Tip: Find All of Your Ancestors' Obituaries

This is a photo of my maternal 2nd great-grandmother, Cynthia Maria (Waterman) Webster.

Until March 2019 I did not know the cause of her death. And now I'm finally sharing this discovery here on my blog.

I love to find newspaper articles about my ancestors. I found three obituaries for Cynthia in different newspapers, but only one of them included her cause of death. Each of them contained different, but valuable information.

Before I share the obituary with Cynthia's cause of death, here are the other two obituaries I found.

This first obituary was printed in The Western News, Stockton, Kansas, on Thursday, 26 September 1895.¹

Transcript of this obituary:

                                                     Death of Mrs. Webster.

  Mrs. Cyntha [sic] M. Webster died at her home in Marysville, Kansas, at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. She had been lingering at death's door for several months, and at different times during that time her children had all been summoned to her bedside to see her pass away, but each time she would revive and linger yet a while. She was the mother of Fred E. Webster of this place, and Frank S. Webster, formerly of this place, but now of Wymore, Neb. She was aged 61 years, 4 months and 2 days.

Information gleaned from this obituary:

Name of Deceased: Mrs. Cyntha [sic] M. Webster

Place of Death: At her home in Marysville, Kansas

Time of Death: 9:40 a.m.

Date of Death: Sunday, September 22nd

Name and Residence of Sons: Fred E. Webster of Stockton, Kansas and Frank S. Webster formerly of Stockton but now of Wymore, Nebraska

Age at Death: 61 years, 4 months and 2 days

This obituary contains fantastic family history information about where Cynthia lived (Marysville) and where two of her sons lived as well. It also provides her date, place, and even time of death as well as her exact age at death. Her exact age at death was listed as 61 years, 4 months and 2 days.

In my research, I have seen different dates and years listed or calculated as her birthdate and/or her birth year ranging from May 20 or May 21 and 1834 to 1844. I love that this obituary was so exact with her age at her death. I wonder if either or both of her sons, Fred and/or Frank, provided information for this obituary. Using this exact age at death information, I used a helpful website called timeanddate.com to calculate her birthdate. The result was 20 May 1834.

This second obituary was printed in The Marshall County Democrat, Marysville, Kansas, on 27 September 1895.²

Transcript of this obituary:

  Died, in this city, Sept. 22d, Mrs. Cynthia M. Webster, in the 62d year of her age. Funeral from their residence Sept. 24th, and the remains were interred in the Marysville cemetery, followed by a large procession of their many friends.

Information gleaned from this obituary:

Name of Deceased: Mrs. Cynthia M. Webster

Place of Death: Marysville, Kansas

Date of Death: September 22nd

Age at Death: In her 62nd year

Date of Funeral: September 24th

Place of Burial: Marysville Cemetery

Again we find wonderful family history information in this second obituary. In addition to the same information provided in the first obituary, this one also includes Cynthia's funeral date and burial place.

And this third obituary was printed in the Marshall County News, Marysville, Kansas, on Friday, 27 September 1895.³ The is the obituary that included her cause of death.

Transcript of this obituary:

Mrs. Cynthia M. Webster wife of E. P. C. Webster died at their home in this city, Sept, 21st, after a long and painful illness, with dropsy. The funeral services were held Tuesday Sept. 23, and a large gathering of sorrowing friends followed the remains to their last resting place in the Marysville cemetery. The deceased was a daughter of Asher and Basheba Waterman, was born May 6, 1834, near Coolville, Athens county, Ohio, and and [sic] grew to womanhood at the same place. She married E. P. C. Webster July 25, 1858. She was the mother of six children, three sons and three daughters. The first child, a daughter, died at the age of three years. The other five are now grown men and women. She has been a christian from childhood; was cradled in the M. E. church and affiliated with the same until the last five pears [should be years]. Since her marriage, she and her family have lived in ten different neighborhoods and communities and everywhere she made hosts of friends and never knew of having an enemy; universally loved by all. She was a remarkable kind and loving mother and a kind, gentle, amiable wife. She filled a place in the hearts of her family that will forever be vacant. Peace to her memory.

What a beautiful obituary! Cynthia must have been a wonderful woman. Like the other two obituaries, this obituary is full of valuable family history information. However, the dates for Cynthia's birth, death, and funeral are incorrect. Her date of birth was actually 21 May 1834.⁴ And her date of death was 22 September 1895.⁵ And the obituary stated that her funeral was on Tuesday the 23rd of September 1895 but the 23rd was on a Monday, not on a Tuesday. It is likely that Cynthia's funeral was held on Tuesday, 24 September 1895, two days after her death.

Information gleaned from this obituary:

Name of Deceased: Cynthia M. Webster

Name of Spouse: E. P. C. Webster

Place of Death: At home in Marysville, Marshall County, Kansas

Date of Death: 21 September 1895 (should be 22 September 1895)

Cause of Death: Dropsy

Date of Funeral: Tuesday, 23 September 1895 (should be 24 September 1895)

Place of Burial: Marysville Cemetery

Father's Name: Asher Waterman

Mother's Name: Basheba [Bathsheba] Waterman

Date of Birth: 6 May 1834 (Should be 20 May 1834)

Place of Birth: Coolville, Athens, Ohio

Marriage Date: 25 July 1858

Number of Children: Six, three sons and three daughters

Church Affiliation: M. E. Church

Additional information in this obituary that is not included in the first two obituaries include the name of Cynthia's husband and their marriage date, Cynthia's cause of death, her parents' names, her date and place of birth, how many children she had including how many sons and daughters, and her church affiliation. All of this information is extremely valuable for family history research.

With this third obituary, I was able to learn that Cynthia's cause of death was dropsy. Dropsy is an older term, known today as edema.

I'm so glad that I didn't stop searching for obituaries after finding the first obituary for Cynthia. If I had stopped searching, I may not have discovered her cause of death. So what's the lesson here? We need to try and locate all obituaries and other documents that we can find about our ancestors to see if they have additional details about our ancestors' lives.

I'm so happy that I was able to finally discover Cynthia's cause of death.

What have you been able to discover through newspaper research about your ancestors?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2026 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "Cynthia M. Webster," obituary, The Western News (Stockton, Kansas), 26 September 1895, page 4, column 4; online digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/379433198/ : accessed 26 March 2019), Newspapers.com by Ancestry.^↩
2 "Cynthia M. Webster," obituary, Marshall County Democrat (Marysville, Kansas), 27 September 1895, page 8, column 1; online digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/290552521/ : accessed 26 March 2019), Newspapers.com by Ancestry.^↩
3 "Cynthia M. Webster," obituary, Marshall County News (Marysville, Kansas), 27 September 1895, page 5, column 4; online digital image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/290184469/ : accessed 26 March 2019), Newspapers.com by Ancestry.^↩
4 "USGenWeb, The Tombstone Transcription Project" database, Marysville City Cemetery (www.usgwtombstones.org/kansas/marysvillecitycem.txt : accessed 29 January 2026), C. Marie Webster.^↩
5 Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, The Waterman Family. Vol. 1 (New Haven, CT: E.F. Waterman, 1939), 566.^↩

Phebe Waterman's Signature

Here it is. The signature of my maternal 4th great-grandmother, Phebe (Barker) Waterman. I wrote about her in a previous post. 

Phebe (Barker) Waterman was the wife of my 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, who served as a surgeon in the Revolutionary War.

I found Phebe's signature at the bottom of Page 3 in her husband Luther's Revolutionary War pension file.¹ She was 82 years old at the time she signed this document.

In this document, dated 8 September 1838, Phebe appeared before an Associate Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Athens County Ohio. It looks like Phebe was unable to appear in court. The bottom paragraph states the following:

Sworn to and subscribed before me on the day & year above written. And I hereby certify that the said Deponent is a credible person, and that she is unable from bodily infirmity to appear in open court.

Geo. Walker, Associate Judge

The purpose of this document was to obtain a widow's pension due to Luther's service in the Revolutionary War. In the document, Phebe gave an account of Luther's service during the war to the best of her ability. She also explained where and when she and Luther were married and that she remained a widow since Luther's death.

I have added Phebe's signature to the My Ancestors' Signatures tab at the top of this blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2025 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 “U.S. Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900," database with images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/ : accessed 13 January 2013), (W. 4,379 Conn. Continental), pg. 3, headed “U.S., Revolutionary War Pensions, 1800-1900,” entry for Luther Waterman; citing Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, compiled ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, documenting the period ca. 1775 - ca. 1900, National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication, Record Group 15, NAID: 111514579.^↩

Lillian Waterman's Obituary ~ I Have Questions

MyHeritage recently introduced a new newspaper website called OldNews.com. The other day I did a search in OldNews.com for Homer C. Waterman, my maternal 2nd great-granduncle, and an obituary for his daughter, Lillian, was listed in the search results. I had never seen her obituary before. It contained some intriguing family history information.

I also found Lillian's obituary on the Library of Congress Chronicling America website. The digital image of her obituary from Chronicling America is what I am sharing today.

Here is Lillian's obituary, dated 29 January 1931, in the Morgan County (Ohio) Democrat newspaper¹:

Transcription of Lillian's obituary:

Miss Lillian Waterman Dies

   Lillian Waterman, aged 77 years, mention of whose critical illness was made in this paper last week, passed away at the family home in East Bloom, Sunday evening. For several days preceding death, her condition had been very critical. She was a daughter of the late Dr. Homer C. Waterman and wife of Zanesville, and was born at Middleport, Ohio. For many years she and her brother-in-law Elmer E. Richardson and wife made their home together. The deceased for a number of years had been an invalid, and for the last three years had been blind. Notwithstanding her afflictions, she was bright and cheerful until the last. She was conscious of the fact that she was soon to be taken from this earth---a change which she expressed to those about her she cheerfully welcomed. Surviving are a brother, William Waterman of Rockwell City, Iowa, and a sister, Mrs. Ralph Ebert of Zanesville. Three sisters are deceased---Mary, who was the wife of Willis Helmick of Zanesville; Clara, who died in infancy, and Helen, wife of Elmer E. Richardson, who died last June. Miss Waterman was a good musician, and for some time was church organist at Mt. Zion. She was a member of the Universalist church.

   Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o'clock, at the Wesley Chapel church, and interment was made in the church cemetery.

This obituary provides additional family history information and clues including the following:

Name of Deceased: Lillian Waterman

Age at Death: 77

Place of Death: Family home in East Bloom

Day and Date of Death: Sunday, 25 January 1931 (based on date of newspaper article and January 1931 calendar)

Father's Name: Dr. Homer C. Waterman

Lillian's Birthplace: Middleport, Ohio

Surviving Family Members Mentioned:

Brother: William Waterman of Rockwell City, Iowa (his location on January 29, 1931 can be added to his timeline)

Stepsister: Mrs. Ralph Ebert of Zanesville (Jennie Metcalf)

Deceased Family Members Mentioned:

Sister: Mary, wife of Willis Helmick of Zanesville

Sister: Clara, who died in infancy

Sister: Helen, wife of Elmer E. Richardson (Lillian lived with her and Elmer for many years)

Date of Helen (Waterman) Richardson's Death: June 1930

Lillian's Church Membership: Universalist Church

Date of Burial: Tuesday, 27 January 1931 (based on date of newspaper article and January 1931 calendar)

Place of Burial: Wesley Chapel Church Cemetery

There is so much helpful family history information in Lillian's obituary, including married names of her sisters, which is amazing! Here are some things I could do with the information provided in this obituary: order Lillian's death certificate, research Universalist Church records for any mention of Lillian or her family members, research cemetery records, research the lives and families of Lillian's brother and sisters. The obituary also stated that Lillian's illness was mentioned in the newspaper the previous week. I will be looking for that article to see if there is any additional helpful information. 

My family history records already include information about Lillian's parents and her siblings, Helen, William, and Mary. But I did not know anything about her sister Clara, who died in infancy. In Lillian's obituary, another sister is mentioned as Mrs. Ralph Ebert. This was Lillian's stepsister, Jennie Metcalf. Lillian's mother, Sarah Rathburn, died in 1874.² Lillian's father, Homer, married Nancy (Kenison) Metcalf in 1877.³

I have questions about Lillian's sister, Clara, who died in infancy. Was she the daughter of Homer and his first wife, Sarah, or Homer and his second wife, Nancy? Where was Clara born? Where and when did she die? What was her cause of death? In what cemetery was she interred? I have done some research to find Clara on Ancestry, FamilySearch, Find a Grave, and BillionGraves, but haven't found her yet. I will continue my research efforts to find Clara.

Obituaries and newspaper research in general are valuable family history resources. What family history discoveries have you found through your newspaper and obituary research?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2024 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved 

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1 Library of Congress, "Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, database with images, Morgan County Democrat (McConnelsville, Ohio) (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87075008/1931-01-29/ed-1/seq-1/ : accessed 19 March 2024), "Miss Lillian Waterman Dies," obituary, 29 January 1931, p. 1, col. 2, image provided by Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio.^↩
2 "Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 18 March 2024); Mrs. Sarah A. Waterman, citing Gallipolis Bulletin, 25 February 1874, p. 3, col. 1, Bossard Library (Gallipolis).^↩
3 "Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958," database, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDK4-82Q : accessed 14 March 2017); H. C. Waterman and Nannie Metcalf, 16 September 1877.^↩

Little Eugene Webster's Birth Record

In my previous post, I shared the birth record of Alicia Bell Webster, the youngest child of my maternal great-grandparents, Frederick Emory Webster and Esther Matus Villatoro. In that post I also shared the exciting news that I had found the birth record of Eugene Webster, another child of Frederick and Esther (Matus Villatoro) Webster. I also said that I would share Eugene's birth record in a future post. So, today I will share Eugene's birth record here on my blog.¹ In his birth record his first name was listed as Eugenio instead of Eugene.

I highlighted the names of Frederick, Esther, Eugenio, and the grandparents, Ebenezer and Cynthia Webster. For some reason, Esther's parents were not included in this birth record. They were included in the birth record for Eugenio's sister, Alicia Bell Webster.² Eugene and his younger sister, Alicia Bell, were both born in Bacacheri, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Information in Eugenio's birth record:

Name: Eugenio Webster
Event Type: Birth Registration
Event Place: Bacacheri, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Sex: Male
Birth Date: 3 December 1915
Father's Name: Frederico Emory Webster
Mother's Name: Esther Matus Webster
Certificate Number: 38461

Frederick Emory Webster stated in his 1917 U.S. Consular Registration Application that Eugenio's full name was Eugene Rollin Webster.³ I'm glad that Frederick left such a rich paper trail due to his travels. I've learned a lot from these documents.

Sadly, Eugene and his sister Alicia Bell did not live to adulthood. I still do not know their exact dates of death. Hopefully I will be able to locate their death records in the future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2021 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "Brasil, Paraná, Registro Civil, 1852-1996," database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 20 June 2021), certificate image, Eugenio Webster, 3 December 1915, no. 38461; citing Corregedor Geral da Justicia da Paraná (Paraná General Justice Office), Curitiba.
2 "Brasil, Paraná, Registro Civil, 1852-1996," database with images, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9396-Q699-B4 : accessed 20 June 2021), certificate image, Alicia Bell Webster, 10 May 1918, no. 42988; citing Corregedor Geral da Justicia da Paraná (Paraná General Justice Office), Curitiba.

3 "U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 December 2012), Frederick Emory Webster, 29 August 1917, no. 10239; citing Department of State, Division of Passport Control Consular Registration Applications, roll #32734_620305173_0258.

Phebe (Barker) Waterman ~ Revolutionary War Pension Payment Record

 Happy Veterans Day!

Today is the perfect day to share an interesting document related to my maternal 4th great-grandfather's Revolutionary War military service. This particular document is a pension payment record for Revolutionary War widows.¹

My 4th great-grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. His wife's name was Phebe Barker. I highlighted her name and information in yellow on this document. This is a great document that provides valuable information.

Information gleaned from this record:

Widow's Name: Phebe Waterman

Name of Husband (Revolutionary War Veteran): Luther

Rank: Surgeon

Half Yearly Allowance: 150

We also have some writing on the right of the document indicating Phebe's death date of 2 February 1843.

I ordered Luther's Revolutionary War pension file years ago and have that in my possession. Now Fold3.com has Luther's Revolutionary War pension file on their website, which is amazing! The copy of Luther's pension file that I ordered years ago only contained 12 pages. Luther's pension file on Fold3.com contains 63 pages! So, if you ordered and received a pension file for your Revolutionary War ancestor, make sure to check out Fold3.com too. You never know. Maybe you will discover more pension file pages like I did.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "U.S., Revolutionary War Pensioners, 1801-1815, 1818-1872," database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 November 2020), entry for Phebe Waterman, image 107 of 195. 15: Widow Pensions, 1831-1843, page 133, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives, Record Group Number 217; Series Number T718, Roll Number 15.^↩

He Believed His Brother Was Insane

My maternal 2nd great-granduncle, Lewis G. Waterman, was born on 8 May 1839 in Troy, Athens, Ohio. He and his twin sister Lucy were the 11th and 12th children born to my 3rd great-grandparents Asher Waterman and Bathsheba Paulk. Lewis' and Lucy's siblings were (in order of birth) Eliza, William, Charles, Eunice, Jerusha, Homer, Jason, Nancy, Sarah, and Cynthia.

I've written several blog posts about this family in the past. Asher was a veteran of the War of 1812. Homer served as an assistant surgeon in the US Civil War. Cynthia was my 2nd great-grandmother. Her husband, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster, also served in the US Civil War. Cynthia and Ebenezer were the parents of my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

At the time the 1850 US Federal Census¹ was taken, Lewis and Lucy were 12 years old and were living with their parents and five older siblings.

Ten years later, when the 1860 US Federal Census² was taken, Lewis and Lucy were 22 years old and were still living with their parents. The rest of their siblings had moved out of their parents' home. Asher and Bathsheba were then in their mid-to-late sixties. Lucy's occupation was listed as a housekeeper and Lewis was listed as a farm laborer.

This census was taken on July 11, 1860. Notice that nothing was written in the last column (column 14) which is titled "Whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict." I don't know if Lewis was having or exhibiting any physical, mental, or emotional problems at the time this census was taken. So, what happened between the date this census was taken and February 13, 1861 when an affidavit³ was filed in Athens County court by Lewis' brother Jason "setting forth that he believes Lewis G. Waterman is insane?"

I had found the affidavit filed by Jason many years ago. But, I had only written down the page number and the township where I had found it. Yes, I didn't use a proper citation. Ugh! While scrolling through probate files on FamilySearch in an attempt to locate the affidavit again I was able to find it. Yay! And yes, I wrote down the citation this time.

Here's the affidavit that Jason filed.

Transcript of Affidavit

Probate Court, Athens County Feby 15 1861

In the matter of Lewis G. Waterman, Insane

On the 13th day of February 1861 Jason C. Waterman

a citizen of said Athens County, filed in this Court

an affidavit setting forth that he believes Lewis G. Water-

man is insane, that his insanity is of less than fifteen

month duration, and that he has a legal settlement

in Troy Township in Athens County Ohio. Whereupon

the said Lewis G. Waterman was examined before

the Judge of said Court; and in consideration of

the testimony of Dr John Pratt (a respectable Physician

of said County) and Jason C Waterman and

the said Judge being satisfied that said Lewis G

Waterman is insane, that he has a legal settle-

ment in said Troy Township in Athens County

Ohio; and that he is a suitable person to be received

into the Lunatic Asylum. It is ordered that appli-

cation be made to the superintendent of the

Central Ohio Lunatic Asylum for his admitian

into the same ---- Calvary Morris Prob Judge

As you can see, there is a question mark in place of one of the words. I can't make out that word, so if you have an idea of what it is, please let me know in the comments below. (UPDATE: a friend and fellow genealogy blogger suggested the word is "ordered." That makes sense and it does look like that is correct so I will update my transcription. Thank you Diane, owner of the blog Michigan Family Trails.)

The affidavit states that Lewis' insanity was less than fifteen months in duration. So, when did it begin? What were his symptoms that led to being admitted to an insane asylum? Was he really insane by today's standards? Was Lewis suffering from something that could have been managed or cured with today's treatments? And what was the definition of insanity in 1861? Also, what was the "legal settlement in Troy Township" that Lewis was entitled to?

I can't help but feel sorry for Lewis and for anyone else who suffered from mental illness back in the 1800s without the benefits of modern medicine and treatments.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MX3X-FQP : accessed 2 September 2015), Louis Waterman in household of Asher Waterman, Troy, Athens, Ohio, United States; citing family 1003, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).^↩
2 "United States Census, 1860," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MC22-JMJ : accessed 27 August 2015), Lewis Waterman in household of Asher Waterman, Troy Township, Athens, Ohio, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing p. 113, household ID 769, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 803,934.^↩
3 "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-27593-12066-44?cc=1992421&wc=S24W-VZQ:266276501,1116912711 : accessed 25 August 2015), Athens > Probate journals 1858-1871 (copy) vol 2 > image 104 of 362; county courthouses, Ohio.^↩

My 6th Great-Grandfather's Signature

I recently added a new signature to the My Ancestors' Signatures page on this blog.

I was able to add this new signature because I found the probate packet of my maternal 6th great-grandfather, John Waterman.1

Within this probate packet were several documents including John's Last Will and Testament.2

Here's the last page of John's will. The red arrow is pointing to John's signature. 

Here's a close-up view of John's signature.

John Waterman signed his will on 3 January 1742/3. It's incredible to see the signature of one of my ancestors from so long ago. This was before the American Revolutionary War. John's grandson, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, served as a Surgeon in that war. Luther was my 3rd great-grandfather.

John Waterman was born March 1672 in Norwich, Connecticut and died in 1744 in Norwich, Connecticut. John was married three times. I am descended from his third wife, Elizabeth Bassett.

John and Elizabeth were the parents of three children:

1. Mary Waterman (1722-1736)
2. David Bassett Waterman (1725-1809) [my 5th great-grandfather]
3. Elizabeth Waterman (1730-1765)

Probate records are fascinating and valuable genealogical sources. My 6th great-grandfather's signature is an amazing genealogical discovery.

What genealogical discoveries have you found in probate records?

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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[1] Connecticut. Hartford, City of. Wills and Probate Records. Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut, Digital images. Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007628900_00696 : accessed 12 July 2020) Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. John Waterman. Images 696-705 of 1417.

[2] Connecticut. Hartford, City of. Wills and Probate Records. Connecticut State Library (Hartford, Connecticut); Probate Place: Hartford, Connecticut, Digital images. Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 [database on-line]. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007628900_00703 : accessed 12 July 2020) Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. John Waterman. Image 703 of 1417.

Dr. Luther Waterman–Revolutionary War Surgeon ~ Borne From the Field of Battle

In a previous post I shared the fact that my 4th Great-Grandfather, Dr. Luther L. Waterman, was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War.  Many years ago, I learned of this fact while reading about Luther in The Waterman Family by Donald Lines Jacobus.1 In this book, Mr. Jacobus states the following regarding Luther's service, which he gleaned from Luther's Revolutionary War pension file (I added bold text to one sentence):

"…Phebe Waterman repeated her testimony, 5 Jan. 1839, and added that Luther entered service as a Surgeon under Dr. Spaulding, in Col. John Durkee's Regiment, in Cambridge, Mass., for nine months.  He then joined the Brigade of Horatio Gates, in Col. William Bond's Regiment, as Surgeon with Dr. Vinal, as his mate, for one year.  In 1776 he was at Lake Champlain, and was borne from the field, unable to perform his duty.  He was in the battles of White Plains, Stamford, Horseneck, and Rye.  This information was derived from Dr. Luther Waterman, himself."

In 1997 I ordered and received a copy of Luther Waterman's pension file. Unfortunately, this copy is quite difficult to read and only contains 12 of the 63 pages in the pension file.  I subscribed to Fold3.com, and happily I found Luther Waterman's full pension file containing all 63 pages on the website. Another bonus is that it is much easier to read on Fold3. The pension file copy I received in 1997 was inverted or reversed (black background with white writing). It also did not contain the page from the pension file that Mr. Jacobus used for his summary quoted in this post. With access to the full pension file, I was able to find the page from which Mr. Jacobus summarized Luther's war service, including the account of his being "borne from the field, unable to perform his duty."  This information was taken from the deposition of Mrs. Phebe Waterman, Luther's widow. Below is the pension file page containing Phebe's deposition:


The entire page above is probably difficult to read, so I cropped it into three parts as follows:

At the bottom of her deposition Phebe signed her name. What a treasure it is to see her signature. Phebe was 82 years old at the time of this deposition.

I wonder what happened to Luther Waterman at the Battle of Lake Champlain that caused him to be taken from the field of battle unable to perform his duties? Unfortunately, I don't know the answer.  And there doesn't seem to be any elaboration about this fact in Luther's pension file. It is and may remain a mystery. The fact that I learned about this from Luther's full pension file shows that it is important to obtain the full pension file of our ancestors if possible.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

______________________________

^{1 Donald Lines Jacobus, The Waterman Family Vol. 1,1939, (Reprint by Higginson Book Company, Massachusetts), 294, 295}

Clara M. Waterman, The Beauty of the Family

Clara M. Waterman was my first cousin three times removed. She was the daughter of Jason C. Waterman and Josephine Lovina Waterman. Yes, they both had the same last names. Jason and Josephine were first cousins. Their fathers, David Bassett Waterman and Asher Waterman were brothers. Asher was my third great-grandfather.

Jason and Josephine married on 1 December 1858 in Scioto County, Ohio. Jason divorced Josephine and married his second wife in 1877. There's a whole other story about the divorce and subsequent marriage of Jason to his second wife, and what happened to Josephine. But that will wait until a future post.

Clara was the only child born to Jason and Josephine Waterman. It was said that Clara was "the beauty of the family." ¹

Clara was "raised by L. C. Crary of Middleport, Ohio." ² I assume this was the case because of the circumstances surrounding Jason's divorce and what happened to Josephine. I found Clara living with the Ludowic Crary family in the 1880 census for Middleport, Meigs, Ohio. ³ Lodowic was Clara's first cousin. He was the son of Jason's sister, Eunice Waterman.

Clara M. Waterman was born on 4 September 1862 in Ohio. ⁴  She married Thomas Henry Gates on 7 May 1885 in Meigs County, Ohio. ⁵

Clara and Thomas were the parents of six children:

1. Charles Frank Gates (1887-1956)
2. Mary (Mae) Eunice Gates (1889-1959)
3. Helen Josephine Gates (1891- ?)
4. Edith Margaret Gates (1894 - 1976)
5. Frank Jason Gates (1897 - 1985)
6. Child Gates (? - Before 1900)

Clara's husband, Thomas, was from Pennsylvania. Sometime after their wedding they settled in Pennsylvania. All of their known children were born in Pennsylvania and the 1900-1930 U.S. federal census records show their family living in Bridgewater, Beaver, Pennsylvania. I have yet to identify their sixth child and where he or she was born.

Clara passed away on 16 December 1937 in Bridgewater, Beaver, Pennsylvania. ⁶ She was 75 years of age at the time of her death.

Clara was born during the American Civil War and lived to see many things during her lifetime including inventions such as the automobile, telephone, radio, talking motion pictures, and even Kellogg's Cornflakes. She was 54 years old when America entered WWI and was 56 years of age when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote.

I wish I could see a photo of Clara. As "the beauty of the family" I wonder what she looked like.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2019 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 2. Page 595. Salem, MA: Higginson Book, 1942.^↩
2 Jacobus, Donald Lines, and Edgar Francis Waterman. The Waterman Family. Vol. 2. Page 595. Salem, MA: Higginson Book, 1942.^↩
3 1880 U.S. census, Meigs, Ohio, population schedule, Middleport, Page 11; Enumeration District: 0116; Page 232C (stamped), FHL microfilm: 1241374; dwelling 100, family 115, Clara Waterman; image, Ancestry.com. (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 March 2019); citing Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. NARA microfilm publication T9, 1454 rolls.^↩
4 Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1944 Clara M. Waterman Gates. File No. 114381; [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Image 1943 of 3780. Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/^↩
5 "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," Clara M. Waterman and Thomas Henry Gates; database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-91NR-J?cc=1614804&wc=Q6SP-WSX%3A121348301%2C121637101 : 15 July 2014), Meigs > Marriage records 1879-1885 vol 7 > image 337 of 349; county courthouses, Ohio. Accessed 8 March 2019.^↩
6 Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1944 Clara M. Waterman Gates. File No. 114381; [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Image 1943 of 3780. Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/^↩

Asher Waterman's Cause of Death

Thanks to Fold3.com, I now know the cause of death for my maternal third great-grandfather, Asher Waterman.

Asher Waterman was born on 26 October 1791 in Duchess County, New York. In 1810, he moved to Ohio. He married Bathsheba Paulk (my third great-grandmother) on 22 December 1816 in Athens, Ohio. He and Bathsheba were the parents of twelve children.

Asher served in the War of 1812. The document I found on Fold3 is a Graves Registration Card for soldiers who served from the state of Ohio.¹

Information gleaned from this document:

Graves Registration Card     Athens County
Name: Asher Waterman
Address: Troy Twp, Athens County, Ohio
Date of Death: 19 January 1875
Place of Death: Troy Twp.
Cause of Death: Kidney Trouble
Date of Burial: ?
Date of Birth: 1793
Place of Birth: New York
Name of Cemetery: Bethel
Location of Cemetery: Troy Twp.
Lot Number: Row #1
Grave Number: 17
Marker: Upright

Service Record

War Served In: 1812
Date Enlisted: 1 January 1813 [This date is incorrect]
Date Discharged: 21 February 1813 [This date is incorrect]
Branch of Service: Army
Rank: Private
Company, Outfit or Ship: Captain Gregory's Company

As you can see from this card, it contains lots of valuable information. I already knew that Asher served in the War of 1812. I have his pension file. But I didn't have Asher's cause of death. I'm glad that this card provides this information for me.

Because I have Asher's pension file, I was able to compare Asher's War of 1812 service information on this card with the information in his pension file. If I had gone by this card alone, I would have thought that Asher served in the War of 1812 for about one month. He actually served for about four months. The enlistment and discharge dates are incorrect on this card. According to Asher's War of 1812 pension file, Asher enlisted for service in the war on either the 1st or the 15th of October 1812. Different documents in his pension file have the date as the 1st of October 1812 and the 15th of October 1812. The discharge date is also incorrect. Asher's pension file lists the discharge date as both the 9th and the 15th of February 1813, depending on the document.

Even with the incorrect service dates on this card, it is still a wonderful resource with lots of valuable information.

If you have a soldier who served from the state of Ohio, I highly recommend checking out the "Ohio, Soldiers Graves Registration Card" database on Fold3. To access this database, click HERE.

As I've explored this database, I've already found more cards for other ancestors in my family tree. I'll share their Graves Registration Cards in future posts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2018 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 Asher Waterman, Ohio, Soldiers Graves Registration Cards, 1804-1958; digital image 616077181 Fold3.com: accessed 21 September 2018, Content Source Ohio History Connection.^↩

Frederico Moyer Webster ~ A Newly-Discovered Great-Uncle

Because we were holding an estate sale before putting my parents' house on the market, our family went through their belongings, deciding what to keep and what to sell. Of course, we kept family history items and heirlooms. I am in possession of lots of photos and slides that belonged to my parents, as well as my maternal grandparents, Debs and Willis Webster, who passed away many years ago. My mom inherited many of their photos. And now they've come into my possession, for which I'm grateful.

I have started scanning these precious inherited photos. One of the photos in my grandparents' collection is the photo of this young man.

Thankfully, someone wrote the name of this young man on the back of the photo.

The writing on the back of the photo says:

Frederico Moyer Webster

Mexico

This photo of Frederico is familiar to me. I had seen it some time ago. I looked in my Grandpa Debs Webster's briefcase, and found that it contained a photocopy of both the front and back of this photo. That's where I had seen it before. Now I have the original photo. Yay!

I didn't know who Frederico was or if he was connected to our Webster family. So, I did some research and found out we are definitely connected. I searched on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. I found Frederico's marriage registration record¹ that listed Frederico's father's name as E. E. Webster, and his mother's name as Emilia Garabito. I wondered if E. E. Webster could possibly be F. E. Webster, my maternal great-grandfather (Frederick Emory Webster). The record also listed E. E. Webster's age as 59. The age didn't exactly fit my great-grandfather, but it was only a few years off.

After doing more research, I found documents that proved E. E. Webster, Frederico's father, was in fact, my great-grandfather, Frederick Emory Webster, a.k.a. The Traveling Dentist. One document,² the baptism record for Maria del Carmen Webster (another child of Frederick's, and sister of Frederico Moyer Webster), listed my great-grandfather Frederick's parents, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster and Cynthia Waterman. That clinched it!

Another piece of evidence came from a document that listed Federico Emory Webster and Emilia Garavito as the grandparents of Federico Moyer Webster's child on the birth registration.³ I also found the birth registration record⁴ for Federico Moyer Webster, naming Federico Webster as his father. In this birth record, my great-grandfather Frederick's nationality is listed as American, and his profession is listed as dentist.

So, it turns out that my great-grandfather, Frederick Emory Webster, a.k.a. The Traveling Dentist, had another child that we were not aware of before. In a previous blog post, I shared the news of a newly-discovered relative who was another child of Frederick Emory Webster.

I'm so glad the mystery of who Frederico Moyer Webster was has been solved. I'll share more about him in a future post.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jana

© 2018 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

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1 "México, Michoacán, Registro Civil, 1859-1940", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QG34-2HFC : 13 March 2018), Federico Moyer Webster and Maria Jesús Gindo, 1926. Image 107-108 of 687. Page 95 and 96. Accessed 24 June 2018.^↩

2 ]"México, Jalisco, registros parroquiales, 1590-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-GT3M-Q8?cc=1874591&wc=3J6T-4WL%3A171935001%2C198876101%2C199237101 : 16 February 2017), Guadalajara > San Juan de Dios > Bautismos de hijos naturales 1897-1913 > image 334 of 599; Page 190. Maria del Carmen Webster. parroquias Católicas, Jalisco (Catholic Church parishes, Jalisco). Accessed 25 June 2018.^↩

3 "México, Michoacán, Registro Civil, 1859-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-G5DV-8Z9?cc=1916243&wc=MDP2-JNG%3A205626701%2C206172801 : 13 March 2018), Uruapan > Nacimientos 1927-1928 > image 70 of 694; Page 56. Sara Webster Guido. Direccion del Registro Civil y Notarias (Civil Registry State Archives), Michoacán. Accessed 24 June 2018.^↩

4 "México, Jalisco, Registro Civil, 1857-2000," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPJT-78V?cc=1918187&wc=MGDY-FM6%3A206555501%2C218622101 : 13 March 2018), Guadalajara > Nacimientos, defunciones 1908-1909 > image 530 of 864; Federico Webster. No. 2188. Page 269. Archivo del Registro Civil (Civil Registry State Archives), Jalisco. Accessed 25 June 2018.^↩

My Revolutionary War Patriot Ancestor ~ Dr. Luther L. Waterman

Today is Independence Day here in America. Happy Independence Day!

I always thought I didn't have any family connections to the founding of America since my Dad's side of the family are from Norway and Sweden. And all I knew about my Mom's side of the family is that they were from Brazil. But, after the death of my maternal grandfather, Debs Warren Webster, I saw a photo of my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster. I learned that Ebenezer had served in the American Civil War. That was news to me! I hadn't ever seen his photo or heard his name before.

Not only did I have a Civil War ancestor, I learned that I had a Revolutionary War ancestor named Dr. Luther L. Waterman. He was my maternal 4th great-grandfather.

Luther served as a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. I'm grateful for his service.

I've written about Luther before on my blog. I'd like to share my previous posts about this patriot ancestor on this Independence Day. For those of you who haven't read about Luther before, I hope you enjoy getting to know him better. I was thrilled to see his signature on a document from 1776. I shared that document in the second post on this list.

1. Military Monday ~ Revolutionary War Surgeon: Luther Waterman
2. My 4th Great-Grandfather's Signature on a Revolutionary War Document ~ Dated August 23, 1776
3. 52 Ancestors: #37 ~ Phebe Barker – Wife of a Revolutionary War Surgeon

Happy Independence Day!

Jana

© 2017 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved