Laura Russel CHAFEE

Notes:

I have very happy memories of my grandmother, which is one reason why I named my older daughter after her. We would often visit her on Heath Avenue in Warwick. Once I even got to spend the night with her. The next day we walked a couple of miles to the shopping center across from Aldrich Junior High. I wanted to buy some doll clothes, but she said, "I can make those for you, Dear." And she did -- beautiful ones, for our baby dolls and grown-up dolls. She did lovely embroidery, too, which she gave as gifts in the form of pillows, table and bed linens, and framed pictures. In later years, when she moved to Ashland, MA, we would usually ride up to see her on Sunday afternoons. After I learned to drive, one summer day I borrowed my dad's car and drove up there with my cousin Barbara, and we took her to the seashore for lunch. Another time I rolled her hair up for her. In the early 1970s, Rich and I would drop in on her, and get her talking about the old days. Once she got started, the stories followed one after another. She'd get out the photographs, laugh about this or that event, and often give her opinion in no uncertain terms. More than once she said she had married too young, on her 18th birthday. But I'm glad she did, because my dad was born a little over a year later, the first of six sons. What a life! I'm sure her marriage, and her whole life, had its ups and downs. At one point their farmhouse burned down, and the family had to move into a little shanty for a while. My grandparents certainly set an example of hard work and determination for generations to follow. While I never met my grandfather, I know he was proud of his children and grandchildren. My grandmother was very much a part of our family, and I only wish she had lived to be a part of the lives of my children, too.

I have copies of Laura's birth, marriage, and death certificates, plus a copy of the page from the 1900 Census at Bristol which shows her family when Laura was one year old. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

The birth record at Bristol says she is the second child born to Frank & Mary Chafee.

Laura married Chester Philip REMINGTON, Sr. 28 Apr 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Chester (son of John Allen REMINGTON and Angeretta Williams WHITFORD) was born 10 Feb 1894, Anthony Village, Coventry, RI; died 9 May 1948, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried 11 May 1948, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

They were married on Laura's eighteenth birthday. Chester was 23.

1. Norman Chester REMINGTON was born 6 Aug 1918, Coventry, RI; died 21 May 2007, Providence, RI; was buried 24 May 2007, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI.
2. Raymond Chafee Remington was born 24 Oct 1919, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 25 Oct 2016, MA; was buried , Edgell Grove, Framingham, MA.
3. Russel Philip Remington was born 20 Oct 1921, Coventry, RI; died 31 Mar 1943, El Guettar, Tunisia, North Africa; was buried 29 May 1948, Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI.
4. Elliott Lee Remington was born 24 Mar 1923, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 20 Mar 1982, Kingston, Washington Co., RI.
5. Chester Philip Remington, Jr. was born 15 Oct 1926, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 30 Jul 2001, Marblehead, Essex Co., MA.
6. Richard Allen Remington was born 17 Jan 1931, RI; died 3 Jun 2021, Virginia Beach, VA.

Notes:

Frank's birth record is on a 3 x 5 card in a file cabinet in the Bristol Town Hall.

Frank & Mary's 50th wedding anniversary celebration was at Cousin Lida's house in Graniteville. (Lida Jenckes was Mary's niece.)

In the 1900 Federal Census, Frank & Mary "Chaffee" are living in Bristol, RI. With them are children Frank, 2, and Laura, 1.

In 1910, Frank & Mary E. "Chaffe" are living at Coventry, RI. In the household are: John 13, Frank 12, Laura 11, Ruth 9, Hattie 7, & Charles 4 months (?). Who is John? I think he may have been a child who died in infancy. Also, Hattie has already died by 1910. Perhaps the census taker listed all the children, past and present, born to the family.

In 1920, Frank P. & Mary E. Chafee are living at 357 Atlantic Ave. in the Longmeadow section of Warwick, RI. In the household are Ruth A., 19, and Charles A., 10. Frank is a foreman at the freighthouse. Daughter Ruth works as a jeweler in a factory.

In 1930 the family is at 632 Heights Ave. in the Riverview section of Warwick. Son Charles, 20, is the only one of the children still at home. Frank is a brakeman on the electric railway.

According to Frank's obituary, he moved to California only two months before he died (of metastic carcinoma). Formerly he had lived at 184 Potters Ave., Providence, RI, and had been a resident of Providence for 22 years. He was employed at the Davol Rubber Co. for 20 years.

I can remember seeing off my Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother Chafee on the train when they left Providence for California. I was just four years old.

Frank died at 1506 Imperial Ave., Jacumba, CA.

Frank married Mary Elizabeth ANDREWS 17 Jul 1896, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Mary (daughter of William ANDREWS and Eliza Jane EDWARDS) was born 13 Nov 1870, Lymansville, North Providence, RI; died 20 Mar 1959, Sunland, CA; was buried 23 Mar 1959, Mt. Hope Cemetery, 3751 Market St., San Diego, CA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

She was "Mamie" to Great-grandpa Chafee.

Mary was born in Lymansville, North Providence, which is now part of Pawtucket. Her original birth record is at the Pawtucket City Hall.

Her address at the time of her death was 9645 Green Verdugo Rd., Sunland, CA. According to a notation on the funeral memorial, Mary's grave is in Section 1, Div. 8, Lot 116.

My dad, Norman, saved many of the letters she wrote to my family when she lived in California in the mid-1950s. In one of them she writes: "Everything seems queer to me here in the West. It's lovely up here in these mountains though -- I only wish Grandpa could have lived long enough for the Lord to heal him -- and he take a little comfort in his old age. I am quite alone here in this house -- Frankie's trailer is quite near (and they look after me and do all my errands) so I don't have to leave the place. I am lonely at times -- and wish things could have been different. But God's spirit is here and in me. Bless his name. I am trying to be contented. It's the best all around -- for not any of my children could take the burden of me like Frankie."

She tells how Frank took her with him to Arizona for a fishing trip on the Colorado River. She writes: "It was some trip (but part of it was rough) and some of it was lovely -- would like to have had all my people here to enjoy it with me. Love to you all and God's blessings on you, Grandma Chafee" [this was a couple of months after her husband died]

In another letter, she says: "Laura writes -- she must have looked like Lois when she was a little girl. (Not quite) She was very light -- with hair very sunny and fine." In another letter she says something similar: "Laura thinks she must have looked like Lois (when she was little) (not quite) she had a look like her dad (even then) where the blue eyes come from (is away back -- so Grandma Chafee says -- in the Chafee family) as Grandma Chafee was a Monrow, with brown eyes -- and Grandpa Chafee's eyes were a dark grey, like Aunt Lena's. Well that's all I can remember about it. The blue eyes didn't come from the Andrews either (my father's were a light grey -- not blue -- so it will remain a mystery I guess). Love to all of you -- God's blessings on you all. Grandma Chafee"

Notes:

In the 1870 Federal Census, Samuel R. Chaffee, 25, is a bootmaker, living at Bristol, RI. His wife, Laura A., is age 26. They have two young sons, Raymond & Samuel.

In the 1880 Federal Census, the family is living at Middletown, CT, where Samuel is a saloon keeper -- probably at the Chafee Hotel.

In 1900, Samuel & Laura are living on Congregational St. in Bristol, RI, age 54, with three of their children -- Lena, Cora, & William. They have been married 34 years, according to the census figures. Samuel is a cutter in the rubber mill.

In 1910 Samuel & Laura are both age 65, still living on Congregational St., and have been married 42 years, according to census data.

In the 1930 Federal Census, Samuel is a widower, age 86, living in Bristol, Lincoln Co., ME, with his married daughter Cora Martin and family.

According to the gravestone inscription, Samuel was in Co. G Second Regt. RI Vols. The gravestone has been photographed.

Samuel married Laura Anne MUNROE 24 Apr 1867, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Laura (daughter of Jeremiah William MUNROE and Elizabeth BARRINGTON) was born Abt 16 Mar 1844, Bristol, Bristol; Co., RI; died 20 Oct 1911, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the 1860 Federal Census at Bristol, RI, Laura A. Munro is age 16, a "factory operative," living with her parents and two sisters. However, in the 1850 Federal Census, her age is given as 9.

According to Laura's death record, Laura's mother was Elizabeth Barrington (or Parrington), who apparently was the first wife of Jeremiah.

According to the death record at Bristol, RI, Laura Anne Chafee died at age 67 y 7 m 4 d. She died at 19 Constitution St.

The gravestone has her birth year as 1844. The 1905 RI Census has her dob as 15 March 1844. It says she has had 10 children of whom 6 are still living.

Notes:

According to "The Monroe Book," by Joan S. Guilford, Samuel & Laura were married at State Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Bristol. This is also recorded as such in James N. Arnold's "Vital Record of RI," Bristol Church Marriage Records. It is also in the Bristol town records, book of Marriages 1850 - 1902, p. 70.

Guilford's book has Laura in the section titled "Unconnected Monroes."

Notes:

According to my great-grandma's writings, her father William "was only 13 years old when his mother died -- and he used to work in the factory as a weaver until he went to sea as a cabin boy and followed the sea until his family came to America -- and while they were all working in the factories of Hebronville, for one place, and Central Falls and Pawtucket, I think it was while my aunts -- my father's sisters -- were there, he would go into the mill to see them and my mother was working there also and it was there he met her first."

William probably came to America with his father and sister Mary c1847 (see notes for John Andrews).

In the 1860 Federal Census, William & Eliza J. Andrews, ages 27 & 23, are living at North Providence, RI. He is a weaver. They have two children: William H., 3, and Carrie J., 1 month. In 1870 the family is still at North Providence, Centredale Post Office District.

The family was listed in the 1880 census for Providence / Graniteville; also known as District 1 Johnston:
William Andrews 47 born England
Eliza J Andrews 42 born England
Clara J. 20
James E. 15
Joseph C. 11
Mary E. 8
John F. 6
Estella M. 4
William H. 22

According to Mary's letter, her father William was in the Civil War, and also became an overseer at a mill in Centredale. She said his trade was "boss weaver" -- did she mean a manager of weavers?

His death record at Bristol, RI, identifies him as s/o John & Catherine. According to the record, he died at age 66.

William married Eliza Jane EDWARDS 2 Sep 1856, RI. Eliza (daughter of George EDWARDS and Abigail Abby WRAY) was born 4 Mar 1836, Clones, Monaghan, Ireland; died 2 Dec 1894, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Eliza Jane Edwards: born 4 March 1836 baptized 13 March 1836 Clones, Monaghan, Ireland; father George Edwards, mother Abegail.

Susan Edwards 19 and Eliza Jane Edwards 18, both born Scotland, sailed on the ship Saratoga from Liverpool and arrived at New York City on 27 July 1854.

Her mother and brother James arrived in August 1855.

The RI Death Index identifies her as d/o George & Abigail Edwards. She died at age 56.

Notes:

The name George T. B. Chafee first came to my attention in a copy of an old letter of Great Uncle Frank's which he sent to his mother, Mary Elizabeth Chafee (nee Andrews), my great-grandmother. In this letter he lists our Chafee ancestors, but without any documentation or details, save that he says this person's son invented a propeller boat which used to sail from Connecticut to New York City. This ties in somewhat with the information I found in the Bristol town records, which identify his occupation as sea captain, and his place of death as Middletown, CT. (Bristol Vol. #5, p. 139)

According to Frank's letter, the son George Austin (brother of my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Russel Chafee) was a restaurant and hotel man in Middletown, CT. He had a son Charles Austin and a daughter Grace. Around 1870 he built a propeller ship that ran between Portland, CT (across the river from Middletown, CT) and New York City. The ship was named after him: The George Austin Chafee. (Need to check out all these details!)

George T. B.'s name came to me also from an Austin family genealogist (Bonnie Austin Bigolin of Green River, WY), in an e-mail replying to my query through their web site. They have his name in their database as having been married to Harriet N. Austin, and she listed his children for me, one of whom is my gr-great-grandfather, Samuel Russel Chafee. The name Austin has since been passed down in our family in the form of the middle name of his son George and of my grandma's brother Charles, and the first name of one of Charles's sons, among others.

Also, it appears that the name Harriet has also been passed down, being the name of one of George and Harriet's daughters, the name of a granddaughter ("Hattie" who married DeWitt Bolster), and the name of a great-granddaughter -- my grandma's sister Hattie, a name which I presume was also Harriet in this generation. She died very young. My parents have her old rocking chair.

Since acquiring the above information, I have viewed and copied George and Harriet's marriage record at Bristol Town Hall, as well as other family records of birth, marriage, and death. I also have photographed their gravestone(s) at Bristol's North Burial Ground.

In addition to the above sources of information, I have transcripts from the following census records which show the various Chafee families: 1850, 1860, and 1870 for Bristol, RI; 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 for Middletown, CT.

"The Chaffee Genealogy" by William H. Chaffee, published in 1909, says that Mr. George T. B. Chafee "served as a sutler in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was a mechanic and restaurant keeper. He had a light complexion, blue eyes, a jovial disposition, and was five feet, four inches in height. In 1883 he lived in Middletown [CT], where he died of pneumonia at the age of seventy-five in the home of his son, Stephen B. Chafee. He was buried in the family lot in Bristol."

In the front of my grandmother's old Bible there is this notation, written in her handwriting: "Lest I forget, I must write down the Chafee family motto -- 'As we journey through life, let us live by the way.' It is above the large fireplace in the Chafee Hotel in Middletown Conn. made in the masonry."

George married Harriet Newell AUSTIN 18 Mar 1839, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI. Harriet (daughter of Samuel Ward AUSTIN and Mary MITCHELL) was born 1822, North Kingstown, Washington Co., RI; died 29 Jul 1856, Bristol, Bristol Co., RI; was buried Jul 1856, North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

From burials at St. Michael's, Bristol, RI: Mrs. Harriet N. Chafee, 29 July 1856.

Her death record at Bristol names her as Harriet N. Austin, and identifies her father as Samuel Austin. Neither her married name nor her mother are mentioned. This is probably a clerk's oversight or due to the confusion of the informant.

Harriet Newell Austin was named after a young American missionary who died in her first year of service, at age 19. She died of consumption at Isle of France, after giving birth prematurely, in 1812. Many girls were named after her.

Notes:

This information was found in the Bristol town records, p. 43 of the old marriage listings. I have a photocopy.
It is also listed in James N. Arnold's Index of Vital Records for Bristol (a tan library-bound book).

Notes:

The Monroe Book, by Joan S. Guilford, Ph. d., has some information on Jeremiah and his family. However, it is both incomplete and incorrect in some crucial points. In fact, I have learned, through viewing Jeremiah's death and marriage records at Bristol, that his parents are David & Abbie, not George & Martha, as the book says. I have made an assumption that the Bristol record are correct.

In the 1850 Federal Census, Jeremiah W. & Elizabeth Munro are living at Bristol, RI, with their daughter Laura, age 9, and Benjamin & Mary M. Wyatt. This Elizabeth is his second wife.

In the 1860 Federal Census, Jeremiah W. & Elizabeth M. Munro are living at Bristol, RI, with their three daughters: Laura A. 16, Mary E. 9, and Julia F. 6.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Jeremiah W. Munro is 52 and his wife Lydia B. is 34, living at Bristol, RI. In the household are two of Jeremiah's daughters, Mary E., 18, and Julia F., 16. Lydia is Jeremiah's third wife.

Jeremiah's wives:
Bristol records list the death of Elizabeth Munro, wife of Jeremiah, at age 29 on 5 Dec 1845. This was presumably Jeremiah's first wife and also the mother of our ancestor Laura. Laura's death record identifies her mother as Elizabeth Barrington (or Parrington?). The RI State Archives has the name on her death record as Barrington. There was a Barrington family in the Portsmouth records during the 1700s, but I have not figured out whether Elizabeth belongs to that family. This needs more research.

Elizabeth (Wyatt) Diman was a widow when she married Jeremiah. I have assumed she was a Wyatt because her (presumed) parents are living with Jeremiah & Elizabeth in the 1850 census. She may have first married James Diman, who died 2 Feb 1845.

Jeremiah married again in 1867, to Lydia Crump. According to the marriage record, it was Jeremiah's third marriage. This was the same year his daughter Laura was married, and at the same church. However, this marriage ended in divorce, as one was granted 10 April 1876. Jeremiah W. was the plaintiff, and Lydia B. was the defendant.

It would seem that Jeremiah married yet another time, because the wife he names as heir in his will, dated 10 Jan 1878, is Mary M. Munroe. To her he gives all household furniture and stores, as well as real estate, remaining after the payment of debts. In the will he also mentions three additional heirs, should his wife die: two daughters, Julia F. Munroe and Mary Elizabeth Gravlin; and one grandson, Frank P. Chafee (he is my great-grandfather); in case all of these should die, he names Frank's brother Samuel as heir. A copy of this will is recorded in the Bristol Probate Will Book No. 6, p. 275f. Also, related documents are in Book 5, p. 149.

Jeremiah died of scarletina at his home on Bourne St. in Bristol.

Jeremiah married Elizabeth BARRINGTON Abt 1840. Elizabeth was born Abt 1816, RI; died 5 Dec 1845, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I am making an informed assumption that this death record of "Elizabeth Munro, wife of Jeremiah," belongs to this particular Jeremiah's family group. Neither of them is otherwise identified. However, it does fit with the evidence. For instance, in the 1850 Federal Census, Jeremiah has a daughter Laura from a previous marriage. This is the only death record in the official vital records which could fit the time frame. Also, Laura's death record identifies her as daughter of Jeremiah W. Munroe & Elizabeth Barrington (or Parrington). The RI State Archives has the maiden name on her death record as Barrington.

Portsmouth land records show that a Robert & Sarah Burrington were living there on 16 Sep 1757; perhaps Elizabeth is connected with this family. There are also references in the town records to a John and a Roger Burrington. Could Burrington be an alternate spelling of Barrington? Probably.

In the various censuses, the data shows that Laura's mother was born in RI.

Notes:

The surname is spelled Andrew in most records, but also Andrews, particularly in America.

In the 1841 England census, the family is living on Church St. in Ashton under Lyne, Salford, Lancashire, England: John Andrew 35 occupation cotton dresser (? hard to read), Catherine 35, Ann 15 weaver, William 8, Mary 6, Eliza 2, and Betty 2 mo. John and all the children were born in Lancashire, but Catherine was not.

In the microfilm of naturalization records at the National Archives and Records Administration, I found a naturalization record dated Dec. 1853 from the Court of Common Pleas, Providence, for a John Andrew. This is our ancestor. His address is given as Smithfield, RI, and date of birth as 27 April 1803, birthplace "Ashton on the line" in Lancashire County, England. He arrived in New York City on 9 Sept 1847 and said since then he has continued to live in Blackstone, MA, and Smithfield, RI. Witnesses in Court were John Miller and John Scott of Smithfield.

His baptismal record at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, has his birth date as 27 Apr 1803, which agrees with the naturalization record; parents Samuel and Ann.

In the 1850 Federal Census, John is married to Sarah and living in Blacklstone, MA: John Andrew a Dresser Tender age 48 England, Sarah G. Andrew 37, William 17 a Weaver (my 2x-gr-grandfather), Mary 15, Eliza 12, Elizabeth 10, Alice 6.

In the 1860 Federal Census, is he the John Andrews, age 54 b England, a Dresser Tender, living at Warwick, RI, in the household of Samuel Mathews? There is a woman or wife there -- (Unknown) Andrews -- age 42 or 49, birthplace unknown. I don't know if this is our John Andrews, but it looks like he could be.

According to the 1900 Federal Census, John's daughter Mary immigrated in 1847. This seems to confirm the above date.

According to writings by my Great-grandma Chafee, her grandfather "was a slacher tender by trade in a factory. There was a time when he had a factory store -- and trusted the factory workers for their groceries -- when payday came."

He is undoubtedly the John Andrew buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Pawtucket. The date of death is the same as she wrote. The death record at Attleboro says he died 2 Nov 1868 at age 65, which agrees with the birth year of 1803. The death record does not name his parents.

According to Aunt Ann (Andrews) Abbey, John was a hard and cruel man. From my great-grandmother's notes: "My grandfather married twice after his wife Catherine died; the first wife wouldn't live with him because he wouldn't pay her sister's passage to America so she left him -- then he married a woman named Caroline -- she came to America with the family. After my grandfather died -- I was quite small -- this Caroline would come and visit my father. I remember her -- seeing a feather bed all tied up in a sheet, she somehow brought it everywhere she went. I never saw who it was brought it, but I remember seeing her. I have her earrings now, and a cameo pin Cousin Ida gave me -- belonged to her; and the earrings Aunt Mary gave them to Mrs. Hartford, but Mrs. Hartford thought I should have them (so I still have)."

I am not sure if the Sarah in 1850 is Caroline?

John married Catherine SMITH 25 Aug 1822, Manchester, Lancashire, England. Catherine (daughter of Joseph SMITH and Juliana Unknown) was born 12 Feb1804, Woolwich, Kent, England; died 8 Jul 1846, Lancashire, England; was buried 13 Jul 1846, Parish Of Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Her parents may have been Joseph and Juliana. See the following notes:

This is the birth date for Catherine given in my Great-grandma Chafee's writings. She said she got the info from her Aunt Ann. According to records online, that date of birth, 12 Feb 1804, is for a Catherine Smith, daughter of Joseph and Juliana Smith in Woolwich, Kent, England; christened 26 Feb 1804; denomination Scots church.

"Catherine, daughter of Joseph Smith, Sergeant Major in (?) Horse Brigade of the Royal Regiment of Artillery in the Parish of Woolwich and County of Kent, and of Juliana his wife was borne February 12th 1804 and Baptized February 26th 1804 by me John Blythe." (England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1970)

Her death record notes residence Charlestown. I believe this is a district of Manchester.

Notes:

Married:
I think this is the correct date and location for my ancestors' marriage. The names, general location, and time frame seem correct.

Notes:

England census of 1841 at Ledbury, Herefordshire: George Edwards 60 soldier born England, Abegal 35 born Ireland, Susan 7 Ireland, Eliza 5 Ireland, and James 2 England.

England census of 1851 at Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire: George Edwards 61 (after that illegible), Abigal 47 Ireland, Harriet 19 Ireland, Susan 16 Ireland, Eliza J. 14 Ireland, James 12 born Brood Moor Common, Herefordshire; plus two lodgers, Jane Lynch 36 and John Mcalister 25.

George Edwards was an English soldier. Because of his duties, he was away from home a lot. His daughter, Eliza Jane Edwards Andrews (the mother of Mary Elizabeth, the mother of Laura, the mother of Norman . . .), remembered him as a wonderfully kind and good man. It was said by her that he never knowingly killed a man in battle (did he just tell her that to calm her fears?). Once when he was assigned to guard duty over the bodies of some dead soldiers, he was very sleepy and dozed off. When another soldier came along and asked him the password, he didn't answer. He asked again, and still no answer. After the third time, he was supposed to be shot. George said he felt someone slap him with a cold hand, and he awoke just in time to answer with the correct password. He felt it was one of the dead soldiers that had somehow saved his life (an angel?).

He was at home on sick leave when he heard bells tolling, signifying the death of an important person. He looked up from his bed and asked his wife whom the bells were tolling for, and she answered, "The Duke of Wellington." George looked over at a picture of Wellington which hung on the wall; he had been his commanding officer in the army (perhaps at Waterloo? or later?). At that, George turned over and died.

It was sometime after that, I gather, that his family became very poor. They lived in the area of Herefordshire, as nearly as I can determine. The oldest daughter, Helen, by his first wife Charlotte, had married a wealthy man. At some point she must have either died or moved away, otherwise she would have helped the family. Eliza Jane worked in a factory, where she caught her finger in the gears. Her boss let her go to the doctor, who cut it off, bandaged her hand, and sent her back to work. It was probably the little finger of the left hand, as her daughter Mary Elizabeth remembered in later years.

The girls eventually traveled to America (Eliza Jane was probably not more than 17), around 1854 (below decks by steerage), to set up a home for their mother, Abigail, who came later with their younger brother, Jimmy. They settled in the area of Central Falls or Pawtucket.

Margaret, the oldest, married and went to Sacramento, California, where it is thought that she and her husband may have died in a flood. Susan married and moved to New York. Elizabeth, or Aunt Lizzie, married William Wardell and went to live in Bristol, RI, where she is now buried along with her husband and mother, Abigail Ray (Wray) Edwards. Harriet married Jacob Roe, and had a son, George, and two daughters, Margaret and Hattie. Uncle Jacob went to the Civil War along with his brother-in-law, William Andrews (Eliza Jane's husband). Sadly, Jacob was killed.

Eliza Jane, my great-great grandmother, married William Andrews, who had originally come from the area of Manchester/Lancashire, England. Besides fighting in the Civil War, he became an overseer at a mill in Centerdale, RI. During that time Eliza Jane took a charitable interest in her sister-in-law "Nappy," the deserted and destitute wife of James, her younger brother. He had taken his young son Jimmy and run off, leaving his wife with their daughter Etta. At Eliza Jane's encouragement, William gave Nappy a job and saw that she had a place to live in one of the mill tenements in Centerdale.

Years later, Uncle James wrote asking for help, so Eliza Jane and her niece (one of Harriet's daughters) traveled to Philadelphia to meet with him. After a long time they brought him back. They learned he had gone to Florida, married another woman, had four more sons, and now his second wife had died; money and food were scarce for James and the boys. By this time his daughter, Etta, was about 26, and was trying to care for her mother, Nappy, who had gone"crazy" with grief over the loss of her son over all the years. James married for a third time, so this wife was stepmother to his four boys (one of whom was named George, after Grandfather Andrews). The oldest boy, Jimmy (his son by Nappy), came back to Rhode Island and lived for a while with his mother and sister, Etta, but would wander off to Philadelphia, and eventually married a girl there. So there were some hard times and hard feelings in the family at that time. Mary Elizabeth later reflected that the families did better as time went on, and she hoped they would all know each other better in the next world.

George married Abigail Abby WRAY Abt 1825. Abigail (daughter of George WRAY and Betsey Unknown) was born Abt 1804, Ireland; died 10 Dec 1863, Thames Street, Bristol, RI; was buried , North Burial Ground, Bristol, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

My information on Abigail's life came primarily from the writings of my great-grandmother Chafee (nee Mary Andrews). I followed this up with two visits to the vault at the Bristol Town Hall in Bristol, RI, where I located and photocopied the death record, which gave additional facts such as date of death, age at death, parents' names, and place of birth. It says that her family was Scotch-No. Irish, and that she was born in Scotland. Gr-Grandma thought "her people were from the north of Ireland."

Abigail married the widower of her sister Charlotte.

(Bristol official record book #5, p.39)

According to the 1840 and 1851 England censuses, Abigail was born in Ireland. A posting on the Wray forum at genealogy.com says she was from Clonkirk, Ireland.

Abby Edwards age 48 housekeeper and James Edwards age 17 cotton spinner are listed on the ship's manifest, arriving in New York City on 27 August 1855. They sailed from Liverpool on the ship Thornton.

Notes:

I have estimated their year of marriage.