Lucius B. Tift (1813 - 1866)

Born 1 Mar 1813 in Pomfret, Windham County, Connecticut, USA

Ancestors

Died 15 Aug 1866 at age 53 in Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia, USA

Biography

Lucius Tift, was born in Pomfret Conn. 3/1/1813, child of Amos Tift, and died at Albany, Georgia, at age 53. He was a deaf-mute who never married and made his living in Key West as a shoe maker. See Note below.

Note

Note: LUCIUS TIFT’S LETTER FROM KEY WEST IN 1845

The following letter is from the historical collection of Mystic Seaport, Mystic, courtesy of Dr. Joseph Chepaitis of Connecticut and Grassy Key, Florida.

Envelope:

Miss Jane E. Tifts

Portersville, Conn.

Politeness of Capt. Rowland

Letter:

Key West April 6, 1845

My Dear Sisters Aunt Lizzy

You must excue me for not having written you many months since, as I was so busy out all time but you can read letters from mother & Amos from me. I always write ___ to mother & Amos for all to read. You will hear & accept something often from us by the [fishing] smacks this spring so it will (?) a few chances for Mystic next summer & fall. I hope you are very well & please mother well doing____. I don't wish mother work hard _______ than you can do for she is too old now. I often heard much of you & your flower growing plentifully about around the house & yard. I have promised you for flowers seed for a long time. I have sent to Havana for flowerseeds & now send them with this letter for you. Spanish names on every paper & some of them copied into English & other could not be. Caroline Noyes sends a box of assorted plants from Mrs. Kate Tift at Mobile for you to plant them carefully in your garden. Rec'd a long letter from Nelson giving me much pleasure to hear all his kind reasonable advice & offered me to go & live with him & besides gardening learning _____ &c all very fine & pleasant living, so I must be very thankful & much obliged for him for his kindness & goodness - if I don't do anything or own business, property & stores I would go to Albany immediately. I am sorry for I cannot leave here to lose my garden many things, tools garden & I will own anacre of land near Pine Key & move soon - Asa will owe me much property &c - I can talk with everybody & Spaniards better than the Americans & country folks with signs - but I will remember of Nelson's advice &c - for some years longer when I feel retired from this tedious place - I would be happy to go to Albany to live with a fine wife, to keep a gardening &c. If the Atlantic is sold soon, Asa will furnish me a handsome stock in store next summer from N York by Asa L Tift when he goes home to visit you & dear mother all together. Charles told me many particulars of you both are fine and good ladies. I am 32 years old last March lst 1845 & I have no sweet heart on this Key West!!! I wish I should be happy to see Asa if he would get a fine wife at the north when he goes home. I heardsomething perhaps of Miss Wheeler for him. Oh! Yes!!! My garden is flourishing with many fig trees, oleander, grapes from Mobile last week & ____ _____gave us a few hundred ripe figs a few weekssince first second third figs are remaining on trees unripe some thousand now better than any oranges & lime - lemon trees there and none on this key except my fig trees in garden alone but I gave many sprouts from fig trees to every neighbor to plant them in garden - many ladies & gentlmen call and see my garden - with curiosity. Asa loves figs very much - Caroline also particularly and many ladies they like figs so much. Misses Geiger are very well and work very steadily at home by washing and sewing &c They are prudent and fine girls they often talk with me about you & mother & they saysreceived a letter from you some time ago. they say would answer you soon send their love to you & all. Frederick Clift works for Asa on board the Atlantic & is repairing the w. house & others sincehe arrived from ___ Fred. Clift is a very clever & funny fellow. He is very well and send his love to his wife. Tell Amos that the wrecked pilot boat Louisa bilged in by the wharf has been raised out by 2 scows between her & brought closely to the sided wharf. Last Friday she will be drawing up ashore & upset her keel up & take old cooper [copper] sheets off & repair her one broken side through in pieces this week. Asa & Geiger have given a good carpenter a contract to repair & furnish her all new masts, rudder &c - $ 400. Capt. Rowland can ____ all particulars of Atlantic & pilot boat& others better. Samuel A. Tift & wife are very well. He keeps a coffee & soda ___ ___ in his small new shop he is making much money in cash so fast he is industrious & punctual all time, you mustgive my best respects to Mrs. & Dr. Stoddard & Randalls - nothing to say more in this but write soon & Good Bye - this day is the seventh day and the sabbath day God bless our mother & all family, attending at church reading & singing &c so they may be happy still. Adieu.

Give my love to my brother Amos & wife & Charles wife & Charles & _____ be good ____

I am your affectionate absent brother,

Lucius Tift

Transcription and the following notes by Gail Swanson:

The writer, Lucius Tift, was born Pomfret Conn. 3/1/1813, child of Amos Tift, and died at Albany, Georgia, at age 53. He was a deaf-mute who never married and made his living in Key West as a shoe maker. Some of the people he mentions can be identified:

"Mother" - Hannah Forsyth Tift, b. Preston Conn. 9/18/1785, a widow since 1829, d. 4/38/1878

"Sisters" - Lucius sisters were: Hannah Caroline, b. Pomfret, Conn. 2/9/1815, Amanda, b. Preston, Conn. 3/27/1816, Elizabeth Jane, b. Groton 5/13/1823 and lived to adulthood, Frances Amanda, b. Groton7/6/18__ and lived to adulthood

"Amos" - Amos Chapman Tift, Lucius' older brother, b. Groton, Conn. 7/24/1808, d. 4/16/18__

"Asa" - Asa Forsyth Tift, also an older brother whom Lucius lived with, at least by 1850. He was b. Groton, Conn. 3/28/1812 d. Key West 2/7/1889

"Nelson" - Another older brother, Nelson Tift b. Groton 7/23/1810 and moved to Georgia in 1835. Died Albany, Ga. 11/18/1891.

"Charles" - Charles Tift, a younger brother, b. Groton 7/30/1819

"Miss Wheeler" - could be Anna Wheeler, 15 years old at the time, whom Asa later married, or her mother (?), C. Wheeler.

"Frederick Clift" - There was a Clift family from Stonington, Conn., at Key West

"Misses Geiger" and "Geiger" - The John Geiger family members

"Caroline Noyes" - the Noyes family was also from Connecticut

Residences, Events, and Family

United States Census, 1860 Albany, Dougherty, Georgia, United States
Name: Lucius Tift, Sex: Male, Age: 47
Birth Year (Estimated): 1813, Birthplace: Ponefort Conn, Race: White
Others in Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
James Sackenbergs M 26 Bavania^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Page: 11 Household Identifier: 91 Affiliate Film Number: 120 Affiliate Publication Number: M653 Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Digital Folder Number: 005165691 Microfilm Number: 803120 Image Number: 00015 Indexing Batch: N01696-3 Citing this Record "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZM2-3XN : 18 February 2021), Lucius Tift, 1860.

See also:

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZM2-3XN : 18 February 2021), Lucius Tift, 1860.
• Ancestry Family Tree: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=21058954&pid=820
• MyHeritage.com family tree

Family site: Mitchell Web Site

Family tree: I am My Beloveds 1

• MyHeritage.com family tree

Family site: Cruiseduck\'s Family Web Site

Family tree: Cruiseducks Family

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of master 11_12.ged on 21 October 2010, through the import of Rankin-Ridgdill Family Tree.ged on Oct 4, 2011 by Elizabeth Rankin, and through the import of Stephens Family History 03302011.GED on 31 March 2011.