Angeline Isabelle Mayo

My 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Isabelle Mayo was born 185 years ago today, on 16 August 1831, in Virginia. She was the daughter of Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Bardil Gordon. Considering the family tradition of using family surnames as middle names, her name may actually have been Angeline Isbell Mayo.

Angeline was hard of hearing ever since her childhood. She had difficulty hearing conversations unless people spoke in a loud voice.

Statement of Angeline Binkley. Angeline Binkley, widow's pension application no. 120,126, certificate no. 166,029; service of Davidson Binkley (Pvt., Co. G, 128th Ill. Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By 1839, Angeline and her family had moved to Davidson County, Tennessee. Her mother Eliza had died by 29 July 1841, when her father Jacob married Nancy Lee.

1850 United States census, District 22, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 374A. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Angeline married Davidson Binkley on 20 January 1853 at her father's home in Whites Creek, Davidson County, Tennessee. The couple were married by Jonathan Garrett.

Marriage license for Davidson Binkley and Angeline Mayo, 19 January 1853. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

Davidson and Angeline's first child, Sara Elizabeth Binkley, was born on 28 September 1853, but died not long afterward, on 11 October 1853. Their second child, Louise Jane Binkley, was born on 15 November 1854. She died just over a year later, on 18 November 1855. Their third child, William Searcy Binkley, was born on 15 June 1856. Mrs. Raley was the midwife. Sometime after his birth, but before December 1858, the family moved to Williamson County, Illinois. Their daughter Anna Malvina Binkley (my 2nd-great-grandmother) was born there on 19 December 1858. Mrs. Grimes was the midwife.

1860 United States census, Township 9 Range 2 E, Williamson County, Illinois, population schedule, page 30, family 203. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

On 12 February 1861, their son James Rutherford Binkley was born. Mrs. Moore was the midwife.

Angeline's husband Davidson joined the Union Army on 26 September 1862 at Camp Butler, Illinois, and he mustered in at Camp Butler on 5 November 1862. He died of measles on 9 January 1863 in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois, while serving in Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry. After his death, Angeline and their children moved back to Tennessee. They lived with her brother, Samuel Lee Mayo.

1870 United States Census, District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 10. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Samuel gave Angeline money to buy a house.

From family group sheet compiled by P. C. Lampley

1880 United States census, District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 74, page 238B, family 49. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Angeline's son James Rutherford Binkley died on 20 May 1890. Her son William Searcy Binkley died on 25 April 1894.

By 1900, Angeline was living with her widowed daughter Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington and her grandchildren Viola Maydell Tarkington, Anna Gertrude Tarkington (my great-grandmother), and Robert Vaughn Tarkington. Her granddaughter Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech, Laura Belle's husband Patrick Henry Leech, and their children John Leech, Nina Leech, and Henry Leech lived nearby. Her son James Rutherford Binkley's widow Clementine Virginia (Leech) Binkley and grandchildren Burl and James Binkley also lived nearby.

1900 United States census, Civil District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 130, sheet 11A. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Angeline died of la grippe (influenza) on 26 March 1901 in Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee. She was buried in J. R. Binkley Cemetery in Vaughns Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee.

Davidson County, Tennessee. Board of Health. Death certificate, Angeline Binkley, 1901. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Angeline left part of her property and three apple trees to her daughter-in-law Clementine Virginia "Jennie" (Leech) Binkley. The property was to go to her sons when she died, or if she remarried. she left the rest of her property to her daughter Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington.

Will of Angeline Binkley. Davidson County, Tennessee, Wills, Vol. 35, 1898-1902. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.

Sunday's Obituary: William Daniel Mayo

Nashville Tennessean, 19 March 1919, page 15

MAYO––At his home, 1807 Beech avenue, at 11:40 p.m., March 17, Dr. William D. Mayo, aged 69 years and 23 days. Survived by his wife, Mrs. Bettie E. Mayo, and daughter, Mrs. Edgar G. Williams, and four grandchildren, Richard, Elizabeth, Mayo, Edgar Jr., and the following sisters and brothers : Mrs. N. J. Hudson, Mrs. Mary Price of Trenton, Tenn., and Charles, Daniel, and Alonzo Mayo.
   Funeral services at the residence this (Wednesday) afternoon at 2:30 o'clock by the Revs. W. C. Alexander and J. H. McNeilly.
   Interment at Mt. Olivet.
   Following are the pallbearers:
   Honorary––Charles H. Brandon, W. A. Beasley, John E. Shelton, S. H. Orr, L. M. Hurst, Wm. Trebing, D. P. Wrenne, J. Mert Winstead, Hamilton Parks, Alex V. Winter, W. M. Blackman, John E. Campbell.
   Active––Carter Hudson, Lee Mayo, Sidney Mayo, Tilden Mayo, Norman Harding and Ed G. Blackman.
   Cornelius-Martin Co., undertakers.

William Daniel Mayo was born on 22 February 1850 in Tennessee. He was the son of Samuel Lee Mayo (my 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Mayo's brother) and Amanda Ezell. He married Elizabeth "Bettie" Eves on 8 November 1876 in Davidson County, Tennessee. Their daughter Jennie Mayo was born on 19 July 1878. Their son Robert Lee Mayo was born in 1880, but died on 15 May 1881. Their son William Daniel Mayo Jr. was born on 27 February 1882, and died on 29 January 1901.

William worked as a druggist, and in the insurance and real estate business. He was a director of the Commercial National Bank of Nashville.

He died in Nashville, Tennessee on 17 March 1919.

Deaf History Month

Deaf History Month begins on March 13 and lasts until April 15. These dates were chosen to highlight three important events in deaf history:

13 March 1988: Irving King Jordan became the first deaf president of Gallaudet University after students protested the appointment of a hearing president

8 April 1864: President Abraham Lincoln signed the charter for the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind (now Gallaudet University)

15 April 1817: the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States, the American School for the Deaf, was founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, Dr. Mason Cogswell, and Laurent Clerc

My 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline (Mayo) Binkley was hearing-impaired. In her Civil War widow's pension application, she stated that she had been "quite deaf" since her childhood and that  it was difficult for her to hear conversations unless the words were spoken very loudly.

Angeline Binkley, widow's pension application no. 120,126, certificate no. 166,029; service of Davidson Binkley (Pvt., Co. G, 128th Ill. Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

Statement of Angeline Binkley. Angeline Binkley, widow's pension application no. 120,126, certificate no. 166,029; service of Davidson Binkley (Pvt., Co. G, 128th Ill. Inf., Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications..., 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C. 

References
American School for the Deaf
Celebrate National Deaf History Month - Beginning March 13
Gallaudet University and President Abraham Lincoln
I. King Jordan
Observing Deaf History Month 

Binkley Home and Storehouse Destroyed By Fire

Nashville American, 6 June 1901, page 2

On  4 June 1901, a fire broke out in Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee, at the home of Clementine Virginia (Leech) Binkley. The building also contained a post office and a ticket office for the Northwestern division of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. Clementine Virginia was the widow of James Rutherford Binkley, my 2nd-great-grandmother Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington's brother. She worked as postmistress and ticket agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. She was also raising her two sons, James Banks Binkley and Burl Turner Binkley. At the time of the fire, James was sixteen and Burl was almost twelve.

Fortunately, much of the furniture was saved. She also had family living nearby, and they probably helped her and her sons through this difficult time. The 1900 U.S. Census shows that she was living near her mother-in-law Angeline (Mayo) Binkley; her sister-in-law Anna Malvina (Binkley) Tarkington; Malvina's children Viola, Gertrude, and Robert Tarkington; her brother Patrick Henry Leech; Henry's wife (and Malvina's daughter) Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech; and their children John, Nina, and Henry. [Note that Virginia's son James B. Binkley's age is recorded incorrectly; perhaps the census taker wrote down that he was 17 and later misread the number as 7.]

1900 United States Census, Civil District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, enumeration district 130, sheet no. 11A. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Military Monday: Encampment at Valley Forge

Encampment at Valley Forge, 1778. Steel engraving by George W. Boynton, 1830. In Sparkes, Jared. The Life of George Washington. Boston: Tappen & Dennet, 1843. Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Encampment_at_Valley_Forge_1778.jpg

Since today is George Washington's birthday, it seemed an appropriate time to post this map of the encampment at Valley Forge, 1778. My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo and his brother Benjamin Mayo were at Valley Forge with George Washington. The Mayo brothers were in the 14th Virginia Regiment, which was part of Weedon's Brigade. Their encampment is shown on the lower left side of the map, second from the bottom. Washington was located on the other side of the encampment.

Sunday's Obituary: Zachary T. Mayo

Nashville Tennessean, 9 September 1907, page 9

         ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
                 ZACHARY T. MAYO
                       GONE TO REWARD

  ––––––––––––––––

           Liveryman Passes Away – Is Survived by 
                          Large Family Connection.

––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo, for many years one of Nashville's most prominent citizens and a descendant of one of the fine old Virginia families, died at a late hour Saturday night. In his death the community losses [sic] one of its most valued and generally liked citizens.
   Mr. Mayo's father, Samuel Lee Mayo, crossed the mountains from Virginia in the forties when a mere boy and settled in this county. He was the descendant of the old and well known Mayo, Lee, and Gordon families of the Old Dominion, who made her famous in war and peace.
  Mr. Mayo has for many years been engaged in the livery business and at the time of his death was connected with Wilkerson Bros. on Second avenue, north.
  He is survived by his wife and the following children: Wyley J. of St. Louis; Zachary Taylor, Robert Z., Mises Effie, Cora, and Eva Mayo, and Mrs. Howard Tanksley, all of this city. He also leaves four brothers, Dr. William D., Samuel Lee, Charles A., and Alonzo M. Mayo, and one sister, Mrs. W. J. Hudson, of this city.
  Mr. Mayo has been a quiet and honorable citizen, blessed with Chritsian [sic] fortitude and characterized by devotion to family and neighbors. Hiss [sic] loss will be felt by all who knew him.
  The funeral will take place this afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at McFerrin Memorial church.

       ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Zachary Taylor Mayo was the son of Stephen Lee Mayo and Amanda Ezell. He married Julia Frances Walker on 11 December 1873 in Yalobusha County, Mississippi.

Zachary's father Stephen Lee Mayo was the brother of my 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline Mayo. Their parents were Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Gordon. This obituary gives me a helpful clue.  I know that Eliza's father was Chapman Gordon, but I don't know anything else about her ancestry. Maybe Chapman Gordon's unknown first wife was a Lee.

Jacob D. Mayo's household was enumerated in Davidson County, Tennessee in the 1840 United States Census. Samuel Lee Mayo probably "crossed the mountains from Virginia" in the thirties, not the forties.

Sympathy Saturday: Card of Thanks, Mrs. S. L. Mayo and Children

Nashville Tennessean, 5 February 1922, page 16

Stephen Lee Mayo, the son of my 3rd-great-grandmother's brother Stephen Lee Mayo and Tabitha Elizabeth Riggan, died on 29 January 1922 in Nashville, Tennessee. His widow Mary Ellen (Hudson) Mayo and their children published a card of thanks in the Nashville Tennessean.

Wednesday's Child: Robert Lee Mayo

Robert Lee Mayo death record. 15 May 1881.  Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Tennessee City Death Records, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, 1848-1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Robert Lee Mayo death record. 15 May 1881.  Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Tennessee City Death Records, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, 1848-1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Robert Lee Mayo was my second cousin three times removed. He was the son of William Daniel Mayo and Elizabeth Eves, and the grandson of my 3rd-great-grandmother's brother Samuel Lee Mayo. He was born in 1880 in Tennessee. The 1880 United States Census records his age as 1/12 (about one month old).  He died in Nashville, Tennessee on 15 May 1881. The cause of death was congestion. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

52 Ancestors: Week 48 "Thankful": Samuel Lee Mayo

My 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline (Mayo) Binkley was probably thankful for the support of her older brother Samuel Lee Mayo.

Samuel Lee and Angeline were the children of Jacob Dillard Mayo and Eliza Gordon. They were born in Virginia but moved to Davidson County, Tennessee withe their parents in the 1830s.

Samuel Lee married Amanda Ezell on 5 February 1848 in Davidson County, Tennessee. They had three children: Zachary Taylor Mayo, William Daniel Mayo, and Amanda Jane Mayo. Samuel Lee married his second wife Tabitha Elizabeth Riggan on 21 September 1854 in Davidson County, Tennessee. They had four children: Samuel Lee Mayo, Mary Mayo, Charles A. Mayo, and Alonzo M. Mayo.

Angeline, her husband Davidson Binkley, and their son William Searcy Binkley moved from Tennessee to Williamson County, Illinois in the 1850s. They had two more children, Anna Malvina (my 2nd-great-grandmother) and James Rutherford Binkley. Davidson enlisted in the Union Army in 1862. He died of measles in Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois while serving with Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry.

After Davidson's death, Angeline and their children returned to Tennessee. In 1870, they lived with her brother Samuel Lee, his wife Tabitha Elizabeth, his son William, and their children Samuel Lee, Mary, Charles, and Alonzo.

1870 United States Census, District 14, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 10. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

By 1880, Angeline and her children lived on their own. Samuel Lee may have helped Angeline purchase a home.  According to a note on a family group sheet compiled by P. C. Lampley, Davidson and Angeline (Mayo) Binkley's granddaughter Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech said that "Lee Mayo" gave "Grandma Binkley" money to buy a house at Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee.

From family group sheet compiled by P. C. Lampley.

Samuel Lee Mayo seems to have been a supportive big brother to his sister Angeline. She probably felt thankful.

General Pulaski Memorial Day

General Casimir Pulaski plaque, Cambridge Commons, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Photo by Daderot (Own work) [Public domain], 14 February 2010. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

October 11 is General Pulaski Memorial Day, in honor of Casimir (Kazimierz) Pulaski. In 1929, Congress passed a resolution designating October 11 as General Pulaski Memorial Day. Since 1931, a presidential proclamation has been issued for the holiday every year.

Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski was born on 6 March 1745 in Warsaw, Poland. He and his father Józef Pulaski were among the founders of the Bar Confederation, an association formed to defend Poland against Russia and King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Pulaski became the commander after his father died in 1769. One of his military accomplishments was taking control of the Jasna Góra Monastery in September 1770. In 1771 members of the Bar Confederation attempted to kidnap King Stanisław August Poniatowski, and Pulaski was implicated. He went to Silesia, Prussia in 1772 and met with Franciszka Corvin-Krasińska, the wife of Charles of Saxony, Duke of Courland. He went to France in 1773, and attempted to join the French Army, but was unsuccessful. He spent some time in a debtors' prison in 1775. He met Benjamin Franklin in 1777. Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette recruited him for service in the Continental Army.

On 23 July 1777, Pulaski arrived in Marblehead, Massachusetts. He traveled to Pennsylvania in August, and met George Washington. His first battle in North America was the Battle of Brandywine on 11 September 1777. Pulaski gathered troops together and charged in order to prevent the British from retreating. On 15 September 1777, Washington made Pulaski a brigadier general in the Continental Army cavalry.

 Pulaski participated in the Battle of Germantown, and spent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge. He assisted General Anthony Wayne in February 1778, but returned to Valley Forge in March.

Pulaski created a new cavalry regiment, Pulaski's Legion. Its headquarters were in Baltimore, Maryland, and most of the men were recruited there.They participated in the Little Egg Harbor Massacre on 15 October 1778.

On 8 May 1779, Pulaski arrived in Charleston, South Carolina.In September, he headed to Georgia. Pulaski's regiment served as advance guard for Admiral Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing's troops. Pulaski commanded both the French and American cavalry on 9 October 1779 at the Siege of Savannah. He was wounded by grapeshot and carried off the battlefield. He died on 11 or 15 October 1779.
My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo also participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown.  He and his brother Benjamin were at Valley Forge together.

Pulaski County, Kentucky is named for Casimir Pulaski. My 5th-great-grandparents Andrew and Hannah (Hardgrave) Russell lived in Pulaski County, Kentucky, and my 4th-great-grandmother Sobrina Russell was probably born there.

References
Bar Confederation
Casimir Pulaski 
Casimir Pulaski, Father of the U.S. Cavalry
A Chronology of Casimir Pulaski's Life 1745-1779
General Casimir Pulaski (1745-1779)
General Pulaski Memorial Day

Thriller Thursday: Charles Ward Arrested for Murdering George Gee

Nashville Union and Dispatch, 14 December 1866, page 3

In February 1865, George Gee, his brother Charles Gee, and their cousin L. J. Gee were transporting whiskey from Sumner County, Tennessee to Davidson County, Tennessee. They were using three teams of four mules to transport the whiskey. When they reached the border between Sumner County and Davidson County, Charles Ward and another men began firing at the Gees, and they killed George Gee. They forced Charles and L. J. Gee to knock in the heads of the whiskey barrels. They emptied the wagons, stripped off the men's clothes, and stole the mules.

Charles Ward then got a job working at Williams' saw mills. On 28 July 1866, he married Sarah C. Cummings from Vaughn's Gap. On 10 December 1866, while Charles Ward was killing hogs, he was arrested by William Mayo of the night police and one of Joseph Cheatham's independent detectives. The officers brought Ward to Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee, and L. J. Gee identified Ward. He was then brought to the Nashville county jail to be held until the next sitting of the Gallatin court.

Some of my ancestors lived in Vaughn's Gap, although as far as I know none were living there until 1871. William Mayo of the night police was probably my relative. My Mayo ancestors moved to Tennessee from Virginia in the 1840s, and some of their other relatives also settled there. However, I have not yet determined what my relationship to him is.

Founders' Day, the Birthday of the National Park Service

On 25 August 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that established the National Park Service. Every year on August 25, the National Park Service celebrates Founders Day.

My parents have visited some of the national parks, including Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park.

I took this picture at one of the newest national parks, the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park 

Some places where my ancestors spent time are now national historical parks. My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo and his brother Benjamin camped at Valley Forge during the revolutionary War. My 5th-great-grandmother Hannah Hardgrave and her parents, my 6th-great-grandparents Francis Hardgrave and Sarah Greer, passed through the Cumberland Gap when they traveled from Wilkes County, North Carolina to Kentucky.

Valley Forge National Historical Park. Photo from the National Park Service.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Photo from the National Park Service.

Chellberg Farm is now part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. My 2nd-great-grandmother's brother Alfred Borg married Emily Kjellberg, and they lived at Chellberg Farm.

1885 brick house on Chellberg Farm. Photo by Chris Light at en.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Photo from the National Park Service.

52 Ancestors: Week 34 "Non-Population": Davidson Binkley

My 3rd-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley was enumerated in the 1860 United States Census, agricultural schedule.  He was listed as D. Binkley, but I know I found the right person because I also located him in the population schedule.

1860 United States Census, Township 9 Range 2E, Williamson County, Illinois, population schedule, page 830. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.

Davidson's farm was in Township 9, Range 2, Williamson County, Illinois (post office: Marion).

D. Binkley. 1860 United States Census, Township 9 Range 2, Williamson County, Illinois, agricultural schedule, pages 49-50. Ancestry.com. Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Schedule 4 - Productions of Agriculture 

Acres of land, improved: 20
Acres of land, unimproved: none
Cash value of farm: $200
Value of farming implements and machinery: $100

Live stock, June 1, 1860
Horses: 2
Asses and mules: none
Milch cows: 1
Working oxen: none
Other cattle: 4
Sheep: none
Swine: 7
Value of live stock: $350

Produce during the year ending June 1, 1860
Wheat: none
Rye: none
Indian corn: 120 bushels
Oats: none
Rice: none
Tobacco: none
Ginned cotton: none
Wool: none
Peas and beans: 5 bushels
Irish potatoes: 18 bushels
Sweet potatoes: 20 bushels
Barley: none
Buckwheat: none
Value of orchard products: none
Wine: none
Value of produce of market gardens: none
Butter: 100 pounds
Cheese: none
Hay: none
Clover seed: none
Grass seeds: none
Hops: none
Hemp, dew rotted: none
Hemp, water rotted: none
Other prepared hemp: none
Flax: none
Flaxseed: none
Silk cocoons: none
Maple sugar: none
Cane sugar: none
Molasses: 20 gallons, made from sorghum
Beeswax: none
Honey: none
Value of homemade manufactures: $5
Value of animals slaughtered: $40

Davidson had improved all of his property. He grew Indian corn, peas and beans, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and sorghum (which he used to make molasses). He made butter with the milk that he obtained from his milch cow.

A farmer could grow 5 top 10 acres of corn by hand, or 20 acres of corn with a horse and plow (Historic Farming: Corn). Davidson had two horses; he probably used at least one of them to plow his cornfields.

Irish potatoes do well in early spring and late fall, when the weather is cool at night (Easy Gardening: Irish Potatoes). Sweet potatoes do well in hot weather (How to Grow Sweet Potatoes). The climate in southern Illinois is between humid continental and humid subtropical (Southern Illinois). Davidson may have grown the two types of potato at different times.

Sorghum is grown in the summer months (Meet David Smith's Grain Sorghum). When sorghum molasses was produced, women were the skimmers. and the men brought in the sorghum cane. The skimming was done in a long pan over a fire (Fain's Sorghum Molasses/Sorghum Syrup). Davidson's wife, my 3rd-great-grandmother Angeline (Mayo) Binkley, may have skimmed the sorghum molasses on the family's farm. The whole family typically helped in the production of sorghum (Sorghum FAQs). In 1860, Davidson and Angeline only had two children: William, age 4, and Malvina (my 2nd-great-grandmother), age 1. They may have had help from their neighbors; some of their neighbors had also produced sorghum molasses, and sorghum making had been a community event (Fain's Sorghum Molasses/Sorghum Syrup).

Sibling Saturday: Mayo Brothers in the Revolutionary War

My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo was a private in the Revolutionary War. He was a minuteman in Captain Thompson's company under Major Campbell, a private in Captain Moses Hawkins'/Capt. John Overton's company, Colonel Charles Lewis' 14th Virginia regiment, a private in Captain Hatcher's Virginia company, and a private in Captain Anthony Hayden's Virginia company.

Stephen Mayo compiled service record. Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1081. Virginia, Fourteenth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.Available from Fold3.

Stephen's brother Benjamin was also in the 14th Virginia regiment. They were at Valley Forge together.

Benjamin Mayo compiled service record. Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783. NARA microfilm publication M881, roll 1081. Virginia, Fourteenth Regiment. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.Available from Fold3.

Their brother Joseph was a 2nd lieutenant in the Fluvanna County, Virginia Militia.

McAllister, J. T. Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. Hot Springs, Virginia: McAllister Publishing, 1913. Page 23. Available from Internet Archive. 

Their brother James was in the Albemarle County, Virginia Militia. Their half-brother Valentine Mayo was a private in the Continental Troops. Other Mayo brothers may have served as well. 

Funeral Card Friday: Rebecca (Dawson) Mayo

Image from shamurah on Ancestry.com

Rebecca Dawson was born in Virginia on 5 January 1814. On 24 November 1834, she married my 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo. They had a daughter, Martha. Stephen died on 16 March 1847. By 1850, Rebecca lived with her daughter in Newbern, Pulaski County, Virginia. She died on 7 March 1904. She was the second to last surviving Revolutionary War widow.

Presidential Proclamation - War of 1812

Madison, James. By the President of the United States of America, a proclamation. Washington, DC, 1812. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 228, Folder 8. Imprint 2. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 228, Folder 8. Digital ID rbpe 22800800 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/rbpe.22800800. 

The War of 1812 began 203 years ago today. On 18 June 1812, President James Madison issued a proclamation which stated that the United States and the United Kingdom were at war.

Some of my ancestors and other relatives participated in the War of 1812. The ones that I know of are Chapman Gordon, Francis Hardgrave, Skelton Hardgrave, Elias L. Mayo, Thomas Mayo, and Andrew Russell.

Friend of Friends Friday: Estate Inventory of Mayo Children, Legatees of William Isbell

When my 6th-great-grandfather William Isbell passed away, he left 57 acres of land and three slaves to the children of his deceased daughter Ann (Isbell) Mayo, my 5th-great-grandmother: William Mayo, Mary W. Mayo, James W. Mayo, Thomas Mayo, Elias L. Mayo, Jacob D. Mayo (my 4th-great-grandfather), and Stephen L. Mayo. The children's father, my 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo, acted as their guardian.

Guardians' Account Book, 1794 - 1852. Fluvanna County, Virginia. Microfilm reel 24 or 59, Library of Virginia.

An inventory of the estate of William Mayo Mary W. Mayo James W. Mayo, Thomas Mayo Elias L. Mayo Jacob D. Mayo and Stephen L. Mayo Infants of Stephen Mayo and Legatees of William Isbell deceased which hath come to my hands as Guardian for the said Infants to wit.

The 13th Lot of Land containing fifty seven acres lying in the County of Goochland

One negro woman named Minny	}	Received from the admin-
One negro Girl named Aikey (?)	}	istrators of William Isbell
One negro Boy named Barnett	}	deceased.

                                                          Stephen Mayo Guardian
                                                          July 25th 1808

At a Court held for Fluvanna County on monday the 25th day of July 1808. This Inventory of the estate of William Mayo Mary W. Mayo James W. Mayo Thomas Mayo Elias L. Mayo Jacob D. Mayo and Stephen L. Mayo Infants of Stephen Mayo and Legatees of William Isbell deceased was this day returned by the said Stephen Mayo their Guardian and ordered to be recorded.
                                                            Teste
                                                                     John Timberlake C. F. C.

Continental Army Enters Valley Forge

The Encampment at Valley Forge, PA. Lossing, Benson John. Field Book of the Revolution. Vol. 2. New York: Harper Brothers, 1855. Page 128. Available from Wikipedia.

On 19 December 1777, George Washington and his Continental Army entered their winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. 12,000 men marched in from their encampment at White Marsh (now Fort Washington State Park). They began constructing huts; the first one was completed in three days.

By the end of the winter, more than 2,500 soldiers had died from diseases such as dysentery, influenza, pneumonia, typhoid fever, typhus, and smallpox.

My 5th-great-grandfather Stephen Mayo was at Valley Forge. He was in Weedon's Brigade, 14th Virginia Regiment.The muster roll shows that he was sick in the winter. Fortunately, he survived. 163 men from his brigade died at Valley Forge.

Every December 19 at Valley Forge National Historical Park, there is a march in to commemorate the arrival of the Continental Army.

References
Annual March In of the Continental Army Commemoration
Continental Army enters winter camp at Valley Forge
The Encampment 
History & Culture - Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge
Valley Forge Legacy: The Muster Roll Project
Washington leads troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge

52 Ancestors: #49 Anna Gertrude Tarkington

My great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington was born on 16 April 1889 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the fourth of five children, and youngest daughter, of James William Tarkington and Anna Malvina Binkley. When she was five years old, her father died. In 1900, she lived with her mother, her maternal grandmother Angeline (Mayo) Binkley, her sister Viola Maydell, and her brother Robert. Her oldest sister Laura Belle had married Patrick Henry Leech and lived nearby. When the 1900 United States census was taken, her sister Margaret was enumerated in the household of their paternal grandparents. By 1905, Gertrude was working as a telephone operator for the East Tennessee Telephone Company.

Nashville City Directory, 1905. Nashville, TN: Marshall-Bruce-Polk Co. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

On 12 June 1907, Gertrude gave birth to a son, Robert Leland Taylor. He died on  4 July 1907 and was buried in the family cemetery in Vaughn's Gap, Tennessee. Gertrude's sister Margaret "Maggie" was the informant on the death certificate; she stated that the father was unknown. But since her child had a different surname, Gertrude must have known who his father was. I suspect that Maggie also knew, but did not wish to reveal his name.

On 19 November 1909, Gertrude married Henry Brown Gatlin in Nashville. She probably did not know it, but he had not yet divorced his first wife Rose Kuenninger. Shortly after their marriage, Henry and Gertrude moved to Chicago, Illinois. Their first child, my paternal grandfather Henry Cornelius Gatlin, was born in Chicago on 14 April 1910. My grandfather should have been enumerated in the 1910 United States census; it was supposed to include everyone who was in the household on 15 April 1910. However, he was not enumerated. Henry and Gertrude were incorrectly enumerated under the surname Galter. They were lodgers in the household of N. King, and several other lodgers also resided in the household. Gertrude and Henry were probably not the ones who provided the information to the census taker. Henry divorced his first wife Rose in 1916, probably without telling Gertrude.

On 26 June 1923, Gertrude gave birth to a stillborn son, Eugene Joseph Gatlin. The stillbirth was caused by placenta previa. Eugene Joseph was buried in Oak Forest Cemetery, Oak Forest, Cook County, Illinois.

On 29 November 1929, Gertrude filed for divorce. On 26 August 1929, while he was drunk, her husband Henry had threatened her life and thrown her out of their home. He later tried to break into her new residence with the intention of hurting her. She obtained a restraining order against him. Because no one appeared to prosecute the case, it was dismissed. She and her husband remained separated. In the 1930 United States census, Gertrude and her son (my grandfather) were living in the household of Walter E. Davis. They were listed as lodgers. Like Gertrude, Walter had been born in Tennessee. They later married. I suspect that they were already in a relationship at the time that the 1930 U.S. Census was taken. Gertrude was listed as widowed, but her husband was still alive.

On 24 January 1935, Gertrude's mother passed away in Memphis, Tennessee. She had been visiting her granddaughter (Gertrude's niece) Nina (Leech) Clark. Gertrude was the informant on her mother's death certificate; she may have been visiting prior to her mother's death, or may have traveled to Memphis immediately after hearing the news.

In late 1939, Gertrude's niece Louise (her sister Margaret's daughter) came to stay with her and Walter (called "Bill") at their residence, 4710 No. Wolcott Av., Chicago, Illinois. Louise's husband and former stepfather John Joseph Berberick had recently passed away. They had been living in Cedarville, New York. Margaret had passed away in 1929.

In the 1940 United States census, Gertrude and Walter were listed as married. However, they may not have actually been married at that time. According to my father's baby book, for his first birthday in 1942, he received a birthday gift from Grandma Gatlin and Bill Davis. For his second birthday in 1943, he received a gift from Grandma Davis. There is a section about trips in my father's baby book, and it says that on August 1, 1943 he took a train to Utica, New York to see his Grandma Davis. Gertrude and Bill moved to New York sometime in the early 1940s. They must have been in New York by 1943.They lived on Orangeport Road in Brewerton, Onondaga County, New York. I am not sure if their home on Orangeport Road was their only New York residence. or just their last one. My father remembers that they had wild strawberries in their backyard. Gertrude was a member of the Brewerton Methodist Church and its Women's Society of Christian Service (now United Methodist Women).

There were many "black sheep" on my grandfather's father's side of the family, but my grandfather was a good man. He must have taken after his mother's side of the family. Gertrude must have been a good mother, and raised him well. Looking at the photo below, I definitely see a resemblance between my grandfather and his mother. As a cat lover, I am glad to see that Gertrude appears to have liked cats.

Gertrude died in St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse, New York on 9 July 1959, as a result of ovarian cancer. She was buried in Cedarville Cemetery in Cedarville, New York, near her sister Margaret.

 Mexico Independent, 17 May 1959, page 13

Certificate of death, Gertrude Davis. 9 July 1959. New York State Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics.

Syracuse Post Standard, 10 July 1959, page 9.

Thankful Thursday: Peggy Lorraine (Clark) Trickey Lampley

Fred and Peggy (Clark) Trickey. Milwaukee Journal, 10 October 1943.

I am thankful for my second cousin once removed, Peggy Lorraine (Clark) Trickey Lampley. Peggy was the daughter of Clifford Irwin Clark and Nina Lorraine Leech. Nina was the daughter of Patrick Henry Leech and Laura Belle Tarkington. Laura Belle was my great-grandmother Anna Gertrude Tarkington's oldest sister.

I never met Peggy, but I have several family group sheets that she compiled, which she probably sent to my paternal grandfather. Most of the information was taken from the family Bible of Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech, and from notes that Laura Belle wrote before she died.

My 3rd-great-grandfather's name was recorded as Benjamin Davidson Binkley. All the other documents that I have found give his name as Davidson Binkley. The name of his wife, my 3rd-great-grandmother, was recorded as Angeline Isabelle Mayo. I wonder if her middle name was actually Isbell (her paternal grandmother's maiden name),

The names and dates of birth and death of Davidson and Angeline's children are recorded. Their first two children, Sara Elizabeth and Louise Jane, died very young; Sara Elizabeth lived for about two weeks, and Louise Jane lived for just over a year. These children never appeared in census records, and there were no Tennessee birth and death certificates in the 1850s. If I did not have Peggy's family group sheet, I would not know about these children.

The family group sheet for Davidson Binkley and Angeline Mayo includes a note which states that Davidson Binkley had worked for Spillers (possibly for the Spiller family; he is buried in Spiller Cemetery in Williamson County, Illinois), that Lee Mayo (Angeline's brother) had worked for "old Mrs. DeMoss" at Bellevue,  and that Lee Mayo gave "Grandma Binkley" (his sister Angeline) money to buy a house at Vaughn's Gap, Tennessee. The family group sheet for my 3rd-great-grandparents Joseph Tarkington and Amanda Russell includes the note "Pauline Chilton Tarkington told Maydell that Amanda Russell was a great beauty & southern belle who married beneath her" and also mentions that Pauline has a picture. (I would love to see this picture someday!)

If Peggy had not compiled these family group sheets and shared them with my family, I never would have known these things. I am very thankful that she shared them.

I wonder what happened to Laura Belle (Tarkington) Leech's family Bible. I suspect that Peggy probably had it; her mother was Laura Belle's only daughter, and family documents are often passed down to daughters. Peggy died in 1985. When I learned that she had a son with her husband Fred Logan Trickey (also named Fred Logan Trickey), I hoped that I could get in touch with him. I found out that he had been living in New York City, not too far away from me, but then I learned that he had died in 2010. Her other son is sportscaster Jim Lampley; because he is a public figure, it may not be easy to get in touch with him.