Shem Loomis Family in Onondaga County Poorhouse 1836

As many of you may already know, I've been transcribing the first two Onondaga County, NY Poorhouse Ledgers. I'm on the second ledger, and towards the end of the book, and I believe I've found another family who were Pomeroy descendants.

On Jan 27, 1836, Shem, Hannah, George, Rachel, Frederick and Henry Loomis checked into the Poorhouse from the town of Clay. Their expenses were also charged to the town of Clay. Shem, Hannah, George, Rachel and Frederick Loomis were discharged May 9, 1836, Henry having died on May 6, 1836. The family received clothing and fabric, with the exception of Henry, whose only charges were that of his funeral expense at $1.50. No ages are given for this family in the Poorhouse Ledger, but it would appear from Henry's funeral expense that he was probably at least a teenager (the funeral expenses of younger people average between 50 cents and $1.00, while adults average between $1.50 and $2.00).

A check of the book Descendants of Joseph Loomis In America, by Elisha S. Loomis (self published, 1909), identifies the following children of Shem and Hannah (Losey or Loise) Loomis (Shem born 19 Jun 1788, Hannah born unknown):
Hannah, b. 27 Jun 1812
Melinda, b. 1813
Elvira, b. 1 May 1814
George, b. 1815
Rachel, b. 1817
Frederick, b. 4 Jan 1819

US Federal Census records for 1850 show Shem Loomis, b. abt 1788 in MA and Hannah Loomis, b. abt 1792 in CT, living in Hector, Tompkins Co., NY. The 1860 US Federal Census shows Shem and Hannah living in the Frederick P. Loomis household in Hector, Tompkins Co., NY. Shem is listed as 71 yrs of age and Hannah 66 yrs of age. Frederick Loomis is listed as 31 yrs of age, giving him an approximate birth year of 1829. The 1870 US Federal Census lists a Shem and Hannah living in Enfield, Tompkins Co., NY. Shem is 79 and Hannah 76. I believe this is the same family as identified in the Descendants of Joseph Loomis in America, and also in the History and Genealogy of the Pomeroy Family by Albert A. Pomeroy (#584, page 186), but the ages are off a little for Frederick. Mecklenburg, NY where Shem died according to the books previously mentioned, is just over 5 miles west of Enfield, NY.

This Shem Loomis was the son of Shem Loomis and Rhoda Winter, and the grandson of Amos Loomis and Hannah Pomeroy (Eldad, Caleb, Eltweed).

Is anyone else researching this family? I'd love to find out how long they were in Clay, and why they were in the Poorhouse. Was it because Henry was ill?

APHGA Blog Post for February 5, 2011

The following is an update of the last several months of work done by our researchers. Grab a cup of coffee (or perhaps something stronger!), settle in and enjoy!

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

Judy has been diligently processing large amounts of data-entry, including WWII draft registration cards, US Federal, State and Canadian Census records, West Virginia Vital Records, Ohio Deaths, Oregon Deaths, Texas Births, North Carolina Deaths, Minnesota Marriages, South Carolina Cemetery Inscriptions, Arkansas Death, Alabama Deaths, Kentucky Deaths, and the list goes on and on and on and on! She has also been doing collateral line research including that of the daughter of Lovina Mann Pomeroy, Maude Pomeroy Wade, based on names found in obituaries on the Northern New York Newspaper online database. Judy has been filling in the descendants of Daniel Pomeroy Rose, born 6 Aug 1784 in Coventry, Tolland Co., CT who married Johannah Webster 20 Dec 1808 in Bolton, Chittenden Co., VT. The couple had at least 6 children that we know of, Daniel Pomeroy Rose, Jr., Parker Webster Rose, Jehiel Rose, Barbary Rose, Elizabeth Rose (died young), and Elizabeth Fanny Rose, likely named after her sister.

Judy ordered the death record for a George Pomeroy who died about 26 Mar 1918 of drowning in the Maumee River in Ohio. She was hoping there’d be some information on the record to connect this George with parents Henry Burt Pomeroy and Mary Wiley, but no parents were listed on the record. George was born abt 1849 in OH, and is associated as the son of Henry Burt Pomeroy (Medad, Timothy, Ebenezer, Eldad, Caleb, Eltweed) and Mary Wiley, but according to A.A. Pomeroy, the couple married 23 Jul 1856, about 7 years after George was born. Mary had been married previously to a Mr. Watkins. Could George be the son of Mr. Watkins who was adopted by Henry Burt Pomeroy?

Judy also found 7 Pomeroys who were graduates of Amherst College and entered information from their obituaries. It’s amazing what you’ll find on the web.

Ed has been entering records that Lee has transcribed and matched relating to Canadian Pomeroys, including a large family in Stanstead County, Providence of Quebec. Ed also researched and entered a large Pomeroy family found in Newfoundland. Ed researched the sad tale of one Archie Pomeroy. According to the book Pioneer Ways to Modern Days, by Ved Parkash Arora, “Archie, a nephew of Art Lobb, was an amateur boxer living in this district on the N.E. 28-50-10. He went to Nipawin for an airplane ride and was killed when the plane crashed in 1937.” Does anyone know who this unfortunate Pomeroy was?

Ed has also been filling in a large family descended from William Pomeroy, born abt 1785 in North Carolina. William married Sarah (last name unknown) about 1799 in Mason, Bibb County, Georgia and the couple had at least 12 children that we know of: Nancy, Abraham, Willis, Thomas, Millie, Elizabeth, James, Mary, William Henry, John, Temperance C., and Catharine Pomeroy. Parts of this family moved from Tennessee to Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.

Ed has traced one branch of the Richard Pomeroy (Isles of Shoals) family all the way to Washington State! I guess the Eltweeders don’t have the market cornered on westward expansion after all. One Joseph Y. Pomeroy (middle name possibly Young), born 14 Sep 1805 in St. Stephen’s Parish, Charlotte Co., Province of New Brunswick, was found living in Thurston Co., WA with his wife and married daughter Sarah. Sarah was married to Levi W. Morrison, also of New Brunswick. Another daughter, Lucy, settled with her husband, James Kennedy, in Calais, Washington Co., ME (just over the border from Charlotte Co., NB). I think a road trip is in order! Wouldn’t you love to trace their route (by car)?

Ed, Betty and Christine have been reviewing and researching previously unmatched records with great success. The whole group has also been collecting Pomeroy records off the expanded FamilySearch pilot site.

Betty has been entering FamilySearch records into the Eltweed database, and has been matching and entering records from Barb’s Church of Christ database. She has also been entering census records that she and Ed have been able to match this last time around. Betty has also been matching Pomeroys in the Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Marriage Records to 1870.

Betty also found some interesting discrepancies in records found relating to the Sterling Pomeroy family (Hiram Sterling, Hiram, John, Noah, Joseph, Eltweed). A WWI draft record was found for a Sterling Pomeroy, which led to the finding of a birth record listing a mother named Agnes. The odd thing is that this Sterling’s name is Pomeroy. Did his mother marry, then divorce and take back her maiden name, which was also adopted by her son? Nancy has been talking with a Searle researcher who has a Sterling Pomeroy Searle ancestor which we have not been able to connect with a Pomeroy family. She also has a Reverend Roger Searle who married a Sarah Pomeroy (Adino, Josiah, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed), whose son Lucien T. Searle settled in the same area that Sterling Pomeroy is found in (Ohio County, IL). Will the mysteries never end?

Christine has taken the reigns of the George Pomeroy project – continuing to enter the book for this family in a separate database so that we can sort out these unmatched families. Christine has also been working on matching previously unmatched census records, WWI Enlistment records and WWII draft records. Christine has also been matching new records found on the FamilySearch site. Christine has also taken over organizing our filing.

Lee has been heading up our publication project and has found some fascinating Pomeroy diaries locally. She continues to research Canadian Pomeroys while also organizing local New York State Pomeroy research. If you’re looking for vital records for Pomeroys in New York from 1881 forward, let us know, as Lee has transcribed all the Pomeroys in the New York State Vital Records Index. Lee has been organizing field trips to the Onondaga County Public Library to transcribe Pomeroys found in New York State Census records available on microfilm.

Barb has been spending most of her time transcribing the journals of the First Church of Christ, Northampton, which have been microfilmed and can be ordered through your local Family History Library. These records are extensive, starting in the 1750s. Barb has, to date, transcribed over 7,430 records between 1750 and 1820. She has transcribed about two-thirds of the records she copied from the microfilm.

Barb and Nancy are committee members of the Central New York Genealogical Society’s 50th Anniversary “Good as Gold” Conference, which will be held in Syracuse, NY October 14th and 15th, 2011. The APHGA will have a table in the Vendor Hall and we would love to meet any Pomeroy researchers and fans of this blog! The CNYGS will have information about the conference posted on their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycnygs/index.htm shortly.

The Pomeroy Collection

Tammy continues her work inventorying, preserving, digitizing and applying metadata to the digitized images of the collection. She is currently working on several boxes of memorabilia related to Bill’s mother’s side of the family. She has completely inventoried, preserved, digitized and applied metadata to 7 shelves of the collection.

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

We’ve been fortunate to have the assistance of a historian who has been working on our behalf to get permission from the city of Auburn, New York, to install a Pomeroy Anvil Monument dedicated to Theodore Medad Pomeroy. Theodore was a lawyer, banker, mayor, and member of the House of Representatives. He joined the Republican Party prior to 1858 and was a dedicated abolitionist and friend of Harriet Tubman. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Nancy has been transcribing the first two Onondaga County, New York, Poorhouse ledgers. These ledgers follow the time period of 1827 through 1836. It was during this time that Spencer Pomeroy resided at the Poorhouse, checking in usually in January and being discharged in the following spring. Spencer died in the Poorhouse 2 May 1833. Also in the Poorhouse, at the time, were his sister Clarissa (Pomeroy) Wood and her daughter Charlotte Sophia Wood. During recent construction at the old Poorhouse site, the remains of 2 dozen bodies were discovered. A team of archaeologists from SUNY Binghamton have been working diligently during one of the worst winters on record in Syracuse and have uncovered a large number of artifacts and additional human remains.

Nancy has offered to provide the archaeologists with information regarding deaths at the Poorhouse for the early part of the 19th century. We are quite excited about this project, as it is helping us to learn more about the Poorhouse and Spencer’s life there. There is also a possibility that Spencer is one of the bodies that were found. It is Nancy’s hope that we can help the archaeologists discover the identity of the remains found, not only for the descendants of Spencer, but for the descendants of all the people whose remains were recently found.

Nancy has already found living descendants of a woman who also died in the Poorhouse in 1833. Her name was Thankful Denny, she was 82 and from Manlius, NY. It’s wonderful to find other researchers who care as much about their heritage as our Pomeroy researchers!

Alethea and Barb did some additional Poorhouse research at the Onondaga Historical Society and the Onondaga County Court House. A Superintendants’ report for 1833 was found at the OHA which listed Spencer Pomeroy, Clarissa and Charlotte Wood. This report helped Nancy to identify the nature of a certificate fee being charged to each pauper’s account.

Pat has been concentrating on early residents of Pompey, Manlius, and other townships in Onondaga County, New York. Our reasoning is that some of these people end up in Norwalk and other towns in Huron County, Ohio. Could a connection with one of these people lead us to Mary Ann? Why did Mary Ann choose to settle in Norwalk? We suspect that she may have lived for a while with one of her uncles, either Reverend Alvin Coe or Ensign Luther Coe, both living in Huron County at the time. But did she also have friends from Pompey and Manlius who were in Norwalk and provided further impetus for her to move there? An article in a recent La Fayette Historical Society newsletter regarding a Jackson family that moved from La Fayette to Huron County, OH provided some additional clues and connections to the Pomeroy/Coe families. Charles Jackson, who settled in Norwalk, had a sister, Mercy (Jackson) Brown, who was the mother-in-law of Anna (Pomeroy) Brown, the daughter of Reverend Francis Pomeroy, cousin of Spencer Pomeroy.

Pat’s research also led her to be able to identify Victory Birdseye, Spencer Pomeroy’s insolvency lawyer, as a fourth cousin of Spencer’s wife, Mary Ann Coe. In fact, Victory Birdseye’s uncle, John Birdseye, married Phebe Coe, daughter of James Coe and Huldah Wilcoxson. Mary Ann and Phebe Coe were second cousins once removed. This just supports my theory that you should be nice to everyone, because you’re probably related to them!