Robert Welles
Christened: November 6, 1540, Stourton, Whichford, Warwick, England
Died: About 1619, England
Relation to Author: 12th Great Grandfather In-Law
My wife's grandfather was an historian and did what appears to be significant genealogical research on his and his wife's families. There are entries as far back as 15 generations from my wife (16 from our son). Robert Welles is the oldest such ancestor in the 15th generation (William Curtis is also listed, but we only know that he died in 1585 - we don't know when he was born).
Robert Welles lived from approximately 1540 to 1619 in England. In other words, he was born 471 years ago. How far back is that?
He was born 100 years after the invention of the printing press. In Europe, the Italian Renaissance was just ending but the Scientific Revolution was just getting started (he was three
when Copernicus set out the heliocentric theory of the solar system, but
he doesn't live to see Galileo demonstrate then recant this same
theory).
And throughout Europe, including in England, the Protestant Reformation was well under way. He was born twenty
years after Martin Luther hung his ninety-five theses on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg (Germany). But Robert didn't have to look so far as Germany to see the Reformation; England was having its own battle, played out by the monarchs, over whether to be a Catholic or Protestant country.
Robert was born just as Henry
VIII was breaking the Church of England away from the Catholic Church and he was 7 when Henry died. The rest of his pre-teen years were spent under the short reign of Edward VI (plus the 9 day reign of Lady Jane Grey).
The rest of Robert's youth was spent under the reign of Mary I (Bloody Mary), daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. She brought Catholicism back to England and killed (burned at the stake) hundreds of dissenters while doing so. She died in 1558 when Robert would have been 18.
The next 45 years - much of Robert's adulthood - was spent under Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth returned England to Protestantism, ushered in an era of English drama, and saw the Spanish Armada defeated.
The last 16 years of his life were spent under the rule of
James I (2nd Great Grandson of Henry VII), who, among other things, sponsored the King James Bible.
Robert died the year before the Mayflower set sail for America. His son, Thomas Welles would move to the American colonies and serve as governor of the Colony of Connecticut in 1655 and again in 1658.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Judson Goes Down the River
Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
150 years ago today, Judson Cheney is on the steamer Elm City heading down the Potomac River. They lined up at 8am yesterday in pouring rain. This marks Judson's first entry into the war. Thus far, we have been with him as he enlisted, trained and traveled. Now he is part of the war.
Judson is now part of the massive Army of the Potomac, under the command of General McClellan. This move is the beginning of spring 1862 hostilities - almost one year into the war - and is part of McClellan's peninsula campaign. His goal is to march on to Richmond, Virginia - the Confederate capital - via the peninsula between the James and York rivers.
You might know that Lincoln was not satisfied with McClellan's lack of fight and this plan illustrates the relationship well. McClellan favored capturing cities and locations, and slowly at that. Lincoln, rightly according to historians, believed McClellan needed to defeat the army, not necessarily capture cities. This he could do by simply marching south from Washington (which would still keep him between the enemy army and the federal capital).
McClellan also thought that by going south, he could flank the Confederates and chose the site of the battle - somewhere with less entrenchments. We'll see how that turns out.
View Judson Goes to Virginia in a larger map
For now, just picture Judson - one of over 100,000 troops moving down towards Fort Monroe (only recently established as a national monument by President Obama) on a steamer.
In the afternoon, Judson and the 98th will arrive at Hampton (outside of Fort Monroe) and hike on to Newport News (an 8 mile hike in as many hours as Kreutzer tells it), arriving at 11:00pm. There they will spend the night.
*In the map, the blue line is Judson's trip in the steamer from Alexandria to Fort Monroe. There is a thin red line showing where they walked to for camp after arriving. The thick red line shows McClellan's plan to march to Richmond.
Sources:
Notes and Observations Made During Four Years of Service with the 98th NY Volunteers in the War of 1861. Kreutzer, William. Grant, Raires & Rogers, Printers. Philadelphia, 1878.
The Civil War Battlefield Guide. Kennedy, Francis H., Second Edition, 1998, Mariner Books.
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. McPherson, James. Oxford University Press, 2003
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
150 years ago today, Judson Cheney is on the steamer Elm City heading down the Potomac River. They lined up at 8am yesterday in pouring rain. This marks Judson's first entry into the war. Thus far, we have been with him as he enlisted, trained and traveled. Now he is part of the war.
Judson is now part of the massive Army of the Potomac, under the command of General McClellan. This move is the beginning of spring 1862 hostilities - almost one year into the war - and is part of McClellan's peninsula campaign. His goal is to march on to Richmond, Virginia - the Confederate capital - via the peninsula between the James and York rivers.
You might know that Lincoln was not satisfied with McClellan's lack of fight and this plan illustrates the relationship well. McClellan favored capturing cities and locations, and slowly at that. Lincoln, rightly according to historians, believed McClellan needed to defeat the army, not necessarily capture cities. This he could do by simply marching south from Washington (which would still keep him between the enemy army and the federal capital).
McClellan also thought that by going south, he could flank the Confederates and chose the site of the battle - somewhere with less entrenchments. We'll see how that turns out.
View Judson Goes to Virginia in a larger map
For now, just picture Judson - one of over 100,000 troops moving down towards Fort Monroe (only recently established as a national monument by President Obama) on a steamer.
In the afternoon, Judson and the 98th will arrive at Hampton (outside of Fort Monroe) and hike on to Newport News (an 8 mile hike in as many hours as Kreutzer tells it), arriving at 11:00pm. There they will spend the night.
*In the map, the blue line is Judson's trip in the steamer from Alexandria to Fort Monroe. There is a thin red line showing where they walked to for camp after arriving. The thick red line shows McClellan's plan to march to Richmond.
Sources:
Notes and Observations Made During Four Years of Service with the 98th NY Volunteers in the War of 1861. Kreutzer, William. Grant, Raires & Rogers, Printers. Philadelphia, 1878.
The Civil War Battlefield Guide. Kennedy, Francis H., Second Edition, 1998, Mariner Books.
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. McPherson, James. Oxford University Press, 2003
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Judson and Company Move Out
Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
When we last left our hero, he was arriving in Washington, DC. Since then, he has been drilling twice a day, six days a week, with inspections on Sunday, under General Casey. They, "spent much time loading and firing blank cartridges," and also had target practice. Here is more from Kreutzer:
One thing to keep in mind though is that this book is written by one of the officers. It is unclear if the enlisted men - including Judson - were able (or chose) to do all of those things.
On the 28th of March, at 2:00pm, Judson and the 98th Regiment were ordered to move out. They were now one of 14 regiments in Casey's division (in the third brigade), consisting of 12,000 men. They marched through Washington and then headed south to Alexandria. Kreutzer tells us that there were large crowds gathered to watch them march and a dozen regimental and brigade bands playing martial music.
They reached Alexandria after 11:00pm - roughly a 10 mile hike - and tried to sleep with only blankets wrapped around them. However, a cold wind prevented much sleep. There they stayed for a few days until a boat could take them down the Potomac. They camped a 1/2 mile into the woods without even tents to cover them. Instead, "We buttoned our rubber blankets together, and stretched them on frames or sticks cut with our knives and hatchets. A cold storm of rain and snow set in, and continued for several days. The snow on the morning of [March 30th] was four inches deep, and at nine o'clock our camps were one expanse of mud and water."
So on this day 150 years ago, Judson is camped near Alexandria in mud, snow and water, with no tent. He has left the drills in Washington, DC and is marching with the Army of the Potomac, under General McClellan. Judson is now headed to war.
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
When we last left our hero, he was arriving in Washington, DC. Since then, he has been drilling twice a day, six days a week, with inspections on Sunday, under General Casey. They, "spent much time loading and firing blank cartridges," and also had target practice. Here is more from Kreutzer:
While at Washington, we had a review and several brigade drills at the old Georgetown racecourse. Distinguished, wealthy, patriotic citizens, ladies, and gentlemen, visited us every pleasant day. They watched our [maneuvers], rode through our camps, and sought our acquaintance. Off duty, we in turn, strolled through the city, the department buildings, the capitol, and attended the president's levees. One day we looked in upon the senators, representatives, the Supreme Court...
One thing to keep in mind though is that this book is written by one of the officers. It is unclear if the enlisted men - including Judson - were able (or chose) to do all of those things.
On the 28th of March, at 2:00pm, Judson and the 98th Regiment were ordered to move out. They were now one of 14 regiments in Casey's division (in the third brigade), consisting of 12,000 men. They marched through Washington and then headed south to Alexandria. Kreutzer tells us that there were large crowds gathered to watch them march and a dozen regimental and brigade bands playing martial music.
They reached Alexandria after 11:00pm - roughly a 10 mile hike - and tried to sleep with only blankets wrapped around them. However, a cold wind prevented much sleep. There they stayed for a few days until a boat could take them down the Potomac. They camped a 1/2 mile into the woods without even tents to cover them. Instead, "We buttoned our rubber blankets together, and stretched them on frames or sticks cut with our knives and hatchets. A cold storm of rain and snow set in, and continued for several days. The snow on the morning of [March 30th] was four inches deep, and at nine o'clock our camps were one expanse of mud and water."
So on this day 150 years ago, Judson is camped near Alexandria in mud, snow and water, with no tent. He has left the drills in Washington, DC and is marching with the Army of the Potomac, under General McClellan. Judson is now headed to war.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
How They Met: Nana and PopPop
Bruce Judson Cheney
Born: October 1917, Morris County, New Jersey
Living
Relation to Author: Grandfather (PopPop)
Elizabeth (Betty) Charlotte Cheney (nee Paulus)
Born: November 23, 1919, Roxbury, New Jersey
Died: December 16, 2009, Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Grandmother (Nana)
I wrote recently that I don't have much oral history from my grandparents generation because I didn't ask questions while they were alive. Fortunately, there are a few exceptions to this. In one of the exceptions, my grandparents (Nana / Betty and PopPop / Bruce) told me (us) the story of how they met. I think they told us the story many times, often after we had all eaten dinner together. We'd often sit around the table after dinner talking. When they told this story, PopPop did most of the talking but Nana would chime in at times. Here is how I remember it:
Around the time that America was getting involved in World War II, Bruce Cheney and Betty Paulus were both working at Picatinny Arsenal. During this time, the arsenal hired four men for every one job they had for men knowing that three would be drafted or enlist in the war. This meant the men did not have a lot of work to do and lots of free time. Bruce used that time to flirt with the women working at Picatinny.
Apparently, just before he met Betty, Bruce was flirting with and interested in a different woman. A friend of his though told him that he would really like Betty. At first, Bruce was skeptical. But because he had time, he decided to get to know Betty. And sure enough, the friend was right; Bruce fell for Betty.
During this time, Betty was working as an administrative assistant at the arsenal. In contrast to the men, the women had a lot of work to do. In fact, they might have been taking up the slack for the men. In any event, Bruce was spending a lot of time at Betty's desk, which of course got in the way of her work.
Betty (Nana) would chime in here. When she told this part of the story, she said she had to tell Bruce to go away - affecting the shooing of a fly. But Bruce would not be dissuaded and so Betty had a hard time getting him to let her do her work.
As the story goes, senior staff at the arsenal decided that the only way to allow Betty to do her work was to promote her so that her new desk and assignment were too far away for Bruce to visit regularly.
As you can tell, that didn't have the unintended effect of keeping Bruce and Betty apart long term. They would later marry and have a family.
To be clear, I can't say this story is 100 percent true and accurate (as is the problem with oral history). There are two places for error. Nana and PopPop may have embellished parts of the story (though I find that unlikely). Or my memory might be faulty (since I didn't take notes and the last I heard the story was a number of years ago).
So take the story with a grain of salt. Whether we know it to be true or not, I really like it. I love imagining them when they were young. I like thinking of PopPop as a flirt. And I like thinking of Nana shooing him away - not because she didn't like him, but because she needed to do her work. And so I imagine she didn't shoo too hard.
One final note to my family, if you remember the story differently (or the same) please let me know in the notes or via email. I will of course update with any of your feedback.
Born: October 1917, Morris County, New Jersey
Living
Relation to Author: Grandfather (PopPop)
Elizabeth (Betty) Charlotte Cheney (nee Paulus)
Born: November 23, 1919, Roxbury, New Jersey
Died: December 16, 2009, Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Grandmother (Nana)
I wrote recently that I don't have much oral history from my grandparents generation because I didn't ask questions while they were alive. Fortunately, there are a few exceptions to this. In one of the exceptions, my grandparents (Nana / Betty and PopPop / Bruce) told me (us) the story of how they met. I think they told us the story many times, often after we had all eaten dinner together. We'd often sit around the table after dinner talking. When they told this story, PopPop did most of the talking but Nana would chime in at times. Here is how I remember it:
Around the time that America was getting involved in World War II, Bruce Cheney and Betty Paulus were both working at Picatinny Arsenal. During this time, the arsenal hired four men for every one job they had for men knowing that three would be drafted or enlist in the war. This meant the men did not have a lot of work to do and lots of free time. Bruce used that time to flirt with the women working at Picatinny.
Apparently, just before he met Betty, Bruce was flirting with and interested in a different woman. A friend of his though told him that he would really like Betty. At first, Bruce was skeptical. But because he had time, he decided to get to know Betty. And sure enough, the friend was right; Bruce fell for Betty.
During this time, Betty was working as an administrative assistant at the arsenal. In contrast to the men, the women had a lot of work to do. In fact, they might have been taking up the slack for the men. In any event, Bruce was spending a lot of time at Betty's desk, which of course got in the way of her work.
Betty (Nana) would chime in here. When she told this part of the story, she said she had to tell Bruce to go away - affecting the shooing of a fly. But Bruce would not be dissuaded and so Betty had a hard time getting him to let her do her work.
As the story goes, senior staff at the arsenal decided that the only way to allow Betty to do her work was to promote her so that her new desk and assignment were too far away for Bruce to visit regularly.
As you can tell, that didn't have the unintended effect of keeping Bruce and Betty apart long term. They would later marry and have a family.
To be clear, I can't say this story is 100 percent true and accurate (as is the problem with oral history). There are two places for error. Nana and PopPop may have embellished parts of the story (though I find that unlikely). Or my memory might be faulty (since I didn't take notes and the last I heard the story was a number of years ago).
So take the story with a grain of salt. Whether we know it to be true or not, I really like it. I love imagining them when they were young. I like thinking of PopPop as a flirt. And I like thinking of Nana shooing him away - not because she didn't like him, but because she needed to do her work. And so I imagine she didn't shoo too hard.
One final note to my family, if you remember the story differently (or the same) please let me know in the notes or via email. I will of course update with any of your feedback.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Happy Birthday Hub!
Hubert Keenan
Born: March 20, 1907, St. Lawrence, NY
Died: November 14, 1984, North Lawrence, St. Lawrence NY
Relation to Author: Grandfather
Hubert Keenan was born 105 years ago today. To celebrate, in a small way, I am posting this old picture of him.
Unfortunately, I don't know when it is from or what it is for (Posterity? School Board?). And it is a bit washed out (as old pictures tend to be). But it is so natural. He isn't looking at the camera and instead looking off to the side.
Was he shy about having his picture taken? Or was it just a mistake caught on film long before digital cameras allow you to see your mistakes?
Either way, I like it. I hope you do, too.
Happy birthday, Grandpa. We all miss you.
Born: March 20, 1907, St. Lawrence, NY
Died: November 14, 1984, North Lawrence, St. Lawrence NY
Relation to Author: Grandfather
Unfortunately, I don't know when it is from or what it is for (Posterity? School Board?). And it is a bit washed out (as old pictures tend to be). But it is so natural. He isn't looking at the camera and instead looking off to the side.
Was he shy about having his picture taken? Or was it just a mistake caught on film long before digital cameras allow you to see your mistakes?
Either way, I like it. I hope you do, too.
Happy birthday, Grandpa. We all miss you.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
150 Years Ago: to DC!
Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
Judson and the 98th NY have been in Albany since the middle of February. Kreutzer tells the story pretty well, so I'll let him take over:
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle
Judson and the 98th NY have been in Albany since the middle of February. Kreutzer tells the story pretty well, so I'll let him take over:
But the days of our sojourn at Albany were numbered. The soldier must leave that attractive place of peace and plenty, and go where well-dressed ladies, legislators, and high officials will never come to see his drills and dress-parades. They snatched every rumor for they knew that we were only waiting for the arrangements for transportation to Washington. The order to go was not long delayed. It was read one evening and commanded us to be ready to march at daylight. All night long the barracks echoed with shouts and cheers...Now on to Washington, DC! Kreutzer continues:
Could they have read what the future had in store for them, the deaths, wounds, disease and hardships, they would have been less boisterous in their gladness and hilarity.
A train of 16 cars was required to transport the men and their five days' rations in bulk, and the horses of the field and staff.That is how Judson arrived in DC roughly 150 years ago today. I'll have more about his time there in a future post.
They passed through New York city, Easton, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Long before they arrived in Washington, many of the men caught a glimpse of the Federal capital for the first time, as high and bold it glanced through the valley among the forests and the hills. They shouted like Christian pilgrims at the sight of Jerusalem, or [Muslims] at a distant prospect of Mecca. They had, too, as they approached, a fine view of the Potomac, smooth and silvery, and of the tall, white national monument standing near it on the flat ground.
They were landed almost under the shadow of the dome of the marble senate-house. The hour was 10am. Congress was in session; thousands of civilians and soldiers filled the approaches or collected on the porticoes and corridors. Beside the depot was a "Soldier's Rest," where the regiment had dinner, but no rest. We were ordered to go into camp on Kalorama heights, out 14th street, on the western border of the city. More definitely, we learned when we arrived there, that we were to encamp on Meridian hill, near Columbia college, just where the meridian of Washington passes, and were the government erected a great sun-dial. We must carry all we can, all we have, and tents and rations will follow when the quartermaster receives his teams. So out 14th street we go, up 14th street we go, through mud and slush and mire. The sun shines hot, the wind blows high, and by turns, snow and drizzling rain descent; still, tramp, tramp, tramp, we push along, slow and steady and sure, as the march of destiny. Without tents, we bivouacked on the cold, sandy ground, in the keen night air, and late in the hours, we watched the clouds and stars like Palinurus, with our martial cloak wrapped around us.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Paulus and Williams: A Match Made in Scranton
Frederick (Friedrich) Paulus
Born: June 30, 1886, Pennsylvania
Died: March, 12, 1934, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Great Grandfather
Margaret (Margarite) Williams
Born: November 4, 1887, Neath(?), Pennsylvania
Died: March 4, 1972, Succasunna, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Great Grandmother
My great grandfather, Frederick Paulus, was the son of German immigrants. My great grandmother, Margaret Williams, was the daughter of Welsh immigrants. Frederick and Margaret married in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where both families lived.
Since starting this project, I've wondered where in Scranton the two families lived and how Margaret and Frederick met. Census records tell us which wards in Scranton the families lived in and the map at bottom shows us where this was.
The Paulus family (father Christian Paulus, mother Charlotte Paulus and 5 children) lived in ward 19 (bottom left - purple-ish color) in 1900 and 1910. The Williams family (father Robert Williams, mother Elizabeth Williams <nee Thomas>, and 4 children) lived in ward 2 (upper right - same purple-ish color) in 1910.
I don't know where the Williams lived prior to 1910. So I have no idea when the family moved to Scranton and whether they were in a different ward prior to 1910. If they lived in ward 2 prior to 1910, it makes you wonder who two people, with different family histories and living in different neighborhoods (and probably not of the same religion) would have met, fell in love, and married.
We do know that Margaret and Frederick married on May 31, 1910 (almost 102 years ago) in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They were married by R.J. Rees - Minister of the Gospel - and witnessed by August Engel and Louise Schneider.
The notes I have on the marriage say that Frederick was living in Wharton, New Jersey at the time and Margaret was still living in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1910 census records confirm this). So apparently Frederick had gone ahead to New Jersey looking for work.
By 1920, Frederick and Margaret had moved from Wharton to Roxbury / Kenvil, NJ and they had four children - Edna, Frederick, Alvin, and Elizabeth.
Born: June 30, 1886, Pennsylvania
Died: March, 12, 1934, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Great Grandfather
Margaret (Margarite) Williams
Born: November 4, 1887, Neath(?), Pennsylvania
Died: March 4, 1972, Succasunna, Morris County, New Jersey
Relation to Author: Great Grandmother
My great grandfather, Frederick Paulus, was the son of German immigrants. My great grandmother, Margaret Williams, was the daughter of Welsh immigrants. Frederick and Margaret married in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where both families lived.
Since starting this project, I've wondered where in Scranton the two families lived and how Margaret and Frederick met. Census records tell us which wards in Scranton the families lived in and the map at bottom shows us where this was.
The Paulus family (father Christian Paulus, mother Charlotte Paulus and 5 children) lived in ward 19 (bottom left - purple-ish color) in 1900 and 1910. The Williams family (father Robert Williams, mother Elizabeth Williams <nee Thomas>, and 4 children) lived in ward 2 (upper right - same purple-ish color) in 1910.
I don't know where the Williams lived prior to 1910. So I have no idea when the family moved to Scranton and whether they were in a different ward prior to 1910. If they lived in ward 2 prior to 1910, it makes you wonder who two people, with different family histories and living in different neighborhoods (and probably not of the same religion) would have met, fell in love, and married.
We do know that Margaret and Frederick married on May 31, 1910 (almost 102 years ago) in Scranton, Pennsylvania. They were married by R.J. Rees - Minister of the Gospel - and witnessed by August Engel and Louise Schneider.
The notes I have on the marriage say that Frederick was living in Wharton, New Jersey at the time and Margaret was still living in Scranton, Pennsylvania (1910 census records confirm this). So apparently Frederick had gone ahead to New Jersey looking for work.
By 1920, Frederick and Margaret had moved from Wharton to Roxbury / Kenvil, NJ and they had four children - Edna, Frederick, Alvin, and Elizabeth.
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