APHGA Report for May through July 2010, part 1

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

It’s been quite a busy few months since I last posted a blog on our projects, so I’m going to break it up over a few days. If I keep writing I’ll never get this posted! – Nancy Maliwesky

We’ve added more new members, including a descendant of Marcus Mills “Brick” Pomeroy. Several new members are struggling with brick walls, including Bev L. who is researching the George Pomeroy Kingsley line. George Pomeroy Kingsley was born 11 Nov 1865 in Freeport, Stephenson Co., IL, and married Mabel Wright (born 19 Oct 1865) before Sept. 1894. While we can connect George back to Eltweed (Dr. George Pomeroy Kingsley, Elizabeth Coit Pomeroy, Gamaliel, Lemuel, Seth, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed), we’re struggling to learn more about George’s descendants. We know that George and Mabel had at least 7 children: Susanna, born 17 Sep 1894, Ethel and Edith, twins, born 11 Sep 1895, George Pomeroy, Jr., born 23 Sep 1897, Donaldson Wright, born 16 Mar 1899, Hamilton Swift, born 23 Jun 1901 and Archibald Wright, born 5 Apr 1907, but we don’t know anything of their offspring. If you are related to this family, please contact me!

Another Pomeroy researcher is stuck on Abner Ross Pomeroy, born 29 Aug 1824 or 1828 in GA. He served the state of Georgia as a Confederate Soldier during the Civil War. He was captured in Calhoun and served time in the Nashville Union Prison before being transferred to the prison in Louisville, KY. He wasn’t in Louisville very long, apparently he signed an oath of allegiance to the US and was set free. We found a marriage date of 24 Aug 1859 recorded for Abner R. Pomeroy and Miss Clarissa L. Lee of Bulloch Co., GA in the book “Marriage Records of Bulloch County, Georgia, 1796 (Origin of County) through 1875”, written by Mrs. Alvaretta Kenan in 1971. The 1880 US Federal Census lists Connecticut as the birthplace of both of Abner Pomeroy’s parents. Abner died 5 Apr 1890 according to his tombstone. He was buried in the Bethel Lutheran Church Cemetery in Effingham Co. GA. We believe that Clarissa died young and Abner married second, on 14 Feb 1877, in Effingham Co., Julia Ann Frances Arnsdorff, who was born 12 Sep 1839 in Effingham Co., GA, and died in Grayson, Effingham Co., GA 21 Jul 1924.

We have not been able to find Abner in the 1850 US Federal Census. The only other Pomeroys we have found in GA around this time, that were born in Connecticut, were Chauncey Pomeroy (Eleazer D, Daniel, Noah, Joseph, Eltweed), his wife Mary and daughter Jane. Chauncey was born 8 Dec 1800 in Coventry, Tolland Co., CT, and died 24 Jun 1888 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA. He married Mary Northrup Ives in 1827. She was born abt 1810 in CT and died 3 Jan 1881. According to Albert A. Pomeroy, the couple, although married 54 years, only had one child, Jane Eliza, born 15 Jun 1845 in Alabama. In 1850 Chauncey, Mary and Jane are living in the Harvey Hall household in Columbus, Muscogee Co., GA according to the US Federal Census. According to the 1840 US Federal Census, Chauncey was living in Russell County, AL. There were only two people enumerated in this household, presumably Chauncey and his wife Mary. Jane would not be born for another five years, but if Abner an undocumented son of Chauncey, wouldn’t he have been living in the household at the tender age of 15? Unfortunately we have been unable to locate a death record for Abner that might list his parents’ names. If anyone else is researching this family, please let us know!

Michael C and Nancy have been working on the Elisha Pomeroy (Seth, Medad, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed) family that settled all over New York State, after moving from Lyme, NH. Nancy believes that Isaac Allen Pomeroy who settled in Fountain County, IN is a son of Elisha.

Syd R. and Ruth Ann and Harry L. visited our research center on Wednesday, May 19. They are cousins who descend from Eliza Elmira Pomeroy (Charles Watrous, Watrous, Charles, Noah, Noah, Joseph, Eltweed). Eliza was born in 1839 in Auburn, NY and married William H. Meaker 10 Oct 1861. Syd and Ruth Ann brought lots of their research and were kind enough to let me scan and photograph some of their old photographs. Although Harry is not a Pomeroy, we did have a great discussion about his work with the Salvation Army. It was lovely meeting Syd, Ruth Ann and Harry! If you are doing Pomeroy Family research in and around Syracuse, NY, please keep us in mind, we’d love to meet you!

While visiting the Jefferson County, NY Probate Office recently, Lee found a will and probate file for Hiram Sterling Pomeroy. She had copies made and it has been quite helpful in piecing together some of this family’s collateral lines. Hiram was born 1 Feb 1797 in Somers, Tolland Co., CT; married Ester Ryder 6 Sep 1820 in Point Salubrious, Jefferson Co., NY and was living in Ohio, Bureau Co., IL by 10 Jun 1880, where he died on 13 Oct 1885.

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

The parishioners of the First Presbyterian Church in Lyons, NY are working on a lovely walkway around their Pomeroy Anvil Monument. The Church is located at 11 Queen Street in Lyons. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop and view the monument.

Bill was in Sandusky, OH in May and had the opportunity to visit the Pomeroy Anvil Monument at the Oakland Cemetery for the first time. Bill had a chance to speak with Dan H. who runs the cemetery. Dan’s been a great help to our organization. If you’re in Sandusky, be sure to visit the Oakland Cemetery and the monument.

The Pembroke, ME Monument is installed and Bill, Sandra, Bill’s niece Laura, Jerry and Nancy attended the dedication ceremony on July 4, 2010. It was a great weekend and we had the opportunity to meet many of the townspeople. The parade was wonderful, and the fireworks in Eastport were spectacular. Nancy will be working on a video of the day which we will share with the Pembroke Historical Society and the town. Gail Menzel will be submitting an article about the monument to the Maine Historical Society. Thank you, Gail, for all your hard work on this project. We couldn’t have done it without you!

In preparing for the dedication speech, Nancy abstracted Dr Thomas Pomroy’s four prescription books, which are currently in our collection. We realized during this process, that one of the books had not been photographed, so this is now been added to our conservation projects.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Bill and Nancy had the opportunity to visit the Pompey Historical Society and photograph an old account book dating from 1801 through 1802. This account book appears to have been connected with an early mercantile store in Pompey. The book was later used as a scrapbook, and many of the original accounts have been covered over with articles from early papers which have been pasted over the pages. Roy Dodge found this book a few years ago and has done an abstract of the names found in the book. Nancy created an index connected with the photographs she took of the book and will be giving a copy to the Pompey Historical Society. In this way, the contents can be viewed without further damaging the already fragile book. We will be asking permission of the Pompey Historical Society to post the index of the book on our website. Nancy has created a database to keep track of all the names identified in many of the early records of Pompey that the APHGA has collected. It is our hunch that Mary Ann Coe either went to Norwalk, OH with people she knew, or was influence to move to Norwalk by those people. We are trying to identify early settlers of Norwalk, OH who lived previously in Pompey. One new connection was Reuben Pixley, Jr., and early settler of Pompey who was also an early settler of Norwalk, OH and helped to build Platt Benedict’s house. Reuben married Rebecca (last name unknown) and the two are buried in the Berwyn Cemetery in LaFayette, NY. Also in Pompey at an early date was a Rebecca Pixley, who married Stephen Shattuck in 1799. Reuben Pixley, Jr. was a near neighbor of the Shattucks, as were the Coes. Is this the connection that prompted Mary Ann to move to Norwalk?

Nancy continues her work writing the Mary Ann Coe book.

We have added 2,311 new people, 2,184 new sources and 14,344 new citations to our genealogy databases since our last blog post.

APHGA Weekly Report 2/2/2010

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

Barb continued her review of Pomeroys or variant spellings in America’s Historic Newspapers. She is up to the Civil War era and has been totally immersed in “Brick” Pomeroy’s newspapers.

Barb, Rick and Betty continue to review and transcribe Pomeroys and Coes in the 1865 NY State Census.

Caryn and Nancy continue to research Edwin Guilford Pomeroy (Francis A., Francis W., Spencer, Pliny, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and his work with the McKeen Motor Car Company. Nancy transcribed Edwin’s daybook for the year 1915 in which he noted the work that he did for McKeen, including places he traveled and business contacts. This information has helped us to further pinpoint which McKeen Motor Cars Edwin actually worked on (either building or repairing). Nancy contacted several railroad historical societies and the Army Air Force Historical Association (the Army Air Services purchased a McKeen Motor Car in 1917, also we have a pass that was issued to Edwin from the Aeronautical Experimental Station at Langley Field in Hampton, VA for a period ending 20 Jul 1918). Nancy also learned that the McKeen Motor Car Company also manufactured a gasoline powered windlass for the United States Army Balloon School (date unknown). Caryn located Edwin at the Oak Ridge Sanitarium/Hotel in Green Spring, OH in 1899. She found an obituary for Julia (Horalek) Tressler, Etta May’s co-worker and friend when she was a nurse living in Omaha, NE. Julia’s obituary identifies her as a graduate of the Bethany Hospital School of Nursing. This hospital is no longer in operation in Omaha, and Caryn is researching to see if records for the school may exist at another repository. Caryn also located an obituary for Julia’s brother Edward that lists their parents and siblings. Caryn found census records for Harry Tressler (Julia’s husband and Edwin’s friend) living with his parents in Liberty OH, and living as a boarder in Bucyrus, OH in the 1900 US Federal Census. Caryn is now searching for Harry’s obituary. Nancy transcribed a listing of addresses of friends and relatives of Edwin Pomeroy which was undated, and entered research into our Pomeroy database.

Betty continues to enter matched Canadian vital records research which Lee has found into the Unlinked Pomeroy database. She has also been filing entered WWI Draft Registration records and entering matched Social Security Death Index records. These records often lead to additional research as Betty checks to make sure that all census records have been identified and entered for these individuals.

Lee worked with Ed to sort out Canadian Pomeroys, Pomerleaus and Pommerois in Quebec. She also re-examined several of the Drouin Records for the Acadia/New Brunswick areas and Border Crossing records to see if any additional matches could be found in our databases, several connections were made to our Unlinked Pomeroy database. Ed continued to review Maine city directories and enter matched records. This week he concentrated on Portland, Livermore, East Livermore and Livermore Falls.

The Pomeroy Collection

Nancy organized and filed items that were donated by Paula Miller, the Director of the William G. Pomeroy foundation.

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

Rick located and requested a copy of the deed for the Religious Society of Sodus (the forerunner of the Lyons Presbyterian Church) from the Ontario County Records and Archives.

Nancy updated the Lyons, NY Pomeroy Anvil webpage at http://americanpomeroys.org/Lyons.html .

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Pat continued to add 1820 Huron County, OH heads of household to our database, this week she concentrated on Ridgefield, Lyme, and Vermillion. By doing this, Pat has found connections between early residents of Huron County and Onondaga County. A Robert Barber was listed as a head of household in Huron County in 1820 census. Was this the father of Sarah Barber (b. 1812 in Onondaga Co., NY) who married Judge William Grove Pomeroy (Grove, Grove, Phinehas, Medad, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed)? If anyone is researching this family, please contact Nancy!

Pat found another possible connection to the Pomeroy family and early settlers of Huron County, OH. One of the heads of household for Huron County in 1820 was a Benjamin Munn. Is this the brother of Dorothy Munn who married Ralph Mosely Pomeroy (Daniel Jr, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed)?

Pat also researched the most interesting Edward Bela Coe, son of Chauncey H. Coe and heir to his uncle Bela DeCost Coe’s estate. When his uncle died in Nov. 1852, Edward could not be found and the family advertised in an 1856 whaling newspaper, offering a $200 reward for information about him. An 1871 newspaper stated he had been arrested in Skaneateles for forgeries in the amount of 416,000 to $18,000.

Rick continued his research into the availability of purchasing microfilmed copies of Ohio court, real property and probate records. He reviewed the Stark County website to identify records of interest including cemetery records. These cemetery records are the transactions for plots in various county cemeteries. Rick also spent time at the Family History Center reviewing and making copies of probate records for Erie County, NY, including the file of James W. Higgins, Henry, Oliver, Ralph M, Robert and Thomas A Pomeroy and Bela DeCost and Edward B. Coe.

We have added 264 people, 57 sources and 1,257 citations to our genealogy databases over the past week.

APHGA Bi-Weekly Report 12/15/2009

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

Nancy welcomed new APHGA member David P, whose Pomeroy line descends from Peter and Keren-Huppuch (Pilcher) Pomeroy. Peter was born about Jan 1838 in either Canada or England. He and Keren married 27 Jan 1864 in Plainfield, Will County, Illinois and Peter died 26 Sep 1916 in Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas. Peter and Keren had 5 children we know of, namely Ida May Pomeroy, b. 19 Dec 1865 in Lockport, Will County, Illinois; Charles A. Pomeroy, b. 1 Mar 1867 in Lockport, Robert Lester Pomeroy, b. 8 Jan 1869 in Lockport, d. 25 Dec 1953 in Independence, Montgomery County, Kansas; Fred G Pomeroy, b. 23 Aug 1874 in Wellington; and Lula B. Pomeroy, b. 8 May 1878 in Wellington. (Vital statistics courtesy of John Fishbeck’s Ancestral file on Ancestry.com.) We would like to try to identify who Peter’s parents were. If anyone is researching this family, please contact us!

David O. contacted Nancy regarding Dr. Thomas W. Pom(e)roy of Pembroke, Maine. His wife was a descendant of the Eye family. I have connected David with Gail Menzel of the Pembroke Historical Society, which has a nice collection of photographs, genealogies and news clippings of Pembroke inhabitants.

Haylee P. contacted Nancy. She’s a descendant of Francis Martin Pomeroy. Nancy sent her an ancestral report and asked for her to check what we have and let us know if there are any errors or omissions.

Judy has been entering 1871 Canadian Census records into our various databases.

Lee started to inventory the Pomeroy Family Papers at the Onondaga Historical Society and copied several items of interest. Le also continued to review information sent to us by the Cobourg Historical Society in Canada to see if she could link some of our Unlinked Pomeroys to Eltweed.

Betty entered matched WWII draft cards into the various Pomeroy databases. She continued to research Maine Governor Lewis O. Barrows and his family. Lewis married Pauline M. Pomeroy (Arthur Mosman, Francis, Elisha, Simeon, Titus, John, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) on 26 Apr 1917. The couple had at least three children, Robert W., Edward P., and Wallace H. Barrows. Betty also entered matched Michigan SSDI records and found missing census records for some of these Pomeroy families. Betty also entered matched Canadian marriages and worked on the family of Emery Pomeroy (James, Silas, Abner, Caleb, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed). Emery had two wives named Margaret; it appears that the first wife, Margaret Helen (Bolt or Helenbolt) Pomeroy, died when she gave birth to twins in 1871. Betty then started to enter Maine SSDI records.

Barb completed transcribing the items of early Northampton and Pomeroy Family genealogies from an early e-Bay purchase. She reviewed Trumbull’s History of Northampton, Vol II, to familiarize herself with Northampton, MA. She then continued her review of America’s Historic Newspapers. She continued to find a lot of material concerning the Honorable Samuel Clarke Pomeroy’s problems concerning a bribery attempt. Another interesting article was found in the Pittsfield Sun concerning Edward Pomeroy (Lemuel, Lemuel, Seth, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and his first wife Abby (Alger) Pomeroy. Although divorced in Illinois, the divorce was not recognized in New York State. Twenty years had passed and each had re-married, and they were being accused in 1868 of fraudulently obtaining a divorce. It was argued that the courts of NY had no power to dissolve a marriage and no jurisdiction to set aside judgment of a court of record in another state. Barb is anxiously awaiting the outcome!
Barb found an article dated Nov. 1868 that stated “The most popular piece of music in the South at the present time is called “Our Brutus.” The words are those of Brick Pomeroy eulogizing Boot for the Murder of Lincoln, and the title page bears a finely lithographed picture of the arch-assassin. – Democracy true to itself!” – The article goes on to state that “Brick Pomeroy is a grandson of General Horatio Gates”.

A January 1869 article warned: “Again we advise persons seeking employment to keep out of New York. The city is overrun with men and women who are idle, who spend days and nights in a vain attempt to find labor. Thousands of men in the winter, on account of the season, can not follow their usual out-door vocations and are out of employment.”

A January 1869 headline in Brick Pomeroy’s newspaper entitled “Pomeroys Democrat” proclaimed: “The Exhumation of an Antediluvian Human Skeleton” and goes on to tell about an overlarge skeleton found in a quarry in Grand Rapids, MN.

Ed continued his search of Pomeroys in Maine Newspapers and has moved on to Maine Directories. Ed has been piecing together Unlinked Pomeroy families in Maine using the directories to identify who was living in the same household as evidence of some kind of relationship. So far he has checked directories in Auburn, Augusta and Calais and is currently working on Bangor directories.

Rick has been creating 1865 New York State Census forms for our group to use. The Family Search website now has portions of the 1865 NYS Census images online. These are not indexed yet, so we will be going page-by-page looking for Pomeroys. The 1865 NYS Census is one of the most comprehensive census records available to family researchers. It includes Manufacturers and Agriculture schedules, mortality information, military information and marriage information.

Alena continued to research the John F. and Nora (Whitford) Pomeroy family of Fulton, New York. She has checked local papers and contacted area cemeteries in an effort to determine whether this family is descended from Eltweed or not. So far we can only trace this family back to Lewis Pomeroy b. abt 1802 in Canada, who married Louisa (last name unknown) before 1829. Louisa was born about 1811 in Canada. The couple had at least five children, including Lewis C. Pomeroy, b. Oct 1830 in Canada; Louisa Pomeroy, b. abt 1838 in Canada; Joseph Pomeroy b. abt 1848 in Canada; Zenas or Zoa Pomeroy, born about Jan 1850 in New York, and John Pomeroy born about Feb 1853 in New York. Lewis was enumerated with his family in Syracuse, Onondaga County according to the 1850 US Federal Census. According to the 1860, 1870 and 1880 US Federal Census he was living in Granby, Oswego County, New York. If anyone is researching this family, please contact us!

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

Nancy continued to research Reverend Francis Pomeroy (Timothy, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and other missionary pastors in New York State during the time that Francis was there, including Rev. Seth Williston, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. David Higgins and Rev. Hugh Wallis. To her surprise, she found that Rev. Seth Williston and Rev. Levi Parsons were distant cousins of Francis, and that Rev. David Higgins was related through marriage! All these pastors were members of the Middle Association, so they definitely knew each other, and it’s probable that they knew they were related.

Nancy updated the APHGA website with information about the Pomeroy Anvil Monument in Lyons, New York and wrote a speech that was delivered at the dedication of the monument at the First Presbyterian Church in Lyons on Sunday, December 13th, 2009. Rev. Lee Prong put together a wonderful program and Nancy had the opportunity to meet and speak with many of the parishioners of the church. Nancy will update the APHGA public website with pictures of the monument. Mark DeCracker, of Lyons, videoed the event and will be posting it to YouTube, so stay tuned!

On Saturday, December 12, 2009, Barb and Nancy went to the First Presbyterian Church in Lyons, NY for the installation of the Pomeroy Anvil Monument dedicated to Reverend Francis Pomeroy. It was a sunny day but bitterly cold! We were thankful that the Church was open so we could slip in and warm up. Nancy took a lot of pictures which will soon be posted on our public website. It’s incredible how cold weather can shorten the life of a lithium battery!

Rick transcribed images of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons minute books. Mention was made in 1840 to the Methodist Church; this may help us in dating when lot #1 was broken up into the Presbyterian lot and the Methodist lot. Mention of session meetings being held at Reverend Francis Pomeroy’s house occur more than once, but no mention is made of the location of Francis’ house.

The Pomeroy Collection

No new items accessioned.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Nancy continued to work on a spreadsheet of landowners in Pompey, NY from 1790-1819. This information is in list form on the web, thanks to the gracious transcription by Kathy Crowell, but putting it into a spreadsheet will allow us to sort on grantor, grantee, date filed or lot number. Nancy also spent several hours entering research into our Eltweed database, relating to the Mary Ann Coe project. One interesting connection that Nancy found while researching Reverend Francis Pomeroy, was the unexpected relationship between Francis and Reverend Seth Williston, through the Parsons line (Francis’s mother was Ann Ashley, daughter of Ebenezer and Thankful (Parsons) Ashley). Spencer Pomeroy was also related to Seth Williston through the Parsons line. Spencer’s mother Sarah L. Allen (Pomeroy) was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth “Betty” (Parsons) Allen. Sarah married Pliny Pomeroy, the half brother of Timothy Pomeroy, Reverend Francis Pomeroy’s father. Sarah L. (Allen) Pomeroy and Anne (Ashley) Pomeroy, wife of Timothy Pomeroy, were first cousins. Nancy started to enter the Williston family into our database, along with updating the Parsons and Ashley families. We are still looking to connect Godfrey Joseph Williston to this family. He and his wife Lydia (Smith) Williston were living in Pompey at the time that Sarah Pomeroy, her children Spencer, Nancy, Clarissa and Charlotte and Mary Ann Coe were. Significantly, Lydia (Smith) Williston joined the Manlius Trinity Church the same day that Sarah (Allen) Pomeroy did. We have always wondered whether they knew each other.

Nancy, Rick, Barb, Pat and Bill attended the Mary Ann Coe meeting. We discussed the difficulty keeping track of all the players in the Mary Ann Coe saga, and decided to enter all people who have any connection to Mary Ann, or were in the same place at the same time as she was into our genealogy database, that way we can keep track of them better.

Pat noted that she found a baptismal record for Edwin Pomeroy, younger son of Mary Ann and Spencer Pomeroy in the Presbyterian Church of Norwalk, Ohio records. He was not received by letter, and the baptism makes us wonder whether he had been previously baptized. Rick discussed Norwalk, OH taxes, for inlot 6 paid by the estate of Edward Pettit through 1834. Since we know the taxpayers for the property that bordered Mary Ann’s property, Rick suggested we get copies of those deeds to see if they mention Mary Ann living on the adjoining property. Bill suggested that we see if we can purchase microfilm of the Grantor/Grantee Index for Huron County, and any other indices that may have been microfilmed such as the Court of Common Pleas, Miscellaneous Records, Mortgages and Probate. Rick will contact the Huron County Clerk’s Office to see if they have this film and if they have copies available for sale.

Judy continues to review articles found in the Firelands Pioneer for early residents of Huron County, Ohio. She is entering information found in those articles into our Eltweed database. Judy found an additional relationship between Reverend John Seward, the son of John and Ann (Coe) Seward, and Alvin Coe. Apparently Rev. Seward and Rev. Harvey Coe prepared Alvin Coe to preach in Aurora, Portage County, Ohio. Both Rev. Seward and Rev. Harvey Coe were Alvin Coe’s first cousins once removed, while Rev. Seward and Rev. Harvey Coe were second cousins. Judy also researched Caleb Palmer, who married Alvin Coes’ wife’s sister, Harriet Smith. According to an article in the Firelands Pioneer “Woodcock” the old Johnny Appleseed was living with Caleb Palmer and his family about 1812 in New Haven, OH. Harriet Smith and Sarah (Sally) Smith, wife of Alvin Coe, were the daughters of General Martin and Sarah (Kellogg) Smith. General Martin and Sarah (Kellogg) also had a son, Erastus Smith who married Fannie Spencer.

Pat went to the Family History Center to finish reviewing four films, which included the records of the First Congregational and Presbyterian Society of Peru, Huron Co., OH; the First Presbyterian Church of Milan, Erie Co., OH; the First Presbyterian Church of Norwalk, Huron Co., OH; and the Stark Co., OH Bible, Church and Family records including early records of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Norwalk. She printed baptismal and marriage records from the First Presbyterian Church in Norwalk, and found a record of baptism for Edwin Pomeroy, son of Spencer and Mary Ann (Coe) Pomeroy. Edwin was baptized as an adult by Rev. John Beach on 4 Sep 1831. Pat continued to enter records from early Huron County, OH census records and additional research done on Julius S Coe, Horace Morse, David Underhill, Amanda Patton Underhill, Simeon Coe, Amos Coe and Rouse Bly. She entered the 95 names and facts of members of the Mt. Vernon Lodge #64 of Norwalk, Huron Co., OH between 1821 and 1828. Reuben Pixley, one of the members of the Mt. Vernon Lodge, had purchased parts of lots 78 and 79 in Pompey, Onondaga Co., NY in 1795 and 1796. By 1812 he was living in Ridgefield, Huron Co., OH. A Rebecca Pixley married Stephen Shattuck, one of the sons of Joseph Shattuck and a close neighbor to Ithamar Coe and family (of which Mary Ann was a daughter), and an Ester Pixley married Ichabod Lathrop of Pompey. Pat is researching these Pixleys to see whether they were related.

Rick contacted the Huron County Clerk’s Office to see if we could purchase microfilmed grantor/grantee indexes, probate, mortgage, Common Pleas, and Miscellaneous Records indices. Rick also transcribed the deed between John V. Sharp and Benjamin Junkins and the Powers/Moore deed. Rick reviewed the 1835-1838 Tax Assessment records for Huron County, OH available on microfilm through the Family History Center. Mary Ann Powers finally showed up paying taxes on inlot 6 in Norwalk in 1835. The 1836 and 1837 tax records for Norwalk were not on this roll. He also reviewed and made copies of the 1859 Huron County, OH land ownership maps.

Caryn continued to transcribe the records of the Presbyterian Church of Pompey.

We have added 706 people, 140 sources and 2976 citations to our genealogy databases over the past two weeks.

© 2009 American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association

Lyons, NY Pomeroy Anvil Monument Dedication Remarks

Communities of Faith

On behalf of Bill Pomeroy and myself, thank you for joining us in honoring Reverend Francis Pomeroy and the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons. I would like to personally thank Reverend Lee Prong, Les Bartley, the members of the Session and Mark DeCracker for their interest and participation in this project and in making this dream a reality.

In preparing the text for the monument, I had the opportunity to research the life of Reverend Francis Pomeroy. While Francis’ ecumenical life is well documented, his private life is not, so this research has presented many challenges. There’s an old saying amongst genealogists, “If you can’t find the person you’re researching, look at their family and neighbors.” In doing that, a greater pattern has emerged, of which Francis played a part; that I like to think of as a community of faith.

Francis Pomeroy was the first child born to Timothy and Ann (Ashley) Pomeroy. He was baptized in the Church of Christ, in Northampton, Massachusetts, on June 7, 1767. Francis advertised in the Hampshire Gazette as an indigo dyer in March 1795. His uncle, William Pomeroy was a clothier, and we speculate that Francis may have apprenticed under him. Francis lived on land deeded to his father by his grandfather, Lt. Daniel Pomeroy, in Westhampton, Massachusetts, then a part of Northampton. One entry in the journal of Reverend Enoch Hale, the first pastor of the Congregational Church of Westhampton, (and the brother of Nathan Hale), notes the “raising of Francis Pomeroy’s shop house” on April 20, 1795. Francis was about 27 years old at that time, married with children, and appeared to be well established in his trade. Five months later, tragedy struck. Francis and his wife lost two infants on September 4, 1795.

Francis’ name appeared in a notice in the Hampshire Gazette, that listed letters remaining in the Northampton Post Office as of January 1, 1796. Francis and his family were enumerated in the 1800 US Federal Census in Simsbury, Connecticut. How long he was in Simsbury, what he was doing there, and why he moved there remain a mystery to us, but we speculate that this may have been the period in his life when he found his true calling, that of the ministry of the gospel.

Francis’ father Timothy died in Northampton on November 8, 1802. By that time Francis’ brother Timothy has already moved to Canada, and three of his sisters, Anna, Thankful and Lovisa had moved west and were early pioneers of what is now Skaneateles, NY. Francis joined the Church of Christ in Northampton in 1802. Had he moved back to Northampton to care for his parents?

According to the records of the Middle Association published in the Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, “at a meeting of the committee of the Middle Association in Homer, June 20th, 1805... Mr. Francis Pomeroy appeared... and requested license to preach the gospel. The Committee, having made the necessary enquiries, unanimously approved of him, and accordingly licensed him until the rising of the next annual meeting of the Association.” Francis Pomeroy was ordained in May 1806 and installed at the Congregational Church of Brutus, now known as the Presbyterian Church of Sennett. Thus began Francis’ long career as a missionary pastor. This career would culminate in Francis’ participation in the founding of churches in Ira Center, Huron, Clyde, Palmyra, Rose, and Newark. Francis’ ministry encompassed over 25 years of service.

Francis lived with his third wife, Mary (Sayre) Potter Pomeroy in Lyons, and purchased land on village lot 2, which adjoined the property where this church now stands. Francis died on December 18, 1836 in Lyons, and was buried in the Presbyterian Burial Grounds on this site where we now celebrate his life.

Francis was part of a larger movement by the Connecticut Missionary Society and the Middle Association to provide missionary pastors to open churches along the Military Tract and Western New York. Francis’ contemporaries included Reverend Seth Williston (a distant cousin), Reverend Levi Parsons (a distant cousin), Reverend David Higgins, (related through marriage), and Reverend Hugh Wallis. Francis was by no means “alone in the wilderness”. He was just one of several like-minded (and often times related!) ministers of the gospel who answered the call to bring the word of God to this area. He had family ties in Skaneateles and Pompey, NY. He was also a valued member of the communities he served.

Francis’ second cousin, Dr. Robert William Ashley, settled in Lyons by 1808. Town histories state that Dr. Ashley lived on the east corner of Broad and Queen Streets, which would have made him a neighbor of Francis. According to “Grip’s Historical Souvenir of Lyons”, Dr. Ashley was “a prominent member of the Presbyterian church. He contributed 120 silver dollars to be cast into the bell hung in the first house of worship in the town.” Dr. Ashley’s son, William Frederick Ashley published notices in the Western Argus relating to the administration of Francis’ estate. Dr. Ashley’s daughter, Mary Williams Ashley, married Hiram Gilbert Hotchkiss in 1833!

One wonders how many of the early residents of Lyons were related, and this begs the question “what holds a community together?” Is it kinship, proximity, necessity, prayer? And are these relationships any less vital and necessary today than they were 200 years ago? I think not. Look at your neighbor, you may not think you’re related, but if you go back far enough, you’re likely to find a connection.

Like the pastors who have served this church for 200 years, and the members who have faithfully attended services, this community of faith has built lasting relationships, and will continue to do so, far into the future. Thank you for allowing me to celebrate that community with you.

Remarks given at the dedication of the Pomeroy Anvil Monument at the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons, New York, by Nancy Maliwesky, Director, American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association.



© 2009 American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association

New Date for Installation of the Lyons, NY Pomeroy Anvil Monument

We're set to install the monument on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 9:00am. The address is the First Presbyterian Church, 11 Queen Street, Lyons, NY.

Hope to see you there!

Nancy

Change in Date of Installation of Pomeroy Anvil Monument in Lyons, New York

Well, what was that line from "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" about canceling Christmas? It's not quite that bad, but it sure is snowing in Central NY and Vermont!

Due to inclement weather, the installation of the Pomeroy Anvil Monument in Lyons, NY, will be delayed until Saturday, December 12, 2009. I don't have an exact time, but will let you know when I know.

We are still expecting to have the dedication of the monument as scheduled, on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 10:00am at the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons, NY at 11 Queen Street.

Sorry for the short notice, and thanks for your flexibility.
Bundle up!

Nancy

Lyons, NY Anvil Monument Installation and Dedication

The Seventh in a series of monuments celebrating the achievements of the Pomeroy Family in America will be dedicated at the First Presbyterian Church in Lyons, NY, on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 10:00am. The dedication will be part of the Church’s regular Sunday services.

Reverend Francis Pomeroy was the first installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church and served the church from 1814 through 1825. Reverend Pomeroy also assisted in the founding of Presbyterian churches in Ira Center, Huron, Rose, Newark and Palmyra. Reverend Francis was baptized in Northampton, MA in 1767 and was licensed to preach by the Middle Association on June 20, 1805 in Homer, NY. His first pastoral assignment in New York State was in Brutus. Reverend Pomeroy lived on the lot adjoining the current location of the First Presbyterian Church and was buried in the Presbyterian Church Burial Ground in December 1836.

The monument is dedicated to Reverend Pomeroy and all of the pastors of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons which just celebrated its 200th anniversary this year. The monument will be installed on Friday, December 11th, at 9:00am, prior to the dedication. The Church is located at 11 Queen St., Lyons, NY.

Other Pomeroy Anvil Monuments are installed in Pompey, NY; Sandusky, OH; Northampton, MA; Westhampton, MA; Peekskill, NY and Syracuse, NY. To learn more about the Pomeroy Anvil Trail, please visit the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association’s website at www.americanpomeroys.org.

APHGA Bi-Weekly Report 11/25/2009

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

Bill, Sandra, Nancy and Barb attended the Onondaga Historical Society’s Our Glorious Workplace fundraiser at King and King Architects on the near west side of Syracuse, NY last Saturday. Joining us at Bill’s table were Russell P, the Historian of the local SAR chapter, Karen and Jamie C (Karen is a member of the DAR and Jamie is a member of the SAR) and John and Maureen C (John is a member of the Marcellus Historical Society). The event included a tour of King and King’s new facilities which focused on displays from their archives, including blueprints of many of the famous landmarks of the Syracuse area. A delicious dinner was later followed by a presentation of the history of King and King and the near west side of Syracuse. One of the many highlights of the evening was a vocal “thank you” to King and King sung by the multi-talented Gregg Tripoli, the Executive Director of the Onondaga Historical Society. (Who says that history events can’t be fun?)

The previous Saturday, Barb, Lee and Nancy attended the Central New York Genealogical Society’s meeting and lecture on French-Canadian research presented by Julie Dowd of the Northern New York American-Canadian Genealogical Society (aka the Clinton County Genealogical Society). The society is located in Plattsburgh, NY. To learn more about them, visit their website at www.NNYACGS.org . Upcoming events for 2010 were announced, and we were pleased to note that Jean Nudd, of the National Archives branch in Pittsfield, MA will be a speaker at the April meeting. She’s a Pomeroy, you know!

Nancy spoke with Joan P last week. She and her husband Jerry were stationed at the Griffiss Air Force Base, in Rome NY in the 1970s. There they met and became friends with William P and his wife Cecelia. William and Cecelia went to Italy and the couples lost touch. According to Joan, William had the “Pomeroy Scrolls”, a set of scrolls with the ancestry of his family on them. Has anyone heard of these, or William and Cecelia?

Jerry’s Pomeroy line has been traced by the APHGA back to two siblings, Louise Pomeroy, b. abt 1826 in Springfield, Clark Co., OH, who died in 1907 in Attica, Fountain Co., IN and Charles Pomeroy (from which Jerry descends), born 1 Nov 1832 in MI, d. 3 Mar 1892 in Brooklyn, Kings Co., NY. Another descendant of this family was George Charles Pomeroy, b. 5 Mar 1895 in Brooklyn, NY and d. 9 Jul 1979 in Pompano Beach, Broward Co., FL. George was an early aviator and participated in air races with Amelia Earhart! We’ve done a bit of research on this family, but have not been able to connect them to Eltweed Pomeroy. Has anyone else researched this family?

Nancy also received an e-mail from Susanna C a descendant of Harriet Lyman Darling (Deborah Jane Spaulding Pomeroy, David, Gideon, Joshua, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed). Susanna has quite a collection of family artifacts and mementos that she has graciously offered to copy and send to us!

Lee continued to match Pomeroys found in Canadian birth records. She also reviewed a published genealogy, entitled “Descendants of John Palmer”. This book includes the George A. Pomeroy family of Cramahe, Canada, but it appears that some of the children associated with George and wife Rebecca Palmer are probably not the children of this couple. In particular, Emery Pomeroy, who we have as the child of James, is listed as a son of George and Rebecca. In reviewing our research, we believe that Emery is really the son of James, not George. Lee is also researching the possibility that Emery had two wives, both named Margaret, one a Hellenbolt and one a Dixon.

Barb continued her review of America’s Historical Newspapers. She is reviewing newspapers published in 1866. So far, 50 – 60% of the searches on Pomeroy in that year refer to Senator Samuel Clarke Pomeroy of Kansas (Samuel, Elijah, Caleb, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed). The Senator was a confidante of President Lincoln, an associate of Frederick Douglass, appeared on the same platform with Henry Ward Beecher and R. H. Dana, and assisted in making treaties with various Indian tribes in Kansas.

Barb also found two early Pomeroy sailors, Gaius and Artimous. We have an Artemus Bell Pomeroy in our database, b. 17 Jul 1870 in Southampton, MA (Edward De Graffe, Cornelius, Joel, Noah, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed), but we believe this is a different person. Does anyone have an Artemis, Artemus or Artimous Pomeroy who was a sailor in their family?

Another article that Barb found in a Pittsfield, MA paper in July 1864, stated that Newton S. Pomeroy was one of several agents going from Connecticut to recruit in the rebel states. We have a Newton Stoughton Pomeroy (Alexander, Amos, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed), born 20 Dec 1832 in Suffield, CT, who married Louise L. Archer 4 Jun 1856. Newton died 31 Mar 1886 in De Kalb, IL. We’re assuming this is the Newton referred to in the article, but don’t know anything about his Civil War service. Is anyone researching this family who might have additional information on Newton?

Betty has been entering matched Social Security Death Index records and Canadian vital records. She has been research Richard Pomeroy (Frederick Freeman, Frenando E, Elbridge G, Eleazer, Daniel, Noah, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed). Richard was born 22 May 1916 in OH and died in February 1980 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Ed has been researching a Leonard Pomeroy of Maine who died at the age of 24 in 1896 when he drowned after his boat capsized. He also researched a George Edward Pomeroy of Bath, ME who died in Santa Clara, CA. Ed also located the obituary of George Shuabel Pomeroy (Albert David, David Madison, Richard). George was born 23 Jun 1859, in Pembroke, ME and died 5 Aug 1922 in Pembroke, ME. He married an Ana C. Simmons. George was related to Dr. Thomas W. Pomeroy, the Clairvoyant Herbalist.

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

Latest news on the Pomeroy Anvil Monument slated to be installed in Lyons, NY. The inscription of the monument is taking longer than initially expected. The revised ship date of the finished monument is now scheduled for Wednesday, December 2nd, with an install date expected the early part of the week of December 7, 2009. We have spoken with Rev. Lee Prong of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons about having the dedication as part of their regular Sunday services on December 13th, starting at 10:00am. The First Presbyterian Church is located at 11 Queen Street, in Lyons, New York. The monument will be dedicated to Rev. Francis Pomeroy and all of the other pastors of the Church. Rev. Francis Pomeroy was the first installed pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons. He owned property just south of the current location of the church, and was buried in the Presbyterian Burial Grounds, on the current church property.

Rick continues to make headway re-creating the ownership and various boundary lines of property owners of Village lots 1 and 2 in Lyons, NY. A part of Village lot 1 was given to the Presbyterian Church. Rev. Francis Pomeroy purchased ½ acre on Village lot 2. This property changed hands frequently and seems to have been further split up. There is an old brick house that stands two doors down on Broad Street from the current Church. Could this have been the house where Rev. Francis lived, or did he live in a house on the property where the Presbyterian Manse now stands?

The Pomeroy Collection

Nancy pulled out an old accession of various Pomeroy documents that Bill had purchased off of e-Bay. Of interest are two Pomeroy Family Association brochures, several handwritten genealogies and two fascinating hand-drawn maps of Northampton, MA that contain the names and description of property of early Northampton settlers. Nancy has asked Barb to transcribe these documents. Rick found an early map of Northampton on the Family History Library site. Rick and Barb are using this map to identify the lots described on the hand-written maps.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Pat continues to work on identifying early settlers of Huron County, OH and tracing where they came from. Judy has been reading the memoirs of early settlers in Norwalk and vicinity from the Firelands Pioneer Journals. Barb checked the Western Reserve Historical Society for early school records in Huron County; they don’t appear to have any. Nancy has created a spreadsheet to track the transfer of property in Pompey, NY from 1790 through 1819. Nancy has also been adding early residents of Norwalk to our database. Rick continues to research lots 52 and 54 in Sandusky, Ohio, which were, at one time, owned by David and Mary Ann Powers. Caryn has taken over the task of transcribing the Presbyterian Church of Pompey, New York, records.

We have added 247 people, 155 sources and 1818 citations to our genealogy databases over the past two weeks.

© 2009 American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association

Latest News on the Lyons, NY Pomeroy Anvil Monument

It has taken longer than initially expected to sandblast the inscription on the monument slated for Lyons, NY. Because of this, the revised ship date will be pushed out one week. We are now expecting to install the monument sometime early in the week of December 7, 2009.

The dedication of the monument will not take place, as expected, on Sunday, December 6th. We are now looking at a possible dedication date of Sunday, December 13th, as part of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyon's regular Sunday services (starting at 10:00am). This date has not been confirmed yet.

Stay tuned here for the latest information on the installation.

Lyons, NY Pomeroy Anvil Monument

Just to let everyone know, we expect the latest Pomeroy Anvil Monument to be installed in Lyons, NY the week of Nov. 30th, 2009 with a dedication scheduled at the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons, 11 Queen St., on Sunday, December 6th as part of the regular church services beginning at 10:00am.

We'll keep you posted when we have the exact date and time of the monument installation.

APHGA Bi-Weekly Report

The Great A. A. Pomeroy Book Update Project

These past two weeks showed continuing progress matching and entering vital records from the Ancestry.com and New England Historic Genealogical Society online records for Pomeroys or variant spellings:

• Barb finished matching the Vermont Divorce Index, the Massachusetts Death Index, Connecticut Marriages 1959-2001, the Barbour Collection of CT birth and death records, Marriages in the Baltimore Sun 1851-1860, Jasper County MO Deaths 1878-1905, and the Index to Marriages and Deaths in the Baltimore Sun 1837-1850. Barb started matching New Orleans LA Birth Records Index 1790 - 1899.
• Betty entered matched SSDI records and related census records into our several Pomeroy databases, and filed and organized our file cabinets.
• Judy made copies of marriage records for Kalamazoo County index at the Family History Center in Kalamazoo. She came across a Howard L. Pomeroy b. abt 1915, parents Clarence S and Hazel (Knapp) Pomeroy who she could not identify. Clarence appears to be the son of James Pomeroy. Judy is pulling census records to try to better identify this family.

We also continued to check online newspapers for references to Pomeroys or variant spellings.

• Barb continued her review of the New York State Library Online Newspaper Index.
• Rick transcribed an article from the Essex County Republican regarding the Copake or Ancram Iron Works owned by Lemuel Pomeroy (Lemuel, Seth, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) and sons.

Lee and Ed continued their research into Canadian and Maine Pomeroys:

• Lee investigated Pomeroy material sent to us by the Cobourg Historical Association in Ontario, there is a strong possibility that these Pomeroys descend from Eltweed through Silas Pomeroy, although they are currently in our Unlinked Pomeroy database. Lee also reviewed genealogy forum messages that identify additional descendants of George and Rebecca (Palmer) Pomeroy, whom we believe to be the son of Silas (Abner, Caleb, Samuel, Caleb, Eltweed) and Sarah (Stone) Pomeroy. A.A. Pomeroy only identifies one child of Silas and Sarah, that being Henry. We have found what we believe are additional children of this union, and more may exist. If we can connect these additional children who settled in Canada and some who returned to the US, we can add a significant number of Eltweed descendants to our book project. Additional possible descendants of Silas and Sarah (Stone) Pomeroy include Abner and George Washington Pomeroy.
• Lee also continued to track Eltweed descendants in Ernestown and Camden, Ontario, descendants of Daniel (Daniel, Noah, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed) and Patience (Perry) Pomeroy.
• Ed continued to enter census and vital records and military record information into our Unlinked Pomeroy database. He has been focusing on a Pomeroy family who were born in ME and moved west to Rock County, WI and Winnebago, IL. The family descends from a Richard Pomeroy, b. abt 1771 who came from New Vineland, Somerset Co., ME.
  Judy and Nancy continued to enter miscellaneous records into our databases and Alena continued to enter the book “History and Genealogy of the Pomeroy Family and Collateral Lines England-Ireland-America comprising the Ancestors and Descendants of George Pomeroy of Pennsylvania”, by William McL. and J. Nevin Pomeroy (Cuneo Eastern Press, 1958) into the George Pomeroy database.

Nancy entered Pomeroy related information from the book “The Massachusetts Tax Valuation List of 1771”, edited by Bettye Hobbs Pruitt (Boston, G.K. Hall & Co., 1978). She also transcribed the tax list for the towns of Northampton and Southampton, MA.

Nancy also developed a tri-fold brochure for the APHGA. If any of our members are planning on attending a genealogy conference and would like to have some of these brochures to hand out, please contact Nancy and she can send some to you.

Nancy communicated with new members and other Pomeroy descendants seeking information on their ancestry. Betty assisted Nancy on additional research into Franklin Wright Pomeroy (Frederick Wright, Thomas Wright, Thomas, William, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed), and his wife or wives, based on a new member’s ancestry and questions regarding his offspring. Betty was unable to find Franklin listed in the 1920 US Federal Census, but made some progress on FamilySearch.org. More research needs to be done on this family.

The Pomeroy Anvil Trail

Nancy continued her research into the Reverend Francis Pomeroy (Timothy, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed) for a Pomeroy Anvil Monument in Lyons, NY. Nancy spent a day at the Wayne County Clerk’s Office researching Francis’ and family’s land holdings and trying to determine the exact location of Village lot 2 in Lyons, NY. Nancy later met with the Session members of the First Presbyterian Church of Lyons to discuss placing the monument on Church property. The Session agreed to place the monument on Church property and we are now working on the logistics of building the foundation, laser etching the inscription on the monument, transporting the monument and installing it. Nancy will keep the members of the APHGA advised as we identify dates for the installation and later dedication of the monument.

Rick did a search of the survey of Evert Van Wickle (mentioned in Francis Pomeroy’s deed). He found several biographical references to him. In the late 1790s he was employed by Col. Williamson who was connected with the Pulteney Estates. Van Wickle apparently made a plan of the village of Lyons as part of this work. Since Wayne County had not been formed yet when the survey was done, Rick will look for the survey in Ontario County.

The Pomeroy Collection

New genealogical and historical society newsletters, journals and magazines were added to the library this week, including the latest issue of Internet Genealogy magazine which featured an interesting article on state archives and libraries with digitized collections, including libraries in VA, PA, and NJ. Another article featured the Essex Co., MA Quarterly Court Records 1636-1686 housed at the University of Virginia on their website at http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/Essex/ . The following Pomeroys or variant spellings were found in the index by volume:
• John Pomeroy, Vol II
• Richard Pomeroy, Vol IV
• John Pumroy, Vol V
• William Pumery, Vol VI
• John Pumeroy, Vol VII
• John Pomery, Vol IX
Additional links to Salem Witch Trial records are also available on this site.

The Mary Ann Coe Project

Bill’s third great-grandmother, Mary Ann Coe (1790-1852) married perhaps three times, left her first husband Spencer Pomeroy (Pliny, Daniel, Ebenezer, Medad, Eltweed), and settled as an independent woman in the frontier town of Norwalk, OH. A fortunate presidential connection has resulted in the preservation of hundreds of family letters, giving some insight but leading to more questions about this strong willed woman who refused to slip quietly into forgotten history.

Nancy continued her research into James Higgins, husband of Spencer Pomeroy’s sister Nancy. There is a possibility that James and Nancy and children left Manlius, NY and settled in Buffalo (then Niagara Co.), NY. Records for James in Manlius seemingly end in October 1817 when he pays the balance on tuition at the Pompey (NY) Academy. A newspaper article announcing the death of Mrs. James H. Higgins in Buffalo, NY, aged 50, led us to research the Buffalo area. Is this our James Higgins, and is the woman mentioned in the obituary Nancy Pomeroy? The age is right, but we need more evidence. A page by page search of the 1820 US Federal Records for Buffalo, Niagara County, NY identified a James Higgins as head of household. James (assumed the eldest member of the household) is in the right age range to be our James Higgins, as is the eldest woman in the household the right age range to be our Nancy (Pomeroy) Higgins. Further research of Buffalo sources online led to additional information regarding a James Higgins who was an early tax collector in Buffalo. Additional research is ongoing.

Rick contacted the Buffalo NY Office of Inactive Records for information concerning James Higgins as Collector, Bela D. Coe as Trustee and Henry R. Seymour as Treasurer of the Village of Buffalo. He wrote a letter to the department asking for records specific to these individuals.

Lee continued her review of the George Gross Fryer Papers at the Onondaga Historical Society in Syracuse, NY. These papers contain references to the Pomeroy Jones family (Nehemiah Jones, Anna Pomeroy, Eliakim Pomeroy, Noah, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed). Amongst these records were found an old letter written by “Cousin” Blackmer of Scottsville regarding the Pomeroy genealogy. Lee also went to the Onondaga County Clerk’s Office to examine Pompey Lot 65 (property that Spencer Pomeroy owned and later sold to his mother Sarah (Allen) Pomeroy) for clues to whom the title was transferred to in order to try to find a connection with Nathan R. Chapman.

Judy continued to check PERSI records for Coe, Higgins, Pomeroy and Powers surnames. She came across two letters written by Cornelius Higgins to his wife during the Revolution that are printed in the New England Historic Genealogical Register.

Rick reviewed Huron County, OH tax records for 1831 and 1832. The Estate of Edward Pettit was still listed as paying taxes on inlot 6 in Norwalk, although deeds filed in the Huron County Court identify Mary Ann as the legal land owner. Rick has ordered the Huron Count OH tax records for 1833 and 1834.

Rick also reviewed the Huron Reflector online at NewspaperArchives.com for delinquent tax notices and sheriff’s sales, in particular looking for inlot 6 in Norwalk. Using a GIS map at the Huron County Auditor’s website, Rick and Pat were able to locate and record current data on inlot 6 in Norwalk. The present building is zoned as commercial and contains a multi-story building built ca 1900 housing several stores. Rick will check with the Ohio State Historical Society to see if they have additional early tax records for the period after 1838.

Rick completed his review of early PA newspapers on GenealogyBank, no hits on our Pomeroy, Coe or Junkins surnames found. Rick also reviewed Ohio newspapers on GenealogyBank, noting that the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes the arrivals of passengers at hotels and public houses. Rick also checked the Cornell University library for Genesee County Newspapers and the University of Ohio for additional northwestern Ohio newspapers and found a listing for the Toledo Blade, the collection starts at 1835.

Pat added Matthew M. Coe’s and Capt. John Coe’s genealogy from the book “Robert Coe, Puritan” by J. Gardner Bartlett, (Boston, 1911) into the Eltweed database. Pat has been researching the Deyo(e) family who married into the Pomeroy Family and the Coe Family. In addition to these connections, 2 daughters of Sarah (Powers) Beatty, “adopted” daughter of David and Mary Ann (Coe) Powers were buried in the DeYo Cemetery. Pat is researching this family to find a connection with our Powers, Beatty and Coe families. Another Pomeroy/Deyo connection was discovered in this research. David Deyo (great granduncle of Denton Deyo who married Martha Elizabeth Pomeroy (Truman E., Daniel Sterling, Eleazer D., Daniel, Noah, Joseph, Eltweed), married a Mary Pomeroy. Mary was born abt 1770 and married 2 Mar 1790 in Schoharie, Schoharie Co., NY. Who is this Mary? Could she be the daughter of Seth (Medad, Joseph, Medad, Eltweed) and Clemensa (Wadsworth) Pomeroy? Elisha Pomeroy, a son of Seth also settled in N.Y. More research is necessary to identify this Mary.

We have added 375 people, 141 sources and 1894 citations to our genealogy databases over the past two weeks.

© 2009 American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association