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POOLE (POOL) Family History, Part III

November 2022

Ruth (WEAVER) SANFORD (1814-1877)

11DA. Ruth Weaver was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on September 22, 1812, a year and eight months before her parents' marriage on June 4, 1814. She married Philip Sanford on October 2, 1829, in Dartmouth. October 2022Records of her marriage give her family name as Weaver, rather than Pool/Poole, which might suggest that Jacob was not her biological father; however, DNA matches among two descendants' indicate she may well have been Jacob's biological daughter. Ruth and Philip had seven children together:

11DA1. John W. Sanford 29 May 1831 24 May 1865 (33)
11DA2. Arphaxad S. Sanford 6 Nov 1832 (> 1850) (> 17)
11DA3. Alexander Sanford 12 Aug 1834 (< 1840) (< 6)
11DA4. David E. SanfordΔ 14 Jul 1837 17 Nov 1928 (91)
11DA5. Uriah Gifford Sanford 28 Jul 1839 20 Feb 1931 (91)
11DA6. Alexander SanfordGold Star 6 Mar 1845 14 Dec 1864 (19)
11DA7. Henrietta B. Sanford 17 Sep 1848 8 Dec 1886 (38)

"Miss Ruth Weaver" and Mr. Philip Sanford filed their intention of marriage on September 14, 1829, in Dartmouth[Mar 1829] and were married two weeks later in Dartmouth on October 2, 1829.

The Sanfords settled in Westport, Bristol County, where all of their children were born. In 1840, the family included Philip, age 30 to 40; his wife (Ruth), age 20 to 30; three sons, ages 5 to 10 (John, Arphaxad, and Alexander); two sons under the age of 5 (David and Uriah); and an unnamed woman (perhaps Sarah Simmons), age 60 to 70.

In 1850, Philip and eldest son John both worked as sailors. A Sarah Simmons, age 74 of Rhode Island, lived with them. She was likely a maternal relative of Philip.[Cen 1850]

In 1855, the Sanfords were likewise enumerated in Westport where Philip and sons John and Uriah all worked as mariners, and son David worked as a farmer.[Cen 1855]

Ruth (Weaver) Sanford died at the age of 46 on March 22, 1859, in Westport. October 2022It is not yet known when Philip Sanford died.

Following Ruth's death, daughter Henrietta, age 12, was enumerated with the Samuel T. & Susan B. Sanford family in Newport County, Rhode Island, near Fall River, Bristol County. The Sanfords were likely cousins.[Cen 1860]

U.S.S. Mississippi
The U.S.S. Mississippi was a paddle frigate that was laid down in 1839 and commissioned in 1841. It was lost during the Civil War while attempting to pass Port Hudson, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River, on March 14, 1863.

October 2022Son Alexander served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and died of a chronic illness on Dember 14, 1864, at the age of 19 years and 4 months (sic).[Dth 1864] He reportedly served aboard the U.S.S. Ohio, U.S.S. Mississippi, and U.S.S. Portsmouth.[Grave] His veteran headstone record confirms his service aboard the U.S.S. Mississippi. Alex was buried at the David Sanford Burial Ground in Westport.[Grave]

Sources
  • Mar 1829: 14 Sep 1829, Intention of Marriage, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1840: 1840 Census, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1850: 24 Sep 1850 Census, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1855 Massachusetts State Census, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 15 Jun 1860 Census, Fall River Post Office, Newport County, Rhode Island
  • Dth 1864: 14 Dec 1864 Death Registration, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Vet 1864: 14 Dec 1864, Headstones for Union Civil War Veterans, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Grave: Daniel Sanford Burial Ground, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Sarah (POOLE) SNELL (1814-1877)

11DB. Sarah Poole was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, in either January or December 1814. She married Abel Snell on August 16, 1859, in Dartmouth. It was her first marrage at the age of 44, while Abel was 62 and had been married twice before.[Mar 1859] They appear to not have had any children.

Sarah may have lived with her paternal aunt Olive (Poole) Weaver and her family in Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island, in 1850, however, the census recorded her birth in Rhode Island, rather than in Massachusetts.[Cen 1850A]

Abel was born in Fall River, Bristol County, and was perviously married to Elizabeth "Betsy" Hall (~1783-1826) in 1824 and Pauline Faunce (1805-1856) in 1827. Only one daughter from his first marriage, who died in infancy, has been found for him. He farmed in North Dartmouth dating back to at least 1850, where he lived nextdoor to his widowed sister-in-law Abigail (Faunce) Snell and her family through at least 1870. His farm was valued at $4,000 in 1850; it declined to $3,000 by 1860; and held at $3,000 through 1870.[Cen 1850B, Cen 1860, 1870] In 1860, Sarah's 14-year-old nephew, Lindsey Poole, lived with the couple and attended school.[Cen 1860]

Sarah (Poole) Snell died of a "fit" on May 19, 1877, in Dartmouth.[Dth 1877] She was buried at Linden Grove Cemetery in Westport, Bristol County.[Grave] The death registry gives her age as 63 years and 4 months[Dth 1877] but her headstone says she was 62 years, 3 months, and 26 days.[Grave] These ages give her birth as either January 19 or December 23, 1814, respectively.

Abel Snell died of "old age" on February 11, 1884, in Dartmouth. He was reportedly aged 89 years, 11 months, and 1 day.[Dth 1884] Abel was buried with his first wife, Betsey Hall, and their infant daughter Adaline in the First Church of Hixville Cemetery in Hixville.[Grave]

Sources
  • Cen 1850A: 3 Aug 1850 Census, Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island
  • Cen 1850B: 29 Aug 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Mar 1859: 16 Aug 1859 Marriage, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 17 Jul 1860 Census, North Dartmouth Post Office, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1865: 1865 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1870: 2 Jul 1870 Census, North Dartmouth Post Office, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1877: 19 May 1877, Death Register, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Grave: Linden Grove Cemetery, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>
  • Dth 1884: (11) Feb 1884, Death Register, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Grave: First Church of Hixville Cemetery, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Meriam (POOLE) WHALON (1817-1891)

11DC. Meriam Poole was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on January 4, 1817. February 2017Her name has been observed variously spelled as "Miriam," "Mariam," "Meriam," and "Merriam." She married Hiram Whalon, also a native of Dartmouth, on either August 29 or September 13, 1838.[Mar 1838] She was 21 years old and he 26. They had five children together:

11DC1. John P. Whalon 20 Oct 1839 30 Jan 1842 (2)
11DC2. Susan E. Whalon Feb 1841 1931 (90)
11DC3. Sarah A. Whalon 29 Oct 1842 21 Dec 1878 (36)
11DC4. Hannah G. Whalon 31 Aug 1844 23 Aug 1860 (16)
11DC5. Hattie Minerva Whalon Dec 1859 24 Dec 1904 (45)

Meriam and Hiram's first child died at the age of two 1842. He was the first of the family to be buried at the Joseph Davis Burial Ground on Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth. Daughter Hannah followed in 1860.[Grave]

Hiram's occupation was variously recorded as a trader[Bir 1812, Cen 1865], merchant[Cen 1850, 1855], shopkeeer[Cen 1860], and retail grocer[Cen 1870]. Between 1860 and 1870, Hiram's real estate value increased from $2,500 to $3,000 and personal property increased from $6,000 to $22,000.[Cen 1860, 1870]

Eldest daughter Susan married James T. Cornell by 1861, had two sons, but lost James in 1866. She and her sons moved back home with her parents by 1870 where she worked as a dressmaker. Two elderly women, Elizabeth Millard (perhaps Hiram's mother), age 82, and Charity Johnson, age 90, also lived with the family in 1870.[Cen 1870] Elizabeth Millard died in 1872 and was buried with the family.[Grave]

Hiram Whalon died of catarrh of the bladder at the age of 74 on February 28, 1886. He was buried at the Joseph Davis Burial Ground.[Grave]

Meriam (Poole) Whalon died in Dartmouth five years later on October 16, 1891. She was 74 years old. She was recorded to have been buried in New Bedford but is held to have been buried with her family at the Joseph Davis Burial Ground.[Grave]

Sources
  • Bir 1812: 17 Jan 1812 Birth, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Mar 1838: 29 Aug 1838 Marriage, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Mar 1838: 13 Sep 1838 Marriage, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1842: 30 Jan 1842 Death, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1850: 27 Aug 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 20 Jul 1860 Census, North Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1865: 1865 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1870: 24 Jun 1870 Census, North Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1880: 25 Jun 1880 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1886: 28 Feb 1886 Death, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1891: 16 Oct 1891 Death, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1900: 7 Jun 1900 Census, Tucker Road, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Grave: Joseph Davis Burial Ground, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Abiathar POOLEΔ (1819-1909)

11DD. Abiathar PooleΔ was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1819, and apparently named for his paternal uncle. He married Emily Ann Reed, also of Darthmouth, about April 20, 1844. They had nine children:

11DD1. William H. Poole 1 Apr 1845 1928 (83)
11DD2. Isaac Barker PooleΔ 30 Oct 1846 26 Jan 1934 (87)
11DD3. Almeda Barker Poole 23 Dec 1848 21 Jan 1915  (66)
11DD4. Sarah Amelia Poole 30 Mar 1851 1 Nov 1918 (67)
11DD5. Adelaide Francis Poole 26 Apr 1853 (> 1945) (> 92)
11DD6. Hannah W. Poole (1855-1856) (> 1880) (> 24)
11DD7. Phebe Gifford Poole 1859 1943 (84)
11DD8. Lorenzo A. Poole Feb 1861 1943 (82)
11DD9. Annie C. Poole (1865) (> 1880) (> 15)

In 1850 and 1855, Abiathar and his family, including his widowed mother-in-law, Emily Ann (Sears) Reed, were enumerated next to the household of his widowed stepmother, Mariah (Mosher Reed) Poole5, and his younger half-siblings in Dartmouth. Abiathar was a farmer and also served as a census taker in Dartmouth for the 1855 Massachusetts state census.[Cen 1850, 1855] No relationship has been found between Abiathar's wife Emily and his stepmother Mariah.

From 1860 and after, the area they lived in was referred to as North Dartmouth.[Cen 1860, 1870]

Eldest son William was a whaler who first took to sea at that age of 19. He sailed the waters of New Zealand (1868-1872) and Chile (1873-1875), and in 1883 was promoted to captain of the bark Bartholomew Gosnold and worked the waters of New Holland (Australia). After a break back home, he returned to sea to sail the Arctic Ocean (1891) and Hudson Bay (1895).[Bristol]

Abiathar and Emily were enumerated by themselves, retired on the family farm, in 1900. All nine of their children were counted as living. The area was described as along "Smith Mills to Hixville Road"[Cen 1900], apparently referring to the road southeast of Hixville and Reed Road that leads to Smith Mills on the north side of Dartmouth. Hixville is about 7 miles northwest of Dartmouth proper.

Abiathar Poole died on February 27, 1909, in North Dartmouth, having suffered from senility in his final years. He was 89 years old. Abiathar was buried on March 3 at Linden Grove Cemetery, 5 miles south of Hixville along Reed Road in Westport.[Grave]

Emily Ann (Reed) Poole died five years later before dawn on September 22, 1914. She had been living at 469 Hillman Street in New Bedford for four months and succumbed to gangrene of the leg after a 10-day struggle. She was 92 years old. Emily was buried with Abiathar at Linden Grove Cemetery.

Sources
  • Dartmouth Records, 1667-1884, Births, Intentions of Marriage, Forbidden Bans, Marriages, and Deaths
  • Cen 1850: 5 Sep 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 13 Jul 1860 Census, North Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1870: 14 Jul 1870 Census, North Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1880: 3 Jun 1880 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1900: 12 Jun 1900 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1909: Death Record 14, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, filed 8 Mar 1909
  • Dth 1914: Death Record 1488, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, filed 25 Sep 1914
  • Bristol: The Fall River News and The Taunton Gazette. Our County and Its People, A Descriptive and Biographical History of Bristol County, Massachusetts. Boston: The Boston History Company, 1899.
  • Grave: Linden Grove Cemetery, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Lindsey Weaver POOLE (Sr.)Δ (~1822-1860)

11DE.December 2016Lindsey Weaver Poole (Sr.)Δ was born about 1822 in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts. He married Hannah S. Tucker and had at least four sons:

11DE1. Henry M. Poole (1844-1845) (1850-1855) (5-10)
11DE2. Lindsey W. Poole (Jr.) 27 Jul 1847 21 Sep 1920 (73)
11DE3. Charles E. Poole (May) 1850 (< 1855) (< 5)
11DE4. Franklin Smith PooleΔ 24 Aug 1852 17 May 1916 (63)

The Poole family lived in New Bedford, Bristol County, where Lindsey worked as a laborer[Cen 1850]; but by 1855 they moved to Dartmouth where Lindsey worked as a sparmaker[Cen 1855], apparently working in a New Bedford shipyard. At the time, New Bedford dominated the whaling industry and it was there, in 1851, that Herman Melville wrote and published Moby-Dick.

The Pooles moved into New Bedford again by 1860 where they lived with a 69-year-old tailor named James Cannon. Lindsey was again recorded as a laborer.[Cen 1860A] His son Lindsey lived with his elder sister Sarah (Poole) Snell in North Dartmouth that year, where he attended school.[Cen 1860B]

Lindsey Weaver Poole (Sr.) ultimately landed in an alms house in New Bedford, where he tragically committed suicide on December 6, 1860. He was only 38 years old.[Dth 1860]

After Lindsey's death, Hannah lived with the Bonney family in New Bedford, Bristol County, where she did domestic work.[Cen 1865]

Hannah remarried to Andrew C. King, a farmer in New Bedford, on April 14, 1867, in Dartmouth.[Mar 1867]

Hannah (Tucker Poole) King died in Smith Mills, Bristol County, of consumption on August 15, 1868, only 16 months after her remarriage. She was recorded to be aged 46 years and 5 months.[Dth 1868]

Andrew C. King died 22 years later of apoplexy in Dartmouth on May 8, 1891, at the age of 78. He was buried in New Bedford.[Dth 1891]

Sources
  • Bir 1847: Holbrook, Jay and Delene. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo.
  • Cen 1850: 21 Sep 1850 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860A: 16 Jun 1860 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860B: 17 Jul 1860 Census, North Dartmouth Post Office, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1860: 6 Dec 1860 Death Registration, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1865: 1 May 1865 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Mar 1867: 14 Apr 1867 Marriage, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1868: 15 Aug 1868 Death Registration, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1891: 8 May 1891 Death Registration, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts

William Weaver POOLE (1825-1888)

William Weaver POOLE11DF. William Weaver Poole was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, reportedly on April 25, 1825. He married Lavina W. Thurston on December 26, 1847, in Providence County, Rhode Island. They had four children:

11DF1. Jacob L. Poole 15 May 1850 3 Apr 1899 (48)
11DF2. Ruth T. Poole Mar 1852 1939 (87)
11DF3. Walter Ellsworth Poole 7 Mar 1861 22 Sep 1913 (52)
11DF4. Lizzie A. Poole 16 Sep 1864 4 Nov 1918 (72)

After their marriage, the Pooles remained in Providence County, Rhode Island, where son Jacob was born in Cranston and daughter Ruth was born 11 miles west in Scituate. By 1855, the family returned to Bristol County, Massachusetts, where William worked as a carpenter in Westport.[Cen 1855]

The family next moved east to New Bedford, where William worked as farmhand. Hannah J. Jenks, age 2, and Benjamin S. Thurston, age 12, lived with the family.[Cen 1860] Son Walter was born in North Dartmouth, just northeast of New Bedford.

The family likely moved 15 miles northwest to Fall River, Bristol County, where daughter Lizzie was reported to have been born in 1864. From there the family returned to Providence County, Rhode Island, in the area of Pawtucket and North Providence. William worked there as a carpenter and daughter Ruth worked at a thread mill.[Cen 1870] In 1875, the family was enumerated in Lincoln, perhaps referring to the same area. William continued work as a carpenter and 14-year-old son Walter worked as a doffer, perhaps at the same thread mill that his sister worked at previously.[Cen 1875]

William Weaver Poole reportedly died on October 31, 1888, in Lincoln, Providence County, Rhode Island, at the age of 63. He was buried about two miles down the Moshassuck River in Moshassuck Cemetery in Central Falls.[Grave]

Lavina lived with her daughter Lizzie and her family on Farmfield Lane in Fairhaven by 1907.[City 1907]

Lavina W. (Thurston) Poole died 20 years after William on March 13, 1909, at her home at 41 Rotch Street in Fairhaven (now Achushnet). She had suffered from impacted gallstones for five weeks. She was either 81 or 82 years old and was buried with William in Moshassuck Cemetery.[Grave]

Daughter Lizzie and her husband John Alfred Blackburn were later buried with William in Moshassuck Cemetery.[Grave]

Sources
  • Cen 1855: 1855 Massachusetts State Census, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 28 Aug 1860 Census, Ward 1, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1870: 14 Jun 1870 Census, Pawtucket Post Office, North Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island
  • Cen 1875: 1 Jun 1875 Rhode Island State Census, Lincoln, Providence County, Rhode Island
  • City 1907: U.S. City Directories, 1821-1995, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1909: 13 Mar 1909 Death Record, Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, filed 15 Mar 1909
  • Grave: Moshassuck Cemetery, Central Falls, Providence County, Rhode Island, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Philip Sanford POOLEΔ (1830-1914)

11DG. Philip Sanford PooleΔ was born in Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on January 25, 1830. November 2015He appears to have been named for his brother-in-law, Philip Sanford, who married his eldest sister three months before his birth. Philip married Almira W. Greene on July 4, 1852, in New Bedford. They had nine children, seven of whom survived to 1900[Cen 1900] and six until 1910[Cen 1910]:

11DG1. Arthur T. Poole 13 Jun 1854 1926 (72)
11DG2. Charles G. Poole 12 Oct 1857 18 Mar 1941 (83)
11DG3. Willard G. PooleΔ 26 Jan 1859 26 Dec 1943 (84)
11DG4. Richard D. Poole 1 Nov 1861 23 Mar 1896 (34)
11DG5. Hannah Alice Poole 12 Nov 1864 1945 (80)
11DG6. (Archibald Weaver) Poole 22 Dec 1866 (< 1870) (< 3)
11DG7. Albert Kelton Poole 2 Sep 1868 12 Jul 1922 (53)
11DG8. Florence Ashley Poole 2 May 1871 1928 (57)
11DG9. Myra B. PooleΔ 11 Feb 1876 24 Apr 1909 (33)

Philip's future bride Almira was enumerated with her family in 1850 near Philip's stepmother5, his Reed stepbrothers, and his younger Poole half-siblings.[Cen 1850]

Philip and Almira were married on July 4, 1852, in New Bedford, by clergyman James Taylor. Both were recorded to be residents of New Bedford but born in Dartmouth.[Mar 1852]

The Pooles first lived in Dartmouth where Philip worked as a shipwright in 1855.[Cen 1855] At the time, neighboring New Bedford dominated the whaling industry and it was there, in 1851, that Herman Melville wrote and published Moby-Dick. Almira's apparent 18-year-old brother Charles Greene lived with them and worked as a farmer.[Cen 1855]

Mosher Connection
Charles H. Mosher is held to be the grandson of James Mosher (1769-1853) (1DD2), and therefore a second cousin to Philip's widowed stepmother, Mariah (Mosher Reed) Poole5. Obadiah Mosher, on the other hand, was reportedly Mariah's third cousin on another line, tracing back to his grandfather, Jesse Mosher (1746-1824) (1H1).

The Pooles were first recorded in New Bedford in 1860, where Philip worked as a farmer[Cen 1860] and laborer.[Cen 1870] They were enumerated between the Jane G. Cowen family and the Charles H. and Ruth A. (Reed) Mosher couple in 1870.[Cen 1870]

By 1880, sons Arthur and Willard married and were enumerated as separate households with their young wives. All the men were recorded as laborers. The Obadiah and Harriet S. (Allen) Mosher couple was enumerated next to them, which, in 1900 was revealed to be along Plainville Road.[Cen 1880-1900] Plainville Road was later disrupted by the New Bedford Airport and became Old Plainville Road with New Plainville rerouted around the north perimeter of the airport. In 1900, only 29-year-old daughter Florence remained at home.[Cen 1900]

By 1910, Philip and son Arthur, enumerated adjacent, were working as a teamsters. Daughter Florence still lived at home with her parents and worked as a public school teacher.[Cen 1910]

Almira W. (Greene) Poole died of cerebral apoplexy on the evening of March 21, 1914, at the family home on 1196 Plainville Road (now Old Plainville Road) in New Bedford, Bristol County. She was 81 years old. Almira was buried at Pine Grove Cemetery, 2 miles east in New Bedford.[Grave, Dth 1914A]

Philip Sanford Poole died six months later of arterio sclerosis on October 9, 1914, at 1196 Plainville Road. He was buried on October 12 at Pine Grove Cemetery. Philip was 84 years old.[Grave, Dth 1914B]

Sources
  • Cen 1850: 5 Sep 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Mar 1852: 4 Jul 1852 Marriage Registration, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 29 Aug 1860 Census, Ward 1, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1870: 3 Jun 1870 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1880: 7 Jun 1880 Census, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1900: 1-2 Jun 1900 Census, Plainville Road, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1910: 22 Apr 1910 Census, Plainville Road, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Dth 1914A: Death Record 463, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, filed 24 Mar 1914
  • Dth 1914B: Death Record 1571, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, filed 13 Oct 1914
  • Grave: Pine Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Susan M. POOLE (1831-1840)

11DH. Susan M. Poole was born about in April 1831, likely in either Dartmouth or Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts. She died on November 20, 1840, in Westport, four weeks after her mother died. She was 9 years and 4 months old.[Westport] Susan was buried alongside her mother at Linden Grove Cemetery, north of Westport.[Grave]

Sources
  • Westport: Scott, Henry Edward, editor. Vital Records of Westport, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1918.
  • Grave: Linden Grove Cemetery, Westport, Bristol County, Massachusetts, Find A Grave <http://www.findagrave.com>

Susan Maria (POOLE) CONVERSE4 (1843-1931)

Susan M. (POOLE) CONVERSE 11DI. Susan Maria Poole4 was born in Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on May 27, 1843. She was likely named for her next elder half-sister of the same name who died two and half years before her birth. The year after Susan migrated to California, she married John Converse, Sr.3, a rugged native of Pennsylvania and Iowa. They were married on October 1, 1860, in Coulterville. She was only 17 years old and he was about 30. They had 13 children:

11DIA. Jacob "Jake" Henry Converse 10 Oct 1861 24 Dec 1938 (77)
11DIB. William Converse 22 Nov 1863 Bef 1900 (37)
11DIC. George Leonard Converse 28 Aug 1865 21 May 1954 (88)
11DID. Franklin Converse 26 July 1867 6 Nov 1946 (79)
11DIE. Daisy J. Converse 23 Dec 1869 3 Jul 1874 (4)
11DIF. Caroline "Carrie" Maria Converse 17 Jun 1871 10 Feb 1963 (92)
11DIG. Charles Albert Converse 24 Sep 1873 4 Jul 1925 (51)
11DIH. Ida Mae Converse 17 Aug 1875 2 Jun 1963 (87)
11DII. Elizabeth Ann Converse 3 Jul 1877 25 Feb 1958 (80)
11DIJ. Alice Lucretia Converse3 19 Aug 1879 10 Feb 1951 (71)
11DIK. "Infant" 1881 Infancy (0)
11DIL. Lottie Converse 5 Oct 1883 21 Nov 1908 (25)
11DIM. John Lyman Converse 21 Feb 1887 16 Aug 1980 (93)

Susan migrated to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, arriving in Coulterville, Mariposa County on October 19, 1859. That night the town of Coulterville burned down.

Susan also had younger siblings Caroline and Jacob. Jacob died soon after their arrival in Coulterville, and was the first to be buried at the Smith & Dudley's Mill cemetery.

Susan and John were married by Justice of the Peace George Counts on October 1, 1860, at the City Hotel in Coulterville, which Counts operated. Susan was 17 years old and John attested to being 28 years old, but was more likely two weeks short of his 30th birthday.[Mar 1860]

Susan M. (POOLE) CONVERSE
Native American Heritage
and DNA Analysis

From Susan's picture, it appears she was of Native American descent. Her daughter Alice claimed Native American heritage in her membership with the Pocahontas Club, a club for women of Cherokee blood, however we have yet to isolate what tribe Susan may have been related to.

On the other hand, mitochondrial DNA analysis on one of Susan's grandchildren show that Susan's maternal line belonged to Haplogroup K1a1b. This line is associated with Near Eastern peoples and is closely related to subclades attributed to Ashkenazi Jews (K1a1b1a). This doesn't necessarily rule out that she was also of Native American descent, only that her mother's mother's line was not Native American.


Susan (POOLE) CONVERSE and Grandchildren Lyman C. CONVERSE Lloyd A. GOSS Lyle D. CONVERSE Lyla Mae (CONVERSE) BUCKLEY Susan M. (POOLE) CONVERSE Alda I. CONVERSE

John Converse died on March 16, 1909, and was buried on March 18 at the Dudley Cemetery in Greeley Hill. He was 78 years old.

After John's death, Susan lived with her widowed daughter Ida and next door to her youngest son John. They were enumerated together in the 1920 census of Stanislaus Forest Reserve (Township 2) in Mariposa County.[Cen 1920]

Susan Maria Poole-Converse died on June 24, 1931 of a cerebral hemorrage and is buried in Dudley's Cemetery, Coulterville. She was 88 years old.


"Grandma"
- Zoa I. Albert, May 27, 1926

"We're Celebrating here today,
This 27th day of May,
The Birthday of a Friend and Mother,
The Likes of which there is no other."

"She's bright and spry as she can be,
Although today she's 83,
And to her credit be it known,
Are thirteen children, all her own."

"The most of whom are here today,
Except the five who went away,
There's grand and great grand children here,
With Gifts, and Smiles, for Grandma dear."

"And in Red Cloud community,
At picnic, dance, or social tea,
This lady with the cane and shawl,
Is Grandma, she attends them all."

"The old red house with huge fireplace,
Where Grandma rocks with placid face,
Living again those 60 years,
Of Joys, and Pleasure, Hopes, and Tears."

"So let us rise and Honor give,
And wish that she'd a hundred live,
For all will miss her kindly face,
When summoned to the Higher Place."

Dedicated to Grandma Converse In Honor of her 83rd Birthday

Sources
  • Cen 1850: 5 Sep 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 9 Aug 1860 Census, Coulterville, Mariposa County, California
  • Mar 1860: 1 Oct 1860, Marriage Certificate, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1870: 21 Jul 1870 Census, Maxwell Creek, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1880: 24 Jun 1880 Census, Coulterville Precinct, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1900: 15 Jun 1900 Census, Redcloud Precinct, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1910: 10 May 1910 Census, Stanislaus Forest Reserve (Township 2), Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1920: 1 Mar 1920 Census, Township 2, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1930: 12 Apr 1930 Census, Stanislaus National Forest Township 2 (Greeley Hill), Mariposa County, California

Jacob POOLE (~1844->1860)

11DJ. Jacob Poole was born about 1844 or 1845, in Massachusetts. He migrated with his likely mother Mariah (Poole) Russell, and sisters to Coulterville, Mariposa County, California, in 1859. In 1860 he was living with Charles Allen, a teamster, and three other teamsters next door to his sisters in Coulterville (Greeley Hill).[Cen 1860]

Jacob Poole is recalled to have died as a teenager, not long after his arrival in Coulterville, and to have been the first person buried at the Dudley Cemetery on Greeley Hill.

Sources
  • Cen 1850: 5 Sep 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 9 Aug 1860 Census, Coulterville, Mariposa County, California

Caroline (POOLE) OLNEYΔ (1847-1883)

11DK. Caroline PooleΔ was born in Massachusetts about 1847 or 1848. She may have been the Hannah M. Poole born in Dartmouth on October 19, 1847.[Bir 1847] Her father died when she was four months old. She migrated to California in 1859 by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Upon arriving in Coulterville, Mariposa County, California, she and her sister lived with the John and Mariah Russell family, apparently their stepfather and mother.

Caroline married Augustus Olney, Sr., of Rhode Island, about 1862 and had at least 10 children:

11DKA. Maria Jane OlneyΔ 5 Mar 1863 (1900-1910) (36-47)
11DKB. Edward M. Olney 2 Mar 1865 29 Dec 1919 (54)
11DKC. Cynthia Olney 8 Jan 1867 15 Feb 1867 (1 mo.)
11DKD. Cyrus Olney 7 Jan 1869 25 Nov 1923 (54)
11DKE. Annie S. OlneyΔ 3 Jul 1871 (Aug) 1901 (30)
11DKF. George Olney 27 Nov 1872 4 Jul 1944 (71)
11DKG. Augustus Olney, Jr. 27 Sep 1875 18 Jul 1906 (30)
11DKH. Ella Olney 8 Feb 1878 Infancy (-)
11DKI. Walter F. Olney 6 Mar 1880 --  -- 
11DKJ. Alexander M. OlneyΔ (12 Sep 1882) 28 Apr 1971 (88)
Olney Migration
Augustus may be the "A. Olney" who arrived in San Francisco on July 28, 1850, aboard the brig Hallowell from Providence (presumably Rhode Island) after a 230-day journey around Cape Horn.[Rasmussen]

Caroline (Poole) Olney died at her home on Greeley Hill on February 2, 1883. She was only 35 years old.[Obit 1883]

Mariposa Gazette, February 10, 1883
"Olney- At her residence, near Hobron's Mill, 8 miles above Coulterville, Mariposa county, February 2d, 1883, Mrs. Caroline P., wife of Augustus Olney, a native of Massachusetts, aged 35 years. Deceased leaves a husband and 7 children to mourn her loss."

Augustus may have remarried at some point over the 17 years after Caroline's death, as he was was recorded as having been married for 4 years in 1900 while he, youngest son Alexander, grandson James Clark, and a boarder were enumerated together in Red Cloud Precinct (Greeley Hill).[Cen 1900]

Sources
  • Bir 1847: Holbrook, Jay and Delene. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo.
  • Cen 1850: 5 Sep 1850 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Rasmussen: Rasmussen, Louis J. San Francisco Passenger Lists: Volume 1, 1850-1864. 1965.
  • Cen 1855: 1 Jun 1855 Census, Dartmouth, Bristol County, Massachusetts
  • Cen 1860: 9 Aug 1860 Census, Coulterville, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1870 21 Jul 1870 Census, Maxwell Creek, Mariposa County, California
  • Cen 1880 25 Jun 1880 Census, Coulterville Precinct, Mariposa County, California
  • Obit 1883: Mariposa Gazette, 10 Feb 1883
  • Cen 1900: 15 Jun 1900 Census, Red Cloud Precinct (Greeley Hill), Mariposa County, California