The People In The Box

THE PEOPLE IN THE BOX
The poem which I will post below, really struck me. I know it is one of the reasons that I created this blog, and why I try to fill in some of the details of their lives. At some point, I hope to have enough notes in my Genealogy files to make reading a little more interesting. I recently found 5
tiny pictures in very old frames from around the mid 1800's. It's a Barnes family but only 3 of the children are labeled, and I haven't found how they are related yet. They need to get out of the box, they were saved for a least 150 years and should be remembered. I'm gonna bet here that they are cousins from up on Barnes Hill Rd in Burlington. After the holidays, I'll contact a distant cousin who is a Burlington Historian. He gave a lot of bits and pieces last March.
I've posted above a picture from the Larrabee/Balfour box that has intrigued me for years. I think it may be a picture of my Nana Larrabee's side of the family. The Balfours shall be the BRICK WALL of our family tree!! I have the oral history leads, but not a bit of written evidence. I also can't find any record of Lillian and Lester's marriage yet. I did get a little further back last week when I found that my Uncle Galen and Uncle Lester Putnam were born in Boston Ma. My Uncle Lester must not have liked his name because I only knew him as Uncle Frank. I need to get him out my box as only I know that's him standing by his milk wagon.
I was thinking now I may not be left in the box, I have both daughters deeply involved in scrap booking and I don't think I ended up as a scrap on the floor.
Enough here's the poem:

Strangers in the Box

Come look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I’ve often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, serene.

I wish I knew the people
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories
Are lost among my socks.

I wonder what their lives were like.
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I’ll never know their ways.

If only someone had taken time
To tell who, what, where, when,
These faces of my heritage
Would come to life again.

Could this become the fate
Of pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories
Someday to be tossed away?

Make time to save your pictures,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours could be
The strangers in the box.

By Pam Harazim East Hampton, Conn.

And where did I find the poem, you might ask. Why, on the Google Group for Genealogy in the Azores of course! It's my latest find and the people there are quite helpful.

Muito Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo.

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PULL THE LAMP CHAIN

Maine, Indian Land and Witches

I know it's too late for Halloween, so whats with the witch you might ask.( You might also ask if I wander around the Internet just a little too much).

I came across this excerpt from a Maine history included in a Nathanial Hawthorn in Salem web site.

Maine, Indian Land Speculation, and the Essex County Witchcraft Outbreak of 1692

http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/ScholarsForum/MMD1705.html

I think Genealogy becomes much more interesting if we can put our early ancestors lives in the context of the times they lived in. This article covers many aspects of the early Larrabee families. Some facts of my research that fits with the story line:Home base was Lynn and Malden Ma.; members were killed in both the King Phillips and King Williams wars; were probably considered refugees mentioned returning to Lynn Ma.; bought land from the Indians only to purchase again when they returned or find it taken by others. As a side story our Stephen Larrabee's brother William was married to Elizabeth Felt. Williams father in law was George Felt who had land stolen from him and lost his fortune only to die a "ward" of the town of Lynn; I've seen no mention of religious affiliation so they may have been non-puritan protestants referred to by Increase Mather . Remember many genealogists feel the family were French Huguenots (French Protestants).

So take a look at the times they lived (WAR,intrigue,real estate bubbles,poverty and WITCHES), It makes the next 4 years look like a cake walk.

Post Script: I should also note that a branch of the Barnes Family (IVES) also lived in the Lynn area before moving to the New Haven Colony. And my sister in-law Ellie reports that some of her ancestors were involved with the Salem Witch Trials. Its a "small world" as they say but was especially small back then. They had all come to the Boston area (IE. Massachusetts Bay Company) before settling Hartford, New Haven and Maine. They would often travel in family groups having in common either the same pastor or the same village in England. Also after Cromwell defeated King Charles, the Puritans no longer came to the Americas as when they were under the reign of King Charles. So any increase in population was from the same gene pool until the mid 1800's when the next influx began.

DISNEY WORLD TRIP

Well we're back from Disney World and had a great time with the Conroy family. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We saw all sorts of animals living right off our balcony. We went to all the parks and ate at the great restaurants that Amy had picked out. Over at Hollywood Studios I was the only one to go on the House of Terror ride, even though the kids went on everything else. The kids saw a lot of Princesses who were all very gracious. Brody didn't miss a chance to pose with a princess, except the scantly clad Jasmine.

Of course the highlight of the trip according to the boys was when ATF went thru my carry on by 4 different guards and sending it thru the scanner 3 times.(I had left a small knife in it from a road trip. It had falling into a pen slot. Then of course I'm pulled out of line again on the way home for one large medicine bottle.

We also went over to Sea World and saw great shows and attractions.

Busy Summer in Maine

We're having a good time even though the rain showers keep coming. Its been inches and inches. Laura G. brought her friends over from Camp Robindale and had peanut butter sandwiches for lunch (thier camp is peanut free, ugh). The grandkids have all been up and enjoy our new 3 seater tube.
We went over to Yarmouth and found the Pioneer cemetery with some relatives who were buried in the early 1700's.
Our other fun thing has been watching an eagle's nest this summer. All the kids saw the adults and the 2 fledglings.

Our Dads

Well here's Leo and Harrison. Nancy and My Fathers. Not the best shots because I took them off slides, luckly they are more vivid in our memories.

A Look Back On Fathers Day

I wanted to make a collage, so I thought I would give you girls a look at your father
as he started out. As you can see I've always have needed the "Husky" size. I also thought I would include my other grand father, Abel Freitas. It's the only picture of him that I have at the moment. Now I need to find a picture of Leo and Harrison.

Our RailRoad Heritage

Today in the Hartford Courant was a story about a turntable bridge made for the Providence,Webster and Springfield Railroad. It was reinstalled at a rail yard in Willimatic Ct. previously used by the New York, New haven and Hartford railroad. As you may or not know my grandfather (Lester Larrabee) was an Engineer for them. How does this relate, you might ask? Well in the 1910 Census for WEBSTER Ma. we find Lester,Lillian and their sons Francis and Galen listed. We can speculate that He probably worked for the Providence, Webster and Springfield railroad first and later for The New Haven railroad. So take a look at the video and wonder if he traveled over this turntable or passed through this rail yard. www.courant.com/turntable
I think GF Larrabee is the railroad man on the left. The portrait is of him probably at age 18. (His birthdate was 1880)

It's Time To Head To LARRABEE Country

We're going North for 6 days to open the camp, come home for 2 Weeks then return to Maine for the summer. I hope to visit a few towns this summer and check out some leads. Haven't had much luck on the Web, except with the very early Larrabee's in Malden Ma. and North Yarmouth Me. I did find a picture of my great grand mother Sarah Anne Newhall Larrabee with 2 of my great uncles and my great aunt posing for a school picture. You can guess what it meant to me. You can see a sense of pride and Yankee Independence in her look.

Tracing Ida Allen Barnes

Here's the web site I mentioned earlier that had info on Ida. It shows her linked to the Raynor family in Long Island going back to the 16th century in England.
I'll be able to add several more surnames to the family tree thanks to this site.
http://longislandgenealogy.com/raynor/ghtindex.htm

KODA GETS A Haircut

Our "boy" got a visit to the groomer today, and received a good report!
He got a buzz cut for the summer. As the pictures show he is a beggar and will dance for a "treat". Its tough to get a good shot as he will not sit for a pose.

It's Blooming in Bristol

Well the flowers have arrived and they're great this year. I hope the rain this weekend doesn't ruin them. Last week the kids were over for Poppy's birthday and they all enjoyed our new addition. His name is Koda and we got him 2 weeks ago. He is well behaved and great with the kids. he came with a collection of toys which he tosses around. He has chewed up several so far.

Its 9;45 pm and he's in the crate resting.

More Pieces to the Barnes Puzzle

I must say the Barnes family can be Linked to many prominent early families of Connecticut. I found this on line the other day and it not only helped to fill in some dates I didn't have, but added to some stories that I had come across earlier.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~khokkanen/hall/ives.htm
Take time to read about William,John and Gideon Ives. Gideon's son Elanthan
(spelled at least 3 ways so far) married our Abigail Frisbie whom I've mentioned
earlier.

I have one story about Gideon, related in a History of Bristol, being a great hunter and came to the Bristol area (then known as the West Woods) often.

His hunting companion was Capt. Jesse Gaylord (another name of our area) They were being stalked by an Indian who was taken aim one of them and the other man shot the Indian, who they buried in a swamp. The two families have different stories as to who shot the Indian. The story was never told until old age as not to cause an Indian attack. I think the real reason was they were from the New Haven colony and The west woods were part of Farmington.
I also found a great site that I need to explore, but haven't had time yet. It has info on Grandmother Ida Allen Barnes family. I have so many directions to go, but am fascinated by this local history.

Back to Litchfield,Milton and Washington, Connecticut

Today we traveled up to visit sites in Litchfield and Milton which is small village within Litchfield. We stopped first at a home Nancy had visited often as a little girl.The Morgans lived at the home which was dated 1882 and had the names Frank and Anne Barnes as the original owners. Now this will bear additional investigation as Nancy's GGrandfather was a Frank and his Mother was an Ann.

We traveled up the back roads to find the Milton village where Frank Monroe Barnes ran a store for a period in the late 1880's. it was his first venture from the Bristol/Burlington area. It was like stepping back in time, as it was very rural with very old authentic homes. I asked a local man (yes men do ask directions) about a possible store and he directed us back to the building shown. Its being lived in probably by rich out of staters. I would say by the style it was a feed and grain store with living quarters. It is listed with the National Registor of Historic Places. Its dated 1756.

We then traveled down to Washinton, Ct. to visit the gravesites there to verify dates and names. There are at least 4 generations there. I believe the Barnes are there though Katherine whose mother and father (Watts) are buried next to them.
The geo-tag for the Milton home of David Welch is Potash and Milton Rds.
41°46′13″N 73°15′59″W

Edward Frisbe Home Branford Ct.

Today we traveled to Branford, Ct to investagate another name in the Barnes line. Abigal Frisbie was the Great-granddaughter of Edward Frisbie. She married an Ives and their daughter married Wise Barnes and so that how we are connected. Its a great big puzzle that has not an edge nor a corner. This home is on U.S Rt 1 must have seen much since 1685. Edward's story is a long one as he is purported to have been born in Jamestown Virginia. I have much info if interested. We also were invited into a Capt. Frisbie's home down the street in Stonybrook, which I had gone to first and found it was the wrong home. He is probably indirectly related to us. Ben asked the lady "do you have any boys?" He's so charming I think that's how we got in.

Sherman & Monroe Barnes Home and Shop

Today I stopped by the site of the home and machine shop of Sherman (1793-1878) and Monroe (1823- a.1880) Barnes on Bradley St. in Burlington.
The remains of the shop are across the street from the home. You can see below the dam (not the original) large boulders along the stream and to the right that formed the foundation for the shop. The home across the street dates from about 1812. The section on the right being the original section.
The site is marked S.Barnes and Barnes Machine Shop on a 1855 map of Burlington, located at the town web site in the Library section under history. http://www.munic.state.ct.us/Burlington/burlington.htm
A later map from 1867 labels the home as Monroe Barnes. The home still stands in the Whigville section of Burlington. The village is so named after the Whig political party (later to become the Republican Party), because at one time all the households except one belonged to that party.

I've been thinking today on how I want to proceed with the blog, do I start with our mother's and father's or with the the 12th generation? So while I mull this over, I'd like to comment on the Fort Larrabee monument picture. I had said in the previous blog about not forgeting our past. This monument sits along a river in Maine, back along a trail through the woods, which my brother Jimmy found. It sits there almost forgotten as the world wizzes by up on Rt 1 or I 95.
Its thru the efforts of our ancestors that we enjoy todays freedoms.( those mentioned on the plaque are nephews of our 11th gen. ancestor)
I hope to find other records of their passing, whether a gravestone or a home.
One thing I've found amazing is that on the Barnes' side 5 generations from about 1750 to about 1900 lived within 2 miles of our home.

The People In Our Lives

How I wish I had asked more questions of my parents, it would answer a lot of questions today. But of course with out these puzzles Genealogy would not be half the fun. Yesterday my little grandson asked "Why don't you have any little children living in your house ? Don't you like them". I said of course I like them, your mother and your aunt used live with us , but they grew up and started their own families. I later found out he had asked his grandmother if he could live at our house. [I think we let him have to much freedom.] If he only knew how many children have been left in our care in the last 40 years.
As I review all these vital records, that I come across, I am stuck by how many lives have come before us. You wonder what were their trials and successes.
Today our file contains 270 individuals and over 90 marriages. The Larrabee and Barnes can be traced to the early 1600's in our country (12 generations).
The Freitas and Wrenn families only 4 or 5 at this point. This is just a beginning,
who knows what is to come. Lets hope the children continue to ask the questions.