Ancestor Archaeology: Family History

Showing posts with label Family History. Show all posts

Sunday, February 13, 2022

The Czachorowskys | From Prussia to Chicago, in Summary

The Czachorowskys are a conundrum. They seem to simply 'appear' in Chicago around 1868. Claiming to be from Prussia I have yet to determine their actual origins. Or their point of entry into the United States. Or why they chose Chicago. As I set out to research one family I discovered others. Curiosity getting the best of me, this turned into the study of five Czachorowsky families living in Chicago c. 1870. It is my hope with this series to make some discoveries to either link these families together, or prove they are not related. This is a real-time research project, I have not worked on this cluster before. I plan to share my discoveries and my frustrations in hopes that more eyes on the evidence will result in some sound conclusions. Join me as I explore these families, maybe we'll make some discoveries together!

What a ride. What started out as simply a hand drawn family tree and some scribbled notes from an almost forgotten conversation decades ago, we have come to discover the identity of our original subject and prove the suspected relationship between most of the other subjects of our study. DNA doesn't always work out this well. I'm still hoping for a breakthrough like this one on my own Paternal line.

Knowing our family came from Poland will help in uncovering additional records, if they exist.

We learned the sad fate of Leo. Perhaps you can now understand the reason I took some time to process that before I shared it with you. I still wish I knew why.

Since my original posts on Bernard, Anton and Pauline I have found a few additional bits of information. And one more thing on Leo. My fifth subject, Frank, I am almost certain turned out to be Anton's eldest son. Working for a few years as a clerk and living with his half uncle (is that a thing?). Since learning of the Zaremba family I was able to look up 'Uncle Frank' in the city directory, he was living at the same address as our mystery Frank.

So to bring this research up to date, and close the chapter, for now, let me fill you in on what else I have learned.

First up Bernard. I was unsure as to the actual identity of "Mena". Well, I did manage to find the pair again in the 1880 census under the last name "Shofroski". I learned he was married and that Mena was his wife.

While I have yet to discover the full identity of his wife or the actual marriage date, I did find her death date and the location of her burial. She died April 16, 1893 at the age of 48 and is buried in St Marys Cemetery in Evergreen Park. No maiden name was given on the death certificate, unfortunately.

A little more on Anton. In digging deeper into the actual location he said he was from before emigrating, Neu Szwederowo. The Wikipedia page on Szwederowo District explains a lot. Scrolling down to the Prussian Period information I learned that where he was from was more of a neighborhood, a very specific place near what was then Bromberg. It is approximately 82 kilometers from Nowe, an easy half day's travel by horse, and many people of the time were locating there for the promise of jobs. I also found the record of his marriage on FamilySearch. He married in Neuenburg on March 18th 1859. Hardly enough time for him to travel to America in the Summer of 1858 and back again in time to wed. (Which leads me to believe it was Leo that came over with his mother, not Anton)

Dziennik Chicagoski 29 Mar 1898

The one more thing on Leo was this report of his death. It's pretty descriptive. I will let you translate it, if you choose. It was in the Polish-American paper Dziennik Chicagoski the day after he died.

A few more odds and ends. I found a brother for Julianna Pior Ciachorowski Zaremba, Andreas. I have not researched him, but did find a mention of our Bernard in one Carl Pior's will in Chicago. A wee bit of sideways research - by no means complete - led me to conclude that Carl is most likely Andreas' son, Julianna was his aunt and Bernard, his cousin. Bonus, I have a DNA match to that family with our own Ciachorowski clan.

Always more to research!

I have put this all together in a Public Tree on Ancestry, search for Czachorowscy from Poland to America. I have a few more Ciachorowski marriages there and hope to expand the Polish research from that tree. Also, you can see where Carl Pior fits into the whole thing.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey of discovery. It's been fun; exciting, sad, exhilarating. We've learned so much yet there is always more to learn. As I uncover more I will pop in from time to time and update you on my new findings. Until then .....

Happy hunting!

catch up with all the posts here:

INTRO - 1870 to 1880 - 1880 to 1890 - 1890 to 1900 - Bernard - Anton - Pauline - The Lost Years - Leo - Fortune Smiled

Sunday, February 6, 2022

The Czachorowskys | From Prussia to Chicago: Fortune Smiled

The Czachorowskys are a conundrum. They seem to simply 'appear' in Chicago around 1868. Claiming to be from Prussia I have yet to determine their actual origins. Or their point of entry into the United States. Or why they chose Chicago. As I set out to research one family I discovered others. Curiosity getting the best of me, this turned into the study of five Czachorowsky families living in Chicago c. 1870. It is my hope with this series to make some discoveries to either link these families together, or prove they are not related. This is a real-time research project, I have not worked on this cluster before. I plan to share my discoveries and my frustrations in hopes that more eyes on the evidence will result in some sound conclusions. Join me as I explore these families, maybe we'll make some discoveries together!

It was January 26, 2020 and I had a date with destiny but I didn't know it quite yet. I opened my email to find a subject line titled "DNA test common ancestors". OK. I'll bite. These type of inquiries almost never pan out, but I always follow up, one never knows. It read:

"Hello, my name is (redacted) Ciachorowski. I have just carried out (redacted) DNA tests and the results showed that we had common ancestors relatively recently. My family comes from the north of Poland, which was under German occupation in the 19th century. The same blood flows within us. Regards."

Chills ran through me as I read the message.

Of course I logged into the DNA test site the author was referring to - immediately, looked up matches to my Czachorowsky and ... THERE. IT. WAS.

Genetic Distance: EXACT MATCH

Exact match?! That NEVER happens! Not like this! Not from half way around the world. So may questions; so, so many questions. I wrote back to my new best friend begging for any scraps that might be thrown my way. Starving for the common knowledge so long lost as the generations migrated far from their homeland. A homeland I might soon discover!

The wait was long. I checked my email every day, sometimes every hour.

Finally, May 20th 2020 I got a response. And an introduction to a professor who does Czachorowsky research at a University in Poland. He did some digging for me, didn't turn up much, but I received an extensive history on the origins of the surname Czachorowsky. Very interesting! (A separate post at a later date, perhaps) My new friend and actual blood relative was however very, very helpful. I shared what I had, and where my trail went cold back in 1867 when my original immigrant (and now DNA match) L. F. Czachorowsky had showed up in Chicago Illinois. Didn't take long for my friend to uncover some gold. Within a week I had a full given name, a place of birth, a homeland, parents, grandparents - and, oh my gosh, they were all related! Leo, Bernhard, Anton and Pauline! Siblings! And there were more! I was also enlightened as to the long held confusion in the family on the town and country of origin. So much to process! Where to begin?

`Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely,

`and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'

Well. Okay. How about first things first? How did our man Leo supposedly come from Germany (Nurnburg by family lore) but the direct DNA match has deep roots in Poland? Simple answer. Smack your forehead answer. The town today is known as Nowe. But in the 1850's it had a different name - Neuenburg! (Did you smack your forehead?)

Here is the wiki article:
In 1772, after the First Partition of Poland, the town, as Neuenburg, was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and was subject to Germanisation policies, however, in the late 19th century it was still mainly populated by Poles.

Okay, now just wait a minute here. That looks real similar to the map of where Anton said he lived before emigrating. Real similar. (Hiding in plain sight, man oh man) I have said on more than one occasion that I really, really need one of those giant boards you see on detective shows. You know the ones. Where all the facts are pasted up and there is string running here and there. ...And a time machine. Always a time machine. Well ....

Things just might be coming together! Fortune is indeed smiling on this!

Now, about those parents. Yes indeed. My friend found a document listing the underage children in the death record of the father. They were all there - Bernhard, Anton, Pauline, Leo. How did he know he had the correct family? Remember he was working his end to put the DNA match together too. He had everyone accounted for in his line except for one man. Yep. The man in the death record! I'm sure he was as excited as I was to link it all together.

This is what he wrote: I promised that I would translate the document which is a death certificate of Jan (German: Johann, Eng. John ) Ciachorowski who died on April 3 and was buried on April 7, 1845. He lived in Nowe on the Vistula River (German: Neuenburg). The profession was probably written under the name, but it is unreadable. It is known that he died at 2 hours, but I can not read whether at night or during the day. At the time of death he was 46 years old. The cause of death is illegible to me as well. The deceased left his wife Julianna Pioro and 5 children: Bernhard 12 years old, Anton 10 years old, Pauline 7 years old, Caroline 6 years old and Felix Leo (age is not given). That's all I could read from this document.

First. OMG! Second .... FELIX Leo?! Third .... ~~Aloysius~~. Comparing the written number after Aloysius to others on the page it appears to be a 2. Could Felix Leo and Aloysius be the same boy? The age is right. Digging in the database of the Polish Genealogy Society (link thanks to my new bff) I was able to find an indexed entry for a child born to Johann and Julianna in 1843 with no first name given. Bernhard, Anton and Paulina were all there, as well as other siblings, but this child had no name. Curious.

Leo's (and Bernhard and Anton and Paulina's) father had died when they were very young. Their mother had remarried the following year to a boy from Neuenburg several years younger than herself named Jacob Saremba. Most of the children, sadly, appear to have died young, but the four that came to Chicago came as soon as they were old enough to leave home.

Now this is where I thought the trail had run cold. I had been butting heads with the Polish records looking for clues to no avail. Then, for some unexplained reason I decided to do my very favorite thing - - sideways research! I decided to try to look for Julianna.

WARNING!! Rabbit Hole Approaching!

I jumped over to FamilySearch and entered "Julianna Pior, Neuenburg, Prussia" into the search box. The Heavens opened up and I heard Angels sing .... well maybe not, but I did find the puzzle piece I was searching for. Thank you FamilySearch! I can't tell you exactly how it happened, it seems it was fast and frenzied. The second entry that popped up was a death listing for a child named Theodor Zaremba. "Z" not "S". Promising to return to FamilySearch to look at the rest of the gold I had uncovered, I headed over to Ancestry, changed the spelling of Jacob's surname and just guess what happened? Guess! A hint! And not any old hint, mind you. A will! Guess where it was? Chicago! Guess who the executor was? Anton! That lead me to the Hamburg Passenger Lists -

it listed Jacob, Julianna, Caroline (I wondered what had happened to her) A Franz, Johann and ..... Anton???? Where's Leo? (see, fast and frenzied)

Sunday, January 30, 2022

The Czachorowskys | From Prussia to Chicago: Leo F Czachorowsky

The Czachorowskys are a conundrum. They seem to simply 'appear' in Chicago around 1868. Claiming to be from Prussia I have yet to determine their actual origins. Or their point of entry into the United States. Or why they chose Chicago. As I set out to research one family I discovered others. Curiosity getting the best of me, this turned into the study of five Czachorowsky families living in Chicago c. 1870. It is my hope with this series to make some discoveries to either link these families together, or prove they are not related. This is a real-time research project, I have not worked on this cluster before. I plan to share my discoveries and my frustrations in hopes that more eyes on the evidence will result in some sound conclusions. Join me as I explore these families, maybe we'll make some discoveries together!

LEO F CZACHOROWSKY 1843 ~ 1898

his life and times

We've learned much about Leo through the chronicling of these families. His life is interwoven with the other Czachorowskys in our study. He was the catalyst for the whole investigation which has taken us on an interesting journey some 120 years after he walked the streets of Chicago. Still, we know so little and all we have to tell his tale are the written records left behind. The telling of Leo's life story must be told parallel to his wife. For unlike so many women of the day, Mary was a constant in the surviving records; we actually learn more about Leo by looking into Mary!

Leo first appeared in Chicago in 1868, residing on S. Jefferson St. He is a boarder with his employer, Adolph Huebner, grocer. His age is estimated to be 24 years old. Had he recently arrived or was this just the first we see of him? Like the rest of the Czachorowskys in this study, Leo proves somewhat elusive in the records. He has not been found in any immigration records to date. He managed to evade the 1870 census taker but is found in the Chicago City Directories regularly.

14 Jan 1869 Marriage Entry

Leo married Maria (Mary) Yung on January 14, 1869 at St Francis of Assisi Parish on Roosevelt Rd in Chicago. Those unindexed Chicago Catholic Church records really came through! Leo did not, as family lore reported, marry in West Prussia. Their first child, daughter Maria Anna (Anna), was born on June 24th of the same year. (Thank you Catholic Church records!)

The next time we see Leo is in early 1871, he is residing at 425 S Canal St, a two story frame house, with his wife. City directories list him as a clerk and his wife, Mary, as a dressmaker and milliner. A quick check of earlier editions of the directory prove that this was Mary's home before she married Leo, having resided at the address as early as 1864. Mary had immigrated from Germany in 1861 with her widowed mother, three sisters and a brother. By this time Leo was father to two small children; a son, Francis (Frank), had been born to them in January of that year.

the Czachorowsky home
and the path of the fire

October 1871. An unseasonably warm, dry fall had created the ideal conditions for the tragedy. Everyone knows the story. A simple Google search will get you hours of fascinating reading. Leo and Mary LIVED it. The Great Chicago Fire. With two small children and a business on the edge of the inferno. The wind blew towards their home, bringing smoke, dust and ash; I can only imagine the terror. Looking at the maps of the burned area, it appears as though the fire might have literally gone around their home, sparing them; miraculously.

Leo appeared to wear many hats in his working life. Was he restless? Struggling to support his family? He was sometimes a grocer, sometimes a clerk and sometimes a milliner. Some years there was no profession listed for Leo, but Mary continued to be the steady breadwinner; running her seamstress and dressmaker business even while raising a family.

Life in the nineteenth century was hard in more ways than one. Epidemics and disease plagued the lives of the citizens. Cholera, diphtheria, whooping cough, scarlet fever and small pox all took their toll on families in the last half of the century. For immigrants discovering their way in a new homeland it may have been doubly difficult. As Leo and Mary rebuilt their life following the Great Fire, their household might have been visited by one or more of these childhood killers.

In May of 1873 the family welcomed baby Julia to the family, but in August of 1874 sadly, they buried her at St Boniface cemetery.

Baby Helena came along in January of 1875, joining brother Frank and sister Anna. Leo was working as a grocer, the family still resided at the Canal St address.

Another daughter, Maria Scholastica (Marie), was born into the family in January of 1877. Leo was working as a conductor that year. He now had four babies and a wife to support. Sadly, tragedy struck once again and the family buried little Helena in March alongside her sister at St Boniface cemetery. In April Leo ran for constable of the 12th ward on the democratic ticket, but I do not think he won.

The diseases that plagued Chicago in the late 1870s and early 1880s were ever-present and I would imagine took their toll on the daily lives and mental health of the citizenry. You can get a feel for their day-to-day lives here.

Leo appears to have steady work as a grocer between 1878 and 1882. He may have run the grocery out of the Canal St address. Perhaps he found his niche. Two more children were born into the family between 1879 and 1881 bringing the number of children to five.

In 1883 Leo was sued by Steele, Wedeles & Co (wholesale grocers) for $1,500. (approx. $41,406.00 in today's money) Maybe the grocery business didn't work out as he had hoped. The family moved to S. Halstead St. and Leo was now working as an insurance agent. Mary continued her millinery business and had written her will, giving the house and property on Canal street to her five children, excluding Leo.

Leo was working as a driver in 1884, I'm unclear as to exactly what this might have been. He may have been a livery driver, a coachman or similar, perhaps even a cattle driver at the stockyards.

Between the years of 1885 and 1887 Leo had no listed occupation, Mary continued to steadily work as a milliner and seamstress. Did Leo struggle? It was a blessing the family had Mary and her skilled sewing to help through the lean times.

Chicago continued to grow and a new type of building, the skyscraper, was built. It was the world's first! The Home Insurance Building took two years to construct and was ten stories tall. I imagine it was quite the topic of conversation around town. And quite a lot of change in a short period of time. In 1860 the population of Chicago was 100,000, in 1870 it had grown to 300,000 and by 1880 more than 500,000 people called the city home.

1886 brought a time of unrest within the labor force. The Haymarket Riot and it's aftermath shone a distrustful eye on all of German heritage. Times might have been especially difficult for the Czachorowskys at this period, and could explain, partly, why Leo may have been having trouble finding steady work.

Leo faces more difficulty in the form of another lawsuit in March of 1888. He is again sued by Steele, Wedeles & Co (wholesale grocers). This time for $1,130.51. (about $33,165.50 in today's money) Was this a balance owed from the previous lawsuit? Or a new lawsuit? At any rate the family returns to Canal St and Leo returns to work as an Insurance Agent.

1890 finds Leo employed by the City as a inspector for the Water Department.

1891 and Leo is back at the insurance game.

The family moves again in 1892. A fine brick home on Hermitage Av. Leo continues to sell insurance. (Maybe this one will stick ...) Mary appears to have retired.

The World's Columbian Exposition opened in the spring of 1893 and hosted more than 27 million visitors before it was abruptly ended after the assassination of the Mayor of Chicago two days before closing ceremonies. I would hope that Leo and his family spent a day or two immersed in what was becoming known as American Exceptionalism, however 1893 also brought the beginning of several years of deep economic depression. Chicago might not have felt the effects at first, with the Exposition bringing money and work to the city, but the years that followed certainly had their share of struggle and hardship for all Americans.

1896 appeared full of promise for the Czachorowskys. At least on the surface. Not one, but two marriage celebrations were underway in the family. First, son Frank married Bertha Mueller at Holy Trinity Parish on Wolcott Av on January 29. Then, daughter Anna married Frank Weyl on April 21, also at Holy Trinity Parish on Wolcott Av (Maybe. The marriage license was issued and the names entered into the church log, but the record was never filled in by the priest. Were they married at City Hall instead?)

Curious.

Incidentally, 1896 is also the last year that Leo is found in the City directories. And more globally, people were still feeling the effects of a continued economic depression that had started as early as 1873. Another struggle for Leo? Or had the insurance business actually been profitable, finally? They remained residing in the house on Hermitage Av.

Anna and husband Frank give Leo and Mary their first grandchild, a girl named Celestine, in April of 1897. Brother Frank and his wife Bertha weren't far behind, they presented the first grandson, a boy named Roy Leo, born in January of 1898. By all appearances life is good. The children are growing with families of their own. Becoming adults, with hopes and plans for their futures. Life goes on.....

.....Monday evening, March 28, 1898. One shot fired. "The said Leo F Czachorowsky now lying dead at 488 S Hermitage Av in said City of Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois, came to his death on the 28th day of March AD 1898 from shooting himself in the right temple with a revolver with suicidal intentions while temporarily insane at 488 S Hermitage Av on March 28th AD 1898"

There was a coroner's inquest on the 29th. Mary was the witness. Following the conclusion of the inquest the property found at the scene: 1 Revolver, 4 cartridges, 1 shell, were returned to son Frank.

It appears there was no funeral. And no explanation as to why Leo left this life so abruptly. A burial permit was issued and Leo Czachorowsky was laid to rest in St Boniface Cemetery with his infant daughters.

Mary moved to Myrtle St with her three teenaged children soon after the incident. She remained there until her death in 1901.

GENEALOGY**

Leo F Czachorowsky b. 14 Nov 1843 Prussia

d. 28 Mar 1898 Chicago

m. 14 Jan 1869 Maria Yung Chicago

children include:

Maria Anna "Anna" b. 24 Jun 1869 Chicago d. 19 Jun 1952 Washington DC m. 21 Apr 1890 to Frank Weyl
Francis Leo "Frank" b. 29 Jan 1871 Chicago d. 9 Jan 1911 Chicago m. 29 Jan 1896 to Bertha Odile Mueller
Julia Emilia b. 29 May 1873 Chicago d. 10 Aug 1874 Chicago
Helena b. 16 Jan 1875 Chicago d. 17 Mar 1877 Chicago
Maria Scholastica "Marie" b. 12 Jan 1877 Chicago d. 30 Jan 1955 Chicago m. 26 Nov 1901 to George A Boerste
Leo Bernhard "Leo" b. 11 Nov 1879 Chicago d. 4 Sep 1955 Oak Park IL m. 12 Feb 1905 to Adele Konz
Eva Clara "Clara" b. 9 Nov 1881 Chicago d. 17 Feb 1971 Los Angeles CA m. 10 Jun 1916 Clyde B Longsworth

**Note on the children's names. The hand drawn family tree and the transcript of Mary's will that I was able to find do not match entirely with the original baptismal records. I have chosen to present the baptismal given names in this document as they are taken from an original. Too many unknowns remain unanswered with the will transcript. Could Mary write? If not, who wrote out the will? Did she speak with a heavy accent? Could she speak English, or did she vacillate between German and English? Names sound different spoken in different languages.**

Oh, for a time machine ......

until next time .............

catch up with all the posts here:

INTRO - 1870 to 1880 - 1880 to 1890 - 1890 to 1900 - Bernard - Anton - Pauline

*images courtesy of University of Chicago Library's Map Collection, Encyclopedia of Chicago, FamilySearch, Newspapers.com

Sunday, January 16, 2022

The Czachorowskys | From Prussia to Chicago: The Lost Years

The Czachorowskys are a conundrum. They seem to simply 'appear' in Chicago around 1868. Claiming to be from Prussia I have yet to determine their actual origins. Or their point of entry into the United States. Or why they chose Chicago. As I set out to research one family I discovered others. Curiosity getting the best of me, this turned into the study of five Czachorowsky families living in Chicago c. 1870. It is my hope with this series to make some discoveries to either link these families together, or prove they are not related. This is a real-time research project, I have not worked on this cluster before. I plan to share my discoveries and my frustrations in hopes that more eyes on the evidence will result in some sound conclusions. Join me as I explore these families, maybe we'll make some discoveries together!

"Ah, now, don't cry over lost years and forgetfulness. The tales tell what they can. The rest is for us to learn." ~ Shannon Hale

THE LOST YEARS. Not the Czachorowskys, no. Mine. It's been nearly five years since I published the previous chapter of this ongoing tale. And it was by no means the final chapter! No. No, no. I made an uncomfortable discovery prior to telling you about our third suspected brother, it happens. Genealogists and Family Historians uncover lost truths and skeletons often. Doesn't mean it's comfortable. I come to know these people, care about them, feel their joys and their sorrows. Out of respect I took a step back, needing time to sit with my new information; hold the truth to my heart, really think about how to present it to you with love and respect.

Meanwhile, life goes on, the world keeps on spinning, and each day brings something new and sometimes serendipitously unexpected. That happened. And it ties this whole narrative together. I've kept that bit to myself for a long while too, the Covid-19 Pandemic took a front burner for me and my family for most of 2020 and 2021, but it's time to start the tale up again. Wrap this story up. Yes, it is a never ending story, as all family stories are, but there is a point in the past where the sands of time erase all trace and the trail becomes untrackable. Let's take this to that point, shall we?

It's time.............

catch up with all the posts here:

INTRO - 1870 to 1880 - 1880 to 1890 - 1890 to 1900 - Bernard - Anton - Pauline

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Book Of The Week: Genealogy of the Dutton Family of Pennsylvania

Genealogy of the Dutton Family of Pennsylvania,

Preceded by a History of the Family

in England from the Time of

William the Conqueror to the Year 1669:

with an Appendix Containing a Short Account

of the Duttons of Conn

Gilbert Cope, 1871 - Digital images - 112 pages

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Book Of The Week: A Genealogical and Historical Record of the Descendants of John Pease, Sen

A Genealogical and Historical

Record of the Descendants

of John Pease, Sen

S. Bowles, 1869 - 401 pages

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Book Of The Week: Genealogy of the Lewis Family in America

Genealogy of the Lewis Family in America:

From the Middle of the Seventeenth Century

Down to the Present Time,

Volume 1

William Terrell Lewis

Courier-journal job printing Company, 1893 - Doyle Collection - 454 pages

"Chiefly a record of some of the descendants of John Lewis. He was born in Donegal County, Ireland 1678 to Andrew Lewis and Mary Calhoun. He married Margaret Lynn. He died in Virginia 1 Feb 1762. They were the parents of seven children."

Monday, January 8, 2018

Brick Wall Ancestor | #9 Martha McBride {part 1}

We all have them! Those stubborn ancestors that refuse to come out of hiding. No matter how much coaxing we do! Well, I think it's time to bring them out of the shadows - put their redacted story out there - another piece of the puzzle could be lurking just around the (cyber) corner, in someone's basement, or closet, or sitting in a box on a bookshelf ...... You never, ever know where that loose chink will manifest, the one that allows you to push out one brick, then the next. Food for thought. So without further ado....

Brick Wall Ancestor | #9 Martha McBride part 1

Martha is my 3rd great grandmother. I've written about her before. I presented a sketch of her life, as I could suss out, for my 52 Ancestors project. You can read it here. I called it "Invisible Wife" and she still is! I have not learned more about Martha since that time. But I have a (wild) theory or two ......

The portion of New York state that Martha and family resided in began as Ulster County, was annexed to Orange County in 1798 and further added to the new Sullivan County in 1809. The land and the town names remained the same, only the county changed. Because, fun!

Martha was born about 1789/90, deduced from the recording of her death as "taking place about Christmas time, 1845, when she was probably fifty six years old" (from FindAGrave and other histories) Martha married her husband James Faulkner near Wallkill, Orange Co (previously Ulster Co), New York most likely, as James and family are documented in Wallkill, Ulster/Orange/Sullivan Co, New York as land owners and residents; James being a prominent citizen within the community. The Faulkners were long-standing Presbyterians and many held positions within the church. Other Faulkner men and women married other McBride men and women around the same time as James Faulkner married Martha McBride.

In 1790 there were only three male heads of household in all of Ulster Co, New York, where Martha was presumed to have been born. Archibald McBride (resides: Mamakating: 3 males under 16, 2 males 16 and over, 4 females any age), James McBride (resides: Montgomery: 3 males under 16, 1 male 16 and over, 3 females any age, 3 slaves) and John McBride (resides: Montgomery: 1 male under 16, 1 male 16 and over, 2 females any age) The 1790 census is really disappointing as it lists only the total number of females in the household, these records reflect the possibility of Martha being in the household of any of these men. So lots of speculation there!

The author of the Bull Family genealogy book theorized that these three men were brothers, their father being James McBride Sr, who came to the area from Ireland about 1728; so which James is on the census? Both James Sr and James Jr were alive in 1790 and residing in Ulster Co. according to this author. I have not found any further documentation to prove/disprove this and surmise there was some confusion interpreting the death records (fodder for a future post)

More digging revealed that James McBride Jr had been married twice. First, to Martha Hill in 1778, who died in 1790 one month prior to the census being taken. The couple could have had at least 5 children together. James remarried in 1792 to Sarah Eager and had at least 3 children with her before he died in 1798. He is buried in Goodwill Cemetery in Montgomery, Orange Co, New York. He will not appear on any future census.

The 1800 census is a little better, but just as speculative. This census again lists three McBride heads of household but this time Sarah (resides: Montgomery: 1 male under 10, 1 female under 10, 1 females 26 thru 44), James (resides: Montgomery: 2 males under 10, 1 male 16 thru 25, 1 female 16 thru 25, 1 female 26 thru 44) and Archibald (resides: Wallkill: 1 male under 10, 1 male 26 thru 44, 1 female 26 thru 44) appear. Well we know James Jr died in 1798 and the age of the household members does not line up for James Sr, so there might be a son we don't know of yet. Same for Sarah. Sarah McBride was James Jr's second wife and was certainly alive in 1800, but her household only lists two young children, one male and one female. Sarah and James had one daughter and two sons who grew to adulthood, so either one son was not counted or this is not the correct Sarah. That leaves John. The John McBride household could have contained the two children, based on the tally from the 1790 census. Could John have married a Sarah? Could John have died prior to 1800? As for Archibald, the only female listed in 1800 was 26 to 44 years old. Is this the correct Archibald or could this be a son? In that case, where is Archibald from 1790? (put a pin in that)

Other tidbits.

Only James McBride Jr is known to be the son of James Sr. Interestingly, James Jr named his first born son Archibald. Archibald I, James' son (and possibly Martha's brother) married Susan Faulkner, a first cousin of Martha's husband James Faulkner.

It is known that James McBride Jr was a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Goshen. His marriage records can be found on Ancestry dot com. Martha McBride and her husband James Faulkner were Presbyterians.

Oddly, a descendant of Archibald McBride (possible brother of James and John) is a 5th to 8th cousin DNA match with myself and one of my siblings. That would work out to James McBride Sr being our MRCA. (put a pin in that)

Are you taking notes? It gets mighty confusing! Perhaps a flow-chart might help?

A Venn diagram?

A giant detective board with pushpins and string?

So here's my first (wild) theory. I call it the Theory of James. Looking at the paltry information available, and this in NO WAY concludes anything, this theory postulates that Martha belongs in the James McBride Jr household. Her mother would then have been Martha Hill. Martha Hill died in 1790. Martha McBride was born in 1789 or 1790. Could Martha Hill have died in childbirth? Could James McBride have named his newborn daughter after her deceased mother?

This theory asks the additional questions: where is 10 year old Martha in 1800? Could she be living with other relatives? Grandparents? Aunt or Uncle? In this theory her father died in 1798, leaving her with a step-mother who had three small children of her own to deal with.

So much fuzzy information. Just enough to get one in trouble should one choose to take a hunch and run with it. (don't) Kind of like playing a 230 year old game of 'telephone', the whispers of hazy evidence floating up to confound and confuse.

So, just who WAS Martha McBride's father? And where was she born? And when?

Stay tuned for wild theory #2 ......

©2018 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Monday, December 4, 2017

Brick Wall Ancestor | #8 Jesse Thomas Sr

In March 1820 Jesse and Rebecah request removal from their Fallowfield Monthly Meeting in Chester Co, PA to join the Stillwater Monthly Meeting in Washington Co, OH. Did they actually live in Ohio at the time of the request?

I did find a Jesse Thomas on the 1840 US Census in Washington Co, OH, the household includes one male aged 50 thru 59, two males 10 thru 14, one female 50 thru 59, two females 20 thru 29 and two females 15 thru 19.

According to Quaker records Jesse died February 20th 1842 at Plymouth, Washington Co, OH. Aged 55.

End of story.

That's one HUGE brick wall!

GENEALOGY

Jesse Thomas b. say 1786 d. 20 Feb 1842 m. say 1808 Rebecah Hampton, daughter of Jonathan Hampton and Elizabeth Phillips, b. 12 May 1790 d. 20 Dec 1850

children:

Elizabeth Thomas b. 1 Jan 1810 PA d. UNK
Sarah Thomas b. 17 Apr 1811 PA d. UNK
Mary Ann Thomas b. 7 Mar 1813 PA d. UNK m. Walter Stanley
Joseph Thomas b. 5 Dec 1814 PA d. UNK m. Mary G Parker
Debora Thomas b. 27 Mar 1817 PA d. UNK m. Josiah Walton
Philena Thomas b. 9 Oct 1819 PA d. 22 Jan 1894 m. Seth Williams
Joanna Thomas b. 23 Jan 1822 OH d. UNK
Jonathan H Thomas b. 25 Mar 1824 OH d. UNK m. Hannah E Henry
Eli Thomas b. 19 May 1826 OH d. 18 Nov 1855 m. Adeline McConnell
Jesse Thomas Jr b. 28 Jul 1828 OH d. 19 Sep 1907 m. Joanna Bell Stanley
David Thomas b. 26 Jun 1831 OH d. 11 Apr 1832

There were 30 'Thomas' heads of household in Chester County PA on the 1800 census, nine with a male child between the age of 10 and 15. Family tradition says the Thomas family was of Welsh origin. Was Jesse born in PA or did he immigrate as a child or young adult? Was Jesse's family Quaker? Or did Jesse join the faith upon his marriage to Rebecah?

As is typical, more questions than answers.

And the answers are out there ...... somewhere.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Brick Wall Ancestor | #7 David M Whitford

Courtesy FamilySearch

The couple's first four children were born in Medina Co, Ohio, where David was a prominent lawyer.

In 1837 David bought 80 acres of government land in Hillsdale Co, Michigan and removed with his family to settle new territory. He brought with him a substantial sum of money to help until he could get himself established in the new state.

Courtesy BLM/GLO

Their next seven children were all born in Michigan.

In 1849 the family, or some of it, was residing in Niles, Berrien Co, MI. David (incorrectly noted as E.M) and Elizabeth (Betsey) are witnesses to their daughter Jane's wedding.

Courtesy FamilySearch

Things took a very bad turn for the family around 1850 when Betsey and two of the daughters were living in a poor house in Ottawa, LaSalle Co, Illinois while David and two sons were living with the family of Nathan Lease (Betsey's brother) in Richland Co, Illinois, over 200 miles away.

The thirteenth and final child of the couple was born in Alton, Illinois in 1852.

This was where the trail ended for quite some time. I wasn't even sure I had the right family, as broken as it was, in 1850.

Then one day, for some unknown reason, by some unknown hand, I was guided to a sketch in a history book. My mind was literally blown. (This is where collateral research pays off BIG TIME) The sketch was on Dr H K Whitford, David and Betsey's first born child. What blew me away ....... the book was on Kane Co, Illinois history. I live in Kane Co. Not only that, Dr Whitford was a very prominent man in a certain city named Elgin, in Kane Co, IL. Guess where I live? Yes, yes indeed. All this time and quite literally just down the street, lay some of the answers I was seeking.

Courtesy Internet Archive

The sketch explained the documents I was finding and helped put some of the puzzle together. Visiting the local library, my local library, just down the street from where I have lived for the last 32 years, I dove into the microfilm and did a newspaper search. From the obituary of the youngest son I learned that David and Betsey had come to Elgin shortly after 1852!

And that's where the trail stops cold. Again.

David and Betsey are not seen on any census after 1850.

The questions remain: who are David M Whitford's parents, when did David Whitford die, and where is he buried?

GENEALOGY

David M Whitford b. about 1803 Vermont d. UNK
m. 28 Feb 1828 Medina Co, OH, Elizabeth "Betsey" Lease

children:

Dr Henry K Whitford b. 9 Feb 1829 OH d. 15 Feb 1912 IL m. (1) Mary Stevens (2) Susan K Daggett
Mary Whitford b. 1831 OH d. UNK
James H Whitford b. 27 Jan 1831 OH d. 29 Apr 1895 MN m. Maria C Luddy
Jane M Whitford b. abt 1835 OH d. 29 Feb 1888 MN m. (1) Daniel Nichols (2) Harrison Faulkner
Leonard C Whitford b. 7 Nov 1837 MI d. 26 May 1909 WA m. (1) Mary Jane Williams (2) Florence A Ledger
Jerome B Whitford b. abt 1839 MI d. Feb 1894 IL m. (1) Lucinda Phoenix (2) Ella Camon (3) Jane Ann Reynolds
Child 1 Whitford b. abt 1841 MI d. UNK
Sarah Whitford b. 14 Dec 1843 MI d. 12 Apr 1910 WA m. Richard Truax
Child 2 Whitford b. abt 1845 MI d. UNK
Rhoda L Whitford b. 7 Nov 1846 MI d. 9 Nov 1909 MN m. Josiah Brooks
Child 3 Whitford b. abt 1848 MI d. UNK
Child 4 Whitford b. abt 1850 IL d. UNK
Daniel H Whitford b. 1 Apr 1852 IL d. 17 May 1911 IL m. Ellen Catherine Gregory

The entire family disappears in 1860, some reemerge in 1870 on the federal census. There are a number of bad trees (what? no!) on Ancestrydotcom that supply a middle name and parents for David; the sources, of course, are other Family Trees.

So, there you have it. David M Whitford born about 1803 in Vermont, of Irish descent, a lawyer in Ohio, a land owner in Michigan, fell on hard times during the Panic of 1837, last reported to be living in Elgin, IL about 1855.

Too bad we can't put him on a milk carton!

©2017 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Book Of The Week: A Genealogy of Several Branches of the Whittemore Family

A Genealogy of Several Branches of the Whittemore Family:

Including the Original Whittemore Family of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England: and a Brief Lineage of Other Branches

Bernard Bemis Whittemore

F.P. Whittemore, Printer, 1890 - 106 pages

Friday, September 22, 2017

Mom and A Lesson For Us All

Mom walked out of the bedroom and asked "what is this?" She was holding a tiny blue Limoges plate with gold figures on it. It had been in her possession forever. Always held a place in her curio cabinet with her other special things. Lately it had been on the bookcase next to her bed. "Don't you know?" I asked her. She shook her head. "I think you got it in Paris", I said. "When you and dad went back in the 70's". She looked a little puzzled, so I said "well that's the story now, then". We laughed and she said "you should write this stuff down" at which I replied, "I have been". She answered "no, your things - so you won't forget".

Mom and Dad c1963

This is our regular mother/daughter dialog these days. Mom is suffering with vascular dementia and I am trying mightly to pull all the family stories I can out of her before they are gone. It's funny, the things we all take for granted. Our memory, for one. Of special things, times, places, people. Good advice from a woman who's loosing all of hers.

As the dementia progresses and we work to downsize her, once again, to a memory care facility I am beginning to see, often for the first time, the things she has held most precious all these years. The things she's taken as companions on her journey. It's hard. Heart wrenching. Surreal and oddly magnificent all at the same time.

Mom's journey, her final path anyway, began shortly after my dad passed in 2007. She began to sell off their possessions. And, boy where there possessions! My dad loved 'stuff' and never parted with any of it. First she cleared out the pole barn chock full of our childhood things - we three kids took a few items we wanted, but let me tell you, the shock and surprise I experienced, laying my eyes on that stuff for the first time in 40+ years. I had no idea most of it was still around!

Mom and Dad c1996

Then she sold the Michigan Home. And all the 'stuff' the home contained. The house they'd build just 4 short years before my dad's passing. The house they were going to retire in so my dad's dream of getting back to his first love, fine art painting, could be fulfilled. (Don't put off your dreams!)

Next step for her was to sell the townhouse they were living in 'temporarily', having sold the big family home several years earlier to fund the Michigan Home. Again, she sold all the 'stuff' contained within. (Oh man, was there 'stuff'! Stuff I had never laid my eyes on - magical stuff - my dad was a die-hard 'collector', and admirer of fascinating things) This is when I found the Family Tree tucked behind the furnace. And boxes of old photos from my dad's childhood that I had never seen before. I asked mom about some of it, putting off diving in until she was settled in her new place.

Her possessions grew smaller still. The items she was choosing to keep always the most special.

Mind you, she was doing all this on her own. On Her Own! Strong blood in this one. She definitely has the Twining Blood coursing through her veins. A healthy does of Potwin too, both fine Pioneer families.

She chose to move to a large Senior Retirement Community. Got herself a spacious 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment (With a kitchen bigger that mine!) in the independent living section. A 6th floor apartment with really amazing views - on a clear day you could see the Chicago skyline - always a breathtaking sight. She brought her favored possessions and settled in.

She enjoyed her new life in her new community for almost 5 years. Going on day trips, lunching with new friends, socializing, even going on an Alaskan cruise.

Then the wheels came off.

It was obvious that something was amiss. Won't go into the details, but if you've gone through something similar, you know what I'm speaking of. That something - dementia - creeping in - making a nest - settling into her mind and eating away at her memories. Our memories. As I scrambled to get her to a safer environment, a downsizing began. The assisted living apartments were much smaller. We needed to pare down her things. We packed together on the weekends, talking of the past and her future. I began asking as many questions as I could think of, quizzing her on family history and the the stories she could remember. Crying when I returned home that I didn't begin asking sooner.

I would return the next weekend to boxes unpacked, items missing or broken. And mom having no memory of it. Wondering why she hadn't moved yet .....

We successfully got her settled in on Thanksgiving weekend of 2016. Donating half of her possessions to local charities, taking home boxes and boxes (and boxes) of items to sort thru, the paper was staggering! Six file cabinets that contained an entire married adult life - and I still have four boxes to go ...

Four Generations

In her new apartment mom settled in, putting her beloved possessions away in their spots. This time it was like she was discovering some of them for the first time. She'd come out of the bedroom with an item in hand, excited look on her face, telling me the memory it invoked. Sometimes however she was puzzled by something. She knew it was supposed to mean something to her, that it did mean something to her at one point, baffled now as to what that was. Saying aloud "Oh, that used to mean something" and putting it carefully away.

And I did not write everything down. I thought I would remember.

Now, the time has come to downsize again. This time to a room the size of a mid-grade hotel room. No closets, just an armoire for clothing. Again we will pare her furnishings down by half. This time most of the family treasures will come home with me or go live with my brother. In memory care the doors don't lock. The residents wander. Things get broken or stolen. It can't be helped.

This time I am going through her most prized possessions. The ones she has chosen to take with her to the end. Very intimate. Very emotional. A fresh batch of her things I am seeing for the first time in my life, yet they've been in her life half again as long. Unless I show her an item and ask her what it means to her, she isn't even aware of it's existence. There are things I thought I would finally find that are not there. This time I can't ask, or rather I can't get an answer. She has forgotten.

It's up to me, as the family historian, to pull from my own memory the significance. Other items I mourn as I will never know who owned it, why she kept it all this time, what was the meaning? Don't ask, don't tell is not good policy in families, especially if you are destined to become the 'keeper of things'. A lesson we never learn until it's too late.

One item, a beautiful white gold wedding ring set, 1920's vintage, I had never laid my eyes upon before. I was hoping it was the wedding ring of my paternal grandmother, a woman I had never known. I have always wondered what happened to it. I combed through the photographs I have of both of my grandmothers, my maternal grandmother always wearing a simple band, no diamond, no wedding set. The one photo I found of my paternal grandmother that shows her hand is (of course) blurry, but the ring is obviously large, it could be the set I found. I asked my mom. Gotta have hope right!

Grandmother and 'the ring'

She thought it might be her mother's. But she wasn't sure. In fact she didn't even recognize it at first.

Now a story lost to the ages, a knowing that will never be known. Locked in the mind of a woman that can't remember anymore.

Should have written it down. A lesson for us all. We will not remember. Our children will not ask. Things held so dear that we take them with us on our entire life's journey, only to wind up a mystery to those that come after.

Should have written it down.

©2017 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

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