The fourth ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal grandmother, Ruth Pauline (Haley) LeMaster (1911-1990).
Ruth was born 11 April 1911 in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana. Her parents were Eli Weldon & Cora Belle (Metzner) Haley. She was the sixth daughter of seven children in the family.
Ruth was raised on the family farm in Noble Township where she was enumerated in the 1920 & 1930 census. Ruth was very close to her older surviving sisters. I particularly remember aunt Vera and Carrie.
Ruth completed the eighth grade and graduated from the common schools of Noble Township. On February 21, 1932, Ruth married Ord Wehrly LeMaster at the Mt. Zion Evangelical Church. The ceremony was performed by her brother-in-law, Rev. Eugene C. Kunce. Ord and Ruth began raising a family in rural Jay County and encountered some hard times. According to newspaper reports, they lost their home and all of their possessions to a fire in February 1939, the second fire in three years. The family had to move in with Ruth's parents for a time. By the 1940 census, Ruth had three children: Paul, Idola and Juanita. The family was living in the town of Portland, Indiana, renting a home at 507 E. Main Street. Ruth had no occupation listed and her husband Ord was listed as a laborer at the Sheller Manufacturing Company. The 1941 directory for Portland shows the family living at 507 E. Walnut.
1107 W. Water Street in 1947
By the time my dad was born in 1944 they had moved to 1107 W. Water Street in Portland, where they lived the rest of their lives. Two more children came along as well, completing the family of six children born to Ord and Ruth. Because I grew up about an hour away from Portland, most of my memories of grandma involve holidays and family gatherings such as Easter or Christmas. I remember a lot of cousins packed into a tiny house but a lot of good food cooking. I particularly remember the noodles she made, more like dumplings. Food was always a big part of any holiday visit.
I remember that grandma sold Avon, and at least once when I was staying there I remember going with her to make deliveries. When I was a senior in high school, a group of my friends and I decided to drive up to the Jay County fair. I talked the group into stopping at grandma's on the way. She was surprised to see us, but fed us all before we visited the fair.
1107 W. Water in the 1980s - how I remember the house
I was at college at Ball State when grandma really became sick with cancer. I remember visiting her at the hospital a few times and I remember her being in a lot of pain and begging Jesus to come take her home.
Ruth died 1 February 1990 at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana. The cause of death was listed as respiratory failure. She was buried at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.
I never talked about family history with grandma, I wonder what she would think of some of the history I've found out about her ancestors. 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.
The third ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal grandfather, Ord Wehrly LeMaster (1906-1971).
Ord was born 30 September 1906 in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana. His parents were Luman Cooper & Barbara Isabel (Wehrly) LeMaster(s). He was the seventh son of thirteen children in the family.
Ord's birth was judicially determined by affidavit in January 1942 because he was born before birth certificates were required in the State of Indiana. This was likely done for the purposes of World War II draft registration or Social Security.
Ord was raised on the family farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In both the 1910 and 1920 census, he was enumerated in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana outside of Salamonia on the family farm.
Hunting was also likely one of Ord's early pursuits. The only early surviving photo I have seen of him shows him after killing a bobcat.
Ord LeMaster shots bobcat
Ord graduated from the eighth grade from Madison Township schools in 1921. He is believed to have attended high school for some time at Fort Recovery, Ohio before joining the Army National Guard on 30 March 1923. Ord served with the 151st Infantry Howitzer unit and the 139th Field Artillery. He re-enlisted on October 25, 1926 and again on April 2, 1928. He was made Private First Class in July 1924 and Corporal in August 1925. For unknown reasons, he was reduced in rank to Private in January 1926 and made a Private First Class again in July 1928.
The military units he served with saw active duty along the Mexican border. Ord returned home and graduated from Madison Township High School in 1928. He was discharged March 15, 1930.
He was living on the family farm on 8 April 1928 when he was shot near the heart by an unidentified chicken thief. Newspaper accounts of the incident recounted how he returned home late one night and noticed the door of the chicken house standing open. When he stepped towards the coop, a shot rang out. A sack containing one chicken, evidently dropped by the thief was found near the scene.
At the time of the 1930 census, Ord was still living and working on his parents farm as a laborer. On 21 February 1932, Ord married Ruth Pauline Haley at the Mt. Zion Evangelical Church in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.
Ord and Ruth began raising a family in rural Jay County and times were hard. In February 1939, a newspaper article recounted how fire had destroyed the families' home for the second time in three years. Everything they owned in the world was lost, and they had to move in with grandma Ruth's parents. My aunt Idola and uncle Paul still have memories of the fire and the house that was destroyed.
By the 1940 census, the family was renting a home in Portland, Jay County, Indiana, at 507 E. Main Street Apartment Two. Ord was listed as a laborer at the Sheller Manufacturing Company, yet at the time of the census, he had been unemployed for a period of 32 weeks. The 1941 city directory for Portland also shows the family living at 507 E. Walnut Street.
Ord & Ruth LeMaster family circa 1944. L-R : Ord, Paul, Juanita, Ruth (holding Ord W.), Idola
By the time my dad came along in 1944, the family of six were living at 1107 W. Water Street in Portland, which is where they lived the rest of their lives.
Ord worked as a factory laborer for Delco Battery in Muncie, Indiana for several years. City directories indicate he was in the case department, and his obituary mentions he was an inspector. Dad has told me how when he was attending Ball State University, that he would sometimes get a ride to class with grandpa on his way to work.
Not a lot of stories have been shared by my dad or my aunts and uncles regarding their dad. The impression I have is that he was a man of strong opinions and was a no-nonsense individual.
Ord died on 30 October 1971 in Bluffton, Wells County, Indiana while at Bluffton Clinic. The cause of death was listed as myocardial infarction. Burial was at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.
I have no personal memories of grandpa Ord to share, as I was just two when he passed. The family stories are few, but he must have been a hard worker and stern disciplinarian. I'm hoping I can collect more about him and understand him a little better.
Ord & Ruth LeMaster with grandson Travis, Alexandria, Indiana
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.
The second ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my maternal grandmother, Bonnie Mae (Lambertson) Wright. Bonnie was born 18 February 1924 in Elwood, Madison County, Indiana at home at 1906 North F Street. Her parents were Clemon Beals & June Kirk (Gilliland) Lambertson. She was the third child of four and the oldest daughter. Though her birth certificate clearly gives her middle name as "May", Bonnie used the alternative spelling "Mae" during her adult life. I've found no evidence of a legal change, it was apparently a stylistic choice.
Ruby & Bonnie
Bonnie grew up in the house she was born which was just south of Callaway Park and the pool. Bonnie and her brothers & sisters all spent a lot of time there working as lifeguards. City directories show that they were living in that house through 1938. In the 1939-40 period the family moved from Elwood to near Greentown in Howard County. Bonnie's grandparents, Charles & Pearl (Beals) Lambertson were living near Greentown and that is likely why the move. In an interview with Bonnie's sister, Ruby, she mentioned that her dad liked to have space for a garden, as the new place had 3 acres.
1938 freshman photo
The family moved back to Elwood, and Bonnie graduated from Elwood High School in 1941. The story I was told was that during the time she moved to Greentown, she took classes that put her ahead when she returned to Elwood and she was able to graduate in 1941, rather than 1942. A newspaper story from 1938 mentioned a Halloween party that Bonnie attended with her future husband, Bill Wright. I do not know if that was the first time that they met, but aunt Ruby told me that she would double date with her future husband, Bob. Bonnie and Bill were married on 7 June 1941 in Elwood at the First Baptist Church by Rev. Sage. Shortly afterward, they moved to Alexandria where Bill's family was from. At the time of their marriage, Bill was a factory worker and Bonnie had to have parental consent to get married, as she was only 17. Her first child, my uncle was born in the spring of 1942 when they were living at 610 West Broadway in Alexandria. The war was on and my grandpa enlisted together with my great-uncle Bob on 19 January 1944 in the U.S. Army, determined to become pilots. A heart murmur kept grandpa from becoming a pilot, and instead he became a radio instructor. One of my first genealogy interviews when I was a teenager was listening to grandma tell me about all of the various Army bases that she travelled to with grandpa with my uncle in tow. I need to track down the notes, but I seem to remember her saying one time in Biloxi they were scared - must have been a fight between locals and servicemen or something. Grandpa was always state-side during the war, and after his discharge he returned home and was soon employed at the local post office and Bonnie settled into being a housewife. By the winter of 1946, they were a family of four when my mother arrived.
Bonnie and Bill were socially active in events in small town Alexandria with groups such as the Elks, the First Christian Church and school parent committees. By the time I came along, Bonnie was 44 years old, and I was her second grandson. She lost my grandfather 5 years later, becoming a widow at 49. I cannot imagine how painful that loss must have been. One of the ways she dealt with grief was the therapy of doll making. Bonnie made a Raggedy Ann doll for her niece Vicki for a graduation gift. When Ruby took it to Guide Lamp in Anderson to show it off, people started putting in orders to have Bonnie make one for their kids and for nursing homes.
The dolls were 25 inches and each strand of hair was tied on by hand so that when the dolls were washed they wouldn't come apart. She made an estimated 500 of the dolls. Bonnie enjoyed making dolls and couldn't stand to see a doll without clothes. She loved to sew and would make matching clothes for my mother and her dolls when she was a girl. My mom still has examples of her handiwork.
As a youngster, I spent more time with Grandma Bonnie than my other grandmother because she lived closer. I can remember going shopping into downtown Alexandria at stores such as Danner's and going to the bakery to get one of their famous caramel rolls. I remember walking over to her house after playing baseball at the Babe Ruth diamonds and hanging out. One story I remember was that she had a case of Bloody Mary Mix that she didn't want me to tell anyone about because she didn't want them to think she was a drinker.
One time she made me popcorn and I complained that it didn't have any butter on it. She promptly went to the kitchen and brought back one of those squeeze bottles of butter and coated that popcorn so much so that it wasn't edible. I learned a lesson that day not to complain.
When I started working on genealogy, I interviewed her about her family history for my Boy Scout merit badge. She told me what she could about her heritage, and got me started on tracking down the mysteries on her mother's side of the family.
When I was a sophomore in high school, she became really sick with cancer. I went with my mom & grandma to many of her visits at the Bluffton clinic. She eventually became so ill that she had to move in with us.
Bonnie died 9 April 1984 at our house at R.R. 4 Box 328, which was rural Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana. I remember her passing like it was yesterday, though it was over 30 years ago.
I was glad I was able to spend some time with her asking her about her relatives. I wish I could show her some of the things I've found that she probably didn't know about her heritage. 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.
The first ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my maternal grandfather, William Lee "Johnny Bill" Wright (1919-1973). Bill was born 1 December 1919 in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, just south of Alexandria. His parents were Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright. He was the only son and the middle of three children. Though his birth certificate clearly states his name was William Lee, he was known as "Johnny Bill" to family and friends. His first name is shared by his maternal grandfather, and his middle name was shared by his father. His paternal grandfather was named John William. In the 1920 census, he was enumerated as "John W.E.". Bill was raised on the family farm and was active in agricultural pursuits. Newspaper articles from the Alexandria Times-Tribune indicate he was a member of 4-H and raised gilts. The family farm was the same one where I was raised, though by then it had ceased to be an active animal-farm.
In 1934, Bill was certified to attend high school after completing schooling in the Monroe Township schools through the eighth grade. He would attend high school in Alexandria. While in high school, Bill was a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H, continuing to participate in agricultural activities such as corn shows, visiting stockyards and husking bees. He became a member of the executive committee of FFA and was awarded prizes at the county fair.
Bill graduated from Alexandria High School in 1938 and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits. At the time of the 1940 census, he was still living with his parents, with his occupation listed as farmer. I imagine he assumed he would continue in the family farm, but other forces were at work that would soon put him on a different path. A newspaper story from 1938 mentioned at Halloween party that Bill attended with his future wife, Bonnie Lambertson. I don't know if that was the first time they met but I do know that Bill's mother didn't approve of the match. I had previously blogged about how my great-grandmother had already picked out the girl for him. Bill and Bonnie were married on 7 June 1941 in Elwood, Madison County, Indiana at the First Baptist Church where Bonnie's family attended. I believe that for a short time, they set up house in Elwood, but it wasn't long before they were back in Alexandria.
My uncle Terry was born in the spring of 1942, the same week that Bill's parents purchased the home at 610 West Broadway in Alexandria that would be Bill and Bonnie's home for the rest of their lives. Though Bill & Bonnie made the payments on the house, this purchase caused some consternation with Bill's older sister, as she thought her parents had a house bought for Bill and Bonnie. Bill was working as an armature winder at Delco Remy in Anderson before going into the military.
Even with a young baby at home, there was a war on and Bill was determined to sign up. He and my-great uncle Bob Walsh enlisted in the U.S. Army together on 19 January 1944. Supposedly, Bill's mother was so upset at this that she tried to get enlistment rescinded, even writing Congressmen to get him out.
Bill served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a LORAN mechanic & instructor. LORAN is short for long range navigation. He wanted to be a pilot, but a heart murmur kept him from being one. The story Bonnie told me was that at each post, they would find the murmur and he would be under observation for a period. I found a newspaper mention of him being sent from a radio school in Racine, Wisconsin to Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. Bonnie told me of time in Biloxi, Mississippi as well. Both Bonnie and my uncle Terry travelled with Bill at each assignment. Bill was discharged 27 April 1946 from the separation center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He returned home to Alexandria, Indiana. According to his separation paperwork, he applied for an Indiana service bonus.
Shortly after returning, he began working at the Alexandria Post Office, where he worked the rest of his life. Local tidbits mentioned in the Alexandria Times-Tribune mention "Johnny Bill" at the post office and his quips of humor. He was known for doing crossword puzzles and reading the dictionary. He was an avid fisherman, who often took the family to Lake Tippecanoe and later Silver Lake. I didn't pick up the fishing gene, but my brother did, and still has some of Bill's equipment.
During this post-war period, Bill was active in the local Elks and the American Legion. My mom came along, and Bill was active with the parents of Clarke Elementary and later the high school. In 1962, he helped host the meeting of the local 3070 of Postal Clerks and was active in community affairs.
By the time I came along, Bill was 49 years old. I was his second grandson. However, I don't really have too many memories of him. One memory I have is of me & mom walking on the sidewalk in town and grandpa coming down the street in his pickup truck and taking us to his place. Another memory I have is that he liked to keep Pringle's potato chips at his house hidden in a nail barrel that had been converted into a table. Bill died of a coronary occlusion on 9 July 1973 at Community Hospital in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana. He was 53 years old. According to his death certificate, he died at 12:44 a.m. I have a vague memory of that happening, mostly feelings of panic, perhaps I heard the phone calls discussing what happened. At the time of his death, I was four years old.
I wish I would have been able to know him. I'm left to reading newspaper tidbits and stories passed on from others in order to get a picture of who he was.
The 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge was created by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Smallblog.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.
During the cold, wintry days between Christmas and New Year's Day, I spent my genealogy time contacting and tracking the DNA matches of my maternal great-aunt using Genome Mate Pro.
This post is by no means a full review of the program - for that would take more experience than I have with it, but so far I'm really impressed with this tool.
The sheer volume of DNA matches in the 4th cousin level, for example, makes a tracking tool such as Genome Mate Pro so valuable. Being able to track who you've emailed, what family lines they have, where the chromosomes match, etc. make this a wonderful tool. There is a steep learning curve, and I'd recommend you watch all the You Tube videos and join the Facebook group.
My great-aunt is only tested at FTDNA, and I've know reached out via email to all of her matches greater than 20 cMs. Now the fun part begins of finding the connections and marking where we match on each chromosome.
Since my maternal side has an unsolved mystery - the identity of my 2nd-great grandfather, it is hoped that some of my great-aunt's matches will set me on the right path. So far, there are a number of matches she has that do not match me, so I'm glad I was able to have her test.
Once again the calendar has moved forward and we are into a new year. Time for reflection and for some a time of making new resolutions.
I've never been good at making or keeping resolutions, so for me it's better to not make them.
As for my genealogy research, my hope is to stay focused and utilize all the tools at my disposal to share my research. In 2017, my goal was to work on joining lineage societies - something that still needs to be done - so that will be one ongoing goal for 2018.
I'm looking forward to attending some conferences this year - including NGS in Grand Rapids in May.
What will 2018 hold for my genealogical research? Here's hoping for brick walls to come down and new family/friends to be discovered
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/
December has been a busy month of celebrations and milestones for my family. Not only do we have Christmas coming soon, but we celebrated my mom's birthday, my stepdaughter's birthday and my parents 50th anniversary. We took my parents out to an anniversary dinner a few weeks ago and it was a good celebration as they had all three of their kids there and most of their grandchildren. Dad & mom recounted the stories of how they met and dad surprised mom with an upgraded replacement engagement ring. Apparently, she had lost the original years ago and it had never been replaced. It was an emotional time and mom was so surprised and happy.
Mom and dad were married December 7, 1967 in Muncie, Indiana. From the Muncie Star of November 26, 1967:
Muncie Teacher to Wed OrdLeMaster of Portland
The engagement of Miss Gloria Jean Wright to Ord Weldon LeMaster is announced by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Wright, Alexandria. Mr. LeMaster is the son of Ord W. LeMaster, Portland.
Miss Wright is a graduate of Alexandria-Monroe High School and received a B.S. degree in elementary education from Ball State University. She is a third grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary in Muncie.
Mr. LeMaster is a graduate of Portland High School and Ball State, where he received a B.S. degree in history and geography. Attending Ball State graduate school, he is a history teacher at Dunkirk High School.
It was good to be able to celebrate this milestone with my parents.
Sunday was my birthday, the one before the mid-century mark. The one that makes me realize I'm getting older and closer to end than the beginning.
Sunday was also the day of the time change, when we now roll our clocks back in an attempt to save daylight. An hour of extra sleep that somehow never comes.
As a Hoosier, I grew up not having to mess with the time changes other than being annoyed that TV shows changed schedules twice a year. I'm still mad that we started observing Daylight Savings Time and are on Eastern. Being closer to Chicago, we should be on Central, but no one asked me.
This year Eileen made sure that I changed all the clocks -last year I didn't change the one in the living room above the couch and it was showing the wrong time for six months. I guess that was my way of showing some defiance.
Dad told me stories of Ohio time where he grew up, you can look it up, Indiana has had an interesting relationship with DST.
It was my "Birthday Weekend", as I like to say, and I had a good one. My coworkers treated me to a card and some treats on Friday, including a bag of donut holes. To say I was on a sugar high would be an understatement!
Saturday I went to dinner with the in-laws and eldest daughter and son-in-law, my mom was sick so my folks held out for later plans. Went to Kokomo and one of my favorites, Half Moon. Sunday, had breakfast with the youngest and birthday text from the middle daughter and received Birthday greetings from friends on Facebook. I truly appreciated the gifts and well wishes.
Sunday afternoon was some " me time" spent in Fort Wayne at the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library. Truly one of my happy places. They have Sunday hours but I always seem to be too busy to get up there to research.
Managed to find some tidbits of information that I'll post about later - my trip was not well planned and was more of a shotgun approach. Found a little bit on both sides of my family and something from Eileen's as well.
Monday I took the day off and Eileen and I spent the day shopping. We visited the new IKEA in Fishers, which seemed as big as the one in Cincinnati. Ate at Portillo's, which wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be and then hit Duluth Trading again. All in all, we had a good time together.
Not much in the way of genealogy in this post, but a few tidbits about my birthday for future generations.
Spent last weekend with my mom on a trip to the Brown County, Ohio area where her Wright and Wardlow families originated. My plan was to visit the Brown County Genealogical Society library in Georgetown and if possible, visit a couple of family cemeteries.
The trip to Georgetown is about three hours and we left early in the morning with plenty of time to spare before the museum opened at noon. Not knowing how long I might need at the museum, I hoped to see if we could locate the Wardlow and Wright cemeteries in Washington Township, Brown County, Ohio and see what shape they were in.
Both of these pioneer cemeteries are already posted on FindAGrave, so I had already seen the tombstones of the family, but I wanted to get a feel for the area. Looking on topographical maps, I programmed by Google Maps to take us straight to the Wardlow cemetery first, where my 4th-great grandfather, John Wright (1814-1890) was buried.
As we came into Ohio and were nearing our destination, I saw the sign for historic Williamsburg and we made a slight detour to check it out. I knew that our Wright family had been in Williamsburg from some of the early deeds in Clermont County.
Driving around, we found Harmony Hill, where William Lytle had his home and land office. He was an early surveyor and settler in the area. Their museum wasn't opened yet, but we took a few pictures and planned to come back if we had time.
We headed towards the Wardlow cemetery first, which I knew was near Sardinia and with the GPS we were able to get into the general area. Then it became a game of watching the road for the cemetery. We found a few roads that had familiar names, including Wardlow Road, which we turned down and found an abandoned house that looked like it was not somewhere we wanted to be stuck.
We didn't find the cemetery until mom pulled it up on her phone and Google maps was telling us to turn on "Cemetery Road", except the road didn't have a sign. There was man outside at the house next door, so we stopped and verified that the cemetery was down that gravel road. He told us we should be ok to go down there, but did tell us that the owner might come down and see what we were doing.
We headed down the gravel road to the cemetery, went through the gate, and began to look for the graves of John & Anna (Wardlow) Wright. We found them pretty easily, as their marker was one of the tallest in the cemetery, and the only Wright buried there. I was able to get a couple of good photographs of mom with the markers and took some video. We were there just before noon, so the shadow effect on the marker wasn't the best.
Mom next to inscription for John Wright
Mom next to inscription for Anna (Wardlow) Wright
Just as we were leaving the cemetery, a lady came up on a Gator and asked us what we were doing. Fortunately, she could tell we weren't there to cause trouble, and I gave her one of my genealogy calling cards and explained our relationship to the Wardlow clan. She was not a Wardlow, but her sorority sister, who lived across the road, was a Wardlow descendant and the owner of the property. Unfortunately, she wasn't home, but her friend was able to tell us a bit about the land and the history of the place. Seems they had to take down the "Cemetery Road" sign as they were having too many people 'partying' and dumping trash, etc. on the property and the cemetery. Such a shame because the property was so peaceful.
I was able to take a brief video of the cemetery that will give you a feel for the place. A nice final resting place for my ancestors.
We spent some time talking and the lady showed us a tour of the Wardlow barn, which had been on the property since 1805. The barn had been moved from its original spot closer to the road, and obviously had been refurbished, but some of the original hand-hewn beams were present. We signed our names on the wall of the barn, where other guests had done.
We were invited to come back by later in the day, but explained that we were heading to Georgetown to the museum, and depending on how our day went, we might not be able to visit. We mentioned that we were also going to see if we could find the George Wright cemetery, which we also knew was on private property, and she was familiar with it and able to give directions. Apparently, enough of our distant cousins have visited in the past and had asked for the same directions. We headed down the road and around to try to locate the Wright cemetery, again using GPS. Fortunately, I had already checked it out on Google maps with a satellite view, so when I saw the property that I was sure it was near, we were able to stop. Once again, we were fortunate as the owner of the property was home and was willing to talk to us about the family plot. She was not a Wright descendant, but told us a story about how when they bought the property some 30 years prior, an old woman came knocking on their door and told them they would be cursed if they didn't restore the iron fence around the Wright family plot! She said there were a lot of snakes back there, and that her husband would be home shortly and that he could take us back. Her son actually came by after a few minutes, and was gracious to take us back to the woods where the family plot was in his Gator. As we walked back through the woods and the deer trail, it was obvious that very few people had been back there in some time. The son told us that one of the markers had disappeared and was across the creek and on another property now. We were able to find George Wright and his son Samuel's tombstone standing upright. Samuel's was broken and leaning against a tree. Mom was clearing some leaves and found Elizabeth's tombstone laying down and partially buried. We did not find the marker for Rebecca, Samuel's wife. The iron fencing was partially visible though the brush.
George Wright (1780-1853)
Samuel P. Wright (1816-1859)
Elizabeth (Robins) Wright (1781-1857)
Condition of Elizabeth's stone
How the cemetery looks in the woods
We were so thankful for the kindness of these strangers who now owned the family farms of our ancestors and were willing to allow us to view their final resting places. After later looking at the maps of the pieces of land, it appears that the George Wright farm and the Wardlow farm butted up against each other in a triangle type pattern - which helps explain why George's son, John, married the neighbor girl - a Wardlow. It was just getting close to noon, and we'd already had an outstandingly productive day. Not knowing how long we'd need to be at the museum, I was taking a chance by looking for the cemeteries early and was able to strike pay dirt. These visits made the trip worthwhile. We went into Georgetown and visited the Brown County museum and spent some time looking through their vertical family files. Searching the Wright family file, I found a copy of a letter that I had written to them back in 1990!
It is good to know that they keep materials! I will have to send some updated research notes to them to add for future researchers. I was able to make a few copies of some of the files on the Wright, Wardlow and other families I knew of in Brown County. Being my first time at the museum, my research plan was not as well thought out as I would have liked. Now that I have a lay of the land, I will be able to plan a return trip and do more digging. On our way back towards Indiana, we stopped back in Williamsburg at Harmony Hill and spoke with their museum folks and the Clermont County Historical Society as well. I purchased a book on the Virginia Military District land grants that contained some information on Robert Wright, and picked up some materials for future research.
While at Harmony Hill, I mentioned that our John Wright was an early settler in Williamsburg with William Lytle, and the lady mentioned that the local cemetery had a marker to all of the Revolutionary War veterans. Not knowing for sure that John was a veteran, nor knowing where he was buried, we took a chance and went to the cemetery on our way out of town. We searched the old section but didn't find any markers that had the Wright name. We did find the marker placed by the local SAR, that did not list any family names of ours as veterans buried there.
Not only did I have a good time researching mom's family history with her, but visited some beautiful areas of southwest Ohio. I'm already planning to make a return trip to do more research.
While my posts to this blog lately have been sparse, it doesn't mean that I haven't been working on family history. One of my main projects has been working with my DNA matches from 23andMe and other sites, using the third-party tool Genome Mate Pro to track and organize the research and contacts I've made with my matches. This might be the subject of a future post. I was pleased to see RootsMagic provide the update on their software with the Ancestry matches and TreeSync. I was chosen to be a beta tester - that was a unique experience as well. I was able to make some memories this past June when my granddaughter came up for a week. Keeping up with a 5-year old was more work than I thought it would be - but what a joy it was to have her here. Work has kept me mentally drained to the point where I don't feel the energy to post at night. Mornings used to be my time to write but lately I've been uninspired. I've been thinking a lot about my unfinished genealogy projects - applying to lineage societies, my DNA research, doing a "do-over" on some of my lines - and there are times when it feels overwhelming. What is it about blogging that makes me feel guilty that I haven't been able to keep up with a regular pace?
Located the 1940 census record of the Henry C. Peterson household in Delaware County, Indiana. Henry was the father of Eileen's stepfather, Billy J. Peterson. Henry's wife was the former Opal Vida Cuzzort.
1940 U.S. census, Delaware County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 4, Muncie, enumeration district (ED) 18-23, SD 10, sheet 7A, 421 North Calvert, household 123, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 February 2017); National Archives, Washington, D.C..
At the time of the enumeration, the family was living in Muncie at 421 N. Calvert Street. The census states that Henry was renting his home for $60 per month, and it was not a farm. Henry was 54 years old and born in Indiana. His wife, Opal V., was 52 years old and born in Indiana. Their residence in 1935 was the same place. The record shows that Henry had completed 2 years of college and was running a rooming & boarding house. His wife, Opal, had completed 8th grade and was helping to run the rooming & boarding house. Also living in the household was son, Billy J., age 18, born in Indiana who had completed 4 years of high school and had no occupation listed. If you have any additional information or are related to this family, I'd love to hear from you.
