The close of 1864 found Edward T. Sandford in Waterville, Maine, about 40 miles north of his home town of Topsham, serving as a Provost Marshall, tending to local military matters and recovering from being wounded in Virginia. The war was coming to an end, and President Lincoln was looking ahead to rebuilding the country.Continue reading “Edward Sandford returns to China”
Author Archives: jimsandford
Is The Shipping News about our Hynes ancestors?
The Shipping News, a novel by E. Annie Proulx published in 1993, follows the life of Quoyle, a childhood immigrant from Newfoundland who falls on hard times and decides to move back to his homeland with his young children and his aunt, Agnis Hamm. On the journey, Quoyle discovers truths about his former homeland, hisContinue reading “Is The Shipping News about our Hynes ancestors?”
The Mifflinburg Potter
We earlier discussed third great grandparents Jacob Sechler (1800-1869) and Elizabeth Mensch (1804-1850). Elizabeth’s parents were our fourth great grandparents Abraham Mensch (1774-1861) and Elizabeth Miller (1780-1804; who may have died in childbirth with Elizabeth). Abraham’s grandparents all came from Germany in the early-mid 18th century. A search of Mensch family trees found this historicalContinue reading “The Mifflinburg Potter”
Danville
Danville is in central Pennsylvania on the north shore of the Susquehanna River, about 50 miles southwest of Scranton, 150 miles west of New York City. In 1768, the Treaty of Fort Stanwix ceded a swath of Iroquois land to the expanding British colonies. In 1774 William Montgomery–soon to be patriot, statesman, and Revolutionary WarContinue reading “Danville”
New Discoveries on Edward Thomas Sandford and the Civil War
After publishing the previous entry on this subject, I rediscovered an item that Claire and I found last summer in the Ontario Model Colony History Room, a page of handwritten notes which it appears to be notes taken by grandfather Joe for one of the speeches he liked to give about his father. A notationContinue reading “New Discoveries on Edward Thomas Sandford and the Civil War”
The Model Colony
The Chaffey brothers George (1848-1932) and William (1856-1926) were engineers and entrepreneurs born in Brockville, Ontario, Canada. They followed their father to California in the late 1870s and in 1881 bought the land and water rights for the region that would become the cities of Ontario and Upland. They built the irrigation system that transformedContinue reading “The Model Colony”
Edward Thomas Sandford’s Civil War Odyssey
Great grandfather Edward Thomas Sandford was 20 years old, at sea near China, when the Civil War broke out. We continue to follow his story as told by his son, our grandfather Joe Sandford, in his 1966 talk to the First Baptist Church of Corona, CA, where Edward would later preach. His Uncle Thomas SandfordContinue reading “Edward Thomas Sandford’s Civil War Odyssey”
The Sechler Family in the American Revolution
At least two members of the Sechler family served in the Revolutionary War: our first cousin (5x removed) Michael Sechler and our fifth great uncle John Sechler. Michael Sechler (1762-1847) was the son of our fifth great uncle Abraham Sechler, whose role in the attack of 1757 was described in a previous post. A markerContinue reading “The Sechler Family in the American Revolution”
Notes on using the website
I want to take a minute to point out some features of the website and blog. I am aware that in telling eight stories at the same time, each spanning centuries and containing multiple plot lines, it’s a lot to keep track of. These features may help. If you are reading the blog through anContinue reading “Notes on using the website”
The Sechler Family of Pennsylvania
Great grandfather George Sechler had deep roots in Pennsylvania going back to the early 18th and even late 17th century. The following diagram maps George’s traceable ancestors back to their points of immigration to America. From this view, we can see that most of the ancestors of George Sechler’s father, Aaron Sechler, came from Germany.Continue reading “The Sechler Family of Pennsylvania”
Bridging the Silences 