:: My Father’s Side: Winship Family ::

Lyonel (Lyonnel) Winship was born in 1587 in Wilton Hall, England and died in 1637 in Walden, England.

Edward Winship (1) (March 13, 1613 – December 2, 1688) was the youngest son of Lyonel’s five children. He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and died in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He came to America aboard the Defiance in 1635. When his father, Lyonel, died, he returned to England to claim his inheritance: the remainder of his father’s goods after deductions for bequests, funeral expenses and debts. The family land had gone to the two eldest sons, which suggests why Edward had moved to America. On his return trip, he took to America his first wife, Jane Wilkerson (1620-1651). By Jane, he had six children, two of whom died in infancy.

By his second wife, Elizabeth Parke (December 4, 1631 – September 19, 1690), he had seven children, the first being Edward (2).

Edward Winship (2) (March 3,1654 – June 10, 1718) was the son of Edward (1) and Elizabeth Parke Winship. He married Rebeccah Barsham (October 12, 1657 – August 1717) on May 14, 1683. They had seven children together, the first being Edward (3).

Edward Winship (3) (March 9, 1684 – May 15, 1763) was the son of Edward (2) and Rebecca Winship. He married Sarah Buck and they had five children, the last of whom was Isaac.

Isaac Winship (June 8, 1724 – April 8, 1783) was the son of Edward (3) and Sarah Buck. He fought in the French and Indian Wars in 1755 in Capt. William Reed’s company and in Capt. Benjamin Reed’s company in 1759, and in the Revolutionary War in 1776, marching from Medford, in Capt. John Walton’s company of the Massachusetts Militia, and/or in March 1776 in Capt. Isaac Hall’s company at the time of the taking of Dorchester Heights. Isaac Winship married Hannah (1731-1783) in 1746 or before. They had 15 children, the thirteenth being Benjamin (1).

Benjamin Winship (1) (September 30,1766 – January 22, 1848) was the son of Isaac and Hannah Winship. Benjamin (1) was married to Mary Adams (February 13/March 12?, 1761 – October 2, 1845/1846?) on April 4, 1788. Benjamin and Mary had five children, the first of whom was Benjamin (2).

Benjamin Winship (2) (March 11, 1796 – December 10, 1851) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the youngest son of Benjamin (1) and Mary Winship. Benjamin (2) moved to Little Valley, New York, in 1819, bringing his father and mother with him “behind a yoke of oxen” on the six-week journey. For his service in the War of 1812, the young Benjamin (2) had been granted a plot of land. He had gone to war at the age of 16, marching to Boston to prevent the British from landing. In 1823, Benjamin (2) married Hannah Sanders Winship (June 4, 1804 – July 19, 1887) of Salem, Massachusetts. Their children were Nathan, Charles, Benjamin S., Joseph, Isaac, Truman and Esther. Of these, Nathan, Benjamin S., Joseph and Esther all moved to Wisconsin; Charles, Isaac and Truman remained in Little Valley. Isaac married Adaline Starks. Truman married Candis Fairbrother.

Charles Winship (1826 – May 1, 1880) was the son of Benjamin (2) and Hannah Sanders Winship. Charles was married to Eveline Starks and they had three children — Emory, Erastus and Charles (2). They lived on a small farm on Whig Street in Little Valley. Charles (1) was a farmer and a carpenter.

Erastus B. Winship (1858 – December 16, 1913) was the second son of Charles (1) and Eveline Starks Winship. He was a farmer, and married to Viola (Ollie) (Olea) Wheeler.

Clair Clark Winship (August 2, 1889- February 20, 1975) was the son of Erastus B. Winship and Viola Wheeler of Little Valley, New York. Viola’s parents were George and Nancy A. Wheeler (1840-1916). After Erastus’ death, Viola married again, and was Viola Wheeler Bump. She died in 1948. Clair also had a brother, Floyd C. Winship (1888-1949), who was married to Alma Parker Winship (1885-1944).

Clair married Abbie Belinda Slocum on December 30, 1912, and they had four children: Keith Leslie Winship (October 6, 1913 – June 4, 1998), Elliott E. Winship (January 22, 1916 – November 30, 1999), Eva Winship Seaman (August 3, 1918 – December 15, 2011) and Lee C. Winship (October 12, 1926 – December 4, 2007).

My father, Keith Leslie Winship, was the son of Clair and Abbie Winship; he was born on the kitchen table at their home in Little Valley, New York.

Abbie Belinda Slocum Winship (June 30, 1891- December 29, 1980), my paternal grandmother, was the daughter of Charles E. Slocum (1847-1923) and Minerva R. Slocum (1850-1922). She had a brother, Lewis R. Slocum (1875-1953) and another brother, Hollis (b. 1890), who died young. Her grandparents, on her mother’s side, were Sylvester H. Jones (1817-1899) and Belinda M. Jones (1822-1906). She had an aunt, Lucretia Slocum (1849-1937).

Keith Winship married Jean Braun. They had two children: Kent Lee Winship (b. November 30, 1941) and myself, Kihm Duane Winship (b. December 4, 1946, at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, New York).

:: My Mother’s Side: Braun and DeWein Families ::

My mother, Jean Braun Winship (January 2, 1916 – March 27, 2003), was the daughter of William Louis Braun (May 25, 1888 – June 1965) and Cora DeWein Braun (February 1, 1888 – October 21, 1967).

Family legend has it that William L. Braun, my grandfather, ran away from home as a boy and no one looked for him, but the 1910 census lists him as still living at home at 21. His German parents, Ludvig (Louis) Braun (b. 1850) and Sophia (Sophie) Wahl Braun (b. 1844), were married in 1873 and came to the U.S. in 1883 on the SS Belgenland. Sophie’s brother, Christian Wahl, and five Braun children came with them: Heinrich, Rudolph, Christine, Pauline and Carl. Louis was a carpenter who built railroad cars in Buffalo. He spoke English, but Sophia spoke German at home. She had 12 children of whom 6 were still alive in 1910. Grandpa Braun was the youngest. I know he had older sisters named Sophia (b. 1883) and Mary (b. 1884), but I cannot find another trace of the other siblings.

Cora DeWein Braun’s parents were Peter DeWein (1844-1891) and Rosa (Rosina) Lang DeWein (1849-1929). Peter DeWein was the son of Frederick and Anna M. DeWein, born in Germany and France, respectively, who emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Buffalo, New York. I’m not sure if Peter was born in Bavaria or in Buffalo; different census documents have it both ways. Frederick DeWein (listed in some places as Frederick Devine) was a tanner in Buffalo; he worked on Roos Alley (today’s Iroquois Place) off Williams Street. On December 17, 1854, he and Anna acted as Godparents at the baptism of Anna M. Louise Stroh, born November 12, 1854 to Heinrich and Louisa Stroh, at St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church.

Peter DeWein had at least four siblings: Conrad, Mary, Louise and William. Conrad married Louise Dietrich, and they had two children: Albert and Bertha. Mary (also known as Maria Anna Philipena), married Philip Willrich.

In 1860, Peter DeWein was a 16-year-old apprentice tinsmith, living with another family and learning a trade. On September 5, 1864, at the age of 20, Peter DeWein enlisted as a private in New York’s 187th Volunteer Infantry. On October 11th, he was promoted to the rank of Full Sergeant, and four days later he left Buffalo for Petersburg, Virginia. He was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. Ten days after he left Buffalo he was under fire. He survived six battles and was “mustered out” in Arlington Heights, Virginia, on July 1, 1865.

Back home, he made his way as a tinsmith, and married Rosina (Rosa) Lang, a young woman who had come over from Germany in 1853. Rosa Lang DeWein (1849-1929) was born in Germany, and was adopted, Lang being the name of her adoptive parents; she came to the United States when she was three years old. My mother left a note saying that Rosa saw Abraham Lincoln in 1861 when he was in Buffalo, and indeed, Lincoln was in Buffalo in 1861, speaking from the balcony of a downtown hotel.

Peter DeWein died in 1891, less than three years after the birth of my grandmother, Cora. He was buried at St. John’s (Lutheran) Cemetery at Pine Ridge & Sugar Roads in Cheektowaga, N.Y. In 1929, Rosa was buried next to him. My mother remembers “going out to the country” to decorate Peter’s grave on Memorial Day when she was a child.

Cora was the last of seven children, and told my mother she was treated roughly by her older siblings, who on one occasion broke her arm. She had three brothers — George, Charles and Phillip — and three sisters — Lottie (Charlotte), Reika (Ricky) and Ernestine (Lucy). In 1904, Charlotte, who had married Gustav Metz, died shortly after the birth of her daughter, Louise Rosa Metz.

By 1910, only Rosa and Cora were at home; Cora was working as a bookkeeper at a jewelry store. Lucy DeWein was living in a boarding house, and working as a servant.

I saw Aunt Lucy often when I was a boy; she wanted to kiss me and was disappointed by my reluctance. She had a mole with a whisker and smelled of the little glass of wine my mother gave her upon her arrival; I was terrified of her. Lucy lived to a ripe old age, at the Bristol Home in Buffalo, and I remember visiting her there, too. I eventually warmed to her, but I was never sure about the kissing part. Aunt Lucy sold the family Bible to an antique dealer when she moved, and the family lost the genealogy written inside.

All I know of the others is that Phillip DeWein was a jeweler at King & Eisele. I remember my mother saying how her mother agonized over buying him a Christmas present, because he was familiar with good things and Grandma had very little money. The grandson of a tanner, and the son of a tinsmith, Philip may have been very conscious of his position in the world.

My mother had one sister, my Aunt Rhea (August 8, 1919-May 26, 2005), who was married to George Patterson, and divorced. She had two daughters, my cousins, Tera Patterson Fey, and Daryl Patterson.

:: Why “Kihm with an h” ::

The short answer: “Kihm” was my mother’s sorority sister’s boyfriend’s family name. The ‘h’ is silent. But the short answer always prompts the long answer, so here it is:

The sorority was at Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in Buffalo, New York. The sorority sister, whose name was Ida May, had a boyfriend named Kihm Richardson, and he was named after his great-great-aunt in Alsace Lorraine: Magdalena Kihm. My mother liked the name, and when I was born, she gave it to me.

Kihm Richardson and Ida May were married; I met them once when I was a boy, at the home of Iris and Al Kranz, mutual friends of the Richardson’s and my parents. Kihm seemed like a very nice man, and I think he enjoyed meeting me. He looked me right in the eyes and smiled. Mr. Kranz suggested that I be called “Kihm number one” and Mr. Richardson be called “Kihm number two” and my father, almost shouting, said, “No!” because Mr. Richardson was an adult and I was a child. I went off to play after that.

Kihm Richardson had a daughter, Carol Kihm Richardson, and so for a while there were three of us. But she died very young, tragically.

The name “Kihm” has been confusing people since my birth, and much of my mail has come with variations such as “Khim,” “Kilm” and “Chiam.” On the night of my Senior Prom, my tuxedo arrived with the tag, “Have a good time, Kibm Winsbys.” Knowing this, a boyhood friend sent me letters at college addressed to “Kihon Wipshin,” “Dr. Gamma Winndeschype,” and my favorites, “Chionne Winderlyshitse” and “Kipshit Winsnot.” At a recent village of Skaneateles meeting, I reviewed the past minutes and found the recording secretary’s spell checker had recast me as “Kihm Wingtip.”

Most of the confusion has revolved around gender, and many letters have come addressed to “Ms. Kihm Winship.” Once I even received a questionnaire about my lesbian lifestyle. Concerned about skewing the results, I did not respond. When I applied for a job as a reference librarian at Syracuse University, I was told that the library wanted to hire me, but the hiring had to be approved by the Affirmative Action officer. The next day, Molly Ostwald said my hiring was approved. “He’ll be thrilled,” Molly had told the AA officer, who replied, “He!?”

Later I came across a book about Jean Cocteau written by Jean-Jacques Kihm. When the search engine Google hit the wired world, I received e-mails from Kihm’s in Europe, wanting to know if I was a member of their family. I had to tell them that the name was a gift.

The phrase “Kihm with an h” I owe to my good friend Kim Ferullo at Chameleon Studios in Buffalo, who came up with the phrase so the talent we were recording would know which Kim/Kihm was giving direction at any given moment.

When E. Jean Carroll was writing a book about Hunter S. Thompson and looking for me — having seen my name in the back of The Great Shark Hunt — she had her sister look up “Kihm Winship” in a national directory on microfiche at Cornell University. On the phone she told me, “You were easy to find. You’re the only Kihm Winship in the United States!” It was one of my proudest moments. Thanks, Mom.

After posting this essay, I had the good fortune in November of 2004 to hear from Karen Ackerman, a cousin of Kihm Richardson’s. She writes, “I went to school with Carol Kihm Richardson, who did die tragically as a beautiful young woman… My daughter is Laura Kihm Ackerman and my niece is Alma Kihm Betz (she actually goes by the name Kihm). So, there are other Kihms with an H in the world — and they’re related to the source of your name.”

And shortly after that, this arrived from Linda Richardson Beyer: “I am Kihm and Ida May Richardson’s daughter. There are more Kihms than you know. I have a son named Kihm and Kihm Richardson is still alive. He will be 97 in January 2005. I think it is a very special name and obviously you do too. Ida May died in March of this year.”

In September 2005, Brooke Richardson wrote, “I am Kihm Richardson’s nephew. Yes, Brooke is a boy’s name too. My cousin Linda didn’t tell you that Kihm was named Charles Kihm Richardson by his mother Ida Kihm (maiden name). So Kihm was his middle name, sort of to preserve her family name. I have learned that many people of that era used their middle name because the first was usually an ode to the parents. Woe to the person who didn’t get a middle name like my father who was named Fayette Richardson. I’ll bet you can’t guess my middle name.”

In October 2005, I heard from Mike Kihm: “Kihm is a German(ic) word. Many Danube (as in the river Danube) Schwabians and even some Swiss have this name. It is pronounced as ‘Keim’ not ‘Kim.’  The best we can tell is Keim/Kihm is translated as ‘germ,’ ironic that it is German. Many Kihm’s, including my family, were farmers on the Austro-Hungarian frontier (modern day Romania). This makes sense in that they became/were the breadbasket of Europe and used seeds to ‘germinate’ the land.”

* * *

Regarding Sarah Buck above, Henry Riley was kind enough to send me an article from The American Genealogist (v.52) in which Claude W. Barlow writes about “Sarah Buck, Wife of Edward Winship 3rd of Cambridge” and makes a convincing case that the Sarah who Edward (3) married was not Sarah Manning, who was 15 years his senior and unlikely to be bearing Isaac when she was 55, but rather Sarah Buck, whose name appears in a series of land records also signed by Edward Winship, most likely acting as her husband. She was a few months younger than Edward, and would have given birth to Isaac when she was 39 years old. I updated the genealogy accordingly.