Thursday, October 07, 2010

Beals & Hinshaw: Buggies and Wagons: Westfield, Indiana

Source: Postoffice Directory of Hamilton County, Indiana; 1893-94; Ledger Book and Job Print, Noblesville, Indiana, page 49.

I found this advertisement listing the business venture of my maternal 3rd-great grandfather, Nathan Thomas BEALS (1856-1915).  It was nice to find a record of him during the 1890's in Hamilton County, Indiana.

Previously, in 1885 census he was living in Humboldt, Richardson County, Nebraska where his occupation was listed as school teacher.  The 1900 census in Jackson Township, Hamilton County, Indiana lists him as a dealer in hardware.

Earlier I had posted about his obituary and his death in Arkansas.  There are many mysteries about this man yet to be discovered.

I have not yet identified the relationship with A.S. HINSHAW.  However, there was a Beals-Hinshaw connection, as Nathan's sister, Elizabeth, married Solomon Hinshaw in Hamilton County, Indiana.  It was their sons, Ed and Luther, that Nathan was involved with in the sawmill business in Arkansas.

He was referred to often in the records as simply "N.T. Beals".  

Nathan Thomas BEALS was born February 17, 1856 in Westfield, Hamilton County, Indiana, the son of John T. and Mary (DAVIS) BEALS.  He married September 26, 1876 in Hamilton County, Indiana to Elizabeth Caroline POE, daughter of Isaac S. and Hannah (MILLS) POE.  Nathan died February 16, 1915 in Leola, Grant County, Arkansas and is buried in the Cicero Cemetery, Hamilton County, Indiana.



Wednesday, October 06, 2010

What Happened to Grandma's Babies?

Until I started digging more deeply into the census records, I was sure that I had written down everything about the family group that was my maternal 2nd-great grandparents, John William and Ellen (KING) WRIGHT.  I always knew that my great-grandfather, Virgil, had a younger brother named Chester Arthur, who went by the name "Mike".  End of story, right?


The census records tell a slightly different story, beginning with the 1900 census of Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana.  Ellen WRIGHT is a wife, aged 31, married for 14 years and the mother of children, 2 of them living.  So that means that one of her children was deceased by 1900.  In the 1910 census of the same township, Ellen is aged 41, married for 24 years and the mother of 4 children, 2 of them living.  So sometime between 1900-1910 there was another child that was born and died.


I'm now seeking two additional children for this family:
Unknown child # 1: born between 1888 (marriage date) and 1900 census; died before 1900 census
 Unknown child # 2: born between 1900 census and died before 1910 census.


Who are these additional children?  Are their names lost to time?  There are no headstones in the local cemetery.  No one has included them in any family group sheets I've ever seen for this family.  There is no known Bible record that shows who these babies might have been.


A search of the birth records indexed by the WPA has been negative for any WRIGHT that would match this family.  Likewise for the death records. Indiana law required the recording of births in 1882.  However, compliance with the law was sketchy up until around 1900.  These births probably took place at home during this time period.


My best bet would be to find a mention in a local newspaper, but alas, the local paper in Alexandria at the public library starts with 1905.


Any clues on where to begin to find these babies?

Sunday, October 03, 2010

The first wife of Edmund G. Pierce (1837-1875)

My maternal 3rd-great grandfather, Edmund G. PIERCE, was married on October 17, 1858 in Preble County, Ohio to Lydia DUELL, daughter of Joshua and Abigail (BORTON) DUELL.  Lydia was born March 26, 1838 in Pilesgrove, New Jersey.

Edmund and Lydia's marriage was short-lived, as she died September 14, 1860, according to her tombstone, and is buried in the West Grove Cemetery, Centreville, Wayne County, Indiana.  The Borton/Duell family Bible record, however, records her death as "Lydia B. Pierce departed her life the fifteenth of the eight month 1860".

Lydia's family were Quakers, and I haven't found any evidence that Edmund was, though I do not know what faith the Pierce family was.

Ancestry user oregontrailgal has provided me with information from the Bible, and has posted the information online.

I have yet to find the family in the 1860 census.  They could be in either Preble County, Ohio or Wayne County, Indiana.  Edmund was living in Wayne County, Indiana in the 1850 census.  After Lydia's death, he married Catherine GROENENDYKE in 1864 in Madison County, Indiana - my line.

Preble County, Ohio and Wayne County, Indiana are both border counties, so I will have to continue to search for records in both places.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Historic Quaker Cemetery Disturbed

From across the Rootsweb mailing list for Hamilton County, Indiana comes the following disturbing news:


In the early-mid 1960's the Westield Women's Club embarked in a "beautification project" that resulted in the removal and stacking of the grave markers in the Westfield Old Friends Cemetery on south Union Street. They contacted Conner Prairie and offered them the stones but were told that the museum wasn't interested in any stones with dates of death after 1836. When a few interested citizens learned of the "project" and expressed their dissatisfaction with the treatment of this graveyard the stones were re-set in four rows on the back of the cemetery along with a single marker with the names of all known burials and a marker commemorating the civil war veterans buried there. All of the burials remained in place with no way of determining the exact location of the dead, since the markers ahd been moved from their original locations.

Fast forward to 2010:

The City of Westfield Parks Department has commenced construction of a new park to be named the Old Friends Memorial Park on the property. This will include constructions of walls, trail ways and water fountains. Initial demolition in the northwest end of the property has already yielded intrusion into a grave. A backhoe sits on top of graves ready to disturb more graves. All of this is within the rights of the City of Westfield as a municipality. The Hamilton County Cemetery Commission is initiating action to at least bring a pause to this project for further consideration by the Westfield city government.

If you are interested in genealogy in Hamilton County and share our dismay that a local municipality would show such utter disregard for the remains of our ancestors, please contact the City of Westfield Parks Director, Melody Jones, at (317)804-3100 and share your displeasure with this project. You may write Ms. Jones at 2728 E. 271st Street, Westfield, IN 46074. In an election year, disfavor expressed about an issue like this goes a long way.

Bob Goode
Hamilton County Cemetery Commission

You can read more about this discovery covered by the local Fox affiliate here.

So many cemeteries have been lost to time and/or development, and the story about this one hits home because I discovered I had ancestors buried there.


A listing of some of the burials known to have taken place at the cemetery are listed on the Indiana Genweb.  Among those buried there are my maternal 5th-great grandparents, John W. and Mary (BARKER) DAVIS.  


In looking over the list of names at the cemetery, I see many Quaker names that I recognize as relatives, including: Baldwin, Bales, Barker, Davis, Hiatt, Jessup and Stout.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

John Beals: Bank of Westfield, Indiana


Source: Postoffice Directory of Hamilton County, Indiana; 1893-94; Ledger Book and Job Print, Noblesville, Indiana; page 47.

My maternal 4th-great grandfather, John T. BEALS (1827-1917), was listed as serving on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Westfield in Westfield, Hamilton County, Indiana.  I located this directory in the Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville, Indiana.

I was unaware of his involvement with this bank until this discovery, and will have to do some more research into the nature of his involvement. Previously, I had located articles about his grandson's involvement with a banking scandal in Hamilton County.  

John Beals was a Civil War veteran in Company A, 101st Regt., Indiana Volunteers and a farmer in Hamilton County after the war.  He also was elected in 1892 to serve as Hamilton County Assessor.

John was born June 25, 1827 in Clinton County, Ohio, son of Nathan C. and Elizabeth (CHEW) BEALS.  He married April 19, 1848 in Hamilton County, Indiana to Mary DAVIS, daughter of John W. and Mary (BARKER) DAVIS.  John died September 18, 1917 in Sheridan, Hamilton County, Indiana and is buried in the Summit Lawn Cemetery, Westfield, Indiana.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Obituary Omissions

Sometimes the newspaper makes a mistake, other times perhaps the family is so distraught that incomplete information is given.  


An example is my maternal great-grandmother's obituary in the March 5, 1968 Anderson Herald.


Funeral Services Set For Muriel Wright

ALEXANDRIA - Funeral rites for Mrs. Muriel Wright, 71, wife of Virgil Wright of Rt. 3, have been arranged for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Christian Church.  The Rev. Eugene Lamport will be the minister in charge. Interment will be in the Parkview Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the Karl M. Kyle Funeral Home after 2 p.m. today, and the Eastern Star Chapter will conduct memorial rites there at 8 p.m. today.

Mrs. Wright died Sunday noon at Community Hospital in Anderson after an extended illness.

A lifelong resident here, she was born in Alexandria, Feb. 16, 1897, to William F. and Clara Penniston Pierce.  She was married to Mr. Wright in 1915.  She was a member of the Christian Church, Order of the Eastern Star, Alexandria Chapter 179 and the Rebekah Lodge.

Surviving are the husband; two daughters, Mrs. Clara Ellen High and Mrs. Barbara Webster, both of Alexandria; a sister, Mrs. Nehersta Roberts of Santa Monica, Calif.; five brothers, McClelland, Charles, Eddie, and Bobby Pierce, all of Alexandria, and Jimmy Pierce of Indianapolis; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
For some reason, my grandfather, William Lee WRIGHT, her only son, was not listed at all in the obituary.  Someone who didn't know better might think that he was deceased at the time.

Family Milestones: September 27th

My maternal 5th-great granduncle, Joseph WRIGHT, married on this date in 1818 in Brown County, Ohio to Clarissa GARDNER.  Clarissa's parentage is unknown.  Joseph was the son of John and Sarah (FLEMING) WRIGHT, and the younger brother of my George WRIGHT.  Joseph was born January 26, 1798 in Kentucky.  Clarissa was born circa 1800 in New York.  They had at least one child.  Clarissa died January 29, 1882 in Brown County, Ohio.  Joseph died December 13, 1856 in Brown County, Ohio.


My maternal 6th-great grandparents, Nicholas KIMMER and Sarah FAYLER, were married on this date in 1784 in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Nicholas was born circa 1763.  Sarah's date of birth and death are unknown.  Nicholas served in the Revolutionary War.  They had 11 children.  Nicholas died October 19, 1841 in Fayette County, Indiana.


My maternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Daisy L. WRIGHT, married on this date in 1890 in Madison County, Indiana to Thomas A. FOX, son of Phillip and Mary Susanna Katherine Jane (RECTOR) FOX.  Daisy was the daughter of Joseph W. and Rebecca (HEATON) WRIGHT, and the younger sister of my John W. WRIGHT.  Daisy was born June 1873 in Madison County, Indiana.  Thomas was born September 1869 in Madison County, Indiana.  They had 4 children and lived in Madison County.  Thomas died February 1, 1926 in Madison County, Indiana.  Daisy was still living after the 1930 census.


My maternal 5th-great granduncle, William J. JACOBS, married on this date in 1821 in Brown County, Ohio to Zoa WILKS.  Zoa's parentage and dates of birth and death are unknown.  William was the son of William and Sibell (LITTEL) JACOBS, and the younger brother of my James Thomas JACOBS.  William died June 23, 1879 in Brown County, Ohio.  Nothing further is known at this time.


My paternal 4th-great grandaunt, Barbara SHERRICK, was born on this date in 1785 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Barbara was the daughter of David and Barbara (ERB) SHIRK, and the younger sister of my David SHERRICK.  Barbara died July 13, 1851 in Coles County, Illinois.  Nothing further is known at this time.


My paternal 6th-great grandaunt, Rebecca HAINES, was born on this date in 1744 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Rebecca was the daughter of Jeremiah and Hannah (BONNELL) HAINES, and the younger sister of my Robert HAINES.  Rebecca married June 7, 1775 in Burlington County, New Jersey to John WHITE, son of Josiah and Rebecca (FOSTER) WHITE.  John was born September 9, 1747.  They had 6 children.  John died August 21, 1785.  Rebecca died March 22, 1826 in Mauch Chunk, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Family Milestones: September 26th

My paternal 6th-great granduncle, John MAXSON, married on this date in 1724 in Westerly, Rhode Island to Thankful RANDALL, daughter of Matthew and Eleanor (UTTER) RANDALL.  John was the son of John and Judith (CLARKE) MAXSON, and the younger brother of my Bethia and Elizabeth MAXSON.  John was born April 21, 1701 in Westerly, Rhode Island.  Thankful was born circa 1701.  They raised 10 children in Westerly.  John died in 1786 in Westerly, Rhode Island.


My maternal 3rd-great grandparents, Nathan Thomas BEALS and Elizabeth Caroline POE, were married on this date in 1876 in Hamilton County, Indiana.  Nathan was the son of John T. and Mary (DAVIS) BEALS.  Elizabeth was the daughter of Isaac S. and Hannah (MILLS) POE.  Elizabeth was born September 26, 1856 in Morgan County, Indiana.  Nathan was born February 17, 1856 in Westfield, Hamilton County, Indiana.  They lived in Hamilton County, Indiana and Richardson County, Nebraska and raised 3 children.  Elizabeth died September 27, 1935 near Greentown, Howard County, Indiana.  Nathan died February 16, 1915 in Leola, Grant County, Arkansas.


My maternal 7th-great grandmother, Johanna KOUWENHOVEN, was born on this date in 1695 in Brooklyn, New Amsterdam.  Johanna was the daughter of Pieter Willemse and Patience (DAWS) VAN KOUWENHOVEN.  Johanna married circa 1720 to Johannis ANTONIDES.  Johannis was born March 28, 1683 in Franeker, Netherlands.  They had 4 children.  Johanna died after 1743 in Freehold, New Jersey.


My maternal 6th-great grandaunt, Mary HEATON, was born on this date in 1709.  Mary was the daughter of Samuel and Susan (HAWES) HEATON, and the older sister of my John HEATON.  Nothing further is known at this time.

Great-Grandma Made the Funnies (sort of)



While searching through the newspaper collection on Ancestry.com in the Anderson Herald of Anderson, Indiana for mention of my maternal great-grandmother, Edna Muriel WRIGHT, I came across the following panel from the Mary Worth strip from 1963.


I wonder how many friends and family members may have cut this out of their papers and sent it to my great-grandmother.  

Pallbearers similar to baptismal witnesses

Pallbearers are similar to baptismal witnesses in the sense that they are usually close relatives.  When you find them listed in funeral notices in newspapers, checking out the family dynamics can lead to further clues regarding relationship, residency, etc.


A recent example I discovered was the notice of the funeral of Miss Nellie Fox in the Anderson Herald (Indiana) published December 14, 1954:





ALEXANDRIA - Last rites for Miss Nellie Fox, formerly of this city, were conducted Saturday in the Gipe, Williams and Kyle Chapel. The Rev. Robert T. Huber, First Christian Church pastor, officiated the services.


Pallbearers were Welcome Tuxford, Fred King, Fred Wright, Virgil Wright, Chester Wright, Herman Pierce. Burial was in Park View Cemetery.

 Nellie Fox was the daughter of Thomas A. and Daisy L. (WRIGHT) FOX.

 Fred King was the son of Suman Douglas and Amanda Louisa (FOX) KING, and a 1st cousin to Nellie.

 Fred Wright was the son of Charles R. and Bertha C. (LEONARD) WRIGHT, and a 1st cousin to Nellie.

 Virgil Wright was the son of John W. and Ellen (KING) WRIGHT, and a 1st cousin to Nellie.

 Chester Wright was the son of John W. and Ellen (KING) WRIGHT, and a 1st cousin to Nellie.

 Herman Pierce and Welcome Tuxford were not related by blood to Nellie Fox.  However, Herman Pierce was the brother-in-law of Virgil Wright.  I'm not sure who Welcome Tuxford was.


Saturday, September 25, 2010

Family Milestones: September 25th

My paternal 2nd-great granduncle, Abel Woolston CHEW, married on this date in 1862 in Greenville, Darke County, Ohio to Salome H. HOLDEMAN.  Abel was the son of Dr. Ezekiel Cooper and Caroline Bishop (WOOLSTON) CHEW, and the older brother of my Mary Keziah CHEW.  Salome's parentage is unknown.  Abel was born November 11, 1843 in Blackwood, Gloucester County, New Jersey.  Salome was born November 1844 in Ohio.  Abel was a teacher and farmer.  They raised 10 children and lived in Charlevoix County, Michigan.  Abel died January 6, 1903.

My maternal 3rd-great grandaunt, Clarissa A. WRIGHT, married on this date in 1878 in Brown County, Ohio, to William Henry BALLEIN.  Clarissa was the daughter of John and Anna (WARDLOW) WRIGHT, and the younger sister of my Joseph W. WRIGHT.  William's parentage is unknown.  Clarissa was born March 29, 1856 in Brown County, Ohio.  William was born January 1847 in Ohio. They had 2 children and lived in Brown County, Ohio.  William last known living after 1900 census in Washington Township, Brown County, Ohio.  Clarissa died September 27, 1884 in Brown County, Ohio.

My paternal 2nd-great granduncle, Hosea Tillson SMITH, was born on this date in 1849 in Cass County, Michigan.  Hosea was the son of William P. and Prudence (MAXSON) SMITH, and the younger brother of my Olive Jane SMITH.  Hosea served in the Civil War in the 11th Indiana Cavalry.  He married Mary ______. Hosea died in Jackson County, Oregon.  Nothing further is known at this time.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Do Name Collectors Have a Place at the Table?

Are you a Name Collector or a Genealogist?  Can one be both?  A debate seems to be raging in the genea-blogosphere, and the recent post by Karen at Genealogy Frame of Mind has me wondering what place a “name collector” has at the genealogical table. A good definition of the differences between a Name Collector and a Genealogist is presented by Elyse at Elyse's Genealogy Blog.

When I first started out researching my family history, I was around 12-13 years of age.  My dad had done some research on the family, and I decided that I would pick up where he left off.  This was in the early 80s, back when I used a Commodore 64 (remember those?) to organize my genealogy.

At the time, I was entering names and dates into the computer without regard to proper citation of my sources. One of my ancestors had completed a genealogy on the BEALS family in my maternal line; my dad had obtained a genealogy of the LEMASTER line as well.  Names and dates went into the database without a thought of citing where I obtained the information, or more importantly – evaluating the quality of the data in those books.

So in those early days, I was definitely a Name Collector.

These days I would consider myself a Family Genealogist – that is, I do try to document and cite my sources as accurately as possible.  I try to correct gaps in my database as often as I can in order to make my research as complete as possible.  However, there is still quite a residue in my database from my Name Collector days.  Sometimes, even today, I can get carried away by a new discovery and fail to properly document the information, believing that I will “remember” and go back to add the source later.  It is a continuing struggle to not get ahead of myself.

I have an online version of my family tree database stored at WorldConnect.  My database contains a warning to those who would sample the information. There are errors and omissions, as well as undocumented facts presented.  I appreciate it when someone takes the time to correct my data with a post-em or sends me an email.  If I do not have the source of the documentation, I apologize and let them know right away.  Am I part of the problem?  Does my database create too much “white-noise” out there that causes disdain from true genealogists?

When I find information about a family online that I am researching that is un-sourced, I treat the information as a clue and seek to prove/disprove the information presented.  Many times these tidbits of undocumented information can lead to breakthroughs that will tear down a brick wall.  I treat this information much in the same way I treat the published genealogies out there that are nothing more than a collection of names, dates and facts without any sources listed.

As I transition from a Name Collector to a full-fledged Genealogist, I am not bothered by those who are Name Collectors.  Perhaps they are just starting out – or perhaps they haven’t matured beyond this stage.  Either way, I find that I have enough genealogical “sins” of my own to worry about chastising others for their failings. 

Family Milestones: September 24th

My paternal 4th-great grandaunt, Beulah Haines WOOLSTON, married on this date in 1829 in Burlington County, New Jersey to Daniel DEACON, son of Daniel and Margaret (RIDGWAY) DEACON.  Beulah was the daughter of Samuel and Hannah (HAINES) WOOLSTON, and the younger sister of my Rachel WOOLSTON. Beulah was born December 24, 1810 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Daniel was born May 20, 1808 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  They had 5 children.  Daniel died June 13, 1866 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Beulah's death date is unknown.


My maternal 2nd-great grandaunt, Jessie PENISTEN, married on this date in 1920 in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana to Lawrence SPENCE, son of Thomas and Suzan (BERRY) SPENCE.  Jessie was the daughter of John and Jane (ALDERMAN) PENISTEN, and the younger sister of my Clara PENISTEN.  Lawrence was born January 18, 1863 in Madison County, Indiana.  Jessie was born September 9, 1870 in Madison County, Indiana.  Lawrence was an Army veteran of the Spanish-American War and the Phillipine Insurrection.  Lawrence died March 29, 1961 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana.  Jessie died February 27, 1948 in Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana.  Both are buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana.


My paternal great-grandaunt, Edith Mabel LeMASTERS, was born on this date in 1879 in Jay County, Indiana.  Edith was the daughter of Luman Walker and Mary Keziah (CHEW) LeMASTERS, and the younger sister of my Luman Cooper LeMASTERS.  Edith married April 20, 1910 in Jay County, Indiana to Henry MEINHOLTZ.  Henry was born July 9, 1875.  They had 4 children.  Henry died January 20, 1948.  Edith died July 29, 1949.  Both are buried in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


My paternal 3rd-great granduncle, John LEMASTERS, was born on this date in 1804 in Mason County, Virginia.  John was the son of Jacob and Hannah (________) LEMASTERS, and the older brother of my Luman Walker LEMASTERS.  John married December 14, 1828 in Washington County, Pennsylvania to Mary H. BAKER.  Mary was born July 30, 1808 in Pennsylvania. They had 10 children and resided in Ohio and Pulaski County, Indiana.  Mary died in Wayne County, Ohio.  John died March 25, 1866 in Starr City, Pulaski County, Indiana.


My paternal 6th-great granduncle, Joseph DAVIS, was born on this date in 1726.  Joseph was the son of John and Elizabeth (MAXSON) DAVIS, and the younger brother of my Thomas William DAVIS.  Joseph married in 1745 in Stonington, Connecticut to Comfort LANGWORTHY.  He married secondly to Dorcas ________.  Comfort's parentage and dates of birth and death are unknown.  Dorcas was born circa 1726.  Joseph and Comfort had 10 children; Joseph and Dorcas had 4 children.  Joseph died in 1798.  Nothing further is known at this time.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Obituary of Marvin Dailey

Thanks to Ancestry user rhondohoyes1950, I was able to locate a copy of the obituary for Marvin DAILEY, second husband of Erma (HAYES) WRIGHT.





Marvin Dailey Passes Away on Thursday


Tipton - Harry Marvin Dailey, 75, of 570 Kentucky avenue, Tipton, died Thursday afternoon at 4 o'clock at the Jones convescent home in Marion.


He was born May 10, 1892, in Fayette county, the son of Oliver and Margaret Farr Dailey.  He was married in 1922 to Irma Wright, and she died in 1949.  In 1951 he was married to Ressie Anderson.


He was a former tinplate worker and resided in Elwood prior to moving to Tipton.  He was last employed at the Tipton County memorial hospital.


Survivors include the widow, two daughters, Mrs. Kenneth Harting Jr., of route 2 Elwood and Mrs. Jack French of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; three sons, Merrill of Kokomo, Warren of Goshen, and Marvin of Trinity, N.C.; the following step children, Mrs. Harry Browning of Tipton, Mrs. Harold Porter, Kenneth Anderson and Thomas, all of Elwood and Warren Anderson of Indianapolis; 19 grandchildren.


The body is in the Mitchell funeral home in Tipton where friends may call anytime.


Funeral services will be conducted at 2 o'clock Saturday afteroon, at the Mitchell home. Rev. Chester Mitchell will officiate.  Burial will be made in the Fairview cemetery.


This obituary gives me some good information, including a timeframe for his marriage to Erma (HAYES) WRIGHT of 1922, and his full name and birthplace.

Family Milestones: September 23rd

My paternal 3rd-great granduncle, Charles MOULTON, was married on this date in 1853 in Newark, Licking County, Ohio to Charlotte Cordelia PHILLIPS, daughter of David and Charlotte (GILBERT) PHILLIPS.  Charles was the son of Selah and Lydia (FENNEL) MOULTON, and the younger brother of my Albert MOULTON.  Charles was born November 12, 1832 in Rutland County, Vermont.  Charlotte was born May 1831 in New York. They raised 4 children and resided in Marion County, Iowa and Holt County, Nebraska, where Charles was a farmer, carpenter and wagonmaker.  The last record I have for Charles and Charlotte is the 1910 census of Atkinson Township, Holt County, Nebraska.


My paternal 6th-great grandaunt, Judith MAXSON, was born on this date in 1689. Judith was the daughter of John and Judith (CLARKE) MAXSON, and the older sister of my Bethia and Elizabeth MAXSON.  Judith married Samuel BURDICK.  Nothing further is known at this time.

Wright - Dailey family

I decided to do some fishing this evening to fill in some blanks in my WRIGHT family.  Working with my maternal great-granduncle, Chester Arthur "Mike" WRIGHT and his family, I noticed that I didn't have much on his first wife, Erma Violet HAYES, after her divorce from him and her subsequent marriage to Marvin DAILEY.

Checking out Ancestry.com, I found the DAILEY family living in Campbell County, Kentucky in the 1930 census.  They were enumerated on April 21, 1930.



Marvin's occupation was listed as a steelworker in a rolling mill.  He and Erma's children were listed under the WRIGHT surname, after stepdaughter V. June WRIGHT.


Marvin rented his home, didn't own a radio, and was 37 years old.  Erma, his wife, was 27 years old.  Children listed (under the Wright surname) are : V. June, age 9, Merrill, age 6, Warren, aged 4, and Eugene aged 2.  This is a census enumerator error, as only V[ivian] June should have the WRIGHT surname, the others were children of Erma and Marvin DAILEY.


I do not have the divorce record for Erma and Chester Arthur WRIGHT, but it must have taken place sometime before 1924, probably in Madison County, Indiana.  They were married there on March 5, 1920.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Family Milestones: September 22nd

My maternal 4th-great granduncle, Samuel Pangburn WRIGHT, was born on this date in 1816 in Adams County, Ohio.  Samuel was the son of George and Elizabeth (ROBINS) WRIGHT, and the younger brother of my John WRIGHT.  Samuel married April 17, 1845 to Rebecca Ruth HALL.  Rebecca's parentage is unknown.  Rebecca was born circa 1825 in Ohio.  They raised 6 children in Brown County, Ohio.  Samuel died February 1860 in Brown County, Ohio. Rebecca was still living at the time of the 1860 census in Washington Township, Brown County, Ohio.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Grandpa LeMaster in the National Guard

I made a new discovery recently about my paternal grandfather, Ord Wehrly LeMASTER, while searching the Indiana State Digitial Archives : he had served in the National Guard.


According to the database, grandpa enrolled on March 30, 1923, making him just 16 years old (he would turn 17 in October).  His city of residence was Salamonia in Jay County.


I talked to my dad about this, and he told me that grandpa had never mentioned serving in the National Guard to him.  Another mystery to be researched!  Could this explain why grandpa didn't graduate high school until 1928?  


I assume from this database that there may be some records at the Indiana State Archives.  I could request service records from the National Personnel Records Center, but I need to obtain a copy of his death certificate first.


Ord W. Lemaster - National Guard 1898-1940
Record Series:Military Records
Collection:National Guard 1898-1940
County:Statewide

Reference Number:GUA032823
Enrollment_Date:03/30/1923
City Of Residence:Salamonia
County Of Residence 2:Jay
Notes: 
Box:315
Location:40-F-3
Name:Ord W. Lemaster
Party Type:Name

Tombstone Tuesday: Susannah (Reeves) Fisher


Eileen's maternal 4th-great grandmother, Susannah (REEVES) FISHER, is buried in the Washington-Lawson Cemetery, Union Township, Marshall County, Indiana.

Susannah was born November 8, 1789 in Virginia.  She married Daniel FISHER, son of George and Mary (________) FISHER, who died December 7, 1833, probably in Byrd Township, Brown County, Ohio.  They were the parents of 7 children.  Susannah came with her children first to Miami County, Indiana, and finally to Marshall County, Indiana, where she is listed in the 1850 census.  Susannah died October 26, 1855 in Marshall County, Indiana.

Source: Washington-Lawson Cemetery (Marshall County, Indiana), Susannah Fisher marker, photographed by Travis LeMaster, 4 September 2010.

Family Milestones: September 21st

My maternal 5th-great granduncle, John WARDLAW, married on this date in 1806 in Highland County, Ohio to Elizabeth LANCE.  John was the son of Robert and Janet (DOWNEY) WARDLAW, and the younger brother of my Samuel WARDLAW.  Elizabeth's parentage is unknown.  John was born June 15, 1779 in Rockbridge County, Virginia.  They had at least 1 daughter.  Nothing further is known at this time.


My paternal 5th-great grandaunt, Sarah CHEW, was born on this date in 1761 in Gloucester County, New Jersey.  Sarah was the daughter of Jesse and Mary (RICHARDS) CHEW, and the older sister of my Nathaniel CHEW.  Sarah married circa 1780 to James EARLY.  James' parentage and dates of birth and death are unknown.  Sarah died February 7, 1845.  Nothing further is known at this time.