The South Jersey Skinners,
Descendents of John Skinner
[1760-1824] AND Patience Hanisey [1764-1840] -
Biographies, Stories and Images Relating to
My Part of the South Jersey Family
LINKS:
Complete Family
Tree of the South Jersey Skinners
The Skinners of
North and Central Jersey, 1665-1800 (Unrelated to the South Jersey Skinners)
Preview of a few of my possessions to be sold
on Ebay in April, 2009
Email Me
John Skinner and Patience Hanisey are the progenitors of hundreds of Skinners who currently reside in South Jersey - the 'South Jersey Skinners'. John and Patience lived in and around Richwood, Gloucester County, NJ. This page contains links to a wealth of personal anecdotes, etc. dealing with my line of the family - a line that begins with John and Patience and passes through their son, Richard Skinner Sr. and their grandson Richard Skinner Jr.
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So many stories; So many images. All are preserved here.
* John Skinner (1760-1824) - Patience Hanisey (1764-1840) |
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ALLIED FAMILIES:
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LIST OF SURNAMES
The following families, most with photographs, are included in this work:
Ackerman - Philadelphia Co., PA
Batten - Gloucester and Camden Co., NJ
Corson - Gloucester Co., NJ
Dare - Cumberland Co., NJ
Dodd - Marion Co., WV
Frederick - Philadelphia Co., PA
Garton - Cumberland Co., NJ
Hughlett - Delaware Co., PA
Henry - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ and Philadelphia Co., PA
Leap - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ
Lloyd - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ
Locke - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ
Mills - Cumberland Co., NJ
Shepherd - New Castle Co., DE
Showalter - Huntingdon Co., PA
Shreve - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ
Shull - Cumberland Co., NJ and Philadelphia Co., PA
Sparks - Camden and Gloucester Co., NJ
Thoman - Gloucester Co., NJ
Turner - Gloucester Co., NJ
Ungerbuehler - New Castle and Philadelphia Co., DE
CEMETERY BURIAL SUMMARY
Old Methodist Cemetery, Glassboro [next to old high school on Delsea Drive]
Richard Skinner Jr. and Elizabeth (Corson) Skinner; Granddaughters Mary and Mizeal Skinner
Manahath Cemetery, Glassboro -
Harry Skinner and Elizabeth (Sparks) Skinner
Omar Skinner, brother to Harry
Charles Locke and Ida (Skinner) Locke, sister to Harry
Louis Shreve and Rennie (Skinner) Shreve, sister to Harry
Blande Shreve, son of Louis, and wife
Bessie (Shreve), dau. of Louis, and husband
Horace Thoman and Ursula (Skinner) Thoman, dau. of Harry
Warren Skinner, son of Harry, and Viola May (Leap) Skinner
Mary Leap, foster mother of May Skinner
Eglington Cemetery, Clarksboro -
Earl Skinner and Lillian (Showalter) Skinner
Frank Frederick and Elizabeth (Ackerman) Frederick
FORWARD
"Had a nice time as I always do when I go to Annie's [Annie
Wood]. We all got our share of presents and I got more. Every one
useful and what I needed. We have a red lily in the front window that
is just full of bloom and Emma has the most beautiful xmas reath I
ever did see. We have had turkey, goose, chicken, and a barrel of
oysters the day before. Plus we had two pairs of ducks for supper."
Christmas, 1913 per Mary Leap
I don't want to work the coalmines - I'll spend enough time under the
ground as it is.
Joseph Showalter as retold by dau. Lillian
"Best time of life"
Nursing Training per Lillian Showalter
"They were so religious - the Skinners, that they bought the
Sunday paper on Saturday and read it on Monday"
Lillian Skinner commenting on her in-laws - Warren & May Skinner
INTRODUCTION
Most of the Skinners of South Jersey can trace their ancestry back to one couple of the Revolutionary War era - John Skinner and Patience Hennisey. They are great-grandparents to Harry Skinner of my line.
This work is a collection of Biographies, Photos and Artifacts documenting my branch of the large South Jersey Skinner family that descend from John and Patience Skinner. My branch extends through one of their sons - Richard Skinner Senior, and in turn, through one of his sons - Richard Skinner Junior.
Virginia Elva Minotty
Our understanding of the South Jersey Skinners comes from the work of distant cousin Virginia Elva (Skinner) Minotty. Information attributed to Virginia in my work are denoted with her initials, within brackets - - - [VEM].
Virginia Minotty, part of the South Jersey Skinner clan, began her research on the South Jersey Skinners in the early 1960's. She initially collaborated with another cousin - Norman Skinner of Phila., who began his work in the 1950's.
The results of Virginia's efforts are several hundred pages of detailed information with documented births, deaths and marriages, all carefully sourced. Her husband, Paul Minotty, donated her work to the Gloucester County, NJ Historical Society following her death in the early 1980's.
Communication With Virginia Minotty
In 1966, Virginia sent a letter to my grandfather, Earl Skinner. She had enclosed some information on our branch of the family, dated 1966, and requested that Earl provide additional details as available. Her letter went unanswered.
In 1975, I pulled out Earl's files and answered Virginia's letter. She responded by sending me updated information, dated 1975, on our branch of the family.
Eventually, I spoke with her via telephone. I am not sure I was able to assist her, as she always had more info on the family than did I.
In 1995, I again attempted to contact Virginia. Her husband informed me she had died several years previous. The Glou. Co. Historical Society mailed me her work.
Virginia's work provided me with a framework to which I could add Biographies, Photographs and Artifacts for my branch of the family. She also provided me with a starting point for investigating unrelated Skinners of North/Central Jersey.
FAMILY LORE, FICTION AND ALL
Virginia Minotty began researching the South Jersey Skinners to gain admittance into the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution). She believed, as did my branch of the family, that John Skinner - the progenitor of the South Jersey Skinners, had migrated to South Jersey after serving as a Private in the Middlesex County (North Jersey) militia during the Revolutionary War. Virginia, however, could not prove this version of the family history and never achieved D.A.R. membership.
The Skinners of North and Central Jersey
John Skinner, the progenitor of the South Jersey Skinners, was believed to descend from a long line of Skinners that existed in northern New Jersey since the 1600's. The North Jersey Skinners have a very interesting history.
The North Jersey Skinners began with the arrival of Richard Skinner, an indentured servant, from England in 1665 with the first Governor of NJ. The arrival of their ship began the large and purposeful British influx that would ultimately result in the creation of this country.
The Skinner family would eventually include Captain Richard Skinner, who served and died in the Revolutionary War as a part of the Middlesex County (Woodbridge/Rahway) militia.
Captain Richard Skinner, in turn, was probably the father or close relative of a person known as Private John Skinner, who also served in the Middlesex County militia during the War.
Family Lore indicated that Private John Skinner migrated to South Jersey after the War, beginning the well-documented South Jersey Skinner clan of today.
Franklin Skinner
The story of the migration of John Skinner from North Jersey to South Jersey was created by Franklin Skinner. Franklin was an amateur genealogist and wrote a series of articles concerning the Skinner family in a newspaper called the Glassboro Enterprise in the 1920's. Those newspaper articles detail his mistaken migration theory.
Who Is Franklin Skinner?
Franklin is a grandson of John and Patience Skinner of South Jersey, and brother of Richard Skinner Jr. of my line:
* John Skinner (1760-1824) - Patience Hanisey (1764-1840)
* * Richard Skinner Sr. (1797-1882) - Mary Swope (1799-1844)
* * * Franklin Skinner (1842-1923) - Sarah Amanda Patten (1850-1933)
* * * Richard Skinner Jr. (1823-1908) - Elizabeth Ann Corson (1828-1896)
Franklin was a prominent Philadelphia real estate person. Both he and his brother, Richard Jr., served in the Civil War.
Franklin The Poet
Franklin was also an amateur poet. He wrote several poems commemorating the birthdays of his brother, Richard Skinner Jr. Those poems survive to this day with copies in my possession. Franklin indicated that his grandmother of the Revolutionary War time period, Patience Skinner - the progenitor of the South Jersey Skinners, had also been a poetess.
A large birthday bash was held for Richard Skinner Jr., brother of Franklin Skinner, in the early 1900's. This was likely one of the birthdays in which Franklin presented his brother with a poem.
A photograph of the birthday party was published in a local paper, probably the Glassboro Enterprise. This information comes from cousin Marion Smith, who appears in the birthday photo as a young girl. She recalls that others who appear in the photograph include her cousin Irma Walton (future mother of George Stevens discussed in the next section), as well as Warren Skinner, my great-grandfather. This photographed get-together for Richard Skinner Jr. was held in the back yard of the house of his daughter and son-in-law - the Shreve family of Glassboro, with whom Richard Skinner lived until his death. I have not located the photograph of this birthday event.
Dissemination of the Family Lore - George Stevens
The mistaken migration of Private John Skinner to South Jersey, published by Franklin Skinner in the 1920's, was conveyed to our family by a 1957 letter from cousin George Stevens. This letter was copied to various members of the family, including my grandfather, Earl Skinner.
George Steven's letter summarizes the entire family history - from the indentured servant of 1665 to Private John Skinner of the Rev. War, including the mistaken migration of John Skinner to South Jersey after the War. Much of George's letter was taken verbatim from Franklin Skinner's newspaper articles of the 1920's.
I was not successful in locating Stevens. My cousin, Marion Smith, recalls him from childhood. He would be of the same generation as my father, Dave Skinner:
* John Skinner (1760-1824) - Patience Hanisey (1764-1840)
* * Richard Skinner Sr. (1797-1882) - Mary Swope (1799-1844)
* * * Richard Skinner Jr. (1823-1908) Elizabeth Ann Corson (1828-1896)
* * * * Anna Frances Skinner (1849-1937) - Arthur Henry (1846-1899)
* * * * * Elizabeth Skinner Henry (1881-1964) - Howard Walton (1881-1969)
* * * * * * Irma Elizabeth Walton (1905 - ) - h1 Walter Wilson
Stevens ( )
* * * * * * * George Richard Stevens ( ) -
* * * * Harry Skinner (1846-1937)- Lizzie Sparks (1851-1926)
* * * * * Warren Skinner (1877-1970) - Viola May Leap (1875-1963)
* * * * * * Earl Skinner (1901-1990) - Lillian Showalter (1903-1998)
* * * * * * * David Skinner (b. 1929) - Annette Frederick (b. 1930)
* * * * * * * * Kevin Skinner 9b. 1954) - me
End Of A Myth
In 1995, I began researching the North Jersey Skinners, believing them to be the ancestors John Skinner of the South Jersey Skinners. I could find no connection.
In 2001, I began email communications with cousin Laurel Steffes (of a suburb of Allentown, PA).
Laurel and cousin Bill Skinner were also researching the ancestry of John Skinner. They found that John Skinner, our ancestor, was a part of a cluster of relatively poor Skinners who began appearing in Camden and Glou. Co. records in the 1760's. These Skinners of South Jersey lived simultaneous with the North Jersey Skinners and did not descend from them. John Skinner of South Jersey had no connection with Private John Skinner of North Jersey. The notion that the two John Skinners were one and the same persons was a myth.
John Skinner of South Jersey may have served in the Rev. War - a person of the same name does appear in the Glou. Co. war roster. Perhaps Virginia Minotty deserved D.A.R. membership after all. But John was not the same person as Private John Skinner of North Jersey and had no North Jersey roots.
Finale
Cousin Laurel Steffes and I attempted to locate the notes of Franklin Skinner for some closure on all of this. Franklin had some interesting information concerning his grandfather, John Skinner, including a date of birth and dates of military service that do not appear in any official records. One wonders if his information pertains to his grandfather of South Jersey, or to the person of the same name from the North Jersey family.
Laurel contacted some libraries and historical societies near the Bucks Co., PA home of Franklin.
Ultimately, I found a letter buried in the files of Virginia Minotty that explained where Franklin's genealogical notes had gone. Norman Skinner, who had been researching the family in the 1950's and who later assisted Virginia, had sent a letter to a granddaughter of Franklin Skinner asking for her assistance. Franklin's granddaughter responded by saying that she had disposed of her grandfather's trunk of notes, not knowing what to do with them.
SOURCE PERSONS
Credit is given to those persons who developed information presented in this work. Their names are abbreviated within brackets [ ], following the presentation of the facts or information that they developed.
The names of contributing persons are abbreviated as follows:
[VEM] - denotes information from the files of Virginia Minotty.
(Virginia6 descends from Dwight5, Jacob4, Nathan3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
[NES] - denotes information from the files of Virginia Minotty, which she attributed to Norman Skinner, with whom she collaborated.
(Norman6 descends from George5, George4, Sedgwick3, William2, John1)
[HES] - denotes information provided to me by my grandfather, H. Earl Skinner.
(Earl6 descends from Warren5, Harry4, Richard Jr.3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
[AES] -denotes information from the files of my mother, Annette Skinner.
(Annette, wife of David7, Earl6, Warren5, Harry4, Richard Jr.3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
[KDS] - me.
(Kevin8 descends from David7, Earl6, Warren5, Harry4, Richard Jr.3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
In addition, information provided by the following persons is discussed:
Franklin Skinner - (Franklin3 descends from Richard Sr.2, John1)
Richard Stevens - (Richard7 descends from Irma6, Elizabeth5, Anna4,
Richard Jr. 3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
Marion Smith - (Marion6 descends from Ursula5, Harry4, Richard Jr.3,
Richard Sr.2, John1)
Lillian Skinner - (Lillian, wife of Earl6, Warren5, Harry4, Richard
Jr.3, Richard Sr.2, John1)
PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES
Photographs included in this collection are of the following types:
A) Tintypes
Tintype photographs were common from the Civil War into the 1900's. Tintypes involved images on a thin sheet of iron. They were inexpensive, durable and popular, bringing the ownership of photographs to the working class.
The key to the success of the tintypes was the speed and ease of processing them. The negatives could easily be manufactured at any location by painting chemicals onto iron sheets. Once the negatives were utilized to take pictures and removed from the camera, little additional processing was required. The normal process of utilizing negatives in an elaborate lab process to transfer the images to photographic paper was unnecessary. In the tintype process, the negatives and the final photographs are one and the same. The exposed negatives were simply coated with a protective varnish finish, dried and given to the customer. In this regards, they represented the first nearly "instant" photography process.
The light and dark areas of a tintype image are reversed, like any negative, but look like a normal photograph because of the peculiar color of the chemical coating. In those portions of a tintype that have been exposed to light, the silver metallic coating takes on a solid color and would normally appear to be dark, as is normal for the exposed areas of a negative. However, when viewed under light, the metallic coating acts as a mirror becoming a brilliant white color, as is necessary for the lighter areas of a photograph. Similarly, in those portions of the negative that have not seen light, the chemical coating remains in its original form - light and translucent, which is normal for a negative. However, this translucent coating allows the black iron sheet behind the chemicals to be visible. As a result, the translucent coating looks dark, as is necessary for the darker areas of a photograph.
Despite their low quality, tintypes seem very "alive" and appealing to the eye. The metallic, mirror-like surface of the lighter areas of a tintype are simply brighter under light (reflect more light) than the equivalent white paper of a traditional photograph.
Like any negative, tintype images are reversed left-to-right. Everyone parts his or her hair on the opposite side in a tintype image!
It was common to be able to obtain tintype images from street photographers at fairs, carnivals and beaches. They were a lower cost and lower quality alternative to the photographs obtained from studios.
Often, a "multiplying" camera lens was used to provide multiple, identical images for sale to customers on a single metal negative. After the photos were taken, the plate was removed from the camera and dipped into a chemical bath to stop further exposure. A coat of varnish provided protection
"Tinning" shears were used to cut the iron sheets into the individual images, giving tintypes their name. The crude cutting process often resulted in odd-shaped photographs. In a few minutes, the photographs were available to the waiting customers.
Studios would sometimes offer small, one-inch square, high-quality tintypes called gem tintypes. They were glued onto decorative card stock. The fancy cards, about the size of a normal photograph and containing a tiny tintypes, were designed to fit in Victorian photograph albums like any other photographs.
B) Studio Prints (per www.edinphoto.org.uk/)
In the latter half of the 1800's, high-quality photographs that people sat for in studios were normally made on thin sheets of paper. The thin photos were then glued to heavier card stock backing. The heavy backing was typically pre-printed with the name and address of the studio, either below where the photo or on the back.
The studio photographs were made in two sizes. Cabinet Prints, the larger size, consisted of 4 by 5.5 inch photographs mounted on 4.5 by 6.5 inch heavy, decorative card stock. Cartes de visite, the smaller size, were 2.25 by 3.5 inch photographs mounted on 2.5 by 4 inch card stock.
The majority of photos from this era have a distinctive brown color tone due to the type of photographic process that was employed.
C) Post Cards
At the turn of the century, it became common practice to make photographs on thick photographic paper, eliminating the need for studios to glue thin photographs onto card stock backgrounds as they had done in the past. This type of presentation has continued to the present day. The earliest versions of this presentation were in the form of postcards, in which the photographic paper was thick and in the shape of a postcard. The photographs contained an address area on the reverse side for easy mailing.
Several of the photos in my collection from the estate of Elizabeth Ungerbuehler are of this type of postcard presentation.
As time went on, changing photographic processes replaced the brown tones of earlier photographs with the grey-scale tones of today. Photographs went from being brown-and-white to black-and-white.
end
THE YEAR 1905 (from an unknown internet source)
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then a pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
Appendix - Unknown Persons [All tintypes]: