Jonathan Robert Storms was born in Vergennes, VT to Primus Storms, Jr and Anna Ayres around 1850. He was part of the third generation of land-owning Black farmers in Addison County, Vermont. His free grandfather and enslaved grandmother traveled from Fishkill, NY to Vermont in the late 1700s with Platt Rogers. Jonathan worked as a horse jockey until moving to Worcester with his wife, Orphia … Continue reading Jonathan Robert Storms
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
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
This was my 5th NERGC (New England Regional Genealogical Conference) conference and I think it was the best one yet! It was held at the Rhode Island Conference Center which was a beautiful spot. My hotel was a block away (the Courtyard Marriott) and my room was fabulous. The conference was special for me because it was my first time presenting at NERGC. I made … Continue reading NERGC 2015
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 favorite ancestors these days seem to be the Storms. Originally from Panton and Vergennes, Vermont, several members of the family moved to Worcester and Boston, Massachusetts in the 1870s. Once in Worcester, the Storms and other transplanted Vermonters of color formed the Vermont Club at John St Baptist Church, one of the few Black churches in Worcester. Hattie Storms, my great-great grandmother, was born … Continue reading The Storms of Vermont, part 1
Cheryll Toney Holley 