Curious – Am I Related to an Opera Singer?

 When I began my journey into genealogical research, I contacted one of my paternal 2^nd cousins who had been working on our family’s history. He very graciously shared some of the information he had found. This section of my family had been members of the Society of Friends, often called Quakers. Since our local genealogical society had a series of books in their library, entitled Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, I eagerly began researching there. This was a 6 volume set, compiled through the efforts of William Wade Hinshaw. I was thrilled to find so many of my ancestors listed in these books. In doing more reading I found that Mr. Hinshaw had an earlier career as an opera singer. He was known as the leading American baritone singer with the Metropolitan Opera from 1910 to 1912.

Photo of W W Hinshaw, digital image from

The Musical Blue Book of America, 1916-1917, page 5

Accessed on Internet Archive, 25 Jan 2022

I continued to research my Quaker relatives in other sources. Eventually I learned that a sister (Elizabeth 1813-1882) of my 2^nd great-grandfather, Francis Hockett, had married a man named Hinshaw. Then I discovered that a sister (Elizabeth 1809-1866) of my 3^rd great-grandfather, Isaac Hockett, had also married a man named Hinshaw as her 2^ndhusband. Was it possible they were from the same family as the compiler of the books? Recently I found a pedigree chart for William Wade Hinshaw in the Family Search Family Tree. There I discovered that it was his grandfather who married my 3^rd great-aunt, so I am related to him by marriage.

Many people who have Quaker ancestors find they are related to other Quaker descendants. William was born in Hardin County, Iowa, in 1867. My Quaker great-grandparents, Nathan E. and Mary M. (Hockett) Albertson, were married in Hardin County in 1870. But, am I really related to William Wade Hinshaw by blood? Using that same pedigree chart, I found that not only am I related to him, I am related to him in two different ways.

First: William Hunt (1693-1746) and Mary E. Woolman (1692-1745) were his 3^rd great-grandparents. They were my 7^th great-grandparents, so we are 4^th cousins 4 times removed.

Second: John Beals (1685-1745) and Sarah Bowater (1689-1765) were his 4^th great-grandparents. They were my 7^th great-grandparents, so we are 5^th cousins 3 times removed.

Therefore I can say that I am related to an opera singer.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 19 – Service – Gideon Hockett

I found Gideon Hockett in the database at Ancestry.com: U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959. Since this included the word “Service” and his birthday was during this week, I decided that he would fit in this category.

His Civil Service took place in Sherman County, Kansas, as postmaster for LaBlanche. This 1897 map found on the Library of Congress website indicates where LaBlanche was located.

Gideon was my great-granduncle, an older brother of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Gideon was the son of Francis and Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett.

His parents moved from Randolph County, Indiana, in 1838 to Salem area in Henry County, Iowa Territory. It was there that Gideon was born on 6 May 1841. So he was a little boy when Iowa attained statehood in 1846, It was a few years later when the family moved to the neighboring county, Lee County, Iowa, and Gideon was included with them in the 1850 census as a 9 year old boy who had attended school within that year. I have searched, but been unable to find their family in the 1860 census, but he is on the 1856 Iowa State census, indexed by Ancestry as Gedicon Hocket, age 15.

It was in 1863 when Gideon moved with his family to Hardin County, Iowa. He and Mary Harris were married  in Hardin County and by the 1870 census the family was living in Liberty Township, Marshall County, Iowa, with their 4 children: Virgil, Mary, Gideon and Francis. Again Ancestry was creative in their indexing as he was listed as Gedeon. But on the 1880 census the family had moved back to Grant Township in Hardin County and by now there are 5 more children: James, Dorah, Tula, Julia and Anna, making a total of 9. The 1880 census included an agricultural schedule and Gideon was listed as owner of 80 acres tilled ground, 14 acres of permanent meadows or pasture and 41 acres unimproved ground. Some of his crops that year included 10 tons of hay, 800 bushels of Indian corn, 400 bushels oats, 275 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of Irish potatoes and 150 gallons of molasses made from sorghum. He had 2 horses, 3 milch cows, 3 calves, 3 swine and 10 poultry plus a 1 acre apple orchard.

“Gidson Hockett” was enumerated on the 1885 Iowa state census, still in Grant Township in Hardin County. There is 1 more child, Charles, so it makes a total of 10 children in their family. Their oldest child and the 3 youngest were born in Hardin County and the others born in Marshall County. This census shows his location as Township 86, Range 21, Section 1, the Southwest ¼.

But the family chose to move again and Gideon and family went to Sherman County Kansas where he settled a homestead claim of 160 acres. His patent was issued on 20 Jul 1892 for the southeast ¼ of section 7, Township 10 South, Range 41 West.  This was about a mile west of his brother-in-law, my great-grandfather, Nathan E. Albertson.

Using the Library of Congress website for historic newspapers, I could read about Gideon in the Goodland Republic. Goodland was the county seat for Sherman County. Most of the items about Gideon were in the LaBlanche section. If you look for LaBlanche on a modern road map, you will be disappointed because it is no longer shown. There was a post office there from 1886 to 1901. It was in this last part of its existence that Gideon had his “civil service.” He was appointed in February of 1901 and the post office was discontinued in September of the same year so he served a little over 6 months. A newspaper article of 15 Mar 1901 gives the following information:

“It is understood that Gideon Hockett will be postmaster at LaBlache. In that case the postoffice will be located about six miles southwest of the present location, the present postmaster, Charles Olson, having sold the building and claim to Jake Horton, who will occupy the same as soon as vacated.”

I was able to find a copy of a 1887 atlas on the David Rumsey Map Collection which showed LaBlanche. It was in the northwest ¼ of the northwest ¼ of Section 35, Township 9 South, Range 41 West. Mapping it against Gideon's homestead you can see that they were about 6 miles apart.

I really enjoyed the notice in the newspaper on 11 Aug 1905 where they reported that Gideon was in Goodland with a wagon load of turnips, onions and other garden produce.

I was sad to read the obituary for Gideon's wife in May 1916. It stated that for 8 years she had been a patient, helpless invalid. But it also said that she had been carefully attended by her faithful husband. This is the kind of service we can admire. Gideon lived another 8 years and died 16 July 1924 at the county farm. Both Mary and Gideon were buried at Kanorado Cemetery in Sherman County.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 13 – Nearly Forgotten – Ezra Albertson

When I checked the listing of names for this week to find someone who was “Nearly Forgotten,” I chose Ezra Albertson, because I had basically forgotten about him. Ezra died as a young teenager, so there are no descendants to honor him.

Still he was my 2^nd great-granduncle and I expect my 2^nd great grandfather, Benjamin Albertson, would remember his little brother. Benjamin was born in January of 1826 while the family still lived in Perquimans County, North Carolina. Naturally he was with them when they moved to Indiana in 1832 and were charter members at Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting in Hancock County in 1836. Benjamin would have been 15 years old when Ezra was born 30 Mar 1841 there in Hancock County, Indiana. Ezra would have been 6 years old when his oldest brother Benjamin was married to Sabina Marsh 25 Nov 1847.

And surely Ezra's parents, Nathan and Phariby (Nicholson) Albertson, would remember their child. He was listed as being with them as the family moved from Hancock County to Hamilton County, Indiana in mid 1850. Since they were in the process of moving, this may explain why I have not been able to locate them in the 1850 census.

The Westfield Monthly Meeting in Hamilton County mentions Ezra twice. In 1850 he was included with the family received at Westfield from the Walnut Creek Monthly Meeting. Then these Quaker death records show that Ezra H. Albertson died 15 Nov 1854 at age 13 years, 7 months and 16 days old.

It was the next spring, 1 May 1855, when Nathan & Phariby requested a certificate to move to Iowa. By the fall of 1855 Nathan had purchased property in Hardin County Iowa and the family moved there. I have discovered that often in my family after a child dies, the family moves to a new location. Maybe this is to escape the sad memories. Hopefully that child will never be totally forgotten.

Ezra's brother Alpheus, who was just 10 years older than him, did remember Ezra in a positive way. He named his only son, Ezra A. Albertson, when he was born in Iowa in 1866. I hope Alpheus told his son Ezra about his uncle Ezra so he would not be forgotten for many years, since this second Ezra lived to age 71.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 7 – Favorite Discovery – Deborah (Hockett) Blair

I wasn't sure how this topic would work for this great-grandaunt of mine, Deborah (Hockett) Blair, an older sister of my Great-grandmother Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. They were daughters of Francis and Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett. They had 9 other brothers and sisters. I had a bare minimum about Deborah on my genealogy website – joanne skelton.com. It does show Deborah was born 18 Feb 1849 in Henry County, Iowa. She married Albert Dillon about 1868 and they had two children: Ella Kay and Allie May. After Albert died she married Joseph Blair and they had four children: Lawrence Edwin, Henrietta M, Howard and Gale E. She was listed as surviving in her sister Lydia's obituary in Nov 1922.

But when I began researching to discover what more I could learn about her, I did make 3 interesting discoveries.

First was her death certificate which was listed as a source for her death at familysearch Family Tree. I was glad to find documentation for her death, which was 12 June 1925 in Hardin County, Iowa. But I was surprised at the maiden name given for Deborah's mother. It shows her maiden name as Rebecca Larr. It was Rebecca's mother who probably had the maiden name Larr. So this does give me evidence that the Larr name is in the family.

Secondly I found her Find a Grave entry as Deborah Ann Hockett Blair. It shows that she was buried in Honey Creek Cemetery in New Providence, Hardin County, Iowa. There are links to her parents, 8 of her siblings, her first husband and 6 children.

The third discovery is a mystery. Looking at the familysearch Family Tree it showed one more child than I had already entered on my website, Archie Artell Blair. I am not convinced that he is a child of Deborah. His birthdate is shown as 29 Mar 1899. Since Deborah was born in 1849 she would have been 50 years old, which would be possible but not probable. There was a nine year gap from the previous known child. In the information about Archie or Artell, there is a document showing his mother as Deborah, but there is another which shows Etta. Deborah had a daughter Henrietta aka Etta who was born in Oct 1878, so would have been old enough to be his mother.

I decided to check for Archie on the census of 1900 and try to find who he was living with as a baby. I have not yet found him. Deborah was living in Hardin County, Iowa with her husband Joseph and their two sons, Edwin and Gale. The census taker marked that she had had 4 children, 3 living. The Dillon girls seem to be left out but it does account for the Blair children I have on my website. Henrietta was also living in Hardin County in the household of Seth Hammer, marked as a servant and single. But it does list her as having 1 child, who was living.

Since the 1910 census also asks the question about number of children and number living, I checked both Deborah and Henrietta in 1910. Deborah and Joseph and their son Gale were living with Edwin in neighboring Marshall County, Iowa. There her number

of children is 6, with 5 living. So this matches what I have entered on my website, including both Dillon and Blair children. But what about Henrietta? She was married in Marshall County in 1902 to John Mohler as Etta Blair. She and John are in the 1910 census back in Hardin County with a baby daughter Garnet age 9/12. On the number of children question the census taker wrote down 2, with 2 living. So again I searched for Archie or Artell in the 1910 census. I looked for anyone named Blair, born in 1899 plus/minus 5 years, first in Hardin County, Iowa and then in Marshall County. He does not show up in either of those searches.

He does appear on the 1920 census in the household of John and Etta in Hardin County, as Artell Blair, along with 3 Mohler children and Deborah. With John as the head of household, Deborah is marked as mother-in-law and Artell as brother-in-law. So I still have not solved the mystery. Is there anyone who has further information?

Ancestor Birthday – December 21st – Rebecca D Hartley - 1818-1908

Rebecca Hartley was my 2nd great-grandmother. She is one of my Quaker ancestors who had a number of children, at least 11. She was born in Hamilton County Ohio on 21 Dec 1818 to Thomas Hartley and his wife Barbara. I am not confident about the surname of Rebecca's mother. I checked the 1^st 20 listings on Ancestry public trees for Rebecca and half of them give Barbara's surname as Loar and almost half say Larr. But none of these show their documentation for these names other than other trees. Maybe I should make this one of my projects to work on in 2018.

My records show that Rebecca had 6 older siblings and 3 younger ones. By 1835 the family was attending the Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting in Randolph County Indiana. Just 5 days before her 17^th birthday, Rebecca married 17 year old Francis Hockett on 16 Dec 1835. It was in 1838 they took their first son and moved to Henry County Iowa. It was about 1850 when they moved to neighboring Lee County with 7 of their children. The other 4 children were born there. In 1863 the family moved farther north to Hardin County Iowa. They traveled to Kansas in 1886 and Francis died there on 12 Mar 1886. On the 1900 census Rebecca was living in Marshalltown in Marshall County Iowa. Her son James was living with her. She was found at age 86 on the 1905 Kansas state census in Stevens County in the household of N. Hockett. This was most likely her oldest son Norton as his age is correct. It was 3 years later when she died there in Kansas on 24 Jul 1908 and was buried in Bethel Friends Cemetery.

But I still have an identity problem. I posted this question on 12 Mar 2015 and also on 27 Feb 2017. Which one of these women is Rebecca?

I believe one is Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett and the other is Sabina (Marsh) Albertson. These are the 2 grandmothers of my Grandfather O. J. Albertson. Can someone out there give me an answer?

Ancestor Birthday - Mary Magdalene Hockett - 1855 - 1901

My gt-grandmother, Mary Magdalene Hockett was born 4 Sep 1855 in Lee County, Iowa, the daughter of Francis and Rebecca (Hartley) Hockett. Mary was the 10th child out of 11. It was a Quaker family and her parents were married in Indiana and came with a number of other Quakers, including many family members, to Henry County Iowa in the late 1830's. They moved to neighboring Lee County a few years before she was born. It was 1863 when they moved farther north to Hardin County Iowa and it was there she met Nathan Elias Albertson who was also from a Quaker family.

It was just a little over a month after her 15th birthday, 8 Oct 1870, when she and Nathan were married. I think she looked very young in their wedding photo. I have always wondered why they chose to be married by a justice of the peace rather than the traditional Quaker way. Maybe her parents didn't approve. It was her older brother Thomas who gave testimony about her age.

They apparently made amends with their Quaker congregation because they are listed there with some of their children in 1891 and granted a certificate to the meeting in Sherman County, Kansas.

It was about 1875 when this photo was taken with Mary, Nathan, and their 2 oldest children, Lenah and Calvin. Two more children were born, Arthur and Oran (my grandfather) before they moved to Kansas when Nathan applied for a homestead in Sherman County and moved onto 160 acres in March 1887. It must have been interesting for Mary to live the life of a homesteader.

I expect she missed her daughter when she was married in 1891, a few days after her 20th birthday. Maybe Mary missed her even more when her youngest child, Ernest, was born in 1893.

It has always made me a little sad to realize that Mary died when she was just 45 years old, 10 Jul 1901.

Quaker Cousins - Eli Hockett

In the last 3 days I found and wrote about two 1st cousins of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson who were both named Phebe, born the same year. Today I am writing about another one of their 1st cousins, Eli Hockett, whose first name is the same as the cousin I wrote about day before yesterday. However, Eli Hockett was not born the same year as Eli Beard, but about 8 years later, after the family had moved to Iowa, so they were even born in different states. Since my great-grandmother was not born until 1855 she was a number of years younger than these cousins.

Eli Hockett was born 22 Jul 1843 in Henry County Iowa to John and Elizabeth (Pidgeon) Hockett. Eli was not yet 5 years old when his mother died in Feb 1848. John remarried 5 days after Eli's 5th birthday to Rebecca Gray, so Eli grew up with a step-mother and a number of half-siblings. John and his family moved from Henry County northward to Hardin County Iowa around 1855, so they were enumerated on the 1856 Iowa State Census. Eli was listed as age 12. By the 1860 census he was shown as age 16. The census taker only listed the initial for the first name, so he was E Hockett.

Although Eli was born into a Quaker household, he was one of those who chose to fight as a Union soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted 14 Aug 1863 and served as a private in Company G, Iowa 9th Cavalry Regiment until he was mustered out 3 Feb 1866 at Little Rock, Arkansas.

By 1875 Eli had moved to California where he registered to vote 29 Jul in Tulare County, giving his residence as Porterville. An online family tree states that he married Samantha Jane Farnham 23 Dec 1875 in Tulare County. Other records including the 1900 census showed her name as Cynthia Jane and her tombstone showed her as C.J. Hockett.

The online tree shows that she and Eli had 13 children, born between 1878 and 1894 and in a large number of locations: Oregon, Santa Cruz County California, Placer County California, Jewell County Kansas, Lamar County Texas and the last 5 in San Diego County California.

Eli was registered to vote in San Diego County in the "Great Registers" in 1890, 1892 and 1894. These voting registers are great resources for doing California research. Some of them include a physical description so I can read that in 1892-4 Eli was 5 ft 8 inches tall, had light complexion, light blue eyes and light hair. His occupation in 1890 was farm laborer, in 1892 it was farmer and by 1894 he was listed as a blacksmith.

On the 1900 census in San Diego County, Eli's occupation was shown as stone mason. Also in the household were his wife Cynthia J, and 5 of their children. It was 15 Dec 1900 when Cynthia died and was buried at Artesia Cemetery in Cerritos, Los Angeles County, California.

Another online family tree states that Eli married Mary Jane Yarrington 16 Aug 1905 in Los Angeles California. The 1910 census showed Eli by himself in Pasadena California, but was marked as married and was a laborer doing odd jobs. Sometime before 1920 Eli married a 3rd time to an Eliza, as she was listed on the 1920 census with him in Los Angeles. However the disabled veterans home in Sawtelle show him there from 1918 to 1923, then readmitted in Dec 1924. Eli died 18 Apr 1925 in Sawtelle and was buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles California.

Quaker Cousins - Elias Nathan Perisho - 1853 - 1916

Yesterday, 13 Jun 2017, I wrote about 3 cousins who shared the name Elias. Today I will continue with another 1st cousin of my great-grandfather, Nathan Elias Albertson, who also was named Elias.

Elias Nathan was the son of one of Sabina (Marsh) Albertson's sisters, Fanny (Marsh) Perisho, the wife of John C. Perisho. Elias N. was the 2nd child of 9, born 12 Mar 1853 probably in Hamilton County Indiana, since the family was there for the 1850 census. About 1855 the Perishos, as well as the Albertsons and Marshes, moved west to Hardin County, Iowa. They were there in time for the 1856 Iowa State Census. John was a blacksmith, so I wonder if Elias as the oldest son helped his father with his work. By the 1870 census John was listed as a farmer and Elias was a worker on the farm. His mother died in 1873 and his father remarried and Elias gained some half-siblings.

Elias himself was married 25 Oct 1880 to Emily Baldwin. The Quaker Honey Creek Monthly Meeting in Hardin County, Iowa, has recorded 6 children for Elias and Emily, born between 1881 and 1894. Looking at the Find A Grave entry for Elias it appears that all of his children lived to adulthood as they died between 1947 and 1967. Elias died 24 Jun 1916 and was buried at Honey Creek Cemetery in Hardin County Iowa. Emily died in 1940.

An obituary appeared for Elias Nathan Perisho in the Quaker periodical, The American Friend, 11 of 9th month 1916, page 883.

Quaker Cousins - Elias T. Marsh - 1848 - 1926

Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting, Rush County, Indiana

Again I plan to post about some of my great-grandfather Nathan Elias Albertson's first cousins (my first cousins three times removed.) I posted about cousins from his father's side in the early part of May 2017. Now I want to post about cousins from his mother's side of the family.

Elias T. Marsh was the son of Jesse and Catherine (Osborn) Marsh. Jesse was a brother of Sabina (Marsh) Albertson. Catherine was a step-sister to Jesse, since her widowed mother Margaret married his widowed father Elias. Apparently Elias T. was named for his grandfather, Elias Marsh and his great-grandfather, Elias Marsh. Elias T. had a first cousin named Elias J. Marsh (son of William and Martha (Chappell) Marsh who was born a little over a year before Elias T. You also can notice that my great-grandfather shares the name Elias as his middle name.

Elias T. was born 5 Jan 1848 in Hancock County, Indiana. When the census of 1850 was taken on the 22nd of July in Blue River Township in Hancock County, Elias was enumerated as Elias Thomas Marsh, age 2, in the household of Jesse and Catherine. Also in the household was his 9 month old sister Margaret and his grandparents Elias and Margaret. I wonder if they had a problem knowing which Elias they were talking about. But that problem would have gone away in about 1855 when Jesse and his family moved to Hardin County Iowa.

When they took the 1860 census there in July, Jesse and Catherine's household now included 5 children: Elias, Margaret, George, Mary and John. Jesse's sister Sabina and her family lived next door. Nathan Elias was about a year younger than Elias and 3 years older than George, plus Nathan Elias had 2 younger brothers, William and Jesse. I wonder if these boys who were siblings and cousins found activities to do together.

When Elias T. was almost 19, on 15 Dec 1866, he married Fanny Lavina Hickman. Sometime between 1880 and 1900 Elias and Fanny and their children moved to Adams County, Iowa. They lived there until Fanny died in 1924 and Elias died 26 Mar 1926. They were both buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Adams County.

Quaker Cousins - Clarence Albertson

This is the final entry in this series of Nathan Elias Albertson's 1st cousins on the Albertson side. Some of the Marsh cousins will be posted sometime in the future as well as more of the Albertson cousins. I saved this cousin until last because his family has been hard for me to be sure about.

Clarence was the son of Jordan P. and Talitha (Haworth) Albertson. The Quaker Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting reported that Jordan was the 5th son of Nathan and Phariby (Nicholson) Albertson born 13 Feb 1839 in Rush County, Indiana. This means that Jordan was just 10 years older that Nathan Elias. As expected Jordan moved with the rest of the family to Hardin County Iowa in 1855.

According to his headstone, Clarence P. Albertson was born 30 Sep 1861. There were a number of happenings the previous year. Jordan and Talitha were married on 30 Jun 1860. When the census was taken on 10 July, they were enumerated between Talitha's parents and Jordan's parents. That census taker mostly used initials for the first names, so their listing showed J P Albertson age 21, T Albertson age 20 and A Haworth age 2 and A Haworth age 6/12. I don't know about these two children. Later they used the name Albertson. On 21 Aug 1860 a complaint was made at the local Quaker meeting against Jordan because he had married contrary to discipline, or not according to their rules. It was about 2 months later, 23 Oct 1860 when Jordan was dropped on request.

Jordan continued to not follow the rules. After the Civil War began, he enlisted on 12 Sep 1861 as a 22 year old private and was mustered in on 1 Oct 1861, which was just the day after Clarence was born. Jordan served for over 2 1/2 years with Company B of Iowa 11th Infantry Regiment until the battle of Atlanta on 22 Jul 1864 when he was declared missing and later was listed as dead. I wonder what it was like for Clarence to grow up without his father for basically his whole life. Talitha did file for a pension on 6 Mar 1865 and later on 12 Jan 1867 filed for support benefits for a minor child. An Iowa civil war researcher noted that Clarence at about age 5 had been placed in the Soldiers Orphans Home in Black Hawk County Iowa.

On 1 Mar 1875 a Kansas state census places Clarence age 13 in Miami County with an Andrew Albertson age 18 and a Martha Albertson age 10. They are with a "Tobitha" age 34, which is probably his mother since she was married to Orson Stockwell in Miami County later that year.

Our Clarence is probably the Clarence Albertson who was on the 1880 census at age 18 as a boarder working as a laborer in a farming household less than 100 miles west of Miami County in Wabaunsee County Kansas. It was 28 Apr 1897 when Clarence finally married at age 35 to Bertha Hite at Argentine, Wyandotte County Kansas. They were in Wyandotte Township for the 1900 census where Clarence was working as an iron molder and they now had 2 small sons.

Their family increased by 2 daughters in the next few years and then they moved to Quincy in Adams County Illinois where Clarence continued to work as a molder in an iron works. In both the 1930 and 1940 census Clarence's occupation had changed to minister. The family stayed in Adams County until Clarence died 24 Nov 1941 and was buried in Quincy Memorial Park.

I am glad that Clarence died a few weeks before the actual beginning of World War II since the Civil War had had such sad results for him.

Quaker Cousins - George B Soesbe

I am glad to find cousins who were willing to have their parents live with them. George Soesbe was one of Nathan Elias Albertson's first cousins, so was my first cousin 3 times removed. George was a son of Philip and Sarah (Albertson) Soesbe. Sarah was the only girl among Benjamin Albertson's siblings. She came with the rest of the family to Hardin County, Iowa in 1855 and married Philip Soesbe in 1856. She and Philip had 7 children, with 4 still living in 1900.

George was the 3rd child, but the 1st son. His birthday was 1 Feb 1861, so he was a small child during the Civil War. In 1870 the family was living in Hardin County. On the 1880 census George's parents and 3 brothers were living in Jackson Township, Linn County Iowa. I haven't yet found George on that census, but George married Lucy Ellen Fenstermaker in Maine Township, Linn County on 7 Jan 1883. Although the marriage record shows her age as 15, her 15th birthday would have been on Apr 18th. It is strange that the 1885 Iowa state census in Jackson Township shows George as single living with his parents. But by the 1895 census George and Lucy and their children Earl age 11 and Nellie age 8 were living in Boulder Township in Linn County. Although Ancestry.com doesn't provide images of this census, George's parents and his brother Charley were listed as living in the same township, but I am unable to know if it was the same household or not.

The family was still in Boulder Township for the 1900 census and Philip age 72 and Sarah age 73 were living with George's family. George was a farmer and his 2 children were attending school. The household changed within the next 10 years. Philip and Sarah both died in 1902. George's son Earl was married in 1906 and his daughter Nellie was married in 1907. When the 1910 census was taken it was Lucy's mother, Amy Fenstermaker, who was living with Lucy and George. It was just George age 58 and Lucy age 51 who were living in Maine Township, Linn County Iowa in the 1920 census. George died 5 years later on 27 May 1925 and was buried at Boulder Cemetery in Linn County. It was over 25 years later when Lucy died 9 Oct 1953 and was buried next to George.

  

Quaker Cousins - Anna (Albertson) Callen

My mother's middle name was Anna, so I like that name. Anna (Albertson) Callen was another one of Nathan Elias Albertson's 1st cousins so she was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. Anna's parents were George A. and Nancy (Jones) Albertson. George had come with his parents and other family members to Hardin County Iowa in about 1855. It was in 1862 when he married Nancy Jones. They had at least 6 children and Anna was in the middle, born 24 Jul 1870. Before Anna's next sister Sarah was born, the family moved northwest to Wright County Iowa. The youngest child was Bertha born in 1875 and she died in 1876. By the 1880 census the family had moved again and George and Nancy and their 5 children were living in the southeast part of Iowa in Keokuk County. Anna was now 9 years old and was marked as attending school.

During this time period the family was not staying in one place. Apparently they had moved a little to the southeast to Appanoose County Iowa where Anna's mother died 17 Dec 1882 and was buried at Iconium Cemetery. Anna would have been just 12 when this happened. The 1885 census showed that they had moved again one county farther north, to Monroe County where George and Anna spent the rest of their lives.

At age 19, Anna A. Albertson married Sherman A. Callen on 8 Oct 1889 there in Monroe County Iowa. The 1900 census shows Sherman as a farmer with his wife Annie and 4 children plus Anna's father, George. Anna reported that she had 4 children, all living. However by 1910 she noted that she had 7 children, 6 living. By this time the oldest child Fred was 19 and working as a farm laborer. The other 5 children were all girls: Bessie, Veva, Retta, Lyda and Nita.

That October would have been a sad month for the family as Anna died 18 Oct 1910 and then the youngest daughter not yet 2 years old died 27 Oct 1910. Anna was buried back in Appanoose County in Iconium Cemetery where her mother was. I find it particularly sad when a woman died when the children were still young. I expect that the oldest daughter Bessie at 18, helped her father care for the 3 younger girls. I know that it is hard on a parent when their child dies before them, so 76 year old George had to endure that. George himself died 6 Jan 1912 and was taken back to Appanoose County to be buried by Nancy.

I checked the 1920 census because I was interested in what was happening with Sherman and the girls. Fred had married in 1918 and was living back in Appanoose County. Sherman was still in Monroe County and was working as a laborer on a farm. Two of the girls, Vera and Retta were working as salesladies in a grocery store. I didn't continue to follow this family, but I did see that both Sherman and Bessie were buried in the Iconium Cemetery where Anna and her parents were buried.

  

Quaker Cousins - Olney Albertson

Olney Albertson has a little different name. But he was another one of Nathan Elias Albertson's 1st cousins so he was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. Olney was the son of Nathan Wyatt and Barbara (Hockett) Albertson. Nathan Wyatt was the youngest of Nathan Elias' uncles. He was just 4 years older than my great-grandfather. Olney's mother was the sister to Nathan Elias' wife, so this makes Olney also Nathan Elias' nephew as well as 1st cousin. I'm not sure which relationship takes precedence.

It appears that Olney was an only child. He was born in Hardin County Iowa 8 Jul 1875. He was younger than 2 of Nathan Elias' children, just 3 years older than my grandfather. It has been interesting trying to follow Olney through the records now on-line. He is listed as a 4 year old with his parents on the 1880 census in Grant township, Hardin County Iowa. By the 1885 state census the family is shown in Union township in Hardin County and Olney is now 9. For the 1900 census when he should have been 25 I cannot locate him. His parents are still in Hardin County. On 27 Nov 1901 Olney was married to Bertha Mae De Tar in Oskaloosa in Mahaska County Iowa. The marriage record showed Olney as a teacher. It was less than 6 months later when Olney's mother died.

It was sometime within the next few years that Olney moved to California and worked at Whittier College located in the town of Whittier. Then it was a Quaker college and apparently Olney had continued in his Quaker heritage because he is listed in the Whittier Monthly Meeting records. The Yearly Meeting of the Friends Church in California in the Sixth Month of 1906 was held in Whittier. Olney was mentioned in the minutes as the chairman of the nominating committee and was the Superintendent of Bible School Work. He led in singing, "There Shall be Showers of Blessing" at one of the sessions. I really liked reading that since I can't count how many times I have played that hymn over the years. The minutes also noted that he had labored earnestly and efficiently at the college, but was leaving to take a position in the Whittier public schools. It listed his address as 119 Berkeley Way in Whittier.

The Santa Ana Register newspaper reported in 1909 that Prof. Olney C. Albertson had been elected as principal of the Union High School in Whittier after teaching there a year. The 1910 census shows Olney and his wife Bertha living at 119 Berkley Way, although Ancestry has indexed it as Hartley Hay. It shows his occupation as Prof Science at High School. That summer the newspaper in Oskaloosa Iowa reported that 3 former Oskaloosans were working in the school at Whittier California, including Olney as the principal of the high school.

In the summer of 1913 Olney and Bertha went back to Iowa for a month and visited her parents in Eddyville. In various Whittier city directories from 1920 through 1929 Olney and Bertha were listed living at 119 Berkeley Way and his occupation was principal of the Union High School. It was in October of 1921 that Olney's father died at San Diego, California.

Olney and Bertha were listed in the 1930 census twice. The enumeration done on 10 Apr showed them in San Diego as Superintendent of Public School, but on the one on 17 Apr they were still in Whittier as a teacher in the public school. I don't know exactly what that means.

It appears that in the fall of 1930 they took a European trip as the U.K. passenger lists show them arriving at Liverpool England from New York aboard the Adiatic on 18 Sep 1930. It was 22 Dec 1930 when they arrived back in New York from Naples Italy on the Presidente Wilson. Olney listed his occupation there as Supt. School.

In the 1934 city directory for Whittier, Olney and Bertha were still living on Berkeley Way, but his occupation was shown as agent for Pacific Mutual Life Insurance. The 1940 census places them at the same address, but his occupation was this:

I am guessing it has something to do with insurance, but am unsure exactly what this is.

By the 1942 city directory, they are still in Whittier, but at a new address on Friends Ave. Olney died 23 Jul 1958 and was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. Bertha died just a few years later on 24 Jan 1961 and was buried next to Olney.

Isn't it amazing what you can learn about a person by looking on-line.

  

Quaker Cousins - Minerva (Albertson) Malone

Another one of Nathan Elias Albertson's 1st cousins was Minerva Albertson, so she was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. She was the daughter of Aaron R and Elizabeth (Harris) Albertson. Aaron was one of Nathan's younger uncles, being just 6 years older than Nathan. Aaron came with his parents and the rest of the family from Indiana to Hardin County Iowa in 1855 when he was 12 years old.

Aaron married Elizabeth Harris in Hardin County 18 Feb 1864. Minerva was their oldest child, born 5 Jan 1865. Minerva can be found on many censuses, beginning in 1870. She was only 5 years old, but already had 3 younger siblings: Mary, Phineas and Jesse. The family had moved from Hardin County to Lincoln in Story County Kansas. But by 1880 they had returned to Hardin County and Minerva, who was listed as attending school, had 5 younger siblings. Apparently Phineas had died, but the family had added Nathan, Olos and Cora. Her father's occupation was stone mason.

Nebraska had a state census in 1885 and the Albertson family appeared there in Emmet, Holt county Nebraska and now Aaron was listed as a farmer. Minerva was still living at home as well as Jessie, Nathan, Cora and Earl. But that didn't last too long because Minerva was married to Eldridge Malone there in Holt County 17 Dec 1885.

It appears that Aaron had applied for a homestead there in Holt County as he was granted a patent 1 Jul 1890. But he didn't stay there and the family was back in Hardin County Iowa by 1900. However, Minerva and Eldridge didn't go with her family as by 1900 they are listed on the census in Lavaca, Cherry County Nebraska. In the 14 years they had been married they had 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls. This is where Eldridge applied for a homestead. He got a patent for 160 acres on 19 May 1903. Cherry County is the largest county in Nebraska with just over 6000 square miles. making it larger that the state of Connecticut. Cherry County is in the north central part of the state, adjoining South Dakota. The largest population historically was in 1920 when there were almost 12,000 people. The 2010 census counted less than 6000 inhabitants.

I am not sure how he did it but Eldridge obtained another homestead there a few miles away from his first one. This time it was for 479.1 acres and the patent was dated 25 Sep 1911. The 1910 census lists their location as Merriman, Cherry County. By now Eldridge was 56 and Minerva was 45 and their 9 living children ages 22 to 7 were living in the household.

It appears they spent the rest of their lives in Cherry County. They are listed at Eli in the 1920 census and there are still 6 children at home and a married son was living next door. Minerva became a widow when Eldridge died in 1924. He was buried at Center Cemetery there in Cherry County. By 1930 Minerva was listed as the operator of a general farm, even if she was now 65 years old. One daughter, Lola, who was a 32 year old unmarried school teacher, was living with Minerva. The married son with his family still was living nearby. It was in 1936 when Minerva died and was buried in the same cemetery as her husband.

I believe that I will remember Minerva (Albertson) Malone as one of the pioneer women from the homesteading days in the sand hills of Nebraska.

  

Quaker Cousins - Ruthie Joanna Albertson

One of Nathan Elias Albertson's 1st cousins was Ruthie Joanna Albertson, so she was my 1st cousin 3 times removed. She was the daughter of Alpheus and Diana (Moffit) Albertson. Both families came from Indiana to Hardin County Iowa around 1855. It was about a year and a half after Alpheus and Diana were married that Ruthie was born in Oct 1857. By then Nathan was 8 years old. I wonder if as a little boy Nathan was interested in his new baby girl cousin.

When the 1860 census was taken in Hardin County, the census taker chose to use mostly initials rather than first names, so Ruthie was listed as R. J. Alberson [the surname was spelled incorrectly] age 2 with her parents, A and D as well as her younger sister, R. A. age 9/12.

The census taker on the 1870 census recorded her name as Rutha J. Albertson age 12, again with her parents and younger sister, plus now she had a younger brother also, Ezra age 4. 1870 was the same year that Nathan Elias married 15 year old Mary Magdalene Hockett on 8 Oct 1870. Within the next 2 years Nathan and Mary had 2 children of their own, a girl and a boy. I would suspect that Nathan was very interested in his baby girl when she was born.

But I am sad to report that Ruthie Joanna died 7 Nov 1872 at age 15 and was buried at the Honey Creek Cemetery there in Hardin County. I have no information about her cause of death. What would Nathan and Mary have thought about this as Ruthie was just a few years younger than Mary? It is always hard to lose a member of the family, but sometimes it seems harder when they are young.

My Great-grandparents in 1864

Sometimes I find it interesting to consider how old my ancestors were at certain periods of history and where they were living. Over 150 years ago, 1864 was in the latter part of the Civil War, but it would be the next year before it ended.

You might notice that my great-grandparents ranged in age from 49 to 1. They lived in 5 different states and 6 different counties. But their locations were all in the North.

Name	Age	Residence: County, State
Nathan Elias Albertson	15	Hardin County, Iowa
Mary Magdalene Hockett	9	Hardin County, Iowa
Lafayette Pierce Smalley	6	Adams County, Ohio
Rosa Ella Shipman	1	Mercer County, Illinois
Ludwig Falk	49	Grant County, Wisconsin
Anna Louisa Boehm	32	Grant County, Wisconsin
John Howard Bond	9	Linn County, Oregon
Mary Ann O’Neal	6	Davis County, Iowa

Ancestor Birthday - February 5th - Nathan Elias Albertson 1849-1917

My great-grandfather, Nathan Elias Albertson, worked as a blacksmith. This photo from about 1912 shows him with his youngest son, Ernest.

Nathan was born 5 Feb 1849 in Hancock County, Indiana, the oldest son of Benjamin and Sabina (Marsh) Albertson. By the time of the 1850 census, the family was in Hamilton County Indiana and by 1856 in Hardin County Iowa. It was in Hardin County at the County seat Eldora, that Nathan, age 21, married 15 year old Mary Magdalene Hockett in Oct 1870. Although both were Quakers, their marriage was officiated by a justice of the peace, which was contrary to discipline. However they appear to have been reinstated and are shown in later Quaker records.

In the 1880 census in Hardin County, Nathan is listed as a farmer and a blacksmith. In the Iowa state census of 1885, his occupation is listed as blacksmith.

It was soon after that, in September 1886, that Nathan made application for homestead land in Sherman County, Kansas. The homestead file shows they took up residence in March of 1887. I intend to write more about his homestead during the coming week. But as a homesteader,his occupation in 1900 and 1905 is shown as farmer. However by 1915 he is again a blacksmith.

Nathan died 30 Jun 1917 in Sherman County, Kansas and he is buried at the Goodland Cemetery.

Tomorrow I plan to tell you about Nathan's venture into politics.

Quaker Uncles in the Civil War

Yesterday (January 31st) I wrote about my Chase 2nd great-grand uncles. Today I want to look at a couple of my Quaker uncles, again they are really 2nd great-grand uncles.

Wait a minute! I thought Quakers did not believe in fighting in war. They didn't, but they also didn't believe in slavery and isn't this what the Civil War was all about. It created a problem for many young Quaker men whether they should volunteer to serve the Union.

Jordan P. Albertson, a son of Nathan and Phariby (Nicholson) Albertson, lived in Hardin County, Iowa. He had already gotten into trouble with the Quaker church there because he had "married contrary to discipline" when he married Tallitha Haworth 30 Jun 1860. He enlisted on 12 Sep 1861 as a private, age 22 and was mustered in on 1 Oct 1861 (the day after his son Clarence was born) in Company B, Iowa 11th Infantry Regiment. Jordan served for over 2 1/2 years until the battle of Atlanta on 22 Jul 1864, when he was declared missing. His wife filed for a pension on 6 Mar 1865 and the pension papers show that he had died on 22 Jul 1864. Later on, 12 Jan 1867, she filed for support benefits for a minor child.

Jordan's next older brother, Jesse B. Albertson, was married to Minerva Haworth on 31 Mar 1861. Almost a year after his brother had enlisted , Jesse enlisted in the same company on 5 Sep 1862. After about six months service, he received a disability discharge on 10 Mar 1863 at Lake Providence, Louisiana. I don't have information about what this was, but he died less than a year later, 4 Dec 1863, and was buried in Hardin County, Iowa.

So I am sad that neither of these two 2nd great-grand uncles survived to see the victory at the end of the War.

Ancestor Birthday - January 24th - Benjamin Albertson 1826-1908

Benjamin is my 2nd great-grandfather. He was born in 1826 in Perquimans County, North Carolina, which is in the northeastern corner of the state, which I visited in 1996. He was the son of Nathan Albertson and Phariby Nicholson. I wrote about Nathan on the 5th of January post.

Benjamin, while still a child, traveled with his parents and extended family going north in the 1830's to Rush County Indiana. He was still living with his parents when they moved to Hancock County Indiana in 1837. The family were charter members of the Quaker Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting. It was at the Westland Meeting House on 26 November 18, 1847, that he married Sabina Marsh. Her family had also been Quakers for a number of years coming from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio before arriving in Indiana. In 1852 Benjamin and Sabina and their two small sons, Nathan and William, were granted certificates from Walnut Ridge to transfer to Westfield Monthly Meeting in Hamilton County, Indiana, but Benjamin's family had already moved westward to that area because they were counted there in the 1850 census. In 1855, the family moved again, going farther west into Hardin County, Iowa. By the 1880 census they went across the county line and were living in Marshall County, Iowa.

A family history of Bejamins's gt-grandmother's family, Genealogy of the Bell Family: A Record of the Decendants of Lancelot Bell which was published in 1907, lists Sabina's death as 4 Oct 1897, so Benjamin was now a widower. He apparently moved with his daughter's family as they are in Jericho Springs, Cedar County, Missouri by the 1900 census. When and where Benjamin died is a mystery I haven't yet solved. Other researchers have listed the date as 23 Feb 1908, but I have not seen their documentation for this. This date would not contradict the family history publlshed in 1907 as it does not give any death information for him.

Although Benjamin owned land and worked as a farmer, he also worked as woodworker, being listed in the 1850 census as a wagonmaker and as a carpenter in 1870, 1880 and 1900.

Benjamin was one of nine children, having seven brothers and one sister. I find it interesting that Benjamin and Sabina had only one daughter along with four sons. Then their oldest son, my ancestor Nathan Elias Albertson, had only one daughter and four sons. So in my direct line there were three generations where there was just one daughter. Do you suppose those girls were given special attention in their families?

See Benjamin on my website:http://www.joanneskelton.com/p9.htm#i208

Ancestor Birthday - January 17th - Isaac Hockett 1791-1872

I believe this listing in the 1856 Iowa state census really is my 3rd great-grandfather, Isaac Hockett, who was born in 1791 in Randolph County, North Carolina. If you are the least bit proficient in math you can see that the listed age of 6 does not match that birthdate. It looks like here is another place where the census taker wrote down the wrong number, or probably forgot to finish the entry. I have been known to start writing something, then get distracted and not complete it. The census taker did write that Isaac had lived in Iowa for 18 years, and was a married man, neither of which fits someone age 6.

What else do I believe about Isaac?

He was the son of Stephen Hockett/Hoggatt and Margaret Thornburg, who were Quakers. When Isaac was 15, in 1806, the family moved to Ohio. It was just 6 years later that Isaac married Sarah Frazier on the 10th day of the 7th month (July 10) 1812 at the Fairfield Monthly Meeting in Highland County, Ohio. This was two years after his sister Ann had married Sarah's brother Gideon. Then it was just a month after Isaac's marriage that another sister, Hannah, married another one of Sarah's brothers, Thomas. So there are possibilities for a number of double cousins out there.

It was in 1816 that Isaac and Sarah and their two oldest children moved to Indiana, where they stayed for over 20 years. It was in Randolph County Indiana in 1836 that Sarah died. It was a little over a year later when Isaac married another Sarah. She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Wheeler, born in 1793, the widow of John Davis. So they combined their families, Isaac with 10 children and Sarah with 7. Then along with a number of other Quakers they moved to Henry County, Iowa about 1838. By the 1850 census most of the children have left the household as it shows Isaac, Sarah, Charles (listed as Hockett but really Davis), Susanna (age 23 listed as an idiot), Mary and Ezra. Also in the household was Ellen Pearson, who was said to be an orphan.

Eventually the family moved to Hardin County, Iowa, and it was there in 1872 that Isaac died and was buried at Chester Friends Cemetery.