Working on Wednesday: Epps W. Warren (1807-1871), Farmer, Overseer & MInister - Part 2, Civil War Letters

Two letters Epps W. Warren wrote during the Civil War to Joseph E. Brown, the Governor of the Confederate State of Georgia survive.

[Joseph E. Brown (1821-1894.

 Courtesy of Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries]

In the earliest one he described himself as a "humble minister"* and called on Brown to proclaim a day of prayer to thank God for the "great and glorious victory" at Chickamauga (September 18-20) which turned out to be the last major victory for the Confederate Army.

Macon Sept 26th 1863
     His Excellency
          Joseph E Brown
               Dear Brother**
                    You will
pardon a private individual & an humble
Minister of Jesus Christ for a making a
suggestion to the Governor of Georgia.
"Through riches of grace in Christ
Jesus" from God the Father who is the
bestower of every good & perfect gift
we have received a great & glorious
victory on the North West border
of our State, which saves us from
untold sufferings, & our people from
unwanted discouragement.
      I feel anxious for all our people
to give all honor & praise to Him
whose "right arm has gotten us the
victory." You I know share in this
desire. If the Chief Magistrate of  our
Common Wealth would put his
proclamation, calling on our Christian
people to assemble at some early day
in their houses of worship for this purpose 

I am persuaded it would meet with
the most cordial approbations of the
people generally, & the effect would
be well pleasing to our Divine Redeemer.
     I mearly make the suggestion, hoping
you will excuse the apparent presum-
ption, & if it should meet your views,
that at a proper time you will call
on us to render thanksgiving and
praise to the Lord God Omnippotent
who reigneth.
          In christian affection
                E. W Warren

As for what was written on the bottom, I'm having problems with a couple of words. Since the letter was addressed to the Governor, perhaps it's his handwriting.

E.W. Warren

     Macon

          Ga

Say that his letter[?]  has

been forwarded to

this filair[?] & I am

gone to Canton[?]

Four months later Epps was writing again to his "Dear Brother, " this time to recommend someone for a government post as surgeon.

Macon Jan 5th 1864

     His Excellency
          Jos. E Brown
               Dear Brother
                    Having
understood that you are
appointing surgeons for each
senatorial district in Ga.
I take pleasure in suggesting
Dr. J.W. Janes of Cuthbert as
a suitable man in every
respect for the a position
somewhere in S. W. Ga. if
they are not all filled, if they
are he would gratefully
accept one any where in the 
State. He is a very competent

man, & would do his work

faithfully. He is the son in 

law of S.G Hillyer

     He served in the war

as aid of Genl Patton Anderson

until his health failed, & he

was forced to retire. He is

now doing service here in

a subaltern position in the

hospital as a surgeon.

     If necessary, he will

make a personal application

accompanied by such

recommendations as may

be required.

          Most Truly

               Your obt Servt.

                    E.W. Warren

E.W. Warren

     Macon

          Ga

5 Jan 64

Recommend Dr 

J W Janes for

surgeon for 11th Sen Distr.

     answrd 20 Jany 

          64

From the above transcribed note on the back of the last page, it appears that Epps Warren's letter got the results he (and Dr. Janes) were hoping for.

And a third letter addressed to Major General Smith*** to learn if one of his sons could substitute for one of his daughters' teacher was in the same file. 

[Gustavus Woodson Smith, photo taken during the Civil War 1861–65

Source: Library of Congress]

Macon June 4th 1864
Maj Genl Smith
          Dear Sir
               I write to ascertain
if my son who will not be seventeen
till the last of Octo, but who is well-
grown, strong & healthy, who desires
to enter the army, can be used
as a substitute, in the event
he comes, for Prof. R. D. Mallory,****
whose health is too feeble to do
field service, & who cannot
be spared from our city without
serious hinderance to the
education of our daughters.
I refer you to Col  F.L. Holt
of your command, who is from
this city, & can give you particu

[Ancestry.com. Georgia, Civil War Correspondence, 1847-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Governor's Incoming Correspondence, Civil War— Governor Joseph E. Brown of Georgia. Morrow, Georgia:

Georgia State Archives.]

lars. My son is able to do
good duty, his teacher is 
now in your command,
(Lieut Poehill), & he is anxious
to join the army, while Prof
Mallory would not I think
be able to serve his country
there, but is of indispensable
service at home.
          Very Respecty
               E.W. Warren

P.S. I have also written
to Gov. Brown on this
Su topic

From this last letter we're led to believe that Epps was so dedicated to his daughters' education that he was willing to send an underage son off to war in place of the girls' teacher? There's a problem with his story--a son who would have turned 17 in October 1864 would have been born in 1848. Now as you can see from my first post about Epps, neither the 1850 nor the 1860 enumerations of his household list a male child born in that year.*****

So who was being offered in exchange here?

NOTE: I've added "Overseer" to Epps W. Warren's occupations in the title.

*Since he's buried in a United Methodist cemetery, I assume he belonged to that denomination.
**I know of no family connection that would allow Epps to address Governor Brown as "Dear Brother." Perhaps he believed being "an humble minister" gave him the right to do so?
***Almost certainly Gustavus Woodson (G.W.) Smith (1821-1896) who by this time was serving as a Major General in the Georgia Militia. He was appointed to his post by Governor Brown.
****This is the man Epps is offering a substitute for (from Ancestry.com - 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia).

***** There's a daughter [Sarah] Olivia Warren who would have been born that year but no boy.

© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Mrs. Mary Fister Dies At Plano

Original clipping of my my great grandmother Mette Karine a.k.a. Mary Fister's obituary, from The Aurora Beacon-News, Tuesday, January 8, 1935 (possibly page 2).  Her daughter Margaret is my grandmother. From my personal collection.

This weekend my father surprised me with this clipping of my great grandmother Mette Karine's obituary in the Aurora Beacon-News (Aurora, Illinois).  I suspect it was my grandmother's copy of the obituary notice.



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4: Berdines Rasmussen aka Benjamin "Ben" Fister

My great grandfather, Berdines Rasmussen, known in America as Benjamin Fister, was born September 1, 1864, to Rasmus Pedersen of Fister (1827-1876) and Anna Pedersdottar of Oye (1830-1915), in Nedre Fister, Rogaland, Norway.  Fister is a small village in the fjords east of the city of Stavanger.

He had 6 siblings: 

Rakel Karina (1851-1873), who was an opera singer (or had at least trained as one?) and died of consumption in Norway.

Peder "Per" Rasmussen (1856-1913), who was a farmer and fisherman in Norway.

Peder Olaus (1859-1861) died as a toddler in Norway.
Peder Olaus (1861-1900) (I guess they just moved the name to another child?), a seaman.
Faltin Rasmussen (1866-1938), known as Frank Fister in America.
Ivar J Rasmussen (abt 1874-1926), known in America and Canada as Ivar J Fister, who first came to America, and then moved to Moose Jaw/Beaver, Saskatchewan, Canada with his large family.

He was baptized on October 9, 1864 (Lutheran), and confirmed at 14 on October 13, 1878.  At 4 he received his smallpox vaccination September 16, 1868.

He was 9 when his older sister Rakel died, and 12 years old when his father died.

Berdines arrived in the US about 1884/1885, when he was about 20/21, possibly with his brothers Faltin and Ivar.  At some point he may have gone to Australia with Faltin, but decided to throw in his lot in America instead.

[A young Ben Fister/Berdines Rasmussen, date unknown]

[Berdines Rasmussen/Ben Fister, standing, with unknown, date unknown]

As Ben Feister he became a naturalized US citizen at age 28, on November 3, 1892, in Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois, with J A Quan(?) and John O. Dall (likely Dahl).  The name Fister did not solidify until later.  His oldest son, Roy, used Fiester instead of Fister.

[National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950 (M1285); Microfilm Serial: M1285; Microfilm Roll: 53]

In 1893, when he was about 23, he worked on the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, most likely as a carpenter.  This is a family story, I have no proof of this, but it certainly seems possible.

At age 30, on October 18, 1894, he married my great grandmother, 17 year-old Mette Karine (1876-1935), known as Mary Corina Anderson in America, in Norway, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois.  She had arrived only a year before.

[Benjamin and Mary Fister]

In the US Berdines and his wife would be called Benjamin and Mary, so I'll refer to them that way from here on out.

Ben's brother Falentin/Faltin "Frank" Rasmussen and his wife Olive Bravick posed for this portrait with Ben and Mary sometime before Olive's death in November 1896.

[Olive Bravick and Frank Rasmussen at top, Ben and Mary Fister at bottom]

On September 6, 1895, five days after Ben's 31st birthday, his first child and son, Roy Alexander was born.

[Ben, Mary, and little Roy]

Their second son Lyle Fister was born June 28, 1897.

After Roy and Lyle were born Ben went to Europe, almost certainly to Stavanger/Fister.  He is found departing Liverpool, England in Feb 1898, and arriving at New York City on March 5, 1898 (Ben was 33).  He had traveled on the Lucania.

[The Lucania, from Ancestry.com. Passenger Ships and Images [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.]

According to the Ancestry database "Passenger Ships and Images":

Passengers: 600 first, 400 second, 1,000 third. Maiden voyage: Liverpool-New York, September 2, 1893. Badly gutted by fire at her Liverpool dock, August 14, 1909. Despite the fact that her interior had been burned, she was able to make the shipbreakers yard by her own engines, and at a speed of 17 knots, remarkable for a vessel under such conditions. Broken up at Swansea during 1910. Sister ship: Campania.

Further info on the liner:

RMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893. Identical in dimensions and specifications to her sister ship RMS Campania, RMS Lucania was the joint largest passenger liner afloat when she entered service in 1893. On her second voyage, she won the prestigious Blue Riband from her sister to become the fastest passenger liner afloat, a title she kept until 1898.
http://www.ovguide.com/rms-lucania-9202a8c04000641f80000000055b03c5# 

Upon arrival Ben was listed as a citizen going home and a joiner, and was living at Millington, Illinois, which was a village along the Fox River  in both Kendall and LaSalle counties.

["Ben R Fister" on Year: 1898; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 0015; Line: 1; Page Number: 86]

Ben's third son, Alvin "Al" Reginald Fister was born July 12, 1899.  Ben and Mary now had three young boys.

[Roy, Alvin, and Lyle Fister, likely about 1900.]

When he was 35 he and his growing family were living in in a rented house in Sheridan village, Mission Township, LaSalle County, Illinois (just a bit down the Fox River from Millington), according to the June 1900 Census.  He was a carpenter who had been unemployed for 3 months.

[Ben and family in the 1900 Federal Census, Year: 1900; Census Place: Mission, Lasalle, Illinois; Roll: 316; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1240316]

On August 18, 1901, when Ben was 37, his second oldest son, Lyle, died.

Until recently we had thought that Ben and Mary had only 12 children, but another Fister researcher recently uncovered a baptism date for both Myren and a Gladys Fister at the Fox River Church in 1905 in Norway, LaSalle, Illinois.  Gladys Fister's fate is unknown, as no grave has been found yet, and Mary did not count her in the number of children born.

Ben and Mary were in Minnesota (likely Emerald Township, Fairbault, Minnesota, where they were in the 1910 Census April 15, 1910) by the time Edith Olina was born, on February 20, 1910 (when Ben was 45).  He was a farmer of a general farm and owned a mortgaged home, so presumably he had been saving up over the years.   Unfortunately it is my understanding is that the house accidentally caught fire and burned to the ground, and they went back to Illinois.  They were back in Kendall County, Illinois, where my grandmother Margaret was born May 17, 1912 (Ben was 47).

[Ben R. Fister and family in the 1910 Federal Census, from Year: 1910; Census Place: Emerald, Faribault, Minnesota; Roll: T624_696; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0078; FHL microfilm: 1374709]

About 1913 his brother Per died.

[Ben Fister and brother Peder "Per" Rasmussen, undated photo, but probably 1890's]

Around 1915, when Ben was about 50, his mother died in Norway.

[Ben's mother, Anna Pedersdatter Dahl/Sandvig, undated photo]

By the 1920 Census they were living in Newark, Big Grove Township, Kendall County, Illinois.  The census taker was uncertain if the house was owned or rented.  Ben, 55, was a general farmer.  A month after the census his oldest son Roy married Marie Erath (1901-1997).

[Ben Fister and family in the 1920 Federal Census, from Year: 1920; Census Place: Big Grove, Kendall, Illinois; Roll: T625_380; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 73; Image: 27]

His first grandchild, Roy's daughter Carolyn, was born in Feb 1921.  7 months later his last child, Doris, was born September 12, 1921, 11 days after his 56th birthday.

Tragedy struck again on July 9, 1924, when his second youngest daughter, Alvira Ruth, 6, died of whooping cough in Plano.  Either my father or my grandmother mentioned her a few times while I was growing up, and I remember how sad I felt when I was told she said she was ready to go to Heaven when she died.  This must have been a terrible blow for the family.  Ben was 59.

Ben's brother Ivar died in Big Beaver, Saskatchewan, Canada on May 13, 1926, when Ben was 61.  It is unclear to me if he was in contact with Ivar.  In fact I have no definite idea on his relationship to any of his siblings.

By the 1930 Census Ben, 65, appeared to be doing quite well, owning a house on 207 Center Ave in Little Rock Township, Kendall County, Illinois, worth $3800 (no radio though) (address number derived from his later death record).  He worked as a carpenter for buildings.  I'm not totally sure, but I think it is possibly the same property as today's 207 S Center Ave, Plano, which was built in 1900 and was a TV and appliance store for a while.

[Ben Fister and family in the 1930 Federal Census, from Year: 1930; Census Place: Plano, Kendall, Illinois; Roll: 522; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0012; Image: 862.0; FHL microfilm: 2340257]

[Mary and Ben, undated photo]

[Ben smoked a pipe, apparently.  With Mary, in an undated photo]

[Ben and the family dog, in the 1930's]

Ben Fister died May 2, 1934, age 69, in Plano, Kendall, Illinois.  He was buried in the Little Rock Township Cemetery 2 days later.

*A big Thank You to my cousin Tom Cairns for all the family pictures.



© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.