Great-great grandparents' era

Among your eight great-great grandparents on your mother's side, the oldest was born in 1841 and the rest were born during or close to the time of the American Civil War. The last one died in 1954 at the age of 94. Two immigrated as teenagers--one from Scotland and the other from northern England, and the rest were born in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or New York.

They'd been born into a world roiled by the fight over slavery -- first the political turmoil leading up to the Civil War, and then the mess-everything-up turmoil of actual war.  Yes, even the towns of your great-great grandparents still in Great Britain were hurt by the economic disruption of the cotton trade with the southern states. And near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the fighting left one of your great-great grandmothers with terrifying childhood memories that would last her whole life. 

 

But this generation came of age at a time with opportunity was blooming. When this generation was born, there were only 26 United States; the British Empire was the unchallenged international power; and the United States was only a bit player on the world's stage. When the last died, there were 48 states; the British Empire had lost most of its colonies; and America was the world's greatest power. 

At the same time America was deciding it would be a nation without slavery, however, it was also finishing up the subjugation of the Native Americans out west: One of your 2G granduncles, Darwin Rush James (William James's oldest brother) served as Chairman of the United States Board of Indian Commissioners at the time of the Wounded Knee Massacre. He would not have had any direct responsibility for that action, thank goodness, though there’s more of a risk he was at least supportive of church-run Indian boarding schools, which were in their heyday at that time.

 

 Here's the list:

17 & 18 -- John William McKim (1862-1938) and Amanda Pamela Sloss (1859-1927) John ran a paint and wallpaper store; both he and Amanda lived their whole lives in western Pennsylvania.

19 & 20 -- Isaac Abercrombie (1868-1956) and Susannah Orkney (1867-1951) Isaac was a coal miner and likely did other jobs in later life. He came to western Pennsylvania at 17 without his parents but with three younger siblings in tow. Susannah came to Pennsylvania at 16 to live with her older sister who was already here.

21 & 22 -- William Henry Harrison James (1841-1917) and Julia Edith Bellows (1860-1954) William was a clerk, salesperson, and a bookkeeper in his parents' and later his brothers' importing, wholesale, and retail businesses. He was born in Massachusetts, but when he was a boy, his parents moved to New York City, where he lived until he and Julia relocated to the New Jersey suburbs. Julia was born in New York City.

23 & 24 -- Joseph William Bream (1856-1931) and Sarah Taylor (1860-1951) Joseph was a farmer in central Pennsylvania, where he and Sarah lived their whole lives.

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