Saturday, October 31, 2009

Remembering A Baby Brother We Never Knew


Today is Halloween 2009 but to me it is a day of remembering a baby brother I never knew. It may be Halloween but it is also the anniversary of a baby brother's death.
He was born 52 years ago on October 29, 1957 and survived only 3 days. Sweet baby was born premature. If he had been born today his chances of survival would have surely improved.
His name was Arthur Jr and he was my parents first son. I remember the funeral and the little white casket. When Arthur was buried he was buried in what was called the babies section of the cemetery. The cemetery buried him free for my parents and he was given a sweet little gravestone by my parents. It is small, white and has his name and dates and a little angel above his name.
We would visit the cemetery every so often, especially on Memorial Day. After we honored our grandparents we would walk a short distance to the baby section of the cemetery. There we would think of a baby we never knew, never held or kissed. My sweet mama or dad were never given the chance to hold Arthur Jr in their arms.
In 1998 Mama passed on and I believe Arthur Jr was waiting for her. He now has her to himself. A year ago daddy left us and is now with them.
Some time between 1998 and 2008 my sister had a brilliant idea. She called the cemetery and asked if we could get Arthur jr moved to rest between our parents.
Once again this cemetery came to a families need. They moved Arthur Jr free and he now rests between our parents.

Today may be Halloween but to me it " All About Arthur Jr " a baby I look forward to seeing some day.

Happy Birthday Baby Brother, I love you.

Cemetery Search and Ancestry.com


Here is an exciting addition to http://www.ancestry.com/ . A cemetery index . This addition is right up my alley. I love to visit cemeteries and I admire gravestones family or not. I have joined the grave rabbits group and post cemetery information in hope to help someone find their family http://wanderinggraveyardrabbit.blogspot.com/ . To search for cemetery information you can go http://www.findagrave.com/ . This is a great place to search for your ancestors and now we have a new place to search for final resting places.


The following is a post from Ancestry
Ancestry.com Cemetery Collection Free Through Nov. 5Posted by DianeThis just in: Ancestry.com is making its "creepiest collections"—records of cemeteries and gravestones free through next Thursday, Nov. 5. You will need to register for a free Ancestry.com account to view details of your search results. Use the search box on this Halloween landing page to access the free databases.Click here to see the list of cemetery indexes and inscriptions included in this offer.


Hope that you have a happy safe spooky Halloween ... Grace

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Finding My Family History on Ancestry.com

I have been spending some time during the evenings on http://www.ancestry.com/. This is a great place to meet distant cousins. I have now hooked up with a cousin on both sides of my mother's family.



First is Nancy her grandfather and my grandfather were brothers.
This picture is my grandpa Bill


Next there is Sylvia, her great grandmother and my great grandmother on my mother's mother's side were sisters.
This is my great grandmother Katherine


Nancy and I have been contacting each other through emails since first contact. We plan to meet next time I am in Minnesota. Since she is in Minneapolis area and has contact to the Historical society she has found the newspaper article telling of the murder of George Day October 26, 1928.
George was my grandfather's uncle and was a watchman on the docks of Duluth.


Because of Nancy I have a copy of his death certificate and other family member's death certificates.


Sylvia and I have just made contact. I will be able to get a better idea of her great grandmother's family from her family tree on www.ancestry.com

I have so much more to tell you, but for now I have to leave and go to work. Till later Grace

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - A Family's Increase



Well Randy at Genea-Musings is making us think tonight and realize how very little I know.
Randys message was ... Hey, genealogy fans, it's Saturday Night! Time for some Genealogy Fun!

Your task, if you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible music), is to

1) Pick one of your four great-grandparents - if possible, the one with the most descendants.

2) Create a descendants list for those great-grandparents either by hand or in your software program.

3) Tell us how many descendants, living or dead, are in each generation from those great-grandparents.

4) How many are still living? Of those, how many have you met and exchanged family information with? Are there any that you should make contact with ASAP? Please don't use last names of living people for this - respect their privacy

5) Write about it in your own blog post, in comments to this post, or in comments or a Note on Facebook.


I am choosing my great grandparents William Albert Day ( 1867 1920 ) and Carrie ( Lockwood ) (1870 1946 ) Day

They had 8 children ( all deceased) I met all of them but Dewey who died about 1927

2. Grandchildren 14 Probably met everyone here but not sure. (Not sure if all deceased. )

3. Great-grandchildren 23 (1 deceased for sure a baby brother of mine )not sure about other lines.

4. Great-great-grandchildren 12

5. Great great great grandchildren 10 is all that I know at this time. This is my direct line and missing information on other lines.

that totals 67 known count
From the descendants report for my great-grandparents Day I did not count the spouses of descendants of my great-grandparents, since they are not descendants.

Makes me see how little I know. Need ways to get information and try and meet some of these cousins.

Through http://www.ancestry.com/ I have made contact with a distant cousin in this line. Her grandfather Morris and my grandfather Bill were brothers. We will meet some day.

Need to find more information on decendants of

Morris ( 1891 1985) and Evelyn ( Monson 1894 ) Day

Bernard ( 1896 1977) and Lela ( West ? 1974) Day

Dewey ( ? abt 1927 and Bernice ( Johnson) Day

Gladys ( 1899 1979 ) and Fred White

Lester ( 1902 1955) and Helen ( Wingert) Day

Grace married never had children (1900 1993 ) and FairFax never married

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Happy Birthday Great Grand Uncle Elic



Today my great grand uncle Elic Lemuel Coleman would be 141 years old if alive.
He was born Oct 13 1868 to John Henry Coleman and Alta Cheuvront and passed away Nov 1 1944.

He was married twice, first to Alta Elliot and then to Dora Shelton. He had a total of eight children. The 1900 census has him renting, a carpenter and living in Nebraska.

Picture is of John Henry, Alta and their 5 children.

The birthday boy is top row first on left. How handsome he was. Standing next to him is my Great Grandma Mabel Coleman Hall.

These old pictures are treasures from the past. I am so thankful that those family members who have them share with us who do not. This picture is from a family history book.

Happy Birthday Uncle Elic. Your family is thinking of you today.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Feeling Overwhelmed With So Many Photos


It has been over 10 years since I gathered family photos from my mother's place in Duluth, Minnesota after her death to take to my home in St. Paul, Minnesota.

My plan was to organize and separate them. Some for me, my sister and my two cousins. A few would go my brother in an album made by me for him to enjoy.

Here I still am with piles and piles of photos I brought from Minnesota to my move to California.

Late last year I started to finally start to sort them. I put up 3 card tables in my bedroom and made piles and filled small boxes and envelopes. Then we moved from California to Texas to be closer to my sister and her family. As an added bonus we are closer to Minnesota where our children are.

As we packed for our move, I gathered all the photos up and put into boxes. Here I sit again with piles around me. Most have no names on them but I can identify a large number of them, but if something happens to my generation, no one would know " Oh that is a picture of Great Uncle Al and Great Aunt Merle." This picture is Great Grandma Catherine, Grandma Grace and ?"

I have to get this started and done. I need to stop procrastinating finally really begin.

Anyone else have or has had this dilema and what are you doing ? Or what did you do about this situation? Do I just put in an album identifying or do I take time to scrapbook. I have not done much scrap booking. What I did do is not very good I have to admit but would enjoy giving it another try.
These photos are of my mother, Aunt Daisy and Grandma Grace. My mom is the youngest of all three. Probably taken in Olgavie or Mora, Minnesota.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Tombstone Tuesday James and Rachel Woodmansee



Today for Tombstone Tuesday I am featuring my third grandparents James and Rachel ( Hammer ) Woodmansee. They are my great grandparents on my father's side.


James was born December 13, 1816 Felicity , Clemont, Ohio and Died May 16 1898 at the age of 81 years 16 day in Decatur , Iowa.
Rachel Hammer was born November14 1819 Jackson, Indiana and died December 9 1889 at the age of 70 years and 25 days Decatur, Iowa
They married October 29 1835 in Jackson Indiana.
The 1860 census reports him as a farmer and value of land at $4000 and estate at $2800 which seems to be a comfortable area in comparison to his neighbors on the census.
John and Rachel had 5 children listed in the 1860 census with my second great grandma Anne married and out of the house already.
In the 1880 census there is a young boy who is 7 year old listed by the name Willie Boil who census states is adopted.
Interesting what you find when looking at the census reports at http://www.ancestry.com/ Where did this young boy come from and why did they adopt him. They are in their early 60's and he is nine years old. Because of ancestry I not only am able to see the census but someone had shared this picture and their headstone that I now have in my family research book for future generations to see.
Thanks for stopping by... Grace

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Black Sheep Sunday ? Murder ? Maybe a Pirate to Add to the Story

Black Sheep Sunday is a posting that some genealogists do on Sunday's . I have never participated before and can not think of any proven black sheep at this time in my family.

How do you find if you have a black sheep in the family? Search family records, letters, search court records.

No family history has been passed down except for maybe " I think Bill was Murder by his brother in law. " This is not known or proven, but aunt Mary did have a feeling and a suspicion.

How would you try or want to prove this murder when it happened over 80 years ago. There is no way to prove it but it is whispered still. Mary whispered it to her sister. Her sister whispered it to her daughter, my grandmother. My grandmother whispered it to her children and one of them whispered it to me. I will eventually whisper it to my children and grandchildren.

Of course I can not name names because there is no proof. Only Mary's feelings and maybe she was a little sensitive to things going on around her.



Now on hubby's side of the family. No proof but, there has been stories passed down for generations that he had a pirate on his father's side. This pirate probably was a bad pirate, causing so much trouble. Family talk is that he was finally hung at Tripoli. Who knows but another fun black sheep to pass down to the grandchildren.. And for sure a better story than I think Bill was murder by .....



Thanks for stopping by... Do you have any black sheep in your family? I would love to hear your stories.. Grace

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Searching For My Great Great Grandfather John Lockwood

Tonight I was reading a little of Genea-Musings blog ... from there I followed the link to https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Family_History_Library_Internet_Favorites and at the bottom of the page I saw https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Major_Databases_for_Beginning_United_States_Research ...

next my I spot the Databases Online ... and there are so many places to search and spend time... but my eyes went right to Civil War Soldiers and Sailors.. My great great grandfather John Lockwood is one of my little known relatives. I can find him in the census reports and I have found his civil records at the National Archives but I do not know his parents or have a picture of him. I am always searching for anything of him... Because I knew which unit he was in while in the civil war I found where his unit fought from the beginning to the end. Since I know when he enlisted and when was discharged I can follow his journey the year he served. He was in Wisconsin Calvary Company K . Enlisted August 29, 1864 mustered out November 15, 1865



UNION WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS 2nd Regiment, Wisconsin Cavalry Organized at Milwaukee, Wis., December 30, 1861, to March 10, 1862. Left State for St. Louis, Mo., March 24, 1862. Duty at Benton Barracks, Mo., till May 15. Moved to Jefferson City, thence to Springfield, Mo., and duty there till June 14. Attached to Steele's Command, Army of Southwest Missouri, Dept. of Missouri, to July, 1862. District of Eastern Arkansas, Dept. of Missouri, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, District of Eastern Arkansas, Dept. of the Tennessee, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Tennessee, to February, 1363. 3rd Brigade, District of Memphis, Tenn., Sth Division, 16th Army Corps. Dept. of the Tennessee, to June, 1863. Busseys Cavalry Brigade, Herron¿s Division, 13th Army Corps, to August, 1363. Cavalry Brigade, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1363. 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to January, 1364. Winslow a Cavalry Brigade, District of Vicksburg, Miss., to December, 1864. 3rd Brigade, Cavalry Division, District of West Tennessee, to July, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, Military Division Gulf, to August, 1865. Dept. of Texas to November, 1865.SERVICE.-March to Batesville, Jacksonport and Helena, Ark., June 14-July 12, 1862, and duty there till January, 1863. Action at Yellville, Ark., June 25, 1862. Near Fayetteville July 15. Expedition from Helena to Moro August 5-8 (Detachment). Near Helena August 11. Near Helena September 19-20. Expedition against Arkansas Post November 16-21. Expedition to Yellville November 25-29. Expedition from Helena to Grenada, Miss., November 27-December 5. Oakland, Miss., December 3. LaGrange, Ark., December 30. Lick Creek, Ark., January 12, 1863. Clarendon Road, near Helena, January 15. Ordered to Memphis, Tenn., February 4, and duty there till May. Nonconah Creek, near Memphis, April 4. Expedition to Coldwater April 17-20. Horn Lake Creek May 18 (Co. "L"). Expeditions to Hernando, Miss., May 23-24, 26 and 28 (Detachments). Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., June 10-13. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., June 13-July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 4-10. Clinton July 8. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. Canton July 12. Expedition to Yazoo City July 12-21, 1863 (Detachment). Bolton's Depot July 16. Grant's Ferry, Pearl River. July 16. Briar Creek, near Canton, July 17. Duty at Red Bone Church till April 27, 1864. Action at Red Bone Church September 25, 1863. Ingraham's Plantation, near Port Gibson, October 10. Red Bone April 21, 1864. Moved to Vicksburg April 27, and duty there till December. Salem May 29 (Detachment). Worthington's and Sunnyside Landings, Fish Bayou, June 5. Old River Lake or Lake Chicot June 6. Expedition from Vicksburg to Pearl River July 2-10. Clinton July 4. Jackson July 5-6. Clinton July 7. Expedition from Vicksburg to Rodney and Fayette September 29-October 3. Port Gibson October 1. Fayette and Cole Creek October 3. Expedition from Natchez to Woodville October 4-11. Woodville October 5-6. Fort Adams, La., October 5 and 7. Operations in Issaqueena and Washington Counties October 24-31. Expedition from Vicksburg to Gaines' Landing and Bayou Macon, La., November 6-8. Expedition from Vicksburg to Yazoo City November 23-December 4. Concord Church December 1. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., December 8. Grierson's Expedition to destroy Mobile & Ohio Railroad December 21, 1864, to January 15, 1865. Franklin Creek December 21-22, 1864. Egypt Station December 28. Expedition from Memphis to Marion, Ark., January 19-22, 1865 (Detachment). Duty at Memphis, Tenn., till June. Expedition into Northern Mississippi March 3-11. (Part of Regiment ordered to Grenada, Miss., May 9, and duty there till June 24, when rejoined Regiment at Alexandria, La.) Ordered to Alexandria, La., June, March from Alexandria to Hempstead, Texas, August 8-26, and duty there till October. March to Austin, Texas, and there mustered out November 15, 1865.1st Battalion

(Cos. "A," "D," "G" and "K") served detached June 13, 1862, to September, 1864. Ordered to Cassville, Mo:, June 13, 1862, and duty there till October, 1862. Pineville June 23. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Frontier, Dept. of Missouri, to June, 1863. District of Rolla, Dept. of Missouri, to August, 1864. District of North Missouri to September, 1864. Duty at Osage Springs, Mo., October, 1862, to December, 1862. Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., December 7. Expedition over Boston Mountains to Van Buren, Ark., December 27-29. At Forsythe, Mo., till March, 1863. At Lake Springs till June, 1863. At Rolla till September, 1864. Lane's Prairie, Mo., May 26, 1864. Scout in Phelpa and Marlas Counties August l (Co. "A"). Rejoined Regiment at Vicksburg, Miss., September, 1864.

Regiment lost during service 24 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 234 Enlisted men by disease. Total 312.

Here is a list of some of the best free databases on the Internet (or partly free at Family History Centers, or Family History Library)—good sites to begin research on a family that lived in the United States.
FamilySearch.org Largest free online collection of genealogical databases including Ancestral File, International Genealogical Index, 1880 U.S. federal census index, Pedigree Resource File, U.S. Social Security Death Index, and the Vital Records Index—North America.
FamilySearch Record Search Pilot Free index to 55+ U.S. - Canada sources, including selected federal and state censuses, birth, marriage, and death records, funeral home records, Freedman's Bank and Freedman's Bureau records, military pensions, probate records, passenger lists, WWI draft registrations, and land records, plus many other International records.
Ancestry.com Partly free at Family History Centers, (a personal paid subscription has even more databases) it includes indexes for all U.S. censuses 1790-1920, passenger arrival list indexes 1820-1957, and World War I draft registration card indexes 1917-1918.
FreeSurnameSearch.com WorldVitalRecords.com, RootsWeb Surname List, Find a Grave, MyTrees.com, Ellis Island, Newspapers, Everton Pedigrees and Family Group, and many others.
BYU Family History Archives Digital family histories from the Family History Library, Allen County Public Library, and Brigham Young University. Rapidly adding more titles.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors 1861-1865 service records of Union and Confederate veterans giving the regiment, company, rank, and film number.
Ellis Island.org1892-1924 New York City passenger arrival index showing ethnicity, arrival date, residence, age, ship, port of departure, passenger manifest image, and ship’s image. The best index for this site is at Ellis Island in One Step.
Footnote.com Free at Family History Library. Digital original sources such as naturalizations, Revolutionary War papers, Civil War papers, Mormon Battalion pensions, newspapers, Southern Claims Commission, and Texas births and deaths.
GenCircles.comIndexes individual pedigrees, and databases like IGI and World Family Tree.
Gendex Surname Finder Searches free databases like RootsWeb, OneGreatFamily, and obituaries; fee sites include Ancestry, Family Tree Connection, GenealogyBank, and Footnote.com
HeritageQuestOnline.com Free at Family History Library and larger Family History Centers. Indexes and images to U.S. federal censuses 1790-1820, 1860-1880, and 1900-1930, over 22,000 family and local histories, 2 million genealogical periodical articles, Revolutionary War pension and bounty-land warrants, Freedman’s Bank records, and U.S. congressional records.
Linkpendium.com 5 million surnames and 715,000 locality links.
NewEnglandAncestor.org Free at Family History Library. Births, marriages, deaths, tax lists, church records, wills, family histories, diaries, The Great Migration Begins, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society Register.
OneGreatFamily.com Free at Family History Library. 80 million name family tree created from shared submissions by individuals. Also includes Social Security Death Index 1962-present.
RootsWeb Search Thingy indexes 10 million free websites hosted by RootsWeb.
RootsWeb Surname List 1.2 million surname links to submitter contact data via this file.
RootsWeb WorldConnect 820 million names on family trees including births, marriages, deaths, parents, children, sources, pedigrees, family groups, and submitter contact data.
USGenWeb Project Free websites for genealogy research in every county and state.
Pro Genealogy Sleuth http://www.progenealogist.com/genealogysleuthb.htm listing of free and pay Internet links by state and topic.


Hope that you enjoy some of the links and enjoy your searches.
thanks for stopping by.... Grace

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Grandma Katherine and Her Guardian Angel




I have this wonderful vintage picture that hangs over my bed. It is called " The Guardian Angel". It once belonged to my great grandmother Katherine. I was told it hung over her bed and now has been handed down to me.


Vintage treasures that belonged to our ancestors are the best treasures I think. Money can buy new things but they have no value to me compared to knowing my great grandmother once held this picture in her hands.


Katherine was my grandma Grace's mother. She was born to Irish parents who came to America after the potato famine in Ireland. Lived almost all of her life in Minnesota , the last years in Mora.
This is Katherine with her husband Appleton.


 I am nowhere  done searching for my roots. For my missing family members.  So many to fine so little time.  This has been a hard few years ...