The Last Will and Testament of Francis Caruthers

Francis Caruthers (Carruthers, Carouthers, Crothers, Cruthers, etc.) is my 5th great grandfather. His daughter, Elizabeth, married William Alexander who died in service during the Revolutionary War.



Research on this family was conducted by sisters Lynda Alexander Fonde & Marsha Alexander Groff (and others) and published in .. onpages 427-435in "American Patriot...The New Frontier : Alexander, Sprague & Related Families, Volume II".



In 1766 Francis purchased 166 acres of land from John Steel "lying on the west side of Elk River, North Milford Hundred" in Cecil County, Maryland which was part of a tract called New Munster. A hand-drawn plat map of the area shows that on the east side of Elk River were the lands of seven Alexander families. ("American Patriot" pages 428-429)



Francis Caruthers wrote his will on January 27, 1801. It was entered into Probate Court on December 14, 1805 in Cecil County, Maryland and is recorded in Will Book 6 pages 397-400. Scanned images were obtained from microfilm 013868 on February 13, .. from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. My transcription below varies slightly from that published in "American Patriot." They may have had a copy of the original will, while this is a transcription recorded in the record book.




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No. 216 Francis Caruthers December 14, 1805



In the name of God Amen - I Francis Caruthers Senior, of Cecil County State of Maryland, being weak of body, but of sound disposing Mind and Memory, do make and ordain this my last will and Testament in manner and form following - viz - Imprimis



I give and bequeath to my well beloved Son Robert the sum of twenty dollars, each and every year, during his natural life, to be paid him by my son Walter, out of that part of my real estate herein bequeathed to him.



Item. I give and bequeath to my beloved daughters Elizabeth Ann Rachel & Leah each the sum of Five pounds, and it is further my will that if my said daughter Elizabeth, should be dead or not claim the above legacy in five years - in that case that the same should go and be paid to her son William Washington Alexander -



Item. I give and bequeath to my Grandson Francis, son of Walter the sum of five pounds.



Item. I give and bequeath to my well beloved son Walter, his heirs and Assigns forever (after the payment of the aforementioned legacies) all that part of my real estate, whereon he now lives, with the appurtenances there unto belonging. - lying on the south side of the Line beginning on the bank of the Big Elk-creek at the small May pole marked with Six notches, and about thirteen and one fourth perches, below the mouth of a run implying itself on the same Side into said creek, and said beginning is about five and a half perches, below a bunch of May poles, on the opposite side of said creek, and is a Corner of James Garretts and James Alexander lands - and thence from said beginning, South forty nine Degrees, West, twenty eight perches, to a marked poplar, thence south sixty seven degrees and forty minutes west - until it intersects the most Westerly line of said tract, and the New Munster line - at the small white oak standing on the same and now marked with three notches, on the east side thereof.



Item. I give and bequeath to my well beloved son Francis, his heirs and assigns forever, all that part of my real estate with the appurtenances thereunto belonging, whereon he now lives, and lying on the north side of the affore described line - and it is further my Will and desire that all of my just debts and funeral expenses, be paid equally by my Sons Walter and Francis.



and lastly I do constitute my two sons Walter & Francis sole executors of this my last will and testament revoking and annulling all former Wills - ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and testament. - In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty seventh day of January eighteen hundred and one Francis (his mark) Caruthers {Seal}



Signed, sealed, published and delivered, by the said Francis Caruthers, as and for his last Will and testament in the presence of us, who at his request and in his presence, subscribed our names as Witnesses.

Fras [sic: Francis] Hindman

Josiah Alexander

Rebeccah Alexander

Henry Reynolds



Cecil County Ss

On this 14th day of Dec. 1805 personally came Francis Hindman and Henry Reynolds two of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing Will and said Francis made oath on the holy evangels of Almighty god that he saw Francis Caruthos [sic] late of said county deceased, sign and seal this Will, that he heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last will and testament that at the time of his so doing he was to the best of his apprehension of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding and that he subscribed his name thereto as a witness at the request and in the presence of the Testator: and the said Henry being one of the people called Quaker did solemnly sincerely and duly affirm in words to the like effect. Sworn & affirmed before D. Smith, Regr.



Cecil County Ss

On this 19th day of December 1805 came Francis Caruthers and made oath on the holy evangels of Almighty God that the foregoing is the whole and true last Will and testament of Francis Caruthers late of said county deceased that hath come to his hands and possession and that he herewith [knows] not of any other and further that publication has been duly made of this Will and that he doth not know of any objections being made against the probate being taken. Sworn before David Smith, Regr.



Cecil County Ss

On this 19th day of December 1805 came Josiah Alexander one of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing last Will and testametn of Francis Caruthers late of said county and made oath on the holy evangels of Almighty God in the same words and to the same effect as before Sworn by Francis Hindman before David Smith Regr.



Walter Caruthers on the 14th of Dec. by a Note in writing under his hand renounces his right and claim to the administration and Francis in like manner on the 19th day of December also renounces his right and claim to the administration. Test [sic: Testator] David Smith Regr

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I wonder why Walter and Francis declined to accept the duties and responsibilities as administrators of their father's estate? It sounds rather intriguing to me. Since I don't have copies of the estate file, future research plans include obtaining those documents as well as deed records and (of course) any other records that can be located for him and/or his children in Cecil County, Maryland and neighboring areas.



The New Munster area of Cecil County, where Francis Caruthers (and the Alexander families) resided, was in the upper northeast corner of Maryland bordering Chester County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware.








The Last Will and Testament of Francis Caruthers (page 1 of 4)

Dated January 27, 1801 and probated December 14, 1805

Cecil County, Maryland Will Book 6 pages 397-400

Family History Microfilm 013868 accessed and images scanned on February 13, ..







The Last Will and Testament of Francis Caruthers (page 2 of 4)







The Last Will and Testament of Francis Caruthers (page 3 of 4)







The Last Will and Testament of Francis Caruthers (page 4 of 4)

Sandhill Crane

Hermmann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions

This morning I made another trip over to see the incredible Lipizzaner stallions. I arrived early enough to visit the stable first and got to spend a good half an hour there. It is so neat to visit the stable and see the horses up close.



I found my personal favorite for today when I saw how much he seemed to enjoy interacting with people.



Then I noticed his name and realized he would fit in with our family really well because his name starts with an A. I told him that he could be one of my kids with a name like his.



He seemed really intrigued by that. I told him we could use another boy to even out the boy girl ratio.



I asked, would you like to go home with me big guy? At which point he nodded his head.



So it's all set. I just have to figure out how to fit him in the RV and then he's coming home with us.



Ahhh, a girl can dream at least, right? Isn't he something though? More pictures later of the show.



Living the life in sunny Florida!

Power or Endurance?

Some thoughts I have had about training recently while I try to get back in shape from this winter's ordeal. There might be enough here for anyone that is really interested in power to weight ratios (any climber?) and training to at least peak your interest and make you think about your own training.









I simply like trying to get more out of my body, nutrition and labor. Only way to know if you are do that is to measure.



OK, so here one of the things I am currently measuring. I am doing a 2 mile uphill ride on my bike. Not the typical 2 mile uphill ride mind you. This ride has a name, "The Zoo".



From a local web site that is nothing but bike climbs in the Seattle area. This one is one of the most difficult if not THE the most difficult climb locally. There are longer climbs in WA state but few as continually as steep the Zoo. Only Lion Rock is harder imo. The Zoo is 10 minutes away. Lion Rock 2 hours.



http://www.bicycleclimbs.com/climbdetail.aspx?ClimbId=6





"Zoo Hill - named after the small zoo at the bottom - is arguably the toughest climb in the Seattle area. Ascending 1200 feet over 2.5 miles, it has an average grade of about 10%, with common gradients in 15% and some sections approaching 20%. This is not a climb to be approached lightly.

Or, as one rider noted, "Zoo Hill is the puke-inducing lactate-producing gasp-fest that I avoid unless taunted.""



So I keep track of my time, bottom to top @ every ride, along with my average cadence, average and max HR. To those numbers I add my body weight, gear/clothing weight and my bike weight.



With the right formula I get how many watts of energy I produce from a given time on the ride. That has varied from 235 watts to 358 watts, depending on how fast I am able to ride the hill and how much my kit and I weigh on that particular ride.



I have been keeping track on of my weekly or monthly rides on the Zoo since 2005. Literally every ride I have done there rain or shine.






Dane ‏@ColdThistlebut I forgot where I stole the quote...

"training is not just about how far you can go. Training is about how hard you can go for how long."




At the moment I can put out somewhere around 350 watts. I'm surprised it is up from 320 watts which had been a personal best 4 years ago when I was fit, slightly heavier and had more muscle mass. But I am working on power right now so it is good to see the improvement. Good enough, if I could actually hold that tempo and the 350 watts, for a 18 minuite ride on the Zoo. Which would be a new personal best. Problem is I can't produce and hold that kind of power for 18 minutes. More like 5 minutes or less right now.




So I am strong enough but I just don't have the endurance. But it took some serious time, measuring, testing and retesting to figure that out. It wasn't an easy answer and it wasn't the first place I looked. My original thought was I simply wasn't "strong" enough. Not enough power. Truth is I just need to produce the power I have, for a longer period of time. Knowing all this stopped me from looking at new gears and new bike parts as well.




The real answer here? I require the endurance to produce that level of power if I am going to make 18 minutes on the Zoo climb. And while I am training for that I'll make sure to add strength training to my endurance (and LTH) training so I can produce even more power to go even faster...for a much, much longer period of time.




I mentioned this before. I use to do a lot of rock climbing. Trad 5.11 and easy .12 cracks. I was never very strong by comparison...and could never do more than a dozen or so pull-ups at any given time. But I could hang a long, long time on finger and hand jams by comparison to my partners who could do one arm pull ups and dozens of reps. If I had been smart I would have added a few more pull-ups and dropped a few pounds back then. My rock climbing would have likely taken a big jump in technical difficulty because of it.




Climbing on a bike or climbing on ice and rock easily tells you that you can never be too strong or too light. Unless of course you don't have the endurance to pull off your particular goal. Be it a 17 minute run on the Zoo, the Enduro corner on Astro Man or a quick run up Rainier. If you can do the hardest move on your project you have the power. But do you have the endurance to link every move for the red point?




Bottom line? Make sure you are training for your goals and to your weaknesses. Power and Endurance both have their place. And for most climbing, on the bike or in the mtns, those two goals should be equal partners. Or at the very least know how to define them for your own benefit.

Kayaking Kachemak Bay

The bright early morning that had looked promising with the sunrise quickly faded when the dark clouds appeared in its place. It has been an unusually cold and wet summer throughout Kachemak Bay and although a day with pretty blue skies would have been quite nice, we would be happy if if just didn't rain! Because, on this day (Saturday August 14th) we were going on a Sea Kayaking Tour.

It was a short walk from the campground to the Marina where we were to catch the Water Taxi out to Cozy Cove on Little Tutka Bay where our guides (and owners of the resort) Rick and Dorle would show us around the area.

The skies to the northeast of the Marina looked threatening.
While to the southeast, where we were headed, it was a little brighter, but it was still cloudy.
The Blackfish and its owner, Dave, would take us across the bay and out to the island.
The Marina area is sheltered from the wind and the water looked calm as we pulled away from the dock. But looks can be deceiving. There were four passengers (Sue, Fred, Me and another girl) and we each took a seat on large coolers in the open area of the front of the boat. Almost immediately after leaving the protected marina, the seas turned rough, as did the ride. We toughed it out until water from the increasingly high waves began to drench us. It was then that the “captain” yelled out from his enclosed cabin that he couldn't guarantee that we wouldn't get wetter and advised us to sit in the cabin with him, which we gladly did. I'm sure he got a laugh or two out of it. It was a bumpy ride the rest of the way but at least we weren't getting soaked any more.

The first order of business (after introductions and a potty break) was to get suited up in our rain pants, rubber boots, life jacket, and kayak skirt. Not pretty, but it gets the job done! The Kayak skirt actually gets pulled up a few inches over the bottom of the life jacket. Fred snapped this picture of me with Rick who is one of the owners and who was to be my paddling partner for the day.

The first kayak being carried down to the shore.
I don't remember what this sea creature was called. They pulled it out of the water to show it to us.

The top side of the same sea creature. Slimy and icky.
The underside of a Sea Star. The small “hairs” help it to cling to rocks.
Sea Stars of various colors – the color of a Sea Star is determined by what it eats.
Barnacles and other little creatures attached to the side of the rocks.
As we paddled our kayaks around the bay, Rick and Dorle gathered “stuff” from the water that would be used to make our lunch of Beach Soup. I didn't get any photos of the kelp and other things they pulled out because I was in the front of the Kayak with Rick and it's a little difficult to take pictures when the subject is behind you! However, Sue got a couple of nice shots.

Dorle is giving Rick some of the ingredients for the Beach Soup.
Rick is explaining what is going into the pot.
Lunchtime! Not being overly fond of seafood of any kind, I was more than a little skeptical about the Beach Soup. But it was surprisingly good – or else I was very hungry! Dorle is of German descent and her father was a baker. She picked up on some of that expertise because her homemade bread was delicious.

The little group of kayakers. Sue and Fred on the left, Me and Rick in the middle, Maggie and Tom on the right. Their son, Thomas, was in the kayak with Dorle who was taking the picture.

We stayed fairly close to shore most of the time to try to avoid the wind and rough seas out in the open water. However, there were several times when I was paddling that I turned to Rick to see whether he was paddling or not – gusts of wind would come out of nowhere and although we were both paddling, we weren't going forwards! Thankfully the gusts didn't last long.

The tide was turning when we reached this channel (photo taken by Sue). Rick and Dorle debated for a few minutes as to whether we should go on in or not, we didn't. It was low tide and when we got to this spot and the water was running towards us. A few minutes later the water started running back the other way and quite quickly as the tide came in. The danger was that we would be able to get into the little bay but not be able to get out because the water would be running too fast. The tide rises here to the base of the trees in the background.

On our way back to the launching area we encountered high winds and waves where we needed to go around a point. Rick and Dorle decided to not chance it – they didn't want to blemish their record of never having had anyone tip over in one of their kayaks. I think we were all secretly glad that they didn't want to take that chance, the seas looked extremely rough. They called the water taxi and arranged for a pickup in a more protected area and while we waited we paddled around in the calmer waters. When the taxi arrived we found out that the wind was blowing 30-35 mph and there were six foot waves in the open water! No wonder it looked rough.

It was an incredible experience. The people we shared it with were nice. Rick and Dorle were fantastic. And the rain held off until after we had returned to the campground later that evening!

Pioneer Park Days in Zolfo Springs, FL

Every year since we have been wintering at Peace River TT's, we have heard people talk about Pioneer Park Days at the park across the street. And every year we have somehow missed getting over there to check it out. So we made sure to do it this year.





So what is this event, that has been happening here for 43 years? Well, it is part flea market and part celebration of pioneer living. There are many demonstrations that show how the pioneers lived such as dutch oven cooking, basket weaving and other 1800's activities. Then there are rows and rows of stuff. Stuff to browse and stuff to buy.



Then there are tractors, tractors and more tractors. Real ones and toy ones. Over 400 exhibits of them.



Lots of cool cars.



Lots of hit and miss steam engines which I find fascinating.



Really cool RV's.



Opinions.



Yummy food.



And fun!





We had a great time here and now we know that it is something we will be sure to want to visit each time we are here!

Winded

I remember in elementary school art class, our first assignment was to "draw the wind." The class was divided in their interpretation: Half drew an old man with long gray hair floating up in the sky and blowing gray swirly clouds; the other half drew trees swaying. I was one of the few who drew something weird - I think it was little animals running for cover amidst fallen flowers. The teacher wasn't pleased at all with my creativity and told me to look at the other children's pictures. But I never did get the hang of it.




Today I came close to crashing on my bike, and it was all the wind's fault. Well no, it was my fault. But it happened because it was windy. I was riding my roadbike alone and practicing leaning on turns, when suddenly a strong gust of wind blew in the direction of my lean. It had not occurred to me that such a thing could happen, but of course there is no reason it can't. It was an alarming sensation, as if someone was maliciously shoving me, trying to topple me on a turn. I was already leaning, and the gust of wind made the lean feel out of control.




Naturally, I panicked and tried to straighten the bike - in the middle of the turn, while simultaneously braking. As a result the bike became unstable, and then all I could think to do was attempt to bring it to an abrupt stop without letting it fall. I hit the brakes and came off the saddle at an awkward angle, holding on to the handlebars tightly and managing to keep the bike upright. Overall it was fine, except as my left foot landed on the ground, my right foot remained on the pedal and I twisted my ankle slightly. It's not swollen, but it hurts a little. Damn.




Of all the ways I could injure myself on a bike, it figures that it would be something ridiculous like this. Why did I have to panic and get all squirrely? Until today I haven't had that sort reaction in a long time. I guess what scared me is that the situation was entirely new. I know at this point how to right a bike if the front wheel hits a pothole, if another cyclist hits me with their elbow as they pass, or if I need to swerve around an obstacle. But the wind pushing me into a lean was unexpected and I didn't know what to do. In retrospect I should have just gone with it - I don't think the wind was strong enough to actually push me all the way to the ground. But of course that's easy to say now. Well, I hope my ankle is okay and I can ride tomorrow. I am trying to figure out what lesson there is to be learned from this, but more than anything I am just super annoyed at myself. And the wind.

First Light, Frozen Forest

After a couple of failed attempts at capturing nice early morning light on the ice at Tettegouche State Park (due to cloudy skies), I finally had success this morning. I had to leave the house just before 5:00 AM in order to make it here for sunrise, but it sure was worth it. The other day when I drove down to try and capture this scene, the sky was clear when I left home. By the time I arrived at Tettegouche, however, the clouds had moved in and covered the entire sky, effectively ruining sunrise. So.... this morning as I drove towards Tettegouche, I was a bit tense thinking I was going to run into a cloudy sky again. But, luck was on my side and the clouds stayed away. Once the sun broke above the horizon and started to illuminate the ice, I was awestruck by the beauty.

Here are a few more photos of me enjoying and photographing the Frozen Forest (taken by my friend and fellow photographer Paul Sundberg):







And one taken by my friend and fellow photographer Roger Nordstrom:

Bicycling in Bucharest: Herăstrău Park

I am happy to report that since my previous post about Bucharest, I have actually cycled here - twice. The catalyst was a visit to theHerăstrău Park- a sprawling green space with lakes and alleys and rose gardens and too many other nice things to list.



Herăstrău Park and its surrounding neighborhoods seem to be the place to be for those who want to ride a bike in Bucharest. To a large extent, the culprit of the cycling frenzy is the Green Revolution bike-share, which is free and easy to use.



"I ♥ Velo"



In a prominent spot in the park, there is a bicycle lot and a staffed booth. You come up to the booth, fill out a very short form, leave an ID (my US driver's license was fine), and get a free bike for 2 hours. If you are gone for more than two hours, you get charged a small fee. That is all. The people in the booth are very friendly and speak English. I was on a bike within 3 minutes of stumbling upon the booth.



What I now understand about bike share in Bucharest, is that it is "de-centralised". That is, there are different companies that offer bike share in various parts of town, under different conditions. What I like about the Green Revolution programme, is that it (1) is approachable and easy to use, and (2) is run by people who clearly care about bicycles. And it seems that I am not the only one who feels this way; they are enormously popular with locals.



It was interesting to observe the attitudes towards cycling among those who use the bikes. On the one hand, it is definitely perceived as a leisure activity: the bikes are taken out for fun, not for transportation.



But on the other hand, they are not perceived as a form of sport: 90%+ of the people cycling are wearing their everyday clothing. It is a form of outdoor entertainment, like strolling and eating ice-cream, but not an athletic activity.



There are bike paths throughout the park grounds, and they continue outside the park, connecting to the paths in the city center. However, locals tend to interpret the paths creatively. Directional arrows are ignored, cyclists make sudden stops and u-turns, and non-cyclists can often be found on the paths. As long as you go slowly, that's all fine, but speeding up is pretty much out of the question.



As for the Green Revolution bike itself: It is a modern, welded U-frame is a dark silver colour. Single speed, cruiser handlebars, easily adjustable saddle, coaster brake, front brake, fenders, cardboard dressguards, wire front basket.



The basket is narrow, but deep - just big enough to fit my laptop bag if I squish it in sideways.



The ride quality is sufficient for slow rides in a mostly hill-free and car-free environment, but I don't think these bikes were meant to withstand much beyond that. Of course I was so happy to be riding a bike again, that it hardly mattered.



Taking a much-needed break from work, I cycled aimlessly around the park grounds, delighting in things like these ridiculously beautiful benches and trash receptacles.



Another gorgeous bench design.





There are boat rides and outdoor cafes, sculpture parks and fountains, playgrounds and pony rides, and even peacocks. This park is truly amazing.



There were many others on bikes around, but one particularly lovely cyclist stood out and I could not help but approach her for a picture.



Her name is Ana, and it turns out she was test-riding a special edition Electra Amsterdam from the Ciclissimo bicycle shop nearby. That is the owner of the shop with her, George Pop, who is riding a Strida.



We had a brief conversation about the bike situation in Bucharest. Ana and George think that it is improving - with more interest in cycling and a growing popularity of classic bicycles. The Ciclissimo shop carries Pashley and Brompton, among others. I wonder whether these will start appearing on the streets soon.



In the meantime, it is nice to see that at least in some contexts people in Bucharest are clearly enjoying cycling as a simple and casual activity.




It is time for me to leave now and I want to sincerely thank all the locals who contacted me after my previous post. It was so wonderful to hear from you, and I regret that the nature of my trip did not allow me to organise any meet-ups. Please keep in touch; one never knows when fate might bring me to Bucharest again. And if you are a lone cyclist here who is looking for advice and resources, please visit: bikeblogbucuresti.blogspot.com, velobello.wordpress.com, www.portocalamecanica.ro, and simplybike.wordpress.com - I am sure they'd love to hear from you!