The Lockwoods in America

Now I am following the Lockwood-Taylor family to the United States in 1830. In a previous post I talked mostly about the Taylor farm and descendants. Now I want to talk about the Lockwood family connections in Indiana and the greater United States. As I mentioned earlier, Ellis Lockwood (my 3rd great-grandmother) died shortly after my 2nd great-grandfather George Lockwood Taylor was born in 1834. But before that, Ellis's younger sister Elizabeth Lockwood got married in England to William Emerson, and they also came to Dearborn County, Indiana in 1832. They lived near the Taylors and likely spent much time together in those two years before Ellis passed away. Perhaps Aunt Elizabeth Emerson told George and his sister Elizabeth about their mother and the Lockwood family back in England. George Lockwood Taylor and his sister Elizabeth Taylor Alexander remained close all of their lives. They are pictured here with their cousins around 1900.

George Lockwood Taylor and sister Elizabeth Taylor Alexander
 (seated in front of him) with their Smith cousins

I do not know much more about Elizabeth Lockwood Emerson (1808-1880) who followed her sister Ellis to Indiana, but I hope that she provided comfort to the family after they lost Ellis at such a young age. She may have written letters back to the Lockwood family who remained in England. Perhaps she told George and Elizabeth about their 1st cousin John Lockwood Kipling who went to work in India as an artist and teacher. Did she help keep these Lockwood family stories and connections alive? Aunt Elizabeth Emerson passed away in 1880 before Rudyard Kipling would go on to achieve great fame as a writer.

Elizabeth Lockwood Emerson grave in Wright's Corner, Indiana

Through an old letter that was recently shared with me by my cousin, I found the answers to some of my questions. George Lockwood Taylor was the one to share stories with his family of both the Lockwood and Taylor families. He enjoyed Rudyard Kipling's works and he told his children and grandchildren about their connection through the family tree. In an excerpt of a letter to Kipling in 1932, my Great Aunt Theresa shares some of the genealogy and lets Kipling know his relatives are great fans of his work:

Kipling responded congenially with this letter, admitting that he does not know much of his genealogy:

I almost forgot that Rudyard Kipling married an American woman, Caroline Balestier. And they did come to the United States to live in Vermont from roughly 1893-1896. They built a home a home in the southern tip of Vermont and called it Naulakha. And now it is part of Vermont's Landmark Trust, a historic vacation rental. Now I know where I want to take my next family vacation! But back to the subject at hand, I wonder if Kipling knew of his cousins in Indiana when he settled in Vermont. Were there any suggestions from the older set to "connect with your family." Aunt Theresa's letter makes me think that there was no runion during that time before he went back to England.

So, what does it matter to know that I have a famous author in the family tree? Besides making my genealogy a bit more interesting, I think it may have been inspiring to the relatives here in Indiana living a simpler life. It may have encouraged them to read and to be educated. I know that 2nd great-grandfather George appreciated Kipling's writings and had many volumes. One volume has been passed down to me and now I am reading it to my children. It is still inspiring to think that an ancestor made their living by writing stories both fictional and true.

George Lockwood Taylor, circa 1870s

George Lockwood Taylor's volume of Kipling poetry

Family Origins: The Lockwoods

In a previous post I traced the Taylor family from Whitby, North Yorkshire to Deaborn County, Indiana. Now I want to focus on the family of Ellis Lockwood who wed John Taylor in England before going to America in 1830. The Lockwood branch of the family has a particularly interesting and notable history.

My 3rd great-grandmother Ellis Lockwood was born to William Lockwood and Ruth Merry in 1799 in Skelton-in-Cleveland near the North York Moors. I believe William Lockwood worked as a house carpenter and Ruth Merry was the daughter of Peter Merry of Glaisdale, North Yorkshire, who served as a rent collector or steward at Mulgrave Castle. The Mulgrave Estate was located just inland from the coastal town of Whitby. A famous painting was made by Sir David Wilkie of The Rent Day at Mulgrave Castle, which included my 5th great-grandfather Peter Merry. This is the oldest image I have of a family member, probably made around 1800. I was able to purchase an engraving of this work to hang at home:

Peter Merry is seated at the desk on the left.

Peter's daughter Ruth Lockwood had 12 children including my 3rd great-grandmother Ellis. Eleven of these children lived to maturity, including a younger sister for Ellis named Frances Lockwood. Frances would go on to marry a Methodist minister named Joseph Kipling. Their son John Lockwood Kipling married Alice MacDonald and became an artist and teacher in India. Their son Joseph "Rudyard" Kipling, born in India, went on to become one of England's most famous authors and poets. He is my 2nd cousin 3 times removed. While Kipling grew up in India, he knew little or nothing of his great aunt Ellis Lockwood or his cousins that had gone to America. The family tree below illustrates the parallel generations of the Lockwood family carried on in India/England and the United States. They bare resemblance in name and even perhaps likeness:

I'm a very visual person and always on the hunt for images to help piece together a better understanding of my family history. I have no image of my 3rd great-grandmother Ellis Lockwood who journeyed to America. But I am able to learn much of her sister Frances and the Kipling family. Frances Lockwood Kipling's portrait is in the collection of the National Trust in England and it gives me some idea of what Ellis might have looked like.  I'll take it.