TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ The 1906 church record of the marriage of my grandparents, Joseph A. Milne (1883-1957) & Florence L. Bowden (1888-1986)

Today I’m featuring the church marriage certificate for my maternal grandparents, Joseph Albert Milne & Florence Lenora Bowden.

This certificate was rolled up in a box of papers & other items I retrieved from the home of my  maternal first cousin, during a visit, several years ago.

TIP - I did not put this old, delicate document in a scanner.  Instead, I took a photograph of it.

This certificate offers many good genealogical clues as follows:

• Date of marriage
• Where the couple have their residence
• Place of marriage
• The denomination and name of the church to which the officiant belonged
• Name of the person who married the couple
• Names & signatures of both witnesses to the marriage

It’s been a while since I’ve looked at this document and in reading it again I see that I will be entering new information into my Legacy database.

Here is a transcription of the certificate

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost…Amen

This certifies that Mr. Joseph Albert Milne of Detroit, Michigan and Miss Florence Lenora Bowden of the same place were united by in Holy Matrimony on Wednesday the Eleventh day of April A.D. nineteen hundred and six at the residence of the bride’s mother 187 Townsend Ave. in the diocese of Michigan according to the Rites of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Unites States of America, in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan.

Dated Detroit this Eleventh day of April A.D. 1906

The witnesses are Fred Henry Gillespie, 1st cousin to the groom and Edna Mabel Bowden, sister of the bride

Here is a photo of my grandmother, Florence, in her travel outfit upon leaving for their honeymoon.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

My grandmother, Florence was the genealogist in the family before me.  I have written several blog posts from the notebook/journal she left.  Here is a link to those posts: My Grandmother's Journal

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Two 1841 English records for my Gaydon family

Richard Gaydon and his wife Mary Thomas are my 4th great grandparents on my Mom’s side.  I have limited information on this couple……so far.

Here is the 1841 census for Richard and Mary.  They are 50 years old, and he is still employed as a Mason.  There are no children or grandchildren enumerated with them.
 

It gets increasingly more difficult to find records the further back you go.  This couple was born in the late 1700’s in England.  Parish records are my best chance for finding birth, baptisms, marriages and deaths.

I felt very fortunate when I located an 1841 marriage record on Family Search via Ancestry.com, for Richard Gaydon and Elizabeth Burrows, in Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.  Richard is the fourth child listed in the family group view you see at the beginning of this post.  I am still in the early stages of learning more about him.  He is my 1st cousin, 4 times removed.  Their record is the one below outlined in red.  I always like to keep a copy of the whole record page for future reference.
 


I wanted to see where Morwenstow, Cronwall, England was located on the map and then learn how far it was from Barnstaple.  This couple was married in March 1841 in Morwenstow, but when the 1841 census was taken later that year they were living in Barnstaple.  And again in 1851 and 1861, they were in Barnstaple. 
I am guessing (need to find proof) that perhaps Elizabeth was from that town in Cornwall or perhaps either she or both of them had family there.  Or, maybe they just wanted to get married on the coast?

According to Google maps it is 29.4 miles between the two cities.



Richard was a Mason by trade, according to the records I’ve located. He followed in his father’s footsteps.
 
I have located this couple in the 1861 census, living at 43 Hardaway Head in Barnstaple.  They now have 4 children.  I expect that work as a Mason would keep a man busy, considering all the brick work we see in Europe.  It was probably a very good way for him to support his family.  Although I know it’s hard work.

Name:     Richard Gaydon
Age:     42
Estimated Birth Year:     1819
Relation:     Head
Spouse's Name:     Betsy Gaydon
Gender:     Male
Where born:     Barnstaple, Devon, England
Civil Parish:     Barnstaple
Ecclesiastical parish:     Holy Trinity
Town:     Barnstaple
County/Island:     Devon
Country:     England
Street address:
Occupation: Mason
Condition as to marriage:
Registration district:     Barnstaple
Sub-registration district:     Barnstaple
ED, institution, or vessel:     16
Neighbors:    
Household schedule number:     44
Piece:     1489
Folio:     120
Page Number:     8
Household Members:    
Name     Age
Richard Gaydon       42
Betsy Gaydon          42
Elizabeth Gaydon     17
Eliza Gaydon            10
Richard Gaydon         6
Fanney Gaydon         3

As you can see from the map below, Hardaway Head still exists today.  Although using Google Earth and going to street view it now seems to be an industrial area.



I don’t yet know when or where either of these couples died or where they are buried.  I still have lots of work to do on my Gaydon family.

If you are connected to this family, please contact me either by message here on my blog or by email (found in the Contact Me tab).

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks–Week #4–Elizabeth GAYDON Burgess–1813-1884–My 3rd great grandmother

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ BIRTH RECORDS (twins) and others on one register page

What is one thing we always tell others and remind ourselves?  Be sure to look at other entries on any record you find.  Whether it’s a birth, death or marriage register or census records.  You never know what else you will find.

Today I was working on my Lunsford line.  It’s an extensive line on my maternal side with LOTS of children born to many of the couples.

I noted that I had found a birth record for a set of twins born to Basil Lunsford and Mahala Taylor Lunsford.  In fact, these twin girls appear to be the first of 11 children born to this couple.  In 2011 I have recorded the index record of the birth, but no image.  I wondered if that image had since been put online. I returned to familysearch.org to look for it.

Sure enough, it had.  And not only are the twins on this page, but another Lunsford cousin is listed as well.

I’ve marked Ada & Ida in red and circled the word “twins.”  And, marked Charles in green.



For any of my fellow genealogist in Lawrence County, Ohio, there are quite a few Massie & Vermillion births on this register as well.  None of those particular Massie or Vermillion’s link to my family, but they may link to yours.

Here is the family of Basil & Mahala Lunsford as they appear in my Legacy database.

(You can click on the image to enlarge it)



This is what I like to see when I look at a family view in my database.  A robust family with lots of names and dates and other critical information like causes of death.

I know that Ida Lunsford went on to marry Dr. Charles E. Stewart and have four known children; Hobart (murdered in 1936-see link below), Charles, Mark & Thelma. She died on 15 Nov 1958.  I am not able to ascertain yet, if Ada married and to whom.  The names Ada & Ida are mixed up and cross referenced on many of the records.  I’m still working on Ada.

Do you know of any twins in you family?  If so, did they live to adulthood?  I’d love to hear about them.

If you think you have additional information about the ancestors mentioned in this post, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THRILLER THURSDAY - Hobart Stewart Murdered in 1936

FOLLOW UP ON HOBART B. STEWART - Murder Victim

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Transit Permit for the remains of Wm. A. Boggs (1815-1899) – My 3rd great grandfather

I found this record several years ago, thanks to a friend from our San Diego Genealogical Society, who told me about the West Virginia Culture website.  The website contains birth, marriage and death records for thousands of people.  I’ve found a lot of my ancestor’s records there.

But a Transit Permit was something altogether new to me.  My first question was, is this the correct Wm. A. Boggs.  My 3rd great grandfather was William Allen Boggs born 28 Sep 1815 in Gallia County, Ohio.  He married on 11 Apr 1839 in Lawrence County, Ohio, Nancy Delilah Lunsford.  Nancy was born 8 Nov 1819 in Virginia and died 10 Apr 1895 in Huntington, Cabell, WV.

 

Four years later, had William moved to Kentucky?

Yes, it seems he had, according to the 1898 Lexington City Directory.  I notice that he and Nancy had also lived in Kentucky back in 1869.

1898 Lexington, KY city directory, page 335 - Wm. A. Boggs

The fact that the Transit Permit give the address as 34 Forest Ave. and the directory lists him living at 39 Forest Ave. doesn’t bother me.  We all know that mistakes are common on many of the documents we locate for our ancestors.  It’s the evidence taken together that bring us to a reasonable conclusion.

I have not located a death record for William, with my latest search having been conducted today.

 

William and his wife Nancy are buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, Cabell, West Virginia.  There are no headstones for them.  The person who entered the dates on the memorial (Ernie Wright, RIP) entered William’s death year as 1899.  Further proof that the Transit Permit is for him.

You may visit William’s memorial here #58500265.

Would you have come to the same conclusion regarding that Transit Permit?

Here is the evidence that I used to come to my conclusion.

• The Transit Permit has his name correct – Wm. A. Boggs
• The place of interment is correct – Huntington, West Virginia
• The place of death is at 34 Forest Ave. and in 1898 William was living at 39 Forest Ave.
• His age at death is given as 84 years, which coincides with the year of birth I already had for him – 1815
• I cannot locate William in the 1900 federal census
• His findagrave memorial gives his year of death as 1899

If you have further information on William or his family, or are connected in any way, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

Sibling Saturday - 16 Siblings - William's wife Nancy's family

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Several obituaries for the BRIGHT Family of Pittsburgh, PA

It’s always a good day when you locate any record for your ancestor.  This week I’ve been working on my husband, Ron’s, paternal grandmother’s line.  The Bright family of Pennsylvania.

It had been several years since I’d looked at this particular family.  Since then, more records have come online and I now have a subscription, full access, to newspapers.com.  I have found hundreds of obituaries, news articles, notices of probate, marriage announcements, military information, travel and visiting notices and more on this website.

Here’s what I located this morning.

Funeral/death notice for Elizabeth C. Eastland Bright, first wife of William C. Bright.  William is my husband’s great granduncle.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT) 



I notice that they are asking Detroit, Michigan papers to copy.  I believe that is because her son, Elmer Charles Bright had moved from Pennsylvania to Detroit.

Obituary for Catherine E. Sawert/Sewart Bright, 2nd wife of William C. Bright.



The article states that she will be buried at Homewood Cemetery, but she is actually buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

Obituary for William C. Bright.  William outlived both his wives, and was 94 at the time of his death.



I have the death certificates for all three of these family members.
 
It’s obvious from the obituaries that William and his wives were involved in the Masonic organization.  Perhaps I will be able to find more information about them through that source.  Although I’ve found the Masons to be pretty tight with the information they will share.
 
This is a good day for genealogy research.  I have added all these obituaries to my Legacy database.
 
NOTE:  When you locate any article on Newspapers.com you have the option to clip that article, then view the clipping.  I do this every time.  When viewing the clipping you can then add the article directly to your Ancestry tree, which I also do.  The next thing I do is download or print the article to PDF.  I then convert it to JPG, which allows me a bit more editing freedom and then I add the image to Legacy.

I also use Genealogy Bank, although it doesn’t yield nearly as many hits for me as Newspapers.com.  And as far as Chronicling America, I have never located one single article.
 
Have you had luck finding newspaper articles on your family?  If so, from which site?  How often do you look at the newspaper websites.  I do so, almost daily.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

New York Newspaper Links Online

Tuesday's Tip - More Detroit Newspapers Online

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ The marriage record of my great grandmother, Susan Gillespie and her 2nd husband, Clyde J. Smith - 1904

My great grandmother, Susan Anne Gillespie married her second husband Clyde J. “C.J.” Smith on 11 Apr 1904 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  She had lost her first husband, my great grandfather, Andrew Charles Milne to tuberculosis in Dec 1892.  It must have been a very sad time, as Susan was pregnant with their fourth child, a daughter, who was born in Jun 1893, seven months after the death of Andrew Milne.
 
Other records that I have for Susan indicate that her middle name was Anne.  This record and her death certificate give her middle name as Mary.

One of the interesting things about the marriage of Susan and Clyde, is the age difference.  Susan was 43 years old at the time of the marriage and Clyde was just 25 years old.  This is the first time, in our family, I’ve found a wife that much older than a husband.
I always wonder how people met.  That is one of the questions I would ask all of my ancestors….if only I could.

Here is the handwritten marriage record for this couple.  One thing I noted on this record is that their ages appear to differ from what I have in other records for them.  I have Clyde being born in 1878, which would make his age 26 at the time of the marriage.  This record gives his age as 32.  I have Susan being born in 1860, making her age at the time of the marriage 44.  This record indicates she was 38.  They each changed their age by 6 years.



I have found no record of any children born to this couple.  Susan’s two living children would have been 21 and 11 at the time of the marriage.  My grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, age 21 in 1904, is listed in the Detroit City Directory listing as living at the same address as Clyde J. Smith.

Clyde worked as an Electrician and a Mechanical Engineer, according to the 1920 census and various city directory listings.  I have yet to be able to find Clyde & Susan in the 1910 census.  I looked again today with no luck.

Unfortunately, Susan became a widow for the second time when Clyde died of a brain tumor on 14 Nov 1927, in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  He was only 49 years old at the time of his death.
 
Susan did not remarry, but lived another 20 years, passing away at age 87 on 12 Nov 1947 in Ypsilanti, Washtenaw, Michigan. 
Both Clyde and Susan are buried at Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.  In the same plot are her first husband, Andrew Charles Milne, their stillborn son, A.C. Milne and Joseph Milne’s oldest daughter, Dorothy, who died at age 13.  Sadly, there are no headstones for any of them.
 
One of my goals is to somehow find a way (aka the money) to erect a headstone in memory of these five family members who deserve to be remembered.  Here are the FindAGrave memorials for Clyde #39725148 and Susan #39725085.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WEDDING WEDNESDAY - Andrew Charles Milne & Susan Anne Gillespie - married in 1880

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - Birth & Death Dates from my Grandmother's Journal - July - including Susan Smith nee Gillespie

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2017   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Baptismal record for Abraham Rosett–1728

Today I’m highlighting a record I located on my first trip to the Family History Library, in June 2011.
 
The record was located in The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, July 1928, page 42.



Transcription: 1728 Aug 11 Roset, David and Tryntje Spyr – Abraham. Wit: Johannes Spry; Sara Wouterse.

Also on this page is the baptismal record of my husband’s 5th great granduncle, Johannes Kip.

I located this publication and photographed several pages.  I was at the library for 5 days and took over 500 photographs of books, publications and other data during that first visit to the FHL.
 
TIP: I prefer to use a camera to capture any data I find.  It’s quick & efficient and allows you to see if there was any error in the image when it was taken.  I take along clothes pins to hold book pages open.  I find this method works better for me, than hand held scanners, copy machines or using phones or tablets.

These types of publications can contain many wonderful references to records.
 
Do we still need to try to find the original record? YES.  But, this certainly points us in the right direction.

WHO IS ABRAHAM ROSETT/ROSET?

He is my husband’s 5th great grandfather.

1. Abraham Rosett ²Aug 1728 – 6 Jan 1775 married Catherine Kip on 13 Apr 1752.  She was born 8 Mar 1728/30 and died circa 1761.

2. David Rosett/Rosette 21 Dec 1754 – ¹28 Apr 1819 married Lydia Bailey May 1779. Lydia was born about 1760 and died 23 Dec 1842.

3. Dr. Abraham Rosette 29 Jul 1780 – 8 Apr 1815 married Susan Boylston on 30 May 1804.  Susan was born about 1783 and died 23 Apr 1847.

4. Almira Rosette about 1806 – Sep 1858 married Rev. George Hall on 11 Mar 1834.  Rev. George Hall was born ³4 Jun 1804 and died ^3,44 Sep 1878.

5. Thomas Cornelius Hall ⁵1845 – ⁵18 Jan 1897 married Cora E. Brown 1875-1878.  Cora was born 3 Aug 1854 and died 9 Sep 1933.

6.  Charles Schuyler Hall 5 Mar 1878 – 25 Mar 1953 married Daisy Fern Bright on 15 Oct 1903. Daisy was born 19 Apr 1882 and died 23 Oct 1953.

7. Gordon Charles Hall 29 Jul 1917 – 12 Jan 1966 married Dorothy Beatrice Fink on 22 Aug 1948.  Dorothy was born 7 Nov 1913 and died 6 Oct 1993 (23 years ago today).

8.  My husband

Don’t overlook newsletters and other publications when you are visiting any library or other repository.  They could be the key to finding those records you need.

Some sources used for the information contained in this post include: 1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.  2. New York   Film Number 974.7 B2N V. 90-93:   Abraham Rosett; digital image,  "New York, Births & Christenings, 1640-1962," (www.familysearch.org: 7 May 2012).  3.  Necrological Report Alumni Assoc. of Princeton Theological Seminary 1879.  4. Minsterial Directory of the Presbyterian Church 1861-1941.  5. Register of Death-Village of Saratoga Springs, NY.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
     
TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - Abraham & Susan Rosette - died 1815 & 1847

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY - The actual church record for the marriage of Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Bailey 22 Dec 1748

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ The actual church record for the marriage of Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Bailey 22 Dec 1748

First let me start by saying that I better pay attention to what day it is.  I posted a Treasure Chest Thursday, yesterday, which was actually Wednesday.  I’ve now changed the title of that post and you can find it here WEDDING WEDNESDAY – A marriage record, of sorts, for Dr. Jeremiah Hall & Eliabeth Bailey.

To follow up that post today, I’m happy to share the actual, handwritten church record for that marriage.

I didn’t locate it myself, but, again, because of belonging to a Facebook group, I now have the record.  Another Hall family member, from the same group I spoke of yesterday, Hall Families of New England, has shared the image.  Thanks to Cheryl Hall for finding this record in the archival church records of the Congregational Church.
 
Here’s a link to the home page http://www.congregationallibrary.org/

And here’s the link to the actual entry for the marriage of Jeremiah Hall to Elizabeth Bailey

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)


Here are the first two pages from this digital record.

When I source this record, the one thing I won’t know is who made the entries into this record book.  They are all numbered and the volume is separated into meeting notes, admission to full communion, baptisms, births, marriages & deaths.  Most of the writing is the same throughout the record, with occasional differences.  This makes me believe that this is a transcription of various records, placed in the book, in order.

QUESTION? Is this a primary source?  I don’t think so because it appears to be a transcription of other records.  Meaning the person who wrote these records may not have been present at the time of the event.  But, we’re getting closer, and it’s certainly better than just having the entry from the book I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

Maybe this is all I’ll ever find to document this record from 268 years ago.  But, combining this record with other pieces of evidence certainly proves that a marriage took place in Hanover, between Jeremiah Hall & Elizabeth Baily/Bailey.

Stay tuned for more on this family.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY–1905 GIFT TO MY GRANDMOTHER

There is today's treasure, the book given to my grandmother.  Also shown are photos of my mother & her parents on the right and my father and his parents on the left. The pictures in the background are of my grandmother, the recipient of today's treasure. 

I know many things about my Grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne.  One of those, is that she was an avid reader for all of her life. 

I remember when she and I were both living in Houston, Texas and she was in her 80’s, I would drive her over to the library where she would check out 8-10 books at a time.  A couple of weeks later, we’d do it all over again.  Her daughter, my mother, is also an avid reader and guess what?  So am I.  Guess it traveled through the generations in those genes. 

I was going through some boxes here at the house about 6 or 7 years ago and came across items that had belonged to my grandmother. One of those items was a book.

The book

Having heirlooms from your ancestors is a heart warming thing.  Well, at least to me it is.  These are items that we may have seen at the ancestor’s home, or they might have worn a particular item, like a ring or earrings.  For me, it gives me a closeness that brings me great joy and satisfaction.

Today’s item is a book that was given to my grandmother, who’s nickname to some of her relatives, was “Flossie.”  Short for Florence.  The inscription says “To Miss Flossie, Christmas ‘05, George & Alfred.”  The name of the book is The Story of the Iliad by A. J. Church, M.A., 1904.

Title page of the book

The inscription inside the book

My grandmother married my grandfather on 11 Apr 1906 when she was 18 yrs. old.  This would mean this gift was given to her the Christmas prior to her wedding.  

As to who George and Alfred are, listed on the inscription, I can only surmise from my family data.  There are an Alfred & George in the Thornton family, who were first cousins to my grandfather, Joseph Albert Milne, and not much older than my grandmother.  I do know that the Thornton family is documented often in my grandmother’s journal.

This book sits just above my computer where I can look at it all the time, along with family photos and my DAR certificate.
 
What items do you have that belonged to your ancestors?  

Some people are fortunate to have many, some only one or two.  But, whatever we have we hold dear.

I would love to hear from you about your family heirlooms.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall