Ruloff Van Der Kerr – Secret Service Loyalist

Especially in these days when the teaching of History is often neglected, even those who have some understanding of the Revolutionary War may have a simplified view that it was a conflict between the “Americans” (i.e. those living in the British Colonies in what is now part of the United States) and the British. In this simplified view, everyone living here in the Colonies was opposed to what the British were doing (levying taxes, etc.) and we were fighting the British soldiers and trying to kick them out.

I’ve noted in a prior blog (*1), that this was not a simple process and that the war had its beginnings in the mid-1760s and was not finally completed until 26 years later. But it was also complicated by the fact that not everyone in the colonies wanted to cut ties to Britain. As I noted in (*2), when the British invaded New Haven, CT, in July 1779, they decided not to burn the town as there were still many Tories living there and they did not want to destroy the houses of their friends.

This blog is about one of the Tories – my wife’s great*5 grandfather, Ruloff Van Der Kerr, who participated in the war on the side of the British.

The Van Der Kerr Family

I have not managed to find when the first member of this family came to New York (then New Netherlands), but it was some time in the early-mid-1600s (*3). It is not known if any of the family were impacted by the Pequot War in 1636-1638, but certainly that was part of the dynamic of the Dutch colonists as the Pequots had been aligned with them (*4). But when King Philip’s War took place about 40 years later, the Dutch would have been among those who sent Metacomet back to New England when he tried to escape to New York (*5).

The family did not have the Van Der Kerr surname originally, but were using the Dutch patronymic naming convention. But when the Dutch turned over their holdings to the British in 1662, they needed to use the surname convention and began using the Van Der Kerr / Van Der Karre / Van Der Kar name.

By the mid-1700s, the family had grown considerably and were spread all over the upper Hudson River valley – Albany, Greene, Columbia, Ulster, and Dutchess Counties. It’s pretty certain that family members had interaction with the few Indians (Native Americans) who were still in the area. As I had noted in (*6), the Mahican Indians at Shekomeko had been ministered to by some Moravian missionaries from Bethlehem, PA and when they were chased out of their homes in 1746 some of them went to a mission station in Schaghticoke. One of Ruloff’s cousins, Abraham Van Der Kerr, lived there not long after.

Ruloff was born in Loonenburg, now Athens, in Greene County, in 1745. He was the tenth of eleven children in his family. His father, Solomon, was one of thirteen children himself, so Ruloff had a large number of siblings and cousins.

Ruloff Van Der Kerr

Nothing much is known of Ruloff’s (also known as Ralph) early life, but rather than farming (which would have been a very common occupation at the time), he became a tanner and shoemaker. When the Revolutionary War broke out, first in the Boston area, then quickly spreading to other cities along the coast, those living in the upper Hudson Valley would have been insulated initially. But it would not be too long before it spread there as well – and everyone would have had to choose sides.

As best as I have been able to find out, all of Ruloff’s male siblings and cousins chose to be on the side of the Revolutionaries. I have found records of several of them in the muster lists for various units from Albany. But for some reason, which one can only speculate about, Ruloff decided to support the British. And not only did he support them, but he did so as a “secret agent” – working to enlist others in the cause.

Jessup’s Rangers

One of the loyalist groups with which Ruloff was associated was known as Jessup’s Rangers. This group was founded by Edward Jessup (*7, *8). Edward was born in Stamford, CT in 1735. He had moved with his family to Dutchess County, NY in 1744 and in 1759 served with a unit of British soldiers in the French and Indian War. After the war he moved to Albany County where he received a large land grant (500,000 acres) from the British Crown in recognition of his services. He later purchased an additional 1,150,000 acres. Having associated with the British and been awarded because of his service, it is easy to see why he continued to support them when the Revolutionary War began.

Edward and his brother Ebenezer formed their own corps, known as the King’s Loyal Americans. They fought with General Burgoyne at the battle of Saratoga, were taken prisoner, then paroled and went to Canada. There they formed a new regiment known as Jessup’s Rangers (*9) which took part in raids into New York.

Ruloff became associated with the Jessup brothers fairly early on as he was named in some court proceedings as early as June 1777 (*10). In these proceedings, Ruloff (identified therein as Rulph) is noted as being the head of a company of men who were commissioning others into service for the British under Colonel Hueston.

We also know that Ruloff was captured at least once, was jailed, and then likely paroled.

After the War

When the war ended, Ruloff found himself on the losing side. He fled and escaped up the [Hudson] River. He applied to the British government in 1788 for recompense for all that he had lost while in their service. A listing of what he applied for included:

·       Tanner and business tools

·       Wearing apparel

·       Money expended in Albany Gaol [Jail]

·       Money when being wounded and taken prisoner [i.e. medical costs]

·       Money expended in Secret Services

·       64 sides of leather taken when prisoner

·       Bank Account

·       Labor in Grade

The total of all of these was 360 pounds, 16 shillings, 3 pence.

[Expenses]

Meanwhile, Ruloff finally married in 1787, at the age of 42. He and his wife, Sarah Reynolds, who was only 20 at the time, went on to have eight children. It does not appear that he ever returned to NY to visit his American relatives. Only in 1830, following his death, did one of his grandchildren, my wife’s great*3 grandfather, move from Canada to Michigan.

Notes:

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2019/08/war-is-long-process.html

*2 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-battle-of-new-haven.html

*3 - http://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2017/03/genealogy-story-vandecar-family.html

*4 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-pequot-war.html

*5 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/01/king-philips-war.html

*6 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2018/07/indians-moravians-and-ancestors.html

*7 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jessup

*8 - https://loyalist.lib.unb.ca/node/4300

*9 - https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Dwinnell%20Associates/1781%20Jessup's%20Rangers.html

*10 – Calendar of Historical Manuscripts Relating to the War of the American Revolution in the office of the Secretary of State, Albany, NY, Vol II; printed by Weed, Parsons and Company, 1868

Current Cultural Impact on History

About two months ago I wrote a blog about “Black Lives Matter” (*1). Because it was the title of the blog, I capitalized those three words. But I’ve now come to realize that doing so may have contributed to one of the issues currently facing this country where a whole series of seemingly unrelated things have gotten intertwined and words/phrases have been redefined – somewhat deliberately.

The focus of my blogs is most often historical with genealogy playing a major role in my investigations. It may seem as I try to untangle these intertwined concepts below that I’m being political instead. But I ask that you keep reading, as I will end on a historical topic that is also intertwined here.

“black lives matter” v. “Black Lives Matter”

It wouldn’t seem that the simple difference of capitalization would make that much of a difference. But that’s some of the subtlety that is deliberately confusing. The uncapitalized words describe a concept that I support and which was the focus of my earlier blog. But the latter is the name of an organization. One of the key pages on the website of this organization (*2) is a list of 15 items that the organization is committed to. Each of these paragraphs starts with the word “We”. [Each of the bulleted items below are taken verbatim from this website.]

The first three describe some concepts that I can support and are what I misguidedly thought was the only focus of the organization.

·       We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

·       We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

·       We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

But, in item six, there is a shift in emphasis. It starts subtly with a statement that seems to mirror the current federal EEO guidelines. But it goes beyond the EEO guidelines to include such topics as “immigration status”, etc.

·       We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.”

Then in items seven and eight, it is no longer subtle:

·       We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.

·       We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.

And by the time we get to items twelve and thirteen we see even further evidence of things that have nothing to do with “black lives”:

·       We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

·       We foster a queer-affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

Did you know that these ideals(?) were part of the whole BLM movement? I certainly didn’t. But it’s out there in their “what we believe” statement for all to see. Are you willing to get behind a movement that is fighting for such non-Black issues as “immigration status,” “dismantling cisgender privilege,” “disrupting [the] nuclear family,” and “queer-affirming?” When you see the protests taking place in some of our cities did you know that this is what they are fighting for?

Hijacked by Antifa?

When some of the initial protests started in Ferguson, MO, a few years ago, the crowds of protestors were primarily the local people in that city. But have you noticed that the composition of the crowds in the current protests? Look at the two pictures below – one from this summer and one from Ferguson.

[Protest picture]

[Ferguson picture]

In Ferguson, the protestors were nearly all local black residents. But the current protests are dominated by young, white individuals.

While there have been some reports that “Antifa” was responsible, there are two problems with this characterization. First, the term “antifa” generally applies to groups/individuals who are rarely militant or violent and most of them engage in commonly accepted forms of political activism. (*3) The other is that this “movement” is mostly unorganized and has no central leadership. Thus, when looking at those who arrested, trying to find a connection to antifa has had little actual results (*4, *5). In the protests in Portland, only one individual was arrested that had any purported connection to a national organization (*6). There has also been a claim circulating that these protestors are primarily teachers, but this has also been thoroughly debunked (*7).

But it is true that the protestors are mostly white, mostly young – various analyses indicating 26-28 years old on average (*6, *8) – and many appearing to be college students. Thus, nearly all the individuals are either part of the generation termed “Millennials” with the younger ones being part of “Generation Z”.

So, if it’s not antifa behind the protests, and they are not local black individuals, what things do these protestors have in common? I’ve not seen a definitive analysis, but it appears to me that there are several factors in play here. The individuals who are involved in these riots are far-left politically, and supportive of socialism or even communism. It’s been well-documented that the individuals in this demographic are more socialist than those in older generations (*9). One of their “heroes” is Bernie Sanders who made the news this past week when he proposed a 60% wealth tax on billionaires (*10). They are also the ones who have incurred large amounts of debt paying for college and want the government to pay off their debt.

I’m not going to try to do any deeper analysis, but it appears to me that this generation has forgotten, or chooses to ignore, the lessons of history – or perhaps they were never taught these lessons in the first place. And that brings me to my next point.

Slippery Slopes and the Cancel Culture

It was not that long ago that marriage was defined as the union of a man and a woman. In that religious definition, the ultimate end of a marriage was the birthing of children. But then those who were homosexual asked that they be able to share in the same benefits as those who were in heterosexual marriages. Initially, the “ask” was fairly low-key and only for the ability to have same-sex unions. Some on the religious right noted that this was a “slippery slope” which would lead to other requests, but regardless of their objections, same-sex partnerships were approved in many states.

However, the slippery slope proponents were right and soon the request was for not just same-sex partnerships, but “marriages”. Just one small step, just one small word! In the years since, just as predicted, we have been asked to move from just being “tolerant” to “accepting” (i.e. to approve of these same-sex relationships), and then to being required to “celebrate” (*11). Now there have been court cases where individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs are being sued and “forced” to participate in same-sex marriage celebrations (*12). It’s interesting, however, that such suits are entirely against Christians. No one has ever asked a bakery owned by someone who is Muslim to produce a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage. There seems to be specific targeting against conservative Christians.

Last year the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement called for “celebration of cultural diversity,” in which the word “tolerance” is defined to include “acceptance” (*13). Yet another step on that “slippery slope.”

Now, somewhat suddenly, in 2020, we have moved even beyond the model of tolerance/acceptance/celebration to the new concept of being a “cancel culture” (*14). In this model, anyone who disagrees with or has ever held an opinion that is even mildly divergent from the “woke” politically correct individuals on the far left is attacked, shouted down, or otherwise marginalized. So, if you say something (or even said something in the past) that the woke mob doesn’t agree with, you will be “eliminated.”

Impact on History

As promised near the beginning of this blog, now we come to the area of my interest in history. So, what is the impact of BLM, Cancel Culture, etc. on history? Things are happening very quickly, but at least the following three things are going on all at once.

First, educators are being asked to remove the teaching of traditional history from our education system. As an example noted in (*15), the Illinois State Board of Education and local school districts are being urged to remove current history books and curriculum practices. George Santayana (*16), is famously quoted as “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This is often paraphrased as “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” By removing history from our educational system, the lessons of it will not be learned.

Second, since removing the teaching of history from our educational system will not have sufficient impact upon those from prior generations, the cancel culture is using force and violence to remove traces of it from the public square. They started with statues of Confederate generals and very quickly moved on to any monuments of Columbus, Washington, Jefferson, and nearly anyone of significance in US history. The “slippery slope” argument was even referred to by President Trump (*17), where it asks “Should Americans therefore disavow these founding fathers as scoundrels and national embarrassments, or accept them as men of their time, demigods with feet of clay, who bore their imperfections even as they sought to steer their country beyond them?” But rather than debate this in the public forum, the cancel culture is just acting violently and not allowing any debate.

Finally, having removed the teaching of history and any symbols that remind us of the past, there is a concerted effort to replace that which was removed with a new, revisionist view of that history. As noted in (*18), “[a] concerted effort to revise history to fit the modern social justice narrative and insert works of fiction in our education system – from kindergarten through higher education – is well underway.” This article is about the “1619 Project” where it is proposed that “6-year-olds will be learning a reframed version of America’s founding, shaped to fit today’s standards and train the next generation of social justice warriors.” I’ll refrain from further quotes and just ask that you read about it.

Three easy(?) steps – stop teaching the old, remove residual traces of it, and teach everyone a new “woke” version. And anyone who objects is shouted down and marginalized. How long will it be before we start “burning books” as well in order to remove further residual traces of our history?

I’m concerned. I continue to learn from history. And I continue to interpret current events in light of history which helps me to understand these events. If we banish it from our collective consciousness, then what will be the consequences?

Notes:

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/06/black-lives-matter.html

*2 - https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

*3 - https://theconversation.com/what-or-who-is-antifa-140147

*4 - https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/06/11/what-is-antifa-trump-protests

*5 - https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/07/ap-analysis-of-200-portland-arrests-debunks-myth-of-anarchists-most-charged-with-nonviolent-offenses.html

*6 - https://www.krem.com/article/news/investigations/whos-being-arrested-at-portland-protests/283-2f4d1db1-6cc3-4e57-8bd9-75b5534c058e

*7 - https://www.factcheck.org/2020/08/false-claims-follow-old-portland-mugshots/

*8 - https://www.opb.org/article/2020/07/30/portland-oregon-protests-arrests-records-data/

*9 - https://news.gallup.com/poll/268766/socialism-popular-capitalism-among-young-adults.aspx

*10 - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/06/sanders-billionaire-tax-bill-would-cost-bezos-musk-zuckerberg.html

*11 - https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1056916.pdf

*12 - https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/commentary/when-tolerance-turns-coerced-celebration

*13 - http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/05/need-move-beyond-mere-tolerance-towards-empathy-truly-celebrate-cultural-diversity-says-executive-director-geneva-centre/

*14 - https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/cabot-phillips-cancel-culture-distorts-history-to-portray-us-as-evil-nation-that-must-be-transformed

*15 - https://illinoisfamily.org/education/leftist-lawmakers-and-activists-call-for-the-cancellation-of-all-history-classes/?fbclid=IwAR0F_wNzylEgKfzpSdHEH5aMbdjG5kK9UYNhWklaGUUtzgIzQlF-JPzxjMk#.XylNKZSnFQU.facebook

*16 - https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana

*17 - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40978515

*18 - https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/cabot-phillips-cancel-culture-distorts-history-to-portray-us-as-evil-nation-that-must-be-transformed

Slave Owners in my Family Tree – Part 2

Recently I published a list of my Connecticut ancestors who owned slaves (*1). The source data for this information was the 1790 census. However, someone then posted a link to some information on this subject that is maintained by the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury (*2). This list contains a all the individuals who owned slaves in Waterbury in roughly the period from 1700 to 1800. There are bios for all those who lived in Waterbury. I am related to all 16 of these individuals. Those which are direct ancestors of mine are bolded in the lists below, the other are mainly uncles or relatively close cousins.

·       Dr. Isaac Baldwin – (son-in-law of Rev. Mark and Sarah Leavenworth)

·       Deacon Stephen Bronson – first cousin, 7 times removed, grandson of Rev. John Southmayd, in addition, his wife was the daughter of Caleb Humaston

·       Deacon Thomas Clark – first cousin, 10 times removed, through his mother, Hannah Strong

·       Thomas Clark, Jr. – (son of Deacon Thomas Clark)

·       Timothy Clark – (son of Deacon Thomas Clark)

·       Dr. Edward Field – (son-in-law of Dr. Isaac Baldwin, grandson of Rev. Mark and Sarah Leavenworth)

·       Joseph Hopkins, Esq. – (son-in-law of Deacon Thomas Clark)

·       Caleb Humaston – great*7 uncle, his wife was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Todd

·       Rev. Mark and Sarah Leavenworth – Sarah is second cousin, 6 times removed

·       Isaac Newton – third cousin, 4 times removed through Thomas Hooker

·       Miles Newton – fourth cousin, 5 times removed through Thomas Hooker

·       John Nichols – (father-in-law of Rev. James Scoville)

·       Harmon Payne – first cousin, 7 times removed

·       Dr. Preserved and Lydia Porter – Lydia is first cousin, 6 times removed

·       Rev. James Scoville – great*6 uncle

·       Rev. John Southmayd – great*7 grandfather

This website also lists a number of individuals who lives in Westbury (now Watertown) which was part of Waterbury back in the 1700s. However, there is no biographical information for most of these, just a name with no dates, etc. However, I was able to confirm the relationship of all those with bios and a few others, so there are 15 more individuals who are part of my ancestral tree.

·       Ashur Blakely – first cousin, 7 times removed

·       Young Love Cutler

·       James Doolittle

·       Abijah Garnsey – husband of third cousin, 7 times removed

·       Deacon Jonathan Garnsey – (brother of Abijah Garnsey)

·       Captain Samuel Hickcox – first cousin, 8 times removed

·       Deacon Samuel Hickcox – (son of Captain Samuel Hickox)

·       Captain William Hickcox – (son of Captain Samuel Hickox)

·       Titus Hotchkiss – great*7 uncle

·       Elnathan Judd – fifth cousin, 6 times removed

·       Stephen Judd – fifth cousin, 6 times removed

·       Joshua Morse

·       Solomon Morse

·       Joshua Moss

·       Susanna Nettleton – first cousin, 7 times removed

·       Capt. George Nichols – (father of John Nichols)

·       Jonathan Prindle – great*6 grandfather

·       Theophilus Ransom

·       Benjamin Richards, Jr. – first cousin, 7 times removed

·       Lieut. Thomas Richards – great*7 uncle

·       David Jonathan Scott

·       Capt. E Scovill

·       David Skilton

·       Oliver Soughton

·       Lieut. Stow

·       Josiah Stow

·       Richard Treat

·       Rev. John Trumbull – great-nephew of great*9 uncle

·       Elijah Woodard

·       Israel Woodruff

·       Joseph Allen Wright

Notes:

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/07/slave-owners-in-my-family-tree.html

*2 - http://fortunestory.org/waterburysslaveowners/

Traveling to China in 1939

Helen Pierpont was a second cousin, once removed, of mine. She was born in Waterbury, CT, in 1905 and was a teacher in NJ. She didn’t marry until she was 40, but spent many years traveling the world in the 1930s. Her trips included: France in 1930, Cuba in 1933, Bermuda in 1935, Japan in 1937 and France in 1938.

On the cruise to Japan in 1937 she met another single lady, Ella Miller, a teacher from Syracuse, NY. Ella was 20 years older than Helen, but was a similar world traveler, having gone to England in 1925 and 1927, Turkey in 1930, Mexico in 1931, Germany in 1933 and 1934, Gibraltar in 1935, Japan in 1937, and France (with Helen) in 1938.

In 1939, they decided to take another trip together. They left New York City in July by train across the US to San Francisco, then by boat to Japan and thence to China. Being in China in the fall, and knowing that Christmas was approaching, they each wrote a letter to their friends back in the US. It appears from this letter that they may have been intending on continuing around the world together, although I have not been able to verify their itinerary. However, by the following April Helen was back home in New Jersey and Ella was back in Syracuse.

I recently came into possession of their letters written for that Christmas of 1939. Helen’s letter is in the form of a poem of her impressions, where Ella’s is a more thorough itinerary of what they had been doing.

XXXXXXXXXX Letter from Helen Pierpont XXXXXXXXXX

College of Chinese Studies

Peking, China

Christmas, 1939

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

            I’d like to see the hustle and bustle of Christmas at home, the gorgeous decorations, shops, Christmas trees, heaps of gifts, and everybody busier than at any other season. But here at the Antipodes filled with wonder at this great, strange, beautiful world. I’m very glad that the wars in 1939 have allowed us to come thus far, and hope that they won’t prevent our coming back home in 1940.

            Here is a thought about Peking that I have cudgelled from my brain:

CAMBULAC CORNUCOPIA TO FRIENDS AT HOME

We’re here in Cambulac (as Marco called Peking).

And we’re dazzled by the facets of its art and life.

Temple of Heaven, august and white, with blue sky canopy;

Hutung, pai lou, orange-robed lama priests;

Pomegranates, persimmons, Peking dates and ducks;

Lily feet, an occasional queue, babies swathed in Chinese red;

City gates securely locked at eight; walls to foil

Chinese guerrillas raiding from their mountain hideouts;

Jade Street, Lantern Street, Little Embroidery Street,

Treasures of emperors in finest craftsmanship,

Aladdin’s wondrous hoard of radiant jewels;

Rickshaw coolies running their lives away,

Peking carts, long-eared burrows, straining human horses,

Camels somber, aloof, treading in misanthropic dignity;

Flaming sunset sky above rich golden tiles

Of six hundred imperial roofs in the Forbidden City;

Street cries, musical and strange; tantalizing

Odors of roasting pork, hot chestnuts, sesame cakes; stalls

Spilling out chrysanthemums white, red, and gold;

Stories of evangelists, doctors, soil chemists,

Epidemiologists, refugees, and sinologues;

Turbaned Moslems, temples of chanting Buddhists,

Gregorian music sung in Chinese words,

Marco Polo’s Cambulac, gateway to Cathay.

                                    Helen Pierpont

XXXXXXXXXX Letter from Ella Miller XXXXXXXXXX

College of Chinese Studies

Peking, China

Christmas, 1939

Dear Friends everywhere,

            Blessings on the ancient Chinese who first invented printing! There’s so much to see and hear and do in Peking that we begrudge every minute devoted to correspondence. Hence this Round Robin in lieu of person messages, a stream-lined account of our wanderings to date.

            On July 13, 1939, Helen Pierpont and I started westward round the world, leaving New York City on the All-American sleeper bus for San Francisco. We enjoyed every mile of the ride, realizing anew how vast and rich and beautiful our country is. The desert especially fascinated us with its every-changing, light-effects on cactus, yuccas and sage brush. One afternoon we even beheld a delectable mirage.

            The six-hour stop-over in Dallas passed all too quickly at the house of Helen’s friends, the Banks Upshaws. Our one day in Los Angeles was hectic. First we had dinner with “Cousin Carrie” at San Fernando; in the afternoon, thanks to the kindness of Lenore Llewellyn, we saw the high spots of Hollywood: Grau’s Chinese Theater, the Brown Derby, the Inn, the Bowl. After a visit to Aimee’s Four, Square Temple we “did” Mexican Olvera Street, mingling with the crowds, eating tamales, tacos, enchiladas, and at 10.45 P.M., attending the Puppet Show “For adults, Only.” Helen slept through the Strip Tease act.

            July 18-27. In San Francisco. Fortunately we got rooms in the steam-heated Sutter Street Y.W.C.A. San Francisco is incredibly cold, even in summer. But we put on all our woolies, sweaters, coats, and ferried to the Fair. Aside from the cold, we liked everything on Treasure Island, its location in that magnificent harbor; the architecture, ramparts, towers, castles right out of fairy land; the gorgeous flowers everywhere. Pacific House with the Covarrubias maps, the Palace of Fine Arts with Old Masters lent from all over the world, etc. etc.

            Reluctantly, we tore ourselves away from it all when our ship sailed at noon on the twenty-seventh. Nathalie Sacket and Helen’s friends, the Kwiciens, saw us off.

            July 27-August 10. On board the Tatuta Maru. Delightful southern crossing. Every morning we looked out of our port-hole and repeated, “Lo, here hath been dawning another blue day!” There were so few passengers that food and service in second class were deluxe. We had the run of the ship at all hours, the decks for promenading and games, the tiled swimming pool, the gymnasium, movies, dances, a show by the stewards, pottery painting. The suki-yaki dinner on deck was unusually jolly because of the spontaneous entertainment by passengers: Japanese folk dances, a Siamese love song, Aloha in Hawaiian, rollicking singing by a Mexican, recitation of the “One-Legged Duck” by our own Professor Cochran.

            The Cochrans, our table-companions, were planning to celebrate their wedding anniversary on the fifth, but they reckoned without the calendar – just then we crossed the International Date Line and lost that day. We went to sleep on the fourth and woke next morning on the sixth.

            We were disappointed because the United States Shipping Laws forbade passengers on foreign vessels to stop over in Hawaii. But we made the most of our few hours shore leave, shopping in the Kress Five-and-Ten, feasting on luscious pineapple, papayas and avocado and sipping cocktails on Waikiki Beach at the Royal Hawaiian. To insure our return to the balmy isles we threw overboard, on sailing, our fresh fragrant gardenia leis.

            August 10. We landed in Yokohama, minus our copy of “Inside Asia”, Bon Voyage gift from Libbis and Mary. The censor insisted that it was “no good for Japan”. Having suspected this we had Transferred to our heads most of its “dangerous thoughts” on shipboard. What did come as a shock, however, was the refusal of a landing-card to Mr. Lee, a United States citizen, from Hawaii. “You are an enemy. We don’t want you on shore.” His parents were Chinese. Asia makes short work of the American illusion that the state is anything but Naked power.

            August 11-27. In Tokyo, at the Imperial, the favorite meeting-place of Westerners in Japan. We chose this hotel because of its historical associations. Wright had designed it to be earthquake-and fire-proof. It stood through the holocaust of 23.

            With Dr. Austoni, Dr. Rojanavongse, and Mrs. Keck, friends from the boat, we had a round of theater and dinner parties, sampling Kabuki plays, Takarazuka opera, Osaka Puppets, tempura, sukiyaki, and grilled eels. Miss Ando and Miss Nakamichi, genial nurses just back from a year in America, generously served as our guides and interpreters.

            Meanwhile, there was difficulty getting passage to Peking. “Impossible,” said N.Y.K. officials, “there is a flood in Tientsin”. Nothing daunted we set sail for Kobe on the Hakozaki Maru, favored on the way with magnificent sunset and moonlight views of Mt. Fuji.

            At Kobe after much argument, we finally obtained reservations for the fourth, and went off to Koyasan to spend the intervening time. Our three days at Shojo-Shinn-in (Pure-hearted Temple) were an interlude in Never-Never-Land. The Buddhist monks served us vegetarian meals in our exquisitely-painted room which opened on a Japanese dream garden. We attended the sunrise service in the gold-and red-lacquered chapel, had Ceremonial Tea with our Japanese neighbors, and took long walks under the ancient cryptomerias. We’ve seen Nara and Nikko and Kyoto: Koyasan surpasses them all.

            On returning to Kobe we learned that Britain had declared war, and that “The military prohibits people from going to Peking by rail or water or air.” None the less, we sailed, on the fourth, on the Oryoku, for Dairen. Our Special Suite was so grand, and the voyage through the Inland Sea so delightful that even Helen, who’s none too fond of boats, was hoping something would happen to prolong the trip. But we docked at Dairen on schedule on September 7, visited Port Arthur by bus, and at 5 P.M. took the express for Peking, via Mukden.

            Towards noon on the eighth, we approached the flood area. Ours was the first train that went over the new bridges and the restored road bed, reinforced by millions of sandbags. For three hours we cautiously inched along through the waste of waters. Whole villages of mud houses had dissolved in the floods; countless coffins, washed out of the burial mounds in the fields, were bobbing up and down in the water; thousands of wretched refugees were clinging to existence on the few feet of land along the tracks. A never-to-be forgotten experience.

            At five we reached Peking, rickshawed with our baggage to the College of Chinese Studies, and snatched up the last available rooms! Dumb luck! For Peking is full of refugees these days – some from the flood, other driven from their missions by the Anti-British Campaign. And all of them, refugees, vacationists, students, vastly interesting, with stories of their experiences and observations.

            We are seeing Peking at an interesting time, the capital of a vast empire under the heel of the conqueror. Already a hundred thousand Japanese are in the city, soldiers with bared bayonets, officers in speeding limousines, camouflaged armored tanks rumbling down crowded thoroughfares, bombers roaring overhead. And the Chinese are going about their endless toil in seeming indifference. At first, Helen protested, “Something is wrong! In Japan we saw a nation of soldiers; here a city of ricksha coolies!” Just dumb cattle? Or are they wiser than the rest of us following sound instincts of survival? Time will tell.

            Meanwhile, the Chinese strike us as anything but decadent, and we like them, their frankness, their democratic spirit, their good nature, their never-failing humor.

            Thanks to the favorable exchange, 10 to 14 Chinese dollars for one of Uncle Sam’s, we afford all sorts of luxuries; stalls at the Chinese Opera, donkey rides over the Western Hills, Feasts of Peking Duck and Mongolian Mutton Grills, and best of all, day long ricksha rides through the kaleidoscopic city with its rhythmic medley of street cries.

            We like Peking and suggest that you all come to “look see” for yourselves. Meanwhile, Happy Holidays.

                                                Ella Miller

Genealogy Story – The William Russell Chest

In 1888, the family of William Russell donated his sea chest to the New Haven Historical Society, now the New Haven Museum. The below article appeared in the paper. They later donated a picture of William Huntington Russell as well.

[William Huntington Russell]

---- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

New Haven Daily Morning Journal and Courier

21 Apr 1888

AN INTERESTING RELIC

An Old Chest of Colonial and Family Interest Loaned the Historical Society

A very ancient chest was loaned to the Historical society yesterday by Major George H. Larned which has a very interesting history, as shown by the following letter which accompanied the chest:

New Haven, Conn., April 19, 1888

Simson E. Baldwin, Esq., President New Haven Historical Society:

Dear Sir:

Will your society kindly accept, for safe keeping, an old chest which has a colonial as well as a family interest! It has been sacredly preserved in its original shape and color, and has the look, peculiar in its construction, which was on it when it came to this country, and such an one as is described in the story of Ginevra. The chest has been handed down from one generation to another and now leaves the family for the first time. It contained the effects of William Russell, who arrived in New Haven in the spring of 1638-39. The family tradition is that he was a passenger in “the first ship which ever cast anchor in New Haven harbor,” the St. John, 320 tons, Richard Russell master. He came with Rev. Henry Whitfield, George Fenwick and William Leet, a part of Mr. Davenport’s and Mr. Eaton’s company. William Russell signed “the covenant agreement” with the first settlers and “free planters of Quinnipiack,” June 4, 1641, and lived, for a time, on the southwest side of George street, above College, and next to what was then known as West creek; but was allowed to have “his land on the plain amongst the rest of his neighbors.” He died January 2, 1864-5, aged fifty-two years. Enclosed please find a statement showing how the chest came into my possession.

Very respectfully,

Geo. H. Larned

This chest was brought from England in 1638-9, by

            William Russell, who married Sarah Davis.

                        Their son,

            Noadiah Russell, married Mary Hamlin.

                        Their son,

            William Russell, married Mary Pierpont.

                        Their son,

            Noadiah Russell, married Esther Talcott.

                        Their son,

            Matthew Talcott Russell, married Mary Huntington.

                        Their son,

            William Huntington Russell, married Mary E. Hubbard.

                        Their son,

            Talcott Huntington Russell, now lives in New Haven.

            Esther Russell, daughter of the second Noadiah,

                        Took the chest when she married Thaddeus Larned.

                        Their son,

            George Larned, married Harriet Russell.

The son, George Huntington Larned, loans it on the 250^th anniversary of its arrival in New Haven to the New Haven Colony Historical society. Ship chests, for the long voyages of that day, were made broad on the bottom and narrow at the top. They could then be stowed securely on deck, and yet passengers could use their keys to lock and unlock them at pleasure. The matter of storage and access made it necessary to have the owner’s name on the top instead of the end, as the custom of today.

Notes:

*1 - http://collections.newhavenmuseum.org/mDetail.aspx?rID=1971.101&db=objects&dir=NEWHAVEN&osearch=russell&list=res&rname=&rimage=&page=1

Slave Owners in the Pierpont Family Tree

Recently, I investigated the slave owners in Connecticut who were part of my family tree – either by being my direct ancestors or uncles/cousins (*1). But as part of that I also found some who are in the tree of the New England Pierponts.

A genealogist friend of mine noted as a response to (*1), “Look for the doctors, lawyers and ministers. They often owned slaves.” This is certainly true with these cases as Pierpont Edwards was a lawyer and his father was a minister. And Noadiah Russell was also a minister.

The Edwards Family

[Pierpont Edwards]

One of the individuals who had slaves in the 1790 census was Pierpont Edwards (*2) (20>168a) (1750-1826), the youngest son of Jonathan Edwards and Sarah Pierpont (the daughter of Rev. James Pierpont). Pierpont Edwards had eleven children. In the 1790 census, he is shown in a family of 12 people – he and his wife, four boys under the age of 16, four daughters, and two slaves.

Pierpont’s father, Jonathan, owned slaves most of his adult life (*3) although he spoke against the practice in his later life. Another of Jonathan’s sons, also Jonathan (*4), supported abolition and he wrote a series of articles condemning the practice beginning in 1773. Nonetheless, Pierpont had two slaves in 1790, the year he was appointed the US Attorney for the state of Connecticut (*5).

Noadiah Russell

Along with the Rev. James Pierpont, one of the co-founders of Yale was the Rev. Noadiah Russell [herein called Noadiah1] from Middletown. He served as the pastor of the church in Middletown for 43 years. Two of James’ children married children of Noadiah1 – Mary Pierpont married Rev. William Russell who became the pastor after his father, serving for 46 years, and Joseph Pierpont married Hannah. Joseph and Hannah were my great*6 grandparents (*6), but this story is about the descendants of William and Mary [Pierpont] Russell.

In an article about slavery in the Hartford Courant, it noted that this included “good Yankee names like Alsop and Russell in Middletown.” This would have referred to the Rev. Noadiah1 (1659-1713) and Rev. William (1690-1761). But neither of these men were living when the 1790 census was taken. The Noadiah Russell in that census was one of the children of William and Mary.

One also needs to note that this family had been slave owners before. Noadiah1, in his will, left his “negro boy” to his son John. Similarly, William left three slaves, a woman and her two children, Lillian and Tom, in his will.

William and Mary had seven children including Noadiah (1730-1795) [herein called Noadiah2]. Noadiah2 got his education at Yale, married Esther Talcott in 1758, and was the pastor of the church in Thompson, CT, where he served from 1757 until his death in 1795. Grandfather, father, and son served for 43, 46, and 38 years respectively, each dying in office - an amazing heritage of service.

Noadiah2 and Esther also had six children – another Noadiah (*8) [herein called Noadiah3], Matthew Talcott, Esther, Sarah, Abigail, and Joseph. Noadiah2 died in Mendon, MA, while on a journey to Boston in 1795. Except for their son Noadiah3, their children all married and had large families, but none of these are listed in the official Pierpont genealogies. Below are the updates needed. Note that there are some interesting situations in this genealogical record – (1) marrying a first cousin, and (2) when your wife dies, marrying her older sister and having more children so that half-siblings are also first cousins of each other.

This substantial addition to the Pierpont Family genealogical record includes several well-known individuals, including William Huntington Russell (*9).

It is not known who the slave was that Noadiah2 owned, or why he/she was acquired. But since his father and grandfather had both owned slaves before him, it was not unexpected.

Notes:

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/07/slave-owners-in-my-family-tree.html

*2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierpont_Edwards

*3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(theologian)

*4 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(the_younger)

*5 - https://www.founderoftheday.com/founder-of-the-day/pierpont-edwards

*6 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/04/putting-connect-in-connecticut.html

*7 - https://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-beyond-complicity-introduction-20140604-story.html

*8 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noadiah_Russell

*9 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Huntington_Russell

Current Pierpont Genealogy

20>1645 Noadiah Russell
_e Yale 1750
+m /1758 Esther Talcott (Thompson)
20>16451 Noadiah Russell dwi
20>16452 Mathew Talcott Russell ??-/1828
+m /???? Mary Huntington
20>16453 Esther Russell
20>16454 Sarah Russell
20>16455 Abigail Russell
20>16456 Joseph Russell

Revised Pierpont Genealogy

20>1645 Noadiah Russell 24ja1730(Middletown)-27oc1795(MendonMA)
_e Yale 1750
+m 14mr1758 Esther Talcott 24je1731(Hartford)-14oc1797(Thompson)
20>16451 Noadiah Russell 15je1759(Killingly)-30my1817(Thompson) dwi

20>16452 Matthew Talcott Russell 19mr1761(Killingly)-13no1828(Windsted)
+m 17se1797 Mary Huntington 28au1769(Middletown)-je1857

20>164521 Mary Huntington Russell 11no1798-1jl1859 unm

20>164522 George Huntington Russell 8ap1800-15de1803

20>164523 Harriet Russell 14ja1802-3ap1865

+m George Larned (20>164554)

_n Harriet married her first cousin!

20>1645231 Julia Russell Larned 24no1837-30oc1869(Thompson)

20>1645232 Robert Grosvenor Larned /1841-28apr1842(Thompson)

20>1645233 Maria Cornelia Larned 8ja1835-/1910

+m John Southmayd /1835-/1918(Durham)

20>16452331 Herbert L Southmayd /1860-/1935(Durham)

20>1645234 Catharine Dresser Larned 23no1843-19de1910(KingstonRI)

+m ___ Sisson

20>2645235 George Huntington Larned 313jl839-20fe1912

+m Josephine ___ 2se1854-17oc1926

20>164524 unnamed son 3se1803-3se1803

20>164525 Julia Anne Russell 8au1804-9ap1865 unm

20>164526 Charles Huntington Russell 25mr1806-/1807 unm

20>164527 Edward Russell 17fe1808-21jl1808

20>164528 William Huntington Russell 12au1809-19my1885(NewHaven)

+m Mary Elizabeth Hubbard 23my1816-11de1890

_n co-founder of Yale University Skull and Bones Society (Russell Trust Association)

20>1645281 Frances Harriet Russell 14au1839-29de1889(NewH)

20>1645282 Talcott Huntington Russell 14mr1847-18oc1917(NewH)

+m Geraldine Whittemore Low 9au1862-25je1939(NewH)

20>16452821 Philip Gray Russell 26se1891-21fe1971(DallasTX)

+m Ethel Hill Howland 23je1903-29je1992

20>16452822 William Low Russell 20de1897-17de1976

+m Leonore Kathryn Schuppert 30ap1901-21no1990

20>1645283 Thomas Hubbard Russell 14de1851-2fe1916

+m Mary Katie Munson 8de1856-25au1942

20>16452831 Edward Stanton Russell 18se1894-12je1953

+m Estelle M ____ 6jl1896(PA)-14ap1988(WoodbridgeCT)

20>164528311 Martha Jane Russell 10se1919-17oc2008(WoodbridgeCT)

+m Reverdy Robert Hald Whitlock 26my1913-8ap2011(WoodbridgeCT)

20>164528312 Edward Stanton Russell Jr 5fe1922(PA)-20au2000(Branford)

20>16452832 William Huntington Russell 20mr1888-28ja1943(NewH)

20>1645284 Philip Gray Russell 14fe1854-21jl1900(NewH)

+m Lilean Kendall 5oc18155-7no1886

20>1645285 Edward Hubbard Russell 27de1855-21no1928(NewH)

+m Frances Hill 23je1903-29je1992

20>1645286 Robert Gray Russell 17se1860-21au1881

20>164529 Abigail Talcott Russell 7oc1810-2ap1865 unm

20>164520 Frances Russell 5ap1812-

+m Peter Roosevelt Roach

20>16452a Henry Russell 19my1813-26my1814

20>16452b Sarah Esther 17no1814-

20>16452c unnamed dau 23au1816-23au1816

20>16453 Esther Russell 9au1762(Killingly)-16au1816

+m Thaddeus Larned 26oc1756-19ja1818(Thompson)

_n Thaddeus had first married Abigail Russell

_n when she died in 1797, he then married Esther (his sister-in-law)

_n thus their son Frederick was both a first cousin and a half-sibling to Abigail’s children

20>164531 Frederick Larned 4oc1802(Thompson)-20ja1884(Thompson)

+m Harriet Fisher 20my1805-14fe1878(Thompson)

20>1645311 Jane Elizabeth Larned 14fe1824-4mr1898(Thompson)

20>1645312 Emily D Larned /1828-30je1876(Thompson)

20>1645313 Harriet Fisher Larned 14ap1830-19mr1894(Thompson)

20>1645314 Abigail Larned /1832-18de1846

20>1645315 Hannah Danielson Larned /1835-4ap1854(Thompson)

20>1645316 Frances Helen Larned 13je1836-27jl1914(Thompson)

20>1645317 Martha Larned 24oc1838-27se1912(Thompson)

20>1645318 Sarah W Larned /1841-19oc1858(Thompson)

20>16454 Sarah Russell 6no1763(Killingly)-
20>16455 Abigail Russell 20jl1766(Thompson)-7mr1797(Thompson)

+m Thaddeus Larned 26oc1756-19ja1818(Thompson)

20>164551 Simon Larned 24no1787-21se1810(Thompson)

20>164552 Noadiah Larned 19fe1789-17de1860(Thompson) unm

20>164553 Abigail Larned 9se1790-2se1845(Thompson)

+m Jacob Dresser /-19ja1825(Thompson)

20>1645531 Jacob Dresser /-27fe1824(Thompson)

20>1645532 Esther Dresser /1816-8au1848(Thompson)

20>1645533 Catharine Dresser /1788-3my1844(Thompson)

20>1645534 Emily Dresser /1815-13my1823(Thompson)

20>164554 George Larned 15jl1792-11oc1874(Thompson)

+m Harriet Russell (20>164523)
20>16456 Joseph Russell 30ap1775(Thompson)-8ja1861(Ellington)

+m Hannah __ 21de1779-19mr1859(Hartford)