Ancestors West-Vol 22 No. 3-1996

28 Pages·2012·3.63 MB·English

ISSN 0734-4988
Ancestors
•
W E S T
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Volume 22,Number3,Spring1996
In This Issue
Early California Engineers 55
Santa Barbara High School Magazine 56
Tricks With Taxes 59
The Great Mail Robbery of 1855 61
Ahnentafel #77-Charles McNeill, Jr-Pt. 2 63
S.B. Co. Casualty Lists-Part II 65
Sorting Signatures on Land Deeds 66
Scotch-Irish 66
Epidemics 68
Your Obituary 68
FamilyHeirlooms 69
Maps 69
Sanborn Family Reunion 69
' New in the Library 70
Census Problems 77
•(cid:127)(cid:127) New PAF 2.3.1 77
DuplicateVeterans Records Rumor 77
SANTABARBARACOUNTYGENEALOGICALSOCIETY Past Presidents
MailingAddress: P.O. Box1303,Golcta,CA93116-1303 CarolRoth 1972-73
Library: CovarrubiasAdobe,711 SantaBarbaraSt.,SantaBarbara
HarryR.Glen1974-75
Hours:Sundayl-4pm;Tuesday,Thursday,Friday10am-3pm
BoardofDirectors: CherylFitzsimmonsJensen President 969-4974 Selma Banktiead West 1975-76
JaniceGibsonCloud President-Elect 965-7423
MarjoryFriestad First-VicePresident Programs 964-0227
CarltonM. Smith1977
BeatriceMohr McGrath Second VicePresidentMembership 967-8954
RobertShoemaker Treasurer 968-5264
MaeWare RecordingSecretary 967-4450 MaryEllenGalbraith1978
ThclmaTateTate CorrespondingSecretary 964-2675
MarshaMartin Parliamentarian 967-1146 HarryTitus1979
Ted & MarionDcnniston Co-Libraians 968-9364
EdwinG. Storr DirectoratLarge 969-9895
EmilyAastcd DirectoratLarge 687-6097 BetteGorrellKot 1980
LouiseMarxSwain Publicity 687-9818
ThcrcscRobillard Publications 967-8860 EmilyPerryThies1981
Purpose: Established in1972,the Santa Barbara CountyGenealogicalSociety
becameincorporatedasanon-profitorganizationin1986.Itsaimisto HarryTitus1982
promotegenealogybyprovidingassistanceandeducationaloppor
tunities forthose who arcinterested inpursuing their familyhistory.
Norman E.Scofield1983
Membership: BenefitsincludeTreeTips(monthlynewsletter) and Ancestors West
(quarterly). Doreen CookDullea1984
Active(individual)-S17 Family(husband&wife)-S24 Friend-S30
]aniceGibson Cloud1985-86
Donor-S50 Patron-S100 Lifc-SlOOO
Meetings: Emanuel Lutheran Church,3721 ModocRoad, Santa Barbara KenMathewson 1987-88
RegularmonthlymeetingsarcheldonthesecondSaturdayofeach
monthexceptAugust.Meetingsbeginat10:30a.m.andarcproceeded
BeatriceMohrMcGrath 1989-92
by sessions forbeginnersstartingat9:30a.m.
Publications: AncestorsWest Editor CarolFullerKosai1993
LesleyNcwhart Fagan 969-7339
BookReviews
Paul Barrett 967-0298
NewintheLibrary
FrankLore
TreeTips Editor
DianeStubbcnficld Sylvester 967-1742
Ancestors West ispublishedquarterly inFall, Winter,Springand
Summer. As available,currentand back issues arcS3each plus
postage.LibrarysubscriptiontoAncestors WestisS10peryear.
Articlesof family historyor ofhistorical naturearcsolicited and
accepted asspace permits. Ifmaterials aretobereturned,includea
self-addressed,stampedenvelope. Besuretoadd yournametocopy
beingsubmitted.
CopyingfromAncestors West forotherpublicationsisbypermissionof
Santa BarbaraCountyGenealogical Society.Abstracting withcredit is
permitted.Ourstaffisvoluntaryandcannotchecktheaccuracyof
material submitted forpublication noraccept responsibility forerrors.
Theeditorreserves the right toedit copy.
Ramblings From
Your Editor
"Springhassprung" and Iamhitwitha Ihad alwaysthoughthernamewas Mah
renewed vervefor lifeand weeding. Killing SheeHorn,butIlearned that"Shee"isa
snailsonceagain isan obsession even while denotationthata womanismarried.The
churningoutanotherissueofAncestors West. "Mah"—thought tobe herfirst nameby Anglo
Iwarmlythank those of you whohave practice isactuallyhermaidensurname.
taken the time to write,callorintroduce Iam learningaboutdifferentdialectsas
yourself tome and tosayyou valuemy efforts well. Anightmare tosay the least. "Horn" is
with thequarterly. theTaiShan pronunciationof the surname,
Youare mostkind,andIgreatlyappreciate buttheCantonesepronunciationis 'Tan."
thatyou care enoughtocommendme. (And tothinkIthought twentydifferent
Though,likea first-time successfulnovelist, spellingsof"Newhart" was a dilemma.)
the pressureison tokeepup the qualityof Looking throughshipmanifests trying to
work. Argh. keep in mind themispronunciationsand
Ihavebeenable tomakeabitofheadway differentpronunciationsby list-makershas
onmy research on the Chinese lineofmy beennearlyoverwhelming.
family.Ihavefound mygrandmother'sreal Iwill trudgeonward and hopefully
nameon my grandfather'sdeathcertificate.(I toward enlightenment.
know—a basicstep,butInever got around toit LesleyNewhartFagan
until now.)
EARLYCALIFORNIAENGINEERS
ByDiane Bailey,FedcoReporter,July 1992.
BeaMcGrath, ourecstaticallyhappyex-editor,found this neatlytypedarticleunderhertypewriter. Shehasno
recollectionofhowlongithasbeen there. Ican'tjudgeherthough,forIoncecleanedoffapileonmydeskthat
strata-dated ataboutoneyearanddiscovered twoRevolutionary Warancestors.
It may be the oldestkitchensinkin waterways andany unused watercircu
California. OnSan NicolasIsland (oneofthe lated backto the foot ofthebluffand was
ChannelIslands offthe coast ofSouthern reabsorbed.
California), thereis an efficient, albeit tiny, The Nicolinos -so namedafterSpanish
aqueduct madeof two inch widegrooves - explorerSebastianVizcainodiscovered the
one 38feet long, the otherfive -thatbegin at island in1602and nameditSan Nicolas-
oppositeends ofasandstonebluffand arebelieved to haveinhabited the island for
converge into a waterwaybeforespilling as long as 9,000years. But theiringenious
overthe edgeof the shelf. Eight shorter piece ofengineering probably took only a
cracks feed the system,anda shallow, one matter ofdays tocarveinto the island'ssoft
and one-halffoot widecircularbasinacts as sandstone, even though they used simple
a sink. prehistoric tools. Archaeologistsagreeit is
Archeologistsbelieve the seriesofcracks an importantfind: no otherisland tribeis
was carved byan ancientIndian tribe to known to have used this system,and it
capture the island'sscantseveninches of suggestsa fairly sophisticated culture.
annual rainfall and providea constant Although nearly dry today, whendis
source ofwater. In addition, the aqueduct covered 30years ago, the waterway's collec
was constructed overan underground tion rate was aquart every 90seconds.
aquifer, so waterpercolated up into the —Continuedonpage63
Vol. 22,No.3,Spring1996 AncestorsWest 55
THE OLIVE AND GOLD
SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE
1909
Punctuation inconsistenciesexist.Majorerrorsthat LenaHaese, Mrs. John Diehl, Deceased
occurredinscanninghavebeenfixed,butIhavenot Mary Squier, Mrs. L.W. Lowes,Ventura, CA
botheredtonitpicktherest.Itislateintheday,I'mtired Class of1883
andyouaresmartenoughtofigure itout. EmmaChilds, Mrs. W. A. G. McKensie,
Oakland,CA
Submittedand partiallytranscribedbyBeaMcGrath Hobart Eels,Attorney-at-Law,San Francisco,
CA
EditorialStaff: G.E.Franklin,Rancher,Carpinteria, CA
EditorinChief Marion Hartwell Henry Lincoln,Cashier, FirstNational Bank,
Business Manager ElmerShirrell Santa Barbara
AssistantManager Ruth Hitchcock No Class 1884
Senior Editor Bertram Dunshee Class of1885
JuniorEditor Maud Huse ElmerBoeseke, Physician, Mayor, 1907-9,
Sophomore Editor Pauline Taylor Santa Barbara
Freshman Editor ElsieWilson EmileGoux, Ex-Auditor, Santa Barbara
School Notes Faith Merriman County, San Francisco,CA
Debating Editor AlanHails Class of1886
BoysAthletic Edna Leland, Mrs. George White, Santa
Director Walter Coffey Barbara
GirlsAthletic DozierLewis,Rancher, near Los Angeles,CA
Director RuthJenning AnnaStanwood, Mrs. Henry Lincoln, Santa
Exchange Editor Mary Leete Barbara
Josh Editor HerbertOrres Harry Sweetser, CountyTaxCollector, Santa
AssistantExchangeEditor Gladys Fitch
Barbara
Alumni Editor ClaraJones Class of1887
Artist Grace Dickover Laura Breslauer, Mrs. Louis Hertz, San
Critic Mrs. J. C.Byrd Francisco, CA
Daisy Campbell, Mrs. Charles Junkerman,
AlumniClass of1878 Milwaukee,WI
Mary Hails, Mrs. John Torrence, Santa Ynez, EdgarCampbell, President, Medical
CA Missionary,St. Lawrence Island offCoast
CoraLacy,Mrs.Alex Mills, Pasadena,CA ofAlaska
Mary Diehl, Mrs. FrankWilliams, Santa
No Classin1879 Barbara
Class of1880 KateHiggins, Mrs. W. A. Rowell,Teacherin
Clara Newcomb, Mrs. James Heath, Washington School, Santa Barbara
Carpinteria, CA EdHildreth,-
George Rust, Deceased Helen Knight, Mrs. HenryStambach, Santa
Class of1881 Barbara
LoraBates,Mrs.Henry Muzzell, SantaBar Chris Marie Noble, Santa Barbara
bara
Alex Eels, Attorney-at-Law,San Francisco, Thefollowing isscannedfrom theoriginal, soit
CA reads last namefirst:
Friend Lacy,Attorney-at-Law, Pasadena,CA Squier,Eugene W., Attorney-at-Law,Santa
WillShepard, Evangelist,LosAngeles,CA Barbara,Cal.
Class of1882 Triplett, Joseph, Rancher, Goleta,Cal.
Leta Boeseke, Mrs. H. S. Deimel, Deceased Watson, Emma, Mrs. FrankBrow,Tacoma,
OscarBoeseke,Manager, Enterprise
Wash.
Laundry,Santa Barbara
Class of1888.
Anna Faulding, Mrs. Charles Sherman, Brownsill, Mark, Deceased
Santa Barbara Brownsill, Minnie, Teacherin Public Schools
56 AncestorsWest Vol. 22,No. 3,Spring 1996
2614ChanningWay,Berkeley,Cal. ment workin Chicago, Goleta, Cal.
Daly, Nora, MrsEmmettOrd,deceased Packard,Harmon, In BottlingBusiness,
Eels,Mary,Mrs.R.B. Lamb,SantaBarbara, LosAngeles, Cal.
Trenwith,Walter,Deceased
Cal.
Hosmer,Anna,Mrs. Writson,Montecito, VanValkenburg, Alpheus
Cal. Class of 1891
Hunt, LorerE.,CivilEngineer, Brownsill,Edith,Physician,
Formerly ProfessorIn CivilEngineering GraduateUniversity ofCalifornia.Berke
atUniversityOfCalifornia,SanFran ley,Cal.
Colt,Samuel,Manager ofMines,Nevada
cisco, Cal.
Knight,Edwina,Mrs.CharlesH.Thompson, City,Cal.
LosAngeles, Cal. James, Annie, Mrs. W.R.Kearney, Santa
Lehner,Mamie V., CountySuperintendent Barbara,Cal.
ofSchools,SantaBarbara,Cal. Emerson,FredW.,MergenthalerLinotype
Leland,Gertrude,GraduateLosAngeles Operator,LosAngeles,Cal.
StateNormal,Kindergarten Teacher, Johnson, Abbie,Mrs.WilliamJ.Rutherford,
LosAngeles, Cal. Goleta, Cal.
Lemmon,Byron Meroux,Emma, Mrs. FrederickN. Gehl,
Nixon,Evangeline, Mrs. Oscar Hinsdale, SantaBarbara,Cal.
Gardiner, Oregon Reeves, Bessie,Teacher,Los Angeles, Cal.
Prye,Belle, Mrs.RobertOwen, Sanders, George, Attorney at-Law
GraduateUniversity Michigan Law
Montecito, Cal.
Pyle,Belle,Mrs.J.W. Ellsworth,Attending School,LosAngeles, Cal.
LosAngeles StateNormal, LosAngeles, Smith,J.Will,Attorney-at-Law
GraduateHastingsCollege ofLaw,
Cal.
Saunders, Carl, Lompoc, Cal. SantaBarbara,Cal.
Shepard,Blanche,Mrs.ByronSmith,Santa Squire,W. Charles,Editor,GraduateCollege
ofLaw.DawsonCity, N. J.
Barbara,Cal.
Smith,Alice,Mrs. Whitford, Corona,Cal. Stevens,Susie,In charge ofWholesale
Department,Curio Store,ElPaso,Texas
Classof1889
Bond,WillamH.,Inspector ofCustoms, Class of1892
Hosmer, Martha,Teacher, Montecito,Cal.
Boston,Mass.
Buckingham,Nellie,Mrs.FrankF. Flournoy, Kittredge,Maude,Mrs.AustinP. Nichols,
SantaBarbara,Cal. Haverhill, Mass.
Cronise, Charles, Optician, Santa Barbara, Kittredge, Maurice,OpticianwithCalifornia
OpticalCo.,317KearnySt.,SanFran
Cal.
Crowell, Emma,Mrs. Fred A.Stevens,San cisco, Cal.
Levy,Rachel, Mrs.JulesKauffman,
Francisco, Cal.
Laughlin, Clara,Mrs.LucienHiggins, SanJacinto, Cal.
Lillard, Jeremiah B.,GraduateStanfordUni
deceased
Ord,Allie, Mrs. R. N. Watson, Monterey, versity, InstructorInUniversity ofMis
souri,Columbia, Missouri.
Mexico.
Owen,Gertrude, Mrs. Pate,St. Louis, Mo. Metcalf,Frances, Mrs. A. P. Miner,
RiceArchie, Editor, GraduateStanford,Uni SanFrancisco,Cal.
versity.SanFrancisco,Cal. Thompson,Ida,GraduateLloydTraining
Selover, Dora, Mrs. Thomas George, School,Boston,Mass., Teacher ofSloyd.
WestRoxbury, Mass.
SantaBarbara,Cal.
Truslow Carrie,AssistantSupervisorofMu
Class of1890
sicinCitySchools.LosAngeles,Cal.
Boeseke,Bertram,Dentist, Santa Barbara,
Trussell,Mayme,Santa Barbara,Cal.
Cal.
Booth,HenleyC,Attorney, Santa Barbara, Classof1893
Agullar,Teresa,Deceased
Cal.
Bradley,Effie, Mrs. ArthurG.Balaam, Andreus, Leonora
Lompoc, Cal. Colt,Alice, Librarian,GraduateStanford
Campbell,Maud, FormerlyStudent at University.Stanford, Conn.
StanfordUniversity, Hull-Housesettle Cook, Ada, Mrs. L.J.Whited, Graduate Los
Vol.22,No. 3,Spring 1996 AncestorsWest 57
Angeles State NormalSchool,Santa Classof1895
Barbara,Cal. Boyer,Josephine, Mrs.John H. Krelther,
Freeman,J.J.,Druggist, LosAngeles,Cal. Pasadena,Cal.
Hutchinson, Mabel, Mrs. Ed. Porleus,Los Caldwell,Geneva,Mrs. George Bond
Angeles, Cal. SantaCruz,Cal.
Levy,Hortence,Santa Barbara,Cal. Clark,CarrieB., Mrs. Barrett,
Rainey,J.Edward,ReporterforExaminer GraduateLosAngelesStateNormal
GraduateUniversity ofCalifornia. School,LosAngeles, Cal.
SanFrancisco,Cal. Cook, MattieA., Mrs. A. T.Whiting
Thompson, Charles,Attorneyat-Law Pittsburg,Kansas
GraduateStanfordUniversity. Curran,Nina,Stenographer, NewYorkCity.
SanFrancisco,Cal. Crooks,Edna,SuperintendentHospital
VanValkenburg,Henry,Bookkeeper Riverside,Cal.
With O'Brien&Sons, CarriageManufac Ealand,Ida,SantaBarbara,Cal.
hirers.SanFrancisco,Cal. Gates, Ida, LosAngeles, Cal.
Classof1894 Gaylord,MamieA.,Mrs. Horace Rogers,
Bond, George, PrincipalofHighSchool- SantaBarbara, Cal.
GraduateUniversityofCalifornia. Johnson,MinnieL., Mrs. E.V.Lawten
SantaCruz,Cal. Tonopah, Nevada.
Brocklesby,May,Mrs. Grant Lesile,deceased Lehman, George Robert, Mining Engineer
Crookall,Arthur. PhysicianandSurgeon GraduateUniversity ofCalifornia.
GraduateCooperMedicalCollege,San Blackwarrior,Ariz.
Francisco,Cal. Seattle,Wash. Lillard, Ella,Mrs. Ella Coles,Los Angeles,
Cronise. A.J.,OpticianWith C.Cronise. Cal.
SantaBarbara,Cal. Loomis,Ina, Mrs. InnisJoiner
Crooks, NelsonP.,GraduateHahnemann Coalinga,Cal.
Medical College,SanFrancisco;Surgeon Lopez,GasparG.
on NipponMainof the ToyoKisen McDuffie,Duncan, RealEstateBusiness
KaishaSteamshipLine, plyingbetween GraduateUniversityOf Calfornia.
SanFranciscoand theOrient. SanFran Berkeley,Cal.
Cisco, Cal. Minassian. Hicke
Diehl, Gertrude, MrsRichard Lazier. Myers,Edith M.,Santa Barbara, Cal.
Lompoc, Cal. Park,James Russell,Journalist
Findlay,Paul, San Francisco,Cal. Denver,Col.
Hubbard, Ellen Patterson,Cora B., Mrs. Harding.
Leete, Harley M.,Journalist,Graduate Uni Berkeley,Cal.
versity ofCalifornia. San Francisco,Cal. Reed, FannieS., TeacherInSchools
Levy,Camille,GraduateUniversity ofCali GraduateLosAngelesStateNormal,
fornia, Latin Teacher In HighSchool. and University orCalifornia,Santa
SantaBarbara,Cal. Barbara,Cal.
Owen,Edna T., Mrs. J.S. Henton Richardson,EthelM.,Deceased
GraduateUniversity of California. Stringfleld,BerthaC, Deceased
IngrahamHotel, LosAngeles, Cal. Thurmond, Mary, Mrs. BenjaminBailard
Powers, Delia Carpinteria,Cal.
Pyle, Anna, Mrs. James Fimon, VanDen Burgh, John D.,GraduateUniver
LosAngeles, Cal. sity ofSouthernCalifornia. SantaBar
Squier, John J., Attorney-at-Law bara, Cal.
Graduate Hastings College ofLaw. Williams,Georgia, Graduate University of
SantaBarbara,Cal. California. Santa Barbara, Cal.
Thurmond, Gwin, Rancher,Saticoy,Cal.
Due to space constraints the surveyof
VanWinkle. Harris,With MissionBook
Store,Santa Barbara,Cal. the Classes of1896-1901will appear in
Wright, Fred,With Union IronWorks, San
the Summer issue.
Francisco, Cal.
58 Ancestors West Vol. 22,No.3,Spring 1996
TRICKS WITH TAX LISTS maleagesixteenoroverwas considered
"tithable" and wascounted for tax pur
ByCarmenJ.Finley poses.So,in 1804,Joseph,Saml, and Johnon
Originallyappeared inthe Sonoma County list "A" eachhaveonetithe, no slaves or
GenealogicalSociety's,TheSonoma Searcher,Vol. horses, and adifferingnumberof cattle.
23,No. 1September1995 When lists aredifferentiated, asislist"A"
andlist "B" shown here, theusualmeaning
is that thelists werecompiledbydifferent
Partoneofathree-part series ontheuseoftax individualsandhencewereseparated, to
lists. someextent, geographically.
Many readersmaybe unfamiliarwith tax 1804 ListA-JosephMcFARLING 1-0-0-2
lists,butduring the past five years,Ihave SamlMcFARLAND 1-0-0-1
found theman invaluablesource ofinforma John McFARLAND 1-0-0-4
tion. Itishopedthat this series of articles 1804 ListB-James McFARLEN 1-0-0-1
will encouragereaderstoinvestigate them ObadeahMcFARLEN 3-2-0-5
for materialdifficult to find elsewhere. 1805 ListA - ObediahMcFARLIN 2-0-0-1
Saml McFARLAND 1-0-0-2
Neverunderestimate the powerof atax 1805 ListB - ObediahMFARLAN 2-2-0-4
list!When we getinto that time period 1806 ListA - Obed McFARLAN 1-0-0-1
beforethere wereanycensus records (1790), Saml McFARLAND 1-1-0-1
taxlistsmay provideanother means of 1806 ListB - ObediahMcFARLING 3-0-0-6
lookingatand analyzing the householdsin 1807 ListA - Saml McFARLAN 2-0-0-0
agiven area. Even afterthe collectionof 1807 ListB - ObediahMcFARLAN 1-0-0-4
census data began, tax records may provide RalphMcFARLEN 1-0-0-0
valuable data. In somecases, tax lists have Obediah M FARLEN,Jr. 1-0-0-1
beenused as substitute census records 1808 notavailable
where originalcensus records have been 1809 ListB-Ralph McFARLEN 1-0-0-2
destroyed, asin Kentucky in 1790. ObediahMcFARLEN,Jr. 1-0-0-2
ObediahMcFARLEN, Sr. 1-0-0-6
In my research,Ihave found tax lists
helpful in (1) finding sons asthey come of Looking atthe firstcolumn of numbers,
age,(2) differentiating between two indi we notice that in 1804,Obadeah McFARLEN
viduals on thebasis ofage and tax exemp "had threewhitemales tithables in his house
tion status, and (3)separating the house hold.The next year,Obediah MFARLEN, on
list B.had only two white male tithablesbut
holds ofthreeindividuals ofthe same name
based on theirlocation on thelist with asecondObediah McFARLIN appearedon
respect to their neighbors. listA forthe first time. It is easy to distin
guishbetween the two Obediahs bylooking
Finding Sons AsThey Come of Age at theirnumberofslaves,horses, and cattle.
The olderObediah stillhas two slaves, while
Inresearchingmy McFARLING line,I the younger Obediah hasno slaves.The
had workedmywayback to Ralph olderObediah's numberofcattlehas
dropped from five to fourand the younger
McFARLAND who was found in 1830 in
SomersetTownship, BelmontCounty, Ohio. Obediah has justone. Perhaps fathergave a
Ihad biographical information that said cow to his son when heset up his own
Ralph had been born inShenandoah household.Why the youngerObediah has
County,Virginia. Question:Who was two tithable persons is not immediately
Ralph's father? apparent. Could a youngerbrotherhave
gonewith him, ordid a friend orother
Shenandoah's personal property tax relative combine forcesto set up an indepen
records forthe period 1804to 1809follows. dent household?
During this time period inVirginia, the
amount oftaxes a person paid was based on In 1806, the youngerObed McFARLAN
the numberoftithes, slaves, horses, and was the only memberof his household over
cattle associated with the household. Any sixteen, while the olderObediah onceagain
Vol. 22,No.3,Spring 1996 AncestorsWest 59
disappearance ofRalph fromShenandoah
had threewhitemales oversixteen. Wecan
thinkofatleast two possibleexplanations Countyin 1820and his appearance in
for this.Perhapsa brotherwho had gone BelmontCounty,Ohio that year.Obediah
withObediah the yearbeforehadmoved Jr.'sdisappearancefrom Shenandoah
backhome. Perhaps theseniorObediahhad Countyin 1830andhis appearance that
anothersonreachsixteenyears ofage. same year in MuskingumCounty, Ohio,
nearRalph, serves to addconfidencethatwe
In 1807,theolderObediahwas the only havecorrectlyidentified the relationships
oneoversixteeninhis household,buta new hypothesized.
nameemergedon the list—that ofRalph
McFARLEN. Ifhe is thesonofObediahand Coming in theSummer1996issue, Part2—
justcame ofage his birthyear wouldbe Differentiatingbetweentwo individualsbyage
about1791.The Ralph found in Belmont usingtaxlists.
Countyin 1830was in the age range forty to
fifty. Bingo!Not proof, butgood circumstan
tial evidence.
YOU'RE ANADDICTED GENEALOGIST
The tax informationfor these yearsalso Submittedby PatriciaPaniccia
raises some questions. Between 1805and
VenturaCo.GenealogicalSociety,March1996
1806 theseniorObediahlosttwo slavesand
Saml McFARLANDgained one slave. Is
*Whenyoubrakefor libraries.
Samuelalso a partofthis family anddid he
*Youget locked overnightin the libraryand
get one ofObediah'sslaves? Whathap
neverevennotice.
pened tothe otherslave?In1807,Obediah,
*When you hyperventilateat the sightofa
Sr.was the only white male, as wereRalph
cemetery.
andObediah,Jr.in their respective house
*Whenyou'd ratherbrowse througha
holds. Wearemissing oneof the family
members. Answers to thesequestionsare cemetery than in a shoppingmall.
notapparent for tax list information,butwe *When you thinkeveryhome should havea
will want to keep them in mind as we microfilm reader.
accumulate otherinformationabout the *When you'd ratherread censusschedules
McFARLINGs. thana good book.
*When you knowevery town clerkin the
In 1809,we again find Obediah,Sr.,
stateby theirfirst name.
Obediah,Jr.,and Ralph McFARLEN.All
*Iftownclerks lockthedoors when theysee
threewerefound in the1810censusof
you coming.
ShenandoahCountyon pages 163,
*Whenyou'remoreinterested in what
165and 171respectively. By1820,Ralph was
happened in 1696thanin 1996.
missing from the Shenandoah list, but that
was the yearhe was first found in Belmont *When you storeyourclothes under the bed
County. By1830,there wereno Obediahson becauseyourclosetis stacked withnote
thelist,but there wasanObediah found in books &journals.
PerryTownship, Muskingum County,Ohio, *WhenSavage,Torrey,&Popeare house
not far from BelmontCounty where Ralph hold namesbutyoucan't remember the
was living. dog's name.
*When you can pinpoint villages on an
This does not reallyprove thatObediah,
English map butcan'tfind Topeka, Kansas
Jr.andRalph aresons of Obediah,Sr.,butit
on a U.S.map.
certainly givesus a strongworking hypoth
*When all yourlettersbegin, "Dear
esis. It is important tolookat tax lists overa
periodofyears, both before and after the Cousin."
*When you've traced everyone ofyour
time period where theperson(s) ofinterest
appears. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, ancestral linesback toAdam & Eve, haveit
a person ismissed, or moves away and then fully documented,and still don't want to
moves back. It is equally important to relate
<luiL You AreHooked!
this information to otherdata, such as the
60 AncestorsWest Vol. 22,No. 3,Spring 1996
assistedby DeputySheriffBULKLEY.The
THE GREAT MAIL thiefwasa clerkinthePost-Officeinthis
ROBBERY OF 1855 city,and wasarrestedin the streetas he
was goingtohisbreakfast.He was thrown
By Theodore intoconsternation,he turnedas paleas
ashes, and madean effortto throwaway
Denniston
themoneyonhisperson,whichwas
prevented,andhe wasconveyed to the jail
While browsing through the NewYork andsearched.
TimesIndex*for theDennistonname,I found The nameof the wretchedyoung
the following handwritten entry: manisTHEODOREF. DENNISTON.He
isbetween25and30yearsofage and
unmarried.Hisbrother,PERRY
"Denniston,TheodoreF.arrestedasa mail
DENNISTON,wasarrested for thesame
robberat Chicago1186etc."
crimein Marchlast,and is nowatliberty
onbail for$3,500.TheDENNISTONSare
Overcomewithcuriosity,sincemy name understood tobe nephewsofPostmaster
is alsoTheodoreDenniston,I decided to COOK, and ifthis is thecase theiroppor
lookat the " 1186etc." reference. Itled to tunitytocommitthesedepredationsupon
two microfilmed editions ofthe NewYork the publicisdue to the relationship.Their
Daily Timesin the University ofCalifornia, fatherlivesin NewJersey,and the sons
SantaBarbara librarynewspapercollection. uponasalaryof fiveorsixhundred
dollarsayear,have the creditofhaving
The first wasdatedJuly 2,1855. The
purchased and paid fora farm forhim
Dennistonnewsitemappears on the front
within the lastyearortwo.
page: On arrestingDENNISTON, the
officers went to his boardinghouseand
Arrestofa Post-Office Clerk. searched his room.The searchwasnearly
Chicago,Saturday,June30. concluded withoutfindingany trace ofhis
Thespecial MailAgent, Mr. crimes,whenofficerPinkertondecided to
PINKERTON,thismorningarrested searchminutelyand took the pictures
THEODOREP. [sic] DENNISTON,a Clerk down from the walls.On removing the
in the Post-Officehere, for robbing the backsofseveral,bankbillsto theamount
mails.Fourthousand dollarsinbanknotes of$3,798werefound concealed,mostof
werefound in his room. Itis the general whichwereoflargedenomination.The
beliefthat$10,000to$15,000havebeen moneywasdistributed as follows: Behind
lostfrom themailsin thismanner.The apictureofthe VirginMaryand Immacu
brotherofDENNISTONwasarrested in late Conception,$1,503;The Highland
April last for the sameoffence. Lovers,$900;TheIndianWarrior,$1,000;a
DENNISTONis nowin jail. framed Daguerreotypeof his mother,
$300.Inhisdeskwas$135,whichwith
In the July 7,1855 edition, prominently thatfound on his personmakesnearly
displayed on the front pagealongsidea four thousand dollarsrecovered.
speechby Dr.OliverWendell Holmes W.J. BROWN,GeneralAgentof the
Post-Office Department,wasin the city
(father ofthe jurist), is the story ofthe
and visited DENNISTONin the Jail.Upon
robbery taken verbatim from the Chicago
beingtoldoftherecoveryofthemoneyhe
Press ofJuly 2:
voluntarilyconfessed hiscrimes. He says
he had no accomplice,and thathe never
Astounding Post-Office Robbery— imparted hissecret toany one that hedid
TheThiefSecured— not commencestealinglettersuntil after
FourThousand Dollars Recovered. thearrestofhisbrother, whosedutiesin
Themostimportantarrestin the theofficewerethe sameashisown,andof
annalsofPost-Office depredationsever courseeachhad thesameopportunities.
broughttolightin this countrywasmade Theywere "pilers," that is,theyarranged
in thiscity onSaturdaymorninglastby all theletters fordistribution,and had a
ALLANPINKERTON,Special MailAgent, goodopportunity tojudgeofthenatureof
theircontents. Hestates thathehas
burned all theletters, thatheneverlooked
*TheNewYorkTimesINDEX,September1851-Decem toseewho they were for,or from,and
ber1862.Printed forthe NewYorkTimesCompanyby cannotfurnish anyaid in restoring the
R.R.BowkerCompany.NewYork&London.
Vol.22,No.3,Spring1996 Ancestors West 61
moneytoits rightowners. The greater
partofitwastakeninsmallsums,al InFebruary 1861, justbeforetheoutbreakof
thoughonelettergavehimthreehundred theCivilWar, AlanPinkerton found evi
dollars. Hehasbeeninthehabitof denceofaplottoassassinatePresident-elect
exchangingthemoney atthebanks,
AbrahamLincolnandrescheduled his train
principallyfor Eastern funds, andbillsof
topassthroughBaltimoreearlyinthe
largedenomination. Aftertakingthefirst
morningwithoutstopping toavoid apos
package,allfear andcompunctionof
sibleassassinationattempt.Also in that year
consciencewasgone,andinalittlewhile
Pinkertonorganizedasystemof obtaining
itbecame impossible forhimto passa
militaryinformation fromthe Southern
moneypackagethrough hishandswith
states which eventuallyevolved into the
out purloiningit.Hesaysheneverknew
whattheloveofmoneywas beforeand he Federalsecretservice.The Dennistonbroth
hasgiven full freedom tohis desiressince ers outlived the famous detective, who died
themeansofgratifyingthem wassoeasily in1884.
obtained.
TheUnited StatesCourtsmeetsto Although the crime ofmydistant-cousin
day,and asthecasewill goimmediately mail thievesbroughtdisgrace to the
beforethe Grand Jury,no publicinvestiga Dennistonname,it wasasteppingstone to
tion will take placeuntilthe trial.Itisnot success forAlanPinkerton. My search for
likely thatanybailcanbeobtained this
respectableancestors (andcousins)contin
time tocheat the endsofjustice.
The public will feelacertaindegree ues.
ofcommiseration for DENNISTONand
those towhomheisintimatelyrelated,
butthatwill not repressasensationof Early California Engineers-corn.//wnpage55.
reliefand gratificationthat the villainy is
atanend, forthe complaintsagainst this Archaeologistscanonlyspeculateon how
office havebeenoflong standing.To many people the aqueductsupplied -any
ALLANPINKERTONisdueall thecredit where from a family to asmallsettlement-
ofthedetection.Wecannotattemptto butit was fairlyimmune to drought, and
enterinto thedetail ofthe surveillance probablyprovided avaluablesourceof
upon thisman DENNISTON. Mail
water,rather than simply aconveniencein
depredations arethe most difficult to
ferret out,and themeansofdetection used collection.
for theotherDENNISTONwouldnot
Drought and areliablewatersupply
answer for thisone.
ForthreeweeksMr. PINKERTON were constant problems forNicolinos.
hasscarcelyseenrepose,in thedevotion Althoughtheyhadn'tdeveloped pottery,
with whichhe has followed upthe they did weavebottles outof grasses,and
criminal.Complaintaftercomplaint coated the insides withasphalt to make
poured into theDepartment, andcallafter
Them watertight. More than 500archaeo
callcame from the Departmentto
logicalsites on the tinyisland have turned
PINKERTON to redoublehis vigilance,
up thousands ofartifacts -suggestingan
untilbodyandbrainwerenearlyex
advanced,although fairly isolated,
hausted.Asadetective policeofficer,Mr.
fishingbased culture.
PINKERTONhas no superior, and we
doubtifhe has anyequalsin this country.
Thereisdangerofexpectingtoomuchof Still,aclearpictureof the Nicolinos is
his peculiartalentand force,forwe lacking.Scientists don't know, forinstance,
suppose thereis [sic] some impossibilities whether the Nicolinos wererelated to the
in detectionofvillainy, even forhim.— otherislandcultures. Because theU.S. Navy
Chicago Press,July 2
hascontrolled theisland since 1946, there
hasbeenlittle research onthe culture. Plans
Theodore and Perry eventually got outof
areunderwayhowever, tobuild an interpre
jailand becamelaw-abiding members of
tive center on the islands aswell as to study
society. They settled in NewYork State—an
existing finds, excavate newsites and solve
appropriatedistance from Chicago—and
the mysteries ofthe Nicolinos.
wereliving inYates county in 1900each
with his own family.
62 AncestorsWest Vol22,No.3,Spring 1996