Long Rapids Township – Genealogist on a Journey

Week 12: Loss: Fire Devastates the Hawley Family

Rebecca Walbecq — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 01:44:13 +0000

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.

Charles at Large: Another Mystery Solved with DNA

Rebecca Walbecq — Wed, 17 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Background

In My last blog post, Charles at Large: The Search for Charles Hawley, I wrote about my great granduncle Charles Hawley and his disappearing act in the summer of 1910.

As I have written about before, I have been doing significant research into Hawley DNA connections. This research has led to the discovery of my 3rd great grandparents, Daniel Hawley and Sarah Sally Huff. You can read more about this discovery in my blog post; Parents of William Hawley... Proven Through DNA...?

The DNA Connection

As part of this continued research, I frequently check my DNA connections on Ancestry.com for the surname Hawley. Recently I found two new connections. Both of these connections had one name in common, Charles Hawley.

The first connection, we will call her J.M., is the 2nd great granddaughter of Charles Hawley and Sarah Flewelling. The second connection that I found, we will call her, J.H.B., was a shared connection with J.M.

J.H.B. also had a Charles Hawley in her tree, who was her great-grandfather. This man also had a son by the name of George Russell Hawley and lived in California. All seemed to be fitting into place very well. I was starting to get excited.

Let me break down some of the DNA results for you. Hopefully, this will help you to understand my excitement.

We already know that J.H.B. was connected to J.M., the 2nd great granddaughter of Charles Hawley and Sarah Flewelling. She is also connected to another direct descendant of Charles's, Charon Hawley. Charon Hawley is the great granddaughter of Charles Hawley and Sarah Flewelling. In fact, J.H.B. and Charon share a very strong DNA connection (279 cm over 10 different segments). To further prove J.H.B.'s connection to the Hawley family, she is also connected to me (Rebecca (McKenzie) Walbecq, my paternal uncle Robert McKenzie and my paternal aunt Betty (McKenzie) Krzewinski.

I have access to the detailed DNA results for myself, Robert, Betty, and Charon. You can see below the assumed relationship, predicted DNA relationship based on the amount of shared DNA and the proposed most recent common ancestor (MRCA), as well as, the amount of DNA shared.

J.H.B. also shares DNA with the following other members of the Hawley family. I have also included the assumed relationship and proposed MRCA for each of these connections below.

Based on the DNA evidence, there didn't seem to be any doubt that J.H.B. was a descendant of Charles Hawley.

However, anyone that does genealogy and especially those that work with DNA results know, it is NEVER that easy!

Confusion

Therein begins the confusion and the journey to determine if two men, with two different families, could be the same person. To make my comparisons easier to understand, I will refer to my great granduncle as Charles 1 and the great grandfather of J.H.B. as Charles 2. You will see why this is needed shortly.

The first thing I realized was that the great grandfather of J.H.B., Charles Henry Hawley (Charles 2), was quite a bit younger than my great granduncle Charles (Charles 1).

Based on the Ancestry.com tree of J.H.B., Charles 2, was born on October 21, 1875, in New York. He married Hattie Josephine Schunk in about 1910. They had two children; George Russell Hawley (Born in 1913 in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California) and Violet Audrey Hawley (born in 1914 in Buena Park, Orange, California). He died in October of 1975 in Downey, Los Angeles, California.

Well, that did not match what I knew about my great granduncle Charles 1. Based on my records, Charles 1 was born in March of 1859, most likely in Nunda, Livingston, New York. This was a 16 year age gap.

At this point in my post, it may be helpful to read my last post, Charles at Large: The Search for Charles Hawley, if you haven't done so already.

In the case, that you have read my last post, but could use a little refresher, I will provide a brief summary of the life of Charles 1.

Charles 1 was born in March of 1859 to William Hawley and Mercy Brown. He had two siblings; an older brother Frank and a younger sister Minnie Bell. Charles 1 moved to Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan in about 1866. He married Sarah Flewelling in about 1885. They lived in Ogemaw County and had eight children. The youngest being George Russell Hawley, born on July 29th, 1902 in Cumming, Ogemaw, Michigan.
Sometime between 1902 and 1910, Charles 1 seems to have left his wife and children and moved to California. Sometime between 1910 and 1920, Charles 1 and Sarah are divorced and we know that he was living in Buena Park, Orange, California on August 28th, 1914. This folks has always been the end of the story, as we knew it, for Charles 1.

So, how could Charles 2, the great grandfather of J.H.B., be the same man as Charles 1? They were born 16 years apart from one another. No one could get away with pretending to be 16 years younger for so many years, or so I thought.

I could have given up right then, and if it hadn't had been for such a strong DNA connection, I may have. But somewhere deep in my gut, I just had a feeling that these two men were one and the same.

In the next section, I will walk you through a comparison of the lives of Charles 1 and Charles 2, so that you can see the similarities

Comparison

We know that Charles 1 left for California sometime between 1902 and 1910. We also know that he returned back to the home of his father and stepmother in Ossineke, Alpena, Michigan on June 9th, 1910 to be with his ailing step-brother George. We know that his father William and stepmother Sarah must have returned to California with him because William died in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California on August 28th, 1914.

This is where it gets interesting. As I mentioned before, Charles 2 married Hattie Josephine Schunk around 1910. I know this based on the 1920 census.

As any genealogist should do, I started to research Hattie. It turns out that Hattie Schunk was born on March 21st, 1893 in Saint Clair, Saint Clair, Michigan to Jacob August Schunk and Minnie P. Bugermeister. The Michigan connection was interesting, so I researched further.

My next step was to determine where and when Charles 2 and Hattie were married. If I could prove that they met and married at a time and place that Charles 1 could not have been, then my theory would be disproved. Just the opposite happened.

Hattie was living with her parents and two siblings; Daisy and Herbert, in Ossineke, Alpena, Michigan in 1900 and 1910. So now we know that Hattie is living in Ossineke, right around the same time that Charles 1 returned from California to visit his ailing brother. Could they have met during that summer of 1910? It seems very possible. Ossineke was and still is a small community and the Hawley family was, by all accounts, well know and well liked.

Now that I know there is a possibility that Charles 1 and Hattie could have met in Ossineke, I wanted to move my research to California and the life of Charles 2 and Hattie there.

The first thing I looked at was the birth of the children of Charles 2 and Hattie. Their first child George Russell Hawley was born on April 11, 1913, in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California. This is confirmed based on the marriage record for George.

So it seems that the father of Charles 1, William Hawley, and Charles 2 and Hattie were both living in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California in 1913.

There is one thing that still confuses me a little bit about the birth of George Russell Hawley, the son of Charles 2 and Hattie. If you remember Charles 1 and Sarah Flewelling also had a son named George Russell Hawley, who was born on July 29th, 1902 in Cumming, Ogemaw, Michigan.

My first thought was that these two men might be the same person, but after some research, this doesn't seem to be true.

Marriage certificate for George Russell Hawley and Mary Alice Heasley

Based on information found in other's family trees on Ancestry.com, Charles 2 and Hattie's daughter, Violet Audrey Hawley was born on November 19th, 1914 in Buena Park, Orange, California. We know that, based on the obituary of his father, Charles 1 is also living in Buena Park, Orange, California on August 28, 1914.

The graphic below shows a comparison of the lives of Charles A. Hawley (Charles 1) and Charles Henry Hawley (Charles 2). In the graphic, I show the known events for both men side by side. I have included their assumed ages at each event. I have also highlighted, in yellow, the years between 1910 and 1914, which show the overlap of locations for both men.

Family Stories

At this point in my research, I decided to reach out to other members of the Hawley family, including several descendants of Charles 1. I shared my finding thus far and the comparison graphic above. This sparked a lot of great conversation.

One very interesting piece of information that came from this discussion was a family story passed down to Charon Hawley, the great granddaughter of Charles 1 and Sarah Flewelling.

Below is the story shared by Charon Hawley in a Facebook group related to the Hawley family

What my father told me...a little sketchy at best...he said Charles was a strange bird...took off with namesake and the girl down the road? ...worked on the Hover Dam...stayed in California...left wife and rest of his kids in Michigan to fend for themselves...I asked him if he took the girl for himself or namesake...dad didn't know...

Jon Theodore "Ted" Hawley, the great grandson of Charles 1 and Sarah Flewelling, also shared a similar story

I asked my dad about it, he said "Uncle Charley ran off with a younger woman to Las Vegas and then moved to California". He said no-one mentioned him again that he remembers.

Charon makes mention of Charles 1 running off with his namesake. This would be Charles Alvin Hawley, born June 29th, 1889. Based on my research Charles Alvin Hawley was still living in Michigan in 1920. He was recorded on the 1920 census, as living in Grayling, Crawford, Michigan. Living with him were his mother Sarah and his little brother George Russell Hawley.

However, there is a piece of the story that seems to ring true. By April 9th, 1930 he was living in Hawthorne, Mineral, Nevada with his wife Golda and her three children; Richard, Dorothy, and Ethel. So it seems that Charles Alvin Hawley, the namesake of Charles 1, did move to Nevada. However, he didn't move until sometime in the 1920s. He continued living in Nevada, moving to Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada by April 1st, 1940. He lived there until his death on April 21st, 1958.

The Last Nail in the Coffin

There was one thing still bothering me, based on the family tree of J.H.B., Charles 2 passed away in October of 1975. If Charles 1 and Charles 2 were the same people, this would have made him 116 years old. However, Hattie, the wife of Charles 2, remarries to David Orvil Overstreet on January 1st, 1943. This leads me to believe that Charles 2 actually passed away sometime between April 4th, 1940 when he and Hattie were recorded on the 1940 census as living at 1015 N. Florence Ave. in Downey, Los Angeles, California, and January 1st, 1943 when Hattie remarried.

We do know that when Frank Hawley, the brother of Charles 1, passed away on July 23rd, 1943, Charles 1 is not listed as a living sibling in his obituary.

I started to search for a death record for Charles 2 in Los Angeles County. I found a record for a Charles A. Hawley who died on August 28th, 1941. I took a chance and ordered the death record.

Los Angeles County Death Certificate for Charles A. Hawley

Death Certificate for Charles A. Hawley. Born March 14th, 1873, Died August 28th, 1941

Portion of the death certificate showing his full name, number of years in California (36), Number of the community of Downey (28), Wife's name (Hattie Hawley), wife's age, and his current address (1015 N. Florence Ave. Downey, Los Angeles, California)

Portion of the death certificate that shows his place of birth (Rochester, New York), his father's name (William Hawley) and burial details.

Portion of the death certificate that shows the details of his death, including the date and cause of death.

So, this is what we learn from the death certificate:

His name is Charles A. Hawley
He was born March 14th, 1873 in Rochester, New York
His father's name is William Hawley
His wife's name is Hattie Hawley
They were living at 1015 N. Florence Ave. in Downey, Los Angeles, California
He passed away on August 28th, 1941
His cause of death was Hypertension and Chronic Myocarditis
He was buried in the Park Lawn Cemetery in Commerce, Los Angeles, California on August 30th, 1941

Conclusion

After reviewing all the evidence collected, both through the paper trail and DNA and comparing the lives of both men, I believe that Charles 1 and Charles 2 are the same man.

I have tried to put together all of the pieces that make up the life of Charles Hawley. The graphic below shows an updated timeline of his life. This includes the date of the event, the event description, the primary person or people affected by the event and the location of the event. I have also color coded the timeline by location.

I believe that Charles moved to California in about 1909, leaving his wife and Children in Michigan. He came back to visit in June of 1910 and met Miss Hattie Schunk in Ossineke, Michigan. Around the same time, he was also divorced from his first wife Sarah. After the death of his brother George and his sister Sadie, Charles moved back to California with his father William, stepmother Sarah and his new wife Hattie.

They lived in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California for a short time, where their son George Russell Hawley was born. Shortly before the death of his father in August of 1914, Charles and Hattie moved to Buena Park, Orange, California, where their daughter Violet Audrey Hawley was born.

Hattie's brother Herbert and sister Grace followed Charles and Hattie to California, making homes in the Los Angeles area.

Charles' son and namesake, Charles Alvin Hawley later also headed out west, settling in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.

For unknown reasons, Charles convinced people that he was 14 years younger then he was. This is a deception that he carried out until his death in 1941.

The fact that Charles named two of his children the same, is also a mystery to me.

Although I am confident that these two men are one and the same, I will continue to look for sources that may further prove or disprove my theory. In the meantime, I will proceed as if they are. Thank you for following me on this journey to solve the mystery of Charles Hawley and his very interesting life.

Charles at Large: The Search for Charles Hawley

Rebecca Walbecq — Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Everyone has an ancestor who presents a challenge, a mystery waiting to be solved. One such ancestor for me is Charles Hawley, my great granduncle. In the summer of 1910, Charles seemed to drop off the face of the planet.

Today, I am going to share his story in hopes someone out there will be able to help me find him.

Charles was born in March of 1859, most likely in Nunda, Livingston, New York to William Hawley and Mercy Brown. He was the second child of three. His older brother Frank was born on January 3rd, 1856 and his younger sister Minnie Belle was born sometime between 1861 and 1864.

About 1866, Charles and his family move from New York to a small logging community named Long Rapids Township in Alpena County, Michigan.

Charles lived with his parents working on the family farm, until on July 30th, 1871 Charles loses his mother Mercy due to a tragic gun accident.

His father William remarries Sarah Ann Healy on May 15, 1872. William and Sarah have seven children; Ellen Hawley born about 1871, William Martin Hawley born in 1873, Mary Ann Hawley born in 1875, Edward James Hawley born in 1880, George Washington Hawley born in 1881, Sarah "Sadie" Maud Hawley born in 1887 and Lavina Mae Hawley born in 1889.

By 1880, Charles is living on the property adjacent to his father and stepmother. I believe that he is living on a property originally purchased by his mother Mercy, before her death, on January 2nd, 1869. The property was left to him and his older brother Frank after his mother's death. Later this land would be transferred to their younger sister Minnie Belle. Living with him and his older brother Frank and two boarders, Wesley Jaynes and his wife Adelia.

About 1885, Charles marries Sarah Flewelling. I have yet to find a marriage record to validate where they were married. Sarah is the widow of George T. Howard. She has three children from this marriage; Frank T. Howard born in 1879, Clinton Dewitt Howard born in 1883 and Etta Agnes born in 1885.

By April 26th, 1887, the family has moved to West Branch, Ogemaw, Michigan. Over the next 15 years, Charles and Sarah have eight children:

John William Hawley born April 26th, 1887 in West Branch, Ogemaw, Michigan
Charles Alvin Hawley born June 29th, 1889 in West Branch, Ogemaw, Michigan
James Edward Hawley born February 3rd, 1892 in Ogemaw County, Michigan
Joseph D. Hawley born January 10th, 1894 in Churchill, Ogemaw, Michigan
Elsie R. Hawley born November of 1895
Amanda M. Hawley born January 1898
Sero Hawley born January 1st, 1900 in Cumming, Ogemaw, Michigan
George Russell Hawley born July 29th, 1902 in Cumming, Ogemaw, Michigan

After their last child, George was born in 1902, I lose track of Charles for a while.

At the time of the 1910 US Federal census recorded on April 27th, Sarah, is still living in Cumming, Ogemaw, Michigan with her six children. The children living at home are; John (23), James (18), Joseph (16), Elsie (14), Amanda (12) and George (7). Although Sarah states that she is still married, however, the census does not list Charles as living in the household. She is living on a mortgaged farm.

I was able to locate a newspaper article that helps me pick up on Charles' trail. Based on information found in the Thursday, June 9th, 1910 edition of The Alcona Review, Charles returned from California to see his half-brother George who was seriously ill. The family was living in Ossineke, Alpena, Michigan at the time.

Charles' brother George passes away on June 26th, 1910 from Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Only five months later, on November 11th, 1910, Charles's half-sister Sadie (Hawley) Bates also dies from Pulmonary Tuberculosis. She leaves behind a husband and two young daughters.

Charles' father William and stepmother Sarah are living alone after the death of George and Sadie. Evidence shows William passed away in Bellflower, Los Angeles, California, I believe when Charles left to go back to California, he brought his father and stepmother with him.

The obituary for William Hawley who passed away on August 28th, 1914, states Charles is “living in Buena Park, Orange County, California.”

Bellflower, Los Angeles, California and Buena Park, Orange, California

On January 20th, 1920 Sarah, Charles's wife is recorded on the 1920 census living in Grayling, Crawford, Michigan with her sons Charles Alvin and George Russell Hawley. The census shows “divorced” as marital status.

Based on the information found thus far, it appears that Charles left his wife and children and moved to California sometime between July 29th, 1902 and April 26th, 1910, For reasons not yet known. What we do know is that Charles and Sarah were divorced sometime between April 27th, 1910 and January 19th, 1920.

This is where I lose track of Charles. The only indication I have of his death is the obituary of his older brother Frank Hawley.
Frank's obituary states that he has two surviving siblings: Lavina (Hawley) Burt and William Hawley. The obituary does not make any mention of his younger brother Charles. This leads me to believe either the family has lost touch with Charles or he passes away before July 23rd, 1942.

I have not been able to find any record of Charles living in California after August 28th, 1914. I continue to search for records, as well as, working with descendants of Charles and DNA evidence.

Could William Hawley have been a Bound Boy?

Rebecca Walbecq — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I mentioned in my last post Finding the Parents of William Hawley... One Step Closer..., that I found my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley in the 1850 census. William was 14 years old and living in the household of John W. Lockwood in Urbana, Steuben County, New York.

As you can imagine, I was very excited to find William in the 1850 census. However, finding him not living with his family, but with another family, at the age of 14, brought up more questions. I started to do some more research into reasons that a boy might not be living with his family at such a young age.

Something I found seemed to be a good possibility. I read a local history book about Steuben County that mentioned a young boy that was "bound out" at a young age to a local tradesman. I wasn't sure exactly what this meant but it made me curious, so time for more research.

Based on my research, when a young child was "bound out", they were basically an indentured servant. This practice was also sometimes called "pauper apprenticeship". This type of arrangement was typically treated as a guardianship in court records. There were many reasons that a child could be "bound out".

Some of the reasons could include:

Working to earn money for their family
The financial burden to support them had become too great
Children that had
- lost their parents,
- been abandoned
- been abused
- become such a burden that their parents gave them up

Based on my research, children were typically bound out at around the age of 14, unless there was a need for them to be placed with a guardian at an earlier age. The guardian was typically responsible for teaching the child a trade and basic literary skills.

So if William was indentured to John Lockwood until the age of 21, as was typical, William should still be able to be found living with or near the Lockwood family at the time of the 1855 New York Census. So I started looking and I believe that I found him.

I found a Wm Haley, age 19 living in the household of Drew Glann in Urbana, Steuben County, New York. Also in the household was Drew's wife Mary and 2 other servants. The two other servants were Sarah Atwell, 23 years old, who had been blind from birth, and a young girl of 3 named Harriet Delong.

Although I had previously assumed that William would already be married and living with his wife Mercy by 1855, this record looked promising. The name was close, the location and the date also seemed correct. But, if William wasn't married yet, why wasn't he still living in the household of John Lockwood and his family?

Remember that we should always use the FAN club methodology when looking for connections in our genealogy. If you read my previous post, you will notice that the Surname Glann sounds familiar. That is because Drew Glann is the brother of Nancy Glann making him the brother in law of John Lockwood, with whom William was living in 1850.

So it appears that sometime between July 21, 1850, and June 21, 1855, William moved from living with John and Nancy to living with Nancy's brother Drew. Based on the 1850 census, Drew and his wife were married in 1850. The census also states that Drew is a farmer. My thought is that Drew may have needed help on the farm or building a new homestead for himself and his new bride and William moved in to help out or continue his apprenticeship.

So Let's try to put all these pieces together in a timeline

Age 0 - 1836 - William is born in Urbana, Steuben County, New York
Age 14 - 1850 - William is bound out to John Lockwood (Assumption)
Age 19 - 1855 - William is living with Drew Glann (Brother in law to John Lockwood)
Age 21 - 1857 - William's indenture/apprenticeship to John Lockwood would have been complete (Assumption)
Age 24 - 1860 - William is living in Nunda, Livingston County, New York with his wife Mercy and son Franklin and Charles

Steuben county did keep very good records for these guardianship agreements, which can be found online. I have spent the last few days looking for a record regarding William but have not yet found one. I have read that legal guardianship records were not always recorded if it was an agreement between the child's parents and the guardian. I will keep looking.

In the mean time, I believe that it is possible that something happened early in William's life that made it necessary for him to be bound out at a young age. Based on what I already know of William and his life in Michigan, it appears that he learned the trade of farming from John Lockwood and his family and went on to continue in this line of work for the rest of his life.

Thank you for following along on my journey to get to know my 2nd great-grandfather William Hawley. I have a feeling there will be a few more interesting stops just around the bend.

Finding the Parents of William Hawley… One Step Closer…

Rebecca Walbecq — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 00:00:00 +0000

In a previous post called, Re-thinking Research: The Parents of William Hawley, I made the claim that William C. Hawley and Mary Oakley were not the parents of my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley. I used several methods to help back up this claim including a timeline comparison of the lives of my ancestor William and the son of William C. Hawley and Mary Oakley.

Since that time, I have been trying to find William's parents. Here is a list of some of the clues to his birthplace, which I hope will lead me to his parents.

1. The death certificate of his son Edward James Hawley, states that William was born in Mount Washington, New York

2. In Book J (1872 - 1905) of Early Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints William's birthplace is listed as Urbana, Steuben, New York

3. From the book Village of Hillman 1891 - 1991, it is stated that Wm. Hawley, a farmer, removed from Steuben County, York State.

4. Williams Obituary, published in 1914, also states that he was born in Steuben County, New York

This was the point I was at when I started my research, a few days ago, into the birthplace and parents of William Hawley. My plan was to re-analyze each piece of evidence that I had already collected about William, hoping to find a clue that I had previously missed. I have spent several hours doing this over the last few weeks.

I found a few interesting facts that I hadn't yet documented, but nothing largely relevant to my search for his parents. So, as I do occasionally when feeling a little frustrated, I decided to do a few "blind searches". What I mean by this is, that I don't necessarily have a specific fact or even person that I'm looking for. I may focus on a historical event or a specific location, just to see if something jumps out at me.

I did a few searches using google books. I searched for keywords such as "Hawley", "Alpena", "Hillman" and "lumber industry". I did find a book of interest that mentioned William Hawley, that I hadn't found before. The book is called Village of Hillman 1891 - 1991. Of course, like many books on google books, the whole eBook wasn't available, only little snippets. I did end up buying the book on eBay for $10. There may be only one paragraph that references William, but sometimes that's worth it. I'll share more about this when I receive the book in the mail.

Finding the information in this book, led me to decide to do a "blind search" for census records in and around 1850 for Steuben County, New York. The only search criteria I added was the location and date range.

Why did I share so much of my research process? Because it led me to find something significant. Something that I feel will help me make progress in confirming William's birthplace and finding his parents.

This is what I found. A fourteen-year-old boy named William Holly is recorded as living in the household of John Lockwood and his family in Urbana, Steuben County, New York. The head of Household is John Lockwood, born in about 1823. John is a farmer living with his wife Nancy and 3 children; Bradley (3), Celecta (2) and Franklin (2 months).

This find in itself was very exciting and closer than I had ever gotten before. However, it was not enough to have me doing the "genealogy happy dance" just yet. Although I will admit, my feet were tapping along to that beat.

My next step was to start investigating William Holly's FAN club (Family, Associates, and Neighbors) from Urbana, Steuben County, New York, based on the 1850 census.

I started to review pages before and after the page that William Holly and the Lockwood family were found on. I started making a list of surnames that were in the same County in 1850. One of the surnames that stood out to me was Jaynes. I wasn't sure why at first, it wasn't a surname in any of my family lines. Then it occurred to me, there was a border, named Wesley Jaynes, living next to William Hawley on the 1880 census in Wilson Township, Alpena County, Michigan. Coincidence? maybe, but it was enough to persuade me to keep looking.

Genealogist Elizabeth Shown Mills coined a phrase that explains a genealogy methodology called
the "FAN Club."
She points out the significance of not only searching records for an ancestor's surname but also paying attention to documents about the ancestor's "FAN Club" (Friends, Associates, Neighbors), thereby broadening the scope of research beyond an individual to the community and nation where he or she lived. Learning more about an ancestor's FAN Club is a great way to discover new information about your direct ancestry, as these people are often listed together in deeds, wills, court cases, road orders, etc., and help you build a stronger case about relationships in your own family. - Elizabeth Shown Mills

Below is the 1880 Census for Wilson Township, Alpena County, Michigan showing William Hawley and his family, living next store to Charles and Frank Hawley (Sons of William and Mercy) and Wesley and Adelia Jaynes. Wesley was a part of William's FAN Club.

I found several Jaynes families living in Urbana in 1850, but not a Wesley Jaynes. I decided to widen my search to the whole county of Steuben. Imagine my surprise when I came across a Wesley Jaynes (spelled Janes), living about 20 miles from Urbana

Below is the 1850 Census showing Wesley Jaynes living, with his family, in Cambell, Steuben, New York. This further confirms the connection between William Holly, living in Urbana in 1850 and William Hawley living in Alpena in 1880.

Ok.... just so you know... right about now I AM DOING THE "GENEALOGY HAPPY DANCE"!!!

To Summarize, based on records previously found, I was pretty confident that William Hawley was born in or around Steuben County, New York in August of 1836. By 1860, William was living in Livingston County, New York with his wife Mercy and two sons Franklin and Charles.

I strongly believe that William Holly that I found living with the Lockwood family in Urbana, Steuben County, New York in 1850 is my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley.

This discovery is just the starting point for my continued research. So, what's next?

Research all Holly, Holley, Haley, and Hawley families living in Steuben County from 1835 - 1855 to see if I am able to connect William to one of these families
Research the possibility of other children, siblings of William, that may have been living in Steuben County in 1850
Research possible reasons that William, being only 14, would not be living at home with his family, but instead with the Lockwood Family
Research additional FAN club connections to help determine possible answers to the following questions:
- Because I have now found William in the 1850 and 1860 census, where was William Living in 1855?
- Based on my assumption that William married his first wife Mercy around 1855, where/when did they meet?
- What made William decide to move to Michigan?
- Did he move with someone else?

Although this is just one census record, it provides me with enough information to remove one more brick in the wall that I have been chipping away at for years. It is moments like this that continue to make my journey to discover my ancestors so rewarding.

I will continue to share my finding as I search for the parents of William Hawley.

William Hawley: Left out in the cold

Rebecca Walbecq — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000

If you grew up in Northern Michigan during the winter, as I did, you are more than familiar with the blustery conditions that we endure during the months of November thru March.

I recently found a small notice in the Detroit Free Press about my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley and his experience during a February 1908 blizzard while living in Hillman, Michigan. I found the same announcement in The Yale expositor.

The Detroit Free Press - Saturday, February 15, 1908

It would seem that Hillman was not the only part of Michigan that was struck by a fierce blizzard. There were several blizzards mentioned in newspapers during February of 1908. The article below is from the February 21, 1908 edition of The Owosso times.

The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) - February 21, 1908

I'm not quite sure what my 2nd great grandfather William Hawley was doing out in a blizzard that evening, but he did make it home, even without the help of others.

What I found interesting, was that it must have been a fairly significant event to be included in two different newspapers, hundreds of miles from where it occurred. I wonder who it was that refused him shelter. How did they feel about this newspaper write up?

Although this news article will not help me bust through any genealogical brick walls, it was a very interesting find. Newspapers articles like this, help to provide a better understanding of the people behind the pedigree chart.

The Founding of Long Rapids Township and the Role my Ancestors Played

Rebecca Walbecq — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Sometimes it is the research I do on a location, rather than the people, that leads me to a piece of interesting information. My plan for my next blog post was to write about a letter that was written by William Faught to his brother George Faught in 1871. While in the process of my research, I found something else interesting. So, don't worry, I will share the letter as promised, however, I would like to share the other information I found first.

For a little background, William Faught, my 3rd great grand uncle and the brother of my 3rd great grandfather George Faught, was living in Alpena County, Michigan in 1871 and, by the sound of his letter, owned a growing and prosperous logging business in the area. My goal was to do some additional research on the logging industry in Alpena County during this time period, in order to provide some background to the letter I previously mentioned.

During my research, I found something both new and something that I already knew... I know that sounds a little crazy, but as a genealogist, it happens all the time because sometimes you are given a reason to look at previously found evidence from a different perspective or for a different purpose.

This time, the interesting find was made in a book by the name of The History of the Lake Huron Shore. My goal was to find information about the logging industry in Alpena County. What I found instead was an unknown family connection. This section of the book was written about the founding of Long Rapids Township in Alpena County.

This section describes the subdivision of Alpena Township into three distinct townships, including; Alpena, Long Rapids, and Wilson Township. This took place on March 15, 1873. Although this historical event is worthy of sharing in its own right, the part that caught my attention is in the next few paragraphs.

This section lists the men who signed the application for the erection and organization of Long Rapids Township, which includes; William E. Jones, William Faught, Joseph Robinson, Florence Crowley, W. H. Marston, Patrick Burns, B.D. Atwood, John Martin, Henry Hodgins, Chas. Kesting, G. Elsworth, Lucius Mills, David Redie, James A. Case, Wm. Hawley, and John Keating. They are described as resident freeholders of the township of Alpena and are petitioning for the erection and organization of a new township. The Township of Long Rapids.

As you will notice, there are a couple of names that I have highlighted, they are William Faught and Wm. Hawley. William Faught is my 3rd great grand uncle, the brother of George Faught. William Hawley is my 2nd great grandfather. I have read a version of this historical account several times before. I have even used a similar account as a source for the residence of William Hawley in the early 1870s. Now, I find that two of my ancestors, one from my father's father's line (The Faught Family) and the other from my Father's Mother's line (The Hawley Family) were a part of this historical event. Both of these men and their families played a part in not only the creation of a new township but also in the growth of a community. William Hawley through homesteading and farming a previously untouched piece of land and William Faught through the logging industry, which helped Alpena become the county it is today.

One of my favorite parts of researching my family history is finding the connections that bring my ancestors to life. The connections that allow me to share just a little bit more of their story.

Re-thinking Research: The Parents of William Hawley

Rebecca Walbecq — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

As all beginning genealogist, I relied on online public family trees to start my research. Over the last year, I have been going back over my research, verifying information, adding sources and filling in the gaps. During my research, I started to add sources for my second great grandfather William Hawley. This is when I came to the realization that I have not yet found any document or source that proves that William's parents were Rev. William Chester Hawley and Mary Oakley. So my search began, to find a source to prove what I already knew. At least that was what I thought.

During my search for the missing source records to prove the parentage of William Hawley, I actually believe that I accomplished the exact opposite. I no longer agree with my original conclusion that William Chester Hawley and Mary Oakley are the parents of my second great grandfather William Hawley. I have created an excel spreadsheet to compare "My William Hawley" with William S. Hawley, the son of William and Mary. By grouping, known events for these two men by year and analyzing the differences, I believe that I am able to confirm my new assumption.

As you can see in 1855, William S. Hawley was living with his parents, William Chester and Mary (Oakley) Hawley, in ward 14 of New York City, New York. In the same year, the assumption is that William Hawley was married to his first wife Mercy. The marriage year is assumed based on the birth of their first son Francis on January 3, 1856. This comparison could be argued, due to the fact that I have not yet found a marriage certificate for William and Mercy. However, I'm not giving up yet.

In 1860, William S. Hawley is still living with his parents in Ward 14 of New York City. While, William and Mercy Hawley are now married and can be found living in Nunda, Livingston, New York with their two sons Francis and Charles.

Between the years 1861 and 1867, the two men lived very different lives. In 1861, William S. Hawley enlisted in the US Army to fight for the Union in the American Civil War. He re-enlisted in 1863 after the completion of his first 3-year term. He was discharged in 1865 in New York because he was wounded. He was shot in the left foot which required amputation. During this same time period, William and Mercy Hawley, still living in New York, had their third child Minnie Belle Hawley in 1864. Around 1867 William, Mercy and their young family moved from New York to Northern Michigan. William has started farming on a homestead in Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan.

By 1870, William S. Hawley is still living in New York and has checked into the New York State Soldiers and Sailor's Home. He is listed as single. William and Mercy Hawley are living in Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan with their three children.

By 1872, William S. Hawley, Still living in New York, has checked out of the New York State Soldiers and Sailor's home. William's wife Mercy passed away the previous year. William has received a land patent for his homestead in Long Rapids. William has remarried to Sarah Ann Healy and they have had their first child Ellen Hawley.

The next time I find William S. Hawley in the records he is living at 391 S. 5th St. in Brooklyn New York with his mother Mary (Oakley) Hawley who is listed as the widow of William C. Hawley. William and Sarah now have two more children; William Martin and Mary Ann Hawley. That year William and Sarah sell their homestead in Long Rapids to Joshua Brickford. In 1877, William S. Hawley is living in the same home, in Brooklyn, with his mother Mary. The same year, William's daughter Minnie Belle Hawley in married in Long Rapids to a sailor from England by the name of Joseph Biddlecomb.

As you can now clearly see, it is nearly impossible for William Chester Hawley and Mary Oakley to be the parent of William Hawley. They did have a son named William born around the same time and in the state of New York. However, by following the life of William S. Hawley it becomes evident, that my original assumption was incorrect. Besides the fact that William S. Hawley and my second great grandfather William Hawley were living lives in two different states, the fact that William S. Hawley lost his left foot due to a war injury makes it even clearer that they are two different men. As you can see from the photo below, taken about 1876, my second great grandfather, William Hawley appears to still have both of his feet.

Although I don't like to admit that I jumped to an incorrect assumption based on other's research, that is part of what being a good genealogist is all about. I also believe that the process of finding my mistakes and learning from them makes me better at what I am doing. So, lesson learned. It's time to move on from here. It appears that I have another mystery on my hands that needs to be solved. Who were William Hawley's parents? I can't wait to find out!!

Finding George Faught

Rebecca Walbecq — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

George Faught, my 3rd great grandfather, was born on July 12, 1837, in New York, the youngest child of Lawrence Faught and Bridget Fogarty. By June 11, 1860, George was living with his mother Bridgette and two older siblings William and Ann in Lexington, Sanilac, Michigan. George's father Lawrence had passed away sometime before this.

Seven years later, on Mary 17, 1867 George married Elizabeth Miller, the daughter of Philip and Sarah (Barton) Miller in Delaware, Sanilac, Michigan. Just as a side note, four years earlier, George's older brother William had married Elizabeth's older sister Sarah on January 13, 1864.

1860 US Federal Census - Bridget Faught and Children

Marriage record for George Faught and Elizabeth Miller

A few years after they were married, George and Elizabeth became the parents of their first child, of a daughter named, Mary Anna Faught, my 2nd great grandmother. Mary Anna Faught was born on January 18, 1870, in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan. From all the records I have found thus far, Mary Anna would be their only child.

On July 7, 1870, George, Elizabeth, and Mary Anna are living in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan. George is working as a farmer.

1870 US Federal Census

By June 15, 1880, the family's situation has changed dramatically. George is listed on the 1880 census as a widower living in Forester, Sanilac, Michigan. He seems to be living in a household with a couple of other families. He may have been living in a boarding house of some type. This means that Elizabeth has passed away in the last 10 years. Mary Anna Faught, now 10 years old, is living with her maternal grandparents Philip and Sarah Miller in Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan.

1880 US Federal Census

In June of 1884, George is found still living in Forester, Sanilac, Michigan. He is again living in a household with other families.

1884 Michigan State Census

This is where the trail goes cold for a while. I have yet to find George in the 1900 Census living in either Sanilac County or Montmorency County, Michigan. I was unable to locate George Faught again until his death in 1905. George passed away on June 24, 1905, in Briley Township, Montmorency, Michigan. His death certificate provides the following information:

George is a white male born on July 12, 1837, in the state of New York.
He died while living in Briley Township, Montmorency county at the Poor House
He is a Widower
He had one child of which one is living
He had been living in Montmorency County for 114 days (March 1, 1905)
Dr. C.A. Rice certifies that he was attending George Faught from March 2, 1905, until June 22, 1905, when he last saw George alive.
He is to be buried at the Briley Township Cemetery on June 24, 1905

Death Certificate for George Faught

My search for the burial site of George Faught started the weekend of July 4, 2015, during a trip back to Michigan. My family and I searched for his headstone or any sign of his burial at the Briley Township Cemetery with no luck. Last week, I contacted the Briley Township Office, inquiring about his burial record. My assumption was that he had been buried without a headstone, most likely due to the fact that he passed away while living in the Poor House. However, the township office had no records of a George Faught ever being buried in the cemetery. The Clerk suggested that I check with Avery Township and Loud Township in Montmorency County. I have sent correspondence to both offices but have not yet received a response.

My curiosity is piqued, where is George Faught buried, if not in the Briley Township Cemetery where his death certificate states. As a note, George's daughter Mary Anna (Faught) McKenzie and her husband Alexander Orlando McKenzie are buried in the Briley Township Cemetery. So this location would make sense.

Although my goal was to write this blog post and be able to provide a conclusion to this mystery, the case remains open. So in the meantime, I will share what I know.

Mary Anna Faught: One Tough Lady

Rebecca Walbecq — Thu, 14 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Mary Anna Faught was born in Bridgehampton, Sanilac, Michigan on January 18, 1870, the first and only child of George Faught and Elizabeth Miller. The family was enumerated on the 1870 census living in Bridgehampton. George is a farmer and Elizabeth is at home keeping house and taking care of her daughter, Mary Anna, who would be almost 7 months old by this time.

Although it seems that this younger couple were just starting both their marriage and their family, it didn't seem to last long.

Sometime between June 26, 1870, and June 15, 1880, Mary Anna's mother Elizabeth passed away. This would make Mary Anna between 1 and 10 years old.

This assumption is based upon two 1880 census records. The first being for George Faught who was living in Forester, Sanilac, Michigan, who is now listed as a widower and the other

Mary Anna Faught as a child - Age unknown

for Mary Anna Faught who is now living in Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan with her grandparents, her mother's parents, Phillip and Sarah Miller. I don't know for sure why Mary Anna is no longer living with her father George, but I can only assume that he didn't feel like he could take care of a young daughter after his wife passed away.

It seems that Mary Anna continued to live with her grandparents until she met and married Alexander Orlando McKenzie on March 22, 1889, in Long Rapids, Alpena, Michigan.

Alexander Orlando McKenzie and Mary Anna Faught Marriage Certificate

Alexander and Mary Anna moved to Atlanta, Montmorency, Michigan and had 8 children over the next 16 years.

McKenzie Homestead - Hossler Rd. Atlanta, Montmorency, Michigan

Mary Anna (Faught) McKenzie with son Orlie C. McKenzie

Unfortunately, on November 8, 1907, tragedy struck again and Alexander passed away at the age of 56, leaving Mary Anna with 7 children, the youngest child, Edward, being just over a year old.

Mary Anna (Faught) McKenzie, my second great grandmother, must have been one tough lady. But, don't worry about her! She was found in the 1910 census, running the family farm.

Mary Anna Faught with her Children Cora and Edward - Approximately 1909 - 1910

Mary Anna (Faught) McKenzie Hoffman and Adam Hoffman

She married Adam Hoffman in 1912 and lived in Montmorency County, Michigan until she passed away on March 12, 1929, at the age of 59.

I am proud to call this strong and resilient woman my second great grandmother!