My Genealogy 2012: A Year in Review

As 2012 winds down with a day's worth hours left I am reflecting on the past 12 months and contemplating my expectations and goals for 2013.

My goals for 2012 were:

Research Goal: Explore and source the DRAKE line of my family tree.

This was my most successful goal.  I learned quite a bit about the DRAKE line of my family tree, especially about my 2nd great grandmother Sarah Drake's maternal line.  I am currently working on writing a report on my research with a specific focus on the life of my 3rd great grandmother Anna Augusta West.

Education Goal: Investigate and possibly begin the NGS Home Study Course.

I didn't make much progress on this goal - however I did purchase a Discover Your Roots Kit from Family Tree Books that came with an Online Genealogy Course, which I have yet to take advantage of.  Time was a factor. 

Writing Goal: Write research reports on the HASKINS family line and finish reading You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBarolo Carmack and actually begin writing my family history.

The research reports didn't get written on the Haskins family line.  It is something that I need to do but just wasn't something that I ended up wanting to do.  I know a great deal about this line of my family tree so I found it less enjoyable to spend time here.  I am also struggling with how I want to write about the Haskins family.  I finished reading the book by Sharon DeBarolo Carmack but am having a hard time finding my voice when it comes to my own writing.  I attempted to complete The Family History Writing Challenge in February but life got in the way.

Blogging Goal:

• Double my number of posts, so that means I need to post at least 42 times.
• Increase my number of followers by 25% ( I have 24, so that means I need to have 30 by the end of 2012)
• Read and apply some of the tips from The Big Genealogy Blog Book by Amy Coffin.

In terms of my blogging goals -- I didn't meet them either.  My total posts for 2012 (both blogs combined) was 21 which is 50% of what I wanted to accomplish which is exactly how many posts I had last year.  However, I had 21 posts without blogging from March until August.  As of today I have 29 followers -- I missed my goal of 30 by one person, however my blog traffic did increase.  My most visited blog post was "My Ancestor Blogging Jar."  This hasn't increased my personal blog posts a great deal but it has focused some of my research and I have a lot of draft posts that I am working on.

I didn't accomplish all I set out to do but am happy with the progress I did make. I made a lot of head way on things that weren't goals for 2012 but were branches and leaves that felt needed to be explored.  I broke down a major brick wall in relation to my Dutch roots.   I haven't decided if I'm going to make goals for 2013.  I might just see where the year takes me.  I know I will do genealogy, I know I will write and I know I will post.  And from the words from Ernest Hemingway “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”    I'm excited to see where my 2013 journey takes me.

Military Monday: Happy Veteran's Day

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.
Elmer Davis

In commemoration of Veteran's Day I wanted to write a short post honoring my direct line ancestors that served in the military and are/were American War Veterans.

Mark Vincent Haskins - my father.  He fought in the Vietnam War from July '68-July '69.  He was a Sergeant in the US Army.

Vincent A. Haskins - my grandfather.  He fought in World War II as a Seaman, 1st Class in the US Navy.

Seymour Haskins - my 4th great grandfather.  He fought in the War of 1812 in the 2 Reg't Artillery US Vols.

Halloween 1912 - What were my ancestors doing?

With Halloween upon us it got me thinking and wondering how my ancestors might have celebrated it in the past.  So I've done a little research and put a social history twist on it.  Here is how my ancestors, specifically my great grandparents, might have celebrate Halloween in 1912.

Fred Haskins was 18 years old.  He was living in Marion, NY and was not married.  It was typical of young men and boys to be mischievous on Halloween.  They found fun by tipping over small barns and changing signs around on buildings in an attempt to confuse people.  They released pigs and hens from their pens, removed fences or decorated local churches. Given the fact that Fred was no longer at home and was working he most likely didn't engage in boyish traditions but he might have attended a Halloween party given by someone in town.

During my research I found a book entitled Games for Hallow e'en written in 1912 by Mary Emma Salisbury Barse.  In her book she states that "on this night there should be nothing but laughter, fun and mystery.  It is a night when fairies dance, Ghosts, Witches, Devils and mischief-making elves wander around."  Parties appeared to be a big deal.  Here is wording to a sample invitation from her book.  Maybe Fred attended a party like this.

On Wednesday, Oct 31st at 8 O'clock I shall celebrate Hallow-e'en and hope that you will come and participate in the mysteries and rites of All Hallow's Eve, so come prepared to learn your fate.

Kate VanLare was 27 years old.  She was also living in Marion, NY and had not yet married.  Halloween for girls took on a different twist than that of the opposite sex, instead of being mischievous they looked to the occasion with supertitous awe and hope that they might find love.  Maids often spent Halloween testing various sorts of wizardry related to sentiment and love.
 
An article entitled Halloween Paradoxes from 1912 states that some of the supertitions young women believed in were if she and her girlfriends placed a thimble and a ring in a wad of dough, bake a cake of it, and cut it carefully when done, the maiden who gets the ring will be married shortly, while the one who gets the thimble will die an old maid.  Another popular one was to write the names of her young men acquaintances on slips of paper, she would put them under her pillow, if she dreams of one of them, that is the one she is fated to marry.

I wonder if Kate and Fred attended the same Halloween party?  Maybe they played one of the various popular games of the day.  Maybe Kate put Fred's name under her pillow -  they did get married in June of 1913 which was only 8 months after Halloween.

Thomas King Robertson was 14 years old.  He was living in Canada.  Both the United States and Canada celebrated Halloween very similar and by the turn of the century Halloween had turned into a night of vandalism. Could Thomas and his brothers been out romping around tormenting his neighbors?   The Robertson family originated from Scotland so it is very likely that they practiced some of their traditional Hallow e'en rituals.  One of the most popular Halloween games in Scotland was dookin for apples.  Scotland is also one of the origins of "guising" which is when children disguised in costumes go door to door for food or coins, this custom dates back to 1895.  This practice started in Kingston, Ontario around 1911, given it was a common Scottish event it is probable to think that Thomas could have participated.


 Ruth Fredia Oestreich was 10 years old. She was living near Walworth, NY with her parents and siblings.  She had five of them living with her at the time.  Around 1912 there was a push to have more safe celebrations for Halloween because of all of the vandalism that was associated with the holiday.  School posters called for a "Sane Halloween" and children began dressing up in costumes going door to door receiving treats rather than playing tricks.  Ruth's parents could have looked for costume and decoration ideas in the Dennison's Paper Company specialized Hallow e'en themed Bogie Book .  The Bogie Book sold for five cents.  It was published each year to help in planning Hallow e'en festivities.  It would give ideas for planning decorations, costumes, favors, games and menus.

Dennison's Bogie Book - 1912 Edition

Peter Derks and Sarah Vergouwe were living in the US in 1912.  Peter was 31 and Sarah was 27 years old.  They had been married for seven years and had four children, ages 1, 3, 5 and 7.  They were living in Rochester, NY but had only been there a few years.  They arrived in the US from Holland in 1905.  In Holland they did not celebrate Hallow e'en.  They were more likely to celebrate St. Martin's Day on November 11th.  Sint-Maarten is a popular children's feast based on an old harvest festival which was celebrated in many European countries.  Children would make lanterns from hollowed out turnips and sugar beets and would go door to door singing St. Martin songs.  Children would be rewarded for singing and reciting poems with treats that often included chocolate, apples, mandarin oranges, nut brittles or fried oliebollen.


Issac DeFisher and Sarah Wisse were living in Marion, NY in 1912.  They were in their late 30's and had 13 children at that time ranging in ages from 1 to 17.  They had been living in the US since 1900.  More than likely they did not follow the customs of American Halloween.  But if they had one of the popular trends in 1912 was to send Hallow e'en postcards.  At that time people would send cheap greetings for many reasons but especially for holidays.   Below is an example of a postcard that might have been sent around 1912.

Happy Halloween!!

My Longest Ancestral Grave Site Line

A few weeks ago on Genea-Musings: Saturday Night Genealogy Fun the challenge was to trace your longest unbroken line of ancestral gravestones.  This made me kind of sad because I can't go back very far on any of my lines because so many of them are some where in Holland.   The one family line that has been in the US since 1632 has a break in the gravestones with my great great grandfather because he doesn't have a gravestone so I've decided to change this challenge up a little and trace my longest unbroken line of ancestral grave sites.  Below is my line:

My grandfather: Vincent A. Haskins (1918-2002) is buried in the Marion Cemetery in Marion, NY

My great grandfather: Frederick Edward Haskins (1894-1982) is buried in the Marion Cemetery in Marion, NY

My 2nd great grandfather: George Henry Haskins (1854-1925) is buried in the Fountain Hill Cemetery (Pilgrim Rock) Section 18 - Grave #2 in Deep River, CT.  He does not have a gravestone but here is a picture of the family plot where he is buried with his sisters, Julia Frank and Alma Foster.

My 3rd great grandfather: George W. Haskins (1820-1882) is buried in the Smithfield Cemetery in Amenia, NY

My 4th great grandfather: Seymour Haskins (1789-1878) is buried in the Smithfield Cemetery in Amenia, NY.

 

My 5th great grandfather: Jonah Haskins (1761-1816) is buried in the Smithfield Cemetery in Amenia, NY.

Suzanna Tack

Suzanna Tack is my third great grandmother on the Derks (Dierx) side.  I selected her name from my blogging jar with the prompt - write about three facts.  Here is a little bit about what I have learned about her.

Fact One:

Suzanna Tack was born on November 29, 1810 in Cadzand, Zeeland Netherlands to Abraham Tack and Katherina Frederika Blansaart.

Fact Two:

Suzanna Tack married Jannis Bulting on January 23, 1840 in Cadzand, Zeeland.  She was 29 years old when she got married and her occupation was listed as a maidservant.

Fact Three:

Suzanna and Jannis had seven children.  The first child, Abraham, was born four months after they were married.  I wonder if this impacted how they were viewed in their community?  Abraham only lived to be 3 years old.  He died in November of 1843.  She had another son in April of 1844 that she also named Abraham.  Suzanna gave birth to my 2nd great grandmother Jozina in April of 1841.  The first Abraham and Jozina shared a birth day of April 10th.

Not So Sure if it is Fact:

While doing some research in a Dutch database I found that a Suzanna Tack gave birth to at least two other children before she married Jannis.  I am not 100% sure that it was her but the name, location and age were all correct.  The children that I believe to be hers are Adriana Tack born on 6/8/1835 and Abraham Phillipus Tack born on 10/1/1836.  He died only 14 days later.  Neither of these children have a father listed on their birth records.  I am intrigued by this story and want to know more.   I just wish I knew Dutch and where to begin.  Any advice?

Nellie Bushart VanLare - A Census Record Review of 1940

Pietranella (Nellie) Bushart VanLare is my 2nd great grandmother.  She was born to Daniel Bruysschaard and Nellie Malard.  She married Jacob VanLare.  They had two daughters, Katherine and Sarah.

The last census record that I can locate of Nellie Bushart VanLare is from 1940.  At that time she was living in Marion, New York in Wayne County. 

Nellie was living at 108 S. Main Street in a house that she owned. It is listed as being valued at $1500.  She was 79 years old, which makes her birth year around 1861.  At this time she was widowed.  The census states that she attended school through the 6th grade.

The census indicates that her granddaughter Rachel Drave and her husband Julian were also living with Nellie.  Rachel is the daughter of Fred Haskins and Katherine VanLare.  Their neighbors were Elmer Corey and Frank & Mable Dubois.

Nellie was born in Holland, but was a naturalized citizen.  It states that she lived in the same house in 1935.   

The 1940 census asked a lot of questions about working/employment history.  At 79, Nellie was not working for pay and was not seeking work.  It states that she had other income.

My Ancestor Blogging Jar

This idea came as a result of two activities that I've participated in to help get me jump started back to more regular blog posting.

I always end up learning more about a specific ancestor when I "play" Randy Seaver's SGNF: Ancestor Name Roulette.  This activity causes me to review the ancestor that was selected, look for a picture and review any interesting facts that I may or may not know about this individual.  The last one of these I participated in was the one he posted on August 25th.  I didn't actually do it on that day but over time I learned a lot more about Daniel Bushart, my 3rd great grandfather.  As a result of this challenge, I also translated two documents from Dutch to English (with the help of  Babylon ) to assist in learning some more facts about him. This activity forced me to focus on Daniel and the documents that I was given but  never seem to have the time to look at much less begin to translate them. 

The other activity I participated in recently was the What's Your Ancestral Name Number? - another one of Randy Seaver's SGNF events.  For this event you had to determine what % of your tree you have complete back to your 7th great grandparents.  Out of a possible 1022 - I only had 12% of my tree complete.  This discouraged me -- I also realized from doing this that I know very little about many of my "greats."

So from this, My Ancestor Blogging Jar concept was born. - I like picking a random ancestor and I need to know more about my many great grandparents so I put 127 names on slips of paper and placed them into my jar.  I then brainstormed and came up with a variety of blogging topics that I could match up with my selected ancestor.  I put these on separate slips of different colored paper.  These also go into my jar.  I pick a topic and name --and voila, you have a blogging topic! 

 

Blogging Topics Include:

• Just the facts - Identify three facts about this ancestor
• Pick a vital and write about what you know
• Pick a census record that they are in and review it
• Where did they live?  Write about the history of the town or area.
• What is their immigration story or lack of one?
• Link their life to historical events
• Write about their occupation
• Write a family record
• Dinner date with this relative - Food and conversation, what would you plan?
• At age 40? - write an overview of their life at the fabulous age of 40.
• Family Fun -  write about what they did or might have done as a family for fun
• Write about their education level.
• Write about what it would be like to switch places with this ancestor for a day.

Here is my jar - the white slips are my ancestors and the purple slips are my topics.  The first name picked was Nellie Bushart and my first topic was pick a census record they are in and review it!  Let the blogging begin.

 

My Family History - An Acrostic Poem

October is Family History Month: In honor of that I have created acrostic style poem to highlight some of the facts from my family tree.

 

Many of my ancestors originated from England and Holland.

Year my first ancestor came to the US; 1632.

 

Farmers; A common occupation in  my family tree.

A in Haskins was once an O in Hoskins.  It appears to have changed in the late 1700’s with Jonah.

My great grandmother, Sarah Wisse DeFisher, had 17 children.

Issac and Sarah DeFisher came to the US in April of 1900 on the Rotterdam with 4 sons and $2.00.

Leisten, Wilhemina Ruth is my 2nd great grandmother.  She was born in April 1869 in Penfield, NY

Year my great grandfather Fred Haskins was really born—1894.  His tombstone says 1891.

 

Haskins Contractors and Builders was founded in 1937. — Family masonry business.

In the 1840 & 50’s my 4th GGF, Edward West, worked as a butcher @the Fulton Market in NYC.

Sara and Peter Derks came to the US in June of 1905 on the Rotterdam with 1 son and $24.00

Topping Ladder Company  - A place my Grandpa Derks worked making reels.

Onions & potatoes; some of the crops my family grew and still grows on the muck of Wayne Co.

Roberston, my grandmother’s family  is part of one of the oldest Scottish clans.

You live as long as you are remembered—A Russian Proverb

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Ancestor Name Roulette

So, the task last week on Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun was to play Ancestor Name Roulette.  The directions are to select one of your great grandfathers.  You are to take their birth year and divide it by 50 - that becomes your ancestor number, then using the ahnentafel numbering system you are to look that person up in your family tree and write about them.

Here's Mine:

I picked my great grandfather Isacc DeFisher.  He was born in 1875.  When I apply the rules I come up with number 38.  This person in my family tree is Daniel Bushart or Daniel Bruysschaard.

Daniel Bushart (1835- 1922?).  Daniel was born on February 16, 1835 in Schoondyke, Holland to Daniel Bruysschaard and Janneka VanBlankenberg.   His first wife was Pieternella (Nellie) Moeluart.


Three facts about Daniel Bushart:

• Fact One:  He was issued a passport based on the authorization of the Department of War on February 16, 1859 .  His passport states that he was the son of Daniel and Janneke vanBlankenberg.  It also states that his face was round with a high forehead.  He had blue eyes and large nose with a small mouth.  His chin was round and he had blond hair and eyebrows.  What is exciting is I have the original document in my possession.  Below is a picture of Daniel.

Daniel Bushart - Taken in Marion, NY

• Fact Two:  Daniel and his family were issued a certificate of change of residence in 1873. It states in translation that the following persons in accordance with Article 14 of the 'sKonings Decision of November 3, 1861 leave the municipality with a population of residence to settle in North America.  I have the original document.  He was listed on the document as well as his wife Nellie, his daughter Pietrnella, daughter Janneke, son Daniel, son Cornelis and daughter Elizabeth.

• Fact Three:  Once Daniel came to America he spent his life living in Wayne County in New York State.  Census records show that he lived in the towns of Marion and Palmyra, New York.  It states he owned a farm in Palmyra from from 1900 until after his second wife's death between 1910 and 1915.  After his second wife, Jennie, died he went to live with his daughter Nellie and her husband Jacob VanLare.



 



What's Your Ancesteral Name Number?

It has been quite a while since I've posted anything.  Life has just kept me away but this seemed like an easy way to get back up and writing, so I thought I'd take on Randy Seaver's SNGF task of determining what percentage of your family tree do you have complete.

Here is my chart:
 

Generation	Number	Found
Parents	2	2
Grandparents	4	4
Great Grandparents	8	8
2nd Great Grandparents	16	16
3rd Great Grandparents	32	22
4th Great Grandparents	64	26
5th Great Grandparents	128	24
6th Great Grandparents	256	12
7th Great Grandparents	512	13
Total	1022	127
That works out to be about 12 % found or 895 missing

This kind of depresses me.  It seems like when I look at my tree and all of the data and people I do  have in it, my percentage would be bigger than 12.   I do really well right up until my 3rd great grandparents, and then there are big gapping holes that lead to no where.

My weak "branches" are primarily on my mom's side of the family.  They happen to all come from the Netherlands.   Many of these relatives stayed in Holland.  I currently don't have the skill to tackle this endeavor.  I need to learn how to navigate the Netherland records as well as how to use the translator software to begin to make a dent.  If anyone out there has some tips or specific suggestions on how to begin, please send them my way.  The Dutch family names that I need to explore are:
DeVisser, Wisse, Vannxen, and Misjelje.

On my father's side of tree I am missing one set of 3rd great grandparents, which I honestly think I could fill in today if I just spend a little time.  I know that tree has been researched and documented.  I just need to go through those documents and insert the information into my tree.  That never seems like much fun when the information is known and you are just adding to your database.  I like the thrill of the hunt -- I just have enjoyed it being in English.

IK veronderstel dat het tijd is om te leren een beetje Nederlands!!

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.



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.

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.