BRANCHING OUT

Thomas Litster and Elizabeth (Betty) Millar

2010-08-01T15:02:00.008-04:00

As I've written before, I believe that Cecilia Litster's (b. 1785) parents are Thomas Litster and Elizabeth Millar.

I found a marriage record for Thomas and Elizabeth in the Old Parish Records via Scotland's People. I'm sorry I can't show the original record but I can't download it in a .jpeg anymore, only in .tif, which blogger won't accept. I'm working on it. Anyway, the text of the record reads:

05 Feb 1779 “Thomas Litster Farmer in Mill Deans Fifeshire and Elizabeth Miller Daughter of the deceased Walter Miller Pale farmer in Fifeshire (OPR Marriages 685/00105100150 Edinburgh [place of marriage] p. 97)

I wonder what took them to Edinburgh for their marriage.

As shown before, I already have a birth record for Cecilia, and in the IGI there are 2 more children of Thomas and Elizabeth, John, born in Kettle 9 April 1781, and James, born 15 Nov 1779 (almost exactly 9 months after the couple's marriage), also in Kettle.

I decided to look at the birth record for John at Scotland's People and it reads: "was born John son to Thomas Litster Tenant in Mill Deans, and Elizabeth Millar his wife. He was baptised the 24th of May [1781] witnesses the people of Mill Deans."

John's baptism record is interesting because we learn that Thomas is a tenant farmer and that they were living in the same place that Elizabeth was from: Mill Deans, which we now know is in Kettle (I couldn't figure that out from the above marriage record. In fact, Milldeans is listed at GENUKI as a place in Kettle). Kettle is a parish which borders both Falkland and Markinch, other parishes connected to the Litster-Brown family.

Luckily the marriage record names Elizabeth's father (sadly, not her mother) as "Walter" but I have been unable to locate a possible birth record in a cursory search in the IGI.

BUT WAIT! There's more.

It just so happens that the burial records for Thomas and Elizabeth are on line at the Fife Family History Center website here. They read:

LISTER, THOMAS (80): in Markinch; 6 April 1834; in grave of spouse, Elisabeth Miller, int 1 June 1827 (No 28, 1827)

“MILLER, ELISABETH (65): spouse of Thomas Lister in Markinch; 1 June 1827; head to feet of Isabell Lister, spouse of dec David Hunter at Mackie's Mill, int 20 Nov 1825 (No 94, 1825)”

The Isabell Lister mentioned might be a clue Thomas' parentage, but I'll have to explore that later. The IGI has at least 4 possibilities for Thomas, and as you know one can't rely on the IGI alone.

To put it all into perspective, here is a fan chart of where this fits into the family. Thomas Brown is the ancestor who emigrated from Scotland to Michigan. (click on image to enlarge)

John and Abigail Prince

2010-06-24T05:11:00.003-04:00

Stephen Davidson wrote a short online article which includes the following regarding John Prince and Abigail Prince:

"Most of the love stories that have come down to us from the American Revolution are fragmentary and lie hidden in dry old records. Take the example of John Prince, a loyalist who was a private with the Third New Jersey Volunteers for seven years. In the summer of 1783, his regiment's muster roll noted the fact that the 41 year-old bachelor was absent and that he had "gone to the country". The Volunteers were preparing to leave the Thirteen Colonies. Prince's absence may have seemed an oddly timed one, but it certainly hinted at nothing very romantic. However, there was an affair of the heart hidden in the muster roll's matter of fact report on John's whereabouts.

Throughout the revolution, Prince had had a sweetheart in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. The reason Prince had gone to the country was to make eighteen year-old Abigail Riddle his wife. The new Mrs. Prince returned with John to his regiment, and the couple sailed north with the Volunteers and their families. The newlyweds established their new home along the Kennebecasis River. Had John Prince not taken a leave of absence, he would not have married Abigail. But the story lacks a certain "romantic sizzle", doesn't it?"

You can read the full article here.

George Brown and Margaret Menzies

2010-06-05T04:42:00.005-04:00

My research thus far has led me to believe that the parents of Peter Brown (who married Cecilia Litster) is the son of George Brown and Margaret Menzies. (See here for my post on Peter and Cecilia). I would like to have more definite proof, but so far all the dates and places seem to line up.

I found a marriage record for George and Margaret:

1766 Markinch Parish, Fife: “George Brown in this and Margaret Menzies in the Parish of Gralkland gave up Their names for proclamation in Order to marriage December 4th"

It is interesting that most of the other entries in the register note that the married couples gave money "to the Poor", however there is no such notation for George and Margaret. Perhaps they were the Poor.

I never really know if "gave up their names" means their marriage was on Dec 4th or if that was when the banns were. (Here is a really interesting article on Scottish marriage traditions) In any case, besides Peter (born in 1785) this couple also had children (all born Markinch):
David born/christened 25 march, 1771/31 march 71
William 9 sep 1767/11 sep;
George 10 apr 1769/16 april;
twins and James and John 21 apr 1773/25 apr;
Robert 26 dec 1775/31 dec 1775;
Andrew 8 sep 1777, 11 sep

Note that there is a separation of 7 years between Andrew and Peter (not impossible, but not inspiring from a genealogical researcher's point of view).

The record for William reads, "George Brown in Kirkforthar and his spouse Margaret Menzies had a son born 9th Sept and baptized 11 Sept called William"

The record for Andrew reads that he was born to a George Brown "in ground at Kirkforthar" and his spouse Margaret Menzies.

I didn't look at the other birth records. But remember that Peter was born to George, who was, at the time, "in ground at Carriston". I've been looking at where all these places are. According to GENUKI, Kirkforthar is a village in the parish of Markinch, Carriston appears to be a smaller locale in the parish. "Gralkland", however, I cannot figure out. I don't even see something that is could be. There is a neighboring parish of "Falkland," but the handwriting does not look like an "F".

Carl Sebenius's death announcement

2010-01-21T13:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to the announcement of Carl Sebenius' death in the paper. Again, it is in Swedish.

And another link in the same paper, but I can't figure out the context, despite Google's pathetic translation. Anyone care to help me with the translation?

Sebenius in Arvika

2010-01-21T13:12:00.005-05:00

I found a nice article on the Sebenius siblings who ran a children's shoe factory in Arvika. The original article is in Swedish, but you can read a Google translation here. I was delighted that I could also find out Maria Larsdotter Kylander's death date of 1881, something I had not found before.

John Bothwell Article in The Strand

2010-01-06T11:06:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to the article published in The Strand Magazine 1895 about John Bothwell, who lived to be about 100. It includes a nice photo, which I had never seen before.

I had the text of the article copied many years ago by a relative, but it is nice to see the real thing.

John Uno Sebenius photos

2009-12-21T11:00:00.004-05:00

I realize I have been MIA, but I just found some photos of John Uno Sebenius at the Minnesota Historical Society here.

John Uno Sebenius is not technically a Kylander descendant. He is descended from Jonas Kylander's (b.1782) first wife's (Annika Danielsdotter) first marriage. Annika's first husband was Lars Andersson and they had one daughter, Maria Larsdotter, who was later known as Maria Larsdotter Kylander after her mother's remarriage. Maria married Carl Sebenius.

So, while John Uno Sebenius is not a Kylander by blood, he is related to all of us who are descended from Jonas Kylander and Annika Danielsdotter.

Google Books also has a photo of his house.

Telning Family, 1900 Census

2009-04-12T17:00:00.004-04:00

I've located Anders Telning's family, along with his father, Johan, in the 1900 US Federal Census. Once again, the name "Telning" was not transcribed properly, making the family difficult to locate in the index.

Wisconsin, Pierce county, Trimbelle, ED 119. p. 19 lines 10-17
Telning, Andrew, head, [] 1852, 48, married at age 27, born Sweden, parents born Sweden, immigrated 1873, 27 years in USA, naturalized, Farmer, own farm (mortgaged)
Annie C, wife, May 1846, 54 married at age 24, born Sweden, parents born Sweden, cannot speak English or write
Marie, dau, Aug 1881, 18, single, born Wisconsin, parents born Sweden
Martha, dau, Mar 1884, 16, single, born Wisconsin, parents born Sweden, at school
Lasarus [sic], son, Jan 1886, 14, single, born Wisconsin, parents born Sweden, at school
David, son, Feb 1890, 10, born Wisconsin, parents born Sweden, at school
John, father, Jan 1819, 81, widowed, married at age 57 (this is crossed out], born Sweden, parents born Sweden, imm. 1874, 26 years in USA, naturalized, Farm Laborer, cannot write
Nelson, [A..]else R, nephew, Feb 1889, 11, born Minnesota, parents born Sweden, at school

It is too bad I cannot read the name of Andrew's nephew. The nephew must be the son of Anders's sister Lisa, who married Fred Nelson. The commonness of the name Nelson/Nilson makes Lisa's family difficult to locate in the records.

Telning Family in Red Wing, Minnesota

2009-04-12T16:44:00.000-04:00

Here is something that has been sitting on my desk for a while, waiting for me to write about it. A kind person, unrelated to me, saw on the internet that I was interested in the Telning family, a descendant branch of my earliest Kylander ancestor and sent me some documents from First Lutheran Church, Red Wing, which list some Telning family members. A link to some of the transcriptions can be found here.

Johan Telning, the son of Magnus Telning and Maria Kylander (daughter of Jonas Kylander b. 1744) immigrated to America with his family, probably in 1873. Johan and his wife, Maria Andersdotter, had 7 children, at least 4 of whom survived to immigrate with them. Thier eldest son, Anders (born 1852 in Västra Fågelvik, Värmland), who eventually moved to Canada, was a member of the aforementioned Lutheran Church in Red Wing. The document (seen at left) sent to me lists the baptism of Anders's son. Frank Albert. Frank Albert, previously unknown to me, was born 6 July 1874. He would have died before 1880 because Anders and his wife, Christina, have only 1 son, William, in the 1880 census. William is then deceased by 1885, when only 2 daughters are mentioned in the 1885 Wisconsin census (Trenton, Pierce county).

Johan and Maria's eldest surviving daughter, Lisa (born 1848), I now know married a man name Fred Nelson because I found a second 1880 census record for Lisa's sister, Sarah. Sarah was listed with her parents in 1880 in Wisconsin and also as the sister-in-law of Fred Nelson (wife Lisa) in Red Wing. It is not unusual to find an individual, esp. a young single adult in two households in the same census year.
The census (see images below):
Nelson, Fred, head, 40 ---[shoe]maker? born Sweden
Lisa, wife, 32 homemaker, born Sweden
[Stephenson?], 10, son at school b. [Maryland???]
Anna, 8, dau at school, Wisconsin
Thelning, Sarah, 17, sister-in-law, Servant, born Sweden

Fred and Lisa Nelson were also members of the First Lutheran Church. It would appear that"Stephenson" and "Anna" are Fred's children by a previous marriage since Lisa did not immigrate until 1874 and the children were born before then.

John Molison Bothwell, Sydenham, Ontario

2009-04-10T05:53:00.002-04:00

Robert Cooper Bothwell's brother John immigrated to Canada. Whereas Robert eventually went to Toronto and then on to California, John set down roots in Ontario to farm in the Owen Sound/Sydenham area of Grey North, Ontario.

I recently found a website, Grey Roots, which has lots of photos of the Bothwell Manor Farm and John's family for browsing. Check it out.

Telning Family in Red Deer, 1916 Census

2009-04-10T04:41:00.003-04:00

Here are the entries for the Telning family in the 1916 Census of Prairie Provinces, Canada.

Location: Red Deer, Alberta

Telling [sic], Andrew, 64, Sweden, Mission (religion), imm. 1902, naturalized 1905, Canadian (nationality), Sweden (tribal origin), Swedish (native language), Farmer
Annie, 71, wife Sweden, Mission, 1902, nat [no date given], Canadian, Sweden, Swedish
Larry, 30, son USA, Mission, 1902, nat. 1914, Canadian, Sweden, Swedish, Farmer
David, 26, son USA, Mission, 1902, nat [no date], Canadian, Sweden, Swedish, Farmer

Also in Red Deer is the Hogg family. Recall that Marie Hogg was born Marie Telning, daughter of the above Andrew.

Edward Sedgewick Hogg, married, 44, b. Ontario, Anglican, Canadian, English (tribal origin), assistant sheriff
Marie Hogg, wife, 36, married, 36, b. USA, Congregationalist, Canadian, English
Edward Russell Hogg, son, 9, b. Alberta, Congregationalist, Canadian, English
Wifrid [sic] Tellning Hogg, son,7, Alberta, Congregationalist, Canadian, English
Melba Anna Hogg, daughter 5, Alberta, Congregationalist, Canadian, English
Lorraine Lillian Hogg, daughter, 3, Alberta, Congregationalist, Canadian, English

And finally, Andrew's daughter Martha, now Martha Turnbull:

Frederick Turnbull, head, 30, b. Ontario, Anglican, Canadian, Canada, Printer, Advocate Office
Martha, wife, 31, b. United States, Presbyterian, 1901, naturalized, Canadian (nationality), Canada (origin)

Telning family in Red Deer, Alberta

2009-04-10T02:23:00.006-04:00

I have located the Telning branch of the Kylander family which made it's way to Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It was not easy to find at ancestry.com because of the transcription error, but I found Johan, his son Anders and Anders' children Marie (married to Edward Hogg), Martha and David. I still haven't located his son Lazarus.

Red Deer, Alberta ED 5, subdistrict 92, page 2:
Andrew Telning, head, married, age 59 b. March 1852, b. Sweden, immigrated 1902, naturalized 1904, Swedish (tribal origin), Canadian (nationality), [religion is unreadable] Farmer
Christina Telning, wife, married, b May 1846 Sweden, age 65, immigrated 1902, natu. 1904, Swedish, Canadian, [religion is unreadable] Farm. wife
John Telning, father, widowed, age 92, b. Jan 1819, Sweden, imm. 1902, [not naturalized] Swedish, Lutheran

Red Deer, Alberta, ED 5, Sub district 83, p. 6:
residence on 5th St North
Edward S Hogg head, married, b. Sept 1871, age 39 b. Ontario, English, Canadian, Presbyterian, Land Valuator (Railway)
Marie Hogg wife, married, b. May 1881, 29, USA, imm 1902, nat. [no date given], Swedish, Canadian, Presbyterian
Edward R Hogg son, single, b. July 1906, 4 Alberta, English, Canadian, Presbyterian
Wilford T Hogg son, single, b. July 1908, 2, Alberta, English, Canadian, Presbyterian
Anna M Hogg, daughter, b. April 1911, 1 Alberta, English, Canadian, Presbyterian
David Tallning [sic], Brother in law, single, b. Aug 1889, 21, USA 1902, nat., Farm Laborer, Swedish, Canadian, Presbyterian,
Martha Tallning, sister in law, single, b. Aug 1884 26, USA, 1902, nat., [seamstress?] in private house, Swedish, Canadian, Presbyterian,

A little background info --
Johan Telning (son of Maria Kylander and Magnus Nilsson Telning, grandson of Jonas Kylander and Maria Johansdotter. So far Johan is the only child of Maria and Magnus that I have been able to trace.) came with his family to the United States in 1874 (according to the Household Ex. Records in Sweden). In 1880 they are listed in the 1880 census as living in Trenton, Pierce, Wisconsin.

In 1902 Johan (John) and his son Anders (Andrew) immigrated to Canada. According to the book, Along the Burnt Lake Trail, Andrew "made home in Minnesota and Wisconsin for 30 years. Came to Alberta in 1902 and bought a CPR quarter, NE 25-37-1-5. He specialized in raising cattle and sheep and was an active member of the Swedish Union Church. His father John Telning, joined the family here in 1903 and lived with them until they sold the farm in 1911. When Andrew sold the farm in 1911 he and his son David, homesteaded on land near Rocky Mountain House. In 1917 Andrew and his wife moved to Victoria, British Columbia and later to Esssondale, BC. H died at the age of 86 in Nanaimo, British Columbia in 1938. His wife predeceased him in 1930."

The same book has an entry for Andrew's son Lazarus (Larry): "Larry Telning homsteaded in the Evarts district but lived in Red Deer until he died in 1972 at the age of 86. There were three daughters, one died about 12 years of age..... Larry was born in the township of Trenton... Jan 3, 1886 and came to the Burnt Lake district with his parents in 1902. He remembered the winter of 1905-1906 as a memorable one, rain and lightning in January, plowing in February and seeding in March, but the following winter of 1906-1907 was the coldest in memory. ... In 1907 he homesteaded a quarter section NE 9-38-3-W5 west of Evarts. Later he became practically a jack-of-all-trades, working on freight trains, on logging crews and in sawmills, in a mine, a garage and a cement factory, but he finally settled on well drilling as a vocation and in 31 years had travelled to many areas in the Red Deer district particularly in the west country. .... On July 5, 1919, Larry had a sale by public auction four miles west of Evarts, George Welsh was auctioneer with Scott Hastie the clerk. Following the sale, Larry left for the west coast. He returned to Red Deer. On March 21, 1925 he was married to Borghild Sophie Andreassen who came to Red Deer from Norway. Larry was employed for three years in the fires department office where he sold and installed pumps"

Sarah and George Clark Death Records

2009-04-06T05:53:00.000-04:00

I have found George Garbett Clark (b. 1834) and what I believe to be his mother, Sarah's death records.
Although there is no other identifying factor, we know George died on 13 April 1882 because of his headstone, so this must be the correct record.
His mother, Sarah, was alive for the 1881 Canadian census, and living with the family in Dereham. Her tombstone transcription does not give an age or date of death but the 1881 and 1851 census puts her birth at around 1805 (see my posts here and here). This death record for Sarah is consistent with this birth year and the death was recorded in Dereham.
The Clark family is buried in Mt. Elgin Cemetery, South West Oxford (formerly the Township of Dereham), Ontario, Canada.
The Mt. Elgin Cemetery Index can be found here.

George Clark - Ellen Wright

2009-04-06T04:54:00.001-04:00

George Clark and Ellen Wright's marriage has been indexed. The FHL's microfilm is 1030062 and the index reads:
Name: George Clark
Birth Place: St. David
RESIDENCE: Dereham Township
Age: 25
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1834
Father Name: John
Mother Name: Sarah
Spouse Name: Ellen Wright
Spouse's Age: 21
Spouse Estimated Birth Year: abt 1838
Spouse Birth Place: Middleton Township
Spouse Residence: Dereham Township
Spouse Father Name: John
Spouse Mother Name: Ann
Marriage Date: 7 Apr 1859
Marriage County: Oxford

This is only an index and I would need to see the original to verify the information. However it is clear there is already an error: George's father was not named John, he was named George. This is evidenced by the 1851 census and other records. Obviously I cannot tell if this error is only on the index or on the original document.

Minnesota, 1914

2009-04-05T03:32:00.003-04:00

Here is an entry in Davison's Minnesota Directory, vol. XLII, 1914 p. 1174

Kylander, Abel framemkr Aaron Carlson (inc) rms 1622 Jefferson
" Andrew N sec Aaron Carlson (Inc) r 1953 Benjamin
" David upholstr rms 1622 Jefferson
" Erick J janitor r 3804 48th av S
" John E gluer Aaron Carlson (inc) rms 1622 Jefferson
" Marie (wid Andrew) b 1953 Benjamin

Mysteries: I don't know who Erick is; I suspect he is not related. Who exactly is Marie? Why is she listed as Andrew's widow when his wife's name was Julia. Andrew's mother was Ingrid Maria, so I am guessing that is who this is and "b" is a misprint for "r" (resides). Ingrid emigrated in 1862 and died 17 Apr 1917 in Minneapolis

Quick Update

2009-03-15T04:04:00.002-04:00

Just an update that I will be (and have been) posting infrequently for a while. We have a new baby who takes up all of our time!

You can always search back posts by clicking on the topics/labels link in the sidebar.
And don't forget to let me know if you find anything that interests you!

Lucinda Foss

2009-03-14T12:56:00.005-04:00

Obituary for Lucinda Foss, born Lucinda Meeds, daughter of Artemes Meeds and Desire Johnson. Granddaughter of Francis Meeds and Molly Crouch. This obit is from the notes of Robert L. Taylor and no name of the newspaper was recorded.

1859

Died in Standish, Me 20th ult., Mrs. Lucinda Foss, aged 45 years, 9 months. She was professed religion in Saco in her youth, was baptized by Elder Eaton and united with the F W Baptist church in [...] place. She was soon after married to Mr. Job Foss, and removed her membership to the church in Limington, where she remained a worthy member until death. Sister Foss was able to attend public worship but very seldom, on account of her large family, but was always ready to give a reason for the hope she enjoyed, and when she was suddenly called to try the realities of the religion she professed, it did not forsake her. She calmly resigned herself and her family to the care of her Heavenly Father, and in a few hours fell asleep in Jesus. She was an affectionate companion, a provident mother, and a kind neighbor. She has left an afflicted husband, nine children, and a large circle of friends to mourn her loss. A discourse was delivered on the occasion.

Dec 19, 1920 - Jan 1, 1921

2008-12-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

Still Cutting Wood

Dec 5 - Dec 18, 1920

2008-12-05T14:59:00.002-05:00

Nov 21 - Dec 4, 1920

2008-11-21T14:56:00.000-05:00

John and Mary McArthur

2008-11-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

John McArthur and his wife, Mary Miller were among the first settlers of Limington. Their daughter, Catherine McArthur, married Hiram Staples, and it was Catherine's granddaughter, Ann Maria Libby, who married Simeon Pease Meads, Sr. (in case you are keeping track).

Here are the gravestones of John and Mary:
Sacred to the memory of Mr John McArthur who died August 30, 1816 Aged 71 years. He was a native of Perth, Scotland from whence he emigrated to this country AD 1760. He settled in Limington 1775 and was the third settler in this town.
Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Mary widow of Mr John McArthur died March 11, 1832 aged 82 years 1 month

The McArthur family became a prominent family in the town and an extensive biography of the family has been written but that book starts mainly with Arthur, Catherine's brother and is not of much interest to me. The family house (which was built later that John and Mary) still sits across the street from the Library.

Shuah and John Purington

2008-11-17T15:10:00.001-05:00

Well, I should get back, finally, to posting more photos from my tour of Limington's cemeteries.

Shuah L. Manson, daughter of Samuel Manson and Shuah Libby, married in 1837 John Purinton. Actually, I am not sure if the correct spelling is Purington or Purinton. The gravestone gives one spelling and other sources, the other. In any case here is the stone of Shuah and her husband, John, along with his first wife, Martha, an infant daughter from the first marriage and Joseph, Shuah and John's infant son.

John Purinton June 3, 1803 July 27, 1883

Martha L. his wife Died Mar 19, 1836 AE 24 yrs.

Shuah L. second wife Sept. 8, 1808 (another source says 1805) June 30, 1872

Paulina N. dau. of John and Martha T [sic] Purinton died May 4, 1836 4 mos.

Joseph L. son of John and Shuah L. Purinton died Dec 30 1848

Here is John's biographical sketch from Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine: "John, only son of Stephen (2) and Mary (Stimpson) Purinton, was born on the homestead farm in 1803, and died in 1883. He followed farming on the homestead, and officiated for a number of years as a member of the board of selectmen, of which body he was chairman a part of this time. In politics he was at first a Democrat, but after the organization of the Republican party was connected with that body. He was an honored member of the Free Baptist church of Limington. Mr Purinton married Shuah, daughter of Samuel and Shuah (Libby) Manson, and granddaughter of William and Rachel Amy Manson."

Nov 7-20, 1920

2008-11-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

Oct 10 - Nov 6, 1920

2008-10-19T17:40:00.004-04:00

Again, I am behind. It is hard to keep up sometimes when you are constantly running after a 3 year old. Forgive me. Here are the latest diary entries. More focusing on wages and hours worked. Seems very contemporary. Note the entry for Nov 1.

August 8 - Oct 9, 1920

2008-09-21T15:29:00.006-04:00

I have gotten shamefully behind on this blog. Here is a quick update on JB Kylander's Diary, at least. You can see there wasn't much exciting to read, anyway. A lot of recording of work hours and figuring of wages. But note his entry for Oct 3.