John Newmark's Page

Solving the Blatyta Wajman (Blatt Wyman) Conundrum

I’ve written before about a conundrum between records uncovered and family lore in my Blatyta/Blatt line. I’ve uncovered a possible explanation behind the conundrum.

Family lore:

• Morris Blatt (Moshe son of Jacob) and Belle Wyman were married in Łosice, Poland.  
• They had two daughters: Blanche and Annie. 
• Belle died of a bee sting in Poland, but likely after Morris and Belle had separated/divorced. 
• Morris, Blanche, and Annie immigrated to America (St. Louis, Missouri). 
• Morris married Mollie Kellner in St. Louis, and they had two more children. 
• Blanche married Joe Wyman, and there were family jokes about whether she married a cousin.

Earlier Research:

Early in my research, I received well-cited research done by a cousin stating a Moshe (son of Yankiel) Blatyta married Chaia Beila Boksern in Losice. Yankiel is a common nickname for Jacob. When I uncovered the actual marriage record, it confirmed that this was the first marriage for both individuals.

How could Chaia Beila’s daughters be confused about their mother’s maiden name to the point that a family joke developed? Perhaps there were Wymans in her family tree, but there seemed to be some certainty that Belle was a Wyman herself. Could there be two Moshe sons of Jacob? We did not have birth records for Blanche or Anna. The records for their years of assumed birth do not appear to have survived. Even for years that records survived, the records are likely not complete.

Morris arrived in America in September 1889. In 1900 he, Blanche, Anna, his second wife, and their one son, are all living in St. Louis. (Morris and Mollie’s second child, a daughter, would be born in 1903.) Additional records uncovered there was a son of Morris and Molile who died as an infant in the intervening years.

Of course, there's an 11-year gap between 1889 and 1900. The missing 1890 census rears its ugly head.

Recent Research:

Recently I uncovered the immigration records for Blanche and Annie – in 1899. Ten years after their father. They were traveling under the Hebrew names of Breine and Chana, with Esther Winterman and her children, Yankel (Jacob), Abram, and Masche (Mary).

The manifest records them all as meeting a B. Winterman in St. Louis, with him identified as Esther’s husband, and the father of both the Winterman and Blatt children. In 1900 Esther and her children are living in St. Louis with Henry/Harry Winterman. (Confusion of first names isn’t impossible. Multiple names are common.)

We were familiar with the Winterman family. We knew them as some sort of Wyman cousins. We hadn’t yet identified how.

It’s possible if Morris and Belle really did separate as family lore suggests, the children remained with the mother. After Chaiia Bella died, it appears Blanche and Annie were raised by the Wintermans. So they could easily have viewed Esther as sort of a mother figure, even if they knew it wasn’t biological. 

According to her death certificate, Esther’s maiden name was Wyman. 

With the assistance of the cousin I mentioned in the first paragraph, we have uncovered Esther Wajman’s birth record in Polish archives, along with the birth records for two of her three children on the manifest. 

It isn’t difficult to hypothesize confusion – not on the maiden name of their mother – but a confusion of details between biological and adoptive mothers.

I still need to figure out how Esther Wyman Winterman and Chaia Beila Boksern Blatyta were related, if they were. But absent birth records for Blanche and Annie, I am more confident Chaia Beila was their mother. We may never be able to find those records, so we need to do the best we can with the records that have survived.

Timeline for Samuel Joseph Newmark 1862-1940

• 1862 - Samuel Joseph Newmark was born to Israel David & Leah in Warka, Poland 
• Dec 17, 1880 - married Rose Cantkert 
• Sept 15, 1882 - Son, Solomon born in Warka 
• March 25, 1886 - Son, Barney born in Warka 
• Dec 25, 1886 - Daughter, Nellie, born in Warka 
• March 4, 1890 - Daughter, Bella, born in Warka 
• Aug 16, 1892 - Son, Meier/Max, born in Warka 
• 1893 - Family immigrates to London, England 
• October 1893 -- Nellie and Bella enroll at Westminster Jews Free School in London. (Boys records did not survive)
• Nov 27, 1894 - Daughter, Kate, born in London 
• Aug 16, 1896 - Daughter, Cecile, born in London 
• August 1898 - Nellie and Bella leave Westminster Jews Free School (Reasons given: Required at Home/Work) 
• Aug 31, 1902 - Son, Solomon, marries Sarah Nathan at the Great Synagogue in London
• Apr 3, 1903 - Son Israel David born in London 
• Nov 30, 1903 - According to a passenger manifest, Samuel may have traveled to the US. 
• March 9, 1904 - Granddaughter, Minnie Bertha, born to Sol and Sarah in London
• March 21, 1905 - Grandson, Israel David, born to Sol and Sarah in London
• Aug 27, 1906 - Grandson Moses (Maurice) born to Sol and Sarah in London
• May 11, 1907 - With son, Barney, visited North America. Landed in Quebec. Crossed the border to the US in July. Returned to London.
• Oct 14, 1908 - With sons, Sol & Barney, arrived in the US
• March 21, 1909 - Rose and the remaining children and grandchildren arrive in the US.
• April 19, 1909 - Granddaughter Esther born to Sol and Sarah (dies as an infant)
• Jan 30, 1910 - Daughters Nellie and Bella marry Morris Fudemberg and Charles Cohen in a double wedding in St. Louis
• Feb 7, 1911 - Granddaughter Bess born to Bella and Charles Cohen
• Aug 27, 1911 - Son, Barney, marries Bertha Cruvant
• April 27, 1912 - Granddaughter Sylvia born to Nellie and Morris Fudemberg
• Aug 27, 1912 - Grandson, Melvin, born to Barney and Bertha
• Feb 6, 1913 - Daughter Kate marries Phillip Jacobs in St. Louis, MO
• Feb 7, 1913 - Son, Max, marries Dora Neustetter in Chicago, IL
• Dec 16, 1913 - Daughter Natalie born to Kate and Philip Jacobs in Chicago
• About 1914 - Daughter Cecile marries Hyman Gold in St. Louis
• April 14, 1914 - Grandson Adolph Abraham (Andy) born to Bella and Charles Cohen
• June 27, 1914 - Grandson  Nelson born to Max and Dora Newmark
• Dec 23, 1914 - Granddaughter Nellie, born to Sol and Sarah
• Sept 26, 1915 - Granddaughter Bernice, born to Cecile and Hyman Gold in St. Louis
• Dec 17, 1915 - Grandson Harold Carl, born to Nellie and Morris Fudemberg
• July 27, 1916 - Grandson Harold Irving David born to Kate and Philip Jacobs in Chicago
• April 6, 1918 - Grandson Harold born to Max and Dora Newmark
• Oct 11, 1918 - Grandson Paul William born to Nellie and Morris Fudemberg
• Feb 24, 1923 - Granddaughter Minnie Bertha dies.
• Feb 27, 1923 - Grandson Irving born to Nellie and Morris Fudemberg
• July 13, 1923 - Granddaughter Bernice born to Bella and Charles Cohen
• Jan 1927 - Son Israel David marries Clara Rubin 
• Sept 25, 1928 - Grandson Victor born to Cecilie and Hyman Gold, in East St. Louis, IL
• Dec 9, 1928 - Grandson Philip born to Israel David and Clara
• Jan 31, 1931 - Son, Max, died. (Shot by burglar) 
• March 28, 1932 - Grandson, Mark, born to Israel David and Clara
• Dec 4, 1934 - Son, Sol, died. 
• 1936 - Grandson, Melvin, marries Belle Feinstein
• 1938 - Great Grandson, ___, born to Melvin and Belle 
• July 20, 1940 - Samuel Joseph died.

The Jersey Settlers of Adams County MS

I haven't posted in awhile, but there are several entries in my drafts folder, which I will finish editing..

Recently I went in search for information on Rev. Samuel Swayze, the brother of my 5th great grandfather, Israel Swayze. My search led me down a fascinating trail. My ancestor, Israel, like many Loyalists, fled to Canada after the Revolutionary War. But his brother, Samuel, left New Jersey in 1773 for the British Colony of West Florida.

Most people, including me until recently, when asked would say Florida was a Spanish colony. And it was. But Spain traded it to Britain for Cuba in the 1760s. Britain divided it, and territory received from France, into East Florida and West Florida. 

During the Revolution, Florida mostly remained Loyal. When Britain lost, it appears they essentially abandoned their newer colony as well, so Spain retook control.

Rev. Samuel Swayze, his family, and 14 other interrelated families are known as The Jersey Settlers of Adams County, MS. (Natchez). 

1. Swayze, Rev. Samuel and wife, Hannah Horton
2. Coleman, Jeremiah and wife, Hannah (Swayze) Coleman (1733-1807)
3. Unknown and wife, Phoebe Swayze (1735-bef.1787)
4. Samuel Swayze Jr (1737-1800) and wife, Elizabeth Putnam
5. Nathan Swayze (abt.1740-1819) and wife, Bethia (Hopkins) Swayze (1747-1840)
6. Elijah Swayze (1741-abt.1814) and wife, Polly White
7. Stephen Swayze (1743-1776) and wife, Rachel Hopkins
8. Obidiah Brown and wife, Penelope Swayze (1756-1836)
9. Swayze, Richard and wife, Sarah (Horton) Swayze
10. Gabriel Swayze (1745-1814) and wife, ______ Clark
11. King, Caleb and wife, Mary Swayze
12. King, Justus and wife, Sarah (Swayze) King (abt.1740-)
13. Richard Swayze Jr (abt.1746-) and wife, Hannah Budd|
14. Cory, Job and wife, Lydia Swayze (abt.1755-)
15. Luce, Israel and wife, Deborah (Swayze) Luce (abt.1754-1828)

I’m related to several families on the list. Shared surnames include Swayze, Horton, Coleman, Clark and King. Without more information on Gabriel Swayze's wife, I am uncertain if it is the same Clark family, but there is a good chance. My fourth great-grandfather, Israel's mother-in-law was Abigail Clark Coleman. The linked website has a lot of research on the families demanding my attention.

Notable descendants of these settlers include actor, Patrick Swayze (1952-2009), and cartoonist, Marc Swayze (1913-2012), co-creator of DC's Mary Marvel.

Chloe Cooley, Adam William Vrooman, and My Family Tree

Who was Chloe Cooley?

Chloe Cooley was a young black woman held as a slave in Fort Erie and Queenston, Upper Canada in the late 1700s, as the area was being settled by Loyalists from the United States. Her owner forced her into a boat to sell her in 1793 across the Niagara River in the United States.

This incident was observed by several witnesses, who petitioned the Executive Council of Upper Canada. Although charges were dropped against Cooley's owner, the incident is believed to have led to passage of the Act Against Slavery, 1793, in Upper Canada. It prevented slaves from being imported into the province and provided for gradual abolition of slavery within a generation among those held there. 

Who was the Loyalist owner? Adam Vrooman. (Some sources give his name as William)

Source (Wikipedia entry)

About 1784 Adam Vrooman and my ancestor, McGregory Van Every likely shared a lot. 

Source: Niagara Historical Society Publication Number 27.

Geo Vanevery is almost certainly McGregory. No known son or close kin of McGregory was named George. McGregory is listed as one of the original 1782 settlers in the First Census of Niagara, 25th of August, 1782. 

In that census there was one male slave, belonging to Thomas McMicken. That slave had been incorrectly assigned to McGregory by some researchers, which I clarified in Following the Citations in 2012. Vrooman isn’t in the original census, so he arrived between 1782 and 1784. 

Why would Adam Vrooman and McGregory Vanevery share a lot?

Good question. I have a couple possible answers. 

1) They were cousins. Or at least the families were close.

Looking at my family tree, it suggested a Sara Meyndertse married a Jacob Vrooman in the early 1700s. There was no specific date, and no source. It's continually frustrating that I wasn't very good at citing sources in early research. 

Sara appears to be the great-granddaughter of Myndert Fredericksen. McGregory was the great-grandson of Myndert, so second cousins with Sara. His children would have been third cousins with any children of Sara and Jacob.

Wikitree says Adam’s parents were Jacob Vrooman and Rachel Van Woert. And that Jacob and Rachel were married in 1743. 

Wikitree has no definite spouse of Sara Meyndertse, but questions whether she married Jacob Vrooman. If you look at the entry, you will see I added her entry in 2011. Since then someone has questioned her spouse. Did I make a mistake? 

FamilySearch agrees with me, as does Ancestry, and they both cite New York Marriages, 1686-1980 for a 1742 marriage. So I have now added that as a source. 

So there is a possibility there was a brief marriage between Sara and Jacob Vrooman, and that Jacob's children, including Adam, were not actually DNA cousins with my ancestors, though the families may have remained close. There is also a possibility there were two Adam Vroomans, marrying separate women.

2) There are also suggestions that Abigail VanEvery, daughter of McGregory married either a Peter Vrooman or an Isaac Vrooman. There are also suggestions that this Vrooman spouse died in 1782 in New York. I am not certain what Abigail and a possible child did at that time, but joining her father in Niagara is certainly a possibility. Possibly along with some Vrooman kin. 

Back to the events of 1793. 

There was growing sentiment in Canada to free slaves, and owners were deciding to sell before being forced to free. Vrooman arranged a sale across the Niagara River in New York. Cooley fought back. 

Vrooman beat Cooley, tied her up and forced her into a small boat, aided by two other men. (Wikipedia entry above)

Who were the two other men? 

Adam’s brother, Isaac, and one of the sons of McGregory Van Every. (Canadian Encyclopedia)

[Another Isaac]

Which son of McGregory? Every source I can find refers to the third individual in the same format. I suspect there is no document that specifically identifies him

Records suggest, when Adam arrived in Niagara, he had another slave named Tom. Even if Adam was the owner, if the lot was a partnership with my ancestor, and they had familial ties, my ancestor likely directly benefitted, and likely approved. McGregory died in 1786, but at least one of his sons was close enough with Adam Vrooman ten years later to provide his assistance in what Canadians call the Chloe Cooley Incident. 

Chloe Cooley received a postage stamp earlier this year. 

Note: There are no known images of Cooley, so all images are artistic renderings.

Other resources:

• Historical Marker Database
• Archives of Ontario
• Recognizing the Legacy of Chloe Cooley, Canada Post Magazine, Jan 30, 2023
• National Program of Historical Commemoration

  

National Library Week: Usefulness of a Library Card

 April 23-29 is National Library Week in the United States

In 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2019 I looked at the value of my St. Louis County Library Card with respect to genealogy research. I thought I would do that again.

Here are 30 databases I can use to research genealogy courtesy of my library card. For most of them I can access the database at home, though a few are in-library only. Unfortunately, I don't get to the library very often, as the location closest to me is under construction.

1. A to Z Maps Online
2. A to Z the USA
3. AAS Historical Periodicals Collection
4. Academic Search Elite [EBSCO]
5. Access World News
6. African American History Online
7. African American Newspapers: 19th Century
8. American Ancestors (In Library Only)
9. American Indian History Online
10. Ancestry Library Edition (In Library Only) - Ancestry provided remote access for the first couple years of the pandemic, but they have stopped doing so.
11. Archion (vital records for Protestant churches in Germany)
12. Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective
13. eBooks on EBSCOhost
14. Ethnic NewsWatch [ProQuest]
15. Factiva
16. FindMyPast (In Library Only)
17. Fire Insurance Maps Online (Missouri and Illinois)
18. Fold3
19. HeritageHub (Formerly America’s Obituaries and Death Notices)
20. HeritageQuest Online
21. Historical New York Times (ProQuest)
22. Historical Newspapers US Major Dailies (ProQuest)
23. Historical St Louis Post Dispatch (ProQuest)
24. History Vault: Southern Life, Slavery, and the Civil War 1 & 2
25. MyHeritage Library Edition
26. NewsBank
27. NewspaperArchive
28. Newspapers.com
29. Nineteenth Century US Newspapers
30. ProQuest Digital Microfilm (NYTimes, St. Louis Post Dispatch)

AmericanAncestors, Ancestry, FindMyPast, Fold3, MyHeritage, and Newspapers.com are all major subscription genealogy websites. Having free access to even basic/library versions is excellent.

However - the St. Louis County Library system card is not the only library card I have.