>> Meteoric Shower of 1833 >> >> On the night of the death of John Lock occurred the renowned display of meteors. This is described as being universally >> seen and as lasting from before midnight till the dawn prevented further observation of the phenomenon. While there >> have been during the centuries other noted displays of falling meteors, this display of the 12-13 (Tues. night/Wed. morning) >> November, 1833, is the greatest one ever witnessed in this country as regards the intensity of the display, the extent of >> surface covered by it and the duration of the meteoric shower. On Thursday, September 13, 2005 11:09 PM MDT, Doug & Patti Ensor <[email protected]> wrote: > PAE NOTE: Obviously for someone to have seen this, they would have had to be awake and probably outside. My understanding of this event is that it was bright enough and noisy enough to wake people up. If you were in a city or town, you would also likely have been woken by neighbors outside expressing amazement. It was therefore widely viewed. > I wonder if it had been predicted. It was both predicted and not predicted. This was an unusual intensification of what is known as the Leonid meteor shower, which occurs every year around that date (middle November). At that time astronomers still didn't have an appreciation for the source of meteors, dusty debris left by comets. If the Earth happens to pass near the comet's orbit then that debris falls into the atmosphere and burns up, resulting in meteors and occasionally meteorites (impacts). The comet in question here is Temple-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years (which was recognized only after its 1866 appearance). This shower is therefore particularly large every 33 years, but even at that time its intensity can still vary. A similar large display, or "meteor storm", was observed in 1966, but in 1999 it was less noticeable. More info about Leonid showers and storms, including an engraving depicting the 1833 storm, can be found here: http://www.arm.ac.uk/leonid/ Having taught astronomy for many years, I couldn't resist giving a basic background on this subject. Now I'll add something that may make it relevant to family history: during this meteor storm, many people were absolutely convinced that the world was ending, and when it was still around a day later, they decided it was a sign that the world was going to end soon. This storm has therefore been noted as one of the catalysts for the Great Awakening that occurred in the 1830s, when many people turned away from the older, more traditional Protestant denominations such as Presbyterianism, Methodism, and Lutheranism and towards those newer denominations that emphasized revivalism, such as the Primitive Baptists and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). My family, the Cranstons, were Anglican (Episcopalian) in Ireland and were cofounders of Fletcher's Methodist Church in Oxford Twp. of Guernsey County. This lasted for two and maybe three generations in this country. The turning point was my 3G Grandfather John Cranston, who was born in 1811, grew up in Guernsey County, and in 1837 bought land in Monroe (now Noble) County. In 1859 his son Thomas married Sarah Hupp, whose grandfather Francis Hupp was also described as a Methodist. However, Sarah's 1916 obituary described her thusly: "Early in life and while yet in Ohio, Mrs. Cranston united with the Christian or Disciples Church. She was one of the old type of Disciples who carried their Bibles or New Testaments with them, and always ready to give a reason for their hope. The Bible was as common on her cupboard as her dishes, and she could repeat whole chapters from memory. Shortly after coming to this state [Wisconsin] she put in her membership with the Sabin [Christian] church. She was fond of divine worship and a lover of music." [Newspaper unknown] So there was clearly a religious transformation that occurred in my family not too long after this meteor storm, and perhaps directly sparked by it. P.S. According to her grandson Les Carter, Sarah Hupp Cranston also smoked a corn-cob pipe :-) S R C A cott obert ranston nderson [email protected] Admin, {C{offield,ollosky,ranston,ummins},OHGuerns,USAGen}[email protected] USGenWeb Coordinator, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/oh/county/guernsey/