What Is A Man To Do?

What is a new widower to do with four young children? The answer seems quite obvious. He needs to remarry quickly and that is exactly what Silas W. Cobb did. I often wonder how does a man find a suitable bride in Vermont in the year 1815. I haven’t discovered the answer yet, but I know that Silas W. Cobb prevailed in his quest for on 9 October 1815, just nine months after the death of his first wife, Silas W. Cobb remarried. His bride was Olive Throop, herself a widow.

Olive lived in Bethel, Vermont with her husband, Charles Throop, along with their four children:  Martha, Nancy, Sarah and Charles. Her husband, Charles,  passed away in 1809 prior to the birth of their son, Charles. Poor Olive had to give birth to her only son just three months after the death of her husband.

Records show that Olive did not rush into a second marriage. She was a widow for ten years. This indicates that Olive had strong, familial support. The support may have come from her father-in-law, Nathaniel Throop.

Nathaniel Throop and Elizabeth Skinner had a large family of ten children. Nathaniel was the patriarch who cared for his own family and most likely the family of his deceased son, Charles. I believe this to be true as he officiated the wedding ceremony of Silas W. Cobb and Olive Throop, his daughter-in-law. Nathaniel Throop was a Justice of the Peace.

Lessons in Story Telling

My challenge is to tell the story of the Silas W. Cobb Family. I am ready for the challenge, but struggle with mechanics. I am beginning to think that this blog is my practice ground. Stories may be repeated as I hone my skills.

One single grave marker located in the Northfield Oakwood Cemetery, Northbrook, Illinois sparked my interest in Silas W. Cobb. Silas W. Cobb was a New Englander and an ancestor unknown to me.  He resided much of his adult life in the towns of Moretown and Montpelier, Vermont.

I suspect he married Sarah Hawks sometime prior to 1802 as their first child, Adeline was born about 1802.  Adeline was followed by Edwin (1804), George Whitman (1807), Silas Bowman (1812) and Mary Ann (1814).

The end of 1814 and the beginning of 1815 must have been terribly challenging for Silas W. Cobb and his family. The Vermont Watchman Newspaper of Montpelier reported in December 1814 that infant Mary Ann Cobb died at three months of age.

Cobb, Mary Ann; age 3 months, daughter of Silas W. Cobb; Moretown; Issue Date 13 Dec 1814.

Sarah Cobb, my great, great, great grandmother, passed away on 3 January 1815. The Duxbury and Moretown Cemetery Inscriptions by Robert Morse report the following:

Cobb, Sarah, wife of Silas W. Cobb, d. Jan. 3, 1815, age 33 years

In about one month's time, Silas W. Cobb lost his youngest daughter and became a widower with four young children to raise. What is a man to do?

Lessons in Record Keeping

As a new family history researcher, I made one very large error in my early record keeping. When writing about the Cobb Family, I realize that my Cobb research was performed during those early years.  Unfortunately, it fell victim to poor record keeping and inexperience. What I know about this family has been through a hunt and peck type of strategy. I discover little information here and then a little information there.

As I matured in my research skills, I began to develop a habit of asking questions; which led to a specific type of research. I have learned to use my camera to record books, pages and any information I find. I now write my all source information and am beginning to develop a research log by family names with the hope of saving me from retracing my footsteps.

Now to the Cobbs . . .

After reading my previous post about Olive Throop, you might wonder where I gathered my information. My burning desire to travel to Vermont is on the back burner; which means I must find my information through the next best avenues.

I wrote to the Bennington History Museum, 75 Main Street, Bennington, Vermont, inquiring about Silas W. Cobb. Tyler Resch, museum librarian, provided the marriage record for Silas W. Cobb and Olive Throop. The discovery of this marriage led to the question: Who is Olive Throop and what did she bring to this marriage? 

 

 

Olive Throop Enters The Picture

Here we are returning to the story of Silas W. Cobb (March 16^th post) and revisiting the 1820 U.S. Census records for Silas W. Cobb of Moretown, Vermont. To better interpret the household members of that census, further research was needed. My amazement continues, as I am able to find so much information about a man born about 1777 on the Internet.

Following the 3 January 1815 death of “Sarah” Cobb, Silas W. remarried an Olive Peake Throop. The marriage took place on 9 Oct 1815.  Olive, widow of Charles Throop, brought four children into the new marriage. Additionally Silas W. and Olive Cobb had twins: Mary and an unknown child.

The Children of Charles and Olive Throop:

Martha Throop:              Birth Unknown

Nancy Throop:               1806

Sarah Throop:                1807

Charles Throop:             1809

The Children of Silas W. and Olive Cobb:

Mary Cobb:                     1817

Twin to Mary:                 1807

When I fill in the names of the Troop children and the Cobb children the 1820 household begins to look like this:

Free White Persons – Males – Under 10:               2 (Silas Bowman) (Charles Throop)

Free White Persons – Males – 10 thru 15:              2 (Edwin) (George Whitman)

Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44:              1 (Silas W. Cobb)

Free White Persons – Females – Under 10:            3 (Mary Ann’s Twin Sister) (Mary & Twin)

Free White Persons – Females – 10 thru 15:           2 (Nancy Throop) (Sarah Throop)

Free White Persons – Females – 16 thru 25:           2 (Adeline)

Free White Persons – Females – 26 thru 44:           1 (Olive Cobb)           

Number of Persons – Engaged in Agriculture:        1

Total Free White Persons:                                      13

           

The family appears to be complete. The question arises regarding the number of daughters named Mary and their twins. Could this possibly be repeated information? I will need to look further.

Wordless Wednesday

The Start of a New Week

Do you ever wish the days to be longer in order to get that “To Do List” checked off? I have been wishing that lately. A few too many things on my “To Do List” have made blogging a bit of a challenge.

I joined my local genealogy society and volunteered to help with the scheduling of programs for our monthly meetings. It has been a good experience. My co-chair, Bill, and I quickly filled the schedule. Our speakers have been confirmed and the year seems to be moving along smoothly.

The Illinois Humanities Council is sponsoring our April meeting. I am told we are very lucky to have received the funding and a few tasks need to completed in regards to the IHC requirements. We must advertise our April meeting in newspapers.

I made my feeble attempt at a press release and then sent it off to my daughter for her review. Luckily for me, she happens to be in the public relations field. My daughter quickly amended by work and tonight I have sent out my first official press releases!

On April 14, 2012, Ellie Carlson, Curator of Costume for the Winnetka Historical Society, will be teaching us techniques for dating photos. Guests are invited to bring photos for her review. The meeting is held at the Northbrook History Museum, 1776 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, Illinois. The meeting begins at 1:00 p.m. If you are interested, please stop in.

I must show off by first Press Release with a BIG THANK YOU to my daughter!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

North Suburban Genealogy Society Hosts Public Meeting

Attendees Invited to Bring Family Photographs for Dating

March 19, 2012 (Northbrook, Ill.) - The North Suburban Genealogy Society invites the public to attend its April 14 meeting at the Northbrook History Museum (1776 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL). The meeting will feature Ellie Carlson, Curator of Costume for the Winnetka Historical Society, and focus on dating family photos through clothing. Attendees will learn techniques for dating photos and additional tools to use in their genealogy search.

Carlson, who is quoted as saying, “Some people are married to their jobs, I date costumes,” is a museum curator with 25 years experience in small and mid-size museums. She has also completed a professional internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in the Division of Costume in 1987.

The April 14 meeting begins at 1:00 PM and is handicap accessible. This is a Road Scholar lecture sponsored by the Illinois Humanities Council.

Linda

Everyone Is Irish On St. Patrick’s Day

I would like to share an Irish tale.

Many years ago, my cousin, Michael, married a beautiful girl named Elaine who was of Italian descent. They were to be married by Elaine’s elderly Italian uncle, Father Tognucchi. I arrived at Church early, settled into a pew and patiently waited for Elaine’s elderly uncle to perform the wedding mass. I was looking forward to listening to his beautiful Italian accent. I love Italian accents.

With Father Tognucchi’s first words, I realized that this elderly, Italian priest did not have an Italian accent. He spoke with an Irish brogue! I spent the remainder of the wedding and my trip home pondering how could this be.

My soon-to-be husband and I attended their wedding reception. On the drive to Elaine and Mike’s wedding reception, I told him the story of Elaine’s elderly, Italian uncle, Father Tognuchhi. I explained how he was originally from Italy but spoke with an Irish brogue.

My future husband’s immediate response was, “Oh my gosh, I know him! Father Tony was a frequent guest in my home growing up.” As we enter the reception, there sat Father Tognucchi.  My future husband quickly approached Father Tognucchi and introduced himself. There was a heartfelt reunion with big smiles that led to a pay phone because cellular phones were not yet invented. Father Tony and my now father-in-law had a happy reunion via telephone.

How did an elderly priest from Italy learn to speak English with an Irish brogue?  And . . . how did this elderly priest from Italy become friends with an Irish-Italian Chicagoan?

During World War II, Father Tony lived in India and learned to speak English from an Irish missionary or monk. My father-in-law was also stationed in India during World War II. He was assigned to the signal corps and it is there he met Father Tony. I trust they spent a great deal of time in Church together, but I think they may have shared many adventures while stationed together in India. The two became fast friends.

I hope you enjoyed my Irish tale that involved an Italian priest and an Irish-Italian Chicagoan.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Linda