mo Farm can be seen<br />
in the center of the photo, with the lake in the background.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UjySK5qTlBA/YSw1cwRAGNI/AAAAAAAAQPk/h4JGVw6OcdAp5EvKdWLMBg6JNCl3Qta2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1478/Lad%2B-%2BAnna%2BAugundsdatter%2B-%2BLad%2BFarm%2BHafslo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1478" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UjySK5qTlBA/YSw1cwRAGNI/AAAAAAAAQPk/h4JGVw6OcdAp5EvKdWLMBg6JNCl3Qta2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h166/Lad%2B-%2BAnna%2BAugundsdatter%2B-%2BLad%2BFarm%2BHafslo.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Up the road from the Mo Farm is the Lad Farm, home of Anna<br />(the buildings to the right in the forground); added 08/2021.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">Coming to America</span></div><div>
<br />
Norwegians began coming to America as early as 1825 and this migration would continue for the rest of the 19th Century. There were many reasons to leave Norway: growing population, shrinking opportunities in agriculture and the promise of land ownership in America. Most rural Norwegians lived a very modest lifestyle, by some accounts poor, but by no means impoverished. It had been assumed that Ole Peterson, the oldest son of Peter and Anna had come to America with them in 1864 but it now seems as if Ole came first, as early as 1862. He may have been sent over to scout out the area and make preparation for the rest of the family or perhaps he wrote home and told his parents and siblings of the possibilities in America, thereby enticing them to follow. For whatever reason, the entire Moe family packed-up and headed to America to start a new life. Ole Peterson had first settled in Black Earth, Wisconsin and that appears to be where Peter Olsen Moe and family headed as well.<br />
<br />
As with other ancestors that came over about this same time, the trip was still a harrowing experience. It was very common in the mid and late 19th Century to land at New York but that was not the only place immigrants would arrive. After the 1850's some ships bypassed New York and went to Quebec and although no records of the the Moe family voyage have been found, it is likely they came via this northern route. Even after a long five month sea voyage, their journey still had a ways to go. From Quebec, the family would travel by riverboat to Montreal, then by canal to Lake Ontario. From there, they could book passage on a lake boat to Milwaukee or Chicago. The final leg of their trip would be overland, by rail and wagon. On their journey across American, they had to be wary of con-men and swindlers of all types.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ROpGzXa9sp0/T6P6u5UFrwI/AAAAAAAAA0M/NySdDSysnDA/s1600/Moe+Farm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ROpGzXa9sp0/T6P6u5UFrwI/AAAAAAAAA0M/NySdDSysnDA/s400/Moe+Farm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 81.41 acre Peter Olsen Moe farm on Section 1 of the Town of Blue Mounds<br />
(listed as P. Oleson). From the 1873 Atlas of Dane County. Peter would acquire<br />
adjacent property and expand the farm by 77 acres sometime before 1890.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Peter Olsen Moe Family</span><br />
<br />
In 1866, Peter acquired 80 acres of land on section one, in the northeast corner of Blue Mounds. The 1870 census list Peter, Anna, Lars, Gjertrud, Margaret, Claus, Mary, Peter Jr. and Amelia living on the farm. Sons, Ole and August where both married and farming in Blue Mounds as well. By 1880, only Jane (Gjertrud), Mary and Amelia were still living with their parents at the homestead. As the other children came of age, they would marry and raise families; some would stay in the area and others would move farther west.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From the <u>History of Dane County</u> (1880): <em>PETER OLESON MOE, farmer, Sec. 1; P. O. Mt. Horeb; he came to Wisconsin in the summer of 1864, and settled at Black Earth; moved and bought the place where he now lives in 1866. In 1842, he was married to Miss Annie August, by whom he has twelve children, two sons in Minnesota and the balance of the family in Wisconsin. The family belongs to the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church; in politics, he is Republican. He has a fine farm of 80 acres, well watered, and commands a fine view of the surrounding country, first-class improvements, worth $2,500, two miles from Mt. Horeb; he runs his own farm with the help of his children; he made all the improvements himself, and is a first-class farmer.</em></blockquote>
Peter and Anna had 12 or 13 children of which nine survived to adulthood. The children were:<br />
<ul>
<li>Infant?</li>
<li>Ole Peterson, the oldest surviving child of Peter and Anna is discussed in more detail in Part 2 of this report.</li>
<li>Lars (b.1844, d.1932) was born in Norway. In 1870, he married Ingri Mennes (b.1849, d.1907), also a Norwegian immigrant and probably the sister of Lars Mennes who married Margaret Moe and Ellen Mennes who married Claus Moe. The Mennes family came over before 1850 and farmed in the Town of Springdale. Sometime prior to 1880, Lars and family moved to far west Minnesota to Lac Qui Parle County. In 1882 Lars acquired just over 150 acres on Section 23 and 24 in the Town of Riverside from the Federal Land Office in Benson, Minnesota . The farm was just east of Dawson, Minnesota. Lars and Ingri had at least nine children: Peter, Ole, Bertha, Albert, Betsy, Maria, Oscar, Ida and Louis. He spent his later years living with his son Louis and family. You can read more about <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/lars-p-moe-short-biography.html" target="_blank"> Lars P. Moe here</a>.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pCuBl2havMY/T75xjUg_b4I/AAAAAAAAA4o/g7Z1rmsduic/s1600/Lac+Quie+Parle+prairie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pCuBl2havMY/T75xjUg_b4I/AAAAAAAAA4o/g7Z1rmsduic/s400/Lac+Quie+Parle+prairie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The prairie landscape of Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
<li>August or Augund Peterson (b.1846, d.1878) was born in Norway. Like Ole, he dropped the Moe from his name. He married Bertha (Betsy) Anderson (b.1846, d.1929) in 1867. She was born in Norway and may have lived in the Town of Vermont prior to their marriage. They operated a farm in the Town of Blue Mounds and had at least six children: Delia, Andrew, Peter, Samuel, Anna Marie (Mary) and August. August Sr. died before his 32th birthday. In the 1880 census, Betsy (a widow) was still listed as living in Blue Mounds. After the death of August, Betsy married another man named Peterson (no relation) and they settled in South Dakota. August is buried at the East Blue Mounds Lutheran Church cemetery.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f64tAkmfoi8/T6QuIbIlwfI/AAAAAAAAA1I/xZnXMBVxjBA/s1600/STA72799.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f64tAkmfoi8/T6QuIbIlwfI/AAAAAAAAA1I/xZnXMBVxjBA/s320/STA72799.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August Peterson is buried with his parents at East Blue Mounds<br />
Lutheran Church Cemetery. His name is on the back side of Peter<br />
and Anna's Gravestone and here he is listed as August P. Moe.<br />
The name below his, August I. Moen, is a mystery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Claus (b.1848, d.1848) died as an infant in Norway. </li>
<li>Gjertrud (Gertrude) (b.1850?, d.1915) was born in Norway and went by the name Jane. In 1881, she married Oscar Fredrik Johnson (b.1855, d.1923) who went by Oscar Larson in America. They farmed on Section 35 in the Town of Vermont and after her death, Oscar remarried. The farm was just south of present day Stewart Lake. They raised at least five children: Lydia (Alida), Emil, George, Arthur and Amelia. </li>
<li>Dorothea (b.1851, d.1862) died as a young girl in Norway.</li>
<li>Anna Margretta (b.1853, d.1854) died before her first birthday in Norway. </li>
<li>Margaret (Anna Margrette Pettersdatter) (b.1855, d.1932) was born in Norway. In 1875, she married Lewis (Lars) Mennes and they farmed north of Mount Horeb in the Town of Blue Mounds on Sections 1 and 12. Lewis was born in Wisconsin of Norwegian parents. They had at least nine children: Ole, Annie, Mary, John, Peter, Joseph, Lawrence, Bertine and Milo.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rR1WdERHUWY/UCAZ3pQjbxI/AAAAAAAAA68/INPlo0HUvhw/s1600/Moe+-+Margaret+-Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rR1WdERHUWY/UCAZ3pQjbxI/AAAAAAAAA68/INPlo0HUvhw/s400/Moe+-+Margaret+-Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gravestone of Margaret Peterson (who married Lewis Mennes),<br />
at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Claus (b.1857, d.1921) was born in Norway. Like Lars, he migrated to Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota. He may have started off farming but eventually settled in Madison, the county seat. It is noted on the Madison website that its name was suggested by C.P. Moe in memory of his former home, Madison, Wisconsin. He married Ellen Mennes (b.1859, d.1930) in 1879. They raised at least four children: Anna, Charles, Arthur and Clara. The first settlers did not arrive in that part of Minnesota until the 1860’s so much of the area was still wilderness and sparsely populated even by 1880.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aiv-toCyyKU/T6QtJ41quLI/AAAAAAAAA1A/VauHJCQLQkY/s1600/Moe+-+Clause+-+Gravesite+-+Faith+Cemetery+Madison+-+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aiv-toCyyKU/T6QtJ41quLI/AAAAAAAAA1A/VauHJCQLQkY/s320/Moe+-+Clause+-+Gravesite+-+Faith+Cemetery+Madison+-+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gravestone of Clause P. Moe at Faith Cemetery in Madison, Minnesota.<br />
There are at least 17 Moe family members buried at Faith Cemetery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul><li>Peder (or Peter) (b.1858, d.1941) was born in Norway. By the 1880 census, he was 21, boarding with a Thompson family in Blue Mounds and listed as a Blacksmith. He married Anna Marie (Mary) Gesme (b.1867, d.1953) in 1887 at Mount Horeb. In 1905 they headed west to homestead in Keystone, Dickey County, North Dakota. Peter and Mary had at least three children: Arthur, Emil (or Amil or Peter Amil) and Clifford. </li>
<li>Anna Marie (Mary) (b.1860, d.1922) was born in Norway. She married Charles Steinhauer (b.1859, d.1934) in 1884. Charles’ father, Dietrich, emigrated from Germany and farmed on section one just west of the Moe farm. Charles would take over the farm and it is still in Steinhauer hands today. They raised at least four children: Cordilia (Delia), Anna (Aura), Henry and Mae. Mary Moe may have also been known as Mary Ann.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eewVklkYxzQ/T6QmuYvFQNI/AAAAAAAAA0s/zhpxTgW2hDY/s1600/Moe+-+Mary+Ann+with+Charles+Steinhauer+and+Children.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eewVklkYxzQ/T6QmuYvFQNI/AAAAAAAAA0s/zhpxTgW2hDY/s400/Moe+-+Mary+Ann+with+Charles+Steinhauer+and+Children.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Ann Moe, Charles Steinhauer and family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>Amelia Petra (or Ella) (b.1867, d.1924) was born in Wisconsin. She married Christian Finke (b.1868, d.1952) in 1889. He was born in Wisconsin of German immigrants. They would take over the Moe farm and it stayed in the family into the 1950’s. They raised five children: Clarence, Elmer, Irwin, Roy and Myrtle. It seems that all of the Moe daughters lived on farms within about one mile of each other.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZt9Ob_Cnyo/UCAZSOLhFcI/AAAAAAAAA60/WkZ5HrxHcqU/s1600/Finke+-+Amelia+-+Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZt9Ob_Cnyo/UCAZSOLhFcI/AAAAAAAAA60/WkZ5HrxHcqU/s400/Finke+-+Amelia+-+Gravesite+-+Mount+Horeb+Union.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gravestone of Amelia Moe (who married Christian Finke),<br />
at Union Cemetery in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As noted above, Lars, Claus and young Peter all ventured farther west. Claus and Lars to Minnesota and Peter to South Dakota. In the 1880's and 1890's, these areas were still sparsely settled. Many would head farther west to take advantage of the Homestead act which allowed for free land if you could make a go of it. Many would fail but the three Moe boys seemed to have succeeded. Lars and family picked Lac Qui Parle county after his sister-in-law returned to Wisconsin and enticed them west. Claus supposedly brought horses to Minnesota and then stayed-on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FlWrAIMdZfg/T6P7-saB5NI/AAAAAAAAA0U/5uH1sZzFHUM/s1600/Moe+-+Peter+Olsen+and+Family+-+1890s.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FlWrAIMdZfg/T6P7-saB5NI/AAAAAAAAA0U/5uH1sZzFHUM/s400/Moe+-+Peter+Olsen+and+Family+-+1890s.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Peter Olsen Moe Family from the 1890's. Top: Mary Moe,<br />
Ole Peterson, Amelia Moe, Clause Moe. Bottom: Lars Moe and his wife<br />
Jens Mennes, Peter Olsen Moe, Margrette Moe and Peter Moe. <br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mother, Anna died in 1888 and by that time, son August was dead, Claus and Lars were in Minnesota, Peter Jr. was married and would soon be off to North Dakota, three of the four Moe daughters were married and living in the area and the youngest child, Amelia was about a year away from her marriage. In his old aged, Peter Olsen Moe went blind and is said to have refused to get out of bed. He was reportedly bed-ridden for over 10 years and lived at his homestead with the Finke family until he died in 1912.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10Fn2sUaw58/WJIFs33s2FI/AAAAAAAAOS8/-wlgdAyVCHwtNeOTvga-487uuVml-ezDgCLcB/s1600/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BFarm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10Fn2sUaw58/WJIFs33s2FI/AAAAAAAAOS8/-wlgdAyVCHwtNeOTvga-487uuVml-ezDgCLcB/s400/Moe%2B-%2BPeter%2B-%2BFarm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Moe and later Christian Finke farm. The farm is located on section one<br />
(north of Mount Horeb on US HYW 78) in the Town of Blue Mounds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote class="tr_bq">The Obituary of Peter Moe from <u>The Mount Horeb Times</u>: <em>Peter O. Moe was born in Sogn Norway, June 22nd, 1817, and passed to the realm of his forefathers January 22, 1913; aged 95 years and 7 months. He was married to Miss Ann Dorothea Lad in 1840 and he emigrated to this country in 1864 settling first at Black Earth where they resided for two years then bought a farm in the town of Blue Mounds where they resided until his wife died 26 years ago. Two years later, he sold the farm to his son-in-law, C. A. Finke and he has since resided with Mr. and Mrs. Finke and the last 16 years has been confined to his bed and helpless. His daughter, Mrs. Finke, was untiring in her efforts to care for him these many years and for which she is truly entitled to much praise. Deceased was the father of eleven children, seven of whom survive him; they are, Lars Moe of Dawson, Minn.; Jane (Mrs. Oscar Larson); Margaret (Mrs. Lewis O. Mennes) of Mt. Horeb; Claus Moe of Madison, Minn.; Peter M. Moe of Monona, North Dakota; Mary (Mrs. Chas. Steinhauer) and Amelia (Mrs. C. A. Finke) of Mt. Horeb. 48 grandchildren and 80 great grandchildren and seven great great grandchildren survive him as evidence of an upright family according to Rev. Gunderson's statement in his funeral sermon. His last illness lasted about a week and his ailment was the grippe which in his feeble condition, he was unable to combat. The funeral was held Saturday in the Lutheran Church in this village and was very largely attended by relatives, neighbors, and friends. Revs. Gunderson and Mostrom officiated. His pastor, Rev. Gunderson, paid a high tribute to the deceased for religious life and of him as a man, husband and father, after which the remains were taken to the East Blue Mounds Cemetery for burial, with brief services at the grave. The pall bearers were six of his grandsons: Olaus Peterson, Henry Peterson, Clarence P. Finke, Henry Steinhauer, Alfred Peterson, and Milo Mennes. That he had his full share of trouble and trials in life and especially during his 16 long dark years preceding his death is true, but he could but rejoice to learn that his splendid family was prospering and gaining in respect as the years passed on.</em></blockquote>
Oldest son, Ole, who took the name Peterson had been on his own since his arrival in the early 1860's. He married and raised a large family in Blue Mounds and Mount Horeb. Updated on 08/2021.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/ole-peterson-and-peterson-family-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2 - The story of Ole Peterson and his family can be found here . . .</a></div></div>Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4644256589102680393.post-89655853638213796412012-05-02T10:57:00.002-05:002014-10-03T14:32:09.418-05:00History Page Added - More StuffI've been thinking about ways to add more information to this website; specifically, more photos and some of the many documents that reside in my archive. The goal was to add a page (or pages) to display these images. I also wanted to do it in a way that was not too difficult and would not require too much serious HTML work. Blogger can be a powerful tool but when it comes to plugins and widgets, it is not as well developed as Word Press or some other platforms (not that I am complaining). I like things "out of the box" and am not really interested in changing the template; so I needed to look around for some help. Specifically, I was interested in creating a "thumbnail page" that would show many images at a glance. This would contrast with the slideshows that reside at the bottom of the page. After looking around a bit, and reading a lot of "how to" topics, I finally found a way to add a table - of sorts - in a new page. The method looked like something I could handle and the page appearance was "good enough" at least for now.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
So, last week I launched a new page that I am calling by the simple name of <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/p/test-2.html" target="_blank">History</a>. What I hope the page conveys is my history, or more precisely, my families history but in graphics rather than words. This is a more literal history as it will contain only images arranged on a page. I started off simple with four rows of three images each. Each row has a theme; for example, the first row shows three buildings that have connections to individual ancestors. The second row shows land purchase records, the third row shows tombstones and four row shows group pictures. I will admit that the captions are short so the explanation for each image is not very detailed but these are snapshots in history so they are kept purposely vague. The nice thing about this arrangement, is that I can add additional rows at any time.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eYgzdRXelfg/T58LMrlXTcI/AAAAAAAAAz4/hxxUWWarpy8/s1600/History+Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eYgzdRXelfg/T58LMrlXTcI/AAAAAAAAAz4/hxxUWWarpy8/s320/History+Page.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The History Page contains a sampling of photographs,<br />
facsimiles of historical documents and other images; <br />
meant to offer a family history "snapshot." </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This blog has led to a number of discoveries and connected me to other family members that I did not know. In presenting this information, even though the amount of data that will get displayed will be minimal, I hope the <a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/p/test-2.html" target="_blank">History Page</a> will help to showcase some of the items that I have accumulated and eventually lead to even more connections.</div>
<br />
Additional Reading:<br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/history-and-genealogy.html" target="_blank">History and Genealogy</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-discoveries-are-delightful.html" target="_blank">New Discoveries are Delightful</a><br />
<a href="http://brblog-myotherblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/flow-of-information.html" target="_blank">The Flow of Information</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585405199121767395noreply@blogger.com0