A WONDERFUL WAY TO BEGIN 2022 ~ A morsel of new information on my brick wall, John C. Gould

 

All of us have them.  Brick walls.  Genealogical mysteries that we are unable to solve……yet.

In my case I’ve written blog posts about my brick walls and you can read those posts here Mystery Monday - Who's Your Daddy - My Brick Walls

The number ONE most frustrating genealogical brick wall for me, is not knowing my paternal 2nd great grandfather’s parents or siblings.  Who were they? Where did they live?

People don’t just drop out of the sky via the stork, so the answers are out there someplace.  But WHERE????? So, John C. Gould, who is your family?

New information to shed light on this mystery has not been easy to come by. In fact, based on my notes in Legacy, which I date, the last little tid bit was about John Gould being mentioned on a deed for Rose Hill Cemetery in Armada, Michigan.

Here is my note

2/27/16 - Located a website for Armada Township today http://www.armadatwp.org/CommunityInformation/Cemeteries.aspx
The site had cemetery information.  Rose Hill, Hadley and Willow Grove Cemeteries were listed.  I contacted the sexton for Rose Hill, Marv Wolak 586-784-5537 and left a message. He called me back and said that he found no actual burials in either Hadley or Rose Hill for John C. Gould or Sarah Gould.  However, he did find a John Gould mentioned on a deed along with Warren Tibbits (1798-1861) at Rose Hill Cemetery.  Warren Tibbits is buried there.  No record of a burial for John is indicated.

Fast forward to December 2021.  Met a nice woman in a Facebook group.  Her name happens to be Melinda Gould. We began communicating trying to figure out if we are related.  Of course, that meant I had to mention that I had no idea of my Gould line beyond my 2nd great grandfather, John C. Gould. She said she would love to help me figure out who his parents were AND that she knows a lot of great researchers in Michigan.

On New Year’s Eve she posted a request “calling all genealogy researchers, especially those with Michigan roots!”

Within a few hours one of the researchers, Deb, had posted a newspaper article about the burial of John Gould at Rose Hill Cemetery! 

WHAT?! Oh my gosh! I had searched newspapers many times and never found this. Did I miss it? Was the newspaper for the particular year and date recently updated?  I don’t know and don’t care. 

The article reads – ARMADA – The remains of John Gould, of Detroit, were brought to Armada for burial, Wednesday. He left many relatives in this community. Interment was in Rose Hill Cemetery. Rev. R. J. Chase officiated.

First question I asked – Which newspaper and what was the date of the article?

It was The Times Herald, Port Huron, Michigan and the date the article was published was 23 May 1919.  WOW! I have a death certificate that I’ve always believed to be John’s.  Date of death 19 May 1919.  Port Huron is just north of Armada and Detroit. AND, the article states that his remains were transported on Wednesday to Rose Hill Cemetery in Armada.  That Wednesday date would have made it 21 May 1919, two days after his death.

Conclusion – This is DEFINITELY my John Gould.

He, according to Rose Hill cemetery records, co owned a plot there. Many family members are buried there.  I’ve been to Rose Hill three times on visits back to Michigan.  I’ve looked at every headstone in this small cemetery.  There is no Gould headstone.  However, we know that may mean there wasn’t one, or that it has disappeared, or sunk into the earth.  I have many ancestors with no headstones. Next time I visit, I will try to find out which plot was on the deed and use a device that allows me to poke into the ground to locate sunken headstones.

In the meantime, I am seriously happy to have found a new piece of information in my ongoing search.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

Those Places Thursday – Armada

Those Placed Thursday - Towns or roads in Michigan using the name Gould

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY ~ Lyman Constantine Hart, my 2nd great granduncle–1835-1888

Lyman Constantine Hart is my 2nd great granduncle on my paternal side.  He was the son of Henry Hart and Olive Glasier Doten.  He was the 2nd child of 9 born to this couple.

Lyman remains a bit of a mystery to me.  He is enumerated with his family in the 1850 census in Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  I have a Civil War Draft Registration for him from Jun 1863 and he appears in the 1870 census living with his parents, one brother and a sister.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Civil War Draft Registration record

1870 census

I tried again today to find Lyman enumerated any time between the 1870 census and his death in 1888.  I looked for U.S. census records, agriculture records, state census records and city directories. I had no luck at all. I’ve never located a marriage record for Lyman either.
I do know when he died and where he is buried.
His death record lists his name as L. C., his age as 52, born in Canada – all of those being consistent with my records.  His case of death was “cancer of face” and his occupation listed as a Painter.  The date of death on the register is a match to what is on his headstone, so I’m certain this death record is his. 
NOTE:  In looking at this record today, for the first time in a while I notice there is a handwritten note under the place where parent’s names should be, which says “Wayne County Poor House, Further Particulars Unknown.”

Here’s the full death register.



Here is page two turned sideways and enhanced.  You can see that note written where the parent’s names should be.



The Michigan Deaths & Burials, 1800-1995 list the death place as Nankin, Wayne, Michigan.  This leads me to believe he died at Eloise Asylum/Hospital.

Michigan Deaths & Burials, 1800-1995
Name: L. C. Hart
Gender: Male
Burial Date: 
Burial Place: 
Death Date: 15 Feb 1888
Death Place: Nankin, Wayne, Michigan
Age: 52
Birth Date: 1836
Birthplace: Canadian
Occupation: Painter
Race: White
Marital Status: Single
Spouse's Name: 
Father's Name: 
Father's Birthplace: 
Mother's Name: 
Mother's Birthplace: 
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B59947-1
System Origin: Michigan-EASy
Source Film Number: 1377688
Reference Number: yr 1888
  
Lyman’s father, Henry Hart, had died in 1879.  That left his mother, Olive, a widow, aged 74.  I am unable to locate her in the 1880 census either.  I wonder why Lyman would have ended up in the Poor House?  He had many sisters, brothers and half siblings living in Armada.  Is it possible his mother was also at the Poor House?  She died a year before Lyman.  Her death record does not indicate she was in the Poor House and does give her parent’s names.  So, I’m uncertain where she was living between Henry’s death in 1879 and her own death in 1887.

Lyman and his parent’s are buried in Rose Hill Cemtery in Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  I have been there twice and photographed their headstone.  They are all on the same stone, on different sides of it.

You can visit the FindAGrave memorial for Lyman here #31946730.

I would welcome input from anyone who has more information about Lyman.  If you’re a cousin, please get in touch with me and let’s share information.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

CENSUS SUNDAY–WHO WAS LIVING NEXT TO WHOM? AND WHAT DOES THIS RECORD TELL ME?

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY - Armada, Macomb, Michigan

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TUESDAY’S TIP–Didn’t find that record in the newspaper? Here’s how to look a little deeper...

This morning I was looking for an obituary on my 2nd great grandaunt’s husband, John R. Tibbits.  He died 3 Oct 1903 in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan.

I went to the newspapers.com website and entered his name “John Tibbits” and the year 1903 along with the state, Michigan.

The only two records that showed up were an estate hearing notice and a list of those who had died.  No obituary.

Here’s the results of my first search. 
(Click on any image to enlarge it)


Here’s the hearing notice.


This is good information, but I wanted more.

Was there an obituary published?  If so, why isn’t it coming up in my search?

We all know that broad searches result in more hits.  I could narrow it down to the exact month and year.  But, I decided to look for this obituary by going directly to the newspaper itself.  I happen to know that this was then a small newspaper, not like a big city paper with dozens of pages.

I brought up the image that took me directly to the page with the notice of his estate hearing.  The green arrows indicate the entry for John Tibbits.  The red arrow shows you the name of the newspaper, date and page number.



The next thing I did was click on the name of the newspaper, to take me directly to that publication.
 


Since I had information that John Tibbits died on 3 Oct 1903, I didn’t want that exact date.  Obituaries are usually published a day or several days later.  In this case, there was no option for 4 Oct 1903 (perhaps that day of the publication hasn’t been scanned yet). 
So, I selected 5 Oct 1903.  LOOK!  Only 6 pages!



Such a small newspaper, so let’s begin with page 1.  Although, I generally wouldn’t expect obituaries to appear on the first page.
  
ALWAYS EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

Right there on page 1, about half way down, in column 5 is a section titled OBITUARY



Would I find John Tibbits’ obituary in that article?  Yes!



Here’s a readable close up of John’s obituary.



Now we have a little more information than we got from the death notice, which only gave his name and age.  Or, the estate hearing notice, which only gave his name and the date of the hearing in 1903.

I know that John’s wife, Olive Parmelia Hart Tibbits did outlive him (she died in 1915).  And I know that he is buried in Armada, Macomb, Michigan at Rose Hill Cemetery, FindAGrave #32188509.  I’ve been to that cemetery and taken photos of headstones, including his.

REMEMBER – Just because you don’t find what you’re looking for on your first or second or tenth try, doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Try to think of others ways you can search. 

I hope this tip has been helpful.  I’d love to hear how you may have located a record by thinking outside the box.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THOSE PLACED THURSDAY - Armada, Michigan & Rose Hill Cemetery

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks ~ Week #8–Leonard Almanson Hart–My 2nd great granduncle

Leonard Almanson Hart, also known as Lenard and L.A. Hart, was my 2nd great granduncle on my paternal side.  Here’s how we connect.

Henry Hart & Olive G. Doten – my 3rd great grandparents

daughter, Sarah M. Hart & John C. Gould – my 2nd great grandparents

brother of Sarah, Leonard A. Hart – my 2nd great granduncle

Leonard was born 8 Aug 1846 in New York.  He was the last of 9 children born to Henry & Olive Hart.  Sometime before the 1850 census, Henry had moved his wife and 9 children to Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  Here are the names of Leonard’s siblings: Isaac D., Lyman C., Sarah M. (my ancestor), Noble A., Betsy R., Arminda A., Simeon H. and Olive P.  All of the siblings lived into adulthood.  To my knowledge the only two that didn’t marry were Lyman and Noble.  So, this family should have quite a few descendants, as all the married siblings did have children.

On 28 Jan 1866 in Macomb Co., Michigan, Leonard A. Hart married Frances Georgia Ann Wetherell.  She was the daughter of Benjamin Wetherell and Eliza Cole.  My first record of their marriage was in the Dibean Michigan Marriage Index.  I also found the marriage recorded in Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995.  No image is available, but here is the index of that record from familysearch.org

Name	Leonard A. Hart
Birth Date	1847
Age	19
Spouse's Name	Frances G. Witherell
Spouse's Birth Date	1847
Spouse's Age	19
Event Date	28 Jan 1866
Event Place	Macomb,Michigan

Indexing Project (Batch) Number	M51858-3
System Origin	Michigan-ODM
GS Film number	979571

Source: "Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCTL-2QS : 4 December 2014), Leonard A. Hart and Frances G. Witherell, 28 Jan 1866; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 979,571.

I’m fortunate to be in contact with Leonard’s 2nd great grandson.  We have been communicating for several years now.  He connected with my via one of my blog posts about the Hart family.

He shared several photos of Leonard and his wife Frances who went by her middle name Georgia.  One of them is at the beginning of this post.  Pictures bring our ancestors to life.

Here are a couple of others.  Thank you cousin Charles.

Leonard & Georgia Hart - unknown year, but obviously portrait photos

Georgia in her later years

I find Leonard in the 1850 and 1860 census in Armada, Macomb, Michigan living with his parents.

 

He is first enumerated with his wife in the 1870 census where is is listed as a Farmer.  The value of his personal estate being $100.  In his household are his wife, Georgia A., son Harland B., age 4 and son, Charles A., age 1.  The family is split on 2 pages.  The second page contains a small snapshot of the farming community in Armada, Michigan at that time.  Six households of family members living adjacent to one another.

 

Here is page 1, with Leonard listed at the bottom of the page. And, his brother, Simeon, further up the page, working for the Shepardson family.

 

Now, here is page 2, with little Charles Hart at the top of the page and all of the other families listed below him.  I have indicated who they all are.  Finding a page like this in any census is a great find.

(PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

In 1880 Leonard is farming in Armada and has one more son, Clayton.

In the 1900 census Leonard is still farming, but has moved to Lansing, Ingham Co., Michigan.  His oldest 3 sons are out of the house and only his son, Harry, age 17, is still at home.  The census also states that one of the 3 older sons has died as Georgia is the mother of 4 children with 3 still living.  From later research I learned that it is Harland, the oldest son, who died prior to 1900.  I’m still trying to locate his death record or obituary.

Next, in 1910,  I find Leonard & his wife, Georgia are no longer on a farm, but in a house at 601 Shannon Ave., in Lansing.  Information I have gathered has led me to believe that the road name for this home may changed from Shannon to Moores River to Sparrow.  The address of 601 remains in various records, but the name of the street changes.

Here is a picture of Georgia standing on the porch of the home at 601 Moores River Rd.



I cannot for the life of me, locate Leonard and Georgia in the 1920 census.

However, I was able to locate him in two city directories for Lansing, Michigan. 

• In 1916 he and Georgia are listed on page 360 of the directory.  He is working at J. H. Moores and living at 601 Sparrow Ave.
• In 1922, the year before his death, Leonard and Georgia are listed on page 476 as living at 601 Moores River Drive.  No place of work is given.

Leonard died 25 Sep 1923 in Lansing, Ingham, Michigan from some type of Uremic hypertrophy.

Here is his death certificate.

I also found a very nice obituary on newspapers.com.  Here is a screenshot of the article.

Leonard is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, along with his wife, Georgia who died in 1927.  You may view their memorials at #23205259 and #23204976.  Other family members are also buried in the cemetery.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Leonard and his family today.  If you find that you are connected with them, please contact me by leaving a comment on this post, or using the “contact me” tab.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
Bath School Bombing in 1927 takes the life of 3 Hart children and many others
Michigan Death Records Online - Where can you find them?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CHECK THOSE RECORDS CAREFULLY - Look what I found!

Make sure you check every entry on the pages of records you find.

HERE'S WHY.......
 
I was reviewing the PRATT section of our family today.  I noticed that I didn’t have a death record image for a death that occurred in 1888 in Michigan.  I had the index information, but not the image.

I know the images are available on Family Search in the Michigan Deaths, 1867-1897 database.  I located the record right away.

Here is page 1 showing Mary Sumner nee Pratt who died 21 Apr 1888.  Notice she uses “P” as her middle initial.  It was and still is common for women to use their maiden name or the first initial of that name for a middle initial, once they marry.



From previous experience I know that there is usually a PAGE 2 for these records on Family Search.  So, I went to the second page and there it was.  Showing her cause of death and her parents, Josiah Pratt & Rachel aka Rebecca, whom I already knew of. No surprise there.



BUT WAIT!  What is the record just below hers?  It shows the exact same information for:

• Cause of death – consumption
• Birthplace – Canada
• Occupation – Housewife
• Parent’s names – Josiah & Rachel Pratt
• Residence – Dead
• Date of record – June 7th 1889

NOTE THE CIRCLED ITEMS below Mary's information.



Is this some sort of clerical error? A duplication? Or what?

I went back to the first page to see what name was listed under my Mary Sumner.

The next name on the list is Sarah P. HUNT who died 28 Feb 1888 a married woman, age 57 yrs. 11 mos. 4 days, who died in Armada.

Here is that first page.



What did I do next?

I looked in my database at the children born to Josiah Pratt & Rebecca “Rachel” Jackson.  Did they have a daughter named Sarah who married a man named Hunt?  I have 3 children born to Josiah & Rebecca.  A son, John and two daughters, Mary born 1822 and there she is Sarah born about 1832 in Canada.
Who did Sarah marry?
- - -  She married Ashley HART

Here is what my Legacy database shows for Sarah Pratt. 



In this case I do think a clerical error was made when they recorded her last name on that death record.  Since every other item fits, I am concluding that I have found her death record.  And, no wonder I wasn’t able to find it before.  I would have been looking for HART not HUNT.

Isn’t this awesome?  I was looking for one record and found two.
 
Our lesson for today – PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY OTHER PERSON ON ANY REGISTER WITH MULTIPLE NAMES.
  
I get pretty excited when things like this happen.
 
What surprises have you found in records?  Let me know in a comment or with a link to your own blog post.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
SURPRISE! A birth record where is wasn't supposed to be
FAMILY SEARCH - Going back & getting those "other" pages

PLEASE contact me if you think you might be related, even remotely, to anyone mentioned in this blog.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

CENSUS SUNDAY–WHO WAS LIVING NEXT TO WHOM? AND WHAT DOES THIS RECORD TELL ME?

I know you’ve all seen it.  You find a census record for someone you are researching and lo and behold, on the same page is another familiar family. 
This has happened to me more than once during my research.  Sometimes, I don’t see it the first time I view the census. 

• Maybe because I didn’t know about the other family?
• Maybe I learned later on who that one daughter married?
• Maybe because I was careless and didn’t take the time to look at other entries?

Whatever the reason, it’s fun when you do find them.  Here’s one that I found early in my research.

1860 census – Armada, Macomb, Michigan
 


Here is a close up of my two families.  Henry Hart and John Gould



Who are these ancestors to me?

Henry Hart & his wife Olive are my 3rd great grandparents

John Gould and his wife Sally are my 2nd great grandparents. Sally is Henry Hart’s daughter.  She and John were married in 1858.  And now have a young son, Vivaldo.

1860 census – Town of Armada, County of Macomb, State of Michigan
Enumerated on 13 day of July 1860.
Lines 3-12, dwelling number 1111, family number 1128

• Henry Hart, age 65, male, farmer, value of real estate $6700, personal estate $570, born in New York
• Olive Hart, age 55, female, born in Vermont
• Noble Hart, age 21, male, farm laborer, born in New York
• Betsy Hart, age 20, female, domestic, born in New York
• Arminda Hart, age 18, female, born in New York
• Simeon Hart, age 16, male, farm laborer, born in New York
• Olive Hart, age 14, female, born in New York
• Leonard Hart, age 12, male, born in New York
• Monroe Knapp, age 2, male, born in ?
• Hannah Burrell, age 69, female, born in Massachusetts

QUESTIONS:  Who are Monroe Knapp and Hannah Burrell?  Are they family?  Are they boarders?  I have yet to figure this out and I’ve tried many times over the past 10 years.

Lines 13-15, dwelling number 1111, family number 1129

• John Gool [should be Gould], age 28, male, day laborer, value of real estate $500, personal estate $100, born in Michigan
• Sally Gould, age 23, female, born in New York
• Vivaldo Gould, age 8 months, male, born in Michigan

OBSERVATIONS: 
1.  Because the dwelling number for both families is the same, it appears they were living in the same house or on the same property. 
2.  Both Henry Hart and John Gould own real estate.  They should then be listed on the agricultural census for 1860.  Are they? 
3.  There is a family directly next door named Stone.  I know that John Gould, bought land from Hannibal Stone in 1863.  Is this Stone family related to Hannibal?
4.  The enumerator lists New York as the birthplace for Henry Hart and his children.  However, this conflicts with other records I have for this family.
5.  Can I locate the land records for the real estate owned by Henry Hart and John Gould in 1860?

Reviewing this census, that I have looked at so many times, has given me some new ideas.  It never hurts to take another look at even the most common of records, such as our wonderful census records. 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TUESDAY’S TIP–THOSE “EXTRA” PEOPLE IN A CENSUS MAY BE IMPORTANT

Don't ignore the "extra" people in a census is something we have all been told, read about or learned ourselves, but it bears repeating.  

Yesterday I was researching the SHAVER family from Michigan.  Mostly up in the Macomb County area.  I began looking at one particular couple who had a daughter and I wanted to learn more about her.

Here is the couple:


They had one child that I know of, Ida May Shaver.  The information I had in my database listed two husbands for Ida.  The first being John “Jay” B. MAPLETHORP and the second one Burton CLOSS.

Ida had married John Maplethorp on 25 May 1891 in Richmond, Macomb, Michigan.  Their daughter Electa Fay was born in 1892.  By the time of the 1900 census Ida and her daughter were living with her parents Sherman & Mary, in Richmond, Macomb, Michigan.  Ida is still listed as married, but John Maplethorp is not enumerated with the family.  Did they divorce?

Here is the 1900 census:



And here is a close up.  Yes, the enumerator did write the last name as Shafer instead of Shaver.



Not only did I find Ida & her daughter on this census, but as I looked at the two men also listed in the household, I saw Bert & Duncan Closs, listed as Servants/Farm Laborers.  

Why was that significant?

Because I had already found a marriage record for Ida Shaver to Burton Closs on 17 Jul 1900 in Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  This census enumeration was taken on 18 Jun 1900.  This means that Ida & Burton “Bert” married just less than a month later.



QUESTIONS I ASK MYSELF…

• WHEN DID IDA & JOHN MAPLETHORP DIVORCE, SINCE SHE IS STILL LISTED AS MARRIED ON THIS CENSUS?
• HOW DID IDA MEET BURTON CLOSS?
• DID THEY MEET WHEN HE CAME TO WORK AT HER FATHER’S FARM OR DID THEY ALREADY KNOW ONE ANOTHER?
• WHERE CAN I LOCATE THE DIVORCE RECORD FOR IDA & JOHN MAPLETHORP?
• DO I REALLY NEED OR WANT MORE INFORMATION SINCE IDA SHAVER IS A STEP 3RD GREAT GRANDFATHER’S WIFE’S BROTHER’S WIFE’S NIECE? (Thank you Legacy for figuring that out so I didn’t have to)

WHY DID I EVEN FOLLOW IDA THIS FAR?

I saw a shaky leaf on my Ancestry tree for Ida Shaver and I looked at some of the hints.  CONFESSION:  Sometimes I can’t help myself when it comes to those shaky leaves.  I admit it.  It’s the hunt and the reward of the find that is so appealing to me in researching my ancestors.  Oh, sure I want to learn as much as I can about those directly related to me.  But, sometimes just a good hour of finding records and entering them in my database is rewarding all by itself.

In answer to the question as to whether I will follow up and try to locate a divorce for Ida & John Maplethorp.  No, I won’t.  If I run across it, great.  But, I am not going to spend time looking for it.

WHAT DID I LEARN OR REINFORCE FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?

1.  Never ignore the other people listed in a household just because you don’t know who they are.

2.  Sometimes it’s just fun to follow one of the “shaky leaf” leads on Ancestry.

3.  It’s good to know when to STOP researching a particular person or family.

One more thing that I found on that 1900 census.  Two doors away from the Shaver family was the Benjamin & Sarah Sumner family, who are also in my database.  I was able to add three more children to their family from this census.  But, because they too are distantly related, I won’t pursue them further.  

Keep following those leads, but remember not too go too far off the tree….unless of course you just feel like it.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY

Armada, Macomb Co., Michigan

Armada, Michigan is located north of Detroit

Armada is a village in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,730 at the 2010 census. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate places the population at 1,657. The village is located within Armada Township. Wikipedia

Area: 487 acres (197 ha)

Weather: 52°F (11°C), Wind SW at 0 mph (0 km/h), 100% Humidity

Local time: Thursday 2:27 PM

Population: 1,729 (2012)

Why am I posting about Armada, Michigan?

1. Because my Great Grandfather, William Val GOULD (aka Vivaldo William Gould) was born there.
2. Because his father & mother, John C. GOULD & Sarah HART, were married there in 1858.
3. Because many other family members were born, married & died there.

I first heard of Armada, Michigan very early in my research of the GOULD family.  The more I researched the more intrigued I became with this little "town" of Armada.  

Where was it?  How many members of my family have links to it?

In 2007 I was able to go back to Detroit for the first time since 1970.  I spent 8 days there, going to libraries, cemeteries, courthouses and meeting long lost cousins, nieces & nephews.  What a treat.

I had my whole trip planned out.  What I was going to do each day, where I would go, what I was looking for.  This took a LOT of pre-organization (I'll cover genealogy roadtrips in another post).  Since most of the family were working during the days, I knew I could spend the daylight hours doing research and then spend the evenings with family.  That's exactly what I did.

On about the 3rd or 4th day, it was time to drive north from my hotel and go to Armada.  YEAH!

It's about 73 miles and takes about an hour to make the drive.  Once I was out of the Detroit metro area, the scenery was lovely.  When I reached Armada I stopped at the welcome sign and took this photo.

 

 WOW!!!  I was finally here.  Armada is just a small town.  The town hall consisted of about 6 employees.  There was construction on main street so I had to park and walk.  Not a problem.

I didn't find any information at the town hall as far as old records.  I was kind of hoping I would, but apparently the records are kept at the county level, as most records are.  But, you never know when you might get lucky.

I knew that several family members, including my 2nd Great Grandparents, Henry HART& Olive Doten HART were buried at a small cemetery called Rose Hill Cemetery.  It's located on Coon Creek Rd.  You have to take GOULD Rd. to get to it.  Yes, a road named after my father's family.  My maiden name.  And another road nearby is named PRATT Rd.  Another family I'm linked to.  This was very exciting.  

Here are some photos from Rose Hill Cemetery.

As you can see it's a small country cemetery.  It's located in between homes on a dirt road.  Just a small chain link gate is the entrance.

Once there I was able to locate the headstone for my 2nd great grandfather & his wife and their son.  In addition, as I walked the cemetery, I found many other family surnames.  I took as many pictures as I could because I wasn't sure who I might find connected to me, that I wasn't familiar with at this time.

TIP:  Whenever you visit a cemetery, large or small, always walk all around and look for other family surnames.  You can check at the office, if there is one.  If not, as in this case, then just document what you find by taking pictures and/or notes.

Note:  After I got home I was able to connect our family, by marriages to many of those buried at this cemetery.

Headstone for Olive Hart

My 2nd Great Grandfather, Henry HART, was born about 1785 in New Hampshire and died 26 Apr 1879 in Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  He married Olive DOTEN bet 1830-1835, possibly in Canada.  She was born in 1805 in Vermont and died 10 Apr 1887 in Armada, Macomb, Michigan.  They had 9 children.  Several of those children are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.  The HART children married into the following families in Armada: PRATT, RICHARDS, GOULD, HEAD, TIBBETS, BEALS, GAYLORD, WETHERELL & INGRAHAM.

There's so much history here and many stories to uncover.  I've found a few, but still have more to find.  

Visiting places that your ancestors lived is so very rewarding.  It can reveal clues to their lives, give you information you didn't have before, lead to new family finds and expand your family.

Who knows?  You might even find some cousins among those still living in the area.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl