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.

What I May Write About This Month

Yesterday (1 May 2017) I completed the first stage of writing about my great-grandfather, John Howard Bond's first cousins on the Bond side with a child from each of Solomon Bond's brothers and sisters' families. It will probably be at least next month before I write about more from these families. But I still need to do the early Oregon cousins from his mother's side of the family, the Hayes. I may do that later this month. I wrote about a first cousin from each of Mary (O'Neal) Bond's father's sisters who came to Oregon. Mary's mother had a brother in early Oregon so one of those cousins may show up later this month.

I do plan to write about some first cousins of my Quaker great-grandparents, Nathan Elias and Mary M (Hockett) Albertson. There are a number of these as their 4 parents each had at least 6 siblings, so that would be enough to about fill up a month. I probably won't attempt to do them all this month.

Items found from newspaper research always interests me, so I may include some of those.

Of course there are a few ancestor birthdays to be included. I have some ancestors where I don't know their exact date of birth, so I may write some ancestor unbirthday articles also.

I guess you will need to read my blog to find out what I do write about this month. If you have any suggestions, you may certainly let me know.

Early Oregon Cousins - Orlando Davis

Orlando Lagrant Davis is my 1st cousin 3 times removed. I really like his name, since it is different. Orlando was born 1 Jan 1858, probably in Fairfield Precinct of Marion County, Oregon. He was on the 1860 census there as O. L. Davis, age 3, with his parents, Harmon and Susan (Bond) Davis, along with 3 older siblings, his Bond grandparents and 2 1st cousins, the daughters of his deceased uncle James Bond.

Sometime after the birth of his youngest sister, Theodocia Alice Davis (I like her name too) in 1866 the family moved to Washington Territory and Orlando appeared on the 1870 census as 13 year old Grant Davis in Walla Walla County. His father's occupation was teamster. Perhaps that influenced Orlando's moving as much as he did.

He was just 20 years old when on 20 Jan 1878 he married Mary Agnes Gillespie at Dayton, Columbia County, Washington Territory. He was back in Oregon in Union County at Island City on the 1880 census with his wife Mary and 1 year old son Edwin, working as a laborer. In 1884 Orlando went back to Columbia County and made a cash sale entry for 160 acres of government land. Seven years later, in 1891 he made a cash sale entry for 160 acres of land in Union County Oregon.

Between 1880 and 1900 he and Mary had 6 more children, 4 boys and 2 girls. The 2 older children, Edwin and Georgia, had left home before the 1900 census. Orlando and Mary and the 5 younger children were enumerated on the 1900 census in Wagner precinct in Wheeler County Oregon where he was a day laborer. It was probably soon after that when Orlando applied for a homestead of 160 acres there in Wheeler County because his patent was issued 30 Jan 1908.

The 1910 census is puzzling because Orlando and Mary with children William and Alice are found in Echo Precinct of Umatilla County Oregon, where Orlando was working as an engineer for a threshing machine. But their family is also found in the town of Enterprise in Wallowa County Oregon with 2 more sons, Archie and Lorain, in the household and Orlando's occupation is a machinist at a shop.

Thankfully he was only in one place in 1920, Hamilton Precinct in Grant County Oregon where he was a farmer. In the household with Orlando and Mary was 17 year old Hazel Robison, listed as ward. However I believe she was their granddaughter, the daughter of Georgia and her husband James Robison. Others of the family were living nearby. In 1930 in Union Precinct in Grant County Oregon Hazel was still in their household listed as granddaughter, but is now married to John Horrell and they have a 5 month old son and apparently there is a 12 year old daughter from John's previous marriage. Orlando is age 73 and Mary is 68. He is working as a farmer and their place is rented.

Orlando died in Grant County Oregon 22 Jul 1935 and was buried in Prairie City Cemetery. His wife Mary apparently moved to Lane County Oregon as she died there 11 Nov 1942 and was buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery.

So, I found evidence of Orlando in Marion County Oregon, Walla Walla County Washington, Columbia County Washington, Union County Oregon, Wheeler County Oregon, Umatilla County Oregon, Wallowa County Oregon and Grant County Oregon. He qualifies as one of my well-traveled cousins.