Mayflower Society Acceptance

It has been a long time coming.  I started my journey of discovering my connection to the Mayflower about 7 years ago.  I have a bit of a special circumstance since my dad was adopted.  I knew my mom's family history (only a few generations in the United States) and my dad's adopted family history (which I wasn't genetically connected to).  However, 7 years ago, my brother had discovered my dad's birth mom in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.  We discovered this whole new family history which had never been known to us.

It took a few years, but I was able to trace the family history back to Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.  However, anyone who has done genealogical research (especially using Ancestry.com) will tell you that some times the information you gather can be a little flimsy at best.  I worked diligently to gather the information that I needed to be sure my information was accurate and defensible.

In November 2016, I started the process of applying to the Mayflower Society.  I will admit I had been putting this off as I had gathered all this information and I "knew" I was descended from Stephen Hopkins, but had this fear that the society would reject me as some of the documentation wasn't "perfect".  It isn't easy to get birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates for the last 400 years.

One of my biggest challenges was David Godfrey's daughter who married Peter Bishop.  David Godfrey's daughter was born in New London, Connecticut around 1757.  Unfortunately, Benedict Arnold (yes that Benedict Arnold), burned the town of New London during the revolutionary war and all the vital records were destroyed.  Luckily, I was able to find the will of David Godfrey where he provided a sum of money for his granddaughter, Elizabeth Bishop.....so I was able to prove the family connection to the other family research that I had completed.  To this day, I still don't know David Godfrey's daughter's actual name...there is no documentation of it. 

The Mayflower Society Historian I worked with at my local chapter has been fantastic.  She identified a few documents I had been missing in my application and through some delays on my part the actual full application with the necessary documentation was finally submitted on August 14, 2017....a little less than 5 months later....

Last night I received an email from the Mayflower historian.

Dear Chris,

I am so happy to inform you that you have been accepted into the Mayflower Society.  I know this was very important to you and a great honor.

You will be receiving a certificate and a copy of your approved application from our state historian, Muriel Cushing in a few weeks.

I couldn't be happier!  For those of us who love genealogy it is a great feeling to have your hard work and research validated and confirmed.

I am proud of finally being able to prove our family connection to the Mayflower and think this is something that my kids, future grandkids and all future family members will appreciate.

In addition, I want to acknowledge and say how much much I appreciate all the help I have received from distant family members in parts of my research.  Amateur genealogists are the most helpful people on the planet and I don't think I could have felt confident in submitting this application without the help of those distant family members who helped me uncover family stories, previously unknown to me family history documents, birth certificates, obituaries, etc.  Thank you so much!

For those of you who follow my blog because we are distant Fuller cousins....get those Mayflower applications ready as this approved applications just made your own applications a lot easier.

Mayflower Application - Finally Submitted

So this process has taken a lot longer than I thought and most of it...so far.... has been  my fault.

When I submitted my ancestry documentation to my local Mayflower Society chapter here in Florida they identified a few death certificates I was missing.  I had the obituaries, but I didn't have the death certificates.  I got the first one right away, but the last one proved more difficult to get and I finally got the last document last week and provided it the Mayflower Society librarian.

I will give my local chapter credit.  They don't want to waste my time or the Plymouth office's time to review an application which is missing things or would obviously be rejected.

After I provided all my documentation, my local chapter historian took a hard look at all the info I had provided to determine if there was anything that would cause an issue in the review and approval process.

She has one major concern connecting my 2nd Great-Grandfather, James Henry Fuller to his parents David Fuller and Mary Cary Fuller.   James H. Fuller was born in Windsor or Horton, Nova Scotia on September 12, 1827.  However, there is no birth record that I can find (not many records from Nova Scotia from that period) and his death certificate doesn't reference the name of his parents.  Also, in James multiple marriages....his parents names are never referenced on the marriage records.

When James H. Fuller originally moved to Portland, Maine from Nova Scotia he lived with his parents, David and Mary.  In the 1850 US Census is shows them living together along with their other children:  Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood.  However, in those old census records it doesn't state a family relationship.  While it was likely that James was David and Mary's son...you couldn't be sure.  He could be a nephew or cousin.

I was able to find death records for Collingwood which stated his parents were David Fuller and Mary Cary Fuller.   Which is great.  This still doesn't prove that James wasn't a cousin.

Lastly, I found James living with Collingwood and his family in the 1880 US Census which indicated that James was Collingwood's brother.

With any luck this last piece should end any concerns that Mayflower Society should have about the application.

So I submitted the final version in writing (into the mail) with all the documents, provided my payments for the final submission and review on August 12.

Now we will see what the results are, if they have any further questions and how long it will take.

Stay tuned....

Applying to the Mayflower Society - Providing Documentation

In my last post, I mentioned that I had been researching my family for quite sometime.  I know some people spend a life time on this, but I have been working on it for about 6 years.  However, I will admit that I haven't been as diligent in conducting a lot of new research for the last few years.

I just felt it was time to put my "money where my mouth was" and prove that I am descended from Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.

I compiled all my research and just forwarded it the Ft Lauderdale Chapter of the Mayflower Society for review.   Here is the write up of information I sent to them (I have excluded the last 3 generations for privacy reason).  I have not included all the documents I sent to them, but if you would like to see any of them please contact me.

I will let you know what the next steps are when I hear back from them.

Lineage:

1.  Stephen Hopkins

2.  Giles Hopkins and Catherine Wheldon(Mayflower Families Vol 6 page 10 record 3)

3.  Deborah Hopkins and Josiah Cooke(Mayflower Families Vol 6 page 30 record 18)

4.  Deborah Cooke and Moses Godfrey(Mayflower Families Vol 6 page 113 record 88)

5.  David Godfrey and Priscilla Baker(Mayflower Families Vol 6 page 452 record 424)

6.  <dau.>  Godfrey and Peter Bishop(Mayflower Families Vol 6 page 453 record 424)

6.  Daughter Godfrey and Peter Bishop

Daughter Godfrey (her name is unknown) and Peter Bishop lived in New London, CT.  These records were lost in the fire of 1781 when Benedict Arnold burned the city during the Revolutionary War.

Daughter Godfrey and Peter Bishop had 4 children:

• Simeon Bishop (b. 1755)
• Elizabeth Bishop (est.1757 )
• Lemuel Bishop (b. 1758 )
• William Bishop (b. 5/5/1759)

Record of daughter Godfrey and Peter Bishop is captured in the “The Genealogy of the Bishop Family of Horton, NS” published in 1918(a).

7.  Elizabeth Bishop and Noah Fuller

Elizabeth Bishop was born in New London, CT probably about 1757.  These records were lost in the fire of 1781 when Benedict Arnold burned the city during the Revolutionary War.   Elizabeth Bishop married Noah Fuller on Nov 6 1777 (i).  The date of her death is unknown.  Proof of her relationship to David Godfrey is proven as she is mentioned as his granddaughter in his will (ii).

Noah Fuller was born in about 1750 likely in Salem, MA.  No records have been found of his birth.  His marriage to Elizabeth Bishop is shown in the Horton, Nova Scotia Township Book (i) which contains the towns early vital records.  Proof of his relationship to his father Noah Fuller is in Noah Fuller Sr. Will (iii).  There is no record of his death, but based on land transaction records it occurred after 1838 in Nova Scotia.

The Horton Township Record indicates that Noah and Elizabeth had at least 9 children: 

• Lemuel  (b. 2/4/1779)
• David (b. 4/13/1781)
• Rebeccah (b. 12/17/1783)
• Charlotte (b. 1/22/1786)
• Olive (b. 2/21/1790)
• Eliza (b. 7/4/1793)
• Mary (b. 12/6/1797)
• Noah (b. 4/2/1800)
• Benjamin (b. unlisted)

8.  David Fuller and Mary Cary

David Fuller was born Apr 13, 1781 in Horton, Nova Scotia (i).  David Fuller married Mary Cary on Sep 10, 1812 (iv) .  The date of his death is unknown.   

Mary Cary was born about 1791(v).  She died in Portland, Maine on Sept 14, 1873 (v).  She is proved to be David Fuller’s widow based on being referred to as David’s widow in death notice (vi).

The Horton Township Book record records five of David and Mary’s Children (iv): 

• Lavinia (b. 9/23/1813)
• Rebecca (b. 8/23/1815)
• Sephrona (b. 10/31/1817)
• Matilda (b. 11/4/1819)
• Martha (b. 10/18/1821) 

David and Mary had at least six additional children not recorded in the Horton Township Book records (it is also possible they moved to neighboring Windsor, but I cannot confirm):

• David Bishop Fuller (b. 10/17/1823)
• Benjamin (b. 12/1825)
• James (b. 9/25/1827)
• Theodore (b. 1829)
• Andrew (b. 10/7/1831)
• Collingwood (b. 1/6/1836)

 There was no legal requirement for births to be recorded in Canada at this time and Canadian records from this period are sometimes incomplete.

David and Marry lived in Horton (or the surrounding area) Nova Scotia.  They last appear in Nova Scotia in the Horton, Nova Scotia Census of 1838 (vii).  This shows David’s family as 13 total people.  This lines up well for what I believe I know about his family.  It indicates 5 women in the household above 14 years old.  This would include Mary (the mother) and 4 of the daughters.  The oldest daughter, Lavinia would have been 25 at this time and would likely be married and no longer be living at home.  I have not been able to find a record of Lavinia’s marriage to George Voye of Horton, Nova Scotia.  However, their first recorded child born is listed as Milward Voye born 4/14/1841.  In addition, the 1838 Horton Census indicates 1 male over age 14 presumably David (the father).  It indicates five males 14 years old or under (David Bishop, Benjamin, James, Theodore, Andrew, missing son) and two sons under age six (Collingwood and missing son).  It seems likely that there were two sons that must have died young.  Most of the David and Mary’s children are two years apart, but there is a five year gap between the birth of Andrew and Collingwood.      

David and Mary don’t appear in the next King’s County Census of Nova Scotia in 1851.   They left Nova Scotia and arrived prior to 1850.  The US Census from 1850 show them living with their sons:  James, Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood (Collingwood is listed by his middle name Elijah) (viii).  David and Mary must have arrived in Portland, Maine between 1840-1850, because they do not appear in the 1840 US Census.

Just in case there is any concern that the David and Mary Cary Fuller of Nova Scotia are not the same David and Mary Cary Fuller of Portland, Maine.  I have included several of their sons’ death records and daughter’s death record which indicate their birth in Horton, Nova Scotia and their parent’s names as David Fuller and Mary Cary.  In addition the fact that David Bishop Fuller’s middle name is “Bishop” is obviously referring to his grandmother’s family the Bishops.

·        David Bishop Fuller – Death 6/11/1901 (ix)  (Lists father are David Fuller and Mother as Mary Cary and birthplace as Horton, Nova Scotia.  Maine Death Record – June 11, 1901 – Proof of David Bishop Fuller’s middle name being “Bishop” comes from his son, William S. Fuller’s death record from 9/30/1916 (x) which states his father’s full name of David Bishop Fuller.

·        Andrew Hanley Fuller – Death 9/19/1914 (xi) Obituary lists Andrew’s birthplace as Horton, Nova Scotia and living in Portland, Maine

·        Benjamin Fuller – Death 12/2/1911 (xii) (Lists father as David Fuller and Mother as Mary Cary and place of birth as Nova Scotia)

·        Matilda Fuller Marine – Death 10/3/1901 (xiii) Matilda Fuller married Thomas Marine while living in Nova Scotia and moved to Standish, Maine prior to 1900.  (Lists father as David Fuller and Mother as Mary Cary and place of birth as Nova Scotia)

9.  James Henry Fuller and Margaret Armstrong O’Hagen

James Henry Fuller was born Sept 12, 1827 in Horton or Windsor, Nova Scotia (xiv).  He married Margaret Armstrong O’Hagen (Margaret was married prior to this marriage to Patrick O’Hagen) on Dec 31, 1882 (xv),  James Fuller died on Dec 21, 1917 at Sailor’s Snug Harbor on Staten Island, NY (xvi).  I have provided his death certificate from Sailor’s Snug Harbor and his application to live there.  Sailor’s Snug Harbor was an old age home for sailors.  He was probably too old to live on his own and his daughter was quite young.  The home was for American sailor’s which may be why he stated he was born in Eastport, Maine (which is close to the Canadian border).  We know this is the same James Fuller because it is the same exact birth date, his daughter is named Elizabeth in the document and on his daughter, Elizabeth’s marriage record it indicates that her father lives in New York (xviii).  

James and Margaret had one child together: 

·        Elizabeth Margaret Fuller  (b. 2/11/1886)

James wife, Margaret Armstrong O’Hagen Fuller was born about 1842 in Maine.  She died on Dec 23, 1891 (xvii)

10.  Elizabeth Margaret Fuller and Robert Edward Armstrong

Elizabeth Margaret Fuller was born on Feb 11, 1886 in Portland, Maine (xix).  She married Robert Edward Armstrong on Oct 22, 1910 (xviii).  Elizabeth died on Sep 23, 1971(xx).

Robert Armstrong was born on Apr 24, 1880 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine(xxi).  Robert Edward died Mar 31, 1963 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine (xxii).

Robert and Elizabeth had 4 children: 

·        Shirley (b. 7/22/1912)

·        Ruth  (b. 2/20/1914)

·        Marion  (b. 5/23/1917)

·        Robert  (b. 4/16/1920)

(a)         The Genealogy of the Bishop Family of Horton, NS pg. 9-10 published 1918

(i)               Horton Township Book, Horton, Nova Scotia  - Noah Fuller and Elizabeth Bishop Record

(ii)              David Godfrey’s Will

(iii)            Noah Fuller Sr. Will

(iv)            Horton Township Book, Horton, Nova Scotia – David Fuller and Mary Cary Record

(v)             Mary Cary Fuller Maine Death Record – Sept 14, 1873

(vi)            Mary Cary Fuller Death Notice, appeared Daily Eastern Argus Newspaper (Portland, Maine), Sept 16, 1873

(vii)           1838 Kings County Census – Horton Township

(viii)         US Census 1850 Portland, Maine

(ix)            David Bishop Fuller Maine Death Record – June 11, 1901

(x)             William S. Fuller Maine Death Record – Sept 30, 1916

(xi)            Andrew Hanley Fuller Obit – Sept 19, 1914

(xii)           Benjamin Fuller Maine Death Record – Dec 12,1911

(xiii)         Matilda Fuller Marine Maine Death Record – Oct 3, 1901

(xiv)         US Naturalization Record (F460) of James Fuller, Sept 4, 1872

(xv)          Maine, Marriage Records – James Fuller and Margaret Armstrong O’Hagen - Dec 31, 1882

(xvi)         James Fuller Death Certificate (Sailor’s Snug Harbor) and Application to Sailor’s Snug Harbor – Dec 21, 1917

(xvii)        Maine, Death Record – Margaret Armstrong O’Hagen Fuller - Dec 23, 1891

(xviii)      Maine, Birth Record  - Elizabeth Fuller – Feb 11, 1886

(xix)         Maine, Marriage Record - Elizabeth Fuller ad Robert Armstrong – Oct 22, 1910

(xx)          Elizabeth Armstrong Obituary, Portland Press Herald Newspaper (Portland, Maine), Sept 24, 1971

(xxi)         Maine, Birth Record – Robert Armstrong - Apr 24, 1880

(xxii)        Robert Armstrong Obituary – Portland Press Herald Newspaper (Portland, Maine) , Apr 2, 1963

Mystery Monday - The Arrival of David and Mary Fuller to Portland, Maine

When we think about immigration to the east coast of the United States, our first thought is Ellis Island.  This was the first stop for many of my relatives on their American journey.  If you are from Irish descent, then perhaps your ancestors first arrived in Boston.  Many would be surprised to know that immigrants arrived to many of the other ports on the Atlantic coast, just not in the numbers that we associate with Ellis Island and Boston.

My 3rd great grandparents, David and Mary Fuller immigrated to Portland, Maine from Nova Scotia.  I have been looking for any record of David and Mary Fuller arriving in Portland, Maine for a long time.  Those of you who have been following my blog, will know that David and Mary Fuller lived in Horton, Nova Scotia.  They were married Sept 10, 1812.  Together they had at least 11 children:  Lavinia, Rebecca, Sephrona, Matilda, Martha, David Bishop, Benjamin, James, Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood.

The oldest children (the daughters) are all recorded as their children in the Horton Township Book.  However, the book is incomplete and doesn't include any of their younger children (the sons).

The sons all moved to Portland, Maine and the daughters stayed in Canada (at least for a while).  This created a challenge of proving that the David and Mary Fuller who are the parents of the sons were the same David and Mary Fuller who was the parents of the daughters.  In my previous post, Can a Published Genealogy be Wrong?, I outline my proof for David and Mary (Cary) Fuller being the parents of all eleven children.  

There are a few records which I would like to have found which had escaped me and now I have found one of them.

David and Mary Fuller show up in the Canadian census records of 1838 as living in Horton, Nova Scotia.  They do not appear in the US Census records from 1840.  They do appear in the US Census records as living in Portland, Maine with their sons:  James, Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood.   This had lead me to believe that David and Mary had arrived in Portland sometime between 1840-1849.

But how to prove it.  I had assumed that their were no immigration records of ships arriving with forein passengers to the port of Portland at that time.  I was wrong.  I found that the LDS Church (Mormons) had microfilmed records of arrivals at Atlantic ports including Portland during this time period.  If you are interested in this information check out the following records for FamilySearch.org :  

Copies of lists of passengers arriving at miscellaneous ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and at ports on the Great Lakes, 1820-1873 : NARA RG36 M575.

There is no index to these immigration records, so you do have to look through each passenger list to find your relatives. 

It was here that I found David Fuller and Mary Fuller arriving on the British Schooner Harmony on August 1, 1849.   It showed that they were citizens of Nova Scotia and had left from Windsor, Nova Scotia (about 15 miles from Horton, NS).  Interestingly, I have various records which indicate that several of their sons may have arrived prior to David and Mary.  So instead of the parents paving the way for their sons, they may have followed their sons.  

I have read in other publications that in the early to mid 1800's that the Nova Scotian economy had hit on hard times and there was an exodus of people to the US at that time.  So it isn't surprising that young men moved to the US to seek their fortunes.

While I was very pleased to find the record of David and Mary's arrival in Portland, Maine it isn't surprising that there is something in the record which doesn't match what I expected.  In this case, the record lists David's age as 50 and Mary's age as 45.  Where David's age should have been 68 and Mary's 58.  I don't think it is that unusual for the harbormaster to be inaccurate in the ages they recorded or the immigrants to misinform the person recording information.  I have seen this a lot in my genealogy research.

Surprisingly, David and Mary arrived without any of their children, so I will keep looking through these records to see if I can find arrivals of the sons separately.

The only records I have yet to uncover are birth records for any of the sons in Nova Scotia and a death record for David Fuller.  Mary Fuller died in Portland in Sept 16, 1873.  She died as a widow.  There is no records of David Fuller after 1858 in Portland.  I have speculated that he returned to Nova Scotia at some point and died while there, but have been unable to find any death records in Maine or Canada.

One more mystery solved.  So many more to go.

Workday Wednesday - Maritime Careers of the Fullers of Portland, Maine

David and Mary Cary Fuller removed from Nova Scotia and arrived in Portland, Maine between 1840-1849 (they first appear in Portland in the 1850 US Census). It is unclear that they followed their sons to Portland or the sons followed them, but their six sons made Portland their home.  I have several other posts regarding David and Mary Fuller in "Can a Published Genealogy be Wrong?".

David and Mary's six sons were: David Bishop, James Henry, Theodore, Andrew Hanley, Benjamin W, and Collingwood E.

Their move to Maine was probably part of a migration which was taking place in Maritime Canada. In the period that followed the American Revolution, Nova Scotia's economy collapsed and a large number of Nova Scotian's migrated to the US pursuing a better economic future.

Portland, Maine was a bustling city which was a very active seaport and it was a very short sail from Nova Scotia. It must have afforded the Fuller's a chance to seek better work options and be close to relatives who remained in Canada.

David Fuller Sr. is identified in the Portland City Directory(1851) as a "Laborer". This was a common occupation designation. I believe it usually referred to unskilled labor who moved from job to job without a permanent employer. The 1850 US Census have David and Mary living with James, Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood. Interestingly, the 1851 City Directory states David Sr. living with Benjamin W Fullerr at 4 Ingraham Court.

Reviewing the city directories and US Census records seem to indicate that none of the Fuller boys lived at any one location in Portland very long and it seems likely their were renters and never owned real estate in Portland.

The Fuller boys occupations were tied to the sea.

David Bishop Fuller's occupation as a "Rigger". In mid-to-late 1800's most ships were still powered by the wind. Which meant sails and rigging to operate them. A Rigger was responsible for the "rigging" meaning the systems which involved in moving the ship which includes the masts, ropes, sails and pulley system which was critical for the ship to be under sail. While this is not an occupation we can fully appreciate today, this must have been an important occupation in a seaside city. Interestingly, David Bishop Fuller is referred to as "Bishop Fuller" in the 1856-1857 Portland City Directory and his father as David Fuller. In all later editions of the City Directory he is listed as "David Fuller". Presumably, this is because his father has died, but I have never found any death records for David Fuller Sr.  I do know that David Bishop Fuller died on June 11, 1901 in Portland, Maine.

James Henry Fuller's occupation as a "Mariner". James was my 2nd great grandfather and have written about him in other posts including: "The Loves of a Sailor","Tales of Sea Serpents", and "The Death of a Sailor".  James worked on ships as a seaman, mate, first mate and may have even been captain on some excursions.  His mariner career began in 1843 in a sail from Eastport, Maine to Kingston, Jamaica.  His last sail was in 1905 on a commercial vessel sailing from Portland to Boston.  62 years at sea.  Impressive for such an unforgiving and challenging occupation.  At the age of 78 he was accepted to a old sailor's home known as Sailor's Snug Harbor in Staten Island, NY where he lived out the remainder of his life.  He died December 21, 1917.

Andrew Hanley Fuller's occupation as a "Stevedore".  A stevedore is another name for a dockworker or longshoreman.  Their primary job was to load and unload ships.  Since Portland was a bustling port, there must have been a lot of work for a stevedore who had a strong back.  Andrew did spend some time as a seaman, too, but most records indicate him as a stevedore.  Andrew and Collingwood served during the Civil War on the Revenue Cutter, Caleb Cushing.  They were involved in the Civil War naval engagement where a confederate ship snuck into Portland harbor and commandeered the Caleb Cushing.  I have written about the naval engagement in my post name the "Civil War Battle of Porland, Maine?". Andrew Hanley Fuller died in Nahant, Massachusetts on September 15, 1914.

Collingwood Fuller's occupation as a "Stevedore".  Andrew's brother Collingwood, was also a stevedore.   Collingwood Fuller died in Portland on April  16, 1897.

Benjamin W. Fuller's occupation as a "Blacksmith". In the mid-to-late 1800s a blacksmith was the person that people went to for fabrication of nails, screws, metal tools, etc.  He probably did a substantial amount of work building iron parts for the local ships.  The 1860 census indicates that Benjamin's mother, Mary and his brother, James, lived with him and his wife and kids.  Based on the city director and census records it seems likely that he had the most stable occupation of all the Fuller sons.  He outlived his wife and kids and died in the Portland Almshouse on December 11, 1911.

Theodore Fuller died young.  He died at the age of 24 on December 25, 1853.  


I am always looking for more information about the Fuller's of Portland.  If you have any information or if you may be related, please contact me by email.

2012 Genealogy New Years Resolutions

2011 was an amazing year on the research and discoveries I have made about my family.  It took me about 1 year, but I think I have uncovered all the "low hanging fruit".  The family information which is easy to find.  

In 2012, it will get harder to find new items about my distant family members, but that is what makes it exciting.
Here are some goals I want to set for myself to achieve for 2012:

1. Prove my Mayflower ancestry.  I am 80% certain, but I am putting a few last pieces together before I am willing to make the final leap to putting it onto my blog.  Once I have that information, I can apply for membership to the Mayflower Society.
2. Find David Fuller.  David Fuller, my 3rd great grandfather died between 1855-1860.  I want to make it a focus to uncover a death certificate, probate information or other evidence of where and when he died and his connection with the Horton, Nova Scotia Fullers.
3. Uncover John Armstrong's (1731-1822) father and origins.  I have traced one line of my family to John Armstrong in Falmouth (now Portland, Maine), but I can't seem to find his parents.  It seems likely he is descended from the early Ulster-Scotts who arrived in 1717/1718 to Portland, Maine.  Now I have to prove it.
4. DNA Test.  I want to see if I can find any clues about my father's father's family.  My dad was adopted and I have connected with his mother's family, but not had a starting point for tracing his father's family.
5. Track down my Rusyn ancestry in Poland.  My mom's family, the Gula's, came from a small town in present day Poland.  I want to obtain some documents from Poland and start tracking down my family back to Europe.

I am sure I will uncover a lot more than 5 things in 2012 in my family research, but let us see how well I can do with these key challenges and see what the new year brings.

Surname Saturday - The "Lost" Cary Family of Horton, NS

This is Part III in a series of posts demonstrating evidence that my 3rd great grandfather, David Fuller married Mary Cary. Up until now, It has been widely accepted that his wife was Mary Curry.


Please read the first two posts to see all the evidence.
Part 1: Can a published genealogy be wrong?
Part 2: Mary Curry's TRUE husband

In the previous posts, I have demonstrated how David Fuller removed his family to Portland, Maine from Horton, Nova Scotia, the fact that he had 6 previously unknown sons and the fact that the woman that was believed to be his wife, Mary Curry, actually married Silas Hatch.


The one missing piece is "Who was Mary Cary"? If David Fuller did marry Mary Cary, how did he meet her, since according to the Horton Township books, there was no Cary family living the settlement. What information do we have about her family? Where was she from?


The answer is that we know very little about her.  


According to the 1850 US Census records, Mary was born in Massachusetts and according to her son, David Bishop Fuller's death record she was from Plymouth, Mass.  Although, later census records indicated that she was born in   Nova Scotia.  Her Maine death record does not include her parents names or places of birth.  Her death notice from Sept 16, 1873 is short.

I was unable to find any specific records which pertain to Mary Cary coming to Horton, Nova Scotia from Massachusetts. I will keep digging...


But, Yes, Virginia, there was evidence of a Cary family living in Horton, NS.  


Even though, there is no record of a Carey family in the Horton Township Books, there are land transaction records pertaining to Cary families.  And to sell land you must have at least purchased the land and more than likely lived there.  Looks like the Cary's probably arrived in late 1700's.  I have found records for John, Joshua and Samuel Cary.  They may have been Mary Cary's brothers or one was her father.

Here is a record of them selling land.  

Not to mention, the 1838 Horton census records.

During the 1920's and 1930's there were a series of articles published in Nova Scotia which was intended to track the genealogies of many of the families of Nova Scotia.  The series was called "New Englanders in Nova Scotia".  In one addition, it references a woman named Lydia Cary and identifies her as a descendant of the pilgrim, John Cary.  I have included an excerpt.  While this isn't proof of Mary Cary being descended from John Cary or the descendants from his family that arrived in Nova Scotia, it does say in the article that "John Cary has many descendants living in Nova Scotia."

One last thing, the marriage record which is recorded between David and Mary on the Familysearch.org(LDS) website indicates that David Fuller married Mary Cary.  

Phew!  That is it.  That is my case.

Have I convinced you, yet?


Also, if you have any clues or information on the Cary family of Horton, Nova Scotia.....please contact me at pilgrimage1620@gmail.com . Thanks!!

Thriller Thursday - Mary Curry's TRUE Husband!

In my last post, Can a Published Genealogy Be Wrong? I presented a compelling case for why the established belief that my 3rd great grandfather, David Fuller, married Mary Curry was incorrect.  

Sadly, no matter how strong my evidence that David Fuller married Mary Cary and NOT Mary Curry, it has been met with disbelief. The fact that he had married Mary Curry was in several published books and genealogy reports.  

Please review my evidence in my last post for the details.

I had to take it one step further. I had to prove that not only did Mary Curry not marry David Fuller, I had to show that she had, in fact, married someone else.

Initially, I had no idea how to do that. But I found a clue.  There are several editions of the Horton Nova Scotia Township Books, which were used to record the births, marriage and deaths of the town residents. I looked at original copies of the township books, not transcriptions, so I could see for myself what was recorded.  In one of the records, it doesn't provide any clues, but in another township book I could find it clearly said "Hatch". This seems to be pretty common practice that they record the married names of women (when it is known) next to their names.  

See below the two versions of the Horton Township records:

But, of course, just having a random name next to Mary Curry's in those records doesn't PROVE anything.  

So I had to dig deeper.

I was able to find a family tree which showed that a Silas Hatch married a Mary Curry. It looked like this could be what I was looking for, but if I couldn't find any 3rd party verification of this union, then it didn't prove anything.

In the absence of a marriage record, I was able to find the next best thing.  A marriage announcement in the Bangor Weekly Register on December 28, 1819.  Not only had Mary Curry not married David Fuller, she had married once prior to marrying Silas Hatch!!

Just in case there are any doubters that wonder if this announcement refers to someone other than Marry Curry, it does clearly state that Mary's father is Richard Curry.  There was only one Richard Curry in Horton, NS and he had only one daughter named Mary.

It appears that Silas and Mary Curry had at least 6 children:  Abigail(1817), Isaac(1819), Silas C.(1821), Charlotte(1825), Richard(1826), Louisa (1827)

The only troubling thing is that it appears that the couple had some of these children in Horton, NS and some in Maine.  Their youngest child was born in 1827, but that is at odds with the belief that Marry Currry died in 1822.  It is possible that either the record that appears to state that she died in 1822 is incorrect or Silas may have remarried.  Hard to say.

Which leads to my final post on this subject:  The "Lost" Cary Family of Horton, Nova Scotia

Wisdom Wednesday - Can a Published Genealogy Be Wrong?

The short answer is "of course".


Genealogies are written by people and people make mistakes. I have made more than a few, myself. But, I will say that once information is published in a book or genealogical research paper, they become part of the "conventional wisdom" and are treated as established fact in the genealogy of those individuals.  


My personal experience is that the quantity and quality of evidence needed to alter what is accepted fact after a genealogy is published becomes quite a challenge. In some cases, the amount of evidence needed to overcome the current accepted belief greatly exceeds the original evidence used to create the initial assumptions.  

The case that impacts me is about my ancestors David Fuller (Born:  1781, Horton, Nova Scotia) and his wife Mary. David Fuller was the son of Noah Fuller Jr (Born: 1750, Salem, MA). and grandson of Noah Fuller (Born: 1712, Salem, MA).  Noah Fuller Sr. was one of the original settlers to Horton, Nova Scotia. These settlers are known as New England Planters. More about them in future posts.


David Fuller, wife and sons removed from Horton, Nova Scotia and moved to Portland, Maine between 1840-1850.


There is not a lot of expert genealogical interest in David Fuller. He was not a famous figure nor was he a person of historical significance....at least not that I have uncovered. But according to my research he is my 3rd great grandfather, which makes him important to me.  However, if I believed what has been written in public genealogy records, then it is unlikely that he could be my ancestor.

The Conventional Wisdom


It has been asserted that David Fuller  married a woman named Mary Curry (Born:  July 11, 1795) daughter of Richard Curry and Rachel Bacon. Both David Fuller and Mary Curry were born in Horton, Nova Scotia. They were married in Grand Pre, NS on Sept 10, 1812. They had 5 daughters all born in Horton:  Lavinia, Rebecca, Sephrona, Matilda and Martha.  No sons.


It has been published that Mary Curry died in 1822, but there is no record of when or where David Fuller died or if he had any further children.


My Disagreement


My fundamental disagreement with this information is that I don't believe that David Fuller married Mary Curry. I believe he married a different woman all together. A woman named Mary Cary.  There is a good reason for this. When I review the original Horton Township Record book for Horton, Nova Scotia (which contains the birth, marriage and death information recorded for the town), it records that David Fuller married Mary Cary.  


My other challenge is that I believe I am descended from David and Mary's son, James Henry Fuller. But there is no record of him in the Horton Township Record book.


How the Conventional Wisdom became the Conventional Wisdom


Horton, Nova Scotia was a very small settlement. Only 100 or so families settled there in the early 1760s. It was typical that the families intermarried. So it is reasonable to believe that David's wife would be to one of the families already living in Horton at the time.


The Horton Township Book record indicates he married Mary Cary, but there wasn't a "Cary" family recorded as living in Horton, Nova Scotia at the time. The only name that was close was Mary Curry. She would have been about the right age. While it clearly does not say "Curry" in the Horton Township Book, this is explained by the general poor spelling and variations of how names were spelled at that time.  


In addition, Mary Curry was said to have died in 1822. All of the children recorded in the Horton Township Book are all born prior to 1822.


Anyone who has spent anytime working on family research knows that sometimes you have to make some assumptions to connect the dots between certain ancestors. In the absence of specific proof you have to make assumptions and make a leap of faith that they are correct.  


So as assumptions go, I can see why these were made and they do make an awful lot of sense.


However, the preponderance of the evidence I have uncovered indicate that David Fuller never married Mary Curry and that he did, in fact, marry Mary Cary.


The Supporting Evidence


The biggest leap of faith I had to take was that the David and Mary Fuller of Portland, Maine where the same David and Mary Fuller of Horton, Nova Scotia. There is no border crossing records that I have uncovered which show the immigration of the David and Mary Fuller or any of their sons.  


The second leap of faith I had to make was that even with no record of any sons in the Horton Township Book, that they did in fact have 6 sons named, David B., Benjamin W., James H., Theodore, Andrew H., and Colllingwood.


These do sound like pretty major assumptions, but don't judge too quickly. I do have overwhelming evidence to support them.


David. Mary and Sons of Portland Maine were from Horton, Nova Scotia


The US Census from 1850 shows that David, Mary, James, Theodore, Andrew and Collingwood all living together in Portland, Maine. In addition, it indicates that David and his sons were all born in Nova Scotia. It states that Mary was born in Massachusetts....which works, because this might help explain why her family wasn't included in the Horton Township Book.


The US Census from 1860 for Portland, Maine shows Mary Fuller living with Benjamin W Fuller and his family including Benjamin's brother James H.  Fuller.  David Fuller died somewhere between 1857-1860. I have not found his death record.


Mary Fuller died in Portland, Maine on Sept 16, 1873. I found both her death record and death notice in the paper which indicates that she was the Mary Fuller married to David Fuller.


Ok, So David and Mary and these sons were from Nova Scotia, but how do I prove that they are from Horton, NS?

My records show that 4 of the 6 sons became naturalized citizens. Two of the son's records show that they were born in "Norton, NS" and two show "Windsor, NS". Since there wasn't a "Norton, NS", we can discount this as an error. I am confident about this as Andrew H Fuller's naturalization says he is from "Norton, NS", but his obituary states he was born in "Horton, NS". In addition, David B. Fuller's death record states he was from Horton, Kings Co, NS


This is particularly important as Horton, NS was a small settlement. There were several Fuller families, but only one David Fuller who was the son of Noah Fuller Jr. and Elizabeth Bishop.  


David and Mary had Additional Children In Addition to Those Captured in the Township Book


Proving that David B. Fuller and the other men were born in Horton and Windsor, Nova Scotia doesn't prove that their parents, David and Mary Fuller are THE David and Mary Fuller from Horton, NS which are descended from Noah Fuller the original New England Planter.  


Which is why I needed to find some records which showed their mother's maiden name. I think you will agree that there COULDN'T have been two separate Fuller families living in Horton, NS which included a David Fuller and a Mary Cary, right?


I found death records for each of the Fuller sons (which was quite a feat in and of itself). Only 3 of the records included the names of each man's parents. ALL of those records listed the father as David Fuller and the mother as Mary Cary!


In addition, the 1838 Kings County Census records for Horton Township shows that David Fuller had a household of 13 people . The breakdown of ages of males and females lines up well to the fact that David and Mary had a total of 11 children that I have uncovered.  


At the time of the census, David and Mary's children would have been the following ages:

Lavinia - 25
Rebecca - 23
Sephrona - 21
Matilda - 19
Martha - 17
David B - 15
Benjamin W -13
James H - 11
Theodore - 9
Andrew H - 7
Collingwood - 2


This doesn't translates perfectly to the census, but very closely and would depend on when in the year the census was conducted. Also, I can't confirm, but it seems likely that either Lavinia or Rebecca would have been married by 1838 and judging from the time that lapsed between Andrew H and Collingwood's birth it is likely that there may have been another son who was born, but died young.


Connecting David and Mary's Daughters from Horton, NS to David and Mary Cary of Portland, Maine


By now, I hope that you can see that I have made a strong case that David and Mary Fuller moved to Portland, Maine and they did have 6 sons which were not recorded in the Horton Township Books.  

The last missing piece is trying to connect any of David and Mary's known daughters to my David and Mary Fuller or any of their brothers. This has proved to be very challenging!!  Matilda Fuller married Thomas Marine/Morine.  They lived in Kings County, NS, until they moved to Standish, Maine somewhere between 1880-1900. I have found a death record for Matilda Marine which records her father and mother as David Fuller and Mary Cary!!  


One more fact: I recently found out that David B. Fuller's middle name was "Bishop". This is significant because David Fuller Sr's father Noah Fuller was married to Elizabeth Bishop. The fact that David was given the middle name of the family name "Bishop" would be another compelling fact.


For me that was the final piece.  


Through a preponderance of the evidence, I think I have very convincingly proven that David and Mary Fuller of Portland, ME and David and Mary Fuller of Horton, Nova Scotia are one and the same, and they had a total of at least 11 children, 5 daughters recorded in the Horton Township book and had 6 sons who were not recorded.


But....


When presenting this overwhelmingly strong argument, I am ALWAYS told, "but David Fuller married Mary Curry...I read it in the History of Kings, Co or other published genealogy.  Maybe David Fuller remarried after Mary Curry died....these could be the children of his second wife"!!


Ughh!!


It has been very difficult to get anyone to take my evidence seriously,  because they feel like that the fact that Mary Curry married David Fuller is an established fact.   


Which leads to my next post:  Mary Curry's TRUE husband!