Next FTF Post is up: fun in a cemetery

Fresh on the heels of my cemetery escapade yesterday comes my latest Family Tree Firsts post.  You can read all about a recent trip to a nearby cemetery here. 

I was a bit disappointed that the cemetery was locked, after the ranger told me it was open, but I enjoyed myself anyway.  My husband was very happy that I did not go ahead with my first inclination of scaling the brick wall.  Having to rescue your wife from a locked cemetery, or worse yet explain to an ER doctor why your wife broke her leg, did not sound like a fun idea to him.

Besides the large center stone I did take quite a few other photographs.  These were all taken at the main gate peering through with my zoom lens.  So, without further ado, here are the results from my first cemetery visit!

 

The Chancellorsville Family Cemetery

The front gate

 



 

Here are interred
George Chancellor, Esquire. (1785-1836)
of Chancellorsville
Son of John and Elizabeth (Edwards) Chancellor and
Grandson of John Chancellor (1726 – 1815) and his wife
Nee Jane Monroe. Aunt of President James Monroe.
In 1814 He Married
Ann (Lyon) Pound (1783-1860)
Only Daughter of James Lyon (1755-1836) of Falmouth, VA.
And his wife Nee Mary Longwill (1748-1794) of Cecil Co., MD.
Ann was the widow of Captain Richard Pound of Fairview who
Is also interred here. As a Wedding Gift her only Half
Brother, William Lorman, ESQ. (1764-1841) of Baltimore,
Erected the mansion called Chancellorsville in 1815-1816

Mary Edwards Chancellor

Wife of

John Thomas Frazer

Daughter of Major Sanford Chancellor

Born May 7, 1827

Died at Coventry

Spotsylvania County, VA

Oct 22 ?

 Rev. M.S.Chancellor

June 29. 1815,

Feb. 20. 1895.

 

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,

neither have entered into the heart

of man, the things which God hath

prepared for them that love Him."

 



(On Left)

Thomas Chancellor  

TR E

9 VA Cav

C.S.A.

1846-1864

 

(In Center)

In Memory of

My Mother

Lucie F. Chancellor

Wife of Rev. M.S.Chancellor

Died

Sept. 5, 1834

In The 37th Year of

Her Age

VES

 



 (In Foreground)

William R. Crady

TR. E

9 VA. Cav

C.S.A

 

(In Background)

On the left side:

George Edwards

1842-1887

Major of Cavalry

C.S.A

 

On the right side:

Melzi Sanford

1860-1925

At Rest

 

 



 Susan Margaret Chancellor

Wife of

Vespasian Chancellor

Born at Forest Hall Feb 19 1847

Daughter of

Major Sanford Chancellor

And His Wife

Frances Longwill Pound

Died at Fredericksburg VA.

Dec 28 1935

 

 

Adventures in Genealogy: Finding James Drake

Richmond, Virginia
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you decide to have an adventure.  Of course, if you have a particularly ingenious spouse, they may suggest the adventure.  So let me tell you a story...about what I did today.

One night, a few weeks back, I was out poking around on Find-a-Grave, as I am sure many of you have done.  This particular night I got a hit for the possible burial location of James Drake, my 6^th great grandfather.  It gave me a lead that he was at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia.  He died in Powhatan County but who knows, he could have been buried here since he was a prominent figure.  Also, this church is a national historic site because it was where Patrick Henry gave his “give me liberty or give me death” speech.  All I could think was how exciting it would be to stroll around the grounds, take some pictures, and if I was really lucky see his tombstone.

Days passed and I was getting ready to go to Richmond for an errand this morning when my husband suggested that I stop by the church.  I was going to be in the area after all, why didn’t I just pop on over there and see what I could find.  Yeah, that sounded like a plan, how hard could it be?  Just a few minutes, maybe an hour, perusing the area and then I would drive home.  Well, best laid plans and all that, this is not quite what happened.

St. Johns Church
From wikimedia commons

I strolled up to the visitor’s center and boldly asked for help.  Enthusiastically I explained that I was looking for information on internments and that I thought I had an ancestor located in the cemetery.  A very nice woman, dressed in colonial attire, gave me a very fat old book to look through.  It was the index of the internments, and James was not in it.  I was crushed.  Another member of the church staff gave me the number for the church office and said I should talk to them.  Maybe they could give me a lead or I could talk to their archivist.  It was at this point that I realized I had only put half of my new found knowledge of cemetery research into practice.  However, I was doing this on a whim and not nicely planned out.  Next time I would be on top of my game.

After perusing the bookstore (I couldn’t help myself) I went out to the street and called the number written on the piece of paper.  I repeated my story to the lady on the phone and she asked me if I was standing outside on the corner.  Well, they could have told me the office was just across the street.  In I went, and sadly they had no information for me either.  However, she suggested I drive over to the Virginia Historical Society.  They had the early parish records there and maybe, just maybe, they could help me locate him. 

15 minutes later I was there, checked in, and asking my questions to the reference librarian.  She was stumped too.  There were no parish death records for the time frame I was looking for.  However, we found him listed in the “VirginiaWills and Administrations 1632-1800.”  I was told this was a good thing, but that the Historical Society could not help me.  To get this information I would need to go to the Virginia State Library, back the way I had come. Yes, I had already driven by it…twice.  Well, off I went.

To be honest, I have been meaning to go to the Library of Virginia for, well, a couple years but I have just never got around to it.  Since I was there I went ahead and got my library card so I can do more research there and from home.  I was giddy!  Looking at the clock I had an hour, just an hour, until I had to leave so that I would make it home in time to get my kids from school.  No pressure.

Once again the research librarian pointed me to the microfilm for the wills of Powhatan County, Virginia.  Those from 1797 were on book 2 of the reel.  Great!  This will take no time.  30 minutes later I still hadn’t found him.  Back to the desk to ask for more help, and I get taken to the index.  THE INDEX!  I could have saved 30 minutes of my life because it told us…he didn’t have a will.  Perplexing a librarian seems to be the name of the game today, however after a quick computer search he found that James Drake was listed in the deed books for that year.  Lesson:  don’t assume that your record is where it should be.  There wasn’t a will, but an inventory of the estate at the time of his death on page 375-7 of deed book 2.

I downloaded the three ledger pages to my thumb drive and got the heck out of dodge.  Best of all, I made it home in time to meet the school bus.  Whew!  Now to go through what I saved since there was no time to look through it then.  Wonder what I will find?  Also, I still need to find out about the James Drake who is now MIA from the cemetery.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

 

One year ago today I wrote my first ever blog post.  I was petrified.  It had taken months for me to work up the courage to actually set-up the blog and put that first timid post out there.  To be honest I think I fretted more about the design than the actual post.  I looked at it for at least 30 minutes before I clicked the publish button.  Little did I know that 4 days later I would also become the 2nd Family Tree Firsts Blogger.

Then I waited, and wondered.  Who out there besides the few friends I had who liked genealogy, my husband, parents, and mother-in-law would read this.  It was amazing when I had my first comment from someone unrelated to me.  I nearly passed out the first time I had more than 20 reads in one day, let alone the first time I had over 1,000 reads in a month.  It appeared that people were actually READING this blog.  Wow was about all I could think, and it made me want to research, share, and write more.

To say it has been an amazing whirlwind of a year would be an understatement.  It has changed my life.  No, really, it has.  I am a more confident writer and researcher.  I have met amazing people who are dear friends to me, even if I have never met them in real life.  I am looking to my future in this field and I am excited about it. 

So, on that note, what are my goals for the upcoming year?  I have thought long and hard about this, and have decided on the following list:

• Finalize and submit all paperwork to the DAR as well as the GSMD for me and my husband.
• Continue to write and work towards further publication opportunities.
• Research the possibilities for certification.
• Attend one national conference.

Yes, I am being ambitious but, like I have been told, I might as well shoot for the moon because even if I miss I will still land in the stars.   Thank you for reading, thank you for returning to see what I am up to, and thank you for all your support. 

Here is to a great second year!
 

photo credit: Here's Kate via photopin cc

The Bennett and Jahnke Familes of NYC

Presumed to be the children and
grandchildren of George and Augusta Bennett
George and Augusta are seated in the front row

For the past 6 months I have searched to bust down the brick wall on my husband’s paternal family line.  I have had little luck and it can be very aggravating because the two family names are not that uncommon in turn of the 20^th Century New York City.  I have to know the story of George Bennett and Augusta Jahnke, even if it takes me years to put the puzzle pieces together.

James and Isabella “Bella” Bennett appear together on the 1880 US Federal Census with their children at 1529 1^st Ave New York, New York.  The Next time I was able to find this family was in 1920 with Isabella living with her son George Bennett and his family in Hartford, Connecticut. 

Emil Jahnke, widower, appears with his Daughter, Augusta Jahnke Bennett, and her family in the 1910 Census at 408 east 108^th Street New York, New York.  By back tracking a little I find him living with Mary Jahnke, age 13, in 1900 2 blocks away From George and Augusta in the Bronx.

Then a hint fell into my lap.  A fantastic breakthrough!   On Family Search I found an index listing for George and Augusta’s marriage, in Manhattan, during August 1894.  On it  had the most amazing bits of information.  The grooms parents were listed as Jas. Bennett and Isabella Ruddy and the bride’s parents were listed as Emil Jahnke and Mary Meyer.  BINGO!  I know, not a lot to go on, but hey I will take what I can get.

Even better, when I put Emil Jahnke and Mary Meyer into Family Search I came up with a listing for a possible marriage certificate for them.  My only problem, it is 10 years after his eldest daughter was born, in 1884.  So, who do Augusta and Mary belong too, really?  Or, is this even the correct family?  The pieces all fit just the dates are all screwy.  Am I at square one again or this a trail that could lead me to the right people?

On the Emil and Mary indexed marriage record it listed his full name as Emil Herman George Jahnke and hers as Maria Meyer Heinritz.  His parents were listed as Ferdinand Jahnke and Louise Engelman.  I had several hits on this family showing that he had a brother named George.  It appears that they immigrated to the US in the 1870’s.  Odd part, both boys are listed as living with their parents on every US and NY state census I can find; even when they are in their 30’s.  This was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. 

I have a father that immigrates with his parents after his daughter was born, marries her mother 10 years later, lives with his parents for decades while appearing to live on his own or with his children, and then disappears after 1910.  Owie, my brain is starting to hurt.  I have ordered the marriage certificates from New York, maybe seeing the real thing will help.

Week 48 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 48: Genealogy Society Member. Genealogy society members are a vital part of the family history community. We’ve made many acquaintances this way and we all benefit from their friendship, support and expertise. Share with us a genealogy society member that has left a memorable impression on you.

I have not met a person at a meeting, yet, who has not left a favorable impression on me.  Everyone has been friendly, warm, welcoming, and genuinely happy to see someone new.  In my experience, not all organizations are like this.  Too often in the past I have been left in the cold and made to feel like an outsider at a groups meeting.  Thankfully, like I said, not at a genealogy meeting.

To pick one person would be so hard.  Everyone I have become friends with has helped, guided, and encouraged me in my endeavors.  I have learned a lot from them, and I hope that I have possibly taught them something in exchange.  The level of enthusiasm from these women and men is contagious and I always leave meetings feeling re-energized and rearing to go again.

Lesson for the day:  If you haven’t joined a local society then run, don’t walk, to your nearest one and sign the membership form.  You won’t be disappointed! 

photo credit: rickz via photopin cc

Another match with AncestryDNA

Martin County, Indiana highlighted
in red.  from Wikimedia

AncestryDNA has found another cousin for me.  I have to admit, that I seem to be having a fair bit of luck with them compared to many people. More luck than I am having with my dad’s test result at FTDNA (fingers crossed with his test for the future). This time I received an email for a third cousin connection.  Well ,a third cousin 3 times over.  That’s right he is descended from 3 of my 3^rd great-grandfathers.  All are on my mother’s side of the family: two through her mother and the other through her father.  Plus, they all merged in Martin County, Indiana.

Great-grandfather 1:  Augustine Arvin

Augustine Arvin was born in Washington County, Kentucky during February 1824 to Henry Arvin and Theresa Montgomery, both formerly of Charles County, Maryland.  Henry and his family moved to Rutherford Township, Martin County, Indiana in the 1840s and became farmers and merchants in the county.  Augustine married Rebecca Summers in Daviess County, Indiana (one county over) on 29 September 1846.  Together they had 9 children: William Robert, Thomas Henry, Susan, Mary Rose or Ellen, James, Pius Augustine, Tressa, Joseph, and George.  My family is descended through William Robert and my new cousin is through Thomas Henry.

Great-grandfather 2:  James Sanders

James Sanders was born in Rush Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio during September 1829 to Lewis Sanders and Prudence Gamble formerly of Virginia.  I am not certain what brought them to Ohio, or when, and then onto Indiana, but I have been in contact with members of the family who stayed in Ohio.  Another branch of my maternal grandmother’s family is from the same township and still resides there too.  I think that many of community came to Indiana together about 1850 and were married, repeatedly, into these families while in Ohio and then in Indiana.  In 1848 James married Elizabeth Denning in Washington County, Ohio and they had 13 children: Margret Ellen, Prudence, Henry Martin, Benjamin Asbury, James, Josephine, Josephus, Adaline “Addie”, Florence, Jasper, Anthonetta, Alfretta “Etta”, and Margaret Elizabeth.  He later married Sarah in 1898.  My family is descended through Josephus and my new cousin is through Adaline.

Great-grandfather 3:  Armstead Wildman

Armstead Wildman was born in Ohio during December 1826 to Jonas Wildman and Mary Burton both formerly of Virginia.  The entire Wildman family moved to Trinity Spring, Martin County, Indiana in the mid 1840’s where they settled as farmers.  Armstead married Mary Frances Moberly on 18 December 1849 in Martin County, Indiana.  Together they had 7 children:  Maria, Emsly, James, William, Mary Ellen, George, and Francis.  Second he married Eliza Reynolds on 26 July 1866 in Martin County.  They had 2 children together:  Lewis and Andrew.  Armstead married 2 more times.  Next to Prudence Bridges on 31 July 1872, and last to Martha Williams on 22 March 1899 with no children from these unions.  My family is descended from his first wife through Mary Ellen and my new cousin is through James.

Now here is the fun part:  Mary Ellen Wildman, daughter of Armstead, married Josephus Sanders, son of James.  Their daughter was Ila Sanders who married John Sample Armstrong.  From this last union came my Grandmother.  She married an Arvin who was the great-grandson of Augustine.  Viola!  There are my 3, 3^rd great-grandfathers that are in his family tree.

 

I just love great big jig-saw puzzles... don't you?

Memories of turkey days past

Image from the Library of Congress

It has been many years since I spent a Thanksgiving at a family member’s house.  Usually it is our small family of four.  Now we get together with other friends, and their children, for the day instead of making a cross country trek.  This is what happens when family spreads out across the country and you have to pick and choose which holidays you will be sharing with them.  When it comes to holidays I am brought back, time and again, to all the different types of food we would eat.

This week I baked my dad’s pumpkin pies.  Not sure if he got the recipe from someone else, but for as long as I can remember he has baked them for fall holiday gatherings.  They are a staple now in my house as my boys and husband would pout if I didn’t make them.   I also make homemade vanilla flavored whip cream to put on them.  Yes, it is decadent, but it took me YEARS to figure out how to make whip cream that tasted good and was stiff enough, so now it has to be done.

Then there is my Grandmother Arvin’s cranberry relish.  I talked about it before here.  It has been at the holiday table most years.  My grandmother would make it by hand, chopping the fruit into thin slivers, pureeing the half frozen cranberries in the blender, and adding just the right amount to sugar.  Now, if they had only told me that you were to make it the night before to sweeten my husband would not have had to eat so many tart servings.  He would have preferred the canned jelly version of cranberry sauce, which is okay, but never as good as fresh relish.

On my husband’s side I now fix his Nanny’s candied yams every holiday for him.  It took me 3 years to figure out all the nuances to correctly making them (I kept melting the marshmallows) but now they are a super yummy addition to the table.  Of course, anything that is covered in butter, brown sugar, and marshmallows can’t be bad!  You just don’t think about the calories while you are eating them.
 

However, you can’t have a holiday meal without out the staples: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and on occasion a ham.  Eating at grandma’s house always meant the 3am start to cooking the bird.  It amazed me that she would spend hours making sure that the turkey was perfect.  It was never overdone, always juicy, and browned perfectly.  It was much better than what my meat course morphed into when not sitting at grandma’s table.

Image from the Library of Congress

When we left Indiana and moved to the east coast it was just the three of us: me, mom, and dad.  Our finances were not that good and we had turkey loaf on more than one occasion.  Now, if you have never had turkey loaf let me educate you on this.  It is turkey bits, light and dark meat, made into a loaf that is frozen waiting to be baked in your oven.  You then slice off hunks onto your waiting plate and voila turkey dinner!  Yeah, tastes good when you don’t know any better.

As soon as I could I started cooking real turkeys.  I have a very patient and loving husband, particularly the year I caramelized the turkey in wine.  It sounded like a good idea when I watched it on the Food Network you know.  Thankfully I never undercooked the turkey, and I knew enough to make sure the giblet bags were all taken out.  An over cooked turkey just calls for extra brown gravy to make it edible and there were several years when I had to make extra gravy. 

Most importantly, beyond the food, was the company.  Playing in the yard with my cousins, watching the adults get riled up over a game of eucher, listening to the stories from years past, and letting the tryptophan myth take you into a midafternoon nap.  I just hope my kids will have just as many fond memories as I do when they are my age.