MAULE FAMILY NEWSLETTER

Vol. VI, No. 2

Oct. 1985

*** LONG-LOST COUSINS WELCOMED TO FAMILY ***

It has been a productive summer. After spending several hundred hours in libraries, writing letters, making telephone calls, and visiting people, I have been able to find at least one cousin in a dozen branches of the family which, until now, had existed without our knowledge of who they were and where they could be found. The details of this summer's activities would make a good script for a long book. Suffice it to say that the combination of help from librarians and cousins, my increased knowledge of how to do more sophisticated genealogical research, and an amazing amount of luck has produced more information and introduced us to more cousin than at any time since the days in 1975, 1976, and 1977 when my mailings to hundreds of Maule families and the efforts of several dozen of our cousins created the core of the genealogy and the rebirth of the reunion.

Let me give you some examples.

One family that I could not find was the MORGAN branch, which I had traced into Philadelphia in the 1820's, discovered on the 1850 and 1880 census records, and accidentally noticed in a court case involving some technical questions about the will of one of the sons of Zillah (Maule) Morgan; the court papers and will listed his nephews and nieces, without stating which of the other sons were their parents and without giving addresses, other than a reference in testimony to "those living in the country". (Agh, what country?). I knew nothing else. Then I discovered,in the "Philadelphia Record of Deaths, 1799-1860", that Zillah (Maule) Morgan was buried in Monument Cemetery. Maybe the records of that cemetery, like those of so many others, would list next-of-kin, and maybe the children and grandchildren were buried there. I couldn't find Monument Cemetery; the Philadelphia Orphans' Court, which had jurisdiction, finally determined it had been closed by Temple University; the development office at Temple thought the remains had been removed to new Glenwood Cemetery; that was not the case. Finally, a funeral director whose firm has been in business for a century, and which had handled the arrangements for my great-aunt's burial, helped me by putting me in touch with a semi-retired employee, who remembered that when Temple University closed Monument in the early 1950's, it removed the remains to Lawnview Cemetery. At Lawnview, the records indicated only the names of the people in the Morgan plot: Zillah, her husband, someone named Sarah Brown, and Zillah's unmarried daughter Hannah. Fortunately, the records also indicated that the family member with whom the cemetery had contact was Mrs. Lloyd Brown of Franklin, Pa. Franklin, Pa.? Yes...on to part 2.

I called information in Franklin, Pa. No Lloyd Brown. So I called the library, which told me to write to a woman there. I did, and she sent me the obituary of Lloyd Brown, who died in the late 1950's. He was married to the late Emily Morgan of Lancaster; they had no children, but they had nephews and nieces. Emily Morgan's obituary could not be found. According to his obituary they were active members of their church, I called the church. People there remembered them, but recollected only that a niece from Cleveland had come to take Emily for a visit; she never returned. I then called the Orphans' Court of Franklin County, and a helpful clerk read me the names of the nephews and nieces from Lloyd Brown's will. Here was a dead end; I still have not found any of them, because the will gave no indication of their addresses, and because they were contingent beneficiaries, Mrs. Brown's survival meant that they did not appear in any of the probate proceedings.

So, I called several funeral directors, cemeteries, and churches in Lancaster, following suggestions from the people in Franklin who were trying to help, and I accomplished nothing, except to find several Morgan burials in one cemetery. So, I Maule visited the Lancaster County Historical Society, read newspaper items and some other records, and finally, discovered that Edwin Morgan, a son of Zillah (Maule) Morgan, had a daughter Mary Morgan, who married Professor Anselm Heister of F&M College. In turn, his obituary mentioned a son E. Morgan Heister, then of Glassboro, N.J., a school teacher. Although the obituary was dated in 1927, on a lark, I called Glassboro information, and, yes, Morgan Heister was living there. I called him, later visited him, meeting a very elegant and intelligent man, and he helped me fill in some of the Morgan lines. He had pictures, which I borrowed to have negatives made (I will return them, I haven't forgotten!), and some letters and other documents.

Oh, yes, one other example. Not as complicated, but with a little luck.

Another Philadelphia branch of the family that seemed to have "disappeared" (actually, maybe we "disappeared" from them) is the CLENDENON family. Descended from Mercy (Maule) Clendenon, they were recorded in Morris Leeds' Sketch of the Leeds-Evans-Maule-Conard families through the 1850's, and appeared in census records only in the person of John Cresswell Clendenon, a grandson of Mercy (Maule) Clendenon. Where was he? Culpepper, Va.

I called and wrote to a library in Culpepper and to the Orphans' Court there, but failed to find an obituary, a will, or any record other than a reference in a history of the town to the fact that a Clendenon played on the high school football team. Fortunately, a woman at the library suggested I call a man who knew the town's history and many of the people who had lived there. When I called him, he remembered a Clendenon family, said he thought they moved to Washington, D.C., and couldn't tell me anything else. Another dead end? No! A week later, this man sends me a letter and tells me he happened to see a grandson of John C. Clendenon; this grandson had returned (from Florida) to visit old friends, and gave the names of several sisters and cousins, which were forwarded to me. I have since called our Clendenon cousins, and they are putting together the information on their branch for the genealogy. Ironically, some of them live fairly close to where I lived when I lived in Virginia.

Subsequently, I returned to Swarthmore Friends Library, and did a thorough and more logical examination of meeting records, discovering additional clues on the Clendenons who remained in Philadelphia.

Many of you have asked me "How?" and "Why?" I've talked about the "why" many times, and wish to add, "I enjoy this activity. It's fun. I've met many people from different places, and I've learned many things about people, our family, and myself." As to the "how", well, I hope that by recounting two of my many summer genealogy experiences, you'll have an idea of what I've been doing.

*** A LETTER FROM MAULE ***

Isn't that what this newsletter is? Yes, but now I want to tell you about a letter I received. Several weeks ago, there arrived in the mail a letter from Madame F. Baxas of Maule, France. Having heard of me from two of our British cousins (John P. Maule, and Alexander Maule), she wrote to tell me about their organization, Association Culturelle pour l'Information des Maulois. The letterhead is IMPRESSIVE; when I opened the letter I said "wow", and I mean it. The A.C.I.M., as it is called, studies, gathers, and publishes documents about Maule, and families named Maule. They requested a copy of the book, which I sent. They are reopening the MAULE MUSEUM. Honest. I think that there will be a significant benefit to everyone from our new friend, and as I learn more about our ancestral town, I will tell you

If you are planning to go to France, do stop at Maule. It is 20 miles or so from Paris. I think you will precede me. Write to Mme. F. Baxas, 53 Chemin de Poissy, 78580, Maule, France. She writes excellent English, and directed the French House at Elmira College. I am certain that she would be most happy to meet with you if you have the opportunity to visit. As soon as I can, I plan to visit, but it probably will be several more years.

*** ITEMS OF NOTE ***

Eleanore Price Mather, an editor for Pendle Hill and an authority on artist Edward Hicks, died on June 24, 1985. Many of you knew Eleanore, and all of us will miss her. She was a caring and helpful person, knowledgeable and respected. I met her at the Friends Library, under unusual circumstances, a few years ago. I noticed a book display with her name, and told the librarian that my records from Morris Leeds' material indicated she was a cousin. The librarian told me she was a frequent visitor, because she was vice-president of the Friends Historical Society. When I left that day, I found a parking ticket on my car (the college guard not having seen my visitor sign), so I took it to the library to have it rescinded (these ticket mixups occasionally happened). When I returned to the library, I was introduced to Eleanore, who immediately assumed the responsibility for updating her branch of the family. She also introduced me to several cousins, and became a major contributor to the genealogy. Many of us are related to her family through the FitzRandolphs, and she and her family helped me trace that branch of my ancestry. Someone so helpful and likeable cannot leave without us feeling a sense of loss. To her family we extend our sympathy.

The Randolph A. Maule family held its annual reunion on Saturday, Sept. 14, 1985, at the Mayfair Athletic Club, in northeast Philadelphia, Pa. About sixty of us attended, and enjoyed seeing cousins, aunts, and uncles some of whom we hadn't seen for a while. As we get older and become involved with our children and their activities, we don't always keep in as much touch as we once had. These reunions give us an opportunity to keep the family network alive. Thanks to Bernadette O'Brien for arranging things and baking the reunion cake, to Frank O'Brien for the music, and to the McKeon crew who helped obtain the use of the club's facilities.

Speaking of reunions, please reserve Saturday, September 6, 1986, on your calendar, for the biennial "all of us" Maule reunion. The plans are to meet at Sadsbury Meeting in Chester County. The date and place are tentative, but it's 99 percent certain. Alternate date: Sunday, September 14 (leaving Sept. 13 for the Randolph A. Maule reunion). Sadsbury Meeting has a place if it rains, restroom facilities, and a kitchen. They're a little short on chairs and tables, so please plan to bring some if you can. Details and directions will appear in the April 1986 newsletter.

Imagine opening up your college alumni magazine (the University of Pennsylvania's Gazette) and seeing a picture of a cousin with whom you've corresponded but never met. The picture was of Peter Nowell, and it accompanied an article about our cousin's discovery of chromosomal abnormalities in cancer cells. Peter is a pathologist who does research at Penn. Congratulations to you, Peter, and yes, you look very much like my father and uncles. Incidentally, I was "introduced" to Peter by Eleanore Mather's daughter Janney, who had his mother as a teacher when she was in school.

Where are you? More newsletters returned as "not forwardable": Jerry L. Maule (formerly of Wm. Henry Apts., Malvern), Patricia Daisy (Sicklerville, N.J.) (I forgot to ask you for your new address last month), Norman D. Holloway (Devon, Pa.), Bill F. Maule (Vermillion, S.D.), Diane Reeder (West Manchester, Oh.), Michael & David Bennett (Peachtree, Ga.), Gerald Maule (Stanfield, Ariz.), and Arthur Thomas Van Arkel (Havertown, Pa.). If you know their new addresses, please let me know.

If, like me, you didn't get to London while our cousin Bill Maule was consul there, it's too late. His tour of duty is complete, and he is now going to be consul in Montreal. Say hello if your vacation takes you in that direction.

It's a small world. People in Maule, France, write to tell you they've heard of your book. The Morgans (I forgot to mention this), it turns out, are intermarried with the Browns of Nottingham, the family of Zillah (Walker) Maule's second husband, making us double (and actually, triple) cousins. Janney Mather's teacher from when she was in school, she now discovers, is a cousin. Well, try this one. I go to a picnic near Allentown, with Sue and Charles, her parents, and several of her brothers. While watching the balloonists fill a hot-air balloon, Sue's brother comes up to me and whispers, "This seems weird, but there's a guy there just behind you with a name tag that says 'Jim Maule'". Sure enough, it's Jim Maule of the Williamsport, Pa., branch of the family, and his family. Simultaneously, "What are you doing here?" Quite a pleasant surprise, since I hadn't seen Jim and Ellen since my visit to Williamsport in 1978.

*** ONWARD, ONWARD ***

As you may have guessed from the opening item, I had the opportunity this past summer to visit several libraries, to make calls, and to engage in correspondence, with the result being a significant increase in the amount of information about the family for inclusion in the next book. I have reached the point where I am able to make lists of what information remains "missing", and I would like to share a summary of those lists with you.

Last May, before beginning this second phase of research, I made a card for each place in the genealogy of Thomas and Zillah (Walker) Maule's descendants that I had inserted "NFK" (nothing further known) in the genealogy, unless in the intervening four years someone sent me information. I also included the descendants of Thomas Maule's brother and sister, but left the search for his half-sisters' descendants for a separate project (which has been quite successful). There were 384 cards! Of these:

Of the 384, ONLY 53 are difficult to pursue. ALL OF THE OTHERS CAN BE BROUGHT UP-TO-DATE in the next book, SO LONG AS THEY OR SOMEONE IN THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY HELPS US DO SO. Frankly, of all the genealogies that I have seen, aside from miniature sketches of, for example, "my grandparents' descendants" (which is much easier to compile), none have achieved the degree of completeness that lies within the grasp of the MAULE family. Something inside me says, "If it can be done and there is a good reason for doing it, do it." Over the years, I've explained the "good reasons for doing it" many times, and I won't pester you again, other than to ask, "What will you tell your grandchildren when they ask why you aren't in the book or are listed in an uninformative summary fashion?" During the fall of 1984, I called and spoke with some of you. To be more precise, I spoke with almost 100 of you. All of you promised to compile information and send it along. Several dozen of you did so. What happened to everyone else? I would indeed appreciate hearing from you as soon as possible. Here's why. Recently I have learned more about computer programming than I ever thought I'd want to know. OK, I'm hooked. Using my mother's family as a model, because it is smaller than the MAULE family, I developed several machine-language computer programs. Using a commercial word processing program, the genealogy is typed onto disk, rather than paper. One program I wrote permits me to insert symbols to mark which words are to be in the index. This program takes those marked entries, and puts them into index form. For example, from 1E THOMAS MAULE, the program creates MAULE, Thomas 1E. Better yet, when it encounters Zillah Walker's name, it creates both WALKER, Zillah (MAULE) 1E, and MAULE, Zillah nee WALKER 1E. Page numbers can be inserted thereafter, once the page number is known. For hyphenated surnames and women who do not take their husband's names, and children whose surnames are not the father's surname, special routines permit the necessary adjustments. Because my computer's memory is so small, I needed and wrote two programs to separate the entries into clusters (such as A, HA-HE, HF-HZ, X-Y-Z), etc.) Each cluster is then, by another program, alphabeticized. So, a task that took months in the 1981 book can be done in hours, and I can even do something else while the programs are running. And, yes, one last program: it goes through the genealogy and makes certain that the proper symbols have been used, to prevent the index-entry-making program from filing when a symbol is mistyped. Well, how is this relevant? Simply, if I find a way to use an optical scanner to convert the 1981 manuscript pages into magnetic form "readable" by my computer, I can create a second edition faster than it would take to create a supplement. And at less expense. My expectation is that I would have a second edition ready for the printer by 1988 or 1989, unless everyone responds within a month of receiving this newsletter, in which case 1987 is a possibility. For the future...in 2010 we'll need a third edition or supplement to record the events of yet another generation. *** A GENERATION GROWS UP *** There are at least 405 members of the family, born between 1950 and 1967, who are now 18 years of age or older, about whom nothing is known except the fact they were born, usually their birthdates, and occasionally their birthplaces. When I began compiling the genealogy, many of these people were small children. Others, although older, were listed on information sheets sent to me by our cousins, and little if anything was included about their lives. In the 1981 book, an "NFK" was used for those born before 1960, but those born after 1959 were merely listed under their parents' entries. By 1985, each of these individuals has a biography: schools attended, professions, marriage and children, activities and hobbies, awards and recognitions, and address. It would be most appropriate to send me a write-up for each of these individuals:

If you have already sent a biography for someone in the preceding list, I apologize for not having removed that person's name from the list. There are several inches of incoming letters which I have not yet transcribed to the master file, so it is possible that the preceding list contains the names of one or two individuals for whom information has recently arrived.

The preceding list is not complete because there are cousins in this generation whose existence is unknown to us, and thus their names do not appear. In the next newsletter I will list the other groups or branches on whom information is needed, and included therein will be, by definition, all descendants--including members of the 1945-1967 generation--of the person with whom the trail has temporarily ended.

*** THE NEW ENGLAND BRANCHES ***

Thomas Maule of Salem, Mass., had several daughters by his second wife, as well as two sons and a daughter by his third wife. the statistics on "missing" cousins in the preceding items in this newsletter do not include the descendants of those daughters by his second wife. Numerically, each deserves a separate book. Recently, through careful study of Friends meeting records for New England and several histories of Salem, I have found clues for locating present-day descendants of several of these Maule daughters. I've not yet had time to trace them, but will do so soon. It is likely that someone has already compiled a genealogy of some portion or portions of these more distant branches of the family.

*** SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION ***

This newsletter does not contain any supplementary information, which is a break from the tradition of the last several newsletters. One reason is that there were other items needing attention. Another is that I am changing the paper-and-pencil method of recording this information to computer storage. Thus, I won't need to retype it for the newsletter. A third reason is that we are at the point where there is so much supplementary information that the newsletter runs the risk of becoming a piecemeal book supplement. An aspect of the volume is that the newsletter is many months out-of-date with respect to this information. Future newsletters may contain selected portions, if there is space.

*** EXPANDED NEWSLETTER ***

Yes, this is a bigger newsletter. The reason is that 22 cents brings five sheets as easily as three, so why not get one's money's worth from the postage? Speaking of which, in response to questions: Each newsletter costs 22 cents to mail and 20 cents to photocopy. That's 84 cents for two issues a year (or approximately $450 per year). When the book was published, several cousins generously made significant contributions to the research and newsletter fund, most of which was expended for the 1982-83-84-85 newsletters, and many cousins generously made donations in the $5 range (including some cousins who mailed postage stamps), which also has been expended for the newsletter. Genealogy is my hobby, and I don't expect reimbursement for my time and research, but I'm always willing to receive contributions so that the newsletter can continue; on a per-newsletter basis (and assuming most reach two or more cousins, on a per-person basis) the cost is insignificant, but cumulatively it makes a dent. Your generosity and caring is appreciated.

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