Bowerman-Related

One of my (presumed) ancestors, Edward Richmond, married 2nd, Amy Bull.  Don't know if there is a relationship with the family detailed below.

Genealogy of the Bull family

Billos In Canada West

Jacob Billo(w) in the 1851 Census, Canada West, Haldimand County, North Cayuga Township:

Source

Jacob's wife, Catherine, and their children were on the next page:

Source
1851 Census, Canada West, Haldimand County, North Cayuga Township

Murphy's In - Laws

Ellen (Murphy) Billo was the 3rd great-grandmother of my grandchildren.

Ellen Billo

Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952

birth: 30 July 1859 Ontario, Canada

death: 25 April 1938 Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

father: James Murphy

Ellen (Murphy) Billo's parents were James Murphy and Ellen Davey.  In 1861 2 year old Ellen Murphy was residing with her parents, James and Ellen, as well as her brother, Timothy.

1861 Census - Canada West [Norfolk, Ontario, Canada]

An 1877 plat map of Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada (below), included a J. Murphy and a James Murphy.  Below is the plat for J. Murphy.  I wasn't sure which (if either) Murphy was correct.  An agricultural census (if it exists for Norfolk County in 1861) would help.

Source - 1877 Norfolk County, Ontario, Map (McGill University)

1881 Census

Windham, Norfolk North, Ontario

 James MURPHY       Male     M    50  b. Ireland  Catholic

 Ellen   "       Female   M    48   b. Ireland                    

Timothy "    Male          23   Irish      Ontario          

Patrick  "     Male          20   Irish      Ontario       

Mary "     Female        18   Irish        Ontario          

 Catherine  "      Female        16   Irish    Ontario      

 James  "       Male          14   Irish     Ontario       

 John  "        Male          12   Irish  Ontario      

 Thomas "      Male          10   Irish Ontario       

Daniel  "       Male      5    Irish        Ontario       

 Agnes "       Female        4    Irish      Ontario     

By 1900 Ellen (Davey) Murphy was widowed and living in Detroit, Michigan, with 4 of her sons, a daughter and a son-in-law:

1900 Michigan Wayne, Detroit, 13th St

Murphy, Elen, head, 1832, widowed, 11-10

  "  James, son, July 1866, 33, b. Can

 "   , Thomas, son, Feb 1870, Can, single

 "  , John E., son, Jan 1868, 32, single

 "  , Daniel A., son, Oct 1874, 25, Can

 Coughlin, Daniel, boarder, June1872, m1

   "   , Sarah A., daughter, Nov 1876, m1, 1-1

1910 MI  Detroit  23rd  

COUGHLIN, Daniel J., 37, m12, Policeman-City

  "   Agnes S., wife, 32, 12, 5-4, Canada

  "   Maria, 10

 "   Helen, 7

 "   Kearan E., 5

 "   Agnes

MURPHY, Ella, m-i-l, wd, 80, 11-8

Ellen (Davey) Murphy died 5 April 1914, in Kent County, Michigan.  She was buried in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  Her parents were Bernard Davey and Nellie Brown, both born in Ireland.

Don't have the death or burial information about Ellen (Murphy) Billo's father, James Murphy, yet.

Bowermans And Billos

Maturah Bull married (1st) Thomas Bowerman, "who brought her to Canada in 1792...they settled on Lot 1, First Con., Military Tract, Township Hallowell."  Thomas died in 1810.

Excerpt from the Genealogy of the Bull family:

A family tree site at Ancestry's Rootsweb indicated that Maturah Bull's (1773 - 1846) parents were Josiah Bull and Mehetable Thomas.  Thomas Bowerman's (1761 - 1810) parents were *Ichabod Bowerman and Jane Richmond. [More about the Richmond(s) connections on another blog post]

There appeared to be a connection between "my" Richmond family and the Bowermans.  Was a member of the Billo family (related to my son-in-law and grandkids) also related to this Bowerman family in Canada? The short answer is yes.

*Ichabod Bowerman's parents were Thomas Bowerman and Jane Clifton (Ichabod Bowerman was also married to Jane Harby).  

Thomas and Jane (Harby) Bowerman's son was Ichabod Bowerman.  Ichabod's son was David Bowerman; David's son was David.  The next generation was Ichabod and the next was Samuel David Bowerman.

Samuel David Bowerman married Elizabeth Winegarden.  Their son, John Franklin Bowerman, married Rhoda Gertrude Billo, the daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Shepard) Billo.

More About The Wolcotts

See the Wolcott family's influence in music.

An online search of Billo descendant Hilda Wolcott produced a hit inBillboard Magazine published December 13, 1948.  Billboard Magazine?  But there it was. 

PInckney Dispatch, September 22, 1926, published this:

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wolcott and daughter of Mississippi spent Tuesday at the home of Mrs. Wolcott's brother, M. J. Hosiel and family.

Catheryne Hoisel Wolcott's entry at FindAGrave.

Source

"Wolcott's Fun Factory under the generic banner of "Old Plantation" minstrelsy.  Fred Wolcott is positioned next to the "box office" hand on hip.  His wife Catheryn Hoisel Wolcott is standing behind the box office.  (courtesy Hilda Wolcott Hutchings)  Thanks to Mississippi Cultural Crossroads"

Genealogical Rambles

See my Midwife To The Blues blog post.

Mrs. F. S. Wolcott and daughter Hilda were the Billo descendants I was tracking.  What was the Rabbit Foot Minstrels?  The 1940 Census Mississippi, showed the Wolcotts living in Port Gibson, Claiborne, Mississippi.  Fred Wolcott's occupation was "showman" and his business was Rabbit Foot.

Source

A Wikipedia entry connected "the song "The W.S. Wolcott Medicine Show", to stories the late singer Levon Helm told....about the Wolcott troupe, which had come through Arkansas regularly when Helm was a boy."

Lots of vintage photos of the Wolcott troupe here.  The Wolcott place in Port Gibson, Mississippi.

An article about Levon Helm and his musical group, The Band.  Helm's own ramble based upon his experiences with the Wolcotts explained here.  Mr. Helm's obituary here.

Riobard O'Dwyer Papers

The NEHGS's e-mail notification featured "The Riobard O'Dwyer Papers."

"In 2012, NEHGS acquired the Riobard O'Dwyer Papers, which document the families of the Beara Peninsula in southwest Ireland."

"The processing of the Riobard O'Dwyer Papers (Mss 1097) was completed in March 2013 and the collection is now open for use by NEHGS members. A more detailed description of this collection will be published in the spring 2013 issue of American Ancestors magazine."

This collection should be helpful in my research.  I referenced Mr. O'Dwyer's research in this blog post.
Nana's MI & Irish Roots
Since Nana (my son-in-law's grandmother) just celebrated her 89th birthday recently [now deceased].... With perusing the Beara-L Rootsweb archives....there's a reference to Nana's grandparents, James & Mary (Kelly) Green. Here's a website [now a broken link] that should help in investigating Nana's Irish roots by R. O'Dwyer.

More information here.  Another researcher's blog post about Mr. O'Dwyer and the Beara peninsula.

Obituary Of Ellen (Murphy) Billo

MRS. ELLEN BILLO DIES IN DETROIT

Former G.R. Resident Was Active Church Member

Mrs. Ellen Billo, 78, resident of Grand Rapids for 32 years prior to moving to Detroit in 1920, died Monday noon in Detroit.  She had been in ill health for the past 10 years.  During her residence in Grand Rapids, Mrs. Billo was a member of St. Alphonsus church and the Arch. Confraternity of the Holy Family of that Church.  Surviving are four sons, Joseph A., of this city, Ervin J., Charles E., and Frank M. of Detroit; two sisters, Mrs. Agnes Caughlin of Detroit, and Mrs. Mary Young of Mt. Pleasant; three brothers, Timothy Murphy of St. Thomas, Ont; and James and Daniel Murphy of Detroit; 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.  The body will arrive in Grand Rapids Tuesday noon and will be taken to the residence of her son, Joseph A. Billo, 1244 Christ Ave., NE.  Funeral services will be held Thursday morning at 10 o'clock at St. Alphonsus church.  Burial will be in Mt. Calvary cemetery.  Members of the Arch Confraternity of the Holy Family will meet at the residence Wednesday evening at 8 o'clock to recite the rosary.

Source: GRAND RAPIDS HERALD,  APRIL 26, 1938, PAGE 3

Midwife To The Blues

An online search of Billo descendant Hilda Wolcott produced a hit in Billboard Magazine published December 13, 1948.  Billboard Magazine?  But there it was.

The article, Wolcott Scores Winning Season; Barns In Miss., dateline Mer Rouge, La., started with "F.S. Wolcott's Rabbit(t) Foot Minstrels closed the season here October 23.... ."  "Staff included Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Wolcott, Hilda Wolcott.... ."

Mrs. F. S. Wolcott and daughter Hilda were the Billo descendants I was tracking.  What was the Rabbit Foot Minstrels?  The 1940 Census Mississippi, showed the Wolcotts living in Port Gibson, Claiborne, Mississippi.  Fred Wolcott's occupation was "showman" and his business was Rabbit Foot.

Wikipedia provided the answer:  "...(it) was a long running minstrel and variety troupe that toured as a tent show in the American South between 1900 and 1950. It provided a basis for the careers of many leading African American musicians and entertainers, including Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith... ."

The Mississippi Blues Trails website featured a Rabbit's Foot historical marker and included the following narrative:

In 1900, Patrick Henry Chappelle, an African American from Florida, produced a musical comedy called “A Rabbit’s Foot,” and by 1902 his Rabbit’s Foot Company was touring as a tent show, though the popular attraction was billed as “too good for a tent.” Following Chappelle’s death in 1911, the company was taken over by F. S. (Fred Swift) Wolcott, a white entrepreneur from Michigan who had been running a small minstrel company.

A Webpage About Jacob And Catherine Billo's Family

Update May 4, 2014: The Paul D. Billo Genealogy page link is inoperable.

The Paul D. Billo Genealogy page explained that, "Jacob Billo and Catherine Sheperd came to Canada from Germany between 1845 and 1847, and eventually settled in LaSalette, Ontario."

Photo From The Paul D. Billo Genealogy Page

Jacob and Catherine Billo are my grandkids' ancestors through their son, Henry, who moved to Michigan as did Henry's sister Catherine (Billo) Hoisel.

Ellen Murphy And Her Children

The older lady (seated) is Ellen (Davey) Murphy. She is surrounded by all her children*. So far we know the young woman in the back on the left is Sarah Agnes. It is suspected that the woman in the back on the very right is Mary.  [Photograph probably taken in Detroit, Michigan].

A big thank you to Kathleen who sent the photo and provided the information.

*The children:

1.  Ellen Murphy b: Jul 1859 in Canada
2.  Timothy Murphy b: 1858 in Canada
3.  Mary Murphy b: 11 May 1863 in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
4.  Patrick Henry Murphy b: 19 Mar 1861 in Canada
5.  Catherine Murphy b: 1865 in Canada
6.  James Murphy b: 1867 in Canada
7.  John Murphy b: 1870 in Canada
8.  Daniel Murphy b: Oct 1874 in Canada
9.  Sarah Agnes Murphy b: Nov 1876 in Canada

There are five male children listed above and six males in the photo -- son-in-laws, or am I missing a son?

If anyone can verify who is whom (or wants to make an educated guess!), please post a comment.

The oldest child, Ellen Murphy, is my grandkids' 3rd great-grandmother.

Update:  The person who sent the photo to me said that I was missing a son, Thomas (1870-1909); and also that the picture was showing a broken link -- hopefully it's fixed (October 14th).

Billos In Grand Rapids

Tracking the Billo family via the Grand Rapids, Michigan, City Directories, from R. L. Polk & Co.:

1898 

Billo, Henry, fireman water wks, h 112 Plainfield av.
Billo, James H., stenogr  Mich Barrel Co, bds 112 Plainfield av
Billo, Joseph A, gluer, bds 112 Plainfield av.


1902

Billo, Henry, engr City Pumping Station, h 42 Carrier
Billo, James H.,bkkpr  Mich Barrel Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, John E.,stenogr  Mich Barrel Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Joseph A.,bds 42 Carrier

Billo, Jabez, residing at the Michigan Soldiers' Home [listed as Bills in other directories]

 1903

Billo, Henry, engr, h 42 Carrier
Billo, Jabez, res Michigan Soldiers' Home
Billo, James H, bkkpr  Mich Barrel Co., bds 42 Carrier
Billo, John E, stenogr  Mich Barrel Co., bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Joseph A, collr  Citizens Telephone Co, bds 42 Carrier

1906

Billo, Henry, engr; City Water Works; home address: 42 Carrier; living at 42 Carrier
Billo, Charles E.
Billo, James H.
Billo, John E.
Billo, Joseph A.


1909

Billo, Charles E, sheetmetalwkr  G R Blow Pipe and Dust Arrester Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Ervin J, stenogr Mich Barrel Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Frank, stenogr  F Letellier & Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Henry, engr Water Wks, h 42 Carrier
Billo, James H, bkkpr, Mich Barrel Co, bds 42 Carrier
Billo, Joseph A, colln mngr Citz Tel Co, h 85 1/2 Carrier

Bills, Jabez, inmate Soldiers Home

Kathleen S. (Martin) Billo (1919 - 2011)

Mrs. Billo died February 22, 2011:

Kathleen Billo in May 2004

Passenger Lists At Ancestry

The folks at Ancestry are allowing free access to their passenger list databases until the end of 2006. So I thought I’d try a few searches. Among those I’ve found were Alger family members of Detroit and Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Russell A. Alger, Sr., was a Michigan Senator and Governor and was also the Secretary of Defense during the Spanish-American War. Mrs. Alger was a descendant of Wait Squier, connecting the Alger family to members of my family. Sailing on the S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm II from Cherbourg on March 18, 1908, were Mrs. Russell A. Alger, Jr., and daughters Josephine and Fay. I didn’t remember a Josephine Alger, so I did a “Google” search and found information about her in the Grosse Pointe newspapers. To see a boatload (!) of Alger references in the Grosse Pointe newspapers, see the link at the Grosse Pointe Library sponsored by the historical society.

The S.S. Calamares sailed from Port Antonio, Jamaica, in 1914 with members of the Alger family on board. While looking through the same manifest (online at www.ancestry.com), I noticed the name Stewart Grafton. A nice coincidence -- the Graftons are also in my genealogical database as relatives of my Howard relatives in Canada. A quick “Google” search found the following links to the Graftons:

Biography of James Beatty Grafton

Apparently the Graftons were from South Carolina ---

WorldConnect Database of Graftons in South Carolina & Mississippi

Grafton Land Grants On The Mississippi

Also found were Gottlieb & Fannie Palm (on one of their trips from Germany back to the United States) as well as Eve Billo who went to the Territory of Hawaii in the 1950’s. There are plenty more queries before 2007 arrives!