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.