Guilford Court House Flag – Reported to have been flown in 1781 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This year, for Veterans’ Day, I thought I examine the military service of my wife’s direct ancestors. She has seven known Revolutionary War patriots (most in North Carolina) and one ancestor who served during the French and Indian War.
As I looked at the list, I realized it is incomplete. I know her Great-grandfather, Peter Fletcher Howell, also fought for the CSA during the Civil War. That he was missing from my basic filter and sort of ancestors with military service, concerns me. I probably need to go through and determine or confirm military service for her ancestors. (Another “Do-over.” Sigh…)
Besides these ten known individuals who served, she has another 47 uncles, aunts, and cousins who served as well. The most recent was her half-uncle, Robert Harry Darling, who died while serving in Vietnam.
Today, I remember both her’s and my ancestors who served their country, particularly those who served during wartime.
ENDNOTES
[i] I have mixed feelings regarding ancestors who fought for the CSA and against the Union.
Tamise[i] Sutherland[ii] was born on 3 April 1796 in New York, USA as the last child of Reuben Sutherland and Mary Lewis. She had seven siblings: Phineas, David, Lot, Candice, Eliza, Josiah, and Elizabeth. She may have had two additional siblings Justus, and Lewis; however, I have been unable to confirm their relationship. When she was 22, she married Joel Cruff Taft, son of Asa Taft and Sarah Whitney, about 1819 in Triangle, Broome, New York, USA. Joel died in 1849. After his death, when she was 60, she married Manoah Sullivan on 31 August 1856 in Sullivan County, Indiana, USA (Married by Benjamin Gray, Justice of the Peace.). She died on 24 March 1864 in Fairbanks, Sullivan County, Indiana, USA.
5th Great-grandfather: William J Sutherland (1741-1815)
6th Great-grandfather: William Sutherland (1715-1768)
Tamise Sutherland (1796-1864)
Birth
Tamise Sutherland was born on 3 April 1796 in New York[iii]. Lisle, Tioga County, New York, was first settled around 1791[iv]; it is unclear to me if Tamise was born there or elsewhere in New York. In 1799, Tamise’s father, Reuben Sutherland, died. Indeed, by 1800 her family was well established in Lisle.[v]
In 1806, Broome county was split off from Tioga County, so most records of her and her family are typically stated as occurring in Broome county. Tamise’s mother died in 1809, and I have been unsuccessful in finding the remaining Sutherland family in the 1810 Census. The children were likely spread among other families.
Marriage #1
In 1819, Tamise married Joel Cruff Taft in Broome County[vi]. They had 11 children:
Children of Joel Cruff and Tamise (Sutherland) Taft
Child
Born
Married
Died
Silas
28 April 1820
(Bef. 1830)
Mercy Eliza
27 March 1822
Nelson Barnes
4 August 1884
(FNU Male)
(Bet.1824-1830)
n/a
TBD
Sarah Emaline
17 May 1824
Henry William Monk
26 November 1904
Amanda J.
14 February 1826
Albert C. Thompson
27 January 1847
Catherine Tammy
25 August 1828
Abraham Lemen
21 August 1851
Candance Irene
25 August 1830
Jesse C. Redmond
1888
Joanna Lucy
7 March 1832
John Riggs
23 April 1888
Lurancy Caroline
11 November 1834
Abraham Lemen
21 February 1879
Platina
19 March 1835
n/a
25 May 1841
William
30 April 1842
Sarah Mayfield
17 October 1908
1820 Census
The 1820 Census found Joel and Tamise living near Joel’s brother, Silas, and his father, Asa, in Lisle, Broome County, New York[vii]. In his household are his wife and his oldest son, Silas.
1830 Census
The 1830 household (See Joel Cruff Taft & the 1830 Census) of Joel Taft suggests tragedy. Silas, who would have been ten years old, isn’t enumerated in the household. However, some researchers indicated that Silas married Lydia Monk in 1843. I haven’t confirmed this. The 1830 Census does show four females in the household that fit the profile for the four youngest daughters of Joel and Tamera. There was another male child in the household, under the age of 5, who I haven’t been able to name.
1831 – Township created.
In 1831, Lisle was divided into four parts creating Baker, Nanticoke, Triangle, and Lisle[viii].
1840 Census
The 1840 Census (see Joel Cruff Taft & the 1840 Census) finds Joel (and Tamera) in Baker, Broome County, New York. Their known daughters are accounted for.
The 1840 Census also indicates there were two males in the household besides Joel. One was 10 to 14, and one was 20 to 30. Certainly, the one from 10 to 14 is the same unknown male child enumerated in the 1830 Census. But the other, 20 to 30 year old, could be Silas. If so, was he just missed in the 1830 Census? Could this be evidence he lived to marry Lydia Monk? Possibly.
The 1840s
Sometime during the 1840s, the Taft family moved to Sullivan County, Indiana. Tamies’s daughter, Platina, died on 25 May 1841 at the age of 6. Daughters Sarah and Amanda were married in 1845 and 1846, respectively. Sadly, Amanda died in 1847. Candance married in January 1849. Later that year, Tamise’s husband Joel Cruff Taft died on 19 April 1849 in Fairbanks, Sullivan County, Indiana[ix].
1850 Census
The 1850 Census[x] reports Tamise living in Fairbanks Township, Indiana. The widow is living with her children, Joann (17), Laransa (14), Catherine (21), and William (8).
The 1850s
During the 1850s, Tamise and Joel’s other daughters married – Catherine (1850), Joanna (1851), and Lurancy (1852). Sadly, Catherine died in 1851, about ten months after her marriage.
Marriage #2
On 31 August 1856, the 60-year-old Tamera married 73-year-old Manoah Sullivan.
1860 Census
The 1860 Census reports Manoah and Tamera living in Turman Township, Sullivan County, Indiana. Living with them are three of Manoah’s children, John (15), Simon (12), and Alvera (10)[xi].
The 1860s
The Civil War broke out in 1861, and Indiana contributed about 210,000 military forces to the war effort[xii]. I haven’t determined if any of Tamera’s children participated in the war or if there were any civilian causalities in Fairbanks during 1864.
Tamera (Sutherland) (Taft) Sullivan died on 24 March 1864 in Fairbanks, Sullivan County, Indiana[xiii].
Events by Location
Indiana, Sullivan, Fairbanks – 1850, Marriage #2 (1856), 1860, Death (1864)
[vi] Family Group Record, Family Search, Joel Cruff Taft (K8BN-FDM) – See File: 20170512 Family K8BN-FDM.pdf. Marriage Place: Triangle, Broome, New York, United States.
[vii] 1820 Census (A), Ancestry.Com, Asa Taft, Asa Taft Jr., Joel C Taft – Lisle, Broome, New York.
Following families in the early census records is always tricky, and when a census’s locations change and a family’s status changes, finding families can make things even more difficult. Such is the case concerning Tamise (aka Tammy & Fanny[i]) Sutherland (also Southerland) and the 1800 and 1810 Census.
Tamise Sutherland
Tamise married Joel Cruff Taft in 1819[ii], and I’ve followed her in all of the census records until her death in 1864. Tammy’s father, Reuben, died in 1799 and her mother, Mary (Lewis), died in 1809. I searched at length for the Sutherlands in the 1810 census and could not find any candidates in Broome county.
I know I should have done it first, but I checked Wikipedia for the history of Broome county. It was there I learned that Broome County was split off from Tioga County in 1806.[iii] So, I would expect the family to show in the Tioga county census in 1800 and Broome County in 1810.
I also learned that the area that is now Lisle was first settled by whites around 1791; and that, in 1831, Lisle was divided into four, creating three new towns, Barker, Nanticoke, and Triangle[iv]. So seeing that Joel and Tamise (Sutherland) Taft lived in Lisle in 1830 and in Barker in 1840 doesn’t mean they moved.
1800 Census
With the 1800 boundaries in mind, searching for Fanny’s mother Mary was much easier. As the head of a household in Lisle, Tioga County, I found Mary Southerland, the second from the bottom on page 3 of 5 (Pages 244-245). These are difficult sheets to read as there is an unnatural split of pages between the column for males under 26 and males over 45. The column, which should be “males under 45”, is virtually unreadable.
800 Census, New York, Tioga, Lisle – Mary Southerland (click image to see full screen)
After carefully reviewing the entry, I read:
1800 Census – Tioga County, New York, Pages 244 & 245
Head Mary Southerland
Males <10 2 Probably Phineas and Lot, ages 9 & 8.
Males 10-16 1 Probably Josiah, Age 11.
Males 16-26 1 Possibly David, age 15/16.
Males 26-45
Males > 45
Females <10 1 Tamise should be 4 years old.
Females 10-16 2 Must be sisters Candice and Eliza ages 13
Females 16-26 1 Must be Mary but she should be 29.
Females 26-45
Females > 45
So, the children of Reuben and Mary (Lewis) Sutherland that I know about are accounted for. However, there are two children, Justus and Lewis, born in 1799 and 1800 respectively, who some researchers indicate are also the children of Reuben and Mary. They are not mentioned in the 1800 Census; however, I have not confirmed those two children in my research.
1810 Census
The 1810 Census is much more problematic. A review of that Census indicates that only Berkshire, Chenango, and Union townships appear to be enumerated in the 1810 Census for Broome County. The town of Lisle was formed from Union in 1801, so it should be listed in the 1810 Census; however, it is not. As such, I do not anticipate finding Tamise in the 1810 Census.
Endnotes:
[i] In various records Tamise was reported as Tammy and Fanny. Likewise, her surname was reported sometimes as Sutherland and sometimes Southerland.
[ii] Family Group Record, Family Search, Joel Cruff Taft (K8BN-FDM) – See File: 20170512 Family K8BN-FDM.pdf. Marriage Place: Triangle, Broome, New York, United States.
[iii] Tioga county split off of Montgomery in 1791, Montgomery county was the rename of Tryon county after the Revolutionary War and that Tryon county was split from Albany county in 1772.
Ancestry indicates that the surname Oertli is a Swiss-German variant of Örtel, and that is a variant form of Ertel. Ertel is a South German name from Old Hi German ort, meaning ‘point (of a sword or lance).’ Forebears confirms the name comes from “point of the sword.”
Geographical
Forebears indicates there are only about 1,171 people in the world with the Oertli surname. Over half of them, 666, live in Switzerland, and most of the rest live in the United States. In the US, more Oertli’s live in Texas than any other state.
Direct Oertli Ancestors
None of my wife’s direct Oertli ancestors immigrated to the United States. However, her 3rd great-grandmother, Anna Maria Oertli, married Bernhart Trümpi and came to the US as a Trümpi sometime before 1880. There are two lines of Oertli’s in my wife’s ancestors. The second line begins with Barbara Oertli who married Joachim Heinrich Kok (Koch) in 1865 in Ennenda, Glarus, Switzerland. Their daughter, Bertha, married Bernhart’s son, Bernhard Trümpi.
3rd Great-Grandmother: Anna Maria Oertli (1823-1896)
5th Great-Grandfather: Johannes Oertli (1773-1837)
With two Oertli families both living in Canton Glarus, Switzerland, it is likely the two families are related, but I have not found a relationship between the two families yet.
Direct Oertli Descendants
Othmar Oertli (1745-1819) married Anna Maria Frueler in 1767 in Glarus, Switzerland. Benjamin Darling in 1708. My records have identified 122 direct-line descendants of Othmar and Anna Marie.
Johannes Oertli married Elizabeth on 21 February 1802 in Ennenda, Glarus, Switzerland. My records have identified 88 direct-line descendants of Johannes and Elizabeth.[i]
I have not independently researched any of the Oertli ancestors’ lives.[ii] As such, I consider all Oertli ancestors as “tentative.”
Famous Oertli’s
Brigitte Oertli is a Swiss alpine skier born in Egg, Switzerland, in 1962. She won silver medals in Downhill and Alpine Combined during the 1988 Winter Olympics and is a four-time Women’s Alpine combination World Cup winner[iii].
Heinz Oertli founded Oertli Switzerland, a manufacturer of surgical instruments used in eye surgery[iv].
Minor planet 16167 Oertli was named for the 2002 Intel Science Talent Search finalist, Nichole Anne Oertli.[v]
[ii] Most of the tentative Oertli ancestors I have are based upon the work of Patrick A. Wild from Pedigree Chart for Shirley Elizabeth Darling: Following the Trümpy line in Glarus (2021).
This week, for Photo Friday, I identify the people in five more envelopes from the Ethel Wight Studio Collection[i]. The envelopes contain the names who paid for the photos, not necessarily of the individual portrayed in the image. As such, it is vital to analyze the pictures and information to identify the individual therein.[ii] Ultimately, my goal is to reunite the photos with family members who may have never seen the image.
Catherine Hagen, circa 1935
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Catherine Hagen, 47 Fallbrook St. #229.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Catherine I Hagen living at 47 Fall brook. Also at that address are George H (Minnie A) Hagen and Marion C Hagen.
The 1940 Census places Catherine living with her parents, George H and Mamie A Hagen, at 47 Fallbrook Street, Portland.
Ancestry Family Trees suggests Catherine I Hagen, the daughter of George H and Mary A (Minnie) McDonald Hagen, was born on 10 September 1904.
This is a photo of Catherine from about 1935 when she was about 30 years old.
Family Search identifies Catherine Hagen, daughter of George H and Mary Agnes (McDonald) Hagen, as ID GMFG-CPM. Five trees at Ancestry.Com refer to Catherine Hagen.
I have uploaded two photos of Catherine to her Family Search Memories. I also uploaded one additional photo of her to my Flickr photostream.
Eleanor Gwarjanski, circa 1936
The envelope this negative was in says, “Miss Eleanor Gwarjanski, 8 Trowbridge Place, #1091.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1940 Census lists Eleanor Gwarjanski living with her mother, Florence A. Gwarjanski, at 8 Trow Bridge. Eleanor was 21 years old.
This same photo was used in the 1936 Portland High School Yearbook. The picture is definitely of Eleanor Florence Gwarjanski in 1936.
Family Search does not appear to have a profile for Eleanor Florence Gwarjanski; however, she is found in six trees at Ancestry.Com
The envelope this negative was in says, “Mr. Alfred Haley, 706 WashingtonAve #393.”
Why I believe this to be the individual.
The 1935 Portland City Directory lists Harry L Haley as a grocer at 706 Washington Ave and residing at 704 Washington. His wife is Susan L Haley.
The 1940 US Census lists Alfred W. Haley, living with his mother, Susan L Haley, at 4 Kendall Street. Alfred is 21 years old.
Based upon the photo’s ID Number (#393), the picture was likely taken in 1935, when Alfred was about 16 years old.
Family Search identifies Alfred Henry Haley, the son of Harry L and Susan L (Murray) Haley, born on 25 May 1918 as ID LY1S-34H. Nine Ancestry trees refer to Alfred Henry Haley.
I fully identified all five individuals. Two of them had Family Search profiles, so I posted their photos to Family Search Three of them did not have Family Search profiles, so I posted those photos to Dead Fred.
All five had more than two photo images in their packages, so I uploaded them to my Flickr photostream.
For all of the Ethel Wight Collection analysis, please see here.
Final Note
If any of these photos are of your family member, I would love to hear your reaction. Especially if this photo is of a loved one for whom you hadn’t seen this photograph before.
Endnotes
[i] The Wight Studio was in Portland, Maine. Many thanks to Ethel Wight’s family for access to and permission to use the collection of their great aunt.
[ii] These images were converted to positives using a lightbox, a Nikon camera and computer software.
Overview
