A 19th Century Adoption

     Carlos Webster Childs, my great-grandfather, was the adopted son of James Webster Childs and Lucy Amarilla Hubbard.  J. Webster and Lucy were originally from Henniker, New Hampshire. They settled to Michigan, in 1848, having followed

J. Webster's older brothers, Aaron, Ira and Josiah. The brothers were already established in Augusta Township in Washtenaw County, Michigan, and involved in farming and various township and county politics.  J. Webster soon followed in their footsteps.  He eventually served in the Michigan State Legislature as a representative from 1859 to 1862, and as a senator for several terms between 1865 and 1880. 

           J. Webster Childs (June 16, 1826 - Nov 8, 1882)
             Lucy A. Hubbard (Sept 13, 1825 - July 2, 1902)

     J. Webster and Lucy were unable to have children of their own. They worked with the American Female Guardian Society and the Home for the Friendless, in New York City to adopt a child.  The following are letters received from the Society in New York. The Childs' were concerned that their efforts to adopt were taking longer than anticipated:

                                             

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                January 10, 1856

                "J. Webster Childs, Dear Sir, 

              I was surprised on receiving your letter yesterday to learn you has [sic] received no communication regarding the little boy that was designed for you.  One was selected to be send, but a few days previous to the time of the company leaving the little one was taken quite sick and has since had a running sore in his ear and an eruption that seems difficult to cure. I hope an opportunity will present within a few months to send someone to you but do not think we can during the cold weather. In the hurry & bustle of sending a company of 40 children the oversight or misunderstanding occurred of your not being informed. I think Mrs. Penfield must have thought she was not to write unless she took a child.

             When another opportunity presents to send to you I will write you, I rec'd a letter from Mrs. P. a few days since, saying one of her little ones was still unprovided for, but is much younger than applied for. His name is (crossed out), was born the 10th of last June, is a large, healthy, happy, noble looking child.

              I will write Mrs. Penfield today, and should you feel inclined to take so young a child, feel certain that you will never regret taking Johnny. If you will take him - address Mrs. P.P. Penfield, care of S. H. Ferrier, Galesburg, Knox Co. Ill. and she will make arrangements to have him taken to you.   

                                    Yours very respectfully,  E.A. Campbell, Children's Society."

                                                                      Galesburg, Ill.  Jan 16, 1857

                "Ja's Webster Childs, Dear Sir,

              I have just rec'd yours of the 2nd inst. to Miss E. A. Campbell, concerning the little boy that was designed for you. The child being too sick to come with me, I did not think it worthwhile to write to you, supposing that, Miss C. would notify you of the facts in the case.

                If you should decide to take Johnny will you not have the kindness to give me directions concerning the nearest route to your residence.  Johnny is well & I should be very happy to bring him to you.                                                                                 

                    Yours Respectfully, R.P. Penfield, care of S.H. Ferris, Galesburg, Knox, Ill."

     Finally, a son is sent to the Childs family and the adoption and/or indenture is legalized.  The original papers, passed down to me, were worded:

             “Indenture of John O’Neil, adopted by James W. Childs of Augusta, Washtenaw Co., Mich.  June 26^th /58.” 

Thus, John O'Neil became Carlos Webster Childs.

                      Carlos Webster Childs

     Carlos, was named after an older brother of J. Webster’s who remained in New Hampshire. Family legend is that this first Carlos, born in 1813, was named after a Spanish Diplomat and friend of the Childs family. The name Carlos has been used in every generation of the Childs and/or Beckington family since then, except the current generation.

     The words adoption and indenture are used again in the document as noted in the portion of the original document shown below. Additionally, the papers contain only the signature of J. Webster so the conclusion is that only he adopted the child, not Lucy. In 1858, this was probably not unusual. Carlos did inherit from his adoptive parents, so in their eyes he was their son. He was eighteen months of age when he arrived at their home in Michigan.

The next image is of a section of the original papers:

                                  

          

            The above is part of the original document conveying adoption/indenture to the Childs family.

     Some people wonder why the term indenture is used along with adoption. The following definition was found on the Orphan Train Heritage Society website  

        Isn't Adoption and Indenture the same thing?
             When a child is adopted, he becomes equal to the natural children in all respects-including inheritance. Indenture was a legal means to remove a child from an unsatisfactory home without a long court procedure. The child was not given inheritance rights. People tended to use the two terms interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Many people simply did not know the difference.

                                                             

          American Female Guardian Society and the Home for the Friendless, No. 32 East Thirtieth Street, in New York City

     A hand written note (below) included in the papers handed down, states his original name was John O’Neil and he was born on July 10,1856. It indicates that the mother, possibly named Ann or Ellen O’Neil, probably unmarried and newly in the country from Ireland, left him with a wet nurse, Mrs. Margaret Little, in New York City.  John’s mother said she would be back, but never returned. 
      Next are several letters transcribed that were received after the adoption was completed and Carlos is growing up in his new home. Taking the letters in my files chronologically with the earliest dated January 10, 1856 and addressed to Mr. Childs.

On March 6, 1863, the Childs family received the following questionnaire:

    Mr. Childs:

      Dear Sir, The Managers of the "A. F. G. Society" and "Home for the Friendless," desire a reply to the following queries relative to the children under your care:

                 1. What is the state of their health?

                 2. Do they go to School?

                 3. What progress have they made in their studies during the

                          last year?

                 4. Do they attend Church and S. School regularly?

                 5. What is their general deportment?

     Especially do they wish to know the religious condition of their scattered flock. Any particulars concerning said child will be thankfully received by all their friends at the "Home"*

     Please write the original name of the child in full in your communications and their new names, if they have any. 

                                              Mrs. R. P. Penfield, Children's Secretary

*By reference to our By-Laws you will observe that the above enquiries should be made and answered annually until the child is of age.

     This was a printed form, but hand-written changes were made to make enquiries for two children, rather than just one. Carlos had a sister, Mary Ann, who was born on August 2,1858, and also came from the "Home" in New York.

     Again, inquiries are made, and one assumes they were sent a questionnaire every year.

                                                                August 28, 1871

        Mr. & Mrs. Childs, Dear friends,

                  Will you favor us with a report from John O'Neil, our little Home boy. Is he still with you, and doing well?

                  In behalf of Ex. Com.  Yours truly,  Mrs. H.E. Brown

     The next correspondence is with the adult Carlos himself. He apparently wrote to them asking some questions.

                                                                      July 30, 1902

Mr. Carlos W. Childs,  Dear Friend, 

    Your very interesting letter rec'd. You certainly have much to be grateful for, as you review the past, and look at the days present & to come. We certainly rejoice with you in the possession of good, true daughters, and hope you will have many happy years together. The statement we made about "papers in storage" stands the same. We can not get them until we move into the New Home. There will be no charge for our services, we differ from the lawyers in that respect, we give our services gladly in every way possible.

                                           Sincerely yours, (Miss) H.M. Packard, Ass't. Sec'y

                                                New York, Dec. 1, 1902

            Mr. C.W. Childs,  Dear Friend,

          Your letter came today & I hasten to reply & enclose the adoption paper, signed by Mr. Webster. I do not think it is registered anywhere, except on our books. I also send a copy of our records, this is all we know of your parentage.  Hoping they may prove useful.  I am -

                                Yours Sincerely,  E.L. Evans, Cor. Sec.

     I have to assume that some of what I have in my files is what she sent. Note she sent him the adoption papers. She calls his father, Mr. Webster in error. I wonder why the adoption papers aren't registered anywhere? 
     Carlos attended Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan. He was enrolled in the English program for two years (1876-1878). It was here that he met his future wife, Mary Ella Hazelton. She was a student at Olivet from 1874-1878, enrolled in the "Ladies Course" and the Music Conservatory. They have no record of her graduating. They married on April 24,1878.

                                   

                               Carlos Webster Childs - Age 24           

     Carlos and Mary Ella had two daughters. Edna Ella was born on February 22, 1879 and Frances Hazelton "Hazel," on May 15, 1881. Hazel never married, but Edna, my grandmother, married Garth M. Beckington on February 28, 1906.

     Carlos died on August 5, 1912, at the age of 56, at home on 506 Congress Street, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. His obituary states he “represented the Emery Glove Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana” for fifteen years and that he died of “Paralisis Bronchilway.” He had inherited his portion of the family farm in Augusta Township and also oversaw the working of the farm during his lifetime in between his travels for the Glove Co.

     Carlos is buried in the Highland Cemetery, Ypsilanti.

                                    

         

Tribute to Mary Ella Hazelton Childs

     I copied the following tribute to my great-grandmother, Mary Ella Hazelton Childs, found amongst her papers passed down to me from my mother, Margaret Edna Beckington McDougall. You will hear about Ella's accomplishments in the world of genealogy. It is a tribute, as she is still living at the time. She was born on April 24, 1857 and died on May 1, 1941. I have framed and hanging on the wall of my study, her certificate for NSDAR which is mentioned.  Although I have had this tribute for a number of years, I had never really read it thoroughly before. I learned more about my ancestors. AND, I had not heard the Lamberton and Trowbridge names and am not sure how they connect. More research to do....

     The Normal Training School mentioned later became known as Roosevelt and was on the campus of what is now Eastern Michigan University. I graduated from Roosevelt High school. It closed in 1969. My sisters and I are members of NSDAR through our Beckington (grandfather's side of the family) Revolutionary Soldier, Robert FitzRandolph. I wrote about him on a previous blog. Both of my sisters are members of the Ypsilanti Chapter of which Mary Ella was a member and Regent. I have also re-proven Joseph Hazeltine and John Noyes as supplements. I am a member of the US Daughters of 1812, through Roswell Lane and a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames XVII Century through Nathaniel FitzRandolph. 

     Spellings and punctuation are as written. 

December 16, 1932 - A tribute:

     We are paying tribute this evening to one of our members who has been most active and useful in the Ypsilanti Chapter since her admission by the National Society. She joined the fifth year of the chapter's organization with 17 members on the roll, and is still active in the 36th year, with the chapter boasting an even 100 members. A large number of these members have been admitted thru' her influence and help, and we are most happy to be permitted to recognize her unexcelled loyalty and devoted service.

     Ella Hazelton, daughter of Brooks B. Hazelton and Sarah Ann Lane, was born in Kalamazoo County, and received her education in the Allegan High School and in Olivet College. She received her musical training, studying with Professor Geo. W. Chadwick of the New England Conservatory of Music and Professor Frederic H. Pease of the Michigan State Normal Conservatory. While a student at Olivet, she met Carlos W. Childs, also a student there, and later they were married and she came to her new home south of Ypsilanti, near Whitaker. The Childs family were prominent in the community, a school and cemetary [sic] being named for their clan. They came to Ypsilanti to live in 1889.

      Mrs. Childs, early became especially interested in Patriotic and Genealogical work and joined the D.A.R. in December 1901. Since that time she has served as Treasurer - two years, Secretary - three years, Regent - two years, Registrar - fifteen years, (and a part of a term besides) and honorary Registrar for life since 1928. Surely we all agree that no-one in our chapter can excell [sic] that record. The State Society, recognizing her outstanding work, have asked for service on State committees also.

     Mrs. Childs' home on Congress Street has always been a favorite meeting place when the meetings were held at the homes of the members. The tenth anniversary was celebrated during her regency and at her home. A paper on "Bravery of the Early Pioneers", was read by Mrs. Esther Johnson, who is still a member, living in Portland, Ore. The annual meeting of that chapter year, was also held at her home. During that year, one meeting was held with the Woman's Club, with papers read on historical subjects, by D.A.R. members, and later in the year, the Ladies Literary Club entertained the Chapter, with Mrs. Cleary reading a paper.

     During Mrs. Childs' second year as regent, the grave of Deacon Mason Hatfield a teamster in the Revolutionary War, was marked in Stoney Creek burying ground. A Colonial Tea, on February 22nd was held at the home of Mrs. Theodore Jefferson, who was afterward a regent. Colonial Costumes were worn by many of the 75 guests present. In March, a Prize Essay Contest was started and at that meeting, Mrs. Jefferson introduced the subject of a Union Club House, the Secretary being instructed to consult the different clubs to find out their sentiment in the matter. At the annual in May, $10 was given by the chapter towards a memorial for the late State Regent, Mrs. W. J. Chittenden, for Memorial Continential [sic] Hall. At this meeting, the prizes were awarded to the winners of the Essay Contest; the first prize to Miss Ruth Coquillard, 8th grad student at the city schools, her subject being "Colonial Days" and the prize a picture of "Washington Crossing the Delaware". The second prize was won by Miss Beth Churchill, 8th grade student at the Normal Training School, her subject being "Benedict Arnold" and prize, a picture of the "Battle of Bunker Hill". In June, a paper on the History and Origin of the Ladies Library Association was read, a paper I think, we would all like to hear now.

     Thru' the years following, Mrs. Childs contributed much to the programes, [sic] giving papers on "Taxation, Stamp Act, Boston Port Bill" - "History of the Methodist Church" - "Patriotic Organizations in the United States", She also reported the memorial exercises held in 1914 in Emily Whittemore Park Cemetery, with 75 present, 20 of whom were relatives and 10 descendents of John Terhune and his wife, whose graves were decorated. John Terhune is the Revolutionary ancestor of Mrs. (seems to be a line missing) - (next page starts) chorus of school children and an address by the late Professor Laird. This account was such a contrast to one memorial day which I shall never forget, when about eight frail women's voices sang America, over these graves, and conducted a simple memorial service there only a few years ago.

     Mrs. Childs was admitted to our Society, thru' the record of Samuel Hitchcock an ancestor of her mothers, Sarah Lane Hazelton. These papers were signed by Eleanor S. Washington Howard, as Recording Secretary General, who was a descendent of General Geo. Washington, also by Eunice Wright Watling as Regent, who was organizing regent of our chapter, Samuel Hitchcock served as a private from Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Mass.

     Her first supplemental line admitted was Joseph Hazeltine (note the later change of name to Hazelton) an ancestor on her fathers [sic] side. He was a signer of the Association Test at Concord N.H.

     The second supplemental line, David Rhoades, was a son-in-law of Samuel Hitchcock and Sarah Sears, having married their only daughter, Jerusha, after the war. David Rhoades also served as a private, in all, for two years and received a pension.

     The third supplemental was Capt. John Noyes, who was commissioned March 17, 1779. Later he hired two men, Jonathan Sargent and Robert Martin, to go to Portsmouth, for $220, it having been previously voted that Capt. Noyes should hire two soldiers as cheap as he could, He also signed the Association Test of N.H. in 1776 and was chosen on the a committee of safety in 1777.

     The fourth line was Roswell Lane, who enlisted from Farmington Conn. as a private. He served in Washington's own guards, on the New York and Brooklyn fronts, being at the right of the line of works during the battle of Long Island; was stationed with the militia brigade under Colonel Douglas at Kip's Bay on the East River at the time of the enemies attack on the New York; and was at the Battle of White Plains. A Notable record.

     The fifth supplemental was John Chapman, who served as private in four different enlistments. These records give Mrs. Childs six bars in our society.

     Mrs. Childs is also a member of several other patriotic societies and eligible to others she has not yet joined. She has quite recently joined the Society of Mayflower Descendants thru' the line of Elder William Brewster and wife, Mary, who came to America on the Mayflower December 21, 1620, and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was called the chief of the Plymouth Band. Their daughter Patience, became the wife of Thomas Prence (now Prince) who served sixteen years as Colonial Governor, being the fourth governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It is thru' this line she can be a member of the Order of Colonial Governors. She is also eligible to membership in this order, thru' Deacon Samuel Chapin who was one of three who were appointed Magistrates to serve while Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was visiting in England for several months.

     Another line - Edmund Freeman who came from Essex Co. England in 1635 on the ship "Abigail" with his second wife and five children settled in Sandwich, Massachusetts where he was appointed assistant to the Governor. He brought with him twenty corslettes of armored plate which he gave to the colony, after finding no place or use for Knights of Armor in this new land. He was said to be a grandson of Henry the 7th and first cousin of Ralph Freeman, who was Lord Mayor of London when Edmund came to America. Edmund Freeman's son, Major John Freeman married Mercy Prence and three of their children, John, Thomas and Hannah, thru' intermarriage, are ancestors of Mrs. Childs - the Freeman, Mayo, and Sears lines.

     Mrs. Childs joined the Founders and Patriots of America thru' the record of Robert Hazeltine, an ancestor of her father's. He came to Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 with a company of about 60 families, who were the first settlers of Northeastern Massachusetts. Robert and his brother John and a William Wilde settled the town of Bradford, Massachusetts. They built the first homes in the settlement; the first meeting house; the ministers home; and laid out a burying ground on Indian Hill. Robert owned and operated the first ferry across the Merrimac in 1655. He acquired large tracts of land, and died in September, 1674. In his will he gave 10 acres of upland to Zachary Symmes, Minister, and one acre to the town of Bradford near the meeting-house.

     Roswell Lane, Mrs. Childs maternal grandfather and a namesake and grandson of one of her Revolutionary ancestors, served in the war of 1812, at the age of 16 participating in the defense of Sackett's Harbor near Oswego, New York, in 1814. He received a pension, Thru' his record, Mrs. Childs has become a member of the 1812 Society.

    Captain Ballard Hazeltine of Concord, New Hampshire, served in the 1st company of Infantry, Eleventh Regiment as Captain, and Mrs. Childs has a bar for his service in the war of 1812.

     She is also eligable [sic] to the Society of Magna Charta Dames, an organization made up of the descendants of the 17 Barons who signed the Magna Charta. This number was originally 25, but only 17 survived to leave descendants.

     Another ancestor of interest is Captain George Lamberton, who was born in England, married Margaret Lewellyn, and was a sea captain of a vessel called "The Great Ship". He said from West Haven, Connecticut in the spring of 1646 and never returned, the ship and all on board being lost at sea. Master Lamberton left his wife and nine children, the eldest of whom, Mary, married William Trowbridge, the son of Thomas Trowbridge of England. William Trowbridge came to America with his brother Thomas. The Poet, Longfellow, found the record of this sea tragedy in Cotton Mather's "Americana", which was the first attempt made by anyone to record early Colonial History. He was inspired to write "The Phantom Ship" and we close with a reading of this poem by Margaret Beckington, Mrs. Child's Granddaughter.                                                 - Bertha Day Boyce

February challenges

The GenieGirls Study Group met in late January. We had a great meeting. We tried something new and I think it was quite successful. I asked one of the ladies to give me a name of an ancestor she had not had a chance to do much research on.  Benjamin Stillman (1781 - 1868) married Polly Maxson (1782 - 1850).  They were in the RI and NY areas. We paired up and started researching. I wanted everyone to keep track of their steps.  Almost everyone went to Ancestry.com first - I would too.  Then checked Familysearch.org and/or Googled the names. Boy, did we come up with information!  We were able to go back several generations (now mind you, not all is verified at this point) and learned a great deal in a short time.  What fun! 

One lady also brought us up-to-date with her inquiry to a message board last fall. She did it because we assigned it as 'homework' but it was on a family that she has never met anyone from and really didn't expect to get a response, or knew much about - guess what?  She now has a new-found cousin. All very exciting.

We also did some editing for a member on an introduction to an article she is writing. This group has been exciting and we are all learning from it.

I have started working with a new client - in my spare time! I am starting to get organized for another research trip to New York is a couple of weeks. And I still need to do some writing for a new article I am writing for my Writers Group. I think I need a nap just thinking about all this. I can't complain though - it (mostly) keeps me out of trouble and mentally stimulated. At this age - that can't be all bad.

I wanted to add some comments on the COURT family I wrote about in my entry in January.  James Court (refer to the earlier column) was married to Martha Jennette Bocquet/Boquet. I have tried to do some additional research on her family. I believe her parents were Charles and Anna Bocquet. I don't know yet who Anna was, but I think Charles may have been born in England. It appears they may have had 9 or 10 children before Charles died in 1845. Anna later married an Ephriam King, but I do not think that marriage lasted more than a few years. She lived to be over 80 and spent her later years with son, Robert. I think Robert and my 3x great-grandmother, Martha Jennette, may have been the only children that outlived their mother. Robert doesn't appear to have married. A son, Francis, died during the Civil War (unmarried) and Andrew Jackson (A.J.) died at 49, but doesn't appear to have married. Most of the other children died as babies or young children. All of this is not verified at this point, but M. Jennette's children,  and through her son, my great-great-grandfather, William Wallace, may be the only "Bocquet" that had descendants from this family, as well as William being the only Court with descendants.

I think this is unusual.  One family had 9 children with only one having descendants and the other with five children and the same.

January - new year with new goals

The holidays are over, a new year is upon us. New goals have been set for both my writers group and my GenieGirls study group. How many can I cross off at the end of the year and how many new ones will be added?

I have completed an article on my COURT branch. I will try and highlight a few of the more interesting aspects of this article.

The original James Court came to this country from England about 1835. He married and lived in New York (Oswego County) all his life. He was a cooper (barrel maker) by trade. He married Martha Jennette Bocquet, who was born in that area and they had five children. There seems to be an inordinate amount of mental illness/suicide/childlessness and premature deaths of both children and adults in this family.  Only one of their children, my great-great-grandfather, William Wallace Court, had descendants. He eventually moved to Michigan (Washtenaw County) where many Courts still live.  As far as my research can ascertain, there are no Courts in NY remaining from the other four children. Only one had a child and that son died at age 17.

William was a Civil War Soldier for Oswego County, NY (more on him in a future column). He moved to Canada and eventually to Ypsilanti, Michigan. He married Esther Mary Corcoran (of Canada and Ohio) and they had eight children. Six lived to adulthood. But, again, only three of those left descendants. One son, William Jr., was in Pontiac State Hospital most of his life. He died there at age 53. Two daughters had children, one died in childbirth with the child and the other had three babies that were either stillborn or died early from "failure to thrive" (according to the death certificate). This second daughter mentioned, Marie, was married to Lewis Scramblin(g) mentioned in an earlier blog.

William's first son, James Madison Court, is my great-grandfather. He married Mary Elizabeth Klopp (maybe Brunck). They had two children including my father's mother, Bessie.

Dennis, their second son, had four children and at least 11 grandchildren known to me.  William and Esther's daughter, Martha Jennette (Nettie) married three times and had three children from her second marriage.

The article I am submitting for publication in the Desert Tracker for the West Valley Genealogical Society (WVGS) should appear in their Spring Issue.  When it does, I will send a link.

I have also been in touch with a distant cousin from Bruce's family - the Tibbetts of Maine and Massachusetts.  Lisa lives in Australia and we have been sharing information. This is a family I have not checked in on in years. I first need to organize and bring them up-to-date. But she is delightful and I am excited about sharing more information with her. And Bruce is already seeing travel in the future!

The Beckington Book - of which I have talked about TOO MUCH and done nothing with recently, is another goal still on my list. I am trying to figure out how to divide the work into segments to make it easier to complete. I have hopes anyway.

Another trip to Syracuse and more research will happen in early March. Of course that means a little more organization to make sure I know what I am looking for when I get there.

It is cold here in Phoenix this week. I know it is relative, but because our plants/flowers/citrus trees, etc. are not used to it, we have had damage to plants, or at least to the leaves.  I hope they come back. We did this two years ago and had to cut everything WAY back. Next month is trimming/pruning time. Also, I have a new pet - Sunday we heard and saw a mouse in the house.  I have a couple of traps out with peanut butter. Hopefully, that will do it. He is pretty inquisitive and has been all over the house, including Sunday night when I was reading in bed. He came into the bedroom three times. The first two times I made a noise and he turned and headed back out. The third time I thought - OK, where is it you are going? So I just watched him. He eventually made it under the bed and stayed for awhile. He did finally leave and I haven't heard or seen him since. Maybe he found his way back outside? 

Civil War Letter from 1861

This is the second letter I have from the Civil War era.  This one was written by Col. Jonathan Webster Childs. He is the older brother to Lewis E. Childs, the letter transcribed in the previous post. Again, this letter is written to my great-great-grandfather, James Webster Childs, of Augusta Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan, while he was in the legislature for the State of Michigan. See more on J. Webster in the last post and watch for more detail on him in a future post.

     Jonathan was born March 14, 1834, in Laoni (Laona), Chautauqua, New York. This is near Jamestown in the southwest corner of New York. He was the first child of Aaron Childs and Hannah Bemis. He married first, Frances Crawford, born in 1840. They were married in Appalachicola, Franklin, Florida, on June 29, 1866. Frances died in December, 1871. They had no children that I could find. Nothing more is known about Frances. He married a second time on December 28, 1873, in Savannah, Georgia, to Frances E. (Fannie) Gause. They had two daughters, Elaine, born in 1875, in Richmond, Virginia, and a second daughter, Abbie Blanche, born in 1876 in Washington, D.C. Abbie only lived two months.  Elaine did marry and have a son.

     Johnathan died on May 24, 1896 and Fannie died in 1913.

There is a great deal written about Jonathan Webster Childs and his time in the service during the Civil War and discussion of the reasons he may have resigned.  If you are interested in further information about him, please refer to the following book:

The 4th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War by Martin N. Bertera and Kim Crawford.

Martin and Kim used the following letter and many others as background for their book and discussion of this very interesting episode in the Childs family and the Civil War.

As with the first letter, I have left the spellings, punctuation, etc. as they were written.

Headquarters, 21^st Mich Inf’y

Camp Union   Aug 15, 1861

Dear Uncle,

Several weeks has passed since I wrote you last. And notwithstanding I have not heard from gm. Allow me to try again.  You have doubtless been informed that our Regiment is brigaded under Gen’l Sherman, who ranks at the head of the Brigadiers, he had given him to make the selection thirty-two Regiments.  And the following are those he chose.

                9^th Reg’t Mass

                14^th Reg’t NY (Utica)

                 DeKalb, NY City (German, all of whom have seen service)

                4^TH Reg’t Mich

                Ayers Battery (formerly Shermans)

                Company I U.S. Cavelry 

During the past week there has been added to his brigade one other Battery, and a company of Cavelry.  It has been about a week since we came over here, and were placed in advance of all other Regiments.  The remainder of the brigade lies between us and the river. The enemy is at Falls Church and we are constantly expecting to have a brush with them. Our pickets are doing a little skirmishing each day. Our pickets until Sunday extended about a mile beyond the Rail Road, but now they are taken in and extend only half a mile this side of the R.R. Yesterday our scouts brought information that the rebels had advanced to the Rail Road with two pieces of artillery and several companies of cavelry. Several companies of our troops are stationed out with the furthest picket. I was out there one night with two companies. 

We are all of us kept constantly in the dark as to when where or how the next movement will be made. Defeat in a great measure seems to attend our armies, both here and in Missouria but our zeal in the cause does not relax in the least. The men are all anxious to have a fight and I venture to say when the “Fourth” is called into an engagement, they will fight most desperately. Many things has been said in Michigan against our Regiment, calculated to lower it in the estimation of people at home and abroad. Several of our officers have been spoken of by those same designing persons in a manner calculated to give a faulse [sic] impression as regards their ability to discharge the various duties devolving upon them. As regards our Colonel he is a man admirably calculated for the position which he holds. He is in a word beloved by the whole Regiment and not one could be found who would for a moment hesitate to _____ his own life for the safety of the Colonel. His devotion to the Regiment is unbounded.  unlike many commanders he is always to be found in the camp instructing his men and never leaves except upon business connected with the Regiment. As regard the proficiency of our drill, few Regiments if any now in the field can excell us in Battalion movements.  and had it been otherwise we should not have received the second post of honor in Gen’l Sherman’s brigade.  of which with pride, we can now boast. And furthermore a cordiality of feeling greater never existed between the officers of a Regiment. To my certain knowledge there has not a thing transpired to mar the good feeling which has ever existed. We believe there is one and only one exception. Dr. Turnicliffe of Jackson who at the urgent request of the Governor was placed upon the Colonel’s staff as surgeon with the rank of Major, has during the whole time he has been with shown great dissatisfaction.  and now particularly since the Col. requested him for his own good and that of the men also, to remain in camp and not visit Washington so frequently as he was in the habit of attending Congress daily and frequently would not return for many days. He is now in Mich on a furlough and we have information from good authority that he is saying all he can against the Regiment. Later information says he has received an appointment in the first Regiment. There is also another, the correspondent of the Detroit Free Press who signs his articles “Hamilton” & “H” (H.H. Finley) who went with us from Adrian to Washington expecting to receive the appointment of Captain or Lieutenant or anything else he could obtain in the Regiment but the Col. received word from the Governor not to give him any position. Consequently the Col. told him it was not likely any opening would occur for him. And from that time he has openly declaired that he was by nature vindictive and would do his utmost to ruin the reputation of the Regiment.  and he has constantly been putting in circulation false reports concerning as viz = that the officers were intemperate that there was no discipline, that the Col. and Quarter Master contrived to cheat on the rations, that the officers quareled amoung themselves and were dispised by the soldiers, etc. etc.  All of which are the bleakest bare faced lies. He made himself busy with the 1^st  2^nd & 3^rd Reg’ts circulating such reports. He is careful to keep without our lines, should he enter them the men would tar & feather him.  and no power could prepurt (?) them from doing so. There are other things in this connection that I will write soon. If outsiders would let us alone there would be nothing to mar the peace of this camp. Every report that has been put in circulation calculated to injure us, can be proven to originate from a spirit of jealouscy [sic] and envy.

Hoping to hear from you soon I remain Dear Uncle every your affectionately,   J.W. Childs