While researchers are often chided not to follow BSOs (bright shiny objects) down rabbit holes, it is sometimes good to embrace them and go with the flow.

This month’s 12 for ’26 is not a single family, but an opportunity for me to try out FamilySearch’s ever-expanding record collection accessible through full-text seaech.

Today’s BSO is George Rogers Tarbox (1818-1895), one of my 3X great grandparents who was born in New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine, but who lived in Lowell and Newburyport, Massachusetts, Nashua, New Hampshire and then Robbinston and Calais, Washington, Maine, where he died and is buried.

Through the years, I’ve learned much about George, his life and his family. I also learned that George was the first in his family to become a businessman rather than a farmer. Based on places he lived, he also seemed to prefer city life to the quiet countryside.

I wasn’t sure if I’d learn anything new about George, but decided to use full-text search for records in Massachusetts, Maine and even New Hampshire, since he lived there for a short time.

Massachusetts records only turned up a couple of land records and the death record of George’s son, Horace, in 1914, all of which I had. No results came up for New Hampshire. However, Washington County, Maine records now include some court documents.

First, George was sued by the estate of George B. Burns, deceased for refusal to pay off promissory notes and the court ordered that George’s goods be seized to the amount of $1000 to cover the three notes!

There was more economic trouble for George as there is a 30-page court file dated 1875 regarding the purchase of marble, which was the business he was in.

The details in the file are quite boring, but the bottom of this first page is an exciting discovery:

The signatures are all different, leading me to believe that are all original to the men involved in the court case. That means I now have an image of George Tarbox’s handwriting! A fun find!

Further finds:

George Tarbox had another business set back with a judgment against him in January 1859 for the sum of $102.92.

George kept the court system busy. In 1858, he sued a steamboat company for ruining 100 barrels of calcined plaster to be transported from Eastport to Portland, Maine. The jury found in George’s favor.

In 1858, two men were convicted for breaking and entering his business shop.

In January 1870, the sheriff was ordered to seize $150 worth of George’s goods to satisfy a debt.

In April 1869, George sued Catherine Burns, who was guilty and sentenced to 30 days in jail plus costs.

In November 1868, George was sued as the trustee of Simeon Briggs for debt.

In March 1854, a man was convicted of stealing George’s overcoat in Cumberland County, Maine.

There might even be a few other records in this set of results. However, they are very very poorly transcribed even when the handwriting is excellent. With overlapping court sessions and continuances, I might have missed one or two cases.

To be fair to George, most of the cases in which he was a defendant were connected to his plaster and marble business, not to his personal life.

It’s also necessary to mention that from 1873 to 1879, the United States entered a depression that lasted longer than the Great Depression sparked by the stock market crash in 1929.

I’d say my finds are not a bad first attempt at chasing BSOs down the full-text search rabbit hole. As an aside, it’s going to take me a while to save all theses documents, especially the one court case that is 30 pages long!

Today, we’ll look at the descendants of George Rogers Tarbox (1818-1895) and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Scripture (1827-1866), who lived, at various times, in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

They were the parents of seven children, of whom four married and have descendants. Those are the children featured today.

1. Elizabeth, born 19 July 1851 in Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts, was the second child and second daughter, but first surviving child. She died on 27 May 1928 in Calais, Washington, Maine.

Elizabeth married Charles Stiles Vickery on 23 September 1871 in Calais and they became the parents of five children.

A. Mary A. , born 1 May 1872; died 10 February 1909, both in Calais, Washington, Maine; married Vernon Margrove Wentworth, 1 January 1895, also in Calais. My grandfather Vernon was named for Mary’s husband, I’ve been told, because he was a well loved member of the family. They were the parents of three children – Nola, Lloyd Vernon and Lester Ricker. Nola was born 4 July 1895; died November 1978, Wilton, Hillsborough, New Hampshire and never married. Lloyd Vernon was born 24 August 1896; died 1917, both in Calais and never married. Lester Ricker was born 30 October 1901; died 2 April 1942, Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester, New York and married Eva Ludgate MacLay, 9 January 1926, Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, but had no children. Mary has no descendants today.

B. Charles Stiles, born 22 March 1875, Calais, Washington, Maine; died 25 February 1935, Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts; married Emma J. Brackett, 30 June 1897, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. They were the parents of four children – Vivian Hazel, Roger Brackett, Charles Edward and Merle Winthrop. Vivian married Murdoch Roy MacKay, 18 April 1921, Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts and had one daughter Eleanor Gena, who married James Kelly, 6 December 1977, but had no children and one son, Donald Gordon, born 1926, Massachusetts; died 26 October 2002, North Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts who married Lorraine M. Marceau, 28 May 1955 in North Adams, but had no children. Therefore, Vivian has no descendants today.

Roger Brackett Vickery was born 9 July 1900 in Calais; died 11 September 1964, Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts; married Frances Coleman, 1930, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, but had no children. Roger has no descendants today.

Charles Edward Vickery was born 31 July 1905, Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts; died 1982, Massachusetts; married Eva Adelaide Holt, 18 May 1926, Rensselaer County, New York. They were the parents of six children – Living, Charles Edward, Living, John Holt, Roger Brackett and Living Vickery. Charles has many descendants today.

Merle Winthrop Vickery was born 11 November 1907, Greenfield, Franklin, Massachusetts; died 4 January 1974, North Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts; married Bernice Irene Adams. They were the parents of two daughters. He has at least one descendant today. Charles Stiles Vickery has many descendants today.

C. George R., born 22 February 1876, Calais, Washington, Maine; died 19 February 1912, Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina; married Maud Emma McCue, 3 July 1897, Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine. They had two sons, George Kenneth and Robert McCue Vickery. George has descendants today through son Robert McCue Vickery.

D. Elizabeth, born 19 September 1878, Calais, Washington, Maine; died 5 June 1956, Camden, Knox, Maine; married Henry D. Evans, 19 August 1914, Augusta, Kennebec, Maine. Henry and Elizabeth had one daughter, Hester Elizabeth Evans, born 19 October 1920; died 21 June 1999, Kinston, Lenoir, North Carolina; married John f. Dow, but they had no children. Elizabeth has no descendants today.

E. Jeannette Peel, born 1882, Maine; died 1945, Brookline, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Lee Berry, 18 September 1906, Red Beach, Washington, Maine. They were the parents of four children – Elizabeth Mary, born 1907; died after 1920; no further record, Paul Lloyd, born 13 September 1909; died 29 August 1982, Houston, Harris, Texas; married Mary Gladys Boothman, 17 January 1933, New York, New York. They had one daughter who married and had at least one child. Horace Augustus was born 8 August 1911, Calais, Washington, Maine; died 25 August 1991, Royal Oak, Oakland, Michigan; married Alnora Ida Dennison and they had at least one son. Cora Louise was born 21 June 1913, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts; died September 1975; married Charles Edgar Thayer, 4 November 1944. Charles had two children by his first wife, but it appears that Cora and Charles had no children together. Jeannette has descendants today.

2. Nellie F., born 28 June 1856, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; died 23 December 1927, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; married Calvin Segee Adams, 1 February 1875, Calais, Washington, Maine.

Calvin and Nellie are my 2X great grandparents and I’ve written about the family too many times to link here. Nellie has descendants today.

3. Charles Franklin, born 13 May 1859, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; died 25 June 1941, South Attleboro, Bristol, Massachusetts; married Cleantha (Cannie) Cochran, 19 October 1881, Milltown, New Brunswick, Canada. They were the parents of four children – George Roger, Oliver Scripture, Othelia Fay and Helen L.

A. George Roger was born 1882, Maine; died 4 November 1993; married Ada Brooke Jackson, 1914, in Pennsylvania, where he was working as a mechanical engineer. They had two sons, George Roger and Brook Jackson, who married, but had no children. George Roger Tarbox married and had four children. George Roger Tarbox has descendants today.

B. Oliver Scripture was born 6 December 1884, Maine; died 14 August 1898, Grand lake Stream, Washington, Maine, killed by his brother in a hunting accident. Oliver has no descendants today.

C. Othelia Fay was born 30 August 1890, Maine; died 9 August 1984, Attleboro, Bristol, Massachusetts; married (1) Carl Harris Bryant, 7 June 1911, Calais, Washington, Maine. Carl died on 29 September 1918 of pneumonia, Camp Devens, Massachusetts while serving in WWI. (2) Thomas Sadler, c1926. Carl and Fay Bryant had one daughter, Doris I., born c1913, Maine, who married and had two children. Thomas and Fay Sadler had one son, who apparently married, but appears to perhaps have divorced or the wife died young and there were no children. Fay has descendants today.

3. Horace W. was born 20 April 1861, Robbinston, Washington, Maine; died 8 June 1914, Sharon, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Elizabeth Eugenia Lane, 13 June 1881, Calais, Washington, Maine. They were the parents of one daughter, Elsie Venner, born September 1881, Maine; died 15 July 1940, Topsfield, Essex, Massachusetts. Elsie married Harry Winfield Perkins, 3 June 1911 in Topsfield. They had one son, he also had one son. That grandson is married and has descendants. Horace has descendants today.

Therefore, George Rogers Tarbox and Mary Elizabeth Scripture have many descendants today.