#52Ancestors     Week 4: Close to Home

Many of my ancestors seemed to be born, to live and to die in the same locale.  As for the ancestors that lived in the 1800’s that was particularly true.  After all, many were farmers and toiled on their lands and could only socialize with close neighbors.  Travel was by wagon or horseback and the miles one could cover were limited.  For the most part, they just stayed put.  Smyth County, Virginia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains, was a place many of my ancestors lived their entire lives.  I have been researching the James family line and am starting with Mary Ann James, my second great-grandmother.  She lived her life in Smyth County around a town called Sugar Grove.

 

Mary Ann James was born 18 Jun 1838 in Sugar Grove, Smyth County, Virginia and was the first child of eight children of Thompson B James and Susannah J Porter.  The 1840 Census for Thompson B James listed the family living in Smyth County with 2 daughters, Mary Ann and her sister Frances Elizabeth.   The 1850 Census revealed that they lived on a small farm – certainly not rich folks!   The real estate value of their land was listed at $1500 in this census which would be about $42,000 in today’s value.  Compared to other farms in the area, this was a smaller farm leading me to believe that the James family were not as well off financially as some of their neighbors.

 

In the 1850 census, Mary Ann was listed as 12 and Frances as 10 but there were now more siblings.  William Porter James was age 8, Louisa Freedom James was age 5 and James A James was just 2 years old.   There was another daughter named America Adaline James who was born 30 Oct of 1845 but died of unknown causes on 17 Feb of 1849 at just about 3 1/2 years old!  America died before she was listed in any census.  Susannah James also must have been pregnant when the census was taken as their seventh child, Oscar LeGrand James, was born on 1 Nov 1850.   No doubt that Mary Ann, being the oldest, was relied on for helping with the chores and taking care of her younger siblings.  It must have been quite sad for the family to lose little America Adaline at such a young age!

The last and eighth child, Susannah Columbia James, was born 2 Jan 1853.  But tragedy struck the family again in 1853 when Thompson, Mary Ann’s father, died on 24 Dec, Christmas Eve!  He was but 40 years old and died of “consumption” which was the common term at that time for tuberculosis.  He was most likely ill with the disease for a long period of time which would have put more responsibility for the rest of the family to run the farm.  Mary Ann was only 15 when her father passed.  Susannah was left with seven children to raise on her own and run the farm.

The next year brought more tragedy for Mary Ann’s family.  The baby Susannah Columbia died in September of 1854 at about one year and eight months old.  How sad for Susannah to have to bury another young child especially after losing her husband!  Susannah continued to work the farm with the help of her children for about 9 more years and then remarried to a William M James.

Mary Ann married Columbus Perry Ashlin on 18 Sep 1855.  Mary was 17 years old and Columbus was 25 at the time of marriage.  Columbus had been also born in Sugar Grove, Virginia like Mary Ann and was the son of Chesley Ashlin and Phoebe Byrd James, local farmers.  If you check last weeks blog, you will discover how Mary Ann and Columbus were related to each other!   Mary Ann and Columbus went on to have 12 children and lived in the same area around Sugar Grove all their lives.  Their first child was Susanna Virginia Ashlin, born in 1856, who married George Lyons, and were my paternal great-grandparents.  Columbus passed away in 1902 and Mary Ann passed on 20 Sep of 1921.  They are both buried in the Ashlin-Wilkinson Cemetery in Sugar Grove.

Mary Ann (James) Ashlin lived to age 83 and died in St. Clair, a small community outside of Sugar Grove.  She lived her whole life in the Sugar Grove area.  Although it appears that the first part of her life growing up had a lot of tragedy, she went on and made a good life with her husband Columbus.  However, they did not completely escape tragedy.  Three of their children, two sons and a daughter, died in infancy.  The rest of the children thrived and married and gave them many grandchildren!

Sources: 

• Trimble, David B.; Montgomery and James of Southwest Virginia.  Austin, Texas, 1992, pg. 20.

• Vogt, John and Kethley, T. William Jr.; Smyth County Marriages, 1832-1850. Iberian Press Publishing, Athens, Georgia, 1984, p. 27.

• U.S. Federal Census 1840, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: 578; Rage: 396; FHL microfilm: 0029692.

• U. S. Federal Census 1850, District 60, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M432_976; Page: 227A; Image: 455.

• Hockett, Thomas Jack & Hunt, Sheila Steele; Smyth County, Virginia Marriages, 1851-1891.  Hockett and Hunt Publishers, 1999, p. 90.

• Register of Births for the Southern District of Virginia, 1856; FHL microfilm: 2,046,967.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#52Ancestors  Week 3 – Long Line

While thinking of which of the long lines of ancestors I would like to explore next, I decided to research more on the ” James” line.   The James family line is on my father’s side of the family and started mainly with Columbus Ashlin and his wife, Mary Ann James who are my second great-grandparents.  The curious thing about this couple is that they were actually cousins of a sort!

First, let’s look at the maternal line for Columbus.  Columbus Perry Ashlin, born 5 September 1830 in Sugar Grove, Smyth, Virginia, was the son of Chesley Harrison Ashlin and Phoebe Byrd James – Yes, his mother was a James!  Now Phoebe James was born in 1797 in Virginia to Spencer James and Frances Davis.   So, to review, Chesley and Phoebe were my third great-grandparents and Phoebe’s parents, Spencer James and Frances Davis James were the fourth great-grandparents.    And, just to add to the lineage, Spencer James’ parents, Samuel James and Mildred Taliaferro, are the fifth great-grandparents.  Here’s how is works out on the pedigree chart below.

Now, let’s look at the paternal line for Columbus Ashlin’s wife, Mary Ann James.  Mary Ann, born 18 June 1838 in Smyth County, Virginia, was the daughter of Thompson B James and Susannah Porter who are my third greats.  Thompson B James was the son of Ezekial Beriel James and Frances Baker James.  Thompson James’s parents, Ezekial and Frances would be my fourth great-grandparents.  So far, so good.

Now it is getting a bit dicey as I discovered that Frances Baker James’ parents are Spencer James and Frances Davis – the same couple that are parents of Columbus Ashlin’s mother, Phoebe Byrd James.  Research proved that Phoebe Byrd James and Frances Baker James were indeed sisters and daughters of Spencer James and Frances Davis!  This is where the cousin relationship comes in for Columbus and Mary Ann.  Of Spencer and Frances’ daughters, the older daughter, Frances Baker, was born in 1791, married Ezekial James when she was but 16 years old.  Her sister, Phoebe, was born in 1797 and did not marry Chesley Ashlin until she was 25 years old.

However, recall that Spencer James and Frances Davis are my 4th greats according to Columbus’ lineage.  Now let’s look at Mary Ann’s pedigree and when we find her connection to Spencer and Frances, they are actually my 5th great-grandparents in her lineage!  So Spencer and Frances are my 4th AND my 5th great-grandparents!  This makes Spencer’s parents, Samuel James and Mildred Taliaferro my 5th AND my 6th greats depending on which pedigree chart you are following!  Take a look at Mary Ann’s pedigree chart!

So you see, researching the very long James lineage can and will be challenging!  I have to keep in mind that each person was one of my unique ancestors and look for their individual stories!  I will certainly have to minimize their dual relationships to myself and my family and focus more on researching their lives and telling their tales.  More to come in future posts as I share what I find on this long line of the James family!

If you would like to see what I have already written on the James Family Line, you can check out the following posts!

Can a Cemetery be Awesome? This one is!

A Soldier’s Story: Col. Waddy Thompson James

Portrait of a Strong Woman

Are We Related to Jesse and Frank James?

#52Ancestors:  Week 2 –   Favorite Photo

I have but a few photos of my maternal grandmother, Alma Tusa Knihtila.  She was an immigrant from Finland coming to America with her older brother, Arne Tusa in 1909.  She was 22 years old.  Before Alma left Finland, her mother, Sanna Tusa, had a portrait taken of herself and her three daughters, Alma, Hilja and Hulda.  I was given this photo a couple years ago and was amazed as it was the first time I ever saw my grandmother as a young lady!  She was so very beautiful!  She did live across the alley from us while I was young but I don’t remember but little of her as she passed away when I was six years old in 1952.  She was only 65 years old then.

My next favorite photo of my grandmother Alma is one I found by accident in my mother’s old album, tucked in the back.  Here Alma is sitting on the left side of the bench and three of her Finnish lady friends have come for coffee and a chat dressed in their Sunday best complete with fancy hats!  My grandmother had the charge of babysitting that day her friends came and the girl on the blanket is me with my older brother, Arthur.  We all had to pose for the picture!

This picture was taken around 1949.  There are a few things I do remember about my ever so kind grandma Alma.  She would take my brother and I regularly to the sauna and get us squeaky clean then buy us an Orange Crush soda from a big red Coca-Cola dispenser.  She went with us to the Finnish Lutheran Church on Sundays and made sure we went to Sunday School.  She had huge lilac bushes in front of her house and I used to pick bouquets for her and she would always act so surprised and pleased when I gave them to her.

She had a huge weaving loom in her barn where she would weave beautiful rugs from rags.  I would sit on the floor next to it while she ran the loom and I would wind strips of rags into balls.   My grandmother had soft brown eyes and very long hair that she would braid and then wind around her head.  At night, she would brush her hair out over and over.  I have other recollection of her but this picture of her and her friends is precious because it stirs old memories.  I can almost hear them chatting in Finnish and laughing together!

My grandmother was beautiful inside and out and I cherish her memory!  You can read more about this amazing person at Mother’s Day: My grandmother Alma

Thank you for visiting my site!

 

 

#52Ancestors, Theme: Fresh Start

It is truly amazing to me what ordeals some of our ancestors had to survive to make a better life for themselves and their families – a “Fresh Start” – so to speak.   To travel to a new place to settle in the mid 1700’s was not an easy endeavor as my ancestral Cole families found out!  This is the story of a journey made by Cole families in 1771.

My sixth great-grandfather, Joseph Cole Jr, son of Joseph Cole Sr. and Freelove Cole, was about 21 years old in 1771, having been born 28 May 1750 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts Colony.  He had recently married Remember Cole (an unforgettable name!) on 26 Nov of 1769 who was born in 1752 and was about 18 years old in 1771.  You probably noticed that her maiden name was the same as Joseph’s but they were actually from two different Cole families – families that were great friends and neighbors.

Joseph Cole Jr. came from a lineage tracing back to James Cole of London (ca1600), then Hugh Cole I, Hugh Cole II, Hugh Cole III and then Joseph Cole Sr, father of Joseph Jr.   On the other hand, Remember Cole’s lineage was from a Daniel Cole (b. ca1614, England, settling in Plymouth Colony in 1633), then Israel Cole I, Israel Cole II, and finally Israel Cole III who was the father of Remember Cole.  Remember Cole’s mother was Emary _____.  It can be confusing but just know that there were two unrelated Cole families that became related through intermarriages.

In the mid 1700s, Israel Cole II and his family, including Israel III’s family,  were found living in Poughkeepsie an New Paltz, Ulster County, New York Colony.  Not surprising is that the Joseph Cole Sr. family were also living there.  These two lines were joined by intermarriages of their children – one such marriage was Joseph Cole Jr and Remember Cole – newlywed in 1769.  Both of these Cole families had received several land grants in Washington County, Virginia – the part of Washington County that would eventually become Smyth County, Virginia in 1832.  One can only speculate why they wanted to move but here it was – their chance for a fresh start!

They decided to travel all together- two families of Coles with parents, grandparents, children and extended families- to their new land and they got together and made a plan for their journey.  Now if this would have been modern times, they could have driven, flew by plane, taken a train, etc. but this was 1771 and roads were poor or non-existent and overland travel was slow and treacherous in wagons and on horseback.  Danger of attacks by Native Americans or highway robbers was real.  The map below shows how far the trip really was from Ulster County, New York to Smyth Co., Virginia!

Their grand plan was to jointly hire a boat and sail down the Hudson River to the Atlantic Ocean and sail south to Virginia.  After landing in Virginia, they would travel by river and overland to their destination.  A story regarding the migration of the Cole families to Virginia was carried down through the generations and told to a William Jones, who wrote it in a manuscript:  When Joseph Cole, Zachariah Cole and Sampson Cole with their wives were getting aboard the boat at New York to sail for Norfolk, Virginia together with several others, one of the party, Dorcas Cole, was very much alarmed by the sight of so much water.  She cried out, “We will be drowned, we will be drowned!!” (She was a Baptist) and her brother Eleazer Cole (who was a Methodist Minister), remarked to her, “Stick to your faith!  If you are born to be drowned, you will be and if not, you will not!  That was Baptist doctrine.

Thankfully for me, the Cole families did survive this perilous journey and Joseph Cole Sr. and Freelove Cole, my seventh great-grandparents, settled in the area of the south fork of the Holston River.  Their son, Joseph Cole Jr. and Remember Cole, my sixth great-grandparents,  also settled in that area and raised their family.   Joseph Cole Sr. established a grist mill, called Loves Mill which was still in operation in 1962.   Cole family members in Washington and Smyth Counties are well documented in historical and legal records.  They had large families who farmed their lands, operated grist mills, defended their nation and made valuable contributions to their neighbors and their state.  Their dead are buried in almost every cemetery.  The St. Clair Bottom Primitive Baptist Church has many graves marked with Cole names.  The Coles had indeed made a fresh start and thrived in their new land!

You can read more about the Cole ancestors in another post here: Tribute to Capt. Joseph Cole Jr. – Revolutionary War Ancestor

(Sources upon request)