Kinfolk

Lost records in the 20th century

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 14:45:18 -0400

Every so often I see that FamilySearch.org has updated some of their Ohio Records. Today I went browsing though their 1908-1953 Ohio Death Certificates. I’m looking for John C Waitley’s record, and I haven’t been able to find it (not even at the Ohio Historical Society).

His obituary says he died “at home in Marseilles” so that would mean Wyandot county. No death cert. Because I know that Marseilles is on the edge of two other counties (Hardin, Marion) I also looked there. Nada. I’m beginning think my great-greatgrandfather was an extra-terrestrial or perhaps an immortal Templar who “dies” every so often when he needs to change venues…

WTF, Family?

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:19:55 -0500

ca. 1955, Eddie Stowers and Bobby Chancey

The little girl on the left is my aunt, and if I’ve sleuthed well enough, the boy on the right is my cousin (her nephew). Unfortunately I haven’t yet determined if these two are actually related except by convention (meaning there are some tangled relationships that I don’t know how they all go together). I’m half tempted to try to contact his children, but I doubt they’d have any more information than I do.

Spaghetti

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:09:00 -0500

You might have noticed I haven’t spent a large amount of time on my mother’s genealogy, and there’s a darn good reason for it: I have no idea who her father was. I mean, there’s the guy I called “Grampa” (her stepdad), and the guy she called “Dad” who was ostensibly married to her mom, but isn’t the name of her father on her birth certificate.

Mom was officially “illegitimate,” but that certainly meant more in the mid-20th century than it does now (or did in the centuries earlier, I’d guess).

So anyway, there are precious few stories about her family. I know a bit about her mother’s antecedents until the trail goes cold in the Antebellum period. I’ve been able to make a few inferences along a few other branches, but frankly, when I can’t even find an official marriage registration (if there was one) or any divorce papers for my grandmother from my (‘real’) grandfather? How can I expect to trace people whom I don’t even know their names?

By the way, Gramma apparently “got around.” Single mom at 16, “married” for about 15 years (had a son, I think, and maybe even two), lived with “Grampa” (and had a daughter) for 10 years before they got married. She died youngish, though, at 63, long before I became interested in history enough to ask any questions.

But what would she have answered?

George Riley Waitley

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 03:52:00 -0400

George Riley Waitley was born August 12, 1869 and died March 27, 1939 ^[1] in Worthington, Ohio. His death certificate says he was born in 1865, however, he appears on the 1870 census as being born in 1869. He often fibbed on his census enumeration. For instance, in 1910 ^[2], he said that his father was born in Spain; in 1920 ^[3] he said he was born in Texas and his father was born in “Old Mexico.”

He married Nellie Belle Armstrong (born about 1866; died July 4, 1955) in Wyandot County, Ohio on August 2, 1896.^[4] They lived in Wyandot County for a while, but eventually settled in Worthington, Ohio by 1920.

Their only child, daughter Juanita Waitley was born November 16, 1898 in Waldo, Marion County, Ohio.^[5] She died March 31, 1967 in Worthington, Ohio ^[6]. She never married. She may have been disabled, as her mother’s will ^[7] set up a trust to care for her for the rest of her natural life.

GR Waitley was interested in old stuff, and “presented a number of anthropological and historical specimens, consisting of objects from western Indian battle fields” at the 36^th Annual Meeting of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.^[8]

An interesting sidenote: (2012-09-21) George Riley was the only child of Sarah Lovina to be remembered in his grandfather’s (Riley Page) will dated 22 June 1874.^[9]

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XZXM-V2Y : accessed 27 Aug 2012), George Riley Waitley, 1939; citing reference fn 21511, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio. NOTE: advance one page further to see the actual death certficate.

[2] “United States Census, 1910,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLDC-8JQ : accessed 28 Aug 2012), George B Waitley, Eden, Wyandot, Ohio; citing sheet 3A, family 74, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375254.

[3] “United States Census, 1920,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDT3-XDN : accessed 28 Aug 2012), George R Waitley, , Franklin, Ohio; citing enumeration district (ED) , sheet 1A, family 2, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1821380.

[4] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X86B-NG8 : accessed 28 Aug 2012), George R. Waitley and Nellie B. Armstrong, 1896; citing reference Pg 133, FHL microfilm 905934

[5] “Ohio, County Births, 1856-1909,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6W1-19W : accessed 27 Aug 2012), Nellie B. Armstrong in entry for Juanita Waitley, 1898.

[6] “Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKL2-1ZX : accessed 27 Aug 2012), Juanita Waitley, 1967; citing “Ohio, Deaths,” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); vol. 18791, certificate no. 19060, Ohio Department of Health.

[7] Reported in Franklin County, Ohio Recorder’s Instrument 196704180006736, Volume 2802, page 677.

[8] Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly, Volume 30, page 522. http://books.google.com/books?id=KC8UAAAAYAAJ

[9] Delaware County Ohio Probate Court Case Number 2618.

Corwin Waitley

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:47:00 -0400

Corwin (Cory) Waitley was born June 1, 1864 and died June 16, 1865. According to the Waitley Family book[1], he is buried in what was once Pagetown, Morrow County, Ohio, in the Methodist Episcopal cemetery next to the (still active) Fargo Wesleyan Church. This tombstone transcription and the mention of Corwin in John C Waitley’s obituary[2] are all we know of this child.

The transcription is reported to read:

Cory, son of J. & L. Waitley
Died June 16, 1865
Aged 1 yr 15 days

The Waitley Family in the United States, compiled by Marian Drew Waitley. Printed 1956, Evanston, Illinois. ↩
Upper Sandusky Ohio Daily Chief, August 16, 1912 ↩

Alva Burton Waitley

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 05:40:00 -0400

Alva Burton Waitley:

Was born about 1862[1]

Born March 10, 1862; died January 21, 1914[2]

Married Elizabeth Krabill on March 11, 1886 in Hardin County, Ohio.[3]

Married Mrs Maggie Swope on February 3, 1898 in Hardin County, Ohio.[4]

In the 1900 census[5], in Buck Township, Hardin County, Ohio we find:

Waitley, Alva B., born March 1861, age 39, married 2 years, born in Ohio, father born Ohio, mother born Ohio, a farmer, can read and write, owns the farm
——, Margaret, born August 1860, age 39, married 2 years, had 4 children with 2 living, born Ohio, father born Ohio, mother born Ireland, can read and write
——, Ella M, daughter, born February 1886, age 14, at school
——, Edward, son, born May 1889, age 11, at school
Swope, Pearl S, step-son, born January 1883, age 17, at school
——, David, step-son, born August 1886, age 14, at school

From this we can surmise that Ella and Edward are Elizabeth’s children, Pearl and David are Maggie’s children.

By 1910, the family had moved to Kenton, Ward 1[6] (still in Hardin County), but the only child remaining in the home is Edward:

Waitley, Alva B., age 48, second marriage, married 12 years. Born in Ohio of Ohio parents. A brick mason, they rent their house.
——, Margurite, age 48, second marriage, married 12 years, 4 children, 2 living. Born in Ohio of Irish parents.
——, Edward, age 20, single,born in Ohio, a laborer who does odd jobs.

Alva died in 1914 of “Broken Compensation” with nephritis as a contributory cause. Broken compensation, as near as I can tell, is what we now call congestive heart failure — a condition you can live with for a while, but eventually your heart will give up.

Alva’s son, Edward H was born on May 26 1889[7]. On November 22, 1911, he married Mary Swanigan (born August 10, 1894), daughter of Cash Swanigan and Anna Northrup.

By 1920, Edward and Mary had four children: Olive (age 7), Burton (age 5), Lillian (age 2) and Arthur (age 9m). They were living in Kenton, Ohio Ward 4.[8] He was working as a cook in a restaurant.

It seems as though Edward and Mary had a fifth child (Mary) and then were divorced. By 1930[9] Mary was remarried (to Don Wagner) and living in Kenton, Ohio with the five Waitley children and her child with Wagner.

Edward married a second time on February 27, 1926[10], to Carrie Brown (born April 30, 1893), daughter of Robert Davison and Lola Sims. She was divorced. They were residing in Middleton, Ohio and married in Butler county, Ohio.

The 1930 census[11] for Middletown, Ohio shows a Carrie Waitley living with a Fred Waitley (with sons Edward B, Fred, and Clarence). I’m not exactly sure if this is the same Carrie and Edward decided to go by a different name for a while? Carrie Waitley also shows up in 1940[12] stating she was widowed.

Edward’s World War II draft registration card[13] stated that he lived in Tully Township, Marion County, Ohio, and worked at Perfection Vault Body, in Galion, Crawford County, Ohio. His contact person was Mrs Anna McBride, Caledonia, Ohio. On the form he stated that he had no middle name.

On November 4, 1967, Edward died in Kenton, Ohio. He was 78 and married[14], but I do not know to whom.

~~I have not been able to trace Alva and Elizabeth’s daughter Ella.~~

Update (2012-09-06): Ella Waitley (as “Nellie”) married Cleveland G Streib in Montgomery County, Ohio on March 29, 1909.[1] In 1910 the couple resided in Dayton, Ohio.[2] In 1920, they lived in Franklin County, Ohio[3], and by 1930 they had moved to Dade County, Florida.[4] In 1940, they were still in Florida,[5] and had a roomer by the name of Martha Mae Chandler. Martha Mae was the daughter of Orville Chandler (the Medicine Man), so it seems as though these cousins were in contact. Remember, Nellie/Ella is the granddaughter of John C Waitley and Martha is a great-granddaughter of John C via Addie May Waitley Chandler. The couple (without Martha Mae) still resided in Florida as of 1945[6].

According to the Florida Death Index, Nellie and Cleveland Streib each died in 1962. Nellie in August;[7] Cleveland in November[8]. As far as I can tell, they had no children.

[1] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDLB-S48 : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland G. Strieb and Nellie Waitley, 1909; citing reference vol 46 p31 cn 30241, FHL microfilm 1030851.
[2] “United States Census, 1910,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MLFD-LRW : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland Streib, Dayton Ward 1, Montgomery, Ohio; citing sheet 1A, family 11, NARA microfilm publication T624, FHL microfilm 1375229.
[3] “United States Census, 1920,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MDTW-PJ3 : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland Streib, , Franklin, Ohio; citing enumeration district (ED) , sheet 6B, family 342, NARA microfilm publication T625, FHL microfilm 1821382.
[4] “United States Census, 1930,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/S5K2-5T2 : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland G Streib, Hialeah, Dade, Florida; citing enumeration district (ED) 0092, sheet 9A, family 252, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 311.
[5] “United States Census, 1940,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VTHC-8Q5 : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland G Streib, Election Precinct 5, Dade, Florida, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 13-14, sheet 21A, family 452, NARA digital publication T627, roll 580.
[6] “Florida, State Census, 1945,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MNNM-QSV : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland Streib, , Dade, Florida.
[7] “Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VV3Z-438 : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Nellie Streib, 1962.
[8] “Florida, Death Index, 1877-1998,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VV8D-WSH : accessed 06 Sep 2012), Cleveland Streib, 1962.

1870 Census, Berkshire Township, Delaware County Ohio. Family 65, page 7 (207). ↩
Ohio Death Certificate, Hardin County, 1914, File number 19269 ↩
Hardin County Ohio Marriage Records 1885-1893, volume 8, page 101. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XDG5-VHR ↩
Hardin County Ohio Marriage Records 1894-1898, volume 10, page 386. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD2G-6VW ↩
1900 Census, ED 81 Buck Township (excl. Kenton city), Hardin County, Ohio, Sheet 1B, family 20. ↩
1910 Census, ED94 Kenton City Ward 1, Hardin County, Ohio. Sheet 11A, family 287. http://archive.org/stream/13thcensus1910po1187unit#page/n614/mode/1up ↩
Year calculated from 1911 Hardin County Ohio Marriage Records 1910-1913, Vol 16, page 175. ↩
1920 Census, ED85 Kenton City Ward 4, Hardin County, Ohio. Sheet 5B, family 126. http://archive.org/stream/14thcensusofpopu1397unit#page/n180/mode/1up ↩
“United States Census, 1930,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X4WD-422 : accessed 03 Sep 2012), Arther Waitley in household of Don Wagner, Kenton, Hardin, Ohio; citing enumeration district (ED) 0004, sheet 12A, family 365, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1821. ↩
Butler County Ohio Marriage Records, 1925-1926, Vol 27, page 31, application No. 9953. ↩
“United States Census, 1930,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X4SD-ZKM : accessed 03 Sep 2012), Carrie Waitley in household of Fred Waitley, Middletown, Butler, Ohio; citing enumeration district (ED) 0031, sheet 1A, family 7, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1755. ↩
“United States Census, 1940,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KWD1-S5B : accessed 03 Sep 2012), Carrie Waitley, Ward 1, Middletown City, Middletown City, Butler, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 9-54, sheet 10B, family 237, NARA digital publication T627, roll 3034. ↩
United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X5D8-K23 : accessed 03 Sep 2012), Edward Waitley, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publications M1939, M1936, and M1937; FHL microfilm 1512849. ↩
“Ohio, Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VKLL-Z99 : accessed 03 Sep 2012), Edward Waitley, 1967; citing “Ohio, Deaths,” Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); vol. 19054, certificate no. 84915, Ohio Department of Health. ↩

Obituary for John C Waitley

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 14:07:00 -0400

Over the next several posts I will list the JC & SL Waitley children (including sources). This obituary is my primary clue to the names of all nine of their children, but as you will see, there are a few typos/transcription errors.

John C. Waitley

Passes Away Early Friday Morning at Marseilles.

John C. Waitley died at his home, in Marseilles, Friday morning, at 1 o’clock, after a year’s illness with a complication of diseases.

Mr. Waitley was born in Trumbull county August 15, 1843, and celebrated his sixty-ninth birthday anniversary Thursday. He was married April 28, 1861 to Miss Lavina Page. Nine children were born to this union, seven of whom survive with the wife and mother. They are A.B. Waitley, of Kenton; Frederick Waitley, at home; Mrs. Stephen Betterfield, of Waldo; Mrs. John Lehner and Mrs. Taylor Blow, of Marion; Riley Waitley, of Worthington; and Mrs. G.W. Chandler, of Marseilles. Gertrude and Corwin Waitley are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Waitley resided in Delaware county after their marriage. They later moved to Marion county and in 1881 moved to Wyandot county.

Mr. Waitley was the last of a family of six children. He was a veteran of the civil war, being a member of Company I, Second Ohio Regiment, Heavy Artillery. He was a member of the Grand Army at Marseilles and also of the Methodist Episcopal church of that village.

The funeral will be held Sunday afternoon, at 2 o’clock, from the Marseilles Methodist Episcopal church, conducted by Rev. H.W. Hodge. Interment will be made in Paw Paw cemetery.

Upper Sandusky, Ohio Daily Chief, August 16, 1912.

(By the way, I have yet to find his death certificate.)

Children of John C and Sarah Lavina (Page) Waitley

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:43:00 -0400

There’s a book that was printed in 1956 (The Waitley Family in the United States, compiled by Marian Drew Waitley) that asserts that all Waitleys in the United States descended from a man by the name of Corydon H Waitley, who migrated to Iowa around 1878. Well, that was printed over 50 years ago, and Marian didn’t have the internet to check this stuff out.

Corydon, it turns out, had at least one brother (probably two, but I haven’t researched that generation yet). His name was John C Waitley. I don’t know what the C stands for, I saw somewhere on the web that it is “Corwin” but I don’t have any evidence of that… yet.

John C married Sarah Lavina Page on April 28, 1861 in Delaware County, Ohio. John and Lavina moved around quite a bit, from Delaware County to Marion County to Wyandot County, and possibly even Hardin County. However, with the exception of Delaware County, they actually never strayed very far from the corner where the other three all touch.

They had nine children, seven of whom lived to adulthood. They’re all listed in John’s obituary (August 16, 1912), so I had a good start on finding them. Unfortunately, the information in the obit doesn’t quite mesh with the information available from census data, but given the number of times Waitley family ages, names, and birthplaces changed at every census, I chose to trust the obituary.

Here’s my list of children. It’s abbreviated and I haven’t included any sources — that will come when I clean up the whole family file — but I wanted to get this out of my head for a while.

Alva Burton (b. March 10, 1861 or 1862; d. January 21, 1914); married 1. Elizabeth Krabill, 2. Maggie Swope
Corwin “Cory” (b. June 1, 1864; d. June 16, 1865)
George Riley (b. August 12, 1869; d. March 27, 1939); married Nellie Belle Armstrong
Frederick C. (b. 1866; d. 1938?); married Stella Doren, divorced
Elmina “Minnie” (b. July 24, 1867; d. August 2, 1947); married Zachary Taylor Blow
Grace Evelyn (b. 1871 or 1872, d. August 31, 1961); married 1. Stephen Setterfield, 2. Christopher Ross, 3. Edwin Cole
Addie May (b. May 26, 1874; d. February 10, 1956); married George Herman Chandler
Gertrude F. (b. June 2, 1876; d. August 13, 1878)
Francis Maud (b. June 19 1879: d. April 7, 1945); married John Lehner

The 1870 census lists a “William R” and no “George R”. William is not mentioned in John C’s obituary, so he was either a temporary visitor (maybe a nephew?) or an outright fib.

So, in 1956 there were no sons of John still living. I haven’t tracked his grandchildren, but so far it seems that only Alva had sons. Perhaps Marian was correct!

Lack of evidence doesn't prove something didn't happen.

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:10:00 -0400

However, conflicting evidence doesn’t prove anything, either.

Fact 1: On a birth certificate (1927), the parents are noted as being married. They share a last name, and the child is officially “legitimate.”
Fact 2: The woman is one of the witnesses to her father-in-law’s will (1936).
Fact 3: The man married another woman and stated in the license application (1937) that he had never been married.
Facts 4 and 5: I couldn’t find a marriage license for the first couple in either county where I expected to find one.
Question 1: Did the couple ever really marry?
Question 2: If they had a Common Law marriage (which was legal then), wouldn’t they have had to get a divorce?
Question 3: If they did have an official marriage, where and when was it?

Unfortunately, anyone who would know the answers to these questions is long deceased. I suppose I could start looking through court records for a divorce, but barring that, I don’t know where else to look.

A brief update on Huldah Corson

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 09:32:40 -0400

Previous entries about her here and here.

I found a microfilm copy of an index of a death record in Franklin County, Ohio. It seems she died in 1886… now to find the actual record (Franklin County death records, volume 2, page 162).

Aha! Not "Jersey Dutch" -- just "Dutch"

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 14:51:00 -0400

I’m reading about David des Marets, an nth grandfather (I haven’t bothered counting, n is at least 9). I’m not particularly fond of biographies, especially genealogy-related ones because they all seem very rah-rah and not particularly well-researched. This one, however, is quite good about saying what the authors have been able to discern for themselves versus what previous genealogists have merely assumed.

In it there’s an interesting paragraph about the origins of the research into the Demarest family in the mid-19th century by David D. Demarest:

[T]hroughout the period of the Jersey Dutch ascendency, family history was not pursued in any organized way. Individual families had family Bibles in which births, deaths, marriages, and other significant events were recorded, and baptisms, marriages, and deaths were recorded in the rolls of the various Reformed churches, but these were not at that time combined into a comprehensive genealogy. The Demarests, during this time, became just one more “Dutch” family…

One of the nice features of this book is that it gives a reasonable historical context (what was going on during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods) and overviews of the general migration patterns of the Jersey Dutch. It actually helps clarify many issues I’ve been having trying to figure out why people moved hither and thither, and how these families might have ended up in central Ohio.

There’s a little map that shows a Jersey Dutch migration to Grand Rapids, Michigan, which makes me wonder if Calvin College and Rutgers University are more closely related than just their origin stories.

Also noted: the Reformed Church was (is?) really contentious and ready to split at a moment’s notice.

Refinements

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:55:21 -0400

As a child I learned the litany of my ancestry: “German-Dutch, Irish, American Indian.” Sometimes we had English thrown in there, and we of course often added “hillbilly” for good measure. But the last year or two of me tracing my genealogical roots paints a different picture: “German, Jersey Dutch, Scotch-Irish, English, Welsh, and maybe some French.”

Even though I’d asked, no one could say what “German-Dutch” meant. I’d assumed that it meant that My People came from the area in NW Germany near Duisburg, which has a broad German and Dutch cultural intermixing. It was only after I started learning about my very distant connection to the French Huguenot David desMarets that it occurred to me that “German-Dutch” could be a mis-hearing of “Jersey Dutch” although I don’t know if that term was used contemporaneously by the people who were them. A New Jerseyite “Dutch” woman with a French-based name married an immigrant German in Columbus Ohio, so there’s some truth to the legend.

And the Irish… not so much. More likely Scotch-Irish (aka Ulster Scots). They’re really hard to trace, though, my people being mostly farmer/peasant types of modest means and accomplishments.

And I’m German and English on both sides, as far as I can tell, but going back so far as to be stupid to call myself “English”. Though I sometimes still call myself “hillbilly”.

A less mysterious mystery...

Sun, 27 May 2012 19:14:00 -0400

A mystery, while not solved, has become not so mysterious after a visit to the Allen County (Indiana) Public Library.

Earlier I was musing about Huldah Corson, who I had heard was the mother of John Demorest (an nth-grandfather). I found the source for that assertion:

From The Demarest Family Volume 1, published 1964:

7-132 (1041) NICHOLAS b. May 17, 1799 m. (1) Huldah Loree, dau. of John a soldier in the Revolution, div., she m. (2) Jonah Corson; Nicholas m. (2) July 1, 1819 in Franklin Co. O. Polly Smith dau. of Jonah, (3) Mar. 1, 1839 at Toledo, O. Rheme McClarey. First record of Ohio land holdings by Nicholas - deed Apr. 19, 1821 from Jonah Smith for 50 acres. Family records re children etc. do not always agree with other data.

Child by Huldah Loree

8-154 John b. 1819 (family record) Dec. 19, 1821 (death record)
Children by Polly Smith, born Franklin Co. O.

8-155 Daniel b. Oct 20. 1820 d. Nov. 11, 1821

8-155a Joseph b. 1820

8-155b Mary b. 1820/25

8-155c Jane b. 1820/25

8-156 Samuel b. 1825/30

8-157 Christopher N. b. Sep. 26, 1835

Aha! Divorce? That was unexpected, yet it explains a lot. Given that so much of the early information in The Demarest Family is sourced from church records, I’m wondering if there were any vows exchanged. John’s census records usually say he was born in the east; his death record (already suspect) says he was born in Ohio. I haven’t been able to find any marriage or divorce records for the couple.

However, it seems obvious that Nicholas (and everyone) recognized John as his son, so at the moment I’m willing to, also. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that maybe John really was born in 1822, as a byblow of Nicholas, and the family records were “adjusted” to make it seem less scandalous.

Wouldn’t be the first time…

Another day, another roadblock

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:52:09 -0400

Joseph W Downard was born 25 October 1841 (according to his death certificate, which as I’ve noted before isn’t a good primary source for that sort of information), somewhere in Ohio. Likely he was born in Jefferson County (more on this later), but it might have been Scioto county (or somewhere in between). He died June 2, 1915 of liver cancer, in Wakefield, Scioto Township, Pike County Ohio. His father is listed as “Samuel Doward” and mother is “unknown”.

Joseph served in Company H, 194th Regiment, Ohio Infantry, during the Civil War (also known as Joseph W Downer). When he returned to Ohio, he married Mary Ann Minard on 25 March 1866 in Scioto County, Ohio. Mary Ann’s last name has also been “Minerd” “Miniard” “Maynard” (with two different spellings on her marriage license).

Joseph’s father, Samuel is a bit of a puzzle. Downards are all over south and eastern Ohio, and there are very few different names used. Joshua, John, Joseph, Samuel, George…

However, I think I found the right Samuel, starting in 1880.

In 1880, a Samuel Downard, age 69, was living in Valley Twp, Scioto County, Ohio with his wife Catharine (64) and grandchildren Joseph Kirk (15) and Rosa Kirk (10).

In 1870, Samuel (age 64) was living in Valley, Scioto, Ohio with his wife Catharine (54), daughter Mary Kirkpatrick (31) and her children Catharine (11), Susanna (10), Elizabeth (7), Joseph (5) and Rosa M (3/4).

This means that there must be a family sometime before 1866 that has Samuel, Catherine, Joseph and Mary in it.

In 1860, Sam Downard (57) was living in Jefferson Township, Scioto County, Ohio. Valley township split off from Jefferson in 1860, but not before the Census. His household included his wife Catherine (43), and son Joseph (18). Next door was Mary Kirkpatric (21), Ellen (3) and Susan (6/12). I found a birth certificate for Cath. E. Kirkpatrick, b. 1857-06-29 to H. Kirkpatrick and Mary N “Drunard” (it looks like Downard to me but it’s a very bad copy/scan). I also found a death certificate for Susan Kirkpatrick, b. 1860 in Valley Twp, Scioto, Ohio; d. 1876-01-05 in Valley Twp. Father Henry Kirkpatrick, mother “May Donner”.

I have no idea where Henry was at any of these, but he and Mary seemed to be regularly having children. It’s interesting to me that Joseph and Rosa shortened their name to “Kirk”. I haven’t found anything on Rosa, but Joseph married twice (Lilly Martin in 1899, Jane Rose in 1907) and died in 1924.

So… Now I have no real information on who Samuel’s parents were, or even when he was born. He’s pretty consistent with naming Ohio as his place of birth, but his age is all over the place! One thing I did find: a Samuel Downard married a Catharine Hagram in Jefferson County Ohio on January 17, 1839, so in theory I should be able to find their family in 1850 (and maybe even 1840), but I haven’t been able to. They’ve not been indexed as far as I can tell, which makes it very hard to know where even to start looking.

The Downards could have stayed in Jefferson County after their marriage in 1839, or they might have moved quickly to Scioto County where they are found in 1860.

This sounds like a visit to Steubenville is in order, and maybe Portsmouth. Nothing like a little Ohio River cruise in the summer…

That was easier than I expected

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:20:33 -0400

Found my mom in Camp Creek, Pike County Ohio, living with her mom, “dad” and brother(!?).

So much I don’t know, and likely will never know.

Been a while...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:38:44 -0400

I haven’t been doing much with the genealogy thing, lately, to state the obvious. The 1940 Census has come out, though, and I’ve been trying to close up some information gaps in my parents early lives. Why didn’t we talk about this while they were still around? I dunno, it didn’t seem important at the time.

My dad was relatively easy to find — I was pretty sure his family was in Bexley Ohio by 1940. At least I’d hoped so. He went to Bexley High, and I found his stepfather’s draft card giving the street address in 1942, so I started looking for that street in the Bexley enumeration. After about 100 pages I found the street, and a couple of pages later I found them.

The 1940 census is only indexed to enumeration district level, so if you know the ED you only have a few dozen sheets to look through. If you don’t (and the maps can be unclear) you may have a range of them. There are some street-level indexes, but those are mainly for big cities.

Now to try to find my mom. I found her grandfather pretty easily, but unfortunately I have little idea of where to search for mom & grandma. I think they were in Pike county. I hope they were… otherwise I really have no clue. I don’t think they moved to Jerome township until 1947 or so, I believe she only went to Jerome High School for her final year.

Off to download some pages!

Thank you, Uncle Fred (by logista)

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:21:44 -0400

Thank you, Uncle Fred (by logista)

More stalking (From The Billboard, May 11, 1946, page 91). This...

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:20:00 -0400

More stalking (From The Billboard, May 11, 1946, page 91).

This one says:

WANTED—People in all lines for free platform Med. Show. Change for 2 weeks. Play big towns. Novelty teams, hillbillies, singles and doubles. Tell all in first letter. No time to dicker. Drunks and chasers lay off. Chief Black Horse, Route No. 5, Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

Oh, how I wonder what happened to those letters!

MEDICINE MAN FOUND

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 05:45:00 -0400

Well, that was unexpected.

The September 6, 1947 issue of Billboard magazine has a notice (in the Pipes for Pitchmen section:

ORVILLE CHANDLER … known in pitch circles as Chief Black Horse, is seriously ill in Creel Hospital, Cleveland, following an operation in which one of his lungs was removed. He’d like to read letters from friends in the business.

Unfortunately, this notice came too late. Orville, my father’s uncle, died on 3 September 1947.

Now… who was the Native American grandmother?

One step forward...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:45:58 -0400

My contact in Bucyrus sent along a packet of papers that had been written by my great-uncle. It consists of family history that apparently was gathered in the 1930’s but not written down until 1968, and then retyped in 1976.

It is the source of the assertion that Eliza was a Chandler before she married Hurd. It also talks a little bit about Melinda Wright’s antecedents, which are completely different from what I had surmised. So I’ll be working through it, trying to figure out what sources Uncle Willis was using beyond “letters in my possession,” since I have no idea where these letters may be, 40 years after the fact.

Willis was a lawyer, and moved several times during his life. I don’t know if he was married or had children, though, and 20th century people are surprisingly difficult to track. But, more clues!