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 2019 – 5 – At the Library – William Marsh

When I was beginning my genealogy research over 30 years ago I learned that almost one-fourth of my ancestry came from Quakers as my paternal grandfather was born into a Quaker family. My second cousin shared with me his findings about our Quaker ancestors. The local genealogical society library (Cottage Grove, Oregon) had books with Quaker information, so I used them to compare to my cousin's research. The local genealogical library had the 6 volume set of books: Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy by William Wade Hinshaw. Later I learned that Mr. Hinshaw was a distant cousin of mine.

On the aunts and uncles birthday calendar for this week, I found my 2^nd gt-grandmother, Sabina (Marsh) Albertson's brother. William Marsh was born either on 25 January 1816 from Ohio records or 1 February 1817 from Indiana records. His parents were Elias and Edith (Townsend) Marsh. This was in Columbiana County, Ohio, apparently in the part of Columbiana County which later became Carrol County, since records in Indiana show the latter as his birthplace.

I was able to find the Marsh family in Volume IV, Ohio, of the Hinshaw books. The books are arranged by the local meetings and Elias and Edith were reported married at the New Garden Monthly Meeting located in Columbiana County on the 17^th day of the 7^th month in 1810. Then in 1822 they and their children, including Willliam, were granted a certificate to transfer to the Sandy Spring Meeting, which was also in Columbiana County. The Sandy Spring records show the birthdates of Elias and Edith and their 8 children, including William. This record shows the January 1816 date.

It was a dozen years later, 1834, when Elias's family moved to Indiana. My local library at that time did not have the Indiana records, as Hinshaw's books do not include Indiana. However, there was a set of 7 books of Indiana Quaker records edited by Willard Heiss. The genealogy society in Eugene (about 20 miles from me) did have these books in their library, so I took a trip there.

The Elias Marsh family were granted a certificate to Duck Creek Monthly Meeting in Henry County. Indiana. They were probably among the members who were included at Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting of Rush County, when it was set off from Duck Creek in 1836. Elias' family is named with birthdates in the Walnut Ridge minutes. It is there that the February 1817 date is used.

I found it interesting that the only birthdates which differed between the two listings are my 2^nd gt-grandmother Sabina and this uncle William. But it also made me remember that published information can be incorrect and you need to find as many pieces of evidence as you can. Still sometimes you will not know which one is correct.

It was at the Walnut Ridge meeting that William married Martha Ann Chappell on 21 December 1836. William and Martha had six children: Thomas, Edith, William, Elias, Margaret and Benjamin, who are all named in the Indiana book. Note that I did a post about one of these children in 2017: https://joannesgenealogyresearch.blogspot.com/2017/06/quaker-cousins-elias-t-marsh-1848-1926.html.  The Walnut Ridge record also lists the death of William on 12 October 1861, stating he was buried at Westland Meeting. This meeting house was in Blue River Township in Hancock County, Indiana.

So, even if I cannot be positive about William's birthdate, I do appreciate all the information that I was able to find about him “at the library.”

Ancestor Birthday - September 24 - Abigail Nicholson - 1689

Abigail Nicholson was my 7th gt-grandmother, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Kent) (Charles) Nicholson. She was born 24 Sep 1689 in Perquimans County North Carolina. It was in the 5th month (July) 1705 when she married Nathaniel Albertson in a Quaker ceremony. The record from Perquimans Monthly Meeting stated that it was a meeting at her fathers. Here is a copy from the original records. You can see why I prefer to use the abstracts done by Gwen Boyer Bjorkman, as published by Heritage Books, 1988

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The Quaker records as abstracted in William Wade Hinshaw's Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Vol I for North Carolina, listed 8 children for Abigail and Nathaniel: Sarah, Elizabeth, Aaron, Jane, Joshua, Hannah Lydia and William, born between 1706 an 1724.

Bjorkman's book of Quaker Marriage Certificates showed Abigail Albertson (with various spellings) as a witness for the marriage of 3 of her sisters: Jane in 1712, Elizabeth in 1719 and Hannah in 1721. She was also a witness for her daughter Elizabeth's marriage in 1725.

Abigail was not listed in her father's will from 22 Mar 1727/28, so it is likely she died before that date and after 1725 when she was a witness for her daughter's marriage. Someone has posted an entry on Find A Grave for her, listing her death date as 1727.

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 - 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.