Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wednesday Wrap Up: What I'm Working on This Week

This week I am doing several look-ups and searches for some of my "DNA cousins" from 23andMe.  I also was able to break down one of my own brick walls in the WHITECOTTON family.

One of my DNA cousins,  DG, is a descendant of BENONI / BENONA FRAZEE or FRAZER b Nov 19, 1794 Sullivan Co NY, died March 7, 1883 Omaha, Nebraska,  surname also spelled FRAZIER or FRAISIER in records.  She has been researching him for several years, and has not yet been able to connect him with any FRAZEE or FRAZER families in colonial NY or NJ.

I was able to find a few more census records, but did not find any clues to BENONI's parents or grandparents. Any help or comments greatly appreciated.

Children of BENONI / BENONA FRAZEE or FRAZER & LAURA J CHAMBERLAIN



While I do have  FRAZIER ancestors (Quakers in Guilford NC),  my DNA ancestor-in-common with DG is more likely from the BROWN,  MORRILL, GILL, or CLEMENT family of  Essex Co MA in the 1600s-1700s.


I have also  been  researching the surnames HALE, EICHHORN and ANDERSON for a second DNA cousin, RE, and was able to find census records for him.

His HALE family originated in MA, migrated to NH, and ended up in Chicago & Evanston,  Cook Co IL and Covington, Kenton Co KY; his EICHHORN family immigrated from Germany to Chicago, and his ANDERSON family was from Harrison Co & Bracken Co KY.

His great grandfather GEORGE S HALE b abt 1841 NH, died Evanston, Cook Co IL likely descended from the immigrant THOMAS HALE from Hertfordshire, England who emigrated in the 1600s to MA with wife THOMASINE DOWCETT--of whom I am also a descendant.  But I don't think that is our DNA ancestor-in-common, as we have an exact DNA match with a third person, whose entire family came from VA, KY & GA.  So it is more likely that our DNA ancestor-in-common came --somehow--from the family of WILLIAM  W ANDERSON b abt 1816 KY & MARTHA  unknown  of Bracken Co KY (1850 census).

Children of WILLIAM W ANDERSON & MARTHA  unknown (1850 Bracken Co KY census, 1860 Marion Co IN, city of Indianapolis, 1880 Marion Co IN, Wayne twp)

  • Anne E Anderson b abt 1840 KY
  • Benjamin Anderson b abt 1842 KY
  • Mary E Anderson b abt 1844 KY
  • Miranda / Maranda "Randie" Anderson b  1846 Marysville (now Clayville) Harrison Co KY
  • Sophia Anderson b abt 1849 KY
  • John W Anderson b abt 1851 KY
  • Sarah Anderson b abt 1854 KY
  • Emma Anderson b abt 1857 IN


Children of GEORGE S HALE b abt 1841 NH & MARANDA / MIRANDA "RANDIE" ANDERSON (1870 Cook Co IL census, 1880 Kenton Co KY census)

  • Charles Hale b abt 1855 NH (brother or cousin? not son? as per 1870 Cook Co IL census)
  • John P Hale b abt 1870 IL
  • William E Hale b abt 1873 KY 
  • Mary E Hale b abt 1876 IN m Grover
  • Robert A Hale b 1870s IL
  • Grace Hale b 1870s IL m Fisher

Children of WILLIAM E HALE & PAULINE "NANNIE" OLSON (1900 Chicago Cook Co IL, 1910 Aurora, Kane Co IL)
  • Gladys Hale b 1894 IL
  • George W Hale b 1896 IL
  • Astrid Hale b abt 1902 IL 
  • Sybil Floretta Hale b abt 1903 IL m Charles Eichhorn
  • Ed Hale b 1904 IL 
  • M F (female) Hale b 1905 IL 
  • Elmer Hale b 1909 IL

Any help or comments greatly appreciated!


And finally this week I was able to find SOPHRONA / SOPHRONIA / FRONA  WHITECOTTON HOPPER b 1854 TN? AL? in census records in Des Moines, Polk Co Iowa, up until 1930.  In 1930 she was elderly and living with an unmarried grandson, ROBERT JAMES LOFTUS.

SOPHRONA was the only sister of my great grandmother SILOAMA WHITECOTTON BRUTON of Christian Co MO.

SOPHRONA appears  twice in the 1880 census with the extended THOMPSON family,  first in Christian Co MO with her uncle JAMES MOWERY and aunt MELVINA PRISCILLA "Siller" (THOMPSON) MOWERY, and also later that same year with her uncle DAVID HIGHBARGER and aunt MARTHA (THOMPSON) HIGHBARGER in Douglas Co MO.  Both records shows her with her elderly maternal grandfather JOSEPH THOMPSON.

After that, SOPHRONA's life gets pretty obscure. Oral family stories indicated that she was the the common law wife of a HOPPER and that she had a daughter PEARL and possibly other children, and that she eventually moved to Montana (not true!).

Finally, after years of searching, I found court records and birth records in Missouri that shed more light on her life.

SOPHRONA WHITECOTTON  was married (or not?) to TILFORD / TELFORD L HOPPER, the son of THOMAS HOPPER & ELIZA SIMMONS of Douglas Co MO.

TILFORD L HOPPER was apparently quite a gambler and somewhat of an outlaw.  According to Christian Co MO court records, he was eventually charged with four counts of grand larceny in 1890. He was likely sent to prison, leaving SOPHRONA pregnant with their youngest son and left to raise the children on her own.  I found her in the 1910 Jasper Co MO census with her youngest son Earnest Hopper, but with no others.  By 1917 they were living in Des Moines, Polk Co Iowa.

According to MO birth records, SOPHRONA WHITECOTTON & TILFORD L HOPPER had at least six children together:

  • PEARL HOPPER b abt 1884 MO
  • KEZIAH HOPPER b 1880s MO
  • two unknown HOPPERSs, all born 1880s in MO  
  • one unknown male HOPPER born June 29, 1886 Benton twp, Douglas Co MO
  • EARNEST O. HOPPER born 1891 MO. 


I only have been able to trace two of them in census & other records.

  • PEARL HOPPER b abt 1884 MO m 1st) unknown LOFTUS; 2nd) unknown FLANAGAN; one son ROBERT JAMES LOFTUS; died bet 1925-1930 Des Moines, Polk Co Iowa
  • EARNEST OTTO HOPPER b 1891 MO m BERTHA unknown; died 1972 Tulsa, OK; one son JOHN M HOPPER b abt 1916  Des Moines Iowa, abt  died 1989 Tulsa OK married WILLA B "BILLIE" RANSOM. 

Any help or comments on these families greatly appreciated.

Have a great day!

Betty

© Betty Tartas  2010

2 comments:

Barbara Poole said...

Betty, did you know that the NH records are online through FamilySearch.org? Maybe your Hale is there? I hope so.

Betty said...

Thanks, Barb! I'll check it out.