More form the Bankruptcy record of Job Tabor

Please note that where there is a (?) it is either a letter or word unreadable.

Page 2
The second page carried over from the first…
Amount of debts Brot. (brought) over                   $15144.28 (yes…2 cents higher!)
John French                       $352.34
James Catterel                  $41.34
Samuel Hurbert bond from custom house            $381.34
Francis Hazard $18.99 and $17.68 crossed off
David Wait                          $9.96
Caddington Billings          $120.35
Latham Hull                        $104.06
Rinadam(?) Williams       $157.65
Amos Hull                            $202.37
John Avery                         $19.53
Elizabeth Proctor              $105.36
Pardon Tabor                     $517.83 (could be a relative of Job’s)
Ditto                                      $43.75 then $561.58
Richard Douglass              $214.84
Samuel Corss(?)                               $654.98
William Holray (?)             $203
Charles T. Smith and Shubel Smith $1106.78
Jared Starr                          $2.00
Ephraim Williams              $20.11
Nathaniel Ledyard           $32
John I.Glover                     $975.70
Jonathan Starr as assignee for the creditors of William Woodworth $123.36
Elijah Baley                         $7.00
Isaac Turner                       $225
Crossed off I(?)aez Holms
Francis R. Winthrop         $77.59
Gurdon Manwaring        $191.87
Joseph (?)oot                    $34.10
Continued forward         $21024.61

 

Bankruptcy Records part 1

The next groups of blogs will focus upon the list of names found in the bankruptcy records for Job Tabor and Stephen Tripp. This is the first set of records. Each group is a hand-written page...

As I was transcribing this it was interesting to find two women on the list, Lucy Smith and Ann B. Coit. To calculate what it is worth, use an inflation calculator. Try a few- I found the total for this first page was worth in today’s cost is roughly $300,000.

Any place with a (?) is a word/letter I could not read or decipher.

First page
No. 1
New London District of Connecticut, March 17, 1803 Debts proved against Misters Tabor and Trip NegT (?)
Asahel Otis                         $61.62
Samuel Mather                 $1513.25
William W. Houghton     $196.89
Stephen Prentice             $22.12
George Williams               $103.87
Ephraim Browning           $326.37
                                                $2224.12
Crossed out Thomas Williams
Jonathan Starr & sons    $144.58
Jacob B. Gurley                 $1520.35
John Beckwith                   $86.50
James Baxter                     $241.19
Daniel Chapman               $486.56
Bonds for the Custom house as Jed. Huntington Collector statement
                                                $2098.84
Gabriel Sistar                     $839.09
Vaux (?) Huret (?) & Franklin
                                                $225.84
Lucy Smith                          $31. 99
Samuel Hayes                    $300
Ditto                                      $759.93
Crossed off                         $4059.95
Ann B. Coit                          $95.43
Lemuel Wells & Company            $287.42
John Arnold                        $4460.00
Edward Chappell              $1246.90
Ditto                                      $42.95
Written small $1289.85
                                                $15144.26
Continued forward

 

 

 

Job Tabor/Taber’s Bankruptcy Record

Before delving into the records I wanted to see, the archivist in the NARA research room explained about the 1800 US Bankruptcy Act. The sole purpose of the act was for district justices to review, administer, and oversee bankruptcy cases.  This act allowed creditors to go after merchants. There had to be two thirds agreement with all creditors and forced merchants into bankruptcy. With a sunset clause of five years, it created corruption and excessive costs and was repealed in 1803 by Congress.  The Federal Judicial Center in Washington, DC has an online timeline which gives a brief synopsis of the 1800 Act and history of bankruptcy in the US. http://www.rib.uscourts.gov/newhome/docs/the_evelution_of_bankruptcy_law.pdf

It was in this time period which Job Tabor faced bankruptcy. In Box 10 of 11,  his papers included oaths of executing bankruptcy, accounts from firms in New York City, receipts for bankruptcy, and accounts of debt. It seemed to me that many New York City merchants used Tabor and Tripp to act as agents. It also included information such as Captain Thomas Wilson sending goods to Tabor and Tripp. It included notes paid by others to Captain Wilson and came from places like New York City, Hartford, New London, Providence, Newport, and the Washington Insurance Company. Bills due for James Rogers- twenty-six shillings and six pence due March 1799, Caleb Greene of Newport, Olcutt of Hartford , New York merchants Thomas Pearsall and sons, Isaac Caraw, William Bache, Thomas Chew; and New London merchants John Deshon, Jared Starr, and Lathan (probably Latham)  Hull were all included in the bankruptcy proceedings.

An affidavit by Peter Richards of New London swore that he saw General Jedidiah Huntington sign his name on a certificate purporting his consent that Job Taber and Stephen Tripp be discharged of his debts. It was signed in front of Mr. Jon Tripley, Commissioner on April 14, 1803. (It would be interesting to see if this date was before or after Congress appealed the act!)

A receipt from Mr. Michael Huntley to Taber and Trip in 1803 listed: July 15- 1 pair of stockings worth 0.75; July 29- 1 box worth 0.33, July 31- one blanket valued 2.33, February 7- 251 (?) cheese at 5 (?)  worth 17.42 for a 20.83. The value of this note was in dollars. Taber and Tripp also wrote a promissory note to Michael Huntley “for Twenty-four dollars and thirty-five cents with interest from November 24^th being the balance of wages on board Brig Minvera_New London, December 4, 1802.” It also included a notation of $24.35-20.83=$4.52 balance allowed.

 

 

Bankruptcy Records from New London, CT

In December my visit to  NARA was fruitful. Determining the best way to share what was found, it was decided to blog my results. Who knows...maybe it will help someone out there? My next series of blogs will focus on the documents found and list the names found from the documents. What are the documents you ask? Bankruptcy records  and shipping records of course!

RG 36 of NARA contain US Custom Records from New London. This included bonds for ships: 1790-1825, import bonds: 1790-1821, and original papers for ships. Anytime a ship pulled into the seaport there had to be documentation of proof of the ownership, captain, crew, and cargo. Looking at the cargo of the ship can tell you what was it carried and idea of how big the ship was. Sloop or brig, you can get a good idea of what the size of the boat was like. For example, Stephen Miner in 1799, master of the sloop Fanny arrived in New London with 2 hogshead of rum, navigated with four men. In 1792 James Powers of New Haven submitted papers that he was the co-owner and master of the brig Rebecca. Thomas Wait and Samuel Mather paid to Thomas Wait, master of the schooner Maria. (Most likely a son and friend purchasing the ship from the elder Wait or a change of ownership status.)

Some records included correspondence. I found several references to "Nathanil" Ingraham. The blotters are another part of this series to examine. Blotters from #106: 1794-1795 through #109: 1821 that were helpful to me. On June 19, 1795, my ancestor, James Peters, left New London on the sloop Hiram. He was cleared to sail and lists the cargo he carried. One other record that I didn't have time to examine was Ships Oaths. I have that on my future research list.

One last interesting item to look at was found in the bankruptcy records for Job Tabor. It was insurance on the sloop Betsy and Point Judith. Phineas Huntley, Thomas Rice, and John Arnold were mentioned, Edward Chappell featured predominately in the folder. A promissory note from James Noyes was listed as well as two females Elizabeth Proctor and Lucy Bolles. (Lucy was a relative of the Bolles captains who later sailed to the South Pacific in the 1850s.)

Next: Job Tabor's bankruptcy records

Alien files revisited

Last year I blogged about the Alien Case Files. (See my post in February, 2012) These files collected information on people who were aliens. The files are available through NARA for the years 1944-2003.  They can contain valuable genealogical information of the people who registered with the government.

While preparing for my genealogy class on Friday, I accessed the ARC database via www.archives.gov. (ARC aka Archival Research Catalog  is where the files were found.)  As of August 15th the ARC database will be permanently shutdown. NARA is asking that you access records via the Online Public Access search engine, now called OPA. To see if it was any easier to use, I searched for the Alien Case Files in the new search engine.

Reaching the OPA was much easier. You click on the first panel on the Archives.gov home page titled, "Research Our Records," and click, "Online catalog." It took me straight to the OPA page. There I was able to type in Alien Case Files in the query box. Like the former ARC search engine, it did take some time to load but not as long as ARC.

OPA displayed 503678 results with 280 online holdings. Just below the top three holdings were more links. The first link was to the same database that you had to hunt and peck to find in the old ARC catalog. The "search within this series" button is still halfway down the page but was larger to see and easier to use than the old ARC database. Typing in my search queries I found the results were displayed faster.

I didn't think I would find anyone in these files. I was surprised to see some of my grandparent's French Canadian relatives as well as my husband's German ancestors in these files. They are worth a look even if you don't think your family may not be included.

Happy researching!

Genealogy amongst friends

Last week I paid a visit with my two college friends. Unbeknownst to me my friend  was "doing" genealogy for nearly 30 years. Off on that path we went! He apologized to me at the end of our conversation for the length of his presentation and I laughed! No "deer in the headlight" look from me. I was impressed with his collection and his sourcing.

He was very careful about his sourcing. He uses primary sources whenever possible. In this day of quick information and poorly sourced documentation, his research was refreshing. He was extremely fortunate to have primary sources from his own family including memorabilia and photos from his family's store. Along with his wife, they spend time combing antique shops in pursuit of family advertisement cards from the store his gr-grandfather had. He had a wonderful collection of cards which enhanced his genealogy research.

Our conversation had me thinking-what could I find? Several of my recent finds have been from primary sources through online databases. Published Congressional records led me to obtain a copy of documentation from an admiralty case from the 1790s through NARA.  Of course there was the discovery of another gr-granduncle who sold reindeer to Alaskans. (Can you imagine how much fun I have with my third graders and that tidbit at Christmas?) Then there was the ophthalmology article I found through Google books that discusses how my gr-gr-granduncle was the first to advertise sunglasses, "white, blue, green, and grey glasses to suit all eyes." http://books.google.com/books?id=jh2gAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA539&dq=James+Peters+%2B+%2Bopthamalogy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fE75UfTxKe_A4APPpoGAAw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=James%20Peters%20%2B%20%2Bopthamalogy&f=false  A visit to an online antique store led me to a pair of sunglasses made by him! (Yes! I bought them!)

The importance of family history and passing it forward is a dilemma for all of us. Remembering who gave us the information, where it is found, and how we present it to others is always a challenge as we research. The one constant is sourcing. Remember to cite your sources...your descendants will love you for it. Thanks, Bob, for the reminder.

Revisiting Sources

Having time to rejuvenate and explore in genealogy is a blessing I have every summer. With hot temperatures cooking my tomatoes in the garden and my painting on hold until cooler weather prevails, I have been taking the opportunity to revisit my sources both in hard print and online. I am amazed at what is out there  and anxious for more data to be uploaded!

Trying to unknot my Caswell/Brown/Wilkinson lines, I revisited my binder on the Caswells. 20 years ago I was fortunate to have met my second cousin who had a copy of her grandmother's/my gr-grand aunt's Bible. Along with her sister, both cousins gave me information about our Caswell family. Rereading their letters got me thinking about how we couldn't get back before our Job Caswell and Sabrina Brown. After  reviewing our correspondence I had an, "Ah-duh!" moment. Breaking down the information I discovered that several generations of the family married Browns.
Job Caswell married Sabrina Brown...
Their sons, Joshua Bill Caswell and Joseph Caswell married Browns-Phoebe and Abby
Their grandson, Rueben Wilkinson married Isabel Brown 
Their granddaughter Harriet Caswell had children who married Browns.
All these Browns were reminding my about my tomatoes and other plants that I needed to water.

So, while watering the tomato plants and thinking about my notes, I realized that I had a huge clue from the two cousins from that Bible copy-Squire Richard Brown and Zeruiah Buttolph. These two people were related to one of these Browns; most likely my Abby. By now all these Browns were shriveling my brain so I decided to explore the Buttolphs to see what I could find. Two weeks later (and my tomatoes still surviving the scorching weather) I discovered if you play with the major websites like Heritage Quest, Family Search, and Ancestry, you can find some hidden gems in search engines like Google.

For example: Using the PERSI index on Heritage Quest I was able to find an article via Google Books. There was a  genealogy magazine simply called, "Genealogy." This weekly treasure, dating from 1910-1922, collected information from all over the US with emphasis on the three NEWs-New England, New York, and New Jersey. Don't dismiss it. There were family articles from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other locations. What was fascinating was discovering  my gr-granduncle's headstone information in the 1915 issue-11 years after his death! Can you imagine uncovering a little tidbit of information that could help you? Although  a complete run is  not available on Google, it gave me enough information to request a copy of a few pages from Allen Public Library. (I found it by typing "genealogy vol. 5 + New York" in Google books.) http://books.google.com/books?id=ccAWAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA92&dq=genealogy+vol.+5+%2B+New+York&hl=en&sa=X&ei=G9DmUfXeLsXd4AO2m4GoCg&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=genealogy%20vol.%205%20%2B%20New%20York&f=false

Using Heritage Quest again, I put "Squire Richard Brown" in the "people" section of Books. Lo and behold, I discovered in the Cleveland genealogy four little footnotes. Two were about the Buttolphs and Browns. This information gave me enough to go back and look on Ancestry, Family Search as well as Find a Grave. Between the three sites and NEHGS, I was able to uncover an article from The American Genealogist, a Revolutionary War ancestor, more clues on the Brown families, and a mistake in the NSDAR lineage book.

Revisit your sources. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Time to pick tomatoes!