52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES. No. 17, Prosper : Charles Giles GRAVES, 1824-1902

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes.  Number 16 was Live Long.  This week, number 17 theme is Prosper.  

Please note that photos are copyright to me, and may not be copied.  Contact me if you are a relative and wish me to send you a copy, or if you have information/corrections to offer.

The photo here may or may not be of Charles Giles GRAVES - but was with others who clearly were family members, part of a collage. 

Here's Charles Giles GRAVES - a "Gentleman," who lived "on his own means" - as the Censuses state as his Occupation; clearly a prosperous man. Charles Giles GRAVES was my second great-grandfather on my mother's mother's line.  

His father was Cornelius GRAVES (1783-1828) & Anna TREAT (1783-1866). From the Graves Family Association's records, (Gen. 166), Cornelius "...was a stone mason [who] removed to near Auburn New York, where he pursued farming and contracting, and furnished materials to build Auburn prison, and for locks on the Erie Canal."  Anna TREAT was the 2nd great-granddaughter to Governor Robert TREAT of Connecticut.

Charles was the 8th child of Cornelius & Anna, the youngest of 6 sons and 2 daughters, born 7 Mar 1824 in Jordan, Onondaga, NY.  Note he was only 4 years old when his father died.  His mother did not remarry.  

On 26 Sep 1850, in Syracuse, Onondaga, NY, he married "Hattie" Harriet Philena ORMSBEE (1827-1929).  Hattie was the eldest daughter, 2nd child, of Jacob ORMSBEE and Sabra TOWERS. Jacob was a successful contractor/builder in and around Syracuse. 

Charles and Hattie had the following children, born in Syracuse NY:

  1.  Lillian Adele, b. 25 Nov 1853, d. 5 Jan 1949 Syracuse; m. 11 Jul 1877 to
          Gabriel W. Wisner (lawyer); 4 children
  2.  Clara Augusta "Gussie" [ancestor], b. 5 Nov 1857, d. 30 Oct 1955,
          Pinellas FL;  m. 2 Oct 1879 to James "Grove" Grover TERWILLIGER;
          3 children [my line through eldest]
  3.  Florence Estelle, b. 3 Feb 1860, d. 6 Apr 1954 Tabor NJ; m. 6 Sep 1893 to
          Ernest F. Tyler (jeweller/business owner); 1 daughter.  She was called
          "Aunt Toto" by my mother.

From 1862 Jan 21 - 1863 Apr 18, he was a Second Lieutenant in COMPANY "C", 19th INFANTRY, New York.  He resigned out on April 18 1863.  

In the Syracuse region, he owned or was a partner in a number of mercantile businesses (Seager & Graves, e.g.), as well as in the early oil industry, and manufacturing of gas pipes. 

One month short of his 78th birthday, Charles G. GRAVES died at the family residence on Sunday, 4 Feb 1902, after struggling with pneumonia for two weeks, according to newspaper accounts.  He was survived by his wife, Hattie, and their three daughters, eight grandchildren.

He is buried (as is his wife) in the Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, Onondaga, NY, as can be seen on FindAGrave.

If any of these people are your ancestors as well, please contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.  I would love to learn more about my ancestors. 

Blogger is still not letting me "reply" to your comments, for some unknown reason. If I don't reply to your Comment, please know that I'm totally thrilled you came to read my post and commented! You make my day.

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 16, LIVE LONG: Harriet "Hattie" Philena ORMSBEE

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was How Do You Spell That?  This week, the theme is LIVE LONG.   
Please note that photos are copyright to me, and may not be copied.  Contact me if you are a relative and wish me to send you a copy.

In the above photo, taken the summer of 1924, from the left:  great-grandmother, Clara Augusta "Gussie" GRAVES Terwilliger (67 yrs), Harriet "Hattie" Philena ORMSBEE Graves (97 yrs), my mother Mary (2 yrs), and my grandmother, Marguerite TERWILLIGER Kuhn (44 yrs).  All but my mother were long-lived: Clara lived to be 98, Harriet to 102, my mother to 70 (cancer/dementia), and Marguerite to 93 yrs (cancer).  Harriet's three girls all lived over 90 years.

I have a few long-lived ancestors, but the closest one is my maternal great-great-grandmother, Harriet "Hattie" Philena ORMSBEE. 102 years. Her middle name is sometimes seen as Philomena; sometimes she is named as "HP" as a nickname.

Hattie was the second child of Jacob ORMSBEE & Sabra TOWERS, born 28 May 1827, in Manlius, Onondaga, New York.  On 26 Sep 1850, she married a wealthy businessman, Charles Giles GRAVES, in Syracuse, Onondaga, NY. 

She and Charles lived in the village of Jordan, in the area of Syracuse for much of her life, moving to Englewood New Jersey after her husband died in 1902.  Her daughter Clara and husband James Grover "Grove" TERWILLIGER lived in Englewood, and the extended family lived together. I have a typewritten transcribed memoir from my grandmother, describing the beautiful home in Englewood NJ where she grew up. 

Hattie & Charles had 3 girls, born in Jordan, Onondaga, NY, just outside Syracuse:

1. Lillian Adele, b 25 Nov 1853, d 5 Jan 1949 aged 95; m 11 Jul 1877 to Gabriel W. Wisner; children - Charles Kenneth, Florence "Ethel" Sheridan, John Lawrence, Rae Burton.
2. Clara Augusta "Gussie" [ancestor], b 5 Nov 1857, d 30 Oct 1955 aged 6 days short of 98; m 2 Oct 1879 to James Grover "Grove" TERWILLIGER; children - Marguerite Josephine [ancestor], [m. Charles Edward KUHN]; George Walter m. Hazel Belle Hubbard; Harold "Hal" Graves m. Carola Bischoff.
3. Florence Estelle, b 3 Feb 1860, d. 6 Apr 1954 aged 94;  m. 6 Sep 1893 to Ernest F. Tyler; children - Lillian G. [m. Tony Petrucelli]

Hattie lived with her daughter Clara after Charles GRAVES died in 1902; and continued until her own death 20 Aug 1929 in Englewood NJ.  She seems to have had quite a social life, enjoying musical activities, as did her daughters.  My grandmother played the piano, the organ, sang, and enjoyed live theatre (acting as well as in the audience), and it seems the family all enjoyed these activities.  

I do wish I had more photos to share of the ORMSBEE, GRAVES and TERWILLIGER families. Unfortunately at least one or two of their several large family albums had been in the care of an aunt, Dorthea Kuhn, who became demented and needed hospitalization in New York City. Somehow in the chaos of closing down her apartment and Dot going into care, Dot's large albums were... lost... and only a tiny WW2 album was saved.  Perhaps "someone" in the family still has a few photos. Wouldn't it be lovely if a cousin saw this post and contacted me?  I would be thrilled! 

If any of these people are your ancestors as well, please contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.  I would love to learn more about my ancestors. 

Blogger is still not letting me "reply" to your comments, for some unknown reason. If I don't reply to your Comment, please know that I'm totally thrilled you came to read my post and commented! You make my day.

SCANNING FINDS - 1st COUSINS, 1890ish

Yesterday I managed to scan several dozen photographs and their backs (most had some writing on them from either my mother or her mother).  Some of these photographs I had seen long long ago, and popped them away "for safety", with no index or details, not even how I found them.  Note to self: make notes!

One of the last photos in my "to be scanned" folder was this lovely photograph of 1st cousins taken approximately 1890, in a formal portrait studio in Jordan, Onondaga County, New York.  Not a smile or a moving muscle on either of these young girls!  Too bad, as the taller girl had a great dimple on the left cheek when she smiled.

The younger girl seated on the left with light hair is Florence Ethel Wisner (known as Ethel), b. 1883 in New York state, the only daughter and 2nd of 4 children of Lillian Adele Graves (my greatAunt) and Gabriel W. Wisner (a lawyer).  She was named for her mother's youngest sister, Florence Graves. These two sisters were apparently quite close, as Florence named her only daughter, Lillian.

The older girl with dark hair standing on the right, is Marguerite Josephine "Daisy" TERWILLIGER, my maternal grandmother, b. 19 May 1880 in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York, the only daughter and 1st child of 3 of Charles Giles GRAVES (investor, businessman) and Harriet "Hattie" Philena ORMSBEE.

Notice they are wearing the same style hat and dress, and are mirroring poses.

If you look closely you may be able to see that the girls have some "tattoos" on their fingers on the joints closest to their knuckles.  I'll assume that they are temporary ones, put on by some means or another.

I wish I'd seen this photo when my grandmother was alive - I'd have had many questions about their relationship, and how it was that they were together in Jordan NY at this time.  How did they have the same clothing to wear, and what about those tattoos?? Perhaps there was a family get-together happening.  There doesn't seem to have been any deaths, births, or marriages in the several families represented in the direct and extended lines in the area.

The center "thing" they are both leaning on is remarkably oddly shaped with something poking out in the middle! Some boxes wrapped in a gorgeous throw? Perhaps someone knows these details of late 1800s photographic studios -?   I haven't been able to find a news item about this Dygert or Dugert Portrait Studio as yet, but I'll keep trying over the next few weeks.

If you wish any further information on either of these two girls or their families, or if you have details to share, do please comment below, or email me at calewis at telus dot com.  Thanks for visiting!