Sarah M. Goble 1853-1937

On December 23, 2020December 17, 2020 By jenbumannIn goble, shawLeave a comment

Sarah (Sallie) was born on the 15th of March 1853 in New Richmond, Clermont County, Ohio. The youngest daughter of Alice Brown and Stephen Goble.

The picture of Sallie at left is the earliest photograph I have been able to find that our family owns. She is in her 60s at the time it was taken.

Sallie grew up in a Baptist household of 5 siblings until the youngest child, and only boy, William, died at the age of 8. Then there were only 5 girls left.

Her father work on the river as a steamboat engineer for over 40 years, and also farmed according to the census records. I am not sure how he found time for both!

New Richmond, where she grew up, was a hotbed of abolitionist activity. In the 1830s a man started an abolitionist newspaper in Kentucky, much to the outrage of pro-slavery citizens. Because of the violence perpetrated against himself and his shop by pro-slavery rioters he had to move his operations to a safer location. He looked to New Richmond, which welcomed him with open arms. Many prominent folks in the town were squarely on the side of anti-slavery and suffered outrages from pro-slavery rioters for a while, but the offenders were eventually persuaded to leave. The town itself was composed of a very diverse population, which was made even more so by the fact that it was a major stop on the steamboat trail of folks traveling on the river.

Sallie’s education would have been pretty decent, if she had a mind to learn. New Richmond found education to be an important part of their community, so didn’t stint on putting money into its maintenance. We don’t know to what grade Sallie attended, possibly it was just to the 8th grade. And, of course, if she was done with school, then it was full time household and farm work.

As I mentioned before, while her father worked on the river, he also farmed. I am sure that Sallie spent many a day keeping the chickens alive, the plants weeded, putting the food up for winter, helping to get dinner on the table, doing the laundry, making butter. The usual. Or, they could have been a more prosperous family, who could afford to purchase a few of those household goods already made or hire help in the house. Although there is no evidence of such a thing happening. Census records are a good indicator of ‘help’ in a family and none of the census records found indicate such a person living in the household.

When she was 22 Sallie accepted a marriage proposal from a local lad by the name of John Charles Shaw.¹ His family had been settled in the area about as long as hers, so they possibly grew up together. The marriage was performed by Pastor Seigfried on 27 Oct 1875. I do not know where they married, it could have been in the Baptist Church, or in the bride’s parent’s home.

Here is the church today:

From the church’s website: “The original section of the church was built in 1842, the same year that the congregation avowed “not to fellowship with those who sustained or countenanced” the institution of slavery.”

The couple made their home around family by staying in Clermont County where they purchased property and farmed, first in Ohio Township, then eventually moving to Monroe Township. They raised a family of three children consisting of 1 daughter and 2 boys. (Tragically, their 3rd son Stephen died at the age of 1). Their youngest son grew up to become my great grandfather Montral Goble Shaw.

Sallie and John were married for 49 years when he died in 1924. By 1928 Sallie was living in Los Angeles County, California. I know this because she sold property in Ohio that she inherited from her husband, and the deed stated her location at the time of the transaction. However, she didn’t lived there a long time. She was probably just visiting with relatives for a long visit when the land was sold.

By the 1930 census, Sallie and her daughter Viola, who never married, were living together in Columbus, Ohio, at the house seen in the picture below. Although, I am sure it didn’t look like that when they lived there in the 1930s.

1509 Lincoln Road, Columbus, Ohio. The home was owned by Sallie. Viola appears to have inherited it after Sallie died in 1937, because she was still living there in the 1940 census.

Sadly that is really all I know about Sally. We have a few pictures and no stories, just pieced together official documents that inform us of a tiny bit of her life.

The 55 acre farm was just past the curve on Jett Hill Rd., heading up in this photo.

I believe that this is the road to the old Shaw farm. It was about here that John and Sallie had 55 acres. The house probably was demolished, unless it is further back on this road. Everything around here is pretty flat. (But then they owned a lot of property over the years, so I could be barking up the wrong tree.)

Sources:
1. Copy of Marriage Certificate in possession of researcher, no source as to where it came from. Reads: “This is to certify that John C. Shaw of New Richmond, O and Sallie Goble of the same place were by me united together in Holy Matrimony on the 27th day of October in the year of our lord 1875 in the presence of Ruth Goodwin, Jennie Goss, Simeon Seigfried.” Very ornate border around edge, which means copy that was given to couple and not the registration seen in a register of deeds office.

Someone call the doctor!

On May 9, 2018May 4, 2018 By jenbumannIn gobleLeave a comment

Farming has always been known as a dangerous job, even more so when complicated machinery started being invented to make farming faster and more efficient, as the machinery was built with very little to no thought of operator safety at the time.

That being said, the following farm accident which occured about 1811 was caused by a scythe, a very old timey, uncomplicated and simple tool, although, apparently, still extremely dangerous:

“When [(Dr.) John George Rogers] the doctor was a lad only fourteen years old, William Goble, a farmer living near Bethel [Clermont County, Ohio], was severly and it was thought fatally cut by a scythe upon his back and shoulder, and a messenger came for his father to come and dress Mr. Goble’s wounds; but the father being miles away on his professional duties, his wife persuaded her son, John, to go and attend the wounded man. The boy went, examined and dressed the wounds, and sewed them, putting in eleven stitches an inch and a half apart, and such was his success that his father on examining him the next day, declared it to be a perfect surgical job.”1

Dr. John George Rogers was one of the most noted of the physicians and surgeons of the pioneer days of Clermont County, who practiced at a time when it was necessary for great sacrifice of personal comfort for the taking of long, arduous rides over poor roads in sparsely settled districts.
After having acquired the knowledge usually taught in the schools of his day, John was placed under the instruction of his father at home…His father, having a large practice, was often away from home and many of the duties were placed on his son, who in boyhood acquired great dexterity in extracting teeth, bleeding and many of the operations of minor surgery, as well as dispensing medicine in the absence of his father. When fourteen years of age, William Goble, a farmer near Bethel, was severely and thought to be fatally wounded by a cut from a scythe upon the back and shoulder, which in the absence of his father, the boy was compelled to attend. He took eleven stitches into the wound, with such success that the next day, upon examination, his father pronounced a perfect surgical job.2

The William Goble of this story was my 4x great grandfather. He managed to survive the accident, and surgery, and went on to live another 40 years, still farming. No doubt due to the loving care administered by his wife Ruth, and of course the ‘perfect surgical job’ of his young doctor.

HW1875P772042 — The scythe mentioned regarding the accident isn’t specified as being the type in this picture, it could have been a smaller hand scythe. Either way…ouch!

Sources:
1. The History of Clermont County 1795-1880, by Louis H. Everts. p414
2. History of Clermont and Brown Counties 1913, by Byron Williams p

Another Goble murder…

On November 10, 2015 By jenbumannIn brown, gobleLeave a comment

Stephen P. Goble — Stephen Porter Goble, Stephen, senior’s son with his first wife, Elizabeth Brown. (1832-1866).

Stephen Goble and his first wife Elizabeth had, according to online trees, seven children. Sadly only one, a son, lived to adulthood and had a family of his own, Stephen Porter Goble, who was born in 1832. When Stephen senior died in 1889 his will left all his property to his 5 daughters (whom he had with his second wife Alice), clearly indicating that none of his son Stephen’s heirs were to receive a farthing:

Item 2nd — It is now considered by me that my deceased son Stephen P. Goble, having in his lifetime received his full share and proportion of my estate and assets, It is my wish and will that his heirs viz; the heirs of the said Stephen Goble, deceased, shall not inherit or have any part or portion whatever of my said estate, or of any estate or assets of which I may die seized.1

As one can see in the reading of the will, there was actually nothing nefarious going on, Stephen had already given Stephen Porter his share of the estate, probably when he had married. The fact that Stephen Porter’s heirs are mentioned instead of Stephen Porter himself also clearly indicates that his son had died previous to 1889, so of course I was curious as to why he had died before his father. The possibility of it having happened during the civil war was pretty high as he was of an age to have enlisted.

I found one online tree that had this to say regarding his passing: ‘met his death in 1866, by a shot fired from the gun of a trespasser.’…and that was it. All I could think was – ‘Seriously, that’s all you wrote? Weren’t you curious about the details?’ But this did give me a clue that he probably wasn’t killed in the war. The Goble family website has the following entry for Stephen Porter:

“Stephen Porter Goble died May 30, 1866. He and a farm hand were going through his farm on the lane when they saw a stranger walking through the wheat field. This would cause the wheat to be mashed down so that it could not be harvested. They called to the stranger who turned and shot Stephen P. Goble. The farm hand took Stephen on the farm sled to the house and a doctor was sent for. Stephen P. Goble died, leaving a wife, Frances S. (Ashburn) Goble, and three young children and a farm.”

The above story being shared by a descendant of Stephen Porter had been passed down for several generations through the family. However, thanks to the good old internet, and those great folks who are digitizing newspapers as fast as they can, here is the story as found in a Minnesota newspaper just days after the event3:

At this time, I can find no record of the perpetrator of the crime having ever been caught.

This event is an interesting and excellent example of how family stories change over the years, where the basics of the story turn out to be mostly true, but the details get all muddied up at each telling.

The murder of his son and the loss of 6 children with his first wife, were not the only devastating things to happen to the family. I caught this horrible bit of news in an 1885 paper:

The house of Stephen Goble, near New Richmond, O., was destroyed by fire.4

Who knows what precious heirlooms were lost to the family. Thankfully no lives were. So, we can be relieved that this wasn’t a Goble doing the murdering, but a Goble getting murdered. Although I am sure Stephen Porter would have preferred to have not been the subject of this gruesome post.

Will probated April 10, 1889, Wills of Clermont County, Ohio, 1800-1915, Book P, p. 512-517 [image on FHL digital images of these wills is 303-305 of 669].
Told to Jean E. (Coddington) Bogart by her mother Marguerite (Frey) Coddington and her Aunt Dorothy E. (Frey) Lanter. Goble family website
A Horrible murder…, Taylors Falls Reporter, June 2, 1866, page 23, col. 4; Stillwater, Minnesota weekly.
Newark Daily Advocate, Saturday, September 5, 1885, Newark, Ohio, page 1, column 7.

Steam boating on the Ohio…

On November 4, 2015November 5, 2015 By jenbumannIn gobleLeave a comment

Replica of the New Orleans, (built in 1911), the first steamboat that traveled on the Ohio in 1811.

The introduction of steamboats on the Ohio River in 1811 revolutionized river travel during the first half of the nineteenth century in America, and by the 1820s the Ohio was bustling with more boats than you could shake a stick at. Early travelers using the river for transportation spent much more time and energy getting from place to place because they had to power the boats themselves. This technology made travel on the water faster and more efficient. The only drawback was the steamboat’s tendency to explode, but this drawback was more than made up for with the speed they could achieve to meet tighter schedules, traveling against the current, and by being able to take more passengers and higher value cargo upstream.

Although most of the earlier steamboats came from Pittsburgh or Wheeling, it wasn’t long before Cincinnati also emerged as a significant player in the industry. “Cincinnati shipyards launched twenty-five steamboats between 1811 and 1825, and the number only increased after that period. The industry and the transportation system that it developed helped Cincinnati to become one of the most important cities in the West prior to the Civil War.”1

Stephen Goble, Senior, sometime in the late 1870s to early 1880s, as he died 1884. — Stephen Goble, Senior, probably taken sometime in the 1880s.

One of those early pioneers of this revolution in river travel was my 3x great Grandfather Stephen Goble, Sr.. Stephen was born in 1804 in Clermont County, Ohio the son of William Goble and Ruth Beck. He was named after his paternal grandfather. The lure of the Ohio River called to him, and one can easily imagine the appeal to a young man of the early 1800s, watching the hustle and bustle of the steamboats traveling up and down the Ohio at all hours of the night and day, with many heading to St. Louis and New Orleans. It must have been quite a sight to see.

The thrill of adventure was so alluring to Stephen, that at the age of 15 he had left his family in Bethany and eventually ended up working on the steamboats running the river. By 1826, at about the age of 22, he had become an engineer on the first two lever engine boat that started in Cincinnati, the Wm. Tell.3 I found the following wonderful news articles in the Ohio papers. They give us a hint of his early adventures.

River News, Daily Port Register. Arrivals. Personal.
Several weeks ago we noticed the death of Capt. Embree,…Capt. Embree was one of the earlierst steamboat captains in the west…In the year 1828 he built a boat at New Richmond, Ohio, on which such venerable steamboatmen as Captain John Conner, Robert Davis, and engineers James Temper and Stephen Goble, Sr. each served terms as youthful engineers.4

Shipping News: Miscellaneous —
Stephen Goble probably the oldest river engineer living, was here Thursday. He was on the Wm. Penn[Tell], the first two lever engine boat that started from Cincinnati, and also on the Marion the second of the same class. He is now 84[78] years old, hale, hearty and in possession of every faculty. He lives up the river near New Richmond, and made the trip on the Bonanza as the guest of his old frine Mac Ketchum. He was greatly interested in the changes that have occurred since his day.3

River Intelligence: Personal.
Stephen Goble, an old time engineer, was on the Wm. Penn, the first two lever engine boat, that started out from Cincinnati and also on the Marion, the second of the same class. He is now eighty-four years old, hale and hearty and in possession of every faculty. He lives up the river near New Richmond.5

River Intelligence: Personal.
A correspondent at New Richmond writes us that the item in the Gazette a few days ago in regard to Stephen Goble was not altogether correct, he being in his seventy-eighth year. The Wm. Tell was the first steamboat he went out on as engineer from Cincinnati, in the year 1826.6

We don’t know exactly how long Stephen worked on the river as an engineer although one paper reporting his death indicated that he was involved with the river for over 40 years and other sources say until he retired, which could be at any time.7 In the 1840 census he is listed as being engaged in agriculture, so he was probably involved with both occupations during his lifetime. He was now an adult and had settled down with his first wife with whom he had married in 1824, Elizabeth Brown. His second wife was Alice Brown (sister of Elizabeth), our ancestress, whom he married in 1841. She was about 14 years younger than him. Together they had five daughters of whom Sallie is my gg grandmother, and one son.

DIED.
Goble—March 24[1889], Stephen Goble, at New Richmond, O, aged 85 years.8

It is a pity that we can’t go back in time and relive Stephen’s river adventures with him. It must have been a thrilling time.

Sources:

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Steamboats?rec=1524
http://www.cincinnativiews.net/steam_boats.htm
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Cincinnati, Ohio 04-02-1881, page 7, col. 1
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Cincinnati, Ohio 12-03-1870, page 4, col. 2
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Cincinnati, Ohio 04-02-1881, page 3, col. 2
Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Cincinnati, Ohio 04-15-1881, page 3, col. 2
Wednesday, March 27, 1889; Evansville Courier and Press (Evansville, Indiana), page 3, col. 6. The article indicates that he was involved with the river for over 40 years, but I do not know how accurate the information is because they also state he left a widow. Alice had died a few years earlier. It is possible that he both farmed and still was involved with the river over the years.
Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, Cincinnati, Ohio 03-25-1889, page 4
History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio: Biographical…, by Byron Williams; p342-343

Hanged till thou be Dead..

On October 13, 2013April 30, 2015 By jenbumannIn 1676, goble, hanging, king philips war, massachusettsLeave a comment

It is again my favorite month of the year, and not just because I was born on All Hallows Eve. This month I have decided to focus on the more macabre of our family stories. Today’s is all about murder and ‘justice’.

The first major war to occur in the New World involving the European’s was King Philip’s War of 1675-1678. It was named after the American Indian Metacomet, who was also known as King Philip. I won’t go into the details of the war, those can be read in any history book. Let’s just say relations between the New Englanders and the local tribes had gotten bad and war was the result.

The war had a devastating effect on New England colonies many towns were completely destroyed, the economy was in ruin, a large percentage of the population had been killed. Over half of the towns that had been established had been affected in some way by the attacking American Indian warriors. No doubt all of this contributed to the actions described below:

About the 9th of August [1676] there happened a very sad accident, relating to the poor christian indians, viz. a horrid murder committed by some Englishmen upon two squaws, wives to two of our Indian soldiers…and one young woman, and three children, whereof one was a nursing infant…
These two squaws and their company aforementioned, being allowed (in this time of their straits for food) by the English authority, went forth to gather hurtleberries, as a place called Hurtleberry Hill, about four miles from Watertown Mill, within the bounds of that town; were the English, who were about eleven or twelve in number, and were on horseback, first met those indians. There was one Indian man with them called John Stoolemester, one that had been bred with the English; they disarmed him of a carbine belonging to the county, for he was newly come in from the army, and had not been delivered his arms. After they had disarmed this fellow, they threatened to kill him; but he, speaking english interceded strongly for his life, and so they dismissed him, and he came home; but the squaws being among the bushes not far off, he left them there; the english came to them and sat down, and smok’d[sp] it where they were, and exchanged with them bread and cheese for some hurtleberries; and then the English left the squaws and children, but being not gone a mile, four of the English left their company and went back to the squaws, and drove them before them unto the north end of the hill, into a secret place, and there murdered them all, and stript[sp] such as had coats on. Having committed the murder, these men went to their habitations.
The next day after the squaws were missing, and came not home to their wigwams, Capt. Pitimee, being then at home, came to Major Gookin at Cambridge and acquainted him with his fears, that some evil had befallen his wife, sister and their company, and desired an order and some help of Englishmen, two or three as least, to go and search for them; which being so reasonable a request, it was granted. So he went forth and searched a day or two, but could not find them; as last, having procured about fifteen or sixteen Indians, and two english, they made a more strict search, and at last found the dead bodies, not far from one another, cruelly murdered, some shot through, others their brains beat out with hatchets; to be short, this murder was afterward discovered, and the four murders seized, tried, and condemned, and two of the four executed, and the other two pardoned by the General Court. This murder was very much decried by all good men, and it was some satisfaction that some of them were make examples. I know the murderers pretended a law to warrant the act, but the juries and judge were not of their mind in the matter. I know, also, there are some among the English that have a very ill conceit of all the Indians, and will not admit them so much charity, as to think that any of them are sober or honest.
An Historical Account of the Doings and Sufferings of the Christian Indians in New England, In the Years, 1675, 1676, 1677, by Daniel Gookin; page 513, 514

Wartime situations can bring out the best and worse in humans beings. In this case I believe the worst showed its face in actions of one of my ancestors as two of the four men were relatives of mine. Daniel and Stephen Goble of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts were two of the perpetrators of this atrocity. Daniel is my 8xgreat grandfather. Stephen was his nephew.

What makes things even worse for them is the fact that the war was over. King Philip had been killed. People had no more patience for these kinds of acts and so it was decided that these men were to be made an example of. The communities reaction was most likely a political ploy for the sake of peace. An act meant to prove to the Indians that any Whites committing such acts were treated as harshly as Indians. So the four men were promptly arrested, tried, and found guilty. The Reverend Mr. Rowlandson attended them in jail, wrote and witnessed their wills. Daniel’s nephew Stephen was the first to hang on a dreary and cold day in September. From all accounts it appeared that the whole of Boston had turned out to see the show including a Samuel Sewell who wrote the following:

“Mr. Mighil prayed. Four others sat on the gallows, two men and two impudent women, one of which as least, laughed on the gallows.” She was there to be whipped for adultery. The Hangman read the record which was the same for all four men, except for their names.: Stephen Goble of Concord thou art indicted by the name of Steven Goble for not having the fear of God before thy eyes and being instigated by the Devil and thy Accomplices at or on the seventh of August at or near Hurtleberry Hill in the woods in the vicinity of Concord or near thereabouts did murder and kill three Indian women and three Indian children contrary to the grace of our sovereign Lord thy king his crown and signity the law of land and of this Jurisdiction. After the libel testimony in the Case provided wear Read Comitted to the Jury and are remaining on file w/ the records of this Court the Jury brought in their verdict & the found him Guilty, Accordingly the sentence of Death pronounced upon him that he should Goe from hence to the place from whence he Came & thence to the Gallows and there be hanged till thou be Dead.”

A week later Daniel, too ill to walk, was drawn upon a cart to the place of execution and hanged in the company of five Indians.

During the trial of the four men, two of them got off because their families had money and influence. Our ancestral relatives were not so blessed. I have to say that I can not be sorry that they were punished for their actions. They committed murder and should have been punished for it. What is unfortunate is that the other two got away.

Daniel’s son Daniel, jr inherited land his father was awarded for his service in the war. He sold it off. His mother Hannah had married again so forfeited her inheritance of the property. She moved to Lancaster Massachusetts. In an unfortunate twist of fate, Hannah and her second husband Ephraim Roper were killed by Indians about 20 years later.

Back in the saddle again…

On October 18, 2012April 30, 2015 By jenbumannIn charlotte, cuyahoga county, goble, hatch, montral, ohio, shawLeave a comment

Well I took off a whole summer to rejuvenate and renew. That will be why you saw very few posts for the last few months.

But here I am back with a little tidbit. I have been doing a little housekeeping of my genealogy software starting with me and going back each generation. I am making sure that I actually have documents to back up my findings for me, my parents, my grandparents, etc. It’s easy to know the dates and places from such recent events, but in the process one has to still back all the information up with actual documents.

So here my first effort, a marriage record for Montral Goble Shaw and Charlotte Hatch, from Cayuhoga County, Ohio found online at Ancestry.com:

Montral G. Shaw and Charlotte Hatch marriage license

It is surprising how many documents one thinks one has when they are working with their more recent family history. Now is the time to rectify that situation.