1820s Pinterest Goals

When I found out that my ancestor’s home was not only still standing, but welcomed visitors as a bed and breakfast, I was so excited. I HAD to go stay there! 

I really didn't think about what I would learn or how I would feel when I arrived. I just wanted to stand in their shoes for a moment. I never considered that I would learn about my ancestors through how they decorated their home!  Here's the story.

Family member name: Nicholas, Ozni and Hannah Hall
Years of life: 1753-1835

Places lived: Falmouth, Maine

Tree branch: Pearson
Relation: My 5x great-grandfather, his son and daughter-in-law

On February 5, 1823, my 5th great-grandfather Nicholas Hall sold the family home in Falmouth, Maine, to his youngest son, Ozni Hall, for $2,000. How do we know?  That information was included in a document from 1977 regarding the nomination of Hall's Tavern (as it used to be called) into the National Registry of Historical Places.

After the sale, the house was redecorated, as often happens.  Since home décor is usually overseen by the woman of the house, I am attributing the improvements to Hannah Hall, Ozni's wife.  Of course they could have acted as a team, we just can't be sure.

Hannah transformed the house, enlisting a local artist to decorate the walls with stunning stencils. These intricate designs turned a simple home with white walls into a work of art and give us a glimpse of Hannah's personality and creative vision.  

Who was the artist?  This is the subject of much interest to American folk art enthusiasts.  Experts who examined the designs agree that they are in the style of Moses Eaton or his son, Moses Eaton, Jr.  Moses Eaton is now remembered as a renowned artist.  In fact, his stencils and artwork are in museums!  The experts aren't 100% sure, but since Moses was from the local area, it is probable the stencils were done by him.

Bold floral and geographic stencils

These are the original 200-year-old paintings most likely done by Moses Eaton.

So, Hannah turned the house into a masterpiece!

I was fortunate to stay overnight in Hannah’s home in October 2016. Then operating as the Quaker Tavern Bed and Breakfast, the house still carried the warmth and charm that Hannah must have envisioned when she chose the bold pastoral and floral stencil designs. Walking through its rooms, I could picture my ancestors living there, surrounded by the vibrant art that reflected their creativity and love for beauty. Knowing that these walls once held their daily lives was a moving experience for me.

Their beautiful home is a tangible link to my family’s past, a reminder of their hard work, creativity, and vision. Nicholas’s decision to pass the house to Ozni set the stage for Hannah to transform it into something extraordinary—a space that is as much a part of American folk art history as it is my family history. 

This journey reminds me that our ancestors were more than just names on a tree; they were creators, dreamers, and storytellers whose legacy still speaks to us today.

Sources:

* Ancestry.com for the National Register of Historic Places: Inventory--Nomination form

* Proprietor's oral history of Quaker Tavern BnB

* Wikipedia: Moses Eaton, Jr. 

* Antique Homes Magazine article: Hospitality at the Quaker Tavern Inn

Marriage License Confusion

From a genealogist's point of view, a marriage license is considered an original source. It’s not a copy or secondhand information—it is filled out by the primary participants. Often, the details on the record are considered facts. These documents are incredibly valuable to family historians because they often list the bride and groom's parents, offering a window into one more generation back on both sides of the family tree. Awesome!

On December 1, 1943, my grandparents filled out their marriage license, no doubt a happy day for them! However, there was an unexpected snag for my Grandma Betty. When asked to list her parents on the document, she didn’t write down her biological mother and father. She didn’t even name the relatives who raised her. Instead, she listed her aunt and uncle—the ones who legally adopted her.

Harry and Alma Allen are not Betty's parents. They are her aunt and uncle. 

As a family member who recognized the names on the document (and that they weren't her parents!), I have the advantage of asking difficult questions. I can explore Betty’s complicated relationships and try to understand why she made this choice.

But what if I didn’t have this personal knowledge? What if a non-family genealogist was researching Betty’s family tree? Would they blindly accept the mother and father listed on her marriage license and move on, potentially exploring a completely different lineage?

I’ll admit, I’ve accepted the information on many marriage certificates of my ancestors as fact. I rarely stop to ask, “Were those REALLY their parents?” Most people know the names of their parents, right?

This example gets to the heart of genealogy. Records tell one story, but they don’t always tell the truth—even firsthand, original source records. 

My grandparents' marriage license is a reminder that family trees are complicated and that, at the end of the day, genealogists might never know the real story.

Regardless of the paperwork, my grandma and grandpa got married the next day and were happily married for almost 40 years.

Family member name: Betty Lee Sullivan (Adoptive name: Allen)

Years of life: 1922 - 2007

Places lived: Nebraska, Michigan, New York

Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My grandma (my mom's mom)

Sources:

National Genealogical Society: Genealogical Proof Standard

Behind the scenes: Tracking down the Welsh clergyman

I have a super blurry picture of a picture of an ancestor. How could I fix it?  Here's what I did to track down the original! 

Family member name: William Jones
Years of life: 1854 - 1921

Places lived: Wales, UK

Tree branch: Hargreaves > Jones
Relation: My husband's 2x great-grandfather 

I realllllly want a photograph of as many of my direct ancestors as possible.  My family has an AMAZING collection of portraits.  And so many have identifying information written on the back.  Such a treasure.

Lately I've been doing research on my husband's side of the family.  His great-great grandfather was a clergyman in the Church of England, in Wales.  

Digital family photos included a VERY blurry picture of William Jones.  It was a picture of a picture. The blurry picture shows William's portrait in a frame along with at least two other men, all rectors of a church.   Here it is.

I wanted a better picture!!  How could I find it?  

The title at the top says "Rectors of the Parish of Pontfadog".  I wonder if this picture was hanging in a church in Pontfadog, Wales?  Is it still there? Which church?

Google to the rescue!  I Googled the different churches in Pontfadog.  The results included several pictures of churches.  Then I found some contact information for the parish of Pontfadog.  So, here we go! I emailed the first name on the list.

    1. I received a reply within a day!  The rector said that Pontfadog was not in her area, but she forwarded my email to the person who could help.

    2. Another quick reply from the current rector of Pontfadog.  She said she was familiar with the picture, as it is hanging in the church vestry.  She would take a picture on Sunday. YAY!

    3. Sunday passed with no email received.  After a few days, I pinged her and she immediately sent the picture.  She had taken it but just forgot to send.

Here it is!

 

I learned a couple things about genealogy research from this example.

#1 Pay attention to details.  Even though Grandpa Jones served at three different churches during his career, the picture was hanging in Pontfadog.  Follow the scent!

#2 Take a chance!  If you email someone out of the blue, the worst that can happen is no reply.

#3 People are usually nice and willing to help.  

Our Welsh-American family is very happy to have a clear picture of Grandpa Jones.

   

Source:

Church contacts in Pontfadog 

Other link:

Pictures of Pontfadog

3 Things They Don't Tell You About Family Tree Research

I'm here to give you the real deal. 

1. Sometimes the facts are just a bummer

I mean, hello, you're researching your ancestors.  SPOILER ALERT: They all died.  Life was tough.  I was heartbroken to learn that one of my great-grandmothers only had three out of her ten children live to adulthood.

Are family trees fascinating? Yes. Sometimes happy and inspiring? Yes.  But if you're expecting rainbows and unicorns every day, genealogy is not for you!

2. You will never be "done"

"Let me just whip up my family tree real quick," said no one ever.  You think you have a small family? So did I!  But guess what? You have no less than 4,096 10th great-grandparents.  That's not including aunts, uncles and cousins.  

But I guess it's the same with every hobby, right?  Musicians always have another song, artists need to create another painting.  

Don't worry, you'll always have another ancestor to find!

3. It's addictive  

In the 4th grade I signed a very official certificate to "Say NO to drugs."  They told me then that they could be addictive from day one.  

Thankfully, I honored my pledge.  But is it possible that genealogy has the same effect on you?  It did for me.

So if you don't want to risk it, just say no to genealogy! 

Call the lawyer

On January 4, 1796 my relative was anxiously awaiting a reply from his lawyer.  My relative was named Jedidiah Morse, Jr.  

Family member name: Jedidiah Morse, Jr.
Years of life: July 23, 1761 - June 9, 1826

Places lived: Woodstock, CT, Charlestown, MA

Tree branch: Pearson
Relation: My 5th great-granduncle (my dad's dad's mom's mom's mom's mom's dad's brother)

My granduncle was the author of geography textbooks used in schools in the newly formed USA.  A few years later, some other guy wrote a geography book and plagiarized dozens of pages of Uncle Jedidiah's text word for word.  So, my granduncle sued him! He was waiting for confirmation by mail that his lawyer would take the case.

Who was the family's lawyer? None other than Alexander Hamilton!

In time, they won their case and it became the very first copyright infringement case in the country, Morse v. Reid.

Here is Jedidiah.

Sources:

Painting of Jedidiah Morse, Jr. painted by his son, Samuel Morse.  Now owned by the Yale University Art Gallery.

Geography book.  Photo taken by me at Samuel Morse's home, Locust Grove, in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Alexander Hamilton Letter.  Online Library of Congress, Alexander Hamilton Papers.

The Puddler

In 1861 my great-great-grandmother Catherine O'Neal was living in what was then known as Conside and Knitsley in the county of Durham.  She was 13 years old and her two of her brothers were already working outside the home.  Patrick was 17 and his occupation was listed in the census as a Puddler.  What is that?!

Family member name: Patrick O'Neal
Years of life: 1844 - probably died before 1890

Places lived: Durham, England

Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My 2nd great-granduncle (my mom's dad's dad's mom's brother)

See the excerpt below of the census page.

A puddler and his helper manufactured iron in a furnace.  Iron puddlers contributed in a large way to the Industrial Revolution by producing the wrought iron used in railways and bridges.  Puddlers stirred the liquid metal in the furnace with rods that were consumed by the fire in the process.  When the metal solidified, they determined when to remove the "balls" from the furnace for further processing.

Puddling is described as a highly skilled profession and an art. In the Blackhill and Consett area where the O'Neals lived, it was a common profession since the majority of men worked in the iron industry. However, it was also a very dangerous occupation and most puddlers died in their thirties and rarely lived till 50.

Notice in the census above that Patrick's brother, Christopher, may have been his helper, since he is listed as a "Furnace boy" at age 15.

An American Puddler and his helper removing a wrought iron ball in the 1920s.

In the early 1980's, Patrick O'Neal's great-grandniece (my mom) worked in the closely-related steel industry outside Boston, Massachusetts.  However, her profession was a little more comfortable than his since she worked as a manager in a lovely air-conditioned office at Ryerson Steel.

Sources:

1861 UK Census, Conside and Knitsley

Wikipedia: Iron Puddler, and Puddling (metallurgy)

A vision of Britain Through Time

Website: The Small Workshop: Wrought Iron -The Puddling Process

Hastings

The 1940 federal census in Adams, Nebraska was enumerated 81 years ago this month, April 18, 1940.  It showed where my great-grandmother had been living for about 10 years already.  She was sadly referred to as an "inmate" at a place called Hastings State Hospital.

Family member name: Martha E. Goesch Sullivan
Years of life: 1900-1976

Places lived: Nebraska

Tree branch: Goesch
Relation: My great-grandmother (my mom's mom's mom)

See the red underlined row.  Sullivan, Martha | Inmate

This post is about Hastings.  Hastings was originally built in 1889 to house the "incurably insane," which is so sad if my great-grandmother had that diagnosis.  In an upcoming post we will talk about her and her illness.

Where is Hastings State Hospital?  It's in the middle of the country.  However, this part of Nebraska is only about 45 minutes from where Martha was born and less than two hours from where she was raising her three children in Lincoln.  This is what Hastings looked like. 

My great-grandma lived at this hospital in Nebraska for most of her life.

The patients were trained to care for themselves and their surroundings.  Also, Hastings was designed to be self-sufficient in terms of food.  It had surrounding farms with all kinds of animals and livestock for the patients and staff to eat.

Early attempts to treat the mentally ill began in the 1920s.  But the 1950s saw breakthroughs in treatment with psychiatric drugs and rehabilitation therapies.

Hastings State Hospital was my great-grandmother's home for most of her life.  I can only hope that her life there had bright spots.  Perhaps the inside and gardens were pleasant.  

Had I known this information about my great-grandma, I definitely would have stopped by Hastings on our cross-country drive in 1999 just to see the outside of the buildings.  Hastings is right off of Route 80, which is the route we took at that time.  However, we wouldn't be able to stop by now because after 131 years, Hastings was torn down in 2020.

Sources:

1940 US Federal Census - Adams, Nebraska

Asylum Projects - Hastings State Hospital