Weddings in my Ancestral Line: December 8th through 14th

Two of my known direct ancestral couples were married during the second week of December:
maternal 6X great grandparents Moses Cooper and Mary Mathewson were wed in Glocester, Rhode Island, on December 10, 1732; and maternal great grandparents Lewis Logan Slater and Rufina Tomlinson in Severy, Kansas, on December 13, 1885.

[Lewis Logan Slater & Rufina Tomlinson Slater-undated double portrait

courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

The following two couples also married during the second week of December but I'm less certain of my relationship to them: paternal 10X great grandparents Thomas Ford and his first wife Joan Way wed in England on December 13, 1610*; and maternal 5X great grandparents William White and Jemima Wright were married on December 13, 1781 in Adams, Massachusetts, by my 6X great grandfather Elder Peter Worden.**

*This is a line that I haven't looked at in years and so I'm not certain of my connection. In any case, I would be descended from his second wife Elizabeth Charde.
**This couple's relationship to me is entirely speculative and not to be relied on. If it's true they are the grandparents of Hannah Leonard, the wife of Porter Worden (my 3X great grandparents)



© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

RePost: Monday Is for Mothers: Hannah M. Leonard & her Mother, Jemima White

This is the first post for Monday Is for Mothers way back on October 13, 2013. (I don't think we know any more about Hannah and her mother than we did then.)

Here is a portrait of my great great great grandparents, Porter Worden and Hannah M. Leonard; the earliest of my ancestors that I've seen a photograph of. Both of them were born in New York State in the second decade of the 19th century, where they got married in 1838. It was most likely taken in Iowa, where they moved in 1853 and where they are to be found in subsequent censuses, although they apparently also lived in Missouri and Nebraska at times.

[Photo courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

From the style of her dress, I think this photo was taken in the early 1860s (or possibly the late 1850s). Although her husband looks like he just showed up for the photographer, Hannah has taken some pains to look her best. She's wearing a broach with three white stones or pearls attached to her stiff white collar; her earrings are hoops that may have something longer hanging from them; there appears to be a ring on one hand and a handkerchief or gloves held in the other.

Probate records have confirmed that Hannah's father was Isaac Leonard who was born in Montgomery County, New York, about 1780 and died in Jefferson County, New York, near the end of 1862 and whose will is recorded there.

[Source: Seeking Michigan website, owned and operated by the Michigan History Foundation, all rights reserved]

It's her mother that's been the mystery here because she appears to have died before the 1840 U.S. Census and of course never appeared as more than a tick mark in those earlier censuses. From the death certificate of one of her other daughters, Cynthia (Leonard) Belcher, we learned that her name was Jemima White, always assuming that the information written there is correct. (I would like to confirm the name through other sources, but haven't been able to.)




© 2018 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Isaac Leonard (About 1790 - 1862), Farmer

A life-long resident of New York State, Isaac Leonard and his first wife Jemima White had probably been married only a couple of years when he enlisted as a private during the War of 1812.*

[War of 1812 Service Record Index, Fold3.com]

We know that the Leonards were living in Hounsfield in Jefferson County, New York, by 1816 when Isaac entered into an agreement to buy 25 acres of Great Lot Thirty-Nine for $100 and was described as being "of Hounsfield."

[Jefferson County, New York : from actual surveys, 1855. Source: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C.]

[Detail from above showing Hounsfield and Brownville Townships in 1855]

["New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9W5-XDQQ?cc=2078654&wc=M7C7-GPD%3A358135401%2C359509801 : 22 May 2014), Jefferson > image 421 of 568;

county courthouses, New York.]

However, as shown on the following page, this indenture wasn't recorded until 1822 so I don't know when (or if) the Leonard family might have resided there.

[Source: FamilySearch]

Isaac and Jemima with their young family as shown as residents of Hounsfield in the 1820 U.S. Census.**

[1820 U S Census; Census Place: Hounsfield, Jefferson, New York; Page: 405; NARA Roll: M33_72; Image: 222. Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

Original data: Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

[Ancestry.com]

By New York State's 1825 enumeration, the Leonard family had reached its final size: Isaac, Jemima, two sons and seven daughters.*** (Their second child, my great great great grandmother Hannah Leonard was 12.)

From the 1830 U.S. Census we can deduce that one of the Leonard daughters has died. This is the last census to include Jemima.

[1830; Census Place: Hounsfield, Jefferson, New York; Series: M19; Roll: 92; Page: 194; Family History Library Film: 0017152. Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

[Ancestry.com]

Ten years later the Leonard household had moved to neighboring Brownville and shrunk to four people as the older children married and started their own families.****

[Year: 1840; Census Place: Brownville, Jefferson, New York; Roll: 292; Page: 414; Image: 956; Family History Library Film: 0017190. Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

[Ancestry.com]

That same year Isaac paid $600 for land in Brownville.

["New York Land Records, 1630-1975," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WG-MVCH?cc=2078654&wc=M7HY-4Z9%3A358135401%2C358704501 : 22 May 2014), Jefferson > image 49 of 645; county courthouses, New York.]

By 1850 Isaac was living in his younger son Isaac Newton Leonard and his family in Brownville. One of his daughters Anna, the wife of Joseph Carpenter, was living next door with her family.

[Year: 1850; Census Place: Brownville, Jefferson, New York; Roll: M432_514; Page: 189A; Image: 140. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

But if you're picturing old Isaac dozing by the fireside surrounded by his grandchildren...there's a surprise in store for you in 1855 New York State Census. Recall that I referred to Jemima as his first wife? Well, in 1851 he married his second, 25-year old, Canadian-born Mary. And by 1855 his new family included 6-year old Mary (also born in Canada and not his biological daughter*****), and daughter Emily - 3, and son James, just a year old.

[Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1855 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Census of the state of New York, for 1855. Microfilm. New York State Archives, Albany, New York.]

Other useful information to be gleaned from the census is that Isaac's frame house was valued at $350. In response to another census question not shown here, Isaac stated he was born in Montgomery County, New York.

In the 1860 U.S. Census, the Leonard household hasn't substantially changed, although this enumeration gives us an idea of Isaac's real and personal wealth. Also young Mary's name is recorded as Hellen this time.

[Year: 1860; Census Place: Brownville, Jefferson, New York; Roll: M653_761; Page: 791; Family History Library Film: 803761. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.]

Isaac Leonard of Brownville is on a list of War of 1812 veterans who filed a claim with the State of New York. The preface to a re-printing of the list explains what it was about.

[New York, Index of Awards On Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 [database on-line].]

On March 3, 1862, Isaac Leonard "at the age of eight-two years and upward" made his will which was presented for probate in February of 1863 at Watertown, New York. We don't know his exact date of death or where he was buried.

I'll be covering Isaac's will next week.



*There were two Isaac Leonards from New York  who served in the military at this time so while there are supplementary records it's not clear to me which ones refer to my ancestor. I'll address that in a future post.
**From the birth years of their known children we assume Isaac and Jemima married in about 1809-10 so I don't know who the young white male 16 - 25 could be, but he and Isaac are undoubtedly the two persons engaged in agriculture.
***This information is only available as a database record without an image.
****Hannah Leonard married Porter Worden in 1838.
*****This is made clear in his will.


© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Lydia Rogers (1642 - 1727)

This maternal eighth great grandmother was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, in 1642 and that's where she married Joseph White.

[Births, Marriages and Death. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).]

[Ancestry.com. U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. Original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.]

There's a conflict here with the date of John Roger's will being brought to court (April 30, 1660) and Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700 listing for Lydia and Joseph White's marriage in September of that same year. The will clearly identifies her as "Liddia white" and refers to his "sonne in law Joseph white" so it must have been made after their marriage. There is an error somewhere because at this time the civil year began on March 25th.*

[Probate Records, Vol 1-4, 1628-1667. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Massachusetts County, District and Probate Courts.]

Five of their seven children, including their only daughter and my direct ancestor Lydia White (1662-1696), were born in Weymouth. Their two youngest boys, Samuel and Ebenezer, were born in Mendon so the family had moved there by 1667.

Joseph** died in Mendon in 1706, and Lydia survived him by 21 years, dying on May 8, 1727.***

["Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31535-13836-85?cc=2061550 : accessed 2 November 2015), Worcester &gt; Mendon &gt; Births, marriages, deaths, property records 1677-1826 &gt; image 109 of 328; town clerk offices, Massachusetts.]

Their granddaughter Lydia Cook (1686-?) married Daniel Darling (1682-1746) and their great great granddaughter Mercy Ann Darling's (1835-1915) son Jesse David Webb (1860-1935) is my great grandfather.

*Neither of these conflicting records shows us an original document. There's another (printed) transcript of the will which gives the probate date of 1661 but the inventory date is in 1660. (I'm so confused...)

[Wills. Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Massachusetts County, District and Probate Courts.]

**The death record refers to him as Captain Joseph White. I haven't found any probate records for him (yet).

["Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-31535-13911-79?cc=2061550 : accessed 2 November 2015), Worcester &gt; Mendon &gt; Births, marriages, deaths, property records 1677-1826 &gt; image 107 of 328; town clerk offices, Massachusetts.]

***Presumably both are buried in Mendon, but there's no record of where their graves are.


© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Lydia White (1662 - 1696)

If the 1879 transcription of 17th century Weymouth, Massachusetts, birth records is correct, Joseph and Lydia (Rogers) White had twins Lydia and Joseph* in 1662.

[Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT:

Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).]

Torry lists her marriage with Samuel Cooke in Mendon, about 30 miles east of Weymouth, in 1681 when Lydia would have been 18 and that's where she lived for the rest of her life.

[Ancestry.com. U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2012. Original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.]

 In the 15 years of their marriage Lydia and Samuel had at least eight children.** She died in 1696 at the age of 32 only about four months after the birth of her youngest child.

Samuel lived until 1752, surviving his wife by 56 years. There is no record of a second marriage for him. It is presumed that both Samuel and Lydia are buried in Mendon.


*The first Joseph must have died earlier.
**My direct ancestor is their fourth child Lydia Cook, my sixth great grandmother, who married Daniel Darling.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Lydia Cook (1686 - After 1747)

As we see from her birth record in Mendon, Massachusetts, this maternal sixth great grandmother was named for her mother Ledia (White) Cook. Her father Samuel is described in later records as a husbandman so we can assume that his main occupation was farming.

[Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).]

In about 1706 Lidia married Daniel Darling, a blacksmith, who was also an inhabitant of Mendon and the couple began their family which grew to include eight children that we know of. My direct ancestor is their second son Samuel* who was born in 1714/5.

[Source: familysearch.org; Massachusetts, Town Clerk...Towns Records, 1579-2001 Worcester Mendon Births, marriages, deaths 1643-1835]

In the winter of 1745/6 63-year-old Daniel "being sick and weak in body, but of sound and disposing mind memory and judgment, Thanks be given unto God therefor" made his last Will and Testament in which, after giving the customary attention to his earthly body  and soul, and directing that his just debts be paid with money from the sale of his "creatures,", provided for his widow's maintenance first.

["Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925," images, FamilySearch ( https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-42449-24426-30?cc=2102083&wc=9BXJ-DP8:1055512501,1073167801 : accessed 31 December 2014), Worcester - Case no 15386-15470, Darling, Alpheus-Darling, Simeon, 1731-1881 - image 180 of 1094; Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Boston.]

Daniel's will also stated that upon his widow's death or re-marriage how he desired all the property left for her use was to be divided among his children.

["Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-42449-24267-55?cc=2102083&wc=9BXJ-DP8:1055512501,1073167801 : accessed 6 July 2015), Worcester > Case no 15386-15470, Darling, Alpheus-Darling, Simeon, 1731-1881 > image 180 of 1094; Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Boston.]

None of the surviving probate records have Lydia's signature (or mark) on them. She's first on the list of heirs to be notified and some of the other people listed have signed that paper but she didn't so we don't know if she was literate or not.

["Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-42449-24921-52?cc=2102083&wc=9BXJ-DP8:1055512501,1073167801 : accessed 7 July 2015), Worcester > Case no 15386-15470, Darling, Alpheus-Darling, Simeon, 1731-1881 > image 192 of 1094; Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Boston.]

In an accounting to the probate court made by her oldest son Daniel, as executor, there's mention of money paid to her from the estate for "Mourning Cloths"** and the cost of hay for the "creatures" she received as part of her widow's share.

["Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-42449-24255-25?cc=2102083&wc=9BXJ-DP8:1055512501,1073167801 : accessed 7 July 2015), Worcester > Case no 15386-15470, Darling, Alpheus-Darling, Simeon, 1731-1881 > image 190 of 1094; Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Boston.]

History is silent about Lydia Cook Darling after these documents. We don't know how long she survived her husband or where she's buried. Perhaps she lies next to David in the Old Cemetery in Millville, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the same place his parents are buried.

*Samuel's great granddaughter Mercy Ann Darling married Abner Webb in 1856. My maternal grandmother Anna Delilah Webb Slater was the child of their son Jesse David Webb.
**The sum for the widow's mourning clothes is 14 pounds which seems like a large amount for the time. I don't know enough about probate customs to know whether this amount was for Lydia's clothes only or covered those of other members of the family.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday is for Mothers: Hannah M. Leonard and her Mother, Jemima White

Here is a portrait of my great great great grandparents, Porter Worden and Hannah M. Leonard; the earliest of my ancestors that I've seen a photograph of. Both of them were born in New York State in the second decade of the 19th century, where they got married in 1838. It was most likely taken in Iowa, where they moved in 1853 and where they are to be found in subsequent censuses, although they apparently also lived in Missouri and Nebraska at times.

Photo courtesy of Olive Kennedy

From the style of her dress, I think this photo was taken in the early 1860s (or possibly the late 1850s). Although her husband looks like he just showed up for the photographer, Hannah has taken some pains to look her best. She's wearing a broach with three white stones or pearls attached to her stiff white collar; her earrings are hoops that may have something longer hanging from them; there appears to be a ring on one hand and a handkerchief or gloves held in the other.

Probate records have confirmed that Hannah's father was Isaac Leonard who was born in Montgomery County, New York, about 1780 and died in Jefferson County, New York, near the end of 1862 and whose will is recorded there.

It's her mother that's been the mystery here because she appears to have died before the 1840 U.S. Census and of course never appeared as more than a tick mark in those earlier censuses. From the death certificate of one of her other daughters, Cynthia (Leonard) Belcher, we learned that her name was Jemima White, always assuming that the information written there is correct. (I would like to confirm the name through other sources, but haven't been able to.)

Source: Seeking Michigan website, owned and operated by the Michigan History Foundation, all rights reserved

While this was a great breakthrough at the time, White is a very common surname and we haven't been able to trace that line back farther with any degree of certainty. (Nor have we been able to determine who Isaac Leonard's ancestors were.)

According to Porter Worden's Jones County, Iowa, obituary in 1891, Hannah predeceased him, dying in Nebraska in January of 1887 at the age of 74.

© 2014 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.