Genealogy Stories

Last month, for the first time, my husband learned something about his biological parents. His adoptive Dad let it slip that Nelson's father was a professional tennis player and was never told of his existence. Nelson is a great tennis player, and plays in local leagues. As a genealogy buff, I was about to crawl out of my skin!!! I want to know everything! Is it right that his biological father doesn't know about him?...if he's still alive. I'll give a shoutout to any professional tennis player who was possibly in Georgia in early 1962. You have a son that you don't know about, born in Savannah!

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DOPPELGANGERS

Have you seen the story of Max Galuppo? www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/max-galuppo-temple-university-twin_n_2130291.html



Basically, Max ran into a 16th century Italian painting in a Philadelphia art museum, and the subject appears to be his identical twin. The Nobleman in the portrait was from the same region that the Galuppo ancestors are from. They are looking deeply at the family tree now. I love this stuff!

The Pilgrim Project

I'm excited about this project and have started a secure Facebook page. Families to be included will be contacted. This project is mostly centered on the branch of Hannah Mann and descendents after the 19th century move to Michigan. You may contact me at contact@michellefontaine.com.

Musings on New England People

Growing up in the mountains of NC, I became numb to my surroundings. Why did my Florida friends love to come visit when they lived near the beach? The mountains were so boring! I have longed to live in New England many times--the place rich in history--the place with mountains, rocky shores, rugged people and accents. But have the New England people become numb to their heritage and surroundings?

I love history--the good kind--people searching for a better way of life and making history protecting our freedom and making the world a better place. It seems every family in America started in Massachusetts. There aren't many buildings in the south that have been around for 200 years, and sometimes it seems everything is made of plastic. Things aren't built to last and neighborhoods are  ridiculously overgroomed and overplanned. Nothing is natural...sorry...I digress.

My point is, I don't think New England people fully appreciate what they have. A good friend of mine who has lived in Lunenberg for many years didn't really understand why my husband and I used take a trip up to Boston and other areas each fall. That's because she's in Boston every day. I would probably be the same way.

I have a pretty big blog on my Newfoundland roots and it draws a fairly decent crowd. People are really interested in their Newfie roots. I have found hundreds of cousins I never knew existed and have formed bonds with some really wonderful souls. I travel the globe just sitting here at my computer and it has been a great experience. THIS blog, however, has been a completely different experience...but time will tell.

Funny 1870 Newspaper Clip

I love old newspapers as they wrote about everything! This mentions the fat men of Athol, along with their weights. LOL! My ancestor is on the list--1 year before his death.

Genealogical Research Resources

Everyone, please get senior family members to fill out a Biographical form. It's important for future generations!

Biographical Form

Basic Charts and Worksheets by Family Tree Magazine (Also, more free forms here)

101 Best Websites

For historical local area books, go here: http://archive.org/

Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910

Massachusetts Vitals

• Vital Records (1841 - 1910)
• Vital Records: Pre 1841: City and town clerks in Massachusetts are the custodians of pre-1841 vital records for their respective towns. A list of all the city and town clerks in Massachusetts can be found at: Massachusetts City and Town Directory
• Vital Records: Post 1920: Vital records after 1920 are located at the municipal clerks' offices and the Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (150 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125). Researchers may contact the Registry of Vital Records at 617-740-2600, or through the DPH website:
  http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/vital-records.html
  Indices of the DPH vital records volumes through 1971 are available at the Archives, although there are no copies of the actual records at the Archives. These indices can be used by visitors to the Reading Room.

Mystery Photos

These two photos came from a Lamb/Mann relation. These ladies probably lived in Athol or Orange, MA. If anyone knows their identity, please contact me at newfiescott@gmail.com.



Lamb Family of Athol

ADDENDUM: Updated Info/findings

Lineage

1. Samuel Lamb: Birth 10 March 1721 in Framingham, MA Death 25 March 1793. Married Sarah Atwood.
2. Joshua Lamb: Birth abt 1748 Death 14 Nov 1830 in Phillipston, MA. Married Martha Kendall
3. James Lamb: Birth 6 Jan 1809 in Phillipston, Worcester, MA. Death 28 Mar 1871 in Athol, Worcester, Massachusetts. Married Sarah Hubbard

Children: Charles S. Lamb (1834-1921); Abby Maria Lamb (1838-1859); Sarah Elizabeth Lamb (1840-1900); Martha Elvira Lamb (1842-1890)

Charles S Lamb

Sarah E. Lamb

Martha E.Lamb

No photo found of Abby. As far as I can tell, there are no descendants of Charles and Abby. I descend from Martha.

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A few months ago I got a "genealogist's high" when I made a profound discovery. It's a long story, but I found a Mann relative in Athol a couple of years ago who had a very strong resemblence (one photo in particular) to my grandmother. What baffled me is that they seemed too distantly related to share such similar features. This got me highly interested in DNA and solidified my passion for family research. Anyway, what I accidentally discovered was that although they shared the last name of Mann, they were more closely related by another family--the Lamb family of Athol! Ba-da-Bing! There you have it--2 bloodlines.*

Now I have a great interest in James & Elizabeth (Hubbard) Lamb and their descendents. James (1809-1871) and "Eliza" are buried in Highland Cemetery. I can find very little documentation on their son Charles S. Lamb who married Abbie Fay. He was born in 1834, but I have no death info. I would VERY much like to see photos of these people**, including their daughters Abby Maria Lamb who married John Howard Lee, and Martha Elvira Lamb who married Horace Mann. This is a photo of daughter Sarah Elizabeth Lamb and her husband Joseph B. Cardany. They lived in Athol and Orange, MA.

1870 Athol Properties



*I think this must be very common in earlier centuries when there wasn't as much choice in mates as we have today, and people didn't do a lot of moving. They settled in one area and stayed--generation after generation. I think there are a lot of branch crossovers in my Mann chart--currently at 15 pages of descendents.

** Email me at newfiescott@gmail.com

Source: Athol, Past and Present, Caswell, 1899





Famous Educator Horace Mann VS. Horace Mann of Athol/Petersham

I keep forgetting there is confusion in the identity of my 2nd great grandfather Horace Mann and the "great educator." First, shame on their parents for not giving them middle names! These two men came from Massachusetts, but were NOT related. My 2nd great grandfather, also an educator among other things, was young enough to be the famous one's son. In the 1960s, a school was built on the land my 2nd great grandfather donated to the church, but those poor people thought it was the famous Horace Mann--as was written in a church publication. I hate to burst bubbles. For the first time, I spoke to relatives today in California, and I believe they also were under the impression that they were related to Horace Mann, the famous educator. Sorry!



Thomas Mann of Petersham, MA

1780-1853

(from Mann Memorial, 1884)

• Was born on the homestead farm in 1780.
• After he became of age we find the two brothers, Ensign, Jr., and Thomas, in joint ownership of the farm, formerly their father's, and a large tract of timber land, with mill privilege adjacent.
• After the decease of Ensign, Jr., in 1810, by adjustment, Thomas came in possession of the last mentioned estate, settled upon these lands, took his father (whose wife had deceased in 1806) to support, and by the rapid growth of the pine forests accumulated a handsome property.
• He was of slender frame, good height, a man of strict integrity, moderate in movement, and had a well balanced mind.
• He died suddenly in Fitchburg in 1853 of heart disease while on a business trip.
• Children were all born in Petersham--5 children lived and died in Petersham without ever marrying.

Children:

1. Clark
2. Josiah
3. Alice Whitney
4. Elizabeth S.
5. Dwight
6. Lott
7. Thomas Marshall
8. Esther Elvira
9. Priscilla A.
10. Angeline

History of Athol, Massachusetts by William G. Lord (1953)

If anyone can get me a copy of this book, I will convert it to ebook format. It would be of great use to genealogists. It is my understanding my great Aunt Mabel A. (Mann) Hayden helped Mr. Lord write it.

You may contact me at newfiescott@gmail.com. Would love to see it!

Mayflower Myth

I'm bummed! On page 141 of the Mann Memorial book, Mr. Mann gave a brief genealogical sketch of Abigail Cook's family with the premise that they descended from Francis Cooke of the Mayflower. Mr. Mann states that Francis had a son named Henry, but that isn't true. The Henry we descend from was a Butcher in Salem, Mass. and was born in England around 1615 to Edmund Cook of Kent.

The lineage goes like this:

HENRY COOK (1615-1661) and Judith Birdsall

SAMUEL COOK (1641) and Mary

ISRAEL COOK (1692) and Elizabeth Clark

JOHN COOK and Naomi Abernathy

BENJAMIN COOK (1764) and Charity Elliot

ABIGAIL COOK Mann (1808)


*Abigail Cook married my 3rd great grandfather William.

Genealogy of the Mann Family

I have an extensive 8-page family tree and brief biographies of the Mann families. If you are interested, please contact me at contact@michellefontaine.com. Here is a "skeletal" version.

Early Generations

Richard Man (1611-1655) and wife Rebecca of Scituate, MA, had 4 sons. Their son Thomas (1650-1732) had 8 children--the youngest was Ensign Mann, Sr. (1699–1762). Ensign, Sr. had two sons who moved to Petersham--Ensign Mann II and Elijah Mann.

Ensign Mann, II (1740–1829) and Alice Whitney (1748–1806)

1. Alice Whiting Mann (1775-1805): Married Thomas Lincoln and had Ebenezer and Thomas (both moved to other towns)

2. Lucy Mann (1777-1859): Never married, lived/died in Petersham.

3. Ensign Mann, Jr. (1778-1810): Married Lydia Fillmore and had William and Sally.

• William Mann & Abigail Cook: 1) George Sumner, 2) Wilson, 3) Horace, 4) Horatio, 5) Mary Sanderson, 6) Jane Levira, 7) Lydia Ann
• Sally Norcross Mann & Peter Harwood Marsh: 1) Charlotte L., 2) Sarah, 3) James S., 4) Ensign, 5) Julia J., 6) Amos Alfred, 7) Infant, 8) Julia A., 9) Henry A., 10) Ella

4. Thomas Mann (1780-1853): Married Esther Stone and had 10 children.

• Clark Mann (Never married)
• Josiah Mann (Never married)
• Alice Whitney Mann & Joseph Stratton: 1) Horace Minott Stratton, 2) Clark M. (Died in infancy), 3) Frederic Eugene
• Elizabeth S. Mann (Never married)
• Dwight Mann: 1 son died in infancy
• Lott Mann & Emily Dennis: 1) Thomas Sidney
• Thomas Marshall Mann & M. E. Ferguson: 4 children (family lived in Louisiana)
• Esther Elvira Mann (Never married)
• Priscilla A. Mann & Daniel Austin Ellinwood: 1) Eliza Maria (never married)
• Angeline F.Mann (Never married)

5. Julianna Mann (1783-1813): Never married, lived/died in Petersham.

6. William Mann (1784-1861): Never married, lived/died in Petersham.

7. Samuel Mann (1787-1856): Married Sarah Luce and had 6 children.

• Richard Baxter Mann (died at age 10)
• Harriet Maria Mann & Frank Wheeler: 1) Arthur Henry, 2) Frank Mann, 3) Sarah Marian?
• Caroline Luana Mann (Never married)
• Asaph Mann (died at age 2)
• Samuel Mann & Maria Antoinette Luce (cousin): 1) Caroline W., 2) Helen/Ellen, 3) Sarah F., 4) Eugene S.
• William Henry Mann & Susan Bancroft: no children

8. Priscilla Mann (1790-1836): Married Holland Goodnow and had 10 children in New Salem.

9. Hannah Mann (1792-1865): Married John Briggs and had 6 children. Family relocated to Michigan.

Elijah Mann (1742-1823) and Mary Mann (cousin)

1. Joseph Mann: Lived in Hanover and never married.

Books of Research

History of Petersham
Sketches of Petersham natives and adopted citizens (1915)
Athol, Massachusetts, past and present (1899)
Mann Memorial, 1884

Websites
Athol Genealogy (in Worcester County)

Area Video

Petersham

Athol

Vera Mann

My grandmother Vera Mann was born in Athol in 1914. She was the daughter of James L. Mann and the granddaughter of Horace Mann. Her parents both died when she was very young and she was raised by much older step sisters. I do not know if she knew her grandfather Horace, or if she knew what a good man he was. She left her past behind her, married a preacher and lived all around the U.S. My family knows very little--basically just what I have exhumed in my research over the past year.

Looking for the Spear & Woodruff Families

My family shares a special connection with the branch of Hannah Mann and I would love to hear from the descendents. Surnames include Schutt, Roberts, Trautwein, Redman, and Fischer. The list grows monthly! Please contact me at contact@michellefontaine.com.

Richard Man of Scituate, Massachusetts

I am a descendant of Richard Man(n) who arrived in Scituate in 1636 from England. Scituate was settled by a group of people from Plymouth about 1627 (see Plymouth Colony.) Several generations of the Mann family lived at the Mann Farmhouse at the corner of Stockbridge Road and Greenfield Lane, which is now a museum: http://scituatehistoricalsociety.org/mann-house

Family history has been preserved in a book by family genealogist George S. Mann (my 2nd great grand uncle): Mann memorial. A record of the Mann family in America. Genealogy of the descendants of Richard Mann, of Scituate, Mass. Preceded by English family records, and an account of the Wrentham, Rehoboth, Boston, Lexington, Virginia, and other branches of the Manns who settled in this country.

Richard and his wife Rebecca had 4 sons. Thomas, the second son, begat 8 children. The 8th child, Ensign Mann, Sr. (born around 1699), wed and died in Petersham, MA. Ensign Sr. begat another Ensign Mann in 1740. Ensign #2 went to Harvard, was the leader of the Sons of Liberty and begat Ensign Mann Jr. in 1778. Ensign Jr. begat William, William begat Horace, Horace begat James Lamb Mann, and this is where my line in Athol/Petersham ended. James' daughter Vera (my grandmother) married a preacher and lived all over the U.S.

The Start

A year ago I started researching my ancestry and have been loving every minute of it. I found out a little about my grandmother's family, but spent most of my time on my grandfather's Newfoundland roots. But last evening I started back researching my Massachusetts roots--specifically the Mann family. My grandmother was Vera Ida Mann and she was born in Athol, Mass. in 1914.

Since I left off last year, a lot of people have jumped on the research wagon and I was able to trace back to 1577 England! (I still have to verify the paper trail.) The Richard Man family arrived in Scituate, Plymouth, Mass. in 1636, and the settlement is still there, along with a museum! http://www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org/sites_mann.html

Before I go further on this blog, I must state that I have had a fascination with Massachussetts that started with the death of JFK Jr., and in 1999 my husband and I traveled there every fall for about five years. We love Boston, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. OH, HOW I LONG TO GO BACK!