How My Hopes Were Dashed

I had for many years hoped against hope that my ancestors had never been slave owners. I say “against hope” because many of my lines migrated from the Eastern coast – New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland – to Virginia and into Kentucky before finally entering the Indiana, a free State. But, I told myself, none of my lines had significant wealth which might have been prohibitive. In fact, I family lore in the Buchannan/Benefiel family stated the reason they moved to Indiana was to “get away from slavery.”

However, I’ve known for a while now that my Joseph Leisure owned at least one slave. He wrote in his will written in 1835 that “Item. My negro man John at the death of myself and wife I hereby emancipate and set free.” Joseph died in 1838 but his wife didn’t die until 1853. I thought at least Joseph was planning to free John which made me feel a bit better; that is until my recent trip to Garrard County, Kentucky for further research into this family. All I had previously was a copy of the will but there was more. Included on the second page of the Joseph Leasure Estate Inventory (Will Book 1; pages 401/402) is listed: “Negroes: One negro man named Tom - $150; One negro woman named Milly - $200; One negro man named John - $700.”

Though my heart sank a bit when I found this information, I know I need to take this knowledge in context of the times. I’m sure Joseph was a good man in many ways but I have to admit my impression of him is now a bit tainted. He wasn’t a large land owner, only purchasing some 46½  acres  on Sugar Creek in Garrard County, Kentucky (Deed Book G, page 124), yet he held three people in bondage.

So far, happily, there is no evidence that Joseph’s son, Nathan, my 3^rd great-grandfather ever owned any slaves prior to his move to Indiana in 1834. At least there’s that.

Now the question is how do I objectively write Joseph's biography for the Leisure Publication? Guess I'll have to take some time before I start that.

Illinois State Genealogical Society Conference 2012

John Colletta Speaks at ISGS Conference Dinner

  After an afternoon of sessions, vendor visits, and networking, ISGS conference attendees enjoyed a delicious meal at the Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Illinois, Friday, October 19, 2012. Following dinner, the day was capped with an entertaining talk by John Colletta. All the laughs he created ensured not a single person nodded off even though full from dinner.

Saturday's full day of sessions, including a youth workshop for the younger soon-to-be genealogists, brought even more enthusiasts to the conference.

I spent most of my time in a volunteer capacity which allowed me to meet and greet members - new, longtime, and maybe-sometime-soon. Though I didn't get to attend many sessions, I feel my time was well spent and I'm happy I could be part of making such an event happen.

The one session I did attend was at the end of the day. Thomas MacEntee presented "They're Alive -- Searching for Living People". It was most interesting and informative. I came away with much to think about and try. He even informed us of volunteer opportunities which would help hone our skills at finding the living.

My kudos to the ISGS Conference committee and to the Winnebago-Boone Genealogy Society for a job well done. As I was heading for my car to journey home, I overhead one lady telling someone how "wonderful all her sessions were" and how happy she was to have been there. I'm sure that sentiment was voiced many times over

~Becky

Finding the Hagstrom Connection

I really need to focus on my current project but for some reason or other little mysteries have sidetracked me lately. First it was the Uncle Angus Miller and Granny Kennedy Walker marriage issues resolved by the return to the newly-updated Indiana records on FamilySearch.org mentioned in a previous post. More recently, it has been the “who are the Hagstroms?” question.

Over the years, my mother-in-law, Alice Davey Higgins, mentioned the Hagstrom family in passing. She would tell me she remembered her mother taking her to Elmhurst, Illinois to visit some relatives named Hagstrom. How they were related she had no idea but she knew the older lady as Auntie Hagstrom.

Back in the day, Alice sent Christmas cards to just about everyone she had ever met so she had a pretty extensive address book. In the book were listed Mr. & Mrs. Axel Hagstrom. With what little information I had and, I must admit, the little time I allotted to these questionable relatives, I pretty much eliminated Axel as a relative even though he was from Sweden and lived in Marquette County, Michigan. He just didn’t seem to connect with Alice’s Mom’s Ellstrom family.

So I put the Hagstroms out of my mind and went on to more pressing issues. Until last week that is when I starting working with some scans I’d made with my FlipPal a while ago. I was renaming, adding captions and, generally, organizing them. Among these scans were three of the Hagstrom women. They consisted of Olga, Teckla, and Auntie! BAH!! However, on the back of one photo was the address in Elmhurst.

Olga, Hannah, and Teckla Hagstrom

Olga Hagstrom

Hannah (Christiansen) Hagstrom

Why this got me going again I don’t know but, for one thing, I wanted to find out: who was “Auntie” and what was her given name? Armed with the other names and the address, I went first to the census records and there with her girls was Hannah or Hanne depending on the census year. Axel had died in 1917 in Chicago so I easily found his death record but it wasn’t much help in my quest.

Because I now knew that Teckla (by the way Teckla is also the given name of Alice’s Mom’s sister) was born in Michigan in 1878, I went to the Michigan records on FamilySearch.org and found the marriage of Abel [sic] A. Hagstrom and Hannah Christiansen. He was born in Sweden and she was born in Denmark.

This, my dear friends, is the AHA moment!!  You see, Alice’s grandfather was Hans Christiansen from Denmark. This is looking good.

I went to the folder I have of research done by my husband’s cousin, Kay Davey*, to see if a connection could be made there. It turns out, based on Kay’s work, Hanne was most likely Hans’ half-sister. They had different fathers; however, both men were named Christian. How’s that for coincidence? Hanne’s birthdate in the Danish records is the same as what is recorded on her death record.

I know there’s a lot more work to be done to be absolutely sure about this connection but, for now, it will suffice for me as I really must get back to my Leisure project!

*Kay Davey died 09 Mar 2012 and boy do I miss her! We shared an interest in family history and she was a wonderful researcher.

Word Wednesday - Alice & Clifford Davey

Alice and Clifford Davey about 1916, probably, in Ishpeming, Michigan

Records Hidden; Now They're Not!!

For years, and I do mean years, I’ve been looking for two specific marriage records to no avail. For one thing, I wasn’t completely sure these marriages ever took place but felt my mother knew the facts. The facts she knew but not precise details.

Mom said her Uncle Angus Miller (1883-1950) had been married and his wife, Irene Stevens, had died of cancer. Unfortunately, she never mentions exactly when he was married and until she told me about this, in the around 2000, I thought he had been a confirmed bachelor. From all indications – birth record, census records, real estate, etc. – Angus remained in Rush County, Indiana his entire life but a thorough examination of Rush County records came up dry for any marriage.

Mom also said her mother, Sylvia (Walker) Miller, told her that Granny, Mom’s great-grandmother, Rosa Belle (Kennedy) Walker, had remarried after the death of Daniel Jackson Walker. Apparently, however, the new husband was abusive and the marriage was short lived. Granny’s was a sad story anyway as she lost her first child in 1891 at only one year and two other children and her husband between December of 1895 and March of 1896. Sylvia, the only child left was only four years old. But I digress. Though I’ve looked many times at the marriage indexes at the Rush County, Indiana court house, I’ve never found this second marriage.

Yesterday as I was trying to catch up on some blog reading, I happened onto Harold Henderson's post on his Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog that mentioned the indexing work being done by the Indiana State Genealogical Society for Family Search. One of the projects is indexing marriage records for some of the Indiana counties not previously indexed. I noticed Rush County and some surrounding counties had been added to the index. I thought what the heck, I’ll give it another try.

So first I entered Angus Miller in the search field, hit enter and the long sought record appeared. He wasn’t married in Rush County; he was married in Fayette County.  He didn’t marry Irene Stevens; he married Irene Stanton. He was 50 years old when his first and only marriage took place on 04 Feb 1933; that’s just three years before my Mom married my Dad.

Next I tried for Granny’s second marriage. Rosa Belle Walker didn’t bring the desired result but Belle Walker did. Just nine months after the death of first husband, Daniel Jackson Walker, she married John M Larimore on 12 Jan 1897; this being his 3^rd marriage and her 2^nd.

Wow, I cannot thank Indiana State Genealogical Society and Family Search enough for making these finds available to me. Two mysteries solved in a matter of ten minutes! Now, I know I have more research ahead of me to get a better understanding of the impact of these events on the lives of my family but for now I’ll just bask in the joy of the find!!

~ Becky

Military Monday - A Brothers Meeting

Only about four years apart, brothers Peter and Eliphalet “EB” Miller spent their childhood in Rush County, Indiana with their parents, Archibald and Ann (Barber) Miller and their siblings: Charles, Martha, Sarah, Permelia, and Susannah. Peter was born in March of 1836 and EB in Jan of 1840. They knew the joys of wandering through wilderness lands still prevalent in the area and the responsibility of helping their father tame that wilderness into fertile and profitable farm land.

In 1859, when Peter was only 23 years old, his father purchased land in Douglas County, Illinois and Peter left home to tend that land. According to Rush County records, Peter was married with one son at the time; however, this family never joined him in Illinois. The 1860 US census lists him with the Lemuel Githens family (Lemuel was Permelia’s husband); Peter is listed as having $1000 in real estate and $600 personal estate.

Enter the firing on Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War in April of 1861. Unlike many young men at the time, neither Peter nor EB rushed in enlist. EB had his father and family to consider; there was much to be done and Archibald, though still strong, would find working the farm alone difficult. Peter was just getting his land in order and probably felt drawn to stay with it. However, at almost the same time, both brothers enlisted. EB became part of the 68^th Regiment, Company C, of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry in August of 1862. He was age 22, 5’ 11 ½” tall with brown eyes and black hair. In that same month, Peter joined the 79^th Regiment, Company E, of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Peter was age 27, 5’ 8” tall, with blue eyes and dark hair.

Taking different but similar paths the two regiments came near each other in January of 1863. I’ll let Peter tell the rest of the story as transcribed from his original letter, (Note: Eliphalet aka EB aka Dick):

Rutherford County, Tenisee near Murfreesboro at the hospitle.Dear father and Mother and sisters, this leaves me well and hope it will find you all well. I received your letter Dated Feb. the 4 and was glad to here from you. I received your letter that had the dolar in it and those two are all I got from you since the battle and I have fiften more besides this one.Dick and I rote one two weeks ago or about that. I heard that he was at Nashville and I that by telling the surgeon that he was sick that he would let me go to see him and I tole the surgeon that he was very low with the fever and had sent word for me to come and see him and he would not tell me to go. He said that if I went he would not make any interruption hereafter but he gave me no pass and I got with a train of teams that were going after ammunition and provisions. This train were six or seven miles long. No more of this.I slept with Nathan Lewis some two weeks ago. His is well, I go and see him soon again. He is in camp within two miles of my Reg.I were with Dick two nites and one day. He was well. It were after nite when I went on picket to find him. I went in the old house which a part of his Company was in and looking over the house to see if I could see him in he came to my back with some wood and I stood with my back almost to him and said , you burn your wood tolerable long here. Yes, said he without pausing, how are you, Peter and how did you get here. It always done me good to meet friends at home but it does me more good here than you can imagine to meet relation and old acquaintance. I have acquaintance in the 21 Ills, 25 Ills, 123 Ills, 37 Ind, and I have seen them all since the first of October and 67 Ind…
Peter Miller To: Archibald Miller, Ann Miller, Susan Miller, Sarah Miller, P Miller

I am fortunate to have 6 letters written by Peter to his family in Indiana ranging from 1863 through 1865 just prior to his discharge.

Both Peter and Eliphalet lived through the war and had families of their own. Peter died in 1911 in Oklahoma living to see his children grow to adulthood. Eliphalet died in 1887, one year after the passing of his wife, leaving seven orphaned children ranging in age from eighteen to one year.

The Illusive Fresh Girls

For several years now two young women – well they’re not really young having been born and died in the 1800s – have been slipping in and out of my genealogy consciousness. They are not in my direct line but just the fact I’ve had so much trouble learning their lineage keeps me coming back.

Lucinda Fresh was born in Kentucky 26 Jan 1809 (according to her tombstone). She married William R Leisure 14 Nov 1827 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. The couple had three children: Benjamin, Francis, and Sarah E. This Leisure family had lived many years (census records 1850 and 1860) in Rush County, Indiana. Lucinda died 09 Mar 1869 in Howard County, Indiana and is buried in Jerome cemetery in Howard County, Indiana

.

Dorinda T. Fresh was born in February 1811 (according to census information). She married Joseph P. Leisure 08 Nov 1836 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. The couple had five children: Elizabeth, Lucinda, William, Sarah M., and John Franklin. Dorinda died 09 Feb 1875 in Rush County, Indiana and is buried in Hannegan cemetery in Rush County, Indiana.

William R. and Joseph P. are brothers of my 3^rd great-grandfather, George Washington Leisure. Are Lucinda and Dorinda sisters? Cousins?

The Fresh surname is apparently very uncommon. A search on Ancestry.com shows only two Fresh families in all of Kentucky in 1820. There is a Benjamin Fresh listed in the Crab Orchard, Lincoln County, Kentucky 1820 census. Listed with him are one female under 10 and one female between 10 and 15 – could that be Lucinda age 9 and Dorinda age 11?

I would love to learn more about these ladies, their parentage, and their early lives. Any help out there?