Our Family Connections to RootsTech Speakers

In two of the classes I attended at the RootsTech 2017 Conference, the speakers mentioned who their fathers were. You have to know that, armed with that information, I'm going to see if you might have a family connection to me or my husband!

Two of the guest speakers on Discovery Day were Elder Russell M. Nelson and his wife Wendy Watson Nelson. Wendy told us her father's name was Leonard David Watson and her family lived in Alberta, Canada. From previous research on my husband's ancestry, I knew he had family connections at McGrath and Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada in the early 1900s. They were sent by authorities in the LDS church to settle communities there. So I was curious if some of Wendy's ancestors might have been acquainted with Larry's ancestors.

When I attended the highly enjoyable class that Ron Tanner, Product Manager of the Family Tree for FamilySearch, taught on the future of the Family Tree, I heard him tell us that his father's name was Cleon Burnell Tanner. I have Tanners in my RootsMagic database, so I looked for Cleon Tanner. He wasn't already there, but a bit of research on the Family Tree showed me how he connected to those I already had in my database.  

With that information at hand, I was able to prepare the chart at the top of this post, using Microsoft Publisher to draw the pedigrees and connect them where appropriate. When I finished the tree, I added a few photos for visual interest. 

I won't go into the detail of every family connection, but you can see at the bottom left that I start with Larry Jamison, my husband, and end at the bottom right with ME!

Take a couple of minutes and study the pedigree charts, with the directional arrows showing the descendancies. It probably doesn't matter how we're all connected, but I always find it fascinating to make these discoveries. I don't go along with the adage, "We're all related anyway!" because there are families who can't find a connection to anyone else's ancestry. And we can't simply make them up or force individuals to tie together. I'm blessed to have a pretty good recall of names, which helps me as I discover these connections. And I find them significant.

My Dad would Love this Cousin Connection

As I've been exploring cousin connections, I've found many surprises. I posted this chart yesterday showing how my father's Volga German ancestry was connected to cousins on my mother's side of the family, who were not Volga Germans. 

I continued to look at descendants of the Richard Hill and Sarah Strait family and noticed the name of Acuff. Being the daughter of Ernie Margheim, I KNOW that Acuff name. Dad, as "The Sunflower Wrangler" was a singer/guitarist of Western music in the late 1930s and 1940s. He had quite a collection of Western music and memorabilia, among which were recordings and song books of Roy Acuff. 

This chart illustrates my connection through cousins to the late Roy Acuff. His 2nd cousin (2 generations back), Zulema Wallace married Mark Cord Hill, my 5th cousin 3 generations removed. I know my dad knows of this connection now, but it would've been fun to have had the opportunity to show him and discuss this while he was alive. My dad was interested in the family history decades before I ever caught on. He'd be so thrilled.

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!

Family Photo Fun

Over the past few years I've come into possession of a LOT of old family photos. I want to share a few that are just fun to look at and comment on. 

In the top photo are my mother and two of her brothers. From left you'll see Albert Flanders (1918-2002), Ruby Flanders (1925-1990) and Mervin Flanders (1921-2007). In the second photo I've posted a picture of my half-sister, the daughter of my mother and her second husband. She looks so much like our mother in the photo above. 

I have a lot of pictures from my mother's high school photo album that show her just out having fun with her friends. You can see above that she (Ruby Flanders 1925-1990) and her cousin Betty Flanders (1926-2010) are posing at a monument that I know is at Pawnee Rock, KS. 

Posted below are many pictures showing my mom having fun with cousins and friends on the railroad tracks, depot or on train cars! I guess in the early 1940s you'd have fun wherever you could find it!

Viola Haddon (1925-2006)

Annabelle Hoover (1927-2006)

Alice Haddon (1919-1992)

Cousins Alice Haddon and Viola Haddon

Mervin Flanders, my mother's brother and Stafford KS high school classmate Viola Hill

Annabelle Hoover and unknown (Maybe Betty Flanders) in this and the remaining photos. 

It's interesting to see what my mother and her friends did for fun, even while wearing the dresses which were their school attire. I'm lucky that they had cameras with them!

Theresa Snow Hill, Author

As I was straightening up some bookcases last week I came upon this small book that I'd purchased several years ago "Stories from the Book of Mormon" by Theresa Snow Hill. I bought it after I had determined that there was a genealogical connection between me and the author. From the information in my RootsMagic database, I was able to prepare this chart showing how I'm "related" to Theresa Snow Hill. 

This chart shows that Johann C. Streit is my 7th great grandfather. The author (Mary) Theresa Snow was married to Reuben Hill, who was the 5th great-grandson of the same Johann C. Streit. Theresa and Reuben had a daughter Cornella, who would be my 7th cousin once removed. The chart also shows that my 3rd cousin 5 times removed, Sarah Strait married Richard Hill and they are the great- grandparents of Theresa Snow's husband Reuben Hill. 

Pictured at left are (front row l to r) George Richard Hill II (1884-1971), George Richard Hill I (1846-1927. Standing left to right: William Richard Hill (1896-1961), John Shelton Hill Sr. (1884-1944) and Reuben Lorenzo Hill Sr. (1888-1953). 

Author Theresa Snow Hill is pictured at top left of this photo. 

This chart shows that Theresa is also my cousin, specifically my 6th cousin 3 generations back.