Silence Gallup Brewster - Part 2 - A further Exploration

I’ve spent the last week home from work, sick.  I had a miserable sore throat and fever that turned into a nasty cough and congestion.  Even though I was back at work today…I could only really claim to be about 70%.  I’m hopeful that number will rise significantly tomorrow.  After I wrote my blog last week about Silence Gallup, I did a little aimless wandering.  I found some interesting things about her family.

I knew that Silence Gallup and her husband were buried in Gallupville Rural Cemetery in Schoharie Co., NY.  I figured that it was fairly close to the town of Gallupville which as you might imagine is significant.  The town was named for Samuel Gallup who was the founder of the town.  Samuel was one of the brothers including Silas, Levi, Ezra and their cousin John Gallup who moved to New York from Connecticut and helped establish the towns of Knox and Berne, NY after the close of the Revolutionary War.  As I mentioned before, Silas Gallup died fairly young (28 Oct 1796) (If you saw a different date in here before...my mistake - looking at the wrong brother), but his brothers and cousins all lived fairly long lives.  The Gallups seemed to stick together – and it is no surprise that this remained the case in New York.

Silence’s oldest daughter, Sally (b. 5 Jun 1803 d. 10 Aug 1859) married her second cousin, Elias Gallup.  Elias was the son John Enos Gallup and Betsy Chipman and was the cousin who joined the other Gallups on their journey to New York.  (John Enos Gallup lived to over 90 years old)  Sally and Elias Gallup didn’t stay in Schoharie Co., NY but moved to nearby Lewis Co., NY.  Silence’s second son, Silas, was born on 29 Jun 1805 and married Nancy Oestherhaut and fathered five children.  After her death, he remarried Lois Babcock.  Lois happened to be the daughter of Robert Babcock and Sally Gallup – (the aforementioned Silence’s younger sister) and therefore his first cousin.  I did find an interesting note that someone had found in the “Schoharie Republican, January 14, 1851) that stated that Silas had been killed in the woods.  He was chopping a tree and a limb most likely fell on his head and killed him. 

The next son, Ezra married Elizabeth Mattice and took his family to Cuyahoga Co., OH which is where he raised his family.  The next daughter, Silence died at the age of five.  No doubt from some disease that we simply cure with a dose of antibiotics in today’s medicine.  Then Elizabeth Brewster is next…she too married a cousin, Charles Gallup.  They were first cousins, once removed.  Charles was the son of Ezra Gallup who was Silence’s uncle, and one of the brothers of Silas who made the move to Connecticut.  Next we have little Mary Brewster who like her sister, Silence died at a very age, almost three years old.  The next son, Ralph, married Christina Dockstader and stayed in Schoharie area until his death in 1888.

Then we come to Allen Brewster.  His first wife is a Rhoda Forsyth…a seemingly unconnected name…but look a little further back – not so!  They were second cousins – Rhoda’s parents were Oliver Spicer Forsysth and Anna Gallup.  Anna was the daughter of Joshua Gallup and Anna Hinckley and Joshua was the Samuel Gallup, known as the founder of Gallupville, NY.  The next son was Nathan Brewster.  He had a wife named Elizabeth and two children and died in 1876.  As of yet, I don’t have further info on him.  The youngest son, Ethan also died at the young age of 7 months.    

Silence died on 14 Aug 1830 and is buried at Schoharie Co., NY…You can few her gravestone at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Gallup&GSiman=1&GScid=2205859&GRid=30446539& as well as that of her husband, Silas Brewster, daughter Elizabeth (m. Charles Gallup) son Silas Brewster and son, Nathan Brewster.  There are several other Gallup stones in that cemetery that I will try to place within my database and perhaps offer some additional information. 

Considering that I was bored and not feeling well…this seemed to be a pleasant way to pass the time – looking through old census records and cemetery records to see what other kind of connections that I might make.  Interesting to me that of the seven children who lived to adulthood, four of those children married some sort of Gallup cousin.  At first glance, they may not have had the surname of Gallup…but the connection was within one to two generations.  It is no wonder that these family seemed to maintain such close ties!  If you would like to look a little closer at the Gallupville Rural Cemetery – click on the hyperlink and you can begin exploring.

Silence Gallup Brewster

When you first start researching a family, you don’t always recognize the significance of certain members of the family tree.  The Gallup family is pretty well documented and spelled out from a genealogy that has been researched since the late 19^th century.  My 4^th Great Grandfather, Ebenezer Gallup, was only a year old when his father died and almost four when his mother his mother died.  I always wondered what happened to him and who took care of the little boy after his parents died.

Silas Gallup and Sarah Gallup were second cousins who married on 13 Jan 1774.  I’m relatively sure that in Stonington, New London Co., CT that there were many families that had intermarriages like this one – because I doubt that there was much choice because the families had lived in the same area for over 100 years.  Silas and Sarah had eleven children, eight of who lived to adulthood.  Around 1792 or so, Silas and a few  of his brothers and cousins left Connecticut and went to Schoharie Co., NY.  I’m sure that the reason they left was a better opportunity to support their families and better themselves.   I believe that that is the primary reason why most people leave home and go someone where else…better opportunities.

Silas and Sarah’s youngest son was named Ebenezer Gallup and he was born in Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY on 25 Sep 1795.  I have no idea what his parents died of…but both were gone by August 1799.  I read in some lose papers that a cousin had…that Ebenezer was raised by his sister, Silence Gallup.   Silence was third of the eleven children.  She had two older sisters one of whom was married.  I know her sister; Sally was married to Robert Babcock and lived in Otsego Co., NY.  Her sister, Margaret married a Joseph Crary in 1809 (they were also third cousins).  However, from what I have read, it was Silence who took the parenting role for her younger siblings.   Silence had three living younger brothers (Nathan b. 5 Jan 1787, Eli b. 11 Feb 1791 and Ebenezer b. 25 Sep 1795).  I am sure that Silence had the help and support of nearby Gallup family members and perhaps the older boys lived with those uncles who lived close by. 

Silence married Silas Brewster on 22 Aug 1802 in Schoharie, Schoharie Co., NY.  Silas was the  son of Jedidiah Brewster and Prudence Robinson and was born 2 Nov 1775 in Canterbury, Windham Co., CT and died on 10 Jan 1841 in Schoharie, NY. By the time her little brother married Susan Harden on 19 Nov 1826, Silence had 10 children.  Silence died on 14 Aug 1830 and is buried in the Gallupville Rural Cemetery, Schoharie Co., NY.  You can see a photo of her grave at www.findagrave.com – Silence Gallup Brewster .  The following is a list of her siblings and her children!

Descendants of Silas GALLUP

Generation No. 1

1.  SILAS¹⁰ GALLUP  (NATHANIEL⁹, NATHANIEL⁸, JOHN⁷, JOHN⁶, JOHN⁵ GALLOP, JOHN⁴ GOLLOP, THOMAS³, JOHN², JOHN¹) was born 09 Mar 1749 in Stonington, New London Co., CT, and died 28 Oct 1796 in Knox, Albany Co., NY.  He married SARAH GALLUP 13 Jan 1774 in Stonington, New London Co., CT, daughter of NATHAN GALLUP and SARAH GIDDINGS.  She was born 29 Dec 1751 in Ledyard, New London Co., CT, and died 18 Aug 1799 in Knox, Albany Co., NY.

     

Children of SILAS GALLUP and SARAH GALLUP are:

               i.   SALLY¹¹ GALLUP, b. 30 Sep 1774, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 27 Nov 1852, Decatur, Otsego Co.,  NY; m. ROBERT BABCOCK, Abt. 1795; b. 06 Jul 1773, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 04 Apr 1862, Decatur, Otsego Co.,  NY.

              ii.   MARGARET GALLUP, b. 21 Jul 1776, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. Bef. 1860, Monroe Co., NY (?); m. JOSEPH CRARY, Abt. 1809; b. 28 Jan 1781, Groton, New London Co., CT; d. 11 Jul 1845, Sweden, Monroe Co., NY.

             iii.   SILENCE GALLUP, b. 07 Jun 1778, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 14 Aug 1830, Schoharie Co., NY; m. SILAS BREWSTER, 22 Aug 1802, Schoharie, Schoharie Co., NY; b. 02 Nov 1775, Canterbury, Windham Co., CT; d. 10 Jan 1841, Schoharie Co., NY.

             iv.   FANNY GALLUP, b. 24 Mar 1780, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 28 Dec 1862, Monroe Co., NY; m. FREDERICK BABCOCK; b. 16 Jun 1782, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 17 Aug 1861, Monroe Co., NY.

              v.   SILAS GALLUP, JR., b. 04 Jun 1782, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 17 Apr 1783, Stonington, New London Co., CT.

             vi.   LOIS GALLUP, b. 11 Apr 1784, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 28 Apr 1784, Stonington, New London Co., CT.

            vii.   HANNAH GALLUP, b. 08 Jun 1785, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 13 Sep 1785, Stonington, New London Co., CT.

            viii.   NATHAN GALLUP, b. 05 Jan 1787, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 23 Apr 1844, Berne, Albany Co., NY; m. (1) NANCY MORGAN, 24 Sep 1809, Berne, Albany Co., NY; b. 24 Jul 1789, Preston, Litchfield Co., CT; d. 04 Aug 1813, Berne, Albany Co., NY; m. (2) PHEBE STRONG, 20 Feb 1814, Scipio, Cayuga Co.,  NY; b. 27 Jul 1793, Scipio, Cayuga Co.,  NY; d. 13 Jan 1851, Scipio, Cayuga Co.,  NY.

             ix.   SILAS GALLUP, JR., b. 25 Jul 1789, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. 14 Jun 1790, Stonington, New London Co., CT.

              x.   ELI GALLUP, b. 11 Feb 1791, Stonington, New London Co., CT; d. Apr 1882, Brockport, Monroe Co., NY; m. (1) SARAH CRARY, 01 May 1818; b. 1799; d. 06 Mar 1829; m. (2) HANNAH WETZEL, 18 Apr 1830; d. 13 Jul 1835.

             xi.   EBENEZER GALLUP, b. 25 Sep 1795, Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 08 Oct 1865, Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY; m. SUSAN HARDEN, 19 Nov 1826, Middleburg, Schenectady Co., NY; b. 08 Jul 1808, Duanesburgh, Schenectady Co., NY; d. 09 Nov 1884, Middleburgh, Schoharie Co., NY.

Descendants of Silence Gallup

  

Generation No. 1

1.  SILENCE¹¹ GALLUP  (SILAS¹⁰, NATHANIEL⁹, NATHANIEL⁸, JOHN⁷, JOHN⁶, JOHN⁵ GALLOP, JOHN⁴ GOLLOP, THOMAS³, JOHN², JOHN¹) was born 07 Jun 1778 in Stonington, New London Co., CT, and died 14 Aug 1830 in Schoharie Co., NY.  She married SILAS BREWSTER 22 Aug 1802 in Schoharie, Schoharie Co., NY, son of JEDIDIAH BREWSTER and PRUDENCE ROBINSON.  He was born 02 Nov 1775 in Canterbury, Windham Co., CT, and died 10 Jan 1841 in Schoharie Co., NY.

     

Children of SILENCE GALLUP and SILAS BREWSTER are:

               i.   SALLY¹² BREWSTER, b. 05 Jun 1803, Berne, Albany Co., NY; d. 10 Aug 1859, Harrisburg, Lewis Co., NY; m. ELIAS GALLUP, 23 Dec 1824, Berne, Albany Co., NY; b. 15 Nov 1800, Knox, Albany Co., NY; d. 25 Oct 1864, Harrisburg, Lewis Co., NY.

              ii.   SILAS BREWSTER, b. 29 Jun 1805, Wright Town, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 13 Jan 1851, Wright, Schoharie Co., NY; m. (1) NANCY OESTHERHAUT, 23 Feb 1827; b. 15 Nov 1805, NY; d. 06 Feb 1836, NY; m. (2) LOIS BABCOCK, 02 Mar 1842, East Worcester, Otsego Co., NY; b. 17 Dec 1810, Decatur, Otsego Co.,  NY; d. 03 Sep 1884, Worcester, Otsego Co., NY.

             iii.   EZRA BREWSTER, b. 23 May 1807, Wright Town, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 30 Jul 1876, Independence Cuyahoga Co., OH; m. ELIZABETH MATTICE, 1834, Schoharie Co., NY; b. 09 Nov 1812, Schoharie, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 11 May 1888, Independence Cuyahoga Co., OH.

             iv.   SILENCE BREWSTER, b. 10 Aug 1810, NY; d. 17 Sep 1815, NY.

              v.   ELIZABETH BREWSTER, b. 04 Nov 1812, NY; d. 25 Jan 1885, Gallupville, Schoharie Co., NY; m. CHARLES GALLUP, 06 Sep 1836; b. 14 Mar 1802, Berne, Albany Co., NY; d. 28 Jun 1848, Gallupville, Schoharie Co., NY.

             vi.   MARY BREWSTER, b. 04 Nov 1812, NY; d. 18 Sep 1815, NY.

            vii.   RALPH BREWSTER, b. 31 May 1814, NY; d. 04 Feb 1888; m. CHRISTINA DOCKSTADER, 20 Dec 1843; b. 01 Nov 1822, Johnstown, Montgomery Co., NY; d. 22 Feb 1909.

            viii.   ALLEN BREWSTER, b. 30 Jan 1816, NY; d. 05 Feb 1897, Wright, Schoharie Co., NY; m. (1) NANCY; b. Abt. 1825, NY; m. (2) RHODA FORSYTH, 13 Sep 1842, NY; b. 05 Sep 1821, Wright, Schoharie Co., NY ?; d. 27 Sep 1848, Wright, Schoharie Co., NY ?.

             ix.   NATHAN BREWSTER, b. 04 Mar 1818, Berne, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 26 Jun 1876, Schoharie Co., NY.

              x.   ETHAN BREWSTER, b. 17 Nov 1822, Schoharie Co., NY; d. 23 May 1823, Schoharie Co., NY.

Jesse De Forest

When I first started researching the Montanye family  over a decade ago, I found that the name went through several different spellings and through some research and some luck, I found Lois Stewart who was the founder of the Society of the Descendants of Johannes De La Montagne.  Through her and her book on the family, I was able to establish my ancestral line.  However, I was really fascinated by Jesse De Forest, the father in law of Johannes De La Montagne.

Jesse De Forest was born about 1576 in Avesnes, Sedan, France to Jean De Forest and Anne Maillard.  He married Marie Du Cloux on 23 Sep 1601.  Jesse De Forest eventually ended up in Leyden, Holland which is where most of the Protestants moved to from various European countries. Holland seemed to be a bastion for those who were Protestants as is exemplified by the Puritans living there after English religious control.  Jesse De Forest was considered to be a Huguenot.  These were a group of Frenchman who were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France who fled France in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s.  According to the birth dates and data of his children, Jesse De Forest and his family were in Leyden, Holland by 1615.

As has been explained to me, Jesse De Forest had a very valuable skill.  He was a “Dyer in Black” which during his lifetime was an impressive skill.  Only those who were experts were licensed to dye black material because of the difficulty in keeping the material black after washing.  Many times the color would leach out leaving the material gray.  So, he was considered to be a skilled craftsman and important member of the community.

Around the time of Jesse’s birth and during his lifetime, many of the European countries were establish edicts whose goal was to forcibly convert the Protestants back to Catholicism.  Some couldn’t leave the countries and were converted, however about 200,000 fled to places like Leyden, Holland so they could practice the religion freely.   Jesse De Forest was considered to be one of the leaders of the French Huguenot families living Leyden, Holland at this time.  In 1621, Jesse De Forest submitted a petition to the English Ambassador to the Hague to establish a colony in Virginia.  He agreed but said that the families couldn’t live together…which wasn’t what they desired at all.  The Dutch East India Company was founded in 1621 and after a year or so, Jesse De Forest got permission to emigrate with other Huguenot families to the West Indies.  In preparation for the immigration, Jesse De Forest left with several others to look for a place to establish a colony.  During an exploration of Guyana, Jesse de Forest died on the Oyapock River…never to see his efforts come to fruition. 

When the explorers came home, leaving Jesse De Forest’s body in Guyana, Johannes De La Montange married Jesse De Forest’s daughter, Rachel.  After their marriage, Johannes and Rachel first traveled to the West Indies and found that the weather and environment wasn’t to Rachel’s liking.  They went back to Holland and headed to New Amsterdam on 25 Sept 1636 on the ship Rensselaerswyck.   Not too long after their arrival in the New World…Johannes and Rachel took over Vrendal, a plantation that had been owned by Rachel’s brother Henry who had died shortly before.  He was able to grow a profitable crop of Tobacco but was soon chased off by the Indians.  Vrendal is what we know today as the upper half of what is now Central Park in New York City. 

Even though Jesse De Forest never made it to New Amsterdam or modern New York, he is considered to be one of the founders of the New Amsterdam and regarded as one of the main leaders of the Huguenots and Walloon’s.  There is a Walloon Settlers Memorial in Battery Park in New York City (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/331724758/) as well as monument in Avesnes, France that was erected at the same time as the New York City memorial (http://www.defreest.com/avesnesfrance.html)  It isn’t often that you find such an interesting historical personality as your 11^th Great Grandfather .  The Montanye family were native to New York State from 1637 until 1908, when Jesse De Forest’s 8^th great grandson (Ora Silas Gage) took his siblings and left for Nebraska after their parents death.  So, while I’ve never been to New York State – my genealogy roots are deep into that state’s history.

A Memorable Bike Ride

I remember as a little girl riding my bicycle down to my great grandmother’s house.  It was a couple of miles on a bike and seemed to me a grand adventure.  I’m sure that my mother called my grandmother before I left the house and my great grandmother called my mother when I arrived…but to me, it felt a little like freedom.  I think that I was about 10 years old…and knew that I had to ride down the back road and stay away from the busy street.  This was the same rule we had for trick or treating at Halloween and it was a hard and fast rule.  I don’t think a lot of parents feel the same security now as they did then in the mid 1970’s…but it is a trip I have never forgotten.

When you are a child and visit with a great grandparent, it is almost always in the company of a bunch of people.  There is no private conversation that can’t be heard.  I didn’t know enough about my great grandmother at that state of life to be as impressed by what she had done during her lifetime as I do now.  This was a woman who was a pioneer…who had left her home as 16 year old girl with a baby to go west and live with her husband in a land as unforgiving and hard as it could be.  To me, she was the really neat grandmother who couldn’t see very well and her head was constantly moving with a tic.  That alone was fascinating…and something that might have been fearful for older children who didn’t know her…but to me, it was just part of Grandma Friddle.  My mother and her sister never referred to their grandmother as Grandma…she was always Mom Friddle…so that is who she is to me when I think about her.  I can remember listening to her and my other great grandmother talk about riding stage coaches and wagons and thinking that it must have been fun.  Now, I know better.  I am not sure that there is anything about their lives as young women or wives and mothers that was fun.  They both lived on hard land and had to work hard to survive.  But, on that day so many years ago when I rode my bike for a visit, I remember sitting with my great grandmother all by myself. 

Mom Friddle was a wonderful storyteller.  I’m sure some of her stories might have been labeled as tall tales.  I remember one story that she told me specifically about staying in the jail one night because her father or grandfather had to watch over a prisoner and there was no one to stay with her.  She talked about laying in the bed and seeing the shadow of a man’s body as it was swinging from a noose.  It was scary enough that I’ve always remembered the story…but I’ve never found anything to back it up.  She also told me about her childhood home.  She said that she had to walk a long ways to town to go to the store for her family.  Mom Friddle made it sound like it was a long ways away.  When I found out that she grew up near Laurel Bloomery…I think it must have been over 10 miles to walk to town…and that seemed an awful long way to me and almost like a punishment.  I remembered Mom Friddle saying that it was an old house and that her family had lived there for generations. 

The house my great grandmother grew up in!

I was able to visit her family home about 12 years ago.  I found that that house was not quite that old (probably built shortly before she was born) and that while she might have been correct when she said that generations of her family had lived there…it wasn’t a long period of time.  Mom Friddle’s mother died when she was a few months old…the house was then signed over to her grandfather.  When he died in 1908, the house fell into the hands of his second wife who deeded the property to Mom Friddle’s uncle’s wife.  I always thought that was interesting that her step grandmother gave it to her uncle’s wife…rather than her uncle, who was the blood relative.  However, perhaps Mom Friddle might have been talking about her grandmother’s family who lived in the Little Laurel region of Ashe Co., NC (Pennington’s)…I suspect though she was telling me another tall tale.

However, her story about walking to the store from her home was something that my young mind might have exaggerated.  I didn’t know until after my first visit to her home that a store used to be at the end of the road near the Wesley Methodist Church in Shingletown, Johnson Co., TN.    That was probably a much more reasonable walk for a child of probably about a mile.  The store had burned down sometime in the 1920’s and had been gone a long time.

This is how I remember my great grandmother - a little older but with those dark glasses on and her hair pulled back in a hair net.  Same type of shoes and dress...and believe it or not - she still had great legs as an older woman!

When our family had the opportunity to visit Johnson Co., TN in 1978, the only landmarks that my mother really remembered was the old court house that was no longer standing.  Driving through that town so many years ago, it brought so many questions to my mind.  But I kept hearing my grandmother’s voice telling me those stories from that private meeting from my bike ride.  When we got home, there wasn’t much chance to ask many more questions…senility was stealing my great grandmother’s memories and within eight months, she had died at the age of 85.  I’ve been very fortunate to have known some of my older relatives…but it has been a big regret of mine that I never could ask so many of the questions that I have now.  I have gotten some answers…and been able to make some guesses on a lot of others, but I realize that time with those older people is something that we can never get back.  I can’t help but be grateful to my mother for letting me take that bike ride all by myself so many years ago.  I don’t know if I really got any answers and don’t remember a lot of specific things that she told me, but I know that it was really special and important to spend that one on one time with my Grandma Friddle!

New York Roots

As I got older, I knew the story of Granddad Gage coming out west with his sibling from New York State to Nebraska in 1908.  Their parents had died, and their maternal grandmother wanted them to come and live with her.  Granddad Gage had a genealogy history of his Gage family that showed some surprising information for me.  His paternal family had pretty much been in the same region of New York State for about a 100 years.

Granddad Gage and some of his siblings - Left to Right
Alice, Phebe, Pete, Ora (Granddad) Nellie & Burt.

The first New York Gage was Joseph Gage.  He was born on 3 May 1734 in Freetown, Bristol Co., MA to William Montgomery Gage and Hannah Davis.  Joseph married Mary Jane Huddleston on 13 Sep 1756 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA.  I would love to say that I have a lot more generations preceding Joseph Gage…but that is not the case.  His father, William Montgomery Gage, is the first Gage that we are sure is a direct ancestor.  William Montgomery Gage is thought to have been born around 1696 based on some land documents that he signed.  He served in a militia from Maine for six months in 1722 which I assume involved some war between the Colonists and the Native Americans.  His line of work has been recorded as schoolmaster and any Gages that believe they are descended from the William Gage of Freetown, MA – this is the Gage that they are descended from.  Joseph Gage married a few years after his father’s death in 1756 and within a few years moved to New York State.  According to his second son’s birthplace, he was in Otsego Co., NY in 1759, in Dutchess Co., NY in 1762, and in Duanesburg, Schenectady Co., NY by 1764 which is where he lived the rest of his life.

Joseph and Mary had at least 10 children, nine of whom were sons.  Some of those sons spelled their names Gage and some spelled it Gaige…but they were from the same family.  Joseph died on 23 May 1811 in Duanesburg, NY and Mary died a few years later on 27 Jan 1814.  Their fourth youngest son was William Gage b. 20 Aug 1770 in Duanesburg, NY and d. 18 Jan 1865 in Knox, Albany Co., NY.  He married Ruth Macomber in 1790.  Four Gage siblings married four Macomber siblings which leads me to believe that the families probably lived near each other.  William Gage and Ruth Macomber's fourth son, Potter Gage was born 25 Dec 1798 in Knox, Albany Co., NY.  Potter Gage was my great grandfather’s great grandfather.

To finish up the line…Potter Gage m. Cynthia Swan – their son, Gilbert Gage m. Phoebe Allen, and their grandson, Orlando m. Charity Hotaling and Edith Gallup.  So from about 1759 to 1908 – Granddad Gage’s paternal line had lived in New York State.  His mother’s family (Gallup) had come from Connecticut in 1796.  The Swan’s were in New York by 1800 (they also came from Connecticut), the Allen line had actually been there probably since the early 1700’s (See Palantine Families)  At some point, I expected to find an immigrant who arrived after 1800…but I never found one in Granddad Gage’s family.  His family lines had actually been some of the early settlers of Connecticut and moved westward to New York State.  The family line that I originally had the most information on (Gage) actually turned out to be one of the more difficult lines to locate the immigrant ancestor.  I don’t know if we will ever find the documentary evidence…but I believe that science does offer some hope. 

By the time Granddad had left New York in 1908 – his family had been living in the same area (give or take a few miles) for almost 150 years.  I don’t know how many descendants of Orlando Gage are still in the New York area.  I know that there are a few that I am communicated with that still bear the last name of Gage.  I wonder how many of them know that their family has been there since the mid 1700’s.  That seems quite unique for me as I live in a town that has only been in existence since 1861 and I live in a state that has been a state only since 1890.  (I live in Lewiston, Idaho)  My family has only been in Idaho since the 1920’s (maternal side) and 1930’s (paternal side).  I suppose that it is one of the exciting things about genealogy – it is a lot of fun to try and figure out where your family came from…and how your family ended up where they are.  In my Granddad Gage’s life time – he traveled from New York to Nebraska to Iowa to South Dakota to Idaho and then to Oregon – that is quite a journey for a 98 year lifetime!

Mom's Magnolia Tree

Springtime in Lewiston is always beautiful.  Lewiston is usually one of the first towns in the area where the daffodils begin blooming.  The cherry trees have already bloomed and the magnolia are in full bloom right now.  The beautiful pinks and soft whites always remind me of my mother.

Mom loved spring.  In early January and February – she would spend her time looking through seed catalogs and planning her spring planting.  During one spring when I was very young, Mom bought a magnolia tree.  She planted in the back northwest corner of the house.  Mom babied that tree, trying to coax some buds out of it.  Nothing happened that first year.  The forsythia glowed with yellow blooms, the snowball tree was dripping with its white balls…but her magnolia tree didn’t have one bud. 

The next year, Mom was thrilled to see her magnolia tree awash with buds.  However, buds were not what I saw…I saw fuzzy shapes that looked my favorite pussy willows.  So, I cut every bud off and took them down to the neighbor.  This neighbor was like my second mother…and my mother’s best friend.  She shared my Mom’s anxiety about that magnolia tree…so when I presented her with a bouquet of what I thought were pussy willows, she was horrified.  “Oh, Carmen….she exclaimed…where did you get those?”  I didn’t really need to tell her where…she knew. 

Mom's magnolia tree after it was replanted - around 1975.

It wasn’t until the next year till Mom finally saw her magnolia tree blossom.  However, she wasn’t happy with the tree’s growth – so Mom decided to move her tree.  She moved it to the middle of the yard, close to her growing rose garden, where it has flourished.  It is a funny tree – it blooms full blast in the spring and then it blossoms on off during the summer months.  Back then, we had a huge garden space, two large cherry trees and apricot and peach trees.  Now…they are all gone, except the magnolia tree.  However, we do have two other magnolia trees planted in the yard. 

Mom died the day after Christmas in 2005.  That first spring – Mom’s magnolia tree got frosted early and never bloomed in the spring.  I thought it might be in mourning.  When Mom was alive and healthy – the yard was a showplace.  I can remember having a family gathering many years ago and everything was blooming profusely.  Only glimmers of that yard still remain.  Mom’s roses still bloom through the summer, the dogwood trees bloom each spring and even the wisteria eventually greens up and the fragrant blossoms perfume the yard in the early summer. 

Our local parks department has a path/park that they are developing.  As a fund raiser, people could buy trees and have a memorial plaque placed at the tree, honoring their lost loved one.  Dad bought one of these threes, and when they asked what type of tree we wanted – we asked for a magnolia.  So, there a magnolia tree growing down at the park and it is the second year that it has bloomed.  There is even a magnolia tree blooming near her grave at the cemetery. 

Mom’s magnolia tree has bloomed beautifully this year and just like every year – there always seems to be a storm that scatter the blossoms from the tree and it is happening outside right now.  I took a picture yesterday afternoon of Mom’s magnolia tree.  I can’t help thinking of my mother – every spring when it blooms and remember how much my mother enjoyed growing things. 

A Container for Everything

There is a fascination in today’s society with hoarders.  Those who can’t bear to throw something away because they compulsively believe that they need that item.  The photos of some of the homes that are completed crowded with stuff is an appalling thing to see.  If we are honest with ourselves…there are many of us who have a problem with hoarding…just not to the extent that we see on the television. 

Grandma Cappy lived through the depression.  During her teenage years, her family was in pretty good shape compared to many, because they usually had food to eat.  Her parents were believers in gardens and when they moved off of Grouse Flats (Wallowa Co., OR) in the early 1920’s, they were able to grow their own food in the gardens.  It must have been easier when they moved to Lewiston, ID in the late 1920’s.  Grandma graduated from high school in 1929.  When she went to Teacher’s College at the Lewis Clark Normal (Lewis Clark State College today) her father butchered a pig to pay for her schooling.  So, needless to say, Grandma learned how to live very frugally at a young age.

When I was a child, I can remember walking into my Grandma’s kitchen and seeing stack upon stack of cottage cheese containers, margarine containers, milk cartons and other assorted containers all stacked neatly on the counter.  There weren’t just a few…there were several of each.  On her table by the window, were stacks of newspaper clippings waiting for her to put into one of her scrapbooks. 

When she and Grandpa Gwen moved out of the house in Lewiston – it was time to clean up ten plus years of stuff.  There were National Geographic magazines, saved newspapers and numerous other bits and pieces.  Dad hauled two loads of “stuff” to the dump.  I don’t remember seeing all of that stuff…except on the kitchen counters.  Grandma kept things pretty well hidden away…but her refrigerator was dangerous.  I knew at a young age to be wary of anything that came out of her refrigerator.  When you opened her refrigerator door, there were margarine containers, cool whip containers, and numerous packages mysteriously wrapped in tin foil.  There was fresh food in there as well…but who knew how long the food in those containers had been in there.  I remember one time that my grandmother made meatloaf and my family had stopped by on our way to camping.  My best friend…who was the pickiest eater in the world…asked for seconds of my grandmother’s meatloaf.  I doubted that I even had a full helping.  I had seen her make that meatloaf.  She took all kinds of meat out of her refrigerator and put it through a grinder.  Frankly, it smelled suspiciously like dog food to me.  I remember when I was older that she gave my father some watermelon that had hair growing on it.  Mom took it away from him before he could even try to eat it. 

Not only did she save containers, magazine and newspapers…she saved food.  If she thought it could be used, it was stored away in the fridge.  I suppose that is one of the reasons that I am more apt to throw food away if I have the least doubt about it.  Grandma just never quite changed her mind set after living through the depression.  I even saw my other grandmother save containers and use them the same way.  When Grandma Cappy died…we started cleaning out her kitchen.  There were piles of old plastic containers.  She had stuffed things in the dishwasher because it was an appliance that she really didn’t see the need for. 

Every once in a while, I pick up a scrap album full of newspaper clippings.  I can’t help myself but start thumbing through them.  I have found some great information in those scrap albums from obituaries to interesting local history.  I have to wonder if I am so different from my grandmother.  Instead of containers, I stockpile digital pictures, documents, and email.  I also have real problem getting rid of favorite books.  So, perhaps Grandma was the only hoarder…I have boxes of stuff that not only belonged to both of my Grandmothers…but my mother and me.  So, perhaps the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree!