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Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Betty Fisher is Feted at Shower

Source : Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, Monday, July 23, 1956, page 2.

Betty Fisher is Feted at Shower

Bethany - Miss Betty Fisher, bride-elect of John Barger, was complimented recently at a linen shower at the home of Mrs. Vernon Fisher, R.R. 3. Miss Linda Fisher assisted as co-hostess.
Miss Fisher and Mr. Barger will exchange nuptial vows on Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2:30 p.m. in Bethany Christian Church.

A lace-covered gift table was centered with a bridal basket decorated in the bride-elect's chosen colors of pale green and yellow. The gifts were opened by candlelight.

Game prizes were awarded to Mrs. Clemon Lambertson and Mrs. P.K. Duncan.

Guests present were Mesdames Clemon Lambertson, Charles Barger, P.K. Duncan, Clarence Bagley, Ralph Hershberger, Charles Lambertson, William Wright, Guy Whisler, Omer Whisler, James Elmore, Miss Linda Fisher and the guest of honor.

Also invited were Mesdames Robert Walsh, Edward Bartley and Floyd Lambertson.

Mrs. Albert Smith will honor the bride-elect with a china and crystal shower this evening and Mrs. James Elmore will fete Miss Fisher at a miscellaneous shower Wednesday evening.

Lambertson - Farmer Wedding

Source : Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, Friday, February 26, 1960

Lambertson - Farmer

Miss Leila Ann Farmer became the bride of Frank Lambertson Jr. in a double-ring ceremony performed Saturday at 10 a.m. at St. Paul's Catholic Church at Marion by the Rev. James J. O'Neil. Parents of the couple are Mr. and Mrs. Verlin Farmer, Summitville, and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lambertson Sr., 402 Walnut St., Alexandria.

Baskets of white carnations and red roses decorated the altar.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore a full-length gown of white satin and a net with a short, fitted jacket and long sleeves ending in traditional bridal points over her hands.

Her shoulder length veil of illusion fell from a scalloped bandeau of lace and seed pearls that framed her face.

Her crescent bouquet was of red roses, white carnations and lillies of the valley.

Her attendant was Miss Patricia Johnson, who wore a dress of aqua taffeta and lace with matching slippers, and with accessories in white. Her flowers were white carnations.

Best man was John Humphries of St. Mary's, Ohio, and ushers were Bob Armstrong and Virgil Patz of Alexandria.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

More Hagaman data

Did some more surfing around the net to see what else I might be able to find on the Hagaman family, hoping that it might shed some light on where my branch of the Moulton line was living and to add some more descendants. Here is what I found:

At the website, The Worcester Family, was an online version of Jonathan Worcester's The Worcester Family, or the Descendants of Rev. William Worcester. (W.W. Kellogg, Lynn, Mass., 1856) and Sarah Alice Worcester's The Descendants of Rev. William Worcester With a Brief Notice of the Connecticut Wooster Family. (E.F. Worcester, Publisher, Hudson Printing Company, 1914), which listed the children of Charles Sherman & Lydia (Moulton) Hagaman as :

1- Clara Eliza, b Jan. 14, 1869, d Mar. 29, 1904, St. Joseph, Mo.; m Jan. 14, 1892, Joe Postlewart. 2- Lydia Emeline, b Oct. 17, 1870; m Jan. 10, 1898, R.D. Ward.
3- Wallace Joel, b May 28, 1872; m Aug., 1901, Rose McCully.
4- Charles Albert, b Nov. 28, 1874; m Dec. 18, 1892, Gertrude Onslow.
5- Nettie Jane, b Mar. 31, 1877; m Feb. 5, 1899. Farmer.


I also found Charles Sherman Hagaman in the 1900 census of Rich Hill Township, Livingston County, Missouri, with wife Lydia, and son Charles. By 1910, Charles Sherman & wife Lydia were living in the same township next door to their son Charles, along with granddaughter Mattie Postalwait. By the 1920 census of Rich Hill Township, Livingston County, Missouri, Charles Sherman was living with his son Charles, listed as aged 75 and widowed.

A search of the Missouri State Archives Death Certificates did not turn up a match for Charles Sherman Hagaman. However, Lydia's death certificate from October 17, 1916 in Chillicothe shows that she was born January 15, 1849 in Bureau County, Illinois. Her father was given as Albert Moulton, birthplace unknown, and her mother as Emeline Philbrick, born in Ohio. The informant was her daughter, Nettie Farmer of Jackson, Miss. Lydia was buried in Edgewood Cemetery.

Looks like I should be able to find Lydia & her parents, Albert & Emeline (Philbrick) Moulton in the 1850 census of Bureau County, Illinois. The hunt goes on.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Charles Hagaman family - 1880 Livingston County, MO

Today I sourced the 1880 census record of the Charles HAGAMAN family of Rich Hill Township, Livingston County, Missouri. Charles was my paternal 2nd-great granduncle, married to Lydia MOULTON. Lydia was the daughter of Albert and Emeline (PHILBRICK) MOULTON.

In 1880, Charles was listed as "C. Hagaman", farmer, age 35, born New York, with his father born in New York and his mother born in Vermont. His wife, Lydia, was listed as age 31, born in Illinois, with father born in Vermont and mother born in Ohio. The rest of their children were listed erroneously as having their father born in Illinois and mother born in New York. Obviously the enumerator switched the locations of Charles and Lydia's birth. Their children were all listed as being born in Missouri, and included : Clara, aged 11; Lydia, aged 9; Wallace, aged 7; Charles, aged 4; and Nettie, aged 2. The name of the last daugther was a bit hard to read, so Nettie is my best guess.

In the 1870, the family was living in Chillicothe Township, Livingston County, Missouri. I have not found them in any later census records yet. Charles was a Civil War veteran, serving with the 18th New York Infantry.

Charles S. Hagaman b. November 16, 1844 Rochester, Monroe County, New York, d. after 1880 census, m. February 1868 Alexandria, Ohio to Lydia Moulton. Lydia b. ca. 1849 either Ohio or Illinois, d. October 17, 1916 Livingston County, Missouri. Their children :
i. Clara Hagaman b. ca. 1869 Missouri, d. after 1880 census
ii. Lydia Hagaman b. ca. 1871 Missouri, d. after 1880 census
iii. Wallace Hagaman b. ca. 1873 Missouri, d. after 1880 census
iv. Charles Hagaman b. ca. 1876 Missouri, d. after 1880 census
v. Nettie Hagaman b. ca 1878 Missouri, d. after 1880 census

Friday, December 26, 2008

James Austin Davis was insane

My maternal 3rd great grandfather, James Austin DAVIS, was insane, according to the 1880 census of Clay Township in Owen County, Indiana. In that census, he is an inmate of the Owen County Asylum, listed as insane as well as crippled, bedridden or otherwise disabled. His name was listed as Austin Davis, aged 30, married, born in Indiana.

As of yet, I have not discovered all of the details about his life and why he ended up in the asylum. In the 1900 census, he is a resident of the Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane in Logansport, Cass County. In that census, he was listed as James A. Davis, born 1851 in Indiana. He died while still an inmate of the hospital on June 12, 1909.

Interestingly, in the 1880 census, he was shown as married. James had married Mary Ellen SWAFFORD on July 2, 1873 in Monroe County, Indiana. I have not found a record of their divorce, though they must have, as Mary Ellen eventually remarried. However, in the 1880 census, she is shown living with her father, Peter SWAFFORD, in Washington Township, Owen County, Indiana, as his 24 year old single daughter. Austin and Mary Ellen had two daughters, Ida and Dealie, that should have been living with some relative, but I have yet to locate them in the 1880 census.

James Austin Davis was born circa 1850 in Indiana, probably Monroe County, the son of Austin and Fanny (RUNNELS) DAVIS. Mary Ellen SWAFFORD was born August 30, 1854 near Stinesville, Monroe County, Indiana, the daughter of Peter Kirkpatrick and Mary Ann (CROCKETT) SWAFFORD.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

William Cunningham family - 1910 Jay Co., IN

Today I sourced the 1910 census record in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana for William E. CUNNINGHAM, my paternal 2nd-great granduncle. William was married to Rachel LEMASTERS, the daughter of Luman Walker and Nancy (YOUNG) LEMASTERS.

William was listed as a 75 year old farmer, born in Indiana, with father born in Virginia and mother born in Pennsylvania. He and Rachel had been married for 50 years. Rachel was listed as aged 71 years, born in Ohio, with both parents born in Ohio. She was listed as the mother of 6 children, 5 of whom were still living in 1910.

William's occupation was that of a farmer, which corresponds with other census records. In 1860, his occupation was listed as a shoemaker.

William was born February 1835 in Indiana, and married Rachel on March 18, 1860 in Jay County, Indiana. Rachel was born July 16, 1838 in Shelby County, Ohio, and died March 13, 1913 in Jay County, Indiana. Their children were :
i. Nancy M. Cunningham b. July 5, 1861 m. David Rants
ii. Catherine E. Cunningham b. 1861-1865
iii. Phillip L. Cunningham b. February 3, 1865 m. Eana Brake
iv. John W.M. Cunningham b. April 26, 1868 m. Leona A. Drake
v. Orinda Cunningham b. May 5, 1869 m. Elmer I. Pauling
vi. Martha J. Cunningham b. May 5, 1873 m. Elsworth Beard

Additional branch of the Jacobs line

It's Christmas morning, I'm the only one awake, so of course I'm working on genealogy. Going through my old files, I found an email I had saved from the JACOBS-L list regarding William JACOBS and Sybil LITTEL that has given me more leads and avenues of further research.

Back in 2005, June Jordan had written to the list regarding sorting out the data regarding the various JACOBS families in Brown County, Ohio and what she had discovered regarding William. Turns out William was not of her line, but she did an excellent job in pointing future researchers in the right direction by retracing her steps and giving sources for where she found her information.

According to her research, my William was the son of Jacob and Hannah (JOHNSON) JACOBS of Monongalia County, Virginia. Doing a quick Google search on Jacob, looks like there is quite a bit of information out there on him in the early records of Monongalia County - where he may have crossed paths with my Lemaster relatives - looks like I have some letters to write, etc.

William had at least two sisters, Rebecca who married Samuel Frazee, and Hannah who married a ________ Harbert. Samuel Frazee was a Revolutionary War veteran, as was Jacob Jacobs.

The email also gave information regarding Sybil Littel's sister, Rhoda Rilea, who was the widow of Revolutionary War veteran, Richard Rilea. Richard died 1839 in Brown County, Ohio.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Runaway Chew women

Working through some of the miscellaneous records in my files, I came across these two records that I saved from the CHEW mailing list on Rootsweb.

April 25, 1781: Gloucester County, April 23, 1781 To all whom it may concern, whereas my wife Elizabeth Chew, regardless of the Solemn obligation of matrimony, hath, during my captivity with the enemy, been guilty of the act of incontinency ....Aaron Chew

April 5, 1748; Whereas ANNE, the wife NATHANIEL CHEW, at the head of Timber-creek in Gloucester County, has disposed of some of her said husband's goods, without his knowledge, and ran him in debt; this is therefore to desire all persons not to trust her anymore on his account, not to buy any goods of her that she may offer to sale, for he will pay no debts of her contracting, nor allow of her selling any of his goods, from the date hereof. NATHANIEL CHEW

Both of these were quotes taken from the book "Runaway Women, Elopements And Other Miscreant Deeds, As Advertised In The Pennsylvania Gazette - 1728 -1789. (together with a few abused wives and unfortunate children)." Compiled by Judith Ann Highley Meier. Published by Closson Press. 1993.

I'm not sure which Aaron Chew family that this information relates to, and I believe that the Nathaniel Chew mentioned is the son of Nathaniel and Mary (Clark) Chew, who married Anne Gibbons. More research will need to be done to try to tie these records to individuals in my database. The book that these snippets were taken from sounds like an interesting read. Early newspapers are always full of juicy family tidbits.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Miss Hazel O'Bryant Entertained a Party of Friends

Alexandria Times-Tribune, Thursday, March 2, 1905, page 1.

ENTERTAINED HER FRIENDS

Miss Hazel O'Bryant Entertained a Party of Friends at Her Home Tuesday Night.

Miss Hazel O'Bryant entertained at her home on West Jefferson on Tuesday evening, in honor of her birthday anniversary. A very enjoyable time was had by all, the evening being spent with games and music. Refreshments were served after which the guests collected around the mysterious table, waiting until a late hour to see it move.

Those present were Dora Frank, Bessie Horne, Winnie Hurlock, Eva Schwinn, Bessie Bowers, Thera Carver, Jennie Kendall, Shirley Pickard, Pearl Coffin, Thurman Hall, Omer Broyles, Hugh Kerr, Allen McKenna, Carl Jones, Ashel Cunningham, Otto Frank, Doxey Pickard, Jay Crouse, Howard Brattain and Ray Hupp.

[Hazel O'Bryant was my maternal 2nd-great grandaunt. She married Jesse WRIGHT on June 10, 1916 in Madison County, Indiana]

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cousin Kellie's Blog

My first cousin Kellie in North Carolina has been blogging about her family life and creating family history memories at her site, Country Life. Reading about her her family's adventures helps remind me that family history is more than just people and dates. It is these day to day recording of the family history that will be carried on to the next generation.

The blog does a good job of telling the story of how they live, deal with current events and their relationships with family and friends. Many years down the road this will be something her kids and grandkids can look back upon and say 'remember when?'

North Carolina has a lot of interesting history, and we share a lot of Quaker ancestry that came from areas such as Guilford and Chatham counties. I hope to someday be able to visit her and see some of the historic sites that she's chronicled in her blog.

Google Books fill in the gaps

Google's Book Search has become an addictive and fruitful part of my research over the past few days. So much so that I find myself easily distracted, chasing down one rabbit hole or another.

I began by searching on the Philbrick line and came across a copy of Rev. Jacob Chapman's "A Genealogy of the Philbrick and Philbrook Families: Descended from the Emigrant, Thomas Philbrick, 1583-1687". My connection to the Philbrick family comes through my paternal 3rd-great grandmother, Emeline PHILBRICK (1820-1881) who married Albert MOULTON. As I had very little data on the family in my database, I was eager to see what this genealogy had to say. Through this genealogy, I was able to add seven more generations to this line. As I did other study on collateral lines, I was also able to learn more about colonial America and the Province of New Hampshire.

Soon I found myself searching for other collateral lines and learning about ancestors who came over during the Great Migration with the Winthrop Fleet. I finally had to remind myself to just stick with one task at a time. The good thing about Google Book Search is that you can add titles to "My Library" and go back search or browse to your hearts' content later.

The great thing about Google Book Search is that you can search in your pajamas and at any time of the day, something that is especially nice during these winter months when you don't want to venture out. They are continuing to add other libraries to their search database, and just recently added several magazines to the search capabilities, such as Life. Check it out!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Richard Alderman Land Entry: Madison County, Indiana

Going through my scanned genealogy files, I found this land entry record from the National Archives for my maternal fourth great-grandfather, Richard Alderman (1810-aft1870). I had originally located this record through the GLO records website.



Richard's land entry was made August 1, 1839 in Madison County, Indiana in Section 22, Township 19-N, Range 7-E. The patent number was 2953 and the land office was the Indianapolis land office. Richard's 40 acres were authorized by the Land Act of 1820.



No. 29563 Land Office, Indianapolis December 20 1836



IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED, That, in pursuance of Law, Richard Alderman of Madison county, State of Indiana, on this day purchased of the Register of this Office, the lot or North East quarter of the South East quarter of section number Twenty two in township number Nineteen north of range number Seven East containing Forty acres, at the rate of one dollar and twenty five cents per acre, amounting to forty dollars and cents, for which the said Richard Alderman has made payment in full as required by law.



NOW THEREFORE BE IT KNOWN, That, on presentation of this certificate to the COMMISSIONER OF THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE, the said Richard Alderman shall be entitled to receive a patent for the lot above described.



A. St. Clair, Register




Land Office at Indianapolis

Dec 20th 1836

I Richard Alderman of Madison county, Ind do hereby apply for the purchase of NE qt of SE section, No. 22 Township No. 19 N. Range No. 7 E. containing 40 acres and ___ hundreths, according to the returns of the Surveyor General, for which I have agreed with the Register to give at the rate of $ 1 25 per acre.

Richard Alderman
X
his mark

I, Arthur St. Clair, Register of the Land Office, do hereby certify that the lot above described contains forty acres ___ hundreths as mentioned, and that the price agreed upon is $ 1 25 per acre.

A. St. Clair
Register


Sunday, December 07, 2008

Alex man was on Oklahoma at Pearl

Source : Anderson Herald-Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, Sunday, December 8, 1991.



Alex man was on Oklahoma at Pearl by Jim Bannon.



When we put together our special Pearl Harbor anniversary section recently, we contacted some people in this area who were survivors of the attack.



Another survivor turned up later, and even though we couldn't get his story in the Pearl Harbor section, I thought it deserved telling.



John M. High is 72 years old now and lives in Alexandria. On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was a ship's cook first class serving on the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma, anchored along battleship row at Pearl Harbor.



High has been in bad health recently, suffering two heart attacks and a stroke and his story was told to me by his son, Charles, of Anderson, who works at Delco Remy.



When the attack came, High was in his bunk, since he had just come off nightwatch.



The Oklahoma was hit hard. It caught fire and, though it did not sink, it rolled over. Many on board lost their lives.



John High managed to get from below deck to the main deck. Smoke and fire were everywhere. He jumped over the rail and swam through burning oil to safety.



His son says the one story that sticks out in his mind that his father tells of that day is the one about a Catholic priest. It seems several men on the ship were trapped by flames and the only way out was through a porthole.



The priest, a portly man, helped push 12 men through that porthole to safety. But when he tried to get through he got stuck and drowned when the ship capsized. "He saved those 12 men but he couldn't save himself," the younger High said.



He said his father never talked much about Pearl Harbor and World War II. He talked more about it after he had his first heart attack, Charles High said.



A twist on High's story was that his parents were notified their son was missing in action. High was from Rowesburg, W. Va. The message they received read: "The Navy Department deeply regrets to inform you that your son, John M. High, is missing following action in the service of his country."

The message added that to prevent any possible aid to the enemy, the parents should not divulge the name of the ship he served on or where it was stationed.

Then on Jan. 2, 1942, his parents got the wonderful news that John was, indeed, safe. John High went on to serve the rest of World War II with the Navy in the Pacific, serving on several different ships.

He went almost nine years without seeing his parents, from 1936 to 1945.

How did he get to Alexandria? He met his wife while in the Navy. She was from Alex and when the war ended they settled there. High worked at Pierce Governor in Anderson for awhile and then joined Haynes Stellite Corp. in Kokomo. He retired from Cabot Corp. (which bought Haynes) in Kokomo.

"My father is a very patriotic person," Charles High said, "He has a great love for his country."

[John M. High married my maternal great-aunt, Clara Ellen Wright- TJL]

Day of Infamy : Alex Man Survived Pearl Harbor

Source: Alexandria Times-Tribune, December 11, 1991.

Day of Infamy: Alex Man Survived Pearl Harbor by Stephen Dick

It was the Day of Infamy. 50 years ago. Sleepy Pearl Harbor Navla [sic] Base in Hawaii, where reveille had been about an hour old. Sailors were waking up, taking showers, ands [sic] finding their way to the mess decks for a steaming cup of coffee.

The ships were lined up in port. On Battleship Row were some of the Navy's mightiest warships, named after the states. The USS Arizona has become the most famous but sitting two ships away, outboard from another battleship, was the USS Oklahoma. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, a first class cook named John M. High, already a five-year veteran of the Navy, was preparing chow for his shipmates. Just another Sunday morning, the ship probably in holiday routine.

While the men ate their breakfasts, the waters 200 miles north of Oahu were infested with Japanese ships including six carriers loaded with warplanes. Around 8 a.m. the squadron of Japanese bombers snaked around the mountain ridges that bordered Oahu. Past the mountains and over the sea the bombers turned north toward Pearl Harbor and dropped their lethal cargo on the unsuspecting men below. For a half hour 183 planes decimated much of the US's second fleet. Twenty ships were damaged, many sunk, including the USS Oklahoma where John High, like his shipmates, may have thought the apocalypse was upon them.

High went topside, saw the carnage, and knew his ship was going down. The ship had suffered repeated torpedo assaults. He had no recourse but to jump into the water which was covered with burning oil. High suffered some mild burns and was forced to swim under water to shore.

Soon his ship lay on the bottom of Pearl Harbor along with the Arizona and others. Also at the bottom were his naval records. He was listed as missing in action for six weeks after the attack. When High, who was from West Virginia, ran into a man he knew from home, the man was incredulous. "We thought you were dead." he told High.

John M. High is alive to this day, and makes his home in Alexandria. He moved here in the late Forties with his wife, Clara Ellen Wright, who was from Alexandria. Because he survived Pearl Harbor, where 2,000 soldiers and sailors died, High was honored last Saturday, the 50th anniversary of the attack, by the Alexandria Veterans of Foreign Wars where he was made an honorary member.

High is not the youth he was when he heard and felt the Japanese bombs falling that morning. At 72, he suffered a stroke two years ago and does very little nowadays. But Clara said he enjoyed the ceremony on Saturday. "John got emotional about it," she said.

When he was 22, however, he was more worried about getting his pay than he was about the historical significance of the bombing. When he tried to get paid, long after the attack, he was told he'd have to wait because of his missing records. High told the Navy he'd be going home. He got paid, and spent the war years in the Pacific on a number of ships. Clara could not recall their names but said he was often in combat situations.

In 1945, with the war over, John was transferred to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. There he met Clara, a WAVE, who had joined the Navy from Alexandria. They married in 1945. He was the chief commissaryman at Great Lakes until his discharge in 1947.

The couple came back to Alexandria to make their home. John worked at a number of jobs including Stellite in Alexandria. He was transferred by that company to Kokomo and retired from there in 1984.

The couple had two sons, Charles, who served with the Army as an MP, in El Paso, Texas, and Phillip, who also joined the Army and spent time in Korea.

During the years where the war retreated into memory, John and Clara frequently went to reunions of survivors of the USS Oklahoma. There the stories and memories flowed. A compartment full of men had sunk with the ship, but in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor they had made enough noise to be heard. When they were rescued by divers, they had spent time in pitch black darkness with water up to their necks. Then there was a priest aboard from Dubuque, Iowa, who rescued many men by forcing them out of a small porthole into the water. The priest had perished, however, as he was too large to fit through the opening.

Clara said that attending the survivors' reunions was like getting together with family. One reunion took place in Hawaii and a survivor from Mississippi was told by his doctor that his health wouldn't allow such a long trip. He told the doctor he'd rather be dead in Pearl Harbor than alive in Gulfport. He went and he returned.

The last reunion the Highs attended was in, aptly enough, Oklahoma City in 1990. Because of John's illness they did not attend the 1991 reunion, and will likely miss the 1992 get-together in Norfolk, Va.

But the memories and heroic actions of men under extreme conditions remain as an inspiration to us all. As VFW Commander Bill Tankersley said at Saturday's ceremony, "America answered the call and the rest is history."

The USS Arizona remains at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, a memorial to that day of infamy, and a reminder that we live in a volatile, unpredictable world. And what of the USS Oklahoma? She was raised and was going to be repaired. But as tugboats were pulling her out to sea, the lines broke and the ship sank again. The Navy let her rest. It was her men, not herself, that answered the call 50 years ago. John High was one of those men.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Nathan C. Beals, Probate Judge

While searching at Google Book Search, I found an interesting tidbit about my maternal 5th great grandfather, Nathan C. Beals (1789-1867). Nathan was mentioned in the book, Courts and Lawyers of Indiana by Leander John Monks, Logan Esarey, and Ernest Vivian Shockley. The book was published by Federal Pub. Co., in 1916 and was digitized from the Harvard University.

The mention on page 751 states, "Nathan C. Beals was the first Probate Judge (1844-46) of Howard county. He was a plain, good natured, unsophisticated farmer, and a man of average intellect. Benjamin Lesoura, who succeeded Beals, was an honest, upright and industrious citizen, and a farmer by occupation. Nathan C. Beals was elected to succeeded Judge Lesoura, and he, in turn, was followed by Robert Ervin, who served until the office was abolished."

At the time that he served, the county was known as Richardville county. Howard county was organized out of the Miami Reservation as Richardville county by act of the Indiana State Legislature on January 15, 1844. On December 28, 1846 the name of the county was changed to Howard by another act of the State Legislature.

Nathan appears in the 1850 census of Howard county in Taylor township with his occupation listed as a millwright, age 61, birthplace unknown. The 1860 census of Howard county shows his age as 70, born in Tennessee. Nathan was born 1789-9mo-3rd within the confines of Lost Creek Monthly Meeting, Jefferson County, Tennessee. He died 1867-9mo-5d in Humboldt, Richardson Co., Nebraska.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Ambitious Project

Yesterday I began the rather ambitious project of transcribing the newspapers of Alexandria found in the Alexandria-Monroe Public Library. The history room has the Alexandria Times-Tribune starting with March 1, 1905. The Times began in 1885 and merged with the Tribune (began in 1898) in 1903 to become the Times-Tribune. Most of my maternal ancestry was in the Alexandria area at that time, and my hope is that by embarking on this project I will discover new data about my family.

Alexandria was a booming place in those early days due to the discovery of natural gas. The town was settled in 1836. By 1890, the population was only 715 but by 1900 the population had grown to 7,221, of which 1005 were foreign born, according to the 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica. Population growth of over 700 percent was a direct result of the numerous factories that at one time existed in the area.

I will be posting the articles that I transcribe to the INMADISO-L mailing list at Rootsweb. This is a mailing list dedicated to those seeking information about their families from Madison County, Indiana. The activity on the list has been rather slow lately, but hopefully my postings will not only help another researcher but also stimulate discussion traffic on the list.

At another county mailing list I subscribe to a similar project there by an individual has greatly increased the knowledge of the county and its people and has helped my research. My goal is to be able to give someone else a clue or a nugget as I do my own digging.

My goal is to try to work on this at least one lunch hour per week and see how that goes.