#26 Albertine Hannah--Unique in Many Ways

   

     

         I am always interested in the females in my family tree, particularly if there is something rather unusual about them.  My great, great aunt, Albertine Hannah, falls into that category.  First of all, she has by today’s standards, a very, very unique name.   I do not know any one named Albertine, and I would bet that you do not, too.  A quick Google search indicated that Albertine means noble or bright, is the female form for Albert, and was a very popular in the mid to late 1800’s when Queen Victoria of England married Prince Albert.
Some of what I know about my great great aunt,  Albertine, comes from census date.  I know she was born in 1834 in Edgar County Illinois, near where Chrisman is today, was the seventh child of John M.  and Charity (Mears) Hannah, and lived on her father’s farm.  Her mother died in 1842 when Albertine was 8 years old.  In 1850 she was living with her father, her three brothers, and two sisters.  In 1860 Albertine was living with her father, and her niece, Charity Conrey, the daughter of her deceased sister, Nancy.  When the Civil War began, both her father and her brother, John Wesley, enlisted.  Her father fought for about three months, and then returned home, due to illness.  He died in 1865.
Several  years ago I went to Edgar County and did some research on The Hannah’s.  In the land records, I found several references to Albertine.  On March 12, 1856 for $1.00 her father sold Albertine 80 acres of land in Ross Township.  In addition, by a mortgage on December 14, 1861 her father also sold Albertine an undescribed piece of land.  What I find most interesting is that here is a woman in the mid 1800’s who owned land.  But she also sold some of her land.  In February of 1861, for $700 Albertine sold James R. Watson a portion of the land that she had bought from her father in 1856.
I also was able to obtain Albertine’s will.  Most notable is her request that her real estate be sold and that $1200 of the proceeds be used to purchase a lot in the cemetery in Paris Illinois and to erect a monument for her father, mother, sister Mary, and herself.  The remainder of the money from her real estate and her personal property was to be divided between her brothers and sisters as well as her niece, Charity Conrey.            
Albertine died in 1867.  Her wishes were carried out.  There is indeed a Hannah plot in the cemetery in Paris, Illinois.  There is a large obelisk with her father’s name on the bottom, and headstones for Albertine, her sister Mary, and her sister Catherine Hannah O’Hair.  For reasons that I do not know, the headstone for her mother is in the McKee cemetery.

I would love to be able to have a conversation with Albertine.  I would like to know what she did with the land she owned.  Did she rent it out for farming?  Did she hire people to farm it?  Did she just keep it?  Why did she sell it?  I also would like to know why she remained single.  Did she, like many women of that time, have a man she loved who was killed in the Civil War?  Also during the Civil War, who ran the farm while her father was at war?  Did she?  Did her brother, George, or her brothers-in-law help out?

#25 Gertrude Richards-- Growing up in Pictures

If you have been following this blog, you know that I have a collection of old pictures.  I really enjoy looking at them and since I am pressed for time, I though I would post a couple of my grandmother, Gertrude Richards (See #17--Gertrude Richards Saying I Do).

Here she is at about the age of 4.  I think her purse is a wonderful addition to her outfit.

This one shows her, I think, as a young teenager.  The pink in her hair is a great addition.

Now she is a young woman.  I really like the fringe on the arm of the chair that she is sitting in and her hat.

If you have old pictures of your family, get them out and enjoy them.

#24 William Cochrane—Finding a New Home

My blog this week is about William Cochrane, my great-great grandfather.  I do not know a great deal about him and what I have has pretty much been gathered from various sources on the web.  I do have his picture, which was sent to me by my cousin, Mary.  While I wish the picture was clearer, he reminds me in some ways of my father.

William  was born on October 18, 1810 in London England to The Honorable Andrew James Cochrane and Ann Morgan.  Andrew had two brothers, Andrew George Cobbitt (See Blog #3) and George, and one sister, Anna Maria, all born in London.   In 1830 on January 19, he married Emma Merrett at St. Andrews of the Wardrobe.  William and Emma had six children:  Mary Jane (1836—1920), George Augustus (1838--??), Emily (1840-1911), Walter (1843-1891), Emma (1846—1931), and Evalina (1853—1920).

In the mid 1830’s William and Emma migrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York.  At that time, his brother, Andrew George Cobbett Cochrane also lived in Buffalo.  I do not know whether the two brothers and their families came together or separately. However, in 1835, he filed a declaration to become a citizen of the United States.  By 1840 William had moved to Rochester, New York, where his occupation was listed as an upholsterer in both the 1840 and 1850 Census.  In 1860 and 1870 he and his family were living at 124 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, New York.  His occupation was now listed as a bookkeeper at Journey Burnham, a department store. By 1870, Mary Jane had married Abiathar Richards and they along with their two sons, Chester and William were living with her parents.  Also living there were Emily, Emma, and Evalina.  Both George and Walter had married and started their own households.
William died on July 20, 1873, while Emma died on September 1, 1882.  Both are buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Were I able to talk to William, I would ask about why and when he came to the United States as well as why he eventually settled in Brooklyn, New York.  His mother, Ann Morgan, is one of my brick walls.  So I would like him to tell me about her and who her parents were.

#23 RICHARDS Edward and Nathaniel Richards--Brothers or Not

Edward Richards is my 8th great grandfather, and the immigrant ancestor for my Richards Line.  He was probably born in Southampton, England in the early 1600’s to Edward and Barbara (Warden or Worsley) Richards.  He is believed to have come to the Massachusetts  Bay Colony in 1632 on the ship Lyon with this brother, Nathaniel.

Abner Morese (1861) in A Genealogical Register of the Descendants of Several Ancient Puritans, V. 3: The Richards Family, writes” Edward Richards is presumed to have been the nephew of Thomas, Sr., and the brother of Nathaniel and Thomas, Jr., and the cousin or brother of William and John of Plymouth. He probably came with Nathaniel in the LYON, in 1632, and resided with him at Cambridge until 1636.”  In 1636, Edward moved to Dedham, and Nathaniel moved to Hartford.

The relationship between Edward and Nathaniel has been one of my biggest brick walls.  I have spent a lot of time trying to establish a relationship between Edward and Nathaniel without much luck.  Parish records from England do not yield baptismal records of both an Edward and Nathaniel with the same parents or even in the same location.  While there are Richards in the Visitation of Hampshire and in the Visitation of Somerset, neither contains pertinent information.  The only evidence is from Morse. I checked his statement about where he got his information and it basically is recollections of people who were alive in the mid-1800’s.  I know that Morse was wrong on several occasions about Edward.  First, he states that Edward moved to Dedham to marry Susan Hunting.   I do not believe Edward moved to Dedham to marry Susan Hunting. The Hunting genealogy in the Dedham Historical Register states Huntings came in 1638 and moved directly to Dedham. Edward was in Dedham by 1636. Second, Morse states that Edward did not have a house lot in Dedham. That is also incorrect.  When the town would not let him buy the house lot from Robert Feakes; the town gave it to Edward (Dedham Vital Records). Also he did not buy  his farm from Mr. Cook. Volume 4 of the Town Records indicates that Mr. Cook's Farm was sold by the attorney for the estate to Fisher and Lusher. Edward then bought it from them. Anyway, my point is that perhaps Morse is wrong about Edward and Nathaniel being brothers.  However, Edward did name one of his sons Nathaniel, which would point to a relationship.

This brick wall is hard and high.  If anyone has an idea of how I could proceed, please leave a comment.

#22 Just Who Were the Rogers Girls?

        A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about some pictures of my grandmother, Gertrude Richards, with her friends (#19 Gertrude Richards—Who Are These People).  One of the frustrating things about those pictures was that none of the other girls were identified.  Who they are remains a mystery.  However, there was one picture was labeled—“Rogers Girls with Gertie Richards and Sally Morse.”  I cannot tell where the picture was taken, but I am pretty sure it was not in New York City.  Now I know that Sally Morse and my grandmother were life- long friends.  In fact, I remember Aunt Sally from when I was a young girl. However, who the Rogers Girls were was a mystery, just waiting to be solved.

  Remember, I come from a family that does not throw out things that have sentimental value.  When my grandmother was married, she kept a little book listing the present she received, the giver and the address.  I thought that if the Rogers were good friends, they may have given my grandmother a wedding present.  I check the book and sure enough, she received a gift from them.  Their address was listed on Beacon Street, Brookline, Massachusetts.  That address was about all I needed.  Putting what information I had into Ancestry, gave me several census listings.  I started with the 1900 census because if my grandmother got married in 1902, the Rogers probably were living in Brookline in 1900.  Looking at several listing, I found Alice and Ethel Rogers living with their parents, George R. and Jennie M. on Beacon Street.   Using the census, I was able to trace both Alice and Ethel in Brookline through 1940.  Neither sister married.  According to Billion Graves, Alice died in 1958 and Ethel, in 1959.

One mystery remains?  How did my grandmother who lived in New York City become friends with The Rogers  in Brookline.  My best guess is that they may have been cousins.  My great grandfather, Abiathar Richards, was from Dedham so it makes some sense that my grandmother may have been related to them.  However, I have yet to be able to prove that.  If I could talk to my grandmother, I would want to know how she knew the Rogers and where the picture was taken.

#21—Ebenezer Richards—A Family Changing with the Times

Ebenezer Richards, my great, great grandfather, was born on July 27, 1799, in Dedham, Massachusetts  to Abiathar and Elizabeth Richards.  On September 19, 1822 he married Catherine Newell, daughter of Reuben and Abigail (Smith) Newell.  Ebenezer and Catherine had six children:  Nancy, born February 23, 1824; Charles born August 10, 1827; Abner, born August 3, 1830, Abiathar, born October 25, 1837, Rueul, born March 18, 1840, and George Fisher, born September 7, 1842. 

Unlike many of my grandfathers, I have not found much information about Ebenezer.   Both the 1850 and 1860 census give his occupation as a farmer as does his death record.  I have not been able to find him or his wife in the 1870 census.  However, the 1880 census lists his occupation as a cabinet maker.  One of the most interesting things about him and his family is that several of his children relocated from Dedham.  Abner and Abiathar moved to New York City, Charles went to Chicago, Abigail married August Spaulding and moved to Ashford, Connecticut, while her brother Rueul went to Tolland, Connecticut.  Nancy married Jesse Morse and remained in Dedham as did her brother George Fisher.  That movement fits well with the changing of Dedham from a farming community to one focused more on industry.

Ebenezer died on October 2, 1882.  His wife, Catherine died on February 1872.  They are buried in the Village Cemetery in Dedham.

# 20 Romance in Real Life--Jennie Sophia Willey and John Wesley Hannah

   

John Wesley and Jennie Sophia (Willey) Hannah and their children

If you just looked at the marriage record from Missouri for my great grandparents, John Wesley Hannah, (See blog # 5--Build Me a Palace) and Jennie Sophia Willey, you would see that they were married on December 18, 1866 in Butler Missouri by George W. Chandler, a minister from Rich Hill.  However, if you read the account of their wedding in the Butler Daily Democrat, you would see that this was not a routine marriage.  In fact the headline is “Romance in Real Life."

Jennie Sophia Willey had come to Butler in 1866 to visit her brother and was courted by John Hannah. However, on December 17, she was to return to Indiana under the supervision of Captain E. P., the land agent and a resident of Butler.  As luck would have it, the stage did not arrive.  

     I seriously thought about writing my own account of their marriage based on the article.  However, after some thought, I came to the conclusion that a great many of the details and nuiances would be lost.  Hence I scanned the article and here it is:

Jennie and John Wesley Hannah were married for 26 years and raised five children. I would really like to be able to talk to them about their wedding.  I would like to know how much of the article is true, how the families reacted when they heard about the wedding, and, if  Captain E. P. had not offered Jennie the land, would they have married anyway that night.  Also, I would like to know what Jennie did with that land?

What would you like to know?  Put your questions in the comments section.

Source:
DeArmond, J. K. (1990)   Mike's Story. n,p.

Since I did this blog I found the following article in the Butler Missouri paper about their 25th anniversary party: