Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line
Sophia Marion Vianco (1856-1941)
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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
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| 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.
