Tock
Allied~
Allied:
Russell, Land, Laidet, Fischer, Benson, Kimsey/Kimzey, Rutan, Miller, Gayetty, Pemberton, McCracken, Crowley, Smith, Bovard,
Hale, Turner, Robichaux, Backer, Melancon,
McEnerney, Snedigar, Weber,
Nyhoff, Bechthold, Mowat(t),
Mersereau, MacLeod, Morrell, Horner, Doten
Related:
Shinn, Wadd
James Tock and Martha Wadd
had four daughters: Mary Elizabeth, Martha Ann(e),
Sarah J(ane), and Emma Sophia.
1. Mary Elizabeth Tock married George Russell:
George
Russell was born in Perryville Arkansas on March 9 1842
to Isaac Russell of Kentucky and his wife.
George and Mary Elizabeth Tock had the following (that I know of):
1. George
Russell (b. Aug 1876, Sacramento,
Cal.-
d. young)
2. James
Henry Russell (b. 5 Sep 1877, Sacramento, Cal.- d. 24 Feb 1957, Contra Costa Co.,
Cal.) married Lilith Mary Land (b. 29 June
1882, California- d. 18 Sep 1963, Santa Cruz Co., CA).
3. Isaac L.
Russell (b. 1879- d. young)
4. Milton
Ross Russell (b. Feb 1880- d. circa 1919 in the Stockton State Hospital, was handicapped)
5. Thomas
Allen Russell (b. 4 Sep 1884) married Helen Adelaide Laidet
(b. 20
Feb 1892, California)
6. Grover Cleveland Russell (b. 4 Mar 1886, Calaveras co., Cal- d. young)
7. Mary
Russell (b. Dec 1887- d. ?)
8. Elsie
Russell (b. June 1891- d. 1922, Calaveras co., Cal.) married John A. Fischer.
2. Martha
Ann Tock married John M. Benson.
John M.
Benson was born in Oregon
on October
24 1848 to John A. Benson and Edna Kimsey/Kimzey. John A. Benson had been
born in North Carolina but married Edna Kimsey, a Missourian
in Missouri. John
and Edna went west in the mid 1840’s.
Their first two children, sons, died young. Following John M. Benson’s birth in Oregon, John A. and Edna had son Solomon J. in 1852
in California, daughter Semiramis on January 4
1854 in California
and Ella Hannah on January 5 1858 at Benson’s Ferry in San Joaquin county,
California. Solomon died young, on October 24 1869
at Benson’s Ferry but Semiramis and Ella went on to
have families of their own. Semiramis married 1st Samuel Rutan
in 1873 and they had five children: George Albert, Clara Edna, Mary Nellie, Frederick Melvin,
and Charles Arthur. Following her
husband’s death, Semiramis married Henry Miller and
had a daughter, Jessamine. Ella Hannah
Benson married Edward Perrin Gayetty of Wisconsin.
Following John A. Benson’s murder (see below for more on that), Ella’s
husband, Ed Gayetty took over running Benson’s
Ferry. Ella and Ed had
three children: James Elmo, Laura Olive, and Ann Alma. After John A. Benson’s death, Edna Kimsey married Unk. Pemberton.
Murder of
John A. Benson:
Benson
Ferry Tragedy
We must now travel north to the Mokelumne River and give a record of the
three principal ferries across that river. They did more business than all of
the Stanislaus ferries combined, because of the fact that they were the only
routes of travel to Sacramento and the Northern mines. The
first or the farthest west of these ferries crossed the Mokelumne River a short distance below the
present town of New Hope. It was opened for business in 1849 by Edward
Stokes and A. M. Woods; the following year the ferry was purchased by John A.
Benson, who erected a house on the south side of the river and employed Green
C. Palmer to attend the ferry. Benson was the leading spirit in seeking a division
of the county in 1859, but before he succeeded he was killed by his employee,
Palmer. The cause of the murder was the charge by Palmer that Benson, since
1854, had been intimate with his wife. It was said, however, that like a great
many would-be heroes Benson was "more loose in
his conversation than in his actions." On the day of the murder February 14, 1859, Palmer was at work plowing
on the Benson place, but stopped work at noon-time. During the afternoon Palmer
was in Parker's store. Benson came in accompanied by Dr. Hogaboom,
and all three men took a drink at the bar. During this time Palmer's four
children entered the store, and Benson as was his usual custom, gave them some
nuts and candies. Leaving the store, all three men went to Palmer's home. In a
short time Benson and the physician left the house and when a short distance
away, Benson heard Palmer call out to Benson. Turning Benson saw Palmer running
towards him with a revolver in his hand; surmising Palmer's intentions Benson
cried out, "Don't, Green," but the murderer exclaimed, "There,
you ----- scoundrel you disgraced my children and now you must die,"
Palmer fired twice in rapid succession each shot hit Benson in a vital spot and
he died while being conveyed to the house in a wagon.
Palmer returned to the house, reloaded his revolver and started on a run for
the tules. He was not pursued and the following day
Andrew Benson, the brother of the victim, offered a reward of $300 through the
newspaper for his arrest. The fugitive was discovered about sunrise by a
vaquero who was looking for some lost horses. Palmer was shaking and shivering
with cold and hunger, having had nothing to eat since the murder. He gave
himself up and taken to Stockton, was brought before Justice
McCausland and remanded to jail. He
there remained until the meeting of the grand jury in May. He was then
indicted on the charge of murder and the trial took place August 4, 1859. There was considerable excitement and the court room was
crowded, for each man had many friends. Money was freely spent by Benson's
friends and they employed E. D. Baker, the most brilliant orator and attorney
in California, to assist the prosecuting
attorney, Judge Campbell. Samuel A. Booker defended Palmer. The trial looked
crooked from beginning to end. The prosecution put on one witness only, Dr. Hogaboom; the defense five witnesses to prove Palmer's
charge. It was one of the shortest murder trials on record. At five
o'clock
Attorney Booker began his closing speech, ending at eight
o'clock.
Baker closed at 9:30, and Judge Creanor,
delivering his charge, the jury were locked up for the
night. Twenty-four hours later they were discharged unable to agree, the jury
standing five for murder in the first degree, which meant death by hanging;
five for murder in the second degree, and two for acquittal. The second trial
took place December 12, with J. G. Jenkins and Judge Campbell for the
prosecution and S. A. Booker for the defense. The case was given to the jury at
7:30 and at 1 o'clock the following day they were
discharged, nine for acquittal and three for manslaughter. In the third trial, January 3, 1860, the defense found some new witnesses. They proved to be good
ones, for the jury brought in a verdict not guilty. After the acquittal
Palmer's conscience must have greatly worried him, for on January 26, while in Mokelumne City, he committed suicide by
taking strychnine. His friend, J. H. Veach, running
into the house at Mrs. Palmer's call, exclaimed, "Why have you done
this?" And like old Adam in the Garden of Eden he replied, "This
woman is the cause of all my trouble. I wish to die and get out of my
misery."
John A. Benson was born January 25 1820
in North
Carolina. In the 1850 census, the Benson’s are listed
with several other Bensons who I believe are John A.’s brothers, but I haven’t
found any more on them or any possible parents.
Edna Kimsey was born July
29 1819
in Howard county, Missouri to James Kimzey
and Hannah McCracken. James Kimzey was
born in Virginia in 1785 to James Kimzey
and Mary Crowley. Hannah McCracken was
born in South
Carolina
in 1784. Hannah’s parents were James
McCracken, who was born in Scotland and Mary Smith who was from Pennsylvania.
James M. Benson and Martha Ann Tock
had a daughter, Annie who was born May 10 1875
at Benson’s Ferry. Annie’s mother died
when she was four months old. John M.
Benson remarried in 1878 Adelaide
Bovard who was from Iowa. John
M. Benson died August 15
1918 in California. Annie Benson married Harvey Hale and they had six children: Mable,
Walter, Alva, Roy, Edward, and Gertrude.
Annie and Harvey lived first in Amador, California then Mason Valley, Nevada with John M. Benson for awhile and finally the
San
Joaquin area. Annie died April
11 1854
in San Joaquin county, California.
3.
Sarah J(ane) Tock
married Simon O’Dillion Turner.
Simon O’Dillion
Turner was born June 12
1852 in St. John’s Parish in Louisiana to Franklin and Marie Victorine
Robichaux Turner.
“Frank” Turner was born circa 1824 in Missouri, probably to Elias and Rezia
Backer Turner. Marie Victorine
Robichaux was from an old Louisiana family.
She was born in 1830 at St. Gabiel in Iberville, Louisiana to Barberio Bouvier Robicheaux and Cleonise Melancon. Simon and “Sally” had the following:
1. Walter William Turner was born April 26 1876
in California. He
married Myrtle and they had a son Burton Boyce Turner on August 12
1905. Walter died on January
1 1947
in Lodi, California.
2. Lola V.
Turner, born January 22 1881 and died February 19 1958 in Sacramento. She
married an unknown McEnerney.
3. Delbert Dayton Turner, born April 16 1883
and died June 11
1940. He
married 1st, Florene Snedigar and they had
two children, twin girls: Doris and Dorothy, born June 15 1908
in San
Joaquin county. After Florene’s death, Delbert married Hilda Christine Weber, who
was born I 1887 in Minnesota.
Delbert and Hilda had a son, Delbert Jr. on April 16
1818. Delbert Jr. was a POW during WWII and was
taken hostage by the Japanese on Manila. He
died on September
29 1942 on Manila.
4. Annabel “Annie” Turner was born
September 1887. She married John Nyhoff and they had a daughter, Maxine around 1909. She later married George Bechthold
and they had a daughter, Marjorie who was born and died on July 7 1920
Emma Sophia married Heman Doyle Shinn
~
James Tock remarried Margaret Mowat(t)
and they had a son, James Samuel who used the name Tuck instead of Tock. James Samuel married Isabel Maude Mersereau. They
had:
1. James
Walter Tuck, born September
29 1891,
Union Mills, New Brunswick. He
married multiple times and had a few children.
2. Marion
Margaret Tuck, born July 19 1885. She
married Ellis MacLeod.
3. Hazel Tuck was born January 11
1898 in
Milltown, New
Brunswick. She married Anthony Bernard Horner.
4. James Hazen Tuck was born January 11 1898
(Hazel’s twin). He died September 20 1920,
Casualty
Details
5. Harvey
Alexander Tuck, born July 11 1900 in New Brunswick. He
married Mildred Berla Morrell.
6. Clifford Laughlin Tuck, born June 11 1901, Milltown, NB.
7. Ines M.
Tuck, born June 2 1904. She
married Warren G. Doten.