APHGA Report for Months of December 2009 and January 2010

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

Barb, Rick, Pat, Betty, Ed, Pat and Caryn searched and transcribed Pomeroys and variant spellings in the 1865 US Federal Census which is available on the Family History Center’s pilot website at http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#r=0;p=allCollections . These records are not indexed yet, but if you’re looking for family in New York, they’re a great resource.

Nancy learned about the online availability of West Virginia Vital Records from Dick Eastman’s blog, and gathered all Pomeroy, Pomroy, Pumroy and Pumray records. Many of these records connect with Chuck P’s VA Pomeroy family, Don P’s WV Pomeroy/Pomroy family, and the Daniel Pomeroy family (Hiram, Daniel, John, John, Noah, Joseph, Eltweed). Daniel was born about May 1848, probably in Niagara County, NY. He married Harriet (last name unknown) Nov. 1869 in MO. The couple had at least four children: William T. Pomeroy, b. abt 1871 in Clinton Co., MO; Cora Pomeroy, b. abt Mar 1875 in NY; Daniel Edward Pomeroy, b. abt 1878 in Erie Co., NY; and Jennie Hellen Pomeroy, b. abt Mar 1880 in NY. Both William T and Daniel Edward Pomeroy married in WV. William married Anna Henderson 11 Jun 1894 in Mannington, Marion County, WV and Daniel Edward married Bertie Emma Lawson 21 Jan 1903 in Weston, Lewis County, WV. Daniel and Bertie were the parents of Robert Edward Pomeroy, b. abt 1903 in Lewis County, WV who married Marianna Simon 25 Oct 1936 in Clarksburg, Lewis County, WV. To view these records yourself, go to: http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/ .

Judy continued to enter Canadian Census records into our various Pomeroy genealogy databases. Betty has also been entering research found by Lee regarding a family descended from Eltweed who settled in Canada. She continued to enter matched Social Security Death Index records for New York State. Betty also entered a newspaper clipping found by Barb that detailed the Cutting-Pomeroy wedding of October 1869, published in The Pittsfield Sun on 14 Oct 1869. Colonel Walter Cutting, born 9 Apr 1841 in NY married Maria Center Pomeroy (Robert, Lemuel, Lemuel, Seth, Ebenezer, Medad). The couple had at least four children: Juliana, born 18 Aug 1870 in Dalton, Berkshire County, MA; Mary Cutting, born 28 Sep 1873 in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, MA; Walter Livingston Cutting 2nd, born 17 Aug 1875 in MA; and Madeline Cutting, born 28 Dec 1877 in MA. Betty was able to follow this family through US Federal Census records.

Betty researched Florence Bird Pomeroy (William McKenzie, Daniel, John Patrick, Daniel, Daniel, Noah, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed). Florence was born about 1888 in the Province of Ontario, and married Robert W. Johnston, born about Mar 1853, in MO, on 25 Nov 1913 in Maidstone, Essex County, Province of Ontario. The couple had at least one child: Grace Johnson, born about 1916 in South Dakota.

Lee organized and drafted an outline of primary USA to Canada emigrant Eltweed Pomeroy descendants. She also started to match Western Land Grant Records for Canadian Pomeroys in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and reviewed Pomeroys found in the Ontario (Canada) Genealogy Database. Lee also saved and transcribed research on additional descendants of Wilkinson Pomeroy (George A, Silas, Abner, Caleb, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed). Wilkinson was born 11 Sep 1825 in Cramahe Township, Northumberland County, Province of Ontario. He married Lucretia Richards about 1855 in Cramahe Township (she was born about 1835 in Cramahe). The couple had at least four children: George Vernon Pomeroy, born about 1859 in Cramahe, Eliza O Pomeroy; born about 1861 in the Province of Ontario; Oliver Church Pomeroy, born 7 Dec 1861 in Haldimand, Northumberland County, Province of Ontario; and John R. Pomeroy, born about 1864 in the Province of Ontario. George Vernon Pomeroy married Margaret Elizabeth Battisby 26 Sep 1894 in Northumberland, Northumberland County, Province of Ontario, and they had at least one child, Lancelot Vance Pomeroy, born 10 Sep 1895 in Cramahe. Lancelot married Ruby Albertina Leach 1 Oct 1919 in Cobourg, Northumberland County, Province of Ontario. Ruby was born about 1900 in Oakville, Province of Ontario, to parents John L and Bella (Cross) Leach. Lee also researched Oliver Pomeroy, brother of Wilkinson Pomeroy, born about 1827 in Cramahe, who married Hannah and had at least four children, all born in Upper Canada: Andrew Pomeroy, born about 1853; William Pomeroy, born about 1855; Jane A. Pomeroy, born about 1857; and Victoria Pomeroy, born about 1859. Lee also completed her review and transcription of Canadian Pomeroy death records available through Ancestry.com. Lee has been passing on her matched research of Eltweed descendants to Betty for data entry.

Ed entered matched 1865 NY State Census records into the Unlinked Pomeroy database and continued his review and data entry of Pomeroys and variant spellings found in city directories in Maine. Ed has also started to review and enter Massachusetts vital records for Maine Pomeroy families who moved to Massachusetts. Ed has also been entering matched Canadian Census records into the Unlinked Pomeroy database. Ed matched US Federal Census records of descendants of John Pomeroy (Benjamin, Benjamin, Richard, Richard who settled on the Isles of Shoals) and Mehitable Tufts. Many of John and Mehitable’s children are identified as having been born in St. Stephen’s Parish, Charlotte County, Province of New Brunswick, Canada. Nancy has a hunch that this family is somehow related to Thomas W. Pomroy, the Clairvoyant Herbalist of Pembroke, ME. Records indicate that Thomas’ father David may have been baptized in St. Stephen’s Parish, and a possible brother of David, Benjamin Pomeroy, appears also to have been baptized in St. Stephen’s Parish, a son of Richard Pomeroy. We would love to be able to connect these two families, please contact Nancy if you have done any research on this line!

Barb continued her review of America’s Historical Newspapers, and is fast becoming an expert on Marcus Mills “Brick” Pomeroy and the Honorable Samuel Clarke Pomeroy. She found an interesting article about a John N. Pomeroy who had at one time suffered from alcoholism and been a patient of the New York Inebriate Asylum, and who later lectured on the effects of alcoholism. This brings up the curious question regarding two John Norton Pomeroys that we have been researching. One, born 12 Apr 1828 in Rochester, Monroe County, NY, was the son of Enos Pomeroy (Enos, Stephen, Ebenezer, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and Sarah Strong Norton. This John Norton Pomeroy married Anna Rebecca Carter 21 Nov 1855, in Savannah, Chatham County, NY and died 25 Feb 1885, in San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA. The couple had at least four children: Howard Norton Pomeroy; Carter Pitkin Pomeroy; Harriet Howard Pomeroy; and John Norton Pomeroy Jr, who would become a Professor of Law and author. Our other John Norton Pomeroy was born 27 Sep 1792 in Vermont, son of Doctor John Pomeroy (Francis, Francis) and Mary Porter. This John Norton Pomeroy married Lucia Loomis 25 Mar 1819 in Burlington, Chittenden County, VT and the couple had at least one child, Mary H. Pomeroy, born
about 1835 in VT. Albert A. Pomeroy gives a short description of the life of Doctor John Pomeroy in his book “The History and Genealogy of the Pomeroy Family” but is unable to connect this family as descendants of Eltweed. If anyone has been researching this family, we’d love to hear from you!

Nancy did some preliminary research on the family of Lebbeus (or Libbeus) Stannard and Eunice Pomeroy (Medad, Medad, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed) which needs to be entered into our Eltweed database. Jessica F, a descendant, has been tracing this line.

Caryn has been helping with filing and matching Pomeroy vital records, and will be helping Nancy do research on Edwin Guilford Pomeroy (Francis A., Francis W., Spencer, Pliny, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and the McKeen Motor Car Company (see The Pomeroy Collection).

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

Rick contacted Ontario County, NY Records and Archives to see if they had a copy of the incorporation papers for the First Presbyterian Church in Lyons, and inquired and located the old tax assessment books for Lyons. Rick transcribed the 1849 contract to build the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons. Slips (pews) were sold upon completion to absolve subscribers and defray the cost of the building. The church was built on the existing Presbyterian Church Burying Grounds. Rick put together a proposed itinerary for a visit to Lyons, NY to further research Reverend Francis Pomeroy, his land connections with the building of the Erie Canal, and property adjoining the current First Presbyterian Church, his cousin Robert Ashley and a new Pomeroy found while checking census records, Pomeroy Alford. If you know who Pomeroy Alford is, please contact Nancy!

Nancy has been entering research done on the Ashley/Pomeroy/Williams/Williston families found during her research of Lyons, NY.

The Pomeroy Collection

Nancy accessioned and itemized various genealogy and history journals, magazines and newsletters donated by Bill Pomeroy. Nancy also spent time working on the Edwin Guilford Pomeroy, Etta May (Stansberry) Pomeroy and Bertha (Bowe) Pomeroy collection of photographs, letters and postcards. Edwin was the son of Francis Austin Pomeroy (Francis W., Spencer, Pliny, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and Bertha (Bowe) Pomeroy. Edwin was born 12 Aug 1886 in Sandusky, OH, and lived as a child in Columbus and Tiffin, OH. From what we can piece together from photographs and correspondence, E.G. worked as a machinist in Elyria, OH when he was 19 years old. He also apparently worked for a time in Pocatello, IA, when he was 21, before moving to Omaha, NE to work for the McKeen Motor Car Company. The earliest record we currently have of E.G. in Omaha is a letter he wrote to his then fiancé and later wife, Etta May Stansberry. This letter was dated 21 Feb 1909, but based on the contents of the letter the couple had obviously known each other prior to this date. Nancy made a connection with the grandson of E.G.’s and Etta May’s best friends in Omaha, Harry and Julia (Horalek) Tressler. Julia was a nurse as was Etta May, and according to an article written by grandson Mike Tressler in the Toledo Blade, on 21 Jun 1990, Harry and his best friend (who turned out to be E.G.) came from Ohio to Omaha to work at the McKeen Motor Car shop. Harry and E.G. took rooms in a rooming house next door to where Julia and Etta May boarded, in fact, according to Mike Tressler, Harry and E.G. took their meals at the boarding house where Julia and Etta May boarded! We are working with Richard Palmer, a free-lance writer, to put together a piece on E.G. and his career at McKeen Motor Car Company.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Judy and Pat continued to review articles about Huron County, OH in The Firelands Pioneer; and Huron County, OH tax records and census records. They are entering names of early Huron County residents into our genealogy database. Of particular interest was a find by Pat, regarding Major Frederick Falley. Born in Westfield, MA in 1765, he would later help Elisha Whittlesey and Platt Benedict select Norwalk, OH as the Huron County seat. His father, Captain Richard Falley, was the first government gun manufacturer during the Revolutionary War and was the great grandfather of President Grover Cleveland. The Falley family was related to the Allen family of Westfield.

Also of interest, found by Judy, was Caleb Palmer who married Alvin Coe’s wife’s sister, Harriet Smith. Johnny Appleseed lived for a time with Caleb and his family in New Haven, OH. Judy also found a connection to the Coe family and Reverend John Seward. His mother was Ann Coe, daughter of Ephraim Coe. Alvin Coe studied under Reverend John Seward and Reverend Harvey Coe, a cousin of Alvin, in Ohio.

Rick has contacted Ohio county clerks’ offices regarding the purchase availability of court and deed records on microfilm. So far it appears that the best resource for this material is through Bowling Green State University.

We have added 1315 people, 136 sources and 5,782 citations to our genealogy databases over the past month.