Samuel Justus Hart or Justus Samuel Hart?

In an early blog post, Lost Line from Canada, dated July 18, 2020, I expressed my frustration with the lack of information that I have on my 2^nd great grandfather, Samuel Hart.  He was married to Honora (or Hannah) Rouen, and they had two children, Frank and Mary Ann Hart.  See my previous blog post for more on Honora. 

As I noted in that blog post about Samuel Hart, our family lore and notes indicate that Samuel “had lived as an orphan in a lumber camp in Canada.  The cook, who had known his parents, was to tell him about them, but apparently did not before he was killed.”  And my research has not yet revealed anything about Samuel’s parentage.

To revisit, here is what we do know about Samuel Hart:

Samuel Hart was born in Canada. The 1865, 1870, 1875 and 1880 censuses for the Hart family, including his wife and children, all show him to be born in Canada.  Also, the death certificates for both of his children note that their father was born in Canada.

Samuel’s name variations, as noted in documentation, include the following:

Justice Heart – 1865 census; 30 yrs; laborer; w/ Hannah, Francis & Mary A in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, NY

Samuel Hart – 1870 census; 34 yrs; farm laborer; w/ Hannah, Frank & Mary in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, NY

Samuel Hart – 1875 census; 44 yrs; farm laborer; w/ Hannah & Mary A (Frank as laborer was 3 houses away) in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, NY

Samuel Hart – 1880 census; 46 yrs; farmer; w/ Hannah, Francis & Mary in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, NY

Samuel Hart – per son Frank’s 1916 death certificate

Justus Hart – per daughter Mary Ann’s 1926 death certificate

Justin or Justus Hart – per family notes written in 1977 by Louise Nash Egbert

Most references cite his first name as Samuel and a few as Justus.  My mother had once mentioned that she had been told that he didn’t like his first name.  I’ve always thought of him as Samuel Justus Hart or Samuel J Hart … however maybe his name was actually Justus Samuel Hart?

Samuel Hart was likely born about 1831.  Census records place his birthdate somewhere between 1825 and 1836.  I have found a 1902 death certificate for a Samuel Hart that I believe might be our Samuel.  He died in Troy, NY (where our Samuel’s son, Frank lived) and it lists him as having died at 71 years (i.e. birth year of 1831), occupation as farmer, married, and born in Toronto, Canada.  This death certificate noted that Samuel was buried in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, NY.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the place of burial for either Samuel or his wife, Honora/Hannah.  Interestingly, this 1902 death certificate marks the first time that a specific location in Canada has shown up in my research.

Samuel’s primary language was French.  According to family letters, Samuel’s native language was French which he spoke almost exclusively.  And Samuel's wife, Honora was well educated and also fluent in French, though she was born in Ireland.  It is reasonable to assume that Samuel was raised by a French speaking family in Canada.

“About Grandma [Mary Ann Hart] … her Mother was a Rouen and her father was a Hart, who was a French Canadian”  “I believe that I have heard that [Samuel] Hart, the great grandfather spoke very little or no English.  I would presume that the former Miss Rouen must have been bi-lingual to a degree for the matter of communication.”  – Source:  Maurice Eugene Nash [great grandson of Samuel Hart & Honora Rouen Hart] family letter; 1963.

And another similar bit of information from family stories:

“I have heard (I can’t remember where) that Grandma Watson [Mary Ann Hart] lived in New York state; that her father [Samuel Hart] raced in the Hudson River Ryatta [sic Regatta].  She was brought up not to have to work but well-trained in all household activities (as her later life would indicate) so she could properly supervise… Grandma [Mary Ann Hart] spoke very little, as far as I can find out, about her family... she loved books and poetry … always Classics.” – Source:  Louise Nash Egbert [great granddaughter of Samuel Hart & Honora Rouen Hart] family letter; 1977.

And now for a course correction.  I mentioned in the Notes section of the Lost Line from Canada 2020 blog post, that at the time I believed that our Samuel Hart might somehow be connected to the notable Hart family that originated in the French speaking area of Quebec in the late 1700’s. 

Aaron Hart (b.1724) and Dorothea Catharine Judah (b.1747) emigrated from England in 1781 and established the prominent Hart family in Quebec.  They had eight children, including four sons, and their extended family grew to be quite large.  At his death in 1800, it was believed that Aaron Hart was the wealthiest citizen in British Canada. 

Aaron Hart has been referred to as the father of Canadian Jewry.  Hart is known to have been an Ashkenazi Jew, and I assume that his wife, Dorothea was Ashkenazi Jewish as well, since she was also Aaron’s cousin.

I was recently reviewing the information that I have on Samuel Hart, when it occurred to me that if Samuel was a descendant of the Canadian Aaron Hart family, then wouldn’t I find some Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity in my DNA results?  Several years ago I took the Ancestry DNA test, and it does not show an Ashkenazi Jewish DNA component for me. 

At first I thought that might mean that our Samuel Hart doesn’t link to the Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian Hart family line.  However, I discussed this with a distant cousin who is related to me through my same Hart line, and he tells me that he has had his DNA done with five different companies and that two of the five results show traces of Ashkenazi Jewish DNA.  And as you probably already know, the amounts of DNA that each generation can get from a parent can vary greatly.  And of course, if he does have Ashkenazi Jewish DNA in his line, we currently have no way of determining if it is in the Hart segments.

Thus, with the information that I have today, I really can’t establish that our Samuel Hart descends from the Ashkenazi Jewish Canadian Hart family founded by Aaron and Dorothea Hart.  If anyone else in my Hart family line has taken a DNA test, I would love to hear from you as to whether you see any Ashkenazi ethnicity or not in your results.

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals:

Samuel J Hart  (abt 1830 – 1902?)

Honora Rouen or Hannah Roughan  (abt 1830 – unknown) 

       Francis/Frank Hart  (1861 – 1916)

       Mary Ann Hart Nash Watson  (1862 – 1926)

– Jane Scribner McCrary

More on the Dickinson Family home

Earlier this year, I wrote a blog titled Researching the Dickinson Family Home [posted on March 31, 2023] about the New London home that belonged to Nathaniel & Elisabeth Dickinson, my 4^th great grandparents.  At the time I lamented that I would like to get ahold of any related land records or deeds so that I could ascertain whether Nathaniel Dickinson built the home or purchased it on or before 1794 when he received a loan using the home as collateral which was included in his probate paperwork.

After the blog was posted, my cousin Lynn suggested that I might try and see if the local historical society would know someone who could go to the courthouse and look for any records – a great idea!  I did just that and later received copies of 4 different documents relating to the Dickinson family ownership of their New London home and surrounding land.

While I still didn’t get an answer to my question as to when the large Dickinson family home was built, I did get a little more detail on the timeline of the property itself.  We know that the Dickinson family "lived" on the property as early as 1781, but I am not sure if they lived in the mansion home then, or possibly another home on the property acreage.

Below is a timeline that I detailed from the information that I presently have:

Prior to 1778 – Nathaniel Dickinson of New London was briefly married.  According to letters written by Jonathan Brooks, Jr to Nathaniel's son, David Bill Dickinson, "Capt Nathaniel Dickinson married for his first wife a Miss Roland of Lyme State of Connecticut the Daughter of a Wealthy Farmer..."

1778-1779 – Nathaniel Dickinson married Elisabeth Bill, both of New London.

1781 – Nathaniel Dickinson apparently already owned property near the New London shipping area and according to family letters Nathaniel “was at home with his family” when the British raided and set fire to colonial property in the port areas of both New London and Groton, Connecticut in 1781.  In May of 1792, Nathaniel was awarded 15.1.0 British pounds by the Connecticut General Assembly in recompense for his damages during the 1781 British attack on New London’s shipping businesses.  It is likely that at least his shop was burned or damaged in the raid.

1792 Sept 24 – Nathaniel Dickinson of New London received 20 British pounds from Timothy Green of New London for the sale of land that was described as a strip 8 feet wide and located from his shop to Main Street on the north side of where his home was located.

1794 Oct 10 – Nathaniel Dickinson signed a mortgage note for 27.6.9 British pounds.  He appears to have used his home as collateral for this note.  The funds were possibly obtained to build or enlarge the Dickinson family home or used for his business as a supplier for ships in New London.  This note was paid off and cleared when Nathaniel’s estate was probated.

1797 January – Nathaniel Dickinson died at sea on a voyage home to New London.  His estate left everything to his widow, Elisabeth.  Probate began in 1797 but wasn’t finally settled until 1806.  The property was recorded as a “Mansion House & Lot of Land with a small old shop” and it seemed to stretch the full width of the block with the shop at the end near of the wharf area & shipping center in New London.

1803 June 16 – Mrs Elizabeth Dickinson of New London leased a small parcel of land to Samuel Green of New London for the sum of $8 per year.  This plot of land was described as the south part of her garden.

1806 Sept 12 – In a $300 settlement of the Estate of Nathaniel Dickinson of New London, Elizabeth Dickinson granted/sold land to Peter Beebe of New London.  It sounds like this might have been for the eastern portion of the land with the shop on it that was nearest the shipping area.  It did not include her home.  The Beebe family was very active with early shipping in New London.

1815 August 14 – Elisabeth Dickinson of New London received $88 from Stephen Peck of New London and released to him title to land and a dwelling house that she had inherited from her husband, Nathaniel.  This document notes in the description that it is bounded on the northern and western sides by land owned by Joseph Bollis, bounded to the south by land owned by Joseph Peck, and to the east by Main Street.  BUT, the west side of the Dickinson home was along Main Street. So … either this was the sale of the Dickinson family home with an error in the description, or possibly it might have been property located across Main Street from the Dickinson family and an earlier home on the Dickinson property that also belonged to Nathaniel.     

1819 March – The house “lately occupied by Elizabeth Dickinson, situated on Main” was advertised for rent by Benjamin Brown of New London in 1819.  It is possible that Nathaniel & Elisabeth’s son, Capt David Bill Dickinson, had arranged for his brother-in-law, Benjamin Brown, to manage the property if it was still owned by the family at that time.  Or, if the property was no longer held by the Dickinson family, then as a local business man, Benjamin Brown was managing it for himself or another.

We still don’t know when the Dickinson family (probably either Elisabeth Dickinson or her son, David Bill Dickinson) finally sold the home on Main Street.  And I also don’t know when Elisabeth died, though it must have been after August 1815 as she signed the 1815 document noted above. 

Unfortunately, I haven’t found probate papers, a death notice or even a burial plot for Elisabeth Bill Dickinson – any of which would answer more of my questions.

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals: 

   Nathaniel Dickinson (1749 – 1797)

   Elisabeth Bill (~1760 – ~1818)

David Bill Dickinson (1787 – 1846)

  

Notes:

In case you want to see the document images, below are copies and partial transcriptions of the 4 documents that are cited above that were recently obtained from the office of the New London Town Records.

1792 Sept 24 – Nathaniel Dickinson of New London received 20 British pounds from Timothy Green of New London for the sale of land described as:

“a certain piece of Land lying on the South Side of my Garden, viz – Beginning at the Southwesterly Corner of my Garden in New London & North of Green’s Land, therein running Northerly as the Fence runs between my Land and William Skinner or Thomas Shaw’s Lane eight feet & two inches to the North Side of a large white Oak Post, thence remaining on a Straight Line Easterly to the Main Street to a Meer Stone five Inches South of the Southwest Corner of my Shop which is the Division between Green’s & my Land on the East Bound thence running Westerly bounding Southerly on Green’s Lane to the first mentioned Bound, about sixty seven feet.” [recorded, page 221, Vol 26, New London Town Records]

1803 June 16 – Mrs Elizabeth Dickinson of New London leased a small parcel of her land described as a garden to Samuel Green of New London for the sum of $8 per year

“a Certain piece of Land being the South part of my Garden, description as follows, viz / Beginning at the North End of the Brick Building thence running ten feet, sixteen inches North thence West four feet thirteen inches thence North two feet ten Inches & half thence West thrity six feet, thence South by Land of Joseph Skinner Fourteen feet five Inches to Lane of Ann W Green P Green shall from time to time & at times During P Time hereby Granted peacably Occupying hold and Enjoy P Land without any Let Trouble or hindrance of P Elizabeth Dickinson or any Other person or persons Lawfully claiming by from or under her or by her Means or Procurement.  It is further agreed by P. Elizabeth & Samuel that after the Expiration of Six Years from the above Date, I Said Elizabeth her heirs or should wish to build on any part of the Lane hereby Leased the whole of P Land to be Given up if Requested and P Green to Move the fence to the Original Bounds to the Line of P Ann W Green.” Note: I believe that “P” means Party to this contract. [recorded, page 159, Vol 31, New London Town Records]

1806 Sept 12 – In settlement of $300 from the Estate of Nathaniel Dickinson of New London, Elizabeth Dickinson of New London sold land to Peter Beebe P of New London described as:

“a Certain Piece of Land lying within New London & is Bounded as follows viz beginning of the Northeast Corner of the Brick Building belonging to Ann W Peck, Lately Ann W Green thence westerly by Land of P Skinner to a Meer Stone marked with the Letter A. thence Easterly 42 feet to a Meer Stone.  Near the Southwest Corner of P Dickinson House to Meer Stone being twelve feets & a half Northerly of P Brick Building & Marked with the letter B thence Easterly to a Meer Stone Marked C to the Line of the Highway thence Southerly 14 feet to the First Mentioned bound.  P Beebe to have the use? of a Gang Way two & a half feet wide the bredth of P Dickinson’s House for the purpose of passing North of his Shop to Make Repairs _?_.  It is clearly Understood by the Contracting parties that P Beebe is Not to Come Into possession of that part of the Land Conveyed by this Instrument which is Covered by a Lease to Coll. Samuel Green Until the Expiration of P Lease the Land above described & Conveyed Is a part of the Lott on which the House of my Late Husband Nathaniel Now Stands & the same which he purchased of the Honble Richard Law Esq. Which Land I sell by Order of the Court of Probate.”  Note: a meer stone is a boundary marker.

1815 August 14 – Elisabeth Dickinson of New London received $88 from Stephen Peck of New London and released to him title to land and a dwelling house that she had inherited from her husband, Nathaniel:

“in and to a certain lot of Land being and situate in said New London with a dwelling House thereon standing bounded northerly of Land of Joseph Bollis, westerly by land of Joseph Bollis, southerly by Land of said Stephen Peck, and Easterly by the Main Street being all my right in and to the Estate of my deceased Husband Nath Dickinson.  [recorded, page 141 of Volume 36, New London Town Records]

– Jane Scribner McCrary

More about the “Henry B Hyde” fire

I have discovered that you can currently get free online access to the digital records at The National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/. In the past we would have to submit and pay for a research request and wait to see what could be found.  So as you might expect, I spent some time searching around for anything related to our family history.

While I didn’t find any new information or revelations, I did find an interesting 1900 communique from the United States Consul in Valparaiso, Chile to the State Department regarding the fire aboard the ship Henry B Hyde that was the topic of my April 30, 2021 blog post, Dangerous Fire Aboard a Clipper Ship about Captain David A Scribner’s last sea voyage.  I will share a few of the pages with you.

 

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals:

       David Alba Scribner  (1840 – 1911)

- Jane Scribner McCrary
1 August 2023

Freemasonry and My Ancestors

Freemasons are easily found in early American history.  It is known that several of our country’s founding fathers were Freemasons including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.  Freemasonry originated in England, spread to Scotland and Ireland, and later to Colonial America.  Freemasons or Masons are members of fraternal organizations that trace their early origins to stonemason guilds of the 13^th century.   By the mid-1700’s there were American Lodges in Philadelphia, Boston and Maryland, and Lodges existed in each state soon after the American Revolution.

Freemason Lodges were social organizations known for secrecy, rituals, symbolism, social, cultural and political connections, and shared beliefs.  Individuals are grouped locally in Lodges and governed by a regional Grand Lodge.  Within a Lodge, members are ranked with three degrees:  first as new Entered Apprentices, next as Fellowcraft, and the top level is a Master Mason.

In my family history research, I have found three of my ancestors that were members of Masonic Lodges.  The earliest instance that I found was my 3^rd great grandfather David Bill Dickinson who was born in 1787 in New London, Connecticut.  Capt Dickinson was a mariner known to be a clipper ship captain who sailed as a privateer with a United States marquee during the War of 1812.  After the War of 1812, he sailed as a merchant ship captain for many years [see the blog post dated October 17, 2020, “A Career Aboard the Midas of Baltimore”].

David Bill Dickinson shows up in February of 1811 in the United Grand Lodge of England Freemason Membership Registers as a member of the London Naval Tavern Lodge No. 197 in England, and where he is listed as a “Captain”.  Note that it is called the Naval Tavern Lodge and may well have been a grouping of individuals involved in London mariner occupations.  I suspect that membership in this fraternal lodge provided Capt Dickinson with connections for comradery and possibly also food and accommodations while at port in London during his voyages.

By 1816, it appears that Capt Dickinson transferred his Masonic membership from London to Baltimore.  Capt Dickinson lived and sailed from the port of Baltimore, thus I sent an email to the Grand Lodge of Maryland inquiring about whether he had been a member in Baltimore.  The response that I got from the curator of the Library & Museum of the Grand Lodge of Maryland noted:

“...we do have a David B  Dickinson listed as a member of Washington Lodge, No. 3 under the Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Maryland joining in 1816 and demitting on July 20, 1828. The membership of Washington Lodge during this period included a number of individuals involved in building and sailing ships as they were located in the Fells Point area of Baltimore City near the dockyards.”

“We had a fire in 1890 that devastated our earlier records. Also since he [David Bill Dickinson] would have been admitted by demit since he was a member of another lodge prior to 1816 there would not be any of the typical information such as who recommended him/vouch for his character etc. He likely showed that he had a membership certificate from the lodge in London and the lodge here would have voted to accept him.”

Another ancestor and one of my 2^nd great grandfathers who was a Freemason was Capt Philip Moore Hale.  Captain Hale was also a seaman and the son-in-law of Capt David Bill Dickinson.  Captain Hale initiated into the Sefton Lodge located in Waterloo, near Liverpool, Lancashire, England on October 1, 1856, and his occupation was listed as a “mariner” currently living in Baltimore, Maryland.  In the fall of 1856, Capt Philip Moore Hale was the Captain and also a part owner of a new ship, the John Clark, that sailed between Baltimore and Liverpool.  Records indicate that Captain Hale and the ship John Clark were in Liverpool in October 1856 prior to sailing a return voyage to Baltimore.  The ship John Clark actually survived a hurricane on that trip home [see the blog post dated May 29, 2021, “The Tale of Captain Hale”]. 

I inquired with the Grand Lodge of Maryland to see if Philip Moore Hale might have transferred his membership from England to Maryland at a later point like his father-in-law did, but they found nothing.  And that makes sense to me as after 1856 were times of unrest and eventually the outbreak of the Civil War.  I know that Henry Moore Hale encountered many financial and personal difficulties during that time.

 

The third ancestor I found that was a Freemason was John C Gordon, my 2^nd great grandfather who was born about 1830 in New Jersey [see the blog post dated January 16, 2022, “Lived in Brooklyn, but from New Jersey”].  John C Gordon was a machinist, and he died in 1886.  I discovered his connection to Freemasonry when I found his obituary.

In my research on John C Gordon, I connected with the curator of the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library which is also the New York Masonic Library for the Grand Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York.  I received a response with the following information:

“Regarding your [2^nd] great-grandfather, he was indeed a member of Joppa No. 201.  At the age of 29, while working as a machinist, he was initiated into this lodge on December 1, 1858, and was eventually passed on December 15, 1858 … And, Joppa No. 201 was the first lodge that he was a part of and, judging from the obituary and the record of his death that we have here, he never left this particular lodge.  This suggests that he was a lifetime member of this lodge.  I am assuming that, as he was a member of this lodge for such an extensive period, I would assume that he had been raised to Master Mason at some point.”

 

These ancestors are all on the Scribner side of my family, though in different lines, and it is certainly possible that we may have other ancestors that were also Freemasons.  However, presently I have only found documentation for these three.

*  *  *  *  *

Key Individuals:      

     David Bill Dickinson  (1787 – 1846)

     Henry Moore Hale  (1807 – 1870)

     John C Gordon (abt 1830 – 1886)

Notes:

Sometimes Masonic affiliation is indicated on the gravestones of deceased Freemason members, yet I haven’t found a gravesite location for either David Bill Dickinson or Henry Moore Hale, and John C Gordon’s gravesite doesn’t have a gravestone.

David Bill Dickinson died on April 27, 1846, and family notes indicate that he was buried in Baltimore and then later moved by his wife when she returned to Mystic, Connecticut so that he could be buried with her.  However, I have not yet found the gravesites for either David Bill Dickinson or his wife, Mary Rogers Dickinson.  My notes indicate that they would likely be in either the Elm Grove Cemetery or the Cedar Grove Cemetery, both in Mystic.

Henry Moore Hale died on May 1, 1870 according to one family record.  As I have never been able to verify that date or find the location, I have never located a gravestone for him.

John C Gordon died on August 21, 1886 and is buried in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn in Lot #770 NW ¼, Section 6.  My cousin has visited that cemetery and located the specific lot where he is buried, however it seems that there is not an actual gravestone for anyone buried in that plot.  Documentation from Cypress Hills Cemetery, however, confirms that the Gordon plot does contain the graves of five members of the family, including John C Gordon who died in 1886.

- Jane Scribner McCrary

John Calvin Gordon & Helen King Gordon

My great grandparents, John Calvin Gordon & Helen King Gordon, were married on June 18, 1882 in Brooklyn, New York.  One of the witnesses to their marriage was Helen’s brother, Thomas F King. 

 

John & Helen had six children during their marriage between 1883 and 1902 including Charles, Walter, Lillian, Jean, Clifford and Helen, and a baby, Dorothy, who died at birth. 

John Calvin Gordon was born in 1861 in Brooklyn, the son of John C Gordon & Mary Elizabeth Snedeker Gordon.  In the 1880 Census, at 19 years of age, he was listed by occupation as a carpenter.  And before he was 30 years old, John was noted as a builder in the 1887 Brooklyn City Directory.

Below is a compilation of newspaper ads placed in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper between 1893-1900 for homes built by John Calvin Gordon.

The only photo that I have of John Calvin Gordon is a snapshot of him and Helen taken circa 1900 at a park or fair, however you really can’t see what he looks like at all.

 

Helen Teresa King Gordon was born circa 1860/1861 and we have conflicting documentation on her birth information.  Helen was the daughter of Thomas Patrick King who died during the Civil War and Margaret Smith King, an Irish immigrant who arrived in New York with her family at 15 years of age.  Early documentation shows her name as Ellen or Ella and later documents show her as Helen.  The 1880 Census even has her as Nellie, and she was working as a “saleslady” at that time.

Helen was the youngest of four children and was just a toddler when her father died in a Civil War battle [see the blog post, Lost Soldier Found in Arlington Cemetery, published on August 19, 2021].  Helen's mother struggled to provide for her young family doing ironing & washing and also cooking, not an easy life I am sure.

 

Helen Teresa King Gordon died in Washington D.C. in 1919 during a visit to the home of her daughter Lillian Gordon Lenehan.  According to the death certificate, she died of influenza and pneumonia at a time near the end of the Spanish flu epidemic. After Helen’s death, the youngest Gordon child, Helen Marie who was 17 years old, went to live with her older sister, Jean and her husband, Harry.

John Calvin Gordon later married a widow named Elizabeth Dorothy Berry McAuliffe. John died in 1945 at 84 years. 

*  *  *  *  * 

Key Individuals:

     John Calvin Gordon  (1860 – 1945)

     Helen Teresa King Gordon  (1861 – 1919)

- Jane Scribner McCrary