Sunday, January 29, 2017

Military Monday: Lowell’s Army Buddies (Part 4): In the Field

This may be a picture of the army camp from a distance, or this may be a picture of the European countryside.


Parts one, two, and three of this short series have already been posted. In this series, I have been posting my great-uncle Lowell’s small collection of photographs from his time in the U.S. Army. He had enlisted on 10 Nov 1943, started service on 1 Dec 1943, and was released from service on 18 Apr 1946. For at least part of that time, he served with the Military Police.

This time, I will post pictures that appear to have been taken in that vague “somewhere in Europe” during the war. None of them are marked with names or locations, and, although I can recognize Lowell himself when he appears, I have no knowledge of the other people who might show up. Because of other (marked) photos in the collection, I can make a guess on a couple of them, though.


In this photo, Lowell is on the left. The cannon they are posing by appears to be similar or the same as the one that shows up in the first post with Lowell and Melvin Chrisman. In fact, I believe that I should have placed this photo with those other two, despite this cannon being set up and the other one still on the truck. The man on the right certainly resembles the man identified as Melvin Chrisman in the other picture, and the pictures could easily have been taken the same day. 


Once again, Lowell is on the left in this photograph. I am inclined to think that this picture was also taken the same day and that the man on the right is again Melvin Chrisman.


Lowell is again on the left, but this time I am not convinced that the man on the right is Melvin Chrisman or that this photo was taken the same day as the other two. It appears to have been taken somewhere in a city, whereas the other pictures look more rural, and the men are wearing different uniforms. The man on the right is armed and also seems to be carrying a canteen and some other unidentified objects.


This picture has me completely at a loss. It appears to have been taken in a city somewhere, and the two men in the picture are unidentified. I could find no one in the marked pictures who in my opinion resembled either of these men. I notice that they are standing under a “one way” sign, which is made out of cardboard and apparently tacked on to the brickwork.


Sources:


National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell A Brosius; citing Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.

National Cemetery Administration, "U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius, Willamette National Cemetery; citing National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS [Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem] Death File, 1850-2010," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Military Monday: Lowell’s Army Buddies (Part 3): Around Camp

This photo appears to be of a military camp of some sort. I have no idea what the long white thing is in the middle. Two ideas that occurred to me were a huge Thanksgiving table or a raised roadway. That should give you some notion of how clueless I am about this picture.



As I have already written in the first and second installments of this short series on my great-Uncle Lowell’s army photos, Lowell Brosius enlisted on 10 Nov 1943, started service on 1 Dec 1943, and was released from service 18 Apr 1946. He served with the Military Police for at least a portion of that time.



This time around I am posting some pictures that appear to have been taken around camp. Whether it is basic training camp, a camp where he served somewhere in Europe, some combination of both, or something else, I have no idea. Perhaps research will eventually answer some of those questions.



I can generally recognize Lowell when he appears in a photo, but most if not all of the pictures this week are unmarked, and I do not know who the other people are. Once again, I will do my best to guess at identities based upon the few marked pictures in Lowell’s collection, but many in this group of pictures are particularly poorly focused and I don’t foresee my success rate as being very good this week.



In this picture, for instance, I wouldn’t dare try to guess the identities of the men. I imagine that if I had been there and known them personally the figures in this photograph would be sufficient for identification, but that is not the case. The buildings are reasonably clear, though, and it is interesting to imagine what life was like in those wooden-skeletoned tents.




The only identified person in any of Lowell’s pictures who remotely resembles this man is Wynn Tingey, but I am not convinced that this is he. Whoever he is, note that he is displaying something in his hands. I think it may be a pistol, but it was evidently moved during the shutter exposure. I also enjoy the fact that he is photographed against a background of clean laundry.




Here are two more men against the same background of clean laundry. Note that the man on the left is holding a pistol. I could not find anyone in Lowell’s marked pictures who resembled either of these men enough to merit hazarding a guess at their identities.



I rather like this one. It is set against the same backdrop of clean laundry, but in this picture the subject is also photographing the photographer. I think the man may be the same one who was holding the pistol above, but that picture is too blurry to make a very good comparison.



There certainly seems to have been a lot of posing going on in front of that clean laundry that day. I would say that the man pictured on the left is the same one who was aiming a camera at the photographer in the picture just above, and the man on the right is the same one who I thought somewhat resembled Wynn Tingey.




I would guess that this photo was taken within seconds of the one above. The man on the left is almost certainly the same man in the photograph above (as well as the photograph above that), but the man on the right appears to be a different person than in the picture above. I would guess him to be Melvin Chrisman, although he also somewhat resembles Albert Matkovich and S. J. Marquis.



Whew! It is exhausting examining every face and comparing it to every face in every other photograph. I think that at this point I am ready to turn down the level of ambition just a bit. We appear to remain in the laundry day photo session, but only for a short time longer.



 

And now we shall move toward a different area of the camp (if, indeed, it is the same camp), away from the living area toward what appears to be (judging from my experiences watching old movies—I claim absolutely no firsthand knowledge of army camps) the motor pool.





This is perhaps one of my favorite pictures in this series, and not only because there is a puppy in it. It is also one of my favorites because you can see Lowell’s reaction to the puppy. He was a dog-lover, too, and you can see it in his face. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Lowell is the man on the right. While the other man is posing for the picture and trying to show the puppy to the camera, Lowell’s focus is on the puppy.



Here is one last picture, which appears to have been taken in the same general area:


Sources:




National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell A Brosius; citing Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.



National Cemetery Administration, "U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius, Willamette National Cemetery; citing National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.



U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS [Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem] Death File, 1850-2010," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.


Saturday, November 19, 2016

Military Monday: Lowell’s Army Buddies (Part 2)

Lowell and two unidentified buddies standing in front of a Jeep. The Jeep number is partially visible. The vehicle has a tattered-looking cover, and a shovel and what appears to be an ax are attached to the side. With those tools, I wonder if it may have been intended for use in some sort of fire-fighting, though I don’t know if there was much demand for that in the Army in WWII. Lowell is the man on the left, with the cigarette in his hand. I never knew Lowell to smoke; he always chewed snus during my lifetime.

As I said in the last post, my great-uncle Lowell Brosius served in the U.S. Army during WWII. He enlisted on 10 Nov 1943, started service on 1 Dec 1943, and was released from service 18 Apr 1946. At least part of that time he was an MP. I am posting some more of his photographs from his army days. Most of them, unfortunately, are unmarked. But some are marked, enabling me to make guesses as to the identities of some of the unmarked individuals.

This photo was obviously taken in front of the same Jeep as the photo at the beginning of this post, and the man at the right of this picture is clearly the same man at the center of the above picture. He resembles men identified in other photos as Desmond Call and Rocco Robertson, however his hairline does not quite match up with the hairlines in either of the identified photos. It is possible that it is one of those men with his hair swept forward, but I am not convinced. The man at the left of this picture resembles men identified in other pictures as Ed Whitten, S. J. Marquis, and Melvin Chrisman. In this case I would guess that it is Melvin Chrisman.


Here is another (rather blurry) photograph taken in front of that Jeep. This one, too, is unmarked. The man on the left is clearly (blurrily) the same man who was on the left in the second picture. I think that the man second from the left is the same man who was on the right in the first picture. That might be Uncle Lowell in the middle, but if it is it’s not a very good resemblance. However, I couldn’t find anyone else in the marked photos who it could be. The second man from the right could be Desmond Call or Rocco Robertson or S. J. Marquis or Albert Matkovich. The features are too blurry in this photograph for me to hazard a more positive guess. But I do feel pretty sure that the man on the far right is Wynn Tingey (or Wynn Fingey; I’m not quite confident about the handwriting on the marked photo).

As you can see, this time all the pictures were unmarked, but perhaps some of my guesses may help someone identify their family in one or more of these photos.


Sources:


National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell A Brosius; citing Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.

National Cemetery Administration, "U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius, Willamette National Cemetery; citing National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS [Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem] Death File, 1850-2010," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Military Monday: Lowell’s Army Buddies (Part 1)

An unmarked picture, that to my untrained eye appears to have been taken at a military base somewhere. Perhaps this taken where they underwent their training. I do not recognize any of these men as my Uncle Lowell, but the shadows from the helmets make any identification difficult.


My great-uncle Lowell Brosius served in the U.S. Army during WWII. He enlisted on 10 Nov 1943, started service on 1 Dec 1943, and was released from service 18 Apr 1946. He served with the Military Police.

Our family was very close to Uncle Lowell. When he could no longer drive, my dad (and usually I tagged along) would go over to his trailer house once a week and offer him the opportunity to do some grocery shopping. Sometimes Lowell would take us up on the offer, and other times he didn’t need to do any shopping, so we would hang out with him and visit for a while. When Lowell’s health began to fail and it was no longer advisable that he live alone, he moved in with us. We had a nice, finished basement which we fixed up as an apartment for him so he could have his independence, but we could check on him any time. If he became unwell enough to require nursing, we would have had to find a nursing home, but that never became necessary. He passed away one October morning in 1995, sitting in his easy chair.

As his closest family, we inherited his small collection of photographs. Unfortunately, most of them are unmarked, but some of them are. Today I thought I would showcase some of his photos from the war. Perhaps you will find someone from your family among these pictures.

[Please note, my comments on each picture appear below the image.]


This is one of the marked photographs, marked only “Lowell Brosius Speed Patrol Maurmelon France.” I recognize Lowell as the passenger in the Jeep. If you look carefully, you can see that the sign above the rear fender reads “Military Police.” The Jeep is numbered 20655756, and perhaps some day that will be of use in my research. Or yours, if you happen to recognize the driver. As for the driver, although he is unidentified in this picture, I may be able to make a guess. He resembles a man identified in another of Lowell’s pictures as Desmond Call. But then again, he also resembles the one identified as Rocco Robertson. But, really, I think Desmond Call is the more likely candidate. (Those photographs—and all others referred to in this post—will be in an upcoming post, and then you can compare them for yourself.)



This photograph is marked “Melvin Chrisman.”


This picture appears to have been taken in the same time and place as the one of Melvin Chrisman above. This one is not marked, but I’m pretty sure that is Uncle Lowell squatting atop the tire of that vehicle. I can picture Lowell and Melvin taking turns posing with the artillery while the other handles the camera.

The next group of pictures has a similar theme: army buddies posing with an interesting vehicle. This time it is some sort of caterpillar-tired thing marked “USA 950858.”


This first picture is Uncle Lowell. He had two copies of this one. The other print is in better condition and slightly brighter. It is easier to make out the numbering on the vehicle. But in my opinion this print shows Lowell’s face a little more clearly.


Here is the apparent mate to the picture of Lowell above. Unfortunately, it is not marked, so I cannot identify the man posing. He looks a little like a man identified in another photo as B. F. Simpson, but I am not convinced they are the same man. In the other photo, B. F. Simpson is kneeling on the ground, wearing a hat, so it is difficult to compare.


This is apparently the same vehicle, or at least the same type of vehicle, as the one pictured above, but taken from the opposite side. Perhaps it was taken in the same place, looking the opposite direction, though an inspection of the backgrounds in the three pictures inclines me to think that unlikely. The man is another unidentified friend of Uncle Lowell’s. He resembles men identified in other photos as Ed Whitten and S. J. Marquis, but this picture is too grainy for me to decide with much certainty between the two.

Although this portion of Lowell’s army photo collection was pretty low in names, I hope that my guesses may have helped someone out there!



Sources:


National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell A Brosius; citing Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.

National Cemetery Administration, "U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius, Willamette National Cemetery; citing National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS [Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem] Death File, 1850-2010," database, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 Aug 2015), entry for Lowell Brosius; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

A Brick Fight? Seriously?

Did you know that Missouri has digital images of all of its death certificates between 1910-1965 available for free online at Missouri Digital Heritage? I took advantage of this service and downloaded the death certificates for all of the individuals in my tree who are known to have died in Missouri between those dates. Last weekend I was examining all those certificates and inputting them into my database.

One of the wonderful things about death certificates is that not only do they provide the date and place of death, but they also provide the cause of death. It can be extraordinarily difficult if not impossible to learn a cause of death without a death certificate, especially if it is one of the mundane ones that are named in so many of them: “Arteriosclerosis,” for example, or “Coronary occlusion.” I transcribed the word “hemorrhage” so many times that I no longer had to double-check how many Ms, how many Rs, or where the heck the second H goes.

But when I got to the death certificate of Ray Nelson, my great-great-great-uncle, the brother of my great-great-great-grandmother Minnie (Nelson) Hoyt—and the grandson of Timothy Soper—I was surprised to see the cause of death listed as “Concussion of brain from being hit in forehead with brick (Homicidal).” That piqued my interest, and so as soon as I got the chance I went to the Chronicling America website and began to look up newspaper articles. I figured that anyone who got a homicidal brick to the head would undoubtedly have made the papers. Though there was less than I expected, I did find two articles. The first article gave the information that Ray Nelson (denoting his first name as “Orren,” while I had “Otis” in my database) had died at the home of my 3great-grandmother, giving her address—which I previously did not have—and that the brick had hit him near the intersection of Eighth and Olive streets.



Transcription:

Orren Ray Nelson died at the home of his sister, Mrs. E. E. Hoyt, 712 Powell street, Monday. On the Saturday night previous he was hit by a brick thrown by some one at Eighth and Olive streets, which caused his death.


This, of course, is all very useful information, but it still leave a lot of questions, such as why a brick was flying at the corner of Eighth and Olive streets. Was someone just standing there throwing bricks? Was someone targeting him? After some more searching I found the second article, which turned out to be in the same edition of the newspaper on a different page. This article answered a few more questions. It turned out that a couple of parties were having a brick fight. A brick fight? Hmm.



Transcription:

KINZIE CHARGED WITH KILLING NELSON
When a coroner’s inquest was held Wednesday over the case of Orren R. Nelson, who was killed Saturday night by being struck by a brick, testimony was introduced that put new light into the matter and resulted in the arrest of J. E. Kinzie, his wife Dorothy and Bert A. Jensen. It developed that the Kinzie’s and Jensen were involved in a row, during the course of which bricks were thrown by both sides. At the hearing proof was adduced to show that it was Kinzie who threw the brick that caused Nelson’s death and he was held to the criminal court on a charge of manslaughter. His wife and Jensen were not held.


So, now we know to an extent how a brick happened to be flying through the air near Eighth and Olive streets, but I still have some questions. Was Ray Nelson participating in the brick fight? Was he trying to stop it? Was he an extremely unfortunate passerby at the wrong moment? Perhaps I will find still more articles, once I stumble upon the right search terms. (The limitations of OCR were quite glaring during this research. Finding the second article took some creativity.) I can’t help but think that a brick fight resulting in manslaughter would be an unusual enough occurrence to merit at least a couple more articles. Right now there is plenty of mystery to keep me engaged.



Citations:


"Kinzie Charged With Killing Nelson," The St. Joseph Observer, 8 Feb 1919, p. 7, col. 4; digital images, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 24 Oct 2016), Image provided by State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO.

"Local Matters of General Interest," The St. Joseph Observer, 8 Feb 1919, p. 5, col. 4; digital images, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 24 Oct 2016), Image provided by State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO.

Missouri Missouri State Board of Health, death certificate 4793 (1919), Ray Nelson; digital image, Missouri Office of the Secretary of State, Missouri State Library, and Missouri State Archives, "Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1965," Missouri Digital Heritage (http://www.sos.mo.gov/mdh/ : accessed 14 Oct 2016).

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Timothy Soper and the 1842 census

The New Soper Compendium explicitly states that Timothy Soper is the son of Solomon Soper, who lived in Dorset and Brandon, Vermont before moving to Canada. However, it does not offer any sources for this information (Soper 194-5). So, being a good little genealogist, I have embarked on an investigation to prove or disprove the connection.

I will state here and now that the investigation is still underway. I have neither proved nor disproved the hypothesis. I am creating this post to help me remember the disparate issues I have already uncovered and the conclusions I have thus far drawn.

Timothy Soper does not appear in the 1851 Canadian census for the simple reason that he died in 1847. Therefore, I must search earlier for a record of his residence. The previous census for which the Library and Archives Canada has online searching capabilities is the one taken in 1842. A search for the surname “Soper” returns four results, one of which has the forename Timothy. (Searching for the alternate spellings “Soaper,” “Sopper,” “Saper,” “Sopher,” and common mis-transcription “Loper” bring no results.)

This Timothy Soper is found in the district of Newcastle, sub-district of Darlington. If my transcription skills in this case are to be trusted—it was a difficult job to line up all the tallies and identify the columns—there are five members in his household, all Canadian natives of British origin. Two of them are single males between the ages of 21 and 29; one is a married male over sixty, one is a single female between the ages of 14 and 44, and one is a married female over 45. They are all Episcopal Methodists. One of them is engaged in trade or commerce. The family occupies 200 acres of land, 50 of the acres improved. Details are given regarding the amount of produce and number of livestock.

A quick look into the History of the Early Settlement of Bowmanville answers the question of whether this Timothy Soper is the same as mine:

Mr. Timothy Soper is now in his 86th year, enjoys good health, and has lived to see every President of the United States take their seats (Coleman 7).

As the book was published in 1875, and my Timothy Soper died in 1847, the Timothy Soper of Darlington cannot be mine. Moreover, the Timothy Soper of Darlington is said to be 86 years old, giving an approximate birth year of 1789, whereas my Timothy Soper was born in about 1773. In addition to all that, the Timothy Soper of Darlington was still living in that area in 1875, while mine had arrived in Kitley—about four counties away—by 1838 at the latest.

But 1838 is before 1842; he should appear in the 1842 census. Unfortunately, it is not a fully nominal census: it names only the heads of households. The other three Sopers who showed up in the search are a James Soper of the Niagara district and Rainham sub-district and a Levis Soper and a Susan H. Soper, both of the London district and Bayham sub-district. My Timothy Soper would have been about 69 years old in 1842. Since he is not named as a head of household, he is probably living with one of his children. The only Soper household with a male of the proper age is the aforesaid Timothy Soper of Darlington, whom we have already established is not the right person.

Perhaps my Timothy Soper is living with a married daughter. Or perhaps the census returns for Kitley have not survived. I know that it was located within the Johnstown district, but I don’t know what sub-district it was in. Looking at the district and sub-district list, I see that the returns for the Augusta sub-district have survived, but that is all. Some of the other districts have many sub-districts listed.





Citations:

Earl F. Soper, editor, The New Soper Compendium (Berne, New York: Earl F. Soper, 1989).

1842 census for Canada West (Ontario) of Canada, Ontario, Durham county, Newcastle district, Darlington sub-district, item no. 7384, Timothy Soper; digital images, Library and Archives Canada, "1842 Census for Canada West," Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx : accessed 6 Aug 2016); citing MG 31 C1 Census of Upper Canada, 1842, microfilm C-1344.

J. T. Coleman, History of the Early Settlement of Bowmanville and Vicinity (Bowmanville, Ontario: West Durham Steam Printing and Publishing House, 1875).




Sources:


CanadaGenWeb's database and images, Canada GenWeb's Cemetery Project (accessed 13 Jun 2016); entry for Timothy Soper, buried in Soper's Cemetery, Ontario.

Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library, "Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, 1933-1934," database, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Aug 2016), entry for Timothy Sopper and Martha Sopper, 16 Dec 1838; citing Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858; Series: MS248; Reel: 3.

1842 census for Canada West (Ontario) of Canada, Ontario, Haldimand county, Niagara district, Rainham sub-district, item no. 13640, James Soper; digital images, Library and Archives Canada, "1842 Census for Canada West," Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx : accessed 6 Aug 2016); citing MG 31 C1 Census of Upper Canada, 1842, microfilm C-1344.

1842 census for Canada West (Ontario) of Canada, Ontario, London district, Bayham sub-district, item no. 15451, Levi Soper; digital images, Library and Archives Canada, "1842 Census for Canada West," Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx : accessed 6 Aug 2016); citing MG 31 C1 Census of Upper Canada, 1842, microfilm C-1345.

1842 census for Canada West (Ontario) of Canada, Ontario, London district, Bayham sub-district, item no. 15455, Susan H. Soper; digital images, Library and Archives Canada, "1842 Census for Canada West," Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx : accessed 6 Aug 2016); citing MG 31 C1 Census of Upper Canada, 1842, microfilm C-1345.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Timothy Soper

For a long time I have wondered how it would feel to find an ancestor who had fought against my country in a war. Every veteran of WWI or WWII thus uncovered in my family fought either for the U.S. or one of its allies, and my Civil War ancestors have all been on the side of the Union. There are even a few Revolutionary War patriots hidden in the branches of my family tree. But now I have finally stumbled across an ancestor—a direct ancestor, too—who fought against the United States.

The line goes like this: my Grandpa Jack’s father was Francis Albert Hoyt, Sr.; his mother was Parmelia “Minnie” Nelson; her mother was Maria Dianna Soper (who surprised me as the first Canadian in my direct line); her father was Harley Soper; and his father was Timothy Soper, the subject of this post.

Timothy Soper may have been born in Vermont; more research will be necessary to untangle all the various Sopers. At this point, the earliest period I can confidently identify Timothy, he was living in Kitley, Leeds county, Ontario. Thad. W. H. Leavitt’s History of Leeds and Grenville Ontario recounts this anecdote:

For a long time Mr. Soper acted as a general agent for the settlers, in bringing in supplies, doing to milling, etc. Upon one occasion he had taken a grist to Merrickville for Thomas Connor. Returning with it in the night, he left it beside the main road, at a point where the path leading to Mr. Connor’s house diverged. Having a piece of chalk in his pocket, he wrote upon the sack:--

Here I lie upon my back,
My name it is an Irish sack;
Touch me not, upon your honor,
For I belong to Tommy Connor” (Leavitt 117).

I must say that is one of my favorite extracts regarding an ancestor I have yet come across, illustrative as it is of his playfulness and sense of humor, even if not, perhaps, of his diligence.

In June of 1812, America declared war on the British. The Americans expected to be welcomed by their neighbors to the north, but the Canadian colonists saw the Americans as an invaders. By September of that year, Timothy Soper had joined up with the Militia of Leeds county, to be specific, Captain John Howard’s Company in the 1st Regiment Leeds Militia. Although this company does not appear by name in Officers of the British forces in Canada during the war of 1812-15, the volume does state that the 1st Regiment of Leeds Militia fought against the American raid on Elizabethtown/Brockville (the village was in the process of being renamed in honor of a commander in the war) and it took part in the attack on Ogdensburg (Irving 50). Both locations are less than 40 miles from Timothy’s hometown of Kitley.

After the war, Canada headed (though not necessarily intentionally) toward independence of British rule. An early agitator, if that is the word for it, was Robert F. Gourlay. When Gourlay held a meeting in Kitley in 1818, Timothy Soper was a member of the committee (Leavitt 43).

Timothy Soper died on 12 Dec 1847 and was buried in Soper’s Cemetery in Kitley. As you can see, there is still much research to be done to flesh out Timothy’s life. And this will be my first serious foray into Canadian genealogical resources, so there is much to learn!

Selected Sources:


CanadaGenWeb's database and images, Canada GenWeb's Cemetery Project (accessed 13 Jun 2016); entry for Timothy Soper, buried in Soper's Cemetery, Ontario.

Christine Beek, OntarioGenWeb, War of 1812 Paylist Rolls  (accessed 17 Jul 2016), Timothy Soper included in a list of Capt. John Howard's Co, citing Folios 349-351, microfilm T-10381, North York Public Library, Yonge St., Toronto.

Irving, L. Homfray and Canadian Military Institute, Officers of the British Forces in Canada During the War of 1812-15 (Welland Tribune Print, 1908).