John Godfrey Howard's granddaughter, Mary Jeanette

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Mary Jeanette Howard Odell (1844-1917)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 15 Aug 2021

Jeanette Howard was the granddaughter of John Godfrey Howard, but she never knew her grandfather and perhaps not her grandmother, either. Jeanette was born 12 Jun 1844 most likely in Grafton, New York. John Godfrey left Grafton in or around 1831 with his wife, three of his sons, and their families. He died in 1834. Godfrey's wife, Susannah, remarried, was again widowed, and died in 1863. I don't know if Susannah ever returned to Grafton to visit with her other sons and daughters. Jeanette's parents were John Godfrey Howard II and Sybil Burdick. Jeanette was the youngest of at least 7 children.

Working through the 1850 United States census record, Jeanette was living with her family in Grafton, New York. Same for the 1855 New York state census. Its interesting, however, that in 1860 at the age of 17, she is not living with her parents but with her sister, Maria Howard Tilley and family. Wonder why? It could be that she was helping her sister and brother-in-law care for their children. Maria had just had a son, John W., who was 11 months old at the time of the census. We know he died young, so perhaps he was a sickly child. And it could just be that Jeanette was at her sister's house when the census enumerator visited, and he counted her there instead of at her parent's home.

What is striking, working through these census records, is how tight-knit these 1800 communities were. On the 1860 census of Grafton, we see the same names over and over. Howard, Tilley, Covey, Burdick, Sweet, and Odell. What is also striking is how tragedies could drive families to be even more united. Many families in the 1800s were large. This ensured safety, security, and care. This is what our forebear, Abraham Howard, forfeited when he left his Howard family in New York to bring his wife and children into southwestern Indiana. Abraham's son, Henry's antics further divided our Howard line, not to mention the effects of the Civil War with the death of Abraham II and the debilitation of Eleazar Howard.

Back to New York, however. In the 1860 census, Jeanette is listed as a seamstress, a noble profession.  In the 1865 New York state census, Jeanette was listed as Mary Odell, living at home with her parents, John and Sybil. Interestingly, this census listed how many children someone had, and it stated Sybil had 12 children. I currently only have 7 of these on my Ancestry public tree. This census also showed that Mary Odell has been married once and was now a widow. She was 20. Click on photos to enlarge

Beautiful Mary Jeanette Howard
with her husband, Lewis Odell
Courtesy: Ancestry

This story - maybe a love story, maybe not - might have begun with the death of Lewis Odell's parents before the census year of 1860. Lewis in 1860 lived with his brother, William Odell, and his wife, Eunice Howard Odell, Jeanette's older sister. Jeanette Howard and Lewis Odell were married in 1862. Shortly thereafter, Lewis left home to fight in the Civil War. He was 19. He would never come back, dying of pneumonia 16 Jan 1865. Another tragedy of this bloody war. How did the many widows of the Civil War feel being widowed at young ages? Or even old ages for that matter?

Jeanette had still not remarried by the 1870 census, living at home with her parents, but by the 1875 New York census, she was married to Harmon Snyder and lived together with Harmon's brother, Levi, Levi's wife, and their two sons. Harmon and his brother were listed as farmers within the city limits of Grafton. Interestingly, the census states they lived in a frame home that was worth $500.

In the 1880 United States census, Jeanette and her husband lived together, he as a farmer and she as "keeping house." One line down was Jeanette's father and mother. Both family's dwelling number was 42, so therefore, it appears John Godfrey II and Sybil  lived with them and was likely being cared for by Jeanette. Also with them was a 16-year-old niece Ella Burdick. Her occupation was that of a shirtmaker. This was a common occupation for women at that time.

The next record we have is the 1900 US census. Jeanette's husband, Harmon, was dead already, so at the age of 50, Jeanette has now been widowed twice. In the 1900 census, she still lived with Ella Burdick. She was also the same household number as John Carringer, who had been a boarder of hers on a previous census. Interesting. John Carringer's wife was a shirtmaker. Neither Jeanette nor Ella have occupations listed. Neither women has had any children.

In the 1910 census, we come full circle, as Jeanette lived once again with her sister, Eunice, and her husband, Jeanette's brother-in-law, William Odell. Its so nice to see sisters who are close and taking care of one another. It feels Jeanette has always had family to care for or to care for her. Just on this fact alone, I believe Jeanette was a wonderful, caring individual.

Jeanette applied for a pension after her first husband died in the Civil War. I do not know how much she received for this pension, but probably somewhere around $8.00 a month.

Funeral of Jeanette M. Howard Snyder 

As It Appears in The Semi-Weekly Times, Troy, NY 

Friday Afternoon, June 15, 1917 

The funeral of Jeanette Snyder was held from the Grafton Methodist Church Wednesday at 2 o'clock. Rev. David Paton officiated, assisted by Rev. Mr. White. Violet O'Dell, Mrs. Sherman Barnhart, Willie Wood and Curtis O'Dell rendered "Face to Face," "Shall We Gather at the River?" and "It Is Well With My Soul." The bearers were William O'Dell, Justice Wesley O. Howard, John Patterson and John Simon. The survivors are a brother and sister, Elijah Howard and Mrs. Eunice Odell. The floral tributes were many. Interment was in Grafton Cemetery.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

The Riches of the Socialite Sisters, Charlotte and Grace Howard

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

 

Charlotte Howard (1872-1958)
Grace Howard (1876-1952)

The Riches of the Socialite Sisters

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog was updated 29 Apr 2022.

We know that Charlotte and Grace's dad, William Edwin Howard, married well. We also know that he was wise with his money, buying a charming home, which his children inherited and used to their good fortune. His daughters, Charlotte and Grace, were socialites, who threw many parties and who also sang and played the piano.

William Edwin came with his Howard family from Middlebury, New York, firstly to Shoals, Indiana, around 1854, when he was 9 years old. He was listed as a laborer in the 1860 federal census. Soon after, he enlisted as a Union soldier in The Civil War. He met his wife, Annie Bragg, while stationed in Kentucky. He did well to marry her, even though it might have been a "shotgun" wedding. They were married the same year their eldest was born April 1869. This was not an unusual occurrence. In fact, it happened quite often.

By the 1870 federal census, William Edwin and Annie, along with their eldest son Fred, lived in Sherwood, Michigan, where daughters Charlotte and Grace were born in 1872 and 1876. By the 1880 census, the family was in Jackson, Michigan.

Grace never married and lived in her parents' home even as an adult. She worked as a stenographer and billing clerk. Funnily enough, on the 1910 census, she was listed as a musician! In 1920, she worked as a stenographer in a grocery house, but she is also listed as living with her sister in the 1920 Chicago census as a bill clerk in a wholesale grocery. It was not unusual for Charlotte and Grace to be together. Even though the adult Grace lived in Jackson, Michigan in her childhood home, and Charlotte lived in Chicago, Illinois, they visited each other quite often. In the 1930 census, Grace was listed firstly as a bill clerk, which was then marked out and replaced with "None." Although she never married, Grace was listed as a widow on the 1940 census. And it showed a daughter living with her! Click on photos to enlarge

The Howard home in Jackson, Michigan, present day. Hard to see because of trees.
Courtesy Google Maps, proper attribution given

Charlotte obtained her degree from Ypsilanti Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University, and became a schoolteacher. She waited until she was 35 before marrying the widower, inventor, and real estate mogul, Myron Detrick. Even after marrying, she kept her occupation as a teacher in the public schools.

Myron Detrick
Courtesy Ancestry.com
Fair Use

Charlotte and Myron continued to make their home in Chicago, Illinois, until after Charlotte and Grace's brother, Fred, died in 1939, in Manteno, Illinois. After that occurrence, Charlotte and Myron relocated to Jackson, Michigan, moving in with Grace. I haven't been able to find Charlotte and Myron in the 1940 census, and the reason might be that they were in the middle of their move. They lived with Grace in their childhood home until about 1949, when Detrick and Charlotte purchased a home of their own at 3052 Overhill Road in Jackson.

Charlotte was also an active member of the "Order of the Eastern Star" and the "Daughters of the American Revolution." Neither of them had any children that I have been able to find.

3052 Overhill Road - present day
Courtesy of Google Maps

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Suicide and Divorce of Elias Howard II's 3 Wives

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Elias Howard, II (1805 - after 1940)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 15 Aug 2021

I've been divorced twice, unfortunately, and my heart always goes out to anyone having to go through this ugliness. I've also dealt remotely with the suicide of a friend, and, as someone with an interest in the culinary world, I'll never get over the death of Anthony Bourdain

Playing off that introduction, it's interesting how the sons and daughters of John Godfrey Howard dispersed themselves throughout the United States, particularly Godfrey's son, Elias. This son was born 22 Oct 1805 in Grafton, New York. He moved, along with his parents, brothers and sisters, to Middlebury, New York in or around 1831.

The reason for the move from Grafton to Middlebury is unknown, but I'm working on the relationship between Godfrey Howard and the Brust and Vader families. The Vaders came to Middlebury in 1820 and may have talked the Howard family into later doing the same. In Grafton, the Howards were a part of Rensselaerwyck, working as tenant farmers. Things were about to get ugly there as the tenants were starting to revolt. Moving to Middlebury, now that I understand it better, was probably a really good idea.

Once the family arrived to Middlebury, Elias was firstly married to Joann or Johanna. They had 2 children, Joanna and George Washington Howard. After the birth of these two children, poor Joanna died. We know nothing more of Joanna or her daughter, Joanna.

Elias was secondly married to Katy Vader. After this marriage, George Washington Howard, Elias's son with Joanna, ran away from home, never to return. It was said that he didn't get along with his stepmother. I'm amazed how this young man, at the age of 14, successfully ran away from home in New York and went all the way to Michigan, battled in the Civil War, took a wife and had a family!

Elias and Katy had 12 children that I can tell at this point in my research. One of those children was named after his father, Elias, and this son is the subject of our story today. 

According to papers from The Middlebury Historical Society of old-timer memories, Elias II died a lonely old man who had no children. But that's the end of the story. Here's the beginning:

Elias II was born sometime in the 1850s, that prosperous decade prior to The Civil War. In the 1860 census, he was living with his parents, brothers and sisters. He was 9 years old, according to the census enumerator.

In the 1870 census, Elias II was 20. All his grown brothers and sisters were out of the parent's home. Only the three youngest were there, all under the age of 17. Elias, interestingly, was living with his brother Simeon. He was still single and listed as a farm laborer. This was in Middlebury, New York.

1880. Mind blown. Elias II was living in Hampton, Michigan, in Bay County. This is not necessarily the mind-blowing part, because his sister Polly was also there with her husband as was his brother, Leonard, and another sister, Elvira, with her husband. What is mind-blowing is that he was living in a Hampton boarding house with a dozen others, with an occupation of laborer. He listed his parents as both being born in Vermont. It feels like Elias should know better than that. His parents were both born in New York. Was he intentionally being flippant? Did he really just not know?

10 Jul 1881. Elias married a servant girl, Mina Woods. Cannot for the life of me find out much about this woman, Mina, which might be short for Wilhelmina. Her parents were born in England, according to the 1880 census. Mina was born in Michigan. In the 1880 census, she was 19 and living as a servant in the home of Albert Schuler. We know from the marriage certificate that Elias was still living in Hampton. In the 1880 census, Mina was in Merritt, Michigan. Both Hampton and Merritt were in Bay County.

Elias II and Mina were married under 5 years, as Elias II married his second wife 25 Mar 1886. We do have documentation of this first marriage with Mina Woods but no divorce record. It was easy to divorce, though, just move on. A couple didn't even have to go through the courts. Just start over. Easy. Although to start over might mean a move to a different town where no one knew who you were.

Elias denied this marriage on future census records.

It was disgraceful for a woman to be divorced at this time in American history. So if a person did get a divorce, legal or not, they usually claimed themselves as either widowed or unmarried. Since a woman's status depended on her being married, widow was the way to go. But good for Mina, though. She owned her divorce. In the 1900 census, she declared herself divorced. She at that time lived with the Charles Irving family as their servant. She no longer lived in Merritt but in Elias II's town of Hampton. On the census record, she stated that she had no children and had never been pregnant. I was unable to unearth any further information on Mina at this time.

25 Mar 1886. Elias II married his second wife, Ella May Bennett. They had a least one daughter, Frances G., who was born in 1888. In 1900, Elias was living with his brother Simeon... again.  In the 1910 census, nothing on Frances. 1920, Frances was married to Otto Bauss, a German immigrant. They lived in Kansas City, Missouri. It feels that someone else must have reared her or perhaps she ran away. Can't find any census records for her mother, Ella, but on her mother's second marriage certificate, Frances is not listed as her daughter.

Another possibility for a son, according to my father's records, was Elias III. No records found.

One last possibility for a child is that of a son, Frank M. Frank is listed with Elias and Emma on the 1894 census. That's the only record I have for Frank. And where is Frances? If Frank is 7 in the 1894 census, that makes him born the same year as Frances, 1888. Is Frank and Frances the same person? Were they twins?

11 Feb 1897. Back in New York, Elias II's mother, Katy Vader, died. According to her obituary, Elias II was the only living child not to be at her funeral.

23 Jun 1900. Elias II was again living with his brother Simeon as a day laborer. No wife. No children. Just Elias. By himself. This census record shows both parents correctly as having been born in New York. He was listed as married, which is true, but not for much longer. He was no longer living in Bay County, Michigan, but back in Middlebury, New York.

22 Aug 1900. Elias is granted a divorce from Ella. The reason? Desertion. She did not dispute it.

Ella was most likely a force to be reckoned with. She was on her own at the age of 14, working as a seamstress. After she left Elias, she worked as a clerk in a department store, The Boston Store. In the city directories, she claimed herself a widow of Elias. Six years later, she married a doctor.

06 Apr 1910. Elias was married the third time to Addie Belle Peck. They were married in Middlebury, for Elias would never leave his original hometown again.

1910. Elias II was living with his 3rd wife Addie Belle. Her father also lived with them, William Peck. Elias II stated his occupation was that of farmer. His father-in-law was listed as a carpenter.

1920. Elias II was still living with just Addie Belle, as his father-in-law died in 1911. He continued to be listed as a farmer. He would be all alone once more in just about a year for Addie Belle killed herself in 1921.

1930. Elias is 72 and living alone. His occupation was none. His father was listed as being born in New Jersey and his mother as being born in Pennsylvania, even though, again, they were both born in New York.

I do not know when Elias II died. I couldn't find him in the 1940 census on Ancestry. I did find him, though, using FamilySearch.org. He was living at the Wyoming County Home, which would be equivalent to our modern day nursing home, except conditions may or may not have been very good. According to that census record, he had been there at least 5 years.

We cannot access the 1950 census records quite yet - almost there! If Elias's name is listed there, he would be nearly 100 years old.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Ancestry's Hints for Grace B. Howard

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Grace B. Howard (1876-1952)

___________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

I have a love/hate relationship with Ancestry.com. I was painting my walls the other day, listening to T.V., when a commercial came up for Ancestry, and the person said something about the leaves that pop up, about how they're hints for you to follow. DO NOT FOLLOW THESE HINTS BLINDLY! These hints many times are the DEVIL leading you down the wrong road, leading you to believe you have cousins you really don't have. Be careful!

Take Grace B. Howard as an example. Grace Howard is not an uncommon name, after all. My paternal grandmother's name was Grace Howard, but this Grace Howard was not my grandmother. She was my 1st cousin, 3 times removed.

It seems we have 3 different Grace Howards living in Jackson, Michigan. Two of these Grace Howards are married, and these two Graces are the ones Ancestry keeps giving me hints for. My cousin, Grace Howard, never married. We know this because her death record states she never married. Unfortunately, Ancestry would have me follow two different Graces who are not mine.

The first thing I do when starting to create a new story on a new person in my line is to collect all the census records. She was born in 1876, so 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, no problem finding these. Grace lived with her parents on West Franklin Street in Jackson, Michigan. Her parents died prior to the 1930 census, but in the 1930 census, Grace is still at the same address, and it appears she is living alone. 1940 should be a shoe-in! Here's where the story gets a little dicey.

The first 1940 census record Ancestry showed me was Grace married to William Howard and living with them his grown son, Robert. My eyes rolled. My first thought was that someone was mooching off my cousin and her probable good inheritance and big house. It would, however, be a little unusual for Grace to have found someone with her same last name - not impossible, but a little improbable. Besides, her death certificate stated she was never married, and 1952 records are fairly reliable. Moving on.

Many times, when looking for census records, I skirt over to FamilySearch.org in order to escape Ancestry's search perimeter. There! There she is! My jaw dropped. Grace was living on West Franklin Street where she's always been. But she's listed as a widow! And Georgia Howard was living with her, who was listed as her 27-year-old daughter! WHAT? What's happening?

Also shown living with Grace is a boarder, Virginia Dean.

I immediately added Georgia as Grace's daughter and sat back eagerly awaiting the Ancestry leaves that signals hints. No leaves appeared, not even a hint for the correct 1940 census. So, I manually added the 1940 census to Grace and her new-found "daughter". Nothing happened.

Next, I turned to Virginia Dean. Who was this mysterious boarder? After a little searching, I learned that she was from Chicago! Did a little more searching and learned that Grace's sister, Charlotte, had moved to Chicago with her husband. And then - even though I had Grace's 1920 census, living on West Franklin Street with her parents, she is also listed on the 1920 census as living with her sister and her husband in Chicago! WOW! Pretty cool. It's so fun to watch a story come together. Click on photos to enlarge

 

Present Day - 901 W. Franklin Street in Jackson, Michigan
Courtesy: Google Maps with correct attribution

Interestingly, later in the 1940s, we find Charlotte and her husband, Myron Detrick, living together with Grace B. on West Franklin Street in Jackson, Michigan. In the city directories, sometimes all 3 siblings are listed as living on West Franklin Street in Jackson after their parent's death.

Charlotte's husband, Myron Detrick, has a very interesting story. It will be fun to research and write about this inventive man. Inventive - he built his own car! Detrick was also a real estate mogul.

Grace's brother's name was Fred Howard. He died in Manteno, Kankakee, Illinois. Doing a little research, Manteno was the home of a large mental health facility. I've found a record for a Fred Howard, calling him an inmate, which is what long-term residents of healthcare facilities were called at that time. With no other information, however, I'm reluctant to go there.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Three Sons of the Civil War

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

 

Abraham Howard II (1837-1862)
Eleazer Howard (1836-1906)
William Edwin Howard (1845-1929)

Three Sons of the Civil War

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog post was updated 29 Apr 2022.

My 3x great-grandfather Abraham I had three sons who fought in the Civil War: Abraham II, Eleazer, and William Edwin. Civil War soldiers had it rough, living in very primitive conditions out in the elements. Sometimes they were without shoes. Many times, without food.

We know that Eleazer and Abraham II were close, for in or around 1855, they went to Iowa together and, while there, lived in the same house. I don't know why they went but perhaps it was for work, as the railroad was going through Iowa at that time. The two men might have traveled in a wagon train along with the Raney family and others from Martin County, Indiana. What an adventure! Eleazer and Abraham II would have been most useful in the wagon train, being able to make repairs, hunt game, fend off bandits, and make good company. I wonder if they were fun and funny. Their descendants were, so I'm quite sure they were, too.

They may have also gone to Iowa to escape the shenanigans of their brother, Henry. He had married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Samuel Smith. He had two children by Elizabeth. These two were born in Henry's native New York - a mystery as to why they weren't born in Indiana. When Henry came back home to Indiana, his two children in tow, Elizabeth was gone - disappearing from the family tree altogether. Henry then married his Martin County neighbor, Nancy Crays. After much searching, I still can't find Elizabeth Smith Howard after 1858, but of this I'm sure: the two stepchildren didn't care much for their stepmother. The feeling was mutual.

Whatever reason for Eleazer and Abraham II's exodus to Iowa, they weren't there for long. Abraham soon married Eliza Jane Raney and they had a son, Abraham III. Six months later, Eliza died. After that, Eleazer and Abraham II made their way back to Martin County, bringing with them the infant child. Click on photos to enlarge

A Crucial Delay - Antietam
Public Domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Abraham II was the first to enlist: 07 Jun 1861 at Camp Vigo in Terre Haute, 14th Indiana Infantry, Company A. This was the first regiment in Indiana organized for three years of service. Their first march was to Indianapolis, and then onward to Clarksburg, West Virginia, eventually landing in Virginia in 1862. It was at this time that Abraham II was hospitalized in Strasburg. From 12 May to 23 Jun, Abraham's company marched 339 miles as part of the Army of the Potomac.

In September, the 14th Indiana took part in the Maryland Campaign, which included the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. According to Wikipedia, Colonel William Harlow's report stated that Abraham's regiment fought for four hours under heavy fire within 60 yards of Confederate forces. Abraham took a mortal wound in the thigh and died on the battlefield. His death was likely extremely painful, and yes, I imagine he cried for his mother.

14th Indiana caring for the wounded after Antietam
Public Domain courtesy of Wikipedia

Battle of Antietam
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

After Abraham's death, his mother, Mary Ann, adopted Eliza and Abraham's son, Abraham III. 
_________

Eleazer Howard was in the Army for just a brief period of time, 13 Mar 1865 to 30 Jun 1865, serving with the 24th Michigan Infantry, Company H. This company originally mustered in on 15 Aug 1862; Eleazer joined toward the end of the war. I incorrectly assumed, at first, that he must have been drafted, having joined so late in the war. His Civil War records that my father obtained, however, state that he was a volunteer. During his brief deployment, he sustained a debilitating injury that affected him the rest of his life. The injury was recorded on a "Claimant's Statement of Service" filled out by Eleazer. He stated that his injury occurred at Camp Butler, Illinois, sometime in Apr 1865. Eleazer tells this story:

[I] was on Provost Marshall Staff and, in quelling a disturbance of parole soldiers, was hit on the hip with a club or brick or something else.

Eleazer doesn't signify right or left; however, on his "Declaration for Increase of an Invalid Pension," he states he has "a lame hip, which causes much suffering. My left side troubles me bad."

After his service, Eleazer went back to his native New York and took Julie Vader as his wife.

__________

William Edwin, who sometimes went by his middle name, was mustered in on 21 Nov 1861 at Camp Joe Holt in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 49th Indiana Infantry, Company K. He was only 16 and service was for three years. Unlike Abraham II, who lost his life, or Eleazer, who suffered a debilitating injury, William Edwin seemed to come through the war physically unscathed. He mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky 13 Sep 1865.

According to my father's records, the distance marched by the regiment during its term of service was 8,000 miles. Its most notable battle may have been The Siege of Vicksburg, which occurred 18 May - 04 Jul 1863. Abraham Lincoln referred to this event as "the key of the war." According to the Wikipedia article, "[the siege] cut off the Trans Mississippi Department... from the rest of the Confederate States, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two for the rest of the war."

Siege of Vicksburg
Public Domain via Wikipedia

William Edwin didn't return to Martin County and most likely stayed in Louisville or Fayetteville, where he met his wife, Annie Bragg. She lived with her parents. After they were married in 1869, the young couple moved to Michigan.

According to my dad's records, Annie, in 1923, stated that she has had "the constant care" of her husband. She must "aid him to dress and that his mentality is declining." She stated that his general condition is fast declining, "owing to his age and condition of a hip, which he fractured in 1914." This was on the application for William Edwin's pension from his Civil War days. Although he was not able to dress himself or "even put his stockings on or lace his shoes without assistance," Annie had help. William Edwin and Annie's youngest daughter, Grace, never married. She lived with her parents until they died. She was a stenographer and so likely was a huge help to her parents not only in the aid of her father but also in paying bills. Their other children, Charlotte and Frederick Warren were frequent visitors in their adulthood.

This blog posting would not be as informative without my late father's research and his acquisition of records that are now in my possession.

In memory of my parents, Rev. William "Lester" and Mary McLean Howard.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Dead Ends in Genealogy - I've Hit Another One!

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Dead Ends in Genealogy - I've Hit Another One!

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Nobody likes to be stuck in their family tree, but I most certainly am - all the time - and if you're my cousin, so are you. I wish our ancestors would have left more bread crumbs for us to pick up. And probably if you had asked them at that time, they would've scoffed at their great-grandchildren wanting to learn more about them.

What is frustrating about the world of genealogy is how complacent we - all of us - become with so-called "facts." I'm just as guilty as everyone else. For example, my family ran around in circles for years trying to solve the Joanna problem.

Here's the Joanna problem: Abraham Howard's first wife was Joanna. Joanna died young and after that, Abraham married Mary Ann Toles. Then I met my wonderful cousin, Greg, who is also from Abraham's line. And guess what? I realized his family was using the same equation for Abraham's brother, Elias. Elias's first wife was Joanna. Joanna died young and after that, Elias married Katy Vader.

Mystery solved and look how easy, but it wasn't easy until Greg told me it was. Abraham's first and only wife likely was Mary Ann Toles. Mary Ann outlived her husband. Joanna's stone in the graveyard says she was the wife of Elias.

How did this get so mixed up? Just that we're human and make up stories about everything, even if those stories are wrong.

One so-called "fact" is that Susanna Harwick's parents were Magdalena Meyer and Conrad Harwick. My theory is that they're likely related somehow, but these two just aren't old enough to be Susanna's parents. It's not that that it isn't a possibility, but it feels quite doubtful, especially since we have the baptismal records, and they just don't match up. I spent the last few days working on a theory that Conrad Harwick was Susanna's brother, but I couldn't prove it and came to yet another dead end.

Ancestry uses algorithms to suggest potential parents to their users. Because so many people have Susanna's parents as Magdalena and Conrad, these are also Ancestry's recommendations for her parents. But it's just an algorithm. Nothing more.

Another route I've been working on is Godfrey Howard's friendship with the Brust family. What an interesting time to have lived, pre-Revolutionary War. I have read that some in the Brust family were loyalists, which means they were loyal to the crown, Great Britain. Godfrey was a Hessian soldier from Germany who was hired to fight in the Revolutionary War on the side of the U.S. After the war was over, many of the loyalists fled to Canada. Hessian soldiers also were outcasts. Did this friendship lead the two families together to escape their labels? Click on photos to enlarge

1767 Map of Rensselaerswyck
Public Domain, via Wikipedia

Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Public Domain, via Wikipedia

I've also been reading, studying, and trying to understand Rensselaerwyck. This is the area where Godfrey Howard originally lived in New York. It was a large tract of land given to the Van Rensselaer family. The Van Rensselaer family then leased the land to farmers and were kind and generous landlords. Did Godfrey lease land from the Van Rensselaer family? I have yet to find any evidence that he did, but it is an extremely interesting study. Hopefully it doesn't lead to another dead end!

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Lyon Family Researchers - BEWARE!

The Lyon Family of Martin County, Indiana

Lyon Family Researchers - BEWARE!

A Comparison of Two Different Samuel Lyons

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Samuel Lyon (1781 - 23 Jun 1860)

Sources for date of birth: 1850 census and Find-A-Grave, which can be a useful tool but also can be unreliable.

Source for date of death: Find-A-Grave, not finding him on 1860 census, and wife, Amelia, living with son in 1860.

Place of birth: Unknown, but certainly New Jersey.

Place of death: Stockholm, Sussex, New Jersey.

Father: Isaac C. Lyon.

Samuel Lyon (1780 - 14 Jan 1860) 

Source for date of birth: U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule.

Source for date of death: Ohio, Wills and Probate, U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule and Find-a-Grave.

Place of birth: New Jersey.

Place of death: Miami County, Ohio.

Father, according to Ancestry member family tree: Matthias Lyon.

While trying to find more information about Samuel Lyon, Joel Lyon's grandfather, my lines kept getting crossed with the Ohio Samuel Lyon. I thought for a while they were one and the same person. When I found the Ohio Samuel Lyon's will, however, I was able to construct his family and realized these two men are very different people.

I have been trying to crack the case of our Samuel Lyon's wives, too. One wedding record in New Jersey has Samuel Lyon marrying Nancy Farber. And maybe Sarah Farber. And also Sally Farber. And then I found Sarah Farber also in Miami County, Ohio, not married? She's still living with her parents in 1860 and died in 1865. But this isn't OUR Sarah Farber, if we indeed have a Sarah Farber.

Me: Tearing my hair out.

I just want to know about our Samuel Lyon, and now I'm not sure of anything!

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

  

Geneology Before Technology

Genealogy Tips

Genealogy Before Technology

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog post was updated 20 Aug 2021

I'm looking through my father's records, amazed. Oh, the theories that went back and forth between my father, his sister, and others who were early Howard researchers.

I remember doing a bit of genealogy in the 1970s when thinking about writing a history of Monticello, Indiana, the town where I grew up. It was grueling. Hours in front of the microfilm, looking at every single name on the census record, hoping against hope that the person you were researching was at the very beginning of the file or that the file was small. Or that your eyes hadn't glossed over thereby missing the information needed. We had no search engines. We were the search engines! Click on photos to enlarge

Book kindly sent to me concerning John Harbolt from Monticello, IN

Information was slow and hard to come by, especially if a person lived far away from the area they were researching. Instead of looking up records on-line, a genealogist would have to send away for records and usually for a fee. Afterward, they would have to wait for weeks and weeks until finally the new information arrived in the mailbox. Maybe the new information was a break-through. Many times, unfortunately, it wasn't.

On one of my several research visits to Monticello, which is 5 hours away from my home, I was, as usual, excited. What interesting information would I find? I had invested much into taking this trip, but it was only for 2 days. I should've called ahead. (Maybe I did. It's not like me to not plan everything.) When I got to the library on the second day to search through microfilm, I was asked to leave. The preschoolers were there for their movie. I begged the librarian to let me stay, but she wasn't having any of it. So much for that.

My first day was spent at the Monticello (White County) Historical Society, which was wonderful. A tip if you're planning a trip, though, definitely call ahead. A later trip to Indiana State Historical Society was also productive as, indeed, most trips to historical societies go well.

A great genealogical tool available in on-line places at Google Books or Archive.org, for example, are the various county histories written in the early part of the 20th century. Many of these books were out-of-print in the 1970s and now are freely available on-line! If my memory is correct, I paid $22 for a History of White County, Indiana, where Monticello is the county seat. What a treasure trove of information! This volume is now available free-of-charge at books.google.com. Go specifically to books.google.com and type in "History of White County, Indiana" and BOOM! It comes up as the first choice. Try this for the county where your ancestor lived. You might find out some stuff about them that you didn't know before!

One way of making your ancestors come to life is to make a timeline of things that happened during their lifetime, such as wars, presidents, epidemics, weather or even just when the county fair was that year. These early histories can help a lot in building such a timeline. If you use the Life Story feature in Ancestry, they try to do this, but its better when you do it for yourself.

As a funny aside, John Harbolt, the man from Monticello I was researching, it was said in the History of White County, Indiana, that he "went west to die." Ahhhh. When I first stumbled upon Find-A-Grave nearly forty years later, on a whim, I looked up his grave. I found out that John Harbolt had gone to Kansas. I contacted the person who made the Find-A-Grave page, and she laughed. White County history states that he "went west to die." Their history states he "left the east so he could live." And live he did. He took a wife, who apparently was the life of the party, and had children.

John Harbolt's brother, Billy.
Courtesy of White County Historical Society

One regret is that we had a family who went to our church in Monticello who was descended from the Harbolt family. I didn't realize it, though, until many years later. Too bad. But it is something to keep in mind should you pick up fresh research. You might actually be socializing with people related to the person you're researching.

Facebook is also a great place to connect with all those cousins you're bound to find through your research. This has been the most rewarding part of being a family genealogist.

Back to my father's records. Dad's sister had written letter after letter to the Wyoming County, New York Historical Society. I think the society may have gotten tired of the many inquiries. Many letters back to her started with "I'm sorry it has taken so long to respond to your latest inquiry. We really have nothing more we can tell you about your ancestors."

In particular, it seems the Howard family was quite interested in the fate of George Washington Howard. His family is all together on the 1850 and 1860 census records, but he isn't with them. He appeared later in Michigan. Theories abounded. Did he change his name? Perhaps the family is mistaken in whose family he really belongs. One theory - I kid you not - was that one of our forebears "turned into George Washington Howard." Another person turned into George Washington Howard? Abracadabra!

Another example is our forebear John G. Howard. For some reason, my family decided to rename him Jacob Howard, because they had found a Jacob Howard in the 1810 and 1820 New York census records. I found John Howard in the 1810 and 1820 census records living in Grafton, New York, the place where our John Howard lived. The new technologies and applications allow us to do this work quickly and easily.

I'm in the process of reading through all the letters, and if they're just conspiracy theories, they're getting shredded. I don't want to be the bearer of falsehoods. I understand the speculation, particularly in the era prior to technology when records were so difficult and many times expensive to come by. I'm sure it was fun to ask all the questions, no matter how stupid some of them were, in the end. They have no place in our modern era of genealogical research, though. Questions, certainly. Theories, yes. Conspiracies? Definitely not.

It was truly the voice of reason that stated, calmly, George Washington Howard left his home at the age of 14, because he didn't get along with his stepmother.

My relatives went back and forth and back and forth trying to figure out what happened to George Washington Howard. I'm grateful that someone knew the answer, but getting to that answer was truly overwhelming. And unnecessary.

I'm still looking for George Washington Howard in the 1850 and 1860 census and also for Henry Albert Howard in the 1860s. I may  never find them but it won't be for lack of trying. In the meantime, however, no speculation is required.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

The Orphan Boy - Abraham Frank Howard III

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Abraham Frank Howard III (1859-1925) The Orphan Boy
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This blog post was updated 29 Apr 2022.

I used to feel sorry for Frank Howard, the orphan boy. You see, Frank's mother died shortly after he was born in Iowa. Frank's father, Abraham II, and Frank's uncle, who lived with them, along with the baby, made their way back to their parent's home outside of Loogootee in Martin County, Indiana. Surely both sons were devastated.

It wasn't even a year later that Abraham II enrolled as a Union soldier in the United States Civil War, leaving his infant son in the care of his parents, Abraham I and Mary Ann Toles Howard. Abraham II was killed in the Battle of Antietam 17 Sep 1862. Therefore, the orphaned boy never knew either one of his parents.

A short time later, in 1864, Grandfather Abraham I died, leaving Grandmother Mary Ann a widow at the age of 50. After this, Mary Ann petitioned the court to adopt Abraham Frank Howard. She also applied for Frank to have his father's Civil War pension. It was $8.00/month.

Frank's grandmother, Mary Ann, had another set of grandchildren, too, Ella and Emory Howard. These children belonged to Henry Howard and his first wife, Elizabeth Smith. After the birth of these two children, Henry took a different wife and had other children with her. When Henry died in 1872, Ella and Emory were outta there. I haven't for sure tracked Emory down, but Ella went to Vincennes, Indiana, where her great aunt, Mary Jane, lived. Ella's grandmother, Mary Ann, and Abraham Frank III went with her.

My late father's research looses the trail after Mary Ann left Loogootee with her grandchildren. I don't understand this when it comes to Ella, as she is easily tracked. Unfortunately, by the time I had become interested in my family's genealogy and could talk with my father about Ella, he had already forgotten most of what he had previously known.

In the 1880 census, Mary Ann was in Mount Morris, Michigan, living with Frank and, down the road from her, was her other granddaughter, Ella Howard, now Ella Ellis! But where were Mary Ann and Frank in 1870? Ancestry couldn't tell me.

We knew that Mary Ann had remarried a man by the name of McAlpine, due to Frank's court records that listed her as Mary McAlpine. She was also listed on the 1880 census as Mary McAlpine. Because of that, using FamilySearch.org, I did a search of the 1870 Michigan federal census for Mary Ann McAlpine along with the person of Frank Howard. Bingo. There she was as the wife of Peter McAlpine living in Watertown, Tuscola, Michigan. Frank Howard is listed at the bottom of the family, age 11, the correct age. Ancestry's perimeters doesn't list Frank Howard as living in the same household, due to his last name being different from the rest, so he got lost on Ancestry. Family Search many times is the superior tool for researching.

Knowing that Mary Ann married Peter McAlpine, her marriage certificate was easily found on Ancestry. This document notes Mary Ann as being Mrs. Mary Ann Howard from Loogootee, Indiana.

As previously noted, in 1880, Mary Ann and Frank are back in Mount Morris Michigan, living down the street from Ella. But where did they go after that? And what happened to the poor orphan boy, Frank Howard?

We have no 1890 census records, so using Family Search, I searched for Frank Howard in 1900. And one came up! YAY! Not in Mount Morris but in nearby Clio, Michigan. Even better, it correctly shows his father as being born in New York. And, he has a son named Rainie. Frank's mother's maiden name was Raney. It shows his name as Abraham Frank Howard, the same name as his father. It also shows his being born in Iowa, and his birth date was correct. It all adds up.

On other censuses, it doesn't add up quite so well, but census records can sometimes be a little sketchy; you can't always trust them. Mostly, though, it makes perfect sense that Abraham Frank Howard is our Frank Howard, especially that his father and grandfather were both Abrahams.

Frank's death certificate states he was born in Vincennes and his mother's name was Martha Raney. Frank was definitely born in Iowa and his mother definitely was Eliza Jane Raney. Wonder where the name of Martha came up in the memories of his children? Mary Ann and Frank sojourned in Vincennes, Indiana, a few years before heading off to Michigan, so Frank's children may have thought he was born in Vincennes.

When doing genealogy, it's so easy to project feelings onto your ancestors. Ahhh.... poor Frank. But Frank wasn't poor at all. Growing up, he had his grandmother and his Aunt Ella. Not sure what happened those few years his grandmother was with Peter McAlpine, though. How was that time for him living with another family?

Other than that, it appears he lived a good, normal life. He took a wife, had children and apparently several occupations: On the 1880 census, he is listed as a barber; 1900, merchant; 1910, funeral director; and 1920 real estate agent! We know that he actually was all of these things. To read more, go here. (Opens in a new window)

In memory of my late father and mother, Rev. William "Lester" Howard and Mary McLean Howard.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Indiana's Historic Pathway Is Scenic, Especially through Martin County, IN

The Travel Blog

Indiana's Historic Pathway is Scenic, Especially through Martin County, Indiana

Note: You can see larger images by clicking on the image you want to view.

____________________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Martin County's treasures are abundant, including its breathtaking scenery at every turn. Consider a road trip on U.S. 150 that runs from Loogootee to Shoals, Indiana, and then onward to twin towns of West Baden/French Lick. Click on photos to enlarge

U.S. 150 enters hilly Loogootee as flat farmland.

U.S. 150 enters Loogootee, IN, running concurrently with U.S. 231 and another historic route, U.S. 50.

The routes run together until the main intersection of Loogootee at JFK Avenue where U.S. 231 runs north and U.S. 150 and 50 run east.

The road running from Loogootee to Shoals, which is the county seat of Martin County, is fabulous.

It is a spectacular drive, especially when you go down that hill and it opens up into a valley. It's magical.

Keep driving and taking in all the beauty of the hills, valleys and plains.

Before crossing the bride into Shoals, you might want to veer right onto Capital Avenue. This street comes up as soon as you pass the Pilgrim Holiness Church that my great-uncle John Carroll founded. The Martin County Museum is housed in the old courthouse on Capital Avenue. This beautiful building was built in 1876 to replace the old one that had burned down. It now houses the Martin County Historical Society and Museum.

Upon arriving in the charming town of Shoals, you will cross the East Fork of White River. Its so breathtaking.

Shoals was platted in 1844 under the name of Memphis. I've heard different theories as to how the name Shoals came about, but I don't know which stories are true.

On you're right, before you to turn right on U.S. 150, you might want to pull into the iconic Bo-Macs for burgers and fries. You might then want to stop at the Marathon next door for gas and a restroom break. Be sure to turn right at the intersection, though. If you go straight, it'll take you to Bedford. We want to end up in the twin towns of West Baden and French Lick, so turn right, staying on US 150.

As you begin down this road, you'll notice heavily wooded areas. One of my best friends here in Evansville, Indiana, worked at a lumber yard for many, many years. He supplied many of the merchants in Martin, Daviess, and Spencer Counties in Indiana with lumber products.

Bob Tedrow is one of those buyers: "I purchased many loads of lumber from your friend. I would often spend an hour a week talking to him on the phone, we got to be very good friends." He continued, "As you travel Hwy. 150 there are many curves and hills, some of the “old timers” say the highway was built this way on purpose to make you slow down and take in all the scenery."

Beautiful scenery, indeed!

The next landmark is called Singing Hill. My great-uncle John Carroll, the great Pilgrim Holiness pastor, helped to build this Holiness Campground. I don't know much about it's history, but I'll bet it's interesting!

Look at that old gas station! I love old buildings. Always try to envision what they looked like in their heyday.

The road continues to be beautiful as we cross over from Martin County, Indiana to Orange County.

We'll soon be at the junction of US 150 and Indiana 56. Turn left to continue on US 150 onward to Paoli. Or turn right onto Indiana 56 to enter the beautiful twin towns of West Baden and French Lick. Get a room at either of the two grand hotels in the area and enjoy your stay!

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

______

Google Photos are used with permission by giving the proper attribution

Our Mysterious Howard: Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard (abt 1832 - aft 1858)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated August 30, 2021.

Elizabeth Nancy Smith Woody Howard has been such a puzzle for Howard family researchers. One of the reasons is that her last name was Smith. What a difficult name to research as it is one of the most common last name in the Unites States. Another reason is my immediate family's unusual history in Pilgrim Holiness, taking it a notch further. It sometimes feels that the criteria for being a part of this line is that the entire family must be holy, including our ancestors.

I don't believe our Howard line was particularly holy, including Abraham Howard I, Abraham Howard II, nor his son Henry, who was Elizabeth's husband. And by saying this, I'm not saying that these Howards were BAD people. Not at all! I just don't think they went to church, that's all. But perhaps that has nothing to do with our story, because Elizabeth is mysterious. We know very little about her, and it doesn't appear anyone else knows much about her, either. Again, Elizabeth Smith isn't a unique name.

Abraham Howard I was born in Grafton, New York. As a young man, he moved with his family from Grafton to then Genesee County, New York, now Wyoming County. Not his entire family but his father and mother, and his brothers Jacob and Elias. Jacob and Elias both became involved in The Free Will Baptist Church of Dale, New York and are listed next to each other in the 1850 census. Not so Abraham. Abraham settled in nearby Attica while the rest of his family stayed in Middlebury. It was said in a letter from the Middlebury Historical Society that Jacob and Elias were much more involved in church "than the other ones."

Abraham I broke with his family in his move to Martin County, Indiana, firstly settling in Shoals and then shortly later in Loogootee. Abraham and his wife, Mary Ann, along with their children, except for Joanna, arrived in Martin County in or around 1854.

When Ancestry came along, with their advanced tools, I linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, a potential first husband. It didn't feel like it could be true, but if so, she had 3 children with him, Samuel, John and Henry. Is it telling that her youngest son has the same name as her potential second husband? Unfortunately, I have Elizabeth's son Henry born the same year as Henry Howard and Elizabeth Smith's oldest, Ella, so, of course, that can't be correct, yet still, something doesn't quite add up.

When I started my public Ancestry tree, I once again linked Elizabeth Nancy Smith with Morris Woody, because, in essence, it fits. Even so, I almost deleted all the Woody's. But something stopped me and now more than ever, it feels that this union really happened.

Elizabeth Smith and Morris Woody married in 1850. In the 1850 census, they lived with Elizabeth's father, Samuel and mother Temperance Roberts Smith, in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. Living with parents after first getting married was common place at this time. Their first son, Samuel, was born about 1850, John in 1853 and Henry in 1856. However, the tree overlaps as Elizabeth married Henry Howard in 1854.

According to the 1870 census, Elizabeth and Henry's daughter, Ella, was born in New York in 1856. Their son, Emory was born in 1858 in New York.

I doubled my efforts to locate Henry Howard in the 1860 census. I looked through all the relatives and all their 1860 census records and did not find him. I couldn't find Elizabeth, either. I then decided to look at the Perry County, Martin, Indiana 1860 census. The rest of the Howard family is there as is Samuel Smith, Elizabeth's father. But here we see that Elizabeth's father is no longer married to Elizabeth's mother, Temperance. He is instead married to a different Elizabeth. I realized then I have Temperance's death date as prior to 1860 and the ages and names of the children all add up. Abraham Howard is family number 60, Samuel Smith 61 and there at family number 64 is the Crays family. Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861.

One last conundrum about our mysterious Elizabeth. On her Martin County marriage certificate to Henry Howard, her name is listed as Elizabeth Smith, not Elizabeth Woody. Although in that time, you could tell people any name you wanted. No background checks! No secure IDs!

When younger, I'd listen to my father banter about our genealogy and many times he would ask, "Did Elizabeth Smith die?" And I would think, "Let's not jump to conclusions!" But... maybe she did. Perhaps she died in childbirth with Emory. Childbirth was one of the number one causes of death in women at that time. And, after her death, Henry would've been forced to reunite with his Martin County family in order to have childcare. Click on photos to enlarge

Shoals Overlook
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

I don't know why Samuel Smith brought his family from Lawrence County to Martin County. Abraham and Samuel go all the way back to when the Howard family first landed in Martin County, as he sold Abraham land along the gorgeous Overlook at Shoals, overlooking the East Fork of White River. But in the 1860 census, Abraham Howard and family are no longer in Shoals and Samuel Smith and family are no longer in Spice Valley. Instead, the two families are together just outside Loogootee. Henry and Elizabeth are nowhere to be found, and my family has been searching through census records for years without success.

Was this a scandalous love affair between Henry and Elizabeth? I think yes. Was Henry in on it? I think yes. He may have even been the instigator. Or she. What did his father Abraham and her father Samuel think? What did her husband Morris think? We may never know the answer, but if we had the answers, it would make a great story!

One reason it feels this was a scandal is that the couple went to New York. We know this, because their two children were born in New York. Were they banished there by their family? Were they banished there by the community? Did Henry's second wife, Nancy Crays, know about this? Well, Henry came back to Martin County with two children, so she knew at least that he likely had been married once.

In the 1860 census, Elizabeth's first husband Morris is living with the Dickerson Family in Spice Valley, Lawrence, Indiana. The three children are living with the William Woody family in Halbert Township, Martin County, Indiana. In the 1870 census, Morris Woody had married Nancy Chastain, had a little girl, Ellen, and the three boys are back together with their father and stepmother.

Henry married Nancy Crays in 1861. He did not fight in the Civil War and most likely never left Martin County again. He died in 1872 of tuberculosis. Upon his death, his daughter with Elizabeth, Ella, moved to Vincennes with her grandmother. We do not know Emory's fate. The last we hear from him is on the 1870 census with his step-family.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Do Not Believe Your Family's Twisted Story

Benjamin W. Carroll Family Line

Do Not Believe Your Family's Twisted Story

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 30 Aug 2021

My family tree has more twisted stories and lies. This is the one thing that saddens me about genealogy, but undoubtedly, every tree is filled with lies and varying degrees of twistedness simply because we're human beings each with our own filters.

Blood of My Ancestor was written to set the story straight about Joel Lyon's role in the murder of his wife and to clear his good name. He had previously been falsely accused of murder by my family and other families as well. Joel was the husband of my 2x grandaunt Adaline Cannon.

The story of Joel Lyon that my family likes to spin starts with "Joel was Catholic and Adaline was Protestant." This was happy news for the author in me, because it meant I'd get to write about the differences between Catholic and Protestant and to do so in a positive light. Because Adaline most likely would not have been taught about Catholicism in her girlhood, this became a great part of their story. Imagine her curiosity with Joel to begin with and then to learn his faith was so much different than hers.

About a month ago, I learned that even this, this small piece of the story another grandaunt had written down on paper was false! Author Beth Willis, who has chronicled so much of the history of Stockholm, New Jersey, from whence Joel came, told me that Joel was most likely Methodist. I posted this on Facebook -- like, can you believe it? And Joel's granddaughter replied:

I know that my grandfather was Methodist, because as a kid I would ride with him to church sometimes. And I was baptized Methodist when I was a kid.

Seriously, though? The whole damn story written about Joel Lyon in my family's records was false to its very core. "Joel was Catholic and Adaline was Protestant" needs to be changed to "Joel was Methodist and so was Adaline." Then again, that one sentence would blow up the whole story that begins with Joel baptizing their new infant son as a Catholic behind Adaline's back.

I recently learned more about a different story that had only been heard in passing. The story was so crazy, it didn't even sink in. My father started the story by saying, "I understand that John Cannon was an atheist." John Cannon was my 2x great-grandfather. The story was so preposterous to me, I didn't even want to hear it, which made my father realize that it wasn't true. Thankfully, he stopped telling that story. Years later, my dear cousin said he had heard his father preach about how my great-grandmother, John Cannon's daughter, who birthed and reared my grandfather, was an infidel. An infidel!

I grew up in a legalistic household with lots of rules that must be kept in order to find favor with God. That upbringing made this word infidel conjure up feelings of vilification and shame. My great-grandmother, Hester Cannon Howard, however, was not an infidel. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and brought her children up the same. This was confirmed in her obituary that stated "from girlhood, she was a consistent adherent to the faith." We know that after she moved from Mount Calvary to within the city limits of Loogootee, Indiana, she attended the Methodist Church there in Loogootee. Prior to that, she attended Mount Calvary Methodist Episcopal.

I admit, sometimes I put my great-grandmother on a pedestal. Mostly, though, I just hold her in high esteem. Why not? She owned her own business and ran it successfully. She was a single mother, and she had spunk. Another uncle, one who had known her in real life, told me she had spunk. He said it with the most beautiful smile on his face. He was proud of her, for sure. Click on photo to enlarge.

Hester Howard on the left at her home in Loogootee, IN
Carolyn Ann Howard family collection

I have a theory how this story about Hester got started. You see, Hester had two boys with her husband, Billy, who died of tuberculosis shortly after their births. She was protective of them, and they of her. Her eldest son fought in World War I and, after that, he moved to Binghamton, New York, escaping her protection. Earl was 31 when he married, and he stayed in Binghamton the rest of his life.

Once Earl had moved, Hester only had her youngest son, Rodolphus, who went by Dolph, to help her on the truck farm, with their boarding rooms, and whatever needed to be done around the home. Hester's parents were gone, and her sister and best friend was gone - murdered brutally in cold blood. I'm sure Hester really relied on Dolph.

When Dolph turned 30, he married my grandmother, Grace Carroll. As was the custom in those days, the couple lived with my great-grandmother for about a year before setting up their own household. The two women did not get along. Not even a little.

I knew my grandmother well. She was excessively religious and felt rules needed to be followed in order to achieve holiness. Her father also was an extremely religious man. Her half-brother, John Carroll, was the founder of four Pilgrim Holiness churches in Martin County - Burns City, Mount Zion, Poplar Grove and Shoals, as well as the Pilgrim Holiness campground called "Singing Hill."

Singing Hill in Shoals, Indiana
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Rules were the order of the day. No pants for the girls. No dice. No playing cards. No board games. No laughter. Children do not talk. No make-up. No cutting hair. The rules were crushing. To make things worse, my grandmother attended the Methodist Church in Loogootee, and I knew these weren't Methodist beliefs, so it made absolutely no sense! The fact that her heritage as Pilgrim Holiness was never discussed led me to realize that she was a Pilgrim Holiness cleverly disguised as a Methodist.

In my grandmother's eyes, surely I'd be an infidel. I drink wine. I wear pants. I wear make-up. I use dice in my piano classroom to play music games with my students. It is doubtful that Hester drank or wore pants or make-up or even played with dice, but she had spunk and could stand up for herself, that is for sure. My uncle told me a man was harassing her, so she threw a tomato right in his face. He told me that with the same proud smile.

It's so easy to make up stories about the dead, whether those stories are true or false, good or bad. Your job as a genealogist is to sort through the data you have and make informed observations, backing that up as much as possible with eyewitness statements, newspaper clipping, and other documentation. It's also good to make sure everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC