Saturday, February 28, 2009

Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces

Craig over at GeneaBlogie suggested the following:

List the surnames you are researching and the general localities. Then tell the names of your “Most Wanted Ancestors,” that is, the ones you most want to find behind that brickwall.

Here are my surnames and locations:

Trahan (Louisiana - Lafayette/Acadia/St. Martin Parishes, Nova Scotia - Port Royal/Pisguit/Grand Pre, France - Montreuil-Bellay)

Pemberton (Michigan - St. Clair/Sanilac/Macomb/Chippewa/Alpena Counties, Ontario - Kent/York/Wentworth Counties, New York - possibly Albany County)

Mertena (Oklahoma - Logan County, Illinois - Jackson/Williamson/Franklin Counties)

Currie (Michigan - Sanilac County, Ontario - Elgin County, Scotland - possibly Argyleshire)

Boneaux (Louisiana - Lafayette/Orleans Parishes, France)

Crysler (Michigan - St. Clair/Sanilac Counties, Ontario - Lambton County, New York - Fulton/Columbia/Schenectady/Dutchess/Greene/Schoharie Counties, Germany - possibly Neiderneisen)

Proffitt (Oklahoma - various counties, Tennessee - Jefferson County, North Carolina - Yancey/Wilkes Counties, Virginia - Goochland County, Scotland - possibly Perth)

Plaine (Ontario - Lambton/Middlesex Counties, England - Norfolk County)

Sonnier (Louisiana - Lafayette/St. Martin Parishes, Nova Scotia - Petitcoudiac/Grand Pre/Port Royal, France - possibly Bretagne)

Reynolds (Michigan - Sanilac County, Ontario - possibly Wentworth County, New York)

Baker (North Carolina, Tennessee - Sevier/Jefferson Counties, Virginia - Augusta/Frederick Counties)

Hillman (Ontario - Lambton/Middlesex Counties, England - Wiltshire County)

Most sought after ancestors:

Parents of Jeremiah Pemberton (abt 1811-1881). Jeremiah was married in York County, Ontario, to Susannah Jermyn in 1836. Most census records state he was born in New York. There was a famed Loyalist from Albany County, New York, named Jeremiah Pemberton, who supposedly fled to Ontario to escape persecution during the American Revolution. Could this be Jeremiah's grandfather?

Parents of John Henry Mertena (abt 1854-abt 1884). John Henry was born in southern Illinois, possibly in Jackson County. He resided in Jackson County and was age 22 when he married Carolina Christina "Carrie" Orth in 1876 in Williamson County. John and Carrie were living in Franklin County in 1880 for the U.S. Census. The census states he was born in Illinois and that both of his parents were born in Tennessee. The family story was that John Henry's parents were immigrants, and that his father was robbed and killed on the ship coming over to America. His mother gave birth to him on board. She remarried to a man named Brown once she arrived in America. I have since found out through census and marriage records that the "Brown" stepfather was actually the stepfather of John Henry Mertena's wife, Carrie. And if both his parents were actually born in Tennessee, then the ship story is unlikely. Carrie's parents were both German immigrants, so maybe this story does have some truth to it on her side, though I do know from census records that Carrie's father did arrive in America.

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