Henthorn Genealogy News: 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Susi's Chatty Performances on Genealogy

Susi's Chatty Performances on Genealogy: My Resolutions, Enhancing my Research, Carnival Bound

Here's what friend, Susi, has to say about her genealogy plans for 2010.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Genealogy Happenings - 2009

Genealogy Happenings
2009

Introduction
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Several times in past years I've written a year-end Genealogy Happenings and sent it to my genealogy correspondents. This year I decided to write one and post it to my genealogy "news" blog.

Thanks to those friends and relatives interested in genealogy who kept in touch during the year.

Here's a report about my genealogy projects in 2009 and a few comments about what I might do in 2010.

Computer Disaster

During the year I had another computer disaster. This time my Dell laptop computer failed. As usual I wasn't prepared. Luckily I did have some of the information I didn't want to lose saved on a thumb drive.

I went back to using my old Gateway desktop computer. I connected to our new Verizon FIOS high speed Internet connection. The Gateway computer allowed me to continue to communicate via Email and to began some genealogy recovery projects.

Currently I don't have a printer connected to the working computer. I'm not certain that the printer will work if I do hook it up. Finding out is on my "to do" list, but not near the top.

RootsMagic

For many years I used the LDS genealogy program Personal Ancestral File (PAF) version 2.3.1. I still have a working copy of this program on my desktop computer. When the laptop failed I'd begun the process of converting my genealogy files to RootsMagic. RootsMagic evolved from the program Family Origins that I'd used for several years to load any GEDCOM files shared by other researchers. Since the computer incident I've loaded a copy of RootsMagic on the desktop computer. RootsMagic has the capability to produce very nice PDF files and pages for a website. If you'd like to try out a free version of this program you can download RootsMagic Essentials.

RootsMagic:
http://www.rootsmagic.com/

Personal Ancestral File 5.2

I also have a copy of the free LDS Windows genealogy program, Personal Ancestral File (PAF) version 5.2 installed on the desktop computer. I've only used this program enough to get an idea of how it works and what it can do.

Personal Ancestral File:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/

GEDCOM

In my opinion everyone should make GEDCOM copies of their genealogy files as part of their backup plan. GEDCOMs can be shared between researchers. And, they allow us to easily import our data into other genealogy programs. I have worked with the GEDCOM format long enough to understand it fairly well. Since my latest computer disaster I have been making edits to some of my GEDCOM files in order to improve the quality of data. After the edits are complete I can load the data into my genealogy program or share the GEDCOM with others or use it to produce genealogy reports with the Ancestral Author program.

GEDCOM Explained by Dick Eastman:
http://globalgenealogy.com/globalgazette/gazrr/gazrr82a.htm

Ancestral Author

I owned a copy of the Ancestral Author program and lost it when the laptop stopped working. I was able to download another copy of the program and install it on the desktop computer. This program reads GEDCOM files to produce genealogy reports in the PDF format which is perfect for sharing with others. In the last couple of months I learned more about how to use the program. In 2010 I plan to share these documents with some of the folks I know who are doing genealogy.

Ancestral Author:
http://www.ancestralauthor.com

GenViewer Lite

I have a copy of the GenViewer Lite program installed on my computer. This is a free version of a program that can also read GEDCOM files. The program is very handy when you want to review the contents of a GEDCOM file without loading the data into your genealogy program. I'm thinking about buying the program because some of the capabilities are turned off in the free version.

GenViewer Lite:
http://www.mudcreeksoftware.com/

Google Blogs

I have two genealogy blogs on Google. One is for "News" and other information. The other is for "Obituaries." I post to them whenever I have something ready. There are sidebar links from these two blogs to other things I post on the Internet.

Henthorn Genealogy News:
http://henthorn-website-news.blogspot.com

Henthorn Genealogy Obits:
http://henthorn-website-obits.blogspot.com

Google Group

I maintain a "private" Google genealogy group. You must register with Google and then request that I grant access. There hasn't been much interest in the "group" so my posting there has been infrequent.

Henthorn Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/henthornwebsite

Google Site

In early December I announced the creation of a Google genealogy "site." This is also a "private" area. You must register with Google and then request that I grant access. There has been almost no interest shown in this so far. There are about fifty genealogy reports in PDF format available to anyone who gains access. In December I had a PDF Week on my "news" blog where I posted information about the available files. If I know you, and your area of genealogy interest, it's possible to request a particular file directly if you don't want to gain access to the "site." I can attach the file you want to an Email message.

Henthorn Google Site:
http://sites.google.com/site/henthorngenealogy/

Delicious

I have posted the URLs to many of my favorite websites on the social bookmarking website, Delicious. People interested in genealogy or visiting Washington, DC might find visiting this area useful.

Delicious:
http://delicious.com/mrdickie

Society Membership

I continue to maintain a membership in the Monroe County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society; P.O. Box 641,Woodsfield, OH. 43793. I enjoy reading their very nice newsletter, The Navigator.

Their website URL is: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohmccogs/

Plans for 2010

Currently I am no longer actively seeking to add information to my genealogy files. My interest for some time has been in sharing and publishing what I have collected and keyed over the years.

In 2010, as interest and health permit, I hope to share more of my genealogy information on the Internet and via Email attachments.

I'm going to investigate whether I can send PDF files to FedEx (Kinko's) for printing. This might be a good way to make paper copies for donation to some of the genealogy libraries.

I'll continue to share new information on my genealogy areas on the Internet. Little by little I have returned some of the information that used to be available on my AOL website to the Internet. I hope to continue this project.

Being able to produce and share genealogy reports in the PDF format is something genealogists have needed for years. In the new year I plan to make use of this capability to create and share more of the information that I gathered and keyed into my genealogy program over the years when I was working on genealogy. If we have been out of touch for a while I hope you will "touch base" so you can benefit in the sharing if I produce a report for a family in which you are interested.

Email Addresses

I now have two Email addresses. You can still reach me on AOL, but I prefer that you use my new Gmail address. I look at Gmail every day and skip signing on to AOL sometimes.

Preferred Gmail Address: dick.henthorn@gmail.com

Richard E. (Edson) "Dick" Henthorn

Phone: (301) 459-0535

Saturday, December 19, 2009

"If our ancestors had swung down from the trees with six fingers on each hand, we'd probably be counting by dozens. But thanks to humanity's development of 10 fingers and 10 toes, we count things in 10s, group the years in decades and celebrate anniversaries ending in 0—such as this 10th annual installment of Family Tree Magazine's 101 Best Web Sites."

UpFront with NGS: RootsMagic Releases Free Genealogy and Family Tree Software

UpFront with NGS: RootsMagic Releases Free Genealogy and Family Tree Software

There are two reasons why this link might be of interest.

First, a free version of the genealogy program, RootsMagic, called RootsMagic Essentials is now available. The commercial version of RootsMagic is the genealogy program I currently use. An earlier version of the program was called FamilyOrigins. I also used that program, primarily to load GEDCOM files shared with me by others. In my opinion RootsMagic is an excellent genealogy program. If you are not ready to purchase the full-blown commercial version you may want to avail yourself of the free version.
The second reason this link is of interest is because it is the blog of the National Genealogical Society (NGS). Did you know the national headquarters is located in Virginia, near Washington, DC? The library collection of NGS has been located in St. Louis, MO for a number of years in the county library system.

PDF Week

PDF files available on the new private Henthorn Genealogy site on Google sites.

Available PDF Files

CADE.PDF - John Wrex Henthorn Sr. and Alice Ann Bigger of Nebraska

CECIL-PDF - Cecil Family of Marshall Co., WV (including Isaac Cecil and Nancy Morrison)

CHARLES.PDF - Casper Karlinski Conger and Marietta Conklin

Coffield.PDF - George Coffield and Isabelle Arkle

Mr. Dickie

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Smart Computing Article - Google Gmail

If you are considering registering with Google one way to do it is to request a Gmail account. This article is a good introduction to Gmail. Click on the illustrations to view them in a larger size.

PDF Week

PDF files available on the new Henthorn Genealogy site on Google sites.

Available PDF Files

Baker.pdf - Samuel P. Baker and Caroline L. Tomlinson of Roberts Ridge, Marshall Co., WV

Ball.pdf - Joseph Ball and Mary Adamson

Beman.pdf - Samuel Everly and Margaret Hoard

Blake.pdf - Nathaniel Blake and Susan Richardson of Marshall Co., WV

browne.pdf - Abraham Henthorn and Mary Fielding of Lancashire, England

butler.pdf - Robert Barkley Butler and Margaret Lantz of Wetzel Co., WV

Mr. Dickie

Monday, December 7, 2009

PDF Week

This week I am going to post information about PDF files that are available on the new Henthorn Genealogy site which I created on Google sites and announced yesterday on my two genealogy blogs.

The new website is private. You must register with Google and then request access from me. I must know you and I must know where your genealogy interest lies.

If you see a file of particular interest listed during PDF Week and don't want to request access to the website you may request that I send you a copy via Email attachment, provided that I know you and I know your genealogy interest.

Available PDF Files

Alltop.pdf - George Alltop and Lavina Baker of Wetzel Co., WV

Anguish.pdf - Anguish family of the Ohio River Valley

Ault.pdf - Ahnentafel Chart for Estel Ault

BakerDav.pdf - David Baker and Susan Virginia Powell of Doddridge, WV

Mr. Dickie

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Henthorn Genealogy Website on Google Sites

Today I am announcing the creation of the Henthorn Genealogy website on the free Google sites.

This is a private website. You must request permission to join. I must know you and I must know where your genealogy interests lie. In addition, you will have to register with Google to gain access. There are a number of ways to accomplish this. For example: if you have a Gmail account you are registered; if you use the Google blogger you are registered; or you can go thought the registration process when you try to access the website. This process isn't complicated but some may not want to associate with Google. It's a question of whether you are willing to register to gain access.

The first person, or two, to request access will need to bear with me as we both learn the steps in the registration process. I'd hoped to test the steps using a volunteer but that didn't come to pass.

Initially I am making available about fifty PDF files created from various reports over the years. The files reside in the File Cabinet. To access the index of PDF files, click on File Cabinet in the navigation area of the sidebar on the left. To learn more about PDF files click on About PDFs in the navigation area of the sidebar on the left.

Here's the URL for the website.

Henthorn Genealogy

In addition to launching this website I am announcing PDFWeek on the Henthorn Genealogy News blog. During the week I'll reveal information about the PDF files that are available on the new website. Assuming that I won't get too many requests I'm also offering to send any file as an Email attachment, provided I know the requester and their particular genealogy interest. I reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time, for any reason.

Let's see where this endeavor takes us.

Mr. Dickie

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Resources for PDF | GeneaBloggers

Here are some links to PDF information that you might find useful in your genealogy endeavors.

Mr. Dickie

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Conger IV, Job

Job Conger IV

People study the stars without ever getting into a rocket and traveling to them. And you don't have to fight in a war to be an expert on military history.

So it's not all that unusual that Job Conger IV, one of Springfield's [Illinois] foremost authorities on aviation, can't fly an airplane.

"I've always wanted to learn," Conger says, "but I've never had the time or money."

Nevertheless, he probably knows more about airplanes than many pilots do. Conger's two-story home is crammed with aviation information, most of it filed on thousands of index cards he painstakingly wrote out by hand. There are files on every aircraft imaginable, complete with photos and diagrams.

There's the aircraft name file, the magazine index file, the aircraft data file and the "point in time" file. The point in time file tells what happened on a particular day in aviation history.

"Pick a date." Job says.

"May 10."

"Let's see, May 10. Here it is. On May 10, 1911, the first Army officer was killed in an aircraft. On this day in 1929 was the first flight of the Boeing XP-12A. In 1942, the Mustang's first combat sortie was flown for the Royal Air Force against German occupied France."

There's more. Much, much more.

An upstairs closet contains 5,000 model aircraft kits, dating back to the early 1930s. Some are constructed, others are still in their boxes. Every era is represented, from the space shuttle to the World War I - vintage Sopwith Camel.

The next room has piles of files. And there's yet another room beyond that, containing aviation magazines, more files, photos, facts and figures about anything that flies, flew or falls from the sky.

There are more models in Job's basement, including one of Han Solo's Millenium Falcon ship from the "Star Wars" movie trilogy. Other models are just figments of Job's imagination and sense of humor - like the one in which he grafted a World War II bomber's nose gunner turret onto the modern B-1 bomber.

All of the models and information are part of Job's "AIRCHIVE" project. AIRCHIVE is a library for anyone who needs information on aircraft. Job says he gets four or five requests a month, some from foreign countries.

"We're known in Venice, Italy, we're known in Prague, Czechoslovakia," Job says. "But we're very little known in Springfield, [IL] -- and those who do know about us are not inclined to support us."

Job's dream is someday to take all of his AIRCHIVE files and models out of his house and put them on display somewhere, like museum or an airport. Last year, he had some of his collection on display at the Sangamon County Fair. He has done slide shows and speeches for local organizations to promote his idea. But, so far, it remains just a dream.

"Only one person from the airport authority board has even visited and that was for about 10 minutes," Job says, "even though they've been invited several times."

Maintaining the AIRCHIVE library is what Job calls a "labor - intensive operation." Some days he spends up to 10 hours putting information into his files.

"It's easier for me because I don't punch a clock," he says. "Not that I wouldn't want to."

Job supports himself by doing freelance writing, including a weekly aviation column. For three years, he put together the souvenir program for Air Rendezvous. Most of the material he collects, such as aviation magazines, is donated to him.

Financially, it's a losing proposition. But if a guy's got a dream...

"This is what I'd like to do with my life if I could just find a way to support it," Job says.

Job, 39, developed his aviation fascination early in life.

"When I was 4, I could draw a picture of an F-86 Saber faster than any kid on the block," he says. "The first time I remember enjoying a plane ride was in the 9th grade."

Naturally, Air Rendezvous is just about Job's favorite time of the year. He burns up film that weekend like a fighter burns up fuel.

Job took his favorite plane ride at Air Rendezvous in 1985. He went up in a B-25 bomber to shoot photographs of Rudy Frasca's P-40 in flight. He had the run of the bomber as he scrambled about to get different photographic angles of Frasca's plane.

The article that he eventually wrote about the P-40 was published in "Air Show Journal," along with one of his photographs.

Even moving to a different house didn't dent Job's dream. He moved every pound of his files with him and then issued an "AIRCHIVE Update" press release, announcing the move. At the end of the update he says: "The saga continues at AIRCHIVE. The dream is undiminished. The horizon is blue."
(Source: Written by Dave Bakke in an unnamed paper and republished in "Conger Confab" p. 578, Vol. XIV, No. 4, Dec 1988 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Conger, Everton Judson

Everton Judson Conger

OCCUPATION: Dentist; soldier; lawyer; Judge

MILITARY: Served during the Civil War
2nd Lieutenant, Co. F, 8th Ohio Infantry (3 months service); 2nd Lieutenant, 7th Co. Ohio Cavalry; Capt. Co. A and Major 3rd West Virginia Cavalry; Lieutenant Colonel, 1st D.C. Cavalry.
(Furnished by Charles G.B. Conger)

MARRIAGE: 16 Oct 1861 at Troy Twp., Richland Co., OH by Rev. Enoch Conger. Probably at the farm of Seymour Beach Conger, according to Robert Guilinger. (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 173 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

RESIDENCES: Fremont, Sandusky Co., OH at the beginning of the Civil War.

BIOGRAPHY:
Everton Judson Conger was a practicing dentist in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio at the beginning of the Civil War. He enlisted, raised a company and was commissioned as a Captain and attached to the West Virginia Cavalry. He saw extensive fighting around Petersburg, VA in the Richmond Campaign and was wounded several times, almost losing an arm from a sword blow.

He was honorably mustered out of the First Regt., of the District of Columbia Cavalry on 8 Feb 1865, due mainly to complications from a gunshot wound in his hip, received on 28 Jun 1864.

He was residing at the farm of his deceased brother, Seymour Beach Conger, near Lexington, in Troy Twp., Richland Co., OH when President Abraham Lincoln was shot and died on 15 Apr 1865. Col. Lafayette C. Baker, his old commanding officer, called him back to Washington, DC, via telegraph, to assist in the apprehension of John Wilkes Booth. Col. Baker offered Everton Conger a Colonel's rank in the Secret Service and a share in the posted reward.

Conger accepted Baker's offer and was tasked to track down Booth and his associates. He was successful in tracking and finding Booth and a companion near Port Royal, VA, but Booth was killed in the attempted capture on 26 April 1865. Conger later received a reward of $15,000 for his role in the assassin's capture.

He moved to Carmi, White County, IL in 1869, at age 34, with his wife Emma Kate Boren and son, Charles West Conger (b. 1862).

Everton studied law at the law office of his brother, Chauncy Stewart Conger, and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1871.

He also built a home in Carmi with part of his reward money and practiced law there until 1880 when he was appointed a federal judge in the Montana Territory by President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Judge Conger became a legal adviser to Queen Liliokalani in the 1890s. She had ascended the throne in the Hawaiian Islands to become the last independent ruler. He remained in the islands until his death on 12 Jul 1918 at age 84, in Honolulu. After World War I, his body was returned for burial in Dillon, Beaverhead County, Montana in 1919.

[Note: The material in this article was obtained from sources that include "Conger Family of America, Vol II," 1992 and "Conger Confab" newsletters, 1975-1994, both written and compiled by Helen Maxine Crowell Leonard (b. 1919). Robert R. Guilinger, the author of this piece about Enoch Conger, is a grandson of Margaret E. (Conger) Guilinger (1863 - 1927).]

RELATIONSHIP: A descendant of Job Conger, Col. Everton J. Conger, was a Detective and Aide to Lafayette C. Baker. Lafayette C. Baker was the Chief of the National Detective Police (NDP, i.e., Secret Service) at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, in April 1865.

RECOLLECTIONS
Everton Judson Conger (1834-1918) and the Capture of John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth (1838 - 1865)

When the fall of Richmond aborted his plan to kidnap Abraham Lincoln and take him to the Confederate capital for a prisoner exchange, noted actor John Wilkes Booth changed his plot to murder.

Born into a Maryland stage family that included his father, Junius Brutus Booth, and his brother, Edwin Booth, he did not achieve the acting success that he thought he deserved.

Although his family tended to support the Union, his sympathies were entirely with the South and, while he didn't enter the military service, he wanted to strike a blow for his "country." He apparently planned to kidnap the president-elect before the 1861 inauguration but failed when the travel plans were altered secretly. Late in the war he plotted with several others to capture Lincoln and spirit him off to Richmond. Several times the band went into action but for one reason or another never succeeded. With the collapse of the Confederacy, Booth realized that the kidnapping would serve no purpose. His new scheme called for simultaneous attacks on Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, cabinet members, and General Grant.

On the night of April 14, 1865, Booth, having made arrangements earlier, entered the President's box at Ford's Theater and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. Major Henry Rathbone, who was a guest of the president, was wounded with a knife by the actor/assassin. Booth then jumped from the box but caught his leg in the decorative flags draped around the ledge and broke his leg landing on the stage. Despite attempts to stop him, notably that of Joseph B. Stewart, he managed to escape the theater.

He crossed the Navy yard Bridge after informing Sergeant Silas Cobb, the guard, who he was and that he had been unavoidably detained in the city. He met up with fellow conspirator, David E. Herold, who escorted him through his flight. He stopped at the farm of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd to have his leg set and then with the help of numerous people along the way, he made it to Virginia and across the Rappahannock River. But here his luck ran out and he was cornered at the farm of Richard H. Garrett near Port Royal. Trapped in a tobacco shed by a cavalry detachment under the direction of detectives Everton J. Conger and Luther B. Baker, he refused to surrender. The troopers were under the direct command of Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty. Herold surrendered but Booth remained stubborn. After the shed had been torched, a shot rang out and Booth fell mortally wounded. Whether it was suicide or a shot from Sergeant Boston Corbett has never been determined. The only other part of the conspiracy that was carried out was the attack on Secretary of State William H. Seward by Lewis T. Powell.

Lafayette Curry Baker (1826 - 1868)

A thoroughly unsavory character before the Civil War, Lafayette C. Baker remained that way for the duration and after.

Born in New York, he appears to have lived in Michigan, New York, Philadephia and San Francisco during his prewar years. Some of his occupations included claim jumping and vigilantism.

During the first months of the Civil War he served as a special agent for Commander-in-Chief Winfield Scott. Through connections with the secretaries of state and war, William H. Seward and Edwin M. Stanton, Baker became special agent of the Provost's branch in the War Department. Charged with rooting out corruption in the war effort, he was not of strong enough character to refrain from engaging in it himself.

In order to give him the appropriate authority, he was granted military rank and his assignments included: Colonel, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (May 5, 1863); and Brigadier General, USV (April 26, 1865).

He rarely, if ever, actually commanded the regiment that had been raised for special service in and around Washington, although it did see some action under others against Mosby and near Richmond and Petersburg.

Following the assassination of Lincoln his detectives fanned out across the countryside after the culprits. Two agents, his cousin Luther B. Baker and Everton J. Conger, brought back David Herold and the body of John Wilkes Booth with a cavalry detachment. For this Colonel Baker received $3,750 of the reward money. He was promoted to Brigadier General from the date of capture, and was mustered out on January 15, 1866.

His working methods had been questionable to say the least. Arbitrary arrests were commonplace and charges were made without evidence, as happened when he was a witness in the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson. His "History of the United States Secret Service" is of interest mainly for insights into his personality; otherwise it is highly unreliable.

Over the years, alleged coded messages from Baker have surfaced indicating that the assassination was masterminded by Stanton and others. Even if they actually are Baker's work, one must still question the message's veracity.

Baker died (some say he was murdered to keep him quiet) in Philadelphia in 1868. (Mogelever, Jacob, "Death to Traitors: The Story of General Lafayette C. Baker, Lincoln's Forgotten Secret Service Chief")

Luther B. Baker

Luther B. Baker was the junior detective supervising the cavalry detachment under Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty in the search for John Wilkes Booth and David Herold. He was a Lieutenant in the War Department's Secret Service, headed by his cousin, Lafayette C. Baker.

Under the direction of Colonel Everton J. Conger, he helped follow the trail of the assassins across the Rappahannock River at Port Conway. They finally caught up with their quarry at Richard H. Garrett's farm and captured Herold, but Booth either committed suicide or was killed by a soldier named Boston Corbett.

Baker recrossed the river and headed off for Washington without waiting for the rest. He took Booth's body and two prisoners but managed to lose one, Willie Jett.

All sorts of stories entwine the younger Baker with the activities of his cousin in some kind of coverup, but nothing has ever been conclusively proven. .

Everton Judson Conger (1834 - 1918)

Having served through much of the Civil War in the area of northern Virginia through which John Wilkes Booth and David Herold fled from their crimes, Everton J. Conger was a good choice to lead one of the most promising pursuit efforts.

His earlier assignments had included: [2nd Lt., 8th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf, Apr 1861]; Captain, 3rd (West) Virginia Cavalry (ca. December 1861); Major, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (1863); and Lieutenant Colonel, 1st District of Columbia Cavalry (1864).

Under John C. Fremont, he had commanded a cavalry squadron at Cross Keys and elsewhere in the Shenandoah Valley. Made a field officer in a regiment raised for special service in and around Washington, he frequently operated against John S. Mosby. He commmanded the regiment in Butler's operations along the James River and the subsequent seige operations against Richmond and Petersburg.

Called back to Washington, [after his discharge in Feb. 1865,] he became a Colonel in the Secret Service of the War Department, in which position he was given this assignment. Along with a detective Lieutenant, Luther B. Baker, he supervised one of the many detachments of cavalry scouring the countryside for the Lincoln assassin. The actual cavalry detachment comprised 26 men from the 16th New York Cavalry and was under the immediate command of Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty. Picking up the trail, the 29-member detachment crossed the Rappahannock at Port Conway and caught up with a Confederate Captain, Wilie Jett, who had briefly accompanied Booth and Herold, in Bowling Green. Jett revealed to Conger that Booth was at the Richard H. Garrett farm. Returning the way they had come, the party caught Herold, but Booth was either shot by Boston Corbett or committed suicide, [on 26 Apr 1865]. Conger's share of the reward money came to $15,000.
(Source: Who Was Who in the Union, Vol. I, by Stewart Sifakis, copyright 1988 by Facts on File, New York, NY. - furnished by Robert Guilinger)

PENSION:
Claim of Officer or Soldier for Invalid Pension.
The State of Ohio, County of Richland, SS.
On this 9th day of May A.D. 1867 personally appeared before me ... ...
[Joul Myers ?] Judge of a Court of Record within and for said county, Everton J. Conger, aged 33 years, a resident of Lexington, in the county of Richland, and State of Ohio, who, being first duly sworn according to law, declares that he is the identical Everton J. Conger who was mustered into the service of the United States at Washington City, D.C.
in the county of --, and State of -- on the 24 day of February, in the year of 1864 as Lieut Colonel, in the First Regiment of District of Columbia Cavalry, commanded by Colonel L.C. Baker, in the war of 1861, and was honorably mustered out on the Eight day of February A.D. 1865, as will appear by his certificate of discharge herewith presented.

That while in the service aforesaid, and in the line of his duty, and engaged in the Battle of Roanoke Station on the Danville Rail Road Va and during Wilson Raid he was wounded by gun-shot in the right hip & back by reason of which said wound he disabled so much that he was conveyed by ambulance to City Point opposite Petersburg Va at which place he received a leave of absence for 30 days and returned to his home in Ohio.
And further that being so completely disabled by said wound his leave of absence was extended thirty days more at the expiration of which said extended leave he reported at Washington DC in person and being unfit by reason of said wound for duty in the field was placed on special duty with Genl L.C. Baker Prov Mar. War Dept. and never did any duty with his said Regt thereafter. He received said wound on or about the 28th day of June 1864.

That since leaving the service he has resided at Washington DC and since Lexington in the State of Ohio, and has been unable to perform labor of any kind. He makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the Invalid Pension Roll of the United States, on account of the disability above stated.
/s E.J.Conger Also, on the same day, personally appeared T.E. Tracey [?] and H.O. March [?], residents of said County of Richland, Ohio persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who, being by me duly...
(Furnished by Robert Guilinger)

Conger, Benjamin

Benjamin Conger

PARENTS: The parents of Benjamin Conger were, John Belconger and Sarah Cawood.

Problem: Was the date of death, 10 Mar 1762 or as listed in Ancestral File, 19 Mar 1762?

PROBATE:
Very little is known of the early life of Benjamin Conger. He was perhaps about twelve years old when his father, John Conger, died. He is mentioned in his father's will, and is given one-half of the farm home, but with the express provision that his brother, Joseph, was to have the use and improvement of Benjamin's portion for the ensuing ten years, when it would revert to Benjamin. (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 34 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

PROBATE:
Benjamin Conger's children, mentioned in his will in 1762, include among others: Daniel, Enoch, Sarah, Elizabeth and Lydia. In the case of Lydia, she was to be paid 50 pounds on her marriage day. If she were to die unmarried the 50 pounds would go the grandchildren, Sarah and Martha Goble, daughters of Simeon and Abigail (Conger) Goble; to Lydia, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Conger) Goble; to Zipporah and Abigail, the daughters of Daniel and Mary Conger.

Benjamin's will, dated at Morristown, was proved 10 Mar 1762. He described himself as Yoeman. To his wife, Experience, he left one third of the proceeds of his personal estate, and the use of the profits of one third of his real estate.

To his son, Daniel, he left the use of 10 acres at the east end of his plantation, adjoining Jonathan Wood. At Daniel's death it was to go to his son, Jonas. Another piece of land was given to Daniel for life, then to go to his son, Benjamin.

To Enoch he left wearing apparel and the rest of his real estate.

To daughters, Abigail and Elizabeth, 10 pounds each; to daughter, Lydia, unmarried, 50 pounds as mentioned.

Executors, son Enoch and friend, Jonathan Stiles. Witnesses: Samuel Oliver, John Primrose and Ezekiel Cheever.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 34 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Conger, Joseph

Joseph Conger

PARENTS: The parents of Joseph Conger were, John Belconger and Sarah Cawood.

COMMENT-BIRTH: 17 May 1692 may have been the date of baptism, rather than the birth date. See Ancestral File.

MARRIAGE: According to CFA I, p. 334, "... apparently was md to MARY MARSH. Probable issue:"

MILITARY: In 1715, Job Conger and his brother, Joseph, were Privates in Col. Thomas Farmer's New Jersey Militia Regiment, apparently at the time in the service of the Colony of New York.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, 275 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

BIOGRAPHY:
Joseph Conger lived at Woodbridge, NJ for many years, and it is likely that he died there.

He is mentioned in his father's will, dated 11 jan 1710, in which he was given his father's freehold rights, in the town of Woodbridge, and was also allowed to occupy the eastern portion of the farm for ten years after the decease of his father, and to have the use of all tools, carts, plows, etc., he being to equal in their repair as long as he lived on the place.

That portion of the land that he was allowed to live upon, had been devised to his younger brother, Benjamin, who at the time of the dating of the will, was about ten years of age, being born about 1700.

The permission given to Joseph to live on the land might indicate that he was married, in which event his wife must have been born as early as he was -- 1792 [sic, 1692]. However, Joseph Conger was mentioned in the will of John Marsh of Rahway, as being the husband of the testator's grand-daughter, Mary, which might indicate that she was rather old to have been named as grand-daughter of a man living as late as 1739, the date of the will, unless she was the second wife of Joseph Conger.

Charles L. Conger said there were four unattached Congers of the period, namely, Joseph of Sherman, Conn., John of Hanover, Morris county, NJ, Elizabeth, who married John Baldwin, and James, who he listed as being children of Joseph Conger (1692). They were all born between 1714 and 1720, except that James was born about 1734, and may be the issue of the second marriage of Joseph Conger.

His reasons for assuming that they were the children of Joseph Conger is by elimination. To begin with, there is no New Jersey record of any sort showing the birth of a son or daughter to Joseph Conger, but as a result of the elimination of all known parental contenders of that time, it is assumed the four above-mentioned Congers were the children of Joseph Conger.

On 2 Nov 1712, Joseph Conger, together with a number of other freeholders of the town of Woodbridge, gave power of attorney to three of their number, viz. John Bishop, Thomas Pike and Adam Hude, to sell as much of their land as will bring forty pounds, which was to be applied to the cost of a lawsuit being carried on in the name of John Pike, in defense against paying Quit-rents (new Jersey Deeds, C-2-86).

The Middlesex county court records show that in 1714 there was a case on trial, John Brock vs. Joseph Conger. No particulars were given.

On 23 Aug 1716 there was laid out to James Clarkson, Jr., 5 acres of land in Rahway, "it being half a third division lot in Woodbridge, which the said James Clarkson purchased of Joseph Conger." (W.T.R.A.-25)

On 13 Mar 1735, Joseph Conger witnessed the will of John Moore of Woodbridge.

On 14 Mar 1737, it was voted "that the committee appointed to manage the school land shall pay to Joseph Conger the sum of four pounds and ten shillings out of the rent of the said school land, it being the sum agreed upon by Henry Freeman and Joseph Bloomfield, appointed for the purpose." (W.T.R.-B-8) (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 335 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Conger, Edwin Hurd

Edwin Hurd Conger

PARENTS: Lorentus Everett Conger and Mary W. Hurd

PUBLIC_SERVICE: United States Minister to China during the Boxer Rebellion. (CFA I, p. 40a)

DEATH: Edwin H. Conger, published 22 May 1907, former U.S. Minister to China, died Los Angeles.
(Source: Putnam Co., MO, Newsprint Death Index - furnished by Joyce Posey) .

BIOGRAPHY: CONGER, Edwin Hurd, 1843-1907
CONGER, Edwin Hurd, a Representative from Iowa; born in Knox County, Ill., March 7, 1843; was graduated from Lombard University, Galesburg, Ill., in 1862; during the Civil War enlisted as a private in Company I, One Hundred and Second Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war; attained the rank of captain and received the brevet of major; studied law and was graduated from the Albany Law School in 1866; was admitted to the bar and practiced in Galesburg, Ill., until 1868; moved to Dexter, Dallas County, Iowa, in 1868 and engaged in stock growing, banking, and agricultural pursuits; elected treasurer of Dallas County in 1877 and reelected in 1879; elected State treasurer in 1880 and reelected in 1882; elected as a Republican to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses and served from March 4, 1885, to October 3, 1890, when he resigned to accept a diplomatic mission; chairman, Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures (Fifty-first Congress); Minister to Brazil from September 27, 1890, to September 13, 1893; appointed Minister to China January 19, 1898, and served until his resignation on March 8, 1905, on which day he was appointed as Ambassador to Mexico and served until his resignation on October 18, 1905; died in Pasadena, Calif., May 18, 1907; interment in Mountain View Cemetery.

Bibliography DAB.
(Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present) .

BIOGRAPHY: From a newspaper clipping in 1901
"Edwin H. Conger, United States Minister to China, was in Kansas City today on his way back to his post in Peking. He visited W.J. Buchan, former state senator in Kansas City, Kansas, and this revived rumors of a romance between Lt. Frederick E. Buchan, United States Army, and Mr. Conger's daughter, Miss Laura Conger, who met at the seige of Peking."
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 136 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

BIOGRAPHY:
Edwin Hurd Conger was graduated from Lombard University, Galesburg, Ill., in 1862. During the Civil War he enlisted as a Private in Co., I, 102nd Regt. Illinois Volunteer Inf., and served until the close of the war. He attained the rank of Captain, and received the Brevet of Major for gallant and meritorious conduct in the field.

He studied law and was graduated from Albany, New York Law School in 1866; was admitted to the bar and practiced in Galesburg, Illinois until 1868. He moved to Dexter, Iowa in 1868 and engaged in stock raising, banking, agricultural pursuits. He was elected treasurer of Dallas county in 1877 and re-elected in 1879; elected state treasurer in 1880 and re-elected in 1882.

He was elected as a Republican to the 49th, 60th and 61st Congresses; served from 4 Mar 1885 to 3 Oct 1890 when he resigned to accept a diplomatic mission. He was made Minister to Brazil on 27 Sep 1890 and served to 13 Sep 1893.

Edwin Conger was appointed Minister to China on 19 Jan 1898, where he served during the Boxer Rebellion, and until his resignation on 8 Mar 1905, on which day he was appointed Ambassador to Mexico and served until his resignation 18 Oct 1905.

His biography is in the Congressional Biographical Dictionary, p. 467 and in Who's Who in America, 1902.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 136 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

Conger, Clement Ellis

Clement Ellis Conger

RESIDENCES: Alexandria, VA

PUBLIC_SERVICE: Deputy Chief of Protocol for 8 years; Chairman, Special Fine Arts Committee, Department of State; Curator of the White House .

BIOGRAPHY:
Clement Ellis Conger was written up in "The Sunday Courier and Press," of Evansville, IN on 1 Mar 1970 by Dorothy McCardle, as follows: .
Together President and Mrs. Nixon twisted the arm of Clement E. Conger to pursuade him to take on a White House Americana Project comparable to the one he heads at the State Department.

Conger had three other job offers. A top U.S. Museum was trying to draft him. The Bicentennial Commission wanted him as a commissioner. The Secretary of State dangled an ambassadorship.

Conger, who now relinquishes his job as Deputy Chief of Protocol, finally decided to accede to the President and Mrs. Nixon's wishes for two reasons: .
"The challenge at the White House is terrifc," says Conger, "I shall do my best."

His second reason is that the White House job leaves him time to continue with the State Department Americana Project ... his first love.

Clem Conger has won a world-wide reputation as a antiques sleuth. He has tracked down more china, silver, paintings and furnishings from America's beginnings than most men ever see in a lifetime. And he is determined to get the best of America's cultural heritage for the two spots in Washington where it will be displayed in an international showcase -- the White House and the State Department.

He won't discuss just what he will do at the White House. It has been learned from other sources that a top reason he was asked to move his talents there is because of wear and tear on the public rooms by the hundreds of tourists who go though them daily and scores of guests entertained there nightly.

Conger is expected to stockpile a substitute collection of Americana at the White House which will be as historic as anything that has to be replaced or repaired.

The idea got started last November when President Nixon attended the Governor's Conference at the State Department. For the first time, the president took in the full significance of what Conger and his special fine arts committee have done to give an authentic historic setting to the rooms in which the Secretary of State entertains the heads of foreign governments. The President was astounded as he inspected various items of the five million dollar collection of American antiques on view in the State Department's hospitality suite.

"This is one of the most important projects of its kind in the American government," the President told Conger. Then he added, "Clem, could you help us over at the White House?" Conger did not take this at face value until he was summoned for a talk with the First Lady.

When he spoke of other job offers, he was assured that he was much too valuable at the State Department and could be, too, at the White House, for him to leave. He did not want to leave anyway.

An antique desk, designed and used by Thomas Jefferson, illustrates the fast action and sleuthing ability of Conger. He heard about the desk at a party in the Thomas Jefferson Room at the State Department. He didn't let one day go by before he headed for Philadelphia, where the desk was in private hands. He interviewed George Holcombe Parsons, a wealthy Philadelphian, who told him he planned to give the desk to a museum in Philadelphia. Conger talked him out of it. He gave Parsons statistics of the number of presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens who would see that desk if it was at the State Department.

That's where the desk is right now, on loan, it may be given later as a permanent fixture. The top of the desk lifts up into an architect's drafting board. Jefferson designed it this way because he liked to stand up when he wrote. The "great penman" of his day drafted the Declaration of Independence on this desk.

Conger's ability has been listed as "having a practiced eye, a discriminating taste, and an appreciation for excellence -- things found in a rug merchant, a horse trader and a Florentie aristocrat -- rolled into one.
(Source: The Conger Family of America - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

BIOGRAPHY: Clement Ellis Conger 1912-
Clement Conger was born and raised in Rockingham County, VA and joined the White House state in the 1930's and by 1941 was an Electrician in the White House. He served in the US Army in WWII and after the war served as a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department. By the 1960's he had advanced to the position of Curator of the Diplomatic Reception Room of the State Department. His work caught the eye of Mrs. Richard (Pat) Nixon, wife of President Nixon, in 1970 and she asked Clement to be the White House Curator. He diplomatically accepted, but only on a half-time basis, retaining his position in the State Dept.

Clement's speciality was locating pieces of furniture that once were in the White House or State Dept. and getting people to donate them to the federal government for display in the White House or elsewhere. Clement continued in his role as White House Curator until 1986 when Mrs. Ronald (Nancy) Reagan, wife of President Reagan, had him fired for not showing "proper deference" to her. Clement was only one of perhaps 10 persons around the White House that Mrs. Reagan had fired for the same "offense" in the 1983-1991 period.

One story told was when Michail and Riasa Gorbachov visited Washington, DC in 1987, Riasa requested a tour of the White House. Nancy Reagan and the new Assistant White House Curator hosted the tour. Riasa Gorbahov asked a lot of questions about the White House and it's furnishings. Mrs. Reagan couldn't answer half of the questions and the new Asst. Curator didn't do much better. The snide comment made by some State Department officials was that if Clement Conger were on the tour he could have answered all of the questions off the top of his head.

Clement Conger retired from the State Department in the early 1990's and went to work as a Consultant for Sothby's Auction House in New York City.

Clement was an active subscriber to the "Conger Confab" newsletter and resided in Arlington, VA.
(Source: Written by Robert Guilinger, 7 May 1998)

RESEARCHER: Clement Ellis Conger corresponded with Charles Leslie Conger about his study of the Conger family. Clement Conger lived in the Washington, DC area. It was Clement who arranged the donation of the Charles Leslie Conger's papers to the Rare Book Room of the Library of Congress. Many articles about the career of Clement Ellis Conger appear in both volumes of "Conger Family of America" and in issues of the "Conger Confab." .

OBITUARY: Curator Clement E. Conger Dies at 91; Beautified Nation's Diplomatic Spaces, By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, January 12, 2004; Page B04

Clement E. Conger, 91, the State Department curator who transformed the "motel modern" look of its diplomatic reception rooms into a showcase for early American craftsmanship, died Jan. 11 [2004] at a hospital in Delray Beach, Fla. He had pneumonia.

Mr. Conger's career, which married the worlds of diplomacy, politics and fine arts, was chronicled extensively in print. Seemingly every Chippendale table, every Gilbert Stuart portrait, every Duncan Phyfe cabinet he obtained became cause for a story.

He raised millions of dollars to refurnish State Department rooms for visiting dignitaries and then did the same at the White House and Blair House, the presidential guesthouse.

Although Mr. Conger was long enamored of antiques and fine art, he was a bit of an anomaly in his high-profile job.

A tall, chatty, energetic Shenandoah Valley native with roots in Colonial Virginia, he held no college degree in decorative arts, never worked in a museum and had no scholarly record.

His entry into curating, in the early 1960s, was largely accidental. He was at the State Department helping coordinate visits by foreign officials when the wife of Secretary of State Christian A. Herter approached him worriedly about additions that had been made to the State Department building. She was distressed to see the new hospitality suite looking so sterile. According to Mr. Conger, she "burst into tears," knowing that she soon had to entertain the Queen of Greece there.

He fixed the problem with three borrowed French paintings and then got to work forming a committee of wealthy citizens with a healthy interest in history and antiques.

He sent letters nationwide explaining the benefits of lending beautiful objects to the State Department: "national pride, family pride and tax deductibility."

On weekends, he visited auction houses and private estates for vintage Americana while working full time during the week as an assistant to top arms-control officials.

Over the years, he overhauled more than 15 main reception rooms as well as the Treaty Room suite and the offices of the secretary and deputy secretary of state.

The furnishings are now valued at more than $100 million, said Pat Heflin, his former assistant.

The Nixons admired his work and invited him to be the White House curator. Curating became his main job, and he divided his time between the executive mansion and the State Department.

He raised millions to renovate much of the White House, including the Red, Green and Blue rooms.

In 1986, first lady Nancy Reagan reportedly dismissed Mr. Conger because of artistic differences and replaced him with a Reagan friend, White House chief usher Rex Scouten.

Mr. Conger retired from the State Department in 1992 and then spent two years doing consulting work at Christie's auction house.

Clement Ellis Conger was born in Harrisonburg, Va., where his father was a doctor. He was a graduate of Strayer College and attended George Washington University.

Early on, he worked in Washington as an office manager and correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and office manager for U.S. Rubber Co.

During World War II, he served in the Army and became assistant secretary for the United States and British combined chiefs of staff.

He joined the State Department after the war and became deputy chief of protocol in the late 1950s. He helped oversee visits by foreign officials, among them the Shah of Iran, Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev, French President Charles de Gaulle and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Although he began curatorial work as a volunteer, he attacked the job with vigor. He earned the nickname "the Grand Acquisitor" for his singular pursuit of certain objects.

At a State Department party, he heard about a man in Philadelphia selling a desk once used by Thomas Jefferson. He rushed that day to meet the owner and dissuaded him from selling the desk to a museum. Giving it to the State Department, he explained, would mean that it would be seen by presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens.

The job also had its foibles.

"Marshall Field V's wife didn't like antiques," he said in 1972, referring to the Chicago newspaper publisher. "But he couldn't stop collecting them, so he lent them to us. But a funny thing happened. He changed wives, and his new wife just loves antiques. So the other week, all the antiques he had lent us went to their home."

Mr. Conger, a member of the Senior Executive Service, was a recipient of the State Department's Distinguished Service Award and the Distinguished Service Medal.

In 1992, Winterthur, the Delaware-based museum of American decorative arts, gave him the Henry Francis DuPont Award for distinguished contribution to the American arts.

He was a former chairman of the Virginia Trust for Historic Preservation and a former vestryman and senior warden at Episcopal Christ Church in Alexandria.

A longtime Alexandria resident, he lived briefly in Arlington before moving to Delray Beach in 2002.

Survivors include his wife of 55 years, Lianne Hopkins Conger of Delray Beach; three children, William Conger of Maurertown, Va., Jay Conger of Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Shelley Conger of Sherman Oaks, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
(Source: c 2004 The Washington Post Company)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Belconger, John

John Belconger

COMMENT: Ancestral File shows, John Belconger (Conger); b. 8 Sep 1633, Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, Great Britain; d. 27 Aug 1712, Woodbridge, Mddlsx, [sic], NJ; Christening, 8 Sep 1633, Great Yarmouth, England .

AKA: John Conger; John Conger "primus" by Charles G.B. Conger. What does "primus" in italics mean?

BIRTH: Abt. 1633 in England, perhaps in Norfolk County. Other dates of birth of 1640 and 1641 have also been listed. In CFAII, Maxine Leonard disputes the date of Abt. 1633.
QUESTION: Can anyone cite a source for the birth date?

MARRIAGE: "A Mary Kelly, m. April 12, 1666, John Belconger. She may have been a dau. of John."
(Source: Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, found in, The Conger Family of America, Vol. II, p. 18 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

BIOGRAPHY:
John Belconger came to Newbury, Massachusetts from England in 1665. He and his first wife, Mary Kelly, had first two children in Newbury and then moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey in 1667 or 1668. Shortly after moving to Woodbridge he shortened his name to Conger. He was illiterate and always signed his name with an "X".

It has been reported by some researchers that John (Belconger) Conger is the ancestor of all Congers in America. They also report that the name, Conger, does not exist in present-day England and that the name, Belconger, is very rare, existing only in County Norfolk.
(Source: According to Karen Halter Werry in Feb 1990 this information was written by Darrell Conger of Parkersburg, WV.)

BIOGRAPHY:
In 1665, John Conger came from England to Newbury, Mass. On Jan. 12, 1666 he married Mary Kelley, b. in Newbury, Feb. 12, 1641, the only daughter of John Kelley.

John Kelley came from Newbury, England to Old Newbury, Mass. with the original founders of the town in 1635. His only other child was a son, John Jr., who married Sarah Knight, the daughter of Deacon Richard Knight. John Jr. and Sarah had five children who had numerous descendants.

The Kelley Ferry operated for many years by father and son was a popular mode of travel in the early days of Newbury.

Daniel Pierce, a prominent citizen, well known throughout Mass. colony was organizing a group of citizens to move to a newly acquired Province of New Jersey which King Charles had wrested from the Dutch in 1664. In 1667, Pierce with nine associate owners and forty-six other men, many with families, arrived in New Jersey and founded the township of Woodbridge, located on an estuary that flows between Staten Island and the mainland and between Rariton and Rahway Rivers. Woodbridge, traditions says, was named for the Presbyterian minister they left back in the Newbury home.

John Conger and his wife, Mary, and their infant son were among this company. Tradition is, and can be proved by some facts, that the Conger family came from Alsace, then a French province, to Holland (the name being Koeniger about the date of the massacre of St. Bartholomew 1572), and then from Holland to England, the name being anglicized into the English, Conger.
(Source: "Conger History 1664-1941," p. 2, by Ethel Conger Heagler - furnished by Robert Guilinger)

LAND:
In 1702 John Conger deeded to his three motherless grandchildren, eighty acres of land as a token of "love and affection." He named the children as: John (b. 15 Feb 1685), Allen (b. 12 Jun 1687) and Edward, sons of Edward Wilkison of Woodbridge. [Note: No source citation given. REH] (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. II, p. 16 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

DEATH: According to Robert Guilinger a death date of Sep 1712 is recorded in New Jersey.

WILL: 11 Jan 1711 with Codicil of 14 June.
He left a will, dated 11 Jan 1711, proven before Thomas Gordon on 27 Aug 1711, approved and sealed by Col. Hunter on 17 Oct 1712.
(Source: J. Bass. Liber I, Folio 382, New Jersey Wills, Sec. of State Archives) .

PROBATE: Will of John Conger, 11 Jan 1711
In the name of God, Amen, the 11th day of January 1711. I JOHN CONGER of Woodbridge, in the county of Middlesex, and Province of East New Jersey, Planter, being in bodily health and in perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God, therefore: Calling in mind the mortality of this body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and Testament, that is to say, principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and for my body I recommend it to the earth, to be buried in a Christian-like and decent manner, at the discretion of my Executors, nothing doubting but at the general Resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God, to bless me in touching such worldly estate, wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life. I give, devise, and dispose of the same in the follow manner and form:

ITEM: My will is that my farm or plantation on which I now dwell to be equally divided into two parts, beginning at the River and running with a direct line through the whole length of my said farm or plantation, the Eastern division whereof I will and bequeath to my son BENJAMIN CONGER, to be by him quietly and peacable possessed, and enjoyed as soon as he shall arrive at the age of 21 years, and if my son JOSEPH please, he shall have the liberty to live upon it 10 years after my decease, paying the charge arising thereon.

ITEM: The use and improvement of the western division of my said farm or plantation, and my dwelling house standing thereon I give to my wife during her state of widowhood and when her condition shall change either by marriage or death I will and bequeath the said western division of my farm together with my now dwelling house and all other buildings thereon to my son JOB CONGER.

ITEM: I will and bequeath to my son JOSEPH all my freehold right in the towne of Woodbridge (Will also specifies as conveyed to Joseph his rights to Woodbridge common lands yet to be divided.) I give to my son my Carts and Ploughs with all the tackling belonging to them to my son JOSEPH to have liberty to use them when they can be spared so long as he lives upon the place, he being at equal charge at repairing them.

ITEM: My will is that if either of my three sons above mentioned, JOSEPH, JOB or BENJAMIN, shall die without issue, then what land I have willed to them do descend to the survivor or survivors, and be equally divided between them.

ITEM: I give to my son JOHN ten schillings; to my son JONATHAN five schillings; to my son GERSHOM five schillings; and to each of my daughters five schillings, all to be paid by my son JOB, if demanded.

Lastly, I give all my cattle, horses, sheep and household stuff, to my faithful and beloved wife, SARAH CONGER, whom I do nominate and appoint my sole Executrix, to see that this, my last will, be punctually fulfilled, and I do declare this to be my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking and making void all other wills by me formerly made. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the day and year above written.
JOHN CONGER X (His Mark) Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said John Conger, as his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, the subscirber viz: --James Connet, James Connet Jr., Richard Pangbourner, John Bishop .
CODICIL: June 14, I the above name John Conger, being very sick in body and not expecting many hours of this life, and my son GERSHOM being born since the making of this my Will, above written, do declare that my will & desire is that my three sons, JOSEPH, JOB and BENJAMIN, as they come to age, give unto my son GERSHOM, ten schillings, each of them and that seven pounds out of my movable estate be put out for his use when he comes to age, this I declare to be my desire before thise witnesses.
--John Stille, John Moore and John Bishop

Proved before Thomas Gordon, the 27th of August, and approved and sealed by his Excellency, Col. Hunter, the 17th day of Oct 1712. (Some say he died on 27 Aug 1712. Maxine Leonard states he died in September 1712.) (J. Bass. Liber I, folio 382, New Jersey Wills, Secretary of States Office.) (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. II, p. 19-20 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

CONFLICT: Codicil Confusion
The naming of a youngest son, Gershom Conger, in the Codicil has caused confusion and conjecture among Conger researchers, owing to the fact that an elder son of John Conger, named Gershom who had been born in 1685, was listed in the last "ITEM" of the 11 Jan 1711 will. At the time the will was written, the elder Gershom was married and was father of David, born in 1707 and Phoebe, born in 1708.

Researcher, Charles L. Conger, believed that the Gershom Conger, born in 1711, was the son of Gershom Conger, born in 1685. Gershom Conger, b. 1685, supposedly died before his father, a date of death of, Abt. 1710/1711 in Union Co., NJ, has been listed by some researchers.

It seems highly unlikely that John Conger would have had a son in 1711. At that time, his health was probably already failing, since he had drawn up a will. And, his second wife, Sarah Cawood, who had been born in 1660, would have been 51 years old.

It seems more reasonable that either the person drawing up the Codicil made a mistake when he wrote, "... my son Gershom being born since the making of this my Will..." or that John Conger was confused in his last days, and that the family pampered him in his belief that his grandson was indeed his son. If the Gershom, mentioned in the Codicil, was indeed the grandson of John Conger this would raise the question of why this grandchild was the only one that John Conger chose to mention, by name, in his will.
[Note: This discussion from CFA II, p. 20, has been editted by Richard E. Henthorn in order to clarify and expand on some of the points made.] (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. II, p. 20 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

Conger, Job

Job Conger

PARENTS: The parents of Job Conger were, John Belconger and Sarah Cawood.

RELATIONSHIP: A descendant of Job Conger, Lt. Col. Everton J. Conger, was Aide to Lafayette C. Baker. Lafayette C. Baker was the Chief of the National Detective Police (NDP, i.e., secret service) at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, May 1865.

SPOUSE: Mary (Pierce) Percy is also listed as a spouse in Ancestral File. Can this spouse be proven? What is the source citation? .

SPOUSE-QUESTION: Various records have stated that Job Conger was married first to Mary Percy or Pierce, as his wife, Keziah, was mentioned in his will. According to the evidence just found among an assortment of notes, your compiler [Maxine Leonard] is of the opinion, Job had but one wife.

From the "Hartford Times Queries," Hartford Times, Jan 23, 1854, Query B-5907, in part: "Job's wife was Mary Keziah, dau of Joseph (2) Thorp (Thomas 1) of Woodbridge. Deed of Zebulon (3) Thorp (Joseph-Thomas) Feb. 6, 1736 to Benjamin Thorp by Huder: (a schoolmaster of Woodbridge, N.J.). "Land belonging to the plantation that my father Joseph Thorp and my brother, Paul, sold to Job Conger Feb. 24, 1732, witnesses John Alston and Jonathan -----." (Sent by E.E.T.) (Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, 275 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

MILITARY: In 1715, Job Conger and his brother, Joseph, were Privates in Col. Thomas Farmer's New Jersey Militia Regiment, apparently at the time in the service of the Colony of New York.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, 275 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

EMIGRATION:
Job Conger Jr. removed to Albany County, New York; Enoch removed to Dutchess County, New York and on to Darby, VT; Moses remained in Woodbridge until 1771 when he offered his land for sale.
(Furnished by Harold Murton Hyde)

PROBATE: Job Conger's will, dated 30 Jan 1749 at Woodbridge, Rahway Neck, East Jersey, refers to himself as "Yoeman." (A freeholder; a gentleman farmer) .
To wife, Kezia, he left one half of his moveable estate. To his oldest son, Job, he left but ten pounds, as money to buy a plantation which had already been given him. The balance of his moveable estate he divided among his daughters, the married ones to have half as much as the single ones, they having had their marriage portions.

To his sons, Enoch and Moses, he left "my farm land in Woodbridge, Rahway Neck, where I now dwell," when they are 18, but they could not sell same until they were 30.

The Executors named were wife, Keziah, son Enoch, and friend William Moore; witnesses Job Pack, Benjamin Thorp and Thomas Chapman.

Will proved 17 Feb 1758.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 275 - Maxine Crowell Leonard) .

Monday, November 16, 2009

Conger, David

David Conger

PARENTS: Jonathan Conger and Ann Enyard

REFERENCE: "Conger History 1664-1941," compiled by Ethel C. Heagler, 1941, Broadlawn Farm, Cooksville, Illinois. Book located at the State Library of Ohio; 65 Front Street; Columbus, Ohio 43266-0334; Phone: 614-644-6966 (Reference furnished by Joyce Posey and Robert Guilinger)

REFERENCE: "The Conger Family of America," Vol. 1, 1972 & 2, indexed, by Maxine Crowell Leonard of Janesville, Iowa. [Note: Both volumes were used at the Library of Congress by REH in Sep 1995, Call Number: CS71.C7515 1972. Supposedly there are copies at the DAR Library in Washington, DC. The compiler's full name was Helen Maxine (Crowell) Leonard, which is only revealed by review of her familie's family group sheet information in Volume 1. REH] (Reference furnished by Joyce Posey)

CHRISTENING: 12 Aug 1744 at the 1st Presbyterian Church, Morristown, Morris Co., NJ, according to Ancestral File.

SPOUSE: David Conger, Sr. was the 2nd spouse of Mary (Darby) Green.

BIOGRAPHY:
It is thought that David Conger Sr. was married twice. There is a tradition to that effect and that he had a son, Ishmael, by the first marriage -- that he was only married about a year when his wife died. An Ishmael Conger does appear in the 1790 census of Washington county, PA, where Elias D. Conger and David Conger Jr. (his brother) settled in 1790. Elias D. and David Conger were half-brothers of Ishmael. CFA I, p. 98

MILITARY:
David died during the Revolutionary War, circumstances unknown. From the office of the Adjutant General in Trenton, NJ we find the following:
It is certified that the records of this office show that David Conger served as a Private in Middlesex County, New Jersey Militia, received certificate 1571 amounting to 28:8:2 for the depreciation of his continental pay in Middlesex County, New Jersey Militia during the Revolutionary War.

Any of his descendants are eligible for membership in the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution.
(Source: The Conger Family of America, Vol. I, p. 99 - Maxine Crowell Leonard)

MILITARY: David and John Conger were privates in the Revolutionary War from Middlesex county, New Jersey. [No source citation. REH] (CFA I, p. 328)

CENSUS: 1800, in Washington Co., PA, Morris Twp., page 815
David Conger, males 2, 1, 0, 1, 0; females 1, 0, 0, 1, 0 CENSUS: 1810, page 703
(Furnished by Joyce Posey)

DEATH-BURIAL-CONFLICT: According to David M. Dodd, he was buried at Dunn's Station, PA; Ancestral File lists, d. 1778 at Green [sic] Co., PA. Others have listed the date and place of death as, 1778, Middlesex Co., NJ.

CHILD: Ancestral File lists a child, Ishmael Conger, born Abt. 1761 at Woodbridge, Middlesex, NJ. According to CFA II, p. 119, "An ISHMAEL CONGER was listed in the 1790 census of Washington county, PA. Speculation was that he may have been a s/o David 1741 and a wife before Mary Darby Green. The will for this man is under the name CONYERS. He died 8 July 1835. He mentioned his wife Mary, sons-in-law Jonathan Thomas and Henry Devore; also a grandson Ishmael Devore."

Conger, James Lockwood

James Lockwood Conger

John Conger, who settled in Woodbridge, N. J., in 1667, was the ancestor of nearly all the native-born Congers in the country. He had two wives and a large family of children. From that day there has been a steady stream of Davids, Johns, and Josephs in succeeding generations of the family, most bewildering to one member of it, Mr. Charles L. Conger of McIntosh, Minn., who is patiently compiling a Conger Genealogy.

Very little has been preserved of the Cleveland life of James Lockwood Conger, a lawyer residing in the city between 1826 and 1840, save through a package of old letters written by Mrs. Conger to her only sister, Mrs. Erwina Miner of Centerville, Fairfield Co., Ohio. James L. Conger, b. in Trenton, N. J., was the son of David and Hannah Lockwood Conger, who later lived in Phelps, N. Y. He received his general education in that locality and studied law with Judge Ewing of Ohio.

In December, 1824, he married in Lancaster, O., Miss Paulina Belvedere Clark, daughter of Dr. Ezra and Sarah Clark, pioneers of that county and formerly of Middletown, Vt. James Conger was only nineteen years old and the bride but eighteen. The youth of the couple and the fact that they remained in Lancaster two years, suggests that he may have pursued his law studies after the marriage. A little boy named Seneca was born to them in Lancaster, who died young.

In April, 1826, they started for New York State to visit Mr. Conger's parents and perhaps with a view of settling near them. An acknowledgment of money received by the couple at that time is here given because of its phraseology

"Received, Lancaster, O., April 25, 1826, of our revered father, Dr. Ezra Clark, three hundred and fifty dollars towards our portion. J. L. CONGER. PAULINA B. CONGER."

They drove a span of horses all the way to eastern New York and return, as far as Cleveland, which they reached September 6th of the same year. And in this month begins the series of letters previously mentioned, a half-dozen only, but covering several years of the Conger's residence in Cleveland. These letters are unusual for that day and generation. The penmanship is beautiful, the composition correct in every particular. The writer must have been a woman of charming personality; a brave woman possessing great fortitude, but shy and sensitive, sweetly grateful for every kindness shown to her.

The depth of her affection is revealed in the messages to her aged father whom she seems to have idolized and whom, so far as the letters reveal, she never met again in this life. On her trip to New York she met Mr. Conger's family for the first time. Of these new relatives she writes

"I frequently think of the remark you made when we were last together, `Do not be too sanguine in your expectations of James' parents,' and I was cautious not to be so. But my own could not do more for me. James' sisters were all equally kind, each striving to be most so. I was almost afraid to mention anything I wanted for fear one of them would get it for me, and they seemed to think they could not give me enough. I really think the whole family would have liked to come on to Cleveland with me, they were so truly attached.

"Father Conger and James went to New York City, returning before July 5th. They purchased about three hundred and fifty dollars worth of books and other things. Father brought me a beautiful figured silk dress and other smaller presents."

The young couple drove back to Cleveland, but various and sundry household furnishings donated by the elder Congers were shipped by canal and Lake Erie. One barrel when opened was found to contain everything necessary for the laundry, while mop and dish-cloths had been tucked into another one. Nothing necessary or convenient in that line had been omitted or forgotten. And, just as the team was about to start on the long western journey, father Conger had placed a bill in his young daughter-in-law's hand, to be used by her for any personal need on the way.

When they reached Cleveland they found Mrs. Reuben Wood, wife of the future governor of the state, preparing for a visit to her former eastern home. Her sister was to accompany her, and they intended to remain until spring. Evidently the Conger and Wood families were previously acquainted. The latter at once turned over the house they occupied, with all the heavier furniture to Mr. Conger, at a rental of $80 for the eight months' use of it. This sum also included the kitchen garden well stocked with a variety of vegetables and five bushels of peaches yet ungathered.

The departure of Mrs. Wood and her sister is told in one of the letters. "They started on Sunday, September 10th. We went out on a lighter about a mile from shore to the steamboat with them. The waves were very high and became seasick on the way. Notwithstanding, on the whole I had a pleasant ride."

The young wife seems to have been very lonely in the new strange town, her only acquaintance in it having been Mrs. Wood whose return she pathetically anticipates. Meanwhile, Mr. Conger had purchased a lot on the south-east side of the Public Square. The east corner of the May Co.'s big department store now covers the site, and upon this he began the erection of a small frame-house, which, four years later, was considerably enlarged.

Mrs. Conger dwells upon the delights of its possession; speaks with pride of the sodding of her "door yard," and of her planting in it a rose, a lilac, and a snowball bush; of the high board fence surrounding three sides of the lot, and a little later of the arbor covered with five kinds of grapes, and of the square of English strawberries each side of the arbor, from which she picked sixteen quarts of fruit.

Stand, if you will, in front of the towering Cushing Building and imagine the little home, the lilac, and the snowball bush!

The furnishing of their house progressed slowly.

"I believe all the furniture we have, so far, are fees. James has sent to Pittsburgh, by a man who owes him, for a carpet for the front chamber and hall, and I have just finished a pretty rag-carpet for the back room."

The second summer after the house on the Square was occupied Mr. Conger's sisters, Hannah and Phebe, both mentioned as "beautiful young girls," make the family a long visit. We can imagine how pleasant those months must have been when we are told that "there are numerous young men in town, but very few young women." And in connection with this who can not read romance in the opportunities afforded in the statement, "There are many beautiful walks and rambles on this delightful lake. Every Sunday, after meeting, James and I take a walk by the lake, and often through the week we stroll through the Square and Ontario street to it and spend the twilight hours there." This was written August, 1827.

James Conger must have given evidence of unusual ability in his profession for one so young, or he never would have found himself associated with Thomas Bolton, one of Cleveland's most able jurists. "Bolton & Conger, Attornies and Counsellors, Hancock Block, No. 93 and 95 Superior Street," they announce professionally.

Some time after the panic of 1837, that was the cause of scattering many of the numerous Cleveland lawyers and doctors to all points of the compass, James L. Conger removed to Belvedere, Mich., where in 1847, after four years of battling with tuberculosis, Mrs. Conger died, aged forty-one. Mr. Conger married again, but there is no record furnished of this union. He became a prominent man of that community and at one time represented it in the lower house of Congress in Washington. He died in St. Clair, Mich., in 1876, aged seventy-one, and was buried in Columbus, O.

Children of James L. and Paulina Clark Conger:

Seneca Conger, b. 1825; died in infancy.

Helen Edwina Conger, b. Jan., 1827; m. Thomas Lough.

William James Conger, b. 1829; m. Abby Louise Meckler. He died in Columbus, O., 1882.

Three younger children died in infancy.

Helen Edwina Conger was born four months after her parents arrived in Cleveland, and often returned in after years to her native town, ever since it became "Greater Cleveland." She was welcomed each time in the homes of our oldest families as a loved and honored guest, for she was an unusually bright, attractive woman. She died but recently, leaving two daughters.

Mrs. W. B. Waggoner, one of them, resides in the city.

When James L. Conger removed to Michigan, he sold his Cleveland residence property to Dr. Erastus Cushing. He may have received less than $1000 for it. Today the lot is worth $8000 a foot front; a traffic tally recently taken showed that in the business hours of the day an average of 5134 persons pass this spot hourly.
(Source: The Pioneer Families of Cleveland, 1796-1840 by Gertrude Van Rensselaer Wickham, Vol. I & II; Found on the Internet, April 2006)

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