Wordless Wednesday :: 1936 Death of Eva M. Smith

1931 :: Death of H. I. Brackett

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 3rd day of July . . . in the year 1931 . . . Herbert Ierson Brackett dies at the Chevy Chase Sanatarium in Washington, D.C. . . . better known as H.I. Brackett, he is a 3rd cousin five times removed to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and he is the compiler of the Brackett Genealogy which tells the stories of Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth and Captain Richard Brackett of Braintree with Biographies of the Immigrant Fathers, Their Sons, and Others of Their Posterity . . . cousin Herbert wrote the following brief bio about himself on page 339 of his book . . .

1720 :: Birth of John Brackett

On this date in our family history . . . the 29th day of June . . . in the year 1720 . . . a baby boy is born to Samuel Brackett and Sarah Emery . . . probably somewhere in Maine . . . he is given the name of John Brackett . . . and is a 6th great-grandpa of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . 


Brackett Genealogy Descendants
of Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth
and Captain Richard Brackett of Braintree.
With Biographies of the Immigrant Fathers,
Their Sons, and Others of Their Posterity
By Herbert Ierson Brackett:

1690 :: Death of Thaddeus Clarke

Regarding this date in our extended family history . . . the 16th day of May . . . in the year 1690 . . . it is recorded that The brave Lieut. Clark was no more. . . . They were fired upon, and before they could defend themselves, were fallen upon by the French and Indians, with their swords and tomahawks with so great slaughter that but few escaped, and they badly wounded. . . . at the time of his death Thaddeus is married to Elizabeth Mitton who is a sister to Mary Brackett nee Mitton . . . who is a 9th great-grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . . Elizabeth and Mary are daughters of Michael Mitton who at one time held Peaks Island . . .

1752 :: Death of Samuel Brackett

On this date in our family history . . . the 27th day of April . . . in the year 1752 . . . 80-year-old Samuel Brackett dies in Berwick, York County, Maine . . . this Samuel is a 4th great-grandpa to Jerusha Marilla Smith nee Barker (1841-1899) . . . who is paternal grandma to Elizabeth Marilla Henry nee Smith (1912-1932) . . . who is the maternal grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and this Samuel Brackett is also a 1st cousin three times removed to Peter Brackett (1838-1927) . . . who is the adoptive father of Eva May Smith (1874-1936) . . . who is the mother of the above mentioned Elizabeth . . .


Samuel Brackett, the First in Berwick

In addition to the above, H.I. Brackett also wrote in his Brackett Genealogy (1907) that . . .

On the [Samuel Brackett, Jr.] farm [York County] is a family burying ground where are the graves of Samuel Brackett, Jr., and of his wives. At his grave is a well preserved headstone. In the yard are graves unmarked by stones, and these are thought to be the graves of Samuel, Sr., and of his wife, Elizabeth Botts.

1913 :: Gettysburg Reunion

One hundred years ago . . . in July of 1913 . . . aging veterans of the war between the states were gathered on a hallowed battlefield in Adams County, Pennsylvania . . . amongst those survivors were representatives of the 5th Maine . . . and one of those regal gentlemen was Peter Brackett, the youngest of thirteen children said to have been born to William Brackett, a veteran of the Revolutionary War . . . the originals of the photos in this collage are from Peter's photos . . . and they were last known to be in the possession of some of his kinfolk in Lynn, Massachusetts . . .


In 1913, the State of Maine offered to pay the expenses and arrange transportation to Gettysburg and back for any Maine resident who had participated in the battle in 1863 and who wanted to attend the 50-year reunion . . . it is known that he attended, so mayhaps this veteran of the 5th Maine, Peter Brackett, accepted Maine's assistance in making that sentimental journey . . .

In this photo, Peter Brackett (1838-1927) is standing in the yard of the home he shared with the family of Eva Mae Smith nee Brackett (1874-1936) . . . this Eva was known as Grammie Smith to the Mother of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and she was raised as the daughter of Peter and Lizzie (Merrill) Brackett . . . click on Eva's name in this paragraph to read the rest of the story about her connection to this Peter Brackett, who, as it turns out, is also a 3rd great-grandson of the same Anthony Brackett who is the 10th great-grandpa of the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

1864 :: Death of Henry Hobbs

On this date in our family history . . . the 18th day of February . . . in the year 1864 . . . Henry Hobbs dies in Harrison Village, Cumberland County, Maine . . . and is memorialized with a tombstone in the Maple Ridge Cemetery in Cumberland County . . . this Henry is a 4th great-grandpa to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .






from Early Settlers of Harrison, Maine With an Historical Sketch of the Settlement, Progress and Present Condition of the Town By Gideon Tibbetts Ridlon

1700 :: Birth of Sarah Emery

On this date in our family history . . . the 4th day of February . . . in the year 1700 . . . it is said that Sarah Emery was born in Kittery (Berwick) in Maine . . . this Sarah is a 7th great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . and this info is as recorded in the Brackett Genealogy by H.I. Brackett . . .

1896 :: Birth of Little Helen

On this date in our family history . . . the 18th day of November . . . in the year 1896 . . . probably somewhere in Maine . . . a baby girl is born . . .

She is raised as Helen F. Brackett, and is said to be the daughter of Peter Brackett (1838-1927) and his wife, Elizabeth J. "Lizzie" Merrill (1841-1911). At the time of Helen's birth, Peter is 58, and Lizzie is 55 years of age.

For many years, it was believed that Peter and Lizzie were the birth-parents of Helen's older "sister" -- Eva May Smith (1874-1936) -- until the family lore from Maine was passed on to the Texas descendants that Eva May was actually the daughter of Lizzie's younger sister, Phoebe (1848-1927). Eva May is a maternal great-grandma of the Keeper of this blog.

Even before receipt of this info -- due to the age of Peter and Lizzie at the time of Helen's birth, as well as the gap of almost 23 years between the birth of their two "daughters" (and only children) -- there were questions about Helen's true parentage.

She is enumerated on the 1900 census as 3-year-old Hellen Brackett. And there is a small grave-marker for this little one sitting beside the tombstone of Peter and Lizzie. Engraved on it are the following words :-


Helen F. Dau. of
Peter & Lizzie J. Brackett
Nov. 18, 1896.
May 31, 1906.
Darling, we miss you.
That is all we know at this time. Little Helen needs to be researched further . . . her findagrave memorial page


begotten and not forgotten . . .

Genealogy of Ex-Speaker Reed (1839-1902)

On this date . . . the 13th day of December . . . in the year 1902 . . . in the extended branches of our family tree . . . the following article ran in The New York Times . . . the ex-Speaker Reed mentioned below is my 5th cousin 5 times removed, Thomas Brackett Reed (1839-1902) . . . he had fallen ill and died in Washington, D.C. on the previous 7th day of December . . . shortly after attending the 67th birthday party of his friend (and another of our distant cousins), Mark Twain . . . 

Incredulity has been excited in some quarters by the statement that ex-Speaker Reed belonged to the eighth generation of a Portland family. This statement appeared in several obituary articles, and it did seem inconsistent with general impressions as to the antiquity of American families and towns.

Portland, however, was not founded yesterday or the day before, and Mr. Reed took more than usual pains to look up the records of his forbears, making the task the amusement of an active life, of course, instead of the business of an idle one, and thereby avoiding any possible criticism on the subject of his genealogical tastes.

His investigations carried him back to one George Cleeve, who settled in 1632 on what was then called Falmouth Neck, first as the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who owned all the land thereabout, and remained in a similar capacity for Alexander Rigby, who, exercising authority derived from Cromwell, erected the region into a province named Lygonia, and made Cleeve Governor of it.

Cleeve had no sons, but his only daughter, Elizabeth, married an adventurous Irishman, Michael Mitton, who had drifted to the colony, and one of her daughters, in turn, married the famous Indian fighter, Anthony Brackett, from whom Mr. Reed derived his middle name. The remainder of the line, as Mr. Reed himself once gave it, runs --

• Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth
• Thomas Brackett (killed by the Indians in Portland)
• Joshua Brackett
• Anthony Brackett
• Thomas Brackett
• Mary Brackett (married Joseph Reed)
• Thomas Brackett Reed, Sr.
• Thomas Brackett Reed, Jr.

The fancy may be innocently, if not very profitably, exercised in crediting to one or another of these ancestors the various elements in Mr. Reed's character. Many a European nobleman cannot trace his descent so far, or with so much reason for honest pride and personal satisfaction, as the ex-Speaker could. Several times, as now, the house had depended for perpetuation upon an only daughter.

Wordless Wednesday :: Morrill Hobbs d. 1826

Killed in Maine in 1689 -- Uncles Anthony & Andrew

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 21st day of September . . . in the year 1689 . . . two great-grand-uncles of the Keeper of this family history blog were killed in Maine during the Indian Wars . . . Andrew Alger, Jr., a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa John Alger, was killed in a battle at Falmouth while fighting under Benjamin Church . . . and Captain Anthony Brackett, a younger brother of my 9th great-grandpa, Thomas Brackett, was killed on his farm at Back Cove, on the site of the well known mansion of the James Deering* family, a short distance from Deering's Bridge in Portland . . .

*Deering Oaks large public area in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. The area was the site of a September 1689 battle between the British, French, and Native Americans. The City of Portland largely acquired the land from the Deering, Preble, and Fessenden families in 1879 as part of the rebuilding following the devastating 1866 fire. The pond in Deering Oaks at one time, filled and drained with the ocean tides. It was naturally connected to Back Cove until altered to suit roadways in the late 19th century. Deering Oaks also hosts the city's monument to the Spanish-American War. During the winter, one can ice skate on the frozen pond, and until the late 1990's, paddle boats could be rented during the summer season to explore the confines of the pond and enjoy the scenery.

Tombstone Tuesday :: Snow at Laurel Hill Cemetery

This is a snowy view of the Smith burial plot and the area surrounding it in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, Maine . . . the snow photos were taken in March of 1998 . . . click on the photo to enlarge it . . .

Christmas of 1888 - John Greenleaf Whittier

On this date in our extended family history . . . the 17th day of December . . . in the year 1807 . . . John Greenleaf Whittier is born in Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts . . . this future poet found his way into the extended branches of our family tree by way of the fact that . . . his great-grand-uncle, Nathaniel Whittier (1658-1722) . . . was married in 1710 to Mary Brackett (ca.1670-1742) . . . who is a double 1st cousin 10 times removed to the Keeper of this family history blog, i.e. . . .

• Mary's father is Anthony Brackett (ca.1636 - 21 Sept 1689) . . . who is a brother of Thomas Brackett (ca.1635-11 Aug 1676) . . . who is a 9th great-grandpa of the Keeper of this family history blog . . . 

• Mary's mother is Ann Mitton . . . who is a sister of Mary Mitton . . . who married the previously mentioned Thomas Brackett . . . and is a 9th great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog . . .

New York Times. December 18, 1888. Whittier's Birthday. Quietly Celebrated at his Farmhouse at Oak Knoll. Danvers, Mass., Dec. 17. -- At the quiet farmhouse at Oak Knoll, on the outskirts of the town of Danvers, there was a pleasant family circle to-day, and one of the most beloved of New-England's famous sons received congratulations on his eighty-first birthday. 

Here, surrounded with the tender care of the Misses Johnson and Mrs. Woodman the poet, John G. Whittier is quietly passing the Winter. Today being the anniversary of his birth The Time's representative called to pay his respects. 

The poet was found in his library, his erect figure and bright but kindly eye and the warm pressure of the hand gave but little token that more than fourscore years had passed over his head. A slight defect in hearing and snow-white hair and beard are the outward symbols of his ripe years. . . . 

Whittier would write of The Christmas of 1888 as follows . . .

Low in the east, against a white, cold dawn,
The black-lined silhouette of the woods was drawn,
And on a wintry waste
Of frosted streams and hillsides bare and brown,
Through thin cloud-films a pallid ghost looked down,
The waning moon half-faced.
In that pale sky and sere, snow-waiting earth,
What sign was there of the immortal birth?
What herald of the One?
Lo! swift as thought the heavenly radiance came,
A rose-red splendor swept the sky like flame,
Up rolled the round, bright sun!

And all was changed. From a transfigured world
The moon's ghost fled, the smoke of home-hearths curled
Up to the still air unblown.
In Orient warmth and brightness, did that morn
O'er Nain and Nazereth, when the Christ was born,
Break fairer than our own?

The morning's promise noon and eve fulfilled
In warm, soft sky and landscape hazy-filled
And sunset fair as they;
A sweet reminder of His holiest time,
A summer-miracle in our winter clime,
God gave a perfect day.

The near was blended with the old and far,
And Bethlehem's hillside and the Magi's star
Seemed here, as there and then, --
Our homestead pine-tree was the Syrian palm,
Our heart's desire the angels' midnight psalm,
Peace, and good-will to men!

See also ::

• Barefoot Boy (1855)
• Snow-bound -- A Winter Idyll (1865)
• Happy Birthday, Fireside Poet
• The Book our Mothers Read

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love
from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year...
These make a Merry Christmas!
John Greenleaf Whittier  17 December 1807 ~ 07 September 1892  

Longfellow and Cleeves and Peaks Island

This post about Longfellow and Cleeves and Peaks Island is reposted here today for Bill West's Great American Local Poem Genealogy Challenge. Click > HERE < to find links to each of the blogs that participated in this challenge.

The story behind the 1987 movie, The Whales of August, was based on the memories of the author, David Berry . . . regarding time spent at the family cottage on Peaks Island . . . 

The water-themed postcards on this collage are images of Peaks Island . . . which is the most populated of the multiple islands that dot the surface of the waters of Casco Bay . . . clockwise from the upper left, the captions on these postcards are as follows --

• S.S. Merryconeac landing at Pier, Peaks Island, Me.
• General view of water front, Peak's Island, Maine
• The Steamboat Landing, Peaks Island
• On the float, Peaks Island, Me.

Based on the few words scribbled on the back of some old family photos, it seems apparent that my New England maternal kinfolk spent time on Peaks Island at least through the 1920s . . . the sepia-toned image in the lower right corner is a photo of my maternal grandma . . . the words on the back simply say, "Elizabeth and Beauty, Peaks Island, June 25, 1925."

Another photo from the same collection, dated the same day, is the black and white image towards the left which is simply inscribed with the date and the words . . . "5th Me." . . . when I first saw those words, I had no idea what they meant, or what the building in the photo was . . . but after a bit of detective work, I found that this is a photo of what is now known as the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum on Peaks Island . . . Elizabeth's maternal grandpa, Peter Brackett (1838-1927), had enlisted in Co. B of the Fifth Maine infantry in 1861 . . . 

Regarding Peaks Island itself, A history of Peaks Island and its people . . . by Nathan Goold (1897) says that --

The history of Peaks Island commences almost with the settlement of Portland, and perhaps before. . . . George Cleeve and Richard Tucker settled Portland in 1633 and built themselves a log house near the spot where the poet Longfellow was born in 1807. . . . In 1637, by a commission from Sir Fernando Gorges, for letting and settling of lands and the islands, Cleeve leased Pond (Peaks) Island to Michael Mitton for sixty years, and stated that the name should be Michael's Island for Mitton, who had married his daughter, Elizabeth Cleeve. . . .

George Cleeve is a 9th great-grandpa of our Elizabeth (1912-1932) . . . and his daughter, Elizabeth, and son-in-law, Michael Mitton, are our Elizabeth's 8th great-grandparents . . .





At a meeting held in Portland on Monday evening, February 27, 1882, the Maine Historical Society celebrated the seventh-fifth birthday of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . . . it was the desire of the members that Mr. Longfellow himself might honor the Society by his presence on that occasion . . . but he was prevented by illness from attending . . . and he died less than a month later . . . 

The following is excerpted from a tribute read by James Phinney Baxter on that evening . . . I quote it here because it waxes poetic about the sea (water) as well as about our great-grandpa Cleeves --

. . . Dear Master let me take thy hand a space,
And lead thee gently wheresoe'er I may;
With the salt sea's cool breath upon thy face,
And in thine ears the music of the spray,
Which rapt in days agone thy sould away,
Where hung full low the golden fruit of truth,
Within the reach of thy aspiring youth.
Thou knowest well the place: here built George Cleeves
Almost two centuries before thy birth;
Here was his cornfield; here his lowly eaves
Sheltered the swallows, and around his hearth
The red men crouched, -- poor souls of little worth:
Thou with clear vision seest them, I know,
As they were in the flesh long years ago.

Surely the shrewd, persistent pioneer
Built better than he knew: he thought to build
A shelter for himself, his kith and gear;
But felled the trees, and grubbed and ploughed and tilled,
That in the course of time might be fulfilled
A wondrous purpose, being no less than this,
That here a poet might be born to bliss.

Ah! could he but have tracked adown the dim
Long, weary path of years, and stood to-day
with thee and me, how would the eyes of him
Have flashed with pride and joy to hear men say,
Here Cleeves built the first house in Casco Bay;
Here, too, was our Longfellow's place of birth,
And sooth, God sent his singers upon earth. . . .

Here will I bid thee, Master, fond good-by,
Wishing thee soul-health and full many a day
Of blissful living, ere thou mayest try
The scope of other joys. And now I may
This wreath from Deering's Woods, O Master! I lay
Upon thy brow. God speed thee while the sun
Shines on the faithful work which thou hast done!

It has been said that Longfellow used words to paint visions of the New England coast and its waters . . . a talent which is well illustrated in an unpublished passage of blank verse from his journal dated the 18th August 1847 --

O faithful, indefatigable tides,
That evermore upon God's errands go,
Now sea-ward, bearing tidings of the land,
Now land-ward, bearing tidings of the sea,
And filling every frith and estuary.
Each arm of the great sea, each little creek
Each thread and filament of water-courses,
Full with your ministration of delight!
Under the rafters of this wooden bridge
I see you come and go; sometimes in haste
To reach your journey's end, which being done
With feet unrested ye return again,
But recommence the never-ending task,
Patient, with whatever burdens ye may bear,
And fretted only by impending rocks.

Another Longfellow poem -- A Gleam of Sunshine -- simply states that . . .

This is the place. Stand still, my steed,
Let me review the scene,
And summon from the shadowy Past
The forms that once have been.
The Past and Present here unite
Beneath Time's flowing tide,
Like footprints hidden by a brook,
But seen on either side. . . .

P.S. To my ancestors and loved ones . . . see you on the other side . . .

P.P.S. Longfellow is my 5th cousin 6 times removed, i.e., my 10th great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Burbage) Wiswall (abt.1610 - aft.1664), is his 4th great-grandmother. My 10th great-grandfather, Thomas Wiswall (bef.1601 - 1683), is his 4th great-grandfather.

The above postcard collage . . . featuring postcards with a water theme . . . was originally prepared in August of 2009 for the 4th edition of Evelyn Yvonne Theriault's Festival of Postcards . . . 

1936 :: Death of Eva May

On this date in our family history . . . the 7th day of October . . . in the year 1936 . . . Eva May Smith dies in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts . . . my Mom (born in 1932) knew this Eva as her Grammie Smith for four short years . . . Eva was my maternal great-grandma . . .

Biddeford Daily Journal, Thursday Evening, October 8, 1936. Mrs. Eva Smith Died in Lynn. Mrs. Eva M. Smith, widow of Thomas W. Smith, a former resident of this city, died Wednesday in Lynn, Mass. Her age was 62 years. Funeral services will be held at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon at the Dennett & Craig funeral home, 365 Main street, Saco [Maine].

Burial followed in the family plot at the Laurel Hill Cemetery . . .

1691 :: Brackett Massacre

Upon looking at a calendar from the year 1691 it does appear that the following described "terrible last TUESDAY of September, 1691" was actually the 29th day of that September . . . and in looking around the internet, it was found that some other bloggers, et al are indeed using the 29th instead of the 28th as the date for this event . . . so the date on this blogpost was edited to reflect that info . . . the date was left "as is" in the quotes from historical documents . . .






"The blow fell on Tuesday, September 28, 1691. 

On that day were killed Anthony Brackett and his wife; also on that day were made captives two children of his son, John Brackett." H.I. Brackett, 1907.

• Anthony & his wife [Eleanor?], are 7th great-grandparents to Thomas Warren Alonzo Smith (1866-1920) . . . who is the father of Elizabeth Marilla Henry nee Smith (1912-1932) . . . who is the maternal grandma to the Keeper of this family history blog . . .
  
• This Thomas married Eva Mae (1874-1936) in 1894 . . . who was raised by Peter & Lizzie (Merrill) Brackett . . .
  
• This Peter (1838-1927) is a 3rd great-grandson of the same Anthony.
• Peter's wife was Lizzie Brackett nee Merrill (1841-1911) . . . who was an older sister of Phoebe Merrill (1848-1927) who gave birth to Eva Mae.

According to the Brackett Genealogy published by H.I. Brackett in 1907, the following is one version of the attack that became known as The Brackett Massacre : —

 

The sons of Francis Rand went a fishing; the sons of ould Goodman Brackett were in the salt marsh and with no suspicion of danger. The settlers went about their usual vocations. Early in the afternoon a party of Indians came from the eastward in canoes, landed at Sandy Beach, left the garrison there unmolested, and attacked the homes of the defenseless ones, killing and capturing twenty-one persons.

Among the killed was Francis Rand, one of the first settlers. When his sons came in from fishing they followed the Indians over to Bracketts, fired upon them and frightened them away. The sons of Anthony Brackett who had the guns with them ran to the garrison at Odiorne's Point. . . .

The Keeper of this family history blog descends from Anthony & his wife by way of their son, Thomas Brackett, who had been killed in August of 1676 during King Philip's War. Another of their sons, Anthony, died two years before his parents, in September of 1689.


The full text of Brackett genealogy: descendants of Anthony Brackett of Portsmouth and Captain Richard Brackett of Braintree. With biographies of the immigrant fathers, their sons, and others of their posterity can be found > HERE < and is introduced by H. I. Brackett in the following manner : -

I have observed that old people live much in the past. As I grow older I find myself turning oftener to the days in the old home. I hear the patter and the prattle of childish feet and voice; light step of youth and maid; sober footfall and serious word of man and matron; the slowing step and failing voice of age. All, all are gone! I alone am left of . . .

The dear home faces whereupon
The fitful firelight paled and shown.
Hence forward, listen as I will
The voices of that hearth are still.
How strange it seems with so much gone
Of life and love to still live on.
Mrs. Silence J. Soule.

See also . . . The Brackett Massacre at cousin Heather's geneablog which is aka Nutfield Genealogy . . .

1911 :: Burial of Lizzie J. Brackett

*Is this the Lizzie who was married to Peter Brackett?

On this date in our family history . . . the 28th day of July . . . in the year 1911 . . . Elizabeth J. Brackett nee Merrill is laid to rest in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, York County, Maine . . . familiarly known as Lizzie, she is an older sister of Phoebe, who is a 2nd great-grandma of the Keeper of this family history blog, AND . . . this Lizzie is the woman who raised Phoebe's daughter (my great-grandma), Eva Mae, as her own child . . .

Biddeford Daily Journal
Friday, July 28, 1911

Service Largely Attended

Funeral of Mrs. Lizzie J. Brackett Was This Afternoon

Funeral services for Mrs. Lizzie J. Brackett were this afternoon at 2 o'clock in her late home on Beach Street, Saco, and were largely attended by relatives and friends. The service was conducted by Rev. H.R. Simonds, pastor of the Advent Christian church, this city, and the singing was by a quartette from the same society.

About the casket were many beautiful flowers, which bore silent testimony to the high esteem in which Mrs. Brackett was held. Among these was a cushion from Mr. and Mrs. T.W.A. Smith, this city, which bore the word "mother." There was also a spray of roses from Mrs. Brackett's little grandson, Thomas W.A. Smith. Besides these there were many other set pieces from the societies to which Mrs. Brackett belonged as well as from relatives and friends.

Interment was at Laurel Hill. The bearers were four members of the Advent church.

Biddeford Daily Journal
Wednesday Evening, July 26, 1911 

DEATH OCCURS AT 70 YEARS

MRS. BRACKETT ILL BUT A FEW HOURS

The death of Mrs. Lizzie J. Brackett, wife of Peter Brackett of Saco, occurred at her home, 74 Beach street, about 5 o'clock Tuesday night at the age of 70 years and four months, after an illness of comparatively a few hours. Mrs. Brackett, who had been one of the most active and interested women in patriotic circles, was stricken with apoplexy Monday, since which time until her death Tuesday evening her condition was most critical.

She was born in Scarboro, and was the daughter of William T. and Olive J. (Goodwin) Merrill, and was the oldest of a family of 11 children. Mrs. Brackett had lived for many years in Biddeford and Saco, where she has been a prominent member of the Pythian Sisterhood, the Golden Cross. She was also a member of the Christian Advent church on Hill street. She was possessed of most generous characteristics and was a friend in time of need.

Besides her husband Mrs. Brackett leaves three brothers, Daniel H., George and Fred of Pine Point, and three sisters, Mrs. Phoebe Tripp of Gorham, Mrs. Nellie Sullivan and Emma Snow of Pine Point. The funeral will be Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the late residence. Relatives and friends invited without further notice.

*The image of the lady in the collage (above) was shared by a cousin in Maine . . . this woman was identified as "Lizzie Merrill" but the cousin is not sure if it is the Lizzie who married Peter Brackett . . . please do contact benotforgot if you are able to positively identify this woman.

100 years ago ... for Saturday Night with Randy ...

For tonight's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver -- my new-found distant cousin!* (clarify :: didn't just find HIM but did just find that we are related!) -- says that "Tonight's Genealogy Fun is to tell --

Which of your ancestors were alive in 1909? Where your ancestral families were living in 1909. What country, state, county, city/town, etc. Who was in the family at the time? Use the 1910 census as "close enough."

On the 6th day of June in the year 1909 . . . on my Dad's side of the family . . .

• His father, Jacob Edmund Forrest POUNDERS (1902-1957) -- who is one of twelve children -- is a month shy of his 7th birthday and living in Manor, Travis County, Texas with his parents, James Madison POUNDERS (1867-1942) and Mary Susan [CAIN?] POUNDERS (1873-1950). Also in the house in 1909 would have been these siblings -- Zula Rodoski (1889-1968), Margaret Darthula (1891-1963), James Thomas Luther (1893-1984), William Rufus Oscar (1895-1979), Anna Virilla (1896-1978), Minnie Ruth Estelle (1899-1976), Fannie Myrtle Lee (1904-1947) and Everett Franklin (1908-1910). Bernice (1913-1999) and Freddie Benjamin (1916-1987) came along later.
  • The widowed mother of James Madison POUNDERS -- Nancy Virilla (QUINN) POUNDERS (1847-1930) -- is living in Franklin County, Alabama, with her married daughter, Annie (POUNDERS) GRISSOM and her husband, John Wesley, and three of their children -- Luther Wesley, Rutha and Eva.
  • And while I have not been able to find the widowed mother of Mary Susan (CAIN?) POUNDERS on the 1910 Census, it is said that Susanna (HOLLAND) CAIN came to Texas ca. 1896 with her daughter and family and lived with them until her death in Texas in 1930.
• In 1909, Dad's mother -- Ima Lois (MUSTON) POUNDERS -- is only 3 years old and would have been living with her parents, Charley MUSTON (1882-1815) and Emma Patience (NETTLES) MUSTON (1882-1964), in Lee County, Texas. Ima is the 2nd of seven children -- all girls -- Erma Audrey (1904-1991), Ima Lois (1906-1999), Mollie Gertrude (1907-2002), Stella May (1909-2001), Nona Amy (1911-2002), Gladys Coreen (1913-2007), and Pauline Lucille (1915-2004).
  • Charley's widowed father, William Alexander MUSTON (1854-1936), is living with his son in Lee County, Texas.
  • Emma's widowed mother, Mary Annie (WEST) NETTLES (1852-1939), is also living in Lee County in 1909 -- with her unmarried son, William Edward Nettles (1874-1947).

On the 6th day of June in the year 1909 . . . on my Mom's side of the family . . .

• Her father, Robert E. HENRY (1905-1976), is living with his parents -- Edgar HENRY (1872-1950) and Berta Mary (SHARP) HENRY (1873-1955) just north of Rockdale in Milam County, Texas. Siblings in the household in 1909 would have included Rubie May (1895-1978), George Rettig (1897-1977), Frank (1899-1952), Milton Edgar (1902-1975), and Oscar Lee (1907-1981). Another brother will be born, and die, on 16 Sept 1909, followed by one more sister, Nellie Josephine, in 1912.
  • Edgar's widowed father, William Paschal HENRY (1836-1912) is living with his son in Milam County.
  • Berta's parents and grandparents are all dead by long before 1909.
• Mom's Mother -- Elizabeth Marilla (SMITH) HENRY (1912-1932) -- is not on the scene yet, but Elizabeth's parents -- Thomas Warren Alonzo SMITH (1866-1920) and Eva May BRACKETT (1874-1936) -- are living at 43 Prospect Street in Biddeford, Maine, where they operate a florist and landscaping business. They have one child in 1909 -- Thomas, Jr. (1904-1959).
  • Thomas' parents are both dead by 1909, but Eva's adoptive parents -- Peter BRACKETT (1838-1927) and Elizabeth J. (MERRILL) BRACKETT (1841-1911) -- are renting at 74 Beach Street in Saco, Maine, while her birth mother -- Phoebe (MERRILL) MORSE TRIPP (1848-bef. 1930) -- is living in Gorham, Maine with another married daughter. The birth father will probably never be known.

*It does seem that Randy and I both descend from the same Aquila CHASE (1618-1670) and Anne WHEELER (1627-1687) -- Randy via their son, Thomas (1654-1733), and his wife, Rebecca Follansbee -- and me via their son, Aquila (1652-1720), and his wife, Esther BOND, whose daughter, Esther (1674-1751) married Daniel MERRILL (1670-1725), and they are 4th great-grandparents of the Phoebe MERRILL mentioned above, who is one of my 2nd great-grandmas.

New England's Dark Day in 1780

The History and Antiquities of New England ...Embracing the Following Subjects, Viz:... Anecdotes, Traditions, Remarkable & Unaccountable Occurrenceswith a Great Variety of Curious & Interesting Relics of AntiquityBy John Warner Barber    
In or near the area of the southern part of Maine were living at this exact time in history certain ancestors of ours, including (but not limited to) . . . Daniel Merrill & and his wife, Hannah Runnels . . . and their son, Levi Merrill & his wife, Jerusha Milliken . . . and Jerusha's father, Edward Milliken . . . and Edward's father-in-law . . . Samuel Nathaniel Harmon. 

Also Thomas Thurston and his wife, Lucy Fenderson . . . and his widowed mother, Martha Piper. 

Also Morrill Hobbs and his wife, Miriam Brackett . . . and his widowed mother, Abigail Urann Hobbs . . . and Miriam's parents, John Brackett and Miriam Thompson . . . and John's father, Samuel Brackett.

The darkness commenced between the hours of 10 and 11 A.M., and continued to the middle of the next night. It was occasioned by a thick vapour or cloud, tinged with a yellow color, or faint red, and a thin coat of dust was deposited on white substances.

The wind was in the southwest; and the darkness appeared to come on with clouds in that direction. Its extent was from Falmouth, (Maine,) to New Jersey. The darkness appears to have been the greatest in the county of Essex, (Mass.) in the lower part of New Hampshire, and Maine; it was also great in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

In most parts of the country where the darkness prevailed, it was so great, that persons were unable to read common print, determine the time of day by their clocks or watches, dine, or manage their domestic business, without additional light; 'candles were lighted up in their houses; the birds having sung their evening songs, disappeared and became silent; the fowls retired to roost; the cocks were crowing all around as at break of day; objects could be distinguished but a very little distance; and every thing bore the appearance and gloom of night.'

The following is an extract of a letter from Dr. Tenney to the Massachusetts Historical Society, giving an account of the dark day of May, 1780.

"You will readily recollect that, previously to the commencement of the darkness, the sky was overcast with the common kind of clouds, from which there was, in some places a light sprinkling of rain. Between these and the earth there intervened another stratum, to appearance of very great thickness. As this stratum advanced, the darkness commenced and increased with its progress till it came to its height; which did not take place till the hemisphere was a second time overspread. The uncommon thickness of this second stratum was probably occasioned by two strong currents of wind from the southward and westward, condensing the vapours and drawing them in a north-easterly direction. I remember this observation was made by an anonymous writer in one of the public papers soon after the event.

As I set out the next day, from my father's at Rowley, to join my regiment in New Jersey, I had an opportunity to inform myself what were the appearances in different parts of the country between here and Pennsylvania. The result of my enquiries, on that journey, and after my return, was that the darkness was most gross in the county of Essex, the lower part of the State of New-Hampshire and the old Province of Maine. In Rhode-Island and Connecticut it was not so great, and still less in New-York. In New-Jersey the second stratum of clouds was observed, but not of any great thickness; nor was the darkness very uncommon. In the lower parts of Pennsylvania, if my recollection does not fail me, no extraordinary appearance was noticed. Through this whole extent the lower stratum had an uncommon brassy hue, while the earth and trees were adorned with so enchanting a verdure as could not escape notice, were amidst the unusual gloom that surrounded the spectator. This gradual increase of the darkness from southwest to northeast, which was nearly the course of the clouds, affords a pretty good argument in favour of the supposition that they were condensed by two strong currents of wind blowing in different directions. To these two strata of clouds we may, without hesitation, impute the extraordinary darkness of the day."