FRIDAY FINDS ~ Have I actually located the marriage record for my paternal great grandparents, William V. Gould & May E. Thorp? What do you think?

We all have them.  Those records that we “KNOW” should be easily located, but they elude us still.  We check again and again in all the places we think the record could or should be.  To no avail.

Such is the case of the marriage of my paternal great grandparents, William Val Gould and May (also known as Mary) Eve Thorp.  According to the 1900 census they had been married 19 years.  According to the 1910 census they had been married 29 years.  Doing the math on either of those puts the marriage in about 1881.

 

The first of the 6 children I have recorded for them was born in August 1884.  However, according to the 1900 and 1910 census, May was the mother of 7 children with 6 still living.  Each of those census records indicates a child that was deceased. 

Was there a child born to this couple between 1881 and 1884?  I’m still looking.

But, back to their marriage record.  May/Mary Eve Thorp was born in Oswego, New York 4 Apr 1862.  Her family moved to Detroit, Michigan when she was 2-3 years old.  William Val Gould was born 31 Aug 1859 in Armada, Michigan, (just north of Detroit) where he lived til his early teens.  His family then moved to Detroit.

By the year 1881 May was 19 years old and William was 22 years old.  Both sets of their parents were living in Detroit at that time, as were all of May’s siblings.  William had no living siblings.

 

Where would you look for a marriage record?  Michigan, right?  Or, from previous experience with my family, perhaps just across the river in Ontario, Canada.  Maybe even in northern Ohio?

 

Having done sweeping searches on many occasions I had come to the conclusion that I might never locate a record for this marriage.

However, we are genealogists and one thing we don't do is give up.

Fast forward to earlier this week.  I’m researching another ancestor and in the process, re reading my research notes.  Included in those notes was a copy of an email request I had sent to someone asking if they could help with 2 records I was looking for.  I date all of my research notes and this was from March 2017.  The second record was one for a marriage record in ILLINOIS that listed a May E. Thorp, age 19 marrying on 12 Oct 1881.  The page was said to be damaged and no groom’s name was listed.  There is a microfilm number and an image number listed.

Name  groom’s name not given 
Event Type    Marriage
Event Date    12 Oct 1881
Event Place    Jackson, Illinois, United States
Event Place (Original)    Jackson County, Illinois
Gender    Male
Spouse's Name    May E. Thorp
Spouse's Gender    Female
Note    Pr Name: pg cut off;
GS Film Number    000968928
Digital Folder Number   004708066
Image Number    00787

WHY IN THE WORLD DID I NOT LOOK FOR THAT FILM ON FAMILY SEARCH AT THAT TIME?  I have no good answer to that question, but I’ve had many slap your forehead moments.  This was definitely one of them.

I went right over to Family Search, to the catalog and entered that microfilm number.  Once I got to the film I entered 787 in the space for image/page number and up came an image.

I scrolled through all 800+ images and you know what?  There was only ONE that was torn.  Of course it was the image I was interested in.

Looking at this screen shot of some of the images, which one do you think is the one I'm interested in? 

Yup, the torn one in row 3.   

(You can click on any image in this post to enlarge it and zoom in)

Here it is in original form.  Not a pretty image, that’s for sure.  But, it is readable when I zoom in…..at least most of the names are.  You just hope you don’t have a name in that lower left corner, right?

That wasn’t how my luck was going to go today.  I downloaded, cropped and cleaned up the image.  However, no amount of cleanup can replace the missing names.

HERE IS THE CLEANED UP IMAGE, ANNOTATED

There in the lower left you can see the name of the woman – May E. Thorp, age 19.  No man’s name can be seen at all due to the damage on the page.

A close up of that section reveals the name May E. Thorp and her age, 19

This is encouraging to me though.  My May E. Thorp would have been 19 in 1881.  Another thing is the spelling of the Thorp name.  This line of the family spelled it without an “e” at the end.  Was this marriage in Sep or a later month?

 

According to the index I’ve copied directly from the Family Search page (see it above), the date is 12 Oct 1881.  

• My question to you is, how do they know that exact date, if no date can be seen?  
• Is there another record of this marriage somewhere in Jackson County, Illinois?  This is only a register.  Shouldn't there be a license or certificate or some other formal record of this marriage?

I will be at the Family History Library for Rootstech in February of this year and will follow up on Illinois marriage records.

What would you conclude from this?  Is this the marriage record for my paternal great grandparents?  Will I ever know for sure?  Or, is this one of the cases where we come to a conclusion based on evidence we have gathered, even though we might not have all the pieces?

My questions and thoughts…..

• If this is their marriage, why did they go to Illinois?  They were both of age so no parental consent was needed.  Jackson County, Illinois is not on the list of Gretna Green locations.
• Did they have friends or someone in the family in Illinois?  I’m not aware of any close family who lived there at that time.
• Did they elope just to avoid having an official wedding?
• Were there divisions in the family or families that caused them to go out of state?
• Were they going to honeymoon in the state and decided to marry there?

Those are some of my questions.  I’d love to have your input on the matter.

This couple stayed married until William’s death in 1924.  May lived for 22 years after him but never remarried.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

MYSTERY MONDAY - WHO'S YOUR DADDY? Brick Walls Post #4 - Catherine Dorsey Thorp about 1842-1898

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

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

WEDDING WEDNESAY ~ Finding 2 marriage records when you were only looking for one–and some TIPS

In locating the image for the marriage of Hannah ARMSTRONG and David DALLAS/DALLA, I also found the marriage record for Martin WILSON and Mary “Polly” BOGGS.

TIP:  This is yet another reminder of why we MUST look at surrounding records, whether on a census sheet, a marriage record or a probate record.  I’ve definitely learned, over the years, that this method pays off.

Case in point.  I already had a marriage date for a couple I was looking at.  In fact, I had the index for that marriage, which took place 25 Jun 1815.  As we all know, just because an image wasn’t available when you last looked, doesn't mean it's not online now.

This was the case for Hannah Armstrong & David Dallas/Dalla.  I thought I’d check on Ancestry and Family Search to see if an image of the record was now available.

 

Here’s the index I had located a few years ago.

Ohio, County Marriage Records, 1774-1993
Name:    Anna Armstrong
Gender:    Female
Marriage Date:    25 Jun 1815
Marriage Place:    Gallia, Ohio, USA
Spouse:    David Dalla
Film Number:    000317652

And, here is the record I located when I checked again on Ancestry.

(YOU CAN CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

On the left hand page, indicated in red, you can see the Dalla/Armstrong marriage.  I could have just downloaded it, added it to Legacy and sourced it and moved on.  BUT, I read ALL the entries on those 2 pages.  Look at the right hand side, indicated in green.

Don’t you know…..there, on the opposite page, is an entry for a Polly BOGGS marrying Martin WILSON.  Mmmmm…Boggs happens to be one of my direct lines and they were located in Ohio, Virginia & West Virginia.

I looked in my Legacy tree, and there they were.  Same as the other couple, I had found the indexed record of the marriage, but not the image.

 

Ohio, Marriages, 1803-1900
Name:    Polly Boggs
Gender:    Female
Spouse: Martin Wilson
Spouse Gender:    Male
Marriage Date:    8 Jun 1815
County:    Gallia
State:    Ohio

Here are cropped images of both those marriage records.

David Dalla & Anna Armstrong married 25 Jun 1815

Martin Wilson & Polly Boggs married 8 Jun 1815

There are a couple of lessons here.  One I already mentioned, is reviewing all adjacent records.

The other, is to look closely and read what the record says.  You’ll notice that the date that jumps out at you on both of these records is August 1815, at the end of each entry.  BUT, that’s not the marriage date, it’s the date the record was given a seal or recorded.  How easy it would be to record the wrong date.

I’m very happy to have located these images.  I always seek to view, with my own eyes, any record.  I don’t want to rely on indexing or some other transcription if I don’t have to.  Sometimes, though, it is all we have.

I hope this information has been helpful.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

HELPFUL TIPS FOR USING LEGACY

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

MAYFLOWER SOCIETY ~ Episode 5–My Application is signed and ready to be sent to Plymouth–What happened along the way?

This has been quite a little journey so far.  However, thanks to the incredible help of one of the reviewers (DS, you know who you are), all is well and my application will soon be in the hands of the people in Plymouth.

My application has gone through and been approved by 3 historians.  While there were a few glitches along the way, I’d say the process has gone very well.

In spite of a missing maiden name, two missing marriage records and a death record or two without both parents names, we think there is enough proof to move forward.

How might you make up for those missing records?

• For the missing maiden name, we have the first name of the wife on other records, that connect her to the husband, as well as her first name being used on records relating to her children
• For the missing marriage records you might provide – death certificates naming the spouse, obituaries, census records showing the two living in the same household, birth, death & marriage records from the children that name both parents, often including the mother’s maiden name
• There are probate records that can also be critical in proving relationships – please see the post from June of last year that FINALLY got me going on my process to apply to the Mayflower Society.  FINALLY! Proving the father of my 3rd great grandmother, Olive Doten Hart (1805-1887–WHAT DID I FIND?
• A Note - All of the above are just suggestions and I certainly don't have the authority to say what will or will not be acceptable.

TIP: When or if you go through this application process, be extra sure you proofread everything carefully.  Even the final application returned from the reviewers/historians.  I found a couple of transcription mistakes and those were easily corrected.  After all, these reviewers aren’t only working on your application, but many others.
 
So, here is it – the official California Mayflower Society letter asking me to sign my application and return it with a check.  Once the application reaches Plymouth it could take as long as 3 to 4 months to complete.

I can wait it out…….with great anticipation.  Hoping that the next time I hear from them, it’s my membership certificate arriving in the mail.

To read my other posts about my Mayflower Society application process, please click here

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ A Newspaper Query from 1971 for Susannah BOWEN, my maternal 4th great grandaunt (abt 1776-1834)

Today I’d like to share a newspaper article I located for my maternal 4th great grandaunt, Susannah Bowen.

 

Susannah is the daughter of my 5th great grandparents, Anthony BOWEN (my DAR patriot) and Alice HAMILTON.  She was one of 8 known children born to this couple.  She and her sister, Hannah both married men named Andrew Elliot BOGGS.  Imagine how confusing that was, when I began my research.

Here’s what I located on newspapers.com.  This query was placed in 1971, back before the internet.  Back when our family histories took a lot of ground work, letters along with newspaper and periodical queries in hopes of finding information.  I have total respect for those genealogists who came before us.  We still need to do the groundwork, in person, as well, but oh my, we have it so easy.

The Indianapolis Star had a column by Pearl Brenton, called HOOSIER ANCESTORS.  This column took up half of page 103 of the paper, except for a couple of large advertisements.

Here’s the whole page with the portion mentioning Susannah Bowen highlighted.  What I like about this column is that the author had all the surnames capitalized.

 

Kind of difficult to see the article when viewing the entire page.  So here it is cropped.

Now, here is my transcription of the query:

Q-0402 - Where in Henry County is burial place of Susannah (BOWEN) BOGGS who d. 5-4-1834?  Wife of Andrew BOGGS and mother of Jane Sharp who m. Joel LONG and settled in Kosciusko County.  Was also mother of Anthony Bowen BOGGS b 8-12-1795 Greenbrier County, Virginia, d 1873, Geyserville, Calif., m. Mary FRIEND 9-17-1816 Gallia County, Ohio?  Did Anthony own land and run saloon in Henry County?  Was he brother to Cynthia BOGGS b 10-26-1803, d 5-22-1857 near Leesburg, m. 10-25-1824 to James Hale in Jackson County, Ohio?  Will exchange - Mrs. Marilyn Schuelzky, 2530 North Lyon Street, Springfield, Mo 65803.

How valuable is this query?  Let’s evaluate the information contained in this one little short entry.

• We have a possible location of Susannah’s burial
• We have her date of death
• Her husband’s name
• The name of a daughter, Jane, and who Jane married and where they settled.
• Another child, Anthony is listed as well as his birth and death date and locations,
• Who Anthony married, when and where
• Reference to a business that Anthony may have owned in Henry County
• Question regarding a possible sister, Cynthia Boggs with her birth & death date and who she married and where

Holy cow!!!  I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.  This is a lot of information that can be followed up and verified.

Some of the information I already have, but not all of it.  I’m looking forward to following the leads from this article.  I can’t enter the data in my tree until I VERIFY all of it.  But, I have wonderful leads to follow.

I wonder if Marilyn Schuelzky of Springfield, Missouri ever got any responses to her query?

I LOVE newspapers.  How about you?  What have you found lately that can help you in your research?

A link to my other Ancestors in the News posts is here

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SEMINARS ~ A Day with Warren Bittner at the San Diego Genealogical Society

Warren Bittner, C.G.

There are many reasons to join a genealogy society.  Attending seminars and classes ranks high on that list.  To read more about why I believe it is important to belong to and support our genealogical societies read this post SEMINARS, WEBINARS, SOCIETIES–WILL THEY HELP YOUR RESEARCH?

Yesterday I attended our annual January seminar.  The San Diego Genealogical Society has been putting on twice a year seminars for, at least, the 10 years I’ve been a member.

 

Here’s the thing about classes or seminars.  Even though you may think the subject matter is not of interest, or not pertinent to your own research, you will ALWAYS learn something of value.

This seminar was the perfect example.  The subject was all about researching in German records.  I only have ONE line that is German.  At least so far.  That would be my 7th great grandparents Johannes WUNDERLICH and Anna Barbara DENSLER.  Read more about my Wunderlich family Family History Library Trip - Day 2 - A Red Letter Day! or Surname Saturday - Wunderlich - Johannes (1700-1760) my 7th great grandfather 

Here’s what I learned and why it’s of value and can be applied to other regions of the world.

Session 1 – Meyer’s Gazetteer:  Gateway to Germany 1871-1918

• This Gazetteer lists all towns in Germany as they existed in 1910
• You can find population data, political jurisdictions, transportations and communication information and whether the towns included “dependent” villages.

Mr. Bittner explained in excellent detail how to use this information and helped us to understand the various German words.  Decipher the colons and semi colons and break down all the great information included in this resource.

Here’s a new website that can help you get started.  And…the good news, all the levels of jurisdiction are given in English https://www.meyersgaz.com

WHY WOULD THIS INFORMATION BE OF VALUE IF I DON’T HAVE GERMAN ANCESTORS?

• Because Gazetteers can be found in many countries, including the United States – we learn the value of one, we are learning the value of all of them.  Certainly an underused resource in my genealogy journey.

Session 2 – German Maps and Territories (You can’t do research without them)

• An overview of German boundary changes – And let me tell you there have been plenty.  How do they affect your research?
• Techniques to find where any village would be on a map, even the very small villages.
• How to find a Nobility Region of a town
• And, Mr. Bittner gave us a list of 10 sources for locating Maps & Territorial Histories.

Session 3 – German Marriage Laws and Customs

This was the after lunch session.  You know, that time when all of us are full and perhaps a little sleepy.  Let me tell you.  There was no sleeping during any of the sessions as Mr. Bittner kept us all intrigued and interested.I’ll condense this session as follows: 

• There were so many forces that had input into whether a couple was allowed to marry, it was incredible!  I never suspected there could be so many outside sources that would influence a couple’s right to marry.

Here are examples of some of them:

Noblemen, Parents, Church, Town or Village, Courts, Craft Guilds and Territorial States 

And a big influence was your “place” in the particular town or village.  A couple was supposed to marry within their own social class.  Weddings went on for as long as 3 days, with engagements, posting of banns, exchange of vows, feasts, a procession of the bride’s dowry, the “bedding” event (not something that was the actual consummation of the marriage), the feasts and various other traditions.

The control and restrictions of marriages went on until 1918 with the end of the second empire.  Just think.  Until just over 100 years ago, a couple could not decide for themselves to get married.

• We also learned that there are dozens of places you can find marriage records.  Not always in churches or courts. 

Another subject that was discussed was the many illegitimate births that were common place.  Is it any wonder that many of us are discovering that our DNA tests are leading us to unexpected turns in our family trees?

Session 4 – The Fisherman Who Wanted to Marry the Executioner’s Daughter

This was a true story.  The Fisherman was in a class above the Executioner’s daughter and everyone from parents to the Fisherman’s Guild, the courts and the Town Council objected to this union.  They were finally allowed to marry, but only after both attempted suicide.

Warren Bittner, our SDGS President Diane Lott and me

In closing.  If you get a chance to hear Warren Bittner, C.G. speak, I would highly recommend you attend.  Whatever subject he may be speaking about, you will find him very knowledgeable, affable and entertaining.

I have an entirely new outlook now on what may have influenced my ancestors in their journey through life.  Whether or not they were in Germany or another part of Europe, Canada or even here in the U.S. I know I can be a better researcher with this information.

I’d love to hear about the classes, seminars, conferences or webinars you’ve attended or watched that have changed or influenced your research strategies.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Post #2–My 5th great grandparents, Obadiah Cooper (about 1750-?) & Lena Albrecht (about 1761-?)

I have next to nothing on this set of paternal 5th great grandparents.
  

Here’s how their family view looks in my Legacy database.  Pretty sparse, right?

They are mentioned in the book Contributions for the Genealogies of the First Settlers of the Ancient County of Albany, from 1630-1800 by Prof. Jonathan Pearson, copyright 1872, page 34.

(Please click on any image to enlarge it)

Although I have placed a red heart next to the Cooper’s I have attached to my tree, I strongly suspect most or all of the Cooper’s living in the area at this time, are somehow connected.

What more can I learn about my 5th great grandparents, Obadiah and Lena, by spending time researching them today?

I’ve found this, from the American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Although, I’ve always placed little relevance to this source because I’ve never looked directly at the actual item reference, this can give us clues as we look further.

Name: Obadiah Cooper
Birth Date: 1752
Birthplace: New York
Volume: 34
Page Number: 195
Reference: Gen. Column of the " Boston Transcript". 1906-1941.( The greatest single source of material for gen. Data for the N.E. area and for the period 1600-1800. Completely indexed in the Index.): 19 Aug 1931, 820

One of the hints on Ancestry is the U.S., Revolutionary War Pensioners, 1801-1815, 1818-1872

Obadiah certainly would have been about the right age to have served during the Revolutionary War.  But, with so many Obadiah Coopers in the New York area, I cannot determine if this is actually him.
 
Another record is also a possible match, but I can’t confirm this one either. U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680-1830, which is indexed as follows:

Name: Obadiah Cooper
Dates: 1801-1825
Location: Albany New York
Gender: Male
Address(es): 150, s. Pearl, Albany, New York
Source Date: 1814
Source Info: Listed in The Albany Directory ... June 1, 1814, 1814, FRY, Joseph. Albany; Printed by H.C. Southwick, and Packard & Van Benthuysen

Further research shows a reference to an Alphabetical Roster of the State Troops for New York in the Revolution.  You can see that there were 9 Obadiah Coopers listed.
 

I have been able to locate the marriage record for Obadiah & Lena in the U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989.  I’ve found this record set contains many of my family members and has given me great clues to go forward with.

After a couple of hours of poking around on Ancestry, I’m really no further ahead with this ancestor.  Let me go take a look on MyHeritage and Family Search.  As we know, FindAGrave records are included on the Ancestry website.  However, I will still do my own search on FindAGrave.

The searches on My Heritage, Family Search and FindAGrave did not turn up any further information for me.

What’s next?  I am going to add my Cooper family to my To Do list for my visit to the Family History Library in late February.  I will be attending the Rootstech conference.  But, my friend, Pam, and I will be staying extra days in order to spend time at the FHL.  This will be my 4th visit there and I always find new information.

I’ll update you as to what, if anything, I turn up for this family.

CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO MY OTHER 52 ANCESTORS POSTS

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CELEBRATING MY 10th BLOGIVERSARY ~ WOW!! 10 years of blogging–and still enjoying every minute–where have I been and where am I going?

Who would have thought that I’d still be blogging after 10 years?  Not me, that’s for sure.  But, I am still enjoying finding and telling stories about my ancestors.  I absolutely love the feedback and connections I’ve made.

Blogger keeps track of comments, but once you have over a thousand, they quit counting.  I am happy to say I went over a thousand a few years ago.  THANK YOU!  Not only do I read every comment, I also reply to every single one.  You all make me smile with your questions and your input.  Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.

Let’s look back at some highlights from the last decade.

 

Two of my blog posts have stayed at the top of the count for most read.  They are:

• DIGITAL FOLDER ORGANIZING & NAMING MADE EASY with 30,856 pageviews

• ADDING SIBLING LINKS TO FINDAGRAVE with 24,624 pageviews

I’ve been contacted by cousins I never knew existed because they found my blog from doing a search on Google or seeing a link on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

 

Speaking of those traffic sources – which one stands at the top? 

• That would be Facebook – where I connect with many of my readers
• Followed by Google, Cyndi’s List and Pinterest

In 10 years I’ve written 582 blog posts.  Considering I didn’t get serious about writing until the fall of 2013 (only 22 posts for the three years 2010, 2011 and 2012). I’ll divide 582 by 7 which means I’m averaging about 83 posts a year.

Want to see my first post from January 12, 2010?  Here’s the link to Blogging about family research - Day 1 It’s fun to look back at those first posts and see how far I’ve come.

• I’ve redesigned my blog several times over the years, creating new headers and new tabs.
• I’ve learned a LOT by reading other blogs, which I still do regularly.
• Attending conferences and seminars has allowed me to meet other bloggers, many of whom I greatly admire. 
• I’ve helped other genealogists start their own blogs.
• I’ve taught classes about the importance of getting your stories out there with blogging being one way to do that.

(Click on this image to enlarge it)

Left to right - my previous blog header, my genie office where it all takes place and my very first published blog book

So, it’s been a great 10 years.  Enough of looking back, let’s look ahead.

We can’t know what the future holds for any of us.  I plan to keep telling my ancestor’s stories and bringing them to life.  By sharing their names and something about their lives, we honor and remember them.

 

There’s a lot more to find out there.  After 17 years of researching I still have brick walls.

 

DNA has added a new tool for us and learning about it has been my focus for some time now.

I applied to the Mayflower Society this year and am writing about my journey to become a member.

My hope is that I will continue to write stories of interest.  That I will connect with more cousins.  And that my readers will keep coming back for more.

 

Words cannot express my appreciation for every one of you.

So here’s to another 10 years!  Cheers!

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Gordon Charles Hall–my father-in-law, makes news in high school–San Diego, CA., 1935

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that newspapers are a favorite source of information for me.  They cover everything from births to deaths and all the happenings in between.  You can fill in that dash in someone’s life by finding them in newspapers.

 

Gordon Charles Hall is my father-in-law, now deceased.  Naturally, I’ve written about my husband’s parents before.  You can read about their marriage here CHURCH RECORD SUNDAY–Gordon & Dorothy Hall and their burial here THOSE PLACES THURSDAY ~ Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery–San Diego, California.

Today I decided to conduct a search of Genealogy Bank, since they contain many editions and years of the San Diego Union and Tribune.  I am usually searching for marriage announcements or obituaries.  But, today, I decided to see if my husband’s father, who was born, lived and died in San Diego, California, had been mentioned at other times in his life.

BINGO!  Here’s what I found.

Gordon & other boys were given the opportunity to “rule” San Diego government for a day.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Published in the San Diego Union, 20 Dec 1934, page 7

An article published in January shows a photo of Gordon Hall sitting at a table with other boys.  This group was appointed as the Board of Education for a day.

Published in the San Diego Union, 6 Jan 1935, page 5

Here's the news article associated with the photo above.

Gordon attended San Diego High School and would have been 17 at the time this occurred, probably a Senior.  I expect it was a fun day for all the boys.

Little did Gordon know, at the time, that his son, born 15 years later, would spend a career working for the City of San Diego.

 

What fun newspaper articles have you located for your ancestors?  I’d love to hear about them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS ~ Post #1 - Meet Richard Lindsay (1862-1937) , my paternal great granduncle–He was City Clerk, Estimator at Large and temporary Mayor of Detroit

I will be writing a series of posts about my paternal great granduncle, Richard “Dick” Lindsay, throughout the year.  I heard a lot about him growing up, as we spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Marie W. Lindsay Gould, who was his niece.

Richard Lindsay at his desk - unknown year

Background – Richard Lindsay is the son of William Lindsay (abt 1830-1898) and Mary Wallace (abt 1832-1895).  He was born in Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, the youngest of 6 children.  He began working in the printing industry while living in Dundee. 

According to the records I’ve located Richard came to the United States in 1885 on the ship Circassia.  From that point on, he is found living in Detroit, Michigan.

 

He continued working in the printing industry, finding employment at the Detroit Free Press, according to the 1890 Detroit City Directory.

By 1893 he was elected to the office of Estimator at Large for the City of Detroit.  Five years later, in 1898,  he was appointed as the Clerk of the Justice Court for Detroit. It appears that he held that job until 1912.

In Nov 1912 he was elected as City Clerk for Detroit.  This article was published regarding his election to this office.  Richard would have been 50 years old at the time of this election.

Richard Lindsay elected as City Clerk - Detroit Free Press, Nov 1912

Here is my transcription of the article.

LINDSAY AND INGALLS A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
The election of Richard Lindsay insures for the city of Detroit a business-like and careful administration of the city clerk's office, a thing the municipality has not possessed in several years.  Under the Nichols incumbency the office, so far as its chief is concerned, has been little more than a political headquarters for the hatching of plots to build up machines.  The real work for which the city created it has been left to a few clerks.
Though Mr. Lindsay has held public office for a good many years, he never has been a politician in the objectionable sense of the word, and his election at this time is largely a tribute to his personal popularity and a recognition of the fact that he appears to belive it his duty to give value received for any remuneration acquired in the public service.
In selecting Guy L. Ingalls for his deputy clerk, Mr. Lindsay begins well.  It is a matter of record that Ingalls as a journal clerk under Nichols took charge of practically all the office routine during the months in which the city clerk and his deputy were running here and there, chasing after the Bull Moose rainbow, and that whatever efficiency the office developed was chiefly due to Ingalls' willingness to do hard work.

There is every reason to expect that Lindsay and Ingalls will be honest and conscientious and capable public officials, who will devote their best energies to making their place of trust a credit to Detroit and themselves.

My great granduncle went on to serve the City of Detroit, in various capacaties, until shortly before his death in 1937.

 

I find no record of him every marrying or having children.  I do find that he and his older sister, Elizabeth (she was five years older than him) were enumerated in every census from 1900, until her death in 1931.  She also never married.

Of the six siblings in Richard’s family 4 of them made new lives in America, all settling in Detroit, Michigan. 

• Robert Lindsay, Sr (1852-1911) appears to be the first to immigrate, in 1875.  He became a Detroit city Firefighter.  It’s through his line that I’m connected to one of my cousins, Marian, whom I’m close to.
• Mary Ann Lindsay (abt 1853 – ?)  I don’t know what became of Mary Ann after the 1871 census where she is enumerated with her family, in Dundee.
• John Lindsay (abt 1856 – ?) He married Catherine Milne Oct 1879 and they had four children.  However, I’ve not been able to find his death record.  I believe John did come to the U.S. in 1886 and is recorded in the 1887 and 1888 Detroit City Directory listing.  After that, I have no idea.  I did find his wife and children, back in Scotland by 1891.
• Elizabeth Lindsay (1857-1931), spinster sister who lived with Richard.  They came to the U.S. in 1886.
• William Wallace Lindsay (1859-1931) came to American on the ship State of Indiana in 1886.  His, soon to be, wife, Elizabeth “Bessie” Fitzcharles was on the same ship.  They married in Detroit, one month after their arrival.  They are my great grandparents.

Because of his active involvement in the City of Detroit, there are many newspaper articles featuring or mentioning my great granduncle Richard Lindsay.  I will be writing about them this year.

I’m very grateful to be friends with Lindsay cousins and other descendants from this family.  Several of us are genealogists and we share what we find with each other.  That's me standing in the back in this cousin reunion photo.

Stay tuned to learn more about my interesting great granduncle.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

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

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