This week's #52Ancestors/52Weeks: Huldah B. SMITH, 1783-1831, New York

For this week's post, I've chosen Huldah B. SMITH, the 3rd great-grandmother of my ex-husband's lines, 4th for our children, 5th great-grandmother for our grandchildren.

Huldah SMITH was born 15 August 1783, in Addison Vermont, of unknown parents. This information was found in several online family trees, as well as on headstones in Olin Cemetery, Canton NY.

As is common with women ancestors, Huldah left very little trace during her rather short life. The marriage card for Vermont marriages lists the bride, groom, date and place, plus the Justice of the Peace, Henry Smith. That makes me wonder if Huldah is a relative of the JP. More clues to use in researching her family in Vermont.


On December 25th, 1806, Huldah married [Deacon] Joseph Mitchell OLIN, son of Caleb OLIN & Freelove MITCHELL. The couple moved shortly afterwards to Canton, St Lawrence county in New York state, where all their 9 children were born. Apparently Joseph was very active in the Canton First Baptist church [see on right], and I would assume his wife would have a supporting role. Many women were quite active in Church events and activities, but not likely to be mentioned by name back in the early 1800s.

Huldah and Joseph had the following children, all born in Canton NY - note the surnames showing marriages to brothers/sisters or cousins:
   1.  Joseph Mitchell [jr.], b. 6 Oct, 1807, d. 11 Oct 1855, bur. Olin Cemetery, Canton NY; m. Jan 1, 1832 to Mary Barrett, 1813-1883
   2.  Mary, ancestor, b. 20 Jan 1809, d. 18 Aug 1872 Norris IL; m. Dec 25,
            1825 to Calvin HEALY, 1807-1881; 7 known children
   3.  George Smith, b. 11 Apr 1811, d. 22 Jun 1906; m. Jan 1, 1833 to Fanny
             M. Barrett, 1815-1893
   4.  Charlotte, b. 18 Jan 1815, d. 22 Oct 1844 Morley, NY; m. Aug 14, 1837
             to Charles E. Barrett, 1811-1892
   5.  Asa W., b. 1 Jan 1818, d. 16 Jan 1865; m. Feb 6, 1838 to Harriet Hila Day,
             1817-1842
   6.  James M., b. 1 Oct 1820; m. Oct 10, 1848 in Hopkinton, NY to Elizabeth
             Abbott
   7.  Elmina, b. 20 May 1822, d. 16 Dec 1887 Minneapolis MN; m. Dec 8, 1840
             to Martin Smith, 1813-1872 Wisconsin
   8.  Sarah, b. 25 Jul 1824, d. Wisconsin; m. Nov 17, 1844 to Edward R. Smith
             1819-1874 Wisconsin
   9.  Daniel Alpheus, b. 3 Jun 1826; m. Jul 5, 1850 in Madrid NY to Sarah S.
             Sweet, 1829-1851 Wisconsin.

As the Territories opened up for land, a number of the younger OLIN married children moved to Illinois and Wisconsin, as seen above. They would have had family moving and settling with them, as the Smiths and Barretts were related. There are several unusual names in this family, such as #7 Elmina, and #9 Daniel Alpheus. I still need to do more research on name patterns in the OLIN family, and I do so wish I could research the SMITH family as well!

Another oddity is that all the boys appear to have middle names, but none of the girls do. Middle names were not particularly common until a bit later in the 1800s.

Huldah died fairly young, aged 48, on Feb 7, 1831, and her headstone slab can still be seen in the OLIN Cemetery in Canton, NY. Next to her slab is a small obelisk marking Joseph's burial place. I have  not seen any records indicating what caused her death.

Joseph married soon after Huldah's death, to Hebsibah "Seba" B. Andrews, [1817-1868]. Again, I have not researched thoroughly for her parents or other family members. Censuses show her born in Vermont, which is where the OLIN family lived.

Hebsibah and Joseph had at least two children:
  10.  Huldah, b. abt 1834 [common to name after deceased]
  11.  Edwin, b. abt 1835

The OLIN/SMITH ancestral couple descend down to early New England immigrant families HEALY [bef 1640] and RICE [1632] families by the 1900s.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in my family trees.

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52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES. No. 9, CLOSE TO HOME: The HEALY Sisters

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was GOOD DEEDS, which I found a challenge.  This week, the theme is Close to Home.  

The HEALY sisters who married two brothers... not an unusual pairing. I have several similar family pairings.  And they make sense, don't they?  Your families go to the same church, your families live nearby, help each other out, go to school together... There are so many reasons why it is logical to marry into the same families. Here are two sisters who married into my ex-husband's Rice family line.

Originally from Vermont, Calvin HEALY (1801-1881) and Mary OLIN (1809-1872) had 7 known children born in White County, Illinois.   Their near neighbours in the area of Indian Creek, were the RICE family, originally from Vermont and Kentucky states: Abel RICE (1792-1846) and Lydia GHOLSON (1792-1850).  

The RICE family had 11 children, 5 of them boys: Tolliver G. b. 1816, Eliza R. b. 1818, Hulda b. 1819, Martha b. 1820, Sarah M. b. 1821, Allan M. b. 1824, William Emerson b. 1826, Henry C. b 1827, Elizabeth I. b. 1829, Mary Ann b. 1830, Joel b. 1832.  

The HEALY family had 7 children, 3 of them girls: Arletta M. b. 1830, Charlotte L. b. 1835, George Calvin b. 1837, James H. b. 1840, Jerusha Ann b. 1844, Joseph M b. 1847, and Henry Gilbert b. 1849.  

As you can see, the children's ages overlapped.  I can imagine the younger Rice girls Elizabeth & Mary Ann visiting with the Healy girls nearby, maybe after school, and after chores.  Henry and Joel Rice likely hung out with George & James Rice. Picnics together.  Farming chores. Church socials. Their fathers probably did road work together when needed, talking together about their children, the future, standing around together after church. The girls put together their hope chest or dowry chest - a trunk of linens, embroidery and quilts, needed for when they got married. Sitting together in the winter, sewing, planning, dreaming.

Arletta M., the eldest HEALY, married Henry C. Rice on 30 Jan 1850, and had 4 children, 1 boy and 3 girls: Ezra Joel, Ophelia, Marion Janette, and Rutha Roseanna.  

Several years later, the 2nd Healy child, Charlotte L. married the youngest Rice boy, Joel RICE, on 19 Aug 1854.  They had 5 children:  Henry Luther (direct ancestor), Caroline O., Sarah A., Charles, and Mary N.  

Their eldest child, our direct ancestor, Henry Luther RICE, continued to live in Illinois, marrying two wives, with 11 children born.  Eventually he moved to California with his 2nd wife and all the children, where he died in 1934, in Redlands.

If you have any information about the Healy or Rice family, I am happy to hear from you, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.

NOTE: My Blogger account is acting up and not allowing me to reply to comments just now. Assume that I am absolutely thrilled you took the time to come by, read the notes, and comment. You make my day!