Sentimental Sunday ~ Find a Grave and Patch Work Quilts

What does Find a Grave have to do with patch work quilts? Here's my story:

This quilt was made by my paternal grandmother, Ada May (Miller) Gates. Ada made it for her only sister-in-law, Gertie. Ada and Gertie had married two brothers, they had no other siblings. The centre patch is stitched "Mom Mother 1930" and the red patches in the circle have the names of all of Gertie's twelve children. Grandmother Ada made several quilts, probably numbering in the 30's. Some were tucked away (like the one above) and are still treasured today, others were used until they were worn and thread bare. That's what happened to the one given to my parents, it was a bright sunny yellow. As a child I remember sleeping under it; as a mom, my two daughters played with it.

 Now about Find a Grave:
 I became a member in September 2009, posted a few of my ancestors from the late 1800's and early 1900's. Now  I have posted 58 myself and I have had 109 transferred to my care. Although I thought it was interesting, I just didn't realize the value of it as a resource and research tool.

Eventually I found that there were some of my relatives that had been posted by other members from various burial records. Some members have added thousands. For instance I found a woman that told me she had transcribed a cemetery record from a library which included my relatives. She willingly transferred them to me, pleased that they had been claimed by someone who was related.

Now about that quilt::
It seems like the perfect analogy for what I have accomplished at Find a Grave. My previous was post about Nancy Frances (Gates) and Ephriam Duke Eslinger. Not only was I interested in her adopting children at the age of about 75, she was also the step-mother to Ephriam's six children. I wondered who their mother was.  From my handwritten Family Tree, I knew about the six step-children and I knew there were two cemeteries, Burns and Osborn, where the Gates and Eslinger relatives were buried.

So I went to each cemetery on Find a Grave and searched both those surnames. Ephriam and Nancy are buried together in the Osborn Cemetery. They are the only two with that surname. Then I checked the Burns Cemetery and found three Eslinger family members.

Based on the inscriptions, I could see that there were two women who died about 10 years apart. Hannah died 1862, and Mary Ann died 1871, each about the age of 44 years, both the "Wife of E. D. Eslinger." Mary Jane was already identified and linked to Ephriam Duke Eslinger as his wife. Now I assumed that Hannah, who had died even earlier, was also his wife according to the inscription "Wife of E. D. Eslinger."

Finally, there was a little boy, 2 years old, as the only other Eslinger in that cemetery. Hannah, and the little boy both died in 1862. Further information from the Member that had originally posted these burials from the Cemetery Book, concludes that all three of these Eslinger family members are recorded together and inscribed on the same headstone.

So I'm pleased to say that I have linked and "stitched together" this family from so long ago. As well, I have linked together a handful of other families in the same way over the past year.

I highly recommend Find a Grave as a resource tool. Visit Find A Grave Here


 

Surname Saturday ~ Gates Eslinger

GATES ~ origins are English, derived from Olde English gates to a property.  There are various spellings.

ESLINGER ~ origins are German, derived from "esl" - keeper of mules and donkeys. Recorded as early as 1200. There are various spellings.
SOURCE: Surname Data Base - surnamedb.com

 Oliver Uriah Gates

1802 - 1882

Catherine Hull Webb Gates

1800 - 1875

Handwritten Family Tree - 33 pages

Research and compiled by L. B. (Gates) Greenall (deceased)

 
Nancy Frances (Gates) Eslinger is my paternal third great aunt. My first source of information on Nancy is from a handwritten Gates Family Tree given to my mother in 1986. It was researched and compiled by my father's first cousin. They were both born in Kansas and emigrated to Canada with their parenst in the early 1900's.

Oliver Uriah Gates 1802-1882 Catherine Hull (Webb) Gates 1800-1875 and their Descendants; page 2.

Nancy Frances Gates
Born November 17, 1829, Candor, Tioga County, New York.
Died November 14, 1913, Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa, aged 83 years, 11 months, 17 days.

Nancy was married in 1873 to ~ Ephriam Duke Eslinger (a widower with 6 children)
Born June 2, 1885. Died September 22, 1889, aged 64 years, 8 months, 20 days.
Ephriam and Nancy are buried beside each other in Osborn Cemetery, 2 miles North of Lovilia, Iowa.

Nancy and Ephriam were married 2 years after his first wife Mary Jane had died. In about 1904, Nettie was adopted by Nancy (GATES) ESLINGER. Nancy was a widow at the time and would have been about 75 years old. Her husband Ephriam had died in 1889, 17 years earlier. Probably because of Nancy's own age she referred to herself as Nettie's grandmother instead of her mother.

I was interested in Nancy due to the fact that she had adopted children as a widow and at the late of about 75 years. The child was thought to have been abandoned. This information is included in the handwritten Family Tree, as well as Nancy's Obituary, dated November 20, 1913.

EXCERPT: OBITUARY Lovillia Press, November 20, 1913 :
She leaves two brothers, Levi GATES of Ottumwa and Edward GATES of Flagler, Colorado, also D. W. Masters, who was received into the home when ten years of age and who now lives on the old farm, and Nettie, who was received into the home when about seven years of age. To these hearts she was a true loving mother, their feelings that they indeed had a mother in the fullest sense.

SOURCE OF OBITUARY: S. Stewart member of Find A Grave, Nancy Frances Gates Eslinger Memorial, Find A Grave, November 2012.

Tombstone Tuesday ~ The HULL Family

My third great grandmother is Catherine HULL (1800-1875 aged 75). She was was married to Oliver Uriah GATES (1802-1882 aged 80). Catherine was the daughter of Freelove KELSEY (1758-1841 aged 83) and Samuel HULL I (1755-1840 aged 85).

Freelove and Samuel had twelve children: Jonas, James, Samuel II, Lebbeus, Russell, Electa, Hubbard, Phoebe, Curtis, Catherine, Alanson and Hannah. The eld3est child was born in 1782, the youngest in 1804, a span of twenty-two years. Their mother, Freelove KELSEY, would have been age 24 when her first child Jonas was born and age 46 years when her youngest child, Hannah, was born. Freelove died in 1841, at the age of 83 years. Quite amazing for that era.

Although I have not been able to find a photo of Catherine's tombstone, I know that she is buried at the Burns Cemetery, Center Township, Ottumwa, Iowa - Eddyville Road, two miles West of Ottumwa. (SOURCE: Handwritten GATES and HULL Family Tree; 1984, updated 1986.)

However, I do have photos of some of her siblings. Today I have posted the tombstone of her eldest brother, Jonas HULL. Jonas was eighteen years older than his sister Catherine.

Jonas was born 20 April 1782, Killingworth, New Haven, Connecticut; he died 14 October 1854 aged 72, Candor, Tioga County, New York. Jonas married Charlotte (maiden name unknown).

JONAS HULL
DIED

Oct. 14, 1854

Aged 72 yrs
Maple Grove Cemetery 

Candor, Tioga County, New York

Notice the unique Weeping Willow carved on the headstone.

SOURCES: #1 Handwritten Family Tree - "Oliver Uriah GATES and Catherine HULL - Their Descendants;" dated August 1984. #2 Photo courtesy of a member of Find A Grave, 2011.

Surname Saturday ~ HULL ~ Ancestors and Descendants

The HULL family was a prominent family in the early settling of America. There are records available which show that George HULL came from England in 1630 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

The reference to the Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888 was included in the handwritten family tree of my ancestors, Oliver Uriah GATES (1802- 1882) and his wife Catherine HULL (1800-1875). This family tree was compiled by by father's first cousin in 1984.

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Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888

Text: Pages: 181-182

TOWN OF CANDOR

Samuel Hull, son of George Hull, Jr., and a lineal descendant of George Hull, who came from England in 1630 and settled in Dorchester, Mass., was born June 15, 1755, married Freelove Kelsey, June 20, 1781, and reared twelve children, viz.: Jonas, James, Samuel, Lebbeus, Russell, Electa, Hubbard, Pheobe, Curtis, Catharine, Alanson and Hannah. Mr. Hull came to Candor in 1809, and made the first settlement on the farm now owned by his grandson, Nathan T. Hull. Samuel, Jr., was born July 9, 1785, married Sabrina Teall, and had born to him nine children, as follows: James B., Clarissa R., Mary, Lydia M., Samuel, Catharine A., Henry H., Nathan T., and Elizabeth S. Nathan T. was born October 14, 1824, married Ada M., daughter of Daniel Oakley, and six children were born to them, only three of whom are living, namely, Elizabeth G. (Mrs. Hiram Henderson), Mary J. (Mrs. Charles Perkins), of Bradford, Pa., and Daniel O.

SOURCE: Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888; published by W. B. Gay; W. B. Gay & Company, Syracuse, New York, 1888.

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This is an extensive site with history of Redding, home of the HULL family and Mark TWAIN.
The HULL name is included as one of the first settlers (1630+) in Georgetown.

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The History of Redding, Connecticut

The Hull Family of Redding, Connecticut (CT)

The Hull Family: Arrived 1629 aboard the `Mary and John.` George HULL born: 1590 in Crewkerne, Somersetshire, England; married: (1) 17 Aug 1614 Thamzen (Thomesene) MICHELL (Daughter of Robert MICHELL; d. Before 1655 in MA or CT) Crewkerne, Somersetshire, England (2) 1655 Sarah, widow David PHIPIN, Boston; d: Aug - Nov 1659 Fairfield, CT; Son of Thomas HULL & Joane PESON a.k.a. Joanne Psying.

Children all by first marriage:
1. Josias bap. 16 Nov 1616 (Crewkerne Eng) m. 1640 Elizabeth LOOMIS (Windsor CT) d. 16 Nov 1675 (Killingworth CT -
(Believe that Josia a.k.a. Josiah is our ancestor.)
2. Marie bap. 27 Jul 1618 (Crewkerne Eng) m. Humphrey PINNEY (CT) d. 20 Aug 1684 (CT)
3. Martha bap. 24 Oct 1620 (Crewkerne Eng)
4. Elizabeth bap. 16 Oct 1625 (Crewkerne Eng) m. Samuel GAYLORD d. 2 May 1680
5. Cornelius bap. 9 Apr 1628 m. 1653 Rebecca JONES d. Sept 1695
6. Naomi - 7 Joshua bap. 5 Nov 1630 (Crewkerne Eng) d. young.

SOURCE: The History of Redding Connecticut; http://www.historyofredding.com/HRHull.htm

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The Hull Family in America is available to be read online at US.Archive.org. It includes George Hull, his brother, Rev. Joseph Hull and their descendants. Also included is Richard Hull, of Derbyshire, England, thought not to be related to the brothers.

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THE HULL FAMILY IN AMERICA

INTRODUCTION:

The Hull Family in America has three main divisions: George Hull and his descendants; his brother, the Reverend Joseph Hull and his descendants; and Richard Hull and his descendants. George and Joseph were sons of Thomas and Joane Pescn Hull, of Somersetshire, England, the earliest known ancestors of the tribe. George was about five years older than Joseph and came to this country five years earlier, in 1630. The relationship of Richard Hull to them, if there is any, is not known. . . .

Page 9.

The Descendants of George Hull

#1. George Hull, 1590-1659, surveyor, Indian trader, magistrate, statesman, and founder of a prominent branch of the Hull family in America, the son of Thomas and Joana Peson Hull of Crewkerne, Somersetshire, England. On August 17, 1614, as shown by the original parish records of the ancient church of Crewkerne village, he was married to Thamzen (Thomasene) Michell, daughter of Robert Michell, a well-to-do yeoman of Stockland in the adjoining shire of Dorset. Stockland is about six miles distant of the village of Crewkerne at or near which the ancestral home of the Hulls was situated and it was probably included within the bounds of Crewkerne parish.

SOURCE: The Hull Family in America, compiled by Col. Charles H. Weygant. Published 1913 by Sun Printing Co., for The Hull Family Association in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Total pages 647. http://ia600209.us.archive.org/11/items/hullfamilyinamer00weyg.pdf

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There are other resources available online for researching the HULL family, I only included a few.

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Freelove KELSEY and Samuel HULL

Freelove KELSEY and her husband, Samuel HULL, are my third Great Grandparents. Freelove is the daughter of Jonah (1725-1772) & Martha (1727-?) Nettleton Kelsey.
Catharine Hull`s father, Samuel HULL, was a son of George HULL, Jr., and a lineal descendant of George HULL, who came from England in 1630 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Samuel HULL, was born June 15, 1755, married Freelove KELSEY, June 20, 1781, and reared twelve children.
This family moved from Killingworth, Connecticut, in the fall of 1809, to Candor, Tioga County, New York State, and made their first settlement on a farm.

SOURCE: #1 This information about the lineage of Samuel HULL was recorded in a 33 page handwritten family tree of my father's ancestors. It was researched by his first cousin in 1984 and a copy was given to my Mother in 1986.
#2 - Historical Gazetteer of Tioga County, New York, 1785-1888, compiled & Edited by W. B. Gay, (Published by W. B. Gay & Co., Syracuse, N.Y.), pages 181-182. ~ CG 2011
#3 - Photos were provided courtesy of D. S. who is a member of Find A Grave. When I told him that the HULL family were my ancestors he kindly transferred all that he had to me. I'm assuming that he is not related to the HULL family, but an enthusiastic tombstone photographer. 

 SAMUEL HULL DIED December 9, 1840, aged 85 years 6 months. 

Maple Grove Cemetery, Candor, Tioga County, New York

FREELOVE wife of SAMUEL HULL DIED February 19, 1841, aged 81 years and 5 months.

Tombstone Tuesday - William "Willie" Alexander GATES

In July 2010, my sister was on a forum where there was information about this postcard. The woman said that it was with some of their family's memorabilia, but she wasn't sure if it was from her relatives or her husband's.
She offered to send it to a family member if the identity could be confirmed by a rightful owner. She was satisfied that it belonged to our family and sent the postcard to my sister.

William "Willie" Alexander GATES

WILLIE

SON OF MR. & MRS. W. A. GATES

Born  Jan 8 1908

Died Mar 18 1911

ASLEEP IN PEACE

Buried Quinter, Gove County, Kansas.

This sweet heart-shaped headstone with the dove on top is for the eldest of the five children of Warren Addison GATES and Ada May (MILLER) GATES. Willie would be an older brother of my father and would be my uncle. He was named after Alexander Z. GATES, who was his grandfather and my great grandfather. (I've tried to find out what the Z. stands for, but no luck!)

Warren and Ada are my paternal grandparents.

SOURCES: Postcard of headstone: mailed from US to Canada
Name and dates: match to the Handwritten Family Tree - Oliver Uriah GATES and Catherine HULL.

P.S. I'm having problems with my neck and arm again, so can't spent as much time as I would like on researching. :-(

However, I have spent some time on ZAZZLE. I'll post more about that later.

Surname Saturday ~ MILLER

Several years ago I asked my Mom to tell me what she remembered about my Dad's family. He died 8th January 1970. She told me that his mother, Ada May MILLER, was the eldest of ten children. However, two of those children had died at a young age. She gave me these names: Elmy, George, Edgar, Roy, Harvey, Effie, Oretha and two youngsters that had died.

Well, she right, in a way. There were actually thirteen children, three of which had died at a young age.

MILLER

MARY C. age 3 years 6 months, died 24 January 1894

JOHN A. age 2 years 8 months, died 12 December 1894

ORA W. 4 years 3 months, died 26 January 1894

Mary Catherine MILLER was born 02 August 1890 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 24 January 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas

John Alvin MILLER was born 27 March 1892 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 12 December 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas

Ora William MILLER was born 04 November 1889 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 26 January 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas

Tragically little Mary Catherine and Ora William died within two days of each other.  Perhaps from an infectious disease. All three of the children died in 1894.

The results of some of my research are shown below.

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1. William Howard MILLER was born 09 January 1859 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania and died 14 March 1930. He married Sarah BEEGHLY 12 March 1862 in Maryland. She was born 12 March 1862 in Maryland and died 17 July 1943 in Kansas, daughter of Josiah BEEGHLY and Sarah HORNER.
		Other events in the life of William Howard MILLER Burial: in Rock Creek Cemetery, Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas
Children of William Howard MILLER and Sarah BEEGHLY:
	i.		2.		Ada May MILLER was born 28 April 1883 in Accident, Garrett County, Maryland and died 06 August 1958 in Milden, Saskatchewan
	ii.		3.		Harvey Ernest MILLER was born 04 June 1971 in Accident, Garrett County, Maryland and died 06 November 1971
	iii.		4.		Milton Earl MILLER was born 20 September 1885 in Eglon, Preston, West Virginia and died 02 Sepember 1954
	iv.				Roy Clell MILLER was born 12 June 1887 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 15 January 1945
	v.		5.		George Aaron MILLER was born 10 January 1889 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas
	vi.				Mary Catherine MILLER was born 02 August 1890 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 24 January 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas
	vii.				John Alvin MILLER was born 27 March 1892 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 12 December 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas
	viii.				Ora William MILLER was born 04 November 1889 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 26 January 1894 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas
	ix.				Elmie Florence MILLER was born October 1895 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 17 April 1973
	x.				Edgar Jay MILLER was born 03 July 1898 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 26 June 1953
	xi.		6.		Effie Dayne MILLER was born 04 May 1900  in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and  died Januaary 1984
	xii.		7.		Lola Delta MILLER was born 25 August 1901 in Sabetha, Nemaha County, Kansas and died 14 January 1947
	xiii.		8.		Oretha Sarah MILLER was born 02 January 1906 in Beattie, Marshall County, Kansas and died 17 November 1996

The above information is from my family tree program. My sources are various, some are listed below.

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SOURCES: Personal knowledge. Handwritten Family Tree - Oliver Uriah GATES & Catherine HULL, 1984, updated 1988. Internet research: LDS Church (FamilySearch.org); RootsWeb.org; concentric.net/-pvb/GEN/whmill.html.