(NOTE:  Much of this information was taken from the 3 page letter that Aramintha wrote about her life after her marriage in 1861 until Charles' death in 1922.  To read this letter see the Sources page.)

CHARLES HOWARD HAMMOND was born on 21 Mar 1839 in Batavia, Genesee County, New York, son of Lemuel Olmstead Hammond and Lydia Richmond. In 1845 he came with his parents and they settled in St. Joseph County, Michigan.

ARAMINTHA LUCETTA PARKER was born on 08 Sept 1842 in Streetsboro, Portage County, Ohio.  She was the daughter of Asahel Bacus Parker and Hepsey Ann Johnson. In 1849 she moved with her family to Huntington County, Indiana where they stayed until 1856, at which time they moved to Mottville, St. Joseph County, Michigan.

I often wondered how Charles and Aramintha might have met.  In 1860, she was 18 years old and probably had to work to help support the family.   An unusual thing happened on the 1860 census for her:   she was listed twice.   She was listed with her family in Mottville.  Then, she also is listed as a servant in the household of Amasa and Sophia (Hammond) Daniels.  Sophia was her future husband's aunt and that is undoubtedly how they met.

They were married on 04 April 1861 in Mottville, Michigan.  After their marriage, they moved in with his parents on the farm north of Constantine.  Their first baby, Cora Bell was born on June 28, 1863.  08 October 1865 a son, Eli, was born.

I also have thought about why Charles did not serve in the Civil War.   I thought perhaps I just could not find his records.  But I recently uncovered two pieces of evidence that explained his situation.  The first was a copy of the Western Chronicle Newspaper from November 1863.  In it, Charles, from Constantine Township,  is listed as having been drafted.  The newspaper relates that everyone who has been drafted must go, except for those who are disabled or pay $300.  The second was a letter that Aramintha wrote to the daughter of someone to whom her father had owed money before his sudden death in March 1862.   (I was fortunate enough to even find these letters because the Clarke Historical Library had taken an inventory of their unpublished holdings and put that list online.)  In this letter, Aramintha writes, "For we are at rather strained circumstances just at present.  Mr. Hammond was drafted last fall and had to borrow three hundred or go and he did not think his family situated enough so that he could leave and I of course did not want him to go."

Then in the spring of 1866, they packed their things and moved to Kasson, Minnesota.  I wish I knew what they heard or read that would make them pack their family up and move to an entirely new area with no family there already.    Aramintha states that they did not like it in Kasson and so they moved to Osage Iowa on 01 November 1866.  Again, I wonder what would make them move to an area like Iowa, where there were no relatives there?   Could the railroads have played a part in their migration?

On 25 Aug 1868, another daughter Lydia Ione was born to them, while still in Osage.  On 13 June 1870, a census taker came to the door of their farmhouse in Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa.   They were living with their children Cora, Eli, and Lydia.   Charles was listed as a farmer.  They stayed in Osage for 6 years.

In 1872 they went back to Michigan so that Charles could be near his parents and take care of them.  They arrived a few days before Christmas of 1872.  On New Years' Day, they went to Aramintha's brother Cephas in Union Michigan and stayed with him and his family until 01 March 1872.  They went back to Constantine and his parent's house.  05 March 1873 another son, Lemuel Oscar (or L.O.) was born.  They stayed here until 01 May 1873, when they moved out to Grandpa's (Charles' father) 40 acres to take care of it.

In July 1875, Grandpa (Charles' father, Lemuel Hammond) passed away after a short illness.  Then they moved to town (Constantine) with Grandma (Charles' mother, Lydia Hammond).  In July 1876, their daughter Lydia Ione "followed her grandpa - scarlet fever".  On 30 January 1879, little Bertha Eleanor was born.

In the fall of 1879, Charles became janitor of the schoolhouse.  By the time the 1880 federal population census taker came around, they were living in Constantine.  Living in the house was Charles, Aramintha, their children Eli, Lemuel and Bertha and Charles' mother Lydia.  Interestingly, Charles' occupation is now listed as stone mason.   Was he apprenticing or learning the trade, while he was a janitor and a farmer?   In 1882, they moved into the little home north of the schoolhouse.  In the fall of Nov. 1884, "Bertha joined those who had gone before - diptheria".  On July 30, 1885, another child was born, Cynthia Leona.  

In 1887 Charles went to California with his cousin Fred Daniels and their household.  Why would they have gone to California?  The gold rush was pretty much over by this time.  Perhaps they heard of the better climate in California?  Perhaps Charles thought that there would be a lot of work for a stone mason in a new territory that was being built up.

In 1889, Aramintha sold their place near the school and moved back into the old home across the river.  Their son L.O. joined Charles in 1891. Aramintha stayed with her children and her mother in law (Lydia) in Michigan.   But in 1892, Lydia passed away.  Aramintha must have had to take care of Lydia's final affairs, take care of any probate, sell any property and tie up any other items.  Then she joined her husband and son in California in 1893. I find it interesting that the rest of the family didn't join them in California until 1893.   Why did Aramintha and the children stay in Michigan?  Did they stay to take care of Grandma?  Or did they stay to allow Charles time to save some money and build them a house there?  But they stayed in Redlands for 30 or so years, the longest they ever stayed in one place.

On the 1900 federal population census, they are listed as living at 422 East State Street, Redlands California.  In 1910, they are listed as living at the same address.  On April 4, 1911, Charles and Aramintha celebrated their "Golden" or 50th Wedding Anniversary with a party.  In 1918, Aramintha fell and was practically confined to her home after that time.  In 1919, their son Eli was killed in Detroit Michigan by an auto.  In 1920, they were listed on the federal population census as living at their home on State Street in Redlands.

On 23 February 1923, Charles passed away from a heart attack, after having been ill for several months.  In June 1923, Aramintha returned to Michigan to bury his body in the family cemetery. (Constantine Cemetery, Constantine, Michigan).  Aramintha then went to live with her daughter Cynthia in Highland Park, Michigan and there she died on 19 April 1929.

They had six children, all surnamed HAMMOND:

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This web site was last updated on October 06, 2008