Saturday, July 26, 2014

Van Gilder and Winchell Family Line

In viewing this blog, I realized that readers have no reference point for the people I write about.  Below is my Van Gilder and Winchell family line.  

1.      Awansous, husband with unknown Mohican woman.  Awansous was a Wappinger chief recorded in documents from 1680 to 1707.  He originally lived in the area of Putnam County, N.Y.

2.     John Van Gelder born about 1698, died 1758.  He married Anna Maria Karner.  The banns registered June 28, 1719, NY.  Anna (also known as Mary Karner)  was born 1700 Germany, the daughter of daughter of Jan Nicholas Koerner and Anna Magdalena.  She died before after April 1782.  They resided in the Town of Egremont, Berkshire County, Mass.

John was a farmer and sawyer at a mill located in South Egremont that he operated with his brother-in-law Andrew Karner.

3.      Catharine Van Gelder was the wife of Hezekiah Winchell Sr., born 19 Oct 1731 Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Mass., and died before April 1778 (son of Samuel Winchell Sr. and Hannah Parsons).
       
Hezekiah fought in the Seven Years’ War and in the American Revolution at Mount Independence.  Nineteen other male native relatives fought in the American Revolution, including three in the Green Mountain Boys and nine others in the Continental Army.

4.      Eliakim Winchell born about 1744, died before Apr 1818 Mt. Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass., and married Sarah and an unknown second wife.

      Eliakim was a wheelwright and farmer and a veteran of the American Revolution at Saratoga, along with six other family members.  He was the last known Van Gilder grandchild to retain family land in Berkshire County.  It was auctioned off in 1818 after he died in debt.

5.      George Winchell (son of Eliakim and Unknown) was born after 1805, most likely in the Town of Mount Washington, Berkshire Co., Mass., and  married Sarah Livingston (daughter of Unknown Livingston and Rachel Boyes).

George was a farmer.  Sarah may be a descendant of James Livingston, who was unrelated to the patroon.

6.      John Winchell born 1829 Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn. married Winifred O. Ashley born 17 Jan 1830 Chatham, Columbia Co., N.Y., died 25 July 1800 Great Barrington, Berkshire Co., Mass, (daughter of Abraham Ashley, who was Quaker, and Delilah Beman).

      John was a carpenter.  During the Civil War he was a private in Company D, 49th Massachusetts Volunteers.  Winifred may be the descendant of a native man from Connecticut named Zephaniah Wix.  He was imprisoned in Robert Livingston's sugar house by the British during the American Revolution, released that December because he was one of the sickest and died on his way home.

7.      Henry Franklin Winchell born 11 Aug 1857 Berkshire Co., MA married (1) Cora Leona Thatcher born 30 Sep 1858, daughter of Alexander M. Thatcher and Huldah Bishop, died 18 Jul 1892;  married (2) Esther Haskell (daughter of Nathan Haskell and Susan Seavor);  married (3) Alice Belle Snyder 1895 Great Barrington, Berkshire Co, Mass., born 16 April 1876, daughter of John Martin Snyder and Jane Frances Hoyt died 24 Feb 1912.


Henry F. Winchell and son Earl 

Cora Leona Thatcher

Alice Belle Snyder


Henry worked as a carpenter, a clerk and in the local factories.  He is pictured in a photo of the construction crew working on Searles Castle in Great Barrington.  Alice’s great-grandmother was a native woman from Hudson, Columbia Co., N.Y.


8.     Earl John Winchell born 27 May 1892 Great Barrington, Berkshire Co., MA, died 5 Jul 1966 at Salt Point, Dutchess Co., NY.  His first wife was a native woman named Myrtle, most likely from Dutchess County.  I'd really like to find out who she was.  His second wife was Gertrude Baker, born 10 Aug 1890 Blue Creek, Paulding Co., Ohio, daughter of Andrew Baker and Margaret Gatton, died 14 Sep 1960 Amenia, Dutchess Co., NY.  Her family was also of native descent.

Earl Winchell with first wife Myrtle

Gertrude Baker, Earl's second wife and my grandmother



Saturday, July 19, 2014

Good News and Bad News

I have just discovered Iowa Old Press on the web, which seems to be a counterpart to Old Fulton NY Post Cards,  an online archive of old newspapers, mainly from New York State.  I am still trying to find out where Mary Lucinda Winchell, the wife of Rev. Ira N. Pardee, died.  It would be nice if I could document her life further, as well as her sister Georgiana Winchell, who moved west with her sister and her family.  Georgiana was known as Georgie and she married Robert Steele 11 December 1878 in Webster County, Iowa.  The bad news is there was a couple with about the same names living in the same area of Plymouth County, Iowa, Robert and Anna Steele.  Maybe that's why Georgiana changed her name.  I imagine as I puruse the files at Iowa Old Press I'll be able to sort out the news stories on the two different families.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Familysearch Tip

I just had a document in Familysearch show up in a different way.  I searched for James Gatten's marriage in the usual way just by clicking on "Search" at the top.  The transcribed record came up but not the image.  I went to "Genealogies" (which shows up on the menu under "Search" if you let the cursor hover over the word) just to see what was there.  I entered James' name and marriage date into the pedigree screen.  Instead of links for family genealogies, I received three links for the marriage, and one including a copy of the original record!  I will have to try this with other people.


Mohican Woman

The poem that inspired the name of this blog, and the only poem I ever wrote.


Mohican Woman 

No one told me I was Indian
But I heard the ancestors faintly call.
Christianity, sorority, Judaism, atheism, New Age,
Psychology, sociology,
Scottish clan, German gemütlichkeit,
BA, ACOA, SCA,
I answered them all.
No one was there.
Yet I heard them
From the river Muhheconnetuk,
Papskenee's Island, Monemin's Island,
Scotak, Skatekook, Kaunameek, Wachachkeek,
Gokameko, Housatunnuk, Wnahtukook,
Stockbridge Mission, Guilder Hollow,
My roots follow.
Nameless places, faceless names,
Nameless faces looking back at me.
   

Debra Winchell
December 1996

A Crack in the Gatton Brick Wall?

I am wondering if there is a crack in the Gatton brick wall.  You may recall I've been trying to research my great-great-grandfather Albert Galatine Gatton. A break came February 2013 after Familysearch added new records.  I found a marriage record for Galatine Gatton and Hannah Wickoff for 15 March 1838 in Muskingum County, Ohio.  That's quite a distance from Auglaize County.



Galatine also seemed to have a close relationship with Isaac Gatton.  Both men enlisted in the Union Army on the same day in the same place.  There was an Isaac Gatton who married Amanda Spurgeon 1842 in Muskingum County.  He was the son of James Gatton and Rosannah Canner.  I found a little information on the web about the family.  There is a brother listed for Isaac named Galen Gatton.  James had a brother named Galentine.  Galen could be a shortened version of that name.  I wonder what the chances are that Galen Gatton and Galatine Gatton are the same man.  I will have to research Isaac and Amanda, and James' family to see if I can find more information.

I've just discovered that Familysearch has a lot of online information for Muskingum County.  That should keep me busy for a while.

Friday, July 4, 2014

My July Fourth

People can search U.S. census records free on Ancestry, so I'm doing that this weekend.  I'm trying to fill the holes in my cousin's family.  I can only access certain census records on Familysearch.  I'm using Genedocs' census summary sheet, mostly because it's pretty.  I did start a similar spreadsheet a while ago, but didn't follow up on it.  

I'm also trying to follow up on some of my own research: Andrew Brasie in Hillsdale, Columbia Co., NY, and Cornelius Brasie living in Berkshire Co., MA.  It's not much fun when records for the town were burned.  I saw that there is a Sons of the American Revolution application for Andrew Brasie.  I'll have to go to the library and look it up.  It may have some helpful information.  There are also tax assessments listed.  I don't know if those will be helpful.

This search also reminds me that Andrew was probably originally named Andreas, and later the name was anglicized to Andrew.  Always I keep in mind that his surname Brasie has been spelled many different ways.  I have not tried to keep track of all the variations.  Maybe I should.

I read the History of Hillsdale, Columbia County, N.Y. by John Francis Collin I found on the Internet Archive. Unfortunately the people mentioned in the book are those who either served politically or owned businesses.

I have to say my research has definitely been enhanced after I heard a radio broadcast of On The Media by WAMC featuring the Internet Archive.  WAMC has made my research doubly enjoyable today by airing a special by American Roots and the Capitol Steps.  

Let me not forgot my ancestors who served this country in the name of democracy.


 Ancestors Who Served

Seven Years’ War
  1. Hezekiah Winchell Sr.
  2. Zephaniah Wix

American Revolution
  1. Isaac Beman
  2. Berryman Brown
  3. Richard Brown
  4. Samuel Brown
  5. Frederick Buckalew
  6. Noah Hayden
  7. William Hayden
  8. Edward Houchins
  9. Christopher Peavler
  10. Cornelius Vanderveer
  11. Richard Wells
  12. Sampson Wickersham
  13. Nathaniel Wilson
  14. Eliakim Winchell
  15. Hezekiah Winchell Sr.
  16. Zephaniah Wix, imprisoned by the British, died on the way home.

Civil War
  1. Adam William Baker, imprisoned in Andersonville
  2. Albert Galantine Gatton, died in service
  3. William Gragg
  4. Jesse Hise, Indiana Calvary
  5. John L. Winchell

World War II
Avery Kenneth Winchell