Mayflower Ancestors

Here we are again, preparing for the holiday season beginning with Thanksgiving. I have wanted to post about my Mayflower ancestors for quite a while now since most of my family isn’t even aware of a Mayflower connection. The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620 and arrived on Cape Cod on 11 November 1620. The exact number of passengers is still in question. However, AmericanAncestors.org lists 108: 102 passengers and six crew; 54 died the first year. According to Mass.gov, approximately 10 million Americans and 35 million others descended from the Pilgrims. Not all on board were separatist Puritans. Fortunately for genealogists, many researchers before us have done extensive work on the subject, including extraordinary family trees, in the early years, completed without technology.

Mayflower Compact signed 11 November, 1620.

“Agreement between the Settlers at New Plymouth—1620.” In The Federal and State Constitutions, Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America, compiled and edited by Francis Newton Thorpe, vol. 3, p. 1841. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1909.

In the genealogy world, a group of books called “The Silver Books,” also known as The Silver Book Project or The Five Generations Project of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, traces the lineage of Mayflower descendants. The first book was published in 1975, but the beginnings of the idea date back to 1899. The years in between were spent researching approved lineage papers. Today, there are 22 volumes with multiple parts that make up a 42-book catalog. I own only one Silver Book, volume 4, about my ancestor, Edward Fuller, published by Bruce C. MacGunnigle.

Edward Fuller was baptized on 4 September 1575 in Redenhall, Norfolk, England, and was the son of Robert Fuller and Sara Dunkhorn. Edward, his wife, whose name is unknown, and his son Samuel came to Plymouth on the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact on 11 November 1620. Edward and his wife, however, died in January 1621, soon after they came ashore. Edward’s brother Samuel Fuller, a physician on the Mayflower, took in his twelve-year-old orphaned nephew Samuel.

So, where does my family fit in? Edward Fuller is my 11th great-grandfather on my paternal side, below in descending order starting with my grandfather Harry Atwell.

Harry Atwell****William Stone/Atwell****Henry B. Stone****Laura L. Gilman****Isabella FitzRandolph****Malachi FitzRandolph****Mary Bonham****Hezekiah Bonham Sr.****Hannah Fuller****Samuel Fuller****Edward Fuller.

I found this wonderful sketch posted on Ancestry.com however there is no attached reference. Thanks to the artist whoever you are!

Not much is known about Edward Fuller’s life in Leiden, Holland, or when he relocated from Redenhall, Norfolk, England. However, the Mayflower and Speedwell left Plymouth, England July 1620, turning back twice due to leaks in the Speedwell’s hull. The decision was made to abandon the Speedwell, and finally, the Mayflower set sail on 6 September 1620. Shortly after landing at Cape Cod, the Mayflower sailed up the coast to Plymouth and began building their town while still living on the ship. By March 1621, there were enough houses to leave the Mayflower permanently, and the ship returned to England the next month.

Most know that English people containing separatist Puritans led by William Bradford, founded the Plymouth Colony. As a young man, Bradford belonged to a congregation that believed the Church of England should eliminate all traces of Roman Catholic practices to allow for a purer Christian Church. When the reform of the Church of England seemed hopeless, they felt the need to separate. Feeling persecuted, the congregation unlawfully left for The Netherlands, where religious freedom was permitted, and Bradford was intent on going. After ten years in The Netherlands, the Puritans’ children were “becoming Dutch”-adopting customs and language, so the decision was made to leave for a New World. That’s the very abbreviated recap.

However, history often dismisses that in 1614 when explorer John Smith “found” and named Plymouth harbor, it was already inhabited as a seasonal village called Patuxet by nearly 2000 indigenous Wampanoag people. By the time the Mayflower landed there, “they found themselves in a literal boneyard”(1) as disease, most likely from previous traders/explorers, decimated the people of Patuxet between 1616-1619. Bradford saw the plague as “a special providence of god”(2) which isn’t a surprise but “consistent with his puritan piety and with other assumptions of superior race and faith” (3) throughout his book Of Plymouth Plantation. Since the Wampanoag had been successfully living- farming, hunting, and spiritually celebrating on this land long before the Englishmen arrived, the remainder of the Pilgrims surely would have perished that first winter without their “help.” Having already lost half the group by January and February and struggling with scurvy, disease, and freezing temperatures, the desperate Pilgrims pillaged food stores from the village of Nauset without concern about who they were depriving. At best, the relationship between the Wampanoag and Pilgrims could be described as tolerant and strained, unlike the harmonious first Thanksgiving depictions our country has been serving for years.

As a Mayflower descendant, all of this leaves me saddened. How does a congregation of Puritans so religious see nothing wrong with using others as their stepping stones? The Puritans could have done better and should have done better, especially since they were persecuted for years themselves.

Note: The 400th Anniversary Edition Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford includes the Native American perspective in a chapter “Of Patuxet” by Wampanoag writer Paula Peters, which deserves to be recognized by historians, history, and humans.

Footnotes:

1. Of Plimoth Plantation, The 400th Anniversary Edition, William Bradford. Special introduction by Paula Peters “Of Patuxet” pg.30, 2020 Colonial Society of Massachusetts and New England Historic Genealogical Society.

2. Ibid, pg 31

3. Ibid, pg 28

References:
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/208249/ocn137336369-Mayflower-passengers.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Colony

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_(governor)

Other reading:

https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/mayflower-passengers-list-an-interactive-guide/

The Wedding Day of Marie Willing and Harry Atwell

Sometimes when researching genealogy I get so engrossed in the deep past I neglect to write about more current events, like my own paternal grandparents, Marie and Harry who were married February 1, 1930 in Racine, Wisconsin. One day while searching Newspapers.com, I came across two enjoyable articles from The Journal Times pertaining to their wedding celebrations; a detailed announce of the ceremony and another of a bridal shower for Marie.

The finer points of the veil and gown are detailed nicely as well as the bouquet. Especially the description of the veil, “caught with orange blossoms”! Of course, after reading this, I immediately pulled out my copy of their wedding photo. My grandparent’s wedding photo is very familiar however it was really hard to visualize the beauty of the grown with a black and white photo. So, I decided to use Ancestry.com’s new photo “colorizing” feature and see what would happen and then cleaned it up a bit on My Heritage’s Photo Enhance Feature as well. Wow, look at the color version of the same photo! It’s surprising to see all the dimension added to Grandma’s gown that can’t be seen in the black and white photo.

I am trying to locate a photo of the wedding party to colorize as well, however after speaking with my Aunt Marlene today she is not sure one exists. How lovely does Hildegard’s dress sound though-“a pale green georgette with uneven hemming, trimmed with green velvet”? In fact, this dress was probably made by my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Thielen Willing, who was a wonderful seamstress.

After reading a wedding shower announcement in the newspaper from January 18, 1930, one would think it was a slow day at the The Journal Times however it was common place to write about such events. In fact, journalists from that era would often push a pencil if a past resident came back to town for a visit.

And I had no idea Bunco was popular in the 1930’s. According to Wikipedia, in the 19th century England, Bunco was “a confidence game similar to three card monte” and since it’s resurgence in 2006 it’s sometimes known as “the housewife’s drinking game”!!!! Sounds like a great evening in honor of my grandmother along with the “midnight luncheon”.

Gosh, this is as close as I will ever come to being at my grandparent’s wedding 92 years ago!!

My Heritage™ Deep Nostalgia™ Feature for Animated Photos

In late February 2021, My Heritage™ released a new, amazing, feature on their website called Deep Nostalgia™ for animating family photos. Upload a photo-my experience is that a portrait-style works best-and within seconds the photo becomes an animated mp4 file. In just one short week after release 10 million photos were animated. Of course, I had to give it a try and the first photo I chose was of my grandma Anne Penne Hiller when she was about 20 years old.

This is the still photo I used for the Deep Heritage™animation and below is the animation.

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Kind of freaky right? I didn’t stop here though! Below you’ll see my other three grandparents as well as my two times great-grandfather Christian Hiller. Since I was lucky enough to remember three of my grandparents, except for Marie Atwell who died when I was four, using photos from their younger days was enjoyable.

My grandpa Don Hiller, maybe about 7 or 8 years.

My paternal grandmother, Marie Willing Atwell. Doesn’t she look adorable in that hat?

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Harry Atwell, my paternal grandpa.

Christian Hiller’s Civil War era tin-type photo, circa 1864-1865.

Try it for yourself at My Heritage™! They offer five free animations before you need to choose a membership level. I really love this new tool and of course will add the animations to my genealogy photo files and, yes, I now have a membership to My Heritage™!

PS-All the videos offered after the animations are from my own YouTube videos on genealogy. So now is your time to catch up if you missed any.

The Boats by William Atwell

The world has changed a lot since my last post on January 16, 2020 and with all the stay at home orders in place throughout the United States and World many of us had extra time on our hands. However, instead of using my time wisely writting advance blog posts I spent my time knitting! After many months off though I am happy to share a childhood memory from my Dad, Bill Atwell. He’s written and shared many books, poems and memories with the family over the years often writing special poems for individuals as they reach important milestones in life. I’ve heard bits and pieces of “The Boat” over the years yet his current recollection below makes a complete story.

Dad in one of the small rowboats.

From as along as I can remember, my Dad was always in our basement working on or trying to invent something. I can’t get into every one of the activities, though I would like to describe one area, boats.

Somewhere along the way Dad decided to build rowboats for children. I was still young and am not sure how this came about.  I think someone he met was trying to buy one. I am also not sure where the plans came from.  He might have just taken a full-sized set of plans and downsized them.  

Dad and his brother Don.

I recall the first boat he built, though I wasn’t involved. We took the boat to a river we used to fish and tested it out. I went out first and Dad took pictures. Then I rowed while Don sat in the backseat. We didn’t have life jackets though the river area wasn’t dangerous water.  I know he sold the first boat he constructed and as I remember, he made and sold several more. It would be just a few years later that the boat building would begin again. This time I would be involved!

My Dad loved to fish.  As a young boy he usually took me on these Saturday fishing outings. Sometimes my brother Don would come, however, his extreme diabetes often prevented him from making these trips. Of course my Dad fished with other guys and even sometimes alone.  I think we fished every lake within a fifty-mile semi-circle of Milwaukee. Some lakes I recall are Lac LaBelle, Pewaukee, Okachee, Phantom, Moose, Big Cedar, Little Cedar, Upper and Lower Nemabin, and Oconomowoc. Sometimes lakes and rivers further north and even small ponds.  

We generally rented rowboats from whoever had them available on each lake.  Later my Dad purchased a used 5 horsepower Hiawatha outboard motor, which definitely made fishing easier. Even when the fish weren’t biting my Dad didn’t want to quit. If it was raining he didn’t quit. This was his fishing day. Thus, these were long days and I often fell asleep on the homeward trip.

When we arrived home there was usually fish to clean. We would spread out newspaper on the concrete in front of our porch that faced the alley.  The neighborhood kids, who never had a chance to go fishing, would gather around to watch. There would be oohs, aahs and yucks as we cut off fish heads and pulled out their guts. 

At some point my Dad decided we needed a boat. He didn’t like the metal rowboats as they make too much noise when you were fishing and this tended to scare the fish, at least that’s what he said. So, the boat would have to be wood. 

We purchased a set of boat plans from an ad in the back of a Popular Science magazine. The plans were for a 12 foot boat with the new, wide lower transom and a covered cowl over the bow. The transom was shaped like the Chris-Craft boats, wide at the bottom, curving at the sides to a more narrow top. Before starting construction we actually made a small, to scale, balsa wood model of the boat. Materials were expensive so this was an important step to insure there were no mistakes. I still have the boat model on the shelf in our lake cottage.  This model is almost seventy years old. Satisfied that we had a good set of plans, construction started on the boat.    

Dad had three large worktables in the basement that were from his sign painting days. We cleared everything off of these tables to allow space for the boat construction.  The patterns for the ribs, transom and bow had to be traced on pieces to pieces of hardwood. We used a table saw and a jigsaw to cut these pieces. These were the only power tools we had. I was taught to run both of these power tools safely.

Cutting and sanding the rib and transom pieces was a big job. We put a sanding wheel on the table saw and this was a big help. Once all the ribs and transom were finished, we started to assemble the ribs, holding them in place with the keel that ran the length of the boat from transom to bow. The spacings and straightness between rib sections had to be carefully measured.  The upper and lower gun rails had to be steamed, then carefully bent along the ribs to the boats shape. When these pieces were in place, this completed the “skeleton” of the boat. The boat was starting to take shape.

Normally finishing the hull of a boat would be a lengthy process using individual long slats. In the late 1930’s the development of waterproof glues allowed for the development of water and weatherproof plywood. This strong, lightweight material was used extensively during World War II for the construction of boats, such as PT Boats, and the construction of building, such as barracks. Our plans called for the use of plywood on the boats hull.

Using the plan patterns, each hull piece had to be traced and cut out one at a time. When we had one piece finished it was attached to the hull using waterproof glue and screws. We used brass screws, a lot of brass screws! Each hole had to be pre-drilled and countersunk, by hand, no power drills! Every screw was screwed by a hand-ratchet screwdriver, the precursor to power drills. When each section was finished, each screw hole was filled with waterproof wood putty and hand-sanded, with sandpaper on a wooden block.      

Slowly the bottom and then sides of the boat were completed. When each plywood seam was filled with wood putty and sanded it was time to turn the boat over and begin working on the inside and top of the boat. We had to build a sort of cradle to hold the boat steady while this work was completed.

The inner and outer gun rails were completed first. Some steaming of the wood was needed to get the bends near the bow. A transom wood plate was added on the inside to provide extra support for the outboard motor.  Two convex ribs were added near the front of the bow. These were then covered with a triangular shaped piece of plywood, creating a small, covered storage compartment at the bow of the boat. A narrow piece of plywood ran on top of each gun rail from the bow canopy to the transom. I wasn’t sure why they were needed, however, they made the boat look streamlined. All seams in the new plywood were filled and sanded smooth. 

Wooden floorboards were fabricated providing a flat surface for standing. The floorboards were removable for easy cleaning.  Two lifting handles on outer sides of the transom and one on the bow were added for carrying the boat.  Dad made the seats and installed them with hinges. Removing the hinge pins allowed us to remove the seats. I wasn’t sure why we would want to remove them, perhaps for ease of cleaning. Finally, adding a set of oar locks completed the fabrication.

The inside of the boat was sealed with two coats of clear varnish. The bow cowl and top of the gunrails were stained a slightly darker color and the sealed with to coats of varnish. This completed the top and inside parts of the boat. It was time to turn the boat over again.

We had to set the boat on blocks to protect the curved part of the cowl.  The hull was sanded again and applied three coats of white enamel paint. We sanded the hull after the first and second coats to ensure a smooth final coat. It was a beautiful boat, quite different than your typical rowboat.

As I looked at the boat the next day, Dad said “ Should we launch it? “  I thought, how do we get it out of the basement?  Our rental home still had a coal bin and a coal-fired furnace.  A basement door that faced the alley led to a small cinder block room used to store garbage and ashes before they were put out for pickup. Several steps up led to a slanted wooden door that led out to the alley. With help from a neighbor we just barely got the boat through the first door and then up the steps to the outside. It was really tight. I don’t know whether my Dad had measured previously or just got lucky. 

Dad had purchased a set of car top carriers and the boat was lifted onto the top of the car and strapped down. The boat was lighter weight because of its plywood construction, however, it still required two people to get in on and off the car top carriers.  In Dad’s rented garage he constructed a rope and pulley system. The ropes were slid under the front and rear of the boat as it sat on the car top carriers. Pulling on the ropes lifted the boat off the car and tying the ropes to garage wall hooks secured the boat. Simply untying and lowering the ropes loaded the boat for the next fishing trip.

In the water the boat performed great. It was very stable, roomy and quiet. With our five horsepower Hiawatha outboard motor it scooted right along from one fishing spot to another. We could store our lunch and drinks under the bow, out of the sun or rain. Many other fishermen stopped us to inquire about the boat. It would serve us well for years 

After the boat was completed, I didn’t realize that my Dad had a second construction phase in mind.  He planned to convert our boat into a mini-cabin cruiser. The plans for this part of the boat were in my Dad’s head. We constructed a three-sided cabin wall.  It had a pointed windshield that was connected by hinges to the side walls. The windshield had two plexiglass windows and each sidewall had a large plexiglass window. The walls sat right on the gun rails and were locked in place by sliding pins through hinges.  A plywood top snapped on to sidewalls keeping everything locked in place.   I thought we were finished but Dad wasn’t.  With a water-poof, silver colored, canvas material, Dad fabricated a cover that stretched from the ends of the cabin walls to the boat’s transom. The cover could be easily attached and removed with snap attachments. I still have a piece of this same material in my garage. The entire cabin could be easily removed when we wanted to just fish.

It was just a beautiful, unique little cabin cruiser. We set it up in the backyard and the Milwaukee paper sent a photographer to take a picture for an article in the newspaper. 

Milwaukee Journal article showing the cabin cruiser with my Dad and grandfather, Harry Atwell.

My Dad had a friend who lived on Moose Lake. One weekend Dad dropped my friend Tommy Baker and I off on his friend’s property. We launched the boat and camped on his friends land. We fished and swam all weekend. In the evening we anchored the boat in a back bay, with the cabin and cover in place we slept on the water. Late on Sunday Dad picked us up.

When Dad wanted to fish alone the boat actually created a problem. He wasn’t able to handle it himself.  At the time there was a one-man boat loader on the market. After examining it, Dad decided it wasn’t worth the money as it was still difficult to use.  It was probably at this point when he decided that he would build his own model.  

I can’t remember how many different loader designs he drew and fabricated. Each one was a progression forward. He would build a part out of wood. Someone would make a mold for him and then cast the part out of aluminum.  Trial after trial went by until finally he hit on the design that solved all the problems.

The pole of the boat loader attached to a standard trailer hitch with the ball removed. At the top of the pole was a clamp that hooked to the top of the transom, when the boat was upside down on the car.  Once on the can you would simply pick up the bow of the boat and walk around to the back of the car. At this point you could flip the boat over and lower the front of the boat to the ground near the shore. This was made possible because the transom clamp could be rotated 180 degrees and moved downward 45 degrees, a very unique design.

Grandpa and his one-man boat loader.

Unscrewing a locking knob above the trailer hitch then allow one to lower the pole till the boat is flat on the ground. A short shove puts the boat into the water. Reloading the boat follows the reverse directions, ie, attach the transom clamp lift the pole till the boat is at a 45 degree angle, screw in the locking knob, lift the bow of the boat, rotate 180 degrees, then walk from the back of the car to the front and lower the boat onto the car rack. The transom clamp design and the tilt pole were the key patentable designs.

This boat loader was the best built, most functional design on the market. There was one problem; the market. Boat ownership was becoming popular and purchased boats were now coming with trailers. Most owners who could afford a boat didn’t want to mess with the handling that came with the one man boat loader. My Dad obtained a patent, however, he lacked a distribution channel and no significant sales ever developed. 

Dad used the boat for many years and then sold it. I had already moved out of state so I never knew the next owner. I still have the only remaining, functional boat loader. I have no idea what to do with it. I just don’t have the heart to throw it away!

Written by William H. Atwell  (3-28-2020)

Grandpa was an artist so I’m sure he did this drawing!

On Finding and Meeting a New Cousin

Happy New Year everyone! I’m a bit late getting this one out due to travel and holiday hustle and bustle but it’s given me time to reflect on my genealogy journey. While continuing to document names, dates and places and growing/completing my family tree overtime I also like to add new elements. Recently, I was contacted by a cousin wondering if a certain genetically inherited disease was ever documented in our family and then realized this area is lacking in my current family tree. Subsequently, this year I will make efforts to additionally document medical information for ancestors so that in the future I might be able to answer any medical inquiries more thoroughly.

In October while in Wisconsin, I detoured to a town in Illinois and met my father’s cousin Jim Atwell. Jim’s grandfather, my great-grandfather, built the house in Round Lake, Illinois where he is currently living. Over the years I had heard stories and was shown photos of the small cinderblock home in various stages of completion so naturally I was excited to see what it looked like in 2019. From what I’ve been told, the home was started sometime after Will (William H. Stone Atwell) retired from the Wabash Railroad (maybe late 1930’s?, I need to verify this information). When Will died in May, 1944, I don’t even think the exterior of the home had been completed. Although our visit was a bit short, only three hours, Jim did have time to take me to a couple cemeteries and share these wonderful photos.

I feel so privileged to have been able to meet so many members of my “family tree”. People whose stories and photos would have gone unknown to me without my persistent digging and questioning. Each of them have added something to my research and my soul.

We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors wisdom. – Maya Angelou

Round Lake Home

Home built by W. H. Stone Atwell. This photo was taken when Jim was a child and lived in the home with his parents.

House Foundation.

I’m not quite certain who is in the photo. Maybe Will and his son Jim and the beginnings of the foundation for the house in Round Lake.

Round Lake Home

Home with walls now up! Unidentified male in photo most likely is Will. I get the idea that this house was a very slow process.

Another Photo of the Home.

Look at that car in the back! I’m sure someone could identify the make, model and year to help with dating this photo.

Coming Along...

Addition of siding to the home and a view of the front of the car.

William Henry Stone Atwell

Known as Will, he kept both his biological surname Stone and his foster father’s surname Atwell.

Will Atwell

Another photo of my great grandfather. Until three years ago, I only had one photo. Now, thanks to cousin Jim, I added three more to my collection of ten.

James L Atwell

Cousin Jim’s father in his Navy uniform. I never asked but assume he is named after W. H. Stone Atwell’s foster father, James Atwell.

James L. Atwell

Another photo of Jim’s father, brother to my grandfather Harry Atwell. On Jim’s WWII registration he describes himself as 5’7”, 145 lbs, gray eyes, red hair and ruddy complexion. It’s always fun to find another redhead in the family!

Jim L. Atwell

Cousin Jim’s father with a few Navy buddies.

Will Atwell Family

Back row: Will and his wife Helena, middle row Claude and Helen, front row l-r Norman, Jim and Harry. Circa 1905.

Another Photo of Cousin Jim's Father

Cousin Jim with his Mom and Sister

Sarah Towne of Salem, Massachusetts: Life After the Salem Witch Trials

Proctor’s Ledge where innocent people accused of witchcraft were hanged. Image from Salemnews.com.

Governor William Phips, unfortunately, failed to recognize the problem at the onset of the trials; that innocent people were being convicted and hanged based on spectral evidence alone. Remember, spectral evidence was the testimony based on visions and dreams by the accusers and not valid evidence. Despite warnings by respected minister Cotton Mather and his father, Increase Mather, then president of Harvard, who both cautioned against allowing spectral evidence, it wasn’t until Governor Phip’s wife was accused of witchcraft that he took any notice. Increase Mather suggested “"It were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person be condemned." (1) Phips eventually pardoned all those accused of witchcraft and they were released from prison by May, 1693. However, the destruction was complete: 19 were hanged on Gallows Hill, one man was pressed to death and many more died in prison.

List of Hanged on gallows hill

June 10, 1692

Bridget Bishop, Salem

July 19, 1692

Sarah Good, Salem Village

Rebecca Nurse, Salem Village

Susannah Martin, Amesbury

Elizabeth How, Ipswich

Sarah Wilds, Topsfield

August 19, 1692

George Burroughs, Wells, Maine

John Proctor, Salem Village

John Willard, Salem Village

George Jacobs, Sr., Salem Town

Martha Carrier, Andover

September 19, 1692

Giles Corey, Salem Farms, pressed to death

September 22, 1692

Martha Corey, Salem Farms

Mary Eastey, Topsfield

Alice Parker, Salem Town

Ann Pudeater, Salem Town

Margaret Scott, Rowley

Wilmott Reed, Marblehead

Samuel Wardwell, Andover

Mary Parker, Andover

Died in Prison

Sarah Osborne, Salem Village

Roger Toothaker, Billerica

Lyndia Dustin, Reading

Ann Foster, Andover

There may be up to 13 more who died in prison but records differ on the exact number.

Only one of the six accusers ever publically apologized, Ann Putnam Jr. The others went on to live normal lives without being held accountable in any way, perhaps not even realizing what they had done or more possibly choosing to ignore what they had done. Of the 62 people Ann Putnam accused, 17 were executed. Her public apology finally came in 1706 as a requirement for her requested admittance to the Salem Village Church:

I desire to be humbled before God for that sad and humbling providence that befell my father's family in the year about ninety-two; that I, then being in my childhood, should, by such a providence of God, be made an instrument for the accusing of several people for grievous crimes, whereby their lives was taken away from them, whom, now I have just grounds and good reason to believe they were innocent persons; and that it was a great delusion of Satan that deceived me in that sad time, whereby I justly fear I have been instrumental, with others, though ignorantly and unwittingly, to bring upon myself and this land the guilt of innocent blood; though, what was said or done by me against any person, I can truly and uprightly say, before God and man, I did it not out of any anger, malice, or ill will to any person, for I had no such thing against one of them; but what I did was ignorantly, being deluded by Satan.
And particularly, as I was a chief instrument of accusing Goodwife Nurse and her two sisters, I desire to lie in the dust, and to be humble for it, in that I was a cause, with others, of so sad a calamity to them and their families; for which cause I desire to lie in the dust, and earnestly beg forgiveness of God, and from all those unto whom I have given just cause of sorrow and offense, whose relations were taken away or accused. (2)

Ann Putnam Jr died ten years later at the age of 37 of unknown causes.

“A period of atonement began in the colony following the release of the surviving accused witches. Samuel Sewall, one of the judges, issued a public confession of guilt and an apology. Several jurors came forward to say that they were "sadly deluded and mistaken" in their judgments. Reverend Samuel Parris conceded errors of judgment, but mostly shifted blame to others. Parris was replaced as minister of Salem village by Thomas Green, who devoted his career to putting his torn congregation back together. Governor Phips blamed the entire affair on William Stoughton (my note: Chief Justice and member of the court during witchcraft trials as well as an agressive witch hunter). Stoughton, clearly more to blame than anyone for the tragic episode, refused to apologize or explain himself. He criticized Phips for interfering just when he was about to "clear the land" of witches. Stoughton became the next governor of Massachusetts”.(3)

Restored home of Peter and Sarah Clayes on Salem End Road. Photo borrowed from Zillow.com.

There are many different accounts regarding Sarah’s imprisionment, release and/or escape. The website framinghamhistory.org offers that after being sent to Ipswich in August 1692 to await hanging, Sarah escaped with the help of her husband Peter Cloyce and then was hidden by friends. Eventually, she and Peter made their way to land owned by Thomas Danforth (acting governor before Phipps and sympathetic to the accused witches) in what is now Framingham, Massachusetts . Upon relocating, they changed their last name to “Clayes” and soon many other family members joined them. The Peter and Sarah Clayes home still stands and has recently been restored and sold-657 Salem End Road. It’s hard to sort out which stories are true since there are so many. However, the Clayes did remain in this area until their deaths, Peter in 1708 and Sarah 1703. Just weeks before her death, Sarah presented evidence to the magistrates-a map and a list of 20 people who opposed the hiring of Reverend Parris. The map of the town had a line drawn through it and marked the farms of the accusers and accused; all the accusers lived west of the line and accused east. And of the list of 20 people who opposed Reverend Parris, 17 were accused! A coincidence??? Although the magistrates could not directly decide on guilt or compensation they did give Sarah three symbolic gold sovereign coins, one for each life that suffered as documented in the PBS film “Three Sovereigns for Sarah” in 1985. Finally, in 1711 Sarah’s sisters names were cleared and reparations made. Mary Esty’s family received 20 pounds sterling and Rebecca Nurse’s family received 25 pounds sterling. Many of the other victims’ names were cleared as well and total reparations was 600 pounds. Two hundred sixty-five years later in 1957 Massachusetts formally apologized for the witch trials and in 1992, the 300th anniversary, a memorial was unveiled.

Footnotes

1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-salem-witch-trials-175162489/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Putnam

3. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM

Sources

https://historyofmassachusetts.org/ann-putnam-jr/

https://framinghamhistory.org/biographies/sarah-towne-clayes-1638-1704/

Additional Reading

Proctor’s Ledge in Salem Confirmed as Witch Execution Site

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Sarah Towne of Salem, Massachusetts, Part 2: The Accusers and Accused

Excavated foundation of the Samuel Parris parsonage in what is now Danvers, MA. This is where all the trouble started! Photo taken from the website -historyofmassachusetts.org.

The trouble began in February, 1692 when several local girls including Betty Parris (daughter of Rev. Parris), Abigail Williams (niece of Rev. Parris), and Ann Putnam, Jr. (a friend) gathered at the home of Reverend Samuel Parris to listen to the tales of Tituba, Parris’ Indian servant. She filled their impressionable minds with accounts of voodoo and the supernatural from her native Barbados as well as possibly teaching them the fortune telling technique called “venus glass”. ( I say “possibly” because some sources indicate that Tituba taught this to the girls however there is no mention in court records or evidence she was involved.) Venus glass, also called oomancy, is performed by dropping an egg white into a glass of water and then waiting for a shape or symbol to appear. The girls used this technique in an attempt to learn about their future husbands and social standing. During one of these sessions, Ann reported seeing an apparition or “specter” of a coffin. Spectral evidence, a form of evidence based on visions and dreams became focal months later as it was admitted into court during the trials by the chief justice, William Stoughton.

Shortly after, “Betty began behaving strangely in January of 1692, when she hid under furniture, complained of fever, barked like a dog, screamed and cried out in pain”.(1) It didn’t take long for Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam, Jr. to follow with their own set of strange symptoms as well as Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, Susannah Sheldon, Mary Warren and Elizabeth Booth. The doctor was called; the girls examined and unable to find anything physically wrong, Dr. William Griggs suggested they may be “bewitched”.

On March 1, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba would be the first arrested after being accused as witches by Betty and Abigail. Tituba quickly confessed that all three were approached by the devil to do his work as witches, which believe it or not, saved her life as the common belief was she could then repent her sins. In the townspeople’s minds, Tituba’s confession proved undeniably that the devil had slithered into Salem bringing about mass hysteria and the hunt for more witches. During the same month, four more women were accused including Rebecca Nurse, the sister of Sarah Towne.

Many historians believe that a long-standing feud between the Towne and both Putnam and Gould families and the need for revenge prompted some of the girl’s parents, mainly Thomas Putnam, Ann’s father and Reverend Samuel Parris, Bettys father and Abigail’s guardian to encourage their children to make the accusations. In 1670, 22 years before the hysteria, the Goulds who were close friends of the Putnams accused Joanna Towne mother of Rebecca, Mary and Sarah, of witchcraft presumably after she defended Topsfield minister, Rev. Thomas Gilbert in court (In order to avoid getting too sidetracked you can read more about this here.) Then in 1686, Mary Estey’s (Sarah’s other sister) husband Isaac and other Towne family members testified against Captain John Putnman for harvesting trees according the The Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society periodical:

“The Putnams were strong-willed men, of high temper and seemingly eager for controversy and even personal conflict. In a suit brought in 1686, Isaac Easty sen., Isaac Easty jr., John Towne, and Joseph Towne jr. testified that they were in the woods within Topsfield bounds on the south side of the river and ‘saw Capt. John Putnam of Salem Farms or Village & his sons & some of his cousins cutting down timber within Topsfield bounds & on Topsfield men’s properties & several of Topsfield men forewarned Capt. John Putnam from cutting timber on their land; the said Capt. Putnam replied, I have faled the timber yet is here cut down on my orders & I will keep cutting & carrying away from this land till next March, & ye said Putnam being asked, what by violence, his answer, ay by violence & further said you may sue me you know where I dwell & then did his company fall on.’ The court again decided in favor of the Topsfield men which of course only served to make the Putnams more bitter.”

Although Joanna was never tried in court for witchcraft, the local town gossip during the 1692 trials in Salem suggested that witchcraft was passed down to family members, ie her daughters Rebecca, Mary and Sarah. As far as the girl’s symptoms, modern theories are epilepsy, boredom, child abuse, mental illness, hysterical contagion or disease from eating rye infected with ergot fungus. Symptoms of early ergot poisioning are nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and weakness, numbness, itching and progressing to vision problems, confusion, spasms, convulsions, unconsciousness and deaths

An illustration of Rebecca Nurse on trial.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RebeccaNurse-inChains.jpg

While their sister Rebecca sat in jail, Sarah Towne Cloyce and Mary Estey were accused of witchcraft with Sarah arrested on April 8 and Mary on April 21.

Rebecca Nurse was tried on June 30, 1692, found guilty, granted a brief reprieve by the governor after pleas by her family and friends who vouched for her good character but ultimately hanged on July 19, 1692 along with Sarah Good and three others. Rebecca Nurse was not only a pious woman but was loved and respected by her community. Prior to hanging many of the other accused of witchcraft had been social outcasts. The accusations and trials were now completely out of control.

Mary was tried released from prison on May 18, but one of her accusers, Mercy Lewis, continued her claim and she was arrested again 48 hours later. Court records indicate that the complaint against Mary was by, interestingly, John Putnam, Jr. and another man on behalf of the original accusers. During trial, the testimony against her was mostly stories from the stricken girls about being inflicted with Mary’s spirit and other testimony from the girls’ parents and relatives including Edward Putnam and John Putnam, Jr. Mary was tried on September 9 and during the course of her trial submitted two petitions; one with her sister Sarah before her conviction asking that “spectral evidence” not be allowed and the other by herself after her convictionThe:

“The humble petition of Mary Easty unto his excellencies Sir William Phipps to the honoured Judge and Bench now sitting In Judicature in Salem and the Reverend ministers humbly sheweth that whereas your poor and humble petitioner being condemned to die do humbly beg of you to take it into your judicious and pious considerations that your poor and humble petitioner knowing my own innocency blessed be the Lord for it and seeing plainly the wiles and subtility of my accusers by myself can not but judge charitably of others that are going the same way of myself if the Lord steps not mightily in I was confined a whole month upon the same account that I am condemned now for and then cleared by the afflicted persons as some of your honours know and in two days time I was cried out upon by them and have been confined and now am condemned to die the Lord above knows my innocency then and likewise does now as at the great day will be known to men and angels — I petition to your honours not for my own life for I know I must die and my appointed time is set but the Lord he knows it is that if it be possible no more innocent blood may be shed which undoubtedly cannot be avoid in the way and course you go in I question not but your honours does to the utmost of your powers in the discovery and detecting of witchcraft and witches and would not be guilty of innocent blood for the world but by my own innocency I know you are in the wrong way the Lord in his infinite mercy direct you in this great work if it be his blessed will that no more innocent blood be shed I would humbly beg of you that your honors would be pleased to examine this afflicted persons strictly and keep them apart some time and like-wise to try some of these confessing witches. I being confident there is several of them has belied themselves and others as will appear if not in this world I am sure in the world to come whither I am now agoing and I question not but you’ll see an alteration of these things they say myself and others having made a league with the devil we cannot confess I know and the Lord knows as will shortly appear they belie me and so I question not but they do others the Lord above who is the searcher of all hearts knows that as I shall answer it at the tribunal seat that I know not the least thing of witchcraft therefore I cannot I dare not belie my own soul I beg your honers not to deny this my humble petition from a poor dying innocent person and I question not but the Lord will give a blessing to your endeavors
To his Excellency Sir William Phipps: Governor and to the honoured Judge and Magistrates now setting in Judicature in Salem.
Mary Easty Petition”

The petition was too late, Mary Estey was hanged on September 22 with 7 other people.

Indictment #1 of Sarah Cloyce for Afflicting Abigail Williams.

While Sarah waited in jail her sisters Rebecca and Mary were executed. Fortunately Sarah’s fate was different than her sisters. Historians suggest that Mary’s plea in her petition for the court to be reasonable and think twice about what they were doing is what possibly ended the hysteria. The beginning of the end was in September when “spectral evidence” was declared inadmissable in the court. The last hangings in Salem were on September 22 and by 1693 the Salem Witch Trials had ended. The indictments against Sarah were dropped in 1692 and the charges dismissed on January 3, 1693 and her husband Peter Cloyce paid all her fees and she was released from jail. The Cloyce’s, understandably, relocated to West Salem End now called West Framingham.

Next Month: Life After the Salem Witch Trials

““I will say it, if it was my last time. I am clear of this sin” - Mary Eastey.
”

Towne sister statue at Salem Wax Museum.

Sources:
https://historyofmassachusetts.org/

Footnotes:

1. Brooks, Rebecca B. Elizabeth Parris: First Afflicted Girl of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. June 10, 2013. historyofmassachusetts.org.

Sarah Towne of Salem Village, Massachusetts

Since the introduction of this blog in 2014 my focus has been recent ancestral stories however for the next few months we will be traveling back 11 generations to Salem, Massachusetts. My 9th great-grandmother Sarah Towne’s story is truly remarkable and if you haven’t guessed by now involves the Salem Witch Trials. The hysteria began in 1692 in Salem Village when a group of girls claimed to be possessed by the devil accused several woman in the village of witchcraft. In the end, more than 200 people would be accused and 20 killed. However, before I explore Sarah and her part in the trials let me start with some background information on the Towne Family, Salem Village and the Reverend Samuel Parris.

Map of Salem Village, 1692.

Here is the pedigree starting with my paternal grandfather:

Harry Atwell (1908-1985)▶︎William H. Stone Atwell (1875-1944)▶︎Harriet Parks (1855-1909)▶︎William Parks (1824-1868)▶︎Mehitable Barton (1800-1890)▶︎Alpheus Barton (1763-1849)▶︎Timothy Barton (1732-1791)▶︎Joshua Barton (1697-1773)▶︎Hannah Bridges (1669-1727)▶︎Sarah Towne (1638-1703)

William and Joanna Towne were married in St. Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England on April 25, 1620, the same church William was baptized in March 18, 1598/99. Their first six children were baptized here as well between 1621 and 1634: Rebecca, John, Susanna, Edmund, Jacob and Mary. There are varying accounts of the actual date of Sarah’s birth, 11 January 1637 in Salem, Massachusettes being the most accepted and her brother John followed in 1639. An exact immigration date is also not know however using references from The Ancestry of Lieutenant Amos Towne and the birthdate of their daughter Mary, it appears the family entered Massachusettes between 1634-1635: “The first record of William Towne in America appears in the town book of Salem in 1640 when he was granted ‘a little neck of land right over against his house on the other side of the river’”. “It is probably that Towne was in Salem some years before 1640, however. The list of grants by the town to that portion of its territory called the North Fields is undated and the best opinion seems to indicate that the grants were made before 1635, when the town records begin. William Towne’s name appears on this list, and it was in the North Fields that he lived”. (1)

St. Nicholas Parish, Great Yarmouth as it is today.

In 1651, the family relocated to the neighborning town of Topsfield, selling the Salem property in 1652.

Sarah and Edmund Bridges were married in Topsfield on January 11, 1659. Together they had 8 or 9 children one of which was my ancestor Hannah Bridges. The couple lived in Salem Town while Edmund persued his occupation as an lawyer. Furthermore, referencing the book, Currents of Malice by Persis W. McMillen, “Edmund Bridges and a certain William Becket owned part of a wharf on the Salem waterfront. Edmund also procured a license to sell alcholic beverages."  "Sarah became involved with running the waterfront tavern while her husband carried on with his legal practice, often appearing in Salem quarterly courts as attorney, arbitrator and witness." (2)

Edmund’s unfortunate death at the age of 44 years in June of 1682 left Sarah and her children destitute and within three months the family was ordered out of town by the constable. Sarah returned to her family in Topsfield. She had lost both her husband and mother in the same year.

Sarah quickly remarried Peter Cloyce who had a farm in Salem Village (now known as Danvers). Salem Village and Salem Town were about a half days journey from each other and as far apart culturally and socioeconomically. Salem Village was known as a farming community while Salem Town for it’s fishermen and maritime merchants. Sixty years after the Witch Trials, Salem Village won it’s long bid to separate and thus no longer share taxes with Salem Town, changing the name to Danvers.

The Cloyces were members of the Salem Village congregation of Reverend Samuel Parris as was Sarah’s sister Rebecca Nurse. Samuel Parris was born in England immigrating to Boston in the 1660’s and attended Harvard College. Samuel’s father, owner of a sugar plantation in Barbados, died in 1673 so Samuel left Harvard to take up his inheritance. In 1680 after a hurricane left much of his property damaged he sold a little of his land and returned to Boston with his two slaves Tituba and John Indian. Later that year he married Elizabeth Eldridge. During this time Samuel worked as a merchant but soon began training as a minister. In July 1689 Samuel became minister of Salem Village bringing his wife Elizabeth, Tituba and his three children Thomas, Elizabeth also known as Betty and Susannah with him to Salem Village as well as his niece Abigail Williams whose parents had been killed after an American Indian raid. Generally a minister was appointed for life however, Salem Village had trouble keeping and paying their minister; Reverend Parris would be their fourth in 16 years. To say Salem Village was in turmoil when Reverend Parris became minister would be an understatement. Uncertainty was everyday life. King James II of England had just been overthrown, Massachusettes had no local magistrates, charters or written laws and until his Parris’s hire, no minister. Notwithstanding, Salem Village was known by neighboring towns as a contentious place to live and known to be bad-tempered. Not all townspeople welcomed Reverend Parris and many did not vote for him as minister which led to more feuding. Like the three previous ministers he got caught in the middle of the fracas. Parishioners would refuse to pay the minister’s salary or provide firewood for the parsonage and by October 1691 the town stopped paying his wages as well. In the book, The New England Soul, Reverend Parris didn’t handle the situation well:

“Parris had not enjoyed a moment’s peace since the commencement of his ministry in 1689, when he found himself caught between warring factions in Salem Town and Salem Village. Instead of confining and channeling social fears and tensions into revival and covenant renewal as his colleagues were seeking to do, Parris inflamed local rivalries by declaring that ‘if ever there were witches, Men and Women in covenant with the Devil, here are multitudes in New-England.’ By March 1692, he was convinced that witches had infiltrated the churches, including his own Salem congregation. In a sermon on Judas Iscariot he declared that ‘as in our text [John 6:10] there was one [devil] among the 12 [disciples]…so in our churches God knows how many Devils there are.’ Such preaching offered a powerful and dangerous release for social and political tensions that had been brewing throughout the previous decades. It encouraged the villagers to purge their feelings of frustration and guilt by locating and destroying ‘witches’ in their midst. In many cases these witches were individuals who had run afoul of Parris and his key clan of supporters, the Putnam family.”

Parris probably never imagined that his own household would become the centerpoint of accusations of witchcraft with his niece, Agibail Williams and daughter, Betty Parris, being the instigators.

Next month: The Accusers and Accused

Footnotes:

1. The Ancestry of Lieutenant Amos Towne, 1737-1793.

2. Currents of Malice, Persis W. McMillen

Souces:

Samuel Parris wikipedia

Sarah Towne wikipedia

The New England Soul by Harry S. Stout

Vintage Christmas Photographs

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic and thought it would be fun to make a gallery of all the Christmas-inspired photographs I’ve collected through the years. These are a mish mash of the Atwell, Hiller, Willing and Penne families, some of which are on previous posts but I do like that they are all in one spot now. I hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I did while gathering these photos. We can’t turn back the clock but we sure can add to this collection of photo memories so feel free to add your own. Merry Christmas. Vesel božič. Fröhliche Weinnachten.

L-R: Uncle Don, Mom, Grandpa, Auntie MaryAnne

My Sibs: Lynn, Me, Lori and Mike

Christmas 1968: My Uncle Bob, MaryAnne and cousins Bobby, Mary, Patty and Jim.

Christmas 1974 taken at my Grandma and Grandpa Hiller's house. Same family as previous slide with addition of my cousin Tony!

Christmas 1973 at my Uncle Don's house: Grandma and Grandpa Hiller, Mom and Dad, Auntie MaryAnne and Uncle Bob, Auntie Paula and Uncle Don.

Another from 1973: I see Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie MaryAnne holding Tony, cousins Jim and Steve and my sister Lori all digging that aluminum Christmas tree!

Penne's Haven tavern: My grandfather and Mom are at the bar and great aunt Wanda is behind the bar.

My beautiful great Auntie Wanda.

Christmas at Penne's Haven: Wanda and Uncle Johnny in the front and my Grandma Anne in the back.

1965 Christmas Eve, tradition at the Atwell's: My Uncle Don playing santa, cousins Brian and Brad, me and my sisters Lynn and Lori.

Grandma and Grandpa Atwell with yours truly.

Best Christmases ever at my grandparent's home on 88th Street in West Allis, Wisconsin

My Dad ( back, middle) with his sibs and cousins on the Willing side.

Atwell Christmas: Uncle Don, Grandma Atwell and Auntie Marlene.

My Grandma Atwell's sibs: Ed Willing, Sophie Willing, Genevieve Gorski, Hildegard Bowman and Stan Gorski (Stan was spouse of Gen)

Me and my sisters.

Me, maybe my first Christmas?

My parents cutting our Christmas tree, possibly 1976?

Hiller Christmas circa 1971 with many Aunts, Uncles and cousins.

My sisters with our Grandpa Atwell.

My Grandpa and Grandma Hiller with my sister Lynn.

Grandma Hiller, cousin Bobby, Me and sister Lori.

You know who you are!!

My wonderful Grandpa.

Me and sister Lynn with Atwell side cousins-Brian, Brad, Kathy and Chris along with Uncle Jim.

Sister Lynn's first Christmas.

Me, Mom, Lynn and Uncle Jim, 1964.

Me, Lynn and Mom.

Grandma Atwell is on the top right, 1964, her last Christmas.

Mom, Me and Chatty Kathy.

Mom, Auntie MaryAnne, Uncle Johnny, Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Bob.

Pamel Court, Ames, Iowa 1963.

Cousins Brian, Brad and Me, 1962.

Me, Auntie Marlene and cousin Brian.

Grandpa and Grandma Hiller's Christmas tree on Walker Street, Milwaukee, circa 1960's.

My lovely Mom.

Auntie MaryAnne, Grandma, Grandpa and Me probably 1961.

Grandma and Grandpa Hiller and Me, 1961.

My shiny new peddle car.

1960 in Milwaukee. My Grandma always had the stuffed pandas in the cellar for us to play with.

My Great Grandparents Anton and Johanna Penne

My Collection of Family Prayer Cards

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I received the first four prayer cards at each of my grandparents’ funerals. The fifth is my uncle and the remainder are all either great grandparents or great aunts and uncles. These cards have all been given to me by family members. Click a card to see a larger image.

For anyone not familiar, prayer cards also known as holy cards are about the size of a playing card and contain a religious scene or saint on one side and a prayer on the other. In the case of “In Memoriam Cards” given at Catholic funerals, the type of prayer cards I have, there is also information about the deceased person such as date of birth, death, sometimes burial date and place as well as serve as a keepsake and reminder of the loved one. Because of their compactness, the cards are handy to transport in a wallet, prayer book or bible and are used as personal devotionals. As a child, I remember my aunt’s prayer book stuffed with prayer cards bound by a rubber band, resembling a stack of baseball cards, and thinking, “that’s a lot of dead people”. Before mass she would take them out of her prayer book and look through them while praying.

However, for purposes of genealogy, funeral cards contain important information especially if you have no obituary or death certificate. Using the dates of death, funeral home or church name will help you obtain the above items. For example, if the date of death or location of an ancestor is unknown but you have the funeral card, use “Google” to find the location of the funeral home/church. Then check the local library in that city and using the microfilm you are able to narrow your obituary search using the date of death from the prayer card. The reference desk at most libraries will do obituary searches if you are unable to travel there but you must have the date of death. Just phone or email them. Likewise, with the exact date of death it will be much easier to obtain the death certificate from the county clerk, which always contains interesting information as well.

In closing, if any of my extended family have additional prayer cards that are not shown here I would love to add them just send me a scanned photo of the front and back. Thanks!

Y-DNA Research for Atwell/Stone

This month I'll attempt to get you caught up with my ongoing Y-DNA research. If you remember from ninth grade biology class, the Y chromosome is passed from fathers to their sons and the path that Y-DNA travels is referred to the "patrilineal" line.  Because of this and the fact that the Y chromosome doesn't experience extensive recombination (changing of DNA segments to create unique chromosomes passed down to subsequent generations) make Y-DNA a valuable tool in tracing male lineage and surname. And it is especially helpful in cases of adoption, which happens to be one of my current genealogy brick walls. After submitting a test, the test-taker should receive matches of men who are from the same patrilineal line as well as learning their biogeographical origin.  However, there are limitations as well. The matches might show a common ancestor but  will not prove which man in your patrilineal line is that ancestor.  That's where all the real work starts:  finding other living descendants to test, browsing family trees for common ancestors with your matches and drawing speculative trees for each match.  

In my specific circumstance, my father's grandfather was given up for adoption/fostering in about 1875. His birth name was William Henry Stone and after placement with foster parents became known as William Henry Stone Atwell.  His father's name was Henry B. Stone and his father is a question mark.

A few years ago, my Dad agreed to submit a Y-DNA test to familytreedna.com and I recently upgraded from the 67 marker test to 111 markers to improve the odds. A marker is a DNA segment either STR (short tandem repeat) or SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) at a designated location.  Basically, two people who are unrelated and share the same repeats on the markers is less a coincidence the higher the number of markers tested. My Dad belongs to Y-DNA haplogroup G-M201 and since some of his matches had further SNP testing he is most likely in the sub-group G-Z42474. (Read more about haplogroup G here.)  His match list confirmed that he is in the Stone DNA match page. For privacy purposes I will not be posting any of his matches' names or their specific match charts.  However, with the help of Diahan at YourDNAGuide she was able to zero in on my 2 BEST matches and where I should begin.  On marker DYS459 my father and 2 other individuals share a mutation that is not seen on the same marker in any of the other matches.  This means that we all share a common ancestor and although I still have not found that common ancestor one match has a line back to Hugh Stone born 1648 in England and died 1732 in Rhode Island. Currently, this individual and I have agreed to share our trees on ancestry.com and are working together. Diahan estimates the common ancestor is 8 generations back.  Doesn't seem far you say? Eight generations means 256 grandparents!  It's a bit daunting.

Moving forward, Diahan gave me a "To Do" list to help me to accomplish my goal of growing my Dad's Y-DNA line:

1.  Find as many descendants as possible of Henry B. Stone to test, priority on second cousins and older generations.

2.  Look for autosomal DNA matches with the Stone men who have been tested. (Autosomal DNA tests are what Ancestry.com and 23andme offer and contain chromosomes 1-22 inherited from both parents. In this case, matches will be both male and female.

3.  Go through my Dad's autosomal match list and mark out any maternal matches, as those are not necessary for this exercise.

4.  Ask the 2nd best match to upgrade his test from 37 markers to 64.  (In this case it's probably not a possibility, unfortunately. Interestingly, his surname as well as my Dad's is not Stone.)

Wish me luck and I will keep you undated as I find new information!

Billy The Shoeshine Boy

(In honor of Father's Day, I've invited my Dad to be a guest writer this month.  He has consistently shown  interest and support in my genealogy research as well as doing his part by documenting his own life story.  Dad's first self-published book "Remember the Good Times" is an excellent memoir of his personal life while "My Research Journey" documents his professional life as a research chemist.  A novel, a collection of poems as well as an ode to the family cottage round out his writings.  Enjoy his story and poem, our family is so very lucky to have all of these personal remembrances.  Happy Father's Day, Dad!)

It was the late 1940’s on the south side of Milwaukee. I was in my early teens. We lived in a rented home that faced the alley, just off of National Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets. They named me William though everyone called me Bill, except my Mom; to her I was always Billy.

From early on I was always trying to do things to earn money for the things I needed, or for the places I wanted to go; like the movies. Usually I took a wagon and went up and down the alley or around the blocks, collecting scrap metal, rags and newspapers. Whatever I collected I had to take across National Avenue, down into “The Valley” to “Joe the Junkman”.

In our area there were numerous taverns, after all, this was Milwaukee. On my block alone there were three taverns. One evening I noted two boys coming out of the corner tavern on 10th Street. When I talked to them I learned they were shining shoes and they showed me their equipment. When I learned how much money they were making I started building my own shoeshine box the next day. It was my own design with a comfortable place for the customers shoe, a nice carrying strap and a compartment for everything I needed. There wasn’t another box like it.

My parents only allowed me to go shoe shining on Friday and Saturday evenings and I had to be home by 9:00 p.m. so I missed a lot of the real big business. My route was limited to up National Avenue to 16th Street and then down to 6th Street and back home. I extended the time later as I got older. My Dad knew many of the tavern owners as he painted activity signs for them and he also patronized their establishments, often taking me along. On a good weekend I could make $5-7 dollars, which was a lot of money at that time. Later I combined selling the tavern owners custom matchbooks with my shoe shining.

Billy's handmade shoeshine box.

circa 1940's.

More than six decades later I still have that box as well as the memories of my money-making experiences which I immortalized recently in this poem:

The Shoeshine Boy

One Saturday night, two boys I spied,

coming out of a tavern, from the door on the side.

Those boys, I think were a little older,

one had a box with a strap, over his shoulder.

I asked them what the box was for,

one said, we use it when we go in that door.

The customers we ask, if they want a shine,

if yes is the answer, then for the box it’s time.

On the box the customer, places his shoe,

then apply the polish is what you do.

Next use the brush to get part way there,

finally, with the cloth, buff to a glare.

Repeat the above with the other shoe,

then tell the guy, you are through.

A quarter you may get, if he’s pleased with the shine,

or less than a quarter, but at least a dime.

That’s when I decided shoe shining to go,

it seemed a good way to make some dough.

Next day I built a black shoeshine kit,

the edges with brass tacks, I decorated it. 

My box was different, with an angled top,

a comfortable place for a shoe to flop.

The box height and angle the customer knew,

were just what he wanted, for his shoe.

Next Saturday night I went out to shine,

there were plenty of taverns, all in a line.

Along National Avenue, up to 16th Street,

then I crossed over and made my retreat.

All the taverns were, on Saturday nights,

filled with music, smoke and neon lights.

There were three or four, on each block,

closing time was two o’clock.

When I reached 6th Street I crossed over again,

then back to 10th Street I did wend.

My tavern favorites were in my neighborhood,

I visited them twice, if I could.

Just three more to go and the night would be past,

the tavern on the corner would be my last.

“Hey kid, I’m next” I heard a guy scream,

on the jukebox the song was “Goodnight Irene”

I left by the side door, where the kids I first spied,

then half-a-block to my alley, I did stride.

Down the alley another half-a-block,

I’d be in bed by ten o’clock.

Quickly I undressed and put on PJ’s,

then at the desk, counted the money I made.

I don’t remember all the taverns I did work,

but at home on my face, I had a smirk.

This was a way, good money to make,

on weekend nights, I had a good take.

I learned many tricks of the trade,

keep the polish off the socks, if you want to get paid!

There are some things you must master,

to get the real shine that you are after.

The technique of “spit shine” you must capture,

the cloth, you must learn to move faster. 

Though the shine is important, the performance is too,

the customer is watching all that you do.

So when moving the cloth, learn to give it a snap,

the good ones could actually make it “crack”’

Now it sits in the basement, that old box of mine,

most shoes today, don’t need a shine.

Today if into a tavern I went,

I’d come out again, with nary a cent.

The art of shoe shining is virtually gone,

“The Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy” is now just a song.

Yet with fondness I remember, the time way back,

when that cloth, I could really make crack!

John Besack

John Besack, circa unknown.

John Besack was born in 1837 to Sebastian and Amalea (Gantner) Besack.  Both were German immigrants who arrived in New York in 1834 and settled in Lyons, Wayne County, New York.  Sometime between the birth of his brother William (1839) and Henry (1842) the family relocated to the Township of Caledonia, Racine County, Wisconsin during a time when Wisconsin was still a territory. John married Helena Seitz in 1861 in Caledonia.  Just two years later the United States Congress would pass the Civil War Conscription (or Enrollment) Act, the first wartime draft in America.  John registered in June, 1863 and was classified as "Class I" which included men aged 20-45 and aged 36-45 and unmarried.  Other classes included Class II, married men 36-45 and Class III, volunteers.  All unmarried men were taken before married men. Being drafted didn't necessarily mean you would serve in the Civil War, however.   Exceptions were allowed if you could find a substitute or pay $300 to avoid service.  This clause in the Act led to rioting in New York City as the exemptions seemed to be favored only toward the wealthiest Americans, coining the phrase "Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight".  Other exemptions I haven't mentioned were: men who were physically or mentally impaired, the only son of a widow, the only son of infirm parents or a widower with dependant children.  At this time I have been unable to find any service records for John, for whatever reason, and I believe he did not serve. This is not to suggest that he paid a substitute or otherwise. The reason could be as simple as all the unmarried men hadn't been drafted yet.  The answer will most likely be found in the National Archives

Records of the Provost Marshall General's Bureau 1863-1865; a list of enrollments and substitutes for each congressional district.

John listed in the Civil War draft registration, line 3.

A farmer by trade, he and Helena lived in Caledonia for the majority of their married life.  Over the years the couple had 10 children: Mary (1862), Emma (1863), Elizabeth (1864), Henry (1866), Catherine (1868), Rose (1870), John (1872), Helena (1873) my 2 times great grandmother, Odtelia (1875) and Joseph (1876). John and Odtelia did not survive to adulthood.  It seems, as the oldest son, he inherited his father's farm of approximately 43 acres in 1889 when Sebastian passed away.

John Besack obituary appearing in The Racine Daily Journal, August 21,1899.

John died on 21 August 1899 and is buried at Old Holy Cross Cemetery in Racine, block T, lot 238, grave 1.  Apoplexy (a stroke) is the listed cause of death on his death record. Looking at the Probate Records, he left an estate valued at $2,000 to his wife, Helena, which in today's dollars would be about $45,000.

John's death record.

John and Helena Besack, circa unknown. 

Location of Besack Farm in Caledonia Township, circla 1887.

Additional Information

https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1994/winter/civil-war-draft-records.html

References

Establishing a Territory

Draft Records

Conscription Act

Helena Seitz

My only photo of Helena Seitz Besack, 2x great grandmother.

Each month I sit down and write my blog post I move further up the family tree and also become more aware of how little information I have as well as how much information has been potentially lost.  This post is a good example, kind-of-a "Just the facts, ma'am" style detailing Helena's life and, sadly, her tragic death.

Helena was born August 4, 1840 in Heiligenzell, a small village in southwestern Germany near the French border to Conrad (Konrad) and Katherine (Huebel) Seitz.  Conrad died in 1844 leaving his Katherine with 13 children: Rosa 23, Otillia 21, Benedict 19, Bernard 17, Adelheid 15, Ferdinand 13, Fidelis 11, Michel 11, Joseph 8, Mary Ann 6, Helena 4, Therese 2 and Charles 1.

Immigration record for Katherine and her children minus Charles.

In 1852, Katherine and 7 of her children (Adelheid, Ferdinand, Michel, Joseph, Mary Ann, Helena and Therese) left the port of LeHavre aboard the St. Nicholas and arrived at Castle Garden on August 4.  Although, three of the older children emigrated previously most puzzling is why Charles who was 9 years old was not on the ship manifest as it is known that he emigrated as well.  The family settled in Caledonia, Racine County, Wisconsin and most remained there throughout their lives.

Helena married John Besack (Biesack) in 1861 and together had 10 children, all born on the family farm-Mary 1862, Emma 1863, Elizabeth 1864, Henry 1866, Catherine 1868, Rose 1870, John 1872, Helen 1873(my great grandmother), Joseph 1875 and Odtelia 1878.  John and Odtelia died young ages 15 and 2.  The Besack Farm consisted of 43 acres and was located in Section 29, Range 23, Township 4 in Caledonia Township, 3 miles north of Racine.

After the death her husband John in 1899, Helen relocated to the city of Racine, 1305 LaSalle Street, where she shows up on the 1900 United States Federal Census living with Helena (listed as Lena), Rose and Verna Poulson (her 4 year old grand daughter who was erroneously listed in two households on this census!)  It was at this house where the tragedy occurred.  The two newspaper articles from the Racine Journal News dated December 1 and December 18, 1915 describe the horrific events that eventually took her life.  

I must warn you however, the reports are quite graphic.

The suffering my poor great, great grandmother went through is unimaginable.  Helena's daughter Elizabeth, who was living in California, arrived home  the day before her mother died.  Helena was buried with John at Old Holy Cross Cemetery on Kinzie Avenue, Racine.

I wish I had more details of Helena's life to share rather than leaving you to remember her terrible death.  I was in the Racine Public Library, seated at the microfiche machine, searching old newspapers when I first read about her shocking death.  It's something I won't soon forget.

Racine Journal News December 18, 1915

Racine Journal News December 1, 1915

Artwork Addition to "The Artist" Post

Portrait of my Auntie Marlene as painted by her father Harry Atwell, circa 1936-37.

This month I've spent more time researching genealogy (to bring you more fascinating stories in the future) than preparing my monthly genealogy blog post   So I will continue with a story from May when I highlighted my grandfather's, Harry Atwell, artwork. Another painting has been made known to me and I have edited The Artist post to include the portrait.

Helena Clara Besack

Lena, probably taken on one of her Texas trips, date unknown.

Helena (Lena) was born in the Village of Caledonia, RacineCounty, Wisconsin in 1873.  Her parents, John and Helen (Seitz) Besack had 9 other children-Mary, Emma, Elizabeth, Henry, Catherine, Rose, John,  Odtelia ((John and Odtelia died in childhood) and Joseph.  I don't have any knowledge of her childhood however by the 1900 US Census, Lena was 27 years old, living with her mother, sister Rose and niece Verna Poulson in Racine and working as a seamstress.

On  June 13, 1902 Lena married William Stone Atwell in Racine.  In 1904 their first child, Claude, was born in Chicago followed by

Wedding announcement from the Racine Weekly Journal.

Helen, James, Harry (my grandfather) and Norman all born in Racine. Lena and her husband built a cottage at Round Lake in Lake County, Illinois and enjoyed it for many years.  In photo below you can see that the steps to the front door were never completed and their grandchildren remember it remaining this way forever.  

Lena with her son Harry, about 1926.

It's worth mentioning here that I believe there is much more to my great grandmother's life than the following paragraphs, however, I lack this knowledge.  Nobody should be defined or remembered by their mental illness, yet it seems to happen often because of the effects of the disease on not only the person but their family as well.  Although the timeline isn't clear, sometime after 1940 Lena had, as described to me, either a nervous breakdown and/or mental illness of some kind and confined to a facility in Libertyville, Illinois by her husband.  After his death in 1944, Lena's son Harry fought to get her released and brought her to live with him, his wife and 4 children.  The difficulties this brought upon the whole family cannot be overstated.  Lena basically became my grandmother Marie's charge, since Harry was working all day, on top of taking care of her own four children, one of them also in poor health.  In spite of these difficulties Marie "never lost her kindness or faith in humanity" according to her daughter Marlene.

Lena did, however, overcome her anxiety issues and became well enough to spend winters in Texas with her cousin and summers with her daughter Helen in Kenosha.  She regularly traveled by rail free of charge since her husband was a retired railroad employee.  She outlived her husband almost 20 years and her son Claude and daughter Helen as well.  Lena died on March 19, 1963 at Lake County General Hospital (Waukegan, Illinois) after a lengthy illness.  A catholic mass was held at St. Joseph's Church in Round Lake with burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery.

While researching, I found this quote online and although it could apply to any illness I believe it speaks in a powerful way to individuals battling a mental illness.  My hope is that one day I will write a more complete story for Lena, of which she is most deserving.

"You are not your illness.  You have an individual story to tell.  You have a name, a history, a personality.  Staying yourself is part of the battle". 

 -Julian Seifter, MD

Lena's physical appearance changed dramatically during her health issues.

Round Lake cottage. Lena, Harry & Marie with their daughters Joan and Marlene.

William Henry Stone Atwell, Part 2

Picking up where we left off last month, I have since received the awaited for documents (divorce records) regarding Henry Stone, Will's biological father.  It does appear that Henry was indeed married and divorced previous to marrying Will's biological mother, Harriet.  The timeline fits and looks like this:

29 December 1869:

 Henry Stone marries Fanny M. Hollister 

April 1871:

 Henry and Fanny are no longer living together per divorce testimony

1872:  

 Henry has relocated to Kenosha (divorce testimony)

16 June 1873:    

 Henry and Fanny divorce

16 April 1874:

 Henry marries Harriet Parks in Kenosha.

18 December 1874 or 1875:

 William Henry Stone born to Henry and Harriet.

My great-grandfather, William, standing on the left, next to him are his sons Claude, my grandfather, Harry Atwell and either his daughter Joan or Marlene. Circa, 1932-1934.  Location unknown.

The divorce records and testimony helped me to solidify a timeline that allowed the marriage between Henry and Harriet to be possible.  Although the records were a great genealogy find, the testimony was only one-sided since Henry Stone could not be found and, not surprising, he is not portrayed well.  

Racine Wagon & Carriage Company, circa 1890, courtesy of Chicago Public Library (link below).

Moving forward, William H. Stone was never formally adopted however he became the foster child of James and Lovina (Savage) Atwell of Lake County, Illinois and was living with them in 1880.  The next record I have is his marriage to Helena Besack in 13 June 1902 at St. Rose Church in Racine, Wisconsin.  Together they had 5 children; 4 sons and 1 daughter and I will go into more detail on both the marriage and children when I write about Helena.

Helena and Will with granddaughters Joan & Marlene Atwell at Round Lake.

He remained in Racine working for Racine Wagon & Carriage Company (see link below for history) and over the next 12 years held jobs as clerk, assembler and inspector.  By 1930 Will is living and working in Chicagofor the Wabash Railway Company where he eventually retired.

Obituary from The Antioch News, May 18, 1944.for the Wabash Railway Company where he eventually retired.

After retirement, Will and Helena enjoyed their small lake cottage on Round Lake, Lake County, Illinois before his death in May, 1944.

There is certainly much more to learn about my great grandfather William H. Stone Atwell especially regarding his early life and the circumstances that bought him to live with the Atwell's.  My search continues....

References/Credits

Racine Wagon & Carriage Company photo credit,

http://digital.chipublib.org/cdm/ref/collection/woop/id/47

For more information on Racine Wagon & Carriage Company 

http://www.racinebusinesscenter.com/history-of-racine-business-center

My Genealogy Brick Walls

Over the last 2 years, I have authored posts on each of my great grandparents, aside from two, William H. Stone Atwell and his wife Helena Besack who are most definitely my genealogy brick walls.   William's story is unusual and conflicting family knowledge, or lack thereof, and clashing information from the documents I have obtained has made for difficult research progress.  Although Helena's childhood was more conventional, pulling together her story has been difficult as well.     Much more is known about these two after their marriage.  This two-part (June and July) post about William is more "genealogy proof summary" than "life story".  A way for me to put a jumble of information and documents out there for review, consideration, reader thoughts and criticism. Visit the Atwell Family Page for William H. Stone Atwell's curious childhood.

William H. Stone Atwell, part 1

One of three known photos to exist of William H.Stone Atwell.

My great grandfather was born with the name William Henry Stone on December 18, 1874 (or 1875), in Russell, Illinois and also known as William Henry Stone Atwell or Will.  For unknown reasons his birth was never registered until 1934 when he was about 60 years old and at that time Will along with his foster father James Atwell completed the necessary paperwork. (The Social Security Act was signed in August 1935. Was this the possible reason for registering his birth after so many years?)

1880 US Census for Grant County, Illinois.

A significant event occurred in his early years considering by 1880 William, aged 6, was living with the Atwell Family and neither of his biological parents. And this is where documents and family lore muddy the water. As you can see on the 1880 Census William is listed as 3 years old which is may incorrect, if we are to believe his birth certificate, he would be 6.  Errors like this on census records are not uncommon, however.  

W. H. Stone Atwell's birth record filed 1934.

All this time keep in mind his birth wasn't recorded until 60 years later and he or his foster father may have not ever known the exact year. Regardless, his biological parents were most likely Henry Stone and Harriet Parks.  I did find a marriage document for a Henry B. Stone and Harriet Parks for 16 April, 1874 in Kenosha, Wisconsin and can confidently place them together within months of my great grandfather's birth. Once again, interesting date, right?  This is a solid record, nevertheless, because at least it was filled out only ONE day after the marriage (not 60 years later) and by the two people who actually attended the event, the bride and groom, Will's parents.  The record also lists the parents of the bride and groom (another generation to add to the family tree!) Henry and Laura Stone and William and Esther Parks.

During an interview in 1987, Norman Atwell (Will's son), told me that his grandfather, Henry, died in a farm "plowing accident" and that his mother, Harriet, "married many times".  I haven't been able to confirm Henry's death with a record or obituary. In fact, the last document I have on Henry is the 1875 Wisconsin State Census for the Town of Bristol

Henry Stone, Esther Parks & Newell Parks all listed on 1875 Wisconsin State Census.

in Kenosha County.  Henry, Harriet and another male, presumably their first son Benjamin, as well as Harriet's mother and brother-in-law live within close proximity.  Harriet had her last child with Henry Stone on 14 September 1877 but listed her daughter's last name as "Parks", her maiden name, when registering the birth.  Evidently, the significant event I referred to above occurred between June 1875 and by September of 1877.  I'm skeptical of a plowing accident as I would see no reason to change the surname of the last baby due her husband's death unless you wanted to keep the birth a secret from him.

By June 1879, Harriet remarried a man named Christian Johnson and had 2 or 3 more children, all male, and there is evidence that her first child, Benjamin, was living in the household in 1900.  I have not located any records ever showing Will with his biological parents.

Just this week I have located some documents that could shed light on Henry Stone and hopefully will receive these in the next week.  To be continued ...........

The Artist

Grandpa's earliest known drawing,

circa 1918.  

From a young age, my grandfather's natural artistic talents were evident and, although never formally trained, he made a career using his talents in a number diverse ways:  theatre poster painting, lettering (sign, truck and businesses), lithography and portrait painting.

Back in the day, the signs advertising a film were hand painted on heavy cardboard and then inserted into the glass display case outside or inside the movie theatre.   Below are two film posters my grandfather painted when he was employed by Theatrical Poster Service from 1935-1936.

My Dad, circa 1946, currently hanging in my parent's home.

Grandpa turned 21 years old one month before the beginning of the Great Depression and during that year his occupation was listed as "artist" in the Racine City Directory.  With hardships, suffering and unemployment hitting every United States city, Grandpa found work with the Works Projects Administration (WPA) sometime between 1934-1943.  The WPA was founded under President Franklin Roosevelt's Administration and employed 3 million Americans at it's peak in 1938 (1).  Harry's employment with the WPA brought him to the Milwaukee Public Museum where he worked on the "China Room" (as both my Aunts remember it being called) applying all the gold leaf to the room in what can only be described as a highly ornate and filled with artifacts.

A portrait of my  Auntie Marlene, circa 1939, possibly painted as a sample for an advertising campaign for a milk or cookie company.

Portraits of my father above, (circa 1937) and above right (circa 1943).

As I was creating a timeline for Grandpa and researching the WPA, I came across an interesting side note that needs further exploration.  The Federal Arts Project (1935-1943) was part of the WPA, and was created to help artists during the depression and one of their projects was painting posters, among many others.  It's my hunch that Grandpa's work with the Theatrical Poster Service

No one is sure why this was painted or when. Regardless it's one of my favorites given to me by my Grandpa. 

during 1935 and 1936 was part of the Federal Arts Project.  The big questions is "Why would the government sponsor a program to paint movie posters?" and the answer is that millions of Americans attended movies each week in an effort to escape the realism of the Great Depression.  Using the Milwaukee City Directory for 1937, I counted 66 movie theaters.  That's a lot of poster painting!  Furthermore,  as well, I believe during 1937-1938 is when he completed the work in the "China Room" under the Federal Arts Project.  I certainly will keep you all posted with any further research developments.

By the start of World War II, Harry was working for a lithography company printing war maps for the troops.  It's unclear if this was the same company, E. F. Schmidt, that he worked for from the early 1939 until he retired or a different company altogether but my best guess is that it's one and the same.  After the war, E. F. Schmidt was known for making calendars and as one of a small group specialized sheet-fed lithographers in Milwaukee (2).  They eventually merged with a larger corporation but are still in business today.

Absolutely beautiful painting of the resurrection of Jesus.  Grandpa painted this in 1926 at age 18.

Captain Felix Struck

One of the family's favorite paintings is that of Captain Struck, the last man on Jones Island.  Not only is his life story fascinating but he was important part of Milwaukee history.  I won't elaborate here, however I have included several links below regarding the Captain.  My Dad remembers going to the island with his Dad and playing with the fishing nets while the Captain sat for his portrait.  I'm not sure how my Grandpa convinced Captain Struck into sitting for him but it took significant convincing.  As you can see, the painting is realistically stunning; I can imagine exactly what the inside of Captain Struck's tavern looked like when I contemplate this painting.  Grandpa won a Blue Ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair with this entry.

Newspaper article mentioning a portrait (shown) painted by Harry.

I will carry forward my research in tracking down one other known painting my Dad remembers, one with a circus scene, and will keep you posted.

Portrait of my Auntie Marlene painted by her father Harry Atwell, circa 1936-37.

References and Additional Information

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration

2 http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/arandell-corporation-history/

Milwaukee Public Museum

Federal Arts Project

Hollywood In The Depression

The Last Man on Jones Island

Jones Island Mayor Dead

Exotic Fishing Village of Jones Island