Coming to Middlebury, Pulling Up Roots

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

Coming to Middlebury, Pulling Up Roots

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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.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Persimmon Pudding? Yes, Please!

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

Persimmon Pudding? Yes, Please!

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

One of the first things I learned in my one year of living in Martin County, Indiana, specifically Lost River Township, is how important the persimmon tree is to the citizens of this fair county. Not just important but valued. Firstly, the trees are beautiful. Secondly, they're pretty good at predicting winter weather, and thirdly, their fruit makes a fine concoction known as persimmon pudding. The fruit can also be used to make cookies, cakes and pies. They can be dried or eaten fresh. They can even be used to make wine and beer. Native Americans used persimmons in gruel, cornbread and pudding. [1] Click on photos to enlarge

Persimmon Tree in Winter
Credit: James Heilman, MD
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 

The persimmon trees of Martin County are called American Persimmons and may have been brought to the area by those who came from the south, although I have read conflicting accounts of this. According to the Purdue Extension web site, the tree is indigenous to Southern Indiana. [2] Even so, I personally had never heard of a persimmon tree and the amazing gifts it gives until moving to Martin County in 2013.

Firstly, their beauty. Without too much text, just look at the pictures. Aren't they gorgeous? These pictures were taken after the leaves had fallen in autumn so you can clearly see the delicious fruit.

Persimmons in Nakagawa, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
Credit: Geomr
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

The actual fruit doesn't mature until the fall, sometimes staying on the tree until winter. You have to be careful to make sure the fruit is ripe before picking it, or the taste will be bitter, and that's no good. If you're patient and wait until the fruit is ripe, it will be very sweet. Also, eating persimmons that aren't ripe can lead to phytobezoars, which require surgical intervention. So avoid those unripe persimmons! To make sure they're ripe, just shake the tree! If they fall out, you can be sure that they're ripe.

Persimmon Fruit
The ones in the back are not ripe. The ones in front are.
Credit: Jon Richfield
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Secondly, it seems they're good predictors of the winter weather. If you'd like to know what kind of winter that's coming, just look to the seed of the persimmon. Cut the persimmon open to get to the seed. Is it spoon (shovel)-shaped, knife-shaped or fork-shaped? If it is spoon-shaped, you'll have lots of snow, so get that shovel out. Knife-shaped, it will be cold... cold that cuts like a knife. If it is fork-shaped, it will be a mild winter with plenty to eat!

Persimmon pudding is an Indiana favorite. In my book Pioneer Stories, Maggie and her mother make persimmon pudding for Maggie's fiancé, John Ritter.

     Maggie put her baskets off to one side and went to one of the persimmon trees. Carefully she gave it a shake, and a shower of persimmon fruit fell from the tree. She squealed at the abundance. By the time the ladies were done gathering, their baskets were brimming over.

     Back inside the house, they began their work to process the persimmon into pulp. Mother gently cleaned the fruit in a bucket of water. Maggie took the cleaned fruit and put it into a colander. Using a pestle, she gently pressed the pulp out of the fruit and into a bowl. When she had finished her first batch, she had a bowl full of vibrant orange-red pulp and a colander full of skin and seeds. [3]

After that, the pulp is mixed with sugar, sweet milk and cinnamon and then placed in the oven. It's a very sweet treat!

Persimmon Pudding
Credit to Spablab via Wikimedia Commons

Persimmons are not readily available in most stores, though, because of their fragility. If you're wanting persimmon pudding but don't have a persimmon tree, you can plant one or you can buy persimmons on-line and make the pudding yourself. It's easy!

Directions

1. Combine persimmon pulp with sugar.
2. Beat in eggs. Mix in milk, then butter.
3. Sift or stir flour with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg.
4. Mix with persimmon mixture.
5. Pour batter into a well greased 9-inch square cake pan.
6. Bake in a 315-325°F oven for approx 60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. [4]

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[1] “American Persimmon.” Uncommon Fruit, uncommonfruit.cias.wisc.edu/american-persimmon/. Accessed November 20, 2018.

[2]  “Forestry & Natural Resources.” Indiana's Land Grant University, www.purdue.edu/fnr/extension/blog/2018/09/05/the-fruit-of-the-gods-from-an-indiana-tree/. Accessed November 20, 2019.

[3] Howard, Carolyn Ann. Pioneer Stories. December Moonlight, 2016.

[4] O, Rhonda. “Persimmon Pudding Recipe - Genius Kitchen.” Ammonium Bicarbonate - Kitchen Dictionary - Genius Kitchen, Genius Kitchen, 17 Dec. 2001, www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/persimmon-pudding-15963.


© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two

The Travel Blog

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part Two

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Going through Loogootee, Indiana, the traveler goes down US 50. In the city limits, this street is Broadway. This stretch of road is also one of Indiana's Historic Pathways. And what a gorgeous drive it is. For our tour today, we start in Loogootee, Indiana. We're going to go past McDonald's on one side and Marathon on the other. So if you need gas or food, you might want to fill up here before continuing on US 150. Go slowly, we're getting ready to turn right.

The historic St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church is just a few blocks down, on the left. We're going to turn right, which is S. Kentucky Avenue. It is also where Indiana 550 parts ways with the United States Highways. We're going to travel about 9 miles down Indiana 550. Beautiful homes on this stretch of road. Beautiful farmland. If you pass a car on your way, be sure to wave. Martin County is one of the friendliest places in the world, and it's the habit of many to wave when they pass you on a rural roadway.

Indiana 550 has many twists and turns in it, so don't drive too fast. Besides, you don't want to miss any of the gorgeous countryside. When you pass over the East Fork of White River, you're almost there! But where? Hindostan Falls! Click on photos to enlarge

Hindostan Falls, low water
Photo credit: David Kurvach

Hindostan Falls
Courtesy of Marie Hawkins

Hindostan was a town first settled somewhere around 1818 with a population of around 1,200. When Martin County was carved out from Daviess County in 1820, Hindostan became the county seat. That same year, an epidemic ran through the community, killing many of the town's inhabitants, as well as a financial crises occurring after The Panic of 1819. Those not devastated with illness were devastated financially. By 1828, most of the town had been abandoned, and the county seat was moved to Mt. Pleasant.

The signs will point the way, for you'll need to turn off Indiana 550 onto County Road 55. A historical marker telling the story of Hindostan is on the corner of that junction. Just a few more minutes, and you're at Hindostan Falls! You might want to put your rubber boots on in order to explore, but be careful! The rocks there can be slippery.

Some people think the area is haunted. As someone sensitive to spirits, I have not felt any of the eeriness some people feel when they visit the ghost town. All I see is the beauty of Martin County!

Hindostan Falls is breathtaking. It is worthy of your visit while sightseeing through Martin County. 
A Tour Through Historic Martin County - Part One
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Some of the information for this article came from Wikipedia as well as the web page "Visit Martin County, Indiana."

Photo credit: By David Kurvach [CC BY-SA 3.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County - Part One

The Travel Blog

Beautiful Martin County, Indiana

A Tour Through Scenic Martin County, Part Two

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

Let's take Interstate 69 in Indiana to the Washington exit. Turn east onto United States Highway 150, one of Indiana's Historic Pathways. Running concurrently with US 150 is also US 50 and Indiana 550. Click on photos to enlarge

St. Peter's Catholic Church, Montgomery
Attribution: Chris Flook. See below.

This is fairly flat farmland. You must go through the small town of Montgomery on your way. One thing that stands out in Montgomery is the beautiful St. Peter's Catholic Church. Montgomery is also home to Gasthof Amish Village. After passing through Montgomery, you'll see more flat farmland. Its relaxing, peaceful -- but don't get too relaxed if you're driving!

Loogootee blooms very quickly. It's always thrilling to go around that curve and find yourself in Loogootee. You're still on 3 different highways but the city name for this street is West Broadway. As soon as you reach the city limits is a stop light. This is the intersection of the three highways with US 231. So now we're on a stretch of road where 4 different highways are running concurrently!

Hester Cannon Howard at her home in Loogootee
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

You're also now in the heart of Loogootee. Everything a person needs is here. Restaurants, grocery store, churches, gas stations, banks, hair salons, pharmacies and doctor offices.

Don't go too fast passed SW 2nd street, though! If you'll look to the left, you'll see the place where my great grandmother lived. No, not Subway! This is where her house used to be a long time ago, now retail shops. She died in 1932.

We're going to turn left at the next light onto John F. Kennedy Avenue. We'll lose 50/150 but continue on 231. If we turned right, we would go into the McDonald's parking lot! This McDonald's is busy. We'll pass the Marathon Station, too, also busy. Loogootee may be small, but it is bustling.

We're not going to stay on JFK, though. We're going to veer to the right and go down Line Street to Goodwill Cemetery. This is where many of my relatives are buried. As far as cemeteries go, its beautiful. But then again, its Martin County, so, of course, it is!

Goodwill Cemetery
Google Maps

Moving on down the road, we come back to what was JFK Avenue and is now just 231 running all by itself. We're outside the city limits of Loogootee now. Still beautiful country! Farm land.

Soon, however, on our right, is West Boggs Lake. The lake itself is 662 acres. West Boggs Park boasts of 400 acres of play area, miles of multi-use trails, shelter houses, and lakefront beach. This hopping place has tons of fun things to do spring, summer and fall -- Zombie 5K, Chili cook-off, luau and Civil War reenactments, to name a few. Like to fish? This is your place. Like to hunt? This is your place. Like to play golf? Lakeview has a wonderful 9-hole golf course. When you've finished your game, you can eat at a popular Amish restaurant, Stoll's Lakeview Restaurant. Ask for a seat by the window, if available, and you can dine with one of the best views in the world.

After lunch, we'll head down 231 a bit more until we come to Day Road. We'll take a right and follow the winding road around until it starts to climb and climb. We're climbing up to Mount Calvary. Pretty soon, we'll come to a fork in the road. We'll continue onto Mount Calvary Road firstly and pull into one of the parking spots at Mount Calvary Cemetery and the old Mount Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church, now a residence. The Lyon/Arvin families have done a fantastic job of preserving this old cemetery, for which so many of us are grateful.

My great grandparent's grave at Mount Calvary
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection
Click on photo to enlarge

I don't know what it is about Mount Calvary. Perhaps its because this is where my Cannon family lived, but I love being on Mount Calvary. Maybe because it feels like home. How many times as a child did I visit here with my father, not understanding the significance of my ancestry? He remembers his grandmother's log cabin. He remembers the water pump in his great grandfather's yard. When writing Blood of My Ancestor, I could envision the baseball game they played at the church picnic and how my great-grandmother threw herself upon the grave of my great-grandfather after he had died so young.

If we back track a little from the cemetery, we can easily find Killion Mill Road, home of Lark Ranch. So much to do here: Corn maze, hayride, train ride, slide mountain, mechanical bull, orbitron, jumping pillow, barrel ride, corn cannon, animal farm and a zipline, just to name a few. Tickets are inexpensive, and this is good family fun.

My apologies, but I don't remember how to get back from Lark Ranch, so I must backtrack to Mount Calvary Road. Staying on Mount Calvary Road, following the road around, you'll see some of the most beautiful country you've ever seen and will finally end up back in the city of Loogootee and US 150/50.

This ends our short tour of Loogootee, but you can see the city offers so many amenities. It is a worthwhile place to visit and to vacation! A Tour Through Martin County - Part Two
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Photo Credit: Montgomery Catholic Church. By Chris Flook [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons)

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

My Hessian Great-Grandfather - John Godfrey Howard (1754-1834)

Johann Gottfried Hauer (John Godfrey Howard) Family Line

 

John Godfrey Howard (1754-1834) My Hessian Great-Grandfather

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

The Howard clan, vast and diverse throughout the United States, descended from one man, Johann Gottfried Hauer. Hauer came to the United States from Germany as a Hessian soldier.

Gottfried Hauer might have been a soldier by profession. According to The Journal of the American Revolution, "two centuries of warfare had created a true military society" among the Landgraviate of  Hesse-Cassel. [1] The Digital Encyclopedia of Washington Library states that soldiers began their training as young as 7 years of age. The conditions in the military were harsh as the punishments were brutal, but the pay and benefits were good. [2] Click on photos to enlarge

The uniform of a Hessian jaeger
Painting by: Charles M. Lefferts
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Hauer was a jaeger, also known as a chasseur or a sharpshooter. Translated to English, jaeger means "hunter." Hauer would've excelled in rifle skills. He would have been efficient, quick, and brave. So we learn that our forebear was a skilled hunter. Other than that, we know almost nothing of Hauer's life in Germany and very little of his personality. We can be certain that, as a Hessian soldier, he would've been highly disciplined and rugged, strong and tough.

It was not unusual at this time in history for a country to hire professional soldiers from other countries. Britain entered into a treaty with some of the then German States in exchange for Hessian soldiers. These soldiers were brought to the United States to fight on the side of the British to quell the colonial revolt. Included in this number was my 4x great-grandfather. He either answered the call to arms voluntarily or was taken by force. My gut is that he voluntarily answered the call to arms, since he was most likely already a soldier.

Hauer embarked by ship from Leipzig on 28 Mar 1777. The ship stopped at a Dutch port before landing in New Brunswick, Canada, 17 Jun that same year. Hauer was assembled with the other Hessian soldiers at Cumberland Point on Lake Champlain under the command of British General John Burgoyne. [3] The total number of men were between 7,000 to 9,000, depending on the source.

Burgoyne's March on Albany
Public Domain via Wikipedia
Click on photo to enlarge

General Burgoyne had a plan to capture Albany, New York for the British. His troops began their march from Canada into New York. The general was quite confident in his plan, perhaps overly so. A few victories but mostly failures were had along the way.

Hauer's main battle most likely would've been The Battle of Bennington, which took place as part of the Saratoga campaign, 16 Aug 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from its namesake Bennington, Vermont. [Wikipedia]

Volumes have been written about this battle and a person could study for years on this one battle and its impact on the American Revolution. It was a significant loss for the British.

After this battle, all the Hessian soldiers were taken prisoner. It is likely my grandfather was bound to other prisoners by the neck like cattle. He may have been stuffed into an overcrowded building with other prisoners. They were dirty. They stank. It was hot, they were exhausted, and they were hungry. The prisoners and guards spoke three different languages: English, French, and German; therefore, much confusion was had as well as much fear. The prisoners stayed in the various make-shift prisons for a few weeks while it was decided what to do with them. [4]

Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collection
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The prisoners were taken to various places, many to Boston. [5]  Hauer didn't go to Boston, however. He went to Albany, New York. He may have been a deserter, or he may have joined the Americans in her fight for freedom. Indeed, many of the Hessian soldiers noted the fertile and beautiful farmlands in New York as well as the trees and the wildlife. This beautiful land became a place where they wanted to settle, so they sided with the Americans.

After the war, several thousand Hessian soldiers were offered freedom and United States citizenship in exchange for an oath of loyalty to the United States. Hauer took this offer. Once he did this, he was free to speak German, fit into a German neighborhood, and perhaps even meet a pretty German girl to settle down with. [6] Hauer met his wife, Susannah Harwick, and they married 13 Aug 1779 in Albany County, New York.

It wasn't easy being identified as a Hessian and so a name change was in order, although we cannot be certain when this occurred. Much negative and ugly propaganda against the Hessians had been circulated. Hauer most certainly would've wanted to fit in and Americanizing his name to Howard would've been a fine way to begin.

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[1] Collins, Bethany. “8 Fast Facts About Hessians.” Journal of the American Revolution, 28 Aug. 2016, allthingsliberty.com/2014/08/8-fast-facts-about-hessians/. [Accessed 13 Oct. 2018].

[2] Head, David Ph.D. “Hessians.” George Washington's Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/hessians/.[Accessed 13 Oct. 2018]

[3] Smith, Clifford Neal. Muster Rolls and Prisoner-of-War Lists in American Archival Collections Pertaining to the German Mercenary Troops who Served with the British Forces During the American Revolution, 1974-1976. Note: "Hauer, Gottfried - a Jaeger signed up with the Hessian troops from Hesse/Hanau; embarked by ship from Germany on March 28, 1777, stopped at a Dutch port en route to North America."

[4] Gabriel, Ph.D, M. (n.d.). Incident at the Bennington Meeting House, August 17, 1777. [online] Kutztown, PA. Available at: https://www.jsha.org/articles/Gabriel%20article.pdf [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

[5] Ketchum, Richard M. Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War. New York: Henry Holt. via Wikipedia. 

[6] Albanymuskrat. “Tag: Revolutionary War.” Friends of Albany History, friendsofalbanyhistory.wordpress.com/tag/revolutionary-war/. [Accessed 12 Oct. 2018].

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Rape, Predators, and Genealogy

Genealogy Tips

Rape, Predators, and Genealogy

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by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post updated 08 Sep 2021

About a week ago, I began to write a glowing blog about a particular ancestor, but in our current climate and with the MeToo movement, I stopped to think. Of course my desire is to write glowing accounts of all my ancestors. Unfortunately, it is known for certain that at least one of my ancestors was a pedophile. This particular ancestor was a pillar of his community and a well-respected church-goer, an elder. The ugly fact is only known by family and victims who have been successful in keeping it secret. These things that happen behind closed doors are so vile, so shameful, that victims most of the time remain silent.

Even today in 2018, "60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to police, according to a statistical average of the past 5 years. Those rapists, of course, never spend a day in prison. Factoring in unreported rapes, only about 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail." [1]

The message, then, is this: We who do genealogy must be diligent and intentional in our documentation. Indeed, we must be excellent. We owe that to those who read and use our work for their own trees. Its tough, and it can be exhausting, but we must not allow mediocre results to creep in.

I'm guilty. An example from my tree: I always thought Eliza Jane Raney's father was Joseph Raney. She lived in the same household as Joseph Raney so why wouldn't she be his daughter? It was brought to my attention through another person's blog that Eliza Jane Raney was an orphan who had been adopted by her Uncle Joseph Raney. [2]

To be fair, she does fit right in as a daughter. The couple have four children on the 1850 census ages 10, 8, 6, 2. Eliza Jane is the 8-year-old. So we really have no clues from this census that she is adopted. Genealogists can't rely on a single source or even several sources. Fortunately, with technology, genealogists now have so many more tools. Even so, we must always keep an open mind and consider possibilities for different outcomes.

Rape and illegitimacy have always been seen as shameful, things that are to be kept secret. In my book Blood of My Ancestor, I confronted and explained the reality of life in rural America in the 1800s. The reasoning was necessary to understand why one of the main characters, Malinda, who had a baby "out of wedlock," turned down Isreal's proposal for marriage. A hugely weighty decision made by a brave woman. (Update: This is now a deleted excerpt from the book, because, in hindsight,  I felt that it interrupted the storyline.)

The real problem was that the pioneers had no real form of birth control, meaning that many times having sex led to having a baby. That was the conundrum. Because of that, society imposed its own birth control in the form of abstinence. The punishment that society dished out to those who broke the rule of abstinence, finding themselves pregnant, was to make the woman an outcast. An unmarried pregnant woman found herself to be an object of scorn, ridicule and gossip. They were treated poorly and were deliberately humiliated. The child was often treated worse.

Another problem Malinda couldn’t fully grasp was the collective thought of what having a baby outside of marriage meant to society. Who would be financially responsible for the child? The pioneers had no social service organizations to help women with this. Orphanages, poor farms and workhouses were starting to crop up, but these were poor excuses for childcare.

Some unmarried women, after having their baby, not knowing what else to do or where else to turn, simply abandoned the child, allowing it to die. Some left their babies on the steps of a church, hoping the church or someone in the church would take their child in. 

Abrahm Alley Log Cabin in Colorado [3]

Sometimes a family would send their pregnant daughter away to hide with relatives, while the mother feigned pregnancy by stuffing her clothes with pillows. In that way, when a new child appeared within the family, people would naturally assume it was the mother’s child and not the daughter’s. Some families sent their pregnant daughter away, hiding them with relatives, telling everyone their daughter had gotten married. Then, when the daughter returned some months later with a new baby, they would say she was a widow whose husband had died shortly after the marriage. All of that was done to save face in a culture where the pregnancy of an unmarried woman was greatly stigmatized and feared.

Some states, like North Carolina, had legal lists called “bastardy bonds.” When the state learned a so-called illegitimate child was being carried, the family or the father would be forced to sign a bond. Someone had to declare financial responsibility for the child. [4]

It may never be known which ancestors of yours or mine were raped or those who were sexual predators. We can be certain they're there, though. Of course, we don't want to be judgmental, because this is very serious! But if something isn't lining up, or even if it is, keep in mind that anything is possible.

Be diligent in your documentation and resist the temptation to put your ancestors onto pedestals. Even if they deserve that pedestal, it does them a disservice as they take their place on your family tree.

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[1] Facts About Sexual Assault. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2018, from https://cmsac.org/facts-and-statistics/

[2] https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/raney/761/

[3] Photo credit: By Darrylpearson [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

[4] Howard, Carolyn Ann. Blood of My Ancestor. December Moonlight Publishing, LLC, 2012.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

Sex, Rape, and Divorce in the 1800s

Genealogy Tips

Sex, Rape, and Divorce in the 1800s

_____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

This post was updated 01 May 2022

Really? Seriously? A divorce rate of less than 2,000 in the 1860s? No, not really and not at all seriously. This chart is wrong. Although divorce rates may not have been as high in the 1800s as they are now, they were definitely not this low. What's wrong with this chart? What's wrong is that it looks like documentation, even though it isn't. Because divorce in the 1800s was not well-documented, we don't really know what the divorce rate was.

Keep this in mind when doing genealogical research: If a female relative disappears, don't assume that she died. Assume that she lived. Go, look for her. It’s probable that she just quietly 'went away.' Her husband may have had her committed to an insane asylum. Check those records. Check the census records to see if she was living with a relative. Check the census records to see if she was living in a hotel. Or maybe she remarried.

If this seems absurd, remember that records were not well-kept at this time in the U.S., especially in the case of a *gasp* divorce. Also remember that the United States was extremely rural, so a neighbor didn't necessarily know another person's business.

 
It must also be understood that women in the 1800s had NO RIGHTS. Their decisions were made by their husbands, fathers, and brothers. Many times, they were treated as mere property and suffered abuse with no rights under the law. It certainly was not difficult for a man to end his marriage.

When doing research, one must also keep in mind the beliefs that embraced the country in the 1800s or simply the beliefs of your ancestor. Divorce was shameful and women who were divorced were many times treated as a 'sinner,' shunned from their friends and from their church. Naturally, many divorced women and even men would say they were a widow/widower, passing that information on to their children and grandchildren. Better to lie than to be disowned!

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) documented faithfully many of the marriages in the United States in the 1800s. The WPA didn't, however, document divorces. Those records, if indeed there are any records of the divorce at all, are safely tucked away in the local court houses or in historical societies. If you can visit the county where your ancestors lived, this is usually a good way to obtain information.

Whatever you do, keep your mind open to any possibility when doing genealogical research. Try not to judge your ancestors too harshly! They lived their lives just like you're living yours. Most of them did the best they could with what they had.

Thinking about intimacy between two people can feel a little creepy. When I first began my study of the 1800s, I had a difficult time reconciling the fact that those people lived in close quarters yet had many children. Where did they find the privacy to do have sex? Well... mostly they didn't find the privacy. They just did it. In my book Pioneer Stories, John and Sally are in their bed downstairs making out, while the boys are upstairs in the dormer, grossing out. "Ew!" Albey exclaimed. "There they go again!"

Not only that, some had children just a few months into their marriages and some had children even after their spouses had been dead for several years. Where was that perfect ["holy"] world I had been taught as a child? If you're also looking for that perfect or holy world, stop. It's not there. Its not there now; it wasn't there in the 1800s.

A friend of mine tells me this story of one of his ancestors. She was raped repeatedly by her neighbor and had all her children by him. He threatened her that if she ever tried to get away from him, he would take her children away from her. The man's wife knew of the relationship and, in fact, the two women worked together to take care of their children. Again, one must remember that neither of these women had any rights. If the extra-marital woman would've left, the man would've been able to legally take the children. The extra-marital woman writes in a diary that SHE is the one who is sinful and needs to do better. In other words, she blamed herself for being a victim. She was shunned by all the other folks living in the village as being an adulteress, even though the man was forcing himself onto her.

Another friend tells me yet again of his ancestor who was outside drawing water out of the well. She was ambushed and raped by her neighbor. The rape resulted in a pregnancy.

In my stories, I strive to make my characters real and to make them honest. For instance, in Pioneer Stories, we are sure that Charity was pregnant before John Freeman married her. As Quakers, they were forced to confess this sin not only in front of the elders but in front of the entire church before being excommunicated. Charity never recovered from the shaming. 

Plain and simple - in the 1800s - sex, relationships, and divorce, were the same then as they are now. To accept this fact will make working on your family tree a whole lot easier, leaving you to create more possibilities.

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