Bessire Reunion, Magnolia, Iowa, Abt 1894

This picture of a Bessire reunion in Magnolia, Iowa, was secured by Thora Bessire (1916-1994) and then to my mother , Carole Ann Bessire, several years ago. The picture was labeled by Mary Delpha Bessire Ankeny (1888-1978) with additional names supplied by her daughter, Carol Maurine Ankeny Klindt (1915-1997) in a letter dated 5 November 1990.  Mary, was the grand-daughter of Eugene Bessire through his son Charles Edward (1857-1928) & Olive Austin Bessire (1857-1941).  

Carole Ankeny Klindt dated the picture as 1895 in Magnolia, Iowa.  It was known that the little baby in front was Lloyd Bessire. Lloyd Bessire was born 7 October 1893 and died 23 February 1895.  With this information, and the apparent setting of leaves on the trees, and the dress possibly indicating a warm day in Iowa, my mother calculated the photo to be 1894.

Unfortunately Charles Albert & Jessie Horne and family were not present—yes, that’s my direct ancestors-- for some reason missed the party! Why?

Here are the names as best as we know them from the Ankeny’s and with my mother’s clarifications and interjections and guesses in brackets.

 

Back Row Left to Right (14 people)

1.       Aunt Jane Dedrick, Olive Austin Bessire’s sister;

2.       Aunt Tina [Hattie Ann Riley Bessire, wife of Alcide Bessire]

3.       Aunt Tina’s sister [Mary Riley Larimore?]

4.       Mary Zelima Bessire McCrillis [wife of Jasper McCrillis]

5.       Jasper  McCrillis

6.       Aunt Jane, Uncle Alf’s wife. [Alfred’s wife was Clara Belle Shaw; why did they call her “Jane?”]

7.       Lizzie Scott Bessire [wife of Albert Bessire]

8.       Olive Austin Bessire [wife of Charles Edward Bessire]

9.       Alcide Bessire

10.   Unknown

11.   Alfred Bessire

12.   Charles Edward Bessire

13.   Arnold Bessire

14.   Albert Bessire

Middle Row, L. to R. (12 people)
1.   A Cousin
2.  Nettie Bessire Johnson [dau. of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
3.  Bertha Pearl Bessire, Uncle Alf’s daughter
4.  Some relation of Alsie Bessire [Emma Bessire?, dau. of Alcide and America Ann Murray Bessire]
5.  Unknown
6.  Grandmother Bessire [Mary Ann Emily Grimm Bessire, wife of Eugene]
7. Effie Bessire, oldest granddaughter [dau. of Alcide Bessire and America Ann Murray]
8.  Grandfather Bessire [Eugene Bessire]
9.  Blaine Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
10. Cousin of our Uncle Albert [George Wheeler Bessire? Son of Albert and Lizzie Scott Bessire?]
11. Uncle Jasper’s son [Clarence McCrillis? Age 12 in 1894]
12. Howard Bessire, Uncle Alf’s son [age14 in 1894]

Front Row, L. to R. (16 people, the far right person is faded out)

1.  Essie McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
2.   Elva Bessire Brockway Miller [dau. of Charles E.  & Olive Austin Bessire]
3.   A cousin [Zellie?, Albert’s daughter? Age 10 in 1894]
4.  A cousin
5. Florence McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
6.  Mary Bessire Ankeny [dau. of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
7.  Verna McCrillis [dau. of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis]
8.  Harry Bessire [son of Charles Edward & Olive Austin Bessire]
9.  Baby Lloyd Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
10.  Cousin [Alva Luther?, son of Alfred & Clara Belle Shaw, age 5 in 1894]
11. Uncle Albert’s boy [Orel?]
12. Otto Bessire-Uncle Alf’s son
13.  Bert Bessire [son of Charles E. & Olive Austin Bessire]
14.  Cousin Elmer-Uncle Albert’s son
15.  Cousin [Frederick Clyde?, Arnold’s son?]
16.  McCrillis cousin [Harvey McCrillis? Son of Jasper & Zelima Bessire McCrillis? Age 9 in 1894]

How You Can Help.  If you have any corrections or knowledge of the unknowns, please send them to my email address, pedigreepursuits@gmail.com1

Eugene Bessire-Possible Civil War Draft Registration

Eugene Bessire-Possible U.S. Civil War Draft Registration

Ancestry.com,  a subscription genealogy website, just released the “U.S., Civil War Draft Registration Records, 1863-1865.”  The index lists a “Eugene Bossier”, Allen County, Ohio, registering in the 5th Congressional District.  On closer examination of the original online image I believe the name written is “Eugene Bassier.”  I’m inclined to think he is my ancestor Eugene Bessire because of the following facts.

1.       The draft registration lists that Eugene was age 40 as of 1 July 1863. That matches with Eugene Bessire’s birth of June1823.

2.       The draft registration lists his birthplace of Switzerland.  Eugene Bessire was born and christened in Pery, Bern, Switzerland.  U.S. Census records (1850-1880) indicate his nativity as Switzerland.

3.       The draft registration lists his residence as Allen County, Ohio.  Eugene’s family appears on the 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses for Jackson Township, Allen County, Ohio.

While these facts do not prove  that the Eugene Bossier in this record and my ancestor are one and the same, the facts seem very convincing.  (Unless there is another Eugene Bessire in the same locality at the same time.)

Other facts in the draft registration indicate he was registered as “Class 2.”  Class I comprised “all persons subject to do military duty between the ages of 20 and 35 years, and all unmarried persons subject to do military duty above the age of 35 years and under the age of 45.” Class 2 “comprised all other persons subject to do military duty.”

How You Can Help.  While Eugene Bessire may not have been a veteran of the Civil War, are there any records or history that would support his participation in the draft?  Maybe it was mandatory.  Further study may indicate that is the case. By 1863 Eugene and Mary Ann Bessire had their family of 8 children.

In a Bessire History compiled by Essie May (McCrillis) Cowles, a granddaughter of Eugene Bessire,  a tidbit of history states, “Eugene served 3 years in the Swiss army before coming to the United States.”  More information on his service in Switzerland would be really exciting to find!

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor



Immigrants to America 1905

Eugene Bessire
About 1894, Iowa



Eugene Bessire Comes to America

In a day when the issue of immigration can reach a feverish pitch in political circles, we might forget we really are a nation of immigrants.  In a selfish way, I’m glad the huddled masses I declare as my ancestors were allowed “in” a land of promise.   I don’t know what it took to make a decision to climb aboard a boat and sail to America in hopes of a better future.  Besides the cost of passage there were other costs: leaving family behind that you might never see again, leaving the known for the unknown, and starting over.  The pioneers of America started over a lot and moved a lot.  Their endurance and hard work are remarkable.

Whatever beckoned Eugene Bessire to leave his homeland of Pery, Bern Switzerland, sail across the ocean, and settle in Ohio and eventually in Iowa, would be so interesting to know.  Were there relatives advertising life there in Ohio, life so full of promise, that he couldn’t resist? 

Eugene Bessire’s Application for Naturalization

Fortunately Eugene obeyed the immigration laws and became a naturalized citizen.  The abstracts of application and naturalization can be found in the “Wayne County, Ohio Abstracts of Naturalization Records 1812-1903, published in 1985 by the Wayne County Historical Society, Wooster, Ohio. Remember these are abstracts, not the original records.  I believe those can be found in Wayne County Court records which I will investigate.  There is always promise that the original records might have additional historical clues about an ancestor. (Family History Library US/CAN Book 977.161 P48.  Can also be found on Ancestry.com, “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s.)   

In page 29 of said book, the abstract of the application from Journal 16 states:  “Eugene Bessier, 29, native Switzerland, emigrate 1849.” (This would indicate his birth year as 1820.)

On page 31, in the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas, Journal 18, under the September Term 1854, the naturalization is recorded:  “Eugene Bessier: native Switzerland.”

This source explains the time table for naturalization:  “An immigrant needed to be a resident of the U.S. for 2 years before filing his application of intent to be naturalized.  He needed to be a resident of the U.S. an additional 3 years before filing for his final naturalization papers.”

Mary Ann Emily Grimm Bessire
About 1894, Iowa

Immigration of Mary Ann Grimm Bessire

Eugene’s wife, Mary Ann Grimm (1830-1916), came to America in 1833 with her parents Jean (1798- ) and Emilie Bueche (1802- ) Grimm.  Essie May McCrillis Cowles (1883-1978) gathered copies of the Jean’s traveling papers through a descendant of Eugene’s son, Alfred Bessire (1854-1946), for her compilation of the Jean Bueche Genealogy and Bessire History, a process that began in 1951. These papers indicate the route of travel for Jean Grimm as from Switzerland to France and then embarking for the U.S. at Le Havre, France, the 21^st of May, 1833.  The history indicates it took 45 days for the crossing.  Eugene may have followed a similar route.

The Modale, Harrison, Iowa 1900 census lists Mary A. Bessire living with her daughter, Mary Z. Bessire McCrillis.  It indicates her immigration to the U.S. as the year 1838 and 62 years as the number of years in the U.S.  The Green River, Emery, Utah 1910 U.S. Census indicates that Mary A. Bessire, once again living with her daughter, Mary Z. Bessire McCrillis,  was born in Switzerland-French with her father and mother’s nativity being the same.

Eugene Bessire’s traveling trunk—where is it?

In a copy of a letter dated June 11, 1958, Bert Austin Bessire (1886-1973)corresponds with Mrs. Charles Bessire [Juanita ] of Hoople, North Dakota.  In the letter Bert states: 

“Grandfather Eugene Bessire came to this country from Switzerland in 1839.  My brother, Blaine, happens to have the home made trunk which he brought with him.  It was made in Paris and on the lock is written, ‘Eugene Bessire, Paris, 1839.’ Grandmother Bessire came to this country from Switzerland a few years earlier.”

 Can it be assumed that the date on the lock is the emigration date? I would think in applying for his naturalization, Eugene would have put the correct date he came from Switzerland, that being 1849 as found in the abstract.  Something to verify.

Eugene Bessire family bible-where is it?

Later on in the letter, Bert references a Eugene Bessire family bible as being in the possession of “Uncle Albert, living at Grand Junction, Colorado” [that] had “names and dates of birth of his children.” Bert continues with the speculation that the bible might be in possession of George Bessire or Dwight Bessire.

How You Can Help.    My intent is to find the exact date Eugene Bessire left Switzerland, departure port, name of the ship, and arrival port in the United States. What do you know of the story of Eugene Bessire coming to America?  Do you have any documents or family stories that might shed light on his journey?  Did he come alone?  What was the calling card to America, land? Where is the Eugene Bessire family bible?  And the same for the 1839 trunk?  Even photographs of these precious heirlooms would be fascinating!