John Spivey Farwell and Catherine Cleveland "Kate" Sherman
This is taken from a manuscript I am working on titled The Descendants of Capt. Jeruel West and Deborah Shaw of Frog Alley, Tisbury, MA. Sources available upon request! If you have any additions, corrections, or suggestions, please email me!
Dr. Silas West was born on 2 Nov 1782 in Tisbury, Dukes County, MA, the son of Jeruel West and Deborah Shaw. He married Betsy Cleveland, daughter of John Cleveland and Katherine Look, on 24 Apr 1814 in Tisbury. He died on 19 Feb 1825 in Holmes Hole, aged 42, and is buried in Village Cemetery, Tisbury. [See The West Family of Martha's Vineyard for more information about Silas' ancestors.]
Silas was listed on the Tisbury census of 1800 in the household of his father, and on the Tisbury census of 1810 in the home of his widowed mother. On 8 Feb 1814 "Silas West of Tisbury, physician" bought land in Tisbury from Oliver and Anna Crosby for $450. He appeared on the Tisbury census of 1820 with his wife and three children.
In her 1921 pamphlet Sketches of Old Homes in Our Village, D.A.R. historian Mrs. Howes Norris refers to a house on the east side of Main Street (about two houses north of Owen Park), "now owned by Mrs. S. P. Lee" which was "moved from Lamberts Cove, and its low quaintness tells its age. In 1821 it was owned by Dr. Silas West who about that time sold to Elijah Smith, then it became the property of Mrs. Sophronia Wade, his daughter. …Colonel S. P. Lee...was the next owner." (Local historian Stan Lair pinpointed this house in his notes "on Main St. (east side) across from the Owen Homestead - formerly Janet Swift's Real Estate.")
On 4 Jul 1821 "Silas West of Tisbury, Doctor" bought a home near the saltworks at the head of Holmes Hole harbor for $305 from Peter and Sarah West, Samuel Daggett Jr., Wm. Daggett Jr., and others. This may have been the home described above, or perhaps the house on Union Street now known as the "1785 House," which is also known to have belonged to Dr. West.
Mrs. Howes Norris also wrote about the "1785 House": "The house now occupied by Edward J. Smith on Union Street was built by Edward J. Smith on Union Street, was built by Samuel Daggett, whose son was a fifer in the militia during the Revolutionary War. It was afterward sold to Dr. Silas West, who could be seen every morning mounting his horse with saddlebags, galloping away to visit his patients. The next owner was Capt. Charles G. Smith whose son now occupies it." (This early house still stands on Union Street, Vineyard Haven, and a discussion about its history can be found on pp. 26-30 of the unpublished manuscript Holmes Hole 1674-1860 The Heritage of a New England Coastal Town by James Norton, which can be found at the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society in Edgartown, MA.)
On 9 Jul 1821 "Silas West of Tisbury, Physician" and his wife Betsey sold a house in Holmes Hole to Richard Luce for $414. On 4 Apr 1823 "Silas West of Tisbury, Doctor" and his wife sold a "strip of land" at the head of Holmes Hole harbor for $8 to Peter West of Tisbury.
Dr. Silas West died in 1825, and was called a Tisbury "physician" in his probate. The "Estate of Silas West" remained in the Tisbury tax lists between 1827 and 1831.
In 1864, almost forty years after Silas’ death, his brother Albert wrote a will and listed all of his nieces and nephews with the noticeable absence of Silas’ children. As Silas’ widow and children moved to New Bedford shortly after his death, and as all of the living children ultimately moved their families to Illinois, it seems very plausible that this branch of the West family had long lost touch with the other branches of the Vineyard family by 1864.
Betsy Cleveland was born on 30 Jul 1790 in Tisbury. After her husband’s death in 1825 she was called a Tisbury "seamstress" on his 1826 probate. She appeared on the Tisbury census of 1830, with her four children.
On 13 Mar 1830 "Betsey West of Tisbury, widow" bought half of a woodland tract in Tisbury at Tashmoo Pond (spelled "Tuchmouch") containing about 14 acres for $134.80 from George Cleveland of Tisbury, and then sold this land (near "Tashmew") back to Cleveland on 6 Apr 1835. She was probably the "Betsy West", widow, who was noted as owning a house in 1838 in Tisbury. On 19 Jul 1838 Betsy West and her children Augustus and Susan, all of Tisbury, "widow and heirs of the late Dr. Silas West of Tisbury deceased" sold a house "in Tisbury at the head waters of the Holmes Hole harbor" adjacent to the "county road leading to the head the wharf" (sic) for $1400 to Charles G. Smith of Tisbury. This was undoubtedly what is now called the "1785 House."
Betsy appeared on the census of 1840 in New Bedford, MA with her son and two daughters, adjacent to her son-in-law, Benjamin Studley. Although the family is not listed in the 1836, 1838, or 1839 New Bedford directories, she does appear in the 1841 New Bedford directory as "widow, house 89 Kempton," but she also seemed to maintain ownership of a home on the Vineyard during this period as she was undoubtedly the "Betsy West, widow" who was noted as owning a house in 1842 in Tisbury. On 18 Mar 1842 Betsey West, widow, and her children Augustus, Susan, Sarah, and Eliza made a four-year, $400 mortgage of land and buildings on the south side of Union Street ("it being the same premises formerly occupied by the said Betsey West and now occupied by Mr. Enoch Cook") with Charles Smith of Tisbury.
Betsy may have resided about 1845 in Boston, MA, as her unmarried daughter Sarah was called "of Boston" and her daughter Eliza bore a child in this city during this year. She probably returned to New Bedford by March 1848 as her daughter Susan was called "of New Bedford" on this date. Betsy appeared on the New Bedford census of September 1850, aged 60, with her daughter Susan Sherman's family. In 1859 she was listed as a widow living at 162 County St., New Bedford, in the home of her son-in-law Frederick Homer.
Betsy then moved to Preemption, Mercer Co., Illinois to live with her two daughters, and is listed in the July 1860 census of Preemption with her daughter Susan Sherman, aged 70. She returned to New Bedford, however, and in 1867 she was listed as a widow at 120 County St. in Frederick Homer’s house. Betsey died on 9 Sep 1867 in the home of Frederick Homer, New Bedford, aged 77, of "old age."
Children of Dr. Silas West and Betsy Cleveland were as follows:
501. Eliza Coffin West was born 5 May 1815 in Tisbury. She married Capt. Benjamin Kelly Studley.
502. Augustus Lemacy West Esq. was born 22 Mar 1817 in Holmes Hole. He married Frances Elvira
Pond.
503. Susan Thatcher West was born 26 Mar 1819 in Tisbury. She married Capt. Thomas Sherman.
504. Sarah Folger West was born 22 Jul 1821 in Holmes Hole. She married Frederick Homer.
505. Silas West was born on 1 Jun 1824, and died on 20 May 1825.
501. Eliza Coffin West (Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 5 May 1815 in Tisbury. She married Capt. Benjamin Kelly Studley on 1 Jun 1837 in Tisbury. She died on 22 Aug 1894, probably in Moline, Rock Island Co., IL, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Moline.
She appeared on the Tisbury census of 1820 in the household of her father, and on the Tisbury census of 1830 in the home of her widowed mother. On 28 Aug 1830 Eliza West, her grandmother, and twelve other heirs of Jeruel West sold the Frog Alley homestead to James West for $400. On 12 Aug 1834, at age 19, she petitioned Judge Athearn to give her mother guardianship of her.
By 1840, Eliza and her husband moved to New Bedford, where they are listed in the 1840 census. On 18 Mar 1842 she, her mother, and her siblings made a four-year, $400 mortgage of land and buildings on the south side of Union Street, Tisbury with Charles Smith of Tisbury. She appeared on the census of August 1850 in New Bedford, aged 35, with her husband and two children.
Sometime between about 1852 and 1856 the family left New Bedford, very likely traveling to Mercer County, IL in 1855 with her sister’s family. Eliza appeared on the July 1860 census of Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL, aged 45, with her husband and children. In the winter of 1867-8, the Studleys sold their Richland Grove farm and moved to Rock Island Co., IL. Benjamin died in 1880, and by 1883 she was listed in the city of Moline. The 1888-91 Moline City Directory lists her as "Mrs. E. Studley" residing at 1502 Sixth Ave. with her son and daughter. In September 1891 she was listed at 2217 7thAvenue. The 1892-93 Moline City Directory lists her as "Studley Eliza C. Mrs. (wid. Benjamin)" residing at 2325 Sixth Ave. with her son Charles.
Eliza’s 1894 obituary notes that "About six weeks ago she was stricken with paralysis, and her old age and general debility prevented her rallying from it. Mrs. Studley was born on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and had lived for many years on the bluff west of Fairmount, but had resided in Moline about ten years." It gives her late residence as 2325 Sixth Avenue.
Capt. Benjamin Kelly Studley was born on 21 Dec 1814 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA. His June 1837 marriage record lists him as a resident of New Bedford. He was described in a July 1837 crew list as being 5’ 11¼" tall, with a light complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes. Benjamin Studley is not listed in the 1838 New Bedford directory, but in 1839 he is listed as boarding at 166 Kempton St., New Bedford, the mate of ship Endeavour, which sailed on 10 Aug 1837 for the Indian Ocean under Capt. Stetson.
Benjamin appeared on the 1840 New Bedford census with his wife and daughter, adjacent to the listing of his mother-in-law Betsey West. The 1841 New Bedford directory lists him at 89 Kempton St., the mate of ship Golconda 2d, which sailed on 30 Jun 1841 for the Pacific Ocean under Capt. Smith. He was listed again in the 1845 New Bedford directory, this time as the master of ship Golconda. He was listed in the 1849 New Bedford directory at 89 Kempton St., master mariner, and was probably the Benjamin Studley, native of New Bedford, who sailed as master of the brig Baltimore of New Bedford on 16 Mar 1850.
Benjamin appeared on the census of 26 Aug 1850 in New Bedford, aged 36, "sailor," with his wife and two daughters. This census valued his real estate at $1500. The 1852 New Bedford directory lists him again at 89 Kempton St., master mariner.
Benjamin next appeared on the July 1860 census of Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL, aged 47, farmer, with his wife and children. His real estate was valued at $2000 and his personal estate at $500. In the winter of 1867-68 he sold his Richland Grove farm and moved to Rock Island Co., and in Oct. 1871 he was noted as owning a "bluff farm." He reportedly appears in the 1880 in Mercer County on p. 544b, but he died on 19 Jul 1880 in Rock Island Co., IL, aged 65, and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Moline.
Children of Eliza Coffin West and Capt. Benjamin Kelly Studley were as follows:
510. Amanda Merry Studley was born 20 Mar 1838 in New Bedford. She married Micah H. Griffith
511. Sarah F. Studley was born about 1844-5 in Boston, MA. She appears with her parents in the 1850 New Bedford census, and on the July 1860 census of Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL, aged 15, with her parents. She moved with her family to Rock Island Co. in the winter of 1867-8. "Miss S. F. Studley" was listed in the 1888-91 Moline City Directory with her mother and brother. She married Edgar Huntoon on 24 Sep 1891, at the home of her mother in Moline, Rock Island Co., IL.
512. Benjamin Kelly Studley was born on 21 Sep 1849 in New Bedford, and died there on 2 Nov 1849 of a "bowel complaint."
513. Charles Coffin Studley was born on 26 Feb 1856 in Illinois. The 1888-91 Moline City Directory lists "C. C. Studley" as a carpenter residing with his mother and sister at 1502 Sixth Ave. The 1892-93 Moline City Directory lists "Charles C. Studley" as a teamster residing with his mother at 2325 Sixth Ave. He was mentioned as an unmarried farmer living in Moline, Rock Island Co., IL before 1899.
502. Augustus Lemacy West Esq. (Silas2, Jeruel1) was born 22 Mar 1817 in Holmes Hole. He married Frances Elvira Pond, daughter of Lewis Pond and Elvira Smith, on 3 Jan 1856 in New Bedford. He died on 28 Sep 1864 in New Bedford, aged 47, of consumption.
He appeared on the Tisbury census of 1820 in the household of his father, and on the Tisbury census of 1830 in the home of his widowed mother. On 28 Aug 1830 Augustus L. West, his grandmother, and twelve other heirs of Jeruel West sold the family’s Frog Alley homestead to James West of Tisbury for $400.
Augustus sailed on the ship Phacion of New Bedford from 22 Mar 1833 to 25 Jun 1836, and was described in this crew list (aged 15) as being 5’ 2½" tall, with brown hair and eyes. On 1 Aug 1834, he petitioned Judge Athearn to give his mother guardianship of him. He appeared in the 1838 Tisbury tax list, and on 19 Jul 1838 Augustus, his mother, and his sisters, ("widow and heirs of the late Dr. Silas West of Tisbury deceased") appeared on the deed of sale of their old Union St. home (now called the "1785 House.")
Augustus next appeared on the 1840 New Bedford census in the household of his mother, and was listed in the 1841 New Bedford directory as a "student with Dr. Mayhew, boards 89 Kempton [St.]" (p. 94 lists "Julius S. Mayhew, physician & vaccinator, off. 49 School, house 33 Third, corner School.") Evidently Augustus was attempting to follow his late father in the practice of medicine.
Neither Augustus nor Betsey are listed in the 1845 New Bedford directory, and as previously noted they may have resided in Boston around this time. On 18 Mar 1842 Augustus appeared on the mortgage deed of the family’s old Union Street Tisbury property with Charles Smith.
During the 1840’s Augustus gave up his study of medicine and became a lawyer. He is listed in the 1849 New Bedford directory as a boarder at the "Parker House," working as a partner "Mackie & West (Adam Mackie), counselors and attorneys at law, office 88 Union," and he appeared as a boarder with the family of Rowland and Sally Crocker on the New Bedford census of 16 Aug 1850, aged 31, "lawyer." (His real estate was valued at $1000 in this census.) In the 1852 New Bedford directory he was listed again as a boarder at Parker House, "counsellor, attorney at law, and notary public, office 58 Union." In the 1856 New Bedford directory he was listed as a boarder at Mt. Pleasant House, "counsellor and attorney at law, office 58 Union."
Augustus’ 1856 marriage record called him a New Bedford lawyer, and the 1859 New Bedford directory listed him on the corner of Court and Cottage streets, "attorney and counsellor at law, 58 Union." The June 1859 birth record of his son listed him as a New Bedford lawyer living on Cottage St. He appeared on the census of 28 Jun 1860 in Ward 4, New Bedford, aged 41, lawyer, with his wife and two children. His real estate was valued at $3500 and his personal estate at $500. His 1864 death record calls him a New Bedford lawyer living at 50 Cottage St.
Frances Elvira "Fannie" Pond was born on 16 Jul 1835 in Whiting, Addison Co., VT. Her father, Lewis Pond, had moved the family from Whiting, VT (where his father had been one of the original proprietors) to New Bedford in 1852. Her 1856 marriage record called her a resident of New Bedford, and the 1859 birth record of her son called her a resident of Cottage St., New Bedford. She appeared on the census of 28 Jun 1860 in Ward 4, New Bedford, aged 26, with her husband and two children.
After the death of her husband in 1864, Frances was joined by her twin brother Frederick Lewis Pond and his wife Elizabeth. The 1867 directory of New Bedford lists her as "widow of Augustus L.," living on the corner of Cottage and Court streets. The 1870 census lists Fanny West with her three children living with Frederick and Elizabeth, adjacent to Fanny and Frederick’s parents, Lewis and Elvira Pond. Elizabeth Pond died in 1872 and Elvira Pond in 1873.
Sometime after about 1872 she went west with her children and settled for a time in Aurora, Kane Co., IL. Great-grandson Lawrence Augustus West explains:
"During his school years in New Bedford, [Fannie’s twin brother] Frederick Lewis Pond was engaged in going to school and attending medical lectures at Dartmouth College. In 1869 he made an exploratory trip to the Chicago area, and by 1872 he had established a cancer hospital in Aurora, Kane Co., IL. It was now that the remnant family joined him there. [Fannie’s] daughters soon married and George established himself in Chicago. In the 1880 Federal Census, Frederick Lewis Pond, Lewis Pond and Fanny West are living at 40 N. Root St., Aurora, Kane Co., IL, the address of the hospital.
"Frederick Lewis Pond married a second time in 1880, at Aurora, Harriet Smith "Hattie" Pierce, who was born in 1852. Lewis Pond Sr. died in 1882 and shortly thereafter the family moved to Chicago where Frederick established a medical practice and where he died 23 Nov. 1906. …Either at the time of her father’s death [in 1882] or at the time of her brother’s marriage [in 1880] Fannie West went to live with her daughter Sarah (West) Maxwell in Chicago. She died there 25 September 1915 and is interred in the Maxwell family plot in Rosehill Cemetery [in Chicago.]"
Children of Augustus Lemacy West Esq. and Frances Elvira Pond were as follows:
520. Adelaide "Ada" West was born on 14 Nov 1856 in Massachusetts (presumably New Bedford.) She appeared on the census of 28 Jun 1860 in Ward 4, New Bedford, aged four, with her parents, and in the 1870 census with her mother and uncle. We have found no further record of her. She may have moved to Aurora, Kane Co., IL with her mother about 1872.
Lawrence A West of Kirkland, WA states the following about his great-aunt Adelaide:
"I have not been able to find any information with regard to Adelaide. She would have been 16/17 when the family moved west in 1872/3. Whether she remained in New Bedford or moved with the family to Aurora IL is a difficult question.
"For what it is worth, about forty years ago my father and I were going through my grandmother's collection of pictures and came across a death notice of ‘E. W. Davis, Died May 5, 1900, Age 18 years.’
"My father's remark was, ‘This must be my cousin Ted.’
"Alas, I did not pursue it. I know all of his cousins and all of his possible cousins and this could only be his Aunt Adelaide's son. I do not even know where Edward(?) W(est) Davis died. He was probably born in 1882 which makes the 1880 census problematical. I have scrolled through the Illinois 1880 Soundex looking for a Davis with a wife named Adelaide to no avail. The Mormons have made a Chicago and a Aurora marriage record search for me to no avail. Could she have married in New Bedford?
"There is no Obit for cousin Ted in either of the Chicago papers, nor is he in the Chicago Death Index. I have not checked Kane County deaths, but I will."521. George Frederick West was born on 11 Jun 1859 in New Bedford. He married Bertha "Bessie" Lorenz.
522. Sarah Homer "Sadie" West was born 1 Nov 1860 in New Bedford. She married Henry Black "Harry" Maxwell.
503. Susan Thatcher West (Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 26 Mar 1819 in Tisbury. She married Capt. Thomas Sherman, son of William Sherman and Hepsibah Killy, on 9 Mar 1848 in New Bedford. She died at the home of her daughter Katie in Preemption, Mercer Co., IL on 10 Nov 1911, aged 92, and is buried at Preemption Cemetery.
She appeared on the Tisbury census of 1820 in the household of her father, and on the Tisbury census of 1830 in the home of her widowed mother. On 28 Aug 1830 "Susan West", her grandmother, and twelve other heirs of her grandfather Jeruel West, sold the family’s Frog Alley homestead to James West. On 12 Aug 1834 she petitioned Judge Athearn to give her mother guardianship of her. On 19 Jul 1838 Susan T. West of Tisbury and her mother and siblings sold their home along the road to the wharf at the head of Holmes Hole Harbor for $1400 to Charles G. Smith.
Susan appeared on the New Bedford census of 1840 in the home of her mother. The 1841 New Bedford directory lists her as "tailoress, works 27 North Water, boards 89 Kempton." On 18 Mar 1842 Susan appeared on the mortgage deed of their Union Street, Tisbury property with Charles Smith.
Susan’s 1848 marriage record lists her as a resident of New Bedford. She appeared on the New Bedford census of 2 Sep 1850, aged 31, with her husband, son, and mother.
In 1855 the family went west and settled in Preemption, Mercer County, IL She appeared in the July 1860 census of Preemption, aged 40, with her husband and children. She may have resided between 1880 and 1883 in Rock Island Co., IL, but she died in Preemption. It was noted that she was an "active woman till increasing weight of years compelled her to lay aside labors. Cheery, hopeful character and enjoyed life and interested in lives of those about her, especially in young people."
Capt. Thomas Sherman (or Shearman) was born on 20 Sep 1809 in South Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA, and was called a Dartmouth resident in the record of his first marriage to Sarah Blankenship Delano, daughter of Capt. Benjamin Delano and Sarah Blankinship, whom he married on 12 May 1834 in Rochester, Bristol Co., MA. In a 1846 crew list Thomas was described as 5’ 9" tall with a dark complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes.
Thomas was called a widower, a mariner, and a resident of Dartmouth in his 1848 marriage records to Susan West. He appeared on the New Bedford census of 2 Sep 1850, aged 40, "sailor," with his wife, son, and mother-in-law. His real estate was valued at $1500 in this census.
Thomas next appeared on the 1860 census of Preemption, Mercer Co., IL, aged 50, farmer, with his wife and children. His real estate was valued in this census at $1700 and his personal estate at $550. He died on 12 Apr 1891 in Preemption, Mercer Co., IL, at age 81, and is buried at Preemption Cemetery.
Children of Susan Thatcher West and Capt. Thomas Sherman were as follows:
530. Allen D. Shearman was born 16 Nov 1848. He married Columbia Shafer on 25 Dec 1881.
531. Catherine Cleveland "Katie" Shearman was born 3 Sep 1850. She married John Spivey Farwell.
532. Silas West Shearman was born on 3 Dec 1856 in Illinois. He appeared in the July 1860 census of Preemption, aged four, with his parents. He died on 27 Feb 1865 in Illinois, aged eight.
504. Sarah Folger "Sally" West (Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 22 Jul 1821 in Holmes Hole. She married Frederick Homer, son of Daniel Homer and Molley (--?--), on 20 Oct 1845 in New Bedford. She died on 25 Feb 1870 in New Bedford, aged 48, of a "kidney complaint" and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford.
She is listed on the Tisbury census of 1830 with her widowed mother. "Sally West" (elsewhere written "Sarah C. West") appears as one of the heirs on the 28 Aug 1830 deed of sale of her grandfather Jeruel West’s Frog Alley homestead to James West.
Sarah appeared on the New Bedford census of 1840 in the home of her mother, and the 1841 New Bedford directory lists her as "West, Sarah F., mantua maker, shop 45 Purchase, boards 89 Kempton." (A "mantua" was a lady’s gown.) On 18 Mar 1842 her name appeared in the mortgage deed of her old home on Union Street, Tisbury to Charles Smith.
Sarah’s 1845 marriage record calls her a resident of Boston, but she appeared with her husband on the New Bedford census of 23 Aug 1850, aged 28, in the home of George and Mary Howes, and on the census of 24 Aug 1860 in Ward 3, New Bedford, aged 40, with her husband and a "domestic." Her 1870 death record calls her a resident of 120 (or 126?) County St., New Bedford.
Frederick Homer was born on 5 Aug 1816 in Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., MA. He is listed in the 1845 New Bedford directory as a shipwright boarding at 24 High St., and was called a single 29-year-old New Bedford shipwright in his 1845 marriage record to Sarah West. The 1849 New Bedford directory lists him at 28 High Street, "employed at George Homer & Co., shipwrights, yard S. Rodman's wharf." He appeared on the census of 23 Aug 1850 in New Bedford, aged 35, "ship carpenter," boarding with his wife in the home of George and Mary Howes along with a number of other ship carpenters. In 1852 he was listed at 81 Hillman St. on the corner of County St., New Bedford, employed with George Homer & Co., merchants, "c. room 203 North Water." He was listed in 1856 at 162 County St., New Bedford, employed with George Homer & Co., shipwrights, at S. Rodman's Wharf. In 1859 he was listed again at 162 County St., New Bedford, employed with "George & Frederick Homer, shipwrights, foot of Hillman."
Frederick appeared on the census of 24 Aug 1860 in Ward 3, New Bedford, aged 44, no occupation, with his wife and a "domestic." His personal estate was valued in this census at $12,000. The 1867 New Bedford directory lists him at 120 County St. He appeared on the census of 2 Jul 1870 in Ward 5, New Bedford, aged 52, merchant, with housekeeper Elvira Lewis. (This census was taken shortly after Sarah’s death.) His real estate is valued at $10,000, and his personal estate at $22,000.
Frederick died on 26 Feb 1875 in New Bedford, aged 58, of "dropsy." At the time of his death he resided on the corner of County and Walnut streets, New Bedford, and his death record calls him a "merchant." He was buried on 1 Mar 1875 in Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford.
The only known child of Sarah Folger West and Frederick Homer was:
i. Silas West Homer was born after 1845, and died as an infant. He does not appear in the 1850 census with his parents.
510. Amanda Merry Studley (Eliza3 West, Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 20 Mar 1838 in New Bedford. She married Micah H. Griffith on 3 Mar 1861.
She is listed in the 1840 census of New Bedford in the home of her father, and appeared on the census of 26 Aug 1850 in New Bedford, aged 12, with her parents. She moved west with her parents between about 1852 and 1856, and appeared on the July 1860 census of Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL, aged 22, with her parents. She was mentioned in her mother’s 1894 obituary, and was known to have resided in Moline, Rock Island Co., IL before 1899. I have no further record of her.
Micah H. Griffith was born about 1833-4 in New York. He appeared on the 1860 census of Richland Grove, Mercer Co., IL, aged 26, "laborer," with the family of Benjamin and Zilpah Sisson, and on p. 31 of the 1880 census of Moline, Rock Island Co. He was likely the carpenter named "M. H. Griffith" who appeared in the 1885 Moline City directory residing with Herbert E. Griffith, teacher, at 513 Twenty-first St. I have no further record of Micah Griffith.
Children of Amanda Merry Studley and Micah H. Griffith were as follows:
i. H[erbert?]. E. Griffith was probably born after 1861. He was probably the teacher listed in the 1885 Moline City Directory as "Herbert E. Griffith" residing with "M. H. Griffith" at 513 Twenty-first St." He resided in 1895 in Moline, Rock Island Co., IL, and in 1896 in Oak Park, IL. I have no further record of him.
ii. Augustus Griffith was born in 1862. No further record.
iii. Bertie Griffith was born in 1866. No further record.
iv. Sadie Griffith was born in 1872. No further record.
521. George Frederick West (Augustus3, Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 11 Jun 1859 in New Bedford, MA. He married Bertha "Bessie" Lorenz (daughter of John Lorenz and Sophia Glazer) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 11 Apr 1885. He died on 18 May 1923 in Seattle, WA.
Bertha "Bessie" Lorenz was born on 11 Sep 1860 in Ocono, WI and died 29 Nov 1939 in Seattle, WA.
George’s grandson Lawrence A. West wrote the following about his grandfather:
"The death of [George Frederick West’s] father, when he was six years old, deeply affected his early years. It has been said that as a child he was what today would be called a ‘loner,’ immersed in his school work, and in his free time, roaming the docks of that busy seaport. In his adult years he was taciturn, reserved and set in his ways.
"The family continued to live in their New Bedford home, joined now by Frances' twin brother, FREDERICK LEWIS POND and his wife ELIZABETH. In an adjacent household lived his grandparents, LEWIS and ELVIRA POND. ELIZABETH POND died in 1872 and ELVIRA POND died in 1873. Shortly thereafter the remaining family removed to Aurora, Kane County, IL.
"In 1873, George would have been 15 years old. It is unclear whether he accompanied his family to Aurora or went directly to Chicago, but in 1879 he has settled there, employed as a telegraph operator for the CB&Q Railroad and is boarding at Quincy House. It is interesting to note that HENRY B. MAXWELL, soon to be his brother-in-law, is also employed by the railroad.
"By 1884 he had gone to work for The Milwaukee Railroad, and was living in Milwaukee, WI. There, on 11 April 1885, he married BERTHA (BESSIE) LORENZ. (At this time, her family was using LAWRENCE as their surname. ) She was born 11 January 1860, at Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, WI, the daughter of JOHN LORENZ, born 20 January 1829, Rostock, Mecklinberg-Schwerin, and SOPHIA GLAZER, born 9 May 1833, K. of Wuerttemberg. John had been apprenticed as a wood-joiner in his youth and brought that skill with him to pioneer Wisconsin.
"At the time of this marriage, Bertha was employed as a maid at the hotel where George was living. This was not an unusual situation for the daughter of a German immigrant in those years, but the marriage was disapproved of by George's family. The original estrangement did heal in time and his children were accepted by his family, but he was written out of the will of his mother who had a considerable estate.
"For brief period in 1886, they were living in Dennison, Grayson County, Texas, and it was there that their first child was born, but they were back in Milwaukee, in time for the birth of their second child. In 1888 George was brought to Chicago by the railroad, and in the ensuing years continued to advance in his services to the company. Characteristically, George was adverse to property ownership and they occupied many addresses in these years.
"In 1906, the Milwaukee Railroad began an extension to the Pacific Coast and George was one of the employees selected to go along. The family moored westward, first to Miles City, MT, then Butte, MT, finally settling in Seattle about 1910.
"George died there 18 May 1923. Bessie survived her husband and died 29 November 1939 at the home of her son George."
Children of George Frederick West and Bertha Lorenz were as follows:
i. Lawrence Augustus West was born 11 Aug. 1886 in Dennison, Grayson Co., TX. His family removed shortly thereafter to Chicago where he grew up. He married (1st) Selma Erica Henrickson (1892-1920), daughter of John Henrickson and Carolina Maria Magnusdotter, on 30 Sep 1916 in Seattle, King Co., WA. He married (2nd) Hilda (Christiansen) O’Donnell (1899-1984) on 26 Dec 1931 in Seattle, and (3rd) Florence Estella (Peterson) Marander on 14 Jun 1955 in Everett, WA. He died 5 June 1962 in Kirkland, King Co., WA, and is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Seattle.
Selma Erica Henrickson was born 2 Apr 1892 in Quincy, Adams Co., IL. Her family removed to Aberdeen, WA about 1900. She died on 14 Feb 1920 in Seattle, WA, a victim of the 1919-20 influenza epidemic. She is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Seattle.
Lawrence A. West Jr. wrote the following about his father:
"Lawrence was born 11 August 1886 at Dennison, TX, where his father was temporarily employed. Shortly thereafter, the family removed to Milwaukee, WI, and then on to Chicago, IL, where Lawrence and his brother, George, lived out their boyhood. He left school at the end of the 7th grade, but it should be noted that a 7th grade education in 1900 was not the same as might be realized today. He was well-read, a well informed speaker and a very proficient statistician. He went to work for The Milwaukee Railroad, where his father was also employed, and with his family, followed the railroad westward when it began its extension to the Pacific Coast, living briefly in Miles City and in Butte, MT.
"The family arrived in Seattle in 1910 and Lawrence continued his employment with the railroad until his marriage to Selma Henrickson in 1916. At the time of their marriage, the young couple acquired acreage near Kirkland, WA, and built a chicken farm. This was a sound venture in those days before refrigeration and fast transportation. Seattle was experiencing extraordinary growth, and there was a great need for poultry products available within a day's delivery time.
"These were the years of WW I, and the farm was beginning to succeed when the death of Selma, in early 1920, brought an end to the venture. She was a victim of the influenza epidemic that swept the nation that winter. The farm was put to rent, and Lawrence, with his twenty-eight month old son, moved to the home of his parents in Seattle. He found employment in the city, and this arrangement continued until Lawrence made a second marriage in December of 1931.
"During the ensuing years the old farm house had been enlarged and modernized, and it was here that Lawrence brought his wife, Hilda, his son, now fourteen, and her two children by a previous marriage. These were the years of the "great depression" and during a brief period of unemployment, a small amount of farming was undertaken. The hard times passed, and with return of prosperity during the years of WWII farming was finally abandoned, many of the obsolete and deteriorating farm buildings were taken down and further improvements were made to the old farmhouse. During these years, a second child, a daughter, Laurie Ann, was born and the older children entered the military service and were off on their own.
"As retirement approached, his employer, The West Coast Lumbermans' Association, moved their offices to Portland, OR. Because he had only a few years to retirement, he moved with the firm. Although he commuted weekends, a gradual estrangement occurred, and this marriage ended in divorce in the early fifties.
"It was now that the ranch was finally broken up and sold as building sites. He did keep one acre of the old orchard on which he build an attractive modern house and married for a third time, Florence Mirander, a widow with three grown children. They continued to live on this remnant of the old ranch until his death, 5 June 1962. Florence survived him, dying 22 January 1968, at Everett, WA."ii. George Frederick West Jr. was born 12 Jun 1888 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He removed to Chicago, IL, then to Seattle, WA. He married Hilda Charlotte Olson (daughter of Charles A. Olson and Augusta Charlotte _____) on 24 Apr 1915 in Seattle, King Co., WA. He died 12 Sep 1968 in Seattle, and was inurned at Washelli Maus. in Seattle.
Hilda Charlotte Olson was born 11 Mar 1891 in Ironwood, Gogebic Co. Michigan. Her family removed to Issaquah, WA about 1900. She died 22 Apr 1969 in Seattle and was inurned at Washelli Maus. in Seattle.
522. Sarah Homer "Sadie" West (Augustus3, Silas2, Jeruel1) was born 1 Nov 1860 in New Bedford. She moved to Kane County, IL with her mother about 1872, and then to Chicago, Cook Co., IL. She married Henry Black "Harry" Maxwell. She died on 25 Oct. 1935 in Chicago, and was interred at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.
Henry Black "Harry" Maxwell was born in February, 1850 in Airdrie, Scotland. He came to America with his family as an infant. He died 19 Apr 1918 in Chicago, IL, and is interred at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.
Children of Sarah Homer West and Henry Black Maxwell, all born in Chicago IL, were as follows:
i. Henry West Maxwell was born in July 1880. He married Ellen Jane McBride (1891 - 1972). He was an "industrialist." He died 24 Dec 1953 in Chicago IL.
ii. Augustus Kinloch Maxwell was born 24 Mar 1882. He married Dorothy Crane (1887-1945). He was an "industrialist." He died 29 Jan 1945 in Chicago IL.
iii. Adelaide Maxwell was born in May 1886. She married fincancier Harold H. Keith (1881-1968). They moved to Pasadena, CA about 1920, where she died on 15 May 1950.
iv. Lt. Col. William Sterling Maxwell was born in April 1890. He married Ethel Bowes in Chicago. He was an "industrialist." He died 24 Sep 1930 in Corning, NY.
530. Allen D. Shearman (Susan3 West, Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 16 Nov 1848 in Dartmouth, Bristol Co., MA. He married Columbia Shafer on 25 Dec 1881. He died 12 Oct 1920 in Preemption, Mercer Co., IL and is buried at Preemption Cemetery.
He appeared on the New Bedford census of 2 Sep 1850, aged one, with his parents. He moved west to Preemption, Illinois with his family in 1855, and appeared on the July 1860 census of Preemption, Mercer Co., IL, aged 12, with his parents. He was reportedly a businessman in Beaumont, TX at the time of his daughter Stella’s marriage (perhaps 1905-1915?), but if so he returned to Preemption by 1920.
Allen operated a grocery store in Preemption. His nephew, Edward Farwell, worked for him at times.
Columbia Shafer was born 17 Mar 1855 in Morgantown, West Virginia. She appeared with her brother Miner Shafer in the 1880 census of Preemption, IL as servants on the farm of Riley Snider. (A sister was living on a nearby farm.) She died on 2 Jan 1905 in Preemption and is buried at Preemption Cemetery.
Children of Allen D. Shearman and Columbia Shafer, all born in Illinois (presumably Preemption), were as follows:
i. Dorothy E. "Dora" Shearman was born in November 1882. She probably died before December 1936.
ii. Sara(h) C. "Sadie" Shearman was born December 1883. She married (1st) Will Whitfield in Texas in 1910, and (2nd?) Charles Smith (son of George Smith). She had at least one child, Donald Calvin Smith (or Snuck?).
iii. Stella Shearman was born February 1885. She married Gilbert Connelly. She was called a resident of Beaumont, TX at the time of her marriage. In Dec. 1936 she was living in Pacific Grove, CA.
iv. Frank S. Shearman was born August 1887. He married Mary Ellen Newburn in June 1913 in Urbana, IL. He was a cashier at Farmers State Bank in Reynolds, IL, and she was a musician. Frank and his wife attended the Methodist Church in Reynolds. His wife was remembered as a "beautiful singer." By 1936 he had moved to Madrid, IA, where he operated a five-and-dime store.
531. Catherine Cleveland "Kate" Sherman (Susan3 West, Silas2, Jeruel1) was born on 3 Sep 1850 in New Bedford. She married John Spivey Farwell, son of Edward Jewett Farwell and Lovisa Spivey, on 1 Jan 1874. She died at her home in Preemption on 1 May 1928 (her obituary notes that "she had been ill of influenza which had affected her heart), and is buried in Preemption Cemetery.
Kate went west with her parents as a child and they settled in 1855 on a farm east of Preemption, Mercer Co., Illinois, where she "received her education in the rural schools." She appeared in the July 1860 census of Preemption, Mercer Co., IL, aged ten, with her parents, and on the census of 27 Apr 1910 in Preemption, aged 57, with her husband and two sons. She was remembered as a "quiet, loveable person."
Her granddaughter remembers that "Grandma Kate took care of her mother [in her home] until her mother died, at a very old age. In later years, Grandma Kate was said to have been a semi invalid. They moved from the farm to the village of Preemption, Ill. - a nice home. I remember the large rooms! By that time, she had a housekeeper."
John Spivey Farwell was born 29 Dec 1852 "just south of" Preemption, Mercer Co., IL. He appeared on the census 24 Jul 1860 in Preemption, aged seven, with his parents, and on the census of 27 Apr 1910 in Preemption, aged 57, "farmer," with his wife and two sons. He died 23 Dec 1938 in Preemption. He was remembered to be "a well known man in [the] township and throughout the county."
John’s obituary states that "His pleasure centered around his home and loved ones. It had been his custom to entertain his relatives at an oyster supper on his birthday. Feeling that the end might be near, he asked his loved ones to join him a few weeks [early] for the annual event. His premonition was correct as he passed away before his birthday on Dec. 29. He was probably the oldest resident of Mercer County. He was born just south of Preemption, on Dec. 29, 1852. His parents came from New Hampshire, in 1839. He lived in or near this village all his life. When his parents built the big stone house one mile south of Preemption, he was a lad of 12 or 14 years years, and he helped haul the big stones from a quarry in Perryton. On Jan. 1, 1874 he was married to Miss Kate Shearman, in Preemption. The new home was made on a farm southwest of Preemption, until 1911 when they purchased the home in the village."
Children of Catherine Cleveland Sherman and John C. Farwell born in Illinois were as follows:
i. Alvah Farwell was born 11 Feb 1875 and died 15 Mar 1876. He is buried in Preemption Cemetery.
ii. Edward Farwell was born 11 Feb 1877 in Preemption Twp. He appeared with his parents on the 1910 census of Preemption, aged 33, single, employed in "general farm laborer." On 22 Feb 1911 he married Ella Wiggins, the daughter of James and Sarah McVitty Wiggins. Edward was listed as a resident of Preemption in May 1928, and Orion in Dec. 1938 and July 1947. He died in 1960 in Orion, and Ella died on 22 Aug 1968 at the Henry County Convalescent Home in Geneseo, IL.
Edward’s obituary notes that "He was reared and educated in Preemption and attended business college in Davenport. He had been a resident of Orion the last 22 years, following his retirement from farming, and served as custodian at Orion Community High School from 1944 to 1953." He inherited his parents home, and raised his children in the house he was raised in.
iii. Susan "Susie" Farwell was born on 19 Apr 1879. She married William Letimor Johnston. She was called a resident of Pawnee City, Nebraska in May 1928, December 1938, and July 1947. She died on 23 Jan 1951 and is buried in Pawnee City, Neb.
iv. Horace Farwell was born 18 Jul 1881 "near Preemption." He appeared with his parents on the 1910 census Preemption, aged 28, single, employed in "general farm laborer." He married Rachel Hicks, the daughter of John and Mary Ann Hicks, on 11 Jun 1911 in Montezuma, Iowa. He was described as a "landowner/farmer." They lived "on a farm near Aledo" in Mercer County until ill health forced his retirement and they moved to Joy, IL. He died on 24 Jul 1947 in Moline, IL. She died 12 Dec 1959 at Mercer County Hospital. They are both buried in Preemption Cemetery. They had no children.
v. Grace Farwell was born 9 Apr 1883. She married John Stout before 1928. She was living in Evanston, Illinois in May 1928, and died 1 Nov 1932.
vi. Katherine Asenith "Kate" Farwell was born 3 Jun 1885. She married Thomas "Tom" P. Armstrong on 1 Jan 1910. She was living in Bowling, Illinois in May 1928, in Preemption in Dec. 1938 and July 1947. She died 9 Dec 1979 in Long Beach, CA and is buried in Preemption, IL.
vii. Edith Mary Farwell was born 11 Apr 1891 in Preemption. She married Robert Wiltshire Rathbun on 23 Dec 1914 at Mt. Vernon, IA. She was living in Preemption in May 1928, in Mount Vernon, Iowa in Jan. 1936, and again in Preemption in July 1947 and December 1952. She died 18 Dec 1988, aged 97, at Crest Health Center, Davenport, and is buried at Preemption Cemetery. Robert died 7 April 1983.
Edith’s obituary notes, "They had farmed near Preemption until retiring and moving to Davenport in 1968. She was the oldest member of the Preemption church and had been active in church and community affairs. She was a member of the William Dennison Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mississippi Valley Colony of New England Women. She attended Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, studying music and piano. She taught piano and violin for many years. She was interested in many types of arts and crafts." It also stated that she was a resident of Rivercrest Retirement Village in Davenport at the time of her death.
John Spivey Farwell and Catherine Cleveland "Kate" Sherman
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