Today is the 206th wedding anniversary of my 4x greart grandparents Jonathan Phelps
Ames and Polly Griffith. Besides the personal significance of that happy event(I would
not be here if they hadn't married), it's also significant for setting up a naming pattern
in my family.
Jonathan was the son of John Ames and Lydia Phelps.
Jonathan and Polly's daughter Arvilla Ames married my 3x great grandfather John
Cutter West.
They named their fourth child Jonathan Phelps West(my 2x great grandfather).
Jonathan Phelps West married Lousia Amata Richardson, daughter of Philip Richardson
and Esther Laughton. They named their second child Philip Jonathan West in honor of both their fathers. He was my great grandfather.
The name then skips two generations until my younger brother was born. He's named
Philip John West after our great grandfather.
And his oldest son is Philip J West, Jr!
Do you have a story about how names have been passed down in your family?
Showing posts with label Ames Jonathan Phelps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ames Jonathan Phelps. Show all posts
Friday, September 06, 2013
Saturday, May 04, 2013
JONATHAN PHELPS AMES (1781-1863) OF OXFORD COUNTY, MAINE.
My 4x great grandfather Jonathan Phelps Ames was born on 20Apr 1781 in
Groton Ma., the second of the five children of John Ames and Lydia Phelps.
The family moved to Oxford County, Maine between 1790 and 1810, where
John made his living as a farmer and blacksmith in several towns. It was inone
of those towns, Hartford, Maine, that Jonathan met and married his first wife,
my 4x great grandmother Mary "Polly" Griffith on 6Sep 1807. They were married
twenty seven years and produced ten children, seven boys and three girls.Polly
died in 1834. Three years later Jonathan married Polly's sister Sarah Griffith and
the couple had two more daughters. Jonathan died on 16Dec 1863 at Canton,
Oxford, Maine, at age 82.
I've been lucky with many of my New England lines; they lived in towns that have
had books written about their history and those books have provided me with a lot of information and stories. But with a few like the Ames and Coburn lines the information
dries up after the families moved north to MaIne, so I piece together what I can with
whatever records and documents I can find online. Recently I found the 1860 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Agriculture Schedule for Canton Maine and Jonathan's farm was
one of those enumerated. It gave me a little insight into what his life was like as it was
drawing to a close. Here's a transcript:
Acres of land: Developed-75 acres
Undeveloped-25 acres
Cash value of Farm- 1500 (dollars)
Value of farming Implements and Machinery- 53 (dollars)
Livestock:
Horses-1
Mules and Asses-0
Milch Cows-3
Working Oxen-2
Other cattle-3
Sheep-15
Swine-0
Value of Livestock-280 (dollars)
Wheat, bushels of -0
Rye, bushels of- 5
Indian Corn, bushels of -5
Oats, bushels of-4
Rice, lbs of-0
Tobacco, lbs of-0
Ginned Cotton, bales of 400lbs ea-0
Wool,lbs of-65
Peas and Beans, bushels of-4
Irish Potatoes, bushels of-75
Sweet Potatoes, bushels of-0
Barley, bushels of-0
Buckwheat, bushels of-3
Value of Orchard Products, in dolls.-0
Butter, lbs. of-150
Cheese, lbs of-50
Hay, tons of-20
Clover Seed, bushels of-0
Grass seeds, bushels of-0
Hops, lbs. of-0
Hemp:
Dew Rotted, tons of-0
Water Rotted, tons of-0
Other prepared Hemp-0ItalicFlax, lbs of-0
Flaxseed, bush. of-0
Silk Cocoons, lbs, of-0
Maple Sugar, lbs of-0
Cane Sugar,hhds of 1000 lbs,-0
Molasses, gallons of and from what made-0
Beeswax, lbs. of-0
Honey, lbs.of-0
Value of Homemade Manufacture-0 (dollars)
Value of Slaughtered Animals-58 (dollars)
Looking at this, the first thought that struck me was the livestock. We tend to think
of a farmer using a horse to draw his wagon or plow, but nearly all the records I've
seen of ancestors from this period shows them owning at least two pair of oxen. I
think given the rocky New England terrain and the winter snows oxen did most of the
heavy farm work until modern machinery came along. The horse was probably more
for transportation than work. Also, the number of cows is lower than what we think of
when we think of New England farms, but remember, back then there was no milk
pasteurization yet, no refrigeration to transport large amounts of milk to city dwellers.
"Milch cows" were more valuable for the amount of cheese and butter that could be
made from their milk. So while Jonathan had a total of six cows, he had over twice that
amount, fifteen, in sheep. I checked the rest of the entries for Canton and there were
over 1200 sheep on the farms in town. In 1860 the New England textile mills were in
their heyday and wool would have been in demand to make into clothing.
Then I looked at the crops grown on Jonathan's farm and how much he harvested. For a
farm of its size the amounts are low. Jonathan's son -in-law, my 3x great grandfather
John Cutter West farmed fewer acres than Jonathan, forty acres, and had a harvest of
500 bushels of potatoes compared to the 75 on Jonathan's farm. In every crop planted
on both farms, the yield at Jonathan's farm was smaller.
I don't think it was because Jonathan was a poor farmer. I think the answer is simply that
he was old, nearly 80! All his sons were gone from the farm: Jonathan Jr. had moved to
Illinois, Ezekiel was in Massachusetts. Generous, Hezekiah and Atwood were running
their own farms, and two sons, Ephraim and Americus, had already died. The regular
1860 Census shows Jonathan and Sarah living on the farm with a Henry and Emily Potter.
I believe Emily is their daughter, although I haven't found a record of her marriage yet.
So for the moment that's all I know about Jonathan Phelp Ames, my 4x great grandfather,
but I'm still hoping to find more!
Groton Ma., the second of the five children of John Ames and Lydia Phelps.
The family moved to Oxford County, Maine between 1790 and 1810, where
John made his living as a farmer and blacksmith in several towns. It was inone
of those towns, Hartford, Maine, that Jonathan met and married his first wife,
my 4x great grandmother Mary "Polly" Griffith on 6Sep 1807. They were married
twenty seven years and produced ten children, seven boys and three girls.Polly
died in 1834. Three years later Jonathan married Polly's sister Sarah Griffith and
the couple had two more daughters. Jonathan died on 16Dec 1863 at Canton,
Oxford, Maine, at age 82.
I've been lucky with many of my New England lines; they lived in towns that have
had books written about their history and those books have provided me with a lot of information and stories. But with a few like the Ames and Coburn lines the information
dries up after the families moved north to MaIne, so I piece together what I can with
whatever records and documents I can find online. Recently I found the 1860 U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Agriculture Schedule for Canton Maine and Jonathan's farm was
one of those enumerated. It gave me a little insight into what his life was like as it was
drawing to a close. Here's a transcript:
Acres of land: Developed-75 acres
Undeveloped-25 acres
Cash value of Farm- 1500 (dollars)
Value of farming Implements and Machinery- 53 (dollars)
Livestock:
Horses-1
Mules and Asses-0
Milch Cows-3
Working Oxen-2
Other cattle-3
Sheep-15
Swine-0
Value of Livestock-280 (dollars)
Wheat, bushels of -0
Rye, bushels of- 5
Indian Corn, bushels of -5
Oats, bushels of-4
Rice, lbs of-0
Tobacco, lbs of-0
Ginned Cotton, bales of 400lbs ea-0
Wool,lbs of-65
Peas and Beans, bushels of-4
Irish Potatoes, bushels of-75
Sweet Potatoes, bushels of-0
Barley, bushels of-0
Buckwheat, bushels of-3
Value of Orchard Products, in dolls.-0
Butter, lbs. of-150
Cheese, lbs of-50
Hay, tons of-20
Clover Seed, bushels of-0
Grass seeds, bushels of-0
Hops, lbs. of-0
Hemp:
Dew Rotted, tons of-0
Water Rotted, tons of-0
Other prepared Hemp-0ItalicFlax, lbs of-0
Flaxseed, bush. of-0
Silk Cocoons, lbs, of-0
Maple Sugar, lbs of-0
Cane Sugar,hhds of 1000 lbs,-0
Molasses, gallons of and from what made-0
Beeswax, lbs. of-0
Honey, lbs.of-0
Value of Homemade Manufacture-0 (dollars)
Value of Slaughtered Animals-58 (dollars)
Looking at this, the first thought that struck me was the livestock. We tend to think
of a farmer using a horse to draw his wagon or plow, but nearly all the records I've
seen of ancestors from this period shows them owning at least two pair of oxen. I
think given the rocky New England terrain and the winter snows oxen did most of the
heavy farm work until modern machinery came along. The horse was probably more
for transportation than work. Also, the number of cows is lower than what we think of
when we think of New England farms, but remember, back then there was no milk
pasteurization yet, no refrigeration to transport large amounts of milk to city dwellers.
"Milch cows" were more valuable for the amount of cheese and butter that could be
made from their milk. So while Jonathan had a total of six cows, he had over twice that
amount, fifteen, in sheep. I checked the rest of the entries for Canton and there were
over 1200 sheep on the farms in town. In 1860 the New England textile mills were in
their heyday and wool would have been in demand to make into clothing.
Then I looked at the crops grown on Jonathan's farm and how much he harvested. For a
farm of its size the amounts are low. Jonathan's son -in-law, my 3x great grandfather
John Cutter West farmed fewer acres than Jonathan, forty acres, and had a harvest of
500 bushels of potatoes compared to the 75 on Jonathan's farm. In every crop planted
on both farms, the yield at Jonathan's farm was smaller.
I don't think it was because Jonathan was a poor farmer. I think the answer is simply that
he was old, nearly 80! All his sons were gone from the farm: Jonathan Jr. had moved to
Illinois, Ezekiel was in Massachusetts. Generous, Hezekiah and Atwood were running
their own farms, and two sons, Ephraim and Americus, had already died. The regular
1860 Census shows Jonathan and Sarah living on the farm with a Henry and Emily Potter.
I believe Emily is their daughter, although I haven't found a record of her marriage yet.
So for the moment that's all I know about Jonathan Phelp Ames, my 4x great grandfather,
but I'm still hoping to find more!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
JOHN AMES HEIRS
((Some of the following information was found on the IGI and at
the Rootsweb Peru, Oxford, Maine and Canton, Oxford, Maine
Genealogy Projects of Craig Bryant and as I say in my blog
header, is not entirely set in stone until its been verified.)
Between them John Ames and Lydia Phelps had ten children;
Lydia’s three children by her first husband, Sampson Read
(Sampson, Lydia and Amy) were not included on John Ames’
petition possibly because as stepchildren their claims were
superseded by his own children. Also, one, Sampson Read Jr.,
was already dead so his sisters might have also passed away
already.
Of the seven Ames children, one, Ezekiel (or Ezekial) is missing
from the list of John’s heirs. Ezekiel died in Hartford Maine on 12
November 1806 at age 23 and may have been the husband of
Lydia Chickering but I’ve not yet found convincing evidence of
that.
John and Lydia’s remaining six children were already middle
aged themselves at the time the petition was filed in 1832.
The eldest, John Ames(another one!), was 53 years old and
married to Grace(last name unknown). They had seven children,
four girls and three boys.
The next son, Jonathan Phelps Ames, married Polly Griffith and
had ten children. Polly died in 1834 and Jonathan married her
sister Sarah with whom he had three more children. (Jonathan
and Polly’s daughter Arvilla is my ancestor through her marriage
to John Cutter West.) He was 51 years old at the time of the
petition.
Sally Ames married Isaac Fuller with whom she had at least one
child that I’ve been able to find and was 48 years old when the
petition was filed.
Polly Ames was 47 at the filing and was married to Sylvanus
Poland.They had nine children. Two of her sons had “Ames” as
their middle name
Finally, Betsey (or Betsy) was married to James Putnam and had
two children. She was 42 years old in 1832. Like her sister Polly's,
several of her children and grandchildren had the middle name
“Ames”.
Some of the grandchildren married each other. John Phelps
Ames’ son Generous married his cousin Grace Ames, daughter
of his Uncle John Ames.(They had a son with the unique name of
Generous Fernando Ames!) Sally Ames’ son Ezekiel married his
cousin Asenath, daughter of his uncle Ralph Ames. And overall,
John Ames’ tribe increased, with nearly thirty grandchildren at
the time of his death.
I’m sure there are posts in the future about these cousins of
mine, but for now, this concludes my series on John Ames and
his Revolutionary War pension file.
the Rootsweb Peru, Oxford, Maine and Canton, Oxford, Maine
Genealogy Projects of Craig Bryant and as I say in my blog
header, is not entirely set in stone until its been verified.)
Between them John Ames and Lydia Phelps had ten children;
Lydia’s three children by her first husband, Sampson Read
(Sampson, Lydia and Amy) were not included on John Ames’
petition possibly because as stepchildren their claims were
superseded by his own children. Also, one, Sampson Read Jr.,
was already dead so his sisters might have also passed away
already.
Of the seven Ames children, one, Ezekiel (or Ezekial) is missing
from the list of John’s heirs. Ezekiel died in Hartford Maine on 12
November 1806 at age 23 and may have been the husband of
Lydia Chickering but I’ve not yet found convincing evidence of
that.
John and Lydia’s remaining six children were already middle
aged themselves at the time the petition was filed in 1832.
The eldest, John Ames(another one!), was 53 years old and
married to Grace(last name unknown). They had seven children,
four girls and three boys.
The next son, Jonathan Phelps Ames, married Polly Griffith and
had ten children. Polly died in 1834 and Jonathan married her
sister Sarah with whom he had three more children. (Jonathan
and Polly’s daughter Arvilla is my ancestor through her marriage
to John Cutter West.) He was 51 years old at the time of the
petition.
Sally Ames married Isaac Fuller with whom she had at least one
child that I’ve been able to find and was 48 years old when the
petition was filed.
Polly Ames was 47 at the filing and was married to Sylvanus
Poland.They had nine children. Two of her sons had “Ames” as
their middle name
Finally, Betsey (or Betsy) was married to James Putnam and had
two children. She was 42 years old in 1832. Like her sister Polly's,
several of her children and grandchildren had the middle name
“Ames”.
Some of the grandchildren married each other. John Phelps
Ames’ son Generous married his cousin Grace Ames, daughter
of his Uncle John Ames.(They had a son with the unique name of
Generous Fernando Ames!) Sally Ames’ son Ezekiel married his
cousin Asenath, daughter of his uncle Ralph Ames. And overall,
John Ames’ tribe increased, with nearly thirty grandchildren at
the time of his death.
I’m sure there are posts in the future about these cousins of
mine, but for now, this concludes my series on John Ames and
his Revolutionary War pension file.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
ABOUT JOHN AMES
I've learned that genealogy is a process of searching for facts and
once they are found establishing the veracity of what you've
found.
So what have I learned so far from John Ames’s pension file?
Well, while I’d already known he was said to have been a veteran
of the Revolution I hadn’t known any details nor had any actual
proof that he was indeed a veteran. Now I did.
He claims to have been at Lexington and then Cambridge and to
have often seen legendary figures of the Revolution, namely
Generals Lee, Putnam and even George Washington himself. The
details of the file in that regard raised intriguing questions for me:
Was John Ames actually at Lexington as he claimed?
Did he participate in any other actions during the siege
of Boston?
Why did John and his comrades prefer to serve under
Asa Lawrence and not Oliver Parker?
What were “six weeks men?”
One of the witnesses, William Spaulding, testifies that he knew
John Ames from childhood and that when he “was a boy I went to
school with him at his fathers house in Groton.” If John’s father,
who was also named John Ames, was a school master, this is the
first I’d seen mention of that. Was this true?
Who were these people who’d given testimony? What happened to
John’s sons and daughters, other than my ancestor Jonathan
Phelps Ames?
Lastly, was there any other proof to back up John’s claim that
he’d fought in the Revolution other than statements given by two
friends? Yes, he’d been given a pension (posthumously) but
there’s that little skeptic in me.
So even as I was transcribing the file I was googling for answers.
once they are found establishing the veracity of what you've
found.
So what have I learned so far from John Ames’s pension file?
Well, while I’d already known he was said to have been a veteran
of the Revolution I hadn’t known any details nor had any actual
proof that he was indeed a veteran. Now I did.
He claims to have been at Lexington and then Cambridge and to
have often seen legendary figures of the Revolution, namely
Generals Lee, Putnam and even George Washington himself. The
details of the file in that regard raised intriguing questions for me:
Was John Ames actually at Lexington as he claimed?
Did he participate in any other actions during the siege
of Boston?
Why did John and his comrades prefer to serve under
Asa Lawrence and not Oliver Parker?
What were “six weeks men?”
One of the witnesses, William Spaulding, testifies that he knew
John Ames from childhood and that when he “was a boy I went to
school with him at his fathers house in Groton.” If John’s father,
who was also named John Ames, was a school master, this is the
first I’d seen mention of that. Was this true?
Who were these people who’d given testimony? What happened to
John’s sons and daughters, other than my ancestor Jonathan
Phelps Ames?
Lastly, was there any other proof to back up John’s claim that
he’d fought in the Revolution other than statements given by two
friends? Yes, he’d been given a pension (posthumously) but
there’s that little skeptic in me.
So even as I was transcribing the file I was googling for answers.
JOHN AMES' PENSION PART6
Image 8 is a page handwritten in a firm bold hand. The
penmanship is excellent and a bit ornate. I have a suspicion
that this might have been actually an earlier page in the file
and that in my haste to mine all I could I may have dl it out
of order but then I realized this pertains to his heirs after
John's death:
" N 11.634
Application of heirs of
John Ames
for pension.
In: Ames served as a private
from Apl 1775 to Jan 10, 1776
at least 8 mps &10 days
in Parker and Lawrence’s
companies Prescotts Regt
Mass. Troops
Washington
O. Witherell his orderly Sgt.
and
Wm. Spaulding Esq. a pensioner
who served in same Regt.
Also Deps.(?)of
C. Holland Member of congress
&
Chs. Fuller Esq on file in
War Department No.11.634
Case prepared by Wm Allen Jr
Norridgewock
me”
Image 9 is the other side of the page and the
handwriting in image show through. The document
is entirely handwritten by a different clerk:
“State of Maine
Kennebec County, Js:
Supreme Judicial Court
October term A.D. 1833
Be it known that on this twelfth day of October
1833, it has been satisfactorily proved in open Court
before the Supreme Judicial Court of said State
holden(?) at Augusta, within & for said County,
that John Ames late of Canton in said State
was an applicant for a pension under the Act of
Congress of June 7th. 1832 and that he died at
Canton aforesaid on the Seventh day of April,
1833, that Lydia Ames, his widow, also died on the
fifteenth day of the same month of April and
that his only children & lawful heirs are
John Ames, Jonathan P. Ames, Ralph Ames his sons;
and Sally Fuller wife of Isaac Fuller; Betsey
Putnam wife of James Putnam & Polly Poland
wife of Sylvanus Poland, his daughters.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto
subscribed my name & affixed the
seal of said Court, this 12th day of
October, 1833
J.A. Chandler, Clerk of the Judicial
Courts, Kennebec
County “
Image 10 is the last image and shows two pages of a
notebook.
The left-hand page is another preprinted form with
handwritten entries. The preprinted parts are shown here
in boldface:
“31518
Revy INVALID
__________
File No. 31.518
John Ames
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7th 32
Index:-Vol. 2, Page 8
[Arrangement of 1870]
The next page is all handwritten.
“Mas 1796 sold pensioned
Azel Ames
161 Shawmut St
Chelsea Mass. “
I’m assuming that last translates out to “Massachusetts
1776 soldier pensioned”
But who was Azel Ames? A descendant who requested a
copy of the pension file?
penmanship is excellent and a bit ornate. I have a suspicion
that this might have been actually an earlier page in the file
and that in my haste to mine all I could I may have dl it out
of order but then I realized this pertains to his heirs after
John's death:
" N 11.634
Application of heirs of
John Ames
for pension.
In: Ames served as a private
from Apl 1775 to Jan 10, 1776
at least 8 mps &10 days
in Parker and Lawrence’s
companies Prescotts Regt
Mass. Troops
Washington
O. Witherell his orderly Sgt.
and
Wm. Spaulding Esq. a pensioner
who served in same Regt.
Also Deps.(?)of
C. Holland Member of congress
&
Chs. Fuller Esq on file in
War Department No.11.634
Case prepared by Wm Allen Jr
Norridgewock
me”
Image 9 is the other side of the page and the
handwriting in image show through. The document
is entirely handwritten by a different clerk:
“State of Maine
Kennebec County, Js:
Supreme Judicial Court
October term A.D. 1833
Be it known that on this twelfth day of October
1833, it has been satisfactorily proved in open Court
before the Supreme Judicial Court of said State
holden(?) at Augusta, within & for said County,
that John Ames late of Canton in said State
was an applicant for a pension under the Act of
Congress of June 7th. 1832 and that he died at
Canton aforesaid on the Seventh day of April,
1833, that Lydia Ames, his widow, also died on the
fifteenth day of the same month of April and
that his only children & lawful heirs are
John Ames, Jonathan P. Ames, Ralph Ames his sons;
and Sally Fuller wife of Isaac Fuller; Betsey
Putnam wife of James Putnam & Polly Poland
wife of Sylvanus Poland, his daughters.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto
subscribed my name & affixed the
seal of said Court, this 12th day of
October, 1833
J.A. Chandler, Clerk of the Judicial
Courts, Kennebec
County “
Image 10 is the last image and shows two pages of a
notebook.
The left-hand page is another preprinted form with
handwritten entries. The preprinted parts are shown here
in boldface:
“31518
Revy INVALID
__________
File No. 31.518
John Ames
Pri Rev War
Act: June 7th 32
Index:-Vol. 2, Page 8
[Arrangement of 1870]
The next page is all handwritten.
“Mas 1796 sold pensioned
Azel Ames
161 Shawmut St
Chelsea Mass. “
I’m assuming that last translates out to “Massachusetts
1776 soldier pensioned”
But who was Azel Ames? A descendant who requested a
copy of the pension file?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
JOHN AMES' PENSION PART5
A reminder that all spelling, abbreviations and punctuation is as
found on the document.
In that regard, it seems poor General Putnam 's name is written
as Putman for the second time in the file!
There are parts of the document that are preprinted forms. I've
put those parts in boldface.
Image 6 appears to be handwritten on the back of the next
page as the printing of a form is visible from the other side.
Center top is written: 11.634
The following is handwritten below:
“John Ames
April 20th 1833
Obj(?) 2(?). 3.5(?)
R(?)348
died 7 April 1833
Private 8 mos 10days
Letter 30 Sept 1833
John Ames, Jonathan P. Ames,
Ralph Ames, Sally
Fuller, Betsey Putnam &
Polly Poland, children of
the deceased.
William Allen Jr.
Norridgewock, Maine.”
Image 7 is the other side of the page from the one on
Image 6. It’s a preprinted form. At the top the figures
11.634 are once more handwritten in:
Brief in the case of John Ames
County of Oxford in the State of Maine
(Act 7th June, 1832)
1. Was the declaration made before a Court or Judge?
Court
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant
is disabled by bodily infirmity? (illegible two lines that might
be a y and s)
3. How old is he? 76.
4. State his service as directed in the form annexed.
At this point the form is divided into four columns
across the page. I can’t reproduce it in that form here
but here is the information under each heading as written in:
Period: In 1775
Years, Months, Days,: about 8 1/2 months
(having enlisted for 8 months.)
Rank As a: Private
Names of General and Field Officers under whom he
served.
Capt. Parker, Col. Prescott
Genls. Putman, Lee, and Washington.
5. In what battles was he engaged? Lexington
6. Where did he reside when he entered the service?
Groton, Massa.
7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by
documentary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by
the rolls? A Credible Witness who proves 8 months service.
8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication?
and if so, in what respect? Correct
I certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree
with the evidence in the case above.
F. Waugh examining clerk
March 12.1833
found on the document.
In that regard, it seems poor General Putnam 's name is written
as Putman for the second time in the file!
There are parts of the document that are preprinted forms. I've
put those parts in boldface.
Image 6 appears to be handwritten on the back of the next
page as the printing of a form is visible from the other side.
Center top is written: 11.634
The following is handwritten below:
“John Ames
April 20th 1833
Obj(?) 2(?). 3.5(?)
R(?)348
died 7 April 1833
Private 8 mos 10days
Letter 30 Sept 1833
John Ames, Jonathan P. Ames,
Ralph Ames, Sally
Fuller, Betsey Putnam &
Polly Poland, children of
the deceased.
William Allen Jr.
Norridgewock, Maine.”
Image 7 is the other side of the page from the one on
Image 6. It’s a preprinted form. At the top the figures
11.634 are once more handwritten in:
Brief in the case of John Ames
County of Oxford in the State of Maine
(Act 7th June, 1832)
1. Was the declaration made before a Court or Judge?
Court
2. If before a Judge, does it appear that the applicant
is disabled by bodily infirmity? (illegible two lines that might
be a y and s)
3. How old is he? 76.
4. State his service as directed in the form annexed.
At this point the form is divided into four columns
across the page. I can’t reproduce it in that form here
but here is the information under each heading as written in:
Period: In 1775
Years, Months, Days,: about 8 1/2 months
(having enlisted for 8 months.)
Rank As a: Private
Names of General and Field Officers under whom he
served.
Capt. Parker, Col. Prescott
Genls. Putman, Lee, and Washington.
5. In what battles was he engaged? Lexington
6. Where did he reside when he entered the service?
Groton, Massa.
7. Is his statement supported by living witnesses, by
documentary evidence, by incidental evidence, or by
the rolls? A Credible Witness who proves 8 months service.
8. Are the papers defective as to form or authentication?
and if so, in what respect? Correct
I certify that the foregoing statement and the answers agree
with the evidence in the case above.
F. Waugh examining clerk
March 12.1833
Saturday, July 14, 2007
THE ELUSIVE JOHN C.
You might have noticed that many of my blog posts deal with
ancestors with surnames such as (E)Ames or Ellingwood/
Ellinwood/Ellenwood or Abbot(t) on my fathers side of the family
more than on my own surname of West. The reason is simple and
quite common among many genealogists: I have a brick wall.
The furthest back I can go in my direct West line is to John Cutter
West who is believed to have been born in Plymouth Ma. on 8 Oct
1802 but neither I or others before me doing the family genealogy
have been able to discover any record of his birth as of yet. This is
why I like to refer to him as the Elusive John C.
There are any number of reasons why this is the case. One is that
it was an error by the census taker; an incorrect date, birthplace,
or he misunderstood the information and the middle name was
not Cutter but something else. There was a Cottle family, for
example, that was involved with the Wests descended from the
line of Francis West of Duxbury, Ma. Another possibility is that he
was not born in the town Plymouth but in Plymouth County.
There are other ways that the information on the Elusive John C.
could be wrong and I'll explore them further in other posts.
John and his descendants for the most part don’t seem to have
been all that big on writing so I’ve not found anything written by
them. There’s not much else on them that I’ve been able to find
so far outside of something written about a man I believe to be
Jonathan Phelps West, my great great grandfather. But even as
frustrating as it might seem I was lucky enough to have material
to start with and even a picture. I think. That fellow up there at
the top right of the screen is supposedly the Elusive John C.
himself.
Of course the problem with having a name like West is that it’s
such a common name and any browser search on “John West”
yields a lot of hits. I just checked it on Google and I got 859,000
on just the name without adding other words to the search. “John
Cutter West” yields 9...mostly posts from this blog or queries I
sent to forums. “John C. West” gets 15,500 references.
Still, I keep looking for the Elusive John C. I’ve found a few things
here and there, and meanwhile I also research the families of
women the West men married: Arvilla Ames, Louisa Richardson,
Clara Ellingwood, and Cora Barker. Maybe I’ll stumble across a
lead on John C. while exploring those other leads but even if I
don’t I’m enjoying the hunt. I’m finding out fascinating things
about relatives I didn’t even know anything about before.
That’s the joy of genealogy
ancestors with surnames such as (E)Ames or Ellingwood/
Ellinwood/Ellenwood or Abbot(t) on my fathers side of the family
more than on my own surname of West. The reason is simple and
quite common among many genealogists: I have a brick wall.
The furthest back I can go in my direct West line is to John Cutter
West who is believed to have been born in Plymouth Ma. on 8 Oct
1802 but neither I or others before me doing the family genealogy
have been able to discover any record of his birth as of yet. This is
why I like to refer to him as the Elusive John C.
There are any number of reasons why this is the case. One is that
it was an error by the census taker; an incorrect date, birthplace,
or he misunderstood the information and the middle name was
not Cutter but something else. There was a Cottle family, for
example, that was involved with the Wests descended from the
line of Francis West of Duxbury, Ma. Another possibility is that he
was not born in the town Plymouth but in Plymouth County.
There are other ways that the information on the Elusive John C.
could be wrong and I'll explore them further in other posts.
John and his descendants for the most part don’t seem to have
been all that big on writing so I’ve not found anything written by
them. There’s not much else on them that I’ve been able to find
so far outside of something written about a man I believe to be
Jonathan Phelps West, my great great grandfather. But even as
frustrating as it might seem I was lucky enough to have material
to start with and even a picture. I think. That fellow up there at
the top right of the screen is supposedly the Elusive John C.
himself.
Of course the problem with having a name like West is that it’s
such a common name and any browser search on “John West”
yields a lot of hits. I just checked it on Google and I got 859,000
on just the name without adding other words to the search. “John
Cutter West” yields 9...mostly posts from this blog or queries I
sent to forums. “John C. West” gets 15,500 references.
Still, I keep looking for the Elusive John C. I’ve found a few things
here and there, and meanwhile I also research the families of
women the West men married: Arvilla Ames, Louisa Richardson,
Clara Ellingwood, and Cora Barker. Maybe I’ll stumble across a
lead on John C. while exploring those other leads but even if I
don’t I’m enjoying the hunt. I’m finding out fascinating things
about relatives I didn’t even know anything about before.
That’s the joy of genealogy
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
JOHN AMES' PENSION PART1
I've written about finding the Revolutionary War Pension Files
for some of my colonial era ancestors and have been transcribing
them to my genealogy program
This first one is for John Ames who was born in Groton, Ma.
on 23 Aug 1756 and died in Canton Me. on 30
Sep 1833. His file consists of 10 images.
The first is of a lined page with several headings and entries
below them.
Below Service is "Mass." On the far right hand of the same
line is the heading Number and below that is "S.31,518."
John Ames' name appears on the line dead center between
"Mass" and "S.31,518"
The next image is of two pages from a book that appears to have
been ledger size.
The right hand page is mostly blank except for three notations:
At the top of the page is : B.L. 25.566-160.35
Further down are some figures which become important when
you look at the facing page. First comes this :
2666
110
____
2776
Six hash marks ( I I I I I I I ) separate this from a second set of
figures:
27.77
2
____
55 54
13.88
_____
69.42
The left hand page has the heading “Maine” handwritten in big
letters in very fine penmanship over a double line. Beneath it are
the words:
“John Ames late of the Oxford Co. in the state of Maine who
was a private in the Comp commanded by Captain Parker of
the Regt. commanded by Col. Prescott in the Massa---
time for 8 mos.& 10ds.”
The next paragraph is enclosed in large brackets:
“John, Jonathan P. & Ralph
Ames, Sally Fuller, Betsey Put
-nam & Polly Polland heirs-
died 30th Sep. 1833”
Another double line across the page and then this:
“Inscribed on the roll of Maine-------
at the rate of 27 dollars 77 cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March,1834”
Another double line, then:
“Certificate of Pension issued the 11th day of Dec
1833--------and sent to W. Allen, Jr. Norridgewock”
Under another set of double lines the math from the other page
comes into play:
“Arrears to the 4th of Sep.’33 $69.42
Allowance ending 30 Sep’33 3.12
_____
$72.54
_____
{Revolutionary Claim}
Act, June 7,1832
Recorded by Geo. C. Stiles Clerk,
Book 6 Vol 2 Page 1
This appears to have been some standardized form and those
words I've put in bold letters seem to have been preprinted
on the page.
Also,the word "Settlement" is the first word on the line with
Allowance but I don't know how to display a crossed over word
so I left it off.
The list of John's heirs confirms the information about his family
that I learned at Larry Overmire's site.
So, John Ames was granted a pension but died before he could
recieve it and it went to his heirs instead.
But what exactly did he do in the Revolution?
for some of my colonial era ancestors and have been transcribing
them to my genealogy program
This first one is for John Ames who was born in Groton, Ma.
on 23 Aug 1756 and died in Canton Me. on 30
Sep 1833. His file consists of 10 images.
The first is of a lined page with several headings and entries
below them.
Below Service is "Mass." On the far right hand of the same
line is the heading Number and below that is "S.31,518."
John Ames' name appears on the line dead center between
"Mass" and "S.31,518"
The next image is of two pages from a book that appears to have
been ledger size.
The right hand page is mostly blank except for three notations:
At the top of the page is : B.L. 25.566-160.35
Further down are some figures which become important when
you look at the facing page. First comes this :
2666
110
____
2776
Six hash marks ( I I I I I I I ) separate this from a second set of
figures:
27.77
2
____
55 54
13.88
_____
69.42
The left hand page has the heading “Maine” handwritten in big
letters in very fine penmanship over a double line. Beneath it are
the words:
“John Ames late of the Oxford Co. in the state of Maine who
was a private in the Comp commanded by Captain Parker of
the Regt. commanded by Col. Prescott in the Massa---
time for 8 mos.& 10ds.”
The next paragraph is enclosed in large brackets:
“John, Jonathan P. & Ralph
Ames, Sally Fuller, Betsey Put
-nam & Polly Polland heirs-
died 30th Sep. 1833”
Another double line across the page and then this:
“Inscribed on the roll of Maine-------
at the rate of 27 dollars 77 cents per annum
to commence on the 4th day of March,1834”
Another double line, then:
“Certificate of Pension issued the 11th day of Dec
1833--------and sent to W. Allen, Jr. Norridgewock”
Under another set of double lines the math from the other page
comes into play:
“Arrears to the 4th of Sep.’33 $69.42
Allowance ending 30 Sep’33 3.12
_____
$72.54
_____
{Revolutionary Claim}
Act, June 7,1832
Recorded by Geo. C. Stiles Clerk,
Book 6 Vol 2 Page 1
This appears to have been some standardized form and those
words I've put in bold letters seem to have been preprinted
on the page.
Also,the word "Settlement" is the first word on the line with
Allowance but I don't know how to display a crossed over word
so I left it off.
The list of John's heirs confirms the information about his family
that I learned at Larry Overmire's site.
So, John Ames was granted a pension but died before he could
recieve it and it went to his heirs instead.
But what exactly did he do in the Revolution?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)