The Geneline The Monthly Newsletter of the Amelia Island Genealogical Society October 2014

AIGS August General Meeting Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 7:00 PM The Community Room, Fernandina Beach Police Station, 1525 Lime St, Fernandina Beach, FL October Program Urban Research - Pick a Church, Not Just Any Church

In our upcoming program you will learn how to use city directories, ward maps, and various other resources to pinpoint the location of your ancestor's church. A case study will be used to provide a detailed example. Our guest speaker will be Amy Larner Giroux, PHD, CG, CGL. Ms. Larner Giroux is a researcher, lecturer and writer with geographic specializations including , the Lower Hudson Valley of New York and Pensacola, Florida. She is an award- winning author with articles published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Record, and The Genealogist (American Society of Genealogists). Her research interests include burial iconography and ethnic studies.

REPORT FROM THE AIGS BOARD NOMINATING COMMITTEE As prescribed by the AIGS by-laws, the AIGS Nominating Committee met to propose a slate of officers and board members for 2015 AIGS Board. Nominees from the current board who expressed an interest in serving for another year were retained. There were three open slots for which the committee personally contacted nominees to determine if they would like their name placed in consideration. They agreed to serve if elected. As a result of the search, the AIGS Nominating Committee recommends the following slate of candidates for your 2015 Officers and Directors: President – Jean Mann Member-at-Large – Bob Keane (Programs) Vice President – Tonia Quartermain Member-at-Large – Larry Conte (Membership) Secretary – Member-at-Large – Susan Anstead (Geneline) Treasurer – Marcia Pertuz Member-at-Large – Lori Miranda (Publicity) Past President – Gus Reinwald We have been unable to find a nominee for the Board position of Secretary. Any member of the AIGS who is interested in this position is urged to contact Gus Reinwald or one of the other officers to place their name in nomination for the Secretary’s position. The Secretary is a voting member of the AIGS Board and keeps a record of the board meetings. In addition, the following members have volunteered to assist with the Program Committee for 2015: Marie Santry, Gloria Toomey, and Janet Loveless. We have a strong slate of nominees for the AIGS Board and Program Committee, and the AIGS should be off to a very good start in 2015.

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October 2014 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

By Gus Reinwald 2014 AIGS There are a couple of families in both my wife’s ancestry line and my BOARD MEMBERS ancestry line where, for a couple of generations, the father was not the Royce “Gus” Reinwald breadwinner or died at a fairly young age, leaving the mother or other President family members to provide for and raise the children. This is Charles Finnigan probably true for many families and is not that uncommon in Vice President genealogy research. I want to focus on two such families in my Bebe Granger research that show two different means of coping with the departure Secretary of the breadwinner. Marcia Pertuz The first story comes from my wife’s genealogy and is of a family Treasurer living in rural Pennsylvania that came from a farming and Michael Toomey blacksmithing background. Samuel, the father, died at age 40 and left Past President his wife Sophie with two sons age 10 and 8. Sophie didn’t have Larry Conte, family in the area to help her with the children but she managed to Director/Membership find work as a housekeeper in the hotel where she and the sons lived, Chairperson according to the 1880 census records. The 1910 census shows that Bob Keane she was still working as a servant/housekeeper but in a private home. Director She died in 1912 and her obituary stated that she was employed at the Hotel Clinton and was ill but a short time. It said that no relatives Susan Anstead survive and that her two sons also preceded her to the grave. Charles, Director her second son, died at age 37 leaving wife Bertha and their two sons Lori Miranda age 7 and 5. Bertha did have family in a nearby town, and that is Director where she was able to raise her two sons, after moving into her COMMITTEE CHAIRS father’s home and later a home shared by her unmarried brother and & EDITORS sister. Bertha fed her family by working for many years as a weaver Michael Toomey in a silk mill. Bertha died at age 68 but lived long enough to see both AIGS Website her sons marry and enjoy her two grandchildren. Bob Keane The second story comes from my mother’s genealogy and is about a Program family living in the “big city” since about 1850. The earliest census Lori Miranda I’ve found on this family is June 1870 showing Maria, age 43 having Publicity 5 children ages 10 to 18. Maria is a sewing machine operator, 18 year Teen Peterson old daughter is a school teacher and 14 year old son Chris is “boy in Librarian Lawyer’s office”. No father is listed and so Maria, daughter and son Kathy Nemaric are the breadwinners. The family must have moved shortly after this Research Coordinator because in December they are again listed in the 1870 census at a Susan Anstead different District, living on Cornelia Street. All the data is the same Editor Geneline except son Chris is “Insurance Clerk”. In 1880 the family is now at West 28th Street, Maria is the housekeeper and widowed; only 4 Jean Mann children, two daughters are school teachers, Chris is working in a Editor of Nassau County Genealogist Cigar Factory and his brother is a book keeper. The next account is about son Chris’s family. Chris wasn’t a young man when he died at age 59, but evidently he didn’t work much after his marriage. Chris 2 and wife Minnie had one son and 5 daughters. The son never married and died at age 33. The 5 daughters were all quite different, but it was they who were the breadwinners for the family. The first daughter married and had her own family. The second daughter was a telephone operator earning a wage. The fourth daughter unfortunately was blind but earned money playing the piano. The fifth daughter became a Dominican Nun named Sister Mary Reparata at Holy Spirit Convent. But the real breadwinner for the family was the third daughter. She became a successful artist and photographer's model that eventually married and lived in Paris with her wealthy husband. Their mother, Minnie, was the homemaker for the family, which says a lot since according to the NY census they lived in the Bronx on Mansion Street in 1900, in Manhattan on 129th Street in 1910, on Nicholas Avenue in 1915, and on Wadsworth Avenue from 1918 to 1920. All these moves must have been a lot of work for Minnie and the family. I don’t think that Chris was much help in all this moving. My grandfather, talking about this family, once said that he “held in contempt any father who didn't do his best to support his family. Evidently Chris didn't mind having his daughters work to support the family." I guess my message in all this is that by researching census data and putting it together with family stories and related facts one can get a pretty good picture of what life was like for a particular family. The picture may not be 100% accurate, but it is still good to visualize. Coincidently, I was able to find pictures of some of these residences on the New York City Department of Records Photo gallery which has pictures of every building in all boroughs taken in 1940 and again in 1980. They did this for their tax appraisals. The NYC website is at http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/html/gallery/home.shtml

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News You Can Use!

This new corner of the Geneline will highlight news each month that we hope interests you. It will contain descriptions of new books added to our library, volunteer opportunities, openings on the board, upcoming local speakers, Nassau County Library updates, and much, much more. We hope you enjoy it and find it helpful.

Volunteer Opportunities Do you have a little extra time to help others? Then we have a job for you! There are lots of volunteer opportunities and there may be one that’s just right for you. You will find lots of volunteer opportunities right here at the Amelia Genealogical Society. For more information you can contact the AIGS President: Gus Reinwald at [email protected]

Writers needed! Do you like to write? Do you have a story to tell? Do you have genealogy research information you’d like to share? We have an entire readership waiting to hear from you! We are always looking for articles for the monthly AIGS Geneline. It covers a broad spectrum of topics from research hints to personal family histories to research tool analyses and anything else we think may be of interest to our readers. If you have a topic or information you would like to share, we can help you organize it too! Amelia Island Museum of History upcoming Brown Bag Lunch Wednesday, October 1st at Noon – Brown Bag Lunch with Bill Birdsong Join us for our next Brown Bag Lunch on Wednesday, October 1st, at noon Special guest Bill Birdsong will deliver a lecture entitled “Images of our Greenway”. Bill is an amateur photographer who began to visit the Greenway near his home several years ago. The two sections offer a walk through a salt and fresh water environment, each with distinct plant and animal populations. The Greenway has recently increased in popularity but is still unknown to some. The talk will be an introduction to the Greenway illustrated with his photographs. This program is free and open to the public. For more information contact: Gray at 261-7378, ext 102, or [email protected].

New AIGS Librarian The AIGS board would like to welcome, Ms. Teen Peterson as AIGS’s librarian and newest committee chair. Teen brings many years of experience as a librarian and branch manager at the Nassau County library, Yulee Branch. She is an archivist and current Collections Manager of the Amelia Island History Museum. Teen also served previously on the AIGS Board and is a past editor of the Geneline! We are delighted she has agreed to join us and help us, especially at such an important time with the new Nassau County, Fernandina Library Branch expansion. 4

Need help? Are you trying to get your research started? Do you need help organizing your work? Have you hit a brick wall in your research? Do you need translation of foreign language documents? We Can Help! As a society we have lots of resources from which to draw. We have many volunteers with lots of talent, just waiting to help. If you would like help with a genealogy problem send an email to our president, Gus Reinwald at [email protected], or anyone else on the board and they will put you in touch with the right people. Your problem is just waiting to be solved!

Cemetery Survey Project Do you enjoy perusing cemeteries? Of course you do! It’s a part of researching your genealogy - digging up dead people. Okay, maybe not really ‘digging up’, just ‘digging’ for information, and there is wealth of it in cemeteries. The cemetery survey committee is in need of volunteers. There are many facets to the process and no special skills are required. If you enjoy fresh air and getting outside and doing important work, this committee is for you! This team surveys, documents and publishes local cemetery information before it decays and disappears forever. Contact Michael Toomey at [email protected], if you would like to help.

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New!!! Monthly Member Surveys! The September Survey results are in! Following are the results from the September 2014 survey regarding AIGS meetings.

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The October survey will ask about genealogy experience levels.

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Feature Article of the Month

CONTINENTAL ARMY DEPOT AND BURIAL GROUND by Bebe Granger ocated in the Valley, 12 miles north of West Point, lies the town of Fishkill, L Dutchess County, New York. Here thousands of Continental Army soldiers lived in a military complex known as Fishkill Supply Depot on more than 70 acres between 1776 and 1783. ordered the depot and encampment built with its headquarters at the Van Wyck Homestead. The site was one of three major encampments during the Revolutionary War along with Valley Forge, Pennsylvania and Morristown, . The depot was very strategic and important to the war effort in supplying the troops, guarding the mountains and major roads, and keeping the British from capturing the Hudson River and valley. On the Fishkill grounds, at the foot of the mountains, lies the single largest Revolutionary War soldiers burial ground. The Dutch first settled Fishkill in the early 1700s, once inhabited by the Wappinger Indians who sold 85,000 acres of land in Duchess County to two New York merchants for rum, powder, shirts, knives, bottles, cloth, hatchets, and tobacco. The Bretts built the first mill on Fishkill Creek where it flows into the Hudson River. In 1732, Cornelius Van Wyck purchased 959 acres of land from Catheryna Brett and built a three-bedroom house on future land known as the Fishkill Supply Depot. The Van Wyck home was located near the Hudson River and major roads, such as, the north-south Albany Post road (later US 9) and the east-west road (later NY 52 and I 84). The house and surrounding area was requisitioned by the Continental Army and became a military town. The Van Wyck Homestead is the only remaining structure. During the Revolutionary War, the Fishkill Supply Depot contained barracks, officer huts, artillery placements, storage buildings, an armory, blacksmith shops, a powder magazine, stables, and parade grounds. The barracks and the parade grounds were covered by the Dutchess Mall in 1974. There was an archaeological dig prior to the mall construction that unearthed approximately 10,000 artifacts. Failed attempts were made to stop the mall construction. The Dutch Reformed Church became the military prison, and the Trinity Episcopal Church was the main hospital. Two surgeons appointed by George Washington were Dr. Cornelius Osborn and Dr. Martin Cornell. Hundreds of soldiers died at Fishkill from war wounds, hypothermia, 8 illness, and starvation. The seven winters they endured there were extremely cold and harsh, and food was often scarce. There was a call for volunteers to assist the doctors and to bring herbs, cloth, food, and goods to the depot. At times, soldiers had no clothes. Their garments were worn and patched so much, there was nothing left to wear. These soldiers were sent to the “naked barracks” to stay. The conditions at the depot often times were bleak. The Van Wyck Homestead was the military headquarters at the Fishkill Supply Depot. General Israel Putnam was the first commander to use the home as headquarters. General George Washington observed the troops from the porch. General Alexander McDougall, General Horatio Gates, , General Lafayette, von Steuben, and John Jay also headquartered at the home or used it as a meeting point. Samuel Loudon, publisher of the newspaper “New York Placket”, printed the newspaper, Army orders, and the first edition of the New York Constitution at the Homestead. Fishkill became the official New York State Post Office with Samuel Loudon as Postmaster. In 1962, the Fishkill Historical Society was established to preserve the Homestead. In 1974 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. The Van Wyck Homestead is also a museum including the Fishkill Historical Society’s library and archives. There are educational programs for the public including school tours, workshops, walking tours and other events during the year to keep alive the history of the Fishkill The Van Wycke Homestead Supply Depot. Here is a newspaper obituary of Mrs. Mary Wyckoff, a women patriot of the Revolutionary War who served at Fishkill. “—Many a soldier has to mourn her death, and reflect with gratitude on the generosity and aid afforded them at Fishkill, during the late revolution, when she fed the hungry, cloathed the naked, and protected the unfortunate from the fury of the British troops.”

Minerva (New York, New York), 29 May 1797, page 3 The once forgotten Continental Army soldiers’ burial ground at Fishkill is forgotten no more. In 1897, the Melzingah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a monument at the Fishkill Supply Depot’s Soldiers Burial Ground. The marker was moved in 1976 and later placed on the Van Wyck Homestead property. The location of the graveyard became uncertain over time. However, to prove its existence in the face of further commercial development in 2007, archaeologists examined and tested the privately-owned land before it was bulldozed. At first, seven graves were found. Then, ground-penetrating radar was used, and hundreds of unmarked graves were revealed from the 1800s. The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot (FOFSD) was established to crusade for the preservation and permanent protection of this site. A mass effort is underway to identify every soldier buried at Fishkill. Muster rolls, hospital

9 records, and other documents are being scrutinized to identify these soldiers. As word spread of the exciting discovery of the cemetery, descendants of the soldiers from across the country contacted FOFSD and sent them information on their ancestors who died at Fishkill. In 2011, the first press release with the names of 25 soldiers was given. Then, in 2012, 9 more soldier’s names were released. In 2013, 26 soldier’s names were revealed in May and 24 names in November. On May 25, 2014 Captain Zachariah Beal’s name was added to the list. He was of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment and killed during a mutiny attempt in 1777 at Fishkill. At www.fishkillsupplydepot.org you can read about the mutiny and the names of all the soldiers identified. More than 85 soldiers have been identified so far. On the Tribute Wall page of the website, the names are placed by US state of enlistment. The states so far are Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Canadian Regiments, and other notables. For genealogy research, it is very rewarding to know the physical location of the cemetery where your Revolutionary War patriot was buried. There is no other known burial ground of Revolutionary War soldiers that is larger than the Soldiers Burial Ground at Fishkill. D.A.R. monument first placed at the Fishkill Supply Depot’s Soldiers Burial Ground. 1776 - 1783 IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE BRAVE MEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND WHOSE REMAINS REPOSE IN THE ADJOINING FIELD. THIS STONE IS ERECTED BY MELZINGAH CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION OCTOBER 14, 1897.

The original placement of the D.A.R. monument at the actual Soldiers Burial Ground at Fishkill Supply Depot. The picture is from a postcard from around 1905.

Even though a significant battle was not fought at Fishkill Supply Depot, the National Park Service’s National Battlefield Protection Program was contacted for a preservation grant applied for by the Friends of Fishkill Supply Depot. The grants help safeguard and preserve significant American battlefield lands. In 2014, the National Park Service awarded 21 preservation grants totaling more than $1.3 million to preserve, protect, document and interpret these lands. This past July, the Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot, NY received $24,600.00 from the National Battlefield Protection Program. This project will create maps that illustrate archaeological sites of the Fishkill Supply Depot. The maps will generate a baseline of all known features for public awareness and site preservation. Through legislative changes to the National Battlefield Protection Program allowing it to include the 10

Fishkill Supply Depot, it was saved from further commercial development and risk to vital land and features that helped to bring about the success of the Revolutionary War.

Wreaths Across America 2013 Wreaths were placed on the unmarked graves of Revolutionary War soldiers at the Soldiers Burial Ground at Fishkill Supply Depot, Fishkill, New York. Placing of the wreaths at the burial ground this year will be: Saturday, December 13, 2014. Wreaths Across America’s motto is: Remember, Honor, Teach Among references for researching the Revolutionary War soldiers who were at Fishkill Supply Depot, Fishkill, New York are Fold3 (www.fold3.com), Daughters of the American Revolution (www.dar.org), Sons of the American Revolution (www.sar.org), Society of the Cincinnati (societyofthecincinnati.org), and Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot (fishkillsupplydepot.org). The FOFSD sites all sources used after each soldier’s name and military record. The Society of the Cincinnati was organized on May 13, 1783, at Mount Gulian in Fishkill, New York by Continental officers who fought in the American Revolution. The Revolutionary War began April 19, 1775 and ended November 3, 1782. During that time small pox and fever epidemics took its toll on the soldiers at Fishkill. There was a lack of sanitation and bad health conditions due to the location of the encampments near stagnant waterways. In 1775, at the beginning of the war, Continental Congress established rules to assist in the creation of the first military hospitals including staff requirements. Continental Congress was aware that lack of leadership, planning skills and medical knowledge among those in the medical field had to be addressed. These rules took time to implement; however, the growth of medical facilities began. After the war, those who survived were rewarded for their patriotic service. Each private was due 160 acres of government public lands. Soldiers from the Second Regiment received two 500-acre plots of land and Field Surgeons three 500-acre plots of land. The public land given was often in separate parcels from different areas of the country. There is history known and much to be revealed about the Fishkill Supply Depot and Continental Army Soldiers Burial Ground. The Depot was an integral part in the success of the American Revolution and the founding of this nation. The sacrifices of the Revolutionary War Patriots should never be forgotten. The following names are among those Revolutionary War soldiers buried at the Soldiers Burial Ground at Fishkill Supply Depot, Fishkill, New York. Private John Bryan Captain Abraham Godwin 2nd Maryland Regiment of Foot Marine Captain of the Lady Washington, NJ Lieutenant Joseph Fenton Private Israel Shipman 13th Massachusetts Edward Wigglesworth’s Regiment 6th Connecticut Regiment 11

Private Josiah Comstock Private Jacob Grover 3rd New Hampshire 10th Pennsylvania Regiment Private James Hill Lieutenant Benjamin North 3rd & 7th Virginia Regiment of Foot Colonel John Lasher’s Regiment, NY Captain Henry Godwin Private William Allen 5th New York Regiment 1st Maryland Regiment

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To find out more information about the Amelia Island Genealogical Society and to access previous GENELINE publications visit our website: http://www.aigensoc.org/ The Society’s Library Collection is housed in the Fernandina Beach Library, 25 N. 4th St. Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. It includes the Nassau County Genealogist, and the GENELINE, AIGS’s monthly newsletter. All GENELINE articles are indexed by PERSI.

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The Amelia Island Genealogical Society P.O. Box 6005 Fernandina Beach, FL 32035-6005

Membership Information Membership dues are $20 per person & $25 per family, per year. The membership year runs from January 1st through December 31st. To print a membership application or for more information go to our web site: http://www.aigensoc.org/aigs/index.asp To join, please send the completed application form, along with the appropriate fee to the address below or bring them to the next general meeting. The Amelia Island Genealogical Society P.O. Box 6005 Fernandina Beach, FL 32035-6005 The membership packet includes AIGS information and all current year issues of the society’s quarterly publication. Family history research training is offered through classes, workshops and ongoing programs. 14