John Howell 's Genealogue

William Lawrence Howard, M.D.

Howell The Good

In wondering about the origins of the Howell name, longtime Howell researcher Dorothy Carroll comments "The Welsh didn't have last names but all admired Good King Hywel. Most undoubtably why there are so many Howell's."

Hywel Dda (King Howell The Good)
born circa 880, died 950 in Wales.

The illustration is from a manuscript containing
a Latin copy of the Laws of Hywel Dda. It portrays
the king sitting on his throne holding a sceptre.
(From the National Library of Wales)

From The Wikipedia encyclopedia:

Howell the Good

Howell the Good (c.880?–950; Welsh: Hywel Dda or Hywel ap Cadell) is listed amongst the kings of Gwynedd. He is remembered as one of the most successful native Welsh rulers prior to the Norman Conquest. As a result of his reign, Wales ended the 10th century with a set of codified laws considerably more sophisticated than those of contemporary England.

Location of Wales, within the present day UK

Howell was born in around 880, the younger son of Cadell ap Rhodri, himself the son of Rhodri the Great. In 905, Cadell, having conquered Dyfed, gave it to his son to rule on his behalf. Howell was able to consolidate his position by marrying Elen, whose father had ruled Dyfed until his death. Following his father's death in 909, he acquired a share of Seisyllwg, and on his brother's death in 920, he merged Dyfed and Seisyllwg, creating for himself a new kingdom, which became known as Deheubarth. Following the death of a cousin in 942, he also inherited the principality of Gwynedd, becoming ruler of about three-quarters of present-day Wales.

Location of Dyfed and Deheubarth within present day Wales

Howell's reign, uncharacteristically for the time, was a peaceful one, and he achieved an understanding with Athelstan of England. Such was the relationship between the neighbouring countries that Howell was able to mint his own coinage in the English city of Chester. He was the only Welsh ruler ever to produce coinage. His study of the English legal system and his visit to Rome in 928 (on a pilgrimage) combined to enable him to formulate advanced ideas about government. (He would possibly have a chance to meet either of the Popes John X, Leo VI and Stephen VIII who were active during that year).

The conference held at Whitland in about 945, was a kind of parliament in which Welsh law was codified and set down in writing for posterity, much of the work being done by the celebrated clerk, Blegywryd. Following Howell's death, his kingdom was soon split into three and divided between his sons. However, his legacy endured in the form of his enlightened laws, which remained in active use throughout Wales until the conquest.

Of course we are nowhere near tracing our Howell line back to Wales or wherever it may have come from....stay tuned...

August 3 Sackville Tribune-Post:

"Hickman family boasts rich history in Dorchester - Reunion draws family members from across North America"

The article consists of an in-depth interview with Marlene Hickman, by reporter Katie Tower - providing a nice recap of the family history. And it features a photo of the Howells with some of the Hickmans!

The entire article can be viewed here
An archived copy here in ".mht" format (not supported in all browsers).
A larger copy of the photo can be viewed here.

The Hickman Family Reunion!

Hickman -> Davison -> Howell
(click above to see relationships)

As mentioned in the April 28th entry - the Hickman Family reunion (download invitation) was something we were looking forward to with great anticipation.

Marlene Tingley Hickman and Judy Hickman Morison make a great team and they put a huge effort into making this a great and memorable event for all. A huge thank-you is in order!

It was perfect.

The reunion was held in Dorchester, New Brunswick, Canada at the "Joseph Hickman House" - 2x-4x Great Grandparent of the Howell's living today. The current occupants of the now two-unit house are descendants of Joseph Hickman - brother and sister Judy and Bob Hickman, and their spouses Cole Morison and Marlene Tingley. The house, located just minutes from one of the very northernmost tips of the Bay of Fundy, has remained in the Hickman family continuously - many of the beautiful furnishings are the original pieces from the 1830's - no doubt some imported from England on Hickman-built sailing barques.

Judy Hickman Morison and her brother
Bob Hickman welcome the crowd

Our researcher - Marlene Tingley Hickman and
local author & historian Helen M. Petchey who wrote
The Hickmans in Dorchester's Heyday!

There was so much 'new' (to me) family history information made available from Marlene's resarch that it will take months to digest it all. Not only researched, but photocopied and placed in binders to take home! Marlene gave the group a bus tour of the area showing the locations of the various historical points which ended at the Dorchester graveyard where many of the Hickmans are buried, including our own Alma.

After dinner Judy provided a PowerPoint slide show of old photographs of the various Hickman owned businesses and properties in and around Dorchester. Brief introductory comments were made by several present. Joe Hickman noted for us all that a hallmark theme of the Hickman family has always been it's hospitality - clearly in full-force on this occasion.

Some of the many items on display at the Hickman House

Charlie Hickman is another very active Hickman researcher with whom I correspond, and it was great to meet him and his family in person. He and his father are both avid sailors. Charlie and Marlene have gathered much on the ships that were built, owned and operated by the Hickmans.

Alma Minora Hickman Davison - is Dad's 2x Great Grandmother, and is our first link with the Hickmans as we go back generation by generation.

Alma Minora Hickman Davison (1855-1884)

Among the many family artifacts and photos on display were this large framed drawing (above), and the photo (below) of Alma Hickman - very exciting to us Howells as these are the first images of Alma we have seen!

Apparently because Alma died at the age of 29 when her daughter Nellie Davison was 4 years old there is very little information about her. The discovery of who Alma was, is a relatively new thing to the Howell family - in fact I noted that we had located her gravestone in an entry here Nov 18, 2003. A few months prior to that I didn't even know her name and had never heard it mentioned in the family. We have come a long way with the discovery of these images.

"Alma Hickman"
From a photo album in the Keillor Museum on loan for the reunion.
(image approx. 3" x 5" - click here for larger version)

Now we have a starting point to look through the Davison family photos in Nova Scotia, and see if we can find a match!

Trinity Anglican Church, Dorchester, NB (est. 1836)
July 31, 2005

A final highlight of the reunion for us was attending the special service at the Trinity Anglican Church in Dorchester. Only a few steps from the Joseph Hickman House, the Hickman families have attendend and suppoted this small church since the early 1800's. Marriages, funerals, baptisms - you could almost hear the echoes.

And a most fitting end to our visit - as we went back to the very place where our family association with the Hickmans began 125 years ago when Alma Hickman and E. D. Davison, Jr. were married.

(Update: August 13, 2005 - Just learned that the Sackville Tribune-Post ran a nice article on the reunion. Complete with photo! Click here to view the archived copy.)

A visit with Catherine Leavitt

Davison -> Howell
(Click above for relationship tree)

Our final stop in Nova Scotia was a visit with cousin Catherine Davison Leavitt at her apartment in Halifax.

When we asked hear about Nellie, Cahterine said she remembers that she was "a very beautiful woman", and faintly remembered a dinner in Bridgewater (1920's?) that included Nellie Davison and her husband "The Baron" (perhaps Gruenburger?) who were visiting from Europe. The unusual thing about it was that The Baron would not sit down at the table for dinner, which was set for 13, until a 14th guest was located!

This is the first time Dad or I have heard anything about Nellie returning from Europe - even for a visit. Catherine also seems to think Nellie was married in Europe.

Seated: Catherine Doran Davison (Rooke) Leavitt

It was also interesting to hear Catherine pronounce Doran: 'Dooren'

A visit with the Lathrop's at Red Top

Davison -> Howell; Davison-> Lathrop
(Click above to see the relationship)

View from 'Red Top' of the La Have River near Bridgewater, NS
This schooner belonged to Budd Davison, and this photo
was the centerpiece of Budd and Marj's Christmas card
(taken perhaps in 1950's. - photo from Stuart Davison's collection)

'Red Top' is a long-time summer gathering place for many in the Davison clan and their families in Canada. One hundred years ago, Red Top was a cook-house for one of the lumber mills belonging to E.D. Davison & Sons.

We (Dad, Claire, Susan and I), were invited to a wonderful lunch here, and an impromptu family gathering hosted by the current owners - cousin Ned Lathrop and his wife Diane. Also present were Ned's brother & sister, John Howland Lathrop and Margot Lathrop Brebner who also have homes nearby. We were especially honored that D. Whiting Lathrop (age 91), and father/grandfather/great grandfather of the clan present, was there. Whiting's wife, our cousin Margaret Helen Davison, was to arrive in a few days, but Dad and I did get to spend a few minutes with her on the telephone - more on that in a minute.. Also present: Ned and Diane’s son Eric Lathrop, and his wife Monica, kept busy by their baby daughter Elena. And last but not least, Rebecca Brebner, daughter of Margot who I'm sure must have a very long list of suitors.

Ned and Diane continue the tradition of keeping Red Top very much as it was in the 1800's. The structure is all wood (naturally), with many incredibly wide, rough planks milled from the trees right on the property. You can't miss the smell of pine and the beautiful view of the La Have river from the front porch. Along the way, a few small concessions such as indoor plumbing were added - but it strikes me the place is perhaps the most intact remaining structure of the old lumber mill today.

Ned explained that the surrounding thick forest of trees was actually second or third generation growth, planted by the Davison lumber company after the trees that were on this land were harvested. Interesting to note that even 'way back then' there was an appreciation that the supplies of timber were not without limits.

One of the photos hanging prominently at Red Top was of a graduating class at St. Andrews College in Aurora, Ontario. (as the brochure says: "Residential/Day school for Boys Grade 6-12." and "One of the oldest and most beautiful boarding shcools in all of North America") I can't remember exactly who was in the photo, but as it turns out – I learned for the first time that many Davison descendants have graduated from here – the thought occurred to us then that perhaps John E. Howell may have also attended before he went off to the University of Toronto - need to check that one out.

John Howland Lathrop and I discussed that his middle name is in honor of his/our direct line connection to Pilgrim John Howland of the Mayflower – something I had independently found and reported here on Nov. 6, 2004, but had never had anyone else in the family confirm it (click for tree). At some point it would be fun to locate some family lore related to this connection.

Rebecca Brebner was kind enough to volunteer to go next door and grab several boxes full of old family photos and documents – we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to go through them – but it is great to know they are there, and I’m sure will be the subject of further investigation! For one, I'm sure there must be a photo, newspaper article, or something documenting E.D. Davison Jr.'s Oct 1879 wedding to Alma M. Hickman. At this point we have no image of Alma but will discover one that is a candidate upon our visit next week at the Hickman reunion (separate entry to follow on that!).

L to R: (back) Ned Lathrop, John S. Howell, Jr.
(front) J. Spencer Howell, Diane Lathrop, Claire M. Howell

After lunch Dad and I took turns talking with Margaret Helen Davison Lathrop on the telephone. Dad was able to tell her that he was leaving a teacup for her that was part of his mother's estate with instructions that it be given to Margaret. 33 years must be a record for late deliveries as Nanny (Elizabeth Louise Stone Howell) died in 1972 - tempus fugit! Margaret also confirmed that some of the details we have on Nellie sounded at least familiar – including the marriage to Alfred Gruenburger. She also seemed to recall that Nellie was first married in Europe.

As above except Susan Boyer Howell in front center
(The rest escaped before we brought out the camera!)

We Howell's owe this branch of the Davisons a special debt of grattitude as it was through the financial and moral support of Harold 'Budd' Doran Davison (1890-1965) and Edward 'Ned' Sumner Davison (1889-1959) that John E. Howell (1902 - 1948) was able to come to Canada, learn English, and receive his college education. (I need more biographical information on Ned and Budd!)

Ah yes. One other thing I learned on this trip - Practically every Davison descendant with Edward in his name ends up being called "Ned" - as was E. D. Jr. It matters not if your first or middle name is Edward...you are Ned in this family!

A visit with Stuart Davison in Nova Scotia

Stuart Davison (relationship chart) won't admit it, but he re-arranged his sailing vacation to meet us and show us the locations of the old E. D. Davison & Sons lumber mills, and the old family homes in and around Bridgewater. Stuart was a great guide, and it was nice to finally meet him in person as we have been corresponding since June 2004 via email.

L to R: J. Spencer Howell, Stuart F. Davison, John S. Howell, Jr.
near Pentz on the La Have River, Nova Scotia. (obviously Stuart gets his hair from some other genetic pool...)

Stuart presented us with an original copy of the "E.D. Davison & Sons Lumber Co." photo - very much appreciated and suitable for framing! I also made a copy of the multi-page, handwritten Davison family tree that Stuart had in his files - researched by his uncle (and our cousin)Charles Donald Davison. I've been updating my files with this information, and noting some (mostly minor) confilicts to be investigated.

Another item of interest from Stuart's files is an orginal copy of the form letter sent by E. D. Davison & Son's to their customers dated June 23, 1903 that announces the sale of the company to J. M. Hastings. (click here to see original). The letter begins:

"Dear Sirs:- Ever since the death of our senior member, Mr. E. D. Davison, which followed the loss of our former partners and made such a blank in our management, we find it impossible to conduct the business on the same scale as we have been doing the last 10 years. The undertaking of introducing new men was a larger task than the remaining partners feel like attempting, and we were rather prepared to entertain several offers made us for the purchase of the property. We therefore opened negotiations with Mr. J.M. Hastings, of Pittsburgh, whose very high character in lumbering and financial circles of the United States encouraged us to think he would conduct business of the firm in much the same style of honorable dealings which it has always been the policy of our seniors to maintain."

continues......

But one of the nicest things in Stuart's collection of family stuff was the compendium of family stories that that his sister Catherine gave to him for his 50th. One hundred stories - two for each year! We read several of the stories aloud to each other...

In one of the stories Catherine recalls an outing in uncle Ned Davison's (1899 - 1959) convertible when the they were kids. Somehow, Stuart and Catherine managed to grab Ned's hat off his head - (he always wore one apparently), but then the hat accidentally blew away! Ned's reaction was a brief flush of anger - promptly followed by much laughter - contagious to all.

When Dad and the rest of the Howell's who knew him, speak of Ned they always remember his great personality and generosity - just as Catherine and Stuart do - interesting that even today Ned helps us find common ground with long lost sides of the family.

I really can't think of a better gift than this.

The Sacrifice of the Shannon by W. Albert Hickman

Hickman -> Davison -> Howell
Click above to see our family relationship

The Sacrifice of the Shannon
By W. Albert Hickman
2nd Edition, 1903
Frederick A. Stokes Company
New York, Publishers

On our latest tour of the Maritimes of Canada, my reading list included William Albert Hickman's The Sacrifice of the Shannon published 1903. The Hickman Family reunion in Dorchester, New Brunswick was drawing near, and I wanted to read the book to get a feel for the man, and the the places we were to see. My curiosity further piqued since William Albert Hickman and Nellie Davison were first cousins - two years apart in age - so they most surely knew each other.

Rarely am I so positively surprised! The book is a little gem and I recommend it to you without reservation.

This review by Cecily Devereux sums it up beautifully:

"W. Albert Hickman’s only novel, The Sacrifice of the Shannon, first appeared in 1903, identified in the author’s preface as a story based on his own experiences on the Minto, an icebreaker in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Most of the story’s action—and there is a lot, and it is exciting—occurs on the icefields between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, as the ship of the title, the Shannon, races to rescue a trapped steamer. This novel is a great read; it is also an interesting work in terms of its relation to early twentieth-century constructions of gender and place in popular and genre fiction: the icebreaker’s race, like the yacht race that begins the story and sets up the later contest, is embedded in a love story that repeatedly draws attention to shifting ideals of masculinity and femininity and their performance. Ian Johnston’s introduction is brief and useful, providing information about the little-known Hickman and about the context for the story."

Hickman's characters are passionate in their love for the Canadian Maritimes. He divulges in his introduction that the fictional town of "Caribou" where much of the story takes place, is located where Pictou, Nova Scotia exists - on the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait.

This photo, which appears in the book represents the fictional icebreader"Liffey". Liffey is based on the real-life icebreaker Minto. I've compared this photo to a photo of the real Minto - and there is no doubt that this is a photo of Minto - leading me to think that Hickman himself took the pictures that appear in his book - including this one while he served aboard Minto.

The year is around 1898 - "Captain Ashburn" describes on p. 82-83:

"When the ice came down from the north the Scoter was docked for the season, and we took to the pack itself, sometimes with ice-boats and sometimes without. Then I learned things that no book and no man can teach. So it would be perfectly useless for me to tell you and expect you to know. I learned of the feeling, of the new grasp of all things, that comes to the man who has been out for days and weeks on the shifting ice-pack, when the grey seals come up in the lanes beside the murres and the burgomasters; when, at night, with glinting light from crystal down below and nothing else, there is a great shining silence like the silence between the worlds; when the Northern Light reels and flashes green and red and sends a faint silky rustle that makes the silence deeper all around; and then, more wonderful than all, when, whithout even a movement of air, the great silence breaks. In from the east sounds the weird harmonic cry of the cockawee, and down from the north come deep booms and low muffled roars as the pack stirs, as though the hand of God had beckoned and the Great White Silence had moved to do its appointed work."

"These are the things which touch a man more deeply than anything else in nature. You may or may not agree with me; but the man who has seen and heard these things knows that what I say is true, and he who has not can never understand. If you take the trouble to learn, you will find that every Arctic explorer, no matter what manner of man he may have been before he went to the North, under the influence of the infinite vastness of things will have recovered all his sentiment and will have preserved in all its simplicity, like that of a little child."

This photo of the fictional Miss MacMichael "the girl" appears just inside the front cover - If Hickman took the photos appearing in the book - who is this really?

The two main male characters are Captain Ashburn, who tells much of the story in first person, and his good friend the mysterious Mr. Wilson who seems to be master of everything from biology to seamanship to bravery. Both men are madly in love with Ms. Gertrude MacMichael, and it is in her description in the words of Ashburn (who calls her "the girl") that I think we hear Hickman's own thoughts on the ideal woman - from p2.:

"Another reason I want to tell you the story is that the girl is a wonder, a living wonder, and I know you'll be interested in her, though some women have expressed their interest in queer ways which were not always intended to be complementary. If you analyzed them you usually found that they were complementary if they were anything, no matter what they were intended to be. I've called the girl a wonder, because though if you take the average girl as your criterion she is far away from it, still, from a cool, unbiased, critical point of view, she is normal, - thoroughly normal. Kindly remember that "normal" is not "average." She's got a circulation that swings a crimson flush in under her sun-tanned cheeks. She walks like a tiger, and looks at a thing or a person, not for the effect of her eyes, but to see. Incidentally she gets the effect a thousand times better than if she tried for it."

And from p. 120

"The girl was ready when we arrived. She was dressed in a gray blanket snow-shoe suit faced with crimson, and her sweet, clear-cut features and sunbrowned brilliant colouring made her as lovely a picture as any man may see in this life. I have often sat in the old St. James, and in later years in the Carlton and the Savoy, and looked around at the crowd, especially the women. Heavens! what an exhibition it is for a man that loves sincerity and simplicity. If you had stripped the majority of those women - some who have been known as beauties for many seasons - of their dress, their jewels and their powder and paint, ripped their nets off, loosened their hair up a bit, dressed them as this girl was dressed, and compared them with her, how many would have stood the comparison. It makes me laugh now to think of the row of beauties as they'd show up in those blanket suits. And this girl was not only more beautiful than they, but she could talk better, perhaps sing better, and certainly do everything else in the wide world much better. She could beat the majority of them - perhaps all - at tennis, and some other things; if she had them in a boat race with her she'd frighten them into hysterics - most of them; her greatest pleasure was giving, theirs receiving; they were always blasé, she never; and, though I had never seen her at it, I had a deep-rooted idea that when she loved she would love better than they. Withal she was but mortal. I don't believe in paragons. She wasn't one. She was impetuous - too impetuous - and she had a bit of a temper which was not always under perfect control. Remember too that I am far from underrating the others, those of the Savoy and the Crlton - though some of them you couldn't underrate - for I have spent many splendid times with them, but this girl leads them all. Why? Not because of anything more than the fact that with the natural brilliancy of the best of women she combined a moral sanity that led her to love things for their own sakes - not because they were loved by others - and, well, she never posed."

I'm sure he got his inspiration from our Davison and Hickman girls!