Have you noticed how the wife’s given name is hardly ever mentioned in pre-1960 news articles? For exmple, it was always written as Mr. and Mrs. Wilber Dayton, instead of Wilber and Jessie Dayton. It was not at all uncommon to read news like “Mrs. Wilber Dayton entered the hospital today. ” instead of “Jessie Dayton entered the hospital today.” I’ve even seen obituaries where the deceased woman’s given name is never mentioned. She was always referred to as Mrs. “Husband’s name” “surname.” It’s a shame that we treated the wife as a possession of the husband. I presently have in my possession, the church minutes of the Corinth Wesleyan Methodist church dating all the way back to the 1800’s. Grandma Dayton, for some reason, is the only female in the books with this desgnation (Mrs. Wilber Dayton or Mrs. Dayton). I have not found her to be referred to as Jessie. All other married females were referred to by their given name, i.e.-Cora, Alma, Mabel, Blanche, Mary, Elizabeth, Ruth, etc. (This makes it difficult for genealogists. They might find it difficult to locate Jessie Dayton). I wonder if it was a distinction of respect.
The following article illustrates this problrm. The article is the annoucement of a Dayton family reunion. Of all of the invitations, the only exception is an invitation to Mrs. Flossie Denton. This was very unusual and was an afront to husband George who was not even invited to the affair. He was estranged from the Dayton family, and the afrontery was definitely intentional.
If you found a watch lying in the street, what would you do? If you were poorer than a church mouse, would you say, “God is Good, He just gave me a new watch?” If you were greedy, would you say, “too bad sucker, it’s mine now?” If you were rich, would you just leave it there for some other lucky person to find?
Jessie Belle (White) Dayton
Do you know what our gramma, Jessie Belle Dayton, did? Our gramma Jessie, who WAS poorer than a church mouse? She went to the newspaper office with her “widows’ mite”, purchased a classified advertisement hoping she could find its owner and return it. How many people do you think would do that? Was she nuts? Had she gone off the deep end? Or was she someone with exceptional integrity? Someone with exceptional generosity? She probably used grocery money to pay for the ad. Thank you, gramma, for walking like you talked. You taught us well.
Janice Dayton, 83, of Lincoln, NE went to be with her Lord on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
Janice was born on May 4, 1936 to Nelson “Pete” and Edith (Chase/Niles) Waters in Hague, NY, where she was raised and graduated high school. Janice married Roger Dayton of Corinth, NY on April 25, 1958. They later divorced. They had three daughters, Tamara, Lydia, and Katie. Janice was a longtime resident of Corinth. She also lived many years in central California, and most recently, for 18 years in Lincoln, NE.
Janice was a woman of many gifts, talents, and great faith. Her passion in life was to use the talents that God gave her to glorify Him and share His love with others, whether by sewing, quilting, crocheting, baking bread, pies or other goodies, or singing God’s praises. She raised her three girls to love and serve both God and others. She believed “Whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God.”
Janice was preceded in death by both parents, and her brothers, Francis Waters, Matthew Waters, and Rev. Nelson P. Waters. She is survived by her three daughters, Tamara Dayton of Billings, MT, Lydia Dayton and her husband, George Conner of Norfolk, NE, and Katie Malcom and her husband Jerry Malcom of Avondale, AZ, her sister, Judith (Waters) Kenna of Van Etten, NY, six grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, three sisters-in-law, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
No service will be held at this time. Family will gather to celebrate Janice’s life at a private burial of ashes which will be held at a later date, when she will be returned home to her beloved Adirondack Mountains.
NOTE FROM JIM: Janice lived in Corinth when I was a teenager there too. I remember her beautiful singing voice, and every once in a while she would let loose. She sang in discantus style to such hymns as Lily of the Valley, and Everybody Ought to Know. She was always the echo, and boy could she echo! I asked Tamara and Lydia what her mom’s favorite hymns were and they said “… every hymn was her favorite.”
As suggested in the obituary, Janice loved her Adirondacks. She wrote of her bond to the mountain’s grandeur in verse seen elsewhere in this tribute.
Cammie Luckey is in the process of digitizing her father’s hoard of documents which he collected over the course of his 50 years of active ministry. I am going to send them out as posts so they will be captured as a long term repository on my blog.
This first entry is a tribute from a long-time freind, Ray Smith. Click on the link below.
In this final Flansburg post, we’ll view our ancient Dutch pedigree starting from our ancestor, Rev. William Flansburg, and strecthing back to the earliest days of the founding of America and the incorporation of New Amsterdam (present day New York City). If you will recall, Jessie Belle White, was Anna Alma Flansburg’s daughter, and Anna was William Flansburg’s daughter. William was the start of the following pedigree seen below.
William’s parent’s and grandparent’s were from the Albany (Fort Orange), New York area. Prior to arriving at Fort Orange, they moved up the Hudson River from New York. The Dutch explorer, Henry Hudson, had discovered the Hudson River in 1609. Henry was actually born in Germany, but border wars and redrawing of borders, give him a Dutch heritage according to family tradition. Perhaps his Dutch comes from his mom and the many Dutch women on the Flansburg side of the family. Click on download to view the pedigree.
Rev. Charles Alexander Dayton, my Uncle Chop, was a man who was bigger than life. He was the Paul Bunyan of Upstate New York country pastors. But in his younger days he was the Huckleberry Finn of the upper-Hudson River. Todays story is a tale of a childhood prank gone bad as told by his younger brother Chip [Chester]….the master story teller.
Jessie Belle White’s great-grandfather, Matheus Flansburgh, (Mattheus1, William2, Anna3, Jessie Belle White4) was an early founder of the town of Day, Saratoga Co., NY. Matheus was born in 1763 in Guilderland, Albany Co., NY. He was the eighth of eleven children. He married Maria Clute (Cloët) in 1792 in Norman’s Kill, Schenectady Co., NY. Shortly thereafter, he and Maria moved to the “land of opportunity” north of Ft Orange (Albany) on the Sacandaga River. In Nathaniel Sylvester’s THE HISTORY OF SARATOGA COUNTY NEW YORK, 1609 – 1878, Everts & Ensign, Philadelphia:1878, Sylvester writes, “Matthew Flansburg came from Guilderland, Albany County, in 1802, and settled on lot 35 of the Glen and Yates Patent. There were but few settlers, no roads, and an almost unbroken forest. After clearing a sufficient space he planted his crops and waited for the harvest. The following winter he went to Schenectady, a distance of forty miles, on foot after a half-bushel of salt, which he brought back on his shoulder. He came from Albany via Schenectady, Fish House, and Beecher’s Hollow. He had six children, four of whom are still living in the county. Peter, the oldest, lives in Day, aged eighty four years (in 1878). Catherine Mosher lives in Day; William H. lives in Hadley, and John in Ballston.”
Three years earlier, Matheus’ brother Nicholas, had settled in Day. Sylvester writes, “In the spring of 1799, Nicholas Flansburgh, a resident of Schenectady county, came – via the Fish House (Northampton) – down the river (Sacandaga River) in a dugout, and, landing on the south bank of the river, nearly opposite Day Centre, settled on lot 3, great lot 21 of the John Glen Patent. He built a log house, and clearing up the land as quickly as possible, planted his crops. Wild animals were quite plentiful at that time. The deer had a herding-place or yard at a large rock on the hill near Mr. Flansburgh’s. Bears were frequently seen, and sometimes, grown bold by pressing hunger, would come and carry off a calf, sheep or pig, and often the poor settler, lacking powder and ball, was forced to see his property destroyed without remedy. Sometimes the tables were turned, and Bruin himself helped to fill the meat-barrel. The barking of foxes and the howling of wolves was frequent, and the blood-curdling shriek of the panther was occasionally heard.”
Maria died in 1852, and Matheus died 6 years later at the age of 95. Both are buried in marked graves in the West Day Cemetery. The flag on Mathew’s grave is testimony to his military service in the American Revolution. He was a Capt. In Jurinan Hogan’s Company, Col. Henry Quakenboss’ regiment, Albany Co., NY Militia. [You may contact Deane Dayton to inquire about joining the SAR.]
Matheus’ father was Joseph VLENSBURGH, b. October 14, 1720 in Albany. Four of Joseph’s sons (Matheus, Dirk, William and Anthony) were American Patriots who saw action in the American Revolution. Son Dirk was probably the most prosperous. He was a Tavern Keeper in Half-Moon (just north of Albany on the Hudson River).
Joseph’s father was Matheus VLENSBURGH, born About March 1687/88 in Albany. His occupation was turner and blockmaker. In politics, he was Assistant Councilman. “He had a lot near the Horse Guard blockhouse; corner of Hudson and Green Streets in 1718. [SOURCE: Genealogies of the First Settlers of Albany, Pearson, p. 48].
Matheus’ father was Jan Jansen VAN FLENSBURG, born before 1672 in probably Holland.
Dayton Family History 