Monthly Archives: October 2011

Amanuensis Monday, Genealogy

Amanuensis Monday-Will of Robert Jackson proved 13 October 1685

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Robert Jackson may have  been born in about 1620 in either England or Scotland. Robert married Agnes about 1660. They had four known children, known to me. I have not worked on this family lately and there might be more finds out there that I am not aware of.  Robert Jackson is my 9th great-grandfather. Did I mention that he is also my husbands 9th great-grandfather, oh and my children’s 10th great-grandfather. (snicker)

Robert is believed to have had two wives prior to this marriage.

There is a line in this will that just cracks me up, “provided that she lives unmarried, or unburied  so long, but if she be either married or buried”, really? unmarried,
unburied!   (grinning)

The will was transcribed by Oscar Burton for his book The Jackson Family. I have a copy which I copied this from. If anyone is interested in this Jackson family let me know and I can do look ups for you.

Will of Robert Jackson

In the Name of God Amen

     The twenty-fifth day of May Anno Domini, One thousand Six Hundred Eighty-Three,  I, Robert Jackson, of Hemstead in the North Riding of Yorkshire upon Long Island in the Province of New York, In America, being in perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to Almighty God, and considering with myself the frailty and uncertainty of this mortal life, and that it becometh every man before his departure out of this life, to set in order all his earthly thing, so that after his decease no suits, trouble or controversy may ensue for the same. Therefore being well advised that I work I now have in hand, do make and declare this to be my last will and testament, in measure and from following;

First and principally, I commend my soul into the hands of the Almighty God that gave it, and my body to the Earth wherefor it was framed, to be decently buried, according to the discretion of my son and heir, John Jackson.

And for my worldy estate which God hath endued me withall, I give, bequeath and dispose as followeth,- I do give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Agnes, six cows, two oxen, on horse, and one mare, two three year old cow kind, and four two year olds, and two yearlings. Also, I give unto her all such household goods as are left in the house which she brought with her. Likewise I give and bequeath unto my said wife, two of my lessor sort of brass kettles to add to hers, which are left in the house, which she brought with her.  Also I give an bequeath unto her four of my pewter tankards, to add to her pewter, that is left in the house, which she brought with her. Also I give and bequeath unto her one of my feather beds with a bolster and pillows, together with a pair of sheets and a pair of blankets, and a rugge, and the curtains that hangs around my bedd to add to her bedding which is left in the house, which she brought with her. Futhermore I give and bequeath unto my said wife five pounds in silver money, and fifty yards of linen cloth, some of one sort, and some of another, such as in the house is. Also to add to her clothing I give her one piece of searge.

Item. I give unto her two swine, also ten bushels of wheat to be paid yearly for the term of five years, provided that she lives unmarried, or unburied  so long, but if she be either married or buried, then the said wheat shall cease to be to her, or to any on her account. Also I do allow her to live in my new dwelling house, so long as she lives unmarried or unburied, and that she have half the house lot next to George Hewlet, so long as she remains unmarried or unburied, then I will that half of the said house lot return to my son John.  Also I give and bequeath unto her some wooden vessels, and so I cease giving to her.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my son Samuel Jackson, five mares, and mu Cloake and five pounds in silver money and to his wife a hood and scarfe, and to every one of his children a piece of eight.

Item. I give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah, the wife of Nathaniel Moore, two cows, and every one of her children a piece of eight.

Item. I do give and bequeath unto Nathaniel Cole, Junior, the son of my daughter Martha deceased, two cows, and if any one come to inquire for a portion for my daughter Martha deceased, I bequeath unto him five shillings.

Item. I do make, ordain and appoint my son John Jackson, my son and heir, to be my sole Executor and Administrator, of this my last will and testament, and I do hereby give him full power to administer upon all my estate within doors and without, immediately after my decease, lest it be embezzled away, And I do bind and oblige my son John to pay all the legacies which I have herein bequeathed, and what is left after the said legacies are paid and discharged of my proper estate at my decease, I give an bequeath wholly to my son John Jackson and his children.

In witness where of I the said Robert Jackson have hereunto putt my hand and seale to day an year above written.

                                                           (His signature)

Signed and sealed in presence of John Carmen, John Smith, Samuel Embree, Joseph Smith, Queens County.

At a County Court , or Court of Sessions held for the said County, October thirteenth, one thousand six hundred eighty and five, the Will of Robert Jackson deceased prove by the oath of Samuel Embree and Joseph Smith of * Hemstead.

* Hemstead, is also known as Hempstead, Long Island, New York.

Happy Hunting!

 

Genealogy, SNGF

SNGF

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Randy at Genea-Musing has again come up with a neat exercise this week, it is as follows.

1)  If you have your family tree research in a Genealogy Management Program (GMP), whether a computer software program or an online family tree, figure out how to find how many persons, places, sources, etc. are in your database (hint:  the Help button is your friend!).

2)  Tell us which GMP you use, and how many persons, places, sources, etc. are in your database(s) today in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook status or Google+ stream comment.

Here is mine:


As you can see I use Legacy, I also have FTM 10 on my desktop. Yes I need to update it 😀 Legacy is my main program.

This contains both my husband’s genealogy and mine.

Happy Hunting!

Genealogy, Ramblings

Dishes and Sea Shells

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My mother sent me a very interesting article from the “Vermont Old Cemetery Association Newsletter”. The subject of the piece was how one women’s family would gather on the third Monday in August to clean up the local grave yards. It seems the town turned out and it was very much like a reunion with food and sharing. In this article she mentions after the graves were cleaned, grass cut and debris removed, they took broken dishes and placed them on the graves to keep the grass from growing. She recalls this happening in the 1940’s around the Dresden Tennessee area.

I found it very intriguing as have I never come across such a practice in my research and I wondered where this tradition may have come from. In my search around the internet I found some very interesting results. It seems that this is an African-American, and African tradition. I do not know the women’s ethnicity so I can’t really say that this was the case in her story. In the book by Alan Jabbour, and Karen Singer Jabbour “Decoration day in the Mountains” on page 38 they state:
“There is also an African-American tradition of broken glass or broken pottery on graves, which is of African origin” In the blog “The World Is Just Enough“, Frank Hanisch tells of visiting a cemetery in Zambia and how they break and put on the grave everything the deceased used in the last week, including clothes, glasses in trying to make sure the illness and all bad things leave with the body. A record of  Blairs Chapel C.M.E. Cemetery in Madison County Tennessee comments that in a part of the cemetery that is African-American burials is littered with shells, another grave decoration used, and broken pottery. Leaving the author to believe that this practice also took place in this part of the cemetery at one time. At SCIWAY (South Carolina Information Highway) they note that an anthropologist in the early 1890’s noted that “ nearly every grave has bordering or thrown upon it a few bleached sea-shells of a dozen different kinds.” The author states that this practice is traced back to the Bakongo belief that the sea shell encloses the soul’s immortal presence. It has also been stated by some Gullah into the 20th century that the shells are representative of the sea, where we came from and where we will return.

This practice can be found widely through out the old cemeteries in the south where there were African-American burials.

This has been a very interesting adventure! I would urge you to look into such practices more thoroughly as this is just a bit of what can be found.

There are so many traditions that so many of us are unaware of. Knowing where some of these traditions come from can’t but help to enhance our research and family histories.

Happy Hunting!

Post Script: May 21, 2013

I came across a very good blog concerning African-American Burial Traditions here is the link! Enjoy. Understanding History: African-American Burial Traditions by Annette Hinkle on the Sag Harbor Express.

Family, Family Heirlooms, Genealogy

Thursday Treasure-Butter Dish, Creamer, Celery

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This celery , butter dish and creamer are thought to have belonged to my second great-grandmother Julia Sarah Clark.

I recall my grandmother saying to me in my early teens that one day, sadly that day came as it does for all of us, that this piece would be mine. Grandma told my mother that it belong to grandma, now we are not sure if she meant, her mother or her grandmother. All of us have said to our children grandmother when we were talking about our Mom’s.

Mom will be visiting with her sister later this week and hopefully we will find out exactly who’s it was. At this moment the guess is that it belonged to Julia, this is the grandmother that I was named for.

Julia Sarah Clark was born to William and Delila Citerly Clark  on 24 Nov 1854 in the city Mentor in Lake County, Ohio. Julia died 19 Sep 1928 in Newton Falls, Ohio. Julia married on 1 Oct 1878 to Dr. Wesley Lake Beach who was born on 20 Jun 1844 in Mayfield, Geauga County, Ohio and he died 27 Nov 1917 in Geneva, Ashtabula County, Ohio.

Treasures come to us in many ways, this is one that I can actually touch, though not often for fear of breaking them, that recall and bring back to us those that have gone on before us.

Happy Hunting!

Family, Genealogy, Ramblings, SNGF

Alex

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2nd Lt. Alexander Kaye Ogilvie
2nd Lt. Alexander Kaye Ogilvie

I dedicated this to a man who,
I never had the pleasure to have known.
Though the blood of his ancestors
mingles with my own.

A man just reaching his prime
A man who left this world
Long before his time.

Did he have a girl?
Yes he did,
but a life they would never share.
he also had a loving family
Oh! And they loved him so!

He did his duty,
and did what was right.
He toiled,
and labored in freedoms mighty fight.
To his family he gave great pride.

It was on November 29,1918
I am not sure if it was early or late,
when he was to take his last flight.
Victory, he helped secure.
From this “little scrap” he’d not return.

He lost his wings on that day…
he lost is life on foreign soil…
with his family so very far away.

This Dear man was my Grand Uncle,
An Uncle that would never know the joy
of his own children.
This man would never
hold his nieces and nephews in his lap.

He would never see all
his Sisters married.

His mother wrote this of him, in words that only a mother can;

… Is it needful to speak
of the dear one
Who made the supreme sacrifice;
For the love of mankind and his country
He journeyed and paid the big price.
We laid him to rest in God’s acre
In Crown Hill on the Government lot,
Which will always be tenderly cared for
And his mem’ry will ne’re be forgot.
But our hearts are so sad and so lonely,
For his face we shall never see more
Till the time when our labors are ended
And we meet on eternity’s shore…….
Barbara Jane Kaye OGILVIE
written in July, 1924

At this writing this family is at last,
each and everyone with their hero and beloved one…
Sisters and brother, Mom and Dad alike.
Even many of his nieces and
nephews have joined him around the throne.

I take my hat off to him and
all the rest whether an early grave,
where they found their rest,
or those that Marched on
and lived these memories daily…
and in some way preserved the
memories of those that have been lost,
for you and I at such a great cost.
Julia K. Hogston
February 19, 2000

This poem has been re written several times! I initially wrote it to place on my genealogy website, hoping to find out more information on Uncle Alex (Kaye). The piece did bring me many pieces of information and the reasons that I’ve had to re-write some of it.  This is the poem that brought me his dog tags. If you have a website, don’t give up someone will see it some day and will have just that little piece of information you need. I have not been to Alex’s grave site, but I have had flowers put on his grave for his birthday.

Happy Hunting!