The Traveler

George Swinburne

My great-grandfather, George Washington Swinburne (1846-1928), during his lifetime, lived in six states and traveled through many.

When George was a teenager, he lived in a Shaker community; he then fought in the Civil War; after the Civil War, he traveled to the Midwest; and later in life, he moved to Florida.

George’s father, Samuel Swinburne (1813-1848), died when George was only two years old. According to the 1850 U.S. census, George was living with his mother, Mary R. Sargent Swinburne (1812-1864), in Norwich, Vermont. However, by the time of the 1860 U.S. census, when George was 14 years old, he was living as a member of the Shaker community in Enfield, New Hampshire; and his mother was living with the George Blaisdell family in Hartford, Vermont.

The Shaker community in Enfield consisted of three groups: The Church, the North family, and the South family. George lived with the “South family.” Each family had 30-90 people with their own set of communal buildings including dwellings and workshops.    

So, how did George end up with the Shakers?  It was a common practice that orphans and children of

Shaker Family Buildings in Enfield - Google Images

broken homes were taken to Shaker communities. George was not an orphan, as his mother was still living; and, he was not from a broken home – at least not in the traditional sense of parents being divorced. However, George’s mother is not only living in another state, but she is also listed as being “deaf.” Perhaps this condition forced her to separate from George. Her connection to the George Blaisdell family, as earlier mentioned, is unknown.

The Shakers would educate and take care of the children until they were 21 years old.  At the age of 21, the "children" would have to make a decision - stay with the Shaker community and become a Shaker or leave the community. George chose to leave in 1864 when he turned 18 years of age.

George went from living with the Shakers to enlisting in 1864 with the Vermont Volunteers, Companies F & G (part of the Army of the Potomac). During his career as a Union soldier, besides the usual battles and skirmishes, George managed to be a part of several major battles:

• He fought in the Battle of Cold Harbor near Mechanicsville, Virginia, which lasted from May 31, 1864, through June 12, 1864. The Battle of Cold Harbor was considered to be a Confederate victory. 
• After the Battle of Cold Harbor, George found himself involved with the Siege of Petersburg (Virginia). Though the siege lasted for nine months (June 1864-March 1865), he participated only from June 20, 1864, through June 23, 1864. This siege was ultimately a Union victory. 
• After his participation at the Siege of Petersburg, he is next involved with the Battle of Monocacy (aka Monocacy Junction) near Frederick, Maryland, on July 9, 1864. This battle was considered to be a tactical victory for the Confederates and strategic victory for the Union.

George was mustered out of the Union Army on June 19, 1865, over one month after the end of the Civil War. It is known that George was wounded during the Civil War; however, exactly when and where is unknown.

By 1870, George had traveled to southwest Wisconsin: He lived first in Lafayette, Wisconsin, just north of the Illinois/Wisconsin border and worked as a farm laborer. Then , he moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he worked as a fireman in a mill. Besides living in Wisconsin after the Civil War, he also lived in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Florida (where he was a citrus farmer). According to the History of Houston County (MN), George was also known as a carpenter and builder. 

George was married three times and had five children:   

• Mary France Perkins (1852-1881), married October 23, 1869, Sparta, Wisconsin, with whom he had four children: Harriet, John, Richard, and George.
• Effie Christina Clapp (1868-1921), married September 22, 1883, Augusta, Wisconsin, with whom he had two children: Victor and Ruth. They divorced in 1892. 
•  Amelia Jane “Jennie” House (1844-1930), married August 23, 1913, Pasco County, Florida.

George certainly was well-traveled: He lived in six states, fought in many during the Civil War, and traveled through many more. George and his last wife are buried in Zephyrhills, Florida (northeast of Tampa), where they lived. George is my adoptive mother's grandfather.

The Great Swamp Fight

Google image

"The Great Swamp Fight" was the culmination of King Philip's War between the colonial militia and the Narragansett Indian tribe in December 19, 1675. The battle was near today's South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The militia, including Pequot Indians, inflicted a huge number of casualties, including women and children.  In fact, the battle has been described as "one of the most brutal and lopsided military encounters in all of New England's history."[1]

Google image

It is interesting to note that King Philip (adopted English name) is not a king from England. His actual name is Metacomet; he was a Wampanoag Indian chief. Prior to December 1675, King Phillip, leading his tribe, rose up against encroaching English settlers in Massachusetts.  By December, the battle was spreading. It was feared that the Rhode Island Narragansett tribe would join up with King Philip’s tribe. Eventually, King Philip was killed.

King Philip’s War was not a localized war: It encompassed New England. The figures are inexact, “out of a total New England population of 80,000, counting both Indians and English colonists, some 9,000 were killed—more than 10 percent. Two-thirds of the dead were Indians, many of whom died of starvation. Indians attacked 52 of New England’s 90 towns, pillaging 25 of those and burning 17 to the ground. The English sold thousands of captured Indians into slavery in the West Indies. New England’s tribes would never fully recover.” [2]

As I was reading about this battle, I came across two names that had me searching the family trees: Samuel Perkins (1655-1700) and James Oliver (1619-1679).

Samuel Perkins is my husband’s 9^th great-uncle and was a member of the Massachusetts Regiment – Company number unknown. He was from Ipswich and a cordwainer (aka shoemaker) by trade. As a result of service in the “Great Swamp Fight,” he was awarded a portion of land at Voluntown on the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island in today’s New London County.

James Oliver is the 11^th great-uncle of my two children He was Captain of the 3^rd Company of the Massachusetts Regiment. [3] He was a merchant in the city of Boston. James came with his parents, Thomas and Ann Oliver, from England in 1632.  James is of particular interest because he was one of the few officers who made it through the “Great Swamp Fight” uninjured. However, he did have five men killed and 11 injured. [4]

Below is a letter I found online written by Captain James Oliver about the battle. [5] You will note that the letter is dated the 11^th month 1675. At that time, the 11^th month was actually December and not today’s November. 

 Letter of Captain Oliver
Narragansett 26^th 11^th month 1675

After a tedious march in a bitter cold that followed the Dec. 12^th , we hoped our pilot would have led us to Ponham by break of day, but so it came to pass we were misled and so missed a good opportunity. Dec. 13^th we came to Mr Smith's, and that day took 35 prisoners. Dec 14^th , our General went out with a horse and foot, I with my company was kept to garrison. I sent out 30 of my men to scout abroad, who killed two Indians and brought in 4 prisoners, one of which was beheaded. Our amy came home at night, killed 7 and brought in 9 more, young and old. Dec 15^th , came in John, a rogue, with pretense of peace, and was dismissed with this errand, that we might speak with Sachems. That evening, he not being gone a quarter of an hour, his company that lay hid behind a hill killed two Salem men within a mile from our quarters, and wounded a third that he is dead. And at a house three miles off where I had 10 men, they killed 2 of them. Instantly, Capt. Mosely, myself and Capt Gardner were sent to fetch in Major Appleton's company that kept 3 miles and a half off, and coming, they lay behind a stone wall and fired on us in sight of the garrison. We killed the captain that killed one of the Salem men, and had his cap on. That night they burned Jerry Bull's house, and killed 17. Dec. 16^th came that news. Dec 17^th came news that Connecticut forces were at Petasquamscot, and had killed 4 Indians and took 6 prisoners. That day we sold Capt. Davenport 47 Indians, young and old for 80l. in money. Dec 18^th we marched to Petaquamscot with all our forces, only a garrison left; that night very stormy; we lay, one thousand, in the open field that long night. In the morning, Dec. 19^th , Lord's day, at 5 o'clock we marched. Between 12 and 1 we came up with the enemy, and had a sore fight three hours. We lost, that are now dead, about 68, and had 150 wounded, many of which recovered. That long snowy cold night we had about 18 miles to our quarters, with about 210 dead and wounded. We left 8 dead in the fort. We had but 12 dead when we came to the swamp, besides the 8 we left. Many died by the way, and as soon as they we brought in, so that Dec. 20^th we buried in a grave 34, next day 4, next day 2, and none since. Eight died at Rhode Island, 1 at Petaquamscot, 2 lost in the woods and killed Dec. 20, as we heard since; some say two more died. By the best intelligence, we killed 300 fighting men; prisoners we took, say 350, and above 300 women and children. We burnt above 500 houses, left but 9, burnt all their corn, that was in baskets, great store. One signal mercy that night, not to be forgotten, viz. That when we drew off, with so many dead and wounded, they did not pursue us, which the young men would have done, but the sachems would not consent; they had but ten pounds of powder let. Our General, with about 40, lost our way, and wandered till 7 o'clock in the morning, before we came to our quarters. We thought we were within 2 miles of the enemy again, but God kept us; to him be the glory. We have killed now and then 1 since, and burnt 200 wigwams more; we killed 9 last Tuesday. We fetch in their corn daily and that undoes them. This is, as nearly as I can, a true relation. I read the narrative to my officers in my tent, who all assent to the truth of it. Mohegans and Pequods proved very false, fired into the air, and sent word before they came they would so, but got much plunder, guns and kettles. A great part of what is written was attested by Joshua Teffe, who married an Indian woman, a Wampanoag. He shot 20 times at us in the swamp, was taken at Providence Jan'y 14, brought to us the 16^th, executed the 18^th . A sad wretch, he never heard a sermon but once these 14 years. His father, going to recall him lost his head and lies unburied.

[1] Drake, James D. King Philip's War: Civil War in New England, 1675-1976. University of Massachusetts Press, 1999. p. 119.
[2] Brandt, Anthony. "Blood and Betrayal: King's Philip's War." HISTORYNET, http://www.historynet.com/blood-and-betrayal-king-philips war.htm. Retrieved 1 Nov 2017.
[3] Miner, Mike E. "Massachusetts Regiment." Miner Descent, 4 Dec. 2011, https://minerdescent.com/2011/12/04/great-swamp-fight-regiments. Retrieved 31 Oct 2017.
[4] "Narragansett Campaign and the Great Swamp Fight." The Bigelow Society, http://www.bigelowsociety.com/rod/battles.htm

I Married My Cousin

Last year I was updating information on my husband’s (James Robert Oliver) family tree. I kept coming across familiar names, and I just knew that these names were also in one of the other four trees on which I work. Not one to let a mystery stare me in the face, I started going through those other trees looking for those familiar names: Brewer, Morse, Perkins, Sargent. Bingo! I found the connection – my adoptive mother’s family. 

Florence - 1943

It turns out that John Perkins (1583-1654) and Judith Gater Perkins (1588-1654) are the primary connection. John and Judith Perkins are my mother’s (Florence Marie Swinburne Newhouse, 1907-1997) 9th great-grandparents, and my husband’s 10th great-grandparents. I told my husband about this discovery that he and my mother are 10th cousins, which made us, husband and wife, 10th cousins 1x removed. He certainly was not sure what to make about this. I thought it not only interesting, but funny – I had married my cousin! 

It turns out this Perkins family is well-documented. I had not really

Jim 2014

bothered to pursue this line, but I needed to find out more. I found I could go backward from John to William Perkins (1380-1451) where my mother and husband shared common “great-grandparents.”

John Perkins, along with his wife and children, left Bristol, England, on December 1, 1630, aboard the ship Lyon. He arrived in Boston on February 6, 1631. John’s children are where the relationship between my mother and my husband becomes less direct. John’s daughter, Elizabeth Perkins (1611-abt 1670) is my mother’s 8th great-grandmother; John’s son Jacob Perkins (1624-1400), is my husband’s 9th great-grandfather. From there forward, the relationship between my mother and husband becomes one of cousins, aunts, and uncles. 

This just goes to show if we go back in time, we are probably all related.

More of What's Your Family All About

Last time I wrote about family and how last names tie us together as family.  Family, in the standard sense, is those with whom we grow up with and around. But, family is also those we find lurking in the family tree. In my tree I have Irish, Welsh, Norwegian, French, English, and German ancestors, just to name a few nationalities.

It has always been of interest to me what last names mean or the origin for last names.  In my last posting, I looked at some of the Irish and Welsh names. So, here is what I found in the French, English, and German “family” names.

• Bourque—is French. The original spelling was Bourrique “probably a derivative of bourre ‘tawny’, ‘fawn’ (from Latin burrus), hence denoting a man with tawny hair.”  Ancestry.com
• Campion—is French for professional champion.  This last name was probably introduced by the Normans to England.
• Dickman—English, Dutch, German—take your choice.  If your background is Dutch or German, this name is an occupational name for someone who dug ditches or it is a locational name for someone who lived near or next to a ditch or a dyke. For the English, the name refers to a servant.  Ancestry
• Forster—is considered to be an English and French name with the French version being Forester which evolved into Forster and Foster in England.  The original meaning behind the name is that a person with this name was one who was in charge of a forest, or one who lived near a forest, or one who was in charge of growing timber.  However, F`rster is also a German name for one who lives in or near a forest.  Searchforancestors.com
• Gaskill—specifically comes from Lancashire, England; and, specifically in Cumbria it refers to where one lived:  near a goat shelter (Old Norse geit ‘goat’ + skáli ‘shelter’).  Ancestry.com
• Hanks—is considered to be a short form of the name Hank; specifically, a patronymic for the name Hankin.  The use of a patronymic is basically being named after one’s father; i.e., Johnson (for John’s son).  Thus, Hanks is a short form for Hankin’s son.  Sources identified that this name comes specifically from Gloucestershire, England. Ancestry.com
• Menard—is a French name meaning “brave or hard strength.” Thinkbabyname.com
• Perkins—in both the English and Dutch backgrounds, this name is considered to by a patronymic of Perkin.  And, Perkin is considered to be a “pet name” for Peter.

For those of you who are interested in pursuing this further, the information above comes from Ancestry.com, searchforancestors.com, thinkbabyname.com, and 4crests.com.

The below photo is of Lena and Theodore Forster who were married on April 18, 1897.  They are my husband's great aunt and uncle.  They had seven children--all born in Minnesota.

© Linda Oliver, 2017