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

Julius Vader (1830-1918) Store Owner, Postmaster, Farmer

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Julius Vader (1830-1918) Store Owner, Postmaster, Farmer
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Julius Vader was born 31 Mar 1830 in Dale, New York, the son of Tobias Vader and Anna Sutphen. Unfortunately, he is not related to me by blood that I can find, as he was the brother-in-law of my 3rd great-granduncle. Our forebear, John Godfrey Howard, had a son, Elias, who married Katie Vader, Julius' sister. Interestingly, these two children, Katie and Julius, were 12 years apart in age; Katie was born in 1817 and Julius in 1830. Katie and Julius had two other siblings, Cornelius, born 1819, and one other that I have yet to find, which might be Louisa, who is with Tobias on the 1850 census.

The first record to mention Julius by name was the 1850 United States Federal Census. Interestingly, he had already, at the age of 20, started out on his own, living in Stafford, New York, with the Hoag family. He was listed as a peddler, which would be correct, and it may be how he got his start with the general store. His recently widowed father, Tobias, lived in nearby Bethany, New York. Both of these towns are just south of Lake Ontario. The 1850 census was done in October. Julius married Julia Ann Nichols in December that same year.  On the census, Julius was on page 7; Julia, along with her family, were on page 8.

Julius and Julia had three children: Cyrus, who died in childhood; Allie, who was born in 1858; and Frank, who was born in 1860.

In the U.S. Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedule, 1860, Julius Vader was listed. He had 29 acres of improved land, and his farm was valued at $1,160 with $50 in equipment. He had 3 horses, 2 cows, and 3 pigs. In the 1860 Federal Census, he was listed as a farm laborer, not yet a store owner. Perhaps contradicting what the Non-Population Schedule had stated, his farm was valued at $450, and his personal worth $300. Listed with him on this census was his wife, Julia, and daughter, Allie. Their son, Cornelius, had already died, and Frank had not yet been born. They were in Bethany at this time, but they would soon move to nearby Middlebury, New York. Although Julius was enrolled in the draft June 1863, we have no records of him fighting on the side of the Union.

In the U.S. Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedule, 1870, Julius was still in Middlebury. He had 41 acres of improved land, valued at $1500 with $90 in equipment.  He had 2 horses, 1 cow, 23 sheep, and 2 pigs. In the 1870 Federal Census, Julius was a farmer with a farm valued at $1500. His wife, Julia, was listed as "keeping house," and his father, Tobias, was living with them. That's nice to see, and it's also nice that the census enumerator put his occupation as "retired farmer" instead of "none." Allie, aged 12, and Frank, aged 9, are there with the family, too, both attending school.

Julius Vader appeared in the 1874 New York State Business Directory under "country store" for Dale and Middlebury. I don't know exactly when Julius was appointed postmaster, but it makes sense in that he had the store. His father, Tobias, died in 1875.

In the 1880 Federal Census, Julius was listed as a grocer and Julia as "keeping house." Allie was gone from the household, having married James Loren Smith. Their son, Frank, however, was still with them, married to Flora Loomis. Frank was listed as a grocer. Flora as "keeping house."

In 1897, Julius's sister, Katy, died. Apparently the funeral was pretty large, according to her obituary, and all of her children, save for one, came to the funeral. Julius and the fam were at her funeral as well.

In the 1900 census, Julius was still listed as a grocer, and that is correct. He did not retire until 1910, according to a wedding anniversary announcement in the newspaper in 1913. In 1900, Julius and Julia were empty nesters. He was 70, and she was 69. This census shows that they had 3 children with 2 living. That is correct. Allie and Frank were both out of the home by this time. Ten years later, in the 1910 census, they were still pretty much the same. The enumerator listed him as a "retired merchant," which is nice. It shows value and worth in the eyes of the enumerator and of Julius, that his occupation wasn't listed as "none." Unlike his wife, Julia. Her occupation was listed as "none," and we know that's a bunch of hooey. Click on photos to enlarge

Buffalo Sunday News
28 Dec 1913
Fair Use/Public Domain

I'm sure it was a very sad day when Julia passed at the age of 84. Her date of death was 29 Sep 1914.  I imagine she was at her daughter's house when she died. In the 1915 census, Julius was living with his daughter and her husband, which is why I came to that conclusion. The only "old folks home" in Wyoming County was the poor farm and Julius and family were far from poor.

Julius wasn't exactly having it, though. He married the widow Chloe Vanderheyden in 1916 at the age of 86. She was 77. They may have continued living with daughter Allie, though, but I don't know. I do know that, according to his obit, he died at his daughter's home. The year was 1918. Spanish influenza pandemic. I'm guessing that's what finally took the old man out. The obit states that "on account of the influenza, the funeral was held at the home of his daughter." Having lived through a pandemic myself, the article really doesn't make it clear, does it? Were they not gathering because of the influenza, or did he die from it? I suspect both, but I don't know for sure. Pre-pandemic, I admit that I would've read that much differently.

Julius died 26 Nov 1918 at the age of 88. His second wife, Chloe, died 14 Aug 1921. They are both buried in the Dale Cemetery in Dale, New York. Julius was buried with his first wife, Julia. Chloe was buried with her first husband, Daniel.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Nelson Isaiah Howard (1843-1929)

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Nelson Isaiah Howard (1843-1929) A Really Nice Guy Who Knew What He Wanted
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Nelson Isaiah Howard was born 01 Feb 1843 in Middlebury, New York, a great-grandson of John Godfrey Howard, the Hessian soldier who came to the U.S. from Germany to fight in the Revolutionary War.  He was the second eldest to his parents Nelson Jacob Howard and Catherine Cornelia Mickel. 

The first census that Nelson appeared in is the 1850 census, when he was six years old. The family was still in Middlebury at this time. Nelson's father was a farmer and his real estate value was $1900. That's a pretty good number! The three oldest children, Phillip, 8; Nelson, 6; and Angenette, 5 had all attended school within the year. In 1860, however, the family was in Scioto Township, Jackson County, Ohio. Nelson's dad was still a farmer. His real estate was worth $1200 and his personal estate, $300. The eldest, Phillip, was a laborer. Neither Phillip or Nelson were in school, but this census does not have an occupation for Nelson. All the other children are in school, though, and everyone can read and write.

The Civil War soon broke out after this census, and Nelson enlisted 04 Aug 1862 as part of the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Company L. He was a little late to the game, however, as this company's original muster date was 08 Oct 1861.  He would join his fellow soldiers at Alexandria, Virginia. As such, he would participate in 9 battles with his company, including the Battle of Gettysburg. Nelson, along with the entire company, mustered out 04 Jul 1865 in Columbus, Ohio. Later in Nelson's life, according to newspaper articles, his grandchildren would visit the sites of the battles where their grandfather had fought.

During his time in the Civil War, he lost a brother and sister - Emma Jane, 7, and William, 14. I checked every single person's Ancestry tree to see if I could possibly find a source for at least Emma's place of death. Every single person has her dying at Arvada, Colorado, and no one has any documentation for this available on Ancestry. Wikitree also has nothing. I checked all my newspaper sources and came up empty handed. Emma died 02 Apr 1863. Her brother died just two days later. According to Wikipedia, Arvada is the first place gold was found in the Rocky Mountain region. The Territory of Colorado was formed 28 Feb 1861.

I have failed to find marriage records for Nelson or his bride Frances Ellen Folin, except for the 1900 census which listed them as being married for 32 years. That puts their marriage year as 1868, the year their eldest, William Forrest, was born.

In the 1870 census, the couple are still in Ohio with their two children, William, 2, and Emily, 6 months. Nelson is listed as a farm laborer, something I'm sure he wasn't content with.  The value of his real estate is left blank, and his net worth is $100. He may have received housing as part of his compensation. This census shows him correctly as being born in New York. His wife and 2 children were all born in Ohio. I thought, at first, that perhaps Nelson worked on his father's farm. On double-checking, however, his father and mother are in Prairie Creek, Illinois in 1870. The value of his father's real estate is also blank, but his personal worth was $500.

By the time the couple's third son, Ovid Albert was born in 1872, Nelson and his wife were in Waterville, Kansas. This son soon died, unfortunately. Their next child was James Otto, who was born 18 Feb 1874. On the 1875 Kansas State Census, Nelson was still listed as a farm laborer with both real estate and personal property values left blank. His wife and three children were also with him as was another farm laborer, Leroy Field.

Finally, in the 1880 census, it looks like Nelson was on his way to the bigtime. He wasn't in Waterville anymore but 300 miles to the west in Grant County, Kansas. The census listed him as "farmer," not laborer or farm laborer. This census doesn't tell us whether he owned land or how much he was worth, though, so we can't be for sure just by looking at the record. His wife was with him, and his four children: William, Emma, James, and Harry. The oldest three were all in school. Harry was only 2. I think it's interesting that the census enumerator, when listing Ohio as the birthplace of everyone except Nelson, he simply put "O."

Nelson's parents and a sister, in the 1880 census, were no longer in Prairie Creek, Illinois, but now were in their son's old stomping ground of Waterville, Kansas! The checkmark notating sick is next to his dad's name. On this census page, 12 people are marked as sick. Their daughter, Nelson's sister, 32-year-old Frances was listed as "at home."

In the Clyde Herald newspaper dated 06 Jul 1892, it stated that Nelson had begun receiving a pension for $12 a month with $200 back pay. The article stated that he had to wait for it for quite a while, but in his good humor, he also stated that it came at a good time.

Our next document is the 1895 Kansas State Census, dated 01 March. In this census, Nelson is listed as a farmer, along with his wife and five of his eight living children: Harry, Oscar, Grace, Earl, and Herbert. And then heartbreak struck the family. Nelson accidentally turned a lamp over and burned his house down. Everything that was downstairs inside the house was saved but nothing from the second story. He did receive an insurance settlement for this from "The German Insurance Company," and he promptly built a new house.

 In 1897, Nelson's mom died. His father followed in 1899. His father's obit stated that he had "lived on the farm where he died 28 years." That means, Nelson's parents moved to Waterville in 1871, so that checks out. The senior Nelson's obit states that he was, "kind to his neighbors, honest in his dealings, and believed in a true and living God."

Back to Nelson, Jr., in the 1900 census, we get the answer we were looking for. Nelson owns his own farm. It's mortgaged, but its his. Along with Nelson is his wife, who has had 10 births with 8 living children. That is correct. Living with them are their sons, Harry, Oscar, Earl, and Herbert. The two older boys are listed as farm laborers. The younger two are listed "at school."

In the 1905 Kansas State Census, Nelson is now 62 and still owed on his mortgage for the farm. This census doesn't give us much information, basically a list of who lived in the home and their ages. In Nelson's home are his wife, who is now 59 and two of his sons, Earl, 19, and Herbert, 15.

In the 1910 Federal Census, Nelson is no longer in Grant County, Kansas, but in the city of Clyde, Kansas in Cloud County.  Listed with him are his wife and son, Herbert, along with his daughter-in-law, 19-year-old May. Nelson was a farmer on a "general farm" on his own account. No mortgage this time, but it states he "rented" his "house," not a farm. His son's occupation is that of a farmer on a farm. The Clyde Voice Republican newspaper gives us the reason for this confusing detail. Nelson and his family have moved from the farm! In the 24 Feb 1910 edition, the newspaper tells us that Nelson has moved to town and is renting a house! I'm wondering if they did this so that they could have electricity and/or telephone service. In listening to my great granduncle's interview, he talked about how much easier their lives were after getting electricity.

In the 1915 Kansas State Census, it is Nelson and his Frances, along with just their daughter-in-law, May, and her son Gerald. Herbert is not there and later documents list him as divorced. I haven't been able to find much out about May, but she continued to live with her father- and mother-in-law after her divorce. They are still in Clyde, and this census tells us that he owned his house free and clear.

In the last census record for Nelson in 1920, it is Nelson, 76, with his wife Frances, 72. His occupation is "none." May is gone, but their grandson Charles remained. He was 9. It would be Charles who would order Nelson's military stone after Nelson's death in 1929.

I was unsuccessful in finding an obit for Nelson Isaiah, but I peeked at my cousin Glenn's tree, and he appears to have been in pretty bad shape health-wise at the end with poor eyesight and hearing as well as pain. But his life was good. Newspaper articles show him visiting all manner of family, especially his son William Forrest, who lived in Pocatello, Idaho. It also showed all manner of family visiting him. He was generous, having once taken a bushel of corn to the newspaper editor's office and volunteering when others needed help. I also think it speaks volumes about a man who worked his way up to owning his own farm. He knew what he wanted, and he made it happen.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Seth C. Howard, An "Intemps" from New York (1836-1908)

 Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Seth C, Howard (1836-1908)
____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Seth Howard was a grandson of John Godfrey Howard, the Hessian soldier who came to the U.S. from Germany to fight in the Revolutionary War.  He was the son of Jacob Howard and Mary J. "Polly" Covell. The "C" in Seth's middle name might be Covell, but I am not certain. Seth is my 1st cousin, four times removed.

I became interested in Seth because of a document that Ancestry showed me, and that was the "New York Census of Inmates in Almshouses." Inmates did not mean prisoner. Patients were also called inmates at that time - just a blanket term for anyone housed in an institutional setting. Seth and his wife, Frances, both were institutionalized in The Genesee County Poorhouse.

Thinking of poorhouse, I think of the County Farm in Monticello, Indiana,  where I grew up in the 1960s-1970s. We didn't have a poorhouse, but we did have a County Farm that housed inmates. Two of those inmates - men - went to my dad's church, Bill Kretchmar picking them up every Sunday. They were an odd couple. It feels like one was tall and slender and the other shorter and portly. They were always in good spirits, though, so I didn't attach a negative connotation to the place where they lived. As I got older and more musically inclined, I began to accompany my father to Sunday afternoon services there so that I could play hymns for the "old folks" to sing.

Getting back to Seth Howard. He was born March, 1836 in Middlebury, New York in what was then Genesee County, now Wyoming County. The 1850 census was the first census that listed everyone by name, and in this census, 14-year-old Seth was with his parents and siblings in Middlebury. Also nearby were his aunt and uncle, as Seth's father was one of three brothers who made their way to Middlebury from Grafton, New York, in or around 1831. Seth's father, Jacob and his Uncle Elias settled in Middlebury. The other brother is my 3x great-grandfather, Abraham, who moved on to nearby Attica. On the 1950 census, the farm where Seth lived with his father was valued at $1200. Nice!

In the 1860 census, 24-year-old Seth was now married to 18-year-old Frances Peck. They had a 5-month-old daughter, who went by many names during her life, but in the end, she settled on "Ella." In this census, she was Eleda. Seth was correctly listed as a carpenter and his net worth was $75.

In the 1870 census, 33-year-old Seth was still married to 27-year-old Frances, as he would be the entirety of his life. His occupation was listed as wagon maker, also correct. He had done well in 10 years. His real estate was valued at $700 and his personal worth $300. Their eldest daughter on this census was listed as 10-year-old Alice M. who "attends school." Merritt, who was 8 years old also "attends school." Quite a jump from 8-year-old Merritt to the newborn, Carrie, who is one year old.

My dear cousin Glenn also obtained an entry from a business directory for 1870-1871. This directory listed Seth Howard as part of the firm "Cowley and Howard," who were blacksmiths and carriage makers. Cowley's first name was Covel.

The next census I have is the 1875 New York State Census. Everything looks fine here as well. Seth and the fam were in Warsaw. He was valued at $1800 and listed as a carpenter. Everyone is else is there, too: Frances, his wife, along with children Ella, listed this time as Alida, Merritt, Carrie, Henry, May, and Charles.

But here is where it gets interesting. The 1880 census tells an unusual story. What is going on here? Seth is still very much alive, but his family is all divided up. His wife, Frances, was listed with their son, Merritt, in Middlebury. He was head of household at the age of 19. His occupation: carpenter. Ella - listed as Alice - is in Warsaw with her new husband, Charles McClure.  Henry and Charles are with their aunt and uncle, Seth's sister Catherine and her husband, John Van Buren, in Warsaw. Their youngest, Ida, was with Seth's nephew George and his wife. I can't find their daughters, May or Carrie anywhere. Believe me it's not for a lack of trying.

If you use Family Search for the 1880 census records and put in Seth Howard with a birth year of 1836, you will get 9 entries for "Seth Howard." However, only one of those Seths match with ours, and it probably is our Seth Howard, who was living not in New York but in Davison, Michigan. This Seth was born in 1836 in New York, he used the "C" as his middle initial, and he was listed as a wagon maker, which is the correct occupation. He was living in the same household as 75-year-old John Golden, who was born in Ireland. But here - get this - he was listed as living with Carrie - and not his daughter, Carrie, who was born in 1869. This Carrie was born in or around 1856, is 20 years Seth's junior, AND she was listed as Seth's wife!!!!

I made a tree for John Golden, but it was futile, because I have so little information. Who was he? Was he Carrie's dad? How did all this come about?

The next record we have is the 1892 New York State Census. Seth was back with his true wife, Frances, but he is listed as a mechanic, not a carpenter or a blacksmith. However, being a wagon maker or a blacksmith would naturally transition to mechanic, so this is not a red flag by any means. Their 22-year-old son Peter was with them, listed as a carpenter. 

And then, very real tragedy struck as fire swept through Wyoming Village, taking many structures with it. Fires were a real threat as most buildings were all wood structures. Even if made of brick, the fire would still burn everything inside. Seth lost his house in this fire. Another man by the name of Cowley also lost his home. This might have been Seth's business partner. A church was lost, a cider mill, nine homes in all, and countless businesses. It must be something to be a victim of this type of tragedy. And one might think this was the start of Seth's true downfall if he had not built a post office in Warsaw, New York a year later.

On the 1900 census, Seth was with his wife in Warsaw. Everything here looks fine except for one detail. Frances states that she had 4 total births with only 2 living children. What is this? Seth and Frances had at least 4 living children at this time: Merritt, Ella, Henry, and Charles. I have found, in my research, that they had at least 7 children total. Knowing that this couple both ended up in the poorhouse, I'm wondering if a little dementia was settling in. Or maybe she or Seth were just mad at 2 of them, something like "you're dead to me" type of attitude.

The last little bit of info I have on Seth Howard before entering the poor house is a theft in 1903. He allegedly stole a bench vise from W. E. Evans. He was let out on his own recognizance, and Evans dropped the charges.

I've read a little bit about the newfangled poorhouses of the early 1900s. It was not pretty.  A huge social push was overtaking the country where reformers thought they could abolish poverty. New York had a huge bureaucratic hierarchy when it came to the poorhouse system. The thing most notable to me in my studies is that they were always trying to save money and cut corners and that everyone was lumped into the same system - those with mental illness, delinquents, and old folks. This was not going to work, and it didn't.

When entering into the poorhouse, the first thing that happened was that the inmate was stripped of their clothes, made to bathe in an antiseptic soap, and given a uniform. This intimate act of bathing was all done under watching eyes. If that didn't further affect someone's mental health, what else would? And we all know that bad, bad things happened in these dark, dreadful places.

A person wasn't just placed into a poorhouse, though. It had to be determined that they needed to be there. Things that determined this, for example, were begging in the streets or sleeping outside. In New York, a particular form was filled out for each inmate, called a census. On Seth's census, it states that he had been on "public relief" - where? "several places" and when? "about 10 years." It described his physical condition as helpless and the cause of his dependence on sickness. The one thing that really concerns me, though, is that his habits are marked as "intemps." This was an abbreviation for intemperance, meaning they thought he drank too much. Alcohol was indeed very much a problem in the U.S. at this time; however, alcohol was also given as medicine and apparently it wasn't hard to come by, even in the poor house. So, I'm not sure we can really surmise much if anything from this observation. But also, if he was sundowning, he could have very much acted like a drunk.

Unfortunately also for his wife, Frances, she was admitted to the poorhouse the very same day. Many times, the families were separated from each other and were punished if they were caught talking to each other. Her census stated that her health was "fairly good" but that she was "homeless and destitute." It stated that she had been on public relief for about 15 years. Doing my research, women were not often institutionalized in the poorhouse, because their children, while not feeling guilt for not taking care of their father, usually felt differently about their mother. But yet, here she is, living in the direst of places - a New York poorhouse in the early 1900s.

Seth died from a stroke 28 Sep 1908. He is listed on the Genesee County Home web site as having been an inmate there, he is not on the list of people who died there. Same goes for Frances, who died 29 Nov 1909 from stomach cancer. Her obit stated that she died at Ella's house and had 4 surviving children: Ella, Merritt, Henry, and Charles.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Coming to Middlebury, Pulling Up Roots

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Coming to Middlebury, Pulling Up Roots

_____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 21 May 2022 with new information

When doing genealogy in the early years of the United States, one has to be mindful of county histories. On this posting, I'll be talking about two different places in New York, so let's sort that out first. Admittedly, I'm easily confused and bored when it comes to lots of words on a page that don't seem to be coming quickly to a point. That might be why it's my goal to explain things thoroughly and hopefully not in a boring way! But, as one of my cousins recently pointed out, it's so important to get it ferreted out, so let's look at it.

1. Grafton, Rensselaer County, New York. According to Wikipedia, Rensselaer County was carved out from Albany County in 1791. [1] The town of Grafton was formed March 20, 1807. [2] This means if you're documenting an ancestor prior to 1807, that ancestor didn't live in Grafton. And if before 1791, he/she didn't live in Rensselaer County but in Albany County. Hope this isn't confusing, because it certainly makes my head spin.

2. Dale, Wyoming County, New York. Wyoming County was carved out from 3 different counties: Genesee, Allegany, and Cattaraugus Counties in 1841. [3] What that means is that my forebear who died in 1834 in what is now Wyoming County actually died in Genesee County.

Does this sound too painstaking? Too picky? Genealogists have a sacred trust to make sure all their facts are absolutely correct to the best of their ability. Genealogists are the holders of their family's trees, and as such, it is our job and duty to be accurate.

Several members of the Howard family made their was from Grafton, New York to Middlebury, New York in or around 1833. Middlebury would have been a bountiful area in which to settle.

Firstly, let me correct a misunderstanding. My dad always said Dale/Middlbury when he spoke of Godfrey Howard. Godfrey lived in Middlebury. Godfrey's son, Elias, and his family went to church in Dale and was quite involved in that church. The towns are only eight miles apart. Godfrey and his son, Elias, are both buried in Dale. Abraham settled in nearby Attica, New York, later making his way to Indiana.

Let's look at the patriarch and matriarch, Godfrey and Susannah's children. This is what I have so far:

1. David - no known information at this time.
2. Katrina - crickets.

3. Catherine - she married Peter Vader of Genesee County, so she made the trek with the family.

4. John - his death place is Grafton.

5. Jacob - 1860 census shows Jacob in Middlebury.

6. Peter - his death place is Brunswick, 11 miles from Grafton.

7. Betsie - Her son was born in Genesee County, so she went to Middlebury.

8. Elias - He died in Middlebury

9. Abraham - definitely came with the fam to Middlebury, although continued on to nearby Attica, later taking his family to Indiana.

So, here it is one more time, those who came from Grafton to Middlebury:
Godfrey Howard and his wife, Susannah; sons Jacob, Elias, and Abraham, along with their children, and daughters Catherine and Betsie. Click on photos to enlarge

Why did they travel to Middlebury?  I have been in the dark on this since the beginning of time. Something that amazes me about genealogy is how questions that have gone unanswered for years and then finally are answered SIMPLY. I was recently reminded of how Grafton residents, at that time, were under the rule of Stephen Van Rensselaer, renting their land from him. Simply put, this so-called manor arrangement was starting to cause unrest among the tenants. By leaving when they did, the Howard family missed the Anti-Rent War. This same person also told me that Middlebury is charming. I bet it is. Hopefully one day, I'll get to visit.

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[1] “Rensselaer County, New York.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensselaer_County,_New_York.
[2] Anderson, George Baker. “CHAPTER XXXIII. TOWN OF GRAFTON.” History of Grafton, New York, history.rays-place.com/ny/ren-grafton-ny.htm.
[3] “Wyoming County, New York.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_County,_New_York#History.

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