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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.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Happy birthday Martha Poor Granger Nov 4, 1654

Yesterday was also her birthday.

She was part of a post a couple of years ago, HERE. 

-------------A repost from...Monday, January 22, 2018

Distracted but back to Grangers, Poors, and Farnums


I admit, I've been happily following those green leaves (hints) over on Ancestry, and also have succumbed to their sending me emails of new additions to the people on my trees.  Oh my goodness, I'd never heard of some of them, but then there were others...and so I've gotten distracted. Remember I've got around 3000 people on my three trees. Sorry.


Now back to the Swasey family roots.  


Martha Poor Granger  1654–1723

Birth 4 NOVEMBER 1654 • Andover, Essex, MA

Death 4 DECEMBER 1723 • Andover, Essex, MA

Martha Poor's father Daniel, has 30 hints that I have to weed through before I can tell you about him. He was one of those early immigrants to Essex County MA.


Martha's mother was Mary Farnum Poor (we've heard of the Farnum (Farnham) name before in the Andover area.  Mary Farnum Poor only got 5 hints on her name, so let's see what we can find about... 

Mary Farnum Poor  1628–1713

Birth 13 JULY 1628 • St Nicholas, Rochester, Kent, Eng

Death 3 FEB 1713-1714 • Andover, Essex, Mass

Mary Farnum was born in England, the eldest of the Farnum children who came with their parents on the ship "James" to Boston in 1635.  Her parents were Ralph and Alice Farnum.  (On checking with Wikipedia, there were several ships named "James" during the reign of King James.)


Martha Poor Granger's father was:

Daniel Poor Jr  1624–1689

Birth 1624 • Marlborough, England

Death 8 JUN 1689 • Andover, Essex, Mass


Mary Farnam and Daniel Poor married Oct. 20, 1650.  He also had been born in England, and they married in Andover, MA. 


He was a "youth, aged fourteen years, whose name is on the list of passengers in the ship "Bevis," from Southhampton, England, in 1638, and his name is there written Dayell Poore, that he came with his sister Alee, or Alice, aged twenty years, and his brothers, Samuel, aged eighteen years, and John, all under the designation of servants of Richard Dummer." 

From: 

GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS - Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. PREPARED UNDER THE EDITORIAL SUPERVISION Of WILLL\M RICHARD CUTTER, A.M, VOLUME I.NEW YORK, LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1908


To continue:

" In 1644 he became one of the original settlers of Andover and spent the greater part of his life in that town, where he acquired a large estate in lands and other property, which at his death in 1713 was appraised at eight hundred pounds. He also became prominent in town afifairs, held several important offices and served as selectman eight years. His farm and home in Andover were on the east side of Shawshin river, near where now stands the station at the junction of the Boston & Maine and Essex railroads. Daniel Poore married Mary Farnum, who bore him eleven children."


"One of their sons, Daniel Poore, III, born in Andover, Massachusetts. 1656, lived on the old homestead in that town. He married Mehitable Osgood, and by her had nineteen children."


Daniel Poore Jr (the father) left a will giving land to his eldest son.  But his will also mentions daughter Martha, "to whom he gave 20 acres of land."  As several of his other daughters are specifically mentioned as unmarried, it must be assumed that Martha was married when he wrote his will in 1689.  And this is substantiated in other records, that she married Captain John Granger in 1679.


Martha, it seems, was listed in the Andover Births Record as Matthew, a daughter, (sic) on her birthdate of Nov. 4, 1654. and as "d. of Daniell Pore, Jr and Mary."  


But Matthew isn't mentioned in the will of his father though all the other children are.   


(So now I'm checking the 18 hints on Matthew Poor's name at Ancestry.  He has no records apparently, besides those which Ancestry has devised, no death date on Find a Grave, no marriage, no children, and the unfortunate copying of non-information over and over again, as a result of being listed as a daughter at this birthdate.  Half of the listings for his name are actually for his sister Martha, or mother, Mary.


So I am thinking at this point that Martha was the only one born on that date (since there are many records with her birthdate corroborated, like marriage, death, etc.) and perhaps she would have been named Matthew if she had been a boy.  Or perhaps there was a twin who died at birth.  Who knows.  For now I'm marking Matthew as just listed as "d" under his name.  If you do count a Matthew as a real person, then there were 11 children born to Daniel and Mary Poor.  Otherwise it comes to just 10. 


--------------

Who was Martha Poor's husband?

She married (Feb 7, 1679) to Capt. John Granger when she was 24 years old, and he was 25.

They had 8 children, one of which became my ancestor...Samuel, born 1701...when she was 46 years old.

Samuel's great great grandson, George Granger, married Lucy E. Pulsifer (Pulsipher) the great granddaughter of Ebenezer Pulsipher (whose birthday was also Nov 4 and I mentioned yesterday!

Martha lived her whole life in Andover, Essex County, Massachusetts. She didn't live long enough to see her son, Samuel marry Martha Marston in 1728, and their first child was also named Martha Granger (born 1730).





Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Happy birthday Ebenezer Pulsifer (1744-1795)

 I posted on his birthday earlier HERE.

Ebenezer Pulsifer
Birth 4 NOV 1744 • Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, USA

Death 1795 • New York, or perhaps 1780 on a prison ship in NY harbor, (of the English).

married to Sarah Pratt Williams Perkins,  birth1 Dec.1751 • Ipswich, Essex Co., MA

Death Unknown

These Pulsifers were the parents of Capt Ebenezer Pulsifer, mariner

who was the 3rd great grandfather of Ada Phillips Swasey Rogers, my grandmother.

So Ebenezer and Sarah were my 5 times great grandparents.


Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Following the hints at Ancestry

 I have a new ambition.

I can spend an hour each evening (or whenever I have some time available) to click on all those little hint leaves on my various family trees.

This evening was fun going into trees that go back to Italy and Germany.

I really didn't find any documents from those countries, but I found a few arrival dates for immigrants to our family.

It was gratifying work. And I think I may have made just a few boo-boos. Usually in spelling names.

So if anything comes up that looks interesting, I'll include it here...because it will represent new information about some ancestors!

None for today though.

Monday, November 2, 2020

Visiting ancestors

 Having invited them...they showed up!

I start my morning meditations with imagining myself in a secluded place (as many meditation leaders suggest for a beginning.)

This was a new place...maybe because I have another hour...daylight savings time is finally over! So at 7:30 am the sun was just lightening the sky..and I was ready to start the day.

Part of how I manage to have this time to meditate is having already poured myself a nice hot cup of coffee, which sits under a tiny saucer to keep it warm on my bedside table. And yes, I allow myself a few sips before I settle under the covers sitting at the head of my bed.

Today I took myself to a clearing in a woods...where I saw a circle of stumps with a fire pit in the middle. I imagined someone bringing wood to the fire pit and starting a fire. It was very welcoming, and helped me center myself.

Then I looked at each of the tree stumps in the circle...and each held the spirit of one of my ancestors. I slowly looked at Spritiualist William Booth, and his daughter-in-law Eugenia Booth Miller with her husband Charlie by her. I saw her daughter, Mozelle, and my grandfather who I never knew...and then my mother and father. Next to them was my sister and her son. Then my other grandmother Ada, and her sons, my uncles Rogers. And then her father and mother Swasey. And finally the two who have recently passed this week, Millie and Ronni (a blogging friend.) Behind me stood my imagined own three sons and their children who I've given the same blood to.

I thanked all these spirits for sharing their DNA, and the lives they led with adventures galore. And I wished them all well as they continue to have presence wherever they might be. I asked them if they had any messages for me (of course! what's contacting spirits if you don't ask that question?) 

I won't tell you the answers however, as they are private and for myself only.

I then got up and danced a bit around the imaginary fire...so glad I could still move and listen to music and dance. Having this body is certainly a gift, and my sense of appreciation woke me to the being of here and now.

As I sipped my coffee, I patted my head and face, which somehow helps me come back to today. I will continue celebrating the lives of ancestors. And I will work on this life in ways that I need to.

Happy All Souls Day (or All Saints Day)

Sunday, November 1, 2020

All Souls Day

 

For two women who I knew who died last week.

Ronni Barrett and Millie Crozier


Farewell as you go beyond the veil. From time to time I feel the moment for travel has come.

On the day of leaving, cast a veil
of humble sunset-glaze.
Let the time to leave
be quiet, still. Let no pompous memorials
build the hypnosis of grieving.
Let the lines of trees by the departure door
bestow the tranquil chanting of earth
on quiet heaps of leaves.
Let night’s soundless blessing slowly descend,
iridescent offerings of the seven stars. Tagore

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Happy Samhain, Halloween

 

Saying goodbye to a woman I never knew well, but who was loved by my ex-husband. I don't know what kind of relationship definition that is...I was first wife to him, she was third. Millie spent more years with him than either of his first 2 wives. I think they were happy.

We didn't spend much of our lives together.

But as I knew she had been hospitalized this week, I felt her and my ex's presence in my mediations.

May her spirit find it's way to the summer-land, and those who loved her have peace in their hearts.


Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Ancestors with heart disease

I have already listed my grandmother Ada Rogers, and invited her to be available to communicate with me through the Samhain (Halllow-een) thinness of the veils between the spirit and material worlds.

I just discovered that her death certificate says she died of heart disease at age 78. As a Christian Scientist, she never talked of her health, nor did anyone in my family growing up.

But Ancestry includes many death certificates. I won't copy them here, but they do tell of her disease a well as her father's. Her father, Alexander John Swasey died at 60 of a heart attack.


I mention both of these because of my recent brush with death in having a heart attack at age 77. Fortunately I had medical treatment, and have since had a wonderful rehabilitation program with a lifestyle change to reverse heart disease.

I wished both of these individuals from whom I'm descended could have had the treatments I've received. So when and if I can have any contact with their spirits, I need to share that our DNA has continued to create this susceptibility, and to thank them for living the good lives they did.

Other relatives were reported to have high blood pressure, which contributed to their deaths. There are a few people, like my grandmother's mother, who died in a car accident.