Ephraim Hatheway - A Soldier of the Revolutionary War

I have a letter (or copy of) from the O.W. & N. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Pensions, Washington, D.C. dated November 1, 1895.

It seems that a J. E. Rockwell, Esq. (address: So. States Passenger Ass'n, Atlanta, GA) was looking for information doubt this man who may or may not be a member of the family.

The letter states that Mr. Hatheway's widow had applied for a pension with the Bureau ib Nart 23, 1818. At that time, she lived in Buckfield, Maine and the age at date of application is listed as 61 years. At enlistment, the residence of soldier was Taunton, Mass. In part, her application stated:

"In the fall of 1775 he enlisted for one year in Capt. Oliver Soper's company, Col. Reed's Mass. regiment, and marched from Roxbury, Mass to New York City, where he was appointed Orderly Sergeant and transferred to the company of Artificers commanded by Capt. Phineas Ford in the regiment commanded by Col Brewer; was stationed at New York City until it was evacuated when he marched to White Plains and thence to Peekskill, where he was discharged."

The letter is "signed" by Wm. Lehren, Commissioner.

Here's a scan of the letter:

Elizabeth Sheldon Dow Rockwell

201 Fern Street, West Hartford, CT.

Elizabeth, Richard, Connie, Horace & Henry

Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Rockwell, Mrs. Harbach -Standing MR. Reynolds, Mr. Rockwell

Obituary printed in the Hartford Courant on March 15, 1984.

ROCKWELL. Elizabeth S. Rockwell, 96. of 201 Fern Street, West Hartford, widow of Horace L. Rockwell, died Tuesday, (March 13, 1984). Born in Claremont, NH, June 1 1887, she was the daughter of Robert Kimball Dow and Mary Smith Dow of Claremont. She attended Smith College in the class of 1910. She leaves two daughters, Mrs. James S. Marshall or Gates Mills, Ohio, and Mrs. Robert S. Cross of Kiawah Island, SC; three sons, Henry L. Rockwell of New Britain, Horace E. Rockwell of Toledo, Ohio, and Richard Rockwell of West Hartford; 14 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be helps in Gross Memorial Chapel of Asylum Hill Congregational Church on Friday at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, or the American Cancer Society.

I remember visiting Granny's house not too long before she died. I was pregnant with my first daughter, Katie, and thought it would be good news to cheer up Granny who was confined to her bed. But she thought I was my cousin Kim, as yet unmarried. I didn't tell her about the baby.

Another memory - about Granny's memorial service at Asylum Hill in the Chapel. It was a rather small gathering. Mostly family. Intimate because the chapel was a smaller space. But I was sitting next to my dad and that day was the second time that I remember seeing him cry. (The first was when he had to put his beloved poodle, Sam, to sleep.) It moved me to see my father hurting. I guess when one looses one's mother ... it's a very sad day. Now, having lived through the passing of my father (1985) and my mother (2008) I realize just how sad my father had to have been. He wasn't good about talking about his feelings but I feel like I know from first hand experience how deeply he felt about his mother.

Granny's Excellent Adventure

I have a "List of Passengers" from the American Export Lines "First Class" cruise on the S.S. Independence from November 27, 1955 to November 16, 1955.

The cruise was from New York to Gibraltar and then on to Barcelona, Cannes, Genoa, and Naples - and then back to New York via Genoa, Cannes and Gibraltar.

Mrs. Horace L. Rockwell was one of the passengers.

Captain hugh L. Switzer was the Commander of the ship with eight other officers and a staff of ten more.

Thirty-five people traveled from New York to New York (round trip), among them, Granny Rockwell. There were ten couples, nine single men and nine single women.

Wish I had more information ... but that's all that she wrote.

Family Tree

I've wanted to find a good computer program to make a family tree. I bought one a while ago called, oddly enough, "Family Tree Maker" but it stinks. We have a few odd limbs on our tree and it was unable to add them logically to the tree. So, I'm still looking. I may have to free-hand it one day or make one with apples like Kate (then Katie, soon to be Kat and then Katye) did for her family tree project in elementary school.

I have a book at home in Florida and it's a genealogy of the Rockwell family and traipses back to Merry old England where we're related to royalty. Put that in your pipe and smoke it ... or that and five bucks will get you a cup of coffee. Whatever. It's pretty cool but I'd love to get it update with all my cousins weddings, children and now children-in-law and grandchildren as well.

I also have a few books about the Rockwell family (I think they may be the same book but I've not ever read any of them) and one about the Dow family. That covers my father's side of the family but my mother's side of the family is totally un-researched. I don't imagine that we have anything as interesting on Mom's side but one never knows. One day, I'd like to look into her side of the family. Unfortunately all of the "elders" who could have told me the most interesting stories have since passed away. But maybe the cousins will remember something ... or have some histories written down!

Tomorrow I'll start scanning some of the documents that I found stuffed into the books. Some fun stuff. Let me leave you with this article from the July 1906 Los Angeles Times. (If you click on the pictures, they will become large enough to read.)

First Entry - The Story of Rockwell

My father was a family historian and I have been deemed (perhaps deeded, too) the second generation historian for the Rockwell family. In that role, I've inherited the books and papers and photographs that chronicle the family history as it is.

In these pages ... or soon to be pages, I will attempt to share with my family and friends the details of our family genealogy (I'd best learn how to spell it properly!) and some family photos ... or whatever comes to me in the process.

Here is our family coat of arms.

My mother had a very different coat of arms (quite literally a picture of a coat with many arms attached to the sides) hanging in the stairway to the cellar in our house. This, however, is one iteration of the Rockwell Family Coat of Arms. Explanations to come.