Obituary of Reverend Solomon Aiken (1758-1833): Revolutionary Patriot/Dartmouth Graduate/Fearless Politician

The following obituary was transcribed from The Vermont Patriot and State Gazette, Page 3,  17 June 1833.

Another Revolutionary patriot has gone. – It is our melancholy duty to announce the death of Rev. Solomon Aiken, of Hardwick, Vt. He died at his residence after a severe illness of one week on the morning of the 1^st of June, in the 75^th year of his age. – Tho’ the weight of years was upon him, this veteran of the cross and of two wars, was in body erect and manly as when he first buckled on the armor of War, in the cause of Freedom and Independence. – Age had not dimmed the keen lustre of his eye, faintly were its furrows traced upon his placid brow; his locks were raven-like; firm and elastic was his tread, when death his and our last enemy humbled the venerable patriarch to the dust. Endued with an excellent constitution, so strict and uniform was his regimen that he used frequently to remark that for forty years he had never known what sickness was. His mental vigor was unscathed by time. – While wrestling in the relentless gasp of death, conscious that his last hour had come, the strength, clearness and placid serenity of his mind were most remarkable. He wore the resigned expression and saintly air of him, who has buried all the idolizing joys of earth and looks away to his imperishable treasure in the heavens. He gathered around him, his disconsolate family, pronounced a pious father’s valedictory blessing and then calmly feel [sic] asleep. Such were the last moments of this Patriotic but persecuted man; distinguished alike for his talents, virtue and intelligence. It is due to the character of the deceased, to public opinion, to satisfy the claims of friendship, and stop the extreme poverty; which drew upon him the vengeance of excommunication and pursued him to the grave with cruelty, relentless and inhuman.

 

Solomon Aiken was born in Hardwick, County of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, in July, 1759. He served above two years in the War of Independence. At the conclusion of this service, he took to study and was graduated at Dartmouth College. He afterwards embraced the profession of the Ministry, and for thirty years was pastor of the Congregational Society at Dracutt, Massachusetts. Here he distinguished himself as a Clergyman. During the violence of party spirt in the administration of Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Aiken openly seceded from the political sentiments of the Congregational Clergy and fearlessly proclaimed himself a Republican. This was his unpardonable sin. This act marked him as the conspicuous and common object of clerical party vengeance. He did not quail before his enemies – but maintained a steady support to the leading measures of the administration. He wrote much and exposed the corrupt and dangerous doctrines of the Federal Leaders; especially did he disclose the impious & unhallowed designs of the Calvinistic the Clergy waging political war with Drs. Spring, Osgood, Steel, Parish, and others; men who were ever ready to rejoice at any event which might embarrass the administration and disgrace the country. For several years he represented the town of Dracutt in the State Legislature. He actively supported the last war and in the latter part was Chaplain. At the period referred to, Mr. Aiken as a politician, was well known through the New England States. – The combined influence n the clergy was made to bear upon him; their hostility became inveterate and implacable. At length pious mouths of gainsayers and calumniators, that some prominent incidents of his life should be noticed.

 

It is just and proper that those who deserve well of their country, should be embalmed in her memory. It is due, as an example to the rising generation, that those who have devoted themselves to the cause of liberty, though in comparative obscurity, should be rescued from oblivion and help up to admiration. To the distinguished man, whose sudden exit we are now called to notice and deplore, these remarks have a most just and peculiar application. A life of vicissitude as his; the ease and affluence of wealth and the bitterness of poverty were known to him. Amid all its vicissitudes he was always uniform and contented with his lot; always patriotic.
It is an act of strict justice on the part of friends at this time, to publish to an impartial public a very few incidents of his life, which procured for him, the warm friendship of the old Republican party in New England on the one hand and the bitter execrations of the Federalists, the implacable, relentless persecution of the Congregational Clergy on the other, which reduced him from affluence to fraud, reckless calumny and persecuting vengeance ousted him from his pastoral charge, reduced him to poverty and drove him from his native state. He retired among his relatives in Hardwick, Vt.; but the zeal of persecution sought out his retreat – his enemies were not satisfied with his humiliation; the enjoyed a most singular and savage delight in triumphing over his misfortune, and lacerating this fallen victim. Thy were like blood hounds, ever upon the track. One incident which happened a few years since, and which he had concealed even from his family until a few weeks before his death, will show the spirt and character of their persecution. While at Hardwick to relieve the distress of a dependent family, he went away into the State of New York – commenced preaching and continued to labor about six months; was successful and gave general satisfaction. His Christian persecutors at length ferreted out their victim. – The result was that he was dismissed, lost the benefit of this services – begged his passage across the Lake and returned home on foot and without one penny to his family. His talents and integrity were ever appreciated by intelligent and honest freeman. He represented the town of Hardwick for several years in the State Legislature. But he has gone to rest.

He has left a fair and illustrious fame, purified in the furnace of affliction, strengthened and exalted by persecution – aloof from calumny – adorned with the chaplet of patriotism, it will descend to posterity and live in the hearts of freemen when his reckless persecutors shall merge into oblivion or be remembered only to be despised.

 Works by Solomon Aiken

• An oration delivered before the Republican citizens of Newburyport, And its Vincity, July 4, 1810
• A letter, addressed by the Rev. Solomon Aiken, A.M. pastor of the First Church in Dracutt, to the Rev. Samuel Spring, D.D. pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Newburyport, on the subject of his sermons, delivered April the 6th, 1809
• The Rise and Progress of the Political Dissension in the United States A Sermon, Preached in Dracutt, May 11, 1811
• An Address to Federal Clergymen, on the Subject of the war Proclaimed by the Congress of the United

52 Ancestors Week 1: The Batchelder Family's Fresh Start in Plainfield, Vermont

Which ancestor had to make a fresh start after a loss or setback?

My 7^th great grandfather, Lieutenant Joseph Batchelder, was born on 28 December 1750 in Hampton, New Hampshire. He was the son of Nathaniel Batchelder Anna Butler. By 1790, Joseph was residing in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire where he likely married his wife, Sarah Ferrin. He fought in the American Revolution as part of the New Hampshire Militia where he received his title.

In 1793, Joseph made a pitch for 650 acres of land in an area called St. Andrews Gore, which would later be known as Plainfield, Vermont.  Joseph, along with his two brothers, Moulton and Nathaniel, were among the first four families to settle in Plainfield. The brothers abided by the charter granted to the town, which required that each grantee to “plant five acres of land, erect one house at least eighty feet square on the ground floor, and have one family on each share of land” (Grimaldi, n.d.). All of the houses of this early settlement were log cabins.

Joseph’s land was located at the southwest corner of Plainfield, near to Barre. He likely grew corn on his land and may have produced up to 40 bushels per acre (Grimaldi, n.d.). The land in Plainfield was known for being especially fertile. It was at his home where the town’s Congregational Church was formed (Representative Men 1908).

Joseph and Sarah had the following children:

1. Joseph Batchelder b. 22 Feb 1770
2. Nathaniel Batchelder b. 10 Jan 1772
3. Isaac Batchelder b. 08 Oct 1774; d. 11 Jan 1775
4. Anna Batchelder b. 30 Sep 1775; d. 22 Jan 1777
5. Isaac Batchelder b. 01 Mar 1779
6. Alpheus Batchelder b. 07 Aug 1781
7. Abigail Batchelder b. 03 Nov 1783; m. Joseph Glidden; d. 27 Aug 1859
8. Sarah Batchelder b. 09 Feb 1785
9. William Batchelder b. 15 Jul 1788
10. Polly Batchelder (see below)
11. Alice Batchelder b. 23 Jun 1797
12. Josiah Batchelder

Joseph’s daughter and my 6^th great grandmother, Polly, was the first girl and second child born in Plainfield. She is only referred to as Polly on her birth records. Other records list her as Mary. She was born on 26 July 1795. She married Henry C. Parker (1797-1887). She died in Elmore, Vermont on 22 Jun 1877 and is buried at the Lake Elmore Cemetery along Route 12.

Mary (Polly) and Henry had the following children:

1. Sarah F. Parker b. 05 Sep 1824 in Barre, Vermont; m. Samuel Childs on 14 Aug 1845; d. 27 Oct 1863 in Barre, Vermont. Sarah is my 5^th great grandmother.
2. Robert Parker b. Abt 1831 in Vermont
3. Alpheus Parker b. Abt 1832 in Vermont
4. Mary Parker b. Abt 1835 in Vermont

Joseph died on 25 March 1827 in Plainfield and is buried at the Bisson Barre Cemetery on Lower Road in Plainfield.

References:

Grimaldi, S. (n.d.). The early history of Plainfield, Vermont from the beginnings to 1880. Retrieved from http://plainfieldvthistory.org/history.html

Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island. (1908). Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=sNo4AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

A Visit with my Dad

I had am amazing visit with my dad yesterday. I purchased some KFC (his fave) and headed to his house to interview him about his time spent in the Army. The entire visit lasted about 3 hours, but left me with some wonderful stories and memories to pass down to my descendants.

At first dad wasn't too keen on being interviewed, and was adamant that he could not remember much about his Army days. However, when I got there he pulled out a binder filled with old Army records (a binder I didn't even know he had). In it were dates of his enlistment, discharge, and time spent on active duty both Hawaii and Guam. Of course, this binder is a real genealogy goldmine. He offered to let me borrow it so I can scan the documents into my computer.

Next we pulled out two photo albums filled with photos he took from his time in basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, AIT at Fort Polk, LA, and duty Hawaii and Guam. I have looked through the albums many times since I was a kid, but I had never had my father tell me the stories behind the photos. He told me about his friends, who they were, where they lived, fun times they had, etc. He had photos of a '67 Ford Galaxy he purchased in Hawaii that he later crashed while driving to Honolulu one night. There were photos of concerts he saw (including Merle Haggard, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dolly Parton), the Tent City he stayed in while helping Vietnamese refugees in Guam in 1975, and this photo of his entire platoon that he asked me to blow up into an 8x10 (my dad is in the back at the far left, holding his helmet under his arm).

Army Platoon in Hawaii

Next my father pulled out a few old letters he has that some of his Army friends wrote him soon after he returned home. They weren't long, but shared a few stories of trouble the caused together, dreams they had for when they were all out of the Army, and some more insight into what life was like for my dad in those dads.

When we were done talking about his Army days, dad continued by telling me stories of his childhood. He told me about his pet raccoons (hie brothers also had a pet fox and skunk), childhood friends and trouble they got into together, and other random things as he remembered them.

It was a wonderful time with my dad, and I am so glad we did this! I highly recommend everyone does this with their relatives while they still can.

Baker Family Cape Cod to Vermont

About seven months ago I posted about the family of Cornelius Baker & Almira (Thomas) Ingalls and their descendants. This had been a huge brick wall in my genealogy for many years, but a few nights ago I came upon a record that would lead me back to my 10th great grandparents, Francis Baker and Isabel Twining.

I was able to conclude that Cornelius was born out of wed-lock and the Baker surname was his mother, Caroline's, maiden name. I have not found any record that lists his father (though I plan to visit the town clerk in Johnson, Vermont soon to see if I can find a birth record with his name on it there). Once I realized that Caroline's maiden name was Baker, I was able to do some searching and find her parents, and from there my brick wall came crashing down!

Here is what I discovered, starting with my 10th great grandfather:

Francis Baker was born in 1611 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. He arrived in Boston, Massachusetts via The Planter in 1635 and would settle in Yarmouth, Massachusetts. He married Isabel Twining on 17 Jun 1641 in Yarmouth. According to one source, he died in 1696. Children of Francis Baker and Isabel Twining were:

1. John Baker (see below)
2. Samuel Baker, b. 1 May 1648 in Yarmouth
3. Daniel Baker, b. 2 Sep 1650 in Yarmouth
4. William Baker
5. Thomas Baker
6. Elizabeth Baker
7. Hannah Baker

John Baker was born on 1 May 1645 in Yarmouth. He married Alice Pierce in 1672 in Yarmouth. The only child I have (so far) for John & Alice is their son, Jonathon Baker.

Jonathan Baker was born on 31 May 1672 in Yarmouth. He married Hannah Jones on 13 Apr 1699 in Yarmouth. They had at least one son, Lot Baker.

Lot Baker was born on 16 Jan 1721/22 in Yarmouth. He married Desire Berry on either 1 Mar 1743 or 23 Nov 1743 (there are records for both). Children of Lot Baker and Desire Berry (all born in Yarmouth) were:

1. Hannah Baker, b. 19 Sep 1744
2. Lot Baker, b. 26 Apr 1746
3. Desire Baker, b. 25 Jul 1748
4. Hezekiah Baker (see below)
5. Patience Baker, b. 7 Nov 1749
6. Stephen Baker, b. 18 Nov 1754
7. Theodore Baker, b. 18 Apr 1757
8. Abijah Baker, b. 23 Jun 1764
9. Jerusha Baker, b. 23 Jun 1764

Hezekiah Baker was born on 7 Nov 1749 in Yarmouth. He married Abigail Weeks on 1 Nov 1772 in Yarmouth. Children of Hezekiah Baker and Abigail Weeks were:

1. Barzillai Baker, b. 12 Jul 1780 in Yarmouth
2. Hezekiah Baker (see below)

Hezekiah Baker was born on 8 Nov 1791 in Yarmouth. I know he married a woman named Betsy, though I am not sure if this was the name of my 5th great grandmother as I have seen her name listed as Dacia. Hezekiah died on 15 Aug 1873 in Hyde Park Vermont. He at least had the following children:

1. Caroline Baker (see below)
2. James Baker b. abt 1841 in Johnson, Vermont

Caroline Baker was born on 18 Jan 1824 in Morrisville, Vermont. She had my 3rd great grandfather, Cornelius, illegitimately, but married Mitchell Gearwar a few years later. She died on 25 Apr 1897 and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Morrisville. Besides Cornelius she had the following children with Mitchell Gearwar:

1. Charles Edgar Gearwar, b. abt. 1846
2. Ann Maria Gearwar, b. abt. 1847
3. William Gearwar, b. abt. 1849

For information about Cornelius and his descendants, see my original post, Baker Family of Lamoille County, Vermont.

Surname Saturday: Bonneau / Burnham Quebec to Vermont

The Bonneau/Burnham line has been confusing to research as it involves incestuous relationships. Until I figured this out, there was a lot of head scratching.

My 4th great grandfather, Basil Bonneau, was born about 1802, probably in Quebec. He married 1st Marie Roi on 27 Feb 1831 in Dunham, Quebec. He married 2nd Justine Gelineau in Oct 1850.

Children of Basil Bonneau and Marie Roi:

1. Adelaide "Malinda Burnham" Bonneau (my 4th great grandmother)
2. William Basile Bonneau (my 3rd great grandfather)

Adelaide "Malinda Burnham" Bonneau was b. abt. 1834 in Quebec. She married Jean Baptiste Metevier. Jean Baptiste was born on 21 Jun 1829 in Quebec to Abraham Metevier and Francoise Sophie Paquet. He died bef. 1871.

Children of Adelaide "Malinda Burnham" Bonneau and Jean Baptiste Metevier:

Alexandre Metevier

1. Jean Baptiste Metevier (my 3rd great grandfather. I will post more about him when I do the Metevier family) b. 24 Jun 1848 in Qubec, m. Hannah Maria Westover on 13 Jan 1873 in Sutton, Brome, Quebec, d. Bet. 1894–1901
2. Francois Metevier b. abt. 1851 in Quebec
3. Narcisse "Nelson" Metevier b. 10 May 1851 in Quebec, d. 17 Aug 1922 in Chicago, Illinois
4. Alexandre Metevier b. 1854 in Quebec, d. 05 Jun 1930 in Quebec
5. Israel Metevier b. 14 Jul 1857 in Quebec, d. 14 Mar 1948 in Lyndonville, Caledonia, Vermont
6. Florence Metevier b. 10 Nov 1863 in Quebec, d. 04 May 1940 in Barton, Orleans, Vermont

William Basile Bonneau was born on 28 Sep 1845 in Quebec. He married Justine Christine Lindsey, who was born on 03 Feb 1841 in Quebec.

Children of William Basile Bonneau and Justine Christine Lindsey:

1. Mary Alice Bonneau b. abt. 1864 in Quebec
2. Horace Bonneau b. abt 1866 in New Hampshire
3. Abraham Bonneau (my 2nd great grandfather. See below)
4. Josephine Bonneau b. abt. 1872
5. William Bonneau b. 14 Oct 1874 in Quebec
6. Frank Bonneau b. 14 May 1875 in Quebec
7. Robert Bonneau b. 1878 in Quebec
8. Clara Bonneau b. Sep 1880

Abraham Bonneau was born on 13 Mar 1868 in Manchester, New Hampshire. He married Esther May Metevier (his 1st cousin, once removed) on 25 Jun 1894 in Sutton, Brome, Quebec. She was born on 08 Jun 1875 in Turkey Hill, Quebec to Jean Baptiste Metevier and Hannah Westover. She died on 06 Oct 1904 in Montgomery, Franklin, Vermont.

Children of Abraham Bonneau and Esther May Metevier:

1. Norman Abraham Bonneau b. 25 Nov 1895 in Sutton, Brome, Quebec, m. Elizabeth Butterfield on 18 Dec 1914 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont
2. Marie Eva Bonneau (Eva Burnham) (My great grandmother, See below)

Marie Eva Bonneau / Eva Burnham (as she was know as when she came to America) was born on 30 Oct 1896 in Sutton, Brome, Quebec. She married 1st Wayland A Wright on 25 Aug 1936 in Fairfield, Franklin, Vermont. She married 2nd Carlton Edgar Kennsison (my great grandfather) on 12 May 1915 in Boston, Middlesex, Massachusetts. She married 3rd Allen Eugene Combs on 27 Sep 1941 in Hardwick, Caledonia, Vermont. She is buried with her 3rd husband in the West Enosburg, Franklin, Vermont

Carlton "Carl" Edgar Kennison was born on 12 Jun 1883 in Foster, Quebec to to Edwin
Kennison and Matilda M Rember. He died on 01 Jul 1969 in Bristol, Grafton, New Hampshire. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Lot 331 Sec. B Position #5 at Grave Homeland Cemetary in Bristol, New Hampshire.

Children of Marie Eva Bonneau/Burnham and Carlton Edgar Kennison:

1. Norman "Bud" Carl Kennison b. 11 Sep 1918 in Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont, m. Dorothy Ida Deso on 09 Dec 1948 in Richford, Franklin, Vermont, d. 03 Dec 1983 in Hardwick, Caledonia, Vermont
2. Mildred "Millie" Eva Kennison (my grandmother), b. 29 Jul 1929 in Richford, Franklin, Vermont, m. John Everett Gamble on 20 Dec 1941 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont, d. 13 Feb 2009 in North Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont
3. Myrtle M Kennison b. 11 Mar 1923, m. Al Bulli, d. 04 Mar 2012 in Westminster, Massachusetts

Surname Saturday - McKillops Ireland to Vermont

Disclaimer: As always, my genealogy is a work in progress. There is a lot of information I have yet to locate and possible discrepancies in information already found. While all of my information is sourced in my genealogy software, I am not going to take the time to type all that out here. If you would like a source citation for a particular event, please ask.

If you are related to this family, I want to hear from you!

I have been posting my Surname Saturday posts in alphabetical order; however, I am going to deviate from this for this week and focus on the McKillop family. I am inspired to write about them after being contacted by my 5th cousin earlier this week.

My 2nd great grandaunt, Margaret "Maggie" McKillop
with her husband, George Martin and an unidentified
woman (a daughter, perhaps?).

I don't have a lot of info about this line, and it is one of my lines that intrigues me the most. Mainly because they make up a good portion of my Irish heritage, a heritage I am proud to have (I have other lines that came from Ireland, and I am equally as interested in learning about them, as well...but those lines are for future posts).

 I first posted about the McKillop family over two years ago. Since my initial post, I have discovered more information. My 4th great grandparents were Patrick McKillop and Rose Cassidy of Ireland. I have not found any evidence that they came to America with their children. Their children (at least those I have found in America) were:

1. James McKillop: My 3rd great grandfather. See below.
2. Nancy McKillop b. Aug 1837 in Cork/Corky, Ireland. m. John Finely on 4 Sept 1867 in Northfield, Washington, Vermont. d. 2 Oct 1901 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont. (Author's note: A certificate of birth from daughter, Nancy Finely, indicates that her parents, John Finely and Nancy McKillop, were born in Cork, Ireland (a county in southern Ireland). However, Nancy's sister, Elizabeth, was born in Corkey, Ireland (a town in county Antrim), and the 1930 census of daughter, Lizzie, lists their birth place as Northern Ireland. It is likely that 'Cork' was written wrong, and they were born in Corkey, Antrim)
1. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Ann Finely b. 30 May 1868 in Danville, Caledonia, Vermont. m. Renforth Gamblin on 15 Jan 1900 in Ryegate Caledonia, Vermont. d. 28 Jul 1940 from "Toxemia due to carcinoma of the rectum." Buried in the Danville Green Cemetery. 
2. Nancy Finley b. 26 Apr 1870 in Danville, Caledonia, Vermont. m. James W Rodgers on 27 Nov 1895 in Barre, Washington, Vermont. d. 27 Jun 1953 in Barre, Vermont.
3. John Badger Finely b. 24 Apr 1872 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont. d. 17 Dec 1934 in St. Johnsbury, Caledonia, Vermont.
4. Rosa Finely b. 6 Aug 1874 in Cabot, Vermont. m. Archibald Steele on 25 Jun 1902 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. d. 10 Jun 1952 in Danville, Vermont.



Patrick McKillop Grave

5. William "Willie" Finely b. 21 Nov 1876 in Cabot, Vermont. d. 21 Mar 1938 in Danville, Vermont.
3. Patrick McKillop b. 30 Jan 1841 in Ireland. d. 21 Feb 1914. buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
4. Elizabeth McKillop b. 12 May 1846 in Corkey, Ireland. m. James McGill abt. 1869. d. 15 Jan 1921 in Danville, Vermont.

James McKillop &
Margaret Leslie
Grave

My 3rd great grandfather was James McKillop. he was born on 03 May 1862 in Antrim, Ireland. He married Margaret Leslie about 1854 (according to the 1900 US Census). They likely married while still in Ireland as according to the same census, they emigrated to America around 1867. Once in America, I have only found them living Danville, Caledonia, Vermont. James was a farmer by trade. He died on 08 Sept 1907 in Danville. He is buried with his wife in Mount Calvary Cemetery (Plot BB), St. Johnsbury, Caledonia, Vermont.

     Margaret Leslie was born about 1823 in Ireland and died about 1912 in Vermont.

Children of James McKillop & Margaret Leslie:

1. Rose McKillop: My 2nd great grandmother. See below.
2. John McKillop b. 17 Apr 1861 in Ireland, d. 15 Jun 1897 in Danville, Vermont (cause of death: appendicitis)
3. Mary Ann McKillop b. 17 Apr 1861 in Ireland, m. Robert M Steele abt. 1889, d. 26 Jul 1911 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont
1. Agnes J Steele b. 13 Feb 1893 in Peacham, Vermont
2. Herbert M Steele b. Jul 1895 in Peacham, Vermont
4. Margaret "Maggie" McKillop b. 27 Nov 1867 in Ballycastle, Antrim, Ireland, m. George F Martin on 23 Dec 1889 in Barre, Washington, Vermont, d. aft. 24 Jul 1946 (possibly in Williamstown, Orange, Vermont).



Robert & Lizzie
Martin) Clogston

1. Lizzie May Martin b. 17 Sept 1891 in Vermont, m. Robert E Clogston on 5 Aug 1914 in Williamstown, Vermont, 21 May 1969 in Williamstown, Vermont. Buried in the Williamstown Cemetery.
2. Caroline Susan Marin b. 7 Oct 1893 in Williamstown, Vermont. m. Ernest John Auld on 28 Aug 1911. d. aft. 30 Mar 1946.
3. Harrison Bancroft martin b. 6 Dec 1895 in Williamstown, Vermont, m. Annie R. d. 26 Nov 1955 in Hartford, Windsor, Vermont.
4. John L Martin b. Aug 1897 in Vermont, d. Oct 1942 in Williamstown, Vermont
5. Raymond Roosevelt Martin b. 16 Sept 1904 in Williamstown, Vermont. m. Hannah Georgia Berno on 10 Sept 1934 in Barre, Vermont. d. 30 Mar 1944 of Pulmonary Tuberculosis  in Barre, Vermont. Buried in Williamstown Cemetery.
6. Clarence Dix Martin b. 6 Aug 1906 in Williamstown, Vermont. d. 10 Jan 1953. Buried in the Williamstown Village Cemetery.
7. Rosetta Martin died in infancy

My 2nd great grandmother, Rose McKillop was born on 16 Jan 1857 in Ballymena, Antrim, Ireland. She married James Gamble on 02 Dec 1885 in Danville, Vermont. She died from "senility" on 16 Apr 1940 in Danville, Vermont.

James Gamble was born on 03 May 1862 in Antrim, Ireland To James & Ellen Gamble (who I recently discovered may have come to America, but I have not had time to search for any records. Stay tuned). He died on 28 Jun 1940 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. He is buried in Danville, Vermont.

Children of James Gamble and Rose McKillop were:

1.  Edward John Gamble: My great grandfather. See below
2. Rosetta May Gamble b. 12 Dec 1892 in Danville, Vermont.

Edward Gamble and Gertrude Baylaw
Grave

My great grandfather, Edward John Gamble, was born on 28 Apr 1888 in Cabot, Vermont. He married Gertrude B. Baylaw/Balaw/Bailaw on 29 Jul 1912 in Cabot, Vermont. He died from bladder cancer on 02 Dec 1955 in Walden, Caledonia, Vermont. He and his wife are buried in the Cabot Village Cemetery. 

Gertrude B Baylaw/Balaw/Bailaw was born on 07 Jun 1893 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont to Edward Bailaw/Balaw and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Aurilla Aiken. She died on 03 Mar 1994 in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont.

Children of Edward Gamble and Gertrude Baylaw:

1. Lena M Baylaw (Daughter from Gertrude's previous relationship) b. 27 Sep 1909 in Vermont. m. George Wilkins on 25 May 1929 in Cabot, Vermont. d. 23 Feb 1974 in Waterford, Caledonia, Vermont. Buried in Waterford, Vermont.
2. Rosetta Maude Gamble b. 22 Aug 1913 in Cabot, Vermont. d. of Broncheal Pneumonia on 29 Oct 1913 in Cabot, Vermont. Buried in the Danville Cemetery.
3. Richard Gamble b. 16 Jun 1915. m. Lucelle Williams on 06 Oct 1942 in Cabot, Vermont. d. 15 Jan 1992 in Danville, Vermont.
4.  John Everett Gamble: My grandfather. See below.
5. Mary Elizabeth Gamble b. 24 Dec 1920 in Cabot, Vermont. m. Raymond Geoffrey Salls on 15 Jun 1940 in Walden, Vermont. d. 24 Dec 1920 in Cabot, Vermont. Buried in the Cabot Village Cemetery, Section 2 Row 15.
6. Living 
7. Ellen Rose Gamble b. 31 Aug 1922 in Cabot, Vermont. m. David Dale Dimick on 23 Dec 1950 in Danville, Vermont.
8. Marjorie Jane Gamble b. 03 Dec 1924 in Cabot, Vermont. m. Gordon George Rodger on 03 May 1949 in Cabot, Vermont. d. 26 Oct 2008 in St. Albans, Franklin, Vermont. Buried in the West Enosburg Cemetery in Enosburg, Franklin, Vermont.
9. William "Bill" Edward Gamble b. 16 Apr 1927. m. Reta Elaine Shepard on 22 Oct 1949 in Cabot, Vermont. d. 05 Jun 2012 in Vermont.
10. Robert "Pete" Arthur Gamble b. 15 Sep 1932 in Cabot, Vermont. m. 1) Vera Irene Dimick on 21 Apr 1951 in Cabot, Vermont and 2) Marjorie (Hanks) Rochette on 14 Mar 1987 in Walden, Vermont. d. 04 Oct 2003 in Walden, Vermont. Buried in the South Walden Cemetery.

My grandfather, John Everett Gamble, was born on 12 Apr 1918 in Cabot, Vermont. He married Mildred Eva Kennison on 20 Dec 1941 in Cabot, Vermont. He served in France during WWII. He died on 31 Jan 1996 in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont. He and his wife are buried in the Jedediah Hyde Cemetery in Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont.

Mildred "Millie" Eva Kennison was born on 29 Jul 1921 in Richford, Franklin, Vermont to Carlton "Carl" Edgar Kennison and Marie Eva Burnham/Bonneau. She died on 13 Feb 2009 in North Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont.

John & Mildred (Kennison) Gamble

Children of John Gamble and Mildred Kennison:

1. Roy John Gamble b. 04 Apr 1945 in Enosburg, Franklin, Vermont. d. 09 Jan 2010 in North Hyde Park, Vermont
2. Living
3. James Edward Gamble Sr. b. 02 Jan 1952 in St. Albans, Franklin, Vermont. d. 14 Nov 2000 in Poultney, Vermont. Buried in the St. Raphael Cemetery in Poultney, Vermont.
4. Living

The Book of Me, Prompt 7 - Grandparents (Part 2)

These Book of Me posts are inspired by weekly prompts provided by Julie at Angler's Rest.

Part 1 of this post is about my maternal grandparents, Gary and Esther (Wallace) Baker. This post will focus on my paternal grandparents, John and Mildred "Millie" (Kennison) Gamble.

Surname Saturday: Descendants of Elijah and Jane Beard

Disclaimer: As always, my genealogy is a work in progress. There is a lot of information I have yet to locate and possible discrepancies in information already found. While all of my information is sourced in my genealogy software, I am not going to take the time to type all that out here. If you would like a source citation for a particular event, please ask.

If you are related to this family, I want to hear from you!

My fifth great grandparents were Elijah E and Jane Beard (I know nothing of Jane except her first name). Elijah was born about September 1764 in Scotland and died on 14 Jun 1853 in Berkshire, Franklin, Vermont. He is buried in the Berkshire Center Cemetery (his tombstone is on FindAGrave.com).

Children of Elijah and Jane Beard were:

1. Elijah Beard: b. abt. Sept 1794 in New Hampshire, m. Lucy Horn 
2. David Beard (my 4th great grandfather. See below).

Young David Beard

David Beard was born abt. 1819 in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada. He married Jane Doan/Dean(e). He died on 18 Aug 1899 in Barre, Washington, Vermont.

       Jane Doan/Dean(e) was born in Underhill, Chittenden, Vermont.

Children of David and Jane Beard were:

1. Huldah Ann Beard: b. 09 Aug 1842 in Brome, Quebec, Canada. She m. Willam John McMurray on 13 Mar 1860 in Vermont. She d. 23 Aug 1925 in Coventry, Orleans, Vermont.
2. Eliza Beard: b. abt. 1845 in Quebec, Canada
3. Myron B. Beard: b. Nov 1846. He d. 25 Jul 18448 in Coventry, Orleans, Vermont.
4. Henry Harrison Beard: b. abt. March 1849 in Underhill, Vermont. He m. Nina Danforth on 28 Jun 1911 in Lowell, Middlesex, Massachusetts
5. Roland Smith Beard: (my 3rd great grandfather. See below).
6. George W Beard: b. abt 1854, m. Ida Bundy on 15 Apr 1876 in Swanton, Franklin, Vermont
7. Young David Beard: b. abt. Nov 1855. d. 25 Feb 1877 in Coventry, Orleans, Vermont.

Seated: Roland Beard and
Florence Kittell

Roland S Beard was born on 4 Jun 1851 in Underhill, Chittenden, Vermont. He married Florence Eliza Kittell on 4 Jun 1872 in Sheldon, Franklin, Vermont. He died on 20 May 1930 in Lamoille County, Vermont and is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont.

        Florence Eliza Kittell was born in 1850 in Fairfield, Franklin, Vermont to         William Riley Kittell and Elizabeth Eliza Lanpher. She died on 18 May             1927 in Morrisville, Vermont and is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery in         Morrisville.

Children of Roland S Beard and Florence Eliza Kittell were:

1. Marcia Eliza Beard: b. 16 May 1874 in Sheldon, Franklin Vermont, m. Herbert Robbins, d. 1 Sept 1956 in Wolcott, Lamoille, Vermont
2. Melvin H Beard: b. 1876 in Vergennes, Addison, Vermont, d. 1901
3. William Riley Beard (My 2nd great grandfather. See below)
4. Harry Beard: b. and d. in 1881.

William Beard and
Olive "Grace" LaGrange

William Riley Beard was born on 4 Dec 1877 in Sheldon, Franklin, Vermont. He m. Olive Elizabeth LaGrange on 11 Mar 1899. He died on 12 Feb 1956 in Waterbury, Washington Vermont. He is buried in Pleasant View cemetery n Morrisville, Vermont.

        Olive Elizabeth "Grace" LaGrange was born on 4 May 1878 in Sheldon,             Franklin, Vermont to Abraham LaGrange and Elizabeth Isabel Renney.               She died on 9 Sept 1963 in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont. She is buried           in Pleasant View Cemetery in Morrisville.

Children of William Beard and Olive LaGrange were (see a poem my great grandmother, Elizabether (Beard) baker wrote about her siblings here: Our Family Tree):

1. Clyde Archival Beard: b. 13 Jan 1900 in Palmer, Massachusetts, m. Lula Mae Melvin, d. 18 Mar 1957 in Chelsea, Orange, Vermont
2. Beulah Olive beard: b. 5 Jan 1902 in Sheldon, Franklin, Vermont, m. Harold Allen on 2 Jul 1921 in Morrisville, Vermont, d. 4 Sep 1994 in Bradford, Orange, Vermont
3. Wilma Rita Beard, b. 16 Apr 1903 in Hyde park, Lamoille, Vermont, m. Rufus W. Stancliffe on 16 Apr 1921 in Morrisville, Vermont, d. 16 Aug 1984 in Morrisville, Vermont
4. Infant Girl Beard: b. 23 May 1905 in Hyde Park, Vermont (probably stillborn)
5. Lillian W. Beard: b. 1906, m. Edward Peterson, d. aft. 1963
6. Gerald William Beard: 30 Oct 1906 in Morrisville, Vermont, m. Mildred E Willis on 7 Mar 1926 in Morrisville, Vermont, d. 19 Jul 1972 in Bristol, Hartford, Connecticut
7. Elizabeth Florence Beard (My great grandmother): b. 16 Oct 1911 in Morrisville, Vermont, m. George Dewey Baker on 23 Aug 1932, d. 22 Dec 1995 in Morrisville, Vermont. She is buried in Pleasant View Cemetery in Morrisville, Vermont
8. Ardell Floye Beard: b. 20 Feb 1918, m. Raymond Rebman, d. abt. 1987
9. Robert Melvin Beard: b. 26 May 1921 in Morrisville, Vermont, m. Mabel Beardsley Rouse on 8 Sept 1942, d. 3 Dec 1991

William and Olive Beard (Center) 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1949.

Surname Saturday: Baker Family of Lamoille County, Vermont

Update: I have found more information about Cornelius's ancestors since writing this post. Please see my latest post, Baker Family Cape Cod to Vermont.

My 3rd great-grandfather, Cornelius H Baker, was born about 17 May 1842 in or near Johnson, Lamoille, Vermont. He married Almira M (Thomas) Ingalls on 4 July 1864 in Johnson. He died on 19 Jan 1909 in Eden, Lamoille, Vermont. His mother, Caroline, is listed on his death certificate. Her place of birth was Vergennes, Addison, Vermont. There is no name given for his father, but census records list his birth location as Germany or Vermont.        
Almira M Thomas was born in Oct 1841 in Belvidere, Lamoille, Vermont. She was the daughter of William Thomas from Fairfield, Addison, Vermont and Sally Stancliff from Halifax [Canada?]. Almira died on 20 Apr 1917.

Cornelius and Almira had the following children:

1. Charles C Baker b. 30 Dec 1865 in Johnson, m. Nora Emory on 29 Sep 1889 in Eden, d. 31 Jul 1935
2. Caroline M Baker b. 1869, m. William Griswold on 5 Mar 1885.
3. Emma A Baker b. 23 Oct 1871 in Belvidere, m. Dan Adams on 1 Jun 1890 in Johnson
4. Frank M Baker b. 10 Apr 1874 in Belvidere
5. Harrison B Baker b. 4 Jun 1876 in Belvidere, m. Lilah Mae Bidwell
6. Daniel James Baker (my 2nd great grandfather, see below)
7. George H Baker b. 29 Jul 1885, m. Anna Jones

My 2nd great grandfather, Daniel James Baker, was born on 3 Jan 1877 in Belvidere, Lamoille, Vermont. He married Minnie Belle Childs on 14 Aug 1912 in Belvidere. He died on 7 Nov 1949 in Windham, Vermont.

Minnie Belle Childs Baker

      

Minnie Belle Childs was born on 29 May 1894 in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont. She was the daughter of Charles H Childs and May Ann Jones from Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont. Minnie died on 28 Feb 1963 in Morrisville. She is buried in Johnson.

Obituary for Minnie
Belle Childs Baker

Daniel and Minnie had the following children:

1. Gladys Mabel Baker (My great grandmother, see below)
2. Daniel Lee Baker b. 20 Oct 1919 in Belvidere, d. 22 Apr 1945 in Hyde Park (see my previous post about Daniel Lee Baker)
3. Ilda M Baker b. 22 Apr 1926, m. ______ Allen, d. Sep 1992
4. Irene R Baker b. 8 Feb 1930, m. _____ Wade, d. Jan 1984

Gladys Baker Wallace

My great grandmother, Gladys Baker, was born on 9 Sep 1916 in Belvidere, Lamoille, Vermont. She married Hezekiah Truman Wallace on 10 Mar 1930 in Cambridge, Lamoille, Vermont. She died on 12 Jun 1967 in Burlington, Chittenden, Vermont. 

      

Hezekiah Truman Wallace on Right

Hezekiah Truman Wallace was born on 29 Jan 1907 in New Hampton, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He was the son of William Henry Wallace of Tyngsboro, Middlesex, Massachusetts and Blanche L Corbin of Charleston, New Hampshire. Hezekiah died on 20 Sep 1976 in Montpelier, Washington, Vermont.

The Book of Me, Prompt 7 - Grandparents (Part 1)

These Book of Me posts are inspired by weekly prompts provided by Julie at Angler's Rest.

My earliest memory is of my grandmother getting a wooden puzzle out of a closet for me. That's actually the only memory I have of her. She died when I was 3 of a brain tumor that was caused from lung cancer. Her name was Esther (Wallace) Baker, and she was the daughter of Hezekiah Truman Wallace and Gladys Baker.

Four short years after my grandmother's death, her husband, my grandfather, died of prostate cancer. His name was Gary Baker and he was the son of George Baker and Elizabeth Beard.

Both of my grandparents were from Lamoille County, Vermont. They purchased a home together in Pinewood Estates in Morrisville, just off the Needle Eye Road.  It was a single story, white ranch. I remember a half wall as you came in the living room door. There was also a basement door in the kitchen, near the kitchen door. I remember my grandfather coming home from work one day in his coveralls (he worked for Bourne's Oil company), walking through the kitchen door and proceeding into the basement. It's funny the things you can remember.

I remember my grandfather gave me a pink bike with a banana seat for my 7th birthday. It was my first 2-wheeler bike, and I had it for several years. I loved that bike, mostly because it was the last gift he ever bought for me. My father sent it to the scrapyard when he sold my childhood home. It broke my heart.

I was very close to my grandparents from what I am told, and I was the apple of their eyes. My grandfather used to carry a siily photo of me in the tub when I was around 2 or 3. My hair was spiked with shampoo, and he would proudly show the photo off saying, "this is my Poopsie." I wish they would have lived longer. I would have loved to have gotten to know them better and be able to write out a long post about them.

Surname Saturday: Beland/Balaw/Bailaw/Baylaw/Bailey of Peacham, Vermont

Disclaimer: As always, my genealogy is a work in progress. There is a lot of information I have yet to locate and possible discrepancies in information already found. While all of my information is sourced in my genealogy software, I am not going to take the time to type all that out here. If you would like a source citation for a particular event, please ask.

If you are related to this family, I want to hear from you!

I briefly mentioned the Beland/Balaw/Bailaw/Baylaw/Bailey family in my previous Surname Saturday post. I will go into a bit more detail about them here.

I will start by saying that this family could not figure out how their surname should be spelled. This is likely due to a few possibilities:

1. They came to Vermont from Quebec (and France prior to that) where their name was spelled Beland. Once the family settled in Vermont, their name was spelled in the way that it was pronounced (Bailaw/Balaw).
2. Illiteracy was high during the 1800s, and it was possible that they didn't know how to write (which seems even more likely considering English was likely not their first language). Record takers likely spelled their name the way it sounded since my ancestors probably couldn't tell them how to spell it.
3. The Bailey spelling came from my great grand uncle, Fred Bailaw, who decided to move out west and go by the surname Bailey in an attempt to break away from the family he left behind in Vermont. I have my theory as to why he left (keep reading to find out).

My 3rd great grandparents, Toussaint Beland (Allsaints Balaw) (1795-1840) and Elisabeth "Isabelle" Marguerite Turcotte (1803-1865) left Quebec around 1854 and came to settle in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont. They had 10 children, all of which were born in Quebec and came with them to Vermont. Their children were (surname spellings for each are how it is spelled on most records/graves):

1. Simeon Balaw (1826-1890), Civil War veteran, married Mary King
2. Margaret Balaw (1828-1910), married Robert Sanderson
3. Alexander Bailaw (1830-1921), Civil War veteran
4. Olive Beland (1832-1915), married Paul Provancha
5. Joseph Bailaw (1835-1865), Civil War veteran, married Clara Whitehall
6. William Bailaw (1837-?), Civil War veteran, married Elsina Huntington
7. Edward Bailaw (1840-1924), Civil War veteran, married Mary King
8. Anna Maria Bailaw (1841-1927), married Leonard Atkins
9. Elizabeth P. Bailaw (1843-?), married Lorenzo K. Hooker
10. Lucy Baylaw (1846-?), married _____ Leslie

Toussaint's 3rd great grandfather (my 8th great grandfather), Jean Baptiste Beland immigrated from France to Quebec before 1677, like due to Huguenot persecution in France. The line from Jean Baptiste to Toussaints is Jean Baptiste, Mathurin Jean Baptiste, Alexis, Antoine, Toussaint.

In 2009 I was afforded the privilege of speaking with Florence (Lafayette) Bridges, the great granddaughter of Simeon Balaw. She was about 91 years old when I met her, and she died a few months afterward. During our meeting, she told me some old family legends, gave me some old photos of some of my ancestors, and provided me with a wealth of information she had from her own genealogy research (most of which I have been able to verify).

Photos given to me from Florence Bridges

Photo 1: Mary M King

Photo 2: Fred Bailey

Photo 3: Fred Bailey with his wife, Merial and son, Hubert

One story Mrs. Bridges told me was of her great grandfather's, Simeon's, death. The story that has been

passed through the generations is that Simeon fell ill during war and was discharged. According to the genealogy file provided to me from Mrs. Bridges, "Upon returning home he [Simeon] knew he was to have just broth but the stew his wife Mary made smelled so good he ate some of the meat and he was taken sick and died." According to my own research, Simeon enlisted in the Civil War on 10 Feb 1862 died a little over a year later on 23 Feb 1863 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont. His cause of death (according to his death certificate) was chronic diarrhea. Did his cause of death have anything to do with Mary's stew? I don't know. Simeon is buried in Peacham Corners Cemetery in Peacham, Vermont.


Following his death, Simeon's wife, Mary, married his brother (my 2nd great grandfather), Edward Bailaw. They had one son together, Fred Bailaw (Bailey) (1867-1927). Mary died in 1881 and is buried in Eaton Cemetery in Marshfield, Washington, Vermont.

Following Mary's death, Edward was living with Elizabeth Aiken. While the two never married, they had a daughter (my great grandmother), Gertrude, together.

All five of the sons of Toussaint Beland (Allsaints Balaw) and Elisabeth "Isabelle" Marguerite Turcotte fought in the Civil War. Four of the five sons made it home (though Simeon just in time to die). Joseph, however, was wounded at the Battle of Fort Stedman in Petersburg, Virginia, on 25 Mar 1865, and died 10 days later on 10 Apr 1865. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery (his gravestone has his name as Joseph Bailey).

Finding My 3rd Great Grandparents

A few days ago I participated in an exercise to determine my genealogy score. My goal is to improve my score during 2014. Tonight I have decided to see if I can fill in the gaps for my 3rd great grandparents.

One of my 2nd great grandfathers was a mystery man, Fred Richardson. That is really all I know about him. According to family legend, my 2nd great grandmother, Rosa Holcomb, had a one night stand with a traveling business man and became pregnant with my great grandfather. Through some sleuthing, I was able to find a birth record in Vergennes, Vermont listing his father as Frederick Richardson, possibly from Rutland, Vermont (his place of birth was written, "Rutland, VT?" My guess is that Rosa wouldn't have known where he was born, but he ma have told her he was from Rutland).

I have found a few Fred Richardsons that lived in or around the are at that time: One was the son of a hotel owner in Rutland. Another was a preacher at a church in Bristol (a town very close in proximity to Vergennes).

I am not sure how/if I will ever find Fred's parents. I hope I will, and I will never stop trying, but for now, I think I will have to accept the fact that this gap may realistically never be filled in.

Surname Saturday - Aiken of Londonderry, Connecticut & Peacham, Vermont

I have very little information on my 4th great grandfather, Samuel Aiken and his wife, Hattie French. What I do know is below
Disclaimer: As always, my genealogy is a work in progress. There is a lot of information I have yet to locate and possible discrepancies in information already found. While all of my information is sourced in my genealogy software, I am not going to take the time to type all that out here. If you would like a source citation for a particular event, please ask.
If you are related to this family, I want to hear from you!
Samuel Aiken was born in Londonderry, Connecticut. He married Hattie French, who was born in Cabot, Washington, Vermont. I don't have any more information about these two. Hopefully someone reading this will be able to help me fill in these gaps.
Samuel & Hattie were the parents of Hiram Aiken (my 3rd great grandfather). He was born in Sept 1824 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont. He married Rose McLaughlin on 23 Mar 1854 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont. He died on 14 jun 1913 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont.

Rose Mclaughlin was born on 2 Apr 1830 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont to Irish immigrant father, Arthur McLaughlin and Vermont-born mother, Martha Preston. She died on 19 Apr 1914 in Peacham, Caledonia Vermont.

Children of Hiram Aiken and Rose Mclaughlin are:

Martha J Aiken b. 3 Apr 1857; d. in childhood on 29 Jun 1863

Hiram Aiken b. 30 May 1862 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Aurilla Aiken (my 2nd great grandmother) b. 27 Jul 1865 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont. She m. Andrew S Corlis on 31 Aug 1887. According to her death certificate, she later divorced him. She was later living with my 2nd great grandfather, Edward Bailaw, but the two never married. She d. 2 Aug 1943 in Waterbury, Washington, Vermont.

Arthur Aiken b. Nov 1869 in Vermont; m. Alice V.Elizabeth "Lizzie" Aurilla Aiken (see above) and Edward Bailaw/Balaw/Baylaw (b. 4 Jan 1840 in Quebec, Canada to Toussaint Beland (Allsaints Balaw/Bailaw) and Elisabeth "Isabelle" Marguerite Turcotte; m. Mary M King bet. 1863-1868 (she d. in 1881); d. 1924.

Edward Balaw/Bailaw/Baylaw and Elizabeth Aurilla (Aiken) Corlis had my great grandmother, Gertrude Baylaw. he was b. 7 Jun 1893 in Peacham, Caledonia, Vermont; m. Edward John Gamble on 29 Jul 1912 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont; d. 3 Mar 1994 in Morrisville, Lamoille, Vermont.

Edward John Gamble was b. 28 Apr 1888 in Cabot, Washington, Vermont to Irish immigrants, James Gamble & Rose McKillop; d. 2 Dec 1955 in Walden, Caledonia, Vermont.

Baker/Beard Family Reunion 2013

It has been several months since about 50 descendants of William & Olive Beard came together. Our family reunion was held on 24 Aug 2013 at the site of the Lamoille County Field Days in Johnson, Vermont. It was a great afternoon filled with stories, hugs, and laughter.
One of the personal highlights of the day for me was meeting some cousins for the first time. This included a couple of cousins I met while researching genealogy. What amazing moments to be able to talk to these wonderful women in person!
Another of my favorite parts of the day is when one of the aforementioned cousins gifted to me a jewelry box that was handmade by my great grandfather about 60-70 years ago. The box is now sitting high on a shelf in my living room and is cherished immensely!
Here are some photos from the reunion. Enjoy!