Monday, March 17, 2014

Our Saint Patrick Connection (Teare Side, Cross Side)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, family! I have not been able to write in quite some time, and may not pick it up for awhile. However this project is still alive and I hope to be back to writing sooner rather than later!

For a quick break in my hiatus, here is our Manx connection to Saint Patrick, in honor of his saints day: 

Saint Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to the Isle of Man in the 5th century. According to legend, he was returning to Ireland from Liverpool and stopped over in what is now Peel. He was so disgusted by the use of pagan magic on the Isle that he apparently remained for three years, converting many and establishing the Celtic Church at Peel (the ruins of this church are still visible at Peel Castle, which is situated on what is called Saint Patrick's Island). By the time he left, Christianity had taken over as the dominant religion on the Isle, which Saint Patrick had fully toured during his stay. 

Today there are two Parish churches that bear Saint Patrick's name: one at Patrick, and the other at Jurby, where our Teare relatives are buried. 

So wear your green with pride today- and not just for Michigan State's victory! 

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Stewarts of Scotland (Teare Side)

John Teare's paternal grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Stewart. It is her line that I will be discussing today.

Our Stewart line hails from Scotland, where our immigrant ancestor John Stewart was born in 1719. He arrived in Pennsylvania as a child, probably in the 1720s, where he continued to live, marry, and raise a family in York.

In 1751 John married a born and bred Pennsylvanian, Elizabeth Schneider. Land records show that John owned 50 acres of land in York County. John and Elizabeth had 8 children. Our line continues through his third son, Matthias (or Matthew) Stewart.

While John and Elizabeth lived out their lives in Pennsylvania, Matthias and his two older brothers, John and Jacob, felt drawn just west of the border. The three brothers and their families settled in Columbiana County, Ohio in the late 1700s. Matthias and his wife Eva had a son, Samuel. Samuel and his wife Elisabeth had a son, John Wesley Stewart. And finally, John and his wife Susannah had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth- John Teare's paternal grandmother. All of this happened in Columbiana County, Ohio.

Now John and Susannah also felt drawn further west, and probably moved several times before finally settling in Allen County, Indiana. This explains how their daughter, an Ohio girl, wound up with a Michigan Man (Robert Teare)! John and Susannah have an impressive resting spot in the Eel River Cemetery in Indiana (pictured below).
John W. Stewart
John Wesley and Susan Stewart. 
I have no further information about the Stewart family in Scotland, but here is a standard Stewart family crest. There are many varieties based on the various Stewart lines, but all contain the blue and white checkered pattern seen below:

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Teare-->Stewart

WHERE TO GO:
The Eel River Cemetery in Allen County, Indiana (click for more info)
The York County PA Historical Society and Museum: http://www.yorkheritage.org/



Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The South Dover Cemetery (Cross Side)

I'm attempting to work my way backwards along the Cross line. I haven't made it back to an immigrant ancestor yet, unfortunately. In the meantime, here's some information on the Cross and Vedder (Alice Cross's great great grandparents) families who first came to Michigan.

Samuel S Cross and his bride Sarah Liebolt Cross hailed from New Jersey, moved to New York, and eventually settled in Lenawee County, MI. Both are buried, along with several of their children, at the South Dover Cemetery near Clayton, MI.

Their second son, David, married Cordelia Vedder, whose parents (Harmon and Annie Bordine Vedder) are also buried at the South Dover Cemetery.

Here are some pictures from the Cemetery:
Samuel Cross
The Cross Family Stone with individual markers.
Harmon and Annie Vedder
Samuel Cross
Samuel S. Cross Marker.
South Dover Cemetery Entrance
Entrance to the South Dover Cemetery

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Vedder, Cross

WHERE TO GO: The South Dover Cemetery, Clayton MI

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Every Man (Has) An Island. (Teare Side)

Okay, so maybe not every man has an island. But if you are a relation to John Teare, then you do!

I've been researching our ancestors who were early settlers of the Massachusetts colony. You may remember my recent post about the Aldrich family. Jacob Aldrich II is John Teare's 7th great grandfather. But it is his wife who we are focused on in this post.

Jacob was married to Margery Hayward, daughter of Samuel Heyward and Mehitable Thompson. At one point family legend had it that Mehitable Thompson was our key to being direct descendants of the pilgrims. While this proved to be false, I think I like the real story even better. The Thompson line predates the arrival of the pilgrims in Massachusetts!

You see, Mehitable's grandfather, David, was a pretty important guy. David Thompson (John Teare's 10th great grandfather) was an apothecary and an agent for Sir Ferdinando Gorges, and had received considerable education in London. In 1622 he agreed to sail from Plymouth, England with two other men to find a suitable location for a new settlement. On November 16, 1622, the Council for New England granted David Thompson six thousand acres of land and one island in New England- what is today known as Thompson's Island.
Thompson Island, Boston Harbor

Thompson's Island is located in the Boston Harbor, and is open to visitors on Summer Sundays.

David and his wife Amyes had a son, John. John and his wife had a daughter, Mehitable. And Mehitable is the start of our connection to the Thompson line!

So let's take a look at the...

Family Line @ A Glance: Teare-->Gregory-->Easton-->Aldrich-->Heyward-->Thompson

WHERE TO GO:  Thompson's Island
For more information, see: http://www.bostonharborislands.org/

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Burton Line (Noble Side)

One of my favorite parts of genealogy research is tracing back our long-established American family lines until I finally reach the immigrant ancestor. I love that I have early colonial ancestors on both my maternal and paternal sides (in the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia colonies). These families helped shape our country. They braved rough seas and were greeted by harsh winters. They held strong religious convictions. They fought for what they believed in. They lived, loved, married, and raised their families through the constantly changing backdrop of the American colonies, and later the first states. Most of all, they survived- and for that we of course are all grateful!

As much as I love seeing our ancestors become established in early American through my research, there is something so satisfying about finally finding that immigrant ancestor- the one who started it all! Perhaps out of a need for adventure, perhaps out of economic hardship, or even because of religious conviction. Whatever the reason, they decided to move to the New World and forever changed the course of their family line.

On my maternal grandfather's side, Richard Burton was that man.

Born in 1580 in the Newcastle neighborhood of London (no longer in existence), Richard was one of the earliest settlers of the Virginia colony. The colony had existed since 1607, but in 1634 the British divided Virginia into 8 divisions. One of these divisions was Henrico, where Richard decided to settle. The division was named for Henricus, a Virginia city settled in 1611 that was abandoned in 1622 due to Powhatan aggression. The original lines of Henrico County or Division extended along the James River, encompassing much of Richmond, and as far west as Charlottesville.

A reenactment takes place at Henricus Historical Park. 

The original county seat of Henrico was at Varina farms, the alleged home of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. It was the rector of Henrico Parish, Rev. James Blair, who first drew up plans for a college, later prompting the British government to grant a charter for the second college in the colonies, William & Mary. Obviously, a lot of history took place here. And from Richard Burton, seven generations of Burton families remained in Henrico County.

Around 1820, Andrew Burton decided to move to Kentucky. He wed Susannah Shockey in 1823, at the age of 25. They had a house full of children and settled in Morgan, where census records state that Andrew was a farmer. At this time in Kentucky, the population was still 57% English, though the number of Scots, Irish, German, French, and Welsh immigrants was on the rise. Andrew's wife was proof of this; the origin of the surname 'Shockey' is German.

Andrew was special not only because he was the first Burton to leave Virginia, but because the move apparently did him good. Andrew lived to be 100 years old according to census records. Andrew is John Noble's third great grandfather. Richard Burton, our British immigrant ancestor, is John Noble's 11th great grandfather.

WHERE TO GO:
Henrico County: It still exists today, but it is not as large as the original division was. The country seat is the state capital, Richmond. Visit the Henrico Tourism History site.

Henricus Historical Park: http://www.henricus.org/

Morgan County, KY: Unfortunately hit hard by a tornado in 2012, the once charming town of West Liberty (the county seat) is now in a serious rebuilding period.



Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Cottier Surname (Cross Side)

This is my second post on the origin of Manx surnames within our family. Today I'll be looking at the Cottier name (the maiden name of Alice Noble's grandmother).

The Cottier name (Americanized to Cotcher) is of Old Norse descent (proof that there is Viking blood within me!). In A. W. Moore's The Surnames and Place Names of the Isle of Man, he states that "Cottier" is to be pronounced "Cotchier", making the spelling change in the US less surprising. It is said to be a contraction of "MacOttarr"- Ottarr's son. Ottar is old Norse for "Twilight Sword", according to Moore.  

There is documentation of that name, or the Anglo-Saxon "Ohthere" as far back as the 11th century. In the 1098 Chronicon Manniae, it is said that a battle between two groups of Manxmen left the Earl Other, leader of the Northern Manxmen, slain. 

Even names of Old Norse origin were given the prefix "Mac", and this was the case with the variant forms MacOttir, MacOttar, MacOttarr, and later MacCottier. The form "Cotter" was most common through the 17th century, when "Cottier" overtook it. According to Manx legend, two French Huguenot families by the name of Cottier settled on the Isle of Man in the late 16th century in Lezayre. In this case, "Cottier" would have most likely been an Anglicized form of the French surname, "Gauthier".

If this story is true, this may have influenced the "Cotter" name's evolution on the Isle, however it is worth noting that "MacCottier" was recorded before then. 

Our Cottier family was from Marown Parish. I searched the Manorial Roll from 1511 and found record of John McOtter and his son William. They were living in "Trolby"- literally "Farm of Trolls". It comes from the Scandanavian "Trolla-byr". According to the Manx notebook: There is a little stream here running down through the glen which one might well imagine as being the supposed abode of 'trolls,' or goblins.

This may or may not be a family connection, but it is still cool to see that there is a long history of Cottiers in Marown Parish. The location described above is located in what is now Crosby. See below for a link to Google Maps.  

Cottiers were coming to the US in the first part of the 19th century, settling almost exclusively in New York and Ohio. By the 1920s Cottier families could be found in over 30 states, though Ohio retained the largest single population. Obviously, some made it to the superior state to the North, and from that our family line can be traced! 

WHERE TO GO: Marown Parish, Isle of Man and Trollaby Lane. Click here for a Google Map.

Click here for Trollaby Farm. 

Family Line @ A Glance: Cross-->Cotcher-->Cottier 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Castle Garden

In my recent post on the Nicklas and Schmidt families, I mentioned the former, pre-Ellis Island immigration center in New York City, Castle Garden. Castle Garden, or what remains of it, is located at Battery Park, the southern tip of Manhattan. As it turns out, a last minute trip to New York this week allowed me to stop by for a visit!

Lady Liberty as seen from Battery Park.
Joe and I both have ancestors who entered the US by way of the Castle Garden Immigration Center. I'm actually surprised that Castle Garden isn't as popular or well known as Ellis Island. I had far more ancestors enter New York in the 19th century than I did in the 20th, which makes Castle Garden a more significant site for my family.
Present Day
Castle Garden Immigration Center
Now known as Castle Clinton, the building has undergone several renovations and has had many functions (originally a fort, and it once served as an aquarium!) over the years. Now it is basically the facade that remains, but it serves as the host to open air concerts in the summer. There is a small museum and a Park Rangers Office also located within the remains of the building. Unfortunately, I arrived too late in the day to visit the museum or hear the guided history tour. I did however enjoy walking around, seeing that first glance of New York as my ancestors would've, and taking in the great views at Battery Park (both of the skyline and the harbor with Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty).

The exterior of Castle Clinton.
The ticket office for Ellis island is located inside of Castle Clinton, which means most families probably race through it, pick up their tickets, and head to the docks without realizing where they are standing! It surely is not as impressive a sight as Ellis Island, and it doesn't take long to go through all the historical offerings, but Castle Clinton is a worthwhile tourist spot. My only recommendation? Go in the summer, when it'll be warm and you'll have a better chance of catching the concert series. Also, there is a seasonal restaurant there in Battery Park that offers great views of the Harbor. 

The first view of New York City, as seen through the doors of Castle Garden.
All in all, a great way to start my trip! I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Friday, January 10, 2014

"We're all in the same boat": The Schmidt & Nicklas Families' US Arrival (Dawley Side)

For this discussion, it is useful to have a more detailed explanation of the family line.

Elaine Dawley's maternal grandparents were Frederick and Emma Nicklas. They were both the children of immigrants, and the first to be born in the United States (in Hadley, MI).

Frederick's parents were Johann (John) and Wilhelmina (Mina) Nicklas, and his paternal grandparents were Johann (Joachim) and Maria Nicklas.  Emma's parents were Frederick and Sophia Schmidt, and her paternal grandparents were Heinr and Sophia Schimidt. All of these people immigrated to the United States aboard the Elida. The two families both hailed from the Mecklinberg area, though the ship departed from Hamburg, Germany. It arrived at Castle Garden (the first immigration center in New York, prior to the opening of Ellis Island) on June 3, 1856. The ship record lists "labourer" under occupation for all of the men in the family.

Though it was not uncommon for immigrants who traveled together to also settle together in one area, I still found it exciting to see all of these family names on one document! Here's a picture of part of the Elida passenger list. Can you spot some family names?

Snapshot of the Elida passenger list.
The gang continued on to Hadley, where Emma and Frederick were born, raised, and married!

I love tracing family lines backwards, but I also love seeing them all come together in one little town. How many people nowadays have one starting point for genealogy research? From Germany, France, Northern Ireland, England, the Isle of Man, and colonial America, everyone found their way to Michigan, and eventually to the little town of Ortonville. This big world is a small one after all!

WHERE TO GO:
The Battery Conservancy (former location of Castle Garden), New York City
http://www.thebattery.org/
For more information on early immigration, visit castlegarden.org.

The Emigration Museum in Hamburg, Germany

The Emigration Museum in Hamburg.


FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Dawley-->Nicklas/ Dawley-->Nicklas-->Smith/Schmidt

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The Gerow/Giraud Line (Cross Side)

(Thanks to cousin Kris for sharing this family tree information!).

Doesn’t everyone long to be a little French, after all? If you’ve ever caught yourself scarfing down baguettes or admiring your own chicness (as my French host mother often would), it may not be your fault. It could be your genes.


As a former French teacher, this bit of family history particularly excites me. I knew I had some ties to France on both sides of my family, but with all immediate family surnames pointing so squarely at the UK, I never had much inspiration to dig deeper. However, since beginning my family history research over a year ago, I’ve found we are all a little more French than I’d thought!


Alice Cross Noble’s maternal grandmother was Minnie Gerow. Her surname, like many, became distanced from its original form in the United States (immigration has a way of doing that, it seems). The French surname Giraud (“au” makes an “o” sound in French and the final consonant is typically silent, hence Gerow) was associated with great political and economic influence in medieval France, with the family seat located in Languedoc.  


Our Gerow ancestors have been in North America since the 1600s, settling first in New York and later in Eastern Canada (New Brunswick and Prince Edward Co.- not to be confused with the island). Our immigrant ancestor was Daniel Giraud, born 1664 in Poitiers, France. Poitiers is known for two famous battles: one leaving Charles Martel victorious in 732, and another a key victory for the English during the Hundred Years’ War. During the 17th century, many left Poitiers for the French settlements in the New World. As a result many Acadians and Cajuns (I could go on about this- it was one of my final paper topics in grad school!) trace their ancestry back to Poitiers or other areas in Northwestern France.


It is worth noting that the Gerow family were Huguenots- French Protestants. This explains why our group went first to New York, as there was a large Huguenot population living there at the time. Apparently our Huguenot ancestors traveled with friends, and Daniel was one of the first settlers of New Platz, NY. You can find records of our Gerow ancestors at the Huguenot Historical Society, located (conveniently on Historic Huguenot Street) in New Paltz, approximately an hour and a half north of the city.


Still, the line does jump to Canada before finally descending into Michigan!  Our first Michigan settler, Freeman, was born in Prince Edward County (what was then Sophiasburg Township) and settled in Linden Township, MI. Interestingly, Freeman’s father died when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother and her family, the Christy family, who were Quakers!


WHERE TO GO:
Historic Huguenot Street in New Platz, NY. Click here for a link to their website and a blurb about the Gerow family.


Historic Sophiasburg Township in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Click here for the Prince Edward County Historical Society blog.

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Warden-->Gerow

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Tracing the Teare Name (Teare Side)

I grew up hearing many stories about the Teare name and its origin. However, once I began  my research, I found that much of what I had heard was inconsistent with what I was reading. So I dowloaded e-books onto my Kindle that discussed Manx surnames and started my detective work!


The Teare name was born on the Isle of Man, but is of celtic origin (as are 65% of Manx surnames, another 35% being of Scandio-Celtic origin). There are two main categories of surnames on the Isle of Man: those derived from the personal name of an ancestor (typically originating from early Christian tradition), and those derived from trades and occupations. It is not very common that Manx names be derived from place origin.


It is contracted from Mac-an-t’Saoir, “the carpenter’s son”. One of the oldest recordings of this name is in the year 990 A.D. (Ciaran Mac-an-tsair). Now it has been said that:

“By Mac and O
You’ll always know
True Irishmen, they say;
But if they lack
Both O and Mac
No Irishman are they.”


This poem seems to sum up the history of the Teare name, which despite its celtic origins has become distinctly Manx. According to A. W. Moore, “The geographical separation of the Isle of Man...caused the Manx dialect to become, in course of time, materially differentiated from the Irish speech with which it was originally identical. From the same cause, many of the originally Irish surnames of the Island have undergone a degree of phonetic corruption that covers them with a disguise which can only be penetrated by a recourse to early documents. The prefix Mac has, in many cases, fallen away altogether; in other cases it is represented only by its final consonant” (ex: MacAllister-->Callister). There also wasn’t much movement even within the Island, let alone outside of it. The Teare name stayed rooted firmly in one small area until the 19th century.


Moore’s connection of the celtic surnames with Ireland surprised me. I had grown up hearing that the name “Teare” came from the Scottish surname “MacIntyre”, and that there was a tendency on the Isle of Man to drop the “Mac” from names. That’s true, in a sense, but it cannot be assumed that we are linked to the Scots. Even so, can we really claim to be Irish?


Maybe. The relationship between the Irish and the Scottish MacIntyres, which remains unclear, is still based on the idea of one being the “son of a carpenter”. According to Dr. Edward MacLysaght, the late 20th century authority on Irish genealogy, the MacIntyres who are of native Irish descent are originally Macateers: “Macateer (Mac an t’saor, saor, craftsman), [is] an Ulster name for which the Scottish MacIntyre, of similar derivation, is widely substituted.” He adds that “Ballymacateer is a place-name in Co. Armagh, which is its homeland.” (*Hm, doesn’t Ballymacateer sound an awful lot like Ballateare, in the Isle of Man?! More on that later.). Ulster and the former church town of Ballymacateer are both located in Northern Ireland, along the Lough (lake) Neag. This is significant: In R. L Thomson's Manx Personal Names and General Vocaulary, he shows that many of the early celtic surnames on the Isle have ties to that region in Northern Ireland. So while we have somewhat of a connection to the name MacIntyre, it does not seem that our name is derived from the Scottish clan.


I had heard another legend that my surname was derived from the Old Norse god of law, Tyr. In my research, I could not find any evidence to back up this supposed Viking connection to the Teare name. I did come across some interesting facts, however. Manx genealogist A. W. Moore states that the Teare name is much commoner in the north of the Island than the south, being very common in Jurby and Ballaugh, common in Andreas, Bride, and Lezayre. He also states that the Vikings were most prevalent in Jurby, Ballaugh, and Bride- just like the Teare name. He explains that, thanks to the low sandy coastline in that area, it was easiest for the Vikings to run their flat-bottomed ships on shore. Thus, names of Scandinavian origin are more common in that area, though they only constitute 35% of Manx surnames.
However, reference books place the name unanimously under the “Celtic” grouping, thanks mostly to their ability to trace its development (Mac-an-t-saor→ Macateer→ MacIntyre/MacTyre→ McTeare/McTerre/MacTere→ Teare/Tear/Tere). Interestingly enough, a Viking burial boat was discovered in Ballateare (literally “Teare farm”), south of Jurby. Maybe an old Teare neighbor!


So where does that leave us? Given how small the Isle of Man is, we probably have in us some traces of all the island’s settlers and invaders. As for the surname? Since last names were not very common until the late 15th or 16th centuries, it is hard to say for sure. We may have more in common with our Irish brothers than I’d thought! The English took over for good in 1405, and many surnames were established and anglicized at the time. Also, Irish immigration to the island at that time increased. Parish records become common in the 16th century, and there is a "Teare" recorded at Ballaugh in 1599. The rest is history, I guess!  


County Armagh in Northern Ireland




WHERE TO GO:
Ballateare, Isle of Man: Click here for a map.


Ballymacateer and Ulster, Northern Ireland: Click here for the google maps view.

The Cottier Family (Cross Side)

This line begins with Alice Cross Noble's grandmother, Kitty.

Glen Cross's mother was Catherine (Kitty) Cotcher, "Cotcher" being the Americanized spelling of "Cottier". She died in childbirth and not much was known about her. The Michigan Census has her residence as West Bloomfield, Oakland County.

Her parents were James Cotcher, the son of Manx immigrants, and Louisa Simpson, the daughter of an Irish immigrant. James Cotcher was born in the 1830s in New York to John Cottier (Cotcher) and Isabella Looney Cottier. After marrying, John and Isabella most likely took advantage of a government deal (a 10 pound ticket to the US) and journeyed to New York before joining other Manx families in Michigan.

The Cottiers and the Looneys are northern Manx families. I'll begin with the Cottier side.

John Cottier (our immigrant ancestor), was son to John Cottier Sr, born July 16, 1769 in Marown Parish. I am not certain of John Cottier Sr.'s wife's information, but I suspect based on my research of Parish records that he moved to Maghold and wed Catherine Callow in 1798 (remember, Kitty's real name was Catherine, and this would be her great-grandmother. Plus the dates all add up!). His parents were Alexander Cottier and Anne Kelly Cottier. Both of these surnames are very prominent on the Isle, even today. Alexander died and was buried May 14, 1814 in the old Marown Parish churchyard. Though there is record of his burial, there is no record of a tombstone (not uncommon- many were buried without a marker). The church has not been in use since 1859, but volunteers maintain it and it is open to the public. At present, I have no information on Anne other than her maiden name and her marriage to Alexander. They were both most likely born and raised in Marown (pronounced Muh-ROWN, as in 'down) Parish.

Sheep friends we met while hiking up to the Marown Parish church.


Now for the Looneys (there are some in every family!):

The Looneys were from the seaside village of Maughold, which to this day is hardly anything more than farms, a beautifully maintained historic church, and nice sea views. Isabella was born to Robert Looney and Jane Creer Looney (Creer being another old Manx name). Robert and Jane married at the Maghold church in 1802, and Isabella was born later that year. Jane was buried at the Maghold church in 1858, though records show that the family had moved to Ramsey sometime before then. I have no burial record for Robert at this time. Interestingly enough, many Looneys did immigrate to the US, and a large number settled in South Carolina! You may also see this name spelled as Lodney (a change that occured after arrival in the US).

The church at Maughold was established by the 12th century!

WHERE TO GO:
The Old Marown Parish Church Graveyard (Trust me, rent a car instead of attempting the walk like we did!).

The Old Maughold Parish Church (feauting 6th century crosses!).

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Cotcher/Cottier

Friday, January 3, 2014

The Aldrich Family: A Story of War, Peace, and Politics (Teare Side)

John Teare is a direct descendant of George Aldrich, his 9th great grandfather. George was one of our immigrant ancestors, who came to the Massachusetts colony in 1631 along with his wife Katherine. George and Katherine live and were married in Derbyshire, England (the home of the fictional heartthrob, Mr. Darcy- for all you Jane Austen fans). After immigrating, the Aldrich family came to be somewhat of a political powerhouse family in colonial and early America (the Kennedys of the time, if you will). From George came many political superstars, including former US President Taft.


George and Katherine came to Dorchester (Suffolk) Massachusetts in 1631, moved to Braintree, MA in 1640, and became two of the first seven settlers in Mendon, MA. in 1663 . They were members of the Dorchester Congregational church. George was a tailor by trade. In his will, he left 12 pence to each of his daughters; his clothes to his son Joseph; and the rest of his estate to his wife. As he was a tailor, “clothes” possibly means the whole business, not just his own clothes. (Thanks to Bill Stupak for this information.)


Our line is traced through George’s fourth son, Jacob, who had a particularly interesting “elopement” with Huldah Thayer. The couple was living in Mendon at the time of their marriage, but the ceremony was performed by a Justice of the Peace in Milford. It seems as though they were evacuating at the time of this marriage, as the town as burned by Indians a few days later during the King Phillip’s War. According to Stupak, the first three children were born in “exile” in Braintree, though the couple returned to Mendon by 1680.




Information on George Aldrich is extremely well documented. I could write a book! Instead, this article will have to suffice!


WHERE TO GO:

Historic Mendon, Massachusetts (Click here for the guided walking tour)

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Teare-->Gregory-->Easton-->Aldrich

Interesting Statistics about the American Schwangaus (Noble Side)

John Noble's great grandmother was a Swango.

I recently read an interesting article about the Swango (Americanized from Schwangau) surname. It remains an uncommon surname in the United States. In the mid 1800s, the name was found almost entirely in Kentucky, with a few instances in Indiana referenced in the census. By 1880, the family name had spread to neighboring states (MO, AR, IA, and IL), but still remained concentrated in Kentucky. After 1920, there were a few reported instances of the Swango name in 20 different states, but only Indiana and Kentucky were home to any significant Swango populations.

Our Swango line, of course, was of the Kentucky variety! The first of our line of Swangos to settle in Wolfe County, KY, was Samuel Swango in the late 1700s. His son, Abraham Swango, was the first true Kentucky man!

WHERE TO GO:
Abraham Swango burial site, Wolfe County, KY

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Noble-->Shull-->Taulbee-->Swango

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Michael Dawley (Dawley Side)

Our Dawley family line has a long history in the United States. Michael Dawley (Elaine Dawley’s 8th Great Grandfather) settled in Rhode Island in the mid 1600s. As my grandmother, Elaine Dawley Teare, has documented:


“He came to America in 1654 by serving an indenture as a yeoman on the ship Barbados Merchant to one Roger Moore, a planter on the island of Barbados. He settled in the colony of Rhode Island, to which he brought his family (a wife and at least two children). He and his wife are buried on the Solomon Sprague Land, southeast of Exeter, RI, on Liberty Road (North of Hog House Hill Rd.).”
Four generations of Dawleys continued to live, marry, and raise their families in Rhode Island, and evidence of their time there can still be seen today (examples include Dawley Tavern and Dawley Memorial Park- documented by the RI Historical Preservation Society). In the mid 1700s our family line moves to New York, bouncing around from Herkimer to Ontario county. Finally, in the middle part of the 1800s, Job Dawley moved his family to Michigan. The connection to Ortonville remains strong since that time.

While the Dawley’s hold deep American roots, it is also interesting to trace the line back to the country of origin, Northern Ireland. The Dawleys were from the decidedly protestant part of the island, and the patriarch of the family (the furthest back we’ve traced)- Michael Dawley- lived in Antrim County, the northeastern tip of Northern Ireland. Interestingly enough, the name "Dawley" is of French Huguenot origin, and the D'Auley family originally fled to England!


The famed Glens of County Antrim. Image from Wikimedia Commons.


WHERE TO GO:
View the "Dawley Lot" in Exeter, RI on Google Maps.

View the Grave Index for the "Michael Dawley Lot".


The Elder Teares (Teare Side)

Our immigrant ancestor was Thomas Teare (John Teare's Great Grandfather), born about 1791 in Jurby, Isle of Man. I found his baptismal record at the Manx Museum, dated July 3rd, 1791. Since baptisms did not occur until they were convenient, I do not have his actual date of birth. His parents, as stated on the record, were Thomas Teare Sr. and Elizabeth Garrett Teare. As the parents were older at the time of his birth, I suspect that this may have been a second marriage. Another possibility is that Thomas Jr. had been preceded by sisters, since the first boy is typically named after the father. Thomas Jr., after coming to the US, lived in Clinton County, MI where he was buried in 1866. 


Most of the following information was taken from the recorded inscription on Thomas Sr. and Elizabeth's gravestone. At the time that this was recorded, some of the inscription was already unreadable, but what did remain looks like this: 

THOMAS TEARE of --/ December the 22nd 18--/ a faithful--/ a loving husband --/ ---/---/but hope in Heaven to meet again. Also ELIZABETH TEARE alias Garrett who died June 1st 18(10) aged (69).  

The next couple buried at this spot is John and Ann Teare, Thomas Sr.'s parents, who died respectively in 1788 and 1804. I have a baptismal record for this John (who I'll call John III), baptized May 19th 1706, parents listed as John Teare (II). and Grace Radcliffe Teare. John Teare II died rather young, in 1716, and is also buried at this spot.I have no death record for Grace. 

John Teare I,  the father, is also buried at this spot. and died in 1700. 



I believe, based on baptismal records, that his father may have been William Teare. However, this is simply my best guess based on date estimates and parish records. 

I also suspect that there is some wrong information on the typed tombstone inscription. Remember, this was being done by someone at a time when the inscription was already becoming illegible (which it almost totally is today). I'm not sure about our Thomas being born to a 50 year old mother (though of course it is possible, it seems to be pushing it to me). The woman at the museum seemed less shocked by it than I was. Either way, it is confirmed by Parish baptismal records to be the same couple who gave birth to our immigrant ancestor, Thomas Teare Jr!

WHERE TO GO: 
Duplain Cemetery in Clinton Township, MI is home to our immigrant ancestor, Thomas Teare. 

The family burial spot on the Isle of Man is located at St. Patrick's Jurby Church, #63. 


The Howlands (Cross Side)

The Mayflower gets all the glory. 

It is considered a privilege to be able to trace one’s line directly to a Mayflower passenger. Well, we may not be direct Mayflower descendants, but our family was an important part of the Plymouth colony.


We are direct descendants of Arthur Howland (the 9th great grandfather of Alice Cross Noble), brother of Mayflower passenger John Howland, and eventual inhabitant of the Plymouth Colony. Arthur arrived in Massachusetts in 1640, and from him we have over 100 years worth of early Massachusetts and Rhode Island settlers. You can visit A. Howland's impressive resting spot in Marshfield, MA.
Arthur Howland Memorial Site




Our Howland line is also well documented in England. Arthur was born to Henry and Ann-Margaret Howland in Huntingdonshire, England. I have confirmed that Henry Howland was buried in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, England in 1635, though no headstone was located.


But wait! That’s not all! Henry’s parents were John and Emma Howland. John is buried at St. Mary Whitechapel Parish Graveyard, in London, England. He was buried in 1611, and his wife was buried there in 1614.


Finally, the furthest I’ve traced is his parents, John and Agnes Howland. This couple died in 1568 and 1586, respectively, and are confirmed to be buried in Essex, England. These are all places that you can still visit today, though they may not exist in the same way!  

WHERE TO GO:
The church at St. Mary Whitechapel (London) has been demolished, but the street still exists. Click here for the address.

The St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard in Fenstanton, England is located here

Arthur Howland is buried at Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield, MA. Click here for more information.

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Cross-->Warden-->Gerow-->Christy-->Bull-->Closson-->Williamson-->Howland