Gayle recently found the grave of Maj. Samuel Sayre, son of Thomas Sayre and Susannah Seeley of Goshen, Goshen, NY in Stanhope Union Cemetery. The cemetery is rather odd in that it is in western Morris Co., but the town of Stanhope is in southern Sussex Co. During a visit, Gayle saw a downed stone, and with her husband cleaned it off. She researched the name, based on the birth date. Samuel Sayre’s first wife was Mary Cooper. Her father, Nathan, ran a grist mill in what was then Black River, NJ, and is today Chester, NJ. The mill was restored and is now part of the Morris Co. Park system. His second wife, buried next to him, was Margaret Stone of Woodbridge, NJ, where he ran a tavern and inn. Per a deed in the Morris Co. Courthouse, he was back in Orange Co. in 1802. A woman and her two daughters have been the only women to join DAR under him. This woman told Gayle that she did not list a death date for Samuel because she could not find a solid source. A 1901 book by Thomas Banta, Sayre Family: Lineage of Thomas Sayre, a Founder of Southampton, lists his death date as December 1802, but it contains no sources. Someone at DAR National handwrote “Cumberland County, NJ 1802.” No one knows from where this information came from; Cumberland Co. is in the southern part of the state. Gayle wrote to the historical society in Cumberland Co. They List a Samuel Sayre on county tax rolls, but not until 1807. Margaret’s stone reads, “Margaret Stone consort of Samuel Sayre.” Samuel’s stone indicates that he died in 1816, and, given that her stone reads “consort” not “relic,” Gayle is inclined to accept the 1816 date. According to Gayle, the original stones are very weathered, so she asked her Congressman for assistance in getting a VA stone. The stonemason for the cemetery transcribed Margaret’s stone verbatim on the back of the VA stone, so both graves will be preserved. The Congressman is dedicated the new stone on Oct. 24. Although she is not related to Samuel, Gayle would like to know more about him. She says there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about him, even in militia records.

Ann Livecchia | gayle.ann.livecchia@gmail.com

We have Samuel Sayre, b. 5 May 1741, with his two wives listed as SGS# 444. We don’t have a death date for him or information on his descendants. His mother, Susannah Seeley, is SGS# 176. Her line is Susannah, Samuel, Jonas, Obadiah. It sounds as though Samuel was named after his mother’s father. There are quite a few other Sayres who married into the Seeley family as well. If you have information about Major Samuel Sayre, please let me know.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Nov 2014

Wayne is looking for photos, family information, books, stories, etc., for his second-great-grandmother, Caroline Frances Seeley. Caroline was born 23 May 1834 in NY to Jesse and Prudence Brown Seeley. He knows that Caroline was married in Medina Co., OH, on 25 Jan 1853, to Wellington Lappin, that they lived in Franklin Co., TN in 1870, that Wellington died there 25 Apr 1882, and is buried in the Lappin Cemetery. Caroline died in 1913 and is also buried in Lappin Cemetery. The 1900 Census shows Frances C. in Medina Co., OH, married to Rufus A. Low (17 years). Rufus died in 1902 in OH.

Wayne Boyd | wayneandbecky@yahoo.com

From findagrave.com

• Rufus Anthony Low
• B. Feb., 1828, Granger, Medina Co., OH; d. 1 Nov 1902, Granger, Medina County, OH

Rufus Anthony Low, son of Hiram Low and Anna, was born in Feb 1828 in Granger. He died 1 Nov 1902. He married Francis Caroline (Seeley) Lappin, daughter of Jesse Seeley and Prudence Brown, on 25 Nov 1884 in Medina Co., OH (Vol. F p. 247). She was born on 23 May 1834 in New York. She died 9 Jun 1913 in Marion Co., TN. Earlie, he had married Elizabeth Prudence Seeley, daughter of Jesse Seeley and Prudence Brown on 9 Sep 1857 in Medina Co., OH (Vol. C p. 127). She was born about 1835 in Carlisle, Schoharie, NY. She died 9 Mar 1884, at her home (Granger).
Rufus A. Low’s will (Medina Co. Probate Court)

Frances C Low listed as widow; Ella Porter of Medina, OH, R. F. D. No. 3, listed as daughter; Elmer, Dasie, and James Porter listed as his three grandchildren; Rufus listed as resident of Granger.

Death notice in Medina Gazette, 6 Nov 1902, p. 6

• Lowe–At home in East Granger, Nov. 1, Anthony Lowe, aged 73 years. Funeral Nov. 4 at the house; burial at East Granger Cemetery.

Obituary in Medina Gazette, 13 Nov 1902, p. 6

• R. A. Lowe died at his home, Nov. 1, after an illness of four weeks. He has been a resident of this place for a goodly number of years. The funeral was largely attended. The services were conducted by Rev. W. A. McCartney, of East Granger. He was buried at East Granger.

1870 census Granger, Medina, OH

• Low, Anthony, age 40, farmer, b. OH
• Low, Elizabeth age 35, b. NY
• Low, Ella, age 9, b. OH

1880 census Granger, Medina, OH

• Low, Rufas A, age 57, b. OH, NY, NY, farmer, md.
• Low, Luella, age 19, dau., b. OH, OH, OH

1900 census Granger, Medina, OH

• Porter, Otis E, b. Feb 1863, OH, PA, OH, day labor, md. 13 yrs to
• Porter, Luella, b. Feb 1863, OH, Oh, NY, 3 ch., 3 living
• Porter, Elmer L, b. June 1887, Daisy T, b. Jul 1889,
• James A, b. Oct 1896, all b. OH, OH, OH

Next home

• Low, Rufus, b. Feb 1828, OH, NY, NY, farmer, md. 17 yrs to
• Low, Frances C, b. May 1833 NY, NY, NY, 0 ch, 0 living

1860 census York, Medina, OH

• Lapin, Willington, age 29, farmer, b. OH
• Lapin, Caroline, age 25, b. NY
• Lapin, Jesse, age 7, Durant age 5, Idelbert, age 4, all b. OH
• Patterson, Margaret, age 76 b. VT

• 1870 census District 10, Franklin, TN
• Lappin, William, age 41, farmer, b. OH
• Lappin, Carolin, age 36, b. NY
• Lappin, Joseph, age 17, Robert, age 15, Idelbert, age 13, Harmon, age 6, Larua ,age 4, Arther age 3, all b. OH

1880 census District 12, Marion, TN

• Lappin, J M, age 26, b. OH, OH, OH, farming
• Lappin, Martha, age 26, b. TN, TN, TN
• Lappin, Frank, age 2, b. TN, OH, TN; Caroline E age 6 mos. b. TN, TN, TN
• Lappin, Caroline F, age 48, mother, b. OH, NY, NY
• Lappin, Harmon G, age 17, brother, farming, b. OH, OH, OH

1910 census Civil District 4, Marion, TN

• Lappin, Jesse, age 56, b. OH, OH, NY, farmer, md. 34 yrs. to
• Lappin, Martha E, age 56, b. TN, TN, TN, 9 ch., 9 living
• Lappin, Mattie E, age 18, Bertha, age 16, William M, age 12, all b. TN, OH, TN
• Lowe, Francis C, mother, age 75, wid., b. NY, NY, NY

Caroline Frances and Elizabeth are both daughters of Jesse Seeley and his wife, Prudence Brown. Their line is Jesse, David, Jesse, Samuel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Robert. David, their grandfather, is SGS# 1993.

If anyone has family memorabilia to share with Wayne, please contact him at the address above.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Nov 2014

Scott is a descendant of Horace Clinton Seely (SGS 3671d) and his 2nd wife, Friedericka Amelia Kornbau Grater Seely. You can read about this family in the Chief Genealogist Report November 2011 SGS Newsletter and an update in the August 2012 SGS Newsletter. Scott is still trying to find a death date and place for his great-grandmother Friedericka, last known to be living in Upper Darby, Delaware, PA, with her son Paul Waldo Seely at the time of the 1940 census. Scott also asked whether we could find a death date for Isabella Jane Seely, oldest daughter of Horace and his first wife, Anna Virginia (Jennie) Mullen Seely.

Scott Llewellen | sbllewellen@gmail.com

PA Death Certificate

• Isabell Seeley/Seely, single, age 54, dau. of Horace C Seely, b. IN, and his wife, Virginia, b. Philadelphia, d. 19 Jul 1929, at Philadelphia Hospital, Byberry, of chronic myocardial degeneration and chronic nephritis. The informant was Mrs Horace C Seely. Isabell was buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia) on 23 Jul 1929.

I was unsuccessful in finding death information for Friedericka.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Nov 2014

Kari emailed me that she works for the Richard Allen Co., a jewelry and antiques dealer in Hoffman Estates, IL, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. She said that they recently were fortunate enough to come across an item belonging to Bertha Wagner Seely. Kari was hoping to learn a little more about her family history.

Kari Madden | Kari@richardallenjewelers.com

There is a Bertha Elmira Wagner, b. 1865, in Cressona, Schuykill Co., PA, md. Lloyd Horatio Seely in 1890, had 3 children, lived in Hazelton, Luzerne, PA, divorced between 1910 and 1920. She had 3 children who lived to adulthood. Her father, Andrew Wagner, was a tinsmith.

From findagrave.com

• Bertha Elmira Wagner Seeley
• B. 1865, PA; d. 14 Jul 1920
• Wife of Horatio L. Seeley

Parents

• Andrew B. Wagner (1840 1917) and Emeline Berger Wagner (1843 1895)

Siblings:

• Charles Lincoln Wagner (1861 1936)
• John F. Wagner (1863 1940)
• Elmer Edward Wagner (1868 1957)
• Robert M. Wagner (1874 1885)
• Chester A. Wagner (1880 1949)
• Bertha is buried at Vine Street Cemetery, Hazleton, Luzerne, PA.

However, I was a little concerned that there didn’t seem to be anything to tie Bertha to the Chicago area.

When I sent Kari this information, she responded, asking about Bertha’s being the granddaughter of George Washington, noting that she saw this on our Website. I asked her to send me the link since I wasn’t finding it myself. She sent me to http://www.seeley-society.net/bios-ly/bio-berthawarnerseely.html, and then she realized she was actually interested in Bertha Warner Seely! This is a good example of how easy it is to go down the wrong path.

Here is Bertha Warner Seely’s bio:

SEELY, Bertha Warner, 660 Lexington Av., New York City

Sec. Y.W.C.A. ; b. Cummington, Mass., Sept. 19, 1883; dau. Charles D. and Susan L. (Warner) Seely; ed. Brockport (N.Y.) State Normal School: Bryn Mawr Coll., A.B. ’05. Private sec. Bryn Mawr Coll., 1905-07; sec. Horace Mann High School, N.Y. City, 1907-12; sec. Dep’t of Conventions and Conferences of Nat. Board of Y.W.C.A., 1912-13. Mem. Woman’s Trade Union League, Caroline Club for Social Workers. Congregationalist (John William Leonard, ed., Woman’s Who’s Who of America, A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada 1914-1915, New York: The American Commonwealth Company, 1914: 729).
[Granddaughter of George Washington SGS # 2739 – Bertha Warner; Charles DeLoss; George Washington (# 2739); Loren/Lorin; Benjamin; Benjamin; Joseph; John; Nathaniel; Robert]

Of course, this isn’t THE George Washington. Bertha’s grandfather is George Washington Seely. From earlier research, we know that Bertha married George Quincey Dunlop and died by the time of the 1930 census. She had a daughter, Mavis Helen Dunlop, b. in IN. Further research led me to Bertha’s obituary, Mavis’s wedding announcement, and Mavis’s obituary. Family members lived in Rochester, NY, Cleveland, OH, and Indianapolis, IN, which makes the jewelry turning up in the Chicago area seem more plausible.

Additionally, I did some more research on the other Bertha: Bertha Wagner Seely. It turns out that she was the first wife of Lloyd Horatio Seeley, grandson of SGS# 1924 Dr. Lloyd Seeley of CT.

1900 census Hazleton, Luzerne, PA

• Seeley, Horatius L, b. Apr 1869, PA, PA, PA, confectionary salesman, md. 10 yrs. to
• Seeley, Elmira, b. Oct 1866, PA, PA, PA, 4 ch, 3 living
• Seeley, Helen, b. Jun 1891, Arthur, b. Dec 1897, Florence, b. Feb 1899, all b. PA, PA, PA (The family was also together in Hazelton in 1910: Loyd H Seely, Bertha E, Hellen J, Arthur L and Florence A.)

1920 census Hazleton, Luzerne, PA

• Seeley, Elmira B, age 54, divorced, b. PA, PA, PA
• Seeley, Helen J, age 28, ins. co. cashier, Arthur L, age 22, transit man for engineering corps, Florence A, age 20, stenographer for supply co., all single, all b. PA, PA, PA
• Wagner, John F, brother, age 56, tinsmith

We didn’t have Bertha’s name in the SGS Ancestor File nor her son Arthur nor complete information on her grandchildren.

If you would like more information on either Bertha or one of these families I’m happy to send it to you.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Nov 2014

Samantha’s grandfather was George William Seeley, born Holton, ME, 10 March 1915, died 21 March 1984. His mother was Cora Belle Speed, born Danforth, ME, April 1870, married 14 Jan 1893, Nehemiah Ezekiel Seeley, born Hartland, Carleton, New Brunswick, Canada, March 1871. Samantha found a listing for a Nehemiah Seeley who was born 1869/1870 in Wakefield, Carleton, New Brunswick, to John Seeley and Mary Anne Drake. Since the dates and cities do not match completely and there is no listed middle name, she was not sure whether this was the next step back in her Seeley line.

Samantha Tanner | samz_shadow@yahoo.com

Chris found two obituaries for Clarence S Seeley of Independence, KS. Here is one of them:
Clarence S. Seeley, March 30, 1963, Independence, KS
“Clarence Seeley, 80, Dies at Independence”
INDEPENDENCE – Clar S. Seeley, 80, who operated a restaurant here from 1931 until retiring in 1955, died Saturday night. Surviving are his wife; two sons, Loren of Independence and Milo of Chicago; four grandchildren and a brother, Harry Seeley of Waterloo.
Services: Tuesday at 2, White’s.
Published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, April 1, 1963, p. 5

Chris also found a cemetery record for Clarence at Findagrave.com that identified his father as Franklin A and his wife as Edith Spece Seeley. That led her to Franklin’s cemetery record that identified his parents as Sheldon Seely and Lola Lewis, his wife as Ada Moore, whom he married 12 Sept 1880 in Buchanan Co., IA, and their five children, Orval, Clarence, Inez, Jesse, and Henry. Chris later found information on the families of these children. Contact Chris or Linda if you want those details. However, who is this Sheldon?

Chris Havnar | chris.havnar@gmail.com

The 7th Generation Families of Nathaniel Seeley, p. 83, shows several children for Sheldon Seeley, SGS# 1086c, by his first and second wives (no name for first wife, Lola for second wife) but no information on the children’s spouses or that they had children. There is no death information for Sheldon. We had previously identified wives and children for two of Sheldon’s children by his first wife—SGS# 2752, John Seeley, and SGS# 2753, Benjamin Seeley. By Sheldon’s second wife, Lola, we had 2 children—SGS# 2755, Alexander Seeley, b. abt. 1847, NY, and SGS# 2756, Margaret Seeley, b. Mar 1850, Machias, Cattaraugus, NY. Further research led to these records:

US Mortality Schedule

• Sheldon Seeley, widowed, b. abt. 1798, NY, d. Nov 1879, age 81, of old age, at Liberty, Buchanan, IA

IA Marriages

• Emma Seeley, age 17, md. John M Blank, 18 Oct 1866, Buchanan Co., IA
• Emma Seeley Blank, widow, age 37, b. 1850, Rochester, Monroe, NY, to Sheldon Sealey and Lola Lewis, md. Hugh Hersey, 28 May 1887, Buchanan Co., IA

1880 census Liberty, Buchanan, IA

• Blank, John M, age 36, farmer, b. PA, PA, PA
• Blank, Emma M, age 30, b. NY, NY, NY
• Blank, Carrie L., age 11; Kittie J age 7; Lottie L., age 5; all b. IA, PA, NY

Next house

• Seeley, Frank A, age 32, bro.-in-law, painter, b. NY, PA, NY

1870 census Liberty, Buchanan, IA

• Blank, John, age 26, b. PA, farmer
• Blank, Emma, age 20, b. NY
• Blank, Carrie, age 1, b. IA
• Seeley, Sheldon, age 72, b. NY

1850 census Machias, Cattaragus, NY

• Seeley, Sheldon, age 52, b. NY
• Seeley, Lola, age 41, b. VT
• Seeley, Olive, age 20; John, age 18; Benjamin, age 16; Sally A, age 13; Alexander, age 3; Margaret E, age 6 mos.; all b. NY

From Findagrave.com

• Lola Seeley, b. 1810, d. 15 Mar 1854, age 44, wife of Helden, bur. New Hampshire Cemetery, Lily Lake, Kane, IL
• So SGS# 2755 is Frank Alexander Seeley (31 Oct 1848 NY-17 Jan 1910, Buchanan Co., IA), md. Ada Moore, 12 Sept 1880, 5 children.
• SGS# 2756 is Margaret Emma Seeley, b. 1850, NY, md. 1st John M Blank, 18 Oct 1866, md 2nd Hugh Hersey, 28 May 1887. Information on her children is shown below.

IA Marriages

• Carrie Lola Blank, age 18, dau. of John Martin Sullis Blank
• Emma Etta Seeley, md. 22 Sept 1886, Nelson Melvin Gageby
• Jenill Blank, age 19, dau of John Blank and Emma Seely, md. 8 Nov 1890, Albert Terres
• Lottie Blank, age 22, md. 10 Mar 1897, F H Sampson

1900 census Cono, Buchanan, IA

• Sampson, Robert, b. Sept 1829, ENG, ENG, ENG, farmer, md. 39 yrs. to
• Sampson, Anna C, b. June 1839, CAN, SCOT, SCOT, 6 ch., 3 living
• Sampson, Fred H, b. Jun 1874, IA, ENG, CAN, farm laborer, md. 3 yrs. to
• Sampson, Lottie, b. Aug 1875, IA, PA, NY, 1 ch., 1 living
• Sampson, Florance O, b. Jul 1898, IA, IA, IA

In 1920 Fred and Lottie are in Elkton, Brookings, SD, with dau. Florence O, age 21, and Marion M, age 12

1900 census Liberty, Buchanan, IA

• Gageby, Mellville, b. Aug 1851, OH, OH, OH, day laborer, md. 14 yrs to
• Gageby, Carrie, b. Nov 1868, IA, PA, IL, 6 ch., 5 living
• Gageby, Guy, b. Jun 1886; Charles, b. May 1889; Maggiee, b. Jun 1890; Ida, b. Oct 1896; Sharlott, b. Dec 1898; all b. IA, OH, IA
• Parker, Jessie A, b. Apr 1880, IA, OH, OH, house servant

In 1910 in Liberty Melvin N and Carrie L Bageley have had 9 ch., 7 living: Charles A, age 21, Margaret L, age 19, Chalotte R, age 13, Ida I, age 11, Winnifred V, age 9, Eva, age 6, Wayne J, age 3; all b. IA, OH, IA.

In 1920 they are in Elkton, Brookings, SD, with ch. Winnifred V Gerhitz, age 18, md., and Gageby, Eva J, 15, Wayne, age 12, and Nelson L, age 8; all b. IA.

In 1940 Carrie Gageby is in Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, with dau. Ida Maxwell, age 41, and 2 grandch.

1910 census Elkton, Brookings, SD

• Tures, Albert, age 38, b. IA, NY, IL, farmer, md. 19 yrs. to
• Tures, Catherine, age 37, b. KS, PA, IL, 4 ch., 4 living
• Tures, Karl, age 18; Hugh, age 14; Delpha, age 10; all b. IA, IA, KS; Mervine, age 2, b. MN, IA, KS
• Hursey, Emma, mother-in-law, age 60, b. IL, NY, NY

In 1920 Albert Tures, Jewell K, Hugh, and his wife, Cella, Delpha, Mervine, and Emma Hursey are all in Shevlin, Clearwater, MN.

In 1900 Albert’s wife is called Julia.

1930 census Shevlin, Clearwater, MN

• Tures, Albert, age 58, b. IA, NJ, IA, farmer, md. 39 yrs. to
• Tures, Kittie, age 57, b. KS, PA, IL
• Spicer, Mervine, age 32, dau., b. MN, IA, IA, md. 1 yr. to
• Spicer, Fred, age 27, son-in-law, b. ND, IA, IA, farm laborer

From Findagrave.com

• Carrie L Gageby, b. 1868, d. 1941, bur. with husband, Melvin N Gageby (1850-1947), Forest Hill Cemetery, Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI
• Kitty J Tures, “Mother,” 1872-1931, Albert Tures, 2 Jul 1871-8 Dec 1950, and Carl Alvin (S. Dak. Pvt 160 Dep. Brig., American Legion marker), all bur. Oakwood Cemetery, Lisbon, Ransom, ND
• Lottie H Sampson (1875-29 Mar 1962) and Fred H (1874-21 Aug 1926), both bur. Elkton City Cemetery, Elkton, Brookings, SD

TX Death Index

• Hugh Elmer Tures, b. 17 Jan 1896, IA, resided Port Neches, Jefferson, TX, son of Albert Tures and Kitty Jewel d. 2 Jan 1962, Marlin, Falls, TX

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Nov 2014

Don lives in Ballston Lake, NY, and his link to the Seeley family is indirect. His grandfather, Casper Frank Lampman, worked for William Seeley in the sawmill and lumber yard on North Plain Rd, Housatonic, Berkshire, MA, in the 1920s. Don is looking for the house where his mother was born on North Plain Rd. It is near the Seeley house.

Don remembers his mother, Ruth, telling a story about the mill and a fire there when she was about three or four years old. Ruth woke in the night crying, waking her father and mother. They discovered that the mill was on fire. When “Mr. Seeley” heard that Don’s mother had awakened everyone and the mill was saved, he gave her a new pair of shoes. Most kids did not wear shoes, but since Ruth had a club foot, she had to wear them. There were seven children in the family, so shoes were hard to come by.

A Great Barrington directory shows C. Frank Lampman living just across North Plain Road from William C. Seeley, lumber dealer.

Don would like to have a picture of the mill or the Seeley house on North Plain Rd to help him locate the Lampman house.

Don Lester | donlester09@gmail.com

Perhaps by researching William C. Seeley we can discover descendants whom Don can try to contact.

1930 census Housatonic, Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA (North Plain Rd)

• Seeley, William V, age 35, b. MA, MA, NY, lumber dealer, 1st md. at age 24
• Seeley, Martha L, age 27, b. NY, GER, GER, 1st md. at age 23

They are also listed there in 1940, still no children, William is farming.

1920 census Housatonic, Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA (North Plain Rd)

• Seeley, William C, age 69, b. MA, MA, NY, sawyer, lumber yard
• Seeley, Alice R, age 62, b. NY, NY, NY

Next house

• Seeley, William, Jr, age 24, b. MA, MA, NY, lumberman, lumber yard
• Seeley, Maud Irene, age 28, b. MA, IL, Australia

1910 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA (North Plain Rd)

• Seeley, William C, age 59, b. MA, MA, NY, farmer, md. 7 yrs. to
• Seeley, Alice R, age 53, b. NY, NY, NY, 1st marr., 1 child
• Seeley, Bessie A, age 24, calendar girl at paper mill; Edward H, age 21, sawyer at saw mill; William V, age 15; all b. MA, MA, NY

1900 census Great Barrington, Berkshire MA

• Seeley, William C, b. Aug 1850, MA, MA, NY, sawyer at lumber mill, 2nd marr., md. 17 yrs to
• Seeley, Alice, b. Apr 1857, NY, NY, NY, 1st marr., 1 child
• Seeley, Annie B, b. Jan 1879, CT, MA, MA, assembler in electric shop
• Seeley, Lulu M, b. Jan 1882, CT, MA, MA, bakery cashier
• Seeley, Ella M, b. Jun 1884, CT, MA, MA
• Seeley, Bessie A, b. Apr 1886; Edward H, b. Nov 1888; both b. MA, MA, MA
• Seeley, William B V, b. Jan 1895, MA, MA, NY
• Carmal, James S, boarder, b. Jun 1830, CAN, ENG, ENG, machinist at mill, md. 43 yrs

1880 census Andover, Tolland, CT

• Seeley, William C, age 28, b. MA, MA, MI, steam engineer in saw mill
• Seeley, Lilly, age, 16 b. MA, MA, MA
• Seeley, Ann, age 1, b. CT, MA, MA
• Williams, Aaron, age 61, father-in-law, b. MA, MA, MA, works in steam saw mill

1880 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, William, age 62, b. MA, CT, CT, machinist
• Seeley, Margaret, age 61, b. NY, NY, NY
• Seeley, Stewart, age 21, b. MA, MA, NY, tinsmith, md. within yr.
• Seeley, Charles, age 36, laborer; Fred, age 22; Samuel, age 19, both tinsmiths; Ella, age 15; all b. MA, MA, NY
• Seeley, Anna, age 20, dau-in-law, b. MA, md. within yr.
• Seeley, Frank, age 5, grson, b. RI, MA, RI

1870 census Exeter, Washington, RI

• Seeley, William, age 52, b. MA, sawyer
• Seeley, Mary F, age 50, b. NY
• Seeley, Charles H, age 27; Albert A., age 25; William, age 20, all work in sawmill; Steward, age 16; Frederick, age 12; Samuel, age 9; Ella, age 6; all b. MA
• Noble, Edward, age 25, b. CT, teamer
• Ward, Frederick A, age 36, b. MA, carpenter
• Kilborn, Mark age 37, b. MA, works in sawmill

1865 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, William, age 47, b. MA, sawyer
• Seeley, Mariette, age 46, b. NY
• Seeley, Charley H, age 21, soldier; Albert, age 18, laborer; John B, age 17; Wm C, age 15; Stewart and Julia, twins, age 11; Frederick, age 7; Samuel, age 3; Ella M, age 9 mos; all b. MA
• Seely, Sally, age 74, b. CT

1860 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, Wm, age 41, b. MA, sawyer
• Seeley, Mariette, age 40, b. NY
• Seeley, Charles, age 16, laborer; Albert, age 15; John, age 13; William, age 10; Stewart and Julia, twins, age 6; Joel F and Frederick, twins, age 2; all b. MA
• Chapter, Horace, age 25, laborer b. MA

1855 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, William, age 26, b. MA, miller
• Seeley, Maryette, age 28, b. NY
• Seeley, Charles, age 12; Albert, age 8; William, Jr, age 5; Stewart Annable and Julia Harrison, twins, age 15; all b. MA
• 16 others (not Seeley), mostly in late teens and 20s, working in mill or no occ. listed

1850 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, Joel, age 60, b. MA, cooper
• Seeley, Sally, age 55, b. MA
• Seeley, William, age 22, b. MA, laborer
• Seeley, Mariette, age 21, b. MA
• Seeley, Chas, age 7; Albert, age 5; John, age 2; all b. MA
• Case, Emeline, age 35, b. NY

From previous research we have Joel Butler Seeley, b. 1788, New Haven, CT, md. to Sally A Allen in 1809 in Seneca Co., NY, son of Abraham, b. 1763, New Haven, CT, md. to Eunice Butler in 1787 in New Haven, son of Abraham, b. 1730, md. Mary Barnes in 1758 in New Haven. We do not know the ancestry of this Abraham Seeley (see Query 0808-6 on the SGS website).

From Findagrave.com: At Mahaiwe Cemetery, Great Barrington, MA

• Seeley, William C, b. 1850, d. 1921
• Seeley, Alice Van Valkenburgh, b. 1857, d. 12 Jan 1923, “His wife”
• Tremper, Ella M Seeley, dau. of William and Marietta Seeley, wife of William A, b. 1864, d. 22 Jun 1886. Ella had a dau. also named Ella M., who was b. 15 Jun 1886 and d. 17 Jun 1886

MA Town Vital Records:

• William C Seeley, b. 20 Aug 1850, Great Barrington, to William Seeley, shoemaker, b. Great Barrington, and his wife, Maryette, b. Austerlitz, NY
• Dau., b. April 1848, Great Barrington, to William and Mariette Seeley of Great Barrington
• Stewart A and Julia H Seeley, twins, b. 1 Feb 1854, Great Barrington, to William Seeley, shoemaker, b. Great Barrington, and his wife, Maryette, b. Austerlitz, NY
• Joel F. and Theodore Seeley, twins, b. 2 Feb 1858, Great Barrington, to William Seeley, shoemaker, b. Great Barrington, and his wife, Maryette, b. Austerlitz, NY
• Frederick Seeley, age 23, of Great Barrington, b. Great Barrington, to William and Mariette Seeley, tinsmith, md. 23 Nov 1881, Great Barrington, by Horace W Byruss, Minister of the Gospel, to Anna Dellert, age 19, b. Great Barrington, dau. of Frederic and Anna Dellert
• Stewart A. Seeley of Great Barrington, b. Great Barrington, to William and Mariette Seeley, age 26, tinsmith, md. 23 Jan 1880, Monterey, Berkshire, MA, by Rev A E Todd, Congregationalist Minister, to Anna L. Higgins, age, 20, of Monterey, b. Sheffield, to John and Anna Higgins, 1st marr. for both.
• Samuel Seeley, b. 6 Jun 1861, Great Barrington, to William Seeley, shoemaker, b. Great Barrington, and his wife, Maryette, b. Austerlitz, NY
• Ella M Seeley, age 21, of Great Barrington, b. Great Barrington, dau. of William and ___ Seeley, md. 2 Mar 1885, Great Barrington, by Evarts Scudder, Congregationalist Pastor, to William A Tremper, age 23, of NY City, bookkeeper, b. Rheinbeck, NY, to Edward and Amanda Tremper
• There is also a record for Ella and William’s mg., 30 Jun 1884, Sheffield, Berkshire, MA, by Fields? Hunnance?, pastor of the ME Church
• William Van V Seeley, b. 23 Jan 1895, Great Barrington, to William C Seeley, sawyer, b. Great Barrington, and his wife, Alice, b. Lexington, NY
• William Van V Seeley md. Maud Irene Crane in Great Barrington in 1919
• Annie Seeley, age 23, of Great Barrington, operative, b. CT, dau. of William C Seeley and Nellie Williams, md. 26 Nov 1902, Albany, NY, to Robert S Weeks, age 26, waiter, Great Barrington, b. West Stockbridge, Berkshire, MA, to Robert S Weeks and Kate Stevens
• Lulu M Seeley, age 19, b. and residing in Great Barrington, dau. of William C Seeley and Lillie Williams, md. 12 June 1901, Great Barrington, by H M Dumbell, Episcopal priest, to Frank W Barber, age 22, of Riverside, RI, salesman, b. Lexington, NY, to George B Barber and Mary E Gildersleeve
• Leah Alice Seeley, b. 5 Apr 1886, Great Barrington, to William C Seeley, lumberman, b. Great Barrington, and Lillie b. Alford
• Edward H Seeley, b. 12 Nov 1888, Great Barrington, to William C Seeley, sawyer, b. Great Barrington and Lillie
• Freda Agnes Seeley, b. 23 Jun 1887, Great Barrington, to Frederick T Seeley, clerk, and Anna M, both b. Great Barrington
• Raymond D Seeley, b. 21 Jun 1892, Great Barrington, to Frederick T Seeley, asst. undertaker, and Anna M Dellert, both b. Great Barrington
• Julia Seeley, age 14, of Egremont, Berkshire, MA, dau. of William and Mary, md. 13 Oct 1867, Egremont, to George Brayne, age 27, of Egremont, laborer, b. England, to William and Mary Brayne
• Ella M Seeley, age 24, of Great Barrington, bookkeeper, b. Bolton Notch, Tolland, CT, dau. of William C Seeley and Lillie Williams, md. 24 Dec 1908, Great Barrington, by HM Dumbell, to Frank J Oaks, age 28, of Albany, NY, hotel steward, b. Rochester, Monroe, NY, son of Joseph A Oaks and Philipena Reinhart

MA Death records

• Julia Brayen of Sheffield, aged 61 yrs., 2 mos, 22 days, d. 25 Apr 1910, Sheffield, of breast cancer; wife of George Brayen; b. Great Barrington, dau. of William Seeley, b. Great Barrington, and Marietta Curtis, b. Austerlitz, NY; bur. Greenlawn Cemetery, Great Barrington
• Albert A Seeley, aged 58, d. 8 Aug 1903, Pittsfield, Berkshire, MA, of bubular paralysis; b. Great Barrington to William Seeley, b. Great Barrington, and Mariette Curtis, b. Green River, NY; bur. Mahaive Cemetery, Great Barrington
• William Seeley, widower, aged 75 yrs., 9 mos., 30 days, d. 30 Nov 1893, Great Barrington, of paralysis; b. Great Barrington, to Joel Seeley, b. North Haven, CT, and Sally Allen, b. Springfield, Hampden, MA
• Joel F Seeley, aged 4 yrs., 3 mos., 11 days, d. 15 May 1862, Great Barrington, of chronic diarrhea, son of William and Mariette Seeley
• Edward H Seeley of Great Barrington, single, sawyer, d. 4 Oct 1910, Great Barrington, of typhoid fever; b. 12 Nov 1888, Great Barrington, to William C Seeley, b. Great Barrington, and Lillian Williams, b. Great Barrington; bur. Mahaive Cemetery, Great Barrington
• Frederick Theodore Seeley, d. 1940, Great Barrington
• Stewart Seeley aged 32, tinner, md., d. 24 May 1885, Great Barrington, of inflammation of the knee joint, son of William and Mariette Seeley, b. Great Barrington, MA, and Green River, NY

TN Death Records
Lulu Seeley Barber, b. 8 Jan 1882, Berkshire Co., MA, to William C and Lillian Williams Seeley, both b. Berkshire Co., MA; d. 22 Feb 1948, Nashville, Davidson, TN, of heart disease; resident of Fayetteville, Lincoln, TN; wife of Frank Barber; bur. Elmwood Cemetery, Great Barrington
WWI Draft (1917)
William Van Valkenburgh Seeley of No Plains, Housatonic, MA, b. 23 Jan 1895, Great Barrington, MA, farmer and lumber dealer, working for William Curtis Seeley, single, partially supports parents. He gives the same info for WWII Draft, naming Martha E Seeley as next of kin.
SSDI

• Name: William Seeley
• Birth: 23 Jan 1895
• Death: Jun 1985, West Stockbridge, Berkshire, MA
• Civil: Massachusetts

Here’s what I found about Frederick Theodore Seeley, son of William and Mariette Seeley:

1910 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, Fred T, age 52, b. MA, MA, NY, repairer in repair shop, md. 29 yrs. to
• Seeley, Anna M, age 50, b. MA, MA, GER, 1 ch., 1 living
• Seeley, Raymond, age 18, b. MA, MA, MA
• Seeley, John B, age 62, brother, b. MA, MA, MA, widower, repairer
• (Fred, Anna, and John are still together in Great Barrington in the 1930 census)

In 1900 Anna has had 2 ch., 1 living; Fred is a furniture salesman.

1930 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Seeley, Raymond D, age 38, b. MA, MA, MA, telephone tester for tel. co., md. 7 yrs. to
• Seeley, Margaret, age 38, b. MA, ENG, ENG
• Seeley, John S, age 4 yrs., 10 mos., b. MA, MA, MA

WWI Draft

• Raymond Dellert Seeley, b. 21 Jan 1892, Great Barrington, where he resides, instrument installer for phone co., md.

(Same info for WWII Draft, naming Mrs. Margaret Seeley as next of kin)
MAMI

• Raymond Dellert Seeley, age 23, telephone repairman, of Great Barrington, where he was b. to Fred T and Annie Dellert Seeley; md. 22 Dec 1915, Albany, Albany, NY, to Gladys Pearl Garrette, age 21, trained nurse, of Collinsville, CT, where she was b. to Wilfred W and Elizabeth Hyde Garrette
• Raymond D Seeley, md. 1922, Great Barrington, to Margaret Metcalfe

MADI

• Raymond D Seeley, aged 70, d. 1962, Great Barrington

Here’s what I found about Julia, dau. of William and Mariette Seeley:

1880 census Austerlitz, Columbia, NY

• Brayne, George, age 33, b. ENG, ENG, ENG, farmer
• Brayne, Julia, age, 26, b. MA, MA, MA
• Brayne, Willie, age 10; Minnie, age 7; Mary, age 3; Ella, age 1; all b. NY, ENG, MA

In Austerlitz in 1875 the ch. were George W, age 5, and Minnie, age 2 yrs., 6 mos. vIn 1900 in Chatham, Columbia, NY, Julia Brayne, b. Feb 1854, servant for Lewis Coons family, md., mother of 7 ch., 7 living.

1910 census Sheffield, Berkshire, MA

• Brayen, Charles E, age 25, b. MA, ENG, MA, trackman on steam road, md. 5 yrs. to
• Brayen, Ella E, age 24, b. CT, CT, CT
• Brayen, Julia, age 61, mother, b. MA, MA, MA, md, 7 ch., 6 living
• Brayen, Leon, age 10 mos., nephew, b. NY, NY, MA

(In 1920 in Sheffield Charles and Ella have adopted Leon and also have son Harry, age 6)

1900 census Canaan, Litchfield, CT

• Brayen, William, b. Feb 1870, NY, NY, NY, farmer, md., 7 yrs. to
• Brayen, Laura, b. Oct 1874, MA, MA, MA, 3 ch., 3 living
• Brayen, Fred, b. Aug 1894; Mary, b. Jul 1895; Emma, b. Jul 1898; all b. CT, NY, MA

1910 census Salisbury, Litchfield, CT

• Brayen, William G, age 41, b. NY, ENG, MA
• Frederick, age 16; Emma L, age 12; George, age 5; Charles S, age 4; Myrtie, age 11 mos., all b. CT, NY, CT
• LeForest, May E, age 17, dau., b. CT, NY, CT, md. 8 mos.
• Forest, Frederick, age 54, b. MA, MA, MA,
• LeForest, Garfield, age 24, b. CAN, CAN, CAN, md. 8 mos.
• Conklin, Delbert, age 42, b. CT, CT, NY

In 1920 William and Laura are in Montgomery, Orange, NY, with ch. George, age 18; Chas, age 16; and Myrtle, age 10.

In 1930 and 1940 William is widowed, living in Cazenovia, Madison, NY, with dau. Emma C LaGore and her dau. Julia, age 19 in 194-. VTMI

Emma Seeley Brayen, age 28, of Austerlitz, NY, b. Alford, MA, dau of Geo Brayen, b. England, and Julia Seeley, b. Great Barrington, MA, md. 14 Aug 1915, Bennington, VT, to Walter Almstead Williams, age 24, of Pittsfield, MA, b. Austerlitz, NY, to Wm C Williams, b. Switzerland, and Mary E Almstead, b. Austerlitz, NY.

Here’s what I found about Ella, dau. of William C and Lillian Seeley:

1920 census Buffalo, Erie, NY

• Oaks, Frank J, age 39, b. NY, NY, NY, brush salesman
• Oaks, Ella, age 35, b. CT, CT, CT
• Oaks, Marjorie L, age 10; Frank J, age 8; both b. NY, NY, CT

Family still in Buffalo in 1925.

In 1910 Frank and Ella are md. 5 yrs., residing in Albany, Albany, NY, with dau. Margory, age 4 mos.

From Findagrave:
Frank Joseph Oaks, b. 1911, d. 1965, bur. Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, Erie, NY

Here’s what I found about Annie, dau. of William C and Lillian Seeley:

1930 census Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA

• Weeks, Robert S, age 53, b. MA, NY, ENG, barber, md. 28 yrs. to
• Weeks, Annie, age 51, b. CT, MA, MA
• Weeks, Robert, age 19; Kenneth, age 11; both b. MA, MA, CT
• Mulhall, Harry, age 55, roomer, b. MA, MA, MA, single, molder at bottle factory

MABI
Robert Franklin Weeks, b. 17 Oct 1910, Great Barrington, to Robert S and Annie Seeley Weeks
MADI
Harold Robert Weeks, age 5 mos., 17 days, son of Robert Weeks and Annie Seeley, d. 26 Jul 1909, Great Barrington
SSDI

• Name: Kenneth E. Weeks
• Birth: 24 May 1918
• Death: 31 Jul 1999, Great Barrington, Berkshire, MA
• Civil: Massachusetts

This research has provided many of entries for the Seeley Ancestor File but not any direct male descendants of William C or William V Seeley who were involved with the lumber mill. If anyone has pictures of North Plain Road from the 1920s or further information on this Seeley family, please contact Don and copy your query editor.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Aug 2014

John writes, “I recently discovered the Seeley Genealogical Society website and what a treasure it is! I knew very little of my family heritage, and now I am on my way to what I hope will be a rich and more complete picture for me, my 2 older brothers and 2 younger sisters.

“I found an obit for my grandfather, John Seely, on the SGS site” (http://www.seeley-society.net/obits-ly/obit-johnseely2.html). John says his father was William Clair Seely, and his father was John Seely (as in the obit). He has not been able to trace John’s father William H., back beyond the 1870 census to verify the line we show. He says, “I have been an American History student since the 8th grade and never knew that I may have had Seely family members going back potentially to the pre-Revolutionary era. I also had NO CLUE that there were so many Seeleys!”

John Seely | seely-john@usa.net

The obit shows that John Seely’s line is son of William Henry; Grandson of SGS # 3504—John Meyers (# 3504); Daniel Joseph (#1588); John; John; Samuel; Jonas; Obadiah (immigrated in the 1640s).

1850 census Waterloo, Seneca, NY

• Seely, J M, age 29, b. NJ
• Seely, Rebecca, age 20, b. NJ
• Seely, Wm H, age 1, b. NJ

1860 census Waterloo, Seneca, NY

• Seeley, John M, age 37, farm laborer b. NJ (written after his name is 6 feet 7 inches—I have not seen a note like this before.)
• Seeley, Rebecca, age 30, b. NJ
• Seeley, William H, age 12, b. NJ; Andrew C, age 5; Malissa J, age 3; both b. NY

1870 census Waterloo, Seneca, NY

• Seely, William H, age 21, farmer and carpenter, b. NY
• Seely, Jane, age 23, b. PA

In the house before William is Seely, Milissa J, age 13, a domestic servant for the family of Orville and Sarah Maynard

The house after William shows

• Seely, Henry, age 43, b. NJ, farmer and carpenter
• Seely, Lydia J, age 49, b. NY
• Seely, Andrew, age 15; Allie age 8; both b. NY

The next family is that of Nathaniel Seely, age 53, b. NJ, and his wife, Laura, age 46, and their children. The Nathaniel and Henry above are both brothers of John M, father of William H. Nathaniel is SGS #3503, John M is SGS #3504, and Henry is SGS #3506.

In the 1860 census Henry, age 32, and Lydia Seeley, age 35, are in Waterloo with Jane Avitt, age 17.

In the 1900 census Henry and Lydia are still in Waterloo. She has had no children, so Andrew and Allie with them in 1870 are probably both children of John and Rebecca, who both died before the 1870 census. This is confirmed by the 1880 census where Henry and Lida J. Seeley, ages 53 and 59, have Allie, age 18, niece, b. NY, parents b. NJ, living with them.

The SGS Database shows Andrew and Allie as children of Henry and Lydia Seely. We have changed that to show that they are children of John and Rebecca Little Seely.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: May 2014

An obituary for Dorothy Seeley mentioned her husband Lawrence Eugene Seeley. Chris found Lawrence in the SSDI (Soc. Sec. Death Index)

• Lawrence E. Seeley
• SSN: 714-18-3835
• Last Residence: 42754 Leitchfield, Grayson, KY, USA
• Born: 22 Dec 1926
• Died: 2 Sep 2001
• State (Year) SSN issued: Railroad Board (Issued through) (1951-1963)

That led Chris to the 1930 census and a cemetery record:

1930 Census Noble, Wabash, IN

• Seeley, Walter A, head, age 38, age at first marriage 23, b. IA, IA, IA, laborer farm
• Seeley, Ethel M, wife, age 35, age at first marriage 19, b. IN, MD, IN
• Clark, Eileen E, stepdaughter, age 15; Oscar C, stepson, age 12; Elsie M, stepdaughter, age 9; all born IN, IN, IN; Seeley, Clara L, daughter age 5; Lawrence E, son, age 3 yrs, 3 mos; both born IN, IA, IN

From Findagrave.com

• William Alvin Seeley
• Birth: 1891, IA
• Died: 1937
• Pvt in US Army WWI
• Spouse: Ethel Marie Shanafelt Clark Seeley (1894-1968)
• Children: Clara L Seeley Heath (1924-2004)
• Burial: Oaklawn Cemetery, North Manchester, Wabash, IN
• Plot: Section 1
• Findagrave Memorial #46918522.

Chris also found an obituary for Lawrence’s sister: Heath, Clara L.

Oct. 3, 2004—North Manchester, IN CLARA L. HEATH, 79, of North Manchester, died Sunday, Oct. 3, 2004. Survivors include her husband, Lyle A.; three sons, Barry (Susan) of Bonita Springs, Fla., Greg (Karen) of Litchfield, Minn.; Scott (Deb) of New Haven; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Arrangements by DeLaughter-McKee Mortuary, North Manchester Chapel. www.delaughtermckee.com. Published in The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, IN), Oct. 6, 2004.

The question is whether Lawrence and Clara’s father is named Walter A. or William Alvin.

Chris Havnar | chris.havnar@gmail.com

I found the following obituary:

“Lawrence Eugene Seeley, 74, of Leitchfield (KY) died on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2001, at the Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center. He was born Dec. 23, 1926, in North Manchester, Indiana, as the son of Walter and Ethel Shanafelt Seeley.

“He was a World War II Army Veteran, a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, former plant manager for Tell City Chair Leitchfield Plant, and was a driver of Communicare’s TAC van in Grayson County.

“He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy Smith Seeley; two sons, Michael Seeley of Portland, Oregon, and Steven Seeley of Jackson, Mississippi; two daughters, Karen Mart of Mason, Ohio, and Cheryl Logsdon of Leitchfield; one sister, Clara Heath of North Manchester, Indiana; six grandchildren, Shaun, Craig, Bryan, and Elissa Logsdon, Tracey Mart, and Andrey Seeley; and one great-grandchild, Bailey Logsdon. Watson and Hunt Funeral Directors were in charge of arrangements.” (Grayson Co., KY) News Gazette, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2001, p. 4.

I also found a longer obituary for Clara:

“Clara L. Heath, 79, North Manchester, IN, died on Sunday, October 3, 2004, at 5:26 PM at Peabody Healthcare Center, North Manchester, IN. She was born on Dec. 29, 1924, in North Manchester, IN, to William and Ethel (Shenefelt) Seeley. She married Lyle A Heath on January 26, 1944; he survives.

“She was a member of United Methodist Church in North Manchester, IN, and was a 50-year member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority #1609 in North Manchester. She graduated from Central High School in North Manchester in 1942.

“She is survived by three sons, Barry (Susan) Heath, Bonita Springs, FL, Greg (Karen) Heath, Litchfield, MN, and Scott (Deb) Heath, New Haven, IN; seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by three brothers and three sisters.

“Services were held at DeLaughter-McKee Mortuary, North Manchester Chapel on Wednesday October 6, 2004 with Pastor Fred Bishop officiating. Burial was in Oaklawn Cemetery, North Manchester, IN.

“Memorials are to Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority, 507 W. Main St., North Manchester, IN 46962.” North Manchester (IN) News, Wednesday, October 6, 2004, p. 4A.

1940 census North Manchester, Wabash, IN

• Seeley, Ethel, age 46, widow, b. IN
• Seeley, Clara, age 15; Lawrence, age 13; Billie Jay, age 2; all b. IN

I have not been able to find any military record, marriage record, death record, or obituary for either Walter or William Seeley. I tried to contact the genealogy section of the Wabash Co., IN, library but have not received a response. Any advice someone can offer will be most appreciated.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: May 2014

Samuel lives in Chatham, NJ, and is aware that there have been Seelys in that area since the time of the Revolutionary War. He is wondering if he is related to them. He says, “My father, Hampton Sprouls Sealy was born Jan 2, 1905 in Brooklyn, NY, son of Thomas Sealy, born about 1867 here in NJ. My father’s mother, Edith Sealy, was born about 1874 in NJ. My mother, Marjorie Helen Mateer, was born Feb 1, 1912, to Samuel A Mateer and Elizabeth Sweeney.

Samuel Mateer Sealy | chatnjfd236@gmail.com

NY Marriage Index

• Name: Thomas H Sealy
• Gender: Male
• Marriage Date: 11 Aug 1895
• Marriage Place: Manhattan, NY, USA
• Spouse: Edith Meeker
• Certificate Number: 12061

1910 census Marblehead, Essex, MA

• Sealy, Thomas H, age 42, b. NJ, father b. ENG, mother b. NJ, stock and bonds broker, md 14 yrs to
• Sealy, Edith M, age 36, b. NJ, NJ, NY, 3 children, 2 living
• Sealy, Christine G, age 9, b. NJ, NJ, NJ; Hampton S, age 5, b. NY, NJ, NJ
• Francis, Dora, age 19, black, servant, b. MA, CAN, MA

1900 census Newark, Essex, NJ (Sealy transcribed as Lealy)

• Sealy, Thomas H, b. May 1869, NJ, ENG, NJ, clerk, broker, md 5 yrs to
• Sealy, Edith, b. Jul 1873, NJ, NJ, NY, 1 ch, 1 living
• Sealy, Christine, b. May 1900, NJ, NJ, NJ

1900 census Brooklyn, Kings, NY

• Sealy, Thomas, b. Nov 1823, ENG, ENG, ENG, came to US in 1828, hat manufacturer, md 38 yrs to
• Sealy, Amanda, b. Sept 1836 NJ, NJ, NJ, 7 ch, 3 living
• Sealy, Elizabeth, b. Oct 1864; William D, b. May 1866; both b. NJ, ENG, NJ; Joseph C, b. Oct 1876, CT, ENG, NJ; Edgar D, b. Sept 1882, NJ, ENG, NJ, underwear clerk

1880 census East Orange, Essex, NJ

• Sealy, Thomas, age 55, b. ENG, ENG, ENG, hat manufacturer
• Sealy, Amanda, age 42, b. NJ, ENG, NJ
• Sealy, Mary, age 20; Elizabeth, age 16; William, age 15, in brokers office; Thomas, age 13; all b. NJ, ENG, NJ; Joseph, age 3, b. CT, ENG, NJ

1870 census Newark, Essex, NJ

• Seely, Thomas, age 45, hat manufacturer, b. ENG
• Seely, Amanda, age 33, b. NJ
• Seely, Robert, age 11; Mary, age 10; Elizabeth, age 6; William, age 5; Thomas, age 3; all b. NJ
• Dawson, Amanda, age 14; Louise, age 11; both b. NJ
• Bruen, Amanda, age 61, b. NJ

1860 census Newark, Essex, NJ

• Sealey, Thos, age 35, b. ENG, hat manf
• Sealey, Mary, age 33, b. NJ
• Sealey, Rob’t, age 1; Gertrude, age 1 mo; both b. NJ
• Lee, Rebecca D, age 53, b. NJ
• (Living next door to a large family of Dawsons, but no Amanda or Louise)

1850 census Newark, Essex, NJ

• Sealey, John, age 65, cabinet maker, b. ENG
• Sealey, Elizabeth, age 55, b. ENG
• Sealey, Albert, age 32, cabinet maker; Thomas H, age 26, hatter; both b. ENG
• Sealey, Joseph, age 18, jeweler, b. NJ
• Rowden, Matilda, age 21, b. ENG
• Sealey, Phebe A, age 19, b. NJ
• Rowden, Henry P, age 25, jeweler, b. ENG
• (In 1860 John Sealy, age 75, is still in Newark with daughter Phebe, age 28, sons Joseph, age 26, and Albert, age 46, and Robert Raden, age 9, and 1 female, Irish servant)

England Birth and Christening Index
Thomas Hewlett Sealy

• Gender: Male
• Baptism Date: 25 Dec 1823
• Baptism Place: Worle, Somerset, England
• Parents: John Sealy and Betsy Sealy
• FHL Film Number: 1526122
• Reference ID: 33

Albert Sealy

• Baptism: 17 Nov 1816, South Brent, Somerset, England
• Parents: Elizabeth and John Sealy

Matilda Sealy

• Baptism: 8 May 1829, Worle, Somerset, England
• Parents: Betsey and John Sealy

John Sealy

• Gender: Male
• Baptism Date: 17 Apr 1785
• Baptism Place: South Brent, Somerset, England
• Parents: John Sealy and Ann
• FHL Film Number: 0990348 IT 4

England, Select Marriages

• Name: John Sealy
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Single
• Marriage Date: 13 Dec 1815
• Marriage Place: Banwell, Somerset, England
• Spouse: Elizabeth Hewett
• FHL Film Number: 1517682

So, Samuel’s family goes back to John Sealy who was born in 1785 in Somersetshire, England, and emigrated to the US about 1830.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: May 2014

A recent obituary posted by SGS Webmaster Chris Havnar on the SGS website for Eileen Conger Seeley (1922-2014) mentioned that she was survived by her husband of 68 years, James E Seeley Jr.

Chris dug a little deeper looking at public records on Ancestry.com, where she found James and Eileen together in Rocky Mount, NC (Eileen’s place of death) and James’ birth date of 15 Dec. 1921. There was no information about parents or place of birth for James or Eileen in the obituary. That left her wondering, “Who is this James E Seeley Jr.?”

Chris Havnar | chris.havnar@gmail.com

First, I looked for a census record for a James E. Seeley b. in 1921/22. I found:

1930 census Mission, Volusia, FL

• Seeley, L.S., age 55, b. CT, CT, RI, widow, 1st md at age 19, dairy man at dairy
• Seeley, Gertrude R., dau., age 33, single, b. NJ, CT, NJ, dairy helper
• Seeley, James E., son, age 31, b. NJ, Ct, NJ, dairy man, 1st md at age 19
• Seeley, Hazel A., dau-in-law, age 30, b. FL, FL, FL, 1st md at age 18
• Seeley, Jas E. Jr, grson, age 8, Sarah age 3, grdau, both b. FL, NJ, FL

In the 1935 FL census James and Hazel Seeley, both age 36, are in Volusia Co. with James, Jr., age 13, Sally, age 8, Lewis, age 4 and Mary Ruth, age 1

In 1940 they are still in Volusia Co., FL.

Next I tried to find an Eileen Conger in the same area. After initially drawing a blank I found:

FL Marriage Index

• Name: Jessie Eileen Conger
• Spouse: James Edmund Seeley, Jr
• County of Marriage: Orange
• Marriage Date: 1944
• Volume: 921
• Certificate: 24315
• Source: Florida Department of Health

Next I went back through census and other records to see if I could identify James Edmund Seeley’s parents, grandparents, etc.

1900 census Newark, Essex, NJ

• Seely, Lewis S., b. Apr 1867, NJ, NJ, NJ, bookkeeper, md 10 yr to
• Seely, Mary L., b. May 1870, NJ, NJ, NJ
• Seely, Annie, b. Mar 1896, James, b. Jul 1898, both b. NJ, NJ, NJ

1900 census Newark, Essex, NJ

• Seely, Stephen A., b. Aug 1848, CT, Ct, CT, city hall clerk, md 31 yr to
• Seely, Elizabeth, b. May 1849, AL, RI, RI, 2 ch, 1 living
• Seely, Stephen, father, b. Oct 1827, CT, Ct, CT, widow
• Meeker, Ella, aunt, b. Apr 1838, CT, CT, CT

1880 census Darien, Fairfield, CT

• Seely, Stephen, age 58, farmer, widowed, b. CT, Ct, CT
• Seely, Stephen A., age 33, son, painter, b. CT, CT, CT
• Seely, Elizabeth, age 33, dau-in-law, b. AL, RI, RI
• Seely, Louis S., age 6, b. CT, CT, AL

1870 census Darien, Fairfield, CT

• Seely, Stephen, age 44, b, CT, sugar refiner
• Seely, Harriet, age 43, b. CT
• Seely, Alfred, age 21, b. CT
• Seely, Lizzie B, age 21, b. AL
• Seely, Juliet, age 11, b. CT
• 2 domestic servants

1860 census Darien, Fairfield, CT

• Meeker, Samuel, age 60, b. CT, carpenter
• Meeker, Sarah, age 57, b. CT
• Meeker, Augusta, age 22, b. CT
• Seeley, Stephen, age 35, sugar refiner, b. CT
• Seeley, Harriet E., age 34, b. CT
• Seeley, Stephen A., age 12, b. CT

WWI Draft Registration

• James Edmund Seeley, b. 12 Jul (1918 crossed out and 1900 written over), resides Eustis, Lake, FL, dairy and farming, names father, Lewis Steven Seeley, as next of kin
• Lewis Stephen Seeley, b. 27 Jul 1873, resides Eustis, Lake, FL, dairy man, names wife Mary Louise Seeley as next of kin

US Passport Application

• Name: Lewis S Seeley
• Birth Date: 27 Jul 1873
• Birth Place: Darien, Connecticut
• Age: 47
• Passport Issue Date: 7 Feb 1921
• Passport Includes a Photo: Yes
• Residence: New Smyrna, FL
• Father Name: Stephen S Seeley
• Father’s Birth Location: Darien, CT
• Father’s Residence: Deceased

The Stephen Seeley with wife Harriet in the 1860 and 1870 censuses of Darien, CT, is SGS# 4164, a descendant of Obadiah Seely.
I was also able to find cemetery records, Florida marriage records, etc. that allowed me to carry some of the lines forward, adding about fifteen names total to the Ancestor File. If you would like further information on this family, please contact me (see my contact information on page 11), and I will send it along.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Feb 2014

Irvin W. Seeley is the grandfather of Joseph’s wife but apparently he was born with a different name, Irvin Fuller in 1905 in PA. Irvin died in 1993. He was reared by Andrew A. and Sarah Jane Seeley. Irvin’s wife was Annabel P. Seeley (1911-1994). Joseph really hopes to find some information on Irvin’s biological parents. His mother-in-law said that her father (Irvin Seeley) had a half-sister (same father) named Beatrice Fuller (who his wife remembers visiting as a child) and that their father’s name was Joseph Fuller. She vaguely remembers someone saying that Sarah Jane was Irvin’s biological mother and that Andrew adopted him.

Joseph W Mornhineway | josephwm@epix.net

I found a transcript of Irvin and Anna’s marriage in Corning, NY on Rootsweb: Marriage License #434 was issued in Corning, NY, by town clerk, G. Merle Hunt, to William Irvin? Seely, of RFD#1, Corning, NY, and Anna Bell (Annabelle) Peterson of RFD#1, Corning, NY. Groom info: white, age 22, b. PA, s/o Andrew Peterson? and Sara Fuller, both b. US, first marriage.

Information on bride: w, age 17, b. Big Flats, NY, d/o Justin Peterson, b. US, and Myra Aker or Oker, b. US. The couple was married on 14 November 1927 in Corning, Steuben, NY, by George S.G. Haus?, clergyman, witnessed by Raymond T. Coon, of Campbell, NY, and Marion A. Peterson of Coopers Plains, NY.

From Findagrave.com

• Irvin W Seeley
• Birth: Mar. 23, 1905, Homestead, Allegheny, PA
• Death: Jan. 1, 1993 Campbell, Steuben, NY
• Spouse: Anna Bell Peterson Seeley (1911
• 1994)
• Burial: Rural Home Cemetery, Big Flats, Chemung, NY
• Plot: D-C-18-5
• Find A Grave Memorial# 44970201

1930 census South Canaan, Wayne, PA

• Seeley, Wallace, age 34, b. PA, PA, PA, single, farmer
• Robinson, Eugene, age 58, hired man, b. PA, PA, PA, farm laborer

Next family:

• Seeley, Edward, age 38, b. PA, father b. PA, written over by Vermont, mother, b. PA, farmer
• Seeley, Andrew A., foster father, age 83, b. PA, PA, PA, md abt 58 yr to
• Seeley, Sarah J., age 79, foster mother b. NJ, NJ, NJ
• Seeley, William, age 78, foster uncle b. PA, PA, PA

Next family:

• Seeley, Wesley J., age 50, b. PA, PA, PA, farmer, md abt 23 yr to
• Seeley, Mary A., age 40, b. PA, PA, PA
• Seeley, Leroy A., age 20, laborer, Beatrice H., age 19, Raymond, age 17, Robert A., age 15, Gerald W., age 13, Lawrence, age 11, Irene E., age 9, Margaret H., age 7, Laura E., age 3 yr, 8 mos., Mildred K., age 1 yr, 6 mos., all b. PA, PA, PA

Next family

• Seeley, Hershel age 71, widower b. PA, PA, PA

1920 South Canaan, Wayne, PA

• Dwelling 162: Seely, Wesley, 40, and Mary, 31, with Harold, 13, Leroy, 12, Beatrice, 10, Raymond, 8, Robert, 6, Gerald, 4 and Lawrence, 2
• Dwelling 163: Dingy, William, 68, b. PA, PA, PA, single
• Dwelling 164: Seely, Andrew, 73 b. PA, PA, PA, with Sarah J., 70, b. NJ, NJ, NJ, and Walace, grandson, 25, Irving, son, 15, both b. PA, PA, PA

1910 census South Canaan, Wayne, PA

• Seeley, Andrew A., age 63, b. PA, father b. NY, mother b. PA, farmer, md 39 yr to
• Seeley, Sarah J., age 62, b. NJ, NJ, NJ, mother of 4 children, 2 living
• Seeley, Wallace, age 15, grandson, b. PA, PA, PA
• Niles, Eddie, age 18, laborer, b. PA, PA, PA, odd jobs
• Fuller, Irvin, boarder, age 5, b. PA, PA, PA

1900 census Lake, Wayne, PA

• Seeley, Andrew A., b. Nov 1848, PA, PA, PA, farmer, md 28 yr to
• Seeley, Serry Jane, b. Jun 1850, PA, PA, PA, 4 ch., 4 living
• Seeley, Willie, son, b. Sep 1881, day laborer
• Seeley, Eddie, son, b. May 1891, PA, PA, PA
• Seeley, Walice, son, b. Dec 1895, PA, PA, PA

1880 census South Canaan, Wayne, PA

• Seeley, Andrew A., age 33 b. PA, PA, PA, farmer
• Seeley, Sarah J., wife, age 29, b. NJ, NJ, NJ
• Seeley, Dennis H., age 7, Birtha A., age 4, John F., age 2, all b. PA, PA, NJ

I find it difficult to believe that Sarah Jane, married to Andrew A. Seeley since 1872, suddenly had two children (Irvin and his sister Beatrice) out-of-wedlock while in her 50s and then Andrew adopted at least one of them. It seems more likely that Irvin is a grandson like Wallace (and possibly Eddie Niles/Edward Seeley) or some other relative or is not related by blood at all. It would help to find obituaries for some of these folks, birth records, etc.

If you recognize this family or can do some research in Steuben Co., NY, or Wayne Co., PA, please send us your information.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Feb 2014

Carol has just started to work on her family tree and has found conflicting information on the parents of her great-grandfather, Harmon P Seely, b. 11 Oct. 1844, Rome, WI, d. 11 Jan. 1941, Centralia, IL. One source lists John D. Seely as his father and Almira (Stewart) Seely as his mother, but another source lists Elijah Davis as his father and Almira as his mother. Carol turned to SGS for help.

Carol Manley | manleycj@netwitz.net

The SGS Ancestor File lists the parents of Harmon P. Seely as Elijah Davis Seely and Almira Swert and shows him marrying Henrietta Norman in 1876 in Cherokee Co., IA. The sources listed include the IGI, the census and an obituary.

The obituary is also available on the SGS website:
Harmon P. Seely – January 11, 1941 – Centralia, IL

Harmon Seely Dies In Illinois

Word was received last week of the death of Harmon P. Seely on Jan. 11 at Centralia, Ill where he has been living since 1929. Mr. Seely was a Civil War veteran and had lived in Crook County some time. He was the father of John D. Seely of the Seely community.

Harmon P. Seely was born at Rome, Wisconsin on October 88, 1884** and lacked only a few years of reaching the century mark. He was the son of E.D. and Elmira Seely. When about the age of 16 he moved to Iowa with his parents and enlisted as a private in Co. D. 16th Iowa Volunteers known as Crocker’s Iowa Brigade.

Mr. Seely, always known as Dad, fought in the historic battle of Shiloh and a short time later was taken prisoner at Iuka, Miss. Months when he was exchanged for a southern soldier held in a Union camp. He stood in the front lines at Atlanta and Nashville and fought in the siege of Vicksburg.

He was married to Henrietta Norman on March 4, 1876 from which union four children were born, one girl died at two years and one son, B.E. died in May, 1911. A son, H.N. lives at Centralia where the deceased has been the last 12 years, and John D., the remaining son, lives at Seely.

Harmon Seely lived in Iowa on a farm for some years and in 1905 moved to Miller, S.D. where he followed the carpenter trade until Jan. 1910 when he moved to Crook county in the vicinity now known as Seely. He remained here until 1929 when he moved to Centralia. His wife preceded him in death, having died July 4, 1937.

In addition to his sons, he is survived by four grandsons, three granddaughters and six great grandchildren.

Published in the Crook County News, (Wyoming), January 31, 1941 front page

** Date of Birth incorrect as printed. The 1900 Census shows October 1844.

Harmon P. is the son of SGS # 3449: Harmon P.; Elijah Davis (# 3449); Daniel (# 1554); David; Charles; Samuel; Jonas; Obadiah.

There’s an Illinois death record that lists Harmon’s father as John D., but that is his son. That’s not surprising, I often see incorrect information on death certificates. Sometimes informants do not know that it asks for the father of the deceased and put the names of their own fathers, or the transcribers put the informant’s name where the father’s name should go.

1850 census Sullivan, Jefferson, WI

• Seely, Elijah D, age 35, chair maker, b. NY
• Seely, Almira D, age 35, b. NY
• Seely, Eliza, age 11, b. NY; Harmon, age 5, b. WI, Millard, age 1, b. WI
• Landeraff, George, age 17, farmer, b. Germany

In 1860 ED Seeley age 44, Almira, age 44, Eliza, age 19, Harmon, age 14, and Millard, age 11, are in Boone, Hamilton, IA.

I found a biography of Harmon’s father, Elijah Davis Seeley, at: http://ow.ly/tTeUx

It says Elijah’s wife was Almira Frink. The children include Harmon, who is listed as Harrison. I would guess that whoever wrote the book couldn’t read their notes and mis-read his name.

Clinton – Garfield Cemetery Rolfe, Pocahontas County, IA

• The cemetery is located south of Rolfe in Section 4

(SW corner) and Section 9 (NW corner), Garfield Township, Pocahontas County, IA

• Seely, ______ (father), D, 122, 2, no dates
• Seely, Almira Frink, 1891, D, 122, 4, wife of E.D., died age 79 years
• Seely, Lulu, 1881, 1882, A, 75, 4, dau of H. P. & H.

I have corrected the name of Harmon’s wife in Ancestor File, based on the biography and the cemetery record.

Responder: SGS Query Editor: Feb 2014