ANALYZING EVIDENCE - JOHN DOLLER & BERTHA KELLER–WHO WERE THEY?

Bertha & John Doller - 1935, Buffalo, New York

Today I want to write about my husband’s side of the family.  I know quite a bit about the Hall side (his paternal side).  However, on his maternal side, there is less information.  Maybe it’s because the Hall side can be traced back to 1668 in Massachusetts. And, this particular line on his mother’s side only goes back to the late 1800’s when they immigrated from Germany.  I don’t know.  But, I do know that I’d like to learn more about this part of the family.   

My husband’s mother, Dorothy Beatrice Fink and her siblings were all born in Erie County, New York.  Three of them in Buffalo and one in Ebenezer.  

Going back one more generation are Dorothy Fink’s parents Henry August Fink & Freada Emma Meta Doller, both born in Buffalo, Erie, New York.

Let’s concentrate on Freada’s parents.  They are John Doller & Bertha A. Keller.  They are my husband’s great grandparents on his mother’s side.

Bertha Keller Doller with her nieces & nephews and her daughter, Freada (standing far right)

Here is the family view for John & Bertha, from my Legacy database. 


You can clearly see that I have information on them, but nothing on their parents and two children that are unknown.  

What type of sources do I have for this couple?

Here is what I have for Bertha Keller Doller and I can tell you that I have the same sources for John Doller.



1.  How do I rate these sources?  Not very well.
2.  Am I confident in the information?  Sort of.
3.  Do I need more?  Absolutely!

Census records can certainly be wonderful sources for information.  If you get information that matches up (or closely matches) from census to census, then you have a fair idea that the information is correct or close to correct.  HOWEVER, the data on the census is only as good as the person who gave it to the enumerator and only as good as what the enumerator wrote.  Since we don’t know who in the household (or even if someone in the household) gave the information to the enumerator, we have to be cautious.  I consider census data to be a lead for me to gather real evidence of events, such as births, marriages, divorces, deaths etc.

Let’s look at the other source for this couple – “Info taken from hand written document written by Delphine Fink Long.”  While I know it may not be standard practice for citing a Master Source, it’s a method I use when I have something like a handwritten document that gives me names & dates.  At least that way I am noting/sourcing where my information came from, until I can get verifying data.  By the way, Delphine Fink Long is the granddaughter of John & Bertha.

And lastly for the marriage of John Doller & Bertha Keller, I have noted that it is a “guess based on the age of first child and date of immigration to the U.S.”  Again, it’s not a “real” source, but tells me where the information came from and gives me a starting point.  And, now that I am re reading that statement.  I don't really know if Irven Doller, Sr., was a first child or not, since so many of the children died. 

DO I HAVE A LOT MORE RESEARCH WORK TO DO ON THIS COUPLE.  YES!!

Here is a list of the documents I need for this couple.

• Birth records from Germany, possibly from a church parish or government record.
• Immigration records.  How about a passenger record?  I haven’t found one yet, but I’m still looking.  The 1900 census gives an immigration date of 1890 and lists John Doller as “na” meaning naturalized.  Naturalization papers can give parents names, exact places of birth and many other vital facts.  FYI – I have never obtained a naturalization record for any of my ancestors.  Do I want to?  Yes.
• Marriage record.   This couple probably married in Germany, since their son, Irven Doller, Sr. was born there in 1885.  I don’t know where and when the other children were born, except for Freada, who was born in Buffalo, New York.
• Death certificates.  New York is not known for having very many online records and has pretty much been a black hole for me on many ancestors.  However, I have just recently read about thousands more New York records coming online.  I am anxious for that.  The only other way I can obtain records is by getting microfilm from the FHL (Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah) and having it sent to our local FHC (Family History Center), or checking with our local center to see if they might already have the films on file.

Here are the burial records I obtained from the cemetery and pictures of John & Bertha’s headstone.  

Headstone for John & Bertha Doller - courtesy of Sandra Hudson

Burial cards for John & Bertha Doller - courtesy of Buffalo Cemetery, Cheektowaga, Erie, New York

What have I learned today from reviewing this couple?

I always like to ask myself that question.  Here is what I’ve learned today in just a very quick review of this couple, my husband’s great grandparents.

• That I need to go back to sites I have searched before, such as Ancestry.com or Family Search and see if new records have come online.
• That I should go to the FHL catalog and find out which microfilms contain the naturalization and/or death records I need.  Once I know the numbers, I can call or visit our local family history center.
• That in reviewing the 1900 census I had missed the notation that Bertha was the mother of 6 children, and only 2 were living when the census was taken.  If you look at the family view of this couple, I only have 5 children for them. 
• Look again for passenger records for this couple.  I’ll use Ancestry.com and Steve Morse’s site.  His site is a combination of several sites for passenger records.
• Look into obtaining naturalization records for John Doller.  Was Bertha also naturalized?  For this I’ll need to go to the National Archives & Records Administration site (NARA).  I’ll also check with the FHL catalog to see what they have.

I’m sure there are more things to do, and things I’ve missed. I will continue to review once I publish this post.

TIP:  Going over your information for either a couple or just one person, can certainly shed new light on where you are in your research.  It can give you new ideas and take you in directions you may have missed when you last visited.  Making a list of what you need to do is also a useful tool.

ATTENTION ANY DOLLER, KELLER OR FINK DESCENDANTS –  If you read this post and would like to share/exchange with me, I am greatly interested.  

Happy hunting and wish me luck,

Michigan girl,

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

TOP 100 GENEALOGY WEBSITES FOR 2014–According to GenealogyInTime Magazine

The top 100 genealogy websites for 2014, was published by GenealogyInTime Magazine Magazine, an online magazine.  Please visit their website (by clicking on their name)for a complete list and an explanation of how they compiled their list.  

Congratulations to the 4 blogs that made it onto this list:

11.  Eastman’s Newsletter by Dick Eastman http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/

63.  Canada’s Anglo-Celtic Connections by John D. Reid http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/

81.  Geneabloggers by Thomas McEntee http://geneabloggers.com/

89.  Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver http://www.geneamusings.com/

And the 3 software programs on the list are:

49. Legacy

Click here to go to the Legacy website

  

      


61.  RootsMagic   http://www.rootsmagic.com/

76.  Family Tree Maker  http://www.ancestry.com/cs/apps/P-5194?o_xid=57140&o_lid=57140&o_sch=Search

Good work by all.  Check the list for your favorite sites or to find new ones.  

Here is a portion of the profile of the GenealogyInTime Magazine as posted on their website
http://www.genealogyintime.com/about-us.html

 

  About Us

GenealogyInTime Magazine is the fifth largest free genealogy website in the world (according to Alexa the internet traffic source). People like our website because we are independent and we provide valuable, honest information. We are also much more than just an online magazine. We are a genealogy platform with tools and resources to help people find their ancestors.
It also helps that we are free.
Philosophy – We have a passion for genealogy and a determination to make it better. Our mission is to help people find their ancestors.
History – We launched our magazine in November 2008.
Newsletter - We offer a free weekly newsletter. Please read 7 Reasons to Subscribe to our Newsletter.
 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

A GREAT DISCOVERY YESTERDAY–ASK FOR HELP AND YOU MAY GET IT

Yesterday I decided to work on a particular branch of the family, the BOGGS line.  I began by looking at my 2nd great grandmother, Susan Caroline Boggs 1842-1913.  She’s the nearest Boggs to me, so it seemed a good place to begin.  I already know a lot about her, dates of birth & death, burial location, three marriages, nine children etc.  And have documentation for most of that information.

Here is a screen shot of the family.

Family Group Record for James Gillen Hunter

What do you suppose is the first thing I do?

I look over at her husband, my 2nd great grandfather, James Gillen HUNTER and see that I still don’t have a location for his death or his burial. 

I checked the sources I have attached to James and here is what I see.



You can see that my source for his death date is a handwritten family tree from my grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne.  That’s it.  That’s all I have for any reference to his death.  

NOTE:  My grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne, who is mentioned often in this blog, was also a genealogist.  She kept a LOT of records on the family.  We have found very few errors in her records.  She died in 1986.  Wouldn’t she just love to be here now and have all the online resources that we all have?

Here is a screenshot of her reference to James Gillen Hunter on her handwritten family tree.  You can clearly see she recorded his death date as 25 Aug 1884.



After reviewing this information, and for what reason, I don’t know, I clicked on his parents, Rev. Isaac C. Hunter & Emily Gillen.  They are my 3rd great grandparents.  

What do I see when I look at Emily Gillen?  

No date of death or burial location.  

Family Group Record for Emily Gillen

This lack of information on both Emily Gillen & James Gillen Hunter goes back a good 8-9 years.  I have hunted and I have searched, again and again.  Because these are my direct line ancestors it is very important to me to find out as much as I can about them.  

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?  WHAT DID I DO NEXT?

• I looked at all sources I had for Emily Gillen. 

• I reviewed those sources, just like I reviewed the sources for James Gillen Hunter.
• I conducted another search on both Ancestry.com and Family Search.  Nothing new found.
• What I didn’t do were any Google searches.  NOTE:  I should have, and that is a mistake.
• I decide that my next best move is to put this out there to my fellow researchers on a particular Facebook group I belong to.

TIP:  Facebook is a wonderful source for information and collaboration.  If you haven’t yet discovered the value of joining genealogy groups on the site, I urge you to do so.  You can find the groups by doing a search on Facebook for “genealogy,” entering the name of various counties or states you are researching, or find out from other genealogists how they use Facebook to assist their research.  I have been using the site for 6-7 years now for just that purpose.  Should that be a future post on my blog?  How to use Facebook?  Or do all of you already know?  I do know my readers are very smart.

• I belong to several county specific groups on Facebook.  In this case I decided to post my “problem” on The Lawrence Register group (Lawrence County, Ohio) for both James Hunter and Emily Gillen. And on the Boyd County, Kentucky Genealogy & History group for James only, as he was living in that county in 1880.

Here is the post I put on those group pages yesterday.

This post went on The Lawrence Register group page as both James Hunter & Emily Gillen lived in Lawrence County, Ohio at one time or another.

Problem: I need to find a death record and/or burial location for two people that I've been researching for 10 years. I've searched every kind of way on familysearch and Ancestry. No shaky leaves on Ancestry for them either. Hoping maybe someone out there can help. Here's the two that I need:
Emily/Emilia GILLEN born about 1810 in PA died after 1870 (last census I have for her) and she was in Illinois then. She was in Ohio in 1850 & 1860. First married Rev. Isaac C. HUNTER 1828 in Lawr Co. he died, then she married David POPE in 1846 in Columbus, OH (don't know what became of him), then she married Joel STOVER in 1858 in Lawr Co. He died after 1870 - nothing on him after that.

Second person - same problem - can't locate any death or burial records.

James Gillen HUNTER (son of the above Emily & her first husband), he was born 1832 in Ohio and died 25 Aug 1884. Where did he die? Where is he buried? He lived in Lawrence Co and then lastely in Covington, KY.
I've got census records, Civil War Draft Reg., marriage records etc. but no death or burial records for these two. Any suggestions, ideas or help welcome. Thanks in advance.

For the post on the Boyd County, Kentucky site I took out the information about Emily and only posted for James Hunter as he was the one who lived there.

These posts were put on the site at about noon yesterday, 17 Jan 2014.  I immediately began to get remarks from those I have known on the Lawrence Register site for many years.  A couple of people wished me luck.  Always good to know your friends are pulling for you.  But, then, within an hour of my post comes an entry from my cousin, Amy (a 4th cousin, once removed) who lives over in Denmark.  We have never met in person, but have been exchanging information online for several years.  She is a very good researcher and we have enjoyed sharing with one another.

This is what she wrote:
“Emily died on 6 Dec 1887 and is buried in Old Bethel Cemetery, Belmont, Wabash County, Illinois.”

What?  Where did this information come from?  Amy swears she told me this last year, but I don’t remember ever hearing it.  Was I busy at the time?  Did I miss her message?  I don't know.

The next entry from Amy was a link to Interment.net for Old Bethel Cemetery. (How nice was that?)



I immediately went to the site and scrolled down the page to the letter S.  I knew that Emily was married 3 times and her last husband’s name was Joel STOVER.  I certainly had searched under that name many times.  

Lo and behold here is what I found.



Can you see me doing my genealogy happy dance? 



Here is how Emily’s information on the Family View looks now.  Much better, don’t you think?



I still don’t have a death date or burial location for James Gillen Hunter.  But, that doesn’t mean I won’t find it or have someone share it with me.

I have created a memorial on FindAGrave.com for Emily (memorial #123610787) and requested a picture of her headstone, if there is one.

Next, I will try to locate a death certificate or record online, or send for one, so that I can verify the information posted on the cemetery website.

Now you know the story of how I found out when my 3rd great grandmother died and where she is buried.

Oh, and let’s review.  What was my original mission when I started yesterday?

       To research my Boggs line

Isn’t it funny how our paths can go off in a different direction?  Sometimes I feel bad about that and think that I’m not focused enough and should try to stay with my “mission.”  

LESSON LEARNED:  You never know where that other path may lead or what you will find.  As long as it ends with us knowing more about our ancestor than when we started, then it’s all worthwhile.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

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

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

SEMINARS, WEBINARS, SOCIETIES–WILL THEY HELP YOUR RESEARCH?

Yesterday I attended a genealogy seminar here in San Diego County.  This was not my first seminar, nor will it be my last.  This seminar was put on by the San Diego Genealogical Society, of which I am a member.  Our society has two seminars each year, one in January and one in September.

Our speaker yesterday was Lisa Louise Cooke who is the owner of Genealogy Gems, a genealogy and family history multi-media company.  She is the author of several books, hosts a genealogy podcast which is seen in countries around the world and is a recognized speaker.  She is engaging, energetic, funny and incredibly knowledgeable.  Instead of me telling you all about her, please go to her webpage and read all about her and her products.  http://lisalouisecooke.com/bio/ 

http://lisalouisecooke.com/lisa-louise-cookes-store/?slug=product_info.php&products_id=33

http://lisalouisecooke.com/lisa-louise-cookes-store/?slug=product_info.php&products_id=29

             

I am fortunate to live near a city with a large genealogical society and several other  good size societies in neighboring cities.  The advantage to that being the ability of the larger societies to host annual or bi-annual seminars with speakers who are very well known in the genealogical community.

This is not to say that smaller societies are in any way not as helpful or important.  They are very important.  In fact I encourage each of you to join your local genealogy society and societies in areas you are researching.  This not only shows support for the organizations, it also lets law makers and others get an idea of our numbers across the country and the world.  This gives us a bigger voice as laws change or are being changed.

Yesterdays seminar was very rewarding because I learned about many things I either didn’t know about or did not know “enough” about.

Here are a list of the four sessions Lisa shared with us.

1.  Get the scoop on Your Ancestors with Newspapers
2.  Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames
3.  Inspiring Ways to Captivate the Non-Genealogists in Your Life, including how to create a virtual tour using Google Earth.  

http://lisalouisecooke.com/lisa-louise-cookes-store/?slug=product_info.php&products_id=32

4.  What You Must Know to Save Your Research from Destruction

In each of these sessions I learned something I didn’t know before.  I learned about new ways to search, new websites to visit, great ways to share our work without getting “the look” from our family & friends and how to be sure all our work is not destroyed after we are gone.  

WHY I ATTEND SEMINARS, WEBINARS & MEETINGS

• To increase my knowledge and be a better researcher.
• To interact with other genealogists who can be valuable resources.
• To support the organizations that sponsor and put on the seminars
• To support the speakers who sometimes come from a long distance to share with us.
• Because I enjoy a day hanging out with other researchers. 

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, WILL THEY HELP YOUR RESEARCH?  YES! 

• Learn new research strategies
• Learn new websites to use - we can't possibly keep up with all the new sites coming online all the time
• Learn how other researchers knock down their brick walls
• Meet cousins you didn't know about
• Learn the history of the area you are researching
• And so many more...................

Can you think of societies, either genealogical or historical that you can support in your area?

Are there any seminars held in areas near you?

HEY!  How about a webinar?  That’s just a seminar held online.   Very helpful if you can’t get to a seminar in person.  

Need to see a list of webinars & online courses?  Cyndi’s List is a good source.
http://www.cyndislist.com/education/online-courses-and-webinars/

I’ve been doing genealogy research for over 10 years and one thing I know for sure is that there is always more to learn.  Whether you read a book, go to a society meeting or seminar, attend an online webinar, read a blog or meet with other genealogists, you WILL become a better researcher.

I do practice what I preach as I attend two seminars each year, go to monthly meetings, watch webinars, have read many books and belong to several organizations.
In fact, here is a list of the organizations I belong to.  I live in San Diego County, CA., but most of my research involves other areas.

• San Diego Genealogical Society
• Ohio Genealogical Society
• North San Diego County Genealogical Society
• Lawrence County Ohio Genealogical Society
• Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society
• Daughters of the American Revolution

I have, in the past, had membership in the Detroit Genealogical Society and the New England Historical Genealogical Society. 
Most organizations have newsletters or monthly or quarterly magazines, which can be very useful.

So, go out and mingle, join, attend, listen and LEARN.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

DISCLAIMER - I do not work for, nor am I affiliated with Lisa Louise Cooke.  I am receiving no remuneration for any items mentioned here.  I have included links so that you have easy access to some of the items I learned about yesterday.  I make no claim as to the any successes you may have or the quality of the items.  

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

SIBLING SATURDAY–THE HUNTER SISTERS

MEET THE HUNTER SISTERS

Back row – left to right – Grace Hunter 1874-1946, Daisy Dean Hunter 1876-1948, Ada Emily Hunter 1865-1949.

Front row – left to right – Estelle “Stella” M. Hunter 1867-1947, Florence Hunter 1860-1946 (my great grandmother) and Myra Hunter 1859-1938. 

There were also two brothers in the family, Clyde Hunter 1861-1901, and Raphael Hunter, 1871-1952.  Another sister, Lenorah Hunter 1863-1892 is not in the picture as we believe the photo was taken after her death.

These women are the children of James Gillen HUNTER 1832-1884 and Susan Caroline BOGGS 1842-1913.  This couple married in Lawrence County, Ohio on 29 Aug 1859.  The first five children were born in Lawrence County, Ohio.  The other four were born in Kentucky.  James Hunter was a Carpenter.  Sadly, he died in 1884, at the age of 52.  That left 8 of the 9 Hunter children still at home from ages 23 down to 8 years.  It certainly cannot have been easy for Susan with all those children to care for.  She didn’t remarry for 13 years.  

Marriage record for James G. Hunter & Susan C. Boggs

THE ORIGIN OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

I obtained this lovely 8 x 10 photograph from my cousin, Rick, in Michigan.  When I went back for a visit in 2007 he brought a box down from the attic that contained some items from our grandmother, Florence Bowden Milne.  Rick said he didn’t know who any of the women in the photograph were.  However, I immediately recognized our great grandmother, Florence Hunter, front row, center.  And, I also recognized two of her sisters, Ada & Myra, from other pictures I have.  Eventually I was able to correctly identify the other 3 sisters, Daisy, Stella & Grace. 

GREAT STORY ABOUT ASKING COUSINS FOR PHOTOS

Another cousin from this side of the family lives here in California.  We were talking on the phone and I mentioned that I had this particular picture of the Hunter sisters, one of which is her great grandmother.  She said “I have a photo of the six sisters also.”  She emailed her photo and I emailed her mine.  There were the sisters at the same sitting, only seated in a different order.  I’d love to show you the other photo here, but I haven’t asked permission.

THE STORY ABOUT THE TWO PHOTOS MADE IT INTO MAUREEN TAYLORS PHOTO DETECTIVE POSTING ON 1 DEC 2008.

Now this was exciting!  I read Maureen’s columns all the time and she is always asking for people to submit photos to her for dating and identifying.  She’s the author of several books about identifying photos (which I have in my library) and I love to read her articles.  When I submitted this photo and said I wanted to narrow down the date, she accepted it and wrote the following article.  I hadn’t been doing genealogy for very long, maybe 5 years, and this was exciting to me.  There was my family in an online article.  

Here is a link to that posting: http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/photodetectiveblog/default,month,2008-12.aspx   
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THIS LINK TO VIEW MAUREEN'S ENTRIES.  YOU CAN LEARN A LOT ABOUT PHOTO DATING BY READING HER MATERIAL.

HERE IS THE ENTRY FROM THAT WEB PAGE.

 

Since all of this occurred I have learned so much about the Hunter sisters and their families.  All the girls (except Lenorah) went on to marry and four of the six had children.  Of the two brothers, Clyde died in 1901 at the age of 40.  I never located any marriage records for him and in the 1900 census he is living with his sister, Myra, and her family, as a single man.  

The other brother, Ralph, married twice and had two children.  He first married Helena Hill and they divorced.  Next he married Lucy Della Siler.  

Of the four sisters who did have children, they had 12 between them.  I’ve had plenty of descendants to follow up on and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about this family.

A couple more pictures of the ladies in this family:

Florence, Myra & Ada Hunter circa 1910

Four generations

In the picture above are, standing left to right, Florence Hunter Bowden Bell (my great grandmother), Florence Bowden Milne, (my grandmother) and seated is the mother of all the HUNTER children Susan Caroline Boggs Hunter with Dorothy Milne, her great granddaughter in her lap - 1907    

Here is a quick listing of the family:

James Gillen Hunter married Susan Caroline Boggs on 29 Aug 1859 in Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Here are all the children born to that union.

1.  Myra Hunter married Jacob Seigle 6 Oct 1880, probably in Ohio
     Children: Grace 1882-1882, Mary Ada 1883-1939, Arthur George 1889-1936
2.  Clyde Hunter 1861-1901
3.  Lenorah Hunter 1863-1892
4.  Ada Emily Hunter married William James King 26 Nov 1884 in Lawrence Co., OH
    Children: Charles Louis 1886-1961, Joseph Edward 1889-1974, William Albert 1891 – ?  Grace Leona 1896-1990, Unknown child born bet 1900-1910, Edith Lucille 1900-1976
5.  Estella “Stella” M. Hunter married 1st Leon R. Leigh 28 May 1893 in Cook Co., Illinois, married 2nd William J. Ferguson 27 Aug 1901 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, married 3rd Albert Frederick Pfeiffer 18 Dec 1913 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois.
    Children: Albert Herman Pfeiffer 1910-1979
6.  Florence Hunter married 1st Robert Lee Bowden 10 Mar 1887 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio.  They divorced in 17 Jul 1899.  She then married George Keatley Bell on 16 Oct 1904.
   Children: Florence Lenora Bowden 1888-1986, Edna Mabel Bowden 1890-1932
7.  Raphael Hunter married 1st Helena Hill 25 Jun 1901, they divorced.  Married 2nd Lucy Della Siler 15 Apr 1916 in Jackson, Madison, Tennessee
    Children: Joseph Jackson 1913-1938, Helen Marian 1917-1994
8.  Grace Hunter married 1st Charles Henry Fenner on 16 May 1891 in Belmont Co., Ohio.  He died and she later married John A. Jenkins.  She had no children.
9.  Daisy Dean Hunter married George A. Skinner bet 1900-1910.  She had no children.

There is my Mother’s mother’s family.  If you are related to or researching anyone listed here or anyone descended from these families, please contact me.  There is still a lot I don’t know about them and I would love to exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl  

Copyright © 2014 Diane Gould Hall