The Ransom Family
of Niagara County, NY
"...if
he must hear either the word Ransom or the word Nothing a million times, he
would prefer the word Ransom"--C.S. Lewis in Perelandra
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(The couple that started it all, William Henry Harrison Ransom and his wife, Elisa Estes.)
W.H.H. Ransom is descended from Robert Ransom of Plymouth colony (1654). Precisely, he is the seventh generation from this Robert, whom all we know about is that he was most likely an indentured servant who came to America for greater freedom. The generations after Robert are as follows: Robert (2), Joseph (3), Peleg, a captain in the Revolutionary War (4), Griffin (5), another Peleg (6), and finally W.H.H (7). W.H.H. was born October 11, 1816 in Wurtsboro, Orange County, New York. He was the eldest of thirteen children. It seems as though W.H.H.'s parents, Peleg and Letty Lewis, had a
penchant for politics since William Henry Harrison Ransom had a younger brother named George Washington. (It is interesting to note that while W.H.H. the politician was not President at the time of our W.H.H.'s birth, he was heavily involved with the U.S. House of Representatives, expansional matters during Adams, Madison, and Jefferson, Indian affairs, and the War of 1812.)
Our W.H.H. moved from Sullivan county to Niagara county in 1839 and purchased a farm in Wilson. Early on in life, he was a carpenter and joiner. He married Elisa J. Estes on February 22, 1842 and in 1846, he bought the general store in Ransomville from his uncle, Jehiel Clark Ransom. This store was presumably quite a profitable business as one clipping states, "There are very few stores in Lockport that carry as large a stock of goods as may be found in the Ransom store in Ransomville." In addition to the stock, W.H.H.'s reputation for honesty and integrity and his being heavily involved with public affairs most certainly contributed to the store's success.
He and Elisa had thirteen children who each lived to adulthood, married, and had at least one child. W.H.H. died December 29, 1889 at the age of 74 in Ransomville, NY.
Ransom Reunion
The 81st Annual Ransom Reunion will be held
on Saturday August 1st, 2009 at 1pm at
Ransomville Park behind the Fire Hall in Ransomville New York. We hope
that many of you descendants of W.H.H. and Eliza Ransom will be present. As an
added feature this year, the Ransomville Historical Room will be open that
afternoon with an exhibit for the 175th Anniversary of the Ransomville
Baptist Church (home church of the Ransom family).
As always, please bring a main dish and salad or dessert to pass and utensils
and drink for your family. If you are unable to attend, please email me news of
your family to read at the reunion.
***For more interesting Ransom information, refer to these sites:***
Ransom Family Page
Created by Mike Ransom of the John Ransom line, this site offers a wealth
of information concerning the Ransom family in America including brief ancestries, Ransom
publication info, and links to other helpful genealogy sites.
GenForum
The name says it all. This site is a forum for any interested in the Ransom
genealogy. Questions about the family may be posed and posted for knowledgeable parties to
answer. Even if you do not have a question, it is interesting to see others' questions and
the answers. You might even find one you can answer!
Genealogy Links
USGenWEb
A site dedicated to
providing free online genealogical information for all counties and states in the United
States.
Tombstone Transcription Project
from the USGenWeb,
a VERY interesting site dealing with cemetery registries of all sorts. Has great cemetery
links!
Public Records Office of the
United Kingdom
Primarily for genealogists, this site offers a wealth of tips and information on
researching ancestors from the UK. Info ranges from basic research tips to
locations of various records in the UK
Ellis Island
Ship manifests/passenger lists
for all immigrants who came through the Island.