Saturday, January 09, 2010

Family Milestones: January 9th

My maternal 4th-great grandmother, Hannah MILLS, was born on this date in 1833 in Morgan County, Indiana.  Hannah was the daughter of Henry and Hannah (WOODWARD) MILLS.   Hannah married August 11, 1855 in Monrovia, Morgan County, Indiana to Isaac S. POE, son of John W. and Elizabeth (RAINS) POE.  Isaac was born August 20, 1830 in Chatham County, North Carolina.  He served in Company E, 12th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War.  After the war, they moved to Norton County, Kansas.  They had 7 children.  Isaac died November 20, 1909 in Norton, Norton County, Kansas.  Hannah died March 9, 1914 in Norton, Norton County, Kansas.

Friday, January 08, 2010

52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge # 1

Amy Coffin at WeTree is challenging us again with weekly genealogy prompts to improve our genealogy research.  This week's challenge is : 
 
Go to your local public library branch. Make a note of the genealogy books in the collection that may help you gain research knowledge. Don’t forget to check the shelves in both the non-fiction section and the reference section. If you do not already have a library card, take the time to get one. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s genealogy collection.

Well, I've already blown it with this week's challenge - I could blame the snowy weather, but really I procrastinated until it was too late and then the snow hit.  So, I didn't make it into the local library, but I did find an interesting database they have online.

The Marion Public Library does have a really nice genealogy section, with a good selection of books not only from local sources but also quite a bit from other regions.  I've been there a few times, and will try to return in the near future to write up a blog post.  Today I want to highlight their database section.


Recently I discovered that they have put together a local genealogy database where I was surprised to find some information about distant relatives.  Although most of my direct family was not in the Grant County area, there were enough collateral lines that crossed paths here that I was able to find mention of their obituaries in the local paper, and with my wife's family records of marriages and cemetery records.

The records are very straightforward and easy to search.  Once you enter the database, you have the option to do wildcard searches and specify what type of records you are looking for.  I was surprised at the number of LEMASTER records that I was able to pull up in this database, some going back to the 1930s.  I thought that most of them would be far distance relatives, but I actually discovered the marriage of a 2nd cousin who was from Jay County took place over here.

Using this handy database, I was able to fill in some blanks on my wife's family and create a 'to-do' list of obituaries, etc. to copy the next time that I'm at this library.

Family Milestones: January 8th

My maternal 4th-great granduncle, Allen WARDLAW, married on this date in 1824 to Sally BROWN.  Allen was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (NESBIT) WARDLAW, and the older brother of my Anna WARDLOW.  Allen was born circa 1800 in Ohio.  I do not have the birth and death dates for Sally.  Allen died about 1854.  Nothing further is known at this time.

My paternal 6th-great grandmother, Judith SANBORN, was born on this date in 1715 in Hampton Falls, Province of New Hampshire.  Judith was the daughter of Enoch and Elizabeth (DENNETT) SANBORN.  Judith married December 26, 1734 in Hampton Falls, Province of New Hampshire to John PHILBRICK.  John was born May 26, 1712 in Hampton, Province of New Hampshire, the son of Thomas and Abigail (________) PHILBRICK.  They raised a family of 7 children.  John died on February 16, 1748 in Hampton Falls, Province of New Hampshire.  I do not have the death date for Judith.

My maternal 4th-great granduncle, Royal Storrs PIERCE, was born on this date in 1812.  Royal was the son of Gordon and Thirsa (SMALLEY) PIERCE, and the younger brother of my Francis S. PIERCE.  Royal married September 30, 1835 to Juliet MORTON.  Juliet was born September 11, 1809.  They had 3 children.  Royal died March 6, 1845 in Mina, New York.