Great-great-great grandparent's era

This generation is far enough back that we have very few direct family memories to share. What we know comes from records. The oldest among these sixteen 3G-grandparents was born in 1805; the last one died in 1933 at the age of 95. They were farmers, sheep herders, shopkeepers, importers, and coal miners. Eleven were born in the US; two were immigrants (from Ulster and Scotland); and 3 lived and died in Great Britain. They saw massive transformation in the world around them, as America went from a largely agrarian and pioneer nation into an industrial power.

Society was very stratified in the 19^th Century, often called the Victorian era. Rich or poor, these ancestors would be very surprised to find themselves on the same family tree as people from such different social and economic strata. 

The wealthiest and best-educated of this generation were the Massachusetts Puritans’ descendants; even the women went to college. The poorest among your ancestors of this generation were scraping out a living herding sheep or coal mining, with barely even an elementary education. The rest of your 3G-grandparents were middle-class owners of farms or stores.

A few of this generation lived to see World War I, but for all of them the Civil War was the biggest historical event, occurring when most were in their 30s or 40s. While the Confederacy was drafting men as old as 50 by the end of the war, the Union had no compulsory service until 1863 and only unmarried men up to the age of 45 were at risk of being drafted.  All your male ancestors of this generation were married by then. In addition, anyone with $300 (around $2,000 in 2019 dollars) could legally buy his way out of conscription.  As a result, none of your ancestors served as soldiers during the Civil War—although those who lived near Gettysburg lost supplies or livestock to both armies.

The other huge development during their lives was the Industrial Revolution. When this generation was born, the electric motor had not yet been invented; electricity itself was just beginning to be understood and tamed. Things that did not exist when they were born included the light bulb, the telegraph, the telephone, the camera, and the automobile, but they used and may have owned those things by the time they died. 

Science made great progress in other areas, too. When this generation was born, doctors still believed that bad air, or “miasma”, not germs, caused most illnesses. By the time they died, doctors knew to wash their hands and sterilize their instruments. 

Here's the list:

15 & 16 -- Robert Alexander McKim (1838-1906) and Elvira Eleanor (Ellen) Gould (1836-1866) Robert had several occupations listed on census documents at different times, including farmer and carpenter. They both lived their whole lives in western Pennsylvania. Robert remarried after Ellen died.

17 & 18 -- Robert Sloss (1816-1892) and Jane (Jennie) Semple (1816-1880) Robert was born in Northern Ireland, but Jennie lived her whole life in western Pennsylvania. Robert worked as a clerk (office worker) and owned a grocery store, at different times.

19 & 20 -- John Abercrombie (1841-1875) and Susan Wilson (1839-1920) John lived and died in Kilsyth, Scotland, but Susan remarried after he died and came to Pennsylvania with her second husband, Hugh McConnell. I don't know John's occupation--at that time, Kilsyth's economy included both animals (dairy and sheep) and coal mining. 

21 & 22 -- Alexander Orkney (1823-1900) and Hannah Richardson (1826-1910) Both were born and died in Northumberland, England, but they visited the US and half of their kids moved to Pennsylvania. Alexander was a coal miner; Hannah ran a fish-and-chips cafe.

23 & 24 -- Lewis Lyman James (1805-1880) and Cerintha Wells (1807-1865)  Both Lewis and Cerintha were born in Massachusetts, but they moved to New York City, where Cerintha died. Lewis appears to have been living with a son in Michigan when he died. Lewis was a merchant, importing spices.

25 & 26 -- Henry Sanford Bellows (1834-1897) and Harriet Amelia Tichenor (1838-1933)  Both Henry and Harriet lived their entire lives in New York. Henry was a lawyer.

27 & 28 -- Andrew Samuel Bream (1821-1892) and Rebecca Plank (1822-1905) Both Andrew and Rebecca lived their entire lives on farms in central Pennsylvania.

29 & 30 -- Levi Taylor (1826-1913) and Catherine Hoffman (1827-1912) Both Levi and Catherine lived their entire lives on farms in central Pennsylvania.

Back to home page