As you might know, the 1940 US Census was released this week. There was a lot of excitement, so much that the website of the National Archives crashed the first day and had to get more servers to handle the traffic.
My uncle has been doing some of leg work and showing me the files, and I have to say, it is pretty interesting. To me, the occupation information is the most interesting.
For example, the census tells us that in 1940 my great grandfather William Cheney (age 61) was working as a post office clerk at the local post office. His wife, Leila (53), was not working. My grandfather - Bruce Cheney - was working in the stock room at a hosiery mill. He was 22 at the time, had graduated high school but did not go on to college.
His future wife, Elizabeth Paulus (20), was already working at the arsenal as an inspector (they married in 1943 after having met at the arsenal). Elizabeth's brother Alvin (24) was also working at the arsenal as "labor" in the storage department. Her other brother Frederick (27) was not at the arsenal but a meter reader for the gas company (both brothers would serve in World War II). Her sister Edna (29) was a cashier at a loan company and Edna's husband Russel (31) was an ammunition inspector at the arsenal.
Frederick Paulus - father of Elizabeth, et al - had passed away six years prior (at the age of 47 - a post about his early death is coming soon). Margaret (52), their mother, was working at a silk hosiery mill as a "finisher". All of the children except Edna were living at home with Margaret.
Anyway, that's the interesting stuff so far. I'll keep you posted.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
A Siege of Yorktown, Without Judson
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 day 150 years ago, Judson was sitting at camp near Newport News. The Siege of Yorktown (not a major battle - 182 North casualties, 500 confederate over a few weeks) has started about 10 miles away, but Judson's regiment and division are not involved. Kruetzer says that they have remained behind, "for want of transportation" while the other divisions have begun what will be a slow move up the peninsula.
Since waking up on April 3 in Newport News, Judson had a meal of soft bread, boiled ham and coffee - brought with him from Alexandria - then later received more rations and set up camp. Each soldier was given a piece of cloth six feet by five, which they would combine with one or two other soldiers and stretch over sticks cut from the woods to make a tent. They would then dig a shallow trench to keep out some rain.
However, on this day (April 5th), the rains came all day, increasing in the night so much that it woke the soldiers up at 10pm with at least a few inches of standing water on the ground. The soldiers left their tents with their gear, "wrap his oil cloth around them and looks for higher ground." Only the eerie singing of a lone lieutenant could capture the craziness of the situation, and bring the other soldiers to sing and have some cheer.
Update:
The New York Times Disunion blog has a good post about the beginning of the peninsula campaign. So if you are looking for a little more information about the situation Judson had found himself in, definitely read it. Here is a preview, describing the scale of boat journey Judson and many others took to get from DC to the peninsula:
Update 2:
A great post on the Disunion blog tells us that Yorktown turned to a siege instead of a battle because McClellan lacked an accurate map of the peninsula (and because McClellan was overly cautious).
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 day 150 years ago, Judson was sitting at camp near Newport News. The Siege of Yorktown (not a major battle - 182 North casualties, 500 confederate over a few weeks) has started about 10 miles away, but Judson's regiment and division are not involved. Kruetzer says that they have remained behind, "for want of transportation" while the other divisions have begun what will be a slow move up the peninsula.
Since waking up on April 3 in Newport News, Judson had a meal of soft bread, boiled ham and coffee - brought with him from Alexandria - then later received more rations and set up camp. Each soldier was given a piece of cloth six feet by five, which they would combine with one or two other soldiers and stretch over sticks cut from the woods to make a tent. They would then dig a shallow trench to keep out some rain.
However, on this day (April 5th), the rains came all day, increasing in the night so much that it woke the soldiers up at 10pm with at least a few inches of standing water on the ground. The soldiers left their tents with their gear, "wrap his oil cloth around them and looks for higher ground." Only the eerie singing of a lone lieutenant could capture the craziness of the situation, and bring the other soldiers to sing and have some cheer.
Update:
The New York Times Disunion blog has a good post about the beginning of the peninsula campaign. So if you are looking for a little more information about the situation Judson had found himself in, definitely read it. Here is a preview, describing the scale of boat journey Judson and many others took to get from DC to the peninsula:
The quartermaster general, Montgomery Meigs, had assembled 400 ships to transport 100,000 men, 14,592 animals, 5 locomotives, 80 railcars, 1,224 wagons, 74 ambulances and 103 cannons.So Judson's ship was one of 400. Amazing.
Update 2:
A great post on the Disunion blog tells us that Yorktown turned to a siege instead of a battle because McClellan lacked an accurate map of the peninsula (and because McClellan was overly cautious).
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Earliest Known Ancestor (Blake et al)
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.
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.
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)