long lost cousins

I have been corresponding with a newly found third cousin, Merryfield Laimbeer Petersen from Pennsylvania. We both descend from the Abbot side of the family, and branch off at our great-grandparent's line. Here are the genealogical details (non-family can skip this bit and go straight to the photos, below). Forgive me in advance if I get any of it wrong.

We are both descended from:

Abiel Abbot m. Phebe Ballard (G-g-g-g-g grandparents)

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Benjamin Abbot m. Joanna Holmes (G-g-g-g grandparents)
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Francis Holmes Abbot m. Mary Wade (G-g-g grandparents)
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Thomas Wade Abbot m. Helen Tracey Adams (G-g grandparents)

Thomas and Helen had two sons -- my great grandfather Edgar Wade Abbot (who married my great-grandmother, Isabel Esther McCormick) , and Merry's great-grandfather Frank Prentice Abbot. Both brothers were involved with the GDA (Gerard, Dufraisseix & Abbot) Haviland Limoges porcelain company.

OK -- now our lines branch off, and here is Merry's branch:

Frank Prentice Abbot m Mary Augusta Laimbeer (Her great grandparents)
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Kate (Kitty) Laimbeer Abbot m Francis Effingham Laimbeer (Just to make things really confusing, her grandparents were 1st cousins once removed. Her grandfather's grandfather was her grandmother's great-grandfather. Ouch. My head hurts.) They had a daughter named Dorothea, also known as "Daphrie" and a son:
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William Laimbeer m Helen Hope Nixon (Her parents)
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Merryfield Laimbeer m James Lawrence Petersen (Herself)
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David, Susan, Pamela, Elizabeth (Her kids)
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10 grandchildren

Merry remembers visiting Grandama and Grandpa Loomis with her Aunt Daphrie in Ruxton, and has notes from them in her family papers. How neat. Oh, and Merry has a cousin, Frank Laimbeer. And now we're all facebook friends. How funny is that?

I discovered that in Great Grandma Isabel's guestbook from her house in Washington, Connecticut, there are dozens of signatures, notes, and photos of the Abbot/Laimbeer family, dating from 1911 to the mid-1920s. Here are some images and words from the past.

Click on the images to see them larger.

My Abbot side:
Helen Abbot Lapham (great aunt) - Isabel Esther McCormick Abbot (great grandma)
Dorothy Abbot Loomis (grandma) and Edgar Wade Abbot (great grandpa)

Cousin Theodora (before she married Mr. DuBois),
Elizabeth Ruth Abbot (Grandma Loo had a doll named Elizabeth Ruth, remember?)
and Kate Abbot Laimbeer

The photo above is from Isabel's guestbook, and the same photo, below, is from Merry's collection.

A poem by Cousin Theodora -- apparently the furnace went out in October. Cold!
Cousin Theodora went on to write a number of historical novels and children's books.
Click here to read about her life.

In addition to the signature of Kate Abbot Laimbeer,
at the top of the page there is a note that D.A. (Dorothy Abbot) went to Texas.
I wonder if she went with C.D.L. to visit Loomis Ranch?

There is a note, written by Helene, tucked in the guestbook noting that the Lapham children
referred to the Laimbeers as the Lame-Deers. Sorry, cousins!

The Laimbeers Garden City, New York, 1919 (and how they're related to Merry)

Frank (Uncle) - Jack (Uncle)
Francis & Kate (grandparents) - Bill (Father)
Dick (Uncle) - Daphrie (Aunt)

Frank (uncle) - Kate (grandmother)
Jack (uncle) - Bill (father)
Aunt Bessie (?) - Esther (?)
(Merry isn't sure who the elderly woman and baby are --
Aunt Bessie is Elizabeth Ruth Abbot, who never married.
According to Helene, she lived with IEA and EWA -- and never left her room.
She must be Frank and Edgar's sister.
I think the baby looks like Aunt Esther, don't you?
I wonder if Grandma Loo was visiting and took this photo?)
Dick (Uncle) - Daphrie (Aunt) - Francis (grandfather)
Garden City, NY circa 1920s

So -- hello to our newly discovered cousins! And welcome to the family!

gunn memorial library

I've been corresponding with a man in Washington, CT who owns a house next door to Grandma Abbot's old house on Old North Road. (To see his comments on an earlier post, click here.) He has been researching the history of his house, and in doing so found that the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum in Washington has a framed calling card belonging to Grandma Ab and Grandma Loomis. He sent me the image you see at the right.

Also,about 10 years ago I donated some of Grandpa Loo's watercolors of Washington to the Gunn Library, along with photos of Connecticut doorways taken by Grandma Loo. I can't remember if I made copies of the watercolors for everyone? If not, you can see the images here.

dottie a

I remember Grandma Loo telling us that she was one of the first women in her crowd to own a motor car. Here's evidence that she ruled the road. Does anyone else have more information on Grandma and her car?

visit from helene

Cousin Helene Van Oosten visited today. She divides her time between Fisher's Island, NY and Santa Barbara, CA, and points in between. For those of you who may have forgotten, she is our second cousin -- Edna Lapham Van Oosten was her mother and Aunt Helen and Uncle Roger Lapham were her grandparents. She brought along an album that Grandma Loomis kept -- a guest book for the house in Washington, Connecticut -- full of autographs and photographs and letters and clippings. I'll scan some of those items and share them with you. She also brought an album of Grandma's photographs of her sister Helen and the Lapham family. Grandma was an aspiring photographer and studied at the Art Student's League of New York and with noted photographer Clarence White. Helene told me that Grandma was much chagrined that her parents wouldn't allow her to pose nude for him -- when she later saw an international exhibit of his, which included a number of nudes, she realized that she could have been famous!

Here are a few of the photographs that Helene brought along. I believe that Grandma Loomis took all but the one of herself.

Dorothy Abbot Loomis

Helen Lapham, Carol Lapham, and Isabel Abbot

Lewis and Carol Lapham and Edgar Abbot

Isabel Abbot

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  Lewis A. Lapham (pictured above) is the father of Lewis H. Lapham, editor of Harper's Magazine.
• Uncle Roger Lapham, of course, was Mayor of San Francisco in the 1940s.
• Carol Lapham Valentine, pictured above, is sister to Edna, and Helene's aunt.
• Buy a copy of Aunt Helen's book about life with Unlce Roger.
• Waveny was the Lapham family house in New Canaan, Connecticut. Grandma Loomis took many photos of her sister's family there.