Jul 01

Independence Day 2011

The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is this coming Monday. On the Fourth we commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring America’s independence from Great Britain. I thought this would be a good time to talk about the ancestors from our family who fought for American independence over 230 years ago.

I have two ancestors (that I know of) that fought in the Revolutionary War and I have proved them both in the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Joe also has several ancestors that served in the Revolution. Although he is not a member of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), at least two of his ancestors have been proved in the NSDAR. The following are our known Revolutionary War ancestors.

Private Christian Whiteman fought in the Berks County, Pennsylvania, Militia with Captain Filbert’s Company, 6th Battalion; Captain John Shaefer’s 6th Company, 6th Battalion; and Captain Michael Furrer’s Company. Christian was born 16 March 1762, probably in Pennsylvania. Christian married Hannah Huey, his second wife, about 1798. According to tax and census records they were living in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania 1798-1800. Christian and his family moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, about 1805. Christian died 23 December 1827 in Pickaway County, Ohio, and is buried in Reber Hill Cemetery there. I descend from Christian and Hannah’s daughter, Mary, who married Isaac Huey.

Commander James Phillips was the naval commander of the Sloop General Lee. According to the Journal and Correspondence of the Maryland Council of Safety, 7 July-31 Dec 1776, Vol. 12:534, Maryland State Archives, “Commission issued to James Phillips, appointed Commander of the Sloop General Lee, mounting 10 Carriage Guns and 8 Swivels, he having complied with the Resolution of Congress.” James was born 6 March 1768, in Baltimore, Maryland, and died 1811 in Baltimore. He married Catharine Frizzell in 1791 in Baltimore and they had at least one child, Ruth. Ruth married Nicholas Headington and I descend from their son William.

Private Jonathan Grant enlisted February 1776 in Pittsburgh in Captain William Croghan’s Company of the 8th Virginia Rifle Regiment, commanded by Col. Abraham Bowman. He was discharged at Valley Forge during the winter of 1778 but later served another three months as a volunteer at the request of General Washington. During his war service he fought in the following battles: White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine and Germantown, where he was wounded in the leg. (source: NARA M881, Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 and Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, NARA Record Group 15. Both online at Footnote.com) About 1807 Jonathan was a surveyor in eastern Ohio, where he resided until his death. According to DAR and pension records Jonathan was born 16 July 1755 and died 27 July 1833 in Prairie Township, Holmes County, Ohio. Jonathan is buried in McCullough Cemetery in Holmes County, currently located on an Amish farm. We visited the cemetery in 2005 and saw his tombstone. Jonathan married Sarah Kelley, his second wife, about 1791. Joe descends from their son, Alexander Grant.

Private Hugh Montgomery enlisted for three years in February 1777 in Captain James Sullivan’s Company of the 9th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Colonel Russell. He fought in the following battles: Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, and Valley Forge, under the command of Generals Broadhead and McIntosh.  Hugh was wounded during the Revolutionary War. He later enlisted in the War of 1812 from Butler County, Ohio. (source: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, NARA Record Group 15.) According to DAR applications Hugh was born 25 Feb 1754 in Ireland and died 20 May 1830 Greensburg, Decatur County, Indiana. He married Eve Hartman in 1784. Joe descends from their daughter, Mary, who married Alexander Grant, a son of Jonathan Grant.

Samuel Bennett was born about 1747 and died in 1812 in Butler County, Ohio. Although it appears that Samuel has not been proved in the NSDAR, he likely fought in the Revolution. In 1934, at the age of 89, Eliza Flanagon wrote in her journal that Samuel Bennett was born in New Jersey and that he served throughout the Revolutionary War. Eliza was the granddaughter of Nicholas and Lydia (Bennett) DeMoret and the great-granddaughter of Samuel Bennett. Samuel Bennett married Silence Platt about 1768 and Joe descends from their son, John.

Joe and I may have other Revolutionary War Patriots in our family trees. In my family the father of Nicholas Headington of Maryland, as well as one of the Hueys from Pennsylvania may have served. It is probable that one of Joe’s Monroe ancestors also fought in the Revolution. As usual, I will keep searching.

If you have a Revolutionary War ancestor in your family you might consider joining the NSDAR or SAR. To be eligible for membership in the NSDAR you must be a woman at least 18 years of age who can prove your direct descent from a person who aided in achieving American independence during the period between 19 April 1775 and 26 November 1783. Membership in the SAR is open to any male who is at least 18 years of age and can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who actively supported the American Revolution. My relatives on my dad’s side of the family could join either organization fairly easily by linking to my NSDAR applications. Contact me for details if you are interested.

If you are not sure if your ancestor served in the American Revolution you can search the NSDAR’s Patriot Index Lookup Service. And, through July 4, you can search SAR applications dating from 1889-1970 free on Ancestry.com . You will be prompted to set up a free account after you hit the Search button. The collection includes 145,000 applications.

I wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July weekend!

Jun 28

Tombstone Tuesday–Wilhelm A. Scaer

Wilhelm A. Scaer (23 Jul 1897-26 Nov 1906) Schumm Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio

This is the tombstone of Wilhelm A. Scaer. It is located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The inscription on the stone is Wilhelm A. Scaer, Geb. den 23 Juli 1897, Gest. den 26 Nov 1906. Geb. [geboren] is German for born and Gest. [gestorben] is German for died. Den is German for “on the”. “Gone Home” is inscribed on the very top of the stone.

Wilhelm “Willie” Scaer was born near Monroeville in Allen County, Indiana, the son of John and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Schinnerer) Scaer. His grandparents were Johann and Katherine (Emrick) Scaer and Friedrich and Elizabeth (Schumm) Schinnerer. Willie was a younger brother of my grandmother, Hilda (Scaer) Schumm.

The John Scaer family was still living in Allen County in 1900 but moved east of Willshire, Van Wert County, Ohio, sometime before 1906. The family was enumerated as “Scar” in the 1900 census. (source: 1900 US census, Monroe, Allen, Indiana; Roll T623_358:2A)

Obituary: YOUNG BOY DIES– Willie Scare [sic], a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Scare, who live two miles east of Willshire, died between 11 and 12 o’clock Monday night. The disease that caused the demise of the young boy was strangulation of the bowels and began to develop two weeks ago. The funeral will be held this afternoon, the services being conducted by Rev. C.W. Geise in the German Lutheran church at Schumm. Willie Scare was nine years old last July, and is survived by the parents, three sisters and a baby brother. (source: The Willshire Herald, 29 November 1906, page 1)

Willie’s sisters were Hilda (1895-1997; m. Cornelius Schumm), Edna (1899-1985; m. Emanuel Schumm), Elsie (1904-1998; m. Paul Roehm). His younger brother was Oscar Scaer (1906-1992; never married).

Willie and Hilda Scaer (photo c1899)

The Scaer family has spelled their surname several ways over the years. It has been spelled Skahr, Scarr, Scar, Skaer, Scaer, and Scare, to name the more common variations. The name was spelled “Skahr” in the records of Zion Evangelical Church of Winesburg, Ohio, before 1848. After 1848 the name was spelled “Scar” or “Scarr”. Willie’s grandfather Johann spelled his name “Scaer” but his son Peter later changed the spelling of his name to “Scare”. Johann’s other son John (Willie’s father and my great-grandfather) kept the spelling as “Scaer”. Peter “Scare” married Hannah Schinnerer and his brother John “Scaer” married Elizabeth Schinnerer. The brothers married sisters, who were daughters of Friedrich & Elizabeth (Schumm) Schinnerer.

Jun 24

We Are For The Birds

Baltimore Oriole

Joe and I enjoy watching and feeding the birds here. We could not keep from turning into avid bird watchers after we moved into our home in the woods years ago. Colorful birds would fly past our windows and our curiosity got the best of us. We had to find out what those birds were.

We have always relied on our faithful bird guide, Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds, to identify our feathered friends. I know some very nice bird identification software is available today, but we still like to use the Peterson paperback. It has served us well, is very portable and is much less expensive than the software.

Not to brag, but Joe and I have become fairly adept at recognizing birds by just hearing their song. About 95% of the time, when we hear a bird sing, we can identify the bird without ever seeing it. This comes in very handy when there are many leaves on the trees.

We have seen over 130 different birds and water fowl on our lot over the years. And even after all these years that list keeps growing. It seems that every year we see a “new” bird or see some of our regulars doing some unusual things. It is something we have come to look forward to and is one of the great things about living where we live. This year has been no exception.

Our newest bird discovery, new to our life list of birds, is the Dickcissel. We were taking a walk last week and heard a bird song that we had never heard before. The song was coming from droves of birds that were flying around in a wheat field down the road. This wheat field, which has evidently become their nesting ground, also has a few other plants growing in it. There are also some pink weeds, some yellow weeds, and what appears to be a few assorted crops. We were able to get a good look at the birds with the binoculars and Joe finally identified them with our trusty field guide. According to Peterson, the Dickcissel looks like a small Meadowlark, about the size of a House Sparrow. It is a grassland bird with a fondness for alfalfa fields. Apparently there is also some alfalfa in that wheat field. It was difficult to get a good photograph of this bird and I posted the best photo that I took. Wikipedia has a very good photo of the Dickcissel.

Dickcissel (2011)

This year the Baltimore Orioles are finally using our Oriole feeders. Joe puts those feeders out every year but the Orioles have ignored them until this year. Early this spring Joe saw a male Oriole trying to use the hummingbird feeder. Joe quickly put out two Oriole feeders and two pairs of Orioles have been using the feeders ever since. The Orioles also like to eat oranges, as does a fox squirrel.

Baltimore Oriole using Hummingbird feeder (2011)

Baltimore Oriole on Oriole feeder (2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We always see at least one or two Scarlet Tanagers in the spring and one stopped by one of our bird baths a few weeks ago. I have never been able to get a photograph of them, so you will just have to take my word that we have seen them here. They seem to be attracted by water and like the little waterfall on our goldfish pond.

A Wood Thrush also likes our waterfall. They seem to be a rather elusive bird but the sound of water must have been too much of a temptation for this one. After several hesitant attempts he successfully learned to shower under the waterfall. They have a delightful song that I love to hear coming from the woods. We call them the “ee-o-lay” bird since that is what their song sounds like. Their song has been described as one of the most beautiful songs of the birds in North America, and I agree.

Wood Thrush about to take a bath (2011)

Wood Thrush bathing (2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the other noteworthy birds we have seen here over the years include Bobolinks, a Great Horned Owl trotting (more like waddling) across the front yard, a Great Horned Owl drinking from our pond, a Great Blue Heron standing in the goldfish pond (eating the goldfish and Koi!), two Scarlet Tanagers on a bird bath at the same time, a wild turkey walking about on Memorial Day (the wrong holiday for him), a Ring-necked Pheasant strolling through the front yard, a Bobwhite Quail that I called in and that landed about 10 feet from us (much to Joe’s surprise), Blue Grosbeaks, a Rufus-sided Towhee, and a Virginia Rail. Then there was the little Screech Owl that would fly into our patio door at night, hoping to snag one of our parakeet for his evening meal. We eventually had to cover the parakeet cage with a towel so the owl wouldn’t knock himself out on the glass.

Great Horned Owl (2010)

I enjoy photographing the birds and wildlife, although it can be very challenging. #1, I do not have the best camera for the task. #2, these little critters move around quickly and don’t stop to pose for me. #3, wildlife photography can be very time consuming and requires a lot of patience, neither of which I seem to have enough of these days. But, I have taken a few fairly decent photos of our birds. Maybe some day I will have the camera of my dreams. Until then, I will enjoy the photos I have taken so far.

Sharing the bird bath. (2010)

Squirrels like oranges, too! (2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love our Bluebirds, too! (2010)

Bluebird (2010)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year, as a Christmas present for Joe, I had our yard registered as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. As required for certification, I indicated that our property provides the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. We have a nice metal sign that shows our certification.

Jun 21

Tombstone Tuesday–Mary Bryan

Mary, wife of Peter Bryan, Died 10 Nov 1864, Aged 64y, 10m, Pingry Cemetery, Jay County, Indiana (2001 photo)

This is the tombstone of Mary (Huey) Bryan, located in Pingry Cemetery, Bear Creek Township, Jay County, Indiana. The tombstone is very weathered, but the inscription appears to be: “Mary, Wife of Peter Bryan, died 10 Nov 1864, aged 65y, 10m.” Her tombstone is broken and the rest of the inscription is gone. Mary and Peter were my fourth great-grandparents. Mary’s tombstone is between the marker of her husband Peter and that of her grandson William Riley Bryan, son of John and Hannah (Huey) Bryan. I have written about the Huey and Bryan families in Ohio and Jay County, Indiana, in my last several blogs.

Mary’s date of birth was January 1799, as calculated from her tombstone. She indicated in the both the 1850 and 1860 censuses that she was born in Pennsylvania. She was probably born in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, since her family was living there at the time of her birth. Peter Bryan and Mary Huey were also likely married in Georges Township in about 1821. I know of six of Peter and Mary’s eight children: John (my direct ancestor), Joseph, Hallet, Elisabeth, Byantha, and Peter L.

Mary’s father was Jonas Huey, but the name of her mother is not known. Mary had as many as 19 siblings and half-siblings. They include Warren, Isaac, Jacob, Elizabeth, Rachel, John, Joseph, Jonathan, Hannah, James, Jonas Jr, Sarah, Eleanor, Delilah, Nannie, and Peter. A few of them also moved to and resided in Jay County. Some day I will blog about the Jonas Huey estate records that give their names and other information.

Jun 17

The Peter Bryan Family–Pennsylvania>Ohio>Indiana

Estate of Peter Bryan, deceased. Box 8, 1854, Jay County, Indiana, Historical & Genealogical Society.

The saga of Peter Bryan and his family continues. Peter was featured in my last Tombstone Tuesday blog and was my 4th great-grandfather.

Peter Bryan (1796-1854) and his wife Mary (Huey) Bryan (1799-1864) indicated that they were both born in Pennsylvania when they were enumerated in the 1850 census. (source: 1850 US Census, Monroe, Allen, Ohio; Roll M432_657:369B) The name of Peter’s father is not known and an Internet search shows that there were over 20 Bryan families living in Pennsylvania in 1800. Mary’s father was Jonas Huey, but the name of her mother is not known. The Jonas Huey family lived in Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Jonas (1769-1848) is buried in Tent Church Cemetery there. You can see a photo of his tombstone on Find A Grave.

Peter and Mary were married in Pennsylvania, probably in Fayette County, about 1821-22. Sarah Huey, sister of Mary, stated in Fayette County Orphans Court Records that Mary married before she left Pennsylvania. Peter and Mary moved soon after their marriage and were living in Ohio by 1824. Their son John was born in Coshocton County 15 August 1824. (source: Biographical and Historical Record of Jay and Blackford Counties, Indiana, Lewis, 1887:899) Their other children were also born in Ohio: Byantha (c1829-aft 1900), Joseph (c1831-?), Hallet (1836-1863), Elisabeth (1837-1905), and Peter L. (1840-1915).

In 1830 the Peter Bryan family was living in Madison Township, Licking County, Ohio. They had 4 children by this time: a boy under 5 years, 2 boys 5-10 years, a girl under 5 years, a male and female 30-40 years, and a male 20-30.  (source: 1830 US Census, Madison, Licking, Ohio, Roll 134:415) The 1887 Jay and Blackford history indicates that John Bryan was the second child in the family of 8 children. John Bryan’s older brother was probably born about 1822 since couples often had a child about every 18-24 months. In this enumeration Joseph may have been the male under 5, John and his older brother were probably the boys 5-10 years old, Byantha the girl under 5, and Peter and Mary between 30-40 years. It is nearly impossible to know who the male between 20 and 30 years was. He may have been a brother of Peter or Mary or another relative.

According to the 1887 Jay and Blackford history the Peter Bryan family moved on to Fairfield County, Ohio, and then to Allen County, Ohio.

I continued to track the Peter Bryan family in the census. By 1840 they had moved to Monroe Township, Putnam County, Ohio, which is just north of Allen County, Ohio.  In 1840 there were 10 in the Bryan household. Six of them were probably their children: a male 5-9 years, a male 10-14 years, 2 males 15-19 years, a female under 5 years, and a female 10-14 years. Also in the household: a male and female 40-49 years, I assume Peter and Mary, and 2 males 20-29 years, identities unknown. One person was employed in agriculture, probably Peter. (source: 1840 US Census, Monroe, Putnam, Ohio; Roll 422:339)

In 1850 Peter and Mary Bryan were living in Monroe Township, Allen County, Ohio. In this census the family name is written as “Byan”. I wonder if this was the same place they were living in 1840, in Putnam County. Monroe Township is on the border of Putnam and Allen Counties and the county boundary lines may have changed. This will require more research into land deeds and county boundary histories. (source: 1850 US Census, Monroe, Allen, Ohio; Roll M432_657:369B) The Bryan family in 1850: Peter Bryan, age 50, born in Pennsylvania, farmer; Mary, 49, born in Pennsylvania; Joseph, 19, born in Ohio; Hallett, 14, born in Ohio; Elisabeth, 12, born in Ohio; Peter, 10, born in Ohio.

The nice thing about the 1850 census is that it gives the names and ages of the other household members. Previous censuses (1790-1840) only show the name of the head of the household. Others living in the household are listed with hash marks under age group categories. In the census years between 1850-1870 we often assume that the others in the household are family members, such as the spouse and the children of the head of the house. However, census enumerations between 1850-1870 do not specifically state these relationships. During those years we often assume that the younger members in the household are probably children of the head of the house, but this would not be considered proof of a relationship for a lineage application. More proof would be needed to prove relationships during those census years. It was not until 1880 that relationships among family members were stated in the census reports.

Luckily, several years ago I found and copied Peter Bryan’s estate papers at the Jay County Genealogical Society, now the Jay County Historical Society. There were only 3 pages in the file and one page was faded and nearly illegible. The most important paper, the one that names Peter’s heirs, was very readable: Estate of Peter Bryan Dec’d. Heirs: Mary Bryan [wife]; 6 children: John Bryan; Joseph Bryan; Byantha Curtice, wife of Leonard Curtice; Hallett Bryan; Elizabeth Bryan; Peter Bryan. (source: Probate estate files, Jay County Historical & Genealogical Society, Portland, Indiana, Box 8, 1854.)

Those few lines told me a lot. 1. This document named Peter Bryan’s living children. This will be my source to prove that Peter and Mary’s son Hallet, who died in the Civil War, was John’s brother. John is my direct ancestor and Hallet is considered a collateral ancestor. I plan to submit his name for inclusion in the OGS Society of Civil War Families of Ohio lineage society.  2. I assume that only 6 of their 8 children were living when Peter died in 1854. 3. No grandchildren were named as heirs. Their other 2 children probably died before they married. 4. Elizabeth was not yet married in 1854. 5. I learned that Byantha was married to Leonard Curtice [Curtis] and that gave me enough information to research her family. 6. During the Curtis research I discovered that in 1900 Byantha’s niece, Ann Huey, was living with her. Ah-ha! Byantha’s only sister Elizabeth must have married a Huey. Sure enough, I found Elizabeth Bryan’s 1859 marriage record to Andrew J. Huey and was able to trace their family through census enumerations and vital records.

It appears that most of the Bryan family moved to Jay County about 1850. Peter’s son John Bryan married Mary Huey in Jay County in 1848. By 1850 John’s older brother, name unknown, had either moved out of their parents’ home or had died. Peter Sr, Mary, Joseph, Elisabeth and Hallet Bryan also moved to Jay County shortly after 1850. Peter Sr purchased 80 acres of land, the east ½ of the SW ¼ of Sec 27, Town 24, Range 14 for $400 from Chris Huey in September 1850.  Peter Sr died in 1854 and is buried at Pingry Cemetery. Byantha married Leonard Curtis in Putnam County, Ohio, in 1847 and they remained in Ohio.

Looking at the 1860 Census, Bear Creek Township, Jay County, we can see Peter and Mary Bryan’s descendants. Family #517 is son John Bryan and his family: John, 35, born Oh; Hannah, 31, born Oh; Mary, 11; Peter, 9; Hallet, 7; Riley, 6; Emely, 4; Jackson, 2. All of their children were born in Indiana. Family #536 is son Joseph Bryan and his family: Joseph, 29, born Oh; Rachael, 22, born Ind; Leonard, 3, born Ind; and Henry, 1, born Ind. Family #537: son Hallet Bryan, 25, born Oh, farmer; and Mary, 62, born Penn (their mother); and son Peter, 21, born Oh, laborer. Family # 534 is daughter Elisabeth, 23, born Oh; her husband AJ Huey, 27, born Oh; Jasper, 6/12, born Ind. (source: 1860 US Census, Bear Creek, Jay County, Indiana; Roll M653_269:215-6)

Daughter Byantha Curtis was living in Paulding County, Ohio, with her family in 1860: Leonard, 30, born Oh; “Brantha”, 21, born Oh; Martha, 8, born Oh. (source: 1860 US Census, Monterey, Putnam, Ohio, Roll M653_1027:473) It appears Byantha’s age was about 10 years off in this enumeration. Ages can and do vary in the census enumerations.

Keep watching here for more Bryan and Huey information.