Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wordless Wednesday : Brayden & Grandpa

Brayden & Grandpa, Newburgh, Indiana, 21 July 2015
I'm a grandpa again!  My grandson Brayden came into the world last week and I was glad to be able to hold him soon after his entry into the world.

I hope I'll be around a long time to teach him about his heritage.  Perhaps someday he will read this blog and pick up the family history search.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Census Sunday : Galen Miller household, 1940, Delaware County, Indiana

My paternal grandaunt, Mary (Haley) Miller, was enumerated in the 1940 census in Ward 4 of Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana.   She was living with her husband and two children at 701 N. Dill Street in Muncie.

1940 U.S. census, Delaware County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 4, Muncie, enumeration district (ED) 18-20, SD 10, sheet 7B, 701 N. Dill, dwelling 170, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 July 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..
The household consisted of Galen, age 45, Mary, age 44, and their children, Mildred, age 21 and Elvin, age 17.  The family's residence in 1935 was Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  All were born in Indiana.  Galen's occupation was listed a proprietor of a grocery.  Galen had completed 4 years of high school, while Mary had completed the 8th grade.  Daughter Mildred had completed 3 years of college and son Elvin had completed 3 years of high school.

Galen's obituary indicated that he operated a grocery at Main and Elm Streets and Joseph and North Walnut Streets.


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

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Searching Social Security Applications & Claims Index

Enjoying searching through a new database at Ancestry.com, U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 and finding additional clues about members of my family.  Though this is just an index, you can find a lot of clues about your ancestors, including married names of those females members of the family.  This database goes beyond the SSDI and looks at the applications and name changes over the years.

An example of the type of information that you will find is this snippet on my paternal great-granduncle.

Name:Elvin Cooper Lemaster
[Elvin C Lemaster
SSN:317036832
Gender:Male
Race:White
Birth Date:9 Jul 1912
Birth Place:Salamonia Ja, Indiana
Father Name:Luman C Lemaster
Mother Name:Barbara I Wehrly
Death Date:16 May 2000
Type of Claim:Original SSN.
Notes:Apr 1937: Name listed as ELVIN COOPER LEMASTER; 24 May 2000: Name listed as ELVIN C LEMASTER

From this detail, I have his birth date and place as he filled out the Social Security application, as well as the name of his parents.  The notes section is the most interesting - the date of April 1937 would have been when he applied for his SSN, and the notes also show how at his death there was a name variation in their records.  

This database is too new to suggest hints yet, so I'm searching by surname and location.  In this instance, a search for Lemaster in Jay County, Indiana is giving me hints to any Lemaster who applied from there or listed it as a place on the applciation, and in some cases I've been able to find clues to married names for some of the female members of the family.

The searching is getting quite addictive, and I've been able to add several individuals and birth/death information to my database.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Surname Saturday : Cantell

The CANTELL surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are unknown, and I have very little information on the family.

Stories and history:

Ahnentafel # 221 : Martha Cantell (bef1775-aft1820).  Mary was born before 1775.  She was married after 1800 to James Alderman (bef1775-bet1850-54).  James was born before 1775, probably in Virginia.  They had at least 8 children, born in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.  James died between 1850 and 1854 in Greenville, Bond County, Illinois.  Martha's date of death is unknown.

Cousin Bait : King

One of the best reasons to use a blog as "cousin bait" is that search engines such as Google will allow other researchers to find your old posts and reach out to you.

I received an anonymous comment to my 2011 blog post on the King Schoolhouse and I've reached out hoping that this relative will have more on the King line.

This individual says they have more recent pictures of the schoolhouse.  I would love to see what it looked like and learn more about how it ties in with my family.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

DNA: Mom's Cousin Rita

Mom's cousin Rita is a predicted 3rd to 6th cousin match at 23andMe, matching both mom and I on chromosome 1.




One of the surnames listed on Rita's profile is Osborn. I have maternal Quaker relatives Osborn(e) in North Carolina.  I've written to Rita to see if she has a family tree and we can explore the connections.

Monday, July 13, 2015

DNA: Dad's Cousin Jason

One of my dad's distant matches at 23andme, Jason, shares no DNA with me.  He matches dad on chromosome 10, and is predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin.  He shares 0.26% with dad and only 1 segment.




Jason has an extensive list of family surnames on his profile, but none that appear to match.  Hopefully he and I can compare family trees and make the connection.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Obituary : Maud (Lambertson) Fisher Hayse, 1952

Maud F. Hayse obituary, Register-News, Mt. Vernon, Illinois, 10 April 1952, page 2.


MAUD F. HAYSE
DIES AT AGE 73;
RITES INCOMPLETE

Mrs. Maud Fisher Hayse, of 909 Park Avenue, died at 11:45 a.m. yesterday at Jefferson County Memorial Hospital, where she had been a patient for the past three days.

Her age was 73 years, nine months and 20 days.

Funeral arrangements were incomplete.  However, friends may call at Myers Chapel after 10 a.m. Friday.

Mrs. Hayse was born June 19, 1878 in Ohio, the daughter of Carry and Clara (Cook) Lambertson.

She was first married to Frank Fisher, who preceded her in death in June, 1928.  She was married October 19, 1931 to W.H. Hayse, who survives.

Mrs. Hayse was a member of the Nazarene church.

Besides her husband, she is survived by two sons, Vernon C. Fisher of Anderson, Ind. and H.A. Fisher of Mt. Vernon; a sister, Mrs. Lola Whisler of Arcadia, Ind.; two brothers, Charles Lambertson of Elwood, Ind. and Bert Lambertson of Mt. Vernon, Ind.; 11 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.


She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Sam, and two sons, Lester and Ralph E. Fisher.

----
Located this obituary of my maternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Maud (Lambertson) Fisher Hayse in the Mt. Vernon Register-News.  This obituary gave me the date of her marriage to her second husband, and also the death month of her first husband.

Her second husband is referred to as Will Hayse in my notes, will need to see what else I can find about him.  The obituary didn't list where they were married, but it was likely Illinois, so will need to see if I can locate a copy.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

DNA: Mom's Cousin Stephanie

Another 23andme match for my mom, Stephanie, was predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin, but doesn't share any DNA with me.  She matches mom on chromosome 16, 1 segment, with 0.22% shared.



Stephanie had a small family tree online, but I didn't see any connection just yet.  She has a lot of early Massachusetts ancestors, as does my mother.

Surname Saturday : Caldwell

The CALDWELL surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are likely Scottish, and there is much more research needed.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 933 : Mary Caldwell. Mary's birth date is unknown at this time, though likely in the 1740s in Virginia.  She married in 1765 in Virginia to James Chew (1745-c1783).  James was born 1745 in Virginia.  They raised at least 5 children in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  James died about 1783.  Mary's death date is unknown at this time.

Ahnentafel # 1866 : Andrew Caldwell (c1720-1758).  Andrew was born circa 1720.  He married Jane (c1720-aft1796).  Andrew was executor of the estate of William Caldwell in 1746 in Frederick County, Virginia, and was involved in numerous land transactions there between 1748 and 1755.  Andrew served in the militia in 1755 from Frederick County, Virginia. They had at least three children.  Andrew died July 4, 1758 in Frederick County, Virginia. Jane died after 1796 in Berkeley County, Virginia.

Related blog posts:


Thursday, July 09, 2015

DNA: Dad's Cousin Jonelle

Another recent match at 23andMe that had a nice family tree prepared was dad's cousin Jonelle, who was predicted to be 3rd to distant cousin, with 0.22% DNA shared on only 1 segment.



Jonelle has a pretty extensive tree linked to her profile from MyHeritage, but I was not able to find any surname matches.  She did have quite a bit of Dutch ancestry, and dad has some Dutch that hasn't been fully researched.  Will continue the conversation with Jonelle to see if we can find a connection.

Jonelle does not share any DNA with me.

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Marriage License : Ord Wehrly LeMaster to Ruth Pauline Haley, 1932, Jay County, Indiana

"Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6R1-FP3 : accessed 3 June 2015), Ord Wehrly Lemaster and Ruth Pauline Haley, 21 Feb 1932; citing , Jay, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 2,168,891.
Located the marriage license of my paternal grandparetns, Ord Wehrly LeMaster and Ruth Pauline Haley at FamilySearch.  Their marriage took place in Jay County, Indiana on February 21, 1932.

Application for Marriage License

Application is Hereby Made for a License for the Marriage of Words Wehrly LeMaster to Ruth Pauline Haley upon the following statement of facts relative to said parties.

Male 

1. The full christian and surname of the male is Ord Wehrly LeMaster.
2. Color White
3. Where born Jay Co., Ind.
4. When born 30th Sept., 1906
5. Present residence Jay Co. Indiana
6. Present occupation Farmer
7. If no occupation, what means has the male contracting party to support a family? 
8. Is the male contracting party of nearer blood kin to the female contracting party than second cousin? No
9. Full christian name and surname of father Luman C. LeMaster
10. His color White
11. His birthplace Jay Co. Ind.
12. His occupation Farmer
13. His residence Jay Co., Indiana
14. Full christian and maiden name of mother Isabell Wehrly
15. Her color White
16. Her occupation Domestic
17. Her birthplace Jay Co., Indiana
18. Her residence Deceased
19. Has the male contracting party been an inmate of any county asylum or home for indigent persons within the last five years? No
20. If so, is he now able to support a family and likely to so continue?
21. Is this his first marriage? Yes
22. If not, how often has he been married?
23. Has such prior marriage or marriages been dissolved?
24. If so, how?
25. When?
26. Is the male contracting party afflicted with epilepsy, tuberculosis, venereal, or any other contagious or transmissible disease? No
27. Is he an imbecile, feeble-minded, idiotic or insane, or is he under guardianship as a person of unsound mind? No
Signature of applicant Ord Wehrly Lemaster

FEMALE

1. The full christian and surname of the woman is Ruth Pauline Haley
2. Color White
3. Where born Jay Co., Ind.
4. When born 12th April 1911
5. Present address Jay Co., Indiana
6. Present occupation at home
7. Full christian and surname of father Eli W. Haley
8. His color White
9. His birthplace Erie Co., Ohio
10. His occupation Farmer
11. His residence Jay Co. Indiana
12. Full christian and maiden name of mother Cora Belle Metzner
13. Her color White
14. Her occupation Domestic
15. Her birthplace Jay Co. Indiana
16. Her residence Jay Co. Indiana
17. Has the female contracting party been an inmate of county asylum or home for indigent persons within the last five years No
18. Is this her first marriage? Yes
19. If not, how often has she been married?
20. Has such prior marriage or marriages been dissolved?
21. If so, how and when?
22. Is the female contracting party afflicted with epilepsy, tuberculosis, venereal or other contagious or transmissible disease? No
23. Is she an imbecile, feeble-minded, idiotic or insane, or is she under guardianship as a person of unsound mind? No
Signature of applicant Ruth Pauline Haley

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 20th day of Feb. 1932 
Oral H. Barr, Clerk Jay Circuit Court

Be it Remembered That heretofore, to wit: on the 20th day of Feb, A.D., 1932 the following Marriage License was issued, to wit:

State of Indiana, Jay County, ss:
To All Who Shall These Presents, Greeting:

Know Ye, That any person empowered by law to solemnize Marriages, is hereby authorized to join together as Husband and Wife, Ord Wehrly LeMaster and Ruth Pauline Haley, and for so doing this shall be his sufficient authority.

In testimony whereof, I, Oral H. Barr, Clerk of the Jay Circuit Court, hereunto subscribe my name and attach the seal of said Court, at Portland, this 20th day of Feb, A.D. 1932

Oral H. Barr Clerk

Be It Further Remembered, That on this 23 day of Feby, A.D. 1932, the following Certificate was filed in my office, to wit: 

State of Indiana, Jay County, ss:

This Certifies, That I joined in marriage as Husband and Wife Ord Wehrly LeMaster and Ruth Pauline Haley on the 21st day of February A.D. 1932

Rev E.C. Kunce, Minister

---
The minister who married by grandparents was Eugene C. Kunce, brother-in-law of the bride, married to Clara Elnora Haley, just three years earlier.  Eugene was a minister of the Evangelical Association.

Finding this record gives the exact date of my grandparents marriage.  I'd earlier found a mention of it in the newspaper of Lima, Ohio were Ruth's other sister, Vera, and husband Clarence Stuber attended.

Grandpa signed his name with a small "m" on the marriage license.

According to the calendar, their wedding occurred on a Sunday.  Wonder if it was right after service?

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

DNA: Dad's Cousin William

Another recent 23andMe match that was added to my spreadsheet was dad's cousin William, who also matched me on chromosome 12.



Once again, William is predicted to be a 3rd to distant cousin match, so the connection must be pretty distant.

One good clue is that on his profile, he listed the surname Burdick.  I descend through Robert Burdick in two different ways.

I've reached out to William and hopefully we can discover the connection soon.

Sunday, July 05, 2015

DNA : Mom's Cousin Dennis

Another recent 23andMe match that I've added to my atDNA spreadsheet was mom's cousin Dennis S., who also matched me on chromosome 2.



Dennis is predicted to be a 3rd cousin to distant cousin match, with only 0.12% DNA shared with just this one segment.

Will reach out to him to see if he has a family tree somewhere so that we can compare.  His family tree at 23andme did not include anything other than his name.

DNA: Dad's cousin Sarah

Working on following up with the recent matches at 23andMe and adding them to my atDNA spreadsheets for tracking.

Dad's DNA match with cousin Sarah is predicted to be 3rd to 6th cousin, a pretty distant match.  The percentage shared is only 0.23% on two segments.  However, Sarah and I share no DNA.



I do not see any surnames on her list that match, and she did not share a family tree to compare.  Will have to triangulate and hope that we can find a match at a later date.


Thursday, July 02, 2015

Update

I logged into 23andMe this week and realized it had been awhile, I had over 125 new relative matches on my dad and mom's results.  Reached out to them to see if we can find the connections.

Haven't been doing much in the way of genealogy research due to work commitments and house-seeking.  We put our house on the market and have been looking for the past couple of weeks.  That is an experience.  The last time we moved was 13 years ago, and we only moved two blocks away. 

I've made this community my home for almost a third of my life and it seems weird on the one hand to leave but on the other I'm excited about the opportunities.  You have to move where the jobs are.

Hopefully, we some time off over the next few days I can post some updates.