Today in my database : Isabella Feily (b. June 10, 1793)

Today's featured relative in my database is my maternal 5th-great grandmother, Isabella Feily, born June 10, 1793.

Isabella was born June 10, 1793 in Pennsylvania, of unknown parents. She married August 5, 1808 in Adams Co., OH to James Thomas Jacobs (b. May 20, 1789 Virginia, d. September 1, 1847 Brown Co., OH). Isabella died September 5, 1876 in Ohio, probably Brown Co.

I descend from their daughter, Elizabeth Jacobs, born June 30, 1811 in Adams Co., OH as follows:

Isabella Feily m. James Thomas Jacobs
Elizabeth Jacobs m. James R. Heaton
Rebecca Ann Heaton m. Joseph W. Wright
John William Wright m. Ellen King
Virgil Lee Wright m. Edna Muriel Pierce (my great-grandparents)

Right Under My Nose

Sometimes the best genealogical information is right under my nose. I'm in the middle of finishing up the scanning of several years worth of accumulation of paperwork, and noticing just how many tidbits of family history I've missed along the way.

For instance, today in looking at the Civil War pension papers of Nathaniel Derby Chew, I found that it contained certified transcripts from the family Bible of his father, Ezekiel Cooper Chew. Therein were full names (middle names, too) and birth and death dates that I simply had missed and did not yet have added to my Family Tree Maker database.

There is much for me to add to my database as I go through this information, source it and update my files, and it makes me wonder how many times I've tried to re-invent the wheel. Perhaps that key to unlocking a family mystery was already in my files all along, and I had overlooked it.

Today in my database : Francis S. Pierce (b. June 8, 1806)

Today's featured relative in my database is my maternal 4th-great grandfather, Francis S. Pierce.

Francis was born June 8, 1806 in Vermont, the son of Gordon & Thirsa (Smalley) Pierce. He married October 25, 1831 to Rebecca Page (b. August 18, 1806 New Jersey, d. June 26, 1893 Wayne Co., IN) in Wayne Co., IN. Francis died August 5, 1881 in Wayne Co., IN.

This Pierce line is connected to President Franklin Pierce.

I descend from Francis & Rebecca's son Edmund G. Pierce who married Catherine Groenendyke.

Remembering D-Day

Today is D-Day, the Normandy invasion by Allied troops during World War II. Too many people have forgotten the sacrifices of the 'greatest generation.' Please take a moment to honor the memories of those who gave their all for our freedom.

Visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at FindAGrave.com. There are two Lemasters listed there : William H. Lemaster and Stanley L. Lemaster, both from West Virginia. I know of no direct relationship, as of yet, to either of these men.

My daughter has a great-great uncle buried there, PFC Frederick C. Wildt of Evansville, IN.

Query : Adney Family

Seeking more information about the family line of Mary ADNEY (b. December 6, 1800, d. December 7, 1877 Henry Co., IN) who married Jacob RHINEHART (b. December 12, 1797, d. August 4, 1847 Henry Co., IN).

I show Mary as the daughter of Daniel ADNEY (b. January 12, 1777 Botetourt Co., VA, d. May 2, 1862 Union Co., IN) & Anna COGER. Show Daniel ADNEY as the son of Thomas ADNEY & Elizabeth DUNN.

My wife is descended from Mary ADNEY. Any information would be appreciated.

Obituary : Pearl M. Lambertson

From: Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, August 4, 1970

ELWOOD - Mrs. Pearl M. Lambertson, 92, who had resided at Rt. 1, Summitville, died at the Dickey Nursing Home at 10:30 a.m. Monday after after an illness of several months.

Born in Westfield, May 11, 1878, she was the daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth Beals. She was married in 1897 to Charles Lambertson who died in May 1958. She was a member of the Cicero Christain Church.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Copher and Fesler Funeral Home with Rev. Ralph Richardson officiating. Interment will be in the Cicero Cemetery. Friends may call at the mortuary today.

Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. Leona Carpenter and Mrs. Pauline Vanness both of Elwood and Mrs. Elizabeth Herschberger Rt. 1, Summittville; three sons, Clemon Lambertson, Anderson, Orville (Jack) Lambertson, Oroville, Calif., and Paul Lambertson, Elwood; 17 grandchildren; 43 great-grandchildren; and nine great-great-grandchildren.

Obituary : Cecilia M. Wright

From : Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, Tuesday, September 27, 1988

ELWOOD - Cecilia M. "Sissy" (Lambertson) Wright, 45, 1310 S. N St., Elwood, died Monday afternoon at Mercy Hospital following an extended illness.

She was born in Tipton and lived in Elwood most of her life. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Elwood, Beta Sigma Phi sorority and Women's Republican Club. She was formerly employed as the office manager at Elwood City Water Co.

She is survived by her husband, Eddie Joe Wright; a daughter, Lynne M. (Priest) Susaraba of Warsaw; a stepdaughter, Alycia Brown of Warsaw; her parents, Harold and Martha Lambertson of Elwood; a brother, Ronald Lambertson of Middletown; maternal grandmother, Margaret Phillips of Elwood; paternal grandfather, Clemon Lambertson of Anderson; and a granddaughter.

Arrangements are pending at Copher and Fesler Funeral Home.

Obituary : William McClelland Pierce

From : Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, Sunday, November 26, 1978

ALEXANDRIA - William "Mac" McClelland Pierce, 65, of Rt. 1, died Friday evening at Community Hospital, Anderson, after a long illness.

A native and lifelong resident of Alexandria, he retired in 1971 from Guide Division.

Funeral rites will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Noffze Funeral Home and burial will be in Park View Cemetery.

Friends may call at the mortuary after 4 p.m. Sunday. Masonic memorial rites will be at 7 p.m. Sunday. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Survivors include the wife, Geneva; three sons, Larry R. and Ronald L., both of Anderson, and William C. of Alexandria; four brothers, Charles D., Robert F., and P. Edmund, all of Alexandria, and James L. of Chicago; a sister, Nehersta Roberts of Los Angeles, Calif.; and six grandchildren.

He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Alexandria, a past worthy patron of OES 179, a past master of Masonic Lodge 235; a member of the Charter and Council Royal Arch Masons, Commandery 32 of Anderson; Scottish Rite Valley of Indianapolis and Murat Shrine at Indianapolis.

Obituary : Alberta Lambertson

From : Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, Sunday, May 15, 1977

ALEXANDRIA - Mrs. Alberta F. Lambertson, 67, former resident of Alexandria, died early Thursday at her home in Plant City, Fla., after a brief illness.

A native of Madison County, she lived at Plant City for the past seven years.

Surviving with her husband, Frank are two daughters, Miss Darleen Lambertson of Plant City, and Mrs. Virgil (Shirley) Patz of Alexandria; one son, Frank D. Lambertson of Summitville; a sister, Genevive Fettig of Hartford City; and other relatives.

Graveside services will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Park View Cemetery, Alexandria.

Friends may call after 7 p.m. today at the Karl M. Kyle Funeral Home, and until the hour of service Saturday.

Memorial Day Reflections

I spent a wonderful, but hot, Memorial Day yesterday placing flowers at my wife's grandparents graves at Center Grove Cemetery in Lincolnville. This cemetery is a well-kept, active cemetery, and I always enjoy wandering around looking at tombstones of my wife's family.

Once again, we ran into Mr. Bob Kendall, an elderly man who shared fascinating stories about the history of Lincolnville and Wabash County in general. He is a professor at IUPUFW, and told us that he is in the process of writing a book. Last year, after meeting him, I tried to locate more information about him and could not find him, joking I told my wife I thought he might have been an angel. But this year, there he was again, this time with his wife.

One thing I noticed this year at the cemetery was that no one had placed the US flag on the veteran's tombstones. How sad. Maybe there is no one to do so?

Today in my database : Barbara Petry (b. May 28, 1802)

Today's featured relative in my database is my paternal 3rd great-grandmother, Barbara Petry.

Barbara was born May 28, 1802 in York Co., PA, the daughter of George and Maria Catharina (Kaltreider) Petry. Barbara married in 1821 in Starke Co., OH to Johannes Wehrly (aka John S. Wehrly), son of Heinrich & Christina (Saubel) Wehrly. Johannes was born June 4, 1802 in York Co., PA, and died November 10, 1876 in Salamonia, Jay Co., IN. Barabara (Petry) Wehrly died August 27, 1880 in Salamonia, Jay Co., IN.

I descend from their youngest child, William P. Wehrly, born November 2, 1845 in Preble Co., OH.

Parkview Cemetery, Alexandria, Indiana

My co-workers think I'm bizarre, but I enjoy spending my lunchtime walking and photographing local cemeteries, and then posting the results at FindAGrave.com.

Yesterday, I spent time at Parkview Cemetery in Alexandria, Indiana, where several members of my family are buried. As I walk row by row, I'm photographing each tombstone I find. It's a slow process, but also a rewarding one, as I have discovered the final resting place for several relatives.

The results of my 'work' (or fun, as I would call it), can be found here. I would encourage everyone to photograph and preserve the tombstone records of our cemeteries before they are all gone.

Cyndi's List for Genealogy Bloggers

Cyndi's List has recently added a new category for genealogical blogging that has some interesting links. I will have to add some links to some of my favorites, right now an early favorite is Family Bibles - I've always wished that my own family's Bibles had been preserved. I know from reading pension records, that they did exist at one time for the Lemaster family, and I came close to obtaining the Chew family Bible a few years ago, but unfortunately, I am without these keepsakes.

Today in my database : Abraham Hazeltine (b. May 23, 1648)

Today's featured relative in my database is my maternal 9th great-grandfather, Abraham Hazeltine.

Abraham was born May 23, 1648 in Rowley, Essex Co., MA, the son of Robert Hazeltine. Abraham married Elizabeth Longhorne (b. September 23, 1649 Rowley, Essex Co., MA, d. March 29, 1704 Bradford, Essex Co., MA) on October 7, 1669 in Bradford, Essex Co., MA. Abraham died April 28, 1711 in Bradford, Essex Co., MA.

I descend from Abraham & Elizabeth's daughter Bethiah Hazeltine as follows :

Abraham Hazeltine & Elizabeth Longhorne
Bethiah Hazeltine & Thomas Spofford
Elizabeth Spofford & Bennett Field
Bethiah Field & Seth Pierce
Gordon Pierce & Thirsa Smalley
Francis S. Piece & Rebecca Page
Edmund G. Pierce & Catherine Groenendyke

Backing up my data

Just yesterday I finished burning backup CDs of my genealogy data & scans, something that I would recommend that everyone do from time to time. I had tried to get into the habit of doing a backup monthly, but have been lax as of late.

A couple of years ago, we started to have computer problems, and my wife tried to back up everything before she formatted the hard drive. Something went wrong, and I lost nearly two or three years of work. It was a tough lesson to learn.

As far as my scanning project goes, I'm partly through another box of paper. It's amazing the amount of material I've collected. Now I need to sit down and enter & source it in my database, while trying not to get sidetracked.

Obituary : Vivian Evans

From: Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, February 4, 1968

Elwood- Mrs. Vivian Evans, 78, of 1126 S. Anderson St., died Sunday at Mercy Hospital after a month's illness.
She was born April 1889 in Elwood to Dr. Daniel Sigler and Minerva Pierce Sigler. She was married in 1910 to William G. Evans who died in 1950.
Mrs. Evans was member of the First Presbyterian Church and belonged to the Westminster Circle of the church. She was a past president of that organization and was serving as secretary.
She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star 71 and had served as its treasurer for 17 years, she also belonged to the Past Matrons Club, of which she was secretary. She received the Award of Gold from the OES in 1964.
Survivors include a son, J. Daniel Evans, Elwood; two daughters, Mrs. Arthur (Rosanne) Stokes, of Elwood; and Mrs. Lawrence (Minerva Jane) Mills, of Munster, Ind., her step-mother, Mrs. Mary Sigler, and a half-brother, Daniel Sigler, both of Elwood; six grand children and four great-grandchildren.
The body was removed to the Dunnichay Funeral Home, where members of the OES will present their memorial ritual at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the First Presbyterian Church by the Rev. James G. Saint, pastor. Burial will be in Elwood City Cemetery.
The body will be taken to the church one hour before the funeral service.

Obituary : William Arden LeMaster

From: Anderson, IN Herald-Bulletin, October 17, 1978

Portland- William A. LeMaster, 54, Rt. 6, died Sunday afternoon at the Jay County Hospital. A farmer, he had also driven a school bus for the Jay County Corporation for 25 years.
Surviving with the wife, Wanda, are two sons, Charels and Daniel LeMaster, Portland; his father, John LeMaster Sr., Anderson; three sisters including Mrs. Ralph (Ardis) Bickel of Anderson, and four grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the United Church of Christ in Salamonia. Burial will be in the Salamonia Cemetery.

Today in my database : Thomas William Davis (b. May 15, 1719)

Today's featured relative in my database is my paternal 6th-great grandfather, Thomas William Davis.

Thomas was born May 15, 1719 in Westerly, Rhode Island, the son of John and Elizabeth (Maxson) Davis. Thomas married Tacy Crandall on December 8, 1737 in Westerly, Rhode Island. Tacy was the daughter of John & Mary (____) Crandall, and was born circa 1720 in Westerly, Rhode Island, died June 1, 1795 in White Day Creek, Monongalia Co., VA. Thomas died July 15, 1791 in White Day Creek, Monongalia, Co., VA.

I descend from Thomas & Tacy's daughter, Elisabeth Davis, who married Ephraim Maxson.
My line of descent is as follows :

Thomas Davis & Tacy Crandall
Elisabeth Davis & Ephraim Maxson
Jesse Maxson & Sarah Sutton
Prudence Maxson & William P. Smith
Olive Jane Smith & William P. Wehrly
Barbara Isabelle Wehrly & Luman Cooper LeMasters

Obituary : Pansy Timm

Source : Crawfordsville, IN Journal-Review, January 27, 1968

Mrs. Pansy Decker Timm, former resident of Crawfordsville, died at 8:40 p.m. Friday at the White County Hospital in Monticello.

She is survived by her husband, Raymond Timm of Monticello.

Other survivors include two sons, Gene Decker of Danville, Ind., and Wilbur R. Decker of Crawfordsville; a daughter, Mrs. Wandalee Purcell of Lynwood, Calif.; seven stepchildren, and several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Monticello Presbyterian Church. Rev. Wallace McDonald will officiate. Gravesite services will be conducted at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Freedom Baptist Cemetery near Waveland. Friends may call at the Anfenberg Funeral Home in Monticello after 4 p.m. Monday.

Pansy was the sister of my great-grandmother June Davis.

Obituary : Helen B. Lambertson

Source : Anderson (IN) Herald-Bulletin, Sunday, September 1, 1996

Helen B. Lambertson, 85, Anderson, died Aug. 30, 1996 at St. John's Health System after an extended illness.

She was born Jan. 11, 1911, in Linwood and resided in Anderson all of her live[sic]. She graduated from Elwood High School in 1929 and completed Indiana Business College in Anderson. She was married to Ralph E. Fisher in 1931 until his death in 1951, and Clemon B. Lambertson until his death in 1994.

She was a legal secretary for several prominent in Anderson for more than 40 years, retiring in 1973. Some of these attorneys were Ellison and Neff, Judge Harold Achor, Everett McDaniels, Ralph Mattingly and Joan Bashaw Gregg. She also worked in the Madison County Assessor's Office under Dovie A. Canaday.

She was a member of Bethany Christian Church and dearly loved her family and friends. She also enjoyed birds and at one time was a breeder of parakeets.

Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Betty and John Barger of Anderson; a grandson, Brent and Shirley Barger of Anderson; two granddaughters and spouses, Valerie and Daniel Rodrigue[sic] of Wasila, Alaska, and Lorelei and Neal Maggart of Lapel; and three great-grandchildren, Lor Douglas and Lisa Barger, both of Alexandria, and Allen McCoy of Lapel.

She was preceeded in death by her parents, Levi and Maud Duncan; a sister, Georgia Ruth Duncan; her first husband, Ralph E. Fisher; her second husband, Clemon B. Lambertson; and a great-grandchild, Duncan Alexander McCoy.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Guilkey & Herider Mortuary with Robert Bell officiating. Burial will be at Elwood Cemetery.

Visitation will be after 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bethany Christian Church in her memory.