Clark Ward was born in Sodom, New York. His brother, William, was born in 1846 in Ward Hill. Could this summit have been named after one of their ancestors?

Wright A Adams

Born: 18 DEC 1812 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Father: Wright Adams (1773 to 1817)
Mother: Catherine Raney (1786 to 1850)

First Spouse: Elsina Arlene Haile (1815 to 1866)

Married: 2 DEC 1835 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Children:

Helen Jenatte Adams (15 NOV 1841 to 13 DEC 1924)
Washington Irving Adams (1848 to 17 MAY 1912)
Julia E Adams (1854 to 3 MAR 1932)

Second Spouse: Harriet Ingalsbee (1828 to 1907)

Married: 1866 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Children: None

Died: 30 OCT 1887 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA

Burial: Otis Cemetery

Timeline:

1817 Death of father, Wright
1835 Marriage to Elsina
1840 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1841 Birth of daughter, Helen
1848 Birth of son, Washington
1850 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1850 Death of mother, Catherine
1854 Birth of daughter, Julia
1860 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1863 Death of half-brother, Henry Amos Otis
1866 Death of wife, Elsina
1866 Marriage to Harriet
1870 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1875 Death of brother, Earl
1880 Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA
1887 Death and Burial

Occupation: farmer

Records:

1840 to 1880 US Census Records
New York, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890
New York, U.S., Death Index, 1852-1956
New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Wright’s First Wife:

Elsina Arlene Haile:

Elsina was born on 18 DEC 1815 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 12 APR 1866 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Elsina’s father was Samuel Haile. He was born on 5 SEP 1770 in Warren, Bristol County, Rhode Island, USA. He died on 15 JAN 1846 in Hartford, Washington County, New York, USA.

Elsina’s mother was Olive Bowen. She was born on 13 JUL 1773 in Warren, Bristol County, Rhode Island, USA. She died on 2 JAN 1854 in Hartford, Washington County, New York, USA.

Samuel and Olive were buried in Old Hartford Cemetery.

Elsina had eleven brothers and sisters. The three oldest children were born in Warren, Bristol County, Rhode Island, USA. The other children were born in Hartford, Washington County, New York, USA.

Eliza Wheaton Haile (1797)
Samuel Haile (1798)
Emmeline Haile (1800)
Amanda Haile (1802)
Olive W Haile (1804)
Nancy Haile (1807)
Laurelette Haile (1809)
Mary Lockwood Haile (1811)
Ermina Haile (1813)
Julia Ann Haile (1819)
Hannah Ann Haie (1821)

Wright and Elsina’s Daughters:

Helen Jenatte Adams:

Helen was born on 15 NOV 1841 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 13 DEC 1924 in Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan, USA.

Helen married Isaac Osborn in 1864 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. Two known children were born during their marriage:

Charles Henry Osborn (1865 Fort Ann, Washington, New York)
Frank Isaac Osborn (1869 Albion, Calhoun, Michigan)

Isaac Osborn was born in 1841 in Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, USA. He died on 13 SEP 1869 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. Isaac was 28 years old when he died.

After Isaac died, Helen married Lattin W Merritt on 12 DEC 1872 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. Three known children were born during their marriage:

Elmer L Merritt (1874)
Julia Merritt (1876)
Arthur Merritt (1879)

Lattin W Meritt was born on 3 MAR 1843 in Carrollton, Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. He died on 18 SEP 1917 in Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA.

Lattin had previously married Frances A Pointer on 25 FEB 1868 in Marengo, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA. Two known children were born during their marriage:

Frederick Merritt (1869 Marengo, Calhoun, Michigan)
Frank L Merritt (1871 Wolf River, Doniphan, Kansas)

Frances A Pointer was born in 1849 in New York, USA. She died in 1871 in Wolf River, Doniphan County, Kansas, USA. Frances was 22 years old when she died.

The Find A Grave website has memorials for Helen, Isaac, Lattin, and Frances. Helen’s name appears on the headstone with Isaac Osborn. There are two separate headstones for Lattin and Frances Merritt. All four of these individuals are buried in Riverside Cemetery.

Julia E Adams:

Julia was born in 1854 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. She died on 3 MAR 1932 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

Julia married Clarkson M Ward in 1875 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA. Two known children were born during their marriage:

Frank M Ward (1876)
Melvin H Ward (1884)

Clarkson M Ward was born in 1848 in Sodom, Warren County, New York, USA. He died on 2 JAN 1925 in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, USA.

A Little History:

Clark’s father was William Ward. He was born on 13 JUL 1819 in Sodom, Warren County, New York, USA. He died on 16 JAN 1865 in Bovina, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA.

Clark’s mother was Betsey Mann. She was born on 23 OCT 1815 in New York, USA. She died on 23 OCT 1865 in Bovina, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA.

Clark had four brothers and sisters. The three oldest children were born in Warren County, New York, USA. The youngest child was born in Wisconsin, USA.

Helen Maria Ward (1845 to 1846 Sodom)
William Ward (1846 Ward Hill)
Marion H Ward (1850 Hartford)
Susan M Ward (1857 Wisconsin)

Ward Hill is a summit located 2 miles northwest of the hamlet of Sodom in Warren County, New York, USA.

On 1 FEB 1928, their son, William, wrote a letter to his cousin, Mrs. Frank Hitchcock. He introduced himself to her and shared some information about his family. William was 81 years old at the time and his recollection of his family’s movements may have been off a little bit.

William told her that in 1851, the family moved to Hartford, Washington County, New York, USA. In 1856, they moved to Wisconsin. In 1865, both of his parents died.

The 1860 US Census shows that William Ward and his family were living in Bovina, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, USA. Susan was likely born in Bovina.

Their father, William, was 45 years old when he died. Eight months later, their mother, Betsey, died at the age of 50 years old. I do not know what caused their deaths.

The American Civil War ended in the spring of 1865. Many of the troops returning home may have been infected with smallpox and measles. Cholera and Typhoid Fever were also deadly diseases that spread through unimmunized communities.

Did You Notice?

Their son, William Ward, was born in Ward Hill. Could this summit have been named after one of his ancestors?

If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

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