Sunday, March 01, 2015

Census Sunday : Herbert Chew household, 1940, Oakland County, Michigan

My paternal first cousin 3 times removed, Herbert Christian Chew, was enumerated in the 1940 census in Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan.  He was living in Block 410 of the city, in a home he rented with his wife.

1940 U.S. census, Oakland County, Michigan, population schedule, Pontiac, enumeration district (ED) 63-87, SD 17, sheet 5D, household 118, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 March 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The family consisted of Herbert, aged 37 years old and his wife, Magdeline, aged 34.  Both were born in Indiana and had resided in the same place in 1935.  Herbert had completed four years of high school, and Magdeline had completed three years.

Herbert's occupation was listed as a foreman in an auto plant, and Magdeline's occupation was listed as a machinist in an auto plant.

Prior to this find, my latest information on Herbert was the 1920 census, when he was living in his father's household in Adams County, Indiana.  I do not have a record of his marriage, and will search Michigan records for it.  Several members of the Chew family had moved to Michigan.

Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Surname Saturday : Brown(e)

The BROWN(E) surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are English.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 1539 : Martha Brown (1699-1774).  Martha was born June 16, 1699.  She married William Fessenden (1694-1756) on January 4, 1728 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  William was born 1694 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  They had eight children.  William died May 26, 1756 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  Martha died February 23, 1774 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Ahnentafel # 3078 : Rev. Ichabod Brown (1666-    ). Ichabod was born September 5, 1666 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  He married Martha Woodbury (1677-    ) on May 31, 1693 in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  Martha was born in 1677 in Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts.  They had at least one daughter.  

Ahnentafel # 6156 : Thomas Browne married Martha Eaton.  Nothing further known.



Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Wordless Wednesday : Map of Salamonia, Indiana (1887)

Source : Atlas of Jay County, Indiana, 1887, Philadelpha, PA, Griffing, Gordon & Co.

This scan from the 1887 Atlas of Jay County, Indiana is of a map of Salamonia, Indiana, which was formerly known as Lancaster.   Since there was another Lancaster in Indiana, the post office there was known as Salamonia, the name which the village retains today.  This copy of the the atlas was at the public library in Portland, and I used my Flip-Pal scanner to scan and stitch the map.

Many members of my paternal family were from Salamonia and the surrounding Madison Township.  In this map, you can see the homestead of W.P. Wehrly due west of town, who was my paternal 2nd-great grandfather William P. Wehrly (1845-1909).  William P. also owned the sawmill in the southeast corner of town.  

I do not know exactly when he purchased the sawmill, that would be interesting to find out.  He was listed as a sawmiller in the 1880 census.