Uncle Peg’s Chronicles
June 29, 2023
“Nothing but that
Sincere and Pure Regard I have for You Dictates my Pen”
I had some things started that didn’t make the
deadline. I had such a full week of genealogy and history and my head is full
of stories and things to remember so that my research journal/chronicle lacks some
of the usual. Therefore, I’ve copied
some stuff into next week’s journal to finish up properly, and scanned some
items that may be of interest to you.
My hearty gratitude to my “Friends of the Portage,”
who joined me at the Vale and the Cedar Café on Saturday: John Elliott, Richard
and Sandi Thorne, and Cliff Marks. Thanks especially for the guest book
question, Cliff. I took it as a nudge and scanned it. It is now on the website,
visible only to members; I think that would be Cliff Marks and Brenda
Batchelor. At the NBGS website, go to Photo galleries, Places and Events,
Riverbank Fishing Lodge. I am also putting it into a pdf file so I will soon be
able to offer it to family and friends. If you don’t remember, the fishing
lodge was hosted by Uncle Billy and Aunt Maggie William Oliver and Margaret
Eliza (Holmes) Snider back in the early 1900s.
~
The photo that follows is the “Friends of Portage Vale”
who I gathered with on Saturday, the 24th. We are all genealogists,
and all but John have a connection to Portage Vale. Although John doesn’t have
a family connection there, he is a Kings County expert on people, places and
things. He has written several books about Kings County, and is currently
working on a history of Anagance Ridge. A few of you will recognize that name.
If you used to send letters and cards to my grandparents, Floyd and Minnie
Holmes, you sent them to the post office in Anagance. I am indebted to Sandi, who
shared several documents with me about the Hoyts and Ketchums. Given the
scarcity and confusion about these folks that you find (or don’t find) on the
internet, I am grateful to her.
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L to R: John Elliott,
Sandi and Richard Thorne, Peg, and Cliff Marks
~
My genealogy goals for this week were:
·
Chronicle several times, and publish on Thursday morning. Yes.
·
Research James Malbie Hoyt. Did some.
·
Keep researching and writing
about Daniel Holmes for the “Where There’s a Will” article. Nope.
·
Continue indexing old New
Brunswick obituaries and death notices for the NBGS website project. Nope.
·
Scan Uncle Billy’s guest
book for the NBGS website. Completed.
·
Do a pdf of the scan of Uncle
Billy’s guest book. Started.
·
Spend a bit of time on Moore
family research. Nope.
·
Plan a genealogy outing to
Portage Vale for this Saturday, with a rain day next week just in case, as we
will be traipsing through cemeteries. Local folks will be invited to visit the
newly cleared out pioneer cemetery of our Ketchum ancestors. Done.
·
Finish up work on Elizabeth
Wright and Samuel Holstead. Lots of time needed for one little paragraph. Nope.
~
DIGGING DEEPER
Fen’s
Sound Advice
Many years
ago, I learned of a history of our Holmes family, but I didn’t have a copy. I
asked Fen for a copy and he sent me one, with instructions to be cautious as it
contained errors. I have now received two: one from Fen Holmes and one from
Roger Holmes.
A short
time after I received the copy from Fen – not sure how long, but long enough
that I had discovered some of those errors - my telephone rang. This was back
before the day when you could see a name on the viewscreen. I picked it up to
hear a gentleman’s somewhat panicky voice. He was so afraid that I’d take the
information as truth, rather than sift through it for the errors. I reassured
him that I’d be careful with it and I was. When I met him years ago, and took
him to Portage Vale, I told him about one error that he didn’t know about.
That
panicked voice has stayed with me. Fen strived for accuracy in his work, and it
is obvious. When he borrowed from other researches, he stated that. I learned
from him. He was, that day of the call, still the general of the genealogy, but
also a concerned keeper of our history. He entrusted it to me, but needed the
reassurance that I would do my due diligence with it.
I try my
very best to answer his call.
I may have
obsessive compulsive tendencies all on my own, but he is responsible for
ensuring that I strive for accuracy.
Fen loved his
visit to Portage Vale. I wish he could join me there today for the “unveiling.”
~
At the
moment, it is Saturday morning about 8 am. The air is fresh and the sky is
clear; the forecast is a sunny/cloudy mix and hot. Several years ago, before
the pandemic, I met with genealogists John, Richard and Sandi, and Cliff at the
Anglican Church Cemetery in beautiful Portage Vale. We discussed the folks in
the cemetery, the Davidsons who lived in the house across the road in the
1800s, and the Ketchum house down the road that burned in 2016 and was rebuilt
by the owner. We decided to stroll down the road to have a look at the new
house, and the owner invited us in and chatted with us. We topped off our visit
at the Cedar Café in Cornhill.
I have
visited our folks at the cemetery every year since, by myself. The young man
who now owns the Davidson house came over and introduced himself to me. Some of
you are related to those Davidsons. Sandi, one of the aforesaid genealogists,
has always dreamed of seeing the inside of that house. We have walked the
grounds when it was up for sale. I have invited the owner of the house, Kelly,
to join us, and hopefully Sandi will get her wish. Cliff grew up in Portage
Vale; spent his boyhood there and used to go to the Ketchum House after school
to buy penny candy from the little store that they owners ran. The house was
known as ‘Riverbank’ since Uncle Billy and Maggie lived there, and maybe
before.
Last fall,
I learned of a resident, Terry Bannister, who was clearing out the Old Pioneer
Cemetery. It was totally overgrown with trees, alders, brush, and weeds, and
most of the tombstones went missing many years ago. I was able to contact him
through Facebook messenger and chat with him a bit about his project. He found
the tombstones of our ancestors, Captain Isaac and Mary Elizabeth (Ketchum)
Ketchum and built new bases for them. At the time, he had stood up those two
and two more. I don’t know what he has accomplished since then; probably not
much since that was the fall.
As far as
I know, I am going to surprise my friends today. We are meeting at 11 am at the
Anglican Cemetery. Terry said he did not know if he would be joining us as “he
never knows what a day may bring.” I sure do hope we get to meet him and thank
him.
We had a
wonderful visit. Sandi got her tour of the house. The revived cemetery was a
surprise.
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In memory
of Capt. Isaac Ketchum, died 15th Feb. 1835, aged 83 years.
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Sacred to
ye Memory of Mary, Wife of Capt. Isaac Ketchum, who departed this life 20 May
1827 Aged 66 years and 12 days.
“She
bid adieu with a Mother’s love
And
flew for comfort to the realms above.”
We
genealogists discussed many things. One of them was land records. I asked if I
could find more on the land grants than was indexed on the provincial archives
site, and they advised me that I could possibly find more information on the
land petition. So, I did some rooting and googling and found the land petition
of Isaac Ketchum, Peter Ketchum, Samuel Ketchum and James Hoyt.
A
refresher: Captain Isaac Ketchum is my 4X great-grandfather, probably the 4X
for many of you as well. Peter and Samuel were his sons. James Hoyt III was the
son-in-law of Isaac. He is my 3X great grandfather, and was married to Frances
Ketchum.
L to R –
Terry (restorer of the cemetery), Cliff (genealogist), daughter of Kelly (the
neighbour), Kelly (the neighbour), and John (genealogist). The daughter was a delight – so curious. She
read all the stones and asked questions. She was very sympathetic to the
two-year-old girl buried under the tombstone on the right.
~
Land petition Info is available at FamilySearch but it is a slow process. I
am so spoiled by having indexes that take me wherever I want to be. At least
the petitions are in alphabetical order. I am including the details of one
petition for Captain Isaac Ketchum. I have another one ready to transcribe for
next week. After that, I should look for the grants.
There are
two Isaac Ketchums in Kings County. They are cousins, according to Annmarie.
People often mix up Isaac Ketchum, Esquire, who is buried in Hampton, NB. He is
not our Captain Isaac Ketchum who is buried in Portage Vale.
Link to
the land petition which follows: I am only including the transcription on the blog. Can't include the picture. I can send you the email of the picture if you wish.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSV5-13HX-4?view=explore&groupId=TH-909-70949-88089-62
All those signatures differ, which leads me to believe each man signed his own name. Like a tombstone, I enjoy seeing signatures of those who went before. A photo would be wonderful, but in place of a photo, it’s a part of what makes them unique.
Ketchum, I. & others 1812
To
the Honorable Martin Hunter Esquire
President
of his Majestys Council and Commander in
Chief
of the Province of New Brunswick
The
Memorial of Isaac Ketchum
Peter
Ketchum Samuel Ketchum & James Hoyt
Humbly
Sheweth
That
your Memorialists have been
Long
Resident in this Province and have never
Drawn
any Land
Your
Memorialists beg they may be
Permitted
to Locate Twelve Hundred acres of Land
(or
what Quantity Your Honor may think right) at
The
Portage on the Westmorland Road and that
an
order may be Given for Surveying the same and
as
in Duty Bound Will Ever Pray
Sussex Vale Isaac
Ketchum
January 21st 1812 Peter
Ketchum
Samuel
Ketchum
James
Hoyt
George Pitfield, J.P.
Oliver Arnold –
16th March 1812
The
location applied for in this
Memorial
is Vacant.
G.
Sproule
Isaac
Ketchum, Peter Ketchum, Samuel Ketchum, James Hoyt,
Ask land
at the Portage on the road leading from Sussex to Westmorland.
15th
March 1812
2nd
October 1812
Page 2 of
For your reading pleasure, I have copied the foreward
to “Ice Out Past My House.” Should you wish a reprint of this diary, contact
the Kings County Museum. I can give you the address if you wish. It was
compiled by Jack E. Hoyt, with help from Sandra Keirstead Thorne. It is still
under copyright, so please don’t attach this to any site on the internet,
and thanks. Azor Hoyt was a brother to our ancestor, James Hoyt III. It is a
wealth of names of people in Kings County, and gives a picture of life in an
earlier era.
Click on it to enlarge.
Kingston
March the 15th 1798
Dear
Madam
Pardon
I ask before I Proceed further for
the unlicenced liberty,
I have here taken in troubling
you with this Epistle.
Nothing but that Sincere
and pure regard I have
for you dictates my pen
and you may be afraid
I Esteem you to that
degree which if you
can encourage me in will make me
Happy. ---- Condescend
Madam to embolden
my Respectful passion,
by one favourable line, that if
What I here Profess
and before further to have an
Opportunity to Assure
you of, be found to be
Unquestionable truth,
then my humble address will
Not quite be
unacceptable to you, and thus you will for
Me oblige Dear Madam
Your
affectionate admirer
And
devoted Servant.
Miss
Hannah English Azor
Hoyt
P.S.
Be as good as to favour me with one line
to encourage my
personal attendance, if not disagreeable.
~
Planning to propose? Never mind kneeling on bended
knee: write her a letter instead.
