Hurray For Mocavo Karma!

The other day I got an email from Mocavo announcing Genealogy Karma that was modeled after Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness. Naturally I checked it out and thought to myself, 'what the heck, I will post a query.'

There's a land record that I have been trying to get a hold of for quite sometime and knew the possibility was slim to none that I would find myself in New York City hanging out at the New York Public Library where this particular record is housed.

All I knew was that Clark K. McAdams was grantee to George & Sarah Piggot in New York City 22 April 1796 which I discovered from here. George and Sarah were my fourth great-grandparents.

So that was my query. I hoped someone could find this record in the library for me. Then I received my answer, a link to the document that was online at FamilySearch! You mean to tell me that I had access to this info the whole time?! Nevertheless, I was excited!

Not only did I find the record I was looking for, but I scoured the images for more and found him listed as grantee for the same property as well as the mortgage papers! He bought the property from a Dr.Samuel Bradhurst May 16, 1795. His mortgage happens to be with the same Clerk Kilby McAdam that he sold the property to on April of 1796. I wonder why he sold the property only after a year?

Below is a transcription of the mortgage.

Registered for and at the Request

of Abraham Skinner Esqr this 19th day of May 1795

Memorandum that on the sixteenth day of May in the year

of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety five. George Pigott of the city of New York Gentleman, did Mortgage to Clerk Kilby McAdam of Islip in Suffolk County and State of New York, All that Certain Dwelling house and two Lots or parcels of ground situate lying and being in the late Outward of the City of New York, now the Sixth Ward of the said City, near the fresh Water Bounded Easterly by ground late of Michael Hufnagel Southerly by ground late of John Kingston. Westerly by lot number One hundred and nineteen lately belonging to the said John Kingston and Northerly by Cross Street. Containing in breadth in front and Rear fifty feet and in length on each side One hundred and fifty feet, Together with all and Singular Vc. (?) Provided always that if the said George Pigott his heirs Executors or Administrators shall pay or Cause to be paid unto the said Clerk Kilby McAdam or to his certain Attorney heirs Executors or Administrators or Assigns the sum of Eight hundred and twenty five pounds Current money of New York on or before the sixteenth day of May which will be in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety eight, with lawful Interest for the same annually from the Date hereof, According to the Condition of a Certain Bond in the said Mortgage recited then the said Mortgage to be void which Mortgage was proved by the Affidavit of Abraham Skinner one of the Subscribing Witnesses before John Ray the twentieth day of May 1795.

You can bet since I found this new resource I will be looking for other New York ancestors.

Leslie Ann

Wordless Wednesday ~ Painting of Sarah Piggot's Home

City Watchman, by William P. Chappel
View of Elizabeth Street in New York City
Image credit, The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

In 1810 through 1821 one of these houses, no. 45, was occupied by a grocer named Sarah Piggot, my 4th great-grandmother.

Leslie Ann

Friday's Faces From the Past ~ Unidentified Photo 3

This photo from grandma Nancy's photo album was taken by J. B. Smith & Son in Nottingham. I haven't been able to find much on the photographer.

Leslie Ann

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mother's Day Gift

What do you think? Good enough to send to mom?

Leslie Ann

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ Tanglewood Tales

This wonderful book of tall tales belonged to my father. I never did get around to reading it. I'm going to have to remedy that.

When I was a youngster visiting grandma I gathered all the books that belonged to dad and took them home. There is someone on Ebay selling a copy of this book for $34.95.

This particular book was published in 1930 by The Saalfield Publishing Co. It has 13 wonderful illustrations by Fern Bisel Peat, one of which can be seen below.

There are six different stories in this book.

• The Minotaur
• The Pygmies
• The Dragon's Teeth
• Circe's Palace
• The Pomegranate Seeds
• The Golden Fleece

This sure would be fun to read to the grandkids.

Leslie Ann

Wedding Wednesday ~ Thomas & Lola McCullough

Thomas Monroe McCullough and Anna "Lola" Florence Ellison were the 2nd great-grandparents of my children. I happen to have a copy of their marriage certificate.

State of Missouri, County of Douglas
     This License Authorizes any judge, justice of the Peace, Licensed or Ordained Preacher of the Gospel, or any other person authorized under the Laws of the State to Solemnize Marriage between Thomas McCullough of Arden County of Douglas and State of Missouri, who is over the age of twenty-one years: and Lola Ellison of Beaver in the County of Douglas and State of Missouri who is under the age of eighteen years.
Given by written consent of James Ellison father of Lola Ellison.

Thomas and Lola were united in marriage the 29th day of December 1892 by Minister of the Gospel Henry Buchanan.

Below is a photo from their later years. It was photocopied on plain paper years ago so it's not a very good quality photo, but it's all I have.

Leslie Ann

Idaho Territory Sesquicentennial ~ Henry Needham & Sarah Mathias Bake

Henry Needham Bake & Sarah Mathias

Henry Bake was born to John and Elizabeth Needham Bake, 7 Mar 1826 at Bollington, Cheshire, England. He came to America in 1849 when he was 23 years old. According to grandma Hazel, he was a stowaway and used the name of Needham which was his middle name. They discovered him too late to send him back. He settled in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania and worked in the Bethlehem steel mills.

Sarah Mathias was born 9 Jan 1824, Myrthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, South Wales to Daniel and Rachael Jones Mathias. In 1839, Sarah along with her mother and siblings sailed to America on the ship Queen Victoria arriving in New York 5 Sep 1839 to reunite with her father. He had sailed to New York on the Pulaski arriving 24 August 1832.

Sarah was the widow of David Evans when Henry met her.  They were married about 1851 in Pennsylvania. He gained three stepchildren with this union; Ann Josephine, Daniel Mathias, and Sarah Cornelia.  

Around 1856 Henry and family had converted to the LDS church. Henry and Sarah took the children and headed west with Captain Ira Eldridge's Company leaving the 1st of July 1861. Among the travelling youngsters were the three Evans children and their four; Elizabeth Needham, John Alfred, Rebecca Hannah, and Oliver Cowdery.

Little 4 year old Rebecca had to walk a lot of the way. She said she couldn't walk very far at a time. Her mother thought it would help both the oxen and herself. Her memory of that trip and the hard times that followed was very vivid. Keeping warm seemed to be very difficult. They had to gather almost every dry thing they could find, even buffalo chips to burn or make fires. Their drinking water was bad. They met with some Indians at different places, but had no trouble.

By 1864 they were in Bloomington, Idaho. The story is told in her daughter's history that while living in Bloomington, Henry left his family for a load of flour in Hyde Park. On his way back he became stuck and had to leave his load of flour in Emigration Canyon and came home without any. The family was forced to eat boiled wheat all winter. Sarah was in poor health and their home consisted only of some willows put up to form a shelter. It was here with a three inch cover of snow on her bed that she gave birth to David Dillie who lived less than 2 weeks.

Family tradition says Brigham Young gave Henry Bake an assignment to go to Southern Utah and settle. At this time his wife Sarah was bedfast and unable to be moved. She died at this time and Henry became bitter and parted ways with the church. 

He then joined the Reorganized Latter-Day Saint Church. He was baptized Nov 1869 in Malad, Idaho and became a presiding elder. Henry was expelled from the RLDS Church Jan 1889.

Henry married Rosina Bigler about 1868 or 1869 and settled in St. John, Idaho. They had two children Rose, and David Henry. Their marriage ended in divorce.

Sources:

• History of Bear Lake Pioneers, p. 293-4
• Hand written story by, Hazel Rebecca Madsen
• Ancestry.com

Leslie Ann