Blog Reflections and Direction

This is the time of year when everyone reflects on the events of the past year and plans for a better new year.  Even so in the genealogical research world, where we have great intentions of visiting a certain cemetery, writing a book, or recording an interview with a relative.  Sometimes we do well with our goals, other times not so much.

I've had so many different goals with my research and this blog that it is easy to get frustrated when they don't come to fruition.  Back in 2010, I decided that I would start a research template to identify key facts about my direct relatives.  It took me until 2012 to complete through my 2nd-great grandparents.  Not due to lack of anything but time and motivation.  I do intend to continue with the project but at my own pace.

This year I started the series of "On This Day" posts, which started out as a good idea for cousin bait, but by the end of the year I was ready to be done with it.  It was a lot of work to try to create a post each day for the blog and even when I could pre-load the posts I was spending a lot of time typing monotonous facts.  Not that there weren't some successes, as I did make contact with some cousins.  Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to blog about them yet and several emails remain unaswered.

I've missed out on several genealogically-themed memes this year but have realized that I shouldn't beat myself up for not staying on top of it.

If I had to pick a goal for the new year it would be to reduce the piles of paper that are on the table, my dresser, in boxes and binders in the garage.  Converting from paper to digital will help preserve and share the data with cousins. The answers to several mysteries in my research have surely been found in these papers.  It is sad to say but I have found myself paying for copies this year of documents that I had already purchased.

There is no harm in setting a goal but internally I need to realize that sometimes you aren't going to be able to make it.  The bottom line is that this is my blog and only I can set the pace for what is published, no one else can.

Here's looking forward to much in the way of genealogy breakthroughs in 2013!

Marriage License & Return: Forest L. Chew to Lelia E. Ehrhart, 1920

Source: Jay County, Indiana, Original Marriage License, "Forest L. Chew to Lelia E. Ehrhart, 1920"; County Marriage Returns Collection; Jay County Historical Society, Portland, Indiana.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

State of Indiana, Jay County, SS:

To All Who Shall See These Presents, Greeting:

Know Ye, That any person empowered by Law to solemnize Marriages is hereby authorized to join together as Husband and Wife

Mr. Forest L. Chew

and

Miss Lelia E. Ehrhart

and for so doing this shall be his sufficient authority.

In Testimony Whereof, I, Hanson F. Mills, Clerk of the Jay Circuit Court, hereunto subscribe my name and affix the seal of said Court at Portland, this 1st day of September 1920

Hanson F. Mills, Clerk

Jay Circuit Court

State of Indiana, Jay County, SS;

This Certifies, That I joined in Marriage as Husband and Wife, Forest L. Chew and Miss Lelia E. Ehrhart on the first day of September 1920

J.H. Nall Minister

Source: Jay County, Indiana, Original Marriage Return, "Forest L. Chew to Lelia E. Ehrhart, 1920"; County Marriage Return Collection; Jay County Historical Society, Portland, Indiana.

INDIANA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH

Return of a Marriage to County Clerk

1. Full Name of GROOM Forest L. Chew

2. Place of Residence Jay Co. Ind.

3. Occupation Chauffer

4. Age Next Birthday 27 years Color White Race Caucasian

5. Place of Birth Dark Co Ohio Nationality American

6. Father's Name William A. Chew

7. Mother's Maiden Name Susan Straight

8. Number of Groom's Marriage first

9. Full Name of BRIDE Miss Lelia E. Ehrhart

10. Place of Residence Jay Co. Ind Occupation At home

11. Age Next Birthday 22 years Color White Race Caucasian

12. Place of Birth Jay Co Ind Nationality American

13. Father's Name T.M. Ehrhart

14. Mother's Maiden Name Catharine Harter

15. Number of Bride's Marriage first

16. Married at 124 West Arch St Portland in the County of Jay and State of Indiana, the 1st day of Sept  1920.  By J.H. Nall

17. Witness to Marriage Aldie L. Nall

This record of the marriage of Forest L. Chew (1894-1948) and Lelia E. Ehrhart (1898-1978) was located at the Jay County Historical Society in Portland, Indiana.

Forest was my paternal 1st cousin 3 times removed, the son of William Anderson Chew and Emma Susan Straight.  Until I found this record, I did not have Lelia's parentage information.

I do not yet know of the significance of the name of the minister who performed the ceremony; it appears that his wife was the witness to the marriage.

Genealogical Serendipity

Today a little genealogy serendipity came my way while working on updating my family tree at Ancestry.  I have a limited, work-in-progress online, and today spent time making sure that at least the data corresponding to my exploratory data analysis series of posts matched what I had at Ancestry.

In updating the record for my maternal great granduncle, Orville Edward "Jack" Lambertson, I decided to search again for the record of his marriage to his first wife, Mary E. Herter.  I was pretty sure that I had searched for it before in the online indices at Family Search, but I gave it another try and hit paydirt.

In their Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992 database, I found :

groom's name: Orville Lambertson

groom's birth date:

groom's birthplace:

groom's age:

bride's name: Mary Herter

bride's birth date:

bride's birthplace:

bride's age:

marriage date: 30 Dec 1922

marriage place:

groom's father's name: Charles Lambertson

groom's mother's name: Pearl Beals

bride's father's name: Henry Herter

bride's mother's name: Martha Hughes

groom's race:

groom's marital status:

groom's previous wife's name:

bride's race:

bride's marital status:

bride's previous husband's name:

indexing project (batch) number: I01571-5

system origin: Indiana-EASy

source film number: 2108463

reference number: 5

There was no image yet available, but with an exact date I can now locate the record at the courthouse in Anderson.

Noticing that the date of their marriage was December 30th, I couldn't help but wonder if they were wanting this record to be found today.