Remembering First Wives of the Past

 When researching the past, it is always fun to find more than one woman that your ancestor called "wife."  It is more than frustrating to not document much more than that.

In the last few days, my research has unearthed more first wives of cousins or of uncles who seem to have just been "forgotten" when it's time for a burial.

For instance, just this week, a new friend, Mary B., was gracious to send a pic of the grave of Goodman Y COULTER in Melrose Cemetery, Bridgeville, Allegheny, PA.  How much fun it was to see it standing proud and tall in Allegheny Co, PA.

Note the name of the wife, Julia  Yes, they were married in 1852 and had a good life together, along with three children.

But where is the first wife? Hmmm?  Sure, she died in 1851 after about 25 years of wedded bliss and 8 children with Goodman.

Good ole Euphemia MIDDLESWARTH COULTER is buried just down the road at the Bethany Presbyterian Church with her family and several of her children.

Here is Euphemia's obit:

Died on Friday the tenth of consumption, Mrs Euphemia wife of Goodman Y Coulter, of South Fayette Twp, Allegheny Co, PA and daughter of the late Moses Middleswarth, elder at Bethany Church.  She left a husband and seven children.  Member of Bethany church for 13 years.


Obit of Julia McKOWN COULTER


Everybody knew Goodman COULTER. His widow, Mrs. Julia MCKOWN COULTER died
on the 22d. She leaves three daughters, Mrs. Euphemia HERRIOTT, Mrs.
Margaret A. NESBIT, Mrs. Annie C. FRYER.

To date, the obit for Goodman has not been located.  It will be interesting to read it when it does surface.

It's another day for a total head scratching as the evidence for not one, not two, but three wives shows up on the computer screen for an uncle. That is, according to three different censusus.

William Wiley HUNNEWELL was born 1848 in Allegheny Co, PA.  He joins the military off and on again from the time of the Civil War up til about 1874.  He lives in Eau Clair, Wisconsin, for a number of years, with the first documented time of the 1880 census.  In this census, he is listed as having a wife, Angeline.  Angeline is born in Wisconsin of German parents.

In 1883, there is a birth of a child, William, who is baptized in November 1883.  There is no record uncovered of the death of Angeline or of this William.

In  Mar 1884, a newly divorced (Feb 1884) Alice G SWIFT marries William.  (As a note, Alice was born in NY, but her family removes to Wisconsin.) All this is from the Wisconsin records.  William and Alice stay in the area until about 1897 according to the city directories.

In 1900, they resurface back in Pittsburgh.  There is a son, William, who is said to have been born Jan. 1885 (according to his military draft registration.)  Alice dies, but I have not located a definitive death date or place of burial for her in Allegheny Co.
Update 2 Oct 2012:  Alice's final resting spot has been positively identified in Allegheny Cemetery, Allegheny, PA.  Her death date is 3 April 1914.

Alice Swift Hunnewell

Emma Hunnewell

William W. remarries a much younger Emma by the 1920 census.  They die just months apart in 1931 and are buried together in Pittsburgh.  So where is Angeline?  I suspect she is buried in Wisconsin.  Where is Alice?  Rumor has it she is buried at the Allegheny Cemetery, but I have yet to document this information. Update 2 Oct 2012:  Alice's final resting spot has been positively identified in Allegheny Cemetery, Allegheny, PA.  Her death date is 3 April 1914.

William W's obit:
HUNNEWELL- At West Penn Hospital, on Saturday, October 3, 1931, at 11 am, William W, husband of the late Emma Hunnewell of 301 York Way. He was a member of the Post No. 3 GAR. Remains at the home of the Ferguson Wood Co., Forbes St at McKee Place, Oakland.  Services will be held on Tuesday, October 6, at 2:30 pm. Post No. 3, GAR and all other members of GAR and friends invited.-

So, who are the two Williams born in 1883 and in 1885?  Are they different or are they the same?  I haven't been able to follow the one born in 1885 after the 1920 census.  He has two daughters with his wife, and like so many, they disappear after the 1930 census.  Did they marry?  Did they die?  Do they have blood descendents?

These are just two examples in my own family.  I'm sure you genealogy buffs have many similar instances where finding the first wife is a challenge.  Those women were there and a part of the early lives of our kin.  Most likely, they died young in childbirth or after an illness.  In any event, as we remember our moms this weekend, let us not forget all the moms and wives of the past--  even if you can't find them.

Ahh, genealogy.  Gotta keep scratching that itch.



Sources:
Genalogical Excerpts from the Pres Advocate Oct 4, 1838-Oct 24, 1855, pg 130
Bethany Presbyterian Church Records found online at ancestry.com
McDonald Outlook, Feb 1, 1902
1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 Federal Census
Pittsburgh Press, June 5, 1931
Pittsburgh Press, Oct 5, 1931
Eau Clair Leader, June 24, 1905

©2012 AS Eldredge

Tracing Enslaved Africans

Knowing how hard it can be to trace my ancestors who came to America from Europe, I can imagine the frustration of those who seek their history from Africa.


I ran across this announcement of a new resource for researching those with African origins who were brought to the Americas on slave boats.  Perhaps, this will turn out to be helpful to those who are seeking their family history and roots from that area and timeframe.


New Website to Trace Origins of Enslaved Africans

/PRNewswire/ -- Little is known of the ancestry of Africans pulled into the trans-Atlantic slave trade. A new website, launched at Emory University this week, aims to change that. The African-Origins (http://www.african-origins.org) website provides a rare glimpse of the identities of Africans aboard early nineteenth-century slaving vessels, and through this information, the possibility of tracing the origins of millions of other Africans forcibly transported to the Americas. Public participation will be critical to piecing together this missing history.

Visitors to African-Origins can search an online database of Africans liberated from slaving vessels, with such details as gender, age, African port of departure, and, most importantly, an African name. Because names used within African languages and social groups have remained fairly consistent over the last two centuries, the thousands of names listed in this database are clues to the linguistic and ethnic origins of the Africans on board these vessels.

Scholars are now looking for help in identifying the modern counterparts of these names and the languages and ethnicities with which they are likely associated. Through the African-Origins website, those with knowledge of African languages and cultural naming practices can suggest these links. By taking a few minutes to search and listen for familiar names and contribute a modern counterpart, language, and ethnic group, members of the public can help identify the language, ethnic and geographic origins of people listed in these registers, and subsequently the likely origins of millions of other unnamed Africans enslaved during this period.

With these insights, scholars serving as editors of the database can consider the range of possible languages and groups affiliated with a name alongside historical research of peoples' locations and movements across Africa. As contributions are received and analyzed, new information will be added to the African-Origins database on the likely language and ethnicity of each individual. Visitors to the site will eventually be able to search for Africans by linguistic group and view maps of the historical locations of people pulled into the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

To find out more about the African Origins project or contact the project team, visit http://www.african-origins.org or email african-origins@emory.edu.

--

Ahh, genealogy.  What trips our ancestors took!

©2011 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: There's a New Search Engine in Genealogy Town

Recently, I've seen a couple of references to the new online genealogy research tool, mocavo.com.  While I don't know much about it from personal use, its presence may help to redefine the future for those of us who have been bitten with "the bug." 

After hearing about the site, I thought I'd take a look and see what all the fuss is about.  After typing in several names which I am interested in, I did find some old entries of mine from Genforum and some from Find a Grave. It is nice to see just genealogical connections on the site.


I hadn't found anything of use to me when I typed in my grandmother's uncommon maiden name.  Not expecting much, I was surprised to her listed with her siblings and parents.  As her parents came direct from Sweden and changed names when they landed, I was intrigued to find her name.  Lucky for me, I clicked on the link and it took me to the site where her name is mentioned.  No new information was spotted, but the name and email address of the submitter was there.  


I've jotted off an email to the submitter to see if I can determine who they are and if they share my blood.  I'll let you know.


Overall, current reviews are mixed, but here is Eastman's take on the site.  I suspect the reviews will become more in favor of the site as new information is uploaded on the internet.  It is certainly a great place to include in the search for your elusive ancestors.

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 

Mocavo.com - a Genealogy Search Engine

I suggest you remember this web site: Mocavo.com. I bet you are going to hear a lot about it in the next few weeks and months. In fact, I'd suggest you try it right now. I've been using the site for a while during its testing and have been very impressed. This thing actually works! Today, Mocavo.com went public and is now available to everyone.

Mocavo.com is a genealogy search engine that is available to you at no charge. It searches hundreds of thousands of genealogy web sites, looking for the words that you specify. Web sites searched include thousands of genealogy message boards, society web pages, genealogy pages uploaded by individuals, state historical societies, family societies, Find-A-Grave, the Internet Archive (mostly scanned genealogy books from the Allen County Public Library), the Library of Congress, several sites containing scanned images of old photographs, and tens of thousands of distinct sites sites that contain various transcribed records of genealogical interest.

Unlike other search engines, Mocavo.com limits its searches solely to genealogy sites. That makes a big difference to many of us who are searching for names that also are common words or corporate names. For instance, if I search for my own surname, Eastman, on most any other search engine, I receive hundreds of thousands of "hits" from photography sites and other sites that have nothing to do with genealogy. Performing a search for "Eastman" on Mocavo.com returns thousands of "hits," all of them from genealogy sites and with very few references to photography. Even the few that refer to the Eastman Kodak Company were references found on genealogy sites. A search for my own surname did return a "hit" for one page about the "Eastman Sea Rover airplane," something I had never heard of previously. Even that one "hit" was from a genealogy message board, providing information about the ancestry of the airplane's designer. Regardless of your search terms, Mocavo.com always returns information found on web sites that contain significant genealogy information.

I suspect you will always have better luck searching for your own surnames of interest on Mocavo.com than on any other search engine.

As an example of how Mocavo.com works, I'd suggest you first go to the site and perform a search for Amos Shaw who was married to Sarah Maxey. I found the couple by a search of:
"amos shaw" "sarah maxey"
(Include the quote marks.)

That search found 41 "hits," but the one that was really productive was the fifth "hit" on the first page. That fifth "hit" may change up or down in the future, but you can always return to the correct page if you go to http://www.mocavo.com/visit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.findagrave.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Ffg.cgi%3Fpage%3Dgr%26GRid%3D9525960. It is a FindAGrave result with an amazing photograph of a lady who was born in 1793 and died in 1868. You can find a photograph of her husband (who died in 1859) one click away. Those are old photos! It is rare to find a photograph of someone born in the 1700s. You will find it much more difficult to find old photographs like this using Google searches for genealogy!

Now try a few searches on Mocavo.com with your own names of interest.

Of course, searches on Mocavo.com are not limited to names. As with any other search engine, you can search for towns, states, occupations, relatives, or any other text information you think might be included with an ancestor's name. Whatever you specify, the search will be limited to pages on genealogy web sites. For instance, I have long been looking for the origins of Washington Harvey Eastman who lived his adult life in Corinth, Maine. I performed the following search on Mocavo.com:

"Washington Harvey Eastman" Corinth
This returned only two results, both referring to the specific person I have been looking for (although they only provided information I had already seen previously). Searching for the same person without his town of residence produces many more "hits," most of them for other men with the same or similar names. Adding the town of reference quickly produces focused results.

With the exception of the sites being searched, Mocavo.com operates in much the same manner as Google and most other search engines. Mocavo always displays the full URL of the web site(s) found, along with a line of text from the site that contains the words you searched for. Clicking on the URL displays the original web site. Mocavo.com never "hides" anything; the original web site is always displayed in its entirety.

According to Cliff Shaw, the creator of Mocavo.com:

“Genealogy has always had the problem of information and potential clues being spread across thousands of disparate web sites and sources. Imagine a world where you have all of the Web’s free genealogy content at your fingertips within seconds. That is Mocavo.com.

“Mocavo.com has the capacity to index every single piece of free genealogy content found anywhere on the web, and will be growing by leaps and bounds in the coming months. We expect Mocavo.com to shortly offer all of the web’s free genealogy information, searchable and accessible to all – something that has never been done before. It’s set to become the go-to search engine for every family history enthusiast.”

At this time, Mocavo.com finds mostly North American genealogy information. I suspect that will expand in the future as the site grows "by leaps and bounds every day."

Cliff Shaw has created a great genealogy search engine, the best I have seen. Try it. I suspect you'll be as pleased with Mocavo.com as I am. Go to http://www.Mocavo.com

I still plan on using other search engines for a lot for my other web searches. However, all my future genealogy searches will start on Mocavo.com. I've been using the site for a while during its testing and have been very impressed. I suspect you will always have better luck searching for your own surnames of interest on Mocavo.com than on any other search engine.


--

Ahh, genealogy.  Always shaking those trees for my roots.

Update:  I heard back from the submitter of my great grandparents' information.  No kin here.  They had just pulled something off the census.  Disappointing.



©2011 AS Eldredge

Remembering Black History: Whispers in the Savannah Barracoons

Recently, I gathered my children and headed on a road trip to Savannah.  After all, the weather was delightful and I was ready to escape all the dreariness of winter and cabin fever.

I wanted to be sure to talk history and show some historic places to the kids.  While I didn't have the time on this trip to visit the final resting spot of my 2g-grandpa at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah, I did make the time to wander River Street, and of course, the Pirate House.

I find the history of River Street and the surrounding area fascinating even if my family had no ties to Savannah.  My 2g-grandpa is only laid to rest there as he was traveling home to South Carolina after having been wounded in the Civil War when he died.

River Street dates back in time to early Savannah.  I can just imagine the ships arriving with new supplies, visitors and cotton being taken to market. I remember going to Savannah often as a child and my Yank dad pointing the Slave Barracoons that are right at River Street.

Looking at the barracoons, you can see the small windows each one had to allow air in and out.  The doors are long gone, but evidence of them being there at one time are still visible.  The barracoons were and are rather dark and dismal.  It's just hard to believe that people were kept there as they were most likely jammed in tight.  Up above one opening on the day we were there was a gorgeous tree who had just sported its new spring coat.  What a contrast of color and hope that tree presents next to the barracoon.

Today, these temporary holding places for slaves are used as parking spots. There are no signs or plaques to indicate what these holding places were used for.  I find that sad.

I struck up a conversation while I was there with two local gents who thanked me for taking the time to look at the barracoons and tell my children about them.  The gents also were happy to tell me that spirits of the past can easily be felt in the lower levels of the some of the antique shops which are down on or right above River Street.  I imagine the fear those poor souls felt would be something that could linger in the air.

The gents also said slaves who had been transported to Savannah from other places would be kept on Hutchinson Island until they were brought over to the Savannah port to market. Included in the lore from the gents was that slaves, their ancestors, would gather the unwanted fish thrown to the island by the fishermen boats at night.  They said lobster and shrimp would have been on the menu as those sought after treats of today were not so popular with the Savannah folk back then.

The gents also regaled me with other stories about when George Washington was in Savannah, but to date,  I have found no supporting documentation for their statements on slavery rules in Savannah.

Ahh, genealogy.  Learning about others' roots in early America can make you sit still and listen for  whispers in the wind.

Politicians are All in the Family Thru Early Plymouth Connections

Another day, another genealogy find.  I find this story from Ancestry.com of interest if only to show we are pretty much all connected to each other one way or another.  We may not share any common interests in the present with some of our extremely distant kin, but we are probably more alike than we realize.  Take, for instance, ....

Ancestry.com Reveals Midterm Election Connections: President Obama Related to Palin and Limbaugh

/PRNewswire/ -- As Americans prepare to cast their votes in November's mid-term election, Ancestry.com today announces that several key political leaders and media personalities are more than mere political allies or political foes—they are actually related.

The world's largest online family history resource reveals that President Barack Obama is related to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Obama and Palin are 10th cousins through common ancestor John Smith. The website also found that Obama is related to one of his most vociferous critics, conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Perhaps Rush will ease up on the President when he learns they are actually 10th cousins once removed via common ancestor Richmond Terrell.

Ancestry.com researchers also discovered that Palin, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and conservative author Ann Coulter are also cousins through Englishman John Lathrop, who was exiled to the United States for becoming a minister of an illegal independent church.

But the connections don't end there. Obama, Palin and former President George W. Bush are also related. Obama and Bush, who both reached the highest office in the land, are 11th cousins through common ancestor Samuel Hinckley. Palin and Bush, who are also 11th cousins, are also related through Hinckley. Apparently leadership runs in the family, since Hinckley's son, Thomas, went on to become governor of Plymouth Colony.

"We have all watched the heated media coverage as the leadership of Congress is at stake in this very contentious upcoming November election," said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com. "It is not unusual, however, to find family members on different ends of the political spectrum. This election season is an ideal time to look into the family trees of our candidates and their critics to learn more about the ties that make them all part of this great country."

Other Famous Finds

These newfound family connections between our nation's top political players are the latest of several discoveries from the research team at Ancestry.com:

* In 2009, Ancestry.com discovered that Obama and financial investor Warren Buffett are more than just allies. The two men are 7th cousins three times removed.
* Ancestry.com also revealed that Obama and actor Brad Pitt are 9th cousins.
* In 2008, Ancestry.com announced that then-Governor Sarah Palin is a distant cousin to both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Princess Diana.


Ancestry.com recently announced it has extended its relationship with NBC for the second season of the hit television series "Who Do You Think You Are?" Ancestry.com worked with NBC on the first season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" that debuted in March 2010, providing important family history research for the show, including tracing the roots of the seven celebrities featured.

As for my roots, I do have White House connections to a president, but not the current one.  My blood kin there was James Buchanan.  A presidential gold coin was just released for Buchanan--  I've got one.


Ahh, genealogy.  How many blood lines are hanging around in the ole proverbial woodpile?


©2010 AS Eldredge

The Saints Vs. the Strangers

Every year, we Americans celebrate the feast held by the Pilgrims. So, tis fitting I revisit this stroll down memory lane. This is a repost from 2006.

Sounds like the perfect football game for the season. But wait, just who are these players?

Back in the early 1600s, a group of people born in the Elizabethan age in England wanted to practice their faith as they saw fit. They were led by a man named William Brewster, who organized and then became the ruling elder of the Pilgrim Church, in Scrooby, England. King James demanded that all of his land be members of his church and give him absolute obedience. The Pilgrim Community insisted on passive obedience. So, the saga begins.

Around the 1608 to 1609 time period, Rev. Brewster moved from England to Amsterdam and finally to Leyden. Many of his people left England under the cover of night as the King's men were making it harder for these people to worship and live. Leyden was a natural place for the Pilgrims to go as the Dutch were much more tolerant of differences between religions and cultures. The Pilgrim Church flourished well until the Pilgrims felt it was time to leave, as King James was putting pressure on the Dutch to crack down on the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims arranged for passage to America and received a grant for land to be called "Pilgrim Plantation" at the mouth of the Hudson River in the Virginia territory.

The Pilgrims arrived to find they indeed had two boats for their voyage, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Unknown to the Pilgrims, the investors in this crossing of the Atlantic also sold passage to a group of tradesmen, hence the origins of the term "The Saints and the Strangers". The Saints, also known as the Pilgrims, were infuriated with this change of plans but there was nothing to do at this point. The two ships set sail for America in 1620. Constant leaking of the Speedwell resulted in the ships returning to port. After some considerable time and effort, it was decided that the Mayflower would sail alone, carrying both the Saints and the Strangers.

The ship's crossing was not an easy one and much has been written on this. They saw the land we now know as Cape Cod. Their intent was to follow the coastline down to the mouth of the Hudson River. However, an tricky area around Cape Cod and the winds blew them back to Cape Cod. They went ashore and well, the rest is history. Some of the most fascinating accounts of their lives were written by a member of the group named William Bradford.

This story has much to teach us. For my family, it is the story of my children's ancestors. Yes, my children had two grandpas on the Mayflower voyages, a William Lumpkin and a Richard de Warren. And naturally, it is from the side of my beloved spouse. So, here I am, descended from poor farmers from Sweden and Ireland, while my spouse's family history has a decidedly much more colorful tale to tell in the settling of our great nation.

After much gnashing of teeth over my spouse's apparent illustrious lineage, I finally realized that my poor Irish and Swedish farmers offered as much to the founding of this wonderful nation of ours. The Saints and the Strangers may be the story told around this time of year, but all of our ancestors had a vital part in shaping this great land of ours.

Happy Holidays.

UK 1911 Census Online

Here's a boost for those searching their family genealogy in the United Kingdom.

Entire 1911 Census now Available Online for the First Time

Research commissioned by 1911census.co.uk reveals nearly a quarter of the population (23%) have now actively researched their family tree*, with 2.9 million people having visited 1911census.co.uk to research their own ancestors’ census records since the website went live in January this year**. The pastime is now just as popular as participating in team sports and overtaking other popular hobbies such as making Twitter posts and blogging (11%) and bingo (13%).

Following the initial release of the Southern English records in January 2009, the website now hosts the complete 1911 census records for people living in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. What’s more, for the first time in a British census, full details are available of British Army personnel and their families stationed overseas. There were 135,866 people serving in the British Army and 36,804 people serving in the Royal Navy across the British Empire in 1911, including 69,785 serving in India.

Christine Webber, psychotherapist and lifecoach, says: “Being able to find out how our grandparents and great-grandparents lived gives our own lives some extra perspective, and also helps us to understand ourselves better. The ability to delve into what our relatives were doing almost a hundred years ago is fascinating. It also helps us to get a sense of our own place in history. I think that getting in touch with your own roots is a very valuable and healing thing to do. So, this is a most exciting development.”

And it’s not just the older generation who are embracing the chance to discover more about their roots. Over a fifth (21% of under 35s and 35-55 year olds) have researched their family history in the past 12 months. People are turning to genealogy for a wide variety of reasons, from wanting to find out more about family stories that have been passed down through the generations (28%), to being inspired by TV shows like ‘Who Do Think You Are?’ and after a family event such as the birth of a new child (12%).

Women, however, are still leading the way when it comes to family history research as over one quarter (26%) are actively researching their family history, compared to only one fifth of men (20%).

The 1911census.co.uk website service has been developed by UK-based family history website findmypast.com, owned by brightsolid, in association with The National Archives***. Completed by 36 million householders on Sunday, 2 April 1911, the census records show the name, age, place of birth, marital status and occupation of every resident in every home as well as their relationship to the head of the household and the online records include images of our ancestors’ own handwriting. For the first time the enumerators’ summary books for the whole of England and Wales have also gone online today, recording details of all properties in the country in 1911 – a great resource for anyone interested in local history or house histories. The 1911 census records have been released three years earlier than the scheduled 2012 date as a result of public demand for the 1911 census, which will be a key resource for family historians.

Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.com, says: ‘“We’re delighted that the final records have been uploaded from the 1911 census including the military records and the records for Wales, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. We hope many generations will gain a huge amount of valuable information about their ancestors by consulting the records and that they’ll discover new chapters of their family history that they previously knew very little or nothing about.”

Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, commented: “It’s wonderful to see that so many people are discovering a new passion for family history through the 1911 census. Bringing this project to completion has been one of the most exciting events for us this year, and to know that so many people have been able to access part of their personal history online shows how valuable it can be to make these records available via the web.”

**Findmypast.com internal data
***In line with data protection legislation, certain sensitive information relating to infirmity and to children of women prisoners will be held back until 2012. The 1911 census is a special case at the request of the Information Commissioner all records of infirmity as listed on the records (e.g. ‘deaf’, ‘dumb’, ‘blind’, ‘lunatic’ etc.) have been obscured and will not be available to view until January 2012.