On #52Ancestors, for week 15, the theme is DNA.  When I was growing up no one talked about DNA of course but I was always curious as to where our ancestors came from.

For sure I knew both sides of my mother’s family had immigrated from Finland so being about half Finnish was a given.  But my dad’s side was a mystery!  He never really talked a lot about it and I didn’t even know the name of his father who died in 1939.  We lived in Upper Michigan but my dad was born in Virginia-way too far away to visit- and besides, I found out recently that his family moved to lower Michigan in the Detroit area about 1923.  My Dad’s mother lived in Lower Michigan about 650 miles away and died when I was in high school.  The Mackinaw bridge wasn’t built yet so if we went to Lower Michigan to visit we had to cross the straits in a car ferry.  So we didn’t go but a few times.

The only person who ever mentioned any ancestry on Dad’s side was his brother Bill – who was the oldest and therefore must have known the family ancestry or did he?

My Uncle Bill said we were German, Irish and Dutch and mostly German and so we took that as our answer.  However when I did have my DNA done, there were some surprises!  Like I said, being half Finnish was a given and proved to be true.  My Dad’s side was more that half British and Irish so Uncle Bill did have something right, he just left out the English!  The German part was only around 5% and combined with French.  So he overestimated the amount of German ancestry.  The rest of the DNA report said broadly Northwestern European which could cover the Dutch ancestry that Uncle Bill talked about and a whole lot of other countries!

So now I had some definitive answers and as I am researching, I am able to find ancestors of the same descent as in my DNA profile.  Many of my paternal ancestors can be traced back to the British Isles including some from England, Scotland, and Wales.  I found some Irish immigrants also! You can read about them here: Irish Ancestors and Immigrants!  I may have found a German ancestor but cannot verify it yet but have not found a French ancestor as yet.

Now it is well and good to have clues from your DNA but I wanted names, stories and photos – which are exceedingly scarce on Dad’s side!  Over the last few years I have been researching mainly my father’s lineage and have found some great stories.  It’s the stories that give substance to the names!  Some stories are sad, some surprising and all of them are insightful!  Some of the stories were downright spooky such as the story of a missing heirloom! A Ghostly Story and a Family Heirloom.

Some stories were inspiring such as finding ancestors who were inventors! Inventors Uncovered!

So I have this Swanson family of my paternal grandparents and great-grandparents and am trying to see where they fit in the DNA profile.  The name Swanson seems like it would be Scandinavian, right?  Well, it is an anglicized version of Svenson and was found in the British Isles in the early, early times.  By the year 1221, it was found in Scotland in the name of Duncan Swainston (a version of Swanson) who acquired the lands of Swaynystoun, near Colinton, in Midlothian.  ( Ref: House of Names.com)  Swainston Manor was on the Isle of Wight and was later converted to a hotel.  It has a 12-century chapel on its 32 acres which is believed to have been built by the Bishops of Winchester.  Hm-m-m, could these be ancient ancestors?

A cousin of mine who lives in Virginia and whose ancestor is my Swanson grandmother’s sister had some interesting family information.  I connected with her on
Ancestry.  She wrote that the Swanson families were of Scotch-Irish descent.  Now that made sense to me.  With just a little research on the web, I found out that the Scots-Irish were Scots who settled in Northern Ireland mainly in Ulster and most were Presbyterian farmers.  They started migrating to Virginia in 1715 and again in 1740 due to the famine in Ireland.   I found that many settled in the mid-to-southern counties of the Shenandoah Valley starting in Augusta County, Virginia and migrating to Rockbridge, Amherst, Campbell and other surrounding counties in the Appalachians.  These are the counties where I found my Swanson ancestors.

Knowing more about my DNA helps me to explore ethnic origins of ancestors that I find.  I may not always find definitive answers on their origins but certainly can piece together clues to form an educated guess!  Next week, I hope to delve into some Swanson stories!

 

 

For week 14 of #52Ancestors, the prompt is “brick wall.”  In genealogy, a brick wall is when you can’t find any records or information on an ancestor and can’t research further – just like “hitting a brick wall!”  I have encountered quite a few in my research but I am going to stretch the theme this week to write about an ancestor who worked in a foundry – a foundry that made bricks and cast iron parts!

To start at the beginning, this is a lovely picture of Cora Virginia Phillips, my great grandmother – the mother of my paternal grandmother, Cammie Lyster Swanson Lyons.  Cora married William Domman Swanson on 24 July 1884 in Amherst County, Virginia.  You can find the story of William’s tragic death here.  A Fireman’s Story: My great-grandfather.

Cora was the daughter of Oscar Fitzallen Phillips and Nancy Jane Burch, my second great-grandparents.  As I was researching, I did stumble upon another Oscar Phillips in the family and he was Oscar Stephens Phillips, a cousin, who married Pearl May Swanson, the daughter of William and Cora  Swanson.  Confused yet?  I was at first, too!  Oscar Stephens Phillips married my grandmother’s sister, Pearl.  We’ll just call him “Oscar S” as he will come up later in this story.  But let’s get back to Oscar Fitzallen and Nancy Jane.

Oscar Fitzallen Phillips was born 11 December 1832 in the town of Amherst, Amherst County, Virginia.  He was the son of Captain Benjamin Allen Phillips and Mary Nicholas Cazey (Casey) and was their 8th and last child.  His father, Capt. Benjamin Phillips was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was born in 1777 during the Revolutionary War in Henrico Co., Virginia.  Benjamin was a carpenter by trade and they lived in Lynchburg, VA.  The 1850 Census for this family showed that their son Oscar was 18 and was working as a “moulder” – a trade he will follow through his life.  A moulder made molds for cast iron parts or for bricks in a foundry by pouring the molten iron into molds and removing them when the iron has hardened – heavy and hot work!   Oscar’s brother, Benjamin S, was a “plaisterer” which is an old spelling of plasterer.  Capt. Phillips died 11 March 1863 in Amherst Co. and Mary Nicholas Cazey Phillips was born in 1795 and died 17 May 1857 in Lynchburg, VA.   Mary Cazey is one of my brick walls I need to work on!

The 1850 Census naming Nancy Jane Burch who was to marry Oscar Fitzallen Phillips is the first record I found of her.  She was the daughter of Stephen Burch and Elizabeth Miller McDaniel – or was the last name Miller or was Elizabeth a widow?  See what I mean about brick walls!  Clearly, more research is ahead for this family.

On the 10th of December of 1852, the marriage bonds for Oscar and Nancy were published with the bondsman being her father, Stephen Burch.  They were married on Christmas Day in 1852 when Nancy was but 16 years old and Oscar was 20.  By time Nancy was 20 years old, their first children were born – twins!- in October of 1856.  They named them Millard Fillmore Phillips and Mildred Frances Phillips (Millard and Mildred – how charming!)  Millard was noted in the 1870 Census but Mildred, or Millie as she was called, was not so it can be assumed that she may have died before 1870.  I could find no record that she had married or of her death.  Millard became paralyzed between 1870 and 1880 according to the census.  He was working as a farm hand in 1870 and paralyzed by 1880.  Millard lived with his parents until his death sometime before 1910.  Cause of the paralysis is unknown but could have been an accident or disease.

The twins were the first children of 17 known children – yes, 17 children- and my great-grandmother, Cora Phillips, was the eighth child.  The 1860 Census give little information about Oscar and Nancy’s family except that Oscar was a Grocer at the time and they had 3 children.  The value of their real estate was $200 and personal estate was $1000.  That would be about $6300 and $32,000 in today’s values.  The Civil War started a year later and affected everyone in the country as well as in Virginia where many of the battles were fought.  Nancy was 23 and Oscar was 26 when the Civil War started.  In searching Confederate files, I did find 3 records for an “O. Phillips” or “Oscar Phillips” but the records did not contain enough information to verify that this was our Oscar who served although it is likely to have been him as he was of age to serve.

After the war Oscar is again working as a moulder in a foundry for the next 20 years in Amherst.   The Lynchburg, Virginia City directory of 1875 listed him as a moulder at the Phoenix Foundry and living in Amherst (near Lynchburg VA).

Nancy bore their last child Julia May Phillips in 1880 at age 44 or age 45.   Nancy bore 17  children in a span of about 25 years!  I found this information in the 1900 Census records where they listed the number of children born as 17 and the number of children living as 12.  I have only found 15 of the children so 2 may have died young between census records or at birth.  Oscar’s occupation is again listed as Iron Moulder and they owned their home and carried a mortgage.  Their paralyzed son Millard lived with them along with son Robert O, age 41, who is a locomotive overhauler; a daughter Alice, 30; Hubert F, 21, a cove maker in a pipe factory; and Julia, age 19.  This was a family who worked in the trades!

In 1910, their home is in the Madison Heights Village, Elon District, Amherst Co and Oscar is now 78 and Nancy is 74.  At 78, Oscar is still working as a moulder in a foundry and their son, Robert is a farmer running a truck farm.  Their son Hubert is 28 and a mail carrier for the Post Office.  About 1911, Nancy passed away although the exact date is not yet verified.  Oscar Fitzallen died at age 81 in Madison Heights of heart disease.

I can’t imagine my great-grandmother, Cora, growing up in a family of 17 children – there probably was never a dull moment!  I admire Oscar and Nancy for providing for and caring for such a large family!  Here’s a brief list of what I know about 15 of the Phillips children, siblings of Cora.

• Millard Fillmore Phillips1856-bef.1910 – twin of Mildred, became paralyzed
• Mildred Frances Phillips 1856-bef 1870
• Robert Oscar Phillips 1858-1936, married Lucy M Moon
• Charles Edward Phillips 1860-1947, married Sally Ann Franklin
• Nannie Belle Phillips 1862-1945, married Simeon W. Ford, see a story about her here Simeon and Nannie Belle Ford – A Surprising Couple!
• Mary Elizabeth Phillips 1865-1953, married Thomas Jefferson Wade
• Melissa M  Phillips 1866-? (She was 14 in the 1880 Census, missing in 1900 – may have died or married before 1900)
• Cora Virginia Phillips 1867-1945, my great-grandmother pictured above.  Married William D. Swanson.  She died at the home of Oscar S Phillips who married her daughter, Pearl May Swanson (Home where she died is pictured below)
• Rosa Lee Phillips 1869-1954, married John Peter Ledbetter (picture below)
• Alice Merriman Phillips 1876-1962, married Seabird Ayers
• Lilian Mae Phillips 1871-1946, married Henry Rosser Holloran
• Joseph Carson Phillips 1875-1950, married Mary Archie Robertson
• Hubert Fitzallen Phillips 1878-1948, married Hattie E Woodson
• Newman Phillips 1878?-?, possible twin to Hubert
• Julia C Phillips 1880-1968, married Henry Jenifer May

Sources:

• United States Federal Census: Year: 1850; Place: Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia; Roll: M432_938; Page: 74A; Image: 151.
• Ricks, Joel, Lynchburg City, Virginia Marriage Bonds, 1805-1854, Page 32.
• Ancestry.com, Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 [database on-line] Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2014.
• Find A Grave: wwwfindagrave.com/memorial/160388487/mary-n-phillips
• Virginia Department of Health; Richmond, Virginia; Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014.
• United States Federal Census: Year: 1860; Place: Amherst, Virginia; Roll: M653_1332; Page: 400; FHL microfilm: 805332.
• United States Federal Census: Year: 1870; Census Place: Elon, Amherst, Virginia; Roll: M593_1633; Page: 4550A; Image: 362; FHL microfilm: 553132.
• United States Federal Census: Year: 1880; Census Place: Elon, Amherst, Virginia; Roll: 1353; FHL microfilm: 1,255,353.
• United States Federal Census: Year: 1900; Place: Madison Amherst Virginia; Roll: 1699; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0010; FHL microfilm: 1, 241699.
• United States Federal Census; Year: 1910; Place: Elon, Amherst, Virginia; Roll: T624_1621; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 00212; FHL microfilm: 1375634.
• Virginia, Births and Christenings, 1853-1917, Database, FamilySearch, FHL microfilm 2,046,910. (citing Amherst County, Virginia).
• Chataigne’s Lynchburg City Directory, 1875-76.

 

 

 

 

 

This week, I want to add to the Porter ancestry stemming from Scotch-Irish roots.  Most of the Porters settled in the Cripple Creek area of Wythe County, Virginia.  (see the posts Irish Ancestors and Immigrants! )  The first Porter immigrants from Donegal, Ulster, Ireland were James Robert Porter and his son Andrew Porter.  The son of Andrew was Capt. Robert S Porter who married Margaret Lindsay Ewing about 1745 in the Virginia Colony.  They were my 6th great-grandparents.  Their son, named Andrew Porter Sr. after his grandfather,  was to become my 5th great-grandfather.  An interesting note about another son of theirs – William Porter, who was born about 1775, died on 13 October 1817 on the ship “Congress”  while in the U. S. Navy, during the War of 1812.

Andrew Porter Sr. was born 4 Apr 1773 in Wythe County, Virginia according to most sources.  However, one source places his birth in Fincastle, Botetourt County, VA.  Andrew married Martha Mary “Polly” Gleaves in 1792 in Wythe County VA.  Andrew would have been about 19 and Martha about 18 at the time of their marriage.  Martha Mary Gleaves was born 13 Dec 1774 and  was the daughter of William Gleaves, a Revolutionary War soldier and patriot, and Elizabeth Turk.  William served in Capt. Thomas Hamilton’s Company, the 1st Virginia Regulars.   Elizabeth was also the sister of Major James Gleaves of Wythe County.  Sounds like a lot of history to research in the Gleaves family!

Andrew and Martha had nine known children during their marriage.  Their youngest child was born in 1813.  In 1820, the Porter’s lived in Evensham, Wythe County, VA.  Evensham was later called Wytheville.  In 1820, Andrew was about 47 and Martha about 46 and they owned 10 slaves.  By 1830, they had 9 slaves and still had their farm in Evensham, Wythe Co.

However, Martha died 11 Nov 1832 and in 1834, two years later, Andrew remarried to Mary Bralley or Brawley who was about 20 years younger than himself.   I found a widow’s pension application made by Mary for Andrew’s service in the War of 1812 so he evidentially did serve in the war.  By 1840, Andrew and his new wife had a total of 13 slaves but the 1850 Slave Schedule showed only 3 slaves.  Andrew was about 77 in 1850 and his wife Mary was 57.

During his lifetime, Andrew had amassed a lot of acreage.  Some of the land records showed acquisitions of 600 acres on Cripple Creek in 1772 and 86 more acres won in a land dispute.  In his will he conveyed to his son, Andrew Porter Jr., land on the south side of the New River which he had inherited from his own father Robert plus land in Blount County, Tennessee!  In 1833, Andrew Sr.conveyed to Stephen Porter, his youngest son, the land on which Andrew lived along with several tracts adjoining it, about 1,000 acres in all!

Andrew Porter Sr. died in 1853 at age 79  and was buried in the Porter Family Cemetery in Speedwell, Wythe County.  He was buried next to his first wife, Martha Mary Gleaves Porter.

Two of the daughters of Andrew Sr. and Martha actually married two brothers from the Scott family and one of the sons married a Scott sister!  So there were three Porter-Scott intermarriages in the family – it must have made family reunions very interesting!   And were their children first cousins and nieces and nephews?  All of the above!  Elizabeth “Betsey” Porter , born 1794, married Esquire William Scott and Margaret “Peggy ” Porter, the sister born 1795, married John Scott, William’s brother.  Later,  Capt. James F Porter, born 1803, brother to Betsey and Peggy Porter, married Elizabeth Scott, the sister of William and John Scott.  Capt. James Porter, a farmer, died in Lawrence Co., Pennsylvania at age 50 of paralysis.

I found out that the Scott brothers and Elizabeth were children of James Scott and Rachel Holmes.  James Scott was from Ireland and Rachel was of the nobility of Scotland.  There was so much opposition and displeasure with her family that James Scott and his wife emigrated to America and settled in Rye Valley, near Blue Springs, VA (now in Smyth Co. VA)

Another daughter of Andrew Sr and Martha was Mary “Polly” Porter, born 1797, who was married twice.  First she married Stephen Gose, who died in 1824, and then married David Jones Pickle.  A picture of the Stephen Gose home is below.

William Porter, Jr, son of Andrew Sr and Martha, was my 4th great-grandfather, born 1799 and died 1867 at the age of 67.  He married my 4th great-grandmother, Mary Polly Thomas, daughter of Thomas Jefferson Thomas and Freelove Cole.  You can read about them here: Searching for “FREELOVE”   William and Mary Polly Thomas was the parents of Susannah J Porter, my 3rd great-grandmother.   For more information on Susannah, read: Portrait of a Strong Woman.   

Another son, Robert Porter, born 1799, married a Mary Polly Thomas also but this was from a different Thomas family as far as I could determine.  This Mary was the daughter of Moses Thomas and Catherine Williams.  They settled in Ohio.

 

 

Andrew Sr. and Martha did have 3 more children including Andrew Jr. in 1805 who died in 1850 at age 45.  Daughter Sarah Gleaves “Sally” Porter was born in 1808 and married Henry Michael  and they moved to Greene Co., Ohio.  Sarah died in 1860 at age 52. The youngest son, Stephen D Porter was born in 1813, married Margaret McNutt, and died in 1883 at age 70.  This was the only information I could find on these last three children.

The Porter Family was an interesting research and I feel fortunate to find some valuable information on them!  I hope you enjoyed the posts!

Sources:

Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912, database, FamilySearch, FHL microfilm: 2048587 and FHL microfilm: 34256.

Yates Publishing, U. S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2004.

War of 1812 Pension Applications, Washington D. C. : National Archives.  NARA Microfilm Publication M313, 102 rolls.  Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Record Group Number 15.

1820 U S Census; Census Place: Evensham, Wythe, Virginia; Page: 221; NARA Roll: M33_139; Image: 238.

1830: Census Place: Wythe, Virginia; Series: M19; Roll: 200; FHL microfilm: 0029679.

Year: 1840; Census Place: Wythe Virginia; Page: 88; FHL film: 0029693.

United States Census, 1850, database, FamilySearch; Wythe County, Virginia; family: 1391; NARA film publication: M432.

United States Census (Slave Schedule), database with images, FamilySearch; Wythe County, Virginia; Line: 14; NARA film publication: M432; FHL film: 444983.

Early Adventurers on the Western Waters, Vol. III, Part 2, by Mary B Kegley Porter, Page 484.

Wythe County, Virginia Will Book 8, p. 43.

Find A Grave; findagrave.com; Memorial # 100905280; 143101863; 39556902; 549269936; 44845293.

U. S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 1999.

Dodd, Jordan R, et. al., Early American Marriages: Virginia to 1850. Bountiful, UT, USA: Precision Indexing Publishers.

 

Welcome back!  Last week, I delved into some of our Irish ancestors, James Robert Porter and his son, Andrew Porter.  They came from Donegal area in Ulster, Ireland and settled in the area of Cecil County, Maryland Colony in the early 1700’s.    This week I wish to reveal some of my findings on Andrew Porter’s son, Capt. Robert S Porter, my 6th great- grandfather.

Robert S Porter was born 1737-1740 in the Virginia Colony of British America.  He was the only son of Andrew and Eleanor (Ellen) Gillespie as his mother died shortly after his birth.  His father did remarry to Margaret Leiper who raised Robert and possibly 9 other children!  The family moved to Virginia in the Cripple Creek area.  (see below)  Robert married Margaret Lindsay Ewing who was born circa 1745 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Colony and died in July 1808 in Blount County, Tennessee.  Robert and Margaret were married 29 April of 1765 in Pennsylvania and Margaret was the daughter of Alexander Ewing.  They had 9 children, one of whom was named Andrew Porter after his grandfather and became my 5th great-grandfather.

There is not much information found yet on Robert but he is listed the AGBI and was an officer of the Continental Army.  He was Captain of Porter’s Regiment and is a DAR ancestor # A091290.  Robert died 6 Aug 1781 at aged 40 or 41.  He died a relatively young man in Montgomery County, Virginia.  His burial site is unknown.

 

However, I did happen upon a really neat map from 1793 of the Cripple Creek area which shows the land holdings of my ancestors that I would like to share!

On the map is seen the land holdings of Andrew Porter, father of Robert Porter in the middle left side.  Land belonging to Robert Porter is shown above Andrew’s land.  Notice also the names of William Gleaves and the Ewings.  Robert’s wife was an Ewing and the Ewing family must have been quite prominent in the area to have a mountain named after them!  Robert and Margaret’s son, Andrew, married the daughter of William Gleaves whose land is also noted not far from Andrew Porter.  Towards the middle right side of the map is “Porter’s Ferry” (just under Ivanhoe) which is the ferry that James Robert Porter (the immigrant) willed to his sons William and Andrew Porter.  A mill on Cripple Creek was also owned by the Porter family.  Above Porter’s Ferry is land held by a John Lyons which could also be an ancestor!  The map notes that “the names around the border of the map are those of men associated with the original settlement within the present bounds of Wythe County (Virginia).”

So our ancestors were among the original settlers of Wythe County, Virginia!  This map was just too interesting to keep to myself and I hope you enjoy it!  Next week, I plan to explore more Porter ancestors starting with Robert’s son, Andrew.

 

 

Since we are upon St. Patrick’s Day, it is more than fitting to pay a tribute to some of our newly discovered Irish ancestors!   I will explore what I have found about two Irish ancestors who immigrated to America, James Robert Porter and Andrew Porter.  James was my 8th great-grandfather and Andrew, his son, was my 7th great-grandfather.

James Robert Porter was born in 1699 in Coleraine or Londonderry County, Province of Ulster, Ireland and was the son of Josia Porter and Margaret Ewing, who both were born and died in Ireland.   It is believed that James immigrated to Maryland, the British American Colony in 1727 with his uncle, Alexander Ewing ahead of his wife, Eleanor Gillespie Porter and the older children.  The Porters, Ewings, and Gillespie’s were close neighbors in Ireland and in Maryland and intermarried.  Eleanor, wife of James, and their older children including Andrew,  are thought to have immigrated with her parents from Ireland.  The very earlier Ewing clan was banned, as protestants, in a religious war and were forced to immigrate from Scotland to Ireland after being defeated in battle.  Many of the Ewings ended up going to the colony of Maryland and residing in Cecil County.

James Porter did fairly well upon settling in his new land as witnessed by his will.  His will was recorded around 1778 so he died prior to that year.  Unusual as it seems, his will was recorded in the Cecil County, Maryland will books and also recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania will books.  Perhaps because the two locations abutted each other and he owned land in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.  From his will, I was able to verify his wife was indeed named Eleanor (spelled Elianor in the will) and that he did have a son named Andrew among other children.  The will describes his land near the Ewings so evidentially they were indeed neighbors.  He left his wife the land they lived on, of course, but with the stipulation that  she was prohibited from “committing any waste or cutting any Wood save what may be necessary for Rails and firewood.”   This was an interesting addition to a will I had not seen before!

He left his sons William and Andrew land, houses and buildings in the “Peach Bottom” that were in Maryland and Pennsylvania that included the saw mill dam, races, and ferry.  James also left his silver watch to son William.  James’ wife also got 100 pounds of Pennsylvania Currency and her choice of one cow, horse or mare out of his stock.  Other children mentioned in the will included sons Stephen, James, Samuel, George who all received lands and daughters Elianor, Mary, and Elizabeth who were provided with sums of money.   From the will, we see he had at least 9 children, 6 sons and 3 daughters.  One source also mentions another daughter named Jane Porter who married Patrick Ewing and Jane died in 1784.  However, this is not yet verified and, if she was James’ daughter, she may have died sooner as she was not noted in the will.

James and Eleanor Porter’s son, Andrew Porter, my 7th great-grandfather, was born in 1720 in the county of Donegal, Ulster Province, Ireland.  His parents were James Robert Porter and Eleanor Gillespie.  Andrew Porter, our immigrant from Ireland, married Eleanor Ewing who was born in 1721 in the province of Ulster, Ireland and also immigrated to Maryland Colony.  Her parents were Alexander Ewing and Rebeckah.  Alexander and Rebeckah also immigrated to Maryland and Alexander’s will named Andrew Porter as a son-in-law.   Eleanor Ewing and Andrew Porter were married about 1738, I believe in Cecil County of the British Colony of Maryland as Eleanor died before 1740 in Maryland.  It is possible that she died in child birth or a short time after their son Robert Porter was born.  This Robert Porter, born about 1738-39,  became my 6th great-grandfather and fought in the Revolutionary War.   

After his first wife’s death, Andrew then married Margaret Leiper and, by examination of his will, it is found that Andrew and Margaret had a son named James Leiper Porter and 5 daughters named Mary, Margaret, Elizabeth, Elinor and Catherine.  In his will, he also left money to his grandson, Andrew Porter (my 5th great-grandfather), son of his deceased son Robert from his first marriage.

There is an interesting fact about Andrew Porter, the immigrant.   I have a copy of a document granting him land in the county of Wythe, Virginia that was signed by James Monroe in 1798, then Governor of Virginia, and later the fifth President of United States!  The document is difficult to read but Andrew’s name is on it and it is signed by James Monroe!

  This land in Wythe County was later owned by Andrew Porter’s grandson, also named Andrew Porter, who was born 1773 and was my 5th great-grandfather.   Whether this land grant was a bounty for serving in the Revolutionary War is uncertain although Andrew could have served even if he was in his mid-fifties.  Clearly more research is needed to establish if he served.   His son, Robert S. Porter did serve in the Revolutionary War and is a DAR ancestor.  His story is coming in future blogs!    

Andrew Porter died in 1789 in Cecil, Maryland.

Sources:

Wikipeia, County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland.

Will of James Porter, recorded in Cecil county, Maryland: Will Book 3, 1777-1780; pages: 63-68, 78-79.

Will of James Porter, recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Will Book E; Pages: 299-301.

Irish Immigrant Families: Porter, Ewing, Gilliespie; Posted by William Gammon: Ancestry.com.

Will of Andrew Porter, recorded in Cecil County, Maryland; Will Book 5; Pages: 207-210.

 

This week’s prompt for #52Ancestors is “Bachelor Uncle” and as I was searching my records, I remembered a male ancestor that never married.  I remembered him because it seems just about everyone I research did marry.  Some, of course, married more than once.  Because German Baker Ashlin never did marry and was a wounded Confederate soldier is why I became interested in his story.  I don’t know where his first name “German” came from but I figured out his middle name “Baker” was the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, Lucy Baker who married Christopher Ashlin.

German Baker Ashlin was born on 11 October of 1839, the seventh and last child of Chesley Harrison Ashlin and Phoebe Byrd James Ashlin, my third great-grandparents.  German became my third great-uncle.  I found the first record of him on the 1850 census for Smyth County, Virginia where he is 10 years old.  He was nine years younger that his big brother, Columbus Perry Ashlin, my second great-grandfather.  You can read about Chesley, Phoebe and Columbus here: First blog post  By 1860, German was 20 years old, a farmer and had a personal estate value of $125 (About $3800 today).  He was still living with his parents but the Civil War was about to begin and life would change drastically for German.

German enlisted in the 8th Regiment, Company A, Virginia Cavalry for the Confederacy.  Records show this Cavalry unit was formed 1 Jan of 1862 and mustered out 9 Apr 1865.  German entered the service as a Private and attained the rank of Sergeant.   On researching the history of battles of this unit, I found they fought mostly in West Virginia and Virginia with some battles in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.  Some of the more familiar battle places of the very, very many listed included Tazewell County, VA; Mercer County, WV; Pulaski County, VA; Amelia Courthouse; Cumberland Gap, KY; Knoxville, TN; Harper’s Ferry; Lynchburg, VA; Gettysburg, PA on 4 July 1863; Chambersburg, PA; and, Woodstock, VA.  There were so many battles and skirmishes that this cavalry unit were involved in that it was almost mind-boggling!

Beside risking his life for the Confederate cause, he also helped out in another way.  He sold to the cavalry, to which he was attached, corn and hay for the horses.  A copy of the transaction states on January 10, 1864, the Confederate States paid him $86.33 for 21 and 6/7 bushels of corn at $3.95 a bushel and paid $38.55 for 1428 pounds of hay at $2.70 per 100 pounds as forage for 34 horses for three days on picket.  The total bill was $124.88.  Another interesting thing is that the document has German’s signature on it.  He was no doubt paid in Confederate money.

Information from a copy of his original pension application made on June 19, 1899 gives details of German’s service and war injuries.  About the 8th day of October, 1864, he was wounded in a charge on Sheridan’s Cavalry 3 miles east of Woodstock, Virginia.  Considering how many engagements he was in, it is surprising he wasn’t wounded sooner!  He was disabled by a bullet entering his right arm immediately before the shoulder joint and passing out near to his spine on the right side of the spinal column.  It impaired the use of his arm to the extent that he was unable to grasp and use any implements to be used on the farm and he was unable to do but very little manual labor.  In addition, his lungs were damaged to the extent that he could not exercise freely as breathing was labored.  (German did get his pension but he was already 60 years old by that time!)

So what happened after the war?  In 1870, German was only 30 years old and now  disabled but was able to find some work as a farm laborer – farming was in his blood, I guess.  He returned to the area of Smyth County, Virginia where he grew up.  I was happy to see that he did own a farm in the 1880 Agricultural Census and it was a nice sized farm.  The census listed 197 acres tilled, 127 acres laid fallow and 100 acres of woodland and forest.  The farm was valued at $1280 (About $31,500 today).   Something happened to his farm though between then and 1900 as I found him living with his sister, Catherine Ashlin Williams and her husband and family in 1900.  Catherine had married Robert Crow Williams in  1880.  Without a 1890 census, it is hard to know how long German was able to keep his farm.  Did he lose the farm because of his disability or worsening health?

The 1910 Census finds that he still lived with his sister Catherine Williams, who is now a widow as Robert died in 1907.  Catherine’s daughter, Minnie Williams, age 38, lives with them and is listed on the census as “blind” and “deaf and dumb.”  Catherine owns the farm free of mortgage and German, now 70 years old, is listed as a Survivor of the Confederate Army.

German Baker Ashlin never did marry and perhaps his disability caused by war wounds had something to do with it.  One can only speculate on this.  He died on 26 March of 1915 at the age of 75.   The Death Certificate stated that he “Died suddenly, Cause not known” at 5 a.m.   Interesting that the death certificate has his brother Columbus Ashlin and sister-in-law listed as his parents!  It is not known if the informant, H. C. Carson, was a relative or friend but obviously gave the wrong information!.

German was buried in the Ashlin-Wilkinson Family Cemetery in Sugar Grove, Smyth County VA.   A veteran’s plaque and gravestone mark the site.  The more recent picture of the grave stone shows it is now off the pedestal.  The inscription on his grave stone reads “In my father’s house are many mansions.”  Rest in peace, Great-uncle, you earned your mansion!

Sources:

United States Federal Census; Year: 1850; Census Place: District 60, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M432_976; Page: 228A; Image: 457.

United States Federal Census; Year: 1860; Census Place: Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M653_1377; Page: 1050; FHL film: 805377.

National Park Service, U. S. Civil War Soldiers: 1861-1865 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007.

Historical Data Systems, comp. U. S., American Civil War Regiments, 1861-1866 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 1999.

http://www.fold3.com/image/#30451126 (Bill of Sale from The Confederate States to Germain Ashland)

United States Federal Census; Year: 1870; Census Place: St Clair, Smyth, Virginia; Roll: M593_1679; Page: 97A; FHL Film: 553178.

United States Federal Census; Year: 1880; Census Place: St Clair, Smyth, Virginia; Archive Collection Number: T1132; Roll: 29; Page: 693, Line: 3; Schedule Type: Agricultural.

United States Federal Census: Year: 1900; Census Place: Williams, Smyth, Virginia; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0087; FHL film: 1241728.

United States Federal Census; Year: 1910; Census Place: St Clair, Smyth, Virginia; Roll T624_1649; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0093; FHL film: 1375662.

Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia; Virginia Deaths, 1912-2014.

Find A Grave Memorial 110838764, findagrave.com.

This is the first Courthouse in Smyth County, Virginia and, to my surprise, some of my ancestors had a hand in its creation!  I found a lot of the information on this from searching historical societies after I listened to a podcast by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow.  Amy’s podcast gave me the idea to search historical societies and libraries in the areas where I knew my ancestors lived.  It turned out to be a useful tool in my research!

To learn the story of this courthouse, I had to go back to the formation of Smyth County, Virginia in 1832.  The citizens of Wythe and Washington counties petitioned the Virginia legislature in July of 1831 for a new county as they had to travel great distances to court which entailed great hardships for them.  So about one third of Washington County and a portion of Wythe County were finally surveyed and formed into a new county on February 23, 1832 named after General Alexander Smyth, a famed general of the War of 1812.

A Commission of five citizens was appointed to select a proper site for the county seat.  According to the “Smyth County History” (p. 78), ”  This Commission spent a night with Mr. Thomas Thomas  (1766-1838), my 5th great-grandfather, on the South Fork, where a discussion arose concerning a name for the new county seat.  Mrs. Freelove Cole Thomas, their hostess, opined that it would be fitting to name it in honor of Gen. Francis Marion, which was done.”  So my 5th great-grandmother named the town to become the county seat and site of the new courthouse!

George T Lansdown was one of four men appointed by the governor to see about building a courthouse and jail.  They took reported bids and plans for the construction.  George T Lansdown was married to my 5th great-aunt, Virginia Anna Thomas.  She was one of the daughters of Thomas Thomas and Freelove Cole.

Governor John Floyd commissioned fifteen justices of the peace to make up the county court.  However, the courthouse was not a reality yet so it was decided that the county court would be assembled at the house of John Thomas (1798-1837) at Royal Oak.  This John Thomas was the son of Thomas Thomas and Freelove Cole and my 5th great-uncle.  So the court was organized and set in motion.  The first circuit and superior courts of law and chancery were held at John Thomas’s house for two years until the courthouse was finally built and finished in 1834.

When I read the list of justices in the first court for Smyth County, I was surprised to find one of them was William Porter (1798-1867), my fourth great-grandfather!  William Porter married Mary Polly Thomas, daughter of Thomas Thomas and Freelove Cole.   Another interesting anecdote I found is that the elected Clerk of Courts, Robert Beattie, had a tavern in which he at times entertained President Andrew Jackson!  It is not unlikely that my ancestors may have been acquainted with Andrew Jackson!  William Porter was also one of the justices of the first grand jury and as the first act, they presented indictments against seven individuals, all for assaults!

“From this record and many others it appears that fighting was a favorite pastime in the early years of Smyth.  In fact, the great majority of indictments brought into court were for assaults, gaming and violation of liquor laws.” (Smyth County History, p. 85)

More than court procedures had to be decided in the new Smyth County.  The care of the poor had to be considered and the county was divided into 2 districts for this purpose.  The first election in Smyth County was to choose three overseers of the poor in each district.  William Porter, my ancestor, was among those elected.  The sheriff collected eighteen and three-fourths cents off every tithable in the county as the poor rate fixed by the overseers of the poor. ( How do you get three-fourths of a cent?)  Eighty-two acres were purchased for the poor farm in 1836.  Two other collateral ancestors were also active in the formation of the poor farm, James Cole and Joseph Atkins.

I learned a lot by exploring historical societies and library sites for Smyth County and Virginia as well as other resources.  To find out that some of my ancestors were involved in forming Smyth County, its courts and the poor farm gave me a new perspective of them.  They were willing to contribute to and become involved in the community where they lived and were leaders in the community.   This was the first time I came across the existence of a poor farm in this time period.  It is reassuring to know that people took care of others less fortunate all through history!  I am glad my ancestors were involved in helping others and, so far as I have found, none of them were brought to court for assault or other violations!

Sources:

Wilson, Goodridge, Smyth County, history and traditions.  Kinsgport, Tenn.: Kinsport Press, 1932.

Library of Virginia: http://www.lva.virginia.gov

http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections.

Smyth County Historical and Museum Society in Marion, Virginia.

 

 

This week on #52 Ancestors, the prompt is Family Photo.  Last week I wrote about Thomas Thomas and Freelove Cole, my 4th great-grandparents, and Abijah Thomas is their youngest son.  That would make him my great-uncle, four times removed   I cannot find a picture of Thomas Thomas, my great-grandfather, but finding a picture of one of his sons was pretty special.  You can read Thomas and Freelove’s story here: Searching for “FREELOVE” Perhaps Abijah looked a bit like his father Thomas.   I found Abijah’s story to be quite interesting and touching as he started with little and became a wealthy antebellum entrepreneur  who eventually went bankrupt and died penniless because of the Civil War.   It is a sort of “rags to riches and back to rags” story.  One of the interesting things about him was the famous Octagon House he built that still stands today!   But first let me get into Abijah’s story!

Abijah was born on May 21, 1914 on the South Fork of the Holston River, Smyth County, Virginia and was named after his father’s brother, Abijah.  He married Priscilla Cavinette Scott on June 2, 1836 and they had twelve children together.  He acquired a plantation of 400 acres and slowly began to accumulate numerous other land holdings in the thousands of acres.   He was a slave holder also as was the norm for huge plantation owners of the south.

Abijah is written up in Smyth County History (p. 180)  as ” a man of rare vision and enterprise, (he) was the foremost industrialist of Smyth County before the Civil War.  His developments of the iron industry in mines, furnaces, and foundries along the South Fork and on Staley’s Creek, made him a wealthy man for his day, and if the Civil War had not destroyed these properties and involved him heavily he would in all probability have amassed one of the great fortunes of the state, and have set his county fifty years ahead in industrial development.”

Abijah established the Holston Woolen Mills on the Holston River that was all water powered.  A town of Holston Mills grew up around it with saw mills, a shirt factory, stores, boarding houses, post office, schools and many homes.

Other industries that Abijah established included  a pig iron furnace, a tannery and a cotton mill.  All four industries spurred the growth of the county and state of  Virginia.

Abijah wanted a unique home – something representative of his progressive ideas, wealth and his social status.  He met Mr. Orson Fowler who wrote a book “The Octagon House: A Home for All” in 1848.  Mr. Fowler claimed an Octagon House would be inexpensive, give excellent views from all sides and allowed for good ventilation.  Abijah was sold and had a beautiful Octagon House built of 17 rooms, 10 closets and a storage room.  The exterior walls were made of brick which were made by the slaves on the property.   The interior featured rare painted ashlar upon plaster wall, marbleizing and  stenciling.

The house was completed in 1857 for Abijah on his property of 400 acres and was assessed at being worth $5,000 in 1857.  Here are pictures of the original floor plans.

                   

Unfortunately, this is what the grand old house looks like today.  The Thomas Family lost its fortune during the Civil War and the mansion was sold.  The last time it was lived in was the 1940’s and it has been neglected and has badly deteriorated over the years.

Here’s the good news – Abijah’s Octagon House, which is on Thomas Bridge Road, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and the Virginia Landmarks Register.  The Octagon House Foundation, which has a Facebook page in case you wish to learn more or donate, plans to restore the historic home of Abijah.  Their vision of a completed restoration is as below.

In coming years, the Octagon House will be restored to its former grandeur and give visitors insight into the life of the Thomas family with tours and presentations.

Mack Howard Sturgill wrote a book “Abijah Thomas and his Octagonal House, which tells the story of the Thomas Family including John Thomas, Thomas Thomas, Freelove Cole and, of course, Abijah Thomas.  Copies of the book are rare and may be found in Historical Societies.  I am still trying to borrow a copy.

 

Abijah Thomas  and Priscilla’s children were: Charles Benton Thomas, born 1837; Virginia Ann Thomas (1839-1917); Eliza Hamilton Thomas (1841-1865); Thomas Jefferson Thomas (1843-1906); Missouri Freelove Thomas born 1846; Asenath Wilder Thomas born 1848; Mitchell Wood Thomas born 1850; Martha Elizabeth Thomas born 1852; Mary Ellen Thomas (1854-1891); Abijah Preston Thomas born 1857; Montgomery Thomas (1860-1862); Priscilla Cavinette Thomas born 1864.

Abijah Thomas died December 1, 1876 and Priscilla, his wife, died in December of 1885. They were buried on a hill above their beloved Octagon House and elaborate tombstones were erected to mark their graves.   Rest in Peace Abijah and Priscilla!

Sources:

Ancestry.com. Smyth County, history and traditions [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005. (pages: 180,321-322)  Original Data: Wilson, Goodridge, Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Press, 1932.

Washington County, Virginia Probate Record Book, 10.  Pages 37 to 39.

Google Images related to Abijah Thomas and the Octagon House.

Southwest Virginia Today: https://www.swvatoday.com/image.

Sturgill, Mack Howard (1990); Abijah Thomas & His Octagonal House, Published by M. H. Sturgill.

http://www.smythoctagonhouse.org/about.html

Wikipedia: Abijah Thomas House.

 

 

 

 

 

This week on #52Ancestors celebrates Valentine’s day!  Hmm – Searching for Freelove sounds like something from the 60’s and the Hippie movement!  However, this week, I actually found an ancestor whose name is Freelove Cole – Freelove Mason Cole Thomas to be exact! 

Freelove was my fifth Great-grandmother!  Freelove Mason  Cole was born on Christmas Eve, December 24 of 1773 in Ulster, Ulster, New York – then the Colony of New York in British Colonial America.  This was before the American Revolutionary War.  As a matter of fact, Freelove was the daughter of Captain Joseph Cole, III, who fought in the Battle of King’s Mountain in the Revolutionary War.  He was born in 1750 and died in 1826 so we know he survived the war.

Capt. Joseph Cole III married Remember Cole – another unusual name – “Remember” – not easy to forget that name (sorry for the pun!).   Remember’s maiden name was also Cole as she was the daughter of Israel Cole and Remember Burgess ( so that is where the name “Remember” came from!).  Capt. Joseph Cole III was the son of Joseph Cole Jr and Freelove Mason.  Now we know where the name “Freelove” came from also!   More on these ancestors from the Massachusetts Colony later.

Back to Freelove Mason Cole, my fifth great-grandmother, who was born in Ulster County, New York Colony.  Her mother, Remember Cole was born in 1751 but died in 1776 at about age 25.  Her father remarried twice after Remember’s death and he lived to 1826.  Freelove  married Thomas Thomas – his actual name was Thomas Jefferson Thomas– on 5 April of 1791 in Washington County, Virginia (I love all these names!).  At the time of marriage, Freelove was 17 and Thomas was 24.   Thomas Thomas was born December 6, 1766 in Southampton County, Virginia  and was the son of John Thomas and Mary Robinette.  

John Thomas left a will leaving land on the south fork of the Holston River in Virginia to his sons Thomas and Abijah.  At this time, the land was in Washington County but part of this county and Wythe County became Smyth County in 1832. Also, in 1821, John Thomas granted a “bargain Sale” of land for one dollar to Thomas Thomas  that was a second parcel of land on the south and north sides of the Holston River containing 315 acres.  This was land that John Thomas received as bounty land from the Commonwealth of Virginia and he sold it cheaply to his son ” in consideration of the natural love & affection” which he had for Thomas.

Freelove’s father, Joseph Cole, was a pioneer settler on Sinclair’s Bottom in Washington (now Smyth) County.  There is a deed from Joseph Cole (Freelove’s father) to Thomas Thomas, dated January 16, 1782, and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of Washington County for 150 pounds of current money, conveyed a tract of land described as follows: ” One certain tract or parcel of land containing 400 acres, be the same more or less, being the same that the said Joseph Cole purchased of Henry Bowen, being and lying in Washington County on the waters of the South Fork of Holston River.”  This part of Washington County became Smyth County in 1832.   This accumulation of so much land seems to be why the Thomas Thomas family came  to settle in Smyth County of southwest Virginia coming from Southampton County in southeast Virginia.

The Thomas family was closely associated with the founding of the town of Marion in Smyth County (Presently the city of Marion).  When Smyth County was being formed, there was a controversy over choosing a county seat.  According to Smyth County History ( p. 78), “This commission spent a night with Mr. Thomas Thomas, on the South Fork (of the Holston River), where a discussion arose concerning a name for the new county seat.  Mrs. Freelove Cole Thomas, their hostess, opined that it would be fitting to name it in honor of Gen. Francis Marion, which was done.”  Now that is interesting that one of my ancestors actually named a town that became the county seat of Smyth County, Virginia!  General Francis Marion served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and in the French and Indian Wars.  He was known as the “Swamp Fox” because of his style of warfare.

Freelove and Thomas Thomas had 10 known children and their daughter, Mary Polly Thomas, married William Porter in 1819.  Mary Polly Thomas Porter, known as Aunt Polly, lived to be 97 years of age.  She and William Porter are my fourth great-grandparents.   Other children of Thomas and Freelove included Remember Ann , Martha , Joseph , John, James, Anna, David, Sarah and Abijah.  William Porter and Mary Polly Thomas had four known children, one of whom was Susannah J Porter, my third great-grandmother.  Susannah married Thompson B James and they were parents of my second great-grandmother, Mary Ann James Ashlin. (See blog March 2018-“Portrait of a Strong Woman” for Susannah’s story)

One of the sons of Thomas Thomas and Freelove Cole was Abijah Thomas, named after Thomas’ brother, who was quite interesting and was named as a “man of rare vision and enterprise” in the Smyth County History.   See next week’s blog for his story and pictures!  Abijah was the youngest son and was born on the South Fork in the same house in which Mrs. Freelove Cole Thomas gave Marion its name.  Abijah built a large octagonal house that still stands on a beautiful location near Thomas’ Bridge and he died there on December 1, 1876.

Thomas Jefferson Thomas died on 22 May of 1838 in Adwolfe, Smyth County, Virginia at the age of 71.  According to the 1840 census, Thomas owned about 14 slaves at that time.  His wife, Freelove Cole Thomas died ten years late on 22 March 1848.  They were buried side by side in the Thomas Cemetery in Marion, Smyth County.

Sources:

Ancestry.com. Smyth County, history and traditions [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry,com Operations Inc, 2005; pages; 78, 181, 320-322.   Original data: Wilson, Goodridge, Smyth County, history and traditions. Kingsport, Tenn: Kingsport Press, 1932.

Washington County, Virginia, Deed Book No. 1, page 239.

Find A Grave; Findagrave.com; Memorials 59080417, Thomas Thomas and 59080548,

Freelove Cole Thomas.Thomas, Freelove, Dest. March 22, 1848; listed in A New List of the Surviving Members of the St. Clair’s Bottom Church, April 9, 1831.

Relationship Document of Thomas Thomas to his father, South Fork of the Holstonn River by John Thomas, Washington County, Virginia, Deed Book No. 7, Pages 157-158.

United States Federal Census; Year: 1830; Census Place: Washington County, Virginia; Series: M19; Roll: 200; Page: 292; FHL Film: 0029679.

United States Federal Census; Year: 1840; Census Place: Smyth, Virginia; Page: 408; FHL Film: 0029692.

AGBI; Genealogy of the Sampson Mason fam. Part 1; by Alverdo Hayward Mason; East Braintree, MS, 1902 (V. 1): 47,94.

Yates Publishing; U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA; Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2004

Annals of Southwest Virginia; 1769-1800 for Thomas; Ancestry.com

 

 

This week’s prompt or #52 Ancestors is “Surprise.”  I was researching in a new site that I found this week.  Last week’s prompt was about libraries and I did some searching and found a new library resource that could be very helpful!  It was the Jones Memorial Library in Lynchburg, Virginia.  This library specializes in genealogy and local history of Virginia – mostly central Virginia.  Since my father and his mother were both born in Lynchburg and many of my ancestors lived in the city and surrounding area of Lynchburg, I knew this would really be worth checking out!  Some of the collections the Jones Memorial Library has includes, county histories and court records, family histories and genealogies, land and property tax records and census records.  If your ancestry searches take you to Virginia, this is really worth checking out!

I found some surprising discoveries on this site and will write about a few.

My great- grandparents, William Domman Swanson and Cora Virginia Phillips Swanson, lived in Lynchburg City, Virginia as well as many other relatives.

My great-grandfather, William Swanson was a fireman employed by the City of Lynchburg from 1909 to 1926.  (See blog “A Fireman’s Story: My great-grandfather”, posted January 2018, for his story A Fireman’s Story: My great-grandfather).  I knew that he was killed in the line of duty on September 28, 1926.  He lived about a block from the fire station and had a gong in his home that would go off when ever a fire alarm came in to the station.  On this site, I actually found an article about how all the firemen had gongs in their homes when working for the City of Lynchburg in the early 1900s.  William just had to jump into his gear and wait outside to catch the fire wagon as it passed his house.

On the night of the 28th of September, the gong sounded at supper time and William got on his gear and ran outside to await the fire truck.  However, it was dark, rainy and the vehicle lights were blinding.  He went into the street to wave down one of the fire trucks but, unusually,  the fire chief’s car sped ahead of the fire wagon and didn’t see William and struck him.  The force of the impact was evidenced by the fact that the radiator of the car was crushed in and one of the head lights knocked off.  William was rushed to the Lynchburg Hospital in critical condition with a broken leg, broken ribs and internal injuries.  He passed away about 5 hours later.  This was a tragic story!

I found a map of Lynchburg in the 1920’s on the Jones Memorial Library site that shows the corner of Pearl Street and Main Street where my great-grandfather was hit.  I also know he lived on 408 Pearl Street.

I also found a picture of the Lynchburg Firefighter’s Memorial Statue and Fountain that was dedicated to fallen firefighters.  One of the names on the plaque is my great-grandfather, William D Swanson.   This is definitely on my “want to visit” list!

This was an exciting find and more was to come.  When researching surnames, I entered “Phillips” and it came up with a picture of a home in Lynchburg on Federal Street in the 1930s that belonged to O. S. Phillips.  I knew right away that was the home of Oscar Stephen Phillips who married, Pearl Mae Swanson, the daughter of William D Swanson and Cora Virginia Phillips Swanson, my great-grandparents.  Sure enough, after checking census records, I saw that Oscar and Pearl did indeed live at 56 Federal Street in Lynchburg at that time!

Actually, Cora Virginia Phillips was the daughter of another Oscar Phillips – Oscar Fitzallen Phillips, my 2nd great-grandfather.  The two Oscars were cousins.   When checking my family records, I discovered that Cora Phillips Swanson never remarried after William’s untimely death and she actually passed away in this house at 56 Federal Street on 26 April of 1945.  She was living with her daughter and son-in-law at the time.

 

 

 

I discovered even more!  Here is a picture of the Box Factory that my grandmother, Cammie L Swanson, daughter of William and Cora, worked in when she was 17 in 1910!

Some days researching genealogy are not always productive but sometimes you can hit a bonus — Thanks to Jones Memorial Library!  I’ll be back!