A Description of The Early Williamsons of Virginia

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons!
It has been several weeks since my last historical post on the Williamson line and for that I do apologize. My cousin Angie Mattson has been tireless in her research on my Grandmother Violet's family line (Pierce) and overwhelmed me with pictures and facts. With much of that now posted for our Pierce cousins, I am ready to turn my attention to the Williamson line once again.

You'll remember my post from some months ago detailing my strong belief that we are descended from Cuthbert Williamson of Virginia and therefore the Virginia line of Williamsons. You'll also remember my supporting evidence from the census' of that period. Given that evidence, I feel confident in posting this information on what I consider our Williamson history in Virginia. Please note that the following is a history compiled by the descendants of Cuthbert Williamson. It was written in the late 1800's. I've included the preface (in green) to explain in more detail what you about to read.

As you read this account of our Williamson family please note the red highlighted sections. I find those very interesting. You will also find a few of my personal comments in blue. And, as always, thank you for reading and celebrating the rich history of our Williamson family.

Simply,
Victor

Submitters Note: The following text is verbatim from an original document in my possession. The document is not dated, but seems to have been typed in the late 1890’s timeframe. Most of the people performing the research were grandchildren or great-grandchildren of Cuthbert Williamson (married 1^st Price, 2^nd White). Therefore, while not many sources are listed, there should be considerable merit in the report.

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TO THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE CUTHBERT WILLIAMSON FAMILY UNION.

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About two years ago some of us commenced investigating the history of the Williamson family. At that time we knew but little as to the family, except that our great grandfather was named Cuthbert Williamson and lived and died in Charlotte County, Va., near Rough Creek.

While we have not found out all that we had hoped to, still we have been amply repaid for our trouble in what we have learned, and are, we think, on the road to certain additional facts of great interest.

Cuthbert Williamson was born near Richmond, Va., about 1740, and in 1765 purchased land in Charlotte County, at which time it is supposed he moved either to that County, or to Prince Edward. His first wife is thought to have been Miss Price. He had three children by his first marriage, John, Rebecca and Elizabeth. His second wife was a Miss White, and by this wife he had the following children:- Charles, Mary, Martha, Nancy, Samuel, Cuthbert, Susan, Kate Francis, William B., Daniel M., Matthew and Sallie; Kate died young, unmarried; Sallie died when a child. (Remember, our GGG Grandfather George Matthew Williamson's father was named Matthew. According to this history all two of Cuthbert's 16 children married and had families. Kate and Sallie died as children )

As parties have been appointed to get up information as to each of the children of Cuthbert Williamson, I shall not take any one of his children, but will speak in a general way of what I have found out as to the early settlement of Williamsons in Virginia, and some of the peculiar traits and characteristics of the family. The family at an early date of this country was what might be termed a stony, rugged type of men, low in stature, square built, broad shoulders, black hair, heavy beard, short, thick hands and feet; gray or blue eyes, erect in carriage and long heads. They are self-reliant and unyielding in their opinions and convictions; careful not to give an insult or offense, but never disposed to submit to wrong or injustice, and ready to take their chances in the world. (I'm fascinated by this physical description of our ancestors. Remind you of any in the family today?)

Few of them have accumulated much property, but it is a rare thing to find one of them, who has not the comforts of life around him, and who does not enjoy extending hospitality to his friends and kin.

They are industrious and economical in their habits; great lovers of home and family, and by nature self-reliant. I have never found or heard of one of them being in the poor-house, or jail, except when put there by the Yankees; nor are there any millionaires in the family. (My father is a complete work a holic. I am the same. Is this a trait amoung other Williamsons today?)

I have never seen or heard of a red-headed Williamson, and with the older generations, no good fiddlers or dancers; although some of them have made an effort at tripping the "Light Fantastic Toe." (No red headed Williamsons? I'm sure that's no longer the case. Remember, this was written in the late 1800's)

The old Williamson type has been transmitted from generation to generation in the men with remarkableness, so much so, that a Williamson is easily distinguished in a crowd. They are a long-lived people, many of them reaching to over eighty years. But few, if any bald-headed ones, but the men’s hair turn gray early, as evidenced by that of the writer.

When it is remembered that our Cuthbert Williamson had sixteen children, and it has been one hundred and thirty-two years since the first child was born, and fourteen of them were married, and they have very nearly all faithfully kept the Bible injunction to multiply and replenish the earth, a splendid example being set by their ancestor, you will see what a large crop has been raised. In nearly every State in the South and a few in the North, are the descendants of Cuthbert Williamson found, but Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Texas contain the great bulk of them.

The Winthrop Family (Pierce Line)

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

A Happy Sunday to everyone. The Fortress received a dusting of snow overnight. The valley below is frosted with white crowned with layers of gray clouds. The mountains opposite the lake are beautiful in their own way with this first real snowfall of the season.

We start this Thanksgiving Week by meeting our 13th Great Aunt Elizabeth Reade and her family. Elizabeth was the sister of our 12th Great Grandmother Margaret Reade Lake though the Pierce line. She is known today because of her husband, John Winthrop Jr., son of John Winthrop Senior.

Click to Enlarge

If you remember your American history, John Winthrop Sn. obtained a royal charter, along with other wealthy Puritans, from King Charles I for the Massachusetts Bay Company and led a group of English Puritans to the New World in 1630.He was elected the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony the year before.

We begin our story with additional information on our 13th Great Grandparents John Lake and Margaret Reade Lake.

John LAKE was baptized at North Benfleet England on 26 Sept. 1590. He married about 1616, to Margaret Reade. Margaret was born 11 July 1598 and baptized at Nort Benfleet 16 July 1598. She died at Ipswich, MA, around 30 Aug.1672.

Sometime between 1631 and 1635, Margaret left John and emigrated with her sisters and their families to New England, taking with her her two daughters, Ann and Martha Lake. For many years she lived with the family of her sister Elizabeth and her husband Gov. John Winthrop, Jr. at New London, CT, and is mentioned repeatedly in the Winthrop family correspondence. The last decade of Margaret's life was spent at Ipswich,
MA, the home of her daughter Martha Harris, and of her brother-in-law, Deputy
Governor Samuel Symonds.

In 1654 Rev. Hugh Peter, Margaret's step-father,wrote from London to John Winthrop, Jr. "John Lake is alive and lusty;" and in 1657 he said "John Lake lives still." On 18 Jan. 1661/2 Margaret wrote the following from Wenham, MA, to her brother-in-law, Governor Winthrop, who was in London:

"Might I not bee to troublesome to you I would have desired yors. to have done mee yt courtesy as to have inquired concerning my husbands death, & how
hee ended his dayes, as also to have inquired of my cousen Thomas Cooke,
whether he knew whether their was any thing left mee or no."

No will of John LAKE has been found. Margaret's will, dated 30 Aug. 1672, left her property to her daughters Hannah Gallop and Martha Harris, and to her grandchildren.
The will of Margaret Lake of Ipswich, widow, was made August 30 and proved September 24, 1672.

To my daughter Hannah Gallop and her children, all my land at new London. To my daughter Hannah, my best gown, my red cloth petticoat and my enamelled ring, anf after her decease my granddaughter Hannah Gallop shall have the ring. To my granddaughter Hannah Gallop, a pair of sheets, one of my best pewter platters and one of the next [best]. To my daughter Martha Harris, my tapestry coverlet and all my apparel not disposed of particularly. To my daughter Martha, my mantle, and after her decease to all of her children as they need it. To my grandson Thomas Harris, the coverlet of tapestry, after my daughter Martha's decease. To my daughter Martha, and
after her decease to my granddaughter Martha Harris, my gold ring. To my granddaughter Martha Harris, my bed and bedstead, one bolster, two blankets, two pillows and one coverlet. To my granddaughter Elizabeth Harris, on heifer at my cousin Eppes. To my grandaughter Margaret Harris, my carved box, a damask table-cloth and six damask napkins. All my brass and pewter, and all my household stuff nt otherwise disposed, to my daughter Harris' children. To my grandson John Harris, my bible and a pair of fringed gloves. To my son Thomas Harris, all the rest of my estate:viz. my part of the vessell, and all my debts. Executors: My son Thomas Harris and my daughter Martha Harris. Witnesses: Thomas Knowlton, Sir James Chute.

The inventory, which was made up of clothing and household articles, totalled
£141.

John Winthrop III. Our 1st Cousin 13 Times Removed

Born: March 14, 1637/8, Ipswich, Massachusetts
Parents: John Winthrop Jr. and Elizabeth Reade

Offices Held:

• Magistrate, Colony of Connecticut, 1664
• Lieutenant and Captain in Richard Cromwell's Army (England), 1658-1660
• Deputy, General Court of the Colony of Connecticut, 1671, 1678
• New London Representative to the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut, 1671
• Head, New London County Militia, 1672
• Sergeant Major of Long Island, 1673
• Council member, Dominion of New England, 1687-1689
• Assistant, General Court of the Colony of Connecticut, 1690, 1693-1697
• Governor, Colony of Connecticut, 1698-1707

Died: November 27, 1707, Boston, Massachusetts

John Winthrop III, given the old Anglo-French patronymic (personal name) "Fitz" ("son of") to help distinguish him from his father, was probably born at what is now Ipswich, Massachusetts, March 14, 1637/38, the son of John Winthrop, Junior and his second wife, Elizabeth (Reade) Winthrop. However, his birth is recorded in Boston. Ipswich, then known as Agawam, had just been established in the Massachusetts wilderness in 1633.

Fitz-John, along with several sisters and a brother, Wait Still, were born into an illustrious family. Their grandfather, John Winthrop, Senior, was the first governor of Massachusetts; their talented and well-known father, John Winthrop, Junior was a physician, served in the Connecticut General Assembly, and was himself Governor of the Colony of Connecticut for eighteen years (1657, 1659-1576). John Winthrop, Junior, was a successful man, and his support and advice were in great demand. He was frequently away from home, sometimes for long periods of time. His changes in career and projects caused the family to move several times in Fitz-John's early years, from Ipswich to Boston to New London. By the fall of 1646, when Fitz-John was about eight, the family had settled at Winthrop's Neck on the Thames River in the New London area.

With all the moving and with the father's absences, the boys' education was somewhat neglected. The house at Winthrop's Neck was the center of several farms owned by their father. Emphasis was not on studies but on the farms, and Fitz-John liked being outdoors, a preference that was to remain with him throughout his life. It was 1653 before he, at age sixteen, was sent with Wait Still to Fitch's School for Boys in Hartford for a year and a half. He was an average student. Then, the boys were sent to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Wait Still entered a private boys' school while Fitz-John took the examinations for Harvard. Fitz-John did not pass, his lack of education hindering him. A cousin who was a scholar was hired to tutor him for a year, but the cousin became ill and died.

Fitz-John stayed on in Boston with relatives. He had not been especially interested in attending Harvard and had applied mainly to please his father. Preferring action and the outdoors, in 1658 when loyalists in England needed soldiers to help the King retake his throne from Cromwell, Fitz-John jumped at the opportunity. Through family connections he became a lieutenant in Richard Cromwell's Army, eventually rising to the rank of captain. The army moved down from southern Scotland to London and helped restore King Charles II to the throne in 1660. Fitz-John's unit was disbanded, but he remained in England visiting other relatives.

Fitz-John was still there when his father came to London in 1661 to obtain a charter for Connecticut. In April 1663, both returned to New London, and Fitz-John became involved in the political life of the colony. He served as a judge and in October of 1664 was one of the Connecticut boundary commissioners, resolving conflicting land claims along the New York-Connecticut border. One result of the commission's work was that Long Island, formerly part of Connecticut, was assigned to New York.

Fitz-John continued to take part in the Connecticut's government, being elected as one of New London's representatives to the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut in 1671. He served well in the legislature but preferred military campaigns to creating laws. In 1672, he was made head of the New London County Militia. In 1673, he was made Sergeant-Major of Long-Island and helped drive the Dutch from that area.

Fitz-John had many of his father's qualities, but was more of an outdoorsman, a soldier, and his own man. He lived at a time when church and government were not separated, and there was close monitoring of public and private morals. Yet, as the son of a wealthy and influential family, he could flout convention in ways that normally invited serious punishment by church or government authorities. That is perhaps why he was not officially punished when about 1677 he entered into a common-law marriage with Elizabeth Tongue, fifteen years his junior, and the daughter of wealthy New London innkeepers, George and Margery Tongue. The couple had one daughter, Mary. Elizabeth, who signed deeds and letters as late as 1698 as Elizabeth Tongue, died April 25, 1731.

Although people generally saw Fitz-John as someone with a buoyant personality and with much common sense, he was slightly self-indulgent and could hold a grudge against those opposing him. The latter attitude created problems for him in his many business enterprises. He also had a health problem, being plagued all his life by an unknown illness for which he took an all-purpose remedy created by his father, who was a physician.

King Charles II of England, restored to the throne, wanted to centralize New England under one governor, doing away with separate governors for each colony. By 1686, he had created the Dominion of New England with one governor, Sir Edmund Andros, at its head in Boston. Andros governed with a council of 27 members from the various colonies. The only Council member from Connecticut was Fitz-John Winthrop, a great supporter of the King's plan and a friend of Andros.

The Dominion of New England government was not popular. However, when it was overthrown in 1689, Fitz-John was in New London and his participation in the Dominion government did not seem to affect his overall popularity; he was elected as an Assistant to the next General Court in 1690. His individuality showed itself once again in this post, as he did not attend any of the meetings, which were held in Hartford. At the next election, he was not reelected. However, he continued to serve the Colony of Connecticut by commanding its troops on an invasion of Canada. Going north along the Hudson River, this expedition consisted of men from New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, and was meant to end the French-supported Indian raids to those colonies. The troops only received limited food and transportation, and the expedition was forced to retreat. Governor Leisler of New York, jealous of Winthrop, used the retreat to accuse him of treason. Leisler imprisoned Fitz-John and held him for court-martial at Albany. There, a large group of friendly Mohawks freed him. Fitz-John returned to Connecticut, cleared his name, and received the thanks of the General Assembly. The next spring, a new royal governor came to New York and tried, convicted, and executed Leisler for treason.

While the 1690 expedition to Canada was in progress, another political crisis was brewing. The settlement of Connecticut had begun without a charter from the Crown. New York and Massachusetts, both chartered from the beginning, often tried to infringe on its territory. Although it had been hoped that the Charter of 1662, obtained by Fitz-John's father, John Winthrop Junior, would prevent Connecticut from being taken over by Massachusetts or New York, those colonies did not give up their claims to Connecticut's lands. Arguing that the creation of the centralized government of the Dominion of New England had invalidated Connecticut's Charter, Massachusetts and New York attempted to annex Connecticut's territory.

Massachusetts and New York officials had friends at Court, and in August 1692, the new governor of New York, Benjamin Fletcher, arrived with power to command the military forces of both New York and Connecticut. Robert Treat was then governor of Connecticut, and he refused to surrender command of Connecticut's troops. Treat and the Connecticut General Assembly called on Fitz-John Winthrop's diplomatic abilities and connections at Court. He was to go to England and appeal the validity of Connecticut's 1662 Charter to King William and Queen Mary. Winthrop left for England late in 1693 and made his case early in 1694. A report prepared by the royal attorney and solicitor-general and ratified by the King and Queen confirmed the validity of the 1662 Charter of the Colony of Connecticut. Connecticut could continue to govern itself.

Fitz-John remained in England for three more years. When he returned to Connecticut, he was awarded five hundred pounds by a grateful General Assembly. He was elected as Governor in 1698, and was reelected annually until his death in 1707.

Although his common-law marriage and health problems somewhat affected his ability to govern, in the end Fitz-John accomplished much as governor. The 1662 Charter was threatened three times during his ten years in office, but each time Winthrop and the Assembly successfully defended it. Winthrop initiated a series of efforts to reorganize Connecticut's political and judicial structure. In 1698, the Assembly broadened the governor's authority to act between legislative sessions, and in 1699 the Assembly was divided into two chambers. The twelve Assistants to the General Court became one chamber, the Upper House, and the elected Deputies from the towns another chamber, the Lower House. Opponents at first criticized this change as no one was sure which House had authority over which issues. But adjustments were made, and these two Houses became Connecticut's first steps towards its modern legislature with a Senate and House of Representatives.

Winthrop considered retiring from the governorship in 1702 after neighboring governors charged him with not supplying enough soldiers for a war against France. The Connecticut voters refused to let him leave office, and he stayed. While on a trip to Boston to see his brother Fitz-John became ill. He died on November 27, 1711 and was buried next to his father and grandfather in the King's Chapel Burying Ground in Boston, Massachusetts.

Pictures of our Pierce Aunts, Uncles and Cousins

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Tis a bitter cold this way comes. We have an Arctic front bearing down on Utah. Thanksgiving lows will drop into to 10 degrees. Just the kind of weather to keep one indoors, safe and warm in the Fortress. And how do I plan on occupying my time (other than eating myself senseless with holiday fare) than to create posts for my three blogs.

Today I'm please to share several photographs sent by Len Pierce, our newly found Pierce cousin. I begin with a Relationship Chart (click to enlarge) to help you place the people pictured and how they relate to us.


Today I display pictures of our GGG Grandmother Isabel, her daughter Jenny with her two sons and daughter Madge and her two sons. We also get to meet GGG Uncle Bert our GG Grandfather Edwin Sherman's only brother.

Shall we begin?

GGG Aunt Madge Pierce Cowan with her oldest son Lynn (1st cousin twice removed).

A Merry Christmas Portrait (1900?). GGG Aunt Jennie Pierce Joslin with husband George and sons Vern and DeVere

John Cowan. Second son of GGG Aunt Madge Pierce Cowan. He later became a dentist working on the east coast.


GGG Grandmother Isabel Pierce Stevens with granddaughter May Pierce at the age of 5.

GGG Grandmother Isabel Pierce Stevens.

Isabel divorced our GGG Grandfather Andrew Jackson Pierce and married a man by the name of Stevens. They lived in Iowa Falls, Iowa until she bcame ill and wenttolive with her daughter Jenny Joslin in Cassville, Missouri, where she died after a stroke and long illness.

We don't know what happened to our GGG Grandfather Andrew.

GGG Uncle Bert Pierce, our GG Grandfather Edwin's only Brother.

GGG Uncle Bert Pierce and wife.


GGG Uncle Bert. World War I


GG Uncle Henry Raymond (Ray) Pierce. Ray was Grandma Violet's uncle. Brother to her father Walter Edwin (Edd)

GG Uncle Henry Raymond (Ray) Pierce. WWI.


GG Uncle Henry Raymond (Ray) Pierce. WWI.

One interesting side note about our GG Uncle Ray, you'll see he was a hired man living and working for our Great Grandmother Vesta's brother in law, Charles Roe. This may be how Vesta met Ray's older brother Walter Edwin Pierce - leading to their marriage.

And another interesting side note. Here you see that our GG Uncle Ray married Francis Roe. You'll notice in the 1910 census he was 17 years old and Francis was 11. They married 11 years later when she was 22 and he was 27.

GG Uncle Ora, his wife Grace and their family. Ora was Grandma Violet's Uncle, brother to her father Walter Edwin (Edd).

Aunt May and Aunt Nelle were both Grandma Violet's Aunts, sisters to her father Walter Edwin (Edd).

The following pictures are of our GG Uncle Glenn Pierce. Glenn was a brother to our Great Grandfather Walter Edwin Pierce (Edd); An uncle of Grandma Violet.

World War I and Our Pierce Cousin

Vern Joslin, Private WWI

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Veteran's Day was November 11. It was once called Armistice Day, a commemoration of the day World War I ended with Germany's surrender. I was very please to receive the following email and pictures telling the story of a Pierce cousin that fought in The Great War. This information comes from Richard Carlton.

Thank you Richard.

Let's begin with a Relationship Chart so you can see how we are related to this Pierce "Dough Boy". As a side note, you'll read that he was in the Balloon Corps. During WWI the army would put people up in balloons to see where the enemy troops were located. He may have spent his time in the war dangling from a balloon making observations or he could have worked the winches that raised and lowered the balloons (the winch operaters made good yatchman because of their speed with the winches).

You see then that Vern Joslin was the son of our Great Great Great Aunt Jennie Pierce Joslin.

And Now Richard's Email:

Because he died so young, Vern is almost unknown.

Vern was taken ill with pleurisy in Jan 1916 and missed so much school that he could not graduate with his class that year. He graduated in May 1917 from Cassville (MO) high school (per Jenny Joslin's Journal and an article in Cassville Republican newspaper).

According to Jenny's Journal - in Oct. 1917 he went to Joplin, MO and enlisted in the Army Air Corps. His Soldier's Record says that he was actually inducted, subsequently, at the Jefferson Barracks Army Training Camp, near St. Louis, MO. He served in France as a private in Company A of the 3rd Balloon Squadron. It was organized on 11-04-1917 at Fort Omaha, NE. They were shipped overseas about the end of Jan 1918, first to England, and then to France in mid-Feb, and were renamed the 5th Balloon Company. Verne was still in France in April 1919, and according to an article in the "Cassville Republican" newspaper, he arrived back home on May 16, 1919. His Soldier's Record indicates he served from 1-31-1918 to 5-03-1919 and was honorably discharged.

After the war, Vern entered the University of Cincinnati in Sept, 1919 (according to the Cassville Republican) to study Mechanical Engineering. The family album has a several photos taken at UC, including one of a fire at UC Baldwin Hall that occurred in Jan 1920.

In Aug. 1920 Vern came home (to Rolla) from Cincinnati, and in Sept. entered the Missouri School of Mines at Rolla to continue his education in Mechanical Engineering. He finished in May, 1922, but was graduated with the Class of 1923.

Family lore was that the family moved to Rolla after the creamery burned down in Cassville. But I have found no reference in the Barry County GenWeb site of such an event, nor is it mentioned in Jenny Joslin's Journal. What I've found instead, is that George sold the business to a Mr. VanHorn, and according the the Cassville Republican (Nov 1919) the new proprietor reported that business was good. It also related that George was removing to Rolla, with DeVere to soon follow. In 1920 they established a creamery and ice plant business in Rolla.

Vern was taken seriously ill with back pain and fever on July 19, 1925 and died on July 31, 1925, just one week after Bobette was born.

Mother always said that he had bad kidneys, he also had contracted typhoid as a young teen, and that may have weakened them. The back pain he had the week before dying might have been symptomatic of kidney failure.

Richard Carlton

DeVere & Verne (Teens) c 1905 - 1910

Vern on Motorcycle. WWI

DeVere & Vern (Teen Photographer)

Luella Returns from the Hospital and Young Violet Pierce (Our Grandma Mattson) in 1926

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
A fine morning it is turning out to be. The weather is calm and warming, usual before a storm. The weekend will be windy with rain and snow. I'm not enjoying the snow as much as I use to. It's more of a bother now.

An update on Luella, the Queen Mother. She returned safely from the hospital on Tuesday. She has been pampered, waited on, coddled, hugged and 'listened to'. Believe it or not, it was difficult but we all tried our best to stay focused through entire conversations lasting minutes! ;)
Then yesterday, a possible set back.

Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call from my sister Jilane telling me mother might have a blood clot. She had one thousand things to do (and began listing them thinking I might not believe her) and wanted me to take her back to the hospital for an ultrasound. I stopped her in mid conversation and told her I'd be right there . Note: I said I would be right there so she could do her 1000 things. Ahemm. The good and dutiful son. Let's all make a note of that for future reference :)

We checked into the Emergency Room at 5:15 P.M. and left at 7:00 P.M. The ultra sound was good. There was no blood clot. I think she just missed the place and wanted to go back to see her the friends she'd left behind. Dad was there as well using the visit as his lunch break.

I sat totally engrossed (not) in Luella's conversation with the patient across the curtain. They were comparing injuries, treatments, doctors etc. I stepped from the curtain into the hallway and saw a buzz of nothing. Must have been six or seven nurses and orderly sitting at computers typing. I was disappointed. This wasn't what I thought an Emergency Room would be like. I imagined blood soaked tile and screaming and doctors shouting orders and nurses rushing with defibrillators and priests giving last rights and patients lining the hallways in cots reaching out to anyone passing for the smallest bit of human companionship. I was disappointed.
Well, enough of that. Luella is home and waiting for your phone calls. Don't let me down now.

Now an updated and new pictures from the Pierce side of our family.

Our cousin Len Pierce found the following photographs and sent them to me yesterday. I'm very pleased. We have so few pictures of Grandma Mattson as a young girl.


If you've been reading the blog then you'll be able to pick Grandma out right away BEFORE you look at the bottom photo and see the caption. Give it a go. Did you find her? Violet Pierce is the lower girl on the far right.



Here she is again and labeled for you. You'll notice that both pictures were taken in 1926, making Violet 8 years old. Don't know where her brother Walter was at the time. He doesn't appear in the photographs. Remember, Violet's mother Vesta and her father Walter (Eddy) separated around 1920.

Len sent the following information with the pictures:

Victor,

Attached are two photos from May Pierce Gadient's scrapbook. May references Violet in the 2nd picture and the first picture looks like it was taken at the same time in 1926. Again, this was in 1926 and May had her son Lester with Cousin Dora and her girls. This would take a comparison photo of Violet to check with but I will send the two photos to you anyway.

Len Pierce

FYI. May Pierce Gadient was Violet's aunt - sister to her father Walter Edwin Pierce (Eddy). She is here with her aunt and cousins.

Thank you Len for sending the pictures.

Simply,
Victor

Our Great Great Great Grandmother Isabella

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello,
Tonight we meet our Great Great Great Grandmother Isabella Segrems Pierce. She was Grandma Violet's Great Grandmother on her father's side of the family. Information on the Pierce family is now available thanks to Angie's hard work and the new family contacts she's made. A special thank you tonight to a Pierce cousin Richard Carlton for the pictures and additonal information.

Let's begin with a relationship chart to help you understand where Isabella fits into our family line.

Relationship Chart

Andrew Jackson Pierce b. 1835 New York. Married Isabella Pierce b. 1842 New York
to
Edwin Sherman Pierce married Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler
to
Walter Edwin Pierce married Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce married Walter Albert Mattson
to
Luella, Linda, John, Marvin
to
US

GGG Grandmother Isabella and daughter Jenny Pierce about 1872.
Jenny is between 1 and 2 years old.

Our GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens with daughters Jenny (11 years old) and Madge (Margaret. 14 years old). Taken in 1882.

Great Great Great Aunt Jennie Pierce Joslin in her later years. Jennie was the sister to our Great Great Grandfather Edwin Sherman Pierce

Andrew and Isabella were married in MARGARETVILLE, Delaware County, New York, on 21 Feb 1860.

The 1870 Census

Andrew and Isabella moved around a lot in the beginning of their marriage and settled in Hardin, Iowa about 1870, a few years before Jennie was born. Jennie was 5 years younger than Margaret. We assume Andrew and Isabella divorced after Jennie was born and before Isabella remarried. That would put their divorce between 1871 and 1880 in Hardin, Iowa. I'm thinking they waited until the boys were older, so more around 1878, which would make the boys around 16 and 14. Now we need to find out what happened to Andrew after about 1875.

GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens later in life.


GGG Grandmother Isabella Segrems (Pierce) Stevens (seated left) with daughters and friend.

Richard Carlton wrote this about the picture above:

I'm guessing the photo is c. 1887 - 1890. The child looks to be about 2 yrs old. Dora & Edwin had children in 1885, '87, '89, '91, etc. Madge & John had children in 1888, '95, '08.

So I'm thinking that the child could be Walter Edwin Pierce b.1885, Ora Joslyn Pierce b.1887, Frances Herbert Pierce b.1889, or Lynn (male) Cowan - b. 1888.

The dress styles strike me as pre-1890.

According to this Census, Isabella remarried after the boys left home.

Our Great Great Grandfather Edwin Sherman Pierce must have lived in Hardin, Iowa for awhile, because that's where Eldora Fiddler lived and where they married in 1884. He was 22 and she was 25.

Great Great Great Grandfather Andrew Jackson Pierce died of a bad fall when Jenny was just three years old. He was buried in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Richard Carlton also add with the photographs:

As to Isabella, I found this morning that I do have a note from my mother relating that Isabella's father was a Richard Segrems (now there are about 13 or more different ways (homonyms) to spell that surname and at last attempt I hadn't found any at Genforum.com).

All I have on Richard is that he is thought to have been born in 1817 in England and that he had at least 2 male children before Isabella. I don't have a name for his wife, but only that she was born in Scotland.

This would make Isabelle's father (Richard Segrems) our 4th Great Grandfather and another connection to England and Scotland through his unknown wife.

Have a Great Week!

Simply,
Victor

Our Early Life in Rapid City

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Just returned from visiting mother (Luella) at the American Fork Hospital. She was admitted for surgery on Friday (multiple hernias - "Comes from lifting and caring for eight children," she reminds me when I visit). She is doing well I'm happy to report and will return home on Tuesday. She has a nice room with a view of a field with horses, surrounded by tall trees dressed in their finest Autumn colors.

She's been upgraded to oatmeal. The liquid diet was not to her liking. To celebrate this milestone in her recovery, I stopped at Walkers Gas Station and bought her favorite - a 32 ounce gut buster diet Mountain Dew with one squirt of cherry flavoring. Once she discovered I was out and about she called and mentioned how much she enjoyed her Sunday crossword puzzle found in her favorite magazine "Woman's World" purchasable only at our local WalMart. What's a good son to do? I agreed to make an additional stop.

She called me in the WalMart check out line to ask me to purchase an erasable pen with the magazine. I stopped her as she was explaining where in the football field sized Walmart the erasable pens were located. "I'm already in the parking lot heading your way," I lied.
"Never mind then," she replied.
"You could use a pencil," I suggested.
"Yes, you're right. I just like my erasable pens."

When I got to the hospital I found her sitting in the room's recliner. She told me the gruesome story of getting out of the bed and into the chair. The hero of the tale was the large 'burly' orderly that 'hoisted' her up with the help of a 'trapeze' - a hoisting device over her bed.

"I'm slightly embarrassed," she mentioned while she nursed her Diet Mountain Dew. "He saw my back side in all its glory." The twinkle in her eye was noticeable.
"They tell me I'll be up and walking later this morning," she added.

"Well, he won't be the only one that sees your 'backside' then will he?" I said while conjuring up a vision of my 70 something year old mother parading up and down the hospital hall, clutching a walking frame and IV with full moon in sight. I started laughing. She knew what I was thinking and joined in. The pain from the stitches brought the laughter to a quick end but it was entertaining for a moment or two.

She asked if there was anything new with me. I tried to think if anything extraordinary happened to me since I visited the previous day.
"Nope" I replied - my mind was drawing a blank. A nurse came in to swap her pain meds. A moment after that the physical therapist popped his head in.
"Are we ready to take that walk?" he asked.
"Can we give the pain meds a chance to kick in," she answered.
"I'll come back in 30 minutes then, shall I?" He disappeared.
Mother seemed concerned.
"Do you have something to cover up by backside for that walk?" she asked. I chucked again with the vision's return. The nurse told her they had a gown that would do the job. Mother went back to her Diet Mountain Dew content in the knowledge her backside would remain a private affair.

I tracked down a pencil at the nurses station for her crossword puzzle and bid adieu. I left her happy in her chair with magazine, crossword puzzle, pencil and drink. What more could a person want?

________________________________

Today I have a short slideshow with pictures from our family's early years in Rapid City. It's set to a piece of music I enjoy - the Lord's Prayer sung in Aramaic. Have a great Sunday.

Simply,
Victor

P.S. Mother was afraid I might post something about her hospital stay in this blog and made me promise not to do so. I promised with fingers and eyes crossed then quickly changed the subject to her automatic foot inflaters. They inflate every fifteen seconds or so and assist in circulation. She loves them and loves to describe how they work.

So, let's keep this post a secret between us - shall we :)

The Fine Print.
Automatic Curse. And if you rat me out, may you be infested with the fleas from a thousand camels.

Great Great Grandfather Whitty Victor's Obituary

Obituary, March 1903
Click to Enlarge.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
A short post today displaying the obituary of our Great Great Grandfather, Whitty Victor. Whitty and Nancy are the parents of our Great Grandmother Effie Helen Victor who married William Jonathan Williamson. This is the Relationship Chart:

Whitley "Whitty" Victor was born 18 Feb 1818 in Delaware, and died 17 Mar 1903. He is buried in Methodist Grove, Nodaway, Adams county, Iowa. He married Nancy Morris on 6 Nov 1845 in Indiana. Nancy Morris was born 22 Feb 1822 in Ohio, and died 22 Apr 1886. She is buried in Methodist Grove, Nodaway, Adams county, Iowa.

Children of Whitley Victor and Nancy Morris are:

• Labitha Eunice Jane Victor
• Benjamin C. Victor
• Amanda A. Victor
• Sarah Emily Victor
• Effie Helen Victor

The Pierces at Cascade Springs, South Dakota. Violet's Father

The Pierce family in 1909 at Cascade Springs, South Dakota (near Hot Springs).

Great Great Grandmother Dora is Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler. Violet's Grandmother. She and Edwin Sherman Pierce divorced leaving her with the children. The family is pictured above with a few friends.

Great Grandfather Walter Edwin Pierce was the first born child of Eldora and Edwin Sherman Pierce. He is "Edd" in the picture above. Edd was Violet's father, making him my Great Grandfather.

Great Great Uncle Ora Joslyn Pierce was the second born. He is "Ora" in the picture above.

Great Great Uncle Frances Herbert Pierce was the third. He is "Bert" in the picture above.

Great Great Aunt Mattie May Pierce was the fourth. She is "May" in the picture above.

Great Great Uncle Henry Raymond Pierce was the fifth. He is "Ray" in the picture above.

Great Great UncleDallas Glenn Pierce was the sixth. He is "Glenn" in the picture above.

Great Great Aunt Eldora Rose Pierce was the seventh. She is "Nelle" in the picture above.

In this Pierce family photo taken in 1909. Top left is our Great Great Aunt May (sister of Walter Edwin Pierce). Bottom left is our Great Great Great Aunt Mattie Fiddler Simpson. She is a sister of our Great Great Grandmother Dora Fiddler Pierce (Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler), Violet Pierce's Grandmother. Our Great Great Aunt Nelle (sister of Walter Edwin Pierce) is seated in the lower center. Top right is Dora Simpson, a first cousin to our Great Grandfather Walter Edwin Pierce. Eldora (Dora) died in 1912 so this is the last known photography we have of her.

Aunt Mattie Fiddler Simpson and our Great Great Grandmother Dora were sisters and children of Henry Fiddler and Frances George.

Walter, Violet and Family. Over the Years

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Everyone,
I just returned from a celebration at Autumn and Derrick Turley's home in American Fork. Their new baby Lydia was blessed earlier in the afternoon and what better reason to gather and feast than a baby blessing?

The family grows every year with new arrivals. And with each new arrival another chapter is added to the story of this American family. Today we celebrated the chapter named "Lydia" daughter of Autumn and Derrick, grandchild of Kim and John, Great Grand Daughter of Charles and Luella. Charles is the son of Charles and Elda. Luella is the child of Violet and Walter and so on and so forth.

It is the circle of life.

I've returned to the Fortress overlooking Utah Valley. The sun is low in the sky. It will be dark soon with the return of standard time. In an hour or so I'll drive up the mountain to Jilane's home for another celebration. Her son Brayden returned on Wednesday from doing missionary work in Argentina for the past two years. He is taller and thinner than when he left. He speaks perfect Spanish and has a maturity about him we didn't see before.

Before I say goodnight, I'd like to post this collection of photographs of Walter, Violet and family, parents of Luella.

And, as Always.

Simply,
Victor