Aunt Vera's Diary - January 3rd

In the summer of 2019, I was able to photograph the entries in the diary of my maternal great-aunt, Vera (Haley) Stuber.  The entries cover the years from 1968-1971 time frame and provide an interesting view of her daily activities. Items in brackets are my notes for further research.

Stuber, Vera Delphene (Haley). "Journal." MS. Fort Recovery, Ohio, 1968-1971. Privately held by Juanita (LeMaster) Steigerwalt, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Muncie, Indiana, 2020.

1968 - January 3rd - Wednesday

Real cold today.  I ironed.  Hittle came in P.M. and opened up east corn field.

1969 - January 3rd - Friday 

Getting much colder.  Clarence went to Recovery for coal & groceries

1970 - January 3rd - Saturday

Very cold, snows & then sun shines.  Mrs. Schlamb buried this P.M.

1971 - January 3rd - Sunday

Attended church this morn.  Rev. Schoonover preached.  Began raining a little at 5 P.M. guess we wont go to church.  Our signal light works all the time.

----
Vera Delphene (Haley) Stuber was born 10 March 1890 in Jay County, Indiana, daughter of Eli Weldon & Cora Belle (Metzner) Haley.  She married 14 February 1915 in Jay County, Indiana to Clarence Leroy Stuber.  Vera died 17 June 1987 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana. Clarence was born 4 February 1891 in Jay County, Indiana, son of Henry and Margaret (Metzger) Stuber.  Clarence died 20 May 1981 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  They had no surviving children. 

Aunt Vera's Diary - January 2nd

In the summer of 2019, I was able to photograph the entries in the diary of my maternal great-aunt, Vera (Haley) Stuber.  The entries cover the years from 1968-1971 time frame and provide an interesting view of her daily activities. Items in brackets are my notes for further research.

Stuber, Vera Delphene (Haley). "Journal." MS. Fort Recovery, Ohio, 1968-1971. Privately held by Juanita (LeMaster) Steigerwalt, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Muncie, Indiana, 2020.

1968 - January 2nd - Tuesday

Washed today, dried in basement and on rack upstairs.
Rev. & Mrs. Ballmer here in evening.

1969 - January 2nd - Thursday

Cleaned up part of the house.  Not quite so cold today.

1970 - January 2nd - Friday

Cleaned up part of house.  Snowing part of time.  Plow went thru twice.  Mail came today.

1971 - January 2nd - Saturday

Baked pies & did usual work.  Attended Debbie Ballmers wedding at 6:30 p.m.  Been a nice winter day.
----
Vera Delphene (Haley) Stuber was born 10 March 1890 in Jay County, Indiana, daughter of Eli Weldon & Cora Belle (Metzner) Haley.  She married 14 February 1915 in Jay County, Indiana to Clarence Leroy Stuber.  Vera died 17 June 1987 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana. Clarence was born 4 February 1891 in Jay County, Indiana, son of Henry and Margaret (Metzger) Stuber.  Clarence died 20 May 1981 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  They had no surviving children. 

Aunt Vera's Diary - January 1st

In the summer of 2019, I was able to photograph the entries in the diary of my maternal great-aunt, Vera (Haley) Stuber.  The entries cover the years from 1968-1971 time frame and provide an interesting view of her daily activities. Items in brackets are my notes for further research.

Stuber, Vera Delphene (Haley). "Journal." MS. Fort Recovery, Ohio, 1968-1971. Privately held by Juanita (LeMaster) Steigerwalt, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Muncie, Indiana, 2020.

1968 - January 1 - Monday

10 degrees below zero this morning.  Didn't do much today.  Watched Orange & Rose Bowl parades today.

1969 - January 1 - Wednesday

New Years day. 4 degrees below zero this morn.  Cold and some wind not much snow but icy.

1970 - January 1 - Thursday

Another New Years day.  And plenty of snow.  Been watching the parades on T.V.

1971 - January 1 - Friday

Nice winter day : Watched some of the parades.  Clarence attended Anna Yeagers funeral this P.M [Anna Yeager 1876-1970 buried at Salamonia Cemetery, likely daughter of Henry Yeager & Mary Ellen Stuber].  We had roast chicken, dressing, mashed & sweet potatoes, celery, pickles, fruit salad & cookies for dinner.

----
Vera Delphene (Haley) Stuber was born 10 March 1890 in Jay County, Indiana, daughter of Eli Weldon & Cora Belle (Metzner) Haley.  She married 14 February 1915 in Jay County, Indiana to Clarence Leroy Stuber.  Vera died 17 June 1987 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana. Clarence was born 4 February 1891 in Jay County, Indiana, son of Henry and Margaret (Metzger) Stuber.  Clarence died 20 May 1981 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  They had no surviving children. 

No Genealogical Resolutions

There will be no genealogical resolutions made for this blog for the year 2020 for a number of reasons. Namely, I'm terrible about keeping up with the blog, as evidenced by the lack of recent posting activity.  Making a resolution and then failing to keep it would just end up adding more unnecessary guilt to my pile.  Believe me, there is enough baggage in life with adding to the stress of trying to hit a genealogical goal.

There are so many blogging themes, such as '52 Ancestors' that I've started and stopped over the years that I've just decided no longer to beat myself up over failure to complete.

I do have a number of post ideas rattling around in my head that I need to take the time to make a start on.  There have been some progress in the past few months on my research - namely the DNA front, which should be told.  Christmas brought me a new, easier-to-use scanner that is allowing me to convert a lot of paper to digital as well.

Additionally, I do hope to 'jump start' my research by taking a hard look at some of the data I've accumulated and making sure that I'm prepared to pass it on to the next generations.  I'm at the mid-point in my life, and if there is no successor on the horizon, I want to be sure the research is readily available.

Here's to wishing you all Peace and Prosperity in the New Year....

Updating Burial Location Information in My RootsMagic Database

It has been awhile since I've updated on how the family history work is going.  While work has kept me busy, I have managed to begin updating and adding to my RootsMagic database by utilizing the WebHints to add burial locations for individuals.  Many have been found where I had a death location, but hadn't added a burial record.

Utilizing sites such as FindAGrave or Billongraves, I've managed to find additional clues for research about families and have added them to my working file for later research.

In RootsMagic, I began this by setting my search criteria to show me individuals with a a Death date that was after 2000 and whose Burial fact was false.  Working through the large database in this manner gave me some of the more recent generations to update.

Of course, not all of the individuals had WebHints that provided details about their burial location.  Some had hints at FindAGrave, but actually weren't buried, but were cremated.  This seems to have become a more popular option in recent years.  In those instances I've added the cremation information, if given.

Once I worked through the database for all deaths after 2000, then I moved back twenty years and began working individuals who had deaths after 1980.  Many of these individuals at FindAGrave had details linked to them regarding siblings and parents.  For those who were direct lines, I added the additional children's information.

By working backwards in this manner, I hope to be able to catch additional information on the recent generations, which in turn will help me better identify some of my DNA matches.

In my database, when a couple marries, I try to add the parents information for the spouses if known.  In so many cases, there are families that are intermarried and later I find out they were distant cousins.  This is particularly true in areas where my lines have stayed in the same geographical location for generations.  Additional children who are listed are entered if the line is one that I am researching as well.

As I work backwards in successive increments, I will catch family members I've missed on the first pass and increase the size of my database.  Mainly I'm been able to work on this early in the morning each day before I head out to work.

One thing to be aware of is that FindAGrave and Billiongraves provide information that is user submitted and often has errors with date transcriptions and birth/death information.  There have been some 'hints' that I've caught that are incorrect guesswork.  Like anything, it has to be examined.

Waiting on the Y-DNA Results

I took advantage of the Father's Day sales at FamilyTreeDNA to order the Y-37 marker test to explore my deep paternal ancestry.

I don't have enough time in the day to work on the autosomal results from the various testing companies, but I have been thinking about having a Y DNA test done for several years.

I'm not expecting any surprises, but I would be interested in seeing if I match with others in the Lemaster study to confirm the line of descent.  I had previously written about my paternal haplogroup here, from my test results at 23andMe.

With my paper-trail genealogy not being able to complete to my satisfaction the descent from Abraham Lemaster of St. Mary's County, Maryland.  The proposed line was described here initially, but given in more detail in this Surname Saturday post.  As always, I'm looking for additional information to tie the branches together.

Perhaps this Y-DNA test will help me determine whether or not my ancestor dropped out of the sky in 1804 Mason County, Virginia.

Sifting Through the DNA Matches

I continue to sift through mom's AncestryDNA matches, making identifications and grouping them into family groups using the shared matches feature.  I've been pleasantly surprised at how accurate and helpful this feature has been.

For each match that I can identify how they are connected with mom, I am looking at the shared matches and marking each of the shared matches with a note of my hypothesis of how they are connected.

For example, mom's maternal first cousin has tested at AncestryDNA, and their MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) couple would be Lambertson-Gilliland.  I am then theorizing that any of these shared matches between mom and her first cousin would also share ancestry somewhere along the upline of this couple.  In essence, this should give me places to expect to find the connection.

By taking a look at each of these 'shared matches' and seeing if they have a tree where I can make a connection, I can bolster my theory.  For those who do not have a complete tree, I can create a 'Quick & Dirty' tree at Ancestry to see if I can get the automated system to generate a tree back far enough to make a connection.

Depending on how far back the identified match goes, I could move shared matches 'up-the-line' as far the hypothesis goes for which branch they should be on. 

I have currently worked my way through all of my mom's DNA matches down to the 20 cM level.  I'm using that as my cut off for now.

What You'll Find on my Public Tree

I've hemmed and hawed through the years about whether to make my family tree at Ancestry public or keep it private.  I've finally decided that it should remain public, though I've added "Working File" to the title to make sure that fellow researchers know it is an evolving file.  I sync my RootsMagic database with Ancestry fairly regularly with my results.

I'm not getting any younger, and I want to make sure the research is out there for someone else to pick up the torch.  The link to my public tree is here. There are several types of information in my tree:

• Cumulative research on my direct family lines, started back in the 1980s when I was a young Boy Scout;
• The ancestry of my wife's family lines;
• The ancestry of my daughter's family lines (ex-wife's);
• The ancestry of my step-children's family lines;
• One name studies - such as LeMaster families that are either distantly or not yet connected to my main lines.
• Place name studies - such as records of related families in locales such as Madison or Jay Counties, Indiana where I have concentrations;
• Quick & Dirty trees of DNA matches that have undiscovered connections to my main lines (before I learned to keep them separate)

In a nutshell, there is a little bit of everything in my tree, which has grown quite large - over 40,000 individuals.  My citations and facts from RootsMagic are tied to the profiles in Ancestry, though I haven't uploaded documents in every case to attach.  Some of that I am hoping to get around to adding - I have Dropbox files for each surname of the families I am researching where I keep the images.

I'm hoping that by keeping it public, more researchers might reach out to me to share information.  What has been your experience with public versus private trees?

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Today in the United States it is Memorial Day, a day to remember and recognize those who have given the ultimate sacrifice while in military service to our country.  

Looking through my RootsMagic database, I found the following individuals who gave the ultimate sacrifice (undoubtably, not a complete list) :

• Daniel Beals (1822-1863), died in Louisville, KY while a member of Company A, 101st Indiana Infantry during the Civil War.  He was the son of Nathan C. & Elizabeth (Chew) Beals, making him my maternal 4th-great granduncle.
• Samuel Chew (c1743-1778), died in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War while serving in the Continental Navy.  He was the son of Thomas & Martha (Taylor) Chew, making him my maternal 7th-great granduncle. The USS Chew was named in his honor.
• Joseph Davis ( -1777), died in New York City after capture by the British on 13 Feb 1777, while serving in the 1st Regiment out of Monmouth, New Jersey.  He was the son of Thomas & Bethia (Maxson) Davis, making him my paternal 1st cousin 8 times removed.
• Johann Jacob Deutsch (1821-1863), died of yellow fever while serving in Company D, 13th Connecticut Infantry during the Civil War.  He was the 4th-great grandfather of my daughter, Corinne.
• John W. Duffey (1845-1863), died at Cumberland Gap while serving in Company G, 118th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War.  He was the son of Daniel L. & Susanna (Freese) Duffey, making him Eileen's 2nd-great granduncle.
• John Wesley King (1837-1865), died at Paducah, Kentucky while serving in Company G, 17th Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.  He was the son of William & Nancy (Owings) King, making him my maternal 3rd-great granduncle.
• John Cooper LeMaster (1934-1953), Marine Pfc., killed in action in Korea.  He was the son of Donald Cooper & Luella (Gibbons) LeMaster, making him my paternal 2nd cousin.
• Gurdon Lord Pierce (1841-1864), died at Cold Harbor while serving as Lt. of Company C, 112th New York Volunteers.  He was the son of Austin & Mary Ann (Sterlin) Pierce, making him my maternal 1st cousin 5 times removed.
• Reuben Sherman (1845-1864), died at Andersonville Prison while serving in 135th Ohio Infantry.  He was the son of Lorenzo & Sophia (Moulton) Sherman, making him my paternal 1st cousin 4 times removed.
• Frederick Charles Wildt (1921-1944), killed in action 20 Jul 1944 in France.  He was the son of Arthur & Anna Magdalena (Damm) Wildt, making him Corinne's great-granduncle.

Looking over this list, I am honored by their sacrifice and proud of their history.  Though I have the service records for some, there are many in this list that I need to document their time in service.

Categorizing Mother's AncestryDNA Matches

After the Indiana Genealogical Society's annual conference, where I heard some powerful lectures from Blaine Bettinger, I've been spending more time at AncestryDNA looking over my DNA matches.  In particular, I've been focusing on my maternal side matches, as that is where I hope the 120-year old mystery of June Gilliland's father might be solved.

Using some of the tools at AncestryDNA, I've been marking the matches that I can identify in a couple of ways. 

If I know the relationship, I am using the Note feature to add a note to the match that spells out the exact relationship.  This has come in handy when I've had to try to remember exactly how a match ties into a family.

These notes are edited when I click into the matches, but will also display the first couple of lines when I am at the main screen looking at all of mom's matches.

Another feature I've been using is the ability to color-code groups of matches.  Ancestry gives you a color palete and allows you to create groups of matches that you can use in any way you would like.  I've chosen to create groups based on ancestral couples, so I can tell in an instant what branches of ancestors the match shares with mom.

I use these groups to indicate the MRCA (Most Recent Common Ancestor) of the match.  For example, if the match shares, Charles Lambertson and Pearl Beals, then I group them in the Lambertson-Beals group, even though they might also fall into the more recent Lambertson-Gilliland group.

Using these features, I've been able to identify and catergorize several matches without having to reach out to them and ask them how we might be related - I'm able to figure out our common connections and can decide who to reach out to for more information at a later date.

Meeting Cousin Judy

Back in April, I had the opportunity to hear Blaine Bettinger speak at the Indiana Genealogical Society annual conference in Fort Wayne.  The talks on DNA and utilizing AncestryDNA to the fullest has inspired me to take an additional look at the matches on my mom's side in an attempt to solve the mystery of my maternal great-great grandfather.  

While at the conference, I was able to connect with my cousin and fellow researcher, Judy Hill.  Judy and I have been corresponding since around 1983 about the family history, and it was nice to finally meet in person.  She and I share a common ancestor in Mary Ellen Swafford (1854-1932).  Judy is my 2nd cousin twice removed, her grandmother was the half-sister to my great-grandmother.  Judy has done genealogy and DNA research for several years, recently helping as a search angel for solving DNA mysteries.  Hopefully, we can work together and she can give me some pointers on solving my mystery ancestor.

Cousin Judy Hill and me, IGS Conference, 2019

Excuse the sunburn in the photo, I had just returned the night before from a week in Florida.  Made the mistake of getting too much sun the first day at the beach. Somehow this year has seemed to just fly by, it's hard to believe it's Memorial Day weekend already. 

At the conference, I learned some valuable tips for researching my DNA matches - and a door prize - 6 months of Ancestry World subscription.  I never win door prizes, maybe this was a good sign.

Adding Relatives To My Tree Through the 1880 Census

While I haven't posted lately to the blog, it doesn't mean I haven't been actively researching the family tree.  My latest project has been to systematically work through my RootsMagic database and update/add to relatives from the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.

Why add relatives this way?

Not only am I able to make sure that I have a more complete picture of the lifetime of my immediate relatives, I've also been able to add additional descendants from family groups that are roughly in the time frame of my great-great grandparents.  Many of these families had not been traced down into the current generations, and by adding the newly found members to my database, I'm one step closer to tracing the lines down to the present day.  Doing so will come in handy as I continue to have 2nd-4th cousin matches through the various DNA testing sites whose connections I don't always immediately recognize.

Why the 1880 census?

The 1880 U.S. Federal Census was the first census to actually indicate the relationship to the head of the household.  While the 1850 census was the first to name all of the individuals listed in the household, the relationships were not spelled out.  Many assumptions have been made through the 1850-1870 census about the relationships to the family members which have later turned out to be incorrect.  For example, all of the children in the household with the same surname might not be children of the couple.  

How I'm doing this:

Using my RootsMagic database, I'm using the RootsMagic Explorer to search for anyone who was born before 1880 and died after 1880, as a starting point for relatives to search for.

Doing this gives me an individual to start with.  If I already have a 1880 census fact sourced for this individual, I move on.  However, if I don't, then I try to find them in the 1880 census using Ancestry.com based on the other facts I have about the family.

Note that there are many individuals I have in my database that should appear in the 1880 census, but I don't yet have enough identifying information (names of spouses/parents/children, etc.) in order to positively identify that the census record found matches the individual in my database.  In those instances, I have to skip them and move on to the next individual.

Creating the sources:

Once I've found a record for a relative, I create a census record fact and add it to my Master Source list at RootsMagic.  I then tie each individual who appears in the household to that event.  I am using the date that the census was enumerated on the page, rather than the standard June 1, 1880 date that was given as a guideline by the census department.  I find it interesting how many census takers were delayed in getting the actual rounds done in taking the census.  Of course, not all of them have the best handwriting either, so often I am having to use my best judgment on the spelling of a name if I cannot make it out clearly.

Who I'm including:

I'm adding all members of the household that I find, including boarders, servants and other non-relatives.  While this does add some "unconnected" members to my family tree in my database, one never knows what ties will later be found.  For instance, I've already discovered instances where the "servant" in the household was actually a relative (niece/nephew), but was not listed as such by the census taker.  Additionally, these individuals in the household are part of the FAN group (Friends, Associates & Neighbors) who may later interact through marriage or land dealings with your relatives.  It's better to include them when you find them rather than having to go back and add them in later.

Database Expansion:

Since my database is synched with my Ancestry Tree, each time I add an indvidual to my database that kicks off a whole series of 'hints' on that site for additional information as well.  I'm trying to not go down the path of chasing those bright shiny objects just yet.

Next Steps:

Right now, I'm searching my database for everyone who was born before 1880 and died after 1880 to including them in my search parameters.  Later, I will go back and exclude the death date parameter, as there are many in my database who I do not have a death date yet.  My thoughts are that by doing this process systematically, I will eventually have captured as many individuals as possible with a census fact for the 1880 census.

Then, the hope is to repeat this process working forward to the 1900 census or even backwards to the 1870 census.  The possibilities are only limited by my time and willingness to keep going.

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.

The Sawmiller, William P. Wehrly (1845-1909), 52 Ancestors # 15

The 15th Ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great grandfather, William P. Wehrly (1845-1909).  William is number 18 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 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

William was born November 2, 1845 in Preble County, Ohio^1,2. William was the youngest of a family of 9 children born to John S. and Barbara (Petry) Wehrly.  The Petrys & Wehrlys had migrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the early 1820s, settling first in Stark County and then in Monroe Township, Preble County, Ohio.

William was enumerated with his family in the 1850 census in Monroe Township, Preble County, Ohio³.  In 1854, his family moved to Jay County, Indiana, settling in Madison Township near Salamonia.  By the 1860 census, he was enumerated in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁴, where it was noted he had attended school within the year.

In October 1863, William enlisted as a Private in Company I in the 130th Indiana Regiment.  During his service, he was part of Sherman's march to the Sea and the battles at Nashville, Franklin and Atlanta.   I have his military and pension records and will make the subjects of future blog posts.  After the war, he returned to Salamonia where he married Olive Jane Smith on August 5, 1866^1,2.

Marriage record William P. Wehrly to Olive Jane Smith, Jay County, Indiana

There is a nice biographical write up of William's life in Biographical Memoirs of Jay County, Indiana, published in 1901.



Salamonia's sawmill was bought by William in 1876 and he operated it for a number of years, employing over a dozen men in the town.  I've often wondered how many of the houses in that tiny village were built with the lumber he milled.

1887 atlas of Jay County, map of Lancaster/Salamonia

If you enlarge the map, you can see that the saw mill was located just south of town near the river.  I would love to find a picture of what the mill looked like.

According to the biography, William was a well-respected man in Salamonia, and served as town treasurer for a number of years⁵.

William and Olive lived out their lives in the town and when William died on June 14, 1909⁶ he was buried in the Salamonia Cemetery.

Sources:

1. Brown, Walter L., "The Maxson Family, Descendants of John Maxson and Wife, Mary Mosher of Westerly, Rhode Island", 1954, page 123.
2. Wehrly, Blaine & Gladys, "Wehrly & Smith Family History." Report to Wehrly Reunion New Castle, Indiana, 16 August 1970. Photocopy held by Travis LeMaster.
3. 1850 U.S. census, Preble County, Ohio, population schedule, Monroe Township, dwelling 71, family 71; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com:accessed 30 August 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C.
4. John S. Whorley household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, page 9, Salamonia P.O., dwelling 59, family 59, National Archives micropublication M653, roll 269.
5. Biographical Memoirs of Jay County, Indiana, B.F. Bowen Company, Chicago, 1901.
6. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.
, Wm. P. Wherly, 6-14-1909, Jay County, 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 Doctor's Daughter, Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters (1847-1927), 52 Ancestors # 14

Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters

The 14th ancestor in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project is my paternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Keziah (Chew) Lemasters (1847-1927).  Mary is number 17 on my Ahnentafel list, and previously I've written about the details of her life in an Exploratory Data post.

I am descended through:

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

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

Mary was born February 13, 1847 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey^1,2, the daughter of Dr. E.C and Caroline B. (Woolston) Chew.  She was the oldest daughter of the family.

Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Ohio, where in 1850 they were living in Jackson Township of Montgomery County³.  By 1860, the family was living in Neave Township of Darke County, Ohio⁴, where her father was a doctor.

At age 17, Mary married Luman Walker Lemasters Jr. on October 2, 1864 at Versailles, Darke County, Ohio⁵. Luman was a Civil War veteran who had been discharged on May 4, 1864 due to injuries he had received in battle.  Luman had enlisted from Jay County, Indiana, which borders Darke County, Ohio to the northwest.  The distance between Versailles, Ohio and Portland, Indiana is about 52 miles.

While it is possible that the families knew each other before the war, my theory is that they met during Luman's convalescence, perhaps when Mary's father, Dr. Ezekiel Cooper Chew, was treating him for his war wounds.   Tax records show that E.C. Chew was listed as a physician on January 25, 1864 in Lancaster, Jay County, Indiana⁶.  Lancaster is the former name of the village of Salamonia, near where the Lemasters family was from.

After their marriage, the family alternated between living in Ohio and Indiana.  Their daughter Beulah was born in Ohio in 1865, but son Luman was born in Jay County, Indiana in 1867.  Mary and Luman lived in Darke County, Ohio, renting land where they were enumerated in 1870 in Allen Township⁷.  By 1876, they were back in Jay County when their son Ord was born, and the family was enumerated in 1880 in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana⁸.

Mary was the mother of 11 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood.  The family was affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church of Salamonia, and led to its organization in 1876.  As mentioned in the biography in the 1922 county history, Mary was a Sunday school teacher for several years.



When Mary died in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana on February 22, 1927², she was 80 years old.  She and her husband are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery.

Sources:

1. Mary K. Lemaster obituary, Commerial-Review, Portland, Indiana, February 22, 1927, page 1.

2. Mary K. LeMaster, death certificate Book H-8, page 144 (1927), Jay County Health Department, Portland, Indiana.

3. Ezekiel Chew household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, dwelling 901, family 901; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 714.

4. Ezekiel Chew household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Neave Township, Darke County, Ohio, dwelling 1166, family 1128, page 164.

5. Milton T. Jay, History of Jay County, Indiana: including its World War Record and Incorporating the Montgomery History (Indianapolis, Indiana : Historical Publishing Company, 1922), page 196.

6. 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; Chew, E.C., District 11, Monthly Tax Lists, January 1864.
7. Luman Lemasters household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Allen Township, Darke County, Ohio, North Star P.O., sheet 21, page 12, dwelling 79, family 79; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 1194
8. Walker Lemasters household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana, ED 161, SD 6, page 4, dwelling 47, family 48; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 287.
9. 

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.