Most family historians read a lot of blogs, and this genealogist is no exception. Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN) is one of the oldest, and the best for keeping up with news and resources in the genealogy field. Another favorite is Amy Johnson Crow’s newsletter/blog, as she posts on a variety of topics, including very useful tips for specific websites, types of genealogical searches, and even DNA. There are so many good genealogy blogs to follow- sometimes it is hard to stop reading them and get back to researching and writing!

My current first-read, however, is the blog of Roberta Estes: DNAeXplained. I started reading her blog as we are just so confused about the heritage of Wiley Anderson Murrell (1806-1885).  He was deposited by aliens (had to be) at age 28 in Botetourt County, Virginia when he married Mary Magdalene Honts in 1834- we cannot find a mention of him in anything before that marriage bond date, even after a trip to the Botetourt County Courthouse. So we have had a lot of DNA (both autosomal and Y-DNA) analyzed to try to find his parents, but now things are even more confusing as we have a whole lot of connections that really don’t connect. Roberta’s blog has helped me to better understand the types of DNA and the caveats for different tests and results, as well as their strengths, though we still don’t understand the DNA results we have been getting. Roberta is able to translate the complex science of genetics to something understandable, however our Wiley remains, well, ‘wily’ in his elusiveness to his descendants.

So why would I write my first blog about a blog I love to follow if it hasn’t answered my questions?? It is because Roberta’s posts can be so informative, but also absolutely beautiful. As a writer who truly appreciates traditional good writing techniques, Roberta’s discourses please my ears/my mind/my heart. (Do you ‘read’ with your ears too?)

Roberta’s blogs provide carefully chosen words to convey information, whether it be the intricacies of DNA or the biography of an ancestor. But Roberta also blogs from her heart when sharing her personal family history journey. Her recent post, “Mom’s Joyous Springtime “Mistake” – 52 Ancestors #189” had to be read twice, then again, just to savour. (And yes, that is spelled the British-English way, because it seems that ‘savor’ is the US fast-food way to enjoy something, whereas the British ‘savour’ seems to mean more time to relish each word, each thought, each emotion…)

In this post, Roberta begins her travels with the angst of the day- ‘Will spring EVER come this year??’ Then she journeys along a road that becomes a reverie of the past. Her loving family and the generations of women with their rituals of looking back at their history resonated with me and touched my heart. I ‘savoured’ those moments along with her. At the same time I was transported from my own distress with this never-ending crazy cold and wet weather to earlier years in my own family, and the trips to the attic and closets to look at the treasures of the past. An old box from the back of the closet or a big trunk in the hot summer attic gave up the ghosts of the past, and my dear family gave them flesh and character as they told the stories. Those stories became a part of me, and have helped me through dark times, challenging times, and the times when one just does not know what to do next. “You come from strong pioneer stock- you can do anything you set your mind to” and “She was so full of love- she gave to anyone who needed it, even when they did not have enough themselves” will always stay with me. The feeling of connectedness that Roberta describes in her post stays with me, too, and reflects my ties to my own ancestors.

Those ties push me to do family history research and tell the stories of our ancestors, so they are not forgotten. I am glad that you read these tales, my dear family!

And thank you, Roberta.

(Can I please be President of your fan club??)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Photo from family treasure chest. Thank you to the wonderful photographer who took it so long ago and shared it more recently.
2. Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter (EOGN)– https://blog.eogn.com
3. Amy Johnson Crow’s newsletter/blog– amyjohnsoncrow.com
4. DNAeXplained– dna-explained.com

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Roberts Family, Murrell Family (Click for Family Tree)

Tuesday’s Tip: Don’t Limit Dates in Searches

A typical genealogical search on FamilySearch, Google, Duck, Duck Go, Elephind, etc., generally includes a name plus birth and death dates. Yes, it is important to limit the number of hits so one is still not searching at 3am ,* but sometimes NOT limiting the search can find even better information.

It is fine to limit the search with a birth date, using the earliest possible of the many dates suggested by a census, headstone, etc.- you know that person will not be in any record before that date.

But after that date? Many of us lose out by specifying the death date as the final date that there might be a mention of someone. Obituaries, cemetery records, probate, court cases, and even city directories may list a person after their death. As an example, city directories may list the widow with her deceased husband’s name in the listing, and we have seen directories that were printed just before the death of someone listed, so they suggest the person was still alive. The deceased may also be included many years later in the obituary of a spouse or child, or in a newspaper article about a community or church; an example is a former minister being listed in a church history.

The obituary of William Johns of Wilkinson, Indiana illustrates this tip. Researching the Henry Honts/Johns family of  Virginia, Tennessee, and Indiana, we used a variety of search terms, and in one, did not include the death date, when searching for Henry’s children and grandchildren. Here is the result of that search, published in The Courier Times of New Castle, Indiana, on 12 May 1953:

William’s parents were early residents of Hancock County per the obituary, and it gives their names, verifying that information for us, as we already have them in our family tree.

Previous research tells us that William’s father, Henry Johns, was the son of Matthias “Matthew” Johns (1817-1899) and Ellen Maggart/Maggard (1822-1886). Earlier research also tells us that Matthias was the second son of Henry Honts/Johns (Sr.) (1769-1864) and Elizabeth (Firestone) [Lampert] Johns (1785-1862). Only Henry Sr. is actually related to us- these Johns family members were his second family. But knowing that Henry and Sara were pioneer residents of Hancock Co., Indiana, gives more weight to our other data that includes the fact that the Johns family was in Hancock Indiana for quite some time- we know at least by the 1840 US Federal Census, when Henry and Elizabeth moved there with their two sons, including Matthias.

We must, of course, be careful to not extrapolate too far using this obit as ‘proof’- it really only tells us about William H. and his parents. But it gives us clues to check, such as a county history or Pioneer Days Celebration article that might list William’s parents. Just the one word “early” when speaking of William’s parents as pioneers tells us that we should find more about what life might have been like for William growing up in a newly-settled (by whites) area of the frontier.

One more great point about this more-recent obituary- it tells us the names of persons who were alive in 1953, and there is more chance that they may still be around to share their memories. Now we can look for that grandchild or great-grandchild that may have the surname Johns, Gipe, or Gale, and may have lived in- or still be in- Hancock County. In addition to memories and family records, they may even have that unbelievable photo of an ancestor that you never thought you would find!

So try your searches in many ways-sometimes leaving information OUT will give you great hits you might not have found if you had left that search term IN.

* Well, okay- as a genealogist who is finding good stuff, it is hard to stop, so 3am may be chiming on the beautiful antique clock near your computer on a regular basis. But searching smart will help you to have moved on to another detail, rather than still searching for that one tiny bit of info in thousands of search hits.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1)

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Roberts Family, Murrell Family (Click for Family Tree)

Reading through “Commonwealth’s land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802” that is on FamilySearch, there were quite a few interesting entries indexed. We are looking for early family of each of these surnames, so these may be people who should be researched further.

MATTHEWS:

Sampson MATTHEWS (1737-1807) and George MATTHEWS (1739-1812) were brothers, and sons of Anne ARCHER and John MATTHEWS. According to a DAR application, George served as a Colonel in a Virginia regiment during the Revolutionary War; he was taken prisoner at Germantown and was a POW for four years until exchanged by the British. Sampson provided duck (a heavy fabric) for sails to the Navy in 1776, and then served in the militia. They were brothers to Jane MATTHEWS PAUL (1740-1800), one of our ancestors in the Daniel-Roberts line.

Richard Matthews has not yet been researched.

STEWART:

[This entry for Alexander Stewart is interesting as his land was on Craig’s Creek, near the Honts family. Rose STEWART married Edward ROBERTS in 1800 in Kentucky- related? Probably not as Stewart is a common Scots-Irish name, but thought I would include these just in case there is a connection.]

ROBERTS:

[Again, Roberts is a common name, but John Roberts married the daughter of Mary M. (HONTS) Murrell; Mary grew up along Back Creek.]

DANIEL:

[Our DANIEL(S) family lived in Rockbridge County, which was formed in 1777 from Botetourt and Augusta Counties.]

Please let us know if you know more about these patent owners, and/or how they might connect to our ancestors!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1.  “Commonwealth’s (land) grants or patents, Botetourt County, Va., 1770-1802” abstracted and typewritten by Nell M. Nugent, 1944, on FamilySearch– https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE7165304
2. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Lineage Book Vol. 005, Page 46, application for Mrs. Margaret M. Hanger Ratcliffe, DAR # 4118.

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McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. 1930s Kilgore “Invincible” 6.5″ Repeater Cap Gun, painted cast iron with holster, owned by Edward A. McMurray, Jr. who was born in 1924 to Edith (Roberts) [McMurray] Luck and Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Sr. It is unknown as to whether or not the holster was a part of a set with the cap gun, but we have not found another similar holster in our research. Currently, the value of the cap gun itself is approximately $50.
2. Kilgore was, at one time, the largest producer of cap guns and the caps they used. The company was started in 1912 and was still in business in the 1960s- it is likely that Ed’s children played with caps and toy guns made by Kilgore! See http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=1317 for a history of the Kilgore company, which also was involved with making real military pyrotechniques (including signal flares)- and they almost built Thompson machine guns.
3. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Kilgore-Invincible-6-5-Painted-Cast-Iron-Repeater-Cap-Gun-c-1930-H/292380643055?hash=item44133e8eef:g:0qAAAOSwUYNaIbbi
   eBay item number:

   292380643055

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, Cooper Family (Click for Family Tree)

Three years ago today I posted some images along with lyrics from Brad Paisley’s song, “Two People Fell in Love.” Seemed like that was just not enough pictures of our ancestors who fell in love, so we decided to provide Part 2 and make it a series, as wonderful pictures become available.

Of course, the secret to a good marriage is making every day a day to celebrate your love, not just a day in the midst of February. Our ancestors probably struggled with this concept like we sometimes do, especially when the mundane gotta-dos of life get in the way. Many of them had long, loving marriages though, and they were good role models for their descendants of today.

Please enjoy these lovely people on this Valentine’s Day of 2018 !

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “All because two people fell in love” HeritageRamblings.net post, 14 Feb 2015– http://heritageramblings.net/2015/02/14/all-because-two-people-fell-in-love/
2. “Two People Fell in Love,” song by Brad Paisley- see above article for more information.

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