Nolichucky Roots

Soldier Cousin - Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-15T07:42:00.000-06:00

This photograph is labeled Juraj Pereksta and was mailed to my family in the United States from Czechoslovakia in 1959. My grandmother had two nephews named Juraj Pereksta. I believe this is the son of her brother, Pytor, rather than the son of her brother Vasil.

The photo is undated. Should anyone have any input regarding the military uniform that might date this I'd be most grateful!

Juraj Pereksta Photograph; digital image, privately held by Susan Clark. 2006

1854 Medical School Graduation - Amanuensis Monday

2012-02-13T11:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

This is another transcription of a document from the papers of Maria Lee Palmer Smith (1844-1931), my husband's great-grandmother. It is a brief letter certifying the year of her late husband's graduation from medical school. Punctuation, format and spelling are retained from the original, though line breaks have been altered.

Jefferson Medical College

Office of the Dean Aug 5 1909

Mrs. F F Smith

Madame

Dr. Francis F. Smith graduated in the year 1854

Yours etc

Ross V Patterson

Sub Dean

Notes: Jefferson Medical College was founded in 1824. It is now part of Thomas Jefferson University. According to the University's website "(a)n infirmary to treat the poor was opened in 1824, and by 1844, Jefferson was providing patient beds over a shop at 10th and Sansom Streets." In the years before Smith attended medical advances included the use of anesthesia (1846) and the hypodermic syringe (1851). Smith's class of 270 men was the largest graduated to that date. Speaking at their graduation was the great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Franklin Bache.

While many of the men who graduated with Smith served in the Civil War, I have not found evidence that Smith was a military surgeon. However, he lived and practiced in Frederick, Maryland throughout the war and surely attended to soldiers wounded at the nearby battles - including Antietam. My mother-in-law speaks of her father (also a doctor) using his father's Civil War surgical tools to carve meat at their dining room table.

Sources:
Patterson, (Philadelphia, PA) to Maria L. Smith. Letter. 9 Aug 1909. Privately held. Frederick, MD. Published with permission.

Frederick B. Wagner, Jr., MD and J. Woodrow Savacool, MD, editors, Thomas Jefferson University - A chronological history and alumni directory, 1824-1990 PDF, Jefferson Digital Commons (http:/www.jdc.jefferson.edu: accessed 13 Feb 2012), Part I: Jefferson Medical College 1846-1854 (pages 55-88).

Slaves Named in 1815 Will of John Turner - A Friend of Friends Friday

2012-02-10T07:44:00.000-06:00

This is the part of a series of transcriptions and abstracts of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia during the summer of 2011. Nine slaves are bequeathed by name to the children of John Turner, who died in Fauquier County, VA between the 15th of May and the 26th of June, 1815.

In the name of God Amen, the 16th day of May 1815. I John Turner of Fauquier County, being in perfect memory, praise be to Almighty God for the same, yet recalling to mind the uncertainty of this life and the certainty of death. I do make and appoint this my last will and testament in form following. I therefore commit my soul to Almighty God, which gave me it, and my body to the earth to be buried after a decent and christian like manner according to the discrition of my executors hereafter named and as touching my worldy estate which it hath pleased Almighty God to bless me with in this life. I give devise and dispose of them in manner and form following, Viz. I therefore order that all my just debts and burial charges be fully paid and Satisfied before any part thereof is taken out of the hands and possessions of my executors hereafter named. First I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Elizabeth Turner all my real and personal Estate (after all) my just debts are paid during her natural life then to be divided in the manner and form following. I also give to my son Daniel Turner one negroe woman named Ruth. I also give to my Daughter Elizabeth Oliver, one negroe man named Jerry during her natural life then to belong to my grandson John Brown. I also give to my son John M. Turner one negroe named Lewis, one feather bed and one cow & Calf I also give to my Daughter Mary H. Turner one negroe woman named Mariah and ___ two children named Richard & Wilson and all the said Mariah's future increase and one feather bed one horse one Cow & Calf. I also give to my Daughter Hannah Smith, one negroe woman named Nancy & one named Susannah and there future increase to her during her natural life then to be equally divided among all her children. I also give to my Daughter Sally Brown one negroe Boy named Tom but to remain with my Daughter Mary H. Freeman until demanded and lastly all the residue of my real and personal Estate to be sold and the money equally divided among all my Children after all of my just debts are paid. I hereby appoint my friends Robert Green, Lewis Suddoth & Joseph Morgan my executors of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all other wills made by me. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written in the thirty fifth line the words the residue was interlined before signed.

Signed, sealed, published }
and declared by the above } his
named John Turner to be } John X Turner {seal}
his last will and testament } mark
in the presence of us who have }
hereunto subscribed our names }
As witnesses in the presence of }
the testator.
Joseph Boteler (sp?)
John Suddoth
Cosson B. May (sp?)

At a Court held for Fauquier County the 26th day of June 1815 This will was proven by the oaths of Joseph Boteler, John Suddoth and Cosson B. Day witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and on the motion of Robt. Green Lewis Suddoth and Joseph Morgan the Executors therein named who together with John Suddoth, Geo Eastham Jr & Inman Horner their securities who entered into and acknowledged bond in the penalaty of four thousand dollars conditioned as the law directs a certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate thereof in due form.
Teste Danl Withers CC

Notes: DNA tests suggest this Turner family is not related to the family of Edward Turner (d. 1805, Fauquier County), my 5th great-grandfather. This John Turner was also known as John Meridy Turner. For further information about this family see Gwen Boyer Bjorkman's The Descendants of John Meridy Turner (1747-1815) of Fauquier County, Virginia, (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1995).

Source: Fauquier, Virginia, Will Books, 6: 123-4, John Turner; Library of Virginia, Fauquier Reel 33.

Pining for a Pedigree Chart, Part 3 or What I Did

2012-02-08T12:10:00.001-06:00

Using the strategy of "translating" the HTML code that I wrote about in my last post I was able to achieve my goal of a pedigree chart interface on my yet to be born website. This is what I did.

In Legacy I created pedigree style web pages for a family group.

I chose to view the pages in my browser and selected a page to transfer to my website, making note of the file title.

I found the file in the Legacy file on my hard drive and chose to "Open With" a text file editor (in this case Notebook).

The opened text file contained the HTML code for the web page. I copied all of the text.

I opened my web site in Google Sites and chose to create a new page. I used the same name as the file for the page name (later on I'll go back and change names if I wish) and selected the basic Web Page template.

I selected the "Edit HTML Source" option and pasted the copied HTML code from the Legacy generated file. After closing the HTML Editor I was able to edit the page using the WYSIWYG editor.

I edited the page - heavily - and customized the pedigree chart, tailoring it to reflect my use of family group pages rather than individual pages.

Then I saved the page as a template, allowing me to use the design on any new page I choose.

I was so pleased with the result that I designed a template for a modified family group page and saved it as well.

The templates based on the Legacy pages can now be used to create new pages.

The process of creating the pages is still cumbersome. I can only do a page at a time and have to enter all the links myself, but I can do so on the pedigree chart or in the "Family" box giving me the graphic interface I wanted. It is surely not worth the effort if the goal is a site with a complete (though I know there's no such animal) family tree. In that case I would have to move to a different type of web site that allowed uploading of files or integration with a program like TNG. But for my purposes this works.

Pining for a Pedigree Chart, Part 2 or I don't speak HTML

2012-02-06T13:33:00.000-06:00

One of the benefits of using the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) sites like Blogger or Weebly is not needing to know HTML, the language used to format and create links on web pages. (Language is a key word here. We'll get back to it shortly.)

Conversely, these sites also limit what you can do. Generally each page must be created separately, links added individually. There are constraints regarding fonts and graphics. You cannot upload groups of linked pages created by a software program like Legacy. This hasn't created a problem for me as a blogger. I write an entry or two at a time. They're usually pretty free form and content driven.

The website I want to create, however, has many pages and a clear structure. There are pages with specific formats for individual biographies, for families, for locations, for events like the Civil War. Most of the information is coming from my genealogy software. The entire point of the site is the ability to easily move from page to page.

That's one of the reason's I got so fixated on the graphic pedigree chart at the top of the page. There are other reasons having to do with genetics and personality but that's another post.

Anyway, one of the key elements to my web design problem was that I don't "speak" HTML. It's a language, remember? But these sites do. And each of them has a built in translator. On Blogger there are two views when writing a post. "Compose" is the WYSIWYG editor. But if you select "HTML" you will see your post translated into HTML. On Google's Sites, which I'm using to build the website, the translator looks like this.

What this means for we non-speakers is that we have the ability to take something written in a language we don't understand (HTML) and translate it into something we can work with. I discovered this when I was entering data on WeRelate.org, the genealogy Wiki. I had trouble entering information (such a massive understatement) until I realized I could write what I wanted in Blogger and then copy and paste the HTML code from Blogger into WeRelate. HUGE timesaver.

This time I did the reverse. I copied the HTML code from the web page created by Legacy into Google Sites and edited using their WYSIWYG editor. For those who are interested I'll lay out each step in the next post.

There are many programs you can download that do the same thing and far more. If you Google "wysiwyg html editor" you'll get pages of links. This is a very low-tech, and pretty dumbed down approach. Just my speed.

Photo credit Some rights reserved by Nikita Kashner

Pining for a Pedigree Chart

2012-02-05T08:09:00.000-06:00

I'm "back" home after three days as a virtual RootsTech attendee. While not as tired as those who traveled to Salt Lake City and are now traveling home, my head is still spinning. My thanks to the hundreds of people (at least) who produced such an engaging and enlightening conference and allowed us to attend from afar.

After watching Laura Prescott's Publish Your Genealogy Online on Friday I spent much of the next day rethinking my approach to my nascent website (started in 2010 and still not live - surely the longest gestation period ever). My website focuses on several different family groups of 3 or 4 generations. I use a free site (great price) but have been so frustrated in my efforts include graphic layouts or reports generated by my software program, Legacy.

I hadn't considered Legacy's web design capabilities. But after Prescott's presentation, I looked again at one of my favorite sites, Linda McCauley's Linda's Family Tree. Much of her material was generated by Legacy. Linda has been generous with advice and information and I knew that her choice of self-hosted site, and the option of uploading Legacy's web pages, was not going to work for me.

But I really liked the way her pages link through the small pedigree charts. I went back to Legacy and began experimenting with it's web page styles. I produced examples of each, examined them on my browser, and found the format I'd admired on Linda's site - the Pedigree style.

I realized I could produce pages for only the small groups I was working with. The pages generated were not exactly what I wanted, but they were far closer than anything I'd come up with before.

But there I stalled. The free sites I've been working with do not, as in DO NOT, accept ftp uploads, the only way I could transfer the linked pages as a unit to a web site. And while there are some sites that do (RootsWeb), I need the WYSIWYG "webpages for dummies" interface that Google or Weebly have.
I know almost nothing about HTML, the language used in web page design.

I stewed on this for quite a while before accepting the easy route of using pages produced by my software was a no go. But I was still fixated on that little pedigree chart at the top of the page. Had to have it.

In the end, I got it. It's not the easiest solution - I still have to generate each page and all the links - but I have a template that works well. In my next post I'll share how I did it.

A Meditation on Grandmothers

2012-02-04T07:13:00.000-06:00

Even before my new grandson joined us - from the moment I learned of his existence - I pondered who I would be to this newest member of our family. Grandmother or Baba, as I called my grandmothers? Granny, as my children called my mother? Nannan, as they called my mother-in-law?

Grandmother, wishing once again that we'd fly right.

Grandmother was a force to be reckoned with. She was an elegant, articulate, Southern with a capital S woman. Adored by her children and adoring them, but with very strict notions of religion, propriety and society. Notions as silly as chiding her young granddaughters for waving at the soldiers in a convoy lumbering down East First North Street in Morristown, TN. Or as chilling as refusing to share a taxi home from the market with a black woman in the late 1960s. Or as saddening as her deep sigh upon learning I was engaged to marry a Roman Catholic.

Yet so much that I am comes directly from her - my love of books and reading, my penchant for men who are awful, awful punsters, my loves of history, genealogy, and opera. She was a devoted mother, as was her daughter, my mother. Visiting down home was a thrill when I was young, perhaps because Mother was so full of joy, or perhaps because of the wide open arms and smiles that greeted us when we pulled into her driveway after the long drive from Connecticut. She had wonderful things awaiting us - old sunbonnets and clothes to play dress ups, the complete Five Little Peppers series of books, perfumes and bath beads, and two drawers full of treats (toys in the dining room and candy in the kitchen). Even in college, when my friends and I pulled in for dinner on our way to New Orleans for spring break, she came flying out the back door with arms spread wide and plied us with food, coffee and sandwiches for the road. And yes, there was a gelatin salad.

Baba and two of her
granddaughters.

I always thought I'd be a Baba. I've identified with my Carpatho-Rusyn heritage my entire life, saw much more of Baba growing up than Grandmother, and had a much less complicated relationship with her. She exemplified the unconditional love I associate with grandmothering. I cherish the memories of dinner at her house, of shelling peas from her garden or teasing her about ironing the aluminum foil to reuse, of kneeling in the church yard with the Easter baskets to be blessed, of watching her brush her waist-length hair and feeling her brush mine.

I share her quick temper, her fierce devotion to her family. It is my constant prayer to share her faith and work ethic.

When Mother chose Granny as her moniker I was startled. I don't remember her using the word when talking about her own grandmothers, but she told us then it was what she called her paternal grandmother.

Granny and the rest of us on tour. Children's clothes by Granny.

Granny, like my own grandparents, was a long-distance grandmother. We laughed at and loved the clothes that rained down on the grandchildren. (I am already imitating this trait.) She adored being with the babies, rocked them for hours and loved to hear of each new accomplishment as they grew. We travelled together, toured and sat for hours on various beaches as sand castles were built and washed away. She made sure the grandchildren had their New York City adventures, times with their cousins and had a special room set aside for them at home in Connecticut.

She was a character, as well, slipping off when we visited to her very unfinished basement for a cigarette and glass of wine. Should one of the grandchildren go missing odds are he or she would be found perched on a lawn chair in the basement, next to the cobweb ladened bomb shelter their grandfather built at the height of the Cold War, working with Granny on a New York Times crossword puzzle, ringed in smoke and nibbling on the tic-tacs she'd share. It drove me mad.

She thought of each grandchild often, and in her last days spent time sharing her hopes for them with her husband and daughters. One of her final conversations with my young son involved her funeral, my funeral and a hawaiian shirt. Apparently there will be a pig roast when I die. She was irreverent, witty and lived life on her own terms. My children adored and adore her.

Nannan with her lap full.

Their Nannan almost defines grandmother. She rocked, listened, laughed, hugged or scolded as needed. Fussed over their meals, played countless card games (graduating from Go Fish to Bull___), toured aquariums and battlefields, saved bread for them to feed the ducks, proudly introduced them after mass, remembered every story about their childhoods (not to mention their father's and her own) and is still at it. She's now a very proud long-distance great-grandmother.

So which will I be? Probably a little of all of the above (the best parts, I pray). But I'm going by Granny these days. I'm still not sure why, except it felt the most comfortable.

A Welcome Addition

2012-02-02T07:06:00.000-06:00

My parents lived most of my life in the same house in Connecticut, and most of those years with the same next door neighbor, Mike. Mike and my father were friends with a twist. For years they played practical jokes on one another. Mother was more than startled to discover Mike's addition to her wreath one Christmas - the license plate begging to Let Me Tell You About My Grandchildren.

As to why this is germane in February - it isn't. I'm just late. In December our first grandchild was born. He is glorious, a complete masterpiece. All things a grandson should be, and more.

We have gazed at every toe (I get credit for those), lingered over every passing expression, oohed and aahhed over the slightest wave a hand. So far he seems to most resemble his maternal grandfather (no bad thing), arches his back and gazes like his father and my son (from under those same long lashes), has a voracious appetite (not sure who gets credit for that beyond his mom - there are plenty of candidates), and is according to his aunt, "Taking after his Mom.... a wiggle worm who always picked everything up quickly!" This last comment came after he learned to roll over at 7+ weeks.

In short we've spent hours discussing just how he fits into the family. I suspect he will carve his own place - as we all have. And I know we will be the richer for his presence.

112 years ago today....

2012-01-31T11:59:00.000-06:00

Today is the 112th anniversary of my grandmother Iva Williams Sawyer's birth. She lived a long life and we had many opportunities to celebrate together.

The last two milestone birthdays we gathered for were her 85th (a memorable, rowdy surprise party - all the greater because it was in the early spring when it was easier for us all to travel) and her 90th (a much quieter gathering with dinner at the Little Dutch).

She presents something of a challenge for me. Our relationship was complicated. But as I've looked through the pictures today it's clear how much she and her children cherished, loved and flat out enjoyed one another. That her grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to gather, love and enjoy one another is surely a testament to her and her girls.

Happy birthday, Grandmother. I'm grateful for all the years we had together.

The Home Place Brought Home

2012-01-26T12:58:00.000-06:00

Memories of my grandfather's Sawyer brothers and sisters are fixed in one spot - the farm house near the Nolichucky River their parents, Gee & Catherine Conway Sawyer built. As a girl I would sit on the floor or the porch steps as they rocked and laughed and told stories of long ago frolics. As I grew up we gathered there for weddings, birthdays, reunions and funerals. My children slept upstairs in the rooms the aunts and uncles had occupied 90 years earlier - probably in the same beds.

That house in Warrensburg is my home place - the spot were I feel most connected with my Tennessee family and history.

The family sold the house and farm after the last aunt died. Since then I've carried the home place with us as we've moved. Catherine's milk pitcher (filled with sea glass from Cape Cod) is in the living room. Gee's powder horn and shoe forms sit on the family room bookshelves. Quilts the aunts made are in the guest room.

But my favorite piece of my Sawyer home is the pie safe Catherine's father, Porter Conway, made for her when she was married in 1886. Aunt Mary Kathryn gave it to me a couple years before she died. Bless station wagons. I piled the luggage on the car seats with the children and put the safe in the back, wrapped in blankets. We drove home to Michigan where it sat in our family room filled with cookbooks and table linens. Today it's in our kitchen in Missouri. Someday it will be in my daughter's home.

It's a primitive oak cupboard and more than well used. No original patina here. It was painted, stained, stripped and repainted more times than I could ever count. The hinges were replaced when the doors fell off (ten children raiding a pie safe will do that) and fake wood knobs were added at some point. I hate them and keep meaning to replace them with something fun or funky. Odds are my daughter, like her great great-aunts Selma and Mary Kathryn, will paint it when it becomes hers. As she should. She remembers Mary Kathryn and while her memories and feelings about the home place are far different from mine, she still hears the Tennessee voices in her head.

Blasts from the Past - Tuesday's Tip

2012-01-24T12:13:00.001-06:00

I've been on a newspaper binge since revisiting Old Fulton NY Postcards over the weekend while playing with Caroline Pointer's too addictive 48 Hour Genealogy Ephemera Challenge (seriously fun, by the way). One thing led to another and four days later I'm still obsessed with the Binghamton Press of the 1920's, 30's and 40's.

I found an article about the citizenship course my grandfather was taking on the same page as three stories about the repeal of Prohibition. Another article about a cousin's junior high graduation below a story about the Lindbergh kidnapping. Talk about historical context!

The best part, however, has been sharing some of the articles with my senior relatives. I'm blessed that my father, uncle and aunt who were growing up during those days are tech savy. I've emailed them copies of articles and been delighted with their responses. Phone calls, lengthy emails, quick thumbs ups and thank yous have been coming in. They have shared memories - or the lack thereof - sparked by virtual clippings of property transfers, school performances, wedding announcements or church dances. And they're asking for more! It's been a grand way to spark dialog.

So, today's tip - act as a virtual clipping service for your relatives. Don't inundate them - one or two a week is more than enough. You may learn far more than you imagined!

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by ancient history

A Grave Concern - Amanuensis Monday

2012-01-23T15:29:00.000-06:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

This is another transcription of a document from the papers of Maria Lee Palmer Smith (1844-1931), my husband's great-grandmother. It is a letter from the men acting as her uncle Thomas Meredith's executors addressed to Maria's mother, Margaret Meredith Palmer. Punctuation, format and spelling are retained from the original, though line breaks have been altered.

Baltimore 31st March 1854

Mrs Margaret M. Palmer

Frederick Md Dear Madam

Your letter of the 28th inst

has been received -

In reply we would respectfully suggest, with your concurrence,

that Thursday the 20th April be fixed for the interment of the remains of your deceased husband.

As regards the remains of our most estimable friend Thomas

Meredith; as far as we can ascertain, we believe it is determining that they shall remain where they now are, in the vault of his brother in law Edward Jenkins.

If you should desire to be present, at the internment of

the remains of your late husband, the day and hour may be fixed with you, after your arrival in Baltimore

Very Respectfully

Wm Kennedy } Executors

MCourtney Jenkins } Thos. Meredith

Notes: This letter answered one question and posed so many more.

The family has long wondered what happened to the gravestone of James Palmer who died in 1847. We assumed he, like most of his family, was buried at Clifton in Kilmarnock, VA even though there was no stone.

One of my husband's cousins told me that Margaret's grave was "scanned" (I have no idea what technology was used) when the family put up a new marker to replace one that had eroded and that another, small unmarked grave was next to hers. They were hoping to find James' grave but decided the second grave was too small to be an adult.

After discovering a handwritten family record in Maria's papers I believe the small grave may be that of Maria and James' stillborn daughter. But James was a mystery.

From this letter, written a few months after her uncle Thomas Meredith's death, it seems James Palmer was buried in Baltimore in 1854 - more than six years after his death.

I do not know which cemetery the executors were referring to (on the to do list), but I strongly suspect it was a Catholic cemetery. The first one I will check is the one associated with Baltimore's new cathedral - a project Meredith actively supported. I also suspect the reason Palmer was not buried in Virginia was that there was no Catholic church or cemetery near his home at the time of his death.

Of course, the real question is where was James Palmer's body those six years?

Source: Kennedy & Jenkins, (Baltimore, MD) to Margaret M. Palmer. Letter. 31 Mar 1854. Privately held. Frederick, MD. Published with permission.

New Pereksta Information - Surname Saturday

2012-01-21T16:28:00.000-06:00

A brief Pereksta review (or an abundance of Georges)...

Most Perekstas in the United States descend from two men:

Ivan or Janos Pereksta (1857-1933) who was from Prislop in what's now far northeastern Slovakia. Four of his children (Mary, John, Sue and Anna) settled in the US.
George Pereksta (1878-1938) who was from either Prislop or nearby Starina. George and his wife Nellie ended up in the Cleveland, OH area.

While I assume there is a relationship, I have no idea what it might be other than George is not Ivan's son. (Ivan did have a brother George, however.) There are also other Perekstas from the same villages who settled here.

A George, another Anna and a William from Starina show up Danbury, CT in early 20th century census and immigration records. While the records suggested they were siblings, I did not know if CT George was the same man as OH George. For there are other Georges...

There is a George Pereksta enumerated in Pennsylvania in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 censuses. A George Pereksta traveled from Prislop to the U.S. with Ivan's daughter Mary Pereksta in 1901. There are at least three other immigration records for men named George Pereksta.

New information sheds some light...

Happily, a recently discovered obituary clarifies the Georges (some) and the family relationships. Anna Pereksta Pastorok (the Anna of the Danbury, CT records) died in Binghamton, NY on 27 May 1950. Her obituary names two surviving brothers - William Pereksta of Passaic, NJ and George Pereksta of Koppel, PA.

So there is another Pereksta family in the United States:

Anna Pereksta Pastorok (1870-1950) ended up in Binghamton, NY where Ivan's daughters lived. They called her tall Anna (which doesn't mean she was all that tall).
George Perekesta (1877-?) lived in PA. His last known address was in Koppel, PA.
William Pereksta (1880-?) lived in Passaic, NJ near to Ivan's son John.

These three are not children of the above Ivan, nor are they siblings of OH George. They all named Starina as their home in immigration records. For the moment I am calling them the Danbury/Starina Perekstas.

For the record, I am deliberately not including sources. Ornery I know. But I really, really, really want to communicate with descendants of any of these families. I promise I'll share. You just have to press the email link in the right column.

Will of Nicholas Currell (1801 Virginia) - A Friend of Friends Friday

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-06:00

My husband's 5th great-grandfather Nicholas Currell of Lancaster County, Virginia died in the spring of 1801 leaving a large estate. His will named most of the slaves he bequeathed to his children and grandchildren. Those men and women who already working at his son-in-law Thomas Lee's plantation were not named.

In the name of God amen. I Nicholas Currell of Lancaster county being sick and weak of body, but praise god of sound sense and memory and knowing the uncertainty of this life, and divine appointment for us mortals to die, do constitute and ordain this my last will and testament: first I give my soul to almighty god who gave it me, hoping through the merits of christ our saviour to find eternal rest with god, my body to the earth to be buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named, and as for what wordly goods it hath pleased God to bless me with I give and advise as follows viz:

I give and devise to my son James Currell my Kentuckey land to him and heirs forever also the following negroes, Patty and all her children, Kendall, Spencer Hanna, Rachael, Richard and Lettice and their increase forever.

I give and bequeath to my son in law Thomas Lee all the negroes that he has in his possession that formerly belonged to me, forever

I give and bequeath to my daughter Ann Ball the following negroes viz Oliver, Sarah Lavinia, Susanna, Eliza, Patty, Hiram, Ailce, Henry, Mariner, Spencer and Samuel, Henry, Daniel, Fielding, David and Agatha and their increase forever
also 1 of the best feather bed, and furniture 1 pied cow and calf 1 yoke of steers my gray horse, five silver table spoons & 1 case with bottles and 1 silver headed cane, forever,

I give and bequeath to my grand daughter Margaret Steptoe Lawson the following negroes viz: Robin Solomon and Sarah, 1 of the best beds and furniture 1 mare the second choice of a yoke of steers forever

I give and bequeath to my grand daughter Ann Currell Lee, the following negroes viz. William, Thomas and Henry, and 1 horse colt to her heirs forever

I give and bequeath to my grand daughter Margaret Steptoe Ball one negroe girl named Mary and her increase forever

It is my desire that my three old negroes named Hannar, James and Esther be free, and in case they should not be able to maintain themselves they shall be maintained out of my estate

I give and bequeath to Jane White Ford 1 heifer

All the rest of my estate not before given in three parts, one to my son one to my daughter and the other to my two grand daughters, Margaret Steptoe Lawson, and Ann Currell Lee after my Just debts are paid

And I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint my two sons in law Joseph Ball and Thomas Lee and Capt. Henry C. Lawson my executors of this my last will and testament. I hereby revoke all my former wills.

In witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this sixth day of May and of our lord one thousand eight hundred and one
Signed sealed and acknowledged his
in presence of Geo. Ford Nicholas {X} Currell [seal]
Henry Lawson mark
Lawson Hathaway

At a court held for the county of Lancaster on the 15th day of June 1801, This last will and testament of Nicholas Currell deceased was proved by the oath of George Ford, Henry Lawson and Lawson Hathaway the witnessses thereto and ordered to be recorded --

Teste
James Towles cler

Notes: Currell's will has been abstracted and those abstracts appear in on-line family trees and message boards. The abstracts suggest that Jane White Ford was a granddaughter and that Henry Lawson was a son-in-law. Henry Lawson was, in fact, married to Currell's granddaughter Margaret Steptoe (Lee) Lawson. I am unsure who Jane White Ford was (I suspect a goddaughter), but since the other granddaughters were clearly indicated, and her inheritance was so much smaller than the others, I believe she was not Currell's granddaughter.

The will makes clear that Currell's wife, Margaret Steptoe Lawson Currell and daughter, Elizabeth Currell Lee had already died.

Source: Lancaster, Virginia, Will Books, 28: 49-50, Nicholas Currell; Library of Virginia, Lancaster Reel 21.

Happy Birthday Sis!

2012-01-19T04:53:00.005-06:00

There'll be just a few more spanks today.

2012-01-17T22:39:00.000-06:00

Slaves named in 1862 Guardian's Record - A Friend of Friends Friday

2012-01-13T16:41:00.000-06:00

Last summer, while researching at the Library of Virginia, I copied several documents reporting financial accounting by guardians to various county courts. The documents recorded details about expenses paid for the orphans, including medical care, clothing and education, that were of interest. The documents also included income statements.

For some children their primary income came from renting out slaves inherited from their parent(s). This was the case for my husband's great-grandmother, Maria Lee Palmer and her brother, John T. A. Palmer. The following list of slaves, together with the names of the Northumberland and Lancaster County, Virginia men or women who paid for their services in 1862, is from an accounting dated 15 November 1862 and recorded in the Northumberland County Court on 9 February 1863.

[in left margin] 1862, July 1st ~ Nov. 15
Principal
By balance brought Forward $2940.03
By rent of Clifton 2/3 for 1892 to Jas Hurst $300.00
" Hire of Negroes for 1862 viz:
Spencer to E O Robinson 4500
B___ick to J B James 5500
Nancy to R Rose 1200
Vilette to Wm C Currell 4000
Warren to Thos Borum 6000
Mary to R E Beane 2500
Dick to A L Carter 2000
Paulina to P Towles 4000
Jed to Tho B Payne 6000
Letty to A L Carter 3000
Winnie to Mrs Meredith 0000
Daniel to Mrs Wilder 1500
Rachael to Wm L Stakes 4000
Polly to C C Flowers 2000
Anna to C C Dunton 1000
Gary to Mrs. Shearman 0000
772 00
Maria L entitled to half 386 00 386.00
By Interest on $2940.03 due July 1st 1862 to }
this time Nov 15 1862 } 66.15
By Excess of Income over Expenses per contra}
brought here } 244.70
$3184.73 $452.15
[in left margin] 1862, Nov. 15th
By Balance due Ward per contra $3184.73

State of Virginia
Returned into Northumberland County Court
the 9th day of February 1863 and ordered to be recorded.
Teste.
M. B. Cralle cc

Notes
Further details about the men and women named in this record can be found on my WeRelate page Slaves Referenced in Family Research. The information there is derived from Chancery Court records in 1848/49 following the death of James Palmer, father of Maria Lee and John T. A. Palmer.

While I have not searched for each of these men and women in the 1870 census, I have checked for some. A Warren Davenport, black male, born 1820, is enumerated living at Burgess Store (Fairfield, Northumberland, VA) with a household. The 1848/49 records show a high valuation, suggesting he was an adult male at that time. This document shows he (and one other man) earned the highest income for the Palmer children of all their slaves, again suggesting he was still a strong adult male.

Sources
Northumberland, Virginia, Fiduciary Records: Guardianship Accounts Book 4, 480, John T. A. Palmer account, 9 Feb 1863; Northumberland County Courts, Heathsville; Library of Virginia Northumberland Reel No. 45.

1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Fairfield, Northumberland, Virginia, p. 19A, dwelling 265, family 268, Warren Davenport; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 Jan 2012); citing NARA microfilm M593, roll 1669.

Noodling on Google

2011-12-16T11:57:00.000-06:00

After a Google induced nightmare yesterday I am interrupting my blogging hiatus with a few thoughts on life with Google.

Yesterday, with no notice and with no subsequent explanation, my genealogy Google account was disabled. One minute I was posting some insignificant comment about my day on G+; the next minute I was banished. I had a very unpleasant few hours as I realized just how much of my virtual genealogy life and actual life was tied to this account.

This blog disappeared from the web. I wish I'd kept a screen shot of the notice that appeared. Only the knowledge that I had a recent (though not comprehensive) backup kept me from complete insanity.
While my genealogy photographs are backed up locally and on Flickr, all the blog posts are linked to a Google Picasa account. I don't know if I would be able to access them should I ever completely lose this account.
My G+ profile, my posts and comments disappeared from the platform.
My primary gmail account for genealogy and all contacts were inaccessible.
My personal calendar, linked to my genealogy account because that's where I spend the most time, vanished.
Neither I, nor anyone I had shared with, could access my Google Documents.
A genealogy website I am developing was inaccessible.
UPDATE - I also lost access to my Google Reader account, my preferred way of keeping on blog reading and my iGoogle pages of links and rss feeds.

I was eventually able to restore my account by "verifying" my identity to Google via text message to my cell phone. Nothing was lost. All was restored.

I had been very reluctant to share my cell phone number with Google, but did so on the genealogy account because it was so fundamental to my work. A blessing that I did, but finding the link to verify the account was far from simple. If Google suspected my account was being improperly used, there should have been an immediate link to the verification process. Not the case. Not by a long shot.

I tried at least 50 different times to log in to the account - from all of the linked accounts - before I was finally able to access the verification page. The Gmail account ultimately proved the charm. In the process I sent several messages to Google requesting an explanation of why the accounts had been disabled. No response. At least not to date.

My decision to rely so heavily on Google was deliberate. It seemed the best way to assure access to all my data (ironic, no?) while I was traveling last summer. I invested in an Android smart phone, transferred my calendar and all my contacts, moved some data to Google Docs and took off on my genealogy dream trip. And it worked perfectly! Flawless.

I'm not certain if I will change my reliance on Google. I understand the need to guard against spam and hijacked accounts. But I was really, really unhappy yesterday (such an understatement). And I still am. I don't know if I did something to trigger this or if it was an attempt to hijack one of the accounts. I don't understand why it was so difficult to find my way to the verification page that restored me to Google's good graces. It's hard to escape the feeling that this could happen again.

My takeaways from this? There are several.

First, Geneabloggers are the best! I reached out via Twitter, Facebook and email and was immediately enveloped in a wave of support and sympathy. I can't overstate how much those expressions helped.

Second, I'm rethinking my all eggs in Google's basket approach. I joked yesterday that I was looking for omelet recipes. Too true. The blog was backed up, but without access to my account I had no way to restore it. My calendar and contacts were synced with programs on my Mac desktop computer, but it is on its last legs. They were not synced with programs on my Windows laptop. As of today I have

exported this blog to a shadow blog on WordPress. I will do so at least monthly when actively blogging.
changed delivery of emailed copies of the blog from Tabbloid to a non-gmail address. (More than a few expletives were uttered yesterday when I realized my failsafe backup plan was tied to a Google account.)
installed Thunderbird and the Lightening add-on on my laptop, downloaded all my emails, contacts, and set up automatic backups of my calendar (see this blog for step by step directions on backing up Google Calendar).
put current back-ups of this blog and its template in Dropbox.
downloaded copies of all Google Docs. For now they're in Dropbox.

Third, I still love the my Android phone. That's where I found email addresses for some of the Geneabloggers I know.

Fourth, for all the negative things I've said about Facebook this fall, I reinstated my account there in a split second when I was locked out of G+. I won't spend much time there, but I will not be deleting my account. Social networks need backups, too.

There is still work to do, but Christmas is but a week away. First on my list for 2012 resolutions -

Blogger's pages did not export to WordPress. They are backed up, but I need to format the WordPress blog to include them.
Rethink the Google website. Weebly has been getting lots of good press. I may use that.
Make sure that if I do continue using all the Google accounts that I have a backup or alternative account for each of them.

And now, back to elf duty and my hiatus. I'll be back sometime in 2012! Until then, best wishes to all.

2011-12-04T13:17:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Nolichucky Roots. While I am not actively blogging now, I am still most interested in communicating with those researching the families I've been tracing. If you find anything of interest here please email me. There is a link in the column to the right. I have other information I'd be delighted to share.

Best of luck in your research efforts!

I wonder?

2011-11-28T15:38:00.001-06:00

There's a tradition of Thanksgiving births in our family. My father-in-law and his sister shared a Nov. 26th birthday. My son was born today - or rather, on this date, a few years back.

It's made for fun holidays over the years. He and his grandfather shared birthday celebrations the first few years of his life. After his grandfather's death his birthday usually included family visits or gatherings. Today he is settled in his adult life, far from our home (and much missed), about to be a father himself.

I wonder what the newest Clark will look like?

Happy Birthday, Son. May you have as much joy with your holiday child as we've had with ours.

A Day to Celebrate

2011-11-08T05:42:00.000-06:00

November turned from a dreary month to a joyful month on this day, the day we welcomed our firstborn. She's all growed up now, but still brings light to our lives.

Happy Birthday Daughter!

Ivan Pereksa - (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

This photograph of my great-grandfather Ivan Pereksta stands out because of his ill-fitted suit. While it was not uncommon for immigrants to be photographed in borrowed clothes, the stories I heard growing up emphasized how dapper Ivan was. His jobs in the United States were unskilled manual labor, but he wore pressed suits, polished shoes and always had manicured nails. The photo below, taken with my grandmother around 1918, accurately reflects the stories. I suspect the first photo was taken some years later, when he was a bit older and perhaps a bit worn down. The clothes, his posture, gaze and even his mustache are less crisp, a bit gentler.

Ivan Pereksta and Anna Pereksta with Ivan Pereksta, Photographs, undated. Digital Images. Privately held by Susan Clark [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], 1986.

The Ancestors' Geneameme

2011-10-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

Jill over at Geniaus has come up with another meme (and coined a great word) for we geneajunkies. I am answering this one for both my family (M) and my husband's family (H), who've been the focus of much of my research. Thanks, Jill, for a providing this diversion. It sparked a couple questions I need to investigate further and some interesting contrasts.

The Ancestors' Geneameme

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

Which of these apply to you?

Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents (M) (H)
Can name over 50 direct ancestors (M) (H)
Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents (M) Have 6 of 8, but still missing two of my European great-grandparents. (H) Have 6 of 8, but still missing one line.
Have an ancestor who was married more than three times (M) Haven't found one in my family yet, but would love to! (H) His great-great grandmother Cansada Jones was married four times.
Have an ancestor who was a bigamist (M) (H) Who wouldn't love to find this? We've got adulterers aplenty on both sides, but no evidence anyone tried to tie the knot twice at the same time.
Met all four of my grandparents (H)
Met one or more of my great-grandparents (H) Definitely something to investigate. One great-grandmother died three years after he was born, but lived at such a distance they likely did not meet.
Named a child after an ancestor All our children are named after ancestors. They carry the names of my paternal grandmother, my husband's paternal grandmother, one of my maternal great-grandmothers and, coincidently, one of my paternal great-great grandfathers (we did not know this when he was named).
Bear an ancestor's given names (M) I was not named for ancestors, but do share my middle name, Elizabeth, with at least 3 ancestors. A 3rd great-grandmother was named Susannah. (H) My husband shares his middle name (an ancestor's surname) with his mother and great-grandmother and on back.
Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland (M) (H) Scads of them.
Have an ancestor from Asia (M) Autosomnal DNA analysis indicates Asian ancestry in my father's Eastern European family.
Have an ancestor from Continental Europe (M) My paternal grandparents were born in Europe. My mother's family includes colonial German and French lines. (H) There are German and Swiss lines.
Have an ancestor from Africa (H) His great-great grandmother said her grandfather was Haitian.
Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer (M) (H)
Have an ancestor who had large land holdings (M) (H)
Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi (M) I come from a long line of Baptist ministers. My father's family includes many priests, though I've not found a direct ancestor yet. His surname, however, means priest or father. (H) At least one. His 7th great-grandfather was a minister in colonial Virginia. Many uncles, aunts and cousins were Roman Catholic priests and nuns.
Have an ancestor who was a midwife (M) My great-great grandmother signed an affidavit that she was the midwife when most of her daughter's children were born. (H) I know the oft married Cansada Jones had a sister who acted as her midwife. I would like to know if Cansada acted as midwife when her sister's children were born.
Have an ancestor who was an author
Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones (M) I have a Smith 3rd great-grandmother. (H) No Murphys, yet. But his mother is a Smith and his father had Smith and Jones ancestors.
Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X
Have an ancestor with a forename beginning with Z (M) A 3rd great-grandfather was named Zebidee.
Have an ancestor born on 25th December
Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day
Have blue blood in your family lines (H)
Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth
Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth (M) Two of the four were born in Eastern Europe.
Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century (M) (H)
Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier (M) (H)
Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents (M) (H)
Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X (M) (H) Likely. I've found X signatures on deeds, but do not have marriage certificates for those ancestors.
Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university (M) (H)
Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence (M) (H) There are a couple serious candidates on both sides for this one.
Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime (M) Seems ghoulish to hope for, but it would be such fun to research. I have a great-something grandmother killed by Indians on the Virginia frontier, but that seems more an act of war than a criminal offense. (H) His grandfather lost most of his money when the town banker absconded with the bank's funds after the 1929 stock market crash.
Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine (M) I wrote about my grandmother here. (H) I wrote about his great-great grandmother here.
Have published a family history online or in print (Details please) (M) (H)
Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries (M) (H)
Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family (M) Not in this country, but as of 1991 cousins in Slovakia still lived in a home we think was the one my grandmother grew up in. (H) My husband's cousins have preserved the 18th c. home his great-grandmother was born in. It's hard to imagine a greater contrast between two homes. The one in Slovakia had dirt floors, minimal plumbing and was set on a small plot of land in a remote village in the Carpathian mountains. It was a breathtakingly beautiful spot, but clearly impoverished. The one in Virginia is a meticulously preserved colonial home, complete with gardens, still part of a working farm, set on a hill with sweeping views toward the Chesapeake Bay.
Have a family bible from the 19th Century (H) An early 19th c. Bible is in the family, though we do not own it.
Have a pre-19th century family bible

My Cup Runneth Over

2011-10-07T07:59:00.000-05:00

We spent a day reunited with our far-away family and touring Grand Rapids' Art Prize 2011 - a truly amazing installation. Sunshine, a rejuvenated city, our loved ones within eye's and ear's reach, and interesting art made for an almost perfect day.

Then Dean Hunt's charcoal drawing Back to My Roots greeted us as we walked into The B.O.B. to see more art and have dinner. All that joy, food, AND genealogy? It was a perfect day.

Empty Cottages, Grand Haven, MI - Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T06:40:00.000-05:00

Mary Stephenson Wyly - Tombstone Tuesday

2011-10-04T11:07:00.001-05:00

SACRED

to the memory of

MARY N. WYLY

Consort of

SAMUEL ?. WYLY

Died March 7th 1851

Aged 31 years & 4 months

Mary Wyly is buried at Leesburg Presbyterian Church (Leesburg, TN) where her husband, the Rev. Samuel Wyly, preached. She was my third great great-aunt.

According to our McAdams Family Record she was born 7 Nov. 1819 and married Samuel G. Wyly on 28 Sep. 1841. She was the daughter of John and Eliza Cloyd Stephenson, who are buried down the road at Washington College.

Lancaster County Landmarks - Mappy Monday

2011-10-03T05:47:00.000-05:00

This map, hand drawn by Louise Palmer Strong, was enclosed in a letter to my husband's grandfather (and her first cousin) dated 24 Feb 1956. The map shows the location of Clifton, the Palmer home, in relation to other historic landmarks in the area. At the time photographers from National Geographic had just finished photographing the home for the April 1956 issue featuring several Virginia colonial homes.

Clifton was originally part of King Carter's land and probably served as a hunting lodge. His descendants sold the house and farm to James Armistead Palmer in 1843. Palmer died shortly after, but his daughter Maria Lee Palmer and son John Armistead Palmer grew up at Clifton. Louise Strong was John Palmer's daughter.

Source

Louise Palmer Strong (Clifton; Kilmarnock, VA) to William Meredith Smith, letter, 24 Feb 1956; digital image, privately held by Smith descendant, [STREET ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Frederick, MD.

Can't watch baseball so here's my mother - SNGF

2011-10-01T18:13:00.000-05:00

It's Saturday evening and I'm listening to the Cardinals play their first post-season game. Too tense to watch so Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is a perfect distraction. Yikes. Other guys just scored.

Anyway, Randy asked us to list our matrilineal line and mtDNA Haplogroup if we've been tested.

The mothers -

Susan Clark
Carolyn Sawyer (b. 10 Dec 1929 TN, d. 10 Jul 1999 CT) married LIVING
Iva Williams (b. 31 Jan 1900 TN, d. 27 Jun 1993 TN) married Robert Sawyer
Flora McAdams (b. 13 Apr 1867 IL, d. 17 Dec 1945 TN) married R.J. Williams
Rachel Mulkey (b.15 Sep 1839 TN, d. 1906 TN) married Samuel McAdams
Ann Duncan (b. 23 Oct 1809 TN, d. 12 Dec 1849 TN) married Philip Mulkey
Sarah Hunt (b. 10 Nov 1789 TN, d. 9 Jul 1858 TN) married James Duncan
Sarah MNU (b. 14 Mar 1763, d. 13 Feb 1834 TN) married Uriah Hunt

I did autosomal testing earlier this year and learned my mtDNA Haplogroup is H, the most common European haplogroup. That's not specific enough to provide any hints on my mystery Sarah, beyond the probability that her mother was not an Indian princess.

Pye Chart - (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

Among Maria Lee Palmer Smith's papers I examined this summer were hand drawn pedigree charts outlining her husband's family. Based on the handwriting, I believe they were prepared by a Washington DC genealogist, Katherine C. Dorsey, who did research for Maria Lee and had extensive correspondence with her during the 1890s.

This chart outlines the ancestors and descendants of Roger Pye of the Mynde. My husband has one Pye ancestor listed in a respected (but unsourced) family history prepared several decades ago - his 4th great-grandmother, Elizabeth Pye. I have not yet examined or evaluated the research in Maria Lee's papers to see how Elizabeth may connect to these charted Pyes, but I treasured seeing these century old pedigrees.

Making Connections in 1928 - Amanuensis Monday

2011-09-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

This summer past I spent a week examining and digitizing papers belonging to my husband's great-grandmother Maria Lee Palmer Smith. Maria Lee was a dedicated family historian and archivist and her papers include many letters from other researchers and family members. This letter, from a cousin reestablishing connections, is one of my favorites.

“Two - mile House”

Carlisle Pa

April 2 . 1928

My dear cousin : -

After hearing from Mrs. West the otherday, I had made up my mind to write to youas she enclosed you letter saying you would be “glad to know whoMrs. Beyea is”, & I thought I would explainus – both.

Yes, we are“Jimmie” Meredith's children, & I remember seeing your motherat my grandmother's in Balto. When I was a very little girl. Shelooked tall to me, and a little severe & I think her hair wasparted in the middle; and she wore a long gold chain around her neck& there was a watch on it that slipped into her belt, & itseems to me her hair was not white but very dark, streaked with gray& I was rather in awe of “Aunt Palmer” as she was called inthe family – after all these years. I wonder if theserecollections are correct, or if I may have confused her with someoneelse in the family. I used to hear my father speak of “MolliePalmer” & it is from a letter of his written in 1912 that I gotyour name and address to send Mrs. West

My father diedin 1916 and if he had lived would have been eighty one I think. MyAunt, Kate Meredith – died several years ago. We only have oneMeredith descendants to carry on the name – Richard ScrevenMeredith (now at Yale) a son of my brother Philip T. Meredith.

Myother brother Harry P. Meredith died a year and a half ago - &left three girls& my third brother, Howell Janvier Meredith died when he was 24years old, unmarried.

Mrs. Beyea(Elizabeth Janvier after my grandmother ) is a widow with two boys &two girls. “Jim” is like my father, but the Meredith name isgone. I also have a son & daughter & one grandsonabout 4 years old; but this does not carry on the name!

I married, thefirst time, John Mather Wallis of Baltimore, nephew of generalTeackle Wallis – whom may have known as he was a well known lawyerof Baltimore – so my children are Wallises – Mr. Moore and I haveno children.

And now that Ihave told you all my family history, I want to thank you so verymuch for your letter, and for taking the trouble to write out my“tree” for me.

Inever knew which one of my great-grandfathers wives I was descendedfrom until I got your letter, nor did I know that my great-greatgrandfather was William. Thank you so very much. Before this I havealways had to confess that I didn't know who my great-grandmotherMeredith was - and so have to thank you for Mary Dillard.

I don't think myfather knew either as he speaks in this letter of his “grandfatherJohn Meredith and his various wives” being buried I Lancaster Co.etc.

Myfather used to speak of “Uncle Tommy”. He must have been AuntPalmer's brother. Then there was “Father Meredith”, he must havebeen the son of John Meredith and Anne Brent & a half-brother ofAunt Palmer's of my grandfather's. I have only heard of these variousnames – as a child, and never saw them on paper before & wastherefore always a little hazy as to the relationship.

I also, havealways heard we were Welsh, & I there is a Meredith coat-of-arms,which my brother Harry had become much interested in tracing, butafter he became ill he was unable to continue it. Some friend of hisin Detroit Mich. Had shown it to him & it was used by theoriginal Meredith who came to this country in, I think, 1669. Hisname was I believe Jonathan. I can hunt this up if you are interestedas I made some notes at the time my brother sent the coat-of-arm onfor me to see. You know so much more than I do, that I am afraid Ican never be of any help.

Do you ever takeany motor trips? If so, won't you get my “cousin William” tobring you up here this summer? We live just outside of Carlisle, onthe Chambersburg Highway, on an old stone house that was a tavern -“that's why” the Two-mile House, the original name. I should somuch like to know my two cousins, whom I am so glad to have found.

I hope I havenot bored you with too much detail & family.

It was so niceof you to write. I shall send your letter to my sister as she will beas much interested as I am.

With much love,I am your cousin

Alice MeredithMoore.

I am wonderingif I maybe doubly connected, as I am on my mother's side a directdescendent of La__gra_ Thomas Smith – of S. Carolina however theirname is legion, so that is just a chance.

My sister'saddress is

Mrs. Henry DBeyea

323 Midland Ave

Wayne Pa

I forgot tomention that my daughter is grown and has been married for severalyears, so I am not really so young after all!

~~~

Notes

Alice Moore and Maria Lee Smith were technically half first cousins once removed. The half is a distinction never seen in any of Maria Lee's papers. Her mother, one of four known Meredith children born to John Meredith by three different wives, did not distinguished her half-brothers from her full brother in any of the letters I've read.

This is the first description of Smith's mother Margaret Meredith Palmer that I've read. Knowing the Palmer and Smith families I find it hard to believe that she was tall. I've towered over most every family member I've ever met. Perhaps to a child.

The letter contains information that I believe to be incorrect. A Mary Dillard did marry a John Meredith (1782, Lancaster, VA) but I believe it was not Margaret's father John Meredith she married, but her great-uncle John Meredith. Uncle John died in 1795 leaving a will naming his wife Mary and three young daughters. Maria Lee Smith knew little of her Meredith or Palmer background. Other correspondence in the collection involves her hiring researchers in Lancaster County to search for marriage records. At this point I do not know the name of John Meredith's first wife, the mother of Thomas James Meredith (Alice Moore's grandfather).

Finally, I wish I knew the source for "the original" Meredith! Not to mention who he was...

Source: Moore, Alice Meredith. (Carlisle, PA) to Maria Lee Palmer Smith. Letter. 2 April 1828. Privately held by Smith's granddaughter. Frederick, MD. Published with permission.

Soapbox Saturday

2011-09-24T14:51:00.001-05:00

Once in a while (like if there's a moon or sun or cloud in the sky) I pretend I'm standing on Hyde Park Corner railing against whatever power has sparked my wrath.

An aside - my husband's friends had a game they played when we were in college. It was a contest to see who could get me up to a full head of steam the fastest. It never took long. Phil was the champion.

The sun's peeking through the clouds today and there are issues taking up enough mental energy that I cannot focus on my goals. Lucky you!

First the easy one. This is Banned Books Week. YouTube is featuring short readings on the Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out channel. Included are excepts from children's classics and many books I read growing up. Books that have lingered in my memory far longer than others. Books that forced me to examine my own life and the world around me. Clearly dangerous.

I have to share my shock (channeling Claude Rains here) at the announcement that Russia's President Medvedev wants Putin to run in 2012. Not much can make me look favorably on our own political morass, but Dmitry pulled it off.

As to our own body politic - not going there. Ditto the economy.

Which leaves me with ... Facebook. I'll try and keep this short, but you might want to get comfortable.

I was slow to see the value of social media. It took my far-flung family sharing photos of weddings and babies to get me onto Facebook. I pleaded for photos to be emailed to no avail. So I caved. Then I began to add genealogy friends, getting to "know" the people behind the blogs I so enjoy. I drank the Kool Aid and loved it.

For those of us passionately interested in areas that bore our real world friends to tears, who don't always fit in the slots we occupy, social media is a chance to connect with those who share our passions. I've gotten great advice, encouragement, even prayers when needed from people I may never see face to face. It's gotten to feel like Cheers - a spot where everybody knows your name.

Yes, I know it's a public forum and that anything I post could be shared or broadcast the world over. I am reasonably circumspect - no photos of drinking games or silly hats or wet t-shirts (that would be a picture!). I don't check in or use Foursquare. Don't broadcast my occasional Scrabble triumphs or "like" dozens of pages. But I do chat. And tease. And vent. Things I might do sitting on a bus, or at a bar knowing the people around me could overhear. Things I'm MUCH less likely to do with a camera pointed straight at me recording and broadcasting my every movement to the world. There is a difference between knowing my chatter could be public if another person was determined to seek it out (a talent my geneafriends have, I might add) and having it presented to anyone walking by - now or ten years hence. Instead of having a bit part in Cheers, I'm suddenly in The Truman Show.

My readers and genealogy buddies know how tentatively I've gone public. It was over a year before I wrote using my own name. There is no post-1960 photograph of me here. I don't even do frequent whatever clubs because I don't like the information being tracked.

Yet I persuaded myself that Facebook was a safe place where I could keep up with family and get to know other genealogists. I no longer believe that to be true. I have removed the link to my Facebook profile from this blog. I plan to limit my contacts to family and intimate friends (though I hope I can persuade them to leave).

So where does that leave me? I drank the Kool Aid, remember. I like the virtual social relationships I've formed. It leaves me with Google+.

My initial reaction was that was too public, that I wanted more "privacy". Delusional. Repeat after me. There is no privacy online. If I want virtual relationships I need to realize they are public. That said, every Google+ post includes a choice of who to share it with AND the ability to prevent it being further shared. Do I want my comments about the St. Louis Cardinals or a local art show to go to everyone? Do all the genealogists I "know" need to see my chatter with the few I have a more personal relationship with? Do I share political links with the world or only those I'm hoping to convert? It's not a bad thing to pause and think about who I'm talking to.

It's taken time to set up my Google+ circles. I'm still thinking about how I receive and share posts. But I'm the one making the decisions, deciding on the limits of the relationships. If there were a Facebook "like" button I'd push it.

~~~~~~~~

These posts are worth looking at if you want to read more about the changes at Facebook:

Facebookprivacyandsecurity's post on the changes
Carole Riley's overview of the Timeline feature at Social Media and Genealogy
Facebook, You're Not a Newspaper by Richard MacManus on ReadWriteWeb
While we wait for Facebook to respond, again at Facebookprivacyandsecurity

If you're curious about Google+ check out these links or pull up a bar stool and find me there. The first drink's on me.

Cy Hossain's visual Start Up Guide
Craig Kanalley's 15 Tips for Newbies at the Huffington Post
Johnathan Chung's Google+ Resources which is constantly being updated

Photo credit: By Shuttleworth Foundation via Flickr.

Disunion & Emerging Civil War - Follow Friday

2011-09-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

The sesquicentennial of the Civil War has prompted me to focus on the conflict and its effects on the families I explore. Initially, much of my research has been examining the War in Tennessee, Kansas, Maryland and Virginia where our kinfolk lived during the conflict.

Two blogs have been more than helpful - they're so well written and engaging that they've become must reads for me. I've mentioned the fabulous Disunion posts at the New York Times and the Emerging Civil War blog written by National Park Service historians before. I'm doing so again.

Read these blogs. Seriously - though the blogs are not always serious. There are moments of humor and even whimsy. My latest favorite post at Emerging Civil War is a set of photographs Antietam Remembered. I will not forget the image of the Union soldier reenactor and his cell phone. I loved Roxana Robinson's post on coming to terms with her Great-Aunt Hattie's legacy at Disunion. Hattie, by the way, is more commonly known as Harriet Beecher Stowe. Great stuff.

Of Wagons, Indians and Gold – Part II

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

ContinuingAlan McAdam's story of his mysterious uncle, James McAdams. You can read the first part here.

Oneof two scenarios takes place here. Either James had toldsomething of a tall tale to his brother, with respect to this Indianstory, or Gum and Robert were attempting to pull a fast one, as Ifound out later on (keep reading), that James was just a hired driverfor this trek – the losses were not his, personally.

ThenI found a probate report from Madison County, Montana. Thisrecord makes for some pretty good reading. The courtappointed administrator determined that James owed quite a bit ofmoney and his assets were not worth that much. He hadstake in two different gold mines, but the administrator could notget bids on either holding. There are genealogical goodiesin this report though. At one point the administratorwrites: “Refusing to retire from the contest bootless, Icontacted a cousin of the deceased, Robert Renshaw of Deer Lodge,MT.” This would be Robert McAdams Renshaw, son of HoseaRenshaw and James’ aunt, Nancy.

Whatlittle personal property James had went to his landlord. Chargesof the newspaper were settled with an old buffalo robe belonging toJames.

Again,I wonder if James inflated his gold mining success to hisbrothers. Newspaper articles at the time said that Gum andRobert T. went to Montana to settle his estate. Surelythey would not have made that trip had they known that their brotherhad no estate worth exploring. Maybe James had borrowedmoney from them after inflating his own wealth? There wereunpaid doctor bills and a claim against the estate by Robert McAdamsfor $245.00.

Herecomes the good part in my research on old James: I wasjust doing some idle “Googling” on the internet, and had pluggedin James McAdams, Mules, and Freight. I came up withexcerpts from an autobiography written by a Utah pioneer named L. H.Kennard. This man was a Civil War veteran fromOhio. After the War he came west, first toMissouri. Along the way, he became friends with our JamesMcAdams, and together they made a trek from Sonora MO., viaBrownsville and Omaha, NE to Salt Lake City. Our Jameswent from Salt Lake on to Montana. Mr. Kennard at firstintended to follow him, but ended up staying in Salt Lake, marrying aMormon woman and converting to that faith.

Mr. Kennard’s story tells of when he and JamesMcAdams shared travel time together. His arrival in St. Joseph makes somegood reading. He walked from St. Joe to Atchison County to savetravel expense, spent some time teaching school, and made a foolhardytrek across the Missouri River on thin ice!

WhatI love about this story is that it comes close to bringing our Jamesto life! When Mr. Kennard decided to go west, he had noidea how he was going, he just took off. He took asteamboat from Sonora up the river. At the Nebraska Citywharf, he found James McAdams, the only familiar face in sight. Jameshad been in Nebraska City a few days boarding. One getsthe sense that if you weren’t working a steamboat whistle woulddraw all the locals to the wharf to see who was getting off theboat. You can almost hear James speak as he invites L. H.Kennard to come west with him and share expenses.

Isometimes wonder why James stayed so long in Montana. Accordingto what I’ve studied, the gold rush began playing out in the1870s. James is found in the 1870 census. Thereare long lists of Chinese people. The census takerevidently gave up understanding them, because there are pages whereall that is written is “Chinaman”, no age, no names, followed byendless ditto marks. Many other trades are in Virginia City,Stage coach drivers, watch makers, wagon makers, and wheelmakers. The sheriff, jailers are listed as well as theinmate population.

Bythe 1880 census, the population had pared down quite a bit. Thecensus taker has even started recording some of the Chinesenames. Several women are recorded with their trade;prostitute. James is here, in a cabin in a residentialneighborhood, families around him, still listed as a placer miner.

Isuspect one of those life experiences where James manages to eke outenough gold to make a meager living, and just becomes too comfortablewith neighbors to try moving on. He must have stayed incontact with relatives, however. In the early 1880s, Ifound a brief blurb in a Rock Port, MO newspaper. Itdetails how Thomas McAdams and Frank Shaver are leaving town forVirginia City, Montana. Thomas would be Gum’s oldestson, the one who would go get his body in St. Joe in another 10yrs. Later on the same paper announces a letter fromThomas: The boys have arrived in Virginia City, find workto be plentiful and high paying. Their spirits are “wayup yonder!” In a few more weeks though, the boys areback home. Maybe they did not like the Montana winters?

WishI had a picture of James. I have a couple copies ofunidentified photos I’ve received from fellow researchers that maywell be James; but they are not identified – just found with otherMcAdams photos.

Hopeyou enjoy these stories of a man that used to be largely forgotten –his only memento being an “old buffalo robe”.

Note - Alan refers to an autobiography written by L. H. Kennard. The book, Leonidas Hamlin Kennard - his family : a selection of narrative histories, is available through the Family History Library. It has also been microfilmed.

Of Wagons, Indians and Gold

2011-09-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

Yearsago, when I first discovered genealogy message boards and RootsWeb, Iwas in touch with a wonderful McAdams family researcher. We sharedinformation in the old fashioned way – snail mail. Through her Ibecame aware of other McAdams researchers.

Recentlyone of those other McAdams researchers emailed me, Alan McAdams. I'dread articles he wrote in the now defunct McAdams Family Newsletterand knew what a wonderful researcher he was. We share a commonancestor – my 5^th great-grandfather Thomas McAdams (d.abt. 1813, Washington County, TN). While my family remained inTennessee, his boarded flatboats and headed west, settling inMissouri. We've been emailing, exchanging information – actuallyhe's been sharing and I've been oohing and aahing.

WithAlan's permission I am sharing one of his McAdams stories. We seem toshare a soft spot for our reverse orphan kinfolk.

OfWagons, Indians and Gold

Or……WhenLife leaves you With Just an Old Buffalo Robe………..

JamesW. McAdams, 1836-1891

WhenI was growing up and we made trips to Tarkio’s Home Cemetery, myfather would give us little history lessons detailing those buried onthe “Home 40”. Our beloved were interred in twodifferent plots, each with 10 grave spots. One plot, Dadreferred to as the Wood Lots; these were purchased by Dad’smaternal grandfather, Francis Marion Wood. The otherplot was called the McAdams Lots, and was purchased by his paternalgrandfather, William Montgomery, “Gum” McAdams. Dadwould give us a bit of history about each of the occupants, and thentold us that he was aware of one grave that was not marked. Hedid not know who was in it. He said his uncles may havetold him at one time, but he could not remember what they told him.

Yearslater, my oldest brother, Charles Miles McAdams “Bud” entered thegenealogy field. I went with him to the funeral home once,and we asked to see their records. The mystery person wasidentified! He was listed as “Mr. McAdams”.

A fewyears later, Bud found a newspaper article from a March, 1891 editionof the Tarkio Avalanche. Paraphrased, it went likethis. W.M. McAdams sent his eldest son, Tom to St. Josephyesterday with a team to pick up the body of Mr. McAdams’brother. The brother will be interred in Tarkio until hisrelatives can pick him up. This was done before copymachines, etc., so Bud only has his own transcription. Itried some time ago to access this newspaper, but the newspaper toldme these papers had been sent to the state archives formicrofilming. I’ve still not been able to find it ineither location.

WhenI entered genealogy, I solved some more of the puzzle. Ifound a biographical sketch for Gum’s brother, Robert T. McAdams, abanker in Peru, NE. In a family listing, Robert mentionedbrother James Madison McAdams. James was born inTennessee, went to Colorado in 1849, to Montana in 1866, engaged ingold mining and in failing health, returned to die at the EnsworthHospital in St. Joseph, MO. With this information, mybrother Bud, bought a temporary marker to put where we now knew Jamesto be. Hope we can find a way to fund a permanent markereventually.

Jameswas born in Washington County, TN. On 8 June, 1836 to William S.McAdams & Eleanor McNeal McAdams. He had Brothers,James McNeal, Robert Thompson, and William Montgomery “Gum”, myg-grandfather. Also a sister, Anna Eliza. The father,as well as having endeavors in farming and cabinetmaking, was alsoengaged in the flatboat trade with his brother Thomas, brother-in-lawJohn McNeal and others. He died in 1842, leaving his wifewith five young children to what must have been a hardscrabbleexistence. In 1853, these flatboat men loaded up theirfamilies and left East Tennessee for Sonora Missouri. Eleanorand her children, now teenagers, went along. The McNealhistory book says that Eleanor had property on the Southwest cornerof Watson, MO. According to land records I’ve found,that acreage was in Robert’s name. The boys and AnnaEliza all eventually married, except for the subject of this sketch,James. As far as I’ve determined, he remained a bachelorall of his life. Can’t figure out the reference to “hisfolks” in the article Bud cited.

Lateron, I found a court document in Nemaha County, NE, Probate Courtwherein Gum McAdams filed a claim for losses suffered to the lateJames M. McAdams under the Indian Deprivations Act of 1891. Hedetailed how James was an owner or part owner of a train of muleteams that was attacked by Indians in Western Nebraska and sufferedlosses claimed to be nearly $ 8,000 dollars. Can’t findthat anything ever came from this petition.

The story is continued here.

Stephenson~Cloyd 1808 Marriage Bond - Amanuensis Monday

2011-09-19T16:37:00.001-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

During my summer research travels I stopped at the Rockbridge County (VA) Clerk's office and asked to see the marriage bond for my 4th great-grandparents'. They brought out the document, encased in mylar (I hope) and allowed me to handle it carefully and photograph it.

Stephenson~Cloyd Marriage Bond

Know all men by these presents that we John Stephenson & Joseph Cloyd are held and firmly bound unto Wm. H. Cabell governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia & his successors in office for the use of the commonwealth in the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars to ___ which payment well & truly to be made we bind ourselves our heirs executors & jointly & severally firmly by these presents Witness our hands & seals the 13th day of Septem 1808 The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas there is a marriage shortly intended to be solemnized between the above bound Stephenson and Elizabeth Cloyd, Daughter of David Cloyd, decd ______
If therefore there shall be no lawful cause to obstruct the same then this obligation to be void otherwise to remain in full force and virtue
J Stephenson {seal}
Jos Cloyd {seal}
Teste William Anderson

Notes: Joseph Cloyd was Elizabeth's brother. Her mother, also named Elizabeth was still living. John and Elizabeth were married by his maternal uncle, Rev. Samuel Houston, at Natural Bridge. It was Rev. Houston's habit to marry couples outdoors at Natural Bridge. I took the picture below the same day I photographed the marriage bond. The small white dots at the foot of the bridge's arches are people. It's hard to imagine a more majestic setting.

Source: Rockbridge, Virginia, John Stephenson/Elizabeth Cloyd Marriage Bond, 13 Sep 1808; Rockbridge County Clerk's Office, Lexington.

Will of John Meredith, 1830 - Friend of Friends Friday

2011-09-16T09:14:00.000-05:00

This is the part of a series of transcriptions and abstracts of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia during my summer research marathon. My husband's 3rd great-grandfather John Meredith wrote a his last will in 1830, before the birth of his last child, William Vincent Meredith. He named his wife, one adult and two minor children, his brother and two young slaves, Henry and Maria.

From Lancaster County (VA) Will Book 28, pages 327-328 (LVA Film #21)

In the Name of God Amen I John Meredith of the County of Lancaster and State of Virginia being at this time in tolerable health and of Sound mind and knowing the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death do make and ____ this instrument my last will and testament revoking all others that I have heretofore made -
1st. It is my will and desire that my loving wife Ann Steptoe Meredith have and enjoy the use of all my estate both real and personal during her Single life for the purpose of Supporting maintaining and educating my younger children Margaret Maria and Thomas Wm. Meredith and Such other child or children as it may please God to bless me with by her Should however my relations think it best on Consulting with my said loving wife to Send them out to School or otherwise to take care of them, then and in that case instead of her having the use of my whole estate, She Shall have the use of one third of the Same during her natural life for it is my desire not to leave her worse off than I found her but rather better, She has been and continues to be, a most affectionate wife, as as well as mother to my children --.
2nd. I give and bequeath to my Son Thomas Jas. Meredith the plantation on which I live my negro boy Henry and my negro Girl Maria to him and his heirs forever any thing in the first item as above to the contrary notwithstanding, but he is not to have the possession of the said plantation till the Single life of my Said loving wife should terminate or the changes take place as above mentioned, he is however to take possession of above named Negroes as Soon after my decease as may be --.
3rd. The balance of my estate (in all cases my Just debts first to be paid of every description) I desire may be equally divided between my two younger children the Said Margaret Maria Meredith and Thomas Wm. Meredith and Such other child or children as I may have by my said loving wife --.
Lastly I hereby appoint my said loving wife Ann S. Meredith my brother Joseph Meredith of Totuskey Bridge and my Son Thos Jas: Meredith of the Same place my Sole Exors. To this my last will & testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereto Set my hand & affixed my Seal (the whole being written by my Self) this 9th day of July in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty --.
Jno. Meredith {S.S.}
At a Court held for the County of Lancaster on the 16th day of June 1834. This last will and testament of John Meredith decd was this day produced in open court, and being proven to be wholly in the proper hand writing of the Said decd by the oaths of Addison Hall & Ralph Edmonds two respectable witnesses was ordered to be recorded.
Teste, Benjamin M. Walker cl.

Notes: I have not transcribed the estate records of John Meredith yet. There were other slaves named in later records. I have not researched Meredith's son Thomas James Meredith's estate which would have been recorded in Baltimore, Maryland. It is not clear whether the slaves Henry and Maria remained in Lancaster County (probably being rented to local land owners), moved to Totuskey Bridge (Richmond County, VA) where Thomas James Meredith was living, or were sold. I did not find record of such a sale in Lancaster County records.

This is the first will I have transcribed where provisions were made for removing the children from the widow's care. In this case the children named were not her natural children, but the children of Meredith's previous wife, Ann Currell Lee Towles Meredith. Meredith had been married a year and a half when he wrote this will. The children did, in fact, remain in her care until her death in 1835.

One final look at FGS 2011

2011-09-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

I've had a few days to catch my breath and reflect upon my first national genealogy conference. I'm still dazed by the experience. So this is going to be one of those pick your superlative posts. Toss in a few adjectives for emphasis and you have my slack-jawed, newbie perspective.

Conference chairs Paula Stuart-Warren and Josh Taylor put on an outstanding conference and weren't a bad stand-up act either. I'm sure they had help from hundreds of people. I thank them all. Hard to see how FGS 2011 can be topped (and yes, I do know about RootsTech, and yes, I do want to go someday).

The courses were and always will be the main draw for me. I may be new to conferences and blogging, but I've been researching for decades and have well defined objectives and obstacles. I'm not interested in broad topics or even case studies (unless Thomas Jones is speaking). There were enough narrowly focused courses covering topics of interest that I could have attended two courses each session and still missed a few I wanted to hear. And they were really, really good!

As it was, I crawled out of Springfield exhausted, but thrilled to have gotten introductions to records that may hold information I've been seeking for many years. The syllabi will be a fabulous resource. I even purchased recorded copies of several classes I could not attend.

That said, I can't imagine doing this every year. The costs, while reasonable, are a factor. If it comes down to visiting my family (the living ones) or a genealogy conference, family wins. It was enormous fun to meet virtual friends and make new ones. But this was so big, with so many options, that I was frustrated at not being able to do it all. Six classes were scheduled on Friday and Saturday. I managed to get to five on Friday and three on Saturday before I surrendered and headed back to St. Louis. The pace was grueling. There are people I truly wanted to meet that I didn't. My fault for not seeking them out.

Next time I'll do better. For there will absolutely be a next time. I'll whip myself into shape (maybe even lose a couple pounds in the process). I'll make a point of connecting with the people I really want to meet. I'll have more realistic expectations, a better grasp of the pace. 160 class offerings over four days - I'll only schedule 4 or 5 each day. Throw in a couple breakfasts, luncheons or evening receptions and I should have at least 12 minutes free each day.

Here's to Fort Wayne in 2013!

'Tis the season - Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T06:14:00.000-05:00

My great-uncle Phil Sawyer played football

at Milligan College near Johnson City, TN, c. 1919.

Samuel Doak - Tombstone Tuesday

2011-09-13T06:11:00.000-05:00

1749 1829
Samuel Doak
Founder
Salem Church, 1780
Washington College, 1795

Samuel Doak Chapter, Daughters
American Revolution, Morristown, Tenn.
Assisted in Erecting this Monument

This monument, standing in Salem Cemetery on the grounds of Washington College, southeast of Jonesborough, TN, was erected in memory of the Rev. Samuel Doak, an early Presbyterian minister in East Tennessee and the founder of the first college in Tennessee. Rev. Doak is twice my uncle by marriage, having married first Margaret Houston McEwen, sister of my 5th great-grandmother Alice Houston Stephenson, and second Esther Houston Montgomery, Margaret and Alice's aunt.

He was a towering figure in the early history of East Tennessee - preaching at Sycamore Shoals to the Overmountain Men, founding Salem Church, two schools and a staunch abolitionist.

The last day - FGS 2011

2011-09-12T18:35:00.002-05:00

I had an ambitious schedule laid out for the last day of the FGS conference - six classes before driving home to St. Louis. I got to three.

Part of the problem was the time it took to recover from spending Friday evening parked in the deep freeze masquerading as the northwest corner of the Springfield Hilton Ballroom. Never go there. The chandelier crystals were blowing horizontally over our heads. We complained. Repeatedly. Those of us staying at the Hilton ran to our rooms and brought down sweaters, hoodies, wraps and coats. Only my deep respect for FGS organizers stopped me from bringing down the bathrobes and blankets. I have never been colder. It took two hours huddled under blankets sipping hot water to recover. I slept in the next morning and missed the first class.

I did attend Jay Fonkert's class on midwestern geography Porkopolis to Bonanza Farms. The topic was a bit ambitious for one hour, but his bibliography recommendations and syllabus were superb. It would be great to hear this broken into two classes. His discussion on the rise and fall of the midwestern cities was marvelous. An aside - I've long wanted the National Geographic Society's Historical Atlas of the United States, but Fockert convinced me it's a must have.

Next, I went to Linda Woodward Geiger's Evidence: Guidelines for Evaluating Genealogical Sources. This was the one course I took that was a refresher course for me, but I'd been to two of her earlier classes and completely enjoyed them. As I did this one. Don't blame her if I talk about primary sources or derivative information. This is one of those areas I need a cheat sheet in front of me to keep the terminology straight.

After a quick lunch with Geneablogger buddy Margel I headed back for Dean Hunter's Locating American Scots-Irish Families in the Records of Ireland and Scotland. I've not crossed the pond with any of the colonial lines I research but if I do, Ireland and Scotland are where I will land. Hunter's overview (and again, bless the wonderful syllabus) was a peek into an area I've feared to tread. Completely new records to explore. Estate records there mean land, not what's passed on after death.

It was three o'clock when this class finished and whatever spongelike qualities I had when the conference began were long gone. I looked at the schedule, looked at the map, grabbed two candy bars, a caffeine ladened soft drink and headed for home.

I don't think I moved for two hours once I got home. I wouldn't have moved then except the dog peed all over my suitcase still parked in the front hall. He missed me!

Photograph by future15pic

I remember

2011-09-11T07:46:00.000-05:00

I never liked the World Trade Center towers. They were built while I was growing up outside New York City. They were out of scale with the rest of the Manhattan skyline, dwarfing the skyline of my childhood where the Empire State building reigned.

But these last ten years, all I can see when I look at that skyline is the spot where they stood. And I wish so very much that they and all those who perished that day were still standing.

Photograph by Jeffmock (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

This is Why I Came to FGS!

2011-09-09T17:53:00.002-05:00

Beyond a burning desire to meet Geneabloggers I'd only known virtually, beyond my deep admiration for Mr. Lincoln and Springfield's resources, beyond the fact that this year's FGS conference was so close to home I could almost walk here, what sold me on this conference was the breadth of the course offerings.

They have not disappointed. I attended two Thomas Jones lectures yesterday, Lisa Alzo's Immigrant Cluster Communities and Debra Mieszala's Disappearing Dude lectures. All very well done and all emphasizing the need to approach research from far more than the birth, marriage and death record perspective. Understanding context, gathering details to construct a biography, tackle a brick wall or build collaborative research communities that reflect earlier immigrant communities - the theme of the day was broadening research and telling the stories.

Today my classes were all record based - very detailed and very informative. The theme today was knowing the lay of land - both in terms of navigating the record collections and understanding the geography of the area being researched.

I have mined all the obvious records for my especially challenging research targets. I've done the census records, the deeds, vital records, etc. The people I need to find are all born in the 18th c., all living on the frontiers where few records were kept or survive. I have new tools now!

Linda Woodward Geiger's U.S. Territorial Papers course introduced me to the records kept in the frontier areas and offered information on various finding aids to help dive into the various collections. I'm not likely to find vital records, but court cases, petitions, even postal records will provide context - and with luck one or two of my guys.

Craig Scott provided an overview of military records, both regular Army and local militia units, available for men who fought in the Indian Wars before the Civil War. For one who has avoided military research it was a bit overwhelming (I am following all those pre-conference recommendations to check out unfamiliar material!). But, I have a good beginning bibliography (first purchase is Military Service Records: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications - once it's available again), an awareness of what I need to start looking AND links. First stop is The U.S. Army Center of Military History.

Territorial and military records are almost completely new to me, and daunting enough. But I've actually tried to dig into the Draper Papers at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Think quicksand. 491 volumes or 130 reels of microfilm covering decades of Drapers research on the Trans-Allegheny West. Unindexed (mainly).

I was overjoyed to see a lecture by James Hansen introducing what he referred to as the (In)famous collection. I am not the first to find it intimidating. Hansen suggested that Draper himself was overwhelmed with the amount of material he gathered. Decades of research led to one book. I harbor a sneaking suspicion I may be afflicted with Draper Disease - always collecting, never producing! There are no shortcuts with the manuscripts, but there are finding aids and guides that can point one in the right direction. And, as Hansen pointed out, the material is fascinating. It may take days to pour through a small portion, but it'll be a good read.

This was a fabulous day. Technical, geeky, detailed and more exciting than I can express.

Loving Lincoln and more - FGS 2011

2011-09-07T17:10:00.000-05:00

I'm easing myself in to the FGS conference in Springfield this week. I've spent much of the last two days reviewing microfilm on my husband's Jones ancestor in preparation for Thomas Jones' The Jones Jinx class tomorrow. I don't think I've found anything groundbreaking, but I did discover our Jones was quite the land trader - 21 deeds over 35 years. I'm hoping there's a nugget in one of them that's gold.

Last night I was able to meet some of the Geneabloggers here face to face at the FamilySearch reception. Plenty of bloggers are giving a rundown of the Conference. I'm not going to even attempt that. But I am grateful to FamilySearch for the chance to visit with people I only know through social media. I was also blown away by their efforts at bringing new records online. Their Field Express project is getting newly digitized records online within a month of being recorded. They have cameras around the globe - including Ukraine which made my heart leap. I'll be watching those new records.

This afternoon I (and 39 others) took one of the behind the scenes tours being offered by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Conservation labs, manuscripts, and a visit to the closed stacks - it was enough to thrill this library rat. Once again - blown away. If the rest of the conference is a complete bust (not likely, they're serving ice cream tonight) learning more about this resource was worth the trip.

The library is so much more than a Lincoln reference site - though that would be interesting enough to warrant a visit. Its collection dates back to 1889 when the Illinois State Historical Library was created and is a fabulous genealogical research resource.

Our guide Gwen Podeschi outlined several databases and indexes that are available online for those out of the area or to use in planning a trip.

The Law records of Lincoln database is online. Lincoln practiced law here for decades. If you've family who were in Central Illinois at the time they may have served on a jury or been a witness in one of Lincoln's cases.
The Library is charged with preserving Illinois newspapers by microfilming as many as it can. It has the largest collection in the world of Illinois newspapers dating back to when Kaskasia was the capitol.
The Boys in Blue is a database of the names of 7,000 Illinois Union soldiers whose photographs have been cataloged. Haven't hunted that one yet, but it's on the agenda.
Their Obituary Index has been compiled from research done and information donated. Obituaries are not available, but citations are. It is not a complete index of all obituaries appearing in Illinois newspapers, but what a great place to start.

Obviously so much more is available at the Library - 12 million papers in the manuscripts collection, hundreds (was it thousands?) of maps. While I was standing in the Reading Room I couldn't help but notice a set of books "Medical and Surgical history of the Civil War". With at least two Civil War era physicians in the family it might be worth a look.

My favorite part of the day was the realization that living in St. Louis I am actually close to some resources that will be enormously helpful. I've given the midwestern branches of our family short shrift over the years. It's time they got a little attention.

Old and young, 1941 - Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T05:26:00.000-05:00

My great-grandmother Catherine Conway Sawyer and her eldest great-grandchild, c. 1941 at home in Warrensburg, TN.

Lancaster County, VA 1833 - Amanuensis Monday

2011-09-05T03:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

During my research at the Library of Virginia last month I was able to copy more than one hundred pages of wills, deeds, marriage records, even voting lists. This page, from Lancaster County (VA) Deed Book 34, p. 159, may be my favorite. Other pages have more information but here, in separate entries, two of my husband's 3rd great-grandfathers are named.

Lancaster County to wit --
We John Meredith and James Harding Justices of the peace in the County aforesaid in the State of Virginia do hereby certify that Elizabeth Vowell, the wife of Valentine H. Vowell parties to a certain deed bearing date the 8th day of March 1833 and hereto annexed, personally appeared before us in our County aforesaid and being examined by us privily and apart from her husband and having the deed aforesaid fully explained, She the said Elizabeth Vowell acknowledged the Same to be her act and deed and declared that She has willingly, Signed SEaled and delivered the Same, and that she wishes not to retract ~~it--~~ Given under our hands and seals this 15th day of March 1833.
Jno: Meredith
James Harding
At a Court held for the County of Lancaster on the 15th day of April 1833
The deed from Valentine H. Vowell and Elizabeth his wife to William Gresham was proved in open court by the oaths Ezekiel G. Shearman and Robert H. Tapscott two of the witnesses thereto --
and at a Court held for the County of Lancaster on the 20th day of May following the said deed was further and fully proved by the oath of William Boyd the other witness thereto - and together with the Justices certificate of the privy examination of the Said Elizabeth was ordered to be recorded --
Teste;
Benjamin M. Walker, c. c.

For and in Consideration of the Sum of one Hundred and fifty Dols: to me in hand paid, I have this day bargained and sold unto Cols: Armstead J. Palmer all my right, title claim interest and demand that I now have or hereafter expect to have in the personal Estate of Joseph Carter Jr: decd the right to Said property I warrant and defend unto Said Palmer free from the claims of all and every person or person whatever -- as witness my hand and Seal this 15th day of Feby: 1833.
Teste,
Robert C Clarke Jno: Lunsford {seal}

At a court held for the County of Lancaster on the 20th day of May 1833
This Instrument of writing from John Lunsford to Armstead J. Palmer was acknowledged in open Court by the Said Lunsford and Ordered to be recorded --.
Teste, Benjamin M Walker c c

Notes: There is an Ancestry.com marriage record for Jno Jr. Lunsford to Lettice L. Carter on 17 Nov. 1817 in Lancaster County. One online tree names her as a daughter of a Joseph Carter who died in 1815, but Joseph Lyon Miller's The Descendents of Capt. Thomas Carter of Barford, Lancaster County, Virginia... names different children (p. 357). I am curious what if any relationship existed between Palmer and the Carter family since Palmer's son purchased a large tract of land from the family in 1843.

This is the first reference I have for John Meredith serving as a Justice of the Peace.

Source: Lancaster, VA, Deeds, Deed Book 34:159; Library of Virginia, Reel 12.

What I read on Wednesday - Follow Friday

2011-09-02T04:11:00.000-05:00

I've never done a "Best of the Blogs" post and truly had no intention of doing one Wednesday night when I sat down to do some catch up reading while listening to the Cardinals actually win a baseball game. But I have never read so many extraordinary posts at once. There was some inspired writing this week. I even missed several key plays, though not the unlikely grand slam by pitcher Jake Westbrook. A wonderful evening.

So, with no promises for future "Best ofs", here are the blogs that I found informing, entertaining, moving or all of the above on Wednesday night.

There were two wonderful posts sparked by researchers revisiting information.

Stephanie Goldberg at acquamarinesteph took a different tack in researching her great great-grandparents and found new material in Conliffe update, part 1: AKA Start With What You Know.

Lessons Learned by Taco Goulooze at ...it all makes census shows what can happen when you examine everyone in a census listing. And isn't that the greatest blog title?

I'm about to dive back into genetic genealogy after taking the summer off and loved Daniel Hubbard's clear writing on the subject in Holes in my Genes at Personal Past Meditations.

I've definitely noticed the occupations listed on Ancestry.com's World War II enlistment records database and added a few to my data. Might need to check again according to John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch. Read his post Civil Occupation Codes: What's Going On Here? for more information.

Heather Rojo has written about her Hawaiian kin many times at Nutfield Genealogy. But she was surprised by the amount of new information and connections made when a Facebook group started for Hawaii's Holt Family.

There were two posts that made me grin, then laugh out loud.

Mindie Burgoyne's The Vacation of Many Cars with Teenagers from Hell at Who Cares What I Think? brought back memories of some tortured trips of my own - both as intrepid chauffeur (but never as intrepid as she) and as Satan's spawn.

Dee Burris of Shakin' The Family Tree has found one of the all-time great criminal pardons and shared it in What a hoot.... Now if only she can figure out if there's a connection to her Burris kin. I do hope so!

The Civil War Sesquicentennial has sparked some great reads.

If you haven't already found and been reading the New York Times' Opinionator/Disunion series it's time to do some back reading yourself. Wednesday's Baltimore's Unlikely Confederates was just the latest of their superb offerings.

The last paragraph of John Hennessey's The final journey of Capt. Edward P. Lawton (part 2) makes a strong point about Civil War history and commentary today. The blog, Mysteries and Conundrums, is written (unofficially) by the staff at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial.

Finally, Mel Wolfgang celebrated his first blogoversary at Mnemosyne's Magic Mirror with another perceptive and beautifully written post - And Still I Write. Each time I read one of his posts I see an eloquently developed thought - a sculpture rather than the block of marble that often rests upon my shoulders. I wish I thought and wrote as he does. That will never be, but I am ever grateful he shares both.

Quite an evening. No surprise that I'm finishing this in the wee hours of the morning full of admiration for those bloggers who manage this each week. I've no idea how they do it!

At Road's End, Catholics in the Northern Neck

2011-08-31T18:43:00.000-05:00

Palmer Hall today.

Catholics living in remote parts of the United States in the early decades of the 19th century often went to great lengths to practice their faith. For my husband's Meredith and Palmer ancestors living in Lancaster and Northumberland Counties, maintaining their Catholic faith involved traveling to Maryland by steamer or arranging for a priest to come to them, as Thomas Meredith did in 1830.

I am anxious to go to Baltimore this spring to make my Easter but if I go when Brother Thomas goes I shall not be able to stay so long and must give up the pleasure of his company and protection. Please be so kind as to tell me when would be the best time for me to come and make my Easter. (M. M. Palmer at Clifton to Thomas Meredith, Baltimore, 9 March 1949.)

Since it was far easier to travel by water to Baltimore or Norfolk than by road to Richmond they journeyed to Baltimore to celebrate religious holidays, marriages and christenings when they could. But from at least 1830 the family celebrated Mass at home whenever a priest was able to visit.

The Confession chair at Clifton

After the Civil War John A. Palmer took over the family home at Clifton and raised a large family. According to his family, priests would come from Baltimore or Fredericksburg and celebrate Mass in one of the large parlors. Confession would be heard with the priest sitting in one of the wing chairs. Though there were only a few Catholic families in the area, Palmer began lobbying for a church to be built in Kilmarnock. On August 1, 1885 Palmer and his wife deeded land near the town to Bishop Keane of Richmond for five dollars (Lancaster County (VA) Deed Book 45:473). A small frame church was built and the mission parish of Saint Francis de Sales was opened. Priests continued to travel by steamer, staying at Clifton, but celebrating Mass in the new church. No resident priest lived there until after 1915.

Copy of 1885 Deed

In 1956 a new church was constructed next door and the first building became a parish hall. Palmer Hall, as it is known today, was restored several years ago. St. Francis de Sales remains a small parish in numbers, but covering much of the land of the Northern Neck. It has established its own mission church, St. Pauls Catholic Church 35 miles away in Hague, VA.

My husband's family is enormously proud of their efforts to maintain and promote their faith at Clifton since 1840 despite the distances involved. His great-grandmother, John Palmer's sister, kept her copy of the deed with her most treasured family papers.

View Catholic Churchs c. 1840 in a larger map

Written for the 109th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

For further information see
St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church
The Catholic Church in Virginia (New River Notes)
The Museum of Virginia Catholic History and Diocesan Archives

McAdams Graves - Tombstone Tuesday

2011-08-30T15:16:00.001-05:00

In July I spent several days in Washington County researching and visiting some cemeteries. I especially wanted to find the McAdams graves at Fairview where my McAdams 3rd great-grandparents and Isabella Bryson McAdams Hale, my 4th great-grandmother, are buried.

Our family's McAdams Family Record includes a note at the end indicating ten members of the family are there.

Memorandum made by Thomas McAdams in 1913:

Graves:
Hugh Morrison McAdams, William P. McA, Isabella Hale, Hugh McA, (S. B. Sr son), Ann S. McA, Chalmer S. McA, Cynthia S McA, Thomas C. McA, Ralph E. H. McA, Charlie's baby (Martha).

The above are the McAdams' graves as they come in the cemtery at Fairview, Washington County.

I assumed it would be relatively (pun intended) simple to find the row of McAdams graves. Indeed, it wasn't all that difficult. Fairview is a small cemetery about four miles northwest of Jonesborough. But most of the gravestones have vanished. Only the markers for my McAdams grandparents and that of their infant granddaughter remain. Without their grandson Thomas McAdams' 1913 note I would have had no idea who else was buried there.

Detail of Cynthia S. McAdams Marker
In Loving Memory
of Cynthia s. McAdams
Born
April 30, 1817
Died
Oct. 20, 1874

Thomas C. McAdams marker
In Loving Memory
of
Thomas C. McAdams
Born Dec. 5, 1806
Died
Jan. 1, 1881

The markers were almost impossible to read, but I was able to make out the names and dates for Thomas and Cynthia. The baby's marker at the end of the row was more difficult, and I did not get a good picture of it, but the first letter of the name is "M" and the last name is McAdams.

The other McAdams family members, with information from the family record, buried here are (from right to left in the above photo or south to north at the cemetery)

Martha McAdams, infant daughter of Charles A.H. McAdams and Alice Nave McAdams and granddaughter of Thomas C. McAdams. Marker standing.
Ralph Emerson H. McAdams, 16 Jun 1881- 15 Jan 1882, infant son of Robert Newton McAdams and Maggie Good McAdams and grandson of Thomas C. McAdams.
Thomas C. McAdams. Marker standing.
Cynthia S. McAdams. Marker standing.
Chalmers Stephenson McAdams, 16 Feb 1853 - 14 Dec 1873, son of Thomas C. McAdams.
Ann Shaw (Duncan) McAdams, 6 Feb 1813 - 7 Jul 1861, sister-in-law of Thomas C. McAdams.
Hugh S. McAdams, dates unknown, son of Ann Shaw McAdams and nephew of Thomas C. McAdams.
Isabella Bryson McAdams Hale, 14 Sept 1776 - 1 Jun 1855, mother of Thomas C. McAdams.
William Plummer McAdams, 14 Mar 1843 - 18 Apr 1844, son of Thomas C. McAdams.
Hugh Morrison McAdams, 30 Nov. 1838 - 14 Jul 1840, son of Thomas C. McAdams.

Robert Hampton Deed, 1807 - Amanuensis Monday

2011-08-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

This deed, copied from the Washington County (TN) Registrar of Deeds Office, involves Robert Hampton, a son of another Robert Hampton. The elder Hampton purchased 200 acres of land in 1786. His will, dated 29 March 1796, named five sons and his wife Mary. The younger Robert sold what appears to be his share of the land in this deed. That he was selling 1/4 of the original land suggests one of the brothers may have died before marrying, his share reverting to the surviving brothers. The deed also helps to narrow the younger Robert's birth date. His father appeared on the 1790 tax list with 200 acres and one white poll tax indicating all the sons were under 16 in 1790 and that Robert was of age on 20 Sept 1807 when he executed this deed. Robert was the third named son in the will so his birth most likely occurred between 1778 and 1786.

The younger Robert's family was closely associated with my 4th great-grandmother Rachel Hampton Mulkey's family.

Deed
Robert Hampton
To
Jesse Witt
This Indenture made The Twentyeth day of September Eight Teen hundred and Seven Between Robert Hamton of the one part and Jesse Witt of the other part bouth of the County of Washington and State of Tennessee Witness that the said Robart Hamton is aforesaid for and on consideration of the sum of three Hundred Dollars to ____ in hand paid the receipt of Which is hereby acknowledged hath bargained and sold and by these present doth Bargain and sell unto the said Jess Witt his heirs and assigns a certain parcel of land situate and Lying In the Hars Shew and County afforesaid taken out of the original Deed of Robart Hamton deciesed as followeth begining on the bank of the River at a Lynn thence south forty degrees west forty poles to a hicory and Sourwood on a ridge thence South forty poles to a stake In the River thence Down __d River to the Begining corner for complement fifty acres more or less to have and to hold said Jesse Witt his heirs and assigns for Ever all and singular the profits and Every thing apertaining to the said primises hereby granted in fee simple and __ the sd Robart Hamton as aforesaid hath full power & lawful and absolute athority to grant and convey the same to said Jesse Witt and that the said primises Now and are forever hereafter Shall be free and clear of all Incumbrances whatever and to bind ___ myself my heirs executors administrators to warent and defend for Ever all Claims arising against the afforesaid primises to Jesse Witt his heirs and assigns forever In Witness Whereof I the sd Robart Hamton have here unto set my hand and seal
the day and year above written
In the Present of Witness his
__terlined and Sined Robert X Hampton {Seal}
Nathan Shipley mark
John Parkison X
Wm X Nelson X

Spelling and punctuation, or the lack thereof, have been maintained though line breaks have been changed. The deed refers to the land being in the Hars Shew or Horseshoe. The Nolichucky River makes almost a full circle north of Erwin at what is today known as Bumpas Cove, but was once known as the Horseshoe.

The Horseshoe

Sources

Loraine Rae, Washington County, Tennessee Deeds 1775-1800 (Greenville, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc. 1991), p. 70, citing Washington County Deed Book 3:37-38.
Goldene Fillers Burgner, Washington County, Tennessee Wills 1777-1872 (Southern Historical Press, 1983, Easley, SC), p. 6.
Javan Micheal DeLoach, "Washington County 1790 List of Taxables Washington County, TN," database, USGenWeb Archives (http://files.usgwarchives.org : accessed 29 Aug 2011), entry for Robert Hampton.
Washington, TN, Deed Books, 10: 66, Robert Hampton to Jesse Witt, 20 Sept 1807; Registrar of Deeds, Jonesborough.

The Results Are In

2011-08-27T05:30:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, after seeing multiple posts of the same information on my blog reader, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, I asked readers to vote on how they preferred to access blog posts.

The results clearly show that my readers (at least those who voted) are not relying on Twitter or Facebook to follow my posts. Most prefer the RSS feed to read the blogs they follow. None voted for Twitter and only 2.5% voted for Facebook.

Poll results from Vizu.com

The newest entry in the platform wars fared well. Twenty percent of readers would like to see Nolichucky Roots posts shared on Google+. Almost as many (17.5%) expressed no preference.

As a result of this information I will begin to share more posts on Google+ and move away from Networked Blogs (just as soon as I figure out how to extricate myself from the service). I may share some posts on Facebook, but they will no longer be automated. Since it appears neither I, nor my readers, are heavy Twitter users who would be frustrated by repetitive posts I may continue announcing posts there. I have had personal requests from two readers I treasure to use Twitter to share posts. Frankly, if some of you wanted the posts delivered by paper airplane or carrier pigeon, I'd try to oblige.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and preferences. I've no desire to make it more difficult for anyone to find material they want to read, but nor do I see the benefit of broadcasting every post via every platform. I would surely feel differently were I marketing my services, using these platforms for professional networking or had monetized this blog. But since none of those situations apply, I need please only myself - and you.

Photograph by Gianluca [Miche].

Slaves Named in Edward Turner Estate Inventory - Friend of Friends Friday

2011-08-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

This is the part of a series of transcriptions and abstracts of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia during my summer research marathon. Edward Turner, my 5th great-grandfather, died in Fauquier County shortly before this inventory of his estate was conducted in January 1805. Because the inventory is several pages long I have extracted and transcribed here only the information regarding the twelve slaves he held. Turner's estate was not settled until 1817, following the death of his widow. The 1817 sale of the slaves she held is transcribed here.

Turner's Inventory

In obedience to an order of Fauquier Court to us the subscribers being first sworn have appraised the Estate of Edward Turner deceased the 24th day of January 1805 as follows VizTurner slave inventory 1805

Negroes		£
	Reuben	120	"	"
	David	110	"	"
	Lillan	50	"	"
	Milly and Child Esther	95	"	"
	Jessee	50	"	"
	Cage	50	"	"
	Lewis	35	"	"
	Luce	25	"	"
	George	35	"	"
	Isaac	25	"	"
	Winny	70	"	"

[Inventory of remaining personal property follows]

Given under our hands

Reuben Murray

Thos Priest

George Glasscock

Hezekiah Glasscock

At a Court held for Fauquier County the 28th day of January 1805

This Inventory and appraisment of the Estate of Edward Turner deceased was retunred and ordered to be recorded.

Test L Brooke CC

Source: Fauquier, VA, Wills, Will Book 4:49, Edward Turner Inventory; Library of Virginia, Reel 32

For one to be named later...

2011-08-25T07:27:00.000-05:00

Names matter.

Strange, coming from one who went by "Nolichucky" for a time. But it is a source of comfort to me that my name is one shared by my great-aunt and Rusyn cousins. My husband's middle name is a family name he shares with his mother and great-grandmother. My own children have first names that have appeared for generations in my father's Eastern European family and middle names taken from family surnames.

In a few months our family will welcome its newest member. Baby Clark's parents have an abundance of family names to choose from should they wish - Biblical names, lyrical names, and (as was made clear in this post) truly awful names. There are dozens of surnames that are also candidates for given names. After all these years of researching we've even resorted to using surplus names for our pets (my mother-in-law was none too amused).

But there are a few (in addition to Nargalsharezzer) that I hope they'll avoid...

Cansada (my husband's 2nd great-grandmother) - An amazing woman, well worth emulating, but that name! Actually when you add in her surnames it's pretty impressive. Cansada Jones Stokes Sneed Caulk Sweely. Just rolls off the tongue.
Clevel (my great-aunt) - Not so unusual to me because I grew up knowing her, but try to find another Clevel. Anywhere.
Cuthbert Fenwick (my husband's 7th great-grandfather) - What can you ~~say~~ thay?
Eleven (my husband's 4th great-uncle) - You're guessing he was number eleven. He was. Number twelve was named Elisha.
Hardena Sophronia (my husband's 3rd great-aunt) - This was probably considered a lovely name in the 19th century.
Melchior (my husband's 5th great-grandfather) - Terrific if the kid grows up to be a Magi, but tough to live with otherwise.
Orrick Cromwell (son of Philomen Cromwell) (my husband's 3rd & 4th great-grandfathers) - Even if they could get past the first names, Cromwell is a non-starter in a Catholic family.
Reverdy (my husband's 2nd great-uncle) - I actually like this one in the abstract. Makes me think of dreams and pastors. All good things. But not in the real world.
Talitha Rosetta (my husband's great-grandmother) - See Hardena above. She went by Rosa. Smart woman.
Ulysses Dakota (my 2nd great-uncle) - Wildly romantic. Greek heroes, generals, the wild west, Indians. He went by Dakota, and was much loved by his family. But he in no way matched the promise of the name. It's too much to saddle anyone with.

My husband's family wins the first name contest. But I get the prize when we pull out the surnames... Pereksta, Tegza, Popp, Perehenic. There's a reason Eastern Europeans use patronyms!

Totuskey Creek - Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T14:47:00.000-05:00

Totuskey Creek, in Richmond County, Virginia, is where James Meredith and his uncle Joseph Meredith had a store in the 1830s. It is where Margaret Meredith, my husband's 2x great-grandmother lived after her father and step-mother died.

Nargalsharezzer Palmer (really) Deed - Amanuensis Monday

2011-08-22T17:53:00.001-05:00

This deed introduces the leader of our family "all-name" team - my husband's 5th great-grandfather Nargalsharezzer Palmer. His is one name that has not been passed down through the generations!

I do not know who Nargal's parents were, or who his wife or wives were beyond his widow Jane. She was named in his 1769 will. Also mentioned in his will is this land which he describes as "beginning at the head of the middle cove running up the branch to a large persimmon, a corner to Robert Palmer". He is closely associated with the Palmers on the adjoining properties and is first named in the 1748 will of Isaac Palmer, who refers to him as his cousin, leaves him half his estate, and appoints him executor. William James, who's land adjoins this piece of property, named a daughter Winifred Palmer in his 1758 will. At least two of Nargal's sons named daughters Winnie or Winnefred James Palmer. Robert Palmer, who's land is also mentioned was married to another of William James' daughters.

This deed, found during my recent stint at the Library of Virginia, does not solve any of the Nargal mysteries (including why he was given such a dreadful name). But it does place him squarely in the midst of many of the families he is believed to have been closely related to. It is also one of the most densely written deeds I've worked with - almost unreadable in terms of verbage. I have chosen to share it in smaller print fully expecting that few will read it unless it directly relates to their research. Names and significant points have been indicated with font changes. I have attempted to match the original spelling.

One final point of interest - the indenture specifies the purchase price for the land as 125 pounds, but the memorandum at the end records a payment of 115 pounds.

Lunsford }
to } Deed
Palmer }
This Indenture made the Seventh Day of November in the Twenty third year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred and fifty Between Moses Lunsford of Wicomoco Parish in Northumberland County and Colony of Virginia of the one Part and Nargalsharezzer Palmer of the same Parish and County and Colony of the other Part Witnesseth that the said Moses Lunsford for and in Consideration of one hundred and Twenty five pounds Currant Money in hand Paid the Receipt where of the said Moses Lunsford doth Acknowledge Hath demised granted Sold promised released Enfeossed (sp?) and Confirmed and by these Presents doeth Demise Grant Bargain Sell Remise Release Enfeosse (sp?) and Confirm unto Nargalsharezzer Palmer his Heirs Executors Administrators or assigns one hundred and Eighty Six acres of Land Situate Lying and being on Great Wicomoco River side in the aforesaid Parish County and Colony and is Bounded as followeth beginning for the bounds of the Said Land at a Water Oak on the Bank by the River Side -- Joyning Mr George Paynes Land thence Southerly along a line of marked trees to a Cedar Post Joyning Mr. George Paynes and William Jameses Land thence along a line of Marked trees Joyning William Jameses Southwest to a Dogwood at the head of the Cool Spring Branch Joyning William Palmers Land a Corner tree thence along a line of marked Trees Northerly to a Corner Post by the -- Road Joyning the above Said William Palmer and Robert Palmers Land thence Northeastily down along a path to a Pissimin tree Joyning Robert Palmers Land thence along a line of Marked trees Northeast to a Corner Ash in Robert
(next page)
Palmers Spring Branch Joyning the said Moses Lunsfords Land thence down the Branch to the Creek thence down the Creek to the River thence down the Above said River to the Place begun Including by Estimation one hundred and Eighty Six acres of Land with all woods Underwoods trees timber trees waters Meadows Pastures feedings Marshes as also fensing houses orchards Gardens and backsides to the Said one hundred and Eighty Six acres of Land --
Belonging or any wayes Appertaining or therewith used occupied or enjoyed together with all Right Priviledges advantages appertinances to the Same or any wise appertaining and the Reversion and Reversions remainder or Remainders Rents Issues Profitts thereof To have and to hold the said one hundred and Eighty Six acres of Land be the Same more or Less and Premises and Every Part and Parcell of them hereby Granted Bargained and Sold or Mentioned or -- intended to be Bargained Granted and Sold and Every Part and Parcell thereof with the appurtances unto the said Nargalshrezzer Palmer his heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for Ever to the only Proper use and behooss (sp?) of him the said Nargalsharezzer Palmer his heirs Executors Administrators and assigns for Ever and _____ and Paying the Quitrents for the Same of right Accustomed and the Said Moses Lunsford for him Self his heirs Executors and Administrators that at thte time of the Ensealing and Delivery of these Presents hath on him Self good Right - and Lawfull Power and authority to Grant and Convey the said one hundred and Eighty Six acres of Land and Premisses in manner and form aforesaid and that the said Nargalsharezzer Palmer his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns shall or may from time to time and at all times hereafter hold occupy Possess and Enjoy the Same and Every Part thereof without the Least hindrance and Missistation (sp?) of him the Said Moses Lunsford or his heirs Executors Administrators or any other Person or Persons whatsover Claming from or by under him free and Clear and freely and Clearly Acquitted Exonorated and Discharged of and from and from all manner of Joynheres Dowers Gifts Grants Bargains
(next page)
Sales Leases Morgages Judgements Executions and Ext__ts and from all other Troubles whatsoever Committed and done by him the Said Moses Lunsford his heirs Executors Administrators or any other Person or Persons Claiming from or under him and Shall and will warrent and forever Defend the said Promises unto him the Said Nargalsharezzer Palmer his heir Executors Administrators or assigns for Ever and will from time to time and at all times hereafter at and upon the Reasonable request Cost and Charge of him the Said Nargalsharezzer Palmer his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns delivery Suffor and acknowledge or couse to be made done Served and acknowledged all or any other Deed Conveyance or Conveyances assurance or assurances in the Law Whatsoever for the more Perfect and Sure making of the Said Premisses unto the Said Nargalsharezzer Palmer his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns as his Councill in the Law Shall be in that behalf reasoned devised Advised tendered and Required In Witness whereof the Part first Mentioned above to this Present Indenture hath set his hand and fixed his Seale the Day and year first above Writton.
Signed Sealed an' Delivered }
In the Presence of } Moses Lunsford {L:S}
Moses Oldham --} Rodam Lunsford}
Wm Coppedge --} Thomas James --}
William Harding} John Palmer ---- }
William Palmer }
December the 10th 1750
Memorandum That Quiet and Peaceable Possession and Seizeon of the within Mentioned one hundred and Eighty Six acres of land and Premisses was this Day Given and Delivered by the Within named Moses Lunsford first Part of this Indenture unto Nargalsarezzer Palmer of the other Partie to this Indenture by the Delivery of ___ and ___ upon the said Land in the Presence of Thomas James, John Palmer and William Palmer
Then Received of Nargalsharezzer Palmer one hundred and fifteen Pounds Current Money being full satisfaction for the Within mentioned Land and Premises as Witness my hand this 12 Day of November 1750,
Thomas James - } Moses Lunsford
William Palmer} John Palmer
At a Court held for Northumberland County the 10th Day of December 1750
This Deed from Moses Lunsford to Nargalsharezzer Palmer and Livery and Seisen and Receipt Endorsed was acknowledged by the said Lunsford and ordered to be Recorded,
Teste, Thos Jones Junr C C

Source: Northumberland, VA, Record Books, No. 1:183, Lunsford to Palmer Deed, 7 Nov 1750; Library of Virginia Reel #6.

Pick a Platform

2011-08-20T08:59:00.003-05:00

I have been alternately pleased with and overwhelmed by the entry of Google+ into the social media platform competition. I am the veriest novice when it comes to the whole issue. In my real life I don't do platforms. The shoes are ridiculous and perilous for one who is literally off-balance. Physical platforms are off the ground and inherently risky. Political platforms, stating it as gently as I can, are written by manipulative sociopaths to appeal to those below the lowest common denominator (2012 is going to be a very long year).

Some rights reserved by ShawnMichael

But though platform adverse, I have experimented with different social media platforms. Facebook has been a delightful place to connect informally with other family history researchers, genealogists and bloggers. I rarely use Twitter, but when there's a conference I wish I was attending or a popular uprising in Cairo, it can't be beat.

I post this blog to both because several readers have mentioned their preference for receiving blog posts via Twitter feeds or on Facebook through NetworkedBlogs. Though I strongly prefer blog reading through an RSS aggregator like Google Reader, I aim to please.

And now there's Google+.

I haven't posted my blog there before today. It seems excessive to post the same material three times over. I am not marketing myself in any commercial sense. I am simply trying to make the material I write available to those who are interested in the format that is most convenient. I am finding the redundancy a little depressing. Must one post everything on every platform? It seems like virtual littering.

So, in an effort to discern the preferences of you, my loyal reader, I've devised this brief poll. Please vote and let me know your 'druthers. Voting will remain open through August 25th. I will share the results next week.

Thank you!

Online Surveys & Market Research

The House on Maupin Row - Those Places Thursday

2011-08-18T08:28:00.006-05:00

I wrote recently about being contacted by families living in homes where my great-grandparents lived over a century ago. One of the homes is in Johnson City, TN where my grandmother Iva Williams Sawyer grew up. The homeowners were wondering if Iva's father had built the house and I thought it entirely possible. R.J. Williams was a skilled carpenter and cabinet maker. We knew the family was living in the house by the 1910 census. City records showed the house was built in 1907, though the homeowners were told that date was not the date of construction, but of when the home was remodeled and electricity added. I wondered if R.J. had done an extensive addition in 1907 to the house, adding a second story and two story addition.

R.J. and Flora Williams family, c. 1904

One of our family treasures is a photograph of the family in front of their home taken about 1904 when Iva, clutching a doll on the steps, was in her moppet phase. Her brothers Argil and Earl are standing on the porch. Brother Guy is to the right of the stairs. Her father is seated on the porch. Her mother is standing near the window in front of the house. This home is far smaller than the Maple Street house and after looking at the picture of that house, I don't think the buildings are they same. It is still possible that R.J. was involved in the construction, interior finishes or remodeling of the Maple Street house, but it is not the house the family was living in when the photograph was taken.

The 1900 census lists the family living on Maupin Row in the First Ward. R.J. owned the home, free of mortgage. I believe this is the house in the photograph. Maupin Row is not found on modern maps, nor could I find it in the 1910 census. However I located many other streets in the same district on Google Maps. Maupin Row was listed near the pins in the top left area of the map. Whatever remains of the house is buried beneath parking lots or highways.

Sources

1900 U.S. census, population schedule, Johnson City, Washington, TN, enumeration district (ED) 149, p. 9A, dwelling 148, family 166, Reese J. Williams; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Aug 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 1604.

1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Johnson City, Washington, TN, enumeration district (ED) 0202, p. 7B, dwelling 110, family 111, Reese J. Williams; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com : accessed 16 Aug 2011); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll 1524.

Williams Family, RJ and Flora. Photograph. c. 1904. Digital image. Privately held by Susan Clark, St. Louis, MO. 1980.

Margaret Meredith Palmer - Tombstone Tuesday

2011-08-16T12:58:00.004-05:00

Mrs. M. Palmer
Wife of
Jas. A. Palmer
1824-1889

Margaret Meredith Palmer lies in the small graveyard at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Kilmarnock, Virginia. The land the church and graveyard are on was originally part of Clifton plantation, the Palmer home.

Palmer Hall, the original church at St. Francis de Sales.

Her son John A. Palmer and his family are buried near her under a series of large markers.

Margaret Lee's Petition for Freedom, 1795 - A Friend of Friends Friday

2011-08-11T17:53:00.000-05:00

On my summer travels I was able to spend two days reviewing late 18th and early 19th century court records in Washington County, TN. Much of the material was dry and of little use, but there were enough fascinating papers to keep me motivated.

One case struck me immediately - to the point where I photographed both documents in the file and started some quick research on the spot. It has haunted me since. One of the few blessings of my decision to publish all possible slave records from my family is that this is NOT a case related to my family. I'm sure as I work through the records I will find other especially tragic and troubling records. But none could be more explicit or horrifying than the case of Margaret Lee who in 1795 begged the Superior Court of Law in Washington County for her freedom.

The court records are owned by the Archives of Appalachia and I do not have permission to publish the photographs or a full transcription of the documents. Fortunately Loren Schweninger's The Southern Debate Over Slavery: Petitions to Southern county courts, 1775-1867 (University of Illinois Press, 2008) includes Margaret Lee's petition on pages 59-60 and is available on Google Books. It is embedded below.

Briefly, Margaret Lee's petition states that she was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Thomas and Descinda Lee (her mother's name could also be read as Lucinda) who "altho' of a Black hue, had the Happiness to be born free people" and that in about 1774 she was kidnapped from the town docks by Samuel Latin, chained, and thrown into the hold of a ship he commanded. She was taken to Maryland where Latin enslaved her. When she attempted to make the case that she was freeborn, Latin sold her to George Johnson who in turn sold her to Francis Hawkins who in turn sold her Dutch Boyles of Frederick County, Maryland who in turn sold her to Samuel Gammons of Sullivan County, Tennessee. During her 20 years of slavery Margaret Lee bore at least two children, Abraham and Maria, who are named in her petition and in the order to Samuel Gammons to appear before the Court.

It's not difficult to deduce that Margaret Lee was anything but compliant. Nor that the consequences to her demands for freedom had been repeated sales to new slaveowners. Her 1795 petition was dated September 18th. The order to Samuel Gammons to appear before the Superior Court of Law in Jonesborough on the third Tuesday of March, 1796 was dated the third Tuesday of September, 1795. There are no further records, which to me is the most horrible element of the case. Samuel Gammons does not appear in any Tennessee records that I could find. A free Margaret, Abraham or Maria Lee do not appear in any Tennessee census or United States census that I could find.

I've tried to find records that support Margaret Lee's story. A Thomas Lee appears as the head of family in the 1790 U.S. census living in Salem, Massachusetts. He and the other two members of his family are listed as "all other free persons" rather than white. He does not appear in 1800. The New England Historical and Genealogical Society's American Ancestors site contains records that could belong to Thomas Lee, but I no longer belong and could not access them. I could find no record of a Samuel Latin, though a Samuel Litton appears as in Harford County, Maryland records. A Francis Hawkins appears on the same 1783 tax list. A George Johnson and a Francis Hawkins appear in Queen Anne County, Maryland records, but these are such common names. A Francis Hawkins is also found in Charles County Records. I found no record of a Dutch Boyles in Frederick County, but suspect he was from one of the German speaking families settling the area at the time. Even as I speculate this, I found no record of him in my book of Frederick County Lutheran marriages. A number of people enumerated as Beall in the 1790 census are slave owners, as is a Daniel Boyle.

It would be easy to obsess over the tragedy of Margaret Lee. I've already spent days thinking about her, admiring her courage and hoping against all reasonable hope that she found freedom. I can only pray she found peace.

Source: Washington District, Territory South of the Ohio, Superior Court of Law and Equity, 1785-1811, 3:117, Lee Margaret in behalf of herself and her two children, Maria and Abraham (freedom),1795; Archives of Appalachia, Johnson City, TN.

The Southern Debate Over Slavery: Petitions to Southern county courts, 1775-1867 (University of Illinois Press, 2008)

The Sawyer Homeplace

2011-08-10T08:24:00.000-05:00

This painting of my great-grandfather Gee Sawyer's home was painted by a friend of the family, Wanda Samples, probably about 1970. It hung in the house until Gee's last child, Mary Kathryn McKenzie, died in 1996. I was recently able to give it to the current owners of the home.

Source:
Samples, Wanda. Painting of Sawyer Homeplace. c. 1970. Digital image. Privately held by homeowner, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Warrensburg, TN. 2011.

Slaves named in Sarah Porter's Will (1833) - Amanuensis Monday

2011-08-08T16:27:00.001-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

I am continuing to process the documents acquired during my recent travels. This is a transcription of the will of Sarah Turner Conway Porter (10 Jun 1774 - 9 Jan 1834), my 4th great-grandmother. She was born in Fauquier County, VA and died in Jefferson County, TN. I found a photocopy of the will at the Daughters of the American Revolution Library. It was part of their Ancestor File for my 4th great-grandfather and Sarah's first husband, Joseph Conway. The will includes bequests of slaves to her heirs.

Though no source information was included in the file regarding the filing date or location of the original will I have been told it was filed in Jefferson County, TN. There was a lawsuit resulting from the will that ended up being heard by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1840.

Sarah Porters Will

The last Will and Testament of Sarah Porter of Jefferson County, East Tennessee. Considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of Sound mind and memory ____ __ almighty God for the same, do make and publish this my last Will and Testament in ____ and Terms Following: That is to say, First. I give and bequeath unto my daughter Sarah Hogain, the Mahoggany sideboard and one dozen gilt Windsor chairs. Item I give and bequeath all the balance of my property both real and personal, that I die possessed of, ( Consisting of four negroes, Viz., Charlotte, Abraham, Ann and Warner household and kitchen furniture, farming utensils stock of all kind, Waggons gears & Horses and Lands ) to be divided into four equal fourth shares and shares alike. First to my daughter Sarah Hogain and her heirs I give on share. Secondly to my son William Turner Conway and his heirs I give one other share. Thirdly I give one other share to my son James Christopher Conway and his heirs Fourthly, I give to my grandson Joseph Porter Conway ___. the fourth and last shares. But in case my said Granson Joseph Porters Conway should depart this life before he becomes of lawful age or before he has a lawful heir of his own body then and in that case the above devised share to my grandson Joseph Porter Conway should decend to his full blooded sisters and brothers, and lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my esteemed friends Major William Conway and William C. Hogain Esq of Green County and Peters Beckers and Charles T. P Jarnagin of Jefferson County, East Tennessee my lawful executors of this my last Will and Testament ___ing and annulling all former Wills by me made Testifying and Confirming this and none other to be my last Will and Testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this the day of June in the year of our Lord One Thousand eight hundred and thirty three.
Sarah Porter {Seal}
Signed Sealed published and declared by the above
hand Sarah Porters to be her last Will and Testament
in the presence of us who at her request and in her presence
have subscribed our Names as Witnesses Hereunto
Eleventh line from the bottom on the first page interlined before signed
John W. Haill
William Haill
Abraham {his X mark} Dawson
A.

Notes - The lawsuit I referred to above states that Sarah Porter died in 1835. The information I've had handed down to me gives a date of 9 January 1834. I have not researched her death date and have no supporting documentation for the date I've used.

The photocopied will shows no date for Sarah Porter's signature beyond June, 1833.

Major William Conway was the nephew of Sarah's first husband, Joseph Conway. William Conway Hogain was the husband of Sarah's daughter as well as her first husband's grand-nephew. Charles Jarnigan was Sarah's grandson (through his mother Elizabeth Maree Conway, who died before her mother) and party to the subsequent lawsuit. There is no known relationship to Peter Beckers.

Serendipitous Results

2011-08-06T09:24:00.001-05:00

When I started blogging last year I'd no idea who, if anyone, would be reading what I posted. Blogging was the first step in addressing the issue of what happens to Mom's stuff when Mom is off to greener pastures - be they eternal or the result of wanderlust. My goal was to share the stuff, most of which has been entirely private, with present and future family historians.

I'm blessed/cursed to be the family archivist. I have vital records, letters, diaries and photographs of my immigrant grandparents; boxes of papers and photo albums hauled up from my great-grandfather's house in 1996; crates of my grandmother's letters, photographs, research notes, grocery lists, bills, and newspaper clippings. There are a couple bags of research and photographs from my mother and aunt. This summer I've added digital copies of my husband's great-grandmother's papers to the mix. It's overwhelming. Who would be interested in this?

Well, it turns out people are!

GeneaBloggers LOVE reading each other's work. I suspect many of us have few people in our daily lives who are fascinated by the details of what we do. This was unexpected, but has been great fun.

Cousins have contacted me after reading the blog - especially on my father's side of the family. This has been a joy. It's the reason I began. Nothing beats connecting with family members interested in family history.

I've not had as much luck connecting with cousins in the more established American families I research, but I have been amazed by who has contacted me about those lines. I expected interest in the blog to be limited to family historians, but, with the power of Google, other researchers are finding posts of interest. I've had a wonderful exchange with a gentleman researching the history of his high school, a school where my great-uncle coached (more on that in a later post).

Three people researching house histories have emailed me. One man is researching a family home in the area where Thomas James Meredith's son settled. He kindly told me my Meredith posts have been helpful (hallelujah!!). Given how besotted I am with the family, this pleased me more than I can express. He's confirmed that the Thomas Meredith in Gloucester County is the son and generously offered to share some documents and photographs. I do love those Merediths!

Two people actually live in homes that belonged to great-grandparents. They found the blog by googling their addresses or the previous owners' (aka my g-grandfathers') names. Both are restoring the homes (to my delight) and have appreciated pictures and information about the houses and families that lived there. I've learned about present day adventures and had the chance to visit with the family living in my Sawyer family's homestead. I'd not been back since my last great-aunt died in 1996. It was beyond wonderful to see another family making the home their own. I even found an old painting of the house tucked in my archives (basement) and returned it to Tennessee. Far better it should hang there than gather dust and who knows what else in my "archives".

Not at all what I expected when I began this project, but these experiences have heartened and encouraged me to keep on digitizing and blogging. Now, back to work. Only a few thousand items left to scan or transcribe...

UPDATE
I mentioned that GeneaBloggers love reading one another's work. That this work also inspires and motivates us is not always so clear. I was catching up on back reading and saw once more a grand series of posts last month by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on her Nutfield Genealogy blog. She spent a week blogging about the joys of unexpected results in her Serendipity posts. I read them at the time and loved them. I have to think they inspired the theme and title of this post, though I was slow to recognize it. Belated hat tip to Heather!

Out for a Stroll - (Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T10:14:00.001-05:00

l to r - Annette Clark, Jerry Clark, Iva Sawyer, Bob Sawyer

This picture of my grandparents (on the right) and their friends has always amused me. It was taken in 1925, shortly after they were married in Portland, OR. They seem awfully dolled up for a picnic or park outing, yet the setting seems to indicate that's exactly where they were.

Selling the Meredith Land - Amanuensis Monday

2011-08-01T12:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

I am beginning to process the documents copied at the Library of Virginia during my recent travels. This deed documents the 1838 sale of the land my husband's 3rd great-grandfather, John Meredith, willed to his eldest son, Thomas James Meredith in 1834.

This Indenture made the 17th July 1838 between Thomas J. Meredith of the County of Richmond of the one part and George W. Flowers of the county of Lancaster of the other part each of the state of Virginia: witnesseth that the said Thomas J. Meredith for and in consideration of the sum of Three thousand five hundred dollars to him by the said George W. Flowers agreed to be paid hath granted bargained and sold and by these presents doth grant bargain sell and convey unto the said George W. Flowers his heirs and assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land containing one hundred and seventy four acres or the same more or less lying and being in the County of Lancaster and on Dymers Creek and being the same tract of Land devised by the last will and testament of John Meredith decd: to the said Thomas James Meredith --
To have and to hold the said tract or parcel of Land with the appurtenances thereto belonging from and after the first day of January next To him the said George W. Flowers his heirs and assigns forever: and the said Thomas James Meredith for himself and his heirs exors & admons doth hereby convenant and agree to and with the said George W. Flowers his heirs and assigns that he said Thomas J. Meredith and his heirs the said tract or parcel of land with its appurtenances unto the said George W. Flowers his heirs and assigns against him the said Thomas J. Meredith and his heirs and against all persons whomsoever shall and & will by these presents forever warrant and defend. In witness whereof the said Thomas J. Meredith hath hereto set his hand & affixed his seal the day and year above written --
signed sealed and delivered } Thomas J. Meredith {Seal}
in presence of }
Ro: T. Dunaway
B. M. Walker
James E. Waddey
The grave yard on the premises hereby conveyed is excepted & reserved to the said Thomas J Meredith his heirs and assigns forever say one fourth of an acre.
witness Geo: W. Flowers
Ro: T. Dunaway
At a Court held for the County of Lancaster on the 16th day of September 1839. This deed from Thomas J. Meredith to George W. Flowers was proved by the oaths of Ro: T. Dunaway, Benjamin M. Walker & James E. Waddey witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded.
Teste,
Benjamin M. Walker cl

Notes ~ This deed narrows the locations possible for John Meredith's land, land he had inherited from his father, William Meredith. His home was referred to as Plum Hill in an obituary appearing in a Richmond newspaper. No such name exists in the area today, but Place-names of the Northern Neck of Virginia by Mary Ruth Miller (Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library 1983) mentions Plum Tree Swamp as a marsh, located in Northumberland or Lancaster Counties in the vicinity of Fleets Bay. The deed's mention of Dymers Creek supports a Fleets Bay location. Dymer Creek is located in Lancaster County and separates Fleets Bay Neck and Poplar Neck before it empties into the Bay.

The mention of a graveyard intrigues me. My assumption is that William and Caty Yerby Meredith (John's parents), John, at least one of his three wives, and other Meredith siblings were buried there. I've found no other mention of a Meredith graveyard before this. The map above does indicate two cemeteries that are not visible on Google Earth.

Sources
Lancaster, VA, Deed Book 39:78, Thomas J. Meredith to George W. Flowers, 17 Jul 1838. Library of Virginia Film #13. Digital image.
Map from the Virginia Department of Health's Shoreline Sanitary Survey for Indian, Dymer and Tabbs Creek, dated 11 June 2011. (http://www.vdh.state.va.us/EnvironmentalHealth/shellfish/shoreline/survey016.pdf. Accessed 31 Jul 2011.)

Salad Oughtn't Wiggle

2011-07-31T11:54:00.001-05:00

After Grandmother died in 1993 I spent several days in Morristown with my parents clearing out the house she lived in for more than fifty years. I found sunbonnets my mother and aunts had worn as girls, fabulous Christmas ornaments, books and seemingly endless boxes and bags of family papers (many of which have been or will be featured on this blog). I had an especially good time going through the kitchen.

Some rights reserved by larry&flo

I'd always loved that kitchen. It was a huge, sunny room at the back of the house. There was a breakfast nook with benches and a table that was just like a restaurant or diner. Once you slid in you were trapped until the adult on the end would let you out (though very small children were known to slip down and crawl out under the table). The cupboards and drawers had all kinds of well-used gadgets and equipment I never saw in our kitchen at home.

But it was the 43 recipes for molded lime jello salads that were in her recipe box that really sparked the memories. Note that was just for lime jello salads. (Lest you doubt me, you need only google "lime jello salad" images to see the endless possibilities.) There were also the recipes for cherry jello salads, orange jello salads and uncounted recipes for aspics and other congealed foodstuffs. Grandmother, it seems, preferred her food structured and controlled. Wiggling allowed, but no running all over the place.

I'm not sure which I loathed more - the shredded carrot, pineapple, and raisins in lime jello or the chopped ham, horseradish, and peas in lime jello or the cottage cheese in lime jello pictured. Regardless, it seemed every supper or dinner included a version. Sometimes, she would even include the green beans that appeared at every meal (mandated by my grandfather who believed them the food of gods) in the salad du jour. Lettuce was a garnish. Every other fruit or vegetable was encased in something derived from boiling animal carcasses that had more in common with glue than anything I wanted to eat.

It's not that Grandmother was a bad cook. She made wonderful chicken salads (the uncongealed ones), cakes, biscuits and cornbreads. Margaret, who was her housekeeper for many, many years, made the best deep-dish peach pie I will ever eat. I still dream of it. But those jello salads had me squirming and wiggling in my seat so that I must have born more than a passing resemblance to the stuff.

I packed off one recipe and salad mold to each of my cousins in their box of souvenirs and took a couple home with me. Can I find either the recipes or molds today? Of course not. They surely lurk in the nightmare that is my basement, probably shaking a bit in their box with each step we make upstairs.

Written for the 108th edition of Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

Under Occupation - Civil War Saturday

2011-07-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

Frederick, Maryland, home of my husband's maternal grandparents, saw much of the Civil War at close range. Only 21 miles from John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry, 24 miles from Sharpsburg and Antietem Creek and 35 miles from Gettysburg, Frederick's citizens saw Union and Confederate armies march through its streets and fields, heard the cannons and nursed the injured.

In 1864 the family of Dr. Charles Smith was living on 2nd Street in a house that had belonged to Maryland's former governor Enoch Louis Lowe. Lowe was a Confederate supporter who, shortly after the beginning of the war, had sold his home and moved to Virginia. The Smiths, too, had strong Confederate sympathies, but remained in Maryland. In addition to Dr. Smith, the household included his mother, Mary Eliza Jamison Smith, younger brother (and my husband's great-grandfather), Dr. Francis Fenwick Smith, and sisters Catherine, Mary, and Cornelia. A Charles Smith and a Mary Smith are listed on the 1860 census as slave owners, but it is unclear if they are the same Smiths.

In July 1864 the Confederate army moved north and briefly occupied Frederick. One of the officers was Brigadier General Bradley T. Johnson, a Frederick native. He apparently knew Dr. Smith, for in the papers of Smith's sister-in-law was a very faded and worn bit of paper written pencil ordering that no harm or damage should befall Dr. Smith's property. The writing is faint, but as best I could manage, the transcription reads

“P__ __s Johnsons Brigad
July 6^th 1864
Special Orders
No 3
Soldiers & others are
hereby ordered to respect the known
property of Dr Chas Smith – and
attention is called to the fact
that the penalty of a violation
of a “safe guard” is death -
By Cons_ _ of Brig Genl Johnson
_ _ ere_ _ _ Howard
1^st Lt _ lect A R C”

The Confederate occupation was brief. The Battle of Monocacy took place July 9, 1864 and the troops moved on toward Washington, DC. Days later the younger brother of Smith's future sister-in-law, Maria Lee Palmer, left his school in Maryland to join General Johnson's troops. His sister became the family archivist, collecting and saving many documents relating to their lives during and after the Civil War.

Source: Confederate Order regarding House of Dr. Charles Smith, July 1864; privately held by descendent of Dr. Francis F. Smith, Frederick, Maryland. 1966. Papers of Maria Lee Palmer Smith.

Slave Division of Thad. Pullen's Estate - A Friend of Friend Friday

2011-07-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

This is the part of a series of transcriptions and abstracts of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia during my summer research marathon. Eleven slaves were named in the Division of Slaves for the estate of Thaddeus Pullen, who died about 1809 in Lancaster County, Virginia. I abstracted the slave and heir information from the microfilm copy.

From Lancaster County Estate Book 27, p. 339 (LVA Reel #47)

Slave Division of Thadeus Pullen's Estate. 17 February 1817.

To Frances George, late widow of Thad. Pullen
Bob $400
Alice $330
Jerry $130
Molly $80
$ 940

To Westley Kirk, by right of his wife who was Elizabeth Pullen, Lot 4
John at $400
To Enoch George, guardian of Jonathan Pullen, Lot 2
Charles $230
Tom $230
To William George, guardian of William Pullen, Lot 3
Hannah $330
To William George, guardian of Catherine Pullen, Lot 5
Sarah $330
To William George, guardian of Addaline Pullen, Lot 1
Jesse $280
To William George, guardian of Nancy B. Pullen, Lot 6
Ann $330

Submitted by Sp. George, Wm T. Yerby, Danl P Mitchell and recorded at Lancaster Court 19 Jan 1818.

Pullen's widow, Frances George, was the sister of my husband's 3rd great-grandfather, John Meredith. At this time I know very little about the Pullen heirs and where they remained. Addaline did die shortly after this settlement. Jesse likely ended up belonging to another of the heirs. William Pullen remained in Lancaster County until the Civil War. I have not researched him further than that.

Belle of the Ball - Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T07:38:00.000-05:00

Iva Belle Williams c. 1918

At the end of the road - Tombstone Tuesday

2011-07-26T08:36:00.000-05:00

When I arrived in Washington County, Tennessee after following the same path south as my Scots-Irish Presbyterian ancestors (though far more comfortably and rapidly), I went first to the cemeteries dotting the countryside around the Big Limestone Creek where they settled.

At Salem Cemetery, located on the grounds of Washington College, I found the fading markers for my 4th great-grandparents John and Elizabeth Cloyd Stephenson and for John's mother, Alice Houston Stephenson. I am a novice gravestone photographer and these are almost impossible to read without ones fingers tracing the letters. I've transcribed the engraving as best I can. Selecting individual photographs will allow you to make out some of the lettering.

memory of

Elizabeth Stephenson

Born October 15^th 17

Died March 30^th 18

aged 61 years &

memory of

John Stephenson

Born May 2 th 1779

Died March 24^th 1842

aged _ 2 & 10 months

memory of

Alice Stephenson

Born August 1_th 1749

Died February 27^th 1832

aged 82 years & 6 months

The Road

2011-07-25T00:26:00.001-05:00

By freefotouk

I am home. My genealogy dream trip this summer lasted five and half weeks, covered 4,800 miles (lots of backtracking involved, but I could drive Interstate 81 for years and not mind), stays in 4 states and the District of Columbia, visits to the National Archives, the DAR Library, the Library of Virginia, the Mary Ball Washington Library, the Archives of Appalachia, two courthouses, eight cemeteries, family homes and even living, breathing family members. I had dinner three nights with fellow geneabloggers (completely wonderful!), ate my first Ethiopian meal with my fabulous niece, caught up with a college friend I'd not seen in years, and looked at microfilm until my eyes and brain were completely crossed. I have thousands of images to sort through and assess. But I do believe that's for another day. A la Scarlett O'Hara, I'll think about that tomorrow.

What I have been thinking about is how I was able to travel the distance of my ancestors lives in a matter of hours. My Scots-Irish family migrated south through the Shenandoah Valley from western Pennsylvania to Tennessee over several generations. One morning I woke in Lexington, VA and visited the Rockbridge County Courthouse. I saw the original marriage bond for my 4th great-grandparents, John Stephenson and Elizabeth Cloyd. That afternoon, after driving south on I-81, I visited their graves at the Salem Cemetery in Washington County, TN. I stayed in Jonesborough, where Elizabeth started a school for girls in 1820.

I remember traveling through Virginia before the interstate was built, before cars had air conditioners, when a hotel swimming pool was rare. It took a full day longer. The roads were curvier (I consumed large quantities of dramamine on those trips), narrower, and far more difficult to drive. From today's perspective it was a difficult trip.

I try to imagine John and Elizabeth traveling down to Tennessee in 1808. They surely traveled the same route I did - the Great Warriors Trail. I wonder if there were ghosts on their road, as there have been on mine.

Slaves of William Meredith - A Friend of Friends Friday

2011-07-22T19:32:00.004-05:00

This is the part of a series of transcriptions and abstracts of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia during my summer research marathon. Ten slaves were named in the inventory and appraisal of my husband's 4th great-grandfather, William Meredith, who died in 1808 in Lancaster County, Virginia. I abstracted the slave information but did not copy the list of household goods.

From Lancaster County Estate Book 27, p. 32 (LVA Reel #47)

Appraisal for estate of William Meredith, deceased. 8 July 1808.

1 negro man Daniel £ 100.00
1 " " Solomon 90.00
1 " " Saunders 100.00
1 " " George 75.00
1 " boy Stephen 15.00
1 " woman Nell 21.00
1 " " Nanny 75.00
1 " " Minny 75.00
1 " " Patty 60.00
1 " girl Martha (see below) 30.00

Submitted to Lancaster Court by William Gibson, Samuel M. Shearman, Geo. W. Yerby, Rich. Berryman and recorded 18 July 1808.

~~~

The name of the girl Martha was difficult to read and may be incorrect.

The slaves total value was £631.00 making them the majority of the estate which had a total value of £813.20. The appraisal did not include Meredith's land or three more slaves who were named as individual bequests in his will (Lancaster Will Book 28, p. 106). There he named Battron, Harry and Willis. Solomon was also an individual bequest to a son Robert but was named in this inventory. For further information on Solomon and other enslaved people see my WeRelate page recording slave information found during family research.

Old World Uncle - Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T18:00:00.000-05:00

Turner Slave Sale - Amanuensis Monday

2011-07-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks to John at Transylvanian Dutch who originated the Amanuensis Monday meme, providing a framework (and nudge) for transcribing family records, news clippings and other treasures.

This is the first of a series of transcriptions of records involving slaves that I copied at the Library of Virginia. Edward Turner was my 5th great grandfather. He died in 1805. William Byrne married Turner's youngest daughter, Ann. They remained in Fauquier County throughout their lives.

Fauquier County, VA Will Book 7, p. 12 (LVA Fauquier Reel 33)
Turner Edward, Account Sale
Sale of the property of Edwd Turner, Decd Lewis Turner acting Admt
January 3rd 1817 the widows dower Slaves to William Byrne

To negro David 370.00
Siller and Lucy 651.00
9 Barrels of Corn at 6$50 38.50 1079.50
At a Court held for Fauquier County the 26th day of May 1817
This account of the sales of the estate of Edward Turner deceased was returned into Court and and ordered to be recorded.
Test
Daniel Withers C.C.

Abstract thoughts

2011-07-17T08:58:00.000-05:00

I've relied for many years on published abstracts of wills, marriages and deeds in my research. I don't live anywhere near the places I've needed to research and it's only in the last few years that original documents have become more available online. As I worked through the thousands of names in the family trees I inherited, validating the information and adding rudimentary sources, the abstracts were heaven sent.

I'm now in Virginia - ground zero for much of my family and my husband's. I'm visiting houses, cousins, graveyards and my personal Mecca, the Library of Virginia. Four days there doesn't seem nearly enough time, but I shall make the most of it.

Saturday I plowed through Lancaster and Northumberland records, looking for the wills I've been citing, looking for estate settlements, inventories, other deeds and indentures. And I found them. Dozens and dozens of them. I haven't dared count how many pages I'm going to copy to my flash drive on Monday.

And I saw what I'd known in the abstract - the names that are missing from those lovely, easy abstracts. There are dozens and dozens of them, as well. Names like Sam, 42 year old male. Annie, 16 year old female. Stepto, 27 year old male. (These aren't specific people - just examples.) I looked away several times. I was more exhausted than I've been the entire trip. I can't possible copy them all. But I will copy everyone of "ours" that I can get to. And over the next months I will transcribe every name and publish them all.

In the meantime, if you're seeking enslaved ancestors from the Northern Neck and believe they might have been owned by the following families please contact me after August 1st. I'll be glad to send you copies of anything I've found.

Slave Owners naming Slaves in 18th & 19th c. Northern Neck Records

Corbin

Currell

Gibson

Lawson

Lee

McTyre

Meredith

Palmer

Yerby

These other families may also have left records naming slaves, but I have not seen them so far. I will, however, be copying records so may have information on them later.

Conway (Northern Virginia)

Dobyns (Northern Virginia)

Doggett (Northern Virginia)

Holt (Amelia and Campbell Counties)

James (Wythe and Smyth Counties)

Mason (Campbell County)

Porter (Fauquier County)

Turner (Northern Virginia)

Williams (Wythe, Grayson, Smyth Counties)

SNGF - Slices of Heritage Pie

2011-07-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

I needed something quick and fun this evening and Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun was just the thing. His challenge was to list all 16 great-great grandparents, their dates and places of birth, death and marriage and to then make a pie chart of the birthplaces.

Now I'm scant on dates when it comes to my European great great grandparents. I consider myself blessed to know all their names! As for the places they were born, lived and died, well, borders and states have changed dramatically since they lived. Technically all eight were born in the Hungarian Empire. Some may have been ethnic Hungarians, but today the villages where they lived are in Slovakia and the Ukraine and no one there considers themselves Hungarian. So that's what I'm going with for the chart, no matter what my list says.

The Great Greats

16. Stefan Papp was born before 1826 in Drahovo, Maramoros, Hungary and died in Drahovo, Maramoros, Hungary.
Stefan married Anna Stajko in Berezovo, Maramoros, Hungary.
17. Anna Stajko was born in Drahovo, Maramoros, Hungary and died in Drahovo, Maramoros, Hungary.

18. Ivan Tegza Balabancuk was born before 1837 in Maramoros, Hungary.

Ivan married Anna Perehanic Rabunesic in Berezovo, Maramoros, Hungary.
19. Anna Perehanic Rabunesic was born before 1840 and died after 1892 in Berezovo, Maramoros, Hungary.

20. Ivan (Janos) Pereksta was born in 1826 in Kis-Pereszlo, Zemplén, Hungary and died in 1857 in Kis-Pereszlo, Zemplén, Hungary.
He married Maria Bundzha on 24 Feb 1848 in Kis-Pereszlo, Zemplén, Hungary.
21. Maria Bundzha was born in 1829 in Kis-Pereszlo, Zemplén, Hungary.

22. Ivan (Janos) Szidor was born in 1818 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary.
He married Maria Komiszar on 3 Feb 1848 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary.
23. Maria Komiszar was born in 1825 in Sztarina, Zemplén, Hungary.

24. Archibald Sawyer(s) was born in 1795 in South Carolina and died before 1880 in Cocke, TN.
Archibald married Sarah Killian about 1836.
25. Sarah Killian, daughter of David Killian and Barbary Fulbright, was born on 23 Sep 1812 in NC, and died on 2 Jan 1881 in Cocke County, TN.

26. Charles Turner Porter Conway, son of James Christopher Turner Conway and Sarah Elizabeth Holloway, was born in 1828 in Cocke Co, TN and died in 1886.
Charles married Ella Holt on 17 Dec 1851.
27. Ella Holt, daughter of Zebidee Holt and Eleanor Allen, was born in 1827 in Tennessee and died in 1895 in Cocke Co, TN.

28. Granville H. Williams, son of Levi Williams and Susannah Pugh, was born on 22 Feb 1820 in VA and died on 23 Jul 1888 in Grayson, VA.
Granville married Sally James on 30 Jan 1841 in Smyth, VA.
29. Sally James, daughter of John James and Nancy Smith, was born on 21 Mar 1821 in , Wythe, VA and died on 18 Aug 1864 in Grayson, VA.

30. Samuel Bryson McAdams, son of Thomas Cunningham McAdams Sr. and Cynthia S. Stephenson, was born on 3 Feb 1845 in Washington, TN, died on 13 May 1900 in Johnson City, Washington, TN.
Samuel married Rachel Mulkey on 9 May 1866 in Washington, TN.
31. Rachel Mulkey, daughter of Philip Mulkey and Ann Duncan, was born on 15 Sep 1839 in Washington, TN, died in 1906 in Johnson City, Washington, TN.

As for the Pie, any way you slice it it's fun to work with!

From Kid's Zone

Pereksta Cousins from the Old World

2011-07-16T06:12:00.000-05:00

I have an envelope addressed to my grandfather from his wife's family in Czechoslovakia that was sent in the 1950s. The postmark is hard to read but I think it was sent in 1958. My grandfather died in 1948, but the family in Europe may not have known about his death. The envelope is full of photographs, some dated, some labeled, some with no information at all. The most poignant, which I will not publish for privacy reasons, is at the burial of one of my grandmother's great-nieces. There are photos of soldiers, of family groups, of children. The dates on the photographs range from 1948 to 1954.

These are my favorites.

Death of a Physician - Amanuensis Monday

2011-07-11T05:27:00.000-05:00

This obituary was part of the papers I recently reviewed at my husband's aunt's home. The collection belonged to Maria Lee Palmer Smith, her grandmother. The obituary is for Maria Smith's husband, Dr. Francis Fenwick Smith and was almost certainly from a Frederick, Maryland newspaper published on Monday, August 27, 1900, the day following his death.

Death of a Physician
_____

Dr. Francis Fenwick Smith Passes Away
_____

City's Oldest Practitioner.
_____

Had Been Engaged in Active Practice in Frederick Since 1864 --- Was Seventy-Two Years of Age and Universally Respected.

Dr. Francis Fenwick Smith, the oldest practicing physician of this city died at his residence, East Second street, yesterday evening, at 6 o'clock, of a complication of diseases, aged 72 years. For the past few months Dr. Smith had been sick, but it was hoped that he would rally. Yesterday morning he was apparently better and the family entertained no serious thought of his early death, but late in the afternoon he began to sink rapidly and hardly had the family assembled at the bedside when quietly and peacefully he breathed his last.
Doctor Smith was a son of the late Leonard Smith and Eliza Jamison Smith, and was born in Allegany county on May 24, 1828. His early education was obtained in his native county, after which he studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical College, Pa. from which he graduated in 1854. He began the practice of medicine in Bladensburg, Prince George's county, Md., where he remained util 1863, when he removed to Frederick, and has practiced his profession in this city, where he enjoyed a very large practice.
In 1866 Dr. Smith married Miss Maria Lee Palmer, of Virginia, who, with four children, survive him. during his residence in this city Dr. Smith made a host of friends by his courteous and kindly manner and his truly christian charity. His skill as a physician is attested by hundreds of people who sought his aid during his long and successful practice. He was a member of the Catholic Benevolent Legion and of St. John's Catholic church. He is survived by Mrs. Smith and four sons -- Charles F., John Francis, William Meredith and Edward J. Smith, all of Frederick. Two sisters, Misses Mary E. and Kate F. Smith also survive. His five brothers, among whom was Dr. Charles Smith, are all dead. The funeral will take place tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Mass will be sung at St. John's Catholic church. Interment will be made at St. John's cemetery.

Source: Death of a Physician (F. F. Smith Obituary) (Frederick, MD: Newspaper Unknown, 27 August 1900).

Reconnecting Across the Years

2011-07-09T08:20:00.000-05:00

My great-uncle Mikula Papp and his family in 1932. The portrait was taken in Chust, in what is now the Ukraine. The man sitting on the right may be another great-uncle, Ivan Papp, but I am not sure.

Mikula was the youngest of Ivan and Maria Tegze Papp's surviving children (the one who had no shoes). He and my grandfather Stefan corresponded for many years but after Stefan died in 1948 contact with the family was lost. When we went to Europe after the Berlin Wall fell we were reunited with my grandfather's family. My father and aunt met several first cousins, including Mikula's two surviving children.

His daughter, Maria, and two of her sons were still living in the Ukraine. They were an amazing family - welcoming us with open arms with only a day or two's notice. We asked there, as we asked everyone we visited, if they had pictures we could see. His daughter pulled a photo album from the shelf and showed us an entire album of empty pages. Only old fashioned small white corners outlined where the photographs had been.

Mikula had been arrested by Stalin's men one day after World War II and sent away. He was gone for many years, but did survive and return home. The family's photographs were destroyed (it wasn't clear to me whether the men who took Uncle Mikula destroyed them or the family themselves, out of fear) but forty years later they still had the album. Despite the scars Maria and her family lived and continue to live full and successful lives. One son is a surgeon, another is a dentist and the third, a Moscow-trained classical musician, emigrated to Mexico where he is a concert violinist.

Maria's younger brother, Laszlo, had settled in Budapest and joined us there for dinner. He looked very like his father. Laszlo would have been one of the two younger boys in this picture. He had worked as a bureaucrat in Hungary for many years and was retired when we came. For my father and aunt to meet these first cousins more than seventy years after their father left Europe was a gift we will treasure always.

Finding Father - Thankful Thursday

2011-07-07T06:53:00.002-05:00

I have spent many years researching my Meredith in-laws and have come to care deeply about many of them. I have an especially dear place in my heart for Father William Meredith, the younger half-brother of my husband's great great-grandmother.

From the first references to him as a young child in 1830s family letters to newspaper articles about him when he was serving as a priest in St. Louis in the 1870s every mention has been full of warmth and caring. When I realized he had been in St. Louis, where I live and served as the first pastor at a church, where I have worshiped, I began searching for a portrait of him. The Redemptorist order he was a member of is no longer headquartered in St. Louis; the church where he presided burned recently and most of it's records have been stored. I've not been able to find a photograph or painting.

So I was beyond thrilled when going through the papers of his niece and my husband's great-grandmother to find several documents. There was a lengthy obituary, a transcription of his tombstone, and there was this.

I'll admit to a loud gasp and a tear or two. Dancing ensued. There isn't any logical reason why he, and now this photograph, mean so much to me, but I will be forever grateful that I had the chance to pour through those papers, open up an envelope and see this face.

I believe the writing on front says "your gruncle Wm. V. Meredith, C.S.S.R." The photograph was taken by A. J. Fox (205 North Fifth Street, St. Louis), perhaps in 1878 when Fr. Meredith celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest. He's a little heavier than I expected, definitely posed and formal. But his eyes seem kind and his face gentle. He looks well, and strong, though he died in 1884 in New Orleans, only a few years after this portrait was taken.

Having found Uncle Father Willie Meredith, I intend to keep him near, to guide and encourage me, even to share a celebratory jig upon occasion! By all accounts he's a very good man to have around.

First Flight - Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T00:09:00.000-05:00

My grandmother, Anna Pereksta Popp just before taking her first airplane ride, c. 1961. She was flying from upstate New York to the West Coast to see her son and his family.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T00:26:00.000-05:00