Friday, July 31, 2009

My Great-Grandparents' Home

I've just realized that my hometown of Vinton, Louisiana, has street views on Google Maps. This is very exciting!

Below is the home of my great-grandparents, Bienvenue and Beatrice (Boneaux) Trahan. They lived on Nelson Street in Vinton from the late 1950s until the late 1990s. They are the parents of my paternal grandfather. When my great-grandfather moved to a nursing home in the late 1990s, my grandparents sold the house to someone outside the family.

Before Bienvenue and Beatrice moved into the house above, they lived in a railroad-owned house at the corner of Highway 90 and Fancher Street in Vinton. My great-grandfather worked for the railroad for many years. They lived there from the early 1940s until they moved into the house above. The railroad house is no longer standing, but it is featured in the background of the picture on the far left in my blog banner. Bienvenue and Beatrice eventually bought the house from the railroad and sold it to my grandparents. This is where my dad grew up until the early 1970s.

Now if they would only get street views for Port Huron, Michigan on Google Maps! I'm eagerly awaiting!

New Blog: Genealogy of Vinton Families

Please check out my new blog called Genealogy of Vinton Families. I've decided to take on another project researching the families of my hometown of Vinton, Louisiana. It's not as if I have time for another project, but I thought it would be something new and exciting to do. Just for a change of pace when I get tired with my own brickwalls and my family and friends' brickwalls. My great-grandparents did not arrive in Vinton until the early 1940s from Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and my grandfather was an only child. I've always felt like everyone else in Vinton was related to each other, and I was the only one who wasn't. I only had my sister and brother and my two first cousins on my dad's side plus my three first cousins on my mom's side whose parents had been transplanted from Michigan. So I figured it might be a fun project just to see who really is related to one another. I will be primarily using census records, WWI draft registrations, local newspapers, the SSDI, headstones, marriage records, abstracts of church records, city directories, and death records. Let the digging begin!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

De Luca Family: Death Record of Peter L. De Luca, Sr.

This will be my final post in the De Luca series (unless I decide to hop the pond one day and go to Italy). This post centers around the death record of the family patriarch, Peter Louis De Luca, Sr., who immigrated from Italy in 1907. Peter first settled in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to the small village of Rosati in Phelps County, Missouri. In the early 1940s, he seems to have moved to Michigan, where at least two of his grown children had moved. Coldwater, Michigan is where we found his wife, Clementina, living when she applied for her social security number in November 1944. According to this death record, around January 1945, he moved with his son, Peter Louis De Luca, Jr., to southern California. He died 2 Aug 1945 in Los Angeles.


Full name: Peter L. DeLuca
Date of death: 2 Aug 1945 (12:40 AM)
County of death: Los Angeles
City of death: Los Angeles
Address of death: 4929 So. Gramercy Place
Length of stay in this community: 8 months
Length of stay in California: 8 months
If foreign born, how long in the USA: 40 years
Usual residence of deceased: 4929 So. Gramercy Place, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
If veteran, name of war: No
Social security no.: No
Sex: Male
Race: White
Marital status: Married
Name of wife: Clementine DeLuca
Age of wife: 59 years
Birthdate of deceased: 10 Oct 1855
Age of deceased: 89y, 9m, 22d
Birthplace: Athens, Italy
Usual occupation: Farmer
Industry: General Farming
Father: Louigi DeLuca
Father's birthplace: Italy
Mother: Antonia Yenata
Mother's birthplace: Italy
Informant: Peter L. DeLuca, Jr., 4929 So. Gramercy Place
Cause of death: Starvation (3 months)
Due to: Bulbar paralysis in lungs and throat (6 months)
Date of burial: 4 Aug 1945
Place of burial: Holy Cross Cemetery
Funeral director: Cunningham & O'Connor, 850 West Washington Blvd.
What's pretty neat is that you can actually see a picture of the house at 4929 South Gramercy in Los Angeles here:


View Larger Map

This death record gives us the names of Peter's parents, Luigi DeLuca and Antonia Yenata. His father's name matches the name found on his passenger record listed as his closest living relative in Italy. As stated in a previous post, from studies of names in the area of Atina, it appears that Antonia's last name may have been spelled "Iannota" back in Italy. Peter's birth date of 10 Oct 1855 is most likely incorrect, as he seems to have been born around 1877 or 1878, according to census records, passenger records, etc. According to family sources, he was born 10 Oct 1878. His birthplace is also given incorrectly as Athens, Italy. I believe this was likely a misspelling of Atina, as given on his passenger record. We see that Peter, Sr. was living with his son, Peter, Jr., at the time of his death and that he had been in California for 8 months before his death. This gives an approximate move date of January 1945.

Monday, July 27, 2009

My Long Lost Genealogy Projects

The purpose of this post is to help me remember all the genealogy projects I've started for family and friends, many of which I've let fall by the wayside. I'm sure we all have those kinds of projects. Genealogy research just gets so overwhelming sometimes, especially now with so many online resources freely floating at our fingertips, that we put projects aside to organize and present to others later. And sometimes other life events just get in the way of finishing someone else's project. Some of the projects that I have been successful at "finishing" or nearly "finishing" are the following:

  • My first cousin's father's side of the family. My mom and her mom are sisters, so I've done tons of research on her mom's side (Pemberton), but she wanted me to look for some Chamberlain information on her dad's side. Her father's biological father left the family when her father was very young, so she knew very little about him. She did not even know her great-grandparents' names. I was able to find her paternal grandparents' marriage record at the county clerk's office, which listed her great-grandparents, Martin William Chamberlain and Gertrude Devers. From there, I was able to find several marriage and death records from the family and trace them back at least 2 more generations. Ironically, it appears that Martin's father, Edward Felix Chamberlain, was actually the son of Nelson DeLisle and Sarah Sherky. Sarah was married to Jarvis Chamberlain before she married Nelson DeLisle, and she was a widow at the time of the 1850 census with no son named Edward in the household. Edward was not born until about 1854, after she married Nelson DeLisle in 1852. On Edward's 1880 marriage record to Alice Swartout, his name is given as Edward Felix DeLisle, though no parents are listed. I can't figure out why he started going by Chamberlain, his mother's first husband's name, after his marriage in 1880. His mother also used Chamberlain at the time of her death in 1910. My suspicion is that DeLisle was a French Canadian name and may have been more prone to prejudicial views by others than Chamberlain would have been. So my cousin may not be a Chamberlain after all! I also did some research for my cousin on her Chatterson and Plonkey lines, those of her paternal grandmother, and found that she is a fourth cousin to Madonna, assuming Madonna's genealogy research has been researched correctly.
  • My brother-in-law's family is an ongoing project that I am currently working on, as many of you have seen in my DeLuca series of posts. Some of his other surnames are Hartman (Missouri/Kansas), Roberts (Ontario), and Haste (Louisiana/Arkansas/Illinois), so be looking forward to those posts.
Below are my poor little projects that I have temporarily abandoned (though not permanently):

  • My fiance's famly tree. I started this research back in 2005 or 2006 when I was in grad school, about a year before we were actually engaged (this is when he should have gotten scared!...LOL!). I even added stuff to my Family Tree Maker database, but of course I did not source it properly, as I was prone to do back then. Some of his paternal lines include Sepulvado (my soon-to-be last name...yikes!), Leone, Laroux, Procell, Bebee, Campbell, and Blackman. His paternal ancestors were from NW Louisiana (primarily Sabine Parish). I suspect that the Sepulvado and Leone families descend from Spanish soldiers stationed in Mexico who traveled south to Texas and then into Louisiana. Some of his maternal lines include Hyatt, Dickerson, Spikes, Marze, McMahon, Cole, Wright, and Chapman. The Hyatt, Dickerson, Spikes, and Marze families settled in SW Louisiana in present-day Beauregard Parish (then Calcasieu), though the Marze and Dickerson families had SE Texas ties as well. The McMahon, Cole, Wright, and Chapman families settled in SE Texas (Newton and Jasper Counties, just across the border from Beauregard Parish, Louisiana).
  • My best friend Rachel's family tree. Her paternal surnames include Jones, Bridwell, Marks, Woods, Curtis, Bright, and Combs. These families were primarily from Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana, though I think we did trace her Jones ancestor back to Minnesota. Her maternal side includes Plimpton, Loungway, Hebert, and Gauthier, all from Massachusetts and Quebec.
  • My future niece's family tree on her dad's side. Her mom is my fiance's sister, so that side of the tree ties back into Forgotten Family Tree #1. Her father's families include Kravchuk (Ukraine/Massachusetts), Hollier, Fontenot, Berzat, Reed, Henry, Jeansonne, LaHaye, and possibly Guilbert. Other than the Kravchuk's, the remainder of these families come from southwest Louisiana (Evangeline Parish).
  • My aunt's family tree. My aunt married my mom's brother (Pemberton) from Michigan, but she is a Domingue from Louisiana, and on my dad's side, my third great-grandmother was a Domingue from Louisiana as well. I am pretty certain we are related because all Domingue descendants in Louisiana descend from Manuel Domingue who came to Louisiana in the 1770s from the Canary Islands. Her third great-grandfather appears to be Jean Pierre Domingue, who married Emilia Hernandez in 1856 in Lafayette Parish, and his father seems to be Manuel Domingue who married Marie Hernandez, but I'm not sure who Manuel's parents are. I believe he is probably a grandson of the immigrant ancestor, Manuel Domingue. Therefore, I haven't determined our exact relationship yet.
  • My stepcousin's famly tree on her dad's side. Her dad died when she was young, and her mom has been with my uncle for twenty years now. This uncle is also my mom's brother from Michigan (though a different brother than the one mentioned above). My stepcousin's great-grandmother on her dad's side was also a Domingue. Seems like those Pemberton's from Michigan like to marry Domingue descendants from Louisiana because my stepcousin is also married to a Pemberton, her first stepcousin, one of my mom's other brother's son's. (Are you lost now?) It looks like my third great-grandfather, Joseph Numa Sonnier, and my stepcousin's third great-grandfather, Rufus Emmanuel Domingue, were half-brothers. Though I do need to verify this further. I am not 100% sure that Rufus Emmanuel Domingue, son of Pierre Antoine Domingue and Rosalie Basilisse Armigela Domingue, is the exact same person as Emmanuel Domingue, son of Pierre Domingue and Rosalie Domingue (again, cousins marrying cousins...Rosalie's maiden name was Domingue).
Anyhow, I *think* this concludes my list of forgotten family trees. Now I can refer back to it when I am ready to take one of them on again.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Aunt Maggie

Mary Margaret "Maggie" Pemberton (1946-1969)
c. 1950-52

This is a photo of my Great-Aunt Maggie, the youngest sister of my maternal grandfather, John Peter Pemberton. Maggie was the youngest of the ten children of my great-grandparents, John Vital Pemberton and Mabel Ellen Crysler. My grandfather was the oldest. He was born in 1928, so he left home and joined the Army shortly after Maggie was born. This photo was probably taken on the sidewalk in front of their home on 729 12th Street or 1207 Gillett Street in Port Huron, Michigan. Maggie was mentally disabled. I'm not exactly sure what her disability was diagnosed as. I know that she died of continuous epileptic seizures at the young age of 23. The family story is that my great-grandmother found her dead in the bathroom one day.


Betty & Maggie Pemberton, c. 1965

This is a photo of Maggie with her older sister, Betty. Betty is the second youngest of the ten children. From this photo, I thought maybe Maggie had down syndrome characteristics, but I'm not too sure. I just know that back in Aunt Maggie's day, people with disabilities did not have the rights that they have now. And even today, they still struggle for equal rights. My mom has said that even she and her siblings used to taunt and tease Aunt Maggie when they were young because they did not know any better. I really hope they got in trouble for that! As far as I know, my great-grandmother never institutionalized Maggie. She always took care of her until her death.


Tombstone of Mary Margaret Pemberton
Kinney Cemetery
Clyde Township
St. Clair County, Michigan

What is interesting is that my great-grandmother lost another child, Evelyn Marie Pemberton, to epileptic seizures and edema of the lungs in 1948. Evelyn was born in 1936 and died at the age of 11. Sadly, I don't think I have any pics of Evelyn. I wonder if my great-uncle Bill does.


Tombstone of Evelyn Marie Pemberton
Elk Township Cemetery
Peck, Sanilac County, Michigan


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dad!


Michael David Trahan, c. 1956

You still look the same!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

More Jermyn Connections

Of particular interest are several birth records from the 1880's in Huron County, Ontario. The parents of the children named in the birth records are Whitfield Jermyn and Sarah Hobbs. Susanna had a grandson named Whitfield Pemberton, oldest son of her youngest child, Charles Pemberton, and his wife Blanche Poole. Whitfield is an unusual name, so I'm hoping this means there may be a connection. I have not yet connected Whitfield Jermyn with anyone, though he did live in Huron County, where Stephen and Mary's son, Thomas Jermyn, and John and Elizabeth's son, Jabez Jermyn, lived.

There is a Susanna Jarmin who married John Porter 19 Nov 1863 in Middlesex County, Ontario. Her parents are listed as Wilkinson and Catherine Jarmin. She was a resident of Lobo Township. She was born about 1845 in Canada.

In the 1860 US Census, there is a Francis Jerman living in Ira Township in St. Clair County, Michigan. He was age 53 (b. abt 1806-1807) and was born in Canada. His wife was Mary Jerman, age 36. They have 4 children in the household: Matilda, age 13; Eli, age 18; Hariet, age 9; and Mary, age 1. All the children were born in Canada except for Mary. She was born in Michigan. I mention this because Susanna and her husband, Jeremiah Pemberton, moved to Wayne County, Michigan about 1856 and then to St. Clair County about 1865.

In the 1870 US Census, there is a James German and Elizabeth German living in Clay Township in St. Clair County. Clay Township is exactly where Jeremiah and Susanna relocated to around 1865. James is age 25 (b. abt 1844-1845), and his birthplace is given as Michigan. In 1870, Jeremiah and Susanna lived in the village of Algonac, which is in Clay Township.

In the 1880 census, there is a Ferdinand and Frank Jarmy both living with their sister, Mary, and her husband, John Blauvelt, in Algonac. Ferdinand was age 29 (b. abt 1850-1851) and Frank was age 22 (b. abt 1857-1858). They were both born in Canada. Their parents were born in England. Mary was age 26 (b. abt 1853-1854). From Frank's marriage record, it appears that his parents were Thomas Jarmy and Frances Baker. Mary's marriage record does not list any parents but gives her birthplace as Quebec. This may be the wrong family. But the interesting thing is that Frank/Francis lives next to Charles Pemberton, Susanna's son, in the 1900 US Census in Algonac. Is this just a coincidence?

In Mar 1913, Joseph L. Jermyn, son of J[ohn].W. Jermyn and Sarah Langford, married Elizabeth A. Rogers in Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. This would have been well after Susanna's family settled there. John W. Jermyn is a potential nephew of Susanna's, the son of her potential brother, John. This would make Joseph a potential great-nephew.

Sorting Out My Jermyn Connections through Death Records

In trying to sort out my Jermyn connections, I've decided to also look at death records for Jermyn's in Ontario.

The first one of interest is for John Jermyn who died 5 Oct 1906 in Biddulph, Middlesex County, Ontario at the age of 80. His parents are not listed. His age suggests a birth date of 1825-1826. If his age is correct, then he is probably not the John Jermyn who witnessed Susanna's marriage record because he would have only been 10 years old in 1836. However, his age still puts him in a position to be her brother. Perhaps the John who witnessed her marriage was her father or an uncle. This John's birthplace is given as County Cork, Ireland. Some of Susanna's census records and those of her children give her birthplace as Ireland.

Richard Jermyn, Sr. died 30 Apr 1918 in Granton, Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario. He was 82 years and 7 months old, suggesting a birth date of Oct 1835. His parents are listed as Stephen Jermyn and --- Webb. Was Stephen married to a Webb too?

Jane Jermyn died 22 Jan 1881 in Biddulph Township at the age of 46 years. She was born about 1834-1835 in Ireland. This may have been Richard's wife. The informant's first initial is hard to read, but his last name is Jermyn, and he lives in Granton.

Henry Jermyn, son of Stephen Jermyn and Mary Stout, died 29 Sep 1925 in Owen Sound, Grey County, Ontario, at the age of 84 years. He was born 7 Sep 1841 in York County, Ontario. His parents were both born in Ireland. So was Mary a Webb or a Stout? We know that Stephen's potential brothers, John and Thomas, both married Webb's. His potential sister, Martha, also married a Webb. Henry was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound. The informant was a nephew, Emery Jermyn.

Jabez Jermyn died 4 Sep 1919 in Brussels, Huron County, Ontario. He was the son of John Jermyn and --- Webb. This should be Elizabeth Webb. He was born in Biddulph Township in Middlesex County on 11 Jul 1845. The informant was Wesley B. Jermyn.

John Jermyn died 6 Dec 1876 in Biddulph Township. No age is given, and his birthplace is given as Ireland. There is no informant. Perhaps this is the John who was a witness at Susanna's marriage.

Thomas Jermyn died 22 Aug 1898 in Listowel, Perth County, Ontario. He was born 16 Jul 1838 in Canada.

Sorting Out My Jermyn Connections through Marriage Records

My fourth great-grandmother was Susanna Jermyn. All I know about her is that she was born about 1820 in either England, Ireland (possibly Northern Ireland), or Canada. She married Jeremiah Pemberton in St. James Cathedral in Toronto, York County, Ontario, on 19 Nov 1836. She was a resident of Toronto Gore Township in Peel County, Ontario, at the time of her marriage. The two witnesses to the marriage were Thomas Jermyn and John Jermyn.

There was a Thomas Jermyn who married Mary Webb on 13 Apr 1839 at St. James Cathedral. He was a resident of Toronto, as was Mary Webb. Witnesses were R. Sophia Stevenson and Thomas Webb. Is this the same Thomas Jermyn who was a witness at Susanna and Jeremiah's wedding in Nov 1836? Could this be a brother or a cousin of Susanna?

It appears that John Jermyn and Elizabeth Webb married in 1842. See the Upper Canada (Ontario) Marriage Database here. Were John Jermyn and Thomas Jermyn brothers who married sisters, Elizabeth Webb and Mary Webb?

On 23 Feb 1837, Henry Rowe married Catherine Beamish at St. James Cathedral. Both were residents of Toronto Gore Township. Witnesses were John Jermyn and J. Gamble Geddes. Is this the same John Jermyn who was a witness at Jeremiah and Susanna's wedding?

Rewind backwards before the 1830s marriages at St. James Cathedral. On 22 Oct 1817, William German of Markham Township married Diana Caswell of Whitchurch Township at St. James Cathedral. Witnesses were H. Patterson and Panuta [sp?] Patterson. Could these be Susanna's parents? She was born in 1820, so this is not outside the realm of possibility. Susanna did name one of her son's William.

Fast forward quite a few years, and on 18 Mar 1888, Jabez Jermyn, son of John Jermyn and Elizabeth Webb, married Martha Roe, daughter of Thomas Roe and Emma Dudly, in McKillop, Huron County, Ontario. Are Martha Roe and Thomas Roe any relation to Henry Rowe, whose marriage John Jermyn witnessed in 1837? According to the marriage record, Jabez Jermyn was born in Biddulph, Middlesex County, Ontario, about 1845-1846. Martha Roe was born about 1860-1861 in Grey Township, Huron County, Ontario. Witnesses were Fletcher Roe of McKillop and Annie Morrison.

Another son of John and Elizabeth Webb, John J. Jermyn, married Anna Jarvis on 22 Feb 1881 at Owen Sound, Grey County, Ontario. John J. Jermyn was born about 1847-1848 in Biddulph.

Henry Jermyn of Biddulph was a witness at the marriage of David Baird and Kezia Webb, daughter of John Webb and Martha, on 27 May 1874 in Parkhill, Middlesex County, Ontario. Going backwards, on 21 Nov 1849, John Webb married Martha Jermyne in London District, Ontario. Both were residents of Biddulph. Witnesses were George Webb and Stephen Jermyne. Could Martha Jermyne be a younger sister of Susanna, Thomas, and John Jermyn? Could John Webb be a younger brother of Elizabeth and Mary Webb? If Kezia is a daughter of John Webb and Martha Jermyn, then Henry Jermyn may be a cousin.

Note that there was also a John Pemberton who married in 1874 in Middlesex County, though I'm not too sure if there is a connection with Susanna's husband, Jeremiah Pemberton. Pemberton can sometimes be like the name Smith or Jones.

On 22 Mar 1876, Henry Jermyn of Biddulph, son of Stephen Jermyn and Mary, married Margaret Grafton in Blanshard Township, Perth County, Ontario. Is this the same Henry Jermyn who witnessed Kezia Webb's marriage? Henry was born about 1841-1842 in Toronto Township, Peel County, Ontario. Susanna named one of her son's Stephen. Could this Stephen be a brother to Susanna? In fact, Susanna had three sons with similar names to these Jermyn gentlemen: John (possibly a brother to Susanna), William Thomas (William - possibly a father to Susanna; Thomas - possibly a brother to Susanna), and Stephen (possibly a brother to Susanna). It appears that Stephen's family and John's family both migrated to Biddulph in Middlesex County. Furthermore, if Kezia Webb was the daughter of Martha Jermyn, and Henry was the son of Stephen Jermyn, and Henry was a witness at the marriage of Kezia, could Stephen and Martha be siblings, which may mean that Stephen, Martha, Thomas, John, and Susanna are all siblings?

On 8 Jun 1881, Thomas Jermyn, son of Stephen and Mary Jermyn, married Susan Forbes in Brussels, Huron County, Ontario. Thomas was born about 1838-1839 in Toronto. Could this younger Thomas be named after his father's brother, Thomas Jermyn?

On 6 Nov 1865, William Jermyn, son of Stephen and Mary, married Eliz? Crawford in Middlesex County. William was born about 1842-1843 in Toronto Township. He was a resident of Biddulph. Was William named after his grandfather, William German?

On 23 Feb 1869, Ann Jermyn, daughter of Thomas Jermyn and Mary (maiden name not given, possibly Webb), married William H. Montague in Middlesex County. Ann was born about 1839-1840 in Canada. She resided in London in Middlesex County at the time of her marriage. A witness was William Jermyn. Did Thomas' family also migrate to Middlesex County?

Another daughter of Thomas and Mary, Mary Jermyn, born about 1846-1847, married Wesley Langford on 17 Dec 1869 in Middlesex County.

Whew! So those are my Jermyn connections so far. I'm still not 100% sure this is the correct family, but I have a good feeling. I need to check the Middlesex County land records to see if I can find Jeremiah and Susanna there.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Another Time Travel Wish: Kissing Cousins

Running a close second to my ultimate time travel visit to talk with my third great-grandmother, Cora King, is my wish to visit with my 2nd great-grandaunt, Myrtle Lavina Pemberton. I would ask this, "Myrtie, why did you marry your first cousin twice, once in 1903 and once in 1913, and why did you marry him in Canada both times, since you both lived in Ohio and Michigan? Obviously, the second time didn't work out either, because I know you married Harry Hendrickson in Cleveland in 1918 and remained married to him until his death in 1945."

These are some thoughts I had as I went through my database tonight. I think some of the answers to my questions may lie in the divorce papers of Hayes Finkle and Myrtie Pemberton. They must have divorced because Hayes did not die until 1953, and Myrtie died in 1959. Hayes' mother, Eliza (Pemberton) Finkle, and Myrtie's father, John Pemberton, were siblings. I have a suspicion that they married in Canada because there were no laws in Canada banning first cousins from marrying. In Michigan, it was illegal to marry your first cousin. I think I will have to do a search at a Cleveland courthouse or at the Cuyahoga County Archives for their divorce records. They lived in Cleveland at the time of the 1910 census and were married at that time (at least according to the census). I believe the shipping industry brought them from Michigan to Cleveland, as Hayes was a sailor. It doesn't appear that they had any children or that Hayes ever remarried. Myrtie stayed in Cleveland, but Hayes moved back to his hometown of Port Huron, Michigan, before 1920 and died there in 1953. Was Hayes Myrtie's true love, or was she glad to be finally rid of him? Did Hayes die pining away for Myrtie, or was he a stereotypical drunken sailor who had several girlfriends on the side? Oh, Aunt Myrtie, how I wish I could talk to you.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Sawyer


Baby Cousin Sawyer, born 13 Jul 2009, the newest edition to the Pemberton clan (his maternal grandmother and my mother are sisters, so this makes us first cousins once removed)

Sunday, July 12, 2009

SNGF: Time Travel

Randy over at GeneaMusings has challenged us to another Saturday Night Fun (or Sunday Morning Fun, in my case). Here is the challenge:

1) Let's go time travelling: Decide what year and what place you would love to visit as a time traveller. Who would you like to see in their environment? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?

2) Tell us about it. Write a blog post, or make a comment to this post, or on Facebook, or in Genealogy Wise.

Wow, this is a hard one. If I have to pick only one, I think I would pick 1890 in Sanilac County, Michigan. I would like to chat with my great-great-great-grandmother, Cora King, and find out why she didn't marry Douglas Reynolds, my great-great-great-grandfather. Cora had a daughter, Nellie Reynolds, my great-great-grandmother, illegitimately in Oct 1890. Cora was only 15 years old. Douglas Reynolds is named as Nellie's father on the birth certificate, and Nellie seems to have gone by that surname her entire life. From what I can tell, Douglas Reynolds died in Sanilac County from consumption in Aug 1890, just two months before Nellie was born. Douglas was 24 at the time of his death, so he was 9 years older than Cora. My best guess as to why they didn't marry was that maybe he became too sick, or maybe her parents didn't like him for some reason, considering she was only 15. Nellie was living with Cora's first cousin, William King, and his wife, at the time of the 1900 census. They appear to never have had any children of their own, so I'm assuming they may have raised Nellie, though I know she always went by the surname Reynolds, and her parents are listed as Douglas Reynolds and Cora King on her birth, marriage, and death records. Because of this, it makes me think she must have had some relationship with her mother, although she may have been raised by relatives. By 1900, Cora had married Joshua Wedge and moved to Oakland County, Michigan. Overall, I would just like to know the full story to that one situation.

UPDATE: Just noticed that on William King and Nancy Keys' marriage record from Apr 1890, there is a witness named Duglas Reenald of Elk Township. William and Nancy are the couple that Nellie was living with in 1900. Could Duglas Reenald be Douglas Reynolds? According to his death record and Nellie's birth record, Douglas was a resident of Elk Township. Hmmm....

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Festival of Postcards: Signs

Ok, so I am finally catching up with the Festival of Postcards. The third edition's theme is Signs. I thought this postcard was very appropriate for the theme:





I have been to New Orleans several times, being a native Louisiana girl and only living an hour away, so I can't quite remember when I purchased this postcard. It was probably on the 4-day trip I took in May 2005, the first long trip Cade and I took together. We stayed in the French Quarter and visited several places, including Bourbon Street and Pat O'Brien's, the Cabildo (now the Louisiana State Museum), The 1850 House, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, Cafe du Monde, The Gumbo Shop, The Crescent City Brewhouse, and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. I don't think we went to the Old Absinthe House at that time, but we did recently stop by there in November 2008 when we took my cousin and her husband from Michigan. One funny story I remember about our 2005 trip was going to Pat O'Brien's and ordering two hurricanes to go. We decided to drink them while we walked back to our hotel. We arrived at our hotel, walked into the lobby and said "hi" to the girl at the front desk, walked into the courtyard and up the stairs, before we realized that it wasn't our hotel. So we walked back through the lobby and told the girl at the front desk, "Oops...wrong hotel." She laughed and said, "Too many hurricanes?"

Festival of Postcards: Main Street

The second edition of the Festival of Postcards centered around Main Street. This edition has already posted, but I thought I would catch up and post this anyway.




In February or March of 2000, my sister and I traveled with the youth group from the Welsh Memorial United Methodist Church in Vinton, Louisiana, to Taos, New Mexico for a ski trip. It is quite common for native Louisianians to leave the state for Mardi Gras and go on ski trips. Since we didn't actually ski, my sister and I spent one day browsing the shops surrounding the Taos Plaza. Taos is the county seat of Taos County in north-central New Mexico. It was founded in 1615 following the Spanish conquest of the Indian Pueblo villages. In 1899, artists began moving to Taos and soon an art colony was developed. Today it is also known for its Taos Ski Valley. We wanted to visit the Taos Pueblo community, but there was a death in the community, causing it to be closed for tourists during their time of mourning. Although we did not ski, we did spend a few days at the ski resort. This was the first time that I had seen snow. I think what amazed me most about New Mexico was how all the buildings (even Wal-Mart) were made of adobe. The level of poverty also amazed me (and we have quite a bit of poverty in Louisiana). Anyhow, these are just a few memories of my trip to Taos. Enjoy the postcard!

Festival of Postcards: Wheels

Ever since I read about Evelyn Yvonne Theriot's Festival of Postcards, I've wanted to participate. I collected postcards as a teenager, and I have a rather large collection. I had pen pals all over the world while I was in middle school and high school, and they sent me several postcards. I've also collected postcards from trips I've taken over the years. Although the first two editions of the carnival have already been posted, I thought I would catch up anyhow.

For the May 2009 edition, which was the first edition, the theme was wheels. Here is my belated submission below:




This postcard comes from England from my German pen pal, Sigrun Grabowski. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with Sigrun over the years. Sigrun lived in Bavaria and sent me this postcard from her summer holiday to Somerset County, England. I've always thought that this postcard was so serene. The West Somerset Railway actually has a website here. According to the official website, the railway is Britain’s longest standard gauge steam railway and is a heritage railway, which is a railway run as a tourist attraction. Hopefully, one day Cade and I will visit Somerset County and take a ride on this railway!

Friday, July 10, 2009

De Luca Family: Social Security Application (SS-5)

I seem to have abandoned my DeLuca family posts for quite awhile. I was waiting on some items to come in the mail. They did finally arrive towards the end of May, but I am only now getting around to posting about them.

This post is about Clementina (Trillo) DeLuca's application for a social security number. If a death record is unavailable, or fails to list the parents' names, as in the case of Clementina, then an application for a social security number is a great alternative to finding out parents' names. It is also a source for birth date and birth place, though a secondary source at best, unless it was filled out very close to the time of the person's birth, as is the case nowadays. The Social Security Act was not signed into law until 1935, so some earlier applications, like Clementina's, were not filled out until the applicant had reached adulthood.

SSN: 367-26-8931
Name: Clara Matilda De Luca
Present mailing address: 129 S. Monroe, Coldwater, Mich.
Name given at birth: Clara Matilda Trillo
Age: 54
Date of birth: 6 Feb 1890
Place of birth: Arpeano, Italy
Father: Vincenzo Trillo
Mother: Effie Mazerola
Sex: Female
Race: White
Name and address of employer: L.A. Darling Co., 306 S. Clay, Coldwater, Mich.
Date: 3 Nov 1944

Interestingly, this application gives a totally different birthday than is listed in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). Her birthday in the SSDI and on her death record is given as 9 Jan 1886, which seems to agree with census records. We learn that she was born in Arpino, Italy and that her parents were Vincenzo Trillo and Effie Mazerola. We also see that she had moved to Coldwater, Branch County, Michigan, by the time of her application in Nov 1944. She worked for the L.A. Darling Company, which is probably what required her to file an application for a social security number. The L.A. Darling Company was founded as the Ideal Fixture Company in in 1897 in Coldwater. It's named changed when Lewis Archer Darling bought the Company in the early twentieth century. The headquarters are now in Arkansas. It manufactures wood and metal store fixtures and point-of-purchase displays for the retail store industry. I know from Clementina's son-in-law's obituary that he also worked there, and I know from city directories that Clementina's son, Peter Jr., lived in Coldwater in the early 1940s.

Some of you non-genealogists may be wondering why I've posted social security information on a public blog. Don't worry. Social security numbers for deceased individuals are public knowledge. They are kept track of in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), which many online genealogy sites offer free access to. In fact, you can see how the SSDI actually helps to prevent identity theft here.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Grandchildren of Jeremiah Pemberton and Susanna Jermyn

As most of you know, I just returned from a trip to Michigan. It made me think of cousins, so I decided to do a blog post listing my great-great-grandfather and all of his first cousins. Jeremiah Pemberton is the farthest ancestor I've found on my maternal grandfather's side. I figure this exercise may also help me to see naming patterns, which could help in finding Jeremiah and Susanna's parents.

Grandchildren of Jeremiah PEMBERTON and Susanna JERMYN

William FINKLE (18 Mar 1866-12 Sep 1948)
Son of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Burton FINKLE (22 Mar 1868-29 Nov 1909)
Son of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Sarah J. PHELPS (3 May 1868-8 Aug 1942)
Daughter of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

Essie Anna PHELPS (15 Dec 1869-22 Aug 1945)
Daughter of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

Eva FINKLE (Mar 1870-?)
Daughter of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Burton J. PEMBERTON (23 Jul 1871-30 Jan 1955)
Son of John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS

Jeremiah M. FINKLE (12 Dec 1871-17 Apr 1927)
Son of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Sarah Ella PEMBERTON (Sep 1872-16 Jan 1955)
Daughter of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Reuben W. FINK (22 Sep 1872-24 Aug 1920)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

 
Elva M. PEMBERTON (30 Sep 1873-19 Feb 1941)
Daughter of John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS

Walter Samuel PEMBERTON (29 Mar 1874-?)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Herbert FINK (6 May 1874-?)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON
 
Elizabeth M. PHELPS (24 Nov 1874-12 Nov 1949)
Daughter of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

John PEMBERTON (Abt 1874-?)
Son of Samuel PEMBERTON and Ellen MCCOY

Mary Pearl MORRISON (Aug 1875-1962)
Daughter of Reuben MORRISON and Sarah Maria PEMBERTON

Grace Mary PEMBERTON (25 Mar 1876-1909)
Daughter of John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS

Benjamin Franklin FINK (17 Apr 1876-28 Aug 1945)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Essie Maud PEMBERTON (Sep 1876-?)
Daughter of Samuel PEMBERTON and Ellen MCCOY

Martin Robertson PEMBERTON (6 Oct 1876-2 May 1965)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Hayes Wheeler FINKLE (6 Jun 1877-1953)Son of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Reuben MORRISON, Jr. (Abt 1877/78-30 Apr 1896)
Son of Reuben MORRISON and Sarah Maria PEMBERTON

Lovell Hugh PEMBERTON (14 Jan 1878-23 Mar 1952)
Son of John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS

Archie FINK (6 Sep 1878-?)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Joseph Roiden PHELPS (1 Oct 1878-3 Nov 1944)
Son of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

Henry Isaac PEMBERTON (28 Dec 1878-30 May 1956)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

William W. PEMBERTON (4 Sep 1879-?)
Son of Samuel PEMBERTON and Ellen MCCOY

Francis E. FINKLE (Dec 1879-?)
Daughter of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Whitfield PEMBERTON (1 Jun 1880-?)
Son of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Myrtle Lavina PEMBERTON (12 Jul 1880-22 Aug 1959)
Daughter of John PEMBERTON and Mary Ann COOMBS

Guy FINK (Aug 1881-?)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Beatrice L. PEMBERTON (Dec 1881-1968)
Daughter of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Susanna PEMBERTON (3 Nov 1882-27 Jan 1969)
Daughter of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Chester Arthur FINK (18 Mar 1883-22 Jul 1949)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Norman Angus PHELPS (7 May 1883-Sep/Oct 1928)
Son of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

Nellie A. PHELPS (7 May 1883-?)
Daughter of Joseph Putnam PHELPS and Agnes Emma PEMBERTON

Leslie D. PEMBERTON (27 Aug 1884-4 Jun 1958)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Mary PEMBERTON (13 Apr 1885-14 Feb 1917)
Daughter of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Roy D. FINKLE (5 Jun 1885-Abt 1962)
Son of David FINKLE and Eliza Jane PEMBERTON

Grover Cleveland FINK (7 Jun 1885-11 Nov 1932)
Son of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Charles PEMBERTON (30 Sep 1886-3 Oct 1914)
Son of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Cordelia May FINK (22 May 1887-23 Nov 1914)
Daughter of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

William Thomas PEMBERTON (25 Feb 1888-6 Sep 1958)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Albert Earl PEMBERTON (15 Oct 1888-19 Nov 1947)
Son of Samuel PEMBERTON and Ellen MCCOY

Martha PEMBERTON (25 Jan 1890-22 Jan 1955)
Daughter of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Lillian FINK (8 Jul 1890-?)
Daughter of Jacob E. FINK and Elmira PEMBERTON

Albert Wesley PEMBERTON (18 Dec 1892-29 Mar 1974)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Jeremiah PEMBERTON (25 Dec 1893-3 Nov 1918)
Son of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Harold Clifford PEMBERTON (2 Nov 1895-18 Mar 1977)
Son of Samuel PEMBERTON and Ellen MCCOY

Floyd Wesley PEMBERTON (28 Mar 1896-7 May 1919)
Son of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Brott PEMBERTON (27 Jun 1896-13 Aug 1967)
Son of William Thomas PEMBERTON and Hannah Jane WINTERS

Dewey R. PEMBERTON (10 Sep 1899-2 May 1977)
Son of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Nellie A. PEMBERTON (Abt 1901-29 Apr 1959)
Daughter of Charles PEMBERTON and Blanche POOLE

Wow, it looks like there were 52 grandchildren - 33 boys and 19 girls! And I thought my grandparents had a lot with 31.

Naming Patterns:
2 Jeremiah's, presumably after their grandfather

2 Burton's, some sources give grandfather Jeremiah's middle initial as "B."

2 Albert's, not sure who this could be

2 Wesley's, not sure who this could be

1 Susanna, presumably after her grandmother

2 Nellie's, not sure who this could be

3 William's, William Thomas is named after his father, William Thomas PEMBERTON; the other two William's could be named after the same man (who would be their uncle)

1 John, possibly named after his paternal uncle, John PEMBERTON, or his maternal grandfather, John MCCOY

Looks like several of Elmira's sons were named after presidents or other prominent figures in American history (Grover Cleveland, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Franklin)

It's possible that Eliza's son, Hayes, was named after Rutherford B. Hayes. Maybe she was competing with her sister for presidents' names.

2 Reuben's, Reuben MORRISON was presumably named after his father; Reuben FINK was presumably named after the same man, his maternal uncle

1 Charles, presumably named after his father, Charles PEMBERTON

1 Henry Isaac, presumably named after his maternal grandfather, Isaac H. WINTERS

1 Martin Robertson, presumably named after his maternal uncle, John M. ROBERTSON

2 Essie's, not sure who this could be

2 Sarah's, probably both named after their aunt, Sarah Maria PEMBERTON

1 Ella, presumably named after her paternal aunt, Elmira PEMBERTON. Several sources give Elmira's nickname as Ella.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Happy Canada Day from the Border!

I thought it appropriate to wish everyone a Happy Canada Day since I am currently just across the border from Sarnia, Lambton County, Ontario. I have seen the city across the St. Clair River just about everyday since I've been up here in Michigan. The Blue Water Bridge crosses the St. Clair River to connect Port Huron and Sarnia.

Since my mother grew up here in Port Huron just across the border from Canada, I have several Canadian ancestors:

Great-grandmother: Jennie Grace Christina Plaine (1903-1937) - Lambton Co.

Great-great-grandfather: Robert Plaine (1868-1936) - Lambton/Middlesex Co.

Great-great-grandmother: Florence Minnie Hillman (1867-1933) - Lambton Co.

Great-great-grandfather: Alexander Currie (abt 1838-1909) - Elgin Co.

Great-great-grandmother: Mary A. Raymond (abt 1852-?) - Elgin Co.

Great-great-great-grandfather: John Pemberton (1839-1912) - Wentworth/Kent Co.

Great-great-great-grandmother: Mary Ann Coombs (1844-1913) - ?

Great-great-grandfather: Ernest Crysler (1877-1942) - Lambton Co.

Great-great-great-grandfather: George Calvin Crysler (1853-1929) - Lambton Co.

Great-great-great-grandmother: Mary Ellen Molesworth (1858-1935) - Elgin/Lambton Co.

Great-great-great-great-grandfather: William Edward Molesworth (1815-1887) - Essex/Ontario Co.

Great-great-great-great-grandmother: Priscilla Demaray (1817-1901) - Ontario Co.

Great-great-great-great-grandfather: Suel Alfred King (1837-1915) - Elgin Co.

Great-great-great-great-grandmother: Ardelia Stratten (1843-1920) - Hastings/Elgin Co.

Great-great-great-great-grandfather: Griffin Reynolds (1831-1901) - ?

Great-great-great-great-great-grandmother: Dorothy Ferguson (1813-1871) - Elgin Co.