Giles B Conkey

Giles B Conkey is the brother of my 3rd Great Grandfather, Eli Theodore Conkey.

Giles was born 25 January 1835 in Wethersfield, Genesee County, New York.  Wethersfield in now in Wyoming County.  He was born to Chauncey Conkey and Sarah Walker Charles. 

Giles is one of the male children listed in the 1840 Census in Wethersfield, Genesee County, New York in 1840.  The family relocated from New York to Michigan in the year 1840 - as found in the History of Ionia County, Michigan book.

We next find Giles in the 1850 Census in North Plains, Ionia County, Michigan.  He is living with his parents and two brothers, Eli and Ira.  Sometime between 1850 and 1859 Giles moves to Kent County, Michigan.  We know this because Giles marries his first wift, Eliza Morton on 6 April 1859 there.  Witnesses were Byron Morton and Theodore Rathbun.  Byron could be Eliza's father or at least a relative. This information was found on Ancestry.com but there was not a copy available.

Giles and Eliza can be found living in Ionia, Ionia County, Michigan in the 1860 Census.  His occupation is livery stable.  His two daughters are born soon after this, they are Emma and Alice. Alice is born in 1861 and Emma is born in 1862.  Giles can then be found in the US IRS Tax Assessment List for the year 1862, his occupation is now listed as Retailer of Liquor.  He was taxed $20.

Giles in mentioned in the Michigan reports: cases decided in the Supreme Court of Michigan; volume 10.  The name of case he is mentioned in is In The Matter Of John Morton in the year 1862.  I do wonder if John Morton is the father of his wife Eliza.  I have inserted the case below.  To sum it up it appears John Morton refused to testify against Giles for selling liguor illegally.  One would assume it was either a close friend, relative, Giles was being falsely accused.  The allegation comes from the Justice of the Peace for Ionia, Michigan.








We find Giles in 1866 again in the US IRS Tax Assessment list but this time in the town of Orleans, Michigan.  He pays taxes on two items this time; retail liquors for $25 and hotel for $10.  I can't quite read what the word after hotel is...I've pasted it below.

In 1870 we find Giles with Eliza and both daughters in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.  His occupation at this time is saloon keeper.  His bar tender appears to be living with him, Frank Poppenan.  We find Giles referenced in another book that puts him in this area in the early 1870's also. The book is History of the City of Grand Rapids.  I have placed the article in which he is in below.

In 1875 and 1877 we can find Giles in the City Directory for Grand Rapids.  He has a saloon on 78 Waterloo.

By 1880 we find Giles and Eliza and daughter Emma still in Grand Rapids.  His occupation at this time is R.W. Postal Clerk.  I'm not sure what R.W. stands for.  His daughter, Alice, married sometime before 1878 as she has a daughter, Blanche Trowbridge, in 1878, with her husband, Jacob Trowbridge.  So by 1880, Giles is a grandparent.  Alice passes away in 1886 when her daughter was only 8 years old.. Emma does marry but passes away in 1894. It is not known if this daughter has any children. Her husband's name was John Dunn.

Sometime between 1880 and 1898 Giles and Eliza either divorce or Eliza passes away.  We know this because the next record we find for Giles is another marriage record.  He marries Amelia Clarissa Houghton 4 May 1898 in Grand Rapids.  This is Amelia's 2nd marriage also.  His occupation at this time listed as commercial traveler.  The record is below.

Giles and Eliza have the following children:

1. Alice Conkey - born 1861 in Ionia County, MI, dies 21 Jun 1886.  Marries Jacob Trowbridge.  Marries Holden Spink.

2. Emma Conkey - born 1862 in Ionia County, MI, dies 5 Nov 1894. Marries John Dunn.

I can't find Giles in the 1900 Census.  Giles passes away 13 January 1908 in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.  His death notice from the newspaper is below.  His Death Certificate is below that.  Giles is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I have requested a photo of the headstone.  I will add to this post when I get it.

Chauncey Conkey

The Conkey line is from my Grandmother, Virginia Dorthea Conkey.  The farthest back I can take this line is 1808 in New York.

Chauncey Conkey is the oldest of the Conkey line.  Chauncey is my 4th Great Grandfather. He was born 1 July 1808 in New York.  The earliest we can find Chauncey is in the 1830 Census in Wethersfield, Genesee County, New York.  In these old censuses it did not list the family members - but only counted them.  This census says that there was one male and one female ages 20 to 29.  There was also one male age 15 to 20.  It is unknown whom this male is - the female is most likely his wife, Sarah Walker Charles.  It is not known what year Sarah and Chauncey are married, based on this record it would be before 1830.

In 1840 we still find Chauncey living in Wethersfield.  At this there are 3 other males living in the household, 1 between the age of 5 and 9, and two males under the age of 5.  The two youngest males are Giles and Eli.  The male between 5 and 9 is unknown.  This is most likely the first born child of Sarah and Chauncey.  This male is not seen in any further censuses.  Living next door to Chauncey is Joseph Charles and his family.  Joseph is the father of Sarah.  It is this year, 1840, that the Conkey family leaves New York and heads West.  They travel with Sarah's brother, Nehemiah Charles, and his family.  We know it to be the year of 1840 because of the book History of Ionia County, Michigan which lays out this timeline. 

Chauncey arrives in the North Plains, Ionia County, Michigan area in 1840 and purchases land from his brother Amos Conkey.  This information comes from the book mentioned above. So we know that Chauncey had at least one brother.  In researching Amos Conkey - there are records from Greene County, Wisconsin that list an Amos Conkey that moved there from Michigan - it could be Chauncey's brother.  If the Amos Conkey that ended up in Greene County, Wisconsin is Chauncey's brother - that would mean the father of Chauncey is also an Amos Conkey and the mother is a Clara - that is the parental information from the marriage record in Wisconsin for Amos Conkey.  There was also a Philena Conkey living in Ionia County during this time frame as well.  Philena married a Silas Arnold.  On Philena's death record it listed her father as Stephen Conkey and her mother as a Miss Parker.  So Chauncey's father is either a Stephen or an Amos.  Chauncey and Sarah's third known son, Ira, is born in Ionia County, Michigan in 1844.  Also in the book mentioned above it states that Chauncey is voted in as a Justice of the Peace for the town of North Plains in 1844.

In 1850 the family is in North Plains, Ionia County, Michigan. Chauncey's occupation is a farming.  Chauncey and his family move in 1852 from North Plains to Ronald Township, Ionia County, Michigan.  Chauncey purchases land South of Woodard Lake.  This property will stay in the family for the next 100 years.  In 1859 Chauncey becomes a deacon of the Church of Christ in Ronald Township.

The family is in Ronald Township in the 1860 Census.  Giles is no longer here but living with them is Sarah's sister, Miranda Charles.  They are farming.  Chauncey and Sarah are still in Ronald in the 1870 and 1880 Census, Miranda Charles and son, Ira continue to live with them.  In the 1870 Census son Eli is living with them with his wife, Amanda Phillips.

Chauncey and Sarah have the following children:  (it is assumed they had one other male child that was born in New York before Giles, most likely this child dies while they were traveling to Michigan or shortly after they arrived)

1. Giles Conkey - born 25 Jan 1835 in Wethersfield, Wyoming, New York, dies 13 Jan 1908 in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan.  Marries Eliza Morton.  Marries Amelia Clarissa Houghton.
2. Eli Theodore Conkey - born 28 Jul 1836 in Wethersfield, Wyoming, New York, dies 22 Aug 1908 in Ronald, Ionia, Michigan.  Marries Amanda Phillips.
3. Ira Porter Conkey - born 23 Sep 1844 in Ronald, Ionia, Michigan, dies 4 Jun 1915 in Ronald, Ionia, Michigan.  Marries a Sarah.

Chauncey's wife, Sarah, passes away in 1890 at the age of 85 years.  Chauncey passes away 3 years later in 1893, he is also 85 years old when he dies.  Both are buried in the Woodard Lake Cemetery.  You can see more information on Chauncey and Sarah on Find A Grave.  Below is his obituary as it was reprinted 100 years after his death.

This is a picture of his headstone in the Woodard Lake Cemetery.