Mary just wanted to be a wife and mother, and she has left an incredible legacy of wonderful children and grandchildren.
Hope she has her favorite “Nancy Ann” cake today!
Notes, Sources, and References:
“Sentimental Sunday: Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray” http://heritageramblings.net/2014/03/16/sentimental-sunday-mary-theresa-helbling-mcmurray/
‘Nancy Ann’ cakes were the store brand made by Schnuck’s years ago, and they were incredibly delicious. Sadly, they are no more, and their replacements just don’t compare.
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Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Romanesque Revival Greenfield Courthouse, Hancock County, Indiana, completed in 1897. This building is now part of a National Historic District. The Johns family would have know this building, and possibly been inside for county business. Via Wikipedia, CC 2.0 license.
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 H. Johns obituary, The Courier Times of New Castle, Indiana, published 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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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
1771_0803-MATTHEWS, Sampson and George MATTHEWS with 45 ac, Botetourt Book 40_p621 in Commonwealths land grants or Patents_Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, page 3, FamilySearch.
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:
1774_0705-MATTHEWS, Sampson and George MATTHEWS with 80 ac, Botetourt Patent Book 42_p669 in Commonwealths land grants or Patents_Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, page 9, FamilySearch.
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.
1787_0724- MATTHEWS, Richard, 653ac in 2 parcels, Botetourt Patent Book 9, p735-6, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1, page 36 FamilySearch.
1787_0724- MATTHEWS, Richard, 430ac in 2 parcels, Botetourt Patent Book 11, p530-1, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1, page 39, FamilySearch.
STEWART:
Alexander STEWART 1780_0105, with 99 ac, Botetourt Book B_p281, in Commonwealths land grants or Patents_Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, page 12, FamilySearch.
[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.]
1783_1020- STEWART, Waller, 175ac, Botetourt Patent Book H, p600, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, page 20 FamilySearch.
1786_0516, STEWART, Archibald- 185ac, Botetourt Patent Book 1, p231, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, page 30 FamilySearch.
ROBERTS:
1792_1018- ROBERTS, William, 430ac in 2 parcels, Botetourt Patent Book 28, p82, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1, p58, FamilySearch.
[Again, Roberts is a common name, but John Roberts married the daughter of Mary M. (HONTS) Murrell; Mary grew up along Back Creek.]
1799_1002-McROBERTS, Samuel and Alexander McROBERTS, 150ac, Botetourt Patent Book 41, p449, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, p88, FamilySearch.
DANIEL:
1800_0429- DANIEL, Pearce, 200ac, Botetourt Patent Book 43, p628, indexed in Commonwealths land grants or Patents, Botetourt Co VA 1770-1802, p95, FamilySearch.
[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!
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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Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
Helen (Cooper) Lee was a wonderful cook. She loved cooking for family and big get-togethers at their beautiful contemporary home, designed by her architect husband, Bob Lee. This picture shows her in the lovely galley kitchen in their home that was in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Helen was an accomplished Chinese cook, as well as with all the popular foods of the 1950s, 60s, 70s… One of the family favorites was her cinnamon rolls. She made a yeast dough and then rolled it up with sugar, cinnamon, nuts, and raisins. Because her mother, Gertrude (Broida) Cooper, did not like raisins (a woman after my own heart!), Helen made two batches- one without raisins, and another, larger batch, with them. A powdered sugar glaze was swirled over the rolls after they had cooled a bit. Seems she always made small rolls, not like the big ones purchased at malls. The rationale was that one could control their portion size- or at least not feel as guilty eating 2 or 3 or 4, because they were small. Sometimes quantity is more satisfying than size… but the quality was always there.
The following is the recipe written in Helen’s own hand, about 1981.
The recipe starts with ‘cakes’ of yeast, which are hard to find these days as they are so perishable and few people use them. An equivalent is 4-1/2 teaspoons of dry yeast. Make sure to follow the directions on the yeast package for the temperature of the water to be used, or the yeast will not “bloom” (grow) properly. The “pinch of sugar” is added to the water with the yeast as it is food for the microorganisms.
In case it is not clear to modern cooks, the sticks of butter are put in with the milk when it is scalded. One could instead use reconstituted powdered milk rather than scalding liquid milk (and having a messy pan to clean), as the processing causes it to no longer have the enzymes that destroy yeast. Use 2/3 cups of non-fat dry milk (NFDM) plus a scant 2 cups of water to equal the milk called for in this recipe, and mix well. Make sure the water is not too cold, or it may slow (or stop!) the yeast from making the dough rise well. The butter would be melted separately and slightly cooled before adding in at the same time as the milk in the updated recipe.
Helen (Cooper) Lee’s Basic Sweet Roll Recipe
Yummm- these may need to be on the menu for this weekend! Sure wish Helen could be here to share.
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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
[How are we related? Nancy Maria Burnell married Edward Byron Payne, and was the great-grandmother of Edward A. McMurray, Jr. He did not know her, however, since she sadly died in 1898 and he was not born until 1924.]
New babies in a family are always quite sentimental to think about. New life, full of promise and possibilities, so sweet, so innocent, and they have that wonderful baby smell, too. Babies are the result of love between two people, and that makes them all the sweeter, all the more sentimental to think about on this lovely Sunday.
Nancy Maria Burnell is listed at the bottom of the above excerpt from the Williamsburg, Massachusetts Vital Records. Under the heading “Sex” it notes she is a “Dautr” and was born Oct. 18, 1847 in Williamsburg.
The birth record of Nancy Maria Burnell, in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. From Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, part 2. (Click to enlarge)
The right-hand page in the record book contains information about her parents. Kingsley & Cynthia [Pomeroy] Burnell are listed (again, at the bottom of the excerpt) so this record confirms our other research. This birth record also lists the occupation of the father, and in this case, it was “Carpenter.” Other records also show that Kingsley, or Kingsley Abner “K.A.” Burnell, did practice that craft. He was much more than just a carpenter, though, and future posts will share more about this family.
Notes, Sources, and References:
Williamsburg, Massachusetts, Vital Records, no page number.
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Original content copyright 2013-2018 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.
