Probates: Abijah Merritt

This week, as part of the research for my thesis paper, I'll be examining some 19th-century probate records from the Westchester County Archives. Probate records can capture an extremely vivid portrait of a person's material life at the time of his or her death, as well as the personal relationships implicated in the distribution of property.

Abijah S. Merritt died on February 5, 1847, at the age of 61 years and 3 months. His gravestone in the cemetery is an ordinary marble marker with no iconography, a short biographical inscription, and an epitaph. He is buried in the front section of the cemetery, i.e. the Episcopal section, not far from the earliest graves (which you can see in the background of the photograph on the right). Like the earliest markers, Abijah's faces west, in the direction of the old St. George's Church, despite the fact that the church had been absent from the cemetery for two decades at the time of his death.

Given the fact that he was fairly advanced in age (61 certainly wasn't young by mid-19th-century standards), it's somewhat curious that Abijah died intestate - that is, without a will. It's possible his death was relatively sudden. He would have been born in 1785, just a few years after the American Revolution, and just one generation after the establishment of St. George's Anglican Church. His wife, Ruth Carpenter, was born August 1, 1787, the daughter of Morris Carpenter and Abigail Lawrence. The Carpenters had moved to New Castle two years before Ruth was born, according to History and Genealogy of the Carpenter Family, where they purchased a 161-acre farm. The family had originally come from Musketa Cove, Long Island. This is a particularly interesting detail because the original settlers of North Castle - back in the 1720s - were described as "descendants of the Long Island Quakers" by a contemporary visitor. Were Quaker families still migrating from Long Island into Westchester into the 1780s? According to the Carpenter genealogy book, Ruth's father belonged to the Methodist Church whose property adjoined that of the Episcopal cemetery on its southern border. Perhaps they were like many other families in the region who were originally Quakers, or had Quaker ancestry.

As for Abijah himself, several family trees on Ancestry.com name his parents as Caleb Merritt and Deborah Lyon, but I can't confirm it. The earliest record in which I have found Abijah Merritt is the 1820 federal census of New Castle, in which he appears as the head of a household of six people, including one white male age 26-44 (Abijah himself), one white female age 26-44 (presumably Ruth), three white males under the age of 10 (possibly their sons), one white female age 10-15 (possibly their daughter), and one person engaged in manufactures (most likely Abijah).

Twenty years later, the 1840 census shows Abijah Merritt as the head of a household of five people, including a male and female age 50-59 (Abijah and Ruth), one free white male age 20-29, one free white male age 15-19, and one free white male age 10-14. Two people were engaged in manufacture and trade. If I had to guess, I'd venture that these five people represent Abijah, Ruth, and their three sons, and that the oldest son likely engaged in the same trade as Abijah. Abijah and Ruth's daughter had likely married and left the household at this point.

In the inventory of Abijah Merritt's property taken at the time of his death, three relatives are named: Ruth Merritt, his widow; Elizabeth, wife of Isaac Sherwood; and Caleb Merritt, administrator of his estate.

A Caleb Merritt of New Castle enumerated in the 1870 federal census was 58 years old, making him the right age to be Abijah and Ruth's oldest son (the one age 20-29 in the 1840 census). The Caleb Merritt in the 1870 census was a house carpenter with a wife Mary and children Maria, Abijah, and Sarah. He had real estate worth $5,000 and personal estate worth $625.

Abijah Merritt's probate record contains further indirect evidence that this Caleb was Abijah Merritt's son. Among Abijah's property was a full set of carpentry tools and a large amount of lumber. Presumably, Abijah was a carpenter and had taught the trade to his son.

Elizabeth C. Sherwood, the wife of Isaac Sherwood, is listed in the 1850 census as 40 years old, making her the right age to be the girl listed in the 1820 census as age 10-15. She is, most likely, Abijah and Ruth's daughter. Isaac was a farmer with an estate worth $8,000 and they had five children: Caleb M., Ruth A., William, Elizabeth, and Isaac S. Presumably, Elizabeth named her daughter Ruth after her mother, just as Caleb named his son Abijah after their father.

Thus we are able to build a picture of the family in 1847: Abijah died, perhaps suddenly, leaving his 60-year-old widow, 37-year-old daughter, and 35-year-old son to contend with his estate. The estate inventory taken by Caleb Merritt on April 10, 1847, records what that estate contained and how it was apportioned to his survivors.

The Inventory
The first section of the inventory deals with the "personal property assigned to the widow," Ruth Merritt. This property was held separately and was not considered part of Abijah's estate. It included:

• Family library
• Pork of two swine
• Cooking stove
• One large and one small wheel
• One cow, four beds & bedding, and cooking utensils
• Six chairs, six knives & forks, six plates, six tea cups and saucers
• One sugar dish, one milk pot, one teapot, and six spoons

This was followed by "articles of personal property assigned to the widow and appraised and not exceeding in value of $150." Since Abijah's entire estate was judged to be worth no more than $300, it seems that Ruth was entitled to no more than half of her husband's property. 

• Two tables
• One dozen chairs
• 1/2 dozen knives & forks
• Fifteen Liverpool plates
• Two oval dishes
• Six blue-edged plates
• Two [illegible] dishes
• One large oval dish
• Three tablespoons [illegible] silver
• Three teaspoons [illegible] silver
• One pair white & [illegible] pitchers
• Six tumblers and two decanters
• One brass clock
• One secretary
• One willow basket
• One large clock
• 1/2 dozen china cups & saucers
• One looking glass
• One tea bord [?]
• Pork & beef [illegible]
• Two chest of drawers

The next section, dated May 16, 1846 - that is, more than six months before Abijah died - is titled "Book account against Richard Kirby." I am not sure what this means, but Richard Kirby was a farmer of about Abijah's age who lived in the same region and is also buried in the cemetery. The following property is listed in this section, totaling a value of $239.49:

• Bank notes
• One silver watch
• One pair silver spectacles
• Three pair brass spectacles [?]
• Lot of carpenter tools consisting of planes, saws, augers, chisels, and one pair adze & broad ax
• One grindstone
• One ten plate stove [?]
• Two cast iron wheels and [illegible] in shop
• Blacksmith bellows & [illegible]
• One tool [?] chest
• Lot of plank in blacksmith shop
• Two iron bars and two wrenches belonging to saw mill
• One cart hook, one ax
• 18 oak boards
• Maple and oak plank
• Lot of cherry and birch plank
• Lot of ash plank, beach blank, and butternut [?] boards
• Six flour [illegible]
• One lumber [illegible] spring wagon
• One set one horse harness
• Two old wagon tire and old [illegible]
• One bay mare
• One yearling colt
• One red cow
• One corn plough
• Twenty fowls
• Shovel and [?]fork & spade & [illegible]

This list is proceeded by two items:

• Note against Solomon Classer [?] dated April 24th, 1834 for $24.25 Bad
• Note against Floyd G. Cox dated January 7th 1840 for $10.04 Bad

On the next page, Ruth Merritt has signed a note renouncing her right to letters of administration on the estate of her deceased husband, witnessed by Isaac and Elizabeth C. Sherwood.

The Aftermath

Ruth Merritt died in October of 1859 at the age of 71 of consumption. Her death is recorded in the federal mortality schedules for 1860. I haven't been able to determine where she is buried; if it's in the Episcopal cemetery (the most likely location), I haven't seen her gravestone. Nor have I found her name in the county probate index.

While there are several Sherwoods buried in the cemetery, Elizabeth Merritt Sherwood doesn't seem to be among them. I last find her in the federal census of 1860, living in Bedford.

I last find Caleb Merritt in the federal census of 1880, living in New Castle. He and his wife Mary may be the Caleb and Mary Merritt buried in the Anderson Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1894 and 1886, respectively.

1. Abijah Merritt (1785-1847) m. Ruth Carpenter (1787-1859) 
1. Elizabeth Merritt (1810-after 1860) m. Isaac Sherwood (1802-)
1. Caleb M. Sherwood (1836-)
2. Ruth A. Sherwood (1838-)
3. William Sherwood (1845-)
4. Elizabeth Sherwood (1847-)
5. Isaac S. Sherwood (1849-)
2. Caleb Merritt (1812-1894) m. Mary E. (1819-1886)
1. Maria Merritt (1845-)
2. Abijah Merritt (1847-)
3. Sarah Merritt (1854-)

Ann Proudfoot Masterton Bostwick Taylor

Graves of Monmouth and Rachel Meritt Miller

To the best of my knowledge, the woman whose gravestone bears the name of Ann Taylor married three times. She was born Ann Proudfoot, the daughter of Lawrence Proudfoot of New York City, around 1787. She was married for the first time on November 7, 1808, in the Reformed Dutch Church of New York City, to James Masterton. In 1823, she married widower Charles Bostwick. Charles died in 1824 while Ann was pregnant with their only son, Lawrence Proudfoot Bostwick. In 1835, Ann married William Taylor. When she died in 1860 at the age of 73, her full name would have been Ann Proudfoot Masterton Bostwick Taylor. This was the announcement of her death in the New York Times:

TAYLOR. -- In this City, on Sunday morning, April 8, in the 73 year of her age, ANN TAYLOR, daughter of the late Lawrence Proudfoot.

The friends of the family, and of her son, Lawrence P. Bostwick, are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, at the residence of her brother in-law, James Van Antwerp, No. 41 East 12th-st., at 3 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon. Her remains will be taken to Newcastle, Westchester County, for interment, on Wednesday morning.

Ann and Charles's son Lawrence married Mary Elizabeth Miller in 1850. Mary was a descendant of Reverend Francis Doughty, who migrated in 1639 from England to Taunton, Massachusetts, and later settled on Long Island, and the daughter of Monmouth Miller and Rachel Merritt, who are buried in the cemetery.

Lawrence and Mary had six children, two of whom - Mary and Maria - died when they were young and are buried in the cemetery.

Mary died in 1890, and Lawrence in 1900.

1890

I have tried to work out the various family trees that intersect through Ann Taylor. These are my results:

1. Nathaniel Bostwick m. Sarah Holmes
1. Charles Bostwick (?-1824) m. (1) Phebe Hubbs; (2) Ann Proudfoot Masterton (1787-1860)
1. Henry Masterton Bostwick (1816-1852)
2. Lawrence Proudfoot Bostwick (1824-1900) m. Mary Elizabeth Miller (1820-1890) in 1850
1. Henry Masterton Bostwick (1843-)
2. Ann Bostwick (1845-)
3. Eliza Mott Bostwick (1847-)
4. Mary Elizabeth Bostwick (1850-1851)
5. Maria Proudfoot Bostwick (1853-1856)
6. Eliza M. Bostwick (1862-) 

1. Lawrence Proudfoot
1. Ann Proudfoot (1787-1860) m. (1) James Masterton in 1808; (2) Charles Bostwick (?-1824) in 1823; (3) William Taylor in 1835
1. Lawrence Proudfoot Bostwick (1824-1900)

1. Jonathan Miller (1726-1792) m. Elizabeth Doughty (1728-1813)
1. Monmouth Miller (1766-1836) m. Rachel Merritt (1784-1862)
1. Mary Elizabeth Miller (1820-1890) m. Lawrence Proudfoot Bostwick
2. John Miller (1768-1839) m. Phebe Pine (1771-1858)
1. Sarah Elizabeth Miller (1809-1887)

UPDATE: Another Branch of the Haines Family

Here is something interesting: a line of four gravestones all with identical willow trees. You can see another willow tree on the right behind the stone of Peter Ferris. Obviously these stones were produced in the same workshop around the same time. How are the people to whom they belong related? Well, to begin with, the people are (according to the transcriptions):

Matthew Hains
Died December 11, 1830, age 37

Sarah, wife of Levi Foshay
Died March 5, 1841, age 45

Jerusha, wife of Nehemiah M. Hains
Died March 19, 1849, age 45

Solomon S., son of N[ehemiah] Merritt and Jerusha Hains
Died July 9, 1849, age 19

Peter N. Ferris
Died April 16, 1845, age 56

Since they all died before 1850 (the year when the census first listed all people, as opposed to just the householder), the relationships are a little harder to work out, but it's still possible to make some determinations. It was very useful that I discovered this transcription of the 1845 will of Solomon Hains. This is not the Solomon S. Hains who died in 1849, but rather his grandfather.

The will mentions Solomon's sons Godfrey, Nehemiah, and Joseph Hains, and his daughter Phebe Hains, who was unmarried. Solomon wrote that he hoped that Phebe's brothers would take care of her. He also mentions the four children of his son Matthew Hains, the implication being that Matthew was already dead (in fact, he is the owner of the left-most grave, and died in 1830).

Solomon Hains (1766-1845) and his wife Hannah (1766-1817) are in fact buried in the cemetery, although their stones aren't shown in the photo above. So is their daughter Phebe E. Hains (1796-1860). Although Nehemiah's wife Jerusha (1804-1849) and son Solomon are buried in the cemetery, he is not. Nor are his brothers Godfrey and Joseph Hains.

Solomon S. Hains died of consumption, according to the 1850 mortality schedules. At the time he was living in Seneca County, New York.

I have yet to work out how Sarah Foshay and Peter Ferris are related to the Hainses.

Godfrey Hains was a farmer, and he and his wife Ann had at least three children (Phebe, Matthew, and Abraham). The couple was still living in 1880.

Could Alexander Haines, the husband of Martha Dingee, have been the brother of Solomon Hains (1766-1845)? It seems possible: Alexander was born in 1762. His grave spells the surname "Hains" (as opposed to the family monument which spells it "Haines"). But Alexander isn't mentioned in Solomon Hains's will. Of course, it's still possible that this Solomon Hains isn't the father of the Solomon Hains (1766-1845) buried in the cemetery. Interestingly, on the 1851 map, Martha Dingee Haines and Godfrey Hains are neighbors.

UPDATE: Indeed, Alexander and Solomon Hains were brothers. They were the sons of Matthew Haines, a ropemaker, and Sarah Miller. I've updated the family tree below using information taken from "The Haines Family of Rye and Bedford" by Estelle Hobby Haines, published in The Westchester County Historical Bulletin. Estelle was married to Edward Haines, a descendant of Solomon Haines (1766-1845). Thanks to Dick and Laurie for getting the article for me. I have also added information from the article to the post on the Alexander Haines family.

1. Matthew Haines (d. 1801) m. Sarah Miller
1. Alexander Haines (1764-1821) m. Martha Dingee (1774-1861)
1. Amy Haines (1798-1877)
2. Sarah Haines (1800-1892)
3. John D. Haines (1804-1879)
4. Lyon Miller Haines (1808-1835)
2. Solomon Haines (1766-1845) m. (1) Hannah Merritt (1766-1817); (2) Catherine (1783-1824)
1. Matthew Haines (1793-1830) m. Elizabeth Sutton
1. Hannah Haines 
2. Mary E. Haines
3. Samuel P. Haines
2.  Phebe E. Haines (1796-1860)
3. Godfrey Hains (1798-) m. Ann M. Powell (1796-)
1. Phebe E. Haines (1829-)
2. Matthew S. Haines (1831-)
3. Abraham Haines (1839-1920)
4.  Nehemiah Merritt Haines m. Jerusha (1804-1849) 
1. Solomon S. Haines (1830-1849) 
5. Peter Haines (1806-1842)
6. Joseph Haines (1806-1888) m. Elizabeth Powell

27: The Dr. Leggetts

Grave of Dr. Robert Leggett

Dr. Robert Leggett and Dr. Joseph Leggett had many things in common. To begin with, they were brothers; they were doctors; they were Irish immigrants; and they each married a daughter of Merritt and Elizabeth Kirby Sands (and yes, Merritt Sands is now the third man connected with the cemetery with the first name Merritt. The others are Merritt Brundage and Merritt Hewlett. It's getting a little out of hand). The doctors and their wives are all buried in the cemetery.

The Dr. Leggetts are the second and third doctors I have investigated in this project; the first, of course, being Dr. Enoch Greene, subject of my first post. Robert Leggett was fifteen years older than Dr. Greene, and Joseph was one year older than Dr. Greene. Living and working in New York City and Westchester County, they must have known each other.

Robert Leggett was born in Ireland on March 5, 1805. He married Mary Ann Sands, who was born around 1810. Joseph Leggett, born in Ireland on March 22, 1819, married Mary's younger sister Esther R. Sands, who was born in 1820.

I think I will tackle this chronologically.

1850
In 1850, Robert and Mary Leggett were living in Manhattan with their two sons, James and Leonard. Mary may have married an Irishman, but she wasn't about to abandon the great Westchester County WASP tradition of giving sons names like Leonard, Kirby, or Merritt. Cynthia Sands was Mary and Esther's sister.

1850 US Federal Census

In 1850, Joseph and Esther were also living in Manhattan, but Joseph is listed as a druggist, not a physician. Mary and Esther's mother Elizabeth Kirby Sands was living with them.

1860
I can't find Robert and Mary Ann Leggett in the 1860 census, and I have a theory as to why, which I'll reveal as you read on.

In 1860 Joseph was now a fully-fledged doctor - and a quite successful one, judging by his personal and real estate. Elizabeth Kirby Sands was still living with him and Esther, along with a "Mary Ann Sands" - is this actually Mary Ann Sands Leggett? She's the right age, and, of course, she's Esther's sister, which might lead to the census taker giving her the same surname as their mother, Elizabeth Sands. It's a little bit strange, though - where was Robert? Catharine G. Sands is presumably another one of Elizabeth's daughters.

1860 US Federal Census

Elizabeth Kirby Sands died in 1862, and Mary Ann Sands Leggett in 1863.

1870
I can't find Robert Leggett in the 1870 census either, but I did find Joseph and Esther. Now living in Mount Pleasant, Robert was a farmer. Cynthia Sands had moved to the country along with them.

1870 US Federal Census

Robert Leggett died on August 19, 1873, and Joseph on September 1, 1873. It's my best guess that they died of the same infectious disease.

Searching for more information outside of the census, I found this snippet in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 47:

NYG&B Record Vol. 47

This gave me the name of the third son of Robert and Mary Ann Leggett ... sigh ... Merritt Leggett. This brings the Merritt tally up to four. Mary Elizabeth and Adelaide Elizabeth are the daughters of one of these sons, but which one is not certain. There is a Merritt Leggett buried in the cemetery, but get this: it's Merritt Leggett Junior. If we look at the 1870 census:

1870 US Federal Census

Merritt Leggett Senior here is the son of Robert and Mary Leggett and, like his father, went into the medical field in New York City. Merritt and his wife Charlotte's children are Henrietta and Merritt Junior. It's Merritt Junior who is buried in the cemetery. Total Merritt count: FIVE.

While searching for this information, I also discovered why Robert Leggett had seemingly disappeared from the census, while his wife lived without him.

This is the New York Tribune from 1849:

This is the New York Sun from 1859-1861:

These articles raise a lot of questions that I can't answer, and give a rather sad note to the history of the Leggett family.

Esther died in 1899, and her sister Cynthia in 1900. Mary, Esther, and Cynthia's brother Jesse M. Sands, a Civil War veteran, is also buried in the cemetery. He married Elizabeth Florence; they died in 1867 and 1874 respectively.

Graves of Elizabeth Florence and Jesse M. Sands

Most popular names:
Merritt (3)

Surnames used as first names: Merritt Sands, Leonard Leggett, Merritt Leggett

1. Merritt Sands m. Elizabeth Kirby (1786-1862)
1. Mary Ann Sands (1810-1863) m. Dr. Robert Leggett (1805-1873)
1. James Leggett (1831-)
2. Leonard Leggett (1835-)
3. Merritt S. Leggett (1836-) m. Charlotte (1838-)
1. Merritt Leggett (1857-1890)
2. Henrietta Leggett (1860-)
2. Cynthia Jane Sands (1816-1900)
3. Jesse M. Sands (1818-1867) m. Elizabeth Florence (1826-1874)
4. Esther R. Sands (1820-1899) m. Dr. Joseph Leggett (1819-1873)

26: Mary Merritt Hewlett

Sampler created by Mary Merritt Hewlett

You may recall the sampler created by Mary Gove in 1827, which names as instructress a person buried in the cemetery: Phebe Hoag Chase Greene. Above, you can see a sampler that was actually created by someone buried in the cemetery. It was created by Mary Merritt Hewlett around 1848 out of silk thread embroidered on linen. The sampler is featured in the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America's Sampler Survey, and is currently owned by a private collector.

In this "Family Record," Mary embroidered the names of herself, her husband, and their five children, Phebe, Charles, Merritt, William, and Mary. You can see where she made a mistake in the spelling of her youngest daughter's middle name and had to correct it as best she could. After doing all that work, she wasn't about to start over.

This Mary Merritt is not the same Mary Merritt who married Gilbert Brundage; she was born in 1791, while Mary Merritt Hewlett was born in 1802. Both Marys had sons named Merritt: Merritt Hewlett was born in 1827, and Merritt Brundage was born in 1831. Presumably, the Marys were cousins, but it will take me more time to iron out all of the Merritt family history.

I'm not sure, but I suspect that William Hewlett was the son of Isaac and Ann Hewlett, who were born in 1771 and 1773 respectively and are also buried in the cemetery. William was born in 1794 and married Mary in 1822. Their youngest son died in 1837 at the age of five and is buried in the cemetery. William died in 1858 and Mary in 1874.

Grave of William and Mary Hewlett

I've had some trouble finding some of the Hewletts in censuses before 1870. This is the earliest one in which I've found Mary Merritt Hewlett: when she was living near the cemetery with children Merritt and Mary Esther. Not shown (because it went onto the next census page): John Davis, a Welsh farm laborer.

1870 US Federal Census

William and Mary's son Charles Hewlett married a woman named Dorinda. The couple buried three children in the cemetery in between 1849 and 1853. In 1860, they had moved to New York City, where Charles was working as a carman.
 

1860 US Federal Census

 In 1880, Charles and Dorinda were living with their 15-year-old son John, who worked in the spectacle factory.

1880 US Federal Census

Charles Hewlett died in 1898 and is buried in the cemetery. After her husband's death, Dorinda lived with her son John and his wife Nellie at 303 West 130 Street in Manhattan.

1900 US Federal Census

Dorinda died in 1906 and was buried beside her husband.

Graves of Charles and Dorinda Hewlett

John and Nellie Hewlett later moved to Ossining, and do not seem to have had any children.

William and Mary's son Merritt Hewlett was widowed relatively young; in fact, I think he may have already been a widower when he was living with his mother and sister in 1870. In 1880, he had moved to Michigan and was living in a boardinghouse run by his sister Mary.

1880 US Federal Census

Merritt Hewlett died in 1905, and Mary in 1911, in Greenville, Michigan.

That's all I have on the Hewletts for now. I hope to have more after I visit the New York Public Library's Milstein Division again.

1. William Hewlett (1794-1858) m. Mary Merritt (1802-1874) in 1822
1. Phebe Ann Hewlett (1822-) m. William H. Jackson
1. Charles H. Jackson (1851-)
2. Mary E. Jackson (1854-)
3. Harriet E. Jackson (1857-)
2. Charles Hewlett (1824-1898) m. Dorinda D. (1823-1906)
1. William Henry Hewlett (1849-1849)
2. Millard F. Hewlett (1850-1851)
3. Mary F. Hewlett (1852-1853)
4. Charles Hewlett (1855-)
5. Maria Hewlett (1857-)
6. John Hewlett (1864-) m. Nellie (1860-)
3. Merritt Hewlett (1827-1905)
4. William Henry Hewlett (1831-1837)
5. Mary Esther Hewlett (1838-1911)

10: Gilbert and Mary Merritt Brundage

Grave of Mary Merritt Brundage

In 1850, Gilbert Brundage, a farmer, and his wife Mary were living with their three daughters - Susan, 28; Fanny, 25; and Sarah, 21; and 19-year-old son Merritt, as well as an eight-year-old Irish boy named Thomas Malory. The Brundages' real estate was valued at $10,000.

1850 US Federal Census

In the same year, Merritt's future wife Elvira Merritt (yes, Merritt) was living with her father, also named Gilbert, who was a painter with an estate worth only $1,000.

1850 US Federal Census

Four years after this census was taken, Gilbert died at the age of 67.

Grave of Gilbert Brundage

In 1860, his widow Mary was living with their son Merritt and his wife Elvira, 32-year-old Susan Green (Merritt's sister?), 28-year-old Sarah Brundage (Merritt's sister?), one-year-old Gilbert Brundage (Merritt and Elvira's son?), 19-year-old Whitney Brundage (whom I suspect might actually be Elvira's brother Whitney Merritt), and 13-year-old John Wood. As you can tell, the relationships between these people aren't made clear in the census.

1860 US Federal Census

In 1870 Mary and her daughter Sarah were living on their own. Mary died in 1875 at the age of 84.

1870 US Federal Census

Merritt's family appears in the 1870 census directly below Mary, suggesting they were neighbors.He and Elvira now have three children, two of whom were named after Merritt's family members.

1870 US Federal Census

Ten years later, the Brundages were living with their two youngest children, Merritt's brother-in-law Nathan Merritt (does this mean that Elvira was a Merritt, or is Nathan actually a cousin?), German boarder Charles Schmidt, and boarder Jonathan (?) Frawley. Nathan, Charles, and Jonathan worked in the optical factory. Which optical factory? My favorite optical factory.

1880 US Federal Census

According to the 1910 census, one of Merritt and Alvira's three children had died, presumably Fanny. At that point Merritt was working as a driver of a butcher wagon.

Meanwhile, Merritt's sister Sarah T. Brundage, age 50, was living on her own. She doesn't seem to have married. She died in 1898 at the age of 69 and was buried in the cemetery. This was her obituary:

On Sunday morning, Nov. 20th, 1898, at 5:30 o'clock, occurred the death of Sarah T. Brundage, at her home in this village, at the age of 68 years. About three months ago she was stricken with paralysis, and although at one time she somewhat regained the use of the paralyzed members, she never so far recovered as to be able to be about, and on Sunday previous to her death, she sank into a comatose state, from which she never rallied.

Her funeral occurred on Wednesday at 2 p. m. at the Methodist Church, Rev. A. T. Civill officiating, and the interment was in the family plot in the old Methodist burying ground.

Miss Brundage was born in the town of New Castle, and she was one of the village's old and highly respected residents. She is survived by one brother, Mr. Merritt Brundage, of this place, and two sisters, Mrs. Wm. Horton, who made her home with her, and Mrs. Erastus Johnson, of Rockland county.

Merritt Brundage appears in White Plains city directories up to 1919, when he would have been 88. I can't find Elvira in records after 1910.

Merritt and Elvira's son Gilbert, who was presumably named for both of their fathers, married Ida A. in 1881, and had a son who was named for his brother Frank. Gilbert was a veterinary surgeon, presumably of the James Herriott type, traversing the countryside and whatnot.

1910 US Federal Census

 In 1910 Ida was living with her only child Frank, a farmer. She is listed as married, not widowed, but where was Gilbert?

Whatever happened to Gilbert (and I'm presuming that he just died), Ida was still living in 1925, in the house of her son and his wife Louise E. Presumably she died before 1930, because at that point Frank and Louise were living alone. Frank was a road laborer. In 1940, he was working as a gardener on a private estate.

There's only two Frank Brundages in the Social Security Death Index; one died in Ohio, and the other in New York. The one who died in New York died in October 1962; I'm making a tentative guess that this was our Frank Brundage. There's only one Louise Brundage in the SSDI, and she died in Florida in 1980.

If we can, for a moment, travel back in time to Merritt's older sister Fanny - she married Erastus Johnson, and was living in Kingston, Ulster County, in 1860; in Ramapo, Rockland County, in 1870, with Erastus's 80-year-old father Daniel; and were still in Ramapo in 1900, when this census was taken. They had five children, three of whom were still living with them at this time, at ages 42, 38, and 35. Their daughter Fannie died in 1874.

1900 US Federal Census

Erastus Johnson died on October 28, 1908, at the age of 88, and Fannie in 1912. Erastus's portrait is featured in History of Rockland County, New York: With Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men, by Reverend David Cole, published in 1884.

The Johnsons' grave is featured on FindAGrave.com, along with their genealogy. Erastus was the son of Daniel and Hannah Coe Johnson, and had a wife before Fannie, named Elizabeth Raymond, who died in 1848. Erastus, Elizabeth, Fannie, and their children are buried in Summit Park Cemetery in Rockland County.

Strangely, three of Erastus and Fannie's four children seem to have never married. In fact, the three of them were still living together in 1930. Frederick died in 1933 and Annie in 1936. In 1940, 78-year-old Ida was living with her 84-year-old sister Elizabeth Eckerson and her 66-year-old nephew Harry - or rather, they were living with her, as Ida was listed as the head of household. She is also listed as widowed, which either means that I'm wrong and Ida was married, but resumed her maiden name at some point, or the census is mistaken.

1940 US Federal Census

Susan M. Brundage, Gilbert and Mary's oldest child, married William Horton.

1. Gilbert Brundage (1787-1854) m. Mary Merritt (1791-1875) before 1822
1. Susan M. Brundage (1822-?) m. William Horton
2. Fanny L. Brundage (1825-1912) m. Erastus Johnson (1820-1908) in 1854
1. Elizabeth Johnson (b. 1848) m. John Eckerson (b. 1843)
1. Harry J. Eckerson (b. 1874)
2. Annie Downing Johnson (1858-1936)
3. Ida Lincoln Johnson (1862-1940)
4. Frederick Merritt Johnson (1864-1933)
5. Fannie Brundage Johnson (1864-1874)
3. Sarah T. Brundage (1829-1898)
4. Merritt Brundage (1831-after 1919) m. Elvira Merritt (1838-1924) in 1860
1. Gilbert Brundage (b. 1859) m. Ida (b. 1861)
1. Frank G. Brundage (1882-1962?) m. Louise E. (1892-1980?) in 1913
2. Fannie Brundage (1861-after 1940) m. John Green (1856-before 1920)
3. Frank Brundage (b. 1862)

8: John and Mary Green

Grave of John and Mary Green

John and Mary Green are unique among the people of the cemetery I have studied so far. While Jemima Stanton was the first immigrant I encountered, John and Mary are the first immigrant couple. John was born in England around 1814, and Mary was born in Scotland in December 1816.

When did they come to America? Well, it must have been before 1860, because that was the year that their daughter Flora died at the age of 5. She's buried in the cemetery as well, although I didn't photograph her grave.

According to the 1860 census, John and Mary's daughter Alice was born in England, while their daughter Elizabeth was born in New York. This places their date of immigration between 1847 and 1852. At this time John was working as a laborer, and Flora had recently died.

1860 US Federal Census

According to the 1870 census, John was a U.S. citizen. What about Mary? Well, no one cared. There are almost no naturalization records for women in the nineteenth century. A woman became a citizen either through her father or her husband. The status of women in the nineteenth century comes across very clearly through the records. The fact that it's so much easier to research a male ancestor than a female one says a lot by itself.

Anyway, John was working as a gardener, and he and Mary now had five children living with them: Alice, Elizabeth, John, Anna, and Selena.

1870 US Federal Census

Ten years later John, 68, was working as a laborer and Mary, 64, as a nurse. Selena, 19, was the one child still living with them.

1880 US Federal Census

John died on December 12, 1896. Four years later, Mary was living with her son, his wife of 19 years Fannie, and their daughters Mabel and Lillian in Brooklyn. According to the census Fannie was the mother of three children, two of whom were living; Mary was the mother of nine children, six of whom were living. John and Fannie had another child, Howard, who died on May 26, 1884, at the age of one year, nine months, and 15 days; he is buried in the cemetery.

1900 US Federal Census

Mary died on August 12, 1901, at the age of 84.

In 1910, John and Fannie Green had moved to Westchester and were living with their two daughters and two boarders, George and Amy Jane Knapp. John was working as a surveyor.

1910 US Federal Census

John had died by 1920, when Mabel, age 33, was listed as the head of a household that included her 30-year-old sister Lillian, her 58-year-old mother Fannie, and one boarder. Merritt Brundage (a name that combines two very common surnames in the cemetery) is listed as "father," but he's not Mabel's father. Was he her grandfather? At 86 and 79, he and his wife Alvina were old enough to be Fannie's parents.

1920 US Federal Census

Mabel and her sister were teachers at a private school. They probably knew my great-grandmother, who was born just three years after Lillian and was a teacher at the same time and lived in the same neighborhood. Martha Warren, the boarder, was a widow of 47 and a dressmaker.

The 1870 census confirms that Merritt and Alvira Brundage are Fannie's parents. Here they all are, with Fannie's brothers Gilbert and Frank and their farm laborer Daniel Marshall.

1870 US Federal Census

None of these Brundages appear in my transcription from 1914, but it's possible they were buried after that year.

In 1930, Fannie and her daughters were still living together, along with Elizabeth Richards, their 88-year-old lodger. Mabel and Lillian were still working as teachers.

1930 US Federal Census

Lastly, in the 1940 census, Fannie, Mabel, and Lillian were living in the same place, and the sisters were still working as teachers.

6: Josie and Willie

According to the cemetery transcription from 1914, five-year-old Josie and two-year-old Willie were  children of W. T. and Jane H. M. Sands (this information was written on the gravestone, but is almost completely illegible now). They died within ten days of each other in May 1864.

There are seven other Sandses buried in the cemetery, but none of them are Josie and Willie's parents. I identified the family in the 1860 census. Josie was in fact Joseph A. Sands, and his parents were Walter and Jane Sands. Yes, it looks like "John" in the census (and that's how it's transcribed), but the gender given is female (and the middle initials match - H.M.).

1860 US Federal Census

Walter Sands was a shoemaker, and Joseph was at this time their only child.

Here's Walter Sands as a 20-year-old in the 1850 census. He came from a family of shoemakers! His parents seem to be Abijah and Eliza (?) Sands, and he has one sister, Maria. Abijah and Eliza aren't buried in the cemetery. It's hard to say if Maria is; she probably would have a different name. Like Sarles.

1850 US Federal Census

In 1850, it's my best guess that Jane Sands was Jane H. Merritt. I have several reasons for this. First, it would account for her initials. She's of the right age and in the right town. Then of course, there's the fact that Joseph and Mary Merritt are buried in the cemetery, along with their only son Nathan. And Jane's sister would be Emma L. - the name she would later use for her daughter.

1850 US Federal Census

Joseph and Mary Merritt both died in 1870. Nathan died in 1854 at the age of 22.

In 1870, Walter and Jane had moved to White Plains. Walter was working as a clerk in a something office. Seriously, can you read what that says? Registrar's office, maybe? At this time, they had no children.

1870 US Federal Census

Ten years later, still living in White Plains, I found something surprising. Walter and Jane were living with two young children - four-year-old Walter and nine-month-old Emma. Did Jane really give birth at the ages of 45 and 48? I suppose it's possible, but they must not have seen that coming. It would seem that, after their children's death in 1864, Walter and Jane were childless for ten years, only to have two children late in life. Either that, or they adopted. My own great-grandfather didn't have children until he was in his 50s, and it was quite a surprise, but my great-grandmother was 18 years younger.

1880 US Federal Census

Both of my great-grandparents, however, were very long-lived. Would Walter and Emma live to see their children grow up? Plenty of people in the cemetery didn't, and they weren't in their 40s when they had children.

Well, the answer seems to be yes, to some extent. Here's the whole family living together on 58 Hull Street in Brooklyn in 1892.

1892 New York State Census

Walter Jr. was working as an electrician at the age of 17. I wonder if he knew my great-grandfather, who was also an electrician in Brooklyn? He was ten years younger than Walter Jr., so it's possible their careers overlapped considerably.

In 1910 Jane was widowed and living with her 30-year-old daughter at 1646 42nd Street in Brooklyn.

1910 US Federal Census

Five years later, Emma was on her own, living and working as an assistant housekeeper at the Church Home for the Blind at 550 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn. 

1915 New York State Census

I found a listing for the home in the Annual Report of the State Board of Charities from 1911.

 

Emma was still working there in 1925, when she was listed as a nurse.

1925 New York State Census

The Church Home for the Blind was still in operation in 1947, when it was listed in a directory. Today the address is occupied by the Bedford Zion Church of the Nazarene. I wonder if it's the same building.

Bedford Zion Church - Photo by Nancy Burton

Meanwhile, Emma's brother Walter married a woman named Sarah. In 1910 they were living in Hamilton, Pennsylvania. Walter was working as an electrician, "putting up [a] power plant." By 1920, they were living in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and Walter was working as a house electrician.

In 1930, the couple was living in Fanwood, New Jersey.

1930 US Federal Census

This census reveals that Sarah, or S. Emma, was born in Illinois, as was her mother; her father was born in Missouri, spelled "Missoura" by the census taker - the result of Sarah's accent, maybe? This time Walter was working as a proprietor of a hardware store. They lived at 315 South Avenue.

The couple, now in their 60s, was still there in 1940, and Walter was still working at the hardware store as a manager, working an average of 66 hours a week.