Genealogy Posts – Page 5 – Kermit Murray's Genealogy Page

Fitch Family in 1903

The home of my great great grandfather Alva Levi Fitch in 1903 (Photo by Solomon D. Butcher).

Detail from Fitch photo (Photo by Solomon D. Butcher, Nebraska State Historical Society, nbhips 13538).

Alva and his second wife (my step gg grandmother) Alice are on the left. The two in the middle are probably their children and the two on the right, children from Alva’s first marriage (research ongoing).

Alva Levi Fitch was born in Warren, Ohio in 1838. On September 10, 1861, he enlisted in the 14th Independent Battery Ohio Light Artillery (his brother George Fitch joined the 31st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment). The 14th Battery was at Shiloh and the Siege of Corinth in 1862 then moved to Lynnville, Tennessee in 1863. In January of 1864, Alva reinlisted as a volunteer before the Atlanta Campaign and the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. The Battery was transferred to the Department of the Gulf in 1865 and mustered out August 11. Between February and April of 1865, the Battery was in New Orleans, which would put my gg grandfather Fitch of the 14th Ohio Battery and my gg grandfather Murray of the Mississippi Marine Brigade at nearly the same place in early 1865.

Alva married Emily June Edney in 1864 and they moved to Buffalo County Nebraska around 1870 after the birth of William Tecumseh Fitch in 1866. The Fitch farm was in Watertown, which existed to provide water to steam locomotives and disappeared in the 1920s after the age of steam (and after the Fitch home was struck by lightning and burned to the ground). Among his endeavors, Alva was postmaster, grain elevator operator, brickmaker, realtor, merchant, and Socialist candidate for Nebraska state senator.

Emily died in 1888 and Alva married Alice M. King, widow of Joshua R. King from Somerset, Maine who died in 1884. Joshua was also a Civil War veteran having served in the 10th Maine Infantry. He was discharged during the Battle of Chancellorsville, perhaps due to a severe wound. I don’t know whether Joshua King is related to my great grandfather Claude Eugene King who married Alva’s grand daughter Thelma.

Alvi Levi Fitch died in 1928 at age 89 and is buried in the Kearney Cemetery.

Horace Titus Brown Obituary

Saturday Morning, June 21 1900

Horace T. Brown Is Dead

Veteran Newspaper Man Has. Passed Away

Died at His Home In This City Last Evening — He Started the Butte Miner and Has Been Connected Northwestern Newspapers for Nearly a Quarter of a Century.

H. T. Brown the veteran newspaper man died at 11:25 p. m. yesterday at his residence, 2120 Second avenue. The surviving relatives; the widow. daughter Mrs. Alexander Howie, and his sons, Horace Jr, and Waldo, were at his bedside when he passed away. The funeral arrangements will be announced later. Mr. Brown was 55 years of age and was born in Summit County, Ohio. There he received his education and when 10 years old he with his parents moved to the town or Akron of the same State. At the latter place he entered a printing office: and was employed as devil, remaining in the employment of the company until he was 16 years of age. The civil war was raging and he enlisted. During the greater part of the war he was under the command of General Sherman. While engaged in the battle of Clarksburg, he was severely wounded in the knee, the marks of which he bore to the end.

In 1867 he moved to Virginia City, Mont. He remained at that city for four years and was successful in establishing a weekly newspaper called the “Montana.” In 1870 he moved to Deer Lodge city and there brought into existence the “New North West” newspaper. After working there four years he returned to Virginia City and worked for two years more on his first newspaper. In 1876 he went to Butte and, in partnership with Captain James Mills, established the. Butte Miner, of which he acted as manager and publisher until 1886.

He and his family then moved to Spokane and Mr. Brown with Frank Dallan bought a half interest in the Review, which was bring published here. After being connected with the Review for two years the paper was sold out to a new company. Mr. Brown next went into partnership with Henry W. Greenberg and they established a job printing office on East Riverside. After dissolving partnership with Mr. Greenberg he was successful in establishing the Northern Newspaper Union, which later was sold to the American Type Founders company. Since April, 1899, he had been an employee of the Spokesman-Review.

W. T. Fitch

William Tecumseh Fitch was born in Trumbull County Ohio in 1866 and died in Oakland, California in 1932. His sister Jennie was my great grandmother and his father was Alva Levi Fitch (my great great grandfather) a Civil War veteran who served in the 14th Ohio Battery of light artillery in the Army of the Tennessee. William got his middle name from his father’s commanding general; I got mine from my great grandfather Claude King, Jennie’s husband. To my grandmother, W. T. Fitch was “Uncle B” (he was also uncle to Alva Revista Fitch).

W. T. Fitch moved West to Fort Bragg, California in the 1890s and was a photographer. In addition to studio portraits, he photographed Mendicino County landscapes and the lumber industry. His photographs and essays appeared in The Northern Crown magazine and he advertised as “Fitch, The Photo Man.”

W. T. Fitch - Redwood Loggers at Pudding Creek — Photo by W. T. Fitch of Redwood Loggers at Pudding Creek, Mendocino County, California (from Memoirs of the University of California, Volume 2, 1910).

Henry Cornelius Hopper Ancestors

Henry C Hopper Genealogy Fan Chart (graphic by Kermit Murray) — Ancestors of Henry Cornelius Hopper

Michiel Jansen Vreeland is in the white outer band at the 11 o’clock position.

Michiel Jansen Vreeland

The founder of the Vreeland family in the vicinity of Paterson was Michiel Jansen (Michiel, son of John) Van Broeckhuysen, who sailed from Holland, Oct. 1, 1636, on the same vessel as Jacob Van Hoorn and Simon Van de Bilt. He was accompanied by his wife and two children. Michiel came to America as a farm servant in the employ of the Lord Patroon Van Rensselaer. Jansen made his fortune in a few years at Rensselaerwyck, and removed in 1646 to the island of Manhattan. He purchased a farm comprising several acres south of Communipaw avenue, Jersey City, where he attained much prominence. He was selected in 1647 one of three farmers to be a member of the nine men, the others being merchants and citizens, to advise Director General Stuyvesant on the pressing difficulties between the Indians and the whites. In a raid made by the Indians, Sept. 15, 1655, on Manhattan Island and Pavonia, Michiel Jansen’s family alone escaped; this caused him for greater safety to remove across the river again. Having lost all his property in the Indian War, he opened a tavern between the old church and the [Heere] Gracht, the latter being a ditch or canal running through what is now the center of Broad street, New York City, the lot in question being on what is now Pearl street, just south of Broad street. He was admitted to the small burgher right of Manhattan, April 13, 1657. He followed his business as tapster until the Indian affairs were settled, when he returned to his Pavonia farm, re-erected his farm buildings, and renewed his former operations. On the incorporation of Bergen in 1661 he was named as one of the first magistrates of the first court of justice erected within the present limits of New Jersey. He died in 1662, leaving a widow whose maiden name was Fitje Hartman, or daughter of Hartman, who survived him thirty-five years, dying Sept. 21, 1697.

Nelson & Shriner, “History of Paterson and its environs (the silk city); historical- genealogical – biographical,” 1920, p. 9

History of St. Lawrence County, New York

Our County and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York (1894)

p. 256

Hargrave, John and Richard, twin brothers, Waddington, were born September 15, 1848. Their father was Ruther, son of Ruther Hargrave, who was born in Scotland and came to Canada in 1818, where he lived until his death in 1845. Ruther Hargrave, jr., was born in Scotland in 1788, and married there, Agnes Goldy, by whom he had nine children. In 1819 he came to Waddington, and here spent the remainder of his days. He settled the farm now owned by John and Richard Hargrave. He married second, Margaret, daughter of John Rutherford, and they had twelve children. Mr. Hargrave was one of the original members and helped establish the church. He died in 1879 and his wife in 1885. John and Richard Hargrave were reared on the farm they own and educated in the common schools of Waddington. They have always been engaged in farming, and own 196 acres of land and keep a dairy of twenty-two cows. They are Republicans in politics, and attend and support the Scotch Presbyterian church. They have one brother, James, who was born in Waddington, August 25, 1837. He has been a Mason for twenty-three years. At present he is a farmer, having 220 acres of land and keeps a dairy of twenty-two cows. He married Catherine, daughter of John W. Rutherford, and they have these children: Jennie B., Helen H., Louis, Albert, Edwin, Roberston, Edith and Ralph H. Mr. Hargrave is a Repub- lican, and he and wife are members of the Scotch Presbyterian church.

Compare to “The Hargrave Family 1749–1923”

Ruther Hargrave (son of Joseph Hargrave and Mary Melrose?[question mark in original document]) was born February 14, 1788 in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland. He came to Beech Ridge, Quebec, Canada in 1817. He married Agnes Goldie who died in 1831. Four daughters and two sons were born to this union.

Joseph Hargrave
Janet Hargrave
Mary Hargrave
John Hargrave
Agnes Hargrave
Hannah Hargrave

Ruther Hargrave married a second time, Margaret Rutherford of Madrid, New York, U.S.A. She was born August 24, 1813 and died April 16, 1885. They lived in Madrid, New York, U.S.A. Five daughters and six sons were born to this union.

Margaret Hargrave
Ruther Hargrave
Margaret Hargrave
William Hargrave
James Hargrave
Dorothy Hargrave
Andrew Hargrave
Jane Hargrave
Richard Hargrave
John Hargrave
Margraret Hargrave

Here it is Joseph – Ruther – John/Richard and not Ruther – Ruther – John/Richard