Notebook - General Stuff No. 2, Part I

Abstracting: Do It Right!, The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, August 1997

Extracting the essential facts from a record without copying the document verbatim is a technique that genealogists commonly refer to as abstracting. Printed forms for abstracting pertinent records are commercially available. They may be useful, but many are not satisfactory because the documents themselves do not always conform to the format selected by the form designers.

Wills

• Citation - note county, will book #, beginning page number
• Testator's occupation, age, health, residence, etc.
• Abstract names of all people named and their relationship to testator
• Essentials of bequests, land descriptions, slaves, money, etc.
• Special explanations or restrictions, trustees, guardians, etc.
• Executor / executrix
• Witnesses, signatures or signed with X or mark
• Dates written and probated
• Inventory
• Sale bills
• Administrator bonds

Ahnentafel #515 - Deborah Leffingwell

Deborah Leffingwell

Born: ca. 1660 
Died: after 1732

Buried: may be buried in Olde Mansfield Center Cemetery, Manfield, CT with Andrew Warner

Married:  1) Nathaniel Crow ca. 1683 & 2) Andrew Warner March 6, 1701, Hartford, Connecticut

Records:
1660 - there is no record of Deborah's birth or baptism. She is thought to be the daughter of Lt. Thomas & Mary (White?) Leffingwell.  This is possible, if she were born ca. 1660 as that family was in the process of moving from Saybrook to Norwich.  There is no probate for Lt. Thomas that might have evidence of the connection.  He did serve many years on the general court in Hartford which could explain her marrying men from Hartford instead of someone from Norwich. 

1695 - Sept. 7 - Hartford, CT - Inventory of Nathaniel Crow's estate mentions legatees:

• relict Mrs. Deborah Crow

Notebook - Ireland

Healy, Elizabeth. Round Towers & High Crosses, Ireland of the Welcomes, July/August 2006.

In Victorian times, Round Towers and High Crosses acquired almost iconic status in representations of Ireland.

These towers and crosses are products of the monasteries of the Early Christian period, that era which gave us the illuminated manuscripts and other masterpieces of art. The towers and crosses, usually seen together, are the most enduring features, and very often the only elements that are left standing today.

Sometimes there were several of the intricately-carved stone crosses within or on the edge of the monastic enclosure. They varied in height up to seven meters (over 20 feet).  Their chief purpose would have been for the inspiration and instruction of the faithful - picture-books, if you will, for a usually illiterate congregation - but they were often positioned as boundary markers. 

Ahnentafel #514 - Nathaniel Crow

Nathaniel Crow

Born: ca. 1650
Died: 30 July 1695, Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut

Buried:  Hartford, Connecticut

Married:  Deborah Leffingwell ca. 1683

Records:

1693 - Hartford, Connecticut - Nathaniel Crow as warrantee, Volme 1, p. 481.

1693, Oct. 5 - A Court of Assistants holden at Hartford

Nathaniel Crow of Hartford, being Agrieved with the determination of the County Court at Hartford in September last, relating to the Estate of his late Brother Daniell Crow of Said Hartford deceased, made his application to this Court, and declared his Objections against the Same, upon Consideration whereof This Court See no reason to alter the Said determination of the County Court. 

Dorothy Utley

Dorothy Irene (Lathrop) Utley

Born: March 17, 1940, Wayne City, Illinois
Married: Philip Utley, December 22, 1962, First United Methodist Church, Wayne City, Illinois
Died: October 17, 2018 Tifton, Georgia

Dorothy Irene Utley, a longtime resident of Tifton, Georgia, died at home on Wednesday, October 17, 2018.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. in the First United Methodist Church of Tifton. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the front lobby of the church. A private family interment will be held later in the day at Zion Hope Baptist Church cemetery.

Notebook - New England No. 1

Anderson, Robert. Reflections on the Great Migration Study Project, New England Ancestors, Holiday 2008.

On November 15, 2008, we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of the Great Migration Study Project.

During my early years in genealogy, while handling typical client commissions, I was constantly faced with the problem of learning what research had already been undertaken and published for a family of interest. This search frequently consumed much of the time allocated for research and became very frustrating.

Thus arose the concept of a reference work for New England genealogy which would update and supplant Savage and some of the other single-colony-based compendia.

Work began on November 15, 1988 with the pilot project which became the Great Migration Begins series of volumes which covered immigration to New England from 1620 to 1633.

Sketch format:
Section one - migration

Ahnentafel #513 - Hannah Adgate

Hannah Adgate

Born: Oct. 6, 1653, Saybrook, Middlesex Co., Connecticut
Died: September 18, 1695 Norwich, New London Co., Connecticut

Buried: Old Norwich Cemetery

Married:  Nov. 1675 Samuel Lathrop in Norwich, Connecticut

Mt. Olive Church

Years ago, when the country around here was mostly covered with woods, two men named George Casner (in 1852) and John Hawkins Jr. (in 1854) decided to settle in this territory. Mr. Casner cleared some land, built some fences, and entered the land in the records at Shawneetown in his own name. The of the United States signed the patent giving George Casner the title to the land. Mr. Casner and his wife had a son named Ramsey and after Mr. Casner was killed in an accident, this young man sold the farm to a trader on May 1, 1868, just six years and a month after his father had purchased it. Six months later, the trader, Joel Scrivner sold it to William Palmer, who kept it several years, and then it passed from hand to hand until on February 10, 1865, John Gentle purchased it and planned to make his home there.

Ahnentafel #512 - Samuel Lathrop

Samuel Lathrop

Born: March 1650, New London, Connecticut
Died: 9 Dec. 1732, Norwich, Connecticut

Buried: Old Norwich Cemetery, Norwich, Connecticut

Married: 1) Hannah Adgate Nov. 1675 in Norwich, Connecticut
2) Mary (Reynolds) Edgerton Dec. 30, 1697 in Norwich, Connecticut

Records:

1660 - The seventeenth century home of Dr. John Olmstead, Norwich's first physician, was located at the current site of Lathrop Manor, on Washington Street in Norwichtown. He later sold his house, built around 1660, to Samuel Lathrop (1650-1732). It was then inherited by Samuel's son, Thomas Lathrop (1681-1774). It is possible the original house burned in 1745 and was rebuilt. In any case, after Samuel's death, it was owned by Dr. Daniel Lathrop, who joined with Dr. Joshua Lathrop (whose home is across the street) to establish Connecticut's first apothecary, at that time the only one located between New York and Boston. Benedict Arnold lived in the house as a young man while he was

Elmer Gentle

Elmer Gentle, son of Calvin F. Grace (Whitlatch) Gentle was b. 7 Aug 1910 in Jefferson Co., IL, d. 12 Aug. 2001 Mt. Vernon, IL. He married Ruth M. Robertson on 11 Mar. 1933 in Bluford, IL. Ruth was the daughter of John Arthur & Rose E. (Moore) Robertson. We are related to both of them.

Elmer & Ruth had one son, Larry.

The following is an article published about Elmer:

Gentle Recalls Family Values Emphasized During Depression by Kathleen Dero, Mt. Vernon Register-News, Feb. 27, 1993.

According to Elmer C. Gentle, the values needed today to succeed are the same ones he learned growing up in Jefferson County.

“All you have to have is determination. Our new president was making about $45,000 a year as governor of Arkansas. Today, he’s making about $200,000 a year. He dreamed as a year as a youngster and he set goals. You’ve just got to be tenacious – have drive and willpower,” Gentle said.

Gentle, who spent more than 50 years working for state and township public aid programs, was born and raised about three miles east of Bluford in Pendleton Township.

Gentle grew up on a “short” 40 acres across the top of Pendleton Township. After a survey correction, that section of land was found to have only 36 acres.

Generation 10

Generation 10, more fall out while picking up more New England families.  

• Lathrop ancestors #512 - #570
• Dove ancestors #592 - #626
• Butler ancestors #648 - #688
• Robertson ancestors #704 - #748
• Gurley ancestors #848 - #895
• Colclasure ancestors #902 - #955
• Fitzgerald ancestors #960 - #989

We'll be looking at people living in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

And immigrants from England, Germany, Holland and Ireland.

This generation spans the years 1622 through 1838.  

• 1620 founding of Plymouth Colony by Pilgrims
• 1624 Virginia created as royal colony
• 1630 Boston, Massachusetts founded by Puritans
• 1633 smallpox ravishes Plymouth Colony

Fun Stuff

Sometimes you just have to laugh . . . 

"James Speer lived on Beavers Dams and had no more brains than were absolutely necessary." Book review of Watauga County, History.

Ahnentafel #503 - Elizabeth Cornwell

Elizabeth Cornwell

Born: ca. 1750 in Virginia
Died: after 1795

Buried: possibly in Orange County, Indiana

Married: John Wolfe ca. 1770, some people cite marriage between Peter Wolf and Anne Cornwell 28 July 1777 in Frederick Co., Virginia

Records:
1783 - Shenandoah Co., VA census - a John Wolfe with 8 whites and 1 black

1784 - Shenandoah Co., VA deed - John & Elisabeth Woolf of Shenandoah sold land to William Henry of Frederick County . . . consideration of Eighty pounds . . . a parcel of land lying on the Flint run it being part of a Tract of Land granted from the Proprietor of the Northern Neck to Phillip Crume & by Phillip Crume & Sarah his wife conveyed to John Patton by Deed of Bargain and sale bearing date 28th May 1778 by John Patton & Mary his wife sold to sd. John Woolf by deed of L[ease] & R[elease] bearing date September 1779, containing one hundred and fifty acres of land.

Dr. John Grove Speer

John Grove Speer autobiographical sketch from Speer Family History. He was the son of John & Mary Barbary (Grove) Speer.

Where shall I begin You will say in childhood days. Very well, then. I shall say that I was born in Morgantown [Morganton], Burke County, North Carolina, on the 12th day of February, A.D. 1809.

Just like all other children I wanted nourishment, which was supplied abundantly by my dear mother. It was while I was thus being cared for that smallpox gave the people a scare, and we were vaccinated, and, as a memorial of the fact, I have carried the mark on my left arm ever since. In the fall of 1811, when I was about two and one-half years old, I was brought to Kentucky. The next thing I remember was going to school when I was a wee boy with all the childish ways common to the very young. I wanted to be free and out at play, and felt I was a prisoner. I learned but little at that school, but when older I learned as fast as the common run, and became more diligent in my studies than most of the scholars, and thus began to take first rank. My father perceiving that I was fond of books and doing fairly well, sent me to live with Uncle Blevins in Middletown, Ky., to go to school to a Mr. Banks, a man good in word and deed. He was a son-in-law of the Rev. Blackburn, a Presbyterian, of Louisville, Ky. I was well pleased to stay with my kind Uncle and Aunt Amelia, who were very good to me.

Ahnentafel #502 - John Wolfe

John C. Wolfe or John Peter Wolfe, Sr.

Born: ca. 1745 Virginia
Died: before 1809, some say 1828

Buried: probably in Stampers Creek Cemetery, Orange Co., Indiana

Married: Elizabeth Cornwell ca. 1770, some people cite marriage between Peter Wolf and Anne Cornwell 28 July 1777 in Frederick Co., VA

Records:

1779 - April 28 - Frederick Co., VA a John Wolfe mentioned in his grandfather's will as grandson, "son of my deceased son John," left land after his aunts die. Our John Wolfe would have been 34 in 1779 which makes this a strange bequest.  It seems more like something that would be done for a minor grandchild.

1779 - Sept. 20 - Shenandoah Co., VA a John Wolf leased 150 acres of land on Flint Run from John Patson / Patton for the rent of one pepper corn on Lady day next [March 25, the Feast of Annunciation]

Lathrop Reunion - 2018

Labor Day Sunday afternoon has been Lathrop Reunion held in Fairfield, Illinois for many, many years.  This year we had a good turn out. 

Generation I. Betty (Lathrop) Porter, Bonnie (Lathrop) Holler, Gene Austin, Howard Lathrop, George Lathrop

Research Log

Yellow Notebook - Robertson/Maulding/Clark Section

Jefferson County Illinois Death Book
Mauldings -
Eliza J. Bk 1, p. 19
Elizabeth O. Bk 1, p. 37
Clarence E. Bk 1, p. 53
James Bk 1, p. 58
Ransom Bk 1, p. 71

Oscar Gentle death - Book 3, p. 161

Laura Lathrop, Book 3, p. 186
b. Indiana 1857, Nov. 11
d. IL 1914, Nov. 5
parents David Lathrop b. NY and Sarah Dodds b. OH

1860 Jefferson County, Illinois, Census, Dodds Twp.
Maulding, Wesley A. 1828
Elizabeth 1832
Lorenzo D. 1854
Martha O. 1856
Eliza A. 1859

Ambrose Maulding buried in 10 Mile Cemetery, Hamilton Co., IL, Lots of space for other graves some small stones nothing legible

Ahnentafel #500 - (--?--) Cornwell

(--?--) Cornwell

Born: ca. 1760
Died: unknown

Buried: unknown

Married: unknown

Records / Possibilities:

1810 Virginia Census - he would have been about 50 years old

Culpeper County
A Payton Cornwell family 
3 m -10
2 m 10-16
1 m 26-45 Payton
2 f -10
1 f 26-45

Research Log

Yellow Notebook - Butler/Gentle/Parrish/Perry/Shepherd/Wright Section

Jefferson County, Illinois Census 1870, Webber Twp.
Butler, Vardona 1848 - this is Vardaman
Kansas 1852
Edward 1869

Gentle, John 1816
Frances 1819
Howard 1846
Amanda 1855
Selestine 1859
Cordelia A. 1861
Fresene J. 1867

Gentle, Wm. S. 1838
Rebecca A. 1849

Wayne County Gleanings, see also Robertson section
p. 92, Wayne County Press, Dec. 17, 1874 - John Gentles, who departed this life, Nov. 30th, 1874, aged 58 years, 6 months, 19 days.

Ahnentafel #482 - (--?--) Bruce

(--?--) Bruce

Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown

Buried: Unknown

Married: Unknown

Records / Possibilities:

1656 - Lancaster Co., VA - Andrew Gillson brought over Sarah Smart, Eliza Winslow, Anne Thornton, Katherine Golding, Anthony Edwards, William Bruce, John (--?--), Thomas Pool, Edward Paggett, Charles Blurteend, John Sherrine - too early to be definitive connection

1692 - April 3 - Mary Bruse, daughter of Henry & Mary Bruse, born. 

1712 - May 7 - Richmond Co., VA - Depositions of Henry Bruce aged 48 and his wife Mary aged 47, recorded in Richmond Co., Had son William Bruce born 31 Oct. 1689.