James Corbin: 52 Ancestors Prompt "Soldier"

James Corbin: 1702-1759

A Soldier’s Brutal Death

            James Corbin is my 6^th great-grandfather, the father of my 5^th great-grandmother Sarah Corbin. She married Nathaniel Mills, who were the parents of one of the Dane family wives. James was born February 24, 1702 in Woodstock, Connecticutt to parents James Corbin and Hannah Eastman Corbin. He came from a large family and had five brothers and three sisters.

On June 19, 1728, he married Susannah Bacon. He was 26 years old, and she was two years older. The couple had a daughter, Abigail, who was born in 1729, and another daughter Susannah who was born in 1731. By that time, the couple no longer seemed to be living in Woodstock; the baptism records show the minister baptized the girls in “Kickamochoag” which seems to be a corruption of the Native American name for the river Coginchaug, near the town of Durham.

            By 1732, the family had moved to Massachusetts, settling in the town of Dudley in Worcester County.  There are no records explaining the move, or indicating James’ profession. Presumably he was a farmer. The couple went on to have eight more children; my fifth great-grandmother was the fifth child, born in 1739.  

            At some point, James became a soldier for the British in the French and Indian War. The Massachusetts colony raised a large number of troops for the effort. The war used both militia men, who were unpaid volunteers, and provincial troops, who were paid by the colonial government for a specific amount of service time, usually a single campaign season. As Wikipedia notes, “Offering money induced propertyless men to enlist.” The Wikipedia article also noted that while other colonies tended to send only the very young, unmarried men. the Massachusetts troops came from a broader swathe of the population.

            The war officially began in 1756. James was not the typical enlistee, since he had land, ten children, and was far from young—he was well into his fifties. He must have been desperate for the colonial government salary, which may have included an enlistment bonus.

            I have found no records regarding his service in the war—the battles he participated in, his date of enlistment, his commanding officer, etc. However, in 1758 or 1759, he returned to his home in Dudley. According to Rev. Harvey M Lawson, author of History and Genealogy of the Descendants of Clement Corbin of Muddy River (Brooklin) Mass. And Woodstock Conn.,

“He came home, claiming that his term of service was up, stoutly resisted arrest, was tied to his horse and taken to Springfield, Mass., where he died from rough handling in 1758.  His widow and son James were appointed administrators on his estate, appraised at £497 14s. 6d.”

            From other sources I have read, the soldiers were very aware of the length of their term of service. Warfare in those days was difficult and dangerous. Food was scarce, shelter limited, and illness was rampant. Men looked forward to the end of their service and would, like poor James, be eager to return home. I suspect the British treatment of James—basically treating him as a deserter—was meant to set an example to other soldiers that it was still up to the British officers to determine when your service was complete—you couldn’t just head home when you knew your time was up.

British military discipline was extremely brutal. One colonial officer’s account of his service describes his horror at witnessing a flogging—two men given 500 lashes apiece. While the men remained alive at the end of the flogging, the officer believed they would soon die as the skin on their backs hung in strips and infection would have set in.

I can only imagine James’ family’s horror when the British arrested him. They must have been terrified as he was tied to his horse and led away. Learning that he had died at his jailors’ hands would have been devastating. I suspect the family was forced to retrieve the body. I wonder what that benign phrase “rough handling” actually comprised. Was James flogged with a whip, or was he beaten with fists or weapons? His body was buried at the Dudley Cemetery. He shares a headstone with his wife Susannah, who lived until 1794 when she was 94 years old.

            I am surprised that his estate was valued at 497 pounds—that would indicate he wasn’t destitute. Perhaps that value was mostly in land and buildings, and that money for daily existence was lacking, motivating his enlistment.

            At the time of his death, my 5^th great-grandmother was 19 years old. His other children ranged in age from five to thirty. His two oldest sons, James, age 24, and Ephraim, age 20, seem to have taken over the farm and the support of the family.

            James Corbin’s tragic death shows that 18^th century soldiers faced hazards and perils far beyond the obvious risks of injury and death in battle.  

Source: History and Genealogy of the Desecendants of Clement Corbin of Muddy River (Brooklin), Mass. and Woodstock, Conn Compiled by Rev. Harvey M Lawson, PH.B, B.D.

Daniel Poor: 52 Ancestors Prompt "Poor Man"

Daniel Poor: 1624-1689

The prompt for this week was “Poor Man”.  I wanted to write about one of my distant ancestors who died in the county poor house, but I couldn’t remember which branch of my family he was in or what his name was, so I needed to take a different approach. I turned to the literal: one of my 8^th Great-grandfathers was Daniel Poor—a truly “Poor” man!

Daniel Poor was born around 1623 or 1624 in Wiltshire, England and emigrated to the colonies in 1638 at age 14. He traveled on the ship Bevis from Southhampton, and was listed on the ship’s register as “Dayell Poor, 14, servant”. He married my 8^th Great Grandmother Mary Farnum in Boston on October 20, 1650, and their marriage was one of the first recorded in Essex County Massachusetts. They settled in Andover, Massachusetts, home of Francis Dane, another one of my 8^th great-grandfathers.

Daniel’s occupation in area records was listed as “husbandman”, which was the 17^th century term for farmer. He seems to have been successful, and was obviously well respected in the community, as he served multiple roles in the governance of Andover. He was appointed surveyor in 1673, and served on the Andover Board of Selectmen in 1674, 1675, 1677, 1683, 1684, 1686 and 1687, and as the Grandjuryman in 1681.

By the time of his death in 1689, he had amassed a substantial estate, including hundreds of acres of land, herds of cattle, sheep, swine and horses, and a long list of household items. The will was filed with an inventory listing the value of his holdings and property—the total valuation was over 756 pounds, a large sum for that era. The herds of animals alone were valued at over 61 pounds.

Daniel allowed a garrison house to be built on one of his outlying properties—this was a fortified house that used to protect the community from Indian attacks. An example of a garrison house is pictured below. 

The other photo shows the Benjamin Abbott house, an old Andover house built in 1685 near the time of Daniel’s death, providing an idea of what Daniel’s house might have looked like.

Daniel's will divided his property between his widow and his eleven surviving children—two sons and nine daughters, a large number of children to reach adulthood in that era! My direct ancestor Hannah Poor Dane had already received her portion, apparently at her marriage, so she received nothing at his death. My other direct ancestor, daughter Priscilla Poor Mooar, fared better. The will states: “I give to my daughter Priscilla my meadow on the west side of Shawshin River commonly called the Pond Meadow.” According to the inventory, the meadow land on the west side was worth 40 pounds.

Despite Daniel’s wealth, he apparently was not completely literate—probably not surprising since he was working as a servant at age 14 when he emigrated. His will was signed with “his mark”, shakily drawn initials “D” and “P”.

There is no record of his burial site. Presumably he was laid to rest in the older of Andover’s two burial grounds, but we cannot be sure. Despite Daniel’s surname, he was rich in family and property. His descendants still lived in the area in 1830, when the map below was drawn.

Hoffman Sister Photos: 52 Ancestors Prompt "Trick or Treat"

A Real Treat: Tricky Photos of the Hoffman Girls
Nora Hoffman Macbeth: 1899-1994

                My brother and I were looking through family photos from our maternal grandmother’s family, the children of William and Lena Funk Hoffman. We were surprised at the number of goofy photos featuring our grandmother. Grandma Nora Hoffman Macbeth never seemed the type of person to have clowned around as a young woman. We tended to imagine her working hard during the daytime, and spending evenings sewing and reading serious literature. So ridiculous!

                So for my Trick or Treat prompt, I’m featuring two photos that show my grandmother’s funny side. In the first photo, she and her eldest sister Grace are clowning around with a huge two-person saw, miming being lumberjacks. They probably had used the saw or at least tried to at some point, but in this shot it looks like they were just posing for laughs. The tree they are pretending to saw looks far too healthy and shade-providing to be the target for removal.

                The second photo is even sillier. Nora is perched on a fallen tree (not the one in the first photo, mind you!) with three of her siblings: her brother Elmer at the left, then Nora, then younger sisters Jennie and Edna on the right. Both Elmer and Jennie are sporting fake mustaches. Elmer has a crazy cap on and is pretending to smoke a pipe. Jennie is dressed entirely in men’s clothes, right down to a suit and tie and a spiffy hat.

                Why the costumes? The snow on the ground ensures it was long after Halloween. Amateur theatrics? Just family horseplay? Sadly, Grandma Nora is no longer around to answer the questions we have about the photo, but it certainly provoked some chuckles.

                Tricks and some treats for Grandma’s descendants! I’m sure she’d be pleased to know she can still surprise us!

Lena Funk Hoffman and Billy: 52 Ancestors Prompt "Transportation"

Billy: The Original "Horsepower"

            Looking back through family photos, I am struck by how rapidly means of transportation changed. In the span of a single century, people transitioned from the original “horse power”—a horse pulling a wagon or carriage—to the roaring horsepower of high-performance engines. Most of the photos feature men with horse teams or at the wheel of cars—Model Ts, Model A’s and then the growing variety of cars, trucks and tractors. So when I found a photo of my great-grandmother, Lena Funk Hoffman, holding the reins of a carriage, I was reminded that transportation wasn’t just the province of my male ancestors.

                Lena Hellena Funk was born in Blue Earth County Minnesota on February 12, 1869 to parents Charles Funk and Catherina Grentz. Lena had three half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage, and two full siblings.

                Lena married my great-grandfather William Henry Hoffman on January 31, 1889 at age nineteen. William took over Lena’s father’s farm just outside Mankato, and they had six daughters and one son, including my grandmother Nora Hoffman.

                Lena was obviously an active partner on the farm, so would have been comfortable around horses. I am sure she could harness the horses, hook up wagons and carriages, and handle farm equipment. From my grandmother’s stories, the whole family loved their horses—they were more than just a means of transportation.

                By the time gas-powered cars and tractors came along, Lena was quite elderly. She probably never learned how to drive a car, but even in her later years, she was still getting around by horse and buggy. This charming photo was labeled by my grandmother Nora, and read “Ma and Billy”.  I am guessing that the photo was taken between 1915 and 1921, based on Lena’s appearance and clothing. The family had huge draft horses to pull the farm equipment, but Billy was a smaller horse used for lighter work.

I love that the family horses all had human names like “Billy” (Mom talked about Joe and Daisy as well). I also love how comfortable Lena looks with the reins in her hands. While she may have been limited to vehicles powered by a mere one or two horsepower during her lifetime, Lena was a competent, confident traveler.

Oscar Peterson, Juhl Peterson and Jacob Joramo: 52 Ancestors Prompt “Adventure”

Driving Uncle Jacob: Oscar and Juhl’s Mankato Adventure

            My father, Juhl Peterson, liked to tell my brother stories about his life while they were out in the soybean fields pulling weeds—it made a boring chore more interesting. My brother has shared some of the stories with me, including a funny one about my dad’s Uncle Jacob Joramo.


            Jacob married Jorgine “Stina” Lee when he was just 22 years old. By the time he was 34, he was a widower with four sons. Without a wife to keep him in line, he was known to drink and gamble and generally run a bit wild, at least in comparison to his more serious younger brother Paul Peterson, Juhl’s father. 


            Sometime in the late 1920s, my uncle Oscar Peterson, Paul’s second oldest son, got his first car. My father was only 11 or 12 at the time, and was very excited when Oscar invited him to ride along on a road trip to Mankato, Minnesota, about thirty miles from their farm near Hanska. This would be the furthest Oscar had driven his new Model A, so he was as excited as Juhl.

     Juhl and Oscar with his new Model A in front of Paul Peterson's original house


            Somehow, their Uncle Jacob found out about the trip. He turned up at the Peterson farm, and persuaded Oscar to let him ride along as well. The boys liked their uncle, who could be a lot of fun, so they were pleased to have him. The trip to Mankato was uneventful. When they arrived in town, Jacob took off, telling his nephews he’d be back in a couple hours. Oscar had some errands to run, and he and Juhl took care of them, returning to the car with their purchases at the appointed meeting time.

            To Oscar’s frustration, there was no sign of Jacob. Oscar and Juhl waited and waited, growing increasingly impatient. Suddenly, there was a shout. They turned to see Uncle Jacob running pell-mell down an alley, yelling at Oscar to “Start the car! Start the car!” Oscar and Juhl could see a mob of men following, yelling angrily at Jacob. 


            The Model A had a hand crank—I can imagine Oscar’s panic as he raced to crank the crankcase and start up the engine. I watched a You-Tube video on how to crank-start a Model A, and it is not a speedy operation! First you have to put the car in neutral gear, “retard the spark” (don’t ask me what that means!), advance the throttle, and turn the key. Then you start cranking. It often takes several cranks to get the engine to catch. I’m sure doing it under pressure was nerve-wracking!


            Oscar somehow managed to get the car running by the time Jacob reached them. Juhl climbed into the back so Jacob could throw himself into the front seat as Oscar hit the gas. Juhl recalled Jacob whooping in delight as he watched his pursuers disappear in a cloud of dust. 

                                  Jacob Joramo and oldest son Carl--approx. age 23


            Jacob refused to tell Oscar and Juhl what he’d done to upset all those men. Juhl assumed he’d either said something stupid while drinking, setting off a bar fight, or he’d cheated at cards. The details didn’t matter to Oscar, who was fuming. Oscar made sure to never, ever give his uncle a ride again. The trip to Mankato proved to be more of an adventure than Oscar wanted or expected!

Peterson vs. Joramo: 52 Ancesotors Prompt "Context"

The Surname Battle: Peterson vs. Joramo

Paul Peterson (1867-1942) and Jacob Joramo (1864-1934)

            My grandfather Paul Peterson emigrated from Norway with his parents and three siblings in 1870 when he was just three years old. Paul and his descendants used the surname “Peterson.” However, his brother and neighbor, Jacob, used the surname “Joramo”. Jacob’s descendants all say our side of the family uses the “wrong” surname, but our side insists they are the ones in the wrong. I could never understand how this conflict arose. How could two brothers end up with different surnames? Once I started researching Norwegian immigrants and surnames, I discovered the reason for the confusion and conflict. 

An article on a Norwegian immigrant history site explained it quite succinctly: “In Norway prior to the 1860s families did not use fixed surnames. They used a patronymic pattern in which children were named after their father. Hence, John Andersen = John, the son of Anders. And Mari Andersdatter = Mari, the daughter of Anders. Anders himself would be named Anders Olafsen = Anders, the son of Olaf. The full family unit could include Anders Olafsen (father), Mette Evensdatter (mother), John Andersen (son) and Mari Andersdatter (daughter). Mette Evensdatter will not have a name corresponding to her husband.” 

The author goes on to explain, “This system definitely gets confusing when you encounter names as common as Ole Olsen or Nils Hansen, so they often used their farm names to clarify their identity when conducting official business or traveling. In church records, for example, they would typically append the farm name to the patronymic name to be more precise, for example “Anders Olafsen Sandness” (or “Anders Olafsen på (from) Sandness” if Anders merely worked at Sandness). It’s very important to keep in mind that when a farm name is used, it is the farm at which they currently reside, rather than the farm at which they were born. The use of farm names is very helpful to keep in mind when looking at old records, since Norway only gradually adopted fixed surnames from the mid-1800s until they were required in 1923.”

This explains my family’s dual names. “Peterson” was the patronymic: Paul and Jacob’s father was Peder Pederson or Peter Peterson, depending on the record. He used the surname “Peterson/Pederson” fairly consistently. After his death in 1880, only ten years after the family arrived in Minnesota, the rest of the family swung back and forth between “Peterson” and what must have been the name of the farm where they lived in Norway, “Joramo”.  

                                      Jacob Joramo with wife Stina and son Carl about 1890

The 1875 state census listed the family as Peterson. The 1885 state census lists mother “Anna Joramoe” living with sons Jacob and Paul “Joramoe”. The 1895 census shows Paul Peterson and wife, plus Paul’s mother Anna Peterson, all living next door to Jacob Joramo and his wife. Paul and Jacob’s sister listed her maiden name on at least one record as “Marit Peterson Joramo”, so she split the difference, combining the patronymic with the farm name. Their other sister Julia gave her maiden name as “Peterson”. 

                           Paul Peterson and wife Regina Severson, 1892

My father said that his father Paul felt that Jacob was being disrespectful of their father, Peter, by choosing to adopt Joramo as a surname. I suspect Jacob felt Paul lacked respect for the land they left behind in Norway. Jacob was three years older than Paul, so probably had fond memories of the farm where he was born and the family they left behind in Norway, so place was more important to Jacob’s sense of identity. 

Jacob’s 1934 obituary lists his name as “Jacob Peterson Joramo”, so in the end, Jacob honored both the patronymic and the farm names. 

          Paul Peterson and his four Joramo nephews: Sam, Carl, Joe and Olaf, about 1940

Understanding the context of Norwegian surname variations helped me respect Jacob’s decision, However, I am glad my grandfather Paul chose the surname Peterson.  I am proud to have Peterson as my maiden name, and to honor the great-grandfather who died long before I was born. 

Quotes from “Understanding Norwegian Naming Patterns” by Eric https://norwegianridge.com/2011/07/10/understanding-norwegian-naming-patterns/

Peterson Farms: 52 Ancestors Prompt “Harvest”

Harvest Time in the Early Twentieth Century on the Paul and Oscar Peterson Farms

             Farming has changed so much over the last century. My brother grows some of the same crops as his father and grandfather did on the same land outside Hanska, Minnesota, but the equipment he uses to harvest it is amazingly different.

My grandfather needed to hire crews of threshers to harvest his wheat crops, as small farmers couldn’t afford to buy big threshing machines themselves, and didn’t have the large number of workers needed to run them. 

            The photo below shows a threshing crew. Most of the men would have been part of a traveling crew who moved from farm to farm over huge swathes of the Midwest, but probably a couple are my uncles, possibly Oscar or Phillip Peterson, or their cousins the Joramos. It was an exciting but busy time when the threshing crews arrived. Everyone enjoyed the company—extended family members joined the hired crews. The women were cooking non-stop to provide huge pot-luck meals to feed all the workers. Children were put to work at small tasks and caring for the animals while the men were in the fields for long hours. 

            Early corn harvests required a corn picker machine, which removed the cobs from the stalks. The cobs then needed to be fed through a “sheller” which removed the kernals from the cob. When the first combines were developed—machines that could simultaneously pick the cobs and shell them, spewing the shelled corn from a chute into a wagon, with the stalks, leaves and cobs expelled from the back of the machine—it was a great time saver.

            Here is a photo of my Aunt Thelma Peterson with my cousin Elaine Peterson, Thelma’s niece. The men behind them are shelling corn, and are my father, Juhl Peterson, and one of his cousins, either Loren or Junen Kyllo. They are working at Juhl’s brother Oscar’s farm, located just down the road from Juhl and Paul’s property.

            Below is a photo of my grandfather Paul with another man who may be his son Oscar, sitting next to a sheller. I believe they are at Paul’s farm. The original photo was very small—only 2x3 inches—and it was impossible to identify the people. I was delighted to discover my grandfather, in his old age, in the photo when I blew up the scanned photo. 

            Current combine harvesters are more expensive than many homes, starting at over $400,000. I wonder what my grandfather Paul Peterson would have said about that! Farming has become an expensive and complicated business, and I admire my brother’s commitment to it. Finding photos of my Peterson ancestors at work on their farms reminds me that Kent’s commitment was shared by my father, grandfather and great-grandfather—a century of hard work and sacrifice that I honor.