April’s book review is I’m still with you: true stories of healing grief though spirit communication by Carole J. Obley. You may wonder what this has to do with genealogy. Read the book review on the book review page, and also I mention the book on my post Our Ancestor’s Spirits posted on April 23.
Month: April 2016
Our Ancestor’s Spirits
I never believed ghosts, telling fortunes, or communicating with the dead, but now I feel that I am starting to open up to the possibility. It all started a few weeks ago when I had a dream about my brother who passed away in January 2015. In my dream he was alive and well. I said to him, “I thought you were dead.” He replied, “No, the doctor is giving me shots in the chest.” I felt so relieved to know that he was still alive and then I woke up. It felt so real that I wanted to go back to sleep and continue the dream. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to tell him about all the things that have happened over the past 15 months. Of course, I was unable to go back to sleep and continue that dream. Over the years, I have dreamed about my parents and grandparents who have passed too, and a few times those dreams have made an impression like this one. The next day on Facebook in my news feed I see a post that asks,”Have you had a visit from a deceased loved one in a dream?” It said to find out if it was just a dream or visitation to click here. I clicked, but it would not go to the website. All I got was a white screen. I then decided the heck with this and went on to something else. Later on I started to think about it again, and went back on-line. I Googled “dream visits from loved ones”. Well, I got a lot of information. I read for a while and then went on to other things. The next day I checked the library catalog to see if we had books on the subject and sure enough there were several books on the subject so I checked out two. According to what I have read, they try to contact you in dreams, though animals, flowers, electrical things, etc. Now I’m looking for signs that my loved ones are trying to contact me. It would be just like my brother to contact me through Facebook. May be seeing a post about dream visitations on Facebook was a sign from him, letting me know that he did visit me in that dream. I’ve read that there are many signs all the time, but if we aren’t looking for it we won’t see them. Well, I’ve been looking and a little disappointed that nothing has happened since the dream.
Carole J. Obley, a medium, writes in her book I’m still with you, “If a client or someone in his family is doing family genealogy, this will also be mentioned as proof that they are aware of the fact. Sometimes spirits will assist in tracing the family tree by offering suggestions on where to find critical information. One of my male clients had numerous relatives come through with very specific messages; in fact, his session probably holds the record for the number of names received in one sitting — not to mention the amount of evidential material these talkative spirits delivered. Halfway through the session, I commented on how many people showed up to speak with him. He laughed, adding that he’d written 40 books about his family tree!”[1]
Thinking about Ancestors wanting us to find them, reminded me of an experience I had a few years ago. I went to a cemetery where my great-grandfather is buried. I never knew him, my father never knew him. In fact, my father only knew his name, that’s all. I had very little information to go on when trying to find this man, and I was having a hard time finding him. When I went to the cemetery, I wasn’t sure if this person was my great-grandfather or some one with the same name. I went to the cemetery office to find out where his grave was located. The man helping me pulled a book off the shelf and opened it right to the page that had my great grandfather’s name. We both were surprised and kind of laughed at the coincident. He told me where his grave was located, but said it did not have a tombstone. I asked if there was information in the book as to next of kin or anything, and he said no. I then thought if I could find out who paid for the lot it could give me a lead. I asked who owned the lot. The man said that information was in another book, and he proceeds to get another book off the shelf. He opens that book up right to page my great grandfather’s name is on. At that point the man’s eyes got big and he said, “Oh my, grandpa really wants you to find him.” It turned out that the grave was a pauper’s grave paid for by the State of Illinois. After all that, I still didn’t know if it was my great-grandfather. I have since found out that it is him. So was that great-grandpa trying to tell me it was him? I don’t know, but I am starting to wonder more about these kind of things. Since I have always been a skeptic, I’m wondering if this is old age setting in, or am I losing my mind?
I have always felt disappointed that my current family doesn’t care to hear about the ancestors and my latest find. I am all alone with my genealogy. I can’t find anybody even a distant relative that is interested. I had my DNA done through Ancestry.com in hopes of finding a 4th, or 5th cousin working on the same line. Again a big disappointment. Now I am hoping it’s true that maybe the ancestors who have passed on do care and are rooting for me to find them!
Copyright© 2016 Gail Grunst
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[1] Obley, Carole J., I’m still with you (Winchester, UK: O Books, 2008) pg. 127
Fake Genealogy
Fake genealogy runs the gambit from fake coat of arms, fake family trees, fake documents, fake bible records, and fake inheritances to name a few.
We had a rare last name so back in 1974 when a company advertised to get your family coat-of-arms for the Manfroid name, my mother could not resist. Of course it is a fake (see picture). She realized it was fake soon after she got it, when she found that the company would make a coat of arms for any name. She was kind of interested in genealogy, but never got into it, and this was before I was interested. When I first started I made many mistakes, one was not citing my sources. When I learned the right way to do it, I had to go back and document everything. So one of the first things you should learn is cite your sources, cite your sources, cite your sources. I can’t say it enough after my experience of having to retrace my steps. I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s way before the Internet, and before genealogy became a popular hobby. A girl in my class brought her family tree to school for show-and-tell. She was related to someone famous in American History. I remember being so impressed, I wanted to get our family tree done too. I went home and asked my mother if we could get ours done, and she said, “It’s too expensive.” Then later after I was married, a relative of my husbands showed me a family tree she had done on her father’s side (not related to my husband) and it went back to the Mayflower. I was again so impressed. Now it seems a lot of people are into searching for the ancestors and with the Internet it does make it easier, but you need to be careful. If you find your family tree on-line, check out their sources and make sure that they are correct and do belong to your ancestor, not someone else. Do not believe everything that is in print. There is a famous author of fake genealogies, Gustav Anjou. Many of his genealogies are online and in reputable libraries. Some fraudulent genealogists will connect you to royalty, someone famous, or the long-lost inheritance for the right price.
Some teachers in our area give an assignment to do a family tree to their students. I’ve had mothers come into the library to fill in a five generation pedigree chart for their kids, and expecting to find it all on-line. They may have one or two generations filled in and when they can’t find it online, they get all frustrated and say they are just going to make it up. I guess the more generations they fill in the better their grade. This assignment makes me so irate! The teacher has no idea how difficult it is to fill in complete five generation chart. Year after year they give this assignment, and I wish they would stop.
Doing genealogy right requires patience and time. Most of the time you search for hours, days, weeks, months, and years before you find your answer and that usually leads to another question and on and on it goes.That’s what makes it fun! No quick answers like on TV, sorry!
Copyright © 2012 Gail Grunst
Skeletons in the closet
Are you afraid of skeletons in your closet? Then stay away from genealogy!!! Because you are going to find them. My reason for doing genealogy is to feel a connection to the past. Thousands of people had to come together to make me who I am today. Where were they from, and what were their names? What were their lives like and what happened to them? How did they die? Did they live through wars, famines, floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, epidemics, abortions, miscarriages, etc? I don’t care if they were good or bad, I just want to know their story.
I found many skeleton’s in closets that at the time my ancestors hid. In today’s world some of them don’t seem so bad. There have been divorces, illegitimate children, affairs, desertion, suicides, and killings. If you are afraid of finding these things, stay away from genealogy! On the other hand, many people are looking for royalty, or want to be related to someone famous. Sometimes they are looking for a long lost inheritance. Many people come to genealogy because the family story has them related to someone famous. The most common one I have found is Daniel Boone. I swear everyone who has the surname Boone, thinks they are related to Daniel Boone. That’s almost as popular as the myth of being related to Pocahontas. Most people do not find famous people in their bloodlines. If you want to do genealogy because you think you are related to someone famous, you may be disappointed. But I can tell you the lives of ordinary people who did ordinary things can be interesting too. You never know what you will find.
Where do fit on the spectrum? Are you afraid of what you will find or are you looking for famous people or royalty in your bloodline? Maybe you are like me and just want to know where you come from. Where ever the facts lead you, you need to be willing to accept it. In genealogy we do not alter the facts to fit our narrative. The documented facts make our ancestor’s story.
Finding your Ancestors in the Newspapers.
Do you use the Newspaper Archives to search for your ancestors? You should it’s a gold mine. I subscribe to Genealogy Bank, and I can get the Newspaper Archives at my library. Check with your local library to see if you can get access to the Newspaper Archives, Genealogy Bank, or any others. Some libraries have their own town newspapers digitized so make sure to check with each library in the towns that your ancestor’s lived. The Library of Congress has digitized newspapers from around the country and it is free to search so check out Chronicling America. I’m really hooked on looking for my ancestors in the newspapers. You never know what tidbit you will find.
At first I thought mainly of Obituaries which are a wonderful genealogy resource. Obituaries can give you names of the deceased’s husband, children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and parents to name a few. Also, the date and place of birth, date and place of marriage, name of their church, school, and employment. Then on the other hand it may say “Tom died on May 5” and that’s all, but at least you get a death date. However, beyond the obituaries, there are marriage announcements, birth announcements, and everything in between. If they played a sport, or belonged to a lodge, you might find them mentioned in the newspaper.
I have been able to piece together parts of my ancestor’s lives this way. I found an ancestor who was a doctor and performed an abortion in the 1920’s . The lady died, and he was charged with her death, but was acquitted. A couple of years later he was hit by a car. Another ancestor was director of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, and he was in the news quite a bit. One ancestor lived to be 100 and he was featured in the newspaper article with his picture. I didn’t have a picture of him, so this was quite a find for me. I found an article about my great-great grandfather getting killed by his neighbor. Also, found that his son accidentally shot himself in the chest. I’ve found the amount my grandfather paid in property tax and his bowling scores. An obituary for my great-grandfather said that he had a great-great grandson that was related to Danny Thomas. I’ve tried to check this out, but have not had any luck so far. These are just a few examples. Check it out and see what you can find in newspapers, it may surprise you.
In Search of Alexena’s Parents
Alexena Frazier Bowers
I’ve had a brick wall when it comes to my great-great grandmother, Alexena Frazier. I’ve been trying to find her parents for some time now. According to her obituary she was born in 1847 in Nassagaweya, Halton, Ontario, Canada.[1] There are no civil birth records for this time period in Canada. I would have to hope for church records. Nassagaweya was a remote area back in 1847 so I don’t know if I will find church records, but it will require a trip to Canada. In the meantime, I try to search from home and archives close to my home.
Alexena’s death certificate states her parents are David Frazier and Catherine McBean.[2] For years, I have been looking for a David Frazier and Catherine McBean in Nassagaweya with no luck. I find a David Frazier, but not old enough to be her father and not married to a Catherine McBean. As Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org add more records, I return to them in hopes that something has been added on Alexena, David, or Catherine. Recently, while searching on Familysearch for her father, David Frazier, I ran across the death of a David Fraser who died September 21, 1914 in Nassagaweya and his parents are listed as David Fraser and Elizabeth McBean.[3] He was born in 1832[4] which would make him 15 when Alexena was born. This would probably make him too young to be her father, but possibly a brother, since his mother’s last name is McBean. It is possible that whoever gave her mother’s name as Catherine on her death certificate got the name wrong. Alexena did name her oldest daughter Elizabeth,[5] possibly after her mother Elizabeth. If I go with the assumption that the David who died in Nassagaweya in 1914 is her brother, it would make sense to trace him backwards, and see if I can find a link to Alexena.
So backwards I went with David. The first thing I found was David’s grave listed on Find-a-Grave. He is buried in St. David’s Church Cemetery Campbellville , Halton Regional Municipality. Tombstone read, Died September 21, 1914 in his 83 year.[6] Find-A-Grave states that David was born in 1831 in Scotland.[7]Also listed on the same tombstone was a Maud Fraser, Died August 12, 1902 in her 27 year.[8] This was David’s daughter.[9]Find-a-grave site states he was married to a Mary Robinson born 1836.[10] I then found David on the 1861 Ontario Canada Census married to a Mary.[11] On the same page further down is a Hugh Frazier married to a Christina.[12] He is 50 and she is 38.[13] Who is Hugh and is he related to David? Next I found a marriage record for David to a Mary Robertson, David is 26 and Mary 23.[14] On the marriage record he lists his father as Hugh Frazier and Mother Elizabeth McBain (spelling different). The next thing I came across was a passenger ship list for David Frazier in 1834 he was 2 years old.[15] He was with a Hugh Frazier(24 years old) and Elizabeth Frazier (21 years old).[16] Also listed with them is an Isabella Frazier 4 years old.[17] On the passenger list David’s father is now Hugh, the same name listed on the 1861 census near David. So maybe I should be looking for Hugh as Alexena’s father not David. I suspect that they do what so many people did back them, go by their middle name. I have run across this numerous times where they switch around first and middle names. It makes it very confusing when trying to track them down.
My next strategy was to search Hugh Fraser (Frazer, Frazier), so back to the 1861 census. Hugh is not married to Elizabeth, but to a Christina.[18] The next thing I found was that Hugh married Christina in 1859.[19] I started searching for Hugh’s death when I found an article in the Canadian Champion from 15 May 1873 that reads: “Notice: Nassagaweya May 5, 1873 whereas my wife Christina Frazer has left my bed and board without just cause or provocation, this is to forbid all persons trusting her on my account.”[20] Apparently, something happened to his second marriage. Next, I found a death notice for Hugh Fraser and all it said was Hugh Fraser died on May 31, 1888 at Campbellville. He was 77 years and 7 months.[21]
Now I needed to find out what happened to Elizabeth. I found that Elizabeth died 18 November 1852 at 47 years and 4 months.[22] This makes her a little older than the ships record, but maybe I misread the 21 since it was hard to read. Also that would make her 42 when Alexena was born. Her tombstone read from Scotland, Inverness Shire, Parish of Moy, wife of Hugh Frazer, who departed this life Nov. 18, 1852, aged 47 years and 4 months.[23] Elizabeth died when Alexena was only 5 years old.
Earlier, when I saw Isabella Frazier on the ship passenger list[24], the name rang a bell. I remembered that previously I had found Alexena living with an Isabella Thomas on 1861 Canadian Census.[25] Isabella is listed as 30 years old on the census[26] which puts her at the right age to be the same Isabella listed on ships passenger list. Could Isabella Thomas be the Isabella Frazier on the ship passenger list? Could this be Alexena’s sister? Now I needed to find out if Isabella Thomas is Isabella Frazier. I searched for a marriage record for Isabella Fraser. I found one on Ancestry.com for an Isabella Fraser married to a George McK Thomas.[27] Once again, the first name changes. Her father is listed as Hugh no surname and the mothers name is M.[28] The “M” might stand for McBean. This is just an index so I will eventually need to see the actual record. Also, it lists both their ages as 24 in 1859 Nassagaweya Township.[29] I always wondered why Alexena was living with Isabella in 1861 at the age of 14. When I saw that Hugh remarried in 1859, only two years before Alexena appears living with Isabella, I wondered if there was a problem between Alexena and Hugh’s new wife. If indeed this is her father.It could also be that when Elizabeth died, Isabella took over raising Alexena.
While I still have no document to prove the relationship between Alexena, Hugh, and Elizabeth, I do have a lot of circumstantial evidence. So I feel 95% sure that I am on the right track here. I really need to make a trip to Canada. I’ve been on the verge of going a couple of times, but something always comes up that makes it impossible for me to make the trip. Every year, I hope this is the year! Sometime after 1861 and before 1868 Alexena came to Ottawa, Illinois. So far I haven’t been able to find out exactly when she came and why. I know she was here in 1868 because that is when she married Charles Bowers.[30]
I won’t stop until I find the document that proves the relationship to Hugh and Elizabeth. I know there is more to be done and more places to look. If Hugh and Elizabeth turn out to be her parents, I’m pretty sure that I will be able to go back a couple more generations in Scotland
Copyright © 2016 Gail Grunst
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[1] Obituary for Alexena Bowers. Daily Republican Times, (Ottawa, LaSalle, IL) Monday Evening, 8 March, 1926; Vol XLIX, No 208, Page 1 (Front Page).
[2] “Death Certificate for Alexena Bowers”, March 7 1926 (filed March 9, 1926), registered number 37, State of Illinois, Department of Public Health – Division of Vital Statistics, Springfield, IL.
[3] [3] “Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947,” database with images,FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNQH-ZY1 : David Fraser, 21 Sep 1914; citing Nassagaweya, Halton, Ontario, yr 1914 cn 14898, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,861,974.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Year 1880; Census Place: Ottawa, LaSalle, Illinois; Roll: 79_223; Family History Film 1254223; Page: 516.1000 & 516.2000; Enumeration District: 81; Image: 0553Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, 2005
[6] Find A Grave web site http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=130037355 David Fraser born 1831 Scotland. Saint David’s Church Cemetery, Campellville, Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada
[7] Ibid.
[8] [8] Find A Grave web site http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=130037355 Maud Fraser, died August 12,1902, in her 27 year. Saint David’s Church Cemetery, Campellville, Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Find a grave web site http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=130037355 David married Mary Robertson born 1836, Saint David’s Church Cemetery, Campellville, Halton Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada.
[11] Census Record for David and Mary Fraser. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1030-1031 Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
[12] Census record for Hugh and Christina Fraser. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1030-1031 Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Marriage Record for David Fraser. Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original Source: Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto. MS248; Reel: 7
[15] “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891,” database with Images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1QVPZ-R762) David Frazier, 1834; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm.
[16] “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891,” database with Images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1QVPZ-R762) Isabella Frazier, 1834; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm
[17] “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891,” database with Images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1QVPZ-R762) Isabella Frazier, 1834; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm.
[18] Census Record for Hugh Fraser. Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009
[19] Marriage record for Hugh Fraser. Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original Source: Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto. MS248; Reel: 7
[20] Notice from Hugh Frazer, Canadian Champion (Milton, On), 15 May 1873 page 2. Halton’s Historical and Newspaper records. http://news.halinet.on.ca/2491105/page/2?n=
[21] Death notice for Hugh Fraser, Canadian Champion (Milton, On) 7 June 1888, page 3.
[22] Find a grave website http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=130451657 Elizabeth McBean Frazer Campbellville Burying Grounds, Campbellville, Halton Regional Muncipality, Ontario, Canada.
[23] Ibid.
[24] “New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1891,” database with Images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1QVPZ-R762) Isabella Frazier, 1834; citing NARA microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm
[25] Census Record for Alexena Fraser Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009
[26] Census Record for Isabella Thomas Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1861 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009
[27] Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original
[28] Ibid.
[29] Ibid.
[30] Marriage record for Alexena Frazer and Charles Bowers dated 1868. Illinois, LaSalle County. Marriage License and return #1862. County Clerk’s office, Ottawa.
My Favorite Blogs this Week
I’ve been reading many blogs this past week. I really, really liked a couple of them and thought I would share them with you. Here are the links.
Two Young Women Ahead of their Time (c. 1911)
I hope you enjoy as much as I did!
Genealogy Can Be Tricky
Doing genealogy can be tricky. It can be tricky picking your ancestor out of a list of people with the same name in an index or database. It helps to know something about your ancestor such as his date of birth, where he lived, died, his wife’s name, and children’s names. You don’t have to know everything, but you need one or two pieces of information to pick him out of list of others with the same name. I like to watch “Who do you think you are” and other genealogy TV shows, but I think they make it look way to easy. For example, a guest will type their ancestor’s name in Ancestry.com and up pops their ancestor. Sometimes the name is totally different, but the researcher tells them this is their ancestor. They never explain how they arrived this conclusion. I know they don’t show all the research because of time and it would probably bore most people if they went into details. But I think they should say we put in X amount hours searching for this persons ancestors, it is not as easy as it looks. Of course this ancestor can now be trace back to some king or an ancestor who did something great. Since they do not tell you how they arrived at their conclusions, I sometimes wonder if they have done the research, or are they just making it up for good TV. I’ve been doing this since 1979 before computers and the Internet. It has never been that easy.
When the Internet first came to the library, people would come in and ask us to find grandpa because they heard their family tree was on the Internet, or they wanted a book that listed all of Daniel Boone descendents because their last name is Boone and they were told they were related. They were disappointed when there was no book that listed Daniel Boone’s descendents down to them. I would explain that they needed to start with themselves and work backwards. They didn’t want to do that because they didn’t want to do the hard work. They just wanted to find it on the Internet or in a book.
I spent years trying to find my great-grandfather, because he used the name George when his name was Isidor. I’ve had many a brick walls like that. You can’t jump to conclusions. When I have done the research, and I have a lot of circumstantial evidence, I am still hesitant to claim the ancestor without the documentation. But it seems to me that they do this a lot on the genealogy TV shows.
If you post your family tree on Ancestry.com they will give you a hint by the way of a leaf. But these hints can cause trouble too. People think that because the hint has their ancestor’s name it must be their ancestor. One lady attached my grandfather to her family tree by way of a hint. For awhile, I thought he was a bigamist because she had him married to someone who was not my grandmother at the same time he was married to my grandmother. I did my own research on the other lady he was supposed to married to and found that she was married to a man who had the same name as my grandfather, and was born in September 1896 same as my grandfather, and lived in Chicago the same as my grandfather. My grandfather appears on the 1930 census married to my grandmother, and the man with the same name also appears on the 1930 census married to this other lady. If this person had done her research she would have realized she had the wrong person. Like I said Genealogy can be tricky. You have to be careful and do your research. It methodical and takes time, not like what you see on TV.
They Came from Faraway Places
Old German Homestead
All my ancestors came to United States in the 1800’s from faraway places. They came from Germany, France, Belgium, Scotland, England, and Canada. The first ones to come to the United States came in 1834 from Scotland, but didn’t stay in the US. They went to Canada and most stayed there except for my Great-Great Grandmother (born in Canada), came to US in 1865. Her husband came to the US in 1851 from England. Both the ancestors from Scotland and England came on sailing ships which meant the average trip took 43 days. There was usually a lack of food, sea sickness, lack of privacy, and the spreading of illnesses. Once here they had to travel to their final destinations.
In the case of the Scottish Ancestors, they made their way to Nassagaweya, Halton, Ontario. They arrived in New York on August 12, 1834 so I assume they were traveling to Canada in good weather. I also assume they traveled by wagon and possibly a boat to cross one of the great lakes. They had to travel through wilderness to get to Nassagaweya. In fact, Nassagaweya was the wilderness back in 1834.
The English Ancestors that came here in 1851 came on a sailing ship too. Steamships were just starting to be used in the 1850’s. Their ocean voyage experience was probably much the same as the Scottish ancestors. Again, once here they had to travel to their final destinations. Some settle in Syracuse, New York, but my direct ancestor settled in Ottawa, Illinois. I don’t know what brought him to Ottawa other than he had a step-brother who owned a farm near Ottawa. By 1850 there were trains so he might have taken a train at least some of the way to Ottawa, Illinois, and then maybe by wagon, carriage, or boat. In the 1850’s he would be traveling though wilderness too. In fact there were Indian wars going on around that time too.
The ancestors from Belgium, France and Germany came in the 1870’s and 1880’s by steam ships so their journeys were shorter 10 to 14 days. Still it was quite an adventure even then.
Not only do you have to think about the ocean voyage and their trip though the United States or Canada, but in their home country they had to travel to get to the port of departure. Most did not live near port city.
I admire what they did not only the travel, but the courage to leave their home country. What was the chance they would ever go back to see their families? Probably never! Today, France, Belgium, Germany, Scotland, and England don’t seem so faraway because of air travel. I think we should honor those ancestors who were brave enough to leave their homeland, families, friends, and their way of life behind for a new life in a strange land.
On the street where they lived
One of the things I like to do, if I can, is visit where my ancestor’s lived. I like to see the houses they lived in, walk the streets where they walked, and see where they went to school. If I can’t visit in person, I will look their addresses up on google earth. But it is best to go there. One time we were in Lincoln’s home in Springfield Illinois and my husband said, “Imagine we are walking where Lincoln walked.” Yes, that is true and it’s nice, but I’m more thrilled when I can walk where my ancestors walked. One time I visited the church where my grandmother was baptized. Attached to the church was the school she attended. I never knew my paternal grandmother. She died six months before I was born. Some one greeted us at the school door and walked us through the gym and down the hallways to the church office. All I could think of was this is where my grandmother walked, the grandmother I never knew. If I had been alone, I probably would have cried a little and let the tears come to my eyes. In the church office I went through church records to find her baptism and confirmation. This was the only record of her birth. She born at home in 1900 in Illinois and no civil birth record was recorded.
I’ve also made several trips to Ottawa, Illinois where my maternal grandmother was born. I knew this grandmother very well. She talked a lot about her maternal family and all the information she gave me was spot on. When I checked out the dates and places, she was right. She was not sure about her father’s family because her father left her mother, my grandmother, and her siblings when they were small. But I have been able to find information on her father’s family. Both her parent’s families lived in Ottawa, Illinois. I was able to locate both great-great grandparents homes. I have walked the streets where they lived. When I was a child, we would visit friends in Ottawa who had a girl the same age as me. We would go to the corner and play on the school playground. In my research, I found that a sister of my great-grandfather was principal of that school. So as a child I played on the playground of the school where my ancestor was principal and didn’t know it at the time. I had vague idea that my grandmother’s family was from Ottawa, but of course at the time it didn’t mean anything to me. Sometimes we would visit with old people, and I had no idea who they were or how we were related.
I’ve been to Amana, Iowa to see where another set of great-grandparents lived when they first came to the United States. In the museum there, I was able to see a book where they signed their names when they came to Amana. I also viewed quilts and other items that looked like ones my grandmother had in her home and that I have now. We ate in a restaurant and the German food tasted just like what Grandma made. At that point my grandmother was gone, and I had not tasted her food in years. But the minute I bit into it, the memories came flooding back.
A couple of years ago, I visited Clark County, Wisconsin where another great-grandfather owned a farm and was unfortunately killed on his farm. I went to court-house in Clark County and looked at the deeds to get the legal description of the property. The lady in the court house offered to show me where it was on a map today. My husband and I then drove out to find it. I did not know the whole story at the time on how he was killed. Knowing now that it was on his farm by a neighbor, it would have meant more to me seeing his land. His house is gone, and a newer one is on the farm, I image that the barns are newer too. But just the fact that this is where he lived and died, gives me chills. See post from June 13, 2015 John Desens Killed
My husband may like seeing where famous people lived, but give me the towns, streets, houses, schools, and churches where my ancestors lived, that’s what I get a thrill out of seeing. It’s not just the site of it, it’s the feeling that I get when I am there. I may have known some of the people or may not have known them at all, but I feel close to them when I walk on the street where they lived.