Mayflower

I just finished reading Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I found it to be a very interesting read both from a historical and a genealogical point of view. He tells a 55-year epic of the Pilgrims from the crossing of the Mayflower in 1620 through King Philip’s War in 1676. He tells the real story — the good, the bad, and the ugly. He discusses their relationships with the Native Americans and the other colonists who followed them. He covers King Philip’s War in great depth, the causes, the heroism, the horrors, the aftermath, and its impact on the course the history of New England and America. I highly recommend it. There’s much more to the Pilgrims’ story than the myth we learned in school.

I had a genealogical interest in the book since I have eight direct ancestors among the Mayflower’s passengers. They were: Isaac Allerton, Mary (Norris) Allerton, Mary Allerton, Francis Cooke, John Howland, John Tilley, Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley, and Elizabeth Tilley. Of the eight, Mary (Norris) Allerton, John Tilley, and Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley did not survive the first winter. John Howland nearly didn’t survive the voyage when he was knocked overboard in a storm. Somehow he managed to grab a line that happened to be in the water and he was pulled back on board.

Footville & Westfield Visit

I finally made my way up to Footville to visit Dad for a couple of days. I had originally intended to go up the previous weekend but I had some oral surgery late in the week and I didn’t think it would be prudent to make the drive while taking pain killers. When I called Dad last week to let him know I was coming, he told me that he was going to visit Ruth but I was welcome to stay anyway. Since I planned to go up on Friday and return Monday, I’d get to spend some time with him. Since part of the trip was to do some research and just relax, it worked out pretty well. I had considered postponing the trip another week but I’m needed for the big move this weekend.

On the way up I paid a visit to the Genealogy and Local History Room at the Morley Library in Painesville. Armed with my list of obituaries, I began looking them up in the Telegraph and News-Herald archives. I managed to locate all but one of the obituaries on my list. I couldn’t get Mabel (Warren) Pettit’s because there was apparently an error when that edition of the paper was filmed and the obituary page was not filmed. Now I should have nearly all of my grandaunts and granduncles in the Warren and Webster lines. In the next few days, I’ll be working to get them on the web page.

On Saturday, I drove up to Westfield to see if I could find the graves of Aunt Pat and my cousins, Jeff and Vicki Ossman. I located the church but, apparently the cemetery next to the church was not the correct cemetery. It’s the St. James Cemetery and, as far as I know, they were all buried in the Westfield Cemetery, located around the corner on Academy Street. It turned out that the cemetery is much larger than I had anticipated. I began walking up and down rows of graves and stumbled upon an Ossman family plot but it the John and Minnie Ossman family plot. I wander through a few sections and realized that finding the graves would be a stroke of luck and I could easily spend the entire day looking. I had forgotten to write down Uncle Paul’s number before I left the house. I did find a sign which had an address for the Westfield Cemetery Association. I’ll write and see if they can provide me with some information. I’ll try again next summer.

The trip to Westfield has a secondary objective, Skinny-Dip Falls in Chautauqua Gorge. I headed in the general direction based on what I thought I remembered from the directions I’d received. Unfortunately, I did not remember them correctly, nor did I remember to print them and bring them with me from Dayton. It turns out I had passed by the side road which would have led me to it. Another reason to make a trip next summer.

I spent the time alone at the house relaxing, doing some yoga, and reading. During the day, I spent as much time outdoors as I could as it was warmer outside than it was inside the house. The house is very well insulated, to say the least. Whenever I was in the house, I found it necessary to don a sweatshirt.

The book I was reading was Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. It’s a factual account of Plymouth Colony in the 55-years between the voyage of the Mayflower and King Phillip’s War. He tells the real stories behind the myths and the stories the myths either don’t mention or they gloss over them. Fascinating reading and several direct ancestors are pivotal characters. It certainly gave me a new appreciation for the hardships they faced in coming to New England. The book also gave me a greater understanding of the differences between the Puritans and the Pilgrims. Though they had similar religous views, the Pilgrims were generally much more tolerant than the Puritans.

The time with my father was well-spent. I always come away with some new knowledge and practical lessons in farmer-engineering and self-sufficiency.

South Dakota State Census

I found South Dakota state census records on Family Search Labs yesterday and found them very informative. I haven’t been able to locate Harlie Warren in the 1920 federal census but from the state census records I now know he was in Springdale, Roberts, South Dakota in 1915 and in Big Stone City, Grant, South Dakota in 1925. There’s a good probability that he was in one of those locations in 1920. I’m leaning toward Big Stone City since my grandaunt, Marie Warren, was born in Big Stone City in 1922 and it’s likely that Harlie and O.B. might have been resided there at the same time. That’s just speculation, of course.

I did located my great-grandparents in Delmont in the 1905 census but they only appear in South Dakota in 1910 and 1920, in Delmont each time. It seems they were nearly constantly on the move until they settled in Painesville in 1927.

I picked up a few more tidbits. The 1925 census record for Arthur Harrison showed that he was widowed, that his wife’s maiden name was Rasmussen, and that the marriage took place in 1913. This was the first record I’d seen indicating he’d been married. I’ve been unable to find him in the 1920 federal census and I did not find a record for him in the 1915 state census. His World War I draft registration doesn’t indicate he was married. In fact, he listed his sister Lula Belle Scott as his nearest family member so he was probably widowed before 1918.

The 1915 South Dakota census showed that George Harrison was at the state hospital in Yankton. It also listed him as single so it’s probable that he never married. The 1925 census shows that Nettie Harrison was institutionalized at the State School and Home for the Feeble Minded in Renfield, Spink, South Dakota. It’s interesting to note that today’s political correctness was not in place back then. George’s recorded has an X next to insane while Nettie’s is marked Idiot. They were, undoubtedly, a very troubled family.

State of my health address

Back in December I posted Am I getting any healthier? and 10 months later, I’m still wondering. I’ve seen a doctor twice since then. I saw a urologist in January to repeat a procedure than I had gotten done a year before and he started me doing a little weekly procedure (non-surgical) on my own to keep the condition from reoccurring. I’m not going to get into the specifics here.

I saw my regular doctor again in March for what I thought was to be my annual physical but with all the tests they had done relating to the January 2008 urological procedure, my annual physical is now in December. So the March visit was just a hypertension/pre-diabetes follow-up. No blood was drawn this time so I really don’t know where I am with my cholesterol, triglycerides and all that. I’ll have wait until December.

I have been keeping a close watch on my blood pressure, blood glucose, and weight, being all techie and entering it all into spreadsheets with charts and everything. A couple weeks ago, I started pulling my monthly averages together and started seeing some trends. Modifying the spreadsheets to track the averages made the trends even more clear. I noticed that over the course of this year, my blood sugar has been averaging out a little higher than it should have been. This is despite watching my carb intake and trying to adhere to a sensible diet.

I noticed that my blood pressure had been making a slow, steady rise over the first few months of the year but has been dropping since around May. For the last couple of months it has averaged below 120/80. Maybe the doctor will lower the dosage of my medication. I still seem to get “white coat syndrome” when I see a doctor or dentists.

I also saw a trend with my weight. I had dropped from about 210 pounds last April to about 180 by the end of the year. But when I looked closely at my monthly averages I could see that since February, when I was down to 175 pounds, my weight had been steadily increasing, hitting 182 in August. I now see to be at a plateau of 180 pounds but it’s starting to drop again.

Lately, I’ve been reading up on things like glycemic index and glycemic load as I try to determine what carbohydrates I should and shouldn’t be eating. That’s helping. I’ve almost completely cut out all soda pop (even diet) and sweets. The biggest diet challenge seems to be changing Tina’s shopping habits, getting her to buy healthier products. It’s also a challenge to get her to cook smaller portions. I think she cooks for 4 out of habit.

Exercise is still a major hurdle. I working on establishing a regular yoga practice. I’ve been taking a weekly class which gives me a good workout but getting myself into the habit of doing it at home hasn’t been easy. I’ve never been fond of the usual forms of exercise or sports. But I find yoga very appealing in that it seems to be a holistic approach and non-competitive, even on a personal level. Still, the hardest part of any journey is getting off your butt to take the first step.

I’ve got about three months before I see the doctor again. I want to have my blood sugar and blood pressure under control, my cholesterol in balance, and my weight down to 12 stone (168). It’s achievable.

Obituaries Added

As long as I was working on the genealogy, I searched the Morley Library Obituary Index and look for some obituaries to find when I’m next in Painesville. There are about 20 obituaries on my list so I could be in the library a while and I’ll be busy with them after I return to Dayton. The list is mostly Warren and Webster relations that I haven’t yet gotten.

I noticed that two were in the last couple of years so I was able to find them online at The New-Herald. The two I found online, Arlene June Boerner and Lois H. Smith Hathcock Brown, are now up on the web site.

Rini Information

Today I received a PDF document, Descendants of Matteo Rini from Terri Dance, who is researching her Rini ancestry. She was responding to a post I had placed in the forum at Genealogy.com several years ago. I was able to fill a few blanks I’d had in my Rini information and add some new information as well. The document takes the Rini ancestry back to Matteo Rini, born about 1722 in Termini Imerese, Palermo, Sicily.

Ohio Deaths on Ancestry.com shows that Uncle Nate died in a hospital in Lake County so now I’m curious as to which one. Painesville, Willoughby, or Madison? I’m thinking it was probably the Painesville hospital but I’d have to confirm it somehow.

Facebook

Since I’ve been on Facebook, I’ve been able to reestablish contact with geographically distant relatives and old friends. I have several nieces and nephews in my friend list along with a few cousins, my immediate family here in Dayton, and an aunt. Yesterday was a productive day for reconnecting with friends and cousins. The most surprising was getting a friend request from one of Tina’s cousins who is currently working in Qatar.

Connecting with friends and family is my primary reason for belonging to a social networking site like Facebook. I don’t have any need or desire to accumulate a lengthy list of people with whom I have no relationship or that I’m never even likely to meet. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.

Fellows-Elton

While on WorldVitalRecords.com during their free trial, I did a search for ‘Simeon Benedict’ and found a reference to him in Joseph and Philena (Elton) Fellows, Their Ancestry and Descendants by Myrtle M. Morris (1940). It happens that Joseph Fellows and Philena Elton are my fifth great-grandparents and I’m descended from their eldest son, the Reverend Linus Hurlburt Fellows and his wife Lydia Eldred. I hadn’t really explored the Fellows line much so this was a great opportunity to do so.

My great-great-grandmother, Clara Evadne (Uttley) Benedict contributed much of the data for the Uttley and Benedict descendants. She described her son-in-law Oliver Warren as being of “Irish” descent. His grandmother was Irish but most of his lineage was English and Puritan. Nearly every direct line on my mother’s side goes back to early days of colonial Connecticut and Massachusetts with the Harrison line going back to the Mayflower.

I got through all of Joseph and Philena’s descendants through about 1940 and discovered where the error in many of the genealogies I’ve seen originated. It was Ms. Morris who mistakenly placed Nancy Jean Warren as the daughter of Clinton Warren and Evelyn Spaller. (Nancy was the third child of Frank E. Warren and Laura A. Webster and was born after Clara had passed away. Clinton and Evelyn had no children.)

Another minor error I found was for Glenn Charles Chase, son of Charles Chase and Lydia Evadne Benedict. The Morris genealogy shows that he died in May 1919. It was Charles Chase who died in May 1919. His son Glenn lived until 1979, as confirmed by several Benedict cousins who knew him.

VitalRecords.com extended their free access a few more days so I’ll be able to get back on and explore then Fellows-Elton ancestry from Joseph and Philena to their immigrant ancestors.

It’s fascinating reading. I was up until after 2:30 in the morning reading the genealogy. I get so wrapped up in it that I lose all track of time. I guess I’m a genealogy and history geek.

Pomfret, Vermont Records

WorldVitalRecords.com offered free access to its databases this week so I took advantage of it and did some research on my 5th great-grandfather, Oliver R. Warren. I found several Warren references in Pomfret, Vermont, Volumes 1 and 2 by Henry Hobart Vail. (1930). I found biographies, birth, death, and marriage information, and even some historical excerpts.

WARREN, Oliver and Lucy, had three children born in Pomfret. He died 20 Mar. 1813.

Oliver Warren was on the Grand List for 1784 at £10; in 1785, at £9. He then disappears until 1802, when he was listed £33. In 1803 he was listed $25.50. He owned a part of Lot 57, Second Division, for 1785 to 1789. He then left the state for four years. When he returned, he was formally “warned out.”

• Children:
• Oliver, Jr., b. 6 Jan. 1784.
• Daniel, b. 18 Aug. 1785.
• Anna, m. Samuel Woods.

(Pomfret, Vermont, Volume 2, page 594)

I hadn’t known about Anna and I wasn’t able to find any other references other than she married Samuel Woods. I have also heard about another son, Joseph from Cousin Jennifer. She related to me that Daniel had tried to obtain Oliver’s war pension but was unable because he couldn’t confirm whether or not his brother Joesph was living. I would suspect Joseph was probably born in Massachusetts either before 1784 or while Oliver was absent from Vermont. I did find a reference to a marriage in Pomfret of Joseph Warren to Betsy Bullock on March 17, 1807. I also found no records of Lucy after the 1810 census.

WARREN, Oliver, was in Pomfret as early as 1784. On July 6th, 1785, he bougght 13½ acres of No. 47, Second Division, of John W. Dana for £13. This he sold to John Perkins of Barnard on January 23rd, 1789, and left town, returning in 1803 to make his final home. His name is not on the census list of 1790 in any town in Vermont.

(Pomfret, Vermont, Volume 1, page 132)

This passage seems to indicate that he had left the state for 14 years rather than four. I believe he may have returned to Massachusetts during this time.

Oliver Warren was similarly warned. He appears first in the town records as the purchaser of a part of No. 57 Second Division, on July 6th, 1785. He was one of the early settlers. On January 23d, 1789, he sold his land to John Perkins of Barnard and moved from the state. He came back in 1803 and was warned by Marshal Mason, acting as constable under orders of Jeremiah Conant and Stephen Hewitt, selectmen. Possibly some irritation ensued, but Mr. Warren remained in town, and nothing but the record remains.

(Pomfret, Vermont, Volume 1, page 69)

The “warned out” incident requires some clarification. It was the custom then to take great care that anyone moving into a town would not become a burden to the town. Often “warning out” new residents was merely a legal precaution and, when served by the constable, nothing more was done. In cases where the newcomer became a valuable, prosperous citizen, the warning became ludicrous. (Pomfret, Vermont, Volume 1, page 68)

I also found new information on Oliver Warren, Jr.’s children and their families.

Podwils Pictures

I found some photos of Podewils (now Podwilcze) that may be of interest. Podwils, once part of Prussia, was the birthplace of my grandfather, Otto Wilhelm Carl Romig.

Schloß Podwils (Castle Podwils)

Gruß aus Podwils (Greetings from Podwils)

Die Kirche 1930 (The church in 1930)

Die Fußballmannschaft (The Soccer Team)

I have to wonder if the church pictured might be the same church in which my grandfather was christened. It’s quite possible.

In the photo of the Podwils (Podwilcze) soccer team, the players are identified as (standing): Heinz Gùlzow, Erich Ott, Walter Benwitz, Georg Manke, Werner Benz, ?, and Otto Minning. Seated are Walter Nitschke, Paul Fischer, and Willi Schulz. It’s possible that Erich Ott may be a distant cousin.

Finding information on my German and Slovak ancestors has been one of the biggest brickwalls I face.