Posted in Allred, Photo, Squire

Honoring Those Who Served Their Country

Posted on by Amiira

This week in the United States we mark Veterans’ Day, which is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other countries.  It originally marked the anniversary of the end of World War I; the cessation of hostilities between Germany and the Allies took affect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  Now the day honors all those who have served in the Armed Forces and remembers those who gave their lives for their country. I don’t think Veterans’ Day gets as much attention in the United States as Remembrance Day does in the countries more deeply affected by World War I.  In many of the Commonwealth counties, especially the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, members of the military wear a red poppy flower on their uniforms for several weeks before Remembrance Day to remember whose who fought and especially the millions who died.

Canadian soldiers with a poppy flower on their uniform to mark Remembrance Day

I had the privilege to be in London on 11 November 2018, the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, and was able to see the scope feeling that Remembrance Day still evokes there.  To mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, an installation at the Tower of London filled the moat with thousands of individual flames: a public act of remembrance for the lives of the fallen, honoring their sacrifice.  Each evening over the course of four hours the Tower moat was gradually illuminated by individual flames. The visual spectacle was accompanied by the sounds of whispered voices, representing the shifting tide of political alliances, friendship, love and loss in war.  Seeing the installation was a moving and haunting experience.  On the day after Remembrance Day, I went to the Cenotaph, a memorial honoring those who died in World War I, that was set up in 1920, where lots people had laid wreaths the day before.

I honor all who have served in the Armed Forces to protect their families, freedom, and peace.  I have been touched by the military service I had discovered while researching my family, and will share a few examples of their service below, particularly those who served during World War I.

George Sydney Tucker (1973-1932) & William Henry Tucker (1881-1916)

During World War I, William joined the British Army, leaving behind his wife, son, and daughter.  He was 33 years old. He arrived in France on 24 January 1915.  He started as a private in the 16th Battalion, London Regiment and was later promoted to a second lieutenant in the 12th Battalion, London Regiment (the Rangers), the same battalion in which his brother, George, was also a member.   He was killed on 1 July 1916, during the first day of the Battle of the Somme and is buried there.  

William’s service record, noting rank, unit, and medals he earned

The Battle of the Somme took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France. More than 3 million men fought in the battle, and 1 million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.  The first day was also the worst day in the history of the British Army, in terms of casualties, suffering 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 killed in action.  In the end, British and French forces penetrated only 6 miles into German-occupied territory and they failed to achieve their key objectives.

Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery, where William is buried

William’s older brother, George, also served in the British Army during World War I. In May 1915, he was a captain in the 12th Battalion, London Regiment (the Rangers). By December 1915, he had been promoted to a major. The regiment saw intensive action on the Western Front in the First World War (including the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele). Unlike his brother, George survived the brutal war and returned to his family in England.

Alma Sharp Barker (1897-1980)

Alma joined the Utah National Guard in 1917, at age 20, just before the National Guard unit was mustered into the United States Army, when the United States entered World War I.  He served for 2 years.  First at Camp Kearny, California and later in France, in the Medical Department.  He arrived in France in August 1918—about 2.5 months before the war ended—and was on his way to the Front when the Armistice was signed.  He recorded in his autobiography that there was not much for the medical department to do at first, when he arrived, but then an influenza outbreak occurred among the soldiers and he was very busy.  For a while, he was a nurse in the contagious ward. Later he worked in camp hospital administration because he could type quickly.  He stayed in France until June 1919, and was honorably discharged in July 1919.  During World War II, he served his country again, this time in the Coast Guard Reserves in California.

  • Alma Barker from WWI Service Record
  • Alma Barker’s Service Record
1944: Alma Barker (Coast Guard Reserves), Marian Barker (Civil Air Patrol), Wayne Barker (Navy), Ruth Davis Barker (Red Cross), Marjorie Cecilia Barker (Girl Scout)

William Squire (1809-1846)

William probably joined the British Navy or Royal Marines as a teenager or young adult. In his 1844 will, he states he was in Her Majesty’s service in the Royal Navy.  Later, his death is noted in a Navy obituary list as a member of the Royal Marines.  In late March 1846, William became the Master (the senior non-commissioned rank) aboard HMS Styx, operating off the western coast of Africa.  In May 1846, the Styx was at Ascension, a very small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean used by the British Navy as a resupply point.  The ship operated along the coast of Africa to intercept and capture slave ships. 

In late October, much of the crew of HMS Styx became ill, to such an extent that the Styx borrowed the surgeon from HMS Flying Fish to help deal with the outbreak. Sadly, William died of “coast fever” on 30 October, when he was 37 years old.  He likely was buried at sea.  It took months for the news to reach England; an account of the illness was reported in a Southampton newspaper in late February 1847.  William’s will was not proved until 22 April 1847.  Before news of his death reached England, William was included among a batch of promotions announced on 9 November 1846, when he was promoted to master, a senior non-commissioned officer rank, which suggests he must have been in the Marines for some time.

27 February 1847: News of William Squire’s death at sea

Posted in Peterson, Photo, Squire

More Memories Added To FamilySearch

Posted on by Amiira

I’ve been scanning a few documents and photos from a book of remembrance that belonged to Jay Peterson and possibly his mother before him. It’s a bit of a random collection of items that I have added to FamilySearch lately.

  • Jay Peterson:
    • Page with vital data and short autobiography (in 2 parts)
    • Book of Remembrance entries for key moments from birth to marriage
    • Peterson family origin and coat of arms info
    • Portrait pedigree charts for Jay and his ancestors
    • Small pox vaccination card
    • Chart of major world religions that Jay had made (very detailed and handwritten)
Lynn Peterson
Posted in Squire

Women I Admire

Posted on by Amiira

During my family history research, I have come across a number of distant aunts or cousins who never married, some of whom lived at a time when a single woman had little or no standing in society.  It has been interesting to see what I can learn about their lives.

I recently researched Clara Bullock (MWYM-1V2), who is my 2nd cousin 4 times removed. She was born on 26 May 1888, along with her fraternal twin brother Clarence, in a very small town in Cattaraugus County, New York, where her father was a farmer.  She never married and lived with her parents until she was about 31 years old.  By 1920, she had moved a town about 25 miles away, where she lived on her own and worked as an assistant in private doctor’s office. She continued her education; in 1930, at the age of 41 years, she attended training in physiotheraphy [sic], the treatment of injury, disease and disorders through physical methods such as exercise, massage, and manipulation.  

She used her income and freedom to travel.  The local newspaper recorded a few of her trips, some of which seem to be on her own.  In 1930, she went on a 2-week vaction spent touring Canada.  In 1934, she took a 10-day trip through New England. In 1937, she and her mother traveled to Canada.  

She continued to work for Dr. Frank Howard until at least 1934, and during this time she bought a house. Her parents moved in with her in 1933 and lived with her until the end of their lives.  She was their primary caregiver until they passed away in 1936 and 1940.  Only two years after her mother’s death, her twin brother and last living immediate family member, separated from his wife and came to live with her.  They lived together until his death in 1957.  She out lived all her family, living to be 85 years.

What I admire about Clara is that she went out and worked and traveled and made her way in the world at a time when it was only just becoming acceptable for women to do this.

Earlier this year, I researched Florence Emily Tucker (G75M-4T1), another 2nd cousin 4 times removed.  She is the daughter Fanny Squire and William Tucker, and was born on 9 September 1879 in Islington, London, England.  She was the fourth of ten children, which I cannot imagine.  As a young woman, she left home to work as a governess.  In 1901, when she was 21 years old, Florence was working as a governess for a family in Portsmouth, Hampshire, with two sons; the father was a colonel in the Army.  Working as a governess was particularly difficult because the woman did not fit above stairs or below stairs.  I don’t have a lot of information on Florence’s life, but it appears she never married.  In 1939, when she was 60 years old, she was working as a companion for an 87-year-old lady in Lancashire.  Florence died on 24 June 1971, at the age of 91 years, in the Greenwich area of greater London.  In her will, she asked to be buried in the same grave as her parents in Mitcham Grove Cemetery and that a fruit tree be planted over the grave instead of any stone or marker.   

Again, I admire that Florence made her own way in the world when that wasn’t an easy thing to do.  The family probably was middle class—William Tucker worked as a clerk or accountant in for the gas lighting company. Florence may have chosen to become a governess to relieve her parents of one more person to take care of.  She seems to have remained close to her siblings despite moving around for various jobs.  In her will, she left her estate to be divided among her remaining living siblings and her nieces and nephews.  You can see her whole will on FamilySearch.org. 

Posted in Squire

The Worshipful Company of Cutlers

Posted on by Amiira

“The Cutlers’ Company, by the death of Mr. Augustus Squire, has lost a member of upwards of 66 years’ standing, … whose family has been associated with the Cutlers’ Company for upwards of two centuries.” – published 9 Jan 1907

The Squire family in London had important ties to the Cutlers’ Guild, which has proved invaluable in researching the family and being able to verify I was tracing the right William Squire and his sons in the historical records. 

For a long time, I had reached a dead end researching the origins of Frederick Squire (1812-1885) (KGVJ-W7B), my 4th great-grandfather, who was born in England, emigrated to the United States (probably in the 1830s), and lived in New York and Pennsylvania.  The only thing I had been able to find was a census record that said he had been born in London.  

I finally had a breakthrough when I discovered the transcription of a letter to Frederick from his father, W. Squire, dated 1850, which mentioned Frederick’s siblings.  Using those names, I was able to find the parish christening records for a family with all the same children as in the letter, whose parents were William and Mary Squire. The first five, including Frederick, were born in London, and the last four were born on a farm near a small town in Bedfordshire.  This seemed very odd that the family would move from London to the country—the opposite direction of most migration of the time period.  But I was able to find records that each of the younger sons moved back to London and applied for the membership in the Cutlers’ guild and citizenship in the City of London.  To do so, they had to prove they were legitimate children born to a father who had been a member of the guild before they were born.  These applications were the critical link that verified for me that I had found Frederick’s family.

Note that you can see William Squire’s signature on this document

William Squire (KGVR-8NH) apprenticed to become a cutler when he was 14 years old on 11 March 1786, a 7-year contract during which time he had to train and work for a master cutler, in this case his father, Thomas Squire (2Z3X-5DW). He completed his apprenticeship and was admitted to the Cutlers’ Company in June 1793.  He worked at 12 Ludgate Hill—just steps from St Paul’s Cathedral in London—as a cutler, silversmith, and jeweler until 1812, when he moved his family to Bedfordshire. 

The Worshipful Company of Cutlers—as it is formally called—is one of the most ancient of the City of London livery companies and received its first Royal Charter from Henry V in 1416. Their business was producing and trading in knives, swords, and other implements with a cutting edge. Its origins are found among the cutlers working in the medieval City of London in the vicinity of Cheapside.  Thomas Squire lived in Cheapside (just on the other side of St. Paul’s Cathedral) and William probably grew up there, continuing this cutler connection.

The City of London Coat of Arms

None of William Squire’s children became cutlers; in fact, as far as I can tell, William never worked as a cutler, silversmith or jeweler again after 1812. So, why did all of William’s sons join the guild? Because it gained them citizenship and voting rights in the City of London, which is different than the London metropolitan area. (To learn more about the City of London and the significance of having citizenship there, check out two excellent videos by CGP Grey: here and here.) From the Middle Ages to the Victorian era, the Freedom of the City was the right to trade, enabling members of a Guild or Livery to carry out their trade or craft in the City of London.

With the demise of the sword making and cutlery trade in the City during the 19th century, the Company directed its attention towards expanding its charitable activities with particular emphasis on supporting education. The Worshipful Company of Cutlers basically became a club like the Lions or Rotary clubs in the United States.  Today the Company combines these charitable endeavors with maintaining the traditions of the City of London; supporting the Mayoralty; providing fellowship and hospitality; and preserving the Company’s Hall and other assets for the benefit of future generations.  

Cutlers’ Company Coat of Arms

Many of William Squire’s decedents remained active in the organization, including serving as senior leaders of the guild, and membership was passed down by patrimony to several of William’s grandsons, at least. For example, Augustus Squire (2Z3X-BRM), 6th child of William, was an active member of the Company for 66 years, and until nearly the end of his life, he never missed a single one of its meetings or dinners, according to the newspaper account at his death. Henry Graves (2Z3X-B63) (see previous post), son-in-law of William, was a guild member and Master of the Cutlers’ Company, as was his son, Algernon Graves (LJR7-PD9). (A 1903 fashion article described Algernon’s wife as “the Mistress Cutler of London” when describing her dress for an event she and Algernon attended.) Augustus’s sons, Christopher and Edward Squire, also were active guild members.

This has been valuable, genealogically, because they are in the City of London voter registration lists (available on Ancestry.com), which lists eligible voters by guild.  This allowed me to keep track of the correct Squire men over time and separate them from the hundreds of other Squires (often with the exact same name) living in the London area at the time. Having their exact address had proved crucial because often that is the only clue to confirm I am looking at the right person in christening, marriage, and burial records, which usually contain scant information about the person in the record but frequently include their address.

Register of persons entitled to vote in the elections for the City of London as Freemen of the city – 1855

Posted in Photo, Squire

Diphtheria Outbreak Breaks Family’s Heart

Posted on by Amiira

From Mary Josephine Squire’s (KWZV-7RH) autobiography:

“While we were living in Fredonia, N.Y., my brother Page contracted diphtheria in school. If I remember correctly (I was 7 1/2 at the time), he came home from church sick. It was his 9th birthday, 4 May 1909, and he had just joined the Methodist Church that day. He was desperately sick, and one week later he died. There was no funeral because he had died of a contagious disease.”

“My father was the only person beside the hearse driver who went to the cemetery. The picture is still vivid in my mind of the hearse driving away on that cold, windy muddy May day with all that was left of our darling brother. The only glimpse Raymond or I had had of Page since that fateful Sunday was through a window.”

Edmond Page Squire as a baby

“Page was very like his father, sweet, kind, and unselfish. Our loss was surely Heaven’s gain! Many years later my mother told me that just before Page died, all of a sudden he sat straight up in bed and seemed to look off in the distance and smiled and seemed to look radiant. Then he lay back down and died. Perhaps he saw a chariot and angels coming to get him.”

“My mother took every precaution and Raymond and I did not contract the disease. But since Page had contracted the disease at school, mother would not send me back to school until the truant officer came and enforced attendance.”

The outbreak of diphtheria in Fredonia was not like the pandemic of coronavirus we are having in 2020. It was a smaller outbreak, but diphtheria outbreaks happened regularly in the United States and around the world when Mary was growing up. Like coronavirus, it is a respiratory disease (though caused by a bacteria) with some similar symptoms, including sore throat, loss of appetite, and fever. It is also spread similarly, from person to person, usually through respiratory droplets, like from coughing or sneezing. Before a vaccine was invented in the 1920s, diphtheria was one of the most feared infectious diseases, with mortality rates as high as 40 percent, and was a major cause of childhood mortality.

At least a few other children died from the outbreak that killed Page Squire. I couldn’t find any news articles about his death, but I found a few about other children who died around the same time.

Three months earlier, the school district was closed because of several cases of diphtheria. You can understand why Laura Squire did not want to send Mary back to school until she was forced to. It was a scary time to live and have kids with so many early childhood diseases that we can now avoid thanks to vaccines.

Posted in Photo, Squire

The Early Years – Mary J Squire

Posted on by Amiira

In her autobiography, Mary Josephine Squire (KWZV-7RH) wrote about often spending time at her grandparents’ house as a child. She was born in their house and often visited their dairy farm, 1 mile east of Spartensburg, Pennsylvania. “To arrive at this farm from Spartensburg, one had to go up over a hill and cross a high iron bridge over a creek. The farm was just on the other side. To me the bridge looked as if it rose about a mile into the sky.”

“The house was 30 or 40 feet from the road, and this front yard had several huge pine trees between two of which was hung a hammock in summer. On hot summer evenings or Sunday afternoons after Church, dinner and chores, one of the men often took a snooze in this hammock. But the rest of the time my brothers and I could enjoy it.”

Edmond Squire’s Farm at Spartensburg, Pennsylvania
Unfortunately, I don’t know who the people in the picture are

“Summers were happy times on the farm. We played with the Collie dog, Shep, or with the Gould children who lived a short distance away, picked four leaf clovers from the big field which came clear up to one side of the house, or sometimes went across the field to visit our great grandfather, Joseph Morse Jenkins.”

“It was quite confusing when my playmates spoke of their different grandfathers and grandmothers as I didn’t know anyone had more than one set. My brothers and I only had one set and wondered how come others had more. My father’s father had married my mother’s mother when my parents were in their teens. They grew up together and were brother and sister as well as husband and wife.”

In case you didn’t catch all that, here is the chart.

John Jay Squire married his step-sister Laura May Page three and a half years after their parents married each other. But John was 21 years old and Laura was 19 years old when their parents married, so it is not like they grew up in the same house together.

“In December of 1912, at my grandparents wishes, we left the vicinity of Fredonia, New York, and moved to Corry, Pennsylvania, where my grandfather helped my father to get started in the sand, gravel and cement block business. My grandfather purchased a piece of ground with veins of sand and gravel and a half a dosen Irish shanties, the largest of which we tried to make into a home.”

“All of the buildings were in various stages of disrepair. The house was small with four little rooms on the first floor and a room and a half under the eaves. It was so cold that winder that dad banked the house with straw and manure from the barn to keep us from freezing. We often had to wade up to our hips in snow drifts to get to school.”

“Eventually we tore down and replaced or dispensed with all the little outshanties – the little house over the well, the many chicken coops, tool shed, wood shed, and privy. When mother sold the house after dad died in 1947, it was an entirely different looking place with its additions, improvements, shingled exterior, enclosed porches and a nice double garage. In place of the shanties surrounding the house, there were trees, flowers, a rock garden and big lawns.”

John Jay Squire’s sand and gravel pit
Posted in Photo, Squire

A Family of Engravers, Artists, and Art Dealers

Posted on by Amiira

Lately I have been researching the family of William Squire (1772-1857, KGVR-8NH), of London, England, who is my 5th great grandfather.  I am currently working through everything I can find out about his children. His second oldest child, Mary Squire (2Z3X-BHD) married Henry Graves (2Z3X-B63) on 6 Jan 1831 in St. James’s Piccadilly Anglican church in London. On each of the census records for the family, Henry’s occupation was listed as publisher of engravings, which I didn’t really understand.  But I could tell the family was well off because they had three to four live-in servants, including a governess, cook, and one or two maids.  Then I found an obituary for Henry that said he was the well-known printseller and the son and grandson of notable London printsellers and the brother of the distinguished line engraver, Robert Graves.

Henry Graves about 1855
©National Portrait Gallery, London, used by permission

A Google search led me to Wikipedia entries for Henry and Robert Graves and then to the National Portrait Gallery, London website, which has a collection of portraits of Henry, Robert, and their father, also Robert.  It also has a collection of portraits they engraved and published.  

Henry Graves started out, at age 16, as an assistant to an art dealer. He later joined another company and was the manager of their print department. When that firm failed in 1825, he and several others acquired the business, with various partnerships until 1844, when Henry became sole proprietor of the firm Henry Graves & Co. The 1871 UK Census notes that Henry had 11 employees.  He also was one of the founders of ‘Art Journal’ and ‘Illustrated London News,’ which began publication in 1842 and was the world’s first illustrated newspaper. Its extensive coverage of the royal family’s tours, lives, and deaths earned the paper popularity.  

Queen Victory a print by Henry Graves & Co
The caption at the very bottom that you can barely see says, “London. Published Sept 19th 1863 by Henry Graves & Co., the Proprietors, Publishers to the Queen at Pall-Mall

Henry Graves and Co., like many commercial art galleries, began as a print publishing business, and gradually moved into the exhibition and sale of paintings and other fine arts.  There are 230 portraits associated with Henry Graves & Co at the National Portrait Gallery, London.  Graves published an immense number of fine engravings from pictures by Turner, Wilkie, Lawrence, Constable, Landseer, Faed, Frith, Grant, Millais, and other contemporary painters. He specially devoted himself to the reproduction of the works of Sir Edwin Landseer, employing the best engravers of the day, and paying the artist himself more than £50,000 for copyrights. He also issued valuable library editions of the works of Reynolds, Lawrence, Gainsborough, Liverseege, and Landseer. 

At a time without photographs, scanners or copy machines, line engravers and printsellers enabled art and images of events to reach a much wider audience.  Henry died in 1892, at the age of 85. Henry’s younger son, Algernon, of whom I have done very little research so far, carried on the business.  However, by the end of Henry’s life, photography was beginning to replace the need for engraved prints.

Robert Graves, 1835
© National Portrait Gallery, London, used by permission

Robert, Henry’s older brother, pursued the other half of the business, engraving. He became the pupil of John Romney, a line engraver, in 1812, when he was 14 years old. He initially focused on pen and ink facsimiles of rare prints and had much success, according to his biography in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. However, he later decided to devote all his attention to engraving, and he masterfully recreated the works of many artists. A contemporary art critic wrote that his plates (that he engraved) are generally characterized by their refinement and delicacy and in these qualities they can scarcely be surpassed. In 1836 Graves was elected an associate engraver of the Royal Academy and he presented as his diploma work a portrait of Lord Byron from the original by Thomas Phillips. He created many plates to print works by famous artists.  His last was a portrait of Charles Dickens, from the original by William Powell Frith, for a book about novelists.  He died in 1873, at the age of 74.

Robert Grave (d. 1825), 1809
Line engraving, 1827, by his son Robert Graves
©National Portrait Gallery, London, used by permission

Posted in Peterson, Photo, Squire, Update

More Photos

Posted on by Amiira
Lynn & Mary Peterson’s grandchildren, October 1970
Jay Peterson

I’ve added a lot more photos to Family Search:

Sharon & Sylvia Squire, about 1944

I discovered that Sharon Squire, the unidentified little girl from my last post, is the daughter of John Theodore & Gladys (Bennett) Squire. I was able to find her quite quickly just by searching census records for a Sharon Squire in Pennsylvania and when I got some hits, I recognized her parents. Other pictures I found later of all the kids in the family confirmed my identification.

But I still have other mystery photos, some without any names or dates, that may end up being perpetual mysteries.

Bud Johnson, no date, possibly family friend?
Unknown baby, no date

Posted in Peterson, Photo, Squire, Thayn

New Year’s Treasure

Posted on by Amiira
A precious box of treasure

I brought four boxes of mainly pictures back from my parent’s house when I visited for Christmas. I have my work cut out for me for a long while sorting and digitizing and attaching all the photos. I have everything from photos on CDs to slides, negatives, and watercolor paintings of ancestors. On New Year’s Day, I scanned and uploaded a few of the professionally taken and framed pictures and a few others, but I will be working on this project probably for months. So far I have uploaded new pictures to FamilySearch and Ancestry for:

If you want to keep up with this project, I recommend you follow Jay & Cleora Peterson and their parents on FamilySearch. I will also try to post updates with links to the people to whom I have added pictures.

Herbert Loucks & Jay Peterson in Lewistown, PA

In addition to the time it takes to sort and scan all the pictures, I also spend time trying to figure out who people are in the pictures. For example, I was able to identify and link this picture to Jay’s friend, Herbert Loucks (thankfully labeled on the slide frame), by finding him in the 1940 U.S. Census in Lewistown, PA.

I’m still trying to guess who Sharon Squire is in the picture on the right. It was taken by the professional photographer in Lewistown, PA that my great grandparents regularly used, but it doesn’t have a date and I have family pictures that were taken there from at least the 1930s to the 1950s (including my uncle as a baby that was taken when his family visited PA from KS) that have the same handwritten photographer’s signature. I have not come across any Squire relatives with a Sharon so far in my research, so she may be a long-term project to identify.

Posted in Photo, Squire

Exploring Old Documents

Posted on by Amiira

Among the items I found in my grandfather’s genealogy were two old legal documents.  The first was the final accounts of Frederick Squire (KGVJ-W7B) by his executor and son, Edmund Frederick Squire (KF5Z-Q8X), in 1888.  Frederick’s total assets when he died were valued at just over $3,000, but he had nearly $2,000 in debts and funeral and estate execution expenses, leaving just over $1,100 for his heirs. I found it fascinating to read all the itemized expenses and see how prices have changed.  For example, 2-days rental of horse and buggy cost $4 (that is about $108 in 2019 dollars, adjusted for inflation).  Funeral expenses were $32 (about $863 in 2019 dollars). This document is especially interesting to me because my own grandparents recently died and I have been helping to settle their estate, so it has been interesting to see the process from 1888 and now.  There were a number of fees for proving the will, hiring a lawyer, taking testimony, and filing the accounts, so it is clearly at least as expensive and a hassle then as it is now.

Frederick’s will stated that his wife, Ann, would get $400 on the sale of his estate and $100 every year thereafter for the remainder of her life. The final accounting shows $300 going to Ann Squire as the “widow’s exemption.”  I don’t know why it is less than the $400 in the will.  She did get paid for two other items on the expense list, “asst. of devise” and “different times,” but I have no idea that these mean.

Frederick’s will is available on Ancestry.com in the Pennsylvania Wills and Probate Records collection, and it provided a treasure trove of genealogical information.  I also transcribed the will and uploaded it on Ancestry and FamilySearch.org.  The scanned copy of the final accounts is also on FamilySearch.

The other document I found was a land sale agreement between Edmund Frederick Squire and his son, John Jay Squire (L439-D3P), in 1913, wherein Edmund sold a plot of his land in Corry, Pennsylvania to his son for $800 plus interest, payable $100 per year. The document contains a description of the land, totaling three acres, and bordering on Marion St.  This document and it’s transcription are available on FamilySearch.org as well.

I did a little searching and found roughly where the land was, on the east side, near the end, of Marion St.

1876 map of land plots in Corry, PA.  The red star is my best guess of about where Edmund’s land was.  By 1913 that plot belonging to H. D. Francis had been broken into smaller plots, some of which probably still belonged to the same family because land belonging to Francis is listed as a border to Edmund’s land.

This is what the area looks like today.  Marion St. seems to have gotten shorter with time.  On the 1920 U.S. Census, John Jay Squire’s address is listed as 720 Marion St, with other houses on Mound St listed next to him.  Google Maps puts 720 Marion St in the middle of a field today, though it looks like there might be the foundation of a building there.