Thursday, December 28, 2017

Collecting A Cousin At Work

Growing up in rural Indiana, I lived near close cousins and went to school with many more who lived in the community.  Now that I'm an adult, I live a county north of where I grew up but work about 60 miles away from home.

I happen to work in Hamilton County, Indiana where I have ancestry that goes back to at least the 1840s with a number of Quaker settlers.  However, being next to metropolitan Indianapolis many of my co-workers are transplants to the area.  

Recently, I was surprised to hear a co-worker say that they grew up in the area.  Curious, I asked her what her maiden name was.  When she said "Chew", I quickly said "hello, cousin" and then preceded to ask about her family tree so that I could confirm the connection.

Turns out we are 5th cousins twice removed through our common ancestors Andrew Chew (1770-1827) and Anne Marie Barthus (1777-1860).  My co-worker and my grandmother are 5th cousins.

Andrew Chew (1770-1827) – Anne Marie Barthus (1777-1860)

Elizabeth Chew (1802-1881)                     brother/sister                  Joseph Chew (1798-1845)

John T. Beals (1827-1917)                          1st cousins                        Thomas F. Chew (1820-1904)

Nathan T. Beals (1856-1915)                     2nd cousins                        Elwood Chew (1856-1900)

Pearl M. Beals (1878-1970)                       3rd cousins                        Clifford Chew (1897-1971)

I was quickly able to show my co-worker some records on FamilySearch regarding her grandfather, and promised to see what else I could find.  Prior to this conversation, I did not have her line traced down beyond Joseph Chew, so this has given me the impetus to see what else I can uncover on the line.  My co-worker seemed interested to find out more.

While web surfing, I also uncovered a blog by someone who is doing research on the Chew line.  I need to reach out to him because he questions whether my Elizabeth was a Chew.  And of course, there is always more to document.  His blog is at http://www.mikeoneill.us/raseroneill/articles/andrew-and-anna-chew/

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