52 Ancestors 2020 – 4 – Close to Home – William Sherman Smalley

When I looked at the birthday calendar for aunts and uncles to choose the subject for this week's blog post, I found that there were only four birthdays this week. So I chose the person who lived the closest to where I live now. The other three lived on the far east coast and William lived in the Midwest: Ohio, Kansas and Nebraska.

William Sherman Smalley was my Great-granduncle, the brother of my great-grandfather, Lafayette Pierce Smalley. But William had 6 more brothers and 5 sisters as their parents, Rachel Ann Hemphill and John Wilson Smalley, had a total of 13 children.

This photo from about 1890 shows 11 of the children as 2 had died fairly young.

You might have guessed due to his first and middle name that William was born during the Civil War. This was in Adams County Ohio and the date was 24 Jan 1864. This creates a little problem since William's father had enlisted in the Union Army 14 Oct 1861 in Adams County and was not discharged until 28 Oct 1864 at Chattanooga Tennessee. I think of William as the AWOL baby. John Wilson Smalley's pension record shows that he was declared absent without leave from 6 Feb 1862 until 3 Aug 1863 when he was arrested and placed in confinement until 31 Dec 1863. See my blog post of 30 Jan 2017: https://joannesgenealogyresearch.blogspot.com/2017/01/john-wilson-smalley-in-civil-war.html

After his father returned from the Civil War, the family moved farther north and by the 1870 census they were in Green Township, Clinton County, Ohio where William was listed as a six year old boy. He was marked as attending school within the year. By 1880 they were in Turkey Creek Precinct, Saline County, Nebraska. Then William was listed as age 16, had attended school with his occupation as farming at home. In 1884 the Wells Chase family moved to Saline County including their 12 year old daughter Nellie. Two months before her 16^th birthday, on 1 Mar 1888, Nellie and William were married there. Nellie was a first cousin to Lafayette's wife, so I have a double relationship with William and Nellie's descendants.

Apparently sometime before he was married, William claimed a homestead in Sherman County, Kansas as did his father and four of his brothers. William's certificate was issued 8 Feb 1892. But they did move back to Nebraska. The obituary for William and Nellie's oldest son, Clyde, states he was born 17 Dec 1890 at Milligan, Nebraska. My 1918 Atlas shows that Milligan was in Fillmore County, just over the line from Saline County. The information about their second son, Lee, states he was born 1 Sep 1892, at Tobias, which was over the line in Saline County. Two more children were born before the 1900 census where they were enumerated in Saline county, Floyd in 1895 and Sarah Fern in 1898. Sometime before 1910 they moved southwesterly about 30 miles to Nuckolls County where the family was listed on the census with their now six children as Raymond was born in 1905 and Mamie in 1907. When the 1920 census was taken only the two younger children were still at home although Floyd with his wife and baby was shown as a separate household in the same dwelling. I was unable to locate William or Nellie in the 1930 census but they were living at 235 Dakota Street in Superior, Nuckolls County, Nebraska on the 1940 census and stated they had been living there in 1935 also. By then William was 76 and Nellie was 68. I learned that William had completed the 8^th grade in school and Nellie 2 years of high school.

William lived almost 4 more years as he died 12 Mar 1944 at age 80 years, 1 month and 18 days. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery at Superior. It was over 20 years later that Nellie died, 16 Mar 1965, and was buried next to William.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 3 – Long Line – Joseph Kimball

I have chosen to interpret this topic by choosing the sibling from this birthday week who was born the longest time ago.

Joseph Kimball, an 8^th great-granduncle of mine won this contest. Joseph was born a little over 350 years ago on 20 January 1661/62 in Wenham, Massachusetts. Of course at that time it was not a state, but a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Joseph was the son of Henry and Mary (Riddlesdale) Kimball. Henry was probably still a teenager when the family immigrated to the Colonies from Rattlesden, Suffolk, England in 1634 on the ship Elizabeth. Henry was the son of Richard and Ursula (Scott) Kimball. So of course they were Joseph's grandparents. They first settled at Watertown and Henry and Mary were married by 1641. They moved to Ipswich about 1646 and then to Wenham about ten years later. My ancestor, Abigail Kimball, was born about 1652 at Ipswich and Joseph was born after they had moved.

It helps when a family history has been written and has been placed online at familysearch.org: The History of the Kimball Family in America. Also on the New England Historic Genealogical Society website, AmericanAncestors.org, there is a sketch for Henry Kimball in the Early New England Families 1641-1700 by Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist. However there is a conflict in the information given. The family history gives the name of Joseph's wife as Elizabeth Needham. This is the wife shown in the findagrave.com memorial. They probably used the family history. However in Early New England Families, it states “More study is needed re the identification of Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Kimball.” There seems to be some problems with the Needham choice and it suggests she might be Elizabeth Halsey. So at present all I can say is that her name was Elizabeth.

According to the family history, Joseph and Elizabeth had two children born in Boston:

     Joseph born 24 Feb 1701 and died in 1767

     Mary born 27 May1703

My “Uncle Joseph” is said to have died in 1713, as the family history notes that “Administration on the estate of Joseph KIMBALL, mariner, was granted to his brother-in-law, Ezekiel NEEDHAM, 14 Apr 1713.” This is the reason that Elizabeth's name has been given as Needham. But Ms Williams explains that Ezekiel's sister had married someone else, so Ezekiel could be a brother-in-law through other relatives.

When you are researching relatives who lived that long ago, we often use published family histories. However, we must always remember there may be errors. Our goal is to get back as close as possible to the original records, whether or not it is easy to do.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 2 – Favorite Photo – John England

It is often hard for me to choose a favorite, since I have a number of photos to choose from. This week there were only three aunts or uncles on the birthday calendar who had an available photo and fit my criteria of having a birthday during this week. I already had written about 2 of them in previous years, so it left John England for me to write about. His photo is not the best quality, but it is all that I have for him. It is a picture of John and his wife Eliza.

Eliza J and John B England

John Barnett England was my 2^nd great-granduncle, the brother of my 2^nd great-grandmother, Margaret (England) O'Neal. He was the son of my 3^rd great-grandparents, William L and Mary Jane (Walker) England.

John was the oldest son, born 11 January 1828, in Tennessee. It was most likely in Gibson County because that is where his parents were married the previous year. But John was the only child born in Tennessee as their family moved to Montgomery County, Illinois about 1829. John had five siblings, two brothers and three sisters. It was about 1847 when the whole family moved farther west to Davis County, Iowa.

John was enumerated as a 22 year old farmer on the 1850 census and was listed as a 27 year old laborer on the 1856 Iowa state census. When the 1860 census was taken, John was still living at home and was shown as a farmer owning real estate valued at $1100.00.

1865 saw a number of changes in John's life. On the 20^th of April he married Eliza Jane Goodson. The previous year his brother James and his wife Angeline with their two children had traveled the California Trail with two uncles and their families. So in 1865 it was John's turn. He and Eliza traveled with his parents and his other brother David and David's wife Eliza and their three children; his sister Margaret and her husband, C P O'Neal and their daughter Mary Ann; and John's unmarried sister Mary Ann. I wonder if it got confusing with two Eliza's and two Mary Ann's. John had one more sister, Rachel, who was married to Hezekiah Redenbaugh and she stayed in Iowa with him and their children. Sadly it was also during that year that James was killed from a farm accident in California.

On the 1870 census John and Eliza were living in Lower Lake Precinct of Lake County California. He was shown as J B England, a farmer with $400 worth of personal property. It was not long after this that a number of the England family moved north to Oregon: John's parents, his brother David and two sisters Margaret and Mary Ann.

John's mother died in 1873 and was buried in the Cogswell-Gay cemetery which is northwest of Creswell. On 14 August 1873,William Logsdon England and John Barnett England purchased real estate from John Whiteaker, in Lane County, Oregon, The property was described as 753.5 acres more or less in portions of sections 28, 32 and 33 in Township 20 South, Range 2 West. This was about 5 miles east of Cottage Grove. John's obituary stated that his home was located “at the foot of what is known as Siera Gorda mountain.” Modern maps show that mountain as Cerro Gordo.

When the 1880 census was taken John now age 52 and Eliza age 42 were enumerated in the Cottage Grove precinct of Lane County Oregon. Also in the household were Alvira Champion age 15 and Sarah Champion age 13. Their relationship was shown as servants, but were attending school. John's father William, who was both blind and deaf, was living with John's sister Margaret near Creswell on the 1880 census. According to some family stories, the children took turns having William live with them until his death in 1893. But it was earlier on 3 Nov 1887 that Eliza died and was buried at the Sears Cemetery.

John continued living in his home until 1901 when he went to Portland for medical reasons. It was there he died on 31 May 1901 at the home of his nephew Mac England.

John was buried back in the Cottage Grove area at Sears Cemetery next to his wife.

It is often fun to read older obituaries and see how the writers described the deceased.

John's is no exception. The following is from The Leader on June 7^th, 1901:

     “Uncle Johnie” was one of Cottage Grove's most substancial and highly

     respected pioneer citizens, loved by all who knew him, and was ever

     ready to lend a helping hand to the needy. He was an earnest and consistant

     Christian...and a useful neighbor, no better traits of character can be

     ascribed to any one and white the community grieves the loss of a good

     and true man he will live in the memory of his kindred and friends for

     years to come.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 1 – Fresh Start – William Hockett

William Hockett

photo from shirleyw55 at Find a Grave

Again in 2020 I am attempting to write about family using the themes from 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks by Amy Johnson Crow. In 2019, I did write about 2 months about my ancestor's siblings connecting to the suggested topics. So I will try again to write about an ancestor's sibling whose birthday was during the week and who I could connect to the theme for the week.

The first theme is Fresh Start. I chose William Hockett, my 3^rd great-granduncle, since his birthday was January 1. He was born in 1787, in North Carolina, the oldest child of Stephen and Margaret (Thornburgh) Hoggatt. The family name became known as Hockett after the family moved to Ohio in the early 1800s. It was the 12^th of June 1806 when William was received on certificate at the Quaker Miami Monthly Meeting in Warren County, Ohio from the New Garden Monthly Meeting in Guilford County, North Carolina. Although he was now 19 years old, he didn't come alone, since his parents and 8 of his siblings were also included on that certificate.

It is probable that the family attended the Fairfield Monthly Meeting in Highland County, Ohio, which had been set off from Miami in 1807. On the 24^th of November in 1810 William was granted a certificate to Center Monthly Meeting, also in Highland County, in order to marry. The Center Meeting minutes notes that on December 11^th, 1810, Rachel Hodgson married Wm. Hoggatt. Then on the 2^nd of February 1811, Rachel Hoggatt was received at the Fairfield Meeting. William and Rachel were living in Ohio when the Quakers seemed to be expanding as it appears they were in the group when Lees Creek Monthly Meeting was set off from Fairfield in March of 1817. It was still in Highland County.

But the Hockett family did not stay in Ohio as many of them were moving to Indiana. By October of 1817, William and Rachel with their 2 sons, Nathan and Isaac, and 2 daughters, Ruth and Margaret, followed his parents and other siblings and were granted a certificate from Lees Creek to the New Garden Monthly Meeting in Wayne County, Indiana. They were received there in February of 1818. Many of the Hocketts were those who became a part of the Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting when it was set off from New Garden in 1821, including William's family which now numbered 7, since Thomas was born in 1820.

The family stayed there for a little over 15 years, but I guess they were looking for another “Fresh Start” since William and Rachel and their 6 children still at home were received on certificate at the Vermilion Monthly Meeting in Illinois in August of 1837, which was like a holding place until the first Monthly Meeting west of the Mississippi River was organized in 1838 at Salem in Henry County, Iowa Territory. William and Rachel were charter members of that Salem Meeting.

It appears that William had been successful at farming because taking advantage of the cash entry law, he received a patent dated December 1, 1841 from the U.S. Government for 400 acres of land in Tippecanoe Township in Henry County. The agricultural section of the 1856 Iowa State Census showed that he had harvested 200 bushels of wheat from 20 acres, 450 bushels of oats from 15 acres and 1000 bushels of corn from 20 acres. He also had sold 15 hogs worth $182 and 2 cattle worth $400, plus 110 pounds of wool.

I was sad to see that this 1856 census listed William's wife Rachel as insane and the U.S. Census for 1860 listed her as idiotic. As she was in her late 60's, it was probably some sort of dementia. She outlived William by almost a year as she died the 22^nd of September 1865 and William died the 9^th of October 1864. They both are buried at Cedar Creek Cemetery in Salem, Henry County, Iowa.