Those Who Went Before

Blog Caroling with FootNoteMaven

2011-12-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to pick a favorite carol but I will go with the first one to come to mind which is Carol of the Bells. Some versions are better than others. I recently discovered pianist George Winston. Here is a video accompanied by the music on YouTube. Click here

Here are the lyrics copied from http://www.stlyrics.com

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,

Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,

Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send ,
on without end,
their joyful tone to every home
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong

Testing My Skills

2011-10-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

As part of my journey to certification, I like to pit my research skills against unknown individuals. I am always looking for opportunities to research and this past summer while in a Loveland, Colorado antique store I found some interesting pictures. There were three pictures that appeared to be from the same family based on the names on the backs.

I thought it would be fun to blog about this research project. My goal is to try to put the family group together and then see if I can find any descendents who would be interested in the pictures.

Floyd Gilman is the first subject and in the picture he looks to be about 8 to 10 years old. Alta V. Gilman is the next picture and she looks to be older possibly a sister or mother of Floyd. The last picture is Emma Gilman Harwood who looks younger than Alta but is apparently married to a Harwood.

Floyd Gilman

Alta V. Gilman

Emma Gilman Harwood

It is not clear on these digital images but the location of the photographer was Freeport, Illinois. A quick query was done on Google to determine Stephenson county Illinois as the location for Freeport. Based on the subjects in the pictures I thought the time period would be sometime between 1870 and 1900. Using Ancestry to start the search I choose the 1880 US Federal Census and I choose Floyd Gilman as my first search subject. I choose Floyd because of his name. Floyd is a unique name and unique names narrow the search. Also the fact that he is male makes searching for him easier as he will not have a surname change.

I was successful on my first query: Floyd A. Gilman age 6 is found in the family of Valentine Gilman age 50 and his wife Elmira Gilman age 45. The family is living in Erin, Stephenson, Illinois. Unfortunately the other two photograph subjects are not listed as living with this family in the 1880 census, so further research was necessary to be certain I had the correct Floyd Gilman.

The next step was to check the 1870 US Federal census for Stephenson county, Illinois to see if the same family could be located. Initially I searched for Valentine Gilman age 40 living in Stephenson county, Illinois. Surprisingly no candidates came up on the search. I then tried to search for Elmira Gilman in Illinois and happily found the family in the 1870 census, although Valentine is listed as Valson and Gilman is Gillman. However, the children from the 1880 census are in the 1870 census as well as the two other subjects of this project, Alta and Emma Gilman.

Stayed tuned for the next episode. Additional census records as well as marriage records are explored.

Sources:
1880 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 16 Jul 2011), ED 171, p. 8, dwelling 72, family 72.
1870 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 8 Oct 2011), p. 20, dwelling 147, family 143.

Month One of My Certification Track

2011-10-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Way back in February of 2011 I wanted to participate in a Family History Writing Challenge. Unfortunately, life got in the way of that but now in October of 2011 I am starting my Certification Process. I sent my Preliminary Application in the first part of September 2011. I have had a month to think about which of my research projects I want to use in my portfolio, which document I will be using for the transcription portion and I have contacted an individual to be my client guinea pig. On a pro bono basis I will undertake a research project for her with a specific goal and time limit. This will be on a subject I have done no previous research on. I am really looking forward to that challenge.

A special maillist is set up for those of us embarking on this journey, to ask questions and provide whatever support may be needed. Additionally, a six month plan is provided with a suggested timeline. Even though candidates are given a full year to complete the process, many seem to have much of the work done before the preliminary application is tendered. This is true in my case. I have been researching for over thirty years and have been thinking about Certification for three years or more. So here I go....and I want to chronicle my journey and share my thoughts, insights, crisis and setbacks for myself and maybe for others thinking about taking this huge step.

Now in the first actual active month of this process, Month One, I will reread the first two chapters of Evidence Explained, review Requirement 1 of the BCG Application which includes the Genealogist's Code and what is suggested for my resume. I have already taken the "Are You Ready?" test from the BCG website and passed with flying colors. There are additional articles available in the BCG Skillbuilding area which I will also read. The last task for this month will be to write the resume and add it as the first piece of my portfolio.

I am happy to be back to my blog; excited to be actually STARTING the certification process and curious to see where I will be in eight months.

Day 1 of My 28 Days of Family History Writing Challenge

2011-02-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am joining the party just a little late. I just read about the writing challenge issued by the Armchair Genealogist and thought it was a great way for me to get back into my blog writing. So I am in and back.

My first day will be simply to create the point form outline recommended by the Armchair Genealogist for my ancestor Joshua Atwood Tilton.

Gt. gt. grandfather Joshua Atwood Tilton was born in Wellfleet, Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1835
His parents soon moved the family to Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts where he is found in the 1850 census
In the 1860 census Joshua is found in Selma, Alabama
Joshua joined the Confederate army in May 1861 at Selma, Alabama
He was discharged in Oct 1862 as disabled.
Joshua married Lydia Marie Graham sometime around 1864-66 in either Selma, Alabama or perhaps Orleans, Louisiana.
Joshua was employed as an engineer on the railroad.
In the 1870 census Joshua is found in Orleans, Louisiana with two children
In the 1880 census Joshua and family are in Woodville, Wilkinson, Mississippi where he remains through the 1900 and 1910 census.
Joshua died in 1911 in Woodville, Wilkinson, Mississippi

SNGF with Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings

2010-06-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

I always seems to miss participating in Randy Seaver's SNGF but this week, thanks to some early posts by other bloggers, I was reminded and will participate.

As you may know Randy poses a meme each week for bloggers to blog or comment about. Tonight the meme is:

1) Determine who is one of the most prolific fathers in your genealogy database or in your ancestry. By prolific, I mean the one who fathered the most children.

2) Tell us about him in your own blog post, in comments to this blogpost, or in comments on Facebook.

Most times, when I read various memes posted by genealogy bloggers, several ancestors come to mind who could fit the critera and I can choose which one to write about, but with this meme, there was no doubt in my mind about who I would write about. My maternal gt gt gt grandfather, Jonathan Wise has any other ancestor beat hands down.

Jonathan Wise was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania on the 28th of February, 1799. He was the oldest son of a family of nine children. As a young man he moved with his family to Monroe county, Ohio. There he met his wife, Jennie or Virginia Young, a young Irish lass and they married about 1822. His first child was born in 1823 and regular as clock work, every two years another child was born. In February 1839, Jennie died, probably in childbirth or shortly after, as a son Jonathan Wise Jr was born 12 February 1839.

So in seventeen years Jonathan and Jennie had eight children.

Within a year, Jonathan married again to Martha Antill, a young woman eighteen years his junior. By March of 1841, their first child was born and he continued to father children for the next seventeen years with his last child born in 1858. Chances are Jonathan would have continued to have more children, but he died in March of 1859 at the age of 60.

So in another seventeen years, Jonathan and Martha had ten children.

In total, between his two wives, Jonathan had EIGHTEEN children; SEVEN girls and ELEVEN boys. All of the children lived to adulthood except one son who apparently died as a young child.

My First Day at SCGS Jamboree

2010-06-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

So far my time at Jamboree has been perfect. I got my timeslot for the Ancestry scanning when I wanted it. WhooRahhhhh. Then I got to the Library and back again with lunch in there. Then the scanning was completed quite easily with not too much of a delay. Gene was able to take the pictures back to our temporary quarters and now I'm sitting in the mini class for Google Earth.

I have connected to the WiFi, got the photos ready and now I'm good to go.

More later.

Getting Ready for Jamboree

2010-06-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

Only a week away.... I'm getting very excited about my trip to the SCGS annual Jamboree in Burbank, CA which starts next Friday, June 11. I will be going a day early and staying a day longer to get some research time in at their library.

I just want to say how much I love the Internet. I have been able to check out the online library catalog, find the books I want to search, copy and paste those titles into a document, and print the document. Time is always of the essence when I get research opportunities and knowing what books are available before hand saves so much time.

I am also going to try a new approach in my note taking. After reading numerous mail lists, APG and Transitional Genealogist especially, as well as the many knowledgeable geneabloggers, I realize I don't do a very good job of documenting my sources when I research. I do "ok" if I find something interesting, but I completely drop the ball if I find nothing. I mean, seriously, why should I go to all that trouble if I don't even find anything? Well, duh, so I don't keep looking in the same sources and finding nothing. So I have taken the basic book source from the Quick Check Model from EE, modified it some to include the fields from the QCM of chapter, multi-volumned, edited, reprint, etc and created a template in Word with four cards per regular size page. Oh, I also included a place for a source # and a place for a brief description of what is found. If I find nothing or just one or two lines I can record it right there with all the other information about the source. If I find a lot I will record it in my notebook and reference the source number on the "source card".

Since I have the list of the books I want to search, I sorted my list in alpha order by book title, then copy/pasted the title and author into the individual "source cards". I went a step further and highlighted the books that are the most interesting so I can check them first as time allows.

Here is a sample.

Now, when I'm at the library checking book by book (I have a very specific and narrow search parameter so will be checking the indexes for a specific surname) I won't have to write each of those book titles and authors. I will only have to jot down the other information, hopefully including the page number when I find something interesting....and I won't forget any piece of information for my source citation creation once I get home because it's all right there to remind me.

This will be the first time I use this method so I'm sure it will have some glitches but it certainly can't be any worse than what I have done in the past. I can also note on these cards whether I get a copy of the information and then on that copy I can put the source number to keep everything cross indexed.

I have included a couple pages of blank source cards in case I find a source not on my list. I am pretty optimistic about this method and hope to report back with my wonderful, fabulous and amazing results.

After its trial run and any modifications I need to make I will be making the word document available for download to be used by my readers if you would like. Also if this works as I hope, I will be creating some additional source cards for different types of sources genealogist would find while searching in a library or archives.

I'll be talking about the breakout sessions I'm excited about at Jamboree in my next post. If any of my readers will be attending Jamboree, let me know, maybe we can meet at Geneablogger Central.

OMG -- I finally found it

2010-06-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

In a previous post about Minerva Favorite I wrote about the mystery of Minerva and her family. Yesterday at the Family History Center here in Prescott I found, at last, a huge piece in the puzzle. Of course, as with all genealogy, the more we know, the more questions we have, but for now I'm not going to think about those other questions. I am going to celebrate this find.

Just a little background for you, I have been searching for the bits and pieces of the life of Joseph Favorite and his wife Sarah, parents of Minerva for five to six years. About three years ago I discovered a Creditors Notice publication in the Frederick Town Hearld newspaper (online) dated 27 Aug 1831 naming George Kuhn as administrator of Joseph Favorite's estate. Now just a note to others researching, I searched for Favorite and found nothing relevant, only things like "favorite game" or "favorite son"... but since I knew Sarah's maiden name was Kuhn I thought well why not search that and see what comes up. What came up was George Kuhn which lead to Joseph Favorite. Favorite might have come up normally but in the article, Favorite was hyphenated: Favor-ite.

Anyway, now I had a date to start checking probate records so off I went to the FHL catalog to find the film numbers II would need. The next step was ordering the first two films (only two at a time for various reasons) and then the waiting. You know that feeling, right? It should take maybe a week to get the film, those always seem to be the longest weeks. The call finally came from the FHC and off I went, certain of success. And success I had, initially finding the Administrator Bonds in the first film, but no luck in the second film which was the actual Administration Accountings 1828-1831, just a little too early. Next step, order the next two films and wait... again....finally the call came and off I went to the FHC, very hopeful. This time I got really lucky and found the Inventory to Joseph Favorite's estate. Three pages listing everything this young family owned, all with a dollar value placed on it. For me as a family historian, the value of seeing these belongings was priceless but it's hard to imagine something like "2 old scythes" being valued at 50 cents. So many of the articles were valued at a dollar or less There were some things I needed to search for on Google to figure out what they were; most ended up being different types of farming implements. It was apparent Joseph was a farmer but he apparently rented land as no real estate was listed in the inventory. Again the second film did not provide any additional information but I figured if I continued to bat 500 I would be happy.

It was time for two more films so I ordered the next two on the list, knowing for sure one of them would be the one, it would have that Final Accounting I was looking for, it would list the heirs, if there were any of Joseph, it would list Minerva. That was what I really wanted, to see Minerva's name listed there in the official document as his daughter, the final overriding proof.  Another week went by and no word from the FHC, then another. Finally the call came, the films are in. By now the dates I was looking at were 1834-1836 and 1836-1840. The Inventory was dated August 1831 so even with a reasonable time delay, the final accounting should occur by 1836 right?   Wrong, as I checked out the index in the first film, nothing, no reference to Joseph Favorite or any other Favorite. "That's ok", thought the second film will have it for sure. As I wound the film on the microfilm reader I was sending up silent prayers to the genealogy angels, "please let it be there". I always check the other letters in the index for other names I,m interested in and found nothing but as I approached the "F" page I was holding my breath....[whoose, air out] not one Favorite listed.  The list is short so it's was over quick, but not painlessly.  As a small consolation, I did find a reference to "the estate of Rebecca Flack" who I knew was a sister of Sarah Kuhn so at least I was rewarded with a little tidbit, not what I wanted but we take what we can get right?

So it was back to the order form and two more films By this time was looking at 1839-1848 and 1840-1845. I know, strange numbering sequence but I was just taking them in order. I couldn't figure out why his estate wouldn't be there, what was I missing? It had been almost 8 years since his death and still no estate settlement.

You know the drill as well as I by now, and the waiting game.  Again after about 10 days, the call came from the FHC but this time only one of the films had come in, the other was on back order. The older of the two, the 1839-1848 had arrived.  I wan't really very excited about these two films, this one in particular; it was too late. My theory was somehow I had missed Joseph in the previous films; most likely the indexing wasn't accurate and he had simply been overlooked. I put the visit to the FHC off a couple days just out of spite really, I didn't want that disappointment, again, but finally I had a couple minutes, and knowing it wasn't going to take long to just read the index, so I stopped by and sure enough it only took about 5 minutes and I was done. Nothing there, no Favorites listed and certainly not Joseph.

Since I was still waiting on one more film I didn't want to order any more, so back I went to the waiting game.

Last week, on Friday, I came home and notice a message on the answering machine; my last film had come in. "Whoppee" I thought sarcastically, "no hurry here, it's the Memorial Day weekend, the library will be closed and there won't be anything on this film either."  Finally yesterday I decided to just go ahead, go to the library, get it over with and check out the film. There wasn't any excitement (well maybe just a little), just put the film on and be done with it. As I got to the "F' page in the index, the second name from the top is "Sarah Favorite, 1st accounting p. 11".   WHAT, OMG could it possibly be? chills all over, "I think I've found it, not Joseph, but Sarah his wife"... further down the page there she is again "Sarah Favorite 2nd and Final Accounting, page 470".   A Final Accounting, could it possibly be?   Quickly I forwarded to page 11 and started reading. Again, as with Joseph's estate, George Kuhn is acting as Administrator in the estate (he is her brother). She died before 17 April 1839, the date of this 1st Accounting. The accounting indicates how much the personal property in her estate sold for, a payment made by a "George Favorite", (nice clue here, perhaps a brother-in-law?) and interest received on the sum. Secondly the administrator prays for an allowance to pay for some things including to "Christian Beahcy for making coffin". Total value of the estate was $507.84 1/2. Can't wait now, I have to get to that final accounting so I zoom through the microfilm to page 470 and find that final, wonderful clue, the final accounting of Sarah Favorite dated 25 Jan 1842 where at the bottom of the page it reads,
Amount for distribution brought forward, $808.69
Distribution according to law as follows To Wit
To Minerva Favorite a daughter of the Intestate     $404.34 1/2
To Casandra Favorite a daughter of the Intestate     $404.34 1/2

I DID IT.... I FOUND THAT LONG HIDDEN ELUSIVE CLUE. I wish I had better words but I think other genealogists will understand the feelings I was experiencing; we have all had these moments. They are what make all the disappointments worthwhile. So apparently what happened is before Joseph's estate could be finalized with the proceeds going to his wife, Sarah, she died which must have complicated things even more. The one major question I have is why would the court distribute to two minor females. These girls were only 12 and 10 years old. There is no mention anywhere of a guardian, however, I realized while writing this that I checked guardianship records up to 1839. Perhaps I just didn't go far enough. I will be ordering those films immediately.

So the lesson to all of you who take the time to read this LONG post, is NEVER, NEVER give up. The term Exhaustive Search as stated in the GPS means exactly that. I am still so excited about this find, I had to share and my geneablogging buddies are the ones I wanted to share with. Thanks for being there.

Thank You For Your Service

2010-05-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

On this Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, I want to thank all the men and women of my family, both living and dead, who stepped up and served our country in times of both war and peace.

I will start with the present generation, my two son-in-laws, Earl Ray Garner and Michael Ward Ryan. Ray, as we call him, served in the Navy and Mike remains in the Air Force.

In the 2nd generation, my husband Gene William Arnspiger served in the Army during the Vietnam War and his brother, Gordon Steves Arnspiger served in the Navy.

In the 3rd generation, my mother Dorothy Marie Wise enlisted in the Army in the WACs and served for the duration of World War II. My father, Harry Stephen Archer served in the Army and was stationed in the Phillipines

In the 4th generation, my grandfather, Albert Vernon Wise served in the Army in World War I in the 168th Infantry, 42 Division, Rainbow Division, Company G.

In the 5th generation none of my ancestors were of an age to participate in the Civil War.

In the 6th generation however, several of my ancestors fought in the Civil War including my gt gt grandfather, Henry Stephen Archer Sr who served in the Confederate Army from Mississippi. Another gt gt grandfather, Joshua Atwood Tilton served in the Confederate Army from Alabama. Another gt gt grandfather, Anthony Loranz tried to enlist but was told he was too old and thus became a recruiter for the Union army.

In the 8th and 9th generations, William Anderson served in the Revolutionary War from South Carolina, Stephen Bolender served in the Revolutionary War from Pennsylvania, as did Han Phillip Shinkle. Paul Pratt Sr and his father Lemuel Pratt served from Massachusetts, Jesse Peck Jr and his father Jesse Peck Sr served from Connecticut. Jesse Peck Sr died of his wounds and disease.

There are probably others to be included in this list and I thank them also, as well as all the wives of these men who sacrificed, survived and raised their families while the men were defending our country.

SNGF Challenge - Using the Relationship Calculator in Your Genealogy Software

2010-05-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Even though it is Sunday afternoon, I wanted to step up to the challenge issued over at Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver and his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, SNGF for short. His challenge is:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (come on, don't be a party pooper...) is:

1) Open up the genealogy software program of your choice.
2) Think about two special people in your family tree (your parents? your spouse? a famous person? a distant cousin? yourself?).
3) Use the Relationship Calculator in the software to determine the relationship between the two special people. If you don't know where to find the Relationship Calculator, go to the Help button and find out. Follow the directions!
4) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this post on my blog, or in a Note or comment on Facebook.

Like Randy, I used RootsMagic4 for this exercise. I don't have too many people in my family tree who are "famous", however I did discover I am related the Bill Gates of Microsoft fame so I thought that would be a fun relationship to document. Unfortunately, like John Newmark over at TransylvaniaDutch, I didn't have all the information in my database. But what a great opportunity to do that so off I went to gather the online resources and put the pieces together. I found a digital version on Google books of "Genealogies of Connecticut Families" that has been extracted from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register by Genealogical Publishing in 1998. I wasn't able to download the book but by using OneNote I was able to take snapshots of the pages I wanted relevent to the Gates family (my line and Bill's line) and then paste them into a word document.

I then found a site showing Bill Gates' ancestry compiled by William Addams Reitwiesner and others with the caveat that "the following material on the immediate ancestry of Bill Gates should not be considered either exhaustive or authoritative, but rather as a first draft." I was able to verify the older generations listed on this website by using the "Genealogies of Connecticut Families".

As it turns out Bill and I are related as 8th cousins 2 times removed. Our MCRAs (most common recent ancestor) are Stephen Gates born ca 1600 in Hingham, England and his wife Ann Veare, born 1603 in England also. They married 5 May 1628 in Hingham, England. (The American Genealogist, vol. 10, p. 199, April 1934) Stephen Gates was the immigrant ancestor and arrived in 1638 on the ship Diligent of Ipswich, John Martin, master. The family settled in Hingham, MA

ISFHWE Excellence in Writing Winner coming to Prescott Arizona - Colleen Fitzpatrick

2010-05-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Colleen Fitzpatrick will be the guest speaker at the NAGS May 22, 2010 monthly meeting in Prescott, Arizona. Ms. Fitzpatrick will be speaking to us about DNA and its use in our personal genealogy as well as her many success stories using DNA techniques. This will be an all day seminar and is open to anyone interested. The cost is $35.00 until May 15th, then increases to $40.00.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I read Ms. Fitzpatrick was the 1st place winner of the ISFHWE Excellence in Writing Contest for 2010 in category II, Published Articles. The ISFHWE is the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. The beginnings of this organization began on May 13, 1987 when the Council of Genealogy Columnists was formed at a meeting held in conjunction with the 1987 NGS conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. As the organization grew and embraced a more global role, the name was changed to International Society of Family History Writers and Editors in May of 2000.

This should be a wonderful day spent learning a great deal about DNA and how to use it in my genealogical research.

If there's anyone out there who wants to attend this seminar check out the NAGS website for the registration form.

Wordless Wednesday - George Willam Arnspiger attends Century of Progress

2010-04-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

George William Arnspiger at age 84 attended this Exposition. His wife, Laura Childs Steeves Arnspiger accompanied him.

Amanuensis Monday

2010-04-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

John Newmark at TranslyvaniaDutch has started this Monday prompt. For those of you new to this the definition of Amanuensis is: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscripts.

My transcription this Monday is a letter written by my gtgrand father James E. Wise (1854-1904). The "voice" I hear in this letter is one of love and affection from James for his family. Also interesting was the glimpse into James' occupation. He was apparently a procurer of cheese and eggs, at least on this particular trip. (There is no punctuation or appropriate capitalization in the letter so I am inserting periods where I think appropriate)

Riverton, Iowa, 7-11 1901
Folks at Home. I have just got to this place, got my chees from Depot. got Supper and have afew minutes to get this letter off. I have finished up about 2000# I find this lot melted down in bad shape don't think I can do much here but probale will clean up what Frank will send me by Sat eve. I find that I made no bad deals the other trip. I have been watching the egg market. find white giving less than 6¢ for them and Six at some places I am afraid you will go low on them. Break them down to six ¢. I never seen such weather. crops are all going to burn up in this county. all gone in Kansas. I think I will get in Sat eve. Hay is not keeping up this trip. got a fill on new hay and to much water . Wind is all right think she will be all right in the morning. Well I will close. Hope you are ok on every thing.

Your Father, J.E.

Tell Albert and my girl I will bring 5¢ each when I get home and probale will get enough out of this trip to give my wife a penny.

Amanuensis Monday - April 1918 World War I letter home

2010-04-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

John Newmark at TranslyvaniaDutch has started this Monday prompt. For those of you new to this the definition of Amanuensis is: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscripts. So I will be participating in this and using it to transcribe letters and documents I have accumulated during my years of research. This particular document is a letter from my grandfather, Albert Wise, while he was a soldier in WWI. He was 26 years old and had enlisted in 1917. I have about ten letters and will be posting them periodically.

April 10th 1918

Still in France

Dear Fred & Edna,

Will try and write you a few lines today. We just got out of the trenches again with good luck didn’t loose a man, and only two slight wounds so I think we are lucky. Our Capt was wounded the first time we were in the trenches and is still in the hospital but is getting alright from all reports. And we hope he will soon be with us again for we think he is the best in the regiment. We were in the same place this last time as we were the first. When we first when in to the[m] we were somewhat scared of the big shells that would come over and burst close to us. But now we are use to all of this and it don’t bother us a bit. And we are not as much afraid of the gas as we were. For I don’t believe the germans have the gas that they had at first. I mean it isn’t as strong and they don’t have as much of it as they did. We are on the Lorraine Front you can look that up and see about where we are located. The germans haven’t a thing on us, and I think we have on them, and will have lots more in time. But most every one thinks the war will end some time this summer and I sure hope so for this is no place for a white man. Sure am glad I was born in America where they do things. Will have lots of funny things to tell you all when I return. But don’t believe that will be until fall. But some of the boys think the war will end this month. It sure would tickle us to death if it would end, but we all hope for the quick close of the war. But we want the germans licked first, and put where they can’t cause any trouble for awhile. We are back of the trenches about 4 or 5 miles I guess so are not in very much danger. The weather has been very bad for the last two weeks has been cold and rainy. But surely will clear up soon. Well I guess I have wrote about all I can for this time so will close.

With lots of love

Your brother

Albert

O.K.

Q.W. Mills

Lieut. 168th Inf.

Genea-Musings Saturday Night Challenge - Make A Timeline

2010-04-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings challenged us to make a timeline using our genealogy software. We were to select an ancestral couple, include their parents and children and post it to our blog. Randy used RM4 and since that is one of the software programs I use I decided to participate. Here is my timeline chart for Joshua Atwood Tilton.

The more I see of RootsMagic 4 the more I like it. I believe I will have to make it my first choice genealogy software

From Boston, Massachusetts to Selma, Alabama and the Confederate Army

2010-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Family Curator continues to provide some interesting blogging prompts in her Blogger's April 2010 Almanac. Prompts for the third week, April 11 through the 17th, are related to the Civil War and how it affected our ancestors.

Now right from the start I want to make clear I don't really do alot of research into the military activities of my ancestors. It's not something that holds alot of interest for me. Don't get me wrong, I am proud of all my veteran ancestors but the military details... not so much. But Joshua Atwood Tilton, the subject of this post is a puzzle to me. He was indeed a veteran of the Civil War, enlisting less than thirty days after the shots fired at Ft. Sumter. What has me so puzzled is why he enlisted in the Confederate Army.

Joshua Atwood Tilton was born Feb 1, 1835 in Suffolk county, Massachusettes. He comes from a long line of New Englanders, both on his father's side, the Tiltons, and his mother's side, the Atwoods. These two families were some of the early founders of Massachusetts. Even as late as 1850 we find Joshua living with his parents and siblings in Boston. So why was he in Selma, Alabama in 1860? I don't find other family in the area so my guess: because of his occupation. He worked for the railroad. I surmise he had an employment opportunity and being a young, single man he took it. But that still doesn't explain why he would enlist in the Confederacy. I don't imagine I will ever know the answer to that question.

Joshua enlisted on May 10, 1862 in Selma, Alabama in Co. D, 8th Reg't of the Alabama Infantry. I have found part of his medical service record listing him as a private. It describes the gunshot wound and his subsequent medical discharge. Just two days after the battle of Antietam he was admitted to the hospital in Richmond, Virginia, Sept 19, 1862 to be treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm. Although I do not have his full service record I am making the assumption he participated in that battle and was one of the thousands of casualties.

Joshua was discharged on Oct 23, 1862 with the physician stating he was incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of "the effects of a gunshot wound in the lower third of the right arm. The flexor and extensor muscles are so much injured that it will be a long time before he will recover the use of it. I further declare my belief that said soldier is unfit for duty..". So thankfully, Joshua escaped the further ravages of the Civil War but whether or not he ever recovered the use of his right arm is unknown.

I do know he remained in the South. He married, probably in New Orleans, about 1865 to Lydia Marie Graham and his first child was born in 1867. By 1880 he and his family were living in Wilkinson county, Mississippi. Again I believe his choice of residence was influenced by his occupation; he continued to be a railroad engineer on the line from Centreville, Mississippi to New Orleans, until his retirement sometime in the late 1890's.

Amanuensis Monday - Letter from a Friend

2010-04-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

While reading Joan's blog Roots'n'Leaves I noticed her Monday posts called Amanuensis Monday which were transcriptions of family diaries or other material. I wondered what this word meant so I went googling. I found the definition: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscripts. Further research into the origins of this prompt idea lead me to John Newmark at TransylvaniaDutch. Since I am of that certain age (retired), and no longer "employed" I will "volunteer" and join in the fun of Amanuensis Monday.

So here is my first Amanuensis post. This is a letter in my possession, dated July 8, 1860 from Mary Eliz. Heliner of Emmitsburg, Frederick county, Maryland to her "friend", Minerva Louise Favorite Douglass of Ottumwa, Iowa. Minerva is my gt gt grandmother. The letter is quite difficult to read in some places and impossible in others.

Dear Friend,
I received your very welcome letter and you can hardly imagine what joy it gave me for when I wrote I had the wrong direction. I had to guess the place. I was sorry to hear of your ???? affliction. I hope brighter days are in store for you. When you move east perhaps you will regain your nice happy ??? ????. …I am glad one of your children is a ???? ahead of mine although the name is not pretty yet I like to have some of my friends call there children that name. There was a gentleman in town yesterday from Mercer, a Mr. Fleming. Sis ??? requested him to call to see Laura Smith, I did not see him so told Laura that Sis was to be married soon perhaps it is ??? . we have very cold and unpleasant weather. Cold enough to wear shawls in evening and morning, it certainly is very unhealthy. On the fourth I was at a fishing party, Danners girls, Brooks girls, myself and Maria were the girls. Pierce Danner and James Helman were the boys. We had a great deal of fun. We rode out and back. I was at very large picnic last week but did not enjoy myself very much. There were too many at it for any pleasure. Ellen Weltz is married. She married a man in Baltimore. You remember her, she always lived next door to you. I will now answer the questions you asked. Mary E. Eichelbarger is not married nor any of the family. Your Guthrie is living in Davenport Iowa. She has been there nearly three years. She is not married but Jane is married to George Beam, they are living near town. Mr. Guthrie is dead nearly two years. Mrs. Shiles and William are both dead. The rest of the family are living in St. Joseph Missouri, moved out this spring. Charlie Bow is married to a Mis Maxwell. He is living in the country. Sarah Troxel sends her best love. She says she would like to see you. She is living with her father ever since Charles is married, she is the same lighthearted creature she ever was. Josh and Eli are still single. Isaiah Bow is married to Miss Bushman. Cal Zimmerman is very delicate. She does not go out much since she had her child which is a little girl. Joseph Weltz has been living in Virginia five years, they are very much pleased. Jeminas mother is out with them now. She will be home this week. All the girls send their love to you. Every person appeared glad to hear of you. I told a great many persons that I had a letter from you. They would all like to see you. Philomena Pittinger and Victoria are coming home. Phil is not well, she thinks the country will do her good. Your Aunt Marg. Jones lives in Iowa City you are not far from her, they are doing well. Fishers are in the same place. I would like to see all of them. I wrote to Jim that he was coming in but he has not made his appearance yet. Smalee was in but did not come to see us. I think it very hard he might have called if only for a few moments. There has no doubt been a great many changes since you left, a great many have died, some have married and moved off. Frank Eysler is living in St. Joseph. She has two children. She does not like it out there, but she is one of these discontented creatures. If nothing happens I expect to go to Virginia in a few weeks. I hope I will enjoy myself. Pearsons are living in Westminster. Mary is to be married soon. Aunt Molter is dead this two years. Sam bought her house and is married and has two children. He married a lady from Pittsburgh. Rev. Mr. Senham is also married again. He is living near Philadelphia. Annie Diven is married to Harry McDivim. He is living in Kansas. Julia Shark has grown to be a very fine lady, very sociable and pleasant. Kate Geets is still single. She is keeping house for George since his wife died. Susan is married and is living in Hanover. What I have not told you please remind me when you write again. All the family join with me in love to you and your family, remember me to your husband, answer very soon and believe me ever your true friend. Good bye hope you are all well, Mary Eliz Heliner

Poem at the end of letter

Oft in tender recollection

Call to mind thy absent friend

Cherish for her that affection

Which shall never ever end

SNGF with Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings

2010-04-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

My mission should I choose to take it:
1) Tell us: Which ancestor or relative do you readily identify with? Which one do you admire? Which one are you most like, or wish that you were most like? Which one would you really like to sit down and have a heart-to-heart conversation with?

I would really like to have a heart-to-heart conversation with my 4th gtgrandfather, Jacob Wise (1771-1845). Here are some of the questions I would ask; "Did he come from Maryland or Virginia? Was his wife Mary Wise? Were they cousins? What did he do while living in Greene co, PA? I have found no land records for him; only the sale of one house lot. Did he rent land to farm? Did he have another occupation? A cooper or a blacksmith? Was Greene county just a stepping stone to his ultimate goal: Ohio? But the biggest question of all would be "Who was your father?" For genealogists I guess that is always the question but I have been looking for his father for 35 years and I still don't feel any closer to the answer.

Once the conversation got started, more and more questions would beg for answers. What were his dreams? Was he a kind man? Did he believe in equality; for woman, for all men? Did he believe in fun or was there only work. I know he was a founding member of a Methodist Episcopol church in Monroe county, Ohio where he moved with his large family in 1814. Did his religion bring him joy or was it a burden? Was he proud of his large family. He had 9 children, 4 girls and 5 boys. Did he like to sing? What was his favorite food? Oh, the list would go on and on.

My Mother, Baseball and My Grandfather

2010-04-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Denise Levenick at The Family Curator has provided free for download a Blogger's April 2010 Almanac with some very interesting blogging prompts, as well as the chance to win a free copy of Roots Magic 4. Her prompts for April 5 through April 10 were all dealing with baseball and how it may have impacted our ancestors. My first thought was of my mother and grandfather so here is a little piece of their lives through baseball.

If someone were to ask me "What was your mother's favorite pastime?" the first thing that comes to mind is Baseball. She was an avid fan of most sports, but she really loved baseball. This love of baseball was passed to her from her father and was one of her happy memories she shared with me.

My family loved the Los Angeles Dodger's; they were our hometown team and the baseball stadium was close enough for a day trip. It was a great family adventure to go to a game at Dodger Stadium; the popcorn and the hotdogs (pickles, onions, mustard and ketuchp please), the announcers and the crowd; I can still remember the rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". Cheering when Maury Wills stole another base and when Sandy Koufax threw another strikeout and groaning when Frank Howard struck out, again!

My mom shared with me her memories of her father, Albert Wise and his love of baseball. The stories weren't detailed, just that she had happy memories of the two of them going to ball games when she was growing up. I image the games were smaller, country affairs between minor league teams; with the smell of popcorn and cotton candy and the sound of good natured heckling from the fans. But sometimes, on a special occasion; a birthday maybe, they might have gone to Chicago to see the big leagues. What a thrill that would have been for both of them.

My grandfather also played baseball. I don't know what position but because of his height I imagine he might have played first base. He would have had a great reach!!!!

This first picture is in Riverton, Iowa. Both my grandfather, Albert and his brother Fred are on this team. I think this is about 1908 or 1909. Albert would have been about 17 years old

This is a team from Nodaway, Iowa, Albert's hometown.

Here is Albert tagging someone out.

There was a Baseball minor league known as the Three-I's, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois League, and this league had a team called the Davenport Blue Sox. These next two pictures show Albert with a team known as the Blue Sox. See it on the uniforms? I don't know if they are in fact from this minor league, but I suppose it is possible. Wouldn't that be wonderful?? These photos are not dated, but Albert looks older than the other photos. I would say maybe 1916, making him 24 years old; this would make it right before Albert's enlistment in the US Army in 1917.

My grandfather was about 6'5" tall so it's easy to pick him out in pictures. He is always the tallest one.

I like to think of my grandfather as a young man, not the invalid I remember. He suffered from Rhuematoid Arthritis from mid life and later from Parkinson's Disease. Sharing these pictures and imagining him doing something he loved helps make him more real for me.

I have taken a blowup of the gloves from one of the pictures. Even though I don't have it physically in my home, a picture is almost as good. Can you imagine playing with one of these? The big round one is the catcher's glove, the other to the right is a regular fielders glove.

Baseball has always been America's favorite pastime, especially in those early days when it was so much more personal.

Originator of Ancestor Approved Award

2010-04-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to thank Leslie Ann Ballou at Ancestors Live Here for her wonderful idea of this award. It is sweeping through the genealogy blog community with wonderful results. The best result for me was actually receiving the award, my first, but secondly in searching for 10 other bloggers to nominate I discovered numerous new blogs I will be following. It took me a bit to finally track Leslie Ann down, but now that I have I hope others who are receipants of the award will check out her blog.

Thanks again to all the participants. It was fun.

Ancestor Approved Award

2010-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased and honored when I discovered I had been awarded the Ancestor Approval Award by Hummer at Branching Out Through the Years. Just the fact others read my blog makes my day, but to also receive an award, my first ever, has put a huge smile on my face. Thank you.

As a recipient of this award, I am to list 10 things I have learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and then pass the award on to 10 other genealogy bloggers who I feel are doing their ancestors proud. So here is my list of 10 things and my list of 10 other bloggers.

1. I was surprised when I found a newspaper article about Eugene Nettles Arnspiger, my husband's grandfather, relating his involvement in the accidental discharge of a shotgun, resulting in the wounding of a neighbor. Eugene was 17 years old at the time; 1902.

2. I was humbled when I discovered Catherine Shinkle Bolender, my 3rd gt gdmother gave birth to 10 children, one born about every two years, all of whom lived to adulthood and all the while settling the frontier of Ohio between 1811-1835.

3. I was enlightened and saddened after reading the transcription of a journal keep by a fellow passenger of Jorg Henrich Ernstberger, my husband's 5th gt grandfather. The ship was the Charming Nancy, arriving in Philadelphia 8 Oct 1737. There were so many deaths, mostly children.

4. I was surprised when I learned my father had two other wives that I knew nothing about. That made a total of four.

5. I was enlightened and humbled when I learned about Daniel Belden, my 8th gt gdfather: the murder of several members of his family, his capture and kidnapping, and the capture and kidnapping of several of his children by Indians, all in 1690 during King Phillips War in Hatfield, Connecticut.

6. I was surprised when I learned Henry Stephen Archer Sr, my 2nd gtgdfather, was a baptist minister but not a slaveowner in Mississippi.

7. I was enlightened when I found Joshua Atwood Tilton, my 2nd gtgdfather in the 1850 census in Boston, Massachusetts. He was indexed as "Silton".

8. I was humbled when I read the account given by my 6th gtgdmother, Ruth Hoyt Peck, to the court in Danbury, Ct. in 1777, documenting the trials and loss she and her family endured in the fight for independence during the Revolutionary War.

9. I was surprised when I watched the first episode of WDYTYA and discovered one, I was related to Sarah Jessica Parker, and two, my 8th gtgdmother, Esther Dutch Elwell was accused of witchcraft.

10. I was surprised when I discovered both Stephen Bolender, my 4th gtgdfather, and Abraham Houser Sr, a contemporary, neighbor and relation by marriage of Paul Ernspiger, my husband's 4th gtgdfather were both ministers in the first German Baptist Brethren Church, "Dunkers" and lived as neighbors in Clermont county, Ohio in the early 1800's.

Here are my choices to receive the Ancestor Approved Award

1. A Tale of Two Ancestors
2. The Genealogy Search
3. Kick-Ass Genealogy
4. Digging in ... To My Past
5. Genealogy Traces
6. Gen Wish List
7. Random Relatives
8. Lucie's Legacy
9. Ancestral Notes
10.Kinfolk News

Just a Short Note

2010-04-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, so many things have started happening for me in my genealogy career. First, I was asked to manage the Newsletter for the Northern Arizona Genealogical Society in Prescott, Arizona. Six months ago I would have hesitated accepting the position, but thanks to blogging and the opportunity it gives me to exercise my writing skills, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Second, last week I was asked to teach a class at my local Family History Library; something I have dreamed of doing and have incorporated into my certification plan but wondered how to make happen. Now it is a reality. My topic will be the census with an emphasis on "what else we can learn" by analyzing some of the more obscure information provided in the more recent census.

Third, this morning when I opened my iGoogle page for my daily blog updates, I discovered I have been awarded my first ever Blogging award, the Ancestor Approved Award. Thank you to Hummer at Branching Out Through the Years for the award. I will be posting my response in just a couple days as I want to do the award justice. If anyone knows about the origin of this award I would love to hear from you.

I've also decided to participate in the 93nd COG which is sponsored by fM, with the topic of writing a "How to" series of articles with at least three segments. This will be a new direction for me to try but again on target for my certifcation track, pointing towards article publication.

So I will be very busy writing and rewriting and having a great time. Come back often to read and just say hi.

92nd Edition of COG A Ballerina's Story ... If Only for a Little While

2010-03-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

The 92nd edition of the COG will be: Dance! Did you take dance lessons as a child? Did your parents go out dancing every Friday at the Elks Hall? Do you enjoy taking in a good ballet at the theater? Care to share a memory from your high school prom? What role does dancing play in your family history? Come on, let's cut a rug!

What a wonderful topic: Dance. After reading the challenge for this COG, I couldn't stop thinking about my childhood dancing, so here is my story.

I started dance lessons when I was 10 years old. I don’t remember why; whether I asked for lessons or my mother thought it would be a good activity. I know I was extremely active, running and jumping all the time; cartwheels and somersaults in the front yard; using the bed as a trampoline; so maybe she hoped it would be a good way to expend more energy. Whatever the reason, it was love at first lesson for me. I started with jazz and then added ballet and tap. When I was old enough, and that couldn’t come soon enough, I was able to start pointe, every little ballerina’s dream. I still have my last toe shoes tucked away in a box. I still will start tapping for no reason in the kitchen. There are some aspects of those years of dance I don’t recall, but the purchase of those first toe shoes, that memory will stay with me forever. The first lesson in pointe; getting ready, putting on those toe shoes, I’ll remember that always. The lamb’s wool had to be placed just so on the toes, then the shoes put on and the laces laced just right. Then there was the sound of the new shoes hitting the floor and finally the pain at the end of the lesson. But oh what a feeling, to be a ballerina.

For the next five years I lived the life of a young dancer. There were lessons and Saturday practices for recitals. There were more lessons and fatigue and sore muscles. There was great joy in dancing for the folks at the local retirement homes. There were bleeding toes and more sore muscles and I can’t remember a time I had more fun. I still remember Phil Phillips, the young man who was the premiere male dancer and Barbara, the premiere female dancer. I still remember Mr. Jack Tygett and his wife Marge Tygett, the dance instructors. I remember the small little studio in a neighborhood mall; I remember the little dressing room off the studio; the camaraderie of my fellow students; the music. Oh and the joy of twirling across the floor doing three step turns or flying through the air doing the grande jete leaps.

Then came change as it always does, with my family moving to another city, one too far away for me to continue dancing with the Tygett School of Dance. There was no dance studio close by and as I entered a new school and made new friends, dancing became a part of my past but those years gave me an appreciation for music and dance and provided confidence for a shy young girl.

Fearless Females - March 26 - Education or Educators

2010-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

March 26 — What education did your mother receive? Your grandmothers? Great-grandmothers? Note any advanced degrees or special achievements.

A Life Long Teacher – Genevieve May Wise 1895 - 1963

I only met my great aunt Genevieve two or three times in my life. She came to California to visited my family once I think and once when my family went back to Iowa to visit. I remember how tall she was which runs in the Wise family and how friendly she was which probably contributed to her career as an educator. From my research it seems her entire life was devoted to the teaching profession. Shortly after her graduation from high school in 1913, she secured a teaching position in Murray, Iowa. Genevieve and her mother Sarah lived together as the two of them are found as boarders in the 1920 census in Troy, Clarke county, Iowa. Her mother continued to live with her during her lifetime. By 1921 Genevieve had been appointed principal of the school in Murray. Through the years she taught school in Murray, Clarinda and Waterloo, Iowa. She attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa in the late 1920’s and continued her teaching into the 30s and 40s at West High School in Waterloo, Iowa. I believe, but have not been able to document, that she continued her own education and ultimately received a Masters of Education sometime in the 1940s. Genevieve never had children of her own, but she dedicated her life to nurturing and educating the many children who passed through the halls of the country schools of Adams, Clark and Black Hawk counties in Iowa. She will be remembered by me always.

Top row, 2nd girl from the right is Genevieve. Her mother, Sarah is the teacher standing on the right.

Fearless Females - March 15 Six word memoir tribute

2010-03-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Mildred Marian Fill Arnspiger (my mother-in-law)

Independent woman.

Family matriarch.

Stylish spitfire.

Daily prompt from The Accidental Genealogist, Lisa Alzo

Fearless Females - March 13

2010-03-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

March 13 — Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

Esther Dutch Elwell was 53 years old on November 3, 1692 when a warrant for her arrest on the charge of witchcraft was issued. Records show she, with two other women, was taken to Ipswich, Massachusettes where she joined six other Gloucester women who had been jailed on charges of witchcraft. From a petition written in December of 1692 by these women, it is known the conditions were unbearable due to cold and poor lodging; the women feared for their lives, not from the witch trials but from the horrible living conditions. How must Esther have felt? Scared does not even begin to describe her feelings. 19 people before her had been arrested and executed for witchcraft from Salem. She had to ask herself, "will I be number 20?" Those arrested from her town of Gloucester had not been executed yet but were awaiting trial. What had she done to cause her neighbors to turn on her? Had she looked at someone wrong? Had she said something to offend? And where was her support? Did her family stand by her? Was the hysteria so pervasive that she had no one to turn to...or did her husband stand by her? Her children? There are no records to tell us but I hope in my heart she had someone. If her mother, Grace Dutch was still alive, she would have certainly stood by her as she herself had been accused of witchcraft in 1656 when Esther was only 15.

Fortunately for Esther and her family, the Court of Oyer and Terminer, the court that had tried and executed 19 people in Salem and Salem city, was disbanded at the beginning of November of 1692. There are no records found of any trials of the Gloucester women accused of witchcraft but it has not been determined how long Esther remained imprisoned in Ipswich. All we know is she was released at some point. Esther lived to be 82 years old, dying in 1721.

The courage and moral strength needed to survive such an experience is outside my scope of experience and I wonder if the stigma of the accusation of witchcraft is ever erased or did she always have neighbors casting her suspicious looks. Were her children ostracized by association? Hopefully, with the passing of the hysteria, so did the mistrust.

Hester Dutch Elwell is my maternal 8th gt grandmother.

Sources:
"The Geography and Genealogy of Gloucester" by Jedediah Drolet article
"Witchcraft" by Linda Faye Johnson (Tucker) article

COG 91st Edition - A Tribute to Women

2010-03-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

Here is my Timeline for Catherine Shinkle Bolender
1783-1789    Three brothers and a sister are born to the family before Catherine
1 April 1790  Birth – Catherine Shinkle daughter of Hans Phillip Shinkle and Barbara Walderin Heidleberg twp, Lancaster co, PA
June 1792      Brother, John Jacob is born
20 Aug 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers, Maumee Ohio, in the Maumee river valley
1795             Family moved to Clermont/Brown co, Ohio “taking a flatboat at Pittsburg and landing a short distance below the present site of Higginsport. ” Shinkle Genealogy, p. 17
26 July 1795 Brother Peter is born at Slab Camp, later called Sterling, near New Hope Ohio Clermont co,Ohio
1796            Lived on the flatboat, “ready to cut loose in case of Indian trouble”. Shinkle Genealogy p. 17
Jan 1800     Sister Barbara is born
1800           Clermont county, Ohio is created, 3 years before Ohio is a state.
April 1803 Ohio statehood
2 Dec 1804 Sister Eve is born
June 1805   Father, Phillip Shinkle purchased 300 acres nears Feesburg from Phillip Buckner.
10 Jan 1811 Marriage to Henry Bolender. Henry was an active Dunkard minister like his father Stephen Bolender in Clermont co, Ohio
11 Oct 1811 First son Jacob is born Clermont co, Ohio
16 Dec 1811 New Madrid Earthquake – effects felt (in the red zone) as far as Clermont and Brown co, Ohio see this map. To read and account click this link
16 July 1813   A son Jonas born Clermont co, Ohio
13 April 1816 A daughter Barbara is born in Clermont co, Ohio. She married Anthony Loranz in Lewiston, Fulton co, Il
Dec 1817       Brown county created from Clermont county
13 May 1818  A daughter Elizabeth is born Clermont co, Ohio
4 Feb 1820     A son Stephen is born, Clermont co, Ohio
June 1820 Census – 5 children Clermont co, Ohio
18 July 1822    A daughter Catherine is born Clermont co, Ohio
Jan 1823 Fulton co, Illinois created
25 Aug 1824    A son John is born Clermont co, Ohio
16 Sept 1826   A daughter Rebecca is born Clermont co, Ohio
5 Feb 1828     A daughter Lydia is born Clermont co, Ohio
24 Dec 1828   A son Eli is born Clermont co, Ohio
June 1830        Census – 10 children Clermont co, ohio
6 Mar 1833     A daughter Sarah is born Clermont co, Ohio
27 Feb 1837    A daughter Mary is born Clermont co, Ohio
Oct 1839         Travelled from Chilo, Ohio by steamboat for Illinois. Settled in Fulton co, IL. Shinkle Genealogy p. 47 Spoon river, Fulton co, IL
June 1840       Census – 9 children Fulton co, IL
June 1850       Census – 6 children still at home Fulton co, Il
13 Nov 1856 Husband, Henry Bolender died Lewistown, Fulton co, Il
June 1860       Census – living with son Eli and daughters Rebecca and Sarah A Fulton co, Il
8 April 1868   Died in Lewiston, Fulton co, IL Lewistown, Fulton co, Il

Biography of Catharine Shinkle Bolender

On 1 April 1790, Catherine Shinkle (Schenckel) was born to Hans Phillip Schenckel and his wife, Barbara Walderin, in Heidleburg township, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Catherine is my 3rd great grandmother and since her father Phillip Shinkle and the mother of her future husband, Margaret Shinkle, were siblings, she is also my 1st cousin 5 times removed. The premiere source for this family record is “The Shinkle Genealogy” by Louise J. Abbott and Charles L. Abbott, printed in 1897 in Cincinnati with numerous original records supporting the work.

When Catherine was about five years old, her family emigrated to the newly opened lands of the Virginia Military District in the Northwest Territory, travelling first by wagon to Pittsburg, traversing the Allegany mountains, then by the newly invented flatboat down the Ohio river, stopping just below present day Higginsport, Ohio. Our vision of Ohio now is not what Catharine and her family saw. The trip down the Ohio river was a slow, meandering float, with the river surrounded by “an overwhelming forest, so thick, so tall it surrounded a person” writes Brethren historian, Merle C. Rummel. Danger lurked in the forest; danger from hostile Indians, bear and the wilderness itself. Included in this exciting and daring adventure were her four brothers, ages 12, 10, 7 and 3, her sister, 8 and her parents. Her mother, Barbara was pregnant with another child who was born at Slab Camp, afterwards called Sterling, Ohio, 26 July 1795. It is probable that other members of the Shinkle and Bolender family travelled with them or followed in the next couple of years. Her future husband, Henry Bolender made the same trip with his family sometime in 1802.

According to The History of Clermont county, Ohio, “the family lived on the flatboat ready to cut loose, at any Indian trouble.”

Flat boat - Picture courtesy of River to Rail website.

In the Battle of Fallen Timbers on 20 August 1794 the Native American Indian troops were defeated by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne's troops but hostilities continued for several years making pioneer life dangerous. What a life that must have been though, especially for a child. Of course there would have been many chores to be done, there are always chores to be done, but the freedom to explore and enjoy the beauty of the land would be an experience no other generation would know.

Catherine’s father, Hans Phillip Shinkle purchased 300 acres of land from Phillip Buckner in 1805, near Feesburg, Ohio. Perhaps this land already had a dwelling to house his family of nine children, himself and his wife or perhaps he had been improving the land all the while and now was able to purchase it. The land had originally been opened as payment for Revolutionary War service but many veterans did not settle the land, they simply sold it.

On 10 January 1811, Catherine married Henry Bolender. Henry’s father, Stephen was a large land owner and had provided land to all his children including Henry. Also following in his father’s footsteps, Henry was a Dunkard minister which by extension made Catharine a devout member of the church. Almost exactly nine months after their marriage Catharine presented Henry with his first son, Jacob, born 11 Oct 1811. Just 2 months later, on 16 Dec 1811, the first of four massive earthquakes known as the New Madrid earthquakes hit the Ohio river valley, causing extensive to moderate damage from the bootheel of Missouri up to Cincinnati and into Kentucky. Without question Catherine experienced the earthquake which hit in the early hours of the morning. Imagine the shock and fear she must have felt trying to protect her newborn son but probably not knowing what was happening. The hardy, spirited members of this family may have thought, “this is just another obstacle to overcome, just another test by my God.” No family records detail damage done in the area, but the general descriptions from nearby areas are of chimneys crumbling, trees snapping, water spouts blowing up from the river and numerous other phenomena.

For the next 20 years, Catherine was a pioneer wife and mother, bearing 11 more children all except one, who lived to adulthood. The family appears on the 1820 and 1830 census for Clermont county, Ohio.

In October of 1839 Catherine once again embarked on the pioneer trail. She and her family along with Thomas Hayward, the son of her sister Elizabeth Shinkle Hayward travelled to an area known as the Military Tract in what is now Fulton county, Illinois. Catharine’s group went down the Ohio river by steamboat while the other group, which consisted of the families of Daniel Bolender, Elijah Demaris and Nathaniel Wood, 13 persons, went overland. From The Shinkle Genealogy, “The overland party, on approaching the mouth of Spoon River, Illinois, heard the sound of a steamboat bell, and proceeding in that direction, discovered their friends in the act of unloading their goods from the boat. The joyous greetings of the two parties, which had reached their destination on the same day, still live in the memory of survivors.”

Catherine and her family flourished in Fulton county. The children married. The grandchildren surely flocked around their grandmother eager to hear the many stories she had to tell and adventures she had to share. For twenty years, Catherine and Henry enjoyed the fruits of their labors, then in November of 1856, Henry died at the age of 68. Catharine lived with her son, Eli and several daughters until her death in 1868 at age 78.

Fearless Females - March 8

2010-03-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

I have the Friendship book of my 2nd gtgrand aunt, Elizabeth Douglass, born in 1834 in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. This is a poem written by her "Ma", Maria Parks Douglass, my 3rd gt grandmother. I know nothing else about this ancestor except her approximate birth, 1805, her marriage, 1825 and her death, 1846, but I do have a poem written to her daughter in her own hand. Wow.

Transcription
A Friend Wish
Elizabeth my wish shall ever be, that while on earth you stay;
Youth's fondest dreams may be to thee like one long, summer's day.
When time, in after years, has set his signet on thy brow,
It will be sweet to recollect the friend who love thee now;
So may I in thy memory live! and O may Heaven ever give
Her purest ray of light divine, to teach thee how to live.
Your Ma
Hollidaysburg, April 23d, 1845

21st Edition - Smile for the Camera

2010-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Give Their Face A Place

Katherine Keister Douglass (gt grandmother)

Born 22 April 1861 Ottumwa, Iowa

Age about 12 (guessing)

Kate Douglass Peck

after 1884

Written on it "My Wife"

(I would love to do the picture dating on this. So many clues)

Kate Douglass Peck

about 1923

age about 62

My mother had fond memories of her.

Fearless Females - March 6 & March 7

2010-03-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Prompts from Lisa Alzo at the Accidental Genealogist: for Fearless Females

March 6 — Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor (wedding ring or other jewelry, china, clothing, etc.) If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother, or aunt (a scarf, a hat, cooking utensil, furniture, etc.)
I decided to combine these two prompts since my subjects are for grandmother and mother. I have only this one precious heirloom of my maternal grandmother but I cherish it. It is a "crazy quilt" pillow top which never made it to the pillow. I framed it, mounted under glass, and have it hanging in my home. My grandmother used numerous types of embroidery stitches and applique styles in this piece. I recognize many of them but don't know all their names. Those I recognize are the chain stitch, running stitch and blanket stitch. The detail in this small piece is just amazing. I wish I could have know her and learned this art from her. I have always thought I inherited my love of sewing from this woman. If you click on the image below you will be able to see the stitching in more detail.

March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

This is not a recipe but it is a food tradition. My mother would always make a round, two layer cake for my birthday. And she always put toothpicks in the cake to prevent the layers from sliding, but for me as a child, the highlight of eating the cake was getting a lucky toothpick. As I continued this tradition with my children I always felt a little closer to my mother.

1st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies - Jessamine County Historical & Genealogical Society, Kentucky

2010-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have choose to write about the Jessamine County Historical and Genealogical Society (JCHGS), located in Nicholasville, Kentucky. This society has been in existence since 1949 with 81 charter members. I am a new member in the grand scheme of things, having been a member for only 10 years. I am also a long distance member since I live in Arizona. There are two specific projects I want to mention. The first being the Annual History Fest, hosted by the society every June. The beginnings of this event started in 2000 when a vibrant group of Jessamine researchers met online through the RootsWeb mailing list. We all lived in different areas of the country, but all had a connection to the history and pioneers of Jessamine county. It was suggested that we have a three day event in Jessamine county, to meet each other and members of the society who were also on the online mailing list; many of them wonderful, colorful, charming characters. With that simple suggestion, the History Fest was born. The local members of JCHGS jumped on the band wagon and welcomed us “out of towners” with open arms and southern hospitality. Local residents well versed in historical and genealogical knowledge made themselves available for consultation. Tours of the area were arranged including the old Abraham Houser Sr mill which had been built in the early 1800’s and was still standing, the old Moravian cemetery, other family cemeteries, churches and local historical sites. A tour of the courthouse was provided for those interested and a wonderful box lunch was provided at the restored High Bridge Park in the style of bygone days. The JCHGS continues to host the History Fest each year for the last ten years.

The second project is the Cemetery Project. The JCHGS was instrumental in having Jessamine county pass a cemetery bill, requiring preservation and restoration of any burying grounds found during construction projects. Hand in hand with this bill is the Cemetery Committee, a group of volunteers who restore and maintain the many small and large cemeteries in the county, as well as research, document and apply for Revolutionary War soldier headstones.

These are just two of the many projects the Historical Society pursues each year and all for just an annual membership of $5.00. If you have ancestors who were in this county, I would suggest you visit the website, http://jesshistorical.com/ or the RootsWeb site at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kyjessam. If you are ever in Nicholasville, stop by and say hello. You will find some of the friendliest folks around.

Who do You Think You Are? Premiere WOW

2010-03-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I was just a little skeptical about this new show. There has been so much hype on the blogs about this show, I was afraid it would turn out to be disappointing. Well, was I every wrong. When the surname Hodge came up, I thought, "hummm, I have a Hodge in my ancestral line, but that is a pretty common name so no big deal". As the story unfolded with the discovery of John S. Hodge going to California and then the discovery of Eber Hodge, whose parents were Thomas and Abigail Elwell Hodge, I sat straight up on the couch..... "those are my family" I thought in disbelief. Then he mentioned Abigail Elwell's father was Jabez Elwell and I knew for sure. Some names just stick with you and Jabez is one of those. The rest of the unfolding story was so interesting to me. I hadn't known about Esther Dutch Elwell being accused of witchcraft and then to actually see the original document was awesome. Since watching the show this evening I have been googling Hester Elwell and have found some fascinating information. I also found the digital image of the actual document posted on the internet here.

I never suspected I would be connected with this show in such a personal way. It was thrilling. Sarah Jessica's ancestor Eber Hodge was the brother of my ancestor Phebe Hodge. Phebe was the last born child in a family of 14 children, born 24 April 1809. Eber was the second child, born 17 Nov 1787. There was 22 years difference between the two siblings.

I don't have a great deal of time invested in the research of this line. Much of it was found already researched. I did do the research that made the connection of my Phebe Hodge with the earlier Hodge family, but now I really want to delve into these ancestors and learn as much as I can.

Thank you to the producers of the show for the production of an interesting episode. I hope the next episodes live up to the high standard set.

Fearless Females - Prompt 4 & 5

2010-03-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

Daily blogging prompts entitled Fearless Females created by Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog in honor of Women’s History Month.

Prompt 4 - Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

Prompt 5 - How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?

This is the marriage certificate for my paternal gtgtgdparents, Henry Stephen Archer Sr and Elizabeth Hurt Smith dated 21st day of February, 1856, Tishomingo county, Mississippi. I have no family stories about this couple, but I know from my research the bride's family were active in the Baptist religion. Joshua Smith, father of Elizabeth, was a preacher, her uncle James Anderson Smith was a preacher and her uncle Wesley Smith was a preacher. Her new husband, Henry Stephen Archer became a Baptist minister, although his parents were supposedly Methodist. I believe this couple met through their church.

Fearless Females - March 2: The Wise Women

2010-03-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

These are the Wise Women of my family.

In the front in the middle, the oldest woman, is Mary Dunn Wise, my gt gt gdmother.

Directly to her left and behind her is I think, her daughter Mary Elizabeth Wise Orme, based on family resemblance.

To her right, at her shoulder is a gddaughter, perhaps Effie Bell Moffitt.

In the back row, to her right is Sarah Loranz Wise, her daughter-in-law, my gt gdmother and mother of Genevieve Wise mentioned below.

In the front row, second to the left and tallest woman is my gt aunt Genevieve Wise.

I believe the other women are daughter-in-laws and granddaughters but I am not able to identify them.

This picture was taken sometime in the summer, probably 1914, in Clarinda, Page county, Iowa.

Mary Dunn Wise was born 9 Feb 1829 and died 6 Mar 1915.

Fearless Females - In Honor of Women's History Month

2010-03-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Katherine Juanita Johnston

I never met Katherine Johnston Archer my paternal grandmother. My parents divorced before I was born and my mother refused to let me have any contact with my father. As an adult, I corresponded with him and learned something about his family. From him I learned Katherine had nine children starting in 1912 and ending in 1936; 24 years of pregnancy, breastfeeding and diapers. I learned Katherine separated from her husband for three years, taking the children and returning to her parents in Memphis, Tennessee. According to my father, “too many children” was the reason for her early death in 1940 at only 43 years of age.

I wonder how the loss of a mother at such a young age affects the development of the children and the dynamics of the family. Were the grandparents, the grandmother especially, the surrogate mother? Did the grandparents resent the father for the toll he took on their daughter? Did the older children take the responsibility of raising the younger? I remember my mother telling me about having two of the youngest siblings, teenagers at the time, living with her and my father right after their marriage and how hard that was for her. Perhaps the loss so early bound their family together tightly, but hampered the development of new family relationships.

Catherine’s photo above, perhaps her wedding photo, presents the image of a refined, beautiful, perhaps well-to-do young woman with her hair up, a pearl necklace and a beautiful taffeta silk dress. Her Irish heritage shows in her beautiful complexion or maybe that is the excitement of her wedding. What happened to her after her wedding? Where is she in 1920 and 1930? The family seems to have disappeared, swallowed by the poverty caused by the depression. One day soon I hope to be able to post the answer to these questions; to honor Katherine and her ultimate sacrifice.

Check back tomorrow for the next installment of Fearless Females.

Surname Saturday - Archer's of North Carolina and Mississippi

2010-02-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

My Archer line from North Carolina to Mississippi. Henry Stephen Archer Sr shown here was a baptist minister from Methodist parents. He preached throughout Mississippi and Louisiana from 1860 to 1909 at his death. He was in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy enlisting in Mississippi.

Henry Stephen1 Archer Sr, b. 2 May 1831 Mecklenburg, NC, d. 13 Jun 1909 MS

+Elizabeth Hurt1 Smith, b. 3 Aug 1832 Lauderdale, AL, m. 21 Feb 1856 Tishomingo co, MS, d. 5 Jan 1887 MS

William Joshua2 Archer, b. 20 Nov 1856 Prentiss co, MS, d. 7 Apr 1862 Wilkinson, MS
James Graves2 Archer, b. 21 Sep 1858 Wilkinson, MS
+Fannie2Alexander, b. circa 1862 MS, m. 9 May 1888 Prentiss, MS

Joseph A3 Archer, b. Feb 1889 Wilkinson co, MS
James Henry3 Archer, b. 7 Aug 1890 Prentiss co, MS
Fannie E3 (Bessie) Archer, b. May 1892 Prentiss co, MS
Clayton3 Archer, b. Oct 1893 Prentiss co, MS
Mattie V3 Archer, b. 1901 Prentiss co, MS

Henry Stephen Archer Jr grew up in Wilkinson county, MS. He was a rider on a Plantation and then became a shopkeeper in Centreville, MS.

Henry Stephen2 Archer Jr, b. 1 Oct 1860 TN, d. 19 Oct 1938 MS
+Elizabeth Hannah2 Tilton, b. 28 Feb 1869 LA, m. 23 Dec 1886 Wilkinson, MS, d. 19 Oct 1947 MS

Ora Mae3 Archer, b. 2 Oct 1887 Wilkinson, MS, d. 22 Feb 1981 MS
+Louis Leroy3Davis, b. circa 1885, m. 11 Sep 1910 MS, d. Nov 1910

.Louis Leroy4 Davis Jr, b. 29 Jun 1911
+Georgia Rae4 Brumfield, b. 30 Mar 1911 MS, m. 10 Jul 1932 MS

Louis Leroy5 Davis III, b. 3 Nov 1933 MS
+Sandra Ann5 Laperouse, m. 19 Sep 1963 TX
Esther Kathryn5 Davis, b. 9 Jan 1936 MS
+Gerald Staton5 Culver, m. 28 Jun 1957 TX

+James Patrick3 Marsalis, b. 14 Apr 1883, m. 21 Jan 1914 MS, d. 25 Jan 1958 MS

Thomas Henry4 Marsalis, b. 18 Oct 1914, d. 27 Feb 1970
+Mary Blanche4 Rogers, b. 26 Oct 1916 LA, m. 26 Oct 1936 TX

James Patrick4 Marsalis Jr, b. 18 May 1917 MS
+Lucille4 Robins, b. 14 Apr 1916 LA, m. 6 Apr 1938 MS

Henry Joshua3 Archer Sr, b. 25 Mar 1889 Wilkinson, MS, d. 1953 IL
+Katherine Juanita3 Johnston, b. 12 Sep 1895 Shelby co, TN, m. circa 1911 Shelby, TN, d. 1940 MS

Henry Joshua4 Archer Jr, b. circa 1912 TN, d. circa 1920 TN
Dorothy Ruth4 Archer, b. circa 1914 TN
Harry Stephen4 Archer, b. 19 Apr 1917 TN, d. 22 Mar 1991 OH
+Dorothy Marie4 Wise, b. 13 Jun 1920 IA, m. 15 Dec 1945, d. 8 May 1990 AZ

Henry Joshua5 Archer, b. 14 Apr 1947 MI
Albert Vernon5 Archer, b. 12 Aug 1948 MI
+Phylis5 Unk
Jo Lee5 Archer, b. 7 Jan 1952 MI
+Gene William5 Arnspiger, b. 12 Oct 1948 Cook co, IL, m. 8 Jul 1970 NV

+unknown spouse
+Cathy4 ?, m. 14 Jul 1979 OH
Katherine Elizabeth4 Archer, b. circa 1919 TN
Henryette Johnston4 Archer, b. 12 Sep 1922 MS
+Roger4 Bell
Juanita4 Archer, b. circa 1923 MS
Alice4 Archer, b. circa 1928 MS
John Sidney4 Archer, b. circa 1933 MS
Patricia Anne4 Archer, b. circa 1936 MS

Lydia Elizabeth3 Archer, b. 1 Sep 1891 Wilkinson, MS
+Julio B3 Robinson, m. 26 Sep 1912 Wilkinson co, MS
Ruth Lenore3 Archer, b. 23 Jan 1893 Wilkinson, MS, d. Jan 1984 MS
+Edgar Daniel3 Shaifer, b. 25 Jan 1889 Clairborne, MS, m. 26 Jan 1919 MS, d. 8 Oct 1946 MS
John Edward3 Archer, b. 3 Jun 1895 Wilkinson, MS
+Olivia Louise3 Hughes, b. 29 May 1912 LA, m. 3 Jun 1936 MS

John Edward4 Archer Jr, b. 27 Jan 1940 MS
+Kathleen4 Fasullo, b. 26 Sep 1948 LA, m. 25 Jun 1970 LA

John Edward5 Archer III, b. 21 Apr 1971 LA
Glenny Louise4 Archer, b. 29 Mar 1945 MS
+Kenneth B4 Valentine, b. 18 Mar 1936, m. 12 Apr 1975 LA

Dorothy Earl3 Archer, b. 17 Feb 1902 MS, d. 2 Feb 2000 LA
+Anthony Benjamin3 Daniels Jr, m. 5 May 1923 LA

Anthony Benjamin4 Daniels Jr, b. 9 Jul 1924 MS
+Mary Frances4 Coakley, b. 2 Oct 1925 County Cork, Ireland, m. 4 Jul 1954 NY

Timothy Archer5 Daniels, b. 4 Jul 1955 Venezuela
Erin Dorothy5 Daniels, b. 15 Dec 1956 LA
Kerry Mae5 Daniels, b. 24 Apr 1962 LA

Dorothy Elizabeth4 Daniels, b. 1 Nov 1925 MS
+Robert Jefferson4 Abbott, b. 2 Dec 1925, m. 5 May 1950 LA, d. 21 Jun 1961

Anne Archer5 Abbott, b. 3 Sep 1951 LA
+Earl Harry5 Spiece, m. 25 Jun 1977 VA
Lynn Rogers5 Abbott, b. 7 Apr 1955 LA

+John Kenneth4 Pickens, m. 17 Apr 1970 MS, d. 15 Nov 1976 VA

Robert Stephen3 Archer Sr, b. 2 Sep 1907 MS, d. 25 Oct 1977 CA
+Mary Anne3 LeMay, b. 13 Mar 1908 NY, m. 4 Jun 1934 PA

Vivian Ruth4 Archer, b. 15 Jan 1938 MT
+Thomas Arden4 Kirckof, b. 23 Mar 1938 MN, m. 1966 NV
Robert Stephen4 Archer Jr, b. 11 Apr 1939 MT
+Arlene Ann4 Medeiros, b. 27 Feb 1938 Honolulu, HI, m. Nov 1959 CA

Nancy Agnes3 Archer, b. 17 Nov 1910 MS, d. 2 Sep 1989
+George William3 Conn, b. 23 Oct 1897 Lawrence, MS, m. 19 Jan 1930 MS

Nancy Evelyn4 Conn, b. 3 Jan 1933 MS
+Robert Sidney4 Steele, b. 20 Mar 1931 AR, m. 18 Jun 1952 Fort Bend, TX

Barbara Ann5 Steele, b. 16 Dec 1952 TX
+Eduardo Francisco5 Flores, b. 8 Jun 1948 Fulton, OH, m. 2 Dec 1978 TX
Will Hayden5 Steele, b. 24 Feb 1954 GA
+Nancy Denise5 Dethloff, b. 10 Sep 1954 GA, m. 24 Oct 1975 Walker, TX
Robert Sterling5 Steele, b. 15 Nov 1955 AK

+James Sterling3 Allen, b. 20 Sep 1914 TX, m. 6 Sep 1942 AZ
+Jerome Reginald3 Oslund, b. 26 Apr 1907 Hamilton, IA, m. 21 Jun 1967 TX

Jacob V. Johnson2 Archer, b. 1 Oct 1860 Murfreesboro, TN, d. 18 Apr 1862 Wilkinson, MS
Nancy Ellen2 Archer, b. 9 Nov 1865 Wilkinson, MS
Ella E2 Archer, b. 1867 MS
+Argles P2 Geter, m. 23 May 1889 Wilkinson co, MS
Samuel S2 Archer, b. circa 1870 Wilkinson, MS
+Saluda2 Chapman, m. 7 Sep 1893 Wilkinson co, MS
John W.2 Archer, b. circa 1872 Wilkinson, MS
Edna Earl2 Archer, b. Apr 1873 NC

R. C.1 Gayle, b. Jul 1839 MS, m. circa 1890 Wilkinson, MS

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy = Challenge 8 Online Maps

2010-02-26T16:26:00.000-08:00

Arizona Online Map Collections:

Arizona Route 66 - The site, Road Wanderer, is dedicated to “lost byways, historic highways and legendary journeys” of an earlier age and contains many fun things to check out but I will be talking about the map of Route 66 today. Spend some time reading about the history of Route 66 then as author, Guy Randall says “buckle up” for a cyber tour with the interactive map. The author states initially his plan was to document the “vanished road” that was Route 66, in California and Arizona, but morphed into a discovery and documentary of the entire length of Route 66. There are wonderful old pictures and descriptions of the towns along the way. Each section of Route 66 is divided by state and the cyber tour takes the reader to all different areas of the map just by clicking. Words don’t do justice. If you are at all interested in the history of this route or the small towns along it’s route, I highly recommend visiting this site. Author and Web Design – Guy Randall.

Sharlott Hall Museum – Yavapai County Historical Society maps and Arizona Memory Project. - The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona provides wonderful historical events as well as an extensive research facility. The grounds and building of the Museum are the original first territorial Governor’s residence which was restored by Sharlot M. Hall (1870-1943), Arizona’s first territorial historian. Just in checking the map holdings I found maps from as early as 1778 which was a Spanish ethnographic map of the southwest. There are plat maps of Prescott, numerous railroad maps, road maps, geographic maps and mining operation maps. The online presence displays the maps at a low to medium resolution depending on the map, but for reasonable prices you can purchase maps of interest in various formats from a print to a cd to an emailed image. Some of the maps show the different proposed boundaries of the territories of the west in 1859, which is very different from what we have today. Anyone doing research in this part of the country should check out Sharlot Hall Museum Research/Archives.

Cline Library – The Northern Arizona University private collection apparently has quite an extensive map collection in their archives, but there were only a few displayed online.

Livingston County Michigan Historical and Genealogical Project website created and maintained by Pam Rietsch – 1895 Rand McNally New World Atlas. This website has extremely high resolution scans of pages from the above atlas for all the states. Definitely a wonderful resource for state maps and county maps of 1895. There are several other interesting items on this site but I’ll let you explore on your own. One other map link on the Livingston co, Michigan website is for maps scanned and uploaded to the internet by Miss Roelof Oddens. I did not have a chance to explore the site too much, but it appears to be very comprehensive with many OLD maps, especially of Europe.

My last item of interest is Map History/History of Cartography: THE Gateway to the Subject . The link to US maps is here. This is as it says, a gateway to other sites on the internet with map images. The site provides indexes and links to numerous sites with maps on the web. Take a cup of tea and spend some quality time checking out this site and its links.

I hope I have given you something new to look at that will help in your family research and understanding of our country's history. I sure have found some new things for myself. Looking forward to the next challenge for 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy.

The Games Are Done - Medals Earned

2010-02-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed participating in the 2010 Winter GB Games. As a first time competitor I am extremely satisfied with my performance. I will continue to practice the skills I learned and train more intensely for those categories I fell short in.

So here are my totals and the medals I earned:
Category 1 Go Back and Cite Your Sources: 52 sources as well as creating the source type in TMG to match EE - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 2 - Back Up Your Data - I didn't earn any medals in this category, although I regularly back up my genealogy software to an external drive, that is not all of my data so I don't think that counts. I will definately be training on this through the next couple of months.

Category 3 - Organize Your Research - I completed Task A, B, and D - medal earned GOLD

Category 4 - Expand Your Knowledge - I completed all five tasks - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 5 - Write, Write, Write - I completed Tasks B, C, D, E and F - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 6 - Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness - I completed Task A, B, E, F and G. Task E (Participate in an indexing project) I am pretty excited about this. I was visting my local FHL when I spotted a flyer about a Boy Scout trying to earn a "Family Search Indexing Eagle Project badge." He is asking for volunteers and needs 20 new people. It is a four week project. So I Volunteered. I figured two birds with one stone, right? Helping him and completing a task. Medal earned PLATINUM

Total medals earned - 4 Platinum and 1 Gold

Thanks again to Tom and others who sponsor these fun and useful events.

Winter 2010 GB Games Update

2010-02-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have been busy working on my Sources and Citations. I have now completed 52 citations, all of them consistent with EE and previewed to be sure they will display properly in my software, TMG. This has been the most challenging event, but well worth the effort. I have reached PLATINUM in this category.

In category 2, Back Up Your Data, I have completed two tasks and am at Silver. In category 3, Organize Your Research, I have completed three tasks and am at Gold. In category 4, Expand Your Knowledge, I have completed four tasks and am at Diamond. In category 5, I have completed all five tasks and have earned another PLATINUM medal. In category 6, I have completed three tasks and am at Gold.

With only four more days left, I am on target for my goals. I am working toward completion of one more task in category 4 to earn my third PLATINUM medal. I will be attending my local historical society meeting on Saturday so I am hoping I will have an opportunity to perform some Random Act of Genealogical Kindness and move up in the standings for category 6.

Winter 2010 GB Games Medal Update

2010-02-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a week since the GB Games began. Again, I would like to say what a great idea this is; making something that could be tedious, fun. Kudos to Geneabloggers. Ok, for my updates.
Cat 1 - I am up to 31 sources cited, based on EE and creating some custom Source Types in TMG to accomodate this. That puts me at a Gold medal.
Cat 3 - Task B completed. That puts me at a Silver medal.
Cat 4 - Task A and Task E completed (see my word cloud in the right column), combined with previously completed Task B, I now am at a Gold
Cat 5 - I have completed all five Tasks and have earned the Platinum Medal :)
Cat 6 - I have completed Task A and Task G and am at a Silver.

Hoping I will be able to complete my goal of Platinum in all categories.

Minerva Louise Favorite 1 April 1830 - 2 Feb 1890

2010-02-18T13:50:00.001-08:00

My 2nd gtgdmother on my mother's maternal side is Minerva Favorite. She has been one of those ancestors who is so elusive, you just about think you've caught her and then away she goes, lost in the records of the past. Minerva seems to keep reaching out to me, asking me to tell her story, so let me tell it here.

Minerva was born in Baltimore, Maryland on 1 April 1832, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Kuhn Favorite. She was christened in Graceham, Frederick county, Maryland on 9 June 1830. Sometime in 1832 another daughter, Sarah Catherine was born. Then something happened to this young family. I'm not sure what, except that the two young sisters apparently were separated from each other when very young. A letter written in 1883 from Sarah addressed to Minerva as "Sister" talks about how unfortunate it was they were separated at such a young age and did not develop a "sisterly bond". In the 1840 census of Frederick county, neither Joseph Favorite nor Sarah Favorite can be found. By the 1850 census Minerva is found living with Eliza Nickum and her daughter Margaret Nickum who later is referred to as a cousin of Minerva's. It appears the parents of these two young girls, Minerva and Sarah died, leaving them alone in the world. It also appears the girls were fostered out to family members, although I have found no evidence in the court records. A marriage record again from the Family Record in the family bible states the marriage between Minerva and John Milton Douglass of Mercer county, PA took place 23 Jan 1855. Minerva must have been so happy to finally have a family she could call her own. A husband to love and protect her, with the expectation of children to love and cherish. The family bible provides the births of two children in Pennsylvania and then by 1860 the family has moved to Ottumwa, Iowa. Three more children are born between 1860 and 1866. In the midst of the turmoil of the Civil War, I image that Minerva remains content. She has her family; her children, a husband, a new home in a new town. But disaster looms. By 1871, Minerva has lost two of her children and her husband to consumption. She is again alone in the world with only herself to count on. She must be strong for her remaining children, but how unfair must she have thought her life. First to never know the love of her parents and then to lose the love of her husband and children. She did not give in to the fates however, as she lived another 20 years, raised her remaining children, provided for herself and saw the birth of two grandchildren.

I believe our ancestors watch over those of us who try to remember them and I hope Minerva realizes how much I appreciate her sacrifice and her life. Without her I would not be here. Thank you Minerva for your strength.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 7

2010-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Google Maps - Wow do I love this application. I recently had the opportunity for a first time ever trip to the Northeast US. I am a west coast gal, through and through but have always wanted to visit the East. I used Google Maps extensively to plot our two week trip through Rhode Island, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut. I used it to find the old cemeteries I wanted to visit, the historical societies I wanted to visit and the roads we needed to travel. But now I want to try to use it to view the places my parents lived and the places their parents lived. It works pretty well for that but some of the more rural areas don't have the greatest resolution. Hold on, there is a new kid on the block, well not that new but maybe new to some of you. Google Earth. It is much like Google Maps, except it is an application you have to download to your computer. But man oh man is it worth it. You can get down to ground level, just like you are driving your car down the roads of the WORLD. Not just the US, but the whole world. How great is that. I am still learning about it thanks to Lisa Louise Cooke and her very interesting session during the recent Mesa Family History Expo.

There is a wonderful option to overlay old maps onto the present day map on Google Earth, using the Rumsey Historical Map collection. Lisa has hinted at the ability to use your own maps for this same functionality but I'm still working on how to do that. Many of my areas of interest are much more rural areas with no maps available through Rumsey but I'm hoping I'll be able to figure this out. Yeah, I found where you can overlay your own maps. This will definately need some more play time. Check either one of these options out. They will be very useful in visualizing your ancestors migration or just movement within a state. In my case my gtgdparents were in Red Oak, Creston, Clarinda, and Vilisca, Iowa. It might sound like they did a lot of moving, however after looking at the maps, those towns are all within about a 60 mile area.

Take some time and go exploring with Google Maps and Google Earth. You will be amazed at what you can see.

Another great option is to create a migration pattern map using Google Earth. You input the different places your ancestors were and the map draws the migration lines for you. Again, still working on fine tuning this, but what a great visual tool.

2010 Winter Games - Day 3

2010-02-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have been busy researching and reading about how to actually cite my sources properly utilizing the tools in my software, TMG and EE. I knew there was a reason why I hadn't done this before. It requires concentration and attention to detail. However, I am on a roll now and my goal is to reach a Platinum medal in this category.

To date :
Category 1 - Cite Your Sources, I have a Bronze medal - included in that citing of 10 sources, was the creation of two custom source types in TMG to properly reflect EE protocols. Whew :)

Category 2 - No progress yet.

Category 3 - Organize Your Research - I have also earned a Bronze medal by completing Task A, but I was on a roll and instituted a new filing system and organized 64 couples family folders. Yippee!! This filing system is color coded and I went one step further and utilized the sames colors in my software. There are five colors, color 1 for myself, my parents and their parents for a total of five couples. Then color 2 is for my father's paternal gdparents; color 3 is for my father's maternal gdparents; color 4 is for my mother's paternal gdparents and color 5 is for my mother's maternal gdparents. I had to make a visual rendition to keep it straight but with the color coding in TMG also, it is much easier to determine who is my direct ancestor. Learned a couple of new tricks in TMG during this endeavor also.

Category 4 - Expand Your Knowledge - I haven't completed any more yet, but I am researching about Google Maps and Google Earth to complete that task.

Category 5 Write, Write, Write - I completed Task E by creating a PAGE on my blog, utilizing the instructions from Blogger Announces a New Pages Features. I imported a graphic of a five generation pedigree chart from my TMG software including pictures. I also completed Task E by signing up for the CYRabbit Carnival which included making a new blog, Dust to Dust GYRabbitt. I applied for Membership into the Association of Graveyard Rabbits which is necessary to participate in the GYRabbitt Carnival. So I have earned a Silver Medal for Category 5

Category 6 Reach Out & Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness- I hadn't initially thought I could compete in this category but I am going for the Platinum in all of these categories so I am throwing caution to the wind and going for it. I completed Task A by commenting on We Tree and Task G by following a new blog, Wild Rhododendron

So for a tally at Day 3, I am at Bronze level in three categories and Silver level in 2. Thanks to GB Winter Games 2010 for helping me get these tasks done.

Expand Your Knowledge - TimeToast Timeline

2010-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

I was able to create the timeline at TimeToast quite easily. The rollovers and other graphics are nice. However, I was not able to have the timeline "embeded" in my blog post here. Not sure if it is blogger, me or TimeToast. Hopefully the link will work. Click here to see my timeline.

I would like it better if I didn't have to go to the TimeToast site. Something to look into further.

Winter 2010 Geneablogger Games

2010-02-12T23:29:00.000-08:00

I always wanted to be in the Olympics. In high school I thought I could be an Olympic diver. When my daughter excelled at Ballroom dancing, I hoped I would see her dance in the Olympics. Thanks to genealogy and Geneablogger, I have made it to the Olympics.

My categories of competition will be 1) Go Back and Cite Your Sources; 3) Organize Your Research; 4) Expand Your Knowledge and 5) Write, Write, Write.

My goal for category 1 is to earn a Platinum Medal. My goal for category 3 is to earn a Gold Medal. My goal for category 4 is to earn a Gold Medal. My goal for category 5 is to win a Platinum Medal.

Let the GAMES begin. We will all be WINNERS.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Challenge #5 Using WorldCat

2010-02-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

I have used WorldCat in the past and I have find books my local library doesn't have. I have found books I would like to read but they usually seem to be non-circulating books so I can't utilize Inter Library Loan to get my hands on them. However, after playing around with WorldCat and also visiting my local junior college library with our local genealogical society, which was Challenge #4 I think, I learned I can also get many of the journals, quarterlies and newsletters published by major genealogical associations. Actually, you apparently don't get the entire journal or quarterly. You simply get a photocopy of the article you are interested in. How great is that?? I have just today ordered several different articles from the APG Quarterly. It will take a couple weeks to get the articles but I'm good with that. So, when you find reference to an article in a journal or quarterly that is not available in your local library, use WorldCat and IIL and you can then see the actual article and add it to your own collection.

My Favorite Census

2010-02-04T21:25:00.000-08:00

NARAtions is asking what is my favorite census? I love the 1850 census. This is the first census where I can see the entire family without having to theorize who an individual is. This is the first census I might have a clue as to the maiden name of the wife because of the elderly woman living in the household with a different surname. Doesn't tell me for sure, but oh what an intriguing clue to now be able to follow. The 1850 census can give me a birthdate, at least a year, when before I may have only had a 10 year span. I really like the 1850 census. It's my favorite.

Follow Friday – Online Resources for Mid Maryland

2010-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

I have a brick wall…as we all do. Mine is Joseph Favourite from Frederick county, Maryland. He lived and died in the difficult time period, as far as records are concerned, between the end of the revolutionary war and the 1850 census. I live in Arizona, so travelling to the records repositories on the East Coast to search these original records is difficult for me. About six weeks ago I found a goldmine online; two actually. Those are what I want to share on this Follow Friday posting.

The first is a website, MidMdRoots at http://midmdroots.com/ . This site is created and maintained by Dorinda Davis Shepley. The areas of interest in Maryland are Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties mainly. The site is very well organized and labeled, so finding her resources is extremely easy. Ms. Shepley has included some very useful external links to area historical societies, online newspaper abstracts, area museum websites and other places of interest in the area. There is user submitted information on surnames, cemetery transcriptions and photo galleries. The really wonderful information for me however was her transcriptions of the Frederick county Equity Court Records. Equity Court Records were initiated to resolve a case “equitably” for those involved. It seems to be mostly in connection with estates and probates. In my case, Christian Kuhn died with a will and codicil all in order. However he named an executor to sell his land and distribute the proceeds to his children (all named by the way). The problem apparently arose when the executor renounced his duties. No provision was made in the Will for this. Without an executor, the land could not be sold. Suit was brought in the Equity court to resolved the issue by requesting a Trustee to sell the property and report to the court, at which time the legatees received their disbursement. So the record of this case provided me the father of my ancestor, Sarah Kuhn, wife of my brick wall Joseph Favorite. It also provided me a few more tidbits about Joseph. But Ms. Shepley’s website provided everything I needed to find the original of this information at the Maryland Archives site. I was able to read and download in pdf the entire Equity court case which was twenty pages. For anyone looking for uncommon court records this is definitely a site to check out.

The second website is also a Maryland resource. It is the Maryland Digital Image Retrieval System for Maryland Land Records. The url is http://mdlandrec.net/ . This online resource provides modern day land records as many sites do, but in addition, it provides access to early land records as well. The site is free, but users must submit an application and receive a user name and password via email. This takes a few days to receive your login information but then you have access to these early land records. For Frederick county, the records start in 1748; for Baltimore county, 1653; for Prince George county, 1696; for Carroll county, 1837 and for Washington county, 1776. There is a Users Guide to help with the site and I would recommend reading it. There are indexes to the different record books and with the information from the index you can get to the Original Record. Land records can provide so much information to the genealogist in determining family connections, the opportunity to have access to these original records is incredible.

I hope these two resources will help someone who is researching in Mid Maryland. They certainly helped me.

Paul Ernspiger/Arnspiger ca b 1750 – d 18 July 1822 Part 1 Lancaster County PA

2009-09-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

My husband’s 4th gt-gd-father was Paul Ernstberger. Paul was probably the 6th child and 4th son of Georg Heinrich Ernstberger and Maria Magdalena Raush of Strasburg and Donegal townships in Lancaster county Pennsylvania. Georg was the immigrant ancestor who had arrived in Philadelphia in 1737 aboard the ship Charming Nancy. What follows is my imagined story of his life with as much reality as possible. I have many pertinent facts about Paul, and as a family historian and genealogist that is important, but also I think it is important to visualize the individual’s life. To try to understand possible motivations and character traits by the record left behind. His life certainly would be nothing like our lives today. Yet in some respects it would be the same. He would love his parents, be teased by his older sister, resent chores and school. So I have tried to share my thoughts about those aspects of Paul’s life in this narrative.

Paul’s first several years were spent in Strasburg township, a small village, home to perhaps thirty families over a 10,000 acre tract of land. His home was probably built by his father with logs cleared from his 99 acres. Most dwellings at that time had thatched roofs and clay plastered walls. The help of his neighbors would have been needed as this was a young family with no older boys to help. Below are two examples of typical log cabins. The one on the left is dated about 1720. The one on the right built about 1752. The first has not been restored while the second one has been restored.

Paul and his family only stayed in Strasburg township for three or four years. In 1751, Georg sold his land in Strasburg and acquired 225 acres of land in Donegal township which is situated in northwestern Lancaster county. Whether this land had an existing cabin is unknown. From records, my guess is there was not an existing dwelling. In February of 1751 a new brother had been added to the family, George Henry Erntberger. I try to imagine the move considering the following elements. First, food would be needed for the trip and to provide for the family in their new home. There were no restaurants or grocery stores. Everything they needed to survive, they had to provide themselves. Next, transportation would be required. The huge Conestoga wagons were utilized, packed with all their worldly goods and food and family. Four to six head of oxen were required to haul the wagon. Did Paul’s father own the wagon? Probably, as a “Plantation Wagon” is listed in his estate inventory. Now comes the really difficult part; seven young children, the oldest 11, the youngest about 6 months required care and supervision before during and after the move. So probably from Paul’s perspective this was all very exciting and a grand adventure. From his mother’s perspective I imagine it was a nightmare. With the finalization of the sale in July of 1751, my impression is that Georg Ernstberger was ready to go and perhaps felt like Paul; this would be another grand adventure. The distance is not that great from one point to the other, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 miles. It would have taken somewhere between three to five days to complete the trip depending on the road conditions with the Conestoga wagons making between 10-12 miles a day.

In Lancaster county, the years 1753-1756 were bustling with military activity because of French and British land disputes in the Upper Ohio Valley. Virginia’s Lt Governor sent Major George Washington with a small expedition to order the removal of troops from the French forts from Lake Erie to present day Pittsburg, in late 1753. The French refused to comply, prompting the Virginia legislature to declare the refusal a hostile act of war. In the northern parts of the county however, the days were full of farm work. For the young Ernstberger family, new fields had been cleared and planted, crops harvested and stored, pens built for the hogs, and chicken coops built for the poultry. Fences had been raised and the several head of horses grazed in the pastures. Young Paul and his brothers helped with the chores by collecting the eggs, feeding the hogs and perhaps even helping with milking of the cows. Paul’s days would be filled with both responsibility and adventure as the beautiful rolling hills of his family’s home were his playground.

Just three years later, in 1754, Georg died, leaving Paul and his siblings are without a father. What a blow to the dreams of Magdalena. How was she to survive and provide for her family without her husband? Within a year of Georg’s death, Paul had a step-father, Christian Fuchs. It seems the second marriage helped keep the family together on the “plantation” in Donegal as records show Magdalena and Christian selling some of the land but remain on most of it and paying taxes. Paul and his brothers each named one of their sons Christian or Christopher. Even though it was a common name during the time period I like to think these sons were named out of love and respect for the step-father, Christian.

In 1768, Paul received his inheritance from his father’s estate. The exact amount is not known, but by my calculations it would have been at the very least about 23 pounds silver. That would equate to about $2800. Perhaps this is what he used to finance his westward migration across the Allegany mountains to Bedford county, Pennsylvania in 1773.

Below is a picture of the general area of the Ernstberger land in Strasburg township, Lancaster county, Pa taken in 2003.

Paul Pratt Jr. 11 Sept 1807 (8 Sept 1812) – 17 Mar 1896

2009-09-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

My 3rd gt-gd-father on my maternal side is Paul Pratt Jr. Paul was the 12th child born into a family of 14 children. His mother, Lydia Gates, was the second wife of his father, Paul Pratt Sr. His father was “one of the sturdy Massachusetts ‘minute-men’ who rushed from ‘every Middlesex village and farm’ when Paul Revere made his famous ride, and did valiant service in defense of his country at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill. He was a farmer, following the occupation which had been pursued in the same locality by many successive generations of his ancestors.” 1 Paul’s father died in 1829 while he was still considered a child (age 17). He is listed in the Weston, MA court records regarding the assignment of a guardian to him and his other younger siblings.

Paul married Caroline Adams Woodward in 1837, although no marriage record has been found. She was from Oxford, MA and perhaps the marriage took place there. She had previously married Chauncey Woodward on 12 April 1836. He died within the year. Apparently shortly after the marriage the young couple moved to New York, the whereabouts unknown. Their first child, Adeline Pratt was born there in 1838. Actually census records indicate Vermont. No record of her birth has been found. Paul and Caroline returned to Weston, MA in late 1838. In 1839 the decision was made to GO WEST. “At that date, having married, he determined to seek his fortune in the West, and started for Chicago. He traveled by stage as far as Albany, thence by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes to this port. He located on the same ground where he now resides in Evanston, and engaged in farming and gardening; he also cut considerable timber, which he rafted at the lake shore and floated to Chicago. A large share of the timber which entered into the construction of the first Government pier was furnished by him. His brother, George, was drowned while assisting in this work.

When he first arrived in Chicago the only means of crossing the river was by a ferry-boat, by which a single team was transported at each trip. In the spring of the year the country roads were often so miry that it was impossible to drive a team into town, and he was often obliged to leave the oxen at the present location of Lincoln Park and carry his flour and other provisions to that point. Even in the present precincts of Evanston the roads were sometimes impassable, but he improved them to some extent by cutting brush and placing it across the way, thereby forming a rude corduroy. Some of this material is still found by workmen making excavations for street improvements. Mr. Pratt made a squatter’s claim to a large tract of land, including the site of the North-western University, and when this land was surveyed and offered for sale he purchased it from the United States Government, paying $1.25 per acre. There were but two houses within the present limits of the city of Evanston when he located there. These were occupied by the Colvin and Hathaway families, both of whom long since removed from that locality. With those exceptions, his only neighbors were Indians and French traders. He built a log house at the present intersection of Ridge Avenue and Leon Street. Ten years later this was replaced by a small frame dwelling, which still stands there. Another source of income to Mr. Pratt was charcoal, of which he burned a considerable quantity and sold it in the Chicago market.” 1 His son-in-law, Louis Leonhardt was listed as a coal salesman in the 1870 census. Perhaps Paul got into this endeavor because of him or perhaps he helped Louis into it. Either way they apparently made a good living from it as well as the farming.

In 1859, according to his biographical sketch “he went to Pike’s Peak, spending eight weeks in crossing the plains from Kansas City with ox-teams. There was not a house on the site of the present city of Denver at that time. Not finding the prospects for miners encouraging, he returned to Evanston after a few weeks. “1

Paul lived to be 90 years old. He spent the majority of his adult life in the Evanston, Illinois area. There are streets named after his family. He owned the land where Northwestern University now stands. His cabin and later his house were located at the corner of Leon and Ridge Ave in Evanston. I try to image the changes he saw in his lifetime; from 1839 when he, his wife and young daughter arrived in Grosse Pointe through the Erie canal; where his cabin was one of only three cabins in what would become Evanston; to the horror of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; to the rebuilding of Chicago for the next 25 years. He and his wife, Caroline were truly western pioneers. They left the comfort, civilization and family of Massachusetts for the unknown but limitless possibilities of the western frontier. I wonder if they ever regretted coming so far? When his brother, George died in 1839 while floating logs down the Chicago river I wonder if there were thoughts of returning to Massachusetts? I think perhaps his journey in 1859 further west to Colorado may have been his wanderlust coming back. Maybe there was something better further west. Apparently he felt where he was was better than what he saw.

I am most proud of my heritage from this man and his wife.

The picture above was found in the book, Evanstoniana, an informal history of its families and architecture.

Sources:
1 Album of Genealogy and Biography, Cook County, Illinois with Portraits 3rd ed. revised and extended(Chicago: Calumet Book & Engraving Co., 1895), pp. 61-62

Mary Flagg b 2 Feb 1683-4

2009-09-05T00:08:00.000-07:00

Mary Flagg is the oldest woman in my family born in February. She was born February 2, 1683-4 in Woburn, MA. She was the eighth child and third daughter born to Gershom and Hannah Leppingham Flagg.

It is important to note that 1690 was the start of the French and Indian wars beginning with King William’s War which was from 1690-1697. This was a terrifying and dangerous time for the colonists of the New World. The French had allied themselves with the Indians and encouraged them to attack the English settlements. There were atrocities, including massacres of entire villages on both sides.

Gershom Flagg, was a tanner and had his tannery in the town center of Woburn, MA. He was also a lieutenent in King William’s war. He was a member of Capt Wiswall’s company and was killed by Indians at Wheelwrights Pond or Lamprey River in what is now Lee, NH, 6 July of 1690.

Mary was only 7 years old at the time. Her mother, Hannah was left with 6 children under 16 years of age.

On Dec 10, 1696, Hannah married widower Ensign Israel Walker, whose wife, Susannah, had died in 1694. He had five children from that marriage. Mary was 11 years old by this time and was certainly expected to help her mother with many of the chores. With Hannah’s 2nd marriage, Mary now had a step father.
At the age of 31, Mary married John Adams, 27 Oct 1714 in Middlesex county, MA. John was five years younger than Mary, born 2 Sept 1688 in Waltham, Middlesex co, MA. This seems a little unusual, especially Mary’s age. Perhaps as one of the youngest daughters she remained with her widowed mother.

Mary and John had 10 children, all born in Lexington, Middlesex co, MA. Records indicate she died 21 July 1786 in Watertown, MA. She lived to be 103 years old. John died 18 May 1774.

I am related to Mary Flagg in two ways. First she is my 6th maternal gt grandmother and secondly she is a 1st cousin 8 times removed again on the maternal side. Her relationship to my children is 7th maternal gt grandmother and 1st cousin 9 times removed.

The picture above is a representation of what Mary may have dressed like.

Stories I Want to Write

2009-09-01T14:39:00.001-07:00

I have so many stories in my head about my ancestors. I have been researching these people for many, many years. I have accumulated a large amount of data but I also have discovered and imagined their stories. This blog will be my vehicle to share their stories with others or just for myself.