Ann Sammon Colyer: So Much Conflicting Information! (52 Ancestors #10)

Anna J "Jennie" Sammon(s) Colyer was my 2nd great grandmother. And yet another female ancestor I know little about. There is a massive amount of conflicting information surrounding her and her siblings. I have attempted to sort it out to the best of my knowledge. But it is still terribly confusing! Let the blogging begin!!

Quebec, Vital and Church Records
 (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967

Jennie Sammon was born in Quebec, Canada in 1853, maybe. I have found conflicting records to this end. Her baptism says 1853, her death record says 1857. I chose to go with the baptism record date for the time being. She was the second of seven children.

Her parents were Thomas Sammon and Mary Catherine O'Rourke, maybe. Again, conflicting information on the baptism and the death record. The death record lists Anna Dunn as her mother. Catherine Dunn was her paternal grandmother, and Anna McLingin was her maternal grandmother, according to other sources. I do not know who the informant was for the death record information. Other siblings have similar conflicting information reported on various records. Again, I chose to go with the baptism record for the time being.

Jennie lived in Quebec until at least 1869. Jennie and her family must have immigrated to America from Canada after 1869, but prior to 1872. Her father is listed in  the Quebec city directories through 1866, but I find no record of him in either Canada or America again until his death in Chicago, IL in 1873. The birth and/or death records of all of Jennie's siblings list Quebec, Canada as place of birth. Jennie's youngest sister was born in 1869. Maybe. (again, conflicting baptism/death info)

Jennie Married my 2nd great grandfather, Frederick Colyer, in Chicago IL Sept 13, 1872, definitely. Thank to Chicago IL for good record keeping, and the fact that the marriage happened after the Great Fire!

Jennie and Frederick had two children. Thomas Henry and Margaret. Margaret was my great grandmother. Jennie buried her son Thomas in 1897, he was only 20 years old. She lived long enough to see her daughter married and her two grandchildren born

Jennie died October 17, 1910. Leaving behind a  husband, a daughter and two grandchildren. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Evanston IL. From the burial card for the plot I have been able to piece together some of her extended family. I suspect that her grandmother Catherine was living in Chicago as early as 1850. It is quite possible that her mother may have died shortly after the birth of her last child, which lead her widowed father to emigrate to Chicago, employing his mother's help with his seven young children. This scenario makes some good sense and would explain the mix-up of Jennie's mother's name on the death record.

This is merely speculation at this point, further records need to be acquired, but it is making some solid sense and I thought I'd just put it out there. There was one other Sammon(s) living in Chicago at the time, this story might ring true for another descendent, or it might bring to light the reason for some of the conflicting information.

Wish I had a time machine!

Genealogy Do Over: Week .... oh, just forget it!

What week is it? Ten? What made me think that I could possibly keep up?  I am just back from morning cataract surgery, typing with one eye, reading through all the posts on the Facebook group, feeling like a failure. Or at least a slacker. The kid at the back of the class shooting rubberbands at the blackboard. Doodling when I should be paying attention.

My life got enormously busy the day I committed to this Do Over. Why is that? What in the universe is triggered when an intense time commitment is made? I was looking for things to do last year. I had plenty of time to commit to something like this. Then BAM! Just like The Truman Show, Ed Harris from his mysterious control room cues anything and everything to be thrown into my path, thwarting all attempts at glorious completion! Harumph.

(No. I don't actually believe Ed Harris is behind this. But on the other hand ....)

One of my stumbling blocks has been the fact that I also decided to do the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge this year. And another is the false belief I had at the beginning of the Do Over, that it was going to be a YEAR LONG process. That I might have been able to handle. The 13 week revelation just triggered weeping and hyperventilation as I tried desperately to keep up. (Oh, and the cataract surgery, but why let that stop me?!?)

Wait a minute .....

Why can't it be a year long process ....
(It can, Anne, you had this revelation before, remember?)

Although I am really wanting to keep up with everyone, to "do" the do over within the prescribed 13 weeks. To be an active and up-to-speed member of the group, that clearly is not my reality. There is so much information to read through, digest, learn, try out, that I do believe I just may begin at the beginning on April 4. Only this time I will do Week One for the entire month of April, Week Two during May, etc.

Now this! THIS just might work!!! (she snorts, under her breath, to herself)

What ever I need to tell myself. (again)

I still feel like somewhat of a failure. Like the kid held back a grade. But genealogy is a process not a destination, right? And we all work at our own speed. And judging by all the posts to the Group I am certainly not alone! Sometimes I feel like I am in a race, but who am I competing with? Myself? What's that about?

And my vacillating on my HOW, all-in or modified. Some days I'm chucking it all, getting new software and starting from scratch, other days the modified participation seems the way to go - why reinvent the wheel? But my wheel is really more of an octagon than circular - it rolls, but it lurches along, a bumpy and sometimes confusing ride. (I have a bunch of Tidewater Virginia kin in my tree - need I say more??)

What I need is a Genealogy Geanie. One rub on the magic lamp and all my problems vanish - my trees in perfect order! Just imagine!

No, what I really need is to get out of the Cave more often, I'm starting to sound just a wee bit crazy .....

The Most Fabulous Object: My Love Affair With The Genealogy Do-Over FB Group

I love the Genealogy Do Over Facebook Group. I lurk there day and night. I keep up with posts on my smartphone. (Which I almost never actually use as a phone - I call it my Magic Portal) I spend hours upon hours hunkered in my Cave scrolling through posts, face illuminated by the computer screen. Eyes bleary from staring and forgetting to blink. (It's a known fact ...) Bookmarking links, LIKEing posts, commiserating.

This is the BEST GROUP EVER! The ultimate BSO! You are all just like me!! Crazy (in a good way) genealogy people! You have Caves. You have an encyclopedic knowledge of people dead since the 1700's. (No longer living anyway - my ancestors are always crowding my Cave like an overstuffed elevator, bickering and poking at each other, looking over my shoulder and pompously withholding the key piece of information I am searching for.)

I have learned so much from this group. And everyone is so helpful. Genealogy is ultimately a solitary pursuit unless you are lucky enough to have a relative who is also obsessed. But still, that relative, unless a sibling, is only interested in part of the family.

I am not nearly as far along with my official Do Over as I had naively believed I would be back on January 2. But I have learned some new techniques. Considered different perspectives. Been both encouraged and gravely discouraged (weeping, lots of weeping ..). Discovered I am not alone. Discovered that the more I learn, the more there is to learn. (My mind boggles!!) Had to come to terms with the knowledge that I still need to apply the tools being presented. And that requires stepping out of my comfort zone, trying some things out and formulating my own conclusion as to what is right for me.

Oh, and this miraculous transformation was NOT going to happen in 13 weeks.

But I'm OK with that.

Now.

I was experiencing information overload. I was a crazed madwoman prone to bouts of spontaneous weeping. And my paper bag had developed a hole from overuse. I was living in my bathrobe in my Cave. Only emerging when necessary. (My idea of 'necessary', and that of other's differed greatly for some reason ...)

So today I am thrilled, and grateful for being a welcomed member of this amazing group. I am glad Thomas, in a bout of mad genius (?), crafted this Do Over and released it to a naive and unsuspecting audience. Eager to Do It Over, but not entirely aware of the trials and tribulations to come.

I may not be as far along as some of you. I may be farther along than others. I am working at my own pace now, taking what I need and knowing that all that glorious information and the wonderful group members will be there when the time is right for me.

I lurk and learn every day, but now I am free to leave my Cave.

I'll get there.

I am getting there.

Genealogy is never "done", anyway. ("Hey!! I finished my family tree!!! Think I'll bake a pie, and maybe rotate the tires.")

And I'm so very happy that this whole magnificent adventure will roll on for another 13 weeks ...

See you 'round the clubhouse, er, I mean Group!

Anna Merriman Busby: Who's Your Daddy? (52 Ancestors #8)

Anna Merriman Busby is my 3rd great grandmother. Another female brick wall. A really tough one. There are quite a few people looking for her parents. There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the facts that have been discovered. This will be a short post.

Anna Merriman (or Merryman) was born 28 July 1807 according to her headstone on Find A Grave. Census records indicate she was born in Maryland.


Anna Merriman married John Wisner Busby in Harrison Co OH in April of 1826.


By 1840 the couple was residing in Carroll Co OH, where they remained until death. It is reported that they had 14 children.


Anna is buried in the Palermo Cemetery on the grounds of the former Palermo Methodist Protestant Church in Carroll Co, OH.

Over the years there has been lots of talk, theories, speculation on who Anna's father was. Some say it was Micajah "Cage" Merryman/Merriman. This has been discredited as "Cage" and his wife Sophia Snyder were actually married four years after Anna was born. "Cage" and Sophia did have a daughter named Anna and did live in Ohio in 1820, hence the confusion. There has also been another name bandied about, "Page" Merriman, but I am unclear as to the origin of this line of thought.

I must admit I have been away from this branch of the family for several years. With the Genealogy Do-Over I am jumping back in and working my maternal line once again.

So the questions remain.

Who is Anna Merriman's father?

How did she get from Maryland to Ohio, and why?

When did she arrive in Ohio? Was she an adult or a child?

She's buried in a Methodist cemetery, was she a member of the Methodist church?

To date there are a lot more questions than answers. I hope with time, and as more and more records are being discovered, we will one day know who Anna Merriman Busby's daddy was!

FTM Is The Devil (sorry RW): Genealogy Do-Over Week Seven

Week Seven.

The week I have been waiting for!

The week you all are going to tell me which genealogy software I'm going to love AND use.

No. No, I can't decide. I want you to do it for me. Please??

I began my journey with Family Tree Maker back in the early 90's. I never really used it. It didn't make sense to me. When Ancestry first showed up I embraced it's ease of use and dove in.  I LOVED it!! I built my entire empire in Ancestry.com. I loved that I could access it anywhere, any time. I loved it's visual appeal. I loved the design of it - it made sense to me. Then I started hearing about the foolishness of having all your work stored off site - in someone else's database. What if Ancestry should go belly-up? Then what?

I purchased an updated, 21st century version of FTM thinking it would simulate the ease of use that Ancestry provided. It still didn't make sense. I never used it.

FTM - the devil

Then Ancestry came out with Tree-Sync and I began to get 'visions of sugarplums' dancing 'round my head. I liked the idea of Tree Sync! I could do all my work on Ancestry.com and then sync it to FTM - saved on my home computer.

I purchased the upgrade.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

In reality, what has transpired is one big fat mess. One GIANT mess that I don't even want to THINK about, as it will require mindboggling hours of tediously deleting the triplicate records that have crossed over. TRIPLICATE! In ALL my synced trees (of course I synced them all!!)

And even with the new upgrade, I still hated FTM. It still didn't make any sense. It still seemed hard to use. (I know you are asking yourself right this very second, why Anne, why did you continue down this path of  perpetual error?) I don't know. FTM would not even work correctly on my brand new Win8.1 laptop (which I also detest - but that's a rant for another time).  I was forced to uninstall it and reinstall it on my desktop (this is where the triple records problem originated). Either I didn't have a clue or there is no good way to remove all the synced trees from one computer and re-sync them to another computer. I am so angry with it now I doubt I will ever agree to use it again.

And all the money I wasted! All the time! All the frustration!

FTM is the devil.

And I STILL don't have an off-line program.

Afraid of recreating my previous experience I have refrained from pursuing that activity.

Until now.

Now it is a topic point, now it is something to look at, study, compare and pursue.

So, here's where you all come to my rescue, right?

footnote: I see this same problem over and over again on synced trees on Ancestry.com. Duplicate, triplicate, quadruple records. I am the first to admit that I am just slightly above clueless when it comes to many aspects of the whole computer "thing", but there has got to be a better way! Dang it!