Week #14 Check it Out

 I wasn't 100% sure what to do for this week and waited for guidance from Amy and checked out some of the other blogger's posts. Some featured books they'd found and used in their research and others used it to share something interesting they found. I decided to interpret it as a combination of the 2. 

In 2016 my mom and I went to visit a genealogy library not to far from where we lived. This was unique as most of our relatives lived about 2-3 hours away. But one branch of our tree lived in the county next to where I grew up. We went in search of some information on my 3x great grandfather James Miller. He kind of just vanished and we didn't know where exactly he died or where he was buried. His wife my 3x great grandmother Emily (Whipple) Miller Newland remarried and even she was kind of a mystery. We didn't know where she was buried either. So we thought by going to this library we could utilize the local resources to maybe break down a brick wall or 2. 

Unfortunately we came up empty handed where James and Emily were concerned. But while we were there I happened to scan the section where they had family history books that people had done and donated. I came across one that said Whipple family. Bingo that was Emily's maiden name. At that point I hadn't researched the ancestors beyond her and don't think I had many names on my family tree yet. I opened it up and low and behold this was all about my 5x great grandfather and his children. And I knew it was the correct family because it said "Emily m. James Miller". 

Joseph (my 5x great grandfather)  as is quote in the book "was a poor New England laborer and farmer whose lifetime spanned the late colonial period, the struggle for independence, the building of the new nation, and the extension of western settlement." Joseph was born in Connecticut in 1753. On August 20, 1777 Joseph became a "regular" enlisting as a private in the Continental Army for the duration of the War. He joined Captain Abner Prior's Company in the 5th Connecticut Regiment. Through the years of the war he worked his way up to Sergeant. The last date of service for Joseph was December 31, 1781. Early in the war the Continental Congress promised each private and non-commissioned officer $50, 50 acres of land, and a new suit of clothing. Connecticut held a part of northeastern Ohio called the western-reserve, from which 100 acres of bounty land was issued in 1799 to Joseph Whipple for his Service. There is no record of him moving there until 1833 when his family settled near the Western Reserve. 

Before moving to Ohio they lived in New York and Massachusetts working various labor jobs including providing coal for a local forge. Towards the end of his life he moved with his family to Ohio and he and his wife Mary lived with their son Marks. Both died at his home. Joseph died in 1843 at the age of 90 and Mary died in 1848 at the age of 89. There is no record of their burial or stone surviving today. In the statements from friends and family in the pension application, many indicated they were very poor people and liked to keep to themselves. 

Samuel (my 4x great grandfather) was born in 1807 in Massachusetts. During the 1820's he worked with his father and brothers as laborers and probably was involved with them in the manufacturing of charcoal. Samuel moved to Vernon, Trumbull County, Ohio around 1830. In 1833 he married Laura Buttrick. By 1850 Samuel and Laura moved to Holt County, Missouri. . Laura died in Child birth but record of her burial is not found. He later remarried to Ruth Hastey. 

In October 26, 1861 he enlisted as a private in the Union army. He joined the same unit as his son Samuel J. Whipple and his Nephews Harlow, Virgil, and Daniel Whipple. The Muster roll for Company E, 25th Missouri Volunteers describes Samuel as 54 years old, 5 feet 10 inches, gray eyes, dark complexion, and a wagoner. He was mustered in December of 1861 and stood guard in bad weather and caught a cold which turned to bronchitis. He was admitted to the Army Hospital in St. Joseph, MO where he died March of 1862. Again like it seems to be on this family no record of burial. 

About the only cemetery I've been able to visit was that of Samuel's son Samuel J. Whipple in Holt county Mo. It's probably the most difficultly accessed cemetery I've ever been to!!! That says a lot as I've traipsed through many a cow pasture to access cemeteries. It sits right off the highway easy to find with a nice sign but it's on the literal side of a cliff!!! You can see stones from the road and so it doesn't look to difficult but you climb up the first portion and realize there are more stones further up!! So climb away I did. The view from the top was absolutely spectacular as you can see interstate 29 and the Missouri River valley. 

View from where I parked my car. 

View of the road from the first section

All the stones on the hill 

View from the top looking west towards Missouri River. 

All though we may not have found exactly what we were looking for but still was a worth while trip. Here this book had sat for who knows how many years in a library just 30 miles from where I grew up. Not only did it give me more names to add to my family tree but it also gave details for not only Joseph Whipple's (5x great grandfather) but Samuel Whipple's (my 4x great grandfather) lives. They became more than a name on a tree, they now were people I felt like I knew. That right there is my favorite part of genealogy.