December 08, 2003
One Hundred Interesting Mathematical Problems, Puzzles, Diversions, and Amusements: Number 21: Ancestors
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Were my ancestors... famous back in the Middle Ages?"
"Your ancestors? Which ancestors? You have a lot of them."
"Well, most of them."
"There is a tradition that your Ridgeway ancestors--part of the English wave of conquest of Ireland under the Angevin kings--were descended from an illegitimate daughter of William the Conquerer, and that they were also descended from Earl Leofric and his wife Godiva, of the well-known story about Coventry. This was possibly the first supply-side tax policy in history: she asked her husband to lower taxes, and he replied 'Sure, I'll lower taxes when you ride naked through the streets on a white horse'."
"Nobody knows that story, Dad."
"No?"
"I asked people in my class. They all agreed that Lady Godiva was the inventor of a kind of chocolate."
"Oh."
"But what was my typical ancestor like?"
"Well, first let's calculate how many ancestors you had. You were born in the 1990s. Let's suppose that there is a generation born every twenty-five years. That means that a century ago you had 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 ancestors born in the 1890s. How many is that?"
"16"
"In exponential notation: you're studying exponents in math this week."
"24"
"And a century before that? Another four generations, with your number of ancestors doubling as we go back each additional generation?"
"You'd multiply by two four more times."
"Which would give you?"
"28, two multiplied by itself eight times."
"That's 1790. How about 1690?"
"212."
"And what is 212, approximately?"
[Silence]
"Well, 212 is 210 times 22, and 210 is about 1,000--1024 exactly, but we'll say 1000."
"1000 times 4 equals 4000."
"Yep. About 4000 ancestors born in 1690. Now let's take it back to 1490--eight more generations. 212 times 2 eight more times is?"
"220"
"And back to 1240--another 2 1/2 centuries, another ten generations?"
"230"
"And that is? Remember, 230 is 210 x 210 x 210."
"1000 x 1000 x 1000... is a billion."
"Excellent! Now consider that there were only 400 million people alive on the earth in 1240. What does that mean?"
[Silence]
"Well, it means that you must be descended from a lot of people by a lot of different lines of inheritance--a lot of distant cousins marrying each other. I mean, there are a billion ancestral slots that have to be filled, and only 400 million people back in 1240 to fill them. So a lot of people have to be filling multiple slots on your ancestral family tree."
"So does that mean I'm descended from everybody alive in the world in 1240? That they are all my ancestors?"
"Not quite. There were a number of people alive in 1240 who have no descendants living today. And mixing between European populations and the Amerind, sub-Saharan African, Indian, southeast Asian, Chinese, and Japanese populations over the past millennium has been very slow. But if they (a) have any living descendants at all, (b) were alive in 1240, and (c) lived in Europe, on the south or eastern shore of the Mediterranean, or in Mongolia, odds are that you're probably descended from them."
"Mongolia?"
"Your mother's maternal grandfather had Tartar eyes. Mongolia. Chingis Khan. The Mongol Empire."
"So when I read about the history of Medieval Europe, I should think that everyone's my ancestor?"
"Yep. The Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I Barbarossa of the House of Hohenstaufen, and also the peasant Ludovico il Pazzo from Caserta outside Napoli. Pope Innocent III, or at least one of his close relatives. William the Conqueror and a number of his knights, but also Aethelraed Illraed and Harald Hardrada. Lady Godiva, but also Brunhilde the washerwoman, and Thraxa the house slave back after the Roman and before the Saxon conquest of Britain. Rich and poor, noble and serf, pretty and ugly, smart and dumb--all of them, at least all of them who have any living descendants at all today."
"Kind of stupid that they spent so much time fighting each other, isn't it?"
"Yep."
Monday, May 30, 2005
Statistics of Ancestry
So, just in case J. Brad DeLong's blog and entries ever go poof, I want to post this lovely story he wrote here.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Website problems
I've having problems with my beautiful new website - I have to change the way I've done my sources to get them to be fully visible. Right now most of them are truncated to the point they are useless. Fortunately once I've made the adjustments (one by one!) they will be even more useful because you can look at all people who are linked to any given source.
A nice thing to be able to do.
But I have a LOT of sources.
Sigh.
At least it'll be amazing when I'm done!
A nice thing to be able to do.
But I have a LOT of sources.
Sigh.
At least it'll be amazing when I'm done!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Meet Augusta S. White McNeely
I don't know much about Augusta yet.
I finally have proof that she was the third wife of my ancestor William V. McNeely
I know that she was born in November of 1845 in Onondaga County, New York to Truman and Phebe Harris White.
I know that in every census from her first (1850) to 1880 she was living there with her parents and her brother Jonas.
What I don't know is how she ended up in Christian County, Missouri to marry W.V. McNeely on Christmas Day 1889.
William died in 1899 and in 1900 there she is in Christian County, Augusta S. McNeely, widow, with her brother Jonas T. White.
Somehow I think that's a story I'd like to know.
I finally have proof that she was the third wife of my ancestor William V. McNeely
I know that she was born in November of 1845 in Onondaga County, New York to Truman and Phebe Harris White.
I know that in every census from her first (1850) to 1880 she was living there with her parents and her brother Jonas.
What I don't know is how she ended up in Christian County, Missouri to marry W.V. McNeely on Christmas Day 1889.
William died in 1899 and in 1900 there she is in Christian County, Augusta S. McNeely, widow, with her brother Jonas T. White.
Somehow I think that's a story I'd like to know.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Today in Sivils family history
31 March 1863
102 years ago today, Solomon W. Sivels, son of Absalom Sivils and Sarah Trotter Sivils, died during his service for the Union in the Civil War.
There is some discrepancy in his service unit. His online Civil War record says that he served in the 2nd Tennessee Infantry and his burial record that he served in the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry (Union). If he served in the Cavalry, it is possible that he was killed during their "Operations against Pegram March 22-April 2", though of course disease was the big killer. In this unit, 16 men were killed in action and 208 died of disease. His wife's 1890 Special Veterans and Widows Census record confirms that his service was in the Infantry. In the 2nd Tennessee Infantry 27 men were killed in action and 613 were killed by disease. Both units were serving near Murfreesboro, Tennessee in early 1863, but the Infantry was ordered to Lexington, KY on March 11. If this was his unit, one can be fairly sure that he was already ill and in hospital when they were ordered out and he was left behind.
Obviously I haven't obtained his Civil War record yet. It would answer all of these questions.
See his Civil War Record notes online:
See the Record of Interments in the National Cemetery at Murfreesboro, TN, noted 24 August 2004
1890 Union Veterans Census, 13th District (Rockwood), compiled by Robert L. Bailey.
Solomon's widow Mahala never remarried and she and their son lived in Jefferson County, Tennessee from the War until they moved to Roane Co., TN just before 1890. She died there sometime before 1900.
Joseph M. Sivels married Lena Headrick the 22nd of September 1877 in Morgan County, Tennessee, where she was raised.
Joseph died in Roane County, Tn in 1919 and Lena moved in with her sister. They had no children. Lena died in Morgan Co., TN in 1920.
102 years ago today, Solomon W. Sivels, son of Absalom Sivils and Sarah Trotter Sivils, died during his service for the Union in the Civil War.
There is some discrepancy in his service unit. His online Civil War record says that he served in the 2nd Tennessee Infantry and his burial record that he served in the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry (Union). If he served in the Cavalry, it is possible that he was killed during their "Operations against Pegram March 22-April 2", though of course disease was the big killer. In this unit, 16 men were killed in action and 208 died of disease. His wife's 1890 Special Veterans and Widows Census record confirms that his service was in the Infantry. In the 2nd Tennessee Infantry 27 men were killed in action and 613 were killed by disease. Both units were serving near Murfreesboro, Tennessee in early 1863, but the Infantry was ordered to Lexington, KY on March 11. If this was his unit, one can be fairly sure that he was already ill and in hospital when they were ordered out and he was left behind.
Obviously I haven't obtained his Civil War record yet. It would answer all of these questions.
See his Civil War Record notes online:
Solomon W. Sivils
See the Record of Interments in the National Cemetery at Murfreesboro, TN, noted 24 August 2004
SIVELS, S. W., Co. A 2nd Tenn Cav March 31, 1863, Grave Mark: O 6104.
1890 Union Veterans Census, 13th District (Rockwood), compiled by Robert L. Bailey.
SIVILS, Mahala (widow of Solomon W.). Pvt. 2 TN Inf. Post Office: Rockwood, Tennessee.
Solomon's widow Mahala never remarried and she and their son lived in Jefferson County, Tennessee from the War until they moved to Roane Co., TN just before 1890. She died there sometime before 1900.
Joseph M. Sivels married Lena Headrick the 22nd of September 1877 in Morgan County, Tennessee, where she was raised.
Joseph died in Roane County, Tn in 1919 and Lena moved in with her sister. They had no children. Lena died in Morgan Co., TN in 1920.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Hobos
I've never seen anything quite like this in a census record, so I thought I'd share:
Berrien County, Michigan
City of St Joseph, Ward 2, St Joseph Township, S.D. 4, E.D. 77, Sheet No. 17A/205A
14 June 1900 by Grant C. Bort
Broad Street
line 18, 345/371 DOUNY John Head-Hobo WM Aug 1876 23 S Illinois Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Berry Picker 9 months unemployed in the last year
THOMSON John Hobo WM June 1866 33 S Kentucky Virginia Virginia Day Laborer 9 months unemployed in the last year
JOHNSON Charles Hobo WM Dec 1879 20 S Illinois Illinois Illinois Laborer 9 months unemployed in the last year
DRUMMOND Frank Hobo WM Mar 1874 26 S England England England 1872/23 Painter 4 months unemployed in the last year
STEVENSON Walter Hobo WM Nov 1884 15 Texas Scotland Scotland Tragier? 6 months unemployed in the last year
KISSANE Richard Hobo WM May 1880 20 S Illinois Illinois Illinois Berry Picker 9 months unemployed in the last year
HANKS Thomas Hobo WM Nov 1864 35 S Ohio Ohio Ohio Stationary ???????? 7 months unemployed in the last year
SNYDER William Hobo WM Mar 1884 16 S Indiana Indiana Indiana Varsman? 4 months unemployed in the last year
ELMRIS? John Hobo WM Dec 1864 35 S Maryland Germany Germany Butcher 3 months unemployed in the last year
HEITZ William Hobo WM Feb 1871 27 S Pennsylvania Germany Germany Shoemaker 0 months unemployed in the last year
SNYDER Fred Hobo WM Oct 1885 14 S Texas Missouri Iowa Boot Black 5 months unemployed in the last year
SAWYER Thomas Hobo WM Jan 1865 35 S Ohio Ohio OhioCigar Maker 2 months unemployed in the last year
KAMP Claud Hobo WM Apr 1883 17 S Indiana Ohio Ohio Labor in mill 6 months unemployed in the last year
WELCH James Hobo WM July 1849 50 S Virginia Ireland Virginia Labor 4 months unemployed in the last year
QUIN Peter Hobo WM Dec 1839 60 Wd England England England Labor 8 months unemployed in the last year
Berrien County, Michigan
City of St Joseph, Ward 2, St Joseph Township, S.D. 4, E.D. 77, Sheet No. 17A/205A
14 June 1900 by Grant C. Bort
Broad Street
line 18, 345/371 DOUNY John Head-Hobo WM Aug 1876 23 S Illinois Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Berry Picker 9 months unemployed in the last year
THOMSON John Hobo WM June 1866 33 S Kentucky Virginia Virginia Day Laborer 9 months unemployed in the last year
JOHNSON Charles Hobo WM Dec 1879 20 S Illinois Illinois Illinois Laborer 9 months unemployed in the last year
DRUMMOND Frank Hobo WM Mar 1874 26 S England England England 1872/23 Painter 4 months unemployed in the last year
STEVENSON Walter Hobo WM Nov 1884 15 Texas Scotland Scotland Tragier? 6 months unemployed in the last year
KISSANE Richard Hobo WM May 1880 20 S Illinois Illinois Illinois Berry Picker 9 months unemployed in the last year
HANKS Thomas Hobo WM Nov 1864 35 S Ohio Ohio Ohio Stationary ???????? 7 months unemployed in the last year
SNYDER William Hobo WM Mar 1884 16 S Indiana Indiana Indiana Varsman? 4 months unemployed in the last year
ELMRIS? John Hobo WM Dec 1864 35 S Maryland Germany Germany Butcher 3 months unemployed in the last year
HEITZ William Hobo WM Feb 1871 27 S Pennsylvania Germany Germany Shoemaker 0 months unemployed in the last year
SNYDER Fred Hobo WM Oct 1885 14 S Texas Missouri Iowa Boot Black 5 months unemployed in the last year
SAWYER Thomas Hobo WM Jan 1865 35 S Ohio Ohio OhioCigar Maker 2 months unemployed in the last year
KAMP Claud Hobo WM Apr 1883 17 S Indiana Ohio Ohio Labor in mill 6 months unemployed in the last year
WELCH James Hobo WM July 1849 50 S Virginia Ireland Virginia Labor 4 months unemployed in the last year
QUIN Peter Hobo WM Dec 1839 60 Wd England England England Labor 8 months unemployed in the last year
Monday, March 07, 2005
Smith
Ahhhh, the lovely surname Smith. I suppose we all have one: a very common name hard to trace. I have some Browns as well, but my Smith research was hampered by the untimely death and far too common name of "William A. Smith".
I had an awful lot to go on to begin with. Family tradition was that his name was "William Alexander Smith" and he was born 11 December 1874 in Tennessee. He married Eva Anna Keeney 24 June 1903. They quickly had three children: Della Mae, Myrtle Marie and Floyd R. Smith. Then on the 4 of December 1909 in Willard, Missouri, William passed away. He was 35. No one has mentioned what he died of and Missouri didn't start issuing death certificates until 1910.
A cousin I was in touch with who descends from Eva's second marriage told me Floyd's name was William R. Simeron Floyd Smith. Quite a name. One guesses that the "R" stands for "Richard", Eva's father's name. But I expect we'll never know.
A very nice researcher named Gail Erickson sent me Eva's family's 1900 census record (this was before I was on ancestry.com). I was shocked they were in Greene County (they'd lived near Kansas City in every other census both before and after 1900) but that was a bit silly of me, since Willard is in Greene County. I'd rather imagined William and Eva took off to the mines in that part of Missouri, but actually both of their fathers farmed there.:
Gail also pointed me to a Smith family nearby with a son "William A.", but he was traced and found alive and married in 1910. So, not my William.
Then yesterday I noticed that the 1900 index on ancestry had been updated (I've had a long hiatus from genealogy, moving will do that to you). So I stuck in Smiths in Greene Co., MO born in TN. Quite a list. And one was:
So I had a gander:
Dec 1874. Boy, did I get excited.
The "E" bothered me not at all. Lots of A/E names get 'misheard' for census: Albert/Elbert, etc. Of course family tradition had it that William's middle name was "Alexander", so, "Elexander?!". But, too, I knew Alexander was an unusual name that the time.
So, I sprinted to the lds 1880:
"Wm. A." Well, I'm totally convinced. But still, no proof.
Looks like Floyd's name might be William R(ichard) Simeon Floyd Smith. But still, not proof.
Then I found Betty Miller. This is her 1998 query on the Greene Co., MO website:
"William Alexander". I consider that independent confirmation.
And it was always likely that the Smith family living near Eva in 1900 (she and William married in 1902) would be related to her husband. Even if Smith is a very, very common name.
I had an awful lot to go on to begin with. Family tradition was that his name was "William Alexander Smith" and he was born 11 December 1874 in Tennessee. He married Eva Anna Keeney 24 June 1903. They quickly had three children: Della Mae, Myrtle Marie and Floyd R. Smith. Then on the 4 of December 1909 in Willard, Missouri, William passed away. He was 35. No one has mentioned what he died of and Missouri didn't start issuing death certificates until 1910.
A cousin I was in touch with who descends from Eva's second marriage told me Floyd's name was William R. Simeron Floyd Smith. Quite a name. One guesses that the "R" stands for "Richard", Eva's father's name. But I expect we'll never know.
A very nice researcher named Gail Erickson sent me Eva's family's 1900 census record (this was before I was on ancestry.com). I was shocked they were in Greene County (they'd lived near Kansas City in every other census both before and after 1900) but that was a bit silly of me, since Willard is in Greene County. I'd rather imagined William and Eva took off to the mines in that part of Missouri, but actually both of their fathers farmed there.:
Cass Twp., S.D. 8, E.D. 45, Sheet No. 7B
16 June 1900 W.A. McGuin
line 64 124/125 KEENEY, R.B. Head WM Mar 1849 51 M 19 MO Pen Pen Farmer
Louanna Wife WF Nov 1863 36 M 19 9/8 MO Ky MO
Eva A. Daughter WF Aug 1883 16 S Kan MO MO
Elmer R. Son WM Mar 1885 15 S Kan MO MO
Edward F. Son WM Feb 1887 13 S Kan MO MO
Clarence H. Son MW May 1889 11 S Kan MO MO
Clide Son WM June 1891 8 S Kan MO MO
Claud Son WM June 1891 8 S Kan MO MO
Roy V. Son WM Dec 1893 6 S Kan MO MO
Fred Son WM Jan 1895 5 S MO MO MO
Gail also pointed me to a Smith family nearby with a son "William A.", but he was traced and found alive and married in 1910. So, not my William.
Then yesterday I noticed that the 1900 index on ancestry had been updated (I've had a long hiatus from genealogy, moving will do that to you). So I stuck in Smiths in Greene Co., MO born in TN. Quite a list. And one was:
William E Smith Cass, Greene, Missouri abt 1875 Tennessee White Son
So I had a gander:
1900 Greene Co., MO Census, Cass Township
S.D. 8, E.D. 45, Sheet No. 15A/48A
2 and 3 July 1900 by W A McGuire
line 29, 272/272 SMITH Semyen P. Head WM April 1848 52 M 29 Ten Ten Ten Farmer Owns Farm Free of mortgage
Margaret Wife WF Deb 1857 43 M 29 11/7 Ten Ten Ten
William E Son WM Dec 1874 25 S Ten Ten Ten Farm Laborer
Luiza T Daughter WF Mar 1880 20 S MO Ten Ten
Elven B Son WM July 1882 17 S MO Ten Ten at school
Charles E. Son WM Sept 1884 15 S MO Ten Ten at school
Dollie J. Daughter FW Oct 1886 13 S MO Ten Ten at school
Bennie H Son WM Aug 1892 7 S MO Ten Ten
Dec 1874. Boy, did I get excited.
The "E" bothered me not at all. Lots of A/E names get 'misheard' for census: Albert/Elbert, etc. Of course family tradition had it that William's middle name was "Alexander", so, "Elexander?!". But, too, I knew Alexander was an unusual name that the time.
So, I sprinted to the lds 1880:
www.familysearch.org, 1880 United States Census
S. Perry SMITH Self M Male W 32 TN Farmer TN TN
Margaret SMITH Wife M Female W 23 TN Keeping House VA NC
Jas. C. SMITH Son S Male W 9 TN TN TN
Wm. A. SMITH Son S Male W 4 TN TN TN
Sarah E. SMITH Dau S Female W 2 TN TN TN
Louise T. SMITH Dau S Female W 3M MO TN TN
Source Information:
Census Place: Cass, Greene, Missouri
Family History Library Film: 1254687
NA Film Number: T9-0687
Page Number: 24D
"Wm. A." Well, I'm totally convinced. But still, no proof.
Looks like Floyd's name might be William R(ichard) Simeon Floyd Smith. But still, not proof.
Then I found Betty Miller. This is her 1998 query on the Greene Co., MO website:
Smith; Baker, Allen
Searching for information on Semyen Perry Smith, b. 6 Apr. 1848, in Sevier, TN, m. 1st. Margaret Elizabeth Baker then m. 2nd. Margaret Jane Allen on 15 Jan 1875, d., 3 Feb. 1930, Cass Township, Greene Co., MO. and buried at Willard, MO (Wesley Chapel Cemetery). Three childen by 1st. wife: William Alexander, John Gilbert, Sarah Elizabeth and eight children by 2nd wife: Louisa Theodocia, Elvin Beecher, Charley Edward, Dollie Jane, Roy, Julia, Benjamin Harrison, Mary.
Betty Miller--Tue Dec 15 14:54:58 1998
"William Alexander". I consider that independent confirmation.
And it was always likely that the Smith family living near Eva in 1900 (she and William married in 1902) would be related to her husband. Even if Smith is a very, very common name.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Tracking down Reuben Jackson's first wife
The identification of Reuben's wife as Barbara Dice is entirely circumstantial. I had a lot of fun doing it, so I thought I would recount the current state of affairs here.
Let me lay out my "evidence" as it stands:
First of all, the Jackson family bible lists a "Barbara Jackson" who died 20 Oct. 1821. This is the only woman listed as "Jackson" who wasn't listed as a child of Reuben in the "births" and this timing works with both James Madison Jackson's 1819 birth and Reuben's 1822 remarriage. So I started there: what if she were his first wife?
Secondly, I wondered about the birth of William Harpole b. 1 December 1800 appearing in the Jackson family bible. His lineage is clear and established: he is brother to the John Harpole who was Captain of Reuben Jackson's regiment and this whole family, too, moved to Obion County, TN. His parents were Solomon and Anna Christina Dice Harpole. Why was he there? So, guess No. 2: this boy could have been Reuben Jackson's first wife's nephew.
So I began looking into the Harpole and Dice families, which are well documented on the internet. No luck with the Harpoles, but the Dices had a plum: Anna Christina had a sister named Barbara who married a "Joseph Jackson" in 1797 in Pendleton Co., (W)VA. But there was a funny note attached to some peoples notes on this marriage: he may have been named "Reuben Jackson". None of these people list any sources for their materials, so I have wrote them for clarification. I received no responses.
Later, I found this gem on ancestry.com message boards:
>Reuben Jackson - late 1700s-early 1800s
>Author: Julia Clay Date: 30 Jul 2002 9:10 PM GMT
>Surnames: Dice, Jackson
>Classification: Query
>
>Reuben Jackson married unknown Dice. Thier daughter Phoebe
>Deborah was born near Staunton VA in 1802 and raised in Wilson
>Co TN. If you have information on this family please contact
>me.
>Thank you,
>Julia
This Phoebe Jackson married Hugh Curlin (appears in Wilson Co. 1820 census), his line, too, is well-documented and though he moved on to Texas, his brothers all ended up in Obion Co., TN.
Further research has comfortably linked Phoebe Jackson Curlin and Reuben Jackson of Wilson Co., TN.
The Curlin's and Harpole's both migrated to Obion County, Tennessee at the same time that Reuben did.
I have since been contacted by another family member whose family had recorded their relationship with Phoebe Jackson Curlin - they descend from Reuben's son Jesse Harper Jackson - the 'Harper' seeming to be another possible connection with the Dice family, since Anna Christina's mother was Catherine Herber/Harper.
There is my evidence in a nutshell.
Please see Experience's Children if you would like to see more.
Let me lay out my "evidence" as it stands:
First of all, the Jackson family bible lists a "Barbara Jackson" who died 20 Oct. 1821. This is the only woman listed as "Jackson" who wasn't listed as a child of Reuben in the "births" and this timing works with both James Madison Jackson's 1819 birth and Reuben's 1822 remarriage. So I started there: what if she were his first wife?
Secondly, I wondered about the birth of William Harpole b. 1 December 1800 appearing in the Jackson family bible. His lineage is clear and established: he is brother to the John Harpole who was Captain of Reuben Jackson's regiment and this whole family, too, moved to Obion County, TN. His parents were Solomon and Anna Christina Dice Harpole. Why was he there? So, guess No. 2: this boy could have been Reuben Jackson's first wife's nephew.
So I began looking into the Harpole and Dice families, which are well documented on the internet. No luck with the Harpoles, but the Dices had a plum: Anna Christina had a sister named Barbara who married a "Joseph Jackson" in 1797 in Pendleton Co., (W)VA. But there was a funny note attached to some peoples notes on this marriage: he may have been named "Reuben Jackson". None of these people list any sources for their materials, so I have wrote them for clarification. I received no responses.
Later, I found this gem on ancestry.com message boards:
>Reuben Jackson - late 1700s-early 1800s
>Author: Julia Clay
>Surnames: Dice, Jackson
>Classification: Query
>
>Reuben Jackson married unknown Dice. Thier daughter Phoebe
>Deborah was born near Staunton VA in 1802 and raised in Wilson
>Co TN. If you have information on this family please contact
>me.
>Thank you,
>Julia
This Phoebe Jackson married Hugh Curlin (appears in Wilson Co. 1820 census), his line, too, is well-documented and though he moved on to Texas, his brothers all ended up in Obion Co., TN.
Further research has comfortably linked Phoebe Jackson Curlin and Reuben Jackson of Wilson Co., TN.
The Curlin's and Harpole's both migrated to Obion County, Tennessee at the same time that Reuben did.
I have since been contacted by another family member whose family had recorded their relationship with Phoebe Jackson Curlin - they descend from Reuben's son Jesse Harper Jackson - the 'Harper' seeming to be another possible connection with the Dice family, since Anna Christina's mother was Catherine Herber/Harper.
There is my evidence in a nutshell.
Please see Experience's Children if you would like to see more.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Lost and Found
The only record of what happened to John McCafferty had been a letter written by his great-nephew sometime in the 1940s. In it, William T. Painter wrote:
Today I randomly put "Montgomery County, Missouri" and "McCafferty" into Google and I found this listing of an unmarked grave:
John McCaferty was a big strong man. Went to Alaska in the Gold Rush 1898, most likely died on the Chillcoot Pass (where many failed to get over the terriable mountain) never heard from.I had always wondered what happened to him. It would have been unusual for someone to make that trip by themselves, why hadn't his companion(s) written to say what had happened?
Today I randomly put "Montgomery County, Missouri" and "McCafferty" into Google and I found this listing of an unmarked grave:
John John McCaffertyand with him:
From Montgomery County, Missouri
Died during the week prior to March 12, 1898, of "Tuberculos fever".
Death and burial at Dyea reported in 2 sentences in The Dyea Trail of March 12, 1898.
Thomas E. SeeI guess he didn't go alone.
From Montgomery County, Missouri
Died during the week prior to March 12, 1898, of "Tuberculos fever".
Death and burial at Dyea reported in 2 sentences in The Dyea Trail of March 12, 1898.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
"Strange but true this rare circumstance"
Not my relative, but...
Grandmother Sample:
"Mr. S.'s mother came to this county, and lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and two, being the oldest person buried in the Gilboa Cemetery. "Grandmother Sample," as she was usually called, could read fine print without glasses for sometime before she died, and the most remarkable circumstance occurred just three or four months before her death. As perfect a set of teeth as ever filled the mouth of any person came through her gums. Strange but true this rare circumstance."
Grandmother Sample:
"Mr. S.'s mother came to this county, and lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and two, being the oldest person buried in the Gilboa Cemetery. "Grandmother Sample," as she was usually called, could read fine print without glasses for sometime before she died, and the most remarkable circumstance occurred just three or four months before her death. As perfect a set of teeth as ever filled the mouth of any person came through her gums. Strange but true this rare circumstance."
Sunday, October 24, 2004
My most wanted
I expect we all have our favorite ancestor.
Mine is Experience, though she went by "Spiddy", and she had eight children. Not an expecially high number, but varied. The first two were Mitchells, the next a Cox, and the last 5 Pierces. She apparently died with a year or two of her last child's birth, her husband remarrying when the boy was about 2 1/2.
Since she's my favorite ancestor, and has such a great name to boot, I've decided to call my genealogy website "Experience's Children".
It's currently going through a face-lift, thus the serious lack of posting here.
Mine is Experience, though she went by "Spiddy", and she had eight children. Not an expecially high number, but varied. The first two were Mitchells, the next a Cox, and the last 5 Pierces. She apparently died with a year or two of her last child's birth, her husband remarrying when the boy was about 2 1/2.
Since she's my favorite ancestor, and has such a great name to boot, I've decided to call my genealogy website "Experience's Children".
It's currently going through a face-lift, thus the serious lack of posting here.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Matilda Catherine
Matilda Catherine Pierce Brown
I found another one today.
Another girl named after Matilda Catherine "Tilda" Pierce Brown...
This is Tilda Evans, my Tilda's niece. I finally found the 1900 entry for Sarah Pierce Evans' family the old-fashioned way: I browsed for it. Fortunately her family was in the same township they'd been in in 1910 and 1920 or I'd have had a long, fruitless day. :)
I just found Sarah recently, married to Granville Evans in Greene Co., TN, and later living near Tilda and Sarah's brother Dan Pierce in White Rock Twp., McDonald Co., MO.
So, some girls named after her:
Nancy Matilda Ellen "Tildie" Pierce
Matilda "Tilda" Evans
Mary Katherine Brown
Mary Katherine Zeilinger
and me. :)
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Great Scott
Oh my, the Scotts.
I've been dealing with them a great deal, but haven't had the heart to mention them here (you might have noticed a lack of blogging).
Did you know that the name Scott is extremely, extremely common? Especially in Kentucky?
Well, it is.
I had started off with a slight handicap with the Scotts because all I had was a vague family tradition. There was my ancestor Alice and a list of siblings (in no particular order): Allen, Charlie, Lee and Anna. Their mother's name was Martha Harrietta McRae and their father Robert Lee Scott.
I was a bit hamstrung until I discovered the marriage record online and it said that his name was Robert N. Scott. As did the only census records I could find, the 1880:
A very close fit, though no "Allen", but since "Lee" was probably "Robert Lee", the first child could be "William Allen".
Nearby was a "Allen Scott" the right age to be Robert's father, but his birthplace didn't match Robert's reporting, and there was another Robert nearby whose did, so I thought he was probably Allen's son and my Robert a nephew or something. In any case, I needed to find Robert in 1850, where he would certainly be with his parents.
Yeah, no.
I found a couple likely fellows, and then quickly found them later with wives and children...it seemed my Robert was not in the 1850.
So I realized, "I should be working backward". That's the right way to do these things, step by step from the known to the unknown. So I needed to find Robert with is family in 1870.
Yeah, no.
Yeah, I'm frustrated.
So I start in on the 1860. Not finding much, not finding much...Roberts born in KY are surprisingly rare... give up on Robert and try finding this "Allen Scott" in the 1860.
Bingo:
The crowd roars.
There is Robert N., not born in Ky, but born in TN. That's the problem with having only one census reference. So many details can be wrong.
I've been dealing with them a great deal, but haven't had the heart to mention them here (you might have noticed a lack of blogging).
Did you know that the name Scott is extremely, extremely common? Especially in Kentucky?
Well, it is.
I had started off with a slight handicap with the Scotts because all I had was a vague family tradition. There was my ancestor Alice and a list of siblings (in no particular order): Allen, Charlie, Lee and Anna. Their mother's name was Martha Harrietta McRae and their father Robert Lee Scott.
I was a bit hamstrung until I discovered the marriage record online and it said that his name was Robert N. Scott. As did the only census records I could find, the 1880:
Jackson Township
S.D. 4, E.D. 64, Page No. 15/434A
11 June 1880 by WB McNeel
line 13, 125/125 SCOTT Robert N WM 37 M Farmer Kentucky NC NC
Martha WF 27 wife M Keeping house Missouri Geo MO
Willam WM 11 Son S At home attended school Missouri Ky MO
Charley WM 9 Son S Missouri Ky MO
Robert WM 7 Son S Missouri Ky MO
Alice WF 5 Daughter Missouri Ky MO
Anna WF 2 Daughter Missouri Ky MO
A very close fit, though no "Allen", but since "Lee" was probably "Robert Lee", the first child could be "William Allen".
Nearby was a "Allen Scott" the right age to be Robert's father, but his birthplace didn't match Robert's reporting, and there was another Robert nearby whose did, so I thought he was probably Allen's son and my Robert a nephew or something. In any case, I needed to find Robert in 1850, where he would certainly be with his parents.
Yeah, no.
I found a couple likely fellows, and then quickly found them later with wives and children...it seemed my Robert was not in the 1850.
So I realized, "I should be working backward". That's the right way to do these things, step by step from the known to the unknown. So I needed to find Robert with is family in 1870.
Yeah, no.
Yeah, I'm frustrated.
So I start in on the 1860. Not finding much, not finding much...Roberts born in KY are surprisingly rare... give up on Robert and try finding this "Allen Scott" in the 1860.
Bingo:
1860 Dade Co., MO Census
North Township
Page No. 110/113, 31st July 1860 by Thomas S. Coffee
P.O. Sons Creek
line 6, 734/734 Samuel LAWRENCE 26 M " [Farmer] /50 Illinois cannot r/w
Clarinda 21 f Tennessee cannot r/w
Allen SCOTT 48 M " [Farmer] 500/5700 Kentucky
Judith 40 F Tennessee
Philip WL. 21 M " [Farmer] /75 " [Tennessee]
Judith C 19 F " [Tennessee] attended school
Robert N. 17 M " [Farmer] " [Tennessee] attended school
Mary W. 4 F " [Tennessee]
Sarah F. 2 F " [Tennessee]
The crowd roars.
There is Robert N., not born in Ky, but born in TN. That's the problem with having only one census reference. So many details can be wrong.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Nicknames
I once had a woman point out that I needed to "clean up those nicknames" in my database. I always include nicknames, such as Robert Milton "Bob" Hamby. She really complained, thinking it was quite silly to say someone named "Robert" had the nickname "Bob"...
Well, she chose an awkward example there, since in my family I have Roberts who go by, respectively: R.W., Bob, Rob, Bobby, and one who has gone by Robin. And what about Elizabeth? Lizzie, Liz, Beth, Bessie... and there's the confusion so many people have over "Eliza". It was not a nickname for Elizabeth (generally speaking) and it was very common to have one daughter named "Elizabeth" and another named "Eliza". I frequently see people try to conflate the two or to call both "Elizabeth". Nope. One is Elizabth and the other Eliza.
In any event, not only do I like noting what they actually went by (this is really all about finding out what their lives were like, and a big part of that is what name you use!) but it helps with searches. If you put "Bob Hamby" into the rootsweb database, you get my grandfather.
It gets really helpful if someone only shows up in census records with their nickname. I know of a man named Oliver Scott (as his name appeared in his marriage record) who shows up in every census as "Olly" or even "Olla". If you put that nickname into the search engine you will find the right fellow...
But I think she got the idea you were supposed to "fix" the nicknames from Family Tree Maker, which tells you in no uncertain terms that it is a "Data Entry Error" if you put a nickname in quotes with the name. They have an AKA line for that - but you can't see that AKA from the main page and it creates an annoying second entry in the database, making it look as if you've got the person twice.
Family Tree Maker is just bossy anyway. If you accidentally type over a name it will note:
At which point I hit the "No" button and wait, annoyed, for its final chiding:
To which I have to meekly agree, "OK", before it will let me go on.
The whole thing is incredibly frustrating because it is always a mistake. I will click the button for the Index and start typing without noticing that it hasn't come up and that my cursor is in the "name" box, so I'm already annoyed with myself, and then it points out that ridiculous possible reason for the error: I can't even imagine how someone would think that typing over someone would fix a 'relationship mistake'. Not to mention that I've got some new idea or document, etc. concerning said 'Scott' and having to wait while the program tells me I'm a bad little girl can make me completely forget what I was doing...
Really, really dumb.
Well, she chose an awkward example there, since in my family I have Roberts who go by, respectively: R.W., Bob, Rob, Bobby, and one who has gone by Robin. And what about Elizabeth? Lizzie, Liz, Beth, Bessie... and there's the confusion so many people have over "Eliza". It was not a nickname for Elizabeth (generally speaking) and it was very common to have one daughter named "Elizabeth" and another named "Eliza". I frequently see people try to conflate the two or to call both "Elizabeth". Nope. One is Elizabth and the other Eliza.
In any event, not only do I like noting what they actually went by (this is really all about finding out what their lives were like, and a big part of that is what name you use!) but it helps with searches. If you put "Bob Hamby" into the rootsweb database, you get my grandfather.
It gets really helpful if someone only shows up in census records with their nickname. I know of a man named Oliver Scott (as his name appeared in his marriage record) who shows up in every census as "Olly" or even "Olla". If you put that nickname into the search engine you will find the right fellow...
But I think she got the idea you were supposed to "fix" the nicknames from Family Tree Maker, which tells you in no uncertain terms that it is a "Data Entry Error" if you put a nickname in quotes with the name. They have an AKA line for that - but you can't see that AKA from the main page and it creates an annoying second entry in the database, making it look as if you've got the person twice.
Family Tree Maker is just bossy anyway. If you accidentally type over a name it will note:
By changing this name you are making Scott the child of Daniel McRae. Is this what you mean to do?
At which point I hit the "No" button and wait, annoyed, for its final chiding:
If you are trying to fix individuals who are incorrectly shown as related, use the People-Fix Relationship Mistakes commands.
To which I have to meekly agree, "OK", before it will let me go on.
The whole thing is incredibly frustrating because it is always a mistake. I will click the button for the Index and start typing without noticing that it hasn't come up and that my cursor is in the "name" box, so I'm already annoyed with myself, and then it points out that ridiculous possible reason for the error: I can't even imagine how someone would think that typing over someone would fix a 'relationship mistake'. Not to mention that I've got some new idea or document, etc. concerning said 'Scott' and having to wait while the program tells me I'm a bad little girl can make me completely forget what I was doing...
Really, really dumb.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Elizabeth Alice/Alice Malinda
It's one of those annoying problems of genealogy caused by the very people you are tracking down.
They change their names, or at least what they go by.
My first problem with this was the girl known in my Brown family as Ethel, who in her first census is called Kattie E., is in her second as Catherine E. (not that different...), so I'd always called her Catherine Ethel "Ethel" Brown. But then her sister Alice (in a letter) comes out with this one: Catherine Ethel Elizabeth Brown. Okay, that's a solution, add another 'random' name just to confuse the issue. This sister Alice is listed in every census as a young person as "Sarah A.", but otherwise seems to have never used the name "Sarah" at all.
It is extremely common to see a child go by one name in one or two censuses and then pop out with a new one for the rest of their lives. Most frequently they are going by a middle name as a child and then as adults they 'revert' to their 'first name', though the whole idea of a 'first name' doesn't seem to have really been important. These people lived at a time when such things as birth certificates did not exist and names could be changed readily.
I see them all the time: Cleo William/William Cleo, Raymond Bert/Bert Raymond, etc. used interchangeably to the point that you can't even tell for sure what they went by, which is part of the point.
I came across another example today. Young Edwin Capps is listed with his parents in Tahlequah County, Oklahoma in 1910 and 1920, but come 1930 and he's married and on his own and he's suddenly Edward! And it apparently stays that way, as it is the name on his tombstone, though he obfiscated the whole thing with Social Security by going as "Ed".
One of the most frustrating ones was a girl who is clearly listed as Elizabeth Alice or E.A. in her father's Civil War pension file, but on subsequently (and on her tombstone) her name is given as Alice Malinda. And you can see the lack of birth certificates created problems: the family bible was considered (for purposes of these pensions) a legal document. Elizabeth Alice/Alice Malinda's father's name was Horton Cox, but his uncle Horton Cox actually died (of disease) during the Civil War. His wife had to reproduce the children's names from the Bible record and when she misspelled one she nearly lost her pension.
I do like to know what they 'went by', but the practical problem is how to refer to these people so that other people, other researchers, have some idea who you're talking about. Someone who came across the records in the later half of her life might never make the connection between Alice Malinda and Elizabeth Alice.
Generally, I steal Sarah Alice "Alice" Brown Wiley's solution and list all the names. It gets long sometimes, but at least it's (somewhat) clear.
So, some 'stand outs':
Elizabeth Alice "Alice" Malinda Cox
Nancy Matilda "Tildie" Ellen Pierce
Catherine Ethel Elizabeth "Ethel" Brown
Laura Pearl "Pearl" McRae
They change their names, or at least what they go by.
My first problem with this was the girl known in my Brown family as Ethel, who in her first census is called Kattie E., is in her second as Catherine E. (not that different...), so I'd always called her Catherine Ethel "Ethel" Brown. But then her sister Alice (in a letter) comes out with this one: Catherine Ethel Elizabeth Brown. Okay, that's a solution, add another 'random' name just to confuse the issue. This sister Alice is listed in every census as a young person as "Sarah A.", but otherwise seems to have never used the name "Sarah" at all.
It is extremely common to see a child go by one name in one or two censuses and then pop out with a new one for the rest of their lives. Most frequently they are going by a middle name as a child and then as adults they 'revert' to their 'first name', though the whole idea of a 'first name' doesn't seem to have really been important. These people lived at a time when such things as birth certificates did not exist and names could be changed readily.
I see them all the time: Cleo William/William Cleo, Raymond Bert/Bert Raymond, etc. used interchangeably to the point that you can't even tell for sure what they went by, which is part of the point.
I came across another example today. Young Edwin Capps is listed with his parents in Tahlequah County, Oklahoma in 1910 and 1920, but come 1930 and he's married and on his own and he's suddenly Edward! And it apparently stays that way, as it is the name on his tombstone, though he obfiscated the whole thing with Social Security by going as "Ed".
One of the most frustrating ones was a girl who is clearly listed as Elizabeth Alice or E.A. in her father's Civil War pension file, but on subsequently (and on her tombstone) her name is given as Alice Malinda. And you can see the lack of birth certificates created problems: the family bible was considered (for purposes of these pensions) a legal document. Elizabeth Alice/Alice Malinda's father's name was Horton Cox, but his uncle Horton Cox actually died (of disease) during the Civil War. His wife had to reproduce the children's names from the Bible record and when she misspelled one she nearly lost her pension.
"in and for said county [Greene Co., TN] Personally appeared Nancy Cox widow of Horton Cox and makes oath that this only explenation she can give in regard to the discrepency in the name of her Second child named in her decleration for pension is she is no schollar herself, and did not know how the name of sd child was written wither in the original decleration or Suppemental affidavit she first gave the name of sd child to the person who made out her decleration did not know how he spelt it, and when her Supplemental affidavit was made up she handed the person who made it up her family Record and from that the names of the children was taken, and on now being called on for this explination she has the name cearfully examined, and find it Spelt Manday which is the way the father of said child did Spell it as he did write the names in the family Record the affiant further swers"
I do like to know what they 'went by', but the practical problem is how to refer to these people so that other people, other researchers, have some idea who you're talking about. Someone who came across the records in the later half of her life might never make the connection between Alice Malinda and Elizabeth Alice.
Generally, I steal Sarah Alice "Alice" Brown Wiley's solution and list all the names. It gets long sometimes, but at least it's (somewhat) clear.
So, some 'stand outs':
Elizabeth Alice "Alice" Malinda Cox
Nancy Matilda "Tildie" Ellen Pierce
Catherine Ethel Elizabeth "Ethel" Brown
Laura Pearl "Pearl" McRae
Thursday, September 16, 2004
More about sources
So much of genealogical research is based on instinct and guesswork, but so many people completely fail to cite their sources. I don't know if it's just ignorance, or if it's an attempt to obfiscate, in which case the whole thing is made personal: "Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you."
But it's not about 'trust', it's about relative value.
I mean, if I want to say that I had a dream in which my ancestor convinced me that her middle name was 'Shazam', fine, but if I want to tell other people that her middle name is 'Shazam' then I'd better say that my source was a dream.
What I find over and over again is that people don't then cite either my source or me and then it begins to look like 'fact'. What's that old saying? If you say something three times it's true? What does publishing it online make it? That you've said it 1,000 times?
I discovered today that I'd made a mistake in my database - typed "David J. McRae" when all my sources said "Daniel J. McRae" (and it was the name of his uncle), so I fixed it. And then noticed that three other database on rootsweb had the same 'spelling' error. Obviously they had used me as their source and not even looked at my sources. They did not note a source at all.
Sigh.
That's how mistakes get passed on...
But it's not about 'trust', it's about relative value.
I mean, if I want to say that I had a dream in which my ancestor convinced me that her middle name was 'Shazam', fine, but if I want to tell other people that her middle name is 'Shazam' then I'd better say that my source was a dream.
What I find over and over again is that people don't then cite either my source or me and then it begins to look like 'fact'. What's that old saying? If you say something three times it's true? What does publishing it online make it? That you've said it 1,000 times?
I discovered today that I'd made a mistake in my database - typed "David J. McRae" when all my sources said "Daniel J. McRae" (and it was the name of his uncle), so I fixed it. And then noticed that three other database on rootsweb had the same 'spelling' error. Obviously they had used me as their source and not even looked at my sources. They did not note a source at all.
Sigh.
That's how mistakes get passed on...
Friday, September 10, 2004
Such a geek
Here it is!
The Census Update Report from Ron and Kathy at CENSUS-L@rootsweb.com:
MO / Jackson / 1850 (Partial)
Dist/Twp/City Kaw Township
Transcribed by Tara Painter
Proofread by Bill Painter
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/mo/jackson/1850/
3 census files
2 index files
partial.txt
Yeay!
I am such a genealogy geek.
The Census Update Report from Ron and Kathy at CENSUS-L@rootsweb.com:
MO / Jackson / 1850 (Partial)
Dist/Twp/City Kaw Township
Transcribed by Tara Painter
Proofread by Bill Painter
http://ftp.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/mo/jackson/1850/
3 census files
2 index files
partial.txt
Yeay!
I am such a genealogy geek.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
What's wrong with this picture?
50th Wedding Anniversary, 1907
Standing L-R: Ferrell Taylor, Ernest Cox, Lewis Taylor, Myrtle Taylor Gladden, Hannah Goas Taylor, Thomas Cox, Melinda Goas Cox, Nora Taylor, Verna Cox and Sylvia Taylor
Front row: Ethel Gladden, Henrietta Fluxton Goas (seated), Lela Cox
This is the family picture from Lewis and Henrietta Fluxtin Goas' 50th Wedding anniversary. This picture would have been taken in Pulaski County, Missouri on the 19th of July 1907.
Lewis and Henrietta are an interesting couple.
Henrietta A. F. L. Fluxton (her name according to her marriage license) was born in Saxony (then a Kingdom) the 23rd of August 1838, and is said to have arrived in the U.S. from Germany in 1852 on the "Tennessee", coming with her mother and step-father to St. Louis, Missouri.
Lewis is said to have been working on the steamboats, and she working in a hotel in St. Louis when they met. They were married in Jefferson County, Missouri, near St. Louis, in 1857. Henrietta died in Pulaski County, Missouri the 27th of March 1919 and was buried in Colley Hollow Cemetery.
Lewis Goas was born in Pennsylvania to Andrew and Hannah Lewis Goas. Family tradition is that his family was Scottish living in a predominantly German area. This is extremely unlikely. Not only is the name 'Goas' normally German, it is not normally Scottish. It is amusing to note that the probable 1840 census of Andrew Goas in Beaver County, Pennsylvania shows him nearly entirely surrounded by families with traditionally Scottish names.
See my genealogy report for current guesses on Andrew Goas's origins.
Lewis died in Pulaski County, Missouri the 10th of April 1920 and was buried in Colley Hollow Cemetery.
Lewis and Henrietta had five children, 3 of whom lived to adulthood. Standing behind Henrietta in this picture are two of them: Hannah Goas Taylor and Melinda Goas Cox. The young Taylors in the picture (Ferrell, Lewis, Myrtle, Nora and Sylvia) are all Hannah's children, and the Coxes (Ernest, Verna and Lela) are Melinda's children. The adult man in the back is Malinda's husband Thomas Cox. Neither Hannah's husband nor their sister Mary Agnes Goas Hargett are there.
Family tradition is that Lewis Goas had his name spelled 'Goss' instead of 'Goas' on his tombstone because he was so upset at having no surviving sons to pass his name on. According to the online transcription, however, it's his son Willie's tombstone on which the name is 'misspelled'. Willie was his final surviving son.
But, back to our picture. Isn't something missing? I mean, we have Henrietta and Lewis's death dates confirmed by their tombstone readings. Lewis didn't die until 1920. Henrietta died first, just the year before. In fact, he is in the 1920 census, living with his daughter, and listed as widowed.
So, my questions is, this is his 50th wedding anniversary: just where is Lewis Goas?
Saturday, September 04, 2004
It's online!
My transcription of the Kaw twp., 1850 Jackson Co., Missouri census is online!
And isn't it a pretty thing?
Washington's ready to go, once Bill proofreads it. Blue will take a lot longer...
But, whew!
And, how fun!
And isn't it a pretty thing?
Washington's ready to go, once Bill proofreads it. Blue will take a lot longer...
But, whew!
And, how fun!
Friday, September 03, 2004
-berry names
I've just added 10 new- berry names.
I like to save them up and add them in bunches.
My favorite right now is the brand-new "McGilberry", which has the distinction of being my first Mc-berry name.
Here they are:
I like to save them up and add them in bunches.
My favorite right now is the brand-new "McGilberry", which has the distinction of being my first Mc-berry name.
Here they are:
Mecklenberry
Broadberry
Haughinberry
Sandsberry
Tafernaberry
Faleanberry
Ortonberry
Ortenberry
Gooseberry
McGilberry
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Having a Ball
I started out with the 1860 Bureau Co., IL Census:
My first guess was that she was their sister Barbara Ball, although Barbara would have been 22, not 32. That didn't fuss me too much since census taking is a messy business, and I was really pleased to find a marriage record in Illinois for Barbary Ball and James Triplett in 1853, but then I found this biography of Charles Johnson written in 1915.
It was great, laying out Barbara's parents (Vachel and Fanny Bailey Ball), and her marriage date (1858) and their various moves in Illinois and Iowa, and listing their two children: Charles and Eugene. But it was the marriage date that proved problematic. She couldn't have been Barbary Triplett with a daughter in 1860 if she was busy being Mrs. Charles Johnson...
So now I'm thinking, aunt?
And I'm thinking I'd better set this aside. So I did.
Recently ancestry.com has added a partial index to the 1900 census (yeay!) and Iowa was one of the early accessible databases, so I started collecting the data. One of the useful questions they asked women in the 1900 census was how many children they had had and how many were still living. And I found Barbary and Charles in Audubon County, Iowa:
All right now, hold the phone, that biography was very clear. She and Charles had two children. Okay, so maybe one of their children had died between 1900 and 1915 so that they weren't listed in the biography, but usually such a child would have been mentioned. So I thought, fine, I'll go find the happy couple in 1860.
I couldn't find them right off the bat, so I decided to collect their 1870 census record. No problem. They and their two sons were in Macon County, Illinois, as the biography had predicted. Er, told us they had been.
So back to the 1860.
Well, I found Charles right about where you'd expect him in Putnam County, Illinois (where they set up housekeeping after their marriage, as his biography described). But he was single. And there was no "Barbara Ball" to be found.
"No, really?" I thought, "back to Barbarie Triplett?!"
So I revisited the 1860 Bureau Co., IL census and saw, lo and behold, that the 32 was really a smudgey 22 and I checked the Illinois marriage records and found the marriage of the daughter Arilla Triplett:
Right next door to Mom.
How fun is that? Oh, and married to the schoolteacher... Hmmmm. Wonder why they got married in Sangamon County? She would have been what, 15 when they got married? The same age her mother was at her first marriage.
So the marriage date listed in the biography had to be wrong. Good thing everything else was right. With a name like 'Johnson' it was very, very helpful to know where they had lived before. I suppose that Arilla wasn't mentioned in his biography because she wasn't his child.
I have not been able to find a marriage record for Barbary Triplett (as she would have been listed) and Charles Johnson. It appears that there are no Putnam County, Illinois marriage records for this period (although they said they were married in Bureau County). I can't find anyone mentioning it, but I'm afraid those records were destroyed. I've some other marriages that I'm missing from that area at that time.
I've got a bunch more on Vachel Ball's family on my website.
Center Twp., Wyanett, IllsDaniel Ball is the brother of Clarissa Ball Anderson, next door, and their sister Celia Ann was married to Luther Triplett, but my question was, who is this Barbarie Triplett?
Pg. 199/204
5 July 1860 by James S. Eckely
lne 26, 1446/1474 Daniel BALL 27 M do [Farm laborer] do [Ohio]
Mariah 26 F do [Ohio]
Laban 8/12 M Illinois
line 2, 1447/1475 Frisbe ANDERSON 42 M Farmer 3000/327 Maryland
Clarrissa 26 F Ohio
William A. 11 M do [Ohio]
Emmor 9 M do [Ohio]
Daniel 6 M Illinois
Eliza J. 5 F do [Illinois]
John W. 10/12 M do [Illinois]
Barbarie TRIPLETT 32 F Ohio
Arrilla 4 F Illinois
My first guess was that she was their sister Barbara Ball, although Barbara would have been 22, not 32. That didn't fuss me too much since census taking is a messy business, and I was really pleased to find a marriage record in Illinois for Barbary Ball and James Triplett in 1853, but then I found this biography of Charles Johnson written in 1915.
It was great, laying out Barbara's parents (Vachel and Fanny Bailey Ball), and her marriage date (1858) and their various moves in Illinois and Iowa, and listing their two children: Charles and Eugene. But it was the marriage date that proved problematic. She couldn't have been Barbary Triplett with a daughter in 1860 if she was busy being Mrs. Charles Johnson...
So now I'm thinking, aunt?
And I'm thinking I'd better set this aside. So I did.
Recently ancestry.com has added a partial index to the 1900 census (yeay!) and Iowa was one of the early accessible databases, so I started collecting the data. One of the useful questions they asked women in the 1900 census was how many children they had had and how many were still living. And I found Barbary and Charles in Audubon County, Iowa:
Melvill TownshipBarbary had had 6 children, 3 of whom were still living.
S.D. 9, E.D. 30
Sheet No. 6A/320A
15 June 1900 by Walter F. Hoyt
line 4, 92/92 JOHNSON Charles Head WM Feb 1835 65 M 39 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Farmer
Barbary Wife WF Sept 1837 62 M 39 6/3 Ohio Virginia Maryland
Monroe Brother WM Nov 1847 52 S New Jersey Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Farm
Laborer
BROWN Jennie Servant June 1881 18 S Iowa Scotland Pennsylvania
Servant
All right now, hold the phone, that biography was very clear. She and Charles had two children. Okay, so maybe one of their children had died between 1900 and 1915 so that they weren't listed in the biography, but usually such a child would have been mentioned. So I thought, fine, I'll go find the happy couple in 1860.
I couldn't find them right off the bat, so I decided to collect their 1870 census record. No problem. They and their two sons were in Macon County, Illinois, as the biography had predicted. Er, told us they had been.
So back to the 1860.
Well, I found Charles right about where you'd expect him in Putnam County, Illinois (where they set up housekeeping after their marriage, as his biography described). But he was single. And there was no "Barbara Ball" to be found.
"No, really?" I thought, "back to Barbarie Triplett?!"
So I revisited the 1860 Bureau Co., IL census and saw, lo and behold, that the 32 was really a smudgey 22 and I checked the Illinois marriage records and found the marriage of the daughter Arilla Triplett:
Illinois Marriage Records online,Well, Sangamon County isn't very near to Macon County (the state capitol, Springfield, is in Sangamon), but how many Arilla's can there be?! So I started looking for William Barnes and wife Arilla in the 1870. And guess where I found them:
BARNES, William G m. TRIPLETT, Arilla Jane 07/22/1869 /00003763
SANGAMON
Hickory Point Township
Page No. 5/468A
11th July 1870 by Mad. S Collins
P.O. Decatur ILL, line 28
105/118 BARNS William G. 23 MW School Teacher Ohio
Rillis J. 16 FW Keeping House Illinois
line 30, 106/109 JOHNSON Charles 34 MW Farming /1000 Pennsylvania
Barbary 34 FW Keeping house Ohio
Charles 7 MW Illinois attended school
Eugene 3 MW Illinois
CAMPBELL John 27 MW Working on Farm Ohio
Right next door to Mom.
How fun is that? Oh, and married to the schoolteacher... Hmmmm. Wonder why they got married in Sangamon County? She would have been what, 15 when they got married? The same age her mother was at her first marriage.
So the marriage date listed in the biography had to be wrong. Good thing everything else was right. With a name like 'Johnson' it was very, very helpful to know where they had lived before. I suppose that Arilla wasn't mentioned in his biography because she wasn't his child.
I have not been able to find a marriage record for Barbary Triplett (as she would have been listed) and Charles Johnson. It appears that there are no Putnam County, Illinois marriage records for this period (although they said they were married in Bureau County). I can't find anyone mentioning it, but I'm afraid those records were destroyed. I've some other marriages that I'm missing from that area at that time.
I've got a bunch more on Vachel Ball's family on my website.
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