John Hart (1797-1864) and his brother, Stephen A. Hart of Red Wing, Minnesota

Stephen A. Hart
courtesy of D. Evans

     So, after having reviewed the documents I have pertaining to my two times great grandfather, John Hart, the publications, the census data, the land records, and the probate records, the only other pieces of evidence I have not mentioned are his headstone, which I have shared elsewhere in this blog, and the civil war record of my great grandfather, Melvin Hart, which lists his parents when he enlisted in the Civil War. I have one more roundabout way left of connecting John with his father Stephen, which would help me claim Jeremiah Hart as a Revolutionary War patiot ancestor. I believe that if I could create a link between John and one of his siblings who have a strong link to their father Stephen, then I could perhaps strengthen my case. Here is the one chain of connection through records that I have found.

     John and his children were not the only members of the Hart family who removed to Minnesota, as we have discussed. His uncle Philip Hart and his brother Stephen A. Hart went to Goodhue County. I have previously blogged about the latter.: Stephen A. Hart: The Singing Surveyor of Goodhue County, Minnesota (Since then, I have been the happy recipient of a photo of him from another descendant of Jeremiah Hart, which I share above). The one connection I found between Stephen A. and John's family is a newspaper article stating that Stephen died in home of Gilbert Samuel Chase, the husband of John's daughter Chloe (The Faribault Republican, Feburary 27, 1895). (It must be remembered that Stephen Junior was perhaps the youngest child in his family, having been born in 1818, and was therefore close in age to his niece, Chloe, who was born in 1821). This strongly suggests, but does not prove, a family connection. A brick is not a wall, but several bricks help make a wall. The Hart Genealogy explicitly states that Stephen Senior had a son Stephen Junior who lived in Red Wing, Minnesota. This is the clearest statement of the connection I have found. There are, however, other documents which connect Stephen with his siblings in New York, siblings whose obituaries and other documents clearly show that they are the sons of the elder Stephen. These are George and Alvin Hart.

     Stephen Jr. travelled back to visit family in New York at least three times in his life. There are newspaper articles showing that he visited with family in 1868, 1889, and 1893. The article which is the strongest evidence for his connection with the family of Stephen Sr. is from The Watertown Daily Times, dated March 8, 1889, which connects him with his brother, George:

     I plan to keep looking for other documentary evidence of John Hart's relationship with his father Stephen Hart. For example, I have yet to obtain the Civil War Pension Files for John's sons James and Joel. This is a longshot that there may be something in one of those files, and it is costly to order them. If you, gentle reader, are in possession of one of these files, and are willing to peruse them for this evidence, you would have my gratitude. I think may be worthwhile to go ahead and prepare a written case for their connection based on what I have. I will keep you informed if I am able to prove the connection between John Hart and his father to the D.A.R.'s satisfaction.

John Hart (1797-1864) in Probate Records

Image from a receipt in John Hart's Probate File o Ancestry

 It was a great day when Ancestry added millions of U.S. Probate records to their collections, as one of these records pertained to my two times great grandfather, John Hart. As you will recall, records regarding him are not easy to find, so this discovery was very welcome. He died intestate in 1864, but his probate file was rich with information, including a list of each of his living children and where they were residing at the time of the proceeding. Unfortunately, there was nothing to connect him with his father Stephen or any of his siblings. This was not to be expected, however. Sadly, I still have yet to find a probate record for Stephen, or an obituary.

     The only other time John appeared in a probate record that I have found was that of his wife's uncle, Stephen W. Wright, who died without having produced any children of his own. Therefore, all his living siblings, nieces, and nephews were named in his will. Although Stephen Wright's will was of little help in connecting John and his father, it turned out to be instrumental in my proving my descent from his father, Charles Wright, my Revolutionary War patriot.

     John's probate file records the steps of his widow, Sarah (a.k.a. Sally), to legally obtain the right to administer his estate. The documents state that John died at this home in the town of Forest in Rice County, Minnesota on October 26, 1864. It is also stated that he left an estate valuing no more than $1100.00, with no real estate, and that he was leaving no debts. Among his living children listed, only three are living in Forest with him and his wife, these being his sons Joel and Melvin, and his daughter Hester. Also included in the file is a copy of the notice placed in the Central Republican newspaper, of Faribault, Rice County, Minnesota, the venue of the legal proceedings. This is the only newspaper article I have ever found in which John is named:

from Ancestry

John Hart (1797-1864) Land Transactions

   

John Hart land purchase, found on Family Search

     While in pursuit of documentary evidence connecting John Hart to his father, Stephen Hart, to 

prove my descent from Jeremiah Hart, my patriot ancestor, so that I could join the D.A.R., I looked into land records on Family Search. This was with the help of Lil Heselton, the Registrar of my D.A.R. Chapter, who logged many hours in pursuit of such a record on my behalf. We were able to find four land transactions involving John and his wife, Sarah (a.k.a. Sally), all in the state of New York. None of them involved Stephen, however, to my disappointment. We were able to find records showing Stephen transferring lands to other of his sons, including John's brother Richard.

     The first record was dated March 19, 1829, in which John purchased fifty acres of land in the town of Pinckney from the estate of William Henderson for the price of $150.00. This was said to be a portion of Lot 32. (There is also a record dated six days later showing his brother Richard purchasing land from his father Stephen).

     John then sells fifty acres of land in Pinckney on April 18, 1844, fifteen years later, for the sum of $500.00. He is living in the town of Rodman at the time, which is about ten miles away from Pinckney. Subsequently, on September 26, 1844, he buys fifty acres of land in Hermon, St. Lawrence county for $378.00 The 1850 U.S. Census shows him living in Hermon, .with the value of his real estate being $500.00. On October 19, 1858 he sells his land for $1000.00, more than doubling his initial investment.

     Another land transaction could not be found, but on the 1860 Census he is back living in Pinckney with the value of his real estate being $250.00, and his personal estate being $951.00. Of course, by 1864, the year of his death, he has relocated to Rice County, Minnesota.

     I have not been able to find any evidence of John having purchased land or homesteaded in Minnesota. As his wife appears in the Minnesota Censuses living with their children, first with son Joel, and then with daughter Delilah, he may also have been living with Joel during his time there.

John Hart (1797-1864): His Life in the Census

   

from Ancestry

     As promised, let's explore together John Hart's appearances in the U.S. Censuses. Fortunately, he appears in every possible U.S. Census from 1800 to 1860. Unfortunately, in the one New York State Census, that of 1855, he cannot be found because the census pages from the area of St. Lawrence county were he was living at the time are not available.

     John first appears in the 1800 Census, not as a name but as a number, since the first U.S. Censuses only named the head of household and just counted the rest according to age group and gender. We find him in the household of his father, Stephen Hart, in Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York. As John was born in 1797, he would have been about three years old at the time, and is included as one of two males under the age of ten, the other presumably being his brother Richard, who would have been about one year old.

     Similarly, in 1810, after Stephen has taken the family to Lewis County, New York, John would be one of the boys who are in the household aged 10 to 15. Again he shows up in Stephen's household in 1820 now as one of the two males who are from 16 to 25.

     By 1830, John is the head of his own household in Pinckney, New York, as he has married Sally (Sarah) Wright Merriam in 1820, and started his family. He is the one male between 20 and 29 despite being about 33 years old. His wife is listed as also being between 20 and 29, despite being about 34 years old. (This is odd). Four of his five daughters born by 1830 listed in the family Bible page from Melvin Hart's Civil War pension file are accounted for (two females under five, likely Alvira and Delilah, and two females from five to nine, likely Chloe and Lovina). The other daughter, Aldula, born in 1823, and thought to have died as a child, is likely the one not listed, as all of the other daughters lived to adulthood. There is an additional male between the ages of 10 and 14, who may have been a nephew of the couple, or one of John's youngest three brothers.

     The 1840 Census shows John still living in Pinckney, and all the children thought to be living at that time are accounted for, as his wife, in the numbers. The only anomaly is that there is a daughter listed as being between five and nine, and it seems that this is meant to be Delilah, despite her being about eleven at the time. This time, both John and Sarah are in the correct age ranges (40 to 49).

By the time of 1850 Census, which is the first U.S. Census in which all of the household members are named, John and his family are now living in the town of Hermon in St. Lawrence County. John is a 53 year old farmer born in New York, and his wife is 53 and born in Connecticut. Four of their children are living with them: James 16 (a laborer), Phebe 14, Hester Ann 11, and Melvin 7. All four children have attended school in the past year, and all were born in New York.

     In the 1860 Census, the last in which John appears, he is back living in Pinckney, New York with his wife “Sarah” and his youngest daughter, “Hester A. Main”. Hester has married Samuel Main within the previous year, and is a 21 year old “domestic”, born in New York. John is a 63 year old farmer, also born in New York. The value of his “real estate” is $250.00, and his “personal estate” is valued at $931.00. His wife is a “housewife” born in Connecticut. 

     Although John dies in 1864 in Minnesota, his wife Sarah appears twice more in censuses. First, she appears in the 1865 Minnesota State Census, where she is living in Forest, Rice County, Minnesota, with her son, Melvin, in the household of her son, Joel, who is married and has two children. Finally, she appears in the 1870 U.S. Census living in Walcott, Rice County, Minnesota, with her daughter Delilah Glazier and her family. Sarah is a 74-year-old  “retired housekeeper” born in Connecticut.

    So that it is clear that I am not mistaking my John Hart with another John Hart who also lived in Lewis County, I checked through the Census data on Ancestry, and found a few others who lived in Lewis County from 1840 to 1915. None of them could be mistaken for my John as their birthdates ranged from 1823 to 1847.

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John Hart (1797-1864) in Published Genealogies

    

from Wikipedia Commons

     One thing I have not shared with you yet is that I was successful in becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution a few years back. My hope was to prove my descent from Jeremiah Hart of Stillwater, Saratoga, New York, as we share the same last name, but could not. This was because I could not prove to the D.A.R.'s satisfaction that my two times great grandfather John Hart was the son of Stephen Hart, the son of Jeremiah. Instead, I was allowed to switch patriots, and then easily proved my descent from Charles Wright, one of my favourite ancestors. Nevertheless, I am determined to prove my descent from Jeremiah as a “supplemental” patriot ancestor, particularly as he is a proven Mayflower descendant, and I may some day want to join the Mayflower Society. Also, I like a challenge.

     I thought I might use my blog as a way to examine the evidence, and perhaps find more in the process. I am aware that some of my distant cousins out there are also trying to prove their descent from Jeremiah for similar reasons. The cousins I have heard from are often also “stuck” in proving the link in one generation. I hope that by sharing my process I may also help them. In this post, I will look at the books and articles in which John has appeared. These include four genealogies, and one article in an anthology. In future posts, I hope to look at John as he appeared in the U.S. Census, land records, probate records, a family Bible, records pertaining to his children, and his tombstone. I will also look at how the records involving other family members, including newspapers, may help. (Please refer to my previous blogposts on John Hart for additional information about him).

     DNA on Ancestry is already pointing the way as my siblings and I are matching with other putative descendants of Stephen Hart, (and of John and Jeremiah for that matter), but as yet this type of documentation is not accepted by the D.A.R. To utilize DNA, I would have to prepare a proof using the Y DNA of my brother, and that of a proven descendant of Stephen or Jeremiah. (Note: if you are out there and are willing to participate, please let me know. You would need to be a male descendant on a purely paternal line, and would likely also share the surname Hart).

     In Genealogical History of Samuel Hartt from London, England, to Lynn, Mass., 1640 and Descendants, to 1903 in the section on Stephen Hart, John is listed as a child of his, and all that is said about him is that he was “a farmer in New York”. I remember being quite excited about my discovery of this book, as it was the first and only document I have ever found linking Jeremiah to Stephen and also to John. I thought that this was my “smoking gun”. John is also mentioned in the Merriam Genealogy in England and America as being the spouse of Sally Wright Merriam, “b. Aug. 12, 1796”, and that they removed to “Minnesota”.

     In addition, I gratefully received an article from the Lewis County Historical Society, entitled Pinckney Corners—Its Settlement, Settlers, Where They Made Their Homes—Recollections by L.F. Wright. It was stated to be originally from the “May 1890, issue of the Copenhagen Visitor”. The article was published in the book, Copenhagen, New York: An American Bicentennial History. There is quite a bit about Stephen Hart in the article, including a list of his children. John is the first mentioned.

     John is also mentioned in The Kelloggs in the Old World and the New, as the father of Hester Ann Hart, who married Austin Jabez Kellogg. According to the author, John was on May 11, 1797, and his wife, "Sarah Merriam", was born August 12, 1796. Both John and Sarah are said to have resided in "Faribault".

     Finally, I was fortunate enough to find another more recent genealogy via Family Search, William and Isabella Masson Campbell of Hastings County, Ontario, their ancestors and descendants, which includes a section on my great grandfather, Melvin Hart, and which includes mention of his father John. It appears that their source was a likely a Hart family member most likely from the Kells family. (Note: if you or someone close to you was the source, I would love to hear from you). It states, “John Hart was born in Stillwater, N.Y., 11 May 1797. He married, 3 Nov. 1820, Sarah Marriam, b. 12 Aug. 1796”. It then goes on to list their children, a list which is identical to the one quoted in Melvin's Civil War Pension File, whose origin is stated to be a family Bible created by copying one in the possession of one of his sisters. I am thinking that the other information given in Masson Campbell book, particularly the marriage date, which I could find nowhere else, may also have come from a family Bible, possibly Melvin's own. If you own this Bible, or a similar one, and are willing to share the pertinent pages with me, you will make my year.

Regarding the Parentage of Abigail Pearsall

from History of Saratoga County, New York

Many genealogical researchers, including me, have struggled in vain to find the parents of Abigail Pearsall, the wife of Jeremiah Hart. However, I think I may have come closer to a solution using family trees and DNA.

We have a limited amount of information about Abigail, most of which comes from county histories, lineage books, and her tombstone. From the latter we know that she died on February 3, 1848 in her “77^th year”, which places her birth date at about 1748.

We do not know for sure where she and Jeremiah were married, or where she was born. Therefore, I decided to look at the Pearsall families in Dutchess county, New York, where Jeremiah lived after leaving Rhode Island, and the Pearsalls in Saratoga county, New York, where we know they lived as a married couple. I created separate trees on Ancestry for the Pearsalls of Dutchess county, and the Pearsalls I found in Saratoga county. In the process, I found that some of the same families had lived in both counties. After having my DNA tested through Ancestry, I identified people who matched with me who also had the name Pearsall in their lineages. I felt that this was a reasonable avenue of research since I was also matching with people on Ancestry whose more recent common ancestor with me was Jeremiah himself, as well as some of the three Richard Harts who preceded him. I therefore thought that it would follow that I might have some matches showing up who descended from Abigail's forebears.

I then created a “Pearsall DNA” tree based on the trees of my “Pearsall” matches. There were several, and they keep showing up to this day. Most of them show descent from the couple, Nathaniel Pearsall and Sarah Todd, some of whose children also resided in Saratoga County at the time Jeremiah and Abigail were living there. These are Sarah, (m. Samuel Sering), and George, both of whom resided in Greenfield, twenty miles away from the Hart homestead in Stillwater. There are books which name the children of Nathaniel and Sarah, but none of them mention Abigail. However, I have often seen such pedigrees which omit some of the children, very often female. Looking at the birth dates of the Pearsall children, Abigail could easily have been born between Hannah (b. 1743), and Mary (b. 1749). In any case, I have yet to find any document linking Abigail and her immediate family to her purported siblings, but I continue to look, particularly in newspapers.

I have decided to consider this DNA evidence as being strong, and have taken the liberty of assigning Nathaniel Pearsall and Sarah Todd to Abigail as her parents on my main tree on Ancestry, “A Hart Family Tree”. If you are one of Abigail and Jeremiah's descendants, and you also have a tree on Ancestry and DNA matches, I invite you to repeat my experiment. I would be very interested in hearing about your results.

Theodorus Hart and his "Irish" Origins

Theodorus Hart from Simon Lobdell--1746 of Milford Conn.

With so much family history being available on line, we may tend to forget that previous generations had a much greater challenge piecing together their family trees, despite their being closer in time to our ancestors. Access to records was much more difficult for them, and it is likely that they relied more extensively on family stories. Because of this, it pays to be wary of what they had to say about their forebears.

A case in point is that of Theodorus Hart, (a.k.a. Theodore), the publisher of the Pittston Gazette in Pennsylvania. He lived in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and is responsible for many a wild goose chase on behalf of our mutual ancestor, and Revolutionary War patriot, Jeremiah Hart. I believe it is important to help set the record straight about Theodorus's mistaken notions about Jeremiah's origins.

It appears that Theodorus was the source for the sections in Irish Pedigrees: Or, the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation Vol. 1 by John O'Hart, and The Irish and the Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry, When Cromwell came to Ireland: Or, a Supplement to Irish Pedigrees, by the same author,

which both deal with Jeremiah Hart and his descendants. This is because both works, in their discussions of Jeremiah's descendants, focus on Theodorus. O'Hart writes, "There is yet another branch of the 'Hart' family located in Pittston, Pennsylvania, which we cannot connect with any of the foregoing families, but which, judging by its coat of arms, is, in our opinion, a branch of our own family. We can trace the descent of that branch only from Jeremiah Hart, who when a young man lived in Duchess County, State of New York; removed to Saratoga County in said state, there married, owned a large farm, and lived and died". There follows a description of the lineage ending with Theodorus.

In addition, Theodorus's obituary in his own newspaper enlarges upon the same story. He appears to believe that Jeremiah and his brothers came from Ireland, which we now know is not the case. The records show that Jeremiah was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and was descended from a line of Harts, with the first Hart in America being Nicholas, the merchant of Taunton. It is however, possible, that Nicholas, who very much appears to have been born in England, may have been of Irish descent at some point.

Theodorus, born September 10, 1847 in Athens, Pennsylvania, was descended from Jeremiah Hart's son Philip, who lived in New York, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Theodorus died of “muscular rheumatism” on April 13, 1901. His obituary in the Pittston Gazette, dated the day of his passing, (and may therefore have been partially written by Theodorus himself), states: "The blood of sturdy, patriotic Irish stock flowed in his veins. Three brothers of the O'Harts (as the family name was originally written) immigrated from the region of Dublin to America close to half a century previous to the outbreak of the Revolution. One of the brothers finally settled in the vicinity of Saratoga, N.Y. It was from this branch of the family that the subject of our sketch was descended, and it is a sufficient explanation of his patriotic instincts to say that his great grandfather on both sides fought in the War of the Revolution, and that his grandfather, again on both sides, served against the Mother Country in the War of 1812".

Theodorus also seems to be the source of possible misinformation about Jeremiah Hart's wife, Abigail Pearsall. Both of the O'Hart books state that Jeremiah married “Abigail Purcell (nee Macomber)". However, O'Hart makes a correction in the Irish Landed Gentry book, "At p. 86, No. 1 read: 1. Jeremiah Hart, of Saratoga County, state of New York, b. circa 1850; married Abigail (Macomber) Purcell instead of Abigail Purcell nee Macomber".

I have yet to find any sign of the name “Macomber” being associated with Abigail anywhere else. However, Jeremiah's sisters Hannah and Susannah both married Macombers, and so there may be a connection between Abigail and the Macombers of which we are not yet aware. I hope to write more about Abigail's more likely parentage in a future blogpost.

Bosomworths Nearly Shipwrecked 1853

Robert T. Bosomworth, courtesy of
Sarah Schorfheide Erwin

Since writing my piece on Robert T. Bosomworth and his family, I have discovered further information about their lives in England, and about the circumstances of their voyage to America. As I previously stated, four generations of the family travelled together. Robert came with his wife, most of his children, his grandchildren, his father George, and his brother John and his wife. In addition, his niece Amelia, daughter of his sister Hannah, accompanied them.

According to a profile of William Bosomworth, Robert's son, in Portrait and Biographical Record of Madison County, Illinois, the ship on which they originally sailed “sprang a leak” and they were “nearly shipwrecked”. They were “obliged to return to Liverpool”. From there, they boarded the ship the “George Washington”, and after a voyage of roughly thirty-five days, which was the average on a sailing ship, arrived in America “the day before Christmas”. The incoming passenger list is available on Ancestry.ca, which shows them arriving on December 19, 1853. The total length of the family's journey is described as being “eleven weeks”, which likely includes the first attempt. I have not yet been able to find the pertinent outgoing lists. The family must have been determined to come to the New World, as four generations of Bosomworths were nearly lost all at once.

There does appear to have been at least one family tragedy aboard the George Washington. The Findagrave.com memorial for Robert's granddaughter, Mary Elizabeth Bosomworth, daughter of his son George, states that she died at the age of one of the measles and was buried at sea. It is possible that other Bosomworths also died during the voyages, but the incoming passenger list only tells us who arrived alive.

It can be imagined that the family came to America for a better life, but there seems to be another circumstance which may have influenced their decision. I have found a newspaper article on Findmypast.com which reveals that Robert's fourteen-year-old son John, committed suicide in 1845 by hanging. He had been a “footman” in the employ of “Richard Hill, Esq.” of “Thornton House near Pickering”. The verdict of the coroner's inquest was “temporary insanity”.

In my 2012 blogpost on Robert T. Bosomworth, I asserted that I did not believe that Robert's father George travelled with the family, particularly as the age listed for “George Bosomworth” on the passenger list was about twenty years off. However, I now defer to the account in the Madison County history, previously mentioned, which states that George came with them and died soon after. I also stated that the George on the list was likely Robert's son George Robert, but I now believe that the twenty-one year old “Robert Bosomworth” on the list was probably him. The elder George died soon after their arrival, according to the account, possibly in Springfield, Ohio, their first home in America.

Robert T. Bosomworth is reported while in Ohio to have been employed “cutting wood at fifty cents a cord”. The family removed to Lynnville, Morgan County, Illinois in 1854, and then settled in Madison County in 1856, where Robert purchased land after renting a farm for ten years.

I am wondering if their choice to move to Lynnville might have been influenced by knowing people from their hometown in England who were living there. These are namely Thomas Dickenson and his family, whose daughter Ann married Robert's son, my great great grandfather, Charles, in May 1856. Ann and Charles had been baptized in the same church in Thornton Dale, Yorkshire three years apart.

Joseph Marlow "Sailor Boy"

From The Ancient Port of Whitby and Its Shipping, accessed on Google Books

My first cousin once removed, Ruth Marlow Peacock, in her biographical sketch of my great grandfather, Joseph Marlow, stated that Joseph had joined the “British Navy” at the age of twelve, and later the U.S. Navy.  He was born August 16, 1853 in Stainsacre, North Yorkshire, near Whitby, so this would mean that he would have joined the navy in 1865 or 1866. I did not not believe her, but this did seem somewhat extraordinary. I recently discovered his obituary in the Carlington Free Democrat, in which it was stated that he had been a “sailor boy”. The evidence was starting to mount.

Last week I was watching “What’s New at Ancestry” with Krista Cowan on YouTube for August 2015, and she mentioned that a database called, UK, Apprentices Indentured in Merchant Navy, 1824-1910, was now available. I had always wondered if Joseph had been in the Merchant Navy, and decided to see if I could find him. Immediately, this popped up:

On the date of his indenture, February 19, 1866, Joseph would still have been twelve, the age stated above! Unfortunately, the original image associated with this record was not available. It would have shown the length of time for which he was indentured and to whom. (I have reported this problem to Ancestry). Scanning some of the images available, I found that the boys listed were indentured for periods ranging from about three to five years. Their ages ranged from about thirteen to twenty, twelve if you include Joseph. One wonders if he needed parental approval, or if his father was behind the plan. Joseph may have been following a family tradition as I found his uncle Thomas indentured at the age of fourteen in 1852, also in Whitby.

I tried to see what I could find about the “Hippogriff” elsewhere on the net, and was unable to find an image, but was able to find a description in the book, The Ancient Port of Whitby and Its Shipping, on Google Books. It was described as a “brig” with a 196 ton capacity, built in 1832, and owned by “Thos. Mills, R.H. Bay”. (A brig is a two-masted, square-rigged ship with an additional gaff sail on the mainmast). It was “lost off Yarmouth” in March 1870, which could have been during Joseph’s period of indenture. I was able to find a newspaper notice on line from the London Times, dated March 5, 1870: “The schooner Hippogriff, Miller master, of Whitby, was totally lost on the Scroby Sands, near Great Yarmouth, yesterday, and it is feared that all the crew perished. A boat and medicine chest was washed ashore”. (The “Scroby Sands” is a sandbank off the coast of Norfolk, and the site of many shipwrecks). If there were no survivors, then Joseph could not have been on that ship at the time.

When I searched on the name of the ship, “Hippogriff”, in the same Ancestry database, I was able to find a total of thirteen boys indentured to it. The years ranged from 1831 to 1869. The last boy, the one after Joseph, Andrew Hunter, was indentured at the age of fifteen in 1869, for a period of five years to “W. Mills, R. H. Bay”. (I believe that “R.H. Bay” stands for “Robin Hood’s Bay”, near Whitby. It also appears that Thomas Mills was the owner, and that William Mills was the “master”). It is possible then that Joseph was indentured to the same man, however, it seems that he was probably not still indentured in 1869 as ships were required to have only one apprentice,  therefore Andrew might have been his replacement, and therefore possibly lost at sea. However, I couldn’t find a death record for him. I hope that Ancestry will put up the image related to Joseph now that I have reported the problem. I will let you know if it appears.

I still have no direct evidence of Joseph’s having been in the “U.S. Navy”, but it has been gratifying to confirm another element of Ruth’s story of the Marlows.

Of note is that Captain Cook also was indentured in the Merchant Navy, and also out of Whitby.

And, interestingly, the author Joseph Conrad was also in the British Merchant Navy, and wrote about his adventures while part of it. The usual name for his narrator was "Marlow". (I am not claiming any connection, however).

The Last Will and Testament of Jeremiah Hart

I recently came across the original probate record on Family Search for the will of Jeremiah Hart, one of my Revolutionary War ancestors. Up to that point, I had only had a summary of the will, which only listed names. When I read it, it was like I was hearing Jeremiah’s voice for the first time:

"In the name of God, Amen. I Jeremiah Hart of Stillwater Town, and county of Saratoga in the State of New York farmer being in perfect state of health and of perfect mind and memory thanks be unto Almighty God, calling into mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will testament That is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my Soul  into the hand of Almighty God who gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God.  And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life I give and bequeath to Abigail my dearly beloved wife, all my household furniture and bedding for ever, the whole of my real estate now in my possession during her natural life, or as long as she shall remain my lawful widow. Secondly I give and bequeath unto Jeremiah Hart Jur. my son after the death of my wife Abigail Hart, or at the end of her widowhood if she should again marry and no longer remain my lawful widow, all my real estate, as it is at present in my possession in consideration of the said Jeremiah Hart Jur. pay to Stephen Hart my son, one thousand, one hundred dollars. To have and to hold forever. Thirdly I give and bequeath unto John Hart my son two dollars to be paid out of my Estate. Fourthly, I give and bequeath to Reuben Hart my son, all that estate whereon he now lives to have and to hold for ever. Fifthly, I give and bequeath unto my daughter Phebe Hart one cow and ten sheep. Sixthly, I give unto my son Philip Hart two dollars to be paid out of my estate. Sixthly, I give and bequeath to Sarah Hart my daughter one cow and ten sheep.  Seventhly, and after all my funeral charges and all my honest debts are paid, I give and bequeath to my three daughters Phebe, Sarah and Hannah, after the death of my wife Abigail, all my household furniture to be equally divided among them. Seventhly, I will and constitute, make and ordain Abigail Hart my loving wife my sole Executrix and James Barber and Frederick Conly my sole executors together with my loving wife Executrix in this my last will and testament, hereby revoking utterly and disallow all and every form and testament, wills, legacies, and Executors by me in wise before named, willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming no others to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this Eighth day of March in the year of our Lord, one thousand, Eight hundred Six. Jeremiah Hart L.S."

I was struck by the strength of his religious beliefs, and by his affection for his wife, Abigail. It has been said that Jeremiah was of a Quaker background, but I haven’t found any evidence for this. It is certain, however, that he and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Stillwater, Saratoga, and that he and his son Stephen, my three times great grandfather, helped to incorporate it in 1800. The Methodist strain in the Hart family was strong henceforth, up to and including myself and my siblings, as we all attended the United Church of Canada as children. Stephen Hart was also later a founder of the Methodist Church in Pinckney, New York. My great grandfather, Melvin J. Hart, was strongly Methodist his entire life.

He speaks lovingly of Abigail, his wife--she is “dearly beloved”, and his “loving wife”. He also thinks highly enough of her to make her executrix of his will. He may be possessive as he does not make it worth her while to marry again after his death, making her possession of his real estate contingent on her remaining a widow. Of course, he may also want to ensure that his wealth stays in the family. Dear Abigail is also one of my major “brick walls” on my tree. She was born “Abigail Pearsall” or possibly “Abigail Macomber”, and I can find no hint of her parentage, or a prior marriage, despite there being Pearsalls and Macombers galore in Dutchess county around the time of Jeremiah and Abigail’s marriage when they were likely living there.

Jeremiah seems to have included all of his children in this will, and it may be possible to ascertain something about how he felt about each of them by looking at what he left them. It was traditional to leave the bulk of one’s estate to the eldest son, and this is not what happened in this family. His two eldest sons, Philip and John, each get “two dollars”. Why these two were out of favour with their father is unknown. They were both likely living in Stillwater at the time. Son Jeremiah is the recipient of the homestead, but the history books tell us that he later moves to Saratoga Springs. Reuben gets to keep the land he is living on. My three times great grandfather Stephen appears to be in favour, due to his generous legacy, despite having just moved 162 miles away to Pinckney, New York, the year before. Two of the daughters, Phebe and Sarah, are endowed with livestock, principally sheep. We have to remember that the Hart family, including Jeremiah and his brothers, were tailors, wool producers, and fulling mill owners. The daughters were likely given the sheep for the wool. Hannah, the youngest, gets some furniture.

We might assume that Jeremiah continues to be satisfied with this distribution of his assets, because he does not write another will, and lives another sixteen years.

Emma Cook in Vancouver Before the Great War

Emma Cook

Three years after the death of her husband, William Cook, the 1911 Canada Census shows my great great grandmother Emma living in Vancouver with five of her children, including Faith, my great grandmother, Faith's husband, Herbert Saunders, and their new baby, Clara. Emma’s other children living with her are Edward, Samuel, Mary Eliza, and Godfrey. The family has followed Emma's daughter Lily and her family to the west coast of Canada. Emma is operating a boarding house at 1296 Venables, and has eight men living there in addition to her family. The census began on June 1, 1911, and was completed by February 26, 1912, so we know that this was their living situation some time between those dates. The fact that baby Clara is listed as being two months old, and she was born April 8, 1911, indicates that Emma completed her enumeration in June 1911. In addition, she does not appear in the Vancouver city directories until this year, so she has likely come to Vancouver some time in 1910 or 1911.

An advertisement in The Vancouver Daily World from September 12, 1911 is very likely Emma’s, as it mentions “English cooking”, and we know from the city directory that in 1912 she operated her “English Home Bakery”. (I suppose at the time that “English cooking” would be a draw for some people).

Judging from city directories and from advertisements in the The Vancouver Daily World, Emma seems next to be operating both a bakery and a boarding house at 733 and 735 West Broadway from at least as early as November 1911 .  The following ad from April 23, 1912 shows that she was looking for both a dishwasher and a housekeeper:

I was delighted to see her name in this ad. (Interestingly, the newspaper headline for that day is "More Officers Testify at Titanic Probe: List of Bodies Recovered Increases"). Ten ads appear in for the 735 address from November 2, 1911 to April 23, 1912; and seven appear for the 733 address from July 15, 1912 to June 4, 1913. Oddly her address in the 1912 city directory  is “733”, and in the 1913 it is “735”, when one would expect the opposite based on the newpaper ads. I think we can safely assume that she may have held both addresses at the same time, although she doesn’t seem to be running the bakery in 1913. The majority of the ads are for a dishwasher, mostly at ten dollars per month with room and board, which later goes up to fifteen dollars. Five of the seventeen ads call for someone to help with the housework at twenty dollars per month, also “sleep in”. Curiously, no ads for room and board came up as they did in Winnipeg. Maybe she was doing better at finding tenants than at keeping a dishwasher! She may have needed extra help as her daughter Faith had two young daughters by November 1912 and had moved out with her husband, (but only two blocks away at 517 West Broadway). Son Samuel was also out of the house, living with Faith.  Only Mary Eliza, Edward, and likely Godfrey are now still with their mother. Mary Eliza’s occupation is “waitress”, and Edward is a “lather” as is Samuel. Edward marries Mabel Winnifred Mills on June 21, 1913 and lives in the Lower Mainland for the rest of his life.

The 1914 and 1915 Vancouver city directories show that Emma living at 877 Hornby Street. She is described only as a “widow”. Mary Eliza is listed with her in 1914, but not in 1915. She may already be married to William Foster at that time and living in Manitoba again. Godfrey is likely on his own, since from at least the age of sixteen he is a “salesman” and making more money than his adult relatives. I found this ad from November 29, 1913 for where Emma was living:

I next found this notice for an auction at her residence dated May 26, 1914. The owner at the time was selling off all the contents. Emma was still living there in 1915, so she likely was able to stay during the transition of ownership. It is an interesting look into the past as it describes the furniture and decorations, and that the boarding house had ten rooms. It helps us to visualize what her home was like in addition to being "warm" and costing $4.50 per week:

(In case you were wondering, a "sanitary couch" seems to be a kind of a folding day bed, which can be used for sitting or sleeping).

In 1916, Emma is back living in Winnipeg, closer to most of her family. She is now sixty-seven years old and living with Mary Eliza and her husband. I have found no further evidence that Emma ever operated another business. I checked on Google Maps, and none of places where she lived during these years still exist today.

The Last Days of William Cook in the Press

Ad in The Winnipeg Tribune, January 16, 1908
Day of William Cook's Funeral

I recently started a free trial of Newspapers.com, which hadn’t been yielding very much about my direct ancestors until I switched from their U.S. section to the Canadian one. I was pleased to see that there were newspapers from the turn of the century from both Winnipeg and Vancouver covering some of the times when my Cooks lived there. I was ecstatic to find an obituary for my great great grandfather, William Cook, right of the bat. I despaired of every finding one. This is from the January 14, 1908 Winnipeg Tribune:

From the account of one of his daughters, he died at 1:20 a.m. According to the weather report in the same newspaper, the weather was “cloudy” that day, with “light snow fall” expected.

This was followed by an funeral notice in the Tribune January 16, 1908:

And an item following the funeral from the same paper on January 17th:

That the family lived in a boarding house gave them premises large enough to host a small funeral. (The two different addresses on Donald Street, 141 and 144, could mean that 141 was a misprint, or that the boarding comprised more than one address).I’m thinking that the “Rev. Mr. Parker” was likely of the Anglican Church, as William was Church of England. The weather report that day states it was “fair”, but that it had been “quite cold”. This might mean that the family was blessed with clear weather as they made their procession to the cemetery.

These notices add significantly to what I already knew. William’s death certificate listed “diabetes” as his cause of death, but gave his illness as “two days” duration. That he also died of “pneumonia” makes this make sense. I knew that the family had come to Winnipeg from Moosomin, Saskatchewan between 1906 and 1908, but did not know that they came in April 1907. I had discovered through Findagrave that he was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg, but had had no information about his funeral. That it was held in his home two days after his death followed by the burial was new to me. I knew from Winnipeg city directories that William’s wife Emma had operated a boarding house at their address, 144 Donald Street, but had not known that William had been part of this during the last months of his life.

When I searched on their address, I was able to find the following advertisement in the January 3, 1908 Manitoba Morning Free Press, eleven days before William died:

Now we know that they considered their establishment to be “first class” and that they charged four dollars per week. From the 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, we know that earlier in that year, the family was still living on their farm in their log cabin in Moosomin, with their hired man Charles, their horses, their one milk cow, their one sheep, and their thirteen pigs. The children still at home at that time were Samuel, Faith, Mary Eliza, and Godfrey. It seems from this and other data, that these were the four children living at home at the time of their father’s death. Samuel would have been have been twenty-one, Faith nineteen, Mary Eliza sixteen, and Godfrey twelve. (The same four children are living with their mother in Vancouver in 1911, along with their older brother Edward. Only Faith is married). From what I can gather, it may have been possible for all the other children, now adults, to attend the funeral, some having to travel from Saskatchewan, except for Lily, who was the first to move out to Vancouver.

With this level of detail, it is possible to imagine what this time must have been like for the family. It seems as though the loss of William must have come as a huge shock, despite his diabetes, as he had only been sick with pneumonia for two days.

I have put out a request on Findagrave for a photo of William's grave marker, which is located at plot 8-G0523, Elmwood Cemetery, 88 Hespeler Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, but so far there have been no takers. If any of you gentle readers would be kind enough to provide me with such a photo, I promise to post it to Findagrave, and I will put the photo in a blogpost giving you full credit. A map of the cemetery can be found here: Elmwood Cemetery Map.

A "Tony" Bosomworth Wedding in 1881

The boyhood home of the groom, William Gelder Shepardson.
from History of Macoupin County Illinois: And Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent
Men and Pioneers, accessed via Google Books

Among the Carlinville newspapers I found on the Old Fulton Post Cards website was a wedding announcement for my great grand aunt, Mary J. Bosomworth, also known as “Mollie”, who was the sister of my great grandmother, Anna Belle Bosomworth Marlow. She had married William Gelder Shepardson, who was the adopted son of Thomas S. Gelder, one of the early settlers of the area. Thomas Gelder, who was originally from Yorkshire, was a veteran of the Black Hawk War, during which he fought alongside Abraham Lincoln. (The Gelder homestead is depicted above). The wedding was held at the home of my great great grandparents, Charles and Ann Bosomworth on January 13, 1881, in Chesterfield, Illinois, according to the February 3, 1881 Carlinville Free Democrat. What is interesting about the article, is not only the detail it gives about the wedding, but also that it includes a list of most of the wedding gifts, and who gave them! I don’t think I have ever seen this included in a marriage announcement before. It may be a whole or partial list of the guests, but may also be a way of acknowledging people who sent gifts but who did not attend. Here is a transcript. I have added the relationship of the giver listed to the bride or groom where not explicit:

A Tony Wedding

Quite a number of guests assembled at the residence of Chas. Bosomworth Thursday eve., Jan. 13th to witness the marriage of his daughter Miss Mollie to Mr. W. G. Shepardson, Rev. March officiating. After the impressive ceremony was performed supper was served which was complete in every respect. The following is nearly a complete list of the presents received:

Pair of scissors, father of the bride.

Two brooms, mother of the bride.

Set of napkins, Allie Bosomworth.  [Alice, sister of the bride].

Set of plates, Irene Bosomworth.  [Sister of the bride].

Glass water pitcher, T. Shearburn. [Likely groom’s sister’s husband’s brother, Thomas A. Shearburn].

Set of goblets, Mrs. T. Shearburn. [Wife of groom’s sister’s husband’s brother].

Pair of vases, Mary Bosomworth.  [Likely cousin of bride, Mary Jane Bosomworth, daughter of George Robert Bosomworth, and born same year as the bride].

Pair of towels and coffee mill, Mr. and Mrs. N¬__.

Set of knives and forks, John Allen.

Lamp, Mr. and Mrs. T. Towse.

Set of napkins, Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Berryman.

Set of goblets, Enola Peebles.

The set, John Candler and Ida Towse. [John Candler was the likely the brother of the bride’s aunt, Sarah Candler Bosomworth].

Comb case, Annie Bosomworth. [Anna Belle Bosomworth, sister of the bride, and my great grandmother].

 Lamp, John and Lucy Forth.

Washboard, R. D. Smith.

Goblets, John Bramley.

Pair of salt stands, Mr. and Mrs. H. L. De__.

Castor set, Chas. Forth.

Butter dish and water pitcher, H. Stamm.

Box of matches, Jessie Bosomworth. [Sister of the bride].

Syrup pitcher, W. D. Forbes. Tin cup, Edgar N__.

Pair of towels, Mr. and Mrs. Birdsall.

Butter dish, Low. Thornton.

Towels, Lizzie Boatman.

Glass watcher pitcher, Jas. Candler [James Candler was the likely the brother of the bride’s aunt, Sarah Candler Bosomworth].

Two pickle dishes, Carrie Ulster.

Pickle dish, Annie Cook.

Broom, Lizzie Armstrong.

Silver butter knife, Eliza ___ckels.

Table linens and towels, Dr. Collins, pref. _____, Fred and Frank Towse.

Wash tub, John Armstrong.

I suppose it would be natural  considering all of the above, to wonder if the title of the piece is ironic. After all, the wedding was in the home of the local blacksmith, and the bride’s parents give the couple a pair of scissors and two brooms. What struck me as I did a bit more research, is that the groom’s adopted family does not seem to be represented well among the givers of gifts. Thomas Gelder seems to have been a well-to-do and prominent citizen of the county, and was still living at the time of the marriage.  It is not clear if William Gelder Shepardson benefitted financially in any way due to his connection with his adopted father. William went on to make a business out of digging wells. I have yet to find any further information on his biological father, George Shepardson, or his mother. The only thing I know about them is that George was from England, and William’s mother was Irish.

William and Mollie had at least five children:  Piercy Dickenson (named for Mollie’s uncle), Mary Louise, Charles Bosomworth (named for Mollie’s father), Edith, and Nellie Gladys. Mollie died in 1943, and William died in 1946.

I would be interested if any of my gentle readers can identify any of the other guests, and their relationship to the family if known. The Towse family figures into the Joseph Marlow story later, as he rents a Towse family farm.

The Drowning of George Arthur Smith, My Step Grandfather

One of the amazing items I found recently among the Carlinville newspapers in the Fulton Post Cards database was an obituary of my step grandfather, George Arthur Smith. He was the first husband of my grandmother, Lena Sarah Marlow, and the father of eight out of her nine children. My aunt, Roberta Smith Riddoch, recounts the story of the family in Verdant Valleys in and Around Lougheed, which is copyrighted, but fortunately available on line, where you can view a picture of Arthur and Lena with their first three children. Aunt Roberta does not give details of her father’s drowning, but family stories indicate that it was the most traumatic event any of them ever experienced. Unfortunately, it was one event in a string of tragedies: the untimely losses of Lena’s sisters Winnnie and Dollie, and Dollie’s daughter Ruby Belle, the death of her father Joseph to cancer, the fire which burned down Lena’s house after her husband’s death, a destructive hailstorm in July of 1930, and the subsequent suicide of her next husband, George Leslie Hart, to whom she had only been married for six weeks. Of course, all of this took place in the lead up to and onset of the Great Depression.

Arthur’s obituary, which appeared in The Carlinville Democrat on May 20, 1928, was one of a series of obituaries and letters home written by the Marlow family to their previous hometown newspaper, which were my great fortune to discover in the Fulton Post Cards historical newspapers database. This database contains mainly New York newspapers, and very few from other places, but includes five newspapers from Carlinville, Macoupin county, Illinois, the home of many of my Marlows and Bosomworths. The following obituary confirms the stories told to me by my cousins:

OBITUARY

George Arthur Smith, living on the J. W. Pfouts place, at Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, was accidentally drowned while out on the lake on a boat near his house. The boat took water and started to sink.Mr. Smith jumped from the boat and attempted to swim to shore. The water was deep and ice cold and he was a long ways out. He was attacked with cramps and was drowned. His eldest son, Glenn, tried to help him but had to turn back as the water was too deep. Mr. Smith was drowned before the eyes of his wife and children. The body was found at about 4 o'clock Tuesday morning May 15th. The accident occurred Monday evening about 8 o'clock, May 14th.

Mr. Smith was born April 18, 1892 near Chesterfield, Macoupin co., Ill. He grew to manhood in and near Chesterfield and Medora. He joined the Harmony Baptist Church when a boy. He was married to Lena Sarah Marlow, daughter of Mrs. J. H. Marlow, Feb. 20, 1912. Eight children were born to this union, six boys and two girls, namely: Glenn Marlow, Joseph Vernon, Wilbur Arthur, Roberta Annabelle, Dorothy Elizabeth, Byron William, Elwood George, and Ralph Fredrick. In the fall of 1913, he came to Lougheed, Alberta, Canada, stayed six months, and February 15, 1914, started back to Medora. He stayed there six years, and Sept 28, 1919 removed to Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, where he resided until his death. He leaves to mourn his death, his widow and eight children, the eldest being 15 years and the youngest 14 months, all at home. His mother, four half brothers, living in Illinois, besides many other relatives and friends.

The funeral was held in the English church at Lougheed, May 16th, conducted by Rev. Arthur Murphy of Hardisty. Burial was in the Lougheed cemetery. The services were attended by many relatives, neighbors and friends and there were many beautiful flowers. The pallbearers were Jim Hays, Frank Curtis, Leigh Kelsey, Hamlin Cooper, Percy Cooper and Robert Johnson.

Constable Joseph Henry Marlow: The Paper Trail

from Carlinville Democrat April 2, 1909. (Fulton Post Cards).

It has been a long while since I posted about my Great Grandfather, Joseph H. Marlow. I did have quite a number of documents early on, and now I have even more. Over the course of time I have sent for vital records from England, Illinois, and Alberta, and have found land records on line. But the most exciting event has happened in the last week. I stumbled on the fact that the Fulton Post Cards Newspapers data base, which contains mainly New York historical newspapers, and which I have used extensively in the past for my New York lines, also has five Carlinville, Illinois newspapers! I keep discovering more and more articles pertaining to the family of Joseph and Anna Belle Marlow. All of these documents and newspaper articles are attached to my tree on Ancestry. All of the Carlinville newspaper articles can also be found on the Fulton Post Cards website. So, to update you about my findings:

--From his parents’ marriage record and Joseph’s birth record, it appears that they married only one month prior to his birth. His parents, William Marlow (Marley) and Elizabeth Johnson were married on July 10, 1853 in the parish church at Whitby, North Yorkshire, (it was the first marriage for both), and Joseph was born on August 16, 1853 in Stainsacre.

--He did homestead in Nebraska, and on land that he purchased. His farm was in Benkelman, Dundy, Nebraska. He was living there at the time of his marriage to Anna Belle Bosomworth on November 30, 1887, by the Justice of the Peace in Modesto, Macoupin, Illinois, where the bride was residing. The marriage licence states that he is thirty, but he is actually thirty-four, fourteen years older than his twenty-year-old wife, rather than ten. Her brother-in-law, Benjamin Franklin Gracey (husband of her sister, Alice), and her sister-in-law, Hannah Bosomworth (wife of her brother Hartas), were the witnesses.

--All of their children were born in Illinois, including the eldest, Lena Sarah, my grandmother, on October 9, 1889, but the Nebraska land purchase was final on May 27, 1890. They may have been living in Nebraska still at the time of Lena’s birth, as she was born in Lynnville, Morgan, Illinois, where there is no other evidence Joseph and Anna Belle ever lived. Lynnville was the home of Anna Belle’s uncle, Piercy Dickenson, brother of her mother, Ann. The the Joseph Marlow family moved to Macoupin County in 1894. It may be that family lived in Chesterfield, Illinois, before living in Polk, Illinois, where Joseph rented a farm from the Towse family from at least the year 1900.

--In April 1909, he ran for one of two seats as Polk Town Constable, and won one of the seats, securing the second highest number of votes. He ran as a Democrat.

--In January 1910, he hosted an “Oyster Supper” at his home in Polk.

--On May 17, 1911, fire destroyed his barn, much of his farm equipment, and some hay and corn. Only some ploughs he was using were spared. Luckily, he was insured for his property.

--His daughter, Lena Sarah, married George Arthur Smith at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Carlinville. It was the first marriage for both. Arthur required his mother’s consent due to being under age. (He was twenty, and she was twenty-two).

--It may be that the fire was an impetus for Joseph to emigrate to Canada, because in the summer of 1912, he and some other men travelled to the prairies. These other men were Joseph Wheeler, Charles Nichols, and Frank Leach. Joseph and Frank each bought a half section of land for twenty dollars an acre, located “twelve miles from a railroad”. He returned home in August.

--On Thursday, September 26, 1912, he held a sale at his farm, eight miles southwest of Carlinville, and four miles west of Chesterfield.

--In mid October, he left for Lougheed, Alberta with a train car load of his belongings. The newspapers do not state that his son Tom went with him as is claimed in family lore.

--Anna Belle and most of the rest of the children left Carlinville for Alberta on November 5, 1912. Daughter, Lena, recently married, and daughter, Winnie, stayed behind. Only Anna Belle, George, William, Maude, Dollie, Zella and Fred are on the border crossing record for November 7, 1912.

--Lena and Arthur Smith, Lena’s sister Winnie, and Eric Corney, left for Canada in August of 1913. Lena and Arthur planned to live there. A William Thompson, who lived in Chesterfield as did Winnie and Eric, also planned to go with them, but it does not appear that he went.

--Lena and Arthur returned home in February of 1914, and had planned to bring Winnie with them: “Miss Winnie Marlow, a sister of Mrs. Smith, expected to return with them and had made arrangements to meet them at a certain station in Canada, but when they boarded the train she failed to make an appearance, and as nothing had been heard from her considerable anxiety is felt in regard to her safety”.

--Winnie, who was the closest sibling in age to Lena, died in Lougheed on April 18, 1914 at the age of twenty-two of “typhoid”.

--A letter from Joseph was published in the Carlinville Democrat on Dec 29, 1915, renewing his 

subscription to the paper. He states, “We cannot get along without the Democrat”. He tells about bumper crops and fine winter weather. He also says, “The war does not affect us any; the only difference is all the young fellows have joined the colors”. There is no mention of the hardships they have endured, or of the loss of his daughter.

--On January 23, 1919, his daughter, Dollie Belle, died of influenza giving birth to her second child, Arnold Klinger. Like her sister Winnie, she also died at the age of twenty-two. A full obituary was  published in the Carlinville Democrat in February of 1919.

--Lena, Arthur, and family moved back to Alberta in September of 1919.

--On May 14, 1923, Joseph and Anna Belle legally adopted their daughter Dollie’s two children, Ruby Belle and Arnold.

--Another letter from Joseph was published in the Carlinville Democrat on January 28, 1925. He reports that he has not had a good crop that year, but that they are all in good health and that the weather is fine. He is again renewing his subscription to the newspaper, which he now appears to have kept up since moving to Alberta thirteen years before. He states that they are “now all alone on the farm”, as two of their sons are married, and have their own farms, and two have moved to United States near Seattle. The two sons with farms would be Joseph Robert “Tom”, and William. George and Fred “Fritz” went to the U.S. Daughters Lena and Maude are married with their own families, and Zella would likely still have been living at home since she was around fourteen at the time of the writing of the letter.

--Joseph died at home on June 7, 1927 of skin cancer on his face. His son Fred was back living with the family at this time. A long obituary was published in the Carlinville Democrat on July 13^th. It confirms some of the family stories, such as the farm in Nebraska, and that he was a “sailor boy” at one time in his life. This long obituary contrasts with one published in Sedgewick, Alberta in the Sedgewick Sentinel, which is short and refers to him as “James H. Marlow”. His death registration is the first document I have found which gives his full middle name, “Henry”.

--In July of 1927, Annabelle, Zella and Fred drove to Illinois to visit relatives.