MY ANCESTORS M. Irene Date Written in 1923

This was sent to me by Rogers Vellenoweth Date before his passing in 2002.

MY ANCESTORS

M. Irene Date

Written in 1923

Great-grandfather, John Symons, was born in Helston, Cornwall County, England.  Here he grew to manhood when he married Mary Libby.  They continued to live near Helston where my Great-grandfather mined for tin and copper.  They had three children, the youngest of whom was my Grandfather, John Symons.  He was born November 27, 1820.  Here he lived until 1868 when he came to America.  In 1870 my Uncle, Tom Symons, came to America with his Mother, Ann Vellenoweth (grandfather John Symons’ wife) and his four sisters, Mary, Constance, Julia, and Elizabeth.  My Mother, the baby of the family, age 5, was too young to remember much of what happened while she lived in England or on the voyage over.  About all she can remember is what her mother used to tell her of how if snow fell in England, every man who possibly could would take his dog and track game.  Every one went early because the snow would be gone by noon.  She also told of how people would walk or drive out to Saint Michael’s Mount for a picnic but they would have to watch the dite and go back on time or the neck of land connecting the Mount with the mainland would be covered with water until it would be impassable, of how on the seven days it took to come to this country about two-thirds of the people were seasick of how everyone was greatly frightened when they sighted a whale even though it was a long distance away; of the storm; and at last the sight of land.  They landed at Quebec, then went to New Yourk and thence came to Wisconsin.  While here they farmed near Hazel Green, Millbrig, Buncomby, Jenkynsville and Shullsbug.

My Great-grandparents, Thomas Vellenoweth and Constance Symons both lived in England all their lives.  My Great-grandmother was about ninety when she died and Great-grandfather was abount seventy-five.

Another of my Great-grandfathers was James Rogers who was born in an old fashioned English farmhouse between Ashton and Helston, Cornwall, England in 1801.  Here he grew to manhood.  He was one of the Cornish miners of world wide reputation, having worked in the deep tin mines, so deep, in fact as to be iintensely hot, and at Port Leaven, so near the sea they could hear it’s roar while at work.  He came to America in 1845 but died of pneumonia in 1871.  His wife Maria Berkerly was born in 1807.  She came to America in 1848 and died in 1896 aged eighty-nine years.

His father, my Great-great-grandfather was John Rogers and his mother was Elizabeth Mitchell.  She was a sister of Sir Thomas Mitchell who was a prominent man in his community.  They were born in 1757 and 1758 and lived to be one-hundred three and one-hundred two years of age respectively.  Both died and were buried the same week.  They were farmers by occupation.

The other Great-great-grandfather on father’s side was John Berkerly, born in 1779, died in 1839 aged sixty years.  He earned his living form the mines.  His wife, Mary, was born in 1783 and died in 1844.

My Grandmother, Mary Ann Rogers, was born March 1, 1830 on her father’s homestead, and came to this country in 1848.  She still enjoys telling of how she followed the paths across the small fields; climbing over the hedges and styles; of traveling the lanes while carrying hot dinners to her brothers who worked in the mines nearby; of climbing the steep and rugged Cornish cliffs – especially Trigonnings Hill to play around the chair, footstool, and couch which people believed to have been built by Giants during the Stone Age; of playing on the beach, even running from the incoming tide; of the big ships in Pensance Harbor; of the fishing boats and fish peddlers; the little donkeys which were the beasts of burden; of the gathering of garden vegetables anytime of the year while she lived in mild-climated England.  She can plainly remember yet at the age of ninety-three of one morning in 1848 of seeing the shores of Newfoundland, and a little later of having breakfast of fresh codfish.  This surely seemed good after spending nine weeks on the Atlantic in a sailing vessel.  She has often told us of how they met with such storms and bad winds that after they were on the water six weeks the captain told them he would take them back in three days if they wished to go.  She tells of how they encountered a sheet of ice that nearly rammed their ship to pieces.  After they arrived at Quebec, In June, they sailed down the Great lakes, then came across country to Shullsburg.

For those who like Indian stories Grandmother could keep one interested for hours telling of how the Indians followed their trail across her home farm on their way to Gratiot’s Grove south of Shullsburg to spend the summer.  They would often stop and ask or even demand something to eat.

My Grandfather, William Date, was born in Breague Parish, Cornwall, England January 15, 1824.  He came to Wisconsin in 1845.  He was a miner and farmer, also the first superintendent of the Methodist Sunday School in this city.  His father, John Date, who followed the butcher business besides running his farm, came to America in 1845, and died in 1858.  Honor, his wife, died in 1870.  Both died on the farm on which we now live.

My father, James Date, was born on the Date homestead.  Here he grew to manhood and on March 7, 1894 he married my mother Elizabeth Symons.  They have continued to live on the old place.

Handwritten postscript: 

James passed away Oct. 21, 1923 age 68 years.   Born July 9,

Elizabeth passed away July 26, 1934 age 69 yrs. Born June 4,

Mary Ann Rogers Date passed away Nov. 1923 age 93