Rural Folks

 Msging with a relative this morning, I decided to extract a bit of our conversation this morning for this blog post:

The problem with rural people, for genealogical research, especially back then, is that they were so busy just surviving that they didn't pay that much attention to keeping records. My maternal grandmother had had a bible that was destroyed in a fire; a common occurrence. 

In addition, rural people have never been of much interest to historians or journalists; they didn't get their names in papers, they usually didn't run for office, etc. They were often born at home, they often died at home, they were often buried on family land, so records of their lives are few and far between.  Unless someone in the family intentionally and carefully kept records of who was whom, who married whom, when, where, children, deaths, etc.  it's very difficult to find information.

Federal censuses began in 1790.  Before 1850, only the heads of households were named on the censuses and only males and females in several age ranges were counted in the household.  You don't know, in looking at those censuses, what the relationship was of individuals to the head of the household.  You could assume that the eldest female was the wife.

Official birth, death and marriage records began to be "required" in the 1880s.  That doesn't mean that everybody complied.  Some people wouldn't even have been aware of the requirement anymore than regulations today.  Before that it's very hit and miss in finding evidence of individuals.

Churches also kept birth, marriage and death records but, yes, of course, everyone was not enrolled in a church, as now.  Even so, there weren't structural churches everywhere and circuit riders, who often represented churches and held services, were relied on for these services and sacraments.  I've never seen a circuit rider's records so I don't know how readily available they are.  I believe they were often taken back to the relevant church and recorded there.

Finally, old newspapers, particularly older local newspapers, had a lot of social entries.  Little snippets of who moved where, who was visiting whom.  Today, some of those newspaper announcements would be considered breaches of privacy.

There were, of course, court records.  I have not generally used them and find them difficult to access, so far.  I would probably be  considered an intermediate-level researcher.

Many of my ancestors, were rural people.  They were not wealthy.  They did not, generally, hold public office. They were not celebrities.  They lived and died usually ordinary and often struggling lives.  Still, they're my ancestors and I continue to research ALL my family lines to discover what I can about all of them.

I will continue with my posts on my family surnames in NYS Revolutionary war records in a bit.  Right now I'm still focused on CoVid testing and having a visit with my father.

Back soon....

The New York Militias - more Revolutionary War Records

 I needed a break from this to get a few things done and then decided to take a break until after I visit my father this coming Saturday.  But...I looked through the rest of the book which is most of the book that consists of the militias that were organized by counties.  But...There are a couple of militias that were in counties that no longer exist.

First, the author's (Comptroller, James A. Roberts) definition of militia:

    "The Militia was called out when wanted, kept as long as wanted, and the soldiers then sent to their homes."

    "The meaning of Militia is -- "The military force of a nation.""

    "The militia of this continent had its origin in a a law promulgated in 1664 by James, Duke of York and Albany, the owner, by a grant from Charles the Second, of a large territory...."

So much for a revolution against the British.

And, a clear proposition of self-interest.

    "The Duke's Laws" as they were called "...provided that "All males above the age of sixteen shall be enrolled and be subject to military duty...."

Each person had to supply pre-defined arms, equipment, supplies and provisions.  Training was specified.  Failure to comply resulted in fines dispersed among the officers.  Queen Anne amended this in 1702, adding the requirement of a horse, tack, clothing and other additional supplies.

    "No mention of compensation for military service was ever made,..."

    "This was the condition of the militia when the ... Revolutionary War...."

The bulk of the book contains the rosters of the various militias of New York.

Looking through these I found the militias of Charlotte and Cumberland (not to be confused with Columbia County).  I initially confused Cumberland County with the current Columbia County, thus the parenthesis.  I had definitely never heard of Charlotte County.

    "Charlotte County was a county in the colonial Province of New York in the British American colonies. It was created from Albany County on March 24, 1772. The county was named for Charlotte, Princess Royal, oldest daughter and fourth child of George III of the United Kingdom. Its boundaries extended far further than any current county. Its western boundary ran "from the Mohawk River to the Canada line, at a point near the old village of St. Regis and passing south to the Mohawk between Schenectady and Albany." Its southern boundary was near present-day Saratoga Springs. Much of western Vermont, then claimed by New York, was also part of the county. Its northern border was also the Canada–US border. Its county seat was Fort Edward." --  Wikipedia

    "On April 2, 1784 the new state's legislature voted to change the name to Washington County, ...." -- Wikipedia

Charlotte County Militia under Colonel John Williams (doctor):  no family names found.

    "Cumberland County, New York was a county in the Province of New York that became part of the state of Vermont. It was divided out of Albany County in New York in 1766, but eventually became a part of Vermont in 1777. At that time, Vermont was holding itself out as the Republic of Vermont and was not admitted to the Union until 1791."

Cumberland County Militia under Colonel William Williams: Edwards, Waterman

And, now a break for a few days.  When I get back to this, I'll continue with the very large militias and a few final individual regiments.

More Revolutionary War Records - the New York Levies

    "Levies consisted of men taken from militias to join the ranks of regular troops or form their own independent units."   -- New York Historical Society

New York Levies:

    

    Under Colonel John Harper:  Darling, Edwards, Gardinier, Van Wagoner, Van Dusen, Ward

    Under Colonel Frederick Weissenfels:  DeWitt, Bailey, Beismer, Curry/Currie, Gardinier, Hoyt, Ingram/Ingraham, McClarning/McClanning, Odell, Schoonmaker, Squaires, Swartwout, Van Waggoner, Ward, Wood

Listed is John McClarning.  This name is also seen on censuses and as John McClanning.  He may have been the grandfather of Mary Hendrickson Hulse.  

    Under Colonel William Malcolm:  Bailey, Butler, Chase, Darling, Gardiner, Hendrickson, Moser/Mosher/Mosier, Odle, Osterhout, Schoonhover, Schoonmaker, Vanatten, Van Tuyl, Ward, Wood

Listed is John Hendrickson.  Is this John Hendrickson, father of Mary Hendrickson Hulse?  Probably not but it's still a new point of research.

    Under Colonel Lewis Dubois:  Bailey, Chase, Darling, Osterhout, Schoonover, Vanatten, Wood

    Under Colonel Morris Graham:  Bailey, Odle, Darling, Gardiner, Hendrickson, Merritt, Moshier, Schoonmaker, Van Tuyl, Ward, 

Listed is John Hendrickson.  Is this John Hendrickson, father of Mary Hendrickson Hulse?  Probably not but it's still a new point of research.

    Under Colonel Albert Pauling:  Dewitt, Van Deusen, Van Aken, Mosier, Bailey, Beismer, Bowker, Butler, Chase, Crandle/Crandell, Ennest, Ferris, Krum, Odle, Oliver, Ousterhout, Parrish, Schoonmaker, Swartwout Tyler, Van Aken, Vandemark/Vandermark (quite a few), VanWagenen, Ward, Wood

    Under Colonel Marinus Willett:  Hendricks/Hendrickson, Peak, Bailey, Barnhart, Hendricks, Ingram, Lord, Mattice, Vannetta, Van Dusen, Waterman, Wood

Next -- the militias.

A Brief Sketch of the History of Photography as it Might Aid Family History Research - and more Revolutionary War Records

 The History of Photography - as a timeline help for genealogy.

Because I research ALL my family lines and have a large database with over 3,500 individuals in it, I find it helpful to have photographs, when I can find them, of family members, in order to keep straight who I'm thinking or talking about at any particular point.  My database allows thumbnail images in each individual's record.

So, I look for and ask for photographs of family members all the time.  A lot of family members have been very generous in sharing their family photographs with me.

Delilah Wormuth Babcock loaned me her notebooks and photo albums so I could make copies.

Georgiana Swartwout Bodiot sent me a box full of negatives, tintypes and photo prints that included photos my mother and I had never seen.

Greg Horth and I have exchanged family photos.

Leland Oliver sent me family photos.

Martha Squaires, I believe, a cousin of my father, sent me a photograph of my paternal great grandfather that's the only photograph, we know of, of him and my father had never seen it.

A lot of other cousins and other relatives have sent me photographs from time to time.

I share my photographs with anyone in the family who's related.  They aren't just my relatives.  I generally don't post photos anymore online but will send them email on request.

So, in order to find photographs of people, I had to learn a little about the history of photography.  What is the earliest date I can expect to find a photograph of somebody?  Can I expect to find a photograph of this person or that person?

Here, in a nutshell, is a brief, sketchy history of photography as it might apply to family history:

There were several early attempts to create images of all kinds but none of those images were permanent.  For my purposes, I'm only interested in forms of photography that are relatively permanent; a picture I can put in an album and look at whenever I need to.

• In the mid-1820s, Nicéphore Niépce managed to capture an image with a camera but it took a very long time and the image was poor.
• His associate Louis Daguerre, developed the metal-based daguerreotype process which took less time to develop and was a much finer image.  The process was made public in 1839 and is considered the birth of "practical photography".
• Soon after, also in 1839 a paper-based process was introduced.
• Glass plate photographs were available in the mid-1850s.
• Roll film became available and popular in the mid-20th century.

from Wikipedia

Tintypes were direct, positive images made on a thin sheet of metal coated with lacquer or enamel.  They were most popular during the 1860s and 1870s. I have a few.  They darken with age.  It's best to either scan them or take them to a photographic studio and have both a negative and a few positive prints made.  The tintype's immediate predecessor was the ambrotype made using glass rather than metal.  from Wikipedia.  

"The cabinet card was a style of photograph which was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870."  These have a photographic image on heavy card stock with, usually, a photographic studio imprint on the verso.  I have quite a few of these.  Wikipedia  This Wikipedia article has a very nice chart of how to date cabinet cards.

So, practically speaking, it's possible to find a photograph of someone from the mid-1820s until now.  However, local availability and money would be a factor in whether or not someone or a family might have photographs during these early periods.  Some of you may be old enough to remember traveling photographers, some who even went door-to-door, who would take a family portrait.

I haven't taken the time to try to figure out what my earliest family photo might be.  I might do that some day but, right now, I would just like to find as many family pictures as I can.

Still looking for a picture of Uncle Marcus Wormuth. My mother had one that was destroyed by a roof leak.  It would also be very nice to have a photograph of my paternal grandmother, Fannie Flowers, who died when she was 19.

I've been trying to put together a list of digitized family photos so I can share them with other family members.

More Revolutionary War Records from New York in the Revolution as Colony and State:

Outside of the Regiments, The New York Line included a number of smaller units.  This segment will include them:

    The Line, Additional Regiment:

Background:  I could not find any clear information on this unit that was under Colonel James Livingston.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  Lord, Ward.

    The Line, Artillery Regiment:

  Background:  I could not find any clear background for this unit.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:    Swartwout, Bailey, DeWitt, Houck, Oliver

    The Line, Hamilton's Train of Provincial Artillery:

Background:  Again, I found no clear background for this unit.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:   Wood

    The Line, Green Mountain Boys

Background:  from Wikipedia

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  Beach

    The Line, Privateers:  The schooner, "General Putnam"; the sloop, "Montgomery"; the sloop, "Schuyler"; the frigate, "Congress".

Background:  I do not have background on these ships or units.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  Butler, Wood

Records from the Levies and the Militia will follow.

Some Revolutionary War Records - 2

 From New York in the Revolution as Colony and State:

    "In [1781] a bounty of "Land Rights" - so-called - (a "Right" being 500 acres) was offered to officers and men.... and to a non-commissioned officer or a private, one Right."

    This is undoubtedly how some people had land as most, before the war and after, were itinerant farm laborers or farmers.  Many in my family worked in quarries, on railroads, in tanneries and acid factories and other rural industries.  One of the censuses shows that either the Beesimer or the Vandermark family (I'm not looking it up just now) owned nearly 500 acres in the Debruce area at one point; it's surely the land surrounding the Vandermark/Beesimer/Hogancamp family cemetery off Mongaup Rd.

Background of New York Line, 1st Regiment:  "1st New York Regiment was raised on May 25, 1775 at Albany, New York for service with the Continental Army under Colonel Van Schaick. The regiment would see action in the Invasion of Canada, Battle of Valcour Island, Battle of Saratoga, Battle of Monmouth, the Sullivan Expedition and the Battle of Yorktown. The regiment would be furloughed June 2, 1783 at Newburgh, New York and disbanded November 15, 1783."  from http://www.americanwars.org/ny-american-revolution-fernow/new-york-line-first-regiment.htm

The Line, 2d Regiment:  

Background:  " The 2nd New York Regiment was raised, on May 25, 1775, at New York City, New York for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt. The regiment would see action in the Invasion of Canada, Battle of Valcour Island, Battle of Saratoga, Battle of Monmouth, the Sullivan Expedition and the Battle of Yorktown. The regiment would be furloughed, June 2, 1783, at Newburgh, New York and disbanded November 15, 1783."  from https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/newyork/#:~:text=1st%20New%20York%20Regiment%20was%20raised%20on%20May,the%20Sullivan%20Expedition%20and%20the%20Battle%20of%20Yorktown.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  DeWitt, Van Wagenen, Wood, Swartwout, Bailey, Barnhart, Beismer, Beach, Bivens, Buckhout (which may have been the origin of Barecolt), Carle, Chase, Crandle/Crandell, Curry/Currie, Ennest, Ferris, Gardiner, Hoyt, Lord, More, Odell, Oliver, Tyler, Vandemark/Vandermark, Ward, Waring/Warring, Wood, 

The Line, 3d Regiment:

Background:  "The 3rd New York Regiment was authorized under Colonel James Clinton on June 28, 1775 for five months service in Canada. The regiment was reraised between February 1776 and Mary 1776 at Albany, New York for service with the Continental Army under Colonel Rudolphus Ritzema. The regiment was raised for the third time in December, 1776 under the command of Peter Gansevoort.

The regiment would see action in the New York Campaign, Fort Stanwix and the Sullivan Expedition. During the winter of 1779 - 1780 it encamped with the New York Brigade at Morristown, New Jersey. The regiment was merged into the 1st New York Regiment, on January 1, 1781."  from https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/newyork/#:~:text=1st%20New%20York%20Regiment%20was%20raised%20on%20May,the%20Sullivan%20Expedition%20and%20the%20Battle%20of%20Yorktown.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  DeWitt, Swartwout, Bailey, Baptiste, Beagle, Butler, Carle, Chase, Crandle/Crandell, Gardiner, Odell, Oliver, Swartwout, Vandemark, Van Deusen, Van Loan, Van Wagoner, Ward, Wood, 

The Vandemark here is listed as Cornelius Vandemark, private.  But, not the one in my database who wasn't born until 1860, the son of Simeon Vandemark and Mary Jane Hogancamp, but, possibly an ancestor.  This web site - http://www.americanwars.org/ny-american-revolution-fernow/new-york-line-second-regiment.htm - doesn't list him in this regiment.

The Line, 4th Regiment:

Background:  "The 4th New York Regiment was raised on May 25, 1775 at Albany, New York for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action in the New York Campaign, Battle of Saratoga, Battle of Monmouth and the Sullivan Expedition. The regiment would be merged into the 2nd NY on January 1, 1781 and furloughed June 2, 1783 at Newburgh, New York and disbanded November 15, 1783."  from https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/newyork/#:~:text=1st%20New%20York%20Regiment%20was%20raised%20on%20May,the%20Sullivan%20Expedition%20and%20the%20Battle%20of%20Yorktown.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:   Bailey, Baptiste, Barnhart, Carle, Chase, Curry/Currie, Dougherty, Ferris, Hoyt, Swartwout, Tyler, Vanetten, Ward, Waring/Warring, Wood, 

The Line, 5th Regiment:

Background:  "The 5th New York Regiment was raised on November 30, 1776 outside of New York City, New York for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action in the Sullivan Expedition. The regiment would be merged into the 2nd New York Regiment on January 1, 1781 and be furloughed June 2, 1783 at Newburgh, New York and disbanded November 15, 1783."  from https://revolutionarywar.us/continental-army/newyork/#:~:text=1st%20New%20York%20Regiment%20was%20raised%20on%20May,the%20Sullivan%20Expedition%20and%20the%20Battle%20of%20Yorktown.

Family surnames (my spelling) included:  Swartwout, Bevins, Chace, Chase, Dickinson, Gardiner, Hendrickson, Ingram/Ingraham, More, Osterhout/Ousterhoudt, Vandemark/Vandermark, Ward, Wood.

Again, Cornelius Van Der Mark and, also, Gysbert Van Demarken, privates.

That's it for now.  Next post will be the remaining units in the New York Line

Some Revolutionary War Records

 It's necessary, from time to time, to do a little background reading in order to be able to continue researching a particular individual or family line.  Usually, it's something historical and geographical.  Most of my families were in the State of New York early on.  Recently, I bought a copy of:

New York in the Revolution as Colony and State

I thought that these records, or some information about them, might be of interest.

The full title is: New York in the Revolution as Colony and State: These records were discovered, arranged and classified by James A. Roberts, Comptroller, in 1897.

Today, this has been reprinted so the print is sometimes iffy and the included illustrations are pretty terrible.  But, it's a very interesting and valuable anthology of records for military service during the Revolution. "...quantities of forgotten papers relating to the services performed by New York in the Revolutionary war.  These papers, long since detached from their original file packages, were ... scattered through great masses of old vouchers and files."  "These papers contain the muster and pay rolls of different organizations,...."  "Nor do the names contained in this volume in probability comprise all of those from New York who performed service in that great struggle.  Cases exist in which records of a full guota of field, staff and line officers for a regiment have been found, but no enlisted men."  Apparently, also, officers were known to have taken records home with them.  Then, of course, over time records were lost, burnt, misplaced and have not yet been recovered.

The introductory chapters give some historical background of the records and military operations during the Revolution.  I will post snippits of those from time to time.  At this point, it's important to post this description of how the military was organized at that time because it explains the organization of the records:  "The military forces of the Colony and State during the revolutionary struggle, were divided into three classes.

    The Line, which regiments were in the United States service under General Washington.  There were also regiments of artillery and an organization of "Green Mountain Boys" in the Line.

    The Levies;  which were drafts from the different militia regiments, and from the people direct as well, and which could be called upon to serve outside the State during their entire term.

    The Militia; which then, as now, could only be called oiut of the State for three months at a time."

There were also mentioned, four privateers - ships - in the service and pay of the State.

    "Associated Exempts were a unique class and were authorized by an act of April 3, 1778."

They were composed of "all persons" younger than 60 who had civil or military commissions (not defined) and could be, apparently, conscripted but not reappointed to their former position; and all persons between the ages of 50 and 60.  Note the word persons, but I suspect men was meant.

There's more description of these divisions and classes and more detail but I run the risk of copyright infringement and boring all of you with those details.  There were certain types of occupations that were required to be included like printers, ferrymen and millers.  Explanations of what a man had to do if unable to comply with conscription.  Regular rations were rum, sugar and tea in varying amounts depending on rank.  There is a scale of pay, according to rank, which I will probably post in the future, but it was not always in money and, so it says, "As late as 1784, a large majority of the soldiers were still unpaid for their services...."  Later, various acts were passed providing "Land Rights" to compensate those who served.  I will also post that in a later blog, as well as the description of what each soldier was required to provide for himself in order to serve.  There's also a very interesting definition of the militia which helps define the 2nd amendment that everyone is feels so strongly about.

The bulk of the book is previously mentioned a collection of rosters of officers and soldiers in each division (Line, Levy and Militia) and regiment that was found by the Comptroller, James Roberts, and published in 1897.

I will periodically, post lists of names from these but only those names related to my families (related by blood, marriage or adoption), (again, copyright law).  And, only surnames, officers and, where given, enlisted or conscripted, in most cases except when I find a name that may, in fact be a specific individual in my family tree, in which case, I will cite the entire name and who it might be in the tree.  In all cases, without further research, it's impossible, from these list to know if any of these men are related to my families.  Certainly, finding certain names, what unit they were in and, after research on individual units, may open new information about individuals and family lines. I will use the spelling used in my family regardless of how the name is written in the roster, assuming a great deal.  And, I'm not reading carefully each and every name but looking quickly for familiar surnames; the book is several hundred pages.  If you see a name and would like to know more about that individual, in that unit, you can email me @ familytracker@yahoo.com with the unit and surname and I'll tell you what I find in the list.

So, first:

The Line, 1st Regiment:  Swartwout, Van Waggoner, Baptiste, Bailey, Barnhart, Bevins, Butler/Buttler, Chace/Chase, Crandle, Currie/Curry, Darling, Dougherty, Ferris, Hayden, Hendrickson, Hoyt, Odell, Platner, Swartwout, Vanatta/Vanatten, Ward, Wormouth.

Remember, my spelling, not necessarily the spelling in the list.

Much more to go....