Weaving the Pieces of the Puzzle Together

I recently received an email from a DORRINGTON descendent who is trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together for Thomas DORRINGTON and James GLENN.

.....I am researching my Dorrington ancestors and I read your blog and info on James Glenn.  I am new at this and I can’t find the link between James Glenn and Thomas and Jane Young Dorrington.  I see a Jane Dorrington who married Walter Glenn b. 1777, but didn’t find James in that tree......

Yes, it was a mystery at first to me as well.  But time and research has paid off in making the connections in the right places.  It's a tough mystery as the good Irish grandpas made sure to name everyone "James."

Of course, it didn't hurt that I happen to have a copy of family papers from another cousin that he had put together in the early 1900s. 

I first found Irish immigrant Thomas DORRINGTON and his wife, Jane YOUNG, on a trip to my family cemetery that everyone else calls St Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny Co, PA in 2004.

Thomas and wife, Jane, are buried smack dab right next to two of their grandsons, Thomas DORRINGTON, Jr and James GLENN (1824-1901). Thomas and Jane's headstones conveniently list them as "grandfather" and "grandmother" in the younger James GLENN's plot.

How?  His parents were Walter GLENN (1777-1843) and Jane DORRINGTON (d.1843).  This young James never married, yet he was the James GLENN of the Civil War Fame.  Click here to read more of his bravery at Gettysburg.

This James GLENN (1824-1901) is the grandson of my 4g grandparents, James GLENN (1750-1813) and Janet BUCHANAN (1752-1807).

I first visited the cemetery as a child with my dad and my great aunt.  She told me my roots in Pittsburgh were deep and that there were something like seven generations of my blood buried there. (I've only documented six of them at this point.) Since that early trip, I have made several trips to the cemetery and have thrown new headstone dedication parties there.  You can read more about the cemetery online and read many of my early research contributions to the St Clair Cemetery at http://www.stclaircemetery.com/view.php/page/History_cemetery

Ahh, genealogy.  What fun it is to fill in the missing pieces!  Just be sure to document your sources so the errors some have made won't be repeated again.  And if you plan to use others' research, please remember to give them the credit.



Sources:
Allegheny Co, PA, Will Bk 5 No. 424
Marriage Notices 1786-1910 Film P356 Roll #1: Carnegie Library
Wall, Elizabeth J. "Extracts from Cramers's Pittsburgh Almanack" WPGSQ 3 no. 4 (May 1977): 137.
1822,  4/4     Walter Glenn to Jane Darrington, all of St. Clair Twp., Alleg. Co.
Record of death:  RD Docket, Vol 14, pg 470
Will:  WB Dkt, Vol 67, pg 228
obit from Carnegie Signal 28 Aug 1901:
Colonel James Glenn
Colonel James Glenn, one of the best known residents of this vicinity, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. Chesterfield Robb at Glenndale, last Friday, August 23, 1901, in his 78th year.  He had been ill for many weeks and his death was expected.


©2010 AS Eldredge

Tombstone Tuesday: "Just Didn't Know When He Was Licked"

The boys of Company D 149th PA Volunteers were oft heard to say that Captain James Glenn "didn't know when he was licked."

Captain James Glenn (1824-1901) was almost "reckless in his bravery" as he served his country during the Civil War.  Hailing from the area of Pittsburgh known as Carnegie, Glenn had no difficulty in organizing men to form the company in 1862.  Mention of some of these meetings was even noted in the diary that we (myself and two cousins) transcribed and published some six years ago in the Quarterly Journal of the Western PA Genealogical Society.

One note about his service was his promotion to take command of his Regiment after the fight at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863.  His location during the battle was on Seminary Hill, which saw some of the most intense fighting. General Abner Doubleday mentioned James in his official report of the day stating  "When the troops at this point (Lutheran Seminary) were overpowered, Capt. Glenn of the 149th Pa. Vols, in command of my headquarter's guard, defended the building for fully 20 minutes against a whole brigade of the enemy (Perrin's), enabling the few remaining troops, ambulances,, etc. to retreat in comparative safety."

I thought it fitting today to remember all the troops, no matter whether they fought for the Grand Army or for the Confederacy. Some estimates of up to 50,000 American men lost their lives during this bloody battle. The anniversary of Gettysburg was just celebrated with a re-enactment of the three day battle in July 1863. 
I thought you might be interested in learning a bit more about the battle and of the re-enactment.

   
The Battle at Gettysburg
Harper's Weekly, July 25, 1863
http://www.civilwarliterature.com/2Battles/The14thAtGettysburg/The14thAtGettysburgHistory.htm 


The Gettysburg Civil War battle lives again
by Daniel Terdiman


-If you're a Civil War buff, or even an amateur historian, you no doubt know the history of the battle for Gettysburg. One of the most famous battles of the Civil War, it was also one of the bloodiest. Over three days of intense fighting, Federal troops led by Major General George Gordon Meade fought off Robert E. Lee's Confederate troops, and the battles in and around Gettysburg are often thought to be a turning point in the war.......http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20009651-52.html?tag=rtcol;txt

Ahhh, genealogy.  How our hearts ache as we remember the pain of American brother against brother in the Civil War.  Oh- and yes, James Glenn was my cousin and is buried at the "family" cemetery known as the St. Clair Cemetery in Mt Lebanon, Allegheny, PA.

©2010 AS Eldredge