I've been working diligently on the Tomlinson line since my last post. At least, I've been doing as much as I can reseaching on-line. In my opinion, much progress has been made. I just put up a page on this blog titled My Tomlinson Line and More. If
you're interested, take a peek. The page is a descendants report for Lt.
James Tomlinson my fifth great-grandfather and includes source
citations.
Of course, there is more to find but for now I'll move on to my next family.
Sarah Ann Tomlinson, my second great-grandmother, married John Gans. I'll be working on the Gans family for a time and see where that brings me.
~ Becky
My Genealogy Pondering
Welcome to my genealogy digs.This year I'm researching and reviewing the ancestors on my side of the family. I haven't decided who will be in the final publication but I love the research. I will be writing short stories as I go along. I'll be happy if you care to follow my progress. Thanks for stopping by.
Monday, March 28, 2016
The Tomlinson Family As I Know Them
Labels:
Tomlinson Family
Monday, March 21, 2016
My Tomlinson Family
My great-grandmother, Anna Maria Gans, who married Benjamin
A. Stewart, was the daughter of John Gans and Sarah Ann Tomlinson. I decided to
take a deeper look at the Tomlinson family and have found some interesting people.
My first task has been to use the book Henry
Tomlinson and his Descendants in America written by Samuel Orcutt and
published by Price, Lee & Adkins Co., of Connecticut in 1891 and prove or
disprove his listings. My Henry Tomlinson line from this book is one of the “miscellaneous”
families not identified with the major Henry Tomlinson of the volume. Very
little documentation is included.
So I began with “Lt. James Tomlinson, son of Henry of
Philadelphia, or thereabouts” and tried to find documentation for each person
in the line. I’m not finished yet but I must say there is more correct than not
in this book. Other than some minor discrepancies in dates and a few missing
children here and there, the author did an outstanding job! When one considers
how many more records I have access to than those researchers in 1891, they did
an awesome job.
The most interesting thing about this family from my view
point is their social standing. I’m used to working with farmers but these
Tomlinsons for the most part were teachers, doctors, and ministers.
I’ll tell more later; now I need to get back to work!
Labels:
Tomlinson Family
Friday, March 11, 2016
Davey Book Finished At Last
Finally, I have published the book about my mother-in-law and her ancestors, Alice Mildred Davey Higgins 1914-2008; Her Danish, Swedish, and Cornish Ancestry. I know it took me much longer than it should have but I stumbled many times while writing Alice's story. I had so much information it was difficult to know what to include and what to leave out.
I used Lulu.com for the printing and am quite happy with the results. I fear I ordered too many for distribution to family and donations to the various archives, libraries, historical societies,and such, so I have plenty of excess. However, in addition to what I have, anyone can order an on-demand copy at anytime. I priced it basically at cost because I'm not looking to profit in anyway. This was a labor of love!.
Now, I'm back to researching for my next publication. As I haven't decided which direction to take, I'm simply going over previous research and working on finding all the documentation I can until inspiration strikes. In addition, I'll be writing short bios and family stories as I go so when inspiration does strike I"ll have a head start.
~Becky~
I used Lulu.com for the printing and am quite happy with the results. I fear I ordered too many for distribution to family and donations to the various archives, libraries, historical societies,and such, so I have plenty of excess. However, in addition to what I have, anyone can order an on-demand copy at anytime. I priced it basically at cost because I'm not looking to profit in anyway. This was a labor of love!.
Now, I'm back to researching for my next publication. As I haven't decided which direction to take, I'm simply going over previous research and working on finding all the documentation I can until inspiration strikes. In addition, I'll be writing short bios and family stories as I go so when inspiration does strike I"ll have a head start.
~Becky~
Labels:
Davey Family,
Research,
Writing
Friday, February 6, 2015
Where are Thomas and Elizabeth Stephens in 1870?
This is my writing for today for the February writing
challenge. Frustration set in yesterday as I wrote about my husband’s 3rd
great-grandparents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Letcher Nankivel) Stephens. My focus
has been Elizabeth’s journey in America – her life as the wife of a lead
miner. Thomas came to the U.S. with his
father and brother in 1840 and they brought the rest of the family over in 1842.
Even though Elizabeth wasn’t accepted by Thomas’s family with open arms because
she was a widow with three boys, she followed along with the large family
group.
My frustration has set in because I can’t find the Thomas or
Elizabeth in the 1870 US census. They are in Grant County, Wisconsin in 1850,
Iowa County, Wisconsin in 1860 and Thomas is in Grant County again in 1880.
Elizabeth died abt. 1874. Thomas was a lead miner and I know he went off to
other regions to mine through the years – in 1865 he is in Michigan’s UP
working the Lake Superior mines. There are a couple of extant letters from
Elizabeth to him and from him to Elizabeth during that year. Elizabeth was
living in Platteville, Grant, Wisconsin at that time.
I’ve tried every variation of the spelling of Stephens I can
think of to no avail. I’ve now begun a page by page search of the 1870 census
for both Iowa and Grant counties in hopes at least finding Elizabeth. It
appears at least three of their children should still be with her – Jane,
Agnes, and Thomas. Not luck with them either. She isn’t living with her
daughter Elizabeth Ann Rose, Mary Louise Davey, Irene Persons, or her sons
Timothy or Henry Nankivel.
I know missing this census shouldn’t inhibit my writing
their story but, for some reason, it just ticked me off yesterday and today. I’ll
keep looking for them but will also move ahead tomorrow.
Labels:
Project,
Research,
Stephens Family
Friday, January 30, 2015
Searching for Sarah Stephens
I’ve been doing a little research in preparation for this
year’s February Writing Challenge. My focus will be on the Stephens family
which immigrated to Platteville, Grant, Wisconsin. The forerunners arrived in
1840 and most of the rest of the “colony”, as they became known, following in
1842.
Working my way through the children of James and Mary
(Murrish) Stephens and trying to fill out their lives, I’ve run into a snag –
really one of many but this is today’s topic – with daughter, Sarah aka Sally.
Sarah went to Platteville from Perranzabuloe, Cornwall, England with her mother
in 1842. She married Warner C. Moore in 1847 and they lived together in Muscoda,
Grant, Wisconsin through 1880. Warner died before January 9, 1873 when Sarah
filed for a military pension as a widow since Warner had served in the Civil
War in the Wisconsin Infantry.
I last find Sarah in the 1880 US Federal Census in Muscoda
as the head of the household with her sons, James, Frank and Alfred. To date I’ve
not uncovered death records or cemetery markers for either Warner or Sarah.
Logically, Warner would be buried in Grant County since he and Sarah are in
Muscoda before his death and Sarah and sons are there after his death. Sarah,
on the other hand, may have moved from there after 1880.
In an effort to find her on the 1900 census, I’ve been
tracing the paths of her children, thinking she may be living with one of them.
She and Warner had seven children, two girls and five boys. I’ve been able to
track down the girl’s married names but so far no luck finding Sarah. Maybe she
died before 1900 but I haven’t found a death record either.
Labels:
Research,
Stephens Family
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Family History Writing Challenge February 2015
So here I go again.
I passed on the writers’ challenge last
year which was probably a big mistake. Though I did get some work done on my
project, I probably would be much closer to the end had I taken advantage of
the support and accountability from the group. In fact, I’m still trying to
finish a project I started two years ago. Granted it is a large undertaking but
really?
I’ve managed to complete the write-ups for Alice’s maternal
side and am currently working on her paternal side. What brought me to a halt
until recently was my attempt to write Alice’s story. My late mother-in-law
left me with plenty with which to work. I have her diary which she kept from
about 1929 until near her death – not a “this is how I feel” account, more of a
“this is what I did calendar”. In addition, she saved nearly everything from
receipts for her wedding to enough memorabilia to overflow her cedar chest. Add
to that the fact of our personal relationship. It’s just overwhelming! How do I
write her story within inserting my viewpoint?
For now, I’ve put that down and turned to her paternal Cornish
(both sides) ancestors for relief. On the one hand, I need lots of historical
background for filler; on the other hand, I’ve been wasting valuable time
researching distant cousins rather than writing the direct ancestors’ stories. My
hope is this February challenge will help me focus on the writing. Writing will
come first and only after my daily goal is fulfilled will I allow myself to
check on those collateral lines.
Labels:
Davey Family,
Stephens Family,
Writing
Thursday, February 13, 2014
A Gap in Time
My husband's grandmother, Alice Augusta Christiansen Larson Davey, is giving me writer's block! I'm trying to write her story but am at a loss for filling in a few short but very important years. In the 1900 census, she is living in her "home" town of Ishpeming, Michigan, age 20, working as a live-in servant. In 1906 she married Fred Davey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; however, Fred was living in Chicago at the time and the couple resided there after the marriage.
So, did Alice move from Ishpeming to Chicago? If so, why? How and where did a nice Swedish girl from Michigan meet a rakish Cornish boy from Dodgeville, Wisconsin? Fred was working as a barber so perhaps he had gone to Chicago to learn the trade.
Why did they marry in Milwaukee? Was it a Gretna Green thing? They were both of age to marry so that wasn't a problem?
I really hate lightly tripping over those years in the story but all I have at the moment is facts, no details. There is no one left in the family who would know the answer to the questions. What a shame! I'm sure there is a good story in those five years which may be lost forever.
~ Becky
So, did Alice move from Ishpeming to Chicago? If so, why? How and where did a nice Swedish girl from Michigan meet a rakish Cornish boy from Dodgeville, Wisconsin? Fred was working as a barber so perhaps he had gone to Chicago to learn the trade.
Why did they marry in Milwaukee? Was it a Gretna Green thing? They were both of age to marry so that wasn't a problem?
I really hate lightly tripping over those years in the story but all I have at the moment is facts, no details. There is no one left in the family who would know the answer to the questions. What a shame! I'm sure there is a good story in those five years which may be lost forever.
~ Becky
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