William Semer Family—The New York City Years

In those first years following their marriage in 1902, William and Nettie Semer were busy starting a family and managing through the challenges faced by any military family. Their first three children were born in Key West–Florence (before 1905), Hazel Adel (1906), and Charles Allen “Chick” Semer (1907). Another child was born before Florence but died during infancy. William continued serving in Coast Artillery, and in 1908, he accepted a noncommissioned position with the Army that resulted in the family moving to the Bronx, New York. The family arrived there in April 1908. Fort Schuyler later became known as the Merchant Marine Academy and is now the site of State University of New York (SUNY).

In 1910, William was working for the Army as a boiler room fireman. Nettie had given birth to a son, John Joseph “Buck” Semer in 1908 and my grandmother, Marietta, in 1910. Another daughter, “Little Nettie,” was born in October 1910. The oldest child, Florence, appears on the 1910 Federal Census but possibly died at a young age, since no additional information is available and there are no first-hand family accounts of her.

My grandmother, Marietta Semer, was born at Fort Schuyler in 1910

William then reenlisted under Major Rutherford on April 1, 1911 at Fort Totten in Queens, New York, across the mouth of the East River from Fort Schuyler. A son, William Lampson “Sonny” Semer, Jr., was born on November 21, 1912.

This postcard was discovered in a box of collectibles
at a farmhouse near Ottoville, Ohio

William’s tour of duty relocated the family again to Pensacola, Florida. Another son, James “Hob” Semer, was born in Florida on April 11, 1915. William continued to serve until his return to Ohio and his discharge in Columbus on June 17, 1917 after 15 years of “excellent” service. Even though war was ramping up in Europe at the time, Semer was excused from conscription, probably because of his large family.

Fort Barrancas, Florida was home to the Semer family 1914–1917

James "Hob" Semer Eulogy, 1993

 

Of all of God’s gracious gifts - the most precious is love.

We: Gladys, Larry, Debbie, Holley, Alicia, Martha, Brad, and Jo Ann, would like to thank all of our family and friends for being with us today to help us pay honor to our husband, our father and our grandpa -- James Kennedy Semer, Hob.

You must forgive us if we appear a little lost today, but it is because just a few days ago we were a full and complete picture and today we are more like a jigsaw puzzle. We still make up the same picture, but we are broken and our center core, our heart is missing.

We are sure that it may take us a while, but one day we will have our picture again. Until that day, we will be held together and never separated because of what has bound us together--The love of our family; of our parents, of our grandparents, and of our children. We will miss the heart of our family, we will miss not seeing him, or touching him, or talking to him. But he will forever be with us and it will be his love of us which will hold us close, support and guide us through our lives, and will - one day - make us a whole picture again.

I’m not real sure why Hob wanted me to speak today. I have thought about it and can come up with two reasons. First, and most importantly -- it was because he loved me.

And today -- we must have love.

The second reason was because he appreciated my sense of humor.

And today -- of all days -- we must have laughter. Because if we, his friends and family members, remember him and how he touched each and everyone of our lives, we will remember laughter.

And his laughter came from joy -- the pure and simple -- Joy of Life.

I learned about Hob, his life and memories in the little fishing boat we have at the cottage on Gun Lake in Michigan. When the fishing was slow, and I hate to admit it but it was often slow, he would say a few words, tell a funny story or share some of his memories. His words were often brief but they always had a point of some lesson to be learned. He taught me how to fish but mostly he taught me about what it took to have a good life.

“It’s not easy,” he would say. “but the best things in life seldom are.”

Hob was born on April 11, 1915 to William and Nettie Semer in Pensacola, Florida while his dad was serving in the navy. They returned to Bettsville and five years after Hob’s birth, his father was tragically killed in an accident at The Basic.

William and Nettie Semer had ten children: Charles, John, William Jr., Hob, Burl, Ray, Russell, Hazel, Marietta and Nettie.

Whenever Hob spoke of his mother, it was always in a quiet, reverent voice, “My mother had a hard life, but she never complained.”

If you are around any of the Semers for very long, one thing for sure that you realize, was that Nettie did a fine job in raising her children because the one thing they all have, is a deep commitment to family.

The oldest boys had to quit school and work to support the family while everyone else worked together in raising each other. Hob always said, the reason why his and some of his other brother’s ears stuck out, was because each time one of them would act up (and judging from the stories I’ve heard -- that was quite often), “My sister Hazel, would grab one of our ears and give a tug.”

He would tell of working on farms during the summer and picking up pieces of coal which had fallen off a train going around a bend. The coal would be used for heat and for cooking. His proudest moments however, were remembering his mother’s first washing machine and refrigerator.

His words were never of pity, but rather, they were simple statements of fact.

“We didn’t have much, but we always had each other.”

The Semers were proud and strong and believed in the American Dream of working, always working, to succeed and making a better life.

Education was part of that dream. Hob graduated from Bettsville High School in 1934 and many of his classmates are with us here today. Although it was during the Depression and times were hard and sometimes cruel, Hob never spoke a negative word. Instead he would laugh and tell stories of his classmates and brothers and sisters. How one brother had to stay in from recess because he had been mistaken by the teacher for another brother. And how a manure spreader had mysteriously appeared on a farmer’s barnroof one morning.

But what he remembered most vividly were the acts of kindness and generosity of teachers and community members who had helped him through school and to graduate.

These memories were the foundation of his love of family, of school and of education and was the basis of his belief that you had to give back to your community and to the children. He followed up his beliefs with actions. He started the first Little League baseball team in Old Fort, was an active member of the Lions Club and the Masons. His life was spent loving kids because “They are the future--They deserve the best,” he would say.

It was while Hob was at school, playing basketball for Bettsville, that he literally fell in love, with a player from the rival team from Old Fort. Her name was Gladys Fausey. When the Bettsville players were running out on the court to play, Mother stuck out her foot and tripped him.

Hob would laugh and say, “Well, I guess you could say I was head over heels from the first moment and I was a pretty good catch too, you know.” Mother, however, will smile and nod and say, “And a little too cocky for his own good.”

It was during this time in his life, that his love of family grew more deeply. Hob and Gladys were married on July 25, 1935.

“It was the luckiest day of my life,” he would say.

Mother’s parents, Ercel and Zena Fausey, welcomed Hob into their home, their family and their hearts. He was now their son and a brother to Frank and Phyllis. And soon to Tom Pence and Pat Garn as the family grew.

“There was always room for one more at the Fausey table and food for about ten more,” Hob said. And for Hob, there was always, always room for one more person in his heart.

He worked at The Basic for forty-four years and nine-months. His work ethic was simple. “You’re paid to do a job, and you do the best job you know how.”

When I started back to college, I asked Hob to speak to a management class I was taking. I was a little concerned because I had never heard Hob speak before a group and after all I had a grade riding on this class project. I told Hob, he was my class project and he said, “Well, Jo, I guess I’m glad you’re not taking Biology, they might dissect me.” And I said, “Well, Hob, this is a pretty tough group of students, you just never know what could happen.”

When Hob started speaking, within five minutes he had the entire class, including the teacher, in the palm of his hand. He spoke honestly and directly. His words contained the wisdom of his experience and he expressed the truth of being a good boss. “Be honest, your people will know if your not. Work harder and longer than what you ask of your people, it’s your responsibility to set the example. And finally, respect your people and their opinions, and remember you will have to earn their respect.”

After class, the people congregated around him and did not want him to go. But that was not unusual for Hob, it always happened where ever he would go. People would seek him out and want to be around him. Because he gave with such generosity of himself and of his gifts of knowledge, of caring and of happiness.

No one enjoyed life and the people in it, as much as Hob.

In that little fishing boat, I heard grand stories, filled with laughter and fond memories of all the people who had touched his life and meant so much to him. Fishing trips to Canada, antics of the card club, members of his church, the community of Old Fort and his family.

Please know that each and everyone of you held a very special place in his heart.

Of those he held most dear, were his wife, children and grandchildren.

His final words to Larry, were “Take care of mother and the kids. I love you son.”

After 58 years of marriage, Hob and Mother still took gentle and sweet care of each other. Mother would fuss and Hob would say, “Yep, Yep, Yep.” But their first concern was always for the other one. The strength of their marriage was their belief in God, their ability to see only perfection in their children and grandchildren, and their strength to weather all the storms by standing arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder... together they would beat the odds... and they did. Their love will continue through all eternity.

It’s not surprising that Hob and Gladys’ two children are teachers because both of their parents served as guiding forces and were excellent teachers and role models.

To Larry, your dad said, “Jo, Larry is a gentle and tender heart. Protect him and take care of him. He’s my best friend you know.” Larry, you carry with you, the treasure of your dad’s heart because he would trust it with no one else.

To Debbie, no father could have loved a daughter more. The reason was because you reminded him of Mother. Strong willed, determined, organized and intelligent. Debbie, you carry with you the treasure of your dad’s spirit, because he knew that no one could protect it and keep it safe as well as you.

To Holley, you are grandpa’s first grandchild and brought joy and happiness into his life. Holley, you carry with you the treasure of grandpa’s happiness and this is his wonderful gift to you. Keep it close to your heart and it will grow and bloom in the most magical of ways and be with you always.

To Alicia, you are grandpa’s second grandchild. And you brought smiles and laughter into grandpa’s life. Alicia, you carry with you the treasure of grandpa’s laughter and this is his wonderful gift to you. When you laugh, you carry on a very special family tradition and you will hear grandpa’s laughter whenever you are sad and you will never be lonely because grandpa will be with you always.

To Martha, you are grandpa’s third grandchild. And you brought music and song into grandpa’s life. Martha, you carry with you the treasure of grandpa’s lyrical hope for the future and this is his wonderful gift to you. Everyday you will have grandpa in your heart and the world be always be a bright and beautiful thing.

Today, we the family of Hob Semer, pay tribute to our family members. The pallbearers, five of Hob’s nephews, will represent Hob’s brothers --Semer, Fausey and Pence. The sixth and honorary seventh pallbearers are life-long friends, Raymond De Moss and Carl Murray and they will represent all of you, Hob’s friends, whom he loved and cared for all the days of his life.

We finally want to add, here is your most treasured gift from Hob, it was his philosophy of life,

“Keep Smiling, even if you have to force it. And when your time comes, the Lord will say, ‘Well Done, Well Done, good and faithful servant.’”

Of all of God’s gracious gifts -- the most precious is love.

Semer—Russell Essay by Wayne Gales

In 1994, Wayne Gales distributed the following, a seven-page document at the annual Semer reunion at H.P. Eells Park in Bettsville, Ohio. He had researched the ancestry of Grandma Semer's family, the Russells of Key West—via the Bahamas—and shared his findings with the attendees. Subsequent to the preparation of this document, many additional documents became available through the magic of the internet. So many of Wayne's theories have been updated to correct the lineage of our Russell line. Wayne later wrote a series of books based in the Florida Keys, the characters loosely based off his ancestry research.

A brief story about the Semer Family and its Ancestors.

By: Wayne Gales, husband of Laura Jo Fuller Gales

The following is a short story about the Semer family. I married into the Semer family, by way of marriage to Laura Fuller, daughter of Florene Semer Fuller, in 1989. As an amateur historian, and very much interested in family histories, I naturally began to ask about Laura’s family history, more or less casually. My own family has proved very hard to track, with most ancestors fading into Texas and the Ozarks after only a few generations.

For Laura’s family, thanks to careful record keeping on the Blackburn/Ziegler/Fruth side of the family, there is a rich history, well documented. For the Semer side, the information was bits and pieces. I didn’t think I would find out very much, but for a very fortunate series of circumstances, which I will share with you now.

This is, by far, an incomplete story. I have only been in hot pursuit of the Semer/Russell family for about a year, and have a very long way to go. I will update this information as it is received, and make it available to everyone who cares to know. It’s been a very exciting and rewarding year, and has resulted in far more success than I ever hoped for. All the information is accurate the best we know. Along with this story is a family tree. Anyone that can find corrections, additions, or any additional information, please send it to me so we can update the tree. Dates of Birth, Death, marriages, children, occupations, and any interesting stories will be most appreciated. Perhaps when we get it all together, I will write a book.

To research family history, you need to be part sleuth, part historian, be good at guessing, and not afraid to ask questions. You never know when you will find the little clue that will open the big door. If you follow history, you can figure out why someone came from, or moved to, someplace, which will give you good clues as to where to look further.

This story actually started when Laura and I were transferred from Las Vegas to Orlando, Florida, to run the company’s office there. We run a tour and travel company, producing and selling packages to Florida, and from Florida to places such as Las Vegas, New Orleans and Hawaii. Among our products were packages to Key West, Florida. I had been told that Laura’s grandfather, Charles Allen Semer had been born in Key West, which I thought quite interesting. After all, Key West is a somewhat obscure part of the country, and not the usual starting sport for an upstanding Ohio family. Once I found that he was born in 1906, I surmised that his father was probably in the military, and Charles was an Army brat. Members of the family confirmed that William Lampson Semer, Charles’ father was indeed in the service, and, as a U.S. Army Coast Artillery Fireman, had been stationed in numerous places, from Pensacola, to Key West and points North, and many of the Semer children were born in these various places. Key West has been a strategic military outpost since the Civil War days, and, with Cuba a mere 90 miles away, was the most important Naval base during the Spanish American War. In fact, the USS Maine sailed from its base in Key West into Havana harbor in 1898, where it was blown up. The cry “Remember the Maine!” was the slogan that inspired the American armies in their victories.

I thought the mystery was solved: William Lampson Semer, a non-commissioned officer, had moved his family from place to place as he was transferred, and Key West, home of a very large military operation, just happened to be where Charles was born. Needless to say, I was most surprised to find out, when talking to James “Hob” Semer, that not only was Charles born in Key West, but so was his mother, Nettie B. Semer. Hob also said he thought that Nettie’s mother and father were both from Key West. This was a surprising development. Being born in Key West is like being born in Las Vegas: People move there, they aren’t born there, and Charles was supposed to be a three generation “Conch” (Pronounced “Konk”, it refers to the large mollusk that inhabits the Caribbean and warmer parts of the Atlantic. A food staple of the locals for centuries, that Key West natives have come to be called “Conchs” More about this latter)

I also found that Nettie B’s maiden name was Russell. Armed with this information, I took part of an afternoon during a business trip to Key West to visit the Monroe County library, where there is a back room area that contains microfilm and archives of much of the local history. Knowing that Charles was born in 1906, I assumed that Nettie B had to be around 15-18 years old at the turn of the century. I checked out the 1900 Monroe County census microfilms, and spend the rest of the afternoon going half blind, trying to interpret faded, hand written documents nearly a century old. The first thing I found was that the Russell name is not exactly rare in Key West. There were no less than 51 families with the last name Russell in Key West in 1900. Unfortunately, I did not have, at that time, Nettie’s fathers name, so I had to look at all of them!. Much to my disappointment, I did not find Nettie B Russell in the Census. Perhaps it was one of the faded pages, or maybe I just missed it.

Running late for my plane, I spent a few minutes with the curator of the historical society, and told him of my futile search. “Have you tried the babtism records?” He asked. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. He handed me a large binder, with records of babtisims in alphabetical order, dating back 150 years. I turned to the R’s with anticipation and, THERE! Nettie B. Russell, babtised in the Flemming Methodist Church on October 10, 1881. I had found Nettie.

Now armed with new-found enthusiasm, I acquired as much reading material about Key West as I could find. I learned much about what it was like to be in Key West in the turn of the century, and much more. Time for a little history lesson. Read this carefully - This is YOUR island; your ancestors settled it.

In the beginning, the Florida Keys were inhabited by the Calusa Indians. A peaceful people, they were chased from island to island by warlike tribes from the mainland, until they reached Key West, the end of the chain, where they were almost completely wiped out. Originally named “The Martyrs” by the Spanish explorers, it was re-named “The Island of Bones” when the aftermath of the slaughter was found. In Spanish, Island is “Cayo” and bones “Hueso” The maps began showing the island as Cayo Hueso, which was quickly changed to Key West by the slang happy English speaking whites that started to show up. After changing hands in private ownership for many years, the Island formally became part of the United States in 1822 when Lieutenant Matthew C. Perry hoisted the American Flag on the Island.

Key West’s first major industry was somewhat self-made. The treacherous coral reefs, uncharted waters, and frequent hurricanes took tremendous toll on the shipping that traveled this part of the world, and a very healthy industry sprang up almost overnight by enterprising Bahamians that lived by salvaging the wrecks. Called Wreckers, this hardy group was not beyond helping out their industry by blowing out the lights of the local lighthouses and putting up false lights in a different location to make the shippers go off course. (There’s a saying that if you look too hard into your family’s past you will find a horse thief - no horse thieves here, but methinks a pirate or two!)

By 1825 Key West was a bustling community, with wharves, shipyards and warehouses stuffed with salvage. That year, congress passed legislation which provided that all salvage taken from wrecks in U.S. waters would have to be brought to an American port for arbitration. In 1828 a Federal court was established for this purpose in Key West, and almost overnight, wreckers from all over, including the Bahamas, moved to Key West.

Within 20 Years, a series of reliable lighthouses, and more accurate charting made the wrecking business unprofitable. The Bahamians, which made up the primary white population of Key West turned to Sponges for income. Using a bottomless bucket that the gatherer could look through; he would use a long pole with a hook to pull up the sponges. Once dried and trimmed, they were shipped off to major metropolitan cities, where they were sold.

The Bahamians that moved to Key West had roots primarily from two different directions. Back in pilgrim times, a group of people, seeking religious freedom, sailed west. Calling themselves the Elutheran Adventurers, they settled an Island in 1647, calling it Eluthera, and founding the first independent government in the western hemisphere in the process. Among the families settling Eluthera was the Russell Family. Later on, we will establish links to that family. The other group of people from the Bahamas were British subjects, loyal to the crown, who left the Southeast when the Colonies earned their freedom from English rule during the Revolutionary War. Most of these families settled on Eluthera, Long Island, Abaco Island, and Nassau, among others. The Semer family also has ties to that group.

Back to Key West. With the Civil War looming in the distance, Key West became more important as a strategic location for the Union. Much of the Union blockade squadron was stationed in Key West. After the Civil War, with sponging flourishing, the cigar industry began to grow. Using Cuban tobacco, and Cuban workers, by 1873 Cubans comprised a large portion of the Key West population. The cigar industry grew tremendously, and became the island’s most important industry. No less than 150 cigar factories existed in Key West at its peak. Other areas in Central Florida, including Tampa, recognized the tremendous profits in cigar making, an industry that required only Cuban workers, and tobacco, readily available from Cuba. They began to woo away the factories from Key West, and by the time of the Spanish American War, cigar making had all but vanished from Key West.

The Spanish American War brought Key West again into wartime boom, and a huge influx of American Military flooded the island with young, single men. It was no doubt that these were the circumstances that brought a young Ohio born Yankee named William Lampson Semer to meet Key West native Nettie Blanche Russell. It might have been at “La Brisa”, a combination public swimming pool, dance hall, and concert pavilion. Built in 1896, it was a favorite for young locals, and might have very well been a meeting place for Nettie and William. Little is know of their courtship, but it is established they were married on Christmas Eve, 1902.

William Lampson Semer was born in 1878, in, according to his military records, in Semersville, Ohio. He was rather small, 5 feet 8 1/2 inches in height, with brown eyes, and dark brown hair, with dark complexion. He served as a Fireman of the Coast Artillery Corps of the United States Army. His honorable discharge reflected only his last enlistment. Since he was not an officer, he would re-enlist every 3 or six years. He probably first enlisted around 1896-1898, which was during the Spanish American War, and was discharged on June 17, 1917 at age 39, in Columbus Ohio. 1917 was the midst of World War 1, and his discharge was approved due to his very large family of 10 children, with 9 still living. His “mustering out” pay was $54.38. His character on his discharge papers was listed as “Excellent” William’s life ended in an untimely accident only three years later in a terrible accident on October 2, 1920 in an explosion/ fire in Bettsville, Ohio.

Nettie Blanche Russell Semer, was born on February 20, 1878 in Key West, the daughter of John Russell and Sarah Thomas Russell. Nettie had three sisters, Louisa Russell Barza, Mary, and Irene, and a brother John Russell junior. As mentioned, she was babtised on October 10, 1881 at the Flemming Methodist Church. Nettie died in 1951 in Bettsville, at the age of 73.

There are a couple of family stories that can be addressed. One story says that Nettie B was part Cuban. While it is very possible that a Key West Native be part Cuban at the end of the 19th century, as that was the predominant population during that period due the cigar making, which was almost entirely run by Cubans, I don’t think Nettie had too much of a chance. Although some Cubans came to Key West as early as 1831, the large influx did not arrive until about 10 years before she was born. I know where John Russell came from, the Bahamas, and he is almost undoubtedly pure English stock, back some six generations for sure, and most likely many, many more. With Nettie being born in 1878, her mother could not have been born much after 1860. With the maiden name of Thomas, again English, the only chance for Nettie to be Cuban would have been Sarah’s mother. Not impossible, but unlikely. However, Nettie’s sister Louise or Louisa, married into the Cuban Barza family, who were in the Key West Cigar industry, so she was related to Cubans by marriage.

The other story may have some truth. According to some family members, Nettie B. was a “Southern Belle” and married beneath her family when she wed William Semer. Although Key West is definitely in the South, there were no plantations, and not any real Southern Aristocracy. Nettie did come from a very old family, long on tradition, and rich in history. There is little doubt that her family was very displeased that she was marrying a soldier, and a Yankee soldier at that. In those days, there was probably nothing she could have done worse, (except marry a Cuban!) Whether or not her family had money is still a matter of research. There were rich Russells in Key West and Poor ones. The Wreckers, and their descendants probably had money and land; the latter spongers and late comers might have not been so well off.

Nettie and William Semer were blessed with 10 children: Hazel Semer Hartzel, born in 1905, Charles Allen “Chick” Semer, born 1906, Marietta Semer Bramel, 1910 Nettie Blanch Semer, born 1911, William Lampson Semer II, 1912, James Kennedy “Hob” Semer, 1915, Burl “Gassy” Semer, 1916, Raymond Semer, 1918, and Russell “Ruck” Semer, born 1920. Nettie Blanch Semer, born in Key West suffered a severe fall from a porch when she was eight years old, and died at age 17. After her fall she was retarded until her death.

Much can be written about children and families of Nettie B and William, and pen will be put to paper some day, but for this writing, I am going to go backwards, following John Russell and his family back as far as possible. Accompanying this little story is a printed family tree. Everyone please take time to examine the tree, and offer, at any time possible, dates.

When I looked through the census records in Key West, I found two families headed by a John Russell. Since I did not find Nettie B. I did not know which family was the right one. When I return, I will be able to pinpoint much more information about the Russell family. I did note that both John Russells listed themselves as Bahamian, which means they were not born in Key West. I now know that John had Six brothers and one sister. (See the family tree). From here up, dates have not yet been established, although the number of generations to the oldest recorded ancestor are about right.

(Note - One of John Russells brothers was Joseph Russell. Part of the future research in Key West will be to find out if this Joseph Russell had a son that he also named Joseph. There was a Joseph “Josie” Russell that was a contemporary of Nettie B.; Josie was a fisherman and bar owner, founding a bar now famous as Sloppy Joes’ in Key West. Josie’s closest friend during the 1930’s was author Ernest Hemmingway)

Update: The following paragraphs contain incorrect information regarding John Russell's parentage and our Russell line.

John Russell’s parents were David Calvin Russell and Mary Susan Roberts Russell, of Harbor Island, on the island Eluthera in the Bahamas. David Calvin is the son of Thomas Russell II and Wyannie Malone Russell, also of Harbor Island. Thomas was the son of Thomas Russell Sr, and Elizabeth Adams Russell, and Elizabeth was the daughter of Jacob Adams and Wyannie Malone. (Note - there were three Wyannie Malones - One married Thomas Russell, One married Jacob Adams, and one was our oldest current ancestor, the Widow Wyannie Malone. It was Wyannie’s daughter that married Jacob Adams, and her Granddaughter, the daughter of Ephram Malone, that married Thomas Russell. That means her Granddaughter married her Great Grandson. “Kissin Cousins”

The Widow Wyannie Malone left Charleston, South Carolina in 1785 with her four children. Wyannie was a British subject, loyal to the crown, and left, along with a large group of “Tories” that did not wish to become part of the United States. Wyannie moved to Long Island, Bahamas, where she was said to have re-married, and later died. As you can see, Wyannie Malone is a direct ancestor of Nettie B Russell Semer, and your Grandmother, as much as 10 generations past.

How did I get this information, and Is it accurate? There is only one weak link in the story, and that is whether I have the correct John Russell. I would guess that there is a 95% chance it is. As I mentioned, John Russell lists himself as a Bahamian, and there is much record of the Russells leaving the Bahamas, either Eluthera or Harbor Island and moving to the Keys. There were many other Russells that did so, but none of them have a John in them.

Note: It was the wrong John Russell.

How I got the information about the early ancestors is an interesting story in itself, a little luck, and a little research. As I mentioned earlier, there were a handful of families that pop up many times in the Florida Keys, among the Russells, Pinders, Sawyers and others. One of my travel agent accounts in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, was named Pinder, and, on a hunch, faxed her a short note about my research, and suggested that I would be ironic if her family and my wife’s family were distantly related. Cathy Pinder called me almost immediately, and told me that her husband had been born on Eluthera, that he was most certainly among the long-standing families from there, and that his best friend was named William Russell!. What was much more exciting, her husband was going to call Mr. Russell, and have him give me a call. Later that day, William Howard Russell III, Great Great Grandson of David Calvin Russell, called me and shared his family tree. He faxed the tree over to me, and confirmed that several members of David Calvin Russell’s family had emigrated from the Bahamas to the Florida Keys in the mid-1850s’, which would be about perfect.

I plan to meet with William next time I am in Freeport, and I have already arranged transportation to Eluthera and Harbor Island, where I hope to find the link from Thomas Russell to the original Elutheran Adventurers, English pilgrims who departed England in 1647 to escape religious persecution. (It’s interesting that I have read several books that identify the Elutheran Adventurers as Methodists, which is very interesting as John Wesley, acknowledged founder of the Methodist church was not born until 1701)

Again, I urge everyone to send me as much supportive (Or corrective) information possible. Even the smallest tidbit may be a very important key. For those of you that have read the book on the Fruth family, ancestors of Ellen Fruth Ziegler, mother of Opal Irene Blackburn Semer, I hope to eventually get this information to the point of making a complete family history for the Semer family and its ancestors.

Wayne Gales
July 10, 1994

Russell Roots—Key West Originals

 

My great grandparents met in Key West, Florida. He was an enlisted man from Ohio and she was a native of Key West. 

Born on June 16, 1882, in Van Wert County, Ohio, William Lampson Semer was the youngest of the five children born to William Semer and Emiline Keirns. He enlisted in the Army in April of 1902, and prior to that, he worked as a farm hand on a farm owned by George and Margaret Curtis a few miles north of his childhood home. He was medium height, about 5’8 ½" with dark hair and a dark complexion. With the onset of the Spanish–American War in 1898, and the proximity of the Florida Keys to Cuba, Key West experienced a significant increase in its military presence at Fort Zachary Taylor and all along its coast. William courted Nettie Russell, and they were married on Christmas Eve in 1902. They had three children before relocating to New York City, where William was assigned to Fort Schuyler in The Bronx and Fort Totten in Queens.

Nettie Blanche Russell was born February 20, 1878, in Key West, Florida. She was the daughter of John T. Russell, Jr. and Sarah Thompson, one of eight children. Her grandfather was John Thomas Russell, Sr., who relocated with his family to Key West from the Bahamas in the 1830’s. They were one of the original keys families who migrated from The Bahamas, “Conchs,” as they came to be known, named after the mollusk that became a staple of their diet. In 1885, the Florida State Census listed John and Sarah, residing on Fleming Street in Key West. In addition to Nettie, the other children in this household were Richard, born about 1864; Mary, born about 1866; Louisa, born about 1870; Rosa, born about 1872; Sarah, born about 1873; Irene, born about 1879; and Robert, born about 1882. John Russell listed his occupation as “seaman” and his son Richard was a “cigar maker.”

I located Nettie's birth record at the Key West library

Through our participation in a DNA project, I was able to collaborate with correspondents who descended from two of Nettie’s sisters, Mary and Louisa. Most of our research matches, but some is inconsistent—more mysteries to be solved. But I found our photograph swapping to be most insightful.

Wilma, projected by DNA analysis to be my dad’s third cousin, writes:

“My great grandmother was Mary Albertina Russell, born in Key West, Florida. Her father was Albert Russell whom she was supposed to be named after. I have a picture of him with my mother and her sisters. I don't know if he was born in Key West or not…

“My mother lived in KW until her death in 2006, so she told me lots about family. BUT I was told my great grandfather (have a picture) was Albert Russell from Bahamas... He married, and had my great grandmother Mary A. Russell who married a Taylor...

Mary had a sister Irene who married a Cruz, twin daughters named Ethel who married Knowles (son bobby lived Hunts Lane) Evangalina married Jaycocks, 2 sons l daughter. Mary had another sister named Sally who married a Roberts. She had about 5 sons....Eugene, Archie, Roscoe, Joseph, Kermit?? and 2 daughters, Ottalee and Katherine. I knew Eugene, Archie and Joe good as well as kids.”

After comparing Wilma’s remarks with my research and findings, I determined that her great grandmother, Mary Russell, is indeed Nettie’s sister. She correctly identifies sisters Irene, who married Sylvester Cruz, and Sallie, who married Joseph Roberts. I believe she received bad information somewhere along the line regarding the name of the father of these sisters. We know from census records that his name was John T. Russell, Jr. He died in Key West on October 4, 1922 at the age of 86.

The DNA project connected me to a Christine, another third cousin in California, who is the great granddaughter of Nettie’s sister, Louisa Russell Barza.

“My great grandmother, Louisa Barza (Barca), raised my mother, Verlie Louise, and her half sister, Rose Sawyer, after my grandmother, Rose, died during childbirth. My mother didn't really talk too much about her family.

My mother Verlie Louise's parents were divorced when she was 3 years old in 1926. Her mother, Rose, remarried, and married John Sawyer. They had my Aunt Rose, and then she got pregnant, again, against doctor's orders, and died in childbirth in I believe 1932. The child I was told was a boy who also died. My mother didn't know until she was about 14 that John Sawyer wasn't her father. She didn't remember her biological father. Someone, in a mean way, told her that John wasn't her father, and that her father lived in the Bahamas. She went home to ask her grandmother, Nettie's sister, and she finally told her the truth. She was very hurt!!! John Sawyer never legally adopted her. He remarried, and married a woman, named Mary, who had a daughter of her own. Louisa ended up raising my mother and Aunt Rose. John's wife followed him around Key West so that he wouldn't try to see his daughters. I met her when I was 6 yrs. old. My parents divorced when I was a year old, and my brother was 5. When I was 6, we moved from California to Key West for only about 6 months. My mother couldn't get a job there, so John let us live in an apartment property he owned, but his wife gave him a hard time, and we had to move. I can still see Mary follow behind him down the street as we were yelling, "Hi Grandpa", from the apartment window. She wanted to make sure he didn't stop to see us. He had told my mom that he had left her a property on Eaton St., and left Aunt Rose another property on another street that he owned (he was a carpenter), but on his deathbed, Mary had him sign everything over to her, and her daughter. My mother didn't mind that she didn't inherit that property, but she felt badly for her sister who was his only child.

My mother had corresponded with her biological father, off and on, throughout the years, but she didn't meet him until she was 45 years old, in 1969.” – Christine Duffy

It seems that every inquiry I ever had with my elders about our Semer ancestry involved a discussion on our “Cuban heritage.” The 1894 marriage of Nettie's sister Louisa Russell to a Cuban cigar maker, Adofo Barza, is likely the source of this misinformation, coupled with the fact that many of us were indeed born with dark hair, eyes, and complexion. But our specific Russell lineage is almost certainly of pure British stock.

John T. Russell, Jr. was born in 1836 in Key West to Bahamian parents, while Sarah E. Thompson was born about 1840 in the Bahamas to Bahamian parents. Florida historical records illustrate how the Russells and a half dozen or so other families relocated from the Bahamas during the 1830’s, first settling around Key Vaca, and later, at Indian Key and Upper Matecumbe Key, near the present-day town of Islamorada, Florida.

John Thomas Russell, Jr. (1836-1920)
my great-great grandfather

The Russells had first arrived in the Bahamas two generations earlier in time. During the 1780’s, following the American Revolution, thousands of U.S. families loyal to the British Crown fled to British territories—mainly to Eastern Canada and the British West Indies. Our Russell line seems to trace back to John Daniel Russell, a ship builder from Edisto Island, South Carolina—he sought refuge in The Bahamas and raised a family there before spending his final years in Amelia Island, Florida. To support this theory, a distant DNA match traces to him as our common ancestor. In 1821, Spanish Florida became a territory of the United States. Over the next two decades, many Bahamian families—Pinder, Albury, Russell and others—resettled in the Florida Keys. They were involved in wrecking (ship salvage), fishing, sponging, turtling, and farming–mainly limes.

From Florida State Genealogical Society: Florida Pioneer Biographies

John Russell was born in South Carolina at the time it was a possession of the British Crown.  During the American Revolution.  The South Carolinian Loyalist sought sanctuary in the Bahama Islands and was granted acreage on at least three islands by King George III in 1789.

John Russell was active in shipping and shipbuilding.  He and his wife Mary raised their five children on San Salvador.  He decided to experience life as a planter in Spanish East Florida, and in 1811, appeared before the Spanish Government in St. Augustine.  The Spanish Government being in need of a shallow draft schooner but low on cash struck a deal with John Russell.  A 4000-acre tract between the Matanzas and Tomoca Rivers was exchanged for Russell’s 62-ton mahogany schooner, Perseverance; 675 acres west of the Halifax River were added as head rights for John Russell, his wife, five children, and 18 slaves.

On 10 July 1812, John Russell was declared absolute proprietor of these lands.  John Russell established his plantation, “Good Retreat” along the river on his land.  During the summer of 1814, he died while visiting his daughter in Fernandina, Florida. —Submitted by Descendant:  Joyce Louise Russell BEVEL, March 31, 2023

By 1900, John and Sarah Russell were residing at 718 Southard Street and had been married 43 years. Nettie’s sister Irene, born about 1879, was also living there along with Irene’s spouse of three years, Silvester Cruz, whose father originally came from Canary Islands. John Russell worked as a “sponge clipper,” as sponging had become a huge industry in Key West. Nettie’s occupation was tobacco stripper, and Jose was listed as cigar maker. It is believed that the family still maintained property in the middle keys through this period. Decades later, Nettie told her grandson Richard Bramel that she had to take a ferry since there was no railroad or highway connecting the keys back then.

The earliest cigar factory in Key West dates back to 1831, but the industry really took off during Cuba’s Ten Year War (1868 – 1878), when Cubans fled to the United States in droves. Many Cubans resettled in Key West, bringing the art of cigar making with them. By 1876 the city’s 29 cigar factories were producing a staggering 62 million cigars annually. During the next few years, Key West boomed, and the population grew to more than 18,000 people by 1890, making it the largest and wealthiest city in Florida. The decline of the cigar making industry began with the Great Fire of 1886, which destroyed 11 factories, six wharves, and most of the downtown business district. Many of the factories were rebuilt and the industry recovered for a short while, at its height producing 100 million cigars in 1890 and again in 1911, but the inevitable process of the unionization of workers and opposition of factory owners drove many of the largest cigar makers to relocate their operations from Key West to Tampa’s cigar district, which would come to be known as Ybor City.

In those first years following their marriage in 1902, William and Nettie were busy starting a family and managing through the challenges faced by any military family. Their first three children were born in Florida, Florence (before 1905), Hazel Adel (1905), and Charles Allen “Chick” Semer (1907). Another child was born before Florence but died during infancy. William continued serving in coast artillery, and in 1908, he accepted a noncommissioned position with the Army that resulted in the family moving to the Bronx, New York. Military records document his arrival at Fort Schuyler to attend School for Firemen on January 15th before returning to Key West to gather his family. William, Nettie, and the three young children boarded a ship and arrived in the New York Harbor in April 1908—they would spend the next six years living on military bases there.

I found this birth record for Hazel Adele Semer (Hartsel) at the Key West library