Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin – Immigrate 1823…

John Andrews Spracklin, son of Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin, had migrated to the United States in 1817 with his mother’s sister, Anne Rood and her family.  They made their way from New York and settled in Washington County, Ohio and that is where John met Lydia Goss and married her two years later.  I again dedicate this post to my half cousin Janice.

I cannot talk about John Andrews Spracklin and the Rood’s immigration without sharing about Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin who came to the United States 6 years later with most of their children. I wonder what happened to all the letters they wrote back and forth getting ready for this great migration?

Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin followed John to the United States in 1823.  John and the Roods entered the United States at the Port of Philadelphia in 1817, while his parents and siblings arrived in the United States via the Port of New York.  The picture below may be what they saw?  The Statue of Liberty was not yet welcoming immigrants to New York till 1886 a whole 63 years later.

New York from Brooklyn 1824

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1824_Klinkowstrom_View_of_New_York_City_from_Brooklyn_-_Geographicus_-_NewYorksHamnochRedd-muller-1824.jpg

I remain you that I was searching for John,  Peter,  and Elizabeth’s immigration in 2004 at the Family History Library and also at the Seattle Public Library trying to pin down the information so I could find the proper NARA (National Archives) film and get a copy of the passenger list showing their names.  Things took a little longer back then and Family Search and Ancestry.com didn’t have the passenger lists online at that time.

The creative way that the surname “Spracklin,” was spelled caused some confusion as you will see.

I started with Filby’s very large compilation:

The 0-Z volume 1st Edition of Filby and Meyers compilation.

P. Wm. Filby’s enormous compilation of passengers coming to America spells the name “Spacklan.”

This multiple volume work found in most major libraries is at Ancestry.com now.  A WorldCat search reads 773 libraries for all 38 editions in book form just by typing in the name Filby.

I was curious so I looked at the books which were on the 9th floor of the Seattle Public Library where the genealogical collection is housed.  Looking at this volumes is rather daunting but I persisted:

Passenger & Immigration Lists Index

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index O-Z, Vol. III, Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the Seventh, Eighteenth and Nineteeth Century, 1st Edition, pg. 1988 Eliza Spacklan and Peter Spacklan, Edited by P. Wm. Filby with Mary K. Meyer, Gale Research Co., 1981.

I found them on pg. 1988, column 1, 9 and 10th from the bottom of the page: 

Spacklan, Eliza 51; New York, N.Y., 1823 9268 p. 288 with 6 children. 

Next line: Spacklan, P 48; New York, N.Y., 1823 9268 p. 288. 

NOTE: When using compilations like Filby’s, you will need to search the codes in the front of the book and more.  The #9268 refers to the following source: 

United States.  Department of  State.  Passengers Who Arrived in the United States, September 1821-December 1823, from Transcripts Made by the State Department. Baltimore, Magna Carta Book Co., 1969.

At the Seattle Public Library I found this book that follows:

Passenger Arrival Transcriptions Port of NY

Passenger Arrivals at the Port of New York 1820-1829 – from Customs Passenger Lists – Transcribed by Elizabeth P. Bentley:  R929-37..472 B446P, Baltimore, Gen. Publi. Co. 1999.  

This book has the abstracts of the passenger lists and gives the following information and now we see the vessel name of  ”Earl of Liverpool.”

Peter and Eliza’s with children.

• Spracklan, Alpia 11 M, Eng., US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept. 1823
• Ann, 18, F, England, US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept. 1823
• Eliza, 51, F, England, US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept 1823
• George, 9M, England, US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept 1823
• Pamela, 20, F, England, US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept 1823
• Peter 14, M, England, US, Earl of Liverpool 29 Sept 1823
• Peter, 45 M. Farmer, England, US, Earl of Liverpool, 29  Sep. 1823
• Sprackling, Mary, age 28, Female from US to US, Aboard the Silvia on 10 Sept. 1827.

NOTE:  I believe that Alpia is Alfred.  The Mary Sprackling listed has a passenger list for New York at Ancestry.com coming from Bristol on the “Silvia” for 10 Sept. 1827. Is this Mary?

The next book I consulted was edited by a B.W. Stewart. I was looking for a listing for the ship “Cane,” but instead I kept finding “Earl of Liverpool” for the name of the ship that Peter and Elizabeth came on.

There are several sources by other Spracklin researchers that refer to the ship “Cane,” and ship’s master as “Halliday.”   I was very puzzled as to why this confusion with the name of the ship.  So I took a look at this book which lists the ships coming into New York trying to find a ship with the name “Cane.”

Passenger Ships Arriving in New York Harbor 1820-1850, Vol. I,  Edited by B. W. Steuart and Illustrated by Wayne Cooper, Precision Indexing, 1991,pg. 13, 14, 204 and 225.  Date of Arrival September 1823 – Day: 29th Name: Earl of Liverpool, Route: Newry, Nationality:  English, Roll-List: 4-503.  

pg. 204 – No ship by the name of Cane was listed as arriving in New York.

No ship listed for Cane coming to NY?

pg. 225 – List of ship named Earl of Liverpool – Ship, 29 Sep 1823,  Holladay, Frank 4-503 then goes on to list other sailings for 1824 for this vessel.  Found at the Seattle Public Library.

Use WorldCat to find libraries were the above books are located, if you are curious and want to check them out.

In this information that follows we find the FHL film number to seek out and study:

Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving in New York, 1820-1897, #503, Immigration and Naturalization Passenger List #M237 #4-3, April 1823 – 17 Nov. 1823. Ship Earl of Liverpool, Port of Embarkation: Bristol, Date of Arrival Sept. 29, 1823, FHL#2249. 

District of New York – Port of New York, J. Halladay, Earl of Liverpool: List or Manifest of all passengers taken on at Bristol.  Here I am targeting Spracklin. 

• Peter Spracklan, 45, age,
• Eliza 51,
• Eliza 22,
• Pamela 20,
• Ann 18,
• Peter 14,
• Alfred 11,
• George 9.  

So we see that the ship was named “Earl of Liverpool” and that the Capt was J. Halladay or Holladay as written on the top of the ships passenger list.

Halladay vs. Holladay, Ship Earl of Liverpool

You can now find the complete manifest for this ship which features Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin’s migration to the United States in 1823 with the names of some of their children by going to either Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.  Here are my results:

Here is the link to FamilySearch: try New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 – 004 – 3 April 1823 – 17 Nov. 1823 image 899 and 900.  Image 900 is the actual manifest of the Earl of Liverpool.  Image 899 is the cover sheet.   I browsed to find it and it took me a while because the search engine would not recognize Peter Spracklin or Spacklan at all.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-16783-20390-35?cc=1849782&wc=9370110 

This will bring up image 899 so so to the top and click to go to 900.

At Ancestry.com, I just went right there and had the manifest in about one minute.  I also studied the other names on the manifest, but at this point I do not know if there are other family that came with them.

Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin eventually settled in Hardin County, Ohio on land in Dudley Township.  I have visited that area of Ohio on two occasions one in 2007 and again in 2011.  I will share what I know about these two very brave people and their children in future posts.

The inspiration and credit for this research goes to David Spracklin (a descendant of Rev. Alfred Spracklin brother to John and son of Peter and Elizabeth).  David shared his findings on The International Spracklin website years ago that crashed in 2004.

David writes:  ”I have been to the National Archives and copied the following information. It was difficult to read so I may have copied it incorrectly. Peter Spracklen arrived in New York, NY on September 29, 1823 aboard the Earl of Liverpool (388 tons). On the ships manifest, Peter is listed as a farmer…

NOTE:  This information that I have given above is the same that David found at the National Archives in Washington D.C. (NARA).

David goes on to say:  Notice the absence of John (arrived 1817), Sarah and Mary (did they marry? remain in England? or emigrate to the US?).  

NOTE:  I have answered the immigration of John Andrews Spracklin in 1817 in the post just before this one.  As for Sarah and Mary, well I have tried to pin them down in the passenger lists and in census, but I have not had much success. See above for a possible Mary under the name of Sprackling?  I have her marrying an unknown “Matthews” but I have not been able to connect to her to her in the U.S. Sarah was supposed to have married a “Bannard and may have ended up in Trenton, Mercer, New Jersey.  I have not confirmed any of this information about Sarah or Mary Spracklin.

David continues:  Peter’s 22 year old Daughter Elizabeth – got married on 1823 04 Aug and the family set sail on Aug 13, 1823 – 9 days later – need to look on the shop’s manifest for Elizabeth and Samuel Laurence. – Why is she still listed with her family in the manifest?  

NOTE:  I have that Samuel and Elizabeth were married on 9 August 1823 in Pitney Phillimore, Somerset County, England but I have not confirmed that date.  I have attempted to pin down when he arrived but there are too many selections to choose from at Ancestry.com.  The bible of Anna Spracklin does give the date of Aug 13, 1823 as the date they left Pitney for America.  (Copies of the bible page is at Ancestry.com under Stories and Publications.)

Then he makes this statement about the ship “Cane” in the command of Halliday which does not fit with the information that I have given above.

On Aug.,13,1823 Peter and wife Elizabeth came from Pitney England (Somerset Co.) on the schooner Cane under the command of Halliday to the New York port. Pitney is in Somerset Shire,which lies south of Bristol Channel in the southwest portion of England. On those passenger records, Peter was listed as 48 years old and his occupation listed as tanner. Included with Peter were his wife Elizabeth, 51 years old, and the number of children 6.”

So why this confusion about the name of the ship that Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin immigrated to the United States? Let’s speculate?

1.  They sailed on two ships first the Cane and then the Earl of Liverpool.  Frequently ships had to turn back to port after leaving because of some problem like leaking.  This means there might be ships lists in England to search.

2.  It was a mistake or written down wrong.

3.  It was a story told by one of the Spracklin children and passed down to younger generations.

4.  Your theory…

If you know the story of why other Spracklin researchers list the ship that Peter and Elizabeth Spracklin came on as “Cane” and not “Earl of Liverpool.”  I would like to know.

If they did leave on August 13, 1823 from Pitney arriving in New York on 29 September 1823 would be about 7.5 weeks?

I  am not an expert on all lines of the Spracklin family that descends from Peter and Elizabeth so please be kind.  I am seeking clarification and am mostly curious.

Please leave a comment or contact me by finding me under the  tab “Items of Interest” at the top of this blog.

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John Andrew Spracklin – From England to Ohio 1817

John Andrews Spracklin is my 3rd great-grandfather and the husband of Lydia Goss.  I promised a cousin that I would post about his immigration from England to the United States.  I dedicate this post to my half cousin Janice.

The surname of Spracklin can be spelled in a variety of creative ways.  I know that other’s spell it “Spracklen,” with an “e” instead of an “i.”  These spellings make it hard to research the Spracklins and have to try different approaches to dig for records.

I have seen:  Spraklin, Sprancklin, Spranklin, Sprackling, Sprocklin, Spracklan

My quest to find the actual passenger list for John Andrews Spracklin’s migration to the U.S., started at the Family History Library when I visited there for the first time in 2004. This was before Ancestry.com had these indexes online so you had to do things the hard way, like look in a book.  I targeted the published indexes for passenger arrivals in the United States.  I started in the reference section of the Family History which is located on each floor by the desk area.  I hope with all the changes at the Family History Library it is still there.

I started with this book:

Passenger Arrivals by Tepper and Bently

John Sprocklin 4th from the bottom

Passenger Arrivals at the Port of Philadelphia, 1800-1819, The Philadelphia “Baggage List,” pg. 683, General Editor Michael H. Tepper & Transcribed by Elizabeth P. Bentley, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1986, page 683 column left side lists:  Sprocklin, John – Abigail 3 Oct. 1817. The call number for this book at the FHL is #974.811 W3.  

The next step was to turn to pg. xvii in the front of this book.  This gives the film roll numbers for the National Archives Microfilm.

NARA Films

The NARA films are M425 series, #25, Sept. 1- Dec. 26, 1817 Lists #161-288. The FHL number is #419599 (#25), under Passenger Lists of Vessels, Philadelphia, #00205 for the Brig Abigail dated 3 Oct. 1817.

The next step is to find the films for NARA at the Family History Library using their film numbers.  So you run a search for these films

The definition of a Brig is a “two-masted, square-rigged ship with an additional gaff sail on the mainmast.”  I hope this picture is close, for I know nothing of sailing vessels:

A “brig” sailing ship

I pulled this film from the FHL microfilm stacks on the 2nd floor and scrolled to the actual ships manifest.  Unfortunately it was very faded and difficult to read.

 Brig Abigail, William Grants is Master, Cargo was taken at Bristol., England, burthen 455, bound for Philadelphia. 

When I studied the ships manifest, I first thought that John Andrews Spracklin, my 3rd great-grandfather had come all by himself to the U.S.  I was reviewing the manifest one day and realized that he came with his Aunt Anne Andrews Rood and her family.  Anne is the sister to Elizabeth Andrews Spracklin wife of Peter Spracklin.  These are John’s parents who would come in 1823 to the U.S.

Here is the listing on the Brig Abigail’s manifest:

• Return of
• Wine Rood
• Ann Rood
• Pamela Rood
• Wine Rood
• Varoline Rood
• Ablin Rood…another name next column top
• John Spracklin…

A portion of the ships manifest for the Abigail

Are any of the other listed passengers other than the Roods on the manifest related?  I do not know at this time.

NOTE:  To see a bigger version just click the photo.  For those who would like a copy of the whole manifest they are now online at Family Search at https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KC8P-CLC

This process took maybe 1 hour at the FHL on that day.  Today at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch you can find this ships manifest in under 5 minutes and the copy, although still faded,  is much easier to read.

The first time I saw this ships manifest it was pretty amazing to see John’s name listed there.  Well, it still is amazing!

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Levi Goss and Sophia (Rummerfield) Goss’ Family

Levi Goss, son of Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, married Sophia Rummerfield sometime around 1820.  She was born about 1800 in New York State.

His War of 1812 service placed him in Niagara County, New York and it is possible that is where he met and married Sophia.  It would be great to find this marriage, but I have not taken the time to do so.

Sophia was the daughter of Samuel Rummerfield and Nancy [        ].  I have no information on Samuel but Nancy was born about 1775 and died 24 February 1856 in Lenawee Co., Michigan.  She is buried in the Goss Cemetery in Lenawee Co., Michigan. Sophia may have had a brother named John Rummerfield.

The children of Levi and Sophia (Rummerfield) Goss are as follows:

1.  Solomon Goss was born about 1820 and died 20 March 1841 in Lenawee Co., Michigan.  He is buried with his family in the Goss Cemetery.  As far as I know he never married or had children.

2. Mary Goss was born 16 March 1822 in Medina Twp., Lenawee Co., Michigan and died 2 September 1886 in Milan, Washtenaw Co., Michigan.  She married Josephus [Joseph] Rice born 22 October 1815, Phelps, Orleans, New York.  He died 28 November 1900 in Milan Twp., Washtenaw Co., Michigan. They are both buried in the Rice Cemetery, Milan Twp., Monroe Co., Michigan. They married on 18 May 1840 in Medina, Lenawee Co., Michigan.  Josephus and Mary had  seven (7) children.   This is the family line of Flora Montanye Osborn, the Goss researcher I have mentioned.

1.  Charlotte Rice  born 17 August 1843, Milan Twp., Monroe Co., Michigan, died 27 June 1925, York Twp., Washtenaw Co., Michigan.  She married Sidney Montanye born 18 November 1838 in Lenawee Co., Michigan, died 16 November 1874 in York Twp., Washtenaw Co., Michigan.  Both are buried in the Rice Cemetery in Milan Twp., Monroe Co., Michigan.

The Children of Charlotte and Sidney:

1.  Florence Montanye born 9 January 1868, Leslie, Ingham Co., Michigan, died 12 April 1935.  She married a Sidney Sanford.

2.  Flora Etta Montanye, born 26 August 1869 in Leslie, Ingham Co., Michigan, died 1 September 1951 Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., Michigan. She married Frederick Lester Osborn 23 April 1891.  He was born 3 September 1867 in Ossian, Livingston, New York and died 6 August 1942 in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Co., Michigan.  Both are buried in the Rice Cemetery in Milan Twp., Monroe Co., Michigan.  He was a Methodist minister.  They had three children:  Lewis, Etta May and Jesse.

This is the Flora Etta Osborn that contributed so much to the Goss Family history and corresponded with Paul H. Goss and others.

3.  Ida A. Montanye was born 4 October 1871 in Mooreville, Washtenaw Co., Michigan.  She married a Wesley Chester Fuller. She may have married several times and another husband was Fred Forbes.

4.  Marshall C. Montanye born 14 February 1874 in Mooreville, Washtenaw Co., Michigan and died 25 Feb 1941.  He married Nona May Foster and they had 4 children:  Ida I, Forest, Ruth, and John Paul born 1913.

3. Sophia Amanda Goss.  Her birth date is unknown but it was probably somewhere between 1822 and 1827.  Her death was about 1899.  She married a Martin Bullock in April of 1869 but they had no children.  She was probably born in Upper Canada when Levi was living in Kent County near Chatham.

4.  Nancy Goss was born 9 July 1827 and died about 1888.  She married first a Uriah Wright (no information) and then remarried to a Montgomery Ranger (no information).  There may have been 2 children one died about 1894 and the other died 1904.  The only identified child was a Charles M. Ranger.  He lived in Battle Creek, Michigan.

5. Andrew Goss his birth may have been between 1827 and 1830.  He died about 1901 and married a Athelia Smith.  I have no further information on him.

6. Olive Goss was born about 1830 and died 28 April 1861 in Lenawee County, Michigan. She married an Asa Bailey (no information) and had a least one son George L. Bailey who died about 1883. George may have resided in Gorham, Fulton Co., Ohio.

7. Levi Goss was born about 1833 and died 23 July 1850 in Lenawee County, Michigan.  He is buried near his parents in the Goss Cemetery, Morenci, Lenawee County, Michigan.

8. Louisa Goss was born after 1833 and died between 1875-1880.  She married to a man by the name of Powell and had about 6 children:  Alexander, Amanda, Nancy J., Aden, George, and Edwin who may have died 1906.  Edwin may have had son named Rosco.

9.  Daniel Goss was born after 1833 and died about 1899.  He married a Mariah and may have had one children who died in 1895 and another named Arden Goss.  Arden may have been residing in Washington D.C. by 1911?

10.  Marcus M. Goss was born 17 March 1841 and died 4 February 1910.  He doesn’t appear to have married.  He was a Civil War Veteran and apparently it created some problems for him and he was confined in an insane asylum in Washington D.C.  More on this when I discuss his father’s will.

Note:  Sophia, the mother, is getting up in age by this time.  In 1841 she was about 41 years old if she was born in 1800?  So I am not sure about these two children?

11.  Elizabeth Goss no information.

12.  Thomas Goss no information.

Most of the credit for this information comes from Flora Montanye Osborn and the Keziah Cooley Goss D.A.R. Yearbooks of 1941-45, FHL#927452 Item 5.  This source has a very detailed description of the Montanye line.  It also has a version of Flora’s Goss Family History and a listing of the Revolutionary War Service of Goss family members.

Front Cover the DAR Yearbooks

As you can see there is a lot of missing information on the children of Levi and Sophia Rummerfield.  If I had more time I would do research on this line especially in census, deeds, land records, marriage, death and more.  Remember Flora did not have access to the census like we do.  If she wanted to obtain census information she would have had to write to the National Archives and then be content with a transcription.  If she wanted to obtain vital records she would have to write a letter to the appropriate courthouse.  Her goal was to apply to the D.A.R. and Mayflower so she concentrated on her direct line.

There is a letter by a C.M. Ranger that I present here which sheds more light on this family line of Flora’s.  C.M. Ranger was Charles M. Ranger, Nancy Goss Ranger’s son.

Copy of the Original Letter loaned me by Mrs. Fred Osborn, 1339 S. State St., Ann Arbor, Mich.

Mar. 30, 1911, – Hon. H.L. Larwell, Judge of Prob., Adrian, M.

Dear Sir: In response to your letter of the 27, I am pleased to give the following record of the des. of Levi Goss:

1. Andrew Goss, son, died about 1901 without issue;

2. Daniel Goss son, died about 1899. There was a son and dau. in the family. The dau died about 15 years ago. Son Arden Goss lives in Wash. D.C., Address Mailing Division of Post office.

3. Mark Goss, son- died in 1910 without issue;

4. Nancy Ranger, died 1888. There were three sons in the family one in 1894, one in 1904, the remaining son is Chars. A. Ranger, Battle Creek, Mich.;

5. Mary Rice dau. died about 1885 (1887). Some children (3 dau) died in childhood. Three surv. are Charlotte (Charlotte Rice Montayne; Ratzel Saline (Daline), Florence B. Miller Milan, Nelson, R. Milan;

6. Sophia A. (Amanda?) Bullock dau, died 1899 without issue;

7. Olive Bailey, dau. Died 1860 leaving 1 son George L. who died. He left one daug. Mrs. Florence Hayden Kalamazoo, C/O, Rev. J.A. Sprague (Note: Florence Hayden is the wife of Judge Hayden now living Lansing Mich. — 1942 — PHG);

8. Louisa Powell, dau. died between 1875-1880. Sev. children died in infancy: Survivors are: Alexander A. Powell Ulee Ind., Amanda Ray, Belmont, Tenn., Nancy J. Robinson, Camden, Mich.; Aden Powell, Hillsboro Tenn; George Powell Belmont, Tenn. This is G.N. Powell, business address. Mail will be forwarded to him. Edwin Powell son of Louisa F. died in 1906; left three child who live in Seneca, Mich. A letter to the son Roscoe at P.O. will get you the names of the other two.

The older children of Levi Goss, were Elizabeth, Thomas, Solomon and Levi. All of these died before the death of Levi Goss.

Very Truly yours C. M. Ranger (Chas. M. Ranger, Battle Creek, Mich.)

Copied June 4, 1942.

I had the opportunity to travel to the Goss Cemetery near Morenci, Lenawee Co., Michigan when I attended the Federation of Genealogical Society Conference (FGS) in Fort Wayne in 2007. Fort Wayne is in Indiana on the eastern side close to Michigan and Ohio borders.  I decided to take a tour of Michigan, before the conference, so I drove up to Lenawee County and then further up to Monroe County.  I wanted to visit the Goss and Rice Cemeteries and view the graves of Levi and Flora herself.  I will share this visit in a future post.

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“Levi, Sure Got Around!”

Back in June 2003, I traveled to Boston and Plymouth, Massachusetts.  My husband had a conference to attend,  We reserved a condo on Cape Cod.  I wanted to do some research at the Mayflower Library in Plymouth.  This library is in the Annex behind the large Mayflower House.  If you want to do research, the Mayflower Library in Plymouth has a great collection of New England titles that you might want to study.  I was just learning about New England research at the time so it was wonderful to have them all in one location.  Later you can take a tour of the house museum which is lovely and the docent is very helpful and knowledgeable. 

Mayflower Museum

The Mayflower Library

This is the link to the library page.  They have a panorama of the library and it is just like I remember:  http://www.themayflowersociety.com/library  Their hours are short so check the link carefully.  As I recall I had a cold and yet I did my research anyway from 10 to 3 pm, as I recall.

Later in the trip we moved up to Boston for the conference and I visited the Boston Public Library.  It is awesome and a little intimidating.  Here is the link to their genealogical resources:  http://www.bpl.org/research/socsci/genealogy.htm  It seemed like I wandered a long ways through the library to find the room with the genealogical stacks.  You do have to plan in advance if you wish to order other  items. 

Of course, if you are in Boston you have to go to the New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and visit all the floors for some really quality research time:  http://www.americanancestors.org/home.html   Take one of the tours offer in Boston with the costumed tour guide, it is well worth it.  I think it is called “Freedom Trail.”

NEHG Society Entrance

At the NEHGS, I requested from the Special Collections to see the donated papers of Paul H. Goss.  Among his papers was a letter written by Flora Osborn to Paul H. Goss regarding her ancestor Levi Goss.  Flora and Paul corresponded with each other over the course of several years in the 1930′s and 1940′s till her death in 1951.  They were both researching the Goss lines and shared their findings.

The letter that Flora wrote was on the Keziah Cooley Goss Chapter D.A.R. stationary of which Flora was a founding member, regent and registrar at various times.  

“ANN ARBOR, MICH, 1339 S State St, April 13 1948

Paul Goss & Family

Dear Cousins:

I was at the Detroit Genealogical Soc. Saturday and heard this man give a lecture, and when he was through he came and sat by me and as his talk was about early movement of people from Canada to Michigan.

I asked him about Inn’s on the Tames etc. and he said who are you trying to find and get records of, and I told him Levi Goss, and he said I know a lot about him or about the inn etc. so here it is.

Now where did he live when my grandmother was born and Mary Goss, b. 3-16-1823. If he was in Canada in 1831-1835 after that he was in Lenawee Co. Mich. and in 1812 he was in Niagara County, N.Y. served in the War of 1812, Sept 12 to Oct 16 1812, and his father was in Washington County, Ohio. Levi sure got around.

Now I was to go to Washington and be a guest part of the time to a Mrs. Cameron who went into the D.A.R. on Nathaniel Goss and in Mayflower Society via William White, but her husband is sick and she cannot attend much of the time, and I would not go with him sick and the lady who was to go with me is sick so what I stay at home. Are you coming east, if so try to attend the Cooley reunion in Illinois?

I am as well as usual and will take a trip somewhere soon.

Best wishes

Flora Osborn”

Letters like this give clues regarding our ancestors.  Thanks to Flora, we now know the movements of Levi Goss and we can follow her leads.   This letter also gives clues and insight into the people who did the research years ago and what their interests were, in this case Flora was very much involved with DAR and Mayflower. 

Flora is my cousin and she is much closer to me in the lineage to Solomon Goss and Olive Scott Goss.  Her great-grandfather Levi Goss is a brother to Lydia, my ancestor, whom I will discuss shortly.  Flora and I are 3rd cousins twice removed according to my Legacy database Relationship Calculator.  Our common ancestors are Solomon Goss and Olive Scott.

Flora mentions the Tames.  She is referring to the Thames river near Chatham, Ontario to the west of Lake Ontario and east of Lake St. Clair.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_River_(Ontario). 

As for who Mrs.  Cameron is, I will let you figure that out.  You could try the DAR Library search for Ancestor or Member and see what you find.  See the right side bar for this blog and find the New England Links.

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Levi Goss, Soldier in the War of 1812!

On my recent trip to Ontario and Quebec in May/June of 2012, I saw banners and references to the War of 1812.  The Ontario Genealogical Conferences theme was the War of 1812 – Borders and Bridges. 

Banners in Ottawa Celebrating the War of 1812

This year of 2012 is the 200th year since the War of 1812, which some believe was the 2nd War for American Independence.  http://www.ushistory.org/us/21e.asp

The Official War of 1812 Bicentennial website, Celebrating 200 years of Peace http://www.visit1812.com/ 

Levi Goss was a son of Solomon Goss and Olive (Scott) Goss.  He was the sixth child of this couple.  He served in the War of 1812.  He was 19 years old at the time, born 22 October 1793, in Pennsylvania according to his great grand-daughter Flora Montanye Osborn, my cousin who did a lot of work on this family line in the 1930-1950′s. His father Solomon Goss was on the move and was in Ohio by 1795.  It is possible that Levi might have been born in western Pennsylvania? 

According to the New York Military Equipment Claims at Ancestry.com, Levi served out of  New York from September 12 to October 16, 1812. It was a very short period of service. 

He was a private in Captain Rufus Spauldings Co. and Colonel Silas Hopkins Regiment (Niagara Co., NY).  His pension #15681 is from Claims of Soldiers War of 1812, dated October 21, 1847.) No.: [p.202] 15,681. Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812, page 202.

NAME OF APPLICANT:  Goss, Levi,

RESIDENCE OF APPLICANT: Medina, Lenawee County, Michigan,

AMOUNT ALLOWED: $19 00

Levi served in the War of 1812 but he did not really get a pension which was only given to injured or dead soldiers until the laws changed in 1871.  He died in 1872 so he did not benefit from this new law.  

U.S. War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 at Ancestry.com list Levi Goss, Hopkin’s Regiment, New York Militia, Private, Roll Box. 83, Roll. Exct 602, NARA Films M602, 234 rolls – Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Service in the War of 1812, Washington D.C.  This is good news to find this index. I will have to revisit NARA’s films for I did not find him when I first looked. 

Here are some links that might be of interest.   

History of Niagara County at Internet Archives:  http://archive.org/details/cu31924100387392

Fort Niagara State Park and Historic Sights:  http://nyfalls.com/niagara/niagara-fort-niagara.html

Burials of Veterans of the War of 1812 in Lenawee Co., Michigan http://www.lenawee.migenweb.net/1812.html

The New York State Archives website has this paragraph on the War of 1812. http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/research/res_topics_mi_warsvc.shtml

“Will search War of 1812 Abstracts of Payrolls for N.Y. State Militia (B0810) and Certificates of Claims (A0020, A3352). The certificates are indexed in Index of Awards on Claims of the Soldiers of the War of 1812 (Albany: 1860; repr. 1969). (A veteran’s claim stated war service in order to obtain reimbursement for clothing, arms, and equipment furnished at the soldier’s expense.) “

Levi was living in Marietta, Ohio with his family and at some time he took off on his own and his travels placed him in Niagara County by 1812.  I cannot take credit for some of this research on Levi.  It was done by my cousin Flora Montanye Osborn.  I have tried to add to the work she did.  In the next post I will share a letter written by Flora to Paul H. Goss regarding the movements of Levi Goss.

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Elizabeth Goss Marries into the Lake Family!

Elizabeth Goss, daughter of Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, did well in life.  She married into the Lake family who had established themselves in Washington County by 1789, well before Solomon Goss settled there. 

Elizabeth was born 9 December 1777/1778 and she died 20 April 1845.  Elizabeth is my 3rd Great-Great aunt.  She is the older sister of Lydia (Goss) Spracklin my 3rd Great Grandmother. 

Elizabeth (Goss) Lake 1788 - 1845

Elizabeth married Andrew Lake on the 17th of May 1798 in Washington County, Ohio.  The tombstone inscription above has 1797 for their marriage year?  I did not find any obituary notice for Elizabeth in the files of the Washington County History Society in Marietta. 

Source: Ohio Marriages, Recorded in County Courts Through 1820: An Index, pg. 405, Jean Nathan, Chairman, compiled by the Ohio Genealogical Society, 1996.  Another source is:  Gateway to the West, Vol. II, Number I, January-March 1969, Washington County, Ohio Marriage 1789-1798.  “Lake, Andrew to Elizabeth Goss – both of Adams, 5-17-1798.

This marriage is a very important event because it gives an estimate of the date that Solomon and Olive (Scott) Goss, Elizabeth’s parents, settled in the Washington County area.  Solomon when he left Pennsylvania, did not go directly to the area north of Marietta.  He first headed to what was later called Cincinnati and went up the Mad River to the area to become Dayton.  More on that in a later post.

I had hoped that Elizabeth and Andrew would give more clues regarding Solomon Goss and Olive but so far that has not happened, instead there is more information about Andrew’s parents Archibald and Mary (Bird) Lake.

Andrew Lake was born 22 August 1764 probably in New York?  He died several years after Elizabeth on 5 January 1849.  Both are buried in Rainbow Cemetery, Washington County, Ohio.   Their plaques are at the base of Andrew’s parent’s tombstone.

Andrew Lake 1764 to 1849

 

Please realize that I am not an expert on the Lake Family and I have not taken time to really dig into their history.  So doublecheck the information you find here.

This is an excerpt taken from the  History of Washington County, Ohio, H.C. Williams & Bros., 1881, Muskingum Township, pg. 609. 

 ”…Their son Andrew was a carpenter by trade, at which business he worked whenever an opportunity was afforded, and during the remainder of the time he was an honest tiller of the soil. In 1797 he married Miss Elizabeth Goss, whose parents resided on Duck creek. The marriage ceremony was performed at the bride’s house by ‘Squire Monroe, and the young couple at once came to Rainbow, where the young people treated them to a genuine, old-fashioned house warming. They had nine children, of whom William, Tirzah, Jane, Mary and Dauphin are dead; Hannah is the wife of Courtland Sheppard, of Harmar; Sarah is the widow of Isaac Monett, and resides with her son in Marietta; Preston and Daniel are in Iowa, and Solomon is living in Kansas.”

If you stop and count, the quotation above has 10 children.  The last being “Solomon?”  

I refer you to a Genforum messages dated approximately October 23, 2002, regarding “iNFO ON FAMILY”  in which a descendant gives a very nice genealogy of the Lake family.  The author was Gary Linn.  You might have to dig around a little to find this:    http://genforum.genealogy.com/oh/washington/messages/819.html 

The children of Andrew and Elizabeth (Goss) Lake are as follows based mostly on Mr. Linn’s findings:

1)  William Lake born 30 January 1799 in Washington County, Ohio and died 23 November 1820 in Washington County.

2)  Tirza Lake born 20 April 1802 in Washington County, Ohio. 

3) Hannah Lake born 6 February 1806 in Washington County and died 2 August 1883 in Washington County and is buried in Rainbow Cemetery under the name of Shepard.  She married a Courtland Briggs Shepard (1801 to 9 Nov. 1883).  Apparently they had 10 children:  Jane, Thomas, Andrew, Elizabeth, Mary, Frances, Cinderella, Courtland, Daniel and William.  Find A Grave has a picture of Hannah’s tombstone under their Rainbow Cemetery section.

4) Jane Lake born about Jan 1804 in Washington County and died 20 March 1853 in Washington County.  She married an Asa Davis and had two children:  Asa Gorton and Elizabeth.

5) Mary Amanda Lake born 17 April 1808 and died 23 July 1820 in Washington County, Ohio.

6) Sarah Lake was born 13 July 1810, married an Isaac Monet who died about 1838.  They had 3 children: Jacob, Andrew and Moses.

7) Dauphin McKendrie Lake was born 29 January 1813 and died about November 1847 in Washington County, Ohio.

8) Preston Lake born 25 November 1815, and married Julia S. Harrington.  He may have been a doctor.

9)  Daniel Goss Lake born 23 September 1817 and died about 1894. He married Abagail Sniff Cole and they had Preston Boardman Lake and Ulysses Cole Lake. 

10) Solomon Lake (added per the Washington County History).

Andrew and Elizabeth (Goss) Lake had lands in Washington County.  To find those lands records, I suggest that you go to the Marietta College, Special Collections, Digital Collections - Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company Associates. 

Andrew Lake will be appointed the Administrator of his father’s estate in June of 1800.  I will share more about that in the next post. 

The early census are statistical and some where lost.  However, Andrew Lake appears in the August 1803, Adams, Washington County, US Territorial Census on Ancestry.com.  He again appears in the 1820, 1830 and 1840 U.S. Federal, Washington Co., Ohio Census.  Although his name might have been interpreted as “Anderson” Lake in the 1830. 

Andrew Lake is found in the  tax records for Washington County, Ohio starting with the year 1801 to about 1845.   These are on Family Search under “Ohio Tax Records, 1800-1850.”  You can access the online index but you might have to view them at a Family Search Center or sign in to the site.

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