Brothers and Sisters
The Moore Family of Madison County, Indiana
Seated, l-r: Lethia Moore Warner, Julia Moore Wright,
Jane Moore DeHority, Mat Moore.
Standing, l-r: Joseph Moore, Will Moore, Tom Moore
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wordless Wednesday (Almost)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tombstone Tuesday: Kentucky Trails, part 2
Perhaps this is unusual for the Tombstone Tuesday theme, but, in the end, it really is about a tombstone.
Day 3 of the Kentucky adventure (see: Kentucky Trails, part 1) was a day off from research. DH had spent 3 days driving and sitting (and driving and sitting), so we planned a visit to Mammoth Cave, about 2 hours south of where we were in Frankfort. Lots of hiking, impressive cave formations, truly a welcome change of pace.
The plan for our last day was to spend two or three hours at the Kentucky Historical Society library, and then drive two or three hours toward home. I was still hoping for something “special” to take home from this trip. I had collected documentation for several marriages, a couple of wills, sorted through the surname folders, and started on county histories. My plan was to make copies of some land records to take home and study later, and look through the online card catalogue for anything I might have missed.
At about 1:30, while waiting for my DH to return from a tour of the old capitol building, I began to browse through the Bourbon County shelf. One book caught my eye. It was produced by the Bourbon County Genealogy Society and was a record of old graves, many of which were on private land.
There was a listing for 4g-grandfather David Jameson, not a picture, but a transcription of who was with him, his wife Hannah, a previously unknown daughter Susanna, a John Jameson SR, and 3 infant children of his son Wesley that were also previously unknown to me. The grave was located on a farm in Paris, KY, and the address was also noted.
Here was a find! I wondered if I could locate the grave. Paris was (more or less) on the way home. We packed ourselves up and headed for the car and the GPS. An hour and a half later we were watching a threatening sky and making our way down one of those 2 lane, 55 mph, ditches on both sides country roads, looking for the farm.
We had no trouble finding the address, a lovely farmhouse surrounded by acres of pasture, some with cows grazing in the late afternoon. I knocked on the farmhouse door, but no one was home. In fact, it looked from the cobwebs as if no one really lived there. Maybe you could see the graves from the road? No luck here. I really didn’t want to trespass on someone’s land, besides there was just too much land there.
I was pretty disappointed, and not quite sure what to do next. DH pointed out that there was a little bobcat tractor on the property, and it was almost 5:00, maybe someone might come home from work. He tilted his seat back to take a nap, but I wasn’t very hopeful.
Not 10 minutes later, a truck turned into the driveway. Oh my goodness, maybe we would have some luck after all! A wonderful gentleman, Mr. Clemmons, with two kids in the back, rolled down his window. I told him why we were here and asked if he knew of any graves on the property. It turned out he did! It wasn’t his land, but he took care of it for the owner. Bless his heart, he offered to unhook the trailer from the back, let us pile in the truck and ride out where the tombstone was! It was a good thing he did…we went through several gates and fields before reaching the right one. We would never have found it without him.
And there they were, just as described. Behind a barbed wire fence,next to a stout young tree, amongst a lot of brush, the final resting place for David and Hannah Jameson. The inscriptions on the 4-sided obelisk were:
This was the prize. This made the trip special, one of those moments when I am sure the ancestors are leading me. David and Hannah had been whispering this whole trip… in the records that I found….in the decision to spend half of the last day back at the library….in the last source checked that identified the grave….in Mr. Clemmons’ decision to bring the mower to the farm at exactly that moment.
Maybe it is all in my imagination. Then again, maybe it’s not….
Day 3 of the Kentucky adventure (see: Kentucky Trails, part 1) was a day off from research. DH had spent 3 days driving and sitting (and driving and sitting), so we planned a visit to Mammoth Cave, about 2 hours south of where we were in Frankfort. Lots of hiking, impressive cave formations, truly a welcome change of pace.
The plan for our last day was to spend two or three hours at the Kentucky Historical Society library, and then drive two or three hours toward home. I was still hoping for something “special” to take home from this trip. I had collected documentation for several marriages, a couple of wills, sorted through the surname folders, and started on county histories. My plan was to make copies of some land records to take home and study later, and look through the online card catalogue for anything I might have missed.
At about 1:30, while waiting for my DH to return from a tour of the old capitol building, I began to browse through the Bourbon County shelf. One book caught my eye. It was produced by the Bourbon County Genealogy Society and was a record of old graves, many of which were on private land.
There was a listing for 4g-grandfather David Jameson, not a picture, but a transcription of who was with him, his wife Hannah, a previously unknown daughter Susanna, a John Jameson SR, and 3 infant children of his son Wesley that were also previously unknown to me. The grave was located on a farm in Paris, KY, and the address was also noted.
Here was a find! I wondered if I could locate the grave. Paris was (more or less) on the way home. We packed ourselves up and headed for the car and the GPS. An hour and a half later we were watching a threatening sky and making our way down one of those 2 lane, 55 mph, ditches on both sides country roads, looking for the farm.
We had no trouble finding the address, a lovely farmhouse surrounded by acres of pasture, some with cows grazing in the late afternoon. I knocked on the farmhouse door, but no one was home. In fact, it looked from the cobwebs as if no one really lived there. Maybe you could see the graves from the road? No luck here. I really didn’t want to trespass on someone’s land, besides there was just too much land there.
I was pretty disappointed, and not quite sure what to do next. DH pointed out that there was a little bobcat tractor on the property, and it was almost 5:00, maybe someone might come home from work. He tilted his seat back to take a nap, but I wasn’t very hopeful.
Not 10 minutes later, a truck turned into the driveway. Oh my goodness, maybe we would have some luck after all! A wonderful gentleman, Mr. Clemmons, with two kids in the back, rolled down his window. I told him why we were here and asked if he knew of any graves on the property. It turned out he did! It wasn’t his land, but he took care of it for the owner. Bless his heart, he offered to unhook the trailer from the back, let us pile in the truck and ride out where the tombstone was! It was a good thing he did…we went through several gates and fields before reaching the right one. We would never have found it without him.
And there they were, just as described. Behind a barbed wire fence,next to a stout young tree, amongst a lot of brush, the final resting place for David and Hannah Jameson. The inscriptions on the 4-sided obelisk were:
David Jameson,died Jun 23, 1833, Aged 76 yrs.
Hannah,wife of David,died Aug 19, 1814, Aged 52 yrs
John Jameson Sen.,died Jan 5, 1824, aged 72 years
Susannah Jameson,died Apr 1, 1820, aged 24 years; daughter of David and Hannah
At thy feet lieth these three children of Wesley and Mary Jameson
David T. Jameson,died May 30, 1831, aged 2 months
Azubah K. Jameson,died Aug 12, 1833, aged 5 months
Jonathan R. Jameson,died Oct 11, 1834, aged 2 days
This was the prize. This made the trip special, one of those moments when I am sure the ancestors are leading me. David and Hannah had been whispering this whole trip… in the records that I found….in the decision to spend half of the last day back at the library….in the last source checked that identified the grave….in Mr. Clemmons’ decision to bring the mower to the farm at exactly that moment.
Maybe it is all in my imagination. Then again, maybe it’s not….
Monday, August 22, 2011
Kentucky Trails, part 1
My wonderful DH made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Would I like to spend a week doing research in Kentucky? You betcha! A number of my families came through Kentucky during the 1780-1840 time period, as part of the westward migration. There was so much to be documented, hints from the Ancestry trees to be proven. What a treat!
But, my people were stubbornly hiding. All that I know about my ggg-grandmother Susannah Huffman came from her obituary in 1899. She was “born near Kingsport, TN, in Hawkins County” and came with her brother to Indiana about 1836. A brief stop at the Kingsport Public Library provided few clues. I learned that Sullivan and Hawkins counties lost records to burning during “the late Unpleasantness”. I did find a few Huffmans in tax records that I hadn’t seen on census records, so they are saved for future reference.
Luck was better in Kentucky. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives sits atop a hill on the outskirts of Frankfort, looking very much like a fortress. Their microfilm collection yielded a few marriage records, but there weren’t many wills for my Walker, Carr, and Mauzy families. Probate records are my favorites when they appear. I didn’t find a likely candidate for Sallie Gooding’s father, nor Mary Reed. But, gggg-grandfather David Jameson left a lovely will naming his children. A lovely find! And also, there was a will left by a previously unknown (to me) brother Samuel 20 years earlier. So there was more family in Kentucky with him.
The next day took us to the beautiful Martin F. Schmidt Library at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, home to the resources of the Kentucky Historical Society. On their shelves was a volume of Mauzy research by Ben Mozee, someone I had communicated with many years ago. The early pages describing research into the Huguenot ancestor were definitely worth copying. Most of this day was spent combing the extensive surname files that include research contributions collected over years. Fairly common names like Carr and Walker certainly accumulated a lot of requests for research over the years, but nothing new on my folks. But here in the Jameson file is a copy of what appears to have been a Jameson family group newsletter, with a new clue! “Besides Andrew in Rockingham County records have shown the following: David, Samuel, and James Jamison. David and Samuel Jamison were the sons of Robert and Sarah (McKee) Jameson (see JN, June issue, 1992, page 630)…These two men along with a brother John resided for a short time in Augusta county, then later in Greenbrier co. now West Virginia before moving on to Kentucky.” This is my David! Well, you know I looked madly for “JN, June issue, 1992” in the Jameson file. Not there. Well, at least I have some more breadcrumbs to follow. The Jamesons were certainly speaking to me this trip!
But, my people were stubbornly hiding. All that I know about my ggg-grandmother Susannah Huffman came from her obituary in 1899. She was “born near Kingsport, TN, in Hawkins County” and came with her brother to Indiana about 1836. A brief stop at the Kingsport Public Library provided few clues. I learned that Sullivan and Hawkins counties lost records to burning during “the late Unpleasantness”. I did find a few Huffmans in tax records that I hadn’t seen on census records, so they are saved for future reference.
Luck was better in Kentucky. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives sits atop a hill on the outskirts of Frankfort, looking very much like a fortress. Their microfilm collection yielded a few marriage records, but there weren’t many wills for my Walker, Carr, and Mauzy families. Probate records are my favorites when they appear. I didn’t find a likely candidate for Sallie Gooding’s father, nor Mary Reed. But, gggg-grandfather David Jameson left a lovely will naming his children. A lovely find! And also, there was a will left by a previously unknown (to me) brother Samuel 20 years earlier. So there was more family in Kentucky with him.
The next day took us to the beautiful Martin F. Schmidt Library at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, home to the resources of the Kentucky Historical Society. On their shelves was a volume of Mauzy research by Ben Mozee, someone I had communicated with many years ago. The early pages describing research into the Huguenot ancestor were definitely worth copying. Most of this day was spent combing the extensive surname files that include research contributions collected over years. Fairly common names like Carr and Walker certainly accumulated a lot of requests for research over the years, but nothing new on my folks. But here in the Jameson file is a copy of what appears to have been a Jameson family group newsletter, with a new clue! “Besides Andrew in Rockingham County records have shown the following: David, Samuel, and James Jamison. David and Samuel Jamison were the sons of Robert and Sarah (McKee) Jameson (see JN, June issue, 1992, page 630)…These two men along with a brother John resided for a short time in Augusta county, then later in Greenbrier co. now West Virginia before moving on to Kentucky.” This is my David! Well, you know I looked madly for “JN, June issue, 1992” in the Jameson file. Not there. Well, at least I have some more breadcrumbs to follow. The Jamesons were certainly speaking to me this trip!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Message from Aunt Minerva
I will always remember yesterday as one of the golden days of my family research. I had decided to begin to look at one of my families who came through Kentucky as it was being settled. After learning the names of my 3rd great-grandparents, Harvey Werley Carr (1800-1870) and Elizabeth Wilson Walker (1798-1857), I had been able to find little else. I knew Grandfather Harvey’s father was a William Carr, who served in the Revolutionary War, but, since there was more than one, I couldn’t find anything else. And I knew nothing about Grandmother Elizabeth.
So, not having checked Google books yet, I crossed my fingers and entered “Harvey Werley Carr” + “Elizabeth Wilson Walker” (this rarely ever works). Lo, and behold! Top of the list is a free, full view, pdf book titled History of Walker Family, 1775-1916, by Minerva A. Carr Muir, published in 1916. Well, what have we here? The link takes me to an early page of the book that is largely blank, except, centered in the middle, is the following:
NO WAY!! THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!!!
Quickly, I downloaded the file before it disappeared, and settled down to read. Who is this Minerva? She is the youngest child of Grandfather Harvey and Grandmother Elizabeth, baby sister to my Grandfather Hueston. The first thing she taught me is that I have been spelling Grandfather’s name wrong! It isn’t Houston, like the city, it is Hueston, his grandmother’s maiden name. The book was “Began in December, 1892, finished in March, 1899, in her 60th year”.
What followed was a chronicle written by a woman intensely proud of her family. Her narrative gave me a view of the kind of people I can claim as ancestors.
Amelia (Forsythe) Walker: “After Mr. Walker died, in Ireland, his widow, Amelia Forsythe, with her three sons and two daughters, emigrated from the north of Dublin, Ireland, bordering on Scotland, to America, in 1775…Being of enterprising Protestant parentage, she purchased a farm on the Juniatta River, in Mifflin County, Pa….They were accompanied thither by their cousins, Henry Buchanan … Henry and his wife became the grandparents of President James Buchanan.”
William Walker and Margaret Elliott: “This good old grandmother, Margaret Elliott Walker, was known as the ‘Lady Bountiful’…She was a loving friend to the poor and needy…Every corner expected to break bread at her board and she never questioned whether he had come from palace or prison….It is no fiction to say they lived happily together, and are now treading the golden streets hand in hand.”
Harvey Werley Carr and Elizabeth Wilson Walker: “The names of Uncle Harvey and Aunt Betsey Carr…were widely known … Possessed of simple and frugal habits, coupled with a long life of industry, they acquired, solely by their own exertions, a large amount of this world’s goods. What others wasted in luxury and pride they husbanded and with sound and discriminating judgment invested in property. The world knew much of their public career and generous hearts.”
Minerva Carr Muir: “Minerva Muir was known to her nieces and nephews by the name of Aunt Ninnie. Every one of them knew they would always find a warm welcome when they came to see Aunt Ninnie, and there was scarcely a meal she did not set an extra plate at the table so that if one of them came the place (w)ould be ready.” (I wonder who wrote this?)
The pages are full of the children of each generation. There are stories of the good and the bad. Grandfather Harvey suffered beatings at the hands of his aunt and uncle after his mother died and he went to live with them. Uncle John Madison Carr was a brave Civil War soldier.
It is almost as if I can hear Aunt Minerva’s voice telling the pages, an intimate sharing of our history across time on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. I know it all needs research, but she has left quite a trail for me to follow. I’ve read about “miracles” in genealogy—help from beyond the veil, as the book says. I think this was one of them.
Thank you, Aunt Ninnie!
And thank you, Google books,
So, not having checked Google books yet, I crossed my fingers and entered “Harvey Werley Carr” + “Elizabeth Wilson Walker” (this rarely ever works). Lo, and behold! Top of the list is a free, full view, pdf book titled History of Walker Family, 1775-1916, by Minerva A. Carr Muir, published in 1916. Well, what have we here? The link takes me to an early page of the book that is largely blank, except, centered in the middle, is the following:
NO WAY!! THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!!!
Quickly, I downloaded the file before it disappeared, and settled down to read. Who is this Minerva? She is the youngest child of Grandfather Harvey and Grandmother Elizabeth, baby sister to my Grandfather Hueston. The first thing she taught me is that I have been spelling Grandfather’s name wrong! It isn’t Houston, like the city, it is Hueston, his grandmother’s maiden name. The book was “Began in December, 1892, finished in March, 1899, in her 60th year”.
What followed was a chronicle written by a woman intensely proud of her family. Her narrative gave me a view of the kind of people I can claim as ancestors.
Amelia (Forsythe) Walker: “After Mr. Walker died, in Ireland, his widow, Amelia Forsythe, with her three sons and two daughters, emigrated from the north of Dublin, Ireland, bordering on Scotland, to America, in 1775…Being of enterprising Protestant parentage, she purchased a farm on the Juniatta River, in Mifflin County, Pa….They were accompanied thither by their cousins, Henry Buchanan … Henry and his wife became the grandparents of President James Buchanan.”
William Walker and Margaret Elliott: “This good old grandmother, Margaret Elliott Walker, was known as the ‘Lady Bountiful’…She was a loving friend to the poor and needy…Every corner expected to break bread at her board and she never questioned whether he had come from palace or prison….It is no fiction to say they lived happily together, and are now treading the golden streets hand in hand.”
Harvey Werley Carr and Elizabeth Wilson Walker: “The names of Uncle Harvey and Aunt Betsey Carr…were widely known … Possessed of simple and frugal habits, coupled with a long life of industry, they acquired, solely by their own exertions, a large amount of this world’s goods. What others wasted in luxury and pride they husbanded and with sound and discriminating judgment invested in property. The world knew much of their public career and generous hearts.”
Minerva Carr Muir: “Minerva Muir was known to her nieces and nephews by the name of Aunt Ninnie. Every one of them knew they would always find a warm welcome when they came to see Aunt Ninnie, and there was scarcely a meal she did not set an extra plate at the table so that if one of them came the place (w)ould be ready.” (I wonder who wrote this?)
The pages are full of the children of each generation. There are stories of the good and the bad. Grandfather Harvey suffered beatings at the hands of his aunt and uncle after his mother died and he went to live with them. Uncle John Madison Carr was a brave Civil War soldier.
It is almost as if I can hear Aunt Minerva’s voice telling the pages, an intimate sharing of our history across time on a rainy Wednesday afternoon. I know it all needs research, but she has left quite a trail for me to follow. I’ve read about “miracles” in genealogy—help from beyond the veil, as the book says. I think this was one of them.
And thank you, Google books,
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Genealogy ADD
I’m usually a fairly focused person when I have a task to finish…except when Genealogy ADD sets in.
I have a trip coming up which might take me near the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. My Carr, Mauzy and Jameson families came through Kentucky in the late 1700-early 1800’s. Yesterday, I found myself with a couple of hours that I could spend putting together a list of objectives, if I do get the chance to visit. Sounds simple, no?
I opened up my Family Tree Maker file, and did a location report for Kentucky. I’ve done this before and should have known better. Somehow, in generating the report, the program seems to change random entries to Kentucky. I noticed this when my Henry Mauzy, who I “know” died in Virginia in 1804 now is listed as dying in Kentucky. Rats!! Now I have to fix this! Better go online and check my tree at Ancestry to mend the other….oh, look! There’s someone else with an ancestry for Henry Mauzy’s wife! But, wait, that birthday can’t be right. I wonder what the source is? Of course, it’s the dreaded “Family Data Collection”, described as
“The Family Data Collection - Individual Records database was created while gathering genealogical data for use in the study of human genetics and disease.“
which sounds to me like someone collected data online without doing much to verify whether it was true. When is a source not a source?
You know, maybe I can find something about the Mauzys on FamilySearch. Heading over there it occurs to me that I haven’t checked their entries for France, since this family descends from a Huguenot refugee. Lots of Mauzy births, but no hits. They were supposed to have married in England at some point, to a Connyers, let’s try England. I had no idea there were so many Connyers in England!
You know, GeneaNet has a lot of European sources. Let’s see what a Mauzy search brings. Lots of listings. Too bad a lot of them are in French….oh look, there were Mauzy families in Illinois! I wonder who? None have new information. I think they all memorized the same information about the Huguenot ancestor. Why, here’s a copy of the Arbutis, a University of Indiana student publication from the early 1900’s, and it mentions my grandmother, Mary Louise Mauzy! How cute! I should download that!
You know, I don’t know much about the Huguenots. There is a book here listing the Huguenot settlement in Virginia. What if I Google that? Well, now, there are a few sites on this topic. Why, there’s even a Huguenot Society of Virginia! Here are some interesting links.
You know, I’ve never been able to identify the ship that the early Mauzy came over on. I wonder if there is anything here?
Wait! What? It’s time to make dinner?
I have a trip coming up which might take me near the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. My Carr, Mauzy and Jameson families came through Kentucky in the late 1700-early 1800’s. Yesterday, I found myself with a couple of hours that I could spend putting together a list of objectives, if I do get the chance to visit. Sounds simple, no?
I opened up my Family Tree Maker file, and did a location report for Kentucky. I’ve done this before and should have known better. Somehow, in generating the report, the program seems to change random entries to Kentucky. I noticed this when my Henry Mauzy, who I “know” died in Virginia in 1804 now is listed as dying in Kentucky. Rats!! Now I have to fix this! Better go online and check my tree at Ancestry to mend the other….oh, look! There’s someone else with an ancestry for Henry Mauzy’s wife! But, wait, that birthday can’t be right. I wonder what the source is? Of course, it’s the dreaded “Family Data Collection”, described as
“The Family Data Collection - Individual Records database was created while gathering genealogical data for use in the study of human genetics and disease.“
which sounds to me like someone collected data online without doing much to verify whether it was true. When is a source not a source?
You know, maybe I can find something about the Mauzys on FamilySearch. Heading over there it occurs to me that I haven’t checked their entries for France, since this family descends from a Huguenot refugee. Lots of Mauzy births, but no hits. They were supposed to have married in England at some point, to a Connyers, let’s try England. I had no idea there were so many Connyers in England!
You know, GeneaNet has a lot of European sources. Let’s see what a Mauzy search brings. Lots of listings. Too bad a lot of them are in French….oh look, there were Mauzy families in Illinois! I wonder who? None have new information. I think they all memorized the same information about the Huguenot ancestor. Why, here’s a copy of the Arbutis, a University of Indiana student publication from the early 1900’s, and it mentions my grandmother, Mary Louise Mauzy! How cute! I should download that!
You know, I don’t know much about the Huguenots. There is a book here listing the Huguenot settlement in Virginia. What if I Google that? Well, now, there are a few sites on this topic. Why, there’s even a Huguenot Society of Virginia! Here are some interesting links.
You know, I’ve never been able to identify the ship that the early Mauzy came over on. I wonder if there is anything here?
Wait! What? It’s time to make dinner?
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wow!!
This is a special day. A few weeks ago, I decided to forge ahead and try to research my mother’s father, Adam Douglas (Dobrovolskis), born in Lithuania and arrived in the U.S. with his sister in 1914. I only had 2 documents that might be clues. But, they were in Lithuanian, or Russian, or something.
I joined the Lithuanian Rootsweb list many years ago, figuring that I might educate myself about Lithuanian history and research. Thanks to that list, there were a couple of consistent recommendations for researchers in Lithuania. Since traveling to Lithuania is not currently in my budget, I decided to try one of the researchers to see if there was any evidence that might be available. The remarkable Sigita agreed to undertake the research, and translated the papers, which were a birth record for one Casimir Dobrovolskis and a school record for my grandfather. It did give a starting point.
Tonight, a document arrived in my email box. It is a marriage record for Adam’s parents, which documents their marriage date, village AND THEIR PARENTS’ NAMES. I wish I could show you, but it is a .pdf and not a jpeg. But here is the translation:
Marriage Record of Jonas Dobrovolskis to
Petronele Urnikaite (Urnikas) on 1892 y .
On 16th of February, 1892 In Roman Catholic
church in Alsedžiai Rev.Juozas Dargužas, the
pastor of this church after triple announcements
blessed a matrimony of a peasant of Alsedžiai
vicinity 25 years old Jonas Dobrovolskis from
Šašaičiai village in Kalvarija parish ( he was a
son of Jonas Dobrovolskis and Pranciška
(Francis), nee Gintvainyte (Gintwojn) to a
peasant of the same vicinity 22 years old
Petronele Urnikaite from Platakiai village in
Alsedžiai parish (she was a daughter of
Kazimieras Urnikas and Ona, nee Labžintyte
(Labžintis). Witnesses were- Pranas Urbonas,
Julijonas Urnikas and others.
Translation from Russian language
Wow, indeed!
I joined the Lithuanian Rootsweb list many years ago, figuring that I might educate myself about Lithuanian history and research. Thanks to that list, there were a couple of consistent recommendations for researchers in Lithuania. Since traveling to Lithuania is not currently in my budget, I decided to try one of the researchers to see if there was any evidence that might be available. The remarkable Sigita agreed to undertake the research, and translated the papers, which were a birth record for one Casimir Dobrovolskis and a school record for my grandfather. It did give a starting point.
Tonight, a document arrived in my email box. It is a marriage record for Adam’s parents, which documents their marriage date, village AND THEIR PARENTS’ NAMES. I wish I could show you, but it is a .pdf and not a jpeg. But here is the translation:
Marriage Record of Jonas Dobrovolskis to
Petronele Urnikaite (Urnikas) on 1892 y .
On 16th of February, 1892 In Roman Catholic
church in Alsedžiai Rev.Juozas Dargužas, the
pastor of this church after triple announcements
blessed a matrimony of a peasant of Alsedžiai
vicinity 25 years old Jonas Dobrovolskis from
Šašaičiai village in Kalvarija parish ( he was a
son of Jonas Dobrovolskis and Pranciška
(Francis), nee Gintvainyte (Gintwojn) to a
peasant of the same vicinity 22 years old
Petronele Urnikaite from Platakiai village in
Alsedžiai parish (she was a daughter of
Kazimieras Urnikas and Ona, nee Labžintyte
(Labžintis). Witnesses were- Pranas Urbonas,
Julijonas Urnikas and others.
Translation from Russian language
Wow, indeed!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
My Private Forest
I call it the “Shaking Leaf Syndrome”. And I’m afraid it is killing trees.
I have enjoyed the “Who Do You Think You Are?” series as much as anyone. It is interesting to see the varied ancestries of famous people. But, they make it look so easy! And then, those commercials for Ancestry.com. “You don’t have to know what you are looking for, you just have to look!” Really? REALLY?!
I had hoped posting trees online at Ancestry would lead to exchanges of emails and information with other folks researching the same people. In the beginning, it did. I have ”met” some lovely folks and helped to advance their research and mine. Win-win.
But lately on Ancestry, people seem to just appropriate information that seems to be about their family without considering sources or possible conflicts. Pictures that have been posted are copied without so much as a “please” and “thank you”. When contacted, there is often no response and no move to correct errors. By then, the damage is done. Grafting branches willy-nilly from one tree to another creates some pretty bizarre mutations. And there doesn’t seem to be any way to halt the spread.
So, I’ve decided to privatize my trees. I’m hoping the names will appear in searches, but that people will have to contact me for the information or the pictures. I will gladly share, I just want to try to halt, or at least slow the spread of the “shaking leaf” blight.
I hope it works.
I have enjoyed the “Who Do You Think You Are?” series as much as anyone. It is interesting to see the varied ancestries of famous people. But, they make it look so easy! And then, those commercials for Ancestry.com. “You don’t have to know what you are looking for, you just have to look!” Really? REALLY?!
I had hoped posting trees online at Ancestry would lead to exchanges of emails and information with other folks researching the same people. In the beginning, it did. I have ”met” some lovely folks and helped to advance their research and mine. Win-win.
But lately on Ancestry, people seem to just appropriate information that seems to be about their family without considering sources or possible conflicts. Pictures that have been posted are copied without so much as a “please” and “thank you”. When contacted, there is often no response and no move to correct errors. By then, the damage is done. Grafting branches willy-nilly from one tree to another creates some pretty bizarre mutations. And there doesn’t seem to be any way to halt the spread.
So, I’ve decided to privatize my trees. I’m hoping the names will appear in searches, but that people will have to contact me for the information or the pictures. I will gladly share, I just want to try to halt, or at least slow the spread of the “shaking leaf” blight.
I hope it works.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Not Royal, But Pretty Special
With all the attention being paid to the royal wedding today, I'm guessing the topic of weddings will be very popular in the blogosphere. It has me thinking of a very special newspaper announcement of my grandparent's wedding that I found on a research trip to Indiana. You know I was thrilled! Today, I would only have to go to NewspaperArchive.com. Here is a transcription of the announcement. Cue Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera!
The Daily Republican, October 13, 1915:
Best wishes to all the happy couples this weekend!
The Daily Republican, October 13, 1915:
Miss Mary Louise Mauzy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Mauzy and George Hupp DeHority, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.C. DeHority of Elwood were married Tuesday evening at seven-thirty o'clock at the Mauzy home at 611 North Harrison Street. Many guests were present.
The ceremony was performed by the Rev. C.M. Yocum, pastor of the Main Street Christian church, before an immense bank of pink roses, and ferns studded with green cathedral candles, in the living room. The Episcopal ring service was used.
Colors of pink and green predominated in the very elaborate decorations. Pink roses and greenery were used in profusion and green potted plants were also a part of the decorative scheme. The bride's table was especially beautiful with feather fern suspended from the chandalier to the four corners of the table, forming a canopy when entwined with pink maline.
Leading the bridal Party were Wendell Wilkie of Elwod and Benjamin Hitz of Indianapolis, ribbon bearers, and following in order were the pastor; the bridegroom, Mr. DeHority, and his best man, Louis Mauzy, brother of the bride; Miss Erema Wilk and Miss Mary Louise Craig of this city, bridesmaids; Judith Mauzy, little daughter of Mr and Mrs. Hugh Mauzy, ring bearer; Miss Edith Wilk of this city, maid of honor; Mary Belle O'Brien of Elwood flower girl, and the bride and her father, who gave her away. Mrs. Florence Frazee Woodward san "All For You" and "At Dawning" just preceding the ceremony; Mrs. Hugh Mauzy playing the accompaniment. Maroni, an Indianapolis harpist, played the wedding march and a program of wedding music during the ceremony, as well as throughout the evening.
The bride's wedding gown was of white tulle over white charmuse, embroidered in pearls. She wore a veil and carried a bridal boquet of orchids and lilies of the valley.
The maid of honor was gowned in pale green taffeta. The bridesmaids were in dresses of pink silk net over pink silk. All three carried shower bouquets of sweetheart roses. The ring bearer and flower girl were dressed in white dresses.
Following the ceremony, light refreshments were served the guests.
Mr. and Mrs. DeHority left last night for their honeymoon trip to Chicago in an automobile, stopping over night in Elwood and will be at home in Elwood after December 1.
Mr. and Mrs. DeHority were both graduated at Indiana University and were students together there. Mrs. DeHority is a member of the Kappa Alphha Theta and the Psi Iota Xi sororities and Mr. DeHority is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
The guests from out of the city included Miss Lois Stewart of Sullivan, Miss Laura Lindley, Miss Irma Wyebacher, Mr ad Mrs. Carl Eveleigh and Benj. Hitz of Indianapolis, Mrs. Florence Frazee-Woodward of Covington, Ky. Miss Helene Whitesides and Ferd Strickler of Franklin, Miss Hallie Pilger of Anderson, Fred Durham of Muncie, Jolin Morris of Newcastle, Mr. and Mrs. Frank DeHority, Mrs. Arthur O'Brien and daughter Mary Belle, Wendell Wilkie and Mr and Mrs. C.C. DeHority, parents of the bridegroom, all of Elwood, Mrs Rose Kranier of Indianapolis, Mrs. George Becker of Richmond, Mr. and Mrs Ed DeHority and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph DeHority of Elwood, Mr. and Mrs S.B. Harding of Indianapolis, Mr. and Mrs. W.A. DeHority of Indiannapolis, Mrs. Anna Mauzy-Moore of Findley, Ohio, Mr. and Mrs. William Harding of Elwood, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Parry of Indianapolis, Miss Gladys Henley of Chicago, Ward Hackleman of Idianapolis, Mrs. Harold Mauzy of Gary and Mrs. St. Clair Parry of Indianapolis.
Best wishes to all the happy couples this weekend!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Spoiler alert: Who is Isaac Moore?
I have come to believe that every other male born in the 1700's was named Isaac Moore. I know my 4th great-grandfather was. I think I know from census records and local county histories of the late 1800's that he was born in Pennsylvania, birthed my 3d great-grandfather Thomas in Virginia, and died in Indiana in 1853. And he was married to Sarah UNK, of the dreaded UNK family.
I know that if I go online, at Ancestry or Rootsweb and elsewhere, there are people who will tell me who Sarah is, and, sometimes, who Isaac's parents were. I just wish they could tell me why, or at least enter into a discussion. Doesn't it just bug you when there are "facts" out there that you know might be wrong, and yet people are going to attach them to their tree and spread the virus of mis-information? Here is my take on couple that I have run across recently:
Spoiler #1: Isaac born in May of 1764 is the son of Andrew and Sarah Starr Moore of Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster County, PA. I think I know where this started. It is almost verbatim from what appears to be a Moore family newsletter that can be found online. It isn't sourced and there is no mention of where the information originated. As Randy Seaver is reminding us this week at Genea-Musings, sources can be wrong. Especially something like this which has no source. I can come up with a conflicting source, one of those lovely genealogies from the late 1800's that tried to name every descendant of a particular ancestor. The book is Ancestors and Descendants of Andrew Moore, 1612-1897, by John Andrew Moore Passemore, published 1897. Mr. Passemore says that Isaac, son of Andrew Moore and Sarah Starr of Sadsbury Twp., Lancaster County, PA married Lydia Wilson and is buried in Half Moon, PA. My grandfather is buried in Indiana. Perhaps one of these sources is right, but maybe not. And yet a number of folks on Ancestry and Rootsweb assert this connection. Wish I could find a source with a little "Moore" credibility.
Spoiler #2: Isaac is married to Sarah Starr Carrico. Apparently Sarah Starr is not only Isaac's mother, she is now his wife. I'm not sure where this comes from, except there is one researcher on Rootsweb who asked the question, "Is it Sarah Starr or Sarah Carrico?" Maybe someone thought "When in doubt, use them both!" So far, I can't find a record that supports either one. Census records do show a Carrico family living near the Moores, but there isn't a way of telling if this is the right Isaac Moore. Poking around the Virginia State Library site tells me there were at least 2 and maybe 3 Isaac Moores coming out of the Shenandoah Valley at this time. But I can't find a way to sort them out from here.
So I guess the search for Isaac will require a couple of road trips. Fortunately, I don't live very far from the state archives in Richmond, VA, or from the Shenandoah counties. Guess how I will spend my summer vacation!
Friday, April 22, 2011
I LOVE This Book
I suppose given all the recent blogging about monetizing, I should say up front that I am categorically not getting anything from this endorsement!
I've used FTM since it first came out. I loved the ease of entry, the chart options, the interface with Ancestry. I haven't always gotten the upgrades, usually letting a couple go by before making another investment. But with the recent upgrades, I've gotten the feeling that I wasn't understanding the program, or getting the most out of it. I know, there is a help file, but those are sort of like reading the dictionary. Not much fun. And it sometimes takes forever to find the right search parameters for what you want. So, I decided to buy this book.
I went right to chapter 9 and the discussion on setting up the web search (and no, this is not how I read mysteries!). The first thing I read is that the reason for the "shaky leaves" that look so exciting on commercials is that FTM does an online search EVERY TIME THE INTERNET CONNECTION IS AVAILABLE. I didn't know this! Could this be one reason it takes too long to connect? I don't know, but I definitely don't like things going on behind my back, so I turned that off right away. Bye, bye, shaky leaves.
Then, I thought I probably ought to read the book in the order it was written. So, I start into chapter 1, and one of the first things I learn is how to enter all my husband's French-Canadian ancestors with their "dit" names, like "Charron dit Ducharme". FTM displays these in the people list as "dit Ducharme", and listing them under "dit" mixes a lot of families up. Lo and behold, here on page 8, I find that putting backslashes around the whole last name results in a correct sort, and the backslash doesn't show up in the tree or the printouts. Who knew?
Not to give away too much, let me say I am really enjoying this book. I was able to get it used from Amazon and it has a permanent place next to my keyboard.
While on the subject of learning new things, Julie Cahill Tarr, over at GenBlog is blogging tips on using the Ancestry Search ("Search Strategies: Ancestry - Part 2"). I have taken away a couple of very good tips to improve my searches (I confess to beng a very bad searcher). Be sure to check it out.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Rip Van Winkle
Well, now I know what Rip Van Winkle must have felt like, at least in a small way. Opening the blog vault today, I am confronted by how much I learned, the online friends I've made, and how much I've forgotten.
Can it really be more than a year since my last post? Time certainly does fly!
Why so long? Lots of reasons. Frustrations with my various brick walls is probably the biggest. I have reached that difficult time period in the 1700's on most of my lines (except for my Lithuanians...I haven't had the nerve to tackle them!). You know the time when public records are scarce, church records, at least for the Methodists, seem rarer, and newspaper obits are few and far between.
Not that I haven't been trying. I took the big step (for me) of hiring some wonderful local researchers in Indiana and Delaware, to try to find parents for my James M. DeHority and Susanna Huffman. I got lots of interesting information about the Dehortys of Delaware, but nothing new on James. Susanna seems to have been born in Tennessee in 1816, according to her obituary, but it looks like this will take a road trip to research further.
And I have looked at other lines online, but there is a lot of unsourced fantasy out there, you know?
But, enough whining! Rolling up my sleeves, I'm ready to wade in again. Maybe that should have been "putting on my boots"? I've spent the last couple of days catching up on favorite blogs and trying to remember how to make a basic post. I've decided to focus on the piles of research and photos that I have, organizing, categorizing, and looking for things I've missed. Reading through all those magazines, clipping and tossing. That will keep me busy for awhile.
Why now? I guess today has gotten me a bit nostalgic.
Charles Mauzy DeHority (1916-2003)
and
Irene Geraldine Douglas (1922-1999)
April 19, 1948
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
Can it really be more than a year since my last post? Time certainly does fly!
Why so long? Lots of reasons. Frustrations with my various brick walls is probably the biggest. I have reached that difficult time period in the 1700's on most of my lines (except for my Lithuanians...I haven't had the nerve to tackle them!). You know the time when public records are scarce, church records, at least for the Methodists, seem rarer, and newspaper obits are few and far between.
Not that I haven't been trying. I took the big step (for me) of hiring some wonderful local researchers in Indiana and Delaware, to try to find parents for my James M. DeHority and Susanna Huffman. I got lots of interesting information about the Dehortys of Delaware, but nothing new on James. Susanna seems to have been born in Tennessee in 1816, according to her obituary, but it looks like this will take a road trip to research further.
And I have looked at other lines online, but there is a lot of unsourced fantasy out there, you know?
But, enough whining! Rolling up my sleeves, I'm ready to wade in again. Maybe that should have been "putting on my boots"? I've spent the last couple of days catching up on favorite blogs and trying to remember how to make a basic post. I've decided to focus on the piles of research and photos that I have, organizing, categorizing, and looking for things I've missed. Reading through all those magazines, clipping and tossing. That will keep me busy for awhile.
Why now? I guess today has gotten me a bit nostalgic.
and
Irene Geraldine Douglas (1922-1999)
April 19, 1948
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
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