More on the Family of Isaac and Rebecca (HEWITT) LUKE

Click photo to enlarge
The Family of Isaac and Rebecca (Hewitt) Luke, c. 1888. Unknown location, possibly Avon, Bon Homme Co., South Dakota. Original photograph privately held by Dennis R. Luke, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Oregon.

This wonderful photograph I posted yesterday on Wordless Wednesday was sent to me via email by a distant cousin of my children, on their paternal grandmother's side of the family. It features their 3rd-great-grandparents, their 2nd-great-grandmother, and her siblings.

Isaac LUKE was born 1 April 1831 in Mt. Vernon, Wayne Co., Ohio. His wife, Rebecca HEWITT, was born 2 May 1836 in Meadville, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania. Married 20 February 1851 in Sun Prairie, Dane Co., Wisconsin, they had 14 children, two who died as toddlers, and one who died at about 18:

1. William Alonzo LUKE (1852 - 1919); the ancestor of the cousin who shared this photo
2. Robert Thomas LUKE (1853 - 1932)
3. Orville Isaac LUKE (1855 - 1943)
4. Melissa Rachel LUKE JENNINGS (1856 - c. 1937)
5. Lydia J. LUKE (c. 1859 - c. 1877)
6. Orin Azel LUKE (1860 - 1932)
7. Julia Elizabeth LUKE  LUKE (1862 - 1916); yes, she married a cousin!
8. Simeon Wesley LUKE (1863 - 1947)
9. Angelia Rebecca LUKE MARTIN (1866 - 1941) - my children's 2nd-great-grandmother
10. Mary Amanda "Mandy" LUKE McDONALD (1868 - 19e8)
11. Clara LUKE (c. 1870 - 1877)
12. Lucy LUKE (c. 1872 - 1875)
13. Eunice Rebecca LUKE CARSNER (1874 - 1918)
14. Alice Viola LUKE HAWKEY JONES (1878 - 1955)

The eleven children who survived childhood are pictured with their parents, who sit on either end of the front row. Seated in the front row from left to right, and numbered in birth order are: Isaac (father), Mandy (10), Simeon (8), Alice (14), Eunice (13), and Rebecca (mother). Standing in the back, left to right are:  Alonzo (1), Melissa (4), Robert (2), Julia (7), Orin (6), Angelia (9), and Orville (3).

This photograph was probably taken about 1888, likely in Avon, Bon Homme Co., South Dakota, the LUKE family's home at that time. Isaac was a private in the 16th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War. He outlived at least three wives (out of four) and six children of his 14 children, dying 18 January 1920 in Avon. Rebecca died 4 July 1911 in Brookings Co., South Dakota. They are buried in Hitt Cemetery, in Avon. Their children lived and died in South Dakota, Washington, Oklahoma, Texas, California, and Wisconsin.

Wordless Wednesday: The Family of Isaac and Rebecca (HEWITT) LUKE, c. 1888

Click photo to enlarge
The Family of Isaac and Rebecca (Hewitt) Luke, c. 1888. Unknown location, possibly Avon, Bon Homme Co., South Dakota. Original photograph privately held by Dennis R. Luke, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Oregon.

Surname Saturday: HEWITT

My children's surname, HEWITT, has a variety of origins. In the British Isles, it is a spelling variant of the medieval personal name, Huet. It is a long-established surname in Ireland. Finally, it was a topographic name for someone who lived in a newly-made clearing in a wood; from the Middle English hewett and the Old English hiewet, derivatives of heawan, meaning to "to chop or hew."

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #62 - Thomas HEWITT (c. 1793 - bet. 1850-1860) - little is known about this individual, other than he was born and married in Pennsylvania. His wife, Hannah MILLER (c. 1803 - bet. 1860-1870), was also born in that state. They had five known children. Their middle daughter was married in Dane Co., Wisconsin; it's not clear if her parents lived there or remained in Pennsylvania.

Ahnentafel #32 - Rebecca HEWITT (1836 - 1911) - family records state she was born in Lead, Pennsylvania, but that location has not been found on any map, atlas, or gazetteer. In 1851, she married Isaac LUKE (1831 - 1920) in Sun Prairie, Dane Co., Wisconsin. They had 14 children; their first child was born in Sauk Co., Wisconsin, but they removed to Juneau Co., Wisconsin, where they lived for over 20 years. Isaac served as a private in Company U, 16th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War. They eventually settled in Avon, Bon Homme Co., South Dakota while it was still Dakota Territory. Rebecca died in Brookings Co., South Dakota, probably while on a visit. She is buried in the Hitt Cemetery in Avon.

Ahnentafel #15 - Angelia Rebecca LUKE (1866 - 1941) - born in Summit Twp., Juneau Co., Wisconsin, she married John Franklin MARTIN in 1883 in Avon, Bon Homme Co., South Dakota: 12 children. John worked for the railroad for much of his life, which may have been the reason why they lived all over the Northern Plains and Pacific Northwest. After John's death in 1928, Angelia apparently moved to California to live with one of her two daughters that lived in the area. She died in Berkeley, Alameda Co., California and is buried with John in Forest View Cemetery, Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon.

Ahnentafel #7 - Leona Mary MARTIN (1906 - 1993) - youngest of 12 children and a twin, she was my husband's maternal grandmother. Her fantastic cooking provided for her family during the Depression through a diner she and her husband, Forrest Lyton CHAPLIN, owned.

Ahnentafel #3 - my mother-in-law, living

Ahnentafel #1 - my children's father, living

More About the HEWITT Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): HEWITT ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about HEWITT ancestors and relatives on this blog

The HEWITT Immigration Trail:

Pennsylvania > Dane Co., WI > Sauk Co., WI > Juneau Co., WI > Bon Homme Co., DT (now SD) > Ransom Co., ND > LaMoure Co., ND > Kootenai (now Boundary) Co., ID > Franklin Co., WA > Multnomah Co., OR > Washington Co., OR > Clark Co., WA > Yakima Co., WA > Pierce Co., WA > Clark Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Wordless Wednesday: Rebecca (HEWITT) and Isaac LUKE

Rebecca (Hewitt) and Isaac Luke. Probably Avon Twp., Bon Homme Co., South Dakota. 1908. Copy privately held by Miriam Robbins Midkiff, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Spokane, Washington. 2010.

My Husband's Maternal Line

Three years ago, I published "Eight Generations of Mothers," which highlighted my matrilineal line. For this Mother's Day, I'd like to post my husband's matrilineal (maternal) line. I have to add that I am very blessed to have the mother-in-law that I do. She's got a wicked sense of humor, is generous to a fault (can't remember when I have visited her and didn't go home with something she gave me), and is a wonderful cook...a heritage that must have been passed on from her mother and her maternal grandmother, both of whom owned restaurants.

This is my mother-in-law, Alice Carol CHAPLIN, at around the age of 2 1/2. Isn't she a cutie? This photo was taken the summer of 1935, and may have been taken in Clark County, Washington.

This photo was taken the same day as the one above. It is of Alice's mother, Leona Mary (MARTIN) CHAPLIN (in front), at about age 28, with her mother, Angelia Rebecca (LUKE) MARTIN, about age 69, in the background. I love this shot for a number of reasons. There are very few family photos from my mother-in-law's family that I have been able to find. I also like this because it shows a young, very pretty, Leona. I only met her once, at my wedding, and she was quite elderly and wheelchair-bound. There's only one other photo I know of her, and that's with her twin brother when they were babies. I also like this because it's the only photo of Angelia that I have in which you can see her face. I recently visited Angelia's grave in Oregon last weekend.

Here is Angelia's mother, Rebecca (HEWITT) LUKE. This portrait, the original of which includes her husband, was taken in 1908, probably in Bon Homme County, South Dakota. She was about 73 in this photo.

Addendum:

I have information on one more generation in this line: Hannah (MILLER) HEWITT was born about 1803 in Pennsylvania and died between 1860 and 1870 in Wisconsin, probably in Dane County. I do not have any photographs of her.

Twins Leona Mary and Lee Joseph MARTIN

(click photo several times to enlarge)


(reverse of photo)

Source: Martin, Leona Mary and Lee Joseph. Photograph. C. 1907. Original photograph in the possession of Michael Midkiff, Spokane, Washington. 2008.

Isn't this a darling photo? The little girl on the arm of the sofa is Leona Mary "Sis" MARTIN, about a year old, and her twin brother, Lee Joseph "Mick" MARTIN, is on the sofa back. Leona was my husband's maternal grandmother. This photograph was sent to the children's maternal grandparents, Isaac LUKE and Rebecca HEWITT, as evident by the message on the back: "for Grandpa & Grandma". The children's paternal grandparents, Francois Joseph MARTIN and Rachel HUBBY, had died in 1887 and 1892, respectively, so they could not have been the recipients of this photographic gift, perhaps sent as a Christmas gift when the children were a year old.

Lee and Leona were the youngest of twelve children born 17 December 1906 to John Franklin MARTIN and Angelia Rebecca LUKE. A large Catholic family of French, Scottish, and English roots, they were living in Bonners Ferry, Bonner (now Boundary) County, Idaho in 1906, where Frank worked for the railroad (probably the Northern Pacific). At the dinner after Leona's funeral in 1993, Mick's daughter, cousin of my mother-in-law, told me the story she had heard about the day the twins were born. Apparently, no one knew that Mama Martin was pregnant with twins. The family at that point consisted of five sons and five daughters, and there was a competition on as to whether the next baby would be a boy or a girl, since Mama had declared that there would be no more babies. According to the family story, the children, ranging in age from 21-year-old Gertrude (who was married) down to five-year-old Steve, were waiting outside the house to hear the news (seems somewhat inaccurate, given the fact that it was December in Northern Idaho--brrr! Perhaps instead they were waiting in the front room.). The doctor came out and announced, "It's a boy!" to the rousting cheers of Frank Jr., Clarence, Isaac, John, and Steve. He went back in to the house/bedroom and returned not much later to announce, "and it's a girl!" to the delight of Gertrude, Maude, Jane, Agnes, and Viola.

True or no, it's a fun story. When Lee grew up, he settled in Eastern Washington. He was married three times and fathered five children. Leona also lived in Eastern Washington, but spent her latter years in Vancouver, Clark County on the southwest side of the state. She and her husband, Forrest "Frank" L. CHAPLIN, had three children, the youngest of whom is my mother-in-law. Leona was present at our wedding, along with our other three grandmothers, my paternal grandfather, and our two step-grandfathers. This was the only time I got a chance to meet her, as her health was poor and she lived on the other side of the state. Lee died in 1984, before I knew my husband or his family. Interestingly, his Social Security Death Index information states he was born 17 December 1907, rather than 1906, while Leona's has the correct birth date. I spoke with my mother-in-law to verify their birth year (Idaho didn't record births until 1908), and she told me that an error had been made on Lee's birthdate, either by the Social Security Administration (or perhaps by a surviving family member after his passing) but no one in the family wanted to go through the paperwork to correct it.

As an aside: we know that giving birth to fraternal twins is a genetic female trait, usually appearing every other generation, while giving birth to identical twins is not genetic (it's a "mutation" in the development of the embryo, where one splits into two complete embryos). Leona's oldest daughter had twin fraternal daughters. I imagine that eventually one--or both--of them may have twin grandchildren someday.