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