Life at the Home for Aged Protestant Women

Posted on April 30, 2025May 1, 2025 by FHadmin

by L. L. Thomson

Many people over the years have spent their later days in a retirement home. However, few have lived in a retirement home as many years as Elizabeth Mason (Stackhouse) Brooks lived at the Home for Aged Protestant Women.

Elizabeth’s History

Elizabeth Mason Stackhouse, Rod’s 5^th great-grandmother, was born March 19, 1802 to Stephen and Amy (Vandyke) Stackhouse. Note: Vandyke has many different spellings in records with Van Dyke and Vandike being common. Her birth likely took place in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania where the Stackhouse family had lived since they arrived in America in 1682.

In February 1822, Elizabeth married Joshua Brooks in Tulleytown, Bucks, Pennsylvania. In that year, he is listed in Falls Township. However, previously, he was listed in Newtown, Bucks, Pennsylvania. He is listed in tax records with William Brooks and John Brooks. William is believed to have been his father and the likely owner of the Brooks House in Newtown, which we visited.

Elizabeth and Joshua became the parents of Ann Rue, Emma Vandyke, Stephen S., Henry G., Sarah C. and Samuel S. Ann Rue married Jesse Klinefelter. They are Rod’s 4^th great-grandparents. Ann married James Hendrickson after Jesse died.

In 1828, Joshua, Elizabeth, and their oldest four children moved west to the bustling city of Pittsburgh, where Joshua was in business with a member of Elizabeth’s family. They built stationary engines. Joshua was a skilled blacksmith.

Joshua died unexpectedly in 1869 while visiting his daughter Ann R. (Brooks) Klinefelter Hendrickson.

Home for Aged Protestant Women

In 1870, Elizabeth can be found in her daughter Sarah’s household. It is unclear if Elizabeth lived there the entire time between when Joshua died in July 1869 and March 3, 1874 when she moved to the Home for Aged Protestant Women (HAPW).

Why?

The obvious question is why did Elizabeth go to live at the facility? Even if she didn’t want to remarry or had no prospects for marriage, why didn’t she continue to live with Sarah or go live with one of her other children?

Sarah had a husband and two growing children at the time Elizabeth moved into the HAPW. Perhaps, the family needed the space Elizabeth had been occupying. There also could have been conflicts with three generations in the same space. It wouldn’t be the first time a family found multiple generations to be a challenge. So, for whatever reason, Elizabeth did not stay in Sarah’s home.

When considering Elizabeth’s other children, her oldest daughter, Rod’s 4^th great grandmother, Ann Rue (Brooks) Klinefelter Hendricks, was a two-time widow. She had lost her second husband only a couple of months before her father died. By the time her mother entered the Home for Aged Protestant Woman, Ann was working as the Matron of the Poor House. So, she wouldn’t have had a place to house her mother.

Elizabeth and Joshua’s second daughter Emma Vandyke Brooks has been a bit difficult to trace. She was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Muscogee County, Georgia with her brother Stephen; and later is in Missouri. Stephen, as mentioned, was in Georgia. Moving in with his family would have required traveling south, but it was post-Civil War so it was definitely doable. Yet, Elizabeth stayed in Pittsburgh.

Her son Samuel had drown while he was working as an steamboat engineer when he fell overboard on a run between Louisville, Kentucky and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And, Elizabeth’s son Henry was also said to have died before 1870. The circumstances and exact date are unknown.

So, Elizabeth moved to the Home for Aged Protestant Women.

The Home

The Home for Aged Protestant Women, situated on five well-groomed acres near the Pennsylvania Line on Rebecca Avenue, had opened its doors only two and a half years before Elizabeth moved in. It had been founded by Jane Holmes on land donated by James Kelly. Oversight was performed by the Board of Managers and was an auxiliary of the Women’s Christian Organization.

The Application

Entry to the home required that the applicants lived in Pittsburgh/Allegheny for ten years, be over sixty years of age, and an application/acceptance fee. The women paid the $200 fee when they moved into the facility unless it was not practical or feasible for them to make the payment. Then an exception or alternative was arranged.

The payment wasn’t really for care as the cost over their stay far exceeded this amount. Instead, it was to “guarantee the respectability and good behavior of the inmates.” Additionally, they wanted the women to consider themselves paupers. Note: In this era, the word inmate simply referred to anyone in an institution of any type.

The Rules

In addition to being required to be respectable and have good behavior, the women were also prohibited from using tobacco or any stimulants. The facility was very strict about behavioral rules. The year after Elizabeth moved in, the managers evicted a woman for repeated violations.

To move in applicants had to sign the following:

In consideration of my admission into the Home for Aged Protestant Women, Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, as an inmate, subject to its rules and regulations. I, the undersigned, do hereby assign and transfer to the said Home for Aged Protestant Women, Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, Pa., to and for its absolute use, all my property and effects, and with the same legal effect as if delivered into its actual possession; and I do further agree to and with the said corporation that if I shall hereafter receive or become entitled to any money or property of any kind, real or personal, I will at once give information thereof to the managers of said corporation, and will assign and transfer the same to the said corporation if I remain at the home. And I do also hereby engage and promise that I will comply with all the rules of the institution.

Witness my hand and seal this . . . day of . . . . A. D. 19…

(Seal)

Witness present.

Pledge from early 1900s

Source: Pittsburgh Press, August 11, 1901

After the women entered the HAPW, their room, board, care, and funerals were all free of charge. Funding was provided by charity subscriptions, donations, and interest on the endowment fund.

The part that is unclear is how the “property and effects” portion was carried out or exactly what it covered. Clearly, if a woman inherited land, the implication would be that the Home for Aged Protestant Women would be entitled to it. However, Elizabeth did have spending money. So, they didn’t seem to take that from the women. It is also unclear what happened to their personal effects upon their death.

Source: Pittsburgh Press, August 11, 1901

Living At The Home For Aged Protestant Women

The Home Itself

On March 3, 1874, Elizabeth moved into the HAPW. It was a one hundred feet by forty feet brick building, which contained three floors and a basement. Elizabeth could enjoy the common spaces that included the parlor, chapel, sitting room, and dining room. Her bedroom was one of thirty-seven bedrooms in the facility, although when she moved in under twenty were in use. Additional rooms included the kitchen, a room for baking, two pantries, four rooms for provisions, a laundry, a drying-ironing room, two rooms for clothes, and two bathrooms.

The home even had an elevator and fire escapes. The large solid fire escapes were designed to make exiting in as emergency as easy as using a regular staircase. This was critical given many of the residents’ step wasn’t what it had once been.

The rooms in the home were large and spacious. The thick carpets, paintings on the wall, furniture, and knickknacks would still be in use years later. The bedrooms were beautifully furnished with churches in the area donating money for many of the furnishings. By the 1900s, the rooms in the house were described as “old-fashioned comfort.”

Daily Routine

The women spent their days entertaining each other, napping, or pursuing personal interests. Elizabeth definitely kept busy. She went out a lot, but also spent a good deal of time in her room. She wrote letters daily and spent a good amount of time reading.

However, she was often found in her rocking chair making various items including: pin cushion covers, silk stockings which she knitted, lace ties, and wash cloths. Some she used, such as, the silk purse that she carried. Some gifted to friends and family. Others she sold. In her later years, she shared that “she never has been able to get along without plenty of spending money and never will.”

If bored of other activities, the women could just take in the sights of the property: the huge shade trees, manicured lawns, and gardens. The live-in gardener and his crew could be seen tending to the property to keep it looking proper. Other times they could watch workmen on the property, such as, in 1882 when a significant expansion was undertaken.

When it was mealtime, she joined the other ladies of the house in the dining room. It was an elegant affair. Tables were adorned with perfectly white cloths, china, silver, and flowers. Sparkling water was provided from the facility’s private spring.

A Christian facility would be amiss if it did not provide Sunday services in the Chapel. Thus, ministers in the area took turns bringing the word to the women of the HAPW. Occasionally, the women were graced by entertainment. And, of course, there were visitors to the facility.

Kept on Going!

On Elizabeth’s 98^th birthday, family and friends called upon her with the youngest two visitors being Carolyn and Hortense Klinefelter, her great-grandson Judge Klinefelter’s (Rod’s great-great grandfather) youngest children. Family, friends, and observers thought she just might make one hundred since she seemed as strong as ever and didn’t seem to slow down. Read more about Judge Klinefelter.

In the fall of 1900, Elizabeth was described as looking like a well-kept seventy-year-old. According to a reporter, she had “bright eyes and rosy cheeks and nimble fingers.” He went on to say, “She has a face so serene and a heart so contented that they are sort of magnets to attract all bright things her way.”

Elizabeth still took care of herself. And, although she wore glasses, she was known for always looking over the top of them. She said that he needed glasses no more now than when she was young. And, the article said that she still had her second sight. I am suspecting that they meant that she still had her women’s intuition.

Her door was almost always open during the day. Inside the sunny room, Elizabeth could be seen busy knitting, reading, or writing. On the wall, was a 5-generation photograph. It seems very possible that it was of Elizabeth, her daughter Ann Rue (Brooks) Klinefelter Hendrickson, her grandson Joseph Gazzan Klinefelter, great-grandson Judge Sharpless Klinefelter, and one or more of Judge’s daughters. There are other possibilities, but for various reasons this option seems to rise above some of the others.

Change In Routine

Still, Elizabeth’s routine had changed a little over the years. She didn’t get around as easily as in the past as one of her knees gave her trouble. Thus, going out was no longer part of her regular routine. Elizabeth’s visiting was mostly limited to the ladies near her room on the first floor.

The facility had also changed over the years. For instance, it now had electric lights. Additionally, a large addition of bedrooms was added in the 1880s and the addition of a second dining room. It now was home to over fifty women. Likely other rooms had also been added in the addition to support the daily routine and care of the inmates at the HAPW.

In the summer of 1901, Elizabeth was unwell to the point that she took to her bed. It was the first time she had done so in the many years that she had lived at the home. They thought for a moment that this might be the end, but she rallied and became her bright, cheerful, industrious self, once again.

Keys to A Long Life

Elizabeth’s keys to a long life seem to be not working too hard, having a strong constitution, and avoiding too much worry. She said that she never had to watch what she ate or drank. And, she always stopped working when she was tired. Read about it in her own words in the adjacent newspaper image. This was printed August 11, 1901, less than a month before she died. Notice: At 99 she got her own byline.

The only odd thing in the article is that it says she raised a family of nine children. Records have only been found for six children and I suspect this is a typo or misunderstanding of what Elizabeth said. She was raised in a family of nine children, but appears to have had raised six children. Being the youngest of her siblings and marrying at age 20, it seems that she wouldn’t likely have been the cook in the family, but you never know.

Through it All

Born shortly after Washington D.C. became the Nation’s capital, Elizabeth lived through the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Abe Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ullysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester A. Arthur, Grover Cleveland (twice), Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley.

Those years were a time of great invention. During Elizabeth’s life, some of the major inventions include: gas and electric lighting, tin cans, the steam locomotive, photographs, the typewriter, stethoscopes, the sewing machine, the revolver, the telegraph, Morse Code, the internal combustion engine, dynamite, traffic lights, barbed wire, the telephone, the vacuum, motor vehicles. All of these are important to our lives today.

At the time that Elizabeth died, she was only six months shy of her hundredth birthday! Quite a feat in days when so many did not survive childhood. She had lived through the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War. See had also experienced people heading west during the Gold Rush. Additionally, she had lived through the loss of her parents, all her siblings, her husband, and at least two children.

Afterward

The name of the facility was later changed to Rebecca Residence. However, it appears to have continued the same vision. While doing the research for this story, I discovered a Finding Aid for the records for Rebecca Residence. The records are housed at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Interestingly, the records go back to the founding of the facility and even include applications for admission and visitor logs. This is another of many reasons to make a trip to the Pittsburgh area.

The Rebecca Residence moved to a new facility in 1999. According to the History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the original building became 3 Rivers Center for Independent Living. Today, Google Maps shows a sign in front of the building at 900 Rebecca Avenue that says, “Community Psychiatric Centers.”

I think Jane Holmes would be impressed that her vision was realized and that although in use in different ways, the facility she helped open is still in use after 150 years.

Featured Image: Pittsburgh Post, October 21, 1900

Prompt: Institution

#52ancestors52weeks

DNA Ethnicity Meets Traditional Genealogy

Posted on April 21, 2025 by FHadmin

DNA and associated analysis tells us a lot about our ancestry. It is a relatively new field, but I can no longer imagine doing genealogy without it. Much of my work with DNA has focused on finding matches to breakdown brick walls. This article touches on information DNA provides about our ethnicity. I compare results from 3 different companies using my dad’s DNA.

Ethnicity Estimates

Ethnicity estimates is an area of DNA analysis that is an evolving science. Each company has slightly different regions. In addition, each company has a growing and changing base of data that is used to determine a person’s ethnicity. Thus, the estimates and even regions that apply to a person continue to be in flux.

Ethnicity estimates are based on unique elements of DNA that evolved over time. Thus, they don’t necessarily align with where a person lives or where their ancestors most recently lived. Ethnicity provides clues to where a family lived 1,000 or more years ago. For example, someone might have family that immigrated from Germany. However, their ethnicity from a DNA company might indicate some percentage Russian. That simply means that one or more of their ancestors was originally from Russia.

Expectations From Traditional Genealogy

For people like Rod’s mom, her expected ethnicity makeup is quite clear as her grandparents all immigrated to the United States from Germany. However, when your ancestors have been in the United States a long time, your expected ethnicity makeup is a bit more complicated.

In Dad’s case, it is very complicated as his earliest known ancestor in America arrived in 1621. Most of his family lines arrived in America by 1800. The last branch of his family to arrive in the United States left Europe 200 years ago, but took a bit of a detour through Canada before making their way southward.

Thus, a lot of generations and a lot of different families join together to form Dad’s family tree. It isn’t feasible to discuss all of them with regards to expected ethnicity. Therefore, this article focuses on what traditional genealogy says about where his great-grandparents’ direct paternal family line’s may have lived before coming to the United States.

The 8 Key Family Lines

McCracken

Genealogy research indicates that our McCracken ancestors most likely moved to the United States from Ireland. However, the name McCracken is derived from the Clan McNaughton in Scotland. Thus, it seems we may have ancestors in both Scotland and Ireland.

Matteer

According to census records, Mathias Matteer, our earliest confirmed Matteer ancestor, was the son of immigrants. His father was born in France and his mother in Canada. Although not proven, it appears that it may have been his grandfather, rather than his father, who was born in Alsace, France. In either case, genealogy would indicate that he had ancestry in the region along the French-German border.

Ellis

Our Ellis relatives in Europe are unknown. People with the name Ellis or other forms of it lived in many different places. However, the name seems to have originated in England.

nicholson

Our Nicholson family also dead ends in the United States. It was very common in the British Isles.

Peelle

Lawrence Peelle sailed to America from England. He appears to have sailed on the Margaret and John over the winter of 1620-1621. The belief is that he was born in England.

Peel Castle is on St. Patrick’s Isle which is connected to Isle of Mann, which has a town named Peel. Additionally, Piel Castle is on Piel Island off the cost of northwest England. Whether Lawrence had a connection to either of these places is unknown.

Johnson

According to House of Names, Johnson is the second most common surname in the United States. The name was common in England, but our knowledge of the family ends in North Carolina.

Jury

The Jury family immigrated first to Canada and then to the United States. They were from Sussex, England.

Willett

The Willett family immigrated to Canada. Then, Ellenor (Ellen) (Willett) Jury immigrated with some of her children to the United States.

1 Person – 3 Different Views

This section takes a look at Dad’s ethnicity as provided by 23andMe, MyHeritage, and Ancestry. As you look at them, you will note significant differences in both the ethnicity and the detail provided.

23andMe

Regions

The areas highlighted in color indicate the regions 23andMe has identified as locations associated with unique attributes of Dad’s DNA.

The graph shows that they have identified Dad as basically being a Northwestern European. They further break down the categories to show more specific (sub)regions.

The (sub)regions focus his ancestral roots in on being British and Irish with small amounts of the other areas.

This chart is something I could have guessed from traditional genealogy given most of his 8 key family lines have likely ties to the UK.

MyHeritage

Regions

The regions on the MyHeritage map are shown in various colors. The areas that are grayish and outlined are genetic groups. Those will be discussed in the following section.

The regions highlighted are those that MyHeritage has determined for Dad. The chart shows the percentages for each region.

If we look at Dad’s key families, we would expect French, Irish, Scottish, and English. In addition to these families, I know of connections to Germany. Thus, I was not surprised by Germanic and related regions.

This leaves us with the surprise regions of Norwegian and Breton. Dad has no known connection to Norway. However, the distance between Norway and several of the other regions is not large. Thus, one or more ancestors could have easily migrated to one of the other regions.

Brittany, France (Breton) is on the opposite side of France from where Dad’s Matteer ancestors are believed to have lived. It seems most likely that they migrated to England.

The other surprise is the small percentage Irish. With the name McCracken, even knowing it had roots in a Scottish Clan, we always thought of ourselves as being a good percentage Irish.

Location of DNA matches

MyHeritage also provides the number of DNA matches a person has in each country. This provides an interesting view when you consider it along with the regions.

The chart shows a list of countries and number of matches in each to Dad. Only countries with 10 or more matches are included in the chart. Countries with a green bar are in countries represented by the regions MyHeritage identified.

Genetic Groups

MyHeritage also provides what they call genetic groups. These are areas where a person shows strong genetic associations to other people that live or lived in the area. My Heritage identified five genetic groups.

UK and Ireland
Northeastern and Midwestern USA
Midwestern USA #9
Northeastern and Midwestern USA and Canada (Ontario) #2
Southern USA

For each genetic group, MyHeritage used thousands of DNA kits and they state that they have high confidence in each group.

All of these groups has its specific makeup of settlers. However, all of them include settlers from the UK. All these genetic groups except the “UK and Ireland” group include German backgrounds. Each of the genetic groups include places that Dad’s ancestors lived.

Ancestry

Regions

The regions highlighted are those that Ancestry has determined for Dad. You will note that the regions are somewhat similar to those of MyHeritage. Yet, there are also differences.

The chart shows the percentages for each region. Ancestry also provides a range. For example, Scotland is 18%. The range, however is 11% to 32%. My understanding is that in comparisons to their data, 18% is the most likely scenario. However, Ancestry found it possible, but less likely, in other parts of the range.

If we look at Dad’s key families, traditional genealogy would lead us to expect the regions of Ireland, Germanic Europe, Scotland, and England & Northwestern Europe. Within the Scotland region, Ancestry ties Dad to the Scottish Highlands and Central Lowlands subregion. The only other subregion Ancestry identifies for Dad is the French and German Switzerland subregion, which is likely attributed to the Matteer family.

Beyond these regions, Wales also seems likely since Peel Castle is in the vicinity of Wales. You will later see how this reasonable assumption is debunked and why Wales must come into play another way.

Ancestry associated Dad with the region of Sweden; whereas, MyHeritage associated him with Norway. Although traditional genealogy has yet to uncover a connection to either place, it seems likely that each company is picking up on a DNA attribute, but associating it to different countries.

Denmark and Iceland are the additional surprise regions. Denmark is close to both the German region and Sweden. Thus, the region of Denmark does not seem like a stretch. MyHeritage also identified this area.

Iceland, however, is a huge surprise. I am wondering if it is one of those regions that comes and then goes again as more is learned about the region. Only time will tell.

Ethnicity – Split By Parent

Ancestry takes ethnicity a step further and splits it between ethnicity that can be attributed to a person’s mother and a person’s father. The following chart shows Dad’s ethnicity makeup on the right. On the left, it shows the split between his mother and his father. From this we can check to see if he really inherited ethnicity from whom we think he did.

Percentage of Ethnicity Received From Each Parent

Each of his parents provided approximately 50% of Dad’s DNA. However, DNA inherits randomly. Thus, from a given parent you might not get any DNA that indicates one ethnicity, some of another, and all of another.

If we consider the key families, it is definitely no surprise that Dad’s mother, Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, provided a good amount of England & Northwestern Europe DNA as her mother’s ancestors all came from England and her father’s early ancestors also came from England. Traditional genealogy for key families of Dad’s father, Joseph Andrew McCracken, haven’t uncovered the same strength of ties to England. However, traditional genealogy has uncovered some more distant families with ties to England.

Scotland is a bit opposite as I would expect more of Scottish DNA to come from Dad’s paternal side. Matter of fact, I don’t know where that much Scottish DNA would have come from on his maternal side.

Germanic Europe is no surprise. Dad’s Matteer family may fall into that category as they were from an area in France along the border with Germany. Additionally, the Storm(s)(es)/Sturm family that married into the Ellis line was from Germany and based on a huge number of matches to this family, I am sure they are contributors to the German percentage.

The two other regions of interest are Iceland and Wales. From this data, we find that the tie to Iceland was on Dad’s mom’s side. Similarly, we learn that the tie to Wales is on his father’s side. Thus, the assumption made earlier that Wales might be tied to the Peelle family is ruled out.

Ethnicity – Split By Chromosomes

Ancestry also provides a map of the ethnic regions to the chromosomes. The following image shows the mapping of the regions to Dad’s DNA. The top bar on each chromosome pair represents Dad’s father’s side and the bottom bar represents his mother’s side. The dominance of England & Northwestern Europe is quite evident. And, we can see that the Iceland region is associated with chromosome #15.

Ancestry also provided the ability to compare

Ethnicity Comparisons

Ancestry also provides the capability to compare your regions with those of your DNA matches. The chart shows the DNA regions for Dad, my sister, and myself.

A couple new regions are added, which would have come from my mom’s side. Additionally, several ethnic regions drop out in my sister and me.

Despite the fact that Mom never did a DNA test, several things can be learned about my mom’s ethnic regions. First, we know that her ethnic regions must greatly overlap with dad’s regions. We also know that at minimum Mom has 18% England & Northwestern Europe since my sister has 80% in this region. However, it is likely that she has much more. We also know she had ancestors from Scotland, Finland, and Norway.

Journeys

Ancestry’s “Journeys” are similar to MyHeritage’s “genetic groups.” They are areas where a person matches or is expected to match a number of people because their ancestors and other relatives lived in the location. Generally, journeys are more recent.

To date, Ancestry has identified three Journeys for Dad:

Eastern South East England, Delaware Valley
Chesapeake & Midwest Settlers
St. Louis, Missouri & Western U.S. Settlers.

Eastern South East England

Ancestry specifically ties Dad’s family to two specific areas within this Journey. The West Sussex, West Surrey & Eastern Surrey & Kent area (darkest green) is definitely tied to the Jury and Willett families. They moved from this area to Canada before coming to the United States.

The other specific place is Greater London to Brighton (medium green). This is likely also tied to these families, possibly through people who married into the family.

Delaware Valley, Chesapeake & Midwest Settlers

According to Ancestry.com, “The Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River valleys were popular destinations for colonial migrants from England, Scotland, and German-speaking territories.” The following of Dad’s 8 key families lived in the areas shown: McCracken, Matteer, Ellis, Nicholson, Peelle, and Johnson. Thus, Dad has a very strong connection to this Journey.

St. Louis, Missouri & Western U.S. Settlers

This area includes much of Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa. At least one member of each of the key families lived within this journey. Despite the fact that none of Dad’s direct ancestors lived in the northwest, this was a very common destination for people that passed through Kansas and Missouri. I have found people in many different families that had one or more family members that moved to the northwest.

So, what is missing in these journeys? Probably the area that I would expect most is North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. Regions containing them might show up eventually. However, it is possible that they don’t show up because much of our family left those areas 200 or more years ago.

Ancestry provides more information about the regions, journeys, and examples of people that lived in each of the regions. They also provide details about their processes and research.

The Old Sawmill

Posted on April 14, 2025 by FHadmin

When I thought about the oldest story, which was the prompt for this week, I thought of stories of long ago, stories we had known the longest, the oldest ancestor in a family, the person who lived to be the oldest, and more. I finally settled on something much closer to home . . . the oldest man-made feature on the property where I grew up.

Growing Up

As kids, my sister, cousins, and friends explored the natural wonders of the property where I grew up. The creek, big boulders along the bluff, and the cave provided endless entertainment. It seems there were a lot less ticks, snakes, and other critters in that pasture back in those days. Yet, the little mom knew about our exploration still probably made my her nervous as a cat.

The Wall

One place that my sister and I never explored, most likely because we didn’t know that it existed until we were older, was an old rock wall. It sits at the top of the bluff on the far side of the creek. The wall is made of large flat stones piled on each other with apparently nothing, but gravity, holding them in place. A majority of the wall appears to still be in place today.

Dad said that the wall was the location of an old sawmill. It is unclear how the wall was used. It might have been used to keep logs from rolling down the bluff into the creek. Alternately, it might have been to keep humans from accidentally stepping off the edge of the bluff.

The Path To the Creek

Toward the north end of the wall, a clearly intentional opening in the wall exists. Through it is a path down toward the creek. It is in an area where the creek is more accessible than many other spots. It would have been good for accessing water.

Along the path, there are a couple of places where it appears that rocks in the side of the bluff were chiseled or cut to make rudimentary steps. This made walking up and down the path easier than climbing over big rocks.

Location of the Mill

It is possible that the saw mill was down near the creek. However, even on the highest spots down near the river, the sawmill would have been easily washed away in floods. Additionally, it would not seem likely that they would have wanted to carry the lumber up the bluff. And, if so, what would the purpose of the wall have been?

It seems more likely that the sawmill stood on the top of the bluff. It might have stood just east of the wall. Trees now cover that area. However, it may have stood a bit further east in a larger, open area covered with flat-ish rocks. Some of the rocks are a part of the rocky terrain. However, others appear to be loose or placed on top of the ground. The rocks don’t create a 100% solid surface, but are close enough together to have created a surface for wagons hauling lumber.

Rocks also appear to create a walking path to this area. It is possible that the rocks are just a part of nature. However, they don’t match rock patterns in other areas nearby. And, again, they appear intentional. Thus, we believe that rocks were added specifically to create the path and a work area.

What appears to be an old road near the sawmill site.

The Road

Coming from the rock open space is what appears to be a rock road heading east, although not completely straight. The road is covered with rocks in a similar way with trees and brush along the sides of the road. Again, it is possible that these rocks were somehow just randomly located in a way that appears to be a road. However, the rocks on the road, open space, and walking path are completely different than the big boulders and other rocks that dominate the landscape.

So, how old is it?

I don’t know exactly when the sawmill was built. It may likely have been built during the time the Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad Company (later known as the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad company) owned the property, which would be the 1870s. And, it may have been built even earlier as investors led by James F. Joy of Michigan had obtained the property a few years earlier with the idea that it would be granted to the railroad.

In 1869, the railroad company hired almost all of the sawmills in the county, leaving the area with a shortage of lumber for building homes. Thus, it is likely the sawmill was used by the railroad. This is especially true since it was on property that the railroad was in the process of acquiring.

Next Oldest

The only other man-made structure on the property that rivals the wall in age, is the kitchen in the existing house. It once was a one-room house. It sat on a slightly raised area in the bottom below the bluff on the west side of the creek some distance from the sawmill. I believe that house was built in the late 1870s, which was while the land belonged to the railroad. It wasn’t until 1880 that it was officially sold to the Billman family. They also owned the property where Uncle Dewey lived.

This house was later moved up the bluff to its present location. However, I have no idea how they ever got it up the bluff with a team of horses. Sometimes getting a pickup loaded with hay or a wagon-load of hay up the bluff with a tractor was quite challenging.

If the house had been built on the same side of the creek as the saw mill, I might have assumed it was the family’s business. However, being on opposite sides means that is unlikely since there are times that crossing the river without a bridge would have been impossible. The closest sizeable bridge was on the road north of the property. Traveling from down by the river up to the road, across the bridge, and back to the sawmill would have been quite a trek. The only other bridge across the bridge at the time at the time was a foot bridge south of where the house sat, although I don’t know exactly where it was located.

Another Pre-Dates 1900

The last man-made feature of the property that pre-dates 1900 is the dining room on the house. It was built sometime in the 1880s. I am not sure exactly where it sat, but it was in the general area of the current house.

The Exact Location

If you get the idea that you might try to go find the wall and road, I will warn you that if you don’t know where it is, you likely won’t find it. Also, reaching it is going to require a lot of difficult walking, including climbing bluffs and over rocks while fighting thorn-covered trees and brush.

The Search For Louisiana

Posted on April 8, 2025 by FHadmin

My great-great grandmother Louisiana has been a bit tricky to search. It would have been much easier if there hadn’t been so many mistakes both in family information and records.

The Family Story

Louisiana was married to Lemuel McCracken. Her maiden name was Johnson. She was feeling ill and the family headed to other family, in Peoria, Illinois. It was said that she died along the way and at least part of the family assumed that she was buried along a trail. She was only 49 and left behind several young children.

Louisiana’s Maiden Name

Johnson

I spent years searching for Louisiana Johnson. Records said that she was born in Ohio, but where? And, why couldn’t I find her?

Since our grandfather was Andrew Johnson McCracken, I thought it was likely that Louisiana’s father was Andrew Johnson. So, I searched for an Andrew Johnson that had a daughter Louisiana or who could have a daughter her age. Again, I found nothing.

Still, I really didn’t question the name as it had been passed down in the family. Cousin Mitzi said that she never questioned it because she was told that Louisiana was a cousin to her great-grandfather William T. McCracken’s first wife Lauretta Johnston. Since Johnson and Johnston are often interchanged, that seemed to support the story.

Mattser

During this time, I was contacted by a man who claimed Louisiana’s maiden name was Mattser. A genealogist he knew had looked (I believe in person) at records for Louisiana and had determined Mattser was the correct last name.

I shared our story of Johnson. He simply stated that he trusted and believed the woman and he knew her to be accurate.

So, I researched the name Mattser. I did not find anyone in Ohio with that name at the time that Louisiana was born or during her early years.

It appeared that neither Johnson nor Mattser were Louisiana’s maiden name.

Incorrect “Fact” Highlights

Family Information

Family believed Louisiana’s maiden name was Johnson.
The family believed she was headed to Peoria, Illinois where family lived.
Family believed Louisiana and Lemuel’s marriage was the first one for each of them.

Records

Louisiana and Lemuel’s son Lemuel’s death record states his middle name as Francis. Is it?
Lemuel Francis’ death record states his mother was Leousia Mc Koree and his father was Lemiel L. Mc Cracken.
1860 census Rosannah McCracker and her husband Sam McCracker and everyone’s name was incorrect in some way either in the record or in the transcription.
Louisiana’s son from her first marriage was recorded as being 7 years of age when he was actually 11 years of age.
Louisiana’s marriage record appears to say her name was Mattser.
Cemetery book had the directions to the cemetery wrong.
Son Lemuel’s death record lists his mother as “Leousia Mc Koree.”

Bonus Errors & Name Changes

Delormah, Delarma, Delorma went by Del and later almost exclusively by Lawrence, his middle name.
Not included in this article: Their youngest child was a female F.E. in 1875, a male Francis in 1880 and later Minnie Alameda.

Badgley

I also had probate papers for one of Lemuel and Louisiana’s daughters that listed several people that I did not know. By searching those people, I learned that both Lemuel and Louisiana had been married before. Why no one in the family seemed to know about these earlier marriages is unknown. One has to assume that, although much younger than the children from their first marriages, great-grandpa Andrew McCracken would have known they had earlier marriages. Some of his siblings lived near and possibly with Louisiana’s daughter from her first marriage.

Lemuel and Louisiana’s marriage record listed her name as Badgley, but it wasn’t her maiden name.

Matteer

Eventually, I found a marriage record for Louisiana and her first husband James Badgley. I could see why the researcher had believed the name was Mattser as it could easily be interpreted that way. Fortunately, a secondary note was written on her marriage record with her father giving her permission to marry since she was not of age. The surname was not clear, but with her father’s first name, multiple images of the name, and some research, I finally found her family. I learned her father was William Matteer and her mother was Mary Rodgers.

In addition, although I won’t refer to them incorrect, the many spellings of Matteer created the necessity to search multiple ways. Her father appears to have preferred the spelling “Matteer.” Meanwhile, her siblings generally used “Mateer.” However, the name is misspelled or mistranslated many other ways, including “Matter,” which causes lots of headaches when searching newspapers, and “Mattier.”

Given Name

I never thought that Louisiana’s given name was a question since her son Andrew had a daughter with the middle name of Louisiana. However, once I started going through her records, I found her name recorded several ways, which is not uncommon. Some, such as when she showed up as “Rosannah” in the 1860 census, were clearly wrong. However, others made me question her name.

When she married her first husband, her name was recorded as Lucianna. In 1850, she is listed in the census as Louisana. Then, when she married Lemuel, she was Louisianna Bagley.”

They Got It Really Wrong

Then 1860 as Rosannah with her husband Samuel. Finding this record required manually scanning the census for the area where I suspected the family lived, because the transcription of the record showed them as the McCracker family with husband Samuel, wife Rosannah, and children Mary, Lewis, Delormah, and Samuel. Mary and Lewis’ given names were correct, but their last name was Badgley. It isn’t clear if “Delormah” is the correct spelling of Lemuel’s son with his first wife or not. Based on other records as his son used Del or Lawrence in later records. And, of course, it should have listed Lemuel, Louisiana (or something close), and Lemuel.

Additionally, Lewis, Louisiana’s son from her first marriage, was listed as being 7 years of age when he was listed in the 1850 census. It seems this was misheard by the census taker and should have been recorded as 11. So a mix of transcription errors and errors in the record gave me lots of trouble.

In 1870, she was Louisiana, but her husband was still Sam. This time the record stated “Sam” instead of “Lem” and “Samuel” instead of “Lemuel” for their son. Additionally, Ida Belle was listed as Billie in the transcription. The record looks like they might have written “Billie” and then attempted to change it to “Bellie.” I am not sure which is worse. I wouldn’t want to be called “Belly.”

Still Wrong

The 1875 Kansas Census added no clarity to Louisiana’s name as it simply recorded her first name as “L.” However, when she died four years later, the cemetery records list her as Louisanna. Meanwhile, her daughter Mary Ann’s death record lists her mother as “ Louisiania Mattier.” On the other hand, her son Lemuel Francis’, we always thought it was Franklin but perhaps not, death record lists his mother as “Leousia Mc Koree.”

So, I believe her name was either Louisiana as we thought or Louisanna. At least most of the names were similar. And, perhaps, there wasn’t a correct spelling of her name at all!

Location, Location, Location

Louisiana’s Birth

Unlike Lemuel who it seems couldn’t make up his mind if he was born in Pennsylvania or Ohio, Louisiana’s records are consistent on that face. In the 1830 census, the year she was born, her parents were in Windsor Township in Morgan County, Ohio. It is assumed, but not proven, that she was born in that location. She married in Washington County, Ohio, which is adjacent to Morgan County.

Her mother’s birthplace is another story. In Louisiana’s father’s biography, it states Louisiana’s mother was born in Perry County, Tenn. This appears to be incorrect. It seems that her mother was far more likely born in Perry County, Penn. The difference of one letter and approximately 800 miles.

Louisiana’s mother also had controversy about her death date. One record shows her dying in 1849 and another in 1850. The kicker is that the latter shows, Mary’s death a being a couple of weeks after her husband Matthias remarried. If the latter is correct, it seems like her husband jumped the gun a bit. However, I suspect that despite that date being on Mary’s gravestone, she likely died in 1849.

Why Did She Move?

I wondered why a woman would move from the eastern edge of Ohio to Lee County, Iowa with two children. Records showed that her husbands’ family moved west from Ohio. I questioned if her husband had moved and then died or what exactly had happened. Why, Lee County?

Well, what happened to her husband may remain a mystery forever. Instead of incorrect records, no records at all have been found of his death. Other researchers told me that they assumed he died in the Civil War, but none had any proof. If that is the case, which I suspect it isn’t, James and Louisiana divorced or Louisiana simply left him. Louisiana was married to Lemuel before the Civil War began. Thus, she didn’t lose her husband in the war.

Once I found her father, however, I knew why she ended up in Lee County, Iowa as her father and most of her siblings moved there in the 1850s.

Louisiana’s Death

Dad believed he had heard that they were headed to Peoria, Illinois to family when Louisiana died. For many years, I figured that I would never find her in a cemetery. Then, one day, I looked at a book that contained cemetery information for Bates County, Missouri. There she was in Morris Cemetery near Butler, Missouri.

I decided to go to the cemetery for clues. Well, we followed the directions from the book and ended up at the wrong cemetery. Turns out, we weren’t even close. We later got new directions and were able to visit her grave, which is just to the left of the drive only a few rows back.

I found a few clues about the family that raised their son Henry, but none about Louisiana herself and none about where they were headed when she died. There was a very, very short-lived post office called Peoria near where Louisiana was buried, but I haven’t been able to identify any family that lived in the area. However, several family names show up in the county.

Likewise, no relatives have been identified in Peoria, Illinois. However, some members of the McCracken family of which Lemuel appears to associated do live in other counties nearby. I believe it is likely that they were instead headed to Quincy, Illinois, where her oldest daughter Mary Ann (Badgley) Macklin lived.

Still, it is a bit odd that she died in Bates County and Lemuel stayed there, remarried, and lived there for almost 15 more years before moving on. Read more about Louisiana.

In Total

If you add in all the incorrect records for Louisiana, Lemuel, Louisiana’s parents, and her, his, and their children, I think it would fill a small book. Far more records were inaccurate in some way than were 100% accurate. Working with records for this family is a challenge because every record has to be analyzed to determine if it is someone else or if it simply contains a mistake. But, it demonstrates that if you are careful, you can still solve the puzzle even if the pieces are tattered and torn. Read more about my research of Louisiana and Lemuel.

Featured Image: By Maiconfz via pixabay.com

Prompt: Big Mistake

#52Ancestors52Weeks

Near Kin

Posted on April 1, 2025April 23, 2025 by FHadmin

Doing genealogy has lots of challenges regarding reading and understanding documents from the past. I have encountered documents in a variety of languages. However, sometimes the most difficult issue when reading documents is the specific “language,” as in words or phraseology used.

The Old Augustus Lutheran Church. Built in 1745, it is the oldest standing Lutheran Church in the United States. We took this photo on our visit in 2018. The graves of those mentioned as being in the graveyard are not far from this building.

The Claim

Margaret (Leber) Moses, shown in the image above at age 102, claimed to be near kin or a near relative of Rod’s 7^th Great Grandfather William Hurrie, who famously rang the Liberty Bell to announce the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Read more about William Hurrie.

Margaret lived in Trappe, Montgomery, Pennsylvania and attended the Augustus Lutheran Church. The Old Trappe Church, A Memorial of the Sesqui-Centennial Services of Augustus Evangelical Lutheran Church, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which was published in 1893 documented her claim. In 1917, the claim was also included in Old Roads Out of Philadelphia by John Thomson Faris.

Augustus Lutheran Church Graveyard

Margaret was mentioned in the church memorial as she was the oldest person to ever have been buried in the graveyard at the time it was written. She had died at age 104 years, 4 months, and 16 days. It stated that she was buried not far from Reverend Muhlenberg. When we visited the church and graveyard, we found both of their graves. Although not immediately adjacent, they were not far away from each other.

Although interested in her story, our primary reason for our visit to the graveyard was not, however, to visit her grave. It was to visit the graves of Rod’s 5^th Great Grandparents Christian and Ann (McGinley) Stetler. Having died in the early 1800s, their graves were also nearby.

Who Was Margaret?

We did wonder how Margaret was related to William Hurrie. Ann (McGinley) Stetler was William’ granddaughter. And, we knew that Margaret and the Stetler family both had ties to Augustus Lutheran Church. However, the only thing we knew about Margaret was what was written in the church history.

Shingling

It turns out that Margaret was a very formidable woman. She was born July 5, 1750 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She was engaged to George Moser when he got the call to serve. George was in the process of shingling his new barn at the time. So, while George went off to fight for America’s freedom, Margaret did what needed to be done. She climbed up on the barn and finished shingling it.

Troops in Trappe

While George was serving, the war came knocking at her doorstep. American soldiers decided to camp in Trappe. Augustus Lutheran Church was used as a barracks and a hospital. The church secured its place in history, by not only being used by the troops, but also with a visit from General Washington.

Despite the presence of the American troops (or because of the presence of the American troops), the church and area was not without threats of violence. The Reverend wrote in his journal that he was so disliked by the British that they threatened him with capture, torture, and even death. Apparently, they did not care for him and others in the area giving aid to the American troops.

After George finished his service, he served for his brother Peter who did not wish to serve. This may be because Peter was busy building a very large family and did not feel he could leave his wife and children. Once that service was complete, George came home.

Life Post-War

Reverend Muhlenberg married them in Trappe in May 1782. They were together until George’s death in 1806 at age 66. Margaret outlived him by 48 years. They had no children.

Meaning of the Phrase

The meaning of the phrase “near kin” or “near relative” is not clear and has been a stumbling block in understanding how she was related to William Hurrie. In some cases, it is used similar to next of kin. In other cases, the term “near of kin” implies that they were “almost like a member of the family.”

The Bible uses the term “near kinsman,” which is very similar. In that case, it is a close male relative and at least one reference implied that there was an order of closest, next closest, etc.

Possible Relationships

Since we don’t have clarity around the words that were used, let’s take a look at the possible relationships to see which ones can be ruled out.

Relationships to consider are:

A direct relative (sibling, cousin, etc.)
A relative by marriage
- Related via her husband George
- Related via a marriage of a child
- Related via William Hurrie’s wife Mary
- Related via the Stetler family since Christian married William Hurrie’s granddaughter
A close friend . . . so close that they were like family

Direct Relative

Margaret was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. However, her parents, Phillip Leber/Lever and Anna Margretha Muellerin/Mueller were both born in Germany. Since William Hurrie was from Scotland, it seems that a direct relationship is nearly impossible.

Related Through Her Husband

George Moser was born in Germany as were his parents. Thus, this connection also seems nearly impossible.

Related through A Marriage of A child

This scenario can be ruled out since George and Margaret never had any children.

Related to William’s Wife

William was married to a woman named Mary. Her surname and heritage is unknown. It is possible that she was related to Margaret. However, I have not yet found a woman named Mary in Margaret’s family tree who would have been reasonably close in age to William Hurrie. That said, this remains a possibility.

Christian and Ann (McGinley) Stetler’s Gravestones

Related Via the Stetlers

The Stetler family lived in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and were of German heritage. Additionally, they have ties to Augustus Lutheran Church. Since William’s granddaughter Ann McGinley married Christian Stetler, it is possible that she was the connection between Margaret and William Hurrie. This seems like a bit of a stretch genealogy-wise since she would have been, for example, a cousin to the husband of William Hurrie’s granddaughter. That doesn’t seem very near, but it wouldn’t surprise me as people were a bit more generous in those days as to who was family.

That said, to date I have found no connection between Margaret’s family and the Stetler family.

Close Friends

It is definitely possible that Margaret considered herself a close friend of William’s granddaughter. They both lived in the same general area and it is very possible that they knew each other well. It should be noted, however, that Margaret was considerably older than Ann and that Ann died over 30 years before Margaret.