Emigration of Ancestors--post Colonial

 My interest in genealogy stems from 2 questions:  What were Grandma Wicker's roots? Why did my ancestors emigrate?  Previous blogs identify many of Vennie's roots but I recently started thinking about my 2nd question.

When I began, I had no idea how far back my roots went in American history.  I knew that my g-g grandparents in Dad's family had immigrated from Germany and England but I didn't really know why.

Louis Reiter

According to my dad's cousins, Louis Reiter came from Germany to avoid being drafted in another German (Prussian) war.  The irony was he arrived just in time for America's Civil War in which he fought for the Union side.  This coincides with another Reiter family (DNA connected) who had a narrative about their family.  click here to read.  So, Louis reportedly came for political reasons probably around 1854 when we found a Ludwig Reiter on a passenger list into New York.  He was a blacksmith and possibly tried to settle in Pennsylvania where family lived.  We know he was in Missouri by 1862 when he enlisted in the Union army.

Eliza Tyrey

His wife was Eliza Tyrey whose mother was a Kilpatrick from Tennessee with Colonial roots.  But, her father, Jacob Tyrey, was from Prussia: Schwemlingen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.  We don't know why he left but do know he was living in Wisconsin in 1836 according to the census there.  He was later identified as a miner so possibly he left for economic reasons.  But, he also probably left for political reasons since this area became Prussian in 1816 and Jacob (born in 1810) would have been subject to the draft also.

Louis Reiter and Eliza Tyrey's daughter was my great grandmother Mary Celecy Reiter McKee who married Thomas Long with Colonial roots. My other great grandparents were Henry Maupin (also Colonial roots) and Annie Reed whose parents were recent immigrants from England.

Seated:  Frances Glanville Reed and Annie Reed Maupin

Annie's mother's family John Glanville and Frances Hancock came from Camborne in Cornwall England sometime after 1841 but before my g-g grandmother (Francis Glanville) was born in 1843.  Having watched the series Poldark on PBS, I have a very good idea why they left: the mines were closing. The mines in Cornwall had been producing for thousands of years (click here) and it was becoming more and more difficult to mine, so they came to Valle Mines, MO where there was plenty of lead that was needed for bullets if nothing else.

William Farncombe/Reed

Annie's father, William Farncombe/Reed, was also from England:  Pyecombe near Brighton.  William Reed (aka Farncombe) is so far the only immigrant I have who left because he was in trouble (click here)  We don't know why he left England other than one of his sister's descendants saying he "left under a cloud".  Personally, I suspect bigamy or getting a young lady "in trouble".  He was married in 1850 to a woman in Kent (at 15 years old?)---this information was written on the back of his marriage certificate in French Village, Missouri to Frances Glanville. He was still living with his parents in 1851 according to the census in England, but was in the United States by 1860 living in Valle Mines, Missouri.

So they emigrated for economics, politics, a possible prison record which probably accounts for most emigration, however I have at least one from the Colonial era who came for religious reasons.

Unknown Family Photos

The photo above is the one I'm most interested in. I think the woman seated on the right is my great-grandmother Annie Reed Maupin. Carol, the spouse of a Reed cousin, agrees that looks like Annie Reed and that is probably her mother Frances Glanville Reed beside her. Catherine also agrees that Frances Glanville Reed is on the left. Looking closely at the eyes of the children and standing ladies, I'm going to tentatively identify the children as, Myrtle Reed (b. 1891),Harry (b. 1889) and Mattie(b. 1891) Maupin. Myrtle was Frances's granddaughter, daughter of William Reed. That puts the photo around 1892. The ladies standing are probably Frances's other daughters Mamie Reed Baum(13 years old) and Allie Reed Haverstick (18 years old). See another family photo below. A brief family history summary is on the left under Long Family.
Annie Reed Maupin (center) had six brothers and two sisters: William James Reed, George Frederick Reed, John H. Reed, Alice Cora Reed (Allie), Mary Louise Reed (Mamie), Charles Edward Reed, Walter W. Reed, and James G. Reed. So, these photos could be of them, their families or they could even be Glanvilles. Frances Glanville Reed and Annie Reed Maupin took in Elizabeth Glanville Outman's children. So, some photos could be of James Gustav Outman, Mamie Outman or Lillian Outman.
These photos, found in my aunt's basement, were labeled "Maupin, Reed, McKay". Unfortunately, I don't know who most of these people are. Many, like the one above and below, appear to have been sent in Christmas cards or letters.

Unknown Babies

My cousin brought some photos over which his mother had placed in an envelope marked "Maupin, Reed, McKay". My job is to try to figure out who these babies are.

L-R: Hal McKay, Minerva Downen Maupin, Walter Maupin, Maxine Huskey Maupin, Harry Maupin

I think the baby photo below is Uncle Walter Reed Maupin standing in the center above.

And the photo below may be his brother standing on the right (note the ears in both photos)

William Reed/Farncombe

While in De Soto Library recently, I was looking through their files and found this. It was a very faded copy---this is actually more readable than the original. It was stapled to a lot of genealogy of local French families---Roussin and Lalomondier are two that I recall. I don't know who wrote it. It is slightly different from the other story that other Reed cousins had. I'm going to try to transcribe it to the best of my ability without making comments. But, before beginning I want to be clear that William Reed was not royalty---his father was a "Chelsea pensioner" having retired from the British army before he was born (and he wasn't an officer, either). Please click on the "Lables" to the left on Reed or Farncombe for other stories.

Glanville-Reed Missouri Mysteries

There are several stories that I've been trying to track down. First, my dad always said we were related to the Ambruster/Armbrusters (who have a mortuary in St. Louis) on the Reed side. It's a beautiful mortuary on Clayton Rd. in a Tudor style building---I couldn't find any exterior shots.

Avoca Day Two

(John Nicholls stone in Avoca Cemetary with a cedar tree planted on the grave)

After we got home from our trip, I looked at my notes on my computer and contacted several members of the Jefferson County Historical Society with some questions. I wish all of my family lines had web sites with such wonderful information. I had discovered that the cemetery I'd visited had several relatives in it after all. First, there were John and Cora Glanville Nicholls. (they are below the Glanvilles in the 1870 census above) They were in an area of the cemetery that I hadn't visited two days earlier.They were in an area enclosed with a small wall and a pipe along with their son John.

But, in that enclosure there appeared to be at least one more grave with no stone, but a cedar tree planted beside the son John's grave. After talking to Dave Halleman of the Historical Society, we believe that to be the grave of James Glanville.
The cemetery is not very large---Lepps were there in addition to other names who didn't really seem related: Cole, Weber, Kealla, Nicholls, Armbruster. Dave thinks it is really a community cemetery that should be known as just the Avoca Cemetery.

Dave also told me that Avoca was actually across the road from the cemetery. This area had over a thousand people at one time, but there isn't much there now---if you don't count the lake community.

Avoca Day One

The Glanvilles were miners from Cornwall who came to Missouri for the mines. The 1860 census had 32 pages with 40 people on each page. My Glanville ancestors were on page 3 and William Reed was on page 29. Avoca was supposed to be near Valle Mines.

(William wasn't really from Ireland, but this was his new identity---he changed his name, age, and country of origin)

So, we went searching for Avoca---my GPS system and handy map of Missouri were no help. I stopped by the Post Office in Valles Mines and the woman had no idea. I had googled Avoca, Missouri and found an article by David Halleman on the Terry Cemetery in Avoca---he left the GPS co-ordinates so that's how we found it.
On the way up there, we did spot this sign:
I had Dave pull off the road while I went up the hill.
I found a beautiful little forgotten cemetery.
I did take photos of some of the stones
But, didn't see any that were of my family. My dad always said we were related to Armbrusters, so I took a photo of this stone.

Valles Mines

When William Reed first came to the United States, he worked in the Valle Mines area (Valles Mines) which is where the Glanvilles (his future in-laws) also lived and mined. At one time it was a bustling village, but there's not much there anymore but a post office, a gas station and several churches. There was a little bit of history still there like the General Store building.
A re-sale it shop
And a sign that explains where the name comes from:

After I got home, I googled the name and found out Dave and I have another "road trip" in our future. We missed a lot of Valles Mines. Click here for more information. But, I am a little concerned that the "Lost History Museum" has a "For lease" sign by it.

Oh well, we also were in search of the village of Avoca which had at least 1000 people in it at one time. But, that's another blog.

The William Reed House

After getting that photo of William Reed's house, I was on a mission. The realtor's listing gave instructions how to get there and that it was on Hencher Rd. I googled it and found a newer realtor's listing---it had recently sold. Now, I had an address that I could put in the trusty GPS system: 12932 Hencher Rd.

For a bird's eye view, click here and scroll down---it's on the corner with a lot of trees. It's kind of neat to see the other houses and the fields around it.

The family that's living there have only lived there for a year. The listing is still available with the amenities. (Click here) I talked to the owner who offered a tour---I declined, got his phone number and said I might be back later with cousins. He said he feels like he's living at a resort. I believe the previous owners more than doubled the size of the house with an addition that looks a lot like additions I've seen added in the early 1900's. It probably includes the master suite with whirlpool bath and a new kitchen with a stone floor.

I asked Steve (the owner) if he knew anything about the house. He said he thought it was built around 1844 and the builder had a lot of kids. If William Reed built the house, the date isn't right, but he was right about a lot of kids---9 kids is a lot.

Sadly Frances Glanville Reed had to go from this beautiful home to a boarding house in St. Louis in her later years. Such was the life of a widow at the turn of the century.

This is also the house where Annie Reed was married. See the blog on her early years. Click here.

Francis Glanville Reed in St. Louis

After William Reed's death in 1891, Frances Glanville Reed must have had a hard time with so many young children. I was pretty surprised to find her in St. Louis in the 1900 census. She might have had relatives here. My mother recalled that Vivian Maupin Long (Frances's granddaughter) always liked coming to church with us at Lafayette Park Methodist Church because she ran into cousins. My Aunt Mary remembers visiting "cousins" with her grandmother Annie Reed Maupin. I haven't, yet, figured out who that would have been, but when Francis came to St. Louis she lived on Hickory Ave. which I knew was one of the streets in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. Naturally, I assumed she had lived in that neighborhood, but a "road trip" with a GPS system revealed a different location.

First, I was surprised to be so close to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and Ralston Purina plant---further east from the Lafayette Park neighborhood, but very close to where a lot of industry was at the turn of the century. Also, nearby is a tavern that's been around since 1818--Old Rock House. Then, when I passed St. Raymond's church (above), I was pretty sure I'd never been in this area. When we turned on 9th Street, I was beginning to feel a little uneasy. Ahead was all "new" housing just as the GPS said, "Arriving at destination." 927 Hickory was that building to the right, so I'm thinking Francis lived in a house in front of the dumpster: 929 Hickory.

The census takers weren't always that good about writing the street addresses down. Frances could have lived at 928 or 930, but nothing was there either. Across the street was a little "pocket park" which is where those buildings would have been.

This area is called the LaSalle Park neighborhood which used to be part of the Soulard neighborhood---a very trendy place named for the Soulard Market---a farmer's market since 1779.
Down the street were a couple of restored row houses which I assume is the way the whole street looked at one time. The one on the right is a Bed and Breakfast. I talked to a woman who was staying there. She said it is ultra-modern on the inside. So, if any of you were planning on taking a trip up memory lane and staying on g-g grandmother's street, be warned--it does say "modern abode". Click here to see inside. It was however named best B and B in St. Louis for 2006.
Back to the census (double click to enlarge, but use the back arrow to come back):
She had 4 children still living with her: Mary (Mayme) Reed who was 22 and worked as a dressmaker; Charles Reed, 19, worked as a "polisher" at the foundry; Walter Reed, 17, was a laborer at the foundry; James Reed, 14, was "at school." Also note that there were boarders. One, Gustav Outman, was probably Frances's nephew (Augustus)----the son of her sister Elizabeth Glanvile Outman who with her husband died in 1877 leaving 4 young orphan children. In the 1910 census, two were living with William Glanville, the oldest brother, in St. Francois County, MO.

I confess that I was a little sad that Frances's house wasn't there, especially since I had imagined it beautifully restored in the Lafayette Park neighborhood. I hope I have better luck finding the stone house that William built in the De Soto area (see below for an old photo).

William Reed's Death

We've known for some time that William Reed (AKA William Farncombe) died by accident Feb. 24, 1891 (it is on his tombstone). I suspected fire because he was a blacksmith and that was confirmed by the funeral home records that just went on-line in 2009. They stated "accidental burning" as the cause of death. I felt pretty smug having guessed the cause of death until a cousin Catharine McComb contacted me. Here are Catharine's mother, grandfather and great-grandfather:

William J. Reed (Farncombe)

William Reed/Farncombe (AKA Holcombe)

[Photo is of Pyecombe, Sussex, England---where William Reed/Farncombe---father of Annie Reed Maupin--- was from]

As I mentioned in a previous post, Carol Keller whose husband is the great-grandson of William Reed/Farncombe had a document that she'd received from one of his cousins. Some of it has no basis in truth (as far as we know), but some of it may in fact be correct. We haven't really checked it all out, yet.

"Genealogy Report Taken From Original Dated 1861 in London, England Reed-Holcombe [Carol and I think someone mis-understood the name Farncombe]

Sir Edward William James Reed-Holcombe born Sept. 20, 1830 at Sheerness, England. At age 23 was designer of various vessels for the British until he denounced Royalty in Dec. 1856.[William Reed/Farncombe was not SIR anything and his birth was not accurate either. He was, however, a blacksmith/engineer and did emigrate from England in late 1856 or early 1857]

One brother remained in England.[seven out of nine siblings remained in England] Sir Thomas German Reed-Holcombe born at Brighton June 27, 1817---died March 1888.[none of this is accurate excepting the family was from around Brighton, England]

Annie Reed--Later

Above was Annie Reed Maupin's home in De Soto, Missouri on Boyd St. "Annie Reed" Maupin is a family legend. Anytime my dad (or daughters) couldn't stay home, but had to be out running around or shopping, my mother would say, "There goes Annie Reed." Annie was fortunate in her husband worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad, allowing her to go to St. Louis to visit relatives or to go shopping even for just the day. The Jefferson County Democrat Feb. 27, 1913 reported,

"Mrs. Henry MAUPIN visited relatives at St. Louis last week."

My aunt Mary Long Wassmund recalls going to St. Louis with her grandmother to visit relatives. She had to wear a hat, gloves, sit up straight and properly drink tea. We aren't sure what relatives they visited, but I can recall mother saying that my grandmother (Annie's daughter) Vivian always liked going to church with us at Lafayette Park Methodist Church because there were relatives who attended that church and lived in the area.

After Annie's father died in 1891, her mother (Frances Glanville Reed) moved to the Lafayette Park area with her children who remained at home---they are listed in the 1900 census (929 Hickory). So, Annie could have been visiting some of them. Carol Keller wrote me "Annie was always a favorite aunt of my mother-in-law, Grace Frances Reed Keller". Everyone seemed to love Annie Reed---I've never heard anything negative about her. My mother said that when Dad (LeRoy Long) got his first car, he wanted to show his grandmother, Annie Reed, right away.
Annie the older woman in the center is pictured with her siblings. Carol Keller has identified Charles as the first man in the second row. Catharine McComb has identified her grandfather John as standing the second from the right. Annie's sisters were Allie (Haverstick) and May (Mayme Baum). My Aunt Mary said that William looked like her Uncle Albert so we think he is seated on the right.This photo was taken in 1920 probably after their mother's funeral. That leaves George Frederick Reed, James G. Reed and Walter W. Reed whom we haven't identified.

This photo is taken from a 1931 family reunion photo. I do have most of the people identified--most were Long's but some were Reed-Maupins also. In the second row, the first dark haired lady holding a baby is my grandmother Vivian Maupin Long. The little girl to her right is my aunt Mary Long Wassmund. Right behind her and to her left in Annie Reed Maupin (5th over in the third row). My father with the scowl of a 13 year old is seated the furthest right (at the feet of his Grandmother and Grandfather Long. (sort of 2nd row)

This is the other end of the same photo with names added. In the bottom row, are several of Annie Reed's grandchildren: Betty Maupin, Maxine Long, Martha McKay and Norma Long. Also, Annie's niece Ruth Reed and Ralph Reed (on the far right holding a chicken). Apparently Jim Reed (one of Annie's brothers) who lived in Michigan would send his kids to stay with Annie for a month or longer in the summer. He is pictured at the top with his name written in. My aunts (Norma and Mary) remember Ralph and Ruth fondly.