Week 47 - Wrong Side of the Law (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 At a family reunion of my mom's paternal side of the family, I heard a story that I had never heard before.  My Mom's cousin took me aside and asked if I'd ever heard this and proceeded to tell me about his grandmother, my great grandmother.  

Her name was Rose (Dicello) Bonadio.  She was born in Italy in 1879 and came to America about 1905 to join her husband who was already here.  The years passed and Dennis, our cousin, was told a story one day by friends that Rose used to sell bootleg moonshine of some kind out of her basement to the railroad workers who would pass by her home on their way home from work. He said that she was arrested for this crime.  This happened in 1930 during Prohibition.

Quite a few years later, I found a news article that said her husband, Pasquale Bonadio, was the one arrested for bootlegging.  I think he may have taken the blame, rather than have his wife charged. Rose never did learn to speak English. I imagine it would have been hard for her to go through the process.  But the article proved the story.  He pled guilty, was indicted and given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for two years.

This is the kind of story you love to hear about ancestors, good or bad.  

Rose & Pasquale Bonadio

Oct 10, 1930 - The indictment of Pasquale, in the article his name is Patsy Bonady of Mill Hall,(Clinton Co, Pa.)

Nov 13, 1930 - Pasquale's sentence 

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 46 - Tombstones (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

Shortly after Memorial Day in 2005, I visited the grave of my 3rd great grandfather, John B Amos, in Bedford, PA.  John was born in 1833, was a Civil War veteran and passed away in 1901. I first went to the office in town that held the records for the cemetery and later easily located the gravesite.  Once there, I took some photos and found a few other family graves nearby.  Being right after Memorial Day, there were many flags adorning other graves in the cemetery.  I wondered why there was not one on John's grave. It clearly stated the Regiment that he served in on the stone and the records also stated that he was a soldier.  There was not even a GAR flag holder in sight. I asked at the office if I could place one there myself and they said yes.  Over time, I found what I wanted, ordered a holder and flag.  In 2007, I was able to go back to the cemetery and place both at his grave.  In the process of placing the flag holder, I found the original one pushed deep down along the base of the stone. It must have happened during grass mowing and was just pushed deeper and deeper till no one would be able to see it any longer.  So now he has two, but will be able to have a flag placed each year now to recognize his service.  

This is Lt. John Border Amos

His gravestone before and after

In 2005, with flag at a grave in the background

In 2007, properly honored

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 45 - Ghost Story (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 This week's is short but intriguing.  Ghost Story would normally be one that I would not think that I had a story for, but in researching my 3rd great grandfather Toms Nixon (1807 - 1876), I found a book that was compiled by his son Jabez Hunt Nixon or J.H. Nixon.  The book's title is "Rending the Vail" published in 1899 and it details various seance sessions attended by Jabez Nixon around 1890.   Quoted here are the transcriptions of the seance sessions involving the Nixon family.  The Mr. Nixon referred to is Jabez Nixon, Toms Nixon's son. The medium's name was William W. Aber. Spiritualism became popular in the mid 1800's with many followers including Queen Victoria and Mary Todd Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln held several seance sessions in the White House after the deaths of their young sons. 

You never know what will come up in your research!

" Séance No. 1 :

May 28, 1890

7. At evening-time, and at the residence of J. H. Pratt, Mr. Pratt and wife, Mrs. Phoebe Smith, and J. H. Nixon began a series of meetings with this medium, under promise of the spirits (for we had come to so regard them) that, if we would prove faithful to them, we would be amply rewarded in rare phenomena.

8. The medium being entranced and taken into the cabinet, bust forms appeared at the window, as usual, to eight in number, all
very brilliant and recognized.

 Séance No. 2 :

June 5, 1890

 19. Circle of the same persons as before. (#7 above)

20. Medium seated in a chair, outside the cabinet, near to the
cabinet doorway.

21. Automatic music organ wound and put to going.

22. Light down to dim twilight.

 31. Then there came out a form speaking in a whisper to Mr.Nixon, saving: "Good-evening, brother." This was clearly recognized by Mr. Nixon as his sister Ann, who several years ago passed to spirit life. Mr. Nixon placed a small bouquet of flowers upon the stand table and said: "Sister Ann, please take that to
mother." The spirit said, "I will, brother," and returned into the cabinet, taking the flowers.

32. In a few moments an elderly-looking lady form, in appearance, clad after the manner of the women of the "Society of Friends," came out to the stand table, as bright-looking as if in the mortal form in good daylight, holding that little bouquet in her hand; and, addressing Mr. Nixon as "My dear son," threw the flowers into his lap; giving, in manners, gesticulations, and words, evidences of intense delight, and of identity, and was fully
recognized, at last, as at least a complete facsimile of Nixon's mother, though she long ago made the transition.

 33. Next to emerge from the cabinet was a form claiming to be Priscilla Nixon, another sister to Mr. Nixon, and was by him identified as "sister Priscilla," who had passed to the morning land forty or more years ago.

 34. These forms were, by all of us, all seen and heard to talk.

 41. As this spirit returned into the cabinet there came out another spirit, which said to Nixon: "I am thy father.', All the others of the circle remarked: "He certainly looks like Nixon." Nixon then said: "Father, please be seated." The spirit said, "I will try," and then did sit down on a chair that was at the south end of the stand table, and sat there for two or three minutes, leisurely looking about the room, and, arising, returned into the cabinet.

 Séance No. 3 :

July 17, 1890

51. Mr. Nixon took the pains to count his pulse during the writing, and since has counted the writing and timed his pulsebeats, and found thereby that Reed wrote about two lines per second, averaging six and a half words to the line, twenty lines to the page or nearly the astounding rate of six hundred common English words written in full in one minute.52. This writing alone ought to remove these manifestations above the region of fraud to any candid mind witnessing or receiving the facts. (See Faraday writing, par. 2594)

Séance No. 5 :

August 6, 1890

88. Another thrilling event of this séance was that, while the circle were singing the melody "We're Going Home," there stood a spirit in the cabinet door whom we call Zechey, brother to Mr. Nixon, and sang with us in tones clear and loud, away above our loudest and highest key—be that to our utmost.89. Brother on this side singing face to face with brother on the spirit side of life!90. J. H. Nixon from the beginning of these séances kept record of the proceedings of each séance and read the record so kept of each séance to the circle at the next subsequent séance, and so is henceforth known as secretary.

89. Brother on this side singing face to face with brother on the spirit side of life!90. J. H. Nixon from the beginning of these séances kept record of the proceedings of each séance and read the record so kept of each séance to the circle at the next subsequent séance, and so is henceforth known as secretary.

90. J. H. Nixon from the beginning of these séances kept record of the proceedings of each séance and read the record so kept of each séance to the circle at the next subsequent séance, and so is henceforth known as secretary.

 Séance No. 6 :

August 20, 1890

 93. Brother Zecchey (as we have learned to call him), standing in the cabinet doorway, having his arms folded, asked us to sing the melody "We're Going Home," and as we did so he joined with us, the spirit making such an harmoniously melodious bass as we had never heard before from human voice.

94. It may be of some interest to the reader if we here relate a sample of the psychic tests as given by our colloquial, who is known and designated by the name of Sam. The secretary's father and mother long ago passed to spirit life, and their given names had not been known to the medium nor to any person attending the séance except the secretary.

Sam said: "Mr. Nixon, there is an old gentleman here for you. His name is Zechariah; He is your grosserfader" (grandfather).

Sec: "Well, that is the name."

Sam: "He says your father's initial is T."

Sec.: "What does he say the full name is?"

Sam: "He says it is Toms Nixon. He says that was your father's middle name."
Sec.: "Father had no middle name."

Sam: "Oh vell, it ought to be de middle name ony how. Dond't you ondershtand dot?"

Sec.: "Father had no middle name."

Sam: "I say dot vash a middle name as a family relicum" (family relic).

95. Here was an intellectual test that could hardly be surpassed: The grandfather's name was Zechariah Nixon. The grandmother's maiden name was Martha Toms. To preserve the maiden name as a relic in the family, the youngest son was named Toms Nixon. In such ease it seems custom to make the relic name a middle name. Hence Sam said: "A middle name, or ought to be."

 The book in digital form can be found at: http://iapsop.com/ssoc/1899__aber___rending_the_vail.pdf

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved.  

 

 

Week 44 - Shadows (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

My apologies to anyone who has been following these stories for not posting these last six weeks.  Sometimes personal things get in the way, but I am trying to get back to this writing now.  

This week, the theme is Shadows.  There are two individuals in my husband's family who just insist on hiding.  Sometimes no matter how hard I look or how many times I start over with these two, I just never get past what I think I already know.

The first one, Benjamin Johns, whom I have taken to calling Bennie,  is  my husband's great grandfather.   He was born, I think, in April of 1844 in St Austell, Cornwall, England.  The family story was that Benjamin Johns was "supposed to have come from a well to do educated family who owned vineyards. They were a small people with red hair. His mother, Charlotte had red hair and was supposed to have been a teacher."

Bennie's naturalization papers, in the possession of the family, state that he was born in St Austell and left England at age 42, sailing from Liverpool and arriving in New York on May 2, 1869. His destination was Beaver Meadows, PA. He applied for citizenship in 1888 and was naturalized on Oct 2, 1890 in Carbon Co, PA. The date of 1869 would make him born about 1847 not 1844. The only record of a child born in St Austell to a mother named Charlotte was in 1844. I found two references to this. One was the England and Wales BMD Index and the other was an England and Wales Criminal Register. There were two individuals with the surname Johns on the same page in the Criminal Register. Charlotte Johns, age 24, was one and she was charged with "concealing the birth of an infant" and sentenced to two years imprisonment. The second was Joseph Johns, age 27, charged with "disobeying an order in bastardy" and found not guilty. Hmm, makes me wonder if the two were connected and both were Bennie's parents. Was Bennie a bastard child? What happened to him while Charlotte was imprisoned? Was he with Charlotte in prison? And did he make up the story about his family background? I'm inclined to think Yes, who knows and Yes!

But to move on in his story, he cannot be found in either the 1870 or 1880 censuses. Of course! The 1890 one is lost. So no help on Bennie there. He married Emma James, date unknown, but Emma was listed as single in June of 1880 in that census. Emma's first child was born in January 1881. There is a family story that this child was conceived out of wedlock but may still have been Bennie's as Bennie did raise him as his own. Six more children followed with the last born in 1896.

The rest of the family story about Bennie was that "when Bennie came over from England, he came thru Canada to America. One time when he was returning to visit England, he was traveling thru Canada and only got as far as Niagara Falls. Apparently he lost all of his money drinking and gambling and only had enough left to buy his wife a picture of Niagara Falls, which hung in their home for many years. He never did get to England. Benny was murdered by Irishman after one night drinking. He was ambushed and found down a coal bank on the way to his home. The family story as told to me, was that Benny was buried under a sidewalk at the Vine St Cemetery, Hazelton, Pa." Bennie died in 1897, about age 52.

I searched for a news article about the supposed murder, but no luck there either. And I think the sidewalk story leaves a little to be believed. But his wife is buried in that cemetery....

  * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The second individual is Amy Light, my husband's 3rd great grandmother. Amy was born about 1820 in New York state according to the 1850 & 1860 censuses. Amy's headstone has been photographed, but the only thing that is readable is her first name Amy. She died in 1869 according to a self published family history scarce on sources. She married about 1839 to Alfred Estus, of New York state, in Pennsylvania. They had only two or three children between 1840 and 1845, all born in Pennsylvania. Amy & Alfred must have each come separately from New York to Pennsylvania. I do have a possible family for Amy but no records that can say for sure that she belongs to them. It is tentative at best. With a name like "Light", she still stays in the shadows.

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 37 - High and Low (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

  I could not find a good story to share this week for the topic High and Low.  But I would imagine all of the ancestors had those in their lives just like you or I do today.  Whether it was the loss of a job or a home.  A sudden loss of a loved one or birth of a long awaited cherished child.  Maybe there were health problems that created the ups and downs in life.  Someone finally found the love of their life and lived happily ever after.  Severe weather events or the vacation of a lifetime.  The first in a family to graduate from high school or college.  Or maybe as simple as a hug from someone that you haven't seen in awhile.   Sometimes I look at the sparse events of an ancestor's life and wonder what they really went through and what events they would call their highs and lows.  Did the farmer have a good crop this year to get his family through the winter?  Did a family lose a loved one in a war?  Some events are both a high and a low.  As when a young married couple leave the country of their birth hoping for a better life in a new country, knowing they would never see their family again. All of these highs and lows are so relative to each individual. A low for one person may be a high for someone else.  It just wouldn't be life without all of it.  

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 36 - Exploration (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

It's pretty common for Americans to find a story or two that have to do with crossing the ocean.  From the first explorers to Jamestown and Plymouth to a recent immigrant relative.  I believe that no matter the reason that brought one here, you are still an explorer to a new land and way of life.  I have several seafaring stories that come to mind from our families. 

In 1620,  my first explorer ancestor came to America on the Mayflower.  His name was Myles Standish.  He was born about 1584 in England, but there are conflicting theories about where and to whom.  He was hired by the Pilgrims in Leiden, Holland to be an advisor on military affairs once they arrived in America.  So he and his first wife, Rose, came aboard the Mayflower bound for an adventure in the New World. Arriving near Cape Cod in November, winter was close behind.  They lived on the ship until a shelter could be built on the land. Rose Standish died the first winter along with about 50 other Pilgrims.  Myles survived and was one of those who cared for the other sick Pilgrims.  I reading much about Myles, he was a controversial character.  He both befriended and fought the Native Americans.  He was both caring, as in the winter sickness time, and was also accused of using too brutal of methods when fighting.  No matter what , he survived and around 1634 moved with some other families to found Duxbury, Massachusetts.  He took on many roles in running the community but died in 1656.  He was the husband of a 2nd wife, Barbara, and father to 7 children.  

After reading Nathaniel Philbrick's book, "In the Heart of the Sea", I have come to the conclusion that I must be related to nearly every early family in Nantucket, Massachusetts!  This book was the true story of the whaling ship "Essex"  and it's shipwreck and sinking in 1820 in the Pacific Ocean.  This story was said to be the inspiration for Herman Melville's "Moby Dick".  It was a voyage that was supposed to last about 3 years.  The trip from Nantucket to the waters where whales could be found was about  2500 miles long having to go south around the tip of South America and north again. As I was reading the book, I kept seeing familiar New England surnames of the crew and other associated individuals making me wonder where they fit into the family tree.  Not only was the ship Essex exploring the ocean in her search for whales and subsequent rescue after the Essex sank, but I began exploring the family ties of the crew and others mentioned in the story.  In all, I looked at 70 individuals and was able to connect all of them, either by a blood relationship or thru marriage.  It was one of the more fascinating family explorations that I have done.  Just a few of the names that I descend from are: Coffin, Starbuck, Paddock, Bunker, Gardner, Shattuck & French.  The Macy & Sears names are prominent in the families as well, among others.  Tristram and Peter Coffin and Thomas Macy were among the 9 original purchasers of Nantucket Island in 1659.  Other families arrived later to populate the island.  All of these families intermarried for generations and were a tight knit community with many whaling ships coming and going from Nantucket for hundreds of years.  

One last story from my husband's family was found in family research done by a distant cousin.  I have not found any paper documentation for this yet, so it can be considered a story handed down.  Jonas Latham Gray who was born in 1762 in New London County, Connecticut is said to have been a carpenter & cabinet builder by trade. What has been proven is that Jonas was a veteran of the Revolutionary War who served in place of his father, Philip, when he was less than 18 years old.  Toward the end of the war Jonas, along with his father and a brother sailed on a trading vessel which went around the horn of South America to the west coast of America. Later they took regular trips to the West Indies.  They continued these trips for about 12 years.  Jonas and his half brother Asa Gray once pooled all of their money to build a large ship.  While Jonas was at sea, Asa sold the ship and absconded with the money leaving Jonas penniless and in debt.  By Jan 1, 1819, Jonas had worked hard to pay his debts and he and his wife and three youngest children left Connecticut, on foot in the middle of winter.  Stopping for a brief stay in Schoharie county, New York, the family continued, on foot, to Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. A journey west of about 240 miles.  Jonas lived in Dimock, Pennsylvania for the remainder of his life.  He died in there in 1832.  Having been buried in a small cemetery near his farm, two of his sons moved his body to a cemetery in Dimock in 1845. They opened his coffin in the presence of all his living descendants. The body was in a remarkable state of preservation and his features were as natural as the day of his burial. I'm not sure that I would take exploration quite that far, but an interesting story none the less.  

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 35 - Free Space (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 "Free Space"  this week means just about anything goes.  But since I talked about photographic negatives in week 12, I thought I'd continue that into cameras.  Believe it or not, we have a collection of every camera that was used to make those same negatives.  

Because my husband is an amateur photographer and was usually the one with camera in hand at family gatherings, some vintage family cameras were sent our way.  Some we picked up because no one else wanted them.  And the rest are cameras that we have owned through our life.  Ebay and Etsy have been great in finding some vintage film and flash bulbs and manuals to go along with various cameras in the collection.  

We have about 30 cameras that range in age from 1901 to 2011 (not counting cell phones!)  My favorite one is the Pocket Kodak 1A because of it's style.  It was made from 1926-1932. The one that we have was owned by my grandfather and confirmed as we have a photo of him with the camera in hand.  

My grandfather Floyd Heacock in center holding his No 1A Pocket Kodak Series II Camera

My husband became interested in photography when he was a young boy.  He had found an old camera in his home's attic. It was an Imperial Debonair camera made from the 1950's to 60's.  Over the years, the camera disappeared and he always wished he still had it.  We started searching the internet for one, going just by his memory of what it looked like.  Through trial and error, we actually found one!  A great kid size for a beginner.  

Imperial Debonair camera

Sometime in the 1980's my husband, after years of not using a camera, jumped back in.  He started out with a Canon AE1P using film, a more professional 35mm camera compared to the usual family camera. He upgraded once to another 35mm film camera and I moved on to a few nice compact film cameras. I kind of became our snapshot and video person, while he developed an interest in outdoor photography, landscapes and such.  Over the years my husband built a nice collection of lenses and accessories to go along with his camera. When digital cameras came along, he waited to switch over until he found just the right model to continue his hobby.  This was the Canon EOS 5D.  He has used it ever since.  

I can't forget to mention Polaroid cameras.  We have two. One was ours and the other one belonged to my grand aunt.  They were fun to use but never became our main camera.  

We also have had some movie cameras over the years. The one from the 1950's, a Brownie Fun Saver, is the same one that we used for movies of our children born in the 70's.  No sound in those days unless you had one of those bulky VHS movie cameras.  We skipped those and later upgraded to the  Canon 514XL, still no sound but that was coming.  We upgraded once last time to a Canon ZR800, finally sound movies! Each time the upgrade was usually due to the film and then battery packs becoming obsolete or very hard to find in pre-internet days.  

After these movie cameras, digital cameras  were being made that had the capability of video recording in addition to snapshots, so only one camera was needed.  This time, I moved on from a film camera to a digital.  With the freedom to take as many photos and videos as I wanted, I also became somewhat more interested in taking photos of things other than family.  By this time, we were hiking and traveling to places that we wanted to photograph.  Using cameras has taken us to places we may never have seen otherwise.  Lot's of fun and memories.  

I still break out my last camera, the Canon Power Shot from 2011 once in awhile, but I now rely on my Iphone for most of the photos and videos I take. And I sometimes still get a bit nostalgic for the film camera experience.  You take your photo, wait to finish the roll, anxiously wait for the film to be developed so you can relive the memories through the printed photo.  Today, we take so many photos with our phones that sometimes they get lost or are not often looked at as much as we used to with film.  But we all still take photos.  A moment frozen in time that gives us memories every time we see it.  

One side story to share is about this ashtray.

The owner of the photographic shoppe advertised here is my husband's 1st cousin 2 times removed.  He was Irvin Sinton who was born in 1889 and died in 1945 in the town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, also our hometown. Irvin's wife Maude, ran the shoppe for many years after Irvin's death.   Irvin was also a photographer.  A classmate of my husband's, posted a photo of this ashtray a few years back.  I knew right away who it was.  After sharing a few family related comments on the post, the friend sent it to my husband.  It sits with our camera collection.  It would also appear that my father in law used the Sinton Photo shoppe to have film developed as well.  We found the envelope with some negatives inside.  Imagine --- only $1.30 to develop 3 rolls of film!

Photography seems to be prevalent in our immediate Sinton family.  Two nephews of this family are making some side income from photography, one with portrait work and the other as a freelance sports photographer for his local newspaper. And both of our children are blossoming amateur photographers.  And grandchildren -- we became the ones to buy them their first cameras.  Most of them used them for awhile but phones eventually replaced them as well. But happy to see them using something to still take photos.  

Here is our complete collection.

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 34 - Timeline (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 I have to admit, I have not used timelines very often in my research.  At least not purposely.  When I think of timelines, I picture a chronological list of events.  But I have found that my timelines do not always show up in that form.  

One place that I have found them very useful though is in Civil War soldier research.  When I delve into one of these soldier ancestor's military history, I find timelines of their regiments already spelled out and from there I can research each battle in depth and very often place their exact locations.  Once, a NPS battlefield Ranger told me that I "would breathe his air".  I found that to be a very moving description.  

I like to then write as much of a biography of the soldier that I can using any record that I can find.  The first ancestor soldier that I did this for was my 3rd great grandfather, John Border Amos, back in 2005.   It has turned into a nice 30 some page document complete with photos and documents, plus added pages of other records and images that are not integrated into my text.  Over the years, I have added more information as I come across it.  I have been fortunate to have been in contact with other descendants of John who have shared photos of John  and a letter written by John the day after one of his battles.  I always send away to the National Archives for any military or pension records of the soldier as well.  All of this adds such dimension to my biographies.  The pension files often give details not found in other records and can often fill in gaps with at least medical information that can give me an idea of what his life may have been like after the war.  

So his timeline fills out without my having to list each and every event before I write.  I am sure though, that if I would compile a list, there would be some gaps to fill.  

In researching these soldiers, I have read many interesting books that I otherwise would not have run across.  I have come across stories that create their own timeline as a branch of the original biography, which are added to my story.  My "timeline" becomes like a tree itself.  

John Border Amos with his wife and most of his children, as well as one grandchild about 1901. 

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 33 - Service

 Service can mean so many things.  Service to your country in the military or other capability, volunteering in many service organizations, or simply giving great service through your job or business.  The first individuals that came to my mind from my family tree whose lives equaled service were my daughter in law's great grandmother, Flora Moschell Schiller Daggs and my 1st cousin 6 times removed, Levi Coffin.

Flora was born in 1901 in Indiana. From her first marriage, she had three children but the marriage ended in divorce after 20 years. It would be another 20 years before she would marry again, only to lose that husband to death just 13 months later.    I am not sure exactly when her service to the Salvation Army began, but she appears as a very active participant after her second marriage in 1957.  I have found many news articles about a group within the Salvation Army where Flora was a guiding hand.  It was a group for seniors called the "Older Americans of the Salvation Army".  They held weekly meetings to plan their activities.   Flora lived to the age of 95.  Two articles that detail the work her chapter was responsible for.  

1972

1974

Every year at Christmas, my daughter in law, son and their 3 children honor the service given by Flora by volunteering to ring the bell at one of the iconic red kettles in their area.  

***************************************

Levi Coffin was born in North Carolina in 1798.  He was from a Quaker family and had an experience as a young boy that would forever guide his life.  He spoke with a slave about his bondage and sympathized with him.  By the time he was a teenager, Levi was helping his family assist escaped slaves.  In 1825, Levi along with his new wife and son, moved to Indiana. He quickly became involved with a movement that would become known as the Underground Railroad.  Levi himself estimated that he had helped about one hundred slaves per year escape further North.  By the 1840's Quaker leaders began to advise their members to stop aiding runaways and let the law take care of matters.  Levi did not stop and his Quaker meeting expelled him.  In 1847, he moved to Cincinnati to manage a goods warehouse that would only handle materials that were produced by free labor, not slave labor.  It was difficult to locate such goods and the business was sold in 1857.  But none of this deterred Levi from continuing his work with the Underground Railroad.  He continued his work on up through the Civil War.  After the war, he helped in forming the Western Freedman's Aid Society to help the now free slaves with food  or shelter or establishing businesses or getting an education.  Over his lifetime, it is estimated that Levi aided between 2000 and 3000 escaped slaves find freedom. It is said that Harriet Beeche Stowe's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" used Levi and his wife as models for the Quaker couple in her story.  Levi died in 1877 at his home in Ohio.  His home is now a National Historic Landmark.  

Levi Coffin

Levi's home in Fountain City, Indiana

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. 

Week 32 - At The Library (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

I spent many, many hours at the local library when I was a young girl.  It was one of my favorite places to go.  In those days, I was fortunate to be able to walk from my house to downtown and bring home an armload of books to read.  I would meet my best friend, Mary, there too.  We both loved to read.  I always thought that being a librarian would be the best job.  It was not to be, but as I got older, I spent my time in the library doing research for homework assignments. It never felt like "work" to me because I loved the search and the results of the search.  

My hometown library in Pottsville, PA

Later in life, when I became interested in genealogy, I would try to visit the library when we were home visiting, but those times were few and far between.  When I would go, I would not find very much for the family I was searching for or didn't know what to ask for there,  With small children to raise, I could not travel to locations that may have had the information that I was looking for and really had no time to devote to the letter writing required in those days when I wanted to ask for information.

Then the Internet came along. It was like having a library at my fingertips.  My genealogy pursuit came alive as I was able to find much more of the information that I wanted.  I also began finding more books that I wanted to read and now I have my own home mini library.

Even though I do not often get to the local library, I still recognize their value as a place to learn how to research and find things otherwise unknown and I hope that they never go away.  

 Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. .   

Week 31 - Help (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 For the topic "Help"  this week, I am going to write about how I helped an individual determine who his biological family is.  Names have been changed to protect privacy.

A little more than 4 years ago, I received a message through Ancestry from a man I will call Timothy.  Timothy found me through six closely shared DNA matches on Ancestry.  One of these matches was shown to Timothy as his father, so Timothy was asking me if I could possibly help him identify this match.  This match had a somewhat cryptic user name so we had to take a different track for awhile to see if I had this individual, that I will call James, in my tree. 

So I told him that I would see what I could do.  One of the matches was my Mom and another was a maternal cousin of hers which immediately helped narrow down which side of the family Timothy and James would be on.  A third match, who we both tried to contact, never replied but Timothy did eventually identify her as another cousin through James' family. 

A fourth match we never did identify. And a fifth match, I had already figured out that she did belong to James'  Family as well. So knowing now that all 6 matches along with Timothy and I all do belong to the same family line, that I will call Kelley.  We both also did try to contact James but received no reply.  He had not checked into his account in over a year. 

Timothy already knew who his birth mother was and was able to get documents from his adoption and from this estimated his birth father to be around 80 years old already.  And with the exception of my mom and I, all of the matches lived in the same area of New York state where Timothy was born.  The documents also told him that his birth father was never told of his existence.  

I started looking at all of the men in this particular Kelley family who would be about the right age and also who may have lived in the correct area.  I came up with 6 possibles.  I sent these names to Timothy to see what he thought.  After looking at these for a day or so, I could only see one very possible match.  For me there was a catch, I had been in contact with this man years before when he wrote to my mom to ask for family information.  We traded alot of family history with each other.  So now I was wondering how to handle this so as not to invade James' privacy.  But the way that I figured James' identity helped with that and went back to his user name on ancestry.  He used his father's house number followed by the street name and then an abbreviated from of his city. These were found in a US Public Records Database on Ancestry.  But too huge of a coincidence not to be true.  So I decided to go ahead and let Timothy know. 

So with the information that I had about James and the information that Timothy had about his birth mom, 2 + 2 = James.  James and the birth mom were both school teachers in the same district but did not stay together.  Both went on to marry and have other children. 

After about a month, Timothy told me that he was going to approach James but he wasn't sure quite how yet.  This ended our correspondence for awhile and then about 3 years later, I heard from Timothy. He told me how he finally met his other family.  About a year and a half after we figured out that James was the one, Timothy reached out to his half brother's wife. They arranged to meet n New York State. Unfortunately, it turned out that James was suffering from Parkinsons and dementia and the family did not think it would be a good idea for Timothy to meet James. This was in 2019, right before covid hit, so a meeting with the rest of the family had to be put on hold until last summer when he was able to meet his half sister and family.  A few months later, James passed away at the age of 83. But Timothy was very grateful that he now had this new family to call his.  And I have a new cousin.  It felt very satisfying to have helped Timothy connect to his long lost family and I am honored to have been a part of this happy story. 

In another coincidence, my new cousin, I found, was also connected to me by his adoptive father, who I will call Ellsworth, who  turned out to share a common ancestor with me also.  One of Ellsworth's great grandmothers was a Mendenhall.  I also have a 5th great grandmother who was a Mendenhall. They are both descendants of James Mendenhall who was born in 1718.  

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. .    

Week 30 - Teams (52 ancestors in 52 Weeks)

The first thought that came to mind when I saw this week's topic, Teams, was of my grandmothers and my dad and the sports that they played.  And of course my husband, kids and grandkids and all of the teams that they have been on.  I wouldn't say it runs in the family, but it seems that there are/were alot of active people doing their thing.  

The most surprising were my grandmothers.  They both played basketball and this was back in the 1920's & 1930's when there were not many opportunities for girls in sports.    My paternal grandmother, Elizabeth then Arnold, was said to have played on an upper floor above a store if I am remembering the story correctly.  It was said that they played the "Morgert girls" ( a family) and they were tough.  We do not have any photos of this, just the story. I try to imagine her doing this and just smile.  

My maternal grandmother, on the other hand, played on a team.  Helen then Boardman, played Guard on her high school team in 1931 as a senior at Lock Haven High School in Pennsylvania. This must have been a new sport at the school, as the yearbook says that there was more turnout that year and the team was improving.

Helen Boardman, front right , 1931

Helen was also on the cheerleading squad in 1929 at a time when men were also.  This photo commemorates a win by the Lock Haven High School football team against neighbor Bellefonte.

My Dad, John Heacock, who graduated from high school in 1947, played on both the football and wrestling teams at Bedford High School in Pennsylvania.  He was a member of the undefeated 1945 football team that was ranked 7th in the state at the time.  Dad also split his football game time by playing the cornet with the band at halftime.  He never talked much about playing football but he did tell us all about his time on the wrestling teams, both in high school & college. 

John Heacock, #26, third row

 Dad was a smaller guy. He wrestled at the 103 lb weight class as a Freshman.    By his Sophomore year, John was up to 112 lbs. and wrestled his way to the district championship and won the Pa State championship with an undefeated season.  John also wrestled well in his following two high school years in the 120 lb weight class and came close to states both years but fell just short.  He continued wrestling in college at Lock Haven State Teachers College and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in his Junior year.  After college and the Army, John returned to Bedford to teach and assistant coach both the wrestling and football teams for 4 years.  

You might ask what about you Ann?  Well, I was not athletic at all and never made it past tryouts. But both of my children took after their dad who ran track and cross country.  They both participated in Track and Soccer, as did all of their children, some adding other sports such as baseball, basketball, and karate.  One of them even made it to the Pa State Track championships just this year.  

Our daughter is currently coaching a Girls Middle School soccer team and both she and her brother have coached many recreational youth soccer teams over the years. 

Team sports are great for so many reasons. Lots of memories for one. 

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved. .    

Week 29 - Fun Facts (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

 This week for Fun Facts, I thought I would write about a well known individual to whom I am distantly related but whom also lived in my maternal grandfather's home which I found out when searching the censuses for family homes.

William Thomas Piper was born in 1881 in Cattaraugus county, New York.  After graduating from Harvard in 1903, he went on to the Army Corps of Engineers during WW1 and the also worked in the oil fields of Pennsylvania.  While living in Bradford, PA, he became interested in aviation and purchased a bankrupt aircraft company which was later renamed Piper Aircraft Company and moved to Lock Haven, PA.  It was here, in 1938,  that the famous bright yellow Piper Cub J-3 was introduced.  William Piper is often called the "Henry Ford of Aviation" because of the Cub.  The company was highly successful for many years. William Piper died in 1970 and is buried on a hilltop in Highland Cemetery above Lock Haven, Pa.  

William Thomas Piper

Piper Company logo

Piper Cub aircraft

So how did I find out that William Piper and I were related?  I've always been interested to know how old various family homes were and who else may have lived in them before my ancestor.  I was never sure exactly when my grandfather moved into 9 West Walnut St in Lock Haven, Pa, so I began by searching the 1940 census for the address.  I found it fairly quickly and was very surprised by the name of the residents at that time.  It appears that William T Piper's son Howard  was head of household and Howard's wife Helen and father William were living there also.  It shows the family as renting the residence for $40. This was for a first floor 2 bedroom, 1 bath, living & dining rooms and small kitchen residence. The residence was one of a double house with the other residence accessed by steps to the 2nd story.  The census also lists William as widowed.  He was working 70 hours a week as a manager and engineer.  His son working as an engineer with him.  In 1935, the family was living in Bradford, PA.  

At some point after 1942 when my grandmother died, but before 1949 when my mom graduated from high school, my grandfather bought the building, living on the first floor and renting out the second floor.  He owned this home until the early 1970's.  Since I've found out about this well known occupant of my grandfather's home, I have often wondered what kind of conversations were had there. Were they planning the future of the eventually very successful company into the wee hours in grandad's living room? It is fascinating to think about.  I wonder what my own dad would have thought of this connection to aviation history.  He earned his own pilot's license when he was 16 years old and very likely flew a few Piper Cubs.  I flew with him in other Piper aircraft when I was young.  

#9 on the left and #7 on the right

Humble beginnings.

But this discovery led me to look at William Piper's ancestry. Just for fun, but I eventually found out that we were 9th cousins 3 times removed.  We share my 11th great grandfather and William Piper's 8th great grandfather, Christopher Osgood who was born in 1571in England.  

I love these rabbit holes.

Please give credit and post a link to my blog if you intend to use any of the information written here. My blog posts are © Ann M Sinton 2022. All rights reserved.