Does anyone out there have any information from Ancestry or a similar site about Benjamin Land?
As this time of
writing, I cannot put my hand on any primary documentation, but we know that
CTR’s sister, Margaret married Benjamin F Land in the mid-1870s. Margaret was
born in 1855, so would have been around 20 years old at the time of the
marriage. Their first child, Ada, was reportedly born in 1876. Ada was followed
by Alice (b.1878), Joseph (b.1880) and May F (Thelma) (b.1886).
Alice married Fred
Williamson, and May (Thelma) married Carl Kendall. Both couples allegedly
worked at Bethel at one point.
Benjamin Land was born
in Penn. (as were his parents) around 1849, and was apparently a cabinet maker.
He and his family later lived in Tampa, Florida.
The reason for the
query is an interesting note in George Storrs’ Bible Examiner for June 1874,
page 288. Storrs had just returned from a two week visit to Pittsburgh in early
May where he first met Joseph Lytel Russell. (Storrs would subsequently publish
letters from Joseph L and other Allegheny and Pittsburgh residents, like
William Conley and George Clowes).
Hot on the heels of his
return, Storrs obviously had requests for literature, and so on the aforementioned
page 288, he published this note:
Parcels sent to May 25 – Wm H Conley (2 parcels), G D Clowes Sen., B F
Land, J L Russell and Son (by Express).
Conley, Clowes and Russell were all contacts from that recent visit.
But there in the middle we see that a parcel was also sent to B F Land. Is it a
stretch of the imagination that he also was an Allegheny or Pittsburgh resident
at this time? And that he was to marry CTR’s sister? And that maybe their
meeting was in connection with the One Faith meetings and activities of that
era?
It’s just a footnote of
potential human interest.
4 comments:
Just an extra thought:
Marriage announcements in the newspapers often gave the name of the person conducting the service. Hence we know, for example, that John Paton conducted the wedding ceremony for CTR and Maria. If an announcement exists for the marriage of Benjamin and Margaret, it would be interesting to see if any familiar name conducted the service.
I think "our" Ben. F. Land is the son of Bengamin Franklin Land who served in the Civil War. We haven't made the connection yet. But it appears to be so.
I'm a bumblin' clutz when it comes to research, but yer goes:
US Census 5 June 1880
Living in Allegheny, Pa
Benj F Land 31 Cabinet Maker b Pennsylvania. Parents b Pennsylvania
Margrita (sic) 25 b Pennsylvania. Parents born Ireland
Ada 4
Alice 2 both daus born Pennsylvania
US Census 5 June 1870
Living in Pittsburg, Allegheny (in an establishment with several other young men and women)
B F Land 25 Cabinet maker b Pennsylvania
From city directories:
1870 BF Land cabinet maker 150 Third Ave
1876 Land, Benjamin F, of Getchell and Land, 44 Watson (all sic) (at Pittsburg)
1878 and 1879 B F Land of Getchell and Land,80 Cedar Ave, A
1880 Land, Benj F car. 110 Jackson A (at Pittsburg)
1888 Land, Benj F carp. 29 Sarah (at Pittsburg)
(There are the following directory entries for Benjamin F Land at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
1867 and 1868 - bartender h 4650 Gtn av, Gtn)
(There is an entry for Benjamin F Land on the Union side of Civil War Soldiers 1861-5. Private. 104th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. Enlisted 20 Sept 1861. Mustered out 30 Sept 1864)
But see Wots'ername's note earlier)
And that's about it....
...'cept he is noted as a probationer of the Asbury Episcopal Methodist Church on 30 December 1877 (he was married) and Rem by cert (sic) 16 April 1878. He was living at 3318 Larv. Avenue (?).
Margaret Land turns up in the 1900 census for Tampa, Florida. This census gives month and year of birth. She was born March 1854. In 1900 she is widowed, so husband Benjamin has died. She has had five children, four of whom are still living. The first born, Ada, is elsewhere, but at home are Alice, born November 1878, a school teacher; Joseph, born June 1880, a cigar maker; and May, born February 1886, still at school.
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