Theodore, the Dairy Man

Welcome to 2020, cousins!

I think this could be the year... I started this project in 2014, thinking I could have a book ready to publish in 2015. I was wrong about that, but for the best possible reason: I kept finding more cousins! And here we are, winding down with the last branch of the family. (Unless we find another major breakthrough, of course!)

This week, we will take a look at the descendants of the third child of Henry and Sarah (Montgomery) Davidson. If you need to catch up, that link should help you catch up.

III. Theodore Bruce Davidson (1848–1932)

Theodore was born on 3 July 1848 in Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana, and he was about four years old when his family took the Oregon Trail westward. They settled near Shedd in Linn County, and Theodore eventually inherited the land there.

Theodore married his first wife, Margaret Ann Work (1855–1915), in 1876; her parents were most likely David Work (1815–1893) and Marinda E "Mary" Wilk (1814–1886). Margaret was born on 13 September 1855 in Indiana, and she grew up in Iowa, moving to Oregon with her family in about 1874.

Theodore was a dairy farmer, and he and Margaret raised their family on their farm in Shedd, until the 1900s when they were able to retire and moved to Lane County. They lived in Blanton (1900 Census) and Eugene (1910), where Margaret died on 22 December 1915. She was buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

After Margaret died, Theodore married his second wife, the widowed Margaret Ellen (Waggoner) Kizer (1865–1947), on 15 February 1917 in Eugene. She was born on 29 September 1865 in Brownsville to Bird Waggoner (1810–1892) and Nancy Elizabeth Gray (1839–1885), and she had four children from her first marriage to Ovid Jackson Kizer (1863–1906), who died in Eugene on 25 May 1906 after being kicked in the head by a horse.

When Theodore died on 11 March 1932 he was survived by his widow and seven of his nine children. Margaret Kizer Davidson died on 5 March 1947 in Eugene, and she was buried in Alford Cemetery in Harrisburg, Linn County, next to her first husband.

     A. Estella Davidson (1876–1958) was born on 2 July 1876 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She graduated from the Monmouth Normal School (which later became the Oregon College of Education) and she taught school in Eugene and Stayton.

Stella married Willis Manuel Caldwell (1878–1952) in 1903. He was the son of Melzer Jackson Caldwell (1849–1901) and Ellen Christiana Cole (1855–1929), born on 14 February 1878 in Scio, Linn County. They had their daughter and two sons in Stayton, Marion County, and lived in Ashland and Brownsville before relocating back to Salem Heights in 1920.

Willis died in Salem on 30 August 1952, and Stella died there on 12 May 1958. They are buried in Belcrest Memorial Park and were survived by their three children and six grandchildren.

      1. Maida Arleen Caldwell (1907–1971) was born on 20 August 1907 in Stayton, Marion, Oregon, and graduated from Salem High School and Willamette University, becoming a teacher in the early 1930s. She married Aubrey Dwain Estes (1905–1972), the elder son of John Oscar Estes (1883–1949) and Mary Jane "Mamie" Carter (1886–1949) on 19 June 1934. He was born on 16 November 1905 in Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon.

Aubrey was a barber and owned his own shop in Joseph. Maida resigned from her teaching position when she married, but after their children were older, she taught at Joseph High School. According to his Find-A-Grave biography, he suffered for many years from multiple sclerosis but continued to barber until he could no longer hold the tools.

Maida died on 17 September 1971, and Aubrey died 14 January 1972, at the Wallowa County Nursing Home where he had resided for several years. They are buried in the Prairie Creek Cemetery in Joseph. They were survived by their son, Dwain, their daughter, still living, and at least one grandchild.

     a. Dwain Arlen Estes (1936–2017) was born on 4 February 1936 in Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon. He graduated from Eastern Oregon State College in 1957 and began teaching in the Parkrose School District that autumn. In 1959 he married his first wife.

Dwain taught in Parkrose for 33 years, retiring in 1990. Much of his career was spent as a sixth-grade teacher, where he shared his enjoyment of the outdoors with many of his students at Outdoor School. He finished his career as a math teacher at Parkrose Middle School.

Dwain died on 10 July 2017 in Portland and is survived by his son, his sister, and several grandchildren.

      2. Dale L Caldwell (1909–1975) was born on 3 October 1909 in Stayton, Marion County, Oregon. In 1930, he moved from his father's house in Salem to live with his sister, Maida, in Portland. Dale worked as an accountant, then as a freight agent for a railway. His work had him move to Idaho, and then to Nevada.

In Nevada, Dale met Maude Ethel Dunbar (1908–1995), and they married on 19 July 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, before returning to live in Elko. Maude was the elder daughter of  Edward Fitts Dunbar (1878–1970) and Maud Ethel Miller (1881–1952), born in Fallon, Churchill County, Nevada, on 5 September 1908.

They had a son in Elko, but the little boy died from dysentery before his first birthday. Not long after, they moved back to Portland and had a second son, who is still living. At some point, the couple divorced. Maude became a teacher and raised their son in Milwaukie, Clackamas County, Oregon. She died on 10 November 1995.

Dale remarried on 2 June 1951 to Frances Jean Salerno (1916–2012), daughter of Italian immigrants Frank Sallustio Salerno (1888–1962) and Angelina Migliore (1897–1961). Frances was born in Portland on 6 September 1916, in what was then known as South Portland in the heart of the Italian and Jewish communities. She was the eldest of 10 children. After graduating from St. Mary's Academy in 1934, she attended business college and Mrs. Holmes Secretarial School. At first, she enjoyed her duties as a secretary, but soon discovered the challenges of accounting and pursued that career. She spent most of her career in residential and commercial real estate accounting.

Dale and Frances had one son together, still living, and remained in Portland, where Dale died on 21 May 1975 at age 65. Frances was 95 years old when she died on 25 January 2012. They are survived by Dale's sons and at least one grandchild.

     a. Dale Edward Caldwell (1940–1941) was born on 30 June 1940 in Elko, Elko County, Nevada, and died there on 7 April 1941 after suffering from dysentery. He was interred at Riverview Abbey Mausoleum and Crematory in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.

     3. Willis Theodore Caldwell (1915–1998) was born on 10 May 1915 in Ashland, Jackson County, Oregon, the youngest child of Willis M. and Stella Caldwell. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Navy from 15 December 1943 to 29 Mar 1946. He was aboard the USS Antaeus in 1944, and later served under CDR C.E. Coffin on the USS LC(FF)-370, an amphibious assault ship.

After the war, Willis married Marjorie L Herr (1918–2013) in Linn County on 29 August 1949. She was born on 4 October 1918 in Priest River, Bonner County, Idaho to Clarence Wilson Herr (1864–1938) and Helene Marie Klehn (1875–1958). Marge graduated from Willamette University and earned a Master's Degree from the University of Oregon. She taught Physical education in Hood River and Albany before she married Willis and moved to Salem.

Willis and Marge were both very active in the Salem community. She belonged to the Salem Audubon Society and Chemeketan Hiking Club, among others, and in 1991 was honored when the gymnasium at the YWCA of Salem was named the "Marge Caldwell Gymnasium." Willis was president of the Santiam Alpine Club and ran for the school board.

Willis died on 21 July 1998 and was buried in Salem's Belcrest Memorial Park. Marge died on 31 October 2013 and is buried with her husband. They are survived by their two sons.

     B. Dr. Bertha Davidson (1877–1958) was born on 11 September 1877 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She lived ran a millinery (hat-making shop) with her sister, Marinda, in the 1910s, and the two sisters lived with their younger brothers, Frank and William. Bertha became a doctor and practiced osteopathic medicine in Portland for several years before moving back to Eugene in 1926, where she remained for the rest of her life. She died on Wednesday, 5 August 1958 and is buried in Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     C. Ella R Davidson (1879–1966) was born on 20 February 1879 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She became a teacher in the public schools in the Eugene area. Around 1915, she married Emmet William Austin (1874–1936), and they lived in Woodburn, near Salem in Marion County. He died on 9 June 1936 in Woodburn and was buried in the Belle Passi Cemetery there.

Ella married her second husband, Charles F Schultz (1876–1952), on 24 April 1940 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. Charles died on 30 April 1952 in Salem. Ella died on 14 Jan 1966 in Salem and was buried with Emmet in Belle Passi Cemetery.

     D. Sarah Marinda Davidson (1880–1969) was born on 29 December 1880 in The Dalles, Wasco County, Oregon. She was a seamstress who lived in Portland for most of her adult life. Mirandy died in Portland on 26 May 1969 and is buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     E. Samuel Bruce Davidson (1882–1958) was born on 8 September 1882 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. On 11 June 1913, he married Ella May Bryson (1880–1975) in Seattle, King County, Washington. She was born in June 1880 in Crookston, Polk County, Minnesota, to David Lowe Bryson (1857–1922) and Mary Sloman (1857–1924).

Bruce drove a laundry truck for many years in Tacoma. He died on 17 February 1958 in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington, and was buried in Mountain View Memorial Park in Lakewood. Ella died on 25 Mar 1975 and was buried with her husband.

     F. Mary Davidson (1884–1962) was born on 12 October 1884 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. She married Walter Lewis Straub (1886–1940) in Eugene on 26 December 1907. He was born on 21 April 1886 in Box, Cedar County, Missouri to Elisha Straub (1852–1921) and Melissa Esther Darnell (1864–1931).

Walter was a minister in the Christian Church, and as he and Mary moved around frequently as they raised their son and daughter. They lived in Eugene, Oregon (1908-1911), Vancouver and Ellensburg, Washington (1914-1915), Coos County, Oregon (1917-1918), Santa Cruz, California (1920), Pierre, South Dakota (1930), and Omaha, Nebraska (as of 1935).

The 1940 U.S. Census places Mary and her two children in Eugene and lists her as a widow. An obituary for her son in 1942 refers to "the late Rev. Walter L. Straub." However, I have been unable to locate any death or burial records for Walter. What I found was a record in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 database that lists a man named Walter Lewis Straub, born 21 April 1886 in Stockton, Missouri, living in Omaha and married to a woman named Josephine. I have not been able to determine for sure when or whether Walter died, nor have I been able to rule out the possibility that he remarried and remained in Omaha.

Mary died on 10 January 1962 in Salem, Marion County, Oregon, and was buried in the Eugene Pioneer Cemetery. She was survived by her daughter.

     1. Paul Walter Straub (1908–1942) was born on 28 October 1908 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. He worked as a sales clerk while remaining in his parents' household until he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. Sadly, he died while in training on 14 November 1942 in Fort Campbell, Christian County, Kentucky, and is buried in Eugene Pioneer Cemetery.

     2. Mary Rozelle Straub Peterson (1913–1998) was born on 23 October 1913 in Camas, Clark County, Washington. She grew up in several places, graduating from Brookings High School in Brookings, South Dakota in 1931.

She married David Haggard Henry (1913–1969) on 2 March 1941 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. David was a newspaper reporter who was born on 17 July 1913 in Gold Hill, Jackson, Oregon to David Chauncy Henry (1879–1962) and Laura Mabel Haggard (1879–1944).

Records suggest there is more to their story than I have been able to find, but here's what I can say for certain: David died on 17 June 1969 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Eugene. Rozelle remarried on 11 September 1971 in Lane County, Oregon. I have not been able to determine whether her second husband is still alive. I have also not been able to tell whether she had any children.

Rozelle Peterson died on 14 July 1998 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Eugene with her first husband.


     G. Dr. Frank F Davidson (1887–1966) was born on 23 November 1887 in Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. He lived with his older sisters, Bertha and Marinda, and his younger brother, William, in Eugene while he attended the University of Oregon in the early 1910s. Like Bertha, he became a doctor of osteopathy. He studied at the Osteopathic College of Physicians and Surgeons in Los Angeles.

During World War I, he shipped out as a private in the Medical Detachment, 361st Infantry. He married Anna Katherine Hoge (1888–1938) on 21 June 1918 in Dupont, Pierce County, Washington, and then he shipped out from New York on 6 July 1918 aboard the Koroa. He returned from St Nazaire, France, in April 1919, and he and Anna moved to Idaho, where Frank attempted to establish a practice in Burley. They arrived in April 1921, and Frank set up his practice in the offices formerly occupied by Dr. Whittenberger. A year later, Anna's sister died in Pasadena, and the family ultimately re-settled in Pasadena in 1922, and that is where they raised their daughter. Frank passed his offices to a Dr. Sears.

Anna died on 27 December 1938 and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, Los Angeles County. After a few years of mourning, Frank married as his second wife, Pansy B Beebe (1891–1967) on 8 November 1941 in Los Angeles, California. Pansy was the widow of Frank's younger brother, William.

Frank died on 21 October 1966 in Costa Mesa, Orange, California and was interred at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena with Anna. Pansy survived him by only a few months, but we'll talk about her in more detail below.

     1. Elaine A Davidson (1921–2005) was born on 29 September 1921 in Burley, Minidoka County, Idaho. Her parents moved to Pasadena, where Elaine grew up. She married Robert Charles Terbeck (1920–1979) on 9 June 1942. He was the son of Conrad B Terbeck (1895–1953) and Hazel Anna Braden (1897–1984), born on 4 July 1920 in Los Angeles.

Robert was a manager at California Institute Of Technology, and he and Elaine had three daughters together. The couple divorced around 1960, and Elaine remarried on 14 July 1963 to Stephen A Barlow (1924–1991). Robert died at only 58 years of age on 19 April 1979.

The Barlows moved to Honolulu, where Stephen became proprietor of Island Seco Engineer Moisture Control and an employee of Honolulu Roofing Co. He died on 16 May 1991 in Pearl City, Hawaii, and Elaine moved back to San Diego, where she spent her time as a volunteer at the San Diego Kaiser Permanente Hospital, she enjoyed knitting little hats for premature newborns.

Elaine died in San Diego on 19 September 2005 and is survived by her three daughters.

     H. William Henry Davidson (1890–1915) was born on 20 October 1890, near Shedd, Linn County, Oregon. At eight years of age, he moved to Eugene with his parents. Around 1912, he returned to the farm near Shedd, Oregon. He married Pansy B Beebe (1891–1967) on 11 May 1913. She was born on 11 May 1891 in Kansas and grew up there in Powhattan, Brown County. Her parents were Jerry Beebe (1858–1943) and Sarah Alice Plumb (1863–1951), and they moved to Lane County, Oregon, in Pansy's youth.

A few weeks before his death, William went to Los Angeles for the benefit of his health. He improved for a while then suddenly grew worse and died on 17 November 1915, at the age of 25 years and 27 days. His remains were brought to Eugene and interred in the I.O.O.F. cemetery on 22 November 1915.

Pansy married Porter S Fleming (1887–1935) on 20 June 1920 in Lane County, Oregon. Their marriage lasted until Porter's death on 29 August 1935. She later married her brother-in-law, Frank F Davidson (1887–1966), on 8 November 1941 in Los Angeles.

Pansy died on 30 January 1967 in Fairview, Newton County, Missouri, visiting her daughter, and was interred in Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena.

     1.  Marguerite Violet Davidson (1914–1981) was born to William and Pansy (Beebe) Davidson on 7 March 1914 and was raised by her mother and step-father, Porter Fleming. Marguerite graduated from Eugene High School and the University of Oregon at Eugene and became a stenographer in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, where she was living with her widowed mother in 1940.

Marguerite married Thomas Evan Henderson (1916–2006) on 11 November 1948 in Lordsburg, Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Evan was born on 27 October 1916 in Purdy, Barry County, Missouri, to Joseph G Henderson (1875–1965) and Mattie Ellen Robberson (1879–1960). He had been married once before, and he and his first wife, Opal Lucille Nichols (1919–1994) appeared in the 1940 Census in San Antonio, Los Angeles County, California; they divorced about 1946.

After they married, Marguerite and Evan relocated to Fairview, Newton County, Missouri, where Evan raised dairy cattle and Marguerite worked as a secretary for the Kraft company in Wheaton. (Wheaton is in Barry County, where Evan was raised.) He eventually auctioned off his herd in 1961.
 
After Marguerite retired, the couple moved to Kansas in 1973. She died after a long illness on 2 April 1981 in Benton, Butler County, Kansas. Evan died on 22 March 2006 in Purdy, Barry County, Missouri. They are buried in Arnhart Cemetery in Purdy, and they are survived by a daughter from Evan's first marriage.

IV. Frances Mary Davidson (1850–1855)

Frances was born in Aug 1850 in Fulton County, Indiana, and died in 1855, after her family arrived in Linn County, Oregon.

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As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

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Until next time... Happy Hunting!

Things Are Looking Opp

I read somewhere recently that only about 7% of available genealogical records are online. So I always have to be careful about accepting records just because they're the only ones that fit what I know. Usually, I can take a record that I'm not 100% sure about, and test it against other kinds of records or searches, and if I can falsify it (meaning, I can use the information in two or more sources to prove that they aren't for the same family), I at least know that I've ruled out an incorrect line of research.

I try to communicate to you when I'm not certain about a detail or a relationship, and I try not to put more information in these posts than I think I can positively prove. This family made that very difficult, so I will do my best to show my sources, and let you decide how much confidence to assign to what I've written here.

The Opp families that lived in and around Easton, Pennsylvania, typically came to Philadelphia from town in the Rhineland during the 1730s or 1740s. They were generally members of the Evangelical Reformed Church (Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche), and many of them can be documented through church records available through Ancestry.

When I began writing up my Opp family, I discovered that I had fallen victim to a couple of common problems. Most of these Opp men I am researching were given traditional Reformation-style German names; almost all of them appeared in earlier records with the first name "Johan" or a variation. Their middle name was typically the name they used once they arrived in America, and it was common to name sons after themselves and their male relatives. As it turns out, I confused two men who lived in Easton and operated taverns - both of whom were named either "Johann Jacob Opp" or simply "Jacob Opp." After reviewing the available records, I think I've figured out who is who.

I suspect that three men with the Opp surname - Jacob, Michael, and Valentine - were either brothers or cousins who emigrated from the Rhineland when they were in their twenties. Their daughters married into families with names like Bixler and Bidleman, which were prominent in their way in the community. The Bixlers, in particular, would be important members of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, which published some of the sources I will cite and runs the Sigal Museum (also at that link) in Easton.

Johan Michael Opp (1732-1803) appears in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999 database. He was buried at St. John's Lutheran Church in Easton, Northampton county, Pennsylvania on 28 May 1803. He is listed in many church and tax records as "Michael Opp" or "Michael Opp Sr," to differentiate him from his son, Michael Jr, who lived nearby.

Satellite image of the old Michael Opp farm

The senior Michael was a weaver, and property and tax records placed him in Easton. I took a description of the boundaries of his farm from Historic Easton from the window of a trolley-car, published in 1911, and used Google maps to make the image to the right, depicting the site of the old Opp farm. The Northampton County Courthouse and Prison occupy the western half of what was once Michael Opp's farm.

I believe Michael's wife was called Catharine Elizabeth, but I know very little about her. If my research bears out, then this couple would be my 6th-great grandparents. And their son, Jacob "Junior" would be my 5th-great grandfather. I found a mention of them in two articles published in 1997 in the local newspaper:

J Floyd S. Bixler, an early corresponding secretary of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society, wrote a history of Easton's early taverns in 1931. He noted that the Golden Swan Tavern was located at 460 Northampton St. This is confirmed by James A. Wright, whose 1993 history of taverns reaches beyond Easton to encompass all of Northampton County. Jacob Opp Jr., son of Michael Opp, was an early landlord at the Golden Swan. That was before 1813.
—The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania; Thursday, July 24, 1997, Page: 13

Bixler tells the story of Theophile Cazenove, an agent for the French Land company on a tour of observation. "This Frenchman was a man of distinctive tastes, and traveled with a coach and four, a valet, a coachman, and a postilion," says Bixler. "He also had an extra saddle horse along for a change when he became weary of his coach." Cazenove stopped at the Golden Swan. He had a party of three men and three horses. Jacob Opp was the proprietor at the time. He charged Cazenove $3.90 for the night's lodging. One assumes this included supper and breakfast. Bixler comments, "Jacob Opp was no profiteer." Profiteer, no. But promoter, yes. Good service and a good price prompted Cazenove to write that the town of Easton could be proud of the Golden Swan. Bixler writes, "As he Cazenove always chose the best hotels, and was a critical judge of the service rendered, we may judge that Opp's Golden Swan Hotel was a credit to Easton in its day."
—The Morning Call from Allentown, Pennsylvania; Thursday, July 24, 1997, Page: 25

Church records from St. John's Lutheran Church in Easton also establish that Jacob was Michael's son. For a long time, I mistakenly believed Jacob's father was "John Jacob Opp," who is described in two histories of the area:

In September of 1757 this property was conveyed to Adam Yohe, who had previously occupied the premises as a tenant. Yohe conducted a tavern which he called the Red Lion. This was Easton's principal hostelry during the French and Indian War. Yohe disposed of the property in 1760 to George Cungware who still owned it in 1772. Later Jacob Opp became owner and continued to operate the tavern. Just when Opp secured possession is not known but as the 1776 assessment list refers to him as a tavern keeper owning a house it is assumed that he lived here during the war. In 1806 the Orphans Court adjudges the property to Elizabeth, the daughter of Jacob Opp, and the wife of Abraham Horn. Eve, the eldest daughter of Opp, married Daniel Wagener. Opp's daughter Catharine married Christian Bixler.

A frontier village, pre-revolutionary Easton p. 239-240; by Andrew Dwight Chidsey, 1940; Easton, Pennsylvania

Notably, this source ruled out the relationship to my ancestor:

John Jacob Opp, father of Catherine Opp, was born in Chur-Paltz, Germany, in the year 1740, came to the colony of Pennsylvania and died in 1805. He was appointed a commissioner of Northampton county June 22, 1776, to receive bounty money to be paid to the three hundred and twenty-seven men who completed Northampton's first quota to the forces of the Flying Camp, as shown by the muster roll of Revolutionary militia. In addition to the sum of $981, he was also to exchange all saltpetre made in the county, this to be handed over to Capt. George Huber, to be used in the manufacture of gun-powder. John Jacob Opp became a large landowner in Easton, and by his wife, Anna Maria Hoffman, had four daughters, one of whom became the wife of Christian Bixler, the founder of the jewelry business which has been in the Bixler family one hundred and thirty-three years...

History of Northampton County (Pennsylvania) and the grand valley of the Lehigh, p. 316; by William Jacob Heller, American Historical Society, Boston New York etc., 1920

Michael Opp and his wife had at least one other son, Michael Jr. (1767-1843), and a daughter, Anna Margareta, who married Michael Odenwalder (1750–1828) on 8 March 1775. Michael Sr. left behind a will, recorded in an index record in Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993. It looks like I will need to make a trip to Easton one of these days to find that will and learn more about these folks.

Jacob Opp Junior (1763-1848) may have been named for an uncle or grandfather, which suggests to me that Michael Opp Sr. and John Jacob Opp (of the Red Lion tavern) might have been related. Whatever the case, my Jacob - the proprietor of the Golden Swan - married a widow named Elizabeth Reynale, probably around the time of Michael's death in 1803, if not a bit later. Elizabeth had a son from her first marriage, and she and Jacob also had a son in 1811 who they named Henry. Jacob relocated the family to Dansville, New York, around 1814.

Once again, property and tax records seem to support what the local histories published later claim about their biographical information. Jacob figures into the biography of Elizabeth's son, Dr. William H. Reynale:

Dr. Reynale was one of the earliest physicians and surgeons of Dansville. He was born at Quakertown, Hunterdon county, N.J., Feb 27, 1794. Very early in life he lost his father. His mother died in 1835. Soon after his father's death he was adopted by Henry Bidleman, a maternal uncle [N.B. - suggesting Elizabeth's maiden name must have been Bidleman] who was an accomplished scholar... After a severe and critical course of medical reading, he entered the University of Pennsylvania in January, 1811, as a medical student, and was graduated from there April 9, 1814. Soon after this he went to Dansville, at the invitation of Jacob Opp, a connection of Dr. Reynale, who was at that time building the well-known flouring and grist-mill south of Dansville, which is now, and has been for several years, owned by Benj. F. Readshaw.

History of Livingston County, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, pg. 194-195; by James H. Smith, Publisher: D. Mason, Syracuse, N.Y., 1881

And according to his newspaper obituary, "Dr. Reynale came to Dansville for the first time in 1814, with his stepfather, Mr. Jacob Opp." (Dansville Advertiser, Dansville, Livingston County, New York; Thursday, August 11, 1870 - emphasis mine.)

Jacob's move to Dansville was further documented in the History of Livingston County:

[Col. Nathaniel] Rochester took up his residence in Dansville in , and purchased a large tract of land, embracing most of the water power within the village, including the mills built by Daniel Sholl for the Pultney estate. He added to the other mills a paper mill, which was the pioneer of its kind in Western New York. In 1814 he disposed of his property in Dansville, in part to Rev. Christian Endress, of Easton, Penn., and in part to Jacob Opp, from the same place. ...Jacob Opp's purchase, which embraced the present Readshaw mill and site, was made in January, 1814, and in May of that year he moved his family here from Easton. He continued his interest in the mill property till about 1840, and died in Dansville in 1847, aged 84 years. Henry B. Opp is the only one of his family left here.

p. 162

The grist-mill owned by Benjamin F. Readshaw, on the corner of Gibson and Main streets, to which reference has been made in connection with the early settlement of the town, occupies the site of the gris-mill built in 1796 by David Sholl for the Pultney estate. It was soon after burned and rebuilt by Sholl, who eventually became its owner, and was succeeded in possession of the property by Col. Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of the city of Rochester. In January, 1814, Mr. Rochester sold it to Jacob Opp, who owned it till about 1840. The mill contains three runs of stones, which are propelled by water from Little Mill creek, with a fall of thirteen and a half feet.

p. 174

Henry B. Opp (1811–1884) was born in Easton, and at the age of three, moved with his family to Dansville, New York, in Livingston county. Henry was known as a miller, though after his father sold the mill around 1840, when Henry was 29, records list Henry's occupation as farm laborer.

Around 1839, he married Susan Karcher (1818–1903), daughter of William Karcher (1782–1852) and Magdalena Welch (1786–1869). Henry and Susan are my 4th-great grandparents. They spent their entire lives in Dansville, where they had five sons and two daughters.

     I. Henry K Opp (1840–1908) served in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. He was the paymaster aboard the USS Pocahontas. After the war, he married a woman named Mary, and they settled in Wellsville, New York, where he ran a clothing store.

Jacob Edward Opp

     II. Jacob Edward Opp (1842–1913) was my 3rd-great grandfather. He married Mary Elizabeth Palmer, and we looked at their descendants in a previous post.

     III. William Opp (1845–1920) served in the 21st Regiment, New York Cavalry during the Civil War. In 1868, he married Martha E. Fenstermacher (1846–1919), and they raised three daughters:

     A. Theda W Opp (1871–1961) remained single her whole life, working for many years as a saleslady in a dry goods store in Wellsville. About her 70th year, she moved to Rockland, Maine, to live with her niece's family. She is buried in Wellsville.

     B. Adela "Addie" Opp (1873–1954) also remained single, working as a clerk or as a housekeeper to support herself. When Theda went to Maine, she appears to have gone with her, and she, too, was buried in Wellsville after her death.

     C. Edna P Opp (1877–1954) was born in Dansville, grew up in Wellsville, and married William F. Yewdall (1870–1932) in 1901. She moved to Thomaston, Maine, to live near her daughters after his death, and her sisters follow a few years later.

     i. Helen Marlee Yewdall (1908–2008) married Joel Murray Miller Jr (1908–1987), and was 100 years old when she died.

     ii. Margaret F Yewdall (1914–2011) married Dr. Frederick Collins Dennison (1908–1994). He served in the Knox County Hospital for many years. They are survived by their daughter, three grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

     IV. Amelia J. Opp (1847–1922) She married Samuel H. Peterson, whom you might recall from the post about his grandfather, Samuel Peterson, New Jersey Shipwright. Samuel (b. 1847) was five years old on the 1850 Census, but later records dispute his birth date. On the 1860 Census, Samuel and his sister, Annie, appear listed in the same James Palmer household as their grandfather, Sam Peterson. According to a newspaper obituary for Amelia, they married in 1873, and moved to New York state.

Samuel and Amelia were in Deerpark, New York, according to the 1875 New York State Census, and they were in North Dansville with their daughter and three sons in 1880. When Amelia shows up in 1900, she is listed in North Dansville as a widow, but I have not been able to find Samuel's death records. Amelia lived in North Dansville until her death in 1922, and she was buried near two of her sons in Green Mount Cemetery.

They had a daughter and three sons, altogether:

     A. Susan Peterson was born in 1874, and only appeared in the 1880 U.S. Census. It is possible that she grew up and married, or may have died young. Until some records turn up, I do not know.

     B. James Henry Peterson (1875–1942) lived in East Rochester, New York, where he likely worked for the Foster & Armstrong Company manufacturing pianos. He married Julia H Sullivan (1878–1950) about 1903, and they had five children. The couple is buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester.

     i. Charles H Peterson was born about 1904, and appeared in the 1905 New State census and the 1910 and 1920 U.S. Census records with his family.

     ii. Helen Amelia Peterson (1907–1942) married Joseph Seward Little (1897–1939) in 1937. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War I who died just two years later while living in the Veteran's Administration facility in Tucson, Arizona; he was only 41.

     iii. James H Peterson Jr (born 1907) followed his father in the piano-building business.

     iv. George Peterson was born about 1913, and was seven years old in the 1920 U.S. Census, which is the only record I have for him.

     v. John Richard Peterson (1916–1985) married Margaret Jean Race (1926–2003) in the 1940s, and they lived in Rochester, where they raised four sons and a daughter. They were survived by their children and seven grandchildren.

     C. Samuel Hoffman Peterson (1878–1951) was a lifelong bachelor and resident of Dansville. He worked in a plant nursery for many years.

     D. Henry K Peterson (1880–1962) married Charlotte Alice "Lottie" Wilcox (1880–1964). He served as superintendent of mails at the post office at the time of his retirement, and lived in Dansville his whole life.

     V. Lewis Isaac Opp (1851–1927) was a lifelong bachelor who spent his whole life in the Dansville area. He died at 74 of a stroke.

     VI. George Benjamin Opp (born 1859) lived with his older brother, Henry, in Wellsville, from at least 1870. I have not found any records for him more recent than his appearance in Henry's household in the 1880 U.S. Census.

     VII. Mary Elizabeth Opp (1864–1867) died at age 3, and was buried in Green Mount Cemetery, in Dansville, near her parents.

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There you have it - to me, it always seems like a lot of names, but also a lot of "lifelong bachelors," which makes finding modern cousins tricky. I especially dislike having so many mysterious loose ends, but until more records are online - or I find time to travel around the Eastern seaboard! - they will remain mysterious.

Of course, if you recognize any of these folks from your own research, I'd love to hear from you. I welcome any corrections and updates.

You can reach me at my Gmail address, callintad, or through the comment section below. I'm also on Twitter @tadmaster, and on Facebook. (Be prepared to tell me how we're related before I approve any Facebook requests, though - a boy can't be too careful these days.)

James C. Palmer and Martha Peterson

James C Palmer was born in April 1814 in New York. He married Martha Peterson (1815–1882) around 1836; they are my 4th-great grandparents. Our previous post focused on Martha's father, Samuel Peterson, and on his descendants.

I know very little about James Palmer, as the earliest record I have found online that identifies him is the 1860 U.S. Census. He appears in four of the U.S. Census records (1860, 1870, 1880, and 1900), three state census records (two for New Jersey, and one for New York), and about 16 city directories, so we know that he was born in New York state (the minority of records say New Jersey), that he worked as a shipwright, like his father-in-law, and that from 1871 forward, he and his family lived in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The family's first documented appearance was in Washington, Middlesex county, New Jersey, in 1860, according to the U.S. Census. The household in that record included Martha's father, niece, and nephew. Sam Peterson died in 1862, and in 1865, the remaining Palmer family (plus two Petersons) lived in Brooklyn, New York, according to that year's State Census. By 1870, they were in Jersey City, and all of the subsequent records show James living there.

James and Martha had four daughters, spread out over 19 years. When Martha died in 1882, at age 66, James lived on his own for about ten years, but eventually went to live with his second-youngest daughter, Sarah Decker.  He died in 1904 at the impressive age of 90.

I. Mary Elizabeth Palmer (1837–1889)

Jacob E. Opp, about 1910

Sources are pretty evenly split on the subject of where Mary was born; most records say New York, a few say New Jersey. As with her father, the earliest record I have that lists Mary is the 1860 U.S. Census. She appears three times in the U.S. Census (1860, 1870, and 1880) and once in the New York State Census (1865). The only other records I have is of her death, in the New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971.

Mary Elizabeth married Jacob Edward Opp (1842–1913) about 1867. (They are my 3rd-great grandparents.) Jacob was a Civil War veteran and railroad engineer from North Dansville, Livingston county, New York, and his pension record from the National Archives was very helpful to me when I began researching this branch of the family. I'll talk more about him and his ancestors in future posts.

Mary and Jacob had three children, two daughters and a son. They raised their family in Paterson, Pasaic county, New Jersey, but also appear to have been close to the Opp family in Dansville. After Mary died in 1889, Jacob relocated from Paterson to his daughter's home in Newark, but still appeared in the U.S. Census in his mother's household in Dansville on the 1900, as did his daughter's family (the Freys).

The records imply that Jacob never stopped working as an engineer, driving trains right up until his death from pneumonia on 17 July 1913.

     A. Lillie May Opp (1868–1881) died young, only aged 13 years 6 months. She is buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Dansville, Livingston county, New York.

     B. James Henry Opp (1870–1941) married three times, and had a total of eight children. Because marriage and birth records were sparse, I can't be sure that I correctly associated children with the correct mother, so please let me know in the comment section at the bottom of this post if I need to make any updates.

James was born in Dansville on 11 March 1870, and grew up in Paterson. His first marriage was on 14 July 1889, when he married his cousin, Evelyn Stevens (b. 1870). His mother died in September of that year.

James and Evelyn had two children together, but did not stay together for very long. Evelyn remarried in 1900, and we will discuss her later in this post.

     1. Richard Dana Opp (1890–1944) was born 11 August 1890 in Jersey City, and married Helen Platt (1886–1965) in 1913. A few years later, he joined the New York National Guard in 1917, where he served in the 7th Infantry as a corporal. A couple of years later, he joined his father in relocating to Elmira, New York, where he worked for the Aluminum Ware Manufacturing Company.

I don't know when they were married, but in 1920, he was listed in the U.S. Census with his second wife, Anna S Klein (1890–1973), and in 1922, Helen Platt Opp took her father-in-law, James H. Opp, to court over an unspecified debt.

     a. Richard Dana Opp Jr. (1917–1991) was born on July 22, 1917, in Bronx, New York. He entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1937, and would eventually retire from the U.S. Marine Corps at the rank of Lt. Colonel. He and his wife, Ruth O'Connor (1913–2002), had one son and one daughter, both of whom are still living. He died on February 13, 1991, in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, at the age of 73, and was buried in Arlington, Virginia.


     b. Edna Mae Opp (1920–1993) was born on March 28, 1920, in Elmira, New York. She worked in a credit union until World War II broke out, and she then enlisted in the Women's Army Corps (W.A.C.). After the war, her arthritis forced her to move to a hot, dry climate, and so she relocated to El Paso, Texas. She lived there with her mother until Anna's death in 1973. Edna died on June 2, 1993, in El Paso, Texas, at the age of 73, and was buried there.

     2. Lillian Elizabeth Opp (b. 1893) married William Corwin Johnson Jr (b. 1888) in 1916, and we know they had a son (possibly still living), and two daughters: Charlotte Elaine Johnson Bloch (1917–1989) and Lillian Joy Johnson  Franklin (1921–2003).
   
James married his second wife, Lillian Jones (1871–1915), on 20 January 1896.  James worked in New York City, and the family lived in Newark, New Jersey. In 1900, James's company, Opp & Grundy, went into bankruptcy. Still, he worked hard and eventually got back on his feet.

They had five children before Lillian's death in 1915.

     3. Julian Theyer Opp (1899–1978) was a mechanic who lived in Union county, New Jersey. He married Charlotte L Jacques (1913–1997) around 1930, and they had two daughters, who may still be living.

     4. Lucinda Opp (1901–1902) died before her first birthday, and was buried in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester County, New York.

     5. Emily A Opp (1904–1917) was born on 23 February 1904 in Kings county, New York. She died just over a month before her thirteenth birthday on 15 January 1917, and was also buried in Sleepy Hollow.

     6. Stanley Walter Opp (1912–2001) was born in New York City, and grew up in Newark, where he met his wife, Eleanor Bertha Ficke (1915–2004). They married around 1937, then lived in Denville, New Jersey, from 1944 until 1973. He was a warehouse supervisor at Bendix Corp. in Teterboro for 29 years, retiring in 1971. They had two children, one son, Stanley Charles Opp (1938–1993), and a daughter, still living.

Stanley and Eleanor then moved to Tuckerton, New Jersey, where he was a licensed optician. They lived there from 1973 until 1989, and retired to Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania. He received his optician degree from Camden Community College in 1980. He also owned and operated, with his late son, the Stanley Shell, later known as Stanley's Sunoco, in Denville.

     7. Dorothy Opp (b. 1915) remains a bit of a mystery; her brother Stanley's 2001 obituary mentioned her (as "Dorothy Campbell") and said she died previously, but did not say when. And she appeared in the 1940 Census in her younger brother James's household in Hillside, New Jersey, where her surname looks like "Comboy" (possibly a mis-hearing of "Campbell").

After the 1915 death of Lillian, James H. Opp's third marriage was to Jessica Viola "Jessie" Owens (1896–1987). They had one son in 1917, and then about a year after that, in 1918, James and his business associates took over the Aluminum War Manufacturing Company headquartered in Elmira, New York. James and his family all relocated to Elmira, and James purchased the famous Glove House there.

James's oldest son, Richard D., worked for him at this company, and James soon took over as president of the company from his partners. But within a couple of years, questions over the company's finances led to the Opps giving up control of the company, and moving back to New Jersey. It isn't clear that anyone did anything wrong, but the newspapers of the time implied that this was a local controversy.

     8. James Henry Opp Jr (1917–2010) married Shirley Cole (1920–1986), and they had two children: a daughter, still living, and a son, James Michael Opp (1956–1989). The family lived in Southern California from the mid-1950s, and James and Shirley are buried in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, Los Angeles county.

     C. Emily Amelia Opp (1871–1913) married Emil C Frey; they are my 2nd-great grandparents, so I will cover their family in more detail in future posts. I told much of Emil's story here on the blog a few years ago in Love and Loss in Old New York (and New Jersey).

II. Emily M. Palmer (b. 1842)

Emily married Alexander Charles Radcliffe (1819–1900)  on November 5, 1871, in Jersey City, New Jersey. They had one son, Loder B Radcliffe born and died in 1873. After Alexander's death, Emily was living in Philadelphia, where she was last seen in 1912. I have not found any record of her death.

III. Sarah D. Palmer (b. 1854)

Sarah was born in May 1854 in New Jersey, and she married James L W Decker (b. 1858) on October 9, 1884, in Jersey City, New Jersey. They had four children in 11 years. They appeared together with their children in the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census, and on birth and death records for the three younger children; there is also a marriage record for them in the New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1670-1965 database.

I don't know precisely when Sarah or James died, but she is listed in a U.S. City Directory at their home on Graham St. in 1918 as "wid. Jas. W." - and she appears in the 1930 Census in the household of her son-in-law, John T. Denmead.

     A. Theresa Decker (b. 1885) last appears in her parents' home on the 1910 U.S. Census, where they lived on Graham St. in Jersey City. She is single and 25 years old, with no listed occupation.

     B. Gordon Thayer Decker (1888–1952) married Marie Augusta Harnisch (1892–1972) on 21 December 1915, and they lived in the house on Graham St. with his parents. Gordon and Marie soon had their daughter, and they moved to East Orange around 1920. Gordon worked as a machinist and engineer until the 1940s, when he and Marie appear to have retired, either to San Diego, or to New York. Marie appears in both New Jersey and San Diego on the 1940 Census; in New Jersey, she lived with Gordon and her elderly parents, and in San Diego, she lived with her daughter and son-in-law.

Gordon died 8 April 1952, and was buried in San Diego, and Marie died there in 1972.

     1. Lois Decker (1917–1977) married Robert Edward Cullmer (1911–1968) of Montclair, New Jersey, probably in 1935. They moved to San Diego, California, where their son was born: Robert Morrison Cullmer (1937–2001).

     C. Grace P Decker (1889) died in June 1889 at five months of age.

     D. Caroline C Decker 1897–1993) was born on March 10, 1897, in Jersey City, New Jersey. She married John Tennant Denmead, Jr. (1894–1939) about 1921. They had six sons between 1922 and 1939, when John died. One son is still living.

Caroline remarried Julius Leo Briegel (1898-1977), and lived in Netcong, New Jersey, for many years. She was an assistant librarian at the Netcong Library from 1957 to 1967. She was a member of the Netcong Board of Education from 1950 to 1967, and served on the Juvenile Conference Committee of Morris County Juvenile Court from 1960 to 1965. She was a World War II Gold Star Mother and a past president and member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Lakeland Post 2347 Ladies' Auxiliary of Netcong.

She died in 1993 in Passaic, New Jersey, at the age of 96, and was buried in Netcong, New Jersey.

     1. John T Denmead III (1922–2013) was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and lived most of his life in the Netcong/Stanhope area. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. during WW II as a water survival instructor in Fresno, California. After the war, Jack worked as a salesman for Vita Frost Frozen Foods until it closed. He then worked as Superintendent of Building and Grounds with Lenape Valley Regional High School for over 25 years before retiring in 1987.

Jack was well known in his community for his historical knowledge of lakes Musconetcong and Hopatcong. He conducted water safety instruction for the Sussex County American Red Cross, certifying lifeguards in the area.

Jack married Patricia Jane Black (1923–1993) in 1943, and was survived by his brother, three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

     2. Donald R Denmead (1923–1943) enlisted in the Army Air Corps, and served as a ball turret gunner on the B-17 #4230872, 'Ole Puss,' which collided with another aircraft on 16 December 1943. The plane crashed into North Sea, and Sgt. Denmead was lost with the rest of the crew.

     3. James G Denmead (1928–2013) James served in the Marine Corps during World War II, and married Doris Louise Tobin (1923–2002) on 11 October 1952. He worked for Fablock Mills in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, as a computer data and construction manager. He was a member of the Warren Township American Legion Post 293. In his spare time he enjoyed oil painting, and sang with  the Hounds for Harmony Barbershop Chorus in Plainfield, New Jersey.

James and Doris are survived by their daughter.

     4. Bruce P Denmead (1933–1991) was born on June 12, 1933, in Dover, New Jersey, and lived in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, much of his life. He was a dispatcher at Jersey Central Power & Light Co. in Phillipsburg for 28 years before retiring in 1986. He was a member of Westley United Methodist Church in Phillipsburg. He also was a Cub Scout Webelos leader for Pack 62 in Budd Lake.

He died on January 20, 1991, at the age of 57, and was buried in Easton, Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, a son, four daughters, and seven grandchildren.

     6. Harry Wadsworth Denmead (1939–2008) was born on April 21, 1939, in Dover, New Jersey. He married Mary Ann Parliment (1940–2013) on 24 October 1958 in Vance, North Carolina, and enlisted in the U.S. Army from 1963-1965. They resided in Netcong prior to moving to the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey, in 1965.

Mary Ann was a nurse, working for many years at Dover General and Karen Ann Quinlin Hospice. Harry retired in 1998 after 38 years as a production planner with Westinghouse in Randolph. He was a life member of Stanhope United Methodist Church in Stanhope, and he was a member of the Barber Shop Harmony Society for 50 years.

Harry died on Wednesday afternoon, Oct 1, 2008, at St Clare's Hospital, Denville, after a short illness. MaryAnn died on Friday morning, April 19, 2013 at her home in Netcong after a long illness. They were survived by a son, two daughters, and two grand-children.

IV. Carrie W. Palmer (b. 1856)

When Carrie Palmer married Charles H Stevens (1840–1921) on October 8, 1879, in Jersey City, New Jersey, she was 22 years old. He was a boot & shoe maker with two children from a previous marriage. They had two more children.

Carrie's new step-children were William A. Stevens (b. 1866) and Evelyn Stevens (b. 1870). She is the Evelyn Stevens who married her step-cousin, James Henry Opp (1870–1941). After they divorced, Evelyn remarried George W. Gifford (b. 1868) on 11 August 1900.

Carrie died in 1931 in New Jersey at the age of 75, and was buried in Morristown, New Jersey.

     A. Charles H Stevens Jr. (1882–1923) married Jeannette "Jennie" Kalshoven (1886–1979) in 1908. He worked as a bank clerk, and died at only 41 years of age. They were survived by a son, Charles H Stevens (1910–1985).

     B. Clara R H Stevens (b. 1892) married William Fredrick Wing (1889–1942) on 22 December 1912, and they appeared together in her parents' household on the 1920 U.S. Census - but by 1922, William was no longer listed in Jersey City with Clara. He seems to have remarried by 1925. The last record I have of Clara is her listing in the 1922 U.S. City Directory for Jersey City, living in her parents' home on Grant St.

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As you can imagine, this is a very time consuming project! I'm planning to continue, but it certainly won't be a weekly exercise.

If you're a relative of any of the people named here, I am always eager to hear from cousins - especially if they can help me fix any mistakes I might have made in the course of my research.

If you've had your DNA tested through FTDNA.com, look for me in your Matches; you can reach me through my "callintad" Gmail address (listed there on my profile, too) or you can drop a comment below.

Samuel Peterson: New Jersey shipwright

After spending two years focused on my paternal line, I've been eager to look at the other branches of my family. Since the Callin Family History started with my 5th great-grandfather on the paternal side, it seemed inevitable that I should re-start this blog project by going to the exact opposite end of the tree: my 5th great-grandfather through my maternal line. Records are still sparse online, but perhaps one of these days I'll get the chance to visit the places that have the records that might fill in the blanks. 

Tracing back from my maternal grandmother's mother, Edna Lyle (Frey) Tuttle, here's what I can tell you about her great-great grandfather:

Samuel Peterson (1783-1862) - my 5x-great grandfather

Sam Peterson was a New Jersey shipwright who was born in 1783 in  Cape May, New Jersey. He had three sons and three daughters with his wife Mary between 1814 and 1830. He died on July 9, 1862, in Middlesex county, New Jersey, having lived a long life of 80 years.

Edna Lyle Frey (1895-1985) pedigree chart
click for full size version

There is a great deal that I don't know, and even some of the facts I have may be wrong. I had to make some educated guesses from the available records, but here's a breakdown of the evidence I have.

U.S. Federal Census records for 1830, 1840, 1850, and 1860 show a Samuel Peterson residing in Middlesex county, New Jersey. The first three place him in North Brunswick, presumably in his home with his wife and children; the 1860 places him in the town of Washington (the borough of South River, today), where he is living with the Palmer family.

I believe that James and Martha Palmer are Sam's daughter and son-in-law. There are also two children with the surname Peterson in the household that year: Samuel (14) and Annie (12); other records for Martha and James identify them as a niece and nephew, which I'll talk about in more detail later.

In addition to the four census records, I have an index record from the New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971. That record identifies Samuel Peterson, born about 1782 in Cape May, New Jersey; died 9 July 1862 in Washington, Middlesex, New Jersey at 80 years of age. Occupation: Shipwright; marital status: Widowed.

I have not found any records, local histories or old genealogy texts with any information about Sam's parents, but several Peterson families were listed in the New Jersey Tax Lists in Upper Township, Cape May county, during the 1780s and 1790s. (I found records for Aaron, Isaac, Hance, Joseph, Thomas, and a Samuel Peterson - any of whom might be Sam's father.)

Mary Peterson (1782-1852) - my 5x-great grandmother

Mary was born in 1786 in New Jersey. Other researchers give her maiden name as Hoffman, but I have not been able to confirm that with the available records. I only have two records that name her: the 1850 Census, where she is listed in Sam's household in North Brunswick, and the record of her death in the New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971. She died on February 17, 1852, in South River, New Jersey, at the age of 66.

Their Children

This section should be considered a work in progress. I had to piece together clues from a lot of different records, some of which contradict each other. There are several common names used across several generations, and children who seem to have lived with aunts and uncles while their parents were still alive, but I'll do my best to piece things together.

Assuming that the children living in their household in 1830 and 1840 were their sons and daughters, I expect to someday find all six of them. There were three boys and three girls in 1830; one girl and two boys in 1840; and one of each in the household in 1850 (the first year that named all household members). Here is the current list of Sam and Mary's descendants, as best as I can prove:

I. Thomas Peterson (1814–1880) - since none of the records I have found online identify Thomas as the son of Sam and Mary, there was a son listed in the "age 15-19" block of the 1830 Census. Also, the 1860 Census shows the Thomas Peterson family living next door to the James C. Palmer family, where Sam Peterson was also living. This is probably the strongest evidence I have to suggest that Thomas is related to our Sam Peterson. So, while I offer the caveat that he may not be a member of this family, the facts that follow are supported by five Census records (1840 through 1880), which place him in the area of East Brunswick, as well as his death record in the New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971, and memorials in the U.S. Find-a-Grave database.

Thomas Peterson was born on August 8, 1814, in New Jersey. He had two sons with his wife, Sarah Eliza, between 1838 and 1843. He was listed as a "waterman," "boatman," and "master sloop" in the various census records. Thomas died on October 26, 1880, in East Brunswick, New Jersey, at the age of 66, and Sarah Eliza died January 31, 1906, at age 88. They are both buried in the Washington Monumental Cemetery in South River, New Jersey.

On the 1870 Census, two young men, Perry (age 22) and Isaac (21) are listed as "farm servants" - their race is listed as "black" and their birthplace as "Virginia." They are indexed as Perry Peterson and Isaac Peterson, but the original census does not actually indicate a surname for them, so I'm not sure whether they used the name or not. 

     A. William H Peterson (b. 1838) married Mary F Reid (b. 1839) in 1858. They had one child during their marriage, Martha R Peterson (b. 1860). In addition to six U.S. Census records (1850-1910) that place him in East Brunswick and South River, William is recorded in U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865. 

     B. Theadore F Peterson (1843–1877) was born in 1843 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He his wife, Louisa, had one daughter, whom they named Carrie, in 1869. He died at age 35 on April 1, 1877. All we know about Louisa and Carrie comes from the three Census records that feature Theadore.

II. Unknown sister - born between 1816-1820, she only appeared on the 1830 Census in the "Females aged 10 thru 14" block.

III. Martha Peterson (1815–1882) - is my 4x-great grandmother; we will go over this family in more detail in a later post. She married James C. Palmer in 1836, and they had four daughters. This family took in Martha's nephew Samuel and niece Annie when Martha's sister-in-law died; and Martha's father, Samuel, lived with them after Mary died in 1852. In 1860, Samuel was listed in the Palmer household with the occupation constable.

IV. James H. Peterson (1821–1900) - was born in January 1821 in New Jersey. He had one son and two daughters with his wife, Sarah A, between 1847 and 1848. He died in 1900 having lived a long life of 79 years. You will notice a significant gap there, as I only have two Census records for James - one from 1850 that shows him, Sarah, and two of their children living in North Brunswick, and then 1900, living with his niece (Martha's daughter), Sarah Decker, and his brother-in-law, James Palmer.

While I have not been able to find James in the Census between 1850 and 1900, two of his children appear in the records consistently. I haven't been able to find records that would explain what happened, but I suspect that Sarah and one of their daughters, Martha, died during the 1850s. That said, there could be any number of explanations for these patterns.

     A. Martha L Peterson (b. 1847) was three years old in 1850, according to the 1850 Census; after that, I have not found records to indicate her fate.

     B. Samuel H. Peterson (b. 1847) was five years old on the 1850 Census, but later records peg his birth date closer to Martha's. On the 1860 Census, Samuel and his other sister, Annie, appear listed in the same James Palmer household as their grandfather, Sam Peterson (the same Sam we started with). According to a newspaper obituary for his wife, he married Amelia J. Opp in 1873, and they moved to New York state.

Samuel and Amelia were in Deerpark, New York, according to the 1875 New York State Census, and they were in North Dansville with their daughter and three sons in 1880. When Amelia shows up in 1900, she is listed in North Dansville as a widow, but I have not been able to find Samuel's death records. Amelia lived in North Dansville until her death in 1922, and she was buried near two of her sons in Green Mount Cemetery.

Because Amelia Opp is the sister of my 3x-great grandfather, Jacob Edward Opp, I plan to explore this family in a future post - there are a lot of Peterson descendants in this branch!

     C. Annie E. Peterson (1848–1880) presents a few tragic puzzles. She does not appear on the 1850 Census, but she and her brother Samuel appear on the 1860 in the home of the Palmer family. Annie apparently married a man named Eugene Morter, and they both appear in the Palmer household on the 1870.

According to the New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1670-1965, she married John A. Darlington on 11 December 1871, and they lived in Brooklyn, New York, according to the 1875 New York State Census. That marriage record names her parents as "James H. Peterson and Sarah Peterson." In 1880, John and Annie lived in Brooklyn with their three sons: James (b. 1872), John (b. 1877), and Orrin (b. 1879).

Tragically, Annie died on 17 June 1880 - there is a record that attributes her death to "consumption," but it also gives her race as "mulatto" (all other records that list race describe her as "white") and the date of death as June 1879, so that may be a different Anna Darlington. Whatever the cause of Annie's death, little Orrin also died a few weeks later on 14 July 1880.

Her husband and two surviving sons remained in Brooklyn, none married or left any children as far as I have been able to determine. The younger John died in 1902 at age 25; his brother James died in 1924. Their father traveled to England, and returned to New York in July 1886. The most recent record I see for him is the 1900 Census.

V. Larisa Peterson (b. 1826) - appeared in her parent's home in 1850.

VI. Samuel Peterson (b. 1830) - like his sister, appeared at home with his parents in 1850.

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As always, I would be eager to hear from anyone who might be related to any of the families mentioned here. It is a real challenge to research a surname as common as "Peterson," especially when everyone marries someone named either "Sarah" or "Mary" and then names their sons Samuel, James, or John!

But that is the challenge, I suppose, and I wouldn't really have any fun without the challenge.

I can be reached through my Gmail address, which is "callintad" and I will be notified if you comment below. My DNA is in the FTDNA.com database, if you are looking for genetic connections.

And happy hunting!