Indenture - Peter Hastings - 1856

Over the years I've attempted to follow the family of Michael Hastings and Sarah Stewart from their beginnings in Ireland to their final resting place in Missouri. The exact location in County Mayo, Ireland hasn't been fully fleshed out yet, nor the full number and names of the children, but I've been fortunate to find a good family grouping in the 1851 census in Liverpool, England. Although I haven't been able to determine when the patriarch came over, Michael Hastings, I have traced several of the family to 1855 arrivals in the port of New Orleans, one being my ancestor, Sarah Hastings. She traveled with her mother, and sister Margaret and one brother James (at age 18, and shown with an occupation of tailor).

They left behind at least one of the sons, Edward in Liverpool. Following the other boys, Thomas, James and Peter has been a bit tougher.
Well maybe not Thomas, as he fought in the Civil War along side an Uncle and two cousins. He survived the war only to die after his wedding when his horse threw him and he was dragged.
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http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033995/1867-11-09/ed-1/seq-3/

The weekly Caucasian., November 09, 1867, Image 3
HURT - We understand that Mr. Thomas Hastings was thrown from a Texas pony, a day or two since, in this city, and that after he was down the animal set upon him with its fore feet, but which he was severely injured. he is of Adamson's posse.
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a column over:
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DEAD - Tom Hastings, alluded to in another place as injured by a horse, died on Wednesday last.
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James disappears after his arrival at age 18 in NOLA. Peter was not found in an arrival, nor census, but did have a reference in the court proceedings of Lafayette County, Missouri for an indenture in 1856. Up to this week, I wasn't sure if this was referring to our family, or had his name mixed up for his brother, Thomas, but now I know it was him as I now have a copy of the indenture. Makes for fun reading!

Basically Peter Hastings, at age 15, is indentured to Mssrs. Smallwood and Julian to apprentice for a period of 5 years to learn the printing trade. Michael Hastings, his father agrees to this, and Peter is to carry out his duties until he is 20 years old at which time he will have a skill, and $50 for heading out in the world. Smallwood and Julian, in turn, are obligated to provide shelter, clothing and food, as well as schooling. This is an exciting find, but short lived as I have found no other records showing that Peter finished his indenture, which I believe is normally recorded with the courts. In this case there are no further Lafayette County records. In addition I have been unable to find Peter in the 1860 census, nor any census after that. He might have flew the coop and changed his name for all I know (Benjamin Franklin even bailed on his brother in Boston while indentured to him to learn the printing trade. I think I recall there was even a warrant out on Benjamin for running off to Philadelphia!)
I do find that Jacob Julian did stick around as I find him in the 1860 and 1870 census in Lexington as a printer, and one volume of the paper that is online, the Weekly Caucasian of April 25, 1866, clearly shows him as one of the paper's principals. This, and many more newspapers are available from the Library of Congress, as Chronicling America, a website not to be missed. (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033995/1866-04-25/ed-1/seq-1)

There might be more indentures recorded in the court proceedings of the time that might bear interesting tidbits of your own Irish immigrants, just need to search and find out!
Slainte'

Michael Hastings Naturalization

As anyone that has done research for early 19th century naturalization records, they can be a frustrating search. They are rare finds, and when you do find them, they can be very pro-forma that don't provide much in the way of details. It was a two step process, an "intent" to be naturalized and then after the statutory time, the naturalization. Michael Hastings' naturalization is shown above. Both of the documents could be found in any number of courts, at any given point of time along an immigrants travels. So even though I found his naturalization document, his "intent" document could be anywhere (any Missouri county that he lived in at the time, or State for that matter), or not survived. I had hoped to have found the initial document as I'm told it may contain more details, but so far in the locales that I've checked I haven't come up with anything. It is gratifying, however, to have seen him go through the formal process and become a U.S. Citizen! His sons would have had to go through the same process, but so far nothing has shown up for them. The one son I did track, Thomas, was in the Civil War, and his honorable service would have shortened the time to have been eligible for naturalization, but he did go through the process before his untimely and tragic death later that year. My paraphrase:

Lafayette County, Missouri Circuit Court Records (LDS film: 959821]
Vol 15, p 479 May Term 1859, 10th Day (June 2)
Thomas Hastings admitted as citizen (native of Ireland)....resided in the U.S. at least 5 years, and in Missouri for at least 1...& to the satisfaction of the court...good moral character...taken prepatory steps required by law....declaring his oath that he will support the constitution...Thomas Hastings admitted

and the notice on his accident, just after he married on November 4th:

Missouri Valley Register, Lexington, Missouri, November 7, 1867
Fatal Accident. - Last Tuesday evening as Mr. Thos. Hastings, was riding  towards home in the west end of this city, his horse became fractious and threw him and his foot being caught in the stirrup, he was dragged a distance of about 300 yards over the rough road. He was taken home in an insensible condition, and died the following morning. Mr. H.had just been married, the day before the accident occurred, and leaves a wife and an afflicted family to mourn his death. Mr. H. was a young man of good qualities, and had served in the 10th Mo. [sic.] Vol. during the late war.
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The weekly Caucasian., November 09, 1867, Image 3
HURT - We understand that Mr. Thomas Hastings was thrown from a Texas pony, a day or two since, in this city, and that after he was down the animal set upon him with its fore feet, but which he was severely injured. he is of Adamson's posse.
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a column over:
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DEAD - Tom Hastings, alluded to in another place as injured by a horse, died on Wednesday last.

Two other sons may also have naturalizations, but I've been unable to find them, or records of them besides some early references. James, who got off the ship in New Orleans with his Mom and two of his sisters, never shows up after that day in 1855. Peter is identified in the Liverpool Census, and one more record which I'm uncertain whether it is him, or a mis-identified Thomas:

Page 389 of Lafayette County, Missouri Probate Court Records. "In Vacation, February 27^th A.D. 1856; Now at this day comes Walter M. Smallwood and J.M. Julian and files indentures of Apprenticeship entered into between Peter Hastings and his Father Michael Hastings, the said Smallwood and Julian Masters which is approved and filed by me. Edward Stratton, Judge". 

Side note: W. M. Smallwood is shown as a Probate Judge in 1860 census (p565), Lexington, Lafayette, Missouri. I also note, from exactly where I don’t recall, that Julian Masters was an editor. Maybe they were going to apprentice to be newspaper men (printers?). Also it is possible that given middle (baptismal?) and first names could be mixed up. Either Peter was very young (11-13 years old) when he went in on an indenture with his father (not impossible, though), or Thomas' middle name was Peter, which would have been a better age fit (~17). This might not be very far off since, for instance, Michael Hastings obit has his name listed as "Thomas", and Bridget Hastings, his daughter, later on in life was referred to as Anna (Hastings) Wise/Mahany, presumably her middle name.

One of the reasons I point out these details on my own family, is to provide others with ideas of other records that they might not have considered researching. In this latter case of the indenture, it places the family in the county prior to the next record I have, the 1860 census. In that census, Michael is identified as a laborer, and later as a coal miner, so it appears that the indenture didn't develop into a trade. Finding a record of the release of the indenture might be my next order of business...

Happy Tuesday...