Saturday, May 31, 2014

Surname Saturday : Aaronsen

The AARONSEN surname is in my paternal line.  The origins of the surname are Dutch, though I have much to discover about them.

Stories and history:

Ahnentafel # 281 : Hannah Aaronsen (1739/44-1788).  Hannah was born between 1739 and 1744 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  She married in April 1762 in Burlington County, New Jersey to Cornwell Woolston (1738-1814). Cornwell was born 1738 in Burlington County, New Jersey and died May 22, 1814 in Northampton, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Hannah died October 28, 1788 in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Ahnentafel # 562 : Joseph Aaronsen (1706-     ).  Joseph was born in 1706 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  He married August 25, 1736 in Burlington County, New Jersey to Hannah Folwell (1718-bef1749).  They raised 5 children in Burlington County, New Jersey. Hannah was born in 1718 in Burlington County, New Jersey and died before 1749 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Joseph died in Chestefield, Burlington County, New Jersey.

Ahnentafel # 1124 : John Aaronsen (1678-aft1741).  John was born in 1678 in Flushing, Queens County, New York.  He married before 1702 in New Jersey to Mary ________ (c1680-    ).  They had 5 children.  John died after December 14, 1741 in Mansfield, Burlington County, New Jersey.

Ahnentafel # 2248 : Dirk Aarosen (bet1635/45-1678).  Dirck was born between 1635 and 1645 in the Netherlands.  He married between 1655 and 1665 to Sarah ________ (c1640-aft1707).  Sarah was born circa 1640 and died after 1707 in New York.  Dirck died in October 1678 in Flushing, Queens County, New York.

Related blog posts:




Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

DNA : My Top Ten Matches at 23andMe


Here is a screenshot of the top ten DNA matches for me at 23andMe.  My parents are my closest matches.  Because I was fortunate enough to be able to have them tested, all of my other matches show whether they are paternal or maternal matches by the "P" or "M" displayed after their names.  For privacy reasons, I've erased the last names of public matches.

My next closest match is on my paternal side, William, who I've already contacted and determined that we are third cousins through common ancestors of Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. and Mary Keziah Chew.

The next closest public match is on my maternal side, Ellen. We've corresponded but have not made the connection.  She has not yet shared a family tree, but states she has many Quaker ancestors, so that gives me a starting point to searh on my maternal side.  She is predicted to be a 3rd to 5th cousin, which means we could share 2nd-great through 4th-great grandparents.  

I have reached out with introductions to the remaining matches and hope that they eventually respond.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Photograph : Luman Walker LeMasters Jr. & Mary Keziah (Chew) LeMasters

Luman Walker LeMasters Jr. & Mary Keziah (Chew) LeMasters
How appropriate that on Memorial Day weekend I would receive a blessing in my email inbox from cousin Jill - a photograph of Civil War veteran Luman Walker LeMasters Jr. (1842-1931) and his wife Mary Keziah (Chew) LeMasters (1847-1927).  They are my 2nd-great grandparents.

I noticed in the photograph that Luman is wearing a medal signifying he was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.  Luman served in Company C, 39th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, enlisting in July 1861.  The unit was later reclassified as the 8th Indiana Mounted Infantry.  

It was a part of the mounted infantry on 3 July 1863 that he was wounded at Decherd's Ford, near Winchester, Tennessee.  He was shot through the left breast.  He spent time in the hospital in Nashville and Louisville before being discharged with 1/2 disability on February 27, 1864.  The notes of his injuries state: Gun shot wound of the chest.  The ball entered between the first and second ribs (left side) and lodged within the thorax.

He came home and married Mary Keziah Chew, daughter of Dr. Ezekiel Cooper Chew, on October 2, 1864 in Versailles, Darke County, Ohio.  I've often wondered if Dr. Chew was helping treat his wounds, and that is how he met Mary.  Either way, as the ancestor of the LeMaster families of Jay County, Indiana, had he not survived the war, we wouldn't be here.


Sunday, May 25, 2014

DNA Match : Cousin Lila

Made a DNA connection at 23andMe with cousin Lila, who shares 1 segment of DNA with my mother.  None of that DNA passed to me, at least not enough for Lila to show up as a match on my DNA relatives.

Lila and my mother match on chromosome 19:


ComparisonChromosomeStart pointEnd pointGenetic distance# SNPs
Lila vs. Gloria 1910000001100000025.4 cM1957

We've been trading messages back and forth, and by looking at her family tree I was able to find the connection - through the Hadley family.  This is one of the Quaker lines that stretches pretty far back.

Lila  and Travis

1. Sixth cousin 3 times removed (common ancestor: Joshua Hadley & Patience Brown)
2. Eighth cousin twice removed (common ancestor: James Brown & Honour Clayton)
3. Ninth cousin twice removed (common ancestor: Richard Brown & Mary [brown])
4. Ninth cousin twice removed (common ancestor: Richard Brown & Mary [brown])
5. Ninth cousin twice removed (common ancestor: William Clayton & Prudence Lanckford)

6. Ninth cousin twice removed (common ancestor: William Clayton & Prudence Lanckford)


Joshua Hadley (1703-c1760) and wife Patience Brown (1712-1783) were our common ancestors.  Lila descends from son Simon (1737-1803), while I descend from daughter Mary (1739-1810).

The Hadley Society has a searchable database at WorldConnect.




Charting the DNA connections


Spending some time this weekend updating the spreadsheets I've created to track the DNA matches for myself, Eileen and mom and dad.  There is a lot of data to track, but have had some success in making connections.  Kitty Cooper's blog has a lot of good tools for DNA research.

Finding out that the autosomal matching works much better if you have a fairly extensive family tree.  Without it, it is nearly impossible to find the matches just from a few surnames listed.  Also, find that 23andMe is a bit clunky in their family tree.  Having more success with those who have a tree at Ancestry or somewhere else.

Will be sharing some of the stories in a later post.



Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Marriage Record : Leslie Lemuel Beals and Anna Arline Weil, Hamilton County, Indiana, 1920

"Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VXP5-HNN : accessed 20 May 2014),  entry for Leslie Lemuel Beals and Anna Arline Weil, ; citing Hamilton County; FHL microfilm 001320369.
Located the marriage license application for my maternal 3rd cousin 4 times removed, Leslie Lemuel Beals and Anna Arline Weil in Hamilton County, Indiana at Familysearch.org.

Leslie was the son of John Wilson Beals and Magnora Perry.  Anna was the daughter of Bernard Weil and Emma Rose.

Leslie was born August 31, 1890 in Hamilton County, Indiana and resided in Noblesville. He was working as a mechanic. Though this is the first marriage I've discovered for him, he had been previously married and that marriage ended by divorce in 1919.

Anna was born January 28, 1897 in Hamilton County, Indiana and resided in Nobelsville.  She was working as a clerk.

Their marriage took place on July 31, 1920 in Hamilton County.


"Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VXPV-TZD : accessed 20 May 2014), Leslie L Beals and Arline Weil, 31 Jul 1920; citing Hamilton County; FHL microfilm 001320360.


Sunday, May 18, 2014

Church Record Sunday : Lambertson Family, Hinkle Creek Friends MM, Hamilton County, Indiana

Ancestry.com, U.S. Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1994 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data :Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana.


Quaker records and meeting minutes have recently been added to Ancestry.com.  Not just the abstracts from Hinshaw's Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, but actual records from Earlham College, Swathmore College, Guilford College and Haverford College collections.  Last night I decided to dig in and see what I could find.

My maternal 3rd-great grandparents, Carey and Clara (Cook) Lambertson and family had joined the Society of Friends in the late 1890s, which I knew from Willard Heiss' abstracts of Indiana Friends records.  Searching the database in Ancestry, I was able to find membership records of the Hinkle Creek Monthly Meeting in Hamilton County, Indiana, which provided some good information on the family, even though they spelled the surname as Lamberson, without the 't'.

The record card of the family states :

Carey Lamberson,  born Butler County, Ohio 29th day, 4th month, 1847; son of John and Sarah Lamberson
Clara E. Lamberson, born Preble County, Ohio 16th day, 11th month, 1848; daughter of James and Mary Cook
Lola Lamberson, born Madison County, Indiana 28th day, 6th month, 1883; daughter of Carey and Clara E. Lamberson.

All were received into membership by request on the 21st day, 2nd month, 1899.  This was not all of the Lambertson family.

These birth dates agree with what I've previously recorded in my database, though I had Lola born in Hamilton County, Indiana.  That source was from a correspondent.

A key fact uncovered her was that Clara's parents were named as James and Mary Cook and her birthplace named as Preble County, Ohio.  Previously, her parentage was not clearly known, as I had found a census record that appeared to be her in 1850, but Clara's death certificate stated her father's name was William, and her mother was _____ Hirharger, both born in Virginia.  I had written a post on Clara's ancestry before.  The informant for her death certificate was likely her daughter, Lola, at whose house she was staying when she died.  Now, this record card is pointing me in the direction of my previous hunch.

The record card also indicates that Cary and Clara were married 1st day, 10th month, 1869; and that Lola married Omer Whisler on 15th day, 4th month, 1905, facts that agree with my data.

The entire family was dropped from the membership of the Hinkle Creek meeting by discontinuance of name by request.  Cary and Clara were dropped 20th day, 2nd month, 1917 and Lola was dropped 20th day, 5th month, 1919.  According to his obituary, Cary was a member of the Friends church at Providence, Hamilton County, Indiana at the time of his death in 1918.

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Church Record Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

To participate in Church Record Sunday, describe a specific church record or a set of church records held by a denomination and how they can assist genealogists.   This is an on-going series developed by Gena Philbert Ortega at Gena's Genealogy.


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Obituary : Mrs. Clara (Moulton) Metzner (1843-1899)

Portland Daily Commercial
July 3, 1899
page 1
METZNER.

Mrs. Clara Metzner, widow of Adam Metzner, who died nearly four years ago, passed away at 1:30 this morning at her home six miles northeast of this city, aged 55 years.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday at the Mt. Zion church, by Rev. Smith; interment in the Mt. Zion cemetery by Baird & Gilpia.

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Located this obituary of my paternal 2nd-great grandmother, Clara (Moulton) Metzner (1843-1899).  She was the daughter of Albert and Emeline (Philbrick) Moulton, and married John Adam Metzner on November 13, 1864 in Jay County, Indiana.   They were the parents of four children.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Exploratory Data Analysis : Ezekiel Cooper Chew (1822-1888)




Ezekiel Cooper Chew (1822-1888) was my paternal 3rd-great grandfather.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about him.

1. Vital Records

     Ezekiel was born January 17, 1822 in Gloucester County, New Jersey1. The Abel Chew family Bible listed his birth year as 18232.

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          The State of New Jersey did not require birth certificates at the time of his birth.  The State Archives has birth records from 1848.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               If Ezekiel's birth was recorded in a local newspaper, it has been lost to time.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               The family Bible record of his son, Abel, was transcribed in a message board2

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               Ezekiel married December 29, 1842 in New Jersey1 (probably Gloucester Co.) to Caroline Bishop Woolston.  Caroline was born February 6, 1826 in Vincentown, Burlington County, New Jersey.  They had 14 children in New Jersey and Ohio.  Caroline died February 27, 1879 in Rossburg, Darke County, Ohio.

               Ezekiel married secondly December 23, 1880 in Darke County, Ohio3 to Laura V. (Skeggs) Hubler. They had two children.  Laura was born circa 1853 in Maryland and died in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.

               Ezekiel married thirdly between 1883 and 1888 to Mary Jane (Riddle) Adams Keiser, probably in St. Joseph County, Indiana.  Mary was born December 28, 1845 in St. Joseph County, Indiana.  They had one child.  Mary died in 1921.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               Ezekiel and Caroline's 25th wedding anniversary would have been December 29, 1867.  Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if there was any mention of anniversary celebrations.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               There is no indication that Ezekiel was ever divorced.  He was twice widowed.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Ezekiel died August 27, 1888 in St. Joseph County, Indiana4.  I do not yet have a copy of his death certificate.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Ezekiel's death was mentioned in the September 1, 1888 edition of the South Bend, Indiana Weekly Tribune4.  I will need to search newspaper accounts other mentions of his death.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               Will need to search the local historical society to see if they have copies of the funeral home records to see if I can learn anything more about the arrangements for Ezekiel's funeral.  Will add this to my "to-do" list.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Ezekiel's tombstone in the Lakeville Cemetery, St. Joseph County, Indiana has been photographed.  A link to his memorial page at FindAGrave website is located here.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census

              On June 12, 1880, Ezekiel was enumerated in the Frederic Whitacre household in Mississinewa Township, Darke County, Ohio5, as E.C. Chew, age 57, boarder.  His occupation was listed as physician.  He was born in New Jersey, and both of his parents were born in New Jersey.

          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census

               On July 8, 1870, Ezekiel was enumerated as head of household in New Madison, Twin Township, Darke County, Ohio6, as Ezekiel Chew, age 47, born in New Jersey.  His occupation was listed as physician.  The value of his real estate was $1200 and the value of his personal estate was $800.  He was a U.S. citizen.

          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census

               On August 2, 1860, Ezekiel was enumerated as head of housheold in Neave Township, Darke County, Ohio7, as Zechel Chew, age 65, born in New Jersey.  His occupation was listed as doctor.  The value of his personal estate was $100.

          2.1.4. 1850 Federal Census

               On September 2, 1850, Ezekiel was enumerated as head of household in Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio8, as Ezekiel Chew, age 27, born in New Jersey.  His occupation was listed as doctor.  The value of his personal estate was illegible.

          2.1.5. 1840 Federal Census

               Ezekiel is likely the white male, aged 15-19 in the household of Nathaniel Chew in Haddonfield, Newton Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.   This household fits with what I know of his family. Note there are 3 Nathaniel Chews in the 1840 census of Gloucester, plus one Nathaniel W Chew and one Nathaniel C Chew.  

          2.1.6. 1830 Federal Census

               Ezekiel is likely the white male, aged 5-10 in the household of Nathaniel Chew Junior in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.  There were two other Nathaniel Chews in Gloucester County in 1830, one was a Tanner and the other was Esquire, which was likely Ezekiel's grandfather.

     2.2. State Census Records

          Ohio state census records are not known to exist.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what light they might shed on the Chew family.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          I have not located an records indicating military service for Ezekiel.

     3.2. Pension Records

          Not applicable.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicable.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Montgomery and Darke Counties, Ohio and Jay and St. Joseph Counties, Indiana to see what records might mention Ezekiel.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps in Darke County, Ohio and Jay County, Indiana need to searched to see what information might be relevant to my search for Ezekiel.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available for research on Ezekiel include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     On May 1863, Ezekiel was listed in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana as E.C. Chew, lawyer, class B, license $10.00 on the tax assessment list9.

     On June 24, 1863, Ezekiel was listed in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana as E.C. Chew, lawyer, class B, license $10.00 on the tax assessment9.

     On January 25, 1864, Ezekiel was listed in Lancaster, Madison County, Jay County, Indiana as E.C. Chew, physician, class B, license $10.00 on the tax assessment9.

Sources :

1. Chew, Robert L., "Genealogy of the Chew Family", Gloucester County (NJ) Historical Society, Woodbury, NJ, 1982, page 261.
2. Chew Family History & Message Board / Re: Abel Woolston Chew Bible, Ancestry.com online (http:://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.chew/6.40.44.78.80/mb.ashx], accessed 19 November 2010.
3. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8KJ-7BC : accessed 27 Apr 2014), Ezekiel C. Chew and Laura H. Hubler, 23 Dec 1880; citing Darke, Ohio, United States, reference v e p 405 n 1311; FHL microfilm 1030773.
4. South Bend, Indiana Weekly Tribune, September 1, 1888, Obituary of Mr. Chew.
5. 1880 U.S. census, Darke County, Ohio, Mississenawa Township, enumeration district 65, SD 2, page 1D, dwelling 101, family 101; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 May 2014); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
6. Ezekiel Chew household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, New Madison, Twin Township, Darke County, Ohio, dwelling 128, family 127; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 1194.
7. Ezekiel Chew household, 1860 U.S. census, Darke County, Ohio, population schedule, Neave Township, page 164, dwelling 1166, family 1128.
8. Ezekiel Chew household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, dwelling 901, family 901; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 714.
9. Ancestry.com. U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA : Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2008.  Original data : National Archives (NARA) microfilm series : M603, M754-M771, M773-M777, M779-M780, M782, M784, M787-M789, M791-M793, M795, M1631, M1775-M1776, T227, T1208-T1209.


This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Marriage Record : Ezekiel Cooper Chew and Laura V. (Skeggs) Hubler, Darke County, Ohio, 1880

"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8KJ-7BC : accessed 27 Apr 2014), Ezekiel C. Chew and Laura H. Hubler, 23 Dec 1880; citing Darke, Ohio, United States, reference v e p 405 n 1311; FHL microfilm 1030773.

Located the marriage record of my paternal 3rd-great grandfather, Ezekiel Cooper Chew (1822-1888) to his second wife, Laura V. (Skeggs) Hubler, on December 23, 1880 in Darke County, Ohio.

Ezekiel's first wife, Caroline Bishop (Woolston) Chew, had died the previous year. Ezekiel and Caroline had 14 children together.  Laura's first husband was John Hubler.  I do not know if he was deceased or if they were divorced.

Ezekiel and Laura had two children together, Herbert Deacon and Edis Playfair.  One source indicates that Laura died in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.  Ezekiel was a physician and served a number of years in Jay County, Indiana and Darke County, Ohio.

Ezekiel later married again for a third time, when he moved to St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Friday, May 02, 2014

DNA : Eileen's McMillen match

Was contacted by Retta, a McMillen researcher, in regards to a match with Eileen's DNA on Chromosone 1.  She asked to share family trees, and I believe we have a match through the McMillen family.

Eileen's maternal 3rd-great grandfather, James E. McMillen (b. 1811) was born in New York and the family migrated on to Marshall County, Indiana.  The theory that Retta and other McMillen researchers is putting forth is that James was the son of the James & Keziah McMillen of Cussewago Twp., Crawford County, Pennsylvania.  Retta directed me to another McMillen research, Mary Urban's tree at Ancestry.

This James & Keziah had at least 4 childen who appear in census records in Crawford/Erie Cos., PA as well as Niagara/Erie Cos., NY where members of the Willard family (who married McMillen) are located.  

James McMillen was born circa 1780 Rhode Island was buying land in 1829 in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.  

The DNA match shows a connection, now it is just a matter of finding the paper records to tie them all together.  I have found a few other McMillen's in Marshall County, Indiana and have forwarded their contact information on to Retta.  Hopefully, the paper trail will be able to match up soon.