Arrival: Christian Paulus

Christian Paulus
Born: June 28, 1851, Germany
Died: January 12, 1937
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grandfather

Christian Paulus arrived in America from Germany on this date 133 years ago (June 18, 1880). The ship "Main" left from Bremen, Germany and landed in New York, New York. He did not go through Ellis Island because it did not open until 1892.

Two years after arriving, Christian married Charlotte Poelger (?) and two years after that their first child was born (Wilhelmina Paulus; 1884-?). Next came my great grandfather Friedrich Paulus (1886-1934), then William (1889), Louisa (1892), and Emilie (1894). By 1892 they were living in Scranton, PA, though they were probably there all along, since Friedrich's birth location in census records is listed as Pennsylvania.

For some context, when Christian arrived, Rutherford B. Hayes was finishing his presidency. James Garfield then won the 1880 presidential election (nominated by the Republicans over Ulysses S. Grant who was seeking a 3rd non-consecutive term) and is sworn in in 1881. Garfield was assassinated in 1881 and was succeeded by his vice president Chester A. Arthur. Then came Grover Cleveland followed by Benjamin Harrison, then Grover Cleveland again ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

All kidding aside, Christian was arriving at a time where we don't remember much about the presidents or the politics (a big debate over the gold standard or free silver), but it was a stable time in America. The Civil War is 15 years behind us and we know now that the first World War is almost 30 years away.

In fact, the 1880s were one of the best times to come to America. Notice in the chart above that immigration in the 1880s (bar in orange) was the highest it had yet been and the third highest between 1820 and 1924. Not only was there no war, but the economy was stable, at least compared to the depressions of the 1890s.

In Immigration studies, people talk about push and pull. What conditions in the home country encouraged immigration (push) and what countries in the new host country encourage emmigration (pull). The relative stability in America during this time was an attractive pull.

We'll look at conditions in Germany in another post and see if there was any push.

Joseph Eisenberg and the Cossacks

Joseph Eisenberg
Born: 1875, Mizheric, near Vilna, Eastern Europe (Lithuania or Ukraine?)
Died: January 23, 1941, Brooklyn, NY
Relation to Author: Great Grandfather-in-Law

The NY Times had an article a little while ago about the return of the Cossacks. To me the interesting part of the story isn’t the scary ultra-nationalism hiding behind a thin vale of pride in their heritage. Instead, I was more interested in the history of the Cossacks as described in the article - especially because it is a much more helpful history than I had found on Wikipedia.

The history of the Cossacks is important to our genealogy research because the oral history of the Eisenberg family says Joseph was in a Cossack army. This new article could help us with our mystery about where Joseph and his family were from. In the article, it looks like the Cossacks were mostly in Southern Russia. This would put them, and therefore maybe Joseph, closer to Ukraine. So this puts doubt into the Lituania thesis.

This whole discussion though about Joseph Eisenberg's origins brings up two interesting points. First, it sheds some light on the reliability of oral histories. Any oral or written history should be taken with a grain of salt, especially third person (here Meyer is writing about his father's experiences). However, sometimes these oral histories are the only information we have.

The second point this discussion highlights is the existence of mysteries in genealogical research. To be sure, I am quite the novice when it comes to actual genealogical research. So hopefully with time and experience, I can figure this out. I might find out that the assumption everyone has been holding all along is true - that Joseph is in fact from Ukraine. Although hopefully I'll be able to put a thumbtack on a map with an actual location - which has been my goal all along. But I might not. This might remain a bit of a mystery.

The Vassarion!

Katharine Place (married name Adams)
Born: October 3, 1893, New York, New York
Died: July 3, 1983, Albany, New York
Relation to Author: Great Grandmother In-Law
Mother of Jean Place Adams

I love doing genealogy research and writing. But I will admit, so far I am mostly using information that my uncles and my grandfather in-law have already found. Every once in a while though I find something that no one else seems to have found. And those are my favorite things to share.

So behold Katharine Place's Vassar yearbook: The Vassarion.

The yearbook is from 1916 and her address is listed as 268 West 77th Street in New York City (a mere 35 blocks from where I sit right now). I gather this is where she was living with her parents, Ira Place and Katherine Burritt Gauntlett (married name Place).

The most curious thing about the yearbook though is the text that accompanies the photos. Katharine's says: "K is the pink of perfection when it comes to neatness - but what will she do with the dirt of Pittsburgh and vicinity?"

I haven't the slightest idea what that means. Maybe she had plans to go to Pittsburgh after Vassar? If so, I have no evidence (yet) that she ever went there. She was born and raised in New York City. She want to Vassar in Poughkeepsie, New York. She married James Fairchild Adams in the fall of 1916 in New York City. And by 1920, she is settled in Albany with James.

My real question though is who wrote these strange little lines? The next person's doesn't seem very nice ("How to avoid academic work is an art with Babs"), which suggests the students were writing them for each other.

Anyway, it's a fun find, especially since it includes a picture. Enjoy!

The Big Painting

Ella Eudocia Flynt (married name Dewey)
Born: July 7, 1861, Monson, Massachusetts
Died: June 10, 1919
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grandmother In-Law

The large oil painting pictured above hangs in the dining room in the house my wife grew up in. The oil painting is from 1909 and is of Ella Eudocia Flynt. I have had trouble remembering her name, maybe because it is often a name without context. So here is some context.

Ella Eudocia Flynt is my wife's 2nd great grandmother and the maternal grandmother of John Ballard Blake. Her parents were William Norcross Flynt (1818-1895) and Eudocia Carter Converse (married name Flynt, 1822-1906).

She was born in Monson, Massachusetts in 1861 - the year the American Civil War began. This means that she was 48 when she sat for the painting. And she died in 1919, just as World War I was ending, at the relatively young age of 57.

The 1880 census has her as a student in Northampton, Massachusetts (30ish miles northwest of Monson). My first guess was that she was attending Smith College.  This was confirmed by a quick Google search,  which turned up an Annual Register of the Alumni Association of Smith College with Ella's name listed. She attended Smith nine years after it was chartered and five years after it opened its doors. The census record has 56 people listed, four or five of which are likely teachers. Wikipedia says that when Smith opened in 1875 there were 14 students and six faculty.

Ella married William Child Dewey on October 3, 1883 (age 22) in Monson, Massachusetts. The alumni association book from 1917 says she was living at 236 Union Street in Springfield, Massachusetts (the 1910 census has the family at 240 Union Street in Springfield).

I don't know where Ella died. In 1910 and 1917 she was living in Springfield, Massachusetts. But in 1920, her widower William Dewey was living in Manhattan (at 105 East 15th Street). It is unclear whether they had both moved to Manhattan or whether he went there alone after her death.

I also don't know where she sat for the painting. I cannot find her or William Dewey in the 1900 census. We might guess that she was in Springfield in 1909 as she was in 1910 and 1917, but I don't want to assume that.

The Little Battle of Little Washington

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

On this date, 150 years ago, Judson's 98th Regiment was involved in the Battle of Washington. This was a very minor engagement. There were fewer than 100 casualties on both sides.

William Kreuzter does not tell of this action, since he wasn't with the 98th regiment at the time. So I cannot provide any colorful details of the engagement. But I can tell you the general story.

After the failed attack on Charleston, many of the units returned to North Carolina. During that time, Judson's regiment and some others were called to support a 1,200 man garrison in Washington, North Carolina. The garrison was being besieged by a confederate force. The siege bad been going on since March 30th. Judson's regiment and others arrived by steamer from New Berne on April 19 to resupply and reinforce the town.

Since the confederates were unable to prevent the resupply and reinforcement, they abandoned the siege soon after. By April 21, Judson was back in the Beaufort area.

Judson and the Failed Attack on Charleston

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

On this date, the union army attempted and failed an attack on Charleston, South Carolina.  Judson and the 98th Regiment had been stationed in St. Helena Island, South Carolina (just north of Hilton Head). Then, on April 5th they sailed to Edisto Island near Charleston.

As other brigades landed on Stono and then Folly Island, preparations for the land attack were made. On the 7th, the naval attack began. The attack was to begin with eight* or nine** ironclads (or monitors). The boats had no success damaging Fort Sumter and instead took heavy damage. They then retreated and the attack was ended without the army ever getting involved.

There were almost no casualties. Following this failed attack, the 98th New York returned to North Carolina in the Beaufort / Morehead City area, which is where they had been in January.

McPhearson gives some more context to this battle. Charleston, as the origination of the rebellion, held more symbolic than strategic value. So the failure to capture it at this point in the war was bad for morale, but otherwise was less important. He also says that this battle showed that the iron-clad boats could withstand quite a beating but were offensively weak. They got off only 140 shots and inflicted limited damage, compared to the 2,200 from the rebel bases directed at the boats.


* Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Ear, by James M. McPhearson. p 646
**The Civil War Battlefield Guide, p 191

An Update on Judson and the Autumn of 1862

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

I just updated a previous post about Judson's time at Yorktown to include what he missed while his regiment stayed behind after the Seven Days Battles. I think it is worth mentioning here in a new post because you might not have noticed the update.

In the fall of 1862, while Judon's regiment stayed at Yorktown (remember - the Elysian Fields as Kreutzer called them), the rest of the Army of the Potomac under McClellan moved back up the Chesapeake Bay with the intention of joining Major General Pope in Virginia, halfway between Washington, DC and Richmond, Virginia. 

During the rest of that summer and fall, those troops fought two major battles (and should have joined at Second Manassas), both really bad for the Union: Antietam (12,400 Union casualties, though a victory of sorts - or enough of one for Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation), and Fredericksburg (12,600 Union casualties).

I think what we'll see as we continue to follow the Cheneys through the war is how luck and randomness affect their lives. The chances of survival change depending on where your army is stationed, what tasks are asked of it, and more importantly, where on the battlefield are they located. Judson Cheney was lucky to be located away from fighting during the fall of 1862. But he eventually rejoined the Army of the Potomac and his luck ran out. Justice Cheney was very unlucky to be stationed on the front lines at Cold Harbor.

Although looking at these two examples, it feels that luck just meant when you died, not if.