Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner - Millard's Great Grandmother (Millard, William Roy, William Lewis, Sarah)

Sarah Dibble Perkins

1820-1884

     

Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner

            Sarah Dibble Perkins was born November 13, 1820 in Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut to Amasa Perkins and Sally Dibble.  She was the first child out of 9 children.  According to stories told to her grandson, Van Buren Lamb, when she was a child, her parents moved to Ohio. At first she went with them, but then she became too frightened by the Indians and wolves that she was brought back to Connecticut to live with relatives.  Research note: I am still trying to figure out which family she went back to live with.  I am narrowing it down and will do a follow up post later.

            Before she was married she made many beautiful quilts for her trousseau along with aprons and other household items. 

This spinning wheel, along with another one, were brought to Ohio by wagon by Sarah's parents. It was later brought back and preserved by Sarah.  The other one has a large 6 foot spinning wheel and was also offered to my mom but she never had the means to bring it back from New York where Van lived before he died. 

This yarn winder was also Sarah's mother's and preserved by Sarah.  Either the spinning wheel or the yarn winder has the story etched on the bottom of it. 

One of the children's chores would be to collect the branches to make brushes for the house.  These are handmade brushes, a clothespin, a compass and some doilies.  I think the other item is a fire poker.  

An embroidered apron, handmade socks and doilies. 

Handmade baby bibs, socks and leather shoes. Written on the bottom of the shoes is "Joesph's first shoe 1863."  I haven't been able to find out who Joseph is. There are no grandchildren with that name.

All these items were left to my mom by Sarah's grandson, Van Buren, which he told us were from her household. The quilts I will post as a separate follow up story.

At the age of 17, on July 1, 1838, Sarah was baptized and admitted into the First Congregational Church in Wallingford, Connecticut and then on December 31, 1841 she was dismissed to the Congregational Church in Meriden, Connecticut, which means they would have given her a letter recommending her to the other church. A month later, on January 26, 1841, she married Lewis Alexander Tanner in Meriden, Connecticut.

Lewis Alexander Tanner

Their first child, Mary Alenah was born October 25, 1842. She followed by William Lewis on Mary 3, 1844.  On July 26, 1845 Norman Alexander was born.  All three were born in Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut. (Pictures of her family can be found on Lewis' previous post).

            Sometime between 1845 and Jan 1849, Lewis and Sarah moved their family to New Haven, Connecticut.  Their address was 117 East Pearl Street, which was only a block away from the Quinnipiac River, just up from the New Haven Harbor. You can see a picture of their house on my post for Lewis. If you search for their house on googlemaps.com, the neighboring houses are still there and look similar to the picture of their home.  Where their house should be is a parking lot now.

On January 28, 1849, Sarah Anne was born in New Haven, passing away less than a month later on February 18, 1849.  Nancy Ally was born November 12, 1851 in New Haven.  Francis L was born next on May 8, 1854, living a few months and passing away on September 15, 1854.  In January 1856, when Nancy was about four years old, she also passed away. Lastly, Ida Lewie was born on November 18, 1860.  Lewis and Sarah had seven children, only four living to adulthood. All their children, except for Mary and William, were buried in the Fair Haven Union Cemetery. 

Sarah’s two sons joined the Civil War, William Lewis joined the Company B, 1^st Regiment Connecticut Cavalry on July 1862 and Norman joined the Company H, 27 Regiment Connecticut Infantry on September 18, 1862 for nine months.  Norman was captured and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia where he was imprisoned for 2 weeks.  Afterwards he was paroled and sent back to our lines. When he was honorable discharged from the infantry, he re-enlisted, this time to Company A, 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery where he served until the close and was honorable discharged.

On December 24, 1863 her daughter Mary Alenah was married to John W Fielding. He was also a soldier in the Civil War.  He enlisted on August 11, 1862 into Company H, Connecticut 16^th Infantry Regiment. After the war, Mary and John settled in Connecticut for awhile, moved to Massachusetts and ended up in Maine. They had 7 children also. 

           

Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner

When her husband, Lewis, died in 1867, she was 47 years old. Her adult son Norman was living with her, her daughter Ida and Lewis’ business partner Seth DeWolf.  At this time, William Lewis returned home for about 18 months to help out and then returned to Minneapolis in 1869.  Norman was a book keeper and worked in real estate. He never married. Seth continued to live with them at least through 1880, as he is listed on the census as living there. In 1880 Sarah’s mother Sally is also living with them, though she is listed as a boarder. In 1880 Sarah has 4 other people also living there who are listed as boarders.

            

At the age of 64, Sarah passed away, on August 4, 1884.

Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner

She was also buried in the Fair Haven Cemetery with her husband and children.  Ida and Norman continued living in their family home after her passing, even after Ida got married in 1897 to Van Buren Lamb Sr.  In November 1892, William filed a quit claim deed to Ida for their parent’s house for the amount of $1.00.  Norman continued to live with Ida and her family until his death in 1920.

The information on her parents is from her grandson, Van Buren Lamb Jr.’s notes and pictures in the family photo album. I am currently trying to find hard evidence of this to prove this line to the Daughters of the American Revolution. In Van Buren’s notes, he mentions a Dibble Family Bible. “ The Wittlesey Genealogy gives only one child Ruth born to this marriage, which I believe is due to the fact that she is the only child whose birth is recorded in Saybrook.  An old bible of Capt. Ely Morgan's, preserved by Jessie Morgan Jones of Lyme, Conn., gives nine children of this marriage.  Another proof of the nine children of Ruth and Josiah is the Bible of Amasa Perkins of Meriden, Conn. preserved by his descendant Ivan McComb of Alliance, Ohio.  This family near the Saybrook-Westbrook line for a short time lived in Wethersfield, Conn.” I have tried to get in contact with this line of the family but have had no success. 

Her baptism is recorded in Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts 1630-1920, vol. 118, pg 187 where her name is also recorded as “Sarah Dibble Perkins. Her and Lewis’ marriage information is recorded in the same place.

Norman’s military summary is found in the book William Tanner, Sr. of South Kingstown, Rhode Island and his descendants by Reb. George C. Tanner, D.D., Faribault, Minnesota. It is supported with military documents online and his compiled service record, which I have in my possession. 

Research Notes:

1. As mentioned above, I am still looking for hard paper evidence proving Sarah to her parents for the DAR.
2. I am interested in getting Norman’s Pension application and full service record for both companies he served in.  Will happen at a later date when I have some money to spare. I am trying to obtain his full service record but it might have to wait for a trip to Washington myself.
3. I am also interested in ordering John W. Fielding’s Application for Pension but it will have to wait for the same reason of Norman’s. Same for his full service record.
4. There should be a will of Sarah’s out there I am working on ordering.
5. There is probably a will of Lewis’ that I need to see about ordering also. 

William Lewis Tanner - before and during the Civil War (Millard's Grandfather)

William Lewis Tanner

William was born May 3, 1844, in Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut to Lewis Alexander Tanner and Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner.

Lewis Alexander Tanner

Sarah Dibble (Perkins) Tanner

Notarized document of seeing Tanner family bible attesting to William's birth and parents.

By July 1850 their family had moved to 117 East Pearl Street, New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut where he attended school.  New Haven is a port town that thrived on the sea. His father made tin cans for the local oyster fishermen and at 16 years old, William became a sailor for about two years.

William Lewis Tanner

At least seven states entered the Union from when he was born until 1860. During this time there was much political unrest. Slavery was happening in the south and the Underground Railroad was secretly freeing slaves until about this time. Connecticut was an active part of the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad. Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin lived in Connecticut. This same year, when he was sixteen years old, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, soon to be followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. March of 1861, Abraham  Lincoln became the President. Just before he turned seventeen, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter and President Lincoln called for volunteers to join the Union Army. Connecticut’s governor followed suit and encouraged citizens to join the state sponsored regiments. The Civil War begins. When William returned from the sea, he joined the “Boys in Blue.”

William Lewis Tanner
Union Cavalry

William Lewis Tanner
Union Cavalry

William enlisted on July 30, 1862 in Hartford, Connecticut into the 1^st Regiment Connecticut Cavalry for 3 years and his younger 18 year old brother, Norman, also joined on September 18, 1862 for 9 months. Norman was a private in Company H of the 27 Regiment Connecticut Infantry. At 19 years old, he as 5 feet 6 inches tall, had black eyes, dark brown hair and a dark complexion, though a different service document describes him having a light complexion. 

 The Connecticut Cavalry was a very active regiment during the war and it’s full history can be found here http://www.ct.gov/mil/cwp/view.asp?a=1351&q=271852.   William participated in many hotly contested battles. On October 1^st, 1864, General Custer (as in Custer’s Last Stand) was put in command of the division and they were in the Shenandoah Valley.  When the troops had retired down the valley on October 17^th at Cedar Bun Church, we find William on picket duty, which is described by www.civilwarhome.com/terms.html as

“An advance outpost or guard for a large force was called a picket. Ordered to form a scattered line far in advance of the main army's encampment, but within supporting distance, a picket guard was made up of a lieutenant, 2 sergeants, 4 corporals, and 40 privates from each regiment. Picket duty constituted the most hazardous work of infantrymen in the field. Being the first to feel any major enemy movement, they were also the first liable to be killed, wounded, or captured. And he most likely targets of snipers. Picket duty, by regulation, was rotated regularly in a regiment.”

Confederate General Rosser dashed in at night with two brigades, hoping to surprise the division while they were in camp. William was among the thirty or so men captured, along with Major Marcy. Though Rosser was able to capture the men, his plans were defeated by the men on guard. 

William and the others were temporarily confined at Stanton and then moved on to Richmond, Virginia for a few days.  Then William and some of the others were removed to Saulsbury, North Carolina and held at Libby Prison. According to the account of another prisoner, John W. Hill of New Haven, Connecticut, “there were seven from their company who were captured and imprisoned.” William writes his own account of the prison in his application for pension.  He wrote, “while confined they were robbed by the Confederate forces of all their clothing. They had no shelter. When any food was provided it was slaughter-house offal or other improper food, though they were often subjected to long fast. They were also exposed to lice and vermin and received no medical attention.”  When William was released on March 1, 1865, he was covered with sores and scabs, scarcely able to walk.  He spent about 5 ½ months as a prisoner of war and of the nine men in their company who were captured, only him and John Hill survived.  Because of these living conditions, William developed scurvy and chronic diarrhea.  His health was completely broken.  The diseases caused chronic indigestion and general debility.  The scurvy left the joints of his knees unsteady and weak. His general system was unstrung.  He had permanent scars on his hips from lying on the floor at the prison.

William was paroled at N.E. Ferry, North Carolina on March 1^st, and reported at the College Green Barrack’s in Maryland on March 8^th, where he was sent to Camp Parole, Maryland. He was able to go home on furlough for 30 days, until April 22^nd when he was given a medical extension.  He returned on May 31, 1865 as a “returned prisoner of war.”

Around this time, the war was over. He was released from duty and allowed to return home and civilian life.

(His account of Libby prison & John Hill’s account are recorded in William’s Application for Pension held in The National Archives certificate no. 866.736.  Dates were found in his compiled service record)