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 – 18 – Where There's a Will– Mary “Polly” (Bond) Lemaster

I started to write about Mary for the past two weeks' themes, but decided I wanted to do Aunt Hannah and Uncle Charles instead. I discovered that Mary did make a will so I could write about her for this topic, even if her birthday was in the wrong week.

Mary, who often used the common nickname “Polly”, was my 3^rd great-grandaunt. She was the daughter of Solomon and Anna (Allen) Bond and a younger sister of my 3^rd great-grandfather, John Bond.

Mary was born 17 Apr 1802 in Kentucky. This was most likely Henry County, because her father Solomon (of Shelby County) purchased land in Henry County in 1801.

I suspect that she was the 16 to 25 year old female in Solomon's household in the 1820 census because her marriage to Wesley Lemaster in Henry County, Kentucky, did not take place until 27 Oct 1820. Then she would be the 20 to 29 year old in the household of Wesley Lemasters on the 1830 census in Henry County.

I have not yet located them on the 1840 census, but they were still in Henry County in 1850. Wesley was a 58 year old farmer and Mary was 48 and the real estate value was $10,000. The slave schedule showed they owned 4 slaves, 3 males: age 65, 37, 26 and 1 female age 32. It was 17 Mar 1858 when Wesley died and Mary became a widow.

Sometime before the 1860 census, her brother William with his wife Elizabeth and daughters Nancy and Mary moved into her household. This census showed that William had real estate valued at $5000 while Mary had $4800 plus personal property of $7000. This personal property would be most likely the 3 slaves shown on the slave schedule. They may be a family as there was a male age 50, a female age 42 and another female age 1. Both Mary and William showed their occupation as farmer and the household also included a 22 year old laborer born in Holland.

When Mary/Polly died, she was buried at Hendronsville Cemetery located on Lake Jericho Road, Pendleton, Henry County, Kentucky. Find A Grave lists Mary's death as 12 Mar 1879, but she is listed on the 1880 Mortality Schedule in the Jericho Mag. District as Pollie Lemaster, a widow, dying in Mar from consumption. However her will was proved at the April term in 1879. This indicates that the 1879 date is probably correct.

But since the theme is about wills and I stated she had a will, lets look at that.

Mary, using the name Polly Lamaster, wrote her will in June of 1876, 3 years before her death. Since she had no children, I was interested to see who she would designate as her heirs. The first person she listed was “Margaret Estes of color, who has lived with me for more than forty years.” Margaret was to receive the house and 4 ½ acres of land in Jericho where Polly lived and the furniture for her life. Polly specified that it was to be “free from the control of her husband or any other person.” Then Polly also made a bequest to Margaret of $300. After Margaret died, the house and land, or their proceeds, were to go to Margaret's two grandchildren: Margaret Belle Reed and James W Reed. Polly also specified that Margaret Belle would get the “high bedstead, one feather bed, four pillows, one bolster and a sufficiency of other bedclothes to furnish the bed and keep her warm.” James was to get the other large Bedstead and items to keep him warm.

Then Polly made a bequest to Lewis Estes, Margaret's husband, of $100 and all the remaining furniture after Margaret died. Also he could stay in the house if he so desired.

Then Polly made more bequests. She left Wesly Tanner the family Bible and $500. She didn't forget her family who had lived with her in 1860, although her brother William had died the previous year. She left money to William's widow and daughters Mary and Nancy and then the balance of her estate was to be divided between the four daughters, her nieces, Elizabeth Turner, Sarah Bain [sic], Nancy Graham and Mary Bond.

But that wasn't the end of Polly's will making, as she did a codicil the next year in June 1876. She had to revoke the bequest to Wesly Tanner since he had died in the meantime. She gave the family Bible to Mary Bond and more money. She also raised the amount of money to go to “Margaret Estes of color” to $500.

All of this raised the question in my mind, who was Margaret Estes? If she had lived with Mary/Polly for 40 years she must be one of those enumerated on the slave schedule. There was 1 female in 1850, age 32, and a female in 1860, age 42. Then the Civil War and emancipation happened. I haven't been able to locate Mary/Polly in 1870, but I did find Margaret. She was listed as Margaret Estes age 53 with Lewis and an 11 year old daughter Anna, living in Jericho, Henry County, Kentucky. She was listed as Margaret Reed, age 62, on the 1880 census in Jericho with Luis Estes and apparently her grandchildren Elizabeth age 5 and James age 4 and Jacob Reed age 25, a widower.

Margaret's occupation was servant, so I hope that she had benefited from the bequest in Mary/Polly's will.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 17 – Land – Charles Bond

Charles Bond did own land. His obituary in 1912 noted that he was living on the “old home place owned by his father a mile northeast of Halsey.” It was the same farm where he had been born in 1860. This photo taken about 1909, shared with me by my cousin Robert Bond, shows Charles' home.

Charles was the executor for his mother's will when she died in 1903. The inventory of her estate noted that she had 160 acres as her half of their Donation Land Claim, but they excluded 2 acres on the east side previously sold and also “18 acres where the buildings stand on said premises heretofore sold to C. S. Bond.”

Charles Seth Bond, my great-granduncle, was born on 23 April 1860 in Linn County, Oregon, the son of Solomon and Huldah (Hayes) Bond, my 2^nd great-grandparents. I wrote about his older sister Susan 3 weeks ago and explained that where the family lived was called Pine Precinct on the 1860 census and Peoria Precinct on the 1870 census. Charles just made it onto the 1860 census being marked as age 2/12, but was age 10 for the next census. The town of Halsey was formed after the Oregon and California Railroad was built on the western edge of the Bond property in 1871. I can think that Charles, at age 11, would have enjoyed watching the building of the railroad. When the 1880 census was taken Charles was 20 years old, single, and his occupation was farmer.

It was four years later, 21 Sep 1884, when Charles changed his marital status as he married Minnie Gourley. I find it interesting that about 10 years later, Minnie's sister Ada married Charles' nephew, Edwin Cummings. Can you imagine their children trying to figure out their relationship? For Minnie and Charles did have 2 children. Bessie was born in 1886 and Lela in 1894. So their family was enumerated on the 1900 census, living with Charles' mother Huldah. His father had died in 1899. Also in the household in 1900 was Minnie's younger brother George.

This family photo, also shared by Robert Bond, was probably taken about 1904.

The family was enumerated on the 1910 census, Bessie and Lela were now 23 and 16. The household again contained other relatives, this time Clarice Gourley, a niece, and Charles' widowed oldest sister, Lydia (Bond) Clark. This is the last time I find them all together as Charles died in 1912 and Minnie in 1913.

It was 23 Sep 1912 when Charles died. His cause of death is rather confusing. A family history stated that he was killed by a normally friendly bull in the pasture on his farm. His death certificate showed the cause of death as apoplexy. An obituary in an Albany newspaper stated that “his death was due to the rupture of a blood vessel produced from over-exertion while working on his farm.” A Eugene newspaper gave the following account: “Chas. Bond....died yesterday as the result of an injury sustained while working in his hog pen. While holding one of the porkers his left arm and hand were severely wrenched and a physician was called. Mr. Bond's injuries were not thought serious at first.….but a few minutes later he expired. It is supposed that a blood vessel was ruptured or else the shock may have caused heart failure.” For whatever reason, Charles died and was buried in the Halsey Pioneer Cemetery.

Although he died in 1912, he was listed in a 1913 Linn County, Oregon, directory on the tax list. It showed he owned property at Halsey valued at $5505. So again I say Charles did own land.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 16 – Air – Hannah (Albertson) Nixon

I must admit that this theme of Air had me baffled. So I chose an aunt “out of thin air.”

My 6^th great-grandaunt was Hannah (Albertson) Nixon. I had very minimal information about her on my website, her name, date and place of birth and her parents' names. She was born the 15^th day of the 2^nd month in 1719, which was before the calendar change so would be the 15^th of April. She was born in far northeastern North Carolina in the area that became Perquimans County, to Quaker parents, Nathaniel and Abigail (Nicholson) Albertson.

Since I had not entered a death date for her, I decided to check her father's will from December 1751 to see if she was living at that time. Her father did name her in the will as Hannah Albertson, so she was apparently unmarried at that time, even though she would have been 32 years old.

I enjoyed working on transcribing her father's will. It appears that 6 of the 8 children born to Nathaniel and Abigail were still living when he made his will, 3 sons and 3 daughters. Hannah was named more than once. She was to have the use of the “non Dwelling House” as long as she remained unmarried. Then she was to share with her brother Joshua a Negrow Girl named Rose and “her Increase” to be equally Divided between them. However if Hannah had no children her half was to go to her brother. Hannah had one more Item in the will: one third part of all his sheep, one Feather bed & furniture and one Chest. Nathaniel stated in his will that he was very sick and he was right because it was at the January Court in 1752 when his will was probated.

It was on March 10^th of the next year, 1753, that Hannah and John Nixon were married. John was about 10 years older than Hannah and he had been married 4 times previously. Each one of those women had died within a few years after their last child was born. Thus Hannah became stepmother for at least 5 children, from age 20 down to 2: Elizabeth, Miriam, Zachariah, John Junior and Ezra. Then Hannah had 5 children of her own with John: Mary, Lydia, Abigail, Frederick and Dorothy. But in this case, it was John who died a few years after the last child was born as he died 18 Jan 1762.

Again I found myself transcribing a will from the 1700s, this time for John Nixon, Hannah's husband. John did name Hannah in his will. He gave his son Ezra one half of the Plantation where he lived and then stated “my will & Intent is that my welbeloved wife Hannah Nixon shall have the use & benefit of sd part During her natural life or pleasure to reside thereon in this life.” John noted that this half of his property was adjoining his brother Phineas Nixon. After he makes more specific bequests to some of his children he concluded that his well beloved wife Hannah Nixon was to have all the rest of his personal estate and was to be one of the executors of his will.

Because Hannah had been willed one half a Negrow girl by her father, this caused her a problem at her Quaker church in the mid-1770s. North Carolina law prohibited freeing slaves, but the North Carolina Quaker Yearly Meeting had declared in 1775 that friends were prohibited from buying and selling Negroes. Apparently Joshua and Hannah did sell their “Negrow.” Both Joshua and Hannah are mentioned in the Quaker meeting minutes in 1777 regarding this transgression. Joshua was disowned, but the women's minutes from Pasquotank show the following about Hannah. “it appeared to them that it was hardly in her power to get her half of the negro back again & that she appeared to be very sorry for what she had done.” Therefore Hannah did remain within her Quaker congregation. The 1790 census for Perquimans County, North Carolina, does include an entry for Hannah Nixon. The household contained 3 females and 2 slaves.

Hannah's death was reported in the Quaker records, 16 Feb 1793. This means that she lived as a widow for 31 years and died at age 73, 2 months short of her 74^th birthday. It also means I had another will to transcribe. It was dated 29^th of 1^st month 1793 (29 Jan 1793). She named 3 heirs: daughters Abigail Nixon and Dorothy Nixon and grand-daughter Sarah Robinson. From the Quaker records her son Frederick had been disowned for some activity during the Revolutionary War. Her daughter Lydia had died in 1767 and her daughter Mary, who had married Rowland Robinson, died in May 1774, about a month after Sarah was born. So the 3 named, seem to be all of her female heirs at that time.

For someone I picked out of thin air, there were a number of very interesting items I discovered while researching “Aunt Hannah,” so I'm glad I picked her.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 15 – Fire – James Curtis Smalley

52 Ancestors 2020 – 15 – Fire – James Curtis Smalley

In considering who to choose for the theme “fire” I looked at the “aunts and uncles birthdays” for this week and tried to find someone who might fit this theme. It was a little bit of a stretch, but I finally decided to write about James Curtis Smalley. James was born in Adams County, Ohio, which had a rather disastrous courthouse fire in 1910. Of course James had moved away many years before the fire.

James Curtis Smalley was born 11 Apr 1862, the 4^th child of John Wilson and Rachel Ann (Hemphill) Smalley, during the time of the Civil War. His father enlisted in the Union Army on 14 Oct 1861, after James was conceived. Then, according to John's pension file, he was classified as absent without leave (AWOL) from 6 Feb 1862 until 3 Aug 1863 when he was arrested and placed in confinement until 31 Dec 1863. Thus his father may have been home when James was born. John then served until his discharge 28 Oct 1864 when he returned home.

The family moved farther north before the 1870 census where they were enumerated on the census in Clinton County, Ohio. There were at least 2 moves during the next ten years as they went to Illinois in about 1872 and then to Nebraska in 1879. James' youngest sister, Rosa, was born in Nebraska in June, bringing his number of siblings up to 12: Mary, Lafe, David, William, Isaac, Saber, Eliza, John, Joseph, Martha, Fred and Rosa. But sadly it was just a few months later, in Sep 1879, James' younger 13 year old brother Isaac died of typhoid fever.

The 1880 census shows their family in Saline County Nebraska. The family suffered another death as James' 18 year old sister, Saber, died in Dec 1885. It was about 1887 when the family moved again, this time southwesterly, as they went to Sherman County, Kansas. Both James and his father John settled on homesteads in Itaska Township, about 1 mile east of the County seat of Goodland, and received their patents in 1893.

But before proving up on his homestead, on 26 Nov 1889, James married 15 year old Stella Coffman, known as Stella Deatherage, as she was the adopted daughter of Charles and Eliza Deatherage. Their first child, a daughter, Iseal Fay, was born 20 Aug 1890. About 2 years later their first son was born, Earl Weaver. In 1894 the local Goodland newspaper listed James as a constable in Itasca Township.

It was in 1895 that Russell Ray was born, which was after James had been issued his patent. They may have moved south by then as they do not appear on the 1895 Kansas state census. Raymond Henry was born in Oklahoma in Aug 1897. Then death came to their young family when Russell Ray died in Jan 1898. He was buried at Cimarron Valley Cemetery in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. James and Stella and their 3 older children were listed on the 1900 census in Woods County, Oklahoma. They were probably there when Martha was born in Nov 1900, Bertha in Jun 1902 and Gilbert in Jul 1904. Again I found James mentioned in a Goodland newspaper in 1906, when it related the sad news that his 18 month old son had died of pneumonia. The family was apparently visiting in the area, staying at his sister Rosa's home. 1906 was also the year when James' name is included on the land ownership map of Township 21N, Range 10W on the southeast ¼ of section 24 in Woods County.

But the family did not stay in Oklahoma, for in the 1910 census they were shown in

Hemphill County, Texas, with 6 children in the household, which included Florence Frances who had been born in Texas in Nov 1908. James must have had wandering feet for the family was back in Oklahoma in Sickles Township in Caddo County by the 1920 census. Also in the household was their daughter Florence and Ninetta who probably was born about 1911.

Sometime in the next 10 years James and Stella made their biggest move, when they went west to California. They were enumerated on the 1930 census in Highland Township in San Berdardino County next to their youngest daughter, now married.

So from his birth in Ohio, then to Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, James

died in Highland California 7 Dec 1936. He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernadino. Stella was also buried in that cemetery when she died about 30 years later in 1966.

52 Ancestors 2020 – 14 – Water – Susan Augusta (Bond) Bridgefarmer

Why did I choose Susan for the theme water? Well, she did marry a man whose name included a bridge.

Susan, my great-grandaunt, was the daughter of Solomon and Huldah (Hayes) Bond and was probably born in Marion County, Iowa, since her parents and older siblings were enumerated there in the 1850 census. She was born 2 Apr 1852, so would have celebrated her first birthday before the family left on 12 Apr 1853 to travel to the Oregon Territory “out west.” I can wonder if she took her first steps before or after they left on the wagon train. Her mother must have watched Susan carefully as the wagons had to cross many rivers on their 5 month journey.

A little after a year after they arrived in the Oregon Territory her parents settled a land claim in Linn County. Presently (April 2020) this land has a subdivision at the edge of Halsey, Oregon. Since Halsey was not established until the Oregon and California Railroad was built through that area in 1871, the 1860 census lists the location as Pine Precinct and the 1870 census calls it Peoria Precinct. However it was the same place. Susan was 8 years old on the 1860 census and was marked as having attended school within the past year. By 1870 she was 18 and still had been attending school. Since Susan was the oldest child still living at home in 1870 I suspect that she was a good help to her mother with the six younger children, the youngest only a year old.

It would have been a big change on 6 Oct 1872 when 20 year old Susan married 40 year old Alanson Bridgefarmer. They were married by C. C. Sperry, a Baptist minister. Susan's grandfather Bond and her Uncle George were also Baptist ministers. However her new husband was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church so in her new role as a wife, I expect she then became a Methodist. She also moved about 6 miles north to the farm of her husband which was about a mile southeast of Tangent.

Ten months after her marriage, Susan's first child was born, Imogene Huldah Bridgefarmer. Two more children were born before the 1880 census: David Solomon and Anna May. Also in their household was 23 year old Melissa Garland, a daughter of Alanson's deceased sister. Hopefully Melissa could help Susan with the household duties and care of the children.

Susan and Alanson had two more children before her death on 2 Dec 1886: Ella Florence and William Austin. Susan was buried at the Halsey Pioneer Cemetery, Linn County, Oregon, where her parents were also buried when they died near the turn of the century. It seems sad when a child dies before their parents.

In her obituary published in an Albany, Oregon, newspaper on 10 Dec 1886 it concluded with these words: “A most estimable woman, a loving wife and mother, her loss is a great one to her family and as well to the community generally.”

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.