Archive for August, 2016

Samuel, James and William Agnew in Ohio

August 15, 2016

Did research using city directories tonight, need to write out some of this stuff.

Samuel Agnew is the elder. His two sons, William b.1806, and James b.1808. James is my GGGrandfather. Samuel first appears in the Cincinnati directory in 1831. According to the 1850 census where he is listed with James & family, he was born 1778 (this may be incorrect).

Samuel M. Agnew is listed as a shoemaker quite a few times, a tailor, was made postmaster of Fulton, a part of Cincinnati, in 1836; and lastly, a bartender in 1855, which is the last time he shows up in the city directory. Probably he died sometime shortly after that, but no burial spot or obituary has been found to date.

William is a carpenter, blacksmith, has a coffee business, and his most stable job seems to be “hatter”.

James is most of his life a “joiner” which is a specialty finishing type of carpentry, probably in his case for ships. They live on Front St., which is ON the riverfront on the Ohio river. James has a number of children with Mary Ann Freeman who he marries in 1848. My grandfather was his son James, b.1841. Still haven’t figured out who is mother was, or if by chance he was adopted (?).

James is also listed as carpenter, and lastly “conductor”in 1866, perhaps for a railroad. There is also a “David Agnew” who is around later, and at one point in 1869 is a clerk for the O&M RR, I don’t know if he could be a child of William.

James & Mary’s children were: Alfred b.1851, then Mary, Lizzie, Florence, Herman, Sarah “Sallie”. They adopt a Helen, but she is actually the daughter of James, the first son of James, also my GGrandfather.

In the city directories, the only Agnews showing all the time are Samuel, William and James, so I think they are family, & census records point to this also.

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Time travel

August 2, 2016

Time travel exists.

Research your family.

With each generation, they become so real.

Their lives, their households,

the births of their children,

the places they work,

and where they live,

the times they migrate from state to state,

newspaper stories of birthday parties,

their journey north from Tennessee,

the time they served in the military,

It takes you back, to the time they lived,

You sit at their kitchen table,

They welcome you in, and serve you coffee,

tell you the stories of their lives,

Their time of death, who was at the funeral,

what is written as their epitaph,

any land they owned, any written will,

what they died of, who they left it to,

and then you jump back to their parents’ lives,

and start all over again.

It is a journey into the past,

more than records, and more than graphs,

This is the family you never knew,

You share their DNA,

Their blood courses through your very veins,

They are a part of you.

cfblack  08-02-2016

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Samuel Agnew b.1778 but lives in OH

August 2, 2016

I have jumped to researching this Samuel M. Agnew who lived out most of his life, as far as I know, in Hamilton County, Ohio. His birthdate unfortunately matches the year of the famous Dr. Samuel Agnew in the “Book of the Agnews”. I do not believe he is the same person. He seems to have a son, James Agnew, b.1808 who died in 1880. Samuel is with this family in 1850 where the census records their last name as: Agnene. This family has the WORST luck with their name being transcribed correctly. It’s not that hard: AGNEW. But it gets recorded as Agnene (1850), Egnew, Agnus (1860) and other things.

My great-great grandfather: James Agnew b.1808, d.1880 in Ohio, lives his life in Hamilton County Ohio near or within Cincinnati. In 1850, James is listed as a “ship carpenter”. In 1860 James is listed as a “joiner” which is a skilled carpenter. Living on the Ohio river, he could also have been working on ship carpentry.
.

In 1850, Samuel Agnew was with the family, age 72. b. around 1778 in PA, d.? (sometime after 1850) Samuel could be James’ father. Most likely is.

 

There are some stories of a Samuel Agnew who lived in the Cincinnati area. IF they all go together, which is as yet unknown, his story is below. Some records seem to have a Samuel Egnew also, who could be a different person. Samuel Agnew is reported as serving in the Army. There is evidence of two records by his name, one recorded as Samuel Egnew 5’6″ tall, one as 5′ 1/2″ tall. I have used the one recorded as Samuel AGNEW.

**Samuel Agnew enlisted into the US Infantry (Army) May 20, 1814, from Chilicothe, Ohio, which is east of Cincinnati and home of the Shawnee nation.
He was only 5′ 1/2″ tall. Blue eyes, light hair, and dark complexion. No occupation listed. Born in Ohio.
In Feb.1815 there is a note that he was a “musician” (while in the Army).
On April 18th 1815 he is listed as “absent” and on furlough to Cincinnati. (This is a connection to the Samuel in Cincinnati so it ties this one to those below. But they could be 2 different people.)
On June 30th 1815 he is again listed as absent.
They then declare him as having left the Army as of May 17, 1815.
====================================================
census records:
in 1830, Samuel M. Agnew lives in Hamilton County Cincinnati area.

There are 2 younger males in the household in their 20s. (One could be James who was born 1808.)

The other might be a brother named William, because he lived in the same area )and in 1860 has a young boy with him, named James Agnew. This could be the 8-yr-old James living with the older James I’ve been talking about here, so “William” could be his uncle. Just a guess.)

In 1830 in Samuel’s household, there are 2 daughters ages between 15-19.

on May 4, 1836 Samuel M. Agnew is appointed postmaster in Fulton, a part of Cincinnati. (records of US Postmasters, found by ancestry.com)

in 1840 there is a Samuel Egnew living alone, age somewhere between 60-69.

in 1850, he is with the family of James Agnew b.1808……..

Samuel says he was born in PA. James Agnew’s wife here, Mary Ann Freeman, was also b. in PA. If I can find Mary as a child in PA, or Samuel in PA, they could be from the same area of PA.

It’s a strange, strange world researching the Agnews in OH. They seem to want to hide.

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