I opened up my Citizen newspaper this morning and there on the front page just below the fold was an article about a very old and historic home in Scipio Center.
The home is up for sale, and has been for a while. Known as the Merrifield Estate, it will be featured on the Today Show on NBC on Friday 11/13/2009 in a segment they are running on real estate at bargain prices.
The original settler was Ozam Merryfield, as the name was spelled at that time. Born about 1775, he died in Scipio NY in 1852. In his will, he gave about 90 acres of his real estate to his widow Adelia; his only son Thomas received an additional 100 acres. Ozam also mentions the potential for a railroad to run across his property that was bequeathed to Thomas, and Thomas' right to collect any damages if that occurred.
One of the small settlements in Scipio was (and still is for locals) known as Merrifield, named for this family. And yes, the railroad ran through it!
The house was used for a period of time as a stop on the Underground Railroad. I seem to recall an article in the Citizen a few years ago with some interesting details about the basement, and the documentation that led to that conclusion.
If you can, watch the Today Show on Friday to see a little piece of Scipio's history!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Alphius Jaquette
Civil War veteran Alphius (also spelled as Alpheus) Jaquette of Scipio, NY had the respect of his neighbors when he returned from the War.
His was I believe one of the marriages I mentioned in my last post. I did look his name up in the Complete Record of Officers, Soldiers and Seamen from Scipio completed by the Town Clerk, Allen Shorkley.
This book tells us some additional details about Alphius Jaquette's life post-Civil War. He resided in the neighboring town of Fleming when he came home; he had been born there in 1844. He served his country as a Private in the 111th NY Volunteer Infantry.
Alphius enlisted on April 19th, 1861 from Scipio, for a term of three years. The town paid a $50 bounty. He was discharged to Fleming, and married.
I also looked at the Special Census of 1890 for surviving soldiers, sailors, marines and widows. The census listed Alphius as a veteran, and his wife as Ann (perhaps a nickname for Dannis, or perhaps another Alphius) as his widow. This record showed he had enlisted in the 3rd NY Light Artillery on May 13, 1861, and served for 2 years and 19 days, coming out on June 2, 1863; no mention of the 111th.
This name is unusual enough for the size of Scipio at that time, so I believe this may be the same person. There are some possible explanations for some of the discrepancies; he could have enlisted in the 111th then transferred to the 3rd. He could have enlisted in the 111th for the bounty, not an unusual occurrence, then enlisted a second time with the 3rd LA and actually served with that unit.
This example shows why it is a good idea to be thorough in your research and use as many source documents as you can find. I will continue to look for information to clarify this matter.
The 1890 Special Census also tells us that Alphius had suffered a gunshot wound to his right arm. It also stated that he was a hard working man.
Not a bad record for an ordinary man who served his country when it was needed.
On this Veteran's Day, let's take a moment to thank Alphius and all our veterans, for all they have done through the years for all of us. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate it.
His was I believe one of the marriages I mentioned in my last post. I did look his name up in the Complete Record of Officers, Soldiers and Seamen from Scipio completed by the Town Clerk, Allen Shorkley.
This book tells us some additional details about Alphius Jaquette's life post-Civil War. He resided in the neighboring town of Fleming when he came home; he had been born there in 1844. He served his country as a Private in the 111th NY Volunteer Infantry.
Alphius enlisted on April 19th, 1861 from Scipio, for a term of three years. The town paid a $50 bounty. He was discharged to Fleming, and married.
I also looked at the Special Census of 1890 for surviving soldiers, sailors, marines and widows. The census listed Alphius as a veteran, and his wife as Ann (perhaps a nickname for Dannis, or perhaps another Alphius) as his widow. This record showed he had enlisted in the 3rd NY Light Artillery on May 13, 1861, and served for 2 years and 19 days, coming out on June 2, 1863; no mention of the 111th.
This name is unusual enough for the size of Scipio at that time, so I believe this may be the same person. There are some possible explanations for some of the discrepancies; he could have enlisted in the 111th then transferred to the 3rd. He could have enlisted in the 111th for the bounty, not an unusual occurrence, then enlisted a second time with the 3rd LA and actually served with that unit.
This example shows why it is a good idea to be thorough in your research and use as many source documents as you can find. I will continue to look for information to clarify this matter.
The 1890 Special Census also tells us that Alphius had suffered a gunshot wound to his right arm. It also stated that he was a hard working man.
Not a bad record for an ordinary man who served his country when it was needed.
On this Veteran's Day, let's take a moment to thank Alphius and all our veterans, for all they have done through the years for all of us. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate it.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Scipio Marriages in 1865
It was 1865 and the end of the Civil War was approaching. Transportation problems and successful blockades were contributing to severe shortages of food and supplies in the South. Starving soldiers began to desert Lee's forces. In February General Sherman moved from Georgia up into and through South Carolina, destroying almost everything in his path.
On March 25, General Lee attacked General Grant's forces near Petersburg, but was defeated -- attacking and losing again on April 1. On April 2, Lee evacuated Richmond, the Confederate capital.
On April 9 R. E. Lee and U. S. Grant met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender. Lee's men were sent home on parole -- soldiers with their horses, and officers with their side arms. All other equipment was surrendered. And on April 14, as President Lincoln was watching a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., he was shot by John Wilkes Booth.
Back in Scipio, as in many of our country’s small towns and villages, life continued as it always had. And that included eleven marriages recorded as of June 5, 1865, for the preceding year (June of 1864 – June of 1865). Some of these men were veterans of the Civil War, their names appearing in the Town Clerk list for Scipio that I have mentioned earlier this year.
June 7, 1864, Alanson Reynold, age 25, married Cathrine Hudson, 21, in Scipioville in a ceremony solemnized by a Baptist clergyman. And on June 11, 1864, Alphus Jaquette, 25, married Dannis Jones, 19, in Groton, NY. Alphus was a veteran of the Civil War.
September 6, 1864, Elwood H. Fell, 21, married Lavicy Akin, also 21, in Scipio.
On December 10, 1864, the last marriage recorded for the calendar year occurred between John Blowers, 21, and Phebe F. Thurston, 17, by a Justice of the Peace. John was a veteran of the Civil War.
On February 25, 1865, Theodore Smith and Thalia E. Reynolds, ages 21 and 20 respectively, were married in Scipio and that was solemnized by a Baptist clergyman. Theodore was a veteran of the Civil War.
Just a few days later on February 28, Artimus Ward, 35, married Phebe C. Ames, 23; also in Scipio in a Baptist ceremony.
March brought 4 more weddings:
James Dresser, 21 and Sarah Brister, 19, were married in Auburn in a Presbyterian ceremony on March 12. On March 14, Humphrey T. Crapo, 30, married Martha M. Van Liew, 28, in Scipio. March 23 brought wedding bells for John Knox, 32, and Elizabeth Bulkley, 29, in an Auburn Presbyterian ceremony; and March 26th saw Benjamin Houghton, 34 and a widow, and Eliza Forbes, 25, also married in Auburn.
On April 20th, Theodore Wallace, 27, and Charlotte Wadsworth, 21, were married near Utica, NY.
I will look up my copy of the Clerk’s Book of Civil War veterans, and will soon share with you what it has to say about John Blowers, Theodore Smith and Alphus Jaquette.
On March 25, General Lee attacked General Grant's forces near Petersburg, but was defeated -- attacking and losing again on April 1. On April 2, Lee evacuated Richmond, the Confederate capital.
On April 9 R. E. Lee and U. S. Grant met at Appomattox Courthouse, and agreed on the terms of surrender. Lee's men were sent home on parole -- soldiers with their horses, and officers with their side arms. All other equipment was surrendered. And on April 14, as President Lincoln was watching a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C., he was shot by John Wilkes Booth.
Back in Scipio, as in many of our country’s small towns and villages, life continued as it always had. And that included eleven marriages recorded as of June 5, 1865, for the preceding year (June of 1864 – June of 1865). Some of these men were veterans of the Civil War, their names appearing in the Town Clerk list for Scipio that I have mentioned earlier this year.
June 7, 1864, Alanson Reynold, age 25, married Cathrine Hudson, 21, in Scipioville in a ceremony solemnized by a Baptist clergyman. And on June 11, 1864, Alphus Jaquette, 25, married Dannis Jones, 19, in Groton, NY. Alphus was a veteran of the Civil War.
September 6, 1864, Elwood H. Fell, 21, married Lavicy Akin, also 21, in Scipio.
On December 10, 1864, the last marriage recorded for the calendar year occurred between John Blowers, 21, and Phebe F. Thurston, 17, by a Justice of the Peace. John was a veteran of the Civil War.
On February 25, 1865, Theodore Smith and Thalia E. Reynolds, ages 21 and 20 respectively, were married in Scipio and that was solemnized by a Baptist clergyman. Theodore was a veteran of the Civil War.
Just a few days later on February 28, Artimus Ward, 35, married Phebe C. Ames, 23; also in Scipio in a Baptist ceremony.
March brought 4 more weddings:
James Dresser, 21 and Sarah Brister, 19, were married in Auburn in a Presbyterian ceremony on March 12. On March 14, Humphrey T. Crapo, 30, married Martha M. Van Liew, 28, in Scipio. March 23 brought wedding bells for John Knox, 32, and Elizabeth Bulkley, 29, in an Auburn Presbyterian ceremony; and March 26th saw Benjamin Houghton, 34 and a widow, and Eliza Forbes, 25, also married in Auburn.
On April 20th, Theodore Wallace, 27, and Charlotte Wadsworth, 21, were married near Utica, NY.
I will look up my copy of the Clerk’s Book of Civil War veterans, and will soon share with you what it has to say about John Blowers, Theodore Smith and Alphus Jaquette.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Veterans in Cornwell Cemetery
Back in May of this year, I wrote about Ebenezer Cheever. Eb is buried in Cornwell Cemetery and like Frederick Van Liew, was a veteran of the American Revolution. When I started to work with the Owasco Chapter of the DAR on verification for the grave marking for Frederick Van Liew, I spent some time at Cornell University in Ithaca NY looking at some genealogical records for Scipio. I also used the NYS Library and the NYS Archives, the DAR website, fultonhistory.com and Footnote.com. It is always amazing to me to see how much information is available that would have been nearly impossible to track down and very costly, not so many years past.
In addition to Frederick Van Liew, I have verified that this little country cemetery includes the following Revolutionary War veterans:
Ebenezer Cheever, Privateer for CT
Samuel Hoskins, Private for MA
Elias Manchester, Private for NY
Caleb Wadham Sr., Artificer for CT
Nathan Webster, Private for CT
Elijah Weeks, Private for MA
Israel Ward, Member, NY Militia
Joel Coe, Member, NJ Militia
In addition, I believe that three more men, Nathaniel Olney, Ezekiel Parker and William J. Cook, are also Revolutionary War veterans but I have yet to verify them.
Some of these men can be found on our Scipio census for 1800, placing them here very early in Scipio's existence. Some of these names are still found in Scipio today. I will be writing more about them in the next month as I explore the Cornwell Cemetery more thoroughly, so stay tuned!
In addition to Frederick Van Liew, I have verified that this little country cemetery includes the following Revolutionary War veterans:
Ebenezer Cheever, Privateer for CT
Samuel Hoskins, Private for MA
Elias Manchester, Private for NY
Caleb Wadham Sr., Artificer for CT
Nathan Webster, Private for CT
Elijah Weeks, Private for MA
Israel Ward, Member, NY Militia
Joel Coe, Member, NJ Militia
In addition, I believe that three more men, Nathaniel Olney, Ezekiel Parker and William J. Cook, are also Revolutionary War veterans but I have yet to verify them.
Some of these men can be found on our Scipio census for 1800, placing them here very early in Scipio's existence. Some of these names are still found in Scipio today. I will be writing more about them in the next month as I explore the Cornwell Cemetery more thoroughly, so stay tuned!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Frederick Van Liew
I have a copy of Frederick's pension. It states that while he was residing in New Brunswick, NJ, he enlisted in the summer of 1776 and served 2 months as a Private in Captain John Taylor's Company of Colonel Duyckin's (also spelled Duychinck) New Jersey Regiment; from sometime in the summer of 1776 to about June 1, 1777, he served at various times on short tours, as a Private in Captain Lawrence Van Cleef's Company, Colonel Henry Vandyke's New Jersey Regiment.
About June 1, 1777 he enlisted in a company of light horse commanded by Captain John Stryker, New Jersey troops. He was not engaged all the time in active service but kept himself in constant readiness to mount and ride for an over all period of about 7 months.
August 1, 1779 he was appointed forage master under Sidney Berry, Deputy Quartermaster General; this service he rendered at different times until the close of the war for at least one year in all. Frederick participated in the Battles of Monmouth and of Springfield, as well as in a number of skirmishes. He was allowed a pension of $30.00 a year by application executed on September 25, 1832 under the Act of June 7, 1832, at which time he was 79 years old and lived in Scipio, Cayuga County, NY.
Frederick died June 20, 1835. Many of his descendants remain in Scipio and nearby towns to this day.
About June 1, 1777 he enlisted in a company of light horse commanded by Captain John Stryker, New Jersey troops. He was not engaged all the time in active service but kept himself in constant readiness to mount and ride for an over all period of about 7 months.
August 1, 1779 he was appointed forage master under Sidney Berry, Deputy Quartermaster General; this service he rendered at different times until the close of the war for at least one year in all. Frederick participated in the Battles of Monmouth and of Springfield, as well as in a number of skirmishes. He was allowed a pension of $30.00 a year by application executed on September 25, 1832 under the Act of June 7, 1832, at which time he was 79 years old and lived in Scipio, Cayuga County, NY.
Frederick died June 20, 1835. Many of his descendants remain in Scipio and nearby towns to this day.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cornwell Cemetery
Exciting times are coming to Scipio. This Saturday, the Owasco Chapter NSDAR is having a grave marking ceremony in Cornwell Cemetery for American Revolutionary War patriot Frederick Van Liew.
Frederick Van Liew was born on the family farm near New Brunswick, Somerset County, New Jersey. The prior generation of Van Liews had migrated from Jamaica, New York to build farms along the Raritan River in the Harrison Tract. His birth date was 5/20/1753; he was one of 12 children.
During the Revolutionary War he was a Private in the Somerset county Militia serving under Captain John Stryker's Troop of Horse and Captain Lawrence Van Cleave's Company second regiment. Service dates Nov. 1776 to after June of 1780. He was in battles of Monmouth N.J.(June 1778) and Springfield N.J.(June 1780).
Frederick and some of his family migrated to Scipio Center NY in the late 1790's to early 1800's to claim land grants he was awarded or purchased for his service in Revolutionary War. Frederick was buried in Cornwall cemetery in Scipio; he died 6/20/1835.
Cornwell Cemetery sits in a farmer's field to the east of State Route 34, on a slight rise. The land is in the Military Tract Great Lot 16 and was part of a parcel originally purchased by another veteran also buried there - Joel Coe.
Joel bought the land from General George Fleming, the man the nearby town of Fleming was named for. The first burial in this cemetery was sadly an infant son of Joel's in 1799. If you search this blog, there is some previous information so I won't repeat it here.
Frederick Van Liew was born on the family farm near New Brunswick, Somerset County, New Jersey. The prior generation of Van Liews had migrated from Jamaica, New York to build farms along the Raritan River in the Harrison Tract. His birth date was 5/20/1753; he was one of 12 children.
During the Revolutionary War he was a Private in the Somerset county Militia serving under Captain John Stryker's Troop of Horse and Captain Lawrence Van Cleave's Company second regiment. Service dates Nov. 1776 to after June of 1780. He was in battles of Monmouth N.J.(June 1778) and Springfield N.J.(June 1780).
Frederick and some of his family migrated to Scipio Center NY in the late 1790's to early 1800's to claim land grants he was awarded or purchased for his service in Revolutionary War. Frederick was buried in Cornwall cemetery in Scipio; he died 6/20/1835.
Cornwell Cemetery sits in a farmer's field to the east of State Route 34, on a slight rise. The land is in the Military Tract Great Lot 16 and was part of a parcel originally purchased by another veteran also buried there - Joel Coe.
Joel bought the land from General George Fleming, the man the nearby town of Fleming was named for. The first burial in this cemetery was sadly an infant son of Joel's in 1799. If you search this blog, there is some previous information so I won't repeat it here.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Illnesses in 1865
The Cayuga County Historian’s office has been a tremendous resource through the years. Most recently, County Historian Sheila Tucker was able to share with me some copies of old vital records she found for Scipio. Today I was looking over some death records. Some diseases have names I am not familiar with, so I looked them up online.
An 85 year old widow and a native of Connecticut, Rachel Remington died on April 21st of 1865 in Scipio of apoplexy. Usually, this referred to a sudden heart attack or stroke.
Milk fever, the cause of death for 26-year old wife Cynthia Lockwood of Cayuga on 2/6/1865, is sometimes called puerperal fever and is the result of infection. Before antibiotics were available, and when the notion of keeping surgical instruments and areas clean to prevent germs was still pretty new, women were frequently susceptible to this painful disease developed post-partum, and often did not recover.
Poor George Flynn; he was only a year and 7 months old when he died on 5/10/1865 of scarlet fever. This was a highly infectious disease and got its name from the scarlet rash developed by the infected person.
If you have wondered about a disease or cause of death on an old certificate, you may find it listed at this website: http://www.bignell.uk.com/glossary_of_old_names.htm or google the term “old illnesses.” Many of these diseases are still around today but we know them by another name.
An 85 year old widow and a native of Connecticut, Rachel Remington died on April 21st of 1865 in Scipio of apoplexy. Usually, this referred to a sudden heart attack or stroke.
Milk fever, the cause of death for 26-year old wife Cynthia Lockwood of Cayuga on 2/6/1865, is sometimes called puerperal fever and is the result of infection. Before antibiotics were available, and when the notion of keeping surgical instruments and areas clean to prevent germs was still pretty new, women were frequently susceptible to this painful disease developed post-partum, and often did not recover.
Poor George Flynn; he was only a year and 7 months old when he died on 5/10/1865 of scarlet fever. This was a highly infectious disease and got its name from the scarlet rash developed by the infected person.
If you have wondered about a disease or cause of death on an old certificate, you may find it listed at this website: http://www.bignell.uk.com/glossary_of_old_names.htm or google the term “old illnesses.” Many of these diseases are still around today but we know them by another name.
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