Ancestors in the Virginia Muster

Haven't been able to find a source for this image, which is found all over the internet.
I'm assuming it now longer is under copyright.

The original Jamestown expedition was an economic outpost, rather than a settlement. The first fort was established in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London. Its mission was to extract as much wealth as possible from Virginia, either through mining, cash crops, or other resources. Unsurprisingly, the company had problems from the start. Men whose primary raison d'etre was to make money had no interest in grubbing in the dirt to grow food, and although the original fort was placed on unwanted land, as the company expanded fields for tobacco, the English more and more came into conflict with the local political authority, Powhatan.

Powhatan reasonably assumed that any settlement placed on his lands, with his permission, was under his political authority. In fact, the story of John Smith being "saved" by Powhatan's daughter Matoaka (aka Pocahontas) was likely a ceremony (misunderstood by Smith) during which the English offered fealty to Powhatan. The frequent conflicts between the English and the Powhatan Confederacy reached a head in March 1622, when about one third of the English were killed in a highly successful attack on the plantations and villages surrounding Jamestown. That March battle was the closest the English came to being driven from Virginia, but the early years of Jamestown were tough on the English in many ways. Nearly half of the English population died between 1607-1622.

In the aftermath of the 1622 disaster (or success, depending on one's perspective), the Crown decided to take over from the Virginia Company and make Jamestown a royal colony. This was the first American lesson in the folly of choosing free-enterprise over a centralized government. (Almost 400 years later, I'm not sure we've fully learned the lesson.)(1)

As part of the transition to royal colony, the king and privy council demanded a census of all people and goods in Jamestown. This 1624/25 document is known as the Virginia Muster.  Those who appear in its pages are truly Virginia's first families (from a European perspective, at least).

I've blogged before about my Hancock line. Although some of the Hancocks go back to early Huguenot settlement in the area,  others lead back to the original English settlement. Two families of Hancock ancestors appear on the Virginia Muster(2):

Thomas and Adria Harris: Thomas and Adria lived in Neck-of-Land, Charles Cittie, with a girl of 7, Ann Woodlase, who was "theire kinswoman". They also had a 15 year old servant named Elizabeth, who had arrived on the Margaret and John in 1620. Thomas was 38 and arrived on the ship Prosperous. His wife had arrived November 1621, on the Marmaduke. Her maiden name was probably Hoare (they appear to have married after she arrived). Thomas and Adria owned two houses, a boat, 11 pounds of powder, 2 pounds lead, 3 "piece fixed" (some kind of gun), a sword, and a coat of mail. They also had, at the time of the census (which was taken January 24, 1624/5), 7.5 bushels of corn, 1 bushel of peas, 11 cattle (young and old), and 30 poultry.

Thomas and Adria's daughter, Mary, married Thomas Lignon (whose status as a "gateway ancestor" I blogged about previously). Their daughter, Johana Lignon, was the wife of Robert Hancock, the first of our Hancock ancestors born in Virginia.


William Coxe (or Cox): William Coxe was 12 years old when he arrived in Jamestown on the Godspeed, June 10, 1610. He was with the party of Thomas West, Third Lord De La Warr (for whom Delaware was later named). Lord De La Warr's brother had married an Elizabeth Coxe, daughter of Sir Henry Coxe of Broxburne, Hertfordshire, so it's assumed William was part of that family, although the exact relationship is not known. At the time of the muster, he was in the household of Thomas Bouldinge in Elizabeth City. At the time, Thomas Bouldinge was a man of 40, with a house, a palisade, and quite a lot of stored food. It's not clear if William was his servant, relative, or had some other role in the household. In addition to William Coxe, Thomas Bouldinge's household included Richard Edwards, aged 23, and Niccolas Dale, aged 20. Thomas's wife was already dead, but his son, William, born in Virginia, was part of the household. It appears William Coxe returned to England at least once, and then came back to Virginia before claiming land in the Arrowhattocks area.

William's great-great-granddaughter, Jane Cox, married Francis Hopkins. Their daughter, Patsy Hopkins, married John Walden. And their daughter, Harriet Walden, was the wife of Justus Hancock, and mother of Ammon Goode Hancock.


Although he didn't appear in the Virginia Muster, it's worth noting one more family connection to Jamestown, this time through the Kinney line. Stephen Hopkins was one of our Mayflower ancestors. Although he ended up at Plymouth, he was in Jamestown from 1610-1614, under John Smith. This experience proved valuable to the early colonists of Massachusetts.

References:
(1) There are a number of excellent sources on the history of Jamestown. I recently read (and recommend) a more general history of Native/Colonist conflict in the early English colonies. Weidensaul, Scott. 2012. The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

(2) All genealogical material comes from John Frederick Dorman's book, Adventurers of Purse and Person, 5th edition. Published in 2004 by Genealogy Press.

The genetic legacy of Appolonia Baker Stoecklein

Appolonia Baker Stoecklein
She looks young, and I wonder if she's pregnant
in this picture, perhaps with her first child, Cody.
Photo credit: Annabelle Leyes Clinger

My last post was about Appolonia Baker Stoecklein and her family background. I've been thinking about her recently because I'm grappling with her genetic legacy: gallbladder problems, and in particular, cancers of the biliary and digestive system (Spoiler: I don't have cancer!)

Appolonia died at the age of 41, after suffering for four years from an unknown disease. We don't know what that disease was - it could have been TB or MS - but if I had to guess, I'd say she died from some type of biliary cancer. Her descendants, certainly, have a sad history of succumbing to it. This type of medical history, in fact, is one of the practical applications of genealogy. It can be used for research on the genetic component of biliary cancers, and also as advanced warning for relatives.

What, exactly, is this family history?

First generation:

• Appolonia Baker Stoecklein died in 1895 after four years from an unknown wasting disease, possibly (although it is unproven) cancer. Age 41.

Second generation: Appolonia had three daughters.

• Her eldest, Cora Stoecklein, died of "stomach cancer" (no more specific information is available) in 1961, age 85. 
• Her youngest, Irene Stoecklein Leyes (my direct maternal line great-grandmother) died of gallbladder cancer that spread to her liver, in 1967, age 76. 
• Appolonia's middle daughter, Betty, died of a stroke.

Third generation: Appolonia had one granddaughter and one grandson.

• My maternal grandmother, Mary Jane Leyes Cunningham, died of gallbladder cancer that spread to the liver and other organs, in 1972, age 56. 
• Her brother, Bill, died of lung cancer, unrelated to the biliary system

Fourth generation: Appolonia has seven great-grandaughters and two great-grandsons (I won't give the names for privacy reasons). Joyfully, all but one member of this generation are still alive. 

• My own mother had her gallbladder removed at the age of 27 after developing gallstones during her first pregnancy. The surgeon found no signs of cancer. 
• Sadly, my mother's first cousin died of bile duct cancer in 2013, at the age of 46.

Fifth generation: 11 male and 10 female descendants. I'm one of the older ones, and one of the few to have reached the "danger zone" of middle age (I'm 42). Although I've known since I was quite young that I needed to watch for signs of gallbladder stones, it wasn't until December that I first experienced the classic symptoms of a gallstone attack. I quickly made a doctor's appointment and presented the family history above, at which time the medical-industrial complex swung into high gear. (The doctors were pretty bowled over by the family history. They hadn't seen anything like it.) Because of the cancer risk, I had my gallbladder removed at the nearest big city research hospital, where they could remove it without rupturing it, rush it to pathology to check for cancer while I was still on the operating table, and then - if necessary - remove part of my liver and bile ducts if it turned out I had cancer.

I am very happy to say that the surgery went as well as possible, and I have no signs of cancer. I did, however, have two huge gallstones (one was 3.5cm long!), and the surgeon assures me I'll feel much better once I've healed. Now that I've done more research on gallstone symptoms, I realize that I've been feeling their effects for years, I just hadn't recognized the low-level and constant pain in my side and back as "gallbladder problems" as opposed to "back pain" or "acid reflex" or other issues. I'm very grateful to have this problem taken care of before it could become worse.


To summarize, of the six deceased individuals who are direct descendants of Appolonia Stoecklein, four of them died of cancers of the gallbladder, liver, "stomach", or bile system (all closely related organs). There is clearly a genetic component here, but what is it? It is unlikely to be a simple Mendelian trait, but rather a suite of multiple genes that create high risk for her descendants. The good news, then, is that a suite of genes is likely diluted with each generation.

Lynch Syndrome is one possible hereditary link to bile duct cancers. This syndrome was mentioned to my cousin and her sisters, when she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. To say someone has "Lynch Syndrome" is to say they carry a dominant variant of one (or more) of five genes. These variants are associated with high risk for colon cancer, in particular, but also pancreas, endomitrium, and liver. These risks can be insanely high (much higher than usual when we say someone has a genetic risk for a particular cancer). For example, individuals have a 52-82% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer, with a mean age diagnosis of 44-61 years, and 30% of individuals are diagnosed before age 40(1). We'll know more about my particular Lynch Syndrome genes soon, but our family history differs from Lynch Syndrome in that most Lynch Syndrome cancers are associated with the colon, pancreas, endometrium, and ovaries. We do not seem particularly prone to cancer in those organs, but rather related organs, such as the liver and gallbladder.

The genes particularly associated with a high risk for bile duct cancer are only now being identified, although initial work suggests they aren't the same genes as those associated with Lynch Syndrome(3). Gallbladder cancer, in particular, is extremely rare, so little research has been done on its heritability. Most gallbladder cancer is caused by gallstones. The constant irritation of the organ by the stones can lead to out-of-control cell growth. Once possibility, then, is that Appolonia Stoecklein handed down genes that made her descendants more likely to develop gallstones, and in particular large gallstones, which are more highly correlated to cancer(2). Certainly, a combination of Lynch Syndrome genes, plus genes associated with the growth of large gallstones, could account for the particular patterns of cancer seen in our family.

As I said, we'll know more soon. I received a personal gene testing kit for Christmas, and the results are due any time now. I look forward to delving into the full data and seeing what I can find. In the meantime, I'd urge any descendants of Appolonia Stoecklein to consult with a doctor to schedule periodic scans of their liver and gallbladder. These are silent cancers, and by the time you're aware of the problem, it can be too late.



References:
(1) Kohlman, Wendy, and Stephen Gruber. 2014. Lynch Syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1211/
(2) Lowenfels, A.B., et al. 1989. Gallstone Growth, Size, and Risk of Gallbladder Cancer: An Interracial Study. International Journal of Epidemiology 18:50-54. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2722383
(3) Maroni, Luca, et al. 2013. The Significance of Genetics for Cholangiocarcinoma Development. Annals of Translational Medicine Oct: 28. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4200671/

Appolonia Baker Stoecklein

Photo from Mike Cunningham

My plan for the ancestral biosketches was to jump between family lines (that is, one from my mom's side, then one from my dad's side), but I find myself thinking about Appolonia Baker Stoecklein recently. Although my last biosketch was about her husband, John T. Stoecklein, I'm going to write a short sketch of what we know about her family for this week's post.

Appolonia died quite young, at the age of 41. Because her children had few memories of her, they weren't able to pass down much family lore. In fact, we didn't know her full name or anything about her birth family, which, as far as I know, had little contact with her children after she passed away.

I discussed her married life, children, and death in my post on her husband. Other than a few photographs handed down through the family, I have only public documents to shed light on her early life. Luckily, the name Appolonia is unusual enough that she can be easily traced, despite her common maiden name, which was Baker or Becker. Originally, the name was probably Baker with an umlaut over the a, and this got transliterated various ways in English-language documents. Baker is closer to the original spelling, but Becker is closer to the original pronunciation.

Appolonia Baker/Becker was the daughter of Casper and Anna Maria Baker. Casper Baker was born March 18, 1822, according to his tombstone, and his wife was born Feb 2, 1826(1). In census documents, they both list their birthplace as Saxony. Place names in Germany are difficult to interpret. The same town and region names can be used for a variety of different locations, and, of course, the boundaries of those regions could change over time. Saxony, in the period 1820-1860, most likely referred either to the Kingdom of Saxony (an independent member of the German Confederation that included the major cities of Dresden and Leipzig) or the Province of Saxony (a somewhat less coherent region annexed by Prussia and including areas that had previously been part of the Kingdom of Saxony, such as Wittenberg, but also Magdeburg, Halberstadt, and parts of the former territories of Brandenberg and Erfurt.) Where, exactly, Casper and Anna were from is unknown, but my best guess is that they were from the Kingdom of Saxony rather than the Province, since they would have been more likely to give their nation of birth as Prussia in the later case. On the other hand, the areas annexed by Prussia, particularly Upper Lusatia which used to be part of Brandenberg, had much higher Roman Catholic populations, and the Bakers were clearly Catholic, since they are buried in the Catholic Calvary cemetery in Dayton.

So far, I've given Appolonia's mother's name as "Anna Maria", but in fact, her name is a bit of a mystery. In the 1850 census, she is listed as "Mary Baker", 24, of Germany(2). In 1860, she is "Anna M. Becker" of Saxony, age 35(3). In the 1870 census, Casper's wife's name is given as Elizabeth, 41, from Saxony(4). In 1880, she's back to being "Mary Baker", born in Germany, aged 54(5). On her tombstone in Calvary Cemetery, her name is given as Anna M. Becker(1). Her name was probably Anna Maria, since German naming practices tended to give child a more formal first name and a less formal second name. Either one could be used in official documents, particularly in the United States. I'm not sure why she was called Elizabeth in the 1870 census. One possibility is that the 1870 census was mistake (perhaps a neighbor gave the information). This would explain why her age is incorrect in that census, as well. Alternatively, her full name was Anna Maria Elisabeta. 

Anna Maria's maiden name is unknown. On her son Casper's death certificate, it is listed as "Derorph", but I can find no records of this name in the U.S. or Germany. The name may have been imperfectly known by Casper's daughter (who was the source for the information on his death certificate), or it may have been poorly written by the clerk. I can only guess that her maiden name was actually something like Dierdorf.

Appolonia had a number of siblings recorded in the censuses of 1860 and 1870. All were born in Ohio, suggesting her parents were married in the U.S., or moved to the U.S. very soon after marriage, and that they arrived before 1849. The recorded children of Casper and Anna Baker are:

• Mary E. (1849)
• Casper (1852)
• Appolonia (1854)
• Joseph (1856)
• Louis (1858)
• Anne (1859)
• Louisa (1860)
• Katy (1862)
• Emma (1865)

We know from the 1860 census, when Appolonia was 6 years old, that she and her family lived in the fourth ward of Dayton, Ohio. The fourth ward, defined in 1829, was "Bounded on the north by a line running due east from the river to the south line of Market Street and along that line to Jefferson Street; thence north to Third Street, and along Third Street to the corporation line; on the south by Fifth Street, and on the east by the corporation line."(6).  

According to the 1870 census, Casper was a stone cutter. He is also listed as such in a number of city directories. The oldest daughter, Mary, worked as a cigar maker, and the oldest son, Casper, was a shoe maker. Appolonia, 16, was living at home, her occupation listed as "helps mother". Two years later, she married. She would have been around 18 years old.

This was in a Stoecklein family album, so there must have
been some contact between the families.
Photograph from Mike Cunningham

Although Appolonia herself died young, in 1895, a number of her family members would have been in Dayton throughout the childhood of her own orphaned children. Her mother did not die until 1905, for example. I was not able to trace all of Appolonia's siblings, but her eldest brother, Casper Jr., was a shoemaker in Dayton. His wife, Barbara, and his children, Ralph and Carrie, lived in Dayton their whole lives. His married daughter, Daisy Baker Breen, was there at least part of her life.

Similarly, Appolinia's youngest sister, Emma, married Frederick Toby. She was widowed rather young, but lived in Dayton with her children, Frederick Toby and Florence Toby Plummer, (and later her orphaned grandson, Marvin Plummer) until 1950. Part of that time she lived with her sister, Katy Baker, and her sister's daughter, Beatrice Baker Poling. (As a side note, as far as I can tell, Beatrice was illegitimate.) Katy moved to New York in the 1920s with her daughter's family, but would have been in Dayton during the formative years of Appolonia's children.

Louisa Baker married Joseph Bennett, and she also lived in Dayton for her whole life. She had at least three children: Charles Bennett, Corrie Mountjoy, and Henrietta Geiger.

Do any of the Stoecklein descendants recognize these names? Was there ever contact between these Baker descendants and Appolonia's children or grandchildren?

To me, personally, the most pertinent legacy of Appolonia Baker Stoecklein is in her genetic contribution to subsequent generations, but that is a topic for another post, coming soon.

References:
1 - ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=56952586&PIpi=100987812
2 - "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MX3W-6GM : accessed 31 January 2015), Casper Baker, Dayton, ward 5, Montgomery, Ohio, United States; citing family 3261, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
3 - 1860 census
4 - "United States Census, 1870," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M6L8-NHY : accessed 31 January 2015), Joseph Baker in household of Casper Baker, Ohio, United States; citing p. 88, family 746, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,748.
5 - "United States Census, 1880," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8S3-62R : accessed 15 January 2015), Casper Baker, Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district 159, sheet 331D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1051; FHL microfilm 1,255,051.
6 - http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3428681.htm