Obituary of Hattie E. Kirby Akins Quick Allen (1866 - 1863)

I'm continuing with posting the newspaper clippings in my grandmother's collection. Today's clippings are the obituaries for her grandmother - Hattie (a.k.a. Harriet) KIRBY, born in 1866.

Hattie was raised by her grandparents as her mother died soon after birth. I've posted on her situation before, her father was the husband of her mother's older sister (allegedly - haven't proved that one yet). Family lore states that Hattie was "sold" by her grandmother to a widower with several young children (John AKINS). John died not long after, and Hattie married Joseph S. QUICK.

Joe QUICK died in 1913 and Hattie then lived with a gentleman named Frank Robinson until about 1936 when he went into an old age home.

After that, the 73 year old Hattie married a 37 year old man - Harry ALLEN. They were separated at the time of her death.

Wow! She must have had some stories to tell!

All the information above was provided to me by my grandmother and notes/lists from her mother.

Despite all the marriages and such, Hattie only ever had 2 children - Cornelia and Charles AKINS.

Her son Charley died relatively young (age 39), and I posted a poem previously that Hattie wrote upon the death of her son. It is a touching example of the pain that parents feel when a child precedes them in death.

Below are 3 obituaries my grandmother had pasted onto a sheet of paper for her grandmother Hattie. All identifying information on the newspaper has been trimmed off. The handwritten "1963" is in my grandmother's handwriting.



***Update on 28-Nov-2010 to add text of obituary:

Obituary Texts:

1.
Mrs. Hattie E. Allen
Mrs. Hattie E. Allen, 97, of Valois, died Tuesday, June 4, 1963.

She is survived by her husband, Harry Allen of Newfield; a daughter, Mrs. Cornelia E. Simpson of Valois; ten grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; 19 great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Friday morning at the May Funeral Home, Burdett, the Rev. John Booth officiating. Burial was in Union Cemetery, Burdett.

2.
Mrs. Hattie E. Allen, 97, of Valois, Tuesday, June 4, 1963. Survived by husband, Harry Allen of Newfield; daughter, Mrs. Cornelia E. Simpson of Valois; 10 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; 19 great-great-grandchildren. Body at May Funeral Home, Burdett. Calling hours: Thursday 7 to 9 p. m. Funeral there Friday at 9:30 p. m., the Rev. John Booth. Union Cemetery, Burdett.

3.
Mrs. Hattie E. Allen of Valois.
Body at May Funeral Home, Burdett. Calling hours: Thursday 7 to 9 p. m. Funeral there Friday at 2:30 p. m., the Rev. John Booth. Union Cemetery, Burdett.

Death Certificates In My Mail Make Me Happy

It's true, genealogist's love death certificates!!

So, you poor souls who are loyal readers know that sometime last winter I sent away to the New York Department of Health for death certificates. Silly me!

Although I read this text:


It never occurred to me that they were telling the TRUTH? How is it possible for anything to take that long anymore? Yes, I realize that I'm totally ruined for patience and all that thanks to immediate gratification in every other area of my life, but really????? I had only a general idea where the one death took place, and no idea where the other, but from now on I'm totally going through the local clerk! I learned my lesson!

And sure enough, mid-March I sent the letter, mid-June they cashed my check, and here we are, the beginning of September and I get my certificates. Five AND A HALF months. The "half" hurts. I'm just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong now, I'm happy that New York makes these available and I know they are understaffed and under-budgeted. Oh well. One day it will be better!!!

:-)

Love yoooou NY Department of Health! :-)

So anyway, back to my wonderful new certificates!

1. Hattie Allen

She's my maternal great-great-grandmother. I was looking to see how her parents were filled out because Hattie was the offspring of Laura Kirby and Laura's sister's husband. Yes, sad but true. At least according to family lore.

Hattie's daughter Cornelia was the informant and she listed Hattie's parents as "Samuel Kirby" and "Laura Kirby".



So, a couple things from this. Samuel Kirby is Laura Kirby's dad. Laura died not long after Hattie was born (she was still quite young), and Hattie was raised by her grandparents (Laura's parents), Samuel and Lucinda Kirby. I have Hattie in census records living with her grandparent's.

Looks like Cornelia was being discreet when asked about her mom's parents and listed mom's mother (Laura Kirby, no married name), and the man who raised Hattie, Samuel.

Oh well. Back to the drawing board to get some proof of this family legend!

2. Charles Francis Akins

This is Hattie's son Charles. He died at a relatively young age, only 39. A story has come down through the family that (allegedly) his wife might have had something to do with his early death. They say soon after Charley died, she had taken up with a man. Certainly these are all just allegations, I had no idea of his wife's name much less whether she might have encouraged an early demise for Great-Uncle Charley. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the hurt and grief the family of Charley felt that caused them to think not-so-nice things about Charley's widow.

Well, the good news is that homicide is not listed on the death certificate. In fact, they did not even perform an autopsy, so there must not have been anything suspicious to the authorities about Charley's early demise. His death is listed as being due to "cholycystitis". This is a mis-spelling of "cholecystitis" which is inflammation of the gall bladder. I read up on it, and it could be that maybe he had gallstones that blocked the bile from getting out of the gall bladder and maybe it got inflamed and burst, like an appendix. Of course, now I'm the person guessing, but it's a possibility.

The doctor who signed the death certificate attended Great-Uncle Charley from Nov. 1 through Nov. 13, 1928, so he was sick for two weeks before he died.



Also, now I have the name of his wife! Yay! Her name was Ethel Mae. AND, for some reason he was way up in Wayne County NY when he passed. My family typically stuck to the south in Tioga, Tompkins and sometimes Seneca counties, so that was new to me.

So anyway, what a relief to finally receive these, I'm so happy!

I have to admit, I hesitated about sharing the family lore about Charley's wife. But I decided to share as part of the process of debunking it and showing the natural cause of Great-Uncle Charley's death.

When I look at my ancestors during my research, I always hope that they had a happy life, filled with people they loved and who loved them back. I know that realistically, that is not always the case; children die, spouses divorce, natural and man-made disasters happen. But that still doesn't stop my hope that while they were alive, they had happiness in some form.

So no matter what happened between Charley and Ethel, I like to believe there was some point when they grinned at each other over a shared joke, held each other in a hug, or felt joy over their baby's first step.

And that's what keeps us all going, isn't it?

:-)

The Will of Rebecca Akins - Part 2, OK Here's the Actual Will

Welcome back! For those of you following along, my last post forced lots of back story on you about my Rebecca AKINS. And now, here's a transcription of her actual will:

Aug. 4, 1900.

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That I, Rebecca Akins, of the Town of Barton, County Tioga, and State of New York, being in sound mind, memory, and understanding, do make and publish this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and making void all former Wills by me at any time heretofore made.

After all my debts and obligations shall have been paid and all my funeral expenses settled then I give to my Grand-daughter, Julia E. Griffiths, all the residue of my personal property whatsoever; all my house-hold goods of every description, beds, bedding, carpets, couches, tables, chairs, musical instruments, dishes, knives & forks, spoons, pails, all tin-ware, and all goods mentioned and not mentioned which I may possess at my death. Also all my calves, hogs, horses, harnesses, wagons, sleighs, hay and grain and every thing of value or of no value do I give to her for she has been a kind and an affectionate daughter and has kindly cared for me in my declining years.

Rebecca Akins
by Sada Akins


All righty, so....

1. Julia E. Griffiths is Rebecca's grand-daughter through Rebecca's son John F. AKINS and his first wife, Gertrude BOWMAN. How sweet that Rebecca notes that Julia "kindly cared" for her!

2. From what I can tell, Julia lived with her grand-parents George and Rebecca since at least age 8, as she showed up in numerous federal and state census records with them.

3. I wish I wish I wish that Rebecca had specified what musical instruments she had laying around.

4. How COOL that she had a sleigh to leave to Julia! My grandmother used to tell me about the winters in NY back in the day. I've never ridden in a horse-drawn sleigh, I'm going to have to add it to my to-be-bucketed list!

5. Rebecca signed it with a "mark". And who "Sada" is, I have NO idea.


And now here's what I am really happy about! The probate part of the will I have mentions by name my great-grandmother Cornelia AKINS. In the transciption below I left out the worst of the legal-ese.

Last Will and Testament of Rebecca Akins, deceased

Be it remembered, that heretofore, on the 10th day of October, in the year 1900, Julia E. Griffiths, legatee, named in the Last Will and Testament of Rebecca Akins, late of the Town of Barton, in the County of Tioga, now deceased...

...requiring them to appear before him, at his office in the village of Owego, in said County of Tioga, on the 29th day of October, 1900, to attend the probate of such will.

And afterwards, to wit, on such 29th day of October, 1900, due proof being filed of the service of such citation, on all parties to whom the same was directed except Geo. T. Akins;

The proponent appeared by F. A. Bell, Esq., her Attorney and filed a duly executed affidavit showing failure to obtain service of the citation on Geo. T. Akins as aforesaid, and Fred W. Clifford, Esq., having been appointed the Special Guardian for Charles and Cornelia Akins infant parties herein a supplemental citation was thereupon issued to said Geo. T. Akins and on this 7th., day of January 1901, said Geo. T. Akins having filed a duly executed waiver of the issue and service of a citation herein, and no one opposing; Thos. Bennett and J. L. Bennett appeared and gave their testimony in support of said Will as one of the attesting witnesses to the execution thereof.


and more later on....


J.L. Bennett
Thomas Bennett

Surrogate's Court.
In the Matter of Proving the Last Will and Testament of Rebecca Akins

J.L. Bennett and Thomas Bennett, being duly sworn in open court, upon their several corporeal oaths, each for himself doth depose and say that they are subscribing witnesses to the Last Will and Testament of Rebecca Akins, late of the Town of Barton, in the County of Tioga and State of New York, deceased. And these deponents do further say, that the said Rebecca Akins, deceased, did, in the presence of each of these deponents, subscribe her name (by mark) at the end of the instrument, in writing, which is now here shown to these deponents, and which purports to be the Last Will and Testament of the said deceased, and which bears date on the 4th day of Aug., one thousand nine hundred.

Subscribed to and sworn to before me this 7th day of January 1901, Howard J. Mead, Surrogate.

...on all parties to whom the same was directed except Geo. T. Akins. The proponent appeared by F. A. Bell Esq., per Attorney and filed a duly executed affidavit showing failure to obtain service of the citation on Geo. T. Akins as aforesaid, and Fred W. Clifford, Esq., having been appointed the Special Guardian for Charles and Cornelia Akins infant parties herein a supplemental citation was thereupon issued to said Geo. T. Akins and on this 7th., day of January, 1901, said Geo. T. Akins having filed a duly executed waiver of the issue and service of a citation herein, and no one opposing; Thos. Bennett and J. L. Bennett appeared and gave their testimony in support of said Will as attesting witnesses to the execution thereof, and Julia E. Griffiths having taken and filed the statutory oath for administrators-with- the- Will-annexed,...

...And it is further ordered that upon said Julia E. Griffiths filing the usual bond in the amount of $400.00 Letters of Administration with-the-Will-annexed issue thereon.


For those of you who plowed through that:

1. "Geo. T. Akins" is George T. AKINS, a grandson to Rebecca (brother to Julia). He was not around I think to get the first citation for this will because he had moved to Nebraska. A couple of the AKINS' children from John F.'s first marriage moved to Nebraska for a while around 1900. Most eventually moved back to the Tioga County area in NY.

2. Charles and Cornelia, "infant parties" are of course, my great-grandmother and great-uncle (Rebecca's grandchildren from her son John F.'s 2nd marriage). At the time of this probate, they were age 12 and 13, respectively.

3. I'm no lawyer, and certainly no expert especially on early 20th century will legal-ese, but it seems to me that there was some sort of concern about guardianship for the 2 youngest kids of John (seeing as how he was already dead, in case you didn't read the last post). Why this would be a concern, I'm not sure, since they would have been living with their Mom and her new husband, the widower Joe QUICK. Unless of course, I'm on the right track about Hattie maybe not being the best mom ever? So maybe there was concern about their well-being? I just don't know. I could be saying mean things about Hattie for no reason (and if that's the case, sorry great-great-grandma!!!!).

4. Holy cow, Julia had to pay $400 in the year 1900???? What's up with that? According to one of my favorite historical currency conversion websites, that's like 10 GRAND!!!!


And so, that's the will and probate info on my great-great-great-grandma, Rebecca AKINS. I'm not 100% sure what all it says, but I don't mind because it's got Cornelia's name in there! Yay!!

Also, just a note: I'm going to start using "to wit" more in my writing, especially in my work emails as in:

Hi John!

So I was wondering if you had ever heard back from John, to wit, the other John, not you, about the country question.

Let me know if you have, to wit.

Kind to wit Regards,

Leah

The Will of Rebecca Akins - Part 1, the Back Story

Thanks to the fabulous SAMPUBCO website, I have a copy of probate/will information for my great-great-great grandmother Rebecca AKINS.

Before I provide the transcription, let me fill you in on some details.

Rebecca was born in October of 1819 in Orange County, NY and married a George AKINS either right before or right after moving to Chemung County, NY. They had 2 kids as far as I know, John Francis and Mary.

The son, John Francis AKINS, married a lady named Gertrude BOWMAN. They had 6 children, and then sadly, Gertrude died in December of 1884, at the age of only 38. Her children ranged in age from 17 years to only 16 months.

So that left John in a bind, he was a farmer and there was no way he could care for these children by himself. Although his eldest daughter, Julia, was 17 years old, she had been living (as far as I can tell from multiple census records) with her grandparents George and Rebecca since she was 8 years old.

That left John will only 5 children to care for, but the oldest was just a 15 year old girl, Mary Jane. Running a farm household for her father, along with caring for 4 younger siblings, the youngest a toddler, would have been a bit much for her.

Enter stage left, his 2nd wife, my great-great grandmother, Hattie KIRBY. In April of 1885, the 44-yr-old John married the (barely) 19-yr-old Hattie.

Family lore states that Hattie was sold as a bride to John by her grandmother Lucinda KIRBY in exchange for a new stove. (Don't let anyone tell you how life was simpler and better in the old days!!!)

Why would she be sold for a stove? Well, my guess is it was because poor Hattie was supposedly the product of an affair between her mother, Laura KIRBY, and Laura's sister Sarah's husband, Alonzo CHESLEY.

Laura was only 17 when she had Hattie, and then when Hattie was only 7 months old, Laura died. Family lore states she died of a broken heart. So that left Hattie's grandparents to raise her. Interestingly, Sarah stayed with Alonzo, and continued to have children with him. So either he was a smooth talker like no other smooth talker, or she stayed just so she could bring it up during every argument for the rest of their lives (which is my guess). I picture this:


Alonzo: "Geez Sarah, how could you not notice the milk was curdled before you put it in my coffee?"

Sarah: "Well Alonzo, maybe you should have noticed it was my sister before you put your---"

Alonzo, interrupting: "OK, OK, I'LL POUR MYSELF ANOTHER CUP!!!"


Anyway, so that's why I don't completely dismiss the sold for a stove story. It was probably tough having Hattie around as a constant reminder. People are only human, I can't judge because I wasn't there to see for myself.

Meanwhile, so there was the teenage Hattie, suddenly step-mother to 5 children, the oldest of which was only 4 years younger than her. I doubt they welcomed her with open arms, since it was only a few months since their mom passed. Although I could be wrong, they may have liked her (and needed the help around the house).

John and Hattie had 2 children: Cornelia, born in 1887 and Charles, born only a year later in 1888.

John then promptly died when Charles wasn't even 2 years old yet.

So the boys and the girls who weren't already out of the house married went to live with their grandma, Rebecca. I have them in the 1892 census with her (thank heavens for New York's 1892 census! It almost, almost makes up for no 1890 federal census).

Hattie, now only 24 yrs old, with a 2 yr old and 3 yr old was in a difficult position. I doubt her grandma Lucinda was going to welcome her back into her home when she had just gotten rid of her - OR - maybe Hattie had no intention of going back, because who knows what she would have been sold for next! Fortunately, she found a widower with 4 not-too-young children, Joseph QUICK, and they married in 1891.

There are some family stories that indicate that maybe Hattie wasn't the best at caring for children. Again, I can't judge since I wasn't there. Apparently Joe QUICK came home from the fields one day and found Charley bound (the way you bind babies, but he would have been a toddler) and hanging from a post in the kitchen. From that point on, Joe took Charley and Cornelia with him into the fields during the day. Now who knows, maybe Charley was a TERROR! Maybe he was on Hattie's last nerve, she was young, and she hadn't probably had the best examples in parenting from her family, so who knows.

Now, with all that as background, some of what's in Rebecca AKINS' will about little Charley and Cornelia might make more sense.

Tune in tomorrow for the actual will transcript and probate records!

This all feels pretty soap-opera-ry, so here's a timeline to help keep it sorted in the meantime:


1841 - John Francis AKINS born to George and Rebecca

1846 - Gertrude BOWMAN born Absalom and Catherine

1866 - Hattie KIRBY born to Laura (and allegedly Alonzo CHESLEY)

1866 - Laura KIRBY dies

1884 - Gertrude BOWMAN dies

1885 - John F. AKINS and Hattie KIRBY wed

1887 - Cornelia AKINS born to John F. and Hattie

1888 - Charles AKINS born to John F. and Hattie

1890 - John F. AKINS dies

1891 - Joseph QUICK and Hattie (KIRBY) AKINS wed

1900 - Rebecca AKINS dies

Sentimental Sunday - A Mother's Poem (07 February 2010)

For today's "Sentimental Sunday" theme, I've scanned in a copy of a poem my great-great grandmother Hattie Kirby Akins Quick Robinson Allen wrote. (And yes, she did marry 4 times!)

Hattie wrote this in 1928 when her son Charley Akins passed away unexpectedly. He was only 39 years old. Hattie was 62 at the time.

"In Memory of Charley Akins
Who passed away November 13 1928

I mourn his loss and well I may
He's in my mind both night and day
his kindly words and loving face
no one on Earth can take his place
the blow was great the shock severe
I little thought his death so near
but only those who have lost can tell
the sorrow of parting with one you
love so well

sadly missed by his Mother"

I have always thought this so touching. My grandmother was only 8 years old when her uncle passed away and I don't know why he died. To my knowledge he was not married and did not have any children. Creating this post made me realize my lack of knowledge on him, so I double-checked and since his death is more than 50 years ago (requirement when not your direct-line), I can order a death certificate from New York state.