Thursday, June 30, 2016

1847 Receipt from Orland, Maine; Names Joseph Wilson and Rufus Buck


Receipt from Orland, Maine, dated October 28, 1847, where Rufus Buck acknowledged receipt of $1.20 from Joseph Wilson for gutter poles, or vice versa.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Rufus Buck was presumably the Rufus Buck of Bucksport, Maine, who was born January 23, 1797, according to his gravestone, or Rufus' son Rufus Sewall Buck, who was born in 1831 and could have signed the document on his own behalf or that of his father.   Their ancestor, Jonathan Buck of Haverhill, was one of the first settlers of the area.  Rufus Buck, presumably the father or son previously mentioned, wrote a history of Bucksport in 1857.

Joseph Wilson may have been Joseph Wilson, born May 9, 1821, possibly at Castine, Maine, son of John Hibbert Wilson and his second wife Mary (Littlefield) Wilson.  This Joseph married Abigail Irish at Castine, Maine, in 1843. According to a  Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection record, Abigail died July 8, 1845.  Joseph married Mary Jones in 1847 and had, I believe, three children with her.  The aforementioned cemetery record shows that Joseph himself died fairly young, on March 30, 1859; Mary died in 1909.

If you have corrections to the information above, or if you have alternate theories for the identities of Rufus Buck and/or Joseph Wilson, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Although the icon for Bucksport is located inland on the map below, the major village of Bucksport today is along the Penobscot River.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

1845 I.O.O.F. Document of Hobomok Lodge of Bath, Maine; A. W. Turner and Jacob S. Sewall


September 30, 1845 International Order of Odd Fellows document from Hobomok Lodge of Bath, Maine.  It's a receipt signed by Jacob Smith Sewall for the quarterly dues paid by member A. W. Turner.

Hobomok Lodge, No. 16, was chartered in 1844; Jacob Smith Sewall was one of the charter members.

A. W. Turner was presumably Abner Wade Turner (1796-1877) or his son Abner Warren Turner (1824-1881).  Both were born at Bath, Maine.   Abner Wade Turner married Nancy Brown in 1818.  I don't know if Abner Warren Turner married.

Jacob Smith Sewall (1817-1857), a lawyer and businessman, was born at Bath, Maine.  He married Charlotte W. Holmes in 1841.  Some of his papers are archived with those of his father, Joseph Sewall (1795-1851).

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

 

Friday, June 24, 2016

1852 Document from the Solar Lodge of Bath, Maine; Names A. W. Turner and H. E. Palmer


August 5, 1852 document of the Solar Lodge at Bath, Maine, where Secretary H. E. Palmer informs member A. W. Turner of a special meeting the next Thursday.  

The year actually written was 5852, which was the way 1852 was written in the Year of the Light, as observed by Ancient Craft Masonry.

I believe the men were Abner Wade Turner, or his son Abner Warren Turner, and Henry Edwin Palmer.  Abner Wade Turner was born in 1796 at Bath, Maine, and died in 1877.  Son Abner Warren Turner was born at Bath in 1824 and died in 1881.

Henry Edwin Turner was born in 1829 at Bath, Maine.  Read his biography in Maine: a History, Biographaical, Centennial Edition, published in 1919 by the American Historical Society, on pages 100-102.  He seems young to have been the secretary of Solar Lodge in 1852, and perhaps H. E. Palmer was another man, but it's noted that Henry Edwin Palmer had achieved success at an early age.  He died in 1903.


If you have corrections to the information above, or feel that A. W. Turner and H. E. Palmer were different men, or if you have information on the Solar Lodge at Bath, Maine, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

1870 Letter Signed by Israel Washburn, Governor of Maine


March 2, 1870 letter from Israel Washburn to Hon. Edward S Tobey at Boston., Massachusetts.
Approximately 8" by 5", with minimal handwriting on the reverse, as shown below.


Washburn, whose siblings were also influential in business and government, had been governor of Maine from 1861 to 1863.  He was one of the founders of the Republican party and may have been the first, or one of the first, to use the term "Republican".

Transcription

The Portland Corporators in the Steamship Co. have had a meeting this morning at my rooms, at which one N. C. Col. Lynch was present - the Col. will see you Friday, report fully.  Some of the other gentlemen may go with him.    I will say that I believe the opinion was unanimously in favor of all the suggestions contained in your letter to my brother.

Yours truly
I. Washburn
Hon. E. S. Tobey
Boston


Appearing on the bottom line of the letter is Ex.Governor of Maine, apparently written by someone else.  I'd like to know who Col. Lynch was.

From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Israel Washburn, Jr. was born June 6, 1813 at Livermore, Maine, the son of Israel and Martha (Benjamin) Washburn.  Read about the Washburn family and their home, now the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center.   The homestead was originally built by Cyrus Hamlin, father of Hannibal Hamlin, Abraham Lincoln's first vice president.

If you have corrections to the information above, or additions to it, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

5 1850s letters from Delphina (Perham) Whitman of Bryant Pond, Maine, to Daughter Angelia (Whitman) Farrar


One letter written in 1864 and four written in 1869 by Delphina (Perham) Whitman of Bryant Pond in Woodstock, Maine, to her daughter Angelia (Whitman) Farrar, wife of Rufus Farrar, Jr., presumably then at Grafton Township, Maine.

Delphina's husband, Harrison Whitman, had died in 1845, and Delphina, who brought up her three surviving children alone, was leading a life of poverty and hard work.

The letters reveal that Delphina was a very intelligent woman.  She had served for a time in the 1860s as the librarian at Woodstock, Maine.  The main theme running through them is how greatly she missed her only daughter Angelia.  They don't live far apart at all by today's standards, but Delphina mentioned at least once that she lacked a team of her own, and noted in another letter that Angelia lacked a horse suitable for herself and a child.

In a letter dated October 27, 1869, Delphina writes:  How I would like to go down to your house.  I never feel my poverty so much as when I want to go and see you.  I think I should go and see you every week were it not for the cost.  How I would like to give the children a good hugging. 

Another interesting topic, especially covered in the letter of December 1869, was the very difficult school that Delphina's son Harry was teaching, or attempting to teach, at a place not named, a place where the school had apparently been a disaster for six years. Delphina related much of Harry's letter to Delphina and included such gems as:
  •  Delphina wrote: The Committee said they would sustain him [Harry] in anything short of murder.
  •  Harry's quote, which Delphina cited with quotation marks: "I am determined to have a model school here before I get through.  I was loath to give up my cherished opinion that all schools could be governed without the rod.  I am now convinced of my error.
Harry was Harrison Spofford Whitman, who had attended Norway Liberal Institute and Bowdoin College and would later receive his divinity degree from Tufts Divinity School and eventually become president of Westbrook Seminary in the Deering area of Portland, Maine.

His biography and photograph are included in the History of Woodstock, Me., with Family Sketches and an Appendix, published by William Berry Lapham in 1882.

January 4, 1864 letter; an 8" x 10" sheet, fully used.  Delphina has a dream about holding Angelia in her lap and worries about son George serving in the Civil War.  Her poignant declaration: The time will never be when my children can suffer and I not, nor do I wish it to be.  

Front and back panes shown above; panes 2 and 3 below:


  
People mentioned at least once:
  • Julian, Jule, July - Julian H. Farrar, son of Angelia (Whitman) Farrar and Rufus Farrar, Jr..  See his future home at 17 Warren Avenue, Portland, Maine
  • Henry Davis - to whom Delphina sold a cow
  • George - Delphina's son George Washington Whitman.  He was then away serving in the Civil War.   Delphina was very worried about him as he had been extremely ill, as relayed by a fellow soldier
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman, then going to school, perhaps Norway Liberal Institute.  He would later attend Bowdoin College and Tufts Divinity School.
  • Aunt Sophronia
  • Nancy - presumably a girl that was helping Angelia
  • Vinny
  • Charles Swan - he is boarding with Delphina
  • Young man in George's unit - saw Delphina and told her "they did not s'pose he [George] would live he was so sick when he had the fever"
October 27, 1869 letter; an 8" x 9-3/4" sheet, fully used.  Delphina notes that her son Harry is one of the editors of the "Bowdoin Bugle".  The most poignant lines of the letter: How I would like to go down to your house.  I never feel my poverty so much as when I want to go and see you.  I think I should go and see you every week were it not for the cost.  How I would like to give the children a good hugging.




People mentioned at least once:
  • Rufus - Rufus Farrar, Jr., husband of Delphina's daughter Angelia (Whitman) Farrar
  • George - Delphina's son George Washington Whitman
  • Mrs. M. Whitman - possibly Marcia (Leonard) Whitman, wife of Joseph Whitman, Jr., brother of Delphina's late husband Harrison Whitman
  • Julian, "July" - Angelia's son Julian H. Farrar
  • Abigail at Pinhook - whose house burned down - possibly, Delphina says, by Abigail's own hand
  • Mrs. Lovejoy
  • Mrs. Jackson
  • Sylvania - presumably Delphina's sister Sylvania Perham
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman
  • Angie - either Angelia or her daughter Angie Lillian Farrar
  • Arthur - Angelia's son Arthur L. Farrar
  • Mr. Coffin
  • Mrs. Bowker
November 3, 1869 letter; an 8" x 10" sheet, fully used.  Delphina is sorry to hear that Angelia's husband Rufus Farrar, Jr., is sick.  She also reports on the illness of her daughter in law Eliza J. (Davis) Whitman, wife of George Washington Whitman, who has been seen by a clairvoyant doctor from Portland.  The Mrs. Davis mentioned as staying with Eliza for two weeks was presumably Eliza's mother Harriet (Nute) Davis.  Harry is prospering at school.




People mentioned at least once:
  • Rufus - Angelia's husband Rufus Farrar, Jr., who is sick
  • Eliza - Eliza J. (Davis) Whitman, wife of Delphina's son George Washington Whitman - Eliza has been very ill, perhaps since the birth of her daughter Bertha the previous June - but is feeling better after having been seen by a clairvoyant doctor from Portland
  • George Cushman - also being doctored by the clairvoyant; later in the letter, Delphina notes that George is failing
  • Mrs. Davis - presumably Eliza's mother, Harriet (Nute) Davis, who has been caring for Eliza for two weeks
  • Elvira - comes in to help Eliza - perhaps Delphina's sister Elvira (Perham) Chase, wife of Alfred Rogers Chase
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman who is doing well in his school - presumably a teaching job after he had graduated from Bowdoin College and before he would enter Tufts Divinity School
  • Julian - Angelia's son Julian H. Farrar
  • Arthur - Angelia's son Arthur L. Farrar
November 24, 1869 letter; two panes of legal size paper, fully used; Delphina says Harry calls this "half acre paper".  A newsy letter with talk of Thanksgiving and how hard it would be for them to get together.  Mrs. Cotton said you had no horse that was suitable to carry a child with.




People mentioned at least once:
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman
  • Joshua - perhaps Delphina's brother Joshua Perham
  • George - Delphina's son George Washington Whitman
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman
  • Charles - perhaps the Charles Swan mentioned in the 1864 letter
  • Lizzie Rowe - got up a collection for Diantha
  • Diantha
  • James Swan - not sure of this name, especially the given name
  • Sylvania - presumably Delphina's sister Sylvania Perham
  • Gilman
  • Mrs. Farnum
  • Addie
  • Davis' - presumably the parents of Eliza J. (Davis) Whitman, wife of George Washington Whitman
  • Lydia Day
  • Mrs. Cotton
December 24, 1869 letter; 2 8"x 10" sheets, plus an 8" x 5" sheet.  This letter concerns the problems Delphina's son Harry is having at a school where discipline had been lacking for six years and Delphina's dream about her grandson Julian on a ladder that was attacked by oxen.






































































People mentioned at least once:
  • Sylvania - presumably Delphina's sister Sylvania Perham; having a problem with her debts
  • J. Spofford 
  • George - Delphina's son George Washington Whitman
  • Mr. and Mrs. Coffin
  • Caleb Fuller, who reported that Isabella Curtis is dead
  • Isabella Curtis - Caleb Fuller told Delphina that Isabella had died
  • Harry - Delphina's son Harrison Spofford Whitman
  • Alfred - presumably Angelia's son Alfred L. Farrar
  • July - Angelia's son Julian H. Farrar
  • Rufus - Rufus Farrar, Jr. - Angelia's husband
From brief online research, hopefully correct:

Delphina (Perham) Whitman was born March 26, 1818 at Woodstock, Maine, the daughter of Jotham and Lucy (Felt) Perham.  On December 2, 1836, Delphina married Harrison Whitman, son of Joseph and Polly (Cole) Whitman.  Harrison was born May 16, 1813, also at Woodstock, Maine.  Bryant Pond is a village in Woodstock.

Harrison Whitman died in 1845.  By that time, he and Delphina had had four children, with their first, 
  1. Artemus Spofford Whitman (1837-1838)
  2. George Washington Whitman, born February 14, 1839 at Woodstock, Maine; married Eliza J. Davis
  3. Angelia Whitman, born December 25, 1841 at Woodstock, Maine; married Rufus Farrar, Jr.
  4. Harrison Spofford Whitman, born February 5, 1844 at Woodstock, Maine; married Susan Frances Warren
Delphina died of the grippe at Grafton Township, Maine, on April 19, 1905, hopefully in the arms of her beloved daughter Angelia.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Thursday, June 9, 2016

1919 Photograph of Halbert Keith Swift in Uniform at Kents Hill School at Readfield, Maine


March 15, 1919 photograph of Halbert Keith Swift in uniform by Bearce Hall at the Kents Hill School at Kents Hill in Readfield, Maine.  Presumably, he was in the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps or Reserve Officer Training Corps.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Halbert Keith Swift was born August 16, 1901 at Fayette, Maine, the son of William A. Swift and Norine Eliza (Spiller) Swift.  The 1910 Census found the family living at East Livermore, Maine; by 1920 the family was living at Readfield, Maine.  Halbert apparently attended Kents Hill School, which was located near Fayette.  

Halbert married at least twice, to:
  1. Beatrice Florence Farello in 1926 in New Hampshire - they would have 5 children
  2. Margaret Elizabeth Quimby in 1945 in New Hampshire.
Throughout his life, Halbert lived in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  He died in 1974 and is buried with Margaret in New Hampshire.

If you have corrections and/or additions, please leave a comment or contact me directly.   Please be careful with sharing information about living people.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Cabinet Photograph of Young Woman IDed as Fannie Scott Stevens; Madison, Maine studio


Cabinet photograph of a young woman identified on the reverse as Fannie Scott Stevens.  I'm not sure if Scott was her middle name of her maiden name before marrying Mr. Stevens.

The photograph was taken by the Bassett studio with locations at Skowhegan, Maine; and Madison, Maine.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [readers' input requested]

She may have been the Frances Scott Stevens, born in 1877 at Hartland, Maine, who married Fred Foss Lawrence in 1906. The index to the Maine record notes the marriage took place at Norwich, Connecticut, but it may have been Norridgewock, Maine.

Fred was an attorney, a judge, a law professor and secretary to a Maine governor.  I believe Frances died in 1957 and is buried in the Southside Cemetery at Skowhegan, Maine.  I didn't find Fred there, but I did find a Fred F. Lawrence, who died in 1969, buried in Evergreen Cemetery at Portland, Maine.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or feel that Fannie Scott Stevens was another person, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Graduation Photograph of Ivan W. Staples of Limerick, Maine; Physician at Corinth, Maine, and Norway, Maine


Photograph, possibly a graduation photograph, of a man identified on the reverse as Ivan Staples.  The photograph was taken by the Hanson studio of Portland, Maine.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Ivan W. Staples was born October 29, 1883 at Limerick, Maine, the son of Freeman and Abbie L. (Pike) Staples.  Ivan attended Harvard University and received a medical degree at Bowdoin College in 1909.  A Maine record index shows the birth date of October 28, 1883, but Ivan reported the date of October 29 to his colleges and to the draft registration board for WWI.

He married Eunice Amanda Hobbs at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on January 26, 1907.  There's also a marriage record for them at Saco,  Maine, on May 20, 1908.  Eunice was born January 27, 1883 at Saco, Maine, the daughter of Josiah and Sarah (Lane) Hobbs.

In 1909, the couple had a son Ivan Staples, who did not survive.  I don't know if they had other children.  By 1910, Ivan and Eunice were living at Corinth, Maine, where Ivan was practicing medicine.   By 1920, they had moved to Norway, Maine, where Ivan set up a medical practice.  I believe they lived there until Ivan's death in 1943.  Eunice died in 1955.  They're buried in the Highland Cemetery at Limerick, Maine.

If you have corrections and/or additions to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of your fellow researchers.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Four Vintage Photographs of the Sutton Family of Old Town, Maine, and Orono, Maine


Four photographs from the Sutton family of Old Town, Maine, and Orono, Maine, and area.

The photograph above, taken by the Howe studio of Old Town, Maine, shows Charles Sutton in middle age. Charles was presumably Charles Edward Sutton (1855-1936).


The photograph below appears to be Charles, or perhaps his brother George Arthur Sutton (1862-1944), in old age.



Charles and George were the sons of Arthur B. Sutton and Almira Augusta (Coombs) Sutton.

The photograph below shows Arra Louise Sutton, daughter of George Arthur Sutton and Helen Louise (Stetson) Sutton.  Arra was born at Abbot, Maine, about February 1887.  She married Fred B. Mixter at Bangor, Maine, on February 13, 1915.  She apparently later married a Mr. Nielson, as that is the name on her headstone at Mount Hope Cemetery at Bangor, Maine.  Her parents and at least two siblings are also buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.



The last photograph, taken by the Chalmers studio of Bangor, Maine, shows a toddler identified as Dorothy Sutton.  George Arthur Sutton and Helen Louise (Stetson) Sutton had a daughter Dorothy who died at two months of age in 1896, so the photograph could not be of her.

Perhaps Dorothy Elizabeth Sutton, born to Charles Edward Sutton and Jennie M. (Faunce) Sutton on January 4, 1909 at Stillwater, Maine, or Old Town, Maine, was named for her deceased cousin.  Dorothy Elizabeth married Edward N. Dempsey in 1936; I believe they had two children.

Edward died in 1973 and Dorothy in 1998 in Massachusetts.  They're buried in the Lawndale Cemetery at Old Town, Maine, as are Dorothy's parents.



Interestingly, at a later time I found another photograph of a Sutton in the Orono, Maine, area.  It's what appears to be the graduation photograph of Lottie Sutton of the Class of 1886.  "Bangor, Maine" is written below her name.  Lottie may have been Charlotte Aravesta Sutton, daughter of the above-mentioned Arthur B. Sutton and Albra Augusta (Smith) Sutton.  Lottie's photograph is featured in another post.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  If leaving a comment, be careful about providing information about recently deceased or living people.

Graduation Photograph of Roy Elgin Strickland of South Paris, Maine; Class of 1904, University of Maine


Graduation photograph of Roy Elgin Strickland of South Paris, Maine, who graduated with the Class of 1904 at the University of Maine with a degree in electrical engineering.  The photograph was taken at the Chalmers studio at Bangor, Maine.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Roy Elgin Strickland was born at Wayne, Maine, on October 28, 1879 or 1880, the son of Nathan F. Strickland and Louise (Phillips) Strickland.  Roy's delayed birth record gives his birth date as October 28, 1880.  A University of Maine publication gives his birth date as October 28, 1879, as does his World War I draft registration card, both instances in which Roy himself presumably gave the information.

On June 26, 1907 at South Paris, Maine, Roy married Della May McArdle, daughter of Charles E. McArdle and Amelia (Keizer) McArdle.  Roy and Della moved to Schenectady, New York and raised, I believe, three sons.

I believe Roy died in 1942 and is buried in the Viewland Cemetery at Rotterdam, New York, but I'd like confirmation of that.  If you have corrections and/or information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of your fellow researchers.

Graduation Photograph of Herbert Oscar Farrington of Portland, Maine; Class of 1902 at the University of Maine


Graduation photograph of a young man identified on the reverse as Herbert O. Farrington of Portland, Maine, who graduated with the Class of 1902 at the University of Maine at Orono, Maine, with a degree in electrical engineering.  The photograph was taken at the Heath studio of Bangor, Maine.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Herbert Oscar Farrington was born March 14, 1880 at Portland, Maine, the son of Zenas Rogers Farrington and Ella Frances (Rowe) Farrington.  Both of Herbert's parents had died by the time this photograph was taken. 

Before receiving his degree, Herbert married Mary Edith Hutchins on January 2, 1901 at Portland, Maine.  Mary Edith, who was born June 6, 1883 at Canton, Maine, was the daughter of Charles Ilsley Goodwin Hutchins and Lizzie Plummer (Swett) Hutchins.

Herbert and Mary Edith moved to Kittery, Maine, where Herbert worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  They had, I believe, seven children.  Herbert died in 1956 and Mary Edith in 1979.  Herbert is buried at the Orchard Grove Cemetery at Kittery, Maine.

If you have corrections and/or information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of your fellow researchers.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Antiquarian Book in Spanish from Library of the Brig Machias "For Use of Spanish Passengers"


El Viador, Bajo del Simil de un Sueño, by Jose Bunyan, an undated but apparently mid 19th century translation of "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan.  Stated on the inside front cover: "For Use of Spanish Passengers.  Ship's library, Brig Machias".


The book measures approximately 6" by 4-1/4" an contains 240 pages, plus several engravings throughout.  El Viador, Bajo del Simil de un Sueño was published in the early or mid 1800s by the Sociedad Americana de Tratados at New York, New York.



According to a reference online, The Brig Machias, was built at Machias, Maine, in 1858.  She was 242 ton burthen and was rated as an A2.  She plied the sugar trade route between the Caribbean and the Atlantic states.   She was owned by N. Longfellow of Machias, Maine, presumably shipbuilder Nathan Longfellow (1789-1870), at least in 1862 when she was captured by the Confederates on a voyage from Trinidad; more on that below.

Her captain was John Shoppy, presumably a descendant of Anton or Anthony Schoppe.   Schoppe, according to his Find-a-Grave listing, was a Hessian soldier in the American Revolution, who, after being taken prisoner at the Battle of Bennington, was given the chance to enlist in the Colonial Army.  He served until 1782 and later settled at Roque Bluffs near Machias, Maine, and raised 12 children.

Interestingly, while researching John H. Shoppy, I also found the name of James Shoppy, captain of the Ship Siddons and perhaps of the Roscius.  He may have been the James Shoppy who died in San Francisco of consumption on August 22, 1869.

See the transcription of an 1859 manifest that John H. Shoppy signed, indicating that the Brig Machias was carrying 5 citizens of Cuba, two of whom intended to make the United States their home.  Perhaps one or more of these passengers touched this little book.

In 1861, the brig Machias was one of the first to be captured by the C.S.S. Sumter, the former merchant steamship Marquis de la Habana, which the Confederate government purchased in April 1861 and converted into a bark-rigged screw steam cruiser.  Fortunately for the Machias and another brig, the Cuba, both captured on July 4, 1861, their loads were "neutral" sugar, so they weren't burned, as a previous Maine vessel, the Golden Rocket had been.  The Machias and the Cuba were taken to the Cuban port of Cienfuegos.  Read about efforts to release the ships in official records here.

I wonder if John H. Shoppy is the John Hamilton Schoppe who died at Washington, D.C. in 1864.  That John was born at Machias, Maine, on July 6, 1829, son of Daniel and Sarah (Thompson) Schoppe, and married Emily F. Holway, with whom he had at least three children, daughters Abbie Holway Schoppe; Elizabeth May Schoppe; and Kate Laura Schoppe.

If you have corrections and/or clarifications to the information above, please leave a comment or contact me directly.




Sunday, June 5, 2016

Early 19th Century Geography Textbook Used at Amenia, New York; Students Horatio Nelson Powers, Caroline Powers & George Bassett


Shown above is the front cover of a geography textbook, presumably authored by Jedidiah Morse and perhaps used at Amenia Seminary, which was established in 1835, or at an earlier school at Amenia.  Amenia is written several times on the inside covers and end papers.

The title page and a few of the pages at the beginning are missing, but someone wrote Morse's Geography on the first end paper, as you can see in the image below.

The book, approximately 7" by 4-1/4" by 1", was apparently printed before 1820 as the text about Maine, which gained its statehood in 1820, describes it as "a part of the state of Massachusetts".

Students who inscribed their names on the inside covers and end papers:
  • Caroline Powers
  • Horatio Nelson Powers - who became a clergyman and poet
  • George Bassett 
  • The name "Martin" appears on the last page of text
Inside front cover and first end paper:


Inside back cover and last end paper:


One student appears to have been gratified, or relieved, when the school year ended:


The book contains a map of the North Atlantic, which survives in tatters.  There may have been more maps when published.


From brief online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions requested]

Horatio Nelson Powers was born April 30, 1826 at Amenia, New York, the son of Charles Wesley Powers and Jane (Benjamin) Powers, according to a family researcher who has seen a copy of the Powers family monograph.

Horatio attended Amenia Seminary and graduated from Union College in 1850.  He then attended the Theological Seminary in New York.  He became a clergyman and served in several states throughout his career.  He was president of Griswold College at Davenport, Iowa for several years.  He finished his career at churches in Chicago, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Pierpont, New York.

While ministering at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Rev. Powers married Clemence Emma Gouraud, daughter of photography and mnenomics authority Francis Fauvel Gouraud.

I'm not sure if Caroline Powers was a sister or other relative of Horatio Nelson Powers.  According to the researcher noted above, he had a paternal aunt Caroline, and it's possible that the book was hers, used at a school at Amenia in the years before the Seminary was founded.  For all of the information about Horatio Nelson Powers online, there's precious little about his early years.

I found several possibilities for a George Bassett, who may have lived at Amenia, New York, or attended school there.  An 1865 Census of Amenia, New York, shows a George Basset, born about 1821, with wife Susan and children Frank E. Bassett; Louisa Bassett and Herman J. Bassett.  A George Washington Bassett (1823-1902) lived in the area.

An interesting prospect was provided by the Powers family researcher who suggested Horatio Nelson Powers' cousin George Bassett (1808-1874), son of William Bassett and Cemantha (Powers) Bassett, a sister to Horatio's father Charles Wesley Powers.  George married Harriet Emeline Humeston.  They eventually moved to Batavia, Illinois.


If you have information on Caroline Powers; Horatio Nelson Powers or George Bassett, please leave a comment or contact me directly.