Troublemaker

 I've brought some kind of post for all the 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks so far. But this one is hard!

Week 48 (Nov. 26-Dec. 2): Troublemaker

OK, a fourth great uncle was Legrand Booth. (On my mother's maternal tree.) There were some troubles, though I don't how many were his doing.

I looked at Legrand Booth, because he had some tough times in his life, with several documents of insolvency. He started out life as a shoemaker, much like his father. I don't know how that would have resulted in a huge debt, but perhaps he tried buying more property than he could afford.  

I found an interesting letter that described some of that family. 

Letter sent from Ruth Kelsey Proctor to her Aunt Elizabeth Halverson, Uncle Roy Booth, Brother Harold Kelsey, Daughter Ann Proctor, Nephews Douglas, Robert, David, and Jeffrey as well as many of her first cousins as possible at the time (too numerous to list individually). Ruth took it upon herself to document much of the Booth-Carter family tree and history in the late 70s and this was the cover letter and brief overview of both families that she had found.

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The Booth family tree starts with Legrand and Betsey, both of whom were born in the late 1700’s. They had 12 children, the ninth being Elliott Lansing Booth, ray [my?] great grandfather. I have no information about the Legrand Booth family ex­cept what is contained in a letter dated April 23, 1859, addressed to Elliott Booth by his brother-in-law, Chester Gooding, E. Bloomfield (state not given). I will quote parts of the letter as it mentions places where some of the family lived:

“I will give you an account of your father's family. Your mother died January 8, 1852.  The family at the time of her death consisted of your father, Lafayette (Erastus), and Annjeanette, Lucius having been married the fall before to Mary Hopkins. After a time your father becom­ing dissatisfied and uneasy they concluded to break up and leave and your father went to live with Emeline who lived in Lafayette, Indiana, with her second husband, Mr. William Cochrane, having been divorced from Hummer who had left her and run off with a female spirit medium. Mr. Cochrane, being a very wealthy man and a large land holder and not enjoying very good health, Emeline wrote to Lafayette and father to come and live with them. Your father went up in November 1852. He did not like living in Indiana and left there in the following summer and went to Fitchburg, Dane County, Wisconsin, to live with Eli who was married and living there. Your father writes that he likes Wisconsin very much and enjoys excellent good health.

“Lafayette married in Indiana and also left and went to Fitchburg to live. He stayed there until this spring and has now returned to Lafayette and is in the County Clerk's office writing at a salary of ten dollars a week.

“Edward is in Joliette, Illinois, and is not married. Lucius moved last fall to Mundy, Genesee County, Michigan. Elizur lives where your fa­ther used to live and has as much flesh to carry about as your father ever had. Ann Jeanette is living with us.”

Elliot Booth (1832-1885) was son of Legrand (1772-1861) and his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Betsey) Peck (1790-1852). 

Elliot's brother was Erastus Lafayette Booth (1827-1907) who became an MD. Ann Jeannette (1830-1902) was the baby of the family. Elliot's brother, Everett Lucius Booth (1828-1861) had indeed married in 1851.  

Elliot's sister,  Emeline (1820-1895) had some interesting things happen with her 3 husbands. First when she was 23 yo she married Rev. Michael Hummer, in Indiana. Ten years later in Iowa they have a daughter Emily and we know nothing more about her. As cousin Ruth Kelsey Proctor said in her transcription of the original letter (do you think it was in the original?) that she divorced Rev. Hummer  "...who had left her and run off with a female spirit medium." So in 1852 she married the rich William Kerr Cochran (1807–1864). (She ended up being buried next to him). But wait, there's the connection of brothers and sisters between those two husbands. Her second husband had been married before, to the sister of her first husband (the one who ran off with a female spirit medium.)

"William Kerr Cochran's 1st wife was Nancy A Hummer (1807-1851). Nancy A Hummer and Michael Hummer were brother and sister.

Her third husband was Alexander Carlton King, whom she married in 1875, at age 65. She had been a widow for 11 years by then. We don't know when King died. Emeline lived to 84.

Chester Gooding goes on with details of other of the siblings. 

But we need to look closer at the dates of Legrand's wife's death...in 1852. Chester speaks of different adult children taking him in.

But is it possible he married another woman on Jan 16, 1844. Clarissa Hotchkiss, in Naugatuck CT, stating that Legrand was from Hartford, CT? It was a church wedding. 

BUTthere was another Legrand Booth, son of James Booth (not our Legrand, son of Isaac.) He (the other one) was born in New Milford CT, between 1712 and 1860. It's possible that that Legrand married Clarissa Hotchkiss. There's absolutely no data on Clarissa. There were a lot of Booths in Connecticut.

By the time Legrand and Betsey Booth had their fifth child they lived in Canandaigua New York, as well as Legrand's father Isaac and his family. It is one of the finger lakes. But as mentioned in the letter above, many members of the family moved further west through the years.

Canandaigua New York finger lakes

The Bass family and Nansemond Indians

In Suffolk Virginia, the Nansemond Tribe is alive and well.

Kurt Williams of station WKTR spoke about the Nansemond Indians on Nov. 16, 2023 at 6:11 am on his report. It was posted on Facebook for a while. Here are just a few clips from it.

SUFFOLK, Va. — What do you really know about the indigenous people who call Virginia home? We're in the middle of Native American Heritage Month and News 3 is taking a closer look at a tribe right in our backyard—their latest challenges, old and new.

The Nansemond Indian Nation powwow is a chance to get a taste of their rich culture. The annual event is held along the banks of the Nansemond River in Suffolk, where their tribal headquarters is. The area, called Mattanock Town, is north of downtown Suffolk in the Chuckatuck section...

...Keith Anderson, the Chief of the Nansemond Indian Nation ... explained the significance of the [Nansemond] River.

"So, there's a lot of history to where we're walking right now. This area... was inhabited by our people thousands of years ago. Our tribes here, they would live [by] hunting, fishing along the Nansemond River."

My great grandmother was Elizabeth "Bettie" Bass Rogers, and our line can be traced back to the Nansemond Indian woman, Elizabeth (Keziah) Tucker, who married John Basse in 1638.

"Each of us has some relationship to the river, but for us it's not just a relationship, it's our identity," said Tribal Vice-chair Nikki Bass during a recent boat ride on the Nansemond River.

Photo by Michael Woodward

The Nansemond Tribe has high esteem for the earth as well as the river, and partners with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in their ongoing oyster restoration projects

 

Then there were more walking...

 

My grandmother Ada Rogers, and my Uncle Jimmy (James) probably around 1932-35. Possibly Fort Worth or San Antonio, TX. James Rogers was born in 1922, and here he must be at least 10 years old.  The Rogers family moved to San Antonio from Fort Worth sometime after Uncle Chauncey graduated from high school in 1931, and by 1934. But remember this was the depression, so jobs were few and far between.

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And even earlier...

Hidden Camera captured 19th century candids on the street.

Carl Størmer (1874-1957) was a young student of mathematics when he purchased his first hidden camera. It was so small that the lens fit through the buttonhole in his vest with a cord that led down to his pocket, allowing him to secretly snap away. In his biography for the Fellows of the Royal Society, he revealed it was actually a secret crush that led him toward photography. “When he was a young man at Oslo University he fell in love with a lady whom he did not know and with whom he was too bashful to become acquainted,” writes his biographer. “Wishing at least to have a picture of her, he decided that this was possible only by taking a photograph of her himself, without her knowing.”

To go with the meme for Sepia Saturday.

Today's quote:

The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others.

BELL HOOKS And what is that called? Photo-bombing!

This Ancestor Stayed Home

 My  ancestry post for 52 Weeks 52 Ancestors about 'an ancestor who stayed home' means looking back at some of the women, who were expected to stay home for most of those years.

I choose one of the women who lived in Sevier County Tennessee, when it was first forming.

The family of Catharine Clack Rogers originated in Virginia, Loudon County was her mother's birthplace. Mother was named Mary de Beauvillers/Beaver born in 1745. Catharine's father Lt. Spencer Sterling Clack also was born in Loudon County (at the time it was in Fairfax County) in 1746.

Mary Beavers married Spencer Clack in 1766 in Loudon County VA. They had at least 8 children. I'm using some genealogical research from people living in Sevierville which look for evidence in original documents, as well as some "folk tales" passed along. Some of today's Ancestry Trees assume Mary Beavers Clack had 16 or more children. There is only evidence of these 8 however.

Many records have been lost, and there are several possibilities of Spencer Clack's parents.

But let's focus on Catharine (spelled the way my grandfather transcribed the Rogers Family Bible).

She was born in 1778 in Loudon County VA.  Her little brother Micajah Clack was born about a year later, and when he was just a toddler was struck and killed by lightening. This is a family story that has been handed down through the years. Incidentally, Catharine named her first son after him.

Though Catharine was part of the family which moved to Tennessee in 1787, (age 9) she didn't move much after that. She married Rev. Elijah Rogers in 1794. He was a Baptist preacher, known to travel to different churches in the area, as well as having a farm on the Little Pigeon River in Sevierville TN.

Catherine stayed home. Rev. Elijah lived until 1841 and she lived until 1850. 

The cemetery and church were located where these graves still are, and a park, by the Little Pigeon River in Sevierville. Catharine was probably buried there.

Catharine Rogers had 12 children, with one who died young, and two who have no known death dates. So at least 9 lived to adulthood. There are some documents verifying these children, but many ancestry trees have added many more!

Their oldest, Micajah Clack Rogers, my 3rd great grandfather moved to Texas when he was 50, with some of his children. His wife, Cyntha Cannon Rogers, stayed in Tennessee with the younger children and then moved to Texas before her death. There had been a personal note to Cyntha (which is now lost) which said he (Micajah) was sending the younger children back to Tennessee as there were no schools yet in Texas (in 1840).

I don't know if her father, Spencer Clack, was considered a hero when she was living, but since then there are various plaques in Sevierville honoring him.

Plaque on big stone near Sevierville TN court house.

Ancestor veterans

 Ancestor veterans

 For Veterans Day this year, while wars are raging and innocent civilians are

 dying, let's go back to see some ancestors who survived their battles...starting

 with the Civil War (which wasn't always civil actually).

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On my ancestor's blog, I recently shared about GG Uncle RAG...

Sgt. Richard A. Gee, married to my GG Auntie Fanny Gee, sister of my

 GG grandmother. I can't get used to the new terms of grand aunt and

 grand uncle. Just too old to learn new tricks.

Sergeant Richard A. Gee (Rag = his initials). His wife was Fanny Witty Gee

 (1850-1923) sister of my GG Grandmother Eugenia Witty Booth (1852-875)

 on my mother's side of my family tree,

Richard Albert Gee was a Sergeant in the Confederacy, and thus had a

 veterans grave marker when he died in 1930 at age 96. He entered the

 Civil War in 1861 as a Corporal in Parson's Mounted Volunteers, 12th

 Regiment of Texas Cavalry, Company A. He discharged with the rank

 of Sergeant.

Having survived the Civil War, he lived many more years, and it wasn't until

1927 that he applied for Veterans Benefits. His wife Fanny had died in 1923.

 And Rag only had these benefits until he died in 1930.

One of these men is Richard Albert Gee. I think it's the older looking one. Rag only had

 one brother, John O. Gee, born in 1844, so about 11 years younger than Richard 

(born in 1833!)

Richard Albert "Rag" Gee, (1833-1930)  He's also buried in Covington Cemetery, TX. 

I spoke more about him on my Ancestry site Three Family Trees.

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I have many other ancestors who fought on the Confederate side of that conflict. But let's look at one of the ones who fought for the Union.

William D. James is another GG Grand Uncle, whose wife was a GG Grand Aunt. She was the sister of my GG Grandfather, Capt. Alexander G. Swasey. (Post about him HERE) Her name was Ruth Ann Swasey James. 

They lived in Massachusetts most of their lives, then William took part in the gold rush to California in 1849. They moved to Visalia CA later after the Civil War.

William D. James cir. 1900

There's an interesting story about his enlistment to serve in the Union Army. Apparently he almost got conscripted into the Confederacy in Mobile AL, where he was working.

(NOTE: in the following description the details are about Ruth's father, Captain Alexander Swasey)

A recap of the time of his arriving in California. Apparently his return in 1853 followed his marriage to Ruth Swasey in 1851.

The above article appears in "A Memorial and biographical history of the counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California" published by Ancestry DOT com.

There are a couple of errors in the reporting which I've noticed, but much of it is verified by other records.

His time at the end of the Civil War was not spent in Libby Prison, but as part of a final battle at Fort Stedman, where the following describes his imprisonment:

Imprisonment Date	25 Mar 1865
Imprisonment Place	Fort Stedman, Virginia
Muster Out Date	26 May 1865
Muster Out Information	Mustered Out

So at the end of the battle he was mustered out of the Union Army, where he had been in the infantry and a carpenter. His enlistment was:

Enlistment Date	18 May 1861
Enlistment Rank	Private
Muster Date	22 May 1861
Muster Place	Massachusetts
Muster Company	D
Muster Regiment	29th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type	Infantry
Muster Information	Enlisted

The Fort Stedman battle apparently included some soldiers pretending to defect during the night prior to the battle, so as to be inside and disarm their guards at the beginning of hostilities. I read the Wikipedia description but admit to not being able to keep track of which general was on which side.

These Army records state that William Davenport James, was a private in the 36th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, Company D.

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All descendants of the Swasey line from Alexander G. Swasey Sr. are eligible to join the Daughters (or Sons) of the American Revolution (DAR) according to the lineage book Vol. 086. Again, another veteran, this time of the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Lewellyn James Nickerson was William James' daughter, as described below.

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Lt. Jerathmel Swasey was my Great times 4 grandfather, as shown above. I've posted a bit about him before:

Jerathmel Bowers Swasey 

Birth 10 May 1752 in Somerset, Bristol, MA 

Death 4 Feb 1826 in Somerset, Bristol, MA

married to: Sarah Hellon born: 1752

I don't know that much about Jerathmel.  But Somerset MA became a town in 1790, during his lifetime.  It had been settled as early as 1677 on Shawomet lands.  It is on a river, and was a major seaport.

The Swasey's did have a nautical connection, with his son Alexander G. Swasey "a wood carver by trade but engaged for many years in command of ship to the coast of China."  There are others (probably my relatives) who compiled a publication about the Swasey family.  

"Geneology of the Swasey Family" 1910 by Benjamin Swasey, an ebook that is available on line.

The booklet gives more information on Jerathmel's father which is also of interest. He was also a veteran!

Joseph Swasey, shipwright, Bapt(ized) in Boston, Mass. Aug. 12, 1714; died in Somerset, Mass; bef. 1801; married daughter of Jonathan & Ann Sylvester Bowers, of Swansea, Mass. She was of Spanish descent. (?!!)   Joseph, removed with his family to Salem, where he lived until 1749.  He followed there the trade of hatter.  In that year he bought (in) Swansea of John Palmer, 10 acres of land on Taunton River for which he paid ~1300 O.T.

He put up a set of buildings, including a hat shop, built a wharf & engaged in shipbuilding, floating his craft down to Fall River.  The dwelling house occupied by the family for 3 generations was taken down several years ago.  The old cellar & the broad stone step still remain to mark the site.  The "Swasey burying ground" occupied about an acre of the original lot, upon which are many tombstones that mark the resting place of his descendants.

In 1758-9, he (Joseph Swasey) was a private in his Majesty's service from the Province of Massachusetts, in Capt. Stephen Whipple's Co;  Col. Jonathan Bagley's Regt; for the reduction of Canada.  In 1801, his estate was divided among his heirs which included the widow, sons Jerathmel & Joseph heirs of his son Samuel, & daughter Hannah.

 

323 Main St, Somerset, MA (according to the ebook about the Swaseys)

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In considering Veterans Day today, November 11, 2023, I am also aware of many other relatives and friends who have been active in defending democracy in the United States against various foes. I honor them all today (and every day) though I personally am a pacifist. This is my choice in hoping the world will move someday to being a peaceful place between all peoples, no matter what their background or geography.

Does Bacon's Rebellion remind you of going to market?

No, well, it's my attempt to connect the Ancestors meme with my family's history. This week "52 Ancestors 52 Weeks" asks us to "An Ancestor who went to Market."

Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. 

My ancestor Great Times 7 Uncle Thomas Hansford/Hansford from Virginia was part of Bacon's Rebellion which burned Jamestown.  

The Burning of Jamestown by Howard Pyle, ca. 1905.

Thomas Hansford was born in 1646 in Virginia
Death 13 November 1676 in York County, Virginia

FATHER: John Hansford 1590-1661
MOTHER: Elizabeth Jands
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Thomas Handsford was hanged by Gov. Berkley of Virginia for his participation in Bacon's Rebellion. He is said to be the first American-born person to be executed in the Colonies.

Southside Virginia Families, Vol. 1, by John Bennett Boddie, Genealogical Pub. Co, 1966, page 157.

Hansford pleaded that he be shot as a soldier not hanged like a dog, and protested his loyalty as he stood on the scaffold.   (Wikipedia) 

NOTE: one source says as many as 23 men were hung. 
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Wikipedia says:

Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. The colony's disorganized frontier political structure, combined with accumulating grievances (including leaving Bacon out of his inner circle, refusing to allow Bacon to be a part of his fur trade with the Native Americans, and Doeg tribe Indian attacks), helped to motivate a popular uprising against Berkeley, who had failed to address the demands of the colonists regarding their safety.

About a thousand Virginians of all classes rose up in arms against Berkeley, attacking Native Americans, chasing Berkeley from Jamestown, Virginia, and ultimately torching the capital. The rebellion was first suppressed by a few armed merchant ships from London whose captains sided with Berkeley and the loyalists. Government forces from England arrived soon after and spent several years defeating pockets of resistance and reforming the colonial government to one more directly under royal control.

It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part; a similar uprising in Maryland took place later that year. The alliance between former indentured servants and Africans against bond-servitude disturbed the ruling class, who responded by hardening the racial caste of slavery. While the farmers did not succeed in their initial goal of driving Native Americans from Virginia, the rebellion did result in Gov. Berkeley being recalled to England.

Bacon's wealthy landowning followers returned their loyalty to the Virginia government after Bacon's death. Some former rebels of lower classes were ordered to make public apologies, and many were fined or ordered to pay court costs.

Bacon [had] promised his army tax breaks, predetermined wages, and freedom from indentures, "so long as they should serve under his colors." Indentured servants both black and white had joined the frontier rebellion. Seeing them united in a cause alarmed the ruling class. Historians believe the rebellion hastened the hardening of racial lines associated with slavery, as a way for planters and the colony to control some of the poor. For example, historian Eric Foner writes, "The fear of civil war among whites frightened Virginia's ruling elite, who took steps to consolidate power and improve their image: for example, restoration of property qualifications for voting, reducing taxes, and adoption of a more aggressive American Indian policy." Some of these measures, by appeasing the poor white population, may have had the purpose of inhibiting any future unification with the enslaved black population.

It's interesting to read more recent historians' view of the rebellion.

According to the Historic Jamestowne website, "For many years, historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in [North] America, which culminated in the American Revolution almost exactly one hundred years later. However, in the past few decades, based on findings from a more distant viewpoint, historians have come to understand Bacon's Rebellion as a power struggle between two stubborn, selfish leaders rather than a glorious fight against tyranny."

Nonetheless, many in the early United States, including Thomas Jefferson, saw Bacon as a patriot and believed that Bacon's Rebellion truly was a prelude to the later American Revolution against the control of the Crown. 

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Thomas Hansford had a younger brother, Charles, born May 9, 1654.  He married Elizabeth Folliet Moody, and their son William Hansford is a direct ancestor of mine.  Five generations later was born my grandfather, Albert J. "Bud" Webb.

So my rebellious spirit might have been well tamed, but the blood runs true!

Sharing with Generations Cafe, a Facebook Group where "52 Ancestors 52 Weeks" is collected. 

Week 46 (Nov. 12-18): “This Ancestor Went to Market…” Pardon my use of Bacon's name as that of something purchased in a market!

The Rogers were walking

This week I share some family photos, with some to match the Sepia Saturday meme.

My grandfather, George Rogers Sr, Uncle Jimmy, Uncle Chauncey and my father George Rogers Jr. at their home in San Antonio, TX around 1934-37.

And  don't forget the ladies, my mother Mataley Rogers, and my Aunt Dottie (Dorothy Rogers, Uncle Jimmy's wife) in Wisconsin, 1953.

My parents walking. By her hat I'd guess spring, perhaps Easter. By his hairline I'd guess after they married, perhaps late 1930s or early 1940s. Mataley Rogers and George Rogers Jr.

And another older photo. Three women in Marshall TX 1899 on a sidewalk. 

My Great great grandmother Eugenia Almeda Witty Booth (1852-1875) and 5 of her siblings were born in Marshall TX. But they were moved away by the time these three ladies appeared on the scene. I love seeing their lightweight cotton dresses for summertime. Oh yes, summer in Texas. Lived through enough in my first 7 years to know never to visit there then!

But I digress. Walkers on the streets...mmm.

Boston MA 1906. Not sure if I've posted this before.

Today's quote:

Ask to know what you are born to do. Follow the compass of joy.

BARBARA MARX HUBBARD

Week 45 (Nov. 5-11): War and Peace

Sergeant Richard A. Gee (Rag = his initials)

This post is about Fanny Witty Gee (1850-1923) sister of my GG Grandmother Eugenia Witty Booth (1852-875), and Fanny's husband, Sgt. Richard A. Gee (1833-1930)

She was a Valentine baby, Fanny (Frances Malone) Witty Gee born on Feb. 14, 1850 in Limestone, Alabama. But I don't know if Valentines Day was celebrated much then.

Her first census listing was when she was 4 months old, and the penmanship is so illegible the transcriber calls her Thomas, though a female child.  At least by 1860, when her family had moved to Texas, she was listed as Fanny.

Fanny married at 17, to Richard A. Gee who had been born in 1833 in Tennessee (17 years older than she was). Some of his records say he was born in Virginia, where his parents were born.  They raised 7 children, who all lived to be adults, (though one died at 19 years of age) and they had 19 grandchildren.  Some of her children and grandchildren lived into their 90s, and one, Ethel M. Stingily, lived to 100, dying in 2013.

Her son who died at 19, has a marker in the same cemetery where she was buried, but I can't find any photos of her marker. So I'm using his because I know how hard it must have been for a mother to lose a son when he had his whole life ahead of him.

Marker for John C. Gee, 1876-1892. In Covington Cemetery, Hill County Texas, where his mother Frances Malone Witty Gee is also buried (1850-1923). Fanny herself was 73 when she died in 1923.

One of these men is Richard Albert Gee. I think it's the older looking one. Rag only had one brother, John O. Gee, born in 1844, so about 11 years younger than Richard (born in 1833!)

Richard Albert Gee was a Sergeant in the Confederacy, and thus had a veterans grave marker when he died in 1930 at age 96. He entered the Civil War in 1861 as a Corporal in Parson's Mounted Volunteers, 12th Regiment of Texas Cavalry, Company A. He discharged with the rank of Sergeant.

Having survived the Civil War, he lived many more years, and it wasn't until 1927 that he applied for Veterans Benefits. His wife Fanny had died in 1923. And Rag only had these benefits until he died in 1930.

Richard Albert "Rag" Gee, (1833-1930)  He's also buried in Covington Cemetery, TX. 

The Find A Grave site lists these children: Jennie Burgess; Lena Mae Stingily; William W Gee; John C Gee; Albert Richard Gee; Marvin Brice Gee. 

For some reason their son Alonzo Benjamin Gee who lived till 1958, wasn't included in that list.

When I recently spent a day with cousins who live a long way away, one of them said that there's a genetic trait that she's noticed from her father to her grandson. Their ears stick out quite a bit. But all the rest of the siblings in her family, and her other children and grandchildren don't have this trait. Must be recessive!  The family I posted about today is on my mother's side of the tree, and this cousin is from my father's side...so no blood relation to the Gee men. I just thought I'd mention it, since us matriarchs are the ones who can remember things like that going down through the generations...and it seldom will show up in anyone's biography!

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