Four Squier Brothers: Soldiers of the Revolution

Jonathan Squier (1693-1789) was one of the earliest known settlers of Livingston, NJ, having purchased lands near the Passaic River from the East Jersey Proprietors in 1744. Jonathan and his second wife, Lydia Camp, had two daughters, Mary and Rachel, and four sons who were Captains in the Revolutionary War, Nathaniel, Zophar, Jonathan, and Elijah.

This plaque hangs in the The Force Home which is maintained by the Livingston Historical Society. 

An abstract of Jonathan Squier's will dated May 18, 1785. It was proved Dec. 14, 1789 two months after the death of his eldest son, Nathaniel.

Nathaniel, Zophar, and Elijah are all buried at the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover, East Hanover, Morris, NJ. 

Nathaniel Squier (1727-1789)

In Memory of

Cap't Nathaniel

Squire Who Died

Oct'r 28, 1789

In the 62 Year of

his age

You living men as ye pass by

 As you are now so once was I

 As I am now you soon must be

 Prepare for death and follow me

 

In Memory of

Nathaniel Squier

Capt Continental Line

Revolutionary War

1727  1787 

Jonathan Squier (- 1800)

 

Jonathan Squier's will was proved Feb. 2, 1800 two months before his brother Zophar's. Brother Elijah was a witness.

Zophar Squier (1731-1800)

 

Zophar Squier's powder horn is in the collection of the Ohio Historical Society. It is inscribed with the English coat of arms and "Zophar Squier, His Horn, August 1756."

 Sacred 

to the Memory 

of 

Zopher Squier

he departed this life 

the 2d day of March A. D. 1800 

Aged Sixty-Eight Years and Seven Months 

and Fourteen Days. 

Our life contains a thousand strings 

and dies if one be gone. 

Strange that a harp of thousand strings 

should keep in tune so long.

An abstract of Zophar Squier's will dated Jan. 6, 1800. The will was proved April 9, 1800. Brother Elijah, along with Joseph T. Hardy (Esq.), were witnesses and inventoried Zophar's estate.

Elijah Squier (1738-1808)

From the Centinel of Freedom, Newark, NJ, March 3, 1846:

"On the 13th Dec. 1780, Captains Isaac Gillam, Isaac Reeves, and Elijah Squier, commanding militia detachments posted at Newark. seized a considerable quantity of goods belonging to the "London Traders."  The seizure was made "at the Newark ferry-house, and Nutman's Barn." . . . The goods seized consisted of tea, pepper, silks, muslin, cambric, linen, and other dry goods. Of tea there must have been from 100 to 150 pounds if not more, valued at 8s. and 8s.6d. per pound.

The Centinenal of Freedom, Newark, NJ, March 26, 1799:

Stolen out of the stable of the subscriber, on the night of the 4th inst. a black MARE, stoutly built and well made, a natural trotter, high carriage and spirits, very ??; she has a star in her forehead, a small white spot on one of her lips, one of her hind feet white, on the bottom of hoof, a small ?? each side of her neck. Any person who will take up said Mare and Thief, shall receive FIFTEEN DOLLARS, or for the Mare only, TEN DOLLARS, and all reasonable charges, paid by ELIJAH SQUIER. 

Springfield, March 11, 1799.

 

The Squier Monument: 

 Capt Elijah Squier
born Nov. 21, 1738 died Sept 6 1808
Elizabeth his wife
born May 26, 1734 died Oct. 27, 1805
Abraham Squier
born Feb. 5, 1774 died Oct. 13, 1805
Clarissa his wife
born April 4, 1776 died April 22, 1847
Julia Ann
daughter of Abraham & Clarissa Squier
died Sept. 3, 1854
Aged 49 years

The Squier House was known to have been built before the Revolution and occupied by Squiers for nine generations. Before the house was demolished in 1977, the oldest section had been dismantled by a local resident. At the time, we were in the process of building new kitchen cabinets so my husband and I took an old painted door (yes, we did!) from the remaining pile of rubble and hung it on one of our cupboards. It is still in our kitchen after all these years and serves as a pleasant reminder of one of Livingston's oldest homes.

You might also be interested in last year's July 4th blog Soldiers of the Revolution. 

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer

It's Your Day, Dad!

My dear father, Franklin Ralph Davis (1909-1992), was the eldest child of Ralph and Maud (Hankinson) Davis of Palisades Park, NJ, and if you asked him about his ancestors he'd always answer, "I don't know, they came over on one of those early ships." Every once in a while he would tell stories about his grandmother and uncles but he never really knew much about his great-grandparents, Henry Wooden Davis and Eunice Fisk. 

He was a quiet, sincere, and well-mannered man who worked hard all of his life. He made airplane propellers during WWII, worked in a post office when I was in high school and eventually became a plant manager at Paterson Canning Company in Paterson, NJ. He kept our house well-stocked with C & C Super Coola soda :) He loved the outdoors, especially fishing, dabbled in photography, and was an avid reader. He also loved his pipes.

My father (center) with his brother, Alvin, and sister, Margaret, in 1918, the same year that he won First Honors in the Junior Four Minute Men Speaking Contest for The Third Liberty Loan in Palisades Park, NJ.

In 1927 he (3rd from left) earned a 'Varsity L' for being on the basketball team at Leonia High School. According to the year book account of the team's record: "The 1927 basketball season was a rather disastrous and uneventful one. A total of twenty one games was played. The team won seven and lost fourteen. It was the team's first year in the N.N.J. league and it wound up in last place in the league. . . The most impressive and gratifying victory for the team was its victory over Englewood. The score was 22-21. . "

 

After graduating high school in 1927, Dad went west. In 1930 he was living on a date farm outside of Cathedral City, CA.  

At the age of 21 he was a swimming instructor at the newly opened Desert Palms Club in Palms Springs but returned to NJ the following year. 

Lake Mombasha in Orange County, NY, was one of his favorite places to visit. In the winter he and his buddies would drive his Model-A out onto the frozen lake, slam on the brakes and spin around; and during the summer months he'd enjoy some serious freshwater fishing.

A true outdoorsman.

 

On a trip to Washington, D.C. he took this time exposure photograph of a bedroom at Mount Vernon and  won $25.00 in a photo contest.

My parents were married on June 14, 1936 . . .  

 . . . and spent their honeymoon in a cabin on Lake Anasagunticook in Maine. 

 

This is my all-time favorite picture. 

 

When I was growing up, we lived in a little house in Leonia, NJ, that had a brook running through the property. 

I must get my love of reading from my Dad. He belonged to the Book-of-the-Month Club and these are some of his books.

Thanks, Dad, and Happy Father's Day!

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer

Prizewinning Quilts and Beautiful Irises

Quilts and Irises--Perfect Together--at least for today.

The Garden State Quilters' Guild show "Sounds Like New Jersey" was this past weekend at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, NJ. My friend, Rachel, and I had a great time looking at all the beautiful quilts, catching up with long-time friends, and searching for a few items to buy that were on our lists. I took pics of some of the prizewinning quilts and was thrilled to see two ribbons on my quilt, Peto Revisited :) 

One day last week I went to the Presby Iris Gardens in Montclair, NJ, to photograph their beautiful iris gardens. I was about a week too late to catch many of them at their peak but Bed 18 had Millennium Irises from 2000-present and they were gorgeous!

 

Dawn Hayes, "quilter extraordinaire" and a member of Garden State Quilters, won ribbons for each of her quilts. The Cutting Garden won Best of Show and first place in the Pieced Quilt, Hand Quilted category. It is made of silk. 

My Peto Revisited quilt won 2nd Place in the same category and a Judge's Choice Award. It was interesting to see so few reproduction quilts in the show. 

Legacy by Laura Wagner won 3rd place. For those of you who remember Natalie Hart from the Heritage Quilt Project of NJ; and, one of the authors of New Jersey Quilts, Laura is her daughter :) 

Tuscan Sunflower by Ginger Scott also won a 3rd place ribbon in the same Pieced, Hand Quilted category.  Love the soft hues in this quilt!

Blue Birds by Barbie Vanderfleet-Martin won 3rd place in the Appliqued Quilt, Machine Quilted category. Isn't it charming?

Sandy by Dawn Hayes won Best Hand Quilting and 1st Place in the Show Theme - "Sounds Like New Jersey."

 

And, Dawn's lovely quilt, Tropical Fruit, won 1st Place in the Appliqued, Hand Quilted category . . .  Doesn't it remind you of a theorem painting?

Bee Whimsical, by Ginger Scott won 2nd place. The honeycomb quilting design was a perfect choice.

In less than 20 minutes I had taken over 80 photographs at the Presby Iris Gardens and had to restrain myself from taking more. 

There were Antique Historic Irises, Heirloom Irises, Hall of Fame Irises, Japanese and Siberian Irises, and Millennium Irises--my favorites of the day. 
 

How about the striped center in Bronze Peacock (2003)? 

 

Gypsy Lord (2005) was my favorite. 

Indian Sunrise (2004) with its ruffly petals.

 And, here's Lovely Senorita (2002).

 Midnight Treat (2006) . . .

. . . and Got Milk (2002) - love that name!

On my way out I happened to see this Edith Wolford iris in another bed.  

And here it is in the Schaffer Garden :) I never knew the name of our one and only iris.

You can see other iris photos in last year's blog here.

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer

Three Davis Brothers, Civil War Veterans

My paternal great-grandfather, Horace Davis, and his brothers James Wallace and Plymouth all served in the Civil War. They were the sons of Henry Wooden Davis and Eunice Fisk of Rockland, Sullivan, NY. Years ago, my uncle Alvin Davis had given me Horace's Civil War Certificate of Discharge but it wasn't until 2007 when I was writing an article for our Traces, Davis Genealogy Newsletter that I realized the photograph at the bottom of the document was the Davis brothers. This Memorial Day is the perfect time to pay tribute to them for their sacrifices; all three were discharged for disabilities.

 

This is the Certificate of Discharge with the photograph of the three brothers at the bottom. You can zoom in and read the actual certificate here.  

 

I'm still a little vague as to which is which but I believe my gr-grandfather, Horace, is the one in the middle, Plymouth, left ?, and James Wallace, right ? 

Their Civil War Service records:

Horace E. Davis, age 27 years, enlisted, December 30, 1863, at Rockland, mustered in as private, Co. G, 2nd Mounted Rifles on January 23, 1864, to serve three years. He was wounded at the Battle of Petersburg, VA, on June 17, 1864, received a Distinguished Service Award and was discharged from Finley Hospital in Washington, D.C. on February 10, 1865.   

Plymouth Davis, age 20 years. Enlisted at Liberty, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. F, 56th Infantry Regiment, September 16, 1861; discharged for disability, March 22, 1863, at Hilton Head, SC. 

James W. Davis, age 18 years. Enlisted at Liberty, to serve three years, and mustered in as private, Co. F, 56th Infantry Regiment, October 15, 1861; discharged for disability, May 26, 1863, at Convalescent Camp, Alexandria, Va.

 

 

Both James W. and Plymouth Davis enlisted within a month of each other and served in the same regiment. In 1893 they attended the reunion of the 56th Regiment in Ellenville, NY. The Ellenville Times reported Soldiers in Reunion on October 20th: 

.  .  . The annual reunion of the 156th and 56th Regiments was held yesterday and the patriotism of Ellenville and that vicinity was aroused. Many houses and nearly all the business places were handsomely decorated. The firemen had trimmed their headquarters elaborately, and the town wore a gala appearance. The weather was most threatening. . .

….56th Regiment, Company F:
Daniel L. LeRoy, Jas. W. Davis, Plymouth Davis, DeWitt Belney, Wm. Broadhead, J.C. Fisk, Wm. Young, Samuel A. Hotchkiss, Ira Divine, Peter Faty, D.O. Whitmore, E.J. LeRoy, Thos. Gildersleeve, Frank Hotchkin, Jos. Johnson, Edgar Conklin, Edgar H. Munson, Harvey Farrington, Jas. Aldorf.

 

Horace Davis on the front porch of his home in Youngsville, NY. My guess is that this picture was taken after the death of his wife, Margaret Edwards, in 1917 and he was about to move to Palisades Park, NJ to live with his son, Ralph B. Davis.

Horace and Margaret are buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Livingston Manor, NY.  According to the Bryant Funeral Home, Horace's burial cost $35.00--$13 for the undertaker, $12 to open the grave, and $10 for a hearse. He died in 1924 but the year was never inscribed on the gravestone. Photograph by JDarbeeSmith. 

The Record (Hackensack, NJ), Nov. 3, 1924:
Horace E. Davis
Horace E. Davis, 87 years of age, died suddenly Monday at the home of his son, Ralph D. Davis, of Edsall Boulevard, Palisades Park, with whom he has made his home for the past eight years. He was a member of Company G, New York Mounted Rifles and was wounded in the battle of Petersburg June 17, 1864. He was discharged from service by a surgeon's certificate of disability in February, 1865.

A short service was held at the home on Edsall Boulevard Tuesday evening by Rev. John Gratton.

Early this morning his body was taken to the Presbyterian Church at Livingston Manor, where military services were held. Interment was at the Livingston Manor Cemetery.

He is survived by three sons: Edmund F. of Middletown, NY, Osmer P. Davis of Liberty, NY and Ralph D. Davis of Palisades Park. 

James Wallace Davis and his wife, Hannah Jane LeRoy, are also buried in the Methodist Cemetery. Photograph by JDarbeeSmith. You can read more about James Wallace Davis and the Davis Hotel here.

Livingston Manor Times, (Livingston Manor, NY) February 15, 1912:
James W. Davis, a lifelong resident of Livingston Manor, dropped dead on the street Tuesday afternoon from heart failure, aged 74 years. Mr. Davis had returned from a ride to Parksville just before noon, during which he was thoroughly chilled and could not seem to warm up. About 3 p.m. he was met at the O&W crossing by several persons whom he greeted in his usual pleasant manner, but one hundred feet further down the street he fell. Mr. Davis was quickly carried to the office of Dr. G H Lathrop who administered restoratives but without avail.

Mr. Davis was born near Livingston Manor on the A Mussman farm, October 1837, the son of Henry W. Davis and Unice Fisk. In 1865 he was united in marriage at Liberty to Miss Hannah J Leroy.

He enlisted in Sullivan County's regiment, the 143d, and served his country faithfully. He was a member of the Livingston Masonic Lodge and a member of the Presbyterian Church. His early life was spent on a farm near the village. He became proprietor of the Manor House and later owner of the Davis House, now Hotel Sherwood. After selling the latter hotel, he retired from active business. He was held in high esteem by the entire community, his uniformally happy disposition and cheery greeting winning him many friends.

Surviving are his wife and son, Dr. J. William Davis, an adopted daughter, Mrs. W. R. Woolsey, two brothers, Horace and Plymouth Davis, all of Livingston Manor and one sister, Mrs. Eunice Conine of Binghamton. The funeral services will be held in the Presbyterian Church Friday at 10:30 a.m. conducted by the Rev. A Mason Brown. The services at the grave will be in charge of the Masonic order, Purvis Post, GAR, of which the deceased was the commander, will attend in a body. 

 

Plymouth Davis (1839-1912) and his wife, Harriet DeWitt (1844-1927), are buried across the street in the Orchard Street Cemetery. Another great photo by JDarbeeSmith.

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer

In My Mother's Footsteps

My dear mother, Etta Bower Davis (1910-1964), taught me how to applique when I was 20 years old. In the early 1960s when she was battling breast cancer she was also making applique pictures that depicted our immediate family. I started following in her footsteps by trying to recreate some of those same images and eventually went on to incorporate figures in several of my quilts in the early 80s.

 

This is mom's picture of me (in pink) and my sister-in-law replacing the toys in my hope chest with quilts. I was about to be married.

And this is my version of her picture. When mom taught me how to applique she said to think about sewing in layers. If I was working on a figure then I should applique the neck before the head, the hand before the sleeve, the feet before the pants, the blouse before the skirt, and the dress before the jacket. I added my canopy bed, my gr-grandmother's rocking chair and a window with curtains made from my wedding gown lace. The plate on the shelf is embroidered with the date I became engaged.

 

Mom and dad with their names embroidered on the front of the farm stand along with their engagement and wedding dates. Mom's pictures were done on purple ground while mine were done on an old linen tablecloth that once belonged to my gr-grandmother.

My husband and I standing under an arbor of embroidered vines and flowers. My second applique picture. 

 

Mom's picture of my husband, our son, and me on the Appalachian Trail traveling from Georgia to NJ. Our son was born at Fort Benning, GA, when my husband was in the service. Two months before Mom died in 1964 she wrote us a letter to go along with this picture:

Dearest Children,

Most people spend their lives searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. To many, this means money and to others, adulation and prestige. Neither of those ever interested me too much. . . 

Be happy, content, and, cultivate peace of mind and 'Life' will prove to be a wonderful adventure. Since I have used symbolism in all my pictures, Dad has become the strong pine tree and I have become Princess White Cloud hovering over you! Which just means that our love is always with you and you are always in our thoughts.

This picture was made with a great deal of special love just for you.

Affectionately,

Mom 

 

The year following her death, I made this picture of my mother as I wanted to remember her--sitting in a chair embroidering flowers with a quilt draped over a trunk that symbolized the quilts she made. Her yellow wicker sewing basket is on the floor and a grandmother's clock is in the background because she was a new grandma. 

 

In 1968 I made this picture of our daughter in the carriage and our son skipping down the driveway to our house--well, not exactly OUR house. We had four rooms in this 16-room house in Suffern, NY, that was once owned by Van Alan Clark of Avon fame. It came with my husband's job. :) I also included a pine tree and a cloud--symbols for my dad and mom.

Moving on . . .
 

In the early 1980s my appliqued figures focused on sporting events. Olympics won an honorable mention in McCall's Needlework & Crafts 1980 Olympics contest.

 

And, Skier's Mountain represented our ski trips to Quebec when our kids were in high school. It was featured in Lady's Circle Patchwork & Quilts in 1983. The ski outfits are ones we wore at the time. 

My husband--

I'm on the chairlift with our St. Bernard, Puzzle. 

Our daughter--

Our son. 

In 1984 I made Summer Serenity after seeing an Amish family at the Jersey shore. I will never forget that day. This quilt was juried into the first American Quilters Society show in Paducah, KY, and was published in their Quilt Art Calender in 1987.

Here is a detail.

When my son became engaged to a Swedish girl on her birthday in 1996, I made this picture based on "Aunt Brown's Party" in the book, Old Swedish Quilts. 

My mother and her appliqued pictures have inspired me more than she will ever know. Thank you, Mom!

You can see more of her pictures here.  

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Copyright 2013, Barbara Schaffer