Helen Rosamond Tubbs (1877 - 1953)

My relationship: Me > William R. Compton (father) > Helen Rosamond Tubbs (my paternal grandmother)

Helen Rosamond Tubbs was the 4th and last child born to Samuel Murray Tubbs and Rosamond Lillis Brooks on December 8, 1877 in Elmira, New York.  She was educated at The Academy of Our Angels in Elmira. She worked as a stenographer in the office of William R. Compton Sr. at his realty company. She also worked in the same capacity in his new position as US Marshall in 1898. They married on April 27, 1899.

They initially lived in Horseheads, where my father, William R. Compton, Jr. was born. They then moved to Elmira into a new home on College Avenue. In a biography of her husband, William R. Compton, in 1902, she was described as "a lady of superior culture and refinement, presiding with gracious hospitality over their pleasant home".

Upon the death of her husband in 1912, she apparently struggled financially and had to sell the home in Elmira, moving to Hudson Falls, New York where she is listed in the 1920 census as a "county social worker".  She met and married Orson Culver Richards in that area and married him in Elmira on November 15, 1922. Orson was the civil engineer for Hudson Falls Village, the township of Kingsbury, Washington Co., NY.

1922 passport photo

On Feb. 1, 1926, she and Orson are listed as Minnewaska ship arrival passengers from New York into London.  On 16 Mar 1926, she and Orson are listed as arrival passengers to New York City from Cherbourg, France on the ship Ausonia.

In the Hudson Falls Village 1930 US Federal Census the following listing appears:
Richards, Orson, head, age 56, civil engineer, Washington County
Richards, Helen R., wife, age 52, occupation - none
Compton, Beulah, stepdaughter-in-law, age 26, high school teacher (married to my father William R. Compton, Jr.)

Orson C. Richards

They had no children, but lived in Hudson Falls at 30 River Street, a happily married couple. They had a summer cabin on Lake George.

An article from the Times Record, Troy, New York, Feb. 22, 1949 reads:

"Hudson Falls police are trying to catch hoodlums who raised havoc after entering the home of Mr. and Mrs. Orson C. Richards of 30 River Street, who are vacationing in Florida. The prowlers gained entry by breaking a pane of glass in a kitchen window and when inside they dumped drawers in all rooms of the house, opened cans of food and broke radios."

I have a letter dated June 25th 1949 addressed to Mrs. William R. Compton (my mother), McLean, Virginia mailed from Hudson Falls, NY:

"Dear Norma,  Thank you so much for the letter and the snapshot of Billy [me].  He has grown and developed a great deal in the last three months, but he keeps his smiling side up anyway.  He certainly leans towards the distaff side when it comes to ringlets for I haven't seen any curls for at least two generations in my family.  The doctor wants me to be out of doors all the time possible so that is where I try to be and that is no hardship.  We have little pink climbing roses, a few other flowers, and the rest taken up with Maidenhair fern.  All the fall flowers may burst open and surprise us.  We still feel the effects of those terrible boys [see article above].  Maybe we may get over it in time, but a southern trip is out of the question this winter as things look now.  Love to the whole family in which Pop joins. Sincerely, Mother. (89 degrees in the shade at 2 pm)

I have a letter from Helen to her son William Jr. dated July 3, 1952:

"Dear William - have been reading your recent letters and thinking about you, my little boy, and now 50 years old the ninth.  You don't know what a comfort you are to me.  Of course, you know that I love you but you don't know how much and how I long to see you.  For your birthday present I am sending you two little diamond shirt studs which were your father's.  While they are not used as they once were, I think you will be glad to have them.  Just drop me a line often and tell me you are all well, it helps me very much to hear from you.  With my love to you all, Mother."

[I have a few other items that belonged to her in my possession. These include a Bible given to her by Amy Norris Compton on December 25, 1901. I have a certificate from The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution dated 21 Feb 1910 for Mrs. Helen R. Tubbs Compton, Chemung Chapter, descent from John Tubbs, soldier Revolutionary War. I also have a set of hairbrushes; three with "T" engraved on them and one with "HRT". I have an antique cradle from her great grandfather, Dr. Theseus Brooks. My mother has a set of silverware of the Tubbs family with "T" on them. I also have several photographs of Helen in her younger years, as well as of the home in Elmira.]

She died on January 9, 1953 in Hudson Falls. My father went to her funeral and left my mother to care for Anne (my sister) and me at home. I remember her vaguely coming to visit our home in McLean, probably in 1952 when I was 4. I only remember having a special dinner in our formal dining room with her and Orson. I remember her very gray-white hair, too. I remember Orson Richards sitting in the red leather chair in our den and me sitting and playing on his lap. I remember him smoking a pipe, too.

Rosella (Rose Ellen) Hennigar Laffin (1859-1930)

My relationship: Me > Norma Haynes (mother) > Lillian Laffin (mother) > Rosella Hennigar (mother) - my great grandmother

Rose Ellen Hennigar was the 5th of eight children born in Upper Kennetcook, Nova Scotia to John Anthony Hennigar and Letitia Densmore. She went by "Rosella" and was married at age 30 to Asa Laffin (age 27) on July 10, 1890 in Upper Kennetcook.

Asa was a bachelor farmer in nearby Northfield (also known as "Hennigar"). He had inherited his father's farm when he died in 1880. Asa and Rosella made their home and raised their family in Northfield. The farm consisted of 400-500 acres.  The family lived in a large wooden frame house (which is no longer standing) consisting of a living room, dining room, parlor, kitchen, pantry, and one bedroom on the main floor with three bedrooms upstairs.  Asa grew oats, wheat, barley, and vegetables on the farm and had a small orchard.  He also had a dairy herd as well as pigs, sheep, chickens, and horses. 

Rosella was described as quiet and peaceful, asking for nothing nor wanting nothing, and a good friend to everyone.
  
They had 7 children (6 daughters and 1 son):
Minnie Laffin (1891 - 1965), married Alfred Anthony
Nada Laffin (1892 - 1988), married William Turple
Amy Laffin (1894 - 1974), married (1) Alexander McLearn,       (2) Harry McCulloch
Lillian Laffin (1895 - 1984), married Thomas Haynes
Ruby Laffin (1898 - 1986), married George Densmore
Adeline Laffin (1901 - 1901), only lived 10 days
Addison Laffin (1903 - 1982), married Evelyn McKeil

Asa and Rosella Laffin with their children (L to R):

Ruby, Nada, Lillian, Amy, Minnie, Addison

Life on the farm for a farmer's wife is better described from this excerpt provided by the East Hants Nova Scotia Historical Society:

It seems that there is little written about the lives of women who lived on the farm. Most of the records are of the lives of their men. Yet they worked from dawn past dusk to feed, clothe and care for their families. 
They churned and made their own butter; gathered eggs from the hens; raised water in pails from the well, before there were pumps in the kitchen; they spun the wool, knit, darned, sewed and wove the cloth with which they made the clothing. Clothes were washed in the tub by hand and hung on the line. The stove in the kitchen, and the furnace, had to be stoked with wood frequently. Candles were made or oil lamps cleaned and filled. 
They picked berries and made jams, jellies, and preserves; pickled vegetables and dried fruit. Making soap was a tedious task. Most women worked in the vegetable garden, and had a flower garden also. She fed the hens, ducks and geese and assisted in many farm chores. 
Ten days were spent in bed following the birth of a child. Childbirth brought risks to the life of the mother and child. The families were very large. The oldest daughter(s) assisted in the raising of the younger children. Women of the neighborhood assisted those who were ill or in need. Religious faith helped them through their trials and tribulations. 

Rosella died at home peacefully with her daughter Minnie and Asa by her side (and Nada and Ruby downstairs) of congestive heart failure on August 27, 1930. 
My grandmother Lillian, living in Arlington, Virginia, was notified by Asa with a telegram. She is buried in the Anglican Church cemetery in Northfield with Asa, who died in 1947. 

A tribute written by the family was published in the newspaper:

There is someone who misses you sadly
And finds the year long since you went
There is someone who thinks of you daily
But tries to be brave and content.

So we shed a tear that is silent
And breathe a sigh of regret
For you were our dear mother and we'll remember
If all the world should forget.

Deep in our hearts you are fondly remembered
Sweet happy memories cling round your name
Fond hearts that loved you with truest affection
Always will love you in death just the same.

God saw that she was weary
The hills were hard to climb
So he closed her weary eyelids
And whispered Peace be Thine.

John TUBBS - Memorial Day Tribute

John Tubbs (1752 - 1778) 
My relationship: Me > William R. Compton II > Helen Tubbs > Samuel Murray Tubbs > Kelsey Tubbs > John Tubbs > John Tubbs (my 4th great grandfather)

Although I have a number of ancestors who fought in the French-Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War (on both sides), the War of 1812, and the Civil War, most all survived their service. John Tubbs was an exception.

He was born in 1752 in Lyme, Connecticut. He married Sarah Sims, (born 1743 in Lebanon Connecticut) on December 7, 1772.  They settled in the Kingston area of the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. They had two children, sons John Tubbs, Jr. and George Tubbs. John is listed as a taxpayer in Kingston in 1776.

During the Revolutionary War, John enlisted on September 19th, 1776 in a call for volunteers in Capt Robert Durkee's company at Wyoming, PA., attached to Col John Durkee's regiment, of the 4th Connecticut line.

Private John Tubbs (one of fifty Pennsylvania riflemen) fought at the Battle Of Millstone on Jan. 20th 1777. He received a bounty for his service at the battle. He was also likely involved in the actions at Bound Brook, at Brandywine, at Germantown, and at Mud Fort and he may have wintered at Valley Forge as the company was present there. It is confirmed that he did winter encamp (1777 -1778) at Morristown, NJ.
The Battle of Wyoming (Pennsylvania) took place on July 3, 1778. [From ExplorePAhistory.com: The Battle of Wyoming and the massacre that followed, in July 1778, has been called the "surpassing horror of the American Revolution" because of the brutal and horrific acts committed by Iroquois Confederation warriors and their British and Loyalist allies against the Connecticut Yankees who had settled Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley.] 

John died on July 3, 1778. There is conflicting information as to whether he died from dysentery contracted while at Morristown, or whether he died in the slaughter at the Battle of Wyoming which was fought on July 3, the same day of his death. John may have been too sick to take part. He may have indeed lingered on long enough to have served or may have been massacred.  His brother, Lebbeus Tubbs was in this battle, and survived.
John is buried at Kingston, PA about 4 miles from the site of the Battle.

Little Compton, Rhode Island Ancestors - No Compton's!

It is interesting to note that a number of ancestors of the Laffin, Hennigar, Densmore lines settled and lived in Little Compton, Rhode Island in the 1600's.  There are none of my Compton ancestors who lived there! The origin of the name of Little Compton is not known.

Some of my direct ancestors who lived there were:

1) William Pabodie and Elizabeth Alden (daughter of Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullin.
2) Sarah Pabodie (their daughter) and John Coe
3) Edward Burgess and Elizabeth Coe (their daughter)
4) Sarah Burgess (their daughter) who married Philip Mosher and moved to Nova Scotia.

5) Edward Richmond and Abigail Davis
6) Esther Richmond and Thomas Burgess
7) Nicholas Mosher
8) Abigail Tripp
9) Rebecca Wilcox

There were also some other direct ancestors that lived in Tiverton, Rhode Island, a town adjacent to Little Compton to the north. These include Mosher, Maxson, and Taber ancestors.

According to 17th century land evidence, Little Compton originally belonged to the Sakonnet (variations include Sogkonate, Seconit, Seaconnet, etc.) tribe, who were led by Awashonks, the cousin of Metacomet (commonly known as King Philip). The area was known by the name Sakonnet, which means “the black goose comes.”
The first European settlers in Little Compton were Englishmen from Duxbury, Massachusetts in the Plymouth Colony who sought to expand their land holdings. After first attempting negotiations with Awashonks, they petitioned the Plymouth Colony, which granted them their charter. In a series of lotteries beginning in 1674 and ending in the early 1680s, they divided the land in Little Compton into lots of standardized acreage and began settling there.
In 1682, the town was incorporated by the Plymouth Colony and renamed Little Compton. This is possibly a reference to Little Compton in Warwickshire, England. However, there is no direct evidence to substantiate this relationship. By 1747, Little Compton secured its own royal decree and was annexed to Newport County as a part of Rhode Island along with Tiverton and Bristol.

Little Compton Common Cemetery

Elisabeth Pabodie, the eldest daughter of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of Mayflower fame, is buried in the Little Compton Common cemetery. The stones in this cemetery reflect a style of carving similar to that found both in Newport, R.I. and in Boston during the same time period.

From Wikipedia:
Elisabeth Pabodie (1623–1717), also known as Elisabeth Alden Pabodie or Elisabeth Peabody, was allegedly the first white woman born in New England. She was born Elisabeth Alden in 1623, the first-born child of the Plymouth Colony settlers John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, who were both passengers on the Mayflower in 1620. She married William Pabodie (Peabody), a leader of Duxbury, Massachusetts, on December 26, 1644. All thirteen of their children were born in Duxbury before Elisabeth eventually moved to Little Compton, Rhode Island in the 1680s. She died on May 31, 1717 in Little Compton and was buried in the cemetery on Little Compton Common.

                              Markers for Elisabeth Alden Pabodie (my 8th great grandmother)