Saturday, April 30, 2016

FOLLOWING LEADS ~ THE SEED FAMILY FROM YESTERDAY’S POST ~ Maurice Joy Seed


clip_image002clip_image004clip_image005

During my discoveries about Emily Gillen and her daughter, Emma Pope yesterday, I added information to my Ancestry tree.  My routine is to have both Legacy and the web open at the same time.  I use two monitors here at my desktop and that makes it real easy.  When I locate information, I add it to my Legacy database and also to my Ancestry tree.

Each time we work on someone in our Ancestry trees, or add new people, we will usually generate hints.  I was not disappointed this morning as I had hints for Emma Pope Seed’s children, Maurice and Rhoda.

There were 16 hints for Maurice and 11 for Rhoda.  Let’s take a look at Maurice and see what I can learn.
 
By the way, Maurice is my half 1st cousin, 3 times removed.  I don’t normally research that deep into the tree, but there are just too many good hints here for me to ignore.

Here are some of the hints:
  • Census records for 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940
  • Florida State Census for 1935
  • U.S. City Directory for 1912 & 1924
  • U.S. School Catalog for 1903
  • Florida Passenger List for 1921
  • Passport Application for 1921
  • U.S. Social Security Applications Index
  • U.S. Find A Grave Index
  • Photo of his headstone
The very first one I went to was the Passport Application. Why?  Because they will often contain photos of the applicant.  I was not disappointed.

Here’s Maurice’s passport application, including his photo.
 
This application gives his exact place of birth, his father’s name and exact place of birth, where he is traveling to, and a complete physical description of Maurice.  I also collect signatures from my ancestors and this application provides me with one.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
 
SEED_Maurice J_passport application_1921

Certainly a bonanza of information for any genealogist.  I wrote a blog post about Passport Applications which you can read here.
Next, I’ll check that U.S. School Catalog hint.  Maybe I’ll find a picture there too.  Here’s what I found.

Name: Maurice Joy Seed
Publication Year: 1903
Publication Place: Illinois
School Name: Northwestern University

From page 356 of the school catalog for Northwestern University in Illinois, publication year 1903.

SEED_Maurice J_school record_NorthwesternUniv_Illinois_1903_pg 356

This entry gives us more evidence of his date and place of birth and tells us what he studied and where he lives at the time of this publication.

From the U.S. city Directory for 1912 I learn that Maurice was married to a woman named Elizabeth and living in Mount Vernon, Illinois.  His occupation was Editor and Publisher of the Daily & Weekly Register at 806 Main.  That his home is at 1030 Maple and it gives his telephone number as 181 – 1 ring. 

Also of note on this page is his sister Rhoda is listed just below him, working as a teacher, listed as “Miss” so she’s not married and she is living with her parents at 517 N. 10th.  The father, Thos. H. Seed is listed just beneath Rhoda.

Name: Maurice J Seed
Gender: Male
Residence Year: 1912
Residence Place: Mount Vernon, Illinois, USA
Occupation: Editor And Publisher
Spouse: Elizabeth Seed


1912_SEED_Maurice-Rhoda & Thomas_page 182_Mt Vernon Illinois

I’ll take a look at one final item today, the FindAGrave hint.
 
SEED FAG page

Now, I have links to the memorials for Maurice’s family and a death year for him.  I can use all the leads from these memorials to find more vital records.

CONCLUSION: Following the hints on Ancestry can lead you to some great discoveries.  Note, that none of the hints I follow involve other member’s trees.  I will occasionally check the trees, but I follow the records, not the trees.

I’ve learned a lot about Maurice today and a little more about his father, Thomas too.  Now I can take a look at other leads on my Ancestry tree for this family and use the FindAGrave memorials to gather more information.

I hope you’ve found this journey today as much fun as I have.

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Friday, April 29, 2016

FRIDAY FINDS ~ I Finally found the 1880 census for my 3rd great grandmother–Emily Gillen 1810-1887


My 3rd great grandmother Emily Gillen, born 8 Aug 1810 in Pennsylvania married 3 times.  First to Rev. Isaac C. Hunter (1798-1842) on 11 Sep 1828 in Lawrence Co., Ohio.  They had 5 children: Susan, James, Martha, Isaac C., and John. Second, she married David Pope (about 1810-?) on 1 Oct 1846 in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio.  They had 2 children: George and Emma.  Third, she married Joel Stover (about 1810-after 1870) on 5 Dec 1858 in Lawrence County, Ohio.  There are no known children born from that third marriage.

Here is what I have in my Legacy database for Emily Gillen.

Her family record.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Gillen Emily family

Her pedigree.
 
Gillen Emily pedigree

I noticed when I looked at her Individual screen that I was missing an 1880 and a place of death for her.
 
Gillen Emily Ind screen

I went to my Ancestry.com tree and looked at the hints.  Nothing there gave me any leads.  I decided to look at some of her children, especially the two youngest ones, George and Emma Pope.

Sure enough on Emma Pope’s hints I found an 1880 census.  Why don’t I check that and see if her mother is living near by.  At this point I don’t even know if Emma’s father David Pope is still living, as I don’t have a death date for him.

HERE’S WHAT I FOUND
Name: Emma Seed
[Emma Pope] 
Age: 29
Birth Year: abt 1851
Birthplace: Ohio
Home in 1880: Bellmont, Wabash, Illinois
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Wife
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Thomas H. Seed
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's name: Emily Seed
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Neighbors: View others on page
Occupation: Housekeeping
Cannot read/write:

Blind:

Deaf and dumb:

Otherwise disabled:

Idiotic or insane:
Household Members:
Name Age
Thomas H. Seed 37
Emma Seed 29
Jay Seed 8
Roda Seed 3
Emily Seed 69

Note that there is an Emily Seed listed with this family.  She is listed as a mother-in-law, widowed, age 69.  If she is the mother-in-law, then her name is probably not Seed.  But, that doesn’t bother me because the age fits and the census is from the same city she is buried in.  Also, you’ll notice someone has added an edit for Emma Seed's name Emma Pope.  When I clicked on the name I see that the change was made by my cousin, Amy.  She must have already located this census and concluded that Emily Seed is actually our Emily Gillen and that Emma Seed is her daughter.

Here’s the actual image, although it’s difficult to read.

1880_SEED_Thomas & Emma & children_BellmontWabashIllinois

I do think this is our Emily Gillen living with her daughter, Emma Seed nee Pope, but I always need more proof than just my supposition.

Next, I went to familysearch.org and looked for a marriage record for Thomas Seed and Emma Pope.  BINGO!  They were married on 28 Mar 1871 in Illinois.
 
From the census I see that Thomas and Emma had a son named Jay or Joy and a daughter named Roda.

I located a death record for a Rhoda Seed Barclay in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 28 Sep 1960.  The death certificate lists her parents as Thomas Seed and Emma Pope.  BINGO again!!

Here is that death record.

BARCLAY_Rhoda nee SEED_death cert_28 Sep 1960_PittsburghAlleghenyPennsylvania

CONCLUSION: I feel comfortable that the 1880 census I located for Emily “SEED” is actually my 3rd great grandmother, Emily Gillen.

Our research is very much tied to the evidence we can find to support our theories.  I am never comfortable with just a “maybe this is her.”  I want more corroborating evidence and will usually hunt until I find it.
 
My next step will be to try and locate Emily’s death certificate.  I’ve checked on family search and have had no luck so far.

However, if she was listed as Emily Seed on the 1880 census record, who knows what name is on her death certificate.  I have work to do.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

MYSTERY MONDAY - WHO'S YOUR DADDY? Brick Wall Post #5 - William Gillen 1782-1841 (this is Emily Gillen's father)

A GREAT DISCOVERY - Ask for Help and You May Get It

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

PHOTO FRIDAY ~ Who is this cute little baby? My Mom?

MILNE_Patricia or not  Baby photo without frame_enh

I’ve had this picture for many years.  It’s always been with the group of pictures I got from my maternal grandmother.  There are no identifying names or dates or photo studio names on this photo.  On the reverse side of the picture is a hand written number, 6041.  That same number is on the upper right corner of the frame.
 
I don’t have any pictures of my mother when she was that young.  The earliest photos I have of her are from about age 2.  She had two older sisters and a brother.  The oldest sister, Dorothy Irene Milne, died before my mother was born and I know this is not her, as I have baby pictures of her and this is not that baby.  I don’t think it could be my Mom’s other sister, Joan Esther Milne, because of the facial features.  I know it’s not her brother, Robert Andrew Milne, because he looks totally different in his baby pictures.  So, is it my mother?
 
We can’t just say “this is a picture of whoever” without knowing for sure, or having some kind of evidence.  That’s my conundrum right now.

A little background info:  My mother was born in 1924, so this picture dates to that time if it is her.  Her siblings were born in 1907, 1909 and 1915.
   
I am going to share other pictures of my Mom at various ages, below, and allow you to chime in with your comments and conclusions.
 
MILNE_Florence w Joan & Patricia_1926_portrait_ENH
1926-my Mom is in the middle, about age 2.  Her sister, Joan on the left and their mother on the right
MILNE_Patricia with her little dog
My Mom - age 3-4
MILNE_Patricia_sitting in chair_holding paper_no frame_1926_ENH
My Mom - age 2
MILNE_Patricia_Headshot Sr High_1942_Cooley High_DetroitWayneMichigan
My Mom as a teenager
PatriciaMilne-circa 1938_enh
My Mom about age 15
MILNE_Patricia-full photo_age about 20
My Mom - about age 21

My Mom always had that cute little turned up nose. She had brown hair and brown eyes.  Of course, most caucasian babies are born with light eyes that change later on.

As always, thanks for your comments and opinions.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ How many great grandparents headstones do I have photos for?

  
We all have eight biological great grandparents.  I was wondering today, do I have headstone photos for all of them?  Do I even know where all of them are buried?

I went to my Legacy program and got an answer to my question pretty quickly.
 
Here are my results:
PATERNAL LINE
Gould, William Val – Yes
Gould, Mary “Mae” Eve nee Thorp – Yes
Lindsay, William Wallace – No-see my explanation below
Lindsay, Elizabeth “Bessie” nee Fitzcharles – Yes

Here are the pictures of the headstones of three of my four paternal great grandparents. 
Gould_William V_headstone_1859-1924_MtOlivetCem_DetroitWayenMichigan GOULD_May E_headstone_1862-1946_MtOlivetCem_DetroitWayneMichigan_enh




                                                                                  
LINDSAY_Elizabeth nee FITZCHARLES_headstone_1866-1914_GrandLawnCem_DetroitWayneMichigan
MATERNAL LINE
Milne, Andrew Charles – No
Milne Smith, Susan Anne nee Gillespie – No
Bowden, Robert Lee – No
Bowden Bell, Florence nee Hunter – No

It sure doesn’t look good on that maternal side, does it?  What are the reasons for not having headstone pictures for those ancestors?  I already know the answers to that question.

Milne, Andrew Charles – buried at Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan – no headstone.

Milne Smith, Susan nee Gillespie, wife of Andrew Charles – buried at Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan – no headstone.

Bowden, Robert Lee – buried at Highwood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania – According to a findagrave volunteer there is no marker in the area where he is supposed to be buried.  I need to follow up with the cemetery office and find out for sure.

Bowden Bell, Florence nee Hunter – ex-wife of Robert Lee Bowden (they divorced in 1899).  She is buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri.  There is no headstone for her.  She is buried next to her daughter Edna.  A findagrave volunteer sent me the following photograph of her burial place.

BOWDEN_Edna Wood_Mt. Moriah_Missouri

Regarding William Wallace Lindsay’s headstone

I had originally put “yes” next to his name in the the list above, for my paternal line.  Imagine my surprise when I started to post the pictures and found I didn’t have one for him.  I’ve been to Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, twice in the past 6 years.  I’ve seen all the Lindsay headstones.  Surely I had a picture of my great grandfather’s marker.

Guess what?  I don’t have a picture.  I looked in my cemetery notes in Legacy and found out why.  Apparently his stone was buried 12” down and located by a cemetery staff member, after my cousin inquired about it.
 
I’ve submitted a photo request on FindAGrave, since I can’t be sure I’ll get back to Detroit this year.  Although I certainly hope I do.

One more item to add to my long list of reasons that I think blogging helps with our research.  Seems like every time I write, I discover something new or something I’ve missed.

How many of your great grandparents headstone photos do you have?
 
OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
CEMETERY RECORDS - What can they tell you?  How do you use them?

CIVIL WAR DEAD and our National cemeteries

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Sunday, April 10, 2016

WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY ACTIVITY ON MY BLOG THIS PAST MONTH


As genealogists we share a lot of information with one another.  Our struggles to break down those brick walls, questions about where to look for a particular record, seminars and webinars that have broadened our horizons, the happy dance when we find something really good …. or break down a brick wall.

In this case I want to share a sad moment…… I lost my Mom, Patricia Anne Milne Gould Cornelius, last month.  She was 91 yrs. 5 mos. and 9 days old.  A very long life.  She struggled with her health over the past 10 years and particularly over the past 5.  She went peacefully and quickly.  Something we all hope for.
 
Our relationship was complicated.  Sometimes very good and other times not very good.  But through all of it, I never quit making sure she was cared for and safe, and she never quit worrying about me.  We did love each other very much.

My Dad died 25 years ago.  I’d forgotten, I guess, how very difficult it is to lose a parent.  Maybe we forget because it’s better than remembering.

I lost all interest in my research and writing my blog, until just this past week.  Yes, there was that post about the colored pedigree chart of birth places, but that was a fill in the blank exercise, not something I had to create.

I’m not over the hurt yet, but I am ready to get back to my writing and my research.  Ron and I are taking a two week vacation (planned since last year).  When I return I hope to take that journey with all of you again as I explore the world of mine and my husband’s ancestors.  I hope you’ll join me.

Very sincerely,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION