Hiram “High” Putney [Lucy, Roswell] b. August, 1855, Ashtabula Co., OH, a
child of Lucy Powers and John S. Putney; m. Carrie Hopkins, December 10, 1878, Benzie Co., MI; m. (2) Margaret “Maggie” Ziglar, May 18, 1885,
Benzie Co., MI; d.
The 1860 federal census shows John and
Lucy living next to Rufus and Phoebe Putney. Also in the home were children
Wellman (11), Mary (10), Martha (9), and Hiram (6). Their estate was valued at
$400, with $200 in personal assets.
Carrie was born in
In 1880, Hiram and Carrie were
living in Hiram’s folks house in Hart,
According to Dahlgren, “High” Putney
of Platte Township,
Nevertheless,
from this, we can guess that Hiram’s nickname was “High,” even if his family
didn’t know exactly how he was related.
Dahlgren claimed that High bought land
from Orlo Putney near Putney Corners in
After Carrie’s death on September 2,
1881,[1]
Hiram married Maggie Ziglar in 1885.
Maggie
was born in
In 1900, Hiram was listed as “Hyran”
Putney in
The 1920 census shows Hiram and
Maggie in
None of the members of this family
has been found in the 1930 census.
Child by Carrie:
Hiram Verner Putney Jr., b. April,
1880, Hart, Oceana Co., MI
Children by Margaret:
Martha Putney, b. July, 1886, MI; m.
William Priest
May Putney,
b. November 1887, MI; m. William F. Davis, around 1908, MI
Sherman Putney [Lucy, Roswell] b. around 1865, Hart, Oceana Co., MI, a
child of Lucy Powers and John S. Putney; m. Katie Killmis, September 1, 1885, Benzie Co., MI; d.
On September 1, 1885,
Neither Sherman nor Katie showed up
censuses in 1900 or 1910.
Odell “Dell” L. Putney [Lucy,
Roswell] b. May, 1871, MI, a
child of Lucy Powers and John S. Putney; m. Mary Sophia ____, around 1892, Hart, MI; d.
Mary was born in
Odell and “Mary” showed up in the
1900 census living next to Odell’s parents in Hart, Oceana Co., MI. They had
two children in the home: Louis and Victoria.
“Dell” and “Sophia” Putney were
living in Hart in 1910 with children
In 1920, Dell was indexed as Dell
“Patsey” in Hart. He was living there with Sophia and their two sons, Louis and
Orlando.
Dell
and Sophia were divorced between 1920-1930.
In 1930, Dell and Orlando are living
in Hart, where they operated a farm together.
Children:
Louis Putney, b. February 13, 1893, Hart, MI; d. January, 1977,
Victoria Putney, b. February, 1898, Hart, MI
Irene Putney, b. around 1902, Hart, MI
Lorenzo Powers [Levi,
In the summer of 1862, Lorenzo’s
parents moved from
When Lorenzo was 21 years old, he
married 16-year old Lorinda Quick in a ceremony performed by Rev. E. Treadgold.
Witnesses were Charles W. and Mary Powers.
Lorinda was born in
Two and a half years after their
wedding, Lorinda died in Ferry on June 12, 1875. Her death record claimed she
died of childbed fever. In fact, she had given birth to Loren, who was later
shown to be disabled.
In 1880’s federal Census, Lorenzo
was living in
Children:
Loren Powers, b. around June 12, 1875,
MI (idiotic: 1880 census)
Amelia J. Powers [Levi, Roswell] b. 1860, OH, a child of
Levi C. and Cordelia J. Powers; m. John
Crow, around 1880, Davidson Co., TN.
Amelia and John Crow were living in
Davidson Co., TN, in 1880, with Amelia’s parents and brother.
John was born in
We have not been able to find John
and Amelia in the 1900 census.
Emma J. Ghastin a.k.a. Luella Herrick
[Sarah, Roswell], b. October
21, 1849, Richmond, Ashtabula County, Ohio, a daughter of Sarah Powers and
William Riley Ghastin; m. William B.
Fiske; d. March 14, 1877, Minneapolis, MN.
As a young girl, she was known to
have been good friends with her cousin William W. Powers, who lived next door
to her. She was seven years old when her parents divorced and she went to live
with the Herricks in
She married William B. Fiske and
moved with him to
According
to records of Beverly Ghastin, Luella had a very troubled pregnancy, and her
youngest sister, Vancha came from
The 1900 census shows William B.
Fiske living in the home of Warren and Mattie Messerale on
On June 15, 1911, William B. Fisk
wrote this letter to Edith Sawyer:
"311 Northwestern,
My Dear Edith
I just received your letter. Many thanks. Luella came
this morning. Has gone to spend the day with friends. We want the most of
anything to find out the time and place of the legal adoption of Luella's
mother by W. W. Herrick and his wife. I think it was about 1852, she being
about three years old. Several of us have tried to find out but with no
success. Edwin W. Herrick, William Herrick's brother, died May 2nd. Otherwise
he could tell us all we want to know. Anything you find out or know do not keep
from Luella. She is a darling daughter and beloved by everyone. We have written
to the county seat of
Was glad to hear from you. With lots of love from your
uncle
W. B. Fiske"
Children:
Luella Herrick
Fiske, 01 DEC 1876,
Marquis
According
to census records, Marquis was a soldier during the Civil War. He was only a young boy (10-13) at that time,
but it is quite possible that he could handle a gun. Whether he actually fought or simply gave a
helping hand is unclear. In any case,
his status as a soldier made it possible for him to secure a land grant in
On April 7, 1870, Marquis married
sixteen-year old Mary Etta Salsgiver, daughter of David and Rebecca A. (Dow)
Salsgiver -- younger sister of Marquis' aunt Anna Powers. Mary was born in
After
divorcing Marquis, Mary E. moved to
(Alfred N. Gartside died in
1923. Mary Etta died in 1947 and was buried in the
On September 9, 1895, Marquis
married Lizzie Mells or Mella (b. October, 1863 in
We have not yet found Marquis in the
1910 census.
In 1920, Marquis was living with his
son, Burl Dow Ghastin, on his fruit farm on the
Five children by Mary Etta:
Charles William Ghastin, b. December
12, 1871, d. before 1880
Burl Dow Ghastin, b. April 20, 1882; m.
Sylvia Y. Swaney, around 1905; d. July 16, 1959,
Grand
Traverse Co., MI
Beulah
Martin Ghastin, b. October 1888, MI; d.
1900-1910
Children by Lizzie:
Peter Ghastin, b. 1896; d. before 1900
Elsie May Ghastin, b. 1898; d. August
1, 1898, Thompsonville, Benzie Co., MI
Leo Ghastin, b. 1900
Rosetta A. Ghastin-Manley [Sarah,
Roswell], b. January 27,
1852, Richmond, Ashtabula Co., OH, the twin sister of Rosealtha Ghastin, daughter
of Sarah Powers and William Riley Ghastin; m. Walter M. Talcott, around 1874, OH; d. August, 1912, Cleveland, OH.
Her twin sister died in 1861. Her
parents divorced when she was just five years old, and she was adopted by the
Manley family of
Rosetta
married Walter Talcott.
Walter was born in
In 1880, Walter and “Rosa A.”
Talcott were living in
By 1910, Walter and Rosetta had
welcomed a foster child – Martha – into their home. Walter was working as a
proof reader for a publishing company. Their son, Joseph, still lived at home
and worked as a clerk at a hardware store. Allen, still a bank teller, was
married by then and lived in nearby
A letter dated 1909 showed that
Joseph Earl Talcott lived at
Rosetta died in
We have not found Walter in the 1920
or 1930 censuses. There was a Walter Talcott who died in
Children:
Allen M. Talcott, b. August, 1875,
Joseph Earl Talcott, b. October, 1884,
OH
Martha Talcott (foster child), b.
around 1900, OH
William "Willie"
W. Ghastin [Sarah, Roswell], b. April 2, 1853, Richmond, Ashtabula
Co., OH, a son of William Riley Ghastin and Sarah Powers; unmarried as of 1894;
d. in the West.
His parents divorced when he was
just five years old and he went to live with the Ensign family.
In 1877, "Willie" moved to
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Family records of Edith L. Sawyer
say that William died in the West. He has not been found in the 1900 census, but
it is thought that he went west in search of riches – either in lumber or in
gold.
The
image at right of the Manitou Mine is without explanation, although it may be a
photograph of William with two of his partners in what appears to be a gold
mine.
Lavancha "Vancha" Ghastin-Phelps
[Sarah, Roswell] b. June 12,
1856, Richmond, Ashtabula County, Ohio, the last child of William Riley Ghastin
and Sarah Powers; m. (1) Arthur Fenwick
Sawyer, August 14, 1878, Putney Corners, Benzie Co., MI; m. (2) John H. Saxton, 1895; d. June 22, 1907,
South Frankfort, Benzie Co., MI; buried in Gilmore Township Cemetery, Benzie
County.
Her parents were probably divorced
before she was born. W. Riley moved to
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Harlow and
Luna (Powers) Phelps of Cherry Valley,
Vancha went to
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At the age of
21, Vancha moved back to
Arthur and Vancha bought land just
west of Arthur's parents' properties.
Their land straddled the line between
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Edith and Kity attended the first
Sunday School class of the Blaine Christian Church, which met in a log school
in 1887.
Family records show that Arthur and Lavancha
were divorced in 1888. On October 26, 1887, Arthur sold his property at Putney
Corners (shown in the image on the next page) to Lavancha’s cousin, Lester
Putney.
Arthur
allegedly moved to
The 1894 state census of
Vancha became a member of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and, at least on one occasion, spoke
on "The Saloon Evil and the Way Out of It." Music was provided on
this occasion by Miss L. Reed, Lavancha P(helps) Sawyer, and her daughter,
Edith (plus recitation).
A feature in the Benzie Banner,
September 26, 1895, said,
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"John Saxton and Mrs. Arthur
Sawyer, of Empire, were married at the groom's house in
John H. Saxton was a carpenter and
painter from
The 1900 Census of Michigan shows
the Saxton home with Vancha's two daughters and his young son, Mortimer. Edith
and Kity were both listed as "schoolteachers." They were living in
A poem
written by Lavancha September 21, 1905 (now in the possession of Paul Stiles):
"On the
Sailing, in a
bark so frail
Hark, I hear
my Father calling
Calling,
'Cross, Oh! Do not fail.'
With
outstretched arms with me He's pleading
Pleading,
with a love Divine:
And, His
loving summons heeding
Heeding, I'll
meet the Father; mine
With the Savior
for my Helmsman
My Captain,
Mate, my Guide
In answer to
the summons
I'll sail for
the other side.
The distant
shores I'm nearing
Nearing, in
this bark so frail
Hark! I hear
the angels shouting
Shouting,
'Lo! There comes a sail.'
Yes, I hear our
loved ones singing
Singing as I
nearer come
To the
Heavenly Portals open
To the
Heavenly Father's home
Dear Jesus is
my Helmsman
My Captain,
Mate, my Guide
With him to
safely guide me
I'll reach
the other side."
Lavancha died tragically June 22,
1907 when the Ann Arbor Railway Engine #11 backed into her from behind, near
After Lavancha’s death, John Saxton
moved west and left his son, Mortimer, in the care of family members. The 1910
census shows John alone on
We
don’t know what happened to John after the 1910 census. Family records show
that Edith L. Sawyer had a step-sister by the name of Addie Paula Saxton. Her
mother allegedly died in
Family
tradition says John died on November 16, 1935.
Children by Arthur:
Edith Lavancha Sawyer, b. July 1, JUL
1879,
Axtell,
March 31, 1917, Beulah, MI; m. (2) John F. Walzel; d. 1967
Kity Etoli Sawyer, b. May 8, 1881; m.
George Hull, 1901; d. December 29, 1952, Arcadia
Township
Child by John:
Mortimer Ashford
Saxton, b. August 18, 1898, Arcadia, MI; m. (1) Myrtle ____; m. (2)
Opal
_____; d. March 15, 1981, Joshua Tree, CA
Elmer E. Wing [Sarah,
Elmer’s father, Samuel Wing, joined
the Union Army in January, 1864. From military records, we know that he became
ill and died in
It may have been Elmer’s
illegitimate birth that ostracized him from his mother’s family. Elmer seems to
have lived in obscurity for at least 20 years, for he doesn’t show up in the
1870 or 1880 census.
NOTE:
There was an Ephraim Bixby, same age as Elmer, listed in the 1880 census near
Lucius and Sarah Garfield in Blaine, Benzie Co., MI. He was a farm hand for
Cassius and Lois Judson and living next to Pheobe and Rufus Putney. Ephraim
Bixby knew the birthplace of his mother:
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(There
is also a family tradition of an Emerson Bixby, who died in 1890 in
Elmer E. Wing was married in
After
the birth of their son, Lloyd, they moved to
Elmer
was living on
In
1930, Lloyd was back in their home on
According
to family tradition, Elmer was still alive in 1951. A family portrait is shown
above.
Children:
Robert R. Wing,
b. March, 1886, MI
William P. Wing,
b. September, 1888, MI
Emma E. Wing, b.
November, 1893, MI
Lloyd R. Wing,
b. February, 1895, MI; m. __? Around 1920,
Lola E. Wing [Sarah, Roswell] b. January 9, 1861, Lake County, Ohio,
the only daughter of Sarah Powers and Samuel Wing; m. Enoch B. Smith, December 31, 1875, Gilmore Township, Benzie County,
Michigan; d. April 1, 1951, Benzie Co., MI; Blaine Township Cemetery, Benzie
Co., MI.
Enoch was born in
In June, 1876, his name showed up on
a petition to create a new township in
The 1880 census shows Enoch and Lola
in
Enoch and Lola were in the 1894
state census of
The Smiths lived on Dry Hill just
south of the Blaine Christian Church at Putney Corners. The 1900 census shows
Enoch and Lola in
Lola, Enoch, and their daughter,
June, were admitted to the membership of Blaine Christian Church at Putney
Corners through baptism, May 5, 1901. Later, according to church records, Lola
and Enoch were excluded from membership, though the reason was not given.
Enoch died before 1910. The 1910
census shows Lola as a widow in
January
28, 1920, "Grandma Smith" was on the sick list in the Benzie Banner.
Lola
moved to the city of
Lola
died at the home of her granddaughter, Hilda Stubbs, of myo-carditis due to
arteriosclerosis and nephritis in 1951. She was buried in the
Lola was buried in the
Children:
Thomas B. Smith, b. February 16, 1879,
Blaine, Benzie Co., MI; d. February 24, 1879, Blaine, Benzie Co., MI
William Walter
Smith, b. January 9, 1880; d. August 24, 1953,
Kittie M. Smith,
b. July, 1881, Blaine Twp., Benzie Co., MI; m. Walter L. Stubbs, August 15, 1900, Benzie Co., MI
Bessie Smith,
b. March, 1884, Blaine Twp., Benzie Co., MI; m. George Edson, April 29, 1904, Benzie Co., MI
June E. Smith,
b. January 21, 1892; m. (?) Mr. Drave, after 1910 of
Lucius U. Garfield, Jr. [Sarah,
Roswell], b. July 31, 1871,
MI, the only son of Lucius Garfield and Sarah Powers Ghastin Wing; m. Florence B. Allen, June 27, 1900,
Benzie Co., MI; separated March 5, 1910, Pomona, Los Angeles County, CA; d.
1930?
As a boy, Lucius lived about a
quarter mile south of Putney Corners. He was in the 1894 state census living in
He purchased land from the estate of
his deceased mother, Sarah Vaughn, January 7, 1889. She had died a few months
earlier. She had been executing a lease on the property with William H. Stubbs
(1885 and 1887). The property contained apple, cherry, plum, and peach
orchards. On September 27, 1889, Lucius was the executor of the lease to
Stubbs.
Then on October 12, 1891, he
purchased land from the U.S. a little over a mile west of his boyhood home
(T25N-R16W, Section 25: SW/4, which is the 80 acres on the NE corner of
Joyfield and Hunt Roads).
He married Florence B. Allen (shown
below left) in
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The 1900 census shows Lucius
mistakenly listed as“G. U.”
For years, we searched for Lucius on
the basis of family tradition that claimed he died in
Lucius may have been the “Les”
In 1920, we find Lucius Garfield
living on
We don’t know what happened to
There is no record of Lucius’ death
in
Cora A. Powers [Solomon, Roswell], b. 24 JUL 1873, Benzie County,
Michigan, a daughter of Solomon Powers and Anna Rebecca Salsgiver; m. (1) David Monroe Salsgiver, January 25,
1893, Benzie Co., MI; divorced ; m. (2) George
E. Farmer, December 24, 1902, Benzie County, MI; d. July 2, 1914, Benzie
Co., MI
David was born in
The 1894
They were divorced by 1900, although
Cora was living with her widowed
mother in
Cora married a second time to George
E. Farmer, 24 DEC 1902. George was a
barber by trade, born in
In 1910, George and Cora were on
Cora died on July 2, 1914 of
congestion of the lungs and was buried by her parents in
Children by William David:
Lotti G. Salsgiver, b. around April,
1894; m. William Burwell; m. (2) Thomas Hayes; m. (3) James Carr
Clyde
d.
March 10, 1947, Woods (
Children by George:
Albert Farmer (stepson),
b. around 1891
Lottie Farmer
(stepdaughter), b. around 1893
Vestia Farmer
(stepdaughter), b. around 1895
Georgianna Farmer, b. around 1906,
Herbert Sylvester Powers [Solomon,
Roswell], b. September,
1875, Blaine Township, Benzie County, Michigan, a son of Solomon Powers and
Anna Rebecca Salsgiver; m. (1) Idell
Pearl Pettis; m. (2) Lula Bell
(Beaton) Kraft, September 15, 1923, Pleasanton, Manistee Co., MI; d.
February 10, 1934, Benzie Co., MI.
Herb saved his Aunt Phoebe Putney
once from drowning. Phoebe was returning one night from a call to a sick
friend's home when she got lost in the woods. She eventually found herself
surrounded by quicksand and did not know how to get out. Herb just happened to
be returning from Elberta that night when he heard her shouting,
"Yoo-hoo!" He called back to her, finally found her, and escorted her
out.
It is possible that Herb was
returning that night from a music rehearsal. He played cornet with Frank Axtell
in the Blaine Band between 1898 and 1910 (Frank, leader of the band, married
Edith Sawyer, a daughter of Herb's cousin, Lavancha, who lived in
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The photo above is of the Blaine
Band around 1895. Standing in the back row from left to right are Percy
Carpenter (tuba and trombone), Joe B. Smeltzer (perhaps melophone), Frank
Axtell (lead cornet), and Ed Glover (bass horn). Seated from left to right are
Johnnie Gemmell (snare drum), Herb Powers (cornet), unknown (baritone), and Cam
Gemmell (bass drum). Other members of the band were Ira Daines, Henry and
Conrad Kraft, Charlie Raymond, Charlie and Monroe Salsgiver, Walk Putney, Orlo
Putney, and George and Clare Cornell.
The 1900 Census of Weldon Township,
Around 1901, he married Idell Pearl
Pettis, daughter of Charles E. Pettis and Sarah Emma Arnold. Idell was born May
10, 1883 in
The 1910 census shows Herbert and
Della P. Powers in
They
were divorced before 1920.
Idell was never remarried. The 1920
federal census shows Idell (36) in
Herbert was admitted to membership
at Blaine Christian Church at Putney Corners through baptism, August 21, 1910.
He was appointed Deacon of the church March 15, 1923.
On
September 15, 1923, he married Lula Bell Benton Kraft (b. 1882) in
Herb and Lula transferred their
membership to the Congregational Church in
Herb became a machinist by trade.
Duane Evans relates a story about
when Herb Powers and his nephew Earl Stewart were in Herb's kitchen and were
looking at a .32
He died February 10, 1934.
In 1937, Lula's daughter, Ena Kraft
Jackson, started the
November 10, 1952, Lula sold land in
Ena
married Ralph Jackson on September 18, 1954 and had children: Ralph Jr. (m.
Peggy Bennett), Lyle (m. Donna Ernst), Robert E., Beverly (m. Benson).
On June 18, 1957, Lula and her
daughter, Ena Kraft Jackson, sold land in Frankfort to John Frestick Jr. and
his wife, Linda Mae, for $5,000. The land was described as Lot 11 of Block 20.
Ena died in
Lula died February 4, 1959 and was
buried in the
Ena (Kraft)
Children:
Ona R. Powers,
b. around 1901, MI; m. Jesse Bunker
Alton B. Powers,
b. January 21, 1905, MI; m. (1) Helen Green; m. (2)
Arbutus Trowbridge; d. February 4, 1967,