Illinois Genealogy
Franklin Smith Bosworth (1832-1919)
Franklin Smith Bosworth (1832-1919)
Franklin S. BOSWORTH – a native of Boston, Erie Co., New York, and son of Benjamin F. and Almira SMITH BOSWORTH. The father was born in Greenfield, New York, and was the son of Alfred BOSWORTH, born in Bristol, Rhode Island, of English parentage. Alfred came west in the fall of 1839, to Dundee, Ill. where he died in June 1861. He followed the hatter’s trade, and later farming. He married Olive CHILD of New York, and they had 6 children: Benjamin F., Oliver C., Increase C., Lucinda C., Mary C. wife of Harry WEED, Lucinda wife of Alfred EDWARDS and Abbie M, wife of Benj. SIMONDS; all are now deceased.
Dr. Benjamine F. BOSWORTH the father practiced medicine til his removal to Illinois; locating in Chicago in 1856, he engaged in merchandising in that place until his removal to McHenry, Ill where he conducted a mercatile establishment until his death in Sept. 1843. (transcribers note: these dates are as given. Perhaps reversed?)His wife was the daughter of Amos SMITH, of NY.
Franklin S. BOSWORTH, their only child, was born Dec. 17, 1832. He began merchandising in 1852, in connection with I.C. BOSWORTH, at Dundee, Ill. until June 1871, when he removed to Elgin. There he pruchased [sic] interest in an east side hardware store, until Sept. 1883 when he sold to Metcalf and Reed. 1888 he purchased part of a coal and lumber yard – 1896 he became partners with his son Frank H. BOSWORTH.
Jan 1859 he married Miss Sarah E. HUNT of Dundee, daughter of Ward E. and Mary HUNT, her father a native of Vermont. 4 BOSWORTH children: Reuben H., Edward, married to Bertha McCLURE of Elgin; Mary, wife of Walter SKEELE; and Frank H.
Mr. BOSWORTH was elected mayor of Elgin in 1880, for 2 terms.
Biographical Record of Kane Co., Ill.S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.Chicago, Ill 1898 page 42
Republican Liberal, Mayor of Elgin, Illinois. He was elected a member of the city council in 1879, and in 1880 was elected mayor of Elgin, filling that office for two consecutive terms. Progressive administration.
The good, the bad and the ugly truth…
Relationship between Franklin Smith BOSWORTH & Me
Franklin Smith BOSWORTH (1832 – 1919)
2nd great-grandfather
Frank Hunt BOSWORTH (1870 – 1919)
son of Franklin Smith BOSWORTH
Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH Sr., D.D.S. (1905 – 1990)
son of Frank Hunt BOSWORTH
son of Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH Sr., D.D.S.
Deborah FLUDE (1800 – 1847)
Deborah FLUDE Knott (1800 – 1847)
My 4th great-grandmother
daughter of Deborah FLUDE
daughter of Lucy Flude KNOTT
son of Maria Elizabeth BLOW
daughter of Frederick Judson “Fred” HOAGLAND
son of Helen Marie HOAGLAND
The daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
Forget Me Knott
BBC Leicester’s Tony Wadsworth goes in search of a Leicester woman who was born, married and buried in the same street.
How often do you pass familiar buildings, statues and objects in the street without giving them a second thought?
One sunny day BBC Leicester’s Tony Wadsworth stopped to take a look round the churchyard he walks past everyday, and found one woman’s remarkable story amongst the gravestones.
It got him thinking about the area around St. Nicholas Church and how it had changed since her days in the 1800s, and even in the last 50 years.
Deborah’s Death
Deborah’s death certificate states that she died of “enlargement of the liver” and “heart disease”.
BBC Leicester’s Julie Mayer spoke to Dr Clive Harrison to find out what could have caused Deborah’s poor health…
Leicester in the mid 1800s was a very different place from the city we know today and the environment would have affected everyone’s health.
In 1813 the Inspector of Nuisances, George Brown painted the city conditions as a radical risk to the health of its residents.
He said the River Soar was “torpid and turbid”, describing parts of it as an “open cesspool” emitting “pestiferous gasses which cause disease of the most malignant and mortal character”.
Doctors of the time often didn’t understand much more about disease than their patients; miasma, the belief that illness came from bad smells, was a popular concept.
Infant mortality was particularly high with a fifth of children dying before they reached the age of one.
In the 19th Century diarrhoea, consumption, scarlet fever and lung infections were all common causes of deaths.
With people living in cramped conditions, next to cesspits, abattoirs and stables, Clive believes it’s no wonder disease was rife.
Before the time of the NHS and antibiotics, city residents would normally be treated by local doctors who used reference books to give prescriptions from their own pharmacies.
There was just one hospital in the area during the 1800’s. Leicester Infirmary was founded in 1771 but was only open to a small section of society.
Overall Dr Clive said it was unsurprisingly Deborah had died of disease and all things considered she didn’t do too badly to last until 47 years-old: “I’d have said she was almost elderly.”
Life after Deborah
Although Deborah’s grave clearly marks her marriage to James Knott, her husband and children do not rest in the same churchyard.
Peter Cousins searched the 1851 census but was unable to find their names, “Husband, children – just disappeared off the face of Leicester.”
After quite a bit of thinking and investigating Peter traced down the family’s movements after the death of Deborah.
An 1849 shipping list reveals that James Knott, his sons William and Fredrick, and daughter Elizabeth, emigrated to America.
The travelled on the Guy Mannering ship on her first East-West voyage from Liverpool to New York on 22 May 1849.
The journey to the new world and their new home took 38 days.
After digging a bit deeper Peter found the Knott’s settled in Illinois the next year, with what appears to be a young wife for James:
“So he’s not only gone to start a new life, it looks like he’s started a new family.”
St. Nicholas Church, Leicester
In Search of Deborah
BBC Leicester’s Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer went in search of the woman who was born and buried on the same street in Leicester…
Deborah was born in 1800 on St. Nicholas Street, which is now a continuation of the High Street – just round the corner from the BBC Leicester studios.
At that time Leicester’s population would have rested at around 17,000 people. Her particular neighbourhood was small but densely inhabited.
Her unusually modern name, which first drew Tony to her story, was passed on from her older sister who died in infancy just a year before her arrival in the world.
She married James Knott in 1822 at St. Nicholas Church, at the age of 22. Find out more about marriage in the 1800s…
Weddings at this time would have been simple and quiet affairs, with just a few close family members witnessing their solemnisation of matrimony.
Local Historian Richard Gill commented, “this notion that we have to have 150 guests at your wedding and you have a huge slap up meal afterwards, that is actually middle to late 20th Century.
“It didn’t happen for my parents in the 1920s.”
A Different Life
Deborah continued to live with her husband on the same road she grew up on, raising six children in the process.
Local genealogist Peter Cousins discovered that at the time of the 1841 Census the children ranged from between three and 16 years-old:
“They were quite regular in their habits, you might say!”
James worked as a shoemaker, which was a common profession in an area home to many shoe factories, however Mrs Knott is likely to have been a housewife.
It is difficult to know how comfortably the Knotts lived as James’ specific position is unknown and could range from business owner to manual worker.
However Richard believes there may be some clues to the family’s wealth in Deborah’s gravestone – a smart but not overly elaborate piece made from local Swithland slate:
“This would rather suggest that there was at least sufficient money to memorialise her when she died.”
Deborah’s life in the 1800s would have been a very different experience to the Leicester women of today.
There were no aeroplanes, no electric light bulbs, no phones, no water pipes delivering fresh water, no flushing toilets, no NHS, and definitely no television or radio!
Leicester: 1800s
With the St. Nicholas area now home to several car parks and a developing park and ride scheme it is particularly interesting to consider that Deborah would have never seen a motor vehicle.
Very few areas of Leicester would still be recognisable to Deborah now, including the Guildhall, five medieval churches, a few chapels, the City Rooms, and a small network of streets south of St. Martins.
Richard said, “In the period in which she lived, that first half of the 19th Century, Leicester was very different and the sort of Leicester we think of as Victorian Leicester came more or less as was dying. So very little survives.”
Deborah died on 15 May 1847 at the age of 47 and was buried in the grounds of St. Nicholas Church in Leicester, where she remains to this day.
It may seem young to us now, but Richard believes it wouldn’t have been at all shocking in the 1840s:
“No drains, no deposal sewage, clean water uncertain – so one was pray to all kinds of things.
“And medicine was really just a case of nursing people, no antibiotics or anything like that, and often the flus in the winter and summer diarrhoea carried people off.
“So it may well be some people thought, ‘well she might have lived longer’, but 47 wasn’t bad.”
last updated: 04/09/2009 at 09:34
created: 07/07/2009
BBC
The story about Deborah as documented by Tony Wadsworth can be heard by clicking on this link and following the links within the story:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2009/07/07/deborah_knott_feature.shtml
Susan (Gilbert) Sears Lester 1800–1873
Susan GILBERT
Susan Gilbert
1800–1873
My fourth great grandmother
daughter of Susan GILBERT
son of Celia Mary SEARS
son of Samuel Campbell HOAGLAND
daughter of Frederick Judson “Fred” HOAGLAND
son of Helen Marie HOAGLAND
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
Susan was buried in Elgin first in Channing Cemetery, then her remains were transferred after the historical closing of that cemetery, to Bluff City Cemetery, where her daughter, Celia Mary (Sears) Hoagland is buried. She is buried in one mass grave with other family members as noted on the interment document from Bluff City Cemetery. I was able to obtain the interment list from a genealogy angel in Elgin, Illinois. She was my fourth great grandmother.
Susan’s second husband, Edward Lester, is buried with his first wife in DuPage, Illinois. Both Susan and Edward were residents of Elgin, Illinois at the times of their deaths. It is noted in his will that five dollars be left for Susan and the remainder of his estate involving property in DuPage and finances was to be left to his children from the first marriage. His son was executor of the will.
Susan (Gilbert) Sears Lester is the grandmother of Richard Warren Sears, the founder of Sears Roebuck and Company.
- Susan (Gilbert) Sears with picture of her husband, Richard Sears Jr.
—
Celia Mary (Sears) Hoagland 1825–1889
Celia Mary (Sears) Hoagland 1825–1889
When Celia Mary Sears was born on March 31, 1825, in Dryden, New York, her father, William, was 28 and her mother, Susan, was 25. She married Zephaniah Campbell Hoagland on January 18, 1844, in Steuben County, New York. They had nine children in 20 years. She died on November 4, 1889, in Elgin, Illinois, at the age of 64, and was buried there.
She was my great great grandmother.
Celia M. Sears-Daughter of William Richard Sears and Susan Gilbert: Celia M. Sears was the daughter of William Richard Sears and Susan Gilbert born 31 Mar 1825 in Howard, Steuben, New York, USA and died 4 Nov 1889 in Elgin, Kane, Illinois. She married Zephaniah C. Hoagland. Susan Gilbert was buried in Elgin in the Hoagland family plot. I have been working with other researchers of the Sears family and feel Celia is a sister to James, Charity, Bradford, Serena and John. She was somehow inadvertently missed in some genealogical information that is available on the internet.
Celia is the aunt of Richard Warren Sears 1863–1914, my 1st cousin 4x removed. He was a founder of Sears Roebuck and Company.
3rd great-grandmother
son of Celia Mary SEARS
son of Samuel Campbell HOAGLAND
daughter of Frederick Judson “Fred” HOAGLAND
son of Helen Marie HOAGLAND
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
Note: On Ancestry.com – Someone has added Zeph to their family tree for the husband of Clarinda Griffith. This is absolutely not accurate. He was married once, and it was not to Clarinda Griffith. All the documentation and sources I have found through extensive research evidences the fact that Zephaniah Hoagland was married only once in his life and that is to Celia, whom he is buried next to.
John Mosiman 1931-2012
John Mosiman
1931–2012
John Mosiman was an uncle I never met and did not know much of anything about until I began my family history research. It broke my heart to know I had an uncle I never knew and cousins I never knew living in Texas. I had no other cousins or uncles on my father’s side of the family tree. I reached out to John Mosiman in the final years of his life, when I finally located him. I thought my father would be overjoyed to be in touch with John as he had mentioned him in a kind a loving way. I thought John would be happy to connect with my father, but, I think maybe my reaching out to him via e-mail was a great shock to him. I’ve saved those e-mails. They mean the world to me, however, frankly, I desperately wanted to meet him and his family. That was never to be.
I gave my father John’s contact information and I gave John my father’s contact information urging them to reach out to each other. I felt certain they would because of their strong religious faith and dedication to family. I was concerned that due to their age, one would pass and they would never have the opportunity to meet. And that is just what happened. It just hurt my heart so much. I had felt my Grandmother Helen holding my hand as I did this work of reunification of the two brothers. A few years have passed and I still hurt to have had this experience. I have learned you can’t fix some things, especially when it comes to broken family relations. I have let go and let God…
uncle
father of John Mosiman
son of Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH Sr., D.D.S.
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
The Daily Herald-Chicago Illinois 1974 January 27
John Mosiman: his painting comes from the heart
By Eleanor Rives
One spectator called it “ballet on a palette.”
John Mosiman, Elgin artist who has made thousands of appearances before clubs, schools, conventions, banquets and churches, entitles it “Musical Paintings.”
More than music, more than art, Mosiman’s program holds an audience enthralled. At his recent appearance at the Des Plaines Ladies of Elks Christmas dinner, one could hear a pin drop.
He dramatically combines stereophonic music, “painting” with colored chalks and theatrical lighting units that he manipulates to produce various moods in an almost dreamlike sequence.
His movements coincide with the rhythms and interpretations of such orchestral sound tracks as “Carmen”
His Scenes are realistic 00 the vastness and grandeur of America’s West; landscapes from Venice, Ecuador, Spain; a Midwestern farm scene; vistas of natural beauty he has encountered in his travels from coast to coast and in seven foreign countries.
Let’s look in on Mosiman’s Christmas program.
“I have my orchestra with me tonight in there two boxes,” Mosiman chats with the audience, with modest reference to his new stereophonic speakers, part of the 200 pounds of equipment – easel, sound system and theatrical lighting units – he brings with him.
The only illumination in the room falls on the large canvas in the gold frame.
Matching his strokes and pace to the music, the lefthanded artist proceeds to depict the manger scene on a background already aswirl with muted color. Mosiman matches mood for mood, slashing in bold, dramatic lines to the beat, excitement building as the music crescendos. The finished scene is viewed in quiet awe through a succession of lighting effects – now dim, now fiery, now fluorescent – to a musical background of “What Child is This?”
And so it is with the Wise Men following a star, then with the shepherds tending their flocks in the fields, ending with the stirring music of Handel’s “Messiah.”
House lights go up, the audience returns to reality to pop questions at Mosiman, who explainds the ‘more mundane aspects of how to use the vinyl-backed canvas over and over, how to make one’s own chalk, how the lights are operated.
“Making chalk is easier than making a cake…all except black, I buy that,” he says.
Back in 1952, John Mosiman, a student at Wheaton College, was drawing I the black ghettos on the south side of Chicago. Then, with art degree tucked under his arm, he took off for Ecuador to work with a missionary radio station.
“I was doing missionary work in a specialized way,” he said. He was sent by the mission to give art programs in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rico. He presented them to a background of classical music.
Gradually he began moving with the music. When the mission got late television, John was responsible for all the art work, the title cards, the backdrops and a program of his own.
When he saw his own program on TV, he realized he was not identifying with the music nearly as much as he supposed. “From that time on I just let go,” he said. “I really threw myself into it.
Mosiman met his wife, a nurse with the mission, at language school in Costa Rica where he was studying Spanish. They married, lived 10 years in Quito, Ecuador, then moved back to the states with their three children, settling in Algonquin (later in Elgin).
At that time, Johns life was at crossroads, with three possible directions. He was a partner and craftsman in a small printing shop; he had returned to school, Northern Illinois University, to work on his master’s degree; he could continue performing. Which route to go?
“I really liked performing best,” he said.
H attained his master’s degree, ended his print shop affiliation and began performing again. In the next few years his programs mushroomed from none to 250 a year.
Since then he has performed in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, Miami, New York and host of other places including numerous engagements in the northwest suburbs. He has appeared before approximately 200 organizations this past year, 25 of them schools. For the convenience of club program chairmen, he is listed in Paddock Publications Program Directory. He may be reached at 805-7341.
His programs vary from 15 to 75 minutes. Some are light and gay, some serious and sedate. All involve weeks of preparation designing color sketches, lighting sequences, musical sound tracks, scripts and choreography. But more than this makes John Mosiman’s performance exhilarating.
He summed it simply. “I feel the pictures. They come from inside.”
In Memory of John Mosiman
September 12, 1931 – December 26, 2012
Obituary
John Mosiman, devoted husband, father, and grandfather went to be with his Lord on December 26, 2012.
John was the adopted son of Fred and Lucille Mosiman of Elgin, Illinois. He leaves a legacy of faith and love to his wife of 57 years, Gloria.
John is survived by his sister Sue Wyld of Wheaton, Illinois; three adult children, his daughter Elizabeth Adkins of Summerville, South Carolina; his daughter Marianne and her husband John Sullivan of Austin, Texas; his son John Douglas Mosiman and his wife Ajeli of Fort Mill, South Carolina; and five grandchildren.
John graduated from Wheaton College in 1953 and later earned his Master of Art degree in art at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.
John and Gloria met in San José, Costa Rica. They studied Spanish prior to mission work in Ecuador South America. They were married in Quito, Ecuador where they served as missionaries for twelve years.
John created an art form he called “Musical Paintings.” It was a blend of chalk paintings with theatrical lighting and choreographed to music, captivating audiences at clubs, conventions, churches and schools. He performed from New York to Dallas, Miami to San Francisco, also to Canada and seven countries in Latin America crossing a span of forty-one years.
John was an accomplished artist and created pencil drawings and acrylic paintings. He enjoyed hiking and camping in the wilderness. During his career he climbed forty-seven peaks in the Rocky Mountains. He was well-known for sleeping under the stars in his hammock instead of a tent. He greatly enjoyed carving intricate designs and Bible verses on walking sticks.
John opted to spend his retirement years ministering in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. A major part of his work was building houses for destitute families, enabling them to move out of their cardboard shacks and into frame houses. He recruited and spearheaded volunteer construction teams, supervising them and working with his own hands as well. They constructed over one hundred fifty houses. John gather financial donation of over one million dollars.
John sponsored hundreds of Mexican youths for high school and university education. Through his life, God radically changed the life of many people; both those in need and those who came to help.
John completed his work in Mexico in 2010 when his illness prevented him from travelling. Since that time, being confined at home, he enjoyed teaching the Bible to small groups at his home and mentoring several individuals.
John will be missed by his family and friends worldwide. John often mentioned this Bible verse: “There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God. It is he who made us capable of serving…” – 2 Corinthians 3.5, 6 TEV.
A memorial service celebrating John’s life will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 3838 Steck Ave, Austin, Texas. 78759.
In lieu of flowers, John has requested donations be made out to His Work, Inc., 13217 Dime Box Trl. Austin, TX 78729, with a memo designating the check for Acuña Mexico Ministry, Building and or Education. Website: http://hisworkinc.org or for aiding persecuted Christians around the world, send donations to the Voice of Martyrs, PO Box 443, Bartlesville, OK 74005-0443, phone 800-747-0085, memo John Mosiman memorial.
Condolences may be made at www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com
http://sacredartpilgrim.com/collection/view/86
Click to access Newsletter%20April%202005.pdf
So many of John Mosiman’s works of art are available to view just by Googling his name. I especially love the barn and Wisconsin scenes, of course. My style of painting is much like his.
I just wish I could have met him. I wish my father and grandmother could have known him. At least I feel I kind of know him.
Almira (Smith) Bosworth 1811-1834
Almira SMITH Bosworth
1811–1834
Birth 6 Jan 1811 • Saratoga, Saratoga, New York, USA
Death 09 Dec 1834 • Saratoga, New York, USA
my 3rd great grandmother
son of Almira SMITH
son of Franklin Smith BOSWORTH
son of Frank Hunt BOSWORTH
son of Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH Sr., D.D.S.
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
Almira is one of my mystery ancestors. I want to know who her parents are. It is possible her first name was Amelia. She died of consumption so young, and with a child, it just tugs on my heartstrings.
Dr. Benjamin Franklin Bosworth was Almira’s husband.
I believe she was of the Methodist Episcopal faith. I would very much like to learn who Amelia’s parents were.
Franklin S. BOSWORTH – a native of Boston, Erie Co., New York, and son of Benjamin F. and Almira SMITH BOSWORTH. The father was born in Greenfield, New York, and was the son of Alfred BOSWORTH, born in Bristol, Rhode Island, of English parentage. Alfred came west in the fall of 1839, to Dundee, Ill. where he died in June 1861. He followed the hatter’s trade, and later farming. He married Olive CHILD of New York, and they had 6 children: Benjamin F., Oliver C., Increase C., Lucinda C., Mary C. wife of Harry WEED, Lucinda wife of Alfred EDWARDS and Abbie M, wife of Benj. SIMONDS; all are now deceased.
Dr. Benjamine F. BOSWORTH the father practiced medicine til his removal to Illinois; locating in Chicago in 1856, he engaged in merchandising in that place until his removal to McHenry, Ill where he conducted a mercatile establishment until his death in Sept. 1843. (transcribers note: these dates are as given. Perhaps reversed?)
His wife was the daughter of Amos SMITH, of NY.
Franklin S. BOSWORTH, their only child, was born Dec. 17, 1832. He began merchandising in 1852, in connection with I.C. BOSWORTH, at Dundee, Ill. until June 1871, when he removed to Elgin. There he pruchased interest in an east side hardware store, until Sept. 1883 when he sold to Metcalf and Reed. 1888 he purchased part of a coal and lumber yard – 1896 he became partners with his son Frank H. BOSWORTH.
Jan 1859 he married Miss Sarah E. HUNT of Dundee, daughter of Ward E. and Mary HUNT, her father a native of Vermont. 4 BOSWORTH children: Reuben H., Edward, married to Bertha McCLURE of Elgin; Mary, wife of Walter SKEELE; and Frank H.
Mr. BOSWORTH was elected mayor of Elgin in 1880, for 2 terms.
Biographical Record of Kane Co., Ill.
S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Chicago, Ill 1898
page 4
Bosworth Entries in the Biographical Record of Kane Co., Ill.
1898
Elgin, Kane, Illinois, USA
Biographical Sketch of Franklin Smith Bosworth, Alfred Bosworth, Dr. Benjamin F. Bosworth and families.
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Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” (Alexander) Swan 1846–1933
Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” Alexander
1846–1933
Birth 18 Jan 1846 • Concord, Merrimack, New Hampshire, USA
Death 19 Sep 1933 • Elgin, Kane, Illinois, USA
my great great grandmother
daughter of Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” ALEXANDER
son of Bertha Amoret SWAN
son of Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH Sr., D.D.S.
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
When Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” Alexander was born on January 18, 1846, in Concord, New Hampshire, her father, John, was 43 and her mother, Harriet, was 30. She married Eugene Morris “Gene” Swan on November 23, 1865, in Bloomfield, Wisconsin. She was 19 years old. She had three children by the time she was 28. She died on September 19, 1933, in Elgin, Illinois, at the age of 87, and was buried in Richmond, Illinois.
Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” ALEXANDER married Eugene Morris “Gene” SWAN on November 23, 1865, in Bloomfield, Wisconsin, when she was 19 years old.
Hattie’s husband, Eugene Morris “Gene” Swan. He is listed in the “Descendants of Joseph MINER-Sixth Generation” http://tmsociety.org/thomas/joseph/aqwg55.htm
Hattie Alexanders’s Signature in School Book I have a school book that belonged to Hattie when she was a child. This must be her signature at that time.
The Diary of Miss Hattie Alexander
1862-1872
McHenry, Illinois, USA
Written by Harriet Elizabeth “Hattie” Alexander Swan of McHenry, Illinois – my great great grandmother. Locations mentioned include Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wisconsin. Many, many surnames from this area are included. I transcribed this from a distant cousin’s copy of the original manuscript that my grandfather, Wilder Morris Bosworth, DDS, had transcribed from Hattie’s diary. I absolutely love reading this diary.
You can download a copy to read by clicking on the link below.
My paternal grandmother, Helen Marie Hoagland (1907 – 1965)
When Helen Marie HOAGLAND was born on June 22, 1907, in Elgin, Illinois, her father, Frederick Judson “Fred” HOAGLAND, was 27 and her mother, Mabel Gladys HAWLEY, was 26.
She was married three times and had four sons.
Helen Marie HOAGLAND married William Benjamin Shales, Jr. on March 22, 1924, in Elgin, Illinois, when she was 16 years old. They had one son, William David “Bill” Shales on March 17, 1925, in Elgin, Illinois. Helen and William Benjamin Shales, Jr., were divorced on June 27, 1927, in Elgin, Illinois, after 3 years of marriage. She was 20 years old.
Helen Marie HOAGLAND married Dr. Wilder Morris BOSWORTH on February 7, 1931, in Elgin, Illinois, when she was 23 years old. They had a son born September 21, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. That son was placed for adoption, later to be adopted by the Mosiman family. His first name was John. Helen and Wilder had a son, Frank Hunt Bosworth was born on June 19, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois. Another son was born to the couple, Wilder Morris Bosworth II, on September 7, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois. His nickname was “Tuffy”.
Helen Marie HOAGLAND married Millard Ayres “Boots” Mason on May 5, 1945, in Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was 37 years old.
She died on September 13, 1965, in her hometown, Elgin, Illinois, at the age of 58 of Leukemia at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
—–
paternal grandmother
son of Helen Marie HOAGLAND
the daughter of Capt. Frank Hunt BOSWORTH II
Helen Marie Hoagland’s family history was a lively part of the pioneer days of Elgin, Illinois.
Occupation: Interior Decorator, Proprietor of Mason Interiors in Biloxi, Mississippi with her husband, Millard Ayes “Boots” Mason. As my grandmother, I called her “Macy” from her last married name.
My Grandmother Helen was a gifted pianist and songstress. She especially loved to spend time with me. I recall her playing her piano and singing to entertain me. I remember her laughter and her smiles. I know she loved me with all her heart. She bought me beautiful dresses, hats and purses. Our relationship was very close after I was born and until she left for Elgin when I was still a little girl. After “Macy” left, my mother took me to visit her husband’s grave at Southern Memorial Cemetery in Biloxi several times- we called him “Boots”. I visited Grandmother Helen when she was in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elgin when she suffered with leukemia and it was determined she would not live much longer. She died when I was nine years old.
My Grandmother Helen held an immense amount of family history notes, photos and newspaper collections for the Hoagland/Bosworths. When she died, my father, Frank Bosworth came into possession of these articles and charts and wrote his own family history with the information from this collection. According to my father’s family history account, my grandmother Helen worked with his grandmother Bertha Swan Bosworth (paternal) to compile a family history. They were the two true genealogists on that side of the tree. When my father passed that family history to me, I transcribed his handwritten family history into text form. I took the family history he’d given to me and have grown the collection on my paternal side of my family to what it is today. It was the basis for the “Wings of Angels” family tree on Ancestry.com today. I later added my mother’s family tree to the “Wings of Angels” family tree. I had little to work with on her side of the family, so I started from scratch about 30 years ago trying to piece that together. These days, as an adult, I call “Macy” by the name of Grandmother Helen when referring to her. She is my inspiration for all the Hoagland/Bosworth genealogy research I do today. I am proud to follow in my grandmother’s footsteps as I continue to follow my genealogy passion. I consider my Grandmother Helen and my Great Grandmother Bertha Swan Bosworth the “Wings of Angels” that started my family tree. — note by Helen Marie’s grandaughter Tenderly
My Grandmother Helen was a lifelong Methodist.
Helen Marie Hoagland married William Benjamin Shales, Jr. on March 22, 1924, in Elgin, Illinois, when she was 16 years old. Their son, William David “Bill” Shales was born on March 27, 1925. Helen and Bill were divorced on June 27, 1927, in Elgin, Illinois, after three years of marriage. She was 20 years old.
Helen Marie Hoagland married Wilder Morris Bosworth I on February 7, 1931, in Elgin, Illinois, when she was 23 years old. Wilder was attending dental school around the year of 1931 in Chicago when their first son was born and my mother told me the child was put up for adaption. The child’s adoptive name was John Mosiman. My father Frank Hunt Bosworth was born in 1933 and my uncle Wilder Morris “Tuffy” Bosworth II was born in 1935, in Chicago, Illinois. Wilder was still in dental school.
Helen and Wilder, along with sons Frank and “Tuffy” lived in Safety Harbor, Florida, where my grandfather established his first dental practice in 1935.
In 1936, Wilder established a dental practice in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Helen and Wilder Morris Bosworth were divorced on September 13, 1941, in Biloxi, Mississippi, after 10 years of marriage. She was 34 years old.
Helen married Millard Ayres “Boots” Mason on May 5, 1945, in Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was 37 years old.
Helen’s husband Millard Ayres “Boots” Mason passed away on October 24, 1960, in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the age of 59. They had been married 15 years.
Helen Marie Hoagland died on September 13, 1965, in Elgin, Illinois, when she was 58 years old. Helen’s remains were donated for research at Northwestern University where it was cremated. She has no known burial site or memorial that I could find.
The Tenderly Rose Collection 