Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

 John Heinrich Pfingston Family Line

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston was born, he stated on his World War II draft registration, on "Green River Island" in Kentucky in 1882. That already is interesting. Located on the banks of the Ohio River, it may have been, at one time, an actual island. Present day, however, it is home to Ellis Park Racing and is the area just before you cross the south bridge taking you over the Ohio River into Henderson, Kentucky.  The area before you get to the Twin Bridges feels like Indiana, but it is definitely Kentucky. In fact, in 1890, Indiana sued Kentucky for the land, resulting in a Supreme Court hearing. The Supreme Court sided with Kentucky, stating that the river's ebb and flow throughout the years had caused boundaries to be changed physically. [1] Click on photos to enlarge.

Looking North from The Twin Bridges
Ellis Park is in the background
The Ohio River is on the left
Photo Courtesy Google Maps
Proper Attribution Given

Pop, as he was affectionately known, was the son of John Lewis Pfingston and Emma Beach. Two years prior to his birth, in the 1880 census, John Lewis and Emma lived with quite a conglomeration of people. On the 1880 census, we have as head of the family William Beach, Pop's grandfather, listed as a farmer, along with his wife and 6 children. After that are 2 borders, whose occupation was "works on farm." Then we have Pop's father, John Lewis Pfingston, along with his wife and daughter. He was also listed as a farmer. Then Mary Reece, who was listed as a daughter, but she wasn't. She might have been a cousin. Then we have another boarder who "works on farm." The next family to be listed on the census is Lewis Beach, also listed as a farmer, along with his wife and children. That is why I think that the Pfingstons and the Beaches were working a huge farming operation. On a side-note, all of the adults are listed as being illiterate. Illiteracy was a huge problem at this time with the rural farmers, and they were embarrassed that they were unable to read or write. District schools would soon fix this problem for the younger ones.

The first document we have for Pop is the 1900 census record. The family was living in "Upper Henderson County." Pop's father, John Lewis, had done really well for himself, working his own big farm. They had 3 farmhands living with them. The two younger ones could read and write; the older one could not. However, each child has had 3 months of school, and everyone in the household, except for the younglings and the older farmhand, can read and write. Yay! Pop's dad rented the farm, but even so, he looks to be pretty successful.

On 02 Aug 1903, 21-year-old Pop married his second cousin, Flora Alice Vogt, who was 15. Their common ancestor was Pop's paternal great-grandfather, Johann Heinrich Pfingston. This man, according to other Ancestry family trees, came to Evansville, Indiana from Hannover, Germany. For my readers unfamiliar with my neck of the woods, Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana, and Henderson and the ghost town Scuffletown, Kentucky are all so close together, that today they are adjacent to each other. The only thing that separates the Indiana and Kentucky cities is the Ohio River. And so, the Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson and Scuffletown Pfingstons all are descended from Johann Heinrich Pfingston, as far as I have been able to tell. Flora, who was lovingly called Mom, and Pop's marriage announcement was posted in the Evansville Journal. It is quite likely that they lived with Flora's mom, as was the custom at that time. She lived, funnily enough, on Lover's Lane, close to Green River Road, very near to the Ohio River.

By the time of the 1910 census, Pop and Mom were in Scuffletown, Indiana with the rest of the rabble. It is funny how Pop's brother, John Louis Pfingston, spoke so fondly of the place where he grew up and how not so fondly my mother remembered it.

I've written about Scuffletown before on this blog, the main post being here. (Link opens in a new window.) It was a drinking town, a rowdy, rambunctious, drinking town full of riverboat men. My grandmother bragged about how much alcohol was sold in their store - well, it wasn't their store. They ran it, but it belonged, as did most everything in Scuffletown, to one man: Will Dempewolf. The Pfingstons ran the ferry that went back and forth from Scuffletown to Indiana at a place called Cyprus Beach, where the impressive Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand. And with that, many of my relatives on my mother's side were at Scuffletown, making their livings, laughing, learning at the new school, and, for my mother, somehow being traumatized. She took her refuge with Mom and Pop.

From L to R
Mom, my grandmother Anna Bell, my mom, Pop
On the front porch of my grandmother's house
In or around 1957
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop did what all young men were required to do in 1917, he registered for the draft. On his draft registration, he stated he lived in Reed, Kentucky, which is very close to Scuffletown. Since he was a farmer, this makes sense that he didn't live "in town." For his next-of-kin, he didn't list his wife but his mother, Emma. Interesting. His height was 5' 6" with brown hair and dark eyes.

Pop lost two sisters after this, Sally in November, 1918, and Hattie in February, 1919. I don't have any information on Sally, but Hattie died from peritonitis from a ruptured gall bladder, according to her death certificate. My mind immediately goes to the Spanish Flu anytime an ancestor has died between the years 1918-1920.

In the 1920 census, Pop and Mom were still at Scuffletown. The census record says "Point." That was another name for the town at that time. They are there with their children: Ellwood, my grandmother Anna Bell, Harry, and Owen. A daughter, Hazel, had already died in infancy. Poor Mom. Pop was still farming.

Pop's father, John Lewis, died 07 Jan 1924 at the age of 65 of stomach cancer. This was so common at the time. Canned goods, lack of refrigeration, and lack of government regulation over foods were just part of the problem. After his father's death, Pop's mom, Emma, moved permanently into the home of her daughter, Percie, who lived in Evansville.

In the 1930 census, we learn from that "E" in the column "work class," that Pop ran his own farm. The "E" stands for "employer." He's there on the census with Mom and just Owen. Anna Bell and Harry are married by now, but where is Ellwood? Here's the census record problem with Ellwood. In the 1910 census, it shows him as being born in the 1906-1907 time frame. But then in 1920, it shows him as being born in the 1916-1917 time frame. My only guess is that the census enumerator misunderstood Ellwood's age, that he was 15 and not 5 in 1920, and that his birth date of 22 Nov 1906 is absolutely correct. Ellwood wasn't there in 1930, because he was married and out on his own. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

L to R: Pop, Mom, Mom's Sister, Daughter Anna Bell
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Mom and Her Sister
1961
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Big changes were in store for the residents of Scuffletown, for it had been decided in 1932 to build a bridge between Evansville, IN and Henderson, KY. Most everyone was excited about the bridges, the Evansville Courier and Journal touting that, because of the bridges, "[Evansville] Now Nerve Center of Great Economic Empire." [2] According to Bob Schaub, quoted by Brad Awe in the University of Southern Indiana's Archives, Evansville's county of Vanderburgh contributed one-fourth of the cost needed to construct the bridges. Indiana put up another fourth. The bridge, in it's entirety, is located in Kentucky. The total cost of the bridge: $2,142,876. [3] 

I'm guessing the Twin Bridges might be what drove Pop Pfingston and his three sons to Evansville, for by 1933, they were all in a house together at 505 N. Weinbach Avenue. And it could be that they needed his farmland for the bridges. I'm just speculating here. I don't know what goes into building bridges and how much land is required. But I do know that Pop and his boys came to Evansville. The sons got jobs at the refrigerator factory called Servel. Pop had various jobs listed in the city directories that we have of that decade between the 1930s and 40s: laborer, carpenter, farmer. My feeling is that he was helping to take care of his mother, who lived with his sister, Percie, just a mile away at 1121 E. Virginia Street. She lived so close that he could've walked. I don't know which one of them owned the house on Weinbach, whether it was Pop or one of his sons.

Early in the year of 1937, the Ohio River overflowed, flooding our four sister cities, Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson, and Scuffletown. It has been said that this flood was the death of Scuffletown. Pop's brother, John Louis, worked tirelessly through the night transporting people and animals on his ferry from Scuffletown to Newburgh. His transcribed interview is here. (Link opens in new window.) According to a Wikipedia article on that great flood, the water at Evansville rose to 54 feet. I know that Pop had a boat, because he was an avid fisherman. I don't know if he kept it at his house, but I hope he did so that he could get around. What a heartbreak that must have been, especially the harrowing rescue his brother did at Scuffletown. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Franklin Street Evansville After the Flood
Courtesy Historic Evansville via USI Special Collections

Pop in Boat
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop's mother, Emma, died 02 Oct 1937 at the age of 76 of myocardial degeneration or heart disease, another turning point for Pop, a substantial one really. In the 1938 directory, he was listed as a carpenter, but in the 1939, he was listed once again as a farmer. I believe his thoughts were turning back to Scuffletown. There seemed to be somewhat of a revival after the 1937 flood. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for all involved, but Pop did move back to Scuffletown. He was there in the 1940 census with Mom and also with his Uncle John Beach. Pop was listed as a "merchant" in the "grocery." John was listed as a "boatman" of "ferry." The Cypress Beach Ferry of John Louis Pfingston (also owned by Dempewolf) had been bought out by the Owensboro (Kentucky) Bridge Commission after the installation of it's own bridge across the Ohio River to Indiana. They wanted to reduce competition. The Bridge Commission protested the opening of the Scuffletown Ferry Company of Henderson, but they were shot down. Pop's son, Harry, was living with his wife - just them, no brothers - at the home on Weinbach Avenue. Ellwood had moved to Mt. Vernon, Indiana, to a farm. Owen was with his wife at their home 3318 E. Chandler in Evansville.

On Pop's 1942 draft registration for World War II, he stated that he lived in Reed, Kentucky. His emergency contact - and maybe it had to be someone outside of your own household - was his son, Harry, whom he stated lived at 505 N. Winebauch [sic, but I thought it was really cute]. He stated that he was a self-employed merchant at Scuffletown, Kentucky. He was 5' 5-1/2" tall, weighed 165 pounds with gray hair, gray eyes, and sallow complexion. He also wrote that his right arm was crooked. I wonder why. Maybe he broke it at an earlier age?

And this is where we run out of records, for the last is the 1950 U.S. Federal Census. I decided to comb the newspapers once more to see if I could find anything else. The only thing I did find was that Scuffletown again flooded in 1945. That may of been the end of Scuffletown for Pop and Mom and everyone else. In the 1950 census record, Pop and Mom are listed with their son, Harry, along with his wife and two children. They are located at Green River Road in Evansville close to Pollack Avenue, near the river. Pop was once more listed as a farmer and Harry was working at Servel Refrigeration. Both Pop and Harry were marked with "P" codes, which meant they worked for someone else. Harry was a foreman working 40 hours/week. Pop worked 30 hours.

And that's it for the documentation on Ancestry. But these are my great-grandparents, and I was born before they died, so I know a few things. Mom had rheumatoid arthritis, and her fingers were crooked and deformed, according to my mother. She died in 1967 of a rare condition called subarachnoid hemorrhage, a bleeding of the brain. It presents as a severe headache and help must be gotten right away. It was probably over quickly. Rheumatoid arthritis was given as a secondary cause of death.

Pop and Mom standing outside their cottage
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Back to the 1950s. I don't know the timeline or how it was maneuvered exactly, but my maternal grandfather - if I understand correctly - did something astounding. He purchased a tract of land across from where the new Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand and divided it. A parcel for a church. A parcel for Pop and Mom, two for Harry, and then another to the Mortimers. He moved a small cottage to the land for Pop and Mom to live in. Harry pulled a trailer in and built an addition on the back. I'm not sure if any money exchanged hands, but I'm guessing it did. My grandfather built his permanent home in or around 1953. Harry lost his job at Servel when they went out of business in 1957. Owen, who also worked for Servel, moved to California and Ellwood stayed in Mt. Vernon.

I don't have any memories of my great-grandmother Mom, but I have one of Pop. That was after he went to the nursing home. He wanted me to sit on his lap, and I absolutely refused. I was terrified of him, and as a probable 5-year-old at the time, it is totally understandable. Pop died 13 Nov 1967 at Baker Nursing Home in Boonville, IN from heart failure. He was 85.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

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[1] Twelve Mile Circle. “Green River Island.” Twelve Mile Circle - An Appreciation of Unusual Places, 07 Jan. 2022, www.howderfamily.com/blog/green-river-island/. Accessed 23 Dec 2022.

[2] Foster, Fred. “Bridges Enable Evansville to Fulfill Destiny.” Evansville Courier & Journal, 03 July 1932, pg. 6.

[3] Awe, Brad. “Twin Bridges over the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana.” University Archives and Special Collections, University of Southern Indiana, https://digitalarchives.usi.edu/digital/collection/RLIC/id/25567/.

Theron Dodson Howard (1886-1943)

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Theron Dodson Howard (1886-1943)

A Union Carpenter Who Moved Around A LOT!
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Theron Dodson Howard was born 09 May 1886 to Merritt M. Howard and Emma Dodson in Wyoming County, New York. The first census record we have for Theron is the 1892 New York State census. In this census, its just Theron and his parents. His father was listed as a carpenter.

In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, Theron and his parents were at 35 Bank Street in Batavia. This address is now a parking lot. Amazingly, since pregnancy rates were high at that time, it is still just 14-year-old Theron with his parents. One might think that Emma had had several pregnancies that ended with a death, but, according to this census, she has had only one child, and that child was living. Theron's father, Merritt, was listed as a "day laborer." Theron was listed "at school." He was in the 9th grade.

In the 1905 New York Census, Theron was already 19! He was listed as a day laborer and his father as a builder. Emma was also on the census with them, listed as "housework."

By the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, the family was all still together and in a respectable neighborhood at 44 Tracy Avenue in Batavia. I doubt the house was purple back then, but it looks really nice. The parents Merritt and Emma were there and so was Theron and his new wife, Ethel Lizabeth Forbes. The patriarch, Merritt, was listed as a "contractor" of "house."  Theron's occupation was the same. Theron's new wife, Ethel, was listed as a "seamstress at home." Sweet! Also sweet was that Theron and Ethel had a new son, 2-year-old Edward Merritt Howard.

Present Day - 44 Tracy Avenue
Batavia, New York
Google Maps, Proper Attribution Given

The 1915 census is interesting in that Theron, Ethel, and Edward, aged 7, and new son Lawrence, aged 2, were living without Theron's parents. They were at West Main Street in Batavia. The parents were on Miller's Hill in Middlebury, New York. What happened?  I'm wondering if it had anything to do with Merritt's parents - Theron's grandparents - landing themselves in the poor house in nearby Bethany, New York. But no, they died in 1908 and 1909, so that couldn't be it, could it? Was there a beef between the parents and the son? I looked through all 11 pages of the Middlebury 1915 New York census, and it shows a lot of Dodsons and Howards there at the time. Middlebury was, after all, Merritt's hometown. On closer inspection, Batavia was just a stone's throw from Middlebury, so it wasn't all that outlandish. What is strange, though, is that Merritt's obit never mentions them living in Middlebury once they had moved away. Perhaps they were there visiting with friends when the census enumerator went by? Was he working as a contractor on some long-term project there and so just moved there temporarily?

On 12 Sep 1918, Theron did what all young men were required to do in the United States, and that was to fill out a draft card for the war. The young couple now lived in Leroy, New York, at 1 Elm Street. Theron stated that he was a carpenter working for John Adams. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. He was never drafted for World War I.

Present Day 1 Elm Street (on the left)
Leroy, New York
Google Maps, Proper Attribution Given

The father, Merritt - poor chap - died 01 Nov 1918 at the age of 57. Apparently, he had fallen off his bike and injured his head. Six weeks later, he was dead. According to his obit, he was working in Buffalo, New York, as a carpenter and died the next day after he had returned home. What a blow this must have been to the family.

Going back to Merritt's obit, though, it stated that he had lived in Leroy, New York "on Elm Street for some time." Wait a minute. In 1910, the family was together in Batavia. In 1915, Theron was in Batavia, and his father was in Middlebury. So the family moved together to LeRoy between the time of the census in June 1915 and May 1918. That is not "some time," is it?

In 1920, Theron hurt himself when he stepped on a needle that had become embedded in one of the family's rugs. Ouch! The needle still had thread in it, so the doc came over and tried to pull the needle out by the thread. That didn't work, because the thread broke. That needle must have been pretty deep. Poor Theron! He had to be taken to Batavia Hospital to have the needle located by x-ray and surgically removed. 

In the 1920 census, Theron was with his wife and two sons at 1 Elm Street. His mother, Emma, also lived with them. Theron was listed as a carpenter and his wife, Ethel, was listed as a dressmaker! The two boys were in school. Then, in 1921, he fell off a roof. He was working with another fellow, William Brown, when the ladder they were using gave way, and they fell 18 feet to the ground. Neither man had any broken bones or serious injuries. This occurred in Buffalo, New York.

In the 1925 New York State Census, everyone is still together at 1 Elm Street in Leroy. However, by 1930, they had moved to nearby Caledonia, New York. But then in 1935, they were back in Leroy! The census record states they lived at 54 Clay Street in Leroy, in a rented house. Theron was still listed as a carpenter and Ethel as a seamstress. 

Theron and Ethel's youngest son, Lawrence, got married in 1935 to a woman who was from Caledonia, Cecelia McLaughlin. The wedding announcement was short, so not much information there. It said that Theron and Ethel now lived on Lake Street in Leroy. That's so much moving around! Can you imagine moving that much? Their eldest son, Edward, was married in 1936.

Theron's mother, Emma, died in 1938. I could not find an obit. But this means that by the 1940 census, it is just Theron and his wife together.

In 1942, Theron once again filled out a draft card, this time for the Second World War. On this document, he listed his address as 522 24th Street, Niagara Falls, New York. Whew!! He listed his occupation as working for an Ordnance Plant in Model City, New York. If I understand correctly, this was an ammunition manufacturer for the U.S. Army. I'm pretty sure that he was a civilian working there. He has no military records associated with him on Ancestry, and they're pretty good about having at least some of those available.

But that's the end of the story for Theron, for he died 30 Apr 1943. The short obit doesn't state how or why, just that he died at St. Jerome's Hospital in Batavia, New York. His address, according to the obit, was 596 E. Main Street in Batavia. It also stated that he was a member of the AFL Carpenters and Joiners Union of Niagara Falls, New York. A union man! This might explain all the moving around.

Theron's wife, Ethel, died in 1964, but her story falls off Ancestry after the 1940 census. Her 1940 census record is the last document I was able to come up with at this time, save for an entry in the 1944 Batavia, New York City Directory. According to the directory, she was living at 12 Jackson Street and was employed at P. W. Minor & Son, a manufacturer of orthopedic shoes that is still in existence today. She died in 1964 and is buried with her husband in Grandview Cemetery in Batavia.

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Tracy Lee Howard, Myth Buster of the "Good Old Days" When There Was No Divorce Ever

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Tracy Lee Howard (1895-1947)

Myth Buster of the "Good Old Days" When There Was No Divorce Ever
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

The link between Michigan and New York for the Howard family has yet to be determined, at least by me, anyway. Tracy Lee Howard is another one of those Howards who was born in New York and went to Michigan. Tracy, however, eventually went back to New York after his third marriage.

Tracy was born 15 Aug 1895 in Middlebury, New York, and I'm told that this is a wonderful place in which to live. I'd love to visit sometime. Tracy's parents were Francis David Howard, who went by Frank, and Josephine Eldora Gay. Almost 7 years separate Tracy and his brother, Gordon, who was born in 1888. On the 1900 census, Tracy's father is listed as a "day laborer." It shows that his mom had had 2 children with 2 living. It also shows that his parents had been married 17 years.

That myth soon becomes broken when on the 1910 census. Tracy's mom, Josephine, was listed by herself with just Tracy, having been married 27 years. Her occupation is "house work." Tracy's occupation was listed as "none." Surely at the age of 14 he was in school, right? Yes, that's right. We see on the 1940 census that his highest education was 4 years of college. Tracy's father is on the page previous to Josephine, living with John Johnson and his family as a border. It shows his marriage as 27 years also, and that he is a painter and paper hanger. This is what my paternal grandfather did as his side hustle. Tracy's brother, Gordon, was out on his own, would be getting married the next year, 1911, and moving to Perry, New York, close to Middlebury.

This is where Ancestry lets us down. I wish more family stories were published, because documentation is simply not enough to really get to know your ancestors. The next document we have for Tracy is his marriage license to Barbara Hill on 01 Jun 1916. He's not in Middlebury anymore, either. He's now in Detroit, Michigan, and there's no way to find out why using Ancestry. No information on newspapers.com, either. Nor Family Search. No one has him on Wikitree, either, and I am the one who, during this course of study, made his Find-A-Grave memorial. Nevertheless, that's where he was in 1916: Detroit.

A clue might be dropped for us in 1913, however, for that is when his father, Frank, divorced his mother, Josephine. It was extremely difficult to get a divorce in New York in 1913, even though Frank had been living on his own for quite some time. It could be that the Howard relatives in Michigan enabled Frank to come to Michigan to get the divorce. Josephine, in the meantime, was living with a man named Myron Shay. I wish Ancestry would let us have a "partner" feature. I listed Myron Shay as her husband, even though they were never married. I know absolutely nothing about the relationship they may have had with each other, just that they lived together. Myron died in 1926. I couldn't find an obit.

Frank filed for divorce in Bay County, Michigan, 08 Nov 1912. It was granted to him 09 May 1913. Frank rightly claimed his reason for divorce was desertion. One scenario might be that his son, Tracy, tagged along and just decided to stay. It may be that Tracy met his first wife Barbara Hill there. They were married 01 Jun 1916. Meanwhile, Frank went back home to New York.

Tracy registered for the draft in 1917. He listed his occupation as auto mechanic. Oooooo! Pretty new occupation there! He worked for the Winston Motor Car Company, and we might now have the reason he moved to Detroit, the car capitol of the U.S. Wonder how or where he learned his mechanic skills?  He tried to dodge the draft by claiming his wife as a dependent. As this was the beginning of the whole draft system in the United States, that was a valid and legal excuse. Those Civil War wives surely had a difficult time when their husbands left them behind to fight in that bloody war. On Tracy's draft registration, it stated that he was of medium height, medium build with light blue eyes and dark brown hair. A picture would have been nice.

The whole wife thing didn't work out, though, for he was eventually drafted but not before filing for divorce 19 Aug 1917. Divorce was pretty frowned upon in 1917, nor was there such a thing as a no-fault divorce. The reasons for divorce had to be sensational, and they were. The alleged causes given in this Michigan document were things such as desertion, adultery, and extreme cruelty. It feels like it was a pick-from-this-list type of situation, and Tracy chose "extreme cruelty." This tells us nothing about Barbara's personality. The marriage just didn't work out, and that's probably all there is to it.

Tracy entered the military with the final rank of private serving on an Aero Squadron at the Aviation Repair Depot. Being a mechanic, he would have had a lot to offer in working on the newfangled airplanes. I don't know what his Squadron Number would have been. On his application for a military stone, it states he was in the 878, but this squadron was located in Dallas, Texas. His military record that is on Family Search states 87th, but this also was located in Texas. Another military card again states 878. I guess he could've gone to Texas; I have no documentation otherwise. It's just that on the application for the military headstone, it says New York, which is marked out with red pencil and corrected with Michigan. It's so interesting, though, the history of flight in the United States and how many advances were made on this new technology just because of that war. On another note, his rank on the application was "sergeant," marked out by that same red pen and corrected to "private."

As I was proofreading this story, I decided to go back and look once more at the headstone application. I noticed for the first time that his enlistment date was 27 Mar 1918 and his discharge date was 28 Mar 1918. Hmmmmm.

Tracy's divorce from Barbara Hill was granted 05 Mar 1919, and, in the city directory, he is listed as a machinist. He married again 23 Apr 1920 to a young woman from his hometown in New York named Frances J. Kerwin. I can't find Tracy on the 1920 census records, so I'm guessing he was traveling when the census enumerator went by, moving back home to New York. After their marriage, they settled down in Buffalo, New York, and Tracy became the manager of Liberty Auto Repair.

Liberty Auto Repair
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

What I think was Liberty Auto Repair
Courtesy Google Maps, proper attribution given

By 1923 things apparently weren't going so well at home. He eventually moved into an apartment above the shop, and Tracy's divorce from Frances was finalized in October 1925. I couldn't find the divorce records for this one, but the divorce was listed on Frances's marriage license when she married Arthur Snyder the following year. At first I was like, "Did Arthur even know she was divorced?" Because on their wedding announcement in the paper, she is listed as "Miss Frances J. Kerwin."

Funnily enough, Tracy had his first child when he was married to Frances. Virginia Mary Howard was born 19 Jun 1925. I have a feeling, though, that Virginia's mother was Tracy's third wife, Cecil McLouth. Again, Ancestry has no perimeters for this situation. We really don't know, do we? And so I listed Cecil McLouth as "unknown" mother, and I really hate that. Maybe I should just go ahead and change it to biological. Virginia claimed Cecil as her biological mother, and so probably should I?

I'm not sure why, but these two New Yorkers were married in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Tracy stated that he had only been married once before. I wonder which marriage he was denying. It would have to be the first one, right? Because I'm pretty sure Tracy was with Cecil prior to his divorce from Frances. At least this time, however, the marriage seemed to take.

After their marriage, it appears they may have lived above the auto shop for a while. In the 1930 census, however, Tracy, Cecil, and their two young daughters were living with a Paul Lua and his wife in Niagara Falls, New York. The youngest child of Tracy and Cecil's, Lois Jane, is listed first of the family as Paul's niece. The other three are listed below that as "lodgers." Weird. I poked around a little bit to see if I could figure out who this Paul Lua was, but without any luck, and it's not something I wanted to spend a lot of time on. At any rate, by the time of the 1934 Niagara Falls City Directory, the family was in a comfortable home in the suburbs and Tracy was listed as a salesman. Of cars perhaps?

By the 1940s census, Tracy has moved up in the world and the family was living in a nice brick bungalow on Memorial Parkway in Niagara Falls, New York. Tracy was listed as an accountant.

That's about all the documentation Ancestry has to offer on Tracy Lee Howard. He unfortunately died in 1947 at the young age of 51. By the time of the 1950 census, Cecil had already remarried. Their two girls lived into adulthood, were married, and each had children of their own.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

William Wallingford (1831-1902)

 Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

William Wallingford (1831-1902)
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

When I lived in Lost River Township in rural Shoals, Indiana, I was delighted that there was a cemetery on the property. A lot of people might think that's weird, but I love cemeteries. When I see a cemetery, I see stories that need to be told!

The cemetery on that beautiful farm is known by several names including Wallingford Cemetery, Walls Cemetery, and Walls Farm Cemetery.  This is a family cemetery with nine known entries recorded and five headstones. The cemetery most likely is with us to this day because of those stones. So many rural family cemeteries in the 1800s were lost because there were no tombstones. Wallingford Cemetery, fortunately, lives on!

According to the Martin County, Indiana Historical Society, the nine entries are: James F. Ballard, Hiram Evans, Infant Hall, Silvester Hall, Tillitha Hall, Charlotty Wallingford, Laura A. Wallingford, Mary Wallingford, and Tabethe Long Wallingford. If I understand correctly, the Wallingfords were the ones who lived on the property where I lived, and so I was super hype to learn more about them!

The patriarch of the Lost River family, William J. Wallingford, was born perhaps in Alabama or Tennessee, in December 1831 to John Wallingford and Ellen Cooper. William was a bit all over the place as far as where he lived. In the 1850 census, he lived with his parents and siblings in Crittenden County, Kentucky. He married Tabethe Long in 1852 in Daviess County, Indiana. His first three surviving children were all born in Tennessee. In the 1860 census, he is listed in both Gibson County, Tennessee with his wife and children, and then with his mother in Crittenden County. He was most likely visiting his mother when the census enumerator came by.

An event that affected many, many lives of those pioneers was the Civil War. Our William Wallingford enlisted as a private in the 65th Indiana Infantry on 01 Aug 1862 in nearby Washington, Indiana. Company F of the Indiana 65th were the men from Martin County. He, however, was in Company I, which were men from Daviess County. It could be that he did not yet live in Martin County. His commander was John Foster, whom I wrote about in The Cliffords & Mr. Orr. The regiment left for Henderson, Kentucky in August that year. Five days later, they settled in Madisonville, Kentucky and did service at the fort there. And that's about it for that. William was discharged in March 1863 for a physical disability and sent back home.

In the 1870 census, the Wallingfords are in Lost River Township in Martin County! But I have questions. His wife on this census is listed as SOPHIA. Not TABETHE. Are they that similar? I guess it might have been that similar and enumerators did the best they could. The age is correct, and their five children are all listed with them: Charlotte, John, Mary, Virgil, and Laura.

It was then that death hit, as it surely did in many families at that time period. William and Tabethe lost their daughter Mary on Christmas Day in 1870. Charlotte died 01 Sep 1872. Then the mom, Tabethe, died 11 Nov 1872. All three are buried in the Wallingford family cemetery.

This is where another "if" enters the picture.  William's daughter Roseanna was born in 05 Jul 1872, so naturally, she belongs to Tabethe, right? The three family trees, besides mine, on Ancestry shows Roseanna's mom as Sarah Ann. This woman is a mystery. For one, Martin County kept really good marriage records, but they don't have one for a Sarah Ann and William Wallingford. Sarah Ann was previously married to a Mr. Wilkinson, and he is also a mystery! Sarah brought two children with her: John S. and Lydia Elizabeth Wilkinson. They are all living together with William and his children in Lost River Township in the 1880 census.

In the 1900 census, Sarah Ann lived with her son, John, in Missouri. He is listed as single. She is listed as married. In 1900, William lived in the Northwestern Michigan Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, listed as a widow. William died in 1902.

I wish I had more pictures of the cemetery but honestly, it was so overgrown, there wasn't much to photograph. I didn't know how to clear the land nor had the funds at that time to hire someone. Because of that, when I moved away, the cemetery stayed in its unfortunate condition. I was, however, able to add this cemetery to Find-A-Grave. The five stones I photographed are below.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

 

The Jokes My Dad Told

Growing Up with a Preacher Man

Rev. William "Lester" Howard (1929-2021)
Mary Eulalie McLean Howard (1933-2021)

The Jokes My Dad Told
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

My father loved to tell jokes. He loved to read jokes and have jokes told to him. In general, he just liked to laugh. The problem was, Dad had no comedic timing. He always told a joke to start a sermon, thinking that the laughter would put his parishioners at ease. We would all hold our breath during the joke hoping we would be able to laugh after it was over, nervous laughter if nothing else. We always laughed, though, and proud of himself for having pulled off yet another one, he would begin his sermon.

After Dad's funeral, I went to clean out his house. That man loved paper. He had a ton of those plastic Sterilite 3-drawer carts, and they were filled with paper. Old bills, bulletins, programs... anything made of paper, you name it. One of those drawers was filled with jokes that he had cut out of newspapers, books, magazines, or from the internet. Scraps and scraps of paper with nothing but jokes on them.

He also had a whole bunch of flash drives with documents on them. He kept detailed records of everything including his medical records, information about his cars, his life story, lists and lists of members of his various churches, relative's emails and phone numbers, and people for whom he was saying prayers for and on what day he said them. One of the files on one of the flash drives was entitled "Illustrations and Jokes."

Here are some highlights:

A small plane with an instructor and student on board hit the runway and bounced repeatedly until it came to a stop. The instructor turned to the student and said, "That was a very bad landing you just made."

"Me?" asked the student. "I thought you were the one doing the landing!"

Medical student to a nurse: "Every time I breath, someone dies."

Nurse: "Why don't you try Listerine?"

Two guys were standing by the side of the road holding up signs that said, “The end is near! Turn around before it’s too late!” A short while later a car whizzed by. The people in the car sneered at the guys and yelled, “Leave us alone, you religious nuts!”

A few seconds later, the guys heard the sound of screeching tires and then, a splash. The one guy turned to the other and said, “Do you think we should change our signs to say ‘Bridge Out Ahead’ instead?”

Restaurant server to guest, "How did you find your steak?

Guest: "Quite by accident. I moved the slice of tomato and there it was, underneath!"

A man from the town of Normal married a woman from the town named Oblong. The headline: "Normal Boy Marries Oblong Girl."

And finally:

Two people traveling together can't decide if their next city's name is pronounced Louis-ville or Louey-ville. So they decide to settle it by asking at the first burger joint they find after entering the town. "Hi," they told the worker. "We're from out-of-town and have a bet about how locals pronounce this place. Can you let us know how? Slowly, please? The worker responded slowly, saying, "Burger King."

#yukyukyuk

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso, Indiana

Growing Up with a Preacher Man

Rev. William "Lester" Howard (1929-2021)
Mary Eulalie McLean Howard (1933-2021)

Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso, Indiana
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

I've had some pretty big life changes in the last month, and so I have been seeking comfort through Lutheran hymns. Looking through You Tube, I stumbled onto a channel called "Lutheran Summer Music" and a beautiful video entitled "LSM 2019 Hymn Festival with the National Lutheran Choir." If you love choral music and the organ, I invite you to check out this 90-minute spectacular. It is quite the experience.

So, I'm watching and then suddenly wondering... where is this gorgeous building located? I was both devastated and jubilated all at the same time. The building, it turned out, was The Chapel of the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, Indiana. I have been in this building several times in my young life, accompanying my piano teacher to her organ lessons at the university, where this church is located.

I didn't find Lutheranism; it found me. In 2011, I began working as choir director and organist of an Evangelical Lutheran Church here in Evansville. After I left that church, I decided to become a member of a Missouri Synod Lutheran church, because that is where my husband went. I love being Lutheran. It is perfect for me. I've been so close to Lutheran things my whole life, but it never occurred to me until that job fell into my lap that I should become Lutheran.

I was reared with so many inconsistencies and struggles. My father always thought that a church building should be beautiful, and they certainly built a nice Baptist one there in Monticello. However, the Chapel of the Resurrection is not just a building, it's a work of art, and I'm not sure my legalistic father would have approved. I don't remember how I felt being there but probably quite out of my comfort zone. I wasn't even twelve years old and had experienced so little, pretty sheltered there in my little childhood town. I'm quite sure I would've been intimidated by the elevated pulpit, not realizing it wasn't for pastors to lord over us but that so we can see them when they preach.

The chapel was dedicated in 1959, so as a visitor in the 1960s and 70s, the church would have been incredibly new. I'm sure Mrs. Kovatch fawned all over it, and boy, do I get it now! The Munderloh windows and the crucifix itself would be enough, but oh that organ and breathtaking loft. Click on photos to enlarge

Munderloh Windows and Crucifix
Photo credit given below

The choir loft and Redell organ
Photo credit given below

The Munderloh Windows from the outside
Photo credit given below

I don't know how many times I went to Valparaiso with my piano teacher with mom in tow, but it feels like it was only when I was very young. How I wish I could remember more!

When I got to high school, my mom decided I needed to take piano lessons at Valparaiso. She was wrong. What I needed was someone to prepare me for college, not this man. He was rude and crude and crass, and I was a 15-year-old teen with absolutely no sense of self-worth. Taking lessons from him didn't last very long.

Later, after I had gone back to taking lessons from Mrs. Kovatch in Monticello, I had learned Cornish Rhapsody by Hubert Bath and insisted on playing it for contest that year. She refused at first, stating the piece wasn't a classic and was beneath me somehow. But finally, she consented. The contest was at Valparaiso University, and the man judging me? You guessed it. Small world. He wrote all over my score using a RED PEN. Maybe it was fun for him, tormenting this teenage girl who couldn't cut it with him as a teacher. Maybe he thought he was "helping." I took that score home, sat down with a bottle of white-out, and carefully whited out all his red marks, which were many. I still have the score to this day. And in case you're wondering, judges were supposed to use a certain form they had been given and were not supposed to write on the contestant's score. And that might be why I washed my hands of that college. I never even considered it when it was time to chose, unfortunately.

And now, at the age of 61, I kind of wish I would have. Although the Lutheran Summer Music program didn't kick off until 1981 - that would have been my junior year of college - it looks like this school has a lot to offer a musician, such as myself, who has loved Lutheran hymns from girlhood and just didn't know that's what they were. They were, after all, in our hymnal there at the Baptist church.

In her dementia, my mother loved recounting the story of how she took me to Valparaiso for piano lessons every week. She remembered the drive fondly. The drive, yes, but she was excluded from being present during my lessons. However, now in even more hindsight, maybe I should've taken organ lessons like Mrs. Kovatch did instead of piano. For one thing, I could've played Bach to my heart's content, and maybe the two of us could have learned a duet, which would have been nice.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

1. Photo Credit: By Runner1928 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33343860

2. Photo Credit: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

3. Photo Credit: By Runner1928 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33343858

George Washington Howard (1833-1908) A Runaway Boy Who Never Went Back, Except Once

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

George Washington Howard (1833-1908)
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

George Washington Howard was born 25 Aug 1833 in Middlebury, New York. His mother, Joanna, then died, so his father, Elias, married Katy Vader. Elias, Katy, and their families went to church together at the Dale Freewill Baptist Church. After their marriage, they continued to have children.

George did not like his stepmother, Katy, though, and he put up with what he thought was maltreatment until the age of 14 before he had had enough. This is according to Dorothy Banister, a historian in New York. I would love to know how he successfully accomplished being a runaway, but he did, landing in Michigan.

George's first marriage was to someone perhaps with the name of Angie Pettis. Other people on Ancestry have her name as Angis Bettie, but since the historian at Middlebury used the name Angie Pettis, I will, too, until I know for sure otherwise. The historian stated that George left her, but we have no proof of this. She also said that an index available at the Michigan State Library has it that he deserted the army 11 Dec 1862. I don't have a muster in date for George, though, until 25 Mar 1863. At any rate, the historian said that George found out that Angie was ill, and he went to take care of her. She died 01 Mar 1863. Since this woman lives in no algorithms online whatsoever, it may be that it fell to George to take care of her estate, if any, after her passing.

When he reenlisted or listed in the Civil War, it was with the Michigan Cavalry, Co. K, 9th regiment. He was mustered in as a Quartermaster Sergeant. As part of this regiment, his first battle was The Battle of Buffington Island that took place in Ohio and also in West Virginia. This battle occurred 19 Jul 1863 and was a win for the Union.

According to my late father's records, on 27 Jan 1864, a piece of shell struck George in the left arm between the shoulder and elbow. The Wikipedia article on the 9th Michigan Calvary states that they were not involved in any skirmishes or battles at this time. Perhaps the accident happened during a training exercise.

George's next battle was Sherman's March to the Sea in the state of Georgia, 15 Nov through 21 Dec 1864.  Union General William Sherman's policy was a "scorched earth" one, where anything useful to the enemy was destroyed, including civilian sites, food stores, railways, telegraph lines, and even civilians themselves. Sherman's forces ravaged this area, destroyed Savannah, Georgia, and helped break the Confederacy. Click on photos to enlarge

Sherman's March to the Sea
by L. Stebbins
Public Domain via Wikipedia
In a copyrighted colorized version, you can see how much fire

George's last battle was 19 Mar - 21 Mar 1865. This was the Battle of Bentonville, fought in Johnston County, North Carolina. The Confederacy suffered severe losses, causing their General, Joseph Johnston, to surrender. This surrender is said to have been the end of the war, a victory for the Union.

George was promoted to Second Lieutenant 09 Jun 1865, just in time to be mustered out 21 Jul 1865 at Lexington, Kentucky.

George married his second wife, Helen Strickland, 01 Jan 1867. He apparently took it to his grave that he had been married before. When Helen later applied for George's Civil War widow's pension, she stated that she had been his only wife. I have documented nine children for the couple: Frank, Minnie, Harry, Angie, Mabel, Gertrude, Adeline, Rena, and Clara. I wonder if Angie was named in honor George's secret first wife. This Angie died at the age of 4. Kathleen Peirce believed there to be two more children, who also died young.

The couple eventually settled down in Coldwater, Michigan at 36 Orchard Street. The picture below is what I get when I put 36 Orchard Street into Google Maps. It's pretty rundown, but in it's day, it would've been nice. It's a little saltbox! George by trade was a carpenter. One of the ancestry trees I looked at for George says that helped to build the staircase for Michigan's capitol building in Lansing. This information, however, was unsourced, but he did live in Lansing for a time.

36 Orchard Street, Coldwater, MI
Courtesy Google Maps with proper attribution given

Look at this happy family! He looks like he was an absolute hoot, doesn't he? Some kind soul on Ancestry has them labeled. Front row L to R: George, May, Helen. Back row L to R: Minnie, Clara, Gertrude, and Rena.

I found in my late father's records a copy of a letter written by Kathleen Pierce in 1979. It stated that a relative - she suspected it was George's uncle, Simeon Howard - was asked by George's father, Elias, to contact another cousin by the name of Leisure Howard, to see if anyone knew where George was. Elias, it was stated in the letter, knew he was in his last days, and he wanted to see his son before he died. The question was answered and so Simeon went to Coldwater to ask George if he would return with him to Middlebury to see his father. George agreed. I don't know if he made it to Middlebury before Elias's death, but boy, what a time to be the fly on a wall if he did! Elias died 22 Jun 1888. He was somewhere around 81 at the time of his death.

This tribute is on George's Find-A-Grave site, and it was written by Kathleen Pierce:

George Washington Howard was born in Albany County, New York, on 25 August 1833, the son of Elias Howard. He came to Branch County when he was twenty-four years old, working at the carpenter trade until the outbreak of the Civil War. 

On 25 March 1863, he enlisted at Coldwater for three years as a Sergeant in Company K, Ninth Regiment of Michigan Cavalry Volunteers, commanded by Captain Gillem and under the command of Colonel Acker. He was mustered in 14 April 1863 as Quartermaster Sergeant, commissioned Second Lieutenant on 9 June 1865 and mustered out at Lexington, North Carolina, on 21 July 1865.

Mrs. Howard, the former Helen Strickland, was born 7 October 1841 at Utica, New York. In October 1842, she came to Michigan with her folks, Jonathan and Parnel Strickland, who first settled at Adrian, Michigan, where they resided until April 1844, after which they came to Coldwater, locating on a farm northeast of the city. This farm was an unbroken wilderness. It was here Miss Strickland grew to womanhood and on 1 January 1867, at Bronson, Michigan, was married to a young lieutenant of the Civil War, George W. Howard, who lived at Lansing, Michigan.

They lived in that city for about four years before returning to Coldwater Township. Later Mr. Howard, with the help of his children, farmed and continued with his carpenter work. In later years they moved to Coldwater, living on Orchard Street, until their deaths. Mr. Howard died 23 November 1908 and Mrs. Howard on 4 October 1924.

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

Sophia Marion Vianco (1856-1941) Escaped the Poor Farm, Thanks to a Widow's Civil War Pension

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Sophia Marion Vianco (1856-1941)
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Studying these wonderful people who come into our family tree by marriage are sometimes the most gratifying. I don't know how the Vader family, the Viancos, the Pecks, and the Howards all knew each other exactly, but they did, and their lines were so linked together in New York.

Sophia Vianco was born 19 Jan 1856 to William Jerome Vianco and Anna Maria Van Houghton in Rochester, New York. I can't find a death certificate for her mother, Anna Maria, but she died in September that same year. 

William next married Anna Maria's sister, Julia Van Houghton. I can't find records for either of these marriages. With Julia, William would go on to have 6 children: George, Helen, Carrie, Julia, William, and Grace. Shortly after the birth of Grace, the mom Julia died in 1874. Sophia was around 17 when this occurred, and it fell to her to take care of her brothers and sisters.

In the 1850 census, William Vianco was listed as a teamster, which, at that time, was a person who drove a team of animals. This could be compared to the modern day truck driver.  By the time of the 1870 census, though, William was a railroad engineer. As such, it would be his job to drive the train engine and to make sure all his equipment was in tip-top shape at all times. Along with the engineer, a fireman also rode in the engine, whose job it was to handle the fire that made the steam. The conductor rode in the caboose. His job was to manage the day-to-day operations. This was important, because this is how William died at the age of 52. He was involved in a serious accident that crushed the engine, and both he and the fireman were killed instantly. This occurred in 1875 when Sophia was 19. All the children at the time of their dad's death lived with him in the same house, all seven of them. And now, it landed squarely onto Sophia and her brother, George, to be the caregivers for their siblings. Then Carrie, aged 15, died in 1878. Three important deaths occurred in the family in just a short amount of time. There were now only the six children left.

In the 1880 census, the children all lived together at 104 Hudson Street in Rochester, New York. I feel like this has to be their parent's home, but I have no documentation that it was. George was listed first on the census, even though at 21, he was younger than Sophia, who was 24. George was a railroad engineer! Good for George following in his father's footsteps! Sophia's occupation was "keep house." Helen, aged 19, was "at home." The three youngest, Julia, Willie, and Grace were "at school."

Sophia stayed single until she was 27, marrying Henry Morton Sweet 08 May 1883. He was also an engineer with the railroad, who lived nearby, and he probably made many visits to the Vianco home at 104 Hudson Street. He himself lived at 83 Hudson Street. The wedding announcement stated that the couple were married at her mother's house, but her mother had passed many years now, and her stepmother also was gone. It is known that Sophia's father had a third wife, Louise Gibson, who lived close to the children, but this woman is a mystery to me, to Ancestry, and to Newspapers.com. I wonder if the couple were married in the home on Hudson, and the newspapers, thinking it had to be her parent's home and just printed it like that. Who knows. It stated in the announcement that the couple were departing on an eastern wedding tour. I wonder what that meant exactly.

Sophia and Henry had a daughter together, born 31 Jan 1884, Annie or Emma or Amy or Mortina Sweet. Find-a-Grave says Mortina. Her wedding announcement said Anna, and the census record of 1900 said Emma.

Unfortunately, Henry died of typhoid fever 21 May 1884. This was according to his death announcement found on Newspapers.com. Sophia must have felt utterly lost. Henry was 22. Sophia was 28 and with a newborn. In the 1885 city directory, she was listed as a widow, and a boarder at 16 Woodbury, not far from Hudson Street.

Now here's where things get a little unusual. Eleazer Howard, who was 51 years old and recently widowed, somehow got 31-year-old Sophia and her daughter to come to him in Sherwood, Michigan, and marry him. Eleazer was a Civil War vet who suffered with a debilitating hip injury that worsened over time. This is how we know, though, without a doubt that the Michigan Howards kept their ties close to the New York families. Another indicator was that he had given his youngest son with first wife Julia Vader, "Vianco" as a middle name. I really doubt he did this in honor of Sophia. It was probably more to honor one of the male members of the Vianco family, but I don't know that for sure. After his wife Julia Vader's death, Eleazer was married to Sophia in just a few month's time, 04 Jul 1887. Two years later, Sophia and Eleazer had a little girl together, Florence M. Howard.

I wasn't going to get my late father's records down from the closet, because I thought it would be a difficult task. However, due to a discrepancy on Find-A-Grave, and we needed proof to clarify a particular fact, I got the box down from my closet's top shelf. This was an excellent decision, because I learned from those records that in 1890, Eleazer filed for an invalid pension from his time in the Civil War. The pension stated he could no longer earn a living from manual labor, and that he had "catarrh, injury of hip, disease of head, throat and back and general debility." He was granted the pension.

In 1891, Elias's eldest son with Julia Vader, Fremont Howard, was killed in a train accident. The train he was working in hit a passenger train. Fremont, who was the brakeman, was killed that day along with the fireman and the engineer. The passenger train had been a new addition to the rails that day, and the engineer failed to make enough time and room for it to pass.

Thirteen years after their marriage, Sophia and Eleazer, on the 1900 census record, were still in Sherwood, Michigan. Sophia's daughter, Mortina, listed as "Emma Sweet" was 16. Sophia's daughter with Eleazer, Florence Howard, was 11. In this census, Eleazer was listed as a farmer, who owned his own farm, free and clear of any mortgage. And that's another reason I'm so glad I pulled the records. Eleazer didn't do any labor on this farm. He rented it out. We would not have known that just from the census.

In the 1905 New York State Census, Sophia and Eleazer were listed in Clarkson, New York! What a change in just 5 years. Sophia was 49 and Eleazer was 69. Their daughter, Florence, was listed with them, aged 15, but Sophia's other daughter, Mortina, was not with them, and I can't find her, either. She didn't get married until 1911, but she was 21 by this time, so it's possible she was at college or away teaching school. Or it could be that she was still in Michigan, which had no 1905 state census. (The 1904 Michigan State Census was statistical only.) In the 1910 census, Mortina was with two of Sophia's sisters, her aunts, and was a schoolteacher in Rochester, New York. Florence's occupation in 1905 was "at school."

On 09 Mar 1906, Eleazer died, leaving Sophia a widow for the second time. According to the death certificate, his cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage. He died in Clarkson, New York, but he was buried in Michigan. According to my father's papers, Sophia got Eleazer's Civil War pension, so she was going to be okay financially. After reading through all these pension documents, though, I learned that she wasn't as well off as I had once thought she was. The important thing was that she got the pension. And not only that, I believe Sophia was a caring individual. I'm sure she took very good care of Eleazer as his disabilities became more and more severe.

Sophia lastly married George Webster, who went by his middle name of Henry. He was a widower himself.  They were married 12 Jan 1910, and, of course, she lost Eleazer's pension after their marriage. In the 1910 census, Henry was a farmer in Clarkson, New York, who owned his own farm, free and clear of a mortgage. Eleazer and Sophia's daughter, Florence, lived with them. She was 20 now and her occupation was "none." That's a bit of a red flag.

In the 1915 New York State Census, Sophia and Henry are listed by themselves and still in Clarkson. He, at the age of 65, was still listed as a farmer. Sophia was 59. Sophia's daughter with Eleazer is also in Clarkson, living with her husband Percival Walsh and their newborn, Howard. I wonder if this was in memory of her father, Eleazer Howard. Sophia’s daughter, Mortina, who in this census went by Amy, was with her husband, Harry Duryea, along with their daughter. They lived in Pittsford, New York.

In the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, everything is the same, except Sophia and Henry are both five years older. Everything *seems* okay with daughter Florence. She and her husband were in Hamlin, New York, with their children. He was listed as a farm laborer. Mortina was back to using the name Mortina again and was with her husband still in Pittsford, along with their daughter. Her husband, Henry, was a lawyer. She was a schoolteacher in a public school.

On 27 Apr 1923, Henry died and Sophia was widowed for a third time. She moved in with her sister, Grace, and her husband, Warren Johnson, on Stone Road in Charlotte, New York. My late father's records contains a letter written to "The Commissioner of Pensions at Washing, [sic] D.C." It reads:

Dear Sir, I have been told by persons who should know, that I am entitled [to] receive a pension. So I am writing to you asking you to send me suitable blanks to fill out.

My Husband Eleazer B. Howard died on the 6th day of March in the year 1906. Previous to his death he had been drawing a pension from the government having served for a time in the Civil War. After his death, I drew a pension until the time of my marriage to Mr. G.H. Webster, which occurred on January 12th, 1910.

Mr. Webster died on the 27th day of April 1923.

Mr. Howard served with a regimens from Detroit.

Was living in the town of Clarkson, N.Y. at the time of his death. I have been informed that I am entitled to receive the pension. Will you please send the blanks to me.

Address to: Sophia M. Webster, Stone Road, Charlotte, N.Y., care of W. E. Johnson. 

She must have been stewing and who can blame her? The penalty for not having a home to live in at that time was to be sentenced to life at a poor farm. This was not an individual's choice. It was a movement sweeping through the United States to try to force out poverty. It was a gruesome sentence for anyone. Fortunately, the government did send her the proper forms, and she was able to resume her pension from Eleazer for $40/month until the time of her death. 

In a 1929 Rochester City Directory, Sophia was living at 144 Ravine. In the 1930 United States Federal Census, Sophia rented a home and her daughter, Florence, was also there, at 85 Kay Terrace in Rochester. This may have been a duplex situation, as it also showed a woman at the same address by the name of Eileen Pockett. Eileen and Sophia were both listed as "head."

Why was Florence there, though, and why wasn't she with her husband and children? Because her husband had been placed in the State Hospital for the Insane there in Rochester. Florence and Percival's eldest son was with another family.  Their eldest daughter was in a state run school; she was still there in the 1950 census. Their other daughter was with an aunt, and their youngest son was in an orphanage, the Hillside Home for Children. That's some heavy stuff there. Click on photos to enlarge

Sophia's final home
28 Portsmouth Terrace, Rochester, NY
Courtesy Google Maps with proper attribution given

In the 1940 census, it listed daughter Florence's 1935 address as "Rural Monroe." No matter. By the 1940 census, she was at the poor farm in Brighton, New York. Sophia lived in a home that's sort of a precursor to the modern-day nursing home, living with other older folks and having a caregiver. I think she did well to get placed there, and it certainly was because she had that pension. Otherwise, she would have probably landed in the same place Florence did. Another document in my father's records stated that by 1940, poor Sophia was nearly blind and was afflicted by "impaired locomotion."

Florence died 25 Jul 1941 at the poor farm. Sophia died 30 Sep 1941 at 28 Portsmouth Terrace at the age of 85. She had just received her pension check for the month that same day and was actually still alive when it came in the mail. Her daughter, Mortina, who was with her, dutifully sent it back, but then requested that the money be sent back to her. It was, after all, legally hers, and she did get it back, in the end.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC