Ancestors in Early Wheatland Records
I had intended to publish this article a couple of months ago, but Mom’s hospitalization and passing have consumed my attention. I’m wrapping this up now without expanding it as much as I might.
Wheatland treasures
The Rochester Public Library of Rochester, New York, recently added documents from the Wheatland Historical Association Digital Collections to the library’s web site. These local records provide glimpses of ancestors in the Town of Wheatland, Monroe County, New York.
New York towns correspond to townships in Michigan and are mostly rural. The Town of Wheatland was established in 1821 when Monroe County was created from Genesee and Ontario Counties. At the outset, Wheatland was briefly named Inverness. The north half of the Town of Caledonia, Genesee County became the Town of Wheatland, Monroe County, while the south half became the Town of Caledonia in the new county of Livingston. This history is outlined on pages 73-75 of Wheatland, Monroe County, New York: A Brief Sketch of its History by George E. Slocum.
Staats Springsteen, my great-great-great-great grandfather, served in Butler’s Rangers during the American Revolution. After the war, he settled in the Niagara region of what was then part of the Province of Quebec and in 1791 became the Province of Upper Canada. By 1810 he and his family had moved eastward to the Town of Caledonia in the State of New York. He died there in 1826. Staats would have been familiar with the rich lands of the Genesee River valley from his service during the war.
Some topics of interest in Slocum’s history include
- An account of Ebenezer “Indian” Allan beginning on page 14. He was the first European settler in what became the Town of Wheatland. He might have known Staats Springsteen from his service in Butler’s Rangers.
- An account of the Sheffer family beginning on page 16. They were the first permanent European settlers in the future Wheatland. Peter Sheffer Jr.’s daughter Margaret married Phillip Garbutt, who was an executor for Staats Springsteen’s estate. Staats appears to have lived near Peter Sheffer.
- Mention of John Smith, Margaret Smith Springsteen’s father, as an early settler and as the first teacher in the Scottsville school, on pages 21 and 54.
- Mention of Price Springstead (John Price Springsteen) in an account of the Scottsville Artillery Regiment in the Patriot War of 1837-1838, on pages 79 and 80. He was Staats Springsteen’s youngest son.
School records
Among the Wheatland records in the digitized collection of the Wheatland Historical Association are reports of school districts summarizing attendance and allocation of funds among district schools. These records include some lists of parents with children between the ages of five and fifteen years. We will look here at a few families of interest in Volume 21, School Papers 1824-1834.
Note that the map in image 140 of the Slocum book identifies the location of district schools.
| Year | District | Given name | Family name | Role | Children | Image |
| 1824 | 1 | Francis | Smith | Trustee | 4 | |
| 1824 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 1 | 6 |
| 1824 | 2 | Andrew | Smith | Parent | 2 | 6 |
| 1825 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 1 | 148 |
| 1825 | 2 | Andrew | Smith | Parent | 2 | 149 |
| 1825 | 2 | Robert | Smith | Parent | 2 | 149 |
| 1825 | 2 | Andrew | Smith | Trustee | 148 | |
| 1825 | 3 | Robert | Chambers | Parent | 1 | 150 |
| 1825 | 4 | Widow | Chambers | Parent | 1 | 152 |
| 1826 | 1 | Francis | Smith | Parent | 2 | 169 |
| 1826 | 1 | Robert | Smith | Parent | 2 | 169 |
| 1826 | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | Parent | 2 | 169 |
| 1826 | 3 | Robert | Chambers | Parent | 1 | 171 |
| 1826 | 4 | James | Chambers | Parent | 1 | 174 |
| 1829 | 1 | Henry | Sackner | Parent | 4 | 240 |
| 1829 | 1 | David | Springsteen | Parent | 1 | 240 |
| 1831 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 1 | 58 |
| 1831 | 10 | Springsteen | Parent | 1 | 73 | |
| 1832 | 1 | E | Fish | Parent | 4 | 26 |
| 1832 | 1 | Fras | Smith | Parent | 2 | 26 |
| 1832 | 1 | D | Springsteen | Parent | 2 | 26 |
| 1832 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 3 | 29 |
| 1832 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Trustee | 29 | |
| 1832 | 10 | David | Springsteen | Parent | 3 | 48 |
| 1833 | 1 | Ebenezer | Fish | Parent | 5 | 77 |
| 1833 | 1 | Francis | Smith | Parent | 1 | 77 |
| 1833 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 2 | 80 |
| 1833 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Trustee | 80 | |
| 1833 | 10 | David | Springsteen | Parent | 2 | 100 |
| 1834 | 1 | A | Blood | Parent | 4 | 109 |
| 1834 | 1 | E | Fish | Parent | 3 | 109 |
| 1834 | 1 | Ebenezer | Fish | Trustee | 109 | |
| 1834 | 1 | F | Smith | Parent | 1 | 109 |
| 1834 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Parent | 3 | 112 |
| 1834 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Trustee | 104 | |
| 1834 | 2 | Robert | Comfort | Trustee | 113 | |
| 1834 | 6 | G | Chambers | Parent | 1 | 120 |
| 1834 | 10 | David | Springsteen | Parent | 3 | 131 |
First, let’s consider a few families of perhaps less-than-obvious interest.
Staats Springsteen’s older brother Caspar was also a member of Butler’s Rangers. He settled west of Niagara and raised a large family there. Russ and David Springsteen of Traverse City, Michigan’s Right Brain Brewery are descendants of Caspar and his wife Elizabeth Comfort. Elizabeth’s father John Comfort was recognized as a United Empire Loyalist and was also apparently a member of Butler’s Rangers. This begs the question of whether Robert Comfort in these school reports might have been related to John and Elizabeth.
Our nieces Emily and Morgan are related to Steve Fish on both sides of their family. Steve and his sister Donna have investigated their ancestry but got stuck on the Fish line (sorry, but it had to be done) years ago, puzzling over the origins of an Ebenezer Fish. Might Ebenezer Fish of Wheatland be part of their family?
Staats Springsteen’s will provides context for related families in Wheatland records:
- Jacob Springsteen, oldest known son of Staats Springsteen, married Margaret Smith, daughter of John Smith and Nancy Johnson or Johnston. Five children were born to them in New York from 1818 to 1828. John S. Springsteen and Francis E. Springsteen were their sons. Jacob appears in the 1826 school records of District 1 as the parent of two children between the ages of five and fifteen. These would be John S. Springsteen, my great-great grandfather and Nancy M. Springsteen, born in 1818 and 1820.
- Mary “Polly” Springsteen married Henry Sackner. I know of three children born to them in New York from 1826 to 1833 and three children born in Michigan from 1838 to 1846. Henry Sackner was listed in the 1829 records of District 1 with four school-age children. None of the children of Henry and Mary whom I have identified would fit this age range. According to her father’s will Polly was married by July 1825, but I know not when or who Henry’s older children were.
- David Springsteen married Clara Delano. I know of nine children born to them in New York between 1826 and 1844 before they moved to Michigan. The school records suggest that they might have had an earlier child born about 1824. David appears in school lists for 1829, 1832, 1833 and 1834 with one to three children. He might also have been the unnamed Springsteen listed for 1831.
- Jane “Jennie” Springsteen married Abram or Abraham Blood. I know of three children born to them in New York from 1825 to 1831 and four born in Michigan from 1836 to 1842. A. Blood appeared only once in these lists, with four children, in 1834. Jane’s father’s will suggests that she had more than one child in July 1825, possibly including the oldest child I have identified, Sarah Ann, born the following month. The school list indicates that there might have been two children born before Sarah Ann.
- Deborah Springsteen married Robert Chambers. No children appear to have been born to them, but they took in a young man born in New York around 1834 and a foster daughter born in Michigan around 1844. Her father’s will called for Debby to provide for her brother John until he reached the age of sixteen in 1829. Robert Chambers is listed in the school records for 1825 and 1826 with one child between five and fifteen years old. Given that Debby’s mother Anna had left Staats around 1823, this child might well have been Debby’s brother John. Robert Chambers and Phillip Garbutt were executors for the estate of Staats Springsteen.
- Lana Ann Springsteen married Marcus Sackner. Four children were born to them in New York from 1830 to 1837 and one daughter in Michigan in 1844.
- John Price Springsteen married Mary Eurana Bristol. Three sons were born to them in New York from 1838 to 1841 and three sons in Michigan from 1845 to 1849.
Margaret Smith, Jacob Springsteen’s wife, had five older brothers, all born in Scotland: Francis, James, Andrew, Robert and David Johnson Smith. Her younger siblings were John, Jane (who married Asa Abell), Agnes, William and Thomas Smith. Francis, Andrew and Robert appear in these school lists. Francis and Andrew Smith, as well as Ebenezer Fish and Robert Comfort, also appear as trustees.
Another volume in this collection, A Record of Attendance at School District No. 1, 1850-1854, lists students by name.
| Term | Given name | Family name | Days | Image |
| 1850, Jan-Mar | Sarah | Smith | 58 | 14 |
| 1850, Jan-Mar | Edwin | Springsteen | 43 ½ | 16 |
| 1850, Apr-Jul | Sarah | Smith | 61 | 18 |
| 1850, Apr-Jun | Nelson | Springsteen | 27 | 23 |
| 1850, Sep-Dec | Sarah | Smith | 74 | 26 |
| 1850, Sep-Dec | Mary E. | Smith | 5 | 26 |
| 1851, Jan-Mar | Mary | Smith | 50 | 34 |
| 1851, Jan-Mar | Sarah | Smith | 57 | 34 |
| 1851, Apr-Aug | ||||
| 1851, Sep-Dec | Sarah | Smith | 70 | 48 |
| 1851, Sep-Dec | Nelson | Springsteen | 32 | 53 |
| 1852, Jan-Apr | Sarah | Smith | 15 ½ | 59 |
| 1852, Jan-Apr | Nelson S | Springsteen | 38 | 62 |
| 1852, Apr-Jul | Nelson | Springsteen | 59 ½ | 72 |
| 1852, Apr-Jul | Sarah | Smith | 34 ½ | 75 |
| 1852, Sep-Dec | Nelson | Springsteen | 61 | 81 |
| 1852, Sep-Dec | Sarah E | Smith | 64 ½ | 84 |
| 1852, Sep-Dec | Mary D | Smith | 14 | 84 |
| 1853, Jan-Apr | Nelson | Springsteen | 31 | 91 |
| 1853, Jan-Apr | Sarah E | Smith | 38 ½ | 94 |
| 1853, Jan-Apr | Mary D | Smith | 31 | 94 |
| 1853, Apr-Jul | Nelson | Springsteen | 38 ½ | 101 |
| 1853, Sep-Dec | Ellen | Smith | 32 | 105 |
| 1854, Jan-Mar | Ellen | Smith | 58 | 116 |
| 1854, Apr-Jul | Ellen | Smith | 35 | 124 |
Highway records
In the early nineteenth century residents were expected to provide labor for maintaining roads in their highway district. Residents were assessed for the number of days of labor expected. The highway tax lists suggest local residence and perhaps the amount of local property held. For example, in 1826, the year of Staats Springsteen’s death, Jacob Springsteen was assessed for 1 ½ days of labor in Highway District 1 while Peter Sheffer was assessed for 30 days in District 1 and Phillip Garbutt for 13 ½ days in District 4.
Early Wheatland assessments are in Volume 14, Highway Records, 1826-1841. They are currently identified on the Rochester Public Library web site as Volume 1, Highway Records, 1826-1841.
| Year | District | Given name | Family name | Days | Image |
| 2 | Francis | Springsteen | 1 | 5 | |
| 12 | David | Springsteen | 1 | 10 | |
| 14 | Geo | Chambers | 1 | 10 | |
| 25 | Sherman | Rogers | 1 | 15 | |
| 25 | Jacob | Springsteen | 1 | 15 | |
| 1826 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 3 | 56 |
| 1826 | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 1 ½ | 56 |
| 1826 | 2 | Robert | Smith | 1 ½ | 56 |
| 1826 | 4 | Thomas | Smith | 1 ½ | 57 |
| 1826 | 5 | William | Smith | 1 ½ | 57 |
| 1826 | 17 | Robert | Chambers | 1 ½ | 59 |
| 1827 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 4 | 61 |
| 1827 | 4 | Thomas | Smith | 2 | 61 |
| 1829 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 4 | 67 |
| 1829 | 1 | David | Springsteen | 2 | 67 |
| 1829 | 2 | Robt | Chambers | 2 | 67 |
| 1829 | 4 | Thomas | Smith | 2 | 68 |
| 1833 | 1 | Frank | Smith | 5 | 71 |
| 1833 | 2 | Robert | Chambers | 2 | 71 |
| 1833 | 3 | David | Springsteel | 2 | 72 |
| 1833 | 12 | George | Chambers | 2 | 73 |
| 1834 | 1 | James | Chambers | 1 | 75 |
| 1834 | 1 | David | Smith | 1 | 75 |
| 1834 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 4 | 75 |
| 1834 | 2 | Abraham | Blood | 1 | 75 |
| 1834 | 2 | Robert | Chambers | 2 | 75 |
| 1834 | 2 | Ebenezer | Fish | 2 | 75 |
| 1834 | 15 | George | Chambers | 1 | 78 |
| 1835 | 1 | James | Chambers | 1 | 81 |
| 1835 | 1 | David | Smith | 1 | 81 |
| 1835 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 6 | 81 |
| 1835 | 2 | Robert | Chambers | 2 | 81 |
| 1835 | 2 | Nicholas | Sackner | 1 | 81 |
| 1835 | 5 | David | Springsteen | 1 | 83 |
| 1835 | 15 | George | Chambers | 1 | 84 |
| 1836 | 1 | James | Chambers | 1 | 87 |
| 1836 | 1 | David | Smith | 1 | 87 |
| 1836 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 8 | 87 |
| 1836 | 2 | Robert | Chambers | 1 ½ | 87 |
| 1836 | 2 | John P | Springsteen | 1 | 87 |
| 1836 | 3 | Jacob | Springsteen | 2 | 88 |
| 1836 | 11 | Robert | Smith | 11 ½ | 89 |
| 1836 | 15 | George | Chambers | 1 | 90 |
| 1837 | 1 | James | Chambers | 2 | 93 |
| 1837 | 1 | David | Smith | 1 | 93 |
| 1837 | 1 | Francis | Smith | 7 | 93 |
| 1837 | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 1 | 93 |
| 1837 | 2 | Price | Springsteen | 1 | 94 |
| 1837 | 11 | Robert | Smith | 12 | 95 |
| 1853 | 3 | Sherman | Rogers | 1 ½ | 45 |
| 1854 | 1 | Robert | Smith | 6 | 27 |
| 1854 | 3 | Sherman | Rogers | 2 | 30 |
| 1854 | 15 | Andrew | Sackner | 1 | 36 |
Again, we find men and family names of interest.
- Abraham Blood, husband of Staats and Anna Springsteen’s daughter Jane, was responsible to provide one day of labor on the roads of Highway District 2 in 1834.
- Robert Chambers, husband of Staats and Anna’s daughter Deborah, was responsible for one-and-a-half to two days’ labor for several years ranging from 1826 to 1836. George and James Chambers are of interest as potential close relatives of Robert.
- Ebenezer Fish was assessed to provide two days of labor in 1834.
- Sherman Rogers, husband of Jacob and Margaret Smith Springsteen’s daughter Jane, was assessed for one to two days for several years. The undated list was probably from some year in the 1840s. Labor requirements might have carried from year to year unless reassessed.
- Andrew and Nicholas Sackner are of interest as potential relatives of Henry and Marcus Sackner, husbands of Staats and Anna’s daughters Mary and Lana Ann.
- David Smith, Margaret Springsteen’s brother and son of John and Nancy Smith, was assessed for a day’s labor from 1834 to 1837.
- Francis Smith, oldest son of John and Nancy Smith, was assessed for three to eight days from 1826 to 1837.
- Robert Smith, son of John and Nancy, was assessed for about twelve days in 1836 and 1837 and six days in 1854.
- Thomas Smith, youngest son of John and Nancy, was assessed for about two days in 1826, 1827 and 1829.
- William Smith, son of John and Nancy, was assessed for a day-and-a-half in 1826.
- David Springsteen, son of Staats and Anna, was assessed for a day or two between 1829 and the mid-1840s.
- Francis Springsteen, son of Jacob and Margaret, was assessed for a day of labor in the mid-1840s.
- Jacob Springsteen, oldest son of Staats and Anna, was assessed for a day or two of labor between 1826, the year of his father’s death, and the mid-1840s.
- John Price Springsteen, youngest son of Staats and Anna, was assessed for a day of labor in 1836 and 1837. John’s property in 1841 was identified as parcel 14 of Section 2 on Page 2 (image 13) of A Survey of the Village of Scottsville:
The property for which John was assessed road labor in 1836 and 1837 was probably elsewhere. John bought parcel 13 in 1839 from John W. Botsford[1] and sold it in 1840 to Lucretia Lamb.[2] He then bought parcel 14 in 1841 from Chester Keyes,[3] which he sold in 1842 to Jehial Read.[4]
Tax rolls
Town records of tax rolls for several years from 1843-1852 are included in the Wheatland digital collection with links provided to records for individual years. They are collected in two volumes:
These records reflect taxable property ownership and probable residence.
| Year | Given name | Family name | Acres | Real estate value | Personal estate value | Total tax | Image |
| 1843 | G H S & D | Rogers | 247 | 8445 | 37.94 | 15 | |
| 1843 | Harris | Rogers | 500 | 2.63 | 15 | ||
| 1843 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 300 | 1.35 | 15 | |
| 1843 | Widow | Rogers | 50 | 1700 | 7.64 | 15 | |
| 1843 | David | Smith | 1/2 | 175 | .78 | 17 | |
| 1844 | G H S & D | Rogers | 247 | 6700 | 16 | ||
| 1844 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 250 | 16 | ||
| 1844 | Widow | Rogers | 49 | 1232 | 16 | ||
| 1845 | G H & D | Rogers | 246 | 6700 | 16 | ||
| 1845 | Kesiah | Rogers | 49 | 1200 | 16 | ||
| 1845 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 250 | 16 | ||
| 1846 | G H & D | Rogers | 246 | 7000 | 18 | ||
| 1846 | Keziah | Rogers | 48 | 1200 | 18 | ||
| 1846 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 300 | 18 | ||
| 1848 | Daniel E. | Rogers | 144 | 4464 | 17 | ||
| 1848 | G H S | Rogers | 1/4 | 5000 | 17 | ||
| 1848 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 300 | 17 | ||
| 1849 | Daniel E. | Rogers | 144 | 4464 | 31.07 | 23 | |
| 1849 | George H.S. | Rogers | 5000 | 39.12 | 22 | ||
| 1849 | Harris | Rogers | 6 | 900 | 6.26 | 23 | |
| 1849 | Keziah | Rogers | 23 | ||||
| 1849 | Mrs. | Rogers | 1/4 | 300 | 2.49 | 22 | |
| 1849 | Sherman | Rogers | 1/2 | 50 | .35 | 22 | |
| 1851 | Byron | Rogers | 1/4 | 750 | 27 | ||
| 1851 | Daniel | Rogers | 144 | 10080 | 500 | 28 | |
| 1851 | G H S | Rogers | 8000 | 28 | |||
| 1851 | Mrs. | Rogers | 1/4 | 600 | 27 | ||
| 1851 | Sherman | Rogers | 1/4 | 400 | 27 | ||
| 1852 | Byron | Rogers | 1/4 | 600 | 150 | 2.83 | 20 |
| 1852 | Daniel E. | Rogers | 144 | 9360 | 28.49 | 19 | |
| 1852 | Harris M. | Rogers | 57 | 3135 | 10.03 | 20 | |
| 1852 | Henry G.S. | Rogers | 8000 | 27.14 | 19 | ||
| 1852 | Mary | Rogers | 1/4 | 600 | 1.82 | 19 | |
| 1852 | Sherman | Rogers | 1/3 | 400 | 1.21 | 19 | |
| 1852 | Peter | Sackner | 25 | 1200 | 3.65 | 21 |
Election records
Voter records give us a record of residency for men of voting age. Several volumes of election records are posted in the Wheatland digital collection. Following is a list of some voters of interest in the records of two volumes:
Voter lists begin in 1842.
| Year | Month | District | Given name | Family name | Volume | Image |
| George | Chambers | 6 | 3 | |||
| 1842 | November | 1 | George | Chambers | 6 | 78 |
| 1842 | November | 1 | Phillip | Garbutt | 6 | 62 |
| 1842 | November | 1 | Sherman | Rogers | 6 | 62 |
| 1842 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 6 | 64 |
| 1842 | November | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 6 | 62 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | George | Chambers | 7 | 5 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | Phillip | Garbutt | 6 | 135 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | Phillip | Garbutt | 7 | 2 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | Harris | Rogers | 6 | 134 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | Harris | Rogers | 7 | 4 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 6 | 135 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | David | Springsteen | 7 | 5 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 6 | 136 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 7 | 5 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 6 | 136 |
| 1843 | March | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 7 | 6 |
| 1843 | November | 1 | John S. | Springsteen | 6 | 136 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | George | Chambers | 6 | 98 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | Phillip | Garbutt | 6 | 104 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | Phillip | Garbutt | 6 | 115 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 6 | 106 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 6 | 117 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 6 | 108 |
| 1844 | November | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 6 | 119 |
| 1845 | November | 2 | George | Chambers | 7 | 10 |
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | George | Chambers | 7 | 16 |
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | George | Chambers | 7 | 21 |
| 1845 | George | Chambers | 7 | 30 | ||
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | 7 | 18 | ||
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | David | Springsteen | 7 | 16 |
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | David | Springsteen | 7 | 21 |
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 7 | 16 |
| 1845 | Spring | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 7 | 21 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | James | Smith | 7 | 47 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | James | Smith | 7 | 57 |
| 1846 | April | 1 | John | Smith | 7 | 135 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 7 | 46 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | David | Springsteen | 7 | 53 |
| 1846 | April | 1 | Francis E. | Springsteen | 7 | 135 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 7 | 43 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 7 | 48 |
| 1846 | November | 1 | Jacob | Springsteen | 7 | 56 |
| 1848 | November | 1 | James | Smith | 7 | 79 |
| 1849 | November | 1 | Sherman | Rogers | 7 | 110 |
| 1849 | November | 1 | David Jr. | Springsteen | 7 | 112 |
| 1850 | November | 1 | Sherman | Rogers | 7 | 159 |
| 1850 | November | 1 | David | Smith | 7 | 158 |
Jury lists
Volume 2, Jury Lists includes the following men who were called to serve over the years:
- Phillip Garbutt, image 21
- Byron Rogers, images 47 and 54
- Daniel E. Rogers, images 37 and 42
- George H.S. Rogers, image 47
- Sherman Rogers, image 47
- Francis Smith, image 5
- John Smith, image 37
- John S. Springsteen, image 35
Byron, Daniel and George (Henry) Rogers were brothers of Sherman Rogers, son-in-law of Jacob and Margaret Smith Springsteen.
Mary Thorn’s Journal
Mary Thorn, born in 1834, kept a diary of events in her life and neighborhood. Her journal for over a year beginning in January 1855 is included in the Wheatland digital collection as Diary of Mary Thorn, 1855-1856.
Among the people mentioned in Mary’s diary are
- Byron Rogers, brother of Sherman Rogers
- Mrs. Martin Rogers, sister-in-law of Sherman Rogers
- David Smith, apparently the son of Thomas and Emeline Smith
- Emeline Smith, wife of Thomas Smith
- Esther Smith, reported in the transcribed journal to be a sister of Thomas Smith
- Henry Smith, son of Thomas and Emeline Smith
- Israel Smith, son of Thomas and Emeline Smith
- Susan Smith, daughter of Thomas and Emeline Smith
- Thomas Smith, son of John and Nancy Smith, brother of Margaret Springsteen, and neighbor of the Thorn family
- Peggy (Margaret) Springsteen, daughter of John and Nancy Smith, wife of Jacob Springsteen
References can be found in the digitized journal as follows:
| Given name | Family name | Date | Image |
| Esther | Smith | January 19, 1855 | 20 |
| Susan | Smith | January 19, 1855 | 20 |
| Thomas | Smith | January 19, 1855 | 20 |
| Thomas | Smith | January 24, 1855 | 21 |
| Henry | Smith | February 3, 1855 | 26 |
| Mrs. Martin | Rogers | February 17, 1855 | 31 |
| Emeline | Smith | February 20, 1855 | 33 |
| Esther | Smith | March 3, 1855 | 39 |
| Thomas | Smith | March 6, 1855 | 41 |
| Thomas | Smith | March 9, 1855 | 43 |
| Esther | Smith | March 17, 1855 | 46 |
| Henry | Smith | March 17, 1855 | 46 |
| Susan | Smith | March 17, 1855 | 46 |
| Henry | Smith | March 21, 1855 | 47 |
| Thomas | Smith | March 21, 1855 | 46 |
| Esther | Smith | April 3, 1855 | 54 |
| Esther | Smith | April 5, 1855 | 55 |
| Thomas | Smith | April 6, 1855 | 55 |
| Esther | Smith | April 13, 1855 | 58 |
| Thomas | Smith | April 14, 1855 | 59 |
| Emeline | Smith | April 20, 1855 | 62 |
| Esther | Smith | April 20, 1855 | 62 |
| Thomas | Smith | April 21, 1855 | 62 |
| Esther | Smith | April 23, 1855 | 63 |
| Thomas | Smith | April 23, 1855 | 63 |
| Esther | Smith | April 26, 1855 | 64 |
| Esther | Smith | April 30, 1855 | 66 |
| Emeline | Smith | May 15, 1855 | 70 |
| Susan | Smith | June 4, 1855 | 77 |
| Thomas | Smith | June 5, 1855 | 78 |
| Esther | Smith | June 9, 1855 | 80 |
| Thomas | Smith | June 9, 1855 | 79 |
| Esther | Smith | June 10, 1855 | 80 |
| Emeline | Smith | June 12, 1855 | 80 |
| Byron | Rogers | July 4, 1855 | 91 |
| Susan | Smith | August 9, 1855 | 109 |
| Esther | Smith | August 18, 1855 | 114 |
| Thomas | Smith | September 4, 1855 | 123 |
| David | Smith | September 14, 1855 | 130 |
| Emeline | Smith | September 21, 1855 | 136 |
| Peggy | Springsteen | September 21, 1855 | 136 |
| Thomas | Smith | October 26, 1855 | 149 |
| Thomas | Smith | October 27, 1855 | 149 |
| Henry | Smith | November 1, 1855 | 152 |
| Israel | Smith | November 1, 1855 | 152 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 1, 1855 | 152 |
| Emeline | Smith | November 5, 1855 | 153 |
| Esther | Smith | November 8, 1855 | 155 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 8, 1855 | 155 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 14, 1855 | 158 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 24, 1855 | 162 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 28, 1855 | 163 |
| Thomas | Smith | November 30, 1855 | 164 |
| Emeline | Smith | December 4, 1855 | 165 |
| Thomas | Smith | January 4, 1856 | 180 |
| Esther | Smith | January 20, 1856 | 20 |
| Henry | Smith | February 11, 1856 | 202 |
| Israel | Smith | February 11, 1856 | 202 |
| Thomas | Smith | February 11, 1856 | 202 |
| Emeline | Smith | February 12, 1856 | 202 |
| Thomas | Smith | February 12, 1856 | 202 |
| Emeline | Smith | February 21, 1856 | 206 |
| Esther | Smith | March 13, 1856 | 220 |
| Thomas | Smith | March 24, 1856 | 225 |
| Esther | Smith | March 30, 1856 | 228 |
| Susan | Smith | April 21, 1856 | 236 |
| Esther | Smith | April 23, 1856 | 237 |
| Thomas | Smith | April 26, 1856 | 239 |
| Esther | Smith | May 10, 1856 | 241 |
| Esther | Smith | May 14, 1856 | 242 |
What light does this shed?
These records provide some insight into the circumstances and relationships of direct ancestors, their siblings, and cousins. They also give us a better idea when some of these families might have moved west to Michigan.
I’m still left wondering what happened to my third-great grandfather Jacob Springsteen. I knew already that he was still in Wheatland in 1840, apparently with two sons, three daughters, and no wife in residence.[5] I don’t know where Jacob’s wife Margaret Smith Springsteen was in 1840, nor do I know where either Jacob or Margaret were in 1850. We know from Mary Thorn’s journal and from the New York state census that Margaret was living in Wheatland in 1855.[6] She was living then in the household of Davis Huntley, whose name might have been the inspiration for her son John naming my great-grandfather Loyal Davis Springsteen. Margaret died July 24, 1859 in Madison County, Ohio and was buried in the New Carlisle Cemetery with the family of her brother David Johnson Smith.[7]
What, then, became of Jacob? Election records from the Wheatland digital collection show that he was in Wheatland as late as November 1846. Did he move to Michigan? Did he die in Wheatland before 1850? I have found no record of his death in Monroe County, New York.
There is no end of mysteries to solve in family history research.
Source notes
[1]Deed of property, John W. Botsford and Hannah Botsford to John P. Springsteen, 8 July 1837, recorded 31 July 1839 in Liber 48, Page 468; Office of the County Clerk, Monroe County, New York.
[2]Deed of property, John Price Springsteen and Mary Eurana Springsteen to Lucretia Lamb, 1 July 1839, recorded 7 July 1840 in Liber 50, Page 539; Office of the County Clerk, Monroe County, New York.
[3]Deed of property, Chester Keyes and Maryett Keyes to John P. Springsteen, 1 April 1840, recorded 1 October 1841 in Liber 56, Page 14; Office of the County Clerk, Monroe County, New York.
[4]Deed of property, John P. Springsteen and Urania Springsteen to Jehial Read, 23 December 1841, recorded 21 March 1842 in Liber 55, Page 497; Office of the County Clerk, Monroe County, New York.
[5]“United States Census, 1840,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYF-FPV : 13 August 2017), Jacob Springsteen, Wheatland, Monroe, New York, United States; citing p. 194, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 297; FHL microfilm 17,193.
[6]“New York State Census, 1855,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6Q9-KF6 : 13 March 2018), Margaret Springstein in household of David Hunter, E.D. 1, Wheatland, Monroe, New York, United States; citing p. , line #25, family #29, county clerk offices, New York; FHL microfilm 833,773.
[7]Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/ : accessed 17 May 2019), memorial page for Margaret Springsteen (25 Dec 1796–24 Jul 1859), Find A Grave Memorial no. 17416368, citing New Carlisle Cemetery, New Carlisle, Clark County, Ohio, USA ; Maintained by Robert “Rob” Weller (contributor 46505507).
You May Also Like
Mothers and fathers
The Tenuous Thread of Life
