Thursday, August 30, 2018

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY ~ Towns or roads in Michigan using the name GOULD

GOULD street sign
GOULD Rd. sign in Bruce Township, Macomb Co., Michigan


Ever curious about my maiden name, I thought I would find out how many places in Michigan have Gould in their name.

I’ve always known about Gould Rd. in Macomb County, Michigan.  I’ve been on the road during a genealogy road trip and I photographed the street sign.  I’ve even contacted the County of Macomb and tried to find out who the road was named after.  So far, no luck with that.

Since my Gould family lived in Armada, Macomb, Michigan it’s a curiosity as to whether this road could have been named for them.  The burial location of immediate family related to these Goulds is at Rose Hill Cemetery (a place I’ve also been), and is 1.6 miles from Gould Rd.

(All screenshots shown here are courtesy of Google Maps)

Gould rd near Rose Hill cem map
Gould Rd. near Rose Hill Cemetery where many of my ancestors are buried


This past week I discovered there is a GOULD City in Upper Michigan.  I never knew that.  It looks very rural.  I would love to visit.  I’ve never been to Upper Michigan and it’s high on my list of places to go.

Here’s the location of Gould City and also an aerial view.
GOULD city map GOULD city aerial view
There’s even a road in Gould City named S. Gould City Road.

GOULD city S GouldCityRd map

And to my surprise, when I conducted a Google search of Detroit, Michigan, looking for the Gould name, I located a Gould Street.  It’s down along the Detroit River, not too far from Ambassador Bridge.  And, it’s only 12.9 miles, a 20 minute drive from where my grandparents, Harry & Marie Gould lived, at 14520 Asbury Park.
Gould-street-in-Detroit-map-reshaped Gould St to Asbury Park

This has been a fun exercise.  I learned things I didn’t know before, and that’s always a good thing.
 
Now to find out, if possible, who these streets and roads and cities are named after.  Are they related to me?  I know here in my small town of Ramona, CA., we have many roads named after people who once settled here and had an impact on our town.
 
Have you ever looked for places named after your family?  I’d love to hear about it.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY - Armada, Macomb, Michigan

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY - Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Saturday, August 25, 2018

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ My Grandaunt May Adele Gould, age 9, plays piano in “remarkable” concert - 1909

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS

I have to admit, newspapers are a complete source of fascination to me and always have been.

I never cease to be surprised what I can find when I start putting ancestor’s names in the search box.  Today was no exception.  I had already located several obituaries and other articles of interest.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about, and then I came upon this gem.

My Aunt Adele (full name May Adele Gould), mentioned with another young girl when they played in a concert together at ages 9 & 10. And what?  There’s even pictures of the girls!

Copy of GOULD_MaeAdele_plays piano_DFP_4 Jul 1909_pg 7

Transcription – Miss Mae Adela Gould, Miss Dora Easterbrook – Two child pianists, Miss Dora Easterbrook, 10 years old, 141 Lincoln Avenue, and Miss May Adela Gould, 9 years old, 828 Fourteenth Avenue, both pupils of Mrs. Marie Wolverton, gave rather a remarkable concert in Grinnell Hall Thursday evening.

They played from memory selections of Beethoven, Grieg, Haydn and MacDowell in most artistic manner, displaying wonderful technique and interpretation for their age; Miss Vila Hoffman assisted with songs.

At first I wasn’t 100% positive this was “my” May Adele Gould.  The age was off by a year or so, her having been born (according to my sources) 25 Feb 1898.  And, her middle name being given as “Adela” and not Adele.  This concert took place in 1909.  The article gives her address as 828 Fourteenth Ave. and don’t you know, that’s the exact address she and her family were living in the 1909 Detroit City Directory and the 1910 census.  That put to rest any doubts I had.

I was curious as to where Grinnell Hall, the location of the concert, was located in Detroit.  I conducted a Google search and found out that Grinnell Brothers Music was a prominent company.  They built a music house on Woodward Avenue in 1908.  Was that what was called Grinnell Hall?  You can read about the Grinnell Brothers here Grinnell Brothers Music House.

Oh to be able to have a copy of that picture of Adele with the big bow in her hair. Adele is one my grandfather’s three sisters.  I have absolutely no photos of he or his siblings when they were young.  I’m sure that at some point in someone’s items they probably existed. 

My Aunt Adele moved to California (where I have lived since 1965).  She didn’t pass away until I was in my mid 30’s, but I never went to see her.  One of her other brothers, Roy Gould, lived with her after the death of her husband.  So, there were two of my grandfather’s siblings within about a 3 hour drive of where I lived.  What family heirlooms, photos and memories were disposed of when they died?  It makes me shudder to think.

We had moved away from our family when I was pretty young and staying in contact with them was just never a priority.  Makes me pretty sad now.

I understand from cousins I’ve talked to, that Adele continued to play piano and organ throughout her life.  Here is a picture of her in her later years (generously shared with me by a cousin).  And, there she sits, right in front of her organ.

GOULD_May Adele_1974-rec'd from Bonnie Nymberg 7-13-09_resized for FAG

Thoughts that came to mind as I was writing this blog post. 

  • Did any of the other five children in the family take music lessons?
  • Adele’s father, William, worked as a supervisor at a paint store in some census and city directory listings.  In the 1900 census he is said to own the home they were living in.  By 1910 they were renting in another location.  It’s wonderful that they were able to afford music lessons.
  • I have had an affinity to the piano since I was a young girl.  I’ve taken lessons at many times during my life, but don’t consider myself really able to play. No one else I know, in our family, played.
  • I wish I would have taken the time to go and visit Adele when I was in my late teens and twenties.  My Dad (her only nephew) certainly spoke of his Aunt Adele often.
  • I also remember when we moved from Florida to California in 1965, we stayed at Adele’s home in San Bernardino, for a couple of days.  As a teenager it certainly never occurred to me to ask her about our family, or to show me photos.

What other stories will I find in my newspaper searches?  What interesting items have you found? I’d love to hear about them.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST 

CITY DIRECTORIES–A TREASURE TROVE OF GENEALOGICAL INFORMATION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY–William & May Thorp Gould–My great grandparents

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Monday, August 20, 2018

AMANUENSIS MONDAY ~ The Last Will & Testament of George F. Hall–1837-1896

Probate header
What does Amanuensis mean?
To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

I’ve been writing about my husband’s great granduncle, George F. Hall.  First I wrote about his Civil War Pension and then about how I located his probate record.

Today, I am presenting the transcription of his last will & testament and a couple of gems it contained.

Here is George in his Civil War uniform.  He fought for the north out of units from New York.

HALL_George F_in uniform
Photo used with permission of Brian White

George’s wife Sarah Wilson Hall had died 4 years prior to him on 20 Sep 1892 (date is from her findagrave memorial and I haven’t yet located the death record).

Here are the two pages of George’s will.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

HALL_George F_will_Jul 1896_pg 1 of 2 HALL_George F_will_Jul 1896_pg 2 of 2

HERE IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF PAGE 1 GEORGE’S WILL.

I didn’t transcribe the second page which discusses the death of one of the witnesses.

HALL_George F_will transcription_highlighted

If George’s wife, Sarah did die on 20 Sep 1892, as her headstone states, then George drew up this will just 9 days after her death.  Sarah was only 49 years old when she died and George just 55 years old at the time of her death.  Maybe her death made him realize that he needed to get his affairs in order.  After all, George had ongoing health issues from his service in the military.

What this document provided me, that I didn’t have before, was the married name of his sister Cornelia and her location in Iowa.  And, the name of a sister that I don’t have listed in my tree, yet.
 
Needless to say, these are gems and will lead to further research on this family.

Probate records are important family documents and usually lead us to more information and to further finds.
 
Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Sunday, August 19, 2018

SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ David W. “Pete” Frampton–about 1863-1945–Former District Judge in Huntington, West Virginia–Hit by a car and fatally injured

FRAMPTON_David W_obit_Advocate_BatonRouge_30 Mar 1945-pg 8

David W. Frampton, Jr. is my 2nd cousin 4 times removed.  He is the son of David Frampton, Sr. and Clara Beams.  He married Ruth H. Delebar about 1890.  They had four sons, Peyton G., Lt. Charles Edward, David W., and John M.

David’s obituary states that he had served as a district judge in Huntington.  Sadly, at the age of 80 yrs. 6 mos. 22 days, it wasn’t illness that took David Frampton, but being hit by a vehicle.  His death certificate states that he suffered a fractured skull, fracture of both legs below the knees, a “mashed & crushed” right hand and that he died on route to the hospital.

At the time of his death David, in spite of his age, was working as a Guard at the Huntington Tent & Awning Co.

Here’s my transcription of the obituary.

DAVID W. FRAMPTON dies in West Virginia
New Orleans, March 29 (AP)
Friends were advised here today of the death in Huntington, W.VA., of David W. Frampton, 82, father of Charles E. Frampton of New Orleans, public relations representative for Mayor Robert S. Maestri and a former newspaperman.
Mr. Frampton, a former district judge at Huntington, was fatally injured in an automobile accident at this home.  Funeral services were held yesterday at Huntington.

You can visit David’s FindAGrave memorial here #46444232.

The Frampton family is a direct line for me.  I know there are thousands of Frampton descendants out there.  If you are one of them, I’d love to hear from you.  Let’s exchange information.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST – More Frampton stories

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

HIRAM FRAMPTON ~ abt 1834-1864–Did he die in prison, in battle, or some other way?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Friday, August 17, 2018

FOLLOW UP FRIDAY ~ HOW I LOCATED THE PROBATE RECORD FOR GEORGE F. HALL–Civil War Veteran, died 1896

In my blog post on 30 Jul 2018 I wrote about the Civil War Pension of Sgt. George F. Hall, my husband’s great granduncle. You can read that post here.

From there I thought I would try to find a probate record for George, if one existed.  I went to familysearch.org and located New York Probate Records, 1629-1971 for St. Lawrence County, New York. This record set contains 14,045,639 images.  By narrowing it down to ONLY St. Lawrence County and then to the specific years, you get a smaller set of records to browse.  Thank goodness for that.

Here were my steps for finding this probate record:

  • Go to FamilySearch.org
  • Click on >search>records>research by location>click on the area (United States)>select New York from the drop down list>scroll down to Image-Only Historical Records>scroll to Probate and Court and select New York Probate Records 1629-1971
  • Now click on “Browse through 14,045,639 images
  • Select St. Lawrence
  • Now find the Wills and the year you’re specifically interested in – in this case I selected Wills 1895-1897 vol 29 (because George died 14 May 1896).  NOTE:  Wills are sometimes probated many months or even years later, but you have to start somewhere, and I usually choose the year of death.

HALL_St Lawrence Co wills list

  • Selecting the record set indicated above will open up the images.  Once you have that first page on your screen, click over to the left side of the screen on the little set of boxes. 

HALL_Geo_Probate record set  page 1

I, personally, make a note of the record set, volume number, dates and then record this microfilm number and any other pertinent information contained in the first few images.  Doing that allowed me to return to this set two weeks after I’d found it, and immediately find it again.  You could also create a link to the record set in Legacy (that’s for another discussion).

Here’s what you will see after you’ve clicked on the area indicated by the red arrow above.

HALL_Geo_will screenshot of all images

  • Knowing that this record set is NOT indexed I checked for a table of contents and didn’t find one.  Now it’s up to me to figure out how these records are arranged.
  • I have selected page 7 of 436 images in this record set.  To view that page I will double click on it.  I want to view several of the first few pages to determine how this set of records is recorded.  Is it in alphabetical or date order?  Or something else? 
  • I determined that these records are in date order.  Not specific date order, but close enough that I will be able to find the records for 1896 and hope that George had a will and that it was recorded.

After about 30 minutes, I was able to locate George’s last will & testament on images 213 and 214 of 436 images. The probate took place in Sep 1896, and was recorded on pages 400 & 402 in the will book. Page 401 was blank.

HALL_George F_will_Jul 1896_pg 1 and 2

Who would I find named in George’s will?  His wife, Sarah had died in 1892.  They had no known children together. Stay tuned and I’ll transcribe the will and share it with you.

I actually enjoy browsing images.  Having them indexed is easy and I’m glad so many are, but I like the challenge of having to work to find what I am looking for. Reminds me of scrolling through microfilm, which I still enjoy.

I don’t think we will have a time when every single record is indexed, so having this skill set is necessary for our research.

Have you browsed images on familysearch.org or some other website?  Do you usually find what you’re looking for?  I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Monday, August 6, 2018

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ William Wallace Lindsay–My great grandfather–Scotland to the U.S. 1859-1931

LINDSAY_William_headstone_1931_WoodmereCem_DetroitMI

William Wallace Lindsay was born 18 Oct 1859 in Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland.  He was the son of William Lindsay and Mary Wallace.  He had 3 brothers; Robert, John and Richard and 2 sisters; Mary Ann and Elizabeth “Betsy.”

When I visited Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, several years ago, this headstone was not visible.  There is a section devoted to the Lindsay family with a lovely surname marker.  But, this stone must have been buried.  Thanks to a cousin who uncovered it, I now have it. 

Here’s the Lindsay surname marker at Woodmere Cemetery.

LINDSAY surname monument at Woodmere Cem_DetroitMIB&W

William emigrated to the United States in 1886 on the ship State of Indiana.  Also on that same sailing was his future wife, Elizabeth “Bessie” Fitzcharles.  They married the following month on 21 May 1886 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  They likely met over in Scotland, as they are both enumerated in the 1881 Scottish census, living in Dundee.  I always wonder how couples met.  Did friends introduce them?  Did they meet at a dance or some other function?  Were they neighbors?  Maybe their families knew each other?  Do you ever wonder how your ancestors met?

William and “Bessie” had 4 known children; Ellen W., Marie (my grandmother), Bessie and William “Bill.”  You have to love all the similar names passed down with the generations.  Makes our work so much more interesting, doesn’t it?

Sadly, this couple divorced on 18 May 1912 after 26 years of marriage.  Bessie died of carcinoma of the jaw, just 2 years later.  She is not buried in the same cemetery, but is buried with other family members.

What happens in the life of my great grandfather after the divorce is subject to a lot of speculation.  He is found in the Detroit city directory listings in 1914, 1916, 1918, 1919 and 1920.  He is last seen in the 1930 census in Detroit, in the household of his daughter Bessie and husband Stewart Hockster.  Where was he during the 10 year gap of 1920 to 1930?  There may have been another marriage, but myself and my cousins have never been able to prove it to our satisfaction.  He appears in none of the very numerous family pictures that were passed down to my cousins and myself.

I’ve written a couple of posts about this William Lindsay and also about his son, Wm. “Bill” Lindsay.  Quite the interesting pair.  If you’d like to read more about them please select the links below.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS ~ Week #3–My great grandfather–William Wallace Lindsay 1859-1931 (a bit of a mystery)

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ William “Bill” Lindsay & his many wives–the story of my Granduncle Bill

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Sunday, August 5, 2018

SUNDAY’S OBITUARY ~ Lucille M. Croft Beach–My father’s former sister-in-law

BEACH_Lucille_obit_News-Journal_23 Dec 2003_pg 6
Published in the News-Journal 23 Dec 2003

Lucille M. Croft was the sister of my Dad’s first wife, Elaine Croft.  They were the children of Alexander Croft and Rachel Sinclair.  Lucille was born 8 Jul 1921 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.

When I was growing up my Dad loved to tell stories.  A lot of his stories included his best friend, Robert “Bob” Beach.  As it turns out Bob Beach and his family lived right next door to my Dad and grandparents on Whitney Ave. in Detroit, Michigan.  My Dad and Bob Beach went to the same high school, Northwestern, in Detroit.

And, guess who else went to Northwestern High School.  Yup, Elaine and Lucille Croft.
 
GOULD_H NOrman-1933-cropped
My Dad-H. Norman Gould-1933
BEACH_Robert_Headshot from Yrbook_1931_DetroitMI_B&W
Robert Beach-1931
CROFT_Elaine_headshot from yearbook picture_1936_DetroitMI_enh
Elaine Croft - 1936
CROFT_Lucille_headshot HighYrbook_1939_DetroitMI_enh
Lucille Croft - 1939
One more thing about these four.  My Dad married Elaine Croft in 1936, just after she graduated from high school.  And, his best friend Bob Beach married Lucille Croft on 10 Jul 1942 in Detroit, Michigan.  So these two sisters married best friends.

Here is the photo from my Dad & Elaine’s wedding day in 1936.  And, there’s Bob Beach and Lucille Croft with them.  Best man and maid of honor?  I don’t know for sure, but it seems highly likely given the matching corsages & boutonnieres. 

GOULD_Norman & Croft Elaine Marriage photo _1936_labeled
Lucille and Bob had one daughter, Cheryl.  I know my nieces all remember their grandaunt, Lucille and her husband Bob, very well.  And, they used to play with their cousin, Cheryl.

We moved away from Detroit when I was 7 years old.  Sadly, I don’t remember meeting Bob or Lucille.  I don’t know much more about her life, than what I’ve shared here.  From what my niece remembers, Lucille had two grandsons, born to her daughter Cheryl.

I did create a FindAGrave memorial for Lucille, which you can visit here #15867948.

Here is the transcription of the obituary:

Lucille M. Croft Beach
Mt. Gilead - Lucille M. Croft Beach, 82, died Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003 in Morrow County Hospital.
Funeral services will be held in Snyder Funeral Home, Mount Gilead, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2003, at 2 p.m.  Friends may call one hour prior to the services. Burial will be at Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak, Mich.
Condolences may be expressed at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com


If you have any additions or corrections to this post, please let me know.  And, if you are related to anyone mentioned here, please contact me, I’d love to hear from you.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ Detroit Free Press Newspaper Finds

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION