Connecting my Father's Family to my Mother's Family

This week Jerry Michel posted this photo on the Facebook page for the Russell County Historical Society of Germans from Russia. 

Jerry identified the couple as Johann George Bender, Sr, (1803-1913) and his third wife, Maria Katherine Schneider, who were married 13 May 1883 in Russell County, Kansas. 
My dad's father, John Ludwig Margheim was born in Russell county, Kansas to German parents who were also from the Volga River area of Russia. I knew the Margheims were associated in many ways with Bender and Schneider families, so I did some research into this couple pictured above. 

As a result of my research, I was able to prepare this chart, which is also pictured above at the start of this post. 

Let me guide you through this maze of cousin connections. At the bottom left is me, Rebecca Margheim, shown as the wife of Larry Jamison. My dad's ancestry goes up to his mother Amalia "Mollie" Koleber and on up to her great grandfather, Johann H. Koleber, born 1817 in Russia. Besides son Johann H. Koleber, the Senior Johann had daughter Maria, wife of George J. Maier. Maria, her husband and family are pictured at the top left of the illustration above. Their daughter Louisa Maier married John Bender. You can see their wedding photo under their name. 

John Bender's grandfather was the Johann George Bender whose photo was posted on Facebook yesterday. But John's grandmother was the first wife of Johann, being Maria Schwien. Johann George and Maria (Schwien) Bender's great granddaughter Manetta Bender married Archibald Parkhurst. Archibald's mother was Letha Cochran and her third cousin was Leo Cochran, the husband of Geneva Hill. 

I knew I had some Hill cousins so I looked up Geneva on Family Search and found the rest of her Hill lineage. Her great, great grandmother was Sarah Strait, wife of Richard Hill. I'm a third cousin five times removed of that same Sarah Strait. In the chart above you can see that my mother Ruby Flanders is a seventh cousin of Geneva Hill. 

So at the bottom right, you see me again, as the descendant of Ruby Flanders and Ernest Margheim. The chart I've prepared shows the cousin connection between my paternal ancestors and my maternal ancestors. The connection is meaningful to me because, as I grew up, I thought these two families were worlds apart. They were on opposite ends of the spectrum in MY world. Little did I suspect that they could be connected through cousin marriages. My world is getting smaller all the time!

My Husband’s Ancestral Connection to His First Wife

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.

A Mailbox FULL of Family Photos

This was my mailbox yesterday, Feb. 13. When I saw the package it held, I had to grab my camera and take a picture. A scene like this is every genealogist's dream--to walk to the mailbox and open it to find a bulging, heavy, large package that contained a much-awaited collection of family photos, documents, records, and news clippings.

Let me set the stage for this delivery. In 2005 my friend Shelly enlisted my help in researching some of her family as she had hit a "brick wall". I devoted 5 weeks to intense study, research and analysis and was able to identify many of her ancestors, after which I printed a large Family History Book for her. After I posted my findings online, I was contacted by one of Shelly's cousins, Debbi. We established a friendship over the months that followed, each sharing stories, names, dates, and photographs to the other's collections. Our communications with each other have become less frequent in the last few years as we've each been consumed with other family activities and responsibilities.

I happily discovered a letter from Debbi last week in my inbox, explaining that, while her grandmother (and Shelly's aunt) had passed away 10 years ago, her grandmother's second husband passed away just recently. Debbi and her sisters were engaged to go through his possessions. Debbi was granted permission to keep all family heirlooms related to the family's history. And through what I call a blessing from God, Debbi recalled that I'd assembled quite a family history on her family for her cousin Shelly (with whom she had not been acquainted) and she thought I might be interested in receiving the photos and other paperwork that she now possessed that related to Shelly's family.   

I could scarcely write back quickly enough with my reply "YES!". Upon assuring her that I'd love to have the photos and documents, I promised to also deliver them into Shelly's hands, their rightful owner. I'm the friend and researcher, but the photos are of Shelly's immediate family and they belong to her. I cried with happiness and true joy as I delivered this wonderful and surprising news to Shelly. She cried as she responded to me with initial disbelief and gradual astonishment at her good "fortune". We waited so very impatiently for Debbi to send the promised treasure to us.  

After I brought this package in from my mailbox, I excitedly called Shelly and told her to come over. I got everything ready. Soft drinks: check; scissors: check; camera: check; and a box of Kleenex for us crybabies: check!

Shelly carefully opened the large envelope, being sure not to cut any of its contents. Would you believe me if I told you we were both shaking with excitement and anticipation? Prior to this, Shelly owned NO family photos, was raised by a step-father and mother following the divorce of her parents when she was 7 years old. She'd never seen her parents' wedding pictures, she had NO pictures of herself as a small child, she had no pictures of her father in his younger life and she had no pictures of his parents or brothers. Maybe you can understand her excitement and near "disbelief" at receiving this package.

 This is the first picture Shelly examined, with tilted glasses for increased sharpness and clarity. And below you can see that the glasses finally came off as the dozens of pictures were exposed and viewed and cherished. You can see that the box of Kleenex has been moved closer and have been dabbing at tears of joy too!

One of the photos Shelly found was this one of her father receiving a Distinguished Service Medal during his Army Air Corps service in Africa in 1942.

To honor her personal privacy, I'm not posting any more photos here, but I just wanted to share her "blessing" and our excitement at being recipients of such prized possessions- treasured photos and documents of family members who are long-since deceased, but still very much loved and remembered. 

We especially thank cousin Debbi for her act of Genealogical Kindness in passing these cherished heirlooms  on to the rightful descendants and for bringing blessings into Shelly's life that were totally unexpected but gratefully accepted!