Baby Boy STELLJES

George married Marion Alice RIPLEY on 31 Oct 1936 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Marion (daughter of Walter C RIPLEY and Alice Maud BARBER) was born on 11 Dec 1903 in Hennepin County, Minnesota; died on 17 Aug 1964 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Minnesota Birth Certificate: DC-22500

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Machinist

Notes:

In the 1895 state census, he and his brother George were living with the Fortiers in Minneapolis.

In the 1900 census he and his brother George were living with Lila and Howard Fortier in northeast Minneapolis. Walter was a machinist.

In the 1909 Minneapolis city directory, he was a machinist for the Heywood Manufacturing Company. He lived at 1927 Crystal Lake Ave.

In the 1910 census, he and his family lived in Minneapolis. He was a machinist at a paper box factory.

Walter married Alice Maud BARBER on 24 Dec 1900 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Alice was born on 8 Jun 1883 in Canada; died on 9 Apr 1956 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

On the birth record of her son born in 1905, she was called Alice, age 33, born in Canada. That would suggest a birthday for her in 1872. That must have been an error.

In the 1910 census, she had had five children, four still living. Her sister Emily was living with her and Walter in that census.

Her sister, Emily Barber, 23 and unmarried, was living with Alice and Walter in the 1910 census. Emily was a machine operator in a paper box factory, presumably the one that Walter worked at.

She died as Alice Maud Ripley.

Notes:

He was his parents’ second child.

One Ancestry source has him as Moses Harrison Ripley, born 29 Aug 1840 in Civil, Chesterville, Maine.

In the 1860 census, he is Moses H Ripley, a farmer in Maple Grove Twp in Hennepin County.

In the 1865 state census, he is listed in Minneapolis, Hennepin County. As Bonnie points out, Moses would have been still serving with Hatch’s battalion at the time the census was taken if, indeed, Moses was mustered out of service in January of 1866. Moses and Ophelia’s son Charles was born in 1865 or 1866 so Charles must not have been away from home for the whole two-and-a-half years. There is no indication in the 1865 census that Moses is absent. Bonnie notes that Moses may have been injured during his military service because an 1883 list of pensioners in Anoka County includes Moses who is receiving $4 per month pension for a spine injury.

In the 1870 census, he and his family live in West St. Paul, Dakota County. His occupation is carpenter.

In the 1873 Minneapolis city directory, he is a carpenter residing at “19th Av S betw 2½ and 3d.”

In the 1875 state census, he and his family are listed in Minneapolis, Hennepin County.

In the 1880 census, he and his family lived in Blaine Twp, Anoka County, Minnesota. Moses was a farmer.

According to Bonnie, Moses was elected the first chairman of the Blaine Township Board of Supervisors at that body’s first election in the summer of 1877 when Blaine Township was organized. Moses is credited with giving Blaine its name when he persuaded fellow board members to name the new township in honor of James G. Blaine, a popular senator from Maine.

In the 1885 state census, they were farmers in Fridley.

On 21 April 1887, the Taylors Falls Land Office granted Moses H Ripley a 160 acre homestead at 1 NE 4th PM No Township 31 N, Range 23 W, Section 22, in Anoka County. Its official description on the record over Grover Cleveland’s “signature,” was “northeast quarter of section twenty-two in township thirty-one north of range twenty-three west of the Fourth Principal Meridian in Minnesota, containing 160 acres.”

In the 1890 veterans schedule, Moses H Ripley is listed as living in Blaine and Fridley in Anoka County. He was a Private in the “Hatches Ind Battery” from August 4, 1863, to January 27, 1866, a period of service of 2 years, 5 months, and 28 days.

In the Civil War Soldiers Records and Profiles, Moses H Ripley is shown as having enlisted, as a blacksmith, in Company B, Minnesota Hatch’s Cavalry Battalion. (It was also called Hatch’s Independent Battalion, Minnesota Cavalry.) Here is the description of that battalion:

Regimental History
MINNESOTA
HATCH'S CAVALRY BATTALION
(Three Years)

Hatch's Cavalry Battalion.--Maj., E. A. C. Hatch. This battalion was organized during Aug. and Sept., 1863, and left for Pembina Oct. 5, for Indian duty, accompanied by one section of the 3d Minn. light battery. It acted as escort for a transportation train from St. Cloud, and from Pomme de Terre Oct. 24 the major portion of the troops were sent to Fort Abercrombie to obtain additional ordnance, the rest of the command under Lieut. Charles Mix, continuing with the train, a junction to be effected at Georgetown.

A sudden thaw compelled the train to rest days and travel nights and the road was lost, the command being thus several days late in reaching Georgetown. Animals and men suffered greatly, owing to the failure of contractors to deliver hay and grain as agreed, and only by most determined work did the expedition continue. Two hundred and fifty horses, mules and oxen died between Georgetown and Pembina, and as much of the stores as could be spared were left at Georgetown.

In December a small detachment surprised and captured a party of Indians and soon afterward some 200 of Little Crow's band surrendered. Others came in until Maj. Hatch had nearly 400, and early in Jan., 1864, the Sioux chiefs, Little Six and Medicine Bottle, were captured, sent to Fort Snelling and after trial were hung for their crimes in the massacre of 1862, Little Six confessing to having personally killed 50 people. In February the battalion was joined by Maj. Joseph R. Brown, with over 40 friendly Indians. Maj. Brown left for Fort Snelling with the prisoners and on April 10, Lieut. Mix and party left for Fort Abercrombie. On May 5, the entire command moved for Fort Abercrombie. Co. C was detailed to Alexandria and Pomme de Terre and Co. D to patrol duty from Fort Abercrombie to Pembina. Maj. Hatch resigned in June because of ill health, being succeeded by Lieut.-Col. C. Powell Adams, and Cos. E and F were mustered in during Aug. and Sept., 1864. Post and patrol duty was the order until 1866, when the regiment was mustered out by companies during April, May and June.

Battles Fought
Fought on 28 Sep 1864.

From an article called The Man Who Named the City by Karen Klinkenberg.

Moses Harrison Ripley was born on August 24, 1840 in Franklin County Maine, to Charles Ripley and Martha Dunsmoor Ripley. They had 6 children, born between 1838 and 1859—Moses was second-born. At age 15, his family moved to Dakota County, Minnesota and a few months later to Minneapolis. He married Ophelia M. Lightbourn, of the West Indies, on June 2, 1859. They had ten children between about 1861 and 1883, seven of whom survived them.

On August 4, 1863 Moses Ripley enlisted in Hatch’s Independent Battalion, formed in response to the 1862 Sioux Uprising. The battalion was dispatched to Pembina near the Red River on the Canadian border on October 5, 1863 and arrived on November 13, 1863, the men having marched the entire distance. After enduring a harsh Dakota winter, food shortage and the loss of most of their horses, the battalion received orders to dispatch to Fort Abercrombie in Dakota Territory. Ripley was discharged on January 27, 1866 and returned to Minneapolis.

Census records for the years 1860 and 1870 list Moses Ripley as residing in various towns around the St. Paul and Minneapolis area. His occupations included carpentry and farming.

In November, 1875 he settled on a farm in Anoka County. In 1877, Blaine Township was established and, at the suggestion of Moses Ripley, was named in honor of James Gillespie Blaine, a politician from Ripley’s home state of Maine. At the first township election Ripley was named chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He served in subsequent township offices before moving to Fridley sometime later.

In the summer of 1891, Moses contested his father’s will which left his portion of his father’s estate to Moses’s wife for the protection of Moses as well as Moses’s family. The father had concluded that “since the war [Moses] had developed intemperate habits.”

A brief article in the 24 October 1891 edition of the Tribune, p. 8, titled “A Mad Pater Familias”: Moses H. Ripley, a son of the late Charles Ripley, who died some time ago leaving property worth many thousands of dollars, was up for examination before Judge Corrigan yesterday. Some four weeks ago he developed acute symptoms of insanity and threatened to kill his family. The judge ordered Moses to be sent to Rochester. He is a married man with seven children and is 51 years of age.

Moses Ripley died in Rochester, Minnesota of influenza and pneumonia at the age of 51 on January 19, 1892 and was buried at Layman’s Cemetery in Minneapolis. In 1896, his grave was relocated to Hillside Cemetery. Ophelia died on December 12, 1893, also from pneumonia, in Minneapolis. She was buried at Hillside Cemetery along with Moses and his parents.

Birth:
OneWorld Tree. Other sources say 24 August.

Died:
“died at the Rochester asylum”

Buried:
C 102 2, “Vet. GAR” (Grand Army of the Republic). Initially buried at Layman’s Cemetery.

Moses married Ophelia LIGHTBOURN on 2 Jun 1859 in Ramsey County, Minnesota. Ophelia (daughter of Nathaniel LIGHTBOURN and Louisa DEANE) was born on 27 May 1840 in Turks and Caicos Islands; died on 12 Dec 1893 in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota; was buried in Hillside Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Baptism: Oct 1840, Salt Key, Turks and Caicos Islands

Notes:

Or Lightbourne. Ophelia’s middle name was Merine or Minna according to the birth registry found by Bonnie K.

As Bonnie K’s research points out, “Miss O Lightbourn”, age 16, arrived in the port of New York on June 30, 1856, aboard the Nolus. This was a small ship, carrying only 10 passengers and had sailed to New York directly from the Turk Islands. Ophelia, whose occupation was “Lady” appears to have traveled with Miss Sarah Crisson, age 22, also with occupation of “Lady.” Sarah and Ophelia were citizens of Great Britain “on a visit to U States.” Bonnie believes that Ophelia would have been met by her brother Edward who was living in New York at the time. As Bonnie points out, it also appears that the Nolus (perhaps also called the Aeollus) was owned by Tucker & Lightbourn, where the Lightbourn may be Ophelia’s brother Vose Lightbourn.

Her place of birth is shown as Ireland in the 1860 census. In the 1875 state census, she is listed as having been born in Turks Island, her father in England, and her mother in West Indies.

Her maiden name was Lighborn according to Edward’s death certificate, Lightburn according to George’s death certificate.

The 1894 Minneapolis city directory notes her death on December 12, 1893, at the age of 53, as well as her last address: 2817 Taylor.

Ophelia died from pneumonia according to Bonnie.

Based on a DNA test of one of her descendants, it’s likely that Ophelia had a grandparent, probably on her mother’s side, who was born in western sub-Saharan Africa, probably in present-day Nigeria.

Birth:
per Bonnie K

Baptism:
Salt Key is about 8 miles SSW of Grand Turk Island

Died:
she was a widow

Buried:
per Bonnie K

Notes:

Married:
per Bonnie K