Joseph Chilson, Part Two, Baptist Minister

In yesterday's blog, I talked about my second great grandfather, Joseph Chilson, as a Civil War soldier.  I am proud of him for his service to his country but I am also proud of him for his service to his Lord as a Baptist minister.

He was ordained in Kansas, before coming to Fallbrook, San Diego Co., California.  I'm still looking for more information about this.  He arrived in Fallbrook about 1886.  Besides being a minister, he was also a carpenter and he helped to build Fallbrook's First Baptist Church in 1888 (pictured here).  This church stood in Fallbrook until 1968 when it was replaced with a newer brick structure.  I'm so happy I got to see it before they tore it down!

Joseph lived in Fallbrook most of the time he was in San Diego Co. but he also lived in Merle, a railroad village in San Diego Co., near Encinitas.  In 1890, he is listed in the business directory in Merle as Rev. Chilson, Baptist.  I'm not clear how long he served at this church but he did return to Fallbrook by 1894 and remained there until after 1905, when he still appears in the business directory.

Joseph moved to Los Gatos, Santa Clara Co. by 1908 and was still living there in 1911 when he was involved in a controversy at Los Gatos Baptist Church.  According to an article in the San Francisco Examiner, the pastor of this church was preaching socialism and progressive religion.  The members, including Joseph Chilson, who objected to this were asked to leave the congregation.  It was quite an uproar!  Apparently, Joseph did leave.  He moved, briefly to Campbell and then to San Mateo where he died in 1915 at the age of 77.

MY CIVIL WAR ANCESTOR, JOSEPH CHILSON

Joseph Chilson and his wife Mary Elizabeth Cook

My second great grandfather, Joseph Chilson, son of Jonathan Alvord Chilson and Philinda Slack, was born 22 September 1838 in Chester, Geauga Co., Ohio.  He moved, with his birth family, a number of times to several counties in Ohio, then to Cass Co., Missouri, then to several counties in Kansas.  It was in Kansas that he met and married my second great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Cook, daughter of Oliver Hartwell Cook and Clarissa Quincy.  They were married on 1 August 1860 in Miami Co., Kansas.

Joseph Chilson served for the Union in the Civil War as follows:  He enlisted at Paola, Kansas on 15 August 1863 and began his service at Ft. Scott, Kansas on 26 August 1863.  He served in Co. F, 14th Kansas Cavalry under Col. Charles Blair and Capt. Albert F. Briggs.  The 14th Kansas was organized in the Spring of 1863 and, on the 20th of November 1863, moved from Ft. Scott to Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where it engaged in scouting, foraging, and picketing.  Then they moved to Choctaw Country and later returned to Ft. Smith.  Then they served in the Camden Expedition in Arkansas, Missouri, and Indian Territory.

Joseph began his service as a Private and later served as a Commissary Sergeant.  He became ill and was left at the hospital in Paola, Kansas.  After he recovered, he served as an Assistant Surgeon in the 16th Kansas Cavalry until he mustered out at the end of the war.

Joseph later moved to Fallbrook, San Diego Co., California, and was among the early settlers there.  He was a Baptist minister and served in San Diego Co. until after his wife died in 1899.  He then moved north to Los Gatos in Santa Clara Co. and then to San Mateo in San Mateo Co.  There he married Hannah T. Carson in 1908.

Joseph collected a pension for his military service and, after his death, his wife Hannah collected it until her death.  He died on 23 January 1915 in San Mateo and is buried in St. John's Cemetery.

WILLIAM SLACK, GRAVE ROBBER

My fourth great grandfather, William SLACK, was born 21 February 1783, probably in Windham Co., Connecticut, where his parents were living at the time.  They were Christopher SLACK and Phebe (surname unknown).  He was baptized as an adult in Northampton on 23 April 1795.  He first married Hannah CASWELL (my ancestor), daughter of Jonathan CASWELL and Margery MARKHAM, who was born in Middlesex Co., Connecticut.  He died 3 September 1845 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts.

William's family moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, and William went on to Otsego Co., New York.  Hannah's family moved to Otsego Co., New York also and, I believe, that is where they were married on 13 April 1807.  They were living in Springfield, Otsego Co. and had four children there. Two died in infancy and Hannah died about 1812.  After her death, William returned to his family in Northampton with his two remaining children, Philinda SLACK (my ancestor) and Jonathan Caswell SLACK.

William married twice more after returning to Massachusetts.  He married Priscilla PELTON and then Nancy DAMON TORREY HALL, as her third husband.

William SLACK was a farmer, weaver and, according to town records, had a cider mill, as well.  He was a land owner and, eventually, his land went to his son Jonathan.  Here is the interesting thing I found out about him...  He was arrested as a grave robber!  The following item appeared in the Hampshire Gazette on 4 October 1837:  "Supreme Court:  In the case of the Commonwealth vs William Slack and J. (oseph) Kingsley from this county, which was an indictment for removing a dead body before burial, from Westhampton to Northampton, against the statute for protecting the sepulchers of the dead, the defendants were discharged on the ground that the indictment did not allege such facts as were material and necessary to bring them within the provisions of the law."  Apparently, they did remove a body but the court wasn't presented with sufficient evidence of a crime.  I certainly wonder why they moved it!!

Note:  The sources for this information and all other information on my family are available in my files.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

I thought it might be fun to record some of the Christmas traditions of my family...

My mother, Elsie Vos Hillier, knitted Christmas stockings for all of her children, then for all our spouses, and then for all of her grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.  Eventually, her eyesight became too poor to continue knitting -- so I took over.  I knitted, from the same pattern, stockings for my daughters-in-law and my granddaughter.  They are all alike and we all use them every year.  Santa even fills the adult stockings!

My mother came from a family of 9 children, 8 of whom lived to be adults, and 7 of whom had children.  A big family!  We always got together at my Grandma and Grandpa Vos' house in Santa Monica the Saturday before Christmas (and, after my Grandma died, at the homes of other family members).  There were too many of us to buy gifts for everyone so, on my Grandpa's birthday in October (another occasion for a gathering), we drew names.  Each adult drew the name of another adult and each child drew the name of another child.  So everyone got a gift and it was not a burden for anyone.  

This same grandfather died on Christmas Day in 1969 at the age of 90.  He died of pneumonia.  If he hadn't caught a virus, he might have lived longer.  He was deaf and blind but perfectly healthy otherwise.  It is sad to lose someone on Christmas Day.

My father, Rus Hillier's, side of the family got together on Christmas Day at my Aunt Roberta's home in Los Angeles.  She always had both turkey and ham -- and she always had a birthday cake for the baby Jesus.  My Uncle Chuck always said long-winded prayers.  I can remember, on the way to Aunt Roberta's every year, my dad would remark, "I hope Chuck doesn't say the grace this year!"  We all knew what he meant!

I used to be sick every Christmas -- and my family finally figured out that I was just too excited!  I'm still that way -- always excited about Christmas!

Back to the Christmas stockings -- we had traditions...  There were always tangerines and walnuts among the other gifts.  We always got new tooth brushes in our stockings -- and we still do at my house!  The girls in the family always got a doll and, when we got older, it was a token doll that would fit in our stocking.  I still have all of my dolls packed in a box somewhere in the garage.  I will always give a doll to my granddaughter, continuing the tradition.

We always opened our gifts on Christmas morning -- early!  I have to admit that my mother was usually the first one up.  She got excited about Christmas too!  The same is true in my house today.  We open gifts first thing in the morning.  However, I started a new tradition.  I always let my sons open one gift on Christmas Eve.  I would steer them toward something that was not clothing so the could play with it for the evening to help contain the excitement.

Another tradition that got started in my house was to have a Christmas Eve Soup Supper for our family and sometimes guests.  The soup is always accompanied by Beer Bread.  Christmas dinner, at my house, is always ham.  And, of course, plenty of homemade goodies -- pies, cookies, candy, fruitcake, etc.

I'm sure I am forgetting something but those are some of my memories.  I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

ONE COUPLE -- TWO BRICK WALLS

Benjamin QUINCY and Sarah "Sallie" HAMMOND were married on 1 January 1793 at Stanfordville Baptist Church, Dutchess County, New York.  My original assumption was that they were from that town or very nearby but a whole lot of research did not find parents for either of them in that area.

Benjamin Quincy was born in Massachusetts or New York according the the census records of his children.  Sarah Hammond was born in New York or Vermont according to the census records of her children.

As I continued my research, I discovered that the pastor of the Stanfordville Baptist Church "rode the circuit" to a lot of towns up and down the border of New York -- performing baptisms and marriages where there was no Baptist Church in the town.  Then he returned to his home church in Stanfordville and recorded the events there.  So I expanded my search!

A descendant in another branch of the family had told me that Sarah's father's name was Asa Hammond.  I tracked down every Asa Hammond in all of New York and New England. None of them fit as Sarah's father.  I now believe that she named a son Asa Hammond Quincy, not because her father was Asa Hammond, but because she simply like the name Asa and gave him her maiden name as a middle name -- a common practice.

Next, I attempted to track down and record information on every person the right age to be Sarah's father or Benjamin's father -- all up and down the Vermont/New York border.  I discovered that there was only one person named Quincy anywhere along the border (in fact only one in all of the state of New York), a John Quincy in Halfmoon, Albany (now Saratoga) County, New York.  There were a whole lot of Hammonds in the area but only one was living in the same town as John Quincy, a Phineas Hammond.  Each of these households had a child the right age to be Benjamin and Sallie.

Meanwhile, I had been looking at any and all records for their children for clues.  Their eldest son (my ancestor) was named John Quincy -- after his grandfather?  I discovered an obituary for one of their daughters that said she was born in Halfmoon, New York!  Now I figured I was getting somewhere.  However, there were no other records for John Quincy in Halfmoon.  I was able to track Phineas Hammond.  He moved to Pittsfield, Rutland, Vermont.  His brother Thomas and other relatives were living in Pittsfield.  Unfortunately, he didn't leave very many records there.

A genealogy has been published for the Hammonds of Newton, Massachusetts.  Phineas and Thomas and their siblings are included so I know it's the right family -- but no Sarah!

I believe I have found the fathers of Benjamin and Sarah but, after many years of research, can I prove it?  NO!  I'll eventually have another go at it but, for now, they are still brick walls!

COUSIN JEANNE

Back in 1998, I was active on the Russell Rootsweb list.  One day, a woman named Jeanne posted a query.  She was asking about Allen George Russell who was a pilot and worked for Howard Hughes for a time.  That's about all she said.

I read that query and said to myself, "There couldn't be two!"  I wrote back and told her that I thought she was talking about my great uncle Allen George Russell who was born in Fallbrook, California in 1900.  I also said that, besides having worked for Howard Hughes, he was also the personal pilot for William Randolph Hearst for years -- and a few more facts.  I had no idea why she was looking for him. 

She wrote back and said, "That's him and he was my father!"  Let me tell you, that was a surprise!  I thought I knew all of Great Uncle Allen's wives and children.  After exchanging additional email, I learned that she was born to a wife that no one in family knew -- and that, apparently, it was bigamy!  I was able to put Jeanne in touch with her three living brothers and I organized a family reunion so she could come to Fallbrook and meet everyone.  She was so excited!  

The first time I saw Jeanne, I knew she was a Russell.  She looked a great deal like my grandmother (her aunt).   Jeanne became a friend.  I loved her and I will always be grateful that I was able to introduce her to her family.  Jeanne passed away in 2013.  I was able to see her a couple of  months before she died and I went to a memorial service for her at the end of the Seal Beach Pier.  May you always rest in peace, Jeanne!

MY FAVORITE ANCESTOR

Joseph Tipton Russell

When I first started researching my ancestors, more than forty years ago, I knew that my paternal second great grandfather, Joseph Tipton Russell, died in Buchanan Co., Missouri, and that he was born in "the mountainous region" of Tennessee.  I had also been told that he was Scots Irish.  

After several years of research, I discovered that his parents were Elijah Russell who was born 10 January 1782 in North Carolina and Elizabeth Edens from Virginia whose mother was a French Huguenot.  This couple was married in Carter Co., Tennessee.  They had nine children, Joseph Tipton being the youngest, and they migrated from Tennessee to Illinois to Missouri.

After more years of research, I figured out that Elijah Russell came to Tennessee from Wilkes Co., North Carolina -- but, after much research, I have never been able to be sure of his parents.  He may have been a son of William Russell but I can't prove it and I don't know where William came from either.

Joseph Tipton Russell is very different from my other ancestors.  He is the only one who is both Scots Irish and French Huguenot.  He is from the south rather than New England, England, or The Netherlands, where the records are nice and tidy and easy to find, like my other ancestors.  He is my favorite because his family is such a mystery!  My son Russell is named after this branch of the family.