A Glimpse at Yesterday

 Donna Cooper's Family Connections

 James "Jamie" Harvey & Ella Mae (Pease) Mooney

Go to Notes to read about the Palatine Germans

Go to Words and Phrases to read about the Palatine German migration

Some Pease Family Connections

James Alvin Pease was an Union Solider and served from Connecticut.

1880 Rockford Twp., Gage County, Nebraska, page 64 A, listed James A. Pease, age 40, born in CT., and both parents were born in CT., wife was listed as Nettie, age 19, born in Iowa, father born in PA., and mother born in PA., Stella E. was age 2 born in Nebraska and also living in the house was Frank C. Neyhart, age 19, born in IL, a laborer, father born in PA. and mother born in PA. [Family History Library Film 1254749]

Stark Cemetery, Holmesville, Gage County, Nebraska
Phoebe, Wife of James Pease, died May 9, 1874, age 25, 7 mos, 13 days
Lillie Isadore, daughter of J. A. and P. Pease died Sept 8, 1875, 3 years, 9 mos., 18 days
Charlie Fred, son of J. A. and P. Pease, died Dec 31, 1875, 6 years, 2 mos. 2 days
Orlando Pease, b. Sept 2, 1803, died March 12, 1886
Asentha Pease died Sept 24, 1884, 77 years old.

James A. Pease married Pheba M. Mittan, July 1, 1868, Gage County, Nebraska.
James A. Pease married March 1, 1876, Janette Fetrow, Gage County, Nebraska.
William J. Pease, married Minnie Montgomery, April 28, 1894, Gage County, Nebraska

The Pease family bought the Cornelius Westfall place at the top of Greasy Creek Hill when they came to Barry County. They grew strawberries for a living and James or Jim Pease was not very well and he had a cannon ball wound in the hip. After his death Janetta, his wife, drew a military pension from his service.

NEBRASKA STATE GAZETTEER - Business Directory for 1890-1891- farmers - listed was J. A. Pease, Rockford.

1908 Cassville, Missouri Democrat, weekly paper reads: Little Minnie Pease has brain fever; and also
1908 Mrs. Pease is ill.

1910 Barry County, MO, Federal Population Schedules, US Census, Washburn Twp., James A. Pease age 70, does farm labor, married two times, born in Connecticut and both parents were born in Connecticut. Janetta E. wife age 44, married once. She was born in Iowa and her father was born in Pennsylvania and her mother was born in Ohio. Estella E. was age 32 born in Nebraska, Minnie E., age 25, born in Nebraska.

In the book written by H. Harold Shamel entitled Seeds of Time, in the 1940 or 1950's, he mentions the James Pease family who lived in the Washburn, MO, area. Mr. Shamel writes:  "In the late winter or early spring of 1896 the Pease family came to Washburn to live. They were originally from Nebraska but came to Washburn from Springfield, Missouri. They had come to the Ozarks for Mr. Pease's health. They brought the berry farm, which had belonged to the Westfall family - the family with whom we had remained all night on our first trip down from Butterfield to our new home on "Mount Where you At." in 1892."

"Mr. and Mrs. Pease had three daughters, Stella 19, Ella 14, and Minnie 10. Our families became good friends almost immediately. I suppose our contact occurred at the church, for everyone went to church."

"One day before they had been there very long, here come Mrs. Pease and her three daughters in their white sunbonnets and starched gingham aprons, walking in the lane up to our house. I discovered them and sent out the alarm. Mother and my sisters greeted them warmly and invited them into our front room. It wasn't long before Ella, Minnie and I wandered down to the walnut tree on the bank of Greasy Creek, where we sat and cracked walnuts and talked. Ella told about how her teacher corrected some boy and she said, "I don't think he should have done that, do you?" Of course I agreed with her."

"Mrs. Pease and Stella remained at the house with Mother and Grace and Lucile. It did not seem very long, before they called us to come to the house, as it was time for them to go home. This was the first of many succeeding visits."

"Mr. Pease had two little buckskin mules. They had little black stripes down their backs and their names were Pete and Dolly. Mr. Pease used Pete and Dolly to plow his garden and tend his berry patches. At other times he hitched them to the spring wagon to which had two seats. In this rig the family rode to church and often drove out to our house and to Cassville to the Reunion."

"Mr. Pease was an Old Soldier, as ex-soldiers of the Civil War were called at that time. This made him an interesting companion for Father and they derived much pleasure from discussing different phases of the Civil War. Mother and the girls and the rest of us liked Mrs. Pease and the girls" 

"Mr. Pease went in for berries and other fruit. We often went there in berry season to pick strawberries and blackberries. One time we were all there picking berries and Pearl McGlouthlin, a friend of Lucile's, was coming home with her to stay all night. Stella Pease got to crying for she wanted to come too and nobody had asked her. No one knew why she was crying except her mother, who, when opportunity presented itself, got around and told Lucile, who immediately asked Stella to come. Then all was well and we had a silly, giggling time at our house that night with three silly girls. There was never any question as to where or how we would sleep. There was always room."

"During the berry season I was picking strawberries on the Pease Farm when Mrs. Pease came along picking and caught up with me, and this is what she said:

Happy as a Larkin,

Busy as a bee,

That's the kind of little boy,

that people like to see."

"Mrs. Pease was a small woman in her early thirties and much younger than her husband. She had very dark, swarthy skin with black hair and eyes that twinkled like stars. She was both capable and efficient and of a high moral standard. Her outlook was broad and understanding and not bound by the narrow views of her day. A girl in Washburn was so unfortunate as to become an unwed mother, Mrs. Pease was very quick to respond. She fixed a nice basket of fruit and other good things and sent Stella and Lucile to present it to the unfortunate girl, who afterwards married the baby's father and lived happily."

"She played both the mouth organ and the accordion, and I can remember that she baked wonderful chocolate cakes. Her greeting was always most cordial and pleasant and the warmth of her personally was felt by all. In her character background she was far above that of the community into which had moved. She could always be counted on to take sensible and democratic point of views on all subjects"

"The Pease girls were full of songs and it was not long before Lucile had captured them all and sang them so much they were soon all ours. Even Father sang some of them. Stella played the organ and with her soprano voice she was the leader. Ella had a soft alto, but it took much coaxing to get her to sing. The rest of us just sang. Always when they came was during the day or in the evening.  Other than talking and visiting this was the principal pastime."

"Singing these old romantic songs was like living another life for a brief time. Our minds and hearts floated away with them into a world of romance that filled our lives with happiness. We all, of course, had our own romantic dreams that were lived over and over again in the songs that we sang."

There was more text about the songs they sang, which was not copied. He does mention the Pease family a number of times in his book, often telling of the family, the trips to the Cassville Reunion, the ride there and back, and more about the things that they did as children. He tells also about his brother, Arthur Shamel, who took Stella Pease for a ride on the merry go around.

H. Harold Shamel, Rt. 2, Cherryville, Kansas has probably been dead a number of years now. But my thanks go to him for telling me more about my great-great grandparents. I remember when he was preparing to write the book that he came to see my grandparents. He said that he couldn't remember the names of Jim and Nettie Pease's little mules. He was hoping that my grandpa would remember their names. While there visiting he told us several stories that he remembered about the Pease family, and he and my grandfather exchanged tales. I was a very young child and can not remember most of them so I am very glad to this story in print.

 Abraham Fetrow was my 3rd Great Grandfather. He is buried by his second wife in Cedar, Kansas 

                                            Cedar, Smith County, Kansas

Dallas Co., Iowa, Elizabeth (Shambaugh) Fetrow's stone.

Harrisburg was incorporated 20 April 1860; and was first settled about 1719. It was laid out as a town named Louisbourgh in 1785 when Dauphin Co. was formed from Lancaster Co. (Although the founder always referred to it as Harrisburg in all deeds he conferred.) It was incorporated as a borough 13 April 1791 named Harrisburg. In 1810 the Commonwealth Assembly named Harrisburg as the seat of state government.

The Fetrow family was in Dallas County, Iowa for the state Federal Census of 1856. Fern Myers, Oklahoma, Esther Jones, Mansfield, MO, Fetrow Family Bible, Census 1856 Iowa, 1860 Gage County, Nebraska. Death certificates, wedding invitation from Cora's wedding, pictures, and family notes that were items that kept and handed down in the family from Janetta Fetrow Pease.

1880 Gage County, Nebraska, listed in Rockford Twp., page # 64 A, just down the road from James A. Pease, was Abraham Fetrow, age 53, born in PA., a farmer. He left blank where his father was born and listed his mother born in PA., wife Mary was age 32, born in PA., and both her parents were born in PA.; William H. was age 12, born in MO; and Edward F. was age 10, born in NE.; John C., age 8, born in NE.; and Cora B. was age 1, born in NE. [Family History Library Film # 1254749]

The cemetery stone at Clayton Cemetery reads, Elizabeth Fetrow, b. 1 May 1831, d. 7 May 1861, wife of Abraham. The stone next to her grave reads Mary Fetrow d. 7 Oct 1856 7 m 1 d dau of A. and E.

This cemetery was located in Van Meter Twp., near Van Meter, Iowa, in Dallas County.

The family data, which is thought to have come from the Fetrow Family Bible is said to read Elizabeth Shambaugh August 01, 1834 and died March 07, 1864. This data appears to be incorrectly stated.

MY family line is highlighted in yellow

Generation Chart

John Pease who married Ann Cummings was a brother of Robert Pease who married Sarah. Sarah is the same Sarah Pease who was accused of witchcraft in the famous Salem, MA, witchcraft trials.

Sarah Pease was accused on Monday, May 23, 1692 of "sundry acts of Witchcraft committed on the bodys of Mary Warren, Abigaile Williams and Eliz Hubbard." Ref: Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed (New York, DaCapo, 1977), p 639, 655-5 (She was accused along with Benjamin Procter and Mary Derich. A warrant for her arrest was issued and she was arrested that day. The following day was set aside for examinations and the proceedings were recorded by Nathaniel Cary of Charlestown. He and Mrs. Cary had come to observe and to face Mrs. Cary's accuser, Abigail Williams. He writes of the prisoners, one of whom surely was Sarah Pease. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed (New York, DaCapo, 1977), p 639, 655-5 (sic).

Although testimony was brought against her again on August 5th, Sarah Pease escaped the condemnation of the judges, who sentenced 15 people to the gallows in September. By the late fall of that year the tide of hysteria had abated, and sympathy was turning from the "victims" to the accused. Sarah survived the winter and was released in May of 1693, after suffering a year in jail.

"The Prisoners were called in one by one, and as they came in were cried out of, etc. The prisoner was placed about 7 or 8 foot from the Justices, and the Accusers between the Justices and them; the Prisoner was ordered to stand right before the Justices, with an Officer appointed to hold each hand, least they should therewith afflict them, and the Prisoners Eyes must be constantly on the Justices; for if they look'd on the afflicted, they would either fall into their Fits, or cry out of being hurt by them; after Examination of the Prisoners, who it was afflicted these Girls, etc., they were put upon saying the Lords Prayer, as a tryal of their guilt; after the afflicted seem'd to be out of their Fits, they would look steadfastly on some one person, and frequently not speak; and then the Justices said they were struck dumb, and after a little time would speak again; then the Justices said to the Accusers, "which of you will go and touch the Prisoner at the Bar" then the most couragious would adventure, but before they made three steps would ordinarily fall down as in a Fit; the Justices ordered that they should be taken up and carried to the Prisoner, that she might touch them; and as soon as they were touched by the accused, the Justices would say, they are well, before I could discern any alteration ..." Sufficient evidence must have been found against Sarah because she was sent to Salem jail on May 25th, 1692. George L. Burr., ed., Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706 (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914; reprinted., New York: Barnes and Noble, 1946), p. 350.
 

***

Robert and his brother John Pease emigrated from Great Baddow, Essex, England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 aboard the Frances. He and his family settled in Salem, where he and John were granted land 2 Jan 1636-7. Robert joined the Salem Church in 1634. 

Robert Pease died in 1644. The inventory of his estate was taken 27 Oct 1644, and wife Marie was made administrix. Robert was married twice, first to Lydia West, and then to Marie Rodans. Marie is thought to have been a French Huguenot. The widow Marie married Richard Haines of Beverly. 

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John Pease grant of land in Springfield, MA, in 1681, that part which in 1683 became Enfield. Cemetery information from Hale Collection at the CT State Library reads: "Pease, John, b 1630 d 1689".

"John Pease, admitted to the church, 4th day of 5th month, 1667. John, Robert, Mary and Abraham, children of John Pease, baptized Sep, 1672. On Sacrament day, John Pease and his wife had a letter of recommendation granted to the church at Springfield (now Enfield, CT) Oct 6, 1681.

"John Pease whose children were baptized at different times from 1667 to 1672, who joined the church at Salem 1667 and who with wife was dismissed and recommended to the church at Springfield, (Enfield) was the son of Widow Pease." "1682. Capt. John Peas (sic), Sen. age 52, had moved lately from Salem to Enfield. He had been a deputy to the general court." [Ref: The Pease Family, by Frederick S Pease] John was a yoeman when he settled in that part of Salem called "Northfields". His name was mentioned frequently in the Essex County and Salem Town records as grantee and grantor of deeds, as a witness, as an overseer of wills, as a constable, and etc. He was made a freeman 29 April 1668 and took the oath before the County court 30 June 1668.

He went by "Captain" John Pease and he joined the First Church at Salem on 4 July 1667. It is believed that he, with his two oldest sons John and Robert, went to what is now called Enfield in 1679, living the first winter in an excavation in the side of a hill about 40 rods from where the first meetinghouse stood On 23 July 1680 John and his two eldest sons had land granted to them. He sold his property in Salem in 1682. When they moved to Fresh Water Brook it was still a part of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1681 Enfield was established and became a part of Connecticut. The area is about 2.5 miles east of what is now called Thompsonville, CT. He sickened while making preparations for building, and died suddenly. This was 10 days after his wife died and the day before one of his daughters died.

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Salem Records

November 1634: Sailed with his brother Robert on the ship Francis from Ipswich arriving at Boston late in 1634.

3 Nov 1635, Salem court record: "Ordered that John Pease shal be whipt and bound to his good behaviour for strikeing his mother [in law] Mrs. Weston & deryding of her & for dyvers other misdemeanors & other evell carriages" (MA Colonial Records, I, 155)

1637, Salem: mentioned as having land in the early Salem Town Record. "Robert Pease and his brother"

23 April 1638, Salem: granted "five acres of land next adjoining to Samuell Cominge neer unto the watermill"

18 June 1644, Salem: sold his house and 75 acres of land to his neighbor, Richard Ingersoll.

(His father-in-law was arrested in 1643, his wife arrested and/or recanting her 'heretical views', his mother and brother died in 1644, gives reason for his removal to Martha's Vineyard in 1645.)

John Pease first married Lucy Weston, daughter of Francis Weston & Margaret - 1630. Lucy's father, an early settler in Salem, was originally a friend and supporter of Roger Williams, whom he followed in exile to Rhode Island. John's second wife, Margaret, was a follower of Samuel Gorton, as became her husband and daughter Lucy. All were condemned by the local authorities at Salem and eventually banished to Rhode Island. Margaret may have later "became of hopelessly unsound mind."  17 October 1643: Lucy recanted her 'heretical views' (MA Colonial Records, II, 50)

"Isaac Cummings appears on a list of the 'Commoners' of Ipswich, Mass., on the last day of the year I641. He is said to have had, as early as July 1638, a planting lot in 'Reedy Marsh,' and a house lot in town. An old record is quoted in Essex Co. Historical & Genealogical Register, to wit: 'Whereas Isaac Comings...Sold Andrew Hodges of this town all the said seven acres of land, more or less, Iying near highway to Jeffries Neck, 1639, 26, (6).' The name appears on a list of Freemen in Watertown, 1642. In 1652, Samuel Symonds and his wife Martha sell him in consideration of £30, 150 acres 'joining partly on Daniel Clark's land.' This Clark was an early settler of Topsfield. Mr. Samuel Todd, who married one of the Cummings descendants, and who had given much attention to this research, once wrote me: 'There is evidence that the first Isaac owned considerable land on the west side of Howlet's (then Winthrop's) brook, pretty near two miles N. W. of the old Cummings place on this side of the river.' 'One hundred acres Iying on the westerly side and fifty acres on the easterly side,' so says Historical Collections, Vol. V. of Topsfield Historical Society.

"In I666 he was constable, and his son Isaac was his deputy, and in a deposition he states his age to be 65. The same year he was assessed 4s. 7d. to pay the town's indebtedness. He was deacon of the church, and in 1676, at least, moderator of the town meeting. No mention remains of his wife nor of her name. She was not living when his will was made, May 8, 1677. It is on file in the probate office, but unrecorded."

My ancestor Isaac Cummings married Marie Kinsley in 1628. They were from Mistley, Essex, England and died in Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts. Their daughter Anne married John Pease October 08, 1669 Salem, Essex, Massachusetts. Anne and John Pease had a son Deacon Isaac Pease who married Mindwell Osborn. They died in Enfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut.

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