#52ANCESTORS: Sabra TOWERS, 1805-1869 New York

This is the first post in the #52Ancestors this year, a genealogy challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. I've done several years in the past, and last year I managed about 50%. This year I'm starting the challenge with Sabra TOWERS, my 3rd great-grandmother on my mother's line. 

What do I know about Sabra-? Aside from her slightly unusual name, I do know her father is listed on the Syracuse Onondaga NY Oakwood Cemetery burial register as "S. Towers." Simon? Stephen? Samuel? Silas? Solomon?  Other possibilities? Sigh. 

Sarah TOWERS was born 22 Aug 1805 in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, New York. Schaghticoke was originally in Albany county until 1791 when Rensselaer County was formed. Sabra married Jacob ORMSBEE about 1823-24, in Onondaga County, New York.  I'll make the assumption Sabra's parents were married in late 1700s, probably in Schaghticoke,and likely living on land bought or leased from the Albany Corporation Land. R. Beth Kloppott published "History of the Town of Schaghticoke" in 1981, and more information might be found there or in other records of these  early settlers. To find more information on Sabra's husband, search by his name in the search box on the right of this blog. 

Sabra and Jacob ORMSBEE's known children: 

1.  Lucius Jared, b. 31 Aug 1825 Manlius NY, d. 29 Jul 1911 Syracuse NY; m. Caroline C. Combs 19 May 1847; 2 boys, 1 girl known
2.  Harriet Philena [ancestor], b. 28 May 1827 Manlius NY, d. 20 Aug 1929, Englewood NJ; m. 26 Sep 1850 to Charles Giles GRAVES, Syracuse NY; 3 daughters [yes, she was 102 when she died]
3.  Anna C., b. Jul 1829 Manlius NY, d. after 1910 Elbridge NY; m. 1850 to John Leary in DeWitt NY; no children
4.  Sabra J., b. 28 Feb 1831 Van Buren NY, d. 30 Jul 1842 Baldwinsville NY. Buried in Baldwinsville, moved to family plot in Oakwood Cemetery Syracuse NY
5.  Mary J., b. Jun 1832 Van Buren NY, d. 9 Jul 1836, Baldwinsvile NY. Buried in Baldwinsville, moved to family plot in Oakwood Cemetery Syracuse NY

The family moved from Manlius NY to Van Buren NY, to Syracuse NY, to DeWitt NY, and back to Syracuse NY.  Jacob was a well-known carpenter, and I suspect these moves were for projects he worked on. 

Her two youngest girls died quite young, the younger one Mary, died in 1836 only 4 years old. The fourth daughter - named for her mother - died in 1842, aged 11 years. I only found about these two children when I found information on the burial register for Oakwood, that they were disinterred, moved from Baldwinsville, and reburied in the family plot at Oakwood Cemetry in Syracuse. 

Sabra died in Syracuse NY, on 13 Aug 1869, only 63 years of age. She is interred in the family plot [Ormsbee/Graves] in Oakwood Cemetery. Her husband Jacob, is also buried there, after his death on 30 Mar 1893, aged 86 years.

I know nothing about Sabra's friends, her activities, or interests. Possibly I may still find more about Sabra TOWER in various articles, newspapers, or diaries. I am still hopeful, although so far I have little to show for my research! 

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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 and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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 truly make my day!!

Arnold ORMSBEE/Ormsby abt 1770-1830s, New York - So many questions

My 4th great-grandfather on my maternal lines, Arnold ORMSBEE, alternately spelled Ormsby, born about 1770, died likely before 1830.

Early censuses in New York state show him with his family on the 1810 Census in the village of Manlius, Onondaga, New York, and in the 1820 Census, again in Manlius. Manlius is/was a small village about 10 miles southeast of Syracuse. On the 1810 Census, there seem to be 6 children under 15. To date, I have only identified three. Where are those other children? And the ages of the children don't seem to allow for all of them to be the eldest woman's children. Is she his second wife? And who is his wife? See snippet below...

1810: [All are Free White Persons] Manlius NY
  Males under 10  :    2
  Males 10 thru 15:    1
  Males 26 thru 44:    1  [this should be Arnold]
  Females under 10:   3
  Females 16 thru 25: 1 [this should be mother of children/wife of Arnold]
 Total in household : 8
I do wonder about the Females 16 thru 25 - surely it should be in the next column? But I checked the blank form, and it is very clear. The third column past the double lines is for 16 thru 25.  Letting her be 25 [maybe turning 26 later that year], that teenaged boy 10 thru 15 could only be hers if she were married at about 14-15 years. Very unusual.

1820: [All are Free White Persons] Manlius NY
  Males under 10    :  1
  Males 10 thru 15  :  1
  Males 16 thru 18  :  1
  Males 16 thru 25  :  2 [i.e., 1 male 19-25]
  Males 45 and over:  1 [this should be Arnold]
  Females under 10 :  1
  Females 10 thru 15: 1
  Females 26 thru 44: 1 [this should be mother of children/wife of Arnold]
   Total in household: 8

Arnold and his wife appear to have had about 7 children, from approximately 1795 to 1816: 4 boys, 3 girls. Of course, at least one of the children on a census might possibly be a neighbour's child, or a relative's child, helping out. No assumptions. The children I have been able to identify are the following:
   1)  Jacob ORMSBEE [ancestor] b. 21 Jun 1806 Pompey NY, d. 1 Apr 1893 Syracuse NY; m.[1] Sabra TOWERS abt 1824?, 5 children; m.[2]  Emily Hurd Dec 1869 Syracuse NY, no children.
  2)  Stephen Decatur Ormsbee b. 13 Jan 1816 Pompey NY, d. 30 Jul 1893 Syracuse NY; m. Martha Durston abt 1840; 4 children
  3)  Hannah Ormsbee, b. May 1818 Manlius NY, d. bef 1893 Onondaga Co., NY; m. Henry James Coon abt 1836 in Van Buren Onondaga NY; 5 children.

Clearly, I'm missing possibly 2 males, and 2 females, one of whom [Hannah] would have been only 2 yrs old for the 1820 Census - where was she this census day? Confusing.

In addition, there is a tick mark indicating the Enumerator saw that Arnold was involved in Manufacturing, as were half a dozen other individuals in the same neighbourhood.  What could it have been?

Also, I note the residence change for Hannah's birth, b. 1818. [see above]. Either the family moved or, Arnold's wife first deliberately birthed her children in Pompey, then stayed in Manlius for Hannah's birth; between 1816 to 1818 - Manlius lies about 8 miles north of Pompey. This gives me many more questions. Were her parents or at least her mother living in Pompey? Perhaps her mother died between 1816-1818? Did Arnold still have manufacturing concerns in Manlius earlier than 1820, but stayed in Pompey? Note, as a village, Pompey was established in July 1790 by the Land Office Commissioners [New York].

I have been unable to find further details of Arnold and wife. One family tree indicates her name was Hannah/Ann Sherman, but provided no sources. I have found no information of Arnold's wife, including no details of her death date/place. If Arnold died before her, she might well have lived with one of her children - or possibly a sister. But teasing out those bits of information can be quite difficult.

And of course, it could be that I have stumbled on the wrong ORMSBEE in Onondaga county, New York. Although a number of these Ormsbee individuals and their spouses, children, were all buried in the same large plot in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, Onondaga, New York [graves of Graves and Ormsbee]. I do believe I'm correct, but of course, everything could be different!

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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 these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - 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 truly make my day.

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, NO. 48: Sabra TOWERS, 1805-1869, New York

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is to write a weekly blog based on Themes; I often don't use the themes, but I'm working my way through my original immigrants to North America, plus other interesting-to-me ancestors.  They're all valuable... because they have contributed to my being here! This week, the challenge is Thankful, and I'm thankful for them all.  I have chosen to write about another woman ancestor about whom I know extremely little:  my 3rd great-grandmother, Sabra TOWERS.

I researched female names, and learned that Sabra may be a nickname for Sabrina... or, not.  But it gives me another name to put on the list when I'm going through databases, books, and other records.

Here's the current bits and bobs I've found out about Sabra:

Sabra was born 22 Aug 1805 in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, New York, as stated in the Oakwood Cemetery burial register book in Syracuse, Onondaga, New York.  Her father is known only as "S. Towers" as written in the same burial register book, The Towers family likely moved to the region which may have included one or more of the towns of  Baldwinsville, Manlius, Van Buren, and Syracuse, somewhere before 1824.  The distance is about 150 miles due west.

Around 1824, she married Jacob ORMSBEE, likely in either Pompey or Baldwinsville, Onondaga, NY. I have no document as yet about this marriage; note that her husband was born in Pompey.   Jacob and Sabra had the following five children:

1. Lucius Jared, b. 31 Aug 1825, Manlius NY, d. 29 Jul 1911; m. 13 May 1847 in Jordan NY to Caroline C. Coombs; 3 children
2. Harriet "Hattie" Philena, [ancestor], b. 28 May 1827 Manlius NY, d. 20 Aug 1929, Englewood, Bergen, NJ; m. 26 Sep 1850 in Syracuse NY to Charles Giles GRAVES; 3 daughters (middle one is direct ancestor).
3. Anna Caroline, b. July 1829, Baldwinsville NY, d. 4 May 1910 Elbridge NY; m. abt 1850 to John Leary, no children.
4. Sabra J,, b. 28 Feb 1831, Van Buren NY, d. 30 Jul 1842 Baldwinsville NY; grave removed to Syracuse 23 Oct 1869 and buried in family plot.
5. Mary J., b. 14 Jun 1832, Van Buren NY, d. 9 Jul 1836 Baldwinsville NY; grave removed to Syracuse with sister's, 23 Oct 1869 and buried in family plot.

I have not as yet found any censuses with S. Tower(s)  in the region around Baldwinsville or Manlius in Onondaga county.  However there is a Luke Towers listed in Schatighticoke tax rolls from 1799-1803... Is it possible an L was read as an S, on Sabra's death registration?  I have copied some records and will try to follow any of the Towers individuals I've found in the early 1800s - Luke, Reuben, and a woman, Jemimah who shows up only once, on the 1801 Tax Assessment roll for Schaghticoke. Crumbs of clues to follow.  And of course, they may not be related at all! 

Aged 63 years, Sabra died of "Jaundice" on 13 Aug 1869, and was buried two days later in the Oakwood Cemetery, in the ORMSBEE/GRAVES family plot, in Syracuse, New York.  

The very helpful FindAGrave volunteers there are transcribing data from the burial register books and adding them to the appropriate grave memorials, over time, (there are over 58,000 burials!). Thank you Tom and your friend(s) for all your help! 

If you know anything more about Sabra (TOWERS) Ormsbee, I would be so pleased for more details. Contact me at my address at the bottom of the page, or in the Comments section.

Sometimes my Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments. Do know that I value your comments immensely. You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my personal genealogy posts.