Saturday, October 25, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
bios of Joel and Elizabeth (Smith) Jervis, Long Island, New York
Joel JERVIS/JARVIS was the first child born to Joseph Ireland JERVIS/JARVIS and his wife, Phebe CARLL. He was born on the 24th of October 1790, which happened to be his father’s 26th birthday. Sadly, his mother passed away 13 days later. His father, Joseph, remarried when Joel was 3 ½ to Elizabeth HENDRICKSON. Joseph and Elizabeth were the parents of 9 children. (According to some articles about Elizabeth’s 100th birthday, Joel had 7 half-siblings; however, these articles also say the John B. Jervis, for whom Port Jervis, New York is named, was a half-brother, but that is wrong as John was a 1st cousin twice removed.)
By the time Joseph became a father and then a widow, his mother and mother-in-law had already passed away. Perhaps one of his or Phebe’s siblings took care of his son until he remarried…and I’m just guessing that Joel was raised with his half-siblings.
Joel was born in what was probably Copiague, Suffolk, New York since there was a 37.5 acre Jarvis tract of land on Great Neck Road in Copiague that had been owned by the Jarvis family since 1698 (which stayed in the family until 1926).1
The only other thing I know about Joel before his marriage was that around the age of 22 he “enlisted and drilled for the war of 1812, but never was called into active service.”2
At the age of 25 and on the 29th of November 1815, Joel married Elizabeth SMITH, the only child of Henry Clark SMITH and his wife Jemima TERRY. Elizabeth was also missing a parent as her father had died when she was 10 ½. Her mother remarried to Matthew EDWARDS, who was a widower of Jemima’s double first cousin. Matthew and his first wife, Elizabeth MORRIS, had had several children together. Since I have not yet found the marriage date of Jemima and Matthew, I do not know if Jemima and Matthew had any children together and/or if Elizabeth was raised with step-siblings, or if Elizabeth herself was already married when her mother remarried.
Joel and Elizabeth had eight children together (see below) and Joel passed away on 3 November 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York. He had just reached his 73rd birthday. His widow lived another 31 years.
Joel:
Various newspaper articles have this to say about Joel and his years serving his community:
He was a constable for a number of years when he became the Justice of the Peace for the south side of town [Huntington which included the Babylon town area3] when Samuel Strong got too old to hold that position any longer.4 “Justice of the Peace [was] a position at that time of great importance, as lawyers were few, and the squire usually acted as lawyer and arbitrator…”2 “…Joel being at one and the same time himself a town trustee, justice of the peace, town constable, and Commissioner of Schools.”5 In the end, Joel was an officer of Amityville for about 40 years.6
As Justice of the Peace, he performed marriages and recorded them in a book called Book of marriages solemnized by me, Joel Jarvis, justice of the peace, 1828-1858. The book can be found on a microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (or can be ordered and sent to a local Family History Center): FHL US/CAN Film 17927 Item 1.
And about his personality, while hunting for his obituary (which I still haven’t found), I was able to find an article written about him more than 20 years after his death.4 The article reveals this about Joel’s characteristics and skills:
He had a pleasant way of doing business and his business was always acted with proper decorum. His decisions (as Justice of the Peace, I suppose) were “always about right--not too severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway.” He used a long quill and home-made books, but his handwriting was “quite peculiar” and apparently hard to decipher. He was known as an honest, conscientious man.
He wasn’t all business, however. He had an “exuberance of spirit.” He was a gifted story-teller and was known for telling jokes and being witty. He was an acrobat--he would go to the top of a barn and stand on his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air. He had the skill of a legerdemainist (legerdemain: “skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks”). He also could blow a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room.
Two cases of his that we know about--when a young Walt Whitman came before him as defendant in an assault and when a thief came before him in court and called God as a witness to come down and declare his innocence--will be found in the newspaper articles about Joel.
Elizabeth:
Since Elizabeth lived to be 100th, there were many articles written about her birthday celebration and then her death six months later. This is what we learn about her from the many articles:
Her disposition was sunny (“as sunny as that of most women at 50”).7 She was know for her “luxuriant tresses,” which trait was passed on to her descendants.8 “Mrs. Jervis is still a handsome old lady. Her form is straight, and her hair abundant and there is always a trace of color in her cheeks.”9
She never experienced any kind of illness throughout her long life.8 She “followed the old custom of taking a little wine when she felt like it”2 plus she always ate lean meat having discarded the fat, and she always drank strong green tea. Her long life was “due to the inheritance of a good constitution, and her careful, temperate living, helped by a calm, contented disposition.”9
She was born in 1794 when George Washington was the President and she considered him the best president, though “of modern Presidents her ideas were Jackson and Cleveland in that order.”9 She was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to talk politics.10 When she died in 1895, the United States was on its 24th president, President Grover Cleveland, who was in his second term as President, so she had lived during the first 24 presidencies of the US.
Till she was about 98, she regularly read six weekly papers and was “a great reader.”2 Besides reading, she also knitted and sewed.11 (which I guess isn’t really surprising)
Depending on which article is being looked at, she was born in Brooklyn, Sayville, or Blue Point. It was often mentioned that her father, Henry Clark Smith was from Sayville. One article also mentioned that her maternal grandfather, Jeremiah TERRY, was from Sayville, as well. Sayville and Blue Point are only 3 ½ miles apart. I doubt she was born in Brooklyn. [I need to order her death certificate!]
A problem with the articles on her deals with her ancestry. Her father was Henry Clark SMITH, and depending on the newspaper, Henry was a son or a grandson of Colonel William Smith, governor of Tangiers. We know Henry wasn’t a son. It is possible that he was a grandson as there are a few descendants whose whereabouts where unknown. I do not know who the parents of Henry Clark SMITH are.
Is my Henry, who is supposed to be a direct descendant of Col. William "Tangiers" Smith from the missing branch named below:
“Next in order of Col. Henry’s [son of Col. William] progeny came William Henry (III) who was called "Young Clerk" Smith, …
William Henry Smith (III), "Young Clerk Smith" was born in 1708 and became the proprietor of St. George's Manor. He was Suffolk County Clerk, and Judge of the Common Pleas. His wife was Margaret Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Little is known of their sons, who went off to New York, Boston and Halifax. as Tories.”12
…so William Henry “Young Clerk” Smith might have had a child or a grandchild named Henry Clark Smith, don’t you think?…can I prove it?… Henry Clark Smith was born in 1766...so “Young Clerk Smith” would have been 58, which is possible to have him be the father (making my Henry Col. William’s great-grandson) … but it would be more likely if there was another generation in between the two…
There is a “rebuttal” to the article quoted above. Part of which states:
“Thompson gives the children of William Henry (Young Clerk) Smith and Margaret (Lloyd) Smith as William Henry, William, Gilbert, Paschal Nelson (above), Oliver, Rebecca, Anna, and Catherine. Mrs. Hanson adds Shepard and Margaret; both died young.” http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/Tangier.html
I don’t know if that is helpful, but one of those might be the father to my Henry.
To see the articles about Elizabeth's 100th birthday, click HERE.
The family pedigree chart (another post will go more in depth with the descendants of Joel and Elizabeth):
Joel JERVIS (aka Joel JARVIS) (son of Joseph Ireland JERVIS and Phebe CARLL)
b. 24 Oct 1790 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
m. Elizabeth SMITH on 29 Nov 1815 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
d. 3 Nov 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York
Elizabeth SMITH (daughter of Henry Clark SMITH and Jemima TERRY)
b. 20 July 1794 Blue Point, Suffolk, New York
d. 22 January 1895 Amityville, Suffolk, New York
1-Phebe Maria JERVIS (13 Aug 1816-10 Oct 1907) m. Thomas William VAN BUREN, Brooklyn
2-Jemima Etta (aka Jeminetta) JERVIS (3 Nov 1818-10 Dec 1886) m. Gilbert SMITH, Huntington
3-Ann Elizabeth JERVIS (11 Jun 1821-17 Feb 1907)--did not marry, Amityville
4-Scudder Carll JERVIS (24 Sep 1823-31 Mar 1907) m. Mary PURDY, Amityville
5-Henry Clark Smith JERVIS (29 Jan 1827-8 Nov 1909) m. Mary LOCKHART, Brooklyn
6-Charlotte Rebecca JERVIS (25 Sep 1829-6 Dec 1916) m. Ezra R. SAMMIS, Brooklyn
7-William Ireland JERVIS (10 Apr 1833-28 Jan 1913) m. Charity "Charrie" E. NICHOLS, Brooklyn
8-Edna Adelia JERVIS (27 Jan 1838-26 Sep 1906) m. Diedrich VOGT, Charleston, South Carolina
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ARTICLES ABOUT JOEL that include details of two of his cases as Justice of the Peace:
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 22, 1911
Copiague soon will be represented in the Philippines. Charles M. Jervis of that place, has been appointed a government surveyor there, and sails on My 3 to begin his duties in those far-off islands of the sea. The young man is the son of Joshua P. Jervis, himself a surveyor, and great grandson of Squire Joel Jervis, who, with a jury, tired the famous case of Wood vs Whitman. The defendant was no less a personage than Walt Whitman, the "good gray poet," who was arrested for assaulting the son of a neighbor. The boy had harassed Whitman while the latter was trouting in the pond separating their respective homes at West Babylon. The future poet stood the annoyance until, fighting mad, he tolled the boy within reach and then, collaring him, nearly wore out a stout hickory fishing pole on him. For this he was arrested and haled before Squire Jervis and a jury. When the jurors returned into the court, the squire asked them: Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a verdict?" "We 'ave, your honor," said the foreman, a Yorkshireman of the name of Edwards, some of whose descendants still live near Babylon. "What is the verdict," asked the court. "We find, your honor," answered the foreman, "that 'h didn't 'it 'im 'ard enough." The verdict may not have been strictly in accordance with law and usage, but it "went," and until this day remains a tradition of life in the old days along the south side. The pond on whose surface the row took place, was later owned by Malcolm W. Ford, and now is the property of W. G. Gilmore of Brooklyn.
The Star Saturday February 22, 1890
AN OLD-SCHOOL JUSTICE
(from Old-Timer in Amityville Dispatch)
Last week I gave your readers an account of how justice was sometimes administered fifty years ago. After Samuel Strong had got too old to hold his position any longer, Joel Jarvis became Justice of the Peace for the south side of the town. Previous to his becoming justice he had for a number of years held the office of constable, and he had such a pleasant way of performing his duties that persons coming under the bane of the law deemed it a pleasure to be arrested by him. He had such a stock of pleasant stories and so brimming full of innocent (fun?) that outside of his official duties his company was much sought after, and his presence in any public place was sufficient to call a crowd. People were amply paid for their time spent in his company. I never saw a young man with a more pleasant way of doing business, and when people wanted a little sport his exuberance of spirit was equal to the occasion. His gift of story-telling was not his only accomplishment. He was considerable on an acrobat as well and was pretty well up in legerdomain (?). On one occasion he was called on to arrest a couple of pretty tough customers for quite a serious offense, and when the Judge gave him the warrant cautioned him to be careful of his person. The constable said: “I’ll bet that I can bring them before you without laying a hand on them;” and he did. On entering the room containing the men he began blowing a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room, but over their heads. When he got through with his fireworks he asked them if they were hurt. They were so badly frightened that they could hardly tell themselves. “Well,” said the constable, “it was lucky that none of the fire struck you, for if it had it would have burned a hole straight through your bodies” and that he could send that fire a mile and more. “So, now, come along, and see if the ‘Squire will do as well by you.” They followed him with fear and trembling to their doom.
It was always supposed that he went well armed in case of need, but he told me afterwards, when he became Justice, that the only weapon he ever carried was a piece of wood carved and hollowed in the shape of a pistol, and he claimed that to be on the whole the best defense, as such a gun would not hurt anyone, and answered every purpose. His stories were the very best, and some of your older readers will call to mind many a hearty laugh at his witticisms and jokes. The writer has seen him perform many daring feats in his younger days, and never with an accident. One of his pranks was to go to the top of a barn and stand on his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air, seemingly with as little fear as though on the ground. I have attended a great many trials held before him after he became a Justice, and his business was always transacted with proper decorum. In fact, one would think him a different person altogether. His decisions were always about right--not too severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway. I imagine I can see him sitting at his table, with his long quill pen and home-made book made from (illegible) paper, folded so that it made a convenient little book that he could easily put in his pocket. His writing was quite peculiar, and if any of his little court records are now in existence they would, if they could be deciphered, be quite a curiosity.
The writer never but once saw him completely nonplussed. The case was that of a man brought before him for a petty larceny--stealing wood from the pines at the north. The prisoner pleaded his own case, and after the witnesses for the prosecution had made a clear case against him the ‘Squire asked him if he wanted to make any defense. His reply was, “Certainly I do.” “Well,” said the ‘Squire, “where are your witnesses?” His reply was that he had but one, and that was all he wanted. When the ‘Squire ordered him to produce the witness to be sworn, the prisoner raised himself to his full height and called upon God to come down from heaven and be his witness as to his innocence, meanwhile standing with uplifted head and eyes, reverentially waiting for his witness to appear. There was perfect silence in the court, and the mingled look of surprise and pity depicted on the ‘Squire’s countenance was a queer spectacle. Finally the young lawyer for the prosecution broke the silence by asking for judgment. I think the ‘Squire took a considerate view and attributed the strange proceeding to the man’s ignorance, as the fine imposed was two dollars. The young lawyer, who is now not so young, will doubtless call to mind the case referred to.
‘Squire Jarvis was a man hard to beat. He was elected term after term. Once he had an opposing candidate who made a tie vote, and that year we had no Justice for the south side. The opposition time after time brought out their best man, and that is the nearest they came to defeating him. He was an honest, conscientious man, and his decision of a case was generally the end of it. The penalties in those days were not as heavy or severe as now-a-days. A fine of fifty dollars was something almost unknown; they generally ranged from two to ten dollars. Money was then unknown in elections, and not until many years after was it made a factor to change the vote. If a candidate at that day had undertaken to use money to influence votes, that would have settled his case forever, and his name would have been, to use a latter-day vulgarism, “Dennis!” [does someone want to explain to me why "Dennis!" was a vulgarism?]
The following are some obituaries published about Elizabeth:
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Obituary (Newspaper unknown):
Amityville, L. I., January 23, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at this place yesterday at the age of 100 years, 6 months, and 2 days. Mrs. Jervis lived at the residence of her son, Scudder C. Jervis.
In the Eagle of July 20, 1894, the following was contained in a dispatch recounting a celebration of Mrs. Jervis 100th birthday:
The obituary then goes on to quote most of the article that had been printed when Elizabeth turned 100.
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Another obituary:
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF AGE
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, aged 100 years, six months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her faculties up to the time of her death. She read without the aid of glasses and went outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and was related to some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith [as stated previously, this is probably not true], once Governor of Tangiers, who, in 1690 purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the Bay. This was know as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths, and the Tangier Smiths.
Joel Jervis to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came over to this country in 1637. He was the only son of Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, N.Y. was named. [as stated previously, they were first cousins twice removed, not half-brothers] The descendants of Mrs Jervis living to-day, are seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs. Jervis' children is seventy-six years old. Mr. George S. Jervis, the real estate and insurance man of Maspeth, is one of the grandchildren of the esteemed lady who passed the century line.
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New York Times Obituary published January 24, 1895:
Amityville, L.I. Jan 23--Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, daughter of the late Henry Clarke Smith and widow of Joel Jervis, who for more than a score of years was a justice of the peace for the town of Babylon, died at her home here to-day. She was 100 years, 6 months and 2 days old.
She was born at Sayville, L.I. but early in life removed to Amityville, where she had resided for over three-quarters of a century. She possessed a rugged constitution, which was never impaired by any serious sickness.
Until a few weeks ago she was able to move about her home, go up and down stairs, knit and sew, and on pleasant days take short walks. Her mental faculties remained good until the last. She could recall events which occurred over ninety years ago.
She left seven children, eighteen grandchildren, fifty-four great grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. The oldest of her children is now seventy-six years old.
The celebration of Mrs. Jervis' one hundredth birthday occurred on July 21 last ans was a great event. Mrs. Jervis was the second oldest resident of the county. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith [as stated previously, this is probably not true], Governor of Tangiers, who in 1690 purchased a strip of land across Long Island. The strip was fifty miles wide, and extended from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Ocean. This was called Setauket. From Colonel Smith's family sprung the families known as the Smithtown Smiths, Tangiers Smiths, and Brookhaven Smiths. The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry of Sayville.
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The Newtown Register Thursday, January 31, 1895
RECENT DEATHS
At Amityville, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, at the extreme age of one hundred years, six months, and 2 days. Her descendants living today number seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren--a total of eighty-nine. Nearly all of those attended the funeral, and many of them are Brooklynites. Her father’s father was a son of Colonel William Smith, Governor of Tangier, who in 1620 purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths and Tangier Smiths. Her husband, who died at the age of 72 years, was prominent in politics in Suffolk County and for a period of twenty-three years was a Justice of the Peace in the town of Huntington and a member of the Town Board. Eight children survive her. Among the grandchildren who are well know[n] on Long Island are Civil Engineer Joshua P. Jervis, Amityville, and George S. Jervis, of Newtown.
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The Daily Star, Long Island City, New York, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD
Death of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of Amityville--Granddaughter of the Governor of Tangier.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, aged 100 years six months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her faculties up to the time of her death. She read without the aid of glasses and went outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and was related to some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jennie [Jemima] Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith, once Governor of Tangier, who in 1690, purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths, and “Tangier” Smiths.
Joel Jervis, to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came to this country in 1637. He was the only son of Joseph L. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis was named. The descendants of Mrs. Jervis living today are seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs. Jervis children is seventy-six years. No arrangements for the funeral have yet been made.
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The World, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, Dies After a Short Illness.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville, L. I., yesterday after a short illness. She was over one hundred years old, and up to the time of her death was in full possession of her faculties. At her birthday party July 20, 200 guests were present.
Mrs. Jervis was born at Blue Point, L. I., in 1794. She was one of the “Tangier” Smith family, her father being Henry Clark Smith. She married Joel Jervis in 1819, was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to talk politics.
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footnotes:
1 The Brooklyn Standard Union, Wednesday July 28, 1926 “Add Old Jarvis Tract to Hawkins Estates”
2 The World, July 21, 1894 “Born in the Days of Washington”
3 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, January 1939, Obituary for Joshua Purdy Jervis
4 The Star, February 22, 1890, “An Old-School Justice”
5 Brooklyn Standard Union January 10, 1926 “Jarvis Estate Goes to Syndicate for Big Realty Development”
6 The Suffolk County New York Portrait and Biographical Record, 1896, entry for Joshua Purdy Jervis
7 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 1894, “Lived a Century”
8 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 20, 1894, “At the Age of A Hundred”
9 The Long Islander (Huntington), July 1894, “A Centennial Celebration”
10 The World, Thursday January 24, 1895, “Over a Hundred Years Old”
11 New York Times, January 24, 1895, Obituary for Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis
12 Article “The Remarkable Tangier Smiths” by Stephanie S. Biglow published on longislandgenealogy.com (http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/1.htm)
By the time Joseph became a father and then a widow, his mother and mother-in-law had already passed away. Perhaps one of his or Phebe’s siblings took care of his son until he remarried…and I’m just guessing that Joel was raised with his half-siblings.
Joel was born in what was probably Copiague, Suffolk, New York since there was a 37.5 acre Jarvis tract of land on Great Neck Road in Copiague that had been owned by the Jarvis family since 1698 (which stayed in the family until 1926).1
The only other thing I know about Joel before his marriage was that around the age of 22 he “enlisted and drilled for the war of 1812, but never was called into active service.”2
At the age of 25 and on the 29th of November 1815, Joel married Elizabeth SMITH, the only child of Henry Clark SMITH and his wife Jemima TERRY. Elizabeth was also missing a parent as her father had died when she was 10 ½. Her mother remarried to Matthew EDWARDS, who was a widower of Jemima’s double first cousin. Matthew and his first wife, Elizabeth MORRIS, had had several children together. Since I have not yet found the marriage date of Jemima and Matthew, I do not know if Jemima and Matthew had any children together and/or if Elizabeth was raised with step-siblings, or if Elizabeth herself was already married when her mother remarried.
Joel and Elizabeth had eight children together (see below) and Joel passed away on 3 November 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York. He had just reached his 73rd birthday. His widow lived another 31 years.
Joel:
Various newspaper articles have this to say about Joel and his years serving his community:
He was a constable for a number of years when he became the Justice of the Peace for the south side of town [Huntington which included the Babylon town area3] when Samuel Strong got too old to hold that position any longer.4 “Justice of the Peace [was] a position at that time of great importance, as lawyers were few, and the squire usually acted as lawyer and arbitrator…”2 “…Joel being at one and the same time himself a town trustee, justice of the peace, town constable, and Commissioner of Schools.”5 In the end, Joel was an officer of Amityville for about 40 years.6
As Justice of the Peace, he performed marriages and recorded them in a book called Book of marriages solemnized by me, Joel Jarvis, justice of the peace, 1828-1858. The book can be found on a microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (or can be ordered and sent to a local Family History Center): FHL US/CAN Film 17927 Item 1.
And about his personality, while hunting for his obituary (which I still haven’t found), I was able to find an article written about him more than 20 years after his death.4 The article reveals this about Joel’s characteristics and skills:
He had a pleasant way of doing business and his business was always acted with proper decorum. His decisions (as Justice of the Peace, I suppose) were “always about right--not too severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway.” He used a long quill and home-made books, but his handwriting was “quite peculiar” and apparently hard to decipher. He was known as an honest, conscientious man.
He wasn’t all business, however. He had an “exuberance of spirit.” He was a gifted story-teller and was known for telling jokes and being witty. He was an acrobat--he would go to the top of a barn and stand on his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air. He had the skill of a legerdemainist (legerdemain: “skillful use of one’s hands when performing conjuring tricks”). He also could blow a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room.
Two cases of his that we know about--when a young Walt Whitman came before him as defendant in an assault and when a thief came before him in court and called God as a witness to come down and declare his innocence--will be found in the newspaper articles about Joel.
Elizabeth:
Since Elizabeth lived to be 100th, there were many articles written about her birthday celebration and then her death six months later. This is what we learn about her from the many articles:
Her disposition was sunny (“as sunny as that of most women at 50”).7 She was know for her “luxuriant tresses,” which trait was passed on to her descendants.8 “Mrs. Jervis is still a handsome old lady. Her form is straight, and her hair abundant and there is always a trace of color in her cheeks.”9
She never experienced any kind of illness throughout her long life.8 She “followed the old custom of taking a little wine when she felt like it”2 plus she always ate lean meat having discarded the fat, and she always drank strong green tea. Her long life was “due to the inheritance of a good constitution, and her careful, temperate living, helped by a calm, contented disposition.”9
She was born in 1794 when George Washington was the President and she considered him the best president, though “of modern Presidents her ideas were Jackson and Cleveland in that order.”9 She was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to talk politics.10 When she died in 1895, the United States was on its 24th president, President Grover Cleveland, who was in his second term as President, so she had lived during the first 24 presidencies of the US.
Till she was about 98, she regularly read six weekly papers and was “a great reader.”2 Besides reading, she also knitted and sewed.11 (which I guess isn’t really surprising)
Depending on which article is being looked at, she was born in Brooklyn, Sayville, or Blue Point. It was often mentioned that her father, Henry Clark Smith was from Sayville. One article also mentioned that her maternal grandfather, Jeremiah TERRY, was from Sayville, as well. Sayville and Blue Point are only 3 ½ miles apart. I doubt she was born in Brooklyn. [I need to order her death certificate!]
A problem with the articles on her deals with her ancestry. Her father was Henry Clark SMITH, and depending on the newspaper, Henry was a son or a grandson of Colonel William Smith, governor of Tangiers. We know Henry wasn’t a son. It is possible that he was a grandson as there are a few descendants whose whereabouts where unknown. I do not know who the parents of Henry Clark SMITH are.
Is my Henry, who is supposed to be a direct descendant of Col. William "Tangiers" Smith from the missing branch named below:
“Next in order of Col. Henry’s [son of Col. William] progeny came William Henry (III) who was called "Young Clerk" Smith, …
William Henry Smith (III), "Young Clerk Smith" was born in 1708 and became the proprietor of St. George's Manor. He was Suffolk County Clerk, and Judge of the Common Pleas. His wife was Margaret Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Little is known of their sons, who went off to New York, Boston and Halifax. as Tories.”12
…so William Henry “Young Clerk” Smith might have had a child or a grandchild named Henry Clark Smith, don’t you think?…can I prove it?… Henry Clark Smith was born in 1766...so “Young Clerk Smith” would have been 58, which is possible to have him be the father (making my Henry Col. William’s great-grandson) … but it would be more likely if there was another generation in between the two…
There is a “rebuttal” to the article quoted above. Part of which states:
“Thompson gives the children of William Henry (Young Clerk) Smith and Margaret (Lloyd) Smith as William Henry, William, Gilbert, Paschal Nelson (above), Oliver, Rebecca, Anna, and Catherine. Mrs. Hanson adds Shepard and Margaret; both died young.” http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/Tangier.html
I don’t know if that is helpful, but one of those might be the father to my Henry.
To see the articles about Elizabeth's 100th birthday, click HERE.
The family pedigree chart (another post will go more in depth with the descendants of Joel and Elizabeth):
Joel JERVIS (aka Joel JARVIS) (son of Joseph Ireland JERVIS and Phebe CARLL)
b. 24 Oct 1790 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
m. Elizabeth SMITH on 29 Nov 1815 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York
d. 3 Nov 1863 and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery in Amityville, Suffolk, New York
Elizabeth SMITH (daughter of Henry Clark SMITH and Jemima TERRY)
b. 20 July 1794 Blue Point, Suffolk, New York
d. 22 January 1895 Amityville, Suffolk, New York
1-Phebe Maria JERVIS (13 Aug 1816-10 Oct 1907) m. Thomas William VAN BUREN, Brooklyn
2-Jemima Etta (aka Jeminetta) JERVIS (3 Nov 1818-10 Dec 1886) m. Gilbert SMITH, Huntington
3-Ann Elizabeth JERVIS (11 Jun 1821-17 Feb 1907)--did not marry, Amityville
4-Scudder Carll JERVIS (24 Sep 1823-31 Mar 1907) m. Mary PURDY, Amityville
5-Henry Clark Smith JERVIS (29 Jan 1827-8 Nov 1909) m. Mary LOCKHART, Brooklyn
6-Charlotte Rebecca JERVIS (25 Sep 1829-6 Dec 1916) m. Ezra R. SAMMIS, Brooklyn
7-William Ireland JERVIS (10 Apr 1833-28 Jan 1913) m. Charity "Charrie" E. NICHOLS, Brooklyn
8-Edna Adelia JERVIS (27 Jan 1838-26 Sep 1906) m. Diedrich VOGT, Charleston, South Carolina
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ARTICLES ABOUT JOEL that include details of two of his cases as Justice of the Peace:
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 22, 1911
Copiague soon will be represented in the Philippines. Charles M. Jervis of that place, has been appointed a government surveyor there, and sails on My 3 to begin his duties in those far-off islands of the sea. The young man is the son of Joshua P. Jervis, himself a surveyor, and great grandson of Squire Joel Jervis, who, with a jury, tired the famous case of Wood vs Whitman. The defendant was no less a personage than Walt Whitman, the "good gray poet," who was arrested for assaulting the son of a neighbor. The boy had harassed Whitman while the latter was trouting in the pond separating their respective homes at West Babylon. The future poet stood the annoyance until, fighting mad, he tolled the boy within reach and then, collaring him, nearly wore out a stout hickory fishing pole on him. For this he was arrested and haled before Squire Jervis and a jury. When the jurors returned into the court, the squire asked them: Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a verdict?" "We 'ave, your honor," said the foreman, a Yorkshireman of the name of Edwards, some of whose descendants still live near Babylon. "What is the verdict," asked the court. "We find, your honor," answered the foreman, "that 'h didn't 'it 'im 'ard enough." The verdict may not have been strictly in accordance with law and usage, but it "went," and until this day remains a tradition of life in the old days along the south side. The pond on whose surface the row took place, was later owned by Malcolm W. Ford, and now is the property of W. G. Gilmore of Brooklyn.
The Star Saturday February 22, 1890
AN OLD-SCHOOL JUSTICE
(from Old-Timer in Amityville Dispatch)
Last week I gave your readers an account of how justice was sometimes administered fifty years ago. After Samuel Strong had got too old to hold his position any longer, Joel Jarvis became Justice of the Peace for the south side of the town. Previous to his becoming justice he had for a number of years held the office of constable, and he had such a pleasant way of performing his duties that persons coming under the bane of the law deemed it a pleasure to be arrested by him. He had such a stock of pleasant stories and so brimming full of innocent (fun?) that outside of his official duties his company was much sought after, and his presence in any public place was sufficient to call a crowd. People were amply paid for their time spent in his company. I never saw a young man with a more pleasant way of doing business, and when people wanted a little sport his exuberance of spirit was equal to the occasion. His gift of story-telling was not his only accomplishment. He was considerable on an acrobat as well and was pretty well up in legerdomain (?). On one occasion he was called on to arrest a couple of pretty tough customers for quite a serious offense, and when the Judge gave him the warrant cautioned him to be careful of his person. The constable said: “I’ll bet that I can bring them before you without laying a hand on them;” and he did. On entering the room containing the men he began blowing a stream of fire from his mouth and half way across the room, but over their heads. When he got through with his fireworks he asked them if they were hurt. They were so badly frightened that they could hardly tell themselves. “Well,” said the constable, “it was lucky that none of the fire struck you, for if it had it would have burned a hole straight through your bodies” and that he could send that fire a mile and more. “So, now, come along, and see if the ‘Squire will do as well by you.” They followed him with fear and trembling to their doom.
It was always supposed that he went well armed in case of need, but he told me afterwards, when he became Justice, that the only weapon he ever carried was a piece of wood carved and hollowed in the shape of a pistol, and he claimed that to be on the whole the best defense, as such a gun would not hurt anyone, and answered every purpose. His stories were the very best, and some of your older readers will call to mind many a hearty laugh at his witticisms and jokes. The writer has seen him perform many daring feats in his younger days, and never with an accident. One of his pranks was to go to the top of a barn and stand on his head on the ridge and dangle his feet in the air, seemingly with as little fear as though on the ground. I have attended a great many trials held before him after he became a Justice, and his business was always transacted with proper decorum. In fact, one would think him a different person altogether. His decisions were always about right--not too severe, but generally tempered with mercy, unless it was a case almost beyond hope, when he would let justice have full sway. I imagine I can see him sitting at his table, with his long quill pen and home-made book made from (illegible) paper, folded so that it made a convenient little book that he could easily put in his pocket. His writing was quite peculiar, and if any of his little court records are now in existence they would, if they could be deciphered, be quite a curiosity.
The writer never but once saw him completely nonplussed. The case was that of a man brought before him for a petty larceny--stealing wood from the pines at the north. The prisoner pleaded his own case, and after the witnesses for the prosecution had made a clear case against him the ‘Squire asked him if he wanted to make any defense. His reply was, “Certainly I do.” “Well,” said the ‘Squire, “where are your witnesses?” His reply was that he had but one, and that was all he wanted. When the ‘Squire ordered him to produce the witness to be sworn, the prisoner raised himself to his full height and called upon God to come down from heaven and be his witness as to his innocence, meanwhile standing with uplifted head and eyes, reverentially waiting for his witness to appear. There was perfect silence in the court, and the mingled look of surprise and pity depicted on the ‘Squire’s countenance was a queer spectacle. Finally the young lawyer for the prosecution broke the silence by asking for judgment. I think the ‘Squire took a considerate view and attributed the strange proceeding to the man’s ignorance, as the fine imposed was two dollars. The young lawyer, who is now not so young, will doubtless call to mind the case referred to.
‘Squire Jarvis was a man hard to beat. He was elected term after term. Once he had an opposing candidate who made a tie vote, and that year we had no Justice for the south side. The opposition time after time brought out their best man, and that is the nearest they came to defeating him. He was an honest, conscientious man, and his decision of a case was generally the end of it. The penalties in those days were not as heavy or severe as now-a-days. A fine of fifty dollars was something almost unknown; they generally ranged from two to ten dollars. Money was then unknown in elections, and not until many years after was it made a factor to change the vote. If a candidate at that day had undertaken to use money to influence votes, that would have settled his case forever, and his name would have been, to use a latter-day vulgarism, “Dennis!” [does someone want to explain to me why "Dennis!" was a vulgarism?]
The following are some obituaries published about Elizabeth:
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Obituary (Newspaper unknown):
Amityville, L. I., January 23, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at this place yesterday at the age of 100 years, 6 months, and 2 days. Mrs. Jervis lived at the residence of her son, Scudder C. Jervis.
In the Eagle of July 20, 1894, the following was contained in a dispatch recounting a celebration of Mrs. Jervis 100th birthday:
The obituary then goes on to quote most of the article that had been printed when Elizabeth turned 100.
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Another obituary:
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF AGE
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, aged 100 years, six months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her faculties up to the time of her death. She read without the aid of glasses and went outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and was related to some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith [as stated previously, this is probably not true], once Governor of Tangiers, who, in 1690 purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the Bay. This was know as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths, and the Tangier Smiths.
Joel Jervis to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came over to this country in 1637. He was the only son of Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, N.Y. was named. [as stated previously, they were first cousins twice removed, not half-brothers] The descendants of Mrs Jervis living to-day, are seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs. Jervis' children is seventy-six years old. Mr. George S. Jervis, the real estate and insurance man of Maspeth, is one of the grandchildren of the esteemed lady who passed the century line.
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New York Times Obituary published January 24, 1895:
Amityville, L.I. Jan 23--Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, daughter of the late Henry Clarke Smith and widow of Joel Jervis, who for more than a score of years was a justice of the peace for the town of Babylon, died at her home here to-day. She was 100 years, 6 months and 2 days old.
She was born at Sayville, L.I. but early in life removed to Amityville, where she had resided for over three-quarters of a century. She possessed a rugged constitution, which was never impaired by any serious sickness.
Until a few weeks ago she was able to move about her home, go up and down stairs, knit and sew, and on pleasant days take short walks. Her mental faculties remained good until the last. She could recall events which occurred over ninety years ago.
She left seven children, eighteen grandchildren, fifty-four great grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. The oldest of her children is now seventy-six years old.
The celebration of Mrs. Jervis' one hundredth birthday occurred on July 21 last ans was a great event. Mrs. Jervis was the second oldest resident of the county. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith [as stated previously, this is probably not true], Governor of Tangiers, who in 1690 purchased a strip of land across Long Island. The strip was fifty miles wide, and extended from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Ocean. This was called Setauket. From Colonel Smith's family sprung the families known as the Smithtown Smiths, Tangiers Smiths, and Brookhaven Smiths. The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry of Sayville.
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The Newtown Register Thursday, January 31, 1895
RECENT DEATHS
At Amityville, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, at the extreme age of one hundred years, six months, and 2 days. Her descendants living today number seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren--a total of eighty-nine. Nearly all of those attended the funeral, and many of them are Brooklynites. Her father’s father was a son of Colonel William Smith, Governor of Tangier, who in 1620 purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths and Tangier Smiths. Her husband, who died at the age of 72 years, was prominent in politics in Suffolk County and for a period of twenty-three years was a Justice of the Peace in the town of Huntington and a member of the Town Board. Eight children survive her. Among the grandchildren who are well know[n] on Long Island are Civil Engineer Joshua P. Jervis, Amityville, and George S. Jervis, of Newtown.
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The Daily Star, Long Island City, New York, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD
Death of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of Amityville--Granddaughter of the Governor of Tangier.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville on Tuesday at the home of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, aged 100 years six months and two days. Mrs. Jervis retained all her faculties up to the time of her death. She read without the aid of glasses and went outdoors unaided. Mrs. Jervis was born in Brooklyn and was related to some of the oldest Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jennie [Jemima] Terry. Her father was a son of Colonel William Smith, once Governor of Tangier, who in 1690, purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the Sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths, and “Tangier” Smiths.
Joel Jervis, to whom the dead woman was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who came to this country in 1637. He was the only son of Joseph L. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first Croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis was named. The descendants of Mrs. Jervis living today are seven children, nineteen grandchildren, sixty great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren. The oldest of Mrs. Jervis children is seventy-six years. No arrangements for the funeral have yet been made.
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The World, Thursday January 24, 1895
OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, Dies After a Short Illness.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis widow of Joel Jervis, died at Amityville, L. I., yesterday after a short illness. She was over one hundred years old, and up to the time of her death was in full possession of her faculties. At her birthday party July 20, 200 guests were present.
Mrs. Jervis was born at Blue Point, L. I., in 1794. She was one of the “Tangier” Smith family, her father being Henry Clark Smith. She married Joel Jervis in 1819, was a Jeffersonian Democrat and liked to talk politics.
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footnotes:
1 The Brooklyn Standard Union, Wednesday July 28, 1926 “Add Old Jarvis Tract to Hawkins Estates”
2 The World, July 21, 1894 “Born in the Days of Washington”
3 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, January 1939, Obituary for Joshua Purdy Jervis
4 The Star, February 22, 1890, “An Old-School Justice”
5 Brooklyn Standard Union January 10, 1926 “Jarvis Estate Goes to Syndicate for Big Realty Development”
6 The Suffolk County New York Portrait and Biographical Record, 1896, entry for Joshua Purdy Jervis
7 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 1894, “Lived a Century”
8 Unnamed newspaper clipping in a scrapbook in my possession, July 20, 1894, “At the Age of A Hundred”
9 The Long Islander (Huntington), July 1894, “A Centennial Celebration”
10 The World, Thursday January 24, 1895, “Over a Hundred Years Old”
11 New York Times, January 24, 1895, Obituary for Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis
12 Article “The Remarkable Tangier Smiths” by Stephanie S. Biglow published on longislandgenealogy.com (http://longislandgenealogy.com/tangier/1.htm)
Monday, May 12, 2014
articles on Elizabeth (Smith) Jervis's 100th birthday updated
There is a blog post on Elizabeth SMITH and Joel JERVIS, her husband, but there were so many long articles on Elizabeth's 100th birthday, that I thought I'd make it a blog post of its own.
Elizabeth SMITH JERVIS (1794-1895) Suffolk county New York
b. 20 July 1794 in Blue Point, Suffolk, New York
m. 29 November 1815 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York to Joel JERVIS (son of Joseph Ireland JERVIS and Phebe CARLL)
d. 22 January 1895 in Amityville, Suffolk, New York and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery
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The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
b. 20 July 1794 in Blue Point, Suffolk, New York
m. 29 November 1815 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York to Joel JERVIS (son of Joseph Ireland JERVIS and Phebe CARLL)
d. 22 January 1895 in Amityville, Suffolk, New York and is buried on the Purdy Farm Private Cemetery
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The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn, New York
21 September 1893 p 5
TROTTING AT AMITYVILLE
Opening Events of the Fall Agricultural Fair.
The first annual autumnal exhibition of the Amityville Agricultural Fair and Driving Park association opened under highly favorable conditions on the grounds at Amityville, L. I., yesterday morning and gathered within the inclosure [sic] about two thousand persons, representing almost every section of Queens and Suffolk counties….
The exhibits were arranged in attractive form in three tents near the entrance to the grounds… In the second tent were the women’s industrial exhibits, paintings, photographs, specimens in crayon and pastel work, curiosities and miscellaneous articles. Among the portraits was one of Mrs. Joel Jervis, relict of Squire Jervis, who dispensed justice in the old village of Huntington South for many years. Mrs. Jervis has passed her 99th year and is hale and hearty. Her faculties are unimpaired and the aged woman reads and sews without the aid of glasses. She resides with her son, Scudder C. Jervis, at East Amityville. Another son is G. S. Jervis of Newtown, Queens county, and a daughter, Mrs. P. M. Van Buren, resides in the Twenty-sixth ward of Brooklyn….
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TROTTING AT AMITYVILLE
Opening Events of the Fall Agricultural Fair.
The first annual autumnal exhibition of the Amityville Agricultural Fair and Driving Park association opened under highly favorable conditions on the grounds at Amityville, L. I., yesterday morning and gathered within the inclosure [sic] about two thousand persons, representing almost every section of Queens and Suffolk counties….
The exhibits were arranged in attractive form in three tents near the entrance to the grounds… In the second tent were the women’s industrial exhibits, paintings, photographs, specimens in crayon and pastel work, curiosities and miscellaneous articles. Among the portraits was one of Mrs. Joel Jervis, relict of Squire Jervis, who dispensed justice in the old village of Huntington South for many years. Mrs. Jervis has passed her 99th year and is hale and hearty. Her faculties are unimpaired and the aged woman reads and sews without the aid of glasses. She resides with her son, Scudder C. Jervis, at East Amityville. Another son is G. S. Jervis of Newtown, Queens county, and a daughter, Mrs. P. M. Van Buren, resides in the Twenty-sixth ward of Brooklyn….
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Times Union
Brooklyn, New York
Mon, Jul 16, 1894 ·Page 2
ALMOST A CENTENARIAN
Amityville, July 16.-- If Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of this place lives until next Friday, she will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of her birth. Her late husband, Joel Jervis, served through the war of 1812, and at one time was Justice of the Peace of this place. Mrs. Jervis is a pensioner of the war in which her husband served. She is hale and hearty and has an excellent memory.
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A newspaper clipping, source unknown:
LIVED A CENTURY
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis Has Eighty-one Living Descendants.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of Amityville, L.I., recently celebrated her 100th birthday. Mrs. Jervis was the wife of Squire Joel Jervis, who was a justice of the peace for many years. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and Mrs. Jervis is receiving a pension as his widow [not true]. She had eight children, of whom [seven] are still living. Her eldest child is 75 years of age. Eighteen grandchildren, fifty-four great-grandchildren and two great-great- grandchildren do honor their aged ancestor.
Mrs. Jervis is a daughter of Henry C. Smith, formerly a well-known resident of Sayville. The old lady retains all her faculties unimpaired; her sight and hearing being excellent, and her memory strong and retentive. She keeps informed of current topics and her disposition is as sunny as that of most women at 50.
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A newspaper clipping, source unknown:
LIVED A CENTURY
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis Has Eighty-one Living Descendants.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis of Amityville, L.I., recently celebrated her 100th birthday. Mrs. Jervis was the wife of Squire Joel Jervis, who was a justice of the peace for many years. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and Mrs. Jervis is receiving a pension as his widow [not true]. She had eight children, of whom [seven] are still living. Her eldest child is 75 years of age. Eighteen grandchildren, fifty-four great-grandchildren and two great-great- grandchildren do honor their aged ancestor.
Mrs. Jervis is a daughter of Henry C. Smith, formerly a well-known resident of Sayville. The old lady retains all her faculties unimpaired; her sight and hearing being excellent, and her memory strong and retentive. She keeps informed of current topics and her disposition is as sunny as that of most women at 50.
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Richmond, Virginia
22 July 1894 Sunday Page 7
HER HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY.
Mrs. Jervis Has Lived Under Every President of the United States
(New York Herald)
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, L. I., has been living on borrowed time for more than a quarter of a century. She passed her alloted [sic] three-score-years-and -ten thirty years ago, and yesterday celebrated her 100th birthday. It was the occasion of a great family reunion at her home, a pretty and quaint little farmhouse, where Mrs. Jervis has lived for the last seventy-five years.
There were five generations represented at the gathering, and all came laden with presents for the dear old lady. There were great white frosted cakes, with "Grandma and Her Hundreth Birthday" put on in ornamental letters; there were loads of flowers, rare and beautiful laces, books, silverware, and pretty tidings too numerous to mention.
Judging from her present appearance and manner, Mrs. Jervis is good for another fifty years. She looks younger than most women do at 70, and still retains all her faculties. She is able to read and sew without glasses.
Mrs. Jervis stood for many hours yesterday receiving her guests, and did not seem in the least fatigued.
NEVER HAS BEEN ILL.
When I asked her to what she attributed her long life and good health, she said she could hardly tell; that she inherited a good constitution and came from long-lived stock.
"I have not," said Mrs. Jervis, "lived differently from other women, but I have been blessed with good health, never having been ill in my life. I have always eaten lean meat, discarding the fat entirely, and have drank plenty of strong green tea.
"I am very happy to have lived to see my hundredth birthday, and I am very proud of my large family of descendants, fr they are all good and I consider them all very handsome. It seems almost impossible for me to realize that I have lived under every President of the United States."
Mrs. Jervis was born in Sayville, L. I., on July 20, 1794. She was a Miss Smith, daughter of Captain Henry Clark Smith, whose father was Governor of Tangier, and for this reason the family have always been known in Long Island as the Tangier Smiths.
COMES OF GOOD STOCK.
Mrs. Jervis is the widow of Joel Jervis, to whom she was married in 1815. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. The Jervises, or Jervais, as the name was originally spelled, are of the oldest and most respected families of Long Island, having settled there in 1654. They are descendants of Sir Francis Jervais, who came to this country in the good ship Primrose for Scotland, in the year 1636, landing in Salem, Mass. From there he went to Huntington, L. I., where he settled.
Mrs. Jervis has had eight children, only one of them having died.
At the gathering yesterday were her seven children, the eldest being 76 years old. There were also twenty-three grandchildren, fifty-four great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
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Suffolk County News
BLUE POINT
On Friday last at Amityville, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, relict of Squire Joel Jervis, celebrated her one hundredth birth-day. Scores paid their respects to the old lady who was born at what is now Blue Point on July 20, 1794, and was a daughter of Henry Clark Smith (of the “Tangier Smiths”.) She was married to Joel Jervis of Huntington the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Mr. Corwin. Squire Jervis died in 1863 at the age of 72. For a period of forty years he was prominent in politics in the old town of Huntington, holding various official positions, and for twenty-three years was a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Town Board.
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South Side Signal
Suffolk County News
Sayville, New York
28 July 1894 Saturday page 2
BLUE POINT
On Friday last at Amityville, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, relict of Squire Joel Jervis, celebrated her one hundredth birth-day. Scores paid their respects to the old lady who was born at what is now Blue Point on July 20, 1794, and was a daughter of Henry Clark Smith (of the “Tangier Smiths”.) She was married to Joel Jervis of Huntington the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Mr. Corwin. Squire Jervis died in 1863 at the age of 72. For a period of forty years he was prominent in politics in the old town of Huntington, holding various official positions, and for twenty-three years was a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Town Board.
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South Side Signal
Babylon, New York
December 1893
Amityville
In the last issue of the Dawn of Day, a religious monthly published in Brooklyn by Miss Hannah Smith, we find the following leader headed, “Honored:”
Yes, we felt honored in being privileged to spent [sic] part of the day and dine with Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, L. I., the 2d of Nov. 1893, who is now in her 100th year. How we did enjoy talking over old times! Her husband, Squire Joel Jervis, was own cousin to my father, and was Justice of the Peace for many years. It is not true that he was a veteran of the war of 1812 and his widow in receiving a pension, as stated in a paper that I recently saw. He never was at war, and she is not receiving a pension. She lives with her son, Mr. Scudder Jervis. Mrs. Jervis is a daughter of Mr. Henry C. Smith, formerly a well-known resident of Sayville, L. I., of the Tangier Smith descendants. She had eight children, her oldest is 75 years of age; 24 grand-children, 65 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. One child, 3 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren are dead.
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AT THE AGE OF A HUNDRED
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis Feted By Her Descendants
There Are A Great Many Of Them, But The Centarian Is Almost As Sprightly As Some Of Her Great-Great-Grandchildren----------A Celebration At Amityville.---
AMITYVILLE, Long Island, July 20, 1894:
An unusual birthday party is being held here today at the home of Scudder Carl Jervis. It is the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, who died here at the age of 72, in 1862, after having been Justice of the Peace in the town for forty-two years.
About forty direct descendants of Mrs. Jervis came out from Brooklyn this morning and a fete is being held in the orchard, under the shade of trees that have been standing for a century or more. Mrs. Jervis, who is in the possession of all her faculties and still quite vigorous, is outdoors with the party, taking a lively interest in the festivities. Her descendants living today number seven children, 19 grand children, 60 great great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren--a total of eighty-nine. Nearly all of these are attending the celebration and many of them are Brooklynites.
The children are:
Mrs. Phebe J. Van Buren, Miss Eliza Jervis, Scudder C. Jervis, Mrs. Ezra R. Sammis, H. Clark S. Jervis, William I. Jervis, Mrs. Adele J. Vogt.
The grandchildren are: Perlee V. Jervis, Frank Terry Jervis, George S. Jervis, Joshua P. Jervis, Arthur N. Jervis, Mrs. Ida Jervis Schepmoes, Miss Jessie W. Jervis, Frederick B. Sammis, Miss Lena Sammis, Mrs. Henry Pettitt, Mrs. Henry Beers, Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Mrs. Joel Gardiner, Mordaunt Smith, Horace M. Smith, Joel Smith, Henry Smith, William W. Smith
As most of these children have their husbands or wives and their children with them the family reunion is one of considerable proportions. The eldest of Mrs. Jervis' children is 76. She has lost only one, a Mrs. Gilbert Smith, who died at Huntington eight years ago.
Mrs. Jervis is a wonderfully well preserved woman. The luxuriant tresses for which she was noted in girlhood and which became a family feature in the descendants of her own sex, have almost defied time.
She reads without the aid of glasses, hears well, moves about unassisted and has always a trace of color in her cheeks. She never has experienced any kind of illness. She was born in Brooklyn and she with her descendants represents some of the oldest of Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her father was a son of Col. William Smith, [not true but is probably a descendant] governor of Tangiers, who, in 1690, purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths and Tangiers Smiths.
The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry of Sayville. Joel Jervis, to whom the centenarian was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who landed in Primrose in 1637.
From this ancestor the line ran back to a Gervaise who crossed with William the Conqueror and settled in Scotland. Lord Jervis, the Earl St. Vincent, represented the English branch of the family.
Joel Jervis was the only son of Phebe Carll of Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, NY, was named. [this relationship here is definitely incorrect...John B. Jervis was a first cousin twice removed and not a half-brother]
The house in which Mrs. Jervis is living, now the property of her son, Scudder C., belonged to her husband and is on the farm which is one of the old landmarks in this part of the island. Some of the buildings are a century old as also is the furniture and finishings inside the dwelling The assemblage here to-day is strictly a family affair and Mrs. Jervis has been made the recipient of many warm congratulations and mementos, which she receive with smiling grace.
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The World,
Amityville
In the last issue of the Dawn of Day, a religious monthly published in Brooklyn by Miss Hannah Smith, we find the following leader headed, “Honored:”
Yes, we felt honored in being privileged to spent [sic] part of the day and dine with Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, L. I., the 2d of Nov. 1893, who is now in her 100th year. How we did enjoy talking over old times! Her husband, Squire Joel Jervis, was own cousin to my father, and was Justice of the Peace for many years. It is not true that he was a veteran of the war of 1812 and his widow in receiving a pension, as stated in a paper that I recently saw. He never was at war, and she is not receiving a pension. She lives with her son, Mr. Scudder Jervis. Mrs. Jervis is a daughter of Mr. Henry C. Smith, formerly a well-known resident of Sayville, L. I., of the Tangier Smith descendants. She had eight children, her oldest is 75 years of age; 24 grand-children, 65 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. One child, 3 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren are dead.
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AT THE AGE OF A HUNDRED
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis Feted By Her Descendants
There Are A Great Many Of Them, But The Centarian Is Almost As Sprightly As Some Of Her Great-Great-Grandchildren----------A Celebration At Amityville.---
AMITYVILLE, Long Island, July 20, 1894:
An unusual birthday party is being held here today at the home of Scudder Carl Jervis. It is the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, widow of Joel Jervis, who died here at the age of 72, in 1862, after having been Justice of the Peace in the town for forty-two years.
About forty direct descendants of Mrs. Jervis came out from Brooklyn this morning and a fete is being held in the orchard, under the shade of trees that have been standing for a century or more. Mrs. Jervis, who is in the possession of all her faculties and still quite vigorous, is outdoors with the party, taking a lively interest in the festivities. Her descendants living today number seven children, 19 grand children, 60 great great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren--a total of eighty-nine. Nearly all of these are attending the celebration and many of them are Brooklynites.
The children are:
Mrs. Phebe J. Van Buren, Miss Eliza Jervis, Scudder C. Jervis, Mrs. Ezra R. Sammis, H. Clark S. Jervis, William I. Jervis, Mrs. Adele J. Vogt.
The grandchildren are: Perlee V. Jervis, Frank Terry Jervis, George S. Jervis, Joshua P. Jervis, Arthur N. Jervis, Mrs. Ida Jervis Schepmoes, Miss Jessie W. Jervis, Frederick B. Sammis, Miss Lena Sammis, Mrs. Henry Pettitt, Mrs. Henry Beers, Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Mrs. Joel Gardiner, Mordaunt Smith, Horace M. Smith, Joel Smith, Henry Smith, William W. Smith
As most of these children have their husbands or wives and their children with them the family reunion is one of considerable proportions. The eldest of Mrs. Jervis' children is 76. She has lost only one, a Mrs. Gilbert Smith, who died at Huntington eight years ago.
Mrs. Jervis is a wonderfully well preserved woman. The luxuriant tresses for which she was noted in girlhood and which became a family feature in the descendants of her own sex, have almost defied time.
She reads without the aid of glasses, hears well, moves about unassisted and has always a trace of color in her cheeks. She never has experienced any kind of illness. She was born in Brooklyn and she with her descendants represents some of the oldest of Long Island families. She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her father was a son of Col. William Smith, [not true but is probably a descendant] governor of Tangiers, who, in 1690, purchased a strip of Long Island fifty miles wide and extending from the sound to the bay. This was known as Setauket. From him sprang the families known as the Brookhaven Smiths, Smithtown Smiths and Tangiers Smiths.
The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry of Sayville. Joel Jervis, to whom the centenarian was married in 1816, traced his lineage to Stephen Jervis, who landed in Primrose in 1637.
From this ancestor the line ran back to a Gervaise who crossed with William the Conqueror and settled in Scotland. Lord Jervis, the Earl St. Vincent, represented the English branch of the family.
Joel Jervis was the only son of Phebe Carll of Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, the engineer of the first croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, NY, was named. [this relationship here is definitely incorrect...John B. Jervis was a first cousin twice removed and not a half-brother]
The house in which Mrs. Jervis is living, now the property of her son, Scudder C., belonged to her husband and is on the farm which is one of the old landmarks in this part of the island. Some of the buildings are a century old as also is the furniture and finishings inside the dwelling The assemblage here to-day is strictly a family affair and Mrs. Jervis has been made the recipient of many warm congratulations and mementos, which she receive with smiling grace.
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The World,
Brooklyn, New York
21 July 1894
BORN IN THE DAYS OF WASHINGTON
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis. One Hundred Years Old, Celebrates with Four Generations of Children
(Special to The World)
AMITYVILLE, July 20--Born when Washington was President, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis to-day celebrated the hundredth anniversary of her birth at the residence of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, in this village. The event was a notable one even for Amityville, which has a score of octogenarians.
Mrs. Jervis is a remarkable person. Her mental faculties are as clear as at the age of fifty years, and frequently during the interview with The World reporter she would correct some of the younger ones present as to the names and dates. She was born near Sayville, where in 1819 she married Joel Jervis, of Huntington. Within a few years they removed to what is now Amityville, but was then know as Belam. Here they lived till his death in 1863. For about a quarter of a century her husband held the office of Justice of the Peace, a position at that time of great importance, as lawyers were few, and the squire usually acted as lawyer and arbitrator, and no man in the county knew the family skeleton closets as well as the county squire.
Mrs. Jervis is the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living, six being present to-day, the seventh, Edna A. Vogt, being at Charleston, S.C. She has twenty-three grandchildren, thirty-eight great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren, nearly all of whom were present. Her oldest child, Phoebe M. Manburen [Van Buren], is seventy-eight years old, while the youngest is sixty-one. The combined ages of the widow and her family aggregate 589 years. As to her personal habits in connection with her long life, she has nothing to say. She always ate what she liked, following the old custom of taking a little wine when she felt like it. Her hearing and eyesight are good, although she has read but little during the last two years. Until that time she regularly read six weekly papers with whatever else came to hand. She has a clear recollection of eight generations of her family.
A remarkable thing is that Mrs. Jervis is much interested in politics, and expressed Jeffersonian Democracy with vigor and clearness. When asked by The World reporter who she considered the best President she quickly replied, “Why, Washington, of course.” But of modern Presidents her ideas were Jackson and Cleveland in that order. The lady is quite indignant over the story published in several papers that she is a pensioner. Her husband enlisted and drilled for the war of 1812, but never was called into active service.
The centennial dinner to-day was eaten in an apple orchard nearly as old as Mrs. Jervis. Over 200 guests were entertained and at the close Mrs. Jervis was apparently as fresh and bright as if she had not entertained this host of friends. Of the six children present not one appeared over sixty years old, and most of them bid fair to become centenarians.
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BORN IN THE DAYS OF WASHINGTON
Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis. One Hundred Years Old, Celebrates with Four Generations of Children
(Special to The World)
AMITYVILLE, July 20--Born when Washington was President, Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis to-day celebrated the hundredth anniversary of her birth at the residence of her son, Scudder C. Jervis, in this village. The event was a notable one even for Amityville, which has a score of octogenarians.
Mrs. Jervis is a remarkable person. Her mental faculties are as clear as at the age of fifty years, and frequently during the interview with The World reporter she would correct some of the younger ones present as to the names and dates. She was born near Sayville, where in 1819 she married Joel Jervis, of Huntington. Within a few years they removed to what is now Amityville, but was then know as Belam. Here they lived till his death in 1863. For about a quarter of a century her husband held the office of Justice of the Peace, a position at that time of great importance, as lawyers were few, and the squire usually acted as lawyer and arbitrator, and no man in the county knew the family skeleton closets as well as the county squire.
Mrs. Jervis is the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living, six being present to-day, the seventh, Edna A. Vogt, being at Charleston, S.C. She has twenty-three grandchildren, thirty-eight great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren, nearly all of whom were present. Her oldest child, Phoebe M. Manburen [Van Buren], is seventy-eight years old, while the youngest is sixty-one. The combined ages of the widow and her family aggregate 589 years. As to her personal habits in connection with her long life, she has nothing to say. She always ate what she liked, following the old custom of taking a little wine when she felt like it. Her hearing and eyesight are good, although she has read but little during the last two years. Until that time she regularly read six weekly papers with whatever else came to hand. She has a clear recollection of eight generations of her family.
A remarkable thing is that Mrs. Jervis is much interested in politics, and expressed Jeffersonian Democracy with vigor and clearness. When asked by The World reporter who she considered the best President she quickly replied, “Why, Washington, of course.” But of modern Presidents her ideas were Jackson and Cleveland in that order. The lady is quite indignant over the story published in several papers that she is a pensioner. Her husband enlisted and drilled for the war of 1812, but never was called into active service.
The centennial dinner to-day was eaten in an apple orchard nearly as old as Mrs. Jervis. Over 200 guests were entertained and at the close Mrs. Jervis was apparently as fresh and bright as if she had not entertained this host of friends. Of the six children present not one appeared over sixty years old, and most of them bid fair to become centenarians.
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The Brooklyn Times (Times Union)
Brooklyn, New York
20 July 1894 page 3
Scores Of Descendants From All Parts Of The Country Visiting The Old Lady At Amityville---A Family History More Than Usually Interesting.
AMITYVILLE, Long Island, July 20, 1894
A contented and happy life, covering a period of just one hundred years, surrounded by children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, is a privilege rarely allotted mortals who dwell on this mundane sphere. Men or women of this class are the exception, not the rule, and Long Island, which is noted the world over for the longevity of its people, is furnishing its quota of persons who live to a remarkable old age and in a large measure retain their faculties.
The village of Amityville claims the proud distinction of containing to-day one of the oldest, if not the oldest, native of this "right little, tight little" spot on the map known as Long Island, in the person of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, relict of Squire Joel Jervis, who was a man of considerable prominence in Huntington town and Suffolk County affairs.
To-day, at the home which the centenarian graces--where Scudder Carl Jervis, one of her sons, ministers to every comfort and pleasure of her who bore him--there is being celebrated was fairly well posted on the current events as portrayed in their favorite journals, and hers was a remarkable retentive memory. The conditions have changed, however, and to a Times man she complained of a blur before her eyes, and lamented her inability to fully enjoy the contents of the newspapers. Her comparison between the newspaper of her younger days and the journal of to-day was quaint and homely, but highly commendatory of the modern methods of gathering and conveying news of the world.
Mrs. Jervis' faculties, however, have displayed gradual impairment for several months, defective hearing and loss of memory being particularly noticeable. Physically there is no change, and there is a possibility of her life being prolonged for several years to come. Life is enjoyable to her, and loving hands and hearts minister constantly to her every want, and surround her with all the comforts and pleasures means can afford.
A banquet in honor of this occasion was partaken of to-day in the old homestead. Among those who were present were nearly all the forty-three great-grandchildren, the children, grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
The children number eight, as follows:
Mrs. Phoebe M. Van Buren, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Gilbert Smith, Huntington; [Jemima]
Miss Elizabeth Jervis, Amityville;
Scudder Carll Jervis, Amityville;
Henry Clark Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Charlotte R. Sammis, Brooklyn;
William Ireland Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Adele Vogt, Charleston, S. C.
The grandchildren number twenty-two, and the names follow:
Joshua P. Jervis, Amityville;
George S. Jervis, Newtown;
Mrs. Henry Beers, Huntington; [Susan Smith]
Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Huntington; [Sarah E. Smith]
Mordaunt Smith, Brooklyn;
Joel Smith, Northport;
Henry Smith, Brooklyn;
William Smith, Huntington;
Mrs. Nettie Gardiner, Huntington; [Henrietta Smith]
Mr. Horace Smith, Rockville Center;
Mrs. Henry Pettit, Brooklyn; [Isabel Van Buren]
Mrs. Jacob C. Smith, Amityville; [Edna Louisa Van Buren]
Frank Smith, now deceased;
Perlee W. Jervis, Brooklyn;
Frank Jervis, Brooklyn;
Jesse Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mr. Frederick Sammis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Lena Sammis, Brooklyn; [she was a Miss, not a Mrs.]
William Jervis, Northport; [I believe this should say William Van Buren]
Arthur Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Ida Schepmouth, Brooklyn; [Ida Jervis Schepmoes]
[the list is missing the name of George E. Smith]
The three great-great-grandchildren are as follows:-
Ethel Drummond and sister, Huntington; [this should say Ethel Grumman and brother Charles]
Wallace Jeffrey Young, son of Wallace Young, an attaché of the Brooklyn Standard Union.
The event to-day is one of the most important of its character ever celebrated in or about Amityville, and hundreds are flocking to the scene of the festivities and congratulations pour on the centarian, who receives all with the cordiality and hospitality which have marked her life among the people there.
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From The Long Islander
A Centennial Celebration
On Friday of last week Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, reached her one-hundredth birthday, and about eighty of her relatives and friends gathered at the home of Scudder C. Jervis, with whom the centenarian lives, to celebrate the anniversary by a quiet family reunion.
The grounds around the old homestead, where Mrs. Jervis has lived for seventy-five years, were very attractive with their decorations of bunting. She rose with old-time dignity and grace to receive the congratulations of her friends, and did not complain of fatigue, even toward the close of the day. She preferred to walk around without assistance, and indeed was almost as sprightly as any of her guests. A photographer was on the scene, and she was photographed alone, in two groups of five generations each, and in a group composed of all present. While being photographed alone, one of her grandsons, in order to change her position, undertook to lift her chair while she was still sitting in it, but she objected, saying, "You treat me as if I were an old woman." Soon after this Mrs. Jervis walked out to the orchard near by, where a bountiful repast was spread, and took her place at the head of the long table, at which sat nearly seventy of her descendants.
Mrs. Jervis is still a handsome old lady. Her form is straight, and her hair abundant and there is always a trace of color in her cheeks. Only within the last few months have her eyesight and hearing become noticeably impaired. Physically her health is excellent. The partial loss of her eyesight is a great grief to her, as she has always been a great reader, and kept herself posted on current events.
Living under all the Presidents as she has done, she has her political opinions. Washington she considers beyond all question as having been our best President.
Her long life is due to the inheritance of a good constitution, and her careful, temperate living, helped by a calm, contented disposition. She has never had an illness. She has always eaten lean meat, entirely discarding the fat, and always drank strong green tea.
Her children, nearly all of whom were present Friday, are Mrs. Phebe M. Van Buren, Brooklyn; Mrs. Gilbert Smith, who died in 1886; Miss Ann Elizabeth Jervis, Amityville; Scudder C. Jervis, Amityville; H. Clark S. Jervis, Brooklyn; Mrs. Ezra R. Sammis, Brooklyn; Mrs. E. Adele Vogt, Charleston, S. C. The grandchildren are Mrs. Henry Pettit, Mrs. Henry Beers, Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Mrs. Joel Gardiner, Joel Smith, Wm. W. Smith, Mordaunt L. Smith, Henry Smith, Horace Smith, George S. Jervis, Joshua P. Jervis, Perlee V. Jervis, Frank T. Jervis, Miss Jessie W. Jervis, Miss Lena Sammis, Frederick B. Sammis, Mrs. Ida Jervis Schepmoes and Arthur N. Jervis. There are sixty great-grandchildren.
Mrs. E. C. Grumman, of this village, is the oldest great-grandchild, and her daughter, Ethel, is the oldest great-great-grandchild. The other two great-great-grandchildren are Charles S. Grumman, and a small boy by name of Wallace Jeffrey Young.
Mrs. Jervis is the widow of Joel Jervis, who was prominent in politics in the old town of Huntington, for a period of forty years. He held various official positions, and for over a quarter of a century was Justice of the Peace. He died in 1863 at the age of 72 years. She was born at Sayville on July 20, 1894, and is of the family known as the "Tangiers Smiths." She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her great-grandfather was Colonel William Smith, governor of Tangiers. [perhaps 3rd great-grandfather, but we're still working on that]
The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry, of Sayville. Joel Jervis, to whom the centenarian was married in 1815, traced his lineage to Sir Francis Jervais, who came to this county in the ship Primrose, from Scotland in 1636 [26?], landing in Salem Mass. From this ancestry the line ran back to a Gervaise who crossed with William the Conqueror and settled in Scotland. Lord Jervis, the Earl St. Vincent, represented the English branch of the family. Joel Jervis was the only son by Phebe Carll and Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, [John B. Jervis was a first cousin twice removed and not a half-brother] the engineer of the first croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, N. Y. is named.
HAS LIVED A CENTURY.
—
Mrs. Jervis Receiving Congratulations To-day.
—
LONG ISLAND’S OLDEST RESIDENT
—
HUNDREDS OF LONG ISLANDERS HONORING HER AT HER HOME.
Scores Of Descendants From All Parts Of The Country Visiting The Old Lady At Amityville---A Family History More Than Usually Interesting.
AMITYVILLE, Long Island, July 20, 1894
A contented and happy life, covering a period of just one hundred years, surrounded by children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, is a privilege rarely allotted mortals who dwell on this mundane sphere. Men or women of this class are the exception, not the rule, and Long Island, which is noted the world over for the longevity of its people, is furnishing its quota of persons who live to a remarkable old age and in a large measure retain their faculties.
The village of Amityville claims the proud distinction of containing to-day one of the oldest, if not the oldest, native of this "right little, tight little" spot on the map known as Long Island, in the person of Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, relict of Squire Joel Jervis, who was a man of considerable prominence in Huntington town and Suffolk County affairs.
To-day, at the home which the centenarian graces--where Scudder Carl Jervis, one of her sons, ministers to every comfort and pleasure of her who bore him--there is being celebrated was fairly well posted on the current events as portrayed in their favorite journals, and hers was a remarkable retentive memory. The conditions have changed, however, and to a Times man she complained of a blur before her eyes, and lamented her inability to fully enjoy the contents of the newspapers. Her comparison between the newspaper of her younger days and the journal of to-day was quaint and homely, but highly commendatory of the modern methods of gathering and conveying news of the world.
Mrs. Jervis' faculties, however, have displayed gradual impairment for several months, defective hearing and loss of memory being particularly noticeable. Physically there is no change, and there is a possibility of her life being prolonged for several years to come. Life is enjoyable to her, and loving hands and hearts minister constantly to her every want, and surround her with all the comforts and pleasures means can afford.
A banquet in honor of this occasion was partaken of to-day in the old homestead. Among those who were present were nearly all the forty-three great-grandchildren, the children, grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
The children number eight, as follows:
Mrs. Phoebe M. Van Buren, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Gilbert Smith, Huntington; [Jemima]
Miss Elizabeth Jervis, Amityville;
Scudder Carll Jervis, Amityville;
Henry Clark Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Charlotte R. Sammis, Brooklyn;
William Ireland Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Adele Vogt, Charleston, S. C.
The grandchildren number twenty-two, and the names follow:
Joshua P. Jervis, Amityville;
George S. Jervis, Newtown;
Mrs. Henry Beers, Huntington; [Susan Smith]
Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Huntington; [Sarah E. Smith]
Mordaunt Smith, Brooklyn;
Joel Smith, Northport;
Henry Smith, Brooklyn;
William Smith, Huntington;
Mrs. Nettie Gardiner, Huntington; [Henrietta Smith]
Mr. Horace Smith, Rockville Center;
Mrs. Henry Pettit, Brooklyn; [Isabel Van Buren]
Mrs. Jacob C. Smith, Amityville; [Edna Louisa Van Buren]
Frank Smith, now deceased;
Perlee W. Jervis, Brooklyn;
Frank Jervis, Brooklyn;
Jesse Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mr. Frederick Sammis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Lena Sammis, Brooklyn; [she was a Miss, not a Mrs.]
William Jervis, Northport; [I believe this should say William Van Buren]
Arthur Jervis, Brooklyn;
Mrs. Ida Schepmouth, Brooklyn; [Ida Jervis Schepmoes]
[the list is missing the name of George E. Smith]
The three great-great-grandchildren are as follows:-
Ethel Drummond and sister, Huntington; [this should say Ethel Grumman and brother Charles]
Wallace Jeffrey Young, son of Wallace Young, an attaché of the Brooklyn Standard Union.
The event to-day is one of the most important of its character ever celebrated in or about Amityville, and hundreds are flocking to the scene of the festivities and congratulations pour on the centarian, who receives all with the cordiality and hospitality which have marked her life among the people there.
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From The Long Islander
Huntington, New York
A Centennial Celebration
On Friday of last week Mrs. Elizabeth Jervis, of Amityville, reached her one-hundredth birthday, and about eighty of her relatives and friends gathered at the home of Scudder C. Jervis, with whom the centenarian lives, to celebrate the anniversary by a quiet family reunion.
The grounds around the old homestead, where Mrs. Jervis has lived for seventy-five years, were very attractive with their decorations of bunting. She rose with old-time dignity and grace to receive the congratulations of her friends, and did not complain of fatigue, even toward the close of the day. She preferred to walk around without assistance, and indeed was almost as sprightly as any of her guests. A photographer was on the scene, and she was photographed alone, in two groups of five generations each, and in a group composed of all present. While being photographed alone, one of her grandsons, in order to change her position, undertook to lift her chair while she was still sitting in it, but she objected, saying, "You treat me as if I were an old woman." Soon after this Mrs. Jervis walked out to the orchard near by, where a bountiful repast was spread, and took her place at the head of the long table, at which sat nearly seventy of her descendants.
Mrs. Jervis is still a handsome old lady. Her form is straight, and her hair abundant and there is always a trace of color in her cheeks. Only within the last few months have her eyesight and hearing become noticeably impaired. Physically her health is excellent. The partial loss of her eyesight is a great grief to her, as she has always been a great reader, and kept herself posted on current events.
Living under all the Presidents as she has done, she has her political opinions. Washington she considers beyond all question as having been our best President.
Her long life is due to the inheritance of a good constitution, and her careful, temperate living, helped by a calm, contented disposition. She has never had an illness. She has always eaten lean meat, entirely discarding the fat, and always drank strong green tea.
Her children, nearly all of whom were present Friday, are Mrs. Phebe M. Van Buren, Brooklyn; Mrs. Gilbert Smith, who died in 1886; Miss Ann Elizabeth Jervis, Amityville; Scudder C. Jervis, Amityville; H. Clark S. Jervis, Brooklyn; Mrs. Ezra R. Sammis, Brooklyn; Mrs. E. Adele Vogt, Charleston, S. C. The grandchildren are Mrs. Henry Pettit, Mrs. Henry Beers, Mrs. Alonzo Conklin, Mrs. Joel Gardiner, Joel Smith, Wm. W. Smith, Mordaunt L. Smith, Henry Smith, Horace Smith, George S. Jervis, Joshua P. Jervis, Perlee V. Jervis, Frank T. Jervis, Miss Jessie W. Jervis, Miss Lena Sammis, Frederick B. Sammis, Mrs. Ida Jervis Schepmoes and Arthur N. Jervis. There are sixty great-grandchildren.
Mrs. E. C. Grumman, of this village, is the oldest great-grandchild, and her daughter, Ethel, is the oldest great-great-grandchild. The other two great-great-grandchildren are Charles S. Grumman, and a small boy by name of Wallace Jeffrey Young.
Mrs. Jervis is the widow of Joel Jervis, who was prominent in politics in the old town of Huntington, for a period of forty years. He held various official positions, and for over a quarter of a century was Justice of the Peace. He died in 1863 at the age of 72 years. She was born at Sayville on July 20, 1894, and is of the family known as the "Tangiers Smiths." She was the only child of Henry Clark Smith and Jemima Terry. Her great-grandfather was Colonel William Smith, governor of Tangiers. [perhaps 3rd great-grandfather, but we're still working on that]
The mother of Mrs. Jervis was a daughter of Jeremiah Terry, of Sayville. Joel Jervis, to whom the centenarian was married in 1815, traced his lineage to Sir Francis Jervais, who came to this county in the ship Primrose, from Scotland in 1636 [26?], landing in Salem Mass. From this ancestry the line ran back to a Gervaise who crossed with William the Conqueror and settled in Scotland. Lord Jervis, the Earl St. Vincent, represented the English branch of the family. Joel Jervis was the only son by Phebe Carll and Joseph I. Jervis, who, by a second marriage, had seven children, one of them being John B. Jervis, [John B. Jervis was a first cousin twice removed and not a half-brother] the engineer of the first croton aqueduct and the man after whom Port Jervis, N. Y. is named.
Mrs. Jervis was the recipient of many pretty and useful gifts, and the whole occasion was very enjoyable. May she live to witness many more.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Jemima (TERRY) SMITH EDWARDS, daughter of Jeremiah TERRY of Sayville
Jemima is my 4th great-grandmother. I have know her name since I first started collecting names back when I was about 15. In newspaper articles about the 100th birthday of her daughter, Elizabeth (SMITH) JERVIS, and in Elizabeth's obituaries, is states over and over again that Elizabeth is the only child of Henry Clark SMITH and Jemima TERRY, daughter of Jeremiah of Sayville. Back then, I couldn't find Jeremiah, or at least not one that looked like he was mine. (...and we can't find Henry Clark SMITH's parents though he's supposed to be related--a great-grandson perhaps--of Col. William "Tangiers" SMITH...anyway...)
Now, thanks to the internet, I know a lot more...and in some cases I don't have proof, but I think I know her ancestry. Some of the following people and dates are taken from other's family trees and I still need to find documentation.
Jemima TERRY (daughter of Jeremiah TERRY and Elizabeth MORRIS)
b. 20 March 1772 in Sayville, Suffolk, New York
m. 1st Henry Clark SMITH (24 April 1766-17 January 1805) on 2 April 1792
issue: 1 daughter, Elizabeth SMITH (20 July 1794-22 January 1895) married Joel JERVIS
m. 2nd Matthew EDWARDS after 1808 (after his first wife, Elizabeth MORRIS died)
d. 16 June 1833
As mentioned, Jemima and Henry had only one child, Elizabeth (apparently named after Jemima's mother and both her grandmothers). Henry died in 1805. Jemima later married a widower with 8 living children, though depending on the year they married, some were out of the house by then.
We do not have a marriage date for Jemima and her second husband, Matthew, but I just discovered that it looks like Matthew's 2 wives, Elizabeth and Jemima, were first cousins. Not only that, they were double cousins. Elizabeth and Jemima share both sets of grandparents: Daniel TERRY and Elizabeth TUTHILL as well as James MORRIS and Elizabeth HARTT.
It gets confusing in the my Jemima TERRY's father, Jeremiah, has a sister named Jemima TERRY as well (who is mother to Matthew's first wife Elizabeth MORRIS). Too many Elizabeths and Jemimas.
So, Jemima and Elizabeth are double 1st cousins because a brother and sister (last name of TERRY) married a brother and sister (last name of MORRIS).
Daniel TERRY and Elizabeth TUTHILL (plus 7 other children):
--Jeremiah TERRY b. 1739 (Jeremiah married Elizabeth MORRIS)--father of my Jemima
--Jemima TERRY b. 1747 (Jemima married James MORRIS)--mother of Jemima's cousin Elizabeth
James MORRIS and Elizabeth HARTT (plus 4 other children):
--James MORRIS b. 1740 (James married Jemima TERRY)--father of Jemima's cousin Elizabeth
--Elizabeth MORRIS b. 1742 (Elizabeth married Jeremiah TERRY)--mother of my Jemima
Anyway, the children of Matthew and Elizabeth (MORRIS) EDWARDS (and therefore my Elizabeth SMITH's 2nd cousins and also her step-brothers and sisters/Jemima's 1st cousins once removed as well as step-children):
1. Jeremiah EDWARDS (14 Nov 1787-6 Jun 1815)
2. Reuben EDWARDS (26 Mar 1788-10 Nov 1863)
3. Elizabeth EDWARDS (6 Dec 1790-28 Feb 1824)
4. Charity Elizabeth EDWARDS (3 Oct 1792-14 Apr 1867)
5. Martha EDWARDS (1 Jul 1794-?)
6. Jemima EDWARDS (1 Dec 1800-Aug 1867)
7. Matthew EDWARDS (21 Mar 1802-about 1802)
8. Mary EDWARDS (14 Jan 1805-27 Oct 1861)
9. James Morris EDWARDS (4 Nov 1808-15 Oct 1894)
So, trying to piece together Jemima's life, she was born in 1772 and married in 1792 when she was 20. She had her only child, Elizabeth, about 2 years later. Jemima's husband died when she was 32 and their daughter Elizabeth was 10 years old--Elizabeth didn't marry for 10 more years. So what did mother and daughter do during those years together?
Depending on when Jemima married her 2nd husband, Elizabeth lived with step-siblings/cousins for a bit before she married in 1815. With Jemima being a widow and Matthew being a widower with young children (his wife died in December 1808, about 1 month after giving birth to their youngest child), I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they married soon after Matthew's first wife's death.
In the 1810 census Islip, Suffolk, New York the family of Matthew Edwards does look like Jemima (or some other female, of course) could be living with him. In the 1820 and 1830 censuses, there are younger children in the house, but whether those are grandchildren or children of Jemima and Matthew, I don't know. Jemima would have still been young enough to have children back then (if they married in 1809, she was only 38-39 years old.
Taking the list of Edward's children and matching them to the census record, the only child that doesn't match what we "know" is that there is one male less than 10 years old. Now, if Matthew (born 1802) didn't die in 1802, but maybe 1812, he could be that male...or perhaps Jemima and Edward did have a child together... Or Edward and his first wife Elizabeth had another unknown young son...
Jemima died in 1833 at the age of 61. Matthew died a year later.
And as far as Jemima's first husband, my ancestor, what I've already written is really all I know about him.
Henry Clark SMITH
b. 24 April 1766 probably Long Island, New York
m. Jemima TERRY on 2 April 1792 in Smithtown, Suffolk, New York
issue: 1 daughter Elizabeth SMITH
d. 17 January 1805 probably Long Island, New York
Is Henry, who is supposed to be a direct descendant (perhaps a great-grandson) of Col. William "Tangier" SMITH, from the missing branch named below? (taken from an exerpt of a piece on the Smith family at longislandgenealogy.com):
Next in order of Col. Henrys progeny came William Henry (III) who was called "Young Clerk" Smith, and then Henry (III), whose son Charles Jeffrey was a minister and a missionary to the Indians. He was thought to have died accidentally of a gunshot but years later a negro on the eve of execution for another crime confessed he had also murdered Charles Jeffrey Smith in 1770...
William Henry Smith (III), "Young Clerk Smith" was born in 1708 and became the proprietor of St. George's Manor. He was Suffolk County Clerk, and Judge of the Common Pleas. His wife was Margaret Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Little is known of their sons, who went off to New York, Boston and Halifax. as Tories.
Now, thanks to the internet, I know a lot more...and in some cases I don't have proof, but I think I know her ancestry. Some of the following people and dates are taken from other's family trees and I still need to find documentation.
Jemima TERRY (daughter of Jeremiah TERRY and Elizabeth MORRIS)
b. 20 March 1772 in Sayville, Suffolk, New York
m. 1st Henry Clark SMITH (24 April 1766-17 January 1805) on 2 April 1792
issue: 1 daughter, Elizabeth SMITH (20 July 1794-22 January 1895) married Joel JERVIS
m. 2nd Matthew EDWARDS after 1808 (after his first wife, Elizabeth MORRIS died)
d. 16 June 1833
As mentioned, Jemima and Henry had only one child, Elizabeth (apparently named after Jemima's mother and both her grandmothers). Henry died in 1805. Jemima later married a widower with 8 living children, though depending on the year they married, some were out of the house by then.
We do not have a marriage date for Jemima and her second husband, Matthew, but I just discovered that it looks like Matthew's 2 wives, Elizabeth and Jemima, were first cousins. Not only that, they were double cousins. Elizabeth and Jemima share both sets of grandparents: Daniel TERRY and Elizabeth TUTHILL as well as James MORRIS and Elizabeth HARTT.
It gets confusing in the my Jemima TERRY's father, Jeremiah, has a sister named Jemima TERRY as well (who is mother to Matthew's first wife Elizabeth MORRIS). Too many Elizabeths and Jemimas.
So, Jemima and Elizabeth are double 1st cousins because a brother and sister (last name of TERRY) married a brother and sister (last name of MORRIS).
Daniel TERRY and Elizabeth TUTHILL (plus 7 other children):
--Jeremiah TERRY b. 1739 (Jeremiah married Elizabeth MORRIS)--father of my Jemima
--Jemima TERRY b. 1747 (Jemima married James MORRIS)--mother of Jemima's cousin Elizabeth
James MORRIS and Elizabeth HARTT (plus 4 other children):
--James MORRIS b. 1740 (James married Jemima TERRY)--father of Jemima's cousin Elizabeth
--Elizabeth MORRIS b. 1742 (Elizabeth married Jeremiah TERRY)--mother of my Jemima
Anyway, the children of Matthew and Elizabeth (MORRIS) EDWARDS (and therefore my Elizabeth SMITH's 2nd cousins and also her step-brothers and sisters/Jemima's 1st cousins once removed as well as step-children):
1. Jeremiah EDWARDS (14 Nov 1787-6 Jun 1815)
2. Reuben EDWARDS (26 Mar 1788-10 Nov 1863)
3. Elizabeth EDWARDS (6 Dec 1790-28 Feb 1824)
4. Charity Elizabeth EDWARDS (3 Oct 1792-14 Apr 1867)
5. Martha EDWARDS (1 Jul 1794-?)
6. Jemima EDWARDS (1 Dec 1800-Aug 1867)
7. Matthew EDWARDS (21 Mar 1802-about 1802)
8. Mary EDWARDS (14 Jan 1805-27 Oct 1861)
9. James Morris EDWARDS (4 Nov 1808-15 Oct 1894)
So, trying to piece together Jemima's life, she was born in 1772 and married in 1792 when she was 20. She had her only child, Elizabeth, about 2 years later. Jemima's husband died when she was 32 and their daughter Elizabeth was 10 years old--Elizabeth didn't marry for 10 more years. So what did mother and daughter do during those years together?
Depending on when Jemima married her 2nd husband, Elizabeth lived with step-siblings/cousins for a bit before she married in 1815. With Jemima being a widow and Matthew being a widower with young children (his wife died in December 1808, about 1 month after giving birth to their youngest child), I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they married soon after Matthew's first wife's death.
In the 1810 census Islip, Suffolk, New York the family of Matthew Edwards does look like Jemima (or some other female, of course) could be living with him. In the 1820 and 1830 censuses, there are younger children in the house, but whether those are grandchildren or children of Jemima and Matthew, I don't know. Jemima would have still been young enough to have children back then (if they married in 1809, she was only 38-39 years old.
Taking the list of Edward's children and matching them to the census record, the only child that doesn't match what we "know" is that there is one male less than 10 years old. Now, if Matthew (born 1802) didn't die in 1802, but maybe 1812, he could be that male...or perhaps Jemima and Edward did have a child together... Or Edward and his first wife Elizabeth had another unknown young son...
Jemima died in 1833 at the age of 61. Matthew died a year later.
And as far as Jemima's first husband, my ancestor, what I've already written is really all I know about him.
Henry Clark SMITH
b. 24 April 1766 probably Long Island, New York
m. Jemima TERRY on 2 April 1792 in Smithtown, Suffolk, New York
issue: 1 daughter Elizabeth SMITH
d. 17 January 1805 probably Long Island, New York
Is Henry, who is supposed to be a direct descendant (perhaps a great-grandson) of Col. William "Tangier" SMITH, from the missing branch named below? (taken from an exerpt of a piece on the Smith family at longislandgenealogy.com):
Next in order of Col. Henrys progeny came William Henry (III) who was called "Young Clerk" Smith, and then Henry (III), whose son Charles Jeffrey was a minister and a missionary to the Indians. He was thought to have died accidentally of a gunshot but years later a negro on the eve of execution for another crime confessed he had also murdered Charles Jeffrey Smith in 1770...
William Henry Smith (III), "Young Clerk Smith" was born in 1708 and became the proprietor of St. George's Manor. He was Suffolk County Clerk, and Judge of the Common Pleas. His wife was Margaret Lloyd of Lloyd's Neck. Little is known of their sons, who went off to New York, Boston and Halifax. as Tories.
Friday, May 2, 2014
name variations for Hetu and Mominee
Hetu:
Aitu, Catean, Eats, Eatue, Estu, Eteau (often misindexed as Etean), Ethu, Ethue, Ethus, Etieu, Etne, Etteim, Etu, Etue, Etus, Heetu, Hestue, Hethu, Hettue, Hetue, Hetus
Mominee:
Montminy, Aumeny, Demontmenil , Demontmeny, Demontmesnil, Demontminy, Dumomesnil, Lomenil, Momeni, Momenie, Momenil, Momenis, Momeny, Momini, Mominie, Mominy, Mommeny, Momminy, Mommy, Momni, Momnies, Momny, Momy, Moneny, Monmagni, Monmeni, Monemnie, Monmenies, Monmenil, Monmenis, Monmenny, Monmeny, Monmigny, Monmini, Monminie, Monminies, Monminit, Monminy, Monmisnil, Montmagny, Montmany, Montmeni, Montmenie, Montmenil, Montmeny, Montmini, Montminie, Montminil, Montminy, Nomini, and Omni
Now, just a word about the name Mominee and Momineetown from Don Momenee, Toledo Magazine (Sunday Supplement to the Blade Newspaper) November 18-24, 1990. Momeneetown is now known as Oregon, Lucas, Ohio.
"Momenee, Mominee, or Momany, we all are sort of related. The name was derived from the French Montmesnil, and the original families came from the Rouen area of France. You can see the Lucas county version of the name is a far cry from that.
"Apparently early members migrated to Quebec and then to the marshy areas of Monroe County, Mich., where they were trappers and hunters as well as farmers."
Aitu, Catean, Eats, Eatue, Estu, Eteau (often misindexed as Etean), Ethu, Ethue, Ethus, Etieu, Etne, Etteim, Etu, Etue, Etus, Heetu, Hestue, Hethu, Hettue, Hetue, Hetus
Mominee:
Montminy, Aumeny, Demontmenil , Demontmeny, Demontmesnil, Demontminy, Dumomesnil, Lomenil, Momeni, Momenie, Momenil, Momenis, Momeny, Momini, Mominie, Mominy, Mommeny, Momminy, Mommy, Momni, Momnies, Momny, Momy, Moneny, Monmagni, Monmeni, Monemnie, Monmenies, Monmenil, Monmenis, Monmenny, Monmeny, Monmigny, Monmini, Monminie, Monminies, Monminit, Monminy, Monmisnil, Montmagny, Montmany, Montmeni, Montmenie, Montmenil, Montmeny, Montmini, Montminie, Montminil, Montminy, Nomini, and Omni
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Now, just a word about the name Mominee and Momineetown from Don Momenee, Toledo Magazine (Sunday Supplement to the Blade Newspaper) November 18-24, 1990. Momeneetown is now known as Oregon, Lucas, Ohio.
"Momenee, Mominee, or Momany, we all are sort of related. The name was derived from the French Montmesnil, and the original families came from the Rouen area of France. You can see the Lucas county version of the name is a far cry from that.
"Apparently early members migrated to Quebec and then to the marshy areas of Monroe County, Mich., where they were trappers and hunters as well as farmers."
Don Momenee, Toledo Magazine (Sunday Supplement to the Blade Newspaper) Nov 18-24,1990.
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Sunday, April 27, 2014
John MILLER and Hannah VAN VELSOR updated
This photo of John Miller was posted on Ancestry.com by a cousin
John MILLER, son of John MILLER and his wife Mary
b. 21 April 1812 Staten Island, Richmond, New York
d. 5 May 1899 Brooklyn, Kings, New York
m. abt 1832 to
Hannah VAN VELSOR, parents unknown
b. about 1817 Long Island, New York
d. in between 1870-1880 censuses
issue:
1. John Henry MILLER (married Sarah Ann NEWMAN)
b. 11 May 1833 Brooklyn/ m. Dec 1852/ d. 14 Jun 1901
2. Elizabeth Jane MILLER (married Mortimer A. DOTY)
b. 25 September 1834 Brooklyn/m. ~1858/d. 27 December 1917 Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee)
(photo below)
3. Adeline A. MILLER (married Henry B. SOUTHARD)
b. 20 Nov 1837 Brooklyn/ m. about 1854/ d. 24 Apr 1901 Bellmore, Nassau, New York
(photo below)
4. Cornelius V. MILLER (married Nellie A. COON)
b 1838-39 in NY (he was in Ohio in 1860, in NY in 1864-65, and in Wisconsin in 1880)
5. Aaron Kimball MILLER (m. Helen Van DRESSER)
b. May 1846 in NY / m. about 1881/ d. 22 February 1927 in Wisconsin
6. Ezra W. MILLER
b. 1847-48 in NY
7. Mary Lavinia MILLER (m. John PATTERSON)
b. 1849-50 in NY/m. abt 1867/d. 12 February 1917 Brooklyn, Kings, New York
8. Serena MILLER (m. William A. WILLIAMS)
b. 1851-52 in NY/ m. 2 January 1882 NY/d. probably May 1891
(photo below)
9. Emma Louise MILLER (m. William Miller WANDELL)
b. 1853-54 in NY/m. 1879/d. 11 August 1935 New York City
10. Lany MILLER
b. 1855-56 in Ohio
11. Anna I. or J. MILLER
b. Dec 1859 in Ohio
12? Sunnah MILLER
b. 1865 New York (unless the NY State census is wrong and this should have been Lany...)
John was born in New York and had his first 9 children there, but then he moved to Ohio where Lany and Anna were born. He is in the 1860 census in Madison, Lake, Ohio. He is back in New York for the 1865 census where Lany isn't listed, but Sunnah (Lunnah?) is. She is age 0. I'm wondering if Lunnah is Lany and they messed up.
In the 1880 census, John is in LaFayette, Chippewa, Wisconsin as a widower living with his son Cornelius.
John's death certificate, issued in 1899, states that he had been a resident of the City of New York for the past 20 years, so I'm guessing he moved from Wisconsin back to New York soon after the 1880 census.
9. Emma Louise MILLER (m. William Miller WANDELL)
b. 1853-54 in NY/m. 1879/d. 11 August 1935 New York City
10. Lany MILLER
b. 1855-56 in Ohio
11. Anna I. or J. MILLER
b. Dec 1859 in Ohio
12? Sunnah MILLER
b. 1865 New York (unless the NY State census is wrong and this should have been Lany...)
John was born in New York and had his first 9 children there, but then he moved to Ohio where Lany and Anna were born. He is in the 1860 census in Madison, Lake, Ohio. He is back in New York for the 1865 census where Lany isn't listed, but Sunnah (Lunnah?) is. She is age 0. I'm wondering if Lunnah is Lany and they messed up.
In the 1880 census, John is in LaFayette, Chippewa, Wisconsin as a widower living with his son Cornelius.
John's death certificate, issued in 1899, states that he had been a resident of the City of New York for the past 20 years, so I'm guessing he moved from Wisconsin back to New York soon after the 1880 census.
In some census records, John is listed as being born in New York, but in the 1880 census, he and his parents are listed as having New Jersey as their birthplace. The unusual thing is, John is living with his son, Cornelius, in Wisconsin in 1880 and the record for Cornelius says that his father was born in Staten Island, yet John's birthplace, instead of saying he was born in Staten Island, says he was born in New Jersey. I'm wondering if Staten Island was sometimes listed as being in New Jersey? (from the internet: Did Staten Island belong to New Jersey? Although Staten Island is a borough of New York City, the island is topographically and geologically a part of New Jersey. Staten Island is separated from Long Island by the Narrows and from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull).
1850 US Federal Census Brooklyn Ward 7, Kings, New York
John MILLER 38 Carman Born in NY (they all were)
Hannah 32
John H 17 Carpenter
Elizabeth Jane 15
Adaline 13
Cornelius 11
Benjamin F 7
Aaron K (V?) 5
Ezra W 2
1860 US Federal Census Madison Township, Lake, Ohio
John MILLER 48 New York farmer
Hannah 42 New York
Cornelius 21 New York
Arson 14 New York
Ezra 12 New York
Mary L. 10 New York
Serena 8 New York
Emma 6 New York
Lany 4 Ohio
Anna J 6/12 Ohio
1865 New York State Census Brooklyn Ward 7, Kings, New York
John MILLER 53 Staten Island shipp framer Navy yard
Emma 46 Brooklyn
Aron A 21 Brooklyn
Marey L 15 Brooklyn
Syrena 13 Brooklyn
Emma L. 10 Brooklyn
Sunnah 0 Brooklyn
next door:
Cornelius B MILLER 26 Brooklyn ship carpenter Navy yard
Nelia 25 New York City
Benjamin T 1 Brooklyn
Elizabeth MILLER 73 Long Island mother [grandmother?]
can't find them in 1870 or 1875 censuses
1880 US Federal Census Lafayette, Chippewa, Wisconsin
Cornelius V MILLER 44 New York-Staten Island-New York farmer
Nellie A 40 New York-New York-New York
Frank B. 15 New York-New York-New York
Fred 5/12 New York-New York-New York
John 68 New Jersey-New Jersey-New Jersey father
timeline:
1812 John MILLER born on Staten Island
1817 his wife Hannah VAN VELSOR born on Long Island
1832ish John and Hannah marry
1833 John Henry MILLER born probably in Brooklyn
1834 Elizabeth Jane MILLER born in Brooklyn
1837 Adeline A. MILLER born in Brooklyn
1839 Cornelius V. MILLER born in New York
1845 Aaron Kimball MILLER born in New York
1847 Ezra W. MILLER born in New York
1849 Mary Lavinia MILLER born in New York
1851 Serena Adelia MILLER born in New York
1852 John Henry MILLER and Sarah Ann NEWMAN marry in New York
1853 Emma MILLER born in New York
1854 Caroline MILLER born in New York (dau of John Henry and Sarah)
Adeline A. MILLER and Henry B. SOUTHARD marry in New York
1855ish looks like everyone but Adeline moves to Ohio
1855 Lany MILLER born in Ohio
1856 Mary Jane MILLER born in Ohio (dau of John Henry and Sarah)
1857 John Henry and family move back to New York (perhaps with Cornelius?)
Frances Elizabeth MILLER born in New York (dau of John Henry and Sarah)
1859 Anna I. or J. MILLER born in Ohio
1860 John and Hannah MILLER family enumerated in Madison, Lake, Ohio
1860 Emma Lavinia MILLER born in New York (dau of John Henry and Sarah)
1863ish Cornelius MILLER and Nellie A. COON marry probrably in New York
1865 Benjamin Franklin MILLER born in New York (son of Cornelius and Nellie)
1865 Lunnah born in New York (maybe)
1866 Charles Latimer MILLER born in New York (son of John Henry and Sarah)
1870 John, Hannah, Syrena, Emma, and Lany MILLER enumerated in Hempstead, Queens, New York
between 1870 and 1880 Hannah VAN VELSOR MILLER dies (see 1879)
1879 Fred MILLER born in Wisconsin (son of Cornelius and Nellie)
1879 this might be Hannah (VAN VELSOR) MILLER's death date (6 July 1879 Brooklyn)
1880 John MILLER is enumerated with Cornelius's family in Lafayette, Chippewa, Wisconsin
1881ish John MILLER moves back to New York
1899 John MILLER dies in Brooklyn, Kings, New York
1901 Adeline A (MILLER) SOUTHARD dies in Bellmore, Nassau, New York
1901 John Henry MILLER dies in Brooklyn, Kings, New York
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Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn, New York
May 6, 1899 Saturday Page 2
John Miller, a member of Janes Methodist Episcopal Church, died at his home, corner of Gates and Patchen avenues, yesterday, in his 87th year. He was the oldest member of the church. He was born on Staten Island in 1812, and had been a farmer in a number of Western States finally returning to Brooklyn, where he retired from business. Eight children, fifteen grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren survive him. The funeral service will be held at Janes ME Church on Sunday at 4 pm.
John Miller, a member of Janes Methodist Episcopal Church, died at his home, corner of Gates and Patchen avenues, yesterday, in his 87th year. He was the oldest member of the church. He was born on Staten Island in 1812, and had been a farmer in a number of Western States finally returning to Brooklyn, where he retired from business. Eight children, fifteen grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren survive him. The funeral service will be held at Janes ME Church on Sunday at 4 pm.
[I have to say that when I read "western states" I was thinking California, Oregon, etc. So the fact that it turned out to be Ohio and Wisconsin kind of made me laugh.]
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The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn, New York
25 April 1901 Thursday Page 8
Mrs. Henry B. Southard
Bellmore,- L. I., April 25--Adeline, wife of Henry B. Southard, ex-highway commissioner, died yesterday morning of dropsy [edema]. She has been a resident of this section since childhood. For many years her connection with the Newbridge M. E. Church was characterized by active work. A husband and son, Edward, of Hicksville, survive her. Funeral services will be held to-morrow.
Bellmore,- L. I., April 25--Adeline, wife of Henry B. Southard, ex-highway commissioner, died yesterday morning of dropsy [edema]. She has been a resident of this section since childhood. For many years her connection with the Newbridge M. E. Church was characterized by active work. A husband and son, Edward, of Hicksville, survive her. Funeral services will be held to-morrow.
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Elizabeth Jane Miller Doty
Adeline A. Miller Southard
Serena Adelia Miller Williams
William A. Williams, husband of Serena, is on the right
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