Not once, but twice the William Hawley family was devastated by fire. The logging industry was a primary industry in Northern Michigan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. William Hawley's family was no exception.
William moved his family from upstate New York to Long Rapids Township, Alpena County, Michigan in about 1867.
Although William classifies himself as a farmer on both the 1870 and 1880 US census, his family, being in the mostly unpopulated area of Long Rapids Township, was surrounded by the logging industry
In May of 1874, William was living in Long Rapids Township with his second wife Sara Ann Healy, and their five children; From William's first marriage Franklin Hawley, Charles Hawley, and Minnie Hawley, and from his marriage to Sarah were Ellen and William.
The great influence of people during the logging era, and the large areas of dry pine slash increased both the possibility of fire and the intensity of those which occurred. Many reached tremendous proportions, burning unchecked for weeks or months through slashings, standing timber, cities and settlements, causing human misery, death, and waste. There is evidence to show that these lumbering era fires destroyed more merchantable timber than was cut.[zref]HSRBI9B5[/zref]
On Saturday, May 12th, 1874 tragedy struck William's family in the form of a forest fire.
[zref]"The Fires in Alpena County," Article, Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, 14 May 1874, In the Township of Long Rapids, , p. 1, col. 8;; online images, Newspapers.com (www.Newspapers.com : Downloaded 9 January 2019); https://www.newspapers.com/image/118157662/?terms=The%2BFires%2Bin%2BAlpena%2BCounty%2BHawley.[/zref]
[zref]"Long Rapids," Article, Alpena Argus, Alpena County, Michigan, 13 May 1874, Details about fire at residence of William Hawley Family; online images, Newspapers.com (WWW.Newspapers.com : Viewed 19 April 2021). Page 3.[/zref]
From these two newspaper articles, one from the Detroit Free Press and the other from the Alpena Argus, we learn that William Hawley and his family suffered a catastrophic loss. The family lost two houses, all household goods, two barns, and all that was inside of them.
But even worse than the financial and structural loss was the personal loss. The Hawley family barely escaped with their lives. The children were all injured in some fashion. The heroine of the story is Mrs. Sarah Ann Hawley. While trying to save her son William Martin Hawley who was 10 months old, Sara's dress caught fire and she was only saved by tearing it off.
21 years later, the family was once again devastated by fire. on September 11th, 1898 fire once again destroyed their property. The family was living in Rust Township in the Village of Hillman, Montmorency County, Michigan.
[zref]"Forest Fires in Hillman," Article, Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, 13 September 1895, p. 3, col. 2, William Hawley; online images, Newspapers.com (www.Newspapers.com : downloaded 10 January 2019); https://www.newspapers.com/image/121684334.[/zref]
This time, the fire destroyed the Hawley barn and everything inside it. The total loss caused by the fire, including the Hawley property, was $3,000. That would be a value of $94,598.93 today.
The Hawley family continued living in the Hillman area until about 1909 when they moved back to Alpena County to live in Ossineke. To my knowledge, the eager enemy called fire did not strike the family again.
Have you ever thought about how your ancestor's possessions would be valued in today's world? I often think about this because it helps me to better compare their situation against my own.
On the 1850 United States Population census individuals were asked about only the value of their real estate. The 1860 US census was the first to ask people to provide information about both their personal assets and the value of their real estate. The process continued with the 1870 census but was removed on the 1880 census. This makes the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census helpful in shining some light on the financial situation of our ancestors.
There is one downfall and that is that Individuals may have hesitated to answer correctly because the values they provided were used to determine the tax they owed.
Because I haven't come across any ancestors that had a large fortune, I decided to focus on those that didn't. I looked into all of my 3rd great grandfathers and what they claimed as the real estate and personal estate value on the 1860 and 1870 census.
I have been able to identify fourteen of my sixteen 3rd Great Grandfathers. six of them were living in the United States and recorded on the 1860 and/or 1870 census. The remaining eight were living in Canada.
One way to better understand the financial situation of our ancestors is to convert income and assets to current day value. This makes the comparison a little easier to understand.
I decided to compare 1860 values to 2010 values and 1870 values to 2020 values. You can see the results in the chart below.[zref]9C974GWN[/zref]
Instructions for Census Taker
1860
[zref]KK5PPK8T[/zref]
1870
[zref]UNWD6M8T[/zref]
In July of 1860 Francis Ward, age 27, was living in Harrison Township, Elkhart, Indiana with his wife of two years Mary Elizabeth and their baby daughter Lucinda Ellen Ward. Francis was working as a farm laborer and had no real estate and $50 in personal assets. In 2010 this would equate to $1,313.59.[zref]United States. Indiana. Elkhart County. 1860 Federal Population Census, population. Digital image. Ancestry.com. http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667 : 2017.[/zref]
By July of 1870, Francis, age 37, was living in Concord, Elkhart, Indiana. He and Mary now had 4 children (Lucinda, John, Mary, & William). Francis lists his occupation as a farmer but does not claim any real estate or personal assets. I'm not sure if that was truly the case or if he was trying to sneak out of some taxes.[zref]United States. Indiana. Elkhart. Concord. 1870 Census, population. Digital image. www.ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19217591:7163?tid=171372097&pid=372223153536&hid=1049480921589&_phsrc=sMi468&_phstart=default : 2021.[/zref]
In June of 1860 George Faught, age 22, was living with his brother William Faught in Lexington, Sanilac, Michigan. Also living with William were his elderly mother Bridget and older sister Ann. George is a farmer and does not report any real estate or personal assets.[zref]1860 Population Census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population, Lexington, 899, Dwelling Number: 452, Family Number: 443, William Faught; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44736122:7667 : Viewed 26 March 2021); Family History Library Film: 803558.[/zref] However, this doesn't mean he didn't have any. Per the directions given to census takers for the 1860 census, only the head of each household was asked for information about real estate and personal assets.
By July of 1870, George, age 32, is living in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan with his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Mary Anna. He is still working as a farmer and claims real estate with a value of $800 and $200 in personal assets.[zref]1860 Population Census, Sanilac County, Michigan, population, Bridgehampton, 10A, Household: 14, Family: 14, George Faught; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44736122:7667 : viewed 26 March 2021); Family History Library Film: 803558.[/zref] Comparatively speaking these assets would be valued at $15,809.29 and $3,951.32 in 2020.
In July of 1860 Thomas Jefferson Burt, age 54, was living in Sciota Township, Shiawassee, Michigan with his second wife Amelia and their five children (Ann, Ruth, George, Pruie, and Nile). Thomas is a farmer and reports that he owns $1,200 of real estate and $400 in personal assets. In 2010, these assets would be worth $39,407.71 and $10,508.72 respectively.[zref]1860 Population Census, Shiawassee County, population, Sciota Township, Dwelling No. 1500 Family No. 1354, Thomas J. Burt; digital image, Ancestry.com (: viewed 26 March 2021); https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4232713_00187?treeid=171372097&personid=372223153407&usePUB=true&_phsrc=sMi444&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=45279055.[/zref]
Thomas passed away on June 26th, 1864 at the age of 58, and was not recorded on the 1870 census.[zref]Henry Martyn Burt and Silas Wright Burt. Early Days in New England: Life and Times of Henry Burt of Springfield and Some of His Descendants. Genealogical and Biographical Mention of James and Richard Burt of Taunton, Mass., and Thomas Burt, M.P., of England. Madison, Wisconsin: C. W. Bryan Company, printers, 1893.[/zref]
In July of 1860, John Paul Jones was 34 years old and living in Howell, Livingston, Michigan with his wife Mary Jane and their three children (Delphine, Lucinda, and John Paul Jr.). John is working as a farmer and owns real estate with a value of $550.00 and personal assets of $67.00. Comparatively speaking, this would equate to a value of $14,449.49 and $1,760.21 in 2010.[zref]United States. Livingston County. 1860 Federal, population schedule. Digital image. Ancestry.com. http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7667 : 2017.[/zref]
By August of 1870, John, age 44, and his family have moved to Sciota Township, Shiawassee, Michigan. Five children are living in the household (John Paul Jr., Lucinda, Merritt, Royal, and Harriet). John now lists his occupation as a mason. The value of his real estate has increased to $3,000 and his personal assets to $326.00. In 2020 this would have been worth $59,269.85 and $6,440.66 respectively. It appears that he significantly improved the financial situation of his family in ten years.[zref]United States. Shiawassee County. 1870, population schedule. Digital Image. Ancestry.com. http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=7163 : 2017.[/zref]
in July of 1860 Sylvester Mason, age 45, is living in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan with his wife Nancy and their four children (Robert, Silas, Amelia, and Perry). Sylvester is working as a lumberman. On the census, he claims $800 in real estate and $300 in personal property. Respectively, in 2010, this would be worth $21,017.45 and $7,881.54.[zref]United States. Michigan. Sanilac County. 1860 Population Census, population. Digital image. Ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44736122:7667 : 2021.[/zref]
By July of 1870 at the age of 54, Sylvester had moved his family to Sault Ste. Marie, Chippewa, Michigan. In the household are Sylvester, Nancy, Robert, Amelia, Mark, and Mary). Sylvester is working as a fisherman and does not report either real estate or personal property on the census. This could have been a mistake on the part of the census taker or maybe Sylvester was trying to avoid taxes. We can't know for sure but I assume that he had at least some assets.[zref]United States. Michigan. Chippewa County. 1870, population census. Digital image. www.ancestry.com. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/27281969:7163?tid=171372097&pid=372223153643&hid=1049777162193&_phsrc=sMi491&_phstart=default : .[/zref]
In June of 1860, at the age of 19, William Thomas King was living in Bloom Township, Seneca County, Ohio. William was living in the household of James and Sarah Stinchcomb. William was attending school and working as a laborer. He did not report any personal or real estate assets. This was probably because he was not the head of household and therefor not required to provide this information.
By July of 1870 at the age of 29, William had moved to Portland, Ionia, Michigan. He is living with his wife Catherine and their son Truman. The family is living next door to Catherine's mother Clarissa Coon and her mother's mother Catherine (Macqueen) Goodwin. William does not report any personal assets or real estate.
Summary
Although I have chosen to compare these six men across ten years they aren't all the same. Their ages range from 19 - 45 years of age. This is a range of 26 years. They lived in different states, counties, and cities. They were at different stages of their lives, and had different occupations. Some men were at the beginning of their lives and some nearing the end.
Throughout these ten years, their lives, families, occupations, and fortunes have changed. Being able to create comparisons like this for a single generation of our ancestors helps to put their lives into perspective. Census records contain so much information that allows us to do just that.
Asking the non-typical questions about typical record types will help us better understand and relate to our ancestors which helps us better understand their stories and the circumstances that lead to our lives today. Their successes, and struggles built the foundation for our life today. For that, we should feel fortunate.
I typically research newspapers using the website Newspapers.com to find details about the lives of my ancestors that may not be available in other typical genealogical sources.
When searching for information about my second great grandmother Mary Anna (Annie) Faught, I found information not only about her but also some unexpected results. Annie Faught was born in 1870 and passed away in 1929. During her lifetime she was not the only one to go by the name of Annie Faught.
I found several articles about a boat named "Annie Faught". As far as I know, there is no connection between my second great grandmother Annie Faught and the schooner by the same name.
The schooner Annie Faught was built in the unincorporated community of Lakeport in Burtchville Township, St. Clair County, Michigan in 1872. The 10 ton schooner was owned by John Hoskins. Schooners were built primarily for cargo, passengers, and fishing.
The "Annie Faught", with a cargo capacity of only 10 tons, seems to be on the small end of the schooners typically built during this time.
In general, ships grew larger as shipbuilding technology improved through the 19th century. The dimensions of Lakes vessels were always limited, however, by the shallow connecting channels and harbors. When the infamous shoals were dredged at the St. Clair Flats in the late 1860s, a whole fleet of large schooners was built for the grain and iron ore trades, including 200 big three-masters and a few four-masters. The new schooners, 200 feet in length and drawing 16 feet, were constructed between 1870 and 1874, until a financial panic ended the temporary boom. Only for a little while longer would the large capacities of the new schooners enable them to compete with the growing fleets of steam-powered freighters. [zref]U7BPDN95[/zref]
Below are some of the articles that I found on the schooner named Annie Faught. It appears that luck was not always in her favor.
On 13 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery.[zref]Z74UDEQ5[/zref]
A Schooner, a sailing ship rigged with fore-and-aft sails on its two or more masts. To the foremast there may also be rigged one or more square topsails or, more commonly, one or more jib sails or Bermuda sails (triangular sails extending forward to the bowsprit or jibboom).[zref]PZF5E22D[/zref]
Research can take us in some odd directions. Although, I was not able to connect the little schooner name Annie Faught to my ancestor, the research that I did may come in handy someday. Lakeport, where the schooner was built, was only about 40 miles from Sanilac County, Michigan where Annie was born. Who knows....
The theme for week 9 of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge is multiples. I was struggling with this theme. Nothing jumped out at me that was interesting enough to write about.
But thanks to Valerie Hughes from the "Genealogy with Valerie" blog, my writers block was cured. Valerie wrote about finding several lines where she descended from two siblings in her blog post Multiple ~ 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks #28. This blog post is not about the same topic, but Valerie sparked an idea. You should check her post out when you get a chance.
My story for you this week is about my 3rd great grand uncle William Faught and his son Francis (Frank) Faught.
William Faught, the brother of my 3rd great grandfather George Faught, was the son of Irish immigrants born in New York in about 1835.
William married Sarah Ann Miller on January 13th, 1864 in Sanilac County, Michigan.
William and Sarah were blessed with their first child Frank Faught in October of 1865 and their second child Philip Faught in 1866. Based on census and death records, it appears that WIlliam and Sarah had two additional children that passed away during childbirth or at a very young age.
Sarah and William moved to Long Rapids Township, Alpena County, Michigan sometime between their marriage in 1864 and June 4th, 1870 when they were recorded in the 1870 census.
Based on an 1889 Alpena City directory, the 1900 US census and newspaper articles about Frank's death, William and Sarah's son Phillip Faught passed away sometime between 1889 and June 26th, 1900. I have not yet found a death certificate for Phillip.
William's wife Sarah passed away on November 16th, 1902. Leaving William widowed.
Based on the 1900 census and the newspaper article that I found, Frank was unmarried and living with his parents on their farm in Maple Ridge Township in Alpena County.
On September 6th, 1909, WIlliam died of heart disease and old age. His death certificate states that he died at the "County House". My assumption is that this was a poor house.
So you are probably wondering what this story has to do with the theme of multiples...
Well, Frank Faught passed away on September 10, 1909, only 4 days after his father. It appears, from the newspaper articles that I found, that Frank died of heart disease while walking down one of the main streets of Alpena.
The death certificates of both William and Phillip are below. You will notice that Frank is listed as the informer on William's death certificate.
I'm not sure that I would have made this connection, but the untimely death of both father and son in the same week from the same disease made the newspaper. Their deaths were reported in both the Detroit Free Press and the News-Palladium newspaper of Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Both articles can be found below.
Interesting enough, when I started this post I was focused on William and Frank Faught. However, while writing it I realized that all four Faught family members, William, Sarah, Frank and Phillip died between 1889 and 1909. So within a 10 year time period every member of the William Faught family had passed. That is definitely multiple deaths in a family in a short time period.
The source I chose to talk about this week for the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks theme of "Unusual Source" is called "U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971". These records can be found in more than one repository, I found these records on Ancestry.com.
I'm not sure if this is an unusual source to everyone, but when I found it I was very intrigued.
The description of the source on Ancestry.com is
This collection of 181 volumes of post office appointments and vacancies stretches from 1832 until 1971. The records show the date of establishment and discontinuance of post offices, changes of names of post offices, and names and appointment dates for their postmasters. The database also includes dates of Presidential appointments of postmasters and their confirmation dates by the Senate. Starting in 1870, the records contain names of post offices where discontinued post office’s mail was sent.
From 1832 until 1950, these records were kept by assistants to the Postmaster General. From 1950 to 1971, the Bureau of Post Office Operations compiled the records. Up to 1930, the records are arranged by location and then alphabetically by name of post office. After 1930, there are two types of records. They are arranged alphabetically by name of post office and alphabetically by the appointment’s name. The records include:
- Name
- Appointment date
- Vacancy cause
- Vacancy date
- Post office location
- State
- County
- Volume
I stumbled across this source when researching my 2nd great grandmother's second husband Asahel Atherton.
Asahel Atherton and my 2nd great grandmother Sarah Ann Healy married late in life, after the death of Sarah's first husband, my 2nd great grandfather, William Hawley. Sarah and Asahel were married on October 30th, 1919 In Beaverton, Gladwin, Michigan. I write more about their marriage in my blog post "How Did They Meet?". When Sarah and Asahel married he was 75 and she was 68. They had both been widowed. After their marriage they resided in the community of Hardy in Mitchell Township, Alcona County, Michigan.
16 Years before Sarah and Asahel got married, Asahel was appointed the postmaster of the Moffatt Post Office in Alcona County, Michigan.
As I mentioned, this source provides information on not only the person appointed as postmaster, but also the post office itself. The record provides the following information for Asahel Atherton:
Name: Asahel Atherton
Appointment Date: 10/31/1903
Vacancy Cause:
Vacancy Date:
Post Office Location: Moffatt
State: Michigan
County: Alcona County
Volume: 91
The record also has a notation of "Dis" and a note that says "No Papers" and "Eff Feb. 28, 1907 Feb. 26, 1907"
My assumption is that the "Dis" notation indicates that the post office was discontinued. The "Eff" could indicated an effective date. I'm not sure why there are two dates within a couple days of each other. My assumption is that the "No Papers" comment meant that there was no mail at the Moffatt post office to be transferred to another post office.
I was unable to find a specific location for the Moffatt post office. Based on the information I do know, My assumption is that it was located near Hardy which is located in the unincorporated community of Curran in Mitchell Township, Alcona County, Michigan. All indicators point to this post office being very small and serving the people of a very small community. Asahel Atherton seems to be the first, last and only postmaster for this small post office.
The marriage of Sarah and Asahel is still somewhat of a mystery to me. I know when and where they were married and I think I know how they met. But after that, they seem to fade off into history. I haven't been able to find them on the 1920 census or any other records. Sarah passed away on December 31st, 19254, only five years after they were married, and seven months later Asahel passed away on July 9th, 1925.
Do you have any ancestors that served as a postmaster?
It's funny how a single recipe can be such a big part of a family. In our family that recipe is for homemade noodles.
For as long as I can remember when my family thought about comfort food, that meant homemade noodles and lots of them.
Although, I would love to say that this recipe is a family secret passed down through the generations. I can say no such thing. In fact, the recipe for homemade noodles started from the "Betty Crocker Cookbook" on Page 394 in the version of the cookbook that I have in my cupboard.
The difference in our "Family Recipe" is in the details and the fun had in making and eating them.
Although we typically follow the Betty Crocker version of the recipe, there is always something little that is different. It could be a spare can of chicken noodle soup, bouillon cubes, different types of gravy or the amount of salt added. Because with homemade noodles, it is all about the consistency and the flavor.
For instance, I typically use chicken noodle soup rather than cream of chicken soup as my mother suggested in the recipe she sent me.
The method of making the noodles is also important. mixing the dough is always done by hand. You must always use a wooden rolling pin, and the noodles should never be cut too thin. Always cook in a very large pot, maybe two depending on how big of a batch you are making.
The most important part about this recipe has nothing to do with the ingredients or the tools and process used to make them. The most important part is the fun we have. The flour fights, the hours of enjoying the amazing smell of the noodles cooking on the stove, the multiple sneaky trips to the kitchen to steal a noodle that is almost done because you just can't wait. It is also tradition to let the kids cut the noodles. They are usually a mix of thin, thick, and way too thick and none of them cut in a straight line. But of course that is not the point.
Every child has a favorite food that is the only thing that will do for a birthday dinner or to fix a bad day. Mine is homemade noodles and my mother never disappoints.
There have been many years of cherished memories made while making homemade noodles. I look forward to continuing this tradition with my own daughter, as well as, my daughter in law and granddaughter.
This has always been one of my favorite photos, probably because of all the wonderful stories that come to mind when I see it.
This photo is of my second great-grandmother Loretta Alma Ward.
Loretta was born on September 15, 1878, in Stanton, Montcalm, Michigan to Francis M. Ward and Mary Elizabeth DeFord.
Loretta, or Rettie as she was called, lived a controversial life for her time. She was married three times. One marriage lasted less than six months.
One of her marriages was to Lawrence Clayton McKenzie. I wrote more about this interesting story in my post Alexander McKenzie and his Uncle... I mean Grandpa... I mean.... .
I think the main reason that this is one of my favorite photos is because of a story that was passed down to me by my cousin Claudette, one of Loretta's great grand nieces.
In the story, she references that her father, Lynes Hathaway Ward, went up to Michigan's upper peninsula to visit his aunt Loretta. She shares his memories.
You might be interested to know that my Dad went up to the UP a few times to visit his aunt "Rettie" and he said she wore a man's jacket and smoked a corncob pipe and would get up early and go fishing for panfish, bring them home, fix them up and serve them with cornmeal mush or oatmeal every morning for breakfast. He said she was a character (not in a bad way, just funny).
Claudette Filiputti
This little snippet of information adds so much more life and character to Loretta's story. When I look at it, the first thing I think is "That's Rettie, the woman who wore a man's jacket and smoked her corn cob pipe"
I can just imagine that Loretta "Rettie" didn't take any guff from anyone and was a woman who lived her own way, be damned what anyone else thought.
I hope that after reading this story, you may see the character of Loretta Alma Ward in this photo speak to you as well.
Children are often named after their parents, grandparents, close family, or friends. I've even seen children given a name based on the location of their birth. One trend that I noticed in my family tree was naming children after United States presidents. Have you noticed this in your family tree?
The choice of a "Presidential Name" could have been made to honor a current or former president. Other research suggests a name may have been chosen in the hope that the child would display the same honorable characteristics of that President or even to represent a family's tie to a specific political party.
With the upcoming inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris this week, I figured it would be a good time to write about this trend.
With the historical significance of Kamala Harris being the United States' first female vice president, the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president, I do wonder if the name Kamala will move up the ranks in popular baby name lists this year.
Searching my family tree I found several familiar "Presidential Names" representing the following United States Presidents; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Rutherford B. Hayes, and William Howard Taft.
George Washington Burt, my second great grandfather, was born on May 23, 1852, in Sciota Township, Shiawassee, Michigan
George Washington Hawley, my second great uncle, was born on September 11, 1881, in Rust Township, Montmorency, Michigan
George Washington
PresidentPresidential term: April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797
Thomas Jefferson
PresidentPresidential term: March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809
Thomas Jefferson Burt, my third great grandfather, was born on March 20, 1806, in Chemung, Chemung, New York.
Thomas was born during the time that Thomas Jefferson was president. It is also interesting to note that he named his own son George Washington Burt.
Wesley Madison Hawley, my second cousin three times removed was born on April 8, 1878, in Billings Township, Gladwin, Michigan
James Madison
PresidentPresidential term: March 4, 1809 to March 4, 1817
Rutherford B. Hayes
PresidentPresidential term: March 4, 1877 to March 4, 1881
Rutherford Birch Steele, my first cousin three times removed, was born on May 19, 1877, in Day Township, Montcalm, Michigan. Rutherford was born just over a month after President Rutherford B. Hayes took office.
Howard Taft Jones, my first cousin three times removed, was born on October 30, 1908, in Brant Township, Saginaw, Michigan
William Howard Taft
PresidentPresidential term: March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1913
When considering this post I knew of a few instances of children in my family tree named after a president. When I started looking, I found many more than I expected and more than those included in this post.
I would love to hear from you, do you have any ancestors with a Presidential Name?
My eighth great grandmother, Eulalia Marche, can be considered a legend in many ways. In 1635, Eulalia, her husband Henry Burt, and their six children left their home in England to start a new life in the New England colonies.
However, the legend that I am going to write about happened before the family left England.
The Family Legend
The story I am going to share can't be verified with documentation. This is a story that has been passed down through generations. The story has been written down in several books but without any significant evidence.
A family legend, regardless of evidence, can provide important clues about the lives of our ancestors because legends like this one tend to leave a mark on the page of the family's story.
The story starts in Devon, England in about the year 1615, Eulalia Marche was 15 years old. It is told that she became very sick and was not expected to live. At some point, Eulalia became catatonic and slipped into a coma. A funeral was planned. There was most likely a wake held for up to two days before the funeral. At the time a wake was typically held in the family home of the deceased.
History of the "Wake"
Eulalia lay in her casket, as her friends and families grieved the life of someone so young, As the service progressed, psalms were sung and tears were shed.
However, Eulalia surprised her audience when during the service she sat upright in her casket.
I can only imagine the mix of surprise, joy, and fear that her friends and family felt.
I have found this story shared in several books and websites. Most of the books were written by a descendant of Henry Burt and Eulalia.
The maiden name of Mr. Burt's wife is unknown, but her Christian name was Eulalia. Of her there is an interesting legend. The Rev. Dr. Ezra Stiles, a noted clergyman, and from 1778 to 1795 the President of Yale College, was directly descended from Henry and Eulalia Burt, through their daughter, Dorcas, who married John Stiles of Windsor. Dr. Stiles prepared in 1764 a genealogy of his family, in which he says : "There is a tradition in the family that the mother of this Dorcas Burt, before she came over from England, was laid out for dead and put in her coffin, but at her funeral signs of life appeared, and she recovered and came to New England, settled at Springfield, and here in America had nineteen children, ten of whom lived to have children, one of whom was this Dorcas." Like most oral traditions, there are in this some apparent discrepancies; there can be no doubt but that our ancestress, Eulalia, was on the point of being buried alive, for such startling events leave deep and lasting impressions that are transmitted from generation to generation with little variation.2
To put this into the context of Eulalia's life:
- Eulalia was born on December 28th, 1600
- Eulalia's father Richard Marche passed away on April 29, 1612, Eulalia was 11 years old
- Eulalia falls ill to a sickness that almost takes her life in about 1615
- Eulalia's mother Joan (Martyn) Marche passed away on May 21st, 1616
- Eulalia's brother William Marche passed away in May of 1617
- Eulalia's sister Elizabeth Marche passed away in May of 1619
- Eulalia's sister Anias Marche passed away in November of 1619
During the seven years surrounding Eulalia's close call with death, she lost both of her parents, as well as, three out of five of her siblings.
The fact that Eulalia Marche survived her brush with death and the tragic death of several family members in itself makes her legendary in my opinion. However, this was not the end of the legendary events in her life.
Eulalia married her husband Henry Burt on December 28th, 1619 in Dean Prior, Devon, England at the age of 19. Between January 14th, 1621, and December 4th, 1638 ten children were born to Henry and Eulalia Burt.
After the birth of their tenth child, Elizabeth Burt, Henry and Eulalia made the tough decision to immigrate to the new world. They sailed to the new world and settled in Massachusetts. Eulalia went on to give birth to five more children and live until the age of 89. Eulalia Burt is a legend in our family.
I have decided to take on the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge, as laid out by Amy Johnson Crow on her website.
The theme for the first week of this challenge is "Beginnings".
This week I have decided to write about my ninth great grandparents, Jean Royer and Marie Targer.
Jean Royer and Marie Targer were the first of my Royer surname line to arrive in Canada. Their marriage and the children they had helped to set the groundwork for the Canada we know today.
Jean Royer (1634 - 1674)
Jean Royer was born in 1635 to Jean Royer and Marie Paise in Saint-Coseme-en-Vair, Maine, Pays-de-la-Lorie, France.
Saint-Coseme-en-Vair is now a part of the larger municipality of Saint-Cosme-en-Vairais.
Although, Saint-Cosme-en-Vairais has no direct access to the sea, many inhabitants of this community were sent to colonize New France in the early to mid 1600s. Those that emigrated included artisans, lumberjacks and farmers.
My 9th great grandfather Jean Royer was one of the men that emigrated from France to Canada (New France). He arrived in Canada in 1660 at the age of 25.
On January 3rd, 1661 Jean obtained a concession of land from Charles de Lauzon in seigneury of Liret (Sainte-Famille)
Marie Targer (1641 - 1711)
Marie Targer was born on February 22nd, 1641 to Daniel Targer and Louise Martin in Saint-Nicolas, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France.
Marie, the youngest daughter of a seaman, became an orphan at the age of 18. Her older sister Isabelle had previously emigrated to Quebec, Canada, and married a man named Mathurin Gerbert dit Lafontaine on August 4th, 1659.
At the age of 22, Marie also made the long voyage from France to New France. Marie was part of a group of women called the "Fille du Roi". Translated this means "King's Daughters".
The King's Daughters (French: filles du roi; filles du roy) is a term used to refer to the approximately 800 young French women who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV of France. The program was designed to boost New France's population both by encouraging male colonizers to settle there and by promoting marriage, family formation, and the birth of children. While women and girls certainly immigrated to New France both before and after this time period, they were not considered to be filles du roi, as the term refers to women and girls who were actively recruited by the government and whose travel to the colony was paid for by the king.2
Marie arrived in Quebec on September 22nd, 1663 aboard The Golden Eagle Brouage.
The marriage of Jean Royer and Marie Targer
Only 17 days after Marie arrived in Canada, there was a marriage contract drawn up between herself and Jean Royer.
The translation is below
The family of Jean Royer and Marie Targer
At the time of Jean Royer's death on February 17th, 1674, Jean and Marie had been married for just over ten years. They had seven children; Jean, Marie-Anne, Madeleine, Pierre, Marie Elizabeth Isabelle, Jean, and Therese.
You can view an interaction version of the family group sheet for Jean and Marie using this link or view the PDF version below
Although there were only about 800 women that are recorded as being a part of the Fille du Roi, most of these women married and had families leading to a population explosion that gave rise to the success of the French colony. Most of the millions of people of French Canadian descent today, both in Quebec and the rest of Canada, as well as, the USA, are descendants of one or more of these courageous women.
Because Marie was one of these courageous woman and married Jean Royer, my Royer family made their beginning in Canada, where several still live today.