Lessons From My Ancestors

Sentimental Sunday: Our Pew

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:05:00 +0000

One week after I was born, my parents bundled me up and took me to church for the Christmas service. With few exceptions, I spent the next 18 years worth of Sundays in that same church. In all those years of attending services, my family fell into a relationship that might surprise some; we sat in the same pew for roughly 15 years. In all my years, that old wooden church pew had one resting place: the second row from the back, on the right.

From that pew, our parents watched their little girls grow in years and faith. As toddlers my sisters and I crawled around that pew with our church shoes on, scuffing everything in sight. As we grew into little girls, we stood proudly that pew when the congregation stood up to sing. Our parents even sat there proudly as we butchered one arrival song after another when we were first learning to play piano.

It was to that pew that I glanced to my parents for support during Christmas pageants, scripture readings, and even my post-mission trip testimonial. That very pew is also home to my favorite church tradition of singing Silent Night in the dark on Christmas Eve with candles in our hands. Singing that song in the special pew always takes me back to a more innocent time, when we were just little girls in dress shoes, scuffing everything in sight.

On the rare occasions that someone else sat in our pew before we arrive, I wondered if they noticed those scuffs. If they did, did they think of them as yet another project in an aging church, or did they view them with wonder and think about their story? I always dreamed it would be the latter because that pew has left an everlasting mark on my heart.

Over the years, the congregation of our church has dwindled away and the pastors have encouraged everyone to sit together at towards the front of the church. This change has been easier for some members of my family than others. Collectively we have hundreds of special memories in that pew, but for my sister and I that pew encompasses our lives in that very church. And that is why, without end, you'll always find my sister and I sitting in the second pew from the back, on the right.

Sylvia's Diary: December 1801 Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 16:11:00 +0000

Sylvia attended a special ciphering school that was taught by a Mr. Botsford.
Sylvia made a pair of shoes in mere hours as she then "knit the rest of the day".
In addition to attending meetings three times, she also swept the meeting house one day.
Sylvia attended a ball on Christmas Eve at a Mr. William A. Mitchael's house. Two balls in as many months, it must have been quite exciting for her!
By far, Sylvia's most wrote about activity was once again knitting (18 mentions this month).
Sylvia started documenting her candle making this month. While it is only mentioned three times, it is yet another skill she has.

Have you been following along as I tweet my 5th great grandmother's diary? If not, head on over to @SylviasDiary and catch up on her story. Each tweet is one of her short diary entries and it is tweeted 210 years to the day after she wrote it.

Olga Hanson's Birth Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Olga Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Olga are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Olga's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Olga Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Male
Name of other issue living: -
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Sept 20, Sun 8 PM 1891
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson Parents of
Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

If Olga had a middle name, it was not record on this delayed birth record.
She is listed as a white male in this record, even through she was a white female.
Gunda had several older siblings, but none of them are listed on this record.
Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
The birthplace of her parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Gunda Hanson's Birth Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:46:00 +0000

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Gunda Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Gunda are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Gunda's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Gunda Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Male
Name of other issue living: -
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: March 27, Thus 7 PM 1889
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson Parents of
Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

If Gunda had a middle name, it was not record on this delayed birth record.
She is listed as a white male in this record, even through she was a white female.
Gunda had several older siblings, but none of them are listed on this record.
Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
The birthplace of her parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Anna Hellen Hanson's Birth Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:37:00 +0000

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Anna Hellen Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Anna are a series of US Census records that list the family. This post will focus on the details of Anna's birth.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Anna Hellen Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Female
Name of other issue living: -
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Mon. Aug 16. 4 AM 1880
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson by Parents
Residence of person last named: Five Points
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

I never new Anna's full middle name and now we know it is Hellen.
She was a white female.
At the time of her birth she was the only child of Hans and Antonette Hanson.
Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
The birthplace of Anna's parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Family Recipe Friday: Stove Top Pot Roast

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Ask any of my Miller cousins what their favorite family meal is and they will say "Grandma's Stringy Meat". The rest of the world calls it pot roast and I'm not sure how it became G-Ma's Stringy Meat, but we love it just the same. Grandma Miller has been making it for as long as I can remember. It is the meal of Sunday dinners, family celebrations, and welcome home.

Most of the family has tried to replicate it at one time or another, but no one can make it taste the same. She just must cook with more love than the rest of us.

G-Ma Miller's Stove Top Pot Roast

Brown roast in 2 Tbsp vegetable oil.
Sprinkle roast with 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp dried thyme.
Put seasoned roast in a dutch over.
Add 2 cups of water and 1 bay leaf.
Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
Add carrots, potatoes, and onions.
Simmer for 45 minutes longer.
Serve and enjoy!

After many attempts, I have a version of it that my husband and I like a lot. We have an electric stove in our apartment and a dutch oven works best with gas in my personal opinion. So, I've started making in our crock pot and I've made two changes to her original recipe. The first is that instead of 2 cups of water I use 32 oz. of Swanson Beef Broth and the second is that I cook it for 4 hours on high (add carrots, potatoes, and onions 2 1/2 hours in).

Family Recipe Friday is one of the many blogging prompts supported by www.geneabloggers.com to help genealogy bloggers record their family histories.

Hilda Maria Hanson's Birth Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:47:00 +0000

I have been on a quest to find a name of a village or region in Norway where Hans and/or Antonette were born. To help this along, I have been ordering a series of records that might list a hometown. You can read about these here and here. This record was ordered as part of this quest.

Hilda Maria Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson who lived in Five Points, Akan, Richland, Wisconsin. The only documents I have on Hilda are a series of US Census records that list the family. I recently ordered Hilda's birth record.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Hilda Maria Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Female
Name of other issue living: Anna H. Joanna A. Magnus
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonetta Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Dec 19 Thurs. 2:30 AM 1884
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson Parents
Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

I never new Hilda's full middle name and now we know it is Maria.
She was a white female.
As with the previous records, the names of the other issue living are Anna H., Joanna A., and Magnus.
Just like in Juliane's birth record, Antonette it is spelled Antonetta.
Once again, the full name of mother previous to marriage lists Antonetta Hanson instead of Hoff or Huff.
Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
The birthplace of Hilda's parents is listed as Norway. Still no village name.
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893. These are the same dates as other vital records for the family.

Sylvia's Diary: November 1801 Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Sylvia attended meetings (church) five time during the month and would have gone a sixth time, but she felt "indisposed" and "tarried at home" instead.
Sylvia knitted 14 times and most of her knitting was in the evening hours
Sylvia sewed 13 times and worked with a tailoress for a day.
Sylvia was quite the social butterfly this month having called on or had visitors ten times. She even attended a ball at her Uncle Abel's house the day after Thanksgiving.

Sentimental Sunday: Morel Mushroom Hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:53:00 +0000

Morel Mushrooms

When I was young, one of my favorite things to do with my dad was to go morel mushroom hunting. Pops always seems most content in the woods and this was always a special time when we got to go "exploring" with him.

Each spring we would grab handfuls of old shopping bags and then he would load us kids up in his truck. We'd roll the windows down in the truck and chatter away as we drove out to the woods. Once there, Pops would find us each a walking stick to help our little legs navigate the hills of the driftless area.

Soon enough, we'd set off into the woods. Pops always gave a little speech at the beginning reminding us to watch out for critters (we were in their home after all) and then reminded us where to look for the mushrooms. We would spend hours walking up and down those hills, each of us trying to fill our bag the quickest (we are a very competitive group).

Even though we were competitive about filling our bags, I never lost sight of the experience. I enjoyed the peaceful time in the woods most. There wasn't a lot of talking on our parts, but the hills in the driftless area have a sound of their own and it is quite amazing. I'm not even going to try to describe it, as I won't do it justice, but if you ever venture that way you will know exactly what I mean.

Dad and James walking the ridge line.

Hunting the mushrooms was special experience, but so was eating them! The worst part was waiting for them to soak as it took hours, but when they were ready to be eaten mom or dad would start frying them up. They are best when hot, so we'd all sit around the island in the kitchen waiting for each individual batch to finish and then in mere seconds they'd be gone.

I always wished the season was longer, but all good things must come to an end, right?

A couple years ago, my husband and I happened to be visiting my family during morel season. I, of course, jumped at the chance to get back into the woods for a couple hours and I was even able to convince hubs to join us too!

It had been years since I had been mushroom hunting, but it was just like I remembered it being. Peaceful togetherness.

Sentimental Sunday is one of the many blogging prompts supported by www.geneabloggers.com to help genealogy bloggers record their family histories.

Surname Saturday: Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:05:00 +0000

Names and Places

BRIGGS: Wisconsin (Crawford County) 1856-present; Ohio (Morgan County) 1824-1860.

DYER: Wisconsin (Grant County) 1856-present.

GRAY: Wisconsin (Crawford County) 1880-present.

HANSON: Wisconsin (Richland County) 1870-present; Norway Pre-1870.

HASKINS: Wisconsin (Iowa County, Richland County) 1860-present; Vermont Pre-1860.

HEISZ: Wisconsin (Crawford County) 1850-present; Germany (Prussia) Pre-1870.

HORTON: Iowa ( Jones County, Madison County) Pre-1900; Wisconsin (Richland County) 1910-present; Vermont (Franklin County) Pre-1860.

JERRETT: Wisconsin (Crawford County, Grant County) 1850-present.

LINDLEY: Wisconsin (Iowa County, Richland County) 1910-present; Iowa (Jones County) 1850-1910; Indiana (Warren County) 1830-1850; Ohio (Butler County) Pre-1830.

LOMAS/LOOMIS: Wisconsin (Grant County) 1845-present; United Kingdom (England) Pre-1845.

MILLER: Wisconsin (Crawford County, Richland County) 1880-present; Ohio Pre-1860.

MOOK: Wisconsin (Crawford County) 1850-present.

STOHER: Wisconsin (Crawford County) 1870-present; Austria Pre-1880.

TYLER: Wisconsin (Clark County, Richland County, Wood County) 1880-present; Ohio (Trumbull County) Pre-1860.

WILKINSON: Wisconsin (Crawford County, Grant County) 1850-preset; United Kingdom (England) Pre-1850.

WOOD: Wisconsin (Crawford County, Grant County) 1860-present.

Most Wanted Faces

Thomas MacEntee, the mastermind behind www.geneabloggers.com, has revived Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie's meme from 2009.

Juliane Hanson's Birth Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Juliane Hanson is the daughter of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson. Using the online search fields through the record office, I had been able to find birth records for Juliane's siblings, but was unable to locate hers.

Two weeks ago, I happened to do a general search for any Hanson in Wisconsin who was born in December 1886 (her date of birth according to a census record) and wouldn't you know it, up comes a Julian Hanson born on December 31, 1886. So, I ordered it.

I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Julian Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Male
Name of other issue living: Anna H. Joanna A. Magnus Hilda M.
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonetta Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Dec 31 5 A.M. 1886
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson
Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 Nov 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

Even though it lists Julian(e) as a male, everything else matches the family!
She was a white (fe)male.
As with another record I've ordered on this family, the names of other issue living are Anna H. and Joanna (Janamalia?). This time, however, Magnus and Hilda M. have joined the family.
Instead of listing the mothers name as Antonette, it is spelled Antonetta.
Once again, the full name of mother previous to marriage lists Antonetta Hanson instead of Hoff or Huff.
Her birth location is supported by the census records of the family during this time.
Julian(e)'s parents were both born in Norway. Still no village name.
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893.

What we still need to determine:

Why did it take 10 years for a certificate to be filed?
Why is Juliane listed as a male?

Family Recipe Friday: Apple Pie Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:07:00 +0000

I grew up in Wisconsin's Apple Capital, and as you can imagine, am a bit obsessed with apples. Over the years my mother has baked what seems like a million different apple recipes, but there is only one that rises above the rest: Apple Pie Bars.

They are a staple at family gatherings and rarely last more than a few hours once finished. I'm not joking, we have been known to polish off the entire pan in one sitting!

Now that I am away from home, they are my go-to comfort recipe when I missing my family. I hope you enjoy them!

Directions

Crust

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups flour and 1 tsp salt; cut in 1 cup Crisco until crumbly (like pie crust).
In a small bowl, combine 2 egg yolks (beaten) with 1/2 cup milk; gradually add to crumb mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 15” x 11” rectangle. Line an 15” x 11” baking sheet with one rectangle.

Filling

Peel and slice 8-9 apples; add to a separate bowl.
In a small bowl combine 1 cup sugar, 2 Tb flour and 1 tsp cinnamon; gently stir mixture into bowl with apple slices.

Combine

Pour apple mixture over the dough-lined baking sheet.
Top with remaining 15” x 11” pastry rectangle.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Finish

In a bowl, combine 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tsp milk.
Drizzle frosting mixture over bars.

Family Recipe Friday is one of the many blogging prompts supported by www.geneabloggers.com to help genealogy bloggers record their family histories.

Birthplaces of Hans and Antonette Hanson

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I have very limited knowledge of my Hanson line and have only recently began to explore this line past my GGG-Grandparents, Hans and Antonette Hanson. I have several census documents that state their places of birth as Norway, but have yet to locate the town or region in Norway that they once called home.

They lived in a Norwegian settlement in rural Wisconsin and it has been very hard to separate my Hans Hanson from the others that lived near them. So, I have started ordering documents from archives that could possibly list a birthplace for Hans and/or Antonette.

My first record was the marriage certificate of their daughter Juliane. I was not able to gather any information on the family's Norwegian origins from this document. My second document was the death record of their first born son, Magnus. This record did list the birthplace of the parents, but only Norway is written down.

Back to the drawing board...

Magnus Hanson's Death Record

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:50:00 +0000

Magnus Hanson is the son of my GGG-Grandparents Hans and Antonette Hanson. I have very limited knowledge of this family and will share this struggle in a later post. I know that Magnus is buried in the family plot in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Akan, Richland, Wisconsin.

I was hopeful that by ordering his death record that I might be able to find out more about his short time on earth. I have transcribed the details of this record below:

Full name of child: Magnus Hanson
Color: White
Sex: Male
Name of other issue living: Anna H. Joanna A.
Full name of father: Hans J. Hanson
Occupation of father: Farmer
Full name of mother previous to marriage: Antonette Hanson
Hour, day of week, of month, and year, of birth: Nov 30 Sun. 10 P.M. 1883
Place, town or township, and county in which born: Akan Richland Co
Birthplace of father: Norway
Birthplace of mother: "
Name of physician or person signing certificate or affidavit: Mrs. N. P. Nelson ^ Parent
Residence of person last named: Five Points Wis
Date of certificate or affidavit: 7 Nov 1893
Date of registration: 10 " 1893
Any additional circumstances: (none listed)

What we can learn from this record:

It states that he was born on November 30, 1883. This date is supported in the cemetery records, on his headstone, and in the Wisconsin Death Index.
He was a white male.
The names of the "other issue living" are listed as Anna and Joanna. According to my records, Magnus had two older sisters named Annie and Janamalia (this is likely them, but I am struggling to justify that Joanna is Janamalia).
His father, Hans J. Hanson, was a farmer. The 1880 and 1900 US Census records for Hans support his occupation of farmer. The 1900 Census also tells us that he owned the land he farmed.
I find it interesting that even though it asks for the full name of mother previous to marriage her name is listed as Antonette Hanson instead of Hoff or Huff.
I think the exact details of Magnus' birth are the most detailed of anyone in my family tree!
His birth location is what I thought based on the homestead of his parents at the time.
Magnus' parents were both born in Norway. (I really wish a village or region was listed!)
The certificate was created on 7 Nov 1893 and filed on 10 Nov 1893.

I often find that documents I order give me more questions than answers, and true to form, Magnus' death record has done the same.

No actual death date is listed for Magnus. The cemetery record for his burial and the WI Death Index list his date of death as December 10, 1883. His headstone states his years of life as 1883-1883. Magnus is missing from any future census records with the family.
Why did it take 10 years for a certificate to be filed? This seems like a ridiculous amount of time to me, but they did live in a rural area and for all we know they might not have been able to speak English at the time. The 1900 US Census asks if people could read, write, and speak English. Hans could do all three and Antonette could speak it.
One big question still remains: What caused his death?

Tombstone Tuesday: Lincoln David Heisz

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Lincoln David Heisz

Birth - 20 May 1897 in Wisconsin, USA

Marriage to Teresa Stoehr - 13 Nov 1899 in Seneca, Crawford, Wisconsin, USA

Death - 9 Dec 1965 in Boscobel, Grant, Wisconsin, USA

Buried in the Evergreen, Mt. Sterling, Crawford, Wisconsin, USA

Ancestral DNA: mtDNA Haplogroup Results

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:18:00 +0000

Our mtDNA haplogroup results are in and we belong to the H haplogroup. The haplogroup H is predominantly European and originated outside of Europe before the last glacial maximum. It is believed that at least 40% of all mitochondrial lineages in Europe belong to the H haplogroup.

Within the H haplogroup there are several subclades (H1, H2, H3, etc.) and ours is H2. The H2 subclade is found in the highest frequency in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (it can also be found in Western Asia). The H2 subclade is broken down even further into H2a and H2b. We fall under the H2a division, which is found most frequently in Eastern Europe, but is not found in Asia like the H2b group.

Our exact result was H2a2a (which happens to also be the CRS)! This means that we exactly match the CRS without any mutations or insertions on both the HVR1 and HVR2. I have joined several H2a2a forums online and most of the participants have Scandinavian or Northern European heritage. Which aligns with the research I have done tracing our maternal ancestors to Norway.

However, it gets even more interesting when we drill down even further and look at our CR (coding region). Most mtDNA test do not include this result, but we went with the full sequence test and it was well worth it because we have a very unique CR mutation at position 9299. We have G instead of the CRS's A. From my research online, it appears that our 9299G mutation is a silent mutation, so we shouldn't have to worry about any health related issues.

Our CR 9299G result is pretty rare. The references I have found in forums to it indicate that people with this mutation have ancestors from Scandinavia (3 of us so far). It isn't in the PhyloTree (most complete mtDNA tree available) yet, but once there are more results with this mutation, it could be added.

I will post more as information becomes available.

Ancestral DNA: Update - 25, 37, and 67 Marker Tests

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Davis) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:02:00 +0000

It has been a year since my last ancestral DNA update. At that time, had over a 1,000 exact matches on the 12 marker test and we had one exact match on the 25 maker y-chromosome test. In the last year, we have had several more matches and I wanted to update the family on these:

12 Marker Test

We have over 1,000 exact matches.
We have 3 matches that are at a genetic distance of -1.
(Click this link to learn more about genetic distances)

25 Marker Test

We have 2 exact matches (I've emailed both, but not receive responses).

37 Marker Test

We have 1 match that is at a genetic distance of -1.
We have 1 match that is at a genetic distance of -3.

67 Marker Test

We have 1 match that is at a genetic distance of -1.

Please let me know if you have any questions and remember to reference the binders I gave out at Christmas for detailed information on ancestral DNA. :)

Military Separation Papers - Byron Miller

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:24:00 +0000

Last year, I asked my mother (as next-of-kin) to order a copy of her father's military files. She agreed, completed the paperwork and sent them in to the NARA. Her father died when she was nine years old and our family rarely speaks of him. He was served in WWII prior to meeting my grandmother and she knew very few details about his service because it wasn't something he talk about. I was hopeful through his military files we would learn the specifics about his overseas service and the injuries we knew he sustained.

After several months, my Mom received a generic form letter saying that NARA didn't have his record and that it was most likely damaged/destroyed in a fire. At this news, I have to admit that I was more than a little heartbroken. At the time, I felt that this was the one and only way we were going to learn about his history in the Army.

As time passed, I was able to piece together snippets of his service from his military headstone, a picture of him in uniform with a patch on his sleeve, and a book on the battles of Leyte that was in the possession of my Grandma. I felt lucky that I was able to piece these small tidbits of information together and resigned myself to the fact that this is all we would ever know.

Fast forward a year and you can imagine my surprise when my Mom called and told me that Grandma found some "military papers" on Grandpa while sorting through her papers! My Mom, being the awesome lady that she is, ran to the store and made copies of them for me before they were filed away again.

She mailed them straight away and I received them earlier this week. These "military papers" were actually his Honorable Discharge letter and his separation qualification record. Grandma had found the mother-load!

I spent several hours today pouring over these records with my husband, who is fascinated with WWII history. From the information we were able to learn a lot about his training and even a few details on his civilian life. Listed below are the main things we learned:

The highest level of education he completed was the 7th grade
He was employed as a civilian truck driver before joining the Army in 1942
He attended special service school courses in Radio Repair and Operation, Tank Driver, and Radial Engine Mech.
He was in the 776th Amphibious Tank Battalion
His military specialties were Antitank Gunner and Radio Tender
He operated and maintained radios in his tank company
He coded and decoded messages in combat zones
He had blue eyes (no one had ever told me this before)
He was a draftee
He was in the service a total of 2 years, 7 months, and 6 days
His wounds received in action are listed as "SWA on Leyte Island 20 Oct 1944" (SWA = Seriously Wounded in Action)
He was discharged from the hospital at Camp Carson in Colorado
He received the following decorations and citations: Asiatic Pacific Ribbon, 1 Bronze Battle Star, Purple Heart, and Good Conduct Ribbon

Having never met the man and knowing very few details about him, the things that stood out the most to me were his signature and right thumb print. After all, the details I had been craving to learn are mere facts compared to the handwriting and thumb print of the Grandfather I have never met.

Tombstone Tuesday: Frank E Lindly

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:04:00 +0000

Frank E. Lindly

US Army

Sep 17 1901 - Jan 11 1979

Son of Ulysses Grant and Amelia Grace (Horton) Lindley

He was born September 17, 1901 in Iowa

He died January 11, 1979 in Wisconsin

Laid to rest in the Gays Mills Cemetery in Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Sylvia's Diary is now on Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:05:00 +0000

A couple months ago I was reading through Sylvia's diaries and was once again admiring her brief, but informative, sentences on her daily life in the early 1800's. To this Gen-Y'er, her short choppy sentences reminded me of tweets. As an avid user of Twitter, I wondered what it would be like to read her daily entries, one by one, in the form of a tweet.

So, I got in touch with my contact at the DAR Museum here in DC (the diaries were donated to the museum) and asked if I could tweet the daily entries from the transcripts that they had shared with me. I was given the all-clear a few months ago and am now tweeting away.

The best part is that since her diaries started in March of 1801, I have been able to tweet an almost daily account of from her life 210 years ago! So, come join in the adventure!

On Twitter? Follow Sylvia's Diary is on Twitter at @SylviasDiary.
Not on Twitter? Just visit Twitter.com/SylviasDiary to read the daily posts or text Follow SylviasDiary to 40404.

Tombstone Tuesday: Judson, Sarah & Bernice Wilkinson

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Sarah Emeline (Gray) Wilkinson

Born September 1879 in Excelsior, Richland Co., Wisconsin

Married Judson W. Wilkinson on 12 Feb 1905 in Crawford Co., Wisconsin

Died 1948 in Wisconsin

Laid to rest at the Union Hill Cemetery in Mt. Zion, Crawford Co., Wisconsin

Judson W. Wilkinson

Born May 1877 in Little, Grant Co., Wisconsin

Married Sarah Emeline Gray on 12 Feb 1905 in Crawford Co., Wisconsin

Died 1962 in Wisconsin

Laid to rest at the Union Hill Cemetery in Mt. Zion, Crawford Co., Wisconsin

Bernice Wilkinson

Presumed daughter of Judson and Emeline (Gray) Wilkinson

Born 1912 in Wisconsin

Died 1912 in Wisconsin

Jasper L. Horton's Obituary

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Mon, 30 May 2011 22:26:00 +0000

I recently ordered a copy of Jasper L. Horton's obituary and received the following image that ran in the Baraboo Republic on 26 Aug 1929. I've transcribed the text below as part of the genealogy blogging meme Amanuensis Monday.

OBITUARY - Jasper L. Horton

Funeral services for Jasper L. Horton were held this morning at the grave in the North Freedom cemetery, the remains of the former Sauk county resident being brought here from San Francisco, Calif. accompanied by a daughter, Miss Alice Horton. Prayer was offered at the grave by the Rev. E. L. Quien.

Mr. Horton was born at Montgomery, Vermont on March 19, 1836, and passed away at the government hospital in San Francisco on August 19, 1929, at the age of 91 years, 5 months and 9 days. He resided with the daughter, Miss Alice, at Gilroy, California.

As a lad he came to Sauk county and this place was his home up to 12 years ago when he went west.
He enlisted in the Civil war, August 15, 1862, at Loganville and was with Co. E of the 32 regiment of Wisconsin volunteers. He was discharged on July 1, 1865, having served 3 years, 1 month and 14 days.

He leaves to mourn his loss the one daughter of Gilroy, California and eight grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. His wife and one daughter preceeded him in death, and he was buried beside them in the North Freedom cemetery.

Tidbits of Note:
I have listed several tidbits of note from this obituary that caught my attention for one reason or another. I will need to conduct more research on them all as the details of some are not accurate.

Jasper was born in Montgomery, Vermont. I had learned through census records that he was born in Vermont, but now that I have a specific town I can narrow down my research.
Jasper died in California, which would explain why I hadn't been able to locate a death certificate for him in Wisconsin.
Jasper left Wisconsin 12 years before he died, which would have been around the same time his daughter Amelia Grace died or ran away (no evidence either way).
Jasper was a civil war veteran who served for over 3 years.
It lists only two daughters for Jasper in his obituary. It doesn't list his son Horace or his other daughters Mary J. and Amelia who are listed as his children in various census records. One thought of mind is that Alice (mention in the obituary and his youngest child - who most likely wrote this obituary) might not have known of his two eldest children (Horace and Mary J. who I lost track of in the late 1800's)? on the other hand, Amelia only had 5 children, which throws off the grandchildren and great grandchildren totals off, so someone else had kids, but who?
The obituary also notes that one of Jaspers daughter not mentioned by name preceded him in death... maybe the cheating grandma didn't cheat after all.
Also, there is no mention of his second wife who is buried near him at the North Freedom Cemetery.

As you can tell, this obituary was full of information that was unknown to me before. However, I am concerned about the accuracy the details stated and am therefore taking this all with a grain of salt.

Marriage of William Tyler & Juliane Hanson

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:23:00 +0000

I recently ordered a copy of the marriage certificate for Great-Great-Grandparents, William J. Tyler and Juliane Hanson. As the State Historical Society, from which I ordered this document, asks that the image not be shared in digital format, so I have transcribed it here below:

Full name of husband,  William J. Tyler
Name of the father of husband,  Charles Tyler
Name of mother of husband before marriage,  Mary Guard
Occupation of husband,  Laborer
Residence of husband,  Richland Center, Wis.
Birthplace of husband,  Highland, Wis.

Full name of wife previous to marriage,  Juliane Hanson
Name of the father of wife, H. J. Hanson
Name of mother of wife before marriage,  Nellie Hanson
Birthplace of wife,  Five Points, Wis.

The color of the parties, White
No. and date of license,  83 June 12 1905
Time when marriage was contracted,  June 17, 1905
The place, town or township and county, where marriage was contracted,  Richland Center
Names of subscribing witnesses,  Chas Tyler and Effie Tyler
Name of person pronouncing marriage,  EG Curtis
Date of certificate or affidavit of marriage,  June 17th 1905
Date of registration,  June 28 1905

From this document I have learned their marriage date of 17 Jun 1905. I've also learned that William was born in Highland, Wisconsin, which is a new bit of information to add to my files. However, the birthplace of Juliane is what I have guessed from the census records of her parents at that time. One other item that stood out to me is that Juliane's mother's name is listed as Nellie, not Antonette. Most of the documents I have found list her as Antonette, but this must have been what her family called her. In a way, it makes me feel closer to the family to know her nickname.

Crawford County WWI Honor Roll - Jule Lomas

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:19:00 +0000

A while ago I was searching online for documents to order and ran across a WWI listing for my great-grandfather, Jule Lomas. I don't have a lot of information on Jule and was hoping that the document might tell me his company and was dreaming that it might contain more, maybe an enlistment date. What I received was so much more.

The document I was sent is "Crawford County's Honor Roll; 1917-1918-1919". Not only did the pages I received include a service statement, but there were pictures of several local soldiers, including my great-grandfather! I've include the picture and the text below:

JULE Lomas - (16)
Private, Co. E., 57th Infantry, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Lomas, Boscobel. Entered service April 26, 1918. Trained at Camp Grant, Camp Pike and Camp Logan.

The text is brief and while it gives details, it doesn't say anything beyond his enter date and training locations. Nonetheless, it provides me with enough specific details that I can continue to look for more information.

The Perfect Birthday Gift for a Genealogist

noreply@blogger.com (Sara Beth) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:10:00 +0000

My in-laws were trying to figure out what to get me for my birthday (way back in December) and after talking to my Hubs, decided to send me a check. The check they sent me was to be used for one thing and one thing only, to order certificates and records to further my genealogy research. How amazing is that?

Certificates and records are expensive (usually a minimum of $15 plus processing and shipping). With my Hubs in grad school, they are not a priority in our limited budget. It took me a while, but I was able to prioritize my list of documents and send for the ones that I thought would help my research the most. I went a little over the amount of their check, but Hubs happily stayed quite about it, and I sent for the following items:

Marriage certificate for Judson Wilkinson and Emeline Gray (my gg-grandparents).
Marriage certificate for Charles R. Tyler and Mary Jane Gard (my ggg-grandparents).
Marriage certificate for Thomas White and Emma Tyler (possible second marriage for my gggg-grandmother).
Marriage certificate for Williams J Tyler and Juliana Hanson (my gg-grandparents).
Death certificate for Magnus Hanson (my ggg-uncle).
Obituary for Jasper Horton (my ggg-grandfather).
WWI County Honor listing for Jule Lomas (my g-grandfather).

Stay tuned for posts on each of these documents!