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Events of importance are at Living in Black Mountain NC
My own life and my opinions are shared at When I was 69.

REMEMBER: In North America, the month of September 1752 was exceptionally short, skipping 11 days, when the Gregorian Calendar was adapted from the old Julian one, which didn't have leap year days.

Friday, February 5, 2021

Lucy Pulsifer Granger - 3gg including a letter to her

 This week I'm focusing on Ada Swasey Rogers Family tree.

 Edited repost from 2014 and 2015.

Lucy Pulsifer Granger - Feb 1, 1807 born in Newburyport, Essex County, MA.

I posted some information about that town HERE.

Newbury (and Newburyport) when it was first settled.

I've briefly honored this interesting woman before, HERE. And her more famous brother, Joseph P. Pulsifer HERE, one of the founding fathers of Beaumont, Texas.

1820s woman, by Francesco Heyez, NOT Ms. Pulsifer!

She married George Tyler Granger, also from Newburyport, MA, Feb. 13, 1828.

GRANGER, George T. and Lucy E. Pulsifer, Feb. 13, 1828 * (*intentions also recorded)


Granger, from Boston portrait, Uncle


 I mentioned Lucy's husband in another post HERE, following his life and probably hers along the trails that settlers to the new country in Texas followed.   The above link goes to the post which best describes the lives they led, since he was fortunately mentioned in various records that still exist.

Dwelling #338 has George (Lumber Dealer) and Lucy age 42, living with 4 children and 2 other women.

In 1850 they were on the census shown  above.

In 1854 they lived still in Newburyport, MA as shown by the City Directory:

Name:George T Granger
Residence Year:1854
Street address:16 Boardman
Residence Place:Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA
Publication Title:Newburyport, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1854

Their five children were:
Mary Hull Granger Phillips (1839-21861) my great great grandmother
George W. Granger (1830-1901)
Elizabeth Pulsifer Granger Sweet (Lizzie) (1833-1911)
Joseph Granger (1835-1850)
Lucy Ellen Granger Wakeley (1837-1888)




By the 1860 census on June 15 , the George Grangers lived in Galveston, TX
Dwelling number 412, George Granger with Lucy wife and 3 adult children.  He is a lumber mer(chant).

The 1860 census doesn't include Mary Granger Phillips, who had been part of the family back in Newburyport in 1850 at 21 years of age.  She met and married William Phillips of Georgia sometime while in Galveston, in that gap, and then went to her mother-in-law's home in Georgia all the way from Beaumont Texas to have her first child in 1858.  It is possible the reason she went to Georgia for her first child's birth was economics, since William's step-father Samuel Gainer was a judge.  And certainly frontier Texas didn't offer quite the ammenities of genteel Georgia. Why didn't she go to her own mother in Galveston? I believe later I saw in some correspondence that her mother had bad asthma. 

I've shared some of the letters that Mary wrote, both to her mother in law and her own mother, and since Lucy is our focus today, I'll search through them to find one written to Mary's own mother, Lucy Pulsifer Granger.

Here are photos of copies of the letter (transcriptions follow)





So the text is this:

Town Bluff, June 24th, 1860

My Dear Mother

        It is a week today since I wrote Lizzie’s (her sister Elizabeth) letter and I have had no chance during the week to send it to the office.  I will have two now to send, as I note in my letter to Lizzie I would write you if I did not get down too soon.

        The weather is very warm up here I miss those beautiful sea breezes I used to enjoy last year at this time.  I feel as if it would be quite a long time before I enjoy them again.  I do so long to be over my confinement   I am dreading it more than before and I fear Zulie (her 2 year old daughter) will be so much trouble I can in a measure control her and she fears me a little and so jealous of me I must not caress 

(page 2 of letter)

anybody or anything but her – William to my surprise has the utmost patience with her has not even yet spoken sharp to her. She is smart I can tell you and it is impossible to cheat her, no indeed, she will catch you in a minute.

        I was glad to hear your health was so good this summer  I trust it will continue your cares must be diminished enough now since you are by yourselves to give you quite a quiet time.  I know you must all be happy to hear no slams and insults I think I could never borne it as well as you did.

        I suppose Father & George get along well in the business line as no one spoke to the contrary in letters.  I often think how much it took only for W. & myself while living in Galveston that everlasting rent due it seemed to me always was our greatest chain.  I like Galveston 

(page 3 of letter)

above all places to live in but it does cost a heap to live any way at all respectable there.

        Do you ever hear from Uncle Joseph (Joseph Pulsifer*) I have written him and so has William two or three times but no replies.  I wish I could hear what he is about.  I think he must almost a Hermit by this time that is if he is by himself.  I hear from the Pass** once in a while.  I suppose you heard of the dreadful murder of Bill Shaw by Pike (?) Smith.  I never was so horrified at anything how much trouble they must be in and dear Mrs. Gill has at least got Ella Edwards married to Charley (?) Colmell(?) too I suppose Laura is her next victim for business.

        We think what does Mr. Bradbury do with his house. I never heard whether he rents it or not or if he considers he has left Galveston.

(page 4 of letter)

I hardly can find anything to write which is worthy of interest so if I write a fussy letter you must excuse it.  I wish you would urge up the girls to write me oftener they surely are not very busy now. I know they have had to be in the kitchen lately but if they have been adopting Mrs. Bingit (?) hul (?) two meals a day they have some little time.  I often look for a letter from you two but often am disappointed about you think so.  I excuse you though of course.  

        Love to all I think of each one when I am writing home Father George. Lizzie & Lucy.  Zulie pulls me to the Piano and says Mama play.  I must close of course. William sends (?) love also Mother Gainer (?).  I hope next letter will be written by William with news of another member born in the family.

                Yours with much love,

                        Mary
* Uncle, bachelor brother of Lucy Pulsifer Granger
** Probably Sabine Pass on the Sabine River
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing else is documented about Lucy Pulsifer Granger's life.

She continued to live in Galveston until her death when she was 69.  Two copies of a short obituary were kept by her descendents.  
GRANGER - DIED May 23, 1876
My best guess is:
 At her residence on Madison, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets, of this city, on the 23 last, Mrs. Lucy E. Granger, aged 69 years.
The friends of the family are invited to attend her funeral from the Episcopal church at 10 o'clock this morning.
New York and Newburyport (Mass.) papers please copy.


When I checked Google Maps, Madison between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets in Galveston is just a block back from the beach on a sandy spit...so many hurricanes must have blown through this area and it looks very barren now, just a few modern homes on stilts.


This post is part of my father's mother, 
Ada Swasey Rogers Family Tree. 
The photo shows her mother, 
my great grandmother,
Zulieka Granger Swasey as a young woman.

 

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Looking forward to hearing from you! If you leave your email then others with similar family trees can contact you. Just commenting falls into the blogger dark hole; I'll gladly publish what you say just don't expect responses.