Continuing the Bennett discoveries: the next family tree first post is up

I don't know about you, but when I start looking up a family I can't just look at the one person I started researching. My focus tends to widen as I find siblings, cousins, in laws, and everyone in between. That is why this latest post was an organic growth out the George Bennett post from two weeks ago.

His mother-in-law was Annie C. Taylor, wife to Benjamin Taylor. I have spoke about the Taylor's on this blog before. Annie intrigued me as she was the daughter of Danish immigrants. I honestly didn't think it would take very long to find her. Not the year that I have been searching for her maiden name. However, I am sure there are some maternal lines that I will never solve, so I will count my lucky stars on this one.

The best part is the new contact I made. I have connected with the couple that now lives in the house Ruby Taylor Bennett grew up in. How cool is that! The gentleman who lives there even knew Ruby's younger sister Ruth. They were friends, until her death a few years ago, and she filled them in on a lot of the property's history. Best of all, he sent me pictures of the house. I would never have dreamed something like that would happen and it made me realize, that once again, there are wonderful people out there in this crazy world.

Originally built in 1797 by Elijah Porter, Benjamin and Annie moved into their farm house in the 1890s. Their children were born there. Family gatherings occurred for both joyous and sad occasions. My husband's family is just in awe that we found it, that it is still there (mostly the same in appearance), and that we now have images to connect with these people.

Next goal: to connect with Ruth's children and see if we can share some photographs or other family memorabilia. Wouldn't that be grand?

Image from the Library of Congress:  Hartford, Connecticut Court House winter 1916

Family Tree Firsts is up: The case of the two George Bennetts

My next post from Family Tree Firsts is up!  The picture is one of my favorites.  George Sr. and George Jr. near the home in 1900 (1965 Webster Ave, New York) today a grocery store in the Bronx.

To put it lightly I wanted to bang my head against the wall doing this research on more than one occasion, and I even traced back the wrong family for 3 months because of it.  Bound to happen a couple times right?

How could George Bennett and his brother-in-law Alton Taylor be enumerated two times in the 1920 census?  My two best guesses are that they were visiting George's parents the day the Census taker came and were enumerated as being at the house.  Or one family enumerated the sons as living with them not realizing they were only supposed to state the names of the people in the house on the census date.  Weird, but my best guess.  Hence the reason I listed my sources at the end.  If anyone has a better idea I am all ears!

From the census I know that George and Ruby lived at 23 Harbison Ave, Hartford, CT and were enumerated on January 7th.  George and Augusta lived at 45 Summer St, Hartford, CT and were enumerated on January 6th.  I plugged it into Google Maps and it is only a little less than 4 miles apart.  Not right next door, but easy to get to via public transportation or driving.  Benjamin and Annie Taylor (enumerated January 12th) lived on their farm in Coventry Connecticut about 20 miles away. 

Doing a little digging I found the address (56 Arbor Street) for the Underwood Typewriter Factory.  It is not far from where the George's live, which makes sense that Alton would live in Hartford and not travel 20 miles into town, in 1920, to work at the factory.  Today the old factory is the home of Real Art Ways.

I also discovered this NY Times Article from August 11, 1919 during my searching that announced the closure of the Hartford, Connecticut Underwood Typewriter Company plant due to strikes.  It must have been back up and running again by the time the Census was taken in January 1920.  The best find of all has to be this image of the inside of the typewriter factory.  I can't believe I didn't find it before! 

Off to find more discoveries!!

Destroyed and Lost Records

Most genealogists will come face to face with the burned court house, archive, or home that could have unlocked untold family genealogical treasures.  Recently, I found out I was a year too late in becoming the keeper of my great aunt's research.  Her son, who was responsible for packing up and selling her house after her death, had taken it all to the landfill six months after she died.  I write about my initial reaction here in my blog.  I am trying not to think too much about what has happened, but I am finding it increasingly difficult not to.  All those what-if's have started to consume me from the inside out.

Agness Miller and Tim Brennan with 3 of thier
4 daughters Ruth, Mary Alice, and Helen. 
Margaret was not born yet.  Taken about 1926

Hearing about what happened to the files, from the man who threw them away, was a lesson in control; having to inform my father was heartbreaking.  I think I can now truly understand how my dad’s mom must have felt while watching her mother burn all of her grandparents’ possessions. 

My grandmother told me stories about the wonderful things in their house.  Hand-painted china brought over from Europe, antiques, paintings, musical instruments (Grandpa John and his brother Joe could play anything they picked up), plus letters, pictures, and so much more.  Within a week of his death in 1935, everything was gone.  Her mother, aunts, and uncles had gone through the house and burned anything they thought had no value.  My grandmother could do nothing but watch, and later cry in private as no one understood why she was so upset.  Looking back she would say it was the Depression, and you took what you could to survive in uncertain times.

Ruby Cindonia Taylor,
taken 1910's. Married
George Bennett

Family fires are not unique to my family; it seems that there was a “recent” loss in my husband’s family as well.  In about 1950 his great-grandmother Ruby's family home burned on their farm near Coventry, Connecticut.  Her sister Ruth inherited the farm from their parents, Benjamin and Anna Taylor.  Benjamin’s parents, James Taylor and Nancy Wilbur, had settled there in the late 1800’s after moving from Warwick, Rhode Island.  My father-in-law told us that the fire destroyed all of the antiques, pictures, and family records.  There was only one thing that survived the fire.  The freezer of food his great aunt had dragged from the house while it was burning.

These stories have made me, once again, take up a scanning frenzy.  Before you ask, yes, I am saving the images in multiple places.  I can do my best to not let what I find be destroyed or lost. 

*Digital image of Ruby Taylor given to me by J. Finsilver.

The Taylors of Rhode Island

The Taylor Family is my husband’s paternal grandfathers, mother’s line.

The Lineage:

My Husband
His Father
Howard Bennett married to Stella Coad
George Bennett married Ruby Cindonia Taylor
Benjamin Taylor married Anna C
James J Taylor married Nancy Wilbur
John Taylor married Cindonia Yeaw

I discovered a record from a genealogy book of Rhode Island families that lead me to the last name of Yeaw for the matriarch of this family.

Cindonia Yeaw Taylor was the matriarch of a large family.  She and John had 12 children; they also had a constant houseful of people.  Some of those living in her house at various censuses were her children and grandchildren, but there also appears to be boarders.  Everyone worked in the cotton mills; there are even teenagers on the census listed as working the mills.  Cindonia appears to be taking care of her grandkids so that their parents can go work in the later census.

Cindonia seems to be a family name, and I am hoping it will help trace her family back as well.  The Cindonia’s I have found:

Cindonia Yeaw Taylor

Harriett Cindonia Taylor Whipple
Cindonia Taylor (died infancy)
Ruby Cindonia Taylor Bennett

There is a nice trail of the family starting in 1910 and going back.  I do have census records for 1920 and 1930 for some of the family as well.  Thinking about expanding that search a bit as my father in law said that one of Ruby’s relatives took over the family farm in Coventry.  He thought it was Clarence, but knew the name started with a “C”.  Ruby’s father had a brother Charles, but I am trying to see if her brother or sister may have had kids that fit this description as well.  Benjamin and his mom Nancy (Ruby’s father and grandmother) had farms one house apart on the 1900/1910/1920 census.

Interesting thing on the 1920 Census.  Ruby’s brother Alton and Her husband George appear to have been working at the same place.  George was a screw setter and Alton a mechanic at the Underwood Typewriter factory in Hartford.

According to the 1850 Census John Taylor (husband of Cindonia Yeaw) was born in Rhode Island about 1791, with an occupation of Laborer. He is not on the 1860 census and Cindonia is listed as head of the house and a widow so we know he died sometime between 1850-60. There are tons of John Taylor’s in RI so I am trying to piece who is who still.