Homesteaders in Rural Blue Earth County: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Rural”

 

Brewster and Lavina Dane’s Long Lives in Rural Medo Township

Brewster Dane: 1830-1913 (Maternal 2^nd Great-Granduncle)
Lavina Fitch Dane: 1843-1927 (Maternal 2^nd Great-Granduncle’s Wife)

 

I ran across a lovely 1908 news article about the 50^th Wedding Anniversary celebration for Brewster and Lavina Dane, and realized their lives were the perfect illustration of the 52 Ancestors prompt “Rural”. Their lives were spent in rural areas in New York, Wisconsin, and finally in Minnesota where they homesteaded in 1863. They built good lives there and raised seven children to adulthood—children who cared for them enough to return home from far away for that anniversary celebration.

Brewster Dane was my second-great-grandfather Jerome Dane’s younger brother. He was born April 29, 1830 in Genessee County, New York to parents David Dane and Sally Randall Dane. He was the seventh of their nine children. His father died when he was only five years old. At some point, his mother and most of the children moved west to Wisconsin.

Lavina Fitch was born was born January 24, 1842 (or 1843 according to her headstone) to parents John and Gertrude Fitch. Like the Dane family, the Fitches lived in New York and moved to Wisconsin in the 1840s. She met Brewster Dane there, and they married on January 14, 1858 in Columbia, Wisconsin. Brewster was 27 years old, while Lavina was either 14 or 15 depending on which year was her actual birth year. I first suspected a shotgun wedding, but their first child was born over two years later. Her older sister also married at age fifteen, so perhaps her young age didn’t seem inappropriate at that time and place.

According to the 50^th anniversary article, Brewster and Lavina “came to Minnesota in 1863, bringing one child with them.  They spent one year in Northfield where another child was born.  In 1864 they moved to their claim in Blue Earth County where they lived for forty years and there the five other children were born.  In 1904 they moved to Janesville to spend the remainder of their lives.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Dane are in perfect health and we hope will continue for many years to come."

I located the record of Brewster’s homestead claim on 160 acres in Medo Township, Blue Earth County. The paperwork was filed at the St. Peter, Minnesota land office on August 5, 1869. They proved up their claim and got title to the acreage. Their farm site appears on the map below:

Lavina’s obituary noted that, “The early residence of the family in the pioneer settlement [in Medo Township] naturally carried with it the many hardships and privations that only the pioneers know, but she was always a devoted mother and raised her family of seven children and gave to them every advantage possible.”

The couple celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary in 1908, with all seven of their adult children present. That’s a remarkable success ratio considering the time period and the “hardships and privations” of homestead life referred to in her obituary. It is also a tribute to the bond with their children, as son John travelled from Alberta, Canada, son Herbert from Salt Lake City, Utah, daughter Caroline from North Dakota, and daughter Cora all the way from Camaguay, Cuba! Traveling such distances during the winter in 1908 required great time, money and sacrifice.

Here’s part of the newspaper article about the Golden Wedding day:

“The house was beautifully decorated with bride's roses, smilax and a variety of golden flowers.  A very quiet but enjoyable day was spent.  Dinner was served at two o'clock.  Mr. Dane's brother Salma and his wife were seated at the table with the family and Mrs. John Dane, Mrs. Herbert Dane, and Mrs. Ben Dane served, assisted by Mrs. Horton Potter and Miss Golda Dane the only granddaughters present.

“Mr. Dane was quite overcome with joy when he looked down on the table and saw his family seated as of old, with not a face missing from the number.  After the blessing had been said Mr. Dane made an appropriate and touching little speech and then placed a wedding ring upon the finger of the bride of fifty years.  Mr. and Mrs. Dane were very kindly remembered by their children and numerous friends, especially the W.C.T.U. and the W.R.C.  Congratulations poured in from all sides both by wire and letter.”

It sounds as if the couple still cared about each other—I like his placing a wedding ring on her finger during the dinner.

The most interesting information came from Lavina’s obituary, and explained the references to remembrances from the W.C.T.U. and the W.R.C.

“Mrs. Dane was closely identified with the first temperance movement that got under way in this section and was one of the organizers of the Carrie Knox chapter of the W.C.T.U. in 1885.  She was chosen as the first president and continued to hold that office for 19 years until she took up residence in Janesville.  She was also president of the district organization of the W.C.T.U. for several years and was recognized as a leader of rare ability and a woman whose well directed efforts resulted in brilliant work by the association.”

So she was a teetotaller! I wonder what led her to the Temperance Movement—was Brewster a heavy drinker in their early years of marriage? Or her father, perhaps, who died while she was still in her teens and whose son, John B. Dane, is named for his grandfather, John B. Fitch? Or had she just seen other friends or relatives succumb to alcoholism? I am not sure why she was connected to the W.R.C., which was the female support group for the G.A.R., the Grand Army of the Republic group for Civil War veterans. I have found no records suggesting that Brewster served in the war, although his brothers Jerome and Moses served.

The obituary noted that she had been an invalid for some years, but “retained her faculties to a remarkable extent” and that she was well known in the area. I bet she was a pistol! Probably kept old Brewster well in line!

Brewster Dane died September 17, 1913 in Rochester, Minnesota, and was buried in the Janesville, Minnesota cemetery.

Lavina lived another fourteen years after his death; not surprising since she was thirteen years younger than Brewster. She died January 3, 1927 at age eighty-three. She was buried next to Brewster.

Brewster and Lavina Dane are evidence of the amazing strength and persistence of the pioneers who settled in rural Minnesota and claimed homesteads. While their lives were filled with work and family responsibilities, they still found time to make connections with their neighbors, build friendships and join service groups. They made their rural lives rich ones.

Sources:

Headstone Photos by Cindy Karels on Findagrave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42915763/brewster-dane

"Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary Celebrated on Tuesday the Fourteenth in Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Dane of This Place.” Janesville Argus. Janesville, Minnesota. Jan. 22, 1908.

“Mrs. Lavina Dane Dies Here Monday.” Janesville Argus. Janesville, Minnesota. Jan. 6, 1927.

Obituary of Brewster Dane. Waseca Herald. Waseca, Minnesota. Sept. 25, 1913.

 

Two Fires on Our Farm: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Fire”

 

Lantern Fire and Chimney Fire: Peterson Family Stories

Paul Peterson: 1867-1941 (Paternal grandfather)

 

As a child, I heard stories about two fires at our farm. The fires occurred about thirty years apart in different buildings, one in the chickenhouse, and one in our farmhouse. Thankfully, neither caused significant damage.

The date of the first fire is very uncertain, and the details of the incident are unclear. All I remember hearing is that my grandfather, Paul Peterson, had an accident with a kerosene lantern in the chicken house. I’m guessing he dropped it or kicked it over, and the kerosene exploded into flames. Apparently, the fire did little damage to the chicken house, which still survives. However, as I remember the story, it had an adverse effect on Paul’s health, leading my father to drop out of school to take over the farm. I think Paul’s lungs may have been damaged by smoke and fumes, leaving him weaker and less active than he had been, and more prone to severe illness if he caught a disease that affected the lungs. If the incident truly occurred around the year my father left school, that would have been after eighth grade when my dad was about fourteen, so around 1931.

The chicken house on the farm in 1970, with my brother and dog Bitsy

The second fire occurred during my early childhood, when I was about three years old, so probably around 1962. Our house had an oil-burning furnace with a brick chimney that rose through the center of the house two stories to the roof. The chimney apparently clogged up, and there was a chimney fire. Fortunately, the fire started during daylight hours, and it was still late fall so there wasn’t snow on the ground when my mom had to flee outside with me. The local volunteer fire department arrived quickly and was able to extinguish the fire without serious damage to the house or chimney. I expect we had to have the chimney swept before the furnace could be used again, but I don’t remember those details.

Peterson farm house in the 1950s, chimney visible.

I was told that I was very excited by the fire and the arrival of the big red firetruck with its wailing siren. I apparently was fascinated with the firemen and their gear and watched them closely. When my Aunt Mabel Peterson walked down the road from her house to see what was going on, I ran up to her, yelling delightedly, “Mabel! Mabel! Our house all burned down!” She responded calmly, as I always remember her reacting, and said, “Oh dear! I certainly hope not!” Thankfully, I was exaggerating a bit!

Late fall shot of our farm house in 1970

These family stories made me aware of how simple farm accidents can have serious consequences. The stories also made me grateful for the kindness and courage of rural volunteer firefighters, who would drop what they were doing when the siren went off, and would run to help their neighbors. God bless them all!

Sources:

Family stories. 1970 photos taken by me. 

Farm Progress Leads to Loss of Lakes: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Water”

The Lost Lakes of Lake Hanska and Linden Townships

Ragnhild Syverson: 1848-1933 (Paternal Great-grandmother)
Ole Syverson: 1875-1933 (Paternal Granduncle)
Peter Peterson: 1815-1880 (Paternal Great-grandfather)
Paul Peterson: 1867-1941 (Paternal Grandfather)
 

While looking at old plat maps of my hometown area to find my ancestors’ farms, I noticed that the maps contained lakes I had never heard about before this. After talking to my brother, who still farms our grandfather’s land, and after looking at current maps, I realized that these lakes no longer exist. The advent of agricultural drainage tile and the construction of regional drainage ditches led to many of Minnesota’s famed 10,000 lakes drying up and being converted to farmland.

I examined plat maps for Lake Hanska Township and Linden Township in Brown County Minnesota from five different time points: 1886, 1905, 1914, 1943 and 1953. The changes in the lakes over that sixty-plus- year span are obvious. My ancestors and their neighbors helped to kill Lake Emerson, Lake Dane and Broome Lake. The remaining lakes, Lake Linden, Lake Omsrud and Lake Hanska, show their acreage shrinking over the decades.

When my great-grandparents Ragnhild and Ove Syverson and Peter and Anna Peterson Joramo arrived and claimed homesteads in Linden and Lake Hanska Townships in the 1880s, the area was fairly flat, with vast expanses of prairie grasses alternating with wet and marshy areas. In addition to the lakes and marshes, some land featured vernal pools—areas with standing water during the spring melt and the rainy season. Needing water for their animals, fields and their own use, immigrants often moved close to the lakes and wet areas to access reliable water supplies. They began plowing up the prairie land to grow crops.

The maps below show the plats of Lake Hanska and Linden townships in 1886. My great-grandparents had just arrived in the area and had acquired their homesteads. Their land lay between Linden Lake and Lake Emerson in south Linden Township. Between the two lakes the map shows half a dozen small ponds or prairie potholes—evidence that the area was very low in elevation and very wet.  

Lake Hanska Township 1886

Linden Township 1886

The Lake Hanska 1905 map shows only a few small changes. Broome Lake is shrinking; an entire lower segment has transitioned from lake to marsh. This map is more detailed than the 1886 one and shows marshland all around Broome Lake. Despite this, the map shows settlers have claimed the marshland as part of their farm homesteads.

1905 Lake Hanska Township. Lower map shows marshes.

The 1905 Linden map shows that the small potholes/ponds between Linden Lake and Emerson Lake are gone, and the land is being farmed. This is the era when the use of field tile became popular. The area must have been tiled, draining the water away to Linden and Emerson Lakes or to small streams.

1905 Linden Township

The 1914 maps show more radical changes. The Lake Hanska map no longer shows Broome Lake or its surrounding marshes and sloughs. Instead, the area is criss-crossed by County Ditches, each numbered. These ditches provided waterways to carry away water removed from fields by tiling. The former lakebed and the sloughs are now part of various farms.

1914 Lake Hanska Township, with drainage ditches marked in red.

The 1914 Linden map no longer shows depth markers for Emerson and Dane Lakes—they are drying up. Even more telling, the small lake to the left of Linden Lake is now listed as a “dry lake bed”.

Jumping ahead to 1943, it is easy to see how advances in farming have radically changed the surface water in the two townships.

The 1943 Lake Hanska map has no remaining evidence that Broome Lake ever existed. Only farms remain. Omsrud’s shore is a little tighter, as is the southern tip of Lake Hanska. Farms are pressing up to the lakeshores.

1943 Lake Hanska Township Plat Map

The 1943 Linden map shows dramatic change. Both Dane Lake and Emerson Lake have disappeared, and the lakebeds have been sliced into pie-shaped farm properties. It appears that a long drainage ditch has been built (the zig-zaggy line that stretches across the map, marked by the red arrows) to drain water from the former Dane Lake to empty into what had been marked as a dry lakebed on the 1914 map. The tiny lake has reappeared with depth lines showing that it is a fairly deep body of water.

1943 Linden Township Plat Map showing loss of Emerson and Dane Lakes and extensive drainage ditches.

By 1953, the surface water has shrunken a bit more. On the Lake Hanska Township map, I have highlighted some of the drainage ditches that appear on the map. Surface water has been diverted through tiling and ditches to drain into Lake Hanska and Lake Omsrud. Interestingly, some small ponds or marshes have appeared between the two lakes, marked with red arrows. The lakes themselves are a bit smaller than they were.

1953 Lake Hanska Plat Map, showing marshy areas (red arrows) and drainage ditches in yellow. 

The 1953 Linden map shows extensive drainage ditches as well as areas of marshy ground, some highlighted by blue arrows. The surface water has been channeled to the lowest areas to make remaining land more arable.

1953 Linden Township plat map, with some of the drainage ditches in yellow, and some of the marshes indicated by blue arrows.

Today’s aerial photo of the two townships shows even less surface water. Tiling has become even more effective, turning marshy areas into productive fields.

2025 Aerial View of the Lake Hanska and Linden Township areas. 

While the changes in surface water in Lake Hanska and Linden Townships certainly benefitted farmers, providing them with better farming conditions, it substantially changed the environment as well. The extensive marshlands that existed before settlers arrived, and that helped recharge the groundwater system, are now gone. Only a few lakes remain to hold surface water. This change destroyed valuable wildlife habitat as well as negatively impacting the groundwater system. My great-grandparents were part of a vast transformation of the landscape and ecosystem of southern Minnesota.  

 

Sources:

1916 Plat Map of Brown County Minnesota. https://geo.lib.umn.edu/plat_books/stateofmn1916/reference/map00850a.jpg

Historic Map Works Residential Genealogy. Brown County Minnesota Maps from 1886, 1905, 1914, 1943 and 1953. https://historicmapworks.com/Browse/Maps/

Bickford Garrison Survives Attack Through Trickery: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Earliest Ancestor”

 

Thomas Bickford Convinces Attackers that Multiple Men Inhabited His Garrison

Temperence Hull: 1625-1697 (Maternal 7^th Great-Grandaunt)
Thomas Bickford: 1660-1706 (Maternal First Cousin 8x Removed)
 

Some of my earliest ancestors to arrive in colonial America were the Hull family, including my 7^th Great-Grandaunt, Temperence Hull. She married John Bickford, and they settled in the Oyster River area of what became New Hampshire, and had several children. One of those children, Thomas Bickford, has a claim to fame as a survivor of a 1694 attack on the colonial settlement of Oyster River by members of the Abenaki tribe. The incident came to be known as the Oyster River Massacre. I have already written one post about other ancestors whose home was attacked during the raid.

Thomas Bickford was the oldest son of John and Temperence Bickford, and had taken over the family home on Durham Point in Oyster River. The building had been fortified to serve as a garrison house to protect settlers from attack. Thomas married a woman named Brigit (or Bridget) Furber in 1677. They had several children, four of whom were named in his 1705 will. Three of those children would have already been born by the time of the 1694 attack.

1600s map of Oyster River area. The Bickford Garrison was on a bluff overlooking the rivermouth.

All that is known about Thomas’ actions on July 17, 1694 come from an account written by Cotton Mather in his journal. He provided few details of the massacre other than the story about Thomas’ clever ruse that led to the survival of his house and property. Mather wrote in his Magnalia Christi Americana:

“Several persons remarkably escaped this bloody deluge, but none with more bravery than one Thomas Bickford, who had an house, a little pallisadoed, by the river side, but no man in it besides himself. He dexterously put his wife and mother and children aboard a canoe, and , seinding them down the river, he alone betook himself to the defence of his house, against Indians that made an assault upon him. They first would hav persuaded him with manyfiar pomises, and then terrified hm with as many fierce threatenings, to yield himself; but he flouted and fired at them, daring ‘em to come if they durst. His main stratagem was to change his livery as frequently as he could; appearing sometimes in one coat, sometimes in another, sometimes in an hat and sometimes in a cap; which caused his besiegers to mistake this one for many defendants. In fine, the pitiful wretches, despairing to beat him out of his house, e’en left him in int.; whereas many that opened unto them upon their solemn engagements of giving them life and good quarter, wee barbarously butchered by them.”

It is hard to believe that the attackers were taken in by Thomas’ desperate ruse. He must have been quite convincing and quite speedy. His wife, his elderly mother, and his children all successfully escaped by boat, and the Bickford garrison house survived when many of the surrounding homes were burned.

Archeology dig diagram of likely footprint of the Bickford garrison house.

Thomas only lived another decade after the Oyster River attack. He died in 1706, leaving his property to four children and his wife. His son John took over the garrison house after his father’s death. The garrison was eventually torn down, but archeological digs in 2008-2010 uncovered the building’s foundation and unearthed various artifacts including pottery and glassware fragments.

Photo of the garrison house foundation stones uncovered by the archeological dig in 2008.

A descendant of the Bickford family had also erected a historical marker along Durham Point Road at Langley Road in Durham, New Hampshire. The marker was still standing in 2016 when this photo was taken, but it is unclear if it remains.

Bickford Garrison Historic Marker on Durham Road at Langley Rd.

Cotton Mather’s record of Thomas Bickford’s actions that saved his garrison house is probably the earliest story about any of my ancestors. While Thomas was a very, very distant ancestor, I loved learning about him and his garrison house. It helps me understand the difficulties my ancestors faced in colonial America.

Sources:

New Hampshire, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982. Vol. 31, paged 297-298. Will of John Bickford with complaint by son-in-law against Thomas Bickford. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8996/records/1020001?tid=46986934&pid=322185144223&hid=1039063673246&_phsrc=Acy28097&_phstart=default&usePUBJs=true

“The Oyster River Massacre” The History of the Town of Durham. pg_89-103.

Magnalia Christi Americana. Cotton Mather. Pg 6-7.

“’The Great Massacre of 1694’: Understanding the Destruction of Oyster River Plantation”. Brown, Craig J. Historical New Hampshire. Vol. 53, n. 3-4, pgs. 69-89. Bickford item on pgs. 83-84.

Hard By The Water's Edge: A Preliminary Report of the Darby Field - Bickford Garrison (27-ST-71) Excavations. Brown, Craig J., Greenly, Mark; Sablock, Peter. https://www.academia.edu/28173770/Hard_By_The_Waters_Edge_A_Preliminary_Report_of_the_Darby_Field_Bickford_Garrison_27_ST_71_Excavations

“Summer archaeological dig a 'huge success'”. Jason Howe. Foster’s Daily Democrat. July 21, 2008.

 

Victims of a Massacre in 1694: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Historic Event”

 

The Drew Family and the Oyster River Massacre

Lydia Bickford Drew: 1650-1694 (Maternal First Cousin 8x Removed)
Benjamin Drew: 1685-1694 (Maternal Second Cousin 7x Removed)
Thomas Drew: 1673-1766 1694 (Maternal Second Cousin 7x Removed)

 

I have several ancestors with connections to the Oyster River Plantation, a 17^th century collection of homes and garrisons that lay along the Oyster River in what is now New Hampshire but was then the  frontier of the Massachusetts colony. A series of broken treaties and land grabs by settlers had left native tribes angry and frustrated. On July 17, 1694, Oyster River was attacked by a large group of indigenous warriors egged on by a Frenchman named Villieu, who had orders from Quebec to provoke hostilities. This historic event came to be known as the Oyster River Massacre.

1670 map of Oyster River

About 250 Abenaki men, accompanied by men from the Maliseet tribe, attacked at dawn. The Abenaki overran three garrisons, burned over half the homes in the area, destroyed crops and killed livestock. Around one hundred colonists were killed, including many women and children, comprising nearly one-third of the population of Oyster River. In addition, 27 more colonists were taken prisoner. The survivors were left in serious straits, with minimal shelter, food and livestock to support themselves.

One of the garrisons attacked that July morning was the home of the Francis Drew family. Francis Drew had arrived in the colonies in 1648. He married my first cousin 8x removed, Lydia Bickford, who was the granddaughter of my tenth-great-grandfather Joseph Hull and the daughter of my ninth-great-aunt Temperence Hull. Francis and Lydia had several children, including sons Thomas, John and Benjamin, and daughters Elizabeth and Mary.

The Drew house had been built by Francis’ father, William Drew. It was fortified to serve as a garrison. Following William’s death in 1669, Francis was the head of the household. By 1694, some of Francis’ children were grown. Son Thomas had married and he and wife Tamsen were also living in the household.

New Hampshire houses built in the same period as the Drew garrison

On the date of the attack, Francis Drew apparently heard gunshots and suspected an attack, so he left the garrison house and tried to reach help. He was captured and was promised that he and his family would live if he surrendered the garrison house. He surrendered the garrison, but was killed anyway.

Lydia Bickford Drew and her youngest son Benjamin, along with son Thomas and his wife Tamsen, were all taken prisoner and carried off. Benjamin, who was only nine years old, was forced to run a gauntlet as his captors hacked at him with clubs and axes. He died of his injuries. Lydia became weak from starvation and was abandoned by her captors in the woods where she died.

According to some accounts, son John apparently escaped out of one of the windows of the garrison and survived, only to be killed about ten years later in another Abenaki attack. It is unclear from the written accounts of the massacre where daughters Mary and Elizabeth were that July day. There is no record that they were taken captive, and Mary is mentioned in her father’s probate records so perhaps she was living with her uncle. Mary and Elizabeth seem to have both survived to adulthood and married, although there is some confusion over whether they are actually separate people or one single woman. I hypothesize that they were visiting friends or relatives and escaped the massacre.

Probate records showing Francis' brother John was named administrator

Francis Drew’s brother John was made executor of Francis’ estate in November of 1694. In 1696, the probate court transferred the role of executor to son Thomas, who had been released from captivity and returned to Oyster River. He reunited with his wife Tamsen who had been held captive in a separate location. According to some sources, the Drew garrison house was burned, so Thomas and Tamsen probably had to rebuild their home along with their lives.

Son Thomas Drew named administrator, with notation he had been in captivity, and further down mention of his sister Mary Drew.

The Oyster River Massacre was an important historic event in the early history of what became the state of New Hampshire. It was the result of complicated and contentious relationships between the French and the English settlers in colonial America, and the indigenous people who were being lied to and cheated out of their lands. Sadly, the Oyster River Massacre is now controversial. The use of the word “massacre” to describe the event has become a source of contention. A historic marker that had been erected in Durham decades ago was removed last year. Native people in the region felt the marker told only part of the story, and failed to explain the position of the 17^th century Abenaki people. Despite committees working to develop alternate language for a replacement that was respectful to all parties, the marker apparently will never be re-erected.

Historical Marker that was removed in 2024.

I hope this event, which so greatly impacted my ancestors, is not forgotten as a result. We need to remember that the arrival of colonists in the Americas may be something we like to celebrate, but it was devastating for the indigenous people living here. Remembering and understanding the ugly parts of America’s past is necessary to build a better future.

 

Sources:

https://www.nhhistory.org/object/712853/the-great-massacre-of-1694-understanding-the-destruction-of-the-oyster-river-plantation---craig

Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, Vol. 1. New Hampshire Wills. 1694. Estate of Francis Drew. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7089/images/7089-Volume1-0444?pId=444

History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire : (Oyster River Plantation) with Genealogical Notes. Stackpole, Everett Schermerhorn; Thompson, Lucien; Meserve, Winthrop Smith. 1913. https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofd02stac/page/136/mode/2up

The Colonial Garrisons of New Hampshire. Published by the New Hampshire Society of Colonial Dames of America. Pg. 23. https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/historic_district/heritage_commission/page/17701/colonial_garrisons.pdf

https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/nh.html

Darby Field’s Peak Adventure: 52 Ancestors 2023 Prompt “The Great Outdoors”

 

Mountaineering in 1642: Darby Field and Native Americans Climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire

Darby Field: 1610-1650.  (Maternal Tenth Great-Grandfather)

 

When we think of mountain climbers, we tend to think about modern mountaineering with top-of-the line, high-tech gear, or we think about Edmund Hillary becoming the first man, along with his guide Tenzing Norgay, to scale Mount Everest in 1953. However, mountains have called to the adventurous long before the twentieth century. I discovered that my tenth-great-grandfather, Darby Field, was a seventeenth century mountaineer, scaling Mount Washington in New Hampshire in 1642! He was the first European immigrant to make the ascent, using the most primitive of equipment and with the help of at least two indigenous men.

Mount Washington in New Hampshire's White Mountains

Darby Field was likely born in 1610 in the Boston Borough, Lincolnshire, England. While some colonists claimed he was an Irishman, it appears his parents were English, tentatively identified as John Amyas Field and Elen Hutchinson Field who were married in Boston, England on August 18, 1609.

Darby Field seems to have arrived in the Massachusetts Colony at some point in the mid-1630s. He signed the Exeter Compact in 1639, although he did not remain in Exeter. He was involved in several land transactions around that time. According to Wikipedia, “he settled in Durham, New Hampshire, by 1638, where he ran a ferry from what is now called Durham Point to the town of Newington, across Little Bay. He was known as an Indian translator.” This area was then called the Oyster River Plantation.

1639 Exeter Compact with Darby Field's signature second from top in middle column

Field married a woman named Agnes Roberts before or around 1631, and they had at least five children, including my ancestor, Mary Field. The other children included sons Joseph and Zachariah Field, and daughters Elizabeth and Sarah Field.

Field’s Indian language skills served him well in his most famous adventure. In 1642, at the age of 32 or 33, he set out to climb a New Hampshire mountain now called Mount Washington. At 6,288 feet, it’s the highest peak in the northeastern United States.

With the help of two Native American men, he reached the summit. Natives had told the colonists that the mountain’s peak had glittering crystals and shiny stones. Field seemed to have hoped the stones were diamonds, so his adventure probably had a financial motive.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop wrote about Darby Field’s feat in his journal in 1642:

"One Darby Field, an Irishman, living about Piscataquack, being accompanied with two Indians, went to the top of the white hill. He made his journey in 18 days. His relation at his return was, that it was about one hundred miles from Saco, that after 40 miles travel, he did, for the most part, ascend; and within 12 miles of the top was neither tree nor grass, but low savins [shrubs], which they went upon the top of sometimes, but a continual ascent upon rocks, on a ridge between two valleys filled with snow, out of which came two branches of Saco river, which met at the foot of the hill where was an Indian town of some 200 people. Some of them accompanied him within 8 miles of the top, but durst go no further, telling him that no Indian ever dared to go higher, and that he would die if he went. So they staid there till his return, and his two Indians took courage by his example and went with him. They went divers times through the thick clouds for a good space, and within 4 miles of the top, they had no clouds but very cold. By the way among the rocks, there were two ponds, one a blackish water, and the other reddish [the Lakes of the Clouds]. The top of all was plain about 60 feet square. On the north side was such a precipice [the Great Gulf], as they could scarcely discern to the bottom. They had neither cloud nor wind on the top, and moderate heat. All the country about him seemed a level, except here and there a hill rising above the rest, and far beneath them. He saw to the north, a great water which he judged to be 100 miles broad, but could see no land beyond it."

Unfortunately, the crystals and shiny stones the natives had mentioned turned out to be quartz and sheets of mica, also called Muscovy glass, so Field’s excursion did not leave him wealthy.

Vintage Postcard of Mt. Washington taken from Darby Field, an open area named for him. 

Following his exploration of the White Mountains, Darby Field continued to live in the Oyster River area. He received a license to sell wine in 1644, presumably turning part of his dwelling house at Durham Point into a tavern. Field sold this house to John Bickford in 1645, and the house was later fortified into a garrison house, probably in the 1680s.

Map showing likely location of Darby Smith's house and tavern

Darby Field and his family were still living in the Oyster River settlement until at least 1649. Valentine Hill, another of my ancestors, sold a property in 1649, and the transaction record notes that Darby Field was dwelling on the property. Tragically, not long after that sale, Field seems to have suffered some sort of mental illness, which left him “disordered”. The community of Strawberry Bank was made responsible for his care and support by the colonial court in 1649 or 1650. He died around 1650, and his estate was probated in 1651. Field was only about forty years old at the time of his death.

Darby Field’s amazing accomplishment in the great outdoors has been recognized on a historical marker along New Hampshire Route 16. In addition, Mount Field in the Willey Range of the White Mountains is named in his honor.

Mount Field in the Willey Range, named to honor Darby Field

Several other place names in the Durham area also feature the Field name. The location of his former home along Durham Point has been excavated by a team of archeologists and volunteers. They unearthed some of the foundation stones from the house, along with a variety of seventeenth century artifacts, probably from the period when the Bickford family owned the house.

 

Sources:

The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire 1623-1660. Charles Henry Pope. Boston Mass. 1908. Pg. 67-68.

The Ancestry of J. G. Williams and Ursula Miller by Jim Schneider and Holly Rubin. Lulu Press. 2013. Pgs. 144-46. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hgu1BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=darby+field

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darby_Field

Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. John Field marriage in 1609. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.)

Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/rd/21070/38/1426611978

“Hard by the Water’s Edge: A Preliminary Report of the Darby Field Homestead-Bickford Garrison (27-ST-71 Excavations.” Brown, Craig J.; Greenly, Mark; Lunt, Richard W., and Sablock, Peter. The New Hampshire Archeologist. Vol. 54, 2014, Number 1, pages 14-38. https://www.academia.edu/28173770/Hard_By_The_Waters_Edge_A_Preliminary_Report_of_the_Darby_Field_Bickford_Garrison_27_ST_71_Excavations

Mount Field photo from Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Field_%28New_Hampshire%29#/media/File:Mtfieldprofile.jpg

 

From Basketball Fan to Owner: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “FAN Club”

 

Discovered the Former Co-Owner of the LA Sparks Team is My Cousin

Carla Jean Cristofferson: 1967-Now. (Paternal Second Cousin 2x Removed)

 

I’m not exactly following the real intent of this particular 52 Weeks, 52 Ancestors prompt. FAN Club refers to using Friends, Associates and Neighbors – F,A, and N—to help track ancestors and learn about their lives. I was having trouble coming up with an interesting example of using the method. So instead, I decided to write about a cousin who was part of a more traditional type of fan club—people who support a performer, or in this case a sports team.

While cleaning up errors in my family tree with the help of Ancestry’s Tree Checker program, I briefly researched a more distant cousin, the great-great grandchild of my grand-uncle Jacob Joramo. Carla Jean Cristofferson was born in Tolna, North Dakota, to parents Jerry Elwood Christofferson and Edna Gleason. She played basketball as a young woman in high school and junior college. In addition, she competed in beauty pageants, winning the title of Miss North Dakota USA in 1989, which qualified her to compete in the Miss USA competition.

She graduated from the University of North Dakota and the Yale Law School, becoming a lawyer and partner with the Los Angeles office of the O’Melveny & Myers firm. She still loved basketball, and she  became a season-ticket holder of the LA Sparks, a WNBA team. Carla became friends with another fan, Kathy Goodman, and in 2006 they put together an investment group and bought the team from previous owner Jerry Buss. They were among the first women owners of a professional sports team.

LA Sparks game. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Carla was part-owner of the team for eight years until Magic Johnson and Mark Walter bought the Sparks in 2014. She is now the managing partner at O’Melveny & Myers, and is still a fan of the WNBA.

It was fun discovering that a relative—distant, but still related!—had been a part owner of a women’s basketball franchise. She has built an amazing career in the law and in the sports world.

Sources:

“New Breed of Tycoon Brings Order to the Court”. Karen Crouse. New York Times. April 11, 2008. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/11/sports/basketball/11sparks.html

“UND student captures state pageant title.” The Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. Jan. 12, 1989.

Interview. Yale Law Women+. https://ylw.yale.edu/carla-christofferson/

Photo of LA Sparks game. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Los_angeles_Sparks_vs_Chicago_Sky,_July_14,_2022_(26).JPG