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family history – changes in 10 years

As I look into my family history, I am often amazed by the changes that occur in families in short periods of time. An example is found in the early life of my great-grandmother Ella – Mary Ellen (Hawk) Norman. In the ten years from 1860 to 1870, she experienced dramatic changes in her family.

The 1860 US Census shows Ella’s family living in Chestnut Hills Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The family included Josiah Hawk (Ella’s father, a shoemaker), Sallyann (Sarah Ann) (Ella’s mother), Owen and Ella (Ellen). Mariah Hawk, Ella’s paternal grandmother was also living with them.

In the next decade, the family underwent remarkable change. First, five children were born – Flora, Sarah, twins Edwin and Otto, and Emma. Of these, Otto and Emma did not live (Josiah and Sallie had already lost a child in 1957). Then Josiah died on June 28, 1865, a month and a half after Emma. Also, sometime during the ten-year period, Maria Hawk, who lived until 1880, went to live elsewhere.

John Franklin born Sept. 15, 1855 (died Dec. 26, 1857, two years old)

Owen born April 21, 1857 (death date unknown)

Ellen born January 4, 1859 (Ella, my great-grandmother, died 1933)

Flora Alice born June 25, 1860 (death date unknown)

Sarah Ann born Dec. 11, 1863 (Sadie, my great grand-aunt, died 1921)

Edwin W. born 1864 (Ed, my great grand-uncle, died 1940)

Otto born 1864 (death date unknown, before 1870)

Emma Lydia born Jan. 7, 1865 (died May 9, 1865, 4 months old)

From: Atwood James Shupp, 1990, Genealogy of Conrad and Elizabeth (Borger) Hawk: 1744 – 1990, Gateway Press, Baltimore).

In 1870, Ella’s mother, Sallie, married again to Joshua Popplewell.

The 1870 US Census shows the results of all this change. In 1870, the family is living in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The family now includes Joshua Popplewell (step-father), Salie (Sara Ann) (mother), Owen, Mary (Ella), Flora, Edwin and Sarah (Sadie).

The person most affected by these changes must have been my great-great-grandmother, Sara Ann (Sallie). During the decade she gives birth to five children (including a set of twins), her husband dies, she remarries, and she changes the location of her home at least once. In the only photo I have of her, she seems a formidable woman, steeled to withstand all manner of disruption in her life. I also see great sadness in her eyes.

my great-great-grandmother Sallie – Sarah Anne (Kresge) Hawk Popplewell (1835 – 1910)

Our lives are dynamic, full of change. New people enter our lives, others leave. The place we call home shifts to a new location. We go to school and graduate, we take a new job, we retire. Our focus changes, along with our point of view. Some change is dramatic, some subtle. Some change makes us laugh, some makes us cry.

What changes do you see in the decades of your life?

Written by jane tims

July 30, 2014 at 7:33 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1880s, brothers and sisters, change, family, family history, genealogy, history

learning to spin

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All spring and summer, I have been dyeing wool roving with dyestuff collected from the roadside and garden. I have always intended to use this wool in some of my weaving projects, but lately, I have decided to first spin the wool roving into yarn. Everyone recommends learning first to spin with a drop spindle, later graduating to a spinning wheel.

First, I went online to learn the basics and decide which drop spindle I should use. Then I ordered my maple bottom whorl drop spindle on eBay for $7.95 ( $15.60, including shipping).

To spin, I first attach an end of the roving to the hook on the end of the spindle. The method is to tease out a sparse bundle of fibres and spin the spindle, twisting the section of wool into a thread. I spin the spindle counterclockwise, pinching the wool as I tease it out, holding the spindle still on my lap when I have to use both hands. Eventually, I will get better and be able to hold the spindle in the air with one hand and spin the spindle with the other. I do this a bit now, but I am plagued by breaking wool. For an enjoyable beginner’s lesson in spinning, see Jennifer Beamer’s video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtBLIg4JhNI .

Spinning with a drop spindle is addictive! I now spin the roving as soon as it is dry after dyeing. My yarn is still very knobbly – a little like the yarn you use to knit those bulky sweaters! My balls of yarn are getting better all the time, although I have trouble getting too much spin into the yarn, so it twists up on itself quite easily!

So far I have eleven balls of wool: Tansy, Old-Man’s-Beard, Bugleweed, Alder bark, Lily of the Valley (2 balls), Beet roots, Beet leaves, Carrot leaves, Radish leaves, and Comfrey.

This is so much fun!

Written by jane tims

July 28, 2014 at 7:55 am

Posted in harvesting colour

Tagged with beginner, drop spindle, plant dyes, plants, spinning, spinning wool, yarn

Great Grand Aunt Sadie – dressmaker

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As I learn about my family history, I am drawn to the stories of the individuals I encounter. One of the people important in my great-grandmother Ella’s life was her sister Sadie. Sadie was born on December 11, 1863 in Pennsylvania, the fifth child of eight children. She was called after her mother, Sarah Ann (Kresge). Sadie’s father was Josiah Hawk, a shoemaker who died when Sadie was a little over a year old and Ella was six. For a little more about Josiah, see https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/occupation-shoemaker/

As far as I know, Sadie remained unmarried throughout her life. This meant that she had to support herself. Few opportunities were available to women in the late 1800s, but Sadie stayed connected to her family and earned her way as a seamstress. The 1910 US Census shows Sadie as a dressmaker living with her mother, a landlady.

By looking at the US Census for 1870, 1900, 1910, and 1920, as well as the City Directories for Scranton, I can account for Sadie most years.

In the 1870 census, when she was six and a half, she lived with her mother in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. That year, her mother married Joshua Popplewell, a machinist living in Scranton.

I have not located Sadie in the 1880 Census due to the commonness of her name.

From 1888 until her death in 1921, Sadie lived in Scranton. Her addresses included 330 Lackawanna Avenue (1896 – 1900), 16-18 Williams Building (1905 and 1906), 101 Spruce Street (1907 to 1916), and 116 Mulberry Street (1917 to 1921). I have looked at these addresses on Street View (Google Earth) and the houses where Sadie lived are all gone, replaced by parking lots and modern businesses.

Sadie made her home with her mother Sallie Popplewell from 1907 until Sallie’s death in 1910 or 1911, and with sister Ella, my great-grandmother, from 1910 to 1921.

Sadie died at 2 PM on March 26, 1921. In her will, Sadie described Ella (my great-grandmother) as her “beloved sister”.

When I was a teenager, my Aunt Jane told me about Sadie and gave me Sadie’s locket.

Aunt Sadie’s locket (front)

Her initials are beautifully engraved on the back – S A H – Sarah Ann Hawk … the sweet-faced woman in the photos above.

Written by jane tims

July 25, 2014 at 6:54 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1800s, 1900s, dressmaker, family, family history, history, Scranton, seamstress, women working, women's work

Arthur – after the storm

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Over a week after Tropical Storm Arthur, I am thinking about the new pattern of life we adopted during our six days without electricity. Without our usual electric lights, stove, refrigerator, computer and television, we adjusted our days.

First there were candles. I have lots of candles, but three pillars in the living room sent enough light into the main part of the house for navigation. We also had our small flashlights. They lit the darker rooms and made us safe on the stairs.

The next ‘necessity’ was gasoline for the truck and for our small generator (2000 watt). Although we began the storm with very little gasoline (we were not well prepared), we waited a couple of days to fill up, to avoid the long lineups for gas at the few stations open after the storm. Since most all of Fredericton was without power for the first two days, so open gas stations, fast food places and grocery stores were hard to find!

Once we had our generator working, we had a hot meal at supper time each evening, on our small electric hotplate. By the end of the six days, we were using our generator for fans to keep the house cool and to watch DVDs on our television.

Water, of course, is always a concern. We had lots of water on hand, about 22 4-liter jugs I keep for emergencies. We were able to buy drinking water and ice for our cooler, although these items were flying from the shelves!!! By the end of our adventure, we had filled our jugs a couple of times, once at my son’s home (in the city, they had no power, but they did have water), and once from the Oromocto Fire Department who were so kind to us.

On Day 6, workers from NB Power and Hydro-Quebec, and a tree trimming crew from Maine arrived to remove the trees from the downed lines on our road. They worked all day to re-establish power to about 500 customers who depended on this particular line. We were so grateful to them, knowing they had worked since the storm hit. We were just one group among many waiting for power. On Sunday, July 13, there were still 5000 customers without power in Fredericton. By the time of this post, NB Power says most power will be restored. It is certainly the longest power outage we have ever experienced in this province.