Uz Jaquis, A First Look at Your Probate Files

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

More from the consolidation, linking, review, projects ongoing here at Reflections.

Uz Jaquis is a son of Benjamin and Mary, or at least that is how he currently resides in my data base, you may remember.  He is listed as child number 7.

I am now processing his probate file found online at Ancestry dot com.  There is also a file for his wife, Lucy.  I'll work on that soon, possibly next.

I have picked out some points of interest from Uz's probate, they are:

This states, I believe (corrections always appreciated with my fondest thank yous):

Uz Jaquis who died testate at Parishville aforesaid on the 2nd day of June 1876, leaving a will which ....

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Of interest in this tidbit are the names Julia A. Cady and A.A. McDonald.  Need to determine/discover who these two are. Seems Julia resides at Willmar Minnesota and A. A. McDonald at Cornwall Canada.  In his will (see below) Uz names Julia A Cadby (or is that Carby) as his step-daughter.

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And, this says Uz's wife has now also passed.

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Lucy Jaquis, widow - - check

Bertha Ann M???his ??? on that spelling - - Reported in other documents to be Uz's sister.  Research will be needed here.

Jane Chamberlain - - a sister - - I know her name and have done some research on her - - check.

Almyra Skiff - - who??

Ermma or Emma J. Ormsby - - who??

Julia Ormsby - - who??  

Elizabeth Shaw - - know the name - - check

Elihu Jacquis, always found spelled Jaquis- - oh, yes, know this one - - check

Inbinda (?) known as Icabinda Ann Suttle - - know the name - - check.

Mary Mason - - know the name - - check

Sarah J. Stanton - - that be Sarah J. Stanley I believe, will follow through.

Mary M. Jaquis - - know the name - - check

Benjamin H. Jacquis - - know the name - - check

John E. Jacquis - - know the name - - check

Martha J. Jacquis - - know the name - - check

Daniel E. Jacquis - - know the name - - check

Davy M. Jaquis - - know the name - - check

(Note:  Mary, Benjamin, John, Martha, Daniel and Davy, surname usually found spelled Jaquis.)

Enoch Jacquis - - know the name - - Uz's brother - - check.

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A few more names to check out, Myrna (?) Jacquis and Wesley R. Howe.  I have seen the name Howe, believe he may be a step son of Uz's.  More research required.

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This mentions William N. Jacquis (need to find out who this is).  And, Mary M. Jacquis, Benjamin H. Jacquis, John E. Jacquis, Martha J. Jacquis, Daniel E. Jacquis and Davy M. Jacquis, all minors.  I have researched them, know parents, know some descendants, yep, know them.

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And, last, but, not least, Uz's Last Will and Testament:

Mentions:  Age of 52 in the year 1875, giving approximate year of birth as 1823, my data base has 1826.  I'll take it, so close.

Wife, Lucy;  After her demise, to his sisters, Bertha Ann Meedis (???) and Jane Chamberlain.  I know Jane, I know NOTHING about Bertha, she may be Ann in my data base.  Also names step-daughter Julia A. Cadby or is that Carby or Carlry or what??  Further mentions William N. Jacquis, Myron (?) J. Jacquis and Wesley R. Howe.

And, NOW the work begins.  I am headed for a research deep rabbit hole.

*  Please reference my Disclaimers page for my relationship with Ancestry.com  (hint - - there is none!)

**If you see something that I have messed up, please let me know, it takes a village.

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Benjamin H. Jaquis, The Father and His Wife, Mary, err, Rachel, err???

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

I recently wrote about Benjamin H. Jaquis, The Disappearing Benjamin.

I only found those interesting California probate files because I was looking for Benjamin H. Jaquis, the father of the disappearing Benjamin.

I have a cache of files and documents that are waiting to have the information mined and then attached to the data base. I have additional probate info, this time from the state of New York for one Uz Jaquis, yes, that IS his name, and another for one Lucy Jaquis.

As I was inspecting these files, I of course traveled to my fav research web sites, Ancestry dot com, Family Search, Find A Grave.  At Find A Grave I found some interesting memorials.  I hoped to turn up more probate files for some of the Jaquis clan I have researched.  As you know from reading about the "disappearing Benjamin" I did indeed find more files.

From my work on Find A Grave:  Here is a link to the Hillcrest Cemetery, Parishville, St. Lawrence County, New York, for just the people buried there with the name Jaquis, spelled just that way.

The probate file I have for a Lucy Jaquis is most likely for a Lucy who died in 1878. Note she is the wife of Uz Jaquis, whose memorial is here.  She is also a Jaquis, born to Enoch and Lucy.  I'll admit that Enoch confused me for a while, but, note his birthdate is 1786.  Why was I confused??  Because I have another Enoch in my data base, born about 1823.  Sometimes it takes a while to sink into my thick skull.

When I visited Uz's memorial, I note a link to a mother named Rachel.  Her memorial is here.

So, let's stop here a moment and look at the family as it currently is in my data base:

This is Benjamin the father and Mary, who I have as his wife and the mother of his children.  Note, no Rachel.

Benjamin, first born, born 1810ish, is the man who disappeared from the California Gold Rush.  Uz is there, born about 1826, Enoch is there, born about 1823 and several other children.  

You can see by looking at the date range that I do not have death information for Enoch or Sarah. And, there is Uz  - this screen shot taken before I found Uz at Find A Grave.  I need to enter that information into the data base.  The children continue, Ann, Mary, Emily and John.  I am not even really sure that Emily or John are related. It's been a tough search, one that I have abandoned more than once. And, now, I am back at it once again due to all these probate files.

I spent a good number of hours this last 10 days or so looking for Rachel Jaquis.  So far, I am not finding her.  I really had hoped to find her in the 1860 census since she died in 1861.  At the age of 79 we would hope to find her in a household with some others, possibly children.  I could not find her in the 1855 New York State Census either.  Ditto, 1850 census.  The search will continue by getting creative with spellings.

However, I did find some decent copies of the 1855 new York State census online.  First image is the headings/questions asked.

This image is Benjamin, and Mary, and children of Benjamin.  Note, they do not claim the children to be of Mary, but, of the head of the family.

We have:  Benjamin(e) Jaquis, age 65, born New Hampshire

Mary Jaquis, age 68, wife, born New Hampshire

Ebenzer Jaquis, age 46, child, born Vermont

Enoch Jaquis, age 39, child, born Essex (County in New York)

Mary Jaquis, age 34, child, born Essex (County in New York)

Ann Jaquis, age 27, child, and in the place of birth column:  School teacher

Jame Jaquis, age 25, child, and in the place of birth column:  School teacher

Irving Jaquis, age 10, child, born Essex (County in New York)

Almira Jennings, age 8  , granddaughter, born Essex (County in New York). Granddaughter? Yes, follow up research is indicated as I have none of the daughters married to a Jennings.

What a wonderful thing this 1855 state census is.  I'll be revisiting it for additional family members.

In the meantime, I have not found any other record of Rachel.  At this point, I don't believe she is the mother of any of Benjamin's children, but, in research we must keep an open mind.  I'll be working on any possible connection of Enoch born 1786 and my Benjamin born about 1790.  Other researchers have them as brothers. Then, there is the John Jaquis died about 1832, who is buried at Haselton Cemetery in Essex County, New York, at 54 years of age at his death, he would have been born about 1778.

Onward goes the research - - - 

* Ancestry.com is a pay service for researching.  I use, I pay, I have not been asked to use it, to review it.  Please refer to my Disclaimers page.  Find A Grave is currently a free site to use and contribute to, they are owned by Ancestry.com.  Family Search is a free site for all to use.

**Note:  The 1855 census images for Essex County New York were far superior at FamilySearch.  The same images at Ancestry dot com I could not read, nor manipulate with digital editing enough to read.

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Benjamin H. Jaquis, The Disappearing Benjamin

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Gonna put this out here as a bit of cousin bait, and to help me organize some new, confusing and fun things that are happening in the research of the Jaquis clan.

My initial interest in this clan came from the intermarriage of Benjamin Jaquis (born 1810ish) to one Fannie Lashbrook (1819-1893).  Benjamin, born 1810ish, according to family tradition, went west in 1849, participating in the California Gold Rush.  Again, according to family tradition, he eventually made a nice strike. However, on the way back home (about 1854) to his family who had remained in Illinois, the ship he was traveling on sank and he died.  Juicy material to research, I was hooked!

At some point, I was told a great-great granddaughter of Benjamin's, made a cassette tape of her remembrances of her family and named the ship that Benjamin died on as the Yankee Blade.  Oh, yes!  I had a field day researching this sinking in New York City newspapers. I never heard the tape, but, sometimes you just go hunt up the info anyway.

I eventually found a report on the sinking of the Yankee Blade, which reported, in part,   "A body was seen on the beach, the pockets of the pants taken off and cut open, and another with a money belt around him, which was cut open and the contents abstracted." I found the report of the money belt to be interesting, as the family tradition (written about in the book referenced below) reports that Benjamin wore money belts.

I even found a drawing of the Yankee Blade, in the work,  "Early American Steamers" by Erik Heyl, published 1953.

Of particular interest in the next part of this post is the fact we can place Benjamin in a specific place in California. In the small charming family history, "The Gold Moon", which a family member so graciously shared with me years ago, it is reported that there is a letter from Benjamin.  Said letter came from Benjamin from "Oregon Gulch, Bute Co., California" and was dated December 25, 1853.  The letter was from Benjamin to his brother-in-law, John Lashbrook, who had inquired about coming west to hunt gold.  Benjamin discouraged John.

Years pass, I research other families, other clans.  Then the other evening, while snooping around on Ancestry dot com, looking for Benjamin H. Jaquis, the father of Benjamin (born 1810ish), I found some very interesting references to Benjamin (yes, the one born 1810ish), back in California. Trouble is, the references are well after our poor Benjamin's ship sank??

Benj S Jaques

 in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Name: Benj S Jaques

Age: 49

Birth Year: abt 1811

Gender: Male

Birth Place: Vermont

Home in 1860: Eureka, Butte, California

Post Office: Thompsons Flat

Family Number: 1392

Value of real estate: View image

Household Members:

Name Age

Geo Carper 34

Benj S Jaques 49  occupation:  Miner

The birth year for this Benj S. Jaques is close, birth place of Vermont cannot be discounted, as I have seen his birth place reported as Vermont, New York, and France. Same county as the transcribed letter came from. 

Next I found:

B H Jacques

 in the California, Voter Registers, 1866-1898

Name: B H Jacques

Residence Year: 1867

Residence Place: Butte, California

Again, same county.  And then: 

Ben Jafuas

 in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Name: Ben Jafuas

[Ben Jaquis] 

Age in 1870: 60

Birth Year: abt 1810

Birthplace: Illinois

Home in 1870: Ophir, Butte, California

Race: White

Gender: Male

Post Office: Oroville

Value of real estate: View image

Household Members:

Name Age

Ben Jafuas 60  occupation:  miner

Again, the birth year is within reason, in fact, perfect.  Birthplace of Illinois, I won't even argue, as Benjamin left his family in Illinois when his journey to find gold began in 1849. And, as we all know, spelling just does not count in this sport.  And, as in all of these finds, this Benjamin is residing in Butte County.

However, this set of records is by far the most interesting.

Benjamin H Jaquis

 in the California, Wills and Probate Records, 1850-1953

Name: Benjamin H Jaquis

Probate Date: 18 May 1874

Probate Place: Butte, California, USA

Inferred Death Year: Abt 1874

Inferred Death Place: California, USA

Item Description: Journal, Vol 5, 1879; Orders, 1915-1937; Bonds and Letters, 1862-1881

Benjamin H Jaquis

 in the California, Wills and Probate Records, 1850-1953

Name: Benjamin H Jaquis

Probate Date: 23 May 1874

Probate Place: Butte, California, USA

Inferred Death Year: Abt 1874

Inferred Death Place: California, USA

Case Number: 537

Item Description: Case Files, 526-541, 1874

Table of Contents 16 images

Cover Page 1

Administration Papers 2

Petition Papers 3'965

Account Papers 6'967

Administration Papers 8'9610

Petition Papers 11'9613

Order Papers 14'9616

One thing these documents do reveal is that a man named Benjamin H. Jaquis, died in Butte County, California on July 18,1872, intestate.  (Not having made a will before one dies.) Not one heir is listed in these 18 pages of probate records.  In fact, in this file, I did not see any reference to heirs being searched for.  I have to ask, are these all of the probate papers concerning Benjamin?   

I need to study this more, is this Benjamin who died in 1872 in California the same Benjamin that wrote home in 1853 from the same county in California?

I have yet to find more, nothing on Find A Grave, nothing more on Ancestry dot com or on Family Search.  The search continues - - 

Next I'll tell you a bit of why I was even looking for a Benjamin Jaquis.

* Ancestry.com is a pay service for researching.  I use, I pay, I have not been asked to use it, to review it.  Please refer to my Disclaimers page.  Find A Grave is currently a free site to use and contribute to, they are owned by Ancestry.com.

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Not ANOTHER John Jaquis, Yes, It Seems So

CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Last evening after the grandtwins were transported back to their parents and uncles I was reading blogs, email, Facebook, Google +, catching up.  I noted that over 11,000 new links had been added to Linkpendium.  It had been a while since my last visit, so, I surfed over, checked out a few surnames, jumping around on the web site, not really concentrating or doing a methodical search.  I happened into the surname Jaquis, click here, click there, and next thing I was staring at this headstone.

JOHN JAQUIS

DIED

April 24, 1832

In his 54th year.

Photo rights belong to Bob Cressey © 2002

A few more clicks and I realized that this John Jaquis is buried in the same cemetery, the Haselton Cemetery, Wilmington, Essex County, New York, as several other Jaquis family members I have researched over the years.  However, John is not in my data base.  I do have 5 Jaquis men named John in my data base.

John Jaquis, no dates known, father - Benjamin H. Jaquis, mother - Mary.  Because I know so little of him, I won't even swear to those parents, he is listed because of family tradition and I have found nothing else on him.

John Benjamin Jaquis, born 1871, died 1917, father, Irwin or Irving Jaquis, mother Jane Mariam Hall, for the most part lived and died and buried in Franklin County New York.

John E. Jaquis, born, 1860, died 1929, father - Daniel Jaquis, mother - Margaret Ann Young, born and died in Iowa.

John Emerson Jaquis, born 1895, died 1938, father - Daniel Edward Jaquis, mother - Sarah H. Jennison, born and died in Iowa.

John Raymond Jaquis, son of John Emerson Jaquis (above) and Leta Dillavou, born and died in Iowa.

So, who is this John died 1832??  First thought, a guess, is that he might be the father of Benjamin H. Jaquis, mentioned above.

Thinking aloud here, if this John that died 1832 is the father of Benjamin, and if the John I have in my data base as a son of same Benjamin was named after his grandfather - -

I could have a lineage that goes:

John
Benjamin H.
John

Trouble is, the approximate ages and birthdays I do have, are just not adding up the way I would like to see.

John, died 1832, if 54 as headstone states, would have been born around 1778.

Benjamin H., I have estimated birth year of 1790 from the 1850 and 1860 census reports.

John, son of Benjamin H, have nothing.  Currently the eldest child born to Benjamin H. and wife Mary is shown as having a birth year of about 1810.

See, that 1778 to 1790 stuff just does not work, John (died 1832) would have been 12 when Benjamin H. was born.  Nope, that is just not working for me.

So, who is this John died 1832, a brother??  Are my dates all askew??  When was John the son of Benjamin H. born, and, seriously, was there even a son named John??  Is the John died 1832 buried near the other Jaquis clan in the Haselton Cemetery??

Oh, please, NOT another John??  It is late, John died 1832 will have to wait for another research day.  SIGH, another John, oh, dear.


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Tombstone Tuesday AND Birthday Observances, Libbie Margaret Jaquis Ressler

Libbie Margaret Jaquis was born 8 Jun 1872 in Parkersburg, Butler County, Iowa to father Elihu Jaquis and his wife Mary Ann (nee Stuart) Jaquis. Libbie married Enos Hubert Ressler on 1 Oct 1895 in Swanton, Butler County, Iowa.  Libbie and Enos had 7 children, all of which lived long lives.  They were:

1. Gladys May Ressler, the only child that did not marry
2. Hubert William Ressler
3. Earl John Resser
4. Verne Elihu Ressler
5. Floyd Irel Ressler
6. Carl Francis Ressler
7. Helen Ethel Ressler

Libbie died 11 Apr 1959 in Shell Rock, Butler County, Iowa and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Shell Rock, Butler County, Iowa along side her husband, Enos.

This photo is one of my favorite of Libbie, generously shared with me by her granddaughter, Helen Marie Gallmeyer DeWitt.  This is a woman I just know I would have loved to meet.  She just looks full of fun, joy, and stories, lots and lots of stories!

Libbie is a very special gal to this blogger, she was a family historian supreme!  Libbie was active in the Jaquis family reunions.  She wrote down LOTS of family data.  I have in my possession at least 2 collections of notes and family group data that she gathered and recorded.  She recorded dates of births, marriages, deaths, and little tidbits, like the following she wrote about her brother, Charles:

"Charles Jaquis son of Elihu and Mary Jaquis was born in Butler Co Ia. Charlie is a very industrious farmer. He has a college education and has made use of it. Chas. is an easy talker and good company. He has lived in Colo for a number of years as his health is better there. He resembles the Stuarts very much."

Isn't that just wonderful color to be able to add to your data base??

Libbie also wrote "The Gold Moon" in about 1934, which was privately published.  Libbie wrote this jewel of a family history about each of her four grandparents that came from 4 different countries. I was lucky enough to connect with a family member, Robert W. Crouch, who was willing to share a copy of this small, romantic, wonderful heritage with me.

Some of the details, Libbie recorded, have been proven to be in error, ever so slightly, with the documented research I have done. However, these minor errors in no way diminish the work.  I have spent many wonderful hours reading and re-reading Libbie's work and finding documents to augment her heartfelt personal stories.  She has led me to research and history I would never have visited without her writings.

"The Gold Moon" is a treasure to the Jaquis, and Lashbrook families.

Thank you Libbie, for all your notes, dates, stories of color, and "The Gold Moon".

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

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Birthday Observances, Hattie Belle Thompson Smith

Hattie Belle Thompson was born on 13 Feb 1872, in Iowa, most likely in Butler County Iowa to Linsley L. Thompson (AKA Lindsey, Linley and several other spellings) and his first wife, Artimissa (Artie) Jaquis Thompson. In July of 1875 Hattie's mother, Artimissa died. By 1880, her father, Linsley had moved to Erie County New York and had remarried.

On March 6, 1889 in Springville, Erie County, New York, Hattie married William A. Smith. Hattie and William had two children, Ethel Artie and Harold Lindsey.

On Febuary 20, 1920 Hattie died. She was laid to rest in the Maplewood Cemetery, Springville, Erie County, New York.

* Photo of Hattie, courtesy of Helen Gallmeyer DeWitt and Janet Jaquis Barnes

** This short biography is the result of hundred's of hours of research covering Hattie and her father.

*** Tonight I was delighted to find a memorial for Hattie over at Find A Grave. And, a photo of her tombstone!

**** Update:  Contacted the lady that had posted Hattie's memorial, and she graciously has transferred the care of the memorial to me.   Many thanks to her and Tana is rocking and rolling tonight cause I am genie-happy dancing all over the place.  WHAHOOOOOO.  Anne, WO, can you believe it??

Copyright 2010, CABS for Reflections From the Fence.
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