James Trumbulll and his Descendents
(First child of Robert)
by Freda Trumbull, October 5, 1988
Note: Lucy died 24 May 1835 according to Craftsbury Town records
James, the first child of Robert and Lucy Trumbull was born in June 1787, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He was four years old when his parents moved into the new settlement to stay permanently. There would be no formal education for him during the early years of his life although it is possible after the settlers were firmly established on their land that some type of education would be provided. The academy for which land had been set aside was not opened until 1829. Nevertheless, James seems to have acquired a very good education for his time. One can surmise that he matured quickly as he assumed his place as the oldest in an ever increasing family, with land to be cleared and fenced, grain planted and later harvested, vegetables grown for summer food, wood cut for both cooking and heating purposes – life on a pioneer farm, in an unfriendly climate, staggers the imagination.
According to one account, James, settled on the home place and in 1822 married Janet Peet whose father, a blacksmith, had moved into Craftsbury some years earlier. Janet was born in 1796, one account says in Scotland – another says in Craftsbury. It would be interesting to know why James postponed marriage until middle-age. IT could have been for financial reasons or possibly on account of family problems. This last mention of his mother is in 1816 when her name was listed on the roll of the newly established Covenanter Church in Craftsbury. Clarissa had married while still in her teens; Mary moved into the manse in Ryegate; the second boy Augustus had died of typhus fever. John ha probably left home to work out his own plans. The other two children left would be the second daughter, Nancy, and the youngest son Robert, who, if he had not already enrolled, would soon be entering the university. We have no information concerning what happened to the parents and Nancy when James brought home his bride. It is quite possible and in accord with the custom of the times, that Nancy and her parents became an integral part of the new family.
The first child born into the family was named Robert in honor of his grandfather; the name Hamilton was also attached. Hamilton is a name which is not found elsewhere in the Trumbull family, but it might have been chosen to honor one of the Covenanter Martyrs in the persecution of that church in Scotland.
Four years after Robert’s arrival, a daughter was added to the family and named Mary Johnson in honor of her paternal great grandmother who was dearly loved by her grandson James.
A second daughter was born March 19, 1836, and named Anna Margaret. Some date between the birth of the two girls, a second son had been born, and had been named John.
A third son joined the family on May 16, 1838. It is rather interesting to note that James the father was thirteen years older than his second brother and son Robert was also thirteen when his second brother was born. The attitude of these two toward the second brother was quite different as one will discover later in our story. The new baby was named James Augustus for his father and the father’s brother who had died just the year before James and Janet’s marriage. As generations are added, one notices the duplication of family names.
Some time after the birth of this fifth child news was circulated through the community that large farms were for sale across the border and the price was much cheaper than the selling price in the Craftsbury area. Some of the Vermonters were moving into Canada and James was becoming more and more eager to join them.
As one contemplates the situation, numerous questions present themselves: Did James actually own the farm on which he was living? At the time he was considering moving to Canada, were his father and sister Nancy living with him or were they with John’s family near East Craftsbury? Did he consult his father about this relocation which he was contemplating? Did he take a trip across the border to look at the various farms that were offered for sale? Had he heard about the farmer who purchased a farm across the border in winter when the ground was covered with a foot or more of snow and discovered during a spring thaw that his farm was covered by rocks more thickly than the one he had left behind in Vermont? Did he have information on schools and churches? Was his father in failing health? Of course one will never know the answers to these questions, but surely James did not make his decision lightly – and make it he did. He purchased a farm in the March when much of Canada is still under large deposits of snow. He did not have the money, evidently for the full purchase price, but he must have convinced the owner that he would lose nothing in completing the transaction.
The deed of sale was witnessed and signed on March 20, 1840, at 6:45 a.m. The seller was Joshua Copp of the village of Georgeville, in the Township of Stanstead, and the purchaser was James Trumbull of the town of Craftsbury, County of Orleans, in the state of Vermont. Separated from all the legal jargon, the terms were as follows: For two pieces of land containing three hundred and nine acres, James made a down payment of twenty-five pounds. On or before September 1, 1841, he promised to pay one hundred pounds, and the remaining one hundred and twenty-five pounds were to be paid on the eighteenth of March 1842. James was also bound to pay the lawful interest and mortgage the land until the price was paid in full. The deed was sealed, signed, and delivered by the recorder William Ritchie, in the presence of two witnesses John P. Tibbits and L.L. Channell. Incidentally, James signed his name as James Turnbull.
There were buildings and improvements on the first piece of land, according to the deed, but no description was given. We presume this family moved to the farm shortly after the purchase of the farm had been completed. James’s father and sister Nancy were evidently in John’s home as no mention is made of them when Aunt Penelope wrote about the newcomers to the Georgeville community.
Aunto Penelope was a member of the Christie family which had come from Scotland in March, 1830, and settled on a farm near Derby, Vermont, which is actually on the line between the United States and Canada. It is sometimes refereed to as Derby-Line. Four children had been born into the Christie family while the parents were still living in Banffshire, Scotland. Four more were born after they had settled in America. The Christies had also been lured to move to Canada by the prospect of bargains in land and the encouragement of friends who had gone ahead of them. The Christies left Vermont in 1839 and were well settled on their farm at Magoon’s Point when the Trumbulls moved into the community. The tie between the two families will be revealed as the story advances.
As James came into contact with his neighbors, he must have learned of the Christie family who lived a little more than three miles fro his farm and he decided to make their acquaintance, taking his ten-year-old daughter Mary with him. Aunt Pen said the family was very favorably impressed with their callers and described James Trumbull as a tall fine-looking gentleman who proved to be a very interesting conversationalist. The pretty girl with him had black eyes and a happy face and captured the hearts of the entire family, especially those of the parents.
Mr. Trumbull expressed his desire to become acquainted with the Christian people in the neighborhood, with the view of having fellowship with them in order that his children might have the right kind of companions.
The Christies were glad to reciprocate these friendly advances. During the ensuing years, the two men, although they could not fully agree in religious beliefs, became very good friends. The young people of both families, including the youngest members, soon became quite intimate and met together frequently. Because of the distance between the two houses, the smaller children were together only on special occasions.
Some time during the first full winter which the Trumbulls experienced in Canada, little Johnnie contracted scarlet fever and died, This death caused the first break in the family circle, but the parents, because of their strong Christian faith, accepted the blow with courage and self-control. The next year his little playmate, George Christie, was taken by the same disease. The bodies of both children lie in Lake View Cemetery, near Georgeville, Pennsylvania.
After the death of his father, John left the farm at East Craftsbury and moved into the same area with James. IT is possible that he was able to purchase his farm outright.
There is nothing on record to indicate that James did not meet his obligations when due and with the help of his son Robert, a young man almost fully grown, the work on the farm would make progress. One can be sure the household was managed with Scotch thrift. In August 14, 1845, another daughter was added to the family and was given the name of Catherine, a name that was quickly reduced to Katie and in adult years to Kate.
Little Katie was the pride and joy of the family, especially as her brother Robert, twenty years her senior. In the later years of his life, his remembrance of her is her childhood days brought him great pleasure. Perhaps it was because some of her early accomplishments, such as swimming, had been due to his instruction and encouragement. Sad to say, this warm relationship did not extend throughout his lifetime.
The education of James’s children during their formative years was obtained in the schools of Stanstead County. Some of the families of early settlers had been able to obtain a good English education, and in general, furnished the teachers for the pioneer schools. Some of these families had brought in a few books and these were read and reread throughout the different neighborhoods. Aunt Pen mentions the books that were exchanged between the Christie and Trumbull families, namely, “The Whigs of Scotland”, “History of the Covenanter Persecution”, “Travels in Africa” by Mungo Parks, “History of Scotland”, “Gulliver’s Travels”, “The Last of the Mohicans”, and “Arabian Nights Entertainment”. With fare such as these books, and others, upon which to nourish their minds, the horizons of these children were extended far beyond their pioneer community. Both households had Bibles that were read daily and the beautiful language and style of the King James Version left its imprint on the youthful minds. These Trumbull children used the English language, both written and oral, extremely well.
Another puzzling question to which no answer had been found is: Did James, who had been a member of the church which adhered to a strict Reformed Doctrine make a survey of the churches in the community, before he finally decided to leave Craftsbury? Nearly every little village in Stanstead County had its place of worship, and four different denominations Episcopal, Congregational, Methodist, and Baptist, could be found among them. James cold not fully approve the doctrine of any one of these denominations; so perhaps his solution was to attend the church most easily accessible and counteract any teaching with which he could not agree with what the Bible had to say on the subject. This would be done for the benefit of his children in the privacy of their own home. James would have no desire to sir up a controversy in the church.
In Western Ohio events were taking place that would affect the lives of the Trumbull family for years to come. Eight years preceding the exodus of the Trumbull families to Canada, the Wyandotte and Delaware Indians had moved out of the area now know as McArthur Township and begun their sad march to the far West. When news of their departure was publicized, men interested in farming rushed in to possess the rich bottom lands and great forests along the headwaters of the Miami River. Some of these new settlers were devoted Covenanters from Eastern Ohio and northern New York. They were clearing away the forests, building temporary log cabins or more permanent housing, when the Reverend Gavin McMillen from Beech Woods in Preble County assumed the religious leadership of the new colony. He gathered together the scattered Covenanter families and by the authority of Western Presbytery and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ organized them in to the “Miami” congregation. Land was surveyed and marked into lots and because of the dense beech woods was named “Northwood.”
As soon as they were able, the Covenanter settlers erected a log-meeting house on a small branch of the Miami River about one-fourth of a mile south of the growing village. They called the Reverend John Black Johnston, who was ordained and installed as pastor on June 10, 1834. The Revered Mr. Johnson was a friendly man and deeply interested in educating the youth of the community. News of an established church and rich, cheap farmland attracted a large number of substantial and intelligent families to the community.
In 1838, the Reverend Mr. Johnston began to teach a class of young men in his study. Many of the pupils were sons of farmers, and a few months of the winter season covered the period of instruction. As the class grew in numbers and appreciation of their instruction, the community began to recognize the advantages of the private school. Soon young ladies were given equal advantages and their classes were held during the vacant hours in the old log schoolhouse in Northwood. In a few years the increase of interest and attendance naturally led to the consideration of founding a college. After the proposal had been carefully considered for a length of time, it was laid before Presbytery and all the people under its care. The matter was received with favor and the Reverend J.B. Johnston was appointed to take charge of the school. He used his own money to erect the first building, a substantial brick structure, two stories in height, containing five comfortable rooms The name chosen for the building was “Geneva Hall” Although students were being instructed as usual through the winter months, Dr. Johnston did not formally open the college until the morning of April 20, 1848. This date may be regarded as the birthday of Geneva College. A year later, two of the Milligan sons, John Knox and James Saurin were members of the faculty.
The news concerning the cheap farmland, the vigorous church, the new college was transmitted in the letters both Trumbull families were receiving from relatives and friends. Such news was the topic of conversation whenever the two brothers met, and the longing to worship again in the church in which both had been reared was almost unbearable. There was really nothing to prevent their moving to Ohio and becoming a part of the new community; so the decision was made. The only member of the family to object was Robert. He had other plans and expected to be married in the autumn to Catherine Christie, the eldest daughter of Deacon John Christie and he planned to stay in Canada. Robert wanted to remain on the farm and terms were arranged satisfactory to both father and son. Mary wanted to stay with Robert since she had many friends in the community and it would be a big help to her brother to have someone to do his housework and cooking especially when he was required to spend long days in the fields. Mary wanted to be on hand for the wedding, too.
Since James did not have to arrange for the sale of the farm, very little work was involved in this second move. Some of the furniture and other household articles were left for the use of the two children staying behind. The rest was packed, along with personal effects, and the family which included, in addition to the parents, Anna Margaret, fourteen years of age, James Augustus twelve, and little Katie only five, boarded the train for the long trip to Ohio. Although they would be arriving in a strange new land, Mary Milligan’s sons would be at the depot to give a warm welcome to Uncle James and Aunt Janet and the young cousins they had never seen before.
James wasted no time before he started a search for a farm. It is quite likely that friends who came to call on the new arrivals were able to inform him concerning the farms that were on the market. On June 15, 1850, a deed for the purchase of 105 acres for $2500 from James and Isabella Harrod was signed at the Logan County Courthouse.
The farm, most of which was rolling land, was located a little more than a mile north of the village of Northwood. However no roadway led directly to the villate and any vehicular traffic between the farm and the village had to be undertaken on a long and devious route. IT would save much time to cover the distance on foot.
The buildings on the farm were located near the creek which was fed by springs and meandered through the width of the farm, separating the north one third from the south two-thirds. A log cabin stood on a knoll, at the base of which a large spring of clear cold water discharged its excess through a channel into the creek. The spring supplied the family with water for cooking and drinking; the water from the creek was used for washing clothes and for bathing. To the east of the cabin and some distance away stood a barn and shed made of lumber. The farm was right in the center of a Covenanter neighborhood and James would find the friends with whom he could agree on matters divine.
James was sixty-three when he purchased the farm and his only help was his twelve year old son James Augustus who would be available only when school was not in sessions – one of the motives for coming to Ohio was to give the children an opportunity for a better education. There was much heavy work to be done on the farm – fields to be cleared of forest trees and rails split for the fencing, wood to be cut and piled into cords for heating the cabin and for cooking. One hillside was covered with sugar maple trees and when the sap began to run in late January or February there would be several weeks of hard labor “sugaring down” the sap. Preparing the soil for planting was done here as on the other two farms by a yoke of oxen hitched to whatever implement was necessary. Since all of the farm implements were still very primitive, much labor still had to be done by hand.
This could have been Janet’s first experience in living in a log cabin. The house on the Vermont farm had been commodious enough to entertain twenty or thirty of the “society” for the Sabbath Day worship service in the period before the church had been erected. A two-stored house stands today on the former Trumbull farm in Canada and very probably dates back to the Trumbull occupancy. The log cabin was certainly not larger than two rooms with a loft above which had a floor of planks and could be entered only by means of a very primitive ladder. Housekeeping under these circumstances would be both burdensome and discouraging. Courage, determination and faith were qualities that had been cultivated by the members of this family and they had no intention of surrendering to the commiserating thoughts. Letters to Robert and Mary would be filled with descriptions of the farm, the friendly neighbors – the Keys family on the west, the Forsythes to the east, the church services, the cousins John and James Milligan, plus a description of the activities of each member of the family.
Mary would have much to say in her letters, too. With his farm work, courting and preparations for his marriage and bringing Katie to live on his farm, Robert would be happy to leave the letter-writing to his sister.
Katie’s sister Penelope gives the following account of the wedding: “This marriage took place in our home in Magoon’s Point on October 3, 1850. It was a rainy day, but the invited guests came – one party from Vermont. An aunt to Robert by marriage wore his wedding boots, which were fine ones, across the border, thus cheating the Canadian Customs of a trifle. Mrs. Kendall, a pretty, large Vermont woman, tells this story whenever she meets any of Mr. Trumbull’s relatives.
“Sister’s wedding dress was a simple white “Bishop’s Lawn” and she had a black silk to go out in after her marriage. The little wedding party went home with the groom and his bride and there was an evening reception. They had the wedding dinner at Katie’s new home; thus it was quite an all-day affair.”
There is no more news of Robert and Katie available until a son was born on January 20, 1852. He was named James in honor of his grandfather and referred to as “Little Jemmie” by his Scotch relatives who viewed him as “the handsomest baby in the whole world!”
Some time during the year after the birth of the baby, Robert, too, decided to move to Ohio. It would be interesting to know what king of arrangement was made between Robert and his father. Robert had sold the farm in Canada for five hundred and ten pounds and ten shillings, practically twice as much as his father had paid for it. Either the farm had been greatly improved or land values had increased. There is the possibility that the house located on the farm today and recently restored and modernized was erecting during James’ occupancy of the farm.
Since farms usually change hands in time for the new owners to put in the crops, it is likely that Robert and his family arrived in Ohio in the Spring of 1853. There is a record of James’ purchasing lot 109 and a frame house from his nephew James Milligan who had graduated for Geneva College in 1852. He had also taken seminary work along with his college work and was licensed to preach. Since he had been called to an R.P. Congregation in Michigan and expected to locate there in the fall, he wanted to sell his house, a neat little cottage across the street from the church. Incidentally, the house still stands. It has been covered with new siding, but its outward form has not been altered in any way.
The snug little cottage would be a great improvement over the log cabin and there would be comfortable bedrooms for the children. Katie was eight and young James and Anna were in their teens when the cottage was first occupied by the family.
Moving into the village did not mean retirement for James. Every day that the weather was fit for work, James walked back to the farm to help Robert with whatever activity he had planned for the day. Since there was no direct road between the village and the farm, James walked through woods and fields, climbing over fences that marked the boundary lines of the intervening farms. He would make good time in the morning but after a day in the field or the woodlot, the journey home was sheer drudgery.
Life must have been difficult for Robert’s wife who had always lived in a house – in Banff, in Vermont, in Canada. She had been acquainted with hard work from her girlhood, since her mother never had very good health, and much of the care of the younger children fell to Katie. She missed her parents and sisters in this new location, but the neighbors were kind and took an interest in the little family. In June of the year following their moving into the cabin, another son was born to Katie and Robert. He was given the name of John Christie in honor of his mother’s father, Deacon John Christie. When John was two and a half years old, his mother presented the family a unique Christmas gift, another son born on December 25, 1857. This boy was named George Augustus. Katie’s youngest brother had borne that name. He had been the youngest one in the family and had died at the age of six. Robert’s little brother Augustus had died while the family was still living on the farm in Vermont.
In recounting some of her memories of the Trumbull family, Aunt Pen recalled that Jimmie had been brought back twice to visit his Christie relatives. She did not explain who ha accompanied him the first time, but she did say there was an interchange of visits between the two families. Someone in the Christie family had come to Ohio the summer or fall preceding the birth of George. She had persuaded Robert and Katie that Jimmie should be allowed to return to Canada with her and thus lessen the load of childcare for Katie. Katie knew that Jimmie would receive more attention in the Christie household than she would be able to give him and reluctantly gave her consent. Robert didn’t want to part with Jimmie, either, but he decided the visit might be the best arrangement for the child. Katie’s time could then be more readily devoted to her two babies. Someone would bring Jimmie back in early summer, and so the two departed on the homeward trip.
One can imaging the eagerness the which letters were received and read both in Magoon’s Point and Ohio. Mail in Ohio was delivered only at the Post Office and awaited the convenience of the addresses in picking it up. Trips to town were time-consuming and it was customary for the individual who did have an errand to town to bring back all the mail for the close neighbors in addition to his own. In addition to the Christie grandparents, there were two or three unmarried daughters living at home and one of them would delight to write of the progress their young guest was making with the school work, the books he was reading, the cut remarks he made and all the other observations the writers felt would appeal to Jimmie’s parents.
In the little cabin by the creek as spring approached, there was plenty of activity. Johnnie was approaching his third birthday. He resembled the Christies with his blond curls tinged with red, fair skin and blue eyes. Baby George was growing nicely and Katie was looking forward to Jimmie’s return and the visit she would have with the sister who would bring him home. Then the eagerly expected letter arrived and was opened with the usual anticipation stimulated by a family newsletter.
It is quite possible that all the neighbors and friends of Robert and Katie would discover in a short time the news that fatal letter contained. Little Jemmie had died in April after a short illness and his body was buried in the Christie lot in Lake Cemetery. Aunt Pen, in her memoirs, does not mention the cause of his death, but we know that the scourge of children, at that period of time and for many years afterwards, was scarlet fever. Only those who have lost a child so suddenly and unexpectedly can understand the anguish of those parents. Katie’s Christian training and committed faith would sustain her. Robert had received the same, if not even more positive, training from both his father and grandfather, but he had never accepted it. The wound in his heart, caused by Jimmie’s death never entirely healed.
Surely someone of Katie’s family would make a visit to Ohio that sad summer, but we have found no evidence that such was the case. There might have been illness in the Christie family which would prevent any one member from leaving. The year following Jimmie’s death, Katie’s youngest sister died two months before her twenty-fifth birthday. No was given for her death but there was another killer stalking the land and many a young person became its victim. As was the case with scarlet fever, no cure had been found for consumption (turbiculosis).
Two months before her sister Margaret’s death, Katie had given birth to a little dark-haired, dark-eyed girl. Since both the Christies and the Trumbulls had a penchant for family names, it is not surprising that this baby girl was given the name of Anna Mary. George had outgrown the cradle which was easily refurbished for the new baby. George was not quite a year and a half old when his sister Annie arrived. The little cabin was becoming crowded and sleeping space was wanting. Before Johnnie was five he had been promoted to the loft where a bed had been fixed for him. It must have been a warm bed – perhaps a feather tick on top of one filled with straw, plus closely-woven wool blankets and a woolen comforter. Perhaps even a warm brick was put into his bed to provide one warm spot before he would crawl under the covers. He remembered well, in later years, the mornings when he would awaken to find the snow that had sifted through the cracks between the logs lying on the top coverlet and swirled over the floor. Both Robert an his father were acutely aware that better provision would have to be made for the needs of the growing family.
Much planning and preparation preceded the building of a house that would be adequate not only for the present but for the future years. One of the problems was the choosing of the building site and many factors enter into that choice. It was rumored that a road would be built sometime in the future, beginning in an area a mile north of the farm and continuing past the east side of the farm until it joined other roads already leading into Northwood. The buildings must be placed where there would be an easy access to the road when it was put through. There must also be space for a vegetable garden and a orchard, a yard would surround the house and barns must be located within walking distance of the dwelling. The location was not hard to find. An area within sight of the cabin and elevated some distance above it provided all the requirements for the building program. The Keys’ farm house would be almost due west and only a couple of fields would separate the two families who had become firm friends.
The Keys family had moved to their farm which adjoined the Trumbull farm on the west, in t1837. They, too, had lived in a log house on a hill above the creek for a time before building a more spacious house on a flat piece of ground which sloped gently toward the west. There were boys of nearly the same age in both families and they attended the same school and played together when their farm duties would allow a period of relaxation. Mrs. Keys had been present when several of the Trumbull children had been born.
The erection of the new house was the responsibility of a local carpenter, William Johnston and a mason, William Brown. We know the house was completed in the late fall of 1861 and judge that the construction had commenced early in the spring of that year. Excavation of an area possibly sixteen feet square and nine feet deep was made for a cellar which would serve as a place to store canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes and applies for winter use, and would serve as a cooler for perishable products, such as milk, butter, and eggs. The mason lined the area with stone, but the floor was left as it was. If William Brown had assistants, the rest of the foundation could have been laid while he was working o the cellar. It is more likely that he did all the mason work. Grandfather Robert often mentioned his name, in recalling earlier years.
By today’s standards, the house which was erected on Mr. Brown’s foundation would be an architectural failure; yet it must have seemed like a mansion to Katie. The house had a modified “L” shape. The longer section facing the east included four rooms, a large closet and a pantry, also a steep, enclosed stairway which led to the half-story above. The eastern section had a long “parlor” with a bay containing three windows which extended almost from ceiling to floor. There was also a window on the east side of the room. On the north end was a large bedroom with a window to the north and to the east. The stairway between these two rooms had a door which swung outwards in front of the bedroom door. A few inches from the stairway a large door opened on a narrow veranda which ran the length of the house. Both of these rooms had access to brick chimneys and would be heated by stoves.
A door, directly opposite the front door of the parlor, opened into a middle room of the west section. This room was a monstrosity as far as living in it comfortably was concerned. It had six doors and two windows – on the north end, the door on the left opened into a large closet, the door on the right opened into the pantry which has floor to ceiling cupboards on the left and a deep waist-high shelf on the right, with a passageway to the kitchen between shelf and cupboards. On the west side of the room, to the left of the door opening into the parlor was a door that opened into the room revealing the steps into the cellar. At the south end of the room was a door leading into a small bedroom which had a window on its south wall. The west wall of the room had a door which opened on the porch which was built along two-thirds of the west wall. One window in the wall looked over the porch, the other, south of the door was unprotected. The parlor chimney served the west room, too. This was a narrow room as more space had been allotted to the eastern section. Placing furniture in this room was a problem; consequently few pieces were used.
On the second floor of this section of the house were three rooms. The largest room on the north extended across the width of the lower section, the ceiling sloping downward to meet a vertical wall approximately three feet high. The chimney for the north bedroom on the first floor extended through this room and a window had been placed on either side of it. A rather large hallway occupied this middle section. The southern section had been divided into two small rooms. The only closet in this section of the house was on the west end of the hall under the sloping roof; the only light for the hall was provided by the small glass panes in the upper sections of the bedroom doors.
The kitchen joined the longer section of the house close to the chimney which had been built on the north end. This was a large pleasant room with a window in the north wall and one in the east. A door opened onto the back porch. A large fireplace topped by a mantel occupied at least two-thirds of the west wall. A floor to ceiling cupboard filled the space to the right of the fireplace. On the left, next to the fireplace, was a built-in woodbox which extended into the washroom behind the kitchen. The flat top of the woodbox served as a lavoratory and was equipped with a wash basin and a soap dish.. A mirror was placed above the stand, at eye-level, with a comb case underneath it. A pail with a dipper for cistern water stood on the floor beside the stand. A nail was driven into the jamb of the door opening into the laundry room and a towel was hung on the nail. Wash tubs placed on a wooden bench and a wash board with a couple of large buckets comprised the laundry equipment.
Water for this new house came from a dug well with stone-lined walls and was pumped into a bucket by hand from a wooden pump. No one thought of testing water in those days and there were many cases of typhoid fever. The Keys family lost a boy to that disease. Little Joe was the first patient of a Dr. Mitchell, who had just moved into the community and hung out his shingle. After Joe’s death, the doctor too down his sign and turned to farming for a living.
A large cistern was dug and walled with brick to catch the water which would pour from the roof of the house in a heavy rain. The cistern was made close to the west side of the house and when the porch was constructed the top cover of the cistern was a part of the porch floor. Where this wooden square with an iron ring fastened to the center of the square for a handle was lifted off, water was drawn from the cistern in a bucket with a rope of sufficient length knotted to the handle. This “soft” water was used for the laundry and for personal cleanliness. Then the cistern became dry because of infrequent rain, well-water had to be softened with alkali – a time consuming process – before the family washing could be done. This type of water was not used on one’s skin.
An outside toilet would have to be built before the house was occupied. It was located several rods west of the back door. Later cedar trees were planted on either side to partially conceal it. Toilet training was no easy task for a pioneer mother.
According to Aunt Pen’s record, the house was finished later in the fall of 1861 and the family moved into it the last week of November. Surely the furniture from the log cabin would be insufficient in the new dwelling. But there was neither money nor time for shopping for furniture. Katie was too busy preparing for her fifth accouchment. Her sister Penelope had arrived to care for the children, and Aunt Edie, an elderly Negro woman, had been brought in to do the housework and cooing. Stoves had been secured and put in place in the rooms that had chimneys, while the large fireplace in the kitchen was available for both cooking food and warming the room. This would be the most comfortable “birthing party” in Katie’s experience since she had arrived in Ohio.
On the 11th of December messengers were sent scurrying across the fields to the stand-by neighbors, Janet Keys and Grandma Forsythe, and someone rode off to town to inform Dr. Moses Wilson. This must have occurred during the daytime, as Mrs. Keys had to bring little Sammy with her. Evidently the other children were in school and “Pappy” Keys was not available for baby-sitting. In due time the baby arrived, a real brunette like Grandma Trumbull. She was given the name Margaret Emma and the wooden cradle had a new occupant.
The ensuing years were busy ones – the oxen with which the farm work had been accomplished gave way to a team of mules, Jack and Jenny. In a way they were an improvement over the slow, patient bovine pair, but they were too temperamental and their former owner hadn’t revealed all of their qualities. Once Robert hitched them to the wagon to bring a load of hay from a field which was enclosed with a fence and could be entered only by opening a wide and heavy gate. As soon as the gate cleared the opening, the mules pulled the wagon into the field but refused to stop at Robert’s command. Instead they increased their speed to a full gallop and disappeared over a hill. Their exasperated driver could hear the wagon bouncing along over the stubble. BY the time he had reached the top of the hill, they were racing along the fence at the far side of the field – one more turn and they would be on the home stretch, back to the gate. Hoping to stop them before they flashed through the gate, he sped down the hill, arriving just seconds before they came trotting along, stopping obediently as Robert went toward them. This madcap pair had another trick that they pulled on their unsuspecting driver. He was halfway to the woodlot one day, hoping to load a few limbs to take back to the diminishing woodpile behind the house. He thought if he hurried he could get back before Katie had diner on the table. He urged the team to a trot, but before he reached the creek, the dinner bell sent out its insistent peal. Robert had miscalculated the time of day, but before he had time to decide whether to cross the creek and load the limbs he could see lying on the other side, Jack and Jenny had clamped their teeth down on their bits, whirled the wagon around and started for the barn. There were no dull moments when these two were hitched to a piece of farm machinery.
As soon as the materials could be collected, two barns were erected. The barn at the creek was torn down and the lumber used in the barn built to shelter the mules and the driving horses. The top section of the barn was used to store the hay to feed the animals. The second barn was larger and was used to store both hay and straw as well as farm tools. East of the large barn and connected to it by two open sheds was an enclosed barn-lot where cattle were kept and fed during the winter. Another shed was built between the two barns and used to store the corn after it had been husked and dried. The grainery in which the wheat and oats were stored had been build in the backyard of the house for safety reasons. Thieves weren’t so likely to enter a building close to a house.
An orchard was also planted with a variety of applies for summer, fall and winter. Arbors were made for grapevines and several varieties were planted. Peach, plum, and pear trees were added and the family enjoyed a variety of fruit in addition to the raspberries and blackberries that grew wild in the fence corners and in the woods. During those early years fruit trees did not need to be sprayed for pests because there were none. Apples were best preserved for winter use by placing them in barrels with lids, and store them in a hole in the ground. Dirt would be piled over the barrel and then straw would be piled in a mound over the dirt. The apples kept well and their flavor was incomparable.
The last of the Trumbull children arrived on May 8, 1864. She was given the name Janet, a familiar name on both sides of the house. However, she was seldom called by that name – “Jennie” became the favorite appellation and she bore that name for more than ninety years.
The year before the birth of his youngest daughter, Robert had enlisted in the Ohio National Guard. It would be interesting to know his motive. Perhaps he felt that he would be drafted sooner or later and it would be advantageous to have some training before that event occurred. When the baby was only a week old, Robert’s company was mustered into national service and became a part of the 132 Regiment of National Guards which drew seven of its ten companies from Logan County. These troops were called out by the President for a period of three months. This regiment was mustered in at Camp Chase near Columbus on the 15th of May 1864 and proceeded to Washington City where it arrived on the 24th and was ordered into camp at Fort Albany.
It is probably that the oats and the corn had been planted and the summer work arranged for, but there is no record of who was responsible for the farm work that summer. Robert’s father, who would celebrate his 77th birthday in June, could hardly e expected to assume the heavy farm work. John was ten and George was only a few months past his seventh birthday. They could help with the chores and keep the kitchen supplied with wood and water. Katie’s time would be filled and her household tasks almost too burdensome unless she had some extra help. One wonders what the neighbors though about he situation. To add to Katie’s distress that summer she received the sad news of her father’s tragic death which had occurred when he had tried to secure an infuriated bull. Father Trumbull would be distressed by the news also; for Mr. Christie had been a kind friend. The summer must have been a very difficult one for Katie.
The summer did not prove to be an exciting one for Robert. After six days at Ft. Albany, his regiment reported to General A.J. Smith and was assigned to the Third Brigade, Third Division, Eighteenth Army Corps. Robert’s regiment served with the Army Corps until June 11 and then was sent to Bermuda Hundred where it was again put on fatigue and picket duty. On the 12th of August, it proceeded to Norfolk and remained there for fifteen days before starting back to Ohio. Sometime during the summer Robert had been elevated to the position of Provost Sergeant, a non-commissioned officer who heads a detail of military police. He was also a member of the “Squirrel Hunters” from which service he received his discharge from Governor Todd at Camp Chase on September 10, 1864, just fifteen days before his thirty-ninth birthday. After a rather boring summer, it was good to be back on the farm. Four-month-old Jennie had grown amazingly and had developed a captivating smile. Annie and Margaret had changed too, and both were a bit shy at first. Both the boys were taller and had a healthy color, attained in the summer’s sun. Both their mother and their grandfather were full of praise for the responsible behavior of these two lads.
Life on the farm soon became normal and the boys entered school again when it opened in early winter. Although the country would be in a turmoil until the Civil War came to a close and for several years afterward, the Northwood community was too far away to be greatly disturbed. News was old by the time it reached the outlying districts and there was no need to become excited about events that had taken place weeks before.
On April 7, 1864, several weeks before Robert had been mustered into the army, he had signed a deed for one tract of 105 acres of land another tract of 30 acres, paying $3,000 for both tracts which composed the original Trumbull farm. His mother was a co-signer of the deed. James may have insisted that Janet have an interest in the farm in order to assure her of a home should she outlive her husband. There is no indication of the method of payment as was the case when James purchased the farm in Canada. Perhaps Robert never paid a cent for the farm. Both parents spent their last years in his home.
With a growing family to be fed, clothed, and educated, there would be little money left to pay for the farm. Katie was a good manager and as the girls grew older they learned to knit and to sew and were soon making their own clothes. At the country school, called the Beechwood School since it stood at the edge of a tract of land covered with large beech trees, the girls became friends with the Alexander girls and the Laughlin girls. There had been no girls of comparable age in the neighboring Keys and Forsythe families; therefore school was delightful because of these attractive young friends.
After completing the work the local school had to offer, both Anna and Margaret took some classes in college, but neither remained in college long enough to graduate.
The two brothers had taken rather extensive courses in Latin, English, and math and were already teaching in the country schools. John taught for four years and then returned to full time farming on his father’s farm. George taught for a couple of years, took a business course in a school in Valparaiso, Indiana. He then went to Sherman, Texas, where his Uncle James helped him to secure a job. George was the first to leave home permanently although ay of his vacation days were spent on his father’s farm.
The young people of the Trumbull family had made many good friends among the college students and entertained them at parties and dinners in their hospitable farm home. During one Christmas vacation, for some reason, one of the students was unable to go home. When this bit of news was reported to Katie she told her girls to tell the young man to come to the farm and spend Christmas Day with them. He thankfully accepted the invitation and brought his hostess a gift of a tall Bristol Glass vase beautifully decorated. Katie’s heart was warmed by the young student’s thoughtfulness and she graciously accepted his gift. Although the name of the give has passed into oblivion, the lovely vase had been cherished through the years – a hundred of them – but its beauty has not been altered in any way.
We do not know how long James lived in his son’s home before his death occurred on August 6, 1871. After her husband’s death, Janet continued to live with Robert and his family and was treated with love and respect by all of the children who made life as pleasant and as easy for her as they possibly could.
Grandmother Janet had her own special chair, a platform rocker made of walnut. The back of the chair was high enough to provide for a headrest. Both the back and the seat were comfortably padded, as well as the armrest and were covered with a heavy striped material. The rocker could be turned on its platform and it could be raised or lowered in height to fit the occupant. The chair had been a gift from James who had gone to Texas when he was only seventeen. There is no record of his ever returning for a visit. Janet outlived her husband a little over four years and was buried by his side in the Northwood Cemetery.