52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 7): Favorite Discovery

Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is hosting a blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  Since I need a swift kick in the you-know-what to get me blogging more regularly again, I thought I'd jump in.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  I'm probably going to be always behind on this exercise so don't go by the date and week I'm writing about and take it as accurate.   

When I first started thinking about writing this post, my mind went to things - mementos, heirlooms, etc. - first.  That's what I've written about before... my grandmother's jewelry box or great-grandmother's china head doll or photos.  However, this very evening when I started preparing to write, I had another thought.

Among those who know me pretty well, it is a known fact that I don't care for/like many people.  I tend to stay to myself and avoid the world as much as I possibly can.  That's probably why I like (mostly) solitary hobbies... genealogy and scrapbooking.  The ironic thing is that this solitary hobby of genealogy research and blogging brought me my favorite discoveries.  Cousins.

It all began in probably 2010 or 2011. I did not work outside the home at the time, so I had a lot more time to research and write my blog.  I was writing a blog post almost every day.  Then suddenly, a man contacted me and told me we were cousins.  My blog was reaching people I did not know, and they were making connections based on the information I shared. 

That man was Keith Tapley, and he was right.  We are 2nd cousins, 1x removed.  My paternal grandfather, Lusion Tapley, and Keith's paternal great-grandfather, Franklin Morgan Tapley were brothers.  At that point, Keith did not know the Tapleys.  I helped him a little bit with that, but Keith took off like gangbusters.  He will call, meet, crash a family reunion, or even a funeral, to meet a Tapley relative!  He bombards me with information, and I'm glad to receive all of it.  Even if it does take me months or years to piece it all together! 

Knowing me, I would have faded to the background again and just interacted with the dead people I found, but Keith wouldn't let me do that, and thanks to him, I have met several other cousins.  He's even given me the courage?? patience?? to do some of that interacting myself.  Though honestly, if I do find a new cousin on my own, 9 times out of 10, Keith has met them long before! 

Keith is a favorite discovery.  I visit with him every time I go to Augusta.  We visit cemeteries, cousins, plots of land... anything that has meaning to us and the Tapley family.

Then I met Jimmy Wheeler.  Of course, he and Keith had met first.  And Jimmy will tell you that he tried to contact me several times, and I ignored him.  LOL.  All I'm going to say about that is yes,  once I moved to North Carolina and got a full time job, it takes me a lot longer to answer emails, messages on my blog, messages on Ancestry, messages on FindAGrave, etc.

Anyway, Jimmy is my 2nd cousin, 1x removed.  His great-grandfather is also Franklin Morgan Tapley, brother of my grandfather.  However, while Keith is descended from Uncle Frank's third child, Homer Frank Tapley, Jimmy is descended from Homer Frank's sister, Sallie Tapley Wheeler Geter. 

I also try to visit with Jimmy anytime I'm in Augusta.  It's usually Keith, Jimmy, my mom, and me going out to eat Mexican every trip.  Though Jimmy is the busiest retired person I've ever met (besides my mother!), he does his best to catch up with us and go on adventures.  He is very generous with his information, and that is refreshing. Jimmy is another favorite discovery.

December 26, 2019
Augusta, Georgia
Touring cemeteries and historical places
Jimmy Wheeler, Liz, Linda Tapley, Keith Tapley

There are several more favorite cousin discoveries (not in any particular order):

Drina Hanson Berkey - my 1st cousin who grew up in California while I grew up in Georgia and thus we have never met.  (Our mothers are sisters.) However, we found each other a couple of years ago and do our best to keep in touch via Facebook and text.  She is the very sweetest person, and I am so thankful and glad we connected. 

Loraine Minton - a fiery, red-head Drake cousin that lives in my hometown of Swainsboro.  We just met last year, and we hit it off like gangbusters!  So much so that Keith is jealous!  LOL.  Loraine loves to visit a cemetery just like I do, and on my last visit, she toured me around to about 3 big ones!  Loved every minute of our day!

Paula Young Smith-Bryan is a hoot!  We try to get together when I'm in Georgia as much as possible.  Along with her sweet mother, Ellen, who loves nothing more than to talk to my mother. 

All cousins
September 2, 2019, Swainsboro, Georgia
L to R:  Paula Young Smith-Bryan, her mother, Ellen Tapley Young, Liz,
Jimmy Wheeler, Loraine Frederick Minton, my mom, Linda Tapley, and Keith Tapley

Donna Reese Kirkland - We haven't even met face-to-face yet, but I love her!  She is my 3rd cousin, 1x removed through my paternal Harrell and Odom lines.

George Hollingsworth and Sharon Davis Marsden - Since they live out in Arizona, we haven't been able to meet in person yet either.  But they are the best and keep in touch consistently.  George shared a ton of Mathis/Page information with me.  I'm so grateful!

Sheri Begera - Sheri's mom, Mary Ann, and I are Tapley first cousins!  Our fathers were brothers.  Sheri and I have begun a Facebook friendship that is priceless to me.  One day I will make it to Florida!

Jim Tapley lives in Kansas and we just found each other a few months ago.  I knew his father, but had never chatted with Jim.  I find just through his Facebook posts and our chats that he and I seem to be on the same wavelength on a lot of things.  Maybe it's a family connection??? His great-grandfather, Bascom Tapley, was my grandfather, Lusion's baby brother. 

There are certainly more that I have not named here.  Most are just Facebook friends at this point.  Life gets busy, and it's hard to keep in touch with everyone.  But hopefully, I'll continue to add favorite discoveries as I continue doing what I love.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 6): Same Name

Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is hosting a blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  Since I need a swift kick in the you-know-what to get me blogging more regularly again, I thought I'd jump in.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  I'm actually jumping back a week to address the prompt "Same Name."  

There are six Hosea Tapleys in my family tree.  They have been mixed up (tangled) several times over several family trees, and I am not positive that I have all the details correct for every one.

The first Hosea (that I am aware of) was born January 4, 1691 in England.  He was my 6th/7th great-grandfather.  He was married to Sarah Moore.  He died March 21*, 1778 in Caswell County, North Carolina.

His eldest son, Hosea Tapley, Jr., was born between 1708-1710 in Gloucester County, Virginia.  He was my 6th/7th great-uncle.  He was married to Sarah Green.  He died March 21*, 1770 in Orange County, North Carolina.

His eldest son, Hosea Tapley III, was born about 1730 in Brunswick County, Virginia.  He was my 1st cousin, 6x/7x removed.  He married Lucy Prior in 1765.  He died March 21*, 1779 in Caswell, Pender County, North Carolina.  I have his cause of death listed as "Killed by Indians."

* I already see a problem.  All three men died on March 21?  Possible maybe, but not likely.  Back to the research screen!

His son, Hosea Green Tapley was born in 1767 in Caswell County, North Carolina.  He is my 2nd cousin, 5x/6x removed.  He was married to Eleanor Rogers McFarland on August 29, 1795 in Caswell County, North Carolina (or June 15, 1795 in Person County, North Carolina).  He died September 3, 1799 in North Carolina.  I also have his cause of death as "Killed by Indians."

Finally, his son, Hosea Tapley, birth and death dates unknown, was my 3rd cousins, 4x/5x removed.  He married Rebecca McFalling.  I do not have any information about their children.  Perhaps one of them was named Hosea.

Otherwise, the name stopped there.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 5): So Far Away

Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is hosting a blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  Since I need a swift kick in the you-know-what to get me blogging more regularly again, I thought I'd jump in.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  I'm actually jumping back a week to address the prompt "So Far Away."

In 1906, my great-grandfather, Luther Boardman Ranney, and my great-grandmother, Bessie Alice Carter, were wed.  They lived in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan.  They had their first child in December of 1907, but unfortunately he only lived 4 days.  However, they went on to have three more children:  Kenneth, born in 1909, Alice, born in 1911, and Ethel (my grandmother), born in 1913.  They seemed to have a normal, fun childhood. 

 

Then, when Alice was 9 years old, about 1920, the doctor told her parents that she had tuberculosis (TB).  He went on to tell them that Alice would not make it through another Michigan winter.  She needed a warmer climate.

So almost immediately, it appears, the family packed up and moved across the country to Redlands, California.  Why there?  We don't know for sure, but I believe it was because Luther's Uncle Jonathan Hesser (his mother's brother), his wife, Kate, and their son, Otho, along with his wife, Viella, moved out there about the same time.  I'm not sure who followed who.  It looks like Viella was from Yucaipa, California, right up the road from Redlands.  Perhaps she suggested that would be a good area?  Or perhaps the train stopped at the station in San Bernardino (again, right up the road from Redlands and Yucaipa) and they thought the area looked good. 

How much courage it must have taken to move across the country, especially at that time!  The roads were not good and car tires went flat constantly.  I would imagine cars weren't dependable at all that early on.  Or perhaps they took a train.  That would be a challenge in and of itself.  How do you carry everything you own for 5 people onto a train?! 

Then there's the fact that they left everything they knew... their home, family, friends, church... to start over where they knew no one, but an uncle, aunt and cousin.  And Bessie didn't even know them.  The Hessers had lived in Ohio so she had not met them before.  Bessie's parents had passed away by 1920 and she was an only child, so the only family she had were her husband and children.  Luther, however, had three siblings and their families that he probably never saw again.  His parents both died the fall of 1920, so did the family move before or after their deaths?  That would have been incredibly difficult for everyone either way. 

However, just like any other parents in the world, if a doctor tells you that your child will die if you do not get her to a warmer climate... then you move heaven, earth, trains, and automobiles to get her there. 

Even if it is so far away. 

Alice, Bessie, Ethel, Luther, and Kenneth Ranney

Alice Lucille Ranney Thornburg, 1911-1981

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Top 20 Surnames in Your Family Tree

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

(1)  Go into your Genealogy Management Program (either software such as Family Tree Maker (in my case!) on your computer or an online family tree) and figure out how to count how many surnames you have in your family tree database.

(2)  Tell us which GMP you're using and how you did this task.

(3)  Tell us what the top 200 surnames are in your database, and, if possible, how many entries for each.  How many different surnames are in your family tree?

(4)  Write about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a status or comment on a Facebook post.

NOTE:  If you can't figure how to do this in your GMP (Genealogy Management Program), use the Help button in your program and search for "count surnames" or "surname report" then follow the directions.

Here's mine:

I used Family Tree Maker 2019 because that the software I use for my GMP.  In FTM 2019, go to Publish, then Person Reports, then Surname Report.  You can tweak your report and choose to include either Immediate Family, Extended Family, All Individuals, or choose only those individuals you wish.  Of course, for this exercise, I chose All Individuals.

Then you can choose to sort by surname court (I did.), limit counts to included individuals (I'm not sure how this works.), show divider between surnames (makes it easier to read) and include preparer information.

Then click Generate Report.  I got this:

It looks a lot like Randy's report from RootsMagic 7.  It was easy to do and I have 51 pages of surnames.  It doesn't give me a total number of surnames, but if I do the math like Randy did:  24 names per pages 1-50, plus 20 on page 51 = 1,220 surnames in a database of 14,693 people.  

My top 20 surnames, with earliest and most recent dates they occur:

TAPLEY, count 803, from 1691-2010

MNU (Maiden Name Unknown), count 428, from 1592-1970

Drake, count 269, from 1647-1967

Powell, count 268, from 1715-1980

Bush, count 251, from 1655-1966

Ranney, count 214, from 1661-1951

Claxton, count 197, from 1764-1997

Price, count 197, from 1680-1959

Smith, count 197, from 1738-1984

Hubbard, count 181, from 1601-1913

Goodwin, count 125, from 1776-1947

Durden, count 110, from 1775-1960

Flanders, count 109, from 1756-1970

Kight, count 98, from 1775-1983

Wheeler, count 98, from 1807-2017

Russell, count 94, from 1798-1951

Williams, count 91, from 1777-1979

Odom, count 87, from 1798-1966

Davis, count 86 from 1760-1961

Kea, count 86 from 1810-1957

And one bonus one if you don't want to count the MNU:

Beasley, count 85, from 1791-1972

What surprises me is how few of the top surnames (in numbers) are actually direct line ancestors!  

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks (Week 4): Close to Home

Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is hosting a blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  Since I need a swift kick in the you-know-what to get me blogging more regularly again, I thought I'd jump in.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  I'm actually jumping back a week to address the prompt "Close to Home." 

My Ranney family roots in the United States are definitely rooted in Middletown, Connecticut.  My 9th great-grandfather, Thomas Rany, immigrated from Scotland about 1658 and settled in Middletown.  He married Mary Hubbard, daughter of George and Elizabeth Watts Hubbard, in Middletown in May 1659.  He was the first of six generations that were born or lived in Middletown until the Ohio Reserve opened up and the Ranneys migrated westward. 

First a little history on Middletown.  It is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state.  It is 16 miles south of Hartford and was originally included in the County of Hartford.  In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Native American name, Mattabeseck.  A mere three years later, the name was changed to Middletown.  This was chosen because the site was approximately halfway between Windsor and Saybrook on the Great River.  Middlesex County was formed in 1785.  The city was originally a busy saling port and then an industrial center. 

The land on the western bank of the Connecticut River where Middletown now lies was home to the Mattabesett Native Americans (also spelled Mattabesec, Mattabeseck, and Mattabesek) and the area was named after them.  At the time the first European settlers arrived, the Mattabesetts were a part of a group of tribes in the Connecticut Valley, under a single chief named Sowheag. 

Plans were drawn up for the settlement as early as 1646, and the first Europeans arrived from nearby Connecticut colonies in 1650.  The town was established in 1651.  Life was not easy for these early colonial Puritans; cleaning the land and building homes, and tending farms in the rocky soil of New England was a labor-intensive ordeal.  Law, too, was often harsh among the Puritans; offenses legally punishable by death in the Connecticut colonies included, "witchcraft, blasphemy, cursing or smiting of parents, and incorrigible stubbornness of children."

Other Indians, the Pequot Mohegans, arrived in the Middletown area in the latter half of the 17th century.  They were traditional allies of the English colonists, but enemies of the Mattabesett and other local tribes.  Upon arrival, conflict between them and the local tribes ensued.  Sowheag hoped that the colonists would intervene.  They did not.  Smallpox also afflicted the Mattabesett, lessening their ability to resist and their cohesion as a tribe.  Records show that Sowheag was forced to sell off most of the Mattabesett property to the local colonists.  By 1676, the Puritans owned all but 300 acres of the former Mattabesett territory.  Similar stories of tragic interaction between Native Americans and colonists were common in 17th century New England.

During the 18th Century, Middletown became the largest and most prosperous settlement in Connecticut.  By the time of the American Revolution, Middletown was a thriving port with one-third of its citizens involved in merchant and maritime activities.  The port's decline began in the early 19th century with strained American-British relations and resulting trade restrictions, which led to the War of 1812.  My family (or at least the direct line) left the area at different times between 1790-1810. 

As I mentioned, Thomas Rany (or Ranney) was the first of my direct line to live in Middletown.  I found this quote about him during my research:

"Thomas Ranney was admitted an inhabitant of Middletown and granted a home there, February 9, 1658, next to that of Thomas Hopewell; who lived on the corner of Main and Church Streets.  In 1663 he had located to what is now Cromwell Ct.; he frequently held town offices."

Thomas (1616-1713) and Mary (1642-1721) had 11 children (that I know of).  I am descended from their oldest child:

Thomas (1661-1726) who married Rebecca Willett (abt 1663-1731) of Hartford on March 29, 1691 in Hartford.  They had 7 children (again, that I know of) and I am descended from their 5th child:

Nathaniel (1702-1766) who married Rachel Sage (1708-1755) on January 16, 1734.  They had 8 children, and I am descended from their oldest:

Nathaniel, Jr (1735-1800) who was born in Middletown and married Prudence Willard (1739-1803) on March 10, 1757 in Middletown.  Between 1790-1800, Nathaniel Jr and Prudence left Middletown and headed west to Ohio.  Nathaniel died in 1800 in Summit County, Ohio. Nathaniel and Prudence had 12 children, and I am descended from their 2nd child:

Comfort (1759-1859) was born in Middletown and married Ruth Lenora Treat (dates unknown).  I am only aware of two children they had, and I am descended from the oldest:

Comfort (1788-1823), born in Middletown, married Elizabeth Hubbard (1790-1868) on December 25, 1808 in Haddam, another town in Middlesex County.  All of their children were born in Ohio.  So they must have migrated immediately upon marrying - between 1808-1809, as their first child was born November 28, 1809.)

"Soon after their [Comfort and Elizabeth] marriage, they removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where Mr. Ranney, who was a ship carpenter by trade, engaged in shipbuilding."

Comfort Ranney (1788-1823) was the last of my direct line of Ranneys to be born or live in Middletown, Connecticut.  About 150 years of Ranneys.

Sources:

A new and accurate map of Connecticut and Rhode Island, from best authorities. [London, 1780] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/99466763/>.

Akron and Summit County, Ohio, 1825-1928, Scottt Dix Kenfield, Supervising Editor, 1928

Cronin, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. 2003, Hill and Wang, New York.

The Hamlin Family, A Genealogy of Capt. Giles Hamlin of Middletown, Connecticut, 1654-1900 by Hon. H. Franklin Andrews, 1900.

Middlesex County Historical Society and Wesleyan University Library's Special Collections Archives. The History of Middletown "Part I: 1650–1800." Prepared by Jeff Harmon. Cited from the City of Middletown website Archived May 15, 2006, at Archive.today January 1, 2007.

Middletown Upper Houses: A History of the North Society of Middletown from 1650 to 1800, C.C. Adams, (New York, 1908)

Warner, Elizabeth. A Pictorial History of Middletown.Greater Middletown Preservation Trust. Donning Publishers. Norfolk, Virginia, 1990.

Wikipedia contributors. (2020, January 21). Middletown, Connecticut. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:38, February 2, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Middletown,_Connecticut&oldid=936817405

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - A Day in the Life

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  What were the newspaper headlines the day one of your grandparents or great-grandparents were born?

2)  Use any newspaper provider (Chronicling America (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov) is FREE) to find the headlines.

3)  Tell us who your subject was, when and where they were born, and tell us three or four headlines on the front page of the newspaper for that date.

4)  Share your finds on your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or on your Facebook page.  Please provide a link to your work as a comment to this post.

Here's mine:

My great-grandmother, Bessie Alice Carter, was born February 9, 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

Since I don't have a subscription to a newspaper archive, I used Randy's suggestion and searched Chronicling America.  I could not locate a Milwaukee newspaper from that day, but I did find the front page of the "Iowa County Democrat" out of Mineral Point, Wisconsin for that date.  

Mineral Point is located about 2 hours almost due east (and slightly south) of Milwaukee.  It is also about 3 and a half hours from Eagle Grove, Iowa, which is where Bessie grew up.  

There do not seem to be many headlines.  It's mostly little snippets of information all jumbled together on one page.     

Here are the few:

- Telegraphic.  News by Wire Reduced to Close Quarters for Convenient Reference and Easy Reading.  

  - Crime

  - Foreign

  - Fires and Casualties

  - Washington

  - General Notes

  - Milwaukee Market

  - Chicago Market

  - This takes the Belt

- The Forty-Seventh Congress

- The Legislature

- Tariff Meddlers.  Democrats Charged with Obstructing Legislation by the Republicans.
  - The River and Harbor Bill Modestly Calls for $6,000,000 This Time

Sounds like mostly the same kinds of news as we see today...especially about politics.  It also seems this little town had very little going on cause all the news is from around the country and the world.