What I've been working on...

Wish I had taken a picture of the stack of genealogy-related papers I decided to tackle this past weekend. It was at least a foot high and leaning dangerously. I whittled it down to a manageable 3 inches. I also cleaned out two totes full of family history stuff and filed it all, well, most of it. Feels more manageable now. So I haven't been researching, but getting things organized and knowing where things are is priceless. If only I had a dollar for every time I said to myself...Oh, I forgot I had that... or some variation thereof, I'd be able to buy, well, another file cabinet!

I hope to dive into another research project soon, the kind of diving-in that involves long periods of time without looking at the clock, my husband standing at the top of the stairs, asking if I'm going to feed him any time soon or have I abandoned him, my eyes squinting through the sandy feeling of tiredness to see just one more census image, just one more! But which ancestor will it be? I'm waiting to see which one speaks to me, which one presents the most intriguing mystery to be solved, which end-of-line ancestor finally wants to be found.

2010 Goals

After the "failures" of last year :) I think I'd better build some success into my goals for 2010.

1. Join D.A.R. Fairly safe to add to the list because the process has already been started. I met with a member of the local chapter of D.A.R. in December and she has all the information needed, I think, for her to do her part of the paperwork involved. I hope to be able to join as a descendant of Luther Kallam (who else!).

2. Compile and publish a PDF document about Luther Kallam and perhaps post it on Scribd.

3. Search for the parents of John Jones, Susan Ann Westervelt Newcomb and Luther Kallam.

4. Scan all Russell family archive documents, and post their stories here.

5. Begin a project of photographing all the tombstones in a cemetery and post pictures on findagrave.com.

6. A repeat from last year...scan and properly file all old family photos.

7. File all family history related papers currently residing in various totes and file boxes.

8. Make family memories with my children and grandchildren!

Goals 2009 - How did I do?

1. Blog once a week.

Failed. Blogged 29 times so far in 2009.

2. Finish re-filing of Family History files; the Russell and Jones sides of the family tree are done, now to do Ferguson; then Mayfield and Hollowell.

Are we ever finished with filing our family history papers? Just when I thought I had the Russell and Jones papers filed, I'm questioning my system and may redo. Need to get this settled before I file the other families. In other words, failed.

3. Put all old family pictures in one place, scan each of them and file in a safe place.

Failed. Didn't touch pictures this year.

4. Find John Jones' parents.

This is getting to be a broken record...failed! Didn't even work on it. Got too consumed with the life and times of Luther Kallam.

5. Discover where in Wales the Davis and Jones families came from and when.

Failed.

6. Travel to Leavenworth and take photo of John Jones' grave.

SUCCEEDED!!!

One out of six! Oh well!

Christmas Birthdays

Browsing through my Legacy Family Tree files I find the following Christmas birthdays:

cousin Merritt turns 13 today

December 25 birthdays include:

Mary Ann Ferguson Dalrymple, great grand-aunt of my Ferguson siblings. She was born 25 Dec 1855 in Gage County, Nebraska.

Nina Louise Pirnie, daughter of George and Agnes Pirnie, our 3rd cousin. She was born 25 Dec 1935 and lived one month and one day, dying 26 Jan 1936. (Jones/Worth)

Edna Swift, born 25 Dec 1886, in Wayland, Illinois, 1st cousin twice removed. (Jones/Worth)

Russell Worth, born 25 Dec 1913, Almeria, Nebraska, 1st cousin once removed. (Jones/Worth)

And those who passed away on Christmas day:

Rosetta Ferguson Shephardson, 2003, Hemet, California (Ferguson)
George West, 1824, Pickaway County, Ohio (Russell)

Almeria, Nebraska

The Grand Island Independent had an article last week in their Silver Salute section on the town of Almeria, Nebraska. Almeria is 10 miles west of Taylor on Highway 91. Some of the names mentioned in the article include Bill and Hilma Strong, Strohl, Rusho, Haythorne, Beals, Nelson, Hyde and many others.

I remember stopping at the Almeria store a few times. I remember skating at the roller rink on the west side of town. We had some school skating parties there where all the area schools were invited. One time I even got up the courage to ask a boy to skate with me...don't ask his name because I don't remember! We went around once and then he tried to impress his friends by seeing if he could scare me by going faster and faster. He didn't scare me and I didn't fall! I especially remember my shock at seeing my dad, who, as a boy, was doing a man's work when he should have been learning to have fun, strap the skates on to his second best Sunday shoes, and take off around the rink like it was the most natural thing in the world. Bless his heart, that was one of the only times I saw dad have fun and probably the first time I realized he had a life before I came along. I was probably 9 or 10.

The Almeria Cemetery is the final resting place of three generations of our ancestors. Frank and Lizzie (Worth) Jones, George and Flora (Swift) Worth, and John and Ann (Dugdale) Worth. Also Uncle Ed Worth and Uncle Will Jones. It is a small and well maintained cemetery south of the highway about a mile.

This was a great article and a pleasure to read. I always appreciate it when Kevin Brown writes about the history of Loup County.

Famous Nebraskans in the State Census

With the release on ancestry.com of the Nebraska State Censuses, I thought I'd browse around and see what I could find.

Solomon Butcher was a 27 year old father of 2 in the 1885 Nebraska State Census. His occupation was listed as photographer. As this web site states, he captured about forty years of settlement of the Great Plains. He left a wonderful legacy for everyone who had an ancestor living in the middle of Nebraska in the 1880's to 1912, especially if they ever lived in a sod house. Just a quick look at the Library of Congress lists 19 of his more than 3,000 photos, plus over 200 articles. One photo is of the Haumont house north of Broken Bow. We used to go past it on our way to and from Broken Bow when I was a child. It was one of the landmarks I used to judge how far we had to go to either get to town or home. It has since been taken down. West Union Township, Custer County, Page 41, Enumeration District 180, Dwelling 287, family 289, Solomon, wife Lillie, children Lynn and Madelin

Mari Sandoz wasn't born until 1896, but her father and the subject of her most well-known book, Old Jules, was 24 and was living in Sheridan county with Paul Sandoz and other farmers, some from Germany, Canada, Holland and Switzerland. West 1/2, Sheridan County, Page 24 D, Enumeration District 740, dwelling 442, family 469. I did not find her mother, Mary Fehr, in the 1885 Nebraska State census.

Willa Cather was 11 years old in the 1885 Nebraska State Census. She lived in Red Cloud Precinct, Webster County, with her parents William and Virginia, younger siblings Roscoe, Douglas and Jessie, Grandmother Eliza Boak and cousin Bessie Seymore. Dwelling 58, Family 58, Page 6, Enumeration District 781, census date 4 June 1885.

Another author I think of as a Nebraska author, Bess Streeter Aldrich, was born in Iowa and moved with her husband to Elmwood, Nebraska in 1906.

Two of Grand Island's most notable citizens were Edith and Grace Abbott. In the 1885 Nebraska State census (name indexed as Abbot), they are 8 and 6 years old respectively and living with parents Othman A. and Elizabeth, brothers Othman A. Jr. and Arthur, Grandmother Emeline Griffin and servant Nellie Stewart. Our city library is named after Edith Abbott and a park in the north part of town honors Grace Abbott. 2nd Ward of Grand Island Precinct, Page 24 D, Enumeration District 352, census date 8 June 1885, 286 Division Street.

A few books I've read lately

A Scattered People: An American Family Moves West by Gerald W. McFarland

This book tells about the lives and choices made by descendants of five colonial families whose lives intertwine by marriage and shared experiences. Reading this well-researched book makes it easier to imagine what the lives of my ancestors were like as they moved west from New England. I appreciate the detailed Sources section in the back. If I were to ever write our family history, this book would be a good example to follow. This gets an honored place on my bookshelf.

Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

An excellent book. "Impeccably researched, brilliantly executed." Publishers Weekly. Fischer brings to life not only George Washington, but many of the players on both sides of these pivotal Revolutionary War battles. I appreciated his ability to explain in an even-handed way the motives and decisions of the American rebels, loyalists, English and Hessians. I also appreciated the maps that show where the players were in all the key battles. My ancestor, Luther Kallam, was in Lippet's Regiment, which crossed the Delaware that cold December night. He re-enlisted at the end of the month and continued on through the fight at Princeton. Following the army as it marched day by day and battle by battle was made even more interesting knowing that Luther was there. This also gets an honored place on my bookshelf.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

Just finished this one today. I was surprised by the lack of details about the ship itself and it's history. After just finishing Washington's Crossing with its excellent footnotes and maps, the Notes section in the back was a disappointment. I was also disappointed by the lack of information about the many reasons the Separatists left England and then left Holland. I wanted more day to day details about their lives there and to see the thinking process clearer that led them to take this drastic step of sailing half way around the world so they could worship as they pleased. I was very disappointed there were so few details about the individuals who came, but my disappointment probably stems from the fact that I'm a genealogist and I always want to know more about the lives of the average person "way back when".

Half way through, I thought maybe the book had been misnamed. It became a story about King Philip and his war. It was very interesting because some ancestors, including Gov. William Bradford's son, Major William Bradford, participated in the Indian Wars. It was told in a style that made you want to keep reading to find out what happened next. But most of the book had little to do with the Mayflower. This book will go on the lower shelf, and probably won't find itself in the "take to the used bookstore" shelf.

Now, what do I read next? How about the 700+ pages of A History of Wales? Or maybe it's time to take a break and read some poetry!

Veteran Roll Call (through WWI)

I put this together quickly for Veteran's Day. I'm sure there are others who served and I will add them as I find them. This is from research done before 11 Nov 2009.

Russell / Jones Family Tree

War of Independence

Luther Kallam, enlisted at age 16, served with Lippet's Rhode Island Regiment, Captain Simeon Martin's Company, September 1776 through the end of January 1777; crossed the Delaware River with Washington and fought in the battles of Trenton and Princeton; re-enlisted in 7 Connecticut Regiment, Capt. Ebenezer Hill's Company (This company was designated at various times as Captain Elizur Warner's, Capt. Ebenezer Hills' Capt. Charles Miel's, Capt. Stephen Billings' and 8th Company.)

John Newcomb, conductor of express, using teams and wagons to transport supplies from Connecticut to the Continental Army.

Civil War

Daniel Russell, enlisted at age 38 to serve as a chaplain; returned home after a few months because of bad health

John Jones, enlisted as a substitute for Josiah Swank, mustered out at Petersburg, Virginia; served 23 Sep 1864 - 20 Jun 1865

Charles Swift, husband of Eunice, father of five, was a private in Company F, commanded by Captain William H. Marble in the 85th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry Volunteers. He died in the service at Louisville, Kentucky on 20 January 1863 of disease; buried at Cave Hill National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky.

World War I

Benjamin T. Russell, enlisted at age 40, 11 May 1918 at Grand Island, Nebraska; honorable discharge at Camp Dodge, Iowa 6 Aug 1919; served in France.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun

Got too wrapped up in the Husker game last night to post. So here it is a day late:

Our assignment was to "Find out the geographical distribution of your surname". According to Public Profiler:

Russell
Australia has the most Russell's per Million: 1630.7
Top City: Glasgow, Scotland

Ferguson
Australia has the most Ferguson's per Million: 1057.92
Top City: Glasgow, Scotland

Mayfield
United States has the most Mayfield's per Million: 99.9
Top City worldwide: Nottingham, England
TOp U.S. city: Memphis, Tennessee

And my most elusive ancestor name, Westervelt
United States has the most Westervelt's per Million: 10.3
Top Regions: Kansas
2nd Region: New Jersey
Top City: Columbus, Kansas
2nd city: Aalten, Netherlands
New Jersey being 2nd is interesting because I believe that is where my ancestor Susan Ann Westervelt Newcomb was born. Apparently there are still many living there, probably all cousins. Wonder if any of the Kansas Westervelts would have any clues about my elusive Susan's ancestry!

And for those of you with an interest in this name:
Hollowell
United States has the most Hollowell's per million: 21.13
Top Region: North Carolina
Top City: Northampton, England
2nd most popular forename: John
4th most popular forename: James