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]