What Discovery Did You Make This week?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Melissa Barker on July 13, 2009 at 7:02am

Paula, I didn't really make a break through, but I did get to actually work on my own family research this week. Being a professional genealogist, there is very little time to work on your own research.

I am researching my husband's Barker line and his 3rd great grandfather was Andrew Jackson Barker b. abt. 1832 in Tennessee and died after 1900. This man has been a big brick wall for me as I have not been able to prove his parentage 100% and I also have not been able to loctae when and where he died. It's like he fell off the face of the earth after the 1900 census.

So, I am turning to new stratagies for this person. I am researching any and all persons associated with Andrew no matter how insignificant. For instance, in the 1850 census Andrew as in the household of the Rev. Joshua Woollen. This Rev. would be the preacher that would marry Andrew to Elvira Jemima Sanders on 4 January 1854 in Wilson County, TN. Living next door to Joshua Woollen and Andrew is the Zachary family and they had a son Riley B. Zachary. This Riley was the bondsman for Andrew's marriage and later bacame a famous doctor during the Civil War.

This past week I have found some interesting information on both Rev. Joshua Woollen and Dr. Riley B. Zachary, however, nothing new for Andrew.

I keep plugging away!!

Melissa Barker

Permalink Reply by Paula Hinkel on July 13, 2009 at 12:38pm

I can certainly relate with the ability to work on one's own lines. I work on the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree so much that I just don't get many chances to do any real genealogy. I think that GenealogyWise will help inspire me to do more of my own research.

Permalink Reply by Louise Calaway on July 13, 2009 at 11:07pm

I seldom receive any information regarding my genealogy pursuits, probably because I have so little time to work on my own genealogy efforts. Yesterday, out of the blue, I received an email from a lady I have never met who lives in Woodford Co., Illinois, a county right next to Peoria. She sent me an obituary for one of my husband’s relatives. The name that she was responding to is in my posting through the WorldConnect project on RootsWeb. I answered back, thanking her, and we struck up a small “conversation.”

Turns out she is very interested in Woodford County history and connections and she wants to share what she has gathered. (Also turns out from my investigation that Woodford County seems to have lost much if its presence on USGenWeb -- all kinds of dead links.)

Today I received 4 more obits from her. I thanked her again, and asked her if I could compensate her for her efforts -- or if not that, I would be happy to make a small contribution to the genealogical/historical society of her choice. She wants nothing. She loves doing this. She has been married for 57 years and isn't as mobile as she used to be. Her husband helps her get to the libraries, etc. She has spent many years researching, her husband accompanying her on her trips.

This is what I love so much about the genealogical community. People share and the sharing is compensation enough. I know how happy I am if I can share information that I have spent hours gathering and confirming. I love spreading what little data I have and sharing my sources.

I have little to offer anyone, but I thank the lady in Woodford County and all of the others who so happily and freely share what they have. I’m hoping that this website will help build these kinds of relationships and generate even more of the spirit of sharing.

Louise Calaway

Permalink Reply by Thomas MacEntee on July 15, 2009 at 6:52pm

With the help of a 2nd cousin (whom I have never met in person but who found me via Facebook - proof that social media does work for genealogists) we have finally broken down a 15-year old brick wall!

I had always heard about Grandma Pressner growing up and I knew she or her family were from Germany. She was my great-grandmother and married Richard Henneberg.

For years I along with my cousin have been on a wild goose chase looking for Frances Pressner. We knew that she and my great-grandfather were married in 1911 in The Bronx, New York but did not have a copy of the marriage certificate. This was the needed item and my cousin Wendy took care of ordering the record and the waiting!

Now we know why we ran into so many dead ends (this is preliminary data):

- Frances' father's name was Robert Pressner but printed as "Pressnir" on the marriage certificate. He was born in Germany and died in New York in 1897 - that's why we couldn't find him in the 1900 US Census.

- Frances' mother's name was Anna Haring but also was misprinted on the marriage certificate - listed as "Herring."

- Anna Herring remarried in 1900 to a Paul Schornackorsky but died soon thereafter by 1901 leaving Frances and her brother Harry to live with their step-father. Again, without this info it would have been difficult to find any of them in the 1900 US Census.

- Frances then shows up in the 1910 US Census as living with a Paul "Shor" ("shor"tened from Schornackorsky) and others. The census does not include the name Pressner so that's another reason why we had so many problems finding Frances.

What I've learned from this process:

- get the records no matter how expensive and how long you have to wait. It would have taken much less time to break down this brick wall had I not been so stubborn and if I hadn't been putting this task on the back burner. Luckily I have a fantastic cousin who lives in New York and finally decided to take care of getting the much needed marriage certificate.

Permalink Reply by Lynnette McMahon on July 16, 2009 at 11:01am

A couple of recent break throughs...

My father's maternal grandmother lost her mother when she was about 15. Her father remarried rather quickly and I guess it caused bad feelings, because my great-grandmother [Marie Emily Veilleux Hermanson] said that he 'abandoned' the family for a new one. It ends up gg-grandfather Joseph Veilleux married the nanny/housekeeper, Ida LaRouche, just about a year following the death of his first wife. They went on to have 5 of their own children, plus the child from her first marriage (she was a widow).

Thanks to a cousin who couldn't quite figure out why his grandfather was my gg-grandfather and posted a comment on Ancestry.com! We corresponded and got our stories straight. Now my dad has more family in Minnesota, including a half-sister of his grandmother's who is a retired nun. My dad went to visit Sister Noelle and had a delightful time. Just sorry we missed out all these years on family living in Minnesota when my dad traveled there regularly for work!

Now I'm sharing photos and more info with some new cousins and my dad is having a great time getting to know his extended family.

Sister Marie Noelle Veilleux and Edward T. White

Permalink Reply by Beverly J. Truesdale on July 18, 2009 at 7:45am

I found the grave of my great grandmother and a cousin on find a grave.

Beverly

Permalink Reply by Sally Pavia on July 22, 2009 at 5:00pm

Got a copy of a newspaper clipping from the Monroe, WI 1858 newspaper. It gives info about my 3rd ggrandfather's estate, land having to be sold to pay for the mortgaged land. Had never known when he died before .. had 1885 but it was actually 1858. The wonderful gentleman, Matt Figi, from the Green Co Historical Society made a copy of the article and sent it to me . what a wonderful find. Even lists the names of his wife and children.

Permalink Reply by Peggy Lynn Neill on August 8, 2009 at 12:00pm

Sometimes, serendipity happens!!! Recently, I have been to a couple of lectures on Google. One speaker told of Googlebooksearch, as opposed to just plain Google. I decided to give it a try, and for the search, I used Rev. Green Hill (1741-1825), my #1 DAR Patriot, knowing that I would be likely to get some hits. Among the hits, was a book that I probably would not have opened if I stubbed my toe on it: Slinkard-Wilson and some related families by Doris Slinkard Wilson. These names are totally unknown to me. The snippet indicated it had a picture of Rev. Green Hill! I have a ‘fat’ notebook on my subject, but never before had I seen even a hint of a picture of him. I located a copy of the book and made arrangements to obtain copies of a few pages. While awaiting their arrival, I took an additional step. The snippet had also indicated that the picture was used with permission of a gentleman, whom I knew to be deceased, and of Williamson Co. (TN) Historical Society. I dashed off an e-mail note of inquiry to them. By the next morning, I had an answer from their historian, who informed me that he had scans not only of the Green Hill picture, but also of a portrait of his first wife, Nancy Thomas Hill (also my direct ancestor)! And, by the next morning, I had, in my hands, high quality copies of both images! The image of Green Hill, as a youth, is copied from a miniature made while he was at school in England. The formal portrait of Mrs. Green Hill is of a mature woman, shown wearing a “locket,” which is reported to contain the original miniature. A new quest awaits! Where is that portrait? And the “locket?” And surely, somewhere, there is a companion to that portrait of Mrs. Green Hill. They would not have had one made of her and not make one of him also!
Lynn Neill

Permalink Reply by Paula Hinkel on August 8, 2009 at 1:23pm

That's great, Lynn. Google Books is fabulous. I'm such a fan!

Permalink Reply by William S Dean on August 10, 2009 at 12:00pm

Aren't break-thrus grand? Sometimes the search seems never ending (which it is depending on how many generations you can connect to) and the tiny tidbits we find make us go "cool!" Recently, I discovered through google books several notations regarding family ancestors. It's a good resource since you can do a "name or place search" in the google books collection; some of the books are completely transcribed and the older ones you can even download if in the public domain.

Permalink Reply by Kay Fordham on August 21, 2009 at 9:14am

I have searched for years for the parents & siblings of my 3rd great-grandmother Mary Ann Kelly born in 1825 in Tompkins County, New York. Tompkins County was somewhat of a black hole as far as available records until recently. Without visiting there the only resource was a society with few resources and a hefty research fee. Searched all wills to no avail. Mary Ann was married in 1847; hence, she was not listed with parents in the 1850 census.

While in Salt Lake City last fall I found a deed listing heirs on which Mary Ann was named. The others were obviously aunts (deduced from ages on census records), leading me to believe her parents were deceased. A Google search this week turned up a bible record entry for the Kelly Family in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection at Cornell University, and I was sent a copy. The record lists the family of Benjamin Kelly & Rachel Prine (Perrine). It shows all of the aunts listed in the deed, plus other children not known to me. Through research it is apparent to me now who Mary Ann's father was. He died in 1827 when she was 2 years old. I was also excited to find this week an index to newspapers of Trumansburg in Tompkins County (at the public library) and listings for several of these family members. Am anxiously awaiting their receipt - mostly obits. Folks, there is more and more information out there these days tucked away in libraries and universities. Be sure to check their web sites.

Kay Fordham

Permalink Reply by Terri Carlson on August 21, 2009 at 11:38am

Recently I began focusing my research on Ashtabula County, Ohio where my 4th great-grandparents lived for several years after moving from New York State. Following my meeting at the SCGS Research Library last Tuesday I had time to search the Ohio collection. The first Ashtabula volume I pulled from the shelf included a Hannah Sackett Eaton in the index. Sackett is the family name that I have been researching and Eaton was the middle name of one of the children. Coincidence? Not! The text of the article that was referenced in the index provided the clues I needed to add the names of the husband, children, and grandchildren of my 3rd great-grandaunt plus their vital and census data. Even better, I was able to link Hannah Sackett Eaton with the mysterious “Auntie Eaton” who is referenced in our written family history. I can’t wait to return to the SCGS library to research more of the names that have turned up since I made that discovery.

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