#52ancestors     Prompt:  Water  (Week 14)

I found that many of my ancestors settled near rivers and streams which makes perfect sense as a source of water is a vital need.  Water was also used for transportation of people and goods – a way to connect with the rest of the settlers and the world.  Since this theme is water, I thought of an ancestor named John Smith Taliaferro.  John was the father of Mildred Taliaferro whom I wrote about recently.  You can read part of her story here – Mildred Taliaferro: A Strong Woman!  Just about every source identified John Taliaferro as “John of Snow Creek”  as that is where he settled and established his homestead in 1707.   Snow Creek flows into the Rappahannock River a short distance from Fredericksburg, Virginia.   John settled above Snow Creek below the falls, and there were then but three settlements above his house on the south side of the Rapidan River.  Settlements above the falls had been burned out by Indians in 1707.

 

 

John Taliaferro was born in 1687 in Golden Vale Swamp, Essex County, Virginia.  I am thinking that this was a community, not an actual “swamp!”  He was the son of John “The Ranger” Taliaferro (He may have an interesting story!) and Sarah Smith.  His father deeded additional land to him in 1717 as shown by this deed extract below.  The land was in Spotsylvania County on the Rapidan River, “amongst ye Little Mountains.”

“John Taliaferro of St. Mary’s Parish, Essex County, to John Taliaferro, junr son to the aforesaid John of same For natural love and affection Two plantations with 1000 acres on the upper side of Snow Creek in the forke thereof which was formerly given to me by my brother Fran Taliaferro late of said parish by deed of gift” (signed by Jno. Taliaferro)

When John Taliaferro and Francis Thornton settled there on Snow Creek, that section belonged to Essex County, Virginia and was later incorporated into Spotsylvania County. They were not only near neighbors but also brothers-in-law.  John married Mary Catlett on 22 December 1718, daughter of John Catlett, Jr. and Elizabeth Gaines, his wife, and Francis Thornton had married John’s sister, Mary Taliaferro.   The Catlett’s owned a large estate at the mouth of Golden Vale Creek in present Caroline County.

Evidently, John of Snow Creek was a man of some note in the community.   He was a Justice of Spotsylvania in 1720.  The county seat of newly formed Spotsylvania was Germana and on 1 Aug 1722, six justices or magistrates were sworn in, one being John Taliaferro.  John was also known as a vestryman of St. George’s Parish in 1725.   A vestryman is not a cleric but one who would probably be like a church board member or a deacon today.   In some sources, he is identified as Major John, who was requested “to bring up the Surplice” in 1730 to the established church at Germana, a community of German settlers.  This puzzled me so I looked up what a “surplice” was and found it was an outer garment worn by clergy.  So was John was delivering church garments?  – still not sure on this but I did find a military record so it may have to do with something military.

John Taliaferro was an officer in the Spotsylvania County Militia.  In order to receive their commissions, the officers had to take the requisite oath of office to the crown.  John was listed in 1736 as Lt. Col. John Taliferro.

John and Mary Taliaferro had six known children including two sons, Lawrence and William Taliaferro and four daughters named Martha, Lucy, Mary and Mildred.  Mildred was called “Molly” in John’s will.   Mary, their daughter, may have died before John as she was not named in his will.  Eventually, John had amassed huge land holdings – thousands of acres as witnessed by the land records I have just begun to study.

 

John died 7 August 1744 at Snow Creek at about age 57 and son Lawrence passed in 1748 at age 27 years old.  They were both buried at Old Hickory Neck Church in James City County which is near the present village of Toana.  Although their tombs were once well preserved, no trace of them remains today.  A few fragments of the stone of Lawrence was found and then embedded in the cement floor of the small entry porch of the old church.

Mary Catlett Taliaferro lived to age 79 and passed in 1771 in Essex County, Virginia.  Daughter Martha married William Hunter in 1744 and died in 1750 in Fredericksburg. Her sister Lucy Taliaferro married Col. Charles Lewis and died after 1768 in Port Roayl, Caroline County, VA.   Daughter Mary, as mentioned before, died before her father and had married Joseph Jones.  Lawrence was married to Susannah Power and his brother William of “Snow Creek” had married twice:  firstly to Mary Battaile and secondly to Elizabeth Taliaferro of “Epsom”.  William died in 1798 at age 71 at his plantation, Newington, on Mountain Run in Orange County, VA.  Mildred Taliaferro married Samuel James and her story is linked above.  She was my fifth great-grandmother which makes John Taliaferro and Mary Catlett my sixth great-grandparents.  There will be more to come on the interesting Taliaferro family!

Sources:

 

• Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper County, Virginia;  Ancestry.com: Ancestry Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2002, Repository: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
• Ancestry and Posterity of Dr. John Taliaferro and Mary (Hardin) Taliaferro; Chapter IV, p. 101 (citing the first John Taliaferro)
• West, Edmund, comp., Family Data Collection – Individual Records [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2000.
• Some Prominent Virginia Families, Vol. 1-4, p. 14, Ancestry.com, 2005.; Also, Vol. II, p. 736-737.
• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt, Comp.; Virginia’s Colonial Soldiers: A Supplement.  Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly and Magazine of Virginia Genealogy.
• 1717-1721 Essex County, Virginia Wills, Inventories and Settlements of Estates No. 3; An American Family History, [John Frederick Dorman], Pages 157-59.
• Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800.  Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965. Originally published in 1912.

#52ancestors   Week 11  Theme: Luck

 

Maybe you had a parent or grandparent like my Dad – one who served in World War II but didn’t like to talk about it.  You wonder what kind of experiences they had that made them want to forget all about it or at least never tell anyone.   My dad, LaFon Lyons, was drafted into the army on 23 April 1941 in Detroit, Michigan where he lived at the time.  He was 23 years old and single.

 

Just a couple weeks earlier on March 31, 1941, he had been honorably discharged from the Civilian Conservation Corps or  “CCC’s” as they were dubbed.  He left Camp Paradise near Trout Lake, Michigan and was transported home to Mt. Clemens, Michigan just outside of Detroit.  His two-year term of enrollment in the CCC’s was up and he had served a year each as a truck driver and a Crew Leader in the Forestry Dept. at Camp Paradise.  Before this, he served a year (1935-36) in the CCC’s at Camp Mackinac at Rexton MI in the Reforestation Dept.  During this term in 1936, he was sent to the Fort Brady MI hospital when he accidentally cut off two of his toes with an ax.  Luckily they were able to reattach his big toe!

I don’t know a lot about his military experiences but I know he was stationed at one time in Fort Sheridan, Illinois as that is where he met my mother.  After training, LaFon was sent to serve in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, mainly Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to ward off the Japanese invasion of the islands.  I know he achieved a Tec 3 or Staff-Sargeant rank and served in the motor pool as a mechanic trying to keep vehicles running in the unbearable cold.  He was in the 701st AAA Gun Battalion.

But my story is about how he earned his nickname of “Lucky LaFon!”  My dad was a “talker” and very sociable but he didn’t talk about the war except for one story I remember.  During the battle of Attu in May of 1943, he was shouting orders to the men under his charge when he was shot by the enemy!  This is one time when he was lucky to have his mouth open as the bullet entered his mouth at an angle and nicked a couple teeth and exited his cheek!  If he would have had his mouth closed, he most likely would have been killed.  Lucky for him and lucky for me!  So he earned the nickname “Lucky LaFon” and I heard he was pretty darn lucky at playing poker too on the ship taking them back to Seattle in April of 1944.

All in all, LaFon served four years, one month and 26 days in the Army and was honorably discharged on 18 June of 1945.  By this time, he had married Elma Knihtila while on leave in May of 1944.  He had been stationed at Camp Maxey, Texas after returning to stateside.  Their first child, a son, was born after Elma returned to Bessemer, Michigan to care for her mother in May 1945.  LaFon didn’t get to see his son until the baby was about six weeks old and LaFon was finally discharged from the Army and could begin his new life.

Yes, they called him “Lucky LaFon” but us kids were the lucky ones!  He was a wonderful, loving father and husband and doting grandfather.  He passed away on March 12, 2000 at age 82 but still lives in our hearts.

#52ancestors      Week 10:  Strong Woman

In the few years that I have been actively researching our ancestry, I have come across so many strong women.  As I read there stories, I sometimes wondered how did they survive in olden times especially with diseases, wars, bearing children and building a homestead and a life on a piece of land?  It was really had to choose who to write about for this prompt!  After researching the history of Mildred Taliaferro, I knew she was my choice for this week’s prompt!  Although I have no photo of her, I can almost picture the face of a strong, determined woman!

I came across Mildred Taliaferro while researching the James family line as she married Samuel James and they were my fifth great-grandparents.  They were the parents of Spencer James whom I wrote about in the last blog. Spencer James – Prosperity Meant Land!  Now Mildred was especially interesting as she brings me into another whole line to explore – the Taliaferro family of Virginia!  Mildred was born about 1726 and there is strong evidence that she is the daughter of John Taliaferro of Snow Creek (1687-1744) and Mary Catlett (1692-1771).  She was born on the Snow Creek Plantation.  Mildred’s mother, Mary Catlett, also opens up another whole new lineage to explore!  It seems the James’, Taliaferro’s and Catlett families were intertwined in many ways and generations!

Mildred’s husband, Samuel James, was the son of Capt. John James Sr. (1707-1778) and Anne Sebastain (1710-1778).  Samuel and Mildred married about 1740 in Orange County, Virginia.  Early records from 1753 have Mildred and Samuel living in the St. Thomas Parish of Orange County, Virginia.  Samuel was actually the overseer of the Snow Creek Plantation in Orange County owned by Mildred’s father, John Taliaferro.  As an overseer, Samuel was hired to serve as a general manager of routine farming operations.  We can assume that Samuel was generally knowledgeable in the fields of agriculture, planting, harvesting, and husbandry and in the care and management of servants, slaves, and other laborers.   He worked long hours preparing daily tasks, seeing to the security of all property, tending to the needs of the workers, making nightly rounds and maintaining the directives of the owner.

While Samuel was busy with his job taking all day and some of the night, Mildred was left to take care of their seven children, their farm, and household duties by herself.  This could not have been easy!   Then things got even harder for Mildred.  At age 32, Samuel must have been ill as he proceeded to make out his will on 14 Dec of 1754!  Two months later he died on 27 Feb 1755 leaving Mildred Taliaferro James and seven children.  The cause of death is unknown.  Their children ranged in age with James “Jimmy” James the oldest at 13 years old, Betty James at 10 years, Catlett James at 8 years, Thomas Stephen James at age 7, Spencer James (my 4th great grandfather) at age 6, John James at age 3, and little Mildred James at age 1.

In his will, Samuel left his property to his wife Mildred, but, his brother Thomas was designated as the guardian of his children if Mildred died or remarried.  This did not seem to be unusual as I have found other wills that appointed guardians of young children even if the wife was surviving the husband.  Thomas James, as guardian, was entrusted to protect the interest of the children and divide Samuel’s estate among them when they came of age.  If Mildred did remarry, her new husband could not lay claim to the children’s portion of her estate.

However, Mildred did not remarry.  She devoted herself to providing for herself and her children.  Not an easy task in the 1700s when women were thought of “second class” citizens and many of them could not even own property or participate in political or business affairs.  It wasn’t like she could just go out and get a career and hire someone to take care of the children!  She did the best she could for the children as evidenced by what she did for her son John.  On 28 Mar 1765, she apprenticed her son John James to Hezekiah Brown for five years to learn the carpenter and joiner trade.  These were uncertain times for Mildred and for the colonies as the fight for independence was imminent.

In 1782, her son, Cpl. Thomas Stephen James died in Smyth County, Virginia at about age 34.  He had married Mary Ann “Polly” Pickett in 1769 and served in the Revolutionary War in 1778 in Hazen’s Regiment of Continental Troops.  Perhaps he died from injuries sustained during his service but the true cause of death is unknown.  So sad for Mildred to lose her son at an early age like she lost her husband.  Although times were not easy for Mildred, by 1783 she owned three houses, six cattle and one slave with her slave being exempt according to Orange County personal Property returns for 1783.  Two years later, in 1785, the State Enumerations listed her as head of the family with three white souls, one dwelling and two other buildings.

Her son Catlett James also served his country in the Revolutionary War and never married.  Sadly, he also died rather young at about age 41 on 22 May 1788.  The year before his death, he had drawn a pension from the State of Virginia for his services and in 1787, he had bought land in Orange County.  Mildred inherited that land and in 1791, she petitioned the Virginia General Assembly for the delinquent payments on the Revolutionary pension of her son Catlett and eventually her request was granted.  She received the pension for caring for Catlett during the last days of his illness.  “The petition of Mildred James humbly showeth that her son Catlett James was a pensioner residing in the County of Orange.  That the said Catlett was entirely supported by your Petitioner from the 29th day of December 1786 till 22nd day of May 1788 when the said Catlett James departed this life…”  (Virginia Revolutionary War State Pension).

Because Mildren had to raise her children by herself after losing her husband at a young age and she did manage to do fairly well for herself and her children despite many obstacles, I consider her a very strong, determined woman!  She had her share of sorrow in losing two sons during her lifetime but didn’t ever give up.  Mildred made her own will on 28 Oct 1802, leaving her property to some of her children and grandchildren and she died 25 April 1803 in Orange County at about age 76.  In her will, she mentions daughter, Betty Smith, son James, granddaughter Milly James and leaves her land to daughter Milly Atkins in equal part with her brothers.   Even in the end, all she did was for her children.

Sources:

• Trimble, David B, Montgomery and James of southwest Virginia, Austin, Texas: D. B. Trimble, c1992; Pages 10-16.
• Bassett, John Spencer, ed., The Southern Plantation Overseer as Revealed in His Letters, 1925.
• Find A Grave, database and images (http://www.findagrave.com); memorial page for Samuel James, Memorial No.: 190225311
• Marshall, Wigfield, Pioneer Families of Franklin County, Virginia, Berryville, VA. Chesapeake Book Co., 1964: Orange County, Virginia, Tithables.
• Heads of Family, Virginia, 1790.
• Hening, William Waller. The Statutes at Large…of Virginia (Philadelphia: Thomas Desiler, 1823). Vol. 13, p. 322; Petition #2532, Virginia State Archives.
• Virginia Revolutionary War State Pension, published by Virginia Genealogical Society: James, Catlett; File 213: Orange Co., 23 Apr 1792, Court Order to pay Mildred James pension due her on account of Catlett James, dec’d, signed by James Taylor.
• Virginia Revolutionary War Muster Rolls, Petition #2532; Virginia State Archives; Orange County, Virginia, Deed Bk. 19, p. 162.
• Orange County, Virginia, Deed Bk. 13, p. 497: Deed Bk. 24, P. 109; Will Bk. 4, p. 74.

 

#52ancestors:  Week 8     Prosperity

In my research of ancestors in the 1700s and 1800s, it seems prosperity meant owning land – and the more land, the better!   Land for production of wealth and providing a living was of immense importance.   Everything we use and our ancestors used can be ultimately traced to land.  Land, for many of my ancestors, could be called the original source of material wealth.   They may have forgotten to register the births of some of their children but always recorded their land transactions!  Some ancestors were able to amass large tracts of land and some didn’t.  This week, I am particularly thinking about my fifth great-grandparents, Spencer James and Frances Davis James.  They started out with little and bought a land here and there until they accumulated a legacy to pass on to their heirs.

Spencer James was really named “James Spencer James” but used the name “Spencer James” in most records.  He was born about 1750 in Orange County, Virginia and lived in St. Thomas Parish.  He was the son of Samuel James and Mildred Taliaferro.  He married Frances Davis on 22 August 1780 in Orange County.  Frances was the daughter of James Davis, an English Immigrant, and Catherine Samuel, the widow of Henry Samuel.  James Davis and Catherine married in 1752 and Frances was born about 1753.

Two years after their marriage, Spencer was listed on the Orange Co. VA tax lists in 1782  where he paid taxes on 7 horses, and 4 cattle.  The next year, they moved to Henry County, Virginia and paid taxes on one horse and two slaves in 1783.  That part of Henry County later became Franklin County.  Now this didn’t seem like they had much to start off with but on 3 October 1796, Spencer received a grant of 120 acres on Runnett Bag Creek and Smith River in Franklin County.  The Creek and Smith River are outlined on the map below.

Then in December of 1797, he bought 200 more acres on Smith River for just 100 pounds and 20 more acres on Nicholas Creek.  This was just the beginning of his land deals as he bought another 300 acres in 1809 from a future son-in-law, Waddy Thompson.

He sold 100 acres and 30 acres on Nicholas creek at a profit in 1801 and 1803 and continued buying more land.   By 1811, Spencer and Frances had amassed more than 1400 acres!   They had created a prosperous legacy to leave for their children.  They had eight known children with the last child being born in about 1799.  One son, Catlett James served in the Revolutionary War in the 1st and 10th Virginia Regiments.   The daughter, Mildred James, married Jerman Baker who was later a member of the Virginia Legislature in 1813.   Another daughter, Frances Baker James, married Ezekiel James and they were my fifth great-grandparents.  A younger daughter, Phoebe Byrd James who I wrote about before, married Chesley Ashlin and they were my fourth great-grandparents!  The youngest daughter, Elizabeth Booker James married William James who was known for making some of the best corn liquor in Smyth County!

Frances Davis James died in 1814 at about age61 or 62 but Spencer  lived until age 84 and died 22 February 1834 in Franklin County, Virginia.  Their burial places are unknown.  You can find stories of their children that I have written on the following links:

James James

Getting to Know Phoebe Byrd James Ashlin

Sources:

• Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940, Index, FamilySearch: Spencer James and Frances Davis;  21 Aug 1780; citing Orange, Virginia; reference: P9; FHL microfilm: 33031.
• Trimble, David B, Montgomery and James of southwest Virginia, Austin, TX; 1992; Page: 16 (land records).
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://findagrave.com), memorial page for Spencer James (1750-1834) Memorial number: 74770833.
• http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/articles/land-meaning-importance-and-other-details/1519.
• Google images and maps

 

 

#52ancestors:  Week 7  Favorite Discovery

In the couple of years I have been researching family history, I have made so very many discoveries!  I have found a “new world” of ancestors out there just waiting to be recognized!  The whole process of researching can be undaunting but also exciting.  But my very favorite discovery came as a great surprise to me.

Last year, my daughter and I were attending a genealogical conference and taking advantage of the wonderful sessions given by professional genealogists.  We learned new ways to search and find information on our ancestors.  The Mayflower Society of Wisconsin had volunteers that would help with any of your research so we signed up for a slot to ask some advice.  As I was going through my lineage that I had found so far, the volunteer realized that my lineage was going to end up at Stephen Hopkins – a Mayflower Pilgrim Ancestor.   Seriously?   I was floored!  I could hardly believe that I was a descendant of someone who came on the Mayflower in 1620!

 

Then came about four months of intense research for records on all my direct descendants to prove my connection to Stephen Hopkins.  That’s 15 generations of records!  It was a ton of work but it paid off as I am finally admitted to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Wisconsin!  The whole process of discovery was pretty exciting!  As an added bonus, the Mayflower volunteer who first helped me determine my correct lineage turned out to be a cousin!  He was also descended from Stephen Hopkins!   So I gained a new cousin and dear friend!

In my lineage are some of the people who I have been researching and have written blogs about without realizing where their lineage would take me!  Of course, the line starts with my father and his father, Clarence Lyons.  The continuing line includes Susannah Ashlin, my great grandmother and her mother, Mary Ann James.  My recent blogs are about the James family including Mary Ann.  Her mother, Susannah J Porter and her grandmother, Mary Polly Thomas are next.  Freelove Cole, mother of Mary Polly Thomas and her mother, Remember Cole completes the lineage that I am familiar with and have written about.  The surprising thing about this lineage thus far is that all of them are females in a maternal line starting with Susannah Ashlin!

My future research will include the Cole, Paine, Snow and Hopkins families, the rest of the Mayflower lineage.  However, I still continue to research the other line as one never knows where it will take you!

 

#52Ancestors:  Week 6       Theme: Same Name

The prompt for week 6 was “Same Name” and, at first, I was thinking of the Cole family in which there were three Hugh Cole’s as direct ancestors but they need more research.  Then I thought of Thomas Thomas my fifth great-grandfather – yes, that was his real name but I have already written about him.  While I was researching Phoebe James and her family last week, I came upon her brother named James D James, my fourth great-uncle.  Wow, they actually gave him a first name to match his surname!

Now if I met James James and asked him his first name, he would say “James.”  Then I would have asked his surname and he would say “James.”  I would probably say, “Seriously, you are James James?”   How confusing that would have been!  No wonder most of his records have his middle initial of D.  However, he did have an interesting story!

James D. James was born in 1789 in Franklin County, Virginia, the fifth child of Spencer James and Frances Davis.  Another source states he was born in Jamestown which was James City County at the time, but I found no record of Spencer James ever living in Jamestown.  Amazingly, I found out that his father, Spencer James’ name was really James Spencer James- another James James!  Luckily, James Spencer James mostly dispensed with the first name and most of his records are under just “Spencer James.”  Why he decided to name one of his sons “James James” is not for us to know!

One 13 March 1817, James D. James married Mary Foster who was born about 1799 in Jamestown, Virginia.  Mary was half Cherokee Indian.  They settled on a farm in Patrick County, VA  and raised ten children.  They were a busy couple!  The first child was Foster James, born around 1818 and the second child was Spencer T. James, born c1820.  After them followed four girls and four more boys with the last child born about 1843.  One of the sons, unnamed, died young.  The two oldest sons married and had families by 1844 and one lived in Patrick Co. VA and one in Franklin Co. VA.

The year 1844 was a turning point for the whole family.  James, Mary, the two married sons and their families, and all the rest of the children packed up everything along with the two family dogs and left Virginia!  They traveled by covered wagons and one of the wagons carried a complete blacksmith ship – very handy for farmers!  Where were they headed?  Heard County, Georgia!  Perhaps they heard of better opportunities there or had a land grant but we don’t know the real reason for the drastic move of about 500 miles in covered wagons!

The family first settled in Ridgeway Community, then nearer to Texas Community near Cedar and Town Creeks.  The Creek Indians were in this area.  During the building of their log houses and getting settled, the dogs disappeared. It was thought the Indians had killed them.  Two years later, a relative named Daniel Arrington came from Franklin County, VA with the two dogs!  The dogs had made the long trip back to Virginia by themselves!  I have heard of dogs traveling back to old homes so there could be some truth in this story!

Here’s some more family stories but they can’t be verified.  One day, the James’s found two sacks of seed corn hanging in a tree and another time they found a wild, dressed turkey in a bag hanging in a tree.  They took it as a sign that they were accepted by the local Indians.  During the wagon trip to Georgia, daughters Amanda and Lucinda rode “shotgun” on horseback.  Lucinda broke a tree limb to use as a riding whip and when she got to Georgia, she stuck it in the ground.  It rooted and grew to be an apple tree!  The family settled and lived their lives in Georgia.

James D James died January 1870 in Heard County, Georgia.  I found a record of his death in the mortality schedule for Heard County, Georgia. (see below)  He died of old age according to his entry which is the third line down.  He was 81 years old.   His wife, Mary Foster James also lived to about 81, dying 10 years later in 1880.  They are buried in unmarked graves in Almon Cemetery in Heard County, Georgia.

Sources:

• Trimble, David B (David Buchanan), 1922 (Main Author); Montgomery and James of southwest Virginia; Austin Texas: D.B. Trimble, c1992; Pages: 10, 16.
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Federal Mortality Census Schedules, 1850-1880, and Related Indexes, 1850-1880; Archive Collection: T655; Archive Roll Number: 9; Census Year: 1870; Census Place: Heard, Georga; Page: 160A.
• Ancestry.com, Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
• Find A Grave, database and Images (https://www.findagrave.com), memorial page for James D. James (1789-Jan 1870), Find A Grave Memorial Number: 161277365.
• Google Maps, googlemaps.com

 

 

#52 Ancestors:  Week 5:   So Far Away

Most of our ancestors lived in Virginia and North Carolina and when I think of it, they were so far away from where we live –  So far away in distance and in time.   The only way to get to know them is through research.  I need to look at when and where they lived, their parents, siblings and children, their occupations, their neighbors, and anything else I can find.  I want to envision them as individuals and not just a name on a pedigree chart.   Last week I wrote about Mary Ann James, my second great-grandmother, who had married Columbus Perry Ashlin.  Columbus was the son of Chesley Harrison Ashlin and Phoebe Byrd James.  Yes, both Mary Ann and Columbus were of James lineages! ( I will add the links to what I have written about these families below.)

Phoebe Byrd James, my third great-grandmother, had a very interesting name and so far I have not been able to find anyone she may have been named after.   Phoebe was born 17 July 1797 in either Henry County or  Franklin County, Virginia and was the daughter of James Spencer James and Frances Davis.    Her birth was most likely in Franklin County as her father, Spencer James, recorded a land grant there in 1796 and purchased more land in that county in 1797 and in 1799.  Of the eight known children on Spencer James and Frances Davis, Phoebe was the seventh child.

On 30 December 1822, she married Chesley Ashlin.  At the time of marriage, Phoebe was 25 years old and Chesley was 29 as he was born in 1796.  The average age at that time for woman to marry was 20-21 and for a man was 26, so they were a bit older than the average to marry.  The 1840 Census for Smyth County, Virginia only lists the head of house and numbers of free white person and number of slaves.  Chesley and Phoebe’s household in 1840 consisted of nine whites (2 parents and 7 children) and nine slaves and employed an additional 5 persons in agriculture.  Comparing all their census information to their neighbors, Chesley and Phoebe were fairly well off.

In 1850, Chesley’s real estate was valued at $5000 which would be about $165,000 today – very comfortable!  Of course, all that changed after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the many slaves Chesley owned.   His personal estate dropped from about $400,000 in 1960 before the War to about $9,000 by 1870.  The War was certainly devastating and life changing for the Ashlin family!  By this time, Phoebe and Chesley were in their early 70s and may have looked back to see how very much their lives had changed in the last ten years.

Of course, it would be wonderful to have a picture of any ancestor but most of the time, there are no photos.  I have not found any pictures of Phoebe but I did happen upon a picture of her sister, Elizabeth Booker James who married a William James, her second cousin.  Now sisters don’t always look alike, of course, but a picture of a sibling is interesting, nonetheless!

During the better years, Chesley and Phoebe Byrd raised their family of seven children.  Their first child, Frances Elizabeth Ashlin, named after Phoebe’s mother, was born 23 Oct 1823 when they lived in Franklin County, Virginia.  Frances married Andrew Adam Kincannon in 1841 when she was just 17 years old.  Her husband served in the Civil War and they had a farm in Smyth County, Virginia before moving to Atchison County, Missouri in about 1875.  Andrew died in 1901 and Frances died in 1912 of pneumonia.  They are buried in the English Grove Cemetery in Clarke, Missouri.

The second child was Lucy Ann Ashlin, born about 1826 in Smyth County, and according to one source, was a superb horsewoman and very beautiful.  She was named after Chesley’s mother, Lucy Baker.  In 1847, Lucy married John Hill Groseclose, and they lived on a fine plantation on Cripple Creek, Wythe County, VA.  However, John was a womanizer and drinker.  Lucy died in 1860 at about 34 years old of tuberculosis but family legend says she died of a broken heart due to John’ drinking!

James Hartwell Ashlin, third child of Phoebe and Chesley, was born in 1828 and married Elizabeth Dutton in 1851.  James fought in the Civil War in the 48th Regiment of the Virginia Infantry, Company D and was in many battles.  How Phoebe must have worried about him and his brother German Baker who also fought in the War!   After the war, James died of “pulmonary consumption (tuberculosis)” at just 42 years old in 1870.   My great-grandfather, Columbus Perry Ashlin was the next born in 1830 and I will add a link to his story below.

Daughter Catherine Mildred Ashlin, called “Kate,” came along in 1834 and married Robert Crow Williams in 1867.  They lived in the Sugar Grove, Smyth County area and Robert served in the Civil War and lived until 1907, dying of old age.  In 1916, Catherine applied for a widow’s pension which revealed that she had an income of only $95 a year and owned no property.  She passed away in 1924.

Virginia Clementine Ashlin was born in 1836 and married John P Myers in 1875.  It seems Virginia had a hard life as she was sickly and on the 1880 Census, she was just 42 and listed as “maimed, crippled or bedridden” with dyspepsia.  Dyspepsia is a condition of the stomach that may include gall bladder trouble.  John Myers died at 42 or 43 in 1884 and Virginia died in 1890 at age 54.  The last child of Phoebe and Chesley was German Baker Ashlin, who I have already written about and will put a link to his post below.   He had an interesting story!

Phoebe and Chesley had a lot of struggles in their life together for sure.   They had to contend with losing their standard of living after the war.  They had to worry about the safety of their sons in the war along with worrying about their other children- one who moved to Missouri and one who was sickly.  They also endured the early death and burial of their daughter Lucy and their son James Hartwell Ashlin both dying of tuberculosis after a prolonged illness.  Chesley Ashlin died on 10 June 1876 in Sugar Grove, Smyth VA and Phoebe passed away the next year on 24 April 1877.  They were buried side by side in the Ashlin-Wilkinson Cemetery on Chesley’s farm in Sugar Grove.

Links to Columbus Ashlin and Mary Ann James: Mary Ann James: Living Close to Home

A James Family Line with an Interesting Twist!

Are We Related to Jesse and Frank James?

Link to German Baker Ashlin: German Baker Ashlin/ A GREAT-Uncle!

Sources:  

• Trimble, David B. (David Buchanan), 1922 (Main Author); Montgomery and James of southwest Virginia. Austin, Texas: D.B. Trimble, c1992; Pages: 10, 16.
• National  Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Non-population Census Schedules for Virginia, 1850-1880; Archive Collection: T1132; Archive Roll Number: 10; Census Year: 1870; Census Place: St Clair, Smyth, Virginia.
• National Park Service; U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line] Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.
• Ancestry.com, Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
• https://www.theclassroom.com/age-marriage-us-1800s-23174.html
• 1840 U.S. Census, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: 578; Page: 382; Image: 782; FHL microfilm: 29692.
• Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.)
• U. S. Federal Census; Year: 1860; Census Place: Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M653_1377; Page: 1050; Image: 532; FHL film: 805377.
• U. S. Federal Census; Year: 1870; Census Place: St Clair, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M593_1679; Page: 97A; Image: 197; FHL film: 553178.
• Virginia, Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917 (Ancestry.com Operations Inc.)

 

 

 

 

 

#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!