Grandma Was Hope Filled!

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Pat Shaul
Cedar Chest Built by C.P. Koontz for Florence Marie Koontz

My Great-grandfather, Casmear Pramasis Koontz (call me C.P.) was a cabinet maker by trade. He learned from his father, Ezra Peter Koonz, who was also a cabinet maker. He made this Hope Chest for his youngest daughter, Florence Marie, my grandmother. The chest is made of solid cedar wood with copper decoration. Great-Grandfather died in 1914, so that seriously helps to date the piece. Grandma married Grandpa, Lee Norton Goodliff Weaver, in 1918.

I remember seeing the chest in my grandparents’ upstairs room — the one my mother and aunt shared as children. I can still see the ring of white paint on the lid where someone set a can of paint — never heard who was the culprit. My mother took possession of the chest when Grandma sold the family home and moved into an apartment. The chest went to my parents’ upstairs room which my brother and I had shared as children. Mom stashed extra pieces of her good china, photo albums, and quilts made by her grandmother, Effie Clarissa Lee Weaver (more on that in a later post).

I took possession of the chest when my brother and I cleaned out our parents’ home after their deaths. My brother got the gate-leg table that I had asked for, so this item was designated to me. The first thing I did, before bringing it home, was to drop it off with some other pieces at a furniture refinisher to have it restored to its original state (i.e. without the white paint can ring). This is the finished restoration. And it is in constant use with off season linens storage.

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Some toys can jog happy memories of generations

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Pat Shaul
Grandpa Lee’s Horse & Wagon

This horse and wagon was a childhood toy of my grandfather’s. It would be a strange toy for a 21st century child, but Grandpa was born in 1893, so it was right modern. This must have been a favorite since it was the only one Grandpa always kept. I have no idea if my mother or aunt were allowed to play with it, but my cousins, brother, and I were! It had a place of honor on top of the piano in my grandparents’ living room.

At this point, I will diverge and explain why there was a piano in my grandparents’ living room and no one played the piano. OK, it was a player piano, so no one needed to “play” it – they just had to load a scroll and pump the pedals to let it play itself. Of course, the scroll was old, brittle and ripped. So, why was it in the living room? Well, as a child, my great grandmother (Grandpa’s mother) decided that my mother needed to take piano lessons. My aunt was already enrolled in violin lessons – her violin could be found it my grandparents’ attic. When asked what happened, my mother simply said that she really hated it and it got to the point that her teacher finally told my grandparents that they were wasting their money to continue. So, the lessons stopped, but the piano was a major presence in the room and it stayed until my grandmother sold the home and moved to an apartment. The grandchildren used to “stash” games in both the lower compartment where the player pedals were folded inside and in the upper compartment where the scroll was attached. I do not think Grandma was amused.

Now back to the horse and wagon. The four grandsons played with it whenever we got a chance. My mother inherited the toy when my grandmother passed away (I think Grandma kept it as a memory of Grandpa). The toy then lived on glass shelves in my parent’s living room where their grandchildren would gently remove it and play with it on the floor. And then, when the great grandchildren came to visit, they were also part of the “take it down and play” line of children that had fun with the horse and wagon.

I was fortunate to end up with the family treasure. Every time I look at it, there are so many memories.

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Happy 232nd Birthday, Cousin George Washington Comstock!

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Pat Shaul

232 years ago, 5 February 1789, in Smithfield, Rhode Island, my first cousin, 6 times removed, George Washington Comstock, was born to Ichabod and Sarah Jenks Comstock. His parents were part of the new country that apparently revered George Washington.

George married Comfort Joslin and they were the parents of a number of children. Based on information on the grave marker, they had three that died in infancy. I have found three more that grew to adulthood: Benjamin Joslin (1818), Nancy E (1821) and Sarah (1827). George married again after Comfort’s death in 1834. He married Sarah Jenks, a cousin.

George died on 16 November 1858, and was buried in the North Burial Ground in Providence Rhode Island along with both wives and daughter, Sarah.

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Take a seat!

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Pat Shaul

This chair belonged to my great grandmother, Effie Clarissa (Lee) Weaver. I am not sure of the age, but Grandmother Weaver died in 1945. The chair resided in my grandparents’ attic from the time it came into their possession until the time when my grandmother, Effie’s daughter-in-law, sold the family home and moved into an apartment.

That is when the chair came into my mother’s possession. Unfortunately, the flowered back of the chair had been broken into two pieces and the seat was well worn and stained.

First on the agenda was to have the chair put back together. For this task, my mother contracted my cousin, Bruce [also Effie’s great grandson], to do the repair work. He repaired and refinished the chair and a bedside table that will appear in a later post.

When the chair was returned to my mother, she needed to address the issue of the seat. To do that she created a needlepoint cover that was then installed to the seat. That is the current seat cover on the chair. The finished product always sat in my parents’ living room and anyone that sat on it had better not squirm or Mom would be giving them the stink-eye!

I inherited the chair upon my father’s death as part of the splitting up of the household items. The chair is more that a piece of furniture to me. It was my great-grandmothers, my cousin repaired it, and my mother created the needlepoint for the seat. It is truly a family heirloom.

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Happy 279th Birthday, Grandfather Clark!

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Pat Shaul

279 years ago, 29 January 1742, in Medfield, Massachusetts, my 5th Great-Grandfather, Stephen Clark was born. His father was Solomon Clark. In 1763, in Wrentham, Massachusetts, he married Miriam Thayer, the daughter of Josiah Thayer. The couple made their home and raised their family in Wrentham.

Five children have been recorded from this marriage: Esther (1771) [my 4 times great grandmother], Jemima, Onesimus [love the name!], Mary (1772), and Julietta (1787).

Esther Clark married Simeon Botsford.

Grandfather Clark passed away on 20 June 1809. Grandmother Clark passed away 13 years later on 27 August 1824. Both have been buried in the West Wrentham Cemetery in Wrentham.

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Who’s off their rocker and whose rocker are they off?

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Pat Shaul
Rocking Chair with a history

This rocking chair has a history and a sentimental meaning for me times four. My first memory of this chair was it being in my paternal grandparents’ house. It lived in their basement rec-room. It was always there, at least as far back as I remember. They moved into that house when I was 2 and it took time for the basement to be paneled, tiled, and ready for use. It was my favorite place to sit. My grandmother explained that the chair was one they had gotten for her father-in-law who needed a straight back chair in his declining year. At one point my mother overheard this story and felt compelled to add on. The rocking chair was one that her in-laws borrowed from my mother’s family. It was one of the pieces of furniture that her parents had taken out of my maternal grandmother’s parents’ house when my great-grandmother had passed away. Being curious, I asked why the chair had been saved. My mother said the story she heard was that it belonged to her grandfather and he was very possessive. Since he died 9 years before my mother was born, the story must come by way of her parents. Anyway, the story is that if anyone dared to be sitting in this chair in great-grandfather’s presence, he would just stand next to it until they got up and surrendered the spot to him!

When my paternal grandparents built a new house and moved, the chair did not go with them. Again, knowing its dual history, and being in need of a chair, I asked my grandmother whatever happened to it. She said they left it in the old house which they were renting. So, of course, I asked if I could have it. She contacted her tenants and they did not object, so I went over and collected the chair. I did a bit of a clean up on the chair and used it with back and seat pads since there were spots that still looked bad.

When my wife and I moved to our condo, with a basement, we decided to strip the chair down to bare wood — the varnish at that time was about 80 years since it had been applied. Once stripped (my wife did most of the work), I applied tung oil. That is its current state.

The rocking chair then resided in our nursery and I rocked our daughter in it many, many times. As our daughter grew out of the nursery and into a “big girl’s room” , the rocker was relegated to small bedroom. Our daughter grew, attended college, got married and moved out. We rearranged guest bedroom and office and found we had a spare room. The chair had its own room for a while.

Then we were blessed with grandchildren. The spare room was outfitted with a crib and, of course, the rocking chair stayed. When any of the grandchildren were here during the day and it was nap time, they were rocked to sleep. The children are now beyond naps, the crib is gone. The chair needed to find a new home.

The chair now resides in my office where I use it and remember ….

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Happy 289th Birthday, Patriot Grandfather Jesse Jenks!

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Pat Shaul

289 years ago, on 22 January 1735, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, my 5th great grandfather, Jesse Jenks, was born to John and Prudence Lawrence Jenks. Grandfather married Mary Rhonda Smith , the daughter of Jacob and Dinah Harris Smith, on 11 September 1757 in Smithfield, Rhode Island. They were the parents of 10 children: William, Allen, Stephen (1759), Jacob (1760), Peter (1764), Jesse, Jr, (1764), Shubael (1767), Huldah (1770), Laban (1772) [my 4 times great grandfather], and Elisha (1774).

Grandmother Jenks died in 1787, also in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Grandfather married Abigail Sayles, the daughter of Gideon Sayles, on 28 June 1787. This marriage produced an additional six children: Cynthia, Ahab, Rachael, Amy, Mary, and Belinda.

Grandfather Jenks died on 19 March 1827, in Cheshire, Massachusetts.

Additional information has been gathered about Grandfather:

The Jenks Family of America – William B. Browne.

Jesse Jenks

“Jesse Jenks was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1734/ 5. He was involved in the settlement of Sackville New Brunswick during the late 1750’s and 60’s. He, along with other members of his family were acquiring land that he would eventually sell off. Jesse and his brother Edmund were both involved in the New Brunswick venture when the settling lots in East Hoosick (now Adams Massachusetts) became available. In 1769, Jesse and his brother Edmund purchased three 100 acre lots which were lots two, three, and four in the west range of settling lots at East Hoosick. This transaction took place on July 26, 1769, and was not recorded in Berkshire County until August 23, 1773. It appears that Edmund was the first to settle on this property. Some of the subsequent early deeds of Jesse Jenks in Western Massachusetts were signed only by his brother Edmund.

It was written that sometime in Feb. 1790, Jesse Jenks arrived at his nephews house in Adams Massachusetts on horseback carrying as much gold and silver as a man could lift. The concealed gold and silver was in a bag of oats that he carried for his horse. He eventually settled opposite the glebe farm (First Baptist Church) on what is now called Stafford’s Hill named for Col. Joab Stafford who fought in the American Revolution and who was also an early settler there.

Jesse’s descendants thrived there clearing much of the farm land that is still open pasture and one of the most beautiful areas in Berkshire County. The site that he settled is marked by foundations and a large willow that feeds from the water of the farms well. North and west of the farm site is the family graveyard that is still marked with many stones and was used until the 1850’s when some of the graves were removed to the towns main cemetery on West Mountain Road where a virtual Jenks history can be viewed by simply walking through this large, to our rural standards, cemetery.

Inventory of Jesse Jenks Dated at Cheshire Massachusetts April 6, 1827 John Wells, Nathan Sayles, Alden Werden, Appraisers James Mason Administrator

Real Estate Home Farm situated in Cheshire containing 160 acres subject to a mortgage of $1200.00 $4,286.00

The Adams Farm situate in Adams containing 127 acres, more or less. $3,000.00

Mill Lot containing 7 acres with the two mills and other appurtenances situate in Cheshire $567.00

54 acres of wild land situate in Savoy. $150.00

Personal Estate 1 Stags 9 Cows 1 2 Year old heifer Kid Breeding mare 1/2 3 year old mare Gelding 4 years old 21 Sheep 7 Swine 5 tons of hay, by estimation Waggon Sleigh 1/2 Small waggon Sled 6 Bushels of corn, by estimation 30 Bushels potatoes, by estimation 20 Bushels barley

Stock on Adams farm 10 Cows 3 1/4 tons of hay, by estimation Large steelyard 75 lbs. cart tyre Cart body 69 lbs. old iron 170 lbs. old iron 2 Wedges drawshave and bolt Grindstone 2 1/2 Dozen screws Toll chest and dish 1 Frow 3 Mill pecks 22 3/4 lbs. of old iron Small tub Cheese hoop Cider Hhd

Wearing Apparel 3 Coats 5 Pair pantaloons 1 Pair pantaloons 4 Vests 4 Shirt 6 Pair stockings 1 Hat Silver buckle Pair knee buckles Large money purse

Cash Old chest box 1 Churn 2 Cheese hoops 3 Mut barrels 1 Cider Hhd 1/2 Hhd Dry Hhd Pickle tub Soap Trough Small steelyards 5 Pail kettle 1 1/2 Pail kettle 1 Pot 2 Small kettles Pair and irons Sliev Bake kittle Spider Iron bason Broken tea kettle Grid iron Brass kettle 18 Chains Large wheel Linen wheel Reel Table Cheese tub Pair worsted combs 20 Old pails and tubs Table Churn Old pewter pan Clock Looking glass Stand Desk Case drawers Warming pan Pair cotton cards 4 Towels 2 Table cloths Remnants yarn 20 lbs. Geese feathers 6 Harnesses 3 Weavers reeds 2 Old bedsteads 15 lbs. Turkey feathers Coverlid 4 Blankets Bedstead and cord 1 Pillows & boulster & bed 1 Blanket Coverlid Bedstead and cord Bed pillows and boulster Underbed 2 Sheets Blanket 2 Do Coverlid Suit curtains 6 Sheets 10 Pillow cases 3 Table linen 4 yrds Woolen cloth 7 Table silver spoons 6 Tea spoons Set blue tin ware 19 lbs. Old pewter 19 Plates 7 Cups and saucers Salt, sugar bowl Tea pot 6 Foot glasses 5 Glasses 2 Decanters 22 Knives and forks 5 Milk pans Brass skimmer 11 Tin dishes Earthen jar Pair flat irons

80 lbs. Newmilk cheese Skim cheese 100 lbs. Salt pork 45 lbs. Bacon

Adams, April 30, 1828 To the Honorable Judge William Walker Esq. Judge of Probate of Wills for t he County of Berkshire.

This is to certify that we the subscribers were present with Jesse Jenks l ate of Cheshire, deceased, 3 days previous to his decease he being in perf ect mind did give to his son Allen Jenks, all his wearing apparel. as witn ess; Amy Field Belinda Staples

Jesse Jenks’ lawful heirs. To the Honorable Judge William Walker Esq., Judge. April 3, 1827 On March 20, 1827, Jesse Jenks of Cheshire Massachusetts died seized and possessed of both real and personal estate. That he left a widow, Abigail Jenks, and the following children and lawful heirs. Jacob Jenks of Ohio Heirs of Stephen, deceased son of said Jesse, New York, Vermont, Ohio, a nd Indiana. Jesse Jenks of Cheshire. Huldah, wife of Nathaniel Mowrey of Adams. Shubael Jenks of Ohio. Laban Jenks of Michigan. Elisha Jenks of New York. Rachel Ross widow of Lanesborough. Amy, wife of John Field, of Adams. Mary, wife of Thomas Field, of Cheshire. Cynthia, wife of Jabez Jenks, of Cheshire. Belinda, wife of Welcome Staples, of Adams. Allen Jenks of Cheshire.

And that the widow Abigail Jenks declines the trust of administration being myself a creditor. James Mason.”

It is through Grandfather Jesse Jenks that I have been granted membership in the Sons of the American Revolution. Grandfather did not join the Revolutionary Army, but instead, donated his son, Jacob, and he provided food and shelter to the Army throughout the conflict. Both of these actions qualified Grandfather to be listed as one of the Patriots of the American Revolution.

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Happy 329th birthday, Grandmother Isham!

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Pat Shaul

329 years ago, 20 January 1692, in the colony of Massachusetts, my 7th great grandmother, Abigail Lumbert, was born to Joshua and Hopewell Bullock Lumbert. On 3 May 1716, in Barnstable, Massachusetts, grandmother married Isaac Isham, son of John and Jane Parker Isham. The family rounded out with eight children: Isaac (1718), Samuel (1719), John (1721), Ebenezer (1723). Timothy (1725) [my 6th great grandfather]. Joshua (1727), and Abigail (1731).

Grandmother Isham passed away in 1770.

Timothy Isham was wed to Rebecca Fuller, the third great granddaughter of Edward Fuller who was a passenger on the 1620 Mayflower. Edward and his wife did not survive the first winter in North America, but their 12 year old son, Samuel, who accompanied them on the voyage did. It is through Samuel that our line of descent is established.

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And it keeps right on ticking ….

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Pat Shaul
Weaver’s Mantle Clock

I was given this clock by my grandparents. It was originally purchased by my great grandparents Weaver – Lemuel and Effie. Their son, my Grandfather, remembered it from his childhood in the 1890s. It has seen some damage to the base and the chimes no longer sound (I think I am grateful about this defect) so it is really not valuable as an antique. But, I have memories of it.

When my brother and I would be taken to Grandma and Grandpa to spend the evening or the full night, we would be put to bed in my Grandma Florence’s bed. The clock was on top of her tall chest of drawers. When it first appeared, it just sat there quietly. Grandpa Lee was trying to work his limited clock repair magic on the old device. He had tried to get it working but to no avail. Then he hit on the idea of putting a spray can cap filled with 3-in-1 oil in the bottom of the chamber and letting the fumes permeate the workings. Then, on one visit, it started to tick. Grandpa was quite proud of himself; Grandma had hoped to be rid of it.

Then, it was no longer to be seen. Grandma exerted her domain that it was her room, her chest of drawers and the clock was not to her liking. This may because she disliked the ticking, or needed the space on top of the chest, or that it belonged to her mother-in-law with whom she really never got along. Anyway, she banished the clock to the floor of the “Clothes Press” — I guess this was Columbus, Ohio speak for Closet.

Time passed and I was bold enough to ask what ever happened to that great clock. Grandma asked if I wanted it. Of couse, I said yes. Grandpa was in agreement since it got it out of Grandma’s closet. My mother was not that happy as I was still living at home and it meant it was coming with me. I could keep it, but it was in my bedroom, not in any other part of the house!

The clock has been in my possession for a little over 50 years. I keep a spray can lid filled with 3-in-1 in the bottom of the glassed compartment. I wind it every week. It keeps perfect time. It still does not chime. I look at it and remember Grandma and Grandpa.

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Happy 149th Birthday, Cousin Jim!

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Pat Shaul

149 years ago, 17 January 1872, James Henry Weaver [my first cousin, twice removed] was born in Monroe, Perry County, Ohio, to William Powell and Catherine Eliszabeth Deaver Weaver. [Yes, a Deaver married a Weaver!] William was the brother of my great grandfather, Lemuel Weaver.

On 7 March 1894, in Morgan County, Ohio, James married Mary E Wood, the daughter of John and Sarah Ann Updike Wood. The couple became the parents of three children: John William (1894), Sarah Catherine (1899), and Louis (1908).

Mary preceded James in death, passing away on 26 December 1941, in Waverly, Pike County, Ohio.

James married in 1943, Mary’s sister, Malinda Catherine Wood Williams, the widow of Howard Hamilton Williams whoe died in 1917.

James passed away on 7 November 1945 in Fairfield County, Ohio and is buried in the Evergreen Union Cemetery in Waverly, Pike County, Ohio, beside his first wife, Mary. Malinda lived until 1964 and is buried next to her first husband.

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