Saturday, July 12, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Do Some Semi-Random Research

It's Saturday Night - 
time for more Genealogy Fun! 



Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1) We're going to do a little bit of Semi-Random Research tonight...

2)  Go to your family tree database of choice (you know, like RootsMagic, Reunion, Ancestry Member Tree), and determine who the very first person on your list of C surnames is.  Or the first person on your list of J surnames.  Or P surnames.  Or any other name you need to research.  Your choice!

3)  What do you know (or not know) about this person based on your research?  It's OK to do more research if you need to - in fact, it's encouraged!

4)  How are you related to this person, and why is s/he in your family tree?

5)  Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook Status post or Google+ Stream post.


Here's mine:

2)  The first person on my list of "P" surnames is Elizabeth P., the wife of Ichabod Sampson, who had a son named Ichabod Sampson in 1829 in Duxbury, Massachusetts, who married Harriet Augusta Seaver in 1862.  

3)  I have no birth, death or marriage information for either Ichabod Sampson the elder or for Elizabeth P., and I don't know Elizabeth's maiden name.

I looked in the FamilySearch Family Tree for the elder Ichabod Sampson and found:

Ichabod Sampson (KZLZ-WQN), born 3 April 1789 in Duxbury, Mass., married Elizabweth Packer Thomas in Nov 1827, died 13 Sept 1834 in Boston, mass.

Elizabeth Packer Thomas (KZV2-V4Z), born 12 May 1802 in Marshfield, Mass., died 29 Aug 1886.

Let's see if I can find records that confirm this information:

On Ancestry.com, I found:

*  Ichabod Sampson birth:  3 April 1789 (in Duxbury Vital Records book, page 139), from a probate record.
*  Ichabod Sampson death:   13 September 1834, age 45 (in Duxbury Vital Records, page 410, from a probate record)

*  Ichabod Sampson and Elizabeth P. Thomas marriage:  8 Nov. 1827 (in Marshfield Town Records, page 70, image 562 of 855).

*  Elizabeth Packer Thomas birth:  12 May 1802 (in Duxbury Vital Records book, page 174, and Marshfield Town Records, page 30, image 539 of 855).

On AmericanAncestors.org;

*  Elizabeth P. Sampson "Thomas" death:  29 August 1886 in Duxbury, from Deaths, Volume 374, Page 324, for 1886, in Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915).

On Find A Grave:

*  Ichabod Sampson memorial #54926534 in Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury, Mass.  Birth 1789, Death 13 September 1834, with a photograph of the stone.

*  Elizabeth P. Thomas Sampson memorial #54926560 in Mayflower Cemetery, Duxbury, Mass.  Birth 1802, Death 1886 with a photograph of the stone.

So I think I've found decent sources for the maiden name of Elizabeth P. and for each of the vital events for both Ichabod and Elizabeth Packer (Thomas) Sampson, good enough for other researchers to find if they care to.

4)  Elizabeth Packer (Thomas) Sampson is not related to me.  Her daughter-in-law, Harriet Augusta Seaver, is my 5th cousin, 5 times removed.  She is in my database because I "collect" Seaver folks.

I'm gradually working through my database to find these females with no maiden name, and parents of Seaver spouses with no information at all, and then finding leads to records to add vital events to my database.  I hadn't gotten down to the P surnames yet!


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - BLOOMFIELD (England > colonial Massachusetts > New Jersey)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  


I am in the 7th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1019 who is Hope BLOOMFIELD (1715-1776)
 [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through four generations in this BLOOMFIELD family line is:

1.  Randall J. Seaver (1943-living)

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)


6.  Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7.  Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)

14.  Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15.  Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952)

30.  James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902)

31.  Mary Jane Sovereen (1841-1874)

62.  Alexander Sovereign (1814-1907)
63.  Elizabeth Putman (1820-1895)

126.  John Putman (1785-1863)
127.  Sarah Martin (1792-1860)


254.  Mulford Martin (1763-????)
255.  Betsey Rolfe (1766-????)

508.  Thomas Martin (1737-1768)
509.  Elizabeth Ayers (1745-????)


1018.  James Ayers, born 02 May 1716 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died Aft. April 1794 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  He was the son of 2036. Samuel Ayers and 2037. Elizabeth.  He married 13 March 1744 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
1019.  Hope Bloomfield, born about 1715 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 1776 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  

Children of James Ayers and Hope Bloomfield are:
*  Elizabeth Ayers (1745-????), married 1762 Thomas Martin (1737-1768)
*  Arisha Ayers (1751-????), married Jonathan Allen.
*  Jacob Ayers (1753-1836), married Eunice (1758-1823).
*  James Ayers (1755-1814), married 1794 Hannah (1770-????).
*  Samuel Ayers (1757-1813), married Susan Gross.
*  Nathan Ayers (1759-????), married 1785 Elizabwth (1765-????).
*  Rachael Ayers (1760-????), married 1786 Robert Ross.
*  Huldah Ayers (1763-1849), married 1781 Phineas Carman (1762-1827).
*  Benjamin Ayers (1765-????), married Rebecca.
*  Rhoda Ayers (1767-????), married Jeremiah Fitz Randolph (1740-1815).

2038.  Timothy Bloomfield, born 11 February 1681 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died after 20 September 1748 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.   He married 02 April 1707 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
2039.  Rose Higgins, born 06 November 1686 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died before 23 April 1715 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  She was the daughter of 4078. Jediah Higgins and 4079. Mary Newbold.

Children of Timothy Bloomfield and Rose Higgins are:
*  Richard Bloomfield (1708-1758),, married Sarah.
*  Rebecah Bloomfield (1709-????).
*  Sarah Bloomfield (1710-????).
*  Hope Bloomfield (1715-1776), married 1744 James Ayers (1716-1794).

4076.  Ezekiel Bloomfield, born 01 November 1653 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 15 February 1703 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  He married  22 December 1680 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
4077.  Hope Fitz Randolph, born 02 April 1661 in Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States; died 1703 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  She was the daughter of 8154. Edward Fitz Randolph and 8155. Elizabeth Blossom.

Children of Ezekiel Bloomfield and Hope Fitz Randolph are:
*  Timothy Bloomfield (1681-1748), married 1707 Rose Higgins (1686-1715).
*  Ezekiel Bloomfield (1683-1748), married (1) 1706 Esther Rolfe (1675-1742); (2) 1744 Margaret Van Galen (1706-1767).
*  Rebecca Bloomfield (1686-1688).
*  Nathaniel Bloomfield (1688-1689).
*  Jeremiah Bloomfield (1693-1746), married (1) 1723 Catherine Weeks (????-1743); (2) 1744 Sarah.
*  Joseph Bloomfield (1695-1782), married 1721 Eunice Dunham (1702-1760).
*  Mary Bloomfield (1698-1750), married 1726 Obadiah Ayers (1703-1760).
*  Benjamin Bloomfield (1701-1772), married Susannah (1703-1746).

8152.  Thomas Bloomfield, born about 1615 in Suffolk, England; died 10 June 1684 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.  He was the son of 16302. Thomas Bloomfield.  He married about 1640 in Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
8153.  Mary, born about 1618 in Essex, England; died about 1686 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.

Children of Thomas Bloomfield and Mary are:
*  Mary Bloomfield (1642-1705), married 1657 Jonathan Dunham (1640-1723).
*  Sarah Bloomfield (1643-1689), married 1668 John Dennis (1638-1689).
*  John Bloomfield (1646-1713), married 1676 Sarah Moore (1655-1681).
*  Thomas Bloomfield (1648-1679), married 1676 Elizabeth Dennis (1650-1679).
*  Nathaniel Bloomfield (1651-1689).
*  Ezekiel Bloomfield (1653-1703), married 1680 Hope Fitz Randolph (1661-1703).
*  Rebecca Bloomfield (1656-????).
*  Ruth Bloomfield (1659-1678).
*  Timothy Bloomfield (1664-1678).

Information about this Bloomfield family line was obtained from the works:

*  Patty Barthell Myers, Ancestors and Descendants of Lewis Ross Freeman with related families; Based partially on the work of Freeman Worth Gardner and Willis Freeman ( Penobscot Press, 1995), pages 529 to 549.

*  William Nelson, William, New Jersey Biographical and Genealogical Notes (Newark, NJ: New Jersey Historical Society, 1916), pages 32 to 33.

*  William Jones, "Thomas Bloomfield of Woodbridge, N. J. and Some of His Descendants," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 68, No. 1 (January 1937), pages 58-59.

The URL for this post is:

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver





Friday, July 11, 2014

Why Do I Have Two Ancestry Member Trees?

I discussed adding a new Ancestry Member Tree as my "cousin bait tree" in How to Put a Family Tree on Ancestry Member Tree With Media Items on 7 July 2014.  In that post, I explained why I added the new "cousin-bait tree." Since the earlier "cousin bait tree" had been posted in August 2012, I had added over 1,600 persons to the tree, and added about 22,000 source citations, and added about 800 media items to my RootsMagic database since uploading the August 2012 tree.  Note that I only add data manually to my RootsMagic database to avoid duplicate effort and to keep my source citations as "pure" as possible (since no record provider provides Evidence Explained quality source citations!).  

1)  The Cousin-Bait Tree

The "cousin-bait tree" is used to try to attract cousins - people who may share one of my ancestors, who I may be able to correspond and collaborate with on our mutual research interests.  I have about 42,900 persons in this tree, which includes not only my own ancestral families but also the ancestral families of my wife, my sons-in-law and my cousins, plus the one-name study surnames I've worked on for decades - Seaver, Carringer, Auble, Vaux, Dill, Buck, McKnew, etc.  

One problem with this is that every time I replace an old Ancestry Member Tree with a new Ancestry Member Tree, the green leaf Hints accumulate anew as Ancestry.com finds records that might apply to my tree persons.  I refrain from attaching records to my "cousin-bait tree" because I know that I will replace it from time to time.  

2)  The Ancestral Family Tree

My "ancestral family tree" includes only the ancestral families for my grandchildren, so it includes my ancestors, my wife's ancestors and the ancestors of my sons-in-law.  There are about 7,400 persons in this tree, and I limited it to 12 generations of ancestry.  It includes siblings of the ancestors but not their children.  I use this tree on my mobile app on my iPhone and my wife's iPhone so that I can easily see what information I have for my ancestral families. 



I attach, and choose to ignore, records from Ancestry.com to the "ancestral family tree" using the green leaf Hints in a methodical manner one branch at a time.  At this time, this tree has over 25,000 Hints identified for the persons in the tree.  By methodical, I mean taking one branch at a time, and resolving all of the Hints for that branch so that if new Hints appear, then I can easily see them.  Typically, I attach Hints only to my ancestors, not to their siblings.  I pick only records that I consider to be useful - vital, church, military, census, migration, cemetery, newspaper, etc.  I don't attach family trees, or indexed items from books, or emblems, etc.  For the records that I do attach to the Ancestry Member Tree, I also download them to my computer, rename them and file them in my surname/family file folders, and then attach them to persons in my RootsMagic database.

One problem with this is that the "ancestral family" tree is "old" - it doesn't have all of the "new information I've added to my database over the past two years or so.  My potential fix for this was suggested in a comment on my earlier blog post by Kim Mills - she creates a new GEDCOM file in RootsMagic, imports it into Family Tree Maker, merges with the earlier version that is synced to the Ancestry Member Tree, and then syncs it with the existing Ancestry Member Tree.

I haven't done this yet, but I will in the near future.  If it works, it will be an excellent fix!  It would include the attached Ancestry Hints plus the recently added media images and the updated content, including the source citations.

My guess is that a merge of 7,400 persons will be faster and more successful than a merge of almost 43,000 persons.  One problem may be duplicate persons and duplicate events, and "orphan" persons who I may have deleted from the RootsMagic database.

3)  The Ideal Situation

I'm not sure that what I've done is the "ideal" situation - the ideal situation would be if I could upload and sync my RootsMagic database directly with an Ancestry Member Tree on a regular basis, and have access to this tree on my mobile devices.  That probably won't happen in my lifetime.

I could break down, I guess, and make Family Tree Maker my genealogy software of choice, but I doubt that will happen in my lifetime either, considering the problems I've had with text information and source citations in Family Tree Maker.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/why-do-i-have-two-ancestry-member-trees.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Seavers in the News - James T. Seaver, Master of a Civil War Vessel - Post 2

While searching for interesting tidbits in Mocavo.com databases about Seaver persons, I ran across an article concerning James T. Seaver, Acting Master of the U.S. Steamer Philippi in the Civil War.

Here are screen shots of two pages from Mocavo of the loss of the U.S. Steamer Philippi in Mobile Bay in 1864:




There are two reports - the first is the letter to the Secretary of War by Rear Admiral D.G. Farragut, which is transcribed in Post 1.


The second is the letter of James T. Seaver to Admiral Farragut explaining what happened in Mobile Bay that day:  Here is the transcription (provided by Mocavo):

REPORT OF ACTING MASTER JAMES T. SEAVER.
U. S. S. Cowslip, August 6, 1864.


Sir : I beg leave to make the following report to you in regard to the loss of the U. S. steamer  Philippi:


At daylight, hove up anchor, and steamed I alongside the Tennessee, and discharged all the  ordnance stores and provisions belonging to other vessels ; not having orders to report to any one, and the verbal order I received being to discharge the stores into the Tennessee as quickly as possible, I did so. Wishing to be of assistance to the fleet in case any vessels were disabled, and knowing the power of my steamer, immediately after the freight was out, I dropped off from the Tennessee, got hawsers, lines, etc., all ready to be of assistance in towing any disabled vessel which would need my services. At forty-five minutes past seven stood up the channel for the fleet, keeping as far out of range of the Fort as I could judge was necessary to clear the shoal, the Quartermaster at the lead from the time of making the bar. At about fifteen minutes past nine, while going ahead slow, the Quartermaster gave the cast, a quarter less three, and the steamer immediately struck. 


I rang three bells and tried to back her off, but she did not stir. I kept backing for ten minutes; had about thirty-five pounds of steam on. The Fort then opened fire on us, and, getting our range, every other shell did execution—the second shell or shot, (as it did not explode, I could not tell which,) struck the rail about the starboard bow-port, and immediately killed Frank Wilson, landsman. One shot passed through the boiler, entirely disabling us, and another burst in the engine-room. At this time Fort Morgan kept up a constant fire at us, every shell doing more or less execution. The men, while I was forward, many of them, rushed aft, and commenced cutting the boats’ falls. Hearing this, I came aft and ordered them to stop, which they did, and the boats were lowered with safety, but the men crowded in, and two of the boats were immediately filled. I put the wounded in one of the boats, and sent the dying in charge of Acting Ensign L. R. Yance, to the Cowslip, for assistance.The deck being full of steam and smoke, and 
indications of the ship being on fire, and two of my men being wounded and one scalded, and almost every shell, either direct or ricochet, striking the steamer, and the boilers being disabled, and my men, several of them being almost paralyzed with fear; also, the sight of the rebel steamer coming out, and the utter impossibility to save the steamer or resist the enemy, I judged it best to abandon her.


I pulled alongside the Cowslip and Buckthorn, the two vessels being close to each other, and put the wounded on board ; both vessels then stood toward the Genesee. I went on board, and reported to Captain Grafton ; was ordered to put the wounded on board the Tennessee and report to Captain Grafton again, but as the Genesee steamed toward Pelican Channel, I was forced to remain on the Tennessee. The Quartermaster, William H. French, who was wounded in the stomach, died at twenty minutes past seven. 

List of Casualties—Frank Wilson, landsman, killed; William H. French, Quartermaster, mortally wounded; John Collins, coal-heaver, scalded ; and Joseph Boyd, slightly wounded.

The officers were perfectly cool throughout the time while under fire, and in leaving the ship.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
James T. Seaver,
Acting Master.

To Admiral D. G. Farragut,
Commanding W. G. B. Squadron.


The source citation for this book found on Mocavo.com is:

Frank Moore, editor, The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Greats, with Documents, Narratives Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. (New York: D. Van Nostrand, Publisher, 1865), Volume 8, pages 143-144; digital images, Mocavo (http://www.mocavo.com : accessed 10 July 2014); Report on sinking of U.S. Steamer Philippi, James T. Seaver Acting Master, 1864.

I thought that this book was fascinating.  This volume includes a set of reports from Admiral Farragut to the Secretary of the Navy concerning the Attack on the Defences of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.  The Philippi incident is only one of many reports.

After finding the book on Mocavo, I did a Google search and found the same report in several other resources, including the Congressional Serial Set and several other government publications, and the incident is described in several books.  I didn't find a picture of the Philippi online.  There is some information about the Philippi at http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/86/86334.htm.

This is fascinating military and family history for an impartial observer, like myself.  For a family member, this information might be very disheartening and embarrassing. 

Naturally, I got to wondering "Who is James T. Seaver?  Who were his parents, where was he born, did he have a family, what happened to him?"  I will follow this rabbit trail in the next week or two.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/seavers-in-news-james-t-seaver-master_11.html

Copyright (c), Randall J. Seaver


52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 28: #35, Elizabeth Horton (Dill) Smith (1791-1869)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" in her blog post Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  Here is my ancestor biography for week #28:

Elizabeth Horton Dill (1791-1869) is #35 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 3rd great-grandmother. She married Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840) in 1826.


I am descended through:

*  their daughter, #17 Lucretia T. Smith (1828-1884) who married #16, Isaac Seaver III (1823-1901) in 1851.
*  their son, #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922), who married #9 Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920), in 1874.
*  their son, #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942), who married #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900.* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), in 1942.
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

 =====================================================

1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Name:                   Elizabeth Horton Dill [1-2]
*  Sex:                      Female   
*  Father:                  Thomas Dill (1755-1830)
*  Mother:                 Hannah Horton (1761-1797)   
  
*  Alternate Name:    Elizabeth H. Smith [4-6, 8]
*  Alternate Name:    Elizabeth H. Dill [11]    
*  Alternate Name:    Elizabeth Dill [3, 13–16]
*  Alternate Name:    Eliza Smith [7]    
*  Alternate Name:    Eliza H. Smith [10, 12]

2)  INDIVIDUAL FACTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):   

*  Birth:                    9 May 1791, Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States [3]
*  Baptism:               22 March 1822 (age 30), Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [1]
*  Confirmation:        23 March 1822 (age 30), St. Paul's [Episcopal] Church, Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [2]
*  Census:                1 June 1840 (age 49), Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [4]
*  Deed:                   18 August 1841 (age 50), Elizabeth H. Smith to Lucy Butterfield; Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [5]
*  Census:                1 June 1850 (age 59), Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [6]
*  Census:                14 September 1855 (age 64), Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [7]
*  Census:                1 June 1860 (age 69), Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [8]
*  Death:                  28 November 1869 (age 78), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [9-10]  
*  Burial:                  after 28 November 1869 (after age 78), Vine Lake Cemetery, Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [11]
*  Mortality Census:  1 June 1870 (age 79), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [12]
   
2)  MARRIAGES AND CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
   
*  Spouse 1:                Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)   
*  Marriage Intentions: 5 November 1826 (age 35), Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [13-14]  
*  Marriage:                30 November 1826 (age 35), Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States [15-16]  
*  Child 1:                  Lucretia Townsend Smith (1828-1884)   
*  Child 2:                  James Alpheus Smith (1833- ....)   
 
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

Elizabeth Horton Dill was from Eastham in Barnstable County on Cape Cod.  The birth entry in the Eastham, Massachusetts town records provide a list of children of Thomas and Hannah (Horton) Dill that includes Elizabeth Dill, born 9 May 1791.[3]  Hannah (Horton) Dill died in 1797, and Thomas Dill married two more times, dying in about 1830.  

It is probable that Elizabeth Dill became a schoolteacher, and received a call to Dedham, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Horton Dill of Eastham was baptized as an adult on 22 March 1822 in Dedham, Massachusetts at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.[1]  The record says:

"Mar. 22 1822.  Mary Godfrey Fisher, adult.  Elizabeth Horton Dill, adult. Mary Fales Mason, adult."

The published Dedham town records provide church records also.  Elizabeth Horton Dill was confirmed one day after her adult baptism, on 23 March 1822, as a member of the St. Paul's [Episcopal] Church in Dedham, by the Right Reverend Abner N. Griswold.[2]  Also confirmed on the same day was Lucretia Townsend.

These are the only two records that provide a middle name for Elizabeth - other records have a middle initial of H. or no middle name at all.

The marriage intentions for Elizabeth Dill and Alpheus B. Smith were in both Dedham[13] and Medfield[14]  records.  The Dedham town record book says:

"Mr. Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield and Miss Elizabeth Dill of Dedham Nov'r 5 1826."

The Medfield vital records book says:

"DILL, Elizabeth of Dedham, and Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield, int. Nov. 5 1826."

The marriage was recorded in both Dedham[15] and Medfield[16] records also.  The marriage record in the Dedham town record book says:

"[1826] Nov. 30  Mr. Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield to Mis Elizabeth Dill of Dedham"

The marriage record in the Medfield vital record book says:

"Nov. 30 [1826]  Alpheus B. Smith of Medfield & Elizabeth Dill of Dedham."

Tilden's book, History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, says this about Alpheus Smith and Eliza Dill:

"Alpheus B. Smith married in 1826 Eliza Dill of Eastham, and the same year he bought the place on High Street near the South School-house.  He died in 1840, his wife in 1869."

Alpheus and Elizabeth (Dill) Smith had two children:

1. Lucretia Townsend Smith, baptized 6 September 1828 in Medfield, Massachusetts, who married Isaac Seaver on 9 September 1851 in Walpole Mass., and died 24 March 1884 in Leominster, Massachusetts.
2. James Alpheus Smith, baptized 6 June 1833 in Medfield, Massachusetts, and married Annie Eliza Stewart in 1864 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Alpheus B. Smith died intestate in February 1840, and Eliza H. Smith declined administration of the estate, which was administered to Hinsdale Fisher.  During the probate process, James H. Dill, Esquire bought the widow's third of the land, and apparently gave it to Elizabeth.  James H. Dill was born in 1792 in Eastham, the son of Thomas and Hannah (Horton) Dill.

In the 1840 US Census, Elizabeth H. Smith was a head of household in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts[4] with one male age 5-10, one female age 10 to 15, and one female age 40 to 50.

Elizabeth H. Smith sold land in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts to Lucy Butterfield on 18 August 1841 for 100 dollars.[5]  The land was all of her right, title, and interest to Dower in her late husband's estate as set off by Order of the Court of Probate, consisting of a house and barn with about three quarters of an acre of land, and bounded northerly and easterly on land of the heirs of Elisha Clark, Southwardly on the land sold to the said Lucy, and Westwardly on the road leading from Medfield to Walpole.  

In the 1850 U.S. census, Elizabeth H. Smith (age 52, female, born MA) resided in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts with Lucretia T. Smith (age 22, female born MA).[6]

In the 1855 Massachusetts State Census, the Eliza Smith household in Medfield, Norfolk County included:[7]

*  Eliza Smith - age 58, female, born Mass.
*  Lucy Butterfield - age 65, female, born Mass.

In the 1860 US Census, Elizabeth H. Smith headed a household in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, which included:[8]

*  Elizabeth H. Smith - age 60, female, widow, born MA 
*  Daniel D. Hammet 0 age 40, male, $2000 in real property, $400 in personal property, born MA
*  Cynthia Hammet - age 45, female, born MA
*  George D. Hammet - age 18, male, born MA.

Eliza H. Smith died 28 November 1869 in Leominster MA, according to the Medfield, Massachusetts town records,[10] aged 75 years, 6 months, 9 days, of apoplexy.  She was a resident of Medfield, birthplace was Eastham,  Massachusetts, and her parents names were Thomas Dill of Eastham and Mary Horton of Wellfleet.  The age at death works out to a birthdate of 19 May 1794. 

A second death record is in the Leominster MA town records:[9]  she died 28 November 1869, aged 75 years, 6 months, 13 days, of apoplexy.   Her birthplace was listed as Eastham, Massachusetts and her parents names were listed as Jabez Dill of Eastham and Mary Horton of Wellfleet.

Eliza H. Smith was enumerated in the 1870 U.S. Census Mortality Schedule in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.[12]  She is listed as age 75, a widow, died in November [1869], of apoplexy, with no occupation.  The note at the bottom of the page says "The five last names taken from the town records, the families are not known."

The gravestone for Elizabeth H. (Dill) Smith is in Vine Lake Cemetery in Medfield, Massachusetts.[11]  The inscription reads:  

Erected in Memory
of
ELIZABETH H. DILL
Wife of
ALPHEUS B. SMITH,
Died Nov. 17, 1869.
Aged
77 years.

There is no probate record for an Eliza or Elizabeth Smith in Worcester County or Norfolk County, Massachusetts after 1869.

5)  SOURCES
 
1. Don Gleason Hill (editor), The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1635-1845 (Dedham, Mass. : Town of Dedham, 1886), page 218, baptism of Elizabeth Dill, an adult.

2. Don Gleason Hill (editor), The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham, 1635-1845 (Dedham, Mass. : Town of Dedham, 1886), page 224, confirmation of Elizabeth Horton Dill.

3. "Town Records, 1654-1873 [Eastham, Massachusetts]," US/CAN  Microfilm 907350, Items 2 - 6, Elizabeth Dill birth entry.

4. 1840 United States Federal Census, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Medfield town: Page 196, Eliza Dill household, online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M704, Roll 192.

5. Norfolk County (Massachusetts) Register of Deeds, "Land Records - Deeds, 1793-1890," on 373 microfilm reels, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah,  Volume 139, Page 109 (accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 841833), Deed, Elizabeth H. Smith to Lucy Butterfield, dated 18 August 1841.

6. 1850 United States Federal Census, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, population schedule; Medfield town, Page 348A, Dwelling #488, Family #632, Eliza Smith household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 331.

7. "Massachusetts State Census, 1855,"  indexed database and digital image, FamilySearch.org  (https://www.familysearch.org),  Norfolk County, Medfield, Page 21 (penned), Dwelling #2, Family #2, Eliza Smith household.

8. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Medfield; Page 851, Dwelling #780, Family #841, Eliza Smith household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 515.

9. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed database and digital images,  New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Deaths,  Volume 222, Page 264, Leominster, 1869; Eliza H. Smith entry.

10. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," digital images,  New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Deaths, Volume 221, Page 262, Medfield, 1869; Eliza H. Smith entry.

11. Jim Tipton, indexed database, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com), Vine Lake Cemetery (Medfield, Mass.), entry for Elizabeth H. Dill Smith (????-1869).

12. "U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885," online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Page:  619, Line 6, Eliza H. Smith entry; citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T1204, Roll Number 23.

13. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths, image 255, Alpheus Smith and Elizabeth Dill intention of marriage entry.

14. Vital Records of Medfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston, Mass. :  New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Marriages, page 135, Alpheus B. Smith and Elizabeth Dill entry, intentions.

15. Massachusetts, Town Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Dedham Births, Marriages and Deaths, image 260, Alpheus B. Smith and Elizabeth Dill marriage entry.

16. Don Gleason Hill (editor), The Record of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the Town of Dedham,1635-1845 (Dedham, Mass. : Town of Dedham, 1886), Marriages, page 221, Alpheus B. Smith and Elizabeth Dill entry.

============================================

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-28-35.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver