Looking Back

The One Lovely Blog Award was given to me by Deb Ruth of Adventures in Genealogy Blog. Thanks Deb. Please check out her site, if you haven't already seen it. I especially love her articles about Baltimore.


This past week was spent doing a lot of thinking about the 1 1/2 years I have been blogging, non-stop. I decided to take a little break. My plan is to do far less blogging for a few months, instead, I'll work on my family history, make more trips to libraries, and read your posts.


Dick Eastman wrote Archaeological Dig Reveals Lifestyles of Early Irish Settlers in my city of Lowell, Massachusetts. He also lived here as well, so we both claim the city.


Continuing with my Historical Society photos, I discovered another one recently in Harvard, Massachusetts. When I went to take the photo, I saw that it shares the building with the Still River Baptist Church... smart utilization of the space.

Things Royal -- Follow Friday

Rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, May 1991

YouTube video "The Major General's Review and the Colonel's Review are scheduled on the Saturdays two and one weeks preceding the Queen's Birthday Parade respectively." (from Wikipedia)

My Prince Charles and Princess Diana post with photos taken of them in Virginia, 1985.

At least once a week I have somebody using key words "Princess Diana burial site?" on my search box. This is the perfect opportunity to reply by provide several links that address that question. From:

Find-A-Grave

Wikipedia

Photos

Answers.com

On Wednesday, Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski of In My Life posted her, "Wordless Wednesday: I've Been to London to Visit the Queen" post. Please check it out, she has a great photo of Queen Elizabeth. Because of Cindy's post, I decided to do this one.

Just because several others are posting Royal related connections, I'll point you in the direction of my Post, A Bradstreet, A Dudley and Royalty, I claim ancestry to King Edward I, like many others!

Sugar Party -- Wordless Wednesday

The 19th Annual Sugaring Off Party was held last month at the Owl Hoot Maple Farm in Quebec, Canada. Dianne Jones and her husband John Rhicard hold this popular fund raiser for the Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital (BMP) Foundation Fund. (For more photos see link above.)

Dianne's husband is my 6th cousin, however their daughter-in-law is my 2nd cousin. Along with the photos, she sent the following message, "The day turned out warm and sunny. A huge crowd of 756 of all ages showed up and had a great time taking in wagon rides with horses and oxen. Or just listening / dancing to toe tapping music,  There was an interest in watching a demonstration from a blacksmith and hewing a log by the craftsmen. One could satisfy their hungry stomachs from the home baking, and snack bar and buy more treats off the maple product table that were for sale.

The BMP Hospital Foundation in Cowansville will receive the amount of $4,940.00. This is a record breaking year for attendance and donations to the BMP." Seems like a wonderful, fun-filled day. Just wish it wasn't so far from me.


I wrote about this farm, because my husband and I stopped there to buy some maple products, then discovered how we are related!

King Family -- Stafford, New York -- Tombstone Tuesday

Abner W. King
Dec. 23, 1851  --  Nov. 1, 1891

Hattie Hale King Sullivan, wife of Abner King
1858  --  1932

Lamott King,  son of Abner and Hattie King
1876  --  1919

King Family Plot
Rural Old Cemetery, Stafford, Genesee Co., New York


 Hattie Hale King Sullivan changed her name from Heal to Hale.
(She was Sheriff William H. Heal's sister.)

Closing the Chapter on a Murder -- Obituary

Once again, a reader left a comment on a post of mine and her statement provided a wealth of information.

The three-part story of Howard C. Benham, who was arrested for murdering his young, wealthy wife, sentenced to die, was about to be electrocuted, then had a second trial, subsequently acquitted, was one of my more popular posts. This case was discovered when I began researching a distant relative of mine, Delight Adams Benham. Recently, I received a very interesting comment about the sheriff responsible for transporting Howard, and felt it should be shared. I was absolutely thrilled with the comment, and you will see why.

“My 3rd great grandfather was the Sheriff of Genesee county who had Howard in his care at the Genesee County jail during his trial, was in charge of transporting him to Auburn State prison, and was one of only a handful of people allowed to visit him while in State prison. Sheriff William H. Heal seemed to believe Howard was innocent treated him fairly and was noted in his obituary in 1932 for having conducted the trail with calm and order. I was very curious as to what happened to Howard after he was acquitted, and I am so glad to read your story. I am very sorry to hear how it so negatively impacted the whole family. I have seen headlines as far away as San Francisco. This story was nation-wide sensationalism; imagine trying to move on after being released.

Sheriff Heal was called out to Martin's (Howard's father) house several times as he was mentally declining. I read a newspaper story where he had chased everyone out of the house at night threatening them and Sheriff Heal posted a deputy there overnight to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Please feel free to contact me if you would like copies of newspaper clippings I have if you need them.

By Candi Summers”

(Comment left at  The Rest of the Story Part 3.   I have been unable to contact Candi, so I really hope she Googles her name.)*

See Part 1  Delight Adams Benham and Is there a Story?

See Part 2  Delight Adams Benham and There is a Story

See Part 3  Delight Adams Benham: The Rest of the Story

*Like all of you, we love getting clues from readers, and I was delighted to hear from Candi. Immediately, I went to work to try and locate information about William H. Heal. It wasn't hard.

"Heal, William H., was born in Stafford, July 5, 1852. His father, Matthew W. Heal, was a native of England and came to the United States in 1836 with his parents, John and Mary Heal, who settled in Oakfield. M. W. Heal married Harriet, daughter of John March, and was a farmer and hotel keeper. William H. Heal was educated in the common schools and was engaged in farming for twenty years. In 1881 he began the produce and coal business in Le Roy, remaining there until 1896 when he was elected sheriff of Genesee county and removed to Batavia in 1897. The famous trial of Howard C. Benham for murder occurred during the first year of Mr. Heal's term as sheriff. The excellent order and perfect freedom from confusion which he maintained in the court room received the well merited commendation of court and counsel. In 1870 Mr. Heal married Emma D., daughter of Salma and Betsey White: they had three children: Homer S., Florence and Ethel."

From: Biography of William H. Heal

Source: Our County and it's people
A descriptive work on Genesee County, New York
Edited by: F. W. Beers
J.W. Vose and Co., Publishers, Syracuse, N. Y. 1890

The Obituary below was located on RootsWeb:

EX-SHERIFF HEAL DIED OF APOPLEXY

"Death of Stafford Native Occurred in North Tonawanda Today.
SERVED AT BENHAM TRIAL

William H. Heal 78, a native of Stafford and former Genesee County Sheriff, who was in office at the time of the Howard C. Benham murder trial, died at the home of his daughter Mrs. Edward Sullivan in North Tonawanda today. He suffered a stroke of apoplexy this morning and died soon afterward. Mr. Heal was born at Stafford July 5, 1852, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew W. Heal, who came to this county from England in 1836. He was educated in the public schools and was later engaged in farming for twenty years. In 1881 he started a produce and coal business in Le Roy, remaining in that village until 1896, when he was elected sheriff. He moved to this city in 1897 when he took office and continued his residence for three years. Following the death of his wife who was Miss Emma D. White a daughter of Salma and Betsey White of Stafford, Mr. Heal moved to North Tonawanda, where he had since resided. He is survived by two daughters. Mrs Ethel McIntosh of No 11 Vine street and Mrs Sullivan.

I also have a clipping where my GGGrandmother Betsey White sued her son in law William Heal over a land deed and won the case. If anyone is interested in this. Let me know....Sharon"

From: SHARONKESSLER@cs.com (unable to locate her) From a 2002 posting.


Candi (see * above) sent me the following information on Henry Sidney Benham, the two-year old son, of the murdered wife and mother. "I just wanted to let you know I'd done some more research on Henry C. Benham, most notably his son Henry Sidney Benham, who was 2 when his mother was murdered.  It turns out he lived with his maternal grandparents, Peter and Mary Farrant, later taking their last name and going by his middle name Sidney. (I am sure we can both imagine why, when you consider that the case is well known by local historians even to this day in Genesee County).  He married a Puerto Rican woman named Amparo Rodriguez.  Sidney and Amparo retired to Puerto Rico (I have no idea how she got to New York and they met!) in the 50's... they had a son named James S (likely for Sidney) Farrent who moved to Puerto Rico from New York in the 50's as well but there the line stops."


I did a social security death index search on Sidney Farrant and found that he died September 1977 and his last benefit was sent to Bayamon, Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

HAPPY EASTER

PLEASE ENJOY YOUR EASTER DAY

AND STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS ALONG THE WAY.

Old and Plain Spoons

After my grandfather's death, I took these spoons because nobody wanted them. I didn't have a clue who the previous owners were.

Through research, I discovered they belonged to my great-great and great-great-great grandmothers.

The top initials are LAL for Laura Ann Lowrey

The bottom initials are HN for Harriet Newell

Laura Ann was born Sept. 3, 1820, died June 14, 1892

Harriet Newell is the mother of Laura

Harriet was born March 3, 1794, died June 17, 1878

Wordless Wednesday -- Easter Pictures

My first Easter, I think.

Painful to look at, because I hated dressing like my youngest sister.
Showing it, because the outfits were made by my mother.
Light blue fabric and the jacket was removable.

Civil War Monument -- Stafford, Genesee Co., New York

Stafford, Genesee Co., New York

ROBERT CHAPPLE

MARTIN R. BOWEN

RILEY STEVENS

ALONZO NICHOLAS

GEORGE JERRY

WILLIAM F. MILLS

DEWITT VAN ALST

WILLIAM WEBBER

JOHN MAIDMENT

ENOS RANDALL

FRANK JERRY

The above Alonzo Nichols was the husband of Betsey E. DeWolf, her cemetery stone was posted last week.

(Photos taken by my cousin, Claire.)

The Soldiers, the Runners and the Tourists

April is a busy month in Lexington and Boston. Instead of writing about the reasons, I'll show you in photos.

The famous swan boats begin operating in Boston.

State capitol gets visited more.

Boston Marathon Finish Line. Lots of runners, lots of tourists.
I was there last year and  saw a relative finish the race.

About 27,000 runners signed up to run the race on April 18, 2011.

Lexington photos taken two weeks ago, during a rehearsal for the "Battle of Lexington."
Lots of tourists show up for this too.

Newell of Connecticut

Generation No. 1

---

1.	THOMAS NEWELL was born 1620 in Hertfordshire, England, and died 13 SEP 1689 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He married REBECKAH OLMSTEAD 1642 in Hartford / Farmington, Connecticut, daughter of RICHARD OLMSTEAD and FRANCES SLANY. She was born ABT 1620 in England, and died 24 FEB 1698 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Children of THOMAS NEWELL and REBECKAH OLMSTEAD were: + 2   i. Rebecca NEWELL was born JAN 1643 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 3   ii. Mary NEWELL was born MAR 1645 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Thomas BASCOM 20 MAR 1667 in Northampton, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, son of Thomas BASCOM and Avis BASCOM. 4   iii. John NEWELL was born JAN 1647 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1696. 5   iv. Thomas NEWELL was born MAR 1650 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 23 OCT 1723 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 6   v. Esther \ Hester NEWELL was born JUL 1652 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1740. She married John STANLEY 18 NOV 1669 in Farmington / Waterbury, Connecticut, son of JOHN STANLEY and SARAH SCOTT. He was born 4 NOV 1647 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1729. + 7   vi. Sarah NEWELL was born ABT 18 FEB 1654. 8   vii. Martha NEWELL was born ABT 14 APR 1658. + 9   viii. Hannah NEWELL was born ABT 14 APR 1658, and died 4 NOV 1757 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. + 10   ix. SAMUEL NEWELL was born 1660 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 15 FEB 1753 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 11   x. Joseph NEWELL was born 20 APR 1664, and died 1 NOV 1689 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

---

Generation No. 2

---

2.	Rebecca NEWELL (THOMAS NEWELL1) was born JAN 1643 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Joseph WOODFORD ABT 1668 in Farmington / Northfield, son of THOMAS WOODFORD and MARY BLOTT. He was born NOV 1634 in Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died DEC 1701 in Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Child of Rebecca NEWELL and Joseph WOODFORD was: + 12   i. Esther WOODFORD was born 28 FEB 1669 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 5 APR 1742 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

7.	Sarah NEWELL (THOMAS NEWELL1) was born ABT 18 FEB 1654. She married Arthur SMITH BEF 1684 in Hartford, Hartford Co., Connecticut, son of Arthur SMITH and Margaret w\o Arthur SMITH. He was born ABT 20 APR 1651, and died 1712.
	Children of Sarah NEWELL and Arthur SMITH were: 13   i. Sarah SMITH was born 14 APR 1684. 14   ii. Samuel SMITH was born ABT 28 MAR 1686. 15   iii. Hannah SMITH was born 4 OCT 1688. 16   iv. Elizabeth SMITH was born ABT 5 APR 1690. She married John BROWN.

9.	Hannah NEWELL (THOMAS NEWELL1) was born ABT 14 APR 1658, and died 4 NOV 1757 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Thomas NORTH ABT 1676 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, son of John NORTH and Hannah BIRD.
	Child of Hannah NEWELL and Thomas NORTH was: + 17   i. Mary NORTH was born ABT 1691 in Avon or Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

10.	SAMUEL NEWELL (THOMAS NEWELL1) was born 1660 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 15 FEB 1753 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He married MARY HART 20 DEC 1683 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, daughter of THOMAS HART and RUTH HAWKINS. She was born ABT 1666 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 28 APR 1752 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She was buried in Old Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Children of SAMUEL NEWELL and MARY HART were: + 18   i. SAMUEL NEWELL was born 19 FEB 1686 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 11 FEB 1751 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 19   ii. Thomas NEWELL was born 1 MAR 1690 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He married Mary LEE 9 JUL 1713 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 20   iii. John NEWELL was born 17 JAN 1692 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 21 FEB 1777. He married Elizabeth HAWLEY 24 SEP 1719 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She died 4 AUG 1779. 21   iv. Mary NEWELL was born 23 DEC 1697 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died MAR 1778. She married John STEEL 27 DEC 1716 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 22   v. Daniel NEWELL was born 18 APR 1700 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 14 SEP 1731. He married Ruth Porter 31 OCT 1721 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. + 23   vi. Nathaniel NEWELL was born 20 FEB 1703 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 31 AUG 1753 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 24   vii. Sarah NEWELL was born 17 JUN 1707 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1796. She married Hezehiah GRIDLEY 5 MAY 1731 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

---

Generation No. 3

---

12.	Esther WOODFORD (Rebecca NEWELL2, THOMAS NEWELL1) was born 28 FEB 1669 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 5 APR 1742 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Samuel BIRD.
	Child of Esther WOODFORD and Samuel BIRD was: + 25   i. Esther BIRD was born 28 FEB 1697 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died JUN 1765.

17.	Mary NORTH (Hannah NEWELL2, THOMAS NEWELL1) was born ABT 1691 in Avon or Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married William ENO 1709, son of James ENO and Abigail Holcomb BISSELL. He was born 15 DEC 1684 in Windsor, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1763 in Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Children of Mary NORTH and William ENO were: + 26   i. Abigail ENO. + 27   ii. Mary ENO was born ABT 1710 in Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 23 NOV 1760. + 28   iii. Deborah ENO was born ABT 1715 in Simsbury, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1790 in Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.

18.	SAMUEL NEWELL (SAMUEL NEWELL2, THOMAS NEWELL1) was born 19 FEB 1686 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 11 FEB 1751 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He married SARAH NORTON 8 AUG 1710 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, daughter of JOHN NORTON and RUTH MOORE. She was born 1 APR 1689 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 5 DEC 1775 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She was buried in South End Cemetery, Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Children of SAMUEL NEWELL and SARAH NORTON were: + 29   i. Isaac NEWELL was born 11 AUG 1711 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 3 JAN 1793 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. + 30   ii. Samuel NEWELL was born 1 MAR 1714 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 10 FEB 1789. 31   iii. David NEWELL was born 28 NOV 1716 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 31 MAR 1734 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 32   iv. Sarah NEWELL was born 6 JUL 1719 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Ebenezer FISK 5 JAN 1747. He died 30 MAY 1790. + 33   v. Josiah NEWELL was born 17 AUG 1722 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 17 OCT 1797 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. + 34   vi. ASAHEL NEWELL was born 5 MAY 1725 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 5 APR 1769 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 35   vii. Solomon NEWELL was born 30 NOV 1728 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 3 MAR 1751 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. 36   viii. Mary NEWELL was born 2 JUL 1731 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 17 NOV 1816 in Bristol, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She married Asa UPSON 17 JAN 1750 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He was born 30 NOV 1728 in Southington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 5 FEB 1807 in Bristol, Hartford Co., Connecticut. + 37   ix. David NEWELL was born 1 MAY 1736 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 19 APR 1816.

23.	Nathaniel NEWELL (SAMUEL NEWELL2, THOMAS NEWELL1) was born 20 FEB 1703 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 31 AUG 1753 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He was buried in Old Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He married Esther HART 29 JUN 1727 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. She was born 1707, and died 3 OCT 1762. She was buried in Old Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut.
	Child of Nathaniel NEWELL and Esther HART was: 38   i. Nathaniel NEWELL was born 1728, and died 8 FEB 1755.

A Blog, An Obituary, and A Little 1892 Dress

The darling child’s dress has an unusual story, especially since I hadn't heard of the owner’s name until recently; she was my first cousin 3x removed. Both the full name and dress information came to me from ladies who took the time to write, within five days of each other!

It all began with an email from Carol M. who read an obituary I posted, and knew I had a connection to her husband’s family. Carol’s information was totally new to me. My posted blog was an obituary of George Sanger Poole, and as was often common, years ago, it didn’t state the names of his three children. Carol provided me the married name of his daughter.  Five days later, Sheila, of Robins in the Trundle Bed left a comment at the blog stating, "Hello! I recently purchased a lovely hand made child's dress that had a provenance attached to it. I found your blog as I was researching the Poole family." I then thought, "that dress was made by the grandmother of Carol's husband!"

The following week was spent researching the family and Carol was busy sharing other information with me pertaining to different family members. She sent me a scanned copy of Mrs. George S. Poole's obituary, shown below. (The original newspaper copy, which was glued to a piece of paper.)

Photos of the dress were taken by either Sheila or her twin sister, Sherrill. Please enjoy their antique shop's blog site, Robins in the Trundle Bed

I am glad to be the distant cousin of the little girl (wearer of the dress), and I posted her father's obituary for others to find. If the two ladies hadn’t written, I wouldn’t have known the little girl's name, and they wouldn’t have had more information either. We all benefited.

Buttons are embroidered!

"Made by my mother -(Mrs. George S. Poole) about 1892 for me (aged 11)"

I wonder why Edith documented her dress.

Obituary of the mother who made the dress for her daughter,
Edith Poole Merriman.

"Mrs. George S. Poole

Mrs. Sarah Poor Poole, widow of George S. Poole, who was president of the Warren Institution for Savings, died Tuesday at her home at 9 Washington ave. Mrs. Poole was born in Peabody, May 5, 1850, the daughter of Franklin Osborne and Nancy Poor Jacobs. She was a graduate of Abbott academy in Andover and throughout her life had been much interested in the affairs of that school.

Mrs. Poole was a resident of Mt. Vernon st., Somerville, for 40 years and had been a summer resident of Marblehead neck for more than 50 years. She was a member of and for many years active in the affairs of Winthrop church, Charlestown. Mrs. Poole leaves three children, Franklin Osborn Poole, librarian of the Bar association of New York ; Mrs. Edith Poole Merriman of this city and Irving Poole of Arlington and nine grandchildren.

The funeral was held Thursday morning at the Blake Memorial chapel, Rev. R. E. Bailey officiating. The interment was in Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem."

POOLE--Aug. 26, Sarah Poor Osborn, widow of George S. Poole, age 80 years, at her home, 9 Washington av., Cambridge, Mass. Funeral service at the Blake Memorial Chapel, at Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, Mass., Thursday, Aug. 28, at 11 a. m. The family requests that no flowers be sent.