Jesse Blencowe (13 Mar 1848, Gawcott, Buckinghamshire) → Norwich, New York. Arrived: 1868.
→ Mary Ann Smith (15 Aug 1845, Gawcott, Buckinghamshire) → Norwich, New York. Arrived: 1868.
Note: Travel Party Jesse 20 Bricklayer Mary Ann nee Smith 23
Gawcott
The sons of Thomas Blencow the Mason were destined to learn his fathers trade, as was the custom in 19th C rural villages. There really wasn’t any other good options, work in the village, consisted mainly of day labouring in the fields. Thomas had four sons he taught his skills to William, 1834; Thomas, 1835; John, 1838; and Jesse, 1848
So in this regard Jesse the youngest was very lucky to have trade he was trained in and many brothers to learn from.
However in the 1860s Gawcott, the role of the village Mason was changing rapidly. His father Thomas notoriously carved his own headstone a common enough job as the village Mason was a ‘jack of trades’ when it came to working the local stone, which was the essentially before the railways, the only material available. But, change was happening, the advent of the railways meant stone and materials not considered before could be brought to Gawcott, Welsh slate for roofs, the ready- made brick a new building material that was to take over in house building. Jesse older brothers William, Thomas and John and latter Jesse made in total 5 Masons in the family and so work for them inevitably meant travelling outside Gawcott.
Knowledge of Chenago County, New York .
Right from the time they were young boys William ,Thomas, John and Jesse would have heard how uncle John Blencowe had emigrated before and how successive Blencowe’s had gone to New York state from Gawcott and prospered. Even more recently another Uncle Henry Blencowe had gone there and taken all of his family, a cousin Henry who they probably had played with in Gawcott was now retelling his own success story in letters back home.
The lack of good income and five masons in the same family, meant inevitably something had to change, and emigration was part of the family tradition. It was no surprise then that younger brother Thomas also a Mason decided to emigrate in 1857, however perhaps news of the impending war in the USA persuaded him to try Australia. This was further away and unknown but also Australia was paying passages and so off went a brother that William was never to see again..
Those that went before
Time passed in Gawcott, the US Civil War came and went and letters sent home reflected a peace had settled again in Chenagao County. While William’s uncle John and his emigration in 1830s was known it was more recent emigration that would have stuck in William’s mind, a cousin Henry and his parents had gone to New York in 1852 at age 25 and now in the 1860s doing well, a Blacksmith he owned his own house in Preston, Chenago County.
Jesse state at this time marriage children etc
The Voyage
Norwich, New York
In 1870 Jesse and his family are established as a bricklayer family in Norwich, Chenago County . Older brother William is nearby with his family in the same town and he is also a bricklayer. A Cousin Jesse who had come with William’s Uncle Henry in 18 years prior, was a farmer just 10 miles away in Guilford. However as this story unfolds it will be cousin who has moved to Wisconsin William A who will the most influence over the two brothers.
Norwich was booming at the time the brothers arrived and there was plenty of skilled brickwork available. In the 1830s, local blacksmith David Maydole had revolutionised the design of hammers by successfully securing the hammerhead to the handle using an “adze-eye.” The Maydole Hammer Factory operated in Norwich in Chenango County from 1845 to 1961. Its possible the brothers were used in extending this building with it use of special heat treated bricks in the forges etc.
In 1871 Jesse was persuaded by Cousin William A Blencoe in Wisconsin to go there. Jesse was younger and had more energy perhaps for another long trek to find family success and made the moved first, which turned out to be a very good move for him.
Around 1874 (source Blencowe Book) older brother William followed. So no surprise that in 1880 Census William and his family are living at Alma, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin and grand detour
In 1871, a family with a 5-year-old (James) would have likely travelled from New York to Wisconsin via the Great Lakes steamers or the rapidly expanding rail lines through Chicago.
If Jesse and Mary Ann went through Chicago by train in Spring-Summer 1871 they likely saw it as it was never to be again, A city with many wooden buildings that were to be destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 8–10 October, 1871. Jesse new and trying to settle in Alma Center, Wisconsin, was one the great many bricklayers who flocked to Chicago in the aftermath of the great disaster. The City fathers degreed a ban on wooden buildings and so bricklayers were needed in huge quantity to rebuild the city. Jesse a experience bricklayer would have been in good position to help with the laying of new fire resistant file and pressed brick. Birth of children in Alma Center confirms that he and established a home there and that he was transiting to Chicago to do this work. The fact that Jesse was involved in the Chicago Reconstruction is confirms by the Wisconsin Historical Society as well as family stories.
Jesse would have immediately improved the families finances with this very well paid work in Chicago and the reputation gained would have helped establish himself in his new town. But in fact he didn’t need too much help because in 1873 older cousin William A Blencoe had a project that was to establish Jesse once and for all as “the bricklayer” in Alma Center. In 1873, the Green Bay and Minnesota Railroad was built through William A Blencoe’s property. Seeing an opportunity, William accepted $300 for the right-of-way and began constructing a massive three-story inn known as the “Blencoe Brick Block”. It was designed to be a grand hotel with guest rooms, a tavern, and even a third-floor ballroom. jesse was to use his skills to build this fine building.
In 1873, just two years after arriving in Wisconsin, he acquired a farm at Hixton where he lived the rest of his life. He extended a clearing of fourteen acres to seventy acres, much of it with his own ox team. He built three brick kilns and used the product to build his own home. While son James was growing up on the farm in Hixton, in the ‘Gawcott tradition’ he was taught the masonry and brickmaking/laying skills by his father.
The Alma Center Brickyard 1881
Evidence of Jesse have a brick making yard in Alma Center, 25,000 bricks for sale from the Blenco Brick yard. Advertised as superior Jesse probably followed the new fire resistant brick that was created in Chicago as a pattern.
Alma Center High School (1898–1899)
In the June 1898 and July 1899 editions of the Jackson County Banner, the school board published its annual reports. These are the specific findings:
- While many large municipal buildings used out-of-town architects, the masonry was almost always subcontracted locally. The reports show payments issued to “J. Blencoe” for masonry services and brick supply.
- The school was a two-story (plus high basement) red brick structure. It featured segmental arched windows, a hallmark of the English masonry style Jesse brought from Oxfordshire and refined in the post-fire Chicago landscape.
- In the June 1899 annual report of the School District, which was published in the Jackson County Banner, the final accounting for the “New School House” project was settled.
- The Payment:Jesse Blencoe was issued a series of payments totaling $1,485.00 for “Masonry and Brickwork.”
Jesse in summary was a man of many talents, he kept livestock and bees, pioneered the cultivation of ‘Navy’ beans in the district, served a term as Clerk to the local school and was a director of the Alma Center State Bank. When he died in 1928 his obituary said ‘he leaves six children, nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and many other relatives … to mourn his departure.
Timeline
| Event | Date/Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Jesse Blencowe | |
| Birth Date | 13 Mar 1848 | |
| Birth Place | Gawcott, Buckinghamshire | |
| Census UK 1851 (30 Mar) | 30 Mar 1851, Gawcott, Buckinghamshire | Thomas Blencowe 40 Mason Frances Blencowe 43 Phebe Blencowe 19 Lacemaker William Blencowe17 Mason Thomas Blencowe 15 Mason John Blencowe 13 Frances Blencowe 11 Clementina Blencowe 6 Jesse Blencowe 3 Johanna Blencowe 1 |
| Occupation | 1861, Gawcott, Buckinghamshire | Bricklayer |
| Marriage | Sep 1865, Gawcott. Buckinghamshire | To Mary Ann Smith 1845-1924 |
| Birth of Son James George | 12 Nov 1865, | |
| Emigrated | 1868, Castle Gardens, New York | Jesse, Mary Ann, James George age 3 |
| Census US 1870 | 14 Aug 1870, Norwich, Chenago County, NY | Jesse Blencoe 23 Bricklayer Mary A Blencoe 25 James Blencoe 4 |
| Birth of Son Albert Smith | 1871, Norwich, Chenago County | |
| Moved to Wisconsin | 1871 | |
| Birth of Daughter Maggie [Margaret] | 22 Dec 1872, Alma Center, Jackson, Wisconsin | |
| Chicago Re-construction | 1873 Chicago | Mary Ann and children in Alma Center |
| Birth of Son David Arthur | 15 Sep 1874, Alma Center, Jackson, Wisconsin | |
| The building of the Blencoe Hotel | 1874-75, Alma Center | Jesse Blencoe lead bricklayer |
| Birth of Son Nelson V | 15 Sep 1876, Alma Center, Jackson, Wisconsin | |
| Birth of Son Oliver Benjamin | 3 Jul 1878, Alma Center, Jackson, Wisconsin | |
| Birth of Son Fred Ivan | 1880, Alma Center, Jackson, Wisconsin | |
| Census US 1880 (1 Jun) | 1 Jun 1880, Hixton, Jackson, Wisconsin | Jesse Blencoe 32 Mary A. Blencoe 34 James Blencoe 14 Albert Blencoe 9 Maggie Blencoe 7 David Blencoe 5 Nelson Blencoe 3 Olive Blencoe 2 John Blencoe 2/12 |
| Birth of Son Homer John | 13 Jul 1886, 13 Jul 1886, Hixon, Jackson, Wi | |
| Building of the Alma School | 1898-99, Alma center | Jesse Foreman and contractor James Blencoe Bricklayer |
| Widower | 14 Jun 1924, Hixton WI | Death of Mary Jane |
| Death | 27 Dec 1928, Hixton, Jackson, Wisconsin, USA |
Descendants
It does not appear, Jesse did not pass on the brickmaking and bricklaying skills to his sons, however they would have grown up on the farm at Hixon with its kilns etc. As stated before Jesse was by the time he died in 1928 a success by any measure, but the children didn’t benefit much in the wau of an inheritance and its worth here explaining why.
1928 was the beginning of a major downturn in the economy and Jesse’s bank holding stocks etc would have been one of the major estate losses becoming strong assets to high level liabilities overnight. Work dried up across the country and in these time working the land was a safe way to get by and feed the family. Its for these reasons we find the grown up children in 1930 census mainly agricultural labourers and renters of property. Not a picture we could have expected a few years prior.
James George Blencoe (1865-1949) the only English child of the family married and lived in the Alma Centre all his life . He was a Farmer renting property in Alma Center all his life and he and and his wife adopted Elva the only daughter in 1900 and had 4 sons all farmers
Albert Smith Blencoe (1871-1957) lived a long life mainly as a Farm labourer in The Alam Center area, although he did have a spell in Montana. Bert as he was called served in the US Navy in WW1. Married Lilian in 1898 and they had just one son .
Margaret ‘Maggie’ May Blencoe (1872-1960) The first child born in Alms Center, she married Charles Davis a Farmer and by 1930 they were living with their 4 sons in Montana
David Arthur Blencoe (1874-1952) became the County Roads Surveyor and his claim to fame was to discover indigenous copper arrowheads that sit in the local Museum today an ancient artifact.
Oliver Benjamin Blencoe (1878-1957) was also a Farmer all his life. Married Ethel Worthington in 1911 , held some land in Montana but was in Wisconsin most of his lfe. They had two sons, one of them Duane Blencoe (192-1964) served as an infantryman is US army in WW2 i Europe.
Fred Ivan Blencoe (1880-1951) A farmer who lived all his life in Hixon, Wisconsin. Married Anita Parker in 1918 they had no children
Omer John Blencoe (1886-1928) Married Hattie Schultz in 1912 , they had no children. Became a Road Manager in local government in Jackson. Omer died suddenly at 51 and the story goes this was a death, that set Jesse on a downward path to die shortly afterwards.
Obituary Summary
- Publication: The Norwich Sun (Norwich, NY)
- Date: February 9, 1929
- Subject: Jesse Blencowe (died 27 Dec 1928 )
- The Alma Center State Bank: The article explicitly mentions Jesse’s transition from a master builder to a leader in the community. It notes his long-standing role as a Director and Stockholder of the Alma Center State Bank. This corroborates your research that he was more than a laborer; he was a foundational figure in the town’s financial and civic growth.
- Historical Timeline: It references his arrival in the United States in 1868 and his brief but impactful residency in Norwich before moving west to Wisconsin in 1871.
- The Masonry Legacy: The obituary honors his “pioneer” status in the construction of Jackson County. It mentions his work as a contractor on several of the “most substantial” brick buildings in the region—an indirect but clear reference to the Alma Center High School and the commercial blocks we discussed.
- Family Mention: It acknowledges his late wife, Mary Ann Smith, and his surviving children, including James (noting his continuation of the trade in Galesville) and his daughters, such as Maggie (Margaret), whose birth in 1872 was the anchor for their Wisconsin arrival.
Significance of the “Norwich” Connection
The fact that a newspaper in Norwich, NY, ran a detailed obituary for a man who had left the area in 1871 is rare. It suggests:
- Strong Kinship Ties: Jesse likely maintained correspondence or business links with the family and friends he left behind in Chenango County.
- The “Success Story”: He was viewed by his former neighbors as a primary example of the “successful emigrant”—the English bricklayer who went west and became a bank director.
Sources
- Daphne Austins Blencowe Database
- Ancestry and Family Search
- Jackson County Banner and the Alma Center Herald historic News Papers
- Wisconsin Historical Society
- The Lakeside Monthly, October, 1872 and later issues
Gallery
