The Brimfield Blashfields

One sad yet obvious reality of family tree research is that as yet there are no happy endings.  All of the people I research are dead.  I realize this.  However, sometimes I come across stories that affect me more than usual.  Case in point is the Blashfield men of Brimfield, Massachusetts.

Family member name: Orestes A. Blashfield (awesome name)
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1830-1892
Relation: My 3x great grandfather (my dad's dad's dad's mom's dad)

I was researching the date of death of my 3x great grandfather, Orestes Blashfield.  Here is what I found in Massachusetts Death Records for 1892.

1892 Brimfield, Massachusetts Death Records

The date of death was November 27, 1892, 126 years ago today.  I also found the cause of death was suicide.  So sad. Only 62 years old.  I was so upset about this and wondered what could have caused him to do this.

A few days later I looked at the same file again.  Here it is again.  Do you see what I missed the first time?

1892 Brimfield, Massachusetts Death Records

His 33-year old son, Frank, had passed away less than 6 weeks earlier of the rare problem of a rectal ulcer.  To make matters worse, it was noted on the 1880 census that Frank was "Insane." It may be that Orestes could not handle the grief and took his own life because of it.  Sadly, Orestes' wife and mother of their child lost both men in her life in a short period of time.  Her name was Julia Elmina and she would live another 30 years.

This is the family's headstone in Brimfield Cemetery that I visited with my mom a few years ago.

Brimfield Cemetery, Brimfield, Massachusetts

No surprises

I just received my DNA results from Ancestry.com!  So exciting!!

Family member name: Meredith Rae Webber Hargreaves
Tree branch: All
Lifetime: 1975-
Relation: Me

Meredith's DNA results

What do these results show??  Basically, I'm white.  (Shocker!)

It's almost as if my DNA was not tested, but instead they compiled all the people in my family tree and came up with the above percentages based on where everyone is from. I'm not surprised at these results at all.

I think I am slightly more German than the test shows, but 10% is in the ballpark.

I was hoping to be 1% Native American, based on the fact that my Pilgrim ancestors lived in close proximity to Indians for many years.  (Can't tell me there was no hanky panky going on!)  But alas, nothing shows up, so that's disappointing.

This test is awesome confirmation that my research has been on track and that the source records from Ancestry are also correct.

I'm looking forward to the other features offered by these results, like possibly finding family members.  Stay tuned...

Cranberries

Autumn means that it's cranberry harvesttime on Cape Cod!  Let's read what cousin Pearl remembered about this special time of year.

Family member name: Pearl Keith Gibbs Thomas
Tree branch: Smith
Lifetime: 1890-1981
Relation: My 1st cousin, 3x removed (my dad's mom's dad's 1st cousin)

Pearl lived in Wareham, Mass. Today, Wareham is the home of the largest cranberry grower in the world, AD Makepeace, which was around in Pearl’s day. Cranberries are one of just a handful of fruits native to North America.  

The bright red berry is grown in a sunken, dry field called a bog.  They grow on vines.  Pearl picked using the dry method, by hand, also done with a tool resembling a comb.  When ready to harvest using the wet harvesting method, the bog is flooded with water.  The lightweight berries float to the top and can be skimmed into a truck via a huge vacuum hose.

Several years ago we were visiting Cape Cod during September and came across this beautiful bog flooded for harvesting. 

Cranberry bog harvest on Cape Cod 2003.

Autumn arrival

One hundred and twelve years ago today my great-great-grandmother arrived to the United States.

Family member name: Catherine O'Neill Boyle
Tree branch: Boyle
Lifetime: 1849 - 1941
Relation: My 2x great grandmother (my mom's dad's dad's mom)

What was October 19, 1906 like for Catherine Boyle?

First, a brief history of Catherine. Queen Victoria had already been reigning for 12 years when Catherine was born in 1849 in England.  She married an Irishman named John Boyle in June 1871 and they started their family which would grow to include 12 children.  They lived in Blackhill, Durham, England.  

She was 57 years old in 1906 when she and her daughter Kate made the short trip to Liverpool and boarded the steamship called Baltic.  They were in steerage class.  Ten days later, they disembarked onto Ellis Island.

October 19 was a Friday in 1906 just as it is in 2018, and it was a warm day in New York City as the temperature rose to 73 degrees.  

Here are the steps she encountered during the immigration process.

1. Ferry - She took a ferry from her ship's pier to Ellis Island
2. Label - She was labeled with her name and ship name
3. Baggage drop off - How many belongings did Catherine bring with her? How much would you bring if starting a new life in a new country?
4. Separation - Normally men were separated from the women and children, but since Catherine only traveled with her grown daughter, they most likely were not separated
5. Stairway - Catherine was unknowingly watched by inspectors as she climbed the stairs to the Great Hall. Those with medical difficulties were flagged for further examination.
6. Chalk - A small amount of immigrants were given a chalk mark letter code on their coat lapel to indicate a medical problem.  Catherine's paperwork said her health was "good".  Probably no chalk for her!
7. The Great Hall - Verbal inspections took place here.  Catherine and Kate were no doubt surrounded by hundreds, if not, thousands of other immigrants.  How did they feel? Since Ellis Island was nicknamed the "Island of Tears", most likely it was not a comfortable experience. Here is a picture of the Great Hall in use.

Photo source: New York Public Library Digital Collection

8. Legal Inspection - 32 questions to determine entry.  Most of the replies are found on her arrival paperwork.
9. Baggage reclaim - Finally! They could pick up their luggage.
10. Money exchange - You had to have at least $20 to enter America in 1909.  Since Catherine arrived in 1906, this was not yet a requirement.  She must at least have had enough for transportation to Indiana.
11. Kissing Post - The exit to Ellis Island was named the Kissing Post, where many immigrants were reunited with their loved ones who were already in the US.  Did any of Catherine's family members come to greet her?  Maybe her husband John?
12.  Ferry to New Jersey or New York - The next phase of her journey begins!

She settled in Indianapolis, Indiana and lived there for 35 years.  She passed away at the age of 91 leaving scores of descendants, of which I am one.  

I feel that my October 19 was well-spent by imagining her life-changing experience 112 years ago today.

A mysterious first marriage

This week would have been my grandparents' 79th anniversary.  Their wedding date was September 2, 1939.  I never questioned this. I never had to research the date, it was undisputed.  Why? Because we celebrated it with them!  When your family tells you something, you don't ask to see proof from a notary.  

Family member name: Roger Pearson Webber, Charlotte Ellen Smith Webber
Lifetime: 1914 - 2000, 1915 - 2014 respectively

Places lived: Massachusetts; Rhode Island

Tree branch: Webber
Relation: My grandparents (my dad's parents)

Webber wedding - photo taken Sept 2, 1939

I was very surprised when I recently found a document that made me question their wedding date.  "Heavenly day!" as my grandma would exclaim.

This is my grandparents' newly discovered marriage certificate.  It shows them as married May 27, 1938 - over one year earlier than we thought.  The ceremony was in another state: New Hampshire, not Massachusetts.

I contacted my aunt, who sent me a photo of the marriage certificate she has in her files.  This is the marriage we all knew about - in Massachusetts in 1939.

Both marriage certificates are valid documents and listed in the marriage indexes for their respective states.

Wow, do you know what this means? My grandparents got married twice.  To each other. 

I have no record that they were divorced in between these marriages.  And they did not live together after the first marriage. (Notice that they fibbed on their second marriage certificate by saying it was their first marriage.) 

Why did they get married twice? We don't know. One possible reason could be that my grandmother's mother was dying of cancer.  In fact she died April 13, 1939 in New Hampshire. Maybe it was her dying wish to see her daughter married, I don't know. We always thought she died a few months before their wedding in 1939.  But, could she actually have attended their wedding in 1938?? Probably.

But why in the world get officially married again by a priest?  Why not just have a late reception? How many people at their second wedding knew they were already married? Now both of my grandparents have passed away, along with anyone who may have known the reason for the duplication.  

We now have a family mystery.

Sources:

New Hampshire Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947, page 509

Massachusetts, US, Marriage Index, 1901-1955, page 175

Experience Stone's fire

The kitchen is the heart of the home.  As true as that is today, imagine what life was like without our fancy granite-laden, stainless steel clad (not to mention electrified) HGTV kitchens.  

Before the modern stove and indoor plumbing, life revolved around the fire, and homes were built around chimneys and fireplaces.  All cooking was done over the fire.  Taking a bath this week? No fire meant you got a cold bath.  Cold hands and bodies stood by the fire.  Hot coffee was not a push of a button.  Who's gonna wake up early, pump the water then start the fire to get that water boiling?

If the fire went out, your day was ruined.  Families could not leave the fire unattended for very long.

This short post is to imagine my 5x great grandmother, Experience Stone, and all the time she spent at her hearth.

Family member name: Experience Stone (best name ever)
Tree branch: Pearson
Lifetime: 1757-1827
Relation: My 5x great grandmother (my dad's dad's mom's dad's mom's mom's mom)

Not only did she have a husband and 10 children to feed, but they also fed hungry travelers.  Around 1800, they built their new home in Falmouth, Maine and turned it into a tavern.  It was called the Hall Tavern.  Nicholas Hall was her husband.

The Hall Tavern became an Inn.  Over 200 years later it is still an inn, now a historical landmark and called the Quaker Tavern B&B, since the Hall's were Quakers.

Quaker Tavern B&B

It was a gorgeous autumn weekend in 2016 to spend the night at my ancestor's home.  I woke up in their freezing cold bedroom, which is the true Maine experience.  I walked up and down their perfectly creaky stairs. I looked out their original lead-glass windows to see the gorgeous colored leaves, maybe even falling from the same trees.

And I sat at my grandmother's hearth. The fire was out.  But I could see her there, being the best mom and business owner she could be.

Experience Stone's hearth at the Quaker Tavern B&B

Experience Stone's view.

Locust Grove

My great great great grandmother was a Morse. Her first cousin was Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph and Morse code (dot dot dash dash). 

Family member name: Samuel Finley Breese Morse
Lifetime: 1791 - 1872
Tree branch: Pearson
Relation: My 1st cousin, 6x removed (meaning = if I was born 6 generations ago we’d be 1st cousins)

I love finding out where my ancestors lived and how they lived. My dad came to visit us one weekend and we drove up to Poughkeepsie, NY to see Samuel Morse’s summer home. 

Just a bit of background... Before Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, he was an artist. Besides a very good start, he was mostly a starving artist (though extremely talented and famous in his own right) and usually could not pay the bills. His wife and children almost never had a home of their own because they couldn’t afford the rent. They lived with different family members and borrowed money often.  


With the riches from the telegraph later on in his life, he bought and extensively renovated a large home north of Manhattan.  The name of the estate is Locust Grove.  It is now a historical landmark and makes for a lovely afternoon tour. Morse was called Finley by his family. The pictures below are of Finley’s first cousin's descendant, my dad.

PS: Locust Grove doesn’t seem to give discounts for family members. ;)

Descendant of Samuel Morse's first cousin.

Outside Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie, NY.  It was pouring.

Locust Grove entry and a carriage similar to what the Morse family would have used.