Monday, July 14, 2014

Moniker Monday-Preserved Fish Dakin

What's in a name?

As a genealogist I run in to interesting names in my research all the time. Some are old-fashioned, hard to pronounce, unattractive (Myrtle, ugh) but often there are names that are funny.
 This is the story of one of those funny names and one of my ancestors:

Preserved Fish Dakin
1749-1835


Preserved Fish Dakin was born to Timothy Dakin and Lydia Fish in Oblong,  Dutchess, NY in 1749.
Preserved was born in to a Quaker family. Quakers used the  male first name of "Preserved"commonly-meaning "to keep" or "preserved in grace".  Preserved's mother was a Fish by birth. Putting the first and middle name together must have been very humorous and I am quite sure that his parents must have known the pairing of those names is funny. They had to have known because Preserved Fish Dakin was not the first Preserved Fish in the family tree.  His GGGrandfather was also name Preserved Fish (1679-1745).  And guess what he did for an occupation?  He was a sea going FISH-erman and whale-oil merchant out of Newport, R.I.!  The joke was really on him!

So it is obvious then, at least to me, that the Fish/Dakin branch of Quakers had a sense of humor- but what else is known about Preserved?  Preserved Fish Dakin's life began as a child in New York.  His parents, Lydia Fish and Timothy Dakin, were both originally from Massachusetts but relocated together to Oblong, Dutchess, New York. Preserved married twice and had a total of 14 children.  My lineage descends from his first wife Deborah Akin.  Preserved Fish Dakin served in the Revolutionary War in the Westchester County, New York Militia, 3rd Regiment.  Preserved's military activity conflicted with his Quaker beliefs and upon his military enlistment he was "read out" of the Quaker meetings (similar to shunning or ex-communication).  With the land bounty of 2,000 acres Preserved earned from his military service he relocated to Clinton County, Ohio where he started a farm a bit to the east of the Little Miami River.

Excerpt:
 "History of Clinton County, Ohio" - CHESTER TOWNSHIP PG 656
Preserved Dakin came from New York State in 1806, and purchased, it is said, for the colony he represented 2,000 acres, or the eastern half of survey No. 1,994. He took 1,000 acres for himself and four children by a former wife. He then sub-divided his tract as follows: To William, the eldest son, 200 acres where James. Mussetter now owns and resides; to James, 200 acres off the southwest corner of his tract, or where the Dakin corner now is; to Elias, 200 acres where Elias D. Harlan now owns and lives; to Lydia, 200 acres where Harrison Mullen owns, and to himself 200 acres where Mr. Collins owns. At his death, this farm went to his second wife and her children.

Later in life Preserved was accepted back into the Quaker fold. Preserved died in his 86th year.  He is buried in the Quaker burial ground at the Springfield Meeting House in Clinton County, Ohio.

Grave of Preserved Fish Dakin 1749-1835

Preserved Fish Dakin is my Maternal 5th Great Grandfather

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Wedding Wednesday- Vikivel (Valeri) Dominic Quesnelle and Cordelia Dubreuil circa 1891


Wedding Wednesday

Vikivel (Valeri) Dominic Quesnelle and Cordelia Dubreuil
Married  1891


Wedding Photo 1891

Vikivel (Valeri) Dominic Quesnelle and Cordelia Marguerite Dubreuil were married when the groom was age 31 and the bride was age 19.  They were married for 32 years until Valeri's death in 1923 having had eleven children together.  Valeri also brought two daughters from his first marriage to the family for a total of thirteen children.

Vikivel (Valeri) and Cordelia immigrated to the United States from Quebec, Canada. Valeri arrived in 1875 and Cordelia followed the year of their marriage in 1891. The couple settled in Duluth, Minnesota.  Valeri worked as a Stationary Engineer-controlling the indoor climate in a steel factory.


Valeri and Cordelia are my Paternal Great Grandparents



Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Tin Type Tuesday- The John W.B. Cole's

Tin Type Tuesday

Mr. and Mrs. John W.B. Cole

John W.B. Cole and Minerva J. Welch Cole circa 1920
This tin-type photo was taken at Seaside Studios in Long Beach, CA at the Long Beach Pier.
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Olsen.

John W.B. Cole (1843-1930) and his wife Minerva J. Welch Cole (1843-1922) relocated from their home in Leroy, Audubon, Iowa to Long Beach, CA about 1915 to be closer to their daughter Alta Cole Moon and her three sons Harry, J. Wray and Cecil Moon and their children who were all living in the Long Beach area at that time. 

W.B. and Minerva are buried at the Sunnyside Cemetery in Long Beach, CA in a plot they share with W.B.'s brother Dellison Cole.

W.B. and Minerva are my Maternal 2nd Great Grandparents

Monday, February 3, 2014

Matriarch Monday- M. Marjorie Smith Moon

MATRIARCH MONDAY

M. Marjorie Smith Moon

1920

1898-1984


By all accounts M. Marjorie Smith Moon led an interesting life. Born in 1898 in Pueblo, CO with the given name of Myrtle was something that an adult Marjorie found equally humorous and distasteful to her. "Blech! I hated that name! Myrtle rhymes with turtle!"  For this reason she insisted on using her middle name of Marjorie until her death. 

The early 1900's found little Marjorie's family on the move from Kansas where they had lived for several years to Pueblo, CO and then on to a sunnier climate in Long Beach, CA.  by way of Portland, OR. Circa 1908 the family settled in Long Beach where Marjorie's folks owned the Seaside Cafe on the Long Beach Pier at The Pike .  



Here is a picture of Marjorie's folks George and Clara working at the Seaside Cafe.

 A tin-type of a young Marjorie about 1914

Marjorie was educated in Long Beach area schools through the 10th grade and she also helped her parents run the family business along with her sisters Erma and Ellen and her brother George Marion.  Long Beach was a bustling city in the early 1900's and people were flocking to the area from all over the United States. At the age of 17 Marjorie met and married a fellow migrator to Long Beach- James Wray Moon from Iowa.  Together Marjorie and James Wray had two children, Marjorie Mae and James Wray Jr.   Marjorie's marriage to James Wray quickly deteriorated and they divorced.  At that point her children went to live with their father and grandmother Alta Cole Moon.  By 1923 Marjorie married again-this time to her first husband's older brother Cecil Burdette Moon.  Marjorie's new husband Cecil was a jack-of-all-trades and spent a fair amount of time working for the railroad at that time. In the 1920's Cecil made an investment in some property he came across while working in California's Antelope Valley.  Marjorie and her infant daughter Mildred Lenore (Mickey) moved on to the property to homestead while Cecil traveled for work.  Homesteading was a very adventurous opportunity for Marjorie, especially alone on the isolated desert property with a young child. She loved to recount the story of one of the perils of homesteading in early Antelope Valley that went something like this: "I was hanging out the wash and I heard a terrible rumbling sound and had just enough time to grab little Mickey and run as fast as I could before the high waters of a flash flood were upon us. We made it to higher ground only to realize with horror that we were surrounded on that hilltop by SNAKES!  Fortunately the snakes didn't pay any attention to Mickey and I. They were just as grateful as we were that they made it to higher ground as well and didn't drown!"  

Marjorie and baby Mickey circa 1925

Never afraid of hard work and progressively ahead of her time,  Marjorie took jobs outside the home when daughter Mickey was old enough to go to school to help support her family.  The 1930 census finds Marjorie working as a packer in a packing house in Los Angeles.  Like many women in the United States during WWll Marjorie went to work in the aerospace industry at an L.A. area factory.  She was quite good at her job and from the way she described her work to me she was assembling radio parts for military planes.  

Marjorie retired to the Downtown Los Angeles area and spent her days involved in educational and spiritual pursuits, talking to her glorious African Violets, visiting friends and relatives and indulging her curious nature regarding world cultures and religions. In her advanced years Marjorie lived in a nursing home in Los Angeles and although wheelchair bound due to a broken hip she led her fellow residents in rousing games of Bingo wearing her signature Revlon "Love That Red" lipstick and flaming red hair all the way into her eighties.  Her mind was sharp as a tack until she drew her last breath.

Exciting as her adventures were perhaps Marjorie's greatest accomplishments from the vantage point of her descendants may have been surviving the deaths of all five of her children as one by one they passed away before her.  Great strength and faith in an afterlife comforted her during these times of loss as all of her children passed relatively young and tragically.  During her second marriage Marjorie lost 2 infants- a son in 1922 and an infant in 1930 whose gender is currently unknown. Her eldest daughter Marjorie passed away at the age of 18.  She also outlived her son Wray who died at age 53 and daughter Mickey who passed at age 45.
Marjorie was an amazingly resilient matriarch.
Marjorie is my Maternal Grandmother.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Surname Saturday- LIPPINCOTT

LIPPINCOTT

The Lippincott surname originates from Ruald Adolphus Lovecote circa 1066, A.D.

Ruald was given Lovecote, or Love Cottage by his friend and companion William The Conquerer.  At that time in history surnames were just originating and Ruald Adolphus of Love Cottage became Ruald Adolphus Lovecote.

Found in the Domesday Book Census made by order of William the Conqueror of lands held by King Edward the Confessor 1041/1066.

Following is a translation of the entry on page 115 Volume l of the first census of England:

"Ruald himself held Lovecote.
Lofe (Ruald's father) held it in the time of
Edward the Confessor, paying geld (tax) on a half vergate of land, now returned,
two ox-gangs or plow-lands. There remain two villani or serf, formerly valued
at thirty, but now fifty, denarii"

A government report included:

"Terra Rualdi Adobati in Devensesara" of "lands held by Rualdus Adobatus
in Devonshire."

Ruald Adolphus Lovecote is my Maternal 26th Great Grandfather

The lands and thirty manors in Devonshire at Luffincote Parish were held by descendants of Ruald Adolphus Lovecoat for 350 years and are located in present day Devonshire at Highhampton.

Lovecote became "Luffincote" and then to its present  "Lippincott."

Over eight Coat of Arms have been given to the Lippincott surname by the heraldry registry.


Friday, January 10, 2014

Fearless Friday- A "Daughter of the King"


Fearless Friday
Filles du Roi Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet
1648-1689 

An artists rendition of filles du roi immigrants.
"Les Filles du Roi" by Charles Vinh

Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet was born to Louis Jolivet and Louise Bellemaniere in St. Germaine d'Andresy, Paris, Ile-de-France in 1648.  Not much is known about her early childhood years although it could be reasonably assumed that her upbringing was urban because of Ile-de-France's location in the middle of the bustling city of Paris.  At the age of twenty-three Charlotte made a very fearless decision that would change her life forever, taking her from her parents and everything and everyone that she had ever known in a bid to create a better life for herself.  That year an unmarried Charlotte became a Filles du Roi (translation "Daughter of the King").  The Filles du Roi were single women who, for the price of a dowry from the French crown, agreed to travel by ship from France to Quebec and populate France's "New France" colony by marrying its inhabitants.  In 1671, the year of Charlotte's arrival in Quebec, this was no small undertaking.  Travel to Canada from France by ship was dangerous and often fatal.  One in ten women who attempted this trip died during the transatlantic crossing.  The accommodations aboard these vessels were nothing more than holds in the bottom of cargo ships.  Scurvy, dysentery and other contagious diseases were common as were  unsanitary conditions and poor food.  Charlotte, of course, survived the trip.  Upon arriving in Canada Charlotte was bound by accepting her 300 livre dowry from the French crown to go through with the process of finding a husband.  For Filles du Roi this process had nothing to do with love or even courting for that matter.  Large assemblages of single men would gather when the ships docked in Quebec to view the available women in what has been described in journals and first hand accounts from that time as something akin to a "cattle call".  The men would "bid" for the women and away they went with their "bride".  Leonard Girardin, a twenty-six year old laborer and homesteader originally from St. Pierrre, Poitiers, Vienne, France was Charlotte's lucky groom.   The newlyweds settled near Lachine in what was then New France's wild and rustic frontier.  Attacks and massacres of homesteaders by the Iroquois were a common occurrence in Lachine during this time period.  Life as the wife of a homesteader was most likely brutally exhausting and inherently dangerous compared to Charlotte's urban upbringing in Paris. Despite the harsh realities of pioneering in the Canadian wilds, Charlotte gave birth to her first child two years later and went on to have six more children.  Her children were named Anne, Hillarie, Leonard, Catherine, Joseph, Michel and Louis. The family thrived. Suddenly the unthinkable happened. At the age of 42 Charlotte's husband Leonard died.  With seven children all under the age of 14 Charlotte had no choice but to re-marry and fast!  Within months Charlotte started over again as she moved with her children and new husband Simon Trillaud to Riviere-des-Prairies. Charlotte and her second husband Simon did not have any children from their marriage. Charlotte lived to the age of 41 and passed away in Lachine, Quebec, Canada. 


The fearless Filles-du-Roi Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet is my Paternal 8th Great Grandmother.
From that same paternal ancestry I have a total of 32 Filles du Roi Grandmothers.




Trailblazer Thursday-Pioneer Seedswoman of America

Trailblazer Thursday




Miss C. H. Lippincott
"Pioneer Seedswoman of America"
1863-1941


Carrie H. Lippincott aka Miss C.H. Lippincott was a young woman with a big dream. 28 year old Carrie needed to find a way to bring extra income into her household so in 1891 she started a flower seed catalog company. Carrie collected the seed-both flower and vegetable-from her own vast gardens and then repackaged the seed for sale. Carrie designed her marketing strategy to appeal to female customers and went from a distribution of 6,000 catalogs in her first year (1891) to 250,000 catalogs by 1898. Approximately one out of every six households in the U.S. had a copy of Carrie's 1898 catalog.  

Carrie's seed catalogs featured beautiful artwork like this lithograph from the cover of the 1905 edition.





Inside Carrie often took the opportunity to write a message to her customers that she would then sign personally expressing her gratitude for their patronage as seen here in a page from her 1913 edition:


Carrie's seed income supported herself and her widowed mother, sister and her sister's family. Carrie was listed as Head of Household in the Federal Census of 1910 and she provided the only income for the family of five.  

Carrie never married or had children. She lived a long life and passed away at the age of 78. 

Miss Carrie H. Lippincott is my maternal 6th Cousin 4 times removed.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wedding Wednesday-James/John Franklin Peer and Mary Ann Hill-circa 1860

WEDDING WEDNESDAY

James/John Franklin Peer marries Mary Ann Hill- October 25, 1860  Morgan, Illinois


This photo was taken on their wedding day


James/John was aged 26 and Mary Ann was 20.  I do not have information on how the young couple met but I do know that the Peer family owned tobacco plantations in Virginia and Mary Ann was descended from the Hill Family of Virginia who were also tobacco farmers.  Ancestors from both sets of families arrived on North American shores by 1630.

Sometime between August of 1860 and October of 1860 John/James left his job as a farmer in Hampshire, Virginia with the Wm. J. Poland family (Poland was John/James Mother's maiden name) and traveled to Illinois to wed Mary Ann in her home state at the Morgan County Courthouse. 



Morgan County Courthouse

The Peer's married in 1860 just six months before the Confederate Sates of America was formed and the Civil War began.  The couple lived in Champaign City, IL from 1860 to 1868.  Sometime between 1868 and 1870 the family migrated to Kansas.

It is unknown to me in my research if James/John served in the Civil War but a few clues point me in the direction that he did fight for the Confederacy:

Although married in 1860 the Peer's had no children until 1864.  Was this perhaps because James/John was away at war? Perhaps-but for which side? I have come across a John Peer fighting for the Confederacy however I cannot yet make the link through verification of Civil War records.  At the time of John/James death a letter from Los Angeles County claimed he did indeed serve in the Civil War as a Confederate Soldier. His headstone also reflects that he is a U.C.V (United Confederates Veteran).

The Peer's named their first child Virginia Lee Peer-an obvious nod to John/James home- the slave state of Virginia and General Robert E. Lee. (General Lee was also from Virginia.) After the Civil War ended the Peer's relocated to Kansas which was a common area for Confederate sympathizers to settle in post war.

The above photo also gives me several clues. James/John's longer hair style and Mary Ann's hoop skirt and type of jewelery all seem to reflect a distinct Southern influence. 

After the Peer's migrated to LaBette County Kansas, John/James' occupation is listed as "Blacksmith" in the 1870 census.  John/James was 36.  By this time his wife Mary Ann had borne two daughters, Virginia (Vonnie) and Martha May "Mattie".  In 1871 Mary "Mamie" was born in Kansas. In 1875 my GGrandmother Clara Ellen arrived and after that baby boy George completed the family in 1880.

In 1891 Mary Ann Hill Peer died at the age of 51. I have been unable to find an obituary as to Mary Ann's cause of death at such an early age.  At the time of her death Mary Ann was a mother of five children ranging in age from 27 to 11.  She had been married to John/James for 31 years. Mary Ann was buried in lot C-91 in the Mound Valley Cemetery in LaBette, Kansas on April 9, 1891. There is not a tombstone or any kind of marker.

It is not yet known if John/James Peer ever remarried. John/James is listed in the 1900 census as living with his son George Peer in Seneca, Newton, MO. He moved again to Los Angeles, CA sometime after Mary Ann's passing presumably to be near his daughter Clara Ellen.

He died in Los Angeles in September of 1927 at Los Angeles General Hospital at the age of 93.  John/James F. Peer is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA. UDC Plot Lot 551 Section 6.

 Photo Courtesy of Brian Olsen


                John/James F. Peer and Mary Ann Hill Peer 

                  are my Maternal 2nd GGrandparents.





Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tombstone Tuesday-Captain Thomas Tibbals Milford, CT USA circa 1639

Tombstone Tuesday

Captain Thomas Tibbals

Born 1615 in Ellesborough, Buckinghamshire, England
Died 1703 in Milford, New Haven, CT USA





 A memorial stone is dedicated to him in Milford, CT.  The stone's inscription reads:

IN MEMORIAM
CAPT.
THOMAS TIBBALS
OBIT 1703
IN CONSIDERATION OF THE 
HELPFULNESS AT FIRST COM
ING TO MILFORD TO SHOW THE
FIRST COMERS THE PLACE
LAND RECORDS

Captain Thomas Tibbals emigrated to the New World at the age of 20 aboard the ship "The TrueLove" for which  he paid his passage of 20 pounds meaning he was not an indentured servant or convict but a "person of quality" according to the ship register .  Upon arriving in North America in 1635 he first landed in Massachusetts and from there he moved on to the Connecticut area by 1639. While in Connecticut Thomas befriended the local natives and was rumored to have married a native woman.  By all accounts Thomas's friendly relationship with the natives paved the way for him to negotiate agreements to purchase from them a town site for incoming settlers. The town site Thomas founded became Milford, CT. 

Thomas married Sarah Mary Smith and in 1644 they had a daughter, Mary Tibbals. Sarah died in 1644 and Thomas went on to marry again to Sarah Seabrook.

Thomas Tibbals was a planter and a Free Mason. He was given his tracts of land at the Milford townsite for his service in the Pequot War.

Thomas died at the age of 88 in CT and is buried in the Milford Founder's Cemetery.

Captain Thomas Tibbals is my Maternal 9th Great Grandfather.