The Ronald Brothers In Business

Posted on November 15, 2023April 20, 2025 by FHadmin

Natives of Scotland, William Bunten (W.B.) Ronald and his brother Robert, began life in Nebraska working mostly as laborers and farmers. William came to America in 1850 with Robert, who was much younger, coming with their parents in 1856. In 1870, William, 48, and Robert, 26, were both single men in the process of gaining citizenship and homesteading land in Nebraska. But, soon their focus would change to business.

Palmyra In Its Infancy

In the early 1870s, Palmyra, Nebraska, 34 miles west of Nebraska City was in its infancy. Only being platted and surveyed recently, Palmyra was ready to grow and to have business boom. Being situated along the railroad, Palmyra was perfect as a point of import and export.

In the fall of 1870, William Ronald purchased his first property in Palmyra. He bought a hardware business from Sylvanus Brown. William’s brother Robert would soon be a Palmyra businessman, too.

A Growing Village

Mid-1870s

By the mid-1870s, the town was estimated to be between 200 and 300 people. Two hotels existed in town – the Centennial House and the Keystone House. Robert Ronald was the proprietor of the latter. The Masons and other groups had been organized, along with Methodist, Presbyterian, and Catholic Churches.

The village had a flour mill, dealers in agriculture implements, lumber, dry goods & groceries, and general merchandise. William (W. B.) Ronald owned the hardware and furniture store in town. In the back of the store were additional rooms that the family lived in. Additionally, you could buy hats, sell grain, engage a blacksmith, or see Dr. White, who was the town’s physician and druggist.

In 1876, the rail station, which included a telegraph office, was kept busy. 244 rail cars of goods were exported with largest exports being corn, wheat, and hogs. Meanwhile, the biggest imports were lumber and coal.

Late-1870s

In 1878, Mr. Frost of Iowa moved to Palmyra to take charge of the Keystone House, which Robert owned. By the next spring, Robert had built a new 30 ft. x 50 ft. livery on Fourth Street just east of the Keystone House.

The livery was one of two in Palmyra. People of the village had choices. By 1879, Palmyra had two hotels, two grain elevators, two hardware stores, two general merchandising stores, and two physicians. But, the town had only one saloon. Palmyra had also added a fourth church, an additional physician, and a business that made cheese.

Source: Syracuse Journal , Syracuse, NE, May 27, 1881

Business, Business, Business

By the fall of 1880, William was expanding his business. He built a new store that was the largest store in town. Besides the main floor, the store had a 66 ft. x 32 ft. hall upstairs that could be used for lectures and other events. The hall was the largest in the county outside Nebraska City.

William, however, did not stay around long to enjoy the new larger store. In January 1881, William sold his hardware business to his brother Robert.

After Robert took over ownership of the hardware store, he called it “Palmyra’s Emporium.” It was said to have “first-class goods,” hardware, harnesses, agricultural machinery, furniture, and wall paper. In addition, the business included coffins and undertaking. Unrelated to hardware or home wares, the store also had Unadilla flour, which seemed to be popular in town despite the town having their own flour mill.

At the end of June, 1881, W. D. Page, who had been dealing in groceries and dry goods, expanded his business. He bought out Robert’s hardware store. And, he purchased the Keystone House and livery, too.

Life After Palmyra

William and Robert left Palmyra within less than a year. Both continued to own and work in businesses after they left Palmyra. However, they never had a business together or lived in the same area as each other again.

William B. Ronald

Two months later his wife Margaret Ann, whom he had married in 1870, filed for divorce on the grounds of abandonment. According to family, he went to Indian Springs, Missouri when he left his wife. However, I have not uncovered any evidence of his travel.

Cherokee, Kansas

On April 23, 1881, the Nebraska City News printed that William and Margaret had been granted a divorce. That same day William married Ellen Raymond in Cherokee, Crawford County, Kansas. Raymond may have been a married name as it is said that she was a young widow. However, information on Ellen is quite elusive.

According to the newspaper, about the time William married, he opened a stock of boots and shoes in Cherokee. The village had been founded 10 years earlier and was now thriving with over 500 inhabitants. It was to grow over 95% during the next decade.

The family also believed William owned a small grocery store during his time in Cherokee. I am not sure if this is the case or if there was confusion about a store he later owned. In any case, William’s business in Cherokee didn’t last long.

Indian Springs, Missouri

By the end of 1881, William sold his property in Cherokee. William and his wife moved to the new resort town of Indian Springs, Missouri by the beginning of February. Six weeks later, William claimed the healing water of the mineral springs had resulted in hair growing where he had once been bald and that it had cured his wife’s indigestion.

Soon, William and James Robinson of Neosho, Missouri began building a new two story hotel. The hotel was 55 ft. by 68 ft. and contained 29 rooms. It was named Planter’s House and was completed around July 4, 1882. It was close to the healing mineral springs that had drawn people to the area. The hotel was advertised as “A favorite resort for invalids.” It also had sample rooms for business men to use.

York, Nebraska

William’s wife became sick with tuberculosis and they moved back to Nebraska. After his wife died in December, 1883, William bought a small store on the east side of the square in York, Nebraska. He advertised that oysters, fruit, candies, and cheese were available in his store. The next year he advertised that birch beer, ginger ale, dried beef were available at his establishment.

In the 1885 census, he listed his occupation as confectioner.

Sherman Center

In October 1886, only a few months after marrying Angeline Cutshall, who was 35 years his junior, William dissolved two business partnerships in York, Nebraska. According to family, he then went to Sherman Center (originally called Shermanville and now a ghost town) in Kansas. There, he purchases a livery barn. His wife stayed in Nebraska with family until the following October. At that time, his wife and their 5 month old son joined him.

The town had just been started a few months earlier and officially established in September. However, Goodland was founded a few miles to the south. Goodland won the election for county seat, something several towns including Sherman Center were vying to get. Additionally, the future railroad planned to go through Goodland. Sherman Center quickly lost business. Thus, William and his family returned to Nebraska where he died in July, 1888.

Robert Ronald

Robert’s sale preceded his exit from Palmyra and the state of Nebraska. Robert, his wife Clara whom he had married in 1872, and their children headed to the west coast. Their reasons for moving are unclear. Perhaps they just got the urge for adventure or as the newspaper indicated maybe they wanted to try a new climate.

Of course, it could also have been that Palmyra just didn’t have enough traffic to support his businesses. One writer of an article about the time William left Palmyra indicated that the town just wasn’t drawing enough business visitors and that it was falling behind other towns in terms of growth. The author suggested that the businessmen of the village needed to step up and help the town grow.

San Francisco

Although Robert left the hardware business, he wasn’t done selling goods, but like William the goods he sold and the location of his business changed.

Robert purchased a 40 acre farm in Santa Rosa, California. By November, he was selling fruits and vegetables in San Francisco.

Then in 1882, he sold the farm and purchased a meat market. After that he worked in various jobs until 1898 when he moved to Oregon. It was at that time that Clara was granted a divorce for desertion.

Robert died in Oregon City, Oregon of pneumonia in 1903. Based on Robert’s possessions at the time of his death, he appeared to have returned to farming during his time in Oregon.

To add a bit of confusion, his obituary mentions Clara as his beloved wife. Meanwhile, his death certificate lists him as a widower. Clara was definitely still living and as far as I have found they were divorced. She is not listed as an heir in his probate records.

There is more to each of their stories: their trips to America, life in New York and Wisconsin, and details of their family lives. Far too much for one article. But, great stories for another day.

The Lost Papers

Posted on November 7, 2023 by FHadmin

Usually, papers being lost means a loss of information. However, in the case of William Bassett, my 4^th great-grandfather, the loss of his papers stating that he had served in the Revolutionary War led to great insight into his service in the Continental Army.

Pension

On June 7, 1832, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that provided a pension for all men who served at least two years in the Revolutionary War in the Continental Line (official army raised by the Second Continental Congress), state militias, and other formal military groups. The act provided for benefits retroactive to March 4, 1831.

It wasn’t until December 29, 1833 that William Bassett appeared before Judge Joseph Robinson of the Ripley County Circuit Court and made a “Declaration for a Pension.” At the time, William was 79 years of age and was physically ailing. The document claimed that due to his infirm condition that he was not able to make his statements in an open court. Additionally, William was not able to write a statement himself as he was illiterate.

William’s claim, in brief, was that he had served in the Continental Army for 2 years and 9 months and that his papers regarding his service had been burnt when the Indians burned Craig’s Station in Kentucky.

In his file, along with William’s sworn statement, were a sworn statement from his wife Peggy, answers to “The 7 Questions” (assumed to be questions required to be answered by the pension office), and various correspondence with pension authorities. William’s pension file, which is over 50 pages long, provides a glimpse into William’s life.

St Peter, Limpsfield, Surrey by John Salmon

Early Life

According to his military record, William Bassett was born April 18, 1755 in Limpsfield, Surrey, England. Neither the family Bible nor his military pension files list his parents. However, it is possible that William is the son of Michel Baset. Michel baptized a son William in at St. Peters Church (Church of England) in Limpsfield on May 18, 1755 – one month to the day after William was born.

Arrival In America

The date William arrived in America is not answered in his military records or in his family Bible. There is, however, a record of British Deportees to America that indicates that a William Bassett was sent to the colonies in 1766-1767. It is unclear if this is the same William or a different one. If it is the same person, he would have only been about 12 years of age when he was sent across the ocean as a punishment for some crime that he supposedly committed. According to the laws of that time, a person could be sent to America for a wide variety of offenses from minor to serious. More research is needed to determine if this is the same William.

Revolutionary War Service

William was living in Botetourt County, Virginia in August 1776 when he enlisted as a private in the Virginia Military. He would serve in Captain John Stith’s Company. The company became a part of George Washington’s 3^rd Continental Light Dragoon Regiment under the leadership of Colonel George Baylor.

William left with the unit for Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was at this location for approximately one year. Then he was on the move again going to Winchester, Virginia; Princeton, New Jersey; and Frederickstown, Maryland.

Smallpox Vaccine

George Washington, who had had smallpox and recovered, was desperately looking to contain the disease as it was running rampant through the American troops and impacting their ability to make progress against the British. He believed that vaccinating the soldiers for smallpox was a must given that the Army had not been able to keep it from spreading. Initially, he called new recruits to be inoculated, but found that wasn’t sufficient. Eventually, he decided that all the troops must be inoculated.

Thus, at Frederickstown, William, along with many other troops, were inoculated for smallpox. The process was risky, as a simple vaccine wasn’t yet available. Soldiers had to be inoculated using a process called variolation. With this process, live virus was introduced into cuts or scratches in hopes of inducing a mild form of smallpox. Then the soldiers had to spend time allowing the disease to run its course. The hope was that once the soldiers recovered that they would be immune to getting smallpox again.

The program, performed under extreme secrecy to keep the British from taking advantage of the recovering soldiers, was successful. It allowed William and the other soldiers to fight the British unhampered by smallpox.

On The Move

After healing from the inoculation, William and his unit headed to Redding, Pennsylvania. In pursuit of the British, the men ended up in Trenton, New Jersey. He wintered at the Wallace Edifice in Princeton, New Jersey. In the spring they had headed to Amboy and then to near New York City. When the British headed for Philadelphia, William and his unit moved to White Plains.

During the battle of White Plains, William was on the bank of the Delaware River. From there, his unit moved to Trenton, Brunswick, Springfield, Amboy, Elizabethtown, Morristown, and finally back to Trenton. After the battles of Trenton and Princeton, William’s unit hunkered down for the winter.

General Charles Lee. *This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer.*

Monmouth Courthouse

William Bassett remained at Trenton until the following spring. It was then that he moved to near the Monmouth Courthouse. During the battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, William and eleven other members of his company served with the guard of General (Charles) Lee.

That day General Lee, second in command in the Continental Army, led an initial assault on the British that did not go well. When Washington arrived, words were exchanged between the two, although the extent and severity seem to be up for debate. Soon additional troops arrived and the battle continued throughout the day. During the cover of darkness the following night, the British withdrew to New York City.

Baylor’s Massacre (Old Tappan)

The Set Up

William reported that after the Battle at Monmouth, he had went to Hackensack for a period of time before moving on to Old Tappan, where he was stationed in a stone barn. According to William, the “men were quartered at Tappan and the inhabitants of the place pretended to be very friendly to the cause of the Americans, and some of them made parties for the American soldiers and furnished large quantities of spirits of the choicest kind for the troops – and the American soldiers supposing themselves safe and in the homes of their friends became merry …. In the meantime the Torys sent off runners to New York to inform the British of the situation of the troops.”

By this time, William was asleep in a stone barn with many other men. Other troops were quartered in various houses and buildings in the area. However, at that moment, most of the men were not in a situation to defend themselves even if they knew that they were in danger “owing to the carousal a few hours previous.”

The Attack

William “was aroused from his sleep by the breaking of doors without and the cries of the soldiers for quarter – two men were sleeping close to him – the same corner and he attempted to awake them for he knew that the troops were surprised by the enemy – but he could not succeed in arousing any of the men, being insensible through drinking, and therefore proceeded to make his escape and run to the large door and slipped (out) a sliding door (which was contained in the large door) but notwithstanding the darkness he could see plainly the barn was surrounded by armed men, he therefore asked for quarter, They replied to him “goddamn your Rebbel soul we will give you quarter” and they demanded of him “how many men are in the barn” – he answered that he did not know how many. At this time the men within had become alarmed except those who were drunk, and were running out to the various places in the barn where they could make their escape, whereupon the British and Tory’s cried out “Skiner them – Skiner them” (which meant bayonet them).”

Prisoner of War

The British took William prisoner. He was “ ordered to stand while an armed man stood by to guard him.” When the guard was some distance away, he “sprang over a fence to escape.” As he “was jumping over the fence, he was stabbed in the back by a plunge of his pursuer’s bayonet which entered near the backbone,” wounding him significantly. However, despite almost fainting from the pain, he managed to escape the grasp of the enemy.

According to William, all the men, who were stationed with him, were either killed, wounded or taken prisoners except Captain Stith and seven other men. He recalled the “cries and groans of the wounded and dying.” And, further stated that “[t]he horrors of that night will never be effaced from his memory.”

Discharge

After escaping, William moved to Trenton, New Jersey before continuing on to Philadelphia. He remained there until spring when he went to Baltimore. William received an honorable discharge at Baltimore in May 1779. It was upon his discharge that Captain John Stith gave him papers certifying his service. Those papers were later burnt when the Indians burnt Craig’s Station in Kentucky.

In his description of his service, William stated that during his service, he had been acquainted with (I assume that means “knew of”) generals Washington, Greene, Gates, Lee, Paulaski, Maxfield, Purnam, and Wayne. He also knew colonels Spencer and Washington, along with many others. However, he could not remember all the units and militia groups that he had encountered.

Life After The Revolution

The Frontier

William moved to Kentucky after his service in the revolution. It is believed that William ventured to Kentucky with Daniel Boone and a group of Baptists in about 1780. He is said to have been with Boone on numerous occasions. (William’s adventures with Daniel Boone are a story for another day.)

Marriage

It wasn’t until November 22, 1786 that Mary McQuiddy gave her consent for William to marry her daughter Margaret “Peggy,” who was about 17 or 18 years of age. On the same day, John McQuiddy (likely Peggy’s brother John) and William Bassett entered into a marriage bond in the amount of fifty pounds of current money. They were married in Mercer County, Kentucky on November 27, 1786 by Rev. Rice.

Their Offspring

William and Peggy raised 10 children. No question exists as to the parentage of 9 of the 10. However, the parents of their oldest daughter, Nancy, are unclear.

The family Bible records Nancy’s birth as 1787, the year after William and Peggy married. However, it is believed that her name was Nancy Roe, she was born at an earlier date, and that she was an orphan. However, it does not appear that anyone has been able to confirm her parents names or the specific circumstances of their death.

Indiana Bound

In June 1817, William purchased land in Ripley County, Indiana, which had just opened up for settlement. In November of the following year, William sold 300 acres of land in Franklin County, Kentucky. The family moved to near Cross Plains, Brown Township, Ripley County, Indiana.

Many families from Kentucky moved to this area about this same time, including the Ellis family, who would marry a descendant of William and Peggy.

In 1821, the Middle Fork of Indiana Kentucky Baptist Church was founded. William Bassett was one of the deacons. And, the land was donated for the church by James and Mary Benham (Roger Ellis’ daughter and her husband).

The Pension

In 1834, after providing a detailed statement about his service and answers to the required questions, William was allowed a pension of $100 per year with it paid semi-annually.

Then in 1838, William made his will. He gave each of his children, whom he did not state by name, the sum of $1 each. The remainder of his estate was to go to his wife. Upon her death or if she was not living, the remainder was to be divided amongst his children. He made no provision for the families of any children that might not be living.

William died February 6, 1840. Peggy was allowed a pension after his death. Four years later on September 26, 1844 Peggy died. William and Peggy are buried together on the family farm ½ mile west of Cross Plains in Ripley County, Indiana (denoted on find-a-grave as “Bassett Cemetery”).

Notes

We descend through William and Peggy’s daughter Sarah. The entry for her in the Bible is at the bottom of the right page.

The term “Indians” is used rather than the current term of “Native Americans” to allow the article to be more consistent with the accounts of William Bassett and the terminology of that era.

The Spirit World And Genealogy

Posted on October 31, 2023 by FHadmin

Aunt Ruthe and Aunt Dee were very involved in exploring the spirit world in the 1970s. Dee kept much of their writing, including a draft of a book. It included many interesting topics. But, what does it have to do with genealogy? Stay tuned to the end and you will find out.

The Beginning

Ruthe first became interested in the spirit world in 1968 when her husband Jerry (later divorced) took an interest in ESP (Extra Sensory Perception). They were living in Florida and Jerry was doing work related to the space program. Through his contacts there, he learned of the spiritualist work and mediums at nearby Cassadega. The Cassadega spiritual camp had been founded in the late 1800s by George Colby, who was a practicing medium. He named it after Cassadega, New York, which was adjacent to Lily Dale, another spiritualist community, which George had visited.

The Interviews

During this time Jerry did extensive interviews with Anne Gehman, who would become a well-known psychic medium and healer. Much of the information from those interviews was included by Harold Sherman in his book “You Can Communicate With The Unseen World.” Today, she has been featured in at least 39 books.

Teaching

When Ruthe and Jerry returned to Kansas. Ruthe worked evenings and so Jerry continued to work with ESP and mind to mind connection. Then, he began teaching others those skills.

Automatic Writing Venture

Now that Ruthe and Dee were both located in Wichita the two of them discussed many different topics related to the spirit world, spiritual techniques, and life in general.

One day as Ruthe was trying automatic writing, a technique where a person writes without consciously thinking about what they are writing. Suddenly, she started hearing information. This became a technique that she used to get “psychic” information over a significant period of time. Ruthe and Dee asked many spiritual questions, questions about the world, questions about current events, medical conditions (one of Dee’s strong interests), past lives, spiritual connections (i.e. karma) and more.

Ruthe realized that what she was doing was different from what Jerry had been studying and teaching. She was using a spiritual technique and was gifted with clairaudience. Over time information came to Ruthe faster and she graduated from writing to typing to dictating.

The Draft Book

In the box of materials Dee had kept was a draft of a book simply titled “Notes From The Other Side.” It was written in the 1970s and contains seven chapters: predictions, make-up of man, color, creation, giving direction to life, health, and healing. She claimed that the entire manuscript was written (dictated) by spirit.

With the exception of the section on predictions, most sections contained some combination of deep thought and new age topics with religion sprinkled in. Although they used different words, they touched on the fact that energy takes the path of least resistance and the importance of belief that you can do something in actually achieving that goal. Dee’s impact on the writings are clearly evident, particularly in the health section, as she was always very interested in different conditions.

One section that I found thought provoking is:

“Much of the madness felt today in the world is not madness, but a confused state of being. The transition of spirit, mind, body and soul is such that it cannot absorb the mighty changes facing them each day. If the spirit lags behind, then the body suffers. If the mind lags behind, the spirit suffers. There is more so-called madness today in the world because of the changing pace of the world. Many must learn to accept so many changes in their life style from birth to death that the pace is too great for spirit, mind and body.”

Hospital Bill From Ruthe’s Birth in 1926

Family

On a more personal level, they asked a number of questions about their family.

Spirit Drain

One of the entries they wrote was about how the loss of their sister Beth only one month after her birth affected their mother. The information they “received” stated that because of the loss, their mother would not let spirit contact her. This left Ruby, the next born, with a spirit drain at birth. Dee, it was said, was impacted, but not to a great extent. However, it claimed that when Ruthe was born that she had many issues and had almost no chance of survival.

The facts that I know about this are as follows. It is true that Ruby was very sickly when she was young. Grandpa worried that they might lose Ruby. Dee, on the other hand, hadn’t been sickly, but had poor eyesight. She always felt that might have occurred because Grandma had the measles while pregnant with her. Then, Grandma was not well toward the end of her pregnancy with Ruthe. Thus, Ruthe was the only one of Grandma and Grandpa’s eleven children born in a hospital, where both her mother and her remained for 11 days. I do not see anything in the hospital receipt that would indicate an issue with Ruthe after birth. That does not mean that there wasn’t a potential issue.

Ambidextrous

Their entry on what made some people ambidextrous vs. right-handed or left-handed indicated that favoring one hand is more of a learned trait than a natural tendency. It claimed that kids naturally use both hands, but that they come to use one or the other over time and was often based on mimicking their parents. If left to their own devices, it was stated that most children would be ambidextrous.

This entry intrigued me because being able to use both hands was a subject that came up often in the family. Grandpa was what I would call semi-ambidextrous. He could do things with both hands, but he did each task with one particular hand. He thought that his kids should also be able to accomplish tasks using both hands. The inability to do this was, in his view, a liability. He did pride himself in the fact that Ruby was left-handed. To him, it made her special.

Genealogy

Their questions to the spirit world included how to solve the family mystery of great-great grandfather Lemuel McCracken’s ancestry. The information they received was that the search should begin in Camelot, Tennessee. It included that the name had changed now, but it could be found on old maps. A different branch of the family was said to live there, but that information at a cemetery nearby would help in the search.

The Search For Camelot

I used multiple tools to search for an old town or area in Tennessee that was once called Camelot. I came up with three possible locations. All three had McCrackens buried nearby.

Bradley County

The location in Bradley County was on the edge of Cleveland, the county seat. It is easy to see how that area may have been called Camelot as the roads in the area include: Castle Drive, Knighthood Trail, and Lancelot Lane. However, very few older McCracken graves were found in this area.

Hawkins County

A location near Rogersville showed up using one tool. However, there were few older McCracken graves. In addition, limited research yielded no associations with the name Camelot.

Johnson City

Johnson City is located in northeast corner of Tennessee at the junction of Washington, Sullivan, and Carter counties. The area indicated as Camelot on the map was surrounded on two sides by the road Camelot Circle. This location is the most interesting of the three. This area did have older graves for the McCracken family.

In a local cemetery are the graves of a couple from Pennsylvania. It is in this area that their son John was born in 1811 (20 years before Lemuel). And, it is this John McCracken who looks so very much like Lemuel. I have traced this family back to Pennsylvania. Likewise, Lemuel’s McCracken DNA family also traces back to Pennsylvania. However, I have yet to connect the two families.

Afterward

I am not sure if they continued with their research and attempted to contact the spirit world as they got older or not. I do know that in the early 1980s Ruthe and Dee did a past life regression with me to a life in Germany. After that night, I don’t remember ever talking about these subjects with Ruthe. However, I know that Dee remained interested throughout her life.

They ended the manuscript with

“As long as each psychic continues to use his or her talent only to delight for frighten relatives and neighbors or to “read” for the curious public, nothing substantial will result. Only when we establish the psychic on a more scientific bent will we begin to reap the harvest of the vast material available to us.”

Always Keep Digging

Posted on October 23, 2023April 20, 2025 by FHadmin

When doing local research, genealogists and historians in the area can be very helpful. They can point you to resources that you don’t even know that you need. Word of caution, however, is to not take their word for it if they say they don’t have any information about the family you are researching. They are likely trying to keep you from wasting your time, but it is important to keep focus. It is likely that you know a lot more about your family than they do and it is unlikely that they have come in contact with information for every family that ever lived in the area. So, keep looking and keep asking questions.

Historic Fallsington

Quite a few years ago, we were doing research in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. One of our stops was at Historic Fallsington. It was close to the area where we believed the Stackhouse family lived during the William Penn era.

The history center in the tiny town had documents, offered tours, and even sold some items of local interest. So, we talked to the woman working there about the Stackhouse family in hopes that we could find some piece of information to help in our research.

Arrival

We told her what we knew of the family’s arrival in Bucks County. We knew they had come about the time William Penn was bringing people to Pennsylvania. There were claims that he had been on the ship Welcome with William Penn, but that seems to be claimed by far more people that there was space on the ship. We would later learn that Thomas and his wife Margery had come to America on the boat “The Lamb,” a ship of 130 tons, in 1682 as a part of William Penn’s fleet. They had left Liverpool in the summer and arrived in Pennsylvania on October 22, 1682.

With Thomas and his wife Margery were Thomas’ nephews Thomas and John, Ellen Stackhouse Cowgill, and Ellen’s children. Ellen was thought to be Thomas Sr.’s sister as a sister Ellen is mentioned in his will. I have read that her husband had been put to death over his religious beliefs. However, I have not verified information about Ellen. It is known, though, that this family and the others on the ship were Quakers from Yorkshire, England.

Seeking Information

The woman very kindly told us that she did not believe the center had any information on anyone with the name of Stackhouse. She said that the name was completely unfamiliar to her and that she didn’t know of anyone with that name living within the township at any time.

We asked if the history book of the township might have anything about the family. It was 300 pages and had been compiled in 1992 to celebrate the 300^th anniversary of the township. Again, she emphasized, apologetically, that she had never seen the name Stackhouse anywhere. And, we couldn’t easily check the book as it did not have an index.

We decided to buy the book anyway hoping to at least learn about the area. And, we found that to be a wise decision.

Thomas Stackhouse’s Brand as shown in the History of Falls Township.

Branding (Photo the brand of Thomas Stackhouse)

The first mention of the Stackhouse family I found in the book was on page 8 where it showed Thomas Stackhouse’s brand for his cattle. In those days, cattle were often branded by cropping the ears of cattle with a particular pattern. Even in the very early days of Pennsylvania, the brands had to be registered with the first being registered in 1684. Thomas Stackhouse’s brand consisted of cutting the top quarter (or less) off one ear (assumed to be the left ear) and notching the other ear on the outside half way down.

The Maps (1690 map)

The area marked in yellow is where Stephen Stackhouse lived. It is within Falls Township and not far from Fallsington.

The book included numerous maps, including land ownership, dating back as far as 1690. Three of those maps showed land owned by the Stackhouse family. The 1690 map showed that Thomas Stackhouse Sr. and Thomas Stackhouse Jr. owned land along Neshaminy Creek south of Newton and about 7 miles from Fallsington. The exact size of their properties seem to change over time with Thomas (not sure which one) purchasing an additional 50 acres over their original lands in 1686. John Stackhouse purchased 200 acres of land about 1695. Later information shows land owned by him to be over 300 acres.

A later map from the 1800s shows the location of Stephen Stackhouse’s property. It is under the name of his grandson who later lived on the property. It was known by descendants as The Old Homestead.

Pennsbury Manor

The book contained a lengthy story about Pennsbury Manor. Russell Stackhouse was a caretaker of Pennsbury Manor in the 1900s. He was mentioned in the book as he had told his successor the story of how the Pennsbury Manor historical site came into existence. As it is told, Charles Henry Moon, a local surveyor, repeatedly pressured the then president of Warner Company, who owned the property where William Penn had once lived to turn 10 acres of the property over to the state for a site honoring Penn. Finally, they gave in and the current site was created. Apparently, Mr. Moon was aware that there was a provision in the deed to the land that the specific piece of the property was to go to the state for this purpose. However, it took a good deal of time and insistence to make it happen.

Other Mentions In The Book

The Supporter of England

The book also mentions a John Stackhouse, who along with numerous others was charged with treason as he supported England. I have been able to verify that this occurred, but I do not know which John Stackhouse this was as they were numerous after a few generations. It is also a bit surprising as the Stackhouse family had apparently come to American because the Quakers were persecuted by the English government. It begs many questions about why he supported England and if he was of the same family.

1914

Stackhouses apparently remained in the area throughout the years. The farm and business directory for Bucks County that was included listed a Stackhouse.

There were other photos and mentions for other families of interest as well. All in all it was a good purchase and we were so glad that we had went ahead and bought the book even though the staff did not know of the Stackhouse family. It gave us new insights and added to the research that we were doing.

The Connection

Rod’s Klinefelter family line connects to Elizabeth Mason Stackhouse, who married Joshua Brooks. Their daughter Ann married into the Klinefelter family. Elizabeth, who lived to be 99, and Joshua left Bucks County behind and moved across the state to Pittsburgh. There Joshua was in business with her brother Mark.

Elizabeth is the daughter of Stephen Stackhouse and Amy Vandike, who married in 1787 at the Presbyterian Church in Newtown, only a short distance from the original Stackhouse property. From there the belief is that Stephen is the son of John, who is the son of Thomas, who is the son of John who immigrated to America from England in 1682. However, despite years passing, I am still in the process of proving this relationship to my satisfaction. The process has been complicated by inconsistent “facts” and interpretations of records. Got to keep on digging!

What A Tangled Web We Weave When We Practice Genealogy

Posted on October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by FHadmin

About 15 to 20 years ago, I was doing genealogy research for a friend that I worked with in Colorado. As I researched, I found myself 700 miles away in the same neighborhood where I grew up. And, before I was done, her family’s story included characters from not only her family, but my family and another friend’s family trees.

The Hogue Family

My friend had lived in Colorado all her life. We talked about her Hogue family line. She knew that her ancestors had lived in Iowa and moved to Arkansas before settling in Colorado. I dived in researching the family. When I got to her great-great-grandfather George Washington Hogue, I found a record in an unexpected place: Pawnee Township, Bourbon County, Kansas.

So many questions arose. What are the odds? What drew them there? Did our families know each other?

Footprints

I mentioned the family to my dad. He did not know of them, but said that he had seen the name Hogue in the book “Footprints of Bourbon County Families.” He was, of course, correct (photographic memory can be a wonderful resource). The man in the book was George’s son, John Wesley Hogue. The book had a photo of him and told a portion of his story.

John or J.W., as he was commonly known, and his family had travel via covered wagon to Ft. Scott in 1896, where he worked as a fireman. J.W. and his wife Amanda became involved in local organizations and he later became involved in politics.

Neighbors

By 1902, J.W. had moved his family to near Pawnee. According to the story, they lived on the Carpenter Ranch a couple of miles east of Pawnee. However, newspaper articles indicate that the family lived at two different locations in the Pawnee area. Examining the 1905 census I found them to be listed only a few houses from the Killian and Fisch families, which would have been southwest of Pawnee.

The following year, Grandma Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, her parents, and her grandparents moved to the Fisch farm and J.W. moved his family to the Carpenter Ranch. Thus, it appears the two families just missed being close neighbors by a matter of months. But, their paths still had plenty of opportunities to cross.

Johnson School

In 1904, John’s parents George Washington (G.W.) Hogue and his wife Dicy came for a visit. In November G.W. preached at Johnson School. This was the school that Grandpa Joe McCracken and his siblings attended and of which Grandpa’s father Andrew would be the director for several years. Andrew had rented “Grandpa” Johnson’s property just north of the school late the previous year. I wonder with great curiosity if this is the same man named “Johnson “that was said to have taught or given Andrew his special healing ability. (But, that is a story for another day.)

Loss Of A Wife

While in Ft. Scott one day, J.W.’s wife suddenly took ill and never recovered. Her funeral was held at the “old” Methodist Church at 3rd & National in Fort Scott. It was the last service held in the old church before it was torn down to make way for a new larger church. My husband and I married in the “new” church, as did my parents.

The Hotel In Pawnee

Following the death of his wife, J.W. moved from the Carpenter Ranch into Pawnee. At that time, he bought the hotel from W.E. Deesler, who is the grandfather of Doris Mayberry, our long-time neighbor and whose family tree I have also researched.

After a few years and with a new wife, J.W. exchanged the hotel for a small farm a half-mile west of Hiattville. The new owner said that he would keep the livery, which J.W. had run, but did not plan to run the hotel. Thus, the hotel was soon sold. The new owner was the Oscar B. Barton and his wife, who were the parents of Andrew’s niece Florence (McCracken) Barton’s husband.

Grandma & Grandpa Hogue

During the time J.W. ran the hotel and livery in Pawnee, his parents moved to the area. They seemed to be called Grandma and Grandpa Hogue by the locals. Grandma Hogue was known to visit Rocky Vale school, which sat just north of Dad’s property line. And, Grandpa Hogue preached there on at least a couple of occasions.

It was during a time between when Grandma (Peelle) McCracken and her siblings attended Rocky Vale and the time when Dad and his siblings attended. It wasn’t until 1920 that O’Ella, the oldest of his siblings, began her education at Rocky Vale. Three of the McCracken siblings would go on to teach there and Grandpa Joe McCracken would be the director of Rocky Vale for many years.

Alfred Hogue

During this time, there were also visits from other of Grandma and Grandpa Hogue’s children. One of them was my friend’s great-grandfather Alfred. Alfred and his family had moved around, but in 1913 they were living in Mulberry. However, it did not last for long as Alfred left late that summer to scout locations in Colorado for the family. He soon sent word for his wife and children to join him.

And, They Are Gone

J.W. exchanged his farm for Faust Restaurant and boarding house in Fort Scott. However, that venture only lasted a few months before he was also off to Colorado. Soon after Grandma and Grandpa Hogue sold out. It was said that they were heading back to Iowa, but if so, it must have been for a short stay as they were also soon living in Colorado.

Some of the next generation did stay in the general area, but the Hogue’s presence in Pawnee Township was suddenly greatly diminished. And, the interaction between our families would not, as far as I know, occur again until I met my friend many years later.