Tombstone Tuesday: Carolyn Langdon

Nancy Bowler Smith Hall, mother of Harriet, grandmother of Carolyn, (Bowler Genealogy)

Photo by Brian Zoldak, 2013, used with permission

Pickering/ Carolyn B. [Belle] Langdon,/ wife of J. Winslow Pickering,/ grandaughter of Nancy Bowler Hall/ Aug. 25, 1863- June 27, 1946 (River Bend Cemetery, Westerly, RI.)

The wedding at India Point of Carolyn to J. Winslow Pickering "was very simple, amidst the surrounding of the old family homestead" (Bowler genealogy) and took place on 22 June 1886. But, it is described as high society weddings are right down to the flower arrangements, the ribbon decorations created by the bride and names two officiating clergy. I am imagine the guests, drinks in hand, strolling the grounds or sitting on the lovely porch looking out to sea.

Carolyn was educated at "the Buffalo Academy" and met J. Winslow Pickering out West. They had two sons, Nelson Winslow Pickering and Langdon Pickering. The man who is a descendant mentions Nelson Pickering as his grandfather. He tells me that Carolyn sold it to another family whose wife hated the water and she planted vegetation to hid it. They tired of it and sold it back to Nelson Pickering and then it was in the family again.

There is still so much to know about this "House at India Point" but I will leave you to think about summer days, sailing vessels and house lotteries for now.

But, wait, I am still trying to solve the original research question! Why was my great grandfather living in the house? 

Second Sea Captain's wife: Nancy Bowler

Photo by Brian Zoldak, 2013, used with permission

Nancy B.  BOWLER

Bowler Genealogy found at Archive.org, (out of copyright)

Second wives are always interesting and there certainly have been enough of them in my family who have played a large part in the family history picture.

Nancy's is a long story! She was married to William Smith before she married Capt. Palmer Hall and had two children (Harriet and Albert) by him. She was born in New York but moved to Ohio with her parents and married him there. After William died in a railroad accident, she married at her daughter Harriet's home in Buffalo, NY, Capt. Hall. Harriet was the wife of George Langdon. Harriet must have liked her new step-father because she named her last living child, Palmer Hall Langdon. 

It states in the Bowler genealogy, that Nancy's marriage (in 1865) to Capt. Palmer Hall was "unusually happy" and that they led a busy life of social parties at India Point and that they traveled a lot. (I have found India Point. It is amazing.)

In 1904, the genealogy states that Nancy's daughter, Harriet Smith Langdon lived in the house on India Point.  She died in Illinois in 1916. The house "at India Point" then inherited by Harriet's daughter Carolyn Belle Langdon.

The son Albert, never married and was interesting in all "sporting matters", traveled abroad and went to the California gold fields!

The Bowler genealogy gives us a good description of Nancy's character and temperament which is quite rare in these complied genealogies of the time period. It is do interesting that it kept me going to find out more!

Adventure with the Sea Captain

Capt. Palmer Hall from the Bowler Genealogy  p. 83 (out of Copyright)

Adventure with the Sea Captain
Summer of the Sea Captains

This summer didn't start out to be about sea captains. It started out with a research problem I have. To solve my problem I am convinced that I have to know more about my Hall family because this surname (from Rhode Island) keeps surfacing and isn't directly solvable with vital records. It goes around and around like the Flying Horse Carousel at the Watch Hill beach. My head is spinning.

My maternal great grandfather, alive in my lifetime, (shown in this photo at my parents wedding in Dec 1946, third from left) mysteriously lived with Capt. Palmer Hall and his 2nd wife Nancy Bowler plus another woman (who I expect was a housekeeper). He's 14 years old in this 1880 census and a SERVANT in this household. I wasn't convinced it was him for years and years. But, now I have more sources to work with and  I am better at searching for the right information. A few months ago, I decided to work that census record and figure out if Capt. Hall is part of my family.

You know how it goes, I found a tree at Ancestry.com with the above photo in it (with no attached source). I left a message for the tree owner and oh, so, ever patiently waited. During this time, I decided that because Capt. Hall's mother was a Palmer, that this was going to somehow fit into my tree so that I could figure it out. It meant that I also had to find out how my existing Hall line fit into the genealogical puzzle since it meant I had to investigate all the early Hall men in that line (again!)

The 1940 census tells me that great grandpa Barber completed the 8th grade. So, that would be about 1879. I also know that his mother, Hannah Josephine Tourgee Barber, died in 1881, leaving her husband, the Civil War Hero and mariner, James Albert Barber  with seven sons. One is an infant (born in 1879) and one dies in 1882. I have new evidence that tells me that James Albert Barber's step-mother must have rushed in to help out as I expected. She already had her hands full with a bunch of kids of her own. Yikes.

If this is correct then I can see why my great grandfather went to work and found a place to live. He was the oldest. Capt. Palmer Hall and James Albert Barber must have known each other. They shared a love of the sea and life-long ties to Westerly, Rhode Island. James's mother, Phebe Eliza Hall was the line I'd already worked on. Everybody in Westerly knows each other.

Finally, the person with his photo told me he got it "from the Bowler genealogy".  Ah, the second wife of Capt. Hall. I located it easily at Archive.org. That's when it got interesting but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to the graveyard and do our research.

The Bowler Genealogy at Archive.org