Lisa Williams, Author at Honeysuckle Farm, LLC

One of the Tenderest Tough Women I Ever Knew

***Kleenex alert. Sorry- this is another Kleenex alert week.

This week’s theme is “Tough woman”. I struggled to choose an ancestor. Not because I had no choices but because I had many. I am so fortunate to come from a long line of very strong women. I decided to write about my paternal great-grandmother, Edith Cleo HUBBARD DRAKE, since my initial post this year was on my mom’s side.
When I knew Edith, she was old (at least to me as a child- she seemed very old). She was very quiet and very sweet. I never knew her to hurt anyone although I’m certain she administered her fair share of spankings to children and grandchildren. I know that I had many conversations with her although I can’t now recall those conversations. The only specific thing I remember her ever saying to me was when I walked to her house one day to give her a message from my grandmother and when she answered the door she called me “Mechelle” (my cousin). She was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s at that time. I didn’t know that then. I only knew that she knew me and loved me and if she mistakenly called me Mechelle I was not about to embarrass her by correcting her. I loved to go to her house when I was very young and both she and Mark were alive. Mark loved his cigars and was always smoking one. They were affectionate with us and where Edith was quiet, Mark was very jovial and quite a jokester. I can remember sitting on the couch with both of them sitting alongside me and feeling so safe, so happy, and so loved. If my own grandchildren and great-grandchildren never remember anything else about me, I hope they remember being with me and feeling very safe, very happy, and very loved. My biggest regret in regard to Edith is that when she was put into the nursing home I never went to visit her. Never introduced my children to her. I hope she forgives me. I hope many other things in regard to her- but I’ll state those hopes at the end of the post when they will make more sense.
In death, Edith has become even more of a treasure to me than in life and this is what I want to focus on for this blog post. In 2012, God chose to call my son home to Heaven. I sometimes privately refer to that day as “the day of my greatest sorrow”. In the aftermath of trying to figure out a way to deal with all the sorrow, I began to look at my female ancestors with a focus on the ones who lost children. I tried to look at what I knew of their lives and see how they worked their way through the pain and how they lived their life after losing a child. One of those female ancestors was Edith.
The day of Edith’s greatest sorrow was 13 December 1955. Her son passed away at 8:15 that evening. Edith was about 49 years old. I did not know much about her son, C. J., but after my son’s death I began to learn about C. J.’s death and my heart broke for Edith. It helped me to put my son’s death in perspective and I knew that if she could cope, I could surely cope. C.J. was 18 years old and attending high school in Jay, Delaware County, Oklahoma, at the time of his death. He and some friends and relatives were going to a revival. C. J. was driving near Seneca, Newton County, Missouri, when he missed a curve. The truck rolled, pinning him inside. A witness attempted to rescue him but as the rescuer’s hand was on C. J., the gasoline tank blew up and the rescuer was blown away from the truck. C. J. burned to death. It was said that witnesses could hear his screams for help as he was being burned alive. My sweet, loving Edith lived with that knowledge all her life. I cannot even imagine. When Edith was young, she lost one of her younger sisters to death and now her own son was gone. She had a lifetime of loss to cope with.
I understand now why Edith was so quiet. I understand now why she was diligent about reading her Bible and praying daily. I have instinctively coped in so many of the same ways that she did and in some way I think she helped me find my way through the very difficult days by the way in which she lived her life. I know in my heart she prayed for me and for each of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I know because I pray for mine- present and future. And I know that had she been alive when the day of my greatest sorrow came, she would have wrapped her arms around me, prayed with me, and loved me through it. I love her more because I know that she stored up prayers for me in Heaven and when I needed them, God answered them. A praying Grandmother is God’s gift to families. I hope I’m worthy to take up that mantle and carry on the tradition of my grandmothers. I hope I make them proud. I hope I make Edith proud.
My final hopes in regard to Edith are this. I hope that when she was devastated by Alzheimer’s that one of the things she forgot was the grief and pain of losing C. J.. I hope that at the moment of her death, one of the people on her heavenly welcoming committee was C. J. I hope she is at this moment resting in eternal joy and peace surrounded by the presence of her perfect God and surrounded by the people she loved most and missed most in her lifetime. I hope she is surrounded by eternal, perfect love.
If you are interested, below is a 14 December 1955 Joplin Globe article about the wreck and C. J.’s death. But if you are interested in knowing how she coped with the many losses in her life, pick up a copy of The Holy Bible and read that. Edith’s life was affected by this loss, but her life was defined by her faith in God.

Don’t forget to click on over and read the posts of my blogger chick friends who are doing the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge along with me. You can find them at Down in the Root Cellar and Theology for Mom.

Honoring Edith’s memory. With love, Lisa
~ Days of Our Lives blog

The King and Queen

***Kleenex alert. You’ve been warned. I can’t be responsible for anything past this point.
I struggled this week with the decision of whom to write about. The people I want to write about – the people whom I feel best fit the theme of “king”- are living ancestors and ones who like their privacy. Normally, I would respect that but this week I’m not going to. You see, in 2011 and 2012 my son and I had a series of conversations in which he told me how much his father and I meant to him. He told my husband and I specific things he felt we had done right and he told us several times how much he appreciated and loved us. I had no idea that God himself orchestrated those conversations. In August of 2012 my son passed away. I treasure each of those conversations I had with him and it has been no end of comfort to me to know how he felt about us.
So let me say- sorry Dad and Mom! I decided to write about you!
I love learning what names mean. My dad’s name is Roy and my mom’s name is Sharon. In French, Roy means ‘king’ or ‘regal’. The name Sharon comes from the Bible and means ‘His song’ (as in God’s- the King of Kings’). So I’m taking that and running with it this week!
I thank God often for my parents.
* I’m grateful they were tough on me because I was a rebellious, hateful brat when I was a teenager. Stubborn, bullheaded…the list goes on.
* I’m grateful that I don’t remember the first time I went to church. I don’t remember it because I always went to church- from the time I was born. I’ve desperately needed that lifetime of faith on many occasions throughout my life. And I wonder, would I have been an example of faith to my children had I not been exposed to it my whole life? I shudder to think what might have been. Statistics say the older you are, the less likely you are to give your life to Christ. Grateful doesn’t begin to cover how I feel about this particular point.
* I’m grateful they had high expectations for me because I was lazy and wouldn’t have had them for myself when I was a child.
* I’m grateful for every sacrifice they made so that I could have something. Parents sacrifice food, “me” time, money, anything that costs money, and just about anything else for themselves in order for their children to have what they need and I know that mine sacrificed all of this for me- even when I didn’t show any gratitude at the time.
* I’m thankful that my parents made a good name for themselves. I didn’t have any stigma or “skeletons” to overcome due to their behavior or their life choices.
* I’m grateful they taught me manners and appropriate public behavior (even when I choose not to use it).
I could go on and on. I have so much to be thankful for when it comes to my parents. Every parent has moments when they think they did a horrible job parenting and they wonder why God ever allowed them to raise children. Moments when they think they didn’t do a single thing right and every decision they made was wrong. I want my parents to know- you did a great job. I hope I was as good of a parent as each of you were. I love you. I thank God for you. I’m blessed because of you. I’m so proud of you both!
Love, Lisa
(Days of Our Lives blog)
(To each of my readers: say I love you often to those you love- you never know when it will be the last time. Live your life so as to have as few regrets as possible.)
P.S.- please click on through to visit two other awesome genealogy blogs. Down in the Root Cellar and Theology for Mom.

Fresh Start(s)

Lucinda DOW ALBIN GIBSON JONES GATEWOOD, 1852-1919 My great-great grandmother

If anyone had opportunities for a fresh start, it was Lucinda. Have you ever researched that ancestor- (you know you have one!)- that made you say to yourself, “This person is certifiably NUTS!” Well, Lucinda is my “certifiable”.
BIRTH: THE FRESHEST START OF ALL
Lucinda Jane* DOW was born to Henry Burton and Rebecca WHITE DOW on 7 December 1852 in Wisconsin. In the 1850 federal census and 1855 state census, the family lived in Prairie Du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin, so most likely she was born in that area. Prairie Du Chien is a rural area in the southwestern corner of the state near the Wisconsin-Iowa state line. According to the 1900 census, Lucinda had 9 siblings. Of those 9, I only know the names of 5 of them. From a medical standpoint, it would be interesting to know if the other 4 children were miscarried or stillborn. Was Lucinda’s mother prone to miscarriages or stillbirths and, if so, was Lucinda also? And further, is that something that can be passed down genetically?
MARRIAGE #1: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A FRESH START
At 15 years old, Lucinda married George ALBIN on 12 August 1868 in Adams County, Iowa. I previously believed that together they had one child- Mary Rebecca ALBIN. Last week, I found a family tree on Ancestry stating that Lucinda and George also had a son that was given up for adoption. I have not heard back from the Ancestry tree owner and am still trying to learn about this son. The son was named William Edgar and was adopted by a GIESE family. It seems that at some point in his life he learned that he was adopted and that his biological parents had the name Albin because he named one of his sons Albin GIESE. I have been unable to figure out the relationships in this family. Lucinda and George were not living together in the 1870 census. Lucinda was living in Nodaway, Adams, Iowa, with her family and the couple’s daughter, Mary Rebecca. It appears George was living some 4 hours away in Scott, Johnson, Iowa, with his family. There was a 4 year old in George’s family’s home named Edgar but Lucinda and George’s son, William Edgar, should only have been 2- 3 years old at the oldest. This is the extent of my knowledge about this relationship right now.
MARRIAGE #2: HITTING THE REFRESH BUTTON
At age 23, Lucinda got a fresh start with James Thomas GIBSON. They married in Adams County, Iowa, on 16 September 1875. Lucinda brought into the marriage her daughter, Mary Rebecca ALBIN. James Thomas (“J.T.”), supposedly a widower, brought to the marriage his 10 children. Together, they had 2 daughters- Barbara Myrtle GIBSON (born 1881) and my great-grandmother Dettie Louisa GIBSON (born 1883).
By the time the 1880 census was taken, Lucinda was again living with her parents in Dexter, Cowley, Kansas. Her daughter, Mary Rebecca, was with her but J.T. and his children were not with her. (Barbara and Dettie hadn’t been born yet.) It is possible that J.T. was in jail or running from the law as there was a court case involving him beginning in 1879. It is unknown where his minor children were at this time. They were not living with J.T.’s adult children, William or Eliza Jane. Nor were they living with J.T.’s or Lucinda’s parents. I have been unable to locate his other adult children- Jane Lucinda, Mary Elizabeth, Martha, or Samuel Luke- in 1880. I believe possibly J.T.’s daughter, Mandy (Ella Amanda), was working as a servant in the BOURDETT household in Dexter, Cowley, Kansas, in 1880. Mandy was 12 at this time. Lucinda was listed as still being married at the time of the census and she was working in Winfield, Cowley, Kansas, as a servant in the household of James and Lissa SHORT.
This family unit is found one more time in the 1875 Kansas state census living in Cedar, Cowley, Kansas. None of J.T.’s children were living with them nor was Mary Rebecca living with them. The household consisted only of J.T., Lucinda, and the two daughters born to them (Barbara and Dettie). One thing I noted of interest in this census was that Lucinda was listed as Mulatto. This is something I had not noticed before and will need to follow up on. As with her first marriage, I cannot say what happened with Lucinda’s second marriage. By 1890, Lucinda had moved on to yet another relationship.
MARRIAGE #3: GETTING CLOSER TO A REAL FRESH START
On 25 November 1890 in Benton County, Arkansas, Lucinda married David A. JONES. Lucinda is listed as Lou on the marriage certificate and I wonder if she was trying to indicate a change (or trying to make a change) in her life by changing her name a little. David JONES was 49 and a widower at the time of the marriage. He had at least 5 children prior to marrying Lucinda. Together, they had a son- Leander B. “Lee” JONES.
At the time of the 1900 federal census, Lucinda and David were living in Dickson, Benton, Arkansas, with her children Barbara and Dettie, and their son, Lee. In this census, Lucinda declared she had 6 children total and 5 were still living. As noted above, I can account for only 5 of those children. Between 1900-1905, Lucinda and David divorced.
MARRIAGE #4**: ONE LAST TRY AT A FRESH START
On 1 August 1905 Lucinda married Robert S. GATEWOOD in Columbus, Cherokee, Kansas. Lucinda can be found in the 1910 federal census living in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri- just across the state line from Columbus- with her son, Lee. She is listed as being a widow.
DEATH: NO MORE NEED FOR FRESH STARTS
Lucinda DOW ALBIN GIBSON JONES GATEWOOD’s obituary appeared in the 27 June 1919 edition of The Joplin Globe (Missouri) newspaper. It states, “Mrs Lucinda Jones, 67 years old, died at the home of her son, Lee Jones, B street and Maple avenue, at 8:10 o’clock last night.” She was laid to rest at Peace Church Cemetery in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri. This cemetery was in disrepair for a lot of years and many of the headstones no longer exist nor, I hear, is all of the cemetery brush-free and available to look at. I have been to Peace Church Cemetery and was unable to locate a gravestone for Lucinda. I hope she is resting in peace.
I have so many questions about Lucinda and every time I do more research on her, I learn new things. They are always things that bring more questions than they answer. I sometimes walk away thinking she must have been quite a promiscuous woman, and maybe a very unhappy woman. Was she difficult and that’s why she couldn’t keep a husband? Did she make poor choices in spouses? Was she just incredibly unlucky in her choices? One thing I know, with this many stepchildren there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t learn more about her in the years to come. She never disappoints me when I try to find her- other than at the cemetery, of course. But perhaps it’s just that she doesn’t want to be remembered dead, but alive. Maybe she loved her crazy life, was very opinionated and non-traditional, and lived her life just the way she wanted and with no regrets. I’m looking forward to finding out some day. In the meantime, I know I can always count on finding her in the records somewhere.
Please take time to comment if this was helpful to you or you have additional information about these families. Also, please take time to click on over to my sister-in-law’s blog, Down in the Root Cellar to learn about her sharp-shootin’ ancestor, Martha “Mattie” Teal. Thanks for stopping by- I hope you enjoyed learning about my ancestors.
~ Lisa at Days of Our Lives
End notes:
*Just this week I found a family tree on Ancestry that lists Lucinda’s middle name is Catherine. I had never heard this before and have not received a reply from this person so I’ve been unable to get more information. I have always been told and always read that her middle name was Jane. However, Lucinda does appear in a Joplin City Directory with the middle initial C.
**There has been talk of a possible additional marriage to a man with the last name of LOVE but I have neither found nor received any information that lists her by the LOVE name.

Fresh Start(s)

Lucinda DOW ALBIN GIBSON JONES GATEWOOD, 1852-1919 My great-great grandmother

If anyone had opportunities for a fresh start, it was Lucinda. Have you ever researched that ancestor- (you know you have one!)- that made you say to yourself, “This person is certifiably NUTS!” Well, Lucinda is my “certifiable”.

BIRTH: THE FRESHEST START OF ALL
Lucinda Jane* DOW was born to Henry Burton and Rebecca WHITE DOW on 7 December 1852 in Wisconsin. In the 1850 federal census and 1855 state census, the family lived in Prairie Du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin, so most likely she was born in that area. Prairie Du Chien is a rural area in the southwestern corner of the state near the Wisconsin-Iowa state line. According to the 1900 census, Lucinda had 9 siblings. Of those 9, I only know the names of 5 of them. From a medical standpoint, it would be interesting to know if the other 4 children were miscarried or stillborn. Was Lucinda’s mother prone to miscarriages or stillbirths and, if so, was Lucinda also? And further, is that something that can be passed down genetically?

MARRIAGE #1: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A FRESH START
At 15 years old, Lucinda married George ALBIN on 12 August 1868 in Adams County, Iowa. I previously believed that together they had one child- Mary Rebecca ALBIN. Last week, I found a family tree on Ancestry stating that Lucinda and George also had a son that was given up for adoption. I have not heard back from the Ancestry tree owner and am still trying to learn about this son. The son was named William Edgar and was adopted by a GIESE family. It seems that at some point in his life he learned that he was adopted and that his biological parents had the name Albin because he named one of his sons Albin GIESE. I have been unable to figure out the relationships in this family. Lucinda and George were not living together in the 1870 census. Lucinda was living in Nodaway, Adams, Iowa, with her family and the couple’s daughter, Mary Rebecca. It appears George was living some 4 hours away in Scott, Johnson, Iowa, with his family. There was a 4 year old in George’s family’s home named Edgar but Lucinda and George’s son, William Edgar, should only have been 2- 3 years old at the oldest. This is the extent of my knowledge about this relationship right now.

MARRIAGE #2: HITTING THE REFRESH BUTTON
At age 23, Lucinda got a fresh start with James Thomas GIBSON. They married in Adams County, Iowa, on 16 September 1875. Lucinda brought into the marriage her daughter, Mary Rebecca ALBIN. James Thomas (“J.T.”), supposedly a widower, brought to the marriage his 10 children. Together, they had 2 daughters- Barbara Myrtle GIBSON (born 1881) and my great-grandmother Dettie Louisa GIBSON (born 1883).
By the time the 1880 census was taken, Lucinda was again living with her parents in Dexter, Cowley, Kansas. Her daughter, Mary Rebecca, was with her but J.T. and his children were not with her. (Barbara and Dettie hadn’t been born yet.) It is possible that J.T. was in jail or running from the law as there was a court case involving him beginning in 1879. It is unknown where his minor children were at this time. They were not living with J.T.’s adult children, William or Eliza Jane. Nor were they living with J.T.’s or Lucinda’s parents. I have been unable to locate his other adult children- Jane Lucinda, Mary Elizabeth, Martha, or Samuel Luke- in 1880. I believe possibly J.T.’s daughter, Mandy (Ella Amanda), was working as a servant in the BOURDETT household in Dexter, Cowley, Kansas, in 1880. Mandy was 12 at this time. Lucinda was listed as still being married at the time of the census and she was working in Winfield, Cowley, Kansas, as a servant in the household of James and Lissa SHORT.
This family unit is found one more time in the 1875 Kansas state census living in Cedar, Cowley, Kansas. None of J.T.’s children were living with them nor was Mary Rebecca living with them. The household consisted only of J.T., Lucinda, and the two daughters born to them (Barbara and Dettie). One thing I noted of interest in this census was that Lucinda was listed as Mulatto. This is something I had not noticed before and will need to follow up on. As with her first marriage, I cannot say what happened with Lucinda’s second marriage. By 1890, Lucinda had moved on to yet another relationship.

MARRIAGE #3: GETTING CLOSER TO A REAL FRESH START
On 25 November 1890 in Benton County, Arkansas, Lucinda married David A. JONES. Lucinda is listed as Lou on the marriage certificate and I wonder if she was trying to indicate a change (or trying to make a change) in her life by changing her name a little. David JONES was 49 and a widower at the time of the marriage. He had at least 5 children prior to marrying Lucinda. Together, they had a son- Leander B. “Lee” JONES.
At the time of the 1900 federal census, Lucinda and David were living in Dickson, Benton, Arkansas, with her children Barbara and Dettie, and their son, Lee. In this census, Lucinda declared she had 6 children total and 5 were still living. As noted above, I can account for only 5 of those children. Between 1900-1905, Lucinda and David divorced.

MARRIAGE #4**: ONE LAST TRY AT A FRESH START
On 1 August 1905 Lucinda married Robert S. GATEWOOD in Columbus, Cherokee, Kansas. Lucinda can be found in the 1910 federal census living in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri- just across the state line from Columbus- with her son, Lee. She is listed as being a widow.

DEATH: NO MORE NEED FOR FRESH STARTS
Lucinda DOW ALBIN GIBSON JONES GATEWOOD’s obituary appeared in the 27 June 1919 edition of The Joplin Globe (Missouri) newspaper. It states, “Mrs Lucinda Jones, 67 years old, died at the home of her son, Lee Jones, B street and Maple avenue, at 8:10 o’clock last night.” She was laid to rest at Peace Church Cemetery in Joplin, Jasper, Missouri. This cemetery was in disrepair for a lot of years and many of the headstones no longer exist nor, I hear, is all of the cemetery brush-free and available to look at. I have been to Peace Church Cemetery and was unable to locate a gravestone for Lucinda. I hope she is resting in peace.
I have so many questions about Lucinda and every time I do more research on her, I learn new things. They are always things that bring more questions than they answer. I sometimes walk away thinking she must have been quite a promiscuous woman, and maybe a very unhappy woman. Was she difficult and that’s why she couldn’t keep a husband? Did she make poor choices in spouses? Was she just incredibly unlucky in her choices? One thing I know, with this many stepchildren there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t learn more about her in the years to come. She never disappoints me when I try to find her- other than at the cemetery, of course. But perhaps it’s just that she doesn’t want to be remembered dead, but alive. Maybe she loved her crazy life, was very opinionated and non-traditional, and lived her life just the way she wanted and with no regrets. I’m looking forward to finding out some day. In the meantime, I know I can always count on finding her in the records somewhere.

Please take time to comment if this was helpful to you or you have additional information about these families. Also, please take time to click on over to my sister-in-law’s blog, Down in the Root Cellar to learn about her sharp-shootin’ ancestor, Martha “Mattie” Teal. Thanks for stopping by- I hope you enjoyed learning about my ancestors.

~ Lisa at Days of Our Lives

End notes:
*Just this week I found a family tree on Ancestry that lists Lucinda’s middle name is Catherine. I had never heard this before and have not received a reply from this person so I’ve been unable to get more information. I have always been told and always read that her middle name was Jane. However, Lucinda does appear in a Joplin City Directory with the middle initial C.
**There has been talk of a possible additional marriage to a man with the last name of LOVE but I have neither found nor received any information that lists her by the LOVE name.

Where did this blog go?!

I posted a grand total of ONE time last year and that was my New Year’s resolution post. *Wow* Last year was crazy but I probably could have done better than one post. Although to give myself some credit- I’ve had 3 different jobs in the last 2 years in addition to some other much-less-than-desirable life events- just the way life happened. I’m in a more steady job and one I love now so maybe in 2015 I can get it together in regard to my blog. I had quite the scare this morning because when I tried to log on to my blog it said this account had been deleted and purged. *YIKES!* I was just on it a couple days ago. I was panicked. I finally went into my email to see if they had sent me an email about it and I missed it. Nope. No email like that but I found one that said I had logged on from a new device in 2013 so I ran with it and clicked “change my password”. Well, Livejournal let me change my password and here I am- into my account and with all my previous posts in place. Whew! That’s great news since one of my goals this year is to join my sister-in-law in blogging our respective genealogies. You can find my sister-in-law’s blog at Down in the Root Cellar.
In review, last year’s resolutions were:
Um…yeah. Apparently they didn’t make it all the way to the blog. 2013 goals also didn’t make it to the blog. Things may be worse than I thought here. As I recall, my 2014 target ancestor was Minerva Underwood (under “research goal”). I *think* my writing goal remained the same which was to blog consistently (obviously a major fail on my part). I have no idea if I retained the goal of organizing my genealogy. If I did, rest assured that was also a fail. In regard to the sharing goal, I did share information but still have not gotten around to publishing which is what I would ultimately like to do.
I fashioned my goal-setting from Amy Coffin’s We Tree blog goals for 2012 with a nod to her thoughts on goals. I did add two goal categories to hers- a sharing goal (added previously and continuing) and a self-improvement goal (new for this year).
So…drum roll please…my new 2015 goals include:
1. To learn more about my great-great-great-grandmother’s family (Mary Elizabeth LANE). (Research goal)
2. To blog consistently using No Story Too Small’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge as an inspiration. I will be doing this alongside my sister-in-law who will be using the same challenge and blogging at Down in the Root Cellar. (Writing goal)
3. To start over in reviewing and organizing my family history utilizing ideas from Thomas MacEntee’s Genealogy Do-Over Challenge. (Organizing goal)
4. To share some of the family history and research with relatives by publishing. To help me with this I’ll be attending Thomas MacEntee’s and Lisa Alzo’s Genealogy Self-Publishing Bootcamp online. (Sharing goal)
5. To attend a conference/workshop/educational event. This year’s choice is Family History Conference of Northwest Arkansas 2015. I’ll be attending with my mom and hopefully my sister-in-law. (Self-Improvement Goal)
This is an incredibly ambitious goal for someone who only made one blog post last year and hasn’t been able to get resolutions on the blog for 2 years but like Amy Coffin said- goals should be a little bit scary (and also planned out). I’m optimistic that things have settled down enough in my life that this year I can get back into it. Plus, I have a more structured plan to carry it out. I’m so looking forward to 2015. I’m grateful to God for getting me through the last couple of years and I know things are going to look up in the coming year. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! Please post your goals if you’ve made them!

Resolutions

It’s been a very long time since I posted anything. 2011-2013 were very difficult years. We’ve been blessed with additions of 3 grandsons but we’ve lost many loved ones during 2011-2013. Nonetheless, God chooses our paths and we trust his goodness and mercy.
I wanted to get back to posting new year’s resolutions pertaining to my genealogy. It seems like there is always some serendipitous find after I post my goals to the universe. I love that! I fashioned my goal-setting from Amy Coffin’s The We Tree Genealogy Blog at http://wetree.blogspot.com/. I did add one type of goal to her suggestions- a sharing goal.
In 2012, my genealogy goals are:
1. To learn more about my great-great-grandfather’s family (Nicholas Wilhelm Reiter)(Research goal)
2. To blog consistently. (Writing goal)
3. To scan in at least some of my proof documents (B/M/D, census, etc)(Organizing goal)
4. To share some of the family history and research with relatives (Sharing goal)
Previous research goals have been met by the above-mentioned serendipitous finds. My previous writing and organizing goals have been hit-and-miss as far as completion. My sharing goals could be increased. So there you have it. Good luck with your own goals and I invite you to post them here.
~Lisa

Reiter and Davis Marriage

Nicholas REITER marries Sarah C. DAVIS
BACKGROUND: Nicholas REITER was born in 1825 in Germany. Sarah C. DAVIS was born in 1836 in Illinois. Together, they had seven known children- George, John, Rachel, Jennie, William (my ancestor), and a set of twins whose names I don’t know. Nicholas and Sarah are my great-great grandparents. Not much is known about Sarah Davis. She was born in Pike County, Illinois, and died there 34 years later. All the children were born there. She died about 6 years after the birth of her youngest known children (a set of twins who died as young children). There do not appear to be any disasters that happened in February, 1870, that might have taken Sarah’s life according to GenDisasters website, nor was I able to find information about there being any epidemics in that time period. There is no family oral tradition regarding the cause of her death either. After Sarah’s death, Nicholas moved to the panhandle of Oklahoma and finished raising his children with the help of family members. I have not found any evidence that he ever re-married after Sarah’s death. His grave is in Mooreland, Oklahoma.
DOCUMENTATION: A marriage record was located for Nicholas and Sarah. They were married in Pike County, Illinois on 16 August 1852 by Alphius Brown. The marriage license was acquired on 9 August 1852 and returned to the courthouse on 18 September 1852.
ON YOUR OWN: Now, you can have your own abstract copy of the marriage by clicking here. This is a PDF document. Once downloaded, you can skip down to page 38 of the document to find Nicholas and Sarah. Or you can do a name search after clicking here.
Alphius Brown (also spelled ‘Alpheus’) was a preacher for a while at the Christian Church in Perry, Illinois – the town where Sarah was born and died. A history of the Christian Church at Perry, Illinois, can be found at http://genealogytrails.com/ill/pike/churchperrychristian.html. The CHENOWETH family is mentioned. Sarah’s mother was a CHENOWETH. I’m fairly certain that the James H. CHENOWETH listed is a relative of Sarah’s and the William CHENOWETH listed in James’ entry is possibly Sarah’s (and my) direct ancestor. There are CHENOWETH’s listed in other entries as well so don’t overlook them if you are interested in that family. Unfortunately, Nicholas and Sarah are not mentioned in this history. There is a Mary DAVIS JOHNSTON mentioned but it is unknown whether this is one of Sarah’s relatives or not.
This link lists a man I believe to be Sarah’s father, John F. DAVIS, as a Corporal in Company F, 99th Illinois Infantry in the Civil War (Union).

Out with the Old and In with the New

Last year was a year of beginnings as you can read about in my December 31, 2011, blog post. If 2011 was a year of beginnings, 2012 was a year of endings. My second grandson nearly died on his third day of life. He spent 6 weeks in the hospital and we did not know if he would make it. God blessed us by giving my grandson life. But when my grandson was six months old, God chose to take my son’s life. It has been a difficult year to say the least. My graduation from OU with my Masters degree was bittersweet. That was a victory I was set to share with my son as his favorite football team was OU and I wanted him there to see me walk across the stage and receive my diploma at the ceremony in May, 2013. My time of traveling with my husband ended when I took a job in October.
All of these events factored into my sporadic blog posts and in a decrease in my genealogy time. So when it was time to write a New Year’s 2013 post I couldn’t even remember the goals I set for myself. Luckily, my goals still survived on the internet and I could go back and review them.
Goal number 1 was a research goal and I wanted to learn more about my great-grandmother’s family. I didn’t learn much other than that my great-grandmother’s mother had a child who died at a very young age. I posted about this child- Anna Hubbard- on the March 25, 2012, blog post. My family members read the blog post, called other family on the West Coast, and got back in touch with me with some information about Anna. I find it comforting to think that at least for a couple of more generations Anna will be remembered.
Goal number 2 was a writing goal to complete and publish a transcription of records local to my county. Shortly after beginning the project I found that the records had already been published. I had searched for them prior to beginning transcription and had not found any that were published. Fortunately, I made the discovery before a lot of work had been done so I abandoned that goal and project. That happened early in the year and I did not take up another writing project other than continuing updates on my blog.
Goal number 3 was an organizational goal and involved scanning in documents that I own in order to preserve them, share them in the future, and also to assist in organizing my records. I made little progress in this area but considering the difficulties faced during the year, I found it acceptable that at least I had transcribed a few records in my blog posts.
Goal number 4 was a sharing goal. I wanted to share family history and research with relatives. I met this goal through my blog, through passing on requested information to other relatives, and through sharing photographs with other family members. I also made a few contacts with new family members this year and I hope to maintain those contacts in the coming year, especially since one of those contacts was made with a family member on my great-grandmother’s side (the one I had hoped to make progress on in 2012).
A goal that was met but not specifically included in the 2011 goals was to make a break-through on my Gibson line. This line has been a brick wall for decades. I’m so happy to announce that I was finally able to make contact with another family researcher. This line was also a brick wall for her. The good news was that the information I had in my possession supplied her with what she needed and the information she had met my needs so we both were able to make a break-through on this line!
Now for the new 2013 goals:
1. To learn more about my Underwood family (Research goal)
2. To make significant progress (perhaps a first draft manuscript) in writing my family history book (Writing goal)
3. To begin scanning in my documents (Organization and Preservation goal)
4. To share some of my family history with others (Sharing goal)
5. To assist others in reaching their goals regardless of whether I get something out of it (Random Acts of Kindness goal)
6. To follow, for as long as I can,We Tree’s 52
Weeks to Better Genealogy(Skills Improvement goal)
This is an increase in the number of goals set compared to last year but I still feel they are reasonable and can be met. I’m looking forward to maintaining this blog and adding information more frequently this year as part of my sharing goal.
Happy New Year to all!

Anatomy of a Move Using a Deed of Sale

BACKGROUND: Ervin and Lavina (PILGRIM) DRAKE are my fourth-great grandparents. Ervin is Poppy Lonzo DRAKE’s grandfather. Ervin was born in Kentucky in 1820 and Lavina was born in Indiana in 1822. Ervin and Lavina were married in 1839 in Indiana. Together they had nine children- Martha, Silas, Mary Ann (“Polly”), George Washington, Margaret, William(my ancestor), Nancy, Henry Arthur, and Jefferson.
In the fall of 1868 they owned eighty acres in Orange County, Indiana, which they sold to John J. CONDRA who was, at that time, still a bachelor (see the Deed Record transcription below). I have not found a relationship between the CONDRA and DRAKE or PILGRIM families beyond the sale of this property.
FAMILY LOCATION: The DRAKE family was enumerated in Orange County, Indiana, in the 1850 (in Jackson Township) and 1860 (in French Lick) federal censuses. Ervin’s Civil War draft registration shows that the family resided in French Lick in July, 1863. Ervin’s and Lavina’s son, George, was married in Orange County, Indiana, in March, 1866. Their daughter, Mary, was married there in January, 1867. By 1870, the family was in Johnson County, Missouri, and included on the federal census there.
The Deed Record helps me place the family as being still in Orange County, Indiana, as of 19 September 1868 when they signed the deed. They sold the land just prior to moving to Missouri.
RECORD TRANSCRIPTION (NOTE:The deed is transcribed as closely as possible to the original. Capitalization and punctuation are exactly as shown in the document. Items that are underlined in this transcription mean that on the original document, that is where the information was put in by hand.) :
DEED RECORD
THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That Ervin Drake and Viney Drake his wife of Orange COUNTY in the STATE of Indiana Convey and Warrant to John J. Condra of Orange COUNTY in the STATE of Indiana for the sum of Six hundred Dollars, the following REAL ESTATE in Orange COUNTY in the STATE of INDIANA, TO-WIT: The North half of the North East quarter of section nineteen in Township One North of Range One West in the District of Land Subject to Sell at Vincennes Indiana containing Eighty-acres.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, The said Ervin Drake and Viney Drake his wife have hereunto set their hand and seal this 19 day of September 1868.
Attest: T.B. Cogswell
Ervin Drake his X mark
Viney Drake her X mark
STATE OF INDIANA
Orange COUNTY. SS:
Before me T. B. Cogswell a Auditor in and for said County this 19th day of September 1868 personally appeared Ervin Drake and Viney Drake acknowledged the execution of the annexed Deed.
Witness my hand and Court seal this ____ day of ________ AD 18__. T. B. Cogswell Auditor OC.
Received the 5th day of October 1868 at 9 o’clock A.M.
I CERTIFY, That the Deed of which the above and foregoing is a true copy, was duly stamped, as provided by the Act of Congress, and Recorded on the 5 day of October, 1868, at 10 o’clock, A.M.
J. F. Pittman
Recorder of Orange County, Ind.
[END TRANSCRIPTION]
FURTHER RESEARCH: The DRAKE’s sold the land just prior to moving to Missouri which would mean that a search of Johnson County, Missouri, records between the dates of 19 September 1868 (the date the couple signed the deed of sale) and 16 June 1870 (the date the family was enumerated on the census) may help me come closer to a specific date of their arrival in Missouri.
ON YOUR OWN: If you would like a better idea of approximately where this 80 acres was located, you can look at an atlas map of Indiana. Find French Lick, Indiana. The property is somewhere between the town of French Lick and Patoka Lake. I have come to this conclusion based on the fact that Moores Ridge Cemetery is located in the same Section, Township, and Range as was the 80-acre property owned by the DRAKE’s and it is located South of the town of French Lick, just East of Highway 145 and North of Lake Patoka. (Based on the various maps and atlases I’ve looked at, I think if you turn off Highway 145 and go directly East toward Youngs Creek you would be headed right for the property “as the crow flies”.)
I was able to locate a 1920’s era Township/Range map of Orange County located at http://indiamond6.ulib.iupui.edu/cdm/ref/collection/IndianaPlat/id/2147. When you arrive at this link, scroll down until you find “Page 147” on the right side of the screen. Click “Page 147” and it will take you to the French Lick map. This map includes Ranges 1 and 2 West so you will have two Section 19’s. The one you are looking for is in the lower right corner of the map- the property marked as belonging to Ada Stultz at the time this map was created. This is the property that was owned by Ervin and Lavina DRAKE. I also used the map at this next link to help locate more precisely where the property was: http://cdm16066.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15078coll8/id/829.
In about 2008, I was fortunate enough to travel to this area in Indiana. It’s very beautiful. It’s located within Hoosier National Forest. The French Lick – West Baden areas are now considered resort locations. If you’d like to learn more about the history of Orange County, Indiana, here is a good place to start: https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Orange_County,_Indiana. Here is a link that tells about the railroad that ran through Orange County, Indiana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monon_Railroad. Here is a link to the website of the French Lick Resort/West Baden Springs Hotel: http://www.frenchlick.com/hotels/westbaden. One additional source of information for the history of Orange County, Indiana, is here: http://www.us-data.org/in/orange/history/his1884chapter3.txt.

The Dam Drakes

My husband and I recently toured Flaming Gorge Dam in Utah. While I was walking through the interior workings of the dam, I was thinking about my great-great-great-great-grandfather, Ervin Alonzo DRAKE, his wife- Lavina (PILGRIM) DRAKE, and their 9 known children. In Ervin’s Mexican-American War Pension records, Ervin states that he lived in Echo, Delaware County, Oklahoma in 1887 (NOTE: In the 1800’s the area that is now Delaware County, OK, was still Indian Territory). You will not find Echo, Oklahoma, today. I became curious about this years ago and began doing research into the town of Echo. I went to the Grove (Oklahoma) Public Library. (There are only two genealogical collections in Delaware County, OK, and this one was my best shot at finding this specific information.)
I looked in a book called Oklahoma Place Names by George H. Shirk and what I discovered is that Echo was a now-defunct town sitting Northwest of Grove. I talked with the librarian (whose name I, unfortunately, can’t remember) and she told me that Echo was covered with water when Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees was created. She told me that if I were to go to the center of Sailboat bridge and face West, I would be looking directly at the location that used to be Echo, Oklahoma. I decided to drive across Sailboat Bridge and do just that. Of course, all you see is water. I then decided to keep driving and get as close as I could to the location she described. What I discovered is that there is a place near Monkey Island (and near the location she described) called Echo Bay. I can only assume that this is very near where Echo used to be. I jokingly told my husband I wanted him to gear up and scuba dive down there to see if he could find my grandpa’s house. Alas, he didn’t do it.
Many of the graves in Echo (and other locations now covered in water) were re-located to local cemeteries around the Grove, OK, area. I have never found any information to indicate that Ervin or any of his family were among those relocated graves. In fact, the information I have for Ervin indicates he died in Coy, McDonald, MO, in 1900. Additionally, his new widow (second wife, Elizabeth J.) was censused in McDonald County, MO, in 1900. To my knowledge, neither his first wife nor any of his children died while living in the Echo area.
Our tour through Flaming Gorge Dam was interesting and filled with thoughts of my ancestors who lived in a location now forever linked with a dam. The building of a dam takes away from some to give to many. I am glad that our family did not lose anything in the building of Pensacola Dam and the filling of Grand Lake.
The Drake family reunion is coming up on July 28, 2012, in South West City, Missouri. The location is near enough that a drive to Echo Bay would be feasible. I encourage my family members to take a drive around the area of Echo Bay. The GPS coordinates are Latitude: 36.6278538 and Longitude: -94.864401 (courtesy of HometownLocator at http://tinyurl.com/83atbkt). You can find a map online at http://tinyurl.com/6msg3gj (also courtesy of HometownLocator). You can also get a satellite image of the area by going to Satellite Views’ website at http://tinyurl.com/7zuza2p. Enjoy your drive to see Echo Bay and I hope to see you all at the reunion.

Author: honeysucklefarm.ok