Helen Whitney Went to Athens in June, 1912

I don't know who Helen Whitney was, other than the fact that she signed her name in a copy of "Tales of a Greek Island," (published April, 1912) and was almost certainly the person who wrote on the copyright page, "I was in Athens in June, 1912."

If  you ever find out, let me know.

A Quick Diversion to OUR YOUNG FOLKS

The Huntsville project was pretty interesting, so I took a look around some other online sources. The Hathi Trust has all the issues of ST. NICHOLAS before 1923 online, and every one has some contact pages in which their young readers discuss previous issues of the magazine, or current events, or the organizations they have formed. There are enough of these pages to keep this blog in business for years.

But where else will I find this kind of thing? The Hathi Trust page links to some similar nineteenth-century children's magazines. I went through a few issues,  but haven't found anything comparable to ST. NICHOLAS in quantity. I did find, though, in OUR YOUNG FOLKS (a predecessor magazine) a letters page which occasionally gave us referents.

From the January, 1870 issue, page 69, the names, ages, and cities of three girls were published as winners of a composition contest. The magazine then published the first winner's composition in the next two pages, with a promise that the others would be included in succeeding issues. The winners were:

Pearl Eytinge, age 13, New York City [so b. ~1857].
Ten years later, in the 1880 federal census: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ6N-XJ9

Hattie Adams, age 14, Stony Creek, Connecticut [b. ~1856]. Possibly the Harriet H. Adams in Stonington, Connecticut in 1870: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN7P-8BK

Lottie E. Hamilton, age 11, Oswego, New York [b. ~1859]. Five years later, the 1875 New York State Census has her family at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTD3-7QP

OK, two for certain, and one not so much. If someone is a descendant of one of these three people, it adds an element of interest to know that they were prize-winning writers while still children or teenagers. It would be nice to more definite about Hattie Adams.

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We'll be back to the missing Huntsville children, and the Hennessey school, in the next post.

Schoolchildren In Hennessey, Oklahoma, in 1901

Here's another Ensemble, found on an item from an eBay auction* a couple of years ago — a memory card from teacher Mary E. Jett to her students, for the 1900-1 school year of Hennessey, Kingfisher County, Oklahoma. It contains on the front a photograph of Ms Jett and the names of members of the School Board, and on the back a list of her students.

Mentioned on the front of the card are the names Mary E. Jett (the teacher), and School Board members John Thompson (Director), J. M. Crist (Clerk), and John Ricks (treasurer).

Mentioned on the back are the names of thirty students of hers.

Listed individually, these are:

Eugene Stetler
Herbert Holmes
Myrtle Holmes
Ada Stetler
Minnie Thompson
Fern Snook
Olive Thompson
Ira Maupin
Willie Ricks
Dillard Holliway
Lizzie Maupin
Estella Snook
Frankie Stetler
Joe Patocha
Lucy Maupin
Elmer Bond
Maudie Carroll
Fanny Hawkins
Archie Stetler
Charles Stetler
Ruie Smith
Anna Snooks
Elsie Thompson
Ethel Holmes
Luther Bond
Clay Holliway
Eva Ricks
John Flarety
Myrtle Maupin
Chester Holmes
Thomas Holmes
Frank Patocha
Laura Maupin
Evalyn Bond
Rozela Hawkins

As a number of them have the same surname, we should be able to find several of those together. The question is whether we can find data on all of them.

*The auction was from a listing by eBay seller askmatzen.

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DON'T FORGET:

We still haven't found corroborating evidence for these children from Huntsville, Arkansas, in 1874 (see previous blog posts):

Edward Barbour
W. Van Buren
W. P. Buren
Johnnie Moody (perhaps)
Allie A. Powe
Fannie Richmond
Bell Parks

Ensemble Genealogy: Where Are We Now?

In the last episode, we spelled out the names from the Huntsville school and attempted to find alternate documentation for them. Most of them came from identifiable families, were listed in federal census returns, or were listed in online genealogical studies such as family trees.

For the remainder, we give it another shot. With a little bit of extra effort, we've identified most of the remainder.

There still isn't anything on Barbour or the (van) Burens. Keep in mind that it's always possible that this letter is the only documentary proof of the existence or residence of a person.


Hugh F. Berry     Living in War Eagle in the 1880 federal census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-WMF

Edward Barbour     Nothing found yet for Barbour in Madison Co. 1869-1901. There are Barber families.

M. S. Newton    Probably Mack S. Newton, born in 1860, and in 1870 living in the house of P. W. and Mary A. Newton, in War Eagle. Mack's siblings David and Miles are with them in 1870, but in the 1880 census are living with other people. See http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lcy&id=I18163&style=TABLE . Ancestry.com has him in the 1870 census reports, and suggests he went by Sterling as his first name.

W. Van Buren     Nothing found yet.    "No records found" for Buren in Madison Co. 1869-1901.

W. P. Buren     Nothing found yet     "No records found" for Buren

Johnnie Moody     Not found. There is a Johnnie "Moady" in Huntsville in the 1880 Census, sibling to Allie (below), but there identified as a Daughter. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-4YH

Allie A. Powe     Nothing found yet. There are Powe families in Arkansas.

Fannie Richmond     Nothing found yet. No one named Richmond in Madison Co. 1869-1901?

Bell Parks     Not found; there are Parks families in War Eagle in the 1870 census https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-CM3 but daughter Mary Bell Parks would only have been 2 years old in 1874. Still working on this one.

Selina Copeland     Probably the Lena B. Copeland, stepdaughter, living in the house of Joseph and Martha Williams in 1880. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-VQZ

Clint Kenner     See Susan C. Kenner, born 1856, daughter of Matilda Kenner, in the 1880 census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-WNN
Her name is given as Clintonsie Kenner in the 1900 census for War Eagle, still as the daughter of Matilda.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M36G-MWZ

Ensemble Genealogy: School Children of Huntsville, Arkansas, in 1874

In the previous posting, we had an image of the letter written to ST NICHOLAS in 1874 by Robert Hiram "Robbie" Prather. Here are some links we can follow to learn about him and his family nd friends.

All the people below are associated with the Prather children, and the school they went to. They make an Ensemble, and you can often see common threads among the members of a group like this.

How does this apply to genealogy? If you know specific people have a common association, you may be able to find them associated in other parts of their lives, such as marriages, emigration, church membership -- you know the drill. The ones you can't find anything about: These are the ones for which this batch of data is important.


Robbie Prather
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=prather2222&id=I54026

There is an extensive discussion of this Prather family in "THE BALD KNOBBERS OF SOUTHWEST MISSOURI, 1885-1889: A STUDY OF VIGILANTE JUSTICE IN THE OZARKS"
http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04142011-094633/unrestricted/HernandoDissertation.pdf or http://goo.gl/lAOjtb .

Bennie Prather
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=prather2222&id=I43745

Frankie Prather
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=beaner&id=I25307

Dick Prather
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=beaner&id=I25304

Hugh F. Berry     Nothing found yet

Edward Barbour     Nothing found yet

M. S. Newton     Nothing found yet

W. Van Buren     Nothing found yet

Willie Sams
Possibly the Willie B. "Sauer" living in Mulberry, Franklin, Arkansas in 1870:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC3-T6Q

Nat Sanders
http://goo.gl/zIwLTZ for numerous records of this person and his wife on Rootsweb

George Anthony
Probably the one living in Bowen, Madison, Arkansas in 1880 https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-WK7

W. P. Buren     Nothing found yet

Howard A. Kenner     Living in Huntsville in 1880:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-WNV

Frank E. Johnson     As Franklin A. Johnson, living in War Eagle in 1880:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-HB7

O. D. Johnson     As Ozias D. Johnson, living in War Eagle in 1880:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-HB7

Noah U. S. Johnson     Living in War Eagle for the 1880 Census, as Noah Ulices Johnson:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-HB7

Johnnie Moody     Not found. There is a Johnnie "Moady" in Huntsville in the 1880 Census, sibling to Allie (below) identified as a Daughter. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-4YH

Allie A. Powe     Nothing found yet

Bell Berry
Living in Mulberry, Franklin, Arkansas in 1870:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC3-T6Q

Ella Sams
See 1870 Federal Census for White Oak, Franklin, Arkansas
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNC3-R5D

Fannie Richmond     Nothing found yet

Cener Sanders     In Huntsville, War Eagle Township, in 1860, as "Coner" Sanders:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M875-L66

Bell Parks     Not found; there is a Parks family in War Eagle in the 1870 census.

Selina Copeland     Nothing found yet

Minda Bohannon
There are Bohannon families in War Eagle, Madison, Arkansas in 1860: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M875-L3F
and 1880: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-ZJY
Ancestry's International Marriage Index says Arminda Ellen Bohannon, b. 1864, married Dan Richardson in 1878.

Allie Moody    See Allie S. "Moady" in the 1880 Federal Census for Huntsville:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-4YH

Bettie Polk     Probably Elizabeth H. Polk, born 1858, in 1860 Census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M875-LFG

Clint Kenner     Possibly the Susan C. Kenner, born 1856, in the 1880 census:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNWX-WNN

Defenders of Birds

In the December, 1873 issue of ST. NICHOLAS, a magazine aimed at children in the age range 5 to 18, a C. C. Haskins published an article about the horrible things that were happening to birds, and asked the readers to become Bird Defenders. The children responded, and by the following May, the letter column of the magazine was featuring notes from children who had taken the pledge to defend the birds.

So here we have letters and notes from Americans (mostly) who were born 1856-69. In some cases the magazine published their full names, and sometimes their town of residence. In a few cases, they gave full street address. While some of these children had common names, in many cases their names were unusual, or even unique, making this a possible way to identify them as individuals.

This may not be the missing information that will break down your brick wall, but it certainly adds some data you can't get anywhere else. You will know that this person was reading, and writing letters. In some cases, the letters give extensive information about their families, or their school chums.

ST NICHOLAS was published monthly between late 1873 and the mid-1930's. All the issues before 1922 are online at the Hathi Trust and can be read page by page.

Here's an example, from May of 1874 (page 437 of Volume 1, part 2):

As you can see, young Robbie Prather of Huntsville, Madison, Arkansas gives the names of his three younger brothers, and those of his teacher and many of his schoolmates.

A web search for Robert Hiram Prather will turn up other genealogical information about this person.

Addison County, Connecticut; Personal Financial Note 1837

Addison County, Connecticut, 28 March 1837. A personal financial note between Robert Finch and Ransom Rathborn, witnessed by Hezekiah Church. Source: eBay seller genstore.

 

Interesting to note in this document that the basic legal language has already been printed, with just the specific details of the agreement filled in by hand into this preprinted legal form. 

The unusual typeface has been chosen to resemble handwritten script; it's early enough, however, that some of the "s" characters are shown in the old-fashioned "large s" form.