Friday, September 30, 2016

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Probate records you can find on Ancestry–1600’s, 1700’s .....and more


This has been a very fun week.  Taking a look at some of my husband’s ancestors on Ancestry, I located one probate record, which lead me to other probate records.

Sometimes you won’t see these records come up as hints when you look at the people in your tree.  However, if you go directly to the database by searching for records in a particular state, you will find these treasures.

TIP:  For finding records by state on Ancestry, go to the menu at the top and use “Search.”  Then “All Collections,” scroll down the page and click on the specific state on the map.  That will bring up every collection available for that state.  I use this search method quite often and find it very useful.

Ancestry search


The Connecticut,  Wills and Probate Records section has  327,217 resources.
Ancestry connecticut wills
I located the following records which contain wonderful proof of family connections and, of course, proof of the year or exact date of death of the ancestor.

CLARKE, Theophilus – 1737 – 6th great grandfather of my husband
CLARK, Deacon Simeon – 1793 – 4th great granduncle of my husband
HALL, Cornelius Clark – 1815 – 3rd great grandfather of my husband
WHEELOCK, Jonathan -  1798 -  5th great grandfather of my husband

I haven’t yet transcribed these records.  I’ve read most of them over once and entered them in my Legacy database.  It takes time to crop, straighten and organize them, depending on how many pages.  Then I save them as JPG images.  Next, I convert those images to one PDF file so that the entire record can be viewed as one document.  Stay tuned for those transcriptions.
 
Here are some pages from the records I located:

Copy of CLARK_Theophilus_probate record & will_1737_Connecticut-pg 1_cropped_annotated
1737 - Theophilus Clark - page 1
CLARK_Simeon Deacon_probate & last will_New Hampshire_pg 1-annotated
1793 - Deacon Simeon Clark - page 1
HALL_Cornelius Clark_probate_New Hampshire_pg 2_inventory_annotated
1815 - Cornelius Clark Hall - Inventory page

I’m sure most of you have used probate records in your research.  But, in going back to some of the online records I looked at in previous years, I’ve found many new records added.  Might be worth a peek.

OTHER RECORDS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A PROBATE RECORD?

AMANEUNSIS MONDAY ~ Samuel Morse Probate 1654

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Saturday, September 24, 2016

CEMETERY CARDS ~ They can reveal a gold mine of genealogical information–Here’s what I’ve found…..


We all know that cemeteries can provide us with much needed information on our ancestors.  The amount I’ve learned, over the years, from these sources, is amazing.
 
Some cemeteries provide images of their burial cards online.  For others, you need to go to the cemetery itself and look at the cards, or the large burial books.  Be sure to check online for the cemeteries your ancestors are buried in.  I’ve found that when I’ve gone back to search, some years after my original search, new records are available.

Here are some examples of what I have learned from cemetery cards:
  • Place & date of birth
  • Last residence
  • Date & place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Parent’s names
  • Lot owner
  • Specific burial location
  • Cost of the lot
  • Who ordered the burial
Holy cow!  That’s a gold mine for any genealogist.

This morning as I was researching my Fenner line, I ended up checking the website for a specific cemetery and found 17 listings.

In this case it was Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio.

Here’s what came up when I searched for “Fenner.”

This is just a screen shot of a portion of the listing.

Fenner at spring grove cem

I scrolled down to the specific person I was resarching, Nicholas Paul Fenner, Jr. who died in 1909.  Here’s what I got:

Fenner N Paul cemetery card

I don’t know about you, but this makes me do my happy dance.

Here’s another example of a cemetery card.  This one is from Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.

LINDSAY_Robert_burial card_died 1977_Woodmere Cemetery

TIP: If you locate something on any website, download it, print it, grab a copy of it however you can.  Why?  Because the web is a fluid thing.  The burial cards for Woodmere Cemetery were online several years ago. Then they were taken down and then I thought they’d been put back up.  However, today when I searched I could not locate them.  This is true of anything you locate on any website.

Have you had success with burial cards and cemetery information?  I’d love to hear about it.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

CEMETERY RECORDS ~ What Can They Tell You?  How Do You Use Them?
 
FIND A GRAVE.com ~ Submitting Records Using Their Spreadsheet

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ Edith E. Thorp marriage to George B. Surdam - 1865


wedding bells

Edith E. Thorp married George B. Surdam
December 28, 1865
in Lewis Corners, Oswego, New York

Edith Eliza Thorp is my 2nd great grandaunt.  She is the daughter of Monson Thorp, Sr. (1801-1888) and Lany Cooper (1815-1886).
Edith was born in Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York in Jan 1843.  

She first married Walter B. Thorp on 19 Jan 1862.  Sadly, Walter was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg on 1 Jul 1863, leaving Edith a widow with an infant girl, at age 20.

George B. Surdam and Edith married 2 years after Walter’s death.  They went on to have 4 children: Ida F., born 1870 in Michigan, George B. Jr., born 1871 in Michigan, died of Typhoid Fever in 1879, Udora Lany, born 1874 and Grace B. born 1881.

I did not have a record of Edith & George’s marriage until I received her Civil War Widow’s Pension file last week.  Contained in that file is this record of the marriage.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
THORP_Edith marriage to George B SURDAM_28 Dec 1865_OswegoNewYork_pg 1 of 2 THORP_Edith marriage to George B SURDAM_28 Dec 1865_OswegoNewYork_pg 2 of 2

This couple moved from New York to Michigan before the birth of their first child in 1870.  All the children were born in Michigan, the last one being born in 1881.  The couple is then found in 1890 living back in Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York, where they appear to remain until their deaths in 1898 and 1915.
 
I would very much like to connect with anyone descended from this couple or from Edith’s first child Marian.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Monday, September 19, 2016

WHAT I LEARNED FROM ONE SINGLE PAGE OF A CIVIL WAR PENSION FILE–1864 –Edith E. Thorp widow of Walter B. Thorp


I just received my 2nd Civil War Pension file.  This one is for Edith Eliza Thorp Surdam, daughter of Monson Thorp, Sr. and Lany Cooper.  Edith was born Jan 1843 in Skaneateles, Onondaga, New York.
  
Edith is my 2nd great grandaunt.

NOTE:  As with so many of the names of our ancestors the spelling can vary.  Sometimes there is an “e” at the end of Thorp and sometimes not.

In my research I had learned that Edith was married to Walter B. Thorp (yes, same last name) sometime in the early 1860’s.  Were the two cousins?  If so, how close was that cousin relationship?

I did not have an exact marriage date, however, I had located two Civil War Pension index cards several years ago.
 
One index was dated 6 Apr 1864 and was a widow claim for Edith E. Thorpe.
 THORP_Walter B. widow Edith E. CivilWarPension app 1864_annotated

Another index from 7 Feb 1869 was for a minor (probably her child, Marian).  By then she had remarried and her name was E. E. Surdam.

THORP_Walter B widow Edith applying as Edith SURDAM_pension_annotated

Now that I’ve received this Civil War Pension file I find that on page 5 of 110 pages in the file, there is a Claim for Bounty and Pay for Edith E. Thorpe, aged twenty years and a resident of Oswego, New York.

THORP_Edith  Civl War pay request page 5-annotated
Page 5 of the pension file
THORP_Edith Civl War pay request page 6
Page 6 of the pension file which shows signatures and the cover page

Here are other important items on this one page:
  • Edith is the widow of Walter B. Thorpe
  • Walter was a 1st Sergeant in Company A, commanded by Captain McKinlock (sp?) in the 147th Regiment of New York volunteers, commanded by Colonel Warner in the Rebellion of 1861.
  • Walter B. Thorpe enlisted in the service of the United States at Oswego in the County of Oswego, August 18, 1862 and was killed July 1, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysberg.
  • Edith states she was married to her said husband January 19, 1862 by Rev. Mr. Plaink (sp?) at Oswego Centre
  • And that said Walter B. Thorpe left only one child home surviving, her name is Marrion E. W. Thorpe who was born October 29th 1862 & lives with applicant & her Post Office address is Minetto Oswego Co. NY.
  • Deponent makes application to obtain the pension under Act of July 14, 1862, the arrears of pay and allowances for clothing due according to the foregoing declaration.
We see a signature, not a mark, by Edith E. Thorp. 
THORP_Edith E_signature from CW pension bounty pay request_1864
Also noted are the two sworn witnesses, Walter Thorpe and Jane Thorp, residents of Oswego.  Who are Walter & Jane Thorp?  Could this Walter Thorp be the father of our Walter B. who died?  I have Walter B's father as Walter Thorp born about 1800 and died in 1867, so he would have still be living at the time of the deposition.  I don't have a Jane in that family though.

From this one page I have certainly gained a lot of information about Walter B. & Edith Thorp.  They were very young and only married a short time.  Walter is the only known ancestor that I have to die at the Battle of Gettysberg.
 
I have 104 more pages to read in this Civil War Pension file.  Most of the rest of the file concerns Edith’s second husband, George B. Surdam, who also served in the Civil War.  Can’t wait to find out what else I will learn.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
TUESDAY'S TIP - How to Determine Which War Your Ancestor May Have Participated In

MYSTERY MONDAY - Where Is the Wreck of this Civil War Era Paddle Steamer?

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Sunday, September 18, 2016

SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - Rev. George Hall Victim of Yellow Fever - 1878

HALL_Rev George_obituary in Keene Sentinel_1878_annotated
Rev. George Hall is my husband’s 2nd great grandfather.  He was born 4 Jun 1804 in Keene, New Hampshire to Cornleius Clark Hall & Elizabeth Conick.  He married Almira Rosette on 11 Mar. 1834 in Essex, New Jersey.   He married second, Mary A. Bolles on 6 Oct 1859 in Jersey City, New Jersey.

I had 5 children born to George & Almira, however, his obituary states there were 6 children born to the couple.

I had previously located information about Reverend Hall’s death in the Ministerial Directory of the Presbyterian church 1861-1941, in the Necrological Report Alumni Association of Princeton Theological Seminary 1879 and in the Encyclopedia of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.

I had also located reference to his death from Yellow Fever in a list of deaths of that disease in Port Gibson, Claiborne, Mississippi.


HALL_Rev George_listed in the September 1878 victime of yellow fever_Port GibsonMississippi

Here is my transcription of Rev. Hall’s obituary, which contains a LOT of genealogical information.

Rev. George Hall - A few weeks ago we announced the death by yellow fever, of Rev. Geo. Hall of Port Gibson, Miss.  A recent number of the Christian Observer, published at Louisville, Ky., has the following notice of the deceased;
Rev. George Hall departed this life on the morning of September 4th, 1878, in Port Gibson, Miss. of yellow fever.  His illness was short and painful.  He was of English ancestry.  His father was a descendant of the original settlers of Keene, N.H.  He was born in that town June 4th, 1804.  His mother was of Scotch-Irish descent.  Both parents being pious, trained their children to fear God and keep his commandments, and had the joy of seeing their only son in the ministry and their three daughters hopefully converted. His literary course was at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H., and at Dartmouth College in Hanover, in the graduating class of 1833.  His theological training was partly in Princeton, N.J. under Dr. Archibald Alexander, Samuel Miller and Charles Hodge, and partly in New York City under Drs. Erskine, Mason and Henry White a committee appointed by the Third Presbytery of New York, for the purpose of giving instruction to the candidates for the ministry.  That committee was the nucleus of the present Union Theological Seminary of New York.  He was licensed to preach by the Third Presbytery of New York in October 1835.  He was ordained and installed as the pastor of Weston church, Conn., in 1837.  He afterward supplied churches in New York until 1860, then he came South.  Thirteen years he was in Jefferson and Claiborne counties, Miss.  He had charge of the Presbyterian church at Fayetteville, Lincoln county, Tenn., from 1874-1876.  He then returned to his old presbytery in Mississippi, and resided in Port Gibson until his death.
His first wife was Almira Rosette, of Elizabethtown, N. J.  She was of the family of John Quincy Adams.  She left six children. His second wife was Mary A. Bolles, daughter of Abiel Bolles, Esq., of Charleston, S.C. to whom he was married October 6th, 1859, who is still living in Port Gibson, Miss.


I’ve included the hyperlinks to the sources I’ve used for Rev. George Hall.  I hope that you might find them helpful if you have Presbyterian Ministers in your family.

NOTE:  This was the first time I had ever read a reference to Almira Rosette being somehow related to John Quincy Adams.  You’ll get a laugh out of this.  Since this is my non-genealogy husband’s family, I mentioned the connection to him.  He says “oh yeah, my Dad told me about that when I was a boy.”  WHAT?!  And you never mentioned it, I said.  His response “you never asked.”  Oh brother!  Off I go to do some research and find out if this is actually true.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - Rev. George Hall & Almira Rosette 1834 

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - John Conick & Abigail Hartshom Conick

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Friday, September 16, 2016

PHOTO FRIDAY ~ Lake Orion, Michigan–My grandparents & their friends


I have a collection of photos from my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould.  Most have been identified.  However, there are various group photos in which I have been unable to identify some or most of the people.
 
This particular envelope had the following writing on it.  It was my grandmother’s writing:

“Lake Orion – Gould, Pickard, Janes, Webers, Schuffler families.”

If you can help me identify any of the people I don’t know, I’d love to hear from you.

Lake Orion_Gould-Pickard-Janes-Webers-Schuffler families group pic
Back row far left is my grandfather, Harry W. Gould, third from left is Fred Pickard, next to him is my grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould.  In the front row the little boy second from the left is my father, Harry Norman Gould.  WHO IS EVERYONE ELSE?


Lake Orion_Gould-Pickard-Janes-Webers-Schuffler families group pic-2
Back row fourth from the left is my grandmother, Marie Lindsay Gould, next to her is Fred Pickard - ALL THE OTHERS ARE UNIDENTIFIED - CAN YOU HELP?
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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

Thursday, September 15, 2016

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY ~ Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan

Woodmere Entrance sign_Detroit
Woodmere Cemetery sign

I made my first trip to Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan in June 2007.
 
We left Detroit when I was a little girl, only 7 years old.  I had only been back there once when I was 20.  When I began doing genealogy I found out just how many of my immediate ancestors were born, lived and died in Detroit.  And, how many cousins, nieces and nephews still lived there.

Buried in Woodmere Cemetery are 31 of my ancestors.

Woodmere Cemetery_list of those buried there

The above list was easily created in my Legacy 8 program by using the Master Lists/Location feature.

That list includes great grandparents, 2nd great grandparents, grand uncles & aunts and many cousins.

The grounds at Woodmere Cemetery are very pretty.

IMG_0310
The circle drive as you enter the cemetery
IMG_0313
The lovely lake

Several of my immediate ancestors are buried in the Southlake section of the cemetery.

IMG_0314
The sign for the Southlake Section


Among those names on the list above are my Lindsays.  My paternal grandmother was Marie Wallace Lindsay (1888-1970).  I’m fortunate to have several cousins that I’m in touch with regularly, who are also Lindsay descendants.

Here’s the very pretty Lindsay surname marker.

IMG_0315

And here are the Lindsay headstones for which I have photos.  My 2nd great grandparents, William Lindsay and his wife Mary Wallace.  And three of their children, my great granduncle, Robert Lindsay, Sr., my great grandaunt, Elizabeth “Betsy” Lindsay and my great granduncle, Richard “Dick” Lindsay.

IMG_0320
Mary Wallace Lindsay c1832-1895
IMG_0321
William Lindsay c1830-1898
IMG_0322
Robert Lindsay, Sr. 1852-1911
IMG_0319
Betsy Lindsay 1857-1931
IMG_0318
Richard "Dick" Lindsay 1862-1937

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

CEMETERY RECORDS - What can they tell you?  How do you use them?
THOSE PLACES THURSDAY - Armada, Macomb, Michigan

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

All photos were taken by Diane Gould Hall.  Please ask permission is you'd like to use them.

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

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ Robert Walton Hall & Alice Evelyn Bullock - 1929

wedding bells
Robert Walton Hall married Alice Evelyn Bullock
July 15th, 1929, San Diego, California

Robert Walton Hall is my husband’s Uncle.  He is the son of Charles Schuyler Hall (1878-1953) & Daisy Fern Bright  (1882-1953).  Robert is their middle child.  An older sister, Dorothy Louise Hall was born in 1905 and a younger brother, Gordon, in 1917.  Gordon is my husband’s father.

Alice Evelyn Bullock is the daughter of Commander Charles Herbert Bullock and Josephine Marie Hurton.

I located the following newspaper articles about the wedding & honeymoon on genealogybank.com.  The articles were published in the San Diego Union newspaper.  One of them included a nice photo of the bride upon returning from their honeymoon.

HALL_Robert W Sr article in SD Evening Tribue re marriage to Evelyn BULLOCK Jul 1929_SanDiegoCA_cropped HALL_Robert W Sr_article from SD Union about he and Evelyn BULLOCK returning from their honeymoon_23 Jul 1929_cropped

The newspaper articles indicate the couple was married in San Diego.  I wonder why they applied for a marriage license in Yuma, Arizona?  Here’s the license I located.

HALL_Robert W Sr and Evelyn BULLOCK marriage license_15 Jun 1929_YumaArizona_annotated

Evidence indicates they divorced before 1940 and both Robert and Alice remarried.

This couple had one son.

While researching for this post I solved a longtime question on Robert Walton Hall’s second marriage.  Stay tuned for more on that.

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

Thursday, September 1, 2016

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Newspaper article–David Frampton, Rebel Prisoner–Dec 1861


I’ve been looking at my Frampton line today and especially studying their involvement in the Civil War.  They lived in southeastern Ohio and over into Virginia (what became West Virginia).

I know that there are “some” older newspapers available on newspapers.com, but I haven’t been particularly lucky in locating too many that mention my ancestors.
 
Today, I got lucky and got one single hit.  And, it was not in an Ohio or Virginia newspaper, as I would have expected.

Frampton search on newspaperscom

I entered “David Frampton” with the years 1850-1865 and found the following article about his being transported by steamer from Guyandotte, Virginia to Cincinnati, along with other prisoners.  The prisoner, Charles T. Everett was the husband of David’s sister, Rebecca.  I’ve got to think that Peter Everett is also somehow related to Charles Everett, but don’t know for sure.

FRAMPTON_David_rebel_prisoner_transport_4_Dec_1861_DailyNashvillePatriot_pg_1

Transcription of the article:
“The steamer Crickett arrived at Cincinnati on Tuesday with six rebel prisoners from Guyandotte, Va.  Their names are Charles T. Everett, Peter Everett, David Frampton, Robert Reynolds, Wm. C. Rogers and Stephen C. Strother.  These men, it is said, are among the most prominent citizens of the Guyandotte neighborhood, one or two of them being quite wealthy – Louisville Journal.”

David Frampton was the son of my 4th great granduncle, Isaac Frampton, who was an early settler in Lawrence County, Ohio.
 
I located a couple of other references today on Ancestry and Fold3 that indicate David Frampton was a southern sympathizer.  More about that soon.

Just one newspaper article was all I located, but it is another piece of evidence to prove what I’m working on with this family.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

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