Somehow Related: solomon

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Bayes Family Reunion - Cousin Bait

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 28 (REUNION)

In the summer of 1991 there was a Bayes family reunion that my branch of the family didn't attend. We did submit updated information for all of us that was included in the take away book created for that weekend.

Front Cover

A few years ago my mom's cousin's wife (yes it can get way more complicated than that list, and still I understand the connections) sent me three copies of the book. One for each of my sons and myself.

Just after Christmas I made contact with a DNA match on Ancestry who was related through my Bayes family line. When I asked her for more information she replied that she honestly didn't know. She shared that her dad had moved away from the immediate family, and had lost track of them. I offered to mail her a copy of the Bayes family reunion booklet after finding her, her parents, and her grandparents listed in it.

After she received the book in the mail she sent me a heartfelt email explaining that her dad had been very emotional while he reattached to his family through the stories, drawings, and details. I loved that I (and the relative who sent me the booklets) was a part of this moment for this branch of my family tree.

The book outlines the descendants of Solomon & Artimissia* (nee Merrill) Bayes:

* sometimes spelled Artemissa

First page, followed by pages of details about each family member

comment or message me if you would like copies or more information

Artimesa (as spelled) death registry noting mother as Phoebe Lotrip (as spelled)

Solomon Bayes (August 31st 1885 ~ September 16th 1907)
Married - November 8th 1867
Artimissia (also spelled Artemissa) Merrill (June 1st 1842 ~ November 14th 1936)

~~~~~~~~~~~

CHILDREN

Franklin Sheldon Bayes (January 20th 1869 ~ abt 1955
married -July 12th 1898
Mary Story (March 26th 1879 ~ abt 1911)
my X2 great grandparents
they had 5 daughters and 1 son (my great grandfather)

Franklin Bayes with great grandchildren: George, Florence & Margaret

Herman Leonard Bayes (October 1970 ~ unknown)
married - February 14th 1900
Annie Elizabeth Kohaelach (aka Kohelick) (August 1879 ~ unknown)
they had 3 sons and 1 daughter

Vida Blanche Bayes (July 5th 1875 ~ November 1966) ~
never married

Henry Ernest (Harry) Bayes (March 10th 1880 ~ November 9th 1971)
married - December 7th 1910
Annie May (Anna) Yabsley (June 22nd 1887 ~ July 1st 1982
they had 7 sons, raising 6 (one died as an infant)

Ethel Maude Bayes (August 13th 1882 ~ March 15th 1946
married - December 18th 1907
Leonard (Len) Carr (September 3rd 1885 ~ June 10th 1970)
they had 1 son and 1 daughter

Artemissa with daughters Ethel & Blanche (recorded on back)

Blogging as cousin bait!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

**** UPDATE ****

The bait worked - Within 24 hours I have three cousins who are now excitedly awaiting the reunion booklet copy they asked me to send them.

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Bayes Family Reunion Booklet, July 27-28 1991

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.
All rights reserved.
Please & Thank you!

Saturday, March 16, 2019

The Merrill Family ~ Historical: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints & Plural Marriage

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 11 (Large Family)

When I began searching my family tree with this week's prompt of LARGE FAMILY I discovered many of my ancestors had large families. Many of my female ancestors had more than a dozen children each. Some of my male ancestors remarried after their wife died creating a second family with as many children as the first had. I also noticed how many of the babies and children died long before achieving adulthood. I realized it would be very hard to choose just one family. Then I noticed something intriguing.

Not so long ago I was looking at my X3 great grandmother Artemissa Merrill. She was born the 1st of June 1842 in Cramahe Township in Ontario, Canada. She married Solomon Bayes who was born the 31st of Aug 1845 in Cambellford, Ontario, Canada. They were married on the 8th of November 1867 which is almost exactly100 years before I was born. Artemissa died on the 14th of November 1936, and Solomon died before her on the 16th of September 1907. Artemissa did not remarry after Solomon's death. They had 5 children. My X2 great grandfather was their oldest child: Franklin Sheldon Bayes born on 20th of January 1869 in Cambellford, Ontario.

Artemissa with daughters Blanche & Ethel

Artemissa and Solomon's family was one of the smaller families I found looking at that time in my family tree.

Are you wondering why I chose to feature Artemissa in this blog posting about Large Families?

My discovery this week is that Artemissa's first cousin X1 removed (my first cousin X6 removed) was Hosea Merrill. Hosea was born on the 10th of April 1802, and died 5th of February 1864. He was 61 years old when he died. He married Mary Ann Saxton on the 25th of April 1825. In April 1837 Hosea was baptized into the Mormon faith. Wife Mary wasn't baptized until 7 years later in 1844. The Merrill family was part of the migration of the Mormon followers as they traveled across the United States seeking a place they would be accepted. In the book Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah there is a record that “Hosea Merrell resided in Big Cottonwood, Salem, Menden and Paradise, Utah.” Hosea and Mary had 8 children with 6 surviving to adulthood. One of their sons accepted polygamy, and had 2 wives. The remainder of their children followed the Mormon faith, but did not practice the tenant of plural marriage. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints terminated the practice of plural marriage in 1890. Hosea, Mary, their children, and descendants went on to be very involved in the growth of the LDS church.

While researching the extended parts of my family tree before I understood that plural marriage was an accepted practice at the time I was very confused. How could the wedding of the second and third wife happen while the first wife was still alive. How could one man have so many children the same age. I was viewing the details through my own bias. I took another look at the research I was engaged in with an open-mind, and focused on a reasonable exhaustive search. It was then that everything began to make sense.

Bringing it all back to Artemissa - below is her death certificate:

Searching with an open-mind!