Treasured Memories From the Past--I Played My Grandmother's Organ

When we had family gatherings at my Grandmother Falk's house, often I would get to take some time to play the old pump organ she had. Since I was taking piano lessons I thought it was great to be able to try to play it. After her death it went to my brother and after his death to my nephew, Greg. When I visited him in 2005, I took the opportunity to play the organ again. Memories relived can be so special.

Treasured Memories From the Past--My Cousins Sent Me a Birthday Card

When I was a year old, my cousins, Dick and Don Smalley, sent me a birthday card. I am thankful that my mother saved some of these keepsake items for me since I am sure I appreciate it more now than I did at age 1.

Treasured Memories From the Past--My Daddy Wrote Me a Letter

When I was 2 months old my father, Lester Albertson, went hunting in Eastern Oregon and left me with my mother. It appears that she decided to go and be with her parents during the time Daddy was gone. He wrote two postcards while away and addressed them to me. They are among some of my treasured items. 

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.