In honor of Labor Day, Amy has invited us to write about "work" and how finding out what someone did for a living has helped us in our research. So, I have chosen to write about a 5th great uncle who was a Vendue Crier!
OK, you ask, what is a Vendue Crier/Cryer? Well, I didn't know, either, so I had to do some research. This term is apparently an old fashioned word used primarily in the northeast, especially New England, for an "auctioneer". A vendue (also spelled vandue) was a "sale". The services of the vendue crier were especially important at the public sale of a deceased person's estate. So, like we might have an estate sale now when someone dies, back in the 1700's and 1800's, an appraisal of ALL of the belongings of a deceased person was done by two respected men of the community. Then, on a publicly announced day and place, the vendue crier would "auction" off everything. In most cases, the proceeds were then handled by an Executor/Executrix of a Will or an Administrator of an Estate, if there had been no Last Will and Testament. Debts were paid to and from the estate and the person in charge of the estate would then follow the directions stated in the will, or the laws of the area, as to who received any proceeds of the sale. Sometimes the estates were open for many years, often until all of the children of the deceased reached the age of "majority".
So, what does being a vendue crier have to do with genealogy?
As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, Aunt Nay Clark was the family historian and passed down a great deal of information about the Clark family. She provided us the names of our Clark ancestors all the way back to Abraham and Letitia (Williams) Clark. She even shared with us that Abraham was born June 15, 1790 and died April 4, 1882 and that Letitia was born September 13, 1796 and died September 11, 1882. They were married April 20, 1815.
The date from Aunt Nay, I believe, was April 20, but the Newspaper article above may say April 29. The number is hard to read! I am extremely grateful to Aunt Nay for this information! But that is where the road back in history stopped! Where do we go from there?
So, I had a few clues:
1. A transcribed letter from a John Clark to his brother Abraham dated March 23, 1836. This came from another descendant of Abraham and Letitia (Williams) Clark, named Jean Clark Mincks (descendant of John J. Clark). She sent it to me 1-21-2000. (Doylestown is the County Seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania)
So, this fits with the letter that states Abraham's and John's father is deceased and their mother is still living.
OK, you ask, what is a Vendue Crier/Cryer? Well, I didn't know, either, so I had to do some research. This term is apparently an old fashioned word used primarily in the northeast, especially New England, for an "auctioneer". A vendue (also spelled vandue) was a "sale". The services of the vendue crier were especially important at the public sale of a deceased person's estate. So, like we might have an estate sale now when someone dies, back in the 1700's and 1800's, an appraisal of ALL of the belongings of a deceased person was done by two respected men of the community. Then, on a publicly announced day and place, the vendue crier would "auction" off everything. In most cases, the proceeds were then handled by an Executor/Executrix of a Will or an Administrator of an Estate, if there had been no Last Will and Testament. Debts were paid to and from the estate and the person in charge of the estate would then follow the directions stated in the will, or the laws of the area, as to who received any proceeds of the sale. Sometimes the estates were open for many years, often until all of the children of the deceased reached the age of "majority".
So, what does being a vendue crier have to do with genealogy?
As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, Aunt Nay Clark was the family historian and passed down a great deal of information about the Clark family. She provided us the names of our Clark ancestors all the way back to Abraham and Letitia (Williams) Clark. She even shared with us that Abraham was born June 15, 1790 and died April 4, 1882 and that Letitia was born September 13, 1796 and died September 11, 1882. They were married April 20, 1815.
 Source: News Article: Pennsylvania Correspondent, and Farmers' Advertiser Monday, May 08, 1815 Doylestown, PA Page: 3 | ||||
So, I had a few clues:
LETTER TO ABRAHAM CLARK IN BELMONT CO., OHIO FROM HIS BROTHER JOHN IN DOYLESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania. Punctuation added by me (Jean Mincks) to make for easier reading but most spelling left as is.
Doylestown Township March 23, 1836
Dear Brother and Sister, I have taken up my pen to drop a few lines to you to let you know we enjoy good health at present and I hope you enjoy the same blessing. I had not forgotten to answer your very acceptable letter of last May but we have been trying to makeup our minds what part of the world we should go to as we have got in the notion of going to some foren country to try if we can make money any faster than here for times alters for the wors here very fast. I read with the greatest of pleasure your letter over and over to my friends to tell them see how much better you were a doing there than you could ever done here if you had a stayed here. It put me in the notion of somewhere else. I am sorry to hear that Phebe did not please you for it is hard to part with our children when they do marry to please. Ruth was married last October to Michael Gregg and moved down to Wrightstown last newyears and they are agoing to move in to Amos Weldon's new house. Grace and Carver has bought it. Weldons is agoin to Canada. Thomas Clark's, Joseph Clofson's?, Charles Hartley's, Timothy Bewleys(?) and ourselves talks of going to Michigan in a few weeks. I do expect it will be a hard trial for me to part with Everett(?) and Elizabeth & Michael & Ruth but Michael says he'll come out there next spring. John Neal went last fall and they like that country very well. Susan Tomlinson has buried her husband. She was left a widow with and infant in her arms in about a year after she was married. They sold the place and she is a going to live in a room at Henry Dennis's and Mother is a going to live there too. She wants to come to live with us but we are a going too far. Thomas Clarks has lost George and Simpson looks move like dying than going to Michigan. Timothy Bewley(?) has lost one this week and the other 2 is very bad with the putrid soarthroat. One man in Newtown has buried 5-all he had. It has been going through the neighborhood ever since last fall. We have had the hardest winter that was ever known in these parts. It is almost 12 weeks that the ground has been covered to a great depth with snow and ice and it is very cold yet for my fingers is aching with the cold now for it is very late at night and the girl has covered the fire and gone to bed. Martha has gone down to pay her last visit at Wrightown. Hannah (Reador?) has lost her man. She was married, buried her husband and had an heir all in one year. I have not seen any of them since you left us. Mother was at our house 3 months last summer. I have not seen her since and I much fear whether I shall ever see any of them again. The going is so bad and we are going to move down to E Roberts day after tomorrow. Sarah Ann has got a son, calls him Charles. She has six children to take with her is she has luck to keep them. I wrote to you that a (Hemicken?) was dead but it was a wrong information. He is alive yet although they had hour set to bury him. I thought I must correct the mistake. I am very anxious to hear from you but you must not write till you get another from us for I cannot tell you where to direct a letter to till I get there. I will write to you as soon as I can. If we do not like that country I think we shall come to Ohio. The neighbors are all in motion, some going to the north, some to the west, some to the south. I never knew such a time for people emigrating to other parts to hunt for better luck. I must close my letter and bid you farewell. Give my love to all your children and Phebe with the rest. I hope she will do well. Nothing more at present, Only my love to you all and your father & mother [Letitia-s ?] It may be that I may see you all yet.
From your brother and Sister, John & Sarah Clark.
Elizabeth Roberts has just come. She said I must remember her to you. She isn't(?) in good health as common. You know she is very weakly at time.
First, we need to understand that this Abraham, the receiver of the letter, is our fourth great grandfather. I was also able to find the marriage record for John Clark and Sarah Morton on October 1, 1803 in the transcribed Docket of Isaac Hicks and it states that John is the son of Benjamin! So, now there is documentation for John being the son of Benjamin, and we can assume, that since they were brothers, then Abraham is also a son of Benjamin.
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| Source: Source Citation: Description; Section: Marriages Copied from the Docket of Isaac Hicks. Source Information: Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. II[database on-line]. |
This letter has some very important clues to follow about our family. John states that their mother (unnamed) is living and implies that their father is not, since she is living with one of their siblings. The letter also has a reference to the "Clofson's?", and that may be a clue, too. (The "fs" in this name is an old way of writing "double s", so the name would be spelled "Closson".)
2. With this information about the "Clofson's", I was able to find a Sons of the American Revolution application for a descendant, J. Dawson Reeder, MD, stating that he descended from Elizabeth Clark Reeder, who was the daughter of Barbara Clawson and Benjamin Clark, and Barbara was the daughter of patriot John Clawson and wife, Barbara Rogers. In support that Elizabeth is the daughter of Benjamin and Barbara, I did find the February 20, 1809 marriage document of Elizabeth Clark and Charles Reeder states that Elizabeth was the daughter of Benjamin Clark!
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| Source: Pennsylvania Correspondent, and Farmers' Advertiser Monday, Mar 13, 1809 Doylestown, PA Page: 2 https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2:10CEAD73CD214460@GB3NEWS-15DB60EE30B2B490@2381855-15DAAC2750573E28@1-15DAAC2750573E28. |
Even though I have been unable to document this Revolutionary War service other ways, or the Closson connection, I will still use this as a clue searching for other documentation. Interestingly, I did find a picture of Charles Reeder, Sr., husband of Elizabeth (Clark) Reeder.
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| The Monumental City: It's Past and Present Resources, by George W. Howard. Baltimore: J. D. Ehlers & Co., Engravers and Steam Book Printers; 87 Second Street. 1873. Page 538. |
And there is an article about his contributions to the steam engine industry. The book also includes a picture and story about his son, Charles Reeder, Jr. on the following pages.
3. I next searched some of the records in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for Benjamin Clark and wife Barbara Clawson. I found only 1 Benjamin Clark family in Bucks County. Searching further in the Quaker records, I found a death record for a Benjamin Clark listed his death as the 3rd month (June) 5th day of 1831 last residing in and buried in Wrightstown Township and he is listed as "Father to Wm the vendue cryer"!
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4. The next step is to find a similar record for Barbara, and in the same Quaker Church record I did find: Barbary Clark died 11th month (January) 30, 1838, age 79, last residing in Buckingham Township, buried in Wrightstown, "widow of Benjamin Clark Sen dec" [Senior, deceased].
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| Source: Note: Location: Collection/ShelfFilm/DGSBirths, deaths, and burials transcribed from the records of Wrightstown Monthly Meeting of Friends, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Family History Library, United States and Canada Film172927, Item 7 |
And that also fits with the letter's information that John's and Abraham's mother died after the 1836 letter.
5. The letter also states that their mother was planning to live with Henry Dennis, and I found a marriage record for Henry Dennis and Sarah Clark for August 30, 1834, both of Wrightstown. I believe that Sarah Clark Dennis is a sister to John, William and Abraham, all children of Benjamin and Barbara Clawson/Closson Clark!
5. The letter also states that their mother was planning to live with Henry Dennis, and I found a marriage record for Henry Dennis and Sarah Clark for August 30, 1834, both of Wrightstown. I believe that Sarah Clark Dennis is a sister to John, William and Abraham, all children of Benjamin and Barbara Clawson/Closson Clark!
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| Source: Source Citation Description Section: Marriages from the Docket of Isaac Hicks, Justice of the Peace, Bucks County, 1773-1836 Source Information Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. II [database on-line]. Source Description |
In addition, the 1840 census shows, William Clark, Henry Dennis, Joseph Closson, Isaiah Closson are all living in the same area of Wrightstown.
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| Source: Year: 1840; Census Place: Wrightstown, Bucks, Pennsylvania; Roll: 446; Page: 40; Family History Library Film: 0020539 |
6. I also found another son of Benjamin and Barbara, named Isaiah Clark. In those same Quaker church records, there is an entry stating that Isaiah died 2nd month (April) 27, 1815 and he was from Upper Makefield, and was "son of Benjamin"!
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| Source: Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Births and Deaths, 1770-1901; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 676 |
7. Susan Tomlinson mentioned in the letter was very likely Susan Clark, daughter of Benjamin and Barbara. The letter states that Susan was widowed and had a child within a year of marriage, but I have not been able to find a record of the child or the marriage. I did find a death record for a John Tomlinson 12th month (February) 16, 1835 and it states that John was the son of Mahlon Tomlinson. There is no mention of a widow or child.
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| Source Citation: Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Births and Deaths, 1770-1901; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 676. Description: Title: Births and Deaths, 1770-1901. Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. |
The death record of William Clark, the Vendue Crier was the first clue in putting this family together with the correct parents and most of the children!
There is still much to learn about this family, but for now, I am glad to have pieced together this much of the family.
"Til Next Time
#52 Ancestors
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