1930s Warren Family Photos

Laura A. (Webster) Warren & daughter Patricia Ann

The Warren family – Frank, Laura, Patricia, Roberta, Nancy

Pat, Bobbi and Laura Warren

Oliver Warren in DAR database

In today’s edition of Eastman’s Genealogy Newsletter, I found a link to a new and free DAR database. I did a search for my 5th great-grandfather, Oliver R. Warren and came up with some new leads and information that helps me link him to John Warren the Emigrant of Watertown, Massachusetts.

The search results show Oliver Warren to be the son of Asa Warren and Tabitha Johnson, born in Waltham, Middlesex, Massachusetts on 10 February 1752. This matches the information on John Warren’s descendants shown in Bonds. It also appears that Asa also served in the Revolutionary War, under Col Benjamin Monroe in the Alarm List and in the 4th Middlesex Company.

Oliver’s information also shows son Daniel married to Polly Bullock. I’d seen a reference to this marriage on FamilySearch.org but this information helps piece it together. Records from Monroe County, NY showed his wife’s name as Mary but in those days Mary and Polly were often used interchangeably. I also found information showing that Lucy Winslow Warren was the daughter of Thomas Winslow and Rebecca Ewer.

These search results are not proof but they are good, solid clues. I’m ordering documents from the DAR, hoping they will provide more information and documentation.

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.

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.

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.

Laura (Ames) Warren Obituary

Today I received the obituary I had requested for Laura E. (Ames) Warren from the Ventura County (California) Library. I was pleasantly surprised to have gotten a response so quickly.

I noticed that Iola was not listed among the surviving children. Did she die sometime between Harlie’s death in 1960 and Laura’s in 1977?  I also noticed that daughter Irene was shown with the surname of Farmer. I had been researching her under the married name of Stearns and that information seems to fit.

I’ll be adding the obituary to the web site with the others that are in the works.

Related post: Genealogical Activity, 5 Jun 09

Genealogical Activity, 5 Jun 09

While searching online for information on my 3rd great-grandfather, John F. Osmond, I found a family tree that included him as well as many of my Webster relations. I saw that he had posted a lot of photos, death certificates, and obituaries which helped me fill in a lot of gaps in my more recent Loomis line. I also located more obituaries online. It looks as though I will be updating the web site in the near future. I’ll probably get all of the obituaries completed before I upload them to the server.

I still haven’t gotten a response from the Morley Library about the obituaries I requested so I sent another request. If I don’t hear anything by next Saturday, I’ll try to see if I can swing by the library while I’m in the area. I also mailed off a request to the Ventura County (California) library for Laura E. (Ames) Warren’s obituary. She was the wife of Harlie Warren. I hope to hear from them soon. I’m getting in touch with the library in Ortonville, Minnesota to request obituaries for Franklin and Alice Warren. All I have on Franklin’s death is the year, 1935. Online death indexes for Minnesota and South Dakota have turned up no clues. I’m hoping to pay a visit to Cousn Katie while I’m visiting the homestead next weekend. Maybe she has some information that will be helpful.

Breaking down another brick wall

Several years ago, my mother told me of another relationship between our family and the Pettits other than the relationship through the marriage of Mabel Warren and Frank Pettit. She had heard that Myrtle May Pettit (wife of Harry H. Pettit and grandmother of Myrtle May Pettit Romig) was related on the Webster side and had a twin. For years I looked for the connection but found nothing.

Some time ago while searching through Ohio Death certificates at search.labs.familysearch.org/, I found the death certificate for Jerusha M. (Nichols) Center, my 3rd great-grandmother. I noticed that Myrtle Pettit was listed as the informant which often indicates a close family relationship. I had a strong suspicion that this was the case, given what my mother had told me previously.

This morning, I looked up Frank Pettit’s death certificate and it showed Myrtle’s maiden name as “Center.” That indicated that perhaps there was a relationship after all. I did some digging around on a few genealogy sites and found Jerusha Center in the 1900 census which showed her as widowed (husband George had died in 1890) with twin children “Bertie and Mertie” who were born in August 1883.

Some more searching confirmed that Bert Center’s date of birth matched Myrtle’s and the information on his death certificate showed that his parents were George Center and Jerusha Nichols and he was born in Painesville.

I’ve requested several obituaries from the Morley Library which should help confirm my findings.

Mom was close on this one. There was a family relationship in that Flora Osmond Fleming and Myrtle May Center Pettit were half-sisters. She was also right about Myrtle being a twin.

Douglas Warren? I don’t think so.

I had gotten some information while I was back home earlier this month that I started to investigate. I found Evelyn Spaller Warren’s obituary on the News-Herald’s web site. I had also heard that Uncle Harold’s first wife, Margaret, had died earlier this year. I did some research and found some information that Cousin Connie has placed on Ancestry.com which filled in some of the gaps I had.

One bit of information that piqued my interest was some information on Dorcas Nesbitt, my 3rd great-grandmother. Connie’s information indicated she died in 1909 in Delmont, SD. I had a listing from the Delmont City Cemetery that showed a Mrs. Allen who died in 1910 at the age of 84. Also in the listing are four Warren burials – Frank, Alice, an infant, and “Douglas Warren” Since “Douglas” is buried in the same lot as the other Warrens there’s a good chance there’s a family relationship. However, I’ve found no record of a Douglas Warren anywhere. This transcript shows that Douglas was 95 at the time of death.

I did some digging around Ancestry.com and found a record for Dorcas Allyn in the South Dakota Death Index. She died 3 Oct 1909. Then I got to thinking about the photos of the Warren grave sites someone had sent me. (See Grave Mystery in Delmont.) I loaded the “Douglas Warren” photo into an editor, blew it up, and messed around with the contrast and brightness. Finally, I made a negative image of it and the lettering on the stone stood out much better. Much of the stone has grass grown over it but I was able to make out AS ALLE and the year of death, 1909. It is very likely the grave of Dorcas Allen. Given the condition of the stone, someone casually looking at it might assume the name was Douglas Allen and since, apparently, there was no surname, would then assume the grave was that of a Warren child.