Gobsmacked by Genealogy: Ephraim George Squier

[gerisullivan]

OMG. OMG. OMG and All That Jazz....

#1) The Manuscript Reading Room at the Library of Congress is a wonderful place and an even better resource.

#2) Microfilm readers are easier to use than I remember them being.

#3) On my first, brief pass it's utterly clear that there will never be enough time.

#4) OMG Redux: The librarian told me there was a journal, too. When he brought the single 15-foot roll of microfilm over, he apologized, saying "I may have mislead you. This is a different Ephraim Squier." (He noticed that from the date.) Oh, my. It's Ephraim George's grandfather, Ephraim B. Squier. The one who lived in Ashford, CT, 19 miles from Wales, and was the cousin of my 4 or 5 great-grandfather Daniel Squier, also of Wales. The journal is from 1775 September 7 - November 25 and documents Ephraim B's "march with his battalion (under the command of Roger Enos) from Cambridge, Mass. to Quebec via the Kennebec River as part of Benedict Arnold's Canadian invasion forces." There's also an "account (1777 September 4 - November 2) of another march from Providence, R.I. to Albany, N.Y. including references to the battles at Saratoga and Burgoyne's surrender."

Daniel may have been along on one or both of these campaigns.

Sorry for the placeholder post; backstory to follow.

Comments

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

v v cool

yes, microfilm readers have improved greatly in recent decades - the swearing constant has gone way down

[lauriemann.livejournal.com]

Way cool. Maybe microfilm reading has improved, because the last time I was there (maybe 2002 or so) I wasn't impressed. But, still, it's a fascinating place to go. That's where I learned there were multiple Retire Trasks (one my great X 5 grandfather, the other a distant cousin) who both served in the Revolution. One settled in Vermont, the other settled in Ohio.

Keep an eye out for Bates's

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Since you're crashing around in early Connecticut history, keep an eye out for my ancestors, Warner Bates and Walker Bates. I mostly associate the Bates's with Vermont, and later Nebraska. But when my family moved to Easton, Connecticut, in 1964 my mother was surprised to learn that one of the early Bates's (Walker, I think) had founded the school in Redding, the next town over from Easton.

This was a different part of Connecticut - down closer to Bridgeport and Fairfield. But once you get back to late 18th/early 19th century there really weren't that many people in a state. So it's entirely possible our ancestors knew each other. Heck, we could be cousins! :-)

Re: Keep an eye out for Bates's

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Oh, fun. I will watch out for Warner and Walker Bates.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

I never realized. Are you in Wales because you or your family is from there? Did I ever even ask? Jeez.

I used to read my hometown newspaper on microfilm at the library, also in my hometown. Sometimes I'd read features and sections, but eventually I'd zero in on the comic pages and follow a half dozen strips for a few weeks, up to the point where I'd start feeling carsick from the sideways zooming and have to stop.

I wish I had access to them now. I got a lot of enjoyment from the warp and woof of life as shown in the pages. They had television guides and radio guides and movie ads and other great stuff from the past. One of my favorite discoveries was little boxed sections on a page in Local called "News from Wellington," featuring items from a much smaller town just north of Fort Collins like "John and Sarah Murch had guests from out of town. They showed slides from their vacation in Virginia."

(Wellington, by the way, earned a spot in my affection years ago by voting against having a traffic light in town, because it would just slow people down. They also, around 1970, were proud of having bought an ambulance that was an honest-to-god Edsel. I could say more about Wellington.)

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Somehow I am reminded of this: When I spent the summer I was eleven on a ranch near a tiny town in northern California, the one written entertainment was the graph-format guide, issued weekly and covering a month, of the movies showing at what must have been the only theatre in the county, in the big city (5,000 people) 30 miles away over a mountain range. It was illustrated with little still photos from the movies. We ventured over there once, to see the hot new SF film, Planet of the Apes.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

I knew nothing about any family east of Michigan before about six weeks ago when my sister found a letter our Great-Uncle Ted sent to his sister and brother-in-law (our Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Waldo) on August 15, 1970:

"July 7 you wrote to tell us that Barry, having graduated from Olivet College was married on June 13 to Leslie Tobias, and that in September Barry would enter a seninary for three years more of study preparatory to the ministry. You didn't name the seminary but we assumed Congregational. You also asked if I knew of any Squiers who had been clergymen. I said I did not.

"Just recently from Miss Helen Squier (my age) of Wales, Mass, I learned differently. I enclose the line of decent for Ephraim George Squier from Philip of Ashford b. about 1680 and his son Philip b 1720 and our corresponding descent from another son Daniel b 1730.

"Ephraim George Squier b. 1821 was the son of Rev. Joel Squier (presumably a methodist Minister, since the brother of Ephraim's Father was named John Wesley. His Grandfather Ephraim B 1750 of Ashford CT and our great grandfather Daniel b 1756 Ashford, CT. were both soldiers in the revolution. This Daniel, by the way was a twin, with a sister named Ellis (or Alice).

"So there was a minister. We have Ephraim's book on archeological studies in Peru on our shelves.

"Love, Ted"

And I've been further gobsmacked several times by the research that's followed. Just haven't had time to write it all up yet.

Love the Wellington stories!

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

So... if I read that aright, you are eligible to join the Daughters of the American Revolution if you so choose! So am I, due to an ancestor named McKinstrie. For some reason, my mother felt it was important that I know that, just in case I wanted to join the DAR. No, she didn't join it either. But one of HER aunts was very interested in the idea and did the genealogical research. So I have a handwritten copy of that part of the family tree around somewhere. I think the DAR has an office in Washington, DC. So while you are there Milling Around for Moderation you could stop in and see if they have any other information about your pre-revolutionary ancestors.

[magscanner.livejournal.com]

So...were you in the Library of Congress yesterday, when I was in the Library of Congress...?

I can just imagine what it would have been like, wandering down the tunnel and running into you.

!

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Yowser!

Alas, I wasn't at the Library of Congress on Thursday. Instead, I spent the afternoon and evening driving down to Alexandria. The first 200 miles took 5.5 hours. Argh. I-84 through Connecticut was horrible on Thursday afternoon. The rest of the trip was fast and smooth.

Are you still in the area? Going to the Rally to Restore Sanity in another 11-12 hours? That would be fab. And how is it that I have neither your nor your best beloved's cell number programmed in my phone?

[magscanner.livejournal.com]

Capclave, then five days visiting family -- and back home today.

Talk about ships passing etc., we're in west Alexandria at the Hawthorne.

We're going to miss the rally, though :-(

I was reading city directories at LC. More later.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Cool!

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

Neat!

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

“This is a different Ephraim Squier.” . . . Ephraim George's grandfather, Ephraim B. Squier. . . .
The journal is from 1775 September 7 - November 25
Gee, I hate when that happens.

[maruad.livejournal.com]

So, if I read this correctly, you are related to people who tried to invade my homeland and overturn it's government?!?!?! I hope CSIS is getting this info. Obviously you are a t*rr*r*st thr**t!

(I used asterisks just in case some bonehead in some branch of government is monitoring key words in LJ theads. I don't want anyone in trouble over my goofy sense of humour.)

I think this is very cool stuff you are doing. I had never thought of you as a DAR.