Oops!

• photo of Blance and Wendell (Aug 2000)
• photo of Samuel Hart (Nov 30, 2000)

The Family of Samuel Hart

Hart Genealogy Page (preliminary - mere complilation of notes from a trip to Bottisham, England, 1979)

From the Bottisham Chronicle:

No locomotives allowed on roads except midnight to 6AM." (24 Feb 164) (Note: early steam-drive farm tractors were know as "locomotives," and frightened the livestock. So they were moved from field to field during the night.)

The Church at Bottisham Lode was dedicated in 1852. Prior to this time, the nearest church was at Bottisham (about 4 miles). The new church was near Anglesee Abbey, an ancient monastic residence. The new church was named St. James.

The address of the Bottisham Vicarage was near Newmarket." This was in 1852.

The total population of Bottisham Parish (roughly 3 miles wide and 10 miles long) was 1549, with 771 living some distance (0.5 to 4 miles)away.

The income of the vicarage was £250 per year. The new church (at the Lode) cost £1400.

Jane Cornell kept a disorderly house." (25 Jan 1800, p3) (Note: this did NOT refer to being a poor housecleaner, but rather to a moral issue and was a reference to her source of income.)

Accident on Friday evening, 24th September, a young man named Elijah Hart, was at work on the wall of the new church, when his feet slipped and he fell to the ground from a height of about 15 feet. In his fall he struck against scaffolding: his head and shoulders were bruised and his ribs broken. Medical aid was sent for and Mr. R. Lucas attended immediately, under whose skilful treatment he is likely soon to be quite well." (2 Oct 1852)

Among the deaths reported for the year 1852 in Swaffham Prior (village 4 miles north of Bottisham): "March 4, aged 68, Mr. Samuel Hart, Landlord of the Red Lion.

From the Cambridge Chronicle, 1851

Samuel Hart, Red Lion, Swaffam Prior. Bankruptcy and sale of goods - daughter Percy Hart claims her own "mangle" (31 May 51).

John Hart, a pauper of Stow Cum Quy, upon examination was declared to be a lunatic and order for his removal to an asylum was made accordingly. (1 March 1851)

Sale of land: Sam Hart, 3 lots (19 November 1808, p3) conditions Sam Hart’s Bank receive 2nd dividend (15 Jan)

Sale ??? opposite Red Lion (5 April 1811, p4)

Sale House opposite Red Lion (21 June 1811, p3)

Sale of stock belonging to Sam Hart (5 November 1808, p3)

Sale of  ??? Sam Hart, dealer and Cl??MC (5 April 1802, p3)

Sam Hart appointed gamekeeper to …???? 14 Aug 1802, p3

Sam Hart begins a stage wagon service between Swaffham Prior and London (13 October 1804, p3)

Sale of stock, Sam Hart (29 December 1804, p3)

From Cambridge Chronicle 1850

The license of Red Lion public house at Swaffham Prior was transferred to Thomas Palmby on the removal of Samuel Hart. (27 April 1850)

John Hart of Bottisham Lode charged by Charlotte Reynolds of Bottisham with assaulting her at Bottisham Lode. Case dismissed. (17 August 1850)

William Cornwell and Robert Hart (in absence) both of Bottisham Lode were charged with stealing sapling trees the property of Mr. Edward Mason of Waterbeach, farmer. Cornwell having been summoned in the wrong name was of course discharged and the case gone against Hart who was fined damages and costs of 12 shillings or 21 days imprisonment. (16 February 1850).

Charles Hart of Bottisham, carpenter, was charged by Susan Muggleton of Bottisham, singlewoman, with nonpayment of weekly expenses upon an order of affiliation. Defendent admitted the charge. Ordered to pay the amount due and costs in a fortnight. (20 July 1850)

Suit by Nuetter vs, Hart for payment of beer for Red Lion (27 July 1850)

Game lists (names of sporting land owneres in the area) include for 1833-1837: Bottisham, Hart, M and R.

Bottisham

Possible derivations of the name

From the Reverend D. D. Bilings, Vicar, Bottisham Village, Cambridge, CBS 8BA, Cambridge 0223-811265 (my visit to him 1979)

1087 Bodichessham - home of Bodich or Boduc.

1043 Bidishseye - two ditches - Bi-dish-(s) - eye [ham], two-ditches-island.

Stow cum Quy (small village south of Bottisham ): stow (holy place) - cum (with or by - latin) - Quy (dockside)

Bottisham Church

Exact dates unknown.

Bell tower dates in early 13th Century as does the Chancel, but the Nave seems to have been built some time later. Appears to have been built as one design, patronised by someone locally of some importance. Royal masons were used, and the design is a whole (unlike most early churches that built a nave, then knocked out walls for a chancel, a chapel, etc. and finally raising the roof for a celestory). This speaks of a wealthy patron. The official date for the church is 1280, but this is only a ‘best guess.’

There are hints of an earlier Saxon structure.

The area, however, suggests some sort of ecclesiastical prominence dating back to Roman times. This area is on the edge of a large marsh, the Fen to the north-west, and to the south-east is the Heather - grassland. This edge-land is the arable section and can be traced by the old towns that were settled every two to five miles. It is known that Roman villages dotted this "edge" - roughly as the towns do now. A Roman road runs along to the east, and arterial roads (the Lodes) run north-west to south-east across the Fen to the Roman road. These Lodes date to the Roman times.

Bottisham is just south, alongside the old Lode. It is a high ground - the whole area being very low, any slight rise is "high" ground - and suggests some natural, geographic prominence in the region. The church grounds pre-date any historical documents and seem to have been some sort of church perhaps back to Roman times.

The Agriculture of the Area (Prior to the draining of the Fens in the seventeenth century)

The Fen is marshland from which peat was cut for fuel. Reeds were harvested for thatch for roofs, and to scatter on the floor.

In the winter, when the marsh dried somewhat, animals were moved onto it for winter pasture. Those animals that could not or would not survive the harsh easterly winds of winter (windmills doted the area) were slaughtered and salted down.

In Spring, the animals were moved back to the Heath, their normal grazing area.

The intermediate area was arable, and conventional farming was done - small vegetable patches, etc. One area just north of the Church was devoted to a common vineyard.

Landowners in the region owned strips of land in each part of the parish. Each parish was (and is) a long rectangle, about 10 miles by 3 miles with the church in the centre, along with one or more towns nearby. It lays NW by SE, so each parish has a section of Fen, Edge, and Heath.

In Bottisham, the town spread out a bit as the arable section was larger than in many other areas. Thus 50% of the parish lived in or near Bottisham itself, and many others (771) lived toward the Fen, some 1.5 to 4 miles away. So, in 1852, a second church was built, St. James, at Bottisham Lode - the parish was split in two. By this time, of course the enclosure had occurred, so this presented few problems. (The enclosure is dated at 1801).

Cromwell’s house was in Ely.

Obituary, March ?, 1901, a clipping from Williamston Enterprise:

(Scrawled along the bottom of the print:
Samuel Hart - Born in Emgland to Benjamin & Lucy (Long) Hart Feb. 5 - 1824 & came to Michigan 1852. Bought 200 Ac. gov. land and died Feb. 28, 1901.)

Samuel Hart, an old and highly respected pioneer, was born in Bottisom (sic) Lode, Cambridgeshire, England, Feb. 5, 1824, where he lived until 28 years of age.

In March 1852 he set sail for his future home in America, coming by sailing vessel. The ocean voyage lasted three weeks and three days. He worked near Almont, Oakland county, Mighigan, about two years and in 1854 Mr. Hart came to Williamston township where he purchased from the state the farm on which he lived until his death. The farm was then an unbroken wilderness, he being obliged to clear a small spot to build a log hut. He helped chop all the principle roads through the wilderness in this vicinity. He was united in marriage to Ester A. Rinard on March 17, 1864.

Mr. Hart enjoyed very good health until the past year, he has gradually failed from heart trouble. He was confined to his bed about two weeks and died Feb, 28, 1901 at the age of 71 years and 88 days. He leaves two sons, Charles F. and Urvin S., and one daughter, Rosa M., all of this place, and a large circle of friends to mourn their loss.

Funeral services were held at the Williamston Center M. E. church conducted by the pastor, Rev. J. W. Fenn. He was laid to rest in Summit cemetery.

News from Mason in an adjoining column included the following:

The high school pupils have divided on the question of endorsing Mrs. Nation’s methods in Kansas for their next election in the, Antinationalists and Pronationalists.

Obituary from the State Journal(?): HART, CHARLES F. (Charlie), 670 Haslett Rd, Williamston

Mr. Hart graduated from the Hart District School at age 16 and then in 1888 went to Williamston High School which he attended during the fall terms only, for 4 years. During the spring terms he was needed to help his father on the farm and to pay off the farm debt, thus he did not graduate from high school.

The Hart farm erected the first silo on Haslett Rd. in 1907. They had the first farm tractor in the area in 1908. They owned the first co-operative corn husking company in central Michigan. Mr. Hart’s farm is now an accredited Centennial; farm having been owned and operated by the Hart family for over 145 years.

Mr. Hart had a life-long history of concern for and service to his community, state, and nation. He was secretary of the Patrons of the Industry at age 16. This organisation lasted only 10 years and was succeeded by the Patrons of Husbandry, The Grange. He was the master, secretary, and performed many other duties for the Williamston Grange for over 45 years. He was the master ot the Ingham County Pamona Grange, a member of the Michigan State Grange serving as State Deputy Master for 45 years and a seven-degree member of the National State Grange. He organised in 1918 the Ingham County Farm Bureau. He organised ahd started the Ingham County Fair through co-operation of Mason merchants and subordinate local granges. He helped organise the first Pure seed Club in central Michigan. He helped organise the Maple Syrup Organisation. He built and developed the first telephone line on Haslett Road and served on the board of directors for 39 years. He was a member of the Williamston Township Board and the Hart School Board for many years. A member of the Ingham County War Board during World War I and II and the Ingham County Jury, Ingham County Probate Court as an estate administrator, served as a director for 14 years of the Farmers Detroit Meat Packing Plant. He was a lifelong member of St. Catherine Episcopal Church of Williamston.

Surviving are 4 daughters, Mrs. Burnus (Ilah) Page of Pittsford, Mi., Mrs. Gertrude McClure of Williamston, Mrs. Stewart (Marian) Hulce of farwell, Mi. and Mrs William (Erma) Miles of Lansing; Mrs. Fred (Dora) Roth (preceded him in death in 1971); 2 sons, Wendell Hart of Gowen and George Hart of Williamston, 28 grandchildren; 52 great-grandchildren; 5 great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral service will be held Monday 2 p.m. from the St. Catherine Episcopal Church, Williamston with Rev. Charles Q. Moya, Rector, officiating. Interment in Summit Cemetery, Williamston. Friends desiring may make contributions to the Charles F. Hart Memorial Fund in care of St. Catherine Episcopal Church. Friends may call at the Gorsline-Runciman East Chapel, East Lansing until 1 p.m. Monday.

Obiturary from State Journal: Ingham Resident Dies In Hospital Thursday

Obituary from Brownsville Herald: Blanche Carol Hart

She was born in Greenville, Michigan,  and moved to Brownsville in 1984. She was very well known for her crafts and pine needle baskets. She was a member of the Church of the Advent.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Wendell Charles Hart, of Brownsville; a son, Charles Hart of Scottsbluff, Neb., four daughters, Carol Hart Melvin of Drummond Island, Mich., Betty Hart Queen of Sharon, S. C., Mary Hart of Brownsville and Charlotte Hart of Gowen, Mich.; 18 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held today at 11 a.m. at the Church of the Advent with Arthur Bevins officiating. A reception for friends and family will follow at Winter Haven, 3501 Old Port Isabel Road.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent in her name to the Church of the Advent, 104 W. Elizabeth St., Brownsville, Texas 78520.

Arrangements are under the direction of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home, 945 Palm Blvd.

Letters from Graham Hart

In the year 2000, I received the following two letters from a 4^th cousin, Graham Hart:

17 Dec 2000

New Belmont, 1, Oaklands Road, Bromley, BR1 3SJ, United Kingdom Tel 020 8464 9456, Fax 020 8402 8296 30th October 2000