Friday, August 18, 2017

Stories from a Stony Land - Reuben Gets Sandwiched

I am finally resuming my Dad's writings and research on our family history.   Although some entries will be verbatim in my Dad's writings, some will require a great deal of adaption and interpretation.

Such is the case with poor Reuben.  Little is written about this representative of the fifth generation, but I will tell what I derive from my Dad's notes.


Oh, Reuben!

Born in the year of our Declaration of Independence. 1776, at least he probably was,  according to my Dad's best determination. We'll go with that.  Sounds more patriotic.

He was born in Coventry, Rhode Island.  That's right.  Five generations in, and we hadn't made it to Michigan.  Still not yet at the Stony Land.

He was married to Susanna Berry.  Did that make her a Strait?  Oh, yes.  I think it made her a very, berry Strait.

They had nine children.  Bravo.  If Straits had continued to proliferate at that rate, you would know a heck of a lot more of us.

Of course , children were needed for farm labor.  And the infant mortality rate was pretty high,  There no notations, however, of infancy deaths among Reuben's children.

The oldest daughter was Sarah.  She did have one of her eight children die in infancy.  She also had two boys that served in the Civil War.  Dad doesn't say which side, but I think I can guess.  His description of her marriage and moving is pretty cool - "m. in N.Y. State, Thomas Rustins, and removed to Mich."  REMOVED!  That is such an awesome word choice!

Other Reubenites, listed in what is presumably birth order - Deborah (who lived to 80, was married to Phillip Stickler, and had three children), Thomas Jefferson (who will be the designated rep for Generation 6 - being the first born dude and all), Diadama (who married Amos Goodwin, lived in Ohio - no plan is perfect - and had two sons that fought in the Civil War -and yeah, probably with the Union), Samuel (born 1814), Amamda (another one moving to Michigan, living in Battle Creek, married to Hiram Hoag, and had five children, none of them named Boss), William C. (born 1823), Melissa (married Abraham Croat, lived in NY State, and had four children), and James (by that time everyone was exhausted recording things, and there is nothing listed about him).

Isn't this exciting?

Bet you can't wait to hear about Thomas Jefferson and Generation 6!

Uhh, hopefully I can find that page in my Dad's notes.




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