James H. Pine
Murky memories and half forgotten tales?
If you were to ask any of the senior citizens in the Pine family where they were from they will say without hesitation the family came from Hempstead, on Long Island, in New York. Some will also say there is Iroquois Indian blood in their veins. The tradition is that a beautiful, blond, blue eyed, woman of surname VanVleet was captured by the Indians and kept by the chief for a wife. She raised her half-Indian children and taught them English, vowing to someday escape and return to the white world.
Violet Pine Zimmerman, said that when she was a child some lawyers came out from New York (ca 1905) looking for descendents of a man named Pine who died owning a block of down town New York. Her mother, Louville Campbell Pine, was away at the time and an aunt, in a fit of envy and spite, denied there were any descendents of the Pine family alive. Then she destroyed their documents so they could not prove who they were.
It would be interesting to know the truth of these stories. There are many clues to follow and perhaps with persistent research some day the the truth will be established.
What we know: Our PINE family descended from:
James H. PINE and Mary A. JOHNSON
Living in the village of Williamsburg, Kings County, New York, and enumerated 5 September 1850 by federal census is the family of James H. Pine. [King’s county now lies entirely within the city of Brooklyn, New York.]
James H. PINE age 25, feed store, born NY Mary A. age 21 born NY son James T. age 2 born NY son Edgar A. age 5/12 born NY Smith age 30, feed store, born NY Catherine M. age 28 born NY son William H. age 11 born NY son George L. age 3 born NY son John A. age 1 born NY Mary READE age 34 born PA Susan JOHNSON age 13 born NY
[The LDS Church files (IGI) lists several other PINEs on the 1850 census that were born in Hempstead, Nassau Co, NY and christened in Christ’s Presbyterian Church. (Smith PINE, Stephen PINE, and Thomas PINE)].
According to the obituary of Frederick Baldon PINE, a son of James H. PINE, Frederick was born in New York in 1855. The family moved to Wisconsin in 1858.
The village of Liberty, Outagamie County, WI was enumerated in the 1860 federal census.
son Edgar A. age 11
son Abram H. age 9 born NY
son Fredrick B.age 5 born NY
Mary A. age 1 born WI
Tradition: James T. PINE of Wisconsin, he was such a good rider and rifle shot. He would practice shooting his rifle from his horse with the horse at a full hard run. He could flip a quarter in the air and he could hit the quarter. He would often wager and win money with that trick.
Tradition: James T. PINE was red headed and had a short neck. The Indians trusted him because he had a short neck so they allowed him to carry mail on the Indian Reservation.
He got lost in a snow storm so he burrowed down in the snow and used his saddle for a pillow. He wore long sheepskin gloves to keep his arms and hands from getting cold so he was lucky to have those for added protection. His horse came in without him and everyone thought he was dead. They were really surprised to see him come in after the storm was over.
James H. PINE Mary A. son James T. age 22 son Edgar A. age 21 son Abram H. age 18 son Fredrick B.age 15 dau Mary A. age 10 born WI son William age 8 born WI dau Clara E. age 6 born WI
The Pines moved to Parsons, Kansas in 1874 after living in Wisconsin for sixteen years. Three years later (1877) they moved to Nebraska and finally settled near Dorsey, Holt County, in 1880.
The town of Dorsey has had many names, located on Steele Creek near Star, it was first called Mineral, then Steele Creek, Apple Creek, Omeral, then Dorsey.
Clarrie E. PINE, age 18, daughter of James H. Pine, married William T. SPRINGMEYER, age 21, on 1 June 1882, at Steele Creek, Holt County, Nebraska
William Townsend PINE, age 21, son of James H. Pine, and Louville Campbell, age 20, applied for a marriage license in Holt Co., Nebraska, 22 December 1882. They were married at the residence of J. H. PINE.
From the obituary of Mrs. James H. PINE, written in the the “Frontier”, a paper published in O’Neill, Holt Co., NE dated 29 Jan 1885.
” Died, Mrs. J. H. PINE, northwest of Star, on the 20th of Jan 1885. She leaves a husband and three grown children. Her remains are interred at the Star Cemetery. children… Frederick B. PINE, William Townsend PINE, Clarrie E. SPRINGMEYER.” [No mention of the three oldest boys who would have been in their thirties (37,36,33) at this time.]
Frederick’s obituary states the family went to California in 1884. While there he married Nona Hitchcock Dodd at Napa, Napa County, California 22 Nov 1888.
We also have the tradition that circa 1890 Frederick came to Portland, Oregon and got his brother, William Townsend Pine, and returned to California. They walked through Death Valley, according to the tradition, in an attempt to “dry out” William who was drinking heavily. William was reported to have committed suicide in Medford, Oregon on the return trip home. Some believe he might have been killed by an irate father. According to a newspaper article dated 14 Aug 1891 in the “Ashland Tidings” he committed suicide after his attentions were rejected by a young lady.
James H. PINE and Anne E. GRANT applied for a marriage license 15 Dec 1892, Holt Co., Nebraska. He was 67 and she was 39. [They were both listed as non-white, usually done that way for Indians.]
The Holt County Historical Society reports that Frederick and Nona came in 1893 with his parents to Holt County and settled on a homestead two miles from the little town of Dorsey. [Apparently their researcher did not realize the family lived in Holt County before moving to California and thus were returning to the old homestead.] Mrs. Jim PINE died shortly after coming to Holt County and Mr. PINE then moved to the town of Dorsey where he spent the remainder of his life.
OBITUARY
From the obituary of Fredrick Baldon PINE written in the ” Frontier “, a paper published in O’Neill, Holt Co., NE dated 30 May 1918
Frederick Baldon PINE died in Savannah, MO. He had gone there seeking treatment for cancer, the funeral was held in O’Neill, NE. He was born in NY, Aug 1855. During 1858 he and his parents moved to New London, Outagamie Co., WI. They lived there until 1874 and then moved to Parsons, KA. In 1877 they moved to NE, finally settled during 1880 near Dorsey, Holt Co., NE. During 1884 the family went to CA and on 22 Nov 1888 Frederick married Nona Welthy Dodd at Napa, CA. They had four daughters and one son. During 1893 they returned to Holt County and lived on a farm near Dorsey until 1910, when they moved to O’Neill.
children: Mrs. J. B. Binkerd (Winifred) Lynch, NE Mrs. J.I. Fleming, (Ella Elizabeth) Harrison, NE Alice Eudora PINE (married Bressler) Esther Lillian PINE (married Lindberg) Clarence PINE (in the service) sister: Mrs. Springmeyer (Clarrie) Details provided by the Holt County Historical Society 401 E. Douglas, O’Neill, NE 68763 a contribution by Mrs. Dena Brady
Frederick Pine, son of the Jim Pines, married Mrs. Nona Hitchcock Dodd, daughter of Ref. Alonzo and Mrs. Hitchcock, at Napa, CA 22 Nov 1888.
In 1893 Frederick and Nona came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jim PINE, to Holt County and settled on a homestead two miles from the little town of Dorsey.
Mrs. Jim PINE died shortly after coming to Holt County and Mr. PINE then moved to the town of Dorsey where he spent the remainder of his life.
Fred and Nona lived on the homestead for seventeen years, moving to O’Neill in 1910, after selling the homestead to John Daily.
Nona PINE received her college education at Napa College in Napa, CA. She was an accomplished musician and music teacher. The PINEs were members of the Methodist Church and affiliated with the Dorsey Presbyterian Church.
Frederick PINE died May 30, 1918 Nona Hitchcock Dodd PINE died Sep 24, 1931
The family can be found in the book “Nebraska, A Compendium of History, Reminiscence and Biography” Alden Publishing Co. Chicago.
