Remember: Crabtree

Showing posts with label Crabtree. Show all posts

Sunday, February 2, 2020

We Knew About the Camel, But There Was an Elephant, Too?

I've posted this photo of my mother on the camel before. It was taken, perhaps in Egypt, on one of her many trips. My father died before they could go traveling together as planned. Now, I know she's not going anywhere in particular on that camel, but I am still impressed that a widowed school teacher would sign up for many foreign travel tours on her own.

I didn't really ask her much about her trips, but I inherited many albums of photos from faraway places. This one on a camel came as a surprise.

Just yesterday, I found this elephant photo. It appears that Elva split the cost of the posed photograph (note the two men helpfully pointing at the camera) with a fellow traveler on the tour. I'm suspecting they were in India, and I remembered giggling when I received a postcard from Mother of erotic statuary at some tourist stop. I believe that would have been around 1974, because I was sitting in our breakfast nook in Montesano, Washington when I read that card.

Posed or not, these pictures make me marvel at the idea that a woman born on a farm in New Brunswick, Canada at a time when autos were a rarity, would eventually find herself flying to strange and exotic places on the other side of the world.

What do you suppose the men in suits were discussing?

Detail: That's mother (Elva Crabtree Harris) on the left, complete with necklace and pocket book

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Souvenir of Knott's Berry Farm

This photo was taken on a visit to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California around 1947. That's little me (Clair Harris Zarges), with my mother (Elva Crabtree Harris) sitting behind me on the right side of the photo. I don't know who the two friends were, but they were probably either from San Francisco or relatives from southern California. It was over 400 miles to Buena Park from San Francisco, where my family lived, so this would have been during one of our (almost) annual road trip vacations to southern California.

You'll notice that my mother has me all rigged out in a coat (that she probably made), a hat, and a little purse.

The back of the post card sized photo

I do recall that, as a child, I thought of the place as "Knottsberryfarm," not realizing that it was actually a BERRY farm. It was a real treat to go to what was actually the first theme park in the United States. (Britannica). To see what the place looks like today, go to Knott's Berry Farm. I have to admit, though, that I am happy with my memories of a simpler time and place.

A little history from Wikipedia: The park sits on the site of a former berry farm established by Walter Knott and his family. Beginning in the mid 1920s, the Knott family sold berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand along State Route 39. In 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later called "Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant." The dinners soon became a major tourist draw, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors while waiting for a seat in the restaurant. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park. The idea of an amusement park really picked up in the 1950s when Walter Knott opened a "summer-long county fair.

The site continued its transformation into a modern amusement park over the next two decades, and an admission charge [25 cents] was added in 1968. In 1997 the park was sold to Cedar Fair for $300 million, just two years after the Knott's food business was acquired by Conagra, Inc. in 1995."

Monday, July 15, 2019

Another Wonderful Kinney Family Photo

From my cousin by marriage, Nancy Kinney:

The attached five generation photo was passed on to us by Duane Crabtree. It needed some repair from years of use, so Mark fixed it. The people are Gerald Lewis Kinney with his son Gerald Baldwin Kinney, his mother Anna Thomas Kinney, his grandmother, Sarah Ermina Crabtree Thomas and his great grandmother (seated, eyes closed) Sarah Ann (Annie) Kinney.

Left to right: Gerald Baldwin Kinney in the lap of his father, Gerald Lewis Kinney; Anna Thomas Kinney (Gerald's mother); Sarah Ermina Crabtree (Gerald's great grandmother); and Sarah Ann (Annie) Kinney.

How these people are related to me:

Duane Crabtree, who gave the photo to Nancy Kinney, is my second cousin.

Nancy Pearson Kinney, who passed on the photo to me, is the wife of Mark Kinney, my second cousin once removed and son of Gerald Lewis Kinney. Many thanks, as always, to Nancy for generously sharing family photos and genealogy with me, and to her husband, Mark Kinney, for his repairs to the photo.

In the photo:

Gerald Lewis Kinney (1907-1963) is my second cousin; his son, Gerald Baldwin Kinney (born May 19, 1932 and, as of July 2019, living in North Carolina, according to Nancy) is my 2nd cousin once removed.

Anna Thomas Kinney (1887-1962) is my first cousin, once removed.

Sarah Ermina Crabtree (1867-1938) is my great aunt (sister of my maternal grandfather, David Crabtree)

Sarah Ann (Annie) Kinney (1842-1935) is my great grandmother (mother of my maternal grandfather, David Crabtree).

Sunday, May 5, 2019

A Treasure of a Photo

In 2014 my fellow family historian Patricia Pickard took a road trip to Milo, Maine to find the childhood home of my Aunt Sadie. You can read about her trip in Sadie's Pleasant View Farm Found. Here is the photo that she took.

I recently received this note and photo from my cousin, Nancy Kinney.

Dear Clair,
It's been a while since we communicated. I hope that you are well and happy.
I'm still working on the book on Gerald Lewis Kinney, my father-in-law. the projected completion date is June. I want it to be ready for our Kinney family reunion this summer.

Recently my brother-in-law sent us a scrapbook that my father-in-law made in 1927-1935. There was a loose photo inside and when I recognized what it was I remembered that you were looking for Pleasant View Farm in Milo and it's in this picture. On the left is your Sadie and her Aunt Sadie (Sarah Errmina Crabtree Thomas) The couple on the right is Anna Thomas Kinney and Charles Lewis Kinney, Gerald's parents. We don't know the boy in the back unless it is Henry Crabtree who lived with Aunt Sadie Thomas at the same time as your Aunt Sadie. Do you recognize him?

Pleasant View Farm, Milo, Maine c. 1930
L to R: My Aunt Sadie (Sadie Crabtree Ayotte Ariel), her Aunt Sadie (Sarah Ermina Crabtree Thomas), unknown boy (Henry?), Anna Thomas Kinney, and Charles Lewis Kinney

I wish that I could share this photo with Pat Pickard, but she sadly died February 17, 2019. She would have loved the photo, and I'll bet she could have identified the mystery boy, too.

Many thanks to Nancy Kinney for this treasure of a photo.

*****

Read Aunt Sadie Crabtree's memoirs on this blog:

Part 1 and Part 2: Life on the Farm

Part 3: Separated From the Family

Part 4: Life With the Thomas Family

Part 5: Brother Lindholm, Uncle Jesse, and Grammie Crabtree

Part 6: Marriage, Motherhood, and Losing Dickie

And a postscript to Sadie's story: Sadie's Pleasant Hill Farm Found!

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Jennie and Andrew Mitchell, Missionaries

I knew that many in my mother's family were preachers, but I really didn't know about the great numbers of missionaries who have served all over the world. This video features Jennie and Andrew Mitchell, their family, and the Go Ye Fellowship, a missionary sending organization founded in California in 1932.

Below the video is Andrew Mitchell's obituary, which tells us that all six of his children were ministers, and five of them were foreign missionaries.

If you would like to see some of the inspirational plaques he designed, go to http://www.mitchellart.org/.

Obituary courtesy of Mary Morken on Ancestry.com. Used with her kind permission.

Andrew is my second cousin, twice removed. This is how we are connected:

Andrew Edgar Mitchell (1877 - 1964)
2nd cousin 2x removed

Martha Kinney (1846 - 1938)
Mother of Andrew Edgar Mitchell

Daniel Kinney (1799 - )
Father of Martha Kinney

Stephen KINNEY (1771 - 1837)
Father of Daniel Kinney

John Shepherd KINNEY (1802 - 1872)
Son of Stephen KINNEY

Sarah Ann KINNEY (1842 - 1935)
Daughter of John Shepherd KINNEY

David Jewett CRABTREE Sr. (1875 - 1954)
Son of Sarah Ann KINNEY

Elva Myrtle CRABTREE (1914 - 1998)
Daughter of David Jewett CRABTREE Sr.

Clair Marie Harris
You are the daughter of Elva Myrtle CRABTREE

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Degory Priest, Mayflower Passenger--Related to Me?

From Wikimedia Commons: Pub. by Smith's Inc., Plymouth, Mass. Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass. - Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection #61532, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46122563

Is it possible that I am descended from one of the 102 Mayflower passengers who sailed in 1620 from Plymouth, England to the shores of America? Perhaps, or perhaps not--but it's an intriguing thought.

WikiTree, a free online collaborative database for genealogists, has published a list of Mayflower passengers and a way to find their relationship with anyone else. Here are my results:

Degory Priest (c.1579-c.1621) is the 9th great grandfather of Clair (Uncertain)

1. Clair is the daughter of Elva (Crabtree) Rodriguez
2. Elva is the daughter of David Jewett (Crabb) Crabtree Sr.
3. David is the son of Sarah Ann Kinney
4. Sarah is the daughter of John Shepherd Kinney
5. John Shepherd is the son of Stephen Kinney
6. Stephen is the son of Israel Kinney
7. Israel is the son of Daniel Kenney
8. Daniel is the son of Mary (Richards) Kinne
9. Mary is the daughter of Susan Sarah (Pratt) Richards [uncertain]
10. Susan is the daughter of Marah (Priest) Pratt [unknown confidence]
11. Marah is the daughter of Degory Priest [unknown confidence]

This makes Degory the ninth great grandfather of Clair.

***

Why the uncertainty and "unknown confidence?" Since I haven't researched those relationships, which were supplied by the WikiTree database, I can't really say, but I am guessing that there is no clear documentation proving them.

You must remember that according to Family History Daily there are probably 35 million living Mayflower descendants. Although I am honored to possibly be one of them, I have lots of company!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Woodstock, Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada

Elva and Dan, late 1950s

My parents, Elva Crabtree and Daniel Harris, were married in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada on Dec. 21, 1940. Here is their marriage record:

For a little historical background, my father grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. My mother's family lived at various times on the Canadian side of the border, and on the American side in Aroostook County, Maine. They surely passed through this customs stations many times.

From The Collectors. A History of Canadian Customs and Excise, by David McIntosh. .
Published by NC Press Ltd in association with Revenue Canada, Customs and Excise and the Canadian Government Publishing Centre, 1984.

I believe that my parents met in New Hampshire while working summer jobs. I'm not sure, though. I wish that I had asked them more questions!

I have never been to Woodstock, or to New Brunswick, for that matter. I wanted to see what it looked like in 1940. I wasn't able to find a photo for that date, but did find one from 1900 and one modern bird's eye view.

1900

Modern view

Here's another modern view, this time of Main Street at sunset.

This is a farm in the countryside outside of Woodstock.

Finally, I can tell that the people of Woodstock are very fond of their town when I read this:

I apologize for not having a source; I believe this was posted on Facebook

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Signers of the Exeter Combination

This is the story of how an ancestor from my mother's side of the family and one from my father's side of the family were in the same place at the same time: Exeter, NH, 1638.

Signature page from the Exeter Combination (6)

The Exeter Combination was one of the founding documents of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire. Here is a bit of explanation, written by the curator of the Exeter Historical Society:

"Exeter’s population decided in the spring of 1639 to send notice to the British authorities that they intended to govern themselves by combining together. The document created, called the Exeter Combination, pledged loyalty to the King and God and clearly differentiated themselves from Massachusetts, even though they intended to use Massachusetts laws as their model. This document was signed on “Mon. 5th, d. 4th 1639,” which, when decoded into modern terminology, means it was signed on the July 4, 1639 — a rather happy coincidence with our later national holiday." (1)

Edward Chase, Jr. wrote:

"The government thus set up endured for five years. It never had recognized jurisdiction over the whole of the area covered in the Indian Deed [a 30-square mile piece of land originally granted by the native Indians], but it did control the area of the present-day towns of Exeter, Newmarket, Newfields, Brentwood, Epping and Fremont." (2)

Why am I so interested in this ancient document? Among the 35 freemen of Exeter who signed were two of my ancestors, representing both my mother's side of the family and my father's side. Not only that, but the new 1638 Exeter government controlled the area that included modern-day Fremont, where I served as school librarian for several years.

I would never have realized that two of my ancestors were in the same place at the same time if it hadn't been for that curious document name--Exeter Combination. It showed up twice in family tree research for my ancestors, and I later realized that these many-times great grandfathers were from both sides of my family tree. Here they are:

From Find a Grave memorial (3)

Elder William Wentworth (1615-1697), my 7th great grandfather*

Born in England, William Wentworth came first to Boston and then to Exeter. He later moved to Wells, Maine and to Dover, New Hampshire, where he was an elder in the Dover Church for 40 years. (3)

A Wentworth family history notes about William:

(4)

From Wikipedia:

"Wentworth is notable for the large number of his descendants who reached great prominence in the American colonies and in the United States: His grandson John Wentworth was the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of New Hampshire at a time when the governor was also the governor of Massachusetts. New Hampshire governors Benning Wentworth and Sir John Wentworth are also descendants, as were Judge John Wentworth and his son John Wentworth Jr., a New Hampshire representative to the Continental Congress. Chicago mayor and U.S. Representative John Wentworth was not only a descendant of Elder William, but compiled the extensive genealogy on the Wentworth family, considered one of the best family histories ever written."

From Find a Grave Memorial (3)

Edmund Littlefield (1592-1661). my 10th great grandfather*
Edmund was also born in England, came to Exeter, NH and eventually moved to Wells, Maine, where he died in 1661. An interesting fact: Edmund's daughter, Hannah, married Peter Clayes (1640-1708); after she died in 1680, Peter married Sarah Towne (1639-1703). Peter and Sarah have appeared on this blog in The Persecution of the Towne Family.

[Edmund Littlefield] "signed the combination 5 (4) 1639. His wife Annis, ae. 38, with 6 children, and servants John Knight, and Hugh Durdal, came in the [ship] Bevis in May, 1638. It may be presumed that he either came at that time, (though not named in the passenger list,) or had come before. He rem. to Wells, Me.; had a grant of land from Thomas Gorges 14 July, 1643." (5)

For the complete text of the Combination and a list of those who signed it, see The History of the Town of Exeter, New Hampshire. (6)

*****

Sources

1. Historically Speaking; A Look at Exeter's Founding Documents, by Barbara Rimkunas for Seascoastonline.com: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20130329/news/303290372

2. Early Exeter History 1638-1887. Written by Edward Chase Jr. In: Exeter, New Hampshire: 1888-1988, by Nancy Carnegie Merrill. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Peter E. Randall, 1988. https://www.exeterhistory.org/exeter-history/2016/6/24/early-exeter-history-1638-1887

3. Find a Grave Memorial for Elder William Wentworth. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82608798/william-wentworth

4. A Genealogical and Biographical Account of the Descendants of Elder William Wentworth, by John Wentworth. Boston, Massachusetts: S.G. Drake, 1850. Available on Ancestry.com.

5. Maine Pioneers 1623-60. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com, 1999.

6. The History of the Town of Exeter, New Hampshire, by Charles Henry Bell. Exeter, New Hampshire, 1888. Available online from the Internet Archive at
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofe00bell

7. Wikipedia: William Wentworth (Elder). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wentworth_(elder)

*How we are related

Elder William Wentworth, 7th great grandfather on my father's side of the family

Relationship between William Wentworth & Clair Marie Harris.

William Wentworth (1615 - 1697)
7th great-grandfather

Benjamin Wentworth (1670 - 1728)
son of William Wentworth

Edmund Littlefield, 10th great grandfather on my mother's side of the family

Relationship between Edmund Littlefield & Clair Marie Harris.

Edmund Littlefield (1592 - 1661)
10th great-grandfather

Hannah Anne Littlefield ( - 1680)
daughter of Edmund Littlefield

Sarah Clayes (1666 - 1700)
daughter of Hannah Anne Littlefield

Samuel Cunnabell (1689 - 1746)
son of Sarah Clayes

Preserved (Persund) Cunnabell (1727 - 1793)
son of Samuel Cunnabell

Esther "Hester" Campbell (1751 - 1819)
daughter of Preserved (Persund) Cunnabell

Edward Campbell (1795 - 1851)
son of Esther "Hester" Campbell

Tamberlane Campbell (1813 - 1892)
son of Edward Campbell

Elizabeth Campbell (1851 - )
daughter of Tamberlane Campbell

William Giberson (1856 - ) My great grandfather
son of Elizabeth Campbell

Edith Rae Giberson (1880 - 1946) My grandmother
daughter of William Giberson

Elva Myrtle Crabtree (1914 - 1998) My mother
daughter of Edith Rae Giberson

Clair Marie Harris: Me
I am the daughter of Elva Myrtle Crabtree

Monday, April 30, 2018

Richard Wayman Kinney and Cora Lee Smith

Note: Many thanks to my fellow family history researchers at Ancestry.com, who are so generous about sharing photos and information. We all benefit.

My great-great uncle, Richard Wayman Kinney, was born in 1856 to John Shepherd Kinney and his wife, Sarah Crabtree, in Greenfield, New Brunswick. Richard's wife-to-be, Cora Lee Smith, was born in New Brunswick in 1864.

As many other members of the Kinney family had moved from New Brunswick to Iron River, Michigan, the young couple must have journeyed out there for their wedding. At least that's what I thought. However, I heard from J. Wayne Kinney, Richard's great grandson:

Richard left for Michigan before he was married. He promised to come back to New Brunswick once he was established. Cora got tired of waiting, and headed for Michigan in 1885.Two of the children, Pearl and John Beverly, were born in Michigan. They moved to Presque Isle, and then to Easton, in the early 1890s. My grandfather, Wilbur, was born in Easton in 1899. In 1906, they moved to Atkinson.

Marriage Record from Iron River, Michigan

(the recording clerk must have been a little hard of hearing!)

Here is a beautiful family portrait of the young couple in 1889 with their first two children, both born in Michigan. Later they moved to Maine, where all the rest of their children were born (see Wayne's note, above).

Originally shared on Ancestry by Jason Edward Cornelius. We share some DNA.

Cora Lee

Richard

Their children were:

Pearl Eva, born 1886 in Iron River, Michigan

Beverly William, born 1888 in Iron River, Michigan

Ella May 1891, Easton, Maine

Amy Elizabeth 1894, Easton

Paul Richard 1897, Easton

Wilbur Aaron 1899, Easton

Lottie Marguerite 1905, Easton

I love this family photo, taken on the farm in Easton, Maine. They seemed to be so proud of their young horses.

Easton, Maine
1903-04

Richard

Cora Lee

Cora and Richard in later years
Originally shared by Jason Edward Cornelius

Richard died April 22, 1932

Cora's obituary November 18, 1958

Note that my Uncle, the Rev. Clifford Crabtree, officiated. Cora was his great-aunt.

*****

My connection to Richard Kinney:

Richard Wayman Kinney (1856 - 1932)

2nd great-uncle

John Shepherd Kinney (1802 - 1872) M

y gg grandfather

father of Richard Wayman Kinney

Sarah Ann "Anna" Kinney (1842 - 1935) M

y great grandmother

daughter of John Shepherd Kinney

David Jewett Crabtree Sr. (1875 - 1954) My grandfather

son of Sarah Ann "Anna" Kinney

Elva Myrtle Crabtree (1914 - 1998) My mother

daughter of David Jewett Crabtree Sr.

Clair Marie Harris (me)

You are the daughter of Elva Myrtle Crabtree

Monday, March 19, 2018

John Doolittle and his Wife, Hannah Guernsey

"...they dug up an iron kettle of silver coins...kept the money themselves, but sent the kettle home to grandmother..."

I've always loved to read historical accounts of regular people making their way daily through times very different than mine. Now that I research my own family's history, the stories are even better because the people I read about are related to me. No matter how distant the connection, just knowing that we are of the same blood and that we share a bit of DNA makes them my people.

Two brothers, Abraham and John Doolittle, came to Boston, Massachusetts from England in 1640 (or perhaps earlier). This John Doolittle (there are many!) died in 1681, leaving no children. It is therefore believed that Abraham is thus the ancestor of all the Doolittles in America.

Abraham had a son named John, who had a son named Samuel, who had a son named Abel. Abel Doolittle (1724-1769) and his wife, Thankful Moss, had a son named (of course) John! So Abraham's great great grandson was the John Doolittle who stars in today's post.

John Doolittle (1750-1825) is my first cousin, six times removed. I'll explain that relationship at the bottom of this post. He married Hannah Guernsey (1755-?), the great great great granddaughter of John Guernsey, who was thought to have emigrated from the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel and settled in Milford, Connecticut.

Quoting from The Doolittle Family in America, with my remarks in brackets:

John Doolittle was a stone mason by trade. In 1786, with the war of independence ended, he and Hannah with their 3 young ch. [Mary, age 8; Abel, age 6; and John, age 4] moved from Watertown and made the first settlement on the west side of the Susquehanna river in N.Y. It was at the mouth of Doolittle Creek, where the town of Win[d]sor, Broome Co., now stands.

Here is a map showing that today's trip from Watertown to Windsor would be 191 miles.

The story continues:

At that early day it was all a howling wilderness inhabited by Indians and wild animals. John cleared a place in the woods, built a log house with one room and made some rough furniture--the table and some of the wooden plates are still preserved.

The following is told by his gr. dau. Mrs. Marietta Doolittle Maynard, of Stanford, N.Y.: "When my grandparents rem. from Conn., grand father walked and carried large leather saddle-bags with their clothing in, and grand mother and the 3 ch. rode horseback on a big leather pillion containing other parts of their outfit. Their living was mostly game, fish and corn. After locating, my grandfather built a mill to prepare their corn for jonny-cake which they would bake on a board before the fire.

"They had many interesting experiences with the Indians. At one time he found a savage almost frozen to death. Grandfather cut a stick so that the Indian could help himself along, but the latter fainted--thinking the white man was going to kill him. Grandfather carried water from the creek in his hat and restored the Indian whom he took home with him. It was six weeks before the sick man was able to go away. In a short time he returned with a present of some apples and the carcass of a deer. Soon after this four Indians came and urged grandfather to go to the river bank with them, where they dug up an iron kettle of silver coins. They kept the money themselves, but sent the kettle home to grandmother.

"Their pioneer life had many trials and privations. One day three years after emigrating, Hannah was gathering greens and caught sight of a white woman across the river--the first since leaving Conn. By means of a slab raft they met, and she learned that a number of families had come to the locality. Soon after this religious services and a school were started."

The Doolittle Family in America goes on to tell that John and Hannah had seven sons and two daughters:

Mary, born Sep 27, 1778, married David Way

Abel, born Jul 27, 1780

John, born Sep 19, 1782

David, born Dec 28, 1786

Roswell, born Apr 26, 1790; died Aug 3, 1794

Sally, born Oct 18, 1794

Garrett, born Feb 6, 1797

Charles, born Sep 13, 1799

"They lived near the old homestead and d. at good old ages. Some of their descendants still reside in the same vicinity but many are scattered in other states. His sons became farmers. Their lands except Samuel's joined their father's along Doolittle Brook and the place is known as Doolittle Farms. There they lived and d.

John, Sr. prob did not remain more than a few years on the lands he originally settled near Win[d]sor, but rem. 1 1/2 miles farther up the river and located at what is now Onaquago [now called Onaquaga] in Broome Co. [New York].