Sunday, February 26, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Week 9: Cemeteries


Week 9 – Cemeteries: Genealogists understand the full value of cemeteries and appreciate them in ways most others can’t see. Share a cemetery or cemetery experience for which you are most thankful. What makes this place special? What does it mean to you and your family history?



A trip to a cemetery is one of my favorite genealogy activities.   Cemeteries are such a vital resource for those studying their family history.  I could spend hours wandering around looking at headstones and discovering interesting facts.  My friends think I'm crazy but I see it as a place full of so many stories and treasures just waiting to be told.

My favorite cemetery is the Smithfield Burying Grounds in Amenia,  NY.  I was so excited when I discovered the transcriptions of the headstones but when I got to visit it for the first time it became that much more of a treasure.  The Smithfield Burying Grounds is where my 3rd, 4th and 5th Great Grandfather's on the Haskins line are buried.  I have been able to piece a great deal of my family's history based on facts that I've gotten from this cemetery.




Here are the transcriptions of my family members that are buried in this cemetery as they appear on the Smithfield Burying Grounds website.

DRAKE, Edmund P., d. Nov. 16, 1842, ae. 68.
DRAKE, Sally Ann, wife of Edmund P., d. Sept. 4, 1857, ae. 75 yrs., 3 mos., 5 dys.

HASKINS, Comfort, wife of Jonah, d. Oct. 26, 1840, ae. 78 yrs., 9 mos., 20 dys.
HASKINS, Jonah, d. Jan. 29, 1816, ae. 54.



HASKINS, Frelove, d. Dec. 1, 1869, ae. 82 yrs., 7 mos.
HASKINS, Seymour, d. Jan 1, 1878, ae. 89.



HASKIN, George W., b. Sept. 17, 1820, d. March 21, 1882.
HASKIN, Mary E. MacFarland, b. Feb. 23, 1829, d. Feb. 20, 1863. Wife of G.W. Haskin from Sept. 9, 1847, to her death.
HASKIN, Mary E. dau. of G.W. and Mary E., d. March 26, 1863, ae. 2 mos.
HASKIN, Sarah A. MacFarland, b. Aug. 30, 1838, d. Feb. 25, 1881. Wife of George W. Haskin from May 27, 1864, to her death.



HASKINS, Edmund P., d. March 10, 1863, ae. 48 yrs., 1 mo., 9 dys.
HASKINS, Eliza Ann, d. Nov. 6, 1832, ae., 19 yrs., 11 mos., 25 dys.
HASKINS, Margaret, d. Oct. 17, 1863, ae. 66.
HASKINS, Phebe J., dau. of Levi and Laura, d. Dec. 5, 1850, ae. 2 yrs.
HASKINS, Sarah Ann, dau. of Levi and Laura Ann, d. Feb. 25, 1853, ae. 1 yr., 3 mos., 20 dys.






Saturday, February 25, 2012

Belated Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Ancestral Name Roulette

I missed Saturday Night Genealogy Fun last weekend but I always enjoy the task so as usual here is mine a little late but at least I participated!  The assignment from this past weekend is as follows:

  • What year was your paternal grandfather born? Divide this number by 100 and round the number off to a whole number.  This is your "roulette number."
  • Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an "ahnentafel"). Who is that person
  • Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the "roulette number.
  • Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook status or a Google Stream post, or as a comment on this blog post.
Here's mine:
My paternal grandfather is Vincent A. Haskins.  He was born on July 18, 1918.  When I divide 1918 by 100 I get 19.18, when rounded my number is 19.  My roulette number is 19.
The number 19 person in my ahnetafel file is Nellie Bushart.  Nellie Bushart (1861-1940) is my 2nd great grandmother.  She was born in Holland to Daniel Bushart and Nellie Moelaart Malard.  She married Jacob VanLare on March 19, 1884.
Three Facts about Nellie Bushart:

  1. Nellie's name at birth was Pietranella Janneta but she went by Nellie which is the name on her death certificate.
  2. It is believed that Nellie came to the US with her family around 1873 however I am still looking for actual immigration records.  My information is from a whole bunch of passed down family notes some of which are still in dutch which I can't read!  From what I can conclude she became a naturalized citizen in 1885, but am still looking for the proof of this. 
  3. Nellie was unable to read and write English, but was able to speak it.

Here is a picture of Nellie with her family.
This is Nellie Bushart VanLare with her two daughters; Kate and Sarah


This is  Nellie Bushart VanLare with her daughter Kate, son in-law Fred,
 and grandchildren Vincent and Esther.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Historical Documents

Which historical document in your possession are you happy to have? How did you acquire this item? What does it reveal about your ancestors?

I think the most prized historical document that I currently have in my possession are the military records of my fourth great grandfather, Seymour Haskins. 


Seymour Haskins was born January 1789 in New York as the fifth child of Jonah Haskins (Hoskins) and Comfort  (?). He had six siblings, namely: Unknown, Alexander, Levi, Jonas, Margaret, and Clorenda. He died January 1, 1878 in Amenia, NY. When he was 24, He married Freelove Mastin,daughter of Charles Mastin and Phebe Green,  They were married on July 4, 1813 in Amenia, NY.

Seymour Haskins was buried in Smithfield Burying Grounds, Amenia Town, Dutchess Co. NY. He lived around the Stanford-Amenia area of Dutchess county, New York, United States throughout his whole lifetime.

Seymour Haskins and Freelove Mastin had the following children:

  1. Mary. She married Ralph Stockwell 25 Sep 1842.
  2. Eliza Ann Haskins was born 12 Dec 1812. She died 06 Nov 1832.
  3. Edmond P Haskins was born 01 Feb 1815. He died 10 Mar 1863.
  4. George W. Haskins was born 17 Sep 1820. He died 21 Mar 1882 in Sharon, Connecticut. He married Mary E. McFarland 09 Sep 1847 in Smithfield Presbyterian Church. He married Sarah A. MacFarland 27 May 1864.
  5. Velina Bockee Haskins was born 12 Mar 1829 in Amenia, Dutchess, New York, USA. She died 21 Oct 1919 in Baldwinsville, Onondaga, New York, USA. She married Joel Andrew Trowbridge 1845.
  6. Frances E Haskins was born 1847.

I was able to obtain his War of 1812 Pension file from the National Archives based on a record that I found on Ancestry.com.  The record on Ancestry indicated that he was in the 2 Reg'T Artillery US Vols. company.  The file that I recieved contained 19 pages of information.  He was inducted as a Private and was discharged as a Corporal.

Some of the interesting things that the file included:
  • His survivor's pension went into effect on February 14, 1871.  He was paid at a rate of eight dollars per month.
  • There was a certification of his death which stated that he died in Amenia, Dutchess, New York on the January 1, 1878 leaving no widow or minor child and without sufficent assets to defray the expenses of his last sickness and burial and that the same were borne by George W. Haksins.
  • It stated that George W. Haskins paid a sum of $30.00 to cover the expenses of his last sickness and burial.
  • There is a record that states the solider Hoskins, Seymour ("Haskins") wife Hoskins, Freelove served in the Col 2 Reg. US Vols. It indicates he enlisted on November 20, 1812 and was discharged November 20, 1813.
  • There is a record of the marriage of Freelove Mastin to Seymour on July 4, 1813. This means that they were married while he was in the military.

  • There is a letter written by George W. Haskins identifying him as the son of Seymour Haskins which discusses the expenses that he paid related to his illness and burial.
  • It includes the signature of George W. Haskins. (My third great grandfather).

  • There is a record for Allowance From Arrears Due a Deceased Pensioner to Defray Expenses of Last Sickness and Burial.  Costs included:
      • Sickness - $20.00
      • Doctors - $ 15.00
      • Grave - $5.00
      • Undertakers -$34.00
      • Total Costs = $74.00
  • It includes Seymour Haskins' signature.


As far as what these document tell me about my family, I guess I can conclude that both my 3rd and 4th great grandfathers could read and write, which wold have been common for New England males during that time period. 

I would also conclude that Seymour died without having wealth or property.  I have never been able to find a will, maybe that is because he didn't have anything to will as his estate was unable to pay for full burial expenses.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

George Henry Haskins - The start of his story..

George Henry Haskins was born Feb. 2, 1854 in New York as the third child of George W. Haskins and Mary E. McFarland. George is believed to have been born in Dutchess County in or near the town of Amenia, NY. In the decade of his birth his father began working as a shoemaker.

He had six siblings; Alma, Corley (Coralie), Frederick, Julia, Edward William, and Mary E.   His mother died when he was nine years old.  His father remarried a year later.  His new step-mother was actually his Aunt Sarah, his mother's sister.  Census reports indicate that George was able to read and write.

When he was 32, he married Sarah L. Drake; daughter of Charles W. Drake and Ann Augusta West.  Their wedding was on January 13, 1887 in Pawling, NY at the Central Baptist Church.

George Henry Haskins and Sarah L. Drake had the following children:
  • Darwin Haskins was born on March 10,1888. He died on April 1,1951 in Rochester at home which was 29 Averill Ave..
  • Julia Haskins was born on August 3, 1891 in Waterbury. She died on May 15, 1898 in Sodus, NY.
  • Frederick Edward Haskins was born April 14, 1894 at 118 Thompson, Ward 9, Rochester, NY. He died on July 2, 1982 in Marion, NY at home. He married Katherine Van Lare on June 4, 1913.

George died from nephritis at the New Haven Hospital in Connecticut on September 14, 1925.  He was buried in the Fountain Hill Cemetery in Deep River, CT.  His burial plot was purchased in 1909 by his brother in law, Willis Foster.  He was estranged from his wife and children.