Weird Tale of Old Fort

This is an article that appeared in the Oswego Daily, Oswego County, New York on March 25, 1916.  Colonel Roswell Lane (don't know when he became a Colonel) is my 3rd great-grandfather, and my soldier for the National Society of Daughters of the War of 1812. The following article contains a letter from A.S. (Adelbert S.) Lane, Roswell's youngest (13th) child. I don't know what the S. stands for, if anything.

WEIRD TALE OF OLD FORT
How Ghostly Soldier Broke Enchanted Spell
Digging for Treasure
Interesting Story About Old Fortification in Letter From Son of Colonel Roswell Lane
(these were all headlines)

The publication in the Times of Saturday last of the original of the west side of old Oswego attracted wide attention. It came to the attention of A. S. Lane of Hannibal and Mr. Lane has sent to the Times the following interesting letter relating a story of the search for buried tresure on the site of the old fortification. The story is of rare interest and throws the glamour of the weirdly romantic about the history of the fort. Mr. Lane's letter, in full, follows:
Editor Oswego Times:

     I saw in a recent issue of the Semi-weekly Times a map of early Oswego, showing the old fortification on the west side. It called to mind what I had heard my father, Colonel Roswell Lane, tell about that old fort. My father was born in April, 1798. In 1814 he enlisted as a soldier in the War of 1812 near the close of the war, being then 16 years old. He used to tell that when that fort was abandoned or taken by the enemy the French who occupied it buried a large quantity of money in an iron chest in this fort ground so the enemy could not get it. This story became known to many, and men tried to locate the money and dig for it. A man named Walters had a mineral rod and he and my father located the treasure and went there in the night and dug for it. Mr. Walters claimed to be a professional at the business. He took a sword and marked a circle around large enough so the dirt would not be thrown over the mark or out of the Circle. They then laid down two stones and placed the sword on them for a gate. Whenever they went out or in the circle they were to take up the sword and lay it back in its place. They were not to speak out loud.
     My father said they dug down and struck something hard; they struck an iron bar in the ground and dug by it and found an iron chest which appeared to be square. They found the top of it and the end and the corner and dug down to the bottom, and were talking about it when a soldier appeared and said: "What are you doing here?" The soldier was in full uniform. They had a bulldog lying by the wagon and when he heard the soldier speak jumped for him over the circle. That broke the enchantment and the chest moved off toward the lake with a rumbling sound and the soldier disappeared. The searchers stuck their shovels down in soft dirt where it had been and it was not to be found. It was thought later someone did find it and take it away.
     I used to think it was a fish story but later my father-in-law, John Ottman, who lived any years in Oswego town, told me he had been at the old fort many times when he was young, and saw where someone had dug there for money as it was said. That gave some strength to the story. In the 40's, when there was general training, Roswell Lane was colonel of the regiment. He died in 1870, being then 72 years old. I am the only one of his family living and am residing in the town of Hannibal, where I have lived nearly 76 years in the house where I was born.
     Thinking this may be interesting to someone as pertaining to the old fortification you have the liberty to publish it if you wish.
          Respectfully yours,  A.S. Lane            Hannibal, N.Y., March 23, 1916

I have transcribed this as it appears in the newspaper article. Thought it was a fun read. JMB

 Brothers: Adelbert S. Lane (1846-1930) and Marquis Dudley Lane (1828-1910)
                                     

DCH

Yippee!  Just received notice that my application for DCH (The Dames of The Court of Honor) has been approved.   

To become a member of DCH you have to prove you are "of lineal descent from a commissioned officer who served in one or more of the American wars, during the years 1607 through 1865 or from a Colonial Governor who served in the Colonial Period,1607 to 1775. Invitations to join are issued by State Societies."

My Revolutionary War soldier, Captain John Noyes, is my DCH soldier. His service was as a member of the Committee of Safety, he signed the Association Test of New Hampshire. His name was given as "John Noyce."

Captain John Noyes, was born on March 13, 1744 in Bow, Rockingham, NH. He died on October 7, 1835, in Pembroke, Merrimack, NH. He married Mary Fowler, on June 22, 1762 in Bow.  I am descended from their daughter, Sarah, who married Ballard Hazelton. Ballard is my 4th great-grandfather.

Now to concentrate on my "witch" application. 

A. Gates and Mary Ann White Childs

I had the most wonderful experience earlier this month. It started with a phone call from a woman calling from Kentucky. She had come across my blog and website. She thought I was just the person she had been "hunting for" to give family papers to.

It turns out that for many years, she lived across the road from a family named Schwanderman, in Boone County, Illinois. Garden Prairie, Boone Co., is where my grandfather, Garth Beckington was born and raised. The wife of this couple, Marian, was the daughter of Alva McMaster and his wife, Markella White. Markella was the daughter of A. Gates White and Mary Ann Childs.  Marian and her husband, Elsa, had no children and they were both only children. They died in 2001 and 2004.

My phone caller and her husband lived in Garden Prairie for many, many year. The job of cleaning out the Schwanderman house fell to them.  She has donated many of the papers to the appropriate historical societies, but she kept the papers on the White family. She has been searching for someone who might treasure them.

Mary Ann and my great-grandfather, Carlos Webster Childs, were the children of J. Webster and Lucy Hubbard Childs. I had never seen a picture of Mary Ann. So it was especially exciting to see the beautiful picture (below) of her included in these papers. There was also a picture of her with her husband and other family members, taken about 1920. Both Mary Ann and Carlos were adopted from the New York Foundling Home (American Female Guardian Society and the Home for the Friendless). I wrote about Carlos' adoption (or indenture at the time) in "A 19th Century Adoption" on April 1, 2013.

Mary Ann Childs White

I received another daguerreotype of J. Webster and Lucy when they were young (see the column mentioned above). This one is in better condition. Mary Ann and Gates' marriage license is included, a few letters from various people and writings by J. Webster Childs. They used to practice their penmanship in those days. J. Webster was in the Michigan Legislature in the 1860s and 70s and there is a letter from a Civil War Soldier asking for help of some sort.  I will transcribe for a future column. What generosity!

How exciting someone is willing to share this information with family, and to take the time to find them. If I hear from someone in the White family who is interested in this information, I will share.  I tried several years ago to find descendants of daughter Neenah, but didn't find anyone interested.

Aurelius Gates White and Mary Ann Childs had six daughters:  Lelia B.; Lucy Millicent "Millie"; Neenah E.; Markella; Winnifred and Geraldine. Gates and Mary Ann may have had one son who died young. The daughters all married and had children. I count 17 grandchildren in all (may not be completely accurate). I did research on this family a few years ago.

1 Aurelius Gates White (1859 - 1931)

+Mary Ann Childs (1858 - after 1930)

   2  Lelia B. White (1881 - 1918)

       +Russell Sears

3 Elizabeth Aileen (Aileen) Sears (1904-1980)

+Francis M. Toth

2    Lucy Millicent (Millie) White (1883 - 1972)

+John Daniel Clancy (1875 - 1952) 

 3 Gates White Clancy (1909 - 2001) 

+   Mary Lucille Jackson (1910 - 1989)

 3  John Daniel (Jr.) Clancy (1911 - 1953)

+  Marian Sawales

+  Dorothy Weldon

  4   Edward C. Clancy (1912 - 1912) 

3 Catherine Clancy (1914 - )

+Charles Popejoy

3 Millicent M. (Mugs) Clancy (1916 - )

   + Frederick E. Jones

3 Female Clancy (1919 - 1919)

2  Neenah E. White (1884 - 1966)

 +Charles E. C. Trueblood (1877 - 1942)

             3  Gwyn J. Trueblood (1909 - 1986) 
                      + Ona Baillargeon

+ Charlotte Ferris (1919 - )

          3  Elizabeth Trueblood (1911 - 1994)

          +David Allen Benson (1898 - 1984) 

          3 Brooks Gonaulus Trueblood (1921 - 2000)      

        + Lillian Ann Bergman (1922 - 1963) 

        + Elizabeth Jane Harris

        +  #3

         2  Markella White (1888 - 1972) 

 + Alva Henry McMaster (1884 - 1952)

         3 Marion McMaster (1916 - 2001)

          + Elza R. Schwanderman (1910 - 2004)

    2  Winnifred White (1894 - before 1940)

         + Alfred Christian Meyers (1884 - 1964) 

          3  Virginia A. Meyers (1918 - )

              + David J. Henry (1913 - )

          3  Alfred G. Meyers (1923 - 2003)

             3  Marilyn W. Meyers (1926 - 1927)

             3  Maynard W. Meyers (1927 - 1987)

         2   Geraldine White (1899 - after 1951)

              + Charles D. Chumbley (1895 - 1939)

                 3  Venita Chumbley (1922 - )

             3   Germaine Chumbley (1928 - )

          + ? Fritz

I do have more on this family, but will not include any members that may still be living.

New Discoveries - Chapman

     I am still trying to recover, organize and move ahead from our wonderful DC trip. I did make a new discovery which has led to more documents being found.  I want to thank Sharon at the Southern District Registry of Deeds in Great Barrington, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, for all her extraordinary help to make these finds possible.
     When I was at the DAR Library in DC, I came across a document in the file of our Revolutionary War Soldier, John Chapman (my 5th great-grandfather). He served from Massachusetts and lived in New Marlborough, Berkshire County, at the time. The only information I have ever been able to find on him, in New Marlborough, were censuses. A few years ago, I received an inventory of his estate after his death in 1814. He had a great deal of property, but no will or probate was found by the people I had searching. I am still working on that. The document in the file (this information can only be accessed from the DAR Library while on their computers) was for his daughter Polly Chapman Standish (husband Jonas, descended from Miles Standish). It was a quit claim deed (the original and the transcription) showing Polly and Jonas selling their (her) 1/11th share of her father, John Chapman's, land to Jonathan Chapman. Jonathan is her half-brother.
   

John Chapman (1751 - 1814)

+  Rachel Jackson (1752 - 1781)  

2  Sarah Chapman (1774 - before 1850)  

+ Ezra Lane (1768 - 1859)

            2  Ashbel Chapman (1775 - 1865)  

+ Polly Lane (about 1780 - 1862)

2  Mary (Polly) Chapman (1777 - about 1824)

+ Jonas Standish (1776 - 1853)

2  John Chapman (1779 - )

2 Baby Chapman (1781 - 1781)

+  Dorcas ? ( - 1814)  

2  Male Chapman (1783 - 1783)

2  Jonathan Chapman (1785 - )

2 Rachel Chapman (1787 - )

+ John W. Pollock

            2 Betsey Chapman (1789 - )

2  Senay Chapman (1791 - )  (name may be Asenath)

2  Lucy Chapman (1794 - )

2  Asher Chapman (1796 - 1865)

+ Polly Moon (1808 - before 1865)  

     With this information in my hot little hands - my question was: where are the quit claim deeds for the other 10 children? NOTE: Only 10 children are listed above - so another dilemma. According to the New Marlborough birth and death records (online), the Male Chapman, was born 4 Jan 1783, and died 5 Jan 1783. Other researchers attach an older (than Sarah) child named Jesse to this family and even other researchers have an Ira, b. 1801, attached. I have no evidence for either child.
     I contacted Sharon in Great Barrington, mentioned above. She was wonderful and over several days, and many emails back and forth, she found deeds selling land for Asenath, Lucy, Asher, Rachel, Ashbel and Sarah Chapman Lane. They all mention their father and several mention selling their 1/11th share. John Sr. sold John Jr. land in 1810, before Sr.'s death. Several of the siblings sold their shares to James Thorp Rhoades/Rhodes. Jonathan eventually sold his shares to "Thorp" Rhoades. Thorp was a brother to David Rhoads. David was my 4th great-grandfather. His daughter, Jerusha, married Roswell (3rd great-grandfather), son of Ezra (4th great-grandfather) and Sarah Chapman Lane.
     OK, so where is the deed for Betsey (Elizabeth?) Chapman? I guess she could have kept it and sold it many, many years later. Since her name does not show up under Chapman, she probably married so we need that name to research further. We have accounted for a total of eight children, minus Betsey. Who are the 10th and 11th children?  If either Jesse or Ira are included in this family - there were no deeds found.

Research in DC

     I returned home last Thursday after nine days of research in Washington, DC, with a like-minded group of genealogists. What fun we had - we looked at too many books/papers and maps. Linda, our tour guide, organizes this trip every year in early December for interested people from the Phoenix area. Some of the people on the trip have gone several years. This was my first trip.

     It is organized very well. The hotel we stayed in was very convenient to the subway and busses. DC is definitely a walking town. We were on our own for meals. Bruce and I used to live in northern Virginia early in our marriage - 35-ish years ago, so I had been there before. My friends Susan and MaryLu were on the trip too. There were a total of 14 in the group, so I met new people and enjoyed them all. Of course, most conversations were about genealogy and family history, but that is what we enjoy. Nothing like a good conversation about dead people!

     The first afternoon (Wednesday, Dec. 4) was mostly getting settled in our rooms, an early dinner and then heading to the DAR Library for a Christmas Open House. I knew I was going be spending a lot of time in that Library so it was nice to get a feel for it and learn how to get there. We got our Metro cards to ride the subway/busses. Since most of us had gotten up at 3:30 AM to catch the 6:30 flight from Phoenix, we were early to bed.

     Thursday, we headed for the Library of Congress and had a great tour and overview of what they had. There are three buildings comprising the LOC - Jefferson, Madison and Adams. We spent part of the day in the Madison Building, looking at their huge map collection including Sanborn maps, and then the afternoon was spent in the Jefferson Building with books, etc.  You can check out their digital collections online at www.loc.gov. Susan found great Sanborn maps of her family home and business in the 1930s and 40s, in Shasta County, CA. She learned a few things she didn't know about the site and it brought back lots of memories.

     Friday was National Archives (Archives.gov) day. We heard a talk about the Civil War and the records available to us, and how their system worked. They, understandably, have tight security. Not just for people, but the papers you are allowed to bring in with you - and take out. It was a little daunting at first, but after getting ID cards, figuring out the process to order records, where to go, etc. it was doable.  Another good day - did get the pension records for a Civil War soldier, James Green, from Bruce's family. Unfortunately, my William W. Court - who served in the Civil War for three years, fought at Gettysburg and was wounded somewhere along the way - had no the records. They said it was a wrong number, I am assuming the records are misfiled. It is hard to believe there are no records for him, but the numbers didn't lead to the records as they should have. I will contact someone there after the holidays and see if they will help.

    Saturday was DAR Library day. Again, a good overview by a librarian. This is where I spent Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. We would have gone on Tuesday, except that a smattering of snow overnight closed our government down! Bummer.

But one more day might have taken us back to the Archives. But I had a list of periodicals I wanted to check out at the LOC and never made it back there.

     Sunday we toured the Smithsonian's American History Museum. Tuesday, the Kennedy Center was near our hotel and open for a tour which we found very enjoyable.

     Thursday morning we headed home with papers and new information to add to our genealogy. All in all a good trip. I was able to meet an old friend for dinner one night (she lives in Annapolis). Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet a second cousin who lives in Richmond, VA at the DAR Library on Tuesday - but the weather kept her away. Next trip.

     After I have had a chance to go through the papers I brought home, I will write about a discovery that was made.