Author: Kirstin Miller

Jacob Miller and Mary Stephenson b. 1771

/ Kirstin Miller

Jacob Miller and Mary Stephenson on RootsMagic tree

Jacob Miller was born in 1771 in Monroe, Virginia. Mary Stephenson was born in 1772 in Virginia. They share a single record, their marriage on July 2,1802 in the commonwealth of Virginia. Jacob’s dad Jacob and Mary’s dad Samuel gave permission for the marriage and signed the marriage certificate. The Miller, Stephenson, Pleasant Davis and Horton families were all connected in Virginia, then Ohio. Jacob and Mary’s son Jacob married Sarah Davis. Sarah Davis Miller’s mom’s family is the Horton family and they have a published family history that may give more clues to Jacob Miller and Mary Stephenson of Virginia.Miller, Jacob Sr marriage 1802

Their wedding record, “Know all men by these presents that we Jacob Miller and Samuel Stephenson are hold and firmly bound into James Monroe, Esq gov’r of the commonwealth of Virginia and his supervisors in sum of 150 dollars with condition that there is no lawful cause to obstruct a marriage intended to be solemnized between the said Jacob Miller and Mary Stephenson of this county and that this obligation to be void otherwise to be, and remain in full force and virtue sealed with our seals and dated this third day of July eighteen hundred and two. Jacob Miller , his mark and Saml Stephenson.”

Sources

  • West Virginia Marriages1780-1970 database at FamilySearch
  • Public Ancestry photo “Nicole Meruvia originally shared this on 09 Jan 2012”

John Howard Montgomery b. 1887

/ Kirstin Miller

John Howard Montgomery 1st cousin 4x removed on RootsMagic tree

John was born December 3, 1887 in Minneapolis. He was the son of Anson and Bertha Wait Montgomery. Howard, John’s middle name, was his paternal grandma’s maiden name. John, his parents and brother Tracy Wait Montgomery lived in Minneapolis where Anson was a printer,  then by 1910 they were in Butterfield, Missouri. John graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Education and French language. In 1913, 1924, 1927, 1929 and 1932 he sailed to France for the summer. In 1918 he started his teaching career at Mercersburg Academy a private school in Pennsylvania, it’s still there. He taught French and was head of the French department when he retired after 40 years and moved to Madrid, Spain.

1939 yearbook photo with autograph

J. H. Montgomery 1939 yearbook photo with his autograph

He lived in Spain for a couple years then died June 17, 1960, he was 72 and had heart disease and maybe lung disease. The Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974, a record at Ancestry is a sixteen page document verifying his death and burial and listing his possessions. His inventory included a pocket watch, a pocket knife, an Olivetti “22” portable typewriter, a Philips radio-record player and a family photo.

John is buried in Madrid at Saint Isidore Cemetery, Cementerio de la Sacramental de Santa Maria, Patio de la Concepcion, Section 8, row 4, No. 10 is written on his death record. The cemetery has an incredible history and is “one of Europe’s most interesting graveyards”. The lion photo is one of thousands of headstones or sculptures at the cemetery.

Lion, Saint Isidore Cemetery, Google Maps

Lion, Saint Isidore Cemetery, Google Maps, photo by Horacio Montana San Roman, image capture: May 2019

Sources

  • New York, Passenger and Crew Lists 1820-1957
  • Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974 at Ancestry
  • U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 at Ancestry
  • United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925 at FamilySearch
  • United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch
  • Saint Isidore Cemetery at Wikipedia
  • Sacramental Cemetery of San Isidro in Madrid 
  • Photo of lion  at Saint Isidore Cemetery Google Maps, photo by Horacio Montana San Roman, image capture: May 2019

 

Mattie Frerichs b. 1911

/ Kirstin Miller

Mattie Frerichs 2nd great aunt on RootsMagic tree.

Mattie Frerichs was born November 4, 1911 in Butler County, Iowa. She was the youngest Enno and Annie Henrichs Frerichs’s 10 children, their births spanned 20 years from 1891 to 1911. On the Butler County, Iowa 1920 census Mattie was 9 years old and living with her parents and siblings: Sena (Cazina), Martena, Etta, John and Enno Jr. Mattie’s older brother George and sisters Mary, Kate and Flora were married with children and Mattie was an aunt to at least 3 nieces and nephews including Stanley b. 1915, son of Mary Frerichs and George Roose.

Frerichs, Mattie and Hilko Janssen 1936 marriage (1)

After high school Mattie graduated from Iowa Teachers College and taught in rural Iowa schools. On November 25, 1936 she married Hilko Janssen at the Lutheran church in Clarksville, Iowa. Mattie’s sister Sena and husband Hubert Ressler were attendants at the wedding.

Mattie and Hilko farmed and had 3 children. They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary November 23 1961 at St James Lutheran Church in Allison, Iowa with a program presented by their nieces and nephews and a reception.

Mattie died on January 30 1984 at age 72. She and Hilko are both buried at Allison Cemetery. Hilko lived another 13 years, he died in 1997. In July 1995 he was in the Clarksville Star newspaper remembering the annual Butler County Fair. In 1995 Hilko was attending the fair for the 80th year in a row and remembered his first fair in 1916 when he walked a mile to the fairgrounds and bought an ice cream cone for 10 cents.

Sources

“I guess I’m a politician”

/ Kirstin Miller

Things my ancestors could never comprehend: They’d understand the Corona virus, the worldwide epidemic, pandemic, plague, not a new thing, highly contagious diseases have been around for centuries. My ancestors would be in awe of modern scientific knowledge and modern medicine.

My ancestors could not understand how casually, recklessly? this President treats his responsibility, his job, his country’s well-being.

This interview is from March 7th, 4 months after the Coronavirus appeared, 2 days before Italy was shut down, 4 days before the World Health Organization calls the virus a pandemic, USA death toll was at 17, unknown number of total cases, no nationwide testing was/is happening.

“ Q    Mr. President, you were shaking a lot of hands today, taking a lot of posed pictures.  Are you protecting yourself at all?  How are you – how are you staying away from germs?

THE PRESIDENT:  Not at all.  No, not at all.  You know, I’m a person that was never big on the hand-shaking deal throughout my life.  They used to criticize me for it or laugh about it or have fun with it.  But if you’re a politician – like, I walk in, and the doctors have their hands out – “Hello, sir.  How are you?”  I – if you don’t shake hands, they’re not going to like you too much.  And I guess that’s my business; I never thought I’d be a politician.  I guess, I’m a politician.

…

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re considering different things.  But we’re also considering the fact that last year we had approximately 36,000 deaths due to what’s called the flu … As of the time I left the plane with you, we had 240 cases.  That’s at least what was on a very fine network known as Fox News.  

And how was the show last night?  Did it get good ratings, by the way?

Q    I – I don’t, sir.

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, really?  I heard it broke all ratings records, but maybe that’s wrong.  That’s what they told me.  I don’t know.  I can’t imagine that.

…

And you’re smiling when I say that.  Who are you from, by the way?

Q    I’m – I’m from CNN.

THE PRESIDENT:  You are?  I don’t watch CNN.  That’s why I don’t recognize you.

Q    Oh, okay.  Well, nice to meet you.

THE PRESIDENT:  I really don’t – I don’t watch it.  I don’t watch CNN because CNN is fake news.“

From the President’s White House via https://www.whitehouse.gov/remarks/ . Link to this specific interview with reporter Peter (no last name given probably Beinart). Remarks by President Trump After Tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Atlanta, GA, Issued on: March 7, 2020

Samuel Druckenbrod and Maria Menser b. 1805

/ Kirstin Miller

Samuel  Druckenbrod and Maria Menser 4th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree

Samuel was born May 5, 1805 in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Maria Menser was born around the same time, in the same area. Samuel and probably Maria’s family were in America by 1750, from Germany. Warwick, PA is in between Allentown and Philadelphia. Penn-sylvania “Penn’s Woods” was founded by William Penn, no relation, on land Penn received from King Charles II to pay debts the king owed Penn’s dad. William Penn helped German citizens to migrate to America and Pennsylvania was home to 100,000 German Americans between 1683 – 1783.

Samuel and Mary married on June 12 1825 at a German Reformed church in Warwick. The Warwick church record book was written in English and German languages. Samuel and Maria had 6 children and four sons were baptized in this same Warwick church: Allen, Andreas, Daniel and Samuel Druckenbrod Jr.  Samuel Jr., born May 6 1834, is the dad of Fianna who married William Miller, their daughter Lola is the mom of Faber who married Gladys.

Druckenbrod 1850 cenus

Samuel and Maria or Polly, their family 1850 census

By 1850 Samuel, Maria and their family with groups of other Pennsylvania families traveled to Stark County, Ohio. “The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 linked the east to the west … Ohio’s population increased from 45,000 in 1800 to over 2 million in 1850, including many German-speakers from Pennsylvania.”

Samuel and his four older sons were all farmers. Bair, Essig, Harter, Kryder and Miller families were neighbors, all ancestors of Faber in the future. Maria died around 1864, Samuel remarried, Mary Moonshower was his 2nd wife. Samuel died on August 20, 1883 at age 78. Cause of death was heart disease.

Sources

Asa Angell b. 1771

/ Kirstin Miller

Asa Angell 5th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

Asa Angell was the 4th child of Israel and Martha Angell, born  August  24, 1771 in Providence, Rhode Island. Asa grew up during the American Revolution, his dad was a Colonel in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment  and probably came home with stories of the war.

Asa married Cynthia Hill in 1794 and they moved to New Berlin NY. From the Genealogy of Thomas Angell book, “Asa, Abner and Israel Angell, sons of Col. Israel, went to the State of New York, and settled in the town of New Berlin, Chenango Co., where they purchased farms. A cousin of theirs, who has visited them, reports that their descendants are numerous. We are told that the family of Dexter Angell have in their possession the gold medal awarded by Gen. Lafayette, to Col. Israel Angell. We know less of the descendants of Asa, than of either of the other brothers.” Asa’s son Dexter may have had his grandpa’s gold medals for awhile, with him in Indiana and New York, today they’re at the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Asa and Cynthia stayed in New Berlin and had 8 children. Asas was a farmer and a cooper- he made big wooden barrels, casks, kegs. Asa’s children Betsy, Lewis and Henry all stayed in the NY area, Adeline died young. Oldest son Dexter Angell went further west, to Indiana. Two of Dexter’s children, Charles and Delia, went to Iowa where their aunt, Asa’s sister, Mehitable Angell Wilkinson was living. Delia married William Flood they had a son Asa and are the great grandparents of Elizabeth Speedy. Angell, Asa and family

Sources

Elizabeth Bulkeley b. 1637

/ Kirstin Miller

Elizabeth Bulkeley my first cousin 10x removed on RootsMagic tree

Elizabeth Bulkeley was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1637. Her grandpa, Reverend Peter Bulkeley migrated from England and founded Concord in 1635. Peter was the first pastor of First Parish Church in Concord. Elizabeth’s dad Edward was the 3rd pastor. Elizabeth married a pastor, Joseph Emerson who also migrated to America from England.

Elizabeth and Joseph married in Concord and had 6 kids all born there. One son Edward Emerson married Rebecca Waldo, whose 3rd great grandson was Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson wrote a poem Hamatreya mentioning his 5th great grandpa Peter Bulkeley, a few lines, worth reading the full poem:

“Bulkeley, Hunt, Willard, Each of these landlords walked amidst his farm.
Saying, T’is mine, my children’s and my name’s.
Where are these men? Asleep beneath their grounds. 
Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys.
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs;
Mine and yours; Mine, not yours.
Earth endures Stars abide -.

In 1680, Elizabeth was a widow and married John Browne. Elizabeth died in 1693, she and John Browne are both buried at Old Burying Ground in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Elizabeth and John’s gravestones are art, chiseled from stone with winged skulls, grapes, vines. John’s is more decayed than Elizabeth’s. A sign at John Browne’s Find a Grave memorial, “The gravestones in this semi-circle were originally located in the town’s first Burying Ground, near the present site of the Bandstand. These stones represent some of the oldest expressions of Puritan gravestone art in New England”.

Bulkeley, Elizabeth headstone
Elizabeth Bulkeley Emerson Browne gravestone via Lucius Beebe Memorial Library Digital Heritage collection.

Inscription: Memento Mori “remember you will die” Fugue Hora “the hour flees” Here lyes ye body of Mrs. Elizabeth Browne wife to Cap’n John Brown Esq and former wife of ye Reverend Mr Joseph Emerson of Mendon who deceased Septemb’r ye 4th 1693 in ye 56 year of her age.

Sources

Henry Angell b. 1807

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Angell 5th great uncle on RootsMagic tree

Henry was born December 16, 1807 in Chenango, New York, that’s central New York, farm country. Henry was the 5th of 7 kids of Asa and Cynthia Hill Angell. On the 1850 census Henry was living in New Berlin, Chenango, NY with his wife Mary Ambrosia Jeffords. Henry was a farmer, he and Mary had 8 kids, maybe 10. In October of 1854 Henry and brother Lewis were named executors in their older brother Dexter Angell’s will and guardians for Dexter’s 2 young children: Delia- Elizabeth Speedy’s great grandma- and Julius Angell.

1860 agricultural censusThe 1860 agricultural census records Henry’s farm production. His farm was valued at $9000 and produced hay, oats, wool, butter beeswax and honey. Brother Lewis Angell’s farm was recorded too, similar to Henry’s with no honey or beeswax, a little less wool and 8000 pounds of cheese produced.

Henry died of consumption (now tuberculosis, then a leading cause of death) on January 15, 1869 he was 61 years old. He wrote his will December 8, 1866. “I Henry H Angell of this town of New Berlin … do hereby make and publish this my last will and testament. I give and devise unto my wife Mary Ambrosia Angell my home farm on which I now reside containing about one hundred acres and to her heirs forever. I give and devise all the rest residue and remainder of my real estate and I bequeath all my personal estate to my children … share and share alike.”

Henry is buried in Scribner Cemetery in New Berlin, NY. More than 30 Angells are buried at this cemetery including Henry’s parents Asa and Cynthia, and Henry’s siblings, Dexter, Lewis, Adelaide and Betsy Angell.

Sources

  • Henry’s will, Chenango Wills, Vol N-O, 1866-1869 page 515 image 619 of 642 at Ancestry
  • Photo of Henry, Public Ancestry photo “shared by klm927”
  • U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 at Ancestry
  • Snapshots of farm production, U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 at Ancestry.
  • Find a grave memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/50602911

Edward Bulkeley b. 1614

/ Kirstin Miller

Edward Bulkeley 8th great uncle on RootsMagic tree

Edward was born June 17, 1614 in Odell, England to Peter and Jane Allen Bulkeley, the oldest child of 9. Edward’s dad Peter was a Puritan pastor in Odell and was harassed by Archbishop Laud, so looking to leave England. The Buckeleys sailed to America in 1634 or 1635, secretly, “No doubt the long drawn out enrollments and lack of effort to standardize spelling of the names were reflections of the family’s attempt to board the ship without being apprehended. Son Edward preceded the rest of the family, becoming a member of Boston church on 22 March 1634/5”. Archbishop Laud’s story didn’t end well, He was sent to the Tower of London, then executed in 1645. King Charles would regret putting ’too much trust in Laud’.

Bulkeley, Edward house 1967Once they were in America the Bulkeleys lived in Concord where Edward was a freeman on May 6 1635. He married Lucien, last name unknown, in 1640 and they had 6 children. Around 1660 Edward built a house in Concord, on Main Street. “А deed referring to the property, with a dwelling on it, records the 1663 transfer of 10 acres of land located on today’s Main Street to Edward Bulkeley by his mother, widow of one of Concord’s founders and its first minister, Peter Bulkeley.” Today this home is at 92 Sudbury Road in Concord, a private residence, the house was moved in the 1800s. Edward died in 1696, his wife Lucien died in 1690. They are both probably buried at Old Hill Burying Ground in Concord, no headstones remain.

Edward, like his dad, was a Puritan pastor and was known for his ‘fiery’ sermons. When his dad died, Edward followed as pastor of the First Parish Church in Concord. This church is also still there in Concord, Massachusetts, now a Unitarian Universalist church. Each Sunday the congregation ends their service with this benediction:

Go out into the world in peace

Have courage

Hold on to what is good

Return to no person evil for evil

Strengthen the fainthearted

Support the weak

Help the suffering

Honor all beings

Sources

Tena Henrichs b. 1880

/ Kirstin Miller

Tena Henrichs 2nd great aunt on RootsMagic tree

Tena or Trientje was born October 1, 1880 in Germany. At 5 years old she and her family sailed from Bremen, Germany to Baltimore, from Baltimore they traveled to Butler County, Iowa. Tena grew up in Butler County, the 2nd youngest of 5 daughters and 4 sons of Hinrich and Maria Rodenbeck Henrichs.

On February 20, 1907 Tena married John Jacobs. John also migrated from Germany with his parents and 8 siblings. Tena’s brother Fred and sister Mattie were witnesses to the marriage and included on the marriage record. Tena and John lived in Jefferson Township, Butler County Iowa, in a community of German immigrants, farmers, Lutherans. Tena and John had a daughter who died very young and 3 sons: Henry, Jacob and John. Tena’s husband John died December 16, 1916, in an automobile accident. There are no records on how or where Tena and her three young sons lived, whether they stayed on their farm or moved in with relatives.

Soldiers of the 34th Infantry DivisionMeanwhile John Jacobs’s younger bother William had enlisted in the army for World War 1. He was a private in the Minnesota 34th Engineers, with men from Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. They trained at Camp Cody, New Mexico and were in the war until the 1920s. Marvin Cone, Iowa artist and friend of Grant Wood was in this same unit and designed the insignia. William returned from World War 1 in 1920 and Tena and William married at Ebenezer Lutheran Church on February 22, 1920.

Each of Tena’s 3 sons married, had children and farmed in the Butler County area. Oldest son Henry married Alma Constein at Vilmar Church on February 18, 1936. Tena died May 9, 1959. She was 79 years old and is buried at Butler Center Cemetery with the Jacobs and Henrichs families.

Sources