#46 – Come Climb “Our” Tree with me
In our previous post we did a little dusting as I explained how little bits of divergent information, once brought together, began to tell “our” story. In this post, I thought it might be interesting to list out everyone that I am aware of who sits, or swings as the case be, in “our” tree.
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| In 1966 my dad built a treehouse for me. Actually, it was a raised platform with a swing and a ladder beside my favorite apple tree. I thought I had photos of me IN the tree but it seems Mom only snapped pics of me on the swing or ladder. This is the swing pic, of course. I loved that place. I found walking sticks there, enjoyed the apples, and became all kinds of imaginary characters until I finally settled on the character that I am presently. |
One day, in probably 1963 or 1964 (age 6 or 7), I decided to climb up as high as I could go. I reached the top! Up there, where the air is thin and the tree is thinner, even my small six- or seven-year-old hands could grasp all the way around the tree. And the tree was flexible up there too! So, by shifting my weight, I could make the tree lean to the left or the right or even produce a full circle!
Just at the height of my fun I heard my mom call, “Ronnie!”, twice, from inside the house. So, I responded, “What Mommy?” Soon she was on the porch calling my name again, and again I responded, “What, Mommy?” “Where are you?” she asked. “Up here, Mommy!” I answered. She slowly asked “Up … where?” as her eyes followed the tree I was in, from the ground up to my new perch.
Then her eyes grew quite large. Her color changed from a good healthy blush to a sickly white and she stumbled backwards a step or two. In a most even and carefully modulated voice she said, “Ronnie, would you please c-c-c-come d-d-down from up there?” “But Mommy, it’s fun!” I exclaimed as I made another turn of the circle. That’s when her voice took on a most disagreeable tone as she suggested, quite loudly I might add, “GET DOWN OUT OF THAT TREE BEFORE YOU FALL AND BREAK YOUR NECK!!”
We just sat, quietly, on the porch together, podding peas.
The point to this story, I guess, is that trees have branches, whether they are trees grown by families or family trees, you know, those devices genealogists use to identify who goes where, on which branch the person sits, in the long line of ancestry (ances-TREE).
Here we see a piece of the Santee Family Tree. It is
opened to the page that lists my Grandmother, Ella (near the top, I added a
yellow arrow to point her out.). I’ve tried to create one of these for “us” a number
of times and failed miserably each time. Who knew you needed some kind of
talent to make one!? I always want too
much detail, I guess, as you’ll soon see below. However, as I developed various
posts for this blog, it quickly became confusing which one of “us” I was
referring to and where did that person fall in the grand stream of “us” Drums?
So, I created a little
device of my own to place individuals mentioned in any given post, in the
proper place on the “tree”.
If you are unfamiliar with what I am referring to, or never DID understand what the heck I was doing, here is what I am doing. After a name you’ll sometimes notice a superscript string of names. Those names are the fathers lined up in order back to Progenitor Philip. For example, my son, Philip, would appear as: Philip (Ronald, Harry, Elmer, Nathan, John, Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip). I use the fathers because they are easier to find; the mothers so often get lost in history due to marriages and such. Although, in a few instances, I have added Philip’s first or second wife to clarify which twig off that branch I’m referring to! Even then, even WITH all these names lined up like soldiers, or ants (aunts? Oh, right, we are only using the fathers), without the wide picture, such as that which I could get sitting high up in the top of our Catalpa Tree, it still gets confusing after a while.
So, finally, after 45 posts, it has come to this. What follows is my best effort of providing an overview of who goes where along our “tree”. I’m even including a little “bio” about that person, when I can. Now as YOU read down through the list, you might say, “But where is Josephine? YOU missed Josephine!”[1] If you do find yourself saying something like that, add a comment to let me know. Include your email address or other contact info so I can connect with you. Don’t worry, comments stay private until I make them public and I won’t make your contact info public.
I figure that surely all that follows in the list below (continued in the next post as well) cannot be completely correct. Nobody’s perfect, not even Laura Helman who wrote “the book” [2] on “us”! She is my primary source for all of this. However, if you are familiar with Helman’s book, below you will find that I’ve listed a daughter named Charlotte under Jacob (Philip+W1, George, Jacob, Philip) who was not included in Helman’s book. I found her listed as a member of Jacob’s household in the 1850 Census. Likewise, my Dad appears in Helman’s list as having been born on August 11, 1923. He actually came into this world on August 4.
One does want to be careful who one lists, however. A recent comment left by a reader of one of the posts suggested one of his ancestors, named Sophia, was a member of “our” tree. Upon closer examination, however, although his ancestor was related to a man named Philip Drum who lived in Luzerne County, PA, at about the right time, his ancestor sprung from a different tree! He not only spelled “Philip” with two “L”’s (the HORROR! [kidding]), he lived in the northern part of the county (Salem), not Drums, was born in New Jersey in 1775, but, most important, was born to folks who also do not appear in “our” tree. So, it turns out, no connection. They are a different family; a family of Drums in Luzerne County that I was not previously aware of! Too bad too, Sophia lived an interesting life, given the reader’s comments! Her stories would have been fun to add!
One last thing, I have one more “device” to explain, this time it involves numbers, but don’t worry, if I can figure it out, it can’t be THAT hard. As you read down through the list, you’ll note that I’ve assigned a “number” to each individual in the tree. I gave our Progenitor (to use Helman’s term) the “number” “P” to get us started (for “Progenitor”, not “Philip”, but “Philip” works just as well.). His son, Jacob, was assigned “P.1.” (Progenitor + first child). Therefore, George became “P.1.1.” (Progenitor + his first child + HIS first child.). George’s fourth child was Abraham so his number comes out as P.1.1.4, and so forth on through the tree. To help keep things straight in the midst of the branches, I added the generation designation, for example, “G4”, in front of each child’s number – in this case meaning a Fourth-generation child, and so fourth and so on, on down (up?). By the way, this “G4” thing isn’t really necessary because if you count the number of digits in the designation, you’ll see it equals the generation (P.1.1.1. is four digits or fourth generation). Finally, just to confuse things as much as possible, I mean, help as much as possible, I included each generation’s dates of existence (year first child born to year last child died) – a “generation” being the children of the previous generation.
Just read on. It might make sense as you get into it. I have always said that I have a God-like mind, it works in mysterious ways.
A note about birth and death dates notation:
·
When question marks appear with a birth or death
date, it means we are unsure of the accuracy of that date: (Nov. 24??, 1881 –
Nov. 28, 1883). Here we know it was November and 1881, but we are unsure about
the 24th.
·
Question marks without a date mean we do not
know that date: (?? - ??), indeed, the person may still be alive: (Dec. 19,
1925 – ??).
·
A notation such as: (abt.1838 - ??) means the
birth date was derived by subtracting a known age at some point in this
person’s life from that given year. In this example, the person was listed in
the 1850 census as being age 12. 1850 – 12 = 1838. However, the birth may have
been the previous year, if the record was even accurate. We have seen some
census entries that have proven not to be accurate age presentations. In this
example, the question marks indicate we do not know the death date.
·
A notation such as: (b. August 10, 1995) means
he or she was born on that date and we believe (or know) the individual is
still alive.
·
We believe that having some information is
better than just question marks so what is known is provided: (January 17, 1859
– [between 1900 & 1910?]). In this example we have the known birth date
provided and the death appears to have occurred within the first decade of the
Twentieth Century but could not be confirmed.
Most of the information provided below, was given to us by Helman. I’ve filled in gaps and made corrections where I could along the way primarily relying on census data, information posted to the Find-a-Grave website, and information obtained by personally visiting cemeteries/actual graves. I supplemented that with various bits and pieces discovered by previous researchers, such as my mom, bits and pieces discovered by myself, “dust” obtained from sources like the now famous “Hat Box Collection” [3], information from other Drums (always useful!), or from personal knowledge.
Therefore, as you probably have already guessed and/or will soon see, I am limited in what I know by the lack of resources, both historical (think letters, documents, newspapers, etc.) and those resources that might help make historical resources available (think time and money), not to mention the knowledge required for ferreting stuff out (think “how to”), and even mental capacity (think thinking ability). So, again, I’m happy for all the help and information you can provide to untangle my messes and fill in the holes!
We start, of course, with Progenitor Philip which gives us Hole-Number-One: who the heck were Philip’s parents!!
So, without further ado, now that I’ve planted the seed, let’s grow that tree.
Generation 1
1702 – 1788?
Our Progenitor
G1: P. Philip
Drum (1702 – 1788?)
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| This is the only known photo ever taken of the Ship Glasgow. Ok, I’m kidding. It is just a print my In-Laws had hanging on their home’s wall for many years. Some “Ship Historian” probably knows what it is and when it sailed but I’m not a “Ship Historian”, sad to say. |
Generation 2
1730? – 1775?
G2: P.1. Jacob Drum (Philip) (1730?
– 1775?)
Philip
was the life well lived. Jacob’s was the life cut short. So little is known
about Philip’s son, Jacob, that, as important as he is to “our” story, he
almost becomes a second thought! The one thing Helman tells is about Jacob is
that he was killed by Native Americans during a raid on his homestead. She says
this occurred when Jacob’s son George was twelve-years-old.
Although desperately seeking it, I had been unable to locate George’s gravestone for quite some time. Turns out it was right in front of me in the St. Johns Cemetery the entire time! It wasn’t until September 1, 2020 that I realized that stone was his. It confirms (very difficult to read due to erosion – one reason I kept looking past it) that George was born in 1762 as Helman says. That confirmation places his 12th birthday, and, therefore the raid if Helman is correct, in 1774.[6] That newly found piece of dust sort of pokes a hole in my 1775 vs 1774 theory for the year Jacob died that I put forth in the post Jacob’s Story, [32] In that post, I lay out a case for the attack to have occurred in 1775 but, again, this is pure conjecture, this time joined by LOTS of imagination!! Since I’ve not been able to confirm or prove false Helman’s Indian Attack story or Jacob’s life details, we are left to take Laura at her word. Jacob’s birth year was arrived at by a series of calculations based on a very thin piece of evidence for his age when he got married. This very thin evidence also gives us his wife’s name, Catherine Strauss.[32] New information received from one of our "cousins" has made even that piece of information too suspect to accept.
1762 - 1831
G3: P.1.1. George Drum (Jacob, Philip)
(June 12, 1762 – February 27, 1831)
George
was probably born in, or near, Williams Township (just south of Easton), in
Eastern Pennsylvania. George was, of course, the first Drum to make it to the
Drums Valley (unless, as I suppose, his wife and first three children arrived a
year or two ahead of him).
We believe George is the person from whom the village of Drums acquired its name but his sons and their families didn’t hurt the cause.
We
believe he arrived here in late 1796 to join his family. They appear to have already
been living here with the Woodring’s, his wife’s parents. It was In 1786, ten
years earlier at age 24, that he married Anna Margret[7]
Woodring [8](Oct. 29, 1765 - June 23, 1821[9]) and together,
they had eight children (in order of birth, well, give or take a year here or
there): Philip, Jacob, George,
Abraham, Isaac, Mary Elizabeth, William, and Ann Margrett [10] (who
was known as “Peggy” and “Aunt Peggy”). When Anna died, George married William
Woodring’s widow, Rosanna. There were no children from this marriage. We
believe William was Anna Margret’s brother.[11]
The following paragraph is the concluding paragraph of the post George Builds a Tavern; A Place gets a Name.” Yes, I am plagiarizing myself. George’s story is covered, in addition to this post, by the posts, It Takes a Village, Part 1 – Community or Family? and, prior to that post, The Drums of Drums Arrive in Drums.
As a boy of 12 he outsmarted the
Indians that attacked his home. When a young man of just 20, he became a
Continental Soldier fighting for freedom in George Washington’s Army. In the
1790’s he brought his family over Butler (Bucks) Mountain to join the growing
German community in the valley. Once there he worked with his neighbors to
establish a church, members of which still gather to worship God today. In 1811
he became a Justice of the Peace and in 1820 he built a tavern[12] that
served as the community’s first de facto "Post Office". His memory
lives on in the name of the village that took him in and looked to him for
guidance.
George died from an accidental gunshot wound. Knowing that, only opens up so many more unanswered questions regarding the occurrence. I almost wish I had not found that piece of information! George is buried in the St. Johns Cemetery as is his first wife Anna. She is on the left (street) side of a large tree; he is on the right. There appears to be a lot of information written on George’s stone, but much of that information has been made illegible by the wind and rain. One thing I was still able to make out, aside from his name, was the year 1762, his year of birth, confirming the year as provided by Helman.
Generation
4
!787 – 1879?
Children
of P.1.1. George and Anna Margret Woodring -
G4: P.1.1.1. Philip Drum (George, Jacob, Philip)
(February 15, 1787 – February 27, 1858)
Surprisingly little is known about George’s first son, Philip. His gravestone in the St. Johns Cemetery confirms that Helman is correct on his birth and death dates. In fact, it says he was 71 years, 12 days old when he died. A bunch of grapes are included on his gravestone, grapes denote fertility and prosperity, or so says gravestone iconology. It would seem that the iconology was well chosen. He fathered 15 children that we are aware of. Why or how he died, however, is still lost in history.
We are not sure of his first wife’s name. It possibly[13] was Mary Woodring [Wotring]). It appears she died the same year Philip’s mother died, 1821. Together he and his first wife had three children: Jacob, Anna, & Sarah.
On April 22, 1822, Philip married his second wife, Magdalena Beishline[14] (Sept. 9, 1802 – Dec. 10, 1885). They had 12 children together: Elizabeth, John, a child who died in infancy, Mary Magdalene, Susanna, Anna Margaret, Lavina, Nathan Steven, Hannah Maria, Redmond Conyngham, Edward James, and a second child who died in infancy.[15]
In the 1810 census, Philip describes himself as a carpenter. We guess that, as such, he had little trouble that year building the valley’s first “wool processing mill” (or “carding” mill) along the Little Nescopeck Creek near Fritzingertown, followed in 1835 by a “Woolen-Mill” that he built a short distance east of his first mill[16], although for the life of me I can’t figure out what the difference is between the two. We suppose that in 1820 he helped his father build the tavern, as well, if he was a good son, that is, and there is no reason to think not. He probably helped his brother Abraham build the hotel expansion in 1840, too, if he was a good brother, that is, and there is no reason to think not.
On the last page of Helman’s book she lists a series of deeds acquired by Philip. It is interesting to note that he was 21 years old when he made his first purchase. One deed she points out was sworn before his dad, Justice of the Peace George Drum.
G4: P.1.1.2. Jacob Drum (George, Jacob, Philip)
(February 6, 1791 – July 11, 1830)
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| P.1.1.2. Jacob Drum |
Jacob lived 39 years. He died about six months before his father. At some point during those 39 years, probably in his early 20’s, he married Anna Margaret Balliett. Their children totaled five: Isaac, Julian, Caroline, Sarah Lucy, and Anna Margaret Rosina. He too was a carpenter and he too served for a while as a Justice of the Peace for Butler Township; both professions being what might be called “traditions” for this family, as also seems to be the name Ann(a) Margaret! Jacob rests in the St. Johns Cemetery. After he died, Anna Margaret married John Whitebread. She rests with John in the St. James Cemetery, Hobbie, Luzerne Co., PA.
G4: P.1.1.3. George Drum (George, Jacob, Philip) (October 16, 1792 – November 24, 1831)
George also lived 39 years. He died the same year his
father died, out-living his father by only nine months. I’m sure he didn’t
think of it in this manner, or perhaps he did, but to keep the family tradition
alive he too served as a Justice of the Peace, his service being for Sugarloaf
Township. It is not clear to me when he moved to Conyngham (unless the family
was in Conyngham and moved to the Drums area when George built the tavern), but
I assume it was when he got married, probably in his early 20’s. Speaking of
traditions, the name of the woman he married was (ready?) NOT Anna Margaret
(couldn’t resist). Her name was Susanna Winters (July 10, 1785 - Oct. 22,
1858). Together they added eight Drums to the tree: Lavina, Mary, Eliza, Susanna,
Lucetta and Rebekah (twins), Sarah, and George W. Laura Helman tells us that
all of these children were born in Conyngham. George Drum is buried in the Conyngham
Union Cemetery.
G4: P.1.1.4. Abraham Drum (George, Jacob, Philip) (October 11, 1797 – November 9, 1862)
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| Abraham Drum on left, Margaret Magdalena “Molly” Drum on right. Abram and Molly are buried in the St. Johns Cemetery. |
We believe that Abraham was the first member of “our” tree to have been born in the valley that became known as the Drums Valley. He is mentioned in a number of our posts, but gets good coverage, including a picture (the earliest known image of a Drum from “our” tree), in the post entitled There were a lot of Drums in Drums.
Wait, make that 10 children. Two gravestones found in the
St. Johns Cemetery tell us that Abe and Molly had two more children making a
total of ten. It turns out that the area around the large tree where Anna
Margret, George’s (P.1.1.) first wife, is buried, is a family plot.
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| Drum Family Plot, St. Johns Cemetery. Left to right: [far side of tree, closest to the road] Isaac Drum (P.1.1.5.); Anna Margret Woodring Drum (Isaac’s mother and George’s (P.1.1.) first wife); [on the near side of the tree] George Drum (P.1.1.); Jacob Drum (P.1.1.2.) [George’s second son], Lovissa Drum (P.1.1.4.1.) [Abraham’s daughter); ??Camella?? Drum (P.1.1.4.2.) [Abraham’s daughter). |
Abraham’s mother and brother Isaac are buried on the left (street side) of a large tree in the St. Johns Cemetery. On the right of this tree are four more headstones. Abraham’s father & Anna’s husband, George (P.1.1.), Abraham’s brother & George’s son, Jacob (P.1.1.2.), and two stones marked as daughters of Abraham, Lovissa (P.1.1.4.1.) and ??Camella?? (P.1.1.4.2.). More on these two girls follows in their entries below. I was not aware these girls existed until these stones were found on September 1, 2020.
Interesting note, Helman tells us Abraham’s brother, Philip (P.1.1.1.), had two children “who died in infancy”[17]. Although a seven-year-old child is not an “infant”, it might be that the word’s meaning was stretched a bit in its use by Helman. One wonders if Helman’s source was wrong/confused saying it was Philip when it was actually his brother Abraham, or was it BOTH, who suffered this tragedy.
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| Isaac on left, Anna on right. Not included in the photo, to the right of Anna, is the large tree. |
Isaac holds two distinctions for “our” family. 1. He was
the first Drum from “our” tree who was both born and died in the Drums Valley.
2. His gravestone is the earliest (1804) hard (no pun intended) evidence that
“we” were in the valley. Isaac was five when he died and rests on the
left of his mother in the St. Johns Cemetery.
G4: P.1.1.6. Mary Elizabeth Drum (George, Jacob, Philip) Hughes (1801? died between 1850 and 1860?)
And with Elizabeth we begin wandering in the murky wilderness of finding the female Drums in the historic record. Helman lists her as “Elizabeth” and includes nothing about birth or death. Helman tells us she married Thomas Hughes and they had four children: Evan, Sidney, Jane, and Matilda. Elizabeth was difficult to find in in the census. A Hughes household is listed in the 1850 census[18] and one of its members is a “widow”, age 49, named “Mary E”. She does not appear in the 1860 census. Neither she nor Thomas have entries in Find-a-Grave. Two of her daughters may have entries. Helman lists Sidney was married to Nelson Harrington. A Sidney Hughes Harrington (1835-1904), married to Nelson Bates Harrington (1837-1877) is buried in Nepeuskun Cemetery, Rush Lake, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. Helman lists Matilda as married to Hamilton La Bar. A Matilda Hughes La Bar (1829-1899), married to Hampton Dodson La Bar, is buried in Lansing Cemetery, Lansing, Mower County, Minnesota. Neither Evan nor Jane were found. The 1850 census lists a “Hannah J” in the Mary E. Hughes household, (abt. 1839-??) who is probably Jane, however, searches for Hannah Adams (Helman lists her as married to Royal S. Adams), Jane Adams, Hannah J Adams, Hannah Jane Adams and even Royal Adams all failed.
G4: P.1.1.7. Ann Margarett "Peggy" "Aunt Peggy" Drum (George, Jacob, Philip) (June??,
1804?? – July 3, 1879?)
Aunt Peggy, as Helman refers to her, seems to play a pivotal role in our early history. Helman tells us she was never married and “lived with her brother, Abraham Drum, who kept a hotel in Butler Valley.”[19] It would appear from Helman’s comments, and some of the census record, that she lived with Abraham, probably helping him run the Drums Hotel and later on, the Stagecoach Inn at Sand Spring, until Abraham died in 1862. Information on the “Find-a-grave” website gives her birth as 1806 and her death as July 3, 1879.
And that information leads us into the murky part. The
1850 census makes it clear that Peggy, age 45 (placing the birth year as 1805
or 1804), was living with Abraham. Abe is listed as a “Landlord”. His son,
George (P.1.1.4.10.), lives with them and is listed as “Farmer”.
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| This is part of a page from the 1860 census showing the Abraham Drum household. Margaret (Peggy) is the next to last on the page. Notations of mine were made trying to keep things straight in my mind. You can see that I am suggesting here that the age is 56. Could be. |
Abraham died in 1862. In the 1870 census, his son,
George, who holds $16,000 worth of Real Estate (approx. $316,500 today), is now
household head and is listed as “Hotel Keeper and Farmer”. Robert Hedian, a
“Potter” from Maryland, lives with George as does Robert’s wife/George’s
sister, “Ellen” (Ellinor – P.1.1.4.7.). With them is their son, George. Ellen
holds $3,000 worth of Real Estate. HH John, is shown to hold $2,000 worth of
Real Estate and is listed as a Farmer. Peggy MAY be listed in George’s
household as “Ann Margarett”, age 62, “Keeps House”.
The 1880 census shows HH John listed as a “Hotel Keeper”, but the column for “Maimed, Crippled, Bedridden, or Other” is checked. HH Robert Hedian is now a “U.S. Government Clerk”. Ellen lives with him, “Keeping House”. Ellen’s brother, George, is also a HH listed as “Hotel Keeper and Farmer”, his wife, Emma, listed as “Keeping House”.
Peggy does not appear in the 1880 census.
So, what do we make of all this? Helman was right, Peggy did live with Abraham until he died in 1862. He probably had turned over the Drums Hotel to his son George in the 1850’s when he decided to build and operate the Stagecoach Inn at Sand Spring. Peggy probably helped him. Somewhere in the late 1850’s, now in his 60’s, Abraham either became unable to manage the hotel or decided to retire, or both. It may be that he then turned the operation over to his nephew, John. In an earlier post called John’s Keys, I suggested that it was John who ran the Drums Hotel and George who ran the Stagecoach Inn. This was primarily due to my remembering keys I had found at my grandmother’s house that were referred to as “John’s Keys” when I found them. Memory is a funny thing. Perhaps they were called “George’s Keys”. I was, after all, only eight at the time! Of course, there are a lot of keys. Perhaps those are the HOTEL keys, meaning both hotels, but still called “John’s Keys”.
When Abraham died, Peggy moved in with her nephews George (P.1.1.4.10.) and Ellinor (P.1.1.4.7). I propose that this was when she began to be known as “Aunt Peggy” as she is listed by Helman (page 3). The “Find-a-Grave” information as far as Peggy’s death date being July 3, 1879 may be correct since there is no mention of her, at any age under any name, in the 1880 census.
She is listed as age 45 in the census enumerated in October, 1850; age 50 or 52 or 56 in July 1860 and 62 in 1870. Which is it? Why would her age be represented so differently in each census? Maybe Peggy lied about her age. Maybe the enumerator wrote it down wrong. Whatever the reason or reasons, it ain’t helpful! After accounting for all possible enumerator and responder errors, we feel comfortable that her birth year was 1804. I cover all this in even greater detail, as if that were even possible, in the post: Somebody’s got to do it! (The jobs we did.).
The comfort we feel in her birth year, by the way, comes from the year her brother, William, was born. If Mary Elizabeth (P.1.1.6.) was born in 1801 and William (P.1.1.8.) was born 1805, a window exists from 1802 to 1804. Since she appears as 62 in the 1870 census and, possibly, 52 in the 1860 census, we are forced to consider the possibility of her birth being as late as 1808. William was born June 24, 1805. Peggy had to be born at least nine months (plus a few weeks for “comfort”) on either side of William. Nine months (plus comfort) after William places the earliest possible birth date in April, 1806; at least nine months (plus comfort) before William gives us September 1804. I’ve used the earliest date I think may be correct: June (because the 1860 census was taken in July), 1804; however, 1806, and even 1808, are still very possible.
She is buried in St. Johns Cemetery, right beside her
brother, Abraham and his wife, Molly. However, even her gravestone gives us
very few clues. It appears that it may have come apart at one time and, in
being placed back together, got turned round so that it faces in the opposite
direction from her brother’s. It simply says, “Ann M. Drum” and below that, in
quotations, “Aunt Peggy”.
 |
On the left we see Peggy’s short Obelisk next to Molly and beside her is Abraham. Center we see a closer look at Peggy’s Obelisk. To the right is a close-up of the engraving: Ann M. Drum “Aunt Peggy”. |
We know very little about William. Heck we don’t even
know if he was the youngest in his family! We do know that he played a role in
the Conyngham Post Office. Depending on which source you want to believe, he
either established the Conyngham Post Office in 1828[20],
or was the first Postmaster there in 1826[21],
or “kept the office” in 1830[22].
I cover this in a bit more detail in the post called The
Stage Coach. According to Helman, William was married. Helman gives
us only her first name (Catherine). She does mention, however, that they were
childless. William and Catherine (1810-Dec. 10, 1884) are buried in the
Conyngham Union Cemetery.
1814 - 1929
G5: P.1.1.1.1. Jacob Drum (Philip+W1, George, Jacob,
Philip) (1814 – 1878)
G5: P.1.1.1.2. Anna Drum (Philip+W1, George, Jacob,
Philip) Roth (October 26, 1815 – January 2, 1877)
Anna married Simon Roth on April 28, 1833. They added five children to the Roth Family Tree: George, Lavina, Seriah, Caroline and Oscar. Seriah married William Hunsinger. Caroline married George Seglin.[23] Simon’s brother, Elias, married a Drum, as well, Anna’s sister, Sarah (P.1.1.1.3.). Anna and Simon rest in the St. Johns Cemetery.
G5: P.1.1.1.3. Sarah Drum
(Philip+W1, George, Jacob, Philip) Roth (abt. 1819 – ??)
Sarah appears in the 1860 census listed as being 41 years old. Sarah married Elias Roth on May 9, 1841. Elias’s brother, Simon, married a Drum, as well, Sarah’s sister, Anna (P.1.1.1.2.). Elias and Sarah added three additions to the Roth Tree: John P., Caroline, and Polly Ann. Polly Ann married J. A. Hoffsomer.[24] The graves of Sarah and Elias have not yet been located.
Children of P.1.1.1.
Philip and (W2) Magdalena Beishline
G5: P.1.1.1.4. Elizabeth Drum (Philip+W2, George,
Jacob, Philip) Schleppy (March 5, 1823 – 1890)
G5: P.1.1.1.5. John Drum (Philip+W2, George,
Jacob, Philip) (May 26, 1826 – November 21, 1881)
Helman lists him as “deceased” in her 1927 book. She does not say how he died. If she had, it might have cleared up that whole “Maimed, Crippled, Bedridden, or Other” column checkmark in the 1880 census![25] John was one of our tree’s Hotel Keepers. His grave says he lived 55 years, 5 months, 26 days but who’s keeping track of details?
On April 16, 1850, he took Anna Maria Fritzinger to be his wife (abt. 1832 – April 16, 1896 [she died on her wedding anniversary!]. This couple gave our tree TEN little Drums: Benjamin F., Philip Alonzo, Agnes Virginia, Owen Oliver, John A., Louisa Jane, Mary Ellen., George B. McC., Nathan Andrew, and Rosen, as well as one mysterious “child” named James H. Bough. John offers us a few mysteries, actually, but one of them is Bough. We cover this mystery a bit in the post Nice because it appears that John took James, possibly a mentally challenged individual, into his home as one of his children.
Here we see the John and Anna Drum Obelisk in the St. Johns Cemetery. The small marker to its left in the photo is possibly for John. It is hard to see but I think it says J D. If this is John’s marker, it is probably a "footstone". Small stones with simple initials are sometimes used to mark the “foot” of a grave, standing opposite of the “Head” of the grave. This small stone is probably John’s “footstone”. If so, it has obviously been moved out of its original location. That’s very possible since we know the small stone in front of the obelisk was moved. That stone is the marker for Alonzo’s daughter, Ida (P.1.1.1.5.2.3.). I believe the cemetery moved Ida’s stone from a near-by location, placing it here to keep it safe. If that is correct, Ida is not buried in this exact location but is buried close-by. As has been seen in other cemeteries, when it comes to moving stones, sometimes to help with groundskeeping, the people moving the stones did not understand the full relevance of the stones being moved.
Another John-related mystery: Anna and John were married in April of 1850, but she isn’t included as a member of his household in the 1850 census enumerated in October.[30] I can’t find her, in fact, in the 1850 census at all. She is, however, included in the 1860 census. so, phew!
G5: P.1.1.1.6. Mary Magdalene Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) Helman (September 10[26], 1829 – March 29, 1871)
 |
| “Our” book’s author. Mary Magdalene’s daughter. Laura Helman |
On page 10 of her book, Laura Helman tells us, and she should know because Mary Magdalene was her mother, that Mary married Abraham Helman, Jr. on October 2, 1849. Now I ask, why can’t anything be clear and easy? Look in the 1850 census and you will not find Mary Helman. You will find John Drum followed by Mary Magdalene Drum, age 21. Sigh.[30] Mary and Abraham moved to Missouri where he became a flour mill owner. Their children included Alice C., Laura M. (“our” book’s author), Jennie S., Walter, George W., Franklin D., Susie B., Hiram F., and Lillian M. Mary died at High Creek, Atchison County, MO. and is buried there as well. I assume Abraham lies with her.
We have very little information on Susanna. Her husband
was Isaac Kinney Krickbaum (Feb. 23, 1825-Jan. 5, 1903). They were married Feb.
22, 1866. They had no children. Mr. Krickbaum was a Justice of the Peace in Benton,
Columbia Co., PA from 1860 – 1877. In 1877 he was elected Associate Judge and
served five years (his obituary says his service was given “during Judge
Elwell’s term.”). He was a member of the Benton St. Gabriel’s Church. Susannah
(as Krickbaum’s obituary spells her name) and the Judge are buried in Benton, Columbia
Co., PA.
G5: P.1.1.1.8. Anna Margaret Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) (July 24, 1834 – March 1, 1857)
 |
| P.1.1.1.8. Anna Margaret Drum |
Anna Margaret was not quite 23 when she died. She is buried in the St. Johns Cemetery beside her Mother and Father. For some reason, even though they each have their own stone, one large stone sits beside Philip (P.1.1.1), Magd., and Anna that includes all three names and Birth/Death information.
G5: P.1.1.1.9. Lavina Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob,
Philip) Straw (October 1, 1835 – October 23, 1921)
Helman tells us Lavina[27] was the second wife of Drum’s resident Andrew Straw; marrying “about 1872” making her step-mother to Andrew’s children by his first marriage. She was only three years older than Andrew’s oldest son, Cyrus. Lavina and Andrew had one daughter, Anna. Anna married Crawford Smith and they added 8 “leaves” to the Smith tree. Lavina and Andrew are buried in the Drums Community Cemetery across from the Methodist Church. Lavina’s and Andrew’s obelisk and the Schleppy (P.1.1.1.4.) obelisk are just off the photo, to the left, of Nathan’s (P.1.1.1.10.) grave pictured below. Cyrus rests within a fenced off area for the Straw Family behind the other graves. For more information on Cyrus, go to the post Extre! Extra! Read All About It! (Newspapers).
G5: P.1.1.1.10. Nathan Stephen? Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) (December 29, 1837 – May 3, 1915)
Nathan was a Drums businessman (the term “merchant” is
used in the 1880 census). His house still sits across the street, and a few
doors south, from the Drums Hotel. He was active in the Drums Methodist Church
and his name appeared a number of times in Eastern Pennsylvania newspapers (probably
others as well) because of his Democratic Party involvement. From a document
found in the “hat box collection”, we learned he was a Justice of the Peace
from at least 1912 to 1914. On February 15, 1870, he married Elizabeth Hess
(April 21, 1847 – Jan. 26, 1912). Together they had five children: Philip Leo,
Elmer E., Carrie M., Nora A., and Lottie E. None of these three women ever
married. Each lived a life of service to their community of Drums. Elizabeth
and Nathan are buried in the Drums Community Cemetery.
The Nathan S. Drum Family plot. The stones in front of the main stone are, L to R: Lottie, Nora, Carrie, Elmer, Mother, Father. These individuals’ birth and death dates are on the main stone. Information about Philip Leo (P.1.1.1.10.1.) and his wife, Vida Bowman, is included on the back but they are buried elsewhere. Josiah’s (P.1.1.4.4.) family obelisk is also visible in the photo, behind and to the right of Nathan’s. Ada Drum Beisel’s (P.1.1.4.6.6.) grave is the dark grey stone behind Nathan’s, and Clyde Drum’s (P.1.1.4.6.1.2.) short, pointed stone is to the right of Nathan’s in the same row as his.
In 1857, Hannah married Charles S. Morgan (April 17, 1827
– July 20, 1908) and they added eight names to the Morgan Tree. She is buried
in the Shawnee Cemetery, Plymouth, Luzerne County, PA.
G5: P.1.1.1.12. Redmond Conyngham Drum (Philip+W2, George,
Jacob, Philip) (December 13, 1842 – May 3, 1915)
Now here is a complicated history. However, I think I have it pieced together – I think. Redmond was born in Drums, was a 1-month Civil War Vet, was civically active in his community (not in Drums), was married twice, and had children by both wives. Information posted on Find-a-Grave from his death certificate lists his occupation at the time of his death as “Merchant”.
From his obituary posted on Find-a-Grave, it would seem he was a very active person in his community’s affairs. It says, “Mr. Drum's death is a distinct loss not only to his family, but to the entire community in which he lived. There was no enterprise of any kind undertaken that that (sic) vicinity in which he did not have a part.” He died of unstated natural causes. His obit described his passing saying he “…died very suddenly on Sunday evening. While conversing with his family during the evening he was taken ill and assisted to his bed but had hardly laid down before he expired.” The news shocked the community.
I first became interested in Redmond because of his name. This Drum Family Tree has a few names (Alonzo, Redmond, Elmer, etc.) that I find interesting. Turns out he was named, as his obituary states, “…after Redmond Conyngham, who was a warm friend of his father's, and who at one time owned the greater part of the land in Butler Valley.” My next crossing of his path came while looking into our Tree’s Civil War vets. In the PA Archives I found a card that said that on June 17, 1863, at the age of twenty, while in Bloomsburg, PA, Redmond enrolled in the militia. He was mustered in as a Private on June 20, 1863 in Harrisburg and was discharged one month later, July 28, 1863.
He married twice. His first wife was Emily “Emma” C. Leach (born October 3, 1838 in New Milford, Susquehanna Co., PA – died in Philadelphia, PA on March 7, 1887). They were married the day after Christmas in 1871. Helman (p 13) tells us they had two sons: Clinton Drum and Herbert Drum. After Emma died, Redmond married Margaret Jeanette “Jennie” Musser (Feb. 12, 1867 – March 27, 1952). Helman tells us they had one daughter, Emma Dorothy. The Find-a-Grave page for Emily says their children were Herbert Redmond (1872-1931) and Bessie Laura (1874-1876). Find-a-Grave page for Jennie lists Emma Dorothy (1899-1949), Bessie, and Herbert. Clinton is not listed in either page but is mentioned in Redmond’s obituary, “His widow, Mrs. Jennie Drum, and three children, Herbert R., who is a civil engineer, connected with the Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barra; Dr. Clinton P., of Los Angeles, Cal., and Dorothy, at home, survive him.”
Redmond was 72 years, 28 days old when he died in 1915
and is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery, Thornhurst, Lackawanna County, PA.
Emma is with him. Jennie rests in the Spring Hill Cemetery, Shippensburg,
Cumberland Co., PA.
G5: P.1.1.1.13 Edward James Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) (April 15, 1848 – October 10, 1929)
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| Now there is a gravestone a DRUM can be proud of! I didn’t take the photo, by the way, I stole it from F-a-G. Sorry. |
Edward was active in the Drums Methodist Church. In fact, he was one of the carpenters that helped build it. In 1873 he married Laura Francis Young (August 24, 1855 – July 21, 1925), a daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Young (this is according the Helman who does not go into details of who Rev. Jerimiah Young was, unfortunately). They did not have children. Both are buried in the New Rosemont Cemetery, Espy, Columbia Co., PA
G5: P.1.1.1.14 Infant/child Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) (??-??)
Helman lists a child that died in infancy.
G5: P.1.1.1.15 Infant/child Drum (Philip+W2, George, Jacob, Philip) (??-??)
Helman lists a second child that died in infancy.
Children of P.1.1.2.
Jacob and Anna Margaret Balliett
G5: P.1.1.2.1. Isaac Drum (Jacob, George, Jacob, Philip)
(June1, 1820 – August 14, 1894)
Isaac’s biggest claim to fame seems to be his Civil War service from 1862-1863 as a 42-year-old Corporal with, as it is written on his gravestone in the Dodson Cemetery (west of Shickshinny, PA), “Co. I. Reg. 143 P.V.”. Isaac’s second fame claim is his early profession. He opened a shoemaker shop in 1842 in the Drums Hotel (probably where the bar was later located).[28] We don’t know if that profession carried through his entire life.
Isaac was married two times, having children with both wives. His first marriage was with Catherine Butz (July 22, 1821 – July 16, 1848) on June 22, 1841. They added five names to the list. Charles H., Sarah A., Nathanial, Francis George, and Jacob. Jacob was born July 8, 1848, Catherine died July 16, 1848, and Jacob died July 25, 1848. July of 1848 must have been a very difficult time for this family.
Isaac’s second wife was named Sallie Emmaline Chapin (June 20, 1820 - April 11, 1900). This union added five more names to the list: Mary Estelle, Ami Chapin, Wilbur, Anna Margaretta, and Susan Loeza.
Helman says Isaac is buried in Southdale Cemetery,
Southdale, Luzerne County, along with Sallie E. and Wilber. She’s almost
correct. The name of the cemetery is the Dodson Cemetery which is located just
outside Southdale, Huntington Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
G5: P.1.1.2.2. Julian Drum (Jacob, George, Jacob, Philip) Whitebread (October 5, 1822 – October 13, 1896)
On page 14, Helman calls her “Julia A.” On page 16, Helman
calls her “Julia Ann”. On her gravestone, it reads: Julian. One does wonder how
much of her information Helman got over the phone! Julian married David
Whitebread (Jan. 27, 1818 – Aug. 25, 1894) in 1840. David’s parents were John
and Elizabeth Breidinger Whitebread. Julian and David added four to
their Whitebread line and are buried in the St. James Lutheran
Cemetery, Hobbie, Luzerne County, PA.
G5: P.1.1.2.3. Caroline S. Drum (Jacob, George, Jacob, Philip) Whitebread (June 17, 1824 – October 6, 1886)
Caroline married Samuel Whitebread (Aug. 5, 1814 – Aug.
26, 1884). They added eight names to the Whitebread Tree. Helman tells us Sam’s
mom and dad were Catherine Lesher and Henry Whitebread. Find-a-Grave
lists them as Johann Heinrich and Catharina. Julian’s (P.1.1.2.2.) husband, David,
and Samuel, therefore, were not brothers. Helman makes a point to say that Sam
was from Hobbie somewhat implying that David was not. However, David and Julian
are in the same cemetery as Caroline and Samuel: the St. James Lutheran
Cemetery, Hobbie, Luzerne County, PA.
G5: P.1.1.2.4. Sarah Lucy A. Drum (Jacob, George, Jacob, Philip) Cool (abt. 1828 – [between 1880 & 1900])
I don’t care what anyone says, but this has got to be the
COOLEST name in the TREE (next to Drum, of course, just saying)!
Helman tells us Sarah married John Cool and they gave the Cool Tree four names: Francis J., Martha E., Florabelle, and Lincoln S. I was having great trouble finding any of these folks in the records and that was NOT cool. Florabelle, however, did the trick. In the 1860 census we find a one-year-old child named “Flora Cool”. Her parents are John, age 28 and Sarah. Sarah’s age is hard to make out. The archives Webpage says it is 22 (1838) but looking at it as it was written, it could be 32 (1828). Flora’s two sisters are Frances, age 6, and Ellen, age 4. Flora is in the 1870 census as well. This time her parents are John, age 38 and Sarah, age 39 (1831 – why is this always so difficult!?). The family includes Ellen M., Flora B., Lincoln S. and Jennie F, age 16, a milliner. John, Sarah, and Jennie are born in PA.; the others are born in Illinois. The 1880 census helps us zero in. The family now lives in Pine Creek, Ill, Flora is now called Belle. Sarah is now 51-years-old putting us back on 1828/9. The 1890 census was destroyed and Sarah does not appear in the 1900 census. John is in the 1900 census – as a “widower”.
From this we can determine that John and Sarah lived in PA for a while after their marriage. After their first child, Frances Jennie (Jennifer?) or Jennie Frances, arrived in 1854, they moved to Grand Detour, Ogle Co., Illinois where the remaining children were born: Martha Ellen or Ellen Martha, 1856; Florabelle or Flora Belle, 1859; and Lincoln S., 1861. I cannot find any of them in Find-a-Grave but, perhaps, I didn’t search hard enough or they were going under different names. OK, too much sarcasm. Sorry.
G5: P.1.1.2.5. Anna Margaret Rosina Drum (Jacob, George, Jacob, Philip) Hart (August 22, 1829 – October 3, 1890)
I am sure that if we had full knowledge of all the occurrences that are hidden behind the births and deaths on Helman’s pages, there would be tragedy and sadness enough to make us each thank God for the lives we have each been given that lack such occurrences, hoping yours does. However, even in just the eight words provided by Helman on page 19 of her book, the story of this family’s tragedy jumps off the page and brings tears to one’s eyes as they sadden the heart. On that page, after listing the couple’s first four children and their birth years, Helman states, “These four died of Diphtheria in July, 1860.”
Anna and John, the two stones
seen in this photo closest to the camera, are buried in the Silver Maple
Cemetery, St.
Peter’s U.C.C., Hobbie, PA, a mile west of their four little girls.
Anna is on the left, John on the right, St. Peters U.C.C. is in the background.
We can only hope that this story IS the worst of the bunch. Anna Margaret Rosina, age 30, helplessly watched her first four daughters, none older than eight, the youngest being only two, each die before the month was out. The story is told in the post: It Takes a Village Part 3 – The Story of the Hart Children.
After contemplating this story, or even just those eight
words written by Helman, one has to ask oneself; how do you possibly survive
such a thing; how did they continue on? Yet, John and Anna did. They had three
more children and from all appearances in the record, went on to live successful,
productive lives. We HAVE to gain strength in our own lives just knowing the
strength they possessed. True heroes, true role models, in my book.
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| From bottom left, Anna, Emily and Alphia (two halves of one stone), Amelia (twice the height of Anna’s). St. James Lutheran Church is in the background. |
Anna Margaret Rosina Drum married John Hart (August 18, 1819 – November 21, 1889) probably around 1850. John owned a farm in Hobbie where the couple went to live. They had seven children: Amelia, 1852-July 10, 1860 (hers is the largest of the gravestones); Emily, 1854-July 3, 1860 (gravestone reads EMLY); Alphia, 1856-July 5, 1860 (gravestone reads ALPHY) [Emily’s and Alphia’s markers are really one stone shaped to look like two]; Anna Margaret, 1858-July 26, 1860 (ANNA M. M. on gravestone). These children are buried in a row in the St. James Lutheran Cemetery, Hobbie, PA.
The final three children were: Martin Luther (1861-1924); Rosa Magness “Maggie” (1865-1913); and John Calvin (1872-1953). Martin and Maggie are buried beside their parents in the Silver Maple Cemetery, St. Peter’s U.C.C., Hobbie, PA. John C. became the Principal of the Parish Street School in Wilkes-Barre and married Loveda Amelia Carver. They had six children.
Children of P.1.1.3. George and Susanna Winters
G5: P.1.1.3.1. Lavina Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Bowman (March 29, 1817 – September 25, 1848)
Lavina married Henry B. Bowman (July 22, 1814 – August 6, 1876). Three Children: Clarissa, Sarah, and a child who died in infancy. Lavina is buried in the Conyngham Union Cemetery and Henry is buried in the Black Creek United Methodist Cemetery, Luzerne County, PA.
G5: P.1.1.3.2. Mary Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Bowman (October 4, 1820 – 1906)
Mary married Thomas Bowman (?? - February, 1906). No children. Their graves are in the Conyngham Union Cemetery.
G5: P.1.1.3.3. Eliza Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Cortright (February 4, 1822 – March 2, 1900)
Eliza married Christian Cortright (Dec. 24, 1816 – May 23, 1893) on Feb. 8, 1849. They had five children Andrew G., Susan M., Mary Helen, Ario P., and Boyd C. Eliza died in Hickory Corners, Barry Co., Michigan. She and Christian sleep in the East Hickory Corners Cemetery.
G5: P.1.1.3.4. Susanna Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Gorman (August 4, 1824 – May 29, 1904)
Susanna married Owen Gorman (June, 1818 - June, 1881) on Feb. 19, 1842. Owen was from Ireland. They had eight children. Susanna and Owen are buried in the Vine Street Cemetery, Hazleton, PA.
G5: P.1.1.3.5. Lucetta Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Burcaw (March 14, 1827 – August, 1849)
Helman lists her as Laretta. Her gravestone reads Lucetta. Lucetta and Rebekah (P.1.1.3.6.) were twins. In 1848 she married James L. Burcaw (1826 - May 31, 1862). Lucetta died the following year. She was 23-years-old. Lucetta was laid to rest in the Conyngham Union Cemetery. James remarried, fathered six children and then went off to fight for the Union in the Civil War. He was a Corporal with Co. G, 93rd Regiment, PA Infantry when he was killed on the first day of the two-day Battle of Seven Pines–Fair Oaks (May 31–June 1, 1862). He rests in the Seven Pines National Cemetery, Richmond, Henrico Co., VA near the location of the battle that resulted in placing General Robert E. Lee in command of the Confederate army, the army Lee would call “The Army of Northern Virginia”.
G5: P.1.1.3.6. Rebekah Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) (March 14, 1827 – July, 1838)
Rebekah and Lucetta (P.1.1.3.5.) were twins. Rebekah was 12-years-old when she died. She was laid to rest in the Conyngham Union Cemetery.
G5: P.1.1.3.7. Sarah Drum (George, George, Jacob,
Philip) Petrey (June 28, 1829 – April 15, 1898)
Sarah married David Petrey (Feb. 23, 1823 - April 22, 1898). They had nine children, the last two boys each died in infancy. Sarah and David sleep in the Union Cemetery, Weatherly, Carbon Co., PA.
G5: P.1.1.3.8. George W. Drum
(George, George, Jacob, Philip) (March 12, 1832 – November 7, 1913)
Helman lists George W. Drum as “George Drum, 3rd”and his father as both “George, Jr.” and George, 2nd. The first George is listed as “George Drum”. The “W” comes from George III’s gravestone. Listing them as she does would imply that all three George’s held the same name. Therefore, if the third George had the middle initial of “W”, so too would the earlier two. If this was the case, it is very likely that all three were named “George Washington Drum”. Too bad I have no evidence of that being true! It’d be a great story!
George was born four months after his father died and just over a year after his Grandfather died. He apparently played a strong leadership role in his community (Conyngham) and State (Pennsylvania). The 1850 census lists him as a “Saddler”. From there he became a Justice of the Peace for Sugarloaf Township and also served in the Pennsylvania State Legislature 1879-1882. He was the only Democrat elected from Luzerne County in 1879. He was a member and a trustee of the Conyngham German Lutheran Church.
George married Sarah Ann Wagner in 1879 and together they had five children: Samuel B., Dora Emma, Emerson R., George Franklin, and Susan Maria.
His house still stands in use on Main Street in Conyngham where his name is still known by the community. He is buried in the Conyngham Union Cemetery. Two images of him are included in the post Somebody’s Got to do it! (the jobs we did).
Children of P.1.1.4. Abraham and Margaret Magdalena “Molly” Winters
G5: P.1.1.4.1. Lovissa Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) (Nov. ?, ?? - Aug. ?, ??)
From what can be seen on her gravestone in St. Johns Cemetery, it looks like she was between her 6th and 7th birthday when she died (Aged 6 ys, ## Ms, ## Ds). Although extremely difficult to read, it looks like the stone says “In Memory of Lovissa Drum, Daughter of Abraham & Magd Drum” and offers Born and Died dates. Born looks like November and Died may be August but as for the numbers (days and years), they are too difficult to read to even chance a guess.
This gravestone in the St. Johns Cemetery is even more
difficult to read than Lovissa’s. Even the name is just a wild guess. As I look
at the stone, I think I can see a “CA”, maybe an “M”, possibly an “O”, two L’s,
something that hinted at a “Y”, and possibly an “A”: “CAMOLLYA”. One quickly
sees the issue. I suppose “Camella” (Camellya) is possible. According to the
website “The Bump”
(baby names), Camella is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "helper to
the priest". Very nice! Just one final note. When I first looked at the
stone, I thought it said “MOLLY”; which, given her mother’s nickname, does make
one wonder. As for the rest of the stone, the only other element I thought I
was reading was “Daughter of Abraham”. Nothing else.
G5: P.1.1.4.3. Mary Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) Drumheller Hetler (March 14, 1824 – June 8, 1891)
Mary married twice. Her first husband was William Drumheller (1816-1858). They had three daughters. One daughter was named Mary A. Drumheller (1849-1939). Hazleton “old-timers” will remember a store in Hazleton called Lauderbach’s. Mary A. married William Lauderbach, the merchant. Her sisters were Emma (1852-1854) and Ellen (1855-1857).
After William Drumheller died, Mary married Abram Hetler (1833-1896). The Hetler’s had two children: William Abram (1863-1935) and Carrie May (1867-1923).
All three, Mary, William and Abram, are buried in the
Conyngham Union Cemetery.
G5: P.1.1.4.4. Magdalena Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) Thomas (Dec. 21, 1825 – Nov., 1, 1903)
Magdalena married Jacob Thomas (Dec. 22, 1822 – July 10,
1896). In 1976, Mom exchanged letters with one of their grandchildren, Helen
Thomas Alexander (father: George). I am uncertain if members of the family
actually visited Mom or if she just communicated by mail. However, if there was
a visit, lots of the little scribbles in our copy of Helman’s book were made by
either mom or her visitors during that visit. Unfortunately, I can’t hardly
read any. One that I can read appears to say that Magdalena’s grandchildren, Mary
Alice & Lloyd Thomas (at least one of them was a grandchild), were living
at the time in California. Jacob and Magdalena had seven children: Mary Alice,
Frank, Elizabeth, Henry A., Emma N., Abram D., and George. Mom, or one of her
(potential) visitors, wrote the word “Squire” beside George’s entry and added
that he died August 3, 1941 (born June 7, 1866). The photo accompanying this
entry is, I believe, Helen Thomas Alexander and, perhaps, her son (perhaps
Lloyd). The photo was given to my mom either by Helen or by her (potential)
visitors.
I think, however I am very unsure, that this is Lloyd Alexander and his Mother, Helen Thomas Alexander. The notation mom added in her scrapbook simply said, “Mrs. Alexander. She was a Drum.”. The notation Mom made in Helman’s book was, “Mary Alice & Lloyd Thomas, Live in California, Grandmother” with an arrow pointing to Magdalena Drum’s entry in the book.
G5: P.1.1.4.5. Margaret Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) Kemple (May 11, 1822 – Dec. 16, 1878)
Margaret married Nathan Kemple
(1820-1907). They had no children. They are both buried in the Drums Community
(Methodist) Cemetery.
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| The family obelisk is on the right, a close-up of the children on the left. Drums Community Cemetery across from the Drums Methodist Church. |
This “leaf’s” claim to fame is the store he and his brother Stephen operated in Drums in the mid-1800s’ called J & S Drums Dry Goods. An Atlas of Luzerne County from 1873 lists the brothers as “Dealers in fancy and staple dry goods, groceries, hats, caps, boots and shoes, hardware, &c.” [29] Dry goods include items such as fabric, thread, and clothing. A coffee grinder from 1876 that we own, we believe once was used in this store. A photo of the Grinder is included in the post The Drum’s and their Times, 1870’s to 1970’s. He married Maria M. Balliet (March 5, 1831 – June 29, 1880 [49 years, 3 months, 24 days]) in 1853.
Helman tells us Josiah and Maria had three children: Alex, Harry, and Ada. The grave obelisk adds three more names: Isadora, Richard and Hubbert. The 1860 census, enumerated in July, gives us a one-month-old child named Clara A. It would seem, then, that their children were: Abraham Alexander (Jan. 25, 1854 – Jan. 27, 1920), Richard Allison (1856-Oct. 3, 1863 [7 years, 7 months, 28 days]), Clara A. (June, 1860-?? [does not appear in 1870 census]), Isadora (1861-April 18, 1863 [2 years, 1 month, 19 days]), Hubbert P. (1864 – Nov. 26, 1875 [11 years, 8 months, 2 days]), and Ada and Harry. Information from Find-a-Grave says Ada was born September 1, 1866 and Harry was born September 11, 1866. My conclusion therefore, is that they were twins born either on September 1 or 11, 1866. Harry died August 29, 1894. His stone says he lived 27 years, 11 months, and 29 days. I believe that puts his birth on September 1, 1866, settling the matter. Ada married Albert Beisel (July 2, 1863 – November 14, 1942). She died in 1959
Josiah, Maria, Isadora, Richard, Hubbert, and Ada are buried in the Drums Community (Methodist) Cemetery. Harry is in St. Johns Cemetery. AA rests in the New Rosemont Cemetery, Espy (Columbia County), PA with his wife, Mary Alice Hess Drum, aged 62, and one of their sons, Warren Nevin Drum, aged 43.
G5: P.1.1.4.7. Ellinor “Ellen” Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) Hedian (abt.1832 – 1886?)
Helman lists her as “Ellinor”. Most of her information
that I have about her is included above under the Aunt Peggy (P.1.1.7) discussion.
Around 1856 she married a potter from Maryland named Robert Hedian (abt. 1831 -
??). They had one son they named George. He appears to be 13 in the 1870
census. These three individuals are difficult to find in the records. Robert is
listed as being 49 in the 1880 census, “Ellen” as 47. She is 38 in the 1870
census. A Find-a-Grave listing for an “Eleanore D. Hedian” has no birth
indicated but shows her as passing in April of 1886. This individual is buried
in the Hollenback Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre. No other information is provided.
If this is “our” Ellinor, she seems to have not liked her first name.
G5: P.1.1.4.8. Elizabeth Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) Brodhum (June 18, 1836 – June 13, 1913)
Elizabeth married B. Henry Brodhun on December 29, 1869.
Actually, his name was Bonefacius Henry Brodhun (Sept. 9, 1827 – January 23,
1913) and he was born in Germany. They had four children: Will D., Harry,
Charles, and Eleanor H. Elizabeth and B. Henry rest in the Hollenback Cemetery
in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
G5: P.1.1.4.9. Stephen Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) (abt. 1839 – ??)
G5: P.1.1.4.10. George W. Drum (Abraham, George, Jacob, Philip) (Dec. 2, 1827 – August 25, 1890)
Our friend Laura Helman provided very few details for
most of Abraham’s family. Of course, she did not have the resources available
to her then that we have now. It’s a trade-off. She had real people to talk to
and letters from them to read, we have entries in the census and on ancestry
websites, both searchable. Helman lists
George as if he had been the youngest of Abraham’s children, but as we have
been able to blow away some of the historical fog, we see he was perhaps the
second or third oldest of this group of children. However, as we’ve reached the
end of the fifth generation, we will take Laura’s lead and allow George to
close out this post. Somehow, it seems apropos for a George Drum to do that. A
“Philip” would have been even more so but we get that excitement at the end of
the next post!
One begins to wonder if Abraham knew what he was doing, how much it would confuse later researchers of the Drums, when he named this child “George W. Drum”. Actually, maybe it was his brother, George (P.1.1.3.)’s wife, Susanna, who had the sense of humor since Abraham’s George was born first (1827) vs. George’s George (1832, after his father died). Did either of them laugh over it? Probably not, probably never crossed their minds but even as I type this, I’m wondering if I am reading the record correctly and I am not laughing.
Abraham’s George W. seems to have married later in life. His wife, Emma Jane Fritzinger was born in 1852 (Sept. 16, 1852 – June 8, 1931). They were married in 1879 when George was 52 and Emma was 27. Helman (p. 25) tells us they had one son, “George, Jr.” “Junior” implies an exact name hand-down so here we go with another George W.! However, the Junior in this case was not “George W.”, like his dad, but “George F.” Find-a-Grave says George Francis Drum was born April 5, 1881 and died December 2, 1921, ten years before his mother died. George Francis’s dad, George W., was another of the “Hotel Keepers” we find in our tree and he may have been the last Drum to own and operate the Drums Hotel. However, before that he may have been the first Drum to officially serve as Drums Postmaster. He was appointed to that post in 1854.
And that brings us to the end of the fifth generation.
Join us next month to climb the rest of the tree. I’m calling that post, #47 - “More Leaves, Same Roots”. I might have added “and the harder it is to find information”, too, but it would have made the title too long. Oddly enough, the closer we get to this time (meaning today), the less information I have or can find. Helman stops with 1927, Census stops with 1940, Find-a-Grave comes in a bit closer, if you know what to look for, but the holes do mount up some. Leaves should be live on November 10, 2020.
[1]
Ok, it doesn’t have to be “Josephine”. It could be any name, male or female. I
grabbed that name because I don’t think we have one in “our” tree. Just saying.
[2] Helman,
Laura M., History and Genealogy of the Drum Family (Allentown,
PA: Berkemeyer, Keck & Co., 1927)
[3] “The
Hat Box Collection”: see the post Faith – In God for information
about, and a look into, this box of family papers reaching back to 1800.
[4] Family
legend says Philip came from a Bavarian city called “Zwiesbruch”. Such a place
name does not seem to exist but two candidates do appear, Zwieselberg, a
district of Zwiesel, and Zweibruecken. One of the other passengers was from
Zweibruecken (from notes included on webpage where the Glasgow ship list was
acquired) and other sources indicate Glasgow passengers included people from
the Zweibruecken area, perhaps confirming this as his starting location.
[5] Ship’s
passenger list listed 120 men but noted the total number of passengers as 349
making it likely his wife and Jacob traveled with him.
[6] We
don’t know the date or other details of the attack on Jacob’s farm, however,
his was not the only farm to suffer such an attack during the second half of
the eighteenth century in eastern Pennsylvania. There was great anger and
unrest among the American Indians of eastern Pennsylvania during this period
caused by lingering anger over previous land grabs (like the Walking Purchase
of 1737), anger remaining from the French and Indian (Seven Years) War, and
unrest being stirred up by the British. By keeping the frontier in chaos, the
British at first hoped the colonists would seek safety with the British and
later, when the American Revolution had begun, hoped so many American soldiers
would be needed on the frontier to protect the settlers, there would not be
enough to carry on the war of rebellion. In this last case, the marauders were
often a mix of British and Indians.
[7] On
her tombstone, her name appears as “Margret” (no “A”)
[8]
Ronald’s mother, Eleanor, noted in Helman’s book: “written then as ‘Wotring’”.
[9]
Dates as they appear on her gravestone.
[10]
Helman, p 3. Abraham’s gravestone, shows that Helman has Abraham’s birth and
death years incorrect. Census data and some gravestones show that Helman’s
order of birth for other children in the list is also incorrect. Since some
information is still “hidden” by time, what appears here is what we believe to
be the corrected order. Helman does not include Isaac, but his grave sits
beside Anna Margret’s in the St. John’s Cemetery. The youngest (we think, at
least according to Helman), was Margrett aka Aunt Peggy. The spelling of
Margrett is from the census. However, there is reason to believe that Margrett
was born in 1804 making William the youngest (born 1805).
[11]
Information found on the Find-a-Grave website lists an Anna Margaret as the
spouse of a Phillip Woodring. If this is correct, it’s enough Anna Margaret's to
give a person a headache!
[12] A
“history” of Drums compiled for the Drums Methodist Church in 1953 by church
members “Miss Nora Drum, Mrs. R. S. Small, and Mrs. Millard Shelhamer”, Drums Methodist Church and Valley Notes,
included the following passage about this hotel.
The stagecoach route from Philadelphia to Wilkes-Barre
passed trhough (sic) Drums. Horses were changed at the hostelry of George Drum,
Sr., later owned by Abraham Drum and his son. The driver and patrons remained
over night (sic), and the next day resumed their journey. Sometimes the coach
had four horses and at other times six.
[13]
In the 1970’s, my mom, Eleanor, determined this was wife #1’s name. Where or
how she made this determination she apparently kept as a secret. It seems to
hold slightly more water, however, than the name put forward by a Wikipedia
page for Drums, Pa., that being Magdalene Beisel.
[14]
There is some question concerning Philip’s second wife’s name as well. Her
stone just says “Mother” but a larger “Family Plot” stone says “Magdalena”. Her
full name may have been Mary Magdalena (note one of the daughter’s named Mary
Magdalene). Not only that but some suggest that perhaps SHE is the Beisel, not
W1.
The fog of history, such a nuisance!
[15]
Although the dates are correct in Helman’s book, Hannah is listed before
Nathan. The 1850 census provides us with Hannah’s and Edward’s second names.
Redmond’s second name, Conyngham, was found on his grave stone.
[16] www.butlertownship.org/about-us/history
accessed 6/14/2016
[17]
Helman, p. 5.
[18]
Prior to the 1850 census, census enumerators only listed the name of the
household head followed by statistics for numbers of individuals in their
household of a specific age range, specific qualities (Free, slave), etc. With
the 1850 census, enumerators began to list the names and quantifying
information (age, gender, relationship to the head of household, occupation,
etc.) of all household members. I’m thinking they were not intending to make
the lives of later Genealogists easier, but they certainly did!!
[19] Helman,
p 3.
[20] Drums,
PA, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Drums,_Pennsylvania&oldid=726559076
accessed 9/20/2016
[21] “Red
Letter Days”, Pages From the Past Special Edition, Hazleton Standard-Speaker,
Friday, September 6, 1991,
p A4 and “Conyngham Named after Revolutionary War
Hero”, p A10
[22] Bigelow,
Mrs. John L. and Mrs. E. B. Mulligan, Jr., Eds., Let Freedom Ring
(Conyngham-Sugarloaf Bicentennial Commission, 1976, Limited Edition) p 14
[23]
Helman, pp. 3-4.
[24]
Helman, p 4.
[25] The census of 1880 included “Defective Schedules” that might provide the answer, or at least help us better understand, this notation. However, either that portion of the schedule was not completed in John’s case or the data base is not finding it when I search for it for reasons I do not know. If you have access to these schedules and/or can provide more clues, please let me know. Add a comment to this page, include your contact information, and I will connect with you. Don’t worry, I will not make your contact information public.
[26]
On page 5, Helman lists Mary as being born September 29, 1829. On page 11, she
lists her as being born on September 10, 1829. I understand many people refer
to themselves as being “born again” but in this case I think page 5 is a typo.
[27]
Helman has it as Lovina (page 5 and page 8). Her gravestone says Lavina. I
guess we’ll have to believe her gravestone but I like Helman’s version better.
Just saying.
[28] www.butlertownship.org/about-us/history
accessed 6/14/2016
[29] Atlas
of Luzerne County Pennsylvania from actual surveys by and under the direction
of D. G. Beers (Phila: A. Pomeroy and Company, 1873), p 39.
I think you are right to question the facts surrounding Jacob’s demise. I haven’t found anything to substantiate this charming family story. 1774 seems late for Indian attacks in Northampton County—most Indians had moved west by 1768. It’s very odd that 12-year-old George would be an only child—-those women really produced babies! And wouldn’t George be a bit big to fit in the fireplace at that age? I have found enough Catherine Strauss information to convince me that she could not have been George’s mother. The Zion's Church Allen Twp. record reports that a Catherine Strauss married a Jacob Drum, but she could not have borne George Drum in 1762. Her mother Gertraut Trum was born in 1748 and her father Heinrich Strauss in 1738. There certainly could be a “Trum-Drum” connection, but the dates don’t work for those folks to be our direct ancestors. So, I have reluctantly deleted the Strauss name from my tree and replaced it with a question mark. Lots of questions remain!
Keep on digging..
Susan Smith Lehrmitt
