Find A Grave

Today I thought I'd tackle a project that I've needed to do for a while, adding my mother's siblings to Find A Grave.  The site was founded by Jim Tipton in 1995 to record the graves of famous people.  Over a million volunteers have been responsible for adding the 109 million on-line memorials.  Judging from my experience, I think a good portion of the volunteers are genealogists.  I have found information on family on Find A Grave that I couldn't find anywhere else.  The most helpful memorials have complete information on the person, including an obituary, parent and children information plus a photo.  People are able to contribute to memorials that already exist, to ask to take over management of memorials and to add memorials.  As of today, I've done all three. 

When I create a memorial I try to add as much information as possible to be helpful to anyone else.  I find I'm missing information on my mother's siblings.  I'm missing most of the obituaries and I don't know the burial location for some.  Unfortunately the state of Connecticut is not blessed with a vintage newspaper site like Old Fulton, N.Y. Post Cards which I tend to call just Fultonhistory.com, hosting over 25,084,000 files, the vast majority for newspapers in the state of New York.  I'll either have to find a way to either use sites with paid subscriptions or to pay my way to visit the state library in Hartford.

Arkville Cave

Earlier in the blog post Indian Shelter Excavated  I wrote about an excavation Ralph S. Ives made in 1934.  It might be the cave described in the transcribed newspaper article below.

Attorney Ives Describes Cave

Rich Find Within 100 Feet of Main Highway

Attorney Ralph S. Ives of Roxbury recently made a speech before the Oneonta Kiwanis club in which he described the Indian cave at Arkville,

The Oneonta Star gives the following report of the speech by Mr. Ives.

Mr. Ives explained that he had been collecting Indian flints and relics since he was a lad, told how the hobby had grown with him, and of the interest with which he read about excavations in the Pyrenees, arousing a desire to some day take part in some original excavations himself.  He then relate events during his boyhood at Margaretville and of the stories about the Indian cave at Arkville about which he heard throughout his life, spent in that vicinity and Roxbury.

Cave Within View of Highway

While drawing a deed this spring, mention was made in the papers of the Indian cave, and he determined to visit it.  The cave faces southeast on a mountain near the Arkville railroad station, the mouth being readily seen from the highway which runs within 100 feet of it.  The cave is about 30 feet long, about 20 feet deep, and had a vaulted roof about eight feet from the ground at the time digging operations were started this spring.

Because the work had to be done in spare time, activities were carried on quietly, but in five or six weeks the excavation was completed.  Because few perfect specimens have been found in caves, Mr. Ives and his sons started their digging, carefully with stiff case knives, about 10 feet from the opening of the cave.  Arrowpoints and scrapers of the Algonquin type were found, together with broken bone implements and pottery, before excavation was started within the cave.

Inside the rock shelter a rock floor was found under three or four inches of loose soil, this base being flatiron-shaped with dirt on the sides. On the north side of this floor, definite layers of  charcoal were found to a depth of two feet and one-half, indicating that the camp site had been used for centuries.  At a depth of four and one-half feet below the floor were found a number of perfect bone implements, needles, awls, bone arrowpoints, and broken pieces.  Because of their age, these pieces of bone were very brittle and it was necessary to protect them under glass.  A small display case of these articles was exhibited.

Estimates Age at 2,500 Years

In fixing the age of finds in the cave, which Mr. Ives estimated at from 600 to 5,000 years, he explained that the Algonquins lived in this vicinity before the Iroquois.  He considers it most probable that some of the bone implements are 2,500 years old.  He also expressed the conviction that bone was used fully as much as stone  by the early Indian and said that he hopes some day to establish that wooden implements were also common.

Excavating to a depth of four feet, the party also found fragments of pottery and fresh-water clamshells, probably used as ladles or spoons.  Portions of two pipes, rubbing stones, drill points, bases of drills, fishnet sinkers, arrow points and scrapers were also found in substantial quantities in this strata. The rusted blade of a knife was found some distance below the surface in the cave, indicating to Mr. Ives that others had explored it mysteries, probably many years ago.

Catskill Mountain News, 22 June 1934, Margaretville, NY

Blog Reciprocity

Today I decided to use Blogger to catch up on the blogs I follow. I came across a couple posts on the Pyburns by Jennifer Mieirs of Observations from a Genealogy Addict.  I had discovered that she was researching the possibility of Native American ancestry in her Pyburn family.  From reading genealogical posts on-line it looked possible that the parents of my documented ancestor Elizabeth Nancy Choate were Austin Choate and Elizabeth Naomi "Omi" Pyburn. All researchers have agreed that Nancy had Native ancestry.  I was very delighted to see that Ms. Mieirs researched the Choates and Pyburns further and reported her findings in her posts Thoughts, data and theories on the early Pyburns MD>VA>NC/TN and More on the early Pyburn's.  I am very appreciative. Although genealogists like to find their own ancestors, sometimes you just can't do it all yourself.  Ms. Mieirs has been very helpful.

My blog has evolved over time. I didn't think people would be interested in continually reading about an obscure family that wasn't theirs.  There are many places that instruct people in genealogical research.  I've tried to use my research as examples to help those having difficulty finding more information about their families.  I've also presented some obscure history that might be difficult to find.  The Ralph S. Ives artifact collection with its missing documentation is an excellent example.  Ultimately I try to show research isn't entirely serious and occasionally include an amusing or heart-felt article that I've come across.

Georgianna Winchell Found

I have discovered what happened to Georgianna Winchell, the daughter of my gggreat-grandparents George Winchell and Sarah Livingston.  I did indeed find her living with her sister and her husband on the 1870 federal census in Great Bend, Susquehanna County, PA.  I learned from a biography that Ira N. Pardee married her sister Mary Lucinda on 12 October 1869.  The important clue was the 1880 federal census that lists Ira with Robert Steele and his wife "Georgie" in Omaha, Douglas County, NE.  The enumerator wrote that Ira was a visitor. His daughter Eva was with him.  

Today I found a marriage record for Robert and Georgianna in Webster County, IA.  They were married 11 December 1878.  Georgianna's name was given as "Georgie C.," though.  I've found an awful lot of relatives who went by a name other than that given to them by their parents.

On 5 June 1880, Robert and Georgie were living in Omaha, Douglas County, NE.  His daughter Bertie, who was 18, was living with them.  She was born in New York State.  I discovered from an 1891 directory that Robert was a manager at Mound City Paint Color Company (the company was bought by the Glidden Company in the 1950s).   I don't know if Robert died in Nebraska and that is why Georgie moved back to Iowa to be near relatives.

Georgie died 10 July 1911 in Sioux City, Woodbury County, IA.  She was buried in Logan Park Cemetery in that city.  On her death record, her name is recorded as "Georgie Anna W. Steel." Her birth date was off by 2 days and 1 year, which isn't too bad for an era where people didn't have to give it all the time.  Her father's name is correct, but her mother's was wrong.  It gave her birth place as Massachusetts, which was correct, and her occupation as storekeeper.  It would be nice to find a municipal directory that tell me what kind of store. 

It was not easy searching for either Georgie or Robert in Ancestry.  Not many records came up at all.  I didn't think those names were so difficult.  Maybe in the future I will come across more information. 

Downsville Reservoir Will Flood Many Indian Relics

By Arnold H. Bellows in Catskill Examiner

Catskill Mountain News, 11 April 1947, Margaretville, NY

 

For more than a century and a quarter many residents of the Catskills have been interested without success in the solution of the mystery of a lead mine or secret depository or lead ore in the Catskills, the knowledge of which died with Teunis, the last Indian to live in the Catskills.

More factual than legendary is the story of his life, which is interwoven with the early history of the village of Margaretville, a thriving village in Delaware county, located several miles below the Greene county line.  Between that village and Arkville, two miles farther up the Delaware is the site of a very large Indian village named Pakatakan from whose many wigwams the curling smoke ascended during the first half of the eighteenth century and possible before that time.  A mountain named after the Indian village rises like a giant fortress from the peaceful valley at its base where once the Indians held their councils and doubtlessly discussed the momentous issues of peace or war when danger threatened.

Pakatakan means in Indian language “he makes it clear” or “the meeting of the three rivers,” as it was located at the confluence of three streams.  It was first discovered in 1762 by white hunters from the settlement of Shandaken, but had been deserted by its Indian occupants.  It was probably a Mohican encampment as that tribe was still numerous in Delaware county in the 17^th century, though after 1712 a considerable number of Tuscarora Indians located in parts of Delaware county.  Many very valuable and interesting relics of Indian usuage have been discovered on the site of the ancient village.

First White Settlers

When Pakatakan was discovered, a few miles below the deserted lodges, on the banks of the Platte Kill stream stood the wigwam of Teunis, a brave and resourceful Mohican brave..  As the first white settlers in that region were of Dutch extraction and as the Indian name of Teunis was difficult to pronounce, the name Teunis, evidently of Dutch origin was applied to him.  Margaretville was settled just before the Revolutionary war, and Teunis, not wishing to leave his old hunting ground, remained in the vicinity of the deserted village and became very friendly with the white settlers, invited them to his wigwam, and doubtlessly entertained them with much Indian lore.

During the Revolution he warned the white settlers of an impending danger of Indian massacres by a tribe who was aiding the British and so saved many lives  Fearing vengeance from other Indians because of this act of kindness, he retired to a secluded spot in the Catskills by a little lake that bears his name today.

The old Indian was often observed to possess quantities of lead, but refused to tell where he obtained the precious ore.  Finally a resident of Andes, named Bassett who had saved his Indian friend from serious injury or death at the hands of a drunken white man, was promised by Teunis that he would be shown the place from whence came the leaden riches upon condition that he would consent to be blindfolded and led to the place and then blindfolded again before being conducted away.

Mr. Bassett consented and was led along winding paths into this secret retreat in a cave in a ledge of rocks where he saw considerable quantities of lead.  Teunis promised to reveal its hiding place before he died, but he passed away suddenly and with him the mystery which has caused many to carefully search in vain for the lead deposits.  It is said that the entire region around Teunis lake was carefully examined.

Years afterwards some miles from the lake a cave was discovered but contained no signs of any lead deposits.  Some have supposed the lead was furnished by the British, but this seems unlikely in view of all the other known facts.  Teunis lived a considerable time after the Revolutionary war and was the last native Indian to live in Delaware county.

A short distance from this site of Pakatakan back of Arkville village is a cave which was explored a few years ago and very valuable relics dating back at least five hundred years ago were unearthed.  The work was under the direction of Attorney R. S. Ives of Roxbury.  Near Union Grove, several miles below the site of Pakatakan, are the remains of earth works of Indian origin.  In a few years these remains of the long ago will be inundated by the waters of the big reservoir that will be constructed at Downsville to help supply water for New York city.

SACRIFICES TOOTH TO MUSIC

Philadelphia, Apr. 8.—A real martyr to music has been brought to light by Miss Wynetta L. Stacks, superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal deaconesses home here.  Miss Stacks in describing the efforts to initiate music classes in settlement work, told of one small boy who confided his life’s ambition was to play the flute.  The teacher struggled in vain to teach him but his lips would not pucker right.

Finally the teacher said:  “Joe, I guess you will never learn to blow a flute because of the way that front tooth has grown.  It is in the way.”

A few days later the lad’s mother returned home to find her son’s face bloody but shining with triumph.  He had borrowed pliers and had pulled the tooth.

“And at the first recital of the student of the class,” Miss Stacks concluded, “he blew notes on the flute.”

The Saratogian, 8 April 1922, Saratoga Springs, NY

New Branch of the Family

I have found a new branch of the Winchell family.  I discovered that a daughter of my great-great-great-grandfather George Winchell and his wife Sarah Livingston married a Methodist minister and left Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  I was very surprised to find relatives living in Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and South Dakota.  I provide the information below in case there are any cousins looking for it.  I hope they will take the time to say hello!

First Generation

 

1.  Ira N. Pardee was born in 1840 in Kingston, Ulster Co., NY. He died on 9 Mar 1899 at the age of 59 in Jennings town, Calcasieu Co., LA.  Ira N. Pardee and Mary L. Winchell were married on 12 Oct 1869. Mary L. Winchell, daughter of George Winchell and Sarah Livingston, was born in 1841 in Massachusetts. She was also known as Mary Lucinda Winchell.

Ira N. Pardee and Mary L. Winchell had the following children:

             2             i.   Clark Livingston Pardee, born ca 1862 in Pennsylvania; married Nellie Fairchild, 26 Nov 1890, Le Mars, Plymouth Co., IA.

             3            ii.   James B. Pardee, born Aug 1866 in Pennsylvania; married Lulu Gahagan, 5 Apr 1890, Logan, Harrison Co., IA, USA; died 1938, Cherokee Co., Kansas.

             4          iii.   Eva Pardee, born ca 1871 in Pennsylvania; married Harold Chester Peters, 11 Oct 1893 in New York State; died 18 Jan 1974.

Second Generation

2.  Clark Livingston Pardee (Ira N.-1) was born circa 1862 in Pennsylvania. Clark Livingston Pardee and Nellie Fairchild were married on 26 Nov 1890 in Le Mars, Plymouth Co., IA, USA. Nellie Fairchild, daughter of L. W. Fairchild and Sarah Wiggins, was born in Feb 1866 in Iowa.

Clark Livingston Pardee and Nellie Fairchild had the following children:

             5             i.   Clarence Lynn Pardee, born 5 Oct 1892, Hawardan, Sioux Co., IA; died 1942 in Iowa.

             6            ii.   Richard Livingston Pardee, born Oct 1899 in Louisiana; married Anna Fritz, 27 Mar 1924, Belle Prairie Township, Beadle Co., SD; died 1964.

3.  James B. Pardee (Ira N.-1) was born in Aug 1866 in Pennsylvania. He died in 1938 at the age of 72 in Cherokee Co., Kansas.  James B. Pardee and Lulu Gahagan were married on 5 Apr 1890 in Logan, Harrison Co., IA. Lulu Gahagan, daughter of Patrick Gahagan and Bridge Kearn, was born in Apr 1869 in Wisconsin. She died in Apr 1919 at the age of 50. She was buried in Apr 1919 at Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans, Orleans Co., LA.

James B. Pardee and Lulu Gahagan had the following child:

             7             i.   Ira J. Pardee, born Aug 1892 in New York State; married Louise Payne, 25 Oct 1916, Hamilton, Sullivan Co. , TN.

James B. Pardee and second wife Isabel appeared in the census in 1930 in Galena, Cherokee Co., KS. Isabel was born circa 1882 in Illinois.

4.  Eva Pardee (Ira N.-1) was born circa 1871 in Pennsylvania, possibly 23 Dec 1870. She died on 18 Jan 1974 at the age of 103. Eva was buried in Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA.  Eva Pardee and Harold Chester Peters were married on 11 Oct 1893 in New York State. Harold Chester Peters was born circa 1869 in Pennsylvania. He died on 2 Jul 1950 at the age of 81. Harold was buried after 2 Jul 1950 at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux, Woodbury Co., IA.

Harold Chester Peters and Eva Pardee had the following children:

             8             i.   Harold Pardee Peters, born 21 Jul 1895, Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA, USA; married Emma A. Lettow, 1921; died 4 Sep 1979.

             9            ii.   Chester Lewis Peters, born 11 Oct 1902, Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA, USA; died 27 Jan 1964.

 

Third Generation

 

5.  Clarence Lynn Pardee (Clark Livingston-2, Ira N.-1) was born on 5 Oct 1892 in Hawardan, Sioux Co., IA. Clarence died in 1942 at the age of 50 in Iowa. He was buried in 1942 at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Boone Co., IA, USA.

Lillian West was born circa 1890 in Iowa. She died in 1974 at the age of 84. She was buried in 1974 at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Boone Co., IA.

Clarence Lynn Pardee and Lillian West had the following children:

                            i.   Catherine J Pardee was born circa 1908 in Iowa.

                           ii.   Caroline Pardee was born circa 1919 in Iowa. She died in 1929 at the age of 10. She was buried in 1929 at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone, Boone Co., IA, USA.

                         iii.   Margaret Pardee was born circa 1922 in Louisiana.

6.  Richard Livingston Pardee (Clark Livingston-2, Ira N.-1) was born in Oct 1899 in Louisiana. Richard died in 1964 at the age of 65. He was buried in 1964 at Restlawn Memory Gardens in Huron, Beadle Co., SD.  Richard Livingston Pardee and Anna Fritz were married on 27 Mar 1924 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belle Prairie Township, Beadle Co., SD. She died on 20 Sep 1972 at the age of 75 in Huron, Beadle Co., SD. She was buried in Restlawn Memory Gardens in Huron, Beadle Co., SD.

7.  Ira J. Pardee (James B.-2, Ira N.-1) was born in Aug 1892 in New York State, and died possibly on Sep 1962 in TN.  Ira J. Pardee and Louise Payne were married on 25 Oct 1916 in Hamilton, Sullivan Co. , TN, USA. Louise Payne was born circa 1894 in Tennessee.

8.  Harold Pardee Peters (Eva Pardee-2, Ira N.-1) was born on 21 Jul 1895 in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA. He died on 4 Sep 1979 at the age of 84. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha Co., SD.  Harold Pardee Peters and Emma A. Lettow were married in 1921. Emma A. Lettow was born on 12 Dec 1898 in Minnesota. She died on 6 Jan 1996 at the age of 97. She was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha Co., SD, USA.

Harold Pardee Peters and Emma A. Lettow had the following children:

                            i.   June Peters was born circa 1922 in Minnesota.

                           ii.   Bobette Peters was born in 1930 in South Dakota.

9.  Chester Lewis Peters (Eva Pardee-2, Ira N.-1) was born on 11 Oct 1902 in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA. He died on 27 Jan 1964 at the age of 61. Chester was buried in Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA, USA.  Mary M. Hunt was born on 3 Jan 1909. She died on 12 Sep 1989 at the age of 80. She was buried in Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA, USA.

Chester Lewis Peters and Mary M. Hunt had the following child:

                            i.   Roger Peters was born circa 1922.