Sunday, August 17, 2008
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Will of William Strickling
The Will of William Strickling
In thinking back on this madcap adventure of researching genealogy, I would have to say that the search for my line of the Strickling family was a prime motivator. My grandmother was Vera Mae Strickling. A tragic tale surrounds her. The daughter of Monroe County Ohio native John William Strickling and Florance Ann Watson, Vera was born in Ravenna,Ohio in 1901. She was a ggrandaughter of famed Indian fighter and Revolutionary soldier Captain John Hontas Baker. Some of the "old timers" who new her, tell me that she was a lovely young woman. She married Harley E. Bowles when she was 18. They had three children, Betty, Donald and Robert. Robert is my father. I have an Ashland ,Ohio newspaper clipping of her untimely demise. It recounts how three young children came home from school,to find their mother with only a "spark" of life left in her as she lay across the kitchen floor, a suicide note beside her and a gas stove on.. .She was 28. My grandmother was not spoken of and growing up, I never knew her name. I once remember my father mentioning that each evening she would comb her hair one hundred strokes. I always wanted to know about her and as an adult I have worked hard to find out all that I can.
I did not know what a monumental project I was starting asI have found that the Stricklings were a large and prolific family and have resettled in many parts of the United States. I have spent a lot of time on researching the pre American origins as well.There is a fair amount of incorrect information circulating and a lot of information still to be uncovered.....
I think that interviewing the surviving Stricklings is an important source of information. I also believe that acquiring whatever documentation is available is important as well. Last year I interviewed Warren Harding Strickling who was born in 1921. He was a cousin of my grandmother Vera. He is in his 80's and lives in a retirement home in Ohio. He was kind enough to let me "pick his brain" until I tired him out. He related that it is very boring in the rest home. His father was Alexander Sweeney Strickling.During the interview Warren said that he was the 13th of 14 children and his parents were Alexander and Bertha Trader Strickling. He said his dad was born when Abraham Lincoln was alive. He and his youngest brother are still living. He said all the other children were born in W.VA. and he and his brother were born in Ohio. His dad bought a farm in West VA. but was not a farmer. ( Fed Census1930 shows Alexander was a "pumper" in the oil fields) His Grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Strickling. Warren spoke with pride of grandfather Benjamins service for the Union Army in the Civil War. (See the pictures section on the main page for a photo I took of his tombstone in Ashland Ohio)
I mentioned primary source material earlier and I am grateful to the active group of genealogists in Monroe Co. Ohio,. Dick Henthorne, Richard Harrington , K.W.Bailey, and posthumusly Catherine Fedorchak have contributed a tremendous boost to my family tree. They have made it possible for much primary material to be made available as well as contributing anecdotal information. Monroe Co Ohio has some sites which are some of my favorites to go back to over and over again . See http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~harringtonfamilies/Strickling.htm and http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohmonroe/
A large collection of CD'S has been made available with scanned images of Monroe Co Ohio BMD'S. The extensive scanning of records has been done by Richard Harrington.I have purchased a number of these. The turn around of requested records from the courthouse is very speedy as well. My recent acquisition is the Will of William Strickling (1800-1870) husband of Elizabeth Braithwaite. He was the son of John Strickling and Elizabeth Timmons both of Harford , MD.
Here is the transcribed will of William Strickling.
In the name of the benevolent father of all, I William Strickling of Monroe Co., Ohio do make and publish this my last will and testament.
1st it is my will that all my just debts and charges be paid out of my estate.
2nd I give and bequeath to my brother Joseph Strickling, the sum of one hundred dollars.
3rd I give and devise to my grandson ,Samuel Walker Strickling, the sum of 700 dollars, to be paid to him by my executor Joshua Strickling when he arrives at the age of 21 years, then that sum is distributed according to law.
4th I devise and bequeath to my friend and relative, Joshua Strickling and his heirs my farm situated in Wayne Twp. Monroe Co Ohio, containing about 50 acres and allthe stock. household goods, furniture and other goods and chattle which may be therein at the time of my decease.
5th I do hereby nominate and appoint Joshua Strickling Executor of this my last will and testament hereby authorizing and empowering him to compromise, adjust, release and discharge in such measure as he may see proper the debts, to sell by private sale or in such matter upon sch terms of creditor oherwise as he may see proper all or part of my real estate and deed to excecute acknowledge and deliver in fee simple. I desire that no sale of my personal property be made and that the court of probate direct the ommissi0n of the same in purssuance of the Statute and also that my executor be required to give bond in testimony thereof. I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twelfth day of January in the year 1870. His x. William Strickling. Witnessed by J.W.Mrris and Daniel Baker
My Strickling line on WORLDCONNECT is here at:
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=SHOW&db=meentzenbowles&recno=4744
This additional information has come to me by way of Richard Harrington. Good news for Monroe County Researchers!
Anna Lucas Strickling was the reporter in the Spirit of Democracy and/or the Monroe County Beacon, for several decades, for a section in the paper called “Buchanan” which covered the Lewisville , Ohio area. As the Buchanan reporter, she covered Lewisville and the area where my grandparents and many other kin lived and were active. I have photographed all of her articles and have burned them onto a CD. This has been so great because her articles read like a weekly “diary” of the area and through them, I have been able to get a week-by-week report on most of my relatives in MC.
and Richard Harrington writes:
I have put the transcript of the will of William Strickling on the website. You can access it at: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~harringtonfamilies/wills.htm#WilliamStrickling Thank you very much. For your information, I have started photographing the Will Books in the record room of the Probate Court. I have photographed the first two (of 49 books) and should have them onto CDs within the week. The William Strickling will is in the first of the two books I have done.
And now for something completely different
Strickling/ Strickland links to England :
http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/sizergh.htm
http://www.rockystrickland.com/stricklandsofsizergh_1.pdf
and lotsa Strickland info- terrific site here:
http://www.rockystrickland.com/strickland.htm
The Will Of Thomas Gilham Jr.
The Will Of Thomas Gilham Jr.
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Transcription of the will of Thomas Gilham 1809-1856
Thomas Gilham was born in Morristown ,Belmont Co. Ohio on 15th of October 1809 . He was the son of Thomas Gilham Sr. of Virginia and Mary Elizabeth Nee Triplett of Loudon Co. W.VA. . He was married twice ,First to Catherine Hall and secondly to Dorothee" Dolly" Unknown. His sister Mary Gilham ,who married Rev. Issac C. Burr, was my ggggrandmother.
Following is the will which I received from the Harrison Co. Ohio Courthouse in December of 2006.
Record of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Gilham, Deceased
In the name of the Benevolent Father of us all, I Thomas Gilham make and ordain this my last will and testament.
Item 1. That all my legal debts of every character and nature shall be liquidate.
item 2. That the residue of my entire estate good of all description, I will and bequeath to Dolly my beloved wife during her natural life and that if the Dorthy Anne I. Drake should marry before the death of Dolly my wife and that if anything is left after the death of my wife,that the effecets thus remaining shall go to Dorthy Anne.
Item 3. I do Bequeath to my nephew William Reese Burr my best saddle and rifle on account of labor.
Item 4. I do hereby nominate and appoint Elsey Moore and Dolly my wife as executor of this my last will and testament
In Testimony thereof I have here unto set my hand and seal this 21st day of July in the year 1856.
Signed and acknowledged by said Thomas Gilham in his last will and testament in our presense.
J.W.Wherry, Issac Clevenger, Thomas Jones.
The Will of Thomas Gilham SENIOR
The Will of Thomas Gilham SENIOR
by Randi Bowles Meentzen Feb 2007
I have been looking for that last peice of paperwork which would finish up my application for my admission into the DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. I had several ancestors who had been "proven" such as 6th ggrandfather Henry Winland and 6th ggrandfather Captain John Baker. However I wanted to "prove" an ancestor who had not yet been documented and that is my 5th great grandfather Abel Triplett. He was born in Goose Creek Loudon Co Virginia about 1753 and he sold beef to the troops and drove the cattle to them. The Rough Minute books of the Ketoctin Chapter of the DAR record his service and payment for the same. He did not serve as a soldier as two of his brothers did . He was at home managing the farm alongside of his mother who was also recently documented into the DAR by "cousin" Bev Bartley. If you have applied for a lineage society, then you know that each generations connection has to be documented by birth ,marriage and death records. That isnt too difficult until one gets into the timeframe before 1830-1860 when it was not required to register such events. At that point one has to start looking in tax and census lists, wills and tithables,land patents and any other source which can fix a location and the connected relatives. Many County boundary lines changed in this time frame and in the case of the Triplett family they moved "west". First they left Virginia and settled in Zanesville Ohio and then moved to Bureau County Illinois. This gave a wide range of areas to search in.
Abels daughter was Elizabeth Mary Triplett born on the 7th of January in 1786 in Loudon Co. VA. She married Thomas Gilham Sr (1774-1845) and this was the final connection which I needed to document. I was very happy when I received the will of Thomas Gilham several weeks ago from the Harrison Co Ohio Courthouse until I found it to be the wrong Thomas Gilham. It was the will of his son, Thomas Jr. But, lucky for me , my genealogical mentor, Ruth Lockwood of the Fernanda Maria Chapter of the DAR was on her way to the Mecca of research... the Latter Day Saints library in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was ecstatic to find on opening my email on my birthday of all days, that Ruth had found the missing link, the will of Thomas Gilham Senior. He several times mentions his wife Elizabeth and his son in law , (my 4thggrandfather, )the Rev. Isaac C. Burr who married Mary Gilham in 1828 in Belmont Co Ohio.
I will be transcribing the will later this week so return to this section for the update. It is worth noting that there are 2 sons mentionedwhom I have not seen attributed to Thomas before i.e. Greenbury Gilham and Stephen Gilham. Greenbury is a name often used in the Triplett line. He mentions son Israel and son Peter and daughters. His executors are Lewis Gilham and John Gilham. The sons Greenbury, Stepehen and Peter are each instructed to choose a horse as the others allready have. An extra 100 dollars is given to Peter to make him equal with what the daughters had allready received. The bulk of the property ,personal and real is given to his wife Elizabeth.
John and Lewis Gilham as executors are admonished to assemble a list of his worth at time of death and are given a time frame of 3 months to do it.I have a document which they presented listing "notes" which he was carrying . I think but am not certain that this was money owed to him at the time of his death for real estate purchased from him and land rent owed to him. The names listed are
William Dunn Sr. amt owed $106.75
Samuel Clark $ 1.00
Jonas Bimand $ 1.56
William Gilham $ 62.00
Thomas Gilham $104.00
Isaac Burr $ 73.00
Amount Received from James Tallman
for Real Estate $826.00
Amount Received from Isaac Hazelet
for Real Estate $2,940.00
By Cash Received of
Unreadable Charles Unreadable $ 3.76
By rent from John Gilham $ 41.18
Cash on hand at time of death $89.93
Some other items are unreadable.
The previous page itemizes personal items and totals of columns are, $135.27,. $39.67,$34.92, $147.06, $ 106.75, $4.00, +5.00
The final column is almost unreadable but my closest guess is $4,882. 64
Lewis Gilham signs that the executors are receiving no commission.
I will post more transcriptions from these documents so continue to check back
My DAR application is on its way to Washington D.C. and will be pending until the final approval is made. At that time ,Abel Triplett, patriot of the American Revolution ,will be given a National number.His documentation will be entered into the DAR archives in Stone Mountain and will gain his rightful place of respect and honor for the services he performed to forward the cause of Americas Freedom.
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPTION:
January 18,1842, To all whom it may concern, I Thomas Gilham, being of sound mind and..illegible...and the uncertainty of human life do make and ordain this my last will and testament in the manner following to wit
First I will that all my past debts and financial expenses be fully paid and 2.that my sons Greenbury, Stephen and Peter should each have a h.... ........ if they should not get there before my departure from the world 3. I agree and bequeath to my daughter Ellen Jones fifty dollars to make her equal to what I have allready given to the rest of my daughters after .... 4, I will that my beloved wife Elizabeth have all the balance of all my property both real and personal during her life and after her demise I will that my executors herein after with all my property both real and personal be sold at public or private sale and when all is sold that equal division be made between all of my children and after it is ascertained what and ......... I will that 100 dollars be taken from my son Israel Gilham's share be added to my son Peter Gilhams share that he may have that much more on account that he is a cripple and that Israel may have that much of than the balance and further I do make make constitute and appoint my sons Lewsis and John Gilham executors of this my last will and testament in testimony hereof I hereby set my hand and seal this day of and yaer above Thomas Gilham, witnessed by James Tallman, Evans Berry.
Probate, The State of Ohio Belmont County, Court of Common Pleas, September 10 ad 1845, The last will and testament of Thomas Gilham Late, deceased, was this day brought into court and presented for probate and it appeared to our satisfaction in open court reduced to writing and filed, that said will was duly attended and not under any constriant whereupon the court approve said will to order that the name be recorded with the proof now taken.
by Randi Bowles Meentzen Feb 2007
I have been looking for that last peice of paperwork which would finish up my application for my admission into the DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. I had several ancestors who had been "proven" such as 6th ggrandfather Henry Winland and 6th ggrandfather Captain John Baker. However I wanted to "prove" an ancestor who had not yet been documented and that is my 5th great grandfather Abel Triplett. He was born in Goose Creek Loudon Co Virginia about 1753 and he sold beef to the troops and drove the cattle to them. The Rough Minute books of the Ketoctin Chapter of the DAR record his service and payment for the same. He did not serve as a soldier as two of his brothers did . He was at home managing the farm alongside of his mother who was also recently documented into the DAR by "cousin" Bev Bartley. If you have applied for a lineage society, then you know that each generations connection has to be documented by birth ,marriage and death records. That isnt too difficult until one gets into the timeframe before 1830-1860 when it was not required to register such events. At that point one has to start looking in tax and census lists, wills and tithables,land patents and any other source which can fix a location and the connected relatives. Many County boundary lines changed in this time frame and in the case of the Triplett family they moved "west". First they left Virginia and settled in Zanesville Ohio and then moved to Bureau County Illinois. This gave a wide range of areas to search in.
Abels daughter was Elizabeth Mary Triplett born on the 7th of January in 1786 in Loudon Co. VA. She married Thomas Gilham Sr (1774-1845) and this was the final connection which I needed to document. I was very happy when I received the will of Thomas Gilham several weeks ago from the Harrison Co Ohio Courthouse until I found it to be the wrong Thomas Gilham. It was the will of his son, Thomas Jr. But, lucky for me , my genealogical mentor, Ruth Lockwood of the Fernanda Maria Chapter of the DAR was on her way to the Mecca of research... the Latter Day Saints library in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was ecstatic to find on opening my email on my birthday of all days, that Ruth had found the missing link, the will of Thomas Gilham Senior. He several times mentions his wife Elizabeth and his son in law , (my 4thggrandfather, )the Rev. Isaac C. Burr who married Mary Gilham in 1828 in Belmont Co Ohio.
I will be transcribing the will later this week so return to this section for the update. It is worth noting that there are 2 sons mentionedwhom I have not seen attributed to Thomas before i.e. Greenbury Gilham and Stephen Gilham. Greenbury is a name often used in the Triplett line. He mentions son Israel and son Peter and daughters. His executors are Lewis Gilham and John Gilham. The sons Greenbury, Stepehen and Peter are each instructed to choose a horse as the others allready have. An extra 100 dollars is given to Peter to make him equal with what the daughters had allready received. The bulk of the property ,personal and real is given to his wife Elizabeth.
John and Lewis Gilham as executors are admonished to assemble a list of his worth at time of death and are given a time frame of 3 months to do it.I have a document which they presented listing "notes" which he was carrying . I think but am not certain that this was money owed to him at the time of his death for real estate purchased from him and land rent owed to him. The names listed are
William Dunn Sr. amt owed $106.75
Samuel Clark $ 1.00
Jonas Bimand $ 1.56
William Gilham $ 62.00
Thomas Gilham $104.00
Isaac Burr $ 73.00
Amount Received from James Tallman
for Real Estate $826.00
Amount Received from Isaac Hazelet
for Real Estate $2,940.00
By Cash Received of
Unreadable Charles Unreadable $ 3.76
By rent from John Gilham $ 41.18
Cash on hand at time of death $89.93
Some other items are unreadable.
The previous page itemizes personal items and totals of columns are, $135.27,. $39.67,$34.92, $147.06, $ 106.75, $4.00, +5.00
The final column is almost unreadable but my closest guess is $4,882. 64
Lewis Gilham signs that the executors are receiving no commission.
I will post more transcriptions from these documents so continue to check back
My DAR application is on its way to Washington D.C. and will be pending until the final approval is made. At that time ,Abel Triplett, patriot of the American Revolution ,will be given a National number.His documentation will be entered into the DAR archives in Stone Mountain and will gain his rightful place of respect and honor for the services he performed to forward the cause of Americas Freedom.
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPTION:
January 18,1842, To all whom it may concern, I Thomas Gilham, being of sound mind and..illegible...and the uncertainty of human life do make and ordain this my last will and testament in the manner following to wit
First I will that all my past debts and financial expenses be fully paid and 2.that my sons Greenbury, Stephen and Peter should each have a h.... ........ if they should not get there before my departure from the world 3. I agree and bequeath to my daughter Ellen Jones fifty dollars to make her equal to what I have allready given to the rest of my daughters after .... 4, I will that my beloved wife Elizabeth have all the balance of all my property both real and personal during her life and after her demise I will that my executors herein after with all my property both real and personal be sold at public or private sale and when all is sold that equal division be made between all of my children and after it is ascertained what and ......... I will that 100 dollars be taken from my son Israel Gilham's share be added to my son Peter Gilhams share that he may have that much more on account that he is a cripple and that Israel may have that much of than the balance and further I do make make constitute and appoint my sons Lewsis and John Gilham executors of this my last will and testament in testimony hereof I hereby set my hand and seal this day of and yaer above Thomas Gilham, witnessed by James Tallman, Evans Berry.
Probate, The State of Ohio Belmont County, Court of Common Pleas, September 10 ad 1845, The last will and testament of Thomas Gilham Late, deceased, was this day brought into court and presented for probate and it appeared to our satisfaction in open court reduced to writing and filed, that said will was duly attended and not under any constriant whereupon the court approve said will to order that the name be recorded with the proof now taken.
Tell Me Your Ghost Story: My Visit to the Queen Mary
photo by Randi Bowles Meentzen
Today, like many days, I was thinking about chocolate.This led me to fantasizing about candy in general and reminded me that one of my favorite holidays for "free candy" is approaching next month. Yes ,Halloween. Halloween , of course gave me pause to think about ghosts. Being a genealogist, I spend a lot of time getting to know the dead, but usually only on paper. It is uncommon, even for me, to have a 2 sided conversation with one of my dearly departed ancestors. Now I am no John Edwards but there have been rare times when I have felt that perhaps someone who has crossed over is trying to tell me something. This leads me to this weeks topic. Have you ever seen a ghost, felt a prescense or know someone who has? Would you tell me about it?
I will go first.
I live in California. There are a lot of tourist attractions in Los Angeles County and one of my favorites is the Queen Mary. The above picture was taken there of Carl and I in 2005.The old ship is permanently docked in Long Beach Harbour and is open to the public as a museum. You can catch a feature about it on TV almost every Hallowen as it is supposedly haunted by a young girl, a woman in white and by a man who was killed in the engine room. I have gone on several tours there, eaten in the restaraunts on board and even spent a weekend in the cabin suites which are now used as a hotel. The ship has a wonderful feeling of history but neither myself or anyone I know has ever seen a ghost on board. Now one of the things I learned on the QM tour is that the ship was used during World War II by the military. Soldiers were transported on the ship and the injured were returned to home or hospitals aboard this grand liner. Towards the bow of the boat is a hospital ward. The bunks inside are head to toe and stacked 3 beds high. I have been past this area numerous times. Last year , a group of freinds and I went on board the ship to veiw a special exhibit about the Titanic. Afterwards we wandered through the Queen Mary. This time I was drawn to the hospital ward. As I stood veiwing it, I thought about the brave soldiers and how uncomfortable it must have been to be injured and packed in like sardines. I stood for some time and the rest of my freinds had wandered off when I heard IT.!!!!!!!!!! This is where the creepy music should enter, because as I stood there I heard a man sobbing. Not a little boohoo, not a ghostly whisper,but a gut wrenching sobbing which went on for some time. I was absolutely the only person viewing the display. I stepped back and looked all around and even walked around the corner to see if anyone was there and playing a trick on me. No one was there. When I stepped back around the corner,the sobbing had stopped. I guess the moment was gone. I did not mention the incident to anyone until we got home and I told my husband about it. He said " I beleive you, that place has a feeling about it".
OK so I went first and I am not crazy, much.
Tell me your story and dont make one up just to fit in with the lunatic fringe, and hallucinations from the 70's dont count either.
Today, like many days, I was thinking about chocolate.This led me to fantasizing about candy in general and reminded me that one of my favorite holidays for "free candy" is approaching next month. Yes ,Halloween. Halloween , of course gave me pause to think about ghosts. Being a genealogist, I spend a lot of time getting to know the dead, but usually only on paper. It is uncommon, even for me, to have a 2 sided conversation with one of my dearly departed ancestors. Now I am no John Edwards but there have been rare times when I have felt that perhaps someone who has crossed over is trying to tell me something. This leads me to this weeks topic. Have you ever seen a ghost, felt a prescense or know someone who has? Would you tell me about it?
I will go first.
I live in California. There are a lot of tourist attractions in Los Angeles County and one of my favorites is the Queen Mary. The above picture was taken there of Carl and I in 2005.The old ship is permanently docked in Long Beach Harbour and is open to the public as a museum. You can catch a feature about it on TV almost every Hallowen as it is supposedly haunted by a young girl, a woman in white and by a man who was killed in the engine room. I have gone on several tours there, eaten in the restaraunts on board and even spent a weekend in the cabin suites which are now used as a hotel. The ship has a wonderful feeling of history but neither myself or anyone I know has ever seen a ghost on board. Now one of the things I learned on the QM tour is that the ship was used during World War II by the military. Soldiers were transported on the ship and the injured were returned to home or hospitals aboard this grand liner. Towards the bow of the boat is a hospital ward. The bunks inside are head to toe and stacked 3 beds high. I have been past this area numerous times. Last year , a group of freinds and I went on board the ship to veiw a special exhibit about the Titanic. Afterwards we wandered through the Queen Mary. This time I was drawn to the hospital ward. As I stood veiwing it, I thought about the brave soldiers and how uncomfortable it must have been to be injured and packed in like sardines. I stood for some time and the rest of my freinds had wandered off when I heard IT.!!!!!!!!!! This is where the creepy music should enter, because as I stood there I heard a man sobbing. Not a little boohoo, not a ghostly whisper,but a gut wrenching sobbing which went on for some time. I was absolutely the only person viewing the display. I stepped back and looked all around and even walked around the corner to see if anyone was there and playing a trick on me. No one was there. When I stepped back around the corner,the sobbing had stopped. I guess the moment was gone. I did not mention the incident to anyone until we got home and I told my husband about it. He said " I beleive you, that place has a feeling about it".
OK so I went first and I am not crazy, much.
Tell me your story and dont make one up just to fit in with the lunatic fringe, and hallucinations from the 70's dont count either.
Can Genealogy Shed Light on a Ghost Story ? Gore Orphanage and the Haunted Tunnels
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Several weeks ago I posted a light hearted piece about the haunted history of The Queen Mary. I asked people to share their ghost stories with me. I heard some fascinating ones. The one which intrigued me the most was told to me by my sister-in-law Melodie Bowles of Ashland , Ohio. She had grown up hearing the legend of the Haunted Tunnels and The Gore Orphanage in Lorain County Ohio. The legend is that in the early 1900's an orphanage was located on several hundred acres of rolling farmland. The overseer of the children harbored hatred and resentment of his small wards and one evening after seeing them all tucked into bed, he locked the doors from the outside, set the place ablaze and waundered off into the darkness. All of the children died save for a small boy named Jacob. The screams of the children are often heard through the treetops on Gore Orphanage Road. There are 3 tunnels near the property and if you park your car underneath one of them, turn off the engine and wait, you may be visited by the ghosts of the orphans. Tiny handprints may appear on your car or you may see the fires lone survivor Jacob standing on the edge of the forest in his raggedy clothes. The tunnels have become a magnet for pshycic activity and others have seen a sad end there .Lore has it that a grief stricken widower hung himself jumping from the railroad tracks above with noose lashed around his neck., And a local woman accused of witchcraft and stealing children for satanic rituals was decapitated by local farmers and her head buried on the property. She and the widower are said to haunt the tunnels and surrounding farmlands. Like many of the locals, Melodie visited one of the tunnels at Gore Orphange Road and shared a chilling experience with me. (You can read her story at the end of this article.)
As a genealogist, I had to look at these tales in a different light. I wondered what truth there was to the rumours. Was there an orphanage called Gore and did 100's of children die in this Lorain County fire. Who was the ruthless man who set the fire? Was he caught and prosecuted.?I had a lot of questions and since the time of the fire was said to be the first decade of the 1900's, I knew just where to find the answers.
First I "googled" Gore Orphanage. I came up with numerous sites which featured "true ghost stories" and pictures of ruins said to be that of the old orphanage. Here are the links to some of these sites.
http://www.forgottenoh.com/Gore/gorestories.html
http://www.ghostsofohio.org/stories/htb/gorph.htm
http://www.realhaunts.com/united-states/ruins-of-gore-orphanage/
As we all know , just because its on a website doesnt make information reliable. I went to some more reliable sites. I stopped by Wikipedia where I got my first clue that perhaps Gore Orphanage never existed. I then went to Newspaper Archives online and to Ancestry.com and searched newspapers in the areas near Lorain County. In checking the articles for the time period of 1875-1920 I found no Gore Orphanage. I did find the Light and Hope Orphanage in the area which is now called Gore Orphanage Rd.. I also learned that Gore Road was named after a wedge shaped piece of land called a gore and not after a blood thirsty maniac who ran a home for bedraggled orphans.
I chose to follow the trail of the Light and Hope Orphanage and found that it was run by Rev. John Sprunger and his wife who moved from Indiana. I found an announcement in an area newspaper transfering the land of Mr Swift to Nicholas Wilber and again a later sale to Rev. Sprunger. . I ran across two modern day articles by Bill Ellis and Rini Caudill who both debunked the Gore Myth. They agreed that 3 things worked together to create the myth. The Swift mansion which was purchased by the Rev Sprunger, burnt down years after the orphanage closed. Nicholas Wilber had 4 grandchildren die within weeks of each other in the diptheria epidemic. In 1908 the Collinwood School in nearby Cleveland caught fire. The following is from Wikepedia,
"The Collinwood School Fire (also known as the Lake View School Fire) of March 4, 1908 was one of the deadliest disasters of its type in America up until that time. 172 students, two teachers and a rescuer were killed in the tragedy in Collinwood, Ohio, a community that has since been absorbed into the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
While the Lake View School was built with load bearing masonary outer walls, much of the four story building’s floor structure system used wooden joists. It was one wooden joist that caught fire when it was overheated by a steam pipe. The building’s main stair case extended from the front doors of the building, up to the third floor; without benefit of fire doors, the stairwell acted like a chimney, helping to spread the fire quickly. Oiled wooden hall and classroom floors also fueled the fire. "
I pulled up the 1910 census records for the Light and Hope Orphanage in Henrietta Twp. Lorain Co. Ohio and the image can be seen in the photo section of the blogs home page. It shows a list of about 25 orphans living with Rev Sprunger and his wife. In 1920 census they are no longer listed because the orphanage had closed. It is important to note that all documents indicate that Rev Sprunger and his wife were benevolent people who were trying to make a positive change in the lives of orphaned children.
I looked up the Nicholas Wilber family and related death records. In 1911 Both Nicholas and his wife Harriet died as well as several of the grandchildren, all within months of each other.
In fact, the three items which merged together to form the Gore Orphange Legend were all to be found in historical records and documents. It does explain a lot.
But there are some things that it does not explain, such as Melodie Bowles experience in her own words. " It was fall and the leaves were turning. The air was crisp and I love fall weather. My friend and I decided to go for a drive. We decided to go to the haunted tunnel. We had heard stories about it and thought we would go check it out. We parked our car underneath the tunnel and sat on the hood of the car. The tunnel is in a deserted area and it is so narrow only one car can drive through it at a time. It was a beautiful night and we talked for a couple of hours but we didnt hear or see anything ghostly! We decided to leave and I got behind the wheel. As I put the key in the ignition a bright light came towards the front of my car really fast. It looked like a set of headlights. I turned the key and the engine stalled. I looked up at the lights which were almost on us, closed my eyes and waited for the impact. I waited, waited. No crash. I opened my eyes and no car was there. There was no car in the ditch or on the side of the road. We checked the brush for tire tracks and there was no car. We were scared out of our wits, got in the car and left as quickly as we could."
Melodie had not been back to this spot for several years. After she told me about it I asked her to go back and photograph the area. She was apprehensive about returning but made up her mind to go. She charged 2 battery packs for her camera in hopes of sending me dozens of shots. Both battery packs went dead.
To see the few pictures which she was able to get, go to the section at the top left which says "top page". Click on that and on the right is the photo section. Click on the tab and click on Haunted Tunnel and view pictures at this link
As a genealogist, I had to look at these tales in a different light. I wondered what truth there was to the rumours. Was there an orphanage called Gore and did 100's of children die in this Lorain County fire. Who was the ruthless man who set the fire? Was he caught and prosecuted.?I had a lot of questions and since the time of the fire was said to be the first decade of the 1900's, I knew just where to find the answers.
First I "googled" Gore Orphanage. I came up with numerous sites which featured "true ghost stories" and pictures of ruins said to be that of the old orphanage. Here are the links to some of these sites.
http://www.forgottenoh.com/Gore/gorestories.html
http://www.ghostsofohio.org/stories/htb/gorph.htm
http://www.realhaunts.com/united-states/ruins-of-gore-orphanage/
As we all know , just because its on a website doesnt make information reliable. I went to some more reliable sites. I stopped by Wikipedia where I got my first clue that perhaps Gore Orphanage never existed. I then went to Newspaper Archives online and to Ancestry.com and searched newspapers in the areas near Lorain County. In checking the articles for the time period of 1875-1920 I found no Gore Orphanage. I did find the Light and Hope Orphanage in the area which is now called Gore Orphanage Rd.. I also learned that Gore Road was named after a wedge shaped piece of land called a gore and not after a blood thirsty maniac who ran a home for bedraggled orphans.
I chose to follow the trail of the Light and Hope Orphanage and found that it was run by Rev. John Sprunger and his wife who moved from Indiana. I found an announcement in an area newspaper transfering the land of Mr Swift to Nicholas Wilber and again a later sale to Rev. Sprunger. . I ran across two modern day articles by Bill Ellis and Rini Caudill who both debunked the Gore Myth. They agreed that 3 things worked together to create the myth. The Swift mansion which was purchased by the Rev Sprunger, burnt down years after the orphanage closed. Nicholas Wilber had 4 grandchildren die within weeks of each other in the diptheria epidemic. In 1908 the Collinwood School in nearby Cleveland caught fire. The following is from Wikepedia,
"The Collinwood School Fire (also known as the Lake View School Fire) of March 4, 1908 was one of the deadliest disasters of its type in America up until that time. 172 students, two teachers and a rescuer were killed in the tragedy in Collinwood, Ohio, a community that has since been absorbed into the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
While the Lake View School was built with load bearing masonary outer walls, much of the four story building’s floor structure system used wooden joists. It was one wooden joist that caught fire when it was overheated by a steam pipe. The building’s main stair case extended from the front doors of the building, up to the third floor; without benefit of fire doors, the stairwell acted like a chimney, helping to spread the fire quickly. Oiled wooden hall and classroom floors also fueled the fire. "
I pulled up the 1910 census records for the Light and Hope Orphanage in Henrietta Twp. Lorain Co. Ohio and the image can be seen in the photo section of the blogs home page. It shows a list of about 25 orphans living with Rev Sprunger and his wife. In 1920 census they are no longer listed because the orphanage had closed. It is important to note that all documents indicate that Rev Sprunger and his wife were benevolent people who were trying to make a positive change in the lives of orphaned children.
I looked up the Nicholas Wilber family and related death records. In 1911 Both Nicholas and his wife Harriet died as well as several of the grandchildren, all within months of each other.
In fact, the three items which merged together to form the Gore Orphange Legend were all to be found in historical records and documents. It does explain a lot.
But there are some things that it does not explain, such as Melodie Bowles experience in her own words. " It was fall and the leaves were turning. The air was crisp and I love fall weather. My friend and I decided to go for a drive. We decided to go to the haunted tunnel. We had heard stories about it and thought we would go check it out. We parked our car underneath the tunnel and sat on the hood of the car. The tunnel is in a deserted area and it is so narrow only one car can drive through it at a time. It was a beautiful night and we talked for a couple of hours but we didnt hear or see anything ghostly! We decided to leave and I got behind the wheel. As I put the key in the ignition a bright light came towards the front of my car really fast. It looked like a set of headlights. I turned the key and the engine stalled. I looked up at the lights which were almost on us, closed my eyes and waited for the impact. I waited, waited. No crash. I opened my eyes and no car was there. There was no car in the ditch or on the side of the road. We checked the brush for tire tracks and there was no car. We were scared out of our wits, got in the car and left as quickly as we could."
Melodie had not been back to this spot for several years. After she told me about it I asked her to go back and photograph the area. She was apprehensive about returning but made up her mind to go. She charged 2 battery packs for her camera in hopes of sending me dozens of shots. Both battery packs went dead.
To see the few pictures which she was able to get, go to the section at the top left which says "top page". Click on that and on the right is the photo section. Click on the tab and click on Haunted Tunnel and view pictures at this link
Richard Rogers : War of 1812
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Richard Rogers : Soldier in the War of 1812
The War of 1812 is sometimes known as the forgotten war. Although often attributed to the Revolutionary War era, Francis Scott Key penned his famous poem on the evening of September 13,1814. Some historians say this war was a British victory and others a stalemate. I join with the others who perceive this war as the symbol of finality when America defined herself as a complete entity apart from Brittain.
Richard Rogers, my 4th great grandfather served in the War of 1812. He was born in Lyme ,New London, Connecticut in October of 1775. At the age of 23 he married Connecticut resident Lois Maynard . The Barbor Collection lists their marriage on November 4, 1798. They had one child George in 1805 and then moved to New York where their next son John J. Rogers was born in 1807. In 1812 Richard Rogers enlisted and served in the War of 1812. After returning home he fathered three more children. Lois who later married Sylvanus Bliss, James who married Louisa Stevens, and my 3xgreat grandfather Samuel Griffin Rogers who married Azuba Hill.
This line of the Rogers family were some of the pioneers who "moved west" as a group with people such as the Beebe's, Labories', Sage and Minor familes, having received land through the Connecticut Land Company and settled" New Connecticut". These ancestors settled land in what is now known as Lorain County Ohio. I was able to acquire the will of Richard Rogers and numerous other items such as plat maps,and land grants through the Lorain Co. Genealogical Society and The Hickories Museum. In June of 2006, I traveled from Los Angeles, California, to the bucolic Huntington Twp. in Lorain Co Ohio and visited the graves of my Rogers, Bliss and Maynard ancestors. It was a wonderful experience to drive along the pastoral countryside and see the land which they had owned and the paths which they had cleared.
My current research is on collecting the military records of these ancestors. I am focusing on the War of 1812 records of Richard Rogers. There are several Richard Rogers records listed on Ancestry .com and my big concern is to allocate the correct records to the person whom they belong to. If you have tried this yourself than you know it is not that easy. I am looking for that one item with the names of other family members or exact locations other than just "State of Ct" or "State of New York". Please post a comment if you have a suggestion for me.
Pictured above is The Old Huntington Cemetery in Huntington Twp., Lorain Co. Ohio. The center stone represnts the monument of 2 families, The Bliss Family and the Rogers Family. On either side of that stone lays Richard and Lois (nee Maynard) Rogers and Sylvanus and Lois (nee Rogers) Bliss.Many of my ancestors are in this little cemetery.More of their gravestones can be seen by going to the "main page" of the blog.( click on the drop down menu in the pictures section on the right hand side of the blog.)
Special Thanks to Russell Sage of Ohio who offered a lot of information to me about my ancestors.
War of 1812 Links: http://www.sos.state.il.us/GenealogyMWeb/1812frm.html
http://www.pa-roots.com/warof1812/
http://ajax.lva.lib.va.us/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas12&local_base=CLAS12
http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/war1812/1815list.htm
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/1812/discharge-certificates.html
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/database/rosters.html
http://geneasearch.com/genealogy/1812veterans.htm
http://www.tennessee.gov/tsla/history/military/1812reg.htm
http://www.multied.com/1812/
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/exhibits/1812/index.html
http://209.202.75.197/digi/war1812/indexflash.htm
http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/Warof1812.html
http://www.warof1812.ca/1812book.htm
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/britain/br1814m.htm
http://www.societyofthewarof1812.org/inMaryland/
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-010/
http://www.bcpl.net/~etowner/poster.html
http://members.cox.net/2varegiment/
http://www.iaw.on.ca/~jsek/1812gene.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~war1812/index.html
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/mil/rn19_sold.htm
http://www.historiclakes.org/explore/burlington.htm
http://ina.tamu.edu/LCwarof1812.htm
http://www.swcp.com/~dhickman/journals/V6I4/1812wamsley.html
http://www.cemeterysurveysinc.com/?cat=25
http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008442
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/
http://www.iltrails.org/john_huitt_family.htm
http://www.udata.com/users/hsbaker/melville1.htm
http://www.udata.com/users/hsbaker/ohio1812.htm
http://www.slcl.org/branches/hq/sc/images/dps-pdf/M848-all.pdf
http://www.militaryheritage.com/1812.htm
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