Felicitas Grosshans Weinmann, 52 Ancestors, Week 11, Lucky.

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

This week’s writing prompt for 52 Ancestors is Lucky. I immediately thought of the girl’s name Felicitas. Surprisingly, I only have one direct ancestor in my tree with the first name Felicitas. The name Felicitas is the female form of male name Felix, which is from the Latin adjective meaning lucky, good luck, happiness, fruitful, blessed, or fortunate. It is the root word for the English words felicity and felicitate. I do have a few men named Felix in my tree, but they are not my direct relations.

My sixth great-grandmother is Felicitas (Felizitas) Grosshans (Großhans). Her name is found both as Felicitas and Felizitas in German church records. Felizitas is a German variant of the name. In Germany, the name is pronounced as Feh-LEE-tzee-tahs.

Was my ancestor happy, fortunate, or lucky in life? I do not know. All the records attached to her name are all linked to her daughter, my fifth great-grandmother, Anna Margretha Weinmann. What we do know is that she born about 1742 in or near Heuchelheim-Klingen in the Southwest Wine Route area of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. I have been unable to locate her marriage record, but she would have married before 1763 to Michael Weinmann. I have not located any death or burial records for either she or her husband Michael Weinmann. I did not locate any other baptism, marriage, or burial records listing this couple as the parents. Although I cannot be sure, this could mean that they only had one child, and may have both died when she was a child.

DNA has helped me to learn a bit more about her family and origins. I do have DNA links to those with Grosshans ancestors from Landau and Godramstein, which are 6.7 miles (10.8 km) from Heuchelheim-Klingen, 8 miles (12.9 km) from Klingenmünster, and 11 miles (18.2 km) from Kapellen-Drusweiler.

My ancestor Felicitas may have actually been born in Godramstein. DNA strongly points to her being the related to Johann Georg Grosshans and Anna Maria Müller. She may have been their daughter, if this is the case, she actually was unlucky. Her mother died 14 January 1743 at the age of thirty-four, when Felicitas was a very young child. But if we are looking for name connections, she equally could be the daughter of Johann Jacob Grosshans and Anna Felicitas ____. Johann Georg and Johann Jacob Grosshans were relations.

Anna Margretha Weinmann, the daughter of Felicitas Grosshans and Michael Weinmann, was born and baptized on the same day, 19 August 1763 at the parish church of Heuchelheim-Klingen. She married 16 October 1792 to Johann Jacob Propheter, the son of Johannes Adam Propheter and Katharina Elisabetha LeBeau, in the parish church of Kapellen-Drusweiler. She died 26 November 1834 in Klingenmünster, and was buried two days later. The names of her parents are listed in her baptism, marriage, death, and burial records.

All of my great-grandmother Alice Elizabeth Nutick Armstrong’s maternal family were from or nearby to Klingenmünster, Germany. Felicitas Grosshans is one her ancestors. Heuchelheim-Klingen is 1.9 miles (3.2 km) from Klingenmünster and Kapellen-Drusweiler is 4.2 miles (6.7 km) from Klingenmünster.

In Roman mythology the goddess Felicitas was the personification of good luck. Felicitas was a goddess of abundance, wealth and success and presided over good fortune; her feast day was celebrated on October 9. Felicitas could refer to both a general’s luck and good fortune as well as a woman’s fertility. 

Felicitas is a state of blessedness, productivity, or enjoyment inspired by God.

The name was also borne by a 3rd-century saint, a slave martyred with her master Perpetua in Carthage.

There are actually at least two saints of this name. Saint Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), also anglicized as Felicity, is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about her is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus (Catacombe di Santa Felicita), on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose feast is celebrated on 10 July. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates their martyrdom on 25 January. Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is 23 November.

Saints Perpetua and Felicity (Latin: Perpetua et Felicitas) were Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Vibia Perpetua was a recently married, well-educated noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant son she was nursing. Felicity, an enslaved woman imprisoned with her and pregnant at the time, was martyred with her. They were put to death along with others at Carthage in the area of Africa in the Roman province of Africa (now known as Tunisia). The feast day of Perpetua and Felicity and their Companions is 7 March.

Sources:

  1. Felicitas Roman deity – Britannica
  2. Felicitas of Rome – Wikipedia
  3. Felicitas – baby names. babycentre
  4. Felicitas – Behind the Name
  5. Felicitas, the Goddess of Wealth and Success. Weird Italy
  6. “Calendarium Romanum” (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 146
  7. Perpetua and Felicity – Wikipedia

To read more about St. Felicity of Rome and Saints Perpetua and Felicitas of Carthage:

  1. Saints of the day: Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs by Susan Kehoe. WordPress Blog – A Deacons’ Wife.
  2. Perpetua and Felicitas by Mary Walker. WordPress Blog – My Lord Katie.
  3. St Felicitas of Rome – Feast Day – November 23. Catholic Readings.org

To read more about the goddess Felicitas:

  1. The Festival of Felicitas by shirleytwofeathers. Pagan Calendar. Shirleytwofeathers.com

Image credits:

  1. Saints Perpetua and Felicity. It is an Art Print by Lawrence Klimecki.
  2. Goddess related image. I give image, artistic, and graphic credit to original creators whenever possible. The origins of lovely graphic of the blond woman lounging in a tree made of branches is unknown. I have been unable to locate the name or any root information regarding the graphic. It is used on several sites discussing the goddess Felicitas, but where it originated is unknown. If you are the creator or artist of the above graphic, please let me know and I will, with great felicity 😃, give you credit.

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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My Great-grandfather Abraham G. Kennedy, Well Respected and Lauded Schoolteacher and Principal. 52 Ancestors, Week 4: Education

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

The above information is from the book The History of Perry and Fairfield Counties, Ohio; Their past and present by A. A. Graham and Ephraim S. Colborn and published in 1883. Directly below the biographical sketch for Abraham G. Kennedy is a sketch on his brother George W. Kennedy.

As it states, my great-grandfather Abraham G. Kennedy (they incorrectly give his middle initial as “C’) was born 10 January 1848. He was born in Pike Township, Perry County, Ohio. He was the son of John Davis “J.D.” Kennedy and Susan Palmer. His Kennedy family has strong ties to Perry County, Ohio and his ancestors were very early in Ohio and were in Perry County when it was settled and established. After his birth, his family lived briefly in Rush Creek, Fairfield County, Ohio, where his sister Mary Jane Kennedy was born in 1849, and they are found in the 1850 US Census living in Rush Creek, Fairfield County, Ohio. The next sibling James Monroe Kennedy was born in 1852 back in Perry County. Then the family was in Vinton County, Ohio in 1856 where George W. Kennedy was born. By 1858, when Alfred P. “A.P.” Kennedy was born, they had returned in Perry County and are found in the 1860 and 1870 US Censuses living in Monday Creek Township, Perry County, Ohio.

The distance between Pike Township in Perry County and Rush Creek in Fairfield County is about 12 miles. I do not know exactly where they were living briefly in Vinton County or why they were there, but in general it is about 40 miles between Pike Township in Perry County and Vinton County in general. His father worked as a Cooper (maker of barrels) and that is his occupation listed in 1850 and 1860. In 1870 it is listed as Farmer and Cooper.

I do not find the family living in Jackson Township as is listed in the biographical sketch as the place he grew-up, but Jackson Township borders with both Pike and Monday Creek Townships.

He began his occupation of teaching school on 11 January 1868 and in the 1883 biographical sketch it states he had been teaching for fourteen years and was considered one of the best teachers in Perry County.

His brother George W. Kennedy was also a teacher and taught eight terms before he worked as a clerk in a store and then established a business as a dealer in books with a shop on Main Street in New Lexington.

The biographical sketch does not discuss where Abraham was teaching school between 1868 and 1878. In the 1870 US Census we find him living with his wife and children in Monday Creek Township, Perry County, Ohio and his occupation is listed as schoolteacher, and he would have been teaching at the neighborhood school in the area near Monday Creek, before going to the county seat New Lexington to teach in 1879. He is found in the 1880 Census for New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio living with his wife in his parent’s household, and his occupation is listed as Schoolteacher. Then in 1882 moving to the school in New Straitsville to teach.

The above photo is of an abandoned brick schoolhouse found west of New Lexington. Which gives us an excellent idea of the schoolhouses my great-grandfather taught in. The photo was taken 12 years ago by Ken and posted on his Flickr.

To give you an idea of the distance between each of the places he taught school, Monday Creek and New Lexington are 11.8 miles from each other. New Lexington and New Straightsville are 8.8 miles apart.

He was a much lauded schoolteacher for decades and later became a principal of the schools in Perry County. After retiring from the education field, he is found in the 1900 US Census for Athens, Athens County, Ohio living with his wife and children and his occupation is listed as a music dealer. We know the family migrated to Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio when his wife, Mary Elizabeth Price Kennedy, became ill. She died there on 12 May 1909 of Carcinoma of the liver.

After her death, Abraham migrated with three of his adult children to Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, where he is found there in the 1910 US Census. He is listed as working as a Piano Salesman. I do find him in the 1920 US Census in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. But they only listed his name and then put a line through it with no explanation as to why.

The photo to the left is of Abraham G. Kennedy and his mother Susan Palmer Kennedy, and is part of a 5 generations photo. The photo was taken in 1922. His mother lived to the ripe old age of 106 1/2 years!

He is found in the 1930 US Census in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, living with his married daughter Tessie (Kennedy) Menninger, with her husband and son. He is listed as aged 82 years and retired.

He dies aged 91 years on 24 July 1939 at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. His cause of death was a Cerebral Compression/skull fracture due to a fall.

He taught school for decades, and then was a principal, for a total of 30+ years. Then after retiring, he worked as a music dealer and piano salesman.

I have great respect for education and am a perpetual student. I also can play the piano and am musically inclined. I would like to think that I got some of this passed down from my great-grandfather Abraham G. Kennedy.

To learn more about my Kennedy ancestors in Northern Ireland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, with links to New Jersey, please visit my blog post My Kennedy, Graham, and Murray Ancestors from Ballintoy, Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The above 19th century pencil case is from the 19th Century School Supplies post of Joanna Church’s WordPress blog.

All research for this blog post was done by me and any references used are cited and included within the body of the post.

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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My German Doman Ancestors in Ohio, and Related Davison/Davidson Lines.

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

Pictured above is my great-grandmother Anna Cora Prindle Cole. She was the daughter of Daniel Prindle and Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman. Daniel Prindle was the son of David M. Prindle, Sr. and Hannah Elizabeth Kritsinger/Greatsinger. I have written prior about my German Greatsinger ancestors here and my related Dutch lines here and my Norwegian ancestor that intermarried with the Dutch here.

Researching my Doman ancestors has been a bit of a headache for some decades now. Firstly, my great-grandmother pictured above was born a year before her parents married, but DNA has confirmed that she was a full sibling to all the children born after the marriage of her parents, and it also confirmed that we are descendants of both the Prindle and Doman families. In the 1870 Census for Scioto, Pickaway, Ohio, it shows Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman Prindle living in the household of her Prindle in-laws. She and Daniel had married on 7 November 1869 in Pickaway County, Ohio. Just to confuse things further the census-taker recorded her directly below Daniel’s brother John Prindle and incorrectly listed John Prindle and Jane Prindle (Sarah Jane) as married! My great-grandmother Anna Prindle is found on the bottom line directly below her cousin Flora Hudson. The two grandchildren, Flora and Anna listed together.

The section of the 1870 US Federal Census for Scioto, Pickaway, Ohio, that I am discussing is shown above.

Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman was the daughter of Jacob (John Jacob) Doman and Mary Ann. For many years I was confused between two women that married Jacob Doman and were both named Mary Ann! But after several months of working on this line, and finding a few new records, and countless hours examining my DNA matches and the DNA matches of my sister Linda and niece Elisabeth, I believe that I finally worked it out!

Jacob Doman married first to Mary Ann Chamberlain on 27 December 1838 in Pickaway County, Ohio. He is found in the 1840 Census for Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio. The 1840 Census shows 1 Male – aged 20 thru 29 – Jacob Doman. 1 Females – aged 20 thru 29 – Mary Ann. There are no children or others found living with them.

Mary Ann Chamberlain was the daughter of Richard Chamberlain and Elizabeth Abbott. Mary Ann Chamberlain was born about 1819 in Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio. Her sister Nancy Chamberlain married Jacob’s brother John Thomas Doman on 1 January 1843 in Pickaway County, Ohio. Now, we all had a few DNA matches that could link us remotely to this Chamberlain family, but now that Ancestry separates your DNA matches between maternal and paternal, it became apparent that the few connections we had were not on sides that we all shared. My sister and my niece (my brother’s daughter) only share my maternal side with me, and those Chamberlain matches, the few we had, had connections to the opposite sides of our trees.

Jacob Doman married second to Mary Ann Davison/Davidson on 4 December 1845 in Hocking County, Ohio. Pickaway County is bordered on the southeast with Hocking County.

Now, I knew from later census records that the Mary Ann I am descended from was born about 1827 in Connecticut. She would have been about ten to eleven years old at the time when Jacob Doman married the first Mary Ann (Chamberlain).

Mary Ann Davison/Davidson Doman lists her age in the US Federal Censuses twice as being born in 1827, twice as being born in 1828, and in the two Kansas State Censuses her year of birth is listed as 1826 and 1832, but obviously she was not old enough to marry in 1838.

I finally found Jacob Doman and second wife Mary Ann (Davison/Davidson) and Jacob’s children, from both his marriages, in the 1850 Census, just today! Sadly, it is a very faded census page, but you can make it out. But it tells us many things, one that Jacob and his first wife Mary Ann Chamberlain had at least two children that were living in 1850. Mary Ann Chamberlain died around the date of the birth of her last child Mary, who was born 18 November 1845. She must have died in childbirth or of complications shortly afterwards, for Jacob Doman marries his second wife Mary Ann Davison/Davidson sixteen days later.

I am including the section of the 1850 Census I am discussing below. As you can see, it’s very faint and faded.

The above image is from the 1850 US Federal Census for Wayne Township, Pickaway County, Ohio.

Although difficult to make out, between the original transcribers and my reading of it, it includes the following:

The original transcribers saw the surname as Domand, the census-taker may have made a mistake when recording the name, or the tail of the letter “n” may have been what they were seeing.

Line number: 9 Dwelling number – 113

  1. Jacob Doman. aged 35. born 1815. male. working as a Farmer. Value of Real Estate $900. born in Virginia.
  2. Mary Ann. aged 23. born 1827. female. no occupation listed. born in Connecticut.
  3. Mary C. aged 7. born 1843. female. no occupation. born in Ohio.
  4. John H. aged 9. born 1841. male. no occupation. born in Ohio.
  5. Sarah J. aged 2. born 1848. female. no occupation. born in Ohio.
  6. Mary L. aged 9 months. born 1849. no occupation. born in Ohio.

Now the children Mary C. and John H. Doman have often been incorrectly included in the family of John Thomas Doman and Nancy Chamberlain.

Mary C. is Mary Catherine Doman born 18 November 1845 in Pickaway County, Ohio, and died 24 March 1932 in Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois. She married 21 March 1878 in McLean County, Illinois to Benjamin Prothere.

John H. Doman was born 1841 in Pickaway County, Ohio. He is found in the 1860 Census living in Blue Mound, McLean County, Illinois. I have been unable to locate him in any other records after 1860.

Jacob Doman dies 1851/1852 in either Pickaway or Vinton County, Ohio. After his death, his two children from his first marriage to Mary Ann Chamberlain, go to live with their Doman and Chamberlain uncle and aunt – John Thomas Doman and Nancy Chamberlain, which is why the two children are sometimes incorrectly listed as their children. John Thomas Doman and Nancy Chamberlain were still in Pickaway County, Ohio in 1851, but by June 1853 they were living in McLean County, Illinois.

It’s understandable, his widow Mary Ann Davison/Davidson Doman was either still pregnant or had just given birth to their last child when he died. She was left a widow in her mid-twenties with three young children of her own and two stepchildren. It makes since that Mary Catherine and John H. Doman went to live with their Doman/Chamberlain kin.

Children born to Jacob Doman and second wife Mary Ann Davison/Davidson:

  1. Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman born 8 July 1848 in Wayne Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, and died 2 March 1909 in Askew, Steuben County, Indiana. She married Daniel Prindle on 7 November 1869 in Pickaway County, Ohio. They had eight children before they divorced in 1886. She married second to Albert Goumond on 3 April 1888 as his second wife. Side note: Her daughter Ona Belle Prindle, at the age of fifteen, married his son Prosper Jacob (P.J.) Goumond on 11 October 1892 in De Kalb County, Indiana. Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman and Daniel Prindle are my 2nd great-grandparents.
  2. Mary L. Doman born 2 December 1849 in Wayne Township, Pickaway County, Ohio, and died 14 November 1922 in North Manchester, Wabash County, Indiana. At the age of fourteen, she married Amos Stoneburner on 15 Sep 1864 in Vinton County, Ohio. She had no children.
  3. Lucy A. Doman born 22 March 1852 in Vinton County, Ohio, and died 16 February 1928 in Oklahoma. She married 13 November 1873 in Pickaway County, Ohio, to David Grabill/Graybill/Grable. My sister, my niece, and I all have DNA matches to the descendants of Lucy A. Doman Grable.

Marriage Certificate between Mary L. Doman and Amos Stoneburner.

After the death of her husband Jacob Doman, his wife Mary Ann (Davison/Davidson) marries second to Asa Ray on 4 January 1853 in Swan, Vinton County, Ohio.

Children born to Mary Ann Davison/Davidson Doman and second husband Asa Ray:

  1. Martin Luther Ray born 10 October 1853 in Vinton County, Ohio, and died April 1905 (most likely in Oklahoma where he was living in 1900). He married Mary Emaline Beard on 29 January 1892 in Kansas. He would be my half 2nd great granduncle. I do not have any DNA matches to the descendants of this couple, but my sister does have a few matches to our Ray half-cousins. We would be half 3rd cousins, 1x removed / half-4th cousins to their descendants. So, a lot less DNA available for us to share.
  2. Orlando Freeman Ray born about 1858 in Swan, Vinton County, Ohio, and died before 1940 in Oklahoma. I do not find any marriage records for him or any descendants.

We know that the two stepchildren of Mary Anna Davison/Davidson Doman, Mary Catherine Doman and John H. Doman, went to live with their Doman/Chamberlain kin after their father’s death. It was a bit of work to figure out what happened with her children from her marriage to Jacob Doman, after her marriage to Asa Ray.

In 1860, I did find my 2nd great-grandmother Sarah Jane “Jennie’ Doman living next door to her mother in Swan, Vinton County, Ohio. She is living with Lucy Bingham, who it turns out is her maternal grandmother! She is listed incorrectly as Sarah Bingham.

I will come back to Lucy Bingham being Sarah’s grandmother.

I have been unable to locate Mary L. Doman in the 1860 Census. But she does marry quite young at the age of fourteen in 1864 in Vinton County, Ohio, to Amos Stoneburner. She was most likely living with extended family in 1860 and I just have not located her in that census yet.

I find Lucy A. Doman living with her mom Mary A. and stepfather Asa Ray, and her two younger half-brothers, in the 1860 Census for Swan, Vinton County, Ohio. She is incorrectly listed as Lucy A. Ray and incorrectly listed as aged 3 years old, when she was actually aged about 8 years old at the time. In 1870, I find Lucy living in Jackson, Jackson County, Ohio, with her widowed paternal aunt Susan Doman Perry. Lucy is listed as Lucy Dowman, aged 18 years old.

OK, back to Lucy Bingham.

Mary Ann Davison/Davidson was born 1827 in Connecticut. and was the daughter of unknown Davison/Davidson who was born in Connecticut and Lucy ____ who also was born in Connecticut.

Her mother Lucy ____ Davison marries second on 22 August 1843 in Hocking County, Ohio to Ralph Bingham, as his fourth wife! He was over twenty years older than her, and he was left a widower in his first two marriages and his third marriage ended in divorce.

Lucy ____ Davison and Ralph Bingham had one child:

  1. Patty Patta Prena Bingham born November 1846 in Ohio and died 1910 in Ohio. She married 1 January 1883 in Vinton County, Ohio, to William Tatman. They had two children: Lucy Nevada Tatman, who died as a teenager, and George Ralph Tatman who married Lelah Etta White, they only had one child, a son, who did marry and have two daughters, so there are only a few Tatman kin out there.

She is listed as Patty in most records and only once as Patta. Her father lists her name as Betty Prena Bingham in his will.

As of now, I am still working on trying to discover more about my Connecticut Davison/Davidson ancestors and also trying to discover the maiden name of Lucy ____ Davison Bingham.

I will write up a different blog post about my Doman ancestors going back to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Germany. Jacob (John Jacob) Doman was the son of John Doman and Catherine M. _____. I will add here a little new information, I believe that Jacob Doman’s mother Catherine M. _____ ‘s maiden name was Grandstaff and goes back to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Germany. Grandstaff/Grindstaff are Americanized forms of the German surname Kranzdorf or of its extinct altered form Crantzdorf. There are DNA links to Grandstaff and related surname Wetzel. Johann Adam Grandstaff and wife Catherina Sophia/Maria Catharina Wetzel did have a daughter named Catherine that fits as my ancestor.

Besides DNA, there is a census link as well. If Catherine’s maiden name is Grandstaff, then her brother Lewis Grandstaff is found in the 1850 Census for Swan, Vinton County, Ohio, living in the household of Ralph Bingham and wife Lucy ____ Davison/Davidson and daughter Patty Bingham. Lewis would have been the uncle-in-law to Lucy’s daughter Mary Ann Davison/Davidson Doman Ray, as well as kin to her Doman grandchildren.

All research for this blog entry was done by me personally. The only reference is for the meaning of the name Grandstaff from Grandstaff family history found at Ancestry.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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The Ancestry of my 4th great-grandfather Peleg Rogers. Too many men named Peleg and Shadrach Rogers/Rodgers!

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

Peleg is Biblical name, evidentially quite a popular name in the 1700’s and 1800’s in the United States! It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two sons of Eber, an ancestor of the Ishmaelites and the Israelites, according to the “Table of Nations” in Genesis 10–11 and 1 Chronicles 1. (1)

Above image: Uncompromising Faith: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

The Biblical name Shadrach was also a quite popular name at this time and his story in the Bible is more well-known. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hebrew names Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) are figures from the biblical Book of Daniel, primarily chapter 3. In the narrative, the three Hebrew men are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon for refusing to bow to the king’s image. The three are preserved from harm and the king sees four men walking in the flames, “the fourth … like a son of God“. (2)

My 4th great-grandfather Peleg Rogers was born about 1782 in North Carolina. He died 29 January 1864 in Grandview, Edgar County, Illinois. He married Mary Ellen Stafford on 26 June 1806 in Highland City, Highland County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Arthur (Charles Arthur) Stafford who was born in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, England. Her mother was Nancy Hastings. Little is known about Nancy Hastings; she may have been born in Maryland. Peleg Rogers migrated to Ohio and eventually to Ilinois, where he died.

There were numerous men (including some also name Peleg) that had sons name Peleg Rogers/Rodgers and lived in Virigina, and North and South Carolina. People have linked my Peleg Rogers with many of these various families, but wills and other records, as well as DNA has not shown a link to those families.

But DNA has shown a strong link between the descendants of my Peleg Rogers and a Rogers family. DNA has shown that he was most likely the son of Shadrach Rogers/Rodgers and Susanna Warriner. DNA has also shown a connection to Shadrach’s parents and grandparents. Shadrach Rogers was the son of Isham Rogers and Prudence _____. Some give a maiden name for Prudence, but her maiden name is unproven.

I am a DNA match to descendants of Shadrach Rogers and Susannah Warriner, and I also am a match to descendants of Isham Rogers and Prudence ____.

I need to point out here that there were far too many men living at this time named Shadrach Rogers/Rodgers! A few were also known as Shadrach Meshach Abednego Rogers/Rodgers. Some lived in Virginia, many came to North and South Carolina, and some migrated to Tennessee and Mississippi. Some people (and even Ancestry in it’s Thru-lines recommendations) try to link my Peleg Rogers with a Shadrach Rogers that married Hopey Bethea and lived in North and South Carolina and eventually migrated to Covington County, Mississippi. There is possibly a remote DNA connection between the ancestry of this Shadrach Rogers and my Shadrach Rogers, but there are no strong direct DNA links to the Shadrach Rogers who married Hopey Bethea and migrated to Mississippi. My Peleg Rogers has no links to Mississippi. Whereas there is a strong DNA connection to the Shadrach Rogers who married Susanna Warriner, and to his parents and grandparents.

Isham Rogers was the son of Joseph Rogers and Mary Fargeson (Ferguson). Joseph Rogers was the son of William Rogers and Elizabeth Cartwright. I have DNA matches to descendants of William Rogers and Elizabeth Cartwright.

Elizabeth Cartwright was the daughter of Robert Cartwright and Elizabeth Orchard who were both born in Worcestershire, England and settled in Colonial Virginia.

Famous descendants of Robert Cartwright and Elizabeth Orchard:

American genetic genealogist CeCe Moore. Singers Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, and Dionne Warwick. Actor sisters Kay Panabaker and Danielle Panabaker. American former professional football player and coach Steve “Mongo” McMichael. Singer Tanya Tucker. Politician Beto O’Rourke. Actress Evan Rachel Wood.

Mary Fargeson (Ferguson) was the daughter of John Ferguson/Fargeson and Ann Stubbleson. Because the name Ferguson was misspelled in records as Fargeson (and other spellings) and many used this unusual spelling of Fargeson, it was easy to see the DNA link to others that share John Ferguson and Ann Stubbleson as ancestors.

John Fargeson (Ferguson) was born in Scotland and settled in Colonial Virginia. His wife was the daughter of Stubble Stubbleson, who was a Dutch man living in Colonial Virigina. When Stubble Stubbleson died, the land he owned was forfeited to the crown, because he was considered an alien (a non-citizen).

Deed of John & Ann Farguson:

1683 in (Old) Rappahannock County, Virginia

“John Fargisson married Ann only surviving daughter of Stubble Stubbleson, dec.”

Stubble was likely a Dutch man who settled in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, probably in the 1660’s, as he is first mentioned in 1665. He apparently was married, although nothing is known of his wife, and was the father of one surviving daughter, Ann, when he died by February 1668/69. (4)

There were two transactions between Stubble and Thomas Rawson on 29 October 1665.

In the first sale, Rawson sold 513 acres of land to Stubble for 1,000 pounds of tobacco in the parish of Sittenbourne.

In the second sale, Stubble sold a cow and heifer to Rawson, although the amount of money agreed upon is not mentioned in the deed.

“Stable Stubleson” settled a dispute with Thomas Rawson over property in December 1667 and in June 1668, Thomas Rawson again recorded a land sale to Stuble for 1,000 pounds of tobacco. (3 & 4)

The parcel of land is described as “land formerly belonging to Stubble Stubbleston alien deceased” and granted to Theophilus Wheele by the governor. Theophilus appointed an attorney to represent him and wife Elizabeth to support his claim to the land.

In 1669, an inquisition was held and determined that Stubble was an alien (non-citizen), that when he died, he owned about 100 acres of land in Old Rappahannock County and that, upon his death, his land was escheated (returned) to the state. (4)

 . . . I, the said John Fargisson as marrying Ann, the only surviving daughter and heir of Stubble Stubbleson, deceased, do hereby . . . make over unto . . . William Jewill . . . with . . . the voluntary consent of the said Ann, my now wife . . . a certain piece of land . . . formerly sold by one Thomas Rawson unto the said Stubble Stubbleson . . . (5)

Stubble Stubbleson’s only transactions in Old Rappahannock County involved Thomas Rawson, it is possible that Stubble may have married a daughter of Thomas Rawson.  However, whomever Ann Stubbleson Farguson’s mother was, has been lost to time. (4)

This is the only mark that Stubble made on history, besides leaving one surviving daughter. It is possible that he was a young married man and his wife died giving birth to their daughter Ann. But this is just supposition, the answers have been lost to time. (4)

Shadrach Rogers married Susanna Warriner on 3 December 1781 in Henrico County, Virginia. He served in the American Revolutionary War in Virginia. Military service recorded on 30 October 1783. Halifax County, North Carolina is on the border with Virginia, it is 8 miles from the border.

Children of Shadrach Rogers and Susanna Warriner:

  1. Peleg Rogers born 1782 in North Carolina, and died 29 January 1864 in Grandview, Edgar, Illinois. He married Mary Ellen Stafford on 26 June 1806 in Highland City, Highland, Ohio. (My direct ancestors).
  2. Nancy Rogers 1784 in Halifax, North Carolina or Virginia, and died 1865 in Halifax, Halifax, North Carolina. She married about 1804 in Halifax County, North Carolina to Telmelah Cherub Adden Smith.
  3. Samuel Rogers born about 1790 in North Carolina and died about 1849. He migrated to Tennessee. He married unknown and did have issue including a daughter named Arilia D. Rogers who married Samson Vanderpool. (I am a DNA match to descendants of Arilia D. Rogers Vanderpool).
  4. Willoughby Rogers born about 1791 in North Carolina and died before 1870 in Cache, Crowley, Greene County, Arkansas. He married/1 to Sarah Yancey and had issue, he married/2 to Sally Ingram. (I am a DNA match to descendants of Willoughby Rogers and Sarah Yancey).
  5. Lott Rogers born about 1795 in North Carolina, and died 1844 in Calloway County, Tennessee. He married Sarah Cagle. He fought in the War of 1812. (I am a DNA match to descendants of Lott Rogers and Sarah Cagle).
  6. Rebecca “Becky” Rogers was born about 1812/1813 and died either in Tennessee or Kentucky.

References:

  1. Peleg in the Bible. Wikipedia.org
  2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Wikipedia.org
  3. Land Deeds Between Stuble Stubbleson & Thomas Rawson, Old Rappahannock County, VA Deed Book 3: pg. 457-461. Source: FamilySearch
  4. John Ferguson (Farguson) – Empty Branches on the Family Tree. Blog – October 20, 2020.
  5. Land Deed, 2 May 1674. Old Rappahannock County, Virginia Deed Book 5:299. Source: FamilySearch

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Surname Saturday – My Boone Ancestors and Relations

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

I decided to take the month of October off from my 52 Ancestors writings, the prompts for this month just didn’t appeal to me, but the November prompts are awesome! And in my opinion were more fitting for the month of October. So, I’ll be back with those writings come November. Until then I decided to utilize a past writing prompt called Surname Saturday.

This Saturday I chose to write about the surname Boone in my family tree.

My Boone ancestor is my 7th great-grandmother Jane Boone. She was born by 1660. It is thought she was born in Colonial Maryland in Anne Arundel County; the county was formed in 1650.

Her parentage is unconfirmed, but it is known that she and Capt. Humphrey Boone were siblings.

Humphrey Boone was born about 1658 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and died 20 November 1709 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He married Rebecca Burle. There is much more written about her brother Humphrey and his descendants.

The first grant of Provincial Maryland land to Captain Humphrey Boone was known as “Boone’s Adventure” and surveyed on 10 May 1672. This original tract of 160 acres was along the north bank of Rock Creek in the South Patapsco Hundred (later to become Baltimore County). Sometime between 1700 and 1709, this land was passed to another owner. The land known as “Burle’s Town Land” came into the Boone Family via his wife Rebecca Burle’s inheritance and was held by them for several generations.

He is listed as a Captain due to his military service. In 1692 he was commissioned in the Company of Foot, a part of the Anne Arundel County Militia.

Jane and Humphrey are thought to be the children of a Robert Boone, who died in Baltimore, Maryland, and possibly Ann ___.

Jane Boone married by 1678 in Colonial Maryland to John Armstrong. They either married in Anne Arundel or Baltimore County, Maryland. John Armstrong was born 1 January 1650 in Colonial Maryland, although there is a chance he was born in England or Scotland or shortly after his father arrived in Colonial America. He was the son of John Armstrong, who came to America in 1653, and was from what is called the Borderlands, the borderlands of England and Scotland. They were what is called Borderers, which is to say, inhabitants of the Anglo-Scottish borderlands, and so, hailing from Northern English counties such as Cumberland, Westmoreland, Northumberland, Yorkshire and Lancashire, and counties of the Scottish Lowlands, such as Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire, Berwickshire and Wigtownshire. They were early settlers in Colonial Maryland. They are found in the church records of All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland. John Armstrong died 9 July 1699 in Baltimore County, Maryland.

The land of John Armstrong was found in the North Side Gunpowder Hundred (which later became part of Baltimore County). This site explains quite well the description, details, and history of the Baltimore County Hundreds & Boundaries.

Location of Lowlands vs. Highlands of Scotland. Image from HOMEORIGINS.

We don’t know when exactly Jane died, but she was alive when her husband died in 1699. After his death, she married second to Abraham Taylor.

Boone Surname Meaning:

Boon in England has two likely origins: either it is a Norman import from the French word bon meaning “a good person” or from the placename Bohon in Normandy (Humphrey de Bohun had fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings) or, if the name occurs in the north of England, it is a variant of bain and describes a tall lean person. The northern dialects preserved the long “a” sound, while in the south the “o” pronunciation was usual. (1 & 2)

Boon or Boone? The English have preferred Boon, the Americans Boone.

Boone in America could also have Dutch origins. Here the Dutch root was bone meaning “bean” and Boone would be a bean grower. (1)

Boon and Boone Surname Ancestry in England and America:

One early spelling was Bone or Bohun, such as the Roger Bone who was recorded in the Kent hundred rolls of 1273. Another was Bohun, found in the west country. A Bohun or Boone family was recorded in Taunton in Somerset during the 1400’s. (1)

Some of these Boones made it to America:

  1. A Boone family in Taunton gave rise to the 17th century London merchants John and Christopher Boone and the Boones of Calvert County, Maryland.
  2. The line from George Boone, born near Exeter in Devon around 1636, led to the frontiersman Daniel Boone. (See more about Daniel Boone’s line below).
  3. A third family from Dartmouth produced John and Thomas Boone, early immigrants to South Carolina, and the London merchant Charles Boone. Charles’s son Thomas Boone was a colonial governor in America in the 1760’s. Thomas Boon came to Virginia around 1663. His descendant General Daniel Boon, born in North Carolina in 1786, was one of the founders of Wake Forest College and a wealthy landowner with plantations in North Carolina and Mississippi. John Boone was onboard one of the ships that came to found the Charleston settlement in South Carolina in 1670. He too prospered. His family story was narrated in Mary Long’s 1990 book Fair Were Their Dreams. (1)

The principal British spelling has been Boon. The main Boon numbers in the 19th century were to be found in London and in the west country, in the southwest around Devon and in the northwest in Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire. (1)

One of the more well-known of the Boone family in America is that of the frontiersman Daniel Boone. He was born in 1734 into a Quaker family in Reading, Pennsylvania. His father Squire Boone had been a weaver from Devon who had come to America in 1713, seeking religious tolerance in Penn’s Pennsylvania. Daniel Boone’s later frontier exploits – as recounted in William Bogart’s 1858 book Daniel Boone and the Hunters of Kentucky. – made him one of America’s first folk heroes. Daniel’s grandson Alphonso migrated west to Oregon in 1847 and many Boone descendants are to be found there. (1)

I have not found a link between my Boone family and that of the ones discussed above, although it can be assumed their roots are to be found in England. The only DNA link I have found is to descendants of Jane’s brother Humphrey Boone.

Children of Jane Boone and John Armstrong:

Gen. George Amstrong Custer. A descendant of John Armstrong and Jane Boone.
  1. John Armstrong born 4 August 1679 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and died 1735 in Baltimore, Maryland. He married 26 August 1714 in Baltimore, Maryland to Rebecca Hicks. She was the daughter of William Hicks. They are my direct ancestors.
  2. George Armstrong born 2 November 1681 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
  3. Mary Armstrong born 5 December 1682 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
  4. Robert Armstrong born 5 April 1688 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
  5. Solomon Armstrong born 25 June 1689 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, he died before24 November 1749 in Baltimore County (now Hartford County), Maryland. He married Mary ____. Gen. George Armstrong Custer is a descendant of this couple.
  6. Thomas Armstrong born 30 January 1692 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He married before by 1720 to Frances ____. They have descendants.
  7. Henry Armstrong born 21 January 1695 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

General George Armstrong Custer was given the middle name of Armstrong after his maternal great-grandmother Sarah Armstrong Rogers, who was a great-granddaughter of John Armstrong and Jane Boone.

References:

  1. Boone Surname Meaning, History & Origin – select surnames website.
  2. Boone Name Meaning – Ancestry.com

Additional Reading:

  1. Boone Bulletin: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Volume 1, Issue 7
  2. Baltimore County Hundreds & Boundaries

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Jezebel of The Bible, A Jezebel, and the Jezebel Spirit

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

Jezebel: Phoenician Princess of Ancient Sidon, Pagan Priestess, and Queen of Israel.

Jezebel – In the Old Testament

According to biblical texts, Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married Ahab, a foreign king, who presided over the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BCE. She helped him rule and she established pagan worship at Ahab’s court on a grand scale. He is depicted as a terrible ruler who is disloyal to the Israelite god by promoting the god Baal and the goddess Asherah. Jezebel is portrayed as an evil foreign woman who leads Ahab astray by encouraging his worship of other gods. At her table were no less than 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Baal’s consort Asherah (I Kings 16:31,21; 18:19). By her orders, the prophets of Yahweh were attacked and put to the sword (I Kings 18:13; II Kings 9:7). (1 & 2)

1 Kings 16:31 (BBE) “And as if copying the evil ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was a small thing for him, he [Ahab] took as his wife Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of Zidon, and became a servant and worshipper of Baal.”

Ahab’s wife Jezebel came from the Phoenician city of Tyre where her father had been a high priest and eventually king. Jezebel worshipped the god Baah and his consort Asherah. In order to please her, Abah built a temple and an alter for Baal (1 Kings 16:32), thus promoting idolatry and leading the entire nation into sin. (3) Tyrian purple — a dye produced from the glands of mollusks found along the rocky shores of Lebanon — would forever become associated with royalty; it also featured prominently in the Israelite High Priest’s vestments. Meanwhile, Jezebel’s grandniece, Princess Elishat (Elissa for Greeks; Dido for Romans) of Tyre, would go on to found Carthage, the torment of classical Rome, in today’s Tunisia. (4)

Ahab then became upset when he learned that the owner of a vineyard abutting his palace, a man named Naboth, was not willing to sell the property. Queen Jezebel arranged for Naboth to be arrested on a trumped-up blasphemy charge, and the vineyard owner was stoned to death (I Kings 21:7). His property thus fell to the crown. (1)

Artist: Thomas Matthews Rooke (1842–1942). Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel; Southwark Art Collection.

Shocked by this blatant crime, Yahweh’s prophet Elijah pronounced a curse on Ahab and his house. His prophecy was fulfilled: Ahab would be killed during another campaign against his old Syrian foe, while his son Ahaziah would die after a fall from his window. Ahab’s second son Jehoram was then ousted from the throne in a bloody coup by a commander named Jehu, reportedly with Elijah’s assistance, while Queen Jezebel was thrown out a window to her death and her blood spattered on the wall and horses. Jehu trampled her body under the horses’ hooves. (II Kings 9:6-10; 30-37) (1, 3 & 4)

The much-maligned queen gets her comeuppance in an illustration by the 15th century Dutch painter Evert Zoudenbalch.

After Jehu finished eating dinner that night, he sent some people outside to bury Jezebel, “Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” However, when the servants got out there to bury Jezebel all they found was her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands, the rest had been eaten by dogs. This fulfilled Elijah’s curse that “dogs shall eat Jezebel. . .so that [her] carcass shall be as dung upon the face of the field in Jezreel.” (II Kings 9:33-34; 10:9). (1, 3 & 4)

Archaeological Notes:

Jezebel’s make-up stone boxes. “When Jezabel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window” (11 Kings 9:30 NLT). An Expedition sponsored by Harvard University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The British School of Archaeology, and Palestine Exploration Fund (1908-1910, 1931-), found, in Samaria, in the ruins of Ahab’s “ivory palace” (1 Kings 22:39), saucers, small stone boxes, in which Jezebel mixed her cosmetics. They had a number of small holes to contain the various colors: kohl for black; turquoise for green; ochre for red; and a central depression for mixing. There are still traces of red. (3 & 5)

Megiddo. In Megiddo, in the Archaeological stratum of Ahab and Jezebel’s time period, jars were found containing remains of children that had been sacrificed to Baal, illustrating the horrible nature of Baal worship.

Megiddo was the famous battlefield, Armageddon, which gives its name to the “Great Final Battle of the Ages” (Rev. 16:16). It was situated on the south side of the Plain of Esdraelon, 10 miles southwest of Nazareth, at the entrance to a pass across the Carmel Mountain range, on the main highway between Asia and Africa. It was a key position between the Euphrates and the Nile rivers, and a meeting place of armies from the East and the West. (5)

Jezebel – In the New Testament

Image © Phil McKay. Goodsalt.com

In the Book of Revelation, it rails against “that woman Jezebel… [who] seduces my servants to commit fornication” (Rev. 2:20), further paving the way for her name to become synonymous with lewd promiscuity — her name Jezebel, ironically, meant “woman of god” (as in the god Baal) in her native Phoenician language. (3 & 4)

The name Jezebel is used for a woman once again in Revelation 2:18-29. Here, Jezebel is described as a prophetess, a false teacher, an immoral woman and idol worshipper. She attended a church at Thyatira. She encouraged those who attended the church to engage in sexual sin and to worship other gods. (6)

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Rev. 2:20-21 (NASB)

She was like the Jezebel in the Old Testament. They share many of the same characteristics. God warned this Jezebel that He would punish her if she did not stop teaching evil and repent. God not only warned Jezebel the teacher, but He also warned her followers to stop sinning and to repent (Rev. 2:22-23). (6)

And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Rev. 2:23 (NASB)

We do not know the true name of this woman who is nicknamed Jezebel in this verse. It is unlikely that her name was actually Jezebel. It wouldn’t be a name that parents would have wanted to bestow on a child at this time in history. Although I will point out here that in later centuries the Puritans used all the names from the Bible when naming their children. And as a genealogist, I have come across records listing women named Jezebel! Although not a super popular first name in more recent history, it is found in hundreds of records in the United States, and to a lesser degree in Europe, into the 20th and even the 21st century. (11)

The Majority Text indicates “Jezebel may have been the wife of the angel of the church.” (10 & 11) What is meant here by the word angel is the pastor of the church, this Jezebel found in Jesus’ letter to the church of Thyatira may have been the wife of the church’s pastor. Whatever her role in the church, she was a woman who was extremely influential.

The church at Thyatira had been allowing Jezebel to promote her scriptural teaching in their midst (Rev. 2:20), but not the slightest detail had escaped the eyes of the Master. Also appearing in Revelation 1:14, the eyes like a flame of fire indicate His [Christ’s] omniscience and omnipresence. He is well aware of what is happening within the church at Thyatira, especially those things he opposes (Rev. 2:20). (11)

Christ describes her as persuasive in the Church, using her self-appointed position to lead Church members into sin. This was like the Jezebel of the Old Testament who influenced the people of Israel to corrupt themselves. She was promoting destructive heresies and leading many into moral compromise. Christ also says of this Jezebel, “I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent” (Rev. 2:21). This is like the impudent Jezebel of old who remained defiant of God to her gruesome death. This Jezebel [of Thyatira] meets a violent end (Rev. 2:22-23) like the Old Testament Jezebel, a lesson for the Christian not to allow her seductive influence in the Church. (9 & 11)

Jesus does give a message to those that have not followed her [this Jezebel]. He tells them to “hold tightly to what you have until I come.” (Rev. 2:25)

The imagery of both eyes and feet found in these passages in Revelation is that of impending judgement upon Jezebel and her children (Rev. 2:22-23). The judgement will serve as a witness of His omniscience: “All the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts” (Rev. 2:23).” (10 & 11)

So, what does it mean to call someone a Jezebel?

Merriam Webster defines a Jezebel/jezebel as an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman. (7) Although most often directed toward a female, “a Jezebel” can be a man or a woman. The Jezebel has been associated with being conniving, evil, or having a bad reputation. No one wants to be called a Jezebel.

Jezebel’s name has become synonymous not just with wicked women but also with promiscuity. However, by all accounts, Jezebel was a loyal wife. The queen’s sins seem to be directly connected to her being a foreign woman who was unafraid to wield her power [and using the power in a quite wicked way] and her unwillingness to leave her pagan religion. The writers claimed she was promiscuous, fully intending to show she was disloyal to her husband as well as the faith of Israel. The Bible also used the fact that she put on makeup as evidence of her desire to cheat and take power for herself. (9)

The Jezebel Spirit.

What is a Jezabel Spirit?

Although the term a Jezabel Spirit or someone having a Spirit of Jezebel is not directly mentioned in the Bible, it is derived directly from the Jezebel of the Bible.

It is a spirit that seeks to destroy churches, families, people and God’s prophets. The best way to define the Jezebel Spirit is to say it characterizes anyone who acts in the same manner as Jezebel did, engaging in immorality, idolatry, false teaching, and unrepentant sin. 

Referring to the Bible character – Jezebel – after which the spirit is named, Jezebel took control of her husband, Ahab, getting him to abandon his God and serve her idols. She manipulated Naboth’s death just so her husband could get his plot of land. There was no limit to her wickedness and deception. (8)

“It is a wicked, cunning, manipulative spirit that is often associated with females, but actually can manifest in anyone. The spirit of Jezebel is wreaking havoc in the church, tearing down ministries and servants of God and destroying lives. . .anyone operating under it likes to be in control of people and are manipulative and will do anything to get what they want. They will lie, scheme, befriend and then turn on the person … without a shred of remorse.” – Rev. Marie Berbick of Touching Your World Ministries.

The Jezebel Spirit not only attacks the church and its members but is also present in some homes and workplaces. . .[the] things to look out for are very much the same … the agenda is always to disrupt and destroy. (8)

References:

  1. How a pagan queen became a notorious villain in the Bible Thrown from a window because of her “wicked” ways, Queen Jezebel is one of the few female villains of the Bible, by Jean-Pierre Isbouts, Culture – People in the Bible, 15 March 2019. nationalgeographic.com
  2. Jezebel Isn’t Who You Think She Is by Nyasha Junior, 5 November 2019. DAME MAGAZINE – online.
  3. Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation, 2014, Wheaton, Il: Tyndale House Publishers.
  4. Defending the Harlot Queen, by Tibor Krausz, 1 October 2007, The Jerusalem Report. tiborkrausz.com
  5. Inductive Bible Study – Old Testament, II Kings Handbook. inductive.indubiblia.org
  6. Who was Jezebel? Who was Jezebel in the Bible? Never Thirsty, Like The Master Ministries. John Calahan. NeverThirsty.org
  7. Definition of a Jezebel/jezebel, Merriam Webster Dictionary online. merriam-webster.com
  8. Understanding the ‘Jezebel Spirit’ by Cecelia Campbell-Livingston – Sunday Gleaner Writer, 12 January 2020. The Gleaner Newspaper (online); Kingston, Jamaica. jamaica-gleaner.com
  9. THE TRUTH ABOUT QUEEN JEZEBEL IN THE BIBLE, by Emilia David, 5 August 2021, GRUNGE. grunge.com
  10. The Majority Text as represented by [Zane C. Hodges and Arthur L. Farstad], The Greek New Testament According To The Majority Text (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1985).
  11. An Analysis of Revelation Chapters 2 through 5, by Anna Kasper, ACDP; 11 April 2021. anna-kasper.com on WordPress.
  12. Who Is Jezebel in Revelation 2 verse 20? Beyond Today – United Church of God [Website]. Accessed January 23, 2021. Who Is Jezebel in Revelation 2 verse 20? | United Church of God (ucg.org)

Additional Reading:

  1. How Bad Was Jezebel? by Janet Howe Gaines, 22 March 2022, Bible History Today, Bible Review, BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY. biblicalarchaeology.org
  2. Jezebel: Phoenician Princess of Ancient Sidon, Queen of Israel, by Dr. Joshua J. Mark, Professor of Philosophy, Marist College, 15 October 2019. brewminate.com
  3. Bible Story of Jezebel, by G. Connor Salter, 24 October 2021. biblestudytools.com
  4. Lessons We Can All Learn From the Story of Jezebel in the Bible, by Hannah Skentelbery, 14 March 2021. warrington-worldwide.co.uk
  5. Jezebel in the Bible – What We Can Learn from Her Story, by Blair Parke, 18 June 2020. crosswalk.com
  6. Jezebel Bible Study – 10 Key Points for Bible Study, Homewords Ministry, Small Group Bible Study Ministry. wordpress.com
  7. An Analysis of Revelation Chapters 2 through 5, by Anna Kasper, ACDP; 11 April 2021. anna-kasper.com on WordPress.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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52 Ancestors Week 34: Timeline. Trying to Reconstruct a Timeline of My 3rd Great-Grandparents Michael Nestor and Catherine Hanberry using Irish Petty Session Court Registers.

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
Old postcard of the inside of a family home in Ireland in 19th and early 20th century. From Postcards Ireland.com

This week’s writing prompt is Timeline. I have decided to write about my 3rd great-grandparents Michael Nestor and Catherine Hanberry of Gort, Galway, Ireland. In my research they appear to be non-existent in church and census records in Ireland! Below explains why finding your ancestors in records in Ireland prior to 1901 is so difficult.

From The National Archives of Ireland website.

There are very few records that survive from this area of Galway during this time. They did try to reconstruct the 1851 Irish Census in 1919/1920 but in my family’s case, no one was living in Ireland to submit the information, and many had died. He appears in the Irish Petty Court Registers for Gort and Derreen, and a Catherine Nestor also appears in Gort court records numerous times. Although we know Catherine most likely died in the 1870’s in Ireland, but we don’t know for sure, she could have died in the 1860’s or even prior to 1860, her death record has not been found. Her husband Michael Nestor immigrated to the USA after 1870 and before 1880 and possibly shortly after her death and is found living with their married daughter Catherine Mary “Kate’ Nestor Mullen Fahy (Fay) in the 1880 US Census.

Michael Nestor was born about 1814 in or near Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 6 February 1894 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. He was the son of Michael Nestor and Bridget _____.

In Ireland, the surname Nestor was derived as a shortened form of Mac Girr an Adhastair, meaning son of the short man of the bridle. It was sometimes shortened to Mac an Adhastair. The surname Nestor is most common in Counties Galway and Clare.

He was the oldest and had several known siblings including:

  1. John Nestor born about 1819 in Gort, Galway, Ireland.
  2. Mary Nestor born about 1825 in County Galway, Ireland. She married Timothy Glynn. I have DNA matches to their descendants.
  3. Patrick Nestor born 1827 in Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 17 June 1899 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He married Mary Ann McCarthy. I have DNA matches to their descendants.
  4. Honora/Honoria Nestor born about 1829 in County Galway, Ireland and died in Derrybrien, Loughrea, Galway, Ireland. She married John Gilchreest, and they lived in Caherlavine, Loughrea, Galway, Ireland. I have Gilchreest DNA matches in Ireland from this line.
  5. James Jacob Nestor born 1831 in Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 10 August 1890 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He married/1 to Catherine Duignan and married/2 to Catherine Grimes. I have DNA matches to their descendants.

I also have DNA matches to the descendants of his aunt Ellen Nestor who married John Shaughnessy and immigrated to Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, and his uncle Patrick “Paddy” Nestor who married Ellen___ and some of their descendants went to England.

Catherine Hanberry was born about 1820 in Gort/Derreen (Kilbeacanty), Galway, Ireland. The surname Hanberry/Hansberry is not a common surname in Ireland. There are only two pockets where the name is found, in south Galway (and just over into County Clare) and an area of County Mayo. The surname Hanberry/Hansberry is derived from the old Gaelic personal name Ainmhire, meaning freedom from levity or madness.

The names of Catherine’s parents are unknown, but we do know that her mother’s maiden name was Glynn.

Catherine was also the oldest and had several known siblings including:

  1. Michael Hansberry born 1825 in Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 10 March 1867 in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. He married Mary Ann Hanlon. I have DNA matches to their descendants.
  2. Peter Hansberry born about 1826 in Derreen, Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died in Pennsylvania. He married Margaret Donnady/Dormady. I have DNA matches to their descendants.
  3. Julia Hansberry born about 1829 in Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 5 March 1869 in Mobile, Mobile County, Alabama. She married Martin Hanlon (he and Mary Ann Hanlon were siblings). I have DNA matches to their descendants.
  4. Thomas Hanberry born 1832 in Tubber, Galway, Ireland, and died 16 February 1910 in Corrofin, County Clare, Ireland. He married Catherine Walsh.
  5. Patrick Hanberry born about 1835 in Derreen, Kilbeacanty, Galway, Ireland, and died in County Galway. He married B. Monaghan.
  6. Bridget Hanberry born in Derreen, Gort, Galway, Ireland and died young in Derreen, Kilbeacanty, Galway, Ireland.

I also have DNA matches to the descendants of her uncle Michael Hansberry who married Mary Shaughnessy.

Known children born to Michael Nestor and Catherine Hanberry/Hansberry:

  1. Thomas Nestor born about 1835 in Gort, Galway, Ireland. He may be the same Thomas Nestor that marries Bridget Potter and later moves to Hillsbrook, Galway and dies sometime after the 1911 Irish Census where he is found living in Hillsbrook.
  2. Michael Nestor born 1836 in Gort, Galway, Ireland and died 28 April 1869 in Emmetsburg, Palo Alto County, Iowa. He married 15 July 1861 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania to Mary Joynt, as her first husband. Mary Joynt was the daughter of David Patrick Joynt and Bridget Ann McDermott. I am related to both Michael Nestor and his wife Mary Joynt. He is my 2nd great-grand uncle, and she is my 1st cousin, 4x removed. I have DNA matches to their descendants, as well as to the descendants from Mary Joynt Nestor and her second husband Edward “Ned” Murphy.
  3. John Nestor born about 1837 in Beagh Parish, Galway, Ireland and died December 1923 in Tuam, Galway, Ireland.
  4. Jeremiah “Jerry” Nestor born about 1839 in County Galway, Ireland. He married Anne Carroll. I have DNA matches to their descendants, but I have a double connection. His great-granddaughter Eileen Frances Connelly immigrated to the USA from Ireland. and married 29 November 1934 in New York City, New York to Michael Moylan. Michael Moylan was from Gort and was a Fahey/Fahy relation. He and my grandmother were 3rd cousins.
  5. Catherine Mary “Kate” Nestor born 10 January 1840 in Gort, Galway, Ireland, and died 8 June 1902 in Ottumwa, Wapello, Iowa. She states on census records that she came to the U.S. at age 16 in 1856. She is believed to have married briefly to ____ Mullen who died, which would explain her name being listed as Mullen. I have found no DNA connection to the name Mullen/Mullens. She marries 17 December 1858 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky to Daniel Wolfetone “Dan” Fahey/Fahy (Fay). Her name is listed as Catherine Mullen in the marriage license. (My direct ancestors).
  6. Bridget Nestor born in Gort, Galway, Ireland.
  7. Patrick Nestor born in Gort, Galway, Ireland.

So, what were the Petty Sessions Courts?

The Petty Sessions were the lowest courts within Ireland’s judicial system up to the early 20th century.  They dealt with the minor cases and were presided over by unpaid Justices of the Peace who were usually local landowners or dignitaries.  These judges could make summary judgements on cases and there was no jury. The Sessions were convened daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the volume of cases.  The cases heard at the Petty Sessions courts generally included minor law-breaking such as public disorder or drunkenness, poaching and other minor larceny, straying animals, and also complaints by individuals about non-payment of debts, boundary disputes, quality of purchased goods, and minor assaults. – From the Illustrated London News.  The more serious cases were referred to ‘Quarter Sessions’ where a jury would hear the case.  

I find Michael Nestor in the Petty Session Courts records for in and around Gort, Galway, Ireland.

The first place I find him is in 1858. The actual court record is not available to view. The court is in Derreen in Beagh parish close to Gort. He is the Defendant, and the trail date is 16 September 1858. Unfortunately, nothing more is known about this case. But it would be a minor case as described in the definition of The Petty Sessions.

His wife Catherine Hanberry/Hansberry was from Derreen in Beagh parish which is near Gort, so it is not surprising he is found in the Derreen court.

Below you will see the next Petty Session Court register he appears in. It is from 18 February 1865 and in the Petty Session court in Gort.

The Complainant is S.C. James Driver. He appears in three entries for this day. He appears to be a Constable. From what I can find the S. C. probably meant Special Constable. Michael Nestor is the Defendant and is listed “of Gort”. The charges are the same for all three entries where S. C. James Driver is the Complainant. The charges are for allowing his cart _____ to be an obstruction on the public road at Gort on 14th February 1865. The other two Defendants in the other cases are John Fahey of Gort and John Hynes of Gort, same charges on the same date.

He may be the Michael Nestor who applied for a dog license in Gort.

Accounting for his age and that he immigrated to the USA in the 1870’s I believe those are the only two entries for my Michael Nestor in the Petty Sessions Court.

There are several entries for a Catherine Nestor. Usually, she is appearing as a witness in cases before the Petty Sessions Court and as a Complainant and Defendant only a few times. She is in the Gort records from 1855 to 1874. I do not find a Catherine Nestor in the court records after 1874. I cannot be sure she is my Catherine Hanberry Nestor, but it’s quite possible.

1880 US Census for the town of Aroma in Kankakee County, Illinois.

What I do know is that Michael Nestor is left a widower prior to the 1880 U.S. Census. He is found in the town of Aroma in Kankakee County, Illinois. He is the living with his daughter married daughter Catherine Fay and six of her children. He is listed as Michael Nester. Her husband Daniel “Dan” Fahey/Fahy (Fay) is not in the census with them and is thought to be out of town working.

In 1860, Daniel and Catherine are living in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. In the 1860 US Census they are listed as Daniel Fahy and Catherine Fahy with their eight-month-old son Thomas Fahy. Also living with them is a Michael Doyle aged 29 and born in Ireland. Daniel and Michael are both listed as laborers. Who was Michael Doyle? I do not know what connection he had to them. A family member? A friend? A co-worker of Daniel? A border?

He may be the Michael D. Doyle buried in the Saint John Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky with a birth year of 1829 and died 7 May 1890.

He may instead be the Michael Doyle born June 1832 in Ireland and is found in the 1900 US Census for Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Living with his wife Ellen born July 1840 in Ireland, and their 2 sons; J. Thomas Doyle and J. Michael Doyle. Ellen’s maiden name is given is Nevil and Mooney in later records. But the son’s list their place of birth as Ireland in this census and future records. And the whole family lists their year of immigration as 1888. So, this is most likely not the same Michael Doyle that was living with my ancestors in 1860.

My beautiful great-great grandmother Catherine Mary “Kate” Nestor Mullen Fay.

In 1870, Daniel and Catherine are found living in the city of Chicago. In the 1870 US Census they are living in the 18th ward of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. They are listed as Daniel and Catherine Fay. Dan listed his occupation as a Tanner. Living with them are three of their children and a John Ward aged 15 born in Pennsylvania working as a laborer, and a Daniel Donovan aged 5 and born in Kentucky.

I do have some connections via marriage to the surname Ward in Gort, via intermarriage with my Fahey related O’Donnell cousins, but I don’t see a direct connection to the John Ward found in the census with them.

I have been unable to locate John Ward or Daniel Donovan in any other records. Was Daniel Donovan a relation? He was born in Kentucky and at only age 5 he must have been related to them or possibly to the 15-year-old John Ward.

Michael Nestor is not found living with his daughter until 1880. He dies before the 1900 US Census. He died in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky on 6 February 1894.

Sources for Nestor and Hanberry surname information and the Petty Sessions Court definition:

  1. Nestor Surname meaning – Wikipedia.org
  2. Nestor Surname. The Surnames of Ireland, Edward MacLysaght, Dublin, 1978.
  3. Hanberry/Hansberry Surname – houseofnames.com
  4. Great insights from Petty sources – the Petty Session Court Records, Jim Ryan April 26, 2020. ancestornetwork.ie

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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52 Ancestors, Week 31: Help. How Chief Tuccamirgan of the Delaware Tribe Helped My Ancestor Johann Philip Kaes (John Philip Case).

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
Mine Brook, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

This week’s writing prompt word is help. I decided to write the story of how Chief Tuccamirgan of the Delaware Tribe helped and befriended my ancestor Johann Philip Kaes (John Philip Case).

First a little biographical information about him:

Johann Philip Kaes was born about 1679 in Anhausen, Neuwied, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, the son of Hans Henrich Kaes and Anna Veronica ____. He is found near Rückeroth at Anhausen in church records. Anhausen is 5 miles northeast of Neuwied.

He married first to Anna Elizabetha Jung, daughter of Frantz Henrich Jung and Veronika Remer, on 29 November 1703 in Anhausen, Germany. His first wife Anna Elizabetha Jung died 21 September 1721 in Anhausen, Germany, and Johann Philip Kaes immigrated to America. He was naturalized in New Jersey on 8 July 1730. He married second to Rachel Houser/Hauser in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

He and his first wife Anna Elizabetha Jung are my direct ancestors.

Case-Dvoor farmhouse, barn and property today.

The site of the Case-Dvoor farmstead lies near the eastern end of a 5,000-acre tract that stretches along the northern edge of the Amwell Valley. Pennsylvania founder William Penn owned the land, and when he died in 1718, his three sons inherited it. Those sons — John, Thomas and Richard — subdivided the property, selling a 374-acre portion straddling Tuccaminjah Creek (later Mine Brook) to German immigrant Johan Philip Kaes (later Anglicized to Case) in March of 1738.

Johan Philip established his pioneer farmstead beside the Walnut Brook, which flows through property. After Johan’s passing, the property was split between heirs and some of it was sold. In 1798, Johan’s son Philip built the stone farmhouse that still stands today. Throughout the years the property has passed through a number of hands and has seen various uses including copper mining, a tannery, a dairy barn, and a stock farm. The Dvoor family, Latvian immigrants, were the last to own it before the Land Trust and sought to preserve it as a surviving example of the Flemington area’s agricultural heritage.

Today the site hosts a popular farmers market and winter market, featuring local fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meats, cheese, bread, wine, honey, live plants, alpaca woolens, and a variety of organic produce. Visitors can enjoy various trails through the property that connect to nearby nature preserves.

This is part of a mural found in the Union Hotel in Flemington, Hunterdon County, New Jersey and is of my ancestor Johann Philip Kaes (John Philip Case) and his friend Tuccamirgan, Chief of Delaware Native American tribe.

A rather peculiar story handed down in the Case family evokes the frontier conditions current throughout much of Hunterdon County well into the 18th century. One of Johan Philip’s sons used to talk about his mother getting lost in the woods. She went to hunt her cow and wandered around for several hours and finally saw a column of smoke curling above the tops of the trees. Going in that direction she came to a house, and, after knocking at the door, discovered it to be her own dwelling. . . The wolves would often howl around the Case house, and one of these animals came on the doorstep and attacked the dog, when Mrs. Case drove him off with a stick.

Johan Philip Case replaced his pioneer dwelling with a substantial stone house cemented with mud that stood on the east side of the creek (the land currently owned by St. Magdalen de Pazzi Roman Catholic Church). When Hugh Capner tore the house down around the 1850s, he found the walls solid and strong.

Philip Case (Johan Philip’s son) acquired the property on the west side of the creek encompassing the present farmstead, which had been sold out of the family some years earlier. He lived and farmed here throughout his life.

The land on the east side of the creek, including Johan Philip’s stone house, was sold to John Capner, whose family had recently emigrated from England. We know much about the Case family thanks to the Capners, who corresponded regularly with the relatives and arrived in America with a trunk full of letters from them. These letters now belong to the Hunterdon County Historical Society.” 

A Delaware Indian Chief named Tuccamirgan lived nearby, and John Philip and the Indian became very close friends. John Philip would not have survived on his settlement without the help of Tuccamirgan. The Indian assisted John Philip with the building of his cabin and provided protection from the hostile nearby natives. They protected the Cases from the dangers of the wilderness and showed them how to live off the land.

As time went on, the Delaware Chief and Case’s bond became stronger. The Cases had many young children, and the Delaware Chief and his wife, having none of their own, would frequently “borrow” some of the Case children. They would bring the children back to their wigwam up the creek, taking good care of them and spending the whole day together. They would then return the Case children to their father at the end of the day. 

It is also believed that Chief Tuccamirgan carved a crib out of a tree and gifted it to John Phillip Case to use for one of his babies. The Chief and his wife found great joy in the Case children, and they gladly spent their days babysitting and becoming second parents to the Case children. 

The actual pipe gifted to my ancestor by Tuccamirgan. Photo from HCHS.

The friendship Tuccamirgan and Case shared was an unbreakable bond. The Chief referred to John as his “blue brother,” and together they would smoke “the pipe of peace” over the course of their friendship. The ancient pipe bowl that accompanied Tuccamirgan’s pipe, an artifact which was already hundreds of years old at the time, was gifted to John as a sign of their friendship. It was passed down in the Case family until it was donated to the Hunterdon County Historical Society in 1925. 

As he was nearing his death, Chief Tuccamirgan requested that he be buried near his good friend so Case buried him on his land. This became the first grave in what was afterward known as the Case burial ground. The burial was attended with great ceremony (there was a wild dance about his grave, which was kept up all through the night). The grave was dug very deep, and the Chief was placed in a sitting position facing the East. His war and hunting implements were buried with him. Six years later John Philip Case joined his Indian friend in the little cemetery. The hallowed ground is less than a hundred feet wide. It is located in Flemington’s residential area on Bonnell Street surrounded by houses on all sides. In 1925 the Flemington Historical League restored the cemetery. The lot was regraded and re-seeded; stones were reset. A protective stone wall was erected at the front of the property and a monument to the Indian Chief who had befriended the first settler John Philip Case was raised. Seven hundred citizens attended the dedication of a marble obelisk in memory of Chief Tuccamirgan. On one face is written ‘In Memory of the Delaware Indian Chief Tuccamirgan 1750′; and on the other, “Erected by the Citizens of Flemington As a Tribute to this Friend of the White Man’.”

To learn more about Johann Philip Kase (later known as John Philip Case), his roots in Germany, his children and descendants, and their life in America, please visit my blog post about him here: My Ancestor Johann Philip Kaes (John Philip Case) of Anhausen, Germany, and New Jersey, and his Interesting Relationship with Chief Tuccamirgan of the Delaware Tribe.

Sources:

  1. The Case Family: Pioneer Settlers of Flemington (1) – Hunterdon Land Trust
  2. Johann Phillip Kaes (wikitree.com)
  3. Chief Tuccamirgan: a legacy of friendship – The Delphi (dvrhs.org)
  4. Tuccamirgan’s Pipe Rediscovered in HCHS Archives (hunterdonhistory.org)
  5. CASE-DVOOR FARMSTEAD at journeythroughjersey.com.

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Rest in Peace Cousin Tony Dow

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
Tony Dow. The cast of Leave it to Beaver.

I used to watch Leave it to Beaver in syndication when I was a kid. I was quite saddened to learn of Tony Dow’s death at the age of 77 this past Wednesday. So, I thought I’d post my genealogical connection to him. 😃 We were distant cousins, 10th cousins actually. We shared Colonial American ancestors Edward Bangs and Rebecca Hobart. His line continued with Apphia Bangs and Col. John Knowles and mine with Hannah Bangs and John Doane, Jr. This is on his Dow lines. My Bangs/Hobart ancestors are on my Cole side way back in Colonial Massachusetts.

Edward Bangs and Rebecca Hobart are the ancestors of many well-known individuals including:

  1. William Rufus Day, 36th U.S. Secretary of State.
  2. Bing Crosby, Singer-Songwriter and Actor.
  3. Thomas Pynchon, American Novelist.
  4. Brewster Kahle, Founder of Internet Archive (Wayback Machine).
  5. Annie Proulx, Novelist and Short Story Writer.
  6. Tamsin Todd, CEO of Findmypast.
  7. Anna Gunn, Actress.
  8. Fergie, Singer-Songwriter.
  9. Avril Lavigne, Singer-Songwriter.
  10. Edmund Sears, Boson Tea Party Participant.
  11. Eugene Foss, 45th Governor of Massachusetts.
  12. Pres. H.W. Bush.
  13. Pres. George W. Bush.
  14. Charles Dawes, 30th U.S. Vice President.
  15. Norman Rockwell, Artist.
  16. Jeb Bush, 43rd Governor of Florida.
  17. Endicott Peabody, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts.
  18. Kyra Sedgwick.
  19. Taylor Swift.
  20. Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator from Utah.
  21. James Taylor, singer-songwriter.
  22. Dan Quayle, 44 U.S. President.
  23. Pete Buttigieg, current U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
  24. Sydney Biddle Barrows, Mayflower Madam.

The first eleven listed share the next set of ancestors with me and are also descended from Hannah Bangs and John Doane, Jr. Five of those eleven also share Paine ancestors with me. The rest above are descended from Edward Bangs, the brother of Hannah Bangs and Apphia Bangs. To my knowledge, Tony Dow is the only famous person descended directly from Apphia Bangs and Col. John Knowles.

Tony Dow, left, and Jerry Mathers as Wally and Beaver Cleaver. | Photo courtesy of Pat McDermott/Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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52 Ancestors – Week 30: Teams. My Cousin Mitchell “Mitch” Nutick. Dancer on Broadway and Founder of the West Hollywood Tennis Association.

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

This week’s writing prompt for 52 Ancestors is Teams. I do have Irish ancestors killed by a team of runaway horses, and many ancestors that were farmers and used a team of horses. I have some distant cousins that have played professional baseball. I have many ancestors that were in the military and militias. The words militia, squadron, etc. are related to the word team, as in a group of people. But I decided to write about my cousin Mitch Nutick, and his love of tennis.

Mitchell Edward “Mitch” Nutick was my double cousin. We were Nutick 2nd cousins, 1 time removed, and we were Armstrong 3rd cousins. Our Nutick ancestors were siblings, and our Armstrong ancestors were 1st cousins.

Mitch Nutick.

Mitchell Edward “Mitch” Nutick was born 13 September 1931 in Terrace Park, Hamilton County, Ohio, and died at the age of 88 years old on 14 April 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

He was the son of Mitchell Howard Nutick and Emma Jane Bowker. He grew up in Deer Park, Hamilton County, Ohio, and attended Deer Park High School.

In his 20’s he left the Midwest for New York City and settled in Manhattan.

He was a dancer on the Denny Vaughn Show which aired on the CBC Television channel (Canadian English language public television network) from June 1954 to June 1957.

He appeared as a bit actor in a few of the plays listed below, but he was mainly a dancer on Broadway in the original stage production of Bells are Ringing (1956) and:

The Body Beautiful (1958), The Girls Against the Boys (1959), 13 Daughters (1961), Guys and Dolls (1965), and an off-Broadway production of Guys and Dolls (1966).

He was a talented dancer, and handsome with beautiful piercing “Paul Newman” blue eyes.

Mitch Nutick.

By 1970 he had migrated to Los Angeles and was living in West Hollywood. He worked as a bookkeeper for many years. He loved to play tennis. In the Fall of 1978, Mitch, along with 7 other gay tennis friends, began a regular tennis gathering playing matches in West Hollywood Park. They called the original organization the West Hollywood Tennis Association — which is now known as the Los Angeles Tennis Association (LATA) with a 300+ annual membership.

Along with David Newlon, he researched the history of the club and presented the club with a History of LATA for the club’s 30th anniversary in 2008.

Mitch Nutick and the Los Angeles Tennis Association:

Founding Member 1978.
Board Treasurer 1984-2016.
LATA Lifetime Achievement Award 1995.
Inducted Into GLTA Hall Of Fame 2000.
President’s Award 2006.
Outstanding Member Award 2008.
President’s Award 2017.

Although his most recognizable contribution to the LATA was his service as a Treasurer for 30 seasons. His first stint as the Treasurer was in 1984 and his last was 2016. The club will always consider him a Treasurer Emeritus.

At LATA there have been several Mitch Nutick Club Tennis Tournaments.

Mitch Nutick on left, Norm Tucker on the right (1994).

In the above photo from 1994 are Mitch Nutick and Norm Tucker noting their victories in Men’s Singles tennis as U.S. Tennis Association Champions in 1987 and 1993.

Mitch Nutick in 2017.

To learn more about our shared Nutick/Weiss and related ancestors please visit my blog posts:

  1. Origins of My 2nd Great-Grandfather Elias “Eli” Nutick
  2. My Weiss, Fried, Propheter, and Related Ancestors from Klingenmünster, Germany.
  3. German Surnames in My Family tree and German Language Studies.

I have not written in this blog specifically about my Armstrong ancestors, but I have written about direct related lines:

  1. My Ancestor Rev. Thomas Shepard, an English and American Puritan Minister and Significant Figure in Early Colonial New England.
  2. Check it Out! My Ancestor Rev. Thomas Shepard.
  3. William G. Lyons, My 2nd Great Granduncle.
  4. Stormy Weather. My ancestors John Cogswell / Elizabeth Thompson – The Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 – The Ship Angel Gabriel.
  5. My Ancestor Maria Thomas Badie, Gifted Two Silver Communion Beakers to The Dutch Reformed Church of Breuckelen (Brooklyn, New York) in 1684.

Sources for information about the West Hollywood Tennis Association and the Los Angeles Tennis Association (LATA):

  1. LATA.com.
  2. LATA on WordPress.com.
  3. Los Angeles Tennis Association on Facebook.

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2023. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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