X7 Great Grandmother ~ Prudence (nee Wright) Bayes Cubitt

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 48 (TROUBLEMAKER)

Over the years of blogging about this Bramble Bush I have shared many tales that show the various scandals in our family history.

This week I just didn't feel like digging for a scandal or finding someone who fit for troublemaker.

This week I celebrate and remember my 7th great grandmother 
Prudence Wright
BIRTH 05 NOV 1709 • Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England.
DEATH ABT 1792 • Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England.

At the age of 20 Prudence married 25 year old Robert Bayes
     - my 7th great grandfather: 
Robert Bayes
BIRTH 29 JAN 1704 • Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England.
DEATH 7 MAR 1769 • Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, England.

I spend some time learning about Horsham St. Faith, Norfolk, England were my ancestors came from. I found this record while searching

Adding another area to my 'want to visit' list.

Just 3 months after Robert died Prudence married Thomas Cubitt on June 12th 1769. 

I know nothing about Thomas Cubbitt beyond being fairly confident the trees showing as hints in Ancestry are not accurate. The birth year does not  match the expected age. There is little logic that a 21 year old young man would marry a 59 year old widow. 

The marriage registry has them both as widowed.

I could spend some time searching for  X7  great step grandfather Thomas Cubitt's details, but there are more connected lines I would like to search first.

BUT searching collateral lines is ideal for finding random details that are the final one needed to break down brick walls.

Leaving collateral relatives for a future time!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

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

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

Photos:

PD 713/38/33, Settlement certificate: Robert Bayes, his wife Prudence and their children Robert (aged about 7), Anne (aged about 4) and Mary (aged about 2) Clipped November 30th 2023 from
https://nrocatalogue.norfolk.gov.uk/index.php/settlement-certificate-robert-bayes-his-wife-prudence-and-their-children-robert-aged-about-7-anne-aged-about-4-and-mary-aged-about-2

Date(s)

12 Aug 1738 (Creation)

Norfolk, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 for Prudence Bayes Clipped November 30th 2023 from Ancestry.

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

Remembering Grandma ~ Amy Almeda (nee Bayes) Graham

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 47 (THIS ANCESTOR STAYED HOME)

This week I went home because my 97 year old grandma died. 

She was my last tie to my mom who passed away in 2015. 

Grandma was a telephone operator for BC Tel. 

In 1971 she took a transfer to Nelson, British Columbia. 

It was that random decision that made Nelson my hometown. 

As we drove away from Nelson,  heading home after Gram died, I wondered if I would be back. 

My home is a 7 hour drive away. I still have aunts, uncles & cousins who live there, but will that be enough to draw me back?  

There are times I forget (or pretend) that my mom & dad are not out there just living their life too busy to call me. When I visit I am forced to realize that they really did die, and I will never receive another phone call. 

As I drink my tea on my first morning home, I realize Grandma's random decision resulted in the unique community of Nelson forming parts of who I am today. 

What parts of my personality/life would have been entirely different had I not lived in Nelson? 

Our family was given a gift. 

The last few hours of grandma's life she had her 4 living children & the oldest child of her 2 deceased children at her bedside. 

As she took her last breath she looked around the unbroken circle of love before her, said she loved us all, and with a smile on her face left us. 

We had each told her how much she meant to us, she told us how much we meant to her, we shared memories of love, there was laughter & tears. 

This was the perfect celebration of her life.

We remember ... 

These three are back together , we love them with all our hearts 💔
XOXO....

At her bedside we all watched as grandma smoothed her signature beehive hairdo (known in the family as her knot). She wanted to look her best when she met up with her daughters & grandson. 

I don't know if Grandma went home, but today is Saturday - I would like to believe Gram & Mom are out garage-saling right now!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

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

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

Photos:

Personal

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

Robert Graham ~ Grocer

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 46 (THIS ANCESTOR WENT TO MARKET)

My X2 Great Grandfather, Robert Graham, was born December 23rd 1884 in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

His parents were Robert & Maggie (nee Burt) Graham. 

In the 1901 Scottish Census my X2 great grandfather, Robert Graham, is 17 years old with his Occupation listed as Grocer's Assistant residing at Imrie's Land, Holytown, Scotland with his mother & 2 of his siblings. I have not found where his father was for this Census.

He immigrated to Canada in 1911 with his wife Jessie Crawford Gray, and their 3 oldest children. 

Robert & Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham

My Great Grandfather Robert (Bob) (Bobby) Graham was their oldest child (born May 3rd 1906 in Holytown, Scotland). 

In the 1916 Canadian Prairie Census X2 Great Grandpa, Robert Graham's,  Occupation is Grocer, and residing at 250 Washington Ave, East Kildonan (Winnipeg), Manitoba. 

In the 1921 Canadian Census X2 Great Grandpa, Robert Graham's, Occupation is Manager of a Co-Op Store, and still residing at 250 Washington Ave, East Kildonan (Winnipeg), Manitoba.   

The family is found in the Canadian Prairie Census 1926, but employment is not recorded. 

On November 16th 1927 (exactly 96 years ago today) my Great Grandfather, Bob Graham, married my Great Grandmother, Nellie May Cannon. 

On the marriage registry Bob's father was listed as a Store-Keeper.

We are unable to find X2 Great Grandpa in the 1931 Census because he died in 19292 years after the wedding X2 Great Grandpa Robert Graham died.

We do find X2 Great Grandma, Jessie, with 8 of their 10 children ranging in age from 4 to 21. Their 2 oldest were married by 1931, and are found with their spouse and firstborn child enumerated separately. 

X2 great grandpa Robert Graham's Official Notice Of Death lists his occupation as Grocer. It further notes he had been in the hospital for 10 days.  

His Medical Certificate Of Death notes he died of Influenza Pneumonia with Myocarditis as contributory. 

He was only 44 years old when he died of Influenza on January 13th 1929 at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 

3 generations of Robert Grahams with no middle name makes researching challenging!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

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

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

Photos:

Personal

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

We Will Remember ~ No Pants

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 45 (WAR AND PEACE)

I never knew 18 year old Chris. 

By the time I met him he was no longer in the military. 

I'm not sure I would have been interested had I met him at that time. 

As a 'base brat' (born on a military base) I wasn't interested in living a military lifestyle. 

I remember the first time I saw this photo he casually mentioned that he wasn't wearing pants. 

It seems that none of the soldiers were willing to crease their pants by sitting to have their photo taken. 

They took them off, laid them over a chair, and then sat to have the photo taken.

It's hard to imagine he was sitting there looking so serious IN HIS UNDERWEAR. 

Every year on Remembrance Day I give thanks to my father & grandfathers for their military service.

Prior to a few years ago I had never thanked Chris. 

In the past few years I have remembered to include Chris. 

This year I thank all the soldiers in my life, and a special thanks to my BFF. 

We will REMEMBER!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

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

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

Photos:

Personal

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________

Merry & Luce ~ Martha's Vineyard Sign Language

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 44 (SPIRITS)

Today's take on SPIRITS is joyful spirit

My 10th great grandfather's last name was MERRY which sounds pretty full of joyful spirit to me. 

A second take on SPIRITS is alcohol.

My Merry family was part of the founding families of Martha's Vineyard. Although the name implies wine that is not where that name actually originates from. 

"How Martha’s Vineyard Got Its Name

Brace yourselves, because we may have to break some hearts here. Martha’s Vineyard was founded in the early 1600’s by Bartholomew Gosnold, founder of the Virginia Company of London and leader of the first recorded European expedition to what we now call New England. Impressive, right? On May 21, 1602, he and his crew of 32 arrived on the shores of an island off the coast of Cape Cod. He observed many vines covering the island (the same varieties that can be seen today) and dubbed the tiny island Martha’s Vineyard after his daughter. Much to the despair of wine-loving visitors, however, grape-bearing vines were not included among the local flora. We like to say all this confusion is entirely Bartholomew’s fault."   1 

When researching the history of Martha's Vineyards it was the Deaf culture that grabbed my attention.

"For two centuries Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) was used by hearing and Deaf people alike, specifically in the Squibnocket part of the Chilmark area of the island, which was isolated by swamps and rocks. Due to inherited deafness, one out of every 25 people were deaf by the 1850s—compared with a national average of one in every 5,728 people."  2

I learned the ASL alphabet as a small child in Brownies earning me the Sign Language Badge. 

As a young adult I worked in the school system with children who were non-verbal using a variety of sign to augment their communication. When our younger son was a little late in talking we taught him signs to assist with his frustration. As homeschoolers our children's 2nd language requirement for grade 4-6 was met with American Sign Language (ASL). I have always felt a basic understanding and comfort with ASL is important. 

"In 1817 the first school for the deaf was build in Hartford, Connecticut. Students from all over attended and brought with them their own household signs, the school’s first teacher, Laurent Clerc brought French Sign Language and then there were the residents from Martha’s Vineyard that brought MVSL. These strains merged and helped form what we know today as American Sign Language (ASL)."  3

"Deaf people weren’t considered disabled. They were completely integrated into island life. Deaf people owned farms, ran businesses and served in town government."   4

"Families passed the language down to younger generations. Sign language became a skill everyone, including hearing folks, on the island was taught."  5

My 10th great grandparents are:
Joseph Merry
BIRTH Abt. 1607 • England
DEATH 15 APR 1710 • Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States
and
Elizabeth Parkhurst
BIRTH ABT 1628 • Ipswich St Margaret, Suffolk, England
DEATH AFT 1678 • Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, USA

their son (my 9th great grandfather)
Samuel Merry
BIRTH 16 NOV 1669 • Hampton, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA
DEATH 6 OCT 1727 • West Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts, USA
married
Remember Luce (my 9th great grandmother)
BIRTH 16 NOV 1670 • Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America
DEATH 31 JAN 1739 • Martha's Vineyard, West Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America

Martha's Vineyard 

"It will be noted that the Luce family was the leading factor in populating the island fifty years ago with Norton second, followed by Smith, Mayhew, Pease and Vincent in the order named. The Allen, Butler, Chase, Cottle and Merry families show a loss, the Butlers especially, with a drop from 23 to 7 households in the period of sixty years, 1790 to 1850. The others about hold their place without much loss or gain."   6

I'm not sure which of my ancestors were Deaf, but it appears as though some of them were:

"Known family names with Deaf members are Lambert, Mayhew, Tilton, Skiffe, Hammett, Luce, Smith, and West."   7

If you lived in the area it was easy to learn Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language due to immersion.

The Merry & Luce families are still in Martha's Vineyard!!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

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

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

Footnotes:

1  Is There a Vineyard on Martha’s Vineyard?  Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.vineyardsquarehotel.com/is-there-a-vineyard-on-marthas-vineyard/

2 The Hidden History of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language. How a deaf utopia was uncovered in the 1970s. ZARRELLI, NATALIE. Originally published MAY 4th 2016. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-hidden-history-of-marthas-vineyard-sign-language

3 Martha’s Vineyard. Colterman, Nicole. August 27th 2022. StartASL. Edited February 15th 2021 by Michelle Jay. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.startasl.com/marthas-vineyard/#:~:text=Students%20from%20all%20over%20attended,American%20Sign%20Language%20(ASL).

4 THE DEAF VINEYARDERS WHO TALKED WITH THEIR HANDS. New England Historical Society. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/deaf-vineyarders-talked-hands/

5 THE SURPRISING LEGACY OF SIGN LANGUAGE IN MARTHA’S VINEYARD. RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Originally published MARCH 9th 2022. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/the-surprising-legacy-of-sign-language-in-marthas-vineyard/

6 Notes on the Genealogical Origins of Martha's Vineyard Families. The following pages are from pp. vii - x of the preface to The History of Martha's Vineyard Volume III. Dr. Charles E. Banks (originally published c. 1925.). Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
http://history.vineyard.net/dukes/bnk3_vii.htm

7 DEAF HISTORY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.dhhsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MarthasVineyardDeafHistory.pdf

Sources:

DEAF HISTORY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD. Deaf & Hard of Hearing Service Center. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.dhhsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MarthasVineyardDeafHistory.pdf

The Hidden History of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language. How a deaf utopia was uncovered in the 1970s. ZARRELLI, NATALIE. Originally published MAY 4th 2016. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-hidden-history-of-marthas-vineyard-sign-language

Is There a Vineyard on Martha’s Vineyard?  Vineyard Square Hotel & Suites. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.vineyardsquarehotel.com/is-there-a-vineyard-on-marthas-vineyard/

Legacy of Vineyard Deaf Community Endures Today. Pretsky, Holly. Originally published February 26th 2019. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2019/02/26/vineyard-contributions-work-deaf-endure

Martha’s Vineyard. Colterman, Nicole. August 27th 2022. StartASL. Edited February 15th 2021 by Michelle Jay. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://www.startasl.com/marthas-vineyard/#:~:text=Students%20from%20all%20over%20attended,American%20Sign%20Language%20(ASL).

Notes on the Genealogical Origins of Martha's Vineyard Families. The following pages are from pp. vii - x of the preface to The History of Martha's Vineyard Volume III. Dr. Charles E. Banks (originally published c. 1925.). Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
http://history.vineyard.net/dukes/bnk3_vii.htm

THE DEAF VINEYARDERS WHO TALKED WITH THEIR HANDS. New England Historical Society. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/deaf-vineyarders-talked-hands/

The Deafness History of Martha's Vineyard. Acta Scientific Otolaryngology. Volume 3 Issue 2 February 2021. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from 
https://actascientific.com/ASOL/pdf/ASOL-03-0172.pdf

THE MERRY FAMILY OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD. Compiled by Dr. Charles Banks, c. 1925. Transcribed and prepared for the web by C. Baer 1999. Retrieved November 2nd 2023 from 
http://history.vineyard.net/merry.htm

Photos:

Sign Language Alphabet. Clip Art. Retrieved November 12th 2023

Links:

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

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!

______________________________________________________________