Finding Bridget Magurn (1856-1896)

 

(Part 1)

The road to find Bridget Magurn was a long and rocky one. Up until the day in 1994 when I found the birth registration of my grandfather, John Magurn, we’d understood his parents to be Edward and Mary Monaghan Magurn. But this record blew up the theory. His mother was Bridget and no father was named. 

There are no stories of Bridget passed down in the family. All we know of her is from the paper trail she unwittingly left behind.

Civil Birth Registration (transcription below)

No.45    1878     Twenty Sixth July, Carn    male    (no father named)    (mother): Bridget McGurran    no profession   (Informant): Edward McGurran X His mark, Occupier, Carn
Registration Twenty Seventh July 1878

Carn is the small town in County Fermanagh Ireland where they lived.

After that birth registration document, we found nothing more about Bridget. Did she marry? Move away? And how could we ever find out who John’s birth father was? Because he was Catholic, I knew there was a good chance his father would be named on a baptismal record, but Irish records are notoriously difficult to locate, where available at all. It took nearly 30 years until finally Julie Cottrell Ferguson and her mother Linda Forman Cottrell were able to locate John’s baptism certificate. And finally, we knew who John’s father was! (In Latin)

Transcription: Julii (July) 27    Joannes (John)    Bridgeta McGurn (Pater putat et Protest.) Robertus McKinsey (The "putative" or supposed, father is Protestant. Robert McKinsey 

So what happens after that? We can’t find Bridget Magurn anywhere. On his first marriage certificate John lists his parents as:Edward Magurn and Mary Magurn Monnaghan. This is who John’s daughter, Mary Sarah (Sister Margaret) thought his parents were. On his marriage certificate to Josephine Decima Canham, he lists his parents as Edward Magurn and Bridget Magurn. So he must have known something about his true parentage. 

But what happened to Bridget?

Stay tuned for Part  2

OUR COLORFUL FAMILY

IN 2018 I put this chart together (for fun) showing all the colorful names in our family tree. Not a lot has changed since then but we could add a handful of new colorful names now:

WHITEMAN

BROWNLEE

GREENAWALT

GOLDEN

GREYMANTLE

GRAYHAM

We've also got the four points of the compass:

NORTHFIELD

SOUTHCOTT & SOUTHGATE

EASTBURN

WEST & WESTERGARD & WESTON

And some weather!

 WEATHERALD & WETHERELL 

RAINS & RAINSBOROUGH

SNOWBERGER

SLEIGHS for the snow!

WINDER

HALES

William Lake Forman (1829-1919) WORK

What did they do for a living? We know that most of the women took care of the home and the children until well into the 20th century when they were finally able to enter the workforce in large numbers. The men in our family tree worked at most occupations you can think of from farmers to cobblers to gardeners to carpenters to engineers to business executives, and so on. 

 William Lake Forman (1829-1919) didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps of being a confectioner. Samuel L. Forman died at age 39 in 1844, so we only know about his business because of 2 city directory listings and the inventory that was done after his untimely death which listed “confectionary tools of the trade.” In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the confectioner was the most highly regarded of all tradesmen involved with food preparation. The confectioner prepared desserts, candies, and other sugar-related delicacies. But William was only 15 when his father died, so he wasn’t ready to take over such a business.

In the 1850 census, William L., now 21, is living at home with his mother Eliza, his sisters Mary and Emma (19 & 14) and little brother Isaac (10). This is the first time we see his occupation listed as House Painter. He married Amanda McAllister in 1853. 

From 1855-1867 he is listed as a house painter in the Philadelphia City directories. In 1858 he is the secretary of the Journeyman House Painters Association, and as such posted notices in the newspaper regarding meetings so we get this glimpse of his serious involvement in his trade.

In 1868, brother Isaac joins him and they become “Forman and Brother” house painters. They continued together for a few years before parting ways. Isaac continued on as a house painter for the rest of his life, as far as can be determined. But somehow by 1877 William is employed as a clerk.

We got lucky in that he was employed by the City of Philadelphia, so there are some records to be found. From the Journal of the Common Council of the City of Philadelphia, he is listed as the signer of warrants of the department of the Clerk of Quarter Sessions. 

In 1879 there was a big reaction to the news that citizens felt that the salaries of the city officials were too high. The opinion was that the city clerks (of which William L. was one) should make no more than clerks working outside city government, such as bank clerks. Initially there was talk of a reduction in force, but instead the decision was made to reduce salaries. William L. Forman is listed as a ‘search clerk’ earning $1000 per year. After the change, his salary was reduced to $900 per year. How would you enjoy that 10% cut in pay?

In 2017 I was contacted by a woman whose maiden name was Magurn (the same as my mother Josephine Teresa Magurn Forman.) Her ancestor and my grandfather were both from the same area in Northern Ireland so we were sure we had to be related. We both had our DNA results and were so surprised to find that we were not related! That is a whole ‘nother mystery to solve, but the interesting part is that she sent me a copy of her ancestor’s naturalization papers from 1889 Philadelphia. I was stunned and delighted to see who had signed the document: William L. Forman!See the document at right. (He has beautiful penmanship!)

Whether he was tired of the life of a clerk, feeling his age, or whatever the reason, in 1899 William L. has left the city offices and is again listed in the city directories as a house painter, as well as a glazier (one who cuts, installs, or removes glass.) This continues until 1905 when he is 76 years old, and again working as a clerk! The last we know of his occupation is the 1910 Census which indicates he is still working as a clerk in an office. (He’s 81 at that time!)

Another interesting tidbit was found in the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper in 1911. There was another big shake-up at City Hall. 58 clerks in the law department were asked to resign, while 21 were retained. 82 year old William L. Forman was one of those retained as a clerk to a trial assistant, earning $900 per year. (The same as he made 30 years earlier!!)

I can’t find any other mention of him between then and his death in 1919. But those invited to his funeral show his wide range of interests: Philadelphia Association of Disabled Firemen, employees of City Solicitor’s Office, 40th Ward Republican Club, and Veteran Firemen’s Association.

Music in the Forman Family

Ivan, Mildred, Ross, Ward

 Music played a large role in the Forman family. Edgar Charles Forman (1896-1981) worked for RCA in the classical music production and marketing area for over 50 years. His wife Annie Baragwanath Forman (1890-1968) fell in love with music and devoted much of her life to her cello. According to Alma Forman (wife of E. Ross), Annie took up the cello after her youngest, Mildred, was born with a hip problem, and dancing and cello lessons commenced to help with her rehabilitation. Annie took up the cello along with her daughter.

  All four of Ed and Annie’s children were put into music lessons. Ross, the eldest, played the piano. Ivan took up the violin. Ward learned the clarinet, and of course, Mildred had her cello. This ensemble appeared on local school stages and on Camden Radio station WCAM. The family sacrificed during the depression to have all 4 children in music lessons. Annie raised chickens and sold the eggs to help defray the costs.

1933 Ivan, Ward, Mildred

All the children continued to play their instruments through high school in their school orchestras. Ward also played in his school’s band. In college after the war, he formed a band – the Hungry Five Quartet. He played with the Elk’s band and the Shriner’s band in Atlantic City. In his high school year book he said he was interested in being first chair clarinetist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He gave up his clarinet after he married. He used his musical talents as the Sunday School Music Leader in the Tulare Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for several years. He organized the fund raisers to buy the ward an organ since up until then there had only been a piano in the church. At the same time, he bought a duplicate organ and had 3 of his girls take lessons. All of Ward’s daughters can play the organ and piano (to varying degrees!) Most of his grandchildren had music lessons as they grew up. Many piano players and some talented singers came from this generation. Quite a few tried their hand at different instruments in school: saxophones, clarinets, flutes, violins, recorders, guitars, oboes, but no cellos. Ross, the oldest of Annie's children, studied the flute in high school in order to play in the band, which qualified him for free admittance to the football games! He continued his musical studies through college where he played in the Drexel Orchestra and studied the piccolo. He continued to study both instruments after graduation. Mildred and Ivan weren’t great fans of the classical music they’d always played and didn’t continue lessons after high school. Ivan’s daughter, Jamie, is a talented organist and taught music in schools for years.

Even after the children were gone, Annie continued her cello lessons for the rest of her life. When the children were still home they were not allowed in the house when she had her lessons or was practicing as she was not to be interrupted! Her relationship with her cello was sacred and gave meaning to her life. She studied with accomplished teachers as she honed her craft, and played in the Fleischer Symphony for a time. She even had a lesson the day before she passed away. If we go back a generation we can find evidence of musical interest or talent in Edgar’s father, William Charles Forman (1859-1938.) We know he was involved with the Merchantville (NJ) Band, as the recording secretary from 1890-1892. No indication if he played an instrument, but it’s likely. The family had the minute book that he kept but donated it to the Camden County Historical Society. We don’t know any other details of his musical interests. Thanks to Alma K. Forman for her compilation of family stories that help to keep them alive for future generations.

Edward Harned (1831-1904) - The Youngest

 

Edward Harned 1831-1904
(colorized by My Heritage)

Quakers John Harned and Phebe Laing married 27 March 1811 and ten months later, Jennette was born. Then came Rachel, Jonathan, Jacob, Mary, John, Phebe, Benjamin Franklin, Joseph, Rebecca and bringing up the rear, child #11 was our direct ancestor, Edward Harned. He arrived 10 Jan 1831 in Woodbridge, New Jersey. On a side note, I had a Harned 'cousin' challenge me on whether Edward was in this family or not. As you can see, he was the last born, there at the bottom left. There is also a Quaker Meeting record showing his birth and his parents.

  His mother, Phebe, died when he was just 8 years old. His father married Elizabeth Shotwell 4 years later. We can assume Edward had a fairly typical Quaker upbringing, but there are no records from his childhood or youth.

  Quakers believed in the inner light – the idea that God was a spiritual presence within each individual and could speak to all humans through the words and actions of anyone. Quaker meetinghouses were unadorned spaces where men and women worshipped equally. On Sundays, which they called ‘First Day,” they worshipped in silence, waiting until “the spirit found them,” and inspired them to speak. They tended to reject worldliness and became easy to recognize because of their use of the pronouns ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ and their refusal to doff their hats to social superiors since they believed in a spiritual equality. Edward’s father, John, passed away in 1848, when Edward was just 17. At age 20, Edward received his legacy from his father’s will: $300. [Today this would be almost $10,000.] In the next year or so, he married Hannah Anne Yardley. They had 6 children: Lydia, Harriet (our ancestor), Horace, Ruthanna, John, and Anna. From tax records in the mid-1850s we can see that Edward bought himself a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, probably made possible by his legacy from his father. He had 35 acres of land worth $48/acre, 2 horses and 3 cattle. The taxable value was $1793. By 1860 he and his family are living in Bel Air, Maryland, on a farm valued at $6000. But in 1870 they are back in Bucks County. Wouldn’t we like knowing what that move was about?

In 1863 he registered for the draft, but his record says “Paid Commutation.” The Quakers took this stance: “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fighting with outward weapons for any end or under any pretense whatever; this is our testimony to the whole world.” [George Fox] In the North, if a man called to military service could provide a substitute or pay a $300 Commutation Fee, he was exempted from serving. It appears that Edward’s conscience didn’t allow him to serve, though where he would have come up with $300 is not known. In 1873 a “Certificate of Removal” from Rahway, NJ (Plainfield Monthly Meeting) recommended him as a member in the Mt. Holly Monthly Meeting, Burlington, New Jersey. So they’ve moved again.

He has been hired to take care of the Mt. Holly meetinghouse in 1880. He was to be paid $32 per year! Later that year the Mt. Holly Meeting was informed that Edward Harned was not satisfied with his pay, so they raised it to $40/year. In 1884 his pay was raised to $4/month! In 1891 Edward requested that his Certificate be transferred to Haddonfield from Mt. Holly because he would be nearer the Camden Meeting. His daughter, Harriet had married William C. Forman in 1886 and was living in the Camden area, as was his son, Horace, so they probably wanted to be near their children as they got older.

Edward passed away 2 May 1904 and was buried in the Mt. Holly Friends’ Burial Ground. Hannah died 10 Jun 1910 and was buried next to him. Our ancestry: Edward & Hannah Anne Yardley Harned >> Harriet Yardley Harned >> Edgar Charles Forman >> Edgar Ross, Ivan Lake or Ward Harned Forman

To our Mothers!

                                                                          Happy Mothers Day!

1955 Terry Forman holding Kathi, Annie E. Forman with Linda, unknown child on right

Here's to the Mothers in our family tree! JOSEPHINE TERESA MAGURN FORMAN (TERRY), mother of Linda, Kathleen, Claire, Annette. 

JOSEPHINE DECIMA CANHAM MAGURN (DESSIE), mother of TERRY, Joan, Philip, Margaret, Peter.  

JANE MANGAN CANHAM, mother of Josephine Decima (DESSIE), Beatrice Louise (Louie), Mary Ellen (Mable), Ethel, Addie, Alec.

 ANN GIBNEY MANGAN, mother of JANE, Peter, John, Catherine, Bridget.

BRIDGET MAGURN, who makes me sad because we know nothing about her - mother of John Magurn (who married DESSIE).

ANNIE ELIZABETH BARAGWANATH FORMAN, mother of Ward (my father), Ross, Ivan, Mildred.

FLORENCE CAMILLA ROSS BARAGWANATH, mother of ANNIE and Florrie.

ANN ELIZABETH SPIECE ROSS, mother of FLORENCE, William, Henry, Benjamin F, Edwin S, Ann Elizabeth.

CHRISTIANA STOLTZ SPIECE, mother of ANN ELIZABETH, Christiana, Louis, Caroline, Rebecca.

And that my friends, is as far as we can go tracing just through our female lines. If we traced our mothers on our father's lines, we would go much further back especially with the Harneds (Grandpop Forman's maternal line, which leads to our Mayflower connection as well as other notables). So Happy Mother's Day to all these mothers who made it possible for us to be here today. And while we're at it - Thanks, MOTHER EVE for making the choice that gave us all a chance.

Trail of the Copper King - Orlando Baragwanath (1872-1972)

 

We’ve talked about our Baragwanaths in Cornwall, England, but what about the branch that traveled to South Africa?

We aren’t closely related to Orlando Baragwanath, the subject of the book“Trail of the Copper King” by T. V. Bulpin – he’s my second cousin 7 times removed! Our common ancestors are Richard Baragwanath (born 1699) and Zenobia Stevens (born 1705), of Cornwall, England. 

 Jump forward 5 generations and we encounter John Albert Baragwanath who took his family on the trip of a lifetime – from Cornwall, England to Durban, South Africa, in 1850. John had been a Cornish sea captain. His first wife, Elizabeth Jane Trise, mother of Elizabeth Grace, Orlando, John Albert Jr., and Emily E., passed away the year before the voyage. He quickly married Wilmot Baragwanath (a cousin) later the same year. The family set sail in February 1850 on the “Lady Bruce.” 

They joined 150 other settlers intent on a new life in a new land, with the promise of land at the end of the journey. “Each adult will be provided with an intermediate passage, including provisions on a liberal dietary scale, for the sum of 19 pounds, or a steerage passage for 10 pounds, and on arrival in Natal [Durban] have secured to him twenty acres of freehold land.” The passage monies had to be paid in advance and each passenger needed their own knife, fork, tablespoon, teaspoon, metal plate, a hook-pot, a mug and bedding. Each ship was required to carry a doctor. 

John and Wilmot’s first child together, Charles, was born on the ship, but died a few weeks after arriving at their destination, aged 8 weeks. They reached their destination on 9 May 1850. John, Wilmot and the 4 living children settled on a farm called “Isipingo” just south of Durban. Son John Albert was later apprenticed to a saddle maker. He opened his own trading store, ran the Concordia hotel, and had some prospecting operations. He was very successful and prosperous. 

He married Elizabeth Adelaide Trennery and together they had ten children. Oldest son Orlando (Orrie), born in 1872, was the stuff legends were made of! Orlando lived to be 100 years old (photo right,) and on the occasion of that milestone, an article was written about him in the “Rhodesiana” publication. “In the autumn of 1894 a solitary passenger climbed off ...[an] ox-drawn Cape cart in Fort Victoria. . . He was Orlando Baragwanath, a young man of 22 years with some mining experience, a prospector’s zest for the unknown and an explorer’s nature.” For the next few years he worked at different mines, learning and yearning for adventure. 

 In May 1899, Orrie and his partner Frank Lewis, set out, their supplies packed in 50 lb. loads packed on two wagons and a four-ply canoe. They had six pack donkeys and ten armed natives. They had no need of money so they took white calico called “limbo” for currency. They had contracted for a 3-year stint with the Tanganyika Concessions Company, earning £25/month. The surface copper had been known, worked and traded long before. But these men were the first to use dynamite to find more beneath the surface in Northern Rhodesia! They pegged and named many copper mines on their travels, and in 1901 discovered the vast copper field on the Wusikili river, which later became the great Nkana Mine and the heart of the fabulous Copperbelt. 

 At the spot where John Albert had his farm and hotel now stands Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in what is now the black township of Soweta in Johannesburg, which opened in World War II to care for British soldiers. It once held the Guinness World Record for the largest hospital on earth with almost 3300 beds but has been edged out by at least 3 others by 2016. 

 Some of this material was found in an article from: http://www.rhodesia.nl/rhodesiana/volume28.pdf “Orlando Baragwanath: A Centenarian Pioneer of Rhodesia” by Roger Howman. “Rhodesiana” Publication No. 28, July 1973, The Rhodesiana Society, Salisbury, Rhodesia.

Drawings are from the book pictured above, Trail of the Copper King. This copy was given to my dad by his parents in 1961. It is presently in my possession.

So Far Away - Swanton Morley and Abraham Lincoln

 

I’ve previously written about Joseph Canham, his home named Clondalkin, and the cemetery in Swanton Morley. Did you know that through Swanton Morley we have a connection to Abraham Lincoln??

 

Swanton Morley is a village located at the geographical center of Norfolk County in England. This small village has a long history; it was documented in the 11th-century Domesday Book*, and was home to the ancestors of Abraham Lincoln. And since at least the early 1700s, it has been the home to many of our ancestors. The Canham line alone can be found there as far back as 1789 when Zachariah Canham married Mary Fish in All Saints Church (pictured) which was built in the 1370s. Other family lines branching off from the Canhams in more recent generations, such as the Harvey line which extends from the wife (Mary Ann Dawson Smyth) of John Canham (son of Zachariah Canham) can be traced as far as Christmas Eve 1706 when William Harvey was baptized in All Saints Church. And chances are if the proper records are located, this line will extend even further back in Swanton. “Swanton” is derived from the Old English for herdsman’s enclosure, and “Morley” refers to the fact that the parish was held by Robert de Morli in 1346. The oldest recorded objects found in the area include items from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods, the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Roman occupation. The Angel, a pub run by Canham family members in earlier times, was probably named for a medieval stone carving of a genuflecting angel found in a nearby well house.

Oh, and about that Abraham Lincoln connection? So far, I haven’t found out we’re family, but it could yet happen! Richard Lincoln (1550-1620), a local churchwarden who built the above-named Angel public house was the wealthy grandfather of Samuel Lincoln.

Richard Lincoln disinherited Samuel’s father Edward in favor of his fourth wife, thus throwing the Lincoln family into penury and forcing young Samuel to flee from Swanton Morley to Hingham, Massachusetts. His great-great-great-great-grandson was none other than Abraham Lincoln!

Such a far-away place with a connection to our very genes! How far away exactly? Well, obviously this will vary for each of us, but from my home to the church in Swanton Morley is 4,803.55 miles.

Many of the details of this piece are from Wikipedia. 

 *A record of the “Great Survey” of much of England and parts of Wales, completed in 1086 by order of King William the Conquerer.

Quaker Conundrum - Benjamin Taylor III (1751-1832)

 

Recent photo of Makefield Friends Meeting House, built in 1752

What is a young Quaker man to do when the Revolutionary War comes to his doorstep? Benjamin Taylor III, my 5th great-grandfather, faced this difficult decision. Should he join in the conflict or remain strictly aloof according to Quaker principles? This must have been a trying time for him and other young (and not so young) Quaker men in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

  Since its beginning the Society of Friends (Quakers) had always maintained a position of strict opposition to war, forbidding its members to have any participation in it. They stressed active, peaceful solutions to all disputes, whether personal or national. It was their duty to uphold the Christian principle of non-violence. Those who acted against the religion’s tenents and refused to repent were usually expelled from the faith. But when actual warfare occurs they are in a particularly difficult situation. In the Revolution they faced the trial of choosing which loyalty to uphold: the Patriot cause or the Christian cause. Most Friends of the time were sympathetic to the Revolution. Staying clear of the conflict, they helped in other ways, such as providing food and clothing, and caring for the wounded. It is not generally known how heavily the Quakers were fined for non-participation in the war. Benjamin Taylor I (my 7th great-grandfather), who was eighty-three in 1778 was fined £100 (worth at least $5000 today.) In many cases Friends’ homes were raided. It was a difficult time to stand by ones principles.

 In the fall and early winter of 1776, the country around Taylorsville was the scene of preparations for the momentous Battle of Trenton to come. We all know about Washington crossing the Delaware but we know little about the preparations for it. Soldiers were quartered in all the farmhouses of the area. Durham boats, used for transporting iron from the Durham Furnace in northern Bucks County, were commandeered and hidden in the dark seclusion of Taylor’s Island in the Delaware River. On Christmas night the little army crossed the ice-filled Delaware and surprised the British, garrisoned at Trenton, early the next morning.

This crossing was made from the shore of ancestral property belonging to Benjamin Taylor III. Little is known of Benjamin’s part in this episode in history, but the question could easily be asked, “Could a young man of twenty-five have witnessed the preparations for battle and not be inspired to take action?”

 From The Taylors of Washington Crossing by Arthur Edwin Bye: “There has always been a tradition handed down in the family…, that Benjamin Taylor ‘helped Washington cross the Delaware.’ He probably was one of the enlisted men, and his ‘help’ was merely that he was one of the party. This is corroborated by documentary evidence, for there is a record that he was paid $60 for two months service in Captain Henry Van Horn’s company of militia commanded by Joseph Kirkbride, January 1777. So he was among those who rowed across the icy river and stealthily marched to Trenton.” So what happened to Benjamin Taylor in his Quaker community for his participation? Historian Arthur J. Mekeel calculates that between 1774 and 1785, 1,724 Quakers were disowned from the faith for participating in the Revolution in some way, shape or form. But it seems that our ancestor was never disciplined for his participation in the Revolution. It had most likely been of short duration and he never made an issue of it with the Friends’ Meeting. “One is not apt to get into trouble if one keeps quiet.” Much of this information comes from the book listed above, The Taylors of Washington Crossing which is now in the public domain and can be accessed at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005769426. We are related to most of those mentioned in the book. Our ancestry from Benjamin Taylor III>>Lydia Taylor>>Benjamin Taylor Yardley>>Hannah Anne Yardley>>Harriet Yardley Harned>>Edgar Charles Forman (and from there through his sons Edgar Ross, Ivan Lake, and Ward Harned Forman.)

What's in a Name? Mary Forman (1831-1869)

 

Samuel L. Forman (died in 1844) and Eliza Lake had 4 living children according to the 1850 Census: William, Mary, Emma, Isaac. Found both the boys and their stories (it’s so much easier with males!) But what about Mary and Emma? There’s a marriage between a Mary Forman and Samuel Lukens in 1857. Could it be her? We see an Emma Lukens living with her (probable) grandmother Eliza L. Forman in 1870, so the name is familiar. But it took Mary’s death to fill in the gaps and assure us we were on the right track.

  I found this Death Notice for 2 March 1869 in the Philadelphia Public Ledger [newspaper]:

 LUKENS - At Gloucester [NJ], on the 1st inst, after a lingering illness, Mrs. Mary Lukens, in the 38th year of her age. Due notice will be given of the funeral. 

 Other information, including the fact that Eliza and her son Isaac are living in Gloucester, NJ, later make this seem to be likely our Mary Forman. But is there more to be found?? The fact that the death notice said “due notice will be given of the funeral” made me think there must have been another announcement a day or so later in the paper. But my searches at Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank were returning nothing. So… I had to dig a bit and look through the papers myself, but I found this in the 3 March 1869 Public Ledger (and boy, am I glad I kept digging!):

LUKINS - On the 1st inst. at Gloucester, N.J., Mrs. MARY LUKINS, widow of Samuel Lukins, and daughter of Eliza Lake and the late Samuel L. Forman, aged 38 years. The relatives and friends, and Southwark Union No 11 U.C. of B and S are respectfully invited to attend her funeral, from the residence of her brother, Mr. Wm L. Forman No 609 Fisher Street, near Tasker street, Philadelphia, on Thursday afternoon, at 2 o'clock. to proceed to Ebenezer Vault. 

 Here are the things we learn from that short listing:

 1 - On the short and simple obituary her surname is spelled “Lukens”, which is how it is spelled in every other document found except on the detailed obituary, when it was spelled “Lukins” so it didn’t show up in my searches. So a lesson for the researcher there! 

2 - Mary was in fact married to Samuel Lukens. (He died in 1863, leaving their only living child, Emma, an orphan.)

3 - Mary is the daughter of Eliza Lake and Samuel L. Forman. We have no doubt now that this is the right family. 

4 – Eliza’s maiden name is used here – Lake – only the 2nd record I have found which uses it. 5 – Mary’s brother is William L. Forman, who we have discussed several times before. 

So what’s in a name? Quite a lot when you consider various spellings that can hide information.

  Something that struck me after learning of Mary’s early death is what her mother Eliza lived through in her 90 years: - Husband Samuel Longstreet Forman died at age 39. - Daughter Emma Forman died in 1856 at age 20, unmarried. - Daughter Mary Forman Lukens died in 1869 (see above) at age 38. - Both her daughters-in-law died young (William L.’s wife Amanda died in 1875 at age 39. Isaac’s wife, Hannah died in 1872 at age 27.) - 2 grandbabies (at least) died very young. (Samuel L. and George, who we talked about before.) - In 1870 Mary’s daughter, Emma (probably named after Mary’s sister, Emma), is living with her grandmother, so it’s likely that Eliza had to take over mothering the child when she was already in her late 60’s. I can’t imagine how it would be to bury a loved one every time you turned around! And we haven’t yet figured out who Eliza’s parents or siblings are, so there could be even more heartbreak in her life. While we’re on that subject, pray for us to find Eliza’s family please! The Lake family has deep roots in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas, but I haven’t yet been able to place her in any of the off-shoots.

The Civil War Fife - Louis D. Spiece (1840-1895)

 

   In early January 2017 I received a message through Ancestry.com from someone who had a photo of Louis D. Spiece (brother of Ann Elizabeth Spiece who married John Ross, and who was my 2nd great-great uncle.) She was anxious to place it with his family and offered it to me. I was thrilled. Sadly, a few days later she decided to keep the photo along with the other artifacts related to her ancestor. (She sent a photo of the picture.) The story though is still of interest: Louis D. Spiece, age 23, an unmarried teacher, enlisted as a private to fight in the Civil War in August 1862 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and was promoted to First Sergeant. After his mustering out in May 1863, he raised a company and was elected Captain of Co. C, 205th Regiment. Meanwhile, Samuel B. Fluke, who had tried to enlist but was rejected, was finally accepted on the promise of Captain Louis D. Spiece that he would not bear arms. So he was assigned to the 205th regiment as a Chief Musician, then promoted to fife major of the regiment. Samuel’s duties saw him up at 5 a.m. making the rounds with the drum major, sounding reveille, guard mount, sick call, roll call, and so on through the day until the final “Lights Out” signal at 9 p.m. He also did the cooking - “hard tack and pork one meal and pork and hard tack the next.” The silver fife which he played was presented to him by the officers of his company. It bears the inscription - Presented by Capt. L. D. Spiece and Lieut. Lower of Co. C, 205th Regt. P.I. To S. B. Fluke Musician of said Regt. At Harrisburg, Pa., Sept. 3rd, 1864

(Information from “Recollections of Bygone Days in the Cove” by Ella M. Snowberger, posted by the Fluke family on Ancestry.com)

  Many years later Louis applied for a disability pension that required many letters from those who had served with him in company C. One letter-writer was the fife player Samuel B. Fluke who told what he remembered and wrote, “I had no reason to doubt his word for he was and is still a man of truth and temperate habits.” Another wrote that he saw the Captain struck on the side of the neck with the butt of a gun by a rebel. Louis suffered in his later years with severe neck and back pain, and lingering effects of the ague he contracted in the swamps of Virginia. His disability claim was denied because there was no company surgeon’s report regarding his injury or illness. He passed away in 1895 at age 55. According to his obituary he had a ‘brilliant war record.’ “Captain Spiece was a brave and honorable soldier and a generous, whole-souled friend...Just 30 years after he laid down his sword and returned to his home in Bedford county, his life’s battle ends and his spirit takes its flight to the land of endless peace.”

In the early 1960's Dad was a teacher of preschool and kindergarten deaf children at Maple School in Tulare, California. The program at Maple School, which began in 1960, was unique in the United States. The 3-classroom unit was the only unit built for education of the deaf with local funds and under local authority. Without this facility in Tulare, the deaf children educated there would have had to attend residence schools for the deaf - away from home and families.

  We don't know how Ward became involved in this branch of education. His Bachelor's degree was in business. He worked on his Masters degree, something related to deaf-education, at San Francisco State before securing the position in Tulare. We have an old recording of sounds Claire made as a baby (she was born in 1958) that he made as part of his course work. I believe the sounds were to be compared to those made by a deaf baby. Ward was the only male teacher of pre-school deaf children in the United States. Many of these details come from a newspaper article printed 10 Mar 1962 in the Tulare Advance Register titled "Science, Loving Care Make the Difference." According to the article, he taught six 3-4 year olds in the morning, and in the afternoon he taught 5-6 kindergarten children. "With toys, paint sets, rock collections, a large mirror and lots of patience, he succeeds in giving them audiometer tests, teaching them the fundamentals of lip reading, and preparing them for the instruction they will get in the future."

 Though the article doesn't mention sign language I'm pretty sure that's what he is doing in the first photo, even though the kids are more focused on the photographer! From an American Sign Language site, it looks like he could be saying 'sign' or 'do a sign.' But it's hard to know for certain! I remember him teaching us some signs, but all I can remember is how to sign "You are pretty."

Close-Up on John Magurn (1878-1956)

 

We’re all familiar with this great photo of John Magurn (Grammy’s father) from World War I. He served in the Argyll and Sutherland, and also the Seaforth Highlander kilted brigades. (As shown in his medal record - A&S.H., Seaforth)

In trying to lighten the very dark and faded photo and bring out some detail, it became clear that close up, he’s holding something in his left hand. The handle is apparent below his index finger. I did some searching and it appears that many of the men carried a cane, baton or ‘swagger stick’ with their uniforms, though it was a private purchase, not part of the official ‘kit.’ Doing a search online shows many men in similar poses.

So I got interested in the rest of his uniform, and learned a few interesting things. On his head is a glengarry bonnet, a traditional Scots cap made of dark blue woolen cloth. There would be flat black ribbons about an inch wide hanging down the back. A red ‘toorie” (pom pom) is on the crown. The checkerboard pattern around the cap is red and white ‘dicing’. It sounds like this was used in the early days of World War I, so this photo might be older than 1914. By 1915 a khaki “Tam-o-Shanter” type bonnet was worn. I believe the badge on his cap is the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders medal. The center scroll would read: Argyll and Sutherland. In the center is a very fancy “L” which stands for Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll), with a boars head on the left and the cat of Clan Sutherland on the right under a coronet. Ten thistles and their greenery form the outer edge.

The jacket is a cut-away with rifle patches and pleated breast pockets. It was likely dark brown. Khaki spats (gaiters) were worn over low Highland shoes – not boots. Some wore socks with the same ‘dicing’ as on the hat, but I don’t think Grandpa is wearing them in this photo. The ‘things’ on his socks are called ‘flashes’ and served as garters to keep the socks up. Have you ever wondered why his kilt was so plain? Well, wonder no more. He is wearing a ‘kilt cover’! The cover fully wrapped around the body and had a pleated rear. Many had front pockets to replace the sporran, but this one doesn’t look like it has one. Why cover the beautiful tartan kilt? World War I was largely fought in the nasty dirty environment of trenches throughout Europe and soldiers were looking for a way to protect their kilts from the grime and wet. The cover helped the uniform survive the elements. The only question now is why did he have his photo taken in the cover instead of the kilt, which was likely beneath it? I have seen many formal portraits just like this, so there must have been a reason. The kilt itself would have been of the Black Watch tartan in the Argyll and Sutherlands. The Seaforths wore the MacKenzie tartan. So just by looking closer, we know a lot more about John Magurn’s military uniform than we did before!

Here is a colorized photo of what Grandpa's uniform would have looked like with all the bells and whistles. Notice the swagger stick.

Canham - The Old Homestead & The Cemetery in Swanton Morley, Norfolk, England

 

Joseph Canham (1857-1939) was Grammy’s grandfather. He built a house in Swanton Morley and named it Clondalkin. Long ago, the houses were named, not numbered. Joseph’s wife, Jane Mangan (1866-1950) was born in Ireland. Her birth and baptism records only name Oldcastle, Meath, Ireland as her residence. But in the 1939 English Register she lists her place of birth as “Clondalkin.” Both of their death records list their residence as Clondalkin, Swanton Morley.

The photo shows the house in 2011. There is a sign above the front porch that says “Clondalkin.” I zoomed in and added that slice to the photo – it’s fuzzy but readable. I like that the current homeowners have kept the name. Grammy (Josephine Teresa Magurn - “Terry”) remembers visiting her grandparents at Clondalkin as a child. “One time we were visiting my grandparents in Swanton [Morley,] England and my grandfather – Grandjoe we called him, was up a ladder by the house and [when] he turned around I was right behind him. He nearly had a fit. Another time I poisoned his goldfish in the side garden. He used to love to let my grandmother's pet pig – they called the pig Dennis – she was called Nan – out of his pen and he'd chase my sister Joan and I all over the place. I thought it was fun. Joan was petrified.”

This Latin cross with a curbed surround is the resting place for Joseph Canham and his wife Jane. Located in the church yard of All Saints Church in Swanton Morley, Norfolk, England, it is fitting that they are buried where they served so valiantly during their lives. Joseph was the church clerk and sexton, appointed in January 1900. A sexton is an officer of the Church of England charged with the maintenance of its buildings and the surrounding graveyard. From the small book “Our Knickers Were Interesting – A Norfolk Village Childhood” by Daisy Rayner we learn that as the sexton, he rang the church bells and dug the graves. “Today they cannot bury in Swanton Morley churchyard because the graves cave in. It did in those days as well, but Joe knew the way. He made a frame the size of the grave and as he dug a foot or so he would fix a plank in it at the top, like they used to brick wells. The well-sinkers made their wells from the top and dropped them as they went along. For all his cleverness Joe was a most unassuming man, small, wearing glasses and a cap. He was very well loved.” His wife, Jane, was described as a very small, quiet woman. She was the church cleaner. On a side note, the previous sexton and parish clerk was James Hickleton, the husband of Joseph’s aunt Harriet. Hickleton died in January 1900 and Joseph began his 33 years of service. The inscription on their grave marker reads: In every loving memory of Joseph the beloved husband of Jenny* CANHAM who died June 7th 1939 aged 82 years Parish clerk for 33 years Also his beloved wife Jenny* CANHAM died Oct 13th 1950 aged 84 years *This is the only place I have found where Jane is referred to as Jenny.

William Lewis Ross (1859-1923) SINGLE TAX REFORMER

 

As a young man, Will Ross (1859-1923) worked in the iron trade with his father, John Ross (1833-1890), and both were members of trade unions. Sometime in the 1880’s John joined a “Henry George Club” after hearing George speak in Cincinnati. He was a convert to Free Trade and the Single Tax and was an early and devoted reader of The Standard, the weekly newspaper started by Henry George.

 We can assume that Will joined his father because in 1892 he is a member of the Philadelphia Single Tax club, where he spent much time in studying and learning to speak in public. Henry George’s philosophy is explained in a letter Will wrote to the Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger newspaper, published 14 Feb 1917:

Land value is the only part of real estate that we propose to tax; not houses and other improvements. Personal property may be thine or it may be mine. But it is not ours. The land is neither mine nor thine; it is ours. According to justice, according to nature and nature’s laws, it is a free gift of the Creator, just as truly as the air, the sunshine and the ocean are of His bounty. We can establish our equal right to the earth by taking the rental value of land for public expenses. This would not burden agriculture, because there would be no tax on improvements. The single tax would lighten the burden on farmers who farm their farms, but would increase the burden on speculators who farm the farmers. He spent his adult life fighting for a Constitutional Amendment supporting the Single Tax. He was even jailed for 20 days in Dover, Delaware in 1896, along with 19 others, for violating town ordinances. After his release he spoke outside City Hall in Philadelphia: Let us place a square, honest tax on land valuation and let all other forms of taxation go. In the end it will be not only to the advantage of the workingman, but also to that of the man he works for. In 1919 he left his job as Superintendent of Public Baths for Philadelphia and moved with his wife, Anna, to California to take charge of the “Great Adventure Movement” as the Single Tax movement was called there. His wife was an active participant in the movement and often spoke at gatherings. He never lost faith in the “ultimate emancipation of the race” through Henry George’s remedy: The Single Tax. To him it was a religion. He was not successful in California and the movement splintered. His death in 1923 at age 64 was attributed to “acute nervous prostration” over the disappointments suffered in California. He died at his brother’s home in Camden, New Jersey. Hundreds attended his memorial in Arden, Delaware (a Single Tax community.) One of the Single Tax leaders said of William L. Ross that he was a martyr to the cause and spoke in glowing terms of Will’s faithfulness in anything he did.

[William Lewis Ross is my great-great uncle]

Who didn't move the cheese? (John Baragwanath 1762)

I'm not sure how we are connected to this John Baragwanath - we are related to virtually every Baragwanath in Cornwall but I haven't made the connection to this particular John. This John lived in Zennor Parish, Cornwall, England. As Church Warden it became his problem to remove some stinky cheese from the Church!

A history of  the parishes of St. Ives, Lelant, Towednack and Zennor in the County of Cornwall by John Hobson Matthews, published 1892, London.

p. 268-269

"The following entry, found on a flyleaf of one of the register-books of Zennor parish, shows that the payment of tithe in kind was for long afterwards the subject of disputes between the clergy and their parishioners:

    'Be it remembered, That on Sunday the 27th of June 1762, Thomas Osborn of Trewey, Robert Michell of Tregarthen, Matthew Thomas of Treen, and Elizabeth Phillips of the Church town, brought Butter and Cheese into the Chancel in the Time of Divine Service, imagining, I suppose, it would be accepted instead of their Tithes for Cows and Calves; but not being taken away either by them or any one else before it grew offensive, I ordered the Church Wardens, under pain of being cited to the Spiritual Court, to remove the same as an Indecency and a Nusance to the congregation. I here insert this lest my Successor should be imposed upon by being told that I accepted of that or any other Butter and Cheese instead of Tithes of Cows and Calves, which I assure him I did not, nor of any other sort of Tithe according to the Tenor of the Terrier, dated 1727, and held in the Register of the Consistory Court of Exeter; as Witness my hand this 21st day of July, 1762.

    Jacob Bullock, Vicar.

    N. B. Samuel Michell, Brother of the said Robert, and John Baragwanath, were church Wardens, and removed the said Butter and Cheese as a Nusance, at my Command.

    J. B. Vr.'  "

Ann Curtis Kriebel (1955-1983)

Ann Curtis Kriebel is my 4th cousin. I never met her but we were born just about a year apart - me in 1954 in California, Ann in 1955, Ohio. I 'met' her while extending our Harned line from common ancestors John Harned (1783-1848) and Phoebe Laing (1790-1839). I was first intrigued by her birth year, but then struck by the fact that she died in 1983 at age 28 in Costa Rica. Why was she there? I had to know more about this cousin.

I was able to locate her story written in the 15 December 1984 Friends Journal-Quaker Thought and Life Today. The article, titled Gracias a la Vida was written by Joyce Balderston.

Ann Curtis Kriebel - the name brings to mind happy smiles, big hugs, backpacks, fresh loaves of bread, walks in the woods, dulcimers, songs and singing, weaving, and hours of sharing ideas, plans, and dreams. My earliest recollection of Ann was in Wooster Friends Meeting, in Wooster, Ohio, when she was 11 years old and sitting quietly with her parents. Not having grown up as a Friend, I wondered how a young person could sit so quietly for an hour and what could be happening in that silence.

 Her Quaker background is mentioned with roots dating back to some of America's earliest history. Her mother's family [and ours - Harned] had been New Jersey Friends since their arrival in Burlington, New Jersey in 1683. 

Ann with guitar in San Luis, Costa Rica

She was educated at a private Quaker school: Westtown School, where her philosophy of simplicity began to develop. The verse about not laying up treasure on earth but rather in heaven led her to limit her own personal belongings. 

When asked to sing to her new friends in Costa Rica with her dulcimer she chose to sing "Simple Gifts." 

"Quakers have a testimony about simplicity," she explained. "To put material cares aside, and other more important things first..."

She struggled to define simplicity in a world of such obvious physical contrasts. "What does it really mean to 'live simply'? Will we arrive once we sell our blender and stereo? Does it mean giving up electricity and building an outhouse? Does simplicity come with making our own bread and granola? Is it really a matter of our material possessions or, rather, a state of mind, heart, and spirit? One of the lines of the song 'Simple Gifts' got stuck in my mind: 'When true simplicity is gained, to bow and to bend we shall not be ashamed.' "

Ann attended Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana. She first volunteered in Mexico after her junior year, and later worked in the barrios of Mexico City after she graduated. From there she moved to Monteverde, Costa Rica, a Friends community high in the mountains. She taught in the community school using her skills in language, music, and drama, teaching English to the Spanish-speaking and Spanish to the English-speaking. 

She returned to the United States in 1980 to teach Spanish-speaking adults in Boston. She struggled with the values of the high-tech, urban existence there. At the end of the year, she returned to Monteverde and secured funding for a literacy program in San Luis. In a letter home, she wrote: 

"Ovideo Leiton, who is in my literacy class, stood up and read aloud a two-page report, complete with lists of figures, and he did it beautifully...People seem proud of their pasts and eager to tell their stories...I wrote a song about deforestation, which I sang as Guillermo pantomimed it in dancelike fashion."

She wrote of the incredible success of the eyeglass project they were wrapping up. "But it will take some time to get used to suddenly seeing San Luis farmers in glasses!"

She was pleased with the seeds that she had helped to plant but was anxious for the people to be committed to furthering their own projects to address the needs of their people. 'Sometimes when you're so in the thick of it it's hard to see what's really going on, but then looking back...something has definitely happened - is happening - oftentimes very intangible, but still evident in subtle ways."

She died 24 November 1983 of an infection while serving in Costa Rica.

"True simplicity should connote not poverty but, rather, a richness of spirit, a joy in living, the nurturing of creativity, sensitivity to the natural world, and love for all its creatures. As an expression of this love, this true simplicity, we must then, too, commit ourselves to building a more equitable world - a world in which this simplicity may thrive and be enjoyed by everyone: 'And when we find ourselves in the place just right it will be in the valley of love and delight.' "

--excerpt from an article written by Ann Kriebel and published in the Friends Journal 15 Dec 1984

Her pedigree: Ann Curtis Kriebel>>Dorothea Harned Reeder>>Walter Lewis Reeder>> Alice H. Harned>>John Harned>>John Harned & Phebe Laing (where we intersect with her.)