Orphia Mason was born on 30 June 1854 into a large upstate NY family. Her father Lafayette Mason was a Black landowner in Elizabethtown, NY. He acquired the land after serving in the Civil War. Orphia’s mother was Mary Wheeler. Three of the Mason sisters married free Black men in Vermont. Thirza Mason married Eugene Storms, Frances married Stephen Bates, and Orphia married Jonathan Robert … Continue reading Orphia Mason Storms Aldrich
Corrine Eva Chase was born on 28 March 1927 in Providence, RI. She was the daughter of Milton Garrison Chase and Corrinthea Johnson. She moved to Worcester and married Walter A. Bostic in 1953. Corrine was a graduate of Clark University and was an educator, writer and poet. She co-founded the Worcester County Poetry Association in 1971 serving on it’s board until her death in … Continue reading Corrine Bostic
Some photographic images recently surfaced of African-Americans living in Worcester, MA in 1900. Two of those photos are labelled ‘Kenneth Anderson’ and ‘Mrs. Anderson and baby’. Kenneth was my great-grandmother Hattie’s younger brother and Mrs. Anderson was Hattie’s mom. Here’s a quick genealogical sketch of my great-grandmother, Harriet McKinley Anderson Bostic. Hattie Bostic with a neighbor child and two grandsons. Hattie McKinley Anderson was born … Continue reading Hattie McKinley Anderson and family
Annie Kent was born about 1822 in Maryland, perhaps into slavery. Her given name was Nancy after her mother and her father was Samuel Kent. While living free in London Grove, Chester, Pennsylvania, she married Peter Bostic, a free Black man. The couple had at least two children, William born in 1838 and Mary born in 1842. By 1849, Annie was widowed and remarried to … Continue reading Annie Kent & Rachel Steemer
It seems like every genealogist on Facebook posted their version of the colorful Excel chart developed by Geneaspy blogger, J Paul Hawthorne. So without further ado, here’s my 5-generation Excel chart showing the birthplaces of myself and my ancestors. As you can see, I am a New Englander. And here’s a 6-generation chart which shows a little bit of variation. Aquene! Continue reading The #mycolorfulancestry Craze
Susannah Storms was the eldest child of Primus and Parmelia. She was born in 1788 in Fishkill, NY to a slave mother and free father. The family traveled to Basin Harbor, Vermont with Platt Rogers, mother Parmelia’s owner. The Storms became one of the many free, land-owning Black families in Vermont. When Susannah died unmarried on 16 September 1845, she left her 54 acre “Home … Continue reading The Storms of Vermont, Part 2 – Susannah Storm’s Probate Record
I thank Heather Rojo from Nutfield Genealogy for her post on how she organizes her Surname Saturday posts. I’m going to work on the maiden names of women in my ancestry beginning with my maternal line. Those names include: Ransom, Slocum, Dailey, Curless, Vickers, Williams, Scott, Harry, Foster, Money, Henry, Quow, Jackson, Willett, Romsor, Pegan, Pollock, Brown, Toney, and Hazzard. And, yes, I know these … Continue reading The Women Before Me
While collecting vital records on my Storms ancestors, I came across The above is from the Massachusetts death records. The date of death was February 18, 1884. The town of Boston records included his burial site which was Mt. Hope Cemetery in Boston. There was no indication of who his parents were or where he was born in either record. I also couldn’t find any … Continue reading Suicide by Drowning in the Charles River
This is my second time participating in this yearly challenge. This year I want to write a bit on two of my favorite families – the Toneys and the Storms (I’m doing two because I couldn’t decide on one). Caesar Toney and Primus Storms are my 5th great grandfathers. Without them, I wouldn’t be me. I don’t know as much as I’d like to about … Continue reading Family History Writing Challenge
My nephew is one of the last in our family with the surname of Bostic. The other day, while driving with my daughter through the local cemetery, he asked to see the monument with his name on it. (Yes! My children consider cemeteries as appropriate sightseeing destinations – after all, they were raised by me.) My daughter called me for the street name it was … Continue reading Bostics, Then and Now, Part 1
Cheryll Toney Holley 