Lots has been going on in my world right now – haven’t done too much researching for the past few weeks~
I have a new Granddaughter abt to be born – due anytime~
I have another daughter just recently got engaged – been babysitting my Granddaughter for her while they are in Florida~
Been super busy lately~ Life is good – just hectic for me right now~ Will get back to work on research next week~
Have a wonderful week!
Coni
My cousin Coni took this photo up at the Barkhamsted LightHouse site. It’s a very beautiful flower. I ponder if James & Molly planted these because they loved the flower or because there was a purpose or even if it was a wild flower….
So my first step was to ask my friends on Facebook if they’d ever seens this kind of flower, I got one response, they thought it looked like the wild flower called Trillium. I went to google & looked it up. On Wikipedia it says “Picking a trillium seriously injures the plant by preventing the leaf-like bracts from producing food for the next year. A plant takes many years to recover. For this reason in Michigan, Minnesota and New York it is illegal to pick and/or transplant trilliums from public lands without a permit from the State.”
In my search for William Wilson’s Revolutionary War records, I was beginning to think that he wasn’t in the war or that he wasn’t a white man as people claim him to be, as I couldn’t find anything at all connecting him & the Revolutionary War. Then right in front of my face, right here on Ever Widening Circle blog on the right hand side in a list of Links for the Chagum/Lighthouse Tribe is a gleem of hope!
The link is the the Barkhamsted Soldiers Memorial, it is a list of soldiers that fought in different wars. Right there 3rd from the last name is William Wilson!! I have hope that he served! Now my search is renewed! I am determined to find William Wilson in records of the Revolutionary War!
Like I said in a previous post on my blog, I have found 6 ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War, and I have submitted a request to get an application to the DAR, (Daughter’s of American Revolution), so I am hoping that once I become a member that I will have access to more of their records & I will be able to find him!!
I find more & more of the desendants of the Light House Tribe are into writing, most specificly poetry. My mother wrote poem, as did some of her brothers & sisters, their mother Edith Webster-Lash wrote a ton of poems. Here is a poem by
Poem for thought
As I sit here all alone I thank the Lord I have a home.
And now I think I’ve found a gal that will make a real good Pal.
I know that we are getting old so lets not let our love grow cold.
So I nope that we both keep our sight so we will both do things right.
I know it’s hard to leave ones home but it’s much better than being alone.
We might be in a field of clover, so sit rightdown and think it over.
(Page 1)
I know good things are hard to find so don’t think we should change our mind.
And when I go to bed at night I lay and wonder if you will write.
And so if goes the whole night through, I just lay there and think of you.
I hope its plain for you to see so sit right down and write to me.
And tell me just how you feel so we can some day make a deal.
So I will sit and wish and try and so I’ll close and say by by.
With all my Love, Bert
(Page 2)
I just sit and ponder on how this poem was created, Bert was working on the railroad at this time and Elizabeth (known as Lizzie to her family) was living in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. I wonder if they met while he was working on the line, or if they met through her half brother James. However they met, you can tell that he was smitten with her.
Wedding Day November 1, 1906
They look so happy in their wedding photo… so sad that 15 short years later Lizzie died only 5 month after giving birth to the youngest of their four daughters of Acute Nephritis (Acute nephritis is a sudden inflammation of the kidney.).
I was very interested in all the Revolutionary War paper’s Coni has been posting. I went searching there to see if I could find William Wilson in any of those. My search was for William Wilson in Connecticut. I found a file with a document in it of Levi Hitchcock (does that surname sound familer to anyone else?) in Litchfield County, CT. The document seems to be a testimony of William & Mary Wilson of Litchfield County, CT for Mary Hitchcock widow of Levi. I am 99.9% sure that this is my William & Mary (aka Polly) Wilson, who would be Mary/Polly Chagum.
As I read further through the old documents, Levi Hitchcock he served in the battle of Montmouth & from Colbrook, CT. That is the same battle that Lewis S. Mills said in his book “The Legend of Barkhamsted Light House” (page 51), Colebrook is the place where William Wilson was a preacher. Are these just a random coindences? I think not!
State of New York – Tioga County
Reuben Barber of the Town of Catlin in the said County of Tioga being duly Sworn deposeth and saith that since he has learned through his ajent that the officers of the War Department who have in charge the excretion of the Pension act of June 7, 1832 have rejected him to prove his service as detailed in his application for pension under that act by two credible witnesses he has spent much time in traveling thorough “The Militan tract,” in the Stat of New York which many of the Revolution Soldiers were located in search of individuals with whom he served in the war of Revolution That he has been to the Town of Dryden in the Con__ ___ _______ where he aforesaid to have found Joseph Mead who served with him, but ascertained that he died a short time since. That he has also been to the town of Covert (?) in the County of Seneca where one Joseph Thomas who also served with him, lately lived but learning that he too was dead ” that he also has been to the town known of Fayette in Seneca County where Davis Cook who served with him, lately lived but ascertained that he removed about two hears since to the westward – but where he could not learn. The the only person living so far as he can learn that can testify in regard to his services is Jonas Yourmans of the County of Steuben, whose affidewit is affixed to his declaration – Having thus done all in his power to meet the requisition of the War Department without effect, he submits his cease to, in the hope that as death has made such savages of the relics of the Revolution (Pg2) and thinks ____ it improbable to produce two witness, and certain of a null ——
(Note from Coni:next page is very light and hard to read) Ruben Barber – (Signed his name)
Ruben Barber Revolutionary War – Pg 10 of 57 – Ruben’s Statement 1Ruben Barber Revolutionary War – Pg 11 of 57 – Ruben’s Statement 2
State of New York – Chemung County
On the twelfth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundreed and fifty personally appeared before me Patrick Quin a Justice of Peace in and forsaid County of Chemung in the State of NY Hannah Barber of the town of Catlin in the County of Chemung and State of New York aged aged ninety seven years old and upwards who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the act of Congress passed June seventh eighteen hundred and thirty two and also to obtain the benefit of the provision of the act of Congress passed the twenty ninth day of July eighteen hundred and forty eight: That she is the widow of the late Reuben Barber of Catlin aforesaid that she was lawfully married to the said Reuben Barber in the town of Barkhamsted in the County of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, by Thomas Wilder a Justice of Peace on the thrity first day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundedred eighty four, that her name before her marriage to her late husband Reuben Barber was Hannah SANDS Chaugum – that the said Reuben Barber died in the town of Catlin in the County of Chemung and State of New York the sixteenth day April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty nine and she further states that she has not married since the death of the said Reuben Barber her late husband, but now remained his widow and she further states about the said Reuben Barber her late husband obtained a bounty or pension under some act of Congress as will more fully appear by the pension certificate of the said late Reuben Barber which bears date the (25th) twenty fifth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty three and she ask for an increase of annuity or pension of the balance due her said husband and for an increace of the annuity which may be granted her full pay by reason of the increase of services which the said Reuben Barber her late husband (Pg 2) performed in the war of the Revolution which was not proved hy him in his application for the benefit of the provision of the acts of Congress passed for the benefit of the soldiers of the Revolution: and she further states that she has never made an application for a pension until the passed and she delcares that her name is not on the pension roll of any agency in the any state. HannahherXmarkBarber
Persecuted and sworn before me Patrick Quin a Justice of the peace __________(?)
I certify that the above named Hannah Barber who made the above declaration on her oath is in my opinion entitled to full credit and belief Patrick Quin Justice of the Peace
I hereby Certify that Hannah Barber above names in not able to attend Court by reason of her Etreme age and disability Patrick Quin Justice of the Peace
Ruben Barber Revolutionary War – Pg 14 of 57 – Hannah’s Statement 1
Ruben Barber Revolutionary War – Pg 15 of 57 – Hannah’s Statement 2
Ruben Barber Revolutionary War – Pg 16 of 57 – Hannah’s Statement 3
Hand written:State of New York – Chemung County Part 1: On this thirteenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eightheen dred and fiftycame personally before me Patrick Quin (?) a justice of the peace in an of said County Hannah Barberof Catlin in said County who being just duly sworn according to the law says that James Barber of Veteran of said County of Chemung and State of New York is her Son aged fifty nine years and upward,that about the commencement of the war of eighteen hundred and twelve the said James Barber left home, that after a time his father recieved a letter from the said James Barber dated atFort Niagara which letter stated that the said James Barber had Enlisted in the Army of the United States, that after an absence of a year or more said James Barber returned home in Catharine then the County of Tioga (now Chemung) that when he so returned he had a wound in the thick part of his leg below the knee that said Wound mearly crippled him for nine months or more he not being able to straiten his leg and she furthur notes that the wound remained unhealed for nearly four years and she further states that when the said James Barber returned a Mr Smith wo also had a wound in his arm returned with him and the said Smith Have stated that the said James Barber Recieved his wounds at Fort Niagara at the time of the Battle of Queenston and she furthur notes that as the time the said James Returned he has a permission signed by Captain Leonard permitting him the said James to return home until his wound was healed and he again called into service and she further states that the said James Barber resided with her for three years or more immediately after his return and that he was not sufficiently recieved to return to duty until after the war was closed and that said Smith went away ___ _____ he _____ Returned and she does not know where… Part 2: ….the said Smith now resides or whetter his is and she further states that the said James Barber Returned home in the month of December Eighteen hundred and twelve or (January Eighteen hundred thirteen) ( kinda scratched out) HannahherXmarkBarber
Sworn and subscribed before me Patrice Quin a Justice of the Peace in for and said County
This site is dedicated to the ancestors of the Johnson, Booker and Petruff families of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Pennsylvania and thier connecting lines of lineage.