Fishkill, NY Trip – The Storm Slave Cemetery

The beginnings of the known story about my 5th great-grandparents originates in Fishkill, NY. Fishkill is a town in the mid-Hudson River part of New York state. The records we have show that Primus and Parmelia Storms traveled to Vermont with Parmelia’s enslaver, Platt Rogers. Platt – with the help of Primus – founded the town of Basin Harbor, Vermont. But we don’t know much … Continue reading Fishkill, NY Trip – The Storm Slave Cemetery

Jonathan Robert Storms

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 Storms Aldrich

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

The Storms of Vermont, Part 2 – Susannah Storm’s Probate Record

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

The Women Before Me

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

NERGC 2015

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

Suicide by Drowning in the Charles River

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