My mother and father had back to back birthdays on April 15th and April 16th. Even with a 50/50 chance, I don’t think we ever got the days right.
Mary Kathryn Grace French 1933 – 2004
Photo (left) of Mary on the Connecticut shore (1936-7)
John Spencer French 1931- 2014
Below – Photos of John. In the picture (upper right), John is sitting with his Uncle Orrin’s children (his cousins) William Spencer, Joan Spencer, Marjorie Spencer, John Spencer, and Orrin Jr. (est. date 1934)
My paternal great-grandfather, Samuel Eggleston Spencer (1867-1906), was a locomotive engineer for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company (NYNH&HRR) where he was an employee for 19 years. Operating a steam locomotive combined two responsibilities: managing a highly complex steam boiler and controlling the safe speed of a massive vehicle. For example, a class G-4 (built 1904-1907) which weighed 151,000 pounds. The photographs that accompany this post (NYNH&H Steam), depict the immensity and raw power of these steam locomotives, I can only imagine that Samuel is one of the men pictured!
In a sad coincidence, Samuel’s grandfather, Abiram Spencer, was killed in 1871 after being struck by a New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad train. (Article – Hartford Courant)
Samuel, the son of John W. Spencer (1834-1896) and Anna Eggleston (1843-1921), was born in Bloomfield and lived in Hartford, CT. In 1897, he married Minnie M. Fowler (1858-1957), the daughter of Edward Gamaliel Fowler (1840-1912) and Ellen Jane Thompson (1845-1924). Samuel and Minnie had six children, including my grandmother Gladys.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, commonly known as the New Haven Railroad or simply, ‘The New Haven”, operated in the states of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The New Haven operated freight and passenger trains over a Boston – New York City main line and was made up of 8 railroads, several trolley companies and coastal steamship lines which were controlled through stock purchases or long term lease. (Source: New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc.)
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
Edward Francis Daly Sr., my maternal great-grandfather, was born on May 13, 1870, in Waterbury, Connecticut. Edward was the son of Michael Daly and Hannah Mulcahy, both immigrants from Ireland. In 1889, Edward married Mary Ester Butler in Portland, Connecticut. In the census of 1900 and 1910 for Portland, CT., his occupation is listed as carpenter.
From 1914 through 1921, he was the appointed postmaster for Portland. Edward died on November 13, 1937 at the age of 67. His obituary (left) notes that he was the building superintendent at the Portland Trust Company (Bank) for the 10 years prior to his death. Edward was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the largest and oldest Irish Catholic organization in America and was grand knight of the local Knights of Columbus council in Portland.
In 1914, Edward was named by President Woodrow Wilson to be the postmaster for Portland, Connecticut. He was nominated to be postmaster by Congressman Bryan Francis Mahan (New London, CT.), who was a lawyer by trade and postmaster of New London, CT. before and following his term in Congress. Note: The service record of Edward’s son (Edward Jr.), lists his employment in 1917 as a clerical worker for the postmaster (his dad) of Portland, CT. Here is a post about Edward Jr. – Pvt. Edward F. Daly Jr. – WW1 Pv Co C 3 BN 20 En
Did Edward suffer a horrible injury in 1895 while working as a joiner for the Berlin Iron Bridge Company? While I have no confirmation, everything (name/occupation/residence) lines up that this was my great grandfather. (Article – 1895 – Hartford Courant)
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
This is the first of two posts about Thomas Walter (1696-1722), a 6th great paternal uncle. Thomas was born and spent his life in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He graduated at Harvard in 1713 was a preacher, as was his father Nehemiah, a 1684 Harvard graduate! His wife was Sarah Mather (1671-1746, daughter of Increase Mather (In Cases of Conscience, Increase Mather), and the sister of Puritan Minister Cotton Mather (my 7th great uncle).
Small Pox – From spring 1721 through the winter of 1722, a smallpox epidemic afflicted Boston. By the end of 1722, over half of the city’s population of 11,000 had been infected and over 800 had died. At the time the only known remedy for smallpox was to quarantine the infected individuals in their homes, with the hope that this would prevent the spread of the disease.
Cotton Mather learned of the practice of inoculation from his slave, Onesimus. According to his diaries, Cotton received Onesimus in 1706 as “a gift” from his congregation. By embracing a little known and controversial treatment, Mather and Onesimus changed the fate of Boston, and ultimately the future of the British colonies.
But the smallpox epidemic of 1721 was different than any that came before it. As sickness swept through the city, killing hundreds in a time before modern medical treatment or a robust understanding of infectious disease, an enslaved man known only as Onesimus suggested a potential way to keep people from getting sick. Intrigued by Onesimus’ idea, a brave doctor (Zabdiel Boylston) and an outspoken minister(Puritan minister Cotton Mather) undertook a bold experiment to try to stop smallpox in its tracks. How an Enslaved African Man in Boston Helped Save Generations from Smallpox (History.com – Erin Blackmore – Feb. 2021)
One of the first inoculated by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston (after his children) was Thomas Walter who stayed at Cotton Mather’s home while he was treated for smallpox. The debate over Cotton’s support for inoculation became so heated that an explosive device was thrown through a window into Cotton’s house (landing in the room where Walter was staying), luckily the device failed to explode. A note attached to the explosive read, “Cotton Mather, I was once of your meeting, but the cursed lye you told of – you know who, made me leave you, you dog, and damn you, I will inoculate you with this, with a pox on you!”
Thomas’ treatment is noted below in Dr. Boylston’s records.
October 31st (1721), I inoculated the Reverend Mr. Thomas Walter, Mr. Samuel Aspingwall and Mr. Dana, each between 25, and 30, they all had the Smallpox at the usual Time, and of the distinct Sort. Mr. Aspingwall had several restless Nights, which obliged me to give him an anodyne (narcotic pain medicine) for two or three nights following. The other two Gentlemen laughed at him & said he was troubled with vapors. They all in a short time, were well. These Gentlemen came from Roxbury into Boston to be inoculated, and lay in one Room; and their Recommendation of this Practice, at their return proved to be of great Service to that Town, in carrying the Inhabitants soon thro’ that distemper, and in saving many Lives, if I may be allowed to judge from the Success of the different Ways of Infection, viz. out of the first thirteen men and they chiefly heads of Families who had the Smallpox in the natural way, ten of them died; and in above 40 Men that were inoculated at or near the same Time, in the same Town, not one Man died.
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
In an earlier post, I described the journey of the Maul, Sinner and Hamburger families from Russia to Nebraska (A Sinner, a Hamburger and a Tsarina). These “Volga Germans,” even after centuries living in Russia, never lost their German identity. This post is a story of love, of childhood sweethearts, together again in a later chapter of their lives. Heinrich “Henry” Jacob Maul Sr. was born in 1863 in Norka, Russia and in 1885 he married Elisabeth “Lizzie” Sinner. They had five children together. In 1924, Lizzie passed away.
A New Love – On March 8, 1926, in Weatherford, Oklahoma, Henry married Katherine (Pfeif) Seigfried. The details of his courtship and special connection to Katherine is described in a wonderful newspaper article (below) about their marriage along with their marriage certificate. In the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Census’, Henry is listed as working for the City of Hastings as a common laborer. Henry died in June 1947 at the age of 83, and was buried in Hastings, Nebraska.
Katherine Pfeif was born in 1863 in Frank, Saratov, Russia. She married there in 1860 to Jacob Seigfried and immigrated to America in 1887. Katherine and Jacob had 10 children. Jacob died in 1909 in Oklahoma and Katherine was a widow for 17 years until Henry came along. The article mentions Katherine’s sister, Margaretha Sitzman, who lived in Hastings, NE. Sadly, I have found no record of Katherine passed after the 1930 Census, in 1940, Henry is listed as widowed.
Special thanks to Henry’s 2nd great granddaughter, Michele, for her input on this post!
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
In an earlier post (Russian the Irish) about the Cronin family, I noted the journey of my wife’s 2nd great grandparents from Massachusetts to Nebraska in 1879. Part One of this post provides a brief glimpse into William Cronin Sr.’s initial years in America. Part Two (7N 15W 25/36 – The Next Generation) explores the lives of Kate and William’s children, the next generation of Cronin’s.
In 1879, Kate (Crowley) and William Cronin and their five children rode in a Central Pacific Railroad boxcar to Grand Island Station, Nebraska and then by wagon to Minden where they established a farm. According to a newspaper story, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary (Article and Photo: Slide 1), the couple experienced “drought, prairie fires, blizzards and hail storms” as pioneer settlers.
William Cronin was born on August 8, 1846, in County Cork, Ireland, the son of Mary and Leonard. William emigrated from Ireland to Massachusetts in 1862 at the age of 16. In the 1865 Census, William (Wm.) is working as a laborer on the farm of Mr. James Carey in Swampscott, MA. In the same household is a Julia Cronin, age 20, who working as a domestic servant. Although I found no additional information regarding Julia, I believe that she was his sister. (He later named one of his daughters, Julia)
In the 1870 Census, William is listed as one of three farm laborers working on property owned by Ebenezer B. Phillips, in Swampscott, MA. Phillips was one of the countries first millionaires, having perfected a dry fish process. It was noted that in a previous year, that Phillips’ farm(s), raised one thousand five hundred barrels of onions for sale in Boston.
William married Catharine (Kate) Crowley on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1870, in Lynn, Massachusetts. William became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1876. Kate died in 1930 at the age of 86 and William died in 1935 at the age of 90, both are buried in Minden, Nebraska. The slides above include articles celebrating their 59th and 60th wedding anniversaries, William’s naturalization certificate and both of their obituaries.
Future Research: William’s obituary notice indicated that he “established a home for his parents” in Massachusetts and Catherine’s obituary provides the names of her parents, Humphrey and Nora. My initial research has been unable to locate their parents.
Map: 1894 Logan Township, Kearney, Nebraska – (Located on the on northwest edge of Minden) Shows the location and # of acres for two plots of land (240 acres) farmed by William Cronin Sr. The 80-acre plot indicates the location of William Sr. and Kate’s home which remained in the Cronin family until at least 1951.
Map: 1923 Logan Township, Kearney, Nebraska – Shows the location and # of acres for farms managed by Daniel, William, and Tillie Cronin. There are 2 plots of 40 and 80 acres, under the name of Wm. Cronin. William Sr. was 78 by this time and retired, so the lands are likely William Jr.’s. According to the 1920 Census, the principal crops grown in Logan Township were wheat, corn, wild hay, oats, alfalfa, barley and rye, ranking in acreage in the order named.
The Children of William and Kate Cronin
The Next Generation
William Leonard Jr. (1882-1945) (Wife’s Great-grandfather) – Married Susan Burke on June 20, 1910, in Swampscott, Massachusetts. (Below: Marriage Record) They had 6 children (Margaret, Leo, Cleo, Thomas, William and John (Jack) Note: in the 1930 Census, both William and Susan list that their parents were born in the “Irish Free State.”
Mary “Mamie” Cronin (1872-1906) In the 1900 Census, Mary is living on the family farm and working as a schoolteacher. In 1902 , she married Michael Tiernan, a farmer in neighboring Overton, NE. (Marriage License)
Julia E. Cronin (1872-1959) Married Dexter Watson in Kearney, NE on 14 Sept 1910 and then again on 8 April 1912 in Minden, NE for a church wedding. According to the 1940 census, Julia E. Watson was running a rooming house in Hastings, NE. Her parents, William and Kate, lived with Julia in their later years.
Daniel J. Cronin (1875-1943) First marriage to Ana Tresa Cunningham (1879-1911). Based on a death notice (below), Ana died 2 days after the death of their son, Daniel. Second marriage was to Della Francis Lewis (1891-1979). Dan had 10 children by Annie and Della. The 1920/30+40 census – Farmer in Logan, Kearney, Nebraska.
Jerry J. Cronin (1877-1973) In the 1900 and 1910 Census, Jerry is noted as single and living on parents farm. It appears that he married Tillie (unk. last name) after 1910 and that she died before 1917. Jerry’s is 1918 WW1 Draft Card lists Laurne Catherine Cronin – daughter as his contact. The 1920 Census note Jerry as a widowed farmer living in Logan, Kearney, Nebraska.
Katherine “Katie” Cronin (1879-1913) In the 1900 and 1910 Census’, Katy is working as a domestic servant in Kearney and living on her parents farm. Her gravestone lists her last name as Melvin, no marriage information has been discovered.
Nora Cronin (1884-1906) – Sadly, there is no additional information on Nora. According to family history, Mary and Nora died as a result of tuberculosis.
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French
Slavery developed hand-in-hand with the founding of the United States, weaving into the commercial, legal, political, and social fabric of the new nation and thus shaping the way of life of both the North and the South. Myths & Misunderstandings: The North and Slavery (The American Civil War Museum)
Recently, I helped a family friend research her family history in the southern states of Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee and North Carolina. Her understanding was that her father’s forebears were just “hard working, poor dirt farmers” (which they were). Going back past her great-great grandparents, I did identify a handful of families that worked/owned small farms and owned slaves. So we both share the fact that in our distant past, we are the descendants of slave owners, a discovery that we share with President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and countless others.
The truth is that slavery was not just a “southern thing” and that it wasn’t until 1804 that all of the Northern states had abolished slavery or set measures in place to gradually abolish it. The 1754 Massachusetts slave census listed 2,720 slaves (Children under 16 were not counted). The census for Lexington listed 13 men and 11 women as slaves. Slavery was not abolished in Massachusetts until 1783.
In Servants For Life, I wrote about my 6th great paternal grandparents, Jonathan Bowers (1674-1744) and Hannah Barrett Bowers (1679-1765), who were slave owners in Billerica, Massachusetts. In a separate post about my 4th great-grandfather, Bildad Fowler, I noted his witnessing a bill of sale for the purchase of a slave (Pegg) in 1761. (Connecticut “the Georgia of the North” – Witness to Slavery)
I recently discovered that my 7th great uncle, Francis Bowman Jr. (1662-1744) of Lexington (MA), was the owner of four slaves: Battiss, Phylliss, Pompy and Domini. His biography states, that “he was a prominent man in Lexington, long holding the offices of justice of the peace, assessor, selectman, and assessor.” I was unable to ascertain if his brother (and my 7th g-grandfather), Joseph Bowman also owned slaves.
Trivia – Joseph Bowman is the 6th great grandfather of actor John Lithgow, which makes him a distant cousin of mine!
Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
The latest podcast by Jake Sconyers and Nikki Stewart at HUB History, The Original War on Christmas, is a well-researched story that prominently features the sermons of Increase and Cotton Mather. Definitely a must-listen this holiday season for history buffs.
Celebrating Christmas was against the law for decades, and it was against cultural norms for a century or more. What were the Puritans’ theological misgivings about Christmas? (The Original War on Christmas)
Puritan Minister Increase Mather (1639-1723) is my 8th great paternal grandfather and his son, Cotton, would be my 7th great-uncle. (My post about Increase Mather’s role in the Salem Witch Trials and his service as president of Harvard College – In Cases of Conscience, Increase Mather)
Quotes from Increase Mather expressing his beliefs about Christmas:
Grace Defended, A Censure on the Ungodliness
A Sermon Preached on the Twenty-Fifth Day of December 1712, by Cotton Mather:
“Can you in your Conscience think, that our Holy Savior is honoured,” he lectured, “by Mad Mirth, by long Eating, by hard Drinking, by lewd Gaming, by rude Revelling; by a Mass fit for none but a Saturn, or a Bacchus, or the Night of a Mahometan Ramadam?” “You cannot possibly think so!“
Comments and suggestions appreciated.
Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.
