Ila Schoonover-Green as Rosie the Riveter

From Aunt Ina's files at Jean's house.  The paper is dated 22 Oct 1943

Also from the same time:

Many thanks to cousin Jean for saving Aunt Ina's files and even more thanks to Aunt Ina.  As I sort through the photos I took of the documents I expect to have a lot more to post.

Cherokee Indian Connection Part 2

A 2-2  Cherokee Indian Connection Part 2

Addition 6/14/2014;  In the Clint Eastwood movie, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, Chief Dan George’s character talks about the Cherokee’s. 

This was a remarkably accurate account that speaks to the betrayal of the Cherokee’s by our government.  Implied but unsaid, was the depth their culture had been absorbed into the white man’s world.  In North Carolina, the Cherokee had owned farms and slaves.  They were educated and functioned as successful merchants, doctors and lawyers.  Two Cherokee lawyers argued, successfully before the Supreme Court, that their evection from North Carolina was illegal, only to have a Presidential order over rule the court and force the Trail of Tears in the 1838 to the east Oklahoma territories.

The movie begins in Missouri during the Civil War, travels through Kansas and at the war’s end, moves through the Oklahoma Indian Territories to Texas.  Except for the fictional plot, the settings, details and historical background are very true to the actual conditions.  It is historically accurate that the Cherokee’s would have been in the character’s path.   

John Schoonover was born in 1872 in Missouri, 7 years after the Civil War ended.   His parents relocated the family to Kansas, where he married Estella Minkler and raised his own family (Oscar and Ila) before removing them to California.  As noted earlier, Henry Schoonover settled in and lived most his life in the Indian territories of Oklahoma.

Someday I will find and read the book upon which the screenplay was based.  The Cherokee Chief’s character is in the book but I want to believe that Chief Dan George wrote some of those moving lines, he had been a poet and author before he began acting at age 60.   Remarkable and worth repeat viewings, if just for his part.

Reverend Joseph Green comes to America

 A 5-1                 Rev.  Joseph Green 1806-1842

Joseph Green was born in Kilmersdon, Somerset, England on 1 Mar 1806.  His parents were William Green and Ann Cox-Green who remained in England.  He married Elizabeth Bryant on 16 May 1826. Her parents were Charles Bryant and Betty Parsons-Bryant.  They also remained in England.   Joseph was a plaster and mason before becoming an ardent convert to the Wesleyan movement.  In 1833 he brought his wife and 3 children, Charles, William and Matilda to America.  Almost immediately upon arrival in NY his 4^th child, Emma was born.  Meaning his wife, Elizabeth, endured 6 to 8 weeks at sea while in her 8^th and 9^th months of pregnancy.   Sea voyages at this time were under sail, there was no sanitary plumbing or electricity or refrigeration for food.  Harsh conditions even for the healthy. 

They removed to Shandaken, NY almost immediately after arrival and he began his new life as a circuit minister for the Methodist Church.  His 5th child, Elizabeth was born there while he traveled a circuit among the local communities.  His death in 1836, at age 36, was attributed to pneumonia, brought on by his long hours of riding between these communities in the harsh climate. He had been in America 3 years.

He is buried adjacent to the church he was building in Clovesville, which is in Fleischmanns, NY.  His wife, Elizabeth Bryant-Green, raised his 5 children and was buried by his side after 36 years as a widow.

The Reverend Joseph Green brought his family to New England in 1833 and is the first of our Green surname in the America’s.  He was the 7^th of 8 children.  3 to as many as 5 never reached adulthood.

Mary Ann Green

11 Aug 1793 – 

James Green

24 May 1795 – 8 Feb 1807 age 12

John Green

10 Sep 1797 – between 1861 and 1871 age 64-74

Elizabeth Green

9 Feb 1800 – 14 Jul 1837 age 37

Lucy Green

9 Jan 1803 – 2 Dec 1810 age 7

Sarah Green

8 Mar 1804 – 29 Nov 1810 age 6

Joseph Green

1 Mar 1806 – 7 Jun 1842 age 36

Emanuel Green

10 Dec 1815 – 

 Joseph’s father, William Green, b Nov 1765, d 30 Oct 1837, was one of 11 children. At least 4 died before the age of 4.

Thomas Green

1754 – 

Sarah Green

1758 – 1759 age 1

John Green

1759 – 1762 age 3

Emanuel Green

1761 – 1834 age 73

John Green

1764 – 1765 age 1

William Green

1765 – 1837 age 72

Isaac Green

1768 – 

Honar Green

1771 – 1771 age 0

Jerard Green

1772 – 

Charles Green

1776 – 

Lucy Green

1778 – 

Death was a common occurrence, frequently without understandable explanation.  Superstitions, witches and spells were believable when there was no other explanation.  Faith in God, devotion to a church offered a hope where no other existed. 

Asking for Comments

As of today, our blog (started 4/9/2014) has had 510 'hits' and 1 comment.  20 of those hits came from Germany, 2 others from the UK.  Kind of a mystery on who is looking.  If family we don't know finds us, then we are halfway toward knowing them, but they have to join us to be known.  If you have stumbled upon leads on our family,  please share them, even if we aren't related.  If you wish to remain anonymous, then I will respect your wishes.
This is a search, as well as finding and sharing family stories.
You can be more anonymous by responding to my e-mail address if you wish. just include something in the title to let me know it isn't spam.
Also, if a link doesn't work, or a document has printing problems, I don't know unless someone tells me.  Thanks in advance, Steve.

Metal Of Honor - Cousin Daniel Schoonover

Schoonover Ancestors.

I have spent a lot of time on the Hewitt branch of the family.  In part because they were so local to the Connecticut we settled in and there was such a wealth of information available. We have, for certain, 8 generations of Hewitt surnames, and questionably, 2 more to reach England.  The Van Schoonover surname is 10 generations deep and rock solid before it joins the Green surname.

11 Henndrick Van Schoonhover	b 1600  HOL.  d 1677 NY
10 Class Hendrickse Van Schoonhover	b 1629  HOL. d 1661 NY -1
9 Hendrick Claessen Van Schoonover	b 1652  NY d 1715 NY -4
8 Nicholas Van Schoonover	b 1694  NY d 1764 NJ -16
7 Peter Schoonover	b 1738 NJ d 1812 NY -42
6 Jacobus S Schoonover	b 1785 PA d 1867 IN  -137
5 Peter Schoonover	b 1806 NY d 1867 IN -310.1
4 William Schoonover	b 1839 IN d 1921 KS -680.6
3 John Oscar Schoonover	b 1872 MS, d 1958 CA.
2 Ila Mae Schoonover-Green	b 1902 KA d 1992 NY
1 John Hewitt Green	b 1926 CA

It is a wonder to watch the movement of our Schoonover’s as they traveled and settled across the country.   Even more amazing is the return to upstate NY to an area where the Van Schoonover name had such deep roots.

Although I had established the single line family ancestry above back to Henndrick Van Schoonhover, I have since discovered a web site that traces his descendants.  Visit;  https://sites.google.com/site/schoonoversinamerica/index/schoonover-mastertree1

The numbers to the right of the dates above refer to the numbering used on that web site.  It is admittedly, a confusing site for anyone who hasn’t seen the variety of formats some genealogy sites use.  I will be posting details that clarify our ancestors’ stories in future posts.

Of all the wonderful information on the site, one story in particular touches me deepest.   Of the millions on men and women who have served this country, our highest honor is the “Metal Of Honor”. Since its first award March 25, 1863 until May 13, 2014 only 3,448 have been recognized.  Your cousin Daniel Schoonover was one of these special heroes.

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3184/schoonover-dan-d.php

Daniel Schoonover

Rank: Corporal

Organization: U.S. Army

Company: Company A

Division: 13th Engineer Combat Battalion, 7th Infantry Division

Born: 8 October 1933, Boise, Idaho

Departed: Yes

Entered Service At: Boise, Idaho

G.O. Number: 5

Date of Issue: 01/14/1955

Accredited To:

Place / Date: Near Sokkogae, Korea, 8 to 10 July 1953

 Citation

Cpl. Schoonover, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He was in charge of an engineer demolition squad attached to an infantry company which was committed to dislodge the enemy from a vital hill. Realizing that the heavy fighting and intense enemy fire made it impossible to carry out his mission, he voluntarily employed his unit as a rifle squad and, forging up the steep barren slope, participated in the assault on hostile positions. When an artillery round exploded on the roof of an enemy bunker, he courageously ran forward and leaped into the position, killing 1 hostile infantryman and taking another prisoner. Later in the action, when friendly forces were pinned down by vicious fire from another enemy bunker, he dashed through the hail of fire, hurled grenades in the nearest aperture, then ran to the doorway and emptied his pistol, killing the remainder of the enemy. His brave action neutralized the position and enabled friendly troops to continue their advance to the crest of the hill. When the enemy counterattacked he constantly exposed himself to the heavy bombardment to direct the fire of his men and to call in an effective artillery barrage on hostile forces. Although the company was relieved early the following morning, he voluntarily remained in the area, manned a machine gun for several hours, and subsequently joined another assault on enemy emplacements. When last seen he was operating an automatic rifle with devastating effect until mortally wounded by artillery fire. Cpl. Schoonover's heroic leadership during 2 days of heavy fighting, superb personal bravery, and willing self-sacrifice inspired his comrades and saved many lives, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the honored traditions of the military service.

 

Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House Museum – Once Owned by Hewitt’s

Jonathan Trumbull Jr. House Museum – Once Owned by Hewitt’s

 From: http://www.lebanontownhall.org/trumbullheartbeat.htm

“Each of the families that owned the house-Trumbull, Armstrong, Babcock, Holbrook, Spencer, Crandall, Palmer, Hewitt, and Rockwood-brought the personal tastes and needs of their respective generations to the house and remodeled it accordingly. The colonnade was added and removed, front windows lowered, rooflines changed, stoves installed in fireplaces, stairways relocated, ells enlarged, porches added, and indoor plumbing and electricity installed.”  From the web site above.

Not only did Sprague ancestors live several generations in Lebanon, CT, but several other Green ancestors did as well.  A new ancestor surname, Grant, merges, more than once, with Hewitt, Palmer, Wheeler, Maine, and Sprague, and others in the small town of Lebanon, most of them coming directly from the Stonington area.  The Grant web site is one of the best and largest I’ve seen but it is difficult to navigate.   http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/g/r/a/Charles-Loring-Grant/GENE10-0316.html

The first Hewitt in the Grant tree and in Lebanon was the son to Joseph Hewitt and Mary Chesebrough,  Joseph was the son of Benjamin Hewitt Sr. and Marie Fanning. This Benjamin Sr. was the second son of Captain Thomas Hewitt.  Benjamin Jr., your direct ancestor was Joseph’s brother.

It isn't yet clear which Hewitt owned the house.  It will take a field trip to ask the question. 

And… if you have ever seen a $50 dollar bill, you’ve seen a portrait of your distant cousin Ulysses.

Nine Men's Misery - Sprague

A 10-167        Nine Men's Misery

5 generations back, Clarinda Sprague married Jacob Van Benschoten Hewitt.  Her family traces back to Frances Sprague, 1590-1676, born in London, England and died in Duxbury, MA.  He is 11 generations back from grandchildren of Claude and Ila Green.  Frances’s son, John Sprague was born in 1630 in Duxbury, MA.  He was a GGG Grandfather to Clarinda.  He died in the battle described below.  One of 55 English and 10 friendly Indians killed and buried in a mass grave in Central Falls, RI.

from Wikipedia:

Nine Men's Misery is a site in current day Cumberland, Rhode Island where nine colonists were tortured by the Narragansett Indian tribe during King Philip's War. A stone memorial was constructed in 1676 which is believed to be the oldest veterans memorial in the United States.

History
On March 26, 1676, during King Philip's War, Captain Michael Pierce led approximately sixty Plymouth Colony colonial troops and twenty Wampanoag Christian Indians in pursuit of Narragansett Indians who had burned several Rhode Island towns and attacked Plymouth, Mass., as part of King Philip's War. Pierce's troops caught up with the Narragansett Indians, Wampanoag, Nashaway, Nipmuck, Podunk but were ambushed in what is now Central Falls, Rhode Island. Pierce's troops fought the Narragansetts for several hours, but were surrounded by a larger force of Narragansetts. The battle was one of the biggest defeats of colonial troops during King Philip's War with nearly all killed in the battle, including Captain Pierce and the Christian Indians ("Praying Indians") (exact numbers vary by account somewhat). The Narragansetts lost only a handful of warriors.

Nine of the colonists who were among the dead were first taken prisoner (along with a tenth man who survived). These men were purportedly tortured to death by the Narragansetts at a site in Cumberland, Rhode Island, currently on the Cumberland Monastery and Library property. The nine dead colonists were buried by English soldiers who found the corpses and buried them in 1676. The soldiers created a pile of stones to memorialize the colonists. This pile is believed to be the oldest veterans' memorial in the United States, and a cairn of stones has continuously marked the site since 1676.

The "Nine Men's Misery" site was disturbed in 1790 by medical students led by one Dr. Bowen looking for the body of one of the dead colonists, Benjamin Bucklin, who was said to be unusually large with a double row of teeth. They were stopped by outraged locals. The site was desecrated several more times until 1928 when the monks who then owned the cemetery built a cemented stone cairn above the site. The cairn and site can still be visited on the Monastery grounds.

Pierce's Fight was followed by the burning of Providence three days later, and then the capture and execution of Canonchet, the chief sachem of the Narragansetts. The war was winding down even at the time that Pierce's party was destroyed, and in August, King Philip himself was killed.

Link to the monument info:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8y122JfD0TAOUNXMkcxSTVyUms/edit?usp=sharing
 

 

Norwich Connecticut – The Griswold’s

P 10-433        Norwich Connecticut – The Griswold’s

5/16/2014 Ver. 0
Frances Griswold b. 1635, d. 1671 was born in England and came to the New World circa. 1650.  Here he married (perhaps) Mary Tracy and came to reside in Norwich Connecticut circa. 1655. Here they raised a family of 7, after losing 2 of their children.  Of these 7 children, Samuel Griswold b. 1665 d. 1740 raised a family of 11 children in Norwich.  Of his children, Captain Samuel Griswold b. 1693 d. 1740 raised a family of 8 children in Norwich.  His son Samuel b. 1758 d. 1795 raised a family of 9 in Norwich and in Franklin, CT.  Samuel’s daughter, Anna Griswold b. 1766 d. 1838 married Daniel Sampson and removed to Grand Isle, VT. 

When considering the density of Hewitt’s and Griswold’s in central Connecticut, one would expect a relationship to be local, not so.   Anna and Daniel’s daughter, Lucinda Sampson marries Barnabus Minkler.  She dies in Bureaux, Illinois.  Their son, Manley M Minkler (separately posted story) is a grandfather of Ila Mae Schoonover-Green.

Who would predict that the connection between the Griswold’s and Green’s did not occur in Connecticut?  Perhaps it did through the other cousins who populated the area but I have not traced down those branches.

So, four generations of Griswold’s in Norwich are in your direct lineage.  How many subsequent generations of distant cousins remain in the Norwich area?  It is also very likely that any time you see the Griswold name in Connecticut; it is likely a distant relative.  The town of Griswold, CT, the Florence Griswold Museum, the Griswold Inn, and Fort Griswold may all be connected to the Green surname.   

The following letter also reinforces the important role the dictionary filled.

 

 

x

 

Roots in the Catskills

The Green roots run deep into the history of the Catskills. 
The way people used to write, they way they painted pictures with words has become a lost art. 
I invite you to read Washington Irving's two stories,  Rip Van Winkle, and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, knowing these stories describe your roots in the Catskills.  Enjoy  http://books.google.com/books?id=svuXxq3SfpsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=vip+van+winkle+and+the+legend&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8cBzU6DVN_bJsQTEtoGgBA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=vip%20van%20winkle%20and%20the%20legend&f=false 

Federal and State Census Data

Intro:             The Federal and State Census

 

A large portion of the information herein comes from the State and Federal censuses as accessed through Ancestory.com.   However, the information found in these earlier records is subject to frequent errors. For those who recorded the census data, standardized spellings didn’t exist until the dictionary had made its way into the education system.  That ‘education system’ was also not standard nor required.  Most early spellings were the phonetic interpretations of the census taker listening to an answer to his questions given by someone who might not be able to provide a correct spelling of their name, and might not speak the same language.

‘In England it was not until Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language (1755) that a truly noteworthy, reliable English Dictionary was deemed to have been produced, and the fact that today many people still mistakenly believe Johnson to have written the first English Dictionary is a testimony to this legacy.

In 1806, American Noah Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language; it took twenty-seven years.  Webster completed his dictionary in 1825.  His book contained seventy thousand words, of which twelve thousand had never appeared in a published dictionary before. As a spelling reformer, Webster believed that English spelling rules were unnecessarily complex, so his dictionary introduced American English spellings. He also added American words, like "skunk" and "squash" that did not appear in British dictionaries. At the age of seventy, Webster published his dictionary in 1828; it sold 2500 copies. In 1840, the second edition was published in two volumes.’ Wikiped

What that leaves us with is understanding what people wrote doesn’t have a standard meaning using today’s definitions.

What the census really tells us with accuracy is where a family was at a given time.  Understanding that dates, even years, had less meaning before social security needed to know your age.  Having or reading a calendar might have no meaning at all to most farmers.  Planting was dictated by the moon phase and seasons, last year had no more meaning than the next years. Why bother to remember which year something occurred in?

Manley Minkler 1832-1918 Civil War Veteran

 4-7                  Manley Minkler 1832-1918

4/21/2014 Ver 0

Grandfather of Ila Mae Schoonover-Green

Born; 10 Sep 1832 in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio.
Died; 7 Jan 1918 in the National Military Home at Leavenworth, KS.  
Buried in Garnett, KS cemetery.
Father; Barnabus Minkler.
Mother; Lucinda Sampson
Married; Cordelia Alice Hopkins
Date  26 Feb 1857 in Lemoille, IL
Children: (6) Eugene, Ida Minkler-Folks, William, Harry A., Charles and Estella E.

 

‘Manley M. Minkler, an Anderson County pioneer, was born 10 Sep 1832 at Painesville, Lake County, Ohio.  He died 7 Jan 1918 at the National Military Home at Leavenworth, KS.   He was married 26 Feb 1857 at Lemoille, IL to Cordelia A Hopkins who was born in 1835 at Livingston, County, NY.  She died 9 Mar 1897.  Both are buried at the Garnett, KS cemetery.

At the opening of the Civil War, Mr. Minkler joined many of his new Kansas neighbors in enlisting in company F. 11^th Kansas Regiment where he served from 23 Aug 1862 to 31 Aug 1865.  Mrs. Minkler remained at home with two infant children caring for the home place.

Mr. Minkler believed the Bush City, Kansas area to be an ideal dairy country.  Even prior to the war he was engaged in making cheese at his farm for a quarter of a century and had an extensive market for his products.  In 1874, the Garnett cheese factory was put into operation by Manley M. Minkler and J.C.Wooster.  Mr. Minkler secured a claim from the government for Kansas land in 1855 in East Monroe Township, and in 1870 acquired land in Lincoln township for a public school.  The trees around the school were planted by an early teacher, Ida Minkler, a granddaughter of Manley Minkler.  The school was named Minkler Star.  Six of his great-great grandchildren attended the Minkler Star before it closed in 1962.  The building has been moved to Bush City and is used as a community building.

The Minkler children were Eugene who died in infancy; Ida Minkler Folks born in 1860 died 9 Oct 1887; William born 1 Nov 1861 died 22 Apr 1899 married 6 Feb 1888 Amanda Mulkey; Harry A. born Oct 1867; Charles born 29 May 1871 died 21 Jul 1955 married Lucy Nichols; and Estella E. born 25 May 1876 married Nov 1899 John Schoonover.’ Transcribed.

Civil war; 11^th Kansas Regiment, Company F (Union).

It began as a Volunteer Infantry regiment 29 Aug 1862 and saw the battle of Old Fort Wayne and the Battle of Prairie Grove before being re-mustered in April 1863 as the 11^th Regiment Volunteer Cavalry.  The cavalry saw the Second battle of Lexington, Battle of Little Blue River, Second Battle of Independence, Battle of Byram’s Ford, Battle of Westport, Battle of Mine Creek, and Battle of Bridge Station/Battle of Red Buttes. The regiment was mustered out of service 17 July 1865. The 11^th suffered  61 men, mortally wounded and 112 died of disease.  173 of 1,000, dead, or 17.3% fatality rate, nearly 1 of every 5 volunteers. This was hardly the worst death rate in the Civil War but still horrible.  How many more wounded?  Wikipedia has the details of these battles.  Manley Minkler served for the entire duration. 

At the beginning of the Civil war a Regiment consisted of 10 companies, each with exactly 100 men. With attrition from disease, battle casualties, and transfers, by the mid-war, most regiments averaged 300-400 men. Again, the 11^th seems lucky by comparisons.