I recently received a copy of the “Butterfield Bible” from a friend who asked that I share its contents with the “Genealogy World.” The bible is an 1889 edition that appears to have originally been owned by Daisy E. Butterfield of Marseilles, Illinois, who put her name inside the front cover in 1889. The section between the Old and New Testaments includes “Family Record” sheets for Marriages, Births, and Deaths. This is a transcript of the “Deaths.”
Deaths
Deaths entered in the Bible
Daisy Butterfield Bible – Deaths
Lottie Butterfield – July 16, 1877.
Charlie Butterfield – Dec 14, 1873.
Fannie Leora Eichelberger – Jan 29, 1898.
P. A. Butterfield – April 23, 1913.
Sarah A. Butterfield – March 5, 1923.
Melvin K. Parr – husband of Lois Antoinette Butterfield Parr in Los Angeles, Calif.[i] [1928?]
Fredrich M. Eichelberger, husband of Alice M. Butterfield Eichelberger in Long Beach California.[ii] [1928?]
Louis Augustus Butterfield – Jan. 5th, 1942 – Marseille, Ills.
[i] The date of 1928 is somewhat disconnected from the entry for Melvin Parr and for Fredrick Eichelberger. The date clearly applies to one or the other, but this document doesn’t provide clear evidence.
During my ancestor sketch for Sadie Walters, I learned that Patten, Kennebec County, Maine, was settled about 1828 and incorporated in 1841. Sadie was born in 1887 in Patten, Maine and her parents were born in Patten as well. So, I wondered, just when did Sadie’s people come to Patten. Sadie’s parents were William G. Waters and Laura M. Swett.
I decided to look first at the Waters of Patten, Maine, as they appear in the 1880 Census records.
1880 Population Schedule
A search of the 1880 Census for “Waters” in Patten, Maine, had 12 results in four-family units:
George Waters, Age 67 – Widower – Farmer
Daughter – Elen M. Waters, Age 40
Son – Willie G. Waters, Age 22 – works on a farm.
Samuel Waters, age 65 – Farmer
Wife – Frances E. Waters, age 41
Daughter – Emily Waters, age 14 – Attended School.
Adopted Daughter – Mary I. Waters, age 24 – Teacher.
William Waters, Age 60 – Farmer
Wife – Olive T. Waters, Age 33
Daughter – Alice M. Waters, Age 10 – Attended School.
Son – William L Waters, Age 8 – Attended School.
Niece – Emily A Rowe, Age 19 – Teacher
Nephew – George E Rowe, Age 23 – Teacher
Eunice W. Waters, Age 64 – Mother of Lonsen Grant.
(Son) – Lonsen Grant, Age 37, farmer
Willie G. Waters is clearly the William G. Waters that I have in my records and Sadie A. Water’s father, who was born in January 1858. Thanks to the 1880 Census, I’ve learned that William’s father was George Waters, born c. 1813 and Willie G. had a much older sister, Elen, who was 18 years older, born about 1840.
George Waters Family entry in the 1880 Census.
I find it very interesting that George, Samuel, and William Waters are all in the 60s, all were born in Maine, and all of there parents were born in Maine. So, I suspect that the three are brothers. A look at earlier census records may provide a clearer look and either confirm or rebuke that hypothesis.
Non-population Schedules
The 1880 Agricultural Census Schedule lists the farm information regarding each of the Waters’ farms.
George had 100 acres of land, 60 of which was tilled. In 1879, he had two horses, three milch (milk) cows, 18 sheep from which he got 100 pounds of fleece, and 20 chickens. He had 5 acres in oats, 3 acres in wheat, 1 acre of potatoes, 2 acres of apple trees. Altogether, George’s farm was valued at $1,539.
Samuel and William’s farms were slightly larger at 150 acres and valued at $1,775 and $1,780, respectively.
Future Actions
Next – Review the 1870 Census records.
Research property records for the Waters of Paten, Maine.
Sources:
1880 Census, Lonsen M. Grant (Head) – Patten, Penobscot, Maine – Eunice W. Waters (Mother). 1880; Census Place: Patten, Penobscot, Maine; Roll: 485; Page: 386A; Enumeration District: 001.
I recently received a copy of the “Butterfield Bible” from a friend who asked that I share its contents with the “Genealogy World.” The bible is an 1889 edition that appears to have originally been owned by Daisy E. Butterfield of Marseilles, Illinois, who put her name inside the front cover in 1889. Sarah “Daisy” Butterfield was born 20 February 1879, so she would have been 10-years-old in 1889. The section between the Old and New Testaments includes “Family Record” sheets for Marriages, Births, and Deaths. This is a transcript of the “Marriages.” Besides the entries in the Bible, there is an additional paper with 2½ pages of marriages.
Marriages
Marriages entered in the Bible
Marriages
A. Butterfield & Sarah Drackley – Nov 1st 1860 – Manlius Twp.[i] Ills.
Fannie Butterfield & Lewis M. Eddy – Dec 27 1881 – Marseilles, Ills.
Alice M. Butterfield & Fred. M. Eichelberger – June 29, 1887 – Marseilles, Ills.
Louis A Butterfield & Edith Zimmerman – Feb 12, 1901 – Manlius Twp. Ills.
Josephine Eddy – James B. Wideman – Nov. 26, 1903 – Chicago, Ills.
Sarah E. Butterfield & Walter F. Larrabee – Dec 20, 1904 – Seneca, Ills.
Louis E. Larrabee & Marion Wiggin – Oct 9, 1930 – Scarborough, ME[ii]
Stephen Harris Larrabee & Hannah Isabel Latimer – Nov 16 – 1935 – In Buenos Aires, Argentina[iii]
There is only one page of marriages in the book, however, there is a separate sheet of paper that contains a continued sheet of Marriages. It says:
Family Record – Continued – Marriages (front)
Blanche Eddy & Hugh Herbert Britton – Chicago – Feb. 27, 1914.
Hazel Eddy & John William Lindner – Chicago – Feb 27, 1914.
Fannie Eddy & Richard Wade Webster – Marseilles, Ills. – March 2, 1915.
Katherine Sarah Butterfield & Floyd E. Roberts – Chicago, Ills. (no date entered)
Emma Lou Butterfield & Donald W Zimm- – Seneca, Ills. – June 1930.
Louis E Larrabee – Marion Wiggin – Scarboro Beach, Me. – Oct 9, 1930.
Stephen Harris Larrabee & Hanna Isabel Latimer – Buenos Aires, Argentina, So. Am – Nov 10, 1935.
Family Record – Continued – Marriages (Inside left)
Elenore Wideman & John Evan Picton – Aug. 2nd 1924
Blanche Wideman & Fred B. Scott – Aug 6, 1925.
Leola Eichelber & George Hobsow – Dec 23, 1908.
Phiranda A Butterfield (Phillip( & Mary Hustava – July 18, 1931.
Albert Will Butterfield & Cathleen Stady – June 12 – 1938 – Cairo, Ills
Richard Wade Webster, Jr. & Mildred Wahl (no date provided)
Rita Sarah Webster (Fanny Eddy Webster) & Jack Hiatt (no date provided)
Robert Arthur Webster & Jean Marie Russeth – June 10th, 1944 – Nerstrand, Minnesota
Family Record – Continued – Marriages (Inside right)
Lean E. Britton & Emil C. Seidel (dau Blanche Eddy Britton) – June 27, 1940 – Dubuque, Iowa.
Russell Laurin Butterfield & Mrs. Bernice Carr (son Louis A Butterfield) – Jan 16, 1943 – LaSalle, Ills.
Leola Eichelberger Hobson & Edwin W. Schaub – Jan 1943 – in Calif.
Robert Arthur Webster and
Endnotes
[i] There are two Manlius Townships in Illinois. One is in Bureau County and the other is in LaSalle County. One is about 60 miles west of Marseilles, Illinois and the other is about six miles east of Marseilles. I presume the Manlius Township mentioned here is the one in LaSalle County.
[ii] The marriage of Louis Larrabee to Marion Wiggin is repeated on continuation sheet 1 (front).
[iii] The marriage of Stephen Larrabee to Hannah Latimer is repeated on continuation sheet 1 (front).
I only had a chance to look at four photos this week. I’m sure I identified one of them. One of the images I believe I’ve identified, and one is a complete unknown. The last photo is a location, probably in North Yarmouth.
Family Search
“Minerva Kenrick” is the photo of a woman probably in her late 30s to early 50s. She appears to be wearing some kind of funky hat. My review indicated there were two people in Maine named Minerva Kenrick.
1850 – The first Minerva Kenrick, born about 1809, is the apparent wife of Francis Kenrick living in China, Kennebec County.
1860 – A Minerva Kenrick, born about 1808, is the apparent wife of Francis Kenrick residing in Fairfield, Somerset County.
1870 – A Minerva Kendrick, born about 1810, is the apparent mother of Edward Kenrick living in Waterville, Kennebec County.
1875 – Minerva Crowell Kenrick, born December 6, 1808, died August 19, 1875, in Waterville, Kennebec County, and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery.
—–
Minerva Kenrick
1900 – A second Minerva Kenrick was born in March 1872; she appears as a boarder in Portland, Cumberland County in 1900.
1910 – A Minerva born about 1871, is the head of a household including her mother (Mary), ten nurses and six domestics in Portland, Cumberland County.
1920 – a Minerva, born about 1873, appears as a boarder in Portland, Cumberland County.
1922 – Minerva Kenrick, born in 1872, died on January 18, 1922, in Portland, Cumberland County.
1922 – Minerva Kenrick, born February 18, 1871, died January 18, 1922, in Portland and was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery, Waterville, Kennebec County.
Clearly, there were two Minerva Kenrick’s in Maine. One lived long before this photo was taken. The other died at 50 during the early 1920s. This photo most assuredly is the second Minerva Kendrick (1871-1922), who appears to have never married.
Dead Fred
“Mrs. Kimball – Mrs. Kendall’s mother” is a photo of a woman on a couch with a chair nearby. The picture is “artsy,” having been taken from very low, below table height.
I didn’t find anything in Family Search, but a search on Ancestry led to my suspicion that the photo is of Sarah M (Parker) Kimball (1834-1900), whose daughter, Susan married Edgar Kendall in 1896 in Milford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. It fits that this could be a photo of Sarah between 1896 and her death in 1900.
Other
“Unknown – April 21, ’06 – lived in No. Berwick” is a photo of an unnamed woman. I sent an email (with digital image) to the North Berwick Historical Society to see if someone there might be able to identify the individual.
Places
“Wescustigo Valley Farm” – The barn has a sign indicating 1872. My internet research suggests that this might be located in North Yarmouth. I emailed them to confirm.
Final Note
If you are related to any of these families and can help precisely identify them, I’d love to hear from you.
I was recently asked about my organizational methods for writing family histories and family sketches. To add life to my family sketches, I like to add historical occurrences during critical times in an ancestor’s life. For example, I found it interesting to know that the month before I was born, North Korea invaded South Korea. That was the beginning of the Korean War and President Harry S. Truman ordered US Forces into the conflict as my mother was traveling to Oregon to give birth to me.
As I add historical events to my ancestor’s stories, I try to focus on several critical events in a person’s life, so that I can understand what is going on around them and how that might have affected them, their parents, or their children. I consider birth, graduation, marriage, death of a spouse, and death as particularly significant.
To facilitate investigating historical events during a person’s life, I use browser (Chrome) bookmarks to facilitate my learning about those events. I have about a dozen bookmarks; some are date-based, some are location-based. Depending upon the ancestor, when they lived and where they lived, I may use any or all of them.
As an example, I’m looking at the events of my fifth great-grandmother, Mercy (Gay) Sanford.
Mercy was born in 1761 in Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
She married Ezra Clugston Sanford in 1786 in Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Ezra died in July 1813 in Pownal, Bennington County, Vermont.
She died in 1841 in Byron, Genesee County, New York.
So, what can I learn about the events that may have affected Mercy’s life?
Our Timelines
One of my favorite sites for this is www.OurTimeLines.Com. On the left is a menu and a selection for “Timeline.” Enter the person’s name, birth year, and death year then click [Generate Timeline!]
Quickly the timeline let me know that King George III (Hanover) was king when she was born and the Revolution had to play a significant role in her early life experiences. Shortly after her marriage, the Constitutional Congress approved the Constitution. In 1813, when Ezra died, the War of 1812 was well underway. When she died in 1841, John Tyler was president.
Wikipedia
My second favorite site for this type of inquiry is Wikipedia. Just go to www.wikipedia.org and enter the year of interest. In the case of 1761, I learned that on November 7th, the New London Harbor Light was first lit. Sharon is over 100 miles away from New London, so I suspect the lighting of the lighthouse was not a significant event for the Gay family, but it might have been. In 1786, Connecticut ceded the land west of the Western Reserve, which is now part of Ohio. 1813 was a year that was all about the war. Did Ezra die in or because of the war? That is a new research area. Next, still on Wikipedia, I’d look quickly at the history of various towns where Mercy lived. Byron was incorporated from part of the town of Bergen in 1820. That lets me know that there probably wasn’t an actual move when Mercy was in Bergen in 1820 and Byron in 1830.
Chronicling America
Chronicling America can often be useful. Sadly, their archive begins in 1789, so Mercy’s early life won’t be there. In her later life, she lived in such small towns there doesn’t seem to be any papers from where Mercy lived archived on Chronicling America.
On This Day
Another fun site to look for items of history is www.OnThisDay.Com. Enter a year, and learn lots of things that were going on. I noticed that the US Congress chose the dollar as the monetary unit for the USA in 1786, when Mercy married, and Mexico declared independence from Spain in November 1813 the year Ezra died.
Family Tree Maker Timeline
Typically, I use Family Tree Maker looking at facts; however, there is also a tab to use Family Tree Maker in the “Timeline” mode. On that page, there is an option to add “Family Events” and to include “Historical Events.” That way you may see what happened during an individual’s life. I can incorporate bits of these informative events into my sketch of Mercy’s life sketch. The Family Tree Maker Timeline mode also allows you to add your own events. That is handy because when I find an event that affected the family, I can add it to the historical timeline for future use and it will show for everyone in their timeline.
Adding little snippets of general history can make your family’s story much more interesting.
In this case, I learned several facts, any of which I can incorporate into my story of Mercy’s life. These facts include:
1754-1763 – French and Indian War underway.
1761 – King George III (Hanover) was king of England.
1761 – I learned that on November 7th, the New London Harbor Light was first lit.
1786 – Connecticut ceded the land west of the Western Reserve, which is now part of Ohio.
1786 – US Congress chose the dollar as the monetary unit
1787 – The Constitutional Congress approved the Constitution.
1813 – War of 1812 was well underway.
1813 – Mexico declared independence from Spain in November.
1820 – Byron was incorporated from part of Bergen.
During my 
Typically, I use Family Tree Maker looking at facts; however, there is also a tab to use Family Tree Maker in the “Timeline” mode. On that page, there is an option to add “Family Events” and to include “Historical Events.” That way you may see what happened during an individual’s life. I can incorporate bits of these informative events into my sketch of Mercy’s life sketch. The Family Tree Maker Timeline mode also allows you to add your own events. That is handy because when I find an event that affected the family, I can add it to the historical timeline for future use and it will show for everyone in their timeline.