Helen Mae Remington

Helen married James Edward "Buster" Tourgee 9 Oct 1931, Coventry, RI. James (son of James Whitman Tourgee and Eliza Ann Pierce) was born 8 Jul 1906, Anthony, Coventry, RI; died Oct 1974; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Washington & Knotty Oak Sts., Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

1. Russell Franklin Tourgee was born 10 Dec 1931; died 8 Apr 2006, Warwick, RI.
2. Phyllis Edna Tourgee was born 27 Mar 1933.
3. Gilbert James Tourgee was born 2 Apr 1934, Covenrty, RI; died 15 Jul 2019, West Greenwich, RI.
4. Janice Louise Tourgee was born 7 Jul 1935.
5. Carolyn Maplet Tourgee was born 27 Jun 1937.
6. Lyn Audrey Tourgee was born 15 Apr 1940, Providence, RI; died 29 May 2002, Providence, RI.
7. Sharon Holly Tourgee was born 4 Dec 1941; died Dec 2001.
8. Loxi Anne Tourgee was born 18 Sep 1943.
9. Brian Keith Tourgee was born 10 May 1946.

Helen married Edgar Reid Aft 1946. [Group Sheet]

Helen married Richard Bartlett Aft 1960. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have a copy of his death certificate from the State of Rhode Island. Also, his gravestone has been photographed.

John married Edith Mae Wright 4 Feb 1911, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Edith (daughter of John Otis Thurston and Mary Elizabeth McNeil) was born 9 Oct 1893, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 21 Apr 1951, Providence, Providence Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

In the Federal Census of 1900, Edith Wright, b Oct 1894, is age 5 (boarder, at school), living in Coventry, RI, with Jerome & Mary Laselle.

This couple is Jerome Laselle (sometimes Lasalle) born c 1856, who md Mary Randall Lindoll 1 June 1891 in Providence (familysearch.org).

In the Federal census of 1910, Edith Wright is age 16 "daughter," living in Coventy with Mary Lasalle 52 and Lydia Harvey 73 (boarder).

I have a copy of her death certificate from the State of Rhode Island. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

Edith Mae Remington died at age 57 y 6 m 12 d.

Notes:

I have a copy of his birth certificate from Warwick, RI (Warwick Births, 1850 - 1882, Vol. 2, p. 5); a copy of his official marriage record from the RI State Offices in Providence, as well as the original page from the Town of Coventry marriage record book, p. 89; and his death certificate from Cranston, RI.

The 1880 census lists John A. Remington as age 12 at that time. I have a copy of the page from the census showing his family.

We have a nice portrait of John Allen dressed in his best suit, with a boutonnierre pinned to his right lapel. Perhaps it was a graduation picture, or even a wedding picture, as he was married quite young the first time -- not yet nineteen. His brown hair is neatly parted in the center and combed with a slight wave to either side. He has light eyes, like his father's, and fine regular features in an oval face. I definitely see a bit of his looks in our family, especially my uncles and my dad's cousins. We never knew much about my Great-grandfather Remington; things were left unsaid. His first wife died young of consumption, after only 1 1/2 years of marriage, which must have brought him much grief. Perhaps he took up drinking to cope with the sorrow, and then couldn't get away from it, even after marrying Angeretta, with whom he had two fine sons. For some reason they separated. He died so young, only 28 years old, of some form of cancer, according to the death certificate. I guess the whole story will never be known, so we've left it in God's hands.

John married Angeretta Williams WHITFORD 10 Nov 1891, Coventry, Kent Co., RI. Angeretta (daughter of Charles Carmi WHITFORD and Harty Potter JOHNSON) was born 10 Nov 1870, West Greenwich, Kent Co., RI; died 12 Oct 1958, Warwick, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Woodland Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

I have a photocopy of her original birth record in the official Book of Births for 1870 in the Town of West Greenwich, p. 20; a copy of the original marriage record from the official Book of Marriages for 1891 in the Town of Coventry, p. 89; a copy of the marriage certificate from the State Offices at Providence, RI; a copy of her death certificate from the State of Rhode Island; and a copy of the newspaper obituary. Her gravestone has been photographed.

Angeretta was a midwife.

I remember occasionally going to visit my Great-grandma Remington in a house on Knotty Oak Road in Coventry, RI, where she lived with "Aunt Ollie and Uncle Allen," who were actually my great aunt -- Angeretta's sister -- and her husband, Allen Hopkins. The older folks would sit around the living room and talk, while we children would sometimes sit and listen, and sometimes amuse ourselves by walking around -- but never upstairs, as I recall. There was a square metal grate in the floor between the living room and kitchen, through which the heat would blow from the basement furnace. Being a small child, I had to take a rather large step to walk, or rather jump, over this grate, and I was somehow worried that I might fall through!

Great-grandma Remington came to stay overnight with us once, and she slept in the room next to mine. When she was in the hospital with her final illness, I was allowed to go up to her hospital room to see her one last time. I was seven years old.

Aunt Ollie lived quite a few years longer, and died when I was sixteen. I have memories of going to her funeral. But the best memories are of the three generations of family sitting around that comfortable living room, where the older folks would talk in their gentle and pleasant voices.

John married Mary Elizabeth McNeil 1893. Mary (daughter of John McNeil and Josephine Unknown) was born Abt 1875, CT; died 1966; was buried , Greenville Cemetery, Smith Ave., Smithfield, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Family information from my cousin Marilyn tells me that Mary was not married, and the Thurston connection was conjecture from her mother.

Notes:

Benjamin's birth record is noted as:
REMINGTON, Benjamin F., of Benjamin and Mary, b. 1831 Ti (TiM 1-5)

I have a photocopy of his official death certificate from Tiverton, RI. In addition, I have copies of the family group in the 1860 and 1870 censuses at "Old Warwick" and in the 1880 census at Coventry.

In the 1865 RI State Census, the family is at Warwick. They have six children.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Benjamin & Adeline are living at Old Warwick. They have eight children.

In 1875 the family is in Warwick, still in he section known as Old Warwick. There are 10 children, ranging in age from 2 to 20.

In 1880 Benjamin & "Adelaid" are in Coventry. Seven of their children are in the household.

Benjamin & Adeline lived in Tiverton, Old Warwick/Warwick Neck, Coventry, West Greenwich, and probably East Greenwich. Benjamin's signature is on the West Greenwich voting lists, Burton District, for 1885 to 1888. This record gives his date of birth as 13 Feb 1832, and his birthplace as Tiverton, RI. The Burton District, sometimes referred to as the Button District, was located in the northeastern corner of West Greenwich, in the the area between Carrs Pond and Lake Mishnock where Division Rd., Hopkins Hill Rd., and New London Turnpike intersect. I am not sure exactly where in this area my ancestors lived during these years.

Benjamin's middle name was probably Franklin, although no official document has been found giving the full name. Benjamin is in the 1850 Federal Census at Tiverton, listed with the household of his maternal grandparents, Deacon Benjamin and Peace Hambly, along with his mother, his brother John, and other individuals.

It seems as if he and Adeline named several of their children after relatives, such as Mary Anna, Peace H., David Thomas, Charles Abner, Joseph Ellery, John, and George, as well as after notable American or RI leaders. There is the obvious Benjamin Franklin, probably named after his father and great uncle, as well as the statesman and his maternal grandfather Benjamin. James DeWolf Remington may have been named after James DeWolf (1764-1837), a prominent merchant, shipowner, and manufacturer from Bristol, who was very prosperous in slave trading; but after this was halted by the War of 1812, sponsored a privateer that captured millions of dollars worth of goods from British ships. In 1821, the RI General Assembly chose him to be US Senator. In the words of Patrick T. Conley, "In 1837, after a full life as a lawbreaker and lawmaker, he died on his elegant 1,000-acre Bristol estate."

Cousin Barbara Shaw gave Dad Remington pictures of Adeline and Benjamin. On the back of his she wrote Benjamin Franklin Remington, so if accurate this means he gave one of his sons the same name. The portrait shows him dressed in a three-piece suit. He seems to have had brown hair -- parted on the side, slicked back, and cut below the ears -- and a full beard. His face shows classic features, with light eyes -- possibly blue or gray. I try to see my children, cousins, aunts or uncles in his face. Maybe . . .

Benjamin married Adeline Tripp MANCHESTER 12 Dec 1852, The Amicable Congregational Church, Tiverton, RI. Adeline (daughter of Jeremiah A. MANCHESTER and Mary H. DENNIS) was born 7 Jun 1835, Tiverton, Newport Co., RI; died 10 May 1893, East Greenwich, RI; was buried , Glenwood Cemetery, East Greenwich, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Adeline is one of our links to our Mayflower Pilgrim ancestry, through her maternal grandmother.

The 1850 Tiverton census shows Adeline Manchester as a 15-year-old living in the household of Edward and Elizabeth Wing, ages 78 and 73. There is also Isaac Manchester, age 11, her brother. Others living there are Joseph and Roby Rounds, 22 and 20; and John Keefe, 24, from Ireland. Roby was Adeline's and Isaac's older married sister. Another Tiverton home lists Emeline Manchester, 17; William Manchester, 23; and Lucy A., 7; living with six individuals of the surname Rounds. These other Manchesters were Adeline's siblings, and her mother, Mary, had remarried to Roderick Rounds. I have found the birth entries for all of them except Lucy.

Adeline Remington is 24 in the 1860 Census at Warwick, and 45 in the 1880 Census at Coventry.

Her death is entered in East Greenwich, Vol. 4, p. 76: "10 May 1893, Adlin T. Remington, age 58, birthplace Tiverton, parents Jeremiah & Mary Manchester, cause of death -- pneumonia." I visited the Greenwood Cemetery on 9 Feb 2002, and took some pictures of the gravestone, which is inscribed Adelin T. Manchester (elsewhere she is named as Adeline H. but that is incorrect). It is a very nice memorial stone, in the area over to the left as one enters the gates.

I found Adeline's middle name in James N. Arnold's "Family Notes" Volume R, "Remington" at the Knight Memorial Library, Elmwood Ave., Providence (these papers are now at the Providence Public Library). It is also on son David's death record at Providence, but is misspelled as Krip.

Her picture shows her with light brown hair, parted in the middle and pulled back, probably in a braid or chignon. Her eyes must have been brown or dark blue. Attired very properly and modestly in a dark-colored dress with a high collar and small bow at the neck, and buttons down the front, she appears somewhat tired, but calm and resolute. In her thin oval face and sloping eyebrows I can see a striking resemblance to my Great Uncle Fran, who was her grandson. (Note from cousin Judith Walton: "The picture was done by Morton Artistic Photographer of Westminster St. in Providence.")

There is no way of knowing for sure, but I suppose the pictures could have been taken when they were about forty, perhaps even for their 25th anniversary, around 1877.

I have been trying to determine whom Adeline was named after -- if anyone. There was an Adeline Manchester who married a Rufus Tripp; this Adeline was a daughter of Perry Manchester, who was a son of Peleg & Margaret. I have not found any Tripp ancestry for this branch of the family, although this is a possibility. John Dennis's ancestry has not yet been determined with certainly, although I have researched it to the extent that I am fairly satisfied with the available evidence.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of Benjamin's and Adeline's official marriage record from Tiverton, RI.

Notes:

I have a photocopy of his original birth entry at the Town of West Greenwich. Charles Carmi was named for his two grandfathers, Carmi Whitford and Charles Tibbetts. I also have a photocopy of his death entry in the Book of Deaths for 1910, p. 30, in the Town of Coventry.
We have one picture of my Great-great-grandfather Whitford. This is posted at our family website [www.thesorensens.net]. Also there is a photograph of his gravestone at Maple Root Cemetery.

All of the children and their birth dates are listed in the book "Records of the Bailey Family," p. 61.

In the 1860 Federal Census at West Greenwich, Charles is 25 and living with his parents, along with his married sister, Marcy W. Church, 29. In the 1870 Federal Census, Charles C. 34 and his wife Harty 21 are still living at West Greenwich, RI. They have a child Hattie L., age 1. The family is in the household of Jeremiah & Sally W. Whitford, ages 64 & 61, Charles's parents. The 1880 Census at West Greenwich shows him married, age 45, with his wife and five daughters, again living in the household with Jeremiah and Sally Whitford, Charles's parents. This is probably the family farm on Rt. 3 in West Greenwich, where there is now a motel and gas station, at the intersection of Interstate 95. He is age 65 in the 1900 Census at Coventry, and is listed as the head of the household which includes his children as well as two grandsons, Angeretta's sons. I have photocopies of the pages from these three censuses.

Example -- 1880 Census:
Charles C. Whitford age 45
Harty P. Whitford 30
Hattie L. 11
Angeretta W. 9
Julia E. 6
Lena M. 4
Olive 2

Charles was elected to the Exeter Town Council in 1888 (was this a different Charles Whitford?).

There is a paragraph about Charles C. Whitford and his family on p. 1343 of J. R. Cole's "History of Washington and Kent Counties," published in 1889. Although the writer has made two mistakes (names Charles's grandfather as Jeremiah instead of Carmi, and names his wife as Hattie instead of Harty), he does offer other information that is more reliable. We are told that Charles was born in 1834 in West Greenwich, and that he has been a farmer all of his life, having bought the farm where he now lives in 1884 (probably the farm on Knotty Oak Rd. in Coventry). It says he was married to [Harty] in 1866, and lists his children as: Hattie L., Angeretta W., Julia E., Lena M., Olive L., Charles W., and Nelson J. Lastly, he comments that "the family is said to be of Welsh descent."

Of the individuals in this family, the ones I have personal memories of are Angeretta, who was my great-grandmother Remington; Olive, who was my great "Aunt Ollie"; Charles W., who we called "Uncle Will"; and J. Nelson, who was my great "Uncle Jerry."

My dad, Norman Remington, says he remembers driving by the site of the old family homestead, which was on Rt. 3 between Harkney Hill Road and the present Interstate 95. About where the Best Western/Congress Inn is today, there was a spring. Further up the road, where the plat Wood Estates is now located, there must have been a family burial site, because when the plat was being planned (perhaps in the 1960s?), certain Whitford heirs had to sign, acknowledging there were interments on the property, and giving their permission for the project to proceed.

Charles married Harty Potter JOHNSON 25 Nov 1866, Richmond, RI. Harty (daughter of Philip JOHNSON, Jr. and Tryphena Hoxsie GREENE) was born 12 Apr 1850, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; died 27 Nov 1917, Coventry, Kent Co., RI; was buried , Maple Root Cemetery, Coventry, RI. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

We have a picture of Great-great-grandma Harty Whitford, taken in 1912 in a five-generation group which includes her father. More recently I was given a picture of her as a young mother. These and other family pictures are posted at our family web site [www.thesorensens.net].

I have a photocopy of her original death entry in the Book of Deaths in 1917, p. 51, for the Town of Coventry. Also, her gravestone has been photographed.

I think she must have been named after Harty (Potter) Johnson, wife of her uncle Caleb Johnson.

Notes:

The original marriage entry is at the Richmond Town Hall in the "Book of Marriages and Deaths, 1850-1910, p. 14. It says, "In Richmond, Nov. 25th (1866), Charles C. Whitford born in West Greenwich, age 31 -- a farmer, and Hatty P. Johnson born in Coventry, age 17; parents of each: Jeremiah and Sally W. Whitford, Phillip and Tryphena H. Johnson; married by Gilbert Tillinghast, Minister of the Gospel." It was the first marriage for both of them.

John — Josephine Unknown. [Group Sheet]