FOLLOW UP FRIDAY ~ The PROBABLE reason John Lunsford gave only $5 to his daughter, Nancy Boggs in his will

In my post this past Monday about the probate record for John Lunsford, I questioned why he would give land and/or several hundred dollars to some of his 16 children, and only $5 to his son, William and my direct ancestor, his daughter, Nancy.   You can read my post here. 

Well, YIPPEE!  Thanks to my cousin Randy, I now know the probable reason for the small amount to Nancy.  John had sold, for only $100, several pieces of land to Nancy & her husband, Wm. A. Boggs, in 1852.  That was 6 years prior to the writing of his will.
  
Here is the actual deed, showing the transfer of those parcels of land.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT) 
 


When I first saw this posted on our Lawrence Register Facebook group by my cousin, Randy, I was jumping for joy.  I shared the good news with my brother, John.  He is also a genealogist, and it’s fun for us to go on this journey, with our ancestors, together.  John and I both transcribed the land document.  It’s advantageous to have two people do the transcription because then you can compare and often figure out the difficult to read words.

Below are the transcriptions from both of us.

MY TRANSCRIPTION OF THE DEED

JOHN'S TRANSCRIPTION OF THE DEED

I discovered there was more to this document on a second page and added it to my transcription.  Our versions are very similar.  It looks like John had an easier time reading a couple of the words than I did and I indicated those with underlines.
 
You can access the Lawrence County, Ohio deeds by going to the Lawrence Co. Recorder website - CLICK HERE.  Prior to using the Lawrence County Recorder website you might want to use the index to the deeds, so wonderfully prepared for us by a member of the Lawrence Register Facebook group.  Thank you Martha!  You can access that index HERE

What a wonderful resource those deeds are.

We often don’t find answers as to why our ancestors did one thing or another.  But, in this case, I feel like we have a pretty good idea.  Now, to find out why his son, William, only received $5 in the will.  Is there another land transaction out there?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

AMANUENSIS MONDAY ~ William Penn Conveys Land to my Ancestor, William Frampton, in 1683

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY ~ The Last Will and Testament of John Lunsford 1794-1858

What does Amanuensis mean?
To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

Today I am presenting a transcription of the Last Will and Testament of my 4th great grandfather, John Lunsford.  John was born on 5 May 1794 in Virginia and married Mary “Polly” Sackville Hudson probably prior to 1815, when their first child was born.  Together this couple had 16 known children.  I have good information on most of the 16, but some still need some work to determine death dates etc.

I wrote a previous post about these 16 children on Sibling Saturday ~ 16 Siblings – Children of John & Mary Lunsford.

My research indicates that John Lunsord lived in Lawrence County, Ohio for most of his adult life.  The earliest record I have for him, in Lawrence County is the 1820 census.  He and his family are enumerated in the various townships of Windsor, Mason and Rome.

John was engaged in agriculture, probably farming.  He was able to leave both land and money to his wife and children.

Here are the five pages from his last will & testament.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

HERE IS MY TRANSCRIPTION OF JOHN’S PROBATE RECORD

The Last Will of John Lunsford dec

See Journal No. 2 Folio 155, where the following entry occurs.

Court of Probate of Lawrence County Ohio held at this Courthouse in Ironton on the 17th day of April A.D. 1858

                                     In the matter of the Estate

                                     of                                                                               Proof of Will

                                     John Lunsford deceased

                                                                                                     The last will and testament of John Lunsford late of said County deceased was this day presented in the Court, by the Executor in the will named and thereupon appeared also in open Court Sanders Russell and John Waugh the subscribing Witnesses to said will and on oath testify to the due execution of the same, which testimony was reduced to writing and filed with said will, and it appearing to said Court by said testimony that said Will was duly attested and executed and that the said Testater at the time of the executing the same was of full age and sound mind and memory, and not under any restraint.  It is therefore ordered that said last will and testament aforesaid together with this journal entry and the testimony aforesaid be recorded in the Records of Wills

                                                                                   S. M Cown Probate Judge

Will

In the name of the Benevolent Father of All. I John Lunsford of the Township of Mason in the County of Lawrence in the State of Ohio through the afflictions of disease enfeebled in health, yet by the goodness and mercy of God sound in mind, Do make and publish this my last will and testament.

Item 1st  I give and devise to my son Thomas that portion of my farm west of a line to be run from the mouth of the lane south, to the south line of my land and from the mouth of said lane as aforesaid northerly within said lane to a point in said lane near the house thence with the spring branch to the head of the orchard field, thence north to the north line of my land.  Upon the following conditions, Viz. 1st that my beloved wife, Mary Lunsford is to have the entire control and use of and the profits arising therefrom during her lifetime, Excepting 2ndly That my daughter Margaret is to have a lifetime lease of that portion upon which she resides lying south of the ditches at the foot of the hill and west of a line running from the mouth of the Hollow near where she resides couth so as to include twenty acres, and that he pays or causes to be paid his proportion of the sum necessary for the liquidation of the bequests herein after specified. 

Item 2nd  I give and devise unto my son Elijah that portion of my farm lying between said line running through the lane as aforesaid, and a line to be run as follows, Viz: Commencing at a point in a small gut or branch at the foot of the lick field midway between the fences and running from said point south to the south line of my land, and also from said point north to the north line of my land, To take possession at my death subject only to the condition that he is to pay or cause to be paid his proportion of the sum necessary to the payment of the bequests herein after specified.

Item 3: I give and devise to my daughter Susannah Cory that remaining portion of my farm lying east of said line along the branch at the lower end of the Lick field as heretofore described, subject to the like condition that she shall pay or cause to be paid her proportion of the sum necessary for the liquidation of the bequests herein after specified.

Item 4th  I give and bequeath to my daughter Margaret in addition to her lifetime lease of the land before described, one hundred dollars which I require my Executor to use as judiciously as he can in the purchase of a horse beast and a cow for her.

Item 5th  I give and devise to my daughter Amanda and her heirs, Three hundred dollars to be applied to the purchase of a homestead for her and her family: and to her daughter Jane, three head of cattle now in their possession and six head of sheep.

Item 6th  I give and devise to my daughter Martha Three hundred dollars, and to her son Reuben when of age, a colt worth Fifty dollars.

Item 7th  I give and devise to my daughter Sally Vermillion and her husband the sum of Three hundred Dollars.

Item 9th  I also give and devise to my daughter Elizabeth Goff and her husband the like sum of three hundred dollars.

Item 8th  I also give and devise to my three sons Richard, Reuben and Jackson, each the sum of Four hundred dollars.

Item 10th  I give and devise of my personal property as follows, Viz: To Thomas J. Lunsford and to Elijah Lunsford my sons, each one the colt now claimed by him as his own: and to my beloved wife Mary Lunsford my Kit mare, three cows the sheep not already appropriated, the hogs, poultry and household furniture, and the farming utensils for the us of the farm.  The remaining portion of my personal property I leave to be appropriated to the payment of debts due by me and in payment of the bequests made to my several children that are not granted any portion of the farm.

Item 11th  I give and bequeath unto my daughter Nancy Boggs, and her husband the sum of Five dollars, and also I give and devise unto my son William Lunsford the like sum of Five dollars.

Item 12  I hereby give and appoint unto my three children to whom I bequeath my farm, five years in which to liquidate and pay the bequests made to my other children and further provide that if any one or more of them may have paid his full proportion to the other heirs while any other one or more may not have paid his full proportion, I desire that the estate of whichsoever one may have failed to make such payment shall first be subject to such claim of those who are unpaid.

Item 13th  I do hereby nominate and appoint Benjamin F. Cory Executor of this my last will and testament, hereby authorizing and empowering him to compromise, adjust, release and discharge in such manner as he may deem proper, the debts and claims due me. 

I also desire and appoint that no appraisement or sale of my personal property be made, but that my Executor see to the preservation and sale of such property as is not specifically provided for, and that the proceeds be applied to the payment of claims as heretofore specified in such manner as he may deem just and equitable.

I do hereby revoke all former wills by me made.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this nineteenth day of January, in the year One thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty Eight.

Signed and acknowledged                                                      

by said John Lunsford in                                                   

our presence as his last will                                                     

and testament, and signed by us in his presence

in open Court before me S. M Coun judge of the Court of Probate for said County at the Court house in Ironton Sanders Russel and John Waugh of said County and both of lawful age, who by me being first duly sworn according to law, make oath and say respectively that they are witnesses to the last will and testament of John Lunsford late of said County deceased, that the paper here shown to the Judge of this Court and herewith annexed, and purporting to be the last will and testament of said John Lunsford was signed by said testator in presence of these deponents, and that the same paper was signed as witnesses by these deponents in presence of said testator and at his request and that said testator at the time of executing said last will and testament was of full age and of sound mind and memory and not under any restraint

Sworn to before me and                                                          Sanders Russell

subscribed in my presence                                                       John Waugh

the 17th day of April A.D. 1858

       S. M Cown Probate Judge

Examined

NOTE:  You’ll notice I have highlighted, in yellow, Item 11, in John’s will.  That’s because it mentions two of his 16 children.  Nancy and William.  I am directly descended from Nancy, who married William Boggs.  I find it odd that he mentions them and specifically only gives each of them five dollars.  When he gave some of his other children $300 and $400 dollars, you have to wonder if there was a riff in the family.  None of my research on Nancy and William Boggs gives me any reason to believe they were independantly wealthy, so I doubt that’s the reason.  Interesting to be sure.

Probate records can reveal a lot about a family. Here are a few items that can may be ascertained:

• Who were the favored children?
• How many worldly goods did your ancestor have?
• Did he or she have land?  Are there land records to be found?
• As in this case, who is obviously shorted in the will
• Who was left out of the will entirely?
• Are there later records in the courts regarding the transactions associated with the will?

I’d love to hear about the probate records you’ve found.  Were there any surprises?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

SURNAME SATURDAY - Boggs & Lunsford (here's the couple that was only given $5 in John's will)

HOW TO FIND PROBATE RECORDS ONLINE

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FAMILY RECIPE FRIDAY ~ Massaging Cream ~ From my grandmother’s journal

FAMILY RECIPE FRIDAY

My grandmother, Florence BOWDEN  MILNE left us a spiral bound notebook,  which I refer to has her journal.  The entire notebook is written in her hand and was begun about the time of her marriage to my grandfather, Joseph, in 1906.  In it she left a treasure trove of family information and wonderful clues to life back in the early 1900's.

Not only did she leave names & birth dates for many of our ancestors, but she left various types of recipes.  Some for cooking, some for making items that we can now purchase at a store.  This is one of those items.

MASSAGING CREAM


Transcription - Rub yolks of two eggs with 1/4 lb. of strained honey & 2 oz. of ground bitter almonds.  Then add slowly an oz. of almond oil & 1/2 dram each of attar of cloves and attar of bergramot, this is for use in massaging lower arms

What are attar of cloves and attar of bergamot?

I conducted a search on the internet and learned that “attar” is a noun that means perfume or essential oil obtained from flowers or petals.
 
Ok, we know what the attar of cloves are then.  But, how about bergamot?
 
From dictionary.com I found the following word origin for bergamot:

Noun

1. a small citrus tree, Citrus aurantium bergamia, having fruit with a rind that yields a fragrant essential oil.

2. Also called essence of bergamot. the oil or essence itself.

3. any of various plants of the mint family, as Monarda fistulosa, yielding an oil resembling essence of bergamot.

4. a variety of pear.
 

I’ve learned something new today.  Have you?  I had never before heard of bergamot.

Do you have “recipes” such as this, shared by an ancestor?  I’d love to hear about them.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

FAMILY RECIPE FRIDAY - How to Make Shampoo
FAMILY RECIPE FRIDAY - How to Keep Hair Curled Back in 1906

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SATURDAY NIGHT FUN ~ Which of your ancestors have you met?

This evening’s Saturday Night Fun comes from Randy Seaver’s post on his Genea-Musings blog.  Randy writes a weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post.  You can find his post here.

Our mission this week was as follows:

1) Write down which of your ancestors that you have met in person (yes, even if you were too young to remember them).


2) Tell us their names, where they lived, and their relationship to you in a blog post, or in comments to this post, or in comments on Facebook.

So Here Is My List:

Harry Norman Gould, my father (1912-1991), lived in Detroit, Michigan, Pompano Beach, Florida and San Diego, California.

Patricia Anne (Milne) Gould Cornelius, my mother (1924-2016), lived in Detroit, Michigan, Pompano Beach, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, Houston and Wharton, Texas and San Diego, California.

Harry Whipple Gould, my father’s father (1886-1960), lived in Detroit, Michigan and Pompano Beach, Florida.

Marie Wallace (Lindsay) Gould, my father’s mother (1888-1970), lived in Detroit, Michigan, Pompano Beach, Florida and San Diego, California.

Joseph Albert Milne, my mother’s father (1883-1957), lived in Detroit, Michigan his whole life.

Florence Lee Nora (Bowden) Milne, my mother’s mother (1888-1986), lived in Ashland & Covington, Kentucky, Detroit, Michigan and for a short time in Houston, Texas.

So, I’ve met six of my ancestors.  Unfortunately, I never got to meet any great grandparents.  If you have, you are very lucky and should ask them lots of questions, write everything down and cherish every minute.

I’d love to hear how many of your ancestors you’ve “met.”  Tell me about it here in a comment or on your own blog.

Thanks for this episode of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Gordon W. Flower, dead, only 3 days after his marriage to Lovina McNinch–What was the cause of death?

This is a follow up post from yesterday.  I wrote a post about finding potential problems in my Legacy 8 database.  This problems list helps identify various issues in your family tree, that may have gone unnoticed. You can read that post here.

There were two problems on my list.  I’ve cleared up the first one.  The second one had to do with Gordon W. Flower.  His marriage date is listed as being after his death date.  Yup!  I’d say that’s a problem. 

• Do I have the correct dates for the date of death and the marriage?
• If so, where did I get these dates?
• What other records might I locate that would give me more information?

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


First I went to the sources I have listed for the death of Gordon W. Flower.  It seems I have only one.

• Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897 showing his death date as 4 Oct 1896

TIP:  I have a one page death record for Gordon, which I located on familysearch.org.  In the several years since I researched this individual, I have learned an excellent lesson.  ALWAYS look at the page before and after any record.  Had I done that at the time, I wouldn’t have been so surprised by his cause of death in my findings today.  I went back and found the 2nd page of the death record, today.

Now let’s see sources I show for his marriage to Lovina McNinch?

• Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925, showing they were married on 5 Oct 1896 in Hastings, Barry, Michigan.  His parents names are correct on the marriage record, as is his age & place of birth.

Here are the images of those records:

The death record below clearly indicates date of death as October 4th


The marriage record below also clearly gives the same date for the license and the date of the marriage, October 5th.



So, what I entered in my Legacy database wasn’t wrong, then, based on these records.  I may have located the records at different times, not noting the discrepancy it created.  OR, was Gordon married posthumously?  That’s always a possiblity.  However, what I found today, will refute that theory.

I also had located a FindAGrave memorial for Gordon W. Flower with his year of birth and death clearly visible on the headstone.  You can visit that memorial here.
 
The next step I took was to go to the online newspapers and try to locate an obituary, funeral notice or some other article that would give me further information about Gordon W. Flower.  I was not disappointed.

Here are the articles I located:





So, Gordon died by an overdose of morphine.  Only the one article mentions him being kicked by a horse.  Was that true?  Or was it said to protect the family?  Why was his father against his marriage to Lovina McNinch? (her name is spelled various ways) Lovina was only 16 yrs. old at the time of the marriage. I have not been able to follow her forward to see what became of her.  I’ve not located any children born to Gordon and Lovina.

Sadly, Gordon was the only son born to David Preston Flower and his wife Mary “Polly” J. Thorp, who are my 2nd great grandaunt & uncle.  Making Gordon W. Flower, my 1st cousin 3 times removed.  Gordon had four sisters.  How sad they must have been at the news of his death.

I have changed Gordon’s death date in my database, to October 8, 1896 based on the newspaper articles.  This is consistent with him dying 3 days after his marriage.  One article names the 8th specifically and the other states “thursday” which based on the date of the newspaper article, would have been Oct. 8th.
 
I’ve certainly cleared up the “problem” in my database.  In doing so I learned a very sad fact about this particular ancestor.
 
Is using the Potential Problems report a good idea?  I would certainly say YES.  It’s allowed me to complete Gordon’s story, as difficult as it is to find such stories about our family.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS LIST IN LEGACY 8 ~ What problems did I find today?

It’s necessary with any database, to check for problems, errors etc.  Legacy 8 has a built-in feature for doing just that.  It’s called “Potential Problems” and can be found under your Tools tab.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

 
Since I run this feature about once a month, my problems list is usually very small.  Of course, that wasn’t true the first time I ran it.  I can’t remember exactly how many I had, but I know it was dozens.  It took me a while to go through the list, but it was a worthwhile endeavor.

Today, I ran the list, and here’s what I got.



LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THIS LIST

• The name that is highlighted is Boggs, Virginia [3934].  I always have the RIN number listed after my individuals as it makes it very easy to find them quickly in the Index or write the numbers down, should I need to come back later.
• At the bottom of the screen, you can see that Legacy tells me exactly what the problem is.  In this case “The birth date for this individual is either after the mother’s death date or more than ten months after the death date of the father.”
• I can do several things directly from this list.

    1.  Print it
    2.  Mark as Not a Problem
    3.  Run the report in different ways
    4.  Report destination can be Screen, Text file or PDF file

I went to the family page for Virginia Boggs.  I can see that her birth date is listed as “Abt 1848.”  I have an 1850 census for her and her family which states that she is two years old.  The next census in 1860 lists her as 11.  So, the birth year of approximately 1848 is probably correct.

Now, let’s look at her father, Hamilton Boggs.  OH OH!  I have his death date as “Abt. 1842.”  Kind of tough for him to have been Virginia’s father if she was born 6 years later.  I don’t have a second marriage for her mother, and Virginia is the last child, of 6, listed for this family.

Hamilton Boggs is my 3rd great granduncle, and I can see that I have done very little thorough research on him.  I have one source listed and it’s an email from another descendant, that I received back in 2005.

My next step, as I sit here this morning, will be to go online and begin trying to piece together Hamilton’s life with more valid sources.  I’m sure there has been a lot of sources made available over the past 11 years.

Then I will move on to the other person listed on my Problems Report.

This report provides an excellent method for us to find the problems we might not have noticed and, in this case, to go back to a fairly close ancestor, and do more research.
 
Have you used the Potential Problems report?  What have you found?

Please visit the tab “Legacy 8 Tips” at the top of my blog for 12 other posts that are specific training tools for using Legacy 8.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ Mary Cooper Swart–1729 to 1792–Albany New York

Photo placed on findagrave.com by Chip Rowe and used with permission

Headstone Inscription

Momento Mori

In Memory of Mary Swart

Wife of Evert Wynkoop Swart

Born Nov^r 1^st 1720:

Departed this Life March 7^th 1792:

Aged 61 Years 3 Months & 25 Days

A good Name is better than precious Ointment

And the Day of Death than the Day of ones Birth

Reader whoe’er thou art, behold they Doom

Time hurries onward to the silent Tomb;

Improve the Day of Grace before too late

The gloomy Monarch close your final Fate

This is the first time I’ve seen the words “Momento Mori” on a headstone.  I had to look up what it meant.  According to several websites, including Wikipedia, it is Latin for “remember you have to die.”  Other variations included “remember that you must die.”

NOTE: If you do the calculation of her birth date, based on here age at death, as stated on her headstone, it does not match the birth date given. Based on 62 years, 3 months & 25 days, her birthdate would have been 10 Nov 1729, not 1 Nov.  However, she was baptised on the 9th of November, so I’m concluding that the date of November 1st is correct and that the math for the age on the stone was done incorrectly.

I’ve been studying my Cooper line this past week.  My 3rd great grandmother, Lany Cooper married Monson Thorp, Sr.  It took me years to track down the Cooper line, but since doing so, I have traced them back to my 7th great grandparents, Obadiah Cooper and Cornelia Gardenier who were both born in New York circa 1690.

Maria “Mary” Cooper Swart is one of the 10-12 children born to Obadiah & Cornelia Cooper.  She is my 6th great grandaunt.  She married Evert Wynkoop Swart and they had one known child, John Swart.

Here is her baptismal record from the records of the U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989.  The name Cooper is also spelled Couper in some records.

I have not yet located the marriage record for Evert Swart & Maria Cooper.  However, I have located her probate record, in which she leaves everything to her “beloved” husband, Evert and her son, John.  I’ll transcribe that probate in another post.

Mary is buried at the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church Cemetery in Fishkill, Dutchess, New York.  You can visit her memorial here #76417698.

The cemetery is located at 1153 Main St., Fishkill, Dutchess, New York.  According to FindAGrave there are 567 interments at the cemetery.  Mary is the only Swart documented.  Here husband and her son are not buried with her.  There are 15 Coopers at the cemetery.  One of them is her brother, Cornelius Cooper.

I’m excited to continue my research on this Cooper line.  They are proving to be an interesting group. And, there are LOTS of them.

 

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

SURNAME SATURDAY - COOPER - Have I really gone back 3 more generations?

TUESDAY'S TIP - U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-2000

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ The actual church record for the marriage of Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Bailey 22 Dec 1748

First let me start by saying that I better pay attention to what day it is.  I posted a Treasure Chest Thursday, yesterday, which was actually Wednesday.  I’ve now changed the title of that post and you can find it here WEDDING WEDNESDAY – A marriage record, of sorts, for Dr. Jeremiah Hall & Eliabeth Bailey.

To follow up that post today, I’m happy to share the actual, handwritten church record for that marriage.

I didn’t locate it myself, but, again, because of belonging to a Facebook group, I now have the record.  Another Hall family member, from the same group I spoke of yesterday, Hall Families of New England, has shared the image.  Thanks to Cheryl Hall for finding this record in the archival church records of the Congregational Church.
 
Here’s a link to the home page http://www.congregationallibrary.org/

And here’s the link to the actual entry for the marriage of Jeremiah Hall to Elizabeth Bailey

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


Here are the first two pages from this digital record.

When I source this record, the one thing I won’t know is who made the entries into this record book.  They are all numbered and the volume is separated into meeting notes, admission to full communion, baptisms, births, marriages & deaths.  Most of the writing is the same throughout the record, with occasional differences.  This makes me believe that this is a transcription of various records, placed in the book, in order.

QUESTION? Is this a primary source?  I don’t think so because it appears to be a transcription of other records.  Meaning the person who wrote these records may not have been present at the time of the event.  But, we’re getting closer, and it’s certainly better than just having the entry from the book I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

Maybe this is all I’ll ever find to document this record from 268 years ago.  But, combining this record with other pieces of evidence certainly proves that a marriage took place in Hanover, between Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Baily/Bailey.

Stay tuned for more on this family.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ A marriage record, of sorts, for Dr. Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Bailey

Reference to the marriage of Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Baily

As you know from my previous post Dr. Jeremiah Hall writes a letter to George Washington, I’ve been researching this line of our Hall ancestors.  In doing so, I’ve been trying to locate as many vital records, probate records or other documentation for their lives, as I can.
 
The one thing I couldn’t locate was a marriage record for Dr. Jeremiah Hall to Elizabeth Bailey. I had a research note in my database from 2009 that stated I had located a reference to their marriage at the New England Historical Genealogical Society (NEHGS) website as follows:

“Hall, Jeremiah 1722 Wrentham 1807 Pembroke Pembroke HR 1785, 1775FS, 1775MS, 1779C; moderator 1780, 82, 83; major, lieut. colonel; M Elizabeth Bailey (c1730-1816) in 1747, 9 ch; MD. Served in the Revolution. He attended the HR sessions and accepted from one to four committee assignments. Wrentham VR 108; Pembroke VR 98, 410; DAR-PIc 1275; IGI for marr at Hanover; Hanover VR 21”

I found other references to their marriage, but no actual records.  Surprising, since Massachusetts is one of our states that has lots of historical records online.

What Did I Do Next?

Something I frequently do, I went to Facebook and asked my fellow researchers if they had or knew of a marriage record for this couple.  In this case I went directly to a group I belong to, dedicated to Hall families from New England.  You can go to that group by clicking here.



The value of joining Facebook groups cannot be overstated.  There are thousands of groups dedicated to genealogy research.  They range from surname groups to state, county or city groups.  Please refer to my link at the end of this post, about joining genealogy Facebook groups.

I posted my question about the marriage record last night, and by this morning, I had several responses, one of which gives an actual reference to a record of the marriage.

Here’s how I worded my question.  I like to begin any posts of this sort with a specific statement as to what I’m looking for.  This allows anyone who wouldn’t be able to help to scroll right past my post and not waste time reading it.

Re: Marriage record of Dr. Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Bailey.
Hello Hall families - I've been working hard on the Hall side of the family this past few days. I can locate many vital records on Ancestry for the Massachusetts Halls. However, I have been unable to locate a marriage record for Dr. Jeremiah Hall to Elizabeth Bailey circa 1748. The first child I have for them was born in 1753. It looks like all the children were born in Pembroke.
Do any of you have that marriage record? Or know where I might find it? Thanks!
 
One of the responses led me to a book, located on archive.org.  This book is downloadable or you can just search right on the site.  The name of the book is History and Records of the First Congregational Church of Hanover, Mass. 1727-1865. 

I located the reference to the marriage on page 90 of Volume I.

1747-48
December 22 Jeremiah Hall and Elizabeth Baily, Junr

both of Hanover

This is by no means a primary source.  However, it may be possible to view an actual church record, rather than this reference to the record.  Would they be available on microfilm?  That’s something I will check. An initial search of the FHL catalog has so far come up empty.  However, I will continue to look.

I will be writing more about this branch of the Hall family in upcoming posts.

Please contact me if you are related to anyone mentioned in this post or any of my other posts.

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Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

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