A great grandmother

Hulda Rosalie Blakely Van Cleave 1843-1934

This page is to honor the memory of Hulda's New England Ancestors.
Her mother's ancestors bore the names of Strong, Newton, Stevens, Wells,
Catlin, Nims, Smead, Hawks, Lathrop and many others of Massachusetts in the 1600s.
Her father's families included the names Blakely, Root, Hickok, Fairchild, Hurd, Abbott
and others of Connecticutt in the 1600s.
 
Through the mists of time of the past three hundred years we have learned about these ancestors and their contributions to the making of this country. This information is not complete and may not be entirely correct . Caution should be
used when abstracting this material for your own private use.
Of particular interest is while several of these ancestors were Puritan Elders and
Deacons, one widow was arraigned for witchcraft in 1692 and at least 20+ ancestors and other relatives were among those killed in the French and Indian massacre of Deerfield, Massachusetts 29 February 1704. At least three others died in the days following that massacre, possibly from injuries or burns suffered on that terrible night or from the unspeakable grief of having lost so many of their family members.

 

HULDA'S STORY: According to Hulda's Civil War Widow's Pension Application she was born 8 April 1848 in Cincinati, Ohio. Her parents had both been married previously, Harriet Strong's first husband was Benjamin Croy by whom she had three daughter, Sophia Strong Croy, Lucinda and Mary or "Molly" Croy. Zerah was married previously to Laura Wells. They had two children to survive to adulthood. Lucevia Blakely was born 14 May 1826 in Conneaut, Pa and Zerah F. born 1838 in Wilkesville, Ohio. According to a letter written by Zera F.,in January of 1900,there were several other children who died young. The mother, Laura Wells Blakely died in 1841. Harriet and Zerah were married in Gallia County, Ohio on 30 January 1842. According to family stories, Zerah was a carpenter and in the mid 1850s he learned of a building boom in Oregon. Planning to move his family to where there was more work, Zerah built at least one houseboat and loading the family and their belongings aboard, set out by river. A navigational error on the Mississippi River took them up the White River in eastern Arkansas instead of the Arkansas River to the west. Arriving in Batesville, Arkansas he discovered they too were in the midst of a building boom and decided to settle there. The 1860 Federal Census for Independence County, Arkansas shows the family living in Washington Township with Z. Blakely age 65 b. CT, Harriett age 48 b. OH, Lucinda Croy,22, Mary Croy, 20, Adaline Blakely 17, Benjamin C. 15, Huldey 12, Charles 9, and Daniel 7. Following the outbreak of the Civil War Union soldiers commandeered Zerah's boats and turned them into gunboats. Zerah died in 1865 in Rising Sun, Indiana. Probate records of Independence County, Arkansas dated August 1866 gave value of his estate at no more than $300 and was given to his wife (not named in the records).

Hulda married Nathaniel Moore Van Cleave on December 12, 1869 in Independence County. In 1872 they are living in Calamine, Sharp County, Arkansas. By 1880 they are in Waldron, Scott County where their youngest child, Roy Daniel Van Cleave is born on 8 February 1881. It is not known just when the family moved to Cavanaugh, Sebastian County where Nathaniel died of pneumonia February 10, 1897. Following Roy's marriage in February of 1904 to Nellie Lee Vanderburg Hulda lived with them until her death in May of 1934.