52 Ancestors #3: Mary Anne Hill

Get ready for another family myth-busting ride! For my third installment of this series, I have chosen  to feature my Great Great Grandmother, Mary Anne Hill Daniels. I had not intended for Mary to be such a problem child for this post. In fact, I thought she would be a breeze....and then I had an "out-of-research" experience. You know that feeling, when you've been researching a line, and can recite the facts you've gathered with your eyes closed and at the drop of a hat - and suddenly your own litany has a snag. You can actually see from outside the research realm and catch something you had not caught before....that is a prime example of why this series has proven to be such a great prompt! And why we should practice this kind of "review" from time to time - beyond 2014.

Mary Anne Hill has a wonderful story and family heirloom associated with her narrative. One that has been told time and again about a clock and an Ohio Yankee girl serving up breakfast to a group of Confederate Soldiers during the raiding parties of General John Hunt Morgan. That is...until today...I do believe, after this post, I will be changing the story just a tad....

What I know about Mary Anne Hill:
Name: Mary Anne Hill Daniels
Born: January 30th, 1842, 43, or 44 (various documents list January, but different years) in Radcliff, Vinton County Ohio
Died: 1934, Gallia County Ohio
Married: Madison Daniels, October 29th, 1865, Gallia County Ohio
Parents: Richard Hill of North Carolina & Sarah Oiler of Virginia or Pennsylvania (conflicting records)
Children: John, Minerva, Margaret, George, Jesse, William, Eva, Arizona, Arthur, Clyde

My Grandfather, Charles (mentioned in #2), had a small anecdote about his memory of Mary:
"I don't remember much about Grandma Mary since I was very little, but I do remember she was a very independent woman. She lived on the farm with Uncle Jess and Aunt Min (brother & sister), and I can remember a time when she took a couple of big bowls of beans outside to snap or something, and I went out to ask her if I could help, and she said "No". I pressed her further and asked again to help. She flapped her hands at me and said "No, no, shoo, you kids get out of here!" I guess she just wanted to do it herself." (Charles Daniels Sr., 2002)

What I THOUGHT I knew about Mary - The Mystery of the Clock:
We have a story in the family that centers on a mantel clock that was handed down through the Daniels male line. This mantel clock was said to have come from the farm that Madison & Mary had made their home on for decades. The family legend states that this clock was on the mantel during the time when General John Hunt Morgan was making headway into Ohio during the Civil War. Just before their capture, Morgan's men spread out along the areas near the river, separating into small foraging groups, taking what they needed. As a raiding party in enemy territory, any farm chosen for such ransacking would have been in danger of further harm without capitulation. According to the details of this story, Grandma Mary voluntarily invited the invading men inside and fixed them a big breakfast, which left them full, satisfied, and grateful enough to leave the Daniels household largely in-tact. We also made the assumption that Grandma Mary did this because her husband was a Union soldier, and might have been even more afraid of repercussions. Cool story....but...

What I have realized about the story:
1. This story may not be about Mary at all!
2. Mantel clock age IS correct to validate the story - 1830s Chauncey Boardman "Groaner" Clock made in Connecticut.
3. Time frame of Morgan's men traveling through southern Ohio, just prior to capture: 1863
4. Military service date of Madison Daniels: Sept. 1864 through June 1865
5. Marriage date of Madison and Mary: October 29th, 1865
6. Handwritten notes of repair dates on the back of the clock do confirm it was in the hands of the Daniels side of the family after the War.

So...If the clock was on their mantel, and Mary served them breakfast...
1. Was she living with Madison BEFORE marriage? Highly unlikely for a small community in 1863.
2. If they were living together, Madison would have been home - he had not yet entered the army - which removes the "fear" factor in relation to a Confederates finding out about this being a Union soldier family.
3. My father added an element to the story - that someone was hiding under a bridge in the area while Morgan's men were raiding - where, when, & why?
4. Both sets of parents were alive and living on farms in the area.
5. The Daniels side of the family was from Pennsylvania.
6. The Hill side was from Virginia & North Carolina.
7. Was breakfast served by Grandmother Delila Daniels, a northern woman who may have had another son in the war at the time? (Need to research the rest of the men militarily)
8. Was breakfast served by Grandmother Sarah Hill, or by Mary, still living in her parents' household - could this have been a sympathetic southern family....serving up a little treason for breakfast?
9. The entire story is false?
10. Either way, the troop movements and clock age do coincide to the family farms in the area (after some local research).

Which means....
This story, while still a valid piece of family narrative, should be related in the future with the above considerations. Plus, this just means I have more work to do! I would love to find out more about the farms in the area, the military service of the families, etc. I don't think it's possible to prove the story, but eliminating certain possibilities can be achieved with additional work.

Ah, Grandma Mary - my newest enigma!

The Homeward Bound Bible

A.K.A. Family Bibles in Crisis....

About a year ago my Aunt contacted me concerning a recent trip she had made to Columbus Ohio. She had been visiting with a cousin of ours from my Grandfather's side of the family. This was one of those "many times removed" types of cousins as they were from one of my Great Grandfather's siblings' branches - you know, one that makes you cross your eyes when you try to figure out the relational designation. Despite the relatively distant nature, this cousin had remained close to my Grandfather over the years, and therefore somewhat close to our family. While visiting with this cousin, they informed her that the Family Bible in their possession needed to find a new home as their closer family members did not express any interest in maintaining this family gem. So, Aunt Becky was glad to take it, knowing she had a family history nut (niece) in our branch, or as they like to call me, keeper of the family stuff.

To make the transfer of this newly acquired hot family contraband, we chose an inconspicuous place, where no one would suspect transfer of valuable family heirlooms: The Graeter's Ice Cream parlor on Colerain Ave! It was quite the scene, as all of us were very excited about the ice cream, and yet I was trying not to get excited about the Bible until everyone was finished with the creamy sugary goodness on their hands. There was another reason I was excited.....

I had been told that this was Madison Daniels' Bible. He happened to be my Great Great Grandfather and Civil War Veteran from Gallia County Ohio. Under normal circumstances, this would excite any history buff, but this Bible had been "missing" from the family ranks for years. In fact, my Father had been given the Family entries or pages from a similar Family Bible, also from the Madison Daniels branch, many years ago. You can see this previous post to read the pages given to us from another side branch as represented by Great Aunt Mattie Daniels Townsend.

The pages passed to my father consisted of 4 pages of Family entries - beginning with Madison's parents -  plus the title pages and publication information from a large Bible - published in 1879. When I was about to receive "Madison's" Bible at Graeter's, I was intrigued, thinking it impossible for this to be the Bible that the loose pages came from. I was thinking it might have been a smaller personal Bible that came from Madison later in life as I had seen that occur with both sets of my Grandparents.

To my surprise, the Bible brought to me that night in Graeter's was the correct size to be the missing Bible. Appropriately, it was missing its Family record pages and its publication pages - this had to be it! To confirm this theory, there was one hand written entry in a leftover blank page at the front that read "Madison Daniels & Family, May 1st, 1879, compliments of N.B. Sisson." To have that entry with the date of receipt that matched the date of publication meant a slam dunk......

......and then I started reviewing the entries from the family pages. While the publication pages fit perfectly within the binding, the family pages seemed shorter and of a different paper consistency. I also noticed that the family entries only covered Madison's family, from his parents, grandparents and siblings. Since Madison had been married for over ten years by the time he had received the Bible, it was odd that the entries did not include his new family unit. I finally came to the conclusion that the four Bible pages that detailed the family history of one side of the family, had come from an entirely different and still "missing" Bible.

The pages outlining family members' births, deaths, and marriages included events as early as 1804 and concluded with the death of one of the ten children born to John and Delilah Daniels in 1845. There were no entries near the 1879 date of the full Bible I received. Sadly, this tells me that there is still a "missing", and perhaps "lost" Family Bible that had been owned by John and Delilah (Estle) Daniels.

Not an Uncommon Occurrence:

Sadly, this is not a unique story. There are many Family Bibles in precarious or discarded states. Just think about how many of these Bibles are for sale within antique stores or online. With all of the many family heirlooms passed down, it seems as though the Family Bible does not rank among the most valuable of items when viewing things in comparison. Why would this trend take hold within families? I have a couple of theories.

First: The size of many of these Bibles is just not practical. The large, Victorian style Bibles were meant to be a focal point somewhere in the house. They were not only central displays of a family's connection to religion and Church membership (many were presented as gifts to members on a special occasion, or from a local Church neighbor/friend.), but they also became a place to openly preserve precious pieces of family ephemera. (The Bible I received at Graeter's that night also included locks of hair and little sentimental paper tidbits from Madison, his children and even his parents) Our 20th/21st century families have changed considerably. This tradition of prominently displaying a giant Bible full of precious family mementos has faded to almost non-existence. Plus, the rate of family ephemera production has increased a thousand fold - which requires we file or box things away - too numerous for the pages of a Bible.

Second: While many of us are still faithful Church goers, or dedicated to a religious walk, many of us are not. The family unit has continued some traditions, and discarded others. As the faith of America has declined over the years, so too has our value of those family heirlooms that reflect or represent the deep faithful history of our ancestors. For many who have decided that religion is not something they want to incorporate into their own lives, they can sometimes fall into the trap of losing respect for those things that held religious importance in the lives of their ancestors.

This is a trend that I think has become a great tragedy. Despite any current personal believe system or perceived "evolution" from the pitfalls of religious belief, these belief systems were highly important to our ancestors and should be valued as a part of their existence. I am very opposed to religiously censoring our ancestors or historical figures. Despite what we may think today, we must include their religious beliefs in our Family Histories, or we cannot truly understand the motivation behind many life decisions that shaped their history.

Then there is the combination of both theories into the biggest reason behind the Family Bibles in crisis: APATHY. The darned things are so big and cumbersome, almost impossible to store or easily pass on to future descendants. Which has meant an influx of donations to local historical societies or archives. While the intent behind such a donation is admirable, just think about what happens when those institutions try to store these precious, but giant, family heirlooms. Despite the overall impressions, institutions are strapped for space as well. You think it's hard to find a space in your house for your Family Bible - try housing hundreds of them. To compensate for this storage issue, many institutions are removing the family specific pages/entries and storing those in files, only to destroy or give back the Bible itself due to space crunches. (Of course there are exceptions if the Bible itself is a historically significant one based on publication specifics or dispersal of information throughout)

Solution to this problem? Please reconsider the value of the Family Bible - yes, the awkward giant one. These giant reminders of a giant faith are getting older and older with each decade that passes. Some are even getting ready to pass into the 200 year age range. So, how does one keep it and preserve it properly? Easy peasy, just get one half cubic foot archival storage box, wrap the Bible in acid free/archival tissue paper and place it in the box, spine side down. The box can then be stored standing up or lying down in a part of the house that has even temperatures - no attics or basements. In the grand scheme of household storage and our thousands of chotchkies we always seem to make room for, please make a little room for a priceless family heirloom that will someday speak volumes about the religious freedom enjoyed by Americans - both early and later generations.

BTW, this post does not just apply to Family Bibles. Any religious artifact handed down in the family should be revered and properly stored for future generations - even if it only plays the role of a multi-generational conversation starter! Don't forget - the printed book is fading as we download more and more titles. Just think about the impact on younger generations 30 years from now when you go to the closet and pull out a GIANT printed Bible! History hooks at work!
Vaya con Dios, folks!
C

Heirloom Trails and Tales

 Our family has been blessed with a treasure trove of sentimentalities that reside in nooks and crannies throughout our homes. When we view one, even out of the corner of our eye, the story or memory associated with the object is immediately recalled - or in some cases, vaguely recalled. Beyond items, there have also been unfortunate stories passed down that tell of a lost family heirloom and how it was of great family import. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of this subject by a dear woman who understood not only the importance of family heirlooms, but also the delicate family relationship balance that always threatens to tear families apart if this subject is ignored until a will is read.

The woman I speak of is Alisonia B. Todd of Franklin County Kentucky. Isn't that just the coolest name ever? Her husband, James H. Todd passed away in 1897 and left a very brief will, passing the whole of his possessions to his wife Alisonia. Within a couple months of the filing of his will in the Franklin County Court system, Alisonia took the wise measure of creating her own will to prepare for that certain eventuality, which unfortunately, took place within the next year, 1898.

The most amazing element of Alisonia's will is an addendum section called "Schedule A". This section takes up about 3 full ledger sized pages and details not only how she wants her belongings to be divided amongst her children, but also the origin of each piece. In some cases she explains the family importance of the item, and in others, she gives a justification of why a certain person should have the item she is bestowing upon them. I will not post the entire three pages here, but am including some transcribed snippets below:

"To Letty and Jim I want you to distribute my old traps which have served their purpose for forty five years and became so worn that they only serve as Momentres of the old Home in which our children and Grandchildren have passed so many happy hours."

"Alex asked me years ago to give him his Grandfather and Grandmother Todds portraits by Janett. We looked upon them as his own and was proud of them.....if he dies without heirs or Lilian dies without heirs they must go back into the Todd family."

"[to Johnston]...also I give him my Grandfather Lee's writing desk and his sword that he used in the War of '12' being Major of his regiment."

"....also the fish desk presented to Mrs. Gov. Garrard by my uncle Elija Graig while she was occupying the Governors Mansion."

"We gave Jim the Liquor set inherited from his Grandfather Todd, also two napkin rings of the 25th anniversary 1 plated tea pot 1 molasses pitcher 1 spoon holder and soup turene the only value in these things are that we used them on our table so far back as he can remember."

"The big haircloth rocker is for Arthur and the sewing machine I give to Nettie to help make her stout boy James clothes...I want to furnish one of Nettie's attic rooms also one of Lettys. Into Netties I want the bedroom set that I found in my room when I entered it as a bride consisting bedstead wash stand dressing table and wardrobe the feather mattress bolster and cases pillows and cases the large looking glass in the room..."

As you can see, Alisonia also interjected little family memories and personal comments among her acts of distribution. It also appears that she details when some things were given away prior to her death, to whom she gave them and why. Towards the end of Schedule A she also details who has borrowed some of her furniture and whose furniture she has borrowed which must be returned at her death.

I find Alisonia's will addition to be priceless - not only for her family - but for those of us interested in 19th century Kentucky life. The entire document has reminded me that the stories behind heirlooms hold great keys to our research. After all, just by reading Alisonia's heirloom distribution, we learn which ancestor was in the War of 1812 and his rank....we learn that her uncle was an acquaintance of Governor Garrard.....we learn about her life as a young bride.....we learn about the gifts the couple was given at their 25th wedding anniversary.....we learn about upholstery and fabrics, even color (yellow)....we learn about paintings.....and we learn about warm family memories.

As we document and organize our genealogy research for the next generation, I look upon this task of heirloom distribution and story documentation to be a vitally important one.....it makes me wonder if the majority of items for sale in antique stores are not always there because of financial hardship or apathy, but rather because the previous generations forgot about their importance....the story trail ended and so did the family's legacy. There is also one other motivation for me....don't you just love the idea of filing this kind of heirloom heavy will with the courts and imagining an excited descendant finding it generations later? Oh yeah, one more thing....any attorney today will tell you that more family rifts happen because of estate dispersals, or a lack of planning in this area....save your family the grief and strife - include your own "Schedule A" today!
Happy Heirloom hunting & sharing!
C