Thursday, September 30, 2010

Reading a Story on a Headstone

As I wrote in my last post, I’m currently researching the ancestors of my son Matt, whom I adopted as an infant.

Matt’s third great grandmother was Mary Louise Lamb (1850-1918), wife of David Treat Davidson. Mary and David’s daughter Carrie Ellen was born 1882 in Aurora, Hamilton, Nebraska and died at the age of 36 in November, 1918. It wasn’t until I found Mary’s headstone on FindAGrave last night that I realized Mary and Carrie both died in 1918 (November).

Davidson, Mary L, Carrie Hublitz and others

Notice the headstone also includes the name of Paul E. Davidson, who died in 1918. Paul was the son of Mary’s son and Carrie’s brother George. I haven’t determined yet who the infant Pauline is. But this headstone tells such a sad story of the deaths of three members of this family all in 1918, and I know Mary and Carrie each died in November. Since the Influenza Epidemic took the lives of so many people in 1918 I’m inclined to think they probably died of influenza. How sad for all the members of these families.

It’s nice, however, to see the names all “nested” together on this headstone and to know they are buried together here in the Fairview Cemetery, Melrose, Cherokee, Kansas.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

My Second Blogiversary Dedicated to my Son

image
On this second anniversary of my blog, I’m dedicating my post to my son Matt for two reasons: (1) He’s the greatest blessing of my life and I adore him, and (2) I’m currently  researching his ancestry.
I adopted Matt as an infant. We were each blessed last year when Matt was able to locate and meet his birth mother, Karen. Upon their first personal meeting, Matt requested of Karen that she complete a 4 generation pedigree chart, as far as she was able. I think I’ve trained him well! As soon as he received the pedigree chart in his mail, he called me and gave me all the names she’d given him. I got right to work on the research and found that it gave me a totally different feeling than I’ve experienced while researching anyone else’s ancestry. As I learned names and saw faces in the photos I discovered in a tree on Ancestry.com, I felt so grateful to these wonderful people, for it’s their blood that runs through my son’s body. They are HIS people. There’s a very special place in my heart for every individual I’ve met in his ancestry.
At the time I met Karen, she loaned me several pictures of herself as a child, as well as pictures of her parents and siblings. My fellow genealogists will understand and appreciate what a treasure those are to me, and what a wonderful gesture that was for her to make. And in my online hunting I’ve discovered a cousin of hers who has uploaded over 7,000 photos to her Ancestry tree, many of which relate to Matt’s ancestors!
My research has rewarded us with enough pictures that I can share with you a line of 7 generations in my son’s family:
Matt’s great, great, great grandmother Martha Susan Tanner (1834-1905)
Crotchett, Martha Susan Tanner
(His great, great grandmother Emeline Charlotte Crotchett (1863-1931)Crotchett Emmeline CharlotteCrotchett, Emeline Charlotte (b1853)
Matt’s great grandfather was “Emma’s” son, Frank Jefferson Bell (1888-1951)
Bell, Frank JeffersonThe son of Frank Bell was Robert Bell, Matt’s grandfather, pictured below at far left, with his family:
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In this photo covering 2 generations, are Matt, with his birth mother Karen at right and me, his Mom (adoptive mother) at left:
Matt Becky Karen Sept 09 And here’s our little jewel, Alyssa, Matt’s daughter, when she was 2 years old:
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How blessed we all are to have pictures of SEVEN generations of family and even more blessed to know them and love them! I’m so happy to dedicate this anniversary post to my wonderful son, his family and his ancestors. They truly manifest God’s Grace and Glory in my life.

Monday, September 13, 2010

My Husband’s Ancestral Connection to His First Wife

Cochran Kendall Baker
My research tonight uncovered a connection that I’ve displayed on the above pedigree diagrams. In the top pedigree you see Philip Cochran and Susannah Sturgis had a son named Philip Cochran, whose wife was Barbara LaTurner. Their son Frank Cochran had a son Paul who had a daughter Michele Jaynes (born Cochran).
In the pedigree below that, you see that Philip Cochran and Susannah Sturgis also had a son John, who with his wife Orpha Green, had a son Newton J. Cochren. Newton and his wife Lucinda Drake had a daughter Mary Elizabeth Cochren. Mary  and her husband George Pew had a son Dale Pew. Dale was married to Gladys O’Connor. Her pedigree is represented in the third pedigree on the page. Gladys’s mother was Anna Baker, the daughter of George Baker and Annary V. Hayes. George Baker’s parents were George Baker and Annie Kendall, Annie being the daughter of Samuel Kendall and his wife Mary Shuman.
The pedigree at the bottom of the illustration shows Larry Jamison at left, his parents being L. R. Jamison and Irene Roberts. L. R. Jamison’s father Paul Jamison was the husband of Rhea Haught, whose parents were Lafayette Haught and Priscilla Yost. Lafayette Haught’s mother was Catherine Campbell, daughter of Dennis Campbell and Ellenor Kendall. Ellenor was the daughter of Samuel Kendall and Mary Shuman. So Ellenor Kendall, my husband Larry’s 3rd great grandmother was the sister of Annie Kendall, Gladys O’Connor’s great grandmother. This makes Gladys and Larry 3rd cousins, twice removed.
Gladys’s husband Dale Pew is a 3rd cousin of Michele Jaynes, visible in the top pedigree. And Michele Jaynes is my husband Larry Jamison’s first wife.
I’m always, always amazed when I discover connections like this. It sure makes the study of our family histories interesting.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

B.K. Jamison and the Philadelphia Clover Club

Jamison_Benton_Knott

Benton Knott Jamison (pictured above) is my husband’s first cousin, 4 times removed. B. K.’s grandparents John W. and Elizabeth (Shryock) Jamison are my husband Larry’s 4th great grandparents. B. K. was born 1837 in Saltsburg, Indiana, Pennsylvania and was a prominent banker in Philadelphia. As the result of my search on Google Books for anything about B. K. Jamison, I found this book:

Clover Club book

The Clover Club of Philadelphia was a “cosmopolitan social club”, which in 1897 had 34 charter members, one of whom was B. K. Jamison.  One of the most amusing bits of information about B. K. Jamison that I found in this book is the following story:

Jamison_BK Clover Club story

B. K. Jamison had quite an illustrious career, and from this story it appears he was also quite a sociable personality!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

My All-time Biggest Surprise in Genealogy

Jones Flanders 1930 census

In this 1930 census image for Great Bend, Barton County, Kansas, you see the Hamilton (“Ham”) Jones family living at 1400 8th Street. His daughters Marjorie and Dorothy are ages 4 and 2. His brother Henry J. (Henry James “Jim”) Jones is listed at the bottom of the image photo with his family residing at 1501 8th St. That’s just one block away. Phyllis J.,  daughter of Jim and Helen Jones is my step-mother, married to my dad Ernest Margheim from 1951 until her death in 1997. In 1930 Phyllis was 6 years old, having been born in 1924. It was in her personality to greatly dislike (and I’m being kind) my birth mother, Ruby Flanders, to whom my dad was married 1943-1949.

Look at the above image and notice the Milo Flanders family living at 1416 8th St. Their daughter Ruby N. was 5 years old at this time, having been born in 1925.  As I just mentioned, Ruby was my birth mother. What story does this census image tell? It tells me that my step-mom Phyllis Jones was 6 years old at the time her cousins, who lived a block away, were ages 4 and 2. And the  neighbor of her cousins was Ruby Flanders. In 1930 children played outside, they played with their relatives who lived nearby. I believe this image tells me that my step-mom Phyllis Jones played in her young childhood with my birth mother Ruby Flanders! I can’t express to you how this discovery blows me away, still today. Is anyone else inclined to draw the same conclusion? Let me know your thoughts.

I was raised by my step-mom and dad and allowed by the courts to occasionally visit my birth  mom Ruby. But I was not allowed to mention her name in our house, nor refer to her in any way, no phone calls, letters, incidental visits etc. NEVER did she let my twin brother and me know that she had been a childhood playmate of Ruby. That is so significant to me, even though others may find nothing startling about this discovery. As we research our family’s history, we expect to make discoveries, but it’s a bonus when we learn things about those people who were close to us that they never revealed when they were living!