Fresh Start

The first theme in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is “fresh start.”

As I’ve researched my ancestors through the years, I’ve noticed that some of them moved around a lot.  And I wondered – was each move a fresh start for them?  Did they have high hopes for a better life each time they pulled up stakes and set their sights on a new location?

My third great grandparents, Enoch Galusha Howard and Henrietta Walling Howard, bring to mind these questions as I’ve traced their migration from New York to Michigan.  Born in the 1820s, their early years have proven to be a bit elusive to track down.  However, beginning with the 1850 census I can start to piece together a picture of Enoch and Henrietta’s lives.

In 1850, 28-year-old Enoch and 24-year-old Henrietta were living in New York City in the 9^th Ward[i] with their two children, Lucien and David.  Enoch (or E.G. as he apparently preferred to be called) was working as a carpenter. Two other families resided in the same dwelling house with the Howards, and Henrietta’s younger sister, Jane Walling, lived with them as well.[ii]

By the time the 1860 census was taken, Enoch and Henrietta were living in Middlebury, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, some 250 miles west of New York City.  That census reports that their family had grown in the intervening 10 years.  Son George and daughter Elizabeth were born to the couple before they left New York.  Two-year old Lafayette came along after they had settled in Pennsylvania.  However, it appears the family had also diminished – their son David, who would have been approximately 12 years old in 1860, was no longer listed as a member of the household.

This census indicates Enoch worked as a “Waggon Maker” and owned real estate worth $200 and personal property worth $150. Lucien (age 13), George (age 9), and Elizabeth (age 7) all attended school. It appears from the record that the family lived in a single-family dwelling at this point.

What brought these ancestors to Pennsylvania, I wonder. Were they seeking more space, a quieter environment than New York City? Was extended family living close to where they moved? Assuming David died in New York, did they want to leave behind the sadness that would have undoubtedly overshadowed their lives because of this loss?  Were they seeking a fresh start?

In the Fall of 1861, Enoch joined the Union Army, serving with the 45^th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers.[iii] In 1862, he fell ill at James Island, South Carolina and was eventually discharged.  Although he recovered sufficiently to re-enlist in the Cavalry in 1864, he apparently never fully recuperated from his illness.  In 1879 Enoch applied for pension benefits from the U.S. government, stating he was disabled from “chronic rheumatism caused by exposure in wet” at James Island.[iv]

In Enoch’s application (or “Declaration”) for pension benefits, he listed all his residences from the time he enlisted in the Army until the date of his application. In a General Affidavit dated October 5, 1880, he gave more detail regarding the dates of his addresses:

That for five years immediately preceding my enlistment I lived in Middlebury Tioga Co Pa and since my final discharge I lived in Tioga Tioga Co Penna untill July 1867 and at Marine City Michigan untill July 1868 and since then untill the present time at Alpena Alpena Co Michigan.[v]

In one sentence, Enoch gave the parameters of four moves the family made.  They had lived in Middlebury since 1856.  After Enoch’s discharge in 1865 they moved to a different location within Tioga County, PA and stayed for another two years.  At this point, were they putting down roots, making a life for themselves in the area? Or perhaps there was a feeling that better things awaited them elsewhere. Whatever the reason, in 1867 the family left behind their home of 11 years and headed westward again.  It was time for another fresh start.

Marine City, Michigan is located approximately 20 miles south of Port Huron in St. Clair County.  Depending on the route they chose to get there, the Howard family may have traveled anywhere from 370 miles to 520 miles.  At the time they arrived, lumber and shipping were the primary enterprises of the City.  Were they drawn to the opportunities of the area? Were family members nearby? Was Enoch, a musician and bandleader, attracted to a city where bands played during the summer at a bandstand at City Hall?[vi]

Just one year later, in July 1868, Enoch, Henrietta, and at least three of their five living children headed north a distance of some 260 miles to settle in Alpena, Michigan. Census records and city directories seem to indicate that the Howards remained in Alpena for approximately 20 years, putting down roots in the area. Enoch was the first keeper of the Alpena lighthouse[vii] and was leader of the Germania band there. Two of the Howard children, George and Elizabeth, married spouses and settled nearby, remaining there for the rest of their lives.  The familiar questions run through my mind. What brought the family to Alpena? Did another fresh start beckon?

In 1888 or 1889, Enoch and Henrietta headed west for the last time, crossing the state of Michigan to make their home in Muskegon, where their oldest son Lucien resided. Henrietta died there on August 12, 1890.[viii] Enoch passed away two years later.  I imagine this couple, married for over 40 years, saw this final move not so much as another fresh start but rather as the first step on the final leg of their journey together.

Sometimes I marvel at the impact of Enoch and Henrietta’s fresh starts. They brought one line of my family to Michigan and are part of the reason I – and many, many of their descendants – call the Great Lakes State home.

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[i] Specifically, the 3^rd District of the 9^th Ward, which appears to be in the area of modern-day Greenwich Village and Hudson Square.

[ii] Baptismal records from the Dutch Reformed Church in Schraalenburgh, New Jersey reveal that Henrietta Walling (Howard) and Jane Walling were born to the same parents, John J. Walling and Jane Demarest, six years apart.

[iii] The Howards’ oldest son, Lucien, joined at this time as well, mustering in as part of the Band of Company I of the 45^th Regiment.

[iv] This information is taken from a copy of Enoch’s Civil War Pension File I received from the National Archives.

[v] I have attempted to transcribe the Affidavit exactly as it was written, including abbreviations and misspellings.

[vi] Marine City, Michigan in Wikipedia, accessed January 4, 2020 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_City,_Michigan

[vii] See http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/huron/alpena/keepers.htm for a history of the lighthouse and a listing of keepers.

[viii] Find-a-Grave reports that Henrietta died in Alpena but I have not been able to substantiate this. It occurs to me as I write this that perhaps Henrietta stayed in Alpena and didn’t move to Muskegon with Enoch. Something new to research!