Genealogy is Like Love

Genealogy is like love - it is nothing until you give it away.

The reason for this blog, for doing genealogy in general, is to share with others.  Whether they are family members, future generations or as of yet unknown cousins, I want to be able to share and learn from my family history.  As a rule, the genealogical community shares my beliefs that family information is best shared and not hoarded.

Which is why I was pleased this Thanksgiving weekend to be able to help, in some small part, in spreading the love of genealogy.  Thanks to Facebook, I was contacted by a gentleman who had found one of my posts on the particular family and contacted me.  While he was not related to this family, he had been helping a friend trace their family and had come up against a brick wall, and wanted to know if I could help.  Sharing my phone number, we soon were chatting over the phone and I was able to fill in some blanks, and later sent emails with the missing information for his friend.

The reason this friend was having so much difficulty in getting beyond her grandfather was due to a change in the family surname.  This slight change in the surname occurred shortly after a family scandal involving a murder/suicide.  As most family scandals go, this one was a pretty big one.  When I was first told of the murder/suicide by another researcher several years ago, that particular researcher advised that the facts of the murder/suicide were unknown in the current generation and unspoken by earlier generations.  Mind you, this event took place in 1896!  Over 100 years later, and there were still those who would want to "hide" the truth in order to "protect" someone.  Just who they would be protecting was not clear.

In all my years of researching my family, I have found several of these "scandals" in the family.  Many that would have been scandalous in their time are simply ho-hum today.  The facts are stubborn things, particularly in a genealogy.  No matter how unpleasant, we have a duty to record the facts as they occurred.  If someone reads my blog and wants to judge me for the supposed failings of my ancestors, there is nothing I can do about it.  Besides, the divorces, suicides, arrests, etc. are what make the newspapers.  Without these sensational stories, what would the genealogist have to report about?

Funny thing is, non-genealogists who gather at family reunions, etc. want to know about the famous and infamous ancestors and the interesting facts about their lives.  The ancestor who always paid his taxes, loved his family and worked hard all his life, yet left few records gets a short shrift to the ne'er-do-well relative who is in and out of jail, married four times and dies in a bar room brawl.  People are people, and our ancestors were no different.  To try to sugar coat the truth and protect the innocent of today from the embarrassing actions of someone you share DNA with that occurred over 100 years ago seems an exercise in futility to me.

I am no more responsible for the actions or lack of actions of my ancestors than I am for my next door neighbor.


Share those family stories and facts so that the truth is not lost to future generations, no matter how unpleasant.  Besides, the dead cannot be embarrassed, only the living.

Marriage: Galen Miller to Mary Annettie Haley

My paternal greataunt, Mary Annettie HALEY and Galen H. MILLER were married on August 23, 1917 in Jay County, Indiana.  


Mary was born August 23, 1895 in Jay County, Indiana, the daughter of Eli Weldon and Cora Belle (METZNER) HALEY.  Galen was born November 11, 1894 in Jay County, Indiana, the son of George and Marietta (HEARN) MILLER.


Galen was a farmer and grocer in New Corydon, Portland and Muncie.  He died July 6, 1973 in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana.  Mary died December 4, 1987.  Both are buried in the Elm Ridge Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana.

Family Milestones: November 28th

My paternal great-granduncle, Blaine Pearl WEHRLY, married on this date in 1909 to Ermina Gladys ASHCRAFT in Jay County, Indiana.  Blaine was the son of William P. and Olive Jane (SMITH) WEHRLY, and the younger brother of my Barbara Isabel WEHRLY.  Blaine was born August 31, 1884 in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.  Ermina was born March 5, 1889 in Wabash Township, Jay County, Indiana, the daughter of William Stevenson and Blanche Bertha (LEWIS) ASHCRAFT. In 1930 census they were living in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  Need further research after 1930.

My paternal 5th-great grandaunt, Magdalena ERB, married on this date in 1780 to David BRICKER.  Magdalena was the daughter of Jacob and Magdalena (SCHWARTZ) ERB, and the older sister of my Barbara ERB.  I do not know if she was born in Switzerland or in Pennsylvania.  Magdalena and David had at least 5 children, but nothing further is known.

My paternal 2nd-great granduncle, John Stevens LEMASTERS, married on this date in 1881 to Sarah I. WILSON in Jay County, Indiana.  John was the son of Luman Walker and Nancy (YOUNG) LEMASTERS, and the younger brother of my Luman Walker LEMASTERS Jr.  John was born April 22, 1855 in Jay County, Indiana.  Sarah was born September 1859 in Indiana.  They raised a family in St. Paul, Howard County, Nebraska.  I have nothing further on them past the 1920 census.

My maternal 3rd-great grandaunt, Mary S. LAMBERTSON, married on this date in 1863 to Samuel SNIVELY in Butler County, Ohio.  Mary was the daughter of John and Sarah A. (WILLSON) LAMBERTSON, and the older sister of my Carey W. LAMBERTSON.  Mary was born December 25, 1840 in Franklin County, Indiana. Samuel was born August 1842 in Ohio.  After their marriage they resided Butler County, Ohio and Madison County, Indiana.  Further research needs to be done to determine their dates of death.

My maternal 7th-great grandfather, Samuel HEATON, was born on this date in 1681 in Wrentham, Massachusetts.  Samuel was the son of Nathaniel HEATON.  He married December 10, 1706 in Wrentham, Massachusetts to Susan HAWES.  They had at least 9 children.  Samuel died between 1735 and 1737.