Kittie Bendelow, Missionary to Burma

I have a postcard addressed to Mrs. Bolt, my 3x great-grandmother, in care of Mrs. Bendelow at 320 Linwood Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. The front shows a picture of the Shwedagone Pagoda in Myanmar. Written on the front by the sender was the following description: “This building is just like the Burmese people, showy, [?], glittering on the outside, as far as they know how to do – and that’s all.” Makes me think the writer was a judgy white person. The card was postmarked 4 times, the first on April 21, 1906 at Thandaung, Myanmar, and the last was May 20, 1906 at Detroit.

So my questions were: Who sent this postcard to my great-great-great grandmother Mary J. Bolt? And who’s Mrs. Bendelow?

Searching for the name “Bendelow” in Detroit in 1906 led me to Miriam Jane (Keen) Bendelow. Originally from England, the Keen family came to the United States in the early 1850s when Miriam was about five years old. In 1860, when Miriam was 12, the family was living in Detroit. Miram married Edward Bendelow on January 3, 1876.

Miriam Keen Bendelow, c1884-1892

They had 5 children: Catherine Keen Bendelow (1880-1968; AKA Kittie), Charles (1883-1906), Edward Jr. (1885-1958), Cora (1888-1968), and Herbert (1891-1980). When Charles died on May 12, 1906, his obituary stated his address as 320 Linwood Avenue and 1502 Eighteenth Street.

Detroit Free Press, 5/13/1906, Page 5

According to the notes of the July 28, 1908 Detroit Common Council meeting, an ordinance was passed changing the names of several streets. Perhaps it had already informally gone into effect, since Charles died in 1906. Section 14 of the ordinance states “that the name of the street…known as 18th Street, extending north of [Grand] Boulevard, is hereby changed and shall hereafter be known as Linwood avenue.” (p. 1033). Detroit had a massive address renumbering effective January 1, 1921, so I’m not sure if addresses on 18th Street were changed in 1908 at the same time as the name change. Anyway, the point is the Bendelows lived at 320 Linwood in Detroit, the address to which this postcard is addressed.

Miriam’s daughter Kittie Bendelow graduated from the Washington Normal School in January 1901 and was assigned to teach at Amos School for a salary of $35 (not sure if this was weekly or monthly). According to the 1903 Detroit City Directory, she was teaching at Estabrook School and lived at home. She requested a leave of absence in December 1904. The June 3, 1905 Detroit Free Press tells us why, in an article titled “Two Young Women in Mission Work”: “Kentung, Burmah, will probably be Miss Bendelow’s field of work. She has been an earnest worker at the Eighteenth Street Baptist Church, and has been wanting to enter the Baptist mission field for some time. Her parents seriously objected, but Miss Bendelow resigned her position as a school teacher about six months ago in spite of their opposition to take up missionary work” (p. 3).

Picture from “The Helping Hand,” v. 32, no. 2 (Feb. 1905)

A “Farewell Missionary Rally” was held on September 3, 1905 at the 14th Avenue Baptist Church, with speakers including Kittie Bendelow (Detroit Free Press, 9/3/1905, p. 9). She left from Boston for Burma (now Myanmar) on September 23, 1905 as part of a group of 21 missionaries of the American Baptist Union (Detroit Free Press, 9/24/1905, p. 4). Kittie was financially supported by the Woman’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of the West. She arrived in Burma on November 6, 1905 on the S.S. Mandalay, along with Dr. and Mrs. Walter Rittenhouse.

Church Life, a journal produced by the First Baptist Church of Chicago, published a letter from Kittie dated March 29, 1906 in the June 1906 issue. Among other things, she states, “You may be glad to know I weigh 2 pounds more than I did in America. Since coming here, I have had fever for a week but am entirely recovered now and am hard at work on Karen” (p. 16-17). The Karen are a group of people in southern Myanmar. The mission Kittie worked at specifically focused on this group. Dr. Rittenhouse had a letter he wrote on April 6, 1906 published in the same issue of Church Life (p. 4). He discussed their trip and arrival (remember, Kittie was also with them):

Mrs. Rittenhouse and I spent a week in Rangoon, shopping and sight-seeing. Rangoon has several English stores with complete stocks of all lines, that at least remind one of Chicago department stores. Knowing this we had reserved most of our shopping for Rangoon. The new missionaries were entertained in the homes of the missionaries and teachers in the Baptist College… . The chief objects of general interest are the Swe Dagon Pagoda, and The Lakes, a beautiful public park on the outskirts of the city. Swe Dagon is the largest Buddhist pagoda in the country. We were there during the Feast of Lights. At night the place shows off to the best advantage. The light of the thousands of candles and the full moon, illuminate the tinsel and colored glass and hide the dirt and grossness.

It is so interesting to think that this recounting of the trip to the Pagoda is likely the same trip Kittie purchased the above postcard for my ancestor! Eventually Kittie was stationed at Schwegyin. In 1909, the secretary of the Michigan chapter of the Woman’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of the West, stated in the organization’s Annual Report, “We…rejoice in the work which Miss Kittie Bendelow is doing in Schwegyin, Burma, and desire to do more for her each year” (p. 51). Kittie earned a salary of $500 for the year. Also in the 1909 Annual Report, the Schwegyin mission was said to have 7 missionaries and 62 churches with a membership of 2,503. They also say that there were 16 baptisms during the year. In a letter discussing the Karen school (apologies for offensive language), Kittie said,

There are about 35 heathen Karen villages within half a day’s walk from Schwegyin. During the past few months, the teachers have been going out one at a time preaching in these villages, taking with them a few of the pupils to sing. The Karens love music so much that they come together to hear the singing and then there is a chance to talk to them.

In 1912, Kittie resigned from her mission – it was accepted with “deep regret” (Missions: A Baptist Monthly Magazine, v. 3, no. 11, p. 849). She arrived back at Boston on July 17, 1912. At the August 22, 1912 Detroit Board of Education meeting, it was noted that Miss Bendelow had returned from her leave of absence, and, at the September 12th meeting, she was assigned to Morley School with a salary of $80.

You might think this is the end of Kittie’s story – that she taught, got married (or remained a spinster), had kids (or not), and died. Not quite. According to a post on a Genealogy.com forum, “she married a Burmese man with the last name of Alexander and was disowned by her father, Edward Bendelow. She had 2 children, Charles and Jane. She was in a POW camp during World War 2, but made it out alive. She died in 1968 but never returned to the United States.” Let’s see what the documents say.

Kittie did leave Liverpool, England on July 17, 1914 bound for Rangoon. She was in 1st class on the ship Bhamo, and was listed as a 33-year-old teacher with her “country of intended future permanent residence” listed as Burma. She arrived in Rangoon on about August 1. She married a man named Stanley Alexander in Rangoon about 3 weeks later on August 24, 1914. This is the last mention I can find for her until her father’s obituary in July 1935, in which she is listed as one of his two daughters, “Mrs. Kittie Alexander.”

To conclude, I think I’ve solved most of the mystery. The sender was Kittie Bendelow, teacher and missionary to Burma, and daughter of Mrs. Miriam Bendelow, who was the recipient at 320 Linwood. Now to figure out how Mary J. Bolt knew the Bendelow family. Through the Baptist church? That would be new information for me! Was she friends with Miriam from somewhere else? She would have been about 13 years older than Miriam.

Leroy Burtraw

Emma Oakes, my great-grandfather’s sister, was married to Floyd Burtraw on December 9, 1908 when she was 18 and Floyd was 21. They had 3 children: Earl (1909-1946), Margaret (1911-2011), and Leroy (1915-1922).

Detroit Free Press, Dec. 13, 1908, page 83

In the 1920 Federal Census, Floyd, Emma, Earl, and Margaret were living on Prentis Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. From this page of the census, one would never know that Leroy existed. Instead, I found him as a patient at the Eloise Hospital and Infirmary in Nankin Township, Wayne County, Michigan (now Westland). He was 4 years and 7 months old. Leroy and a boy named Wilbur, who was 2 years and 9 months old, were the youngest patients in the entire infirmary. From the census, I couldn’t tell what his illness was. Next, I found his death certificate listing his date of birth as May 15, 1915 in Detroit and his date of death as October 2, 1922 at 3:30 AM at the Michigan Home and Training School in Lapeer County, Michigan. The poor baby died of otitis media (a middle-ear infection) with secondary/contributory causes of tonsillitis, endocarditis, and “feebleminded.” Next, I looked up the Michigan Home and Training School and found that when it opened in 1895, it was known as “The Michigan State Home for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic.” According to Merriam-Webster, “feeble-mindedness” is defined as an “impairment in intellectual ability” and is noted as a dated and offensive term. I wonder if doctors used the terms epileptic and feeble-minded interchangeably, and if Leroy was really epileptic.

Eloise infirmary building (on left), c1930 – from Friends of Eloise Facebook page

I wanted to find out more about the institutions that Leroy was committed/admitted to. Begun in 1832 as the Wayne County Poor House, by 1913 Eloise Hospital had three divisions: the hospital (mental asylum), the infirmary (or poorhouse), and the sanatorium (for tuberculosis patients). Leroy was in the infirmary on the date of the census, February 21, 1920. Before June 2, 1913, it had been called the Wayne County Alms House. Later, in March 1933, the infirmary became the Dr. William J. Seymour Hospital for infirmary patients, as well as mental patients with medical/surgical needs. I can only speculate why Leroy was there in 1920. I don’t think it was because his family was poor; Floyd had a job as a machinist at a factory in 1920. Was Leroy too young to be put in the mental hospital area for his “feeble-mindedness”? Did he have epilepsy, instead? And would that have been treated in the infirmary instead of the hospital? I wonder how long Leroy had been there before the census was taken, and how long after.

I do know, according to his death certificate, that he was seen by the doctor at the Michigan Home and Training School from July 1922 until his death in October 1922. The school began as the Michigan Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic in 1895 in Elba Township, Lapeer County.

Image from the 1896 Biennial Report

“Originally providing housing and care for epileptics, the home moved the epileptic patients to the hospital in Caro, Michigan, in 1913. This was done in order to focus more attention on teaching and training residents in hopes that they would eventually become productive members of society. By 1922, all residents were admitted only by order of probate court; this included mentally deficient and handicapped children, orphans, abandoned children, and juvenile delinquents, and special consideration was given to the poor.”

From Oakdale: The Lapeer State Home by Laura Fromwiller and Jan Gillis

Between July 1, 1917 and June 30, 1918 (3-4 years before Leroy came), the school’s rate of maintenance per patient per day was .66 cents. In their biennial report for the end of 1918, the school stated that “there are more than 300 on the waiting list who have been ordered admitted by the various Probate Courts.” An interesting item to note: “Our epileptic population – 65 male and 66 female – are children of school age and will not be transferred to the Michigan Farm Colony for Epileptics until provision is made for their training at the Colony. The balance are patients of low mentality and not eligible for transfer” (p. 14).

Attendant Minnie Kenietz and a resident in Cottage A Dormitory Room (from 1900 Biennial Report)

I don’t know if Leroy was physically well enough to enjoy the occupations at the school, such as farming vegetables and taking care of animals. In August 1922, according to the 9/21/1922 issue of the Flint Daily Journal, the population was 1,768.

Leroy Burtraw’s death certificate from Ancestry

When he died at age 7, Leroy had numerous infections (heart, tonsils, ear) and ended up dying of his ear infection, which may have been curable with antibiotics. Sadly, penicillin wasn’t discovered until 1928. Had he lived, Leroy may have eventually been forcibly sterilized as 2,339 people were at the school between 1914 and 1974.

Family Recipe Friday: Orator F. Woodward, Jell-O Magnate

I found another interesting tidbit of history from my mom’s side of the family. My 1st cousin 5x removed, Orator Francis Woodward bought the Jello-O name and business from a neighbor for $450 in 1899! Though not the inventor of the product, he began producing Jell-O through his Genesee Pure Foods Company.

Side of a Jell-O shipping crate, from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Back to the beginning though. Orator F. Woodward was the son of Abner T. Woodward and Phebe Lyman. Phebe was the sister of my 4x great-grandfather Levi Lyman. Levi’s daughter Mary married Andrew L. Moore, one of the Moore boys that moved west from New York in the 1860s.

Phebe Lyman was born on Sept. 1, 1820 in LeRoy, New York and married Abner T. Woodward on Nov. 18, 1843. Between 1845 and 1859, they had 4 sons and 2 daughters. Orator was born July 26, 1856 in Bergen, New York. His father, Abner, enlisted in the Civil War on Sept. 1, 1864. He was a private in the 8th New York Heavy Artillery, Company G. He was at the Battle of Hatcher’s Run and died at City Point, Virginia on January 24, 1865 of sickness. He was buried at the City Point National Cemetery.

Buffalo (NY) Evening News, June 4, 1894, page 22

In the 1870 census, Phebe was living in LeRoy with Orator, aged 14, and Clara, aged 10. Her brother Seth Lyman was living there as well. According to the 1875 New York State Census, they were living in a framed house valued at $1500 (Seth had died in 1871). In 1880, Phebe (54), Orator (23), Clara (20), and Clara’s husband, Thomas Larkin (20) were still living in LeRoy.

Orator F. Woodward

Cora L. Talmage Woodward

In 1882, Orator married Cora L. Talmage. They had six children: Ernest Leroy (b. Oct. 20, 1882), Orator Frank (b. May 26, 1884), Paul Wilbur (b. Dec. 31, 1886), Eleanore (b. Jun. 13, 1889), Donald (b. Dec. 20, 1893), and Helen (b. Jun. 19, 1899).

Photographs of Woodward Family: http://www.woodwardmemoriallibrary.org/family.php

In the 1870s, he began inventing and manufacturing vaious remedies. In 1895 in LeRoy, Pearle B. Wait and his wife May created “Jell-O” by adding fruit syrups to gelatin. In 1899, he sold the formula and name to Orator for $450. He built up the business through very popular advertising campaigns. Unfortunately, Orator died on January 21, 1906. He had suffered a stroke the year before and, weeks before his death, had gone to Hot Springs, Arkansas for his health. His wife Cora became president of the Genesee Pure Foods Company. Their son Ernest succeeded her. Ernest had married Edith Hartwell in 1903. They had one son named Talmage Woodward.

There are lots of newspaper articles out there detailing the exploits of the Woodward family and the Jell-O company. In 2018, Allie Rowbottom published a memoir of her family titled Jell-O Girls: A Family History. Allie’s great-grandmother was Edith Hartwell’s sister.

Other links:
Woodward Memorial Library – http://www.woodwardmemoriallibrary.org/family.php
The History of Jell-O – https://www.jellogallery.org/history.html

Children

Left: Helen Moore, my great-grandmother’s sister, died at age 4

Another Randy Seaver/Genea-musings exercise! “Thinking about your direct ancestors back through 2nd great-grandparents – in other words, ancestors #2 to #31 on your pedigree chart – how many children did they have? How many lived long enough to marry? How many died before age 10?” So here’s mine:

• #2-3: R. Wells and M. Wilson – 3 sons, 1 daughter (3 married), 0 died before age 10
• #4-5: Edward Lee Wells (1905-1955) and Velma Irene Belknap (1913-1999) – 4 sons, 4 daughters (7 married), 0 died before age 10
• #6-7: Charles Thompson Wilson (1907-1989) and Helen Dorothy Oakes (1912-1988) – 1 son, 2 daughters (3 married), 0 died before age 10
• #8-9: Robert Luke Wells (1881-1919) and Nannie Jane Clark (1880-1969) – 4 sons, 1 daughter (5 married), 0 died before age 10
• #10-11: Earl E. Belknap (1895-1960) and Florence E. Bost (1896-1961) – 9 daughters, 1 son (9 married), 0 died before age 10
• #12-13: John A. Wilson (1874-1930) and Mary A. Thompson (1872-1940) – 7 sons, 3 daughters (7 married), 1 died before age 10
• #14-15: William Oakes (1888-1928) and Mae D. Moore (1892-1971) – 1 daughter (1 married), 0 died before age 10
• #16-17: James H. Wells (1840-1904) and Mary Ann Clark (1839-1894) – 5 daughters, 4 sons (8 married?), 0 died before age 10
• #18-19: Willis Clark (1834-?) and Sarah E. Wells (1838-1923) – 4 sons, 3 daughters
• #20-21: Arthur F. Belknap (1869-1955) and Martha Gisel (1869-1925) – 1 daughter, 4 sons (5 married), 0 died before age 10
• #22-23: William S. Bost (1859-1932) and Mary E. McCracken (1862-1911) – 4 daughters, 3 sons (5 married), 2 died before age 10
• #24-25: John Alford Wilson/Rustad (1833-1889) and Mary Ann Gibson (1837-1923) – 5 daughters, 3 sons (4 married?), 3 died before age 10
• #26-27: Archibald Thompson (1838-1931) and Elizabeth Dunning (1837-1912) – 9 sons, 2 daughters (6 married?), 3 died before age 10
• #28-29: Henry Ochs/Oakes (1846-1922) and Minnie Schroeder (1857-1936) – 2 sons, 2 daughters (4 married), 0 died before age 10
• #30-31: Fred L. Moore (1863-1924) and Mina Adell Bolt (1865-1942) – 3 daughters, 2 sons (3 married), 2 died before age 10

My Family in 1940

The following exercise was borrowed from a post from last year on Randy Seaver’s blog. Working on this exercise, I actually learned a few things about the 1940 census! I learned the circled x’s next to names mean that person is the one that answered the census-taker’s questions. Also, I noticed a column I had never paid attention to before – Number of hours worked during week of March 24-30, 1940.

The exercise:

1) Determine where your ancestral families were on 1 April 1940 – 80 years ago when the U.S. census was taken.
2)  List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible).  Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?

*  On April 2, 1940,my father, Robert Wells (born 1939) resided at 17117 O’Connor Street in Allen Park, Michigan with his father, Edward Wells (born 1905), his mother Velma (nee Belknap, born 1913), and his three older sisters, Patricia (born 1934), Ruthann (born 1936), and Donna (born 1938). Edward was a stock chaser at an axle company. His salary was $1600 annually. He had worked 50 weeks in 1939 and 40 hours during the week of March 24-30, 1940. Velma answered the census questions. They owned the home, and it was valued at $1200. Here is a photo of that house today: 

17117 O’Connor

*  On April 8, 1940, my grandparents, Charles Wilson (born 1907) and Helen (nee Oakes, born 1912) resided at 2431 Bennett Street in Dearborn, Michigan, with their daughter Sally Ann (born 1934) and son Charles (born 1935). My mother, Mary, had not been born yet. In the census, Charles was listed as a truck driver at a creamery company, and his income was $2000 annually. He had worked 50 weeks in 1939 and 48 hours during the week of March 24-30, 1940. Helen was the one who answered the census questions. They owned their home, and it was valued at $4600. Here is the house in the 1950s:

2431 Bennett

*  On April 13, 1940, my great-grandmother, Mae Oakes Smiechowski Johnson (nee Moore, born 1892) and her 3^rd husband Alfred Johnson (born 1892) resided at 14810 Parkgrove, Detroit, Michigan, with Mae’s nephew, Harry Moore (born 1914). Mae was my grandmother Helen’s mother. Alfred and Mae owned the house (valued at $6000) and rented the upper flat out for $35 a month. Alfred was listed as an inspector of automobile parts, and his income was $2100 annually. He had worked 48 weeks in 1939 and 40 hours during the week of March 24-30, 1940. Alfred was the one who answered the census questions. Here is the house in 2007. It has since been torn down.

14810 Parkgrove (from Google Street View)

*  On April 19, 1940, my great-great grandmother, Mina Moore Thompson (nee Bolt, born 1865) and her 2^nd husband Bert Thompson (born 1879) resided at 23439 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. Mina, Mae’s mother, was the one that answered the census questions. Bert was a carpenter in building construction and worked 26 weeks in 1939. During the week of March 24-30, 1940, he worked 24 hours. His annual income was $800. They rented the house for $10/month. The house would have been located on the south side of Michigan Ave. near the corner of Outer Drive. It was torn down before 1956, when an office building was built there.

*  On April 16, 1940, my great-grandmother, Nannie Wells (nee Clark, born 1880) resided at 1087 Victoria Avenue in Lincoln Park, Michigan with her son Jesse. She rented the house for $30/month. Also living with her were two lodgers from Indiana named Fred and Boaz Duncan. Nannie was the mother of my grandfather Edward Wells. The house no longer stands but was located near Fort Street and Outer Drive.

*  On April 3, 1940, my great-grandparents, Earl Belknap (born 1895) and Florence (nee Bost, born 1896) resided at 1611 Electric Avenue in Lincoln Park, Michigan with their children Helen (born 1921), Arthur (born 1923), Betty (born 1927), Joyce (born 1931), Nancy (born 1934), Nadine (born 1936) and Shirley (born 1939). Earl and Florence were the parents of my grandmother Velma. I don’t have a picture, but it was located near Fort Street and Southfield Road. They rented for $20/month. Earl was a carpenter, earning $750 in income annually. He had worked 36 weeks in 1939.

*  On April 19, 1940, my great-great grandfather, Arthur Belknap (born 1869) was the father of Earl Belknap and resided at 35120 University in Nankin Township, Michigan (now in Westland, Michigan). He was living with his daughter Belva (born 1899) and her husband Alva Merillat and their children Bernetta (born 1928) and Ralph (born 1939). They rented the house for $20 a month. Here is a photo of the house from 2007:

35120 University

#48 Henry Oakes, Horse Thief

My great-great grandfather Henry Oakes (aka Henry Oax, Heinrich Ochs, or Henry Ochs) was born December 24, 1846 in Hesse-Cassel (Germany). He, his father John, mother Anna, and brother Conrad arrived in New York on April 22, 1852. Anna died by 1856, and John remarried to Wilhelmine Mager. In 1860, the family was living in Greenfield, Wayne County, Michigan.

Henry enlisted in Company F of the 24th Michigan in August 1864 in Detroit. He was not quite 18 years old. He missed Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, but joined in time for the siege of Petersburg. He joined the regiment at Weldon Railroad, Virginia on September 7, 1864. The regiment participated in the fighting at Hatcher’s Run in February 1865.

Roster of Company F on a broadside published c.1865 (from University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library – http://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl006906/bl006906)

On February 11, 1865, the 24th was ordered to Baltimore and then to Springfield, Illinois for rest and recruiting at Camp Butler. While there, they were the military escort at Abraham Lincoln’s funeral on May 4, 1865. According to Henry Oakes, “J.D. Sheldon[?] was promoted to Lieut. shortly after we went to Lincoln’s funeral at Springfield, O. or Springfield, Ill. We stayed then till we came home to Detroit to be discharged.” On June 19, 1865, they left Camp Butler by train for Detroit. On June 28 at 5 PM, they had their last dress parade and the regiment was mustered out on June 30th. About the time immediately after that, Henry said, “When discharged from 24th I guess I was at my parents. I don’t know where else I could have been. They now live some 2 ½ mi. W. of Dearborn – John Oakes.”

Last orders to the 24th from the Detroit Free Press, June 30, 1865, page 1

Henry reenlisted in the 18th U.S. Infantry (3rd Battalion) on December 4, 1865. During January to March, 1866, the 3rd Battalion was going through organization and instruction at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. They left there on April 20, 1866 and reached Sedgwick, Colorado on May 31, 1866. According to Henry, “We got to Salt Lake City [Fort Douglas] about 1 of July 1866. Fired a salute there on the 4th. Drew pay and clothing and then a pile of them deserted and I was put on detached duty. My gun was taken from me and I was put on a horse and a revolver given to me and a detachment of 4 of us with a non-commissioned officer put out to apprehend deserters for $30 a head. I can’t think who the officer was in charge of that detachment nor who the men were nor what companies they were from. I have no idea how long I was on that duty. Couldn’t tell whether 3 or 5 months of the time but I know we brought in a deserter every once in a while.” In December 1866, the 18th was reorganized: the 1st Battalion stayed the 18th Infantry, the 2nd Battalion became the 27th Infantry, and the 3rd Battalion became the 36th Infantry. Henry’s enlistment ended on December 4, 1868.

Here’s what happened to Henry after that according to his deposition from his Civil War Pension File: “When I was discharged from the regular army I went as brakeman on the U.P.R.R. [Union Pacific Railroad] – ran from Laramie to Rollin Springs. Brake man a little less than a year – got my left hand [?] [?] and was in a hospital with that in Laramie City. I can’t tell how long. Went braking again on same route. I can’t say how long then the whole crew was “pulled off.” I laid round Laramie I don’t know how long and I kind of think I came from there to Detroit. No I worked quite awhile at the European Hotel at Laramie City as 2nd(?) cook. Then I had charge of the dining room there quite a spell. Then to Detroit. Was brought to Detroit and put in House of Correction for 5 years for horse stealing. Had started herding cattle and was roped in. Was taking 3 horses from Laramie to Ft. Bridger for a man whose name I can’t recollect and was arrested with the horses in my possession. The man who sent me with the horses kept a [?] house at Laramie and he skipped out.”

Henry’s account of his “horse stealing”

So Henry was sent to the Detroit House of Corrections for 5 years for horse stealing in Wyoming Territory. He was received at the jail March 28, 1871 and was let out August 30, 1875.

Response from Superintendent Joseph Nicholson of the Detroit House of Corrections to the pension investigators about Henry’s tenure at the prison

Week 48 (Nov. 25-Dec. 1): Thief

#47 Milo A. Thompson

Milo Alfonzo Thompson is a step-relative. He was the father of Bert L. Thompson who married my great-great grandmother Mina Bolt Moore in 1924. Mina died in 1942 and Bert died in 1966. He lived with my mother’s family when she was a kid, so our family has all his papers and pictures, since he had no children or immediate family.

Bert’s dad, Milo, was born in Tioga, Pennsylvania on July 10, 1836 to Bethlehem Thompson and Louisa Chilson. He had four sisters, two of whom (Bethia and Ann) died in 1841 and were buried in Addison, Steuben County, New York. Sometime between 1852 and 1860, Bethlehem brought his family to Michigan. Milo married Ruth E. Noble on January 2, 1860 in Oakland County, Michigan and they lived in Oxford, Michigan. Their first son John Wesley Thompson was born on September 9, 1860.

Milo A. Thompson, 1861         (photo courtesy of author)

At the start of the Civil War, Milo joined the 1st Michigan Cavalry, Company G. The unit was organized in Detroit from August 21 to September 6 and mustered in on September 13, 1861. The 1st  became part of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade along with the 5th, 6th, and 7th MI Cavalry Regiments. Company G was composed of men from Wayne and Oakland Counties. A roster can be found here. The 1st participated in battles from Winchester, Virginia on Mar. 23, 1862 to Appomattox, Virginia on April 9, 1865. In the 1890 Veterans Schedule, a remark on Milo’s entry says “reenlisted,” but I’m not sure of dates. Milo and Ruth’s second son, George Bethlehem Thompson, was born in Oxford, Michigan on November 12, 1863. I don’t know if he was home in February 1863 on leave or if he was finished with his service and hadn’t reenlisted yet.

After the war, Milo and Ruth had four more children: Violet, Gracie, Albert, and Bert. Violet died September 6, 1870 of brain fever – she was only 1. Gracie and Albert died within a month of each other in early 1879 of diphtheria – Gracie was 6 and Albert was 4. John Wesley died on December 31, 1880 at the age of 20 of tuberculosis. He had married Katherine Weber on February 26, 1880 and she had given birth to their son on December 27, 1880. Bert was born November 3, 1879, and so grew up only knowing his older brother George.

In 1882, the family moved to Luzerne, Oscoda County, Michigan. Milo’s son George married Katie VanAntwerp on September 22, 1887 in Elmer Township. They eventually had 7 children. George died in 1944. Milo’s mother, Louisa, died at Milo’s home on December 21, 1889.

The May, 4, 1894 issue of the Crawford County Avalanche (Grayling, MI) had a disturbing story about Milo: “Milo A. Thompson, of Luzerne, was assaulted by Eli Hagar, of that place, in a brutal manner, one day last week. Mr. Thompson is an old veteran and known by many of our readers.” He wasn’t even 58 yet, but I guess that counted as “old” in the 19th century. Milo’s wife Ruth died of unknown causes on November 27, 1896. Her obituary said she had only been sick for four days. According to the June 10, 1897 issue of the Avalanche, “Some vandal stole the flowers off the grave of the wife of Comrade Milo A. Thompson, of Luzerne. She was buried in the cemetery at Lewiston.”

In the 1900 census, Milo and Bert were living with George and his family in Elmer Township. Milo died on August 4, 1908. His obituary was in the Avalanche on August 13, 1908.

Died – At Ely, Emmet Co., Mich., August 4, 1908., Milo A. THOMPSON, aged 72 years. The deceased was born in Westfield, Tiogo county, Penn., July 10, 1836. When but a young man he came to Oakland Co. On Jan., 2, 1860 he was married to Miss Ruth E. NOBLE. To them were born 6 children, two of whom are now living, Geo. B. and Burt L. THOMPSON, both of this place. In answer to this country’s call he enlisted as a soldier in Co. G. First Michigan Cavalry and did valiant service. He was discharged at the close of the war and returned to his home at Oxford, Mich. In the spring of ’82 he came north and settled at Luzerne, Mich., where he has since resided. His wife died Nov., 27, 1896 whose memory he has always cherished. His last days since her death have been spent among his children. Mr. THOMPSON had always enjoyed fairly good health until 3 years ago when he began to fail. He received a slight stroke of paralysis the last of March which was followed by a more severe one in April. After leaving the hospital and for the last seven weeks, he has been at Ely, Emmet Co., where at his Nephew’s on Tuesday, Aug., 4th., at 2 p.m. he breathed his last. He leaves two sons, one sister, nine grand children, two great grand children and a host of friends, acquaintances and old comrades. Rev. C. E. ROBINSON of Lansing, preached the sermon at Lewiston. He was a member of Marvin Post No. 240, G. A. R. of this place. The body was brought to Lewiston where the funeral services were held on the 6th., inst. The casket was borne to the grave by his comrades of the war.

Ruth (stone at left) and Milo (stone at right), Albert Township Cemetery, Lewiston, Michigan

Week 47 (Nov. 18-24): Soldier

What was the No.1 song on the day…

This blog post comes from Randy Seaver’s suggestion for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun on November 16, 2019. He suggests looking at https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/birthday-no1/ and figuring out “the #1 song on the day you were born? Or on your birthday when you were 15? When you were 18? Or when you married? Or some other important date in your life.”

Here’s some dates in my life:

1. Day my parents married – July 16, 1960 – #1 in USA was “I’m Sorry” by Brenda Lee
2. My birthday – May 23, 1979 – #1 in USA was “Reunited” by Peaches & Herb
3. My 15th birthday – May 23, 1994 – #1 in USA was “I Swear” by All-4-One
4. My 18th birthday – May 23, 1997 – #1 in USA was “MMMBop” by Hanson
5. My 21st birthday – May 23, 2000 – #1 in USA was “Maria Maria” by Santana
6. My 30th birthday – May 23, 2009 – #1 in USA was “Boom Boom Pow” by Black Eyed Peas
7. Our wedding day – October 6, 2012 – #1 in USA was “One More Night” by Maroon 5
8. My 40th birthday – May 23, 2019 – #1 in USA was “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

#46 Henry Poorman

For this week, I actually found the surname Poorman in my tree! Below is the only information I have found on Mr. Poorman (first name possibly Henry). He married Mary Greenawalt, the sister of my 4th great-grandmother (Sarah Greenawalt Shatzer/Shartzer).

Page 256 of Pennsylvania Genealogies: Scotch-Irish and German
by William Henry Egle, published 1886 – available in Google Books

Week 46 (Nov. 11-17): Poor Man

#45 Viola Dilsaver Moneypenny

The theme for Week 45 is “Rich Man.” Amy’s suggestion of “Any Moneypennys or Banks in the family tree?” made me look for that surname in my tree. Surprisingly, I found some Moneypennys. My 2nd cousin 2x removed Viola Dilsaver married Charles Moneypenny in 1931 in Ohio. Viola was the daughter of Laura Belle Culver (1880-1940) and James Dilsaver. Laura was the daughter of Sarah Ellen Bost (1860-1939), my 3rd great-aunt, and Alfred Culver. Sarah Ellen was the sister of my great-great grandfather William S. Bost (1859-1932).

Viola, 1930

Anyway, back to the Moneypennys. They lived in Summit County, Ohio, and divorced in August 1944. Viola and Charles had 2 sons, David and Jack. Viola married Henry Wilson on October 25, 1947. On their marriage license, they were both listed as rubberworkers. Viola died in 1992 at the age of 78. Her son David had died in 1964 in a plane crash at the age of 31. Charles Moneypenny died in 1998.

August 1, 1992 Akron Beacon Journal

Week 45 (Nov. 4-10): Rich Man