5:00 p.m., December 25, 1905

Here is one of the photos from Brittny. I love this picture!

"Xmas at John's" refers, I believe to John Young Hooper Jr. and his home in Omaha Nebraska. My grandmother Elizabeth Alice Hooper, who was born in June 1904, is-- I believe-- the "AH" in the photo and appears to be a toddler; hence the 1905 date.

Upper row left to right: (N.H.) Nellie Hooper, (F.H.) Frank Lee Harris Hooper, (G.H.) Gertrude Hooper, unknown, (E.H.) Edna Eddy Hooper. Next (middle) row: unknown, (ma) Helen Baldwin Hooper, (AH) Alice Hooper, (FC?) unknown, (MH?) Myrl Hooper. Lady at bottom is unknown, but I believe the child in her lap (LH) is Lester Hooper.

This is the only photo I have ever seen of my grandmother with her family!

Note the clock in the back... shows the time as 5:00.

Brittny + Ginny = Good Karma

For 5 years I have made a habit of "returning" old photos, documents, and books. I buy items at flea markets... old photos with names written on back, photo albums with traceable clues, old Bibles with family trees. I spend minutes or hours (or days) researching on Ancestry.com and other online sources to find descendants. When I can make a connection, I mail the item and I never ask for (or accept) any payment, including for postage.

I do this in part because I love doing it... I love learning the history and I love the idea of precious family items finding its way home. But I must admit another reason... I fervently hoped that someone would do it for me! Or, at least, I would rack up enough karma points to have a shot at seeing old photographs or finding information about my own family... people whom I've spent hours researching and people whom I have so precious little information.

Well... it worked! Perhaps thanks to karma, definitely thanks to Brittny and Ginny, every minute-- every penny-- every effort I spent returning family history to strangers has been repaid. Long lost cousins Brittny and Ginny have provided invaluable, terrific, amazing information. Some of the folks to whom I've mailed items to have told me "I'll never be able to thank you." Now I say to Ginny & Brittny: "I'll never be able to thank YOU!"

Up until now, most of my ancestors have been faceless. Brittny has shared photographs that have given some of these ancestors faces. And Ginny has provided a copy of a letter that is rich-- very rich-- in biographical details that I could never have hoped to learn. It's the kind of thing that family researchers like myself dream about.

Sincere thanks to both Ginny & Brittny for your help and generosity!

Civil War Pension File for John Young Hooper, Part 1

Here is the first part of the Civil War Pension File for John Young Hooper. See my previous post for some information about the file.

By the way, I received these files from the National Archives. It took about two months and about $150. Small price to pay!

Some highlights in this section are on page 40, letter from Charles M. Hooper (John's brother) and page 43, letter from James B. Sly (John's uncle).

John Young Hooper Civil War Pension File Part 1

Civil War Pension File for John Young Hooper, continued

I was surprised to realize that I have no entries on John Young Hooper as I've dug up lots of stuff on him. Since I promised the civil war pension file I have for him to a few folks, I'll put it here in my first post on John Young.

John Young Hooper (the elder) was born in 1841 and died at the age of 50. He served in the Civil War as bugler for the Nebraska Infantry and Calvary. During his service, he suffered a scrotal hernia (google "scrotal hernia" to see how hideously painful this injury must be!) John Young did not report the injury during the war and when he became increasingly ill from the injury after the war, he began the process for trying to secure a pension. When he died, leaving six children under the age of 15, his wife Helen Baldwin continued the fight to gain a pension. Apparently, Helen's application was denied several times. Helen persevered with the appeals and eventually won the widow's pension.

There's a lot of mundane stuff in the file, but there are also some really amazing documents and information in here, too. This is the second part of the pension file.

John Young Hooper civil war pension file Part 2

Horse Ears Eddy!

In my last post, I wondered if there was a connection with Edna Eddy's uncle Theodore Eddy and Mark Twain. Twain (nee Samuel Clemmons) and Theodore were both born the same year; they both grew up in Hannbal Missouri (at the time, circa 1860, population 1100).

Wow, the wonders of Google. Twain wrote of Theodore Eddy in his autobiography. Funny passage! He talks about how Theodore could "work his ears like a horse".

I know a descendent who has ears "like a horse" but I won't say who it is!!

A little about the Eddy family...

Edna Imogene Eddy was born in Hannibal, Missouri in 1877. She married John Young Hooper in 1902; my grandmother, Alice Hooper, was born in 1904. Alice was an only child and my mother, Edna's only granddaughter, has no memory of her.

I recently obtained Edna's death certificate and learned that she died on New Year's day in 1942 at the Highland Park (Chicago area) home of her daughter, Alice. She evidently had traveled from her home in Chicago on December 31st. She saw a doctor on the 31st, and died the next day.

Like everyone else on this side of the family, we have no family information on this line. No family pictures, no stories, no nothing! Dates & places in this post have come from census and other records.

I also learned that Edna's father Edward was born in Hannbal in 1846. Edward's older brother Theodore (did they call him Teddy Eddy?), born in 1836, was the same age as Samuel L. Clemens who also lived in Hannbal. The 1850 census shows 1060 people living in Hannbal. My bet is that the Eddy family was acquainted with one of the most important American writers!

I believe this may be the only photo my family has of John Young Hooper (1879 - 1942). Here he sits next to his standing daughter, my grandmother, Alice Hooper Chapman (1904 - 1970), in a photograph probably taken in the 1920s, probably taken in the Chicago area. Click photo for enlarged view. Don't you love her outfit?

Mary Harris Hooper, Large Wife of Sanford (part 2)

Remember Joseph Smith Harris told us that Mary Harris was a large woman, weighing 220 lbs? Here's a second photo of Mary... well, what do you think? I wish I knew how tall she was!

Here she is, Mary Harris

Undated photo of Mary Harris. How old do you think she is here? Keep in mind she died in 1875 at the age of 64.

Here he is, Sanford A. Hooper

Undated photo of Sanford A. Hooper. Check out that goatee! Does he look how you imagined?

Thank you Ebay and Esnipe!

When I started my Hooper & Harris search in November 2008, my biggest goal was to find photographs of the ancestors. I noted previously that I don't have a single photo pre-1920 of any ancestor on my mother's side.

My research led me to believe that the book "This is Our Town" by Harold Albrecht, sponsored by the Belle Plaine Historical Society, might be a source of information for the Hoopers. Sanford A. Hooper, wife Mary Harris, and their young family moved to Belle Plaine, MN from Geneseo County New York in the 1850s.

This book is hard to find! It came up once on Ebay in January and I didn't bid high enough. So when it came up again last week, I set my Esnipe high enough to win. I won! And I was right! Lots of information on the Hoopers and photos, too!

EWWWW !!! Thanks a lot, John Harris!

Ever since I can remember, the taste of lima beans elicits the gag reflex in me. There is no taste or texture more foul, in my book. One of my most enduring memories from childhood is being forced to eat them at the age of 5. I could not swallow them, so I stuffed my mouth full and ran to the bathroom where I spit them out & flushed. My mother, fast on my heels, saw the whole thing and though I don't remember what happened next, I'm certain I got my butt spanked. But it didn't matter. Next time I didn't eat them and I have never eaten them since. And will never eat them again.

Imagine my horror when I came across this today in Joseph Smith Harris's book "Notes on the ancestry... " . He is speaking here of John Harris (1789-1864), brother to our Campbell Harris.

It runs in the family!

Not the last of the Harris line to work for the post office! From Google Books, this:





This book was published in 1819. By that time Campbell Harris was already in New York so I suppose this was out of date when printed. It seems that Campbell's duties as postmaster were probably tied to his activities at the General Wayne.

Bad news, good news, bad news, good news...

Unfortunately I must admit an error in my earlier research. Bad news! The General Wayne Inn of Merion, Pennsylvania-- with its colorful history of Edgar Allen Poe, ghosts, and murder-- is not a part of our Harris history.

But, good news! My Chester County pal (thanks, Dan!) was able to ascertain the correct location of Campbell Harris' General Wayne Inn, and it was located in Frazer, East Whiteland township.

Now the bad news. Dan reports "This building has been abandoned for years. It has been on the market for years and once someone bought it and was going to convert it into a store front. Nothing ever became of it. I think it is in disrepair by now. "

But here's good news for those of us who live a world away. You can sit on your rump and still SEE the building that Mary Harris grew up in, and the home to Mary's father Campbell Harris and mother Jane Lee!!! Mary was born in 1811 and the family moved to New York in 1817, and it looks like the family lived here during that time. Here it is, and if you click the arrows, you can move around, get different views of the building, and take a tour of the neighborhood.


View Larger Map

More from Joe...

"

(Do you think he would mind me referring to him as Joe???) I don't know how it happened, but I've overlooked this before. Another Joseph Smith Harris history, with lots of additional information on our ancestors. Stephen Harris (1798-1851), Joe's dad, was brother to our Campbell Harris (1781-1853). More later, but the whole book is available for free at Google books.

Here's a great place to spend an hour!

Part of the Joseph Smith Harris collection at Yale includes photographs, several dozen of which are available online here. These photographs are fascinating and you will love them, even if you aren't connected to the Harris family!!!

Harris descendents are the luckiest people in the world!

I'm a newbie at genealogy research. BUT.... I doubt that finds like this often happen for most folks looking into their family's history. And now it has happened a second time! The personal papers belonging to the aforementioned Joseph Smith Harris are held at Yale University (Yale??? Well, that's too bad!)

Here are a couple of lines from the collection's description and I think you will agree that there might be terrific information for Harris descendents in these papers:

The correspondence is arranged chronologically and consists primarily of letters by Harris to his family... Harris's letters for 1848-53, written to his mother and siblings, mention visits to relatives and journeys to and from school.

This collection is open to the public, so I guess there'll be a trip to New Haven in the future.

Homage to Joe

Anyone with a connection to the Hooper/Harris lines needs to pay homage to Joseph Smith Harris (1836-1910). Harris was first cousin to our Mary Harris and nephew to Campbell Harris, and he was the one who so faithfully documented her weight (220 lbs). Hey, that's my great-great-great grandmother you were talking about!

Harris wrote two detailed genealogy histories of the Harris family, both of which have previously been discussed. They are here and here. I am SO grateful to have these detailed, interesting histories of ancestors who-- without these documents-- would be unknown and forgotten forever. Thank you so much, Joseph Smith Harris.

Seeing the detailed works on family history that Harris authored, I assumed he didn't do much with his time, other than work on family genealogy. Well that couldn't be further from the truth! Take a look at his Wikipedia page and you will agree that Harris can be forgiven for his snarky comments about his cousin Mary.

And here's a very brief biography of Harris' professional life:

Joseph S. Harris was a railroad surveyor and topographer, a land surveyor, an astronomer, and a mathematician, during the period 1853 to 1870. He was employed by the North Pennsylvania Railroad, the Kentucky Geological Survey, the U.S. Coast Survey, and the U.S./Canadian Northwest Boundary Survey prior to the Civil War. During the Civil War he advised Admirals Farragut and Porter, and General Butler for the New Orleans campaign. After the war he was a civil and mining engineer for coal mines and railroads in Pennsylvania, later he became an executive officer for numerous railroads, including the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

This passage is from the U.S. Army Military History Institute Carlisle Barracks where a copy of the "Autobiography of Joseph Smith Harris" is held. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Joe's autobiography is available online or elsewhere.

Francis Lee, the Indian Queen, and Elizabeth Wilson

There's a TON of information online about Francis Lee. The first story I'll point you to is this, as told here a horrific story about a woman who was unjustly accused, convicted, and executed for killing her babies. This version of the story indicates that the woman was a relative of Francis Lee. (In my limited research, I haven't been able to confirm the kinship and it is unclear to me how they would be related.)

Evidently, this story is well known and notorious, with lots of different versions. All of the versions indicate that the Indian Queen Hotel in Philadelphia was involved, which many sources indicate that Francis Lee owned at the time... so we can at least confirm that Francis Lee figured into this infamous story.

Francis Lee of Carrickfergus Antrim Ireland

Here is a picture of the Carrickfergus castle in Ireland, near where Francis Lee was born in 1749. He emigrated to America around 1770. Some sources say he eloped with Jane Alexander, marrying her on the ship. He landed in Philadelphia where he prospered in real estate and other entrepreneurial activities. He was a private in the Revolutionary War.

Francis moved to Chester County after 1796. He was an important guy in Chester County, a major landowner and breeder of horses, and he was appointed Justice for the area by the governor in 1800.

Francis Lee and Jane Alexander had eleven children. Only Jane Lee and three of her siblings survived to adulthood; five died at less than 2 years of age. Jane Alexander died around age 35. Francis Lee married at least twice more after the death of Jane Alexander.

An educated woman!

A History of the Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies At Bethlehem, PA

Jane Lee and her sister Eleanora (in other records spelled Eleanor) were educated at the Moravian Seminary for Young Ladies at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This type of higher education for women was virutally non-existent at the end of the 18th century. My guess is that Jane Lee, born in 1781, attended this school in the mid 1790s.

I found this passage about a young girl leaving her home to receive her education at this school, which I believe may be reminiscent of Jane Lee's experience:

By 1800, Pittsburgh had a population of only 2,400. Consequently, educational opportunities for girls were still very limited, and some traveled east to boarding school:

[Eliza Leet Shields'] grandmother . . . in 1800 . . . was taken by her father, an officer of the revolution, from her home in Western Pennsylvania on a mule, over the Allegheny Mountains, her father riding beside her and two attendants following behind, with her wardrobe, packed in paniers, a blue satin pelisse being one of the articles, which I remember she never forgot to speak of as having been very much mussed by the close packing. She attended a school at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, kept by Moravian Sisters, where in addition to the usual branches of English, she was taught to cook, sweep, embroider beautifully, paint in oils and play on the piano.

Tracing its institutional history to 1742, Moravian is America’s sixth oldest college, after Harvard, William and Mary, St. John’s (Annapolis), Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The plot thickens: the Francis Lee family

One of the first names I entered on my family tree was "Jane Lee". Jane was the mother to our (large) Mary Harris Hooper. Other than her name, I didn't have a shred of additional information. No parents, no date of birth, no nothing!

I remember thinking at the time that Jane was certainly a small, thin, sickly woman from a poor family. My reason for thinking this? Because I knew a kid in elementary school named Randy Lee, and he was poor, thin, and sickly.

In the Harris Family History, this is all that was said about Jane:

"(Campbell Harris' wife,) Jane Lee, was a daughter of Francis Lee, born in Antrim Ireland, who came to America about 1775, and Jane Alexander. The Lees were at the time of Jane's marriage residents of East Whiteland. She died February 25, 1846."

This abbreviated entry was another reason why I assumed that Jane's pedigree wasn't too impressive, as Joseph Harris, the author of the Harris family history, writes at length about the important families that the Harris line married into. As you see, Jane Lee received only two sentences in the Harris history.

I did a couple of quick searches on Jane Lee, but other than the above information, could find nothing about Jane or her family. Until this weekend. Come to find out... she was definitely not from a poor family and the status of the Lees seems to equal that of the Harris family. More on the Lee family in the next entries.

Photo above is of Francis Bazley Lee, grand-nephew of Jane Lee Harris. Tons of Lee genealogy in this history written by him: Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey By Francis Bazley Lee

The Harris Connection to the General Wayne Inn

Campbell Harris (1781 to 1853) is my great-great-great-great grandfather, and the father to our (large) Mary Harris, husband of Sanford. Joseph Smith Harris, Campbell's nephew, wrote two books on the Harris family genealogy. Here are excerpts from the books regarding Campbell and the General Wayne Inn.


Notes on the Ancestry of the Children of Joseph Smith Harris and Delia Silliman Brodhead By Joseph Smith Harris: (pg. 17)



This entry references Campbell's father, William Harris. This entire book is available for free via Google Books at the above link. The following is on page 19:




Joseph Smith Harris also references Campbell Harris and the General Lee in the aforementioned Harris Family History" (page 47).

"Campbell Harris was a farmer. In his early married life he had a farm of forty acres in East Whiteland, Chester county, and was proprietor of the General Wayne inn, on the Philadelphia and Lancaster turnpike."

It would appear from these entries that Campbell's young children possibly grew up in the Inn. Mary Harris was born in 1811; the Harris family history indicates that Campbell moved to Geneseo in 1817. Mary would have been 6 years old when the family moved.

ANOTHER! Sill Standing! Former Residence of an Ancestor!

Update! Posting in error. See this.

How many 21st century Americans can see (in person or on the internet) the residences of their 19th century ancestors? Probably not many, but I've uncovered the second for those lucky enough to be descended from the Hooper and Harris families!

First there was the Hooper House in Belle Plaine Minnesota, world famous for its second story outhouse. And now there is the General Wayne Inn in Merion, Pennsylvania, even more world famous (infamous?) than the Hooper House! This post will provide a little information about the General Wayne Inn, and in my next post I'll detail the sources for the Harris connection.

Now a synagogue, the General Wayne Inn dates to 1704. Plenty of famous guests spent time there, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and William Penn. Edgar Allen Poe supposedly wrote The Raven at the Inn.

For two centuries, the General Wayne Inn has been famous for the legends of its ghosts. Its been the subject of serious investigations, including this one (can someone please read it and let me know if they believe there are ghosts there?) There's also this YouTube video, from NBC's Unsolved Mysteries series. Lots of photos and a detailed history of the Inn and the ghosts here.

The A&E series "City Confidential" featured the Inn in its story on a 1996 murder involving the property's owners. Here's a synopsis of the show and the crime.

(photo from the Lower Merion Historical Society)

The bridge that Sanford (helped) to build

A History of the City of Saint Paul, and of the County of Ramsey, Minnesota By John Fletcher Williams (1856): "Work was commenced on the Saint Paul bridge this winter Piles for the piers were driven into the river bed. SANFORD A HOOPER and J & J Napier were the original contractors."

This bridge was known as the Wabasha Street Bridge. According to this, the bridge was scheduled for demolition in 1995 (more pictures & a lot of history at the link.) Sanford's bridge was replaced in 1996 with a fancy new one.

Photo circa 1867, River Crossing looking south from North Abutment, from HAER website.

John Young's Final Resting Place

Find a Grave website comes through again! Here is a second picture of John Young's final resting place at Temple Hill Cemetery in Geneseo, New York. Note the Harris tombstone in the back! Unfortunately I cannot read the inscription on the Harris marker, but the photographer (who graciously allows me to post his image here, thanks!) may be able to get back to the cemetery and get more information on the others buried there. I expect that John Young's wife Ellen Harris along with her father Campbell Harris, mother Jane Lee Harris, and perhaps other siblings may be there.

Sanford A. Hooper & his Brother-in-Law

According to the Record of the Harris family (Ancestry subscription required) Ellen Brick Harris (1813-1872) married John Young. Ellen is Mary Harris' younger sister. The Record of the Harris Family helpfully notes that ".... Ellen Brick Harris was a tall woman but never inclined to grow stout, as did her sisters." (pg. 67)

I find it curious that there aren't any references to Governor John Young in the newspaper accounts of the accusations against Sanford Hooper and his activities as superintendent of the Genesee Valley Canal. From the number and tone of articles about him, I would say that Sanford was a controversial figure on the 1840s/1850s New York scene. Wouldn't you think that Young's and Sanford's enemies would have made an issue of the close family relationship? Were people able to keep a fact like that secret? Or did they not care?

Another curiosity: Mary and Sanford named one of their sons after the brother- in- law, John Young Hooper (1841-1889). This John Young Hooper also named one of his sons-- my great grandfather-- John Young Hooper (1879 - 1942). My mother has vague memories of John Young Hooper, her grandfather, who lived with her family until his death. My mother doesn't recall ever learning that her grandfather was named after a great-uncle who was once governor of New York. Wouldn't you think that story would be passed down?

Political Connection: Unremarkable?

I've uncovered lots of Sanford Hooper related references and will eventually post all of them. There are more details on the defalcation in local press similar to the articles in the previous two posts, information about lawsuits including a New York case that was heard by the Minnesota Supreme Court, and information about Sanford's business dealings in New York and Minnesota, both critical and admiring. But I have yet to see a single comment about what one would think an important aspect of Sanford's dealings: his brother- in- law was a big-time New York politician and in fact the Governor of the state when some of these events were taking place.

John Young was the Governor of New York from 1848-49. He began his political career in the New York Assembly in 1832, served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and after his stint as governor became the Assistant Treasurer of the United States under President Zachary Taylor until his death (of tuberculosis) in 1852 at the age of 49.

Defalcation Part 2, Morally Corrupt & Abandoned!

Even more juicy details! Here's a more readable transcription.

Auburn Journal

Wednesday, October 6, 1852

Bad Example-—A Premium for being Dishonest .

Canal Commissioner FOLLETT certainly has many sins to answer for. The high hand which he has carried in conducting affairs on his section of the canals, during the past summer, should bring upon him the severest denunciations of the Press and People. It seems that he determined, at the opening of navigation, on the Canals, last spring, to take the responsibility upon himself of acting as his disordered sense of propriety and justice might dictate, without reference to the opinion of the People or the interests of the State.

Among the most disreputable proceedings on the canals under his control, we think that of giving employment to S. A. HOOPER, on the Mt. Morris Dam, should be classed. We arc informed, by reliable authority, that HOOPER has been paid TEN DOLLARS PER DAY, during a portion of the season, for superintending the work on the Dam. 'This HOOPER is the identical man against whom charges of fraud were preferred and sustained before a select committee of the Assembly of 1846, appointed to investigate the frauds in the expenditures of the Public Moneys upon the Canals of the State. On page 125, of the report of the committee, made that year, we find the following interesting facts: "Soon after the public exposure of the frauds committed by Hooper and Reynolds, indictments were found against both of them, and Hooper for a time absconded. During his absence from the Genesee Valley, he staid a considerable length of time at the house of Dr. F. L. Harris, in Buffalo. This was probably in August and September, 1845. While there, Dr. Harris had a conversation with him in relation to the amounts of the defalcation, with a view to ascertain the amount of the liability of Hooper, as Superintendent. Hooper then told Dr. Harris that the amount of the whole defalcation was from $3,000 to $5,000, about $5,000. (See deposition of Francis L. Harris, No. 89, in Rep. of Com.) However morally corrupt and abandoned Hooper may have become, he could have no motive to state the amount greater than it really was, but on the contrary, every motive to state it at the lowest possible sum, consistent with a desire to bo believed."

It will thus be seen that a man who has proved a defaulter to the State, and who, to avoid being removed from the office of Superintendent in 1845, reigned, has been kept in employment during some part of the past season, at an expense to the State of $10 per day, while hundreds of men who are known to be honest and upright in their business transactions, and who are far more competent to superintend the work on the Mount Morris Dam, have not been favored with work, because it was supposed that their political influence, in favor of FOLLETT, would not be exerted to the extent that HOOPER'S would.

There are other disgraceful circumstances connected with the Dam improvements. It is said that while HOOPER has been receiving ten dollars per day, for superintending the work, others have been paid six and eight dollars per day for the name service.

There have already been expended, on the Mount Morris Dam, thirty eight thousand dollars, but the work has been so miserably done that competent judges, who have seen it, have predicted that the first rise of water in the river, of any magnitude, will sweep away the whole structure. It is thus that the Public Money is squandered, and men encouraged who have proved themselves defaulters.

Defalcation Details

Don't you LOVE that word, defalcation? Several months ago I spent a few whole days (I do mean whole) trying to find more details about Sanford and his defalcation at the Genesee Valley Canal. I came up blank time & again. But today, viola! The web is growing...

Here's the transcription for the part of the article that involves Sanford.

Northern Journal

Lowville

Thursday, March 18, 1847.

ASTOUNDING CANAL FRAUDS

The Albany Evening Journal which reached us on the 19th came freighted with an astonishing development of gigantic frauds on the canals of our State, committed directly by or through the conviviance of the chosen functionaries of that party which has for several years stood aghast with horror at the thought that the Whigs were about to involve the State in a 40,000,000 debt. For years it has puzzled us to tell how the Brie enlargement and lateral canals, which were originally estimated to cost some $15,000.000 were reported at in a fair way to cost more than double that sum. The mystery is now unraveled by the unanimous report of a select committee appointed by the last Assembly, who have been pursuing their investigations in the recess, and have just made their report. We ask the attention of every citizen to the astounding facts therein developed of which the following summary has been compiled by the Evening Journal.

The select committee appointed by the last Assembly to investigate the fraud; in the expenditures on the canals, have presented their report to the Legislature. It is a very lengthy document, signed by all of the committee.

The committee state that their examinations have been made less with reference to the extent than to the variety and character of the frauds committed with the view of enabling the Legislature or canal board to adopt more effective precautionary measures to prevent like frauds in the future.

Their investigation of the Charges against the commissioner occupies a chapter of the report, presenting the facts without expressing any decided opinion. We shall not attempt to present any synopsis of this portion of the report.

They commenced their investigation upon the Genesee Valley Canal. They state that Sanford A. Hooper, was appointed the superintendent of that canal in the spring of 1842 and continued until he resigned on the 13th of March 1846 and during all this time Orrin H. Reynolds was his clerk; that when Hooper resigned, Reynolds was appointed to fill his place and Hooper became Reynold’s foreman. That soon after Hooper was appointed superintendent, as early as July 1842, he and Reynolds entered upon the practice of a regular system of peculation, by the use of false and forged vouchers; that this system was extensively and almost generally practiced by them until the removal of Reynolds by the Canal board in July 1845; that their practice was to go along the Canal the first of every month, pay the men, obtain their signatures to the printed form of receipts, with the time and amount left blank, and receive the check-rolls of the foreman; then return to the office; fill up the receipts with such amounts as they pleased, and make new check rolls to correspond. These blank receipts in several instances, taken for twenty five cents, were filled up for more dollars! In other instances, two check rolls previously sworn to, were interlined and added a list of days and the amount increased accordingly.

Forged receipts for materials of nearly every description were presented and paid; in one instance for 10,000 feet of lumber for a dock at Mount Marris, and this after the Commissioner had directed it to be constructed of lumber then on hand belonging to the State and while the engineer at Mount Morris was ?? for $3 and $3 ?? like lumber, for which the year before the commissioner had paid contractors from $18 to $8 per thousand.

But the frauds of the superintendent, as compared with those committed in the construction of the canal are hardly worth noticing—much the greater portion of the report is devoted to a description of the frauds in the construction and enlargement of the canals…

Run out of Town?

One of the first things I learned about Sanford Hooper was that he was the superintendent of the Genesee Valley Canal in New York during the 1840s. In the 1850s he moved to Belle Plaine, Minnesota. I wondered why Sanford would leave a respectable and high paying job, and move his large wife and all of his young kids to Minnesota. In those days, life was very difficult in Minnesota. It was truly the new frontier with little development, few amenities, and lots of Indians.

Thanks to Google Books and Dictionary.com, it didn't take long to find an answer!

Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York By New York (1846). Legislature. "


Annual Report of Canal Commissioners By New York Canal Commissioners, New York (1847).: ""


Defalcation means misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.

Here's another reference to the scandal. Unfortunately, the reference isn't complete and this is all that's available. I'm hoping that John Campbell Harris has a thing or two to say about this in the Philadelphia archive!

Deeper & Deeper....

When I first started researching genealogy, I wasn't a bit interested in anything that happened before the mid-19th century. It seemed that only the recent past had relevance... part of that was what I considered the unreliability of research materials, and part was thinking that those folks were way too long gone to be relevant.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, once I started looking, my mind changed and of course now I'm on a tear trying to dig up the Hooper line.

I was able to get in touch with a distant relative who had reliable information on Sanford's family, which I had absolutely NOTHING on before. I've included this new information on my Ancestry Family Tree. Right now I'm two generations back past Sanford and am on a hot lead that might take it even further.

Mt. Rest Cemetery in Bergen, New York has lots of our Hoopers, including Sanford's father, David Hooper (1783-1856).

Unbelievable!

I've found a JACKPOT!!!

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has an archive The Johnston-Harris Family Papers 1776-1935. The papers focus primarily on the "personal and professional achievements of John Campbell Harris" and is "comprised not only of papers, journals, and photographs but also of family memorabilia, genealogical histories, and information about progenitors and distant relatives, this collection focuses on rich familial heritages."

John Campbell Harris is first cousin to "our" (large) Mary Harris (Hooper). The archive listing at the above link is lengthy and it seems that there will be a fair amount of relevant material in the archive!!!

Located in Philadelphia, this archive is accessible to the public and the Society will also provide directed research for a nominal fee. Too bad Philadelphia is on the other side of the country, but I'll make it there one day. In the meantime, I intend to have the Society look up some information and will post what I find.

When it rains...

So now not only do I have a photograph of a very long dead ancestor, now I also have a photograph of his grave! This is a really fun site... I've been visiting it regularly since I started my genealogy research.

John Harris died in 1864. I'm curious if Mary Harris attended the funeral. She was living in Belle Plaine at the time, but appears to have had the resources to make the trip.

First photo of an ancestor pre-1900!!!

I have photograph envy. I am the caretaker of my husband's family photographs and there are a million of them pre-1900. I don't have a single photo of anyone in my maternal grandmother or grandfather's family before their marriage, and only a handful of photos from my grandparents' lives and my mother's youth. One of my motives in keeping this blog is that someone will stumble across it who has a trunkload of Hooper (and Harris) family photos.

Which is why I'm excited about this guy! He is John Harris (1789 - 1864), Mary Harris' uncle. John Harris is the younger brother of Mary Harris' father Campbell, who was born in 1781. He served in the Marine Corps for over 50 years and was the sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps. And this is the first photograph I've seen of a pre-1900 ancestor!

A Must-Read! Harris Family History

I had to change the subtitle of my blog, as I just discovered the amazing recorded history of the Harris family. I've had this little book for awhile, but only skimmed it for references to Sanford Hooper and his line. Little did I know that the real action might be with his wife, Mary Harris!

Record of the Harris Family descended from John Harris Born 1680 in Wiltshire England (1906) contains a detailed record of the ancestry and family of Mary Harris. Mary, born in 1811, was my great-great-great-grandmother. This book is packed full of important people all descended from the two Harris brothers who came to America in 1745 from Ireland. A little confusing to follow all the lines, but a very readable book nonetheless and a great source for fueling an interest in early American history.

The Harris ancestors are genuinely significant in the post-colonial period of America. Revolutionary War heroes left and right! Civil War heroes aplenty! Governor! Aide to President! Doctors and surgeons aplenty! Protector against pirates! Coroner! Professors! Senator! Leaders of Industry! Attorney General! Amazing women! And lots more.

As noted in the previous post, this book is available online (subscription required) at Ancestry.com. You can also get your very own copy for less than $20. What a bargain!

Mary Harris Hooper, Large Wife of Sanford

Passage is from the "Record of the Harris family descended from John Harris born 1680 in Wilshire, England", Ancestry subscription required at link, page 37.
How do you think Mary Harris would have felt about future generations knowing her weight? And how much did Sanford weigh, anyway?

Sanford A. Hooper, Farmer

Click for a readable image. Interestingly, the 1870 census shows Sanford in Belle Plaine with his wife, 17 year old son, and one servant (down from the three servants in the 1860 census.) It identifies him as a farmer with a net worth of $4000, also down from the $4700 total in the 1860 census.

What is the A. in Sanford A. Hooper?

Try as I might, I get a dead end everywhere I look for the answer to this question. I don't know why it bugs me so much not knowing his middle name. Perhaps if he weren't so consistently identified as "Sanford A. Hooper" or "S.A. Hooper" in all the documentation I can find, it wouldn't matter. But the "A" was obviously important to him, and I really want to know what it stands for!

Sanford A. Hooper, Dead Man

Jumping around a bit in the story of Sanford A. Hooper... here is his obituary from the Belle Plaine Herald on 28 January 1891. Click on the photo for a readable image. Sanford died at the age of 78. He was pre-deceased by his wife and son John Young Hooper.

I especially like this part of the obituary: No person ever came to him for advice or assistance unaided. His home was the seat of a large hearted hospitality and the sick found in him a friend whose time and means were always at his disposal. After a residence in this village of over thirty years there could not be found one descending voice to this opinion.

I've been told that he was buried in the cemetery at the Episcopal Church in Belle Plaine.

Sanford A. Hooper, Hotel Keeper

Here is the 1860 census that shows Sanford living in Belle Plaine with his wife, four children, three servants and three farm laborers. His occupation is listed as Hotel Keeper. "Value of Real Estate" is $2300 and "Value of Personal Estate" is $5000. Using the "nominal GDP per capita" measurement, this $7300 in 1860 would be worth $2,419,911.31 today.

Sanford A. Hooper & his Famous House

Alice Hooper's great grandfather was Sanford A. Hooper. Sanford was born in New York in 1813. Currently I have no ancestor information for Sanford, but I'm working on it!

Sanford married Mary Harris in 1840, when he was 27. The Harris family was prominent in New York and a relative included a governor of New York. His five children were born 1841-1852 in New York where Sanford was superintendent of the Genesee Valley Canal (more on that later).

Sanford, his wife and four children (one child died young) moved to Belle Plaine, Minnesota in the 1850s. Sanford was a successful businessman there and built this house in 1871, which has its own Wikipedia page. You can still get a tour of the Hooper House, which is owned by the Belle Plaine Historical Society. It is world famous for its second story outhouse

In Memory of Alice Hooper Chapman

This blog is in memory of my grandmother, Alice Hooper Chapman. Alice was born in Omaha in 1904 and died in Panama City, Florida in 1970. I did not know her well... I was 11 when she died. I've always been intrigued by what I knew about her.

She was an only child and aside from her parents, had no close relatives (or so we thought). After high school in Omaha, she went to the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1920s. She married a classmate, my grandfather, Henry Thomas Chapman, had two kids, then moved to north Florida in the 1930s.

My grandfather worked in advertising in Chicago. After the move to Florida, he managed his Tung Oil Grove. Throughout her life, Alice continued working as an artist and a teacher of art. Alice and Henry lived in northern Florida for the rest of their lives.

I've always been fascinated by the idea of a lonely girl in Omaha, so interested in art--- and so talented-- that she sought an art education after high school. Where did her passion for art come from? How did she end up at a prestigious art college, when neither parent had even a high school degree?

No one can answer these questions for me... but my research into the family history can at least give some clues. Before I started this search, my mother could only give me the basics of her mother's history... birthdate, birth place, parents' names... and a story or two about the Hoopers. That was it. So this blog is an attempt to find some answers and to document my genealogy research in the hope that one day my own daughters will be interested in their great-grandmother and her family history.