Surnames – Page 4 of 15 – Up In The Tree

December 17, 2015December 13, 2015

When It Starts To Make Sense

At the beginning of the month, I had the opportunity to present with another member of my local genealogy society to a local breakfast club. Our topic was “Getting Started With Researching Your Family.” During the presentation I realized I do not have any of my ancestors added to my watchlist in FamilySearch.

Last week, after adding all direct ancestors and their siblings to my watchlist on FamilySearch, I was taking a look at the family of John F. Flock and Amner Caroline Ramsey. I noticed that I did not have death dates for several of their daughters. The shiny blackhole was calling my name again.

Did I jump in? Of course! I started by reviewing each daughter’s details page. The key was to notice that Laura Flock had marriage information added by another researcher. Using the married name, I was able to locate a gravestone on FindAGrave. I was excited to see Laura’s memorial page had been linked to some of her siblings. I suddenly had married names for several of the other daughters.

Along with many new facts to add to the family tree, there was an obituary added to the memorial page at FindAGrave for Elsie Clara Flock. The obituary stated that Elsie and her husband had moved to Fall River, Kansas about 1910. And it all started to make sense!!

I had always wondered why Effie Flock and Abraham Strickler had moved to Fall River, Kansas. Now I have a clue, Effie and her family moved at the same time as her little sister, Elsie, and Elsie’s family. I am still not sure what enticed the families to move such a distance. Maybe someday that little piece of information will float to the surface.

Effie and her daughters left Fall River only a couple of years later after Abraham passed away. Elsie remained in Fall River, Kansas until her husband passed away in 1938. Elsie then moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I started by adding people to my watchlist to see what facts were getting added/changed to people I am related to. I ended up adding more information because another researcher had done just that. The one marriage fact opened up a whole can of new facts about the family. I have heard people voice concerns about others being able to make changes in FamilySearch. This is just another example of why it is a great idea. Distant cousins have different information then I do, together we can paint the fuller picture of our ancestors.

December 13, 2015December 13, 2015

Christmas Surname Tree

Yesterday I was inspired by a blog post at Olive Tree Genealogy. Lorine McGinnis Schulze posted her Holiday Tree which includes the surnames she is researching. You can take a look HERE.

Being in the Christmas spirit, I created my own surname tree. This tree is includes all of the names I have identified for my kids ancestors up to their 3rd great grandparents. It was a fun quick project. I am now officially ready for the Holidays!

October 15, 2015October 12, 2015

Wedding Wednesday – Matteo Ciardionei and Adele Siletto

In my last post, I told my story of how social media led me to some important documents for my Italian line. You can read about it here. The first document is the marriage record of my great-grandparents, Matteo Ciardonei and Adele Siletto.

Using a couple of different sources, I was able to piece together a rough translation:

Act of Marriage

Number 14

Ciardonei and Siletto

The year one thousand nine hundred thirteen the 23 of December of three publications made in the church of St. Stefano, presented to the parish priests

Marriage was celebrated according to the rites of the Church between

Ciardonei Matteo, twenty-four, native of Cossano, living in Cossano, son of the deceased Pietro, who was son of the deceased Matteo, and son of the deceased Ciamporcero Antonia, daughter of the deceased Stefano.

And Siletto Adele, twenty, native of Cossano, living in Cossano, daughter of the living Guiseppe, who was the son of the deceased Stefano, and daughter of the living Maglione Anastasia, daughter of the deceased Giacinto.

Present as witnesses: Maglione Giovanni, son of deceased Lorenzo and Arsalice Pietro, son of deceased Pietro

With the consent of the present

Signed by Matteo Ciardonei, Adele Siletto, Pietro Arsalice, Giovanni Maglione and Guiseppe C?rieu (priest)

October 6, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday – Moses McSpadden

In June of this year my Dad and I embarked on a cross county adventure. The purpose of the trip was to deliver a large yellow truck full of items for my Mother to my parent’s house in Virginia. About halfway across country, I was looking at the route we planned to travel and realized we would be passing through Washington County, Virginia. As you pass from Tennessee into Virginia on Interstate 81, you enter Washington County.

About ten miles north of the state line sits Abindgon, Virginia. I have identified several direct line families who settled just outside of town along the Holstein River. These early settler families contain my 6^th great grandparents. Specifically, the family of Moses McSpadden lived across the river from the family of Hugh Berry. One of Hugh’s sons would marry one of Moses’ daughters and the rest was history…

I have previously located the gravestone for Moses McSpadden on FindAGrave.com. Knowing he was buried in the graveyard of the Green Spring Presbyterian Church, I convinced my Dad to take a detour off the interstate to pay our respects.

I am so thankful for AliceP, James Archer, and Belle who all the way back in 2003 posted information of Moses McSpadden’s stone. If I did not have the photo to use as a reference to locate Moses’ gravestone, we probably would have missed it. I also would not have been able to read as much of the engraving as Belle did.

Moses’ gravestone is no longer standing. It appears a tree used to stand nearby and the stone now lies on the soft ground of the decomposing roots. The stone is now barely legible. Here are a couple of photos of the gravestone as it is today.

Moses McSpadden stone is in the middle on the ground.

It was a wonderful afternoon to reach out and touch some history. My Dad, who was skeptical when we arrived, was just as excited as I was when we left the cemetery.

The next day, after a visit to the Historical Society of Washington County Virginia, I learned there was a reason why Moses was buried in the cemetery where we found him. Stay tuned for my next blog post to get the story.

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015

Summer Genealogy Happenings

This summer is easily ranked as one of my best summers ever! Along with some incredible trips and quality family time, I snuck in some genealogy moments.

My first adventure was driving across country with my dad. We took the Southern route from California to Virginia. Highlights on this trip included the Grand Canyon, Petrified Natural Forest, adding three new states (I have only 1 more to visit before seeing all 50) and Bristol Motor Speedway. The best moments occurred in the last 24 hours of our week-long trip. We pulled off the freeway as we crossed the Tennessee border into Virginia and visited the grave of my 6th great-grandfather, Moses McSpadden. The next morning I had an incredible visit to the Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia. I cannot wait to make a trip back to do more research there.

My next adventure began when we arrived at my parents house. My husband and kids flew in and joined to fun. After a week of fun, hubby flew home. The kids and I stayed to play another couple of weeks on the river. My parents are the best and agreed to watch the kids one day so I could spend a day researching at the National Archives in Washington, DC. I was a maniac and took almost 300 photos. Each photo equals a page in a pension or land sale document.

My last great adventure was a trip to Europe. We did a week of vacation in France with the family before heading to Switzerland for the hubby to work. The work I have done on my Strickler line has led to Abraham Strickler who came to the United States in the late 1720’s. Work I have found from other researchers points to my Abraham being related to the Stricklers who lived on the shore of Lake Zürich. I have not had time to follow-up this research but I looks credible. Several of our days were spent in Zürich, so one day the kids and I took a ferry ride down the lake to see what Horgen looks like. Today, the whole lake is surrounded by towns with homes that crawl up the hillsides from lake level. It was fun to watch and imagine what it must have looked like 300 years ago when it was all farm land.

I will write some follow-up blogs posts with more information about each genealogy adventure I had this summer!

June 10, 2015June 10, 2015

Raymond Mitchell 1921 – 2015

A little over a week ago, my family lost another incredible person. Uncle Raymond was my grandmother’s eldest brother and the last surviving child of Dudley Moses Mitchell and Opal Blanche Strickler. He was 94 years old when he passed.

I remember a couple of visits with Uncle Raymond and Aunt Juanita as a child. The most prominent is when we stayed with them on a trip across county when I was 7 years old. I got my first milkshake at a true Malt shop and visited my first grain elevator with Raymond and Juanita.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have grown closer with this side of my family in the last five years. On two different trips to Kansas in the last several years I got to visit with Uncle Raymond and get to know him. I can’t help but smile when I think of the drive around Topeka where he pointed out houses, told stories, and paid respects to family gravestones. He was so generous with sharing all he could remember. There was a lot of laughter and love that day.

Rest in Peace.

Raymond and Roberta Mitchell at Raymond's 92nd birthday. — Raymond Mitchell and Roberta Mitchell Fleming at Raymond’s 92nd birthday.

This is the obituary for Uncle Raymond. (reprinted with permission)

In Memory of
RAYMOND A. MITCHELL
1921 – 2015

Raymond A. Mitchell, 94, of Topeka, passed away on Friday, May 29, 2015 at Aldersgate Village in Topeka. He was born February 20, 1921 in Topeka, KS, the son of Dudley M. and Opal B. Strickler Mitchell.

Raymond attended Hutchinson High School. He was an Army Veteran of WWII. He resided in Topeka since 1991. Raymond was employed as a manager for the Farmland Cooperatives for 30 years prior to retiring in 1985. In 1983, he was appointed by Governor John Carlin to the Kansas State Grain Advisory Commission. He was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and the Gideons International.

Raymond married Juanita Burleson on May 3, 1942 in Hutchinson. She preceded him in death on November 15, 2001. He was also preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.

Survivors include three children, Judith Dene (Melvin) Farris of Paola,KS, Jalayn Rae (John) Love of Berryton, KS, Rev. Victor A. (Ellen) Mitchell of Highland, IL, six grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Grace United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in Penwell-Gabel Cemetery. Raymond will lie in state and the family will receive friends from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Gideons International, P.O. Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800.

May 27, 2015May 27, 2015

A Day at the DAR Library

During Spring Break this year my family traveled back East to visit with my family. One day my family hopped on the Metro into Washington,DC. We split up as we came into the city. My husband and kids played tourist for the day enjoying the beautiful cherry blossom festival. I walked a couple of blocks off of Constitution Avenue to spend the day researching at the Daughters of the American Revolution Library.

I had spent a good deal of time before my visit combing the Genealogical Research System (GRS) database. Most of my direct ancestors were either too young or too old for service in the Revolutionary War. I was not looking at the GRS for direct ancestors but rather any men who could be brothers, cousins, or uncles of my known ancestors. My hope was to find information in the supporting documents that would connect my ancestor to the family.

In the Seimes Technology Center, researchers can access the applications and supporting documents for the people found in the GRS. I tackled my to-do list and began checking each candidate. A few of the possible contenders were quickly crossed off the list since none of the information matched location or known dates.

I hit my first Jackpot with Lt. John Berry. As soon as I saw his applications and supporting documents I started hitting the ‘print’ button. The digitized documents tied right into the information I had found in the DAR Library in a book called A Berry History: an Account of John and Jane Campbell Berry of Washington County, Virginia compiled by John Berry Nolan. I have evidence that Jane Berry is my 4th great-grandmother. The book and DAR supporting documents show that she is the granddaughter of Lt. John Berry. This makes John Berry my 6th great-grandfather.

I then hit a triple Jackpot for my ancestor Mary Frances Coffey. I have documentation proving her parents are Willis Coffey and Violetta “Lotty” Haynes. First up is the find on Mary’s maternal line. My first jackpot hit was to connect Lotty as the daughter of James Haynes who served in the Revolutionary War.

Mary Frances Coffey’s paternal line had two additional surprises. The first surprise was to tie Willis Coffey into the family of Eli and Mary Coffey by looking at the application for Nathan Coffey. The probate records attached to the application show Willis as the executor of his father’s estate. It also names his mother as Mary ‘Polly’ Coffey, and the names of some of his siblings in the guardianship paperwork. It was also exciting to see John Haynes (father in-law of Willis) named in one of the documents.

The third surprise was how Nathan Coffey tied into the family. When I looked at the application, I was hoping he was an uncle. Turns out he was Willis’ great uncle and grandfather. Bible records were attached to the application which showed Eli Coffey married his first cousin, Mary Coffey on 22 March 1801. Nathan is the uncle of Eli and the father of Mary. Nathan Coffey (1760-1823) is supposedly the great-great grandson of John Coffey. John Coffey is alleged to have come to the United States about 1637 from Ireland. Once again a discovery has added many to-do items to my list to now prove prior research.

My last discovery was to confirm that Johannes Klinger is the father of Maria Clinger. Maria married into my Lawbaugh line.

The day was super successful. I know can prove a connection to five Revolutionary War ancestors. A great day ended on an even higher note. After leaving the DAR Library, I met my family at the Lincoln Memorial where we each enjoyed a lemonade popsicle before commuting home together.

April 15, 2015April 7, 2015

An Italian Baptism – Matteo Ciardonei

Matteo Ciardonei is my paternal great grandfather. He came to the United States March 22, 1920 with my grandfather. Matteo was hospitalized upon arrival. My grandfather, Matteo’s son, was released from detention when his aunt picked him up on March 31st. Sadly, Matteo was deported and left the United States on April 12th due to a tuberculosis diagnosis. Matteo passed way less than one year later on March 14, 1921 in his hometown of Cossano Canavese, Turino, Italy.

I am so lucky that FamilySearch has a microfilm from the village of Cossano Canavese. I have been able to reconstruct my paternal Italian line using baptism, marriage, and death records. With some family members, I was fortunate that the priest went back to the baptism record and recorded notes about the marriage and death for that person.

Here is the baptism record for Matteo:

With the help of the book Italian Genealogical Records: How to Use Italian Civil, Ecclesiastical, and Other Records in the Family History Research by Trafford R. Cole, a rough translation is:

Certificate No. 6

Ciardonei Matteo Stefano Luigi

The year of the lord one thousand eight hundred eighty nine the 12 of February was presented to the Church an infant born 11 of January at 3 am, son of Ciardonei Pietro, son of deceased Matteo, native of Cossano, and son of Ciamporcero Antonia, daughter of living Stefano, native of Cossano, of the family Ciardonei live in Cossano to whom the baptism was administered by the parson ????etto the delegated priest, and to whom was giving the name of Matteo Stefano Luigi, the godfather being Ciamporcero Luigi, son of living Stefano and the godmother Ciardonei Lucia, daughter of living Stefano. Represented by …(blank line)…

The indication of the birth, with the request for baptism, was made by the underwritten father of the infant.

Signature of the person who requested baptism – Ciardonei Pietro

Signature of the parish priest – A. Banedetto

Written in the left column:

Joined in matrimony to Siletto Adele di Guiseppe 22-12-13 (22 Dec 1913)

Last rites given 14-3-1921 (14 March 1921)

April 10, 2015April 7, 2015

Travel Tuesday – Getting Ready For A Research Day

Next week is Spring Break for my children. We are taking a trip to visit my parents outside of Washington, D.C. Each time we visit back east, I get to have a research day. Some of my research has taken me to Page County and Rockingham County in Northern Virginia. I have also spent days in Washington, D.C. at the National Archives and Daughter’s of the American Revolution Library.

Last week, I sat down and took a look at my research to decide what repository would be the lucky winner on this trip. In Evernote, I have a genealogy to-do notebook. As I find things I cannot access digitally, I create a note by repository so that I do not forget the where, who, and why I want this information . Currently I have three notes with archives that are within driving distance of my parents.

The first option is microfilm at the Pennsylvania State Archives. This would be a 3 hour drive for me to Harrisburg. I have previously agreed with my husband that research day would coincide with a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania. I am going to take it off the possible research day list for this trip. I would rather visit in the summer.

My second option is to visit the National Archives again. I had great success at NARA last year. I have a several pension files I would like to see. The list is split with 1 in-law direct ancestor and 4 siblings of my direct ancestors. Two of the siblings are of John L Gamble (I found his pension record last year.) These will flesh out this family further but I am not sure there will be any new information. The other two siblings are from my John F. Flock line. These may have some gems in them to confirm siblings and parents. I am hoping that it will give detailed information on the locations the family lived in Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. The direct ancestor is for my husband’s Shipman line. I have found a lot of information about James O. Shipman this year. It would be nice to round it out and confirm his parents.

My last option for research day is the Daughter’s of the American Revolution Library. I have also had great success at this library. I have been combing the online catalog and identified a couple of books that need a closer look. My maternal line has a branch that descends from John Berry and Jane Campbell. The DAR library has a book on the shelves that focuses on this couple and their descendants. There is also a book on the shelves that looks at the ancestry and descendants of John Laubach. I believe this may be a brother of one of my direct line Lawbaugh/Laubach ancestors. I also have a list of 3 direct ancestors and 6 possible siblings of ancestors who are verified patriots. I want to look at the applications and supporting documents to fill any holes in my research and/or verify relationships. This could be a landmine in new information.

Right now I am leaning towards going to the DAR Library. Which option do you think I should go with?

March 29, 2015April 3, 2015

Family Photos – The Mitchell, Gragg, and Elliott Families

This is a photo that was in my grandmother’s possession. I made digital copies of many of her photos over the years as I would visit. It was always a fun time to hear her stories as we looked at the photos together. She always did her best to identify who was in each picture. Sometimes we were able to identify some or most of the people but not all. This picture is a good example of that.

This photo was taken about the early 1940’s. I do know that Laura Mitchell passed away in 1947. My estimation for the photo comes from the age of my grandmother in the photo.

The people in this photo are a mix of families. Dudley, Laura, and Tava (Nancy Octavia) were all siblings in the Mitchell family. Tava was married to George Gragg so the Unknown Gragg in the photo could be George Gragg or one of her sons. Wendell Elliott is the son of Lawrence Elliott. Lawrence Elliott was married to Opal Strickler’s sister, Ruby. My best guess is that she took the photo. These families were very interconnected because Lawrence Elliott was Dudley’s nephew and brother-in-law (read more about that here).

If you would like a copy of this photograph, I am happy to share a clean copy without names.

***Family – if you recognize any of the unknowns in this photo, it would be greatly appreciated if you would pass on their names!!