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52 Ancestors: Week 8, Thomas B. and Ruth Waterman (Fletcher) Bailey

Orginal post: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

FamilySearch's full-text search is an incredible resource for searching deeds and probate records. This week's entry focuses on my 4th great-grandparents, Thomas B. and Ruth Waterman (Fletcher) Bailey, and a pair of illuminating probate files discovered using full-text search. The first of these was that of Thomas B. Bailey's father Thomas T. Bailey while the other was that of Ruth W. Bailey.

The following brief biography of Thomas B. Bailey was written during his lifetime in Andreas' History of Nebraska:1

THOMAS B. BAILEY, farmer, Section 19, post office Herman, was born in Pitstton, [sic] Kennebec County, Maine, August 22, 1819; came to Washington County, Wis., in 1846, and afterwards removed to Juneau County. In 1859 he came to Washington County, Neb., and ran a saw mill, also a blacksmith shop; the past ten years he has been engaged in farming; he owns eighty acres of land; married in 1841 to Miss O. Fletcher, of Searsmont, Waldo County, Maine. She died December, 22, 1844. His second marriage was to Miss Ruth W. Fletcher, September 21, 1845. They have one adopted daughter.

His movements are corroborated by census records. In 1850, Thomas B., farmer, and Ruth Bailey were living with their adopted daughter Emma Rice in Trenton, Washington County, Wisconsin in the household of Joshua Bradford.2 In 1870, Thomas, blacksmith, and Ruth W. Bailey resided in Fort Calhoun, Washington County, Nebraska with Ellen Moore, domestic servant, Han Schwager, a blacksmith, and Charles Fletcher, farm laborer.3 They were living in Herman Precinct, Washington County, Nebraska in 1880, and his parents' birthplaces were listed as Maine and New Brunswick, respectively.4 The same is repeated in 1885, although now called Herman Township.5 They were still there in 1900 with Laura May Keene listed as their servant.6

Based on proximity and the parents' birthplaces in the latter three census records, Thomas B. Bailey was presumed the son of Thomas Turner and Harriet (Turner) Bailey. In the register of St. Andrews Parish, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, the entry for "Thomas Turner Bailey married to Hariet Turner Octr. 24th --- 1809" is found.7 They are the household listed above Joshua Bradford in Washington County, Wisconsin in 1850.8 In 1860, they were living in New York Creek, Washington County, Nebraska.9

"Thomas T. Bailey, of the precinct of Cuming City, in the County of Washington and Territory of Nebraska" made his will on 21 April 1862. Before bequeathing all of his personal property and real estate to his wife Harriet, he gives "[t]o each heir one dollar to paid out of my personal property." The heirs are unnamed but the receipt of each of their dollars is included in the probate case file. On 13 April 1865, T. B. Bailey of Fort Calhoun, Nebraska acknowledged the receipt of his $1 from William T. Bailey, Thomas Turner Bailey's son and executor.10 This T. B. Bailey was undoubtedly his son Thomas B. Bailey making this the only record uncovered by this author to confirm their relationship. The only other record in which they are listed together is a deed from 1853 in which Thomas T. Bailey sells Thomas B. Bailey 40 acres in Trenton, Washington County, Wisconsin.11

Over 40 years later, "Ruth W. Bailey, a resident of Herman Precinct, in Washington County, Nebraska" made her will 12 September 1904. She bequeathed her real estate to her adopted daughter Orinda A. Eriksen on the condition that she "pay to her [Orinda's] mother, Emma A Cram, One Hundred Dollars, unto My Sister Mary F. Bailey, One Hundred Dollars, and to Laura May Keene, whom I raised also, Eight Hundred Dollars . . ." George B. Riker began executing the will in February 1908 following Ruth's death. On 2 March 1908, Ruth's siblings filed an objection to the will in which they claimed the following.

. . . the deceased was a person of weakened powers and impaired will and diseased and the said Orinda A. Eriksen and her husband knowing the premises and contriving to obtain the property of said deceased, got the said deceased within their power and influence and thereupon by undue suggestions, insistence, influence and mental coersion [sic] by them exercised over her and taking advantage of her weakness and inabilities over-come the mind of said deceased and forced and coersed [sic] the said deceased by the means aforesaid to sign said instrument and said instrument is the will of said Orinda A. Eriksen and her said husband, Frank Eriksen.

They further claimed that as Ruth died without issue that they were her lawful heirs. After a hearing in which over a dozen witnesses were called, the judge ruled that the will was "genuine and valid" and "decreed that the execution of said will . . . be granted to George B. Riker . . ." On 27 July 1908, the Ruth's siblings posted bond for an appeal of the decision, but this was dismissed on 9 November 1908.12,13

Genealogical Summary

Thomas B. Bailey, son of Thomas Turner and Harriet (Turner) Bailey, was born in Pittston, Kennebec County, Maine 22 August 18191 and died in Herman, Washington County, Nebraska 6 May 1902.14 He married first in 1841, O. Fletcher.1 He married second on 21 September 1845, Ruth Waterman Fletcher,1 daughter of Joseph and Lois (Bartlett) Fletcher.15 She was born in Searsmont, Waldo County, Maine 10 July 1826 and died in Herman 31 January 1908.16,17

Thomas B. Bailey was a Freemason. He was a charter member of Landmark Lodge No. 222 in Herman, Washington County, Nebraska on 21 June 1894.18 His tombstone also includes their emblem.14

Adopted children of Thomas B. and Ruth Waterman (Fletcher) Bailey:16

  1. Emma Alberta (Rice) Bailey, b. Washington County, Wisconsin, 27 October 1849; m. Thomas Abial Cram.
  2. Orinda A. Cram (daughter of Thomas Abial and Emma Alberta (Bailey) Cram), b. Washington County, Nebraska, April 1871; m. Frank Eriksen.
  3. Laura May Keene, b. Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, 9 September 1878; m. Henry Landen.

  1. History of the State of Nebraska . . . (Chicago: The Western Historical Company, 1882), 1472; digital images, FamilySearch. This book is commonly referred to as “Andreas’ History of Nebraska” after A. T. Andreas, the owner of the publishing company.↩

  2. 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Wisconsin, population schedule, p. [102] (penned), Trenton, dwelling 855, family 855; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 4206494 > image 109; citing NARA microfilm M432, roll 1008.↩

  3. 1870 U.S. census, Washington County, Nebraska, population schedule, p. 1 (penned), City of Fort Calhoun, dwelling 6, family 6; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 4273890 > image 409; citing NARA microfilm M593.↩

  4. 1880 U.S. census, Washington County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district 37, p. 2, Herman Precinct, dwelling 13, family 14; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 5161396 > image 104; citing NARA microfilm T9.↩

  5. 1885 Nebraska state census, Washington County, population schedule, enumeration district 761, Herman Township, p. 5, dwelling 35, family 35; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 4639882 > image 14.↩

  6. 1900 U.S. census, Washington County, Nebraska, population schedule, enumeration district 132, sheet 10-A, Herman Township, dwelling 186, family 188; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 4120381 > image 1131; citing NARA microfilm T623.↩

  7. St. Andrews Parish (Charlotte County, New Brunswick), "Baptisms and Marriages, 1787 to 1810," unnumbered p. 53, "Thomas Turner Bailey married to Hariet Turner Octr. 24th --- 1809;" digital images, New Brunswick Genealogical Society, Anglican Registers Project, register MC223-S2-6D.↩

  8. 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Wisconsin, population schedule, p. [102] (penned), Trenton, dwelling 854, family 854; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 4206494 > image 109; citing NARA microfilm M432, roll 1008.↩

  9. 1860 U.S. census, Washington County, Nebraska, population schedule, p. 16 (penned), New York Creek, dwelling 207, family 120; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 5170246 > image 20; citing NARA microfilm M653.↩

  10. Washington County, Nebraska, Probate Case Files, no. 58, estate of Thomas Bailey, filed 23 September 1874; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 108147743 > images 1-57. Images 2-3 contain will. Image 27 contains Thomas B. Bailey's receipt.↩

  11. Washington County, Wisconsin, Deeds X:473-474, Thomas T. and Harriet Bailey to Thomas B. Bailey, 6 April 1853; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 8197518 > images 363-364.↩

  12. Washington County, Nebraska, Probate Case Files, no. 1128, estate of Ruth W. Bailey, filed 5 February 1908; digital images, FamilySearch, DGS 108357717 > image 1-74.↩

  13. "Contested the Will," The Pilot-Tribune (Blair, Nebraska), 1 April 1908, p. 1, cols. 5-6; digital images, Newspapers.com.↩

  14. Ancestry, Find A Grave, memorial 87262702, Thomas B. Bailey (22 August 1819-6 May 1902), New England Cemetery, Herman, Washington County, Nebraska.↩

  15. Edward H. Fletcher, Fletcher Family History: The Descendants of Robert Fletcher of Concord, Mass. (Boston: Rand, Avery, & Co., 1881), 514; digital images, Internet Archive.↩

  16. The Pilot (Blair, Nebraska), 5 February 1908, p. 5, cols. 2-3, obituary of Mrs. Thos. B. Bailey; digital images, Newspapers.com.↩

  17. Ancestry, Find A Grave, memorial 87262595, Ruth W., wife of Thomas B. Bailey (10 July 1826-31 January 1908), New England Cemetery, Herman, Washington County, Nebraska.↩

  18. Rev. William H. Buss and Thomas T. Osterman, editors, History of Dodge and Washington Counties, Nebraska, and their People, 2 vols. (Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1921), 1:364; digital images, HathiTrust.↩