52 Ancestors 2020 – 20 – Travel – Elizabeth (Frazier) Emry

Thinking about the topic Travel, many of my ancestors and relatives tended to move fairly frequently. Of the 7 aunts and uncles on the birthday calendar for this week Elizabeth (Frazier) Emry showed a fair amount of traveling since she was born in one state, was married in another and then died in yet another state. So she was the chosen one.

Elizabeth & Travis Emry

Courtesy of Stan Galloway

Elizabeth was my 3^rd great-grandaunt, the sister of my 3^rd great-grandmother, Sarah (Frazier) Hockett. Elizabeth was the child of Francis Frazier and Elizabeth Stanley, born 15 May 1795 in Randolph County, North Carolina. I have already written about her youngest brother, Francis Henry Frazier, and posted it 15 Mar 2020 on my blog. He was born after 1800 so does not appear on the 1800 census. But it is probable that Elizabeth was one of the females under 10 in the household of Francis Frazer in neighboring Guilford County, North Carolina.

It was in 1810 that the Frazier family moved to Highland County, Ohio. Ohio does not have a 1810 census available so we can't verify this by the census. But the Quaker Fairfield Monthly Meeting recorded that the Fraziers were received from the Center Monthly Meeting in North Carolina. It was in December of 1812 when the Clear Creek Monthly Meeting in Clinton County, Ohio, was set off from Fairfield Meeting.

Elizabeth with her mother and sisters Ann & Susannah were received on certificate at New Garden Monthly Meeting in Wayne County, Indiana on 22 Mar 1817 from Clear Creek Monthly Meeting.

Not only did Elizabeth travel to different places, her name traveled also. Naturally her name changed from Frazier to Adcock when she married Travis Adcock 27 Aug 1818, at New Garden Meeting House. Travis had been married previously. He had married 7 Dec 1814 to Susannah Moorman, who died in childbirth 22 Jul 1816. It was 21 Sep 1816 when Travis was received on request at the New Garden Monthly Meeting. His land was in Randolph County near the border with Wayne County. He and Elizabeth were listed on the 1820 census in Wayne Township, Randolph County, with their oldest child, Susannah. The patent on 160 acres was granted in June 1821, after their next child James was born in February. Travis and Elizabeth were charter members of the Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting in Randolph County, which had been set off from New Garden in 1821.

Before the 1830 census 4 more children were born, Rachel, Sarah, Gideon and Archelaus. Since the census shows only a total of 5 children it is likely that Gideon, who was born in 1826, had died before the time of the census. There were 3 more children born in the early 1830s, Thomas, David and Rebecca. Then the 1834-35 session of the Indiana Legislature made a change in Elizabeth's name. The Cherry Grove minutes 8 Aug 1835 noted “the name of Travis Adcock & Elizabeth his wife & their children Susanna, James, Rachel, Sarah, Archeleus, Thomas Frazier, David & Rebecca all residence[sic] of Randolph County be and they are hereby changed and the said Travis and Elizabeth shall be known by the name of Travis and Elizabeth Emery and their said children.” It was a little less than 3 years later when Travis requested a transfer of membership for his family to Vermillion Monthly Meeting in Illinois. This was actually the method used by the group of Quakers who were moving from Indiana to Iowa Territory. So it was the Travis Emery family, later changed to Emry, who were charter members of Salem Monthly Meeting in Henry County, the first Quaker Monthly Meeting west of the Mississippi River. The land patent issued to Travis Emry for 243.26 acres of land in Henry County was dated 1 Dec 1841. The map shows it was located about half way between Mt. Pleasant and Salem.

The year before Iowa became a state in 1846, Elizabeth and her family traveled again, transferring from Salem Monthly Meeting to Pleasant Plain Monthly Meeting in Jefferson County, Iowa. Travis received land patents in Jefferson County: 40 acres in 1847, 80 acres and 40 acres in 1848, for a total of 160 acres.

Elizabeth's traveling days seem to be over after she arrived in Jefferson County. She can be found on the 1850 census at age 55 in Penn township with her husband (indexed by Ancestry.com as Fravais Emery) and the 4 younger children. Her son James was living next door with his family, so she would have been able to visit those 4 grandchildren quite frequently. By 1860 she and Travis are “empty-nesters” but their youngest son David and his family are next door. Elizabeth was widowed 31 Jan 1866 when Travis died and was buried at the Walnut Creek Friends Cemetery in Penn Township there in Jefferson County. In 1870, at age 75, she was living with her son David and his wife and 8 children. It was the next year when Elizabeth died on 23 Jul 1871 and was buried in the same cemetery as her husband.

I have enjoyed following the travels of Elizabeth and her family from North Carolina to Ohio, then Indiana and finally to Iowa, with her name as Frazier, then Adcock and ending as Emry

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 – 11 – Luck – Francis Henry Frazier

I was having a hard time deciding who to write about with the theme “Luck” so I wrote down the 11 names for this week found on my aunts and uncles birthday calendar and cut them apart. Then I put them in a small bucket and drew out one. Francis Henry Frazier was the “lucky” one, so I am writing about him. He was the youngest brother of my 3rd gt-grandmother Sarah (Frazier) Hockett, so he was my 3rd gt-granduncle.

The following information has been posted about him on my genealogy website:

https://www.joanneskelton.com/p57.htm#i1421

“Francis Henry Frazier was born on 12 March 1804 in Guilford County, North Carolina. He was the son of Francis Frazier and Elizabeth Stanley. On the 29th day of the 9th month 1810 (29 September 1810), at Fairfield Monthly Meeting in Highland County, Ohio, he was received on certificate from Center Monthly Meeting, North Carolina with his father Francis Frazier.

He married Eunice Beard at Lynn Meeting House in Randolph County, Indiana, on 14 August 1823. Francis died in 1845.”

So what more can I discover about him. At least I should try to find out where he died and if he and Eunice had any children. If he really is lucky, I will be able to find out these things as well as even more.

Looking at Quaker records:

Since my website mentions “Monthly Meetings,” that indicates that Francis Henry was a part of the Quaker church. Although the Fraziers were a part of Fairfield Monthly Meeting in Highland County, Ohio, the marriage records for 3 of Francis Henry's older siblings list his parents as residents of Clinton County, Ohio. Fairfield Meeting was in the Leesburg area, which is in Fairfield Township at the northern edge of Highland County, adjoining Clinton County, so this seems reasonable.

In 1812 the Clear Creek Monthly Meeting in Clinton County was set off from Fairfield Meeting and apparently the Fraziers became members there. In 1815 the family began to move farther west. Francis Henry was included with his father and mother and 3 older sisters when they were granted a certificate on 14 Dec 1816 to the New Garden Monthly Meeting, in Wayne County Indiana. The New Garden records show they arrived in March of 1817.

It was the 5^th month of 1821 when Cherry Grove Monthly Meeting near Lynn in Washington Township, Randolph County, Indiana, was set off from the New Garden Meeting. Again members of the Frazier family were included in the newer meeting. You may notice that when Francis Henry married Eunice Beard in 1823, it was at the Lynn meeting house. This was a part of the Cherry Grove meeting.

The family continued to move west, a few years after father Francis died in 1830. In the 11^th month (November) of 1838 when our Francis and family were granted a certificate to Vermillion Monthly Meeting in Illinois. This was for the transition to Iowa. They were received at Salem Monthly Meeting in Henry County, Iowa Territory in the 2^nd month 1839 from Cherry Grove, endorsed by Vermillion Monthly Meeting.

The Salem Monthly Meeting records show the following children for Francis and Eunice: Hannah born 1829, Ann born 1832, Asa born 1834, Cyrus born 1837, Elizabeth born 1840 and Mary born 1842. On Find A Grave, one more child is listed: Elva Jane born in 1845.

Looking at Probate records:

Since one of my goals was to determine where Francis died, I decided to check his last known residence, Henry County, Iowa. Many of the Henry County probate records have been digitized and placed online at Ancestry.Com so even if they were not indexed I still could browse the records. I chose to look at Volume B, which was supposed to include records from 1843 to 1849, because the death date I had found was 1845. After looking through the records of 1845 and not finding him, I realized there might be an index in the back of the record book. There was an index and Francis was listed in the F section. It included a recorded copy of his will, appraisal of property and sale bill. His will was dated the 4^th day of the 3^rd month in 1846 (March 4^th) and it was entered into probate the 23^rd of April 1846, so Francis died between March 4^th and April 23^rd in 1846, not in 1845 as I previously thought. The probate papers have left the date of his death blank. Now I know that Francis died in Henry County, Iowa Territory, because Iowa did not become a state until 28 Dec 1846.

Looking at Census records:

It is said that census research is the backbone of American genealogy, so I cannot leave that out. Francis Henry was born in 1804, which would make 1810 the first census where he would appear.

A search for his father, Francis Frazier, in North Carolina in the 1810 census produced no results. Since they were in Ohio by September of 1810 I should search for them there except there is no census available for Ohio in 1810. T.L.C. Genealogy published a book titled The 1812 Census of Ohio, which was compiled from tax lists. There were 2 Frazers and 1 Frazier in Clinton County, but none were Francis. Maybe he did not own land.

By 1820 I believe that Francis Henry was the 10-15 year old male in the household of Francis Frazier in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana. 

The 1830 census in Greensfork Township, Randolph County, Indiana has two Francis Frazier Seniors in it, on adjacent pages, 36 and 37. It is most likely that Francis on page 37 is the first cousin of our Francis Henry. He was the son of James Frazier. I expect that our Francis Henry and his wife Eunice were the 20 to 29 year old male and female on page 36 in the household of his parents, the male and female aged 60 through 69. There was also a listing for a male and female under 5. From a Quaker record after Francis Henry and family moved to Iowa, it would be probable that the female was Hannah born in 1829. However that record does not show a male of the correct age. Possibly there was a male child born between Francis Henry's marriage in 1823 and Hannah's birth in 1829 and he died before they moved to Iowa.

There is a census record for Henry County, Iowa Territory, in 1840. Francis Frazier is there with 7 members of the household. I would designate the male 30 through 39 as Francis, the female 30 through 39 as Eunice, the males under 5 as Asa and Cyrus, the female 10 through 14 as Hannah, the female 5 through 9 as Ann and the female under 5 as Elizabeth. Mary and Elva Jane were not born yet.

I did go ahead and check for the family in 1850, even though Francis has already died. Eunice as the head of household and the 4 younger children were still in Henry County in Tippecanoe Township.

I am glad that Uncle Francis was the “lucky” individual because I have really enjoyed all the research in various records: Quaker, probate and census.

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 - Phebe Hockett

Day before yesterday I wrote about Phebe Hinshaw, a 1st cousin of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Today is another one of their 1st cousins, Phebe J. Hockett. Both Phebes were born in Henry County Iowa and both were born in 1845. Phebe Hinshaw was born in June and Phebe Hockett was born two months earlier, 23 Apr 1845. I wonder what it was like for these 2 cousins with the same name growing up in the same area and being almost the same age.

Phebe Hockett was the daughter of Stephen and Ruth (Pidgeon) Hockett. She was the 3rd of their 3 children. By 1850 their family was living in Lee County Iowa, which is just south of Henry County. My ancestor, Francis Hockett, Stephen's older brother, had also moved into Lee County. In the 1860 census Phebe and her older sister Sarah were still living in Lee County, but with the Benjamin Knight family.

It was 19 Mar 1866 in Henry County, when Phebe married a Civil War veteran, Albert J. Williams who was just 5 months younger than her. Their first 2 children, John and Frank were born in Iowa. Then before the 1870 census the family moved westerly to Seward County Nebraska. There Albert filed for a 160 acre homestead. It was located a couple of miles north of where Interstate 80 now goes through the county. About 1885 they sold the farm and Albert entered the banking and mercantile business at the town of Tamora. The 1885 Nebraska State Census showed Albert as a banker, Phebe keeping house and 6 children in the household: John, Frank, Fannie, Roy and the 2 year old twin boys, Ray and Ralph.

Around 1890 they moved again farther west to the town of Hastings in Adams County Nebraska. Albert was listed in the 1891 Hastings city directory with his occupation as real estate and insurance and residence at 110 W 7th. The 1893 directory changed the address to 104 W 7th and his occupation was insurance agent. By 1895 their address remained the same, but now his occupation was watch repairer and second hand goods. Their residence was still the same in 1898 and in 1903 directories. In 1898 Albert was the Manager for F.M. Williams. It was probably the business of their son Frank (which may have been a grocery and a pawn broker) and sons John, Ralph and Roy all worked there. Their daughter Fannie was a teacher. The 1900 census called Albert a furniture dealer. Fannie, Roy, Ray and Ralph were all still in the household. Since Phebe was the one keeping house, I can imagine she was busy with her family all working outside the home.

Phebe died 20 May 1902 in Hastings at age 57 and was buried in Parkview Cemetery. Albert remarried in 1904 and moved to Kansas City and then to California where he spent some time in the Old Soldiers Home, then died in 1936 and was buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Quaker Cousins - Eli W. Beard

Eli Warrington Beard was my 1st cousin 3 time removed as he was a 1st cousin of my great-grandmother, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. Eli's mother was Margaret Hockett, the 2nd oldest sister of Mary's father Francis Hockett. Margaret was married to Enoch Beard and Eli was their 2nd child, born 22 Feb 1836 in Randolph County Indiana.

As the majority of the Hockett family did, they soon moved to Henry County, Iowa. According to a newspaper article published in September, some months after his death 8 Jan 1913, he had received an inheritance while in his teens of two oxen which he sold for $25 so he could attend school. Eli became a teacher and when he died the Des Moines newspaper stated that he was probably the oldest school teacher in Iowa at age 78 (the math doesn't quite add up) and had been teaching for 58 years. It seems he had taught many of the businessmen and other leaders in the community. His obituary also stated that he had remained a Quaker and was a regularly ordained minister of the church.

It appears Eli followed the lead of his father who was married 3 times. Eli was also married 3 times: 1st to Susan or Susanna Iola Pickett in 1857 who died in 1884; 2nd to Mary Winslow in 1885 who died in 1897; and 3rd to Mary E McNeil in 1899 who was a number of years younger than him and survived him.

Apparently all of his children were with his first wife Susan. His obituary shows 5 surviving children; a daughter and 4 sons, the daughter and 1 son were living in Alberta Canada and the other 3 were in various parts of Iowa. Quaker records show that 2 children died as infants, in 1860 and 1861. From Find a Grave it shows 2 children who died in 1879, a son age 3 and a daughter 15.

It is probable that Eli was buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Indianola, Warren County Iowa. There is a stone which reads:  

   IN MEMORIAM

ELI W. BEARD

     A TEACHER

    1836--1913

ERECTED BY HIS PUPILS

Quaker Cousins - Phebe Hinshaw

In May I wrote about some Quaker cousins of my great-grandfather, Nathan Elias Albertson, on his father's side of the family. Then in June I wrote about some of his Quaker cousins on his mother's side. Now that it is July, I plan so do some writing about some of the Quaker cousins of his wife, Mary Magdalene (Hockett) Albertson. I am starting with her father's side of the family. This is Mary's 1st cousin, so she is my 1st cousin 3 times removed.

Mary's father, Francis Hockett, had 11 brothers and sisters and 1 half-brother. I am beginning with a daughter of his oldest sister, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had married John Allen Hinshaw at the Cherry Grove Meeting House in Randolph County, Indiana in 1835. Their oldest two children were born in Randolph County, but between Jun 1837 and Jun 1839 the family moved to Henry County, which was a part of Iowa Territory as of 1838. Six more children were born in Henry County. The 4th one born there was Phebe, on 26 June 1845, the year before Iowa became a state. Phebe's twin brother John was naturally born on the same date, but sadly he died on the 4th of July, living only 8 days.

Phebe was interesting to me because she never married, so there are no descendants to tell her story. I was able to find her in a number of censuses so some of her life can be described.

At age 5, Phebe was listed on the 1850 census with her parents and 6 surviving siblings in Salem Township in Henry County. But it was just the next year in February of 1851 that her father died. Elizabeth and all 7 children, including Phebe, now age 10, are listed on the 1856 Iowa State Census. Phebe is age 14 on the 1860 census with her mother and 3 siblings.

It was probably in December of 1864 when Phebe's mother married Job Smith who had at least 3 children.

By the 1870 census the family was living in Tippecanoe Township in Henry County, Iowa. Phebe at age 25 was found with the occupation housekeeping in the household of Charles Maxwell with his wife and 4 children. Listed just before them was Phebe older sister, Sarah with her husband Francis Lupton and their 5 children. Phebe had a two year old niece in that family named Phebe. Listed just after the Maxwell was Phebe's mother with her new husband, 3 Smith children and Phebe's youngest sister Mary who was now 20. I found it interesting to compare the real estate values reported for these 3 households. For Francis Lupton it was $600, for Job Smith it was $3,500, and for Charles Maxwell it was $10,300. It would be a fair supposition that Phebe was a paid housekeeper for the Maxwell family.

When the 1880 census was taken Phebe was now living with her youngest sister, Mary, who was now married to Joshua Trueblood and had a 7 year old son, L. Carlton. Listed just before them was a Samuel Lupton with Sarah his wife and now 8 children. It seems that Phebe continued to live with Mary since the 1900 census has Carl Trueblood age 27 with his mother Mary and his aunt Phebe Hinshaw living in the household. Mary died within that same year, but in the 1910 census Lewis C. (no doubt Carl) Trueblood age 37 has a wife and 2 children and an aunt, Pheba A. Hinshaw, in his household, still in Tippecanoe Township.

The state census for 1915 in Iowa has a listing for Phebe showing her as single, age 69, born in Iowa, able to read and write, had 3 years of school and her church was the Friends. Phebe died just a few days after her 70th birthday in 1915 on July 1st, which would be 102 years ago today. She was buried in Salem South Cemetery, Henry County, Iowa. She is listed on a stone with her mother who had died in 1882, so they are probably next to each other.

Hopefully by describing some of these mentions of Phebe, she will not be forgotten.

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.

Ancestor Birthday - January 10th - Margaret Thornburg 1767-1843

Margaret was my 4th great-grandmother. She was the daughter of Quakers Joseph Thornburg and Ann Armfield. The spelling of her surname seemed to depend on who was recording it. The clerks at some of the Quaker monthly meetings in North Carolina in the late 1700s used various spellings:

• Cane Creek: Thornburg, Thornbrugh, Thornborough
• Center: Thornbrough, Thornberry
• New Garden: Thornbrug, Thornbrugh, Thornburgh, Thornbrough, Thornburg, Thornbury

Her father's will was recorded in 1800 in Guilford County, North Carolina with the name Thornburg, so this is the spelling I use in my compiled records.

Many researchers have stated that her ancestry can be traced many generations back to noble lines in England. It may be true, but I don't have any proficiency in that type of research, so won't speculate.

I do know that Margaret was one of my "moving ancestors." She was born in 10 Jan 1767 in Guilford County, North Carolina; moved to Highland County, Ohio with her husband Stephen Hoggatt/Hockett and family in 1805; then they moved to Hancock County, Indiana in 1817; and finally with most of their married children moved to Henry County, Iowa in the 1830s. It was there that Margaret died in 1843, after her husband of 53 years had died in 1839.

Margaret is one of my DNA circles on Ancestry DNA. As of today, 10 Jan 2017, my DNA matches 21 individuals whose paper trail would include Margaret as an ancestor. I am amused that Ancestry gives a brief summary of her life with the DNA Circle and they state that she had 12 sons and 8 daughters. She did have a large family, but my research shows she had 6 sons and 5 daughters for a total of 11. They all lived to marry and she had at least 100 grandchildren. So using conservative sizes for families we could estimate there would be thousands of descendants alive today, so naturally some of them have tested their DNA.

See Margaret on my website:http://www.joanneskelton.com/p18.htm#i434