Devotccl to the Interests of the Descel~Jariis c,f

CAPTAIIN JOHl?J LUTE-!EL? of the Massachusetts Bay Coloxry '

VOL. IV - NO. 14 OCTOBER - 1918 50 CTS, YEARLY

ONE OF THE SA&IUELS Samuel Luther (53), (the number

as listed in the genealogy manu-

in Addison, Vt., 1827. Their children, all born in War-

ren, R. I., were: 179 - Samuel, b. 1762, d. 1765. 180 - Preserved, b. 1763, d. 1776

buried Kickimuit Cemetery. 181 - Samuel, b. 1766, d. Addison

Vt., 1843, of cancer. 182 - Welcome, b. 1769, removed

Vermont where he marri Adaline Bowen.

183 - Zebedee, b. 1772, d. 1773 184 - Elizabeth, b. 1775. Continue

elite, not only of America,

cializing in wheat, alfalfa and grazing lands.

His wife was Miss Mae Belle Cook of Michigan and their three chil- dren are carrying out the fine tra- ditions of this branch. Camilla, nuel of Italy, Diamond now Mrs. Ellis Cave, is a graduate and his ever present of the University of Kansas, the Lillian Russell; Max mother of two little Caves, and re- cutive of the Metropoli- sides jn Dodge City, where Mr. Cave House; and such repre-

(continued on page 3) tinued on page 2)

l h c LUTI1?ER FAMILY Publiched qLnrterly a t Moravia,

N.Y.. by Lcs.ie L. and Bertha K. Luther, in the interests of the dc- scendants of Capt. John Luther of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, al- lied families, genealogists, a?ld iibraries,

Entered as second-class matter Dec. 13, 1945, a t the post office a t PXoravia, .N. Y., under the Act of ,March 3, 1879. - Subscription rates, 50 cents yearly

OCTOBER - 1948 - - - - - - .

Statement of the ownership, &in- agement, etc., required by the Acts of Congress of Aug., 1912 and Mar. 3, 1933, of THE LUTHER FAMILY, published quarterly a t Moravia, N. Y. for October, 1948

State of New York County of Cayuga

Before me, a notary public in and for the State and County afore- said, personally appeared Leslie ' L. Luther, who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that he is the publisher of THE LUTHER FAMILY, and that the following is to the best of his knowledge and belief a true statement of the ownership, man- agement, etc., of the aforesaid pub- lication for the date shown in the above caption, required *by the Acts of Aug. 24, 1912 and Mar. 3, 1933, embodied in sectibn 537, Postal Laws and Regulations.

1 That the names and addresses of the Publishers, Editors, Manag- ing Editors and Business Managers are: Leslie L. Luther and Bertha K. Luther, Moravia, N. Y.

2 That the owners are Leslie L. Luther and Bertha K. Luther, MO- ravia, N. Y.

3 That the known bond hold- ers and other security holders are: None. Mortgagees, None.

Signed: Leslie L. Luther Sworn to and subscribed before nle this 27th day of September, 1948.

Harold A. Banks. Notary Public

SEND A STORY Won't some of you send in an

interesting story or incident of some Luther of your branch of the fami- ly? Recent or ancient, it doesn't matter. We have plenty of ma- terial in the genealogy fnanuscript, but would like to vary i t with items which would interest some particular group as well as the vihole clan. I f Bessie caught Grand- pa's whiskers in the electric wring- er, or Aunt Hattie hooked a pick- erel so big that he yanked her out of the boat, tell us about it.

Hezekiah Luther, son of Capt. John, had a son Joseph, who, be- cause of a mental condition, was in the care of an Indian slave called Peggy. He willed Peggy tc his son Hezekiah, Jr.

ANNOUNCEMENT In the No. 5 paper, we told of thc

retirement of our Association presi- dent, Kcndrick A. Luther, from a vice-presidency of Aetna Insurance Company, to establish his bwn com- pany in New York City. He now announces his retirement from the latter, and the opening of an offlce in the L-incoln Building a t 60 East 42nd Street, New York, where he will specialize ' in Life Insurance Programming and Estate Planning - Life, Accident and Group Insur- ance - Annuities, Pensions and Re- tirements.

(continued from page 1) sentatives of the stage and cinema as Mae Murray, Frank Keenan, Bert Lytell, Ward Crane and Jack Pick- ford, and the novelist. Edna Ferber.

"White Sulphur" was also one of the training spots of the ring, In earlier years, the colorful Nor- man Selby, known to the sporting world as Kid McCoy, one of the greatest fighters of all time, lived and trained a t Tom Luther's. Oth- ers were Frank Moran, Benny Leon- ard, Battling Levinsky, Luis Firpo, and Gene Tunney.

But the most glamorous of them all was Jack Dempsey for whom Tom built a small house which still retains the name "Dempsey Cot- tage". One year, in addition to Dempsey, there were two other world champions training there - Pancho Villa and Jack Britton.

As long as Tom Luther lived, Dempsey never came-to that sec- tion without calling on his friend and, during Tom's last sickness, Dempsey kept a large audience wait- Lng in Troy while he visited the bedside of Tom in an Albany hos- pital.

But even of greater interest to posterity will be the knowledge that Tom Luther, in the depth of his heart, was a lover of the beautiful in nature, and a benefactor to citizens of his native state, yet un- born. Near his home, and over- looking beautiful Saratoga Lake, stand six thousand five hundred acres of giant white pine and kin- tired trees, purchased, reforested and developed by himself and his son, l'hcmas. Jr.; and by the terms of hLs will, are yours and mine. Long before the science of forestry had I-een born, Luther, who also owned 0,000 acres of natural growth tim- ber on Lake Champlain which kept his saw mills running, fklieved that the barren acres near his home cculd be made productive. When he first planted baby trees as thick as corn, his neighbors jeered. "What are you doing that for?", one asked him. "Youll never live to get apything out of it. By the time those trees are ready to cut, you won't even be a memory."

But Tom had different views. HE told them he never intended tc profit by his reforestation, and hr never did. In later years hr

PUBLISHING FUND Since previoiisly reported, we have

received for addition to the fund for puiolishing the Luther Gene- alogy as loliows: Waverly, N. Y . . . . . . . . . $2.00 Laton, Calif. .. . . . . . . . . 2.25 Dennis, Mass. . . . . . . . . . . 5.00 O@kland, Calif. . . . . . . . . 5.00

ELSBREES VISIT US On August 18th, Mr. and Mrs.

John Elsbree, with children Janet, Johnnie and Marjorie, journeyed from their Brighton, Mass.. home to call on your editors. The next day we all had a picnic dinner and the children a swim in our Fillmore Glen State Park. Then they con- tinued southward to Ithaca, Owego, and on back to New England, call- ing on Elsbrees in John's effort to compile an Elsbree genealogy. Turn to Number 10 of this paper and you may see his picture and read of his work.

NEW .ASSOCIATION MEMBERS 308 - Robert D. Luther, Athens, Pa. 309 - Mrs. Pearl L. Davis. Janes- -. -

ville, Wisc. 310 - Mrs. Dora (Luther) Thoma-

son, Hoquiam, Wash. 311 - Philip H. Dowling, White

Plains, N. Y. 312 - Mrs. Mary Tucker, Daytona

Beach. Fla. 313 - Jav rjonald Cole. Muskmee. - .

0Cla. 314 - David Dudley Cole, Chilhowie,

Va. 315 - Miss Mary Greenhoe, Sweet-

water, Tenn. - -- -- -. . -- ;ent his son to Cornell Universi- :y from where he was graduated m a forester. Father and son nade trips to Europe in search ~f hardier species, and today trees from Germany and Russia jhare the ground with giant Se- xuoia and native pine. Their lorest became a model, and father and son became advisors to the State and to &l who sought their i d Tc further secure his gift. to the public, he provided that the State could never exact a higher tax than $2 per acre, while he ngreerl to pay a "stumpage tax" on every tree they cut.

In 1887, Mr. Luther was married to Miss Alice Powell, a native Of Ballston Spa, who was his help- mate and collaborator for their more thsn half a century of mar- ried life. Their two children have followed in their parents' inter- ests, Margaret .being in the em- ploy of the State in connection with the great Adirondack forest preserve; and Thomas F., whose kindness has enabled us to present this article, continues as manager of the Luther Company and es- tate.

Thomas Luther, Sr., joined the manklinville Lodge NO. 90. F. & A. M.. a t Ballston Spa in 1886, and was a member of the other ~ a s z n i c bodies ,including Oriental Temple Shrine of Troy. His me- morial is a blue granite lboulder bearing a bronze plaque, in the heart of the Luther Forest Pre- serve south of Saratoga Lake.

CONGRATULATIONS Turn to the No. 9 paper, July,

1947, and read the outline M Judge Redmond S. Cole's interest in the genealogy of his ancestors, and his great help to the Luther effort. We were highly pleased to receive a letter from him recently from which we quote:

"Dear Leslie : : "You will be interested in know-

ing that, at a Cole reunion held held in Smyth County, Va.. (on short notice) Aug. 19, 1948, it was decided to organize a Cole Famlly Association. Dudley D. Cole of Chilhowie who presided a t our meet- ing, will appoint a committee to draft the Articles of Association - - .

'We expect to follow in the main the Luther plan, admitting descend- ants of both James Cole of Ply- mouth, and Daniel Cole of East- h a m These families merged, or rather three of the James Cole family married into three of the Israel Cole families, therefore there are at least half of the persons I have accounted for in my James Cole line, who are eligible for mem- bership by reason of being descend- ants of Daniel Cole.

" I have probably 2500 Cole faml- lies listed, commencing with Joseph Cole, Sr., son of Hugh Cole and Martha Luther - - - ." This is certainly a monumental

task, and we wish Judge Cole abun- dant success.

--

E S E C K Eseck Luther, of the seventh ge-

neration from Capt. John, was born in Swansea, Mass., Jan. 9, 1795. His first wife was Emma Ann Gould of Oxford, Mass., by whom he had five children. Ellen married Samuel Fletcher. a Civil War soldier who served in the State Leaislature. Her descendants live in M-&achu- setts. Michigan and Connecticut.

Beck Luther resided in Oxford, Mass., from where in 1842 he went to Wales, Mass. and entered the employ of the Wales Mfg. Co. where he remained until 1851. After sev- eral attempts to establish a business for himself in southern Massachu- setts, he removed to Brattleboro, Vt., where he opened a mill, later removing it to Northfield, Vermont. About 1865 he went to the West nnd died in or near Prescott, Adz. As a token of respect and affection, the opcrativ~s in his mill at North- field presented him with a silver water set which is now in the pos- session of his granddaughter, Mrs. Nellie (Fletcher) Adams of Fra- mingham, Mass.

His first wife was daughter of Rbenezer Gould and Ruth H. Bishop ?f Prcvidence, R. I.. and sister of Frederick Gould who married Lydia 7ilt.her. a very distant cousin of rserk. His ~eccnd wife was widow c f Ssnry Willi,lms.

Send in all births, marriages, and deaths.

NEW NflME There is one young man who is

not ashamed of his Luther ancestry. Recently we learned that Marion Willlam Flint of Andover, N. Y. had his name ' legally changed to William Luther Flint.

Although still in college where he is flnishing his formal education which was interrupted by the war, he has done a great amount of genealogical and historical research and is compiling a genealogy of the Flint family. He. has also been of much help to your editors, on his branch of the Luthers. rp No. 2 of this paper, we told of

the Luther Coat-of-Arms which he has copied and which you may ob- tain from him for 75 cents.

William is son of Cora (Luther) Flint, and grandson of Arba P. and May (Trowbridge) Luther of Alle- ghany County, N. Y., the latter of whom still lives there. Arba was son of Daniel Luther, a Civil War soldier who was wounded in Georgia and died in a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. -- - --

(continued from page 1) is Vice President of a large enter- prise. She has been most coopera- tive on the Luther genealogy.

Maxine, now Mrs. Allen C. Miller, is also a graduate of the University of Kansas, the mother of three tax exemptions, and resides in San An- tonio, Texas. Mr. Miller was a Cap- tain in the late war. Douglas was graduated from Bethany College, was an ofacer in the late war, and, although still unattached matri- monially, is now in his second bu- siness venture. We refer you to numbers 5 and 10 of this paper for those activities.

That you may have a glimpse of the stock from whence Lester Lu- ther came, we quote from an obitu- ary of l& father, Francis, who died In 1921. "Ctmarron's growth in the past third of a century is linked up Ln every progressive step with F. M. Luther. He helped set out the trees along Main Street; he helped 40 give the town its first electric light plant; he was instrumental in starting the first telephone sys- tem; - - - . A s Mayor of Cirnarron four consecutive terms - - - paying for little betterments he wanted from hls own purse. He was im- proving the town he loved, the town in which his family was grow- ing up - - - . Actively engaged in the Real Estate business for thirty- Rve years, he never shifted any of his duties to other members of the firm of F. M. Luther & Sons - - - ."

Lester's mother, Camilla (Duty) Luther, died in 1943 at 84 years of age. She was known as the Pioneer Mother, and was prominent in the development of Gray County, In- diana, and of Cimarron, where she taught in the Methodist. Sunday School for twenty years. She was 3. keen business woman and, after her huband's death, carried on his share of their extensiva business.

NATHANIEL One of the Nathaniel Luthers of

the sixth generation was born in Massachusetts in 17M and died in Naples, N. Y., in 1841. He married first, in 1790, Lucy Wilmarth who died, probably in Windsor, Mass.. 1792; second, in Windsor, in 1793, Mrs. Lucy (Southworth)Hammond, who was born, probably in Carver, Mass., 1768; and died in Naples, N. Y., in 1828.

He had seven children: Calvin, President, James, Lucy, Lovisa, Lydia and Mary. Calvin lived In Naples and has descendants who are members of the Luther Associa- tion. His youngest son became dis- tinguished, and we hope to give his life in a future issue of this paper. James was a merchant in Syracuse, N. Y.,and was drowned in the Columbia River in Oregon. Lovisa married Harry Porter and removed from Naples to Leonidas, Mich. Lydia married Hiram Grit- man and lived in Naples.

Nathaniel Luther, with his bro- thers and sisters, are said by S.M.L. to have been born in Swan- sea, Mass., although evidence points to the placc being Carver. Mass., or Thompson, Conn. He and hjs brothers Theophilus, Boomer and Cromwell removed from Carver to Windsor, Berkshire Co., Mass., prior to 1790, where he is enumerated in the census of that year. Subse- quently he removed to Pittsfield, Mass., where hc lived until 1820, in which year he sold to his brother Cromwell, then of Savoy, Mass.. a tract of land in the town of Pitts- field, "bounded on the south by the Housabnic River, being a part of Square No. 23."

From an accrunt. book kept by Nathaniel from 1800 to 1807,. it appears from charges for keeplng sheep, use of oxen, etc., that he was a farmer, and also served as Selectman and Constable or Sher- iff. His commlsion as Captain in the Sixth Regiment of Mass. Militia, by which term he was then known, dated June 8, 1797, and his Certi- ficate of Membership in Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M., dated Jan. 7. 1808, are with descendants. The Pension Bureau reports that he was a Revolutionary soldier but did not file claim for a pension.

In 1820 he removed to Naples, N. Y., with his family, except his son Calvin who had preceded hLm by three years, and acquired an interest in a grist mill that was Iwated a t the foot of Hatch Hill, npposite the corner d Sprague and r..lron streets. Partners in the en- terprise were Simeon Lyon and Dr. Otis Fuller. A few years later it was damaged by flood and removed to East Avenue where it was long known as "Luther's Mill" and it stood, until torn down in 1910. In fmnt of the mill he built a small dwelling house and about 1850, it was moved to the location where it now stands. I t was in this house that Capt. Luther lived and died. He was Town Clerk of Naples 1829 to 1834. and School Clerk for sev- eral years.

His first wife was daughter of John Wilmarth of Carver, Mass., and his second, Lucy Southworth. was widow of Georee Harnmond of - - Carver. who died a t Windsor, 1792.

(continued on page 4)

BIILT'ES I Coventry, R. I., who died in Addi- 1 Rhode Island and settled in Che- shire, Mass., near or under a ledge of rocks which still retains the name of Whitford's Rocks. They had one son and three daughters.

"My father moved to Shaftsbury in April, 1781, and remained there until after I married. In Feb.,

To Mr. and Mrs. Gerald A. Wahl (Flora Flint) of Andover, N. Y., May 27, 1948, a son, John Charles Wahl. Mrs. Wahl is granddaugh- ter of A r b P. and May (Trow- bridge) Luther, and sister of Willi-

son in 1809. Removal of Samuel and family

from Rhode Island to Vermont, and uncertainty of individuals meant in the ofecial records, have caused much confusion in the work of

am L. Flint, about whom we tell you in another column. of this paper. -

To Mr. and Mrs. George Edward Luther, Jr., of Bradford, R. I., on May 9, 1948, a son, George Edward, 3rd. Mrs. Luther was Miss Nora DiPaola of Westerly, R. I.

To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Reed Luther of West Medbury, Mass., April 7, 1948, a son Gardner Church Mrs. Luther was Miss Dorothea Davin. Wilson and George, above, are of the 300 vear line a t Swansea.

NECROLOGY William Luther Hunt, 61, died

at Vernon. N. Y., Sept. 16, 1947. He was son of Olin and Abby Emily (Luther) Hunt of Lairds- ville, near Utica, N. Y. Abby was sister of Rev- George W. Luther of Detour, Mich., and Rev.

L- Luther of St. Peters- burg, Fla., and gave the present compilers of the Luther Genealo- gy much aid in their early efforts.

- (continued from page 3)

They evidently had remored to windsor soon after Lu- ther did, as bought 150 acres there of Robert T o m e in 1792. Lucy had two sons by George Hammond who were brought up in the home of Nathaniel Luther: George Hammond, Jr., born Carver, 1787, married a sister of Isaac Phil- lips Of Gorham, N. Y.; and Row- land Hammond. born Carver, 1792, was a carpenter and moved to Hallowell, Canada, where he died in 1826. These Hammond sons were baptized in Windsor June 23 1805 the same day as Nathaniel ~ilther'; first five children.

Nathaniel and his second wife are buried in the Naples cemetery.

If You have missed receiving any rf these papers, drop a card and we --ill send you the &sing numbem

(Continued from Page 1 his ~on-in-law, wjlliam whitford, whme father married Samuel's wi- dow.

Here the singular circum- sFnnce of William Whitford marry- i q ~ Elizabeth I-uther (184) ; after "7th of her father. Samuel Lu- fk-7 (53), her mother, Elizabeth :Gnrdnrrj Luther came to live with f h r m , nnrl on Mzrch 8, 1810, mar- ri-.l Peleg Whitford, widower and fnt.i?er flf her husbnnd, Wj!liam Whitford. They were married in c:?nctqbury but lived the rest of f,,q;r lives in ~ d d i ~ ~ ~ near their children.

PelrT Whitford wns born in West Greenwich, R. I., 1774, and died in -%ddison. 1831. He had married, fi!-:t: a b u t 1765, Ruth TibbetB of

former and present compilers. But a letter received \by the present compiler in 1939 from a descendant, Mrs. Julia E. Clark of Vergennes, Vt., containing data and a tran- script of records entered in a Bible which belonged to .%muel Luther's mother-in-law and since passed down through this Luther family, have corrected and clarified the errors. The following entry in said Bible, made in 1855 by Samuel Lu- ther's son-in-law, William whitford, is here presented for future guid- ance. -

1802, we both moved to Addison together. My mother lived 7 years and died June 12. 1809. MY father in the March following married my

gF ~,"~~~r,'w~h,"as&nc~~~m~ widow some years She died in scpt., 1826, a t the agk of 86 years, living with my father 17 years. My father died 4 years after, in his 88th year."

Attest - William Whitford. - Elizabeth Luther (184, above) was

born in Warren, R. I., 1775 and died in Addison, Vt., 1863. She married in Shaftsbury, 1800, Willi-

Addison, Vt., Dec. 23, 1855 ,,This Bible was first bought by

my wife's grandmother who, after usinP it many years and getting it rebound, then pasting strips of paper on edge of some leaves may be seen), left it to her son, Samuel Luther of Warren, I., at her death, who was my wife's fa- ther. He married Elizabeth Gard- ner, daughter of Samuel Gardner who lived on a place or neck of land called and known as Gardner's Neck, which was bought of the In- dians about 20 years after the first settlement at Plymouth Rwk, by Samuel Gardner and his brother-in- law Brown, being 1400 acres and lays some four miles southeast from Warren, R. I.. which was the birth place Of my wife's mother* at which

O ~ ~ ~ n ~ t & " , $ l s U ~ r ~ ~ "OW lay with their in the

burying eound1 each having attained Or quite years Of age! as I saw it 34 years last September On a t' that place.

"MY wife's father and mother moved to Shaftsbury. Vermont, in the year 1788 (I thinlk i t is 1788 but is so blurred it is hard to tell exact - it may be 1787) where.he died in Feb., 1800. Then this Bible was given to their eldest son Samuel Luther who died a t our house at the age of 77, with a can- cer, his wife having died 25 Years before without children. His sec- ond son Welcome Luther died at Bennington, Vt., some ten years ago, (meaning I judge 10 Years be- fore this was written) a t about 80 Years of age, leaving one daughter by hfs second wife, which is now

14 years of age. "Martin Luther, his yo~ngest son,

1s "ill living in Addison, Vt., now in his 76th year, has had two wives, two children .by first wife and fpur bv the second who is now livlng. His two first died and two of the latter. One was Wesley who was murdered in California, Sept. 7, 1850, in the gold rush.

"I. William whitford was born in Shaftsblbury, AuZ. 14: 1781, and was married to Elizabeth Luther Dec. 25, 1800. She was the only daughter d samuel and Elizabeth Luther of whom I have just writ- ten giving the history as far as I know, M~ name was peleg mj t fo rd , mv mother was ~ u t h TiWitts. They were both from

am Whitford' who was born in Shaftsbury, 1781, died Addison 1875.

Luther was very short of stature and her husband William Whitford was very tall. She was blind the last years of her life and, toward the last, her mind became impaired. A picture of her is in possession of Mrs. Julia (Stickles) Clark, in 1940.

Following research in the Vital Records of by C. F. L.

before his death in the present compiler came into co"espondence with J' Coates of Montpelier, Vt., and thru

~ ~ ' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ d e ~ ~ i n ~ , " f k p O ~ , " ~ ~ , " ~ : corrected an Of many years

:kFz 'Zen ~~~~~~$ kythg former Luther genealogists as the wife of William Luther (565). who in reality married Elizabeth Lu- ther (291); and Elizabeth Maxwell, widow of Amos Luther (175) was awribed as the wife of William Whitford. Recause of unusual co- incidences, t.he inferences were na- tural and no criticism can attach thereto. -

Elizabeth hpd 10 children: 1. Ardelia Whit,ford, b. 1801; m.

a M,, post and lived in st .Louis, MO.

2. William T. Whitford, b. 1802; m. - Seeger.

3. Olive Whitford, b. 1804; m. - Smith. 4. Russell m t f o r d , b. 1806; d.

at 7 years . 5. Hannah Whitford, b. 1807; m. - p a t . 6. Peleg hitfo ford, b. 1809. No

issue. 7. Gardner Barton Whitford, b.

Feb. 1, 1811; d. -: m. - CarDent,pr. They had a d~ughter, Elvirn Whitford. who married -- Stickles, and it is their daughter. Mrs. .Tclin (Stickles) Clark who some vears aqo flrrniched this data. 8. Cvras F '.Vhitford, b. 1812.

Lived in the West. 9. Charlotte P. Whitford. b, 1819.

We hope give vou an ivterestinv in the nnxt ics'lP of Of

her dpscendants. One Of was the orpsidPncv

of the Central of Georgia Railway Com~anv. 10. Orvillp N. Whitford, b. 1823; m. - Spencer.

The Bal:ey Prcw-1Ioravia. P;. Y.