Chauncey Granger Sweet, 1865, Chapter I

Born on Feb. 6, 1965, Beaumont, Texas.

In early Galveston, (and Sabine Pass, and Beaumont, Texas) especially through the Civil War, my family was caring for each other, especially the orphaned children.  My grandmother's mother Zulieka and her sister Ada's parents died early during the Civil War.  They may have been raised in the home of their aunts, one of whom was Elizabeth (Lizzie) Granger Sweet.  Lizzie's husband was Sidney Sweet and he died in 1875 leaving her to raise her own children, Chauncey Granger Sweet (10) and his sister Lucy Azalea Sweet (7). T

he other aunt was Lucy Granger Wakeley (or Wakelee) and I believe my great grandmother may have lived with them as well. More information about their lives will come soon.

Chauncey G Sweet was my grandmother's great-Uncle Chauncey.  My grandmother named one of her sons after him, Chauncey Sweet Rogers.  His mother was my grandmother's grandmother's sister.

OK, the fun begins...census searches:

In 1870 Census of Sabine Pass, Texas, Chauncey G. Sweet is part of a family with his father, Sidney J. Sweet, (48) listed as a Tinner, born in MA.  Mother Elizabeth Sweet (36) was also born in MA.

There are 4 children listed, and I only knew of the younger two until this discovery looking at the original documents. Ancestry didn't have them part of their chart yet.  Mary E. is 16 in 1870.  Fanny A. Sweet is 8.  Chauncey G. Sweet was 5, and Lucy A. was 2.  All the children were born in Texas. However, the two elder children must have died fairly young, because they don't appear in later census lists.  However, a girl of 16 could also have married, which was frequently done.  Fanny at 8 is the missing member of that family.

Chauncey G. shows up next in the 1880 Galveston Census.  C.G. Sweet (15) was a clerk and living as a boarder with his Aunt and Uncle Wakely.  At that time Alex (sic) Wakely was a Ships Chandler (age 45) and his wife Lucy (Lizzie's sister) was listed on the census as L.E. at 40.  Also in the household were my great-grandmother Zulieka (21) and her little sister Ada (19).  Mr. Wakeley was actually named Augustus, but it was written wrong on the census sheet.

Also on that census report, C.G. Sweet's father is reported from Mass, as well as his mother who was born in Newburyport, MA.  C.G. was also listed as having been born in Sabine Pass, TX. Other sources say Beaumont.  I just found a photo of a marker for Chauncey's father, Sidney J. Sweet in Sabine Pass, TX.  Here's the picture of the memorial to C.G.'s great aunt, Julia Sweet (Burgett) and Sidney J. Sweet in Sabine Pass, TX.  Unfortunately this marker memorializes several family members who died of yellow fever in 1862.  Julia Sweet Burgett had already lost her first husband, Maj. Sidney A. Sweet, who is included on this marker. He would have been C.G.'s grandfather's brother, I believe. Most of this information came from Texas Find-A-Grave, where the story surrounding that yellow fever epidimic was told.

More in the next Chapter...soon.