BELAND

Hello all!

Got back last night from a trip to Boston, MA doing - yep, you guessed it! - genealogy research. I started out by going to CT to meet a couple of women (one I'd already met) who are distant cousins researching the same line of the Knapp family (Daddy's side of the family through Grammy). It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to that location. Not overly eventful, but nice just the same. I was able to photograph the headstone of our 6th great grandmother, Huldah Fuller Knapp who died at the age of 33 in Willington, Tolland County, CT and was buried in the Old Storrs Cemetery on the property of the Storrs Congregational Church.

OK, so you are probably wondering....What does that have to do with Boston and the Belands? Well, nothing! But I went to CT first so I figured I'd tell you the whole story.

I decided since I was now only 1 1/2 hours from Boston as opposed to almost 3 hours if I went there from home that I'd take advantage of how much closer I was. The state archives are located in Dorchester near Boston in 2 different locations. One is on the same site as the JFK Library and the University of Boston and the other is just down the road (that's not as easy as it sounds due to the traffic in that area!! That was a nightmare and I won't bore you with that information! I decided to get a motel room and spend the night so that I could be at vital records when they opened at 9am (they are only open 3 hours per day).

Anywho - Friday morning I went to the vital records office I missed the last time I was in Boston doing research first. During my research I found a MARRIAGE certificate dated 1918 for a John B. Beland, divorced, quarryman who was born in Canada and was 45 yrs old. His father's name was also John B. Beland and his mother was listed as Mary J. Mercier. I figured Grampa's father had died about 1915 due to the fact that Amanda was listed as a widow in the 1920 census and she was listed as the head of the household in the Fall River city directory as early as 1916. But, there were alot of similar things in this document.

In 1918, Grampa's father, Jean Baptiste "John" Beland would have been about 47. He was a quarryman and was born in Canada. His father's name was Jean Baptiste Beland and his mother’s name was Eugenia Mercier. SO, aside from the fact that Mary J. Mercier and Eugenia Mercier are not the same name, I believe the since the maiden name of his mother is the same and the rest of the information is the same or so close, this has GOT to be him!

I then went to the other vital record archives location and decided to look into whether Grampa Bellanger changed his name legally or not. Although I did not find any information on that (so most likely he did not do it legally?) I did find more information that corroborated the fact that Grampa’s parents filed for divorce about 1917. The records are just entries of abbreviated information, so I am going to research this further with the judicial court for the records themselves. Just out of curiosity. I never did find a death record for great grandfather Beland, but then again I didn’t realize he was still alive after 1918 until I found the divorce records...but by then I had run out of time at the archives!

So, again….a new “secret” or “unknown fact” about the Beland family!

Last Friday, I took the 3+ hour trip to New Hampshire to meet and do some genealogy with my new found cousin, Lynn McManus from Vermont. Great lady! Loves genealogy as much as I do and she helped me regain my zest for more information on the Knapp side of the family. Lynn showed me (my 6th great grandfather) Peter Knap, Sr.'s headstone AND footstone - at the Hanover Cemetery in Hanover Center, NH. what a great site! He was born in 1741 and died in 1804.

I also visited my 3rd great grandparents' headstones (Nancy Knapp and Cyrus Camp) as well as the headstones of my 4th great grandparents - Theoda Bridgman and David Camp.

After a quick visit of the cemetery we went on to do genealogy at Dartmouth College Rauner Library in Hanover. Beautiful building and the people there are very help and accommodating! I was able to view and actually READ the ORIGINAL 3 page letter from Peter Knap, Jr (my 5th great grandfather) to his daughter, Polly and her husband, Nathaniel Chamberlin. That's the most exciting piece of genealogy I've come across in a LONG time.

In addition to several other documents and information, I had them copy the Gilman Dubois Frost, MD's Collection of Hanover Genealogical Records on the Camp family.

The day went by so quickly and Lynn and I parted ways - she back to VT and me back to NY. We email info regularly back and forth - sharing what we find. Hopefully, our next trip will be to Rehoboth, Bristol County, MA. I would love to visit and research in Rehoboth, Taunton, etc. as well as perhaps make a trip to Fall River where my grandfather, Ovila Beland was born and raised.

Knapp & Hartshorn family

As you all may know, I am addicted to genealogy. I'm not normally much of a puzzle or mystery person which is weird because genealogy is both - rolled into one.

Recently I went to VT for a few reasons, all pertaining to genealogy. I met my 3rd cousin twice removed, Don Haslam, about 1 1/2 years ago. Last fall I met him for the first time by traveling to Lyndonville, Caledonia County, VT where he lives. He took me to the cemeteries of our shared ancestors, the Knapps and the Hartshorns.

Don's great grandfather, Nathan Knapp had an older sister, Nancy Maria Knapp. Their parents, and our common ancestors were Peter and Zeruiah Hartshorn Knapp. Nancy Maria was my great-great-great grandmother married to my great-great-great grandfather, Cyrus Camp. Cyrus and Nancy had 4 children with Lewis being the youngest. Lewis and Ella Aseltine Camp, my great-great grandparents, had my great grandmother Jessie (an only child). Jessie married my great grandfather Ernest Gladden and they had 10 children including my grandmother, Grace Gladden (their 4th child). Grace married my grandfather, John Bellanger. They had my father, Donald Bellanger, the 3rd of 6. He married my mother, Joan Dixon and they had me and my 3 sisters. (Are you still with me?).

Nathan Knapp married Betsey Magoon - they had Ila Belle and Sarah Jane. Ila Belle married Gordon Ellsworth Haslam. They had 3 children, with Gordon Raymond Haslam as their youngest. He married Ruth Harrington. Gordon and Ruth had6 children. Don was the youngest with 16 years between him and his oldest sibling. (Whew! That's a much shorter story!)

We also visited many places throughout Caledonia County and got to know one another. It was a great visit. The last day of my visit with Don we went to the VT state archives to look at records of those family members that had once lived in various areas of Vermont. It was exciting to see and even be able to copy birth, death and marriage records of some of my ancestors. Time flew by and I knew I would have to go back as there was so much more that I wanted to look at.

Two years ago, my sister Brenda and I went to Swanton, VT. My grandmother, Grace Gladden Bellanger was born and raised in Swanton. We visited 3 different cemeteries we knew family members were buried in. It was an unforgettable experience. Seeing their graves and headstones made them more real to us. Since we went on a weekend we weren't able to check out the library or the Swanton Town Hall for more records.

This time when I went, I combined several things that I wanted to accomplish. I first attended Don Haslam's annual family reunion. His family (my family!) was great! Everyone made me feel so welcome. I felt very comfortable around them and I hope to spend more time with them in the future! Don and I went to the Grove Cemetery where Peter and Zeruiah Hartshorn Knapp were buried. We attempted to go last year, but the gates to the roadway were already locked up for the winter (I went in November). It was great to finally see their headstones in person. I took some pictures, we visited a bit more back at his house (his sister Gail, great lady, and her one daughter and her family were still in town) and then finally left about 5:30pm to head on up to Swanton. Swanton seems to be a quite and laid back type of town. I went to the Riverside Cemetery where Lewis & Ella Aseltine Camp, Ernest & Jessie Camp Gladden, Seldon & May (Mary) Smith Gladden and Fred & Minnie Aseltine Coyles are buried (this time I couldn't find Fred & Minnie's headstone - the others are in the front of the cemetery).

More at another time.

Whale Watch 2009