RANNEY

Michael J. (1909-1991), Marie (1906-1995), and Michael J. Jr. (1935-)

And look – they were actually MADE IN THE USA!!!

I think that there are a few that may have been from a different set.  I’m not sure why this guy has a hole on top of his head.  He looks different than the above soldiers though.  Of course, that could be because his paint is really wearing off.

And here are some of the casualties of war.

Here are a few of them in action, in our backyard.  Yes, we have rocks in our yard – we live in the desert.

Do any of you have toy soldiers also?

I just wanted to share a picture of my husband, walking the stage at his graduation.  He is shaking hands with the Sergeant Major of the Army, and receiving his diploma.

And here is my daughter, wearing her daddy’s new rank.

Of course, his rank has changed yet again, as he has become a Command Sergeant Major instead of just a Sergeant Major.  Seems kind of silly to have worn the rank for a single week.  What a waste of thread.

Here he is at his battalion Change of Responsibility as he takes over as the new Command Sergeant Major.  I’m so proud of him!!

Elgie Woods and Helen Cossaboon were married in 1927, so they had been married about a year in this picture.

I’m not quire sure what is going on – he has a robe of some sort on and the caption says “Heap Big Injun on Me”. It looks like they’re having fun!

This picture was taken on Easter 1925 at the Clinton Street United Methodist Church in Lockport, NY.

The minister (standing to the right) is my husband’s great-grandfather, Nicholas Van Cossaboon.

The other people in the picture are as follows:

Front Row
Altos
Margaret Saxton (16)
Helen Cossaboon (15) She was my husband’s grandmother, and the preacher’s daughter. She went on to marry Elgie Woods (who is not in the picture).
Dora Woods (17) She was Elgie’s sister.
Sopranos
Azalia Crego (17) She married Elgie’s brother Albert Woods.
Virginia Cossaboon (20) Helen’s sister.
Jennie Russell (17)
Ida Woods (14) Elgie’s sister.
Back Row
Basses
Eugene Hilger (19)
Albert Woods (19) Elgie’s brother.
Organist
Lorraine Kelly (19)
Leader
John Jellings
Tenors
Hobart Woods (28) Elgie’s brother
Leslie Murrell (26)

I know very little about his parents, Henry and Sarah Woods.  They were both born in England and must have immigrated sometime in the 1850′s. (That is my guess at least. I don’t have immigration papers on them.)

Sarah remarried to a George Hanscomb in 1860, so Thomas’ father must have died either when his mother was pregnant with him, or else soon after he was born.

I decided to do a little research on the history of Lockport to learn what life might have been like during this time period (1850-1930′s).

Lockport is in Niagara county, and as you can see on the above map, is located just a short distance from Niagara Falls.

I found a book on Google, entitled Lockport: Historic Jewel of the Erie Canal, by Kathleen L. Riley.  It states the following:

In a Souvenir Program Commemorating the Lockport Centennial 1865-1965, former Niagara County historian Clarence O. Lewis wrote of the genesis of the Lockport story: “Any history of Lockport should begin with the digging of the Erie Canal and the construction of the ten combined locks because our city was born of the canal and received its name from that tremendous engineering feat which proved to the skeptics that boats could ‘sail up hill’”

And here is a brief timeline I put together of the history of Lockport and Thomas Woods:

1808 The county of Niagara was established.
1817 Construction started on the Erie Canal in Rome, New York.
1825 The canal was finished and they had a great celebration.
1829 Lockport was incorporated as a village.
1835 Manufacturing had become very important. There were many mills in town. The population of Lockport was over 6,000.
1840 Construction work started to enlarge the canal.
1842 The steamboat arrived on the canal.
1850 The population of Lockport was about 12,000
1851 The first gas street lights were turned on in town.
1852 The Railroad opened.
1854 There was a large fire in town. 26 buildings and ten acres of the village were burned.
1855 The Clinton Street Methodist Church was organized. {this is significant, because Thomas later lived on Clinton Street and his son married the minister’s daughter.}
1859 Thomas Woods is born in Lockport.
1859 Henry Woods must have died sometime around here.
1860 Thomas’ mother, Sarah, married George Hanscomb.
1865 Lockport was incorporated as a city with 4 wards.
1879 The first phone in Lockport was installed.
1892 Thomas Woods was 34 and living with his mother, Sarah Hanscomb.
Abt 1892 Thomas Woods married Mary Spencer
1893 Thomas’ mother, Sarah died.
Abt 1894 Thomas started working at Thompson Flour Mill in Lockport.
1897 An earthquake rocked Lockport
1900 Thomas Woods and his family were living in Lockport.
1910 Thomas and his family were living in Lockport.
1915 Thomas’ son Henry died in a fire in their home.
1918 Thomas’ daughter Florence died from Spanish Flu.
1920 Thomas and his family were living in Lockport.
1929 Thomas retired from the flour mill.
1930 Thomas and his family were living in Lockport.
1934 Thomas Woods died in Lockport.

I used the following sources for many of the timeline dates:
History of Lockport, New York FROM LANDMARKS OF NIAGARA COUNTY, NEW YORK, EDITED BY: WILLIAM POOL, PUBLISHED BY D. MASON AND CO. PUBLISHERS, SYRACUSE, NY 1897
Official Lockport, NYsite

I actually visited Lockport last May to do some research.  I really wish that we had been able to stay longer.  There was so much I wanted to see.  I only hit the library and the historical society.  The courthouse was closed by the time I finished there and then we headed out of town and on to Pennsylvania.  I’ll make it back again someday!

So, even though the Woods family wasn’t involved in building the Erie Canal, it must have been an exciting place to live during this time period – with ships passing by all of the time.  I’m thinking that I may order a book or two to read about this area so that I can glean some further details.  Many of the ones I read online were only available for the first portion of the book, therefore I missed out on the time period I was looking for!

He would have been my husband’s great uncle.

He is buried in Cold Spring Cemetery in Lockport, Niagara, New York.

Woods,
Florence Amy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Woods, died at her home, No. 440 Clinton Street Wednesday evening, November 27, 1918, aged 18 years. She is survived by her parents, four sisters and five brothers, Mrs. Byron Belknap, Dora, Ida, Mildred, Ernal, Elgie, Albert, Kenneth of this city and Hobart overseas.
Private funeral services were held from the home Friday afternoon November 29th at 1:30. Rev. Hazen officiating. Interment was made at cold Springs Cemetery.

UFO Above the Earth

I was getting very frustrated.

But  I’ve solved the mystery with the help of a very knowledgeable guy at the Niagara County Historian’s Office in Lockport.  He sat and pored through the records for me and found what I was looking for.

Thomas was born in Lockport and not England.  That was the first thing that I had been trying to clear up.

He wasn’t an orphan (or an alien ).  His father died when he was young and his mother (Sarah/Sally) remarried a George Hanscomb (A few of the variations I’ve seen are Hanson, Hanascomb, Hascomb, and Hancomb.)

We found the announcement in the Lockport Daily Journal from 2 Jan 1860:

Mr. George Hascomb of Wilson to Miss Sarah Woods of Lockport, by the Rev. R. Norton.

Thomas was born in September 1859 and his mother married George in Jan 1860.  George would have been the only father that Thomas knew.

That means that the 1870 census that I found, where Thomas Woods was 14 and living with George and Sarah Hanson was indeed him.

At the historian’s office, we were also able to search the state census.  I love state census.  I wish that all states had their own census.  It can be so helpful.

Anyway, I found them in the 1865 census: George, Sarah, Thomas, and Anna Hancomb.  Yes, Thomas was listed as Thomas Hancomb.  I now have another name to search for.

He was also in the 1892 census, living with his mother.  She was 73 and he was 34.

And we even found a newspaper abstract of his mother’s obituary. The actual newspaper is no longer available for this time period (I searched the library also).:

Mrs. Sarah Hanascomb. May 19, 1893 at home of son Thomas Woods, 139 N. Adam St. Lockport, age 72 years.  Cold Springs.

Even though she was listed as having been buried in Cold Springs Cemetery, we weren’t able to locate her gravestone in the short amount of time we had in Niagara county.  It was not listed in the tombstone transcription, but it is possible that it was in an older section of the cemetery.  Maybe on our next trip (whenever that might be!).

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to head across the street to the courthouse and check out what records may have been available there.  I am happy to have at least solved my mystery though.  Thomas Woods did indeed exist before 1900.

I now have more things to look for:

1. When/where did Thomas’ real father, Henry Woods die?   Is he buried there in Lockport?  Did he die on the way over from England? Actually, now that I think about it, I shouldn’t rule out the possibility of him having run off or of them being divorced.  I think that it’s more likely that he died though.

2. When did Sarah Woods/Hanscomb immigrate?  Where in England was she from?

3. What happened to Thomas’  half sister Anna/Hannah?  Did she live to adulthood?  Did she marry?  There is no mention of her in Thomas’ obituary in 1934.

4. Where is Thomas in the 1880 census?  Is he perhaps going by Thomas Hanscomb instead  of Woods?

I’m so excited that I’ve made some headway on the Woods line – finally!  I now feel like I have a jumping-off point for further research.  I can’t wait to get started.

I’d also like to add that while I was doing my research at the historian’s office, I signed a petition that I would love for you to sign also!  Thanks!

Here is the information from the flyer I received:
“Fourteen Niagara County citizens have been awarded the Medal of Honor.  One, however, has been denied his medal and his grave marker.

Michael Huskey, Irish-born Lockport native, earned the Medal of Honor during the Civil War as a sailor aboard the USS Carondelet (Steele’s Bayou Expedition, Vicksburg).  He died before he received his medal.

His family continued to reside in Niagara County and also never received his medal.  The family line has since completely died out – except for us, the people who benefited from his service and sacrifice.

Efforts are currently being made to have his grave marked and his medal put on permanent display in the rotunda of the Niagara County Courthouse.

We and Michael need your help to persuade the US Navy to honor his bravery by releasing his medal and marking his grave.”

This article is about my husband’s great uncle, Henry Woods.  It is very sad.

The Union-Sun, Lockport, NY.  Thursday Evening, August 26, 1915.

“YOUNG MAN TRAPPED DIES IN FIRE AT PARENTS’ HOME

Henry Wood Sufferer From Epilepsy, Victim of Flames at Clinton Street Residence.

In a fire that consumed the greater portion of the home of Thomas Woods, an employee of the Thompson Milling Company, at 440 Clinton St. shortly after 6 o’clock last night his son Henry, aged 23 years, was burned to death in a front room on the second floor.

Members of the family were at the supper table and Henry who had gone upstairs an hour before was assumed to be taking a nap.  The smell of smoke became noticeable to those at the table.  One of the sons ran upstairs and found the rear in flames.  He returned to warn the family.  Thoughts quickly turned to the son Henry who was a life long sufferer from epilepsy which trouble had also affected his mind.

But when effort was made to go back upstairs the flames had reached the stairway in a great mass.  One of the brothers ran outside but could not locate a ladder in the neighborhood.  Frantic effort was made to climb to the second story window to save the unfortunate boy but they failed and the fire soon turned the room in which he was known to be into a seething furnace.  The outside blinds of the window had been kept locked to prevent the young man from jumping out in a spell of epilepsy.

The department was called from Box 24 and several streams were played on the fire.  It was quickly gotten under control. Chief Coyle and firemen got inside and located the charred remains of the dead boy, under a bed.  He had evidently tried to crawl under.  Coroner Kittinger was called and took charge.

The members of the family were prostrated by the death of a son and brother and were taken in charge by neighbors.  Part of the household effects were saved but the house was practically destroyed. The loss is about $1500, covered by insurance.  The origin is not known but is believed to have been with a chimney.”

I put him waaaaaaayyyyy on the back burner, because I had gotten frustrated and I just simply moved to working on easier lines.

I am really wanting to solve this mystery though and answer some of the questions I have about him.  I will be visiting Lockport, New York (where he lived) in a couple of months.  In preparation for that visit, I have decided that I need to look over what information I have on him and try to come up with a plan of attack.  My time in NY is going to limited and I want to have a clear research plan.

Here is what I know for sure about him:

• June 1900: He was living in Lockport, NY with his wife Mary and 4 children.  He states his birth date as Sep 1856, that he had been married for 8 years, he was born in England (as were his parents), and he immigrated in 1866.
• April 1910: He was living in Lockport, NY with his wife Mary and 8 children.  His mother-in-law was also living with them.  It says that he was born in NY and his parents were born in England.
• Jan 1920: He was still living in Lockport with his wife and 8 kids. It states that he was born in NY and his parents were born in England.
• Apr 1930: Still in Lockport with his wife and 4 of his kids. Born in NY and parents born in England.
• 5 Aug 1934: He died in Lockport
• His obituary was published in the local paper as follows:                                                                                                                                         Aged Lockportian Has Passed Away.  Thomas Woods Was Native Resident and Followed Milling Trade Many Years.
  Thomas Woods, lifelong resident of this city, died of old age infirmities at 8:40 o’clock yesterday morning at his home, 440 Clinton street.  He was in his 75th year.
  Born in this city on Sept. 25, 1859, he was educated in the public schools.  For thirty-five years he was employed by the Thompson Milling Company in Market street.  He retired in 1929.
  Surviving are his widow, Mary Spencer Woods; four daughters, Mrs. Admiral Petty, Mrs. John S. Minnick, Mildred and Ida Woods; and five sons, Ernal, Hobart, Elgie, Albert and Kenneth Woods, all of this city.
• The funeral will be held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the home.  The Rev. Clinton H. Churchill of the Churchill Tabernacle, Buffalo, will officiate.  Burial will be in Cold Springs cemetery.

So, I’m not sure if he was born in Sep 1856 (as the census match up with) or Sep 1859 (which his death certificate states).

His obituary and death certificate state he was born in Lockport, yet the 1900 census says that he was born in England and immigrated in 1866.

His father is listed as Henry Woods.  No mother is listed – did his wife really not know his mother’s name?  That seems odd to me. She must never have know her.

I have searched the census and cemetery records for a Henry Woods and have not found him.

I did however find the following in the 1870 census:  a Thomas Woods, age 14 (that would match with an 1856 birth) born in NY and living in Lockport with a George Hanson (age 60, born in England) and his wife Sarah (age 53, born in England) and a Hannah Woods (age 9, born in NY).  I’m not positive that this is my Thomas, but he definitely fits!

So, was Thomas an orphan?? Did he immigrate from England with his father Henry, who maybe died soon after?  Was he orphaned while still in England and did he immigrate with George and Sarah?  I will have

I have not been able to find him anywhere  in the 1860 or 1880 census.  His obituary stated that he was a “lifelong” resident of Lockport.  If he always lived there, then where is he??

I also do not have a marriage record for him.  According to the 1900 census, they had been married 8 years, putting their marriage date to around 1892.

So, when I head to Lockport this May, I will be searching for the following:

1. His gravestone in Cold Springs Cemetery.
2. I will search through the New York State census records (1865 and 1875).
3. I will look for a marriage record and/or an announcement in the newspaper.
4. I will try to see if there are any probate or court records for Thomas or his father Henry. If Henry died when Thomas was young and he was left an orphan, would there be any records in the courthouse pertaining to who was granted custody of him?

Any other suggestions as to how I can solve this mystery? I’m hoping that I can make some real progress while I’m in the area!