Week 24 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Artistic - June 9, 2025

 

Artistic is an interesting topic this week.  It can cover so many talents.  In trying to think of the many in our families, I came up with Photography, Calligraphy, Singing, Musician, Quilting, Crochet, Knitting, Embroidery, Poetry, Drawing, Cross Stitching, Woodworking, Sewing, Dance, Flower Arranging. And some sports can be artistic, like the figure skating or gymnastics in our family. I'm sure I missed a few as well. Some of us do more than one of these.  Some do their art professionally.  Most are hobbies or a part time side hustle.  I think that most of us who practice any of these arts do it because they love doing it.  There is a feeling of accomplishment when you finish a project. A happiness when you give a handmade gift to someone, or receive one. An appreciation felt of the talent in viewing another's art. Some of the arts that I named used to be necessities in life. Now they are mostly hobbies that are being kept alive for the love of doing them.  

I am one in our family who has done several of these arts.  I do not design, but love to embroider.  In the past I have knit, crocheted, cross stitched and sewed.  I have found all of these crafts to be very relaxing, at least until a stubborn knot appears in my work.  But like anything else, I get past it.  I don't know exactly where my interest came from, except that I was aware of my grandmother knitting and sewing Barbie clothes for her granddaughters.  I first tried embroidery in the Girl Scouts and liked it alot.  I learned to knit at the YWCA and made our dog a sweater.  My mom learned to sew and I followed her and sewed a few of my clothes in high school.  I tried painting but that was not a talent that I had.  I branched out to crochet and cross stitch.  During COVID, I knit LOTS of christmas stockings. Now everyone in the family has one and it has become a tradition. 

When my husband got back into his childhood interest in photography, I joined in too.  He became a great amateur outdoor photographer. Me, not so much but I liked it.  My husband was also a singer, a baritone. He started out in his church choir and then on to his high school choir, where he was good enough to advance to district and regional school choirs.  In later years , he was part of a Men's Quartet in our church who visited other churches, social organizations and nursing homes sharing their wonderful singing voices with others. 

 I won't name all of you family who may see themselves in one of these arts because I will invariably miss a few. Just know that you are noticed and your talent appreciated.  

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 2025. All rights reserved

Coincidence?

 

James Williamson Heacock and Son Foster James Heacock

Ancestry handed me a hint today in the form of an 1874 landowners map of Padua, Dawson Twp, McClean Co, Illinois and surrounding area.  On this map was marked the property of James Williamson Heacock, the grandfather of Floyd Heacock.  And just at the western edge of the map is Benjaminville, Illinois.  The significance of these locations is that Foster Heacock, father of my grandfather, Floyd, was born there in 1869.  James had been living there since 1865 when he moved from Washington Co, Indiana with his wife, Sarah Nixon, and son Elmer.  The family did not stay long there though.  When Foster was about 4 or 5, they moved back to Washington Co, Indiana, now a family of 5, James, Sarah, Elmer, Semira and Foster. 

 

James in later years

                 Foster as a young man

1874 Land Ownership Map

1870 Census showing the value of James' land at $2000

It's always pretty cool to see exactly where an ancestor lived, especially when all that is left there is a farm field with no sign of there ever having been a house there.  Looking at the 1874 map, I marked the Heacock land with a blue dot.  The map notes that it was 40 acres and marked J W Heacock.  I have also marked the map with a black dot where the Benjaminville Friends meeting house and cemetery are located.  It was a distance of about 3-4 miles from one to the other.  In addition, to help know just where in Illinois this is, the Bloomington Airport is just 10 miles west of James’ land.  I include a modern Google map of the same locations, with James’ land marked with the red pin. 

 

                                                       1874 and 2025 locations of James' land

                                             James' land in relation to Bloomington airport

All that is left of Benjaminville is the meeting house and cemetery, the town having disappeared long ago.  I have used Benjaminville as Foster’s birthplace because of the Meeting House, where the Quaker records show the family as members.  Dawson township is probably more precise as he would have likely been born at home.  Benjaminville was founded in 1859 by Quaker settlers.  The current and 2^nd meeting house was built in 1874 about the time the Heacocks departed the area.  This meeting house has been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places since 1983. 

 

                                             1874 Benjaminville Quaker Meeting House

A personal note, for about 7 or 8 months we lived in Rantoul, Illinois. Our son was born while we were there.  Only about 45 miles east from where James W Heacock owned this land.  Unfortunately, I was very far from even thinking about genealogy in 1975. If only…. I would have wanted visited the area.  I’m not sure in those days if I would have found the exact location, but the meeting house would have been there if nothing else.  But living there, I did get a sense of that part of Illinois ---- flat, flat, flat, wide open views for miles.  Perfect farmland all around. 

 So a life and family coincidence, both James’ and my families lived and had children and moved away not long after, from this part of Illinois.  What if one of us stayed?  How would that have changed our families? 

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 2025. All rights reserved