My First Jump Across the Pond

In November of 2013 I found my first record of an ancestor in Europe. It was my first "jump across the pond." It was a huge day for me and I was thrilled! In fact, that's the day a volunteer told me she loved my 'enthusiasm' for genealogy and I came up with my blog name. So, how did this 'pond jump' happen?

1860 Census - Lock Haven, Clinton Co, PA from Ancestry.com

At the time, I knew the following...

• my great, great grandmother, Sarah, was born in 1848 in England (she was 12 in the above census)
• according to her obituary, she was from Leeds, England
• her parents were James & Sarah Ann
• she had an older brother, Adam, who was also born in England
• there was another male, Humphrey, who was probably James' brother as he is listed as only 16 years younger than the James in the 1860 census

1841 Census - Prestwich Cum Oldham, Lancashire, England from Ancestry.com

The next clue was finding an 1841 England Census that listed parents named James & Sarah who were about the right age. It listed two children who were transcribed as follows: Thomppey (age 6) and Sylwanos (age 1). I was at the Dallas library and I took this record to one of the librarians to see if he could help. I thought that Thomppey looked like "Humphrey," but I wanted to make sure that wasn't just wishful thinking. He agreed that the name was Humphrey and helped me translate the second name as Sylvaneous (which he told me refers to trees). In this record, the ages of the parents were a little different and it now looked like Humphrey could actually be their son.

As you can see, between the 1841 England Census and 1860 U.S. census, Humphrey aged appropriately 19 years (from age 6 to 25). Sarah's age, though, went from 25 to 47 (so, an increase of 22 years) and James went from 30 to 41 (an increase of only 11 years). But, if this was my family, what happened to Sylvaneous?

If this was really my family, I know knew where to find them: Lancashire, England. I did another search on Ancestry and found a marriage record! The record was for James Eastwood & Sarah Hall (I already knew her maiden name, so this confirmed it) in 1839 in Prestwich in Lancashire—the same location as the 1841 census!

1839 Marriage Record - Parish of Prestwich, Lancaster County, England from Ancestry.com

There were many interesting things on this record, but one of them was the fact that James was a widower! James and Sarah got married on September 2, 1839. So Humphrey, born about 1835, was James' son from a first marriage. But Sylvaneous, who was probably born in 1841, was a son of both James Eastwood and Sarah Hall.

This marriage record and census were the first European records I'd found for my family. And, they remain the only family I've traced to a country besides Germany.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

1907 Photo of My 2x Great Grandfather and Other County Ofificals

My great, great grandfather, A. L. Merrill, was county commissioner of Clinton County, Pennsylvania, in the early 1900s. This summer, I found the first photo I've seen of him. But, it was in a 1958 newspaper clipping, so it was under copyright laws. I recently emailed the publisher of the newspaper, The Express, who quickly responded with permission to use the photo.

Used with Permission: The Express/www.lockhaven.com
A. L. Merrill is on the far left of the front row
Pictures from the Past, The Express, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, 22 December 1958, page 10,
columns 5-8, digital image, newspapers.com, (http://newspapers.com), accessed 7 July 2016. 

This photo was under a section titled "Pictures from the Past" and was described as follows: This group of Court House office holders 51 years ago, was augmented by the mail carrier, who happened to be passing as the photographer went to work. He is William Kinley, top row, left. The others in the top row are Alex Flanigan, county commissioner; George T. Michaels, deputy register and recorder; William A. Snyder, register and recorder; T. B. Bridgens, county treasurer; William B. Hanna, commissioner; Isaac Rumberger, deputy prothonotary, and J. Harris Mussina, sheriff. Front row, A. L. Merrill, commissioner; James A. Wensel, commissioners' clerk; W. H. Kleper, deputy sheriff; and James R. Kinley, prothonotary.

Business Card of A. L. Merrill found at Ross Library, Clinton County, Pennsylvania

Though the 1907 photo lists him as commissioner, I know he was county commissioner at some point. I'm assuming that is a "step up," though I don't know for sure. This summer I also found one of his business cards at a library in Clinton County, which I blogged about earlier. I hope to see if the court house or an archive has more photos of early county officials in which more photos of A. L. Merrill might be found.

My Line:

• Augustus Lippencott "A. L." Merrill (1848-1920) married Sarah Jane Eastwood (1848-1923)
• Bessie Waldron Merrill (1879-1959) married Andrew "Andy" McClintock Stewart (1882-1954)
• James Edward Stewart (1910-1972) married Hazel Lucille Peters (1910-1975), my grandparents

Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net with any comments or questions.

A. L. Merrill: County Commissioner (Clinton Co, PA Trip, Part 1)

Two weeks ago, I visited Clinton County, Pennsylvania with three of my dad's first cousins. We spent some time at the Ross Library in Lock Haven briefly researching our Stewart, Merrill, McClintock/McClintick, and Close families.

Entering Ross Library, Lock Haven, Clinton Co, PA

Ross Library has a wonderful card catalog. Each card indexes a specific person and record. The records I saw included the Clinton County marriage license docket 1894-1897, the library's "local history/memorabilia" albums and photograph collection, and various newspapers including: the Clinton County Times, the Clinton Republican, the Clinton Democrat, and the Lock Haven Express. I believe the library has all of these newspapers on microfilm, but they are not digitized.

A card from the card catalog at Ross Library, Lock Haven, Clinton Co, PA.

We looked through the card catalog and were eager to see what was in this "memorabilia album" about my great, great grandfather (their great grandfather), A. L. Merrill (aka Augustus Lippencott Merrill). We showed the librarian the card, and he left to retrieve the item. He came back with a scrapbook page which included this...

Card located at Ross Library, Lock Haven, Clinton Co., PA.

This is A. L. Merrill's business card from when he ran for County Commissioner! I believe he was commissioner from about 1905 until 1915. I loved seeing this card and was able to actually hold it in my hands!

Photo of me at Ross Library.

Behind me, you can see the incredible card catalogs. Unfortunately, we didn't have a lot of time, but I spent mine going through the Merrill cards. There were dozens of cards, so I used my cellphone to take photos of the cards that interested me. When I returned home, I discovered one which hadn't registered when I took the photo. It's for an A. L. Merrill, but it is not my great, great grandfather...

Another card at Ross Library.

Instead, it is one of his two "missing" babies that I have listed on my ancestry tree! So, now I have a name and date of death for one of these little ones.

Besides this card catalog, they also had a traditional file cabinet that held files by surnames. There wasn't a lot in the surnames I was looking for, but I wish I would have taken a photo of something I did find. It was my own request from about 1999 asking for obituaries of various family members from Clinton County! And, behind it, they had stapled copies of all of those obituaries. I should have written a note and updated my email address in case someone else discovers this file at a later date.

Lastly, while writing this article, I uncovered another item: I found a photo of A. L. Merrill from 1907, just a few years after he became commissioner! We are in the process of trying to track down the original of this photo in the hopes that I can get a better copy and permission to share it.

Tip: A Quick Way to Scan Hundreds of Page

Before heading to Clinton County, Pennsylvania for a quick research trip two weeks ago, some cousins and I hired a researcher to pull some court files regarding our Stewart family. Upon our arrival, we drove to her house, paid her for her work, and received over 200 pages of copies. How exciting!

I doubt I will ever go "paperless" as I love being able to spread papers out and work on them side by side and rearrange them. However, I also need to have digital copies of these documents both for my own research and to share with my cousins.

Today I spent about an hour digitizing all of these documents. The actual scanning only took about 25 minutes with my ScanSnap IX500. It would have been faster if the papers hadn't needed staples removed. After that, I spent another 35 minutes briefly looking at each set so I could label the files. Now, I've saved the files to DropBox and they are ready to be shared!

By the way, this is my craft/genealogy room. We moved into our new house two years ago, but I still usually use my kitchen table for my work. Within the next few months, I'd like to hang up photos, maps, etc, and really start using this as my work room.

Our Ancestors' Huge Headstone

Yesterday, I drove to Clinton County, Pennsylvania with three of my dad's first cousins. One of them, Tom, I had met last year. But, his two sisters, Sally and Ellen, I had just met. We spent part of the day at the Ross Library in Lock Haven, and also 'toured' three cemeteries looking for our ancestors headstones.

Robert & Frances (Quigley) Stewart's headstones at Dunnstown Cemetery in Clinton Co, PA

While I'd seen a photo of the headstone for my 4th great grandparents, Robert and Frances (Quigley) Stewart, I was surprised at the size of it! Laid to rest in one far corner of the cemetery, their two headstones are set into a giant slab of concrete.

Robert's epitaph appears to say:

Farewell my wife and children all
From you a father Christ doth call
Mourn not for me, it is vain
To call me to your sight again.

My room at La Roche for GRIP 2016

P.S. I checked in at La Roche College for GRIP (Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh) and am ready for a wonderful week!

Finding Two "Missing" Children from the 1910 Census

The 1910 census lists Elizabeth C Merrill, wife of Norman B Merrill, as a mother of 6 with 4 still living. I'm sure we all have families like this on our trees. We'd love to tell the stories of these "missing" children who both were born and died between census years. But, how can we locate them?

One solution? Newspapers. 

What a wonderful source! And, it was newspapers that helped me locate the two "missing" children of Elizabeth and Norman B Merrill.

The first newspaper article I found was dated November 25, 1902. It simply stated: The infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Merrill died Sunday night, aged seven months. The funeral will be held this afternoon; interment at Dunnstown.

I looked for two additional records for this baby: a death certificate and a grave record at Find A Grave. Neither record was found. So, sadly, I don't know the name or even sex of this little baby, but I do know an approximate birth and death date.

I was able to find out a lot more about the second missing child. The newspaper article about her death provided a lot of information.

Three-Year-Old Child is Fatally Scalded, Lock Haven Express, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, 3 Dec 1906,
page 5, column 2, digital image newspaperarchives.com, (http://newspaperarchives.com), accessed 10 May 2016

Dated December 3rd, 1906, this horrific story explains that Caroline's mother was preparing to give 3-year-old Caroline a bath. The hot water was sitting on the floor next to the stove. Little Caroline was sitting on a chair near the water while eating an apple. She fell into the hot water in which she was badly burned. She lost consciousness several times and died from her burns the following night.

What a horrific story! My heart aches for this mother (and the family) as she watched her little one suffer! I can just imagine how she must have blamed herself. I know I blamed myself when my daughter fell out of our car onto her head once. (Thankfully, she was fine.)

Portion of  Death Certificate of Caroline Viola Merrill, died 1 Dec 1906,
Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania (image on Ancestry)

On Ancestry, I was able to find Caroline's death certificate. "Little Caroline" was not 3, but actually only 2 years, 4 months, and 5 days old. The cause of death is listed as "accidentally scalded." It also stated that she would be buried in Dunnstown Cemetery, the same cemetery where her parents are interred, though she is not listed with them on Find-A-Grave.

The informant for this death certificate was not the mother or the father who were possibly too grief-stricken to answer the questions. The informant was the father's brother, A. L. Merrill, who was my great, great grandfather.

3 Sources for locating these "missing" children:

• newspapers 
• death certificates - which can often be found by using the parents names
• cemetery records - these little ones will often be buried by their parent, siblings, or other family members

Sarah Jane (Watson) Stewart: Died as Young Mother (#16 of 52 Ancestors)

Sarah Jane (Watson) Stewart, was only 27 years old when she died in 1853. She'd been married to John Q Stewart for a little over four years and given birth to two sons. Her oldest, George, would've been 3 years old, but it is possible he preceded his mother in death. The youngest, Alexander, was only 22 months old.

Sarah Jane's mother, Betsy, had died 7 years earlier while Sarah Jane was probably still living at home. Betsy was buried alongside other family members at Warrior Run Church Cemetery in Delaware Run, Pennsylvania. Five years later, Sarah Jane's older brother, Daniel, was also buried at Warrior Run.

Sarah Jane, Wife of John Stewart, Died Dec 12th 1853 Aged 27 years [unreadable]
Photo taken by Kathi Wertman & posted with permission on Find A Grave

Although she was probably living in Clinton County at the time of her death, Sarah Jane was also laid to rest at Warrior Run Cemetery in Northumberland County. Just three years later, her father was also buried there.

Besides leaving items to his surviving children, George Waston, Sarah Jane's father, left $500 to the surviving heir of his "deceased daughter Sarah J Stewart." To another deceased daughter, he'd left $1,000 to be divided between her three children. So, I'm unsure why Sarah Jane's widower, John Q Stewart, contested the will on grounds of "undue influence and duress [think it says 'duress']." At this time, Sarah Jane's son, Alexander, was 4 years old and was to receive the money when he reached the age of 21.

John Q Stewart married a second time and was not buried in the same cemetery as his first wife, Sarah Jane. I'm glad she was buried near other members of her family and hope to visit this cemetery some day.

My Line of Descent

• George Watson (1783-1856) m Elizabeth "Betsy" Vincent (1789-1846) 
• Sarah Jane Watson (1826-1853) m John Quiggle Stewart (1825-1922) 
• Alexander Stewart (1852-1922) m Catharine Jane McClintock (1852-1929) 
• Andrew "Andy" McClinock Stewart (1882-1954) m. Bessie Waldron Merrill (1879-1959) 
• James Edward Stewart (1910-1972) m. Hazel Lucille Peters (1910-1975) (my paternal grandparents) 

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please leave a comment or write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Bessie Merrill: Child Silk Mill Weaver (#7 of 52 Ancestors)

For centuries children have worked to help their families. They have helped their parents farm, run stores, and do other businesses. But, during the American Industrial Revolution, many children went to work in the mills and mines. They would often work up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week, at dangerous and even deadly jobs.

In Pennsylvania, in the later 1800's, both mindsets and laws were changing to protect children. Work hours were decreased and children were required to attend school for a certain number of months a year. Minimum ages were set in place for certain types of work, though many worked anyway.

In Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, where my ancestors lived, a silk mill opened in 1899. Three hundred people were to be employed, including many women who would work as weavers. By September of 1900, 220 looms were in operation.

Lock Haven Silk Mill, The Scranton Republic, Scranton, Pennsylvania, 02 Jun 1889,
page 2, column 3, digital image newspapers.com, (http://newspapers.com), accessed 13 Feb 2015

My great grandmother, Bessie Merrill, was one of the first employees. Twelve months after the mill opened, in June of 1900, the census listed Bessie's occupation as a weaver in the silk mill. At the age of 21, she was still single and living at home. She had been unemployed "0" of the past 12 months.

Her sister, Dollie, was also a weaver at the silk mill. But, she was only 15 years old... an age when most of the girls in Lock Haven were still in school. At the age of 15, she would have been considered a "child laborer."

Bessie and Dollie's father, Augustus, was a shoemaker at this time. He and his wife, Sarah Jane, had six children: two boys and then four girls. One son was off fighting in the Philippine-American War and the other son was grown. That left four daughters in the house with ages from six to twenty-one.

What kind of hours did Bessie and Dollie work at the mill? What were the conditions like? Did Dollie miss school? Did the girls have friends at the mill? And, did they need to work to help their father support their family? 

Bessie married my great grandfather, Andrew McClintock Stewart, less than a year after the census was taken so she probably didn't work at the mill very long. Dollie was still single and living at home when the next census was taken and was no longer working at the silk mill. She was working as a dressmaker.

Dollie made good use of her skills. A newspaper article from 1901 shows Dollie, then 17, working with the Ladies Aid Society of Lock Haven Hospital. She was a member of the sewing committee which had donated sheets, gowns, pajamas, and aprons for the nurses and surgeons. Dollie's contribution was 5 nightgowns "made free of charge by Miss Dollie Merrill."

Dollie would eventually marry not once, but three times. She died at the age of 83 in Williamsport leaving behind her two daughters, three grandchildren, and her oldest brother, James Eastwood Merrill.

(Thanks to Amy Johnson Crow at "No Story Too Small" for creating "52 Ancestors" where we can share our ancestors stories, one week at a time.)

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

What Did It Take to Become a Census Enumerator?

My great, great grandfather, Augustus L Merrill (or A. L. Merrill), was a census taker in 1900. In 1910, he was a census supervisor overseeing 4 counties and 180 enumerators in north central Pennsylvania.

1900 Census for Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
Augustus L. Merrill, Enumerator (image from Ancestry)

What did it take to be an enumerator?

A. L. Merrill Opens Office, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 16 Nov 1909,
page 4, column 6, digital image newspapers.com, (http://newspapers.com), accessed 12 Feb 2015

I found a fairly lengthy article that describes the application process. These applications would be wonderful genealogy finds... if they still exist. Does anyone know?

Here's the article which is also from the newspaper, Williamsport Sun-Gazette. This one is dated 14 Jan 1910 on page 8 in column 3. It can also be found on newspapers.com.

CENSUS TAKERS [3 UNREADABLE WORDS]

Blank Applications May Be Obtained from Supervisor A. L. Merrill, Lock Haven – Tests Are Not to Be Difficult - What Is Expected of Enumerators

Census Supervisor A. L. Merrill's office is at Lock Haven, has received from the Census Bureau a supply of blank applications for persons applying for positions as census enumerators. These will be forwarded to his list of applicants as soon as possible.

The applications, properly filled out, supervisor Merrill writes to the Gazette and Bulletin, must be returned to the Supervisor not later than January 31, the Census Director having extended the time for filing from January 25, which was the date first set for closing the consideration applications. The test will occur February 5, as previously announced.

The instructions printed on the application form states that a definite answer is required to each of the questions, which are:

“Are you a citizen of United States? If naturalized citizen, when and where were you naturalized?

“Of what State or Territory are you a legal resident? How long have you been a legal resident thereof? Of what county and of what town or city or ward are you a resident? How long have you been a resident thereof?

“What is your sex and color? What was your age at last birthday? Where were you born?

“What is your education? (Give the principal facts.)

“What is your professional or business experience? (Give the principal facts and, if at present an officeholder, name the office you hold.

“Have you ever been employed on census work, either national or state? If so, in what capacity and for how long a period? If an enumerator, for what territory or desk district? (Described as accurately as possible.)

“Are you physically capable of a full discharge of the duties of the Census enumerator? Have you any defect of either sight, hearing, speech, or limb? If so, state nature of defect.

“Do you speak English? Do you understand and speak any language other than English? If so, what language? (Specify languages spoken, as Bohemian, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Luthianian, Magyar, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slavic, Spanish, Yiddish, etc.)

“Are you a member of a political committee of any party? (Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ but do not indicate what party.

“In view of the fact that you may be required to take a test before postmaster, state what post office would be most convenient to you for this purpose. (This test is a practical character, consisting chiefly or holding a filling out a sample schedule of population from information furnished regarding typical families, and in the case of enumerators whose work will be in rural districts, the filling out of a sample schedule of agriculture.)

“Are the answers to each of the foregoing questions true to the best of your knowledge and believes? Are they in your own handwriting?

Indorsements [sic] of each applicant must be secured from two representative citizens of the community in which the applicant resides. They must be at least 21 years of age and acquainted with the applicant not less than one year. Indorsements [sic] will not be accepted from any person who is in any way related to an applicant. The indorsement [sic] certifies that the applicant is a thoroughly trustworthy and honest person, of good habits, and, in my opinion, is fully capable of discharging the duties of a census and numerator, if appointed.

Too quiet any qualms relative to the “test” of the qualifications of applicants, to be made February 5, the supervisor has obtained some information from the census director concerning the test of twelfth census enumerators. It has been officially stated that the 1910 “test” will be very similar to the one in the preceding census and will consist in requiring applicants to fill sample schedules from printed narratives concerning census facts. As the rural enumerators are to carry both the population and agricultural schedule, they will be “tested” with samples of both, but the city enumerators, who carry a population schedule alone, will only be required to prove their ability by filling a sample of that schedule.

My Great, Great Grandmother Threw Up WHAT?!?

My great, great grandmother, Sarah Jane (Eastwood) Merrill, had evidently been ill for five years when a "marked change in her condition" took place. What was her very strange ailment? And, what occurred to make her feel better? Here's the brief article I found:

50 Years Ago, The Express, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, 20 Jul 1967,
page 1, column 4, digital image newspapers.com, (http://newspapers.com), accessed 12 Feb 2015

After five years' illness, Mrs. A. L. Merrill was making good progress towards recovery. A marked change in her condition being after an attack of nausea, when she emitted an object which it was believed was a lizard...

A lizard? I don't think so.

What about a snake? No, probably not. But, I shared another story from 1885 where a man supposedly threw up 'snakes' several times. They thought it was because he accidentally swallowed snake eggs while drinking from a spring.

Snakes? I don't think so.

In this case, it was probably some kind of parasite, right? Perhaps a tape worm?

But, what about my great, great grandmother and the lizard?

I found another story about a woman vomiting up a lizard. And, this article at "Unexplained Research" describes the lizard: The lizard, if it is such, is light brown in appearance and is somewhat translucent. It is the opinion of Mrs. Sieger that her mother accidentally swallowed the lizard in some water when it was very small, and that it had grown in her stomach to its present length of six inches.

I'm pretty sure both of these "lizards" had to be some kind of parasite. I did some research trying to determine what kind of parasite might be mistaken for a lizard. So far, I haven't found anything.

This event must have been traumatic for my great, great grandmother who was almost 70 at the time. And disturbing those around her. As for me? I'm hoping I don't have nightmares tonight... not only from her story but from looking at photos of parasites. Gross!

Do we have ancestors in common? If so, I'd love to talk! Please email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

SNGF: Random Genealogy

Randy Seaver posted his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Challenge and I'm a few days late, but decided to give it a try! His challenge? Do some random genealogy research and basically report what you started with and what you learned.

I like how Diane at Michigan Family Trails changed it up a bit and went with the first person in her tree and limited it to one hour. So, I've decided to go that route.

My person? Her name is Agnes and she married Cline Quigley.

What I know? She was born in about 1820 in Pennsylvania and had 3 (known) children. I only have the 1880 census which is in Beech Creek, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. It lists 5 members of the family: Agnes (age 60), her husband Cline (age 63) & the 3 children (ages 18 to 25). It also lists an 18 year old servant named Annie Quiggle. (Is she related?) Everyone, including the servant and all parents, were born in Pennsylvania.

And now, an hour of research...

1. "related content" on Ancestry's 1880 census

I found the 1860, 1870 & then 1850 census. I found 5 more children (for a total of 8) and Agnes' middle initial: T. [Note: I now believe this "T" is actually for her maiden name, not her middle name.]

2. Other people researching Agnes on Ancestry

I didn't find anything that related.

3. Mocavo

I found a great article in "History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania" about one of the daughter's of Agnes & Cline. Their daughter, Mary C (one of the 'new' children I just learned about) was born May 21, 1848 in Beech Creek, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. It says she was the daughter of "Hon. Cline, ex-associate judge of Clinton County, Penn., and Agnes (Thompson) Quigley, old settlers of Clinton County, Penn."

So, I have at least a piece of evidence that Agnes' maiden name was Thompson and her husband was an associate judge! Two more pieces of information!

4. Find-A-Grave & BillionGraves

I didn't find anything even though a private tree on Ancestry says they have her burial place through Find-A-Grave.

Death Notice for Mrs. Agnes Quigley, Altoon Tribune, Altoona, Pennsylvania, 22 Apr 1896,
page 7, column 1, digital image newspapers.com, (http://www.newspapers.com) accessed 19 Jan 2015

5. newspapers.com

Yes!! I found a death notice for her! She died in 1896. (I also found a few clippings about either her husband or son I need to explore.)

6. Google

I found a book called "History of the Beech Creek Area of Clinton County Pennsylvania" that also listed Agnes' maiden name as Thompson. This book has a LOT more I need to read!

7. FamilySearch

I didn't find anything.

8. fold3 (for husband, Cline)

I didn't find anything.

CONCLUSION

In less than an hour (about 45 minutes), I uncovered quite a bit of new information using some of my 'go to' searches.

Why should I research this random person from my tree? Agnes was the wife of a grandson of my patriot ancestor, Michael Quigley, who married Frances Catharine Kline/Cline. By researching this couple, I can uncover more information about my direct ancestors, too. Also, it's always a good idea to research 'down' the line! You never know who inherited family photos, a family Bible, or even who might have heard family stories!

Do you have other sites you regularly check that I didn't use?

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

James Eastwood: No Stranger to Death (52 Ancestors #1)

I'm excited to be participating in this year's "52 Ancestor Challenge" from "No Story Too Small."

Our ancestors are more than names, dates & places. They lived and breathed; married and had children; celebrated births and grieved deaths.

For the most part, our ancestors suffered more loss than we do. Wives often died in childbirth. Children often died while still children. Life was harsher.

I've had very few deaths which were close to me. I lost my best childhood friend when I was 17, but I hadn't seen her in years. I lost my grandmother about 10 years ago, but we only saw each other once a year. And, in 2013 I lost my husband's grandfather. The pain of losing him was incredible. I cried for almost 2 solid days and felt like my knees would collapse.

As tough as 'my' grandpa's death was, I cannot imagine watching my husband or daughter die. What would it be like to sit by their bedside as they slowly fought a battle against a deadly disease? Or to get a call saying they'd been in a car wreck and were gone?

And yet, many people do suffer through the loss of a spouse. They grieve the loss of a child. Or, like James, they face death over and over again.

James Eastwood was my great, great, great grandfather. He was born in 1812 in England and married his first wife at about the age of 20. They had at least two children, Hannah & Humphrey, and it is likely they had two more, Sarah & Ann.

James' wife, Elizabeth, died when James was only 25. The following year, James' daughter, Hannah, also died. (Sarah & Ann, both under the age of two, also died that year. I'm waiting on death records to determine whether or not they are James & Elizabeth's children).

Parish church of St. Mary's in  Prestwich, Lancashire, England (from Wikipedia) where James married his second wife

James remarried the year that Hannah (& Sarah & Ann) died. His second wife, Sarah Ann Hall, is my third great grandmother. Within the first two years of marriage, they had two children. Then, two years later, James' father died, with his mother dying a few years later. The following year, James and Sarah Ann suffered the loss of their firstborn.

Sarah Jane, my great, great grandmother, was their third child. Shortly after her birth, James, a cotton spinner, decided to move to America. He went first; perhaps he wanted to find a place to live or he needed to earn enough money for everyone's tickets. A year or so later his wife, Sarah, came to America with their two surviving children. James' oldest son from his first wife stayed behind with other family members.

They settled Clinton County, Pennsylvania. James became a watchman at the Lock Haven Bank. James & Sarah Ann had three more children over the next few years. One of those died as a baby.

James died at the relatively young age of 51 when his youngest was only 5 years old. During his life he had lost one wife and at least 3 of his 8 children, and possibly 5 of his 10 children. His obituary praised him saying he was a "... worthy, honest, [enterprising?] citizen" and that he "...was an excellent citizen, and commanded the regard of all who knew him."

I'm not sure how James dealt with all the loss he experienced. Those are the types of things we often don't discover while researching our ancestors. But, at least he was surrounded by family. The 1860 census, taken three years before his death, finds him living with his five remaining children: their ages were two to twenty-five. I hope their house was filled with love and laughter despite the pain of so much loss.

James Eastwood, my 3x great grandfather, was born on October 4, 1812 in Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England and died December 2nd, 1863 in Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

What Can a Surname Used as a Middle Name Tell Us?

In my research, I've found three situations when a surname is used as a middle name.

1. HONORING A FAMOUS PERSON (usually political)

Examples from my tree:
George Washington Young, Thomas Jefferson Decker, Ulysess Grant Burton & James Madison Randolph

2. HONORING SURNAMES OF THE PAST

Examples from my tree:
My father's middle name is his great, great grandmother's last name. My brother was given the same middle name. My sister-in-law gave her son our beloved grandparent's last name (though in this instance it's his first, not middle, name)

3. HONORING THE MOTHER OR A GRANDPARENT

Examples of mothers' surnames from my tree:
James Eastwood Merrill's mother was Sarah Jane Eastwood
Andrew McClintock Stewart's mother was Catharine Jane McClintock
John Quiggle Stewart's mother was Frances Quigley
Josiah Randolph Coppenbarger's mother was Mary "Polly" Randolph

Examples of grandmothers' surnames from my tree:
Bessie Waldron Merrill's paternal grandmother was Nancy Waldron
Charles Close McClintock's paternal grandmother was Julia Ann "July" Close

And, this leads me to my current research challenge. I've struggled to determine my great, great grandfather's middle name for more than 10 years. He usually goes by Augustus L Merrill (1848-1920 in PA). I only had one document, his Social Security application, that actually showed his name. But, I wasn't sure what it said. The best I could come up with was Lippendst.. which isn't even a name!

Augustus' full name from Social Security application which for years I'd read as Lippensdt

But, when I went to my aunt & uncle's house in October, I saw my father's baby book. In it, my grandmother had filled in a family tree! And, there is his middle name! Once again I'm having some trouble with it. It looks like Lippencott or Lippensott.

Augustus full name from my father's baby book - probably written by his mother

Looking in Pennsylvania, where this family lived, I see that there is a surname of Lippencott! I already have Augustus' paternal grandmother, Eleanor Smith. And, his mother was Nancy Waldron. But, I don't have any information on her parents. Was her mother a Lippencott? I think I need to seriously consider this possibility.

One other question... when you are looking at these older generations (at least before the 1900's), have you ever found a surname as a middle name and there was not a connection? Could it just have been a family friend's name? I'm hoping this is truly  another surname in my family, but for now I'll just use it as a clue.

Another tip: This is a good reason to track the siblings of your ancestor, too! You never know where you might find a middle name that turns out to be the clue you need!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

My 4x Great Grandfather Had a Pet Bear!!!

As a child, I loved to watch Grizzly Adams on television along with his pet bear, Ben. I had no idea that my own ancestor, Robert Stewart, also had a pet bear! His bear's name was "Bruin" (which means "bear") and they lived in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800's. While doing research, I uncovered an article titled "Mike Swartz and the Black Bear" in "History of Centre and Clinton Counties, Pennsylvania" which was published in 1883. The "black bear" in this story was Bruin, and I'm assuming things turned out alright. Robert died about 30 years before this book was published, but I can imagine the stories of him & Bruin being told at gatherings throughout the county. I'm thankful this story was preserved in print.

Grizzly Adams & his pet bear, from Wikipedia

Mike Swartz and the Black Bear

A tame bear belonging to the family of Robert Stewart was missing one morning, whereupon a man by the name of Mike Swartz and Mr. Stewart went in pursuit of him. After a while he was discovered in a tree a short distance from the house. One of the men, who had a gun, fired at the bear, and succeeded in bringing him to the ground, but slightly wounded. In order to prevent Bruin from escaping Mike ran up and caught hold of the bear, which in turn Bruin caught Mike by the hand with his mouth, at the same time giving him a hug such only as bears can give; at which Mike called out to his companion, who was at a safe distance, to come to his assistance, but Stewart, who no doubt thought "self-preservation the first law of nature," coolly replied, "Mike, if you were my own born dear brother I could do nothing for you under the circumstances."

For Sale, Public Ledger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 10 Sep 1845, page 2, column 5;
digital image, newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com: accessed 18 Sep 2014)

As I looked for any newspaper article about my ancestor and his bear, I came across a lot of pet bear stories even into the 1900's. As could be expected, many of them did not have happy endings. Above is one clipping from Pennsylvania in 1845 offering a pet bear for sale. I wonder if Robert bought his bear or found an orphaned cub and raised it.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - How Many Sarah's LNU are in Your Genealogy Database?

Randy has posted another Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge. This week we are looking at Sarah's in our database with 'last names unknown' or LNU. I'm going to summarize the rules this time:

Basically, search your database and see how many females you have with the first name of "Sarah" where you don't know the last name. Then, do a little research and see if you can discover her maiden name. If you don't have any Sarah's, feel free to use a different first name. Then, post your findings!

So, here goes!

I have two Sarah's, but they are such distant relatives that I decided to chose a different name. So, I'm going with Ann. I found six Ann's and was able to discover the maiden name of one of these... which I'll share at the end.

1. Ann (abt 1762-aft 1809), who married Charles BOOKOUT, is my 5th great grandmother. The only record I have for her is her husband's will from 1809 in Wayne County, Kentucky that lists his wife, Ann, and four children: John, Mary, Benjamin and Joseph.

2. Ann, who married Jno. THOMPSON, is the mother-in-law of my 4th great grandfather, Joseph EASTWOOD (1773-1844), through his first wife. She lived in England in the 1700's.

3. Ann (?-1827), who married Nicholas QUIGLEY (abt 1740 in PA - abt 1810 in Clinton Co, PA) the son of Christian QUIGLEY (see #4), is the wife of my 5th great grand uncle. The only record I have for her is a SAR (Sons of American Revolution) application from 1945. Now that I look at it again, it says her father is Gayen MILLER. So, I need to see if I can verify that her last name is MILLER.

4. Ann, who married Christian QUIGLEY, is my 6th great grandmother.The only record I have for her is also the SAR application from 1945. It says that there were married about 1750. The application says he served directly under General Washington. (His son, Michael QUIGLEY (1748-1804) is the Patriot through which I joined DAR two years ago.)

5. Anna M (abt 1871-?), who married Charles M QUIGLEY, is my second cousin four times removed. I have her in the 1920 and 1930 censuses.

6. Anna/Annie M (1836-bef 1910), who married Adam Close McCLINTOCK, is the wife of my 3rd great grand uncle. I have her in the 1870, 1880 & 1900 censuses in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. Her husband is a widower in the 1910 census. 

Pennsylvania Death Certificate of Anna M (Bickle) McClintock

There are a total of 44 McClintick/McClintock/McClintic's listed on FindAGrave in that cemetery and I'm going to make sure I have them all accounted for! Also, I need to make sure I have all of their death certificates if they died between 1906-1944. "My" Ann is not currently listed, so I will add her.

The Ann I had the most success with was #6. Ancestry showed a hint listing a death record, and it was hers. The informant is her husband, A C McCLINTOCK. It lists her parents as John BICKLE (so, that's her maiden name!) and Catharine DUKES. I also got her birthdate (20 Feb 1838), date of death 07 May 1909), and burial place (Cedar Hill Cemetery, Mackeyville, Clinton County, PA). I then found her parents in the 1860 census when she would've been 22, but she's not with her family. I think it is likely this was a second marriage for her as she was about 30 years old when she married Adam. I couldn't find her parents in 1850.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Some Semi-Random Research

Last night's "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun" challenge at Genea-Musings involved doing some semi-random research. I wasn't able to do the research last night, but I'm ready now!

Step #1: Go to your family tree database of choice (you know, like RootsMagic, Reunion, Ancestry Member Tree), and determine who the very first person on your list of C surnames is. Or the first person on your list of J surnames. Or P surnames. Or any other name you need to research. Your choice!

I chose the letter "U" and my name was Boyd Ungard.

Step #2: What do you know (or not know) about this person based on your research? It's OK to do more research if you need to - in fact, it's encouraged!

Boyd Ungard was born about 1875 in Pennsylvania and died after 1930. He was married in 1895 in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania to Edith Stewart. They had at least 7 children: 4 daughters & 3 sons including a son named Stewart, evidently from his mother's last name.

Boyd Ungard & Edith Stewart's 1895 marrige record
found at Ancetry

Records I have: 

• 1910, 1920, & 1930 census - all 3 near St Louis, Illinois (which is across the Mississippi from St Louis, Missouri) 
• a Methodist church marriage record stating both the bride & groom were "from Flemington" 
• a 1926 city directory showing his occupation as a laborer and his middle initial as "K" which I had never recorded 

New findings on Ancestry:

• U.S. Social Security Death Index - shows exact birth date (13 Feb 1875) & death facts (Oct 1968 in St Louis, Missouri) - age of 93 
• A listing for a St Louis obituary, though I wasn't able to view a copy of it 
• Several more city directories 
• A baptism as an adult in June of 1894 in the same church (& same month) as his marriage to Edith Stewart 
• A church record (same Methodist church) showing he was received in June of 1894 & later "removed to Pitsburgh" (no date recorded) 
• A church record (same Methodist church) showing his probationary membership starting in November of 1893 & "received into full connection" in June of 1894 

Findings at Mocavo:

• 1940 census - I had to play around with this to find it on Ancestry & found they'd transcribed the last name as "Ungood", not 'Ungard" (I found it by searching for the fairly unusual first name of Stewart with no last name) 
• 1880 census - he is 5 years old & living in same county as wife as a young girl - his 7 year old sister is listed as having scarlet fever - found siblings & parents 
• Methodist baptism record of two siblings listing same parents

front of Body Ungard's WWI draft registration card
found at FamilySearch

Findings at FamilySearch:

• WWI Draft Registration with date of birth! & his middle name & wife's middle name (she's the sister of a direct ancestor)! 

Records I'd still like:

• a copy of the obituary I found 
• probate records 
• 1900 census 
• location of burial 
• names of any other children (there is a 5 year & a 10 year gap between children) 

Step 3: How are you related to this person, and why is s/he in your family tree?

Boyd King Ungard is the husband of my great grand aunt, Edith Virginia Stewart. I try to research the siblings of my direct ancestors, so this was a great bit of research!

Step 4: Share!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - A Genea-Scavenger Hunt!

Randy posted tonight's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge over at Genea-Musings. Tonight's challenge is to pick a male relative who isn't a direct relative. Good choices would be a brother of an ancestor or the husband of an ancestor. You're wanting someone whose name probably wouldn't change throughout their life. Also, pick someone who was born between 1800-2000. Then, use FamilySearch to see what records come up. Tell what records you find & if you find anything new.

I chose Edward L Stewart (Aug 1879 in PA - abt 1921 in PA), a sibling to my direct ancestor Andrew McClintock Stewart. Here are the records I found:

1920 Census in Castane, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. He's a farmer, age 40, living with his wife, Pearl, who is 29. There are no children.

1910 Census in Dunnstable, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. He's 30 years old and living with his mother & father & one of their grandsons, Alexander S Lloyd. Alexander is the son of Edward's sister, Sarah, who is still living. I have not found her in the census and am not sure why she doesn't have her son with her.

1900 Census in Bald Eagle Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. He's 20 living with his parents & a younger brother & working as a farm laborer. His father is a farmer.

1880 Census in Dunstable, Clinton County, Pennsylvania. He's 9 months old - born in August. He's living with his parents & two older sisters, ages 3 & 6.

Edward L Stewart's front of WWI draft registration card (from FamilySearch)

Edward's WWI Draft Registration Card. This was a new record for me and filled in a lot of blanks including exact date of birth and middle name! It lists his full name as Edward Lawrence Stewart with a date of birth as August 10, 1879. He was of medium build and a slender build.

I'm thrilled to have found some new information and need to search for more family records in the draft registration cards.

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Brick Wall: Busted

I have tried to identify the father of Andrew McClintock (1804-abt 1864 in PA) for several years. The key to busting this brick wall was in the newly released Pennsylvania certificates of death.

Andrew and his wife, Mary Jane, had eight children that I know of. Three of those children died between 1906 and 1922, the years for which these death records have been released and are available at ancestry.com.

(image from ancestry.com)

Two of these records, those for Samuel & Adam, list the maiden name of their mother as "unknown." But the third child, their daughter Sarah Elizabeth (McClintock) Furst who died in 1922, lists the mother's maiden name as Jane Decker who was born in Pennsylvania. The informant was I. Torrence Shearer. Torrence Shearer was a grandson of Andrew & Mary Jane. Mary Jane didn't die until 1892 when Torrence was in his mid-30's, so it is likely that he knew her maiden name. He gave his grandmother's name as Jane Decker.

1830 Census, Gregg, Centre Co, PA (Andrew McClintick last in image) (image from ancestry.com)

Andrew & Mary Jane McClintock were living with three young sons in Gregg, Centre County, Pennsylvania in 1830. From the birth date of their oldest son, William, in February of 1823, I am guessing that they probably married in that county in 1821 or 1822. But, we couldn't find a marriage record.

In 1830 in Gregg, Centre County, there weren't any other McClintock's. I decided to look in Gregg in 1820 to see if I could find a McClintock family & a Decker family with children the right ages for Andrew & Mary Jane since they would have married just a couple of years later.

I discovered that the township of Gregg didn't form until 1826. It was taken from three other townships: Potter, Miles, and Haines. In the 1820 census, there weren't any McClintock's or Decker's in Miles or Haines. But, there were some in Potter! In fact, there were 5 Decker's or Deckard's listed as heads of household and two McClintock's.

1810 Potter census pg 4 - Sarah Decker (top name); Jno McClintick (10 from bottom); Jno Decker (bottom name)

1810 Potter census pg 5 - Jno McClintick

I next went back to the 1810 census. At this time, Andrew would have been about 6 years old and Mary Jane about 7. I only found two McClintock/McClintick famlies and two Decker families.These were all found on pages 4 & 5 of the 6 page census

1800 Potter, Centre Co, PA census - showing John Decker & Sarah Deckert (from ancestry)

A possibility for Mary Jane Decker was the easy to pick out. There were two Decker head of households: Sarah (age 45+) & Jno (also age 45+). (Note: As they were both in the 26-44 category in 1800, that makes them now between the ages of 45-54. I'm guessing they are probably siblings.) But, only one of these households had a female living there who was less than 10 years old. That household is Sarah Decker's house. By also looking at the 1800 census, I discovered that Sarah was already listed as a head of household at age 26-44. Since she was probably already widowed, it doesn't make a lot of sense that she has a daughter under the age of 10 in the census taken 10 years later. At this point, I'm hypothesizing that Sarah is actually Mary Jane's grandmother and the female aged 16-26 in the household is Mary Jane's mother.

1820 Potter, Centre Co, PA census - showing Michael Deckad's family (from ancestry)

In the 1820 census, Sarah is no longer a head of household. But, there is a Michael Deckard listed as head of household at the young age of 16-18. There are only two other people in the household: a female under the age of 10 (possibly a younger sister?) and a female over the age of 45 (which is possibly Sarah). I have contacted a family member who is related to the Decker family of Potter. She's on vacation this weekend, but I hope to hear from her next week and either solidify these suppositions or gain some new insight.

Going back to the 1810 census and looking for Andrew McClintock's father (see earlier images). There were only two McClintock families found in 1810, both of them listed as Jno McClintick. Remember, Andrew should have been about 6 years old at this time. The second Jno only had one young female listed as a possible child. But, the other Jno had two sons under the age of 10. So, this Jno is probably the father of Andrew McClintock.

But, then came further evidence. I had hired a professional researcher to look up some records in Pennsylvania. While she didn't find a marriage record for Andrew McClintock & Mary Jane Decker, she did find a baptism record for Andrew!

A few years ago, she put the records of the Sinking Creek Presbyterian Church into alphabetical order. And, there was a match for my Andrew! She is looking to see if she can find the original record, but so far I have what she has in her database. It lists Andrew McClintock, son of John McClintock, baptized Aug 26, 1804! I will continue to gather proof, but I believe I have now found the father of my Andrew!

One last issue: she actually gave me a list of 6 children for John McClintock, with baptisms between 1804 - 1822. In 1820, John only had 3 children listed, when there 'should have' been 5. (One was baptized after 1820.) But, it is possible that two of these children died.

Lastly, she told me she didn't find any records for the Decker's in Sinking Creek Presbyterian Church, but she had other church records she would search.

This is one of the most complex genealogical puzzles I have solved. It took a lot of work and creativity to piece this family together. But, it paid off by busting through a brick wall!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

They Appeared to be Brothers

I've really been working on my English ancestors the past few weeks. It's the Eastwood family I mentioned in my last post, "A First Jump Across the Pond." In that post, I shared about Humphrey Eastwood who I originally thought was my ancestor's (James') brother, but I found out he was actually his son by a first marriage.

1841 Census - Prestwich Cum Oldham, Lancashire, England from Ancestry.com

If Sarah wasn't Humphrey's mother, then who was? I next found a birth record for Humphrey Eastwood which shows his mother was named Elizabeth.

Humphrey's original birth record

Then, I found ANOTHER record for his birth. This one was recorded in 1852 when he was 17 years old! And, it lists his 'abode' as Lees. 

Birth Register for Humphrey Eastwood, son of James & Elizabeth

By 1852, Humphrey's mother had died. By looking at Humphrey's birth date and the remarriage of his father, I'm pretty sure his mother, Elizabeth, died in about 1838. I have found a death record that I think is likely hers. The death shows an Elizabeth Eastwood, aged 30, who died in April of 1838 in Ashton under Lyne, which all makes sense. I haven't proven this is her, though.

Possibly Elizabeth Eastwood's death reocrd

I know Humphrey's father, James, came over between 1848 and 1852 because of when and where his children were born. I have found the passenger list where his stepmother, Sarah, and his step-siblings, Elam and Sarah, immigrated in August of 1851. So, why was Humphrey still in England? And who was he living with?

I next found the 1851 England census where Humphrey is living with his aunt & uncle, John & Hannah Ormrod in Lees Field in Lancashire. I don't believe Humphrey's father, James, has a sister named Hannah. So, either John or Hannah must be Humphrey's mother, Elizabeth's, sibling.

1851 Census with Humphrey Eastwood living with aunt & uncle, John & Hannah Ormrod

By 1860, Humphrey has arrived in the United States and is living with his father, stepmother, and step-siblings in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. He is now 25 years of age and working as a clerk. I have not found an immigration record for him. In fact, this is the last record I've found for Humphrey.

1860 Census - Clinton County, PA

I do wonder why Humphrey didn't come over with his father or with his stepmother & step-siblings. He would have been about 16 years old when his stepmother came over. Was it a money issue? 

And, what happened to Humphrey? Why can't I find any more records about him? When did he immigrate and when did he die? And when did his father, James, immigrate?

One last note... I'm so glad I created this blog post! While putting it all together, I came across another record. I thought Humphrey was the only child of James & Elizabeth Eastwood. But, I found out he has an older sister, Hannah!

Hannah Eastwood birth register - same church as Humphrey

Hannah must have died as a young girl as she wasn't in the 1841 census when she would have been about 8 years old. Later, James & his second wife, Sarah, will have another daughter that they will name Hannah which I understand was fairly common in these times.

So, I still have a lot of questions, but I'm finding more and more answers, too!

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net