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Note: A story told to Ralph Beckett by William George Beckett in Ireland concerning a family of Becketts going to America and storms causing the ship to be blown back. It was not know which family or when it happened. (Peter Kolb Danner, son of William Mason Danner II & Sarah Ethel Kolb, son of William Mason Danner I & Lois Elizabeth Rutledge, son of Francis Marion Danner & Elizabeth Stewart Bickett, daughter of William Bickett & Elizabeth McColough, son of Thomas Beckett & Elizabeth Watters). Brother to Catherine Beckett, wife of William Beckett, Great Grand Parents of Ralph J. Beckett. Cousin Ralph, I spent several hours Friday with my cousin Lois Anne Hinn in Seattle. As I was mainly in the city to visit my daughter, and since I hadn't seen Lois since 1959, we could only scratch the surface genealogically speaking. Lois has all her mother's old papers and is very interested in the family 's history. She has a number of the old photographs from the homesteading days on her walls, including one of James Edward Rutledge with a long, full beard. He was a full-time minister and actually married Elizabeth Steward Beckett and Francis Marion Danner. There are a number of photos of Elizabeth, who I gather was a genuine force in the family, a thin, care-worn woman seeming all her life. Lois Anne has four of my mother's early paintings, one of which was a portrait of Elizabeth as an elderly woman . Lois Anne was very interested in the information you had gathered about the death of Ernest Danner. She had heard the story, but with no details. Another family story concerns William Beckett and Elizabeth McColough. This marriage was unsanctioned ( Perhaps she was a Catholic?). When they crossed to America, the boat was blown back in a storm, and there was a family crisis. As you know, when Elizabeth died, William married a cousin. Lois Anne does have Louella's journal, although I didn't see it. I did see her photograph and a Beckett family Bible. There were entries for only 3 or 4 generations, all of which seem to match your information. There were also photos of Mary just before her death in 1897, so this is also correct. What else can I think of off hand? (I'm still a bit tired from the drive back.) Yes! The Irish connection with my Grandpa Danner. He could very well have gone to Newfield House in 1894, and in connection with the YMCA. That year the "Y" had an international convention in London, and my Grandfather was sent as an American representative. (The YMCA was just coming in to prominence at the time, and there were plans to make it an international force. Basketball dates from this period.) Lois Anne thinks it was Granny Beckett (Lois Anne continually referred to Elizabeth this was) who encouraged them to go to Ireland. I also heard the story of what drew my grandfather first to YMCA work and latter to leper missionary work. He was a man of boundless energy. He had once plowed a huge field at the age of eight that was the talk of Mercer Co.,. Later in Iowa, he began to see how the younger sons of large families, and unable to inherit the farm, were drifting to the towns with nothing to do. This was an issue addressed by the YMCA, and Grandpa discovered his gift for fund raising and public relations. The Blythe Danner mystery was not cleared up, but the visit to Aunt Lois was confirmed by none other but Lois Anne's husband, Jerry, who was there . He remembers because Blythe at 11 was a brat and broke things in my Aunt Lois' Webster Grove house. She must be related to Frank Danner in some way. So much for a first report. I will probably think of things later, and can always ask Lois Anne things. She's got drawers of stuff. Cousin Peter William is believed to be buried southwest of Aledo, Ohio Grove Twp., Mercer Co.,, Illinois. Probably in a plot, registered to another person. Cemetery Records, Mercer Co.,, Illinois. The McPherren (McClure, Nolan, Dilley) cemetery. Volume 3, Page 44. June 22, 1861 Age: 47 yr. 10 mo. 10 da., Died in Sunbeam, Mercer Co., Illinois http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmercer/cem/all-key.htm#vol3 1860 Census Pope Creek Area, Mercer County, (Illinois) Family #184 William Bickett, age 35, Farmer, born Pennsylvania (Maybe a Family member, yet to be placed) Thomas Bickett, age 24, Laborer, born Pennsylvania Son of William Bickett, Family #185 Family #185 William Bickett, age 47, Farmer, born Ireland. Margaret Bickett, age 48, born Ireland. James, age 22, Ohio. Elizabeth, age 20, Pennsylvania William, age 18, Pennsylvania Arthur, age 14, Pennsylvania 1870 Census Mercer County, Illinois (again a transcription) Suez Township #17 Thomas Bickett, age 36, farmer, Pennsylvania Margaret, age 37, Pennsylvania William M, age, 8, Illinois Melley P., (female) Illinois Mary C., age, 1, Illinois #18 James Bickett, age 34, farmer, Pennsylvania Ellen E. Bickett, age 32, Pennsylvania Elmer, age, 6, Illinois Lewis Buckman, age 21, farm laborer, Sweden 1880 US Census (a transcription again) Census Place: Suez, Mercer, Illinois Source: FHL Film 1254236 National Archives Film T9-0236 Page 468B Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace Thomas BICKET Self, male, married, white, age 46. born Pennsylvania Occupation, Farmer, Father born Ireland, mother born Ireland Margaret BICKET, Wife, female, married, white, age 47, born Pennsylvania Occupation, Keeping House, father born: Pennsylvania, mother born Pennsylvania Mary C. BICKET, Other female, single, white, age 11, born Illinois Occupation, At School, father born: Pennsylvania, mother born Pennsylvania William MITCHELL, Other, male, single, white, age18 born Illinois Occupation, Farmer, father born Ohio, mother born Ohio Nellie R. MCEOWN, Other, female, single, white, age 12 born, Illinois Occupation, At School, father born New York, mother born New York Census Place: Mercer, Mercer, Illinois Source: FHL Film 1254236 National Archives Film T9-0236 Page 327A Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace James BICKETT, Self, male, married, white, age 44, born Pennsylvania Occupation, Farmer, Father born Ireland, mother born Ireland Ellen E. BICKETT, Wife , female, married, white, age 42 born, Pennsylvania Occupation, Keeping House, father born Massachusetts, mother born New Hampshire Alma BICKETT, Daughter. female, single, white, age 16, born Illinois father born Massachusetts, mother born New Hampshire Albert R. BICKETT, Son, male, single, white, age 8, born Illinois father born Massachusetts, mother born New Hampshire
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