The Butterfield Bible – Part 4 – Success!

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Don Taylor

Cover of the Daisy Butterfield Bible

Some weeks ago, I received a copy of an 1889 “Butterfield Bible” from a friend who asked that I share its contents with the “Genealogy World.” During the ensuing weeks, I digitized, transcribed, and posted the contents of the Family sections of the bible.  (Part 1 – Births | Part 2 – Marriages | Part 3 – Deaths)  In the “Final Comment” in Part 3 about the bible, I stated, “If you are a descendant of Sarah Ella “Daisy” (Butterfield) Larrabee (1879-1953), please contact me. I would love to reunite this bible with its family.”

Well, wow! I love it when a plan comes together. Three days after the blog article posted, John Hiatt contacted me. Daisy (the original owner of the bible) is John’s 2nd great-aunt (his grandmother’s aunt. His grandmother and Daisy were raised in the same household, so they were very close.

Anyway, I was able to send the bible to him and reunite the bible to its family.  John is interested in his family’s genealogy and he and his sister are very excited to add the heirloom bible to their family history.

I am glad I could help restore the heirloom bible to its family. It is a good day.

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James Walter – Buried in Ohio

Posted on March 24, 2020 by Don Taylor

James Walter (1752-1838) – Revolutionary War Soldier was buried in Lancaster, Fairfield County, Ohio

Darling-Swayze-Walter
By Don Taylor

In my searches for information on my wife’s 4th great-grandfather, James Walker (1752-1838), I kept running into a source that seemed to be the source used in many other people’s trees but was not cited. Eventually, I determined the mystery source. It was, The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in the State of Ohio. It was compiled under the Direction of Frank D. Henderson, The Adjutant General.  A copy of the book is available online at one of my favorite sites, Archive.Org.

Document Image

Roster of Revolutionary War Soldiers buried in Ohio – Page 385 – James Walter

Transcription

On page 385 is an entry for Walter, James, (Fairfield Co.). It reads:

WALTER, JAMES, (Fairfield Co.)

Sgt “Forage Master.” Br Maryland, 1759. Mar Margaret Ann Levan, of Maryland, after the Revolutionary war, date not known. Children : Nancy, mar Leevir ; Elkanah, mar Rachel Decker ; Catherine Ann Dent, mar David Levayzee , Eliz, mar Chas Stockard 1, James Gurley 2; James, mar Polly ___  John, mar Belinda Reese. D May 10, 1838, Lancaster, O. Bur Old Methodist Cem and City Burial Plot Lancaster, O. Cem converted into park, bodies moved to new Cem in Lancaster, marking on head stone obliterated and identification impossible. MI: “James Walter, died May 10, 1838, aged 80 years, 2 mo, 23 da.”_ Jan 4, 1804 received transfer of 400 acres in Ky for serv in Rev War. Deeded in Frederick Co, Va. His name appears on a muster roll of a detachment of artillery commanded by Capt Lt Booker, belonging to the 1st Regt, dated Camp near Bacon Bridge, Apr 2, 1782, covering the months of Jan, Feb and Mch, 1782, which shows that he enlisted for the war. Ref: Natl No 12581 James Lincoln (Capt) Mass. Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly Vol 3, p 74. Letter fr War Dept signed “Lutz Wahl,, Brigadier Gen, Acting the Adj Gen, by E. W. M.” Fur infor War Dept The Adj Gen Office Washington.

Discussion

I know there are a few errors. Certainly “Margaret Ann Levan” is Margaret Ann Swan and “David Levayzee” is David Swayzee. I’ve seen handwriting where a capital “S” could look like an “Le,” so, I understand the possibility for errors of this type. Also, the birthdate is not consistent with other sources.

Conclusion

Although I know there are minor errors in the entry, I’m tentatively accepting the following as facts:

James Walter

  • Born:   1759 in Maryland [Inconsistent – Alternate]
  • AKA:    “Forage Master”
  • Military Service:          Was a Sergeant in the Revolutionary War.
  • Military Service:          Assigned to an Artillery detachment commanded by Capt Lt Booker, belonging to the 1st Regt, dated Camp near Bacon Bridge, Apr 2, 1782, covering the months of Jan, Feb and Mch, 1782.
  • Marriage:        Margaret Ann Levan [Swan] after April 19, 1783.
  • Children:
    • Nancy, married Leevir [possibly Sevir];
    • Elkanah, married Rachel Decker ;
    • Catherine Ann Dent, married David Levayzee [Swayzee],
    • Eliz, married Chas Stockard 1, James Gurley 2;
    • James, married Polly ___
    • John, married Belinda Reese.
  • Property: 1804 received transfer of 400 acres in Ky for serv in Rev War. Deed in Frederick Co, Va.
  • Died: May 10, 1838, Lancaster, O.
  • Buried: Old Methodist Cemetery – reinterred: City Burial Plot Lancaster, Ohio. Cemetery
  • Headstone obliterated.
  • Note: Margaret Ann Levan [Swan] was “of Maryland”

Future Actions

This record embodies my experiences that finding one record leads to a dozen other things to research. In this case, I want to do the following future actions:

  1. Assess the birth records for James Walter.
  2. Learn more about Captain Lt. Booker and the 1st
  3. Learn more about the Camp near Bacon Bridge.
  4. Research further his marriage date to Margaret Swan.
  5. Research his land in Kentucky.
  6. Review DAR Natl No 12581 James Lincoln (Capt) Mass. and determine how that record fits with James Walter.
  7. Review Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly Vol 3, p 74. Letter fr War Dept signed “Lutz Wahl, Brigadier Gen, Acting the Adj Gen, by E. W. M.”

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Ancestor Sketch – Mercy Gay

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Don Taylor

Brown-Sanford-Gay
By Don Taylor

Photo of Don Taylor with cat Nasi.Mercy Gay was born into a leading Connecticut family. She married and removed to Vermont where she and her husband were early settlers. When her husband died in 1813, she moved west with family members to western New York where she died at 79 years of age.

Roberts/Brown – Ancestor #201

List of Grandparents

Mercy Gay (1761-1841)

Birth

Mercy was born 16 September 1761 in Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, only 22 years after Sharon Town was incorporated. Mercy was the daughter of John Gay. John Gay is considered to be among the “first settlers of the town,” having purchased the town’s 39th lot from Israel Holley in 1743. She had at four brothers, John, Ebenezer, Fisher, and Perez.[i]

Marriage

Mercy married Ezra Clugston Sanford on 11 Oct 1786. Mercy was 25 years old and Ezra was two years her junior.  Together, they probably had five children.

    • FNU Daughter 1 – Born between 1787 and 1789. She probably died before 1800
    • Electa Sanford – Born 1790 in Litchfield, CT; Died 1819 in Byron, NY.
    • Ezra Gay Sanford – Born 1792 in Pownal, VT; Died 1855 in Tecumsch, MI.
    • Sally Sanford – Born 1796 in Pownal, VT; Died 1881 in Byron, NY.
    • Lucy Sanford – Born 1799 in Pownal, VT; Died ca. 1870.

Adult Events

  • The 1790 Census shows Ezra Sanford living in Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut with 3 females in his household. One of the females in the household must be his wife, Mercy. One of the other females is probably Electa, who was born in 1790 and one is possibly an unknown Sanford daughter probably born between 1787 and 1789.
  • 1792 Move to Pownal. Ezra and Mercy removed from Sharon to Pownal, Vermont in February 1792.
  • The 1800 Census shows the Ezra Sanford household living in Pownal, Bennington County, Vermont. Living in the household is Ezra and two other males as well as 4 females. Ezra, Junior, would have been 8 years old and is apparently the one male under 10. Lucy (age 1), Sarah (age 4), Electa (age 10), and Mercy (age 39) are all accounted for in the Census. Also living in the household is an unknown male, aged between 26 and 45.
  • 1810 Census – I thought I was unable to find the Ezra Sanford household in the 1810 Census. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the John Samford enumerated in Pownal, Bennington County, Vermont had to be Ezra. Ezra Junior would have been 17 and Ezra would be 47. Mercy and the daughters, all fit the family unit for John Samford. There are no entries for any Samford in any of the previous or subsequent census records, so I’m fairly confident this is Ezra and Mercy.
  • 1813 – Death of Ezra. Ezra died on 22 June 1813 at the age of 50 years, 2 months. Mercy was granted the guardianship of their 14-year-old daughter, Lucy, and “received several parcels of land from the estate of Ezra Sanford.”
  • 1820 Census – Mercy appears to be living with her son-in-law, Dewey Miller in Bergen, Genesee County, New York.
  • In 1820, the town of Byron was incorporated from part of the town of Bergen.
  • 1830 Census – The Mercy Sanford household of Byron, New York, consists of 1 Female, 60 to 70 years old (Mercy) and a young male (from 10 to 15 years old). My suspicion it is likely a grandson, or even a great-grandson helping to take care of the masculine chores of the household.
  • 1840 Census – There isn’t a Mercy Sanford in the 1840 Census. However, there is a Mary Sanford of the correct age whose neighbors are many of the same people as were neighbors to Mercy during the 1830 Census. The neighbors include David Shed, Erastus Hamond, and Stephen Clark. The entry for Mary (Mercy) Sanford household is:
    • 1 Male 10 to 15 – Unknown male.
    • 1 Female 70 to 80 – Mercy (Gay) Sanford

Apparently, Mercy has another young male helping in the household.

  • Mercy (Gay) Sanford died on 1 May 1841 in Byron, Genesee County, New York. She is buried in the North Byron Cemetery.

Events by Location
Life Events of Mercy Gay Sanford
(1761-1841)

Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut: Birth – 1761; Marriage – 1786.
Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut: Lived 1790.
Pownal, Bennington, Vermont: Lived – 1792; Lived 1800; lived 1810.
Bergen/Byron, Genesee, New York: Lived 1820, 1830, 1840, Death 1841, and Burial, 1841.

————–  Disclaimer  ————–

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Blanchard Project Photos – Part 1 of 2

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Don Taylor

Blanchard Project
Utterstrom/Halverson
Photo Friday

I recently received a group of 13 photos all relating to people in my Blanchard project—one Cassidy, four Utterstroms, seven Halversons, and 1 blurry photo. Today, I’ll look at the seven Halverson photos. I’ll look at the Cassidy and Utterstrom photos sometime in the near future. The last photo, the blurry one, I’ll use as a test photo when I review “Vivid Pix Restore,” software.

Blanchard Project

Alfred Halverson, Jr - ca. 1933“Alfred Halverson, Jr – ca. 1933” has the general appearance of a high school senior graduation photo. Alfred was born on 23 January 1915. If this is a graduation photo, I’d estimate his graduation to be about 1933. I added his photo to my project. I also created an entry for Alfred Halverson on Family Search (GQK7-D2G) and posted the photo (and photo back) there.

 

Alfred Halverson Jr - ca. 1917“Alfred Halverson Jr – ca. 1917” is a cute baby photo. The clarity of the face is excellent. There was no date associated with the photo, however, Alfred was born in 1915 and I estimate the child in the photo to be about two years old, so I’ve ascribed a date of ca. 1917. I added it to my project and a to Alfred Halverson on Family Search (GQK7-D2G).

 

Clarence Halverson - ca. 1890s“Clarence Halverson – ca. 1890s.” Besides his name, the back of the photo says, “Father of Clifford Leon Halverson and husband of Mabel Halverson.” Clarence died at the age of 33 in 1903, so the photo is definitely before that. I estimate the late 1890s. I added this photo to my project and to Clarence Halverson on Family Search (LLQB-JTH).

Clifford Halverson - ca. 1900“Clifford Halverson – ca. 1900.”  The back of this photo is filled with information. It reads, “Son of Clarence Halverson | Clifford Halverson| Phil’s Brother | Betty & Beverly’s Uncle | Died age 15 Blood Poison | Pimple nose got infected – Scratched pimple | Gardiner, Maine.” Oh my! Sometimes it is easy to forget just how fragile life was before the advent of antibiotics. The photo indicates Clifford died at age 15; however, the burial record with the Evangelical Lutheran Church indicates he died 15 September 1912 at the age of 17.[i] That suggests his birth was 1894 to 1895. My estimate is that the child in this photo is about 5 or six years old, making the photo ca. 1900. [Note: The photo was damaged (long ago). It appears to me that someone scribbled his face and body probably as a carry through from scribbling on a document on top of this one.] I added this photo to my project and to Clifford Leon Halverson on Family Search (LLQB-VLJ).

Hanna Mathilda Halverson - ca. 1885“Hanna Mathilda Halverson – ca. 1885.” This photo originally indicated the first name of “Hanna,” however, a secondary identification and all other records that I have indicate her name was Hannah. The back of the photo indicates “Al and Bill’s Grandmother.”  Also, the date “1885?” written in the secondary hand suggests the year was the estimate of someone. The photo type and appearance seem to be consistent with the mid-1800s, so I kept that date.   I added this photo to my project and to Hannah M. Halverson on Family Search (L1QQ-PCK).

Harold Halverson (Hannah's Brother) - ca 1880s“Harold Halverson (Hannah’s Brother) – ca 1880s.” Very faintly, the back of the photo appears to read “Little Harold.” In a later hand, it reads “Uncle Harold Halverson | Hanna’s Brother,” and in an even more recent hand it reads “Harold Haverson Hannah’s Brother.” Harold Theodore Halverson was born in Norway, probably in 1878. In 1883 the family immigrated to Boston where this photo had been taken. The family relocated to Deering [now Portland] Maine by 1889. So, this photo must have been taken between 1883 and 1889. The boy in this photo appears to me to be about 11 years old. If so, the photo would have been taken about early in 1889. I added this photo to my project and to Harold Theodore Halverson on Family Search (L5FG-7K3).

Mary Halverson - ca 1890s“Mary Halverson – ca 1890s.” The final photo in this Halverson collection is a photo of Mary Halverson. The back said, “Hannah’s sister | Mary Halverson.” In a newer pen, there is an entry that says, “died of TB” and “1890?”  My records didn’t have a Mary Halverson, however, I do have a Maren Halverson. Maren was born in 1868 and died in 1893. The Halverson’s moved to Maine in 1889.  The woman in this photo appears to be in her mid-‘20s. Consequently, I’m confident that is a photo of Mary Halverson taken between 1889 and 1893. I added this photo to my project and to Mary Halverson on Family Search (M69L-RVB).

Final Note

If you are related to the Halverson Family and have photos you can share, I’d love to hear from you. Please use the comment form below. Add “PRIVATE” to the subject line if you do NOT want your comment published to the website.

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Chin Chin – Lyceum Theatre – Paterson, NJ – May 7th & 8th 1920.

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Don Taylor

Donna Montran and “Chin Chin” play at the Lyceum Theatre in Paterson, New Jersey on 7 & 8 May 1920.

Donna Montran
Chin Chin
Vaudeville

“Chin Chin” played in Wilkes-Barre, PA on May 4th.  I haven’t determined where the show was on May 5th or 6th. However, by the 7th, it had progressed the 110 miles east to Patterson.

Preshow Advertising

Advertising for the show began with a May 1st article:[i]

“Chin Chin” to Come to Lyceum

Manager Guggenheim of the Lyceum Theatre, Patterson, has secured Charles Dillingham’s only company presenting that wonderful spectacle of “Chin Chin”, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, with a matinee Saturday. This riot of fun, feast of music and bevy of feminine beauty appeared at the Globe theatre in New York for two solid years and is heralded as the greatest musical comedy success emanating from the gay white way. In the leading comedy roles are Walter Wills and Roy Binder.

In this musically rich show spontaneous approval is always accorded such melodious turns as “Good-Bye Girls, I’m Through”, “Love Moon”, The Grey Moon”, “Go Gar Sig Gong-Jue”. The comedy song, and “The Ragging of the Rag of Rags”.-adv.

Show Advertising

The Morning Call – Sat, May 8, 1920

Advertising continued daily through the last ad in both the Patterson and the Passaic newspapers. The show played on May 7th and the May 8th issue of The Morning Call (Patterson, NY) had a call-out which mentioned Donna. It said, in part,

Interwoven into this sparkling comedy of melody is a fairy-tale romance, bringing into play Aladdin and his lamp. Donna Montran, impersonating Violet, meets Aladdin (Star Dunham) at a toy bazar. You all know the story of the mysterious lamp. Suffice it to say that whoever secures the lamp may have any wish granted as it is wished. Aladdin wished for Violet. He got her. Not until the lamp had brought many complications, however.

Post Show Info

I’m not sure where the show went from there, but five days later it had worked its way 175 miles north to Bennington, Vermont.

Lyceum Theatre – Patterson, NJ

The theater was located at 125 Van Houten St., next door to the local fire station, and had a seating capacity of 1,950.

Specifications for the Lyceum Theatre[ii]

The Lyceum is on the right beyond the fire station.

Front to back wall: 45 ft
Between side walls: 80 ft
Between fly girders: 10 ft
To rigging loft: 52 ft

Newspapers —”Chronicle,” “Call,” “News,” “Press,” “Passaic News,” “Herald.”  I haven’t found the “Chronicle” or the “Press” issues.

What Happened to the Theater

On March 22, 1931, the Paterson Lyceum theater burned to the ground.[iii]

Today

Today, the location the Paterson Lyceum theater occupied is a parking ramp.

Disclaimer

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Endnotes

[i] Passaic Daily Herald (Passaic, New Jersey) · Sat, May 1, 1920, · Page 4, Column 1.jpg

[ii] The Julius Cahn-Gus Hill Theatrical Guide And Moving Picture Directory. New York, N.Y.: Julius Cahn-Gus Hill, 1921. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924063709764?urlappend=%3Bseq=300 accessed 12 March 2020.

[iii] “PATERSON FIRE JOURNAL & NORTH JERSEY FIRE HISTORY”. Patersonfirejournal.Blogspot.Com. Accessed March 12, 2020. https://patersonfirejournal.blogspot.com/2015/.

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