Tombstone Tuesday: Esther Elizabeth (Anderson) Kellman

Photo by Joan Kobernik Hoeft - Find A Grave contributor

Esther Elizabeth Anderson was born on 1 September 1889 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of my 2nd-great-grandparents Andreas Troedsson/Andrew T. Anderson and Marthe Elisabeth Eriksdatter/Erickson. She married Carl Winton Kellman on 15 November 1913 in Chicago. They had two sons, Carl Winton Kellman and Robert Anderson Kellman. By 1930, the Kellman family had moved to Sycamore, DeKalb County, Illinois. Esther's husband Carl died on 11 November 1944. Esther moved to Selah, Yakima County, Washington in 1960. She died on 17 November 1970 in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington. She was buried in Terrace Heights Memorial Park in Yakima, Yakima County, Washington.

Military Monday: Memorial Day

Today is the day that we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. I am remembering family members who died while in service.

My great-grandfather's first cousin Ferdinand Constand Schneider (4 November 1887 - 15 July 1918) was killed in action during World War I at the Battle of Château-Thierry. He was the son of a German immigrant, and died fighting against the Germans.

Photo from page 165, Missouri - Soldiers of the Great War, compiled by W. M. Haulsee, F. G. Howe, and A. C. Doyle. Washington, DC: Soldiers Record Publishing Association, 1920. Available online at http://www.usgwarchives.net/mo/wwi/missourisoldies-greatwar.htm.

 The map  below shows the Western Front of the war at the time that he was killed.

 Chicago Daily Tribune, 16 July 1918, page 2

Thomas J. Tarkington, whom I suspect was my 3rd-great-grandfather Joseph Tarkington's brother, was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista (23 February 1847) during the Mexican War.

Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the Mexican War, compiled 1899 - 1927, documenting the period 1846 - 1848. Thomas J. Tarkinton, Wheeler's Co., 2 Illinois Foot Vols. (Bissell's), Mexican War. NARA M616. Available from Fold3.

Map of Battle of Buena Vista. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Although my 3rd-great-grandfather Davidson Binkley did not die in battle, he was serving his country when he died. He was a private in Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. He was stationed at Cairo, Alexander County, Illinois during the winter of 1862-1863. He died of measles on 9 January 1863.

Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Illinois. Davidson Binkley, Company G, 128th Illinois Infantry. NARA M539. Available from Fold3.

Harper's Weekly, 1 June 1861, p. 350. Available from Son of the South.

Fred Logan Trickey, Jr., the husband of my second cousin once removed Peggy Lorraine Clark, was one of five World War II heroes that died when B-25 bomber 227 crashed on Cold Mountain, Haywood County, North Carolina on 13 September 1946.
 

Fred and Peggy (Clark) Trickey. Milwaukee Journal, 10 October 1943.

Cannon, Doris Rollins. Cold Mountain Bomber Crash: The Enduring Legacy. Printed by Edwards Brothers, 2005. ISBN: 0-9772101-0-3

Sunday's Obituary: Marshall J. Gatlin

Chicago Daily Tribune, 14 September 1923, page 10

GATLIN––Marshall J. Gatlin, beloved husband of Julia, nee Ancis, fond son of Mr. and Mrs. William M. Gatlin, brother of Mrs. D. C. Pate, Mrs. Frank J. Smith, Henry B., Walter R., John R., Clarence J., and Bruce E. Gatlin. Funeral from residence, 2119 Cleveland av., Saturday 9 a.m. to St. Vincent's church. Interment St. Joseph's.

Marshall J. Gatlin was born on 24 June 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the youngest child of my 2nd-great-grandparents John William Morton Gatlin and Sarah Claire Dyer. By 1911, he was living in Chicago, Illinois. He married Julia Ancis on 16 August 1922. He worked as a printer. Marshall died of tuberculous peritonitis at his residence in Chicago on 13 September 1923.

Sports Center Saturday: Erwin Schaefering

My maternal grandfather's sister's husband Erwin Schaefering participated in many sports.

He played baseball at McKinley High School in st. Louis, Missouri, and was team captain in 1919.

The Carnation (yearbook, McKinley High School, St. Louis, Missouri), 1920, p. 28. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3 April 1919, page 30

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2 April 1920, page 28

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 18 April 1920, page 6

He was chairman of McKinley High School's standing committee on athletics.

The Carnation (yearbook, McKinley High School, St. Louis, Missouri), 1921, p 75. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Erwin played football at St. Louis University.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 11 November 1923, page 1S

He later played professional football for the St. Louis Blues.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 28 October 1926, page 32

Ervin was also on the wrestling team at St. Louis University.

The Archive (yearbook, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri), 1922, p. 228. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Friend of Friends Friday: Scrub, Runaway Slave of Richard Benneham of Orange County, North Carolina

North Carolina Gazette or Impartial Intelligencer, 29 July 1784, page 6

Thirty Dollars Reward. 

Ran-away from the subscriber, the 15th day of May last,

A Likely Negro Fellow, named SCRUB, about twenty-five years old, well made, a good countenance, has scarcely any beard, rather of a black complexion, very flexible, strong and active ; he is a pretty good groom, having taken care of a stud horse for several years past : He carried with him a good deal of cloathing, mostly home-spun, and I believe about fifteen or twenty pounds hard money. I have owned him for 13 years past, and always found him remarkable honest and of good behavior ; he is a tolerable good gardner and waggoner, and will probably endeavor to be employed as the latter, or as a hostler : I expect he will attempt to go to Norfolk (where he was raised), and pass as a free man by the name of Charles Thompson, or Charles Fry; and as he has great notions of freedom it is very probable he will try to make his escape by sea. All persons are cautioned from taking him out of the country. The above reward will be given and reasonable expences to any person who will bring him to me, or fifteen dollars to have him secured in any goal in this state or Virginia, so that I get him again.
                                                                   RICHARD BENNEHAM.
  Orange County, August, 1784.

Thriller Thursday: Huge Rattlesnake

Timber Rattlesnake in north-central Pennsylvania. Photo by Rkillcrazy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

G. W. Murphy, a farmer in Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee, went to look at the stock in his field on 4 September 1873. He spotted a giant rattlesnake in the field. It was 4 1/2 feet long and had sixteen rattles. That must have been one scary snake!

Nashville Union and American, 6 September 1873, page 4

Wordless Wednesday: My Father (Age 6 1/2 Months) and Grandfather

Tombstone Tuesday: John Harvey Sawyer

Photo by Linda Moore Mora - Find A Grave Contributor

John Harvey Sawyer was born on 10 January 1866 in Williamson County, Tennessee. He was the son of Lemuel Sawyer and Charlotte Carrington. He married Alice Taylor on 6 March 1889. They had six children: William Leslie Sawyer (born 14 February 1890), John Allen Sawyer (born 20 January 1892), Jane Sawyer (born March 1894), James Henry Sawyer (born 15 February 1896), Etta Sawyer (born about 1904), and Alice Sawyer (born about 1908).

John worked as a farmer. He was the sheriff of Williamson County in 1920, and possibly longer (either before or after 1920).

John's wife Alice died on 27 October 1923. On 1 June 1942, John married Emma Beech. John died on 6 July 1943 in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Franklin.

John was my second cousin 4 times removed. Charlotte Carrington's mother was Malvira Russell, the sister of my 4th-great-grandmother Sobrina Russell. Charlotte's sister Sophronia Carrington married Lemuel Sawyer's brother William D. Sawyer on 1 January 1852. Lemuel and Charlotte married on 26 December 1854. Malvira (Russell) Carrington, the widow of William or Wiley Carrington, married Lemuel and William D.'s father, William Sawyer, on 30 November 1859. I suspect that William was the brother of James Sawyer, who I believe was the father of my 3rd-great-grandmother Amanda Russell. So John may be my double second cousin 4 times removed.

Mappy Monday: Skåne Län Before 1997

Old provinces of Skåne. By Lunnen2009 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Skåne län [county], the southernmost county in Sweden, was created in 1997. Two counties, Kristianstad and Malmöhus, were merged.

My 2nd-great-grandfather Andreas Troedsson/Andrew T. Anderson and his ancestors were from Grevie, which is part of the municipality of Båstad. It was located in Kristianstads län and is now in Skåne län.

Eleventh Birthday Slumber Party

In honor of my birthday, I am posting this photo from my eleventh birthday slumber party, with my friends Gunda, Debbie, Patricia, and Suzanne. I'm on the bottom right.

Surname Saturday: Leÿ

The surname Leÿ is one of my ancestral surnames. The German language used to include the letter ÿ, but it is no longer used. According to Dictionary of German Names, 2nd ed., by Hans Bahlow (Madison, Wisconsin: Max Kade Institute, 2002), the surname Ley (or Leyh) is an Upper German name that is frequently found in the Rhineland area. It comes from Eley, a variant of Eloy, which is another name for Saint Eligius. Saint Eligius was the patron saint of goldsmiths and horses.

Absolute distribution (Ley)

©Christoph Stöpel. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/de/deed.en). http://legacy.stoepel.net/de/MapGateway.aspx?name=Ley&target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=abs

Relative distribution (Ley)

©Christoph Stöpel. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/de/deed.en). http://legacy.stoepel.net/de/MapGateway.aspx?name=Ley&target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=rel

My known Leÿ ancestors are:

4th-great-grandmother: Christina Leÿ
born about 1779
married Peter Nagel 13 April 1814, Hürth, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
died 18 March 1858, Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

5th-great-grandfather: Christian Leÿ
born about 1740, Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
married Catharina Wirtz
died 21 June 1803, Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

6th-great-grandfather: Johan Leÿ
married Apolonia

Friend of Friends Friday: Tom, Runaway Slave

Newbern Gazette, 1 December 1798, page 2

RAN away, on the 28th ult. a negro fellow named TOM, about twenty eight years of age, five feet, eight or ten inches high, has lost his eye teeth.
    He was bought of Mr. Thomas Satterfield, of Edenton, and has a sister in Windsor : he is well known in both those places.
    TWENTY DOLLARS reward will be paid on delivery of him to me, or TEN DOLLARS for securing him, so that I get him again.
                                                      SHADRAC COLLINS.
     August 11.
     N. B. Masters of vessels are forwarned from carrying him away, and all persons from harbouring, or carrying him away, under the penalty of the law.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Ellen Victoria (Dahlquist) Anderson's Daily Planner

I have a daily planner book that belonged to my great-grandmother Ellen Victoria (Dahlquist) Anderson. Rather than recording appointments, she used it to record the dates of family births, marriages, and deaths. Although the planner is dated 1967, events from before and after 1967 were recorded. Some of the information I found in it was new to me.

Wordless Wednesday: Helen Martha Marie Anderson, 1916

Syttende Mai

17 May 1814. Postcard, 1914. National Library of Norway, image number blds_05707. Public domain. Available from Flickr.

The Constitution of Norway was signed on 17 May 1814. Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day) is observed on May 17.

Mystery Monday: Winters Wives

How many wives did my 4th-great-grandfather Hugh Winters have? Did his sons have any wives that I do not know about? What were the maiden names of these women? I am still trying to identify some Winters women, most or all of whom married into the family.

Hugh Winters married my 4th-great-grandmother Mary Bennet on 24 January 1831 at St. Mary's Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1849, Hugh and his most of his family sailed from Glasgow to New York City on the Pursuit; they arrived on 12 June 1849, and settled in Brooklyn. His wife Mary and daughter Margaret did not go with them. They apparently traveled separately, since they were enumerated with the family in the 1850 U.S. Census. Hugh and Mary's last child, Elizabeth, was born on 12 January 1851 and baptized at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn on 18 January 1851.

Ancestry.com. Brooklyn, New York, St. Paul's Catholic Church Baptism Records, 1837-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. Original data: James R Reilly, comp. St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn, New York, Baptism and Marriage Records, Volumes I-II. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Redmond Press, 1996.

Two additional Winters children were baptized at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn. Their parents were John Winters and Mary Mitchell. Did my 3rd-great-grandfather John Bennet Winters have a previous wife? He married my 3rd-great-grandmother Anna "Ann" Walker in Tonawanda, Erie County, New York on 10 October 1859. Or is this John Winters the brother of Hugh Winters? His brother John, also known as Owen, married Elizabeth Hamell on 13 October 1835 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He married his second wife, Elizabeth Baillie, on 7 December 1845 in Leith, Midlothian, Scotland. Did he also come to New York? Did he marry a third time?  Or is this John Winters another relative, or someone unrelated?

Hugh's wife Mary probably died between 1851 and 1855. In the 1855 New York State Census, Hugh was enumerated as a boarder in the home of John and Rosey Moran, and none of his children were living with him. His daughter Mary was a servant in the home of John and Mary Blair, and his son Hugh and daughter Margaret were in the nursery in Flatbush, New York.

In 1860, an Irish-born woman named Mary Winters, age 30, lived with Hugh Winters and his son Hugh. Who was she? Hugh's daughter Mary was born in Scotland and was not quite 20 years old. Are her age and birthplace incorrect in this census record? Did Hugh remarry? Is this Mary his wife? Is she a younger sister, niece, or cousin who left Ireland and moved in with the family? Is she Mary (Mitchell) Winters?

1860 United States Census, Brooklyn Ward 6, District 1, Kings County, New York, population schedule, page 649. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

The 1865 New York State Census gives relationships. According to the census enumeration for Hugh's family, Hugh was married to Margaret Winters, age 38, born in Scotland.

 1865 New York State Census, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, 6th Ward, page 26. Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Census of the state of New York, for 1865. Microfilm. New York State Archives, Albany, New York.

The 1870 U.S. Census enumeration for the Winters family shows that Hugh was married to Eliza Winters. She was 40 years old and born in Ireland.

1870 United States Census, Brooklyn Ward 6, Kings County, New York, population schedule, page 183. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Original data: 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

What happened to Margaret? When did he marry Eliza?

Eliza died in Kings County, New York on 5 April 1874. I have not found evidence of later wives. However, I did run across something interesting in the February 4-5, 1869 issues of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 4 February 1869, page 3

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 5 February 1869, page 3

Hugh Winters lived at 36 State Street in 1869. Although two men by that name were listed in the 1869 Brooklyn city directory, my Hugh Winters was consistently listed as a laborer.

Brooklyn City and Business Directory for the Year Ending May 1st, 1869, Containing Also a Street and Avenue Directory and an Appendix. Compiled by Geo T. Lain. Brooklyn and New York, NY: Lain & Company. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. 

Who was Catherine? She was not Hugh's daughter Catherine, who married Joshua Hunt Thomas on 17 March 1872 and died in Providence, Rhode Island on 14 February 1931. Was she another wife of Hugh's?

Sunday's Obituary: Jewel Gatlin

Jewel Gatlin, Beloved Cat

Jewel Gatlin passed peacefully at her home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey on the morning of Sunday, May 15, 2016. Her precise age is unknown, but she was elderly. In her earlier years, she experienced difficult times. She was found abandoned in an empty apartment in 2010. Thankfully, she was found and brought to the animal rescue group START II. After almost 6 months, she was adopted, and was given a loving home. She was an only cat at first, but was later joined by her adoptive siblings. Shortly before her death, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

Jewel was extremely gentle, sweet, and well-behaved. She purred readily upon being petted. She will be greatly missed.

Jewel is survived by her adoptive mother, Beth Gatlin; her adoptive sisters, Harmony, Melody, and Luna; and her adoptive brothers, Kit and Flash.

Surname Saturday: Nagel

The surname Nagel means "nail" in German. It is an occupational surname that was used by nailsmiths.

Absolute distribution

©Christoph Stöpel. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/de/deed.en). http://legacy.stoepel.net/de/MapGateway.aspx?name=Nagel&target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=abs

Relative distribution

©Christoph Stöpel. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/de/deed.en). http://legacy.stoepel.net/de/MapGateway.aspx?name=Nagel&target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=rel

My known Nagel ancestors are:

2nd-great-grandmother: Christina Nagel
born 27 February 1851, Kendenich, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
married Carl Joseph Schneider 31 January 1878, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
died 16 January 1934, St. Louis, Missouri

3rd-great-grandfather: Johann Nagel
born 19 April 1814, Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
married Anna Maria Aussem (my 3rd-great-grandmother) 31 August 1848, Hürth,
Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
married Anna Maria Klein 23 October 1861
died 15 February 1891, Remagen, Ahrweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany

4th-great-grandfather: Peter Nagel
born about 1782, Metternich, Euskirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
married Christina Leÿ 13 April 1814, Hürth, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
died 9 December 1842, Hermülheim, Rhein-Erft, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

5th-great-grandfather: Johann Nagel
married Anna Maria Breidenbender

The Cumberland Compact

Cumberland Compact, original signers, page 1. Available from http://www.cumberlandpioneers.com/cc1.html. 

The Cumberland Compact established a constitutional government for the settlement at Fort Nashborough in the Cumberland region. It was signed by 256 men on May 1, 1780, and some additional provisions were added on May 13, 1780. Until Davidson County, North Carolina was created in 1783, the Cumberland Compact was used to govern the settlement. The area eventually became Nashville, Tennessee.

Under the Cumberland Compact, twelve men would be elected to a "Tribunal of Notables."They would serve as a governing council, and could be removed from office.

My 6th-great-grandfather Andrew Lucas was one of the signers of the Cumberland Compact. His signature is the sixth one in the third column. His half-brother Robert Lucas was also one of the signers. His signature was in the second column, three rows lower than Andrew's.

References
Cumberland Compact | Entries | Tennessee Encyclopedia
Cumberland Compact - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thriller Thursday: Robbery at Post Office, Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee

On 24 November 1896, a man named Henry Perkins (AKA Brooks) robbed the post office at Vaughn's Gap, Davidson County, Tennessee. He stole about $10.

Nashville American, 25 November 1896, page 5

Clementine Virginia (Leech) Binkley, the widow of my 2nd-great-grandmother's brother James Rutherford Binkley, was probably the postmistress at this time. In 1901, when a fire destroyed the post office building, she worked as postmistress and ticket agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway.

Nashville American, 6 June 1901, page 2

The 1900 U.S. Census showed that she was a ticket agent for the railroad. Her husband had died in 1890, and she would have needed a way to support herself and her children. She may have worked as postmistress and ticket agent since shortly after his death. Perhaps she was the one who discovered the theft. Perhaps she watched Assistant Jailer Jack Smith chain down the drunken suspect.

Wednesday's Child: Thomas Gatlin

Thomas Gatlin was born on 17 October 1890 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was the firstborn child of my 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Clarence Bateman Gatlin and Ella Lee.

Nashville, Tennessee city birth records, October 12-17, 1890. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: City Birth Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Thomas died of meningitis on 18 April 1891, at the home of his maternal grandmother Annie (Glasheen) Lee. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Nashville.

Nashville, Tennessee city death records, April 14-19, 1891. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Tennessee City Death Records, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, 1848-1907. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

 Nashville American, 19 April 1891, page 3

Tombstone Tuesday: Peter Montague

Photo by Ray - Find A Grave Contributor

My 10th-great-grandfather Peter Montague was born in England about 1603. He arrived in Virginia in 1621, aboard the ship Charles. He represented Nansemond County in the House of Burgesses from November 1652-1653, and represented Lancaster County in the House of Burgesses in 1657-1658. He died in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1659.