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!

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,

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?

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!

This is the Face of Genealogy

Abram Gooding Mauzy
1825-1905
2d Great-Grandfather

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.