Eastern Pennsylvania State Penitentiary

https://www.easternstate.org/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_State_Penitentiary

The link above states that Eastern Pennsylvania State Penitentiary was once the most expensive and famous prison in the world.   Al Capone and a few other notorious criminals spent some time there.  Check out the excellent virtual tour of the prison on their site.

According to smithsonianmag, the penitentiary opened in 1829 and was a "technological marvel" with central heat, flush-able toilets and shower baths in each cell.

I am going to quote directly from the Smithsonian site about the first prisoner, Charles Williams:

"Charles Williams, a farmer sentenced to two years for theft, would be inmate number one. On October 23, 1829, Williams was escorted into the new prison with an eyeless hood placed over his head. This was done to secure his anonymity and eventual integration into society upon release, as no one would recognize his face from the prison. But it also served another purpose: to ensure that there would be no chance at escape, as Williams would never see the prison beyond his private cell. Communication with guards was done through a small feeding hole. The inmates lived in complete isolation, with a Bible their only possession, and chores like shoe-making and weaving to occupy their time."  (Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/eastern-state-penitentiary-a-prison-with-a-past-14274660/)

Supposedly Charles Dickens visited the prison in 1842 (smithsonianmag.com) and wasn't impressed with the solitary confinement.  In 1913, due to population growth and a change of philosophy, prisoners started sharing cells and more group activities were permitted.

James Stark Hay's (my gg-grandfather) experience there was more than likely like Charles Williams-meaning he spent a year in solitary confinement for theft (larceny.)

Source: https://www.easternstate.org

James Stark Hay, Part 1

James Stark Hay was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to Samuel Hay and Julia Mock (I am attempting to confirm this with better documentation than I currently have.)  He was born February 22, 1850 in Wilksbarrel, Luzerne Co, Pennsylvania.

Samuel Hay died around 1850, so James would not have known his father.  James's mother Julia never remarried after the death of her husband (as far as I can tell) and she died prior 1870 (see below.)

The 1860 census states that James was 12 years old.  This would be incorrect if he was born in 1850.  I believe the information is incorrect, since the ages of others in this family are also incorrect when compared to the 1850 census.

According to Pennsylvania, Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971 (ancestry), on September 7, 1867 James was convicted of Larceny and sent to Pennsylvania's Eastern State prison for a year.   James' parents were both deceased by the time he was sent to prison.

Pennsylvania, Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971

The record states that James was "occasionally intemperate."  I imagine prison life in 1867 was tough and his "intemperate" behavior was not unusual.  See my post on Eastern Pennsylvania State Prison.

John W. Peterson-Scoundrel?

UPDATE:  6/6/2019  See the end of this post for an update.

Several years back I was researching my Jones ancestry and I came across some information that my 2nd great-grandfather George W. Jones was not really a Jones.  He was in fact a Peterson.  This particular Peterson is not related to my paternal Peterson side but is on my Mother's side.

Supposedly, a John Peterson was going to marry the widow Catherine DeWesse Jones (my 3rd great-grandmother) in 1859 but backed out the last second.

Catherine DeWesse was first married to James Jones in 1834 in Ohio and had at least seven children with him.  James Jones died in 1848 leaving Catherine a widow with all seven minor children.  Ten years later in 1860 Catherine DeWesse Jones was the head of the household with three of her sons and a small boy named George W. Jones, age 1.  My first thought was that this George Jones was a grandson, but I learned later on that he was in fact Catherine's boy, born when she was 39 years old.

I was able to make contact with other Jones researchers who confirmed that George W. Jones was in fact Catherine's son and that the father was a John W. Peterson.  It wasn't until recently that I was able to confirm this story through a court document.

John Peterson and Catherine Jones had planned on getting married in 1859 and even applied for a license (see pic.)  For some reason the marriage never happened.  George W. Jones was born in April of 1859.   Clearly, John Peterson and Catherine Jones were more than just friendly neighbors-According to the Adams Co., IN 1860 census, they lived close to each other.

So the question is:  Why didn't the marriage happen?  It seems natural to think that John Peterson didn't want to follow through since Catherine would have had a lot of pressure to marry the man who got her pregnant.

Is John W. Peterson a scoundrel?  It would be hard to pin that label on him without more information.  It is possible that he wasn't the father and decided to not marry her when he found out she was pregnant or maybe Catherine didn't want the marriage and refused.  I will probably never know.

I have wondered what life was like for Catherine and George.  Considering the time (1860s) children born to women who were not married were often mistreated by society and family.  Yet, it seems that George's half brothers and sisters embraced him and he grew up in a healthy environment and love.  That is good.

In the meantime, I am hoping that through DNA I will be able to see if John W. Peterson is in fact my 3rd great-grandfather.

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Recent DNA results from ancestry says that John W. Peterson is in my family tree.  Hopefully more links will be established so I can be more confident in these results.