Martha J (Fletcher) Scriven (1863 - 1927)

Born Aug 1863 in Petersburgh, Rensselaer County, New York

Ancestors

Wife of Frederick Reginald Scriven — married 23 Feb 1881 in Pownal, Vermont

Descendants

Died 23 Nov 1927 at age 64 in North Adams, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Bob Scrivens [send private message]

Biography

Marty (Fletcher) Scriven has English ancestors.

Marty (Fletcher) Scriven has Irish ancestors.

According to a marriage certificate for Fred Scriven and Martha J. Fletcher, dated February 23, 1881, Fred lived in North Adams, Massachusetts at that time and was a harnass maker. She was only 17 at the time, and he was 19, born in Petersburg, New York, and, most notable, his parents were listed as William R. Scriven and "Finnette." Finette is the first wife of William R. Scrivens. Vermont Vital Records, [1] See marriage certificate [2] [3]

In the 1870 US Census, Martha was seven, living with her parents in Adams, Massachusetts (but with a N. Adams post office box--N. Adams had not separated from Adams until 1878).

In the 1880 US Census, Martha was 17, living with parents Orrin (born in Connecticut) and Mary A. Fletcher (born in New York) in North Adams, Massachusetts. She is listed here as having been born in Connecticut. Also listed in the family were Eva and Henry, both 15 (twins probably), Richard 12, and John 7. She was employed at the Works Gingham Mill. This would have been less than a year before she was married to Fred Scriven.

A Vermont marriage certificate shows how she, at 18, married Fred on February 23, 1881 in Pownal. But her place of birth here is listed as Petersburg, New York. (At variance with the previous US Census of 1880.) I've gone with this POB since her parents were listed as witnesses to the marriage.

Martha was 8 for the 1870 US Census. She and her parents, Orrin and Mary, lived in North Adams, where she attended school. She had 5 older brothers and sisters and three younger ones. In 1880, she was listed as 17, living with her family on State Street in North Adams, and working at Arnold Print Works Gingham Mill. She was the oldest of five children.

By the 1900 US Census, she had been married (1881) to Fred Scrivens for 19 years, and was living on S. Willow Street in Adams, Massachusetts. She worked as a "spooler," probably at Arnold Print Works, and had five children by that time, three still living: Henry, 14, Harry, 13, and my grandfather Clarence, 5.

For the 1910 Census, she was 46 and living with her husband in Berlin, Rensselaer, New York. Henry (25), Clarence (16), and her husband's half-brother, Admon J. Main (39) lived on the farm with them. She had no occupation listed (presumably, because she also worked on the farm with the rest of the family).

By the 1920 US Census, she and her husband lived on West Road in Clarksburg, Berkshire, Massachusetts. She died in 1927.

Irish ethnicity from Martha's grandfather

According to my cousin, Jack Swift, there is Irish blood in the Scrivens family, which comes from Martha Fletcher's side. That would account for my DNA ethnicity of 19% Irish in the 2020 revised estimate (it was 11% Irish and 3% Scottish in the 2021 revised estimate; originally, it was 14% Irish) listed in my Ancestry.com DNA test. The 1880 US Census for the Orrin Fletcher family lists Martha's parents, her mother being born in New York, but her mother's father (i.e. Martha's grandfather), born in Ireland.

Other US Census records

In the 1900 US Census, Martha was listed as 36, born in August of 1863. Her parents are recorded as born in Connecticut, while she herself was born in New York. She was living on S. Willow St. in Adams, Massachusetts with her husband Fred and her three sons, Henry D. (14), Harry F. (13), and Clarence H. (5). Interesting: she is recorded as having 5 children, 3 of them living. The other two would be Fred and Arthur, who died young. She was employed as a "spooler," a job in a textile mill, probably Arnold Print Works.

Admon Main

Family Search has a US Census in 1910 for Martha Scriven in Berlin, New York, her age being 46. [4] This is undoubtedly her. (Note: again here, her place of birth is listed as New York) The record has Fred Scriven listed as Head of Household, with Henry D (age 25), Clarence H (age 16, my grandfather), and a boarder named Admon Main (age 39) Note: listed as "Lamon J. Main" on Ancestry.com. Admon's father was Hiland A. Main, just as Fred's was, so they were brothers, even though they had different last names. This document is interesting because it seems to show that, even though Fred was raised by William R. Scrivens, he acknowledged Admon as his kin. The family "memory" of that seems to have disappeared two generations later by the time my uncle Hank Scrivens wrote his history of the family.

Another Family Search record [5] lists Admond (age 7) (note the "d") as being the son of Phinett Maine ("e" added), born in Vermont and Hilan ("d" dropped) who was born in New York. He had siblings: Jessie G. (age 8), Endora (age 4). Phinett Maine was 39 in this 1880 US Census.

In the 1920 US Census, Martha and her husband were living by themselves in Clarksburg, Massachusetts (north of N. Adams, Massachusetts)

NORTH ADAMS TRANSCRIPT, North Adams, Massachusetts 25 November 1927 Obituary:

Martha J. (Fletcher) Scriven, age 63 died on Wednesday [23 Nov 1927]. Wife of F.R. Scriven. Born Petersburg, NY. Those that survive her are her husband, three sons: Henry of Berlin, NY, Harry and Clarence, both of North Adams. Two brothers Albert and Richard Fletcher and one sister, Mrs. Merle Miner, all of North Adams. Funeral 25 Nov 1927, interment followed Southview Cemetery. (contributed on boards.ancestry.com by Carol Thompson)

Note: Family Search also has a US Census record of a Martha J. Fletcher born in 1862 in Troy, New York, to a Thomas and Jane Fletcher, derived from the United States Census, 1880. These may be her parents, since the d.o.b. is only two years earlier and place of birth is so nearby.

"According to my research, your great-grandfather, Fred Scriven, was married to Martha J Fletcher. Martha's sister is Eva Fletcher. Eva is my great-grandmother."

--from Thomas W Kelley (Ancestry Message Center (Feb. 13, 2018).

The two children who died young

I started out looking at Fred’s wife Martha’s marriage certificate. She was very young, 17. Then I got looking at the two children I really knew almost nothing about, who both died young. The first born was Arthur F. Scriven (27 FEB 1882), about one year after Fred was married to Martha Fletcher. Then, Fred A. Scriven was born within a year (11 DEC 1883), but he only lived about a year (7 APR 1884). I wondered what happened to them, and it turned out, there was a record of it. Young Fred died at only four months old of spina bifida, a birth defect having to do with the spine. He must have just lingered those four months, painfully. Then, they had two other boys, which we know more about in the next few years: Henry Darrel and Harry. But in 24 MAY 1893, Arthur dies a year before our grandfather, Clarence was born, on 1 Oct 1894. Arthur was only 11 years old when he died of meningitis, a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It sounded awful.

But here’s something to wrap your head around: although Fred’s wife Martha was 31 (and well within her prime birthing years) when she gave birth to our grandfather, it had been six years since their last child, Harry, had been born. I wonder if they were “all done” having children when tragedy struck again with the second death of a child—and maybe Clarence was conceived to make up for their loss. It’s all speculation, of course. But that scenario would at least mean that something positive (i.e., the whole Scrivens line) came out of a tragedy.

They say that our minds are programmed to “find meaning” in things, that we humans don’t like discord and try to find harmony. Or, another way to say it is, we’d like to believe there is a PURPOSE to it all, especially pain and suffering. Being brought up Catholic of course plays into it, too. (On the other hand, even if I’m just kidding myself, I still prefer that script to the other!)

Bob Scrivens (11/3/2019)

Sources

Obituary: NORTH ADAMS TRANSCRIPT, North Adams, MA 25 Nov 1927

1880,1900 US Census

Jack Swift family records

Ancestry DNA ethnicity for Robert A. Scrivens

Thomas W Kelley (Ancestry Message Center (Feb. 13, 2018).

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Robert Scrivens for creating WikiTree profile Fletcher-2544 through the import of 2293fi_608439562v2o181f2jw4c6.ged on Apr 19, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Robert and others.