Season's Greetings

Playing Santa, Christmas 2018

Here it is now late December and it's been over 8 months since my last blog post.  The New Year is fast approaching - time when folks begin to make resolutions and talk about the 'new me', etc.  I'm not so sure that with the turning of the calendar you will see much change in me.

I have been remiss in keeping up with this blog, but I don't want to make excuses. It has been an interesting year.  There were a lot of things going on this year that I should have blogged about, besides the usual day-to-day travails of work-life balance.

I've made some interesting new connections through DNA that I plan to blog about soon.  Additionally, I attended the NGS conference this year and have been trying to implement some of the techniques I learned there to become a better researcher.  I'm working (again!) on cleaning up my RootsMagic database and digital file organization.  I want to continue to utilize the 52 Ancestors-type posts to work out research problems and accurately document my family.

We moved to a new house this year.  There have been illnesses, car accidents and other things that life has thrown our way. Yet through it all we've been blessed and are looking forward to the New Year with anticipation.

Itinerant Farmer, George Washington Haley (1840-1892), 52 Ancestors # 17

George Washington Haley tombstone
Mt. Zion Cemetery
Jay County, Indiana

The 17th Ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great grandfather, George Washington Haley (1840-1892).  George is number 20 on my Ahnentafel list, and previously I've written about the details of his life in an Exploratory Analysis post.

I am descended through :

* his son, # 10 Eli Weldon Haley (1866-1957), married # 11 Cora Belle Metzner (1868-1955), in 1888.

* their daughter, # 5 Ruth Pauline Haley (1911-1990), married # 4 Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971) in 1932 - my grandparents.

George was born May 16, 1840 in Hardin County, Ohio^1,2, the son of George J. and Rachel H. (Gary) Haley.  His father was a minister in the Evangelical Association, and the family moved around a bit.  By the time of the 1850 census, George was a ten year old student in Jackson Township, Sandusky County, Ohio³.  At the recording of the 1860 census, George was a 20 year farmer in Claridon Township, Marion County, Ohio⁴.

Sometime around 1862, George moved to Ashland County, Ohio, where he married Mary Jane Sherrick on October 14, 1862¹.  I am not aware of any military service during the Civil War for George, and none is alluded to by his obituary or the biographical sketches.

George is one of my relatives who moved around a lot and I need to do more research in land records.  Between 1863 and 1869 the family was living in Seneca County, Ohio, but by the 1870 census they were all enumerated in Harrisville Township, Medina County, Ohio⁵.  During this census, it was recorded that George was a U.S. citizen whose father was of foreign birth and his real estate was valued at $2730.  

The family of George and Mary grew to six children by the time of the 1880 census, when George was farming in Liberty Township, Seneca County, Ohio⁶.  The children were Andrew Frank (1864), Eli Weldon (1866), George David Ellsworth (1868), Rachel Emma Pernina (1869), Charles Wesley (1872) and Carrie Mae (1877).  Sometime before 1884, the family moved to Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana were the seventh child, daughter Ora was born.

George died December 3, 1892 and is buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Jay County, Indiana^2,7.  At the time of his death he was only 52 years old.  I located his estate records at the Jay County Historical Society, and discovered he had an estate of less than $500.

George W. Haley estate packet No 1277 Box 86
Jay County, Indiana

The documents that make up this estate packet will be the subject of a future post.  Basically, the widow had to declare that the estate of personal and real property was less than $500.  The actual inventory showed a total value of $458.75.  Albert Graves and Henry Muller were appointed to be appraisers of the estate.  Albert was later George and Mary's son-in-law, marrying daughter Carrie.

According to his obituary, George had been sick for about one year before he died.  George is one of my ancestors that I need to learn more about, even a picture of what he looks like is unknown to me at this point.


Sources:

1. "Biographical and Historical Record of Jay County, Indiana", Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1887, page 665.
2. George W. Haley obituary, Evangelical Messenger, New Berlin, Pennsylvania, December 20, 1892, page 811. 
3. George Haley household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jackson Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, dwelling 79, family 81; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 726.
4. George Haley household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Claridon Township, Marion County, Ohio, Marion P.O., page 28, dwelling 201, family 197; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 1006.
5. George Haley household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Harrisville Township, Medina County, Ohio, Lodi P.O., page 10, dwelling 90, household 101; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 1241
6. George W. Haley household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Liberty Township, Seneca County, Ohio, ED 193, SD 1, dwelling 401, family 405; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 1065.
7. Jane Ann Spencer, Williamson & Spencer Funeral Homes Inc. Portland and Pennville, Indiana Burial Records Book One 1892-1899 (Portland, Indiana:Williamson & Spencer Funeral Homes, Inc., 2008), page 27.


The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.

Michigander Girl, Olive Jane (Smith) Wehrly (1846-1913), 52 Ancestors # 16

Olive Jane (Smith) Wehrly tombstone,

Salamonia Cemetery, Salamonia, Indiana

The 16th Ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great grandmother, Olive Jane (Smith) Wehrly (1846-1913).  Olive is number 19 on my Ahnentafel list, and previously I've written about the details of her life in an Exploratory Analysis post.

I am descended through:

* her daughter, # 9 Barbara Isabel Wehrly (1869-1930), married # 8 Luman Cooper LeMasters (1867-1933), in 1886.

* their son, #4 Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971), married # 5 Ruth Pauline Haley (1911-1990) in 1932 - my grandparents.

Olive was born June 23, 1846 in Cass County, Michigan^1,2,3, the only daughter of William and Prudence (Maxson) Smith.  The Smith family had relocated to Cass County, Michigan from Jay County, Indiana and resided there from 1844 to 1851⁴.  Olive is the only one of my direct ancestors born in Michigan.

In 1851, the family had returned to Jay County, and settled in Madison Township. At the time of the 1860 census, Olive was listed as being 13 years old and having attended school within the year⁵.

Wehrly-Smith marriage record, Jay County, Indiana

While we don't know of all of the connections between the Smith and Wehrly families before Olive married William P. Wehrly on August 5, 1866⁶, both families were living in the Salamonia area before the Civil War.  Her husband had served in the same unit as Olive's father, William P. Smith, the 139th Indiana Infantry.

After their marriage, Olive and William began raising their family in Salamonia and Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana.  They had a large family of 13 children, 8 boys and 5 girls.  Only one child didn't survive until adulthood.

Their children were Minerva Prudence, who married Lawrence Jackson; Barbara Isabel (my ancestor), who married Luman Cooper LeMasters; John William, who married Esther White; Orilla Catherine, who married Arthur Andrews; Benjamin Franklin, who died at 22 years old, unmarried; Henry Leonard, who married Mamie Salisbury; Harvey Allen, who married Nettie Shreeve; Alma Monroe, who married Emma Yaeger; LeRoy Garfield, who died at age 3; Ida Laura, who married Edward Scholer; Blaine Pearl, who married Gladys Ashcraft; Ethel May, who married William Shreeve; and Martin Nimrod, who married Cora Burley.

In the 1870, 1880 and 1900 census, Olive was listed as keeping house in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana^6,7,8.  Olive's husband, William, died June 14, 1909 in Salamonia.  I've yet to locate Olive in the 1910 census.

Olive died January 6, 1913 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana², of pneumonia, and was buried beside her husband in the Salamonia Cemetery.  According to her obituary, she was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Jackson, on Shanks Street in Portland at the time of her death.

Like many of my female ancestors, Olive is one that I have very little information about, even a picture of what she looked like is unknown at this point.  I only hope that as I continue to search, I will come across additional clues that will bring to light the details of her life.

Sources:

1. William Smith household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jefferson Township, Cass County, Michigan, page 298, dwelling 759, family 767; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 349.
2. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line], Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana State Board of Health, Death Certificates, 1900-2011.  Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana. Olive Wehrly, 1-6-1913, Jay County, Indiana
3. Wehrly, Blaine & Gladys, "Wehrly & Smith Family History." Report to Wehrly Reunion, New Castle, Indiana, 16 August 1970. Photocopy held by author.
4. "Biographical and Historical Record of Jay County, Indiana", Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1887, page 647.
5. William Smith household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, Salamonia P.O., dwelling 60, family 60; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 269, page 9. 
6. William P. Wehlry household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, page 27, Salamonia P.O., dwelling 197, family 200; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 327, page 87.
7. William Wherly household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Salamonia, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, ED 169, SD 6, page 28, dwelling 6, family 6; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 287.
8. William P. Wehrly household, 1900 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, ED 62, SD 67, sheet 2B, dwelling 44, family 45; National Archives micropublication T623, roll 380, page 77.





The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small blog.  The premise is to write once a week about a specific ancestor - whether it be a story, a biography, a photograph or a research problem.