TwigTalk

Volunteer Trails To The Past (TTTP)

2011-08-17T08:00:00.004-04:00

I enjoy volunteering to help others with their research even though I often have little time. Right now my efforts are going toward the Trails To The Past. It's a genealogical/historical network that is still very young.

The Trails to the Past is an organization of volunteers dedicated to providing non-commercial, free genealogical data to researchers. We want to provide not only birth, death and marriage records; census, bible records, books and cemetery records, but that unusual data that often provides not just facts, but a window on the life of your ancestors.

Each district, state and county will have a site devoted to that place. There are a number of "Special Projects" already available to peruse or donate data to.

"Oh", you say, "It sounds like the GenWeb". I can only say that it is similar, but different in some very important ways. First of all is the work environment. The TTTP is focused on making the volunteers work environment nice, uncomplicated and friendly. There will be no 'behind the scenes' struggles for power. We will all avail ourselves to helping you to get started. We want to invite creativity in your site design and data presentation. We also wish to offer more history. Genealogy is not just names and dates. Knowing the history of the time period your ancestor lived in and the environment he had to survive is just as important when it comes time to "flesh out the bones" as they say.

We are in need of volunteers to join us. There are states and counties needing adoption. On the main page of the TTTP National site it reads:

"If you are interested please email the administrator of the state or district you are interested in and send us a resume of your qualifications using FTP and writing HTML along with any sites you might have on the Internet."

It also states:

"If you adopt a state or a county, the web space that you get from Rootsweb is your website. You have the passwords to the site and you maintain what goes on the site. You own the copyright to any information you add to the site and your submitters own the copyright for whatever they add to the site. Trails to the Past only hold the copyright on what we put on our National pages."

If you do not feel you can adopt a county or state, you still can volunteer! You have data about your own ancestors. I know that I have collected many bits and pieces over the years to many databases. Put together a lot of little bits and you have a complete database. Any little bit is much appreciated. There are grave photos, photographs of your ancestors, transcriptions of data and so many other things that you can submit to a site. Not only does this help other researchers, but you just might make that all important connection that aids you as well.

Simpson Reece Morgan - A TwigTale

2011-04-07T07:12:00.005-04:00

Simpson Reece Morgan

Reece Morgan was born in Monroe County, Tennessee on December 25, 1856. He was my gr-gr-grandfather. His parents were William M. Morgan and Sarah Serena Tallent. I have followed the Morgans back to William Morgan born 1774 in Virginia. The Tallent family goes back to about 1728 in the Carolina area.

Around 1878 in Tennesse, Reece married Matilda Marie White, aka. "Tilda". During their life they produced 10 children; Rufus M. born 1879, Minnie Ellen born 1880, James Frank born 1883, Jessie Adeline (my great-grandmother) born 1884, Robert Benjamin born 1887, Kitty O. born 1889, Callie Miranda born 1892, Grace B. born 1893, Edgar L. born 1902 and Talmidge Digger Morgan born about 1904. I have little information on Talmidge Digger who died in 1977 in Yakima, Washington. All the others I have information on.

In 1908 they left Monroe County, Tennessee and moved to the Marshall/DeKalb County area of Alabama.

Edgar was only 16 when he died.
Photo by: Tina Brock Smith

Reece died January 10, 1942 in Collinsville, Alabama. He was 86 years old. He was buried in Copeland's
Bridge Cemetery in DeKalb County, Alabama.

Reece Morgan's grave - Photo by: Tina Brock Smith

Tolliver White - A TwigTale

2011-04-04T07:00:00.004-04:00

I've come to a brick wall with this man. His name is Tolliver/Toliver White, and he was born about 1817 in Tennessee. I've read many messages on boards that he had a trading post. I've found no proof of that as of yet.

Marriage number one is to a Mary "Polly" Hicks sometime before 1837 in Tennessee. Polly was born on May 8, 1818 in Tennessee and died around 1850. She and Tolliver had 5 children that I can find; Sarah Ann, [Judith] Caroline, George [Washington], Mary Jane and Harriet. Her parents were Isaac Hicks and Sarah Long Walker.

In the 1850 Monroe County, Tennessee census, Tolliver (farmer) and Polly are listed as 31 years old with the children; Sarah 13, Caroline 10, George 6, Mary 3 and Harriett, 4 months old. Sarah Hicks, 57 years old, lived next door to Tolliver and Polly, so Isaac was most likely gone by then. Sarah has listed in her household, Sarah 30, William 18, Jane 16, Caroline 5 and Margaret 2.

Tolliver was supposed to have married a native American woman after Polly died. They produced one child that I know of, my gr-gr-grandmother Matilda Marie White. I have found many messages that state this is so with no hint of any source. There is also an account that Matilda Marie, better known as Tilda, said she was raised by an indian woman, again with no name. I believe they wrote that her mother died in childbirth. Tilda was born in October of 1854. She died in 1925 in Calhoun County, Alabama and is buried in Lloyd's Chapel Cemetery. She married Reese Simpson Morgan, son of William M. and Sarah Serena Tallent Morgan.

Tolliver was not done with marriage. His third marriage was to a woman named Nancy Carolyn LNU. In the 1860 census for Monroe County Tennessee Tolliver is 43 and still listed as a farmer. His wife, Nancy White is 26 and lists her birthplace as North Carolina. They have 6 children in the household; G.K. 15, Jane 12, Harriet 10, S.E. 8, Matilda 6 and Adaline 7 months old. (G.K. is male and most likely George Washington; Jane is Mary Jane.)

Nancy and Tolliver were said to have a Margaret I. in 1862 and Martha C. White in 1863. I cannot place the S. E. female yet.

I have been unable to find the family of Tolliver. I would love to put a name to Matilda's mother. My thoughts about that are mixed. The more I look at the family, the more I feel there was no 2nd wife. If Polly died giving birth to S.E. White in 1852 or most likely Matilda in 1854, the story would still fit. Tolliver would marry Nancy Caroline before 1858. I have wondered if Nancy Caroline could be Polly's sister, Caroline Hicks, listed in the 1850 census with her mother, Sarah, even though the age is wrong. I know that it is said that the Hicks line is Cherokee. This would clear up many things. I need to find the proof.

I've also read that Tolliver was murdered in 1867, and the only witness to that horrible act was my gr-gr-grandmother Tilda. I would love to know more about this.

Sheri

A New Toolbox Need

2011-04-01T15:53:00.001-04:00

(I've been away for a while. Life interrupted me. I am back. I know it is April 1st, but this is no April Fool's gag!)

I've finally given up on Picasa. It is the ornery-ist thing I've tried to work with. So I threw it out. I wish I could have wadded it up and tossed it, but I had to be happy just to empty my recycle bin. I really needed to hear crunching or a bang.

Now I am on the look out for a program that is simple and free. I need to organize more than anything else. I don't want it to hold all my many gigs of photos. I like that I could uninstall Picasa without any worry about any loss of my photos. I don't really need the program to do much of anything else. I have PSP 8 and Photoshop Elements 9 to "work" on any that needs fixing. But the basics like red-eye removal and straightening up a photo is nice to have handy.

I have downloaded and have been looking at FastStone Image Viewer, but I don't think that it is quite what I had in mind. Also have been reading about Zoner Photo Studio Free. It has a free version, but is it worth it?

I know PSE9 can organize your photos into albums. What I don't know is if my photos are deleted with the program if it is uninstalled. There are also photos that I have within folders that go with my RootsMagic that I don't want touched at all. Can I stop that? How hard is PSE9 to work with? I just started working with this program a couple of months ago, so I am a big-time NEWBIE!

If anyone has any opinions they would share about this, I would appreciate hearing them. What is the most used photo organizing program used by everyone?

Sheri

Grandpa's Pen - Artifact

2010-10-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

My grandfather, Jim Jaynes, was a self-employed plumber. As a child I would watch him work at his desk with the most wonderful pen. It is a fountain pen. I kept it because I was so curious about it as a child. Now, the bladder inside has turned to dust. It certainly needs some help to make it work again. I'm not even sure that can be done. But it rests on my desk as it did on his for so long.

There's Something About Henry...

2010-09-17T23:01:00.001-04:00

Now the last time I wrote about my Brock family I wrote about Rudolph and his son (and my direct ancestor as per DNA) Georg "Frederick". I know one of Frederick's sons is my ancestor, but which one? I have 8 to choose from for now as DNA has not been listed on each of Fredericks sons, but I can eliminate several through research. I have no proof as of yet which one it is, but I believe Isaac is the front-runner.

Tracing back from my father, I am sure of his father, Rufus Marion and his father Patrick Henry. I was 18 when my great-grandfather, Pat, died. I knew both men well. I also know the father of Pat was Francis Marion, his father was Andrew "Andy" Jackson, and his father was Elbert. This is easy to trace as there are records including a straight and clear path back through the census records. I have never seen Elbert misspelled or written as Albert, though I have been told it could be interchangeable. It would seem that it would be shown to be a possibility in records and I have not found that to be so. I don't think I agree that his name could possibly be Albert. I mention this because Elbert is also a surname which I have noted could be important, especially when the surname can be found in the area of my family. Now, this is the point which I think things get really murky.

Elbert's father is supposed to be Henry Brock, born 1770 in Pendleton County, South Carolina and died March 31, 1866 in Mecca, McMinn County, Tennessee. He was married to Mary (other researcher has her surname as Queener) also born in South Carolina in 1770 and died in Mecca, McMinn County, Tennessee.
According to other researchers, they had the following children:
1. Blassingame, born 1797; died about 1860
2. Terry Wayne, born 1798; died about 1860
3. Elbert, born 1805 South Carolina; died 1853 in McMinn County, Tennessee
4. Matilda, born Aug. 31, 1811 South Carolina; died Jan. 9 1879 in McMinn County, Tennessee.
5. David Harrison, born 1815 Spartenburg, South Carolina; died about 1860
6. Henry J., born 1817 South Carolina; died 1904 Jackson County, Arkansas
7. Lawrence P.(Porter maybe), born 1821 South Carolina; died Jan. 3 1894,in Mecca, McMinn County, Tennessee

In the 1850 census Henry, listed as 80 years old, and Mary are living with Elbert and his wife Mary (Elbert died in 1858). In the 1860 census record Henry, listed as 100 years old, is living with Lawrence and his family. Henry's birth year of 1770 is most likely wrong, and the census just highlights that. Perhaps he didn't even remember the exact year of his birth.

Court records have helped to sort out some of the children. The first ones to go are Blassingame and Terry Wayne. Both are listed in court records as sons of James Sr., Frederick's youngest son. So the child list is cut down to five: Elbert, Matilda, David H., Henry J., and Lawrence. In court records, Henry J. is listed as a cousin of Elbert, so again, either Elbert or Henry J. must be removed from the children of Henry and Mary. I am leaning toward removing Elbert, simply because of the naming patterns in the family. Unless, of course, Henry's wife Mary is actually Mary Elbert. There is also the fact that the given name of Henry does not repeat in Elbert's line. Another problem I see is Lawrence. If Henry and Mary were born in 1770, then they would be 51 at the time of his birth. While it is possible, I just don't think it is probable. So, something must be wrong with the entire make-up of this Brock family.

My cousin is the one that put this family together in the beginning. Another cousin stated it was done through a Bible, one I have never seen nor heard about until lately. I did read about a Bible with this family a long time ago from another researcher. It described the entries, stating that Henry's birth date of 1764 had been marked out and 1770 written in. As I understand it, the children I have had to remove from the children list for Henry were in this bible as the children of Henry. Mary was also listed as being Mary Queener. That has not been proven, and quite frankly, can not be found to be so. I do not know if this is the same bible that my cousin was told about. I do know that the Queener Bible doesn't list any Brock/Queener marriage. I have not found any Brock/Queener connections at all, but this cousin pointed out that David Harrison's son was named John Queener Brock. It would seem that there is a connection somewhere, if I can only find it.

I don't put as much importance on Bible entries as I do other records. I know how easily it is changed and how they are often copied over and over into other Bibles. The chance of an error is very high.

I am now investigating Henry Brock, 2nd son of Reuben Sr. who is the fourth son of Frederick. He was born in 1777 in Caswell County, North Carolina, which would put his age at a more comfortable place than the 1770 date for me. It would certainly fit better. I know nothing about him at all, so in the end both Henry's might actually be the same.

There is a lot of work to do on Henry and his family. At least I know where the problems are and can go from there.

to be continued......

What Goes On In The Head Of A Blond? I Have Proof!

2010-08-31T16:39:00.001-04:00

Going through the box of things that are not photos, but will be used in my scrapbooking, I ran across this x-ray. At the time it was very important. My daughter was born with a birth defect and we spent a lot of time at Riley Children's Hospital in Indy. They always worked hard to make kids ok with a hospital stay. We've been through magicians, clowns and one birthday party (very lucky only one was spent there). We were there for the Pan Am games and a visit from the Disney people. At the time it didn't seem so important, but looking back it takes on a new identity. It was fun in the middle of pain.

Over the years we met many children that are no longer, many wonderful families and a hospital that treats the whole child and family as one. And that is a good thing.

Well, in July of 1987 we had to make a middle of the night run to the ER at Riley. All I remember is how tired we were and how scared. She needed an x-ray so we headed for the dungeon and what did we find? Emptiness. Quiet. Very unusual, I can tell you. Shani had her Cabbage Patch with her as always. It was blond and female but I can't remember it's name. After my daughters x-ray, the X-ray tech said the doll needed one too. We found out what goes on in a blond's head. It's official, and I have proof.

Family History is not all serious business........

P.S. Don't tell anyone I was blond and so was my daughter.......Shhhhhhh

The Voyage of Rudolph: Coming Home

2010-08-15T16:32:00.002-04:00

I have been working on my Brock/Brack family. As a matter of fact, I have been working with a group of other Brock researchers. I have learned more than I have contributed, I'm sorry to say. The people in the group are very good and have shared a great deal of information, for which I am grateful. Any time from this point that I say Brock, I am including this group of researchers in my source of where the information came from. (So thanks everybody for including me!)

I know from a DNA result from my cousin that my line of Brocks comes from a son of Georg "Frederick" Brock, aka. Fred who was the s/o Rudolph Brack. Frederick was born February 2, 1719 in Zweibreucken, Germany. His line goes back into Switzerland in 1646 and before. I was able to find information on the families entry into the US, and several German records, birth and death in particular, on FamilySearch.

My American story starts with Fredericks' father. Rudolph Brack 47, wife Anna Brack 36, daughters Christiana 11, Magdalena 8 and son Frederick 14 immigrated to America, arriving at the Port of Philadelphia, August 28, 1733 aboard the ship "Hope". They arrived just in time for winter which was surely a disadvantage. They remained in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a couple of years before moving on to the Shenandoah area of Virginia.

The journey aboard ship must have been a nightmare. The first step of the voyage was down the Rhine to Rotterdam. This trip down the Rhine lasted 4 to 6 weeks. They had to stop at a customs check 26 times along the river, and each time the ship was held for examination for as long as the officials wanted to hold it. The passengers would be forced to spend some cash, of course, at every stop. Once in Rotterdam, Holland, the ships were detained 5 to 6 weeks. Holland was more expensive, and would drain the people of any extra money they might hope to hold onto. The second step of the journey was from Holland to Cowes, England, which is located on the Isle of Wight. There they would go through customs and then wait for a 'favorable wind'. This could take 2 to 3 weeks, from time of making port in Cowes to setting sail for America. Once the weather was right, the final and worst part of the journey began. From the Port of Cowes to the Port of Philadelphia, the journey would last 8 to 12 weeks, completely dependant on the weather and certainly the most trying leg of the whole journey.

The passengers would suffer very small quarters, constant motion underfoot, noise day and night and the lack of exercise and privacy. There was also a lack of clean water, though they carried fresh water, it would have to be portioned out carefully .   They were only allowed to bathe in sea water. The food would not be the freshest, and I suppose the longer the journey, the worse the food and water got. I read about the 'bunks' for sleeping. They were only 5 foot long and were called 'cribs' because they had sides. You wouldn't be able to stretch out, but at least you wouldn't end up in the floor every time the ship rolled. I don't even want to imagine the smell below deck.

There was the constant threat of disease. Even today, a cruise on a luxurious vessel can be ruined for everyone aboard by a flu bug or virus. Think what would happen aboard a small ship with it's passengers packed in like sardines.    They would be subject to all sorts of diseases like scurvy, dysentery, typhoid and smallpox. Many children died on each journey. I should think the elderly would as well.    Only the hardiest of souls ever set eyes on their 'promised land'.

The storms would have been horrible experiences. You would have been tossed about, sick and healthy alike. No one would be able to stand below deck during the storms. The waves would wash over the decks. I'm sure it was running through every mind that the ship would surely sink each time a storm hit. You are out in the middle of nowhere and there will be no rescue whatever tragedy befalls the vessel, so completely at the mercy of the elements.

Once the ship arrived at it's destination, a health official would board and check that they would not infect the general population with anything. If they got the ok, the ship could then 'make port' and her passengers could disembark. They must have been worse for wear when they finally got to the end of their journey, a wobbly, less than clean bunch working their way down the gang plank. What did it feel like, I wonder, setting foot on dry, solid land after spending over a year aboard a ship? What was going through their minds as their eyes took in their surroundings? Did it resemble the dream they had nurtured in their minds throughout their long journey home?

I would say that you had to really want to get to the new world very badly to go through such a journey. The conditions in the place you left so bad or so constraining that you were willing to let go of family, friends and place to begin again, alone in a strange land. I don't think people today fully appreciate the journey Rudolph took, nor the reasons behind it.    I am sure our elected officials don't, as this journey I write about is the true example of immigration.

Rudolph signed his name to three lists, and I believe he did so with all his heart.

List A - The Captain's list
List B - The signers of the Oath of Allegiance
List C - The signers of the Oath of Abjuration

My Rudolph was home.

to be continued. . . . .

-------------------------------------------

The Brock Research Group

OliveTreeGenealogy Ships list: Passenger list for the ship Hope

FamilySearch.org.: Record Search

Frederick Brock 1719-1807: His American Family by Clarence C. Brock, Jr.

Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808, by Ralph Baker Strasburger & William John Hinke. Norristown, PA: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934; reprinted Springfield, VA, Genealogical Books in Print, 1992; pp. xxxiv-xxxvii.

Summertime Update

2010-07-13T22:53:00.001-04:00

A lot has changed in the last 6 months. One thing is that I have retired from the GenWeb. I have limited time and energy to spend now. I have been working on my own genealogy lately. I had let it fall by the wayside, spending almost all my free time in volunteer projects. I still want to volunteer but need to work on my tree for a while. I suppose this is the only change that matters here. I need to match my time and energy to the project I choose.

I have been working on catching up with citations of the sources I have.   I don't know that I will ever have that job done.

Lately I have met a group of Brock researchers and have a cousin that has had his DNA done. I know a lot more than I did about this family, and I am having to rethink the line. I believe early mistakes were made. I have been forced to wonder if all the data online from my line is based on a wrong person. It needs a lot more work. Lucky for me, this sounds fun.

I'm giving some thought to joining GenealogyWise. I don't want to over-join. I have cut out the things I was not using and am considering how to use the ones I have kept more effectively.

All in all it seems to be turning into the year of change. I got pushed into changing in the beginning. Now it is becoming so much more than just physical changes.

It's My Blogoversary Today!

2010-04-26T12:38:00.001-04:00

Wow. Today is my second Blogoversary. Had it not been for Thomas I would have forgotten completely. Thank you Thomas!
It's hard to believe that I have been here blogging for 2 years. Of late, I have not been that active. I've had trouble getting back into the groove this year. So much has happened and so much going on. I've made so many good friends since I started this blog, and I enjoy all of you.

My hopes for the next year is to get back into the habit of blogging regularly. I want to get my research out there and hopefully make new contacts!

So here are my surnames:
ADKINS/ATKINS > IN 1842
ALEXANDER > IN(Jackson/Washington) > PA 1752
ALLMAN > IN(Jackson) > VA(Grayson) > PA(Fort Bedford) > Germany 1738
ANGLETON > KY(Boone) 1781
BOBMAN > PA(York) 1793
BOHALL > IN(Brown/Jackson) > KY(Meade) > NY 1793
BONNER > TN(McMinn) > SC 1805
BROCK > AL > TN(McMinn) > SC 1770
BROWN > AL 1890
CARTER > IN about 1820
CRAMER/KRAMER > PA(York) > Gemany(Wuettemberg) 1696
DITTMORE > TN(McMinn) > SC(Hamstead) 1780
DRAPER > IN 1819
GALLOWAY > SC > NC 1779
HEINRICHSON > SC(Charleston) > Germany(Lanstadt, Hanover) 1760
HINES IN > VA(Sussex/Surry) > Scotland 1670
HOGG(/HOKE*mistake) > PA(York) > Scotland(Ayrshire) 1725
HOVIS > IN > OH(Noble) > PA(York) > Germany(Prussia) 1720
HUGHART/HUGGART >KY 1810
JACK > TN(McMinn) > VA 1805
JANES/JAYNES > IN(Jackson) > KY(Metcalf/Barren) 1811
JOICE/JOYCE > NC(Rockingham) 1805
LITTLE > VA about 1715
MARTIN > IN(Jackson) > KY 1806
MILSTEAD > KY > IN(Brown) 1800
MORGAN > AL > TN(Monroe) > NC > VA 1774
MOSES > TN(Monroe) > NC 1747
QUEENER > TN(McMinn) > SC 1770
ROBBINS/ROBINS > IN(Washington) > NC 1818
RABORN > AL > TN(Monroe) 1839
SCHMIDT > PA(York) > GERMANY 1705
TALLENT > TN(Blount) > NC(Anson) 1690
WILCUT/WILLCUT/WILLCUTT > IN(Washington) > KY 1815
WINSOR > KY(Danville) 1805

Thank you everyone for being so supportive!!

Ancestor Approved Award - Late of course.

2010-04-25T11:43:00.000-04:00

Marian Wood over at Climbing My Family Tree and Laura Ann at Dreaming About Home gave me the Ancestor Approved award. I am so late at getting this taken care of that most of you have already received it. I want to thank Marian and Laura Ann very much for the award. I'm sorry I have not gotten it up before now.

I am asked to list ten things that I have learned about any of your ancestors that has surprised,
humbled, or enlightened me. I'm not sure after all these years that I could keep it at ten. I am often surprised by the strength of character and tenacity that it took to survive the hardships of earlier times. I am humbled and enlightened by the faith and vision they held fast to.

Funeral Card Friday - Gladys Alexander Taylor

2010-04-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have never met my great-aunts family, but would love to. She moved to California young. My grandmother visited her sister, Gladys in California once that I know of.

4 Generations of Women

2010-03-18T09:59:00.003-04:00

The first woman on the right is my great-grandmother, Olive Ellen Martin Alexander who was called 'Ollie' by her friends, Grandma-mom by my mother and I. Next to her my grandma, Della Alexander Jaynes, then my mother and the smallest woman in the group is me. The photo was taken in the late 1950's at my house. It's the only photo with all of us together that I know of. Grandma-mom died in 1972 and my grandma in 1996.

A Women's History Month post.

Fearless Females Post - Unusual Names

2010-03-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Well to start with my own name is a little strange. It's Sherida. My grandmother, Della Alexander Jaynes named me for a friend that had died young. I grew up never meeting anyone with my name, and it was guaranteed that the first day of school, every year of my schooling life, the teacher was going to say it wrong. Another eerie little tidbit is that I never saw my name listed anywhere except on a tombstone at the cemetery as a child. How spooky is that?

I do have an unusually named ancestor that has kept me wondering for a long time. My paternal grandmother was named Bizzie Lee Beard. In the1910 census she was listed as Lee B., 1920 census as Busylee and 1930 census, as a married adult, she was listed as Bessie. All documents with her name she is listed as Bizzie Lee. I have never found this name anywhere else. I just keep feeling that it had to be a nickname. By the way, it was always run together as though it was one name, Bizzilee.

This post is for the blog prompt carnival, "Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women's History Month"

Fearless Females Post - Maggie's Life in Pictures

2010-03-02T08:00:00.003-05:00

These are photos of Margaret Hovis Martin during her life. The first is at the ripe old age of 15, taken in 1875. The second is during her early years of marriage, somewhere in the time span of 1883 to 1887. Most likely the earlier date. The last image is of her late in her life. The photo was snapped at a Martin reunion in the late 1930's. She died in 1940 so this is possibly the last photo taken of her.

This post is for the blog prompt carnival, "Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women's History Month"

Fearless Females Post: - Favorite Female Ancestor

2010-03-01T12:48:00.004-05:00

Following the blogging prompts by Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist: "Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women's History Month"

Margaret "Maggie" Hovis Martin

My favorite ancestor would be my grandmother, Della Mae Alexander Jaynes, but I know everything that is knowable about her. Next in line would be Margaret Hovis Martin, better known as Maggie. Everything I know about Maggie, I know from stories told to me by, yes, none other than her grand-daughter and my grandmother, Della Mae. Sounds so complicated doesn't it? It really is simple. My grandma loved, respected and missed her favorite grandma the same way I love, respect and am missing mine. From this point on I will refer to my grandma as Della.

Maggie was born in 1867 in Ohio. Her parents were; Henry W. Hovis and Elizabeth Ellen Bohall. Her father preached a little, played the fiddle and made baskets. Elizabeth Bohall is part of the Brown County, Indiana basket-making Bohall family. They are pretty well known in the basket collector community. I believe Henry learned his skills from his wife's family. I have often wondered if Maggie learned this skill herself. This, I do not know. At any rate, Henry and family lived in Brown County until about 1870. At that time they started showed up in Jackson County, just to the south east of Brown.

This is where she met and married Samuel S. Martin in 1883. Maggie was just 16 years old. Her first child was born a year later. She and Sam moved to Jennings County, Indiana and Sam farmed. They had 5 children; John A., Olive Ellen (my great-grandmother), Roxie Mae, Stanley, and Samuel S. jr.

Della loved Maggie's strength and determination. She often talked about Maggie wading into fights and dragging Sam out of the middle of it. She said her mother, Olive told her of a time when she saw Maggie stitch up a cut on the kitchen table that Sam had gotten in a fight. I heard many stories of this nature, but perhaps one is enough to put down on paper (well, ok, virtual paper:o). Anyway, in my child's mind, Maggie was like superwomen, saving the day, keeping the family together and keeping Sam in line and patched up. It seems she was warm and loving as well. I wanted to be Maggie!

Maggie died in Paris Crossing, Jennings County, Indiana on the 10th of February, 1940. I need to check history books that deal with baskets to see if she or her family is listed in any of them by name. I also need to get her marriage cert. I've found everything but the exact day of their marriage. These are simple things that I have just put off. This is the year to fill in the blanks on Maggie Martin!

This post is for the carnaval, "Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women's History Month"

2010 Games - Success!

2010-02-27T12:03:00.005-05:00

Well, it's hard to believe that we have come to the end of the Games already. Time flies when you are busy, and when you are having fun! Here it is the end of the games already. I did not do as much as last time as I got side-tracked when citing my sources. But I got so much finished in my own work that it is not a washout! I enjoyed every moment, and have a lot of work finished. I can say that these 2010 Games have been a great success, at least in my research.

1. “Go Back and Cite Your Sources!”:
Finished more that, 50 Citations – Platinum Medal

2. "Back Up Your Data!"
Finished Task A, B & C - Gold Medal

3. "Organize Your Research!"
Finished Task A, B, C, D & E - Platinum Medal

I'm afraid that is where I got side-tracked. I wanted to finish "Expand Your Knowledge" but never made it to that catagory. I am going to work on it as I have time. I needed to go through that one as it has things that I have not tried yet. The timeline and Google Maps were the two I hoped to get done. I read with great interest Miriam's "Using Timelines" post over at AnceStories. She even provided a copy of the template she used. Thanks Miriam! I want to walk through it for myself.

I feel like it has been a big success for me even though I did not complete all the catagories I wanted to. I have entered well over 100 citations. When I found that I was missing a census, I searched for it, got it cited properly, and now have very few holes in the continuity of census resources for a great deal of the Alexander file. I do have to say that RootsMagic4 makes it pleasant to enter source material. I can't take all the credit:o) (Thanks Bruce!) I also have so much of the Alexander materials, both digital and hard copy organized as well. The games were very successful for me and my research.

A big thanks to Thomas. As always, wonderfully done.

Off To A Good Start

2010-02-16T20:50:00.002-05:00

Well I have gotten off to a good start. I have cited 83 sources and it seemed to just fly by! Kept my head down and got it done!
1. Go Back and Cite Your Sources DONE Platinum
I've also finished Task A and Task C of 2. Back Up Your Data! Task C was very important since I had not backed up my files for a while, since October 09 actually. I use RootsMagic4, but backup as a Gedcom file so that it could work with any program should something happen to me. I back up online and on a storage HD.

Still feeling good but it has only begun........LOL

On a side note, I am snowed in and suffering from insanity. The weatherman said today that there are 2 storms heading my way for next week. I shut him off and I refuse to talk to him again.

2010 Games

2010-02-14T20:43:00.003-05:00

I have my flag and my banner. I am ready to compete.....

I am hoping I can get a lot done again this time. Though off to a slow start, I am ready.

In the competition categories I hope to perform well in at least 4:

1. Go Back and Cite Your Sources
2. Back Up Your Data
3. Organize Your Research
4. Expand Your Knowledge

If I have time left I will try number 5 this time:

5. Write, Write, Write!

This one I do all the time for my county. So I will just continue it everyday and not perform in the games for:

6. Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness

Ready, set . . . . . . . . . We're off!

Happy 101 Award

2010-01-16T13:36:00.003-05:00

I have recieved this award from 4 fellow bloggers. Felicia from Our Family As A Whole,
Taylorstales-Genealogy, Colleen at Orations of OMcHodoy, and Earline from AncestralNotes.

The award requires me to name 10 things that make me happy and then name 10 blogs that I want to send this award to.

What makes me happy:

1. My family. They have been around lately helping me, so recovery has been a happy time. My daughter, in particular, is my joy.

2. Living in the time period we now live in. Studying ancestor lives should make everyone happy that it is 2010. Our lives are so much nicer, easier and cleaner than our ancestors. So I am happy to be in the 21st Century!

3. My Family History work. I don't have to tell you why that makes me happy, right?

4. My volunteer work for the GenWeb. I am hoping that I can keep up during my recovery. I love my work and it brings a joy to life that surprises me all the time!

5. My reading and studying. I have other things I am interested in and do a lot of reading about them.

6. The new social nature of the genealogy community, and all the people I have met through the networks. We no longer stumble along in lonely solitude. How exciting it has been!

7. My collection of family heirlooms. Having the things that were so important, or were made by my ancestors around me brings great comfort and lovely memories. Seeing the quilt that my Grandma made causes my heart to swell with happiness and love. She was the wisest and most loving woman I have known.

8. My computer. It sets here waiting for me to go on an adventure from my home. It holds many of the answers I seek. It lets me visit places I could only wonder about before. I am very happy sitting here.

9. My furry little friend makes me happy.

10. Two arms, two legs and no pain.

My nominees:

Life is just a Bowl of Cherries

Relatively Curious About Genealogy

FamHist

Before My Time

FootnoteMaven

Tiger Tulip Designs (my daughters blog)

Kinexxions

Heritage Happens

Our Twigs

Ancestors Live Here

Volunteerism: Look to Your Local GenWeb

2010-01-14T11:29:00.003-05:00

I don't want to "toot my horn". That is not the importance of giving a little time to a cause that you feel is worthwhile. My particular cause is the GenWebs. I adopted my county several years ago and have not regretted it. I love the work and have met so many wonderful people in the process of maintaining the site.

When I first started online research I discovered the GenWebs and knew immediately that I wanted to be a volunteer for that organization. I set out right away to learn html coding so that I would be able to adopt a county. Just so happens that my own county became available as I was learning and I quickly applied to adopt it. I was open about my lack of experience and that I was taking lessons still. I was sure that I would not be chosen because of my lacking knowledge and experience. Big surprise! I was chosen! I try to keep learning so that the site is coded up to date and is convenient for my users. I am grateful that the State Coordinator gave me a chance to work for the INGenWeb. It is very fullfilling.

I spend more time some months of the year on the site. Around the holidays it is quiet and very few submissions come in. In the busy times I will spend up to 3 or 4 hours a week on the site. There have been times I spent much more time working. Getting the site up and running took many hours of work a week, but now that I have it set, I only need to put the data on a page(template) and upload. The County Coordinator chooses how simple or complicated the site is. I also spend time transcribing data for the site. Some months I spend 8 to 10 hours doing that. Again, it is up to the CC how much time is spent there. I'm sure you have noticed that each county site is different. That is because each site reflects the personality of each Coordinator and the amount of time they have to put into the project. How much time spent on the project is up to the individual County Coordinator. I have taken my county from 50 pages to over 2500, and that is smallcompared to some counties. I have a lot of ideas and data I want to provide for my users, so much work is still to be done.

I recommend the GenWebs for anyone looking to volunteer time to providing data and information about genealogy research. I have found it to be a great challenge and a joy. Take a look at your county site. Please consider the GenWebs when looking to volunteer. If you don't feel you can handle a county, remember that the sites are waiting for submissions of data from their users too. You could volunteer data that you have collected over the years in your own research. Next time you go out to that little cemetery in your county, take a while and snap extra photos just to submitt. If you have a book for your county, become a "look-up". You can make your county site better even if you can not adopt it.

USGenWeb

Written for the 88th COG.

My Helper

2010-01-01T15:00:00.004-05:00

My daughter, helper and secretary, Shani.
Thank you for being here!

About Sheri Of TwigTalk

2009-12-03T22:00:00.003-05:00

Hello I'm Sheri's/Twigs Daughter Shani ,

Early Monday evening Mom fell Shattering her left arm Elbow &Ulna bone & Broke her left ankle I believe the Fibula bone .
She was hospitalized She had to have surgery to repair the damage done to the arm luckily they had all the pieces of the shattered arm to piece back together . her leg was a clean break which did not require any surgery just a casting .She came home on Wednesday afternoon and has been ordered bed resting They have put castes on both broken parts.
Due to these breaks she will be unble to post here for an unknown amount of time .
So this site will be on hold until she has recovered fully from this fall.

She Thanks everyone for the well wishes via blog comments as well as group & emails.
She hopes to get back here as quick as possible .
But until such time Twig Talk is on Hiatus .

Thank you for understanding and keep those well wishes coming .

I'll be checking blog post comments daily until the time she is able to return .

Sincerely
Sheri's Daughter and Secretary
Shani

Scanning And Other Adventures

2009-11-29T20:24:00.004-05:00

I finished scanning my treasures. Took longer as I had to examine each one as I went. Such a wonderful bag of treasure it was too. Though I did miss ScanFest. I don't get very much work done when I do make it to the event. Too busy reading and chatting, I'm afraid. Sunday seems to be a busy day lately, for me.

Out of my bag of treasure I also have a yearbook to add to the collection on the county site. 1948-49 Jr. High yearbook to be exact. One problem I am having is getting the pages sized without making a mess of the photos. When I run them through Irfanview as I have with all of the others, the photos become heavily dotted. You cannot see the pictures good enough to make out anyone. The entire yearbook is on a bad quality paper. It is only printed on one side and the photos are all class photos, not individual ones as most are. So some experimenting is called for to try to fix the photos while taking most of the weight out of them. One page averages 10MB or so. I need to have them under 200KB and smaller yet readable.

There are many newspaper clippings, most are dated. How lucky is that?! Also my mother's grade school report cards! Those were fun.

The big one was the 1959 guide to Disneyland! We went to California and stayed quite a while with my aunt in San Bernardino the summer of 1959. I got to go to Disneyland. I remembered the trip but didn't know the guide existed. It didn't have any genealogical purpose other than it brought back many wonderful memories of the trip.

Now to get them all organized. . . . . . .

Just For Today. . . . . . .

2009-11-26T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful holiday.

New Treasure

2009-11-22T09:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a lovely week for treasure. My Mother handed me a bag of things she had found while going through a closet. Lovely mess, isn't it? There is so much more. So, want to guess what is on my To Do list next week? Give you a hint. . . . has something to do with the scanner. . . . It's certainly been fun going through it all. She had many things from my childhood, but most surprising was that there were many items from hers. At any rate, I am going to be busy, and happy about it!

Kreativ Blogger Award from Dr. Bill Smith

2009-11-15T22:03:00.002-05:00

Thank you Dr. Bill Smith [http://drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com/] for visiting my blog and choosing to give this award to me.
The winner of this award is supposed to list seven things about themselves and then pass the award along to seven other bloggers.

1. I never get tired of researching and often wish I had more time to devote to it.

2. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the INGenWeb and taking care of my county site.

3. I also research the paranormal and spirituality. I have done that much longer than family history, as a matter of fact. Recent discoveries have made me feel a sense of 'coming full circle'.

4. I have worked piled up to do that would shock you!

5. I love to quilt but haven't for a long time now. Where does the time go??

6. I dislike the telephone. No further comment on that....

7. I'm getting old. I must be. It is 9:00 p.m. and I am sleepy.

My picks:
1. Ancestors Live Here

2. Earline at Ancestral Notes

3. A Couple of Bubbles Off Center

4. Banjos And Baby Dolls

5. Genealogy Lines

6. Random Relatives

7. Raeburn Family Odyssey

Treasure Chest Thursday - Grandma's Recipes

2009-11-12T10:51:00.003-05:00

I did not know this box existed. It was my grandmother's (Della M. Jaynes) recipe box. She mostly didn't use recipes, so I was surprised when my Mother showed this to me.

I don't know yet what I am going to do with all of these. I've barely had time to go through them. Most are written out in her hand, some are from ladies she from her church and some cut from magazines and ready to fall apart.
So my treasure this time is a new find. That is always exciting!!
Anyone have suggestions? What would you do with them?

Tombstone Tuesday - George Thomas Jaynes

2009-11-10T10:10:00.003-05:00

October 15, 1869
Washington County, Indiana
March 15, 1954
Jackson County, Indiana

Parents: William Obadier and Luraney (Willcutt) Janes

Other Posts:

The Eyes of Old Tom

Looking Into the Eyes of Old Tom At Last!

Looking Into the Eyes of Old Tom At Last!

2009-10-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

Last Halloween I participated in a Carnival called "Fact or Fiction?" (Carnival of Genealogy -58th Edition / October 12, 2008) with an article called, "The Eyes of Old Tom" . In my article I wrote about George Thomas Jaynes, "Old Tom", my great-grandfather, and all the things attributed to him. I have so many interviews about him from people that knew him well, that I could not just dismiss the stories. There were 4 things that were in each, independant interview:
1. He could make tables walk.
2. He (and others in the room with him) could hear knocking.
3. People wanted him to do these things.
and of the course the biggie:
4. He was making a table walk and it was struck by lightning in the middle of the room on a clear day which made him give up whatever he was doing.
And then there also was the pity my grandmother felt for him being 'driven practically crazy' by the unwelcome knocking for the rest of his life.

Another interesting thing is the fact that he was not listed as having a job in any record until the 1910 census where he is listed as a fireman at the mill. Interviews also had him not working at a job, but providing for his family.

So, what do you do when you want to find out if such a thing like table walking and knocking have a name and what purpose either could serve? Well, you google it, of course! And, no surprise to me, these things do have names: table tipping and rapping. What was a surprise to me was that they both are attributed to mediumship. You know, seances and spirits. I probably shouldn't have been surprised considering my enduring and avid curiosity about such things all my life, but I was. Now it seems it was obvious and I should have seen it all along. But I didn't. I won't say whether I am just a brick shy of a load or just consider that an ancestor of mine is expected to be kind of boring, but I did give some thought to both.

Let's start with some history on the subject.

The entire era of spiritualism and mediumship seems to start with the Fox sisters, Leah, Maggie and Katie about 1848 in New York. The claimed to 'talk' to spirits in their home as children through tapping, so many taps for yes and so many for no, as they asked questions of the spirits. Later in life Maggie confessed to it all being fake after becoming very religious. She later said she had lied about claiming it was fake, but by then they were all suspect. There were many frauds that have been documented from the early days, and the label could probably be applied to most of them if truth be told. But, there were a number of notable mediums that came out of the era of 1860 to the 1930's and even to the present day. One of my favorites, which I had studied many years ago, was Edgar Cayce aka The Sleeping Prophet. I simply had not put together Cayce's trance/dream work with my Old Toms' "table-walking" and "knocking". There are many forms of mediumship which I did not know about.

Attempts to communicate with the dead has been documented back to very early history. One that comes to mind easily is the story of the Witch of Endor, who raised the spirit of the dead Samuel so that Saul could question him about a battle. (I Samuel 28:8-25 Old Testament). Communicating with spirits is an old practice.

Arthur Conana Doyle, Harry Houdini and even Abraham Lincoln were all believers. Lincoln, remember, had his 'dreams', and everyone knows how Harry Houdini spent so many hours with medium after medium trying to contact his mother. (Not to mention the hours and years he spent in the after-life trying to contact his living wife through a medium. Some stories say he did, some say he didn't.) Hmmmmmm.

In the very late 1800's and early 1900's, the 'home seance' was all the rage. I should image many were little more than dramatic theater, kind of like renting a movie on the weekend. This was the birth of the 'professional medium'. Everyone was interested in psychic phenomena. Money was to be made. Here in Indiana there was the creation of Camp Chesterfield in 1886, just outside Indy. It was one of the most popular and well known Spiritualist camps in the country, with visitors coming from as far away as California. It is still home to the Indiana Association of Spiritualists. Yep, big business!

What I had been told over and over in interviews about old Tom was his 'walking a table', which was actually called table tipping. It was a way for the participants through the medium, to talk to the spirits. Everyone would sit around the table, each resting their hands on the top. Then, depending on the strength of the medium (or his 'special effects') the table would vibrate, move and tip from leg to leg in response to questions. It would probably look as though it was "walking".

Allan Kardac in "The Medium's Book" wrote:
"The qualities of mediums are various. The medianimic power is sometimes very strong, producing strongly marked effects; a single individual who is really a powerful medium often producing more effect, alone, than twenty others united. If such a one lays his hands on the table for an instant, it immediately begins to move, rising up, turning over, spinning round with great velocity, or performing a variety of irregular and often violent motions."

Another thing that was said over and over in the interviews was the 'knocking'. It was said it "just about drove old Tom crazy all the rest of his life". That is called "rapping", and it is the way a spirit tries to communicate with a person. It is not something 'conjoured' by a medium, but in one source I read, it was often the sign of a 'real' medium.

I spent many hours pouring over articles and books on the subject (a tiny few are listed below). When I was done I realized there was no way, short of a seance, that I could prove any of it. But there is a feeling, deep inside, that tells me I have almost solved this mystery. I am as sure as I can be that George Thomas "Old Tom" Jaynes was a professional spiritual medium. The only thing I haven't answered is the lightning incident. Only he can tell me about that one.

All I have to leave for those that come after me are the stories and a few historical facts. But I know.......

Then again, perhaps I could interview him.

I could use some help around the table. Join me, anyone?

George Thomas "Old Tom" Jaynes
October 15, 1869 - March 15, 1954

**************************

The Mediums' Book by Allan Kardec
1861
translated by Anna Blackwell 1876
Quote from Page 59 Physical Manifestations. - Table-Turning

The Birth Of Spiritualism – The Story Of The Fox Sisters

Table Tipping
Popular Past Time of the Home Spirit Circles

The Seance
Communicating with the Spirits

Medium - from Wikipedia

Camp Chesterfield, Indiana

Edgar Cayce's A.R.E.
Association for Research and Enlightenment
215 67th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Treasure Chest Thursday - Grandpa's Fountain Pen

2009-10-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

James "Jim" Jaynes was my grandfather. He was a plumber. He had his own plumbing business which he ran out of the house. As children my brother and I loved to go through the trash basket that he kept beside his desk. It was always filled with unopened mail full of wonderful things. Local businesses would send him ink pens, tablets, rulers, little pocket gadgets and other little things with their advertising on the items. It was a treasure chest to a child. He always made sure there was plenty to open when we visited.
He often sat there doing his business which included a lot of paperwork. His fountain pen fascinated me. He showed me how to fill it by dipping into the bottle of ink and pulling the little lever.
It was a great joy to find he had kept that pen for so many years. I am lucky to have it in my little chest of treasures. It brings a good memory when I catch site of it.

Tombstone Tuesday - Cora Hines Abbott Jaynes

2009-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Born: March 8, 1870 Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois
Died: December 21, 1948 Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana
Buried: Chestnut Ridge Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana

Madness Monday - Abbott and Hines

2009-10-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

I may have finally solved the Abbott mystery. Well, in reality, I may just be a little closer to the answer. This is not about ancestors suffering from madness, but the madness of trying to solve all the mysteries of this twig on my tree.

First of all I went to the Health Department where the original death records are to see if the "infant" Abbott listed in the WPA was my little guy. It was not. I was pretty sure it couldn't be before, now I am sure. Now I am doubting that his name was Percy at all. I am certain that he lived, just re-examining his death and his name.

First of all the story was that Cora Hines married an Abbott man who was a lot older than her. She had 2 children with him, Edna Catharine (Katy) which I have found, and a child who everyone thought was named Percy and died as a child. He had been a sickly child all his life and supposedly 'laid down on the floor and died' one day. But perhaps the story got turned around a little, and I know that deaths were not required to be registered until 1902, and what do I have left? Well, a child, perhaps a child just at the crawling age, still considered an infant, and a name, Percy Abbott. I also know that Cora divorced Mr. Abbott, date unknown, and the reason given was that he was abusive.

So I decided to be wild. :o) At FamilySearch I put in Percy Abbott, any spelling, date; 1850 - 1900 in Indiana. I got 2 entries. One was not even a close fit and the name was Pery, not Percy. The second was Percy Abbett, born Aug 1834, 66 years old, residing about 2 miles from my current residence, White, Male, DIVORCED (as per 1900 census, Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana). This entry made me stop. It could be the child was named for the father, Percy is not a common name. Or perhaps Percy was the fathers name in the first place and it just got lost in the retelling of the story.

I wish I could put this one behind me. It is driving me to madness. Though I do feel I am closer. If I can find some evidence of the marriage or divorce I will feel better.

Tombstone Tuesday - Dee and Lottie Jaynes

2009-09-29T06:00:00.004-04:00

As you can see from the dates on Dee, he lived to be 101. Dee was a Miller and worked and lived in Indianapolis for a time, working as head miller at a Acme-Evans Mill there. They are buried in Riverview Cemetery in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana.

The Life of Mr. William 'Bill' Hays Alexander

2009-09-27T12:50:00.000-04:00

William Hays Alexander, aka."Bill", was born May 11, 1880 in Jackson County, Indiana. He was the youngest of 4 children. His parents were John and Margaret "Amanda" Atkins Alexander.

He married Olive "Ollie" Ellen Martin on Dec. 28, 1902 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. Children; Della Mae, Gladys, Merrill Harris, Lucille D., Opal Louise, William H., Norma.

He was my great-grandfather through his eldest daughter, Della Mae.

In 1912 the City Directory he and his family living at 418 N. Pine Street in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana.

In his 1918 according to his Military Registration Card, he was living in Crothersville in Jackson County working as a truck driver for Harlan W. White who had a grocery there. He was listed as tall and of slender build, his eyes and hair light brown. In 1920 he was working as a Mechanic at a local Seymour garage.

His father was a farmer but he apparently had no interest in farming.

He was a member of the Order of Redmen and Haymakers. They watched over and helped his family, even planned and paid his death expenses. You can see their 1909 rule book here on the Jackson County INGenWeb site: Chicakeith Improved Order of Redmen Tribe 405

It was a very active group in the city during his lifetime. He was very involved with the group all his life.

He died on October 10, 1928 of Bright's Disease. He was only 48 years old. Bright's disease was named Dr. Richard Bright who first described it. It is a progressive kidney disease that did not respond to any treatments of the day which included bloodletting. It was a terribly painful way to die. Today the disease can treated.

OBITUARY:
Seymour Tribune - October 10, 1928

William Alexander Dies Early Monday Had Been Ill for Past Six Months Suffering of Bright’s Disease Rites: 2 p. m. Wednesday.

William Alexander, age 48, of Glenlawn, died at 3 o’clock this morning at his home, 704 Euclid avenue, following an illness of six months. Death was caused by Bright’s disease.

Mr. Alexander was born in Jackson county May 11, 1880, and had lived in the county all his life. He was married in 1902 to Miss Ollie Martin, of near Brownstown. He was affiliated with the Seymour order of Redmen and Haymakers. The former will be in charge of the funeral services which will be held at the First Baptist church at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, with the Rev. A.. Cohn officiating. Burial will be in Riverview cemetery.

The body is in state at the Tower funeral parlors where friends may call between 6 and 9 o’clock this evening. Besides the widow, Mr. Alexander is survived by seven children, Mrs. Della Jaynes, of Seymour; Mrs. Gladys Mails, of Indianapolis; Merill, Lucille, Opal, William Jr., and Norma, all living at home; and a sister, Mrs. Anna Fish, of Norman Station.

Abbott - The Great Mystery

2009-07-28T08:00:00.004-04:00

My great-grandmother was married before she met my great-grandfather. Cora Hines was married to an Abbott. No one remembered his first name and I have not been able to find it. They could have married in Illinois, Ohio or possibly Switzerland, Jackson or Washington Counties in Indiana at an unknown date.

She was born March 8, 1870 in Cumberland County, Illinois. She married George Thomas "Old Tom" Jaynes September 11, 1896, at age 26. So sometime before that she married Mr. Abbott.
She had 2 children with Mr. Abbott. A daughter, Edna Catharine "Katy" Abbott was born May 9, 1892. She lived to be the ripe old age of 42, when she died of TB. I don't know whether their other child was born first or last. His name was Percy Abbott. He was said to be a sickly child, always weak and tired. The story was that he simply lay down on the floor one day and died. I have not found any evidence of the actual existance of this child. But he did exist.

A great-aunt said that both children were buried in Washington County, IN but Katy is buried beside her husband in Seymour, Jackson County, IN. So I have no idea where Percy was born, lived, died or buried. Very frustrating.

Cora and her parents lived for some time in Switzerland County, Indiana. They were George Washington and Agnes Joyce/Joice Hines. They both died in Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois.

The only clue I have is a note I made many years ago. All it says is:

Seymour Weekly Democrat
Nov. 20, 1897
Percy Abbott

The library did not have that issue on microfilm. Is this about my Percy? I truly wish I had done a better job of sourcing my notes in those days. Let it be a lesson to all! You will not remember what it means and where you got it after 20 years has passed!!

At any rate the date would be about right. She was married to "Old Tom" when the child died.

Any Abbotts out there from the Illinois, Indiana, Ohio area?

TwigTalk: My Janes/Jaynes Line

TwigTalk: Meet Cora Hines Jaynes

TwigTalk: Meet Agnes Joyce/Joice Hines

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

July is Going to Be Remembered...

2009-07-26T11:57:00.004-04:00

The first of this month my 14 year old niece ended up in the ER with a pain, which disappeared before they could do more than look at her. But on the safe side they did an x-ray. Something was watching over her. It was just an accidental finding. It didn't cause the pain. But it was cancer. Now, going into the last week of July with great relief, she is minus one kidney but recovering. Sounds like a simple thing, take it out and be done. But, of course, it isn't so simple. Nothing ever is. She is very brave. Very concerned about not upsetting her Mom and Dad. She is home now and on the mend.

Her life is forever changed. Probably the way she will look at life is changed. Her parents will never look at things the same either. I think such a crisis puts every thing into perspective for all that it touches. Suddenly the things you thought so important seem silly. The things you have put off seem so important. You look around you with refreshed vision, ready to see the small joys that come your way.

All in all it has been quite a month in just about every way. Not one I want to repeat, but that applies to all of my family. I will be glad to see it pass into history.

Direction?

2009-07-19T22:19:00.004-04:00

I haven't had much time to blog lately. There are important things that require me to be completely present in the real world now and then. This has been a summer filled with such things, both good and bad. Life changing things.

But to get to a genealogical point, a crisis in research. Well, sort of. I had someone tell me that they had increased my file over 3000 people just by going to ancestry and collecting leaves. This was only a 2-line file. I worked for years to verify and find my people. My complete file is just over 3000. I was sitting and contemplating the damage done by such an act and thought, "I used to really do research". What a surprising thought out of nowhere. Being online has made me lazy about research. It's easy to become a 'name collector' in the online tree environment. The newbies coming up know only that environment. They are encouraged to just click here and the work is done for you. No matter that the data is wrong. Thomas MacEntee at his blog just recently posted "How Big Is It? Quality Over Quantity" hitting a nerve for me. The thought about my research and my goals for my work has been in the back of my mind now for a while. Every day it pops up to be ruminated over some more. I am not sure where it is leading me.

Also there is the mess with GenealogyWise, the Ning driven network site belonging to WorldVitalRecords (a $$ site). Not a wise start at all, it seems. I have gotten many invites, including one surprisingly from the site itself. But I am exhausted by keeping sites going and spending so much time trying to keep up. We all need community and I certainly enjoy it but how much is too much? I really like Facebook and a few others and would like to keep them. So perhaps a small, manageable network will fill the need. At any rate, I was trampled in the (what I believe was an engineered) early stampede to the site as it was not even open at the time. No one waited to see what it was before the great mass joining. So I decided to watch. Now there is a rather useless mess of groups of every imaginable kind that I, as yet, cannot see being helpful. Perhaps I am blind to the direction this is going. At any rate I am rather happy I sat it out. I am referring to Terry Thornton and the problems with posts being taken down when they don't go the way of the GW owner. On top of that I was unable to get Terrys blog to load today. It has been removed too. I hope Mr. Thornton shut it down himself, and not GW with Blogger. Though it is beyond my understanding why he would remove so much data. If he didn't, perhaps after this post my time is limited here as well. Whatever the answer to the disappearance of the blogs, there is a distinct odor in the air.

The whole mess just emphasizes to me the need for me to decide and weed out the things I do not find useful in my quest to find my family. A plan and focus on one line might be in order. All those old goals need to be brought out and dusted off.

Twitter isn't as helpful as I had hoped. And I am interested in more than just genealogy. I don't see how I can 'talk' to one interest without it going out to all. That is not good. Perhaps the AdobeAir programs such as TweetDeck and TWhirl do that, and I have them on my computer, but I don't want to expend the huge resources that I found they need to run. So I haven't learned to use them. Slows down the whole process. Firefox is such a memory hog it is hard to run anything as hungry as it (Firefox is an addiction). In Twitterfox you have no options. So I need to figure out how to work with it or settle on just reading them. Very interesting tweets though. I do enjoy reading.

I'm Late Again - Puckerbrush Award

2009-06-14T12:14:00.004-04:00

I am late, as always. I was given this award some time ago. I won't say how long. But, I am only now finding enough time at one sitting to get it taken care of. Thank you Cheryl at HeritageHappens and Geni at Ginisology for giving me the award!

Now, I might not have been able to find the time to blog, but I was certainly thinking about what blogs have influenced over the years. I was reading blogs long before I gave it a try. Usually I try to find the newer blogs to give awards to in hopes of bringing them into the circle, but this time I will truly give this one to the blogs I go to most often. Some I consider learning experiences that everyone should have on the 'must visit often' list!

Randy Seaver of "Genea-Musings" was one of the first blogs I read. I have learned much from Mr. Seaver. He has an easy to follow writing style and a way of going step by step that is made for easy following. He is a must on any list. I only wish he lived near and I could attend his talks.

Next is Denise of "FamilyMatters". I have learned much about the nuts and bolts of the tools I use online today. I really miss that she hasn't blogged in a while, but her archives are there and searchable. I would recommend that everyone go and read through them. Very informative.

Of course there is "Dear Myrtle". She is an absolute must read. I have been using her Get Organized lists this year. I appreciate her blog and it's information very much. She keeps me up to date about everything!

Renee of "Renee's Genealogy Blog" is the first genealogy blog I think I ran across. She was at another place back then. Her blog was informative and still is. I keep up with the FamilySearch changes at Renee's.

"Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog" is a very long name for a blog. It is deserved. Harold keeps me up on genealogy in my area of the country. Anyone in the midwest should follow his blog!

Jasia over at "Creative Gene" is another that I go to regularly. She often posts her scrapbook pages, though I believe she is all digital. I am still old-fashioned. I am still hard-copy scrapbooking. One day I will switch to the 21st century!

FootnoteMaven and Shades of the Departed are must reads too! fM and I share a deep love of old photos. She is always a good read. I consider her a friend as well. Shades is what I consider a 'learning' blog. I've come to enjoy the columnists and even have favorites I hate to miss!

Becky over at Kinexxions is a fellow Hoosier and very informative as well. She has given me many good ideas. One that comes to mind immediately is using aluminium foil to 'read' an old and faded tombstone! Comes in handy to have someone sharing these wonderful and helpful ideas!

And then there's Jessica and her "Jessica's Genejournal". I enjoy reading this young woman's blog. She always has something interesting and informative to say. She should be very proud of herself. She is a good writer and a good researcher!

I know the list looks like only 9, but fM gets it twice! She's just double the fun!! I do, of course, read many more as time permits. But it would be a very long list and you would give up reading long before you got to the end of the list.

Since I am so late I will not inform each one of the award as one normally would. I will simply put this up and tweet. Probably all have already gotten this award at least once. I know I have seen it already on some of them. I don't want to make them do it all over again. But if you show up, and you are on my list, all I can say is thank you. You have become a part of my life, and I think of all of you often in my research.

Dad's Calling - The Good Earth

2009-05-31T11:59:00.008-04:00

I could start out on this topic going a back a century or more and talking about ancestors that came to this country and farmed. I have a family history of farmers on both sides. But, I don't have to talk about family stories or ancestors I never met. I'll start with a very contemporary memory.

My Dad, Rufus Brock, died in June of 2006. So I will dedicate this post to him.

He was born in Alabama, but moved to Indiana with his family when he was a teen. His father didn't care for the family business, farming. He worked in a factory that was building a plant in Indiana. He agreed to go north. Dad lied about his age and went to work in the new Indiana plant. There he worked until he took early retirement when the plant was being closed in the 70's. He was a line foreman and die setter at Arvin Industries when he retired.

He then embarked upon his second career. He became a general contractor. He enjoyed building things. I have many pieces of furniture he built for me and often pass houses he built around town. He was good at it. But there was only one thing he did all his life. One thing he loved the most. He always had a garden. It was in his blood.

So he retired late from contracting, and began his final career and journey. Dad loved to learn and try new things.

He began his gardening in earnest. He took his vegetables to the farmers markets in the tri-county area. He was always growing unusual vegetables and the flower salads he made were quite popular! He offered fresh cut flowers when he had them.

Somehow he made the newspaper almost every year. He had become a well-known and well-liked regular at the local farmer's market. He went home with an empty truck most of the time. I think he enjoyed meeting the people at the markets most.

He spent his last morning in his beloved garden. That is how he would have wanted it to be.

Written for Carnival of Genealogy: The Good Earth
Due: June 1, 2009

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-05-15T23:23:00.001-04:00

Diana R. over at Random Relatives gave me an award! She said, "The instructions are quite simple - just to nominate 7 other blogs." Thank you so much, Diana, for the recognition of TwigTalk. I appreciate it.

Finding Grandpa

A Couple of Bubbles off Center

Gena's Genealogy

Tangled Trees

Two Sides of The Ocean

Kinfold News

Searching For Family Branches

Busy and More Busy!

2009-05-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Seems like I never have time to post anymore. Right now so many things are calling out for my attention. I'm still working with RM4. I like it very much. I can cut down on the mess on WorldConnect, thanks to Mr. RM [Bruce B.], but not make it all look nice. Some still present different and not very neatly. But that is WC's fault. It needs to be upgraded I think. I like RM and will stay with it.
I have gotten 2 cemeteries [photos; one complete and one partial] onto the county site and I'm working on the third. Then I have 4th and 5th. . . . and a huge folder full of snippets, an entire family, and a lot of little things, photos both person and place type yet to go online. I have enough to keep me busy until next year. I will be going to cemeteries again myself to photograph stones. Nice to have a lot to do. For a long time the site was so quiet, no subs coming in at all. Nice pick up!
I've been looking at the FamilySearch Wiki. I wonder if anyone knows about uploading your file onto the new FamilySearch. I had read some time ago that it would be different. That you would be able to work on your tree online at the new FamilySearch and you could fix mistakes as well. I have been waiting for that and have heard nothing. I have been interested in putting mine online there when that is available. Right now I am just trying to find my way around and see everything. Though I did try working with the Wiki. I was putting one of my courthouse photos onto the Jackson County, Indiana page in the United States Wiki. I failed. I uploaded the photo and got a confirmation that it had gotten there but when I tried to put it in the Courthouse part of the page it kept saying there was no such image. I will try again later.
In the middle of all that I just need to make time for blogging! I'll make it somehow. I got an award and have only just remembered. I will get it up later as well....

Blogoversary. . . Number 1

2009-04-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it would seem that year number 1 is gone already. How time flies. I actually forgot all about it. I have been so busy lately that blogging has taken a back burner. Shame on me. But, I figure you have to go where life leads.
Thinking about when I started blogging brought to mind all that has transpired this year. I've met so many wonderful people. All of you Genea-bloggers! How marvelous you all are! I didn't even know you were out there. It's great to have gotten to know you all. I've learned so much and gotten so much work done as a result. I enjoy the community of like-mindedness. It's been a wonderful year full of results, friendships, lessons and fun. I've made more contacts than ever before. Can't ask for much more than that!
I can only hope that year 2 is just as productive. That I continue to grow in every area of my life. With Facebook and Twitter added to this blog, I find that it is easy to branch out even more, into places I thought I would never be. Explore other areas that I could not go before. So much to do and so little time.
You all have added such wonderful texture to the canvas of my life. Thank you all.

Still Plodding On . . . . .

2009-04-09T16:24:00.004-04:00

I have been updating files. Actually, file. I am still working on my Janes/Jaynes file. I have entered hundreds of sources, numerous individuals, photos and documents. I still have to finish up adding the census cites then I will be done, completely up to date with my Janes/Jaynes family. Sounds good. But . . . . :o) . . . . I have 3 more to update after this one. It is going to take a while.
NEW PROMISE TO SELF:
I will enter sources, individuals and documents as I go. I will not say, "I'll do it later", not once! This will not happen again.
I hope I'm listening. I am sniffling, sneezing and headachy which requires meds. But, of course that is NO excuse. I'll be very mad at myself if I come to this point again in a couple of years.
I can't believe how it piles up so fast. Anyway, I pulled all my files of the people in the file and have gone through the notes again. Some little treasures there. They didn't fit the last time I went through them, they do now. That is always fun. Besides it is very nice to see how far along I have come on some of the lines in the file. While still at a standstill on others. In particular my David Janes in Kentucky. I think in the end I will have to go through all the Janes in the area and find where they belong. Perhaps then I can see another avenue in this family. Though I am still pretty certain that he is the son of David from the "History of the Janes-Peek Family by Dr. Collins. If that is the only Janes family/line in the area, I will be even more certain. I can't find his death. I know they came north to Indiana to Washington County after 1860, as he is in the Washington County census in 1870. But other researchers have him in Kentucky after that, so it is still up in the air. So the hunt will continue when I have the time.......
I am doing all of this in the RootsMagic 4. I am VERY happy with this program! I cannot even say how happy. Sources are a breeze. It's nice to NOT have questions about how to cite a particular source. I've run into just about every kind citable (if that is a word) and no questions. I wasn't sure about 3, but I am pleased with 4. I've gotten quite familiar with the program now too.

Techno Gen, My World - Blogging Prompt #14

2009-04-05T12:14:00.004-04:00

I'll start off saying that over the past 3 days I have gotten so much work done! The only way to get used to a new program is to use it, use it, use it! So I did! I have added, to be exact now, 133 individuals (44 families), and 202 source/citations. I was using/learning the new RootsMagic4. I have to say I am really pleased. I wasn't sure about version 3 but this new one is excellent. The source/citing in particular. I could not have gotten so much done otherwise. I did not have to go to help at all. It is a really friendly program.
All of this is in only one of my files. the Janes/Jaynes file. I have my main file broken into 4, plus I have the kids and in-law files. (It's just easier for me to work on broken up.) So my first technology is the new RootsMagic4. (Bravo and thanks Bruce B.!!)
I'm actually rather low-tech. I use Windows Notepad a lot. I also use Treepad, the free version. Though during the past few days I have added notes to RM4's "To Do" under the person I need to do about. RM4 allows me to print them out so why have a dozen things up and running.
I never take in gedcoms from people or from online. I will go over them and by hand, extract things I need. I use MudCreeks GenViewer to open and look at gedcoms. I bought it several years ago and it continues to be fine, even when I made the change to Vista from XP. I worked on genealogy for many years before I got on the internet. So, I still tend to want to work on paper first, though I am getting very 21st century in the past couple of years! I may toss out those pencils yet!
Irfanview . This is the most important word people can learn! LOL! This little viewer has become THE most important image tool I have. It will batch resize! What a wonder! It will also open .gif format, which Windows no longer supports in Vista). I have PaintShopPro8 for doing any touch-ups, etc. to my images. I am happy with version 8 and have not updated. I also have GIMP, but I am not as comfortable with it.
Since blogging I have had so much help and a lot of contacts. I think blogs are the greatest thing since sliced bread for genealogy nowadays! Besides it's fun and you get to talk genealogy! Most people just want me to shut up. Now I can talk and talk.... (just click the little x on your tab above :o) Then there is Facebook, Twitter and all the other online goodies to help with the contact/aid and conversation part of the addiction...sorry, hobby. Let's see, I can Tweet and comment on FB at the same time, I can send a note, post, etc. from Diigo (Diigo is wonderful) to FB or Twitter. This is only the beginning........
NOW I have to learn "Cloud Computing"!
I really am a minimalist. The less stuff the more work as far as I am concerned.

This is my first time at Blogging Prompt. Nice!

Wordless Wednesday - Spring

2009-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhh Choooooo ............ sniffle. . . . . . . sniffle

Tombstone Tuesday - The Beards

2009-03-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is the stone of my great-grandfather, Charles "Pink" Beard and his second wife, Myrtle in Noble Hill Cemetery in Etowah County, Alabama. It's a rather large stone. The photo was taken by my cousin, Tina Brock Smith.

My Janes/Jaynes Line

2009-03-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have a problem with my Janes/Jaynes line. I ran into a wall in Metcalf County, Kentucky. I have several walls, but this one is a big one. It all starts with my grandfather, James Jaynes. He never talked much about his family, but what he did say helped get me this far. It was easy to trace to Kentucky. Census records went right back. Very clear. It becomes muddy though, really fast.

Let's see, there is my grandfather, James, his father George Thomas, his father, William Obadier, and finally his father, David. David is the problem. He was born about 1811 in Kentucky and married Nancy [most likely Hughart/Huggart/Hugard] about 1829. In the 1850 census of Barren County, Kentucky. These children are listed: Rebecca Hughart Janes, Henry B. Janes, Martha W. Janes, Grace W. Janes, Elizabeth Janes, James T. Janes, Nancy M.C. Janes, Eliza J. Janes. William O. shows up in the 1860 Metcalf County, Kentucky census with siblings Nancy and Eliza, and his parents, David and Nancy. Before 1850 I cannot even know which David Janes is in the census, though there are some in the area. It's just impossible to tell.

There is a David Janes Jr. in the area. His history was laid out in the book, "History of the Janes-Peek Family (From Grandma's Little Trunk)," 1975 by Dr. Reba Neighbors Collins. She has David Sr. with only 3 children; Thomas J JANES (b: 1806 in Adair,KY), Mary JANES (b: 1820 in KY) and possibly Spencer C JANES (b: 1804 in ,,IL/TN). Only 3 children don't seem quite right. He was a Junior, his father was David Sr., so what happened. I read that Mrs. Collins thought David Jr. had more children but could not find them. So. . . . It's an easy jump from there to where I think it will go. One more fact, David Jr. was married first to Rebecca MNU. Another tidbit.

Now for the hunt.....

Meet Irene Raborn Brock

2009-03-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Irene is my great-great-grandmother. This is really sad. I don't have the sources in the program for this family. I will get to work immediately!

Ancestors of Irene Matilda RABURN
Generation No. 1

Irene Matilda RABURN, born 11 Aug 1868 in Monroe County, Tennessee; died 16 Feb 1918 in Polk County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of John RABORN. She married Francis Marion BROCK 26 Jan 1882 in McMinn County, Tennessee. He was born 25 Dec 1861 in McMinn County, Tennessee, and died 22 Dec 1936 in Bradley County, Tennessee. He was the son of Andrew Jackson BROCK and Emeline JACK.

Generation No. 2

John RABORN

Child of John RABORN is:

Irene Matilda RABURN

Meet Loraney Willcutt Jaynes

2009-03-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

This is my great-grandmother. Everyone called her 'Raney'. She is listed as Luraney in all the records but my grandmother named a daughter for her as Lorraine. So I am not sure of the spelling of her first name. I have it here as it appears in records.

Ancestors of Luraney Willcut

Generation No. 1

Luraney Willcut[1], born 26 May 1853 in South Carolina; died 04 Dec 1947 in New Castle, Henry County, Indiana[2]. She was the daughter of David Willcut and Charity Robins. She married William Obadier Janes[3,4] 19 Apr 1869 in Washington County, Indiana[5]. He was born 09 Sep 1851 in Munfordsville, Kentucky, and died 07 Feb 1936 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana[6]. He was the son of David Janes and Nancy H. Hughart.
Generation No. 2

David Willcut[7], born 1815 in Kentucky. He married Charity Robins 24 Feb 1836 in Washington County, Indiana.
Charity Robins, born 1818 in North Carolina; died Bef. 1864 in Washington County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Daniel Robins and Massah Swaim.

Children of David Willcut and Charity Robins are:

Luraney Willcut
Sarah Jane Willcut
Judith Willcut
Susannah Elizabeth Willcut
Mary A. Willcut
Phoebe Willcut
George H. Willcut
Amanda Willcut
Joseph R. Willcut

Endnotes 1. Obituary/Brownstown Banner, Dec 4, 1947JAYNES-Mrs. Lourany Jaynes, 93, died at her home at New Castle Thursday noon, following a year's illness.She was a former Seymour resident and moved to New Castle about ten years ago.She was a native of Salem and was born near Salem, May 26, 1854. She was the widow of William Jaynes, who died February 7, 1931. Funeral services were conducted at the Voss Mortuary, Seymour, Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock in charge of the service the Rev. Walter Moseley of Uniontown. Burial in the Conologue Cemetery.She is survived by ten children: (George Thomas) Tom, of Jackson County; Joseph, Aaron and Claude, all of Seymour; Arthur, Charles and DeWitt Jaynes all of Indianapolis; Mrs. Lonia Loftis and Mrs. Pearl Mosier, New Castle; 48 grandchildren; 105 great-granchildren and 17 great-great-grandchildren.. 2. Obituary, BROWNSTOWN BANNER, JAYNES--Mrs. Lourany Jaynes, 93, died at her home at New Castle Thursday noon, following a year's illness. She was a former Seymour resident and moved to New Castle about ten years ago.She was a native of Salem and was born near Salem, May 26, 1854. She was the widow of William Jaynes, who died February 7, 1931.Funeral services were conducted at the Voss Mortuary, Seymour, Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock in charge of the Rev. Walter Moseley of Uniontown. Burial in the Conologue Cemetery.She is survived by ten children: (George Thomas) Tom, of Jackson county; Joseph, Aaron and Claude, all of Seymour; Arthur, Charles and DeWitt Jaynes all of Indianapolis; Mrs. Loney Loftis and Mrs. Pearl Mosier, New Castle; 48 grandchildren; 105 great-grandchildren and 17 great-great-grandchildren. 3. Obituary/Brownstown Banner. 4. Obituary/Seymour Tribune,Seymour,IN, Seymour Daily Tribune - February 9, 1931Funeral Services for Wm.O.Jaynes-Rites Conducted from home this afternoon-Deceased was well known-Funeral services for Wm.O.Jaynes, age 79, who died at his home, 420 Circle St., at 8:30 Saturday evening after an illness of 3 weeks, were held at 2:00 this afternoon from the home in charge of the Rev. Homer Smith. Burial was in the Conologue cemetery.Mr. Jaynes was born 9/9/1851, at munfordsville, KY, the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Jaynes. He was married in 1869 in Washinton County to Miss Lurinda Willcott, who survives. He moved to this county 35 years ago. He was well known and highly respected here. Besides the widow, he is survived my 10 children, Thomas, Claude, Aaron and Joseph, all of this city: Luther, of Connersville; DeWitt, Arthur and Charles, of Indianapolis; and Mrs. Theodore Mosier and Mrs. louise Loftus, both of NewCastle. He is also survived by 75 grandchildren and 41 great grandchildren.. 5. Index to "Marriage Record" 1850 - 1920, Washington County, IndianaBook: H Original Source Page: 163 Marriage Date: 19 Apr 1869. 6. Obituary, 2//9/1931 Seymour Daily Tribune-Brownstown Banner, OBITUARY--2//9/1931 Seymour Daily Tribune--Funeral Services for Wm.O.Jaynes--Rites Conducted From Home This Afternoon--Deceased Was Well Known --Funeral services for Wm. O. Jaynes,age 79, who died at his home, 420 Circle St., at 8:30 Saturday evening after an illness of 3 weeks, were held at 2:00 this afternoon from the home in charge of the Rev. Homer Smith. Burial was in the Conologue cemetery. Mr. Jaynes was born 9/9/1851, at Munfordsvile, KY, the son of Mr. & Mrs. David Jaynes. He was married in 1869 in Washington County to Miss Lurinda Willcott, who survives. He moved to this county 35 years ago.He was well known & highly respected here. Besides the widow, he is survived by 10 children, Thomas, Claude, Aaron & Joseph, all of this city: Luther, of Connersville; DeWitt, Arthur & Charles, of Indianapolis; and Mrs. Theodore Mosier & Mrs. Louisa Loftus, both of Newcastle. He is also survived by 75 grand-children and 41 great grandchildren.Brownstown BannerJackson Co., INFeb. 11, 1931JAYNES-- Following a three weeks illness, William O. Jaynes passed away at his home in Seymour Saturday night, aged 79 years.Funeral services in charge of the Rev. Homer Smith, were held at the home Monday afternoon. Burial in the Conologue cemetery. Mr. Jaynes was born at Munfordville, Kentucky, September 9, 1851. In 1869 he was married in Washington County to Miss Lurinda Willcott, who survives him.He moved to Jackson County about thirty-five years ago.Besides his widow he leaves the following children, Thomas, Joseph, Aaron, Claude, all of Seymour; Luther, of Connersville; Arthur, DeWitt and Charles of Indianapolis: Mrs. Theodore Mosier and Mrs. Louis Loftus, of New Castle; seventy-five grandchildren and forty-one great-grandchildren. 7. 1870 Census Jackson County, Indiana. 8. 1870 census, INDIANA , WASHINGTON, GIBSON TWPSeries: M593 Roll: 369 Page: 239. 9. Marriage, Book: F Original Source Page: 437 . 10. Marriage Record Jackson County 1850-1920 Inclusive Vol II Letters O-Z, Marriage Book/Jackson Co, IN, Original Source Page: 505 , Book: H Original Source Page: 505 . 11. 1870 census, INDIANA , WASHINGTON, GIBSON TWPSeries: M593 Roll: 369 Page: 239. 12. Marriage, Book: G Original Source Page: 273 . 13. Marriage, Book: H Original Source Page: 625 .

Meet Maggie Hovis Martin

2009-03-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

Maggie was my great-grandmother, and my Grandma Jaynes favorite grandmother!

Ancestors of Margaret C Hovis

Generation No. 1

Margaret C Hovis[1], born 1867 in Ohio; died 10 Feb 1940 in Paris Crossing, Jennings County, in[2]. She was the daughter of Henry W. Hovis and Elizabeth E. Bohall. She married Samuel S. Martin[3,4,5] 1883. He was born 14 Feb 1860 in Jackson County, Indiana, and died 18 Jan 1944 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana[6]. He was the son of John Stanley Martin and Mary Ann Allman.

Generation No. 2

Henry W. Hovis[7,8,9,10], born 01 Jul 1840 in Noble County, Ohio; died 11 Jun 1935 in Nashville, Brown County, Indiana. He was the son of Henry Hovis and Sarah Hogg. He married Elizabeth E. Bohall 09 Jul 1864 in Brown County, Indiana[11].
Elizabeth E. Bohall[12,13], born 17 Jun 1844 in Jackson County, Indiana; died 17 Jul 1897 in Jackson County, Indiana. She was the daughter of George David Bohall and Catherine E. Draper.
Children of Henry Hovis and Elizabeth Bohall are:

Seth Hovis
Mary C. Hovis
Margaret C Hovis
Martha Jane Hovis

Endnotes 1. 1900 US Census, Series: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1900 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, BROWNSTOWN TWPAge: 40, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1. 2. Burkholder Funeral Records, Jackosn Counth INGenWeb Arhchive, http://files.usgwarchives.org/in/jackson/cemetery/burk_4.txtMartin, Maggie 511 Age 73y10m 5d d. Feb. 10 1940 Parents Henry Hovis and Elizabeth BohallBurial Riverview. 3. 1870 US Census, Series: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 277, SS Martin with Cocherham and Allman (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANASeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 277. 4. 1900 US Census, Series: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1900 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, BROWNSTOWN TWPAge: 40, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1. 5. 1910 US Census, Series: T624 Roll: 359 Page: 150, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1910 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JENNINGS, SPENCER TWPAge: 50, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T624 Roll: 359 Page: 150. 6. Burkholder Funeral Records, Jackson County INGenWeb Archive, http://files.usgwarchives.org/in/jackson/cemetery/burk_4.txtMartin, Samuel S. 733 Age 83y 11m4d d. Jan. 18 1944 Mother's maiden name Polly Ann Allman. 7. 1870 Census, M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362, HOVIS, HENRY (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, GRASSY FORK TWPAge: 28, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362. 8. 1880 Census, T9 Roll: 286 Page: 207, HOVIS, HENRY (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, SALT CRKAge: 38, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 207. 9. 1910 Census, T624 Roll: 364 Page: 188, HOVIS, HENRY (1910 U.S. Census)INDIANA , LAWRENCE, PLEASANT RUN TWPAge: 68, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T624 Roll: 364 Page: 188. 10. 1886: History of Jackson County, Indiana. Brant and Fuller, Page 424, MARTIN GROVE CHURCH. This church was organized March 15, 1878, three milesnortheast of Clear Spring. Members: Prudy Elkins, SarahMartin, Martha Scott, Hanna Scott, Nancy Cobb, Ollie Winein-ger, W. A. Williams, Sarah Williams, Mary B. Smith, John C.Bowman, Adaline Bowman, Martin Beavers, Mary A. Beavers,Henry Hovis, Elizabeth Hovis and William Paris; ministers:Elders R. J. Gorbet, David Sexton, J. R. McCoy, J. W. Maynardand H. Hovis.http://www.jacksoncountyhistory.org/books/index.asp?book=brantfuller&page=424. 11. Marriage Records 1853-1901, Book 3/Original Source Page 187, QUAY 3 County BrownName Elizabeth E BohallSpouse Henry W HovisMarriage Date 09 Jul 1864. 12. 1870 Census, M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362, HOVIS, ELIZABETH (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, GRASSY FORK TWPAge: 28, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362. 13. 1880 Census, T9 Roll: 286 Page: 207, HOVIS, ELIZABETH (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, SALT CRKAge: 38, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 207. 14. 1870 Census, M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362, HOVIS, SETH (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, GRASSY FORK TWPAge: 28, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362. 15. 1880 Census, Series: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208, HOVIS, HENRY (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, SALT CRKAge: 38, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208. 16. 1870 Census, M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362, HOVIS, MARY (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, GRASSY FORK TWPAge: 28, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362. 17. 1880 Census, T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208, HOVIS, MARY (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, SALT CRKAge: 38, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208. 18. 1870 Census, M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362, HOVIS, HENRY (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, GRASSY FORK TWPAge: 28, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 362. 19. 1880 Census, T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208, HOVIS, MARTHA (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, SALT CRKAge: 38, Race: WHITE, Born: OHSeries: T9 Roll: 286 Page: 208.

Meet Cora Hines Jaynes

2009-03-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Cora was my great-grandmother. She died before I was born so I didn't know her. My grandparents lived with her and Tom when they were first married. She was a very loving and warm person. She was well-known for her firey temper.

Ancestors of Cora Hines

Generation No. 1

Cora Hines[1,2], born 08 Mar 1870 in Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois; died 21 Dec 1948 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana[3]. She was the daughter of George Hines and Agnes Joice/Joyce. She married first an Unk Abbott. She married George Thomas Jaynes[4] 11 Sep 1896 in Jackson County, Indiana[5]. He was born 15 Oct 1869 in Washington County, Indiana, and died 15 Mar 1954 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. He was the son of William Obadier Janes and Luraney Willcut.

Generation No. 2

George Hines6, born Jul 1833 in IN; died 1909 in Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois. He was the son of Cadwell Hines and Susan Angleton. He married Agnes Joice/Joyce 17 Oct 1852 in Switerland County, IN.
Agnes Joice/Joyce[7], born 1832 in Rockingham County, NC; died 1872 in Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois. She was the daughter of George Washington Joice/Joyce and Jane Iden.

Children of George Hines and Agnes Joice/Joyce are:

Cora Hines
Susan F. Hines
George P. Hines
Nancy Ellen Hines
Louisa Hines
Mary Jane Hines

Endnotes 1. Obituary/Seymour Tribune,Seymour,IN, December 21, 1948 (DOD) Mrs. Cora JaynesMrs. Cora Jaynes, 78, died at her home in Seymour Tuesday night at 7:45 o'clock following a six weeks illness.Funeral services will be held at the Voss Mortuary Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock.Mrs Jaynes was born in Jackson County March 8, 1870, the daughter of George and Agnes Joyce Hines. She was married in Brownstown, September 11, 1898 to George T. Jaynes, who survives.Besides the husband she is survived by six children, Harry and Jimmy, and Mrs. Agnes Henley and Mrs. Helen Anderson, all of Seymour; Mrs Mary Trapp, Seymour, RR1; Mrs. Myrtle Ballard, Indianapolis; 26 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and on sister, Mrs. Jane McKinney, Neoga, Illinois.. 2. Obituary/Brownstown Banner, Brownstown BannerFuneral services for Mrs. Cora Jaynes, 78, a life-long resident of Jackson County, will be conducted at 2 o'clock Friday afternoon from the Voss Mortuary, with the Elder John H Engleking, pastor of the Glenlawn Pentecostal Assembly, in charge. Burial in Chestnut Ridge Cemetery. Mrs. Jaynes died Tuesday night at the home, 309 Hancock Street. Friends may call at the Voss Mortuary.. 3. Obituary, Brownstown Banner. 4. Obituary/Seymour Tribune,Seymour,IN, Seymour Daily Tribune - ObituaryGeorge Jaynes, Aged Seymour Man Succumbs-Rites Held Today Funeral rites were held this afternoon from the Voss Mortuary in Seymour, in charge Rev. Elmore Smith, for George Thomas Jaynes, 81 year old Seymour resident, who died Monday at his home in that city. He had been ill only three days.Burial was in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.A native of Washington County, the son of the late William O. and Lorraine Wilcutt Jaynes. The deceased was born October 15, 1869. He was married in Brownstown in 1898 to Cora Hinds, who died in 1948. Mr. Jaynes was employed as a fireman for the Ebner Ice and Cold Storage Company in Seymour for many years.Six children survive. They are Harry Jaynes, James Jaynes, Mrs Agnes Henley, Mrs. Helen Anderson and Mrs Mary Trapp, all residents of Seymour, and Mrs. Myrtle Ballard of Indianapolis.Also surviving are six brother, Joseph Jaynes, Aaron Jaynes and Claude Jaynes of Seymour; Arthur Jaynes of Indianapolis, Luther Jaynes of Connersville and DeWitt Jaynes of Indianapolis; one sister, Mrs Lona Loftis of New Castle; nine grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.. 5. Marriage Record Jackson County 1850-1920 Inclusive Vol II Letters O-Z, Marriage Book/Jackson Co, IN. 6. 1880 census, Series: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550, HINES, GEORGE (1880 U.S. Census)ILLINOIS , CUMBERLAND, NEOGAAge: 47, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550. 7. 1880 census, Series: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550, ILLINOIS , CUMBERLAND, NEOGASeries: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550. 8. Obituary, Neoga, IL Newspaper, 1949.

Meet Nancy Bearden Beard

2009-03-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is my great-great-grandmother. I don't have a photo of her. My grandmother, Bizzie, loved her and lived with her for a while during her younger years.

Ancestors of Nancy Elizabeth Bearden

Generation No. 1

Nancy Elizabeth Bearden[1], born 28 Mar 1866 in Etowah County, Alabama; died 28 Sep 1944 in Attalla, Etowah County, Alabama[2]. She was the daughter of Roland Bearden and Lucinda White. She married Charley Beard[3] 16 Apr 1884 in Dekalb County, Alabama[4]. He was born Mar 1866 in Georgia, and died 28 Jun 1902 in Turkeytown, Etowah County, Alabama.

Generation No. 2

Roland Bearden[5], born 1820 in St. Clair County, Alabama; died in . He was the son of James Bearden and Mary Unk. He married Lucinda White 26 May 1841.
Lucinda White[5], born 1828; died in .

Children of Roland Bearden and Lucinda White are:

William M. Bearden
Orval J. Bearden
Lucinda A. Bearden
Mary J. Bearden
Matilda C. Bearden
James M. Bearden
Margaret L. Bearden
Adeline Bearden
John C. Bearden
Frances D. Bearden
Nancy Elizabeth Bearden
Josephine Bearden
Franklin P. Bearden
Fannie E Bearden

Endnotes

1. 1910 Census, 2-B, Cox Beat, Etowah County, AL.
2. Death Certificate, State File #19204, Attalla, Alabama.
3. 1900 Census, 1900 Alabama, Etowah, Hollis, District 155 Barde, C. H. March 1850 age 50 AL AL ALNannie wife March 1866 age 34 married 16 years, has had 7 children, 7 living AL AL ALSallie daughter Apr 1886 age 14 born ALChutly (? no doubt Charly), son, Oct 1888 age 11 ALFrank, son, Jan 1890 age 10, ALMay, daughter, July 1891, age 8, ALMagey, daughter, Feb 1894, age 6, ALJohn, son, May 1896, age 4, ALJoe, son, Sep 1899, age 9 months, AL.
4. Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900, OSPage: 401, QUAY 3.
5. 1870 US Census.

Meet 'Addie' Morgan Brock

2009-03-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

This is my great-grandmother. I knew her growing up. She was a tiny little woman always busy. The food was to die for!! Meet "Addie", my Granny Brock!

Ancestors of Jessie Adeline MORGAN

Generation No. 1

Jessie Adeline MORGAN, born 22 Dec 1884 in Monroe, TN; died 23 Jan 1966 in Boaz, Marshall County, Alabama[1]. She was the daughter of Reese Simpson MORGAN and Matilda Marie WHITE. She married Patrick Henry BROCK 05 Feb 1906 in Marshall County, Alabama. He was born 20 Jun 1884 in McMinn Co., TN, and died 24 Feb 1972 in Marshall, Alabama[2]. He was the son of Francis Marion BROCK and Irene Matilda RABURN.

Generation No. 2

Reese Simpson MORGAN, born 25 Dec 1856 in Monroe County, Tennessee; died 10 Jan 1942 in Collinsville, Alabama. He was the son of William M. MORGAN and Sarah Serena TALLENT. He married Matilda Marie WHITE.
Matilda Marie WHITE, born Oct 1854 in TN; died 1925 in Lloyd's Chapel Baptist Church Calhoun County, Alabama. She was the daughter of Tolliver White.

Children of Reese MORGAN and Matilda WHITE are:

Rufus M MORGAN
Minnie Ellen MORGAN
James Frank MORGAN
Jessie Adeline MORGAN
Robert Benjamin MORGAN
Kitty O. MORGAN
Callie Miranda MORGAN
Grace B. MORGAN
Edgar L. MORGAN
Talmidge Digger MORGAN

Endnotes 1. Funeral Tract/AL. 2. Obituary, Boaz, AL - Carr Funeral Home, Carr Funeral HomeBoazBROCK, Pat H., 87, Rt. 1, Boaz, died last night in a Boaz Nursing Home after an extended illness. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Bethlehem Baptist Church with burial in Copeland's Bridge Cemetery. Survivors, daughter, Mrs. Irene Smith, Boaz; sons, Rufus Brock, Indiana; Leonard Brock, Boaz; Warner and Paul Brock, both of Arab; Calvin Brock, Houston, Texas; 27 grandchildren; 50 great-grandchildren; sisters, Mrs. Jennie Green, Tenn.; brothers, Dewey Brock, Clevelandf, Tenn.; Lawrence Brock, Lake City, Tenn.; Cleveland and Walter Brock, both of Jasper, Tenn.; Andy Brock, Asheville, NC. A native of Tennessee, Mr. Brock was a retired farmer and a Baptist. 3. Obituary, Attalla, Alabama, OBITUARY -- The Gadsden Times, Saturday, September 17, 1949Funeral Services For Attalla WomanMrs. Lummie Morgan, 62, Lester Street, Attalla, died this morning at her residence after an illness of two months.Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Copeland's Bridge Baptist Church with the Rev. Grady Humphries officiating.She was a member of the Church of God, and had been a resident of Etowah County for the past 18 years.She is survived by her husband, J. F. Morgan, Attalla, two sons, Horace Morgan, Attalla, and Alvin Morgan, Centre;one daughter, Mrs. Hobert Chandler, Centre; one sister, Mrs. Lee Wilson, Madisonville, Tenn., and seven grandchildren.Active pallbearers will be Willie Garner, Boby Crumpton, Charlie Matthews, Louie Hathcock, John Leath andBill Chandler.Burial will be in the Copeland's Bridge Cemetery with Collier-Butler Funeral Home directing.- sent to me by Alice Phillips.

Another Visit With Bizzie Beard Brock

2009-03-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is going to be another visit with my grandmother, 'Grandma Brock', Bizzie Lee [Beard]. I posted a couple of times about her. So in honor of Women's History Month, I will pull them up for you to learn about her again. She was a strong, southern woman and a very good role model for me growing up. I miss her.

Bizzie Lee [Beard] Brock

Bizzie's Quilts

Meet Agnes Joyce/Joice Hines

2009-03-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

I don't have a photo of Agnes. I wish I did. I love to see the faces of my ancestors.
Here is Agnes my great-great-grandmother.

Ancestors of Agnes Joice/Joyce

Generation No. 1

1. Agnes Joice/Joyce[1], born 1832 in Rockingham County, NC; died 1872 in Neoga, Cumberland Co., Illinois. She was the daughter of George Washington Joice/Joyce and Jane Iden. She married George Hines[2] 17 Oct 1852 in Switerland County, Indiana. He was born Jul 1833 in Indiana, and died 1909 in Neoga, Cumberland County, Illinois. He was the son of Cadwell Hines and Susan Angleton.

Generation No. 2

George Washington Joice/Joyce, born 1805 in North Carolina; died Bef. 1870 in Switzerland County, Indiana. He married 3. Jane Iden 22 Dec 1825 in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Jane Iden, born 1806 in NC; died in Switzerland County, Indiana.

Children of George Joice/Joyce and Jane Iden are:

Agnes Joice/Joyce
Robert Joice/Joyce
George W. Joice/Joyce
Peter W. Joice/Joyce
Effa Joice/Joyce
Hester Joice/Joyce
Elijah Joice/Joyce
Martha Joice/Joyce
Thomas Joice/Joyce

Endnotes

1. 1880 census, Series: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550, ILLINOIS , CUMBERLAND, NEOGASeries: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550.
2. 1880 census, Series: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550, HINES, GEORGE (1880 U.S. Census)ILLINOIS , CUMBERLAND, NEOGAAge: 47, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T9 Roll: 184 Page: 550.
3. 1880 census, Series: T9 Roll: 313 Page: 32, JOYCE, ROBERT (1880 U.S. Census)INDIANA , SWITZERLAND, CRAIGAge: 50, Race: WHITE, Born: NCSeries: T9 Roll: 313 Page: 32.
4. Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900, County Court Records County Court Records Film reference number: 1310439 - 1310443.
5. Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900, County Court Records Film reference number: 1310439 - 1310443.
6. 1870 census, Series: M593 Roll: 361 Page: 268, JOICE, THOMAS (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANA , SWITZERLAND, CRAIG TWPAge: 20, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: M593 Roll: 361 Page: 268.
7. Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900, County Court Records Film reference number: 1310439 - 1310443.

Meet Myrtle Fanchier Beard

2009-03-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Myrtle was my grandmother, Bizzie Beard's step-mother. She thought of Myrtle as her own mother. Her birth mother died when she was just a baby, so she knew no one else in the role.

Ancestors of Ada Myrtle Fanchier

Generation No. 1

Ada Myrtle Fanchier, born 24 Oct 1888 in Alabama; died 11 Mar 1972 in Alabama. She was the daughter of John F. Fanchier and Georgia Oliver. She married first, . He died Bef. 1911. She married Charles Pinkney Beard[1,2,3] Abt. 1911 in Alabama. He was born 01 Oct 1887 in Georgia or Alabama, and died 19 Aug 1934 in Alabama[4,5]. He was the son of Charley Beard and Nancy Elizabeth Bearden.

Generation No. 2

John F. Fanchier, died in Alabama. He married Georgia Oliver 23 Feb 1879 in Etowah Co. AL.
Georgia Oliver, died in Alabama.

Child of John Fanchier and Georgia Oliver is:
Ada Myrtle Fanchier

Endnotes 1. 1930 Census, Sheet No. 7-B + 8-A, Cox District, Etowah County, AL. 2. 1920 Census, Sheet 17-A, Cox Beat, Etowah County, AL. 3. 1910 Census, 2-B, Cox Beat, Etowah County, AL. 4. Brock Bible, Pinkney Beard died Aug 19, 1934, age 47. 5. Death Certificate, File # 17514, Attalla, Etowah County, AL.

Another Visit With Della Alexander Jaynes

2009-03-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have been posting profiles and small trees of my female ancestors in honor of Woman's History Month.

My grandmother, 'Grandma Jaynes', has been my subject for numerous posts here. She was my first carnival post. So I will only link to the past postings and let you get to know her again.

Favorite Photo - My First Carnival

TwigTale: Della Mae Alexander/Jaynes

This is a post about her greatest sorrow. The loss of her only son.

Donald Eugene Jaynes: A TwigTale

Meet Olive Martin Alexander and Her Family

2009-03-19T10:03:00.003-04:00

Olive was my great-grandmother. I knew her well. She was not a terribly friendly woman but she had lost her husband young and had 7 children to raise. She worked her way up at the local shoe factory to a supervisor position. She managed to take care of herself and her children very well. She married a second time, briefly.

Ancestors of Olive Ellen Martin

Generation No. 1

Olive Ellen Martin[1], born 25 Dec 1885 in Jackson County, Indiana; died 21 Jan 1975 in Seymour, Indiana. She was the daughter of Samuel S. Martin and Margaret C Hovis. She married William Hays Alexander[2,3,4]. He was born 11 May 1880 in County, Indiana, and died 10 Oct 1928 in Seymour, Indiana[5]. He was the son of John Alexander and Margaret Amanda Atkins.
*she also married Fred Robertson. He went into a sanitorium with TB and they divorced. She had her (married) name Alexander returned. That was what she wanted on her tombstone.

Generation No. 2

2. Samuel S. Martin[6,7,8], born 14 Feb 1860 in Jackson Co., in; died 18 Jan 1944 in Seymour, Jackson County, in9. He was the son of John Stanley Martin and Mary Ann Allman. He married Margaret C Hovis 1883.
3. Margaret C Hovis[10], born 1867 in Ohio; died 10 Feb 1940 in Paris Crossing, Jennings County, Indiana[11]. She was the daughter of Henry W. Hovis and Elizabeth E. Bohall.

Children of Samuel Martin and Margaret Hovis are:

John A. Martin
Olive Ellen Martin
Roxie Mae Martin[12,13,14]
Stanley Martin[16]
Samuel S. Jr. Martin

Endnotes
1. Obituary, Seymour Tribune, Janurary 22, 1975, Seymour TribuneJanurary 22, 1975Mrs. Alexander Dies, Tires Set Thursday Mrs. Olive L. Alexander, 89, of the Jackson Park Convalescent Center, died at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Center after an illness of 11 years. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday from the Voss Chapel with the Rev. W. Robert Lewis, pastor of Central Christian Church officiating. Burial in Riverview Cemetery. Friends may call at the Voss Mortuary after 4 pm. today. A lifelong local resident, she was a member of Central Christian Church and was retied from the Schawe-Gerwin Shoe Company. Born Dec. 25, 1885, in Jackson County, she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Margaret Martin. On Dec. 28, 1902, in Seymour, she married William H. Alexander, who died Oct. 8, 1928. Surviving are three children. Mrs. James (Della) Jaynes , of Seymour, Mrs. Eugene (Norma) Wright, of Crothersville, and Mrs. Arthur (Lucille) Gerth, of Seymour; one brother, S.M. Martin, Sr,. of Edwardsport; 17 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren.She was preceded in death by two sons, tow daughters, two brothers and two sisters. 2. 1920 Census Jackson County, Indiana, William 38, Ollie 34, Della M. 15, Gladdes 13, Merrel 10, Lucile 6, Opel 3, William 6/12. 3. 1910 Census Jackson County, Indiana, William Alexander 30, Ollie E 25, Della M. 5, Gladys 3, Meril H 3/12. 4. Obituary, Seymour Tribune, October 10, 1928, Seymour TribuneOctober 10, 1928William Alexander Dies Early MondayHad Been Ill for Past Six MonthsSuffering of Brights DiseaseRITES 2 P.M. WEDNESDAY William Alexander, age 48, of Glenlawn, died at 3 oclock this morning at his home, 704 Euclid avenue, following an illness of six months. Death was caused by Brights disease. Mr. Alexander was born in Jackson county May 11, 1880, and had lived in the county all his life. He was married in 1902 to Miss Ollie Martin, of near Brownstown. He was affiliated with the Seymour order of Redmen and Haymakers. The former will be in charge of the funeral services which will be held at the First Baptist church at 2 oclock Wednesday afternoon, with the Rev. A.. Cohn officiating. Burial will be in Riverview cemetery. The body is in state at the Tower funeral parlors where friends may call between 6 and 9 oclock this evening. Besides the widow, Mr. Alexander is survived by seven children, Mrs. Della Jaynes, of Seymour; Mrs. Gladys Mails, of Indianapolis; Merill, Lucille, Opal, William Jr., and Norma, all living at home; and a sister, Mrs. Anna Fish, of Norman Station. 5. Obituary, Seymour Tribune, Seymour Tribune - October 10, 1928, Seymour TribuneOctober 10, 1928William Alexander Dies Early MondayHad Been Ill for Past Six MonthsSuffering of Bright’s DiseaseRITES 2 P.M. WEDNESDAY William Alexander, age 48, of Glenlawn, died at 3 o’clock this morning at his home, 704 Euclid avenue, following an illness of six months. Death was caused by Bright’s disease. Mr. Alexander was born in Jackson county May 11, 1880, and had lived in the county all his life. He was married in 1902 to Miss Ollie Martin, of near Brownstown. He was affiliated with the Seymour order of Redmen and Haymakers. The former will be in charge of the funeral services which will be held at the First Baptist church at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, with the Rev. A.. Cohn officiating. Burial will be in Riverview cemetery. The body is in state at the Tower funeral parlors where friends may call between 6 and 9 o’clock this evening. Besides the widow, Mr. Alexander is survived by seven children, Mrs. Della Jaynes, of Seymour; Mrs. Gladys Mails, of Indianapolis; Merill, Lucille, Opal, William Jr., and Norma, all living at home; and a sister, Mrs. Anna Fish, of Norman Station. 6. 1870 US Census, Series: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 277, SS Martin with Cocherham and Allman (1870 U.S. Census)INDIANASeries: M593 Roll: 326 Page: 277. 7. 1900 US Census, Series: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1900 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, BROWNSTOWN TWPAge: 40, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1. 8. 1910 US Census, Series: T624 Roll: 359 Page: 150, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1910 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JENNINGS, SPENCER TWPAge: 50, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T624 Roll: 359 Page: 150. 9. Burkholder Funeral Records, Jackson County INGenWeb Archive, http://files.usgwarchives.org/in/jackson/cemetery/burk_4.txtMartin, Samuel S. 733 Age 83y 11m4d d. Jan. 18 1944 Mother's maiden name Polly Ann Allman. 10. 1900 US Census, Series: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1, MARTIN, SAMUEL S (1900 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, BROWNSTOWN TWPAge: 40, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1. 11. Burkholder Funeral Records, Jackosn Counth INGenWeb Arhchive, http://files.usgwarchives.org/in/jackson/cemetery/burk_4.txtMartin, Maggie 511 Age 73y10m 5d d. Feb. 10 1940 Parents Henry Hovis and Elizabeth BohallBurial Riverview. 12. 1920 US Census, Series: T625 Roll: 439 Page: 95, MANNING, JOHN (1920 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, JACKSON TWPAge: 38, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T625 Roll: 439 Page: 95. 13. 1910 US Census, Series: T624 Roll: 357 Page: 122, MANNING, JOHN (1910 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, 1-WD JACKSONAge: 27, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T624 Roll: 357 Page: 122. 14. 1900 US Census, Series: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1, MARTIN, (1900 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, BROWNSTOWN TWPAge: , Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T623 Roll: 378 Page: 1. 15. Burkholder Funeral Records, Jackson County INGenWeb Archive, http://files.usgwarchives.org/in/jackson/cemetery/burk_4.txtManning, Roxie Mae 2599 Age April29 1888 d. May 5 1963 Parents Samuel Martin and Margaret HovisBurial Riverview Cemetery. 16. 1920 US Census, Series: T625 Roll: 439 Page: 177, MARTIN, STANLEY (1920 U.S. Census)INDIANA , JACKSON, OWEN TWPAge: 22, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: INSeries: T625 Roll: 439 Page: 177.

Meet Amanda Atkins Alexander and Family

2009-03-18T16:15:00.006-04:00

First, today is my step-fathers birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Frank!

I have a few blanks to fill in here. Reed Atkins wife Polly, for one. I have not found her maiden yet. Amanda and John Alexander are my great-great-grandparents. I do know what they look like. I have a family photo taken about 1875. It is a wonderful treasure!

Ancestors of Margaret Amanda Atkins

Generation No. 1

1. Margaret "Amanda" Atkins[1,2,3], born Jan 1847 in Indiana; died 23 Apr 1914 in Seymour, Jackson Coounty, Indiana. She was the daughter of James Hite Adkins and Margaret H Stillwell. She married first, Jacob Rich 17 Sep 1854 in Jackson County, Indiana. She married John Alexander[5,6,7,8,9], 29 Dec 1861 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. He was born 15 Nov 1842 in Indiana, and died 04 Aug 1904 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. He was the son of John H. Alexander and Mary Frances Carter, AKA 'Frankie Lucus'.

Generation No. 2

2. James Hite Adkins[10], born Abt. 1815 in Madison County, Alabama; died 1853 in Jackson County, Indiana. He was the son of Reed Atkins[10] and Polly UNK[10]. He married Margaret H Stillwell.
3. Margaret H Stillwell, born 1817 in Alabama; died 15 Aug 1866 in Jackson County, Indiana. She was the daughter of Joseph E Stillwell.

Children of James Adkins and Margaret Stillwell are:

Margaret Amanda Atkins[1,2,3]
Martha Read Atkins
William D. Atkins
Joseph E. Atkins[10]
Charles B. Atkins
Benjamin C. Atkins
Clarissa Adaline Atkins

-------------------------------------------------

Endnotes

1. 1910 Census Jackson County, Indiana, John Alexander 37, Mabel 10, Amanda 63.
2. Obituary, Seymour Tribune, April 23, 1914, Seymour TribuneApril 23, 1914Mrs. Alexander Dead Mr.s Amanda Alexander, aged about sixty-five years, died at 9:30 oclock this morning at the home of her son, William Alexander, North Broadway. She had been ill for some time. She is survived by two daughters and two sons. The remains will be interred at the cemetery at Norman Station but the arrangements for the funeral have not been completed.OBITUARY Mrs. Amanda Alexander was born Jan. 14, 1849, and died April 22, 1914, at the home of her son, Will, at Seymour, aged 65 years, 3 months and 8 days. She leaves to mourn their loss two sons and two daughters, viz: Will, of Seymour; John, of Indianapolis; Mrs. Kate Wildelson, of Bedford, Mrs. Anna Lane, of near Zelma, and a host of friends and relatives. She was a kind and affectionate mother and a faithful neighbor and her smile will not be forgotten by those who knew her. She expressed her willingness to go several times before her death. The remains were brought here, Saturday a.m., and taken to Liberty. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. I.E. Fish after which she was laid to rest beside her husband in the cemetery there.
3. Certificate of Death, Book and Page: 2-62, April 23, 1914 at Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana cause of death: Cancer of Liver.
4. Marriage Index: Indiana, 1851-1900, Bk# C Pg# 102DAR00970.
5. 1870 Census Jackson County, Indiana, John H. Alexander 28, Margaret 22, Sarah E 6, Charles E. 4/12.
6. 1880 Census Jackson County, Indiana, John H. Alexander 37, Margret A. 33, Charles E. 9, John E. 7, Anna C. 5.
7. 1900 Census Jackson County, Indiana, John H. Alexander 57, Amanda 53, William H. 20.
8. Marriage, Jackson Co., IN Marriage Page 447.
9. Certificate of Death, Book and Page: H23-10, August 4,1904 at Norman Station, Jackson County, Indianacause of death: Apoplexy.
10. GEDCOM Online, Descendents of John Slavinhttp://www.gencircles.com/users/wolfgang7/27David Lidester .

Brickwalls and Spring

2009-03-16T16:54:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's been over a week since I posted. It's spring in Indiana. I am a sneezing, coughing, eye-watering headache going blindly through the days. I could take a pill but I would be face down on the keyboard, snoring. What to do.......:o)

I am progressing a little on one of my brick walls. The Joyce/Joice family. George Washington Joyce, born about 1805 in North Carolina, married Jane somewhere and sometime, and died before 1870 in Switzerland County, Indiana. That was all I knew at the beginning of last week.

Now:
George Washington Joyce
b: 1805 North Carolina
Married Jane IDEN[born in 1806 in Virginia] on December 22, 1825 in Loudoun County, Virginia.

1850 Switzerland County, IN census has first 2 children born in North Carolina and the rest born in Iowa? How did Iowa get in there?? Anyway the youngest in 1850 was 4 months old. So they had just moved to Indiana if this is right.

In the 1870 census Jane is living with her son Robert and his family.

The marriage was not found by me. I was still looking in North Carolina records. It was found by a good friend and fellow researcher, Norma Scott. She saved me!!!

Pretty good, if a little blurry week.

I love my friends.

Randy's Saturday Night Fun - Episode 1(for me)

2009-03-07T20:20:00.003-05:00

Well it is night here. Completely dark. This is my first time doing Randy's Saturday Night Fun over at Genea-Musings. I'm not usually here. But tonight I am and I am playing!

1. When did you start genealogy research? Very late 1970's

2. Why did you start doing research? I started by writing down the stories. I just wanted to write them down so they wouldn't be lost to time for my own children. It just blossomed and grew from there. And grew....and grew....and grew.

3. What was your first big success in research? I found my Alexander family in a book at the library. Thomas was a Revolutionary War veteran. It was very exciting!

4. What is your biggest genealogy regret? That I started to late to interview my gr-grandparents. I had one maternal gr-grandmother that died in 1975 and a paternal gr-grandfather that died in 1972. I could have talked to both them, first hand.

5. What are you best known for in the genealogy world? Best known for? I don't think I am best known for anything. I suppose most people know me for my County GenWeb site? I've barely been blogging for a year. I don't think I rant. Maybe I should find a subject and rant.

6. What is your professional status in genealogy? No status. I wish. Maybe one day I will be certified. (for genealogy, not insanity. I'm already certified in that.) I have been a County Coordinator for several years now. I have some knowledge about my county, how to help and about site design.

7. What is your biggest genealogy achievement? The Jackson County, INGenWeb site. I've built it up from 90 pages to 2,208 pages. I think our "First Family" pages are wonderful. Juggling life, genealogy and quilting isn't easy.

8. What is the most FUN you've had doing genealogy? That would be anytime I get together with other like-minded people to research. I've had a few of those.

9. What is your favorite genealogy how-to book? I don't think I can pick just one. They each have their moment in the sun. I am considering the upgrade to the new Elizabeth Mills "Evidence....".

10. What notable genealogist would you like to meet someday? I have to agree with Randy. Maureen Taylor. She is going to be at the Indiana Historical Society March 10 in Indianapolis and I can't go. I wouldn't want to go alone though.

Surnames/Wrapping Up Celebrate Your Name Week

2009-03-07T12:19:00.005-05:00

We've come to the end of "Celebrate Your Name" week and like Craig over at GeneaBlogie . I am going to post my surnames. So to wrap up the week, here goes!

ADKINS/ATKINS IN 1842
ALEXANDER IN(Jackson/Washington) > PA 1752
ALLMAN IN(Jackson) > VA(Grayson) > PA(Fort Bedford) > Germany 1738
ANGLETON KY(Boone) 1781
BEARD AL(Etowah) > GA? 1840
BEARDEN AL(Etowah) > VA(Caroline) 1691
BOBMAN PA(York) 1793
BOHALL IN(Brown/Jackson) > KY(Meade) > NY 1793
BONNER TN(McMinn) > SC 1805
BROCK AL > TN(McMinn) > SC 1770
BROWN AL 1890
CARTER IN about 1820
CRAMER/KRAMER PA(York) > Gemany(Wuettemberg) 1696
DITTMORE TN(McMinn) > SC(Hamstead) 1780
DRAPER IN 1819
GALLOWAY SC > NC 1779
HEINRICHSON SC(Charleston) > Germany(Lanstadt, Hanover) 1760
HINES IN > VA(Sussex/Surry) > Scotland 1670
HOGG(/HOKE*mistake) PA(York) > Scotland(Ayrshire) 1725
HOVIS IN > OH(Noble) > PA(York) > Germany(Prussia) 1720
HUGHART/HUGGART KY 1810
JACK TN(McMinn) > VA 1805
JANES/JAYNES IN(Jackson) > KY(Metcalf/Barren) 1811
JOICE/JOYCE NC(Rockingham) 1805
LITTLE VA about 1715
MARTIN IN(Jackson) > KY 1806
MILSTEAD KY > IN(Brown) 1800
MORGAN AL > TN(Monroe) > NC > VA 1774
MOSES TN(Monroe) > NC 1747
QUEENER TN(McMinn) > SC 1770
ROBBINS/ROBINS IN(Washington) > NC 1818
RABORN/RABURN AL > TN(Monroe) 1839
SCHMIDT PA(York) > GERMANY 1705
TALLENT TN(Blount) > NC(Anson) 1690
WILCUT/WILLCUT/WILLCUTT IN(Washington) > KY 1815
WINSOR KY(Danville) 1805

MOST WANTED:
Father of: David JANES 1811 (Metcalf)KY - ? *I think it is David Janes, Sr. in Adair, Kentucky as per, "History of the Janes-Peek Family (From Grandma's Little Trunk)," 1975 by Dr. Reba Neighbors Collins. I don't believe she found all his children as she listed only 3.

Death County of Beatrice BROWN October 1, 1911 AL

John MARTIN, born in KY about 1835
Private, Jackson County
Jackson County, Indiana Volunteers
10th Cavalry Regiment, Company C
Mustered in December 10, 1863. Mustered out August 31, 1865.
His wife Mary Ann(Polly Ann) Allman remarried. There is no record of John having died or actually returning from war. His regiment was on the Sultana when it went down but he is not listed as having boarded.

Celebrate Your Name Week - What My Name Means

2009-03-04T08:00:00.002-05:00

I saw the post, "Celebrate Your Name Week - Where did my Name come from?" on Randy Seaver's Genea-Musings. He took it from another. Seems to be spreading so I thought I'd play too.
It sounds like fun since I already have done a lot of research on my first name. My real first name. My grandmother named me. When I was growing up, the only place I ever saw my given name was at the graveyard. My Grandmother named me for her friend that had died very young. She insisted that it not be shortened but most of the family called me Sheri anyway. Until after she died, I did not shorten it ever. No one ever pronounced it right and I would have to tell them how to pronounce it. To a shy child that was painful, and I was a shy child. I have run across it a couple of times, once in California and once in my dentist office. Well, anyway, my name is Sherida. It is derived from a gaelic word meaning, 'he who is searching' or 'one who seeks'. Is that appropriate or what?? I've always been searching. Unfortunately for everything. Lovely mysteries, spirit, answers (to everything my mind can question), the spooky mysteries and all my family that I can find in my lifetime. I probably need to change my name to whatever means 'one who has found'. That way I can relax more.

Behind the Name said:
SHERIDA was not found in this database.

Is This Your Name said:
Forename:
Origin: Hmmm... Sorry, we don't know.
Meaning:

According to the US Census Bureau°, fewer than 0.001% of US residents have the first name 'Sherida'. The US has around 300 million residents, so we guesstimate there is only 1 American who goes by the name Sherida Bush.

They're wrong. There are 3 of us, I think. Oh yes, I am not a Bush really. When I have the urge and time, at the same moment, I will legally return to my maiden name which means: a badger; in Gaelic or Irish, Cornish British and Welsh. Sooooo. Badger. I'm not really a badger. They are rather bad tempered, aren't they? I am even-tempered and patient. Really.

My middle name means 'meadow'(Old English/my research). I'm not going to talk about it.

Same Time Next Year

2009-03-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Today my Dad would have been 78 years old. I usually don't communicate more than I need to on this day every year. It's a day of melancholy that I allow myself to have. I'm not very social or productive in the days leading up to this one day. It is only the third time I've come here without him.
My Dad was the only one that shared my love of family history. He was always interested in what I had found and always asked how things were going. He never stopped me when I would get started on a story. He loved to hear. At least he made me feel like he did.
I miss him in so many ways. I miss him because he was my hero, always there ready to save me, sometimes from myself. He was my champion; stood by me through it all. Always strong; always steady. He was warm and loving; always saw life as an adventure, always looked ahead.
When he took his leave of this life, it was such a shock to all 4 of us. The stroke took him without warning or hesitation. We'd never seen him weakened, nor infirm. He was like his beloved mountain, strong, unshakable and unchanging. We never thought of life without him. He left with a great swiftness that left us all breathless and shocked. Time has forced me to look at it; to be grateful that a man unable to sit down for more than 15 minutes at a time and could never tolerate the slow, painful path that age forces many to take, simply sat down in his chair and left after a busy morning in his garden. There is a terrible gratitude inside me that he never knew suffering or infirmity. But he is loved and missed so.
Though my mood is pensive and my thoughts so far away I know with certainty that the sun will again rise and a new day be born. This year it feels different. Just as painful. But this time it feels like life is a tiny crocus forcing it's way through half-frozen earth and snow; upwards to open itself and blaze color in a cold, sleeping world, paying homage to the sun; heralding in a new, joyful cycle of growth and warmth, once again a chance to begin anew.
So, when this day comes to a close I will get up and begin the process of catching up on tasks I put aside so that I could mourn. And I will catch up; life will go on. I will try to get the memories out of my heart and onto paper so that all those unknown and yet to be descendants will have a sense of who he was.

Rufus L. Brock
March 2, 1931 - June 14, 2006

And so it goes. I'll be here, same time next year.

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-02-20T17:02:00.002-05:00

DianaR of Random Relatives has presented me this award. Thank you Diana!

Here are the instructions:
1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers. (how to choose only 7!!)
4. Link to those sites on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

I read many blogs every week. Any extra time is taken up. I learn all the time thanks to them. Here are my choices for the award:

My bff, footnoteMaven
Earline at Ancestral Notes
Family Tales by Andrea
Janinealogy by Janine, interesting name for her blog!
Genemeet
Renee's Genealogy Blog the ever hard-working Renee.
Genealogy - Diggin up Dirt by Cat at Windows Live!

You all should stop by and read all of these!

So Far Behind

2009-02-06T21:05:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a slow week for everything. I have been trying to learn RootsMagic. I'm confident enough, and like the program enough to delete FTM. Of course I haven't gotten much else done in the past 2 weeks though. I must change that!
I just have one thing I have to figure out. About sources, of course. I have several entries of each source in my source list. Like 1860 Census. Click on each and it will show the citation. I would have thought that the Source List would list each census(or other) entry once, then offer the citations by name. I think it's messed up but I can't figure out how to fix it. I can't even figure out if it needs fixing. Now that's bad.
Well, I am no longer feeling my way slowly through the program. I'll figure it all out eventually.

5 and 5

2009-01-27T22:10:00.002-05:00

Generationsgoneby chose to give me a blog award last week. It's been such a week that I am that far behind. So Thank You for the compliment of the award, I have not forgotten.

I have to list 5 blogs I like and 5 things I am addicted to.

5 things I am addicted to.
1. Genealogy is at the top. I don't have to explain that one to anyone.
2. Website creating. I discovered how much I loved this a few years back and just can't stop.
3. Caramel. Don't have to explain that either.
4. Quilting. Can't stop. Even when my fingers are numb. I always have a project going.
5. Photos. I am unable to pass one up. I have so many now and still I am always asking people if they have a photos of ___________ (fill in the blank).

Now to the five blogs that I most love. (this is the hard part! Only 5?)

1. Destination: Austin Family [ http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/ ]
2. Janet the Researcher [ http://researchergal.blogspot.com/ ]
3. Family Tales [ http://www.christman26.blogspot.com/ ]
4. Tigers Tulip [ http://tigertulipdesignsscrapkits.blogspot.com/ ]
5. Rambling Thoughts [ http://brendasopinions.blogspot.com/ ]

New Project

2009-01-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

Now I have something new to think and worry over. I have been concerned a long time about what to do with my work when I die. My children are not interested at all. I have a cousin that is but only in searching now and then. She is busy and doesn't seem to have any interest in the 'nuts and bolts' of research. So now I am going on a new quest. There are questions to be answered.

How do I organize and perhaps put into book form my research, making ready for my demise? (The demise part hopefully later)
Where do I put, send or give it? That is the big question.
Get those two questions answered and get it in the Will. How?

Sheri Fenley over at The Educated Genealogist has published a 'Genealogy Codicil' that perhaps everyone should have a look at. She has also offered a suggestion about the 'Where' question with an article called, 'What Happens To My Research When I'm Gone?'

So, this is added to my 'One million things I need to do before I croak' list. At this rate, I will not croak til I'm 152. By then I will have forgotten why I stayed. . . . .

The Program

2009-01-23T08:45:00.001-05:00

By the poll to the left, I believe I have drawn a conclusion. Whatever program you use for your major work is the one you are passionate about. Right now, 14 people have participated. The poll shows me 13 people have found what they needed are very happy with their programs. It seems to be pretty even across the programs too. Though I have had email from people that did not participate in the poll telling me their choice. Taking all of it including my email they still stay pretty even between Legacy and RootsMagic. TMG trails behind a little adding the emails to the mix. I've played with Legacy and RM a lot lately. I've read all that RM4 is going to be. I have read everyone's comments and emails. I made my choice.

I have ordered my choice by snail-mail (I don't like to put a card out there and they offer the opportunity to use mail, thank you!) and now wait. I put it in the box first thing Thursday morning. The last time I bought a program was late in 2005. So I am really excited about getting it. When I have gotten all those little files changed to gedcoms from .FTW files, I will delete FTM with great joy!

Thank you all for helping me out!

About to Choose a New Program. . . .

2009-01-14T21:12:00.004-05:00

The question is, which one? RootsMagic or Legacy. I have narrowed it down to those two. I have a trial of RM on my computer, and I have been working with Legacy 7 for a while. I'm thinking it is a little harder than it needs to be. But it does offer choices of everything. Do I need to make that many choices? RM seems friendly and appealing. It doesn't make me tense to play with it.
What ever choice I make is the one I will be sticking with. So it has to be good. This is the year. I want to have my choice made and my order in by the last of the month.
NO MORE FTM. I don't know what direction they are going, but it is definitely not my way. So far on Facebook I have had 3 for RM and 2 for Legacy. One voted for The Master Genealogist. I don't know anything about that one.

Please respond to my poll to your left.
Thank you.

Brock Photo Mystery

2009-01-07T15:01:00.001-05:00

This photo is of my Brock/Raborn/Raburn/Rayburn family. The young boy standing is my great-grandfather, Patrick "Pat" Henry Brock. The young woman standing is supposed to be his mother, Irene Matilda (Raborn/Raburn/Rayburn) Brock. Myself and other family members believe that it is true. The girl sitting on the elderly woman’s lap most likely is Patrick’s sister, Sarah, and the one standing, his sister Nellie. The man sitting and the elderly woman are the ones I need to put a name to. It is possible that the man is Patrick’s father, Francis Marion Brock. The older woman could be a grandmother perhaps. That would make her Irena [Ammons] Brock or Rebecca [Rue] Raborn/Raburn/Rayburn. Patrick was born in 1884, which would date the photo to around 1890 to 1895 perhaps. I have this photo on my site under 'Mystery Photos'. I would love to know if that is Francis "Frank" Marion Brock. If there are any cousins out there, I would love hearing from you!

The photo originally had 2 corners missing. It was digitally repaired by Richard Spencer.

Submitted to and written for:
9th Smile For The Camera - 10 January 2009

Bohall/Draper Family Research

2009-01-05T23:12:00.001-05:00

My first search of the year is a new line for me. Catherine E. Draper married George David Bohall. They are my 4th great grandparents.
George was born April 17, 1819 in Meade County, KY. He died December 7, 1897 in Tampico, Jackson County, Indiana. Catherine E. Draper was born April 20, 1822, I believe in Indiana, and died June 19, 1897 in Tampico, Jackson County, Indiana. They are both buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Grassy Fork Township in Jackson County. I have so far only found 4 children; Joseph, Elizabeth Ellen (my direct ancestor), John Dudley and James Seth. It is my belief that Catherine's E. stands for Ellen. It made it to my great-grandmother, Olive Ellen Martin.
George Bohall is of the basket-making Bohalls. Quite famous for their basket making abilities. Many of the families were in Brown County Indiana which is right next door to Jackson. I finally found George's obit just recently. It was an accident, quite frankly. I was in the library looking for something else and there he was. I had not been able to find it before so it was a very exciting moment! Here it is:

Wednesday, December 8, 1897.
George Bohall
George Bohall died Tuesday, December 7 at the home of John Shutters on Lynn Street with heart failure and infirmity. He was born in Kentucky opposite Leavenworth, April 17, 1810 and located near Tampico in this county 60 years ago. Two sons, John D. and James S. survive. Interrment in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery east of Tampico.

So that brings up another question. Who is John Shutters and why did George die there? It is also strange that Catherine died in June, Elizabeth died in July and George died in December of 1897. I bet I find an outbreak of something during that time period. It seems strange that all that death is not connected.

BTW: I still can't remember what I was looking for when I found George's obit. Now I have to go look for Catherine and Elizabeth in the same book.

New Treasure/Old Memories

2009-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Wow. I moved to this apartment in 2004. It was a terrible time when I did. My daughter had 4 surgeries the first year we lived here. I started having big allergy problems, an eye infection and bronchitis for the first time in my life. Needless to say I would move out in a breath if I could. I simply stuck some things away and forgot. Really forgot. Everything started to calm down a little and my Dad died unexpectedly in 06. Not that most people expect death, he just sat down and never got up. No warning.
Wednesday night I decided to go through a box I had stuck in the back of the closet. I was looking for something and ran onto the box and remembered putting it there, just not what was in it. So I had a look-see. All the things on top were breakables/collectibles I had forgotten about. There were clay items made in school by my eldest daughter, namely an owl and a sugar bowl and creamer. Most were just little nick-knacks that I could live without seeing again. But, and this is the big one, there was another quilt that was made by my paternal grandmother. This one was blue and yellow. That is a favorite color combo of mine! It is not in the greatest of shape and the colors have faded. But all her quilts were used well and loved that is why she made them. I want all the quilts I make to be well used and loved too. It was quilted, not tied. It is a hand pieced whirligig pattern, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It is a small quilt, so most likely made for one of the kids beds, probably one of the girls (my aunts) I vaguely remember my dad bringing it to me when we were getting ready to move. Everything that happened after that is just a blur. I didn't even remember it at all until I pulled it out of the box.
So, I must get photos and do a careful inspection of my old/new treasure.

To Each of You: Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.002-05:00

So it is finally here! A new beginning for us all. I always set goals for my new year, but most are personal ones. I like to think of them as goals or of late, promises to myself. Resolutions are so easy to break and joke about later. My goals or promises are things I need to give attention to. Things I give myself because I know I need them. So, I won't discuss them. I will give attention to them throughout the year and at years end, I hope I will have reached the goals I set for myself.
Many of you are old friends, but most of you are new friends found just in this past year. What a wonderful year it has been! And to find such great people. What a network you have helped me to build. Giving thanks for the old year as it wans, I will give thanks for all of you. I thank you all for coming into my life.

So, for all of you I hope:
That your new year is bright.
Good health, happiness and joy come your way.
Brick walls tumble.
Your ancestors are found.
You grow in personal ways you never thought possible.
You love and laugh.
And we all meet here same time next year to start all over again.

Happy New Year to you all!

Proximidade Award

2008-12-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

I have been given this award 3 times by Janet the Researcher, George Geder and footnoteMaven.
I have stolen footnoteMavens graphic and put it here. She is so good at it I can't help myself!

by footnoteMaven :o)

I have chosen these blogs to pass the award too!

Digging Up Your Roots

The Lucas Countyan

Janet's Genealogy Blog

Renee's Genealogy Blog

Genealogy Lines

iPentimento|Genealogy and More

ANCESTOR HUNTING

Genealogy - Diggin up Dirt

I Hope You Had A Great Day!

2008-12-25T16:37:00.002-05:00

I did!
Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Our Christmas - Christmas Tour of Blogs

2008-12-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

Here I am, ready to welcome you. All dressed up with the itchy petticoats. It's 1960 and I am almost 6. I'm off to sing in the choir at the Christmas Program. Come on in and I'll tell you about Christmas' past and present.
I bought these icicles in 1973 at a mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was on a trip to visit my Aunt and Uncle who lived there. I love Milwaukee. Love the foghorns, the lake and the excitement of the city. My eldest daughter was 8 months old.

This ornament was on that 1960 tree. It is one of the ornaments I have kept, a memory from my childhood. We had happy Christmas'. I crocheted a bunch of snowflakes one year. They made the cut this time and are on the tree.

My youngest daughter made me a set of these beaded ornaments several years ago. They catch the light nicely. I think she did a wonderful job.

This ornament was on my parents first tree. I was always fascinated by these. As a child I loved the way the light caught them.
Well I could go on and on, and show a thousand photos, but I won't. You'd go away before I was finished.

So, from my home to yours. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

from Cali and the rest of us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Have a very Merry Christmas!

written for: Christmas Tour of Blogs

Blog Caroling? OK. Me, too!

2008-12-12T11:31:00.004-05:00

This song was sung every Christmas at our church when I was growing up. It was a particular favorite of my grandmothers'.

What Child is This?
William Chatterton Dix - 1865

What child is this, who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant king to own Him,
The King of kings, salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Christmas 1958

2008-12-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

This was Christmas 1958. I was almost 4. Some of the ornaments on this tree I still have. I keep them put away most of the time. This year, I am not hiding them. The name of this years tree is, 'Through the Years'. I put away the fancy ones and got out the old ones. Ornaments from my childhood and my children's childhood.

My brother was one in '58. You can see his presents. This photo must have been taken before we got out of bed. I can assure you it was not that neat after we got a hold of everything. I remember all those toys.

My brother was a real pain. Funny though. I would have missed him terribly if he had gone away. It's a lot more fun having a fellow explorer.

Tis the Season. . .

2008-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Well the season is here like it or not. But I'm actually feeling different this year. Unusual. I feel a strong longing for the rituals and celebrations of my childhood. The faith of my ancestors. I don't understand that. I have had my own way of doing things for a long time. I have not had that longing before. I find myself missing the marking of the seasons. Missing the Nativity. Missing all the things I thought I had put behind me. So what is different this year? I miss the communion with the sacred. The silent, holiness of the night, the still waiting, the quiet joy. I miss the voices of the past. There was an excitement and hopefulness in those days that I have lost in the passing of time. Why do I miss those things this year?

2008-12-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

It's cold outside. Sounds like the beginning of a song. I can't believe it has been this long since I've blogged. Between being busy and a new mystery allergy, the time just flew past and I seem to have slept through. I may get into decorating for the holidays later. I used to be eager. I have noticed since my Dad died I have more trouble getting excited about it. I mailed out my out-of-state cards yesterday. So I'm beginning to feel it. I need to get involved in something Christmasy. I've always called it Yule in my house for many years, but we celebrate it the way I grew up celebrating. I love it all. Ok, I am feeling better about it. :o)

Eight Things About Me ... I've been tagged!

2008-11-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Jessica over at Jessica's Genejournal.
The rules for this meme are:

1. Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. A the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their name.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

-------------------------------------

1. I am interested in the paranormal and spirituality. Ok, it borders on obsession. I've been interested from a very young age. I've had a lot of experiences that have kept my interest high.

2. I like order around me. I am uncomfortable without it. I wish I could work in the middle of a mess. . . . . . ok so I don't really. I don't understand how people can work that way :o)

3. I'd like to write a book someday. Of course that is not a big shocker! Don't all of us hope to put down our ancestors stories? One day, if I live long enough. I do have an interesting format I would like to use with a twist!

4. I love creating web pages. I also love being a County Coordinator. I always wanted to be a CC. I learned how to make a basic page. Nothing else. When my county came up for adoption I applied. I didn't think I would even be considered. I was 'hired'. So I had to go on a html binge. I fell asleep on the books. I took every free course. I was terrified. I loved every minute. I have only my own county now. I still love it.

5. I hate 'girly' movies. I don't go to a theater because I tend to lose interest and want to wander off and work on something in the middle. I don't like gore either. I love those old Japanese sci-fi. You know the ones. Badly dubbed, motorcyle helmets without the shield, going to the moon sitting in lawn chairs, foil covered boxes as instruments. . . . .ok that is my secret. Old, bad sci-fi. Oh yes, I am a trekker. (I believe Picard was No.1, ok?)

6. I quilt. I have made many quilts, big and small. I don't do it so much anymore. My hands don't like to do it as much as I do.

7. I don't like to travel. We traveled so much when I was a child I think I burned out early.

8. I don't like to shop. I shop because I have to, not because I want to. My sister loves to shop. She thinks I'm nuts. She's probably right....

I am tagging . . . . . .

Msteri at Heritage Happens

Lee at The I Seek Dead People Blog

Janet at The Chart Chick

Cat at Diggin Up Dirt

Lori at Smoky Mountain Family Historian

T.K. at Before My Time

Shannon at AncestralSpace

Ruby at Genealogy Works

New Week - Adding New Information

2008-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

In starting a new week I am trying to get a lot of new information added. This is going to be a week of adding new people and sources. I've been putting it off for a while, now it's time. This data involves my Alexander, Allman, Hovis and Bohall lines. I really find these lines interesting. Just recently though, I was sent a photo of my Henry Hovis. I didn't know there was a photo of him in existence so it was quite a delightful surprise! The same person sent me a photo of the grave of Henry Sr., father to the above Henry. What a great contact!! Hovis contact has been few and far between. Unfortunately, I have not made contact with any Bohalls. I would love to find contacts there.

So, my week is spoken for. . .

I do hope to have time to blog. I have not had the time lately. The weather has been so messed up that I have a headache full time now. One day it's 60 and the next 34. Hard to get used to.

Hoping for a good, productive week!!

Ermil R. Trapp - A TwigTale

2008-11-11T08:00:00.004-05:00

Ermil R. Trapp
Born: August 28, 1923
Died: September 15, 1944 France
Buried: Marion Cemetery, Jackson County, Indiana
------------------------------------------
ACTIVITY DURING WWII
Ermil served in General Patton's 735th Tank Battalion in a light tank. He was killed in the Battle of Metz, France in September 1944.

Ermil Trapp Dies in Action September 15
Local Soldier Was Serving With Tank Group in France - Widow Gets Word

Technician Fifth Grade Ermil R. Trapp, age 21, was killed in action September 15, according to a telegram received late Sunday afternoon by his wife, Mrs. Joyce L. Trapp, 620 Euclid Avenue.

"The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your husband, Technician Fifth Grade Ermil R. Trapp, was killed in action on September 15th in France. Letter follows," read the telegram, signed by J.A. Ulio, adjutant general.

Sgt. Trapp entered the service on January 8, 1943, receiving his training at Fort Lewis, Wash., as a member of a tank battalion. He had served overseas since February 1 of this year. Mrs. Trapp's last letter from her husband was dated September 6.

Lived at Chestnut Ridge.

Born in Jennings county, T.5 Trapp was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Trapp, of Chestnut Ridge, six miles south of this city. He spent most of his life in the Chestnut Ridge community, attending school there. He was employed throughout the county on various farms and also worked at Camp Atterbury before entering the armed forces.

T.5 Trapp was widely known both in this city and throughout the county and a host of friends join with relatives in mourning his death.

Survivors include the widow, the former Miss Joyce Jaynes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Jaynes, with who she makes her home; a fourteen-months-old daughter, Judy Kay Trapp; the parents; five sisters, Mrs. Fern Russell, of Beanblossom, and Marjorie, Carol, Vivian and Phyllis Trapp, all of Chestnut Ridge; and three brothers, all of whom are in service. Ernest Trapp and Murrel Trapp, both serving overseas in England or France, and Donald Trapp, serving on a Navy destroyer in the South Seas.
~frontpage: Seymour Daily Tribune, Seymour, Indiana

Brick at the Veteran's Memorial - Seymour, Indiana

-------------------------------------------------

Grave photo: owned and taken by Tina Brock Smith
Photo: in possession of Former Judy Kay Trapp
Obit: original in my possession
Brick Photo: owned and taken by Sheri Bush
for: Veteran's Day Post 2008

I have 2 step-nephews and 1 full nephew serving right now. One already had several tours in the US Navy and is stateside now. Two will soon be going.

Oh, Baby! Huh?

2008-11-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

This is it?

I thought I'd add a photo of me. Showing my attitude toward life. Confused. I still have this expression most of the time.

Wish I still had that stroller! Notice the bumpers? Is that rubber baby buggy bumpers??

Submitted for:
Smile for the Camera
10 November, 2008

Henry Hovis - A TwigTale

2008-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Henry W. Hovis was born on July 1, 1840 in Noble County, Ohio and he died June 11, 1935 in Nashville, (Brown County) Indiana. He was the son of Henry Hovis and Sarah Hogg. On July 9, 1864 he married Elizabeth Ellen. Bohall in Brown County, Indiana.
Elizabeth, daughter of George David Bohall and Catherine E. Draper, was born June 17, 1844 in Jackson County, Indiana and died July 17, 1897.

This is an entry in *1886: History of Jackson County, Indiana. Brant and Fuller.
MARTIN GROVE CHURCH.

This church was organized March 15, 1878, three miles
northeast of Clear Spring. Members: Prudy Elkins, Sarah
Martin, Martha Scott, Hanna Scott, Nancy Cobb, Ollie Winein-
ger, W. A. Williams, Sarah Williams, Mary B. Smith, John C.
Bowman, Adaline Bowman, Martin Beavers, Mary A. Beavers,
Henry Hovis, Elizabeth Hovis and William Paris; ministers:
Elders R. J. Gorbet, David Sexton, J. R. McCoy, J. W. Maynard
and H. Hovis.

As you can see, Henry is also listed as a minister.

They had 4 children: Seth, Mary C., Margaret C. and Martha Jane. Margaret C. Hovis is my great-great-grandmother. My grandmother spoke of her often and said she was her favorite person. Seth was divorced by his wife for violent behavior and died in the County Farm in Independence, Missouri . I have not found Mary or Martha yet.

The church no longer stands.

------------------------------------------

*Title: History of Jackson County
Publisher: Chicago: Brant & Fuller 1886
Page: 424
Jackson County Public Library/History Resources Online
http://www.jacksoncountyhistory.org/books/index.asp?book=brantfuller&page=424

The GraveYard Rabbit

2008-10-31T17:12:00.003-04:00

I'm proud to say I am now a member of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits. The new blog is The GraveYard Rabbit of Jackson County, Indiana.

BOO!

Have a delightfully ghoulish Halloween

Was It Fact or Fiction?

2008-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it was evenly split, 3 fact and 3 fiction. That's not leaning one way or the other. So, I guess it's time to tell you the truth.

This is George Thomas Jaynes, better known as 'Old Tom'. He was my maternal great-grandfather. Writing the story was not hard to do. It flowed. Funny, I could hear my grandmother's voice as I wrote. You see, the story is true. I interviewed many in the early days. They all told pretty much the same story, only their own eye-witness accounts were a little different. Everything I wrote was fact. There was more that I did not write because I knew that you would not believe it all.

My curiosity about this man has not waned at all. I am stuck on his grandfather, David Jaynes of Metcalf County, KY. So I know little more about his background than I did when I began.

So, are you surprised or disappointed?

I've Been Tagged

2008-10-20T22:42:00.003-04:00

I was tagged by Taylorstales-Genealogy. So here goes.

Ten Years Ago, I Was:
1. Babysitting my first grand-daughter a lot!
2. Recovering.
3. Worked with my Dad for a while.
4. Sewing, sewing, sewing.
5. Caring for my daughter.

Five Places I Have Lived:
1. RR #2
2. Ninth Street
3. Laurel Street
4. Brownstown, Indiana
5. South Ave.

I've not gone far from here for sure!

Five Jobs I Have Had:
1. Burger Chef (long gone)
2. Van's Music Store (long gone)
3. Local Hospital
4. Electronics Factory
5. Nursing Home

Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Mike-Sells Zesty Barbecue Chips
2. graham crackers
3. Koshier Dills
4. Cheese
5. Cheerios (plain, few calories and good for you!)

Five Things on Today's To-Do List:
1. Finish template for census
2. laundry
3. take care of at least 10 sources
4. do at least 2 pages 1920 census
5. do some pre-publishing

I can't find anyone who hasn't been tagged. . . so if you are reading this.......YOU'RE IT!!!!

Tomorrow I will reveal whether Old Tom was fact or fiction!

The Eyes of Old Tom.

2008-10-12T10:10:00.003-04:00

When I first started researching my family, I was really looking for an answer to an old question. It was just curiosity. I only wanted to know where he was from and why. Why was everyone afraid of him? And why did they call him 'Old Tom' long before he was old? My own mother said she never looked into his eyes. "They were strange eyes" she often said. "A funny milky blue that looked through you."
Now my grandma lived with Old Tom and his wife Cora when she and grandpa first married. Grandma loved Cora. She said she was the warmest woman she'd ever met. She also laughed about Cora's famous temper. Seems she never had a full set of china because it became her weapon of choice when she was mad.
But it wasn't Cora I wanted to know about. It was Old Tom. When they spoke about him, they spoke in whispers, as though he might be listening. Perhaps he was. He died the month after I was born, so I never knew him, though Mother said he did hold me once. I have to admit that I had never heard them whispering about him until I was a teenager. It wasn't a thing to speak of in front of children.
Seems Old Tom was called a witch, mostly because they didn't know what else to call him. He always seemed to know what was coming. But there were other things too. The rapping. Not music, you understand. Knocking on the walls, from some other world unseen to us. But the thing that scared people most was the power he seemed to have over objects. He would lay a hand on a table and it would 'walk'. Kept the neighbors scared, I hear. He often did these things when people he didn't care for came to visit. He didn't have many of those kinds of visitors, I can tell you. People were scared of Old Tom. They thought him a witch or a devil.
One clear, beautiful day he was making a table walk when suddenly the window was blown apart by a bolt of hot, white light and the table was struck and burned. Old Tom was scared that time. Scared enough to rethink some things. Misuse of power? Waste of talent? I only know what my grandma told me about that. Old Tom thought he had wasted his power. He said he was wrong to scare folks. He understood some things better, but he'd not tell her about them. She was better not to know. He never again tried to scare people. He never again walked a table.
But, right up to his death he talked about how he wished the spirits would leave him be. The rapping never went away. The spirits were always trying to get his attention. My grandma felt sorry for him. Many people I talked to thought he was evil. I just wish I could have met him. I want to find all of his family. Where did he get his abilities? Was it a family trait?
Funny though. My curiosity about him led me to this place today. My habit, genealogy. I'd have never started my research had it not been for him.

Is it Fact or Fiction?

Written for Carnival of Genealogy - 58th Edition

Kind Of A Drag . . .

2008-10-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

. . . . or is it? Could it be 4 really homely women :^) Sorry. This is another 'orphan' photo. As I thumbed through the stack I thought hats, I must check them out more carefully. When I went back, boy was I surprised! I didn't catch it first time around. The middle two are a little more creative than the other 2. A wig and a purse! I will never identify them. Wish I could. What would a researcher say, I wonder, if I said I have a photo of your grandpa?
Actually I could just have easily posted a drag photo of my own. I have one of my grandfather and his friend hamming it up like this too. It must have been all the rage in the early decades of the 20th century.

What appropriate timing.

^..^Trick or Treat!^..^

Submission to:
6th EDITION
Smile For The Camera

Dad's Quilt

2008-10-04T12:15:00.002-04:00

My dad wanted me to make him a quilt. We poured over books and patterns, discussed color schemes and fabrics. He finally chose the "Maple Leaf" pattern which I put on point. He wanted a scrappy quilt in more blues and fall-like colors. He loved the quilt when it was finished. I gave it to him in 2000. I took the photo above a couple months ago. My step-mother returned it to me when he passed away in 2006.

The Wm. H. Alexander Family

2008-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

William Hays Alexander was born May 11, 1880 in Jackson County, Indiana, and died October 10, 1928 in Seymour, Indiana. He was the son of John and Amanda (Atkins) Alexander. He married Olive Ellen Martin, daughter of Samuel Martin and Margaret Hovis. She was born December 25, 1885 in Jackson County, Indiana, and died January 21, 1975 in Seymour, Indiana.

Children of William Alexander and Olive Martin are:

Della Mae Alexander, born September 4, 1904 and died June 6, 1996 in Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana. She married James Jaynes.

Gladys Alexander, born March 30, 1907 and died Jan 1973 in California. She married Joseph A. Taylor.

Merril Harris Alexander, born September 11, 1909 and died November 6, 1931 in Seymour, Indiana. He married Bertha Manning.

Lucille D. Alexander, born 20 October 20, 1913 and died in April of 1987 in Seymour, Indiana. She married Arthur Gerth.

Opal Louise Alexander, born 16 January 16, 1916 and died 16 May 16 1948 in Seymour, Indiana. She married Woodrow R. Bush.

William H Alexander, born June 12, 1919 and died January 15, 1971 in Seymour, Indiana. He married Lois Lee Plumer.

Norma Alexander, born 05 October 5, 1922 and died May 16, 1993 in Seymour, Indiana. She married Eugene Wright.

Della's Quilts

2008-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

My grandmother loved pink. She also loved sewing and gardening. She could get anything to grow.

I own a large bed quilt that she made. As a child I would stay with her and sleep under it. It has that very familiar feel. There were originally 2 of them. I think the other has probably been destroyed, but I am not sure.

Below are 2 items that she created and I proudly now keep safe.

This is the pink quilt. It is full size and has a thin batt. It is also in very good shape. It was made in the very late 1940's or the very early 1950's.

This is the quilt my grandmother made for me and my dolls. It is all handmade. I know it was given to me when I was about 3. I am 54. She taught me how to sew and crochet. I will always have that.

A Cemetery Visit

2008-09-25T10:02:00.003-04:00

I've been so busy lately that I have not had much time to blog. Allergies are bad right now, too.
Yesterday my sister and I went to visit and clean up my dads grave. I am always in a 'mood' after that. We also ran by the gr-grandparents graves on the way home. I didn't have much time, but I got photos of all the old stones that had broken and fallen since last time. Each time I will fill my card/camera with photos until they are all photographed.
Both are small country cemeteries. My dad is atop a knob overlooking the 'holler' in Cummins Cemetery. He was born in Alabama in the mountains. He had spent his last years in the area and said it reminded him of home. I wish he was closer to town as we can't get out there as often as we'd like, but I know he loved the area. The gr-grandparents cemetery, Chestnut Ridge, is larger, and had lost a couple trees in the storm. It's not as isolated, but still quite a ways out of town.
I enjoy walking through cemeteries. Nice way to end a busy day.

Bizzie's Quilts

2008-09-21T12:22:00.003-04:00

Bizzie Lee [Beard] Brock made all of these. When she made them is probably fuzzy but I am sure she made them all before the move to Indiana from Alabama. So that would be pre-1951. They are all in bad shape, some worse than others. But they were all used. A lot. My dad told me of the quilting bees and how they pulled out the cotton to make the batts. You can still find cotton seeds that they missed in some of the quilts.
This one is the fanciest one she made. I think she actually bought fabric to make this one. So it would have been for something special. I wish I knew the history!
This one almost matches. That one block throws it off. It's a small quilt and it is in very bad shape. I believe because of its size it is most likely one of the childrens quilts. Because of the color I would say one of the girls.
This thing weighs a ton! The fabric you see was added later when the original quilt was in really bad shape. She didn't throw it away, she simply recovered it. She also took the time to re-quilt it. She bulked it up with a flannel lining. The thing is heavy. A small child would not be able to move under this thing! It was obviously covered with scraps from other projects. I can't tell what the original design was without further damaging the quilt. This is the quilt I have the most questions about!
I am building my museum/artifact pages for my site, FamilyTwigs. When I have it up and running all the stats on the quilts will be listed; such as size, fabric types, more detailed photos and damage. I also try to date them all.

Regrets, I've Had a Few. . . . . . .

2008-09-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on photos. I will probably be working on photos for the rest of my life!
When I first got a computer it had Windows 98. Good program. But, as often happens, you get a new computer, you get a new OS. I got Windows ME. Oh my. It was so awful. I crashed with nauseating regularity. The first time I lost a lot. I quickly learned a new term. Backup. That was such an awful OS. Crashed about every 4 months like clockwork and hung daily. Then along came XP. Breath of fresh air. Though, I don't agree that it was the greatest ever, I'm just sure it seemed to be the greatest ever after having ME. :0) At any rate, I had a scanner. It worked with 98, ME and XP. It had 3 settings, 100, 200 or 300 dpi. It scanned JPG. I was happy, even though I didn't know what JPG or 100, 200 or 300 dpi was. The how-to book consisted of pictures of how to plug it into the computer, and how to push the button. So, this is how most of my photos were scanned. One could say blindly.
But, as you know, nothing lasts forever. Get a new system, end up with a new OS. I got Vista. Now, I have no complaints about Vista at all. I personally feel it is better than XP. I really like it. But my scanner would no longer work. So, I went over to the site to update the drivers. Bad news! They hadn't been updated since 2002. It was discontinued, of course. So I was forced to go get a new scanner.
I bought a 3-in-one. It is a little more complicated than the one I had. It actually has a learning curve :o) My old Memorex scanner had a button. You said 100, 200 or 300 dpi and pushed it. Now I have choices of file types, and the dpi is endless. And it has all kinds of little fixes. Quite an improvement. Took some practice too. I still accidentally learn a new trick now and then. A large number of photos I have since rescanned. Many I will not be able to rescan.
Now I have all these photos to tag and change into a safe format (.tif). Gigs of them. But I will hack away at them until they are done. Big job though.
I bet everyone has something they did in the beginning that they wish they had done differently. I wish I'd kept more careful notes and learned to cite sources right in the beginning. Wish I'd took scanning 101.

I've Been Tagged!

2008-09-13T22:47:00.004-04:00

Well, I just found out that there is something besides my cold going around :o)
Becky over at kinexxions has tagged me. I don't think I've been tagged before. I am honored.

The rules associated with this particular tagging thingy are that the tagged blogger

can put the logo on his/her blog
must link to the person who gave the award
must nominate seven other blogs and link to them
must leave a comment on each of the nominated blogs

I have seen this tag on several of the better known blogs so I have chosen the ones I haven't seen it on. I love and read all the better knowns, but I tune in at these as well [in alphabetical order]:

The Family Curator by Denise
FamilyMatters by Denise Olson
Generations Gone By’s Weblog by generationsgoneby
Genealogy - Diggin up Dirt by Cat
Granite in My Blood by Midge Frazel
Heritage Happens by Msteri
Taneya’s Genealogy Blog by Taneya

Glorious Hats! - Crowning Glory

2008-09-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

I've decided to post hats. Not my family, I'm afraid. I have tons of photos of unknowns. Sad, but true. Here are some wonderful ladies that do not deserve to be forgotten.

Ladies, heads up, you're on!

Strange hats. . . . .

big hats. . . . .

pert hats. . . . .

Traveling hats. . . . . .

and now, for the finale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

a tin-type, prim hat. Doesn't she look interesting? I wonder who she is. Do you think it's just what they wore? Or is it Quaker? They were in this area. Anyway, I think she is beautiful.

Written for: 5th Edition of Smile For The Camera
Sep 13, 2008
Crowning Glory