Emma Fellows
Emma was born in October 1848 in Lafayette, New York to Joel Fellows and Margaret Eastway.
Hiram was born in Chesterville, Maine in August 1844. According to his obituary, Hiram’s parents died when he was young and he was forced to fend for himself.[1] After his parents died, Hiram came to Michigan. An article in the Holland City News, June 13, 1913, related that Hiram was separated from his brother Fred after their parents died. Fred was placed with a family in New York. However, when the civil war broke out, both Fred and Hiram enlisted. Ironically, both men fought at Gettysburg without knowing that the other was present. They did not again meet until 1913, when they both participated in a reunion at Gettysburg.[2]
Hiram served with Company F of the 5th Michigan Cavalry during the civil war. He enlisted on August 18, 1862 and was discharged on June 3, 1865. Hiram “recalled for many years vivid memories of Sheridan’s raid, the Battle of Winchester and the Kilpatrick Raid. He was a high private and was taken prisoner several times. He spent time in Libby Prison at Richmond, when small portions of stale johnnycake and pea soup made up the daily rations and many of the soldiers were sick from hunger.”[3] Records indicate that Hiram was paroled after his captures and returned to his unit.
In 1866, Emma taught at the Ottawa Station school.[4]
Emma married Hiram on November 11, 1866.[5] Hiram and Emma lived in Robinson for 11 years after which they moved to the George Rice farm at Bass River in 1877. According to Joel Madison Fellows’ obituary, he died at Bass River.[6]
The 1880 census indicates that Emma and Hiram have one child, Anna, who was one at the time.[7] However, the 1900 census lists several new children, who were apparently adopted by Emma and Hiram: Elbridge, Fannie, Elsie W., Maude and Leah. Anna does not appear in the 1900 census.
Fannie Knowlton may have been the sister of George Leggett, who eventually married Eugene D. Fellows’ daughter Esther Fellows.
Maude and Leah were the children of Emma’s cousin Maria Eastway (b 1856; d 1930) with Vinson (Vernon) Elias Dennis (d November 7, 1900).[8]
The Dennis children were:
Children of Maria Eastway and Vinson Dennis
The following picture is of Maria (Eastway) Dennis, Emma (Fellows) Knowlton’s cousin and the biological mother of Maude and Leah Knowlton:
The following is a picture of J Cliffton Dennis (left), Vinson “Vin” Dennis, Jr. (center), and Hugh Dennis (right):[9]
Although there are no records that directly explain why Maria would send her daughters to live with Emma and Hiram, family stories indicate that Maria and Vinson did not have a healthy relationship.
Records indicate that Joel M. Fellows witnessed Maria’s wedding to Vinson by an “ordained spiritualist” on September 4, 1884.
According to Vinson’s granddaughter, Shirley (Dennis) Orcutt (J. Cliffton’s daughter by Grace Nichols, who was the granddaughter of Eugene D. Fellows), Vinson had a problem with alcohol. Vinson died while visiting Gaylord, Michigan, after he apparently got drunk, fell off the freight train he was on, and severed both his legs.[10] In addition, a relative of Grace Fish, who was J. Clifton Dennis’ first wife, indicated that it was commonly understood in the community that Vinson was not faithful to Maria and that he would disappear for weeks on end leaving her with no help on the farm. Shirley (Dennis) Orcutt stated that her father believed that Blanche was born blind because Vinson was away and unable to help Maria with the birth and, as a result, Blanche did not get the proper medicine for her eyes. Shirley stated that Blanche’s eyes were sunken into her sockets and that she always wore shaded glasses to cover them.[11]
The 1900 census lists Maria (Eastway) Dennis as living with her father and several children Vinson Jr.,[12] J. Clifton, Hugh,[13] Nada, and Blanche,[14] but not Leah and Maude.[15]
According to Shirley (Dennis) Orcutt, her grandmother sent Maude and Leah to live with Emma because she could not afford to care for them with Vinson gone so much. Shirley said that her father never discussed his father except to say that he was a cigar maker by trade. However, she stated that on one occasion at a family gathering, someone from the family suggested buying a marker for Vinson Dennis’ grave. At this suggestion, Shirley said her father stood up and stated, “over my dead body!”
The relative of Grace Fish indicated that she heard that Maria sent Maude and Leah to live with Emma because she could not afford to care for them, but that she kept the boys because they could help on the farm. She also said that Maria kept Blanche because she thought it would be too harsh to send her to live with others.
In 1911, Hiram and Emma built a home at Allendale. The home still exists and has been turned into a museum that is known as the Knowlton House Museum.
We visited the house on June 19, 2009. Madeline and Grace took the opportunity to play an old pump organ in their great great great aunt Emma’s living room:
The pictures above the organ are of Hiram and Emma.
Although the museum does not have many artifacts that belonged to Hiram or Emma, we did discover a wooden box that belonged to Hiram. The museum’s curator stated that they believed that Hiram used it during the civil war. Hiram signed the inside of the lid.
In 1926, Hiram and Emma celebrated their 60th anniversary. According to a newspaper article reporting the anniversary, Hiram and Emma celebrated the anniversary at the home of their daughter Elsie Scott at 504 Hall Street SE in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The following picture is from that 1926 article:[16]
A comparison of the anniversary photo with a close up from the 1896 Fellows Portrait shows that the couple depicted in the family portrait is Hiram and Emma:
Hiram Knowlton died on February 6, 1934. He was buried in Allendale cemetery. According to Hiram’s obituary, he was survived by one son, Elbridge of Georgetown, and four daughters: Fannie Thayer of Allendale, and Maude Zwiers, Elsie Rouse [Scott], and Leah Geldhoff, all of Grand Rapids. According to his obituary, Hiram was the last civil war veteran of Allendale and was buried in Allendale cemetery.[17]
Emma died on February 10, 1937. Wolbrink funeral home handled her remains and she was buried in Allendale cemetery next to Hiram.
[1] Obituary of Hiram Knowlton, Coopersville Observer, February 9, 1934.
[2] Reunion by the Reunion, Holland City News, June 13, 1913.
[3] Obituary of Hiram Knowlton, Coopersville Observer, February 9, 1934.
[4] Hepler, Wanda Sines. The History and Tales of Ottawa Station, ch 2, pp 1-2.
[5] Ottawa County Marriage Records, v 4 p 268; See also 1880 Census, Allendale Township Ottawa County, Michigan; obituary of Hiram Knowlton, Coopersville Observer, February 9, 1934.
[6] Bass River was mined for gravel around the turn of the century, which is why the Knowltons moved.
[7] Hiram’s obituary states that he did not have any children, but that he raised five adopted children. See obituary, Grand Rapids Press, February 7, 1934.
[8] Maria Eastway was the daughter of Elias Eastway and Rowenna Tubbs. Elias was the son of James Eastway, who was Joel Fellows’ father-in-law.
[9] Photo courtesy of Shirley (Dennis) Orcutt.
[10] See Grand Rapids Press, November 8, 1900 (noting the death of “Vincent Dennis, aged 42, a cigarmaker, at Gaylord.”).
[11] Shirley still has a pair of Blanche’s glasses and kindly showed them to me.
[12] Vinson Jr. was a veteran of World War I. His obituary appeared in the Grand Rapids Herald on July 8, 1954.
[13] Hugh’s obituary appeared in the Grand Rapids Press on December 29, 1975.
[14] Blanche’s obituary appeared in the Grand Rapids Herald on March 24, 1947.
[15] Maria (Eastway) Dennis is buried in Olive Township cemetery next to her daughter Nada and J. Clifton Dennis.
[16] Grand Rapids Herald, November 10, 1926, p2.
[17] Obituary of Hiram Knowlton, Grand Rapids Press, February 7, 1934, p 19. Hiram’s obituary from the Coopersville Observer states that Elise’s last name is Scott.