I don’t recall why, but I was researching my Hatch line again recently. It appears that either the search engine has been improved at Ancestry, or they have added some databases, either way, something happened on the site which has brought up an interesting tidbit.
Dillon and Almyra Hatch lived in Wilmington, Delaware for about 3 years.
After leaving Burlington, Vermont in 1887, when Dillon’s business went bust, they headed to Cleveland, Ohio, where Dillon managed a lumber company. He did this until at least 1892. (There doesn’t appear to be a directory for Cleveland from 1893-1895.) The family is definitely not in the directory from 1896-1900.
They do however, show up in Wilmington Delaware directories starting in 1896.
While several archives do have paperwork on the company, nothing in their finding aids indicates that they have employee records. And, as there were several different businesses that they were being run out of the company at the time he was employed there, we could only guess which one Dillon was ‘foremaning’.
This is an interesting side note for the family, who knows what would have happened if they had stayed in Delaware. However, by 1900 the family is back in Ohio, we know this from the census1:
This tells us that by June of 1900, (the date on the census sheet), the family had moved back to familiar territory. Maybe Dillon was hearing rumors of the sale of J & S Co., or the owner had made rumblings of retirement, (both of which happened by 1900/1901). So, it is possible they made the right call and headed back to Ohio.
Almyra (Myra) Brooks was born the 9th of June in 18491. Her family was most likely living in Albany, New York at the time, although we do not know that for sure as they do not show up in directories, or the census, in 1850. But they are listed in the directory in 1849 and 1852, at 162 and 152 Patroon St. respectively. She was the 6th child and the fourth girl born to her parents, so she was pretty much one of several middle children. Her mother’s ancestry is pretty much a mystery, as we know only the names of her mother’s parents, and that they were both born in New York, that is it. Her father’s ancestry is a lot of Dutch, with some English thrown in, on both his father’s and mother’s side.
Now, while Myra might have been born in Albany, she did most of her growing up in Burlington, Chittenden County, Vermont. Which is where her parents moved sometime about 1854-’55, when the family last appeared in directory in Albany. She was about 7 years old.
Her father supported the family as a cigar manufacturer / tobacconist in Albany, and when they moved to Burlington, Vermont he continued at this occupation. I wonder if the children learned how to roll cigars to help out with the business. It is unclear if they had a shop in the bottom of the house and sold wares there, or if he just manufactured the cigars and then sold them to local grocers, cigar shops, or dry goods stores.
The image just below is the earliest image found for the property, (taken in 1933 when they were fixing the streets of Burlington). It appears from early maps that they lived earliest on the property on the right side of picture, then they moved to the left side by the 1870s or so.
Fixing the street their business/home is on in 1933. From the Burlington Archives.
Current view of house. Google Street View.
Almyra probably attended school, but for how long I just don’t know. I will guess that at a minimum she went until the 8th grade. Although it is possible that she went through high school.
Almyra was another ancestress who was a city girl. In fact it appears that for at least a few generations back her family were all city folk, who ran businesses or worked in trades. Her parents had some money and were, if not well to do, then at least comfortable. They lived in a decent house and owned several properties.
After she would have been done with school Almyra most likely helped her mother around the house, and possibly even helped her father make the cigars he sold to support his family.
Then one day in about 1872 she met a man by the name of Dillon Franklin Hatch. Dillon was going places, he had a nicely established moneyed background, not rich, but well to do. He was a sober man with strong values and good work ethic. All-in-all a pretty good catch.
Shortly after their marriage Almyra’s new husband and her brother-in-law, David Walker, started their own business, the Walker & Hatch Lumber Company. A business which kept the Hatch family in silks for at least 10 years. Until the day everything went “tits up”.
This major set-back did not keep her husband down for long though, he found a job running a furniture factory in Ohio. So the family packed up their household and moved west to make a new beginning for themselves. And it was here they stayed.
D. F. Hatch and family left town last week for their new home in Cleveland, O. Mr. Hatch is to be mill superintendent of the Sturtevant Lumber Company there.
By this time, 1887, Almyra and Dillon had had three children together. However, they had lost their eldest child Harry in 1883, when he was 9, to croup, an “inflammation of the larynx and trachea in children, associated with infection and causing breathing difficulties.” There is about a 9 year gap between the birth of their first child, Harry, and the second, Florence, who had been born a few month before Harry died. It’s possible that Almyra had a few miscarriages during that time, or, they just couldn’t get pregnant. Census records confirm that she had 4 children, only 3 of whom survived to adulthood.
Details of 1900 federal census Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio: HATCH, Almira, wife, white, female, born Jun 1849, age 51, married 27 years, had 4 children, 3 living, born NY, parents born NY, can read write, speak english
page 11A [83 written], 3rd Ward; ED 42[?]; SD 12[3?]1; series T623 roll 1264 p25; 1 June; lines 45-50; 235 Deadend[?] Decker[?]; 243/258
Their last child, Charlotte, would be born in Ohio in 1888.
When they first moved to Cleveland the family lived at 101 Sibley, in downtown area (see map below).
Section 40 is where their house was, 101 Sibley (later 74 Sibley), and the business Dillon was running is in section 26 (see red/purple dots on map).Up close view of property on Sanborn map in 1886; the house and other buildings are along the far left edge of property, Sibley street is at the bottom of the map.This photo of Almyra’s three children was taken about 1893, a date estimated by guessing the ages of the children — Kate about 10, Herbert about 8, and Charlotte about 5.
The photograph, just above, of Almyra’s children, was taken probably at the Sibley St. property in Cleveland, and probably in the 1890s. We know the family was living at 101/74 Sibley St. using directories. However, these Cleveland directories skip 1893-1895, so we can’t confirm that they were here at that time, and they are not in the directories from 1896 to 1900. (By 1900 the family was living in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio.) My belief that the photograph was taken in Cleveland seems to matches the Sanborn map showing the property. The large bit of land to the left, the driveway to Sibley street in front of the house, the house is off to the right, out of view of the photo. (In other words, this photo appears to be taken looking down the property to Sibley Street.) This also is a lovely historical image of downtown residential areas in Cleveland at this time. Unfortunately the property is now part of a business and parking lot by the Freeway system.
Current satellite view of same part of Cleveland from Sanborn map in 1886, see dots for house and business locations. Looks like they tore down all of downtown Cleveland and rebuilt it from scratch.
Dillon and Almyra don’t appear to have ever purchased their own home, always renting instead. They moved around town a bit, but not excessively. Except for the short time they lived in Sandusky, Ohio, they were usually found around the Cleveland area.
Almyra raised her children and kept a home for her husband. She probably entertained socially due to her husbands position as a factory manager. They had money and were financially well off.
I know pretty much nothing else about my great grandmother. She hasn’t shown up in many newspaper articles. So far.
As Dillon was a follower of temperance, I would imagine that Almyra was probably of the same inclination, her sister having been a member of temperance groups in Vermont. Maybe they celebrated with a cold glass of lemonade when prohibition was passed in 1920. She most likely was a member of several ladies organizations or charities in town. The type of activities that occupied many a middle class ladies time. As of yet I do not know what those actives might have been.
The family was musically inclined. The photo below of the piano in the parlor shows Almyra playing. Dillon participated in several local musical entertainments back in Vermont, and was part of the Glee Club before he married Almyra. He possibly continued these same activities in Ohio, and might have encouraged his children to study music. Although, I don’t believe that their daughter Charlotte continued any interest in music after she married and left home (I am sure that someone will let me know if I am wrong). Her sister Florence, however, taught piano to make money.2
Almyra did go back to Vermont for visits as seen in this 1922 article (they got her ‘of’ wrong).
LOCAL NEWS—CAMBRIDGE NEWS Mrs. Schweig, Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Humphrey of Underhill and Mrs. D. F. Hatch of Boston[?] were guests of Mrs. Mary Wallace and Mrs. James Watson Friday and Saturday
No doubt there were other trips back east when needed. And there was even a trip out West to Washington State, where Dillon also bought property. Maybe they were investing in lumber. After all Dillon was part of the building trade back home in Ohio.
While I might not know much about Almyra’s life specifically, I can imagine what living in Cleveland might have been like. It was a bustling growing city, full of interesting possibilities.
For example–Almyra probably shopped downtown at the Arcade, which was built in 1888:
This is a beautiful building. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
Cleveland made history in the year 1914 when they installed the first electric traffic lights to be put in anywhere in the world. Maybe Almyra went through these lights when she headed with family to the beach to enjoy a little relaxation.
Did Almyra drive? Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.1905 A popular spot in Cleveland on the shores of Lake Michigan. Euclid Beach, public domain, Wikimedia Commons.1909 panorama view of Cleveland, public domain, Wikimedia Commons.1912 panorama view of Cleveland, public domain, Wikimedia Commons.
By 1910 all the children had left the nest. Now is was just Dillon and her. Although, neither of her two eldest actually went too far, they both stayed in the Cleveland area. Charlotte, the youngest, is the one who moved farther away.
When Almyra died the 20th of June in 1927 (just over a year after Dillon’s death), the only surviving member of her family was her eldest brother John Brooks, jr. He died about three years later at 92 years of age. They had a total of 7 grandchildren to indulge while they were around, two more were born after they had both died.
Hatch-Almira Brooks, wife of the late Dillon, mother of Herbert Hatch, Mrs. Florence Hart and Mrs. Charlotte Shaw, 1632 Elberon Avenue, on Monday, June 20. Remains at Charles Melbourne & Son’s 12737 Euclid avenue, where services will be held on Wednesday, June 22, at 3 p. m.
Almira Brooks Hatch entry Id#: 0137853; database gathered by the staff of the Cleveland Public Library.
1. Almyra & her children in the parlor (I inherited the piano chair and it is in my office where I write my blog posts, and do my research.); 2. Almyra with her daughter Charlotte & son-in-law John Shaw; 3. Almyra & Dillon with Charlotte & John; 4. Almyra & Dillon with daughters Charlotte & Florence; 5. Almyra & Dillon (if only we could see those images on the wall more clearly, they look like family photos); 6. Almyra & Dillon vacationing in Washington state.
In the parlor picture above you can see a silver tea pot in the room beyond, that silver tea pot is now in my sister’s home. I love having this picture of items that have been passed down in our family, and seeing them being used by our ancestors.
Sources: 1. John Henry Brooks file, cert. no. SC955 486, pension file can no. 19689, bundle no. 20, (Washington: National Archives) ordered online so do not know what microfilm was searched. Dec 6, 2006. Pension file contained transcribed births from bible that had been given to Almira and John Brooks when they married, by John’s mother.
2. 1930 Federal Census; Census Place: East Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0585; FHL microfilm: 2341518
I have always known that my great great grandfather Dillon Franklin Hatch, (Frank), made his money in the wood manufacturing industry. But until now I hadn’t really known the details. Thanks to digitized newspapers, directories, and census records, I now have a better sense of how his manufacturing experience all went down. So here is the story as I know it.
When Frank married Almyra Brooks in 1873 he was working for an apothecary as a clerk, but it wasn’t long after their marriage (1874) that Frank and his new brother-in-law, David Walker, went into business together. (David was married to Frank’s wife’s sister.)
I can only speculate about where the money came from to start the business, possibly Frank’s parents, and/or his new father-in-law, John Brooks. Both families had money to spare for such an enterprise. (I don’t know about David Walker’s.) Or, the reputation of the patriarchs of these families helped them get the loans they would have needed. Regardless of the how, they did.
The following entry appeared in a local history book:
An important and promising industry is the WALKER & HATCH Lumber and Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of solid and veneered hard wood work, doors, sash, blinds, stair builders’ supplies, and all kinds of house finish. The business was started in 1874 by David WALKER and D. F. HATCH. C. E. MACOMBER was admitted to an interest in the concern in 1882, and the firm name of WALKER, HATCH & Co. adopted. The present stock company was chartered on the 12th of August, 1885, with a capital stock of $50,000. The officers are D. F. HATCH, president; David WALKER, vice-president; Gilbert HARRIS, treasurer; C. E. MACOMBER, secretary, and F. B. HOWE, clerk. At the time of the incorporation of this company they purchased the stock and interest of the Burlington Spoke Company and the Winooski Lumber Company. They make something of a specialty of the Stevens sliding blind, which is one of the best inside blinds manufactured. The buildings, situated on a five-acre plot on Winooski River, consist of a mill about 200 x 50 feet and three stories high, adjoining a saw-mill, boiler and shaving rooms, offices and sheds, and twelve large kilns for the drying of lumber, heated and arranged by the most approved methods.
Gazetteer and Business Directory of Chittenden County, Vermont, for 1882-83–Google Books search. You can see that David’s sister is working as a bookkeeper at the company.
Other than one tragic accident, (that we know of), in 1877, the business went along pretty well for about 10 years.
[1877 Apr 9]--On Monday afternoon a man fell down the elevator way at Walker & Hatch’s mill in Burlington, a distance of forty feet, and received injuries that were thought to be fatal.
[1877 Apr 11]-–CHITTENDEN COUNTY. Charles Beauchamp died on Saturday last, of injuries recently received at Walker & Hatch’s mill in Burlington. He leaves a widow and seven children, who were dependent on his labor for their support.
–from Orleans County Monitor and Vermont Watchman and State Journal.
In 1882 they changed the ownership of the business, and the name.
They also had visions of expansion dancing around in their heads, because in April of the next year they purchased the Burlington Spoke Company, (and a Winoonski Lumber business, although I can find no articles related to that purchase, other than the local history book entry):
Messrs. Walker, Hatch & Co., have purchased the business of the Burlington Spoke company and will carry it on under that name
The Burlington Spoke Company, WALKER & HATCH, agents, engaged in the manufacture of carriage spokes, axehelves, pick, hammer and sledge handles, have their mills located at Winooski village, and their place of business in Burlington. They employ a number of experienced workmen, and do a large business.
Gazetteer and Business Directory of Chittenden County, Vt. For 1882-83 Compiled and Published by Hamilton Child Printed At The Journal Office, Syracuse, N. Y, August, 1882.
About 2 1/2 years later, in 1885, they became a stock company. The new board, thinking that business was going very well, but could be better, decided that they needed to expand even more. So they did, literally.
The stockholders of the Walker and Hatch Lumber company of Burlington have chosen these officers: President, S. H. Weston; vice-president, David Walker; secretary, C. E. Macomber; treasurer, J. F. Leonard; clerk, C. E. Macomber; directors, David Walker, D. F. Hatch, C. E. Macomber, S. H. Weston, J. F. Leonard, A. J. Willard, Gilbert Harris; managers, D. F. Hatch, C. E. Macomber, David Walker, J. F. Leonard. This concern is building a mill 200 feet long, 50 feet wide and three stories high with all necessary equipments
According to an article in the Middlebury Register a few days later, they were hoping to hire about 100 men when the new building was finished. The plans included a large store house, shavings house, office, and a brick boiler house. And looking at the map below, the location was excellent, right on the river for ease of transportation of goods. (The building no longer exists.)
This is a Sanborn Map page from Burlington showing the Walker, Hatch facility in 1884.
Unfortunately, this decision, while appearing sound at the time, was to prove their undoing. The costs involved with expanding the business became too much to handle and resulted in their inability to meet the huge expenditures. This led to the company’s insolvency in 1886, about 2 years after their fateful decision to expand.
Final notice of insolvency in 1894.
THE WALKER & HATCH FAILURE.
Meeting of the Creditors Friday—A.O. Humphrey Appointed Assignee.
The creditors of the Walker & Hatch lumber and manufacturing company held a meeting at the probate office in the city Friday and elected A. O. Humphrey, of the firm of Sanford and Humphrey, assignee. The creditors hoped to receive $.50 on the dollar allowing for shrinkage of sales, but the chances are against it. It was shown that the Winsooki water power company, who at first took stock in the new company, but subsequently sold out, have a mortgage on the factory for about $11,000 and H. E. Wright of Williston holds a mortgage on the machinery for $3000. The unsecured debts of the company aggregate about $29,000 in the estimate their assets at 17,000, but the unencumbered property will probably not sell for that amount.
The following are the major claims proved Friday: Shepard & Morse lumber company, $3450; Safford & Humphrey, $1026; Burlington Woollen Company, $320; Edwards & Stevens, $1830; A.R. Booth, $640; S. Bigwood & Son, $202; Skillings, Whitney and Barnes, $1747; B. Turk & Bro., $326.
The most important claims which have not been approved are as follows: John T. White of Concord, New Hampshire, $2000 Greenlee Brothers of Chicago, $634 … etc.
The statement of the firms affairs why the business should continue.
To the editor of the Free Press:
The Walker & Hatch failure, I think, will turn out to be far less disastrous than was at first thought. The old company was a partnership composed of Messes. Walker, Hatch and Macomber. About one year ago they with others formed a stock company, and all the old company’s assets were turned over to the corporation. These assets, as I understand, were made up mainly of machinery, stock, both in the rough and partly finished. What their real value was it is my present purpose to consider. The old company had issued a catalog at an expense of about $2000, including the advertising in other channels, and it had worked up a good and profitable business. It was an industry which supplied a demand, and was in itself a credit to the city. The corporation made a purchase of $10,000. This was the original cost of the plant. The corporation have added to it in buildings, consisting of one large shop two stories high with basement, newly equal to another story for working purpose, a kiln two stories high and brick boiler house, the whole costing over $20,000. The buildings are complete in all their appointments with heating apparatus of the Sturtevant patent at a cost of $1,200. The shafting and main line of belting were all new and the same is true of every part of the above mentioned work except the two boilers. Probably no better shop either in its durability or in its adaptability to the uses for which it is built, can be found anywhere. The writer has seen quite a number of shops built for wood manufacture and has never seen one surpassing this one in the excellency or fitness of its appointments. The corporation have also added about $4,400 worth of new machinery and have spent some $400 in lowering the raceway. The figures above given are low considerable less that the actual cost.
If this estimate is accurate, therefore, it would appear that, calling the new machinery worth half of its cost, the plant, as it may called, with new machinery, is really worth to day to the purchaser $32,400. This does not take into account the old machinery which the old company had on hand, nor the stock on hand at the time of failure. The latter was inventoried at $8000, but was put in the schedule at $6000. The good accounts were said to be $2500, call them $2000. There would be then in all $8000 to be added to $32,000, making $40,400 of real assets, not counting the old machinery, or the value of the work already begun and in process of completion, and which now being finished and the full value of which less the cost of finishing, from the time of the failure, must be added to the figures already given. At a low estimate based on the above considerations it would seem that as least $44,000 of assets are available. Out of this is the real estate mortgage of $11,650 and a personal estate mortgage of $3000; in all $14,650, which deducted from the assets would leave net assets of $29,350 available to the creditors. This sum is about what the unsecured debts amount to.
In the above statement the cost of the new buildings has been shrunk one-quarter, the new machinery one half, and no account made of the old machinery. The stock has been called $2000 less than the inventory made at the tie, the good accounts at their face value, and $4000 for the value of the goods in process of manufacture at them of failure.
Now this property is valuable. It is all in readiness for the carrying on of a good business. It should be added that the plant embraces one-tenth of the water power at the dam. There is a demand for the continuation of this same line of work. It is understood that order for work have come in unsolicited faster than the work could be done with a help of 70 men. It is to be hoped some enterprising man or men of means will be on hand to purchase this property, and thus a valuable industry be saved to this city.
It was determined that the company was in debt to the tune of about $35,000. This is calculated in today’s dollars as somewhere in the ballpark of $1,000,000. The loss of their business must have been a devastating blow, not only to themselves, but to their standing in the community.
It is no wonder that in June of 1887, Frank and his wife packed up the children, and their belongings, and headed to Cleveland, Ohio, where he had found a job managing the Sturtevant Lumber Company. Although, he only worked there a short time before we find him employed at ‘Wood, Jenks and Company’, another lumber manufacturing business in town.
The loss of his first business did not deter Frank, he stayed involved in the business of wood manufacturing and/or building his whole life. In fact in 1911 he shows up in the papers as part of a new endeavor:
Frank did pretty well for his family in Cleveland, I guess his motto was ‘never give up, never surrender’. Or it was just good old fashioned New England determination. (Just above Frank and Almyra, 1870s and 1910ish.)
There might be a few more posts related to my Brooks or Hatch lines in Vermont in the next few weeks, as I have been going through updated newspaper databases recently, and found articles related to these families.
This particular recent find got me thinking about my great great grandparents:
Dillon F. Hatch was just installed as an officer in this Templars group. He was all for temperance, as was seen a few years earlier where he was in the same group as his mother in Grand Isle.
In this same group just under his name is listed a young lady by the name of Miss Kate Brooks. Kate was Almyra’s older sister, by about 7 years. Hmmm.
In 1870 Dillon was in Louisiana working as a clerk:
Hatch H. F. 55, male, white, Banker, value of estate 10,000 born in Vermont [probablyan uncle/cousin of Dillon’s although I don’t know who; b1815ish] Hatch, Frank D. 21, male, white, Bank clerk, born in Vermont Hatch, Joseph R. 16, male, white, attending school, born in Vermont
Details of 1870 federal census Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, 4th ward: page 4, enumerated 10th June 1870, lines 1-3, house 16, family 31
A year later he is living in Burlington, and working as a pharmacist (his occupation as it appeared on his marriage record and in city directories). So sometime between June 10th of 1870, and August 8 of 1871, he moved back to Vermont.
He joins the Templars group because of his interest in temperance, meets Miss Kate Brooks, who introduces him to her family, and then he meets Almyra, who is the same age as himself. BAM! They fall in love, marry just over a year later, and live happily ever after. Well, that wasn’t in the paper, so I am definitely making that part up.
Almyra Brooks and Dillon Franklin Hatch were married 19 Feb 1873.
She married him in spite of that hairdo too!
I don’t actually know how these two met, but it does seem a very likely scenario. Although, Dillon’s job as a clerk in a pharmacy/apothecary could also have been their origin story. If only I had a time machine.
My great great grandfather’s uncle, Asa Lyon Hatch, was one of the men in the boating incident I posted a few weeks earlier. As mentioned he survived that accident, with possibly just the loss of his dignity, and went on to live a few more decades. Sadly, due to bad luck, or crappy karma, neither of his two wives, or only child, survived him when he died in 1895.
I don’t know why, maybe it was just a slow day, but for no particular reason I started to do a very cursory background check on Asa. In the process of this search I learned that Asa was a very well-to-do merchant, who had lived in Rhode Island, Vermont, New York City, Kentucky, and who knows where else.
And then I found his will which he made in 1892, and I’m not really sure why, but I started reading it.
Found at FindaGrave. The text is extremely difficult to almost impossible to read.
Estate of Asa Lyon Hatch
My Last Will!
In the name of God! Spirit of all things I Asa Lyon Hatch do make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament.
First. After my Spirit has passed to the World of Spirits, I request that my body be clothed in garments of pure white, as I have heretofore stated.
I wish my remains to be placed in a casket of clear white; not expensive.
Second. I desire my body placed in my grounds in the Cemetery in the Town of Grand Isle, State of Vermont. Have the grave dug North and South with the head to the north with the foot of my wife’s Elizabeth grave, on the west, and that of my wife’s Frances, on the North.
I desire to have placed at the head of my grave, a White Marble Head Stone similar to those placed at the head of my two wife’s, with the following words plainly and clearly cut on the same, with the name, cut in a square, raised letter the same as those of my two Wives
“I am the last of those called Mine:
“My resurrection morn; was, when spirit and body parted;
“I have left to join my Loved Ones;
“To spend with them – a Life Eternal!
“Earth Fare The Well! Asa Lyon Hatch
Third. I would name and appoint my brothers Henry R. Hatch and Arthur E. Hatch, both residents of Cleveland, of the State of Ohio, to be my Executors. And request that no bonds be required, of them.
It is my wish, that my friends Aldridge B. Gardiner of Providence, Rhode Island may carry out my wishes, as to the distribution of the small effect that I have left in the City of Providence, R.I.; a memorandum of which, I have left with this will.
Fourth. I give and bequeath, all my Real Estate and personal property, not designated in above memorandum to my two brothers Henry R. Hatch and Arthur E. Hatch; Share and share alike.
Fifth. I request that my Executors, shall set aside the sum of Five Hundred Dollars in cash, to be invested in the Bonds of the Town of Grand Isle Vermont; or of those of the County of Grand Isle; or of the State of Vermont; which shall be perfectly safe, praying an income that shall prove requisitor to carry out my wishes, as herein expressed.
Sixth. It is my wish that the sum of Five Hundred Dollars, may never be allowed to fall below the amount specified, and the income from which shall be used, to keep my grounds, or burial plat clean and free from grass or weeds; also the Marble Coping and Head Stones in place and in order.
Should any of the income remain after being as above applied I request that such of the remainder be used, as may be deemed necessary to keep clean and free from grass, the graves of my Father, my Mother and those of my Brothers and Sisters, as well as those of my Grandfather and GrandMother Lyon, and that of my Uncle Sewell [sic, should be Newell] Lyon.
Seventh. I have made and signed an order or Draft to the order of Mrs. Emma Hewett Taft, now of Providence, R.I for the sum of Five Hundred Dollars, to be paid to her to compensate her for the care and kindness shown me whilst sick, and feeble and I request that my executors have that order or draft honored and protected out of my estate.
Eighth. I request that my executors will see that my funeral expenses are paid as soon as after my decease as possible out of my estate.
In testimony whereof. I the said Asa Lyon Hatch, have to this my last will and testament contained on one sheet of paper, subscribed my name and affixed my seal this ninth day of April Eighteen hundred and ninety two.
Asa Lyon Hatch L.S. [seal]
He actually added a codicil in 1895 giving his caretaker Mrs. Taft another $1000. Only two of his siblings were still alive when he died, the two brother’s mentioned in the will.
I found the will amusing and sad at the same time. Sad because he had no one left to survive him other than his brothers. But then I had to laugh because he was so very particular about his pure white clothes, pure white casket (apparently he was also cheap), pure white headstone, and the placement of his remains.
Thinking about all that white has images of Col. Sanders constantly popping into my head. Maybe he thought that all that white would better grease the hinges of those pearly gates.
This is the plot he is buried in with his two wives, Elizabeth and Frances, and only child, daughter Lizzie. Grand Isle, Vermont.
There are no descendants to share his life, show off pictures, or brag about his accomplishments. This will is the only thing of his I have found that gives me a sense of his personality. I know thinking about it in the future will make me smile, maybe you will too. That’s something anyway.
I found this, thankfully, amusing, almost horrible, article in a newspaper search:
Argus and Patriot (Montpelier, Vermont) 08-07-1878, page 3.
Oscar Ebenezer Hatch and his brother Asa Lyon Hatch are the two gentlemen who were doing a spot of fishing, when this accident occurred. Oscar is my 3xgreat grandfather, and the father of Dillon Hatch.
Both of the men were in their 50s at the time. Thankfully, no one was lost or hurt, except for maybe their pride.
Charlotte Hatch is my great grandmother. I have vague recollections of meeting her in the early ’70s after we had moved back stateside from overseas. Mom, (as she was known by close family), along with a couple of other folks, probably including her daughter Evelyn, drove up from Ohio to visit at the time. Unfortunately I was too young for the visit to have made much of an impression, but hopefully by telling a bit of her story I can make up for that.
Charlotte was born in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio on October 10, 1888. She was the daughter of Dillon Franklin Hatch and Almira Brooks and the youngest of their four children. But she only knew one sister and one brother growing up, the eldest son, Harry Douglas, had died at the age of 9 while the family was still living in Vermont.
Hatch children playing in the yard in Cleveland, Ohio.
Her father Dillon was the supervisor of a furniture factory which left the Hatch family comfortably well off. The couple used their good fortune to make sure their children received a well-rounded education, including music lessons. Charlotte learned to play the violin, and possibly the piano. She appeared in the local paper a multitude of times regarding some musical or singing performance, or sometimes simply as part of the local social gossip.
1906-05-13, Sunday, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), page 54 (GenealogyBank.com>newspaperarchives) Social News of the Week Miss Helen Roblee of 9812 Lamont Ave., N. E., entertained five of her friends at an apple blossom luncheon on Monday. The guests were the Misses Mary Fitzpatrick, Helen Whitslar, Charlotte Hatch, Nina Smith and Hazel Lane.
1908-04-14, Tuesday, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), page 7 (GenealogyBank>newspaperarchive): In Society Miss Belle C. Hart gave the second of her series of parlor recitals Saturday afternoon at 111424 Mayfield-rd., S. E. Those taking part were Lois Runge, Charlotte Hatch, Elliott Stearns, Harold Huhne, William Fristoe, Carl Patton and Numan Squire assisted by Miss Olive Harris, Miss Lilian Aokley and Miss Anita Runge, accompanists.
1908-12-27, Sunday, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), page 24 (GenealogyBank>newspaperarchive): Music and Musicians Music in the Y.W.C.A. The musical organizations of the Y.W.C.A. have been considered important enough to be given a department of their own, with a committee voted entirely to their interests.
The members of the music committee…are most enthusiastic, and want to do all in their power to see this new department become a center of helpfulness and joy and inspiration. Most excellent work was done last year in laying the foundation of these organizations, and they have already become indispensable. In the coming year they ought to grow rapidly in numbers and efficiency.
The orchestra is doing splendid work under the directions of Miss Belle C. Hart. On Monday evenings its twenty members meet for practice at the association building, where they have a most enjoyable time. The members are:
First violins…Miss Charlotte Hatch…
Almira with her children in the Hatch family parlor, there appears to be much reading and piano practice going on. The eldest daughter Florence is on the piano, Charlotte is on the right reading in a chair, Almira and her son Herbert are on the left.
Charlotte attended East High School in Cleveland, and graduated in 1908.
Here is a page from the 1908 Cleveland Ohio East High School yearbook with Charlotte as a senior. She would have been 19 at time of graduation. Below is the school she attended. It looks like she received a classical education with German. Her senior tidbit read: “Gone but not forgotten.” Which means she must have left quite an impression on the school?
Less than a year after graduating from high school, Charlotte, at the age of 20, was married to a young man by the name of Montral Goble Shaw March 8, 1909.
Here is the newspaper announcement of the impending marriage.
Marriage registration.
While putting together timelines and mapping out Charlotte and Mont’s lives, something immediately stands out — Montral Shaw and his family were from Clermont County, Ohio which is clear down at the bottom of the state, as opposed to Charlotte’s stomping ground in Cuyohoga County, which is at the top. How on earth did these two people, from such distance challenged places, meet. Thankfully, because I do research on siblings and not just my direct lines, the answer to the question became clear. Charlotte’s brother Herbert attended Denison School, which is located in Licking County, as did Mont and even Mont’s sister Viola Shaw, all at about the same time (1900-1904ish).
Charlotte’s brother Herbert
So it is quite possible that Herb and Mont met at Denison and became friends. Maybe Mont came home with Herbert for a visit during a holiday or break, saw Charlotte, and ‘POW’ it was love at first sight! (Although they wouldn’t be married until a few years later.)
Here is Charlotte with her parents and husband Montral. In most of these earlier pictures of Charlotte she always look so sad/depressed/bored.
So now these two young newlyweds began to make a life together. And a year later, in May of 1910, Charlotte and her husband are found renting a farm in Jackson County, Ohio. Mont was supporting his wife as a fruit farm orchidist, while Charlotte was learning how to manage her new home. She was also preparing herself for the birth of their first child, Evelyn, who would be born in three months time. She must have been nervous, excited, and also anxious because her mother was very far away, and this would be a time that a daughter would want her mother around. Maybe her mother took a trip down to Lick Township, around the time Charlotte was due, to help her first grandchild come into the world.
This map shows all the places that Charlotte and Mont lived in Ohio. Their first home in Jackson County is all the way down near the bottom, where Evelyn was born. Their next move was to Geauga, back to the top of the state. They stayed here until the move to Texas in 1920.
Charlotte with her son John. Montral[?] is standing in the shed/barn. This picture was taken about 1913/1914.
After living in Jackson County for only a few years, they packed up their household goods and moved up north to Huntsburg Township in Geauga County where we find them by 1913, according to the birth of their second child John. Here they bought a farm which they owned until December of 1920 at which time they sold the farm and moved to Texas.
Above are the deeds for both when they bought 60 acres of property in Jackson County in 1915, and when they sold the same property in 1920 in preparation to moving to Texas.
When the railroad line was introduced in Cameron County, Texas a large land boom began taking place. (This is about as far south as you can get in Texas, without being in Mexico or the ocean). Agents from the area went out hawking all the great land deals to farmers in the midwest in order to bring new blood, and white people, into the area. There were even special trains being used to bring these new land owners to town. It sounds like Montral’s brother Norman heard about this great deal, proceeded to buy land, sight unseen, then convinced his brother and Charlotte to pack up their household belongings, and now five children, and come with him.
Here is the story as told by my grandmother Lois, who was only 9 months old when they made this trip:
It was December of 1920 – I was 9 months old, the farm had been sold and a new overland touring car purchased. It was loaded with the five children Evelyn 10, John 11, Margaret 6, Gertrude 4, and me 9 mo., Mom and Pop and the basic necessities of travel for a trip to the Rio Grand Valley in southern Texas.
Now in 1920, traveling more than 2000 miles over the highways of the day was not an adventure for the timid. My knowledge of the trip is strictly from the recounts in bits and pieces heard as I grew up. Pop loved to tell the tale with pleasure in the memories, while Mom sarcastically set him straight with the details of the discomfort and misadventures. She always hated Texas!
The reason for this safari was to farm a piece of land in the Rio Grand near Mercedes, Texas which Pop’s brother, Uncle Norman had bought sight unseen.
On the trip down I was awarded the top seat in the Overland a laundry basket made into a bassinet. I’m sure I was held on laps too, but I wonder if the trip created my fear in cars that lasted thru many years of travel all over as an air force wife. They called me a back seat driver when I was 4 & 5 years old. There were floods in Arkansas on the way down and Pop stripped the gears on the Overland and Mom and us children were put on a train for Little Rock, where Pop rejoined us after repairs were made.
Why Uncle Norman, an intelligent person I had always assumed, would buy land sight unseen and then let his younger brother make such a trip, I’ll never know.1
When the family arrived in Mercedes they found the land Uncle Norman had purchased had no water available – so they rented some land that did. It raised great truck crops but seems they couldn’t sell much as they couldn’t ship it north for some reason. The second year they were able with the other farms in the area to send a shipment of tomatoes north, 2000 bushels. A neighbor went with the shipment and evidently skipped with the money.”
Looks windy, dusty and hot. La Feria Texas, January 1922.
Here is a postcard of downtown Mercedes from the 1920s.
Things did not work out as planned. Two years later they moved back to Ohio, leaving everything behind to be shipped. Pop sent money for shipping, but their things were never sent. Winter was coming on, and they had no winter clothes. John H and Evelyn [the two eldest children] lived with John and Sally Shaw in New Richmond for about two years (1922-1923) Pop and Mom moved to Westerville Jersey Farm in 1923 and the family was reunited.
Life in Texas was very unpleasant for Charlotte, especially when she developed malaria. So she would have been very relieved to be heading back to Ohio in 1922, where the weather was milder and the scorpions and malaria were non-existent.
By 1923 the family is back in Ohio, reunited, and living in Westerville, Delaware County (see Ohio map above), trying to get themselves back on their feet. Charlotte was also pregnant with their sixth child.
Nancy Jean was born 5 Feb 1924, but sadly she didn’t live long past her 1st birthday, as she died on the 21st of Mar in 1925. She was the only child of Charlotte’s who died young. They had one last child, Mary Ellen, who was born when Charlotte was 43 years old.
Charlotte was the practical one in their marriage. Like most domestic goddesses, she did the majority of the work: raising the children, taking care of their home, feeding everyone, doing all the laundry, managing, etc. Most of her life the cooking was done on a stove that was heated using wood and coal. Laundry was done in a tub with a washboard.
And while the life was hard and sometimes exhausting, Charlotte always let her children know that she actually enjoyed living on the farm much better than in a city.
Lois — “She liked to bake – always seemed to have cookies on hand – and made ice cream in refrigerator, which tasted like heaven to us kids. She passed on her mint-making skills to her granddaughter and namesake. Charlotte!”
Here is the family probably in the late 1930s to early 40s.
Lois remembering her parents:
Pop seemed always the optimist, living from his dreams perhaps as much as his labors. A mischievous eye, finding joy in so much of life, loving to tell stories of people and events which we heard over and over but didn’t mind as he greatly enjoyed the telling. Mom, the realist, was more pesimistic she had to deal with the numerous tasks of each day, ending in weariness, I’m sure.
When we girls would be dressed up for some occasion he would say “you look very nice, but you will never be as pretty as your Mother”. This never hurt our feelings as by then Mom had gained quite a bit of weight and as we had little money she had no fancy clothes. I’m sure it boosted her ego a little. And she was very pretty before she became so tired and worn. Later when she could afford to go to the hair dresser she looked much prettier and had nicer clothes. She came from a city family and though not rich they had two “hired girls” in those days.
According to their daughter Lois, Charlotte and Mont made another move in 1947. The move kept them in the same county, but their address was now in Powell.
Early in 1947 they bought the farm at Powell, Ohio, in partnership with John and Bertha Shaw. There was a big apple orchard, and many a fall day was spent by the grandchildren in picking up apples for cider. Then the aunts, uncles and cousins would come to make applebutter. The children picked up apples, the women sat in the kitchen peeling, and the men “stirred” the applebutter, while drinking the cider (they had all the fun!)
Charlotte and Montral continued to live and work on their farm in Powell for many more years. Montral passed away in 1976 leaving everything including the farm to Charlotte. He was 90 when he died. Charlotte went on for another 8 years before she died in 1984 at the age of 95.
Her last letter to her daughter Lois was written August 14 of 1984 and talked about the mundane bits of everyday life, including the problems she was having with her current crochet project. Two weeks later she passed away. (I wonder if she was able to finish her afghan.)
Of Centerburg Charlotte H. Shaw Charlotte H. Shaw, 95, of Centerburg, died Aug. 31 at St. Ann’s Hospital.
She was a member of the Centerburg United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Shaw was preceded in death by her husband, Mont G. Shaw; two daughters, Evelyn Nevitt and Nancy Jean Shaw; a brother, Herbery Hatch; and a sister, Frances Herterprime.
She is survived by one son, John H. Shaw, Centerburg; four daughters, Mrs. Margaret Bevelhymer, and Mrs. Gertrude Van Tassell, Westerville; Mrs. Lois Shephard, West Bath, ME; and Mrs. Mary Ellen Adkins, Lucasville; 22 grandchildren, four step-grandchildren; 44 great grand-children; and seven great-great grandchildren.
The funeral service was Sept. 4 in Centerburg with Rev. Mac Kelly officiating. Burial was in Eastview Cemetery, Centerburg.
——————-
1 (Uncle Norman [Ewing Shaw] served as Secretary of the State of Ohio for several years under both Democrats and Republicans, he was a Democrat, He was killed in an auto accident in 1930 at 54 years of age. Rockhouse State park in Hocking County Ohio is dedicated to him for his conservation policies. Editor of Ohio Farmer Magazine.)
I recently found a very interesting newspaper article regarding my great great grandfather Dillon Franklin Hatch.
1867 Burlington, Vermont newspaper article.
According to the above news article he had been elected as an officer in the Independent Order of Good Templars (IOGT) as a W. O. G. He was only 18 when he became a member.
There are several different types of lodges and organizations I have vaguely heard about over the years in my genealogical endeavors. This one I was unfamiliar with. So I thought I would enlighten myself, and then share.
The IOGT was an abstinence/temperance society. These types of societies had started forming in the early 19th century, in some form or another, due to the large prevalence of societal problems related to drinking that existed at the time. Alcoholism and excessive drinking was having a very noticeable affect on the lives of families and society in general, so organizations were created by concerned citizens to try and curb the problem. (These same issues were also concerns of the suffrage movement, other than the right to vote of course.)
This particular order started in a village near Utica, New York in 1850 and was considered “a radical movement, ahead of its times”1 because they included women in their organization “proclaiming that all were brothers and sisters in one united family.”1
IOGT was also considered one of the more successful organizations because their relapse rate was much lower than that of others. There are several reasons given for its success. One was that it came about at the right time period. Many people were realizing that to help society become better as a whole it was important to control ones relationship with alcohol. Fraternal societies were also in vogue at the time, and because the IOGT was inclusive of women, even giving them places in leadership, it better met the needs of society as a whole. And lastly “it combined temperance and fraternalism” using ritual and degrees that helped educate and train members so that they could better help others who needed support in their abstinence endeavors.
Taken from ritual book for the IOGT, regards part of initiation ritual.
This organization is still in existence today. In the 1970s they made changes to become more relevant to the times. Titles were changed, accoutrements became simplified, or were eliminated altogether. The name was changed from Order to Organization, little things like that. The rituals are also no longer secret.
It is doubtful that Dillon become a member because he had issues with drink, he was pretty young. He was probably just interested in the ideas of temperance and wished to help further the cause? In 1870 this article is found in the newspaper:
R-L: Oscar, Dillon?, Olive (Robinson) Hatch
Olive Hatch was elected W. V. T. at a regular meeting of Evergreen Isle Lodge No. 128, I.O. of G. T. on Friday evening, May 6th [1870].
This was Dillon’s mother Olive Robinson Hatch. She was elected Worthy Vice Templar of this particular lodge. So maybe her membership influenced her son’s interest in temperance.
Dillon Franklin Hatch, probably about the age he wrote his speech. His parents are in the next photo.
In 1867 at the age of 18 Dillon F. Hatch, my g-g-grandfather, wrote a patriotic speech which he possibly gave for a class. We are lucky enough that one of our Shaw cousins has this speech and made copies for others to enjoy. So, I thought that this would be a most appropriate post for the upcoming 4th of July celebration.
First a little background on Dillon. He was born in Grand Isle County, Vermont in 1849 to Oscar Hatch and Olive Robinson. His parents were decently well off members of society, so he received a very modern, thorough, education. He even kept a diary for a short time and practiced his writing in it, something for which he received high marks in school.
He probably apprenticed as a carpenter in his younger years, as he eventually went into the furniture making business. His repertoire included windows, and doors (one of his patented designs was in a previous post on my blog). Sometime in the 1880s he moved his wife, Almira (Brooks) and their children to Ohio, where Dillon managed a large furniture factory until he retired.
He never fought in any wars himself, his age, (too young, too old), would always get in the way of any patriotic fervor he might have had.
The speech that we have here was written in honor of the soldiers who fought in two wars: the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War, which had just ended two years earlier.
I am including a .pdf file of the complete speech in his own handwriting (albeit a photocopy). But below, for easier reading, I am giving you the transcribed version. He had many misspellings and poor punctuation, I tried to keep those errors in the transcription, however, sometimes autocorrect fixes those things, so I can’t guarantee the accuracy of the ‘errors’. Note: because of the time period in which he is writing this speech he does use the term ‘Negro’ when discussing the Civil War, I did not change it to a more appropriate or politically correct term, as that would be presumptive and just plain bad history. Just know that he is not using the term in a derogatory manner and is a reflection of the time period .
Dillon F. Hatch Oration, Delivered at Williston[?] May 9th, 1867 by Dillon F. Hatch
The Soldiers of the Republic The present generation owes a debt of gratitude to all who have preceded us, but none, a greater debt than to the Soldiers of the Republic, those who fought and bled for their county’s cause who willingly sacrificed their lives in its defense. This of what our fathers endured to build up this great Republic when they were weighed down by the power of a tyrant whom they so bravely resisted and whose power they threw off , and thus became an independent nation. how staring are those memories of the Revolution, how precious the names of the actors on the theater of war, in the times that tried mans souls. With pride and gratitude we think of Warren, who, when offered the command of different parts of the field at the battle of Bunker Hill, refused, saying that he came out to fight as a common soldier, and not to command, and fighting as such he nobly fell. Warren Putmann, Pomeroy, Stark, glorious names that were not born to die. There were instances in our late war of the Rebellion of unselfish devotion to country such as is seldom seen. Such was the devotion of Ellsworth, assassinated in the very act of raising the Stars and Stripes and of trailing the Rebel flag in the dust.
We honor such as the true, noble, soldier of the Republic. But what do we owe to them. There are very few who really understand and appreciate this.
Look and behold the bright and peaceful homes scattered throughout the land, for their preservation the soldier willingly shed his blood on the field of battle. But let us compare our soldiers with those of other nations. When war was declared between Great Briton and the colonies the nations look upon it as merely an out-break of some inferior power and not requiring much force to put it down, but they are mistaken, they found a nation of soldiers though not, perhaps, as well drilled as some pf the old soldiers of the European armies but they are men that were used to hardships, and toil, and they fought fearless of danger, in defense of home and country, which they loved as life its self. In this they differed greatly from those of other nations. I do not mean to say that the people of other nations do not have this love for their county, for I do not think a nation could long exist were it not for that. But the great difference is this; our soldiers come from the people to defend their homes, instead of being those who fight for pay.
How the nation was moved by the fall of Fort Sumpter. The nation as one man, rose demanding retribution for the act, and they sought it by hurling thousands of men down upon them which crushed them out in a few year’s of war. But it was love of freedom that helped to do this more than any thing else, freedom that great boon which all men seem striving to attain. There is nothing like ones fighting for freedom and home, to bring out all the bravery and courage of the soul. A man hitherto thought to be very timid, will sometimes under the circumstances perform deed’s which seem almost incredible. No love is stronger than that for home and father-land, and it was because of this love of home that our citizen’s rose up in such numbers to defend heir altairs and their homes. (Switzerland in this respect, is most like our own nation. It stands surrounded by Empires and Kingdoms as a monument to freedom it cannot be conquered, nor can or own.) The American nation is alive at the heart and could not be destroyed by a war of centuries. The Rebell’s were actuated[sic] by an impulse to save their homes from destruction, they thought our northern soldiers would bring upon them. The lower class supposed for a time that our soldiers were bands of lawless robbers and murders, but they found their mistake after our army had passed through the country.
We have an illustration showing how love of freedom nerves the arm of the soldier in battle, in the use of negroes as soldiers in the late war. When they were first used by Fremont in Missoura, nearly all of the citizens of that state and of the other states answered him severly, because of it, and even the President refused to let him use them as such, but it was not long before they found that it was a very great mistake. Negroes became after a while some of the best and bravest soldiers in our army. The Rebells soon learned this and tried the same thing, but it did not succeed as well with them as with us, for the reason that they were fighting for their freedom when fighting with us, but when they were on the other side they were only fighting in defense of slavery that great evil they were trying to escape, and thus they fought with us for freedom and found it.
Honor to the soldier. Let his name be cherished let his children be nourished by the Republic let his lonely widow have no occasion to call in question the gratitude of the nation, let the sod be green over his grave, and let the marble colum and granite shaft rise all over the land to perpetuate the name and the noble deed’s of the American Soldier.
Recently I have been doing a lot of directory research and creating databases in an attempt to unravel the mystery of the Johnson family, as it related to Almyra Johnson who married John Brooks. I have to say intriguing and tantalizing bits of data have come to light, but still nothing but a lot of strings that aren’t connected. Yet.
Yesterday, in the midst of my research, I realized that I hadn’t attempted to find the name of the shop that the Brooks owned in Burlington. So I spent a little time trying to suss it out, but it appears that they merely manufactured cigars at the address and employed several people to help with the business. Including a William and Samuel Johnson at one time. I would venture to guess that these two gentlemen might be brothers of Almira Johnson Brooks. Samuel I have mentioned before.
Another bit of data I uncovered was about their daughter Almyra Brooks who married Dillon Franklin Hatch in 1873. D. F. partnered up with his brother-in-law, David Walker, and they ran a furniture factory, the nature of which changed over time. Walker and Hatch was the name for the most part eventually adding another name when they partnered up with another man.
For a while D. F. and Almyra Hatch lived right next door to her parents, at 85 King Street. If you look at the address now, on Google maps, it is the King Street Center.
Above is the Hatch entry in the 1881 Burlington directory. They lived at this address for a few years before moving to 181 St. Paul [st.]. By 1900 the Hatch family had moved to Ohio.
Here is an ad for the furniture business from 1879:
Update to this entry: I was going over Almira’s probate record to day and saw that there were several Walker grandchildren receiving part of the estate, they were all children of Anna who married a Walker and died before 1901 when the estate was being divvied out.
Charlotte with her son John. Montral[?] is standing in the shed/barn. This picture was taken about 1913/1914.
First a little background on Dillon. He was born in Grand Isle County, Vermont in 1849 to Oscar Hatch and Olive Robinson. His parents were decently well off members of society, so he received a very modern, thorough, education. He even kept a diary for a short time and practiced his writing in it, something for which he received high marks in school.
jen's ancestors 