Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Grandpa's Pen - Artifact

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. 




Friday, September 17, 2010

There's Something About Henry...

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......

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

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

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

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Voyage of Rudolph: Coming Home

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.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Summertime Update

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.  

Monday, April 26, 2010

It's My Blogoversary Today!

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!!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Ancestor Approved Award - Late of course.

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.