The Lindgren/Tryon Genealogy: The Ancestry of John Ralph Lindgren and Shirley Ann Tryon, Revised Edition

By J. Ralph Lindgren

The revised edition of The Lindgren/Tryon Genealogy is leap forward as a family history. It carefully documents the often fascinating lives of both ordinary and extra-ordinary ancestors. The scope and extent of newly discovered forbearers is breathtaking. Beside an exhaustive Bibliography and Name Index, it also includes a new chapter on genetic origins.

The first four chapters explore family roots over a wide swath of Europe and the Middle East. The time horizon of this family's story spans a breathtaking three and a half millennia, back to about 1525 BCE when a man named Cenna and a woman named Neferu, both in ancient Egypt, married. They would become the parents of Queen Tetisheri and the grandparents of Pharoah Sequenenre Tao II, the 5th Pharaoh of the 17th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.

Through the intervening 128 generations the reader meets people leading both ordinary and extra ordinary lives: From farmers, tradesmen, poets, and professionals to one of the murderers of Bishop Beckett and seven Christian saints; from slaves to Kings and Emperors. Most were Christian, but many were Jewish, some Zoroastrian and still others sun worshipers - a few were probably Druids.

The final chapter sketches the genetic context of the family history. This sketch runs from the Rift Valley of Africa at about 50,000 years ago to Southern Europe about 20,000 years ago. The earliest individuals in these lines, known only as Mitochondrial Eve and Eurasian-Adam, serve to place this family in the vast context of our evolving species.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jan 24, 2008
• ISBN: 9781466981034

J. Ralph Lindgren

J. Ralph Lindgren retired in 1995 from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was the Clara H. Stewardson Professor of Philosophy. His accomplishments in that role can be found in any edition of Who's Who in America from 1984 to 2003. Since retiring he has devoted his energies to family history, gardening, photography and travel. This book is the culmination of a 12 year efforts, which builds on the work of earlier family historians

Book preview

THE LINDGREN/TRYON GENEALOGY:

THE ANCESTRY OF

JOHN RALPH LINDGREN

AND

SHIRLEY ANN TRYON

REVISED EDITION

by

J. RALPH LINDGREN

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Table of Contents

Table of Illustrations

Introduction

Chapter One:

The First Three Centuries

Chapter Two:

The Era of Puritan Immigration

Chapter Three:

The Middle Ages

Chapter Four:

The Ancient Era

Chapter Five:

The Dim and Distant Past

Bibliography

The least we can do for

our ancestors is to

remember them.

Table of Illustrations

Chapter One: (after page 108)

Ralph Lindgren Family; Frank Lindgren; Leona Toussaint.

Oscar Tryon Family; John Lindgren Family.

Michael Gorman Family; Emil Toussaint Family.

Henry F. Martyn; Mary Margaret Wallace; Tomb of Mary Margaret Wallace; Amanda Virginia Tyler and Merlin Plumb Tryon; Four Generations.

Merlin Plumb Tryon Family; Carl Gustav Lindgren Family.

Charles Toussaint Family; Oscar Tyler Family.

Marzel Sprich; Maria Meyer; Sarah Reed.

John Henry Haley (2); Abraham Hill and Amanda Sheldon.

William Jean; William Thomas Wallace; Tomb of Nancy Josephine Wallace and William Thomas Wallace

Church of Rev. Thomas Brooks; Tomb of Joseph Lame and Mary Bates.

The Edwards Lease.

Westward Migration Trails-1775-1857; Rates of Travel from New York City in 1857.

Colonial Roads.

Connecticut and New Haven Colonies. 1635-1660.

Provinces of Sweden; Selected Towns and Parishes, Ostergotland, Sweden-1800.

Principal Places of Origin in Germany.

Counties of Origin in Ireland.

Chapter Two: (after page 252)

Bocking Church; Cranbrook Church; Lindsell Church; St. Lawrence Church; Pilton Church; Crewkerne Church; OverStowey Church.

Tolland Church; Wolcott Window.

Berkhamsted Church; Hall, Berkhamsted School; Headmasters, Berkhamsted School.

Tomb of John Blake; Mayflower Steps, Plymouth.

The Mayflower; The Mary and John.

Tomb of Elizabeth Saunders; Tomb of Simon Wolcott and Martha Pitkin.

Tomb of John Warham; Tomb of John Stoughton.

St. Mary’s Hall; Church of Samuel Stone; Thomas Stoughton House.

Safe Arrival Monument; Adventurers Plaque.

Immigrant Origins in England.

Origins of Our Lyon and Munro Ancestors.

Chapter Three: (after page 336)

Arlington Church; Exeter Cathedral; Chittlehampton Church; Lustleigh

Church; Widworthy Church; Edwards Hall. Tomb of Robert Brett; Fritch Family Brass; Fitch Windows. Cobleigh Family Brass; Tomb of Richard Chichester;

Tomb of Lady Thomasine Chichester. Tomb of William de Prouz; Gedleigh Castle.

Aspinwall Arms; Chichester Arms; Elsworth Arms; Edwards Arms;

Fitch Arms; Weld Arms. Munro Arms; Norton Arms; Pitkin Arms; Stebbins Arms; Plumb Arms; Baldwin Arms.

Stoughton Arms; Talcott Arms; Wyatt Arms; Wadsworth Arms; Wolcott Arms.

Arms of Richard de Clare; The Stone of Destiny; William IX of Aquitaine; Geoffrey V the Fair Plantagenet.

Tombs of the Plantagents; Effigy of Queen Eleonore d’Aquitaine.

Kings of England: Edgar; Ethelred, Henry I, Henry II, Seal of Richard I; Effigy of King John.

Seal of William the Conqueror; Seal of Empress Matilda; Tomb of William the Conqueror; William I on Bayeux Tapestry.

Battle Abbey; The White Tower of the Tower of London.

King John signing the Magna Charta.

England in the Twelfth Century.

English Possessions-ca. 1190.

Chapter Four: (after page 460)

King Charles The Great Charlemagne; Charlemagne’s Crown;

Charlemagne’s Throne. Europe at the Death of Charlemagne-814; Europe On the Eve of the Barbarian Invasions-ca. 395.

Austrasia & Neustria; Britain ca. 500 CE.

Kenneth I mac Alpin; Vladimir I of Kiev; Albert the Great; Clovis I of the Franks and Clothilde.

The Abbey of Cluny; Coins of Yazdegerd III of Persia; Plan of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.

The Expanding Persian Empire; Darius I the Great of Persia; Cyrus II the Great of Persia.

Selected Sites in Ancient Egypt.

Ramses II; Tuthmosis IV and Tiaa; Amenhotep III and Tiy.

Tuthmosis III; Ahmose I; Battle axe of Ahmose I.

Introduction

Each family history has its own sources of fascination. Inevitably, they lay not in vast generalizations about overarching themes that are thought to unify the narrative, but in the varied textures found in the detail. In this respect, our family history is no different.

What is different about this family history, perhaps, is that we have been so fortunate in tracing so many lines, some back more than three millennia. Although we have devoted over twelve years to the research that has gone into the book, our good fortune is due almost entirely to the findings of others who have labored in this vineyard before us. The Bibliography lists as many of these researchers as we could identify. We are especially indebted to Ralph’s mother, Leona Toussaint Lindgren Nichols and his aunt, Luella Brunoehler Toussaint. These ladies undertook to trace the Toussaint and Martyn lines from scratch over the course of a decade in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when genealogical research was far more of a challenge than it is today. Our contribution is built on foundations laid by countless others before us. We are indeed fortunate.

This book is divided into five chapters. The first four report the ancestors that we have identified using genealogical methods. The chapter breaks were selected to capture similar themes with a minimum of overlap and result in units of approximately equal length. The first four chapters consist of three sections. The introductions briefly sketch the relevant historical context and highlight some of the detail to follow. The major portion of these chapters consist in genealogical detail. A gallery of pictures, maps and other illustrations bearing on the time period completes each chapter. The last chapter reports our genetic origins, as far as these have been identified at this writing. The book ends with a Bibliography and a Name Index.

Standardized Entry Format.

The value of a standardized format for this project is readily apparent. With over 4,600 individuals in the database and over 22,600 source references, no ordinary narrative could possibly convey the story of our origins in anything approaching a readable composition. The format selected is a slight modification of the reverse register endorsed by the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. To explain how the format works it will be useful to keep an example in mind.

Sample Entry:

Entries typically consist of family units and are divided into three main sections: One for each of the spouses and one for the children. The section on the male spouse is typically divided into three paragraphs: vital information; other information; and sources. The section on the female spouse includes only the first and second of these paragraphs.

The vital information paragraph is composed of a number of elements. The first is the unique number assigned to the individual, in bold. Henry Wolcott’s number is 187. Next is the given name and surname or its equivalent. A more extended discussion of surname equivalents is included later in this introduction. Included in parentheses and italicized is the given name of the individual’s father, followed by the father’s unique number. Abigail’s father is Benjamin, whose unique number is 264. The father is almost always in the next generation.

The remainder of the vital information paragraph is devoted to such information as birth, baptism, marriage, divorce, death, burial, wills and probate. Usually, only the dates and the places of these events are included. The formats for date and place are uniform throughout the book. The date format is: month, day, year. Unless otherwise noted, all dates are CE, meaning of the Common Era. (The secular equivalent of AD, preferred here because it is religion-neutral. For the same reason, BCE-Before the Common Era-is preferred to BC.) Where a date is an estimate, it is preceded by the abbreviation for Circa (ca.), which is Latin for about. The place format usually is: town, county, state (or country). For example, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut or Barnstaple, Devonshire, England. The Counties referenced are those in which the town is located at this writing. Occasionally, where it is known, a further subdivision, such as a church or castle, is included before the town. Where only partial information on date and/or place is available, what is known is included. Thus, a date reference may include only the year and a place reference may be to the county and state or even only to the country.

The other information paragraph includes all information we have on the individual not already included in the vital information paragraph, arranged chronologically. This includes such items as occupation, inclusion in a census, military service, and other involvement in community affairs. In the sample entry we see that Henry Wolcott took the Oath of Fidelity during the American Revolution. Where there is only vital information available on an individual, the other information paragraph is omitted. For some individuals, however, this is by far the longest of the paragraphs.

The source paragraph is included for each male parent, unless the female parent is the only one known. It is easily identified by square brackets. Although sources have been maintained for each scrap of information included in the book, inclusion of each detail in any of the standard formats would have made the book four times as long and infinitely more cumbersome to read. To avoid that result a compromise solution was devised. References to the sources of all information for every member of a family unit are combined into a single entry in the source paragraph. The precise source for a particular detail for one member of a family, therefore, may be in one or more of the sources cited. The style of referring to sources used is patterned after a reference style often encountered in scholarly writings in the social sciences. Sources are gathered together in the Bibliography, arranged alphabetically and assigned a numbers. In the source paragraph each source is referred to only by its number, followed by other relevant elements. Consider the source paragraph in the sample entry.

[Sources: 166 v1, p198; 248 p140; 457 pp66-9]. References to different sources are separated by semi-colons. Three sources are cited for Henry Wolcott’s family: source numbers 166, 248 and 457. Several elements may be included within each source reference. Where relevant, page (p) or pages (pp) numbers are included, separated by commas. Where relevant, a volume number (v) is included. Occasionally other subdivisions are included. Their abbreviations are formatted in much the same way.

The section on the female parent follows the same pattern as that for the male parent, except that it does not include a source paragraph. Where there is more than one spouse the treatment is only partial. Only those spouses appear in separate sections with unique numbers who are parents of direct ancestors. Thus, were Henry Wolcott to have remarried after Abigail’s death in 1740, the information about that marriage would appear in Henry’s vital information paragraph, but no further mention of the second wife would be given because our ancestor, Martha, was not her daughter. The same practice is used where the wife had previous or subsequent marriages.

The entry section devoted to children appears between the sections on the male and the female parents. Each child is assigned a letter corresponding to the order of birth and may include both vital and other information paragraphs. For the child who is a direct ancestor, that child’s unique number is listed to the left of his/her letter designation. This enables the reader to quickly look up that child. With this in mind, consider the children section of the sample entry.

Children of Henry Wolcott and Abigail Cooley (see #188) all born at Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, were:

Here Benjamin Wolcott is the first of Henry and Abigail’s children and Martha is the 10th. Vital and other information is not included here for Martha, our direct ancestor, because it appears with the family of her spouse. To locate her information you would turn to that discussion under her unique number, which is 134.

Often one or both of the spouses married more than once and had children by each their spouses. Not all of their children are included here. Only the children of the spouses whose family includes a direct ancestor are included. For example, were Henry to have remarried and had children by his second wife, those children would not be mentioned because no direct ancestor of ours is included among them.

Surnames Equivalents.

Surnames were not used at all before the 13th century, not widely used until the 15th century and not universally used until the late 19th century. Before that people employed a variety of techniques to distinguish between individuals with the same given name. Often a trade, trait or origin was cited to distinguish a person. Thus, George the blacksmith would come to be known as George Smith; William the bald man who tended the farm, as William The bald; the Eleanor who was born in the province of Aquitaine, as Eleanor of Aquitaine. We find these usages in many of our early ancestors. Some of their surnames derive from the strangest places. The Plumb surname evidently derived from the main element of the family’s coat of arms, a group of feathers or Plumes.

Another common practice, with many variants, is known as patronymics. This causes severe headaches for those tracing a line of ancestors or descendants, but it is easy enough to understand. In this practice a person’s surname is taken from the given name of his/her father. Patronymics was the practice, for example, among our Swedish ancestors until the late 19th century. Thus, Ralph’s paternal great grandfather’s surname at birth was Andersson because his father’s name was Anders. His wife’s surname was Pehrsdotter because her father’s given name was Pehr.

In Wales, the father’s given name was incorporated with the prefix, ap for sons, and ferch for daughters. Thus, Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd (#1290) was the daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan (#1325) and he in turn was the son of Cynan ap Iago (#1364). Our early Scottish ancestors used a similar technique, although with less precision. There the reference to a person’s father was accomplish by the prefix mac. Thus, King Kenneth I mac Alpin (#1584) was the son of King Alpin mac Eochaid (1609). Among our Jewish ancestors, ben and bas were used as a prefix for son of and daughter of.

We know the surnames or their equivalents for the vast majority of our ancestors. In the case of some, we know only their given names. For these individuals, double question marks (??) are used as a surname equivalent.

Proof.

Great care has been taken to follow what we are told are the the first three rules for producing a quality family history: 1. Document your sources; 2. document your sources; and, 3. document your sources. The documentation is collected in the Bibliography and linked to each family in the source paragraphs. However, just being able to reference a piece of paper that lists an event does not always provide sufficient evidence of the accuracy of that report. Letters can and do report misinformation. Still, some documents are more conclusive than others. A death certificate from a state department of vital records is quite strong evidence of the date and place of a person’s death, although not so conclusive about other information it may contain, such as birth date and place.

In preparing this book we have, of necessity, had to evaluate the merit of each bit of evidence and the weight that is to be assigned to it. Whether readers concur with our evaluation is left to them. We would urge, however, that the weight that should be assigned to any type of evidence is dependant upon its historical context. In our time, when enormous volumes of records are generated about every aspect of a person’s life, the weight of a family legend must be considered very weak indeed. In our day such sources probably have no value beyond providing clues as to where to look for better evidence. A millennium and a half ago matters were quite different. Then the only historical writing consisted in recording the oral histories that had been passed down between generations. Oral histories were the way that they kept track of their genealogies and historical writings were the only evidence that existed of those traditions. At that time, then, tribal legends carried very great weight. The same point applies, with appropriate qualifications, for the intervening time periods.

The point here is that it is wise to take a nuanced view of what constitutes proof in genealogy. What constitutes adequate proof of an event is relative to the historical context of the events. Whereas it is not sound practice to simply relate family legends that originate in the 20th century, it may be sound practice to rely on such sources as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles for information on our early Saxon ancestors. Simply to insist that links always be established by birth certificates and the like is not only self-defeating, but also unjustified.

Much ink has been spilled over the standards of proof in genealogy. Surely, some standards are quite inappropriate. Genealogies cannot satisfy logical and mathematical standards of proof. This not only demands a level of certitude that cannot be met in genealogies, but is wrong to ask in the first place. Logic and Mathematics deal in conceptual relations, genealogies do not. Neither is it appropriate to require scientific proof. The scientific method bears on events that can be repeated. That’s one reason that it is called the experimental method. Genealogical events are unique. They happen only once. The standards of proof encountered in law are most relevant to genealogical inquires. But, here again, one should not demand more than the subject can bear. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt is far beyond the reach of even the most recent and best documented family relations. Even birth certificates have been known to contain errors, sometimes even as to the identify of the person. Proof by a preponderance of the evidence is the proper standard in genealogical matters. Using this standard, if the weight of credible evidence favoring an event or relationship is even a slight bit greater than that disfavoring it, that event is regarded as proved. This is the standard used in evaluating the various relationships discussed here. While these distinctions are not critical for the great bulk of entries here, for others it is crucial.

Irregularities.

The hierarchical structure of the register format is ideally suited to tracing ancestors or descendants, provided that blood relatives never intermarry. When that happens, it becomes very difficult to maintain an orderly record without duplicating lines.

This happened dozens of times in this database, particularly in the very early generations. Except for the Egyptian Pharoahs, who frequently sired children by their sisters, all but four of these inter-marriages among our ancestors occur as a result of the practice of dynastic marriage which was common during the Middle Ages and earlier among monarchs and nobility. The four exceptions are: John Welch (#203) and Deborah Monroe (#204), 1st cousins whose common relatives are Isaac (#399) and Abigail Read (#400); John Scott (#207) and Mary Trott (#208), 1st cousins whose common relatives are Jacob (#415) and Sarah Chamberlain (#416); Johann Matthias Lahm (#268) and Eva Kirst (#269), 3rd cousins, whose common relatives are Georg (#742) and Apollonia Beck (#743); and the biggest surprise of all, Ralph Lindgren (#1) and Shirley Tryon (#2), 10th cousins once removed, whose closest common relatives are John (#583) and Anne Talcott (#584)!

The remedy adopted to avoid the chaos which would have been created by these marriages in the register format was, with rare exceptions, to delete one linkage for each of these pairs from the database. That resulted in the loss of much of the richness in the data, especially in the medieval and ancient periods. The exceptions, which were re-entered by hand, were judged to include exceptionally interesting detail. That had only one disadvantage. The parents in these restored linkages are often not in the immediately preceding generation. For example, William de Tracy (#1272) and his father appear in the same generation. This irregularity is produced by the differences in the lengths of the chains between the original progenitor and the two cousins who ultimately married. We judge that the value of the preserved data in those instances to be more interesting that its inelegance is distracting.

Main Changes in the Revised Edition.

This edition replaces the first edition published my Trafford Publishing in 2002. In an effort to improve the reliability of the information presented, a concerted effort has been made to give our family tree a good pruning. Many branches have been removed altogether. Three main limbs were cut out because insufficient proof. In the first edition we followed the argument set out by David Edwards that Richard Edwardes was an illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England. We no longer find that argument persuasive for the reasons that are adduced in the entry for Richard Edwardes (#905). Instead, we argue that the more persuasive link is to the husband of his mother.

The second main limb to be discarded is that which led from John Norton to Robert Norton and Ellen Rowley in the first edition. We’ve since discovered that the sole proof for that link was long ago shown to be fraudulent. The story of how it came to be accepted is included in the entry for John Norton (#525).

In the first edition we relied exclusively on the legends reported in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles to support the ancestry of Cerdic of Wessex. Here we follow the more restrained judgment of Weis, who accepts the line only until it reaches Cerdic. This is further explained in the entry for Cerdic (#1767).

Finally, the medieval and ancient periods were subjected to brutal pruning. This considerably reduced the clutter in those years. We retained only those lines that connected eventually to someone of major interest.

This edition also contains some major additions that were not known at the time that the first edition went to press. The ancestry of Asenath Cook (#200), the wife of Moses Lucas (#199), was unknown then. We have now established that she descended from Stephen Hopkins (#758), a Mayflower passenger and also an earlier settler of Jamestown. This was a very interesting addition indeed to the Tryon family tree.

The most extensive addition, at least in terms of numbers of entries and span of time covered, is associated with the ancestral lines that run through Makhir benYehudah (#1627), an 8th Century leader of the Jewish community in the town of Narbonne, in what is now Southern France. These lines lead back to the early Persian Kings, to early Hebrew Kings and to the Egyptian Pharoahs of the 17th Dynasty. An extended discussion not only of Makhir, but also of the plausibility of these lines is given in the introduction to Chapter Four.

This edition contains many refinements and corrections to individual entries. The lines most affected by such refinements are the Welch ancestry of Mary Bowen (#687) and the English ancestry of John Wolcott (#596).

The changes that appear in this edition, however, do not affect all family lines. The ancestry of John Francis Lindgren, Emil Toussaint, and Charles Willis Haley are unchanged from the first edition.

Finally, Chapter Five marks a beginning of our efforts to identify the remote origins of our respective families by means of genetic research. Here we have made only the barest start. A fuller discussion of that information can be found in that chapter.

As this will, in all likelihood, be the final revision of this genealogy, we take this opportunity to thank all who have helped us in our labors, and also to encourage the very few who follow in our footsteps. The journey to our roots may never end. But, it is surely worth the candle.

Getting Started.

The next two pages are intended to help those readers who are unfamiliar with standardized genealogical formats get started. They are abbreviated pedigree charts for each of the principals and show the names of only the first five generations to be found in this book. When used in conjunction with the text that follows they can, we hope, ease the burden of discovering just how easy it is to use the book.

No further pedigree charts are included. Readers who wish to generate such charts for one or more lines can follow this example or use more elaborate forms which includes vital information such a birth, marriage and death events.

Image8200.JPGImage8206.JPG

Chapter One:

The First Three Centuries

The first nine generations of our ancestors span about 350 years, during which changes of staggering proportion occurred several times over. For the purpose of orientation it will be convenient to divide these centuries into two periods of approximately equal length. The years since the early 19th Century have been momentous. World population explosion, at least two industrial revolutions, the spread of democracy and capitalism worldwide, unprecedented medical advances, urbanization, mass migration, the advent of universal education, the rise of new religious sects, two world wars, agricultural, transportation and communication revolutions, nuclear power, and computer technology. These were years of enormous changes and our great great grandparents and their descendants participated in many of these changes.

The sixth through the ninth generations span the years roughly between the mid-17th Century and the mid-19th Century. These were momentous times as well. Europe had just ended over a century of religious warfare. As a result religion had become a personal rather than a state affair. Nations turned their energies instead to increasing their wealth and power. This was an era of enlightenment. Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica was published in 1687; Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species in 1859. The benchmarks of the age were the twin democratic revolutions-the American Revolution in 1776 and the French in 1792. It was also a period of colonization, and the wretched institution of slavery. The great challenge to the American experiment, the Civil War, in the early 1860s came at the end of this period. Our families were also involved in many of these events.

Our most recent immigrant ancestors to America came during the late 19th Century. The Lindgren family migrated from Sweden in 1869. They passed through Chicago just two years before the Great Chicago Fire. They came in the second significant wave of migration from Sweden. The first wave was a small band that settled in Delaware during 1638. The Gorman family came from Ireland to escape the Great Potato Famine about 1850. The Toussaint family arrived in Peoria, Illinois in 1881 from the Black Forest area of Germany, with a brief sojourn in Switzerland. Before that our families were widely dispersed, in Sweden, Germany and England, as well as throughout Eastern America. The heaviest concentrations prior to the 19th Century were in Southeastern Sweden, in Germany—Baden and the Palatinate—and in New England, mainly Connecticut. Earlier immigrants were Johann Peter Lahm (#193), who came to Philadelphia in 1740 from the Palatinate. In that same year Thomas Nathaniel Edwards (#298) migrated, with his brothers, to New York and initiated, through his son, one of the great missed opportunities for our families—the Edwards Legacy.

During the 19th Century the families in America participated in the great westward movement. During these years the Martyn, Keeler and Stoughton families moved from Vermont to the mid-west, as did the Hill family from Indiana. These migrations appear to have been motivated by economic considerations. The westward movement of many others of our ancestors, however, involved religious motives.

As nearly as can be determined from the records that survive, our ancestors were a religious folk. In the earliest generations, there were Zoroastrians, Jews and worshipers of the sun. There were probably even a few Druids! During the last thousand years they adhered to the Christian religion, although in a wide variety of denominations. Anglicans, Baptists, Congregationalists, Lutheran, Mormons, Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics are to be found in the pages that follow. Of these, the Mormons require a brief introduction. The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints (known later as the Mormons) was organized in western New York state in 1830, during a time of intense religious revivalism by Joseph Smith, a farmer’s son, who claimed to have received angelic visitations. The Saints, as his followers came to refer to themselves, soon moved to Kirtland, Ohio and Jackson county, Missouri. In Missouri they were persecuted by local slave-owners, who viewed them as religious fanatics and possibly Abolitionists. The Saints left Missouri in 1839 and built a new city across the Mississippi river, Nauvoo, Illinois. Once again their presence provoked hostility from the Gentiles. This time it ended in the arrest of their leader, Joseph Smith, who was murdered by a mob while he was being held in jail. In 1846, under the leadership of Brigham Young, they undertook a mass 1,100-mile migration to the West where they hoped to establish a commonwealth where they could practice their religion without persecution. By 1869, an estimated 80,000 Mormon pioneers traveling by wagon, handcart, or on foot reached Salt Lake City, which became and remains the spiritual center of their religion. The Saints successfully farmed this desert area by widespread use of irrigation, of which they were pioneers. Under BrighamYoung’s leadership, the Mormons spread their colonizing and missionary activities all over the West, building temples and tabernacles, founding schools, and engaging in various mercantile and industrial ventures. The Utah Mormons’ petition for statehood in 1849 was denied by the U.S. government. Instead, the area was organized as a territory in 1850, with Brigham Young as its first governor. The principle obstacle to statehood was the Mormons’ practice of polygamy, in which a man may possess more than one wife. After his death in 1877 Young was succeeded by John Taylor, the senior apostle in the Council of the Twelve. In 1890 the Mormon church relinquished the practice of polygamy in order to conform with U.S. civil law, which forbade polygamous practices, and in 1896 the territory of Utah was admitted into the union as the 45th state.

Among the families who migrated westward during the 19th Century and ending up in Utah and then Arizona were the Tryon family from Connecticut, the Plumb family from Ohio, the Tyler family from Kentucky, and the Jean family from Alabama. These had joined the newly formed church and followed its prophet across the plains to form the new community in Utah. Several unusual incidents affected these families. The Tryon and Plumb families included three polygamists. The Oscar Tyler clan had quite an adventure in Guatemala.

The occupations identified in the generations before the 19th Century were fairly consistent. Farmers and soldiers predominate, but many practiced the crafts and trades. There were tailors, a fisherman, shopkeepers, a master carpenter, cobblers, bricklayers, a gunsmith, a tanner, a constable, a surveyor, several schoolmasters and millers, a woodcutter, a hunter, a sextant, a tax collector, several representatives to local government and a Congregationalist minister. The occupations represented in the more recent generations gradually change from farming and trades to the professions. We find many farmers in the fifth generation, including cotton and tobacco, along with a baker, a carpenter, a master cabinet maker, and a Baptist minister. In the fourth generation we find farmers, a blacksmith, a carpenter, a cabinet maker and a candy maker. The third includes a coal dealer, an upholsterer, a blacksmith and a rancher; the second an accountant and an Army officer; and the first, a university professor.

The military is an occupation represented in almost every generation during these periods. Indeed, as you will see as you read on, we Lindgrens may owe our family name to the Army service of Carl Gustaf Andersson Lindgren (#15)! Many of our ancestors served in the colonial militias, known as train bands, many more in the American Revolution. During these years they fought in the Pomeranian War, the French and Indian Wars, the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the on both sides in the Civil War. A Lindgren ancestor, Mans Danielsson Tanggren (#64), was killed in action in Pomerania in 1786. A Tryon forebearer, Samuel Munroe (#288), died in battle during the American Revolution in 1777, as did Thomas Edwards (#210i), a Haley ancestor.

Almost all our ancestors in these generations were literate. It was long believed that the earliest to receive any higher education was Andrew John Lindgren (#7). He graduated from a two-year business college. In the next generation, Josephine Haley (#6) graduated from a two-year college and Oscar Tryon (#5) was awarded a B. S. in Business Administration. In the first generation Shirley Tryon (#2) attended two colleges and Ralph Lindgren (#1) was awarded several degrees, the last was the Ph.D in Philosophy. These, however, were not the first in our families to have the benefit of college education. Thomas Brooks (#183), who immigrated from England about 1745, graduated from Yale College in 1755, where he studied Theology. Also graduating from Yale College was John Stoughton (#185iii). Other items of interest about Thomas Brooks were that he was appointed the first Pastor of the Congregationalist Church in Newtown, Connecticut, where he served until retiring in 1796. A grateful congregation renamed the town after him in 1788 and Brookfield retains his name to this day. Subsequent chapters will identify others who attended colleges and universities.

There were two slave owners during these generations. John Tyler (#92) purchased 7 slaves in Kentucky, moved them to Texas with his family and willed them to his son Charles. Charles, to his credit, immediately freed them saying that he didn’t feel comfortable owning anybody. Thomas Hopper (#141) left my two Negros to his wife in his will of 1851, directing that the boy go to his son, Thomas, upon the death of his wife, and the girl go to his daughter, Hannah.

Generation One

1. John Ralph Lindgren (John, #3) was born on October 8, 1933 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. He married Shirley Ann Tryon (see #2), daughter of Merlin Oscar Tryon and Josephine Lecile Haley, on December 27, 1958 at St. Mary’s Church, Evanston, Cook, Illinois.

He served in the Army between 1953 and 1955 in Washington, D. C., assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 3rd Infantry Regiment. It was during his service in Washington that he met his future wife on a blind date. He graduated in June, 1959 from Northwestern University, Evanston, Cook, Illinois, with a B. S. (Business Administration). He graduated in June, 1961 from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with an M. A. (Philosophy). Between 1963 and 1965 he was Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts. He graduated in June, 1963 from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a Ph. D. (Philosophy). Between 1965 and 1995 he taught philosophy and law courses at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Northampton, Pennsylvania. When he retired he was the Clara H. Stewardson Professor of Philosophy. His professional accomplishments were listed in Who’s Who in America between 1984 and 2003. His hobbies were photography, gardening, travel and family history.

[Sources: 665].

Children of John Ralph Lindgren and Shirley Ann Tryon (see #2) were:

2. Shirley Ann Tryon (Merlin, #5) was born on June 6, 1935 at Tempe, Maricopa, Arizona. She married John Ralph Lindgren (see #1), son of John Francis Lindgren and Leona Grace Toussaint, on December 27, 1958 at St. Mary’s Church, Evanston, Cook, Illinois.

She attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah between 1953 and 1955 and Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois between 1957 and 1958. She was a founder of the Bethlehem Special Olympics in 1976 and served it’s Board of Directors from 1976. She was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Bethlehem from 1978 and serving on it’s Board between 1980 and 1995. Between 1981 and 1985 she served as a Director of the Bethlehem Area School District.

Generation Two

3. John Francis Lindgren (Andrew, #7) was born on April 4, 1904 at Wenona, Marshall, Illinois. He married Leona Grace Toussaint (see #4), daughter of Emil Toussaint and Mabel Grace Martyn, on April 25, 1932 at Ascension Church, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. He died on May 26, 1962 at Wauwautosa, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He exhibited symptoms of mental illness for many years before his death. The cause of death was suicide. He was buried on May 30, 1962 at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Henry, Marshall, Illinois.

He appeared on the Census of May 4, 1910 at Osage Township, LaSalle, Illinois. He appeared on the Census of January 15, 1920 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. Between 1942 and 1943 he was as a timekeeper on the Alcan Highway at Dawson Creek, Yukon, Canada. Between 1944 and 1945 he was as a timekeeper at Amchitka, 3d Judicial District, Alaska. Between 1945 and 1961 he was employed as an accountant by Montgomery Ward & Co at Chicago, Cook, Illinois.

[Sources: 161; 281; 282; 389; 290; 399; 610 Ser T624, Roll 248, p 307 also Ser T624, Roll 301, p 52; 613 Ser T625, Roll 391, p 202 also p 894, sheet 17B; 617 Ser T626, Roll 505, p 124;659; 660].

Children of John Francis Lindgren and Leona Grace Toussaint (see #4) both born at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, were:

4. Leona Grace Toussaint (Emil, #9) was born on April 11, 1910 at Chicago, Cook, Illinois. She was baptized on May 1, 1910 at St. Clara’s Church (RC), Chicago, Cook, Illinois. She married John Francis Lindgren (see #3), son of Andrew John Lindgren and Mary Mayme Gorman, on April 25, 1932 at Ascension Church, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. She married Stanley Nichols on May 4, 1968 at Wilmette, Cook, Illinois. They were divorced on June 26, 1973 at Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona, USA. She died on April 7, 2002 at Bethlehem, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, the cause of death was actue myocardial infarction. She was buried April 13, 2002 in in Nisky Hill Cemetery at Bethlehem, Northampton, Pennsylvania.

She appeared on the Census of April 27, 1910 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of January 13, 1920 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of April 7, 1930 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois.

5. Merlin Oscar Tryon (Merlin, #11) was born on August 21, 1910 at Bryce, Graham, Arizona. He married Josephine Lecile Haley (see #6), daughter of Charles Willis Haley and Mary Margaret Wallace, on June 23, 1933 at Sandy, Salt Lake, Utah. He died on July 29, 1999 at San Jose, Santa Clara, California. The reported cause of death was cardiac arrest and pancreatic cancer. He was buried on August 2, 1999 at Los Gatos Memorial Park, San Jose, Santa Clara, California.

He appeared on the Census of January 16, 1920 at Redland, Graham, Arizona. He graduated from Thatcher Union High School ca. 1927 at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona. He appeared on the Census of April 14, 1930 at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona. He graduated from Arizona State Teachers College in June, 1936 at Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona; with a major in business administration. After graduation he taught business subjects at the high school level, first in Snowflake and later in Thatcher, Arizona. He served as an officer in the U. S. Army between 1942 and 1965. His reserve unit was called into active duty during the early years of WWII. During that war he saw combat in the North Africa and Sicilian Campaigns, sustaining serious wounds during the latter. After that war he decided to remain in the Army for a career. He served in many capacities in Army Headquarters at the Pentagon, as well as field assignments in China, Japan,Germany and Korea. He retired as a full Colonel. Following retirement from the Army, he and Jo owned a hardware store for a few years and then played golf and enjoyed their grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends at San Jose, Santa Clara, California.

[Sources: 88; 379; 461; 488; 538; 539 pp12, 23, 123ff; 612 Ser T626, Roll 48, p77; 614 Ser T625, Roll 628, p102; 616 Ser T626, Roll 56, p217; 618 Ser T626, Roll 667, p158].

Children of Merlin Oscar Tryon and Josephine Lecile Haley (see #6) were:

6. JOSEPHINE Lecile Haley (Charles, #13) was born on October 25, 1913 at Bobo, Coahoma, Mississippi. She married Merlin Oscar Tryon (see #5), son of Merlin Plumb Tryon and Amanda Virginia Tyler, on June 23, 1933 at Sandy, Salt Lake, Utah. She died on June 27, 2006 at Crossroads Assisted Living, Northglenn, Adams, Colorado. The reported cause of death was general geriatric decline and dementia. She was buried on July 5, 2006 at Los Gatos Memorial Park, San Jose, Santa Clara, California.

She appeared on the Census of March 25, 1920 at Richland, Louisana. She appeared on the Census of April 17, 1930 at Sharon, Madison, Mississippi. At the time, she and her brother, John, were living in the household of Hiriam Ray and his wife Mattie Luda (her aunt). She was educated on April 17, 1931 at Farmhaven, Madison, Mississippi. She graduated from Copai-Lincoln College ca. May, 1933 at Copai, Franklin, Mississippi. She was accepted to Brigham Young University, but married instead.

Generation Three

7. ANDREW John LINDGREN (Carl, #15) was born on November 19, 1869 at Roberts Twp., Marshall, Illinois. His name at birth was Anders Johan. His place of birth is listed as Oxbow (near Varna), Illinois in The Lindgren Family. This corresponds with the location of the Carl Gustaf Lindgren family in the 1870 Census. He married Mary Mayme Gorman (see #8), daughter of Michael Gorman and Anna Brown, on December 31, 1897 at Wenona, Marshall, Illinois. He died on August 14, 1956 at Spring Valley, Bureau, Illinois, at St. Margaret’s Hospital. The cause of death was listed on the death certificate as ‘Coronary Occlusion, Acute; accompanied by arterio sclerotic heart disease and senility.’ He was buried on August 17, 1956 at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Henry, Marshall, Illinois.

He appeared on the Census of August 18, 1870 at Roberts Township, Marshall, Illinois. He appeared on the Census of June 17, 1880 at Roberts Township, Marshall, Illinois. He graduated ca. 1890 at The Northern Indiana Normal School and Business Institute, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana. This was a 2-year business school, which was known for its no-nonsense approach to practical education. Classes were 5 days per week, 52 weeks a year, with exams held on Saturdays. The school was later absorbed into Valparasio College and then into what today is known as Valparasio University. Between 1898 and 1902 he was co-owner of a grocery store, with John Olson, in the Englewood section of town at Chicago, Cook, Illinois. He appeared on the Census of June 2, 1900 at Wenona, Marshall, Illinois. Between 1902 and 1915 he took up farming for a time, first in Evans Township, Marshall County, and later with Michael Gorman in Osage township, LaSalle County. He appeared on the Census of May 4, 1910 at Osage Township, LaSalle, Illinois, which lists his name as John A. and his profession as farmer. Between 1915 and 1932 he was a coal dealer. The business went bankrupt when customers were unable to pay their bills during the Great Depression at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. He appeared on the Census of January 15, 1920 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois, where his name was listed as John A. and his profession as coal dealer. He appeared on the Census of April 26, 1930 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. Between 1932 and 1950 he worked as a clerk in Kirby’s Poultry shop at Henry, Marshall, Illinois.

[Sources: 36; 55; 217; 277; 280; 593 Ser M593, Roll 254, pp323 & 433; 602 Ser T9, Roll 235, pp319 & 358; 607 Ser T24, Roll 311, p60; 610 Ser T624, Roll 301, p 52; 613 Ser T625, Roll 391, p202; 617 Ser T626, Roll 534, p191].

Children of Andrew John Lindgren and Mary Mayme Gorman (see #8) were:

8. Mary Mayme Gorman (Michael, #17) was born on November 20, 1869 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. The Census taken on June 20, 1870 listed her as 7 month old. The year of her birth was listed incorrectly on her Death Certificate and in her Obituary as 1870. She married Andrew John Lindgren (see #7), son of Carl Gustaf Andersson Lindgren and Catharina (Carolina) Persdotter, on December 31, 1897 at Wenona, Marshall, Illinois. She died on August 10, 1953 at Bartonsville, Peoria, Illinois. She exhibited symptoms of mental illness for many years before his death. She was buried on August 13, 1953 at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Henry, Marshall, Illinois.

She appeared on the Census of June 20, 1870 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of June 19, 1880 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of June 2, 1900 at Wenona, Marshall, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of May 4, 1910 at Osage Township, LaSalle, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of January 15, 1920 at Henry, Marshall, Illinois.

9 Emil Toussaint (Charles, #19) was born on June 4, 1879 at Kreuzlingen, Thurgau, Switzerland. At the time of his birth this section of the current town was named Emishofen. The two towns were joined under its current name about 1930. He married Mabel Grace Martyn (see #10), daughter of Henry Franklin Martyn and Agnes Stoughton, on August 26, 1900 at St. Joseph, Berrien, Michigan. He died on February 5, 1965 at Pasadina, Los Angeles, California, at the Hillcrest Madison Guest House. He was buried on February 6, 1965 at All Saints Cemetery, DesPlaines, Cook, Illinois.

He emigrated in 1881 from Kreuzlingen, Thurgau, Switzerland, to Peoria, Illinois with his father’s family. Their daughter Ruth reported that Emil and Grace eloped while Grace was living with her Aunt Ella. He appeared on the Census of April 27, 1910 at Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Between 1915 and 1955 he was an upholsterer at Oak Park and Forest Park, Cook, Illinois. He appeared on the Census of January 13, 1920 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. The family was living at 1032 Austin Avenue at the time. They owned their house and it had a mortgage. He appeared on the Census of April 7, 1930 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois.

[Sources: 46; 95; 189; 283; 314; 344; 477; 482; 487; 289; 290; 607 Ser T623, Roll 264, p161; 610 Ser T624, Roll 248, p307; 613 p894, sheet 17B; 617 Ser T 626, Roll 505, p124].

Children of Emil Toussaint and Mabel Grace Martyn (see #10) were:

10. Mabel Grace Martyn (Henry, #21) was born on September 16, 1879 at Muscatine, Muscatine, Iowa. She married Emil Toussaint (see #9), son of Charles Karl Toussaint and Maria Josefa Verena Sprich, on August 26, 1900 at St. Joseph, Berrien, Michigan. She died on March 29, 1960 at Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Cause of death listed as acute cerebral hemorrhage due to advanced arteriosclerosis. She was buried on April 1, 1960 at All Saints Cemetery, DesPlaines, Cook, Illinois.

She was given an autograph book on September 16, 1885 at Keithsburg, Mercer, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of June 7, 1900 at Hyde Park Twp., Cook, Illinois. It lists her as 21 years old, born September, 1878 in Iowa, single, bookkeeper, living with her uncle and aunt, John C. and Ella Freeman. She appeared on the Census of April 27, 1910 at Chicago, Cook, Illinois. She appeared on the Census of January 13, 1920 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois. She was blinded by glaucoma and cataracts age 42 in 1922. She appeared on the Census of April 7, 1930 at Oak Park, Cook, Illinois.

11. Merlin Plumb Tryon (Truman, #23) was born on September 16, 1889 at Eden, Graham, Arizona. He married Amanda Virginia Tyler (see #12), daughter of Oscar Tyler Jr. and Mary Ann Virginia Jean, on November 25, 1909 at Eden, Graham, Arizona. He died on December 8, 1977 at Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona. The cause of death is listed as Cardio Respiratory failure due to heart disease. He was buried on December 13, 1977 at Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.

He appeared on the Census of July 7, 1900 at Graham, Arizona. He appeared on the Census of May 17, 1910 at Bryce, Graham, Arizona. Between 1913 and 1917 he homesteaded a ranch at Pomerene, Cochise, Arizona. Between 1918 and 1924 he lived on a farm but did blacksmithing for a nearby railroad and in a copper mine at Redland, Graham, Arizona. He appeared on the Census of January 16, 1920 at Redland, Graham, Arizona. Ca. 1925 he had his own shoe and harness shop at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona. He appeared on the Census of April 14, 1930 at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona.

[Sources: 83; 85; 88; 134 pp216, 218, 223; 539 pp4-7, 11; 540 p96; 606 Ser T623, Roll, 45, pp113, 137; 609 Ser T624, Roll 39, p280; 612 Ser T625, Roll 48, p77; 616 Ser T626, Roll 56, p217].

Children of Merlin Plumb Tryon and Amanda Virginia Tyler (see #12) were:

12. Amanda Virginia Tyler (Oscar, #25) was born on January 16, 1892 at Central, Graham, Arizona. She was baptized in the canal on January 16, 1900 at Central, Graham, Arizona. She married Merlin Plumb Tryon (see #11), son of Truman Tryon Jr. and Martha Jane Plumb, on November 25, 1909 at Eden, Graham, Arizona. She died on April 12, 1965 at Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona, at the Mesa General Hospital. The cause of death is listed as Acute Circulatory Failure due to Acute Pancreatitis and Acute Mephrititis. She was buried on April 16, 1965 at Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.

She appeared on the Census of June 18, 1900 at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona. She appeared on the Census of May 17, 1910 at Bryce, Graham, Arizona. She appeared on the Census of January 16, 1920 at Redland, Graham, Arizona. She appeared on the Census of April 14, 1930 at Thatcher, Graham, Arizona.

13. Charles Willis Haley (John, #27) was born ca. 1877 at Camden, Madison, Mississippi. Some records say he was born in Mamie, Leake, Mississippi. Josephine Haley’s birth certificate indicates that he was 40 years old when she was born in October of 1913. This would make his birth year about 1873. He married Mary Margaret Wallace (see #14), daughter of William Thomas Wallace and Nancy Josephine Wallace, on February 9, 1910. He died on September 26, 1925 at Rayville, Richland, Louisana. He was buried ca. September 28, 1925 at Rayville, Richland, Louisana.

He appeared on the Census of May 17, 1910 at Bolivar, Mississippi. He owned and operated his own blacksmith shop and was employed as an independent contractor by the local sawmill at Rayville, Richland, Louisana. He appeared on the Census of March 25, 1920 at Richland, Louisana. The death certificate listed his name as Charles Henry Haley. It also indicated that he died instantly after being struck by a falling log. An obituary in a local newspaper recounts that the a log was being off-loaded at the sawmill in Rayville when it fell off the wrong side of a railway car striking him. The obituary went on to say: Mr Haley was a highly respected citizen, a man of his word, an industrious and hard working man.

[Sources: 187 pp54, 57; 356; 377; 379; 608 Ser T623, Roll 819, p241; 611 Ser T624, Roll 733, p127; 614 Ser T624, Roll 628, p102].

Children of Charles Willis Haley and Mary Margaret Wallace (see #14) were:

14. Mary Margaret Wallace (William, #29) was born on August 7, 1892 at Millville, Madison, Mississippi. There was some confusion about the date and place of her birth. She was listed as Emma Wallace on Josephine Haley’s birth certificate where her age was recorded as 21 years on October 25,