Zadoc Willis Thomas: Pioneer Capitalist (52 Ancestors #31)

Inherently ambitious, perhaps rebellious, Z W Thomas was born into a family with deep Quaker roots. Named Zadoc Willis, he was the second son born to parents Jesse Thomas Jr and Joanna B Stanley. Tradition ran deep and the Quaker faith stretched back generations on both sides of this family.

Born May 18th 1856 in Goshen, OH. Zadoc had one older brother, Benjamin Franklin but would eventually be joined by two younger sisters, Elma Luella and Mary Eldora.

Seeking opportunity, the family headed west to the frontier land of Iowa between 1864 and 1869. Settling in Mahaska County, Zadoc's father Jesse ran a fine hotel in Oskaloosa. According to the 1870 US Census he appeared to be one of the wealthiest men in town at the time. Zadoc must have learned his business skills at the heels of his father.

Z W (as he was known) left Oskaloosa for Monroe, IA to pursue teaching. Driven by a deeper ambition, Z W attended the University of Iowa Law School, graduating with a law degree in 1884. It might well have been where he met his future wife, Laura Busby; herself a college educated school teacher, living in Brooklyn, IA .

At any rate, Z W Thomas married Laura Busby, certainly his equal in many ways, in Brooklyn, IA on October 1st 1885.  The couple was married by a minister, I am unclear on the faith, but it appears that Z W had broken with his Quaker upbringing. Z W and Allie (as she was now called) made their home in Fort Dodge, IA, where Z W was partner in the law firm Bennett & Thomas.

Their first child, a son named Dana, was born the following August.

Land Agent - 1892

Shoe Company - 1895

Between 1886 and 1902 Z W build a fine, solid reputation for himself. He became a principal in many prominent business dealings around Fort Dodge. He was purchasing real estate and businesses, operating farms, mining for coal, drilling for oil (yes!) He owned a stone quarry, was experimenting with growing alfalfa, practicing law; let's just say, a very busy man!  He found time to father two more children, son Lauren, born in 1891 and daughter Edith Irene, born in 1898.

By 1902 Z W was partnered with his brother-in-law in the law firm of Thomas & Busby.

Creamery - 1900

Bolivia - 1900

For a number of years he had been purchasing all the local dairy farms with the intention of creating one large dairy farm for the region. He succeeded with the Oakdale Dairy Farm servicing Fort Dodge and the surrounding area.

Then he began to set his sights outside of Iowa.

In July of 1900, Z W and a group of capitalists got together to investigate mining for gold in Bolivia. It appears they sent a junket to the region to explore their possibilties. I do not know what came of it, however.

Texas Oil - 1901

Louisiana Oil - 1902

Z W Thomas then partnered with a man named F S Hoyt out of Louisiana. The pair drilled for oil in both Louisiana and Texas. Again, I don't know the outcome but I suspect it was successful.

There are many accounts of Z W Thomas traveling around the country, I wonder if he was home much during this time?

Cow Attack - 1902

Stone Quarry - 1902

In December of 1902 poor Z W learned a hard lesson! One should never wear a fur coat around a cow (who knew?)

He did manage to make it home upon occasion, however. The couple's last child, a son, was born in 1904. Later that year Z W, along with partner F S Hoyt undertook a monumental project. The dredging of the New Iberia Canal in Louisiana. The project that began in 1904 was almost not completed several times due to natural and man-made obstacles. Success won out, however and in 1911 the project came to fruition.

Louisiana Canal - 1904

Alfalfa - 1912

Back home Z W set his determination on raising the newest crop, alfalfa, and in 1912 was quite successful.

Life by all appearances was grand for the family of Z W Thomas in the early 20th century. Z W had established quite a name and reputation for himself; and had his hand in many successful ventures in Fort Dodge and the surrounding area.

Louisiana Canal - 1911

His life was not exempt from sadness and hardships, however. Amid all his amassing of wealth and reputation, Z W buried his second son, 7 year old son Lauren, in 1898, his mother in 1904 and his father in 1907. His little sister Luella died in 1913.

It seemed Z W had managed to keep a wide berth between himself and the financial crisis of the early 20th century. Never showing any outward sign of struggle or hardship during a time when people were loosing money and confidence in the U S banking system.

Obituary - 1914

Death - 1914

Nevertheless, his luck ran out on a June day in 1914. While returning from overseeing one of his properties, Z W was struck by an automobile and thrown from the buggy he was riding in. He landed on his head. Outwardly able to resume his duties, Z W continued home where, while hoeing his home garden, fell dead of a cracked skull.

Z W Thomas was 58 years old.

It would be another year before his estate was settled.

- - - - - - - -

Z W Thomas is buried in the large Thomas Family plot in Oakland Cemetery in Fort Dodge, IA.


©2018 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Laura Alice "Allie" Busby Thomas: Another Nonagenarian (52 Ancestors #30)

You'd think that the more contemporary my ancestors become the easier they'd be to learn about. Well, think again.

Laura Alice Busby Thomas is just another in the long list of my barely visible female ancestors.

Laura Alice, called "Allie" as an adult, was born August 26th 1861 in Mahaska Co, Iowa. She is my great grandmother. Laura's parents were Elijah Busby and Eliza Ann Bass. I've had trouble with the Bass family before, but the Busby's have always been forthcoming and relatively easy to find. Laura must have had quite a bit of the Bass side in her!

Anyway, back to Laura Alice.

Laura was the second child and first daughter, born to a family that ultimately would contain three sons and three daughters. Laura's father enlisted in the Union Army in October of 1861, just two months after her birth. He would be out of her life completely for the next two years, returning home for only one month in 1863, then returning to battle until the close of the war 2 1/2 years later. As you might imagine, there was quite a gap in the ages of the children, Laura's little sister didn't come along until 1867.

Once the war was over, the Busby family began to return to normal. Laura was the daughter of a farmer, an occupation that most families engaged in in that time and that place. As with most children, the story of Laura's early life is not know, except by the happenings and circumstances of the family. The Busby farm consisted of at least 200 acres, the family being well known in the community. The father, Elijah, being actively involved in politics upon his return from the war.  He was also a township trustee and a member of the school board.

Education was very important in the Busby household. All of the children were well educated. The boys becoming a doctor, a lawyer, and a pharmacist; the girls all attending college before marrying. By 1880 Laura herself was employed as a school teacher, residing with her family in Adams Twp, Mahaska Co, IA.

The South School - Brooklyn, IA

I do not know where Laura actually taught school, unfortunately.

Sometime between 1880 and 1885 Laura met a young man named ZW Thomas. On the 1880 census he was recorded as being a teacher, residing in Monroe Twp, Mahaska Co, IA. Perhaps they taught at the same school?

On January 1, 1885 Laura, a single woman, school teacher, was residing on Mills Street in Brooklyn, IA, in the household of Dr Charles Conaway. Later that year Laura married ZW, who was now practicing law.

The marriage took place October 1st, 1885 in Brooklyn, IA and was officiated by RA Carmine, minister. I do not know what church, there were several in Brooklyn at the time of the marriage.

The following year the newlyweds were living in Fort Dodge, IA, where ZW was practicing law, as well as being involved in real estate and insurance. Laura, now called Allie, spent most of the first year of their marriage pregnant with the couple's first child. On August 5, 1886 Laura gave birth to a son the couple named Dana.

The Thomas family was living the American dream by all accounts. Allie's husband was not only a prominent lawyer, he was also a smart real estate investor/developer and was, in short order, amassing a very handsome nest egg for himself and the family.

Their second child came along in 1891. Another son, born July 24th, named Lauren. By this time ZW had an interest in a number of businesses and properties around Fort Dodge and the family was continuing to prosper. They resided at 1518 2nd Av N, which is today an empty lot, sadly.

Trans-Mississippi Expo 1898

1898 opened with the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana harbor, Cuba as the US prepared to go to war. Meanwhile, Allie was pregnant with her third child and gave birth to a daughter they named Edith Irene on April 10th. Ten days later the Spanish-American war began. Among the topics of conversation that year were the Mare Island earthquake near San Francisco, the continuing war, and the sale of the very first automobile! Closer to home, the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, or 1898 World's Fair, was taking place in Omaha, Nebraska. The fall of the year brought the ultimate sadness to the Thomas family. Little Lauren, just 7 years old, died on September 30th. The family buried their son in the Oakland Cemetery just blocks from their home.

Fort Dodge, IA c. 1900

The family got on with their lives, ZW continued to amass wealth and property. By 1900 there was a 23 year old servant by the name of Mary Fiferlich, a Bohemian immigrant, residing in the household. I wonder if Allie was teaching her to read, write and speak English? Allie was now the wife of the city's most prominent dairy man, her husband owning all of the dairy farms in the area. He also was mining coal on one of his farms and owned a stone quarry. The family certainly was living an exceptional lifestyle and I would like to believe Allie was the "woman behind the man".

Advertisement

The turn of the new century brought with it a host of modern conveniences for the contemporary homemaker, among them a lightweight iron, the toaster, the vacuum cleaner and the refrigerator. With the wealth that Allie's husband was amassing, I imagine all of these new gadgets made their way into her home expeditiously. One might guess them to have been 'early adopters'?

Corpus Christi Church

The new century also brought some happy times for Allie and family. On May 4th, 1904 Allie gave birth to her fourth, and final, child, a son she named Robert. In 1907, August 28th, Allie's oldest son, Dana was married to Fern Frances at Corpus Christi Church in Fort Dodge. Dana and Fern gave Allie her first grandchild in 1910, a happy girl named Lorraine.

Tragedy struck the family once again, suddenly, on June 16th 1914. On Monday, June 15th ZW was traveling in his buggy, attending to daily business, when he was struck by an automobile and thrown from the buggy, landing on his head. "Mr Thomas was able to resume his duties and had been following his usual daily custom since the accident until, without warning, death overtook him." ZW died at his home on Tuesday June 16th from a fractured skull. He was 58 years old and at the height of his career.  Grieving widow, Allie buried ZW in Oakland Cemetery with their son Lauren. Allie never remarried.

The next year was spent settling the estate of her late husband. With the help of son Dana the two were able to sell off the real estate holdings and close the estate by late 1915.

1917 visited more heartache and loss upon Allie and family. First, with talk of the World War looming, son Dana registered for the draft on June 5th. On July 7th Allie's older brother William died unexpectedly after a brief illness. In December Allie lost both of her parents. Her father Elijah died December 14th, her mother Eliza followed 2 days later.

Certainly things would begin to look up!

Downtown Des Moines, IA

A fresh start took Allie out of Fort Dodge about 1919 and landed her in Des Moines where she purchased a house on Forest Ave for herself and her two youngest children. For extra income Allie rented rooms to some local teachers. But Allie sold that Forest Ave house swiftly, about 1922, and purchased a home on on 31st Street, just across from Drake University where she would reside for the next fifteen years.

Son Dana gave Allie two more grandchildren between 1920 and 1922.

Son Robert married his young sweetheart, Elizabeth Potwin on May 25th 1923 and gave Allie another grandchild on Valentine's Day 1924.

On June 16th 1924, on the ten year anniversary of ZW's death, Allie's daughter Edith Irene married F Dewey Anderson, a young Swedish immigrant she met while working at a bank in Fort Dodge. The couple would remain childless.

Tragedy made another visit to Allie in May of 1926, with the news that her brother Homer, a prominent Fort Dodge lawyer, was found dead at his desk, victim of a self inflicted gun shot wound.

Between 1928 and 1936 Allie welcomed four more grandchildren into her life from son Robert and daughter-in-law Elizabeth. Sadly Robert's second child, named after his brother Lauren, passed away just two months after his birth.

Allie buried another sibling in 1932. Her sister Lena passed away at the age of 55. The 1930's also brought hope, with the marriage of granddaughter Lorraine. Great grandchildren soon followed.

Downtown Hancock, MI

At the age of 75, it appears Allie sold the house in Des Moines and traveled to Hancock, Michigan to reside with son Dana and family. She is found on the 1940 census residing in the Dana Thomas household. Dana, his wife and children, and Allie returned to Iowa in 1942 and set up house in the small town of Humboldt where Dana registered for his second World War.

As life started to wind down for Allie she had one more sibling to bury, baby brother John died in 1949 at the advanced age of 80.

Sometime in 1952, somewhere, perhaps in Iowa, it was finally Allie's turn. At the age of 90 or 91 Allie, Laura Alice, finally, was released from this earth. To date researchers have yet to uncover the exact date or location of Allie's death. I suspect it was in Humboldt, IA. Her son Dana and his wife Fern both resided there until their deaths. As for when? Neither a death certificate or obituary has been located, yet.

We continue to dig.

Meanwhile, Laura Alice "Allie" rests in Oakland Cemetery in Fort Dodge, IA next to her beloved husband ZW.

They probably had a few things to catch up on!

From Find A Grave

©2018 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Alexander Fraser: Master Baker (52 Ancestors #29)

Born in Middle Mill, Markinch, Scotland, December 8th 1807 to tenant farmer/master miller William Fraser (1767-1838) and his wife Agnes Bane (1769-1835).

Alexander Fraser was the fifth son, and eighth child born into a family of ten children. Raised in a millhouse in the shadows of Balgonie Castle in Fife, Scotland.

Alexander's father William, himself a son of a miller, was born in Craighouse mill, as was his grandfather Duncan Fraser (1725-1795).

By the time Alexander came along his parents had already lost two children, a son and a daughter.

map of Balgonie Castle/Mill area

The mill that his father ran was situated along the River Leven that was lined with mills of various sorts stretching out like fingers from the Castle.

middle mill cottages

Life as a working class family may have been hard. Any type of labor and toil as a way of living is surely hard. Working for the Royal family and whatever Earl was in charge of the land at the time. Although there was the opportunity for school, with both parochial and parish schools situated in Markinch, the best one could hope for was to apprentice and become a mill overseer one day. Eventually retiring in a worker's cottage, always a tenant.

Alexander apprenticed under his father in the trade of miller and was, according to his great grandson, a baker in the town of Edinburgh. Whether this is true or not I have yet to discover.

On March 25, 1832 Alexander Fraser wed Elizabeth Chalmers in Edinburgh. The couple emigrated to New York City later that same year. The journey would have taken at least two weeks. Elizabeth may have been pregnant at the time.

I've often wondered why Alexander and Elizabeth came to America. I like to imagine it was because they were young and had grand plans of a bigger and better life than the generations that came before them. Staying in Scotland would most certainly have limited Alexander. Perhaps becoming the next tenant farmer/mill man at one of the many mills in the shadows of Balgonie Castle. (Note: all of Alexander's siblings stayed in Scotland and are buried in the same churchyard as their ancestors)

 a 19th century woodcut with an impression of
the spectacular Nov 13, 1833 Leonid storm.
Courtesy Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

In January 1833, their first child, a daughter named Agnes, was born. Alexander was listed in the NY City directory as a baker living at 147 Orange (rear) in what is now Manhattan. Later that year the young family experienced one of the most curious and perhaps frightening natural occurrences; know as 'The Night The Stars Fell', the Leonid meteor shower occurred pre-dawn November 12th and could be seen across the globe.

"On the night of November 12-13, 1833, a tempest of falling stars broke over the Earth... The sky was scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated with majestic fireballs. At Boston, the frequency of meteors was estimated to be about half that of flakes of snow in an average snowstorm. Their numbers... were quite beyond counting; but as it waned, a reckoning was attempted, from which it was computed, on the basis of that much-diminished rate, that 240,000 must have been visible during the nine hours they continued to fall." - Agnes Clerkes, Victorian Astronomy Writer

On the evening of December 16, 1835 the Fraser family witnessed the first of what would be three Great Fires in their lifetime. Very near where Alexander had his bakery a massive fire broke out in a warehouse. It quickly spread, thanks to gale-force winds, and ultimately destoyed 13 acres in the downtown business district encompassing 17 city blocks. I do not know if Alexander was directly effected, but I'm certain the family had a front row seat to the frightening event.

As the city rebuilt another disaster was looming. And Alexander was at the epicenter. May 10th 1837, known now as the Panic of 1837, began with New York banking institutions and resulted in the shortage of  currency, sending the US into a depression that would last until the mid 1840's.

But life rolled on, Alexander continued to bake and in 1838 the family welcomed their second child, a daughter named Janet (named after Elizabeth's twin sister) to the family. William, third child and first son, was born in 1840, the newly planted American family was growing.

By the early 1840's Alexander had expanded his business. He was now the proprietor of a Fancy Goods shop on Pearl Street near Hanover Sq. Scottish tenacity, perhaps, that brought him through despite the apparent hardness of the times.

A third daughter, Elisabeth, arrived in 1844. Alexander and family were now residing on Varick Place, between Bleecker and West Houston.

Fraser's business (red star and black arrow)
to right of burned area

Summer of 1845. July 19. 2:30 am. Saturday. A small fire started on the third floor of a whale oil shop blocks from Fraser's Fancy Goods Shop. By 3 am the City Hall alarm bell was sounding, likely arousing Alexander from much needed sleep. Ten hours later the blaze had been doused, leaving behind death and destruction. Alexander narrowly escaped tragedy once again. 345 buildings were destroyed, 26 people lost their lives.

The family welcomed their final child, a son named James Chalmers, in 1849.

Alexander continued to run his shop, the children grew and prospered. On May 1st, 1855 Alexander and Elizabeth's first born, Agnes, was married to a young Scottish immigrant, James Irons. For reasons unknown James and Agnes Irons decided to remove to a frontier city called Chicago shortly after the wedding. For more reasons unknown, Alexander, Elizabeth and the rest of the family decided to go as well. (Perhaps the desire to escape such a flammable city?)

Alexander quickly established a new bakery in his new city. Partnering with Mark Forsyth, the Fraser and Forsyth Bakery operated at 87 Market St. The city directory of 1856 lists the business as being established one year. The family home was on Blue Island Avenue.

Alexander and family still had one more dance with fire on their card.

red dot = origin / darkened area = fire spread

October 8th, 1871. Mrs O'Leary's Cow. Well, not really, but that's how the story goes. And once again Alexander and family are scant blocks from the conflagration, and most probably the business, this time around, went up in flames.

Alexander was 63 at the time and did not rebuild. He is found in the City Directories through 1876 as residing on Blue Island Ave, no longer listed with an occupation.

By 1878 Alexander is living with his widowed daughter Agnes in her sizable family home on West Adams.

Alexander Fraser died May 2nd 1883 at the age of 75. His wife Elizabeth followed six years later. The couple is buried in the large Irons family plot in Graceland Cemetery, along with numerous descendants, my father being one.

----------

From the pastoral landscape of Scotland, to the rough and tumble city of New York, and finally to Chicago, the city on the prairie; Alexander Fraser experienced a life none of his ancestors or siblings could imagine. He came to America with a dream in his heart and fulfilled it, the proud owner of his own business, working for himself, owning his own home, and firmly establishing his legacy on American soil.


©2017 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Agnes Irons Faulkner: The Grandmother I Never Knew (52 Ancestors #9)

Agnes Irons Faulkner was my father's mother. I only know her through the few pictures he had of her. She died when my dad was in High School. By the time I was born my grandfather had remarried and for most of my childhood I never really gave it any thought that my grandma was not my dad's mother.

I still don't know much about her. I'm embarrassed to say I never really took the time to piece her life together and get to know her. I have been so busy chasing brick walls that I have neglected ancestors closer to home. I'm rectifying that now.

The Irons Clan - baby Agnes at center

Agnes Elizabeth Irons was born 7 Sept 1902 in Chicago IL.  Her father was a fire chief for the Chicago Fire Department, her mother a housewife. The Irons family was a large, fun-loving clan, based on photographs I have in my possession. They were second generation Americans, having immigrated from Scotland in the 1850's. The family built quite a successful plumbing business in the small but growing city of Chicago IL.  I plan to explore the exploits of grandpa Irons in a future post.

Agnes had one younger brother, Harry, who was a pretty obsessed family historian in his lifetime.

But I digress.

I have allowed myself the week to dig up anything I could on my grandmother. I poured through the box of mementos my dad had, I checked out as many online repositories as I could think of, I turned up very little. And now my time is up.

For now .....

So I will report what I have been able to find, and leave the door wide open for more exploration in the future, the very near future!

Agnes as a teen

Agnes grew up on Irving Av in Chicago's 26th Ward. She attended Hamilton Grammar School, graduating with a diploma June 23, 1916. She completed a two year stenography course at Robert A Waller High School, graduating on January 30, 1920. She Graduated from Carl Schurz High School June 26, 1925 with a diploma, having completed a four year "Commercial Course". I did not get to investigate these document further, but I plan to. I am very curious what she was studying!

Agnes married my grandfather, L. L. Faulkner sometime between Sept 1928 and Aug 1929, based on the 1930 census. I have been unable to find any record of marriage in the city of Chicago, or any wedding announcement. Perhaps they eloped, but that seems unlikely based on Agnes' large family and all the photographs I have of her and her family. Plus, they were Catholic and I just can't imagine a prominent successful family not throwing a big wedding for their only daughter. Curiously, in looking at the photos again this week I did not find one single wedding photo. Not one.

By 1934 the Faulkner's has moved to the sleepy little suburb of Western Springs IL and my father

Agnes in her 30's

was born in November of that year. He was to be their only child. My father always said that his mother was "sickly", which might explain the reason he was the only child.

On October 12 1950 Agnes Irons Faulkner passed away. She was only 48. My father was a Sophomore in High School. I have found an obituary but no death certificate. I was told she had a "heart condition" but I do not know the actual cause of death.

Agnes is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Evanston IL with many of her kin.

When my father went away to college in 1954 my grandfather remarried, moved from the family home in Western Springs, and disposed of all the mementos of Agnes' life. My father learned of the move after the fact and was unable to recover any family heirlooms. The one box of photos and diplomas I now have in my possession are all that is left of this smiling, vibrant woman I never knew.

Gone are the marriage certificate, the wedding ring, the photos of the couple together. It's as if my grandfather erased his life with her when he remarried. Sadly, I will never know the answers. My grandfather never spoke of Agnes, and when the woman who I always thought was my grandmother passed away he never spoke of her, either. Nor did he speak of his third wife after she passed, but he did repeat the pattern of purging all traces of his coupled life.

Sadly, in 2007 Agnes' only child, my father, passed away.

So now, only the questions remain.

Jane P Thompson Burt Billings: An Estimable Lady of Oberlin (52 Ancestors #28)

(warning: this story takes a turn (or two) through a rabbit hole)

Jane P Thompson Burt Billings was a huge brick wall for me for quite some time. She is my 3rd great grandmother on my maternal grandmother's side. When I inherited the big box o' genealogy after my grandmother's passing she had stopped short with Jane's daughter Ella ('funny' story - I'll get to that later) listing her father only as 'Captain Burt (army)' - nary a mention of a mother. I set that aside for a time while I worked other lines; there was a good amount of research that had been done and I wanted to get it all entered into my computer program and have a good look-see. As my grandmother's maiden name was Potwin(e) she had done extensive research on that family and I busied myself with that line for quite some time.

Curiosity finally getting the better of me, I began to wonder who Ella's parents were. I was writing my 52 ancestors piece on Ella and wanted to find out more. When I sat down to write about Ella I did not know her parent's names. My research began and ended in Ellington, New York where Ella had met and married M A Potwin. Yet Ella had been born in Ohio, that much I knew. And I had one bread crumb, family lore said that her family was in the woolen or milling industry in Cleveland. Long story short, searching for Ella alone as a young girl proved difficult. There were three 'Ella Burt's on the 1860 census in or very near Cleveland. Without knowing her parents the trail ran cold.

Enter Facebook!

I posted my dilemma to an Ohio research group and received copious amounts of wonderful information. The woolen mills were a good tip, and the fact that 'Mr Burt' was in the army brought some great results, an indexed widow's pension was found; but the fact that Ella married M A Potwin was the tipping point I think. One researcher pointed me to an old book of Burt family history and genealogy and the flood gates opened!

Mr Burt was Hermes and he had married Jane Thompson!  I was able to work my way back on the Burt side with ease. (of course the Thompson side was a brick wall - did you expect it would be easy at this point?!) I followed the genealogy in the book back to Henry and Ulalia Burt, then it hit me. These names were familiar. Too familiar. In my tree already familiar.

Thank goodness for computers! I punched in the names and yes indeed, they were in my tree. Way, way back, but they were there. I followed them forward ........ just guess where they led? Ha! M A Potwin! What? A little more work and I was able to link the family. Turns out Henry and Ulalia had, among others, two children David and Dorcas. Hermes descended from David while M A Potwin followed Dorcas' line. What?! The family was hiding there all along. My grandmother had already discovered half the story!

But this here is the story of Jane.

So Jane continued to lay low, leaving just enough conflicting information to make moving further prohibitive. For a while I believed her name was actually Pamela, it appeared as such on her son's birth record. I set off to work on other areas and just left Jane alone.

Then just last week, as I was preparing to write Jane up for my Brick Wall series, I decided to have another go at her. I like to make sure that I am sure that I have exhausted all possible avenues of research available to me before I go and put it out there for all to see.

Guess what?

That indexed widow's pension? Wasn't just an index anymore. The entire packet, 50+ pages had been digitized and put up on Fold3. - Holy moly! Got it all! Parent's names, siblings names, place of marriage, place of residence - and a bonus second husband! Armed with all this new information I was able to easily go back two more generations. I believe I can go back farther without too much difficulty, but seeing as I was just after Jane's immediate family I stopped for the moment.

So, let me now introduce you to my 3rd great grandmother, Jane P Thompson Burt Billings.

Jane P Thompson was born in rural Sangerfield, Oneida Co, New York on October 20th 1829. There was some confusion as to exactly which county, seeing as Sangerfield lies exactly on the county border of Oneida and Monroe. Two decades earlier it was part of Chenango County, which added to the confusion. At any rate, Jane was born to parents Permelia Bush and John W Thompson. She appears to be their oldest child. I suspect the 'P' might stand for Permelia.

New York Counties

The young family was on the move. By 1832 they resided in Ellington, Chautauqua Co, New York; where they would remain. Jane would eventually have seven siblings, five sisters and two brothers. It was through her sister Frances that I learned so much about this family.

Jane married Hermes Burt on June 9th 1847 in the home of her parents. Both of Jane's parents and Hermes' sister Aurelia were witness to the ceremony.

The couple left for Pittsfield, MA shortly after their wedding. Their first child, Hermes, was born there in 1848. Pittsfield was the ancestral home of the Burts, and although the Burts were living in New York for a time, Hermes father Titus had returned to Massachusetts by 1840.

Sometime between 1848 and 1850 Hermes and Jane left for Cleveland, Ohio. Hermes was a clothier by trade and the family became involved in the woolen mills there. At one point Hermes had an interest in Burt, Clarke & Co, commission merchants in wool, hide and pelts.

Their second child, Ella (remember Ella?) was born in Cleveland in October of 1850.

The family settled into their new life in Ohio, having two more children, a son in 1855 and a daughter in 1856. They had a home on Bolivar in the city of Cleveland and things appeared to good.

Civil War Field Hospital

Then the Civil War erupted. Hermes joined the Union Army as a commissioned officer on July 10th 1862. The war took him to Frankfort Kentucky where he became ill and on December 4th 1862 died of Typhoid Fever. His body was brought home to Ohio and buried in Oberlin, a suburb of Cleveland, where one of his brothers was living.

Jane, 33, was left a young widow with four minor children to care for. Two of whom were under ten years old. She applied for a widow's pension in Ohio in July of 1863; by 1865 she was back in Ellington NY residing near her sister-in-law Aurelia.

Jane remarried in 1866 to the widower J Warren Billings, a man 12 years her senior. The following year she gave birth to daughter Frances.

In 1866 J Warren petitioned the court, as guardian of Hermes' minor children, for an increase in the minor's pension the children were receiving. The increase was granted.

J Warren and Jane Billings continued to live in New York, moving from Ellington to Randolph in Cattaraugus Co and finally to Ellicott in Chautauqua Co. The family goes missing after 1875.

I got to thinking and on a hunch I searched the cemetery (on Find A Grave) where Hermes is buried. Guess what? There's a Jane Billings buried in the same plot as Hermes! Further research led to the Westwood Cemetery database and this entry. There are three stones in the plot; Hermes, Jane and 'James'. I believe this is a mistake. 'James' is really Jane. The small stones read 'father' and 'mother', the third stone is US issue for Hermes war service. The notation on the memorial for Jane cites a newspaper clipping. First I found this:

What was Jane doing in Oberlin? Did she move back after 1875? Did J Warren move with her? Surgery in 1877? (I don't even want to think about it) I contacted the Oberlin Heritage Center and they quickly responded with a City Directory listing for a Mrs J B Billings living at 49 East Lorain in 1877. There was no listing for a Mr Billings. At least not her Mr Billings. Curious.

The Heritage Center  also sent this - - - -

Oh no! Poor Jane. Can you imagine such a surgery? Chloroform, no masks or gloves, reused instruments ..... I was quite saddened to learn of Jane's fate. I had hoped it would have turned out differently.

Jane died at 48, on the operating table, while undergoing a critical surgical procedure for a fibroid tumor.

Such tragedy to befall this family.

By the looks of the obituary Jane was residing in Oberlin for a while. Long enough to become involved with the church. Highly respected and beloved. What happened to J Warren?

Was theirs merely a marriage of convenience? What about baby Frances?

I found J Warren's grave, he's buried in New York with his first wife. He died in 1887. I still can't find any trace of him after 1875 .....

So many unanswered questions ......


postscript: this is not my typical 52 Ancestors story. Jane was not a typical ancestor. She remained hidden for over a century and remains elusive even now.



Oh the 'funny story' about Ella? Her name wasn't really Ella. It was Ellen. My family never knew that. It was right there in the widow's pension packet, written in Jane's own hand.

©Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Anna Elizabeth O'Connell Faulkner: From Lincoln To Kennedy (52 Ancestors #13)

Anna Elizabeth O'Connell Faulkner was my great grandmother. And my namesake. She lived to be 100 1/2. She was born when Lincoln was president and she died a year before Kennedy was shot. Thinking about this just really boggled my mind. Her life straddled two centuries. When I think of all the technology, the inventions, the comforts of life that occurred in her lifetime I'm sort of blown away.

Let me paint a picture, if I may.

Anna was born Sept 4, 1861 in Dutchess County New York. Anna was the youngest of  twelve children born to James and Mary Dempsey O'Connell. James and Mary immigrated to New York from Ireland, with their first three children, about 1842. Their fourth child was born in Kings County New York in 1844.

By the time Anna was born the family was settled in Dutchess County New York.  Abraham Lincoln had just become the 16th President of the United States. Daily life was still pretty primitive. The family was living in an uninsulated wood frame house with an outhouse for life's necessities. The home was most likely heated by a fireplace or wood stove. Candlelight or oil lamps illuminated the evening hours. I imagine baths were taken in the kitchen, once a week, with cool water after the third or fourth bather took their turn.

One of my favorite films, "Streets Of New York", opens with a portrayal of life in New York in 1862.

What was life really like at the start of the civil war? To us it seems such a quaint, far away time, but it was a thoroughly modern world in 1861. Was Anna aware of the times? Was her life any more difficult because of the war? Three of her brothers enlisted, but I imagine she was too small to know what was going on.

Poughkeepsie Female School

Although Anna had 11 brothers and sisters, she was still able to attend school and graduated from the Poughkeepsie Female School. I have not been able to find out much about this school, except that in it's time it was a very impressive institute. I believe they instructed girls through the eighth grade.

After her graduation Anna went on to teach school. I do not know at what grade level she taught.

Anna went "West" to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1881. I do not know why. Her father had died several years prior. Her mother, along with two brothers and two sisters also took the long journey west.

Upon arrival in St. Paul Anna became a bookkeeper for the large wholesale dry goods outfit Lindeke, Schurmeier and Warner.

St Paul MN c. 1893

In 1891 Anna married Dr. Lloyd Anson Faulkner and the couple moved to Duluth MN, where Dr. Faulkner started a Natural Science Establishment called Dr. L. A. Faulkner & Co. Purveyors of gems, iron and copper mined from Lake Superior.

In 1892 the couple had the first of their five children, the artist Raymond Lloyd Faulkner. Dr. Faulkner, naturally, attended to the birth.

By 1900 the young family of five had returned to St. Paul, residing at 165 Forbes Av.

Let's look at life in 1900 America. William McKinley was just elected the 25th President of the United States. Women were not yet allowed to vote. People were enjoying music in their own homes thanks to wind-up phonographs. Indoor plumbing was still just a curiosity. Electricity was beginning to appear and replace the dangerous gas light in many homes. Houses were now being heated centrally with coal and hot water.

Anna must have been amazed at all the technological advances being made at the time!

washing machine ad c.1910

1917. The world was at war. This was Anna's second war. This time she is old enough to remember.  The Faulkner's now had five children. Three boys and two girls. Anna's first born was drafted. Anna's second son lied about his age to enlist. Automobiles were replacing horses, people were listening to the radio in their own homes. Plumbing moved indoors, at least for cold water! Iceboxes helped keep food fresher longer. The washing machine became a wash day savior.

The world had become a rapidly changing place, I wonder what Anna thought of it all?

1920's publicity still

The 1920's arrived and the world, as Anna knew it, was shrinking rapidly. Both of her sons arrived home safely from the Great War. The 18th and the 19th amendments had been ratified in rapid succession. Anna now had the right to vote, to be an equal to her husband in the deciding of the country's direction and rule. Plumbing moved completely indoors. Electricity arrived in the home and new time saving appliances were introduced. Among the explosion of new inventions were the electric refrigerator, stove and vacuum cleaner! The telephone became a new way to communicate with friends and neighbors. Airplanes made it easier than ever before to travel across country. Moving pictures became all the rage.

In 1928 penicillin was discovered, effectively eradicating so many common diseases that previously resulted in certain death.

America was riding high and Anna was right there in the middle of it.

Hooverville of the 30's

Then the world came crashing down.

October 29, 1929. Black Tuesday.

Anna, 68 years old, had raised her children and sent them out into the world. At a point in her life when she should have been preparing to settle in for a quiet retirement with her husband, her life was thrown upside down. Her husband continued to practice medicine, taking payments for services any way he could. I don't know how the Great Depression affected her or her life for certain. I can wonder and imagine as to the struggle it may have been after the decade of living large and easy.

In 1933 Anna's husband died of cancer. Anna, at 72 years old, moved in with her daughter and son in law.

This seems like a good place to end our story, but there was so much more to come!

no caption needed

1942, the world was at war ... again. This was Anna's third war. It was now time for her third son to serve his country. Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. The 32nd President of the United States. Women were wearing pants in public. There were pay phones on every corner. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

MLK

The 1950's arrived with a joie de vive not seen since the early 1920's. Television arrived and became a commonplace fixture in the modern home. TV dinners were replacing home cooked meals on weeknights. The civil rights movement was gaining momentum. Air raid and civil defense sirens were now a part of the fabric of life. The pastoral farmland of the nation was rapidly being eaten up by new housing. Air traffic was commonplace.

Jan 20, 1961. John F Kennedy was sworn into office as the 35th President of the United States.

Anna was 99 years old.

In September 1961 she celebrated her 100th birthday.

Anna O'Connell Faulkner on her 100th birthday

Anna Elizabeth O'Connell Faulkner died on April 18, 1962. She lived through 3 wars, 19 Presidents, and an unprecedented technology explosion, the likes of which we may not see again.

Oh, and she had a glass eye ......

Four generations Anne Faulkner holding Anne Faulkner