Amanuensis Monday: George Hubbard's Will

George Hubbard was my 9th great-grandfather.  While his will had already been transcribed, I still wished to include it here on my blog.

The transcription I am presenting is from "1000 years of Hubbard History, 866-1895," Edward Warren Day, Harlan Page Hubbard, New York, 1895 as shared by Craig Hubbard on RootsWeb.com:  Descendants of George Hubbard (1601-1685) of Middletown, CT and Related Lines," as updated February 18, 2013 and accessed by myself on February 23, 2013.

His will is published in "Early Connecticut Probate Records, Vol 1, Hartford District, p. 325, Charles W. Manwaring, Hartford, CT, 19902.  His original will is on file in the Hall of Records at Hartford, Connecticut, in a box labeled "Wills - H, 1647 to 1750," and bears a date of May 22, 1681.

HUBBARD, George, Middletown.  He died 16 March, 1684/5.  Invt. £243-10-00. Taken 13 May, 1685, by Hiles Hamlin, Nathaniel White, William Warde.  Legatees: the Widow, son Joseph age 42 years, Daniel 41, Samuel 37, Nathaniel 33, Richard 30, Mary (the wife of Thomas Ranny) 44, Elizabeth (the wife of Thomas Wetmore) 25 years of age.  Will dated 02 May 1681.

I, George Hubbard of Middletown, bieng about 80 years of age, yet in comfortable health of bodie and having the use of my understanding as formerly, do make this my last Will & Testament:

Imprimis:  I give to my Eldest son Joseph HUBBARD, besids what I have formerly given him, one Acre of my meadow At a place called pasen chauge on the East sid of the Great River, to ly on the North sid the Cricke which Runs through my Land.  It.  I give to my son Danill HUBBARD, besids what I gave him formaly, two Acres of Swompe at the west end of my Long meadow swompe Next the bogie meadow.  It.  I give to my son Samuel, besides what I formerly gave him, the on halfe of my halfe mile Lott on the East sid the grat River, divided by the List in 1673.  It.  I give to my son Nathaniel HUBBARD my peice of bogie meadow, being about on acre & quartre, Lying Next Mr. Giles Hamlins meadow; more over I give to my sayd son the one halfe of my Leaven acre Lott at the South End of the towne; I give allso to my sayd son the on Halfe of my Great Lott at the Long Swanp, as allso the on halfe of my great Lott in the westermost Rang of Lotts.  It.  I give to my daughter Elizabeth HUBBARD All the Rest of my Land on the East sid the Great River, besides what is formerly Desposed of, both which is Layd out & which is Lotted for by the List of Estate in the yeare 1673, only my half mille Lott excepted; It. I give to my daughter Mary Rany fourty shillings out of my Estate, but on further consideration insstead of that fourty shillings I give my sayd daughter the on halfe of my halfe Mille Lott on the East sid the Great River, devied by the List in 1673.  It. I give to my son Richard HUBBARD my hous I now Dwell in & my barne and all other building, with my home  Lott they stand on; as also my Long meadow Land & the Rest of my Long meadow swampe besids that which I have given to my son Danill, hee allowing my son Daniel a Lamas higway to goe to the Swampe I give him if need Require; more over I give to my sayd son the other halfe of the Leaven Acre Lott at the south end of the towne, as allso the other halfe of my Great Lott at the Long Swampe, & Likewise the other halfe of my geat Lott in the Westermost Rang of Lotts.  Moreover it is my meaning herein, and my will is, that my sayd son Richard shall be my sole Executor, Injoyning him to provid Comfortable for his mother During her widlow hood, And to pay all my Just Debts for my Desent Buriall; move over I give to my Loving wife Elizabeth HUBBARD all my household Goods During her Natural Live, and after he Deseas my will is that my household Goods be equally Divided between Nathaniel And Richard & Elizabeth, Except the Great Kettle, which I will to my son.  And farther it is my will that my Loving wife shall have the South end of my hous To Dwell in by her self if shee see cause, & rome in the seler for nesesary use During her widow hood.  More over on farther Consideration my will is that my wife Shall have falfe my hom Lott & halfe my orchard during ther widow hud, and also on Cowe, And soe to provid for her selfe, & that my son Richard shall pay her three pownds pr year of Corent pay of the Country During her natural Life.

GEORGE X HUBBARD, senior

Upon farhter Consideration I see cause to give the whole eleven acres of Land over the two Sticks brooke by the fulling mill to my Son Nathaniel. 

GEORGE X HUBBARD, senior

Signed in the presents of us:

Sar. Samuel X Ward
John Hall senior
Ebenezer HUBBARD

I Request my Loving brethern Robert Warner & Deacon John Hall to be the over seers to the performance of my will.  27 February, 1683/4.

Court Record, Page 112 -- 3d September, 1685: Will Proven.

At George's death, his inventory showed him worth £243, 10s, and possessed of a dwelling-house and home lot worth £50, "2 1/3 acres of long meadow" worth £18, 10s, "3 acres of meadow (at Pessenchaug) on the east side of the Great River" worth £9, a tract at Long Hill of 226 acres, another "parcell west from the towne" of 300 acres, one "parcell on the east side of the Great River" of 464 acres, and the "one-halfe Lott" of 30 acres, a total of over one thousand acres.

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 - Ancestor with Most Unusual Occupation

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)   Which of your ancestors had an unusual occupation?

2)  Tell us in a blog post of your own, in a comment on this blog, or in a Facebook post.

Here's mine:

I think my ancestor with the most unusual occupation is my 9th great-grandfather, George Hubbard, Sr. (1601-1684/85).  

According to the book "1000 Years of Hubbard History, 866-1895," Edward Warren Day, Harlan Page Hubbard, New York, 1895:

"About 1650, or when he left Hartford, he carried with him a commission from the Colonial Government as 'Indian Agent and Trader for the Mattabesett District.'"  

(He had sold his land in Hartford, Connecticut and moved with about 15 other families to Mattabesett, which later became Middletown.)

"One record of him says that he was "highly respected, and of marked integrity and fairness."... "He must have been a man of "marked integrity and fairness" to have been selected by the colony as its Indian Trader.  Much judgment had to be used by this representative of the colony in these dealings.  Promiscuous trading by any one was forbidden, as fire-arms and fire-water were frequently bartered by indiscreet persons, which produced direful results.  This resulted in the selection of one man to do the trading for all.  On his judgment and prudence much depended.  He must have erred, however, at one time for the Colonial Court fined him... for exchanging a gun with an Indian."

I should note that this indiscretion and fine occurred in 1649, either right before or right about the time he was chosen as Indian Trader.

I personally like to think that because he was a man of marked integrity and fairness, he got along well with the Native Americans and treated them fairly.  

This is definitely a job I had never heard of before!

Tombstone Tuesday: Nathaniel Hubbard

Nathaniel Hubbard

b 10 Dec 1652

Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut

d 20 May 1738

Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut

husband of

Mary Earle Hubbard

son of

George Hubbard

and

Elizabeth Watts Hubbard

Tombstone incription:

"Here lieth the body of 

Mr. Nathaniel Hubbert,

who dec'd May y 20th 1738

in the 86 years of his Age."

laid to rest at

Riverside Cemetery

Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut

Nathaniel Hubbard was my 8th great grand uncle.

Mary Elizabeth Tapley	Me
Linda Irene Tapley	My mother
Ethel Irene Ranney	My grandmother
Luther Boardman Ranney	My great-grandfather
Comfort Ranney	My 2nd great-grandfather
Luther Boardman Ranney	My 3rd great-grandfather
Elizabeth Hubbard	My 4th great-grandmother and Luther’s mother
Thomas Hubbard	My 5th great-grandfather
Thomas Hubbard	My 6th great-grandfather
Daniel Hubbard	My 7th great-grandfather
Daniel Hubbard	My 8th great-grandfather
George Hubbard	My 9th great-grandfather
Nathaniel Hubbard	My 8th great grand uncle and Daniel’s brother

Surname Saturday: Ranney, Ranny, and Rany

The name Ranney, along with its variants of Ranny, Rany, Rannie, Rainy, Ranye, Raynie, Reny, and Ryne, are found in Scottish records as early as 1453.  They were Septs to the MacDonnell Clan of Keppoch.  (Scottish Clans contained septs or branches, which were founded when powerful or prominent clansmen established their own important families.  Clans often had many septs that were often related through marriage.  During difficult times, the families sought to ally themselves with larger, more powerful clans for protection from enemies and other feuding clans.  This practice was effective in building respect, devotion, and familiarity between different families within the same clan.  Nowadays, this relationship is all but lost, but today septs often proudly wear the Clan tartan.  - From www.houseofnames.com/wiki/Septs)

The Clan tartan:

I have information about 12 generations of my maternal Ranney line:

- Thomas Rany

My 10th great-grandfather.  Birth and date information unknown, except the assumption that he was born in Scotland.  His spouse is unknown and the only child I know about is:

- Thomas Rany

My 9th great-grandfather.  He was born in 1616 in Montrose, Scotland and died 21 Jun 1713 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut.  He married May 1659 in Middletown, Connecticut, Mary Hubbard, born 16 Jan 1642 in Hartford, Connecticut and died 18 Dec 1721.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Ranney
  John Ranny
  Joseph Ranny
  Mary Ranny
  Elizabeth Ranny
  Esther Ranny
  Hannah Ranney
  Margaret Ranney
  Ebenezer Ranny
  Mercy Ranny
  Abigail Ranny

- Thomas Ranney

My 8th great-grandfather.  He was born 01 Mar 1661 in Middletown, Connecticut and died 06 Feb 1726.  He married 29 Mar 1691 in Hartford, Connecticut, Rebecca Willett, who was born about 1663 in Hartford.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Ranney
  Willett Ranney
  George Ranney
  Rebecca Ranney
  Nathaniel Ranney
  Ann Ranney
  Margaret Ranney

- Nathaniel Ranney

My 7th great-grandfather.  He was born 17 Jun 1702 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 25 Sep 1766.  He married 16 Jan 1734, Rachel Sage, born 01 Jan 1708 and died 24 Feb 1755.  They had the following children:

  Nathaniel Ranney
  Ozias Ranney
  Rachel Ranney
  Naomi Ranney
  Abraham Ranney
  Amos Ranney

- Nathaniel Ranney

My 6th great-grandfather.  He was born 16 Jul 1735 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 13 May 1800.  He married 10 Mar 1757, Prudence Willard, date of birth unknown and died 24 Sep 1803.  They had the following children:

  Thomas Willard Ranney
  Comfort Ranney
  Nathaniel Ranney
  Prudence Ranney
  Rachel Ranney
  David Ranney
  Daniel Ranney
  Alle Ranney
  Hannah Ranney
  Anne Ranney
  Huldah Ranney
  Willard Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

My 5th great-grandfather.  He was born 19 Dec 1759 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died in 1859 in Buffalo, New York while en route to the Western Reserve of Ohio.  He was married to Ruth Lenora Treat, date of birth unknown and died before 1812.  They had the following children:

  Comfort Ranney
  Jacob Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

My 4th great-grandfather.  He was born 20 Mar 1788 in Upper Houses, Middletown, Connecticut and died 14 Jul 1823 in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio.  He married 25 Dec 1808 in Haddam, Connecticut, Elizabeth Hubbard, a distant cousin, who was born 02 Apr 1790 in Haddam, Connecticut and died 04 Jan 1868.  They had the following children:

  Luther Boardman Ranney
  Laura Maria Ranney
  Julia A Ranney
  Eliza Samantha Ranney
  Ruth Leonora Ranney
  Elizabeth Jerusha Ranney
  Moses Ranney
  Sarah Florilla Ranney

- Luther Boardman Ranney

My 3rd great-grandfather.  He was born 28 Nov 1809 in Hudson, Summit County, Ohio and died 10 Nov 1890.  He was married to (1) Sarah Maria Carter, born 1812 in Ohio and died 29 Jul 1846.  They had the following children:

  Martha Ann Ranney
  Mary Elizabeth Ranney
  Comfort Ranney
  Harriet Sophia Ranney
  Sarah Maria Ranney

Luther married (2) Carolinne Clapp, born 03 May 1821 in Westhampton, Massachusetts and died 26 May 1895.  They had the following children:

  Julia Ann Ranney
  Luther Kelsey Ranney
  Carrie May Ranney

- Comfort Ranney

 My 2nd great-grandfather was born 07 Feb 1838 in Boston, Summit County, Ohio and died 18 Sep 1920 in DeWitt, Clinton County, Michigan.  He married 18 Dec 1868 in Nevada, Wyandot County, Ohio, Mary Margaret Hesser who was born 17 Jul 1842 in Ohio and died 06 Oct 1920 in DeWitt.  They had the following children:

  Luther Boardman Ranney
  Sarah Marie Ranney
  Luella S Ranney
  James Comfort Ranney

- Luther Boardman Ranney

My great-grandfather was born 11 Mar 1870 in Chapin, Saginaw County, Michigan and died 9 Oct 1943 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, California.  He was married to Bessie Alice Carter who was born 09 Feb 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and died 14 Apr 1960 in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California.  They had the following children:

  Baby Boy Ranney (died at 4 days old)
  Kenneth Carter Ranney
  Alice Lucille Ranney
  Ethel Irene Ranney

- Ethel Irene Ranney

 My grandmother was born 06 Jul 1913 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan and died 12 Nov 1973 in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia.   She married (1) 11 Feb 1934 in Redlands to Avery Hazel Plumlee, born 04 Dec 1911 in Texas and died 06 Jun 1997 in Orange County, California.  They had one child:

  Robert Avery "Bob" Plumlee

Ethel married (2) 03 Dec 1939 in Redlands, Charles Morgan Tapley, born 27 Jun 1907 in Johnson County, Georgia and died 12 Nov 1973 in Swainsboro, Emanuel County, Georgia.  They had one child:

- Linda Irene Tapley (my mother)

- And that leads to ME. 

My Genealogy "Life" List

I am a very organized person.  I have my family history documents filed in notebooks with the spine clearly marked as to what family or family members the information in that notebook pertains to.  I have my household inventory in notebooks with photos, warranty information, user manuals, etc.  The scrapbook cabinets in my scrapbook room are clearly labeled.  I have a spreedsheet of the books I own and need to read.  Like I said, I'm organized... bordering on OCD.  Part of being organized is the use of lists.  I do like lists... and I do use them - somewhat.  I make them often, but rarely check anything off until days and days later.  So they don't keep me on track like I wish they would, but they are useful for jump-starting this feeble memory of mine.

I got the idea tonight from Jennifer at Sergeant Major Mom and Climbing my Family Tree of making a life list.  Some people might call it a bucket list.  A list of items you would like to do during your lifetime.

I decided to do a genealogy life list - things that I wish to do that are linked to my family and genealogy.  Some items are mundane; others are possibly pipe dreams.  But this is also a "wish" list, in addition to a being a to do list, right?   (Oh, and these are in no particular order.) 

1. Go back to Dublin, Georgia to do more research in their library's genealogy area... especially looking up obituaries and newspaper articles from Johnson County that pertain to my families.
2. Go to Poplar Springs Methodist Church cemetery outside of Adrian, Georgia to visit my Drake family graves.  
3. Visit Nail's Creek Cemetery in Jefferson County (near Bartow), Georgia.  I have a grand uncle and his immediate family buried there.
4. Visit Middletown, Connecticut to see where my Ranney family originated, and do research in the library there.
5. Visit Ohio, where my Ranney family migrated to the Western Reserve.  My Hesser ancestors are also from Ohio.
6. Go to the Rowland Family Cemetery in Chester, Georgia (south of Macon) to find my Aunt Irene's grave.  Done January 29, 2011
7. Learn how to do family history research in German records so that I could find the place where my Schwalls family originated and any information on them that is there.
8. Go to Oakwood Cemetery in Hilliard, Florida to photograph the graves of other Drake ancestors.
9. Go to Pickens County, South Carolina, and locate the Latham family cemetery there, where some of my husband's ancestors are buried.
10. Go to Alpharetta, Georgia to visit the graves of various ancestors of my husband's.
11. Sit down with my mother-in-law and see exactly what she has hidden away in her house as far as photographs and documents relating to my husband's family.
12. Research (for days!) at the genealogical library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
13. Label the family jewelry I have so that others will know what belonged to whom, and the significance of each piece.
14. Put together a package of pictures and a family tree for my cousin and mail it to him.
15. Attend a genealogical conference in Salt Lake City.
16. Return to school and get my second degree... in history.
17. Visit Michigan where my Ranney family migrated from Ohio.
18. Visit Iowa where my great grandparents Ranney lived when they were first married.
19. Find out the names of George W. Schwalls' parents, whether he had siblings and their names.
20. Scan every family photo and historical document in my house.
21. Scan my negatives and turn them into digital photos.
22. Get a VuPoint Magic Wand Portable Scanner (see here) to take with me to courthouses or relative's homes.
23. Interview my cousins and get current information (names, dates, places etc.) on their immediate families.
24. See Camp Blanding, Florida, where my uncles reported for duty during World War II.
25. Find out what I can about my Uncle Russ's service during WWII - the name of his unit, ANYTHING.
26. Call my grand uncle Kenneth Ranney's step-daughter.  Done January 2011
27. Interview my husband's aunts to get up-to-date information about their immediate families.
28. Try to order my grand aunt Alice Ranney Thornburg's birth certificate from Michigan.
29. Attend the NGS conference in Charleston, South Carolina in May 2011.
30. Order Otho Hesser's obituary from the Lima Public Library in Lima, Ohio.
31. Scrapbook all my family pictures, along with the stories behind them.
32. Get DNA testing done for my mother and me.
33. Transcribe the Schwalls land records I copied from the deed books in Johnson County, Georgia.
34. Visit Appomattox, Virginia where my great grandfather was when the Civil War ended.
35. Visit all the civil war battlefields where my great grandfather's unit fought.
36. Go to the public library in Marietta, Georgia and try to find an obituary for my uncle, Bob Plumlee.
37. Upon finding out where Uncle Bob is buried from that obituary, visit his grave.
38. Try to make contact once again with Uncle Bob's son in Arizona.
39. Go to the library in Swainsboro, Georgia to look for obituaries and newspaper articles related to my families.
40. Get a copy of Sidney and Mamie Lampp's marriage license and/or certificate at the Johnson County courthouse in Wrightsville, Georgia.

That is all I can think of at the moment, but I am sure I will be adding to this list often!

Please join me in making a genealogy life list... or just a general life list.  It's always good to have things written down.  :)

Tombstone Tuesday: Thomas Rany (Ranny or Ranney)

Thomas Rany

born 1616 in Montrose, Scotland

died 1713 in Middletown, Connecticut

Married to Mary Hubbard in 1659

daughter of "Middletown George" Hubbard and Elizabeth Watts

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

Thomas is the first Ranney of my direct line to come to the United States.  According to the book, "A Dictionary of Scottish Emigrants to the U.S.A." by Donald Whyte, page 366, Thomas came to the New World in about 1657.

He is my 9th Great Grandfather.

I am obsessed...

with this blog and genealogy lately.  I tend to go back and forth between scrapbooking and genealogy, and right now it is genealogy all the time.

I have had a couple of neat finds and experiences this week while being so immersed.  On several family tress on Ancestry.com, I may have find a couple of family links that I have been missing.  I need to do some verifying, but even the "maybe" information is much better than what I had.

I also found an obituary for an aunt who passed in 1960.  It was an interesting find in its own way.  I'll share more about it in another post.

Today, I participated in my very first Scanfest at AnceStories.  Genealogy bloggers and other enthusiasts get together once a month to chat while they scan in family pictures and/or documentation.  Scanning is so boring... why not liven it up with chatting with other like-minded souls?  It was great for me because I never would have put aside three hours a month for scanning without this nudge.  I scanned everything I could (Some items are larger than letter size and will not fit on my scanner, so I will have to work on those another time.) of my father's, i.e., birth certificate, death certificate, Masonic items, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, an old driver's license, letters from his grandchildren etc..  It ended up being 42 items that I got scanned in today!  I also learned some things from others on the chat and generally had a good time.  

And to help you learn something today, the owner of AnceStories, Miriam, states that historical items should always be scanned in .tif format and at the very least, at 300 dpi.  I scanned mine in at 600 dpi.   Items can be edited and then saved as (using the Save As function) a .jpg, but always save the original as a .tif.   Items saved as .jpg will become distorted as they are opened and/or edited many times.  I have not always been good about this because I would be in a hurry and would just accept the default of .jpg on some programs.  However, as of today, I will be making a diligent effort to always save as a .tif. 

I also continue to transcribe the 1908 book, Middletown upper houses: a history of the North Society of Middletown, Connecticut, from 1650 to 1800 : with genealogical and biographical chapters on early families and a full genealogy of the Ranney family by Charles Collard Adams for including on the Internet.  There are nine sections in all (about 40-50 pages each) and I am on Section 8.  I have transcribed all but one section.  All that just means that I am ready to be finished with it so I am working on it daily.  This book was invaluable to me in my Ranney research so to pay back the kindness of those who shared it with me (it is out of print), I agreed to transcribe it.  Little did I know that at least three years later, I would still be at it!  However, it is amazing what you can accomplish working just 15 minutes at a time!  (Thanks, FlyLady!)


Finally, please, if you are or know a Tapley or a Schwalls who is living (or descended from someone who lived) in Johnson County, Georgia; a Drake from Adrian, Emanuel County, Georgia; or a Ranney from Clinton County, Michigan, please share my blog with them!  We may be related!

Surname Saturday: Ranney

Since it appears that I am starting my Tapley blog with references to Ranney, I figured I would continue the trend on this, my first "Surname Saturday" post.

The surname Ranney is from Scotland.  It is a variant of Rannie, Rainy, Rany, Ranye, Raynie, Reny, and Ryne.  The family's origin was as a sept during the 15th century of the clan MACDONELL of Keppoch in Scotland.

"Clan" was the name applied to a group of Kinsman united under a chief and claiming a common ancestry.  They lived as one great family on the lands they possessed.  The clansmen or septs supported their chief with remarkable loyalty.

Clan Septs comprise those who were descended from the Chief through the female line and consequently bore a different surname; and those who sought and obtained the protection of the Clan and became dependents. Anyone who has an ancestor bearing a Sept name, or the Clan name itself, has the privilege of wearing or displaying the Crest Badge and the tartan of the clan.
   Sources: The Surnames of Scotland, The New York Public Library, p. 684; Scots Kith & Kin, Albyn Press Ltd., Publisher, p, 41, 49, 65-66; and Septs of the Scottish Clans web site at http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/About_Clans/Sept_Clan.html.

The first Ranney ancestor in my family's line to come to America was Thomas Rany, born 1616 in Montrose, Scotland.  He "was admitted an inhabitant of Middletown (Connecticut) 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."
     Source:  The Hamlin Family, A Genealogy of Capt. Giles Hamlin of Middletown, Connecticut, 1654-1900 by Hon. H. Franklin Andrews, 1900.

Thomas Rany was my 9th Great-Grandfather.  

Those who have gone before...

 Also while in California, my mother and I made a stop in San Bernardino to visit her grandparents' graves.  They are buried at the beautiful Mountain View Cemetery.

My maternal great-grandparents were Luther Boardman Ranney, born March 11, 1870 in Chapin, Saginaw County, Michigan, and Bessie Alice Carter Ranney, born February 9, 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Luther came from a long line of Ranneys that stretch back to 17th century Scotland in my research thus far.  The first Ranney (Thomas Rany) of our family in America settled in Middletown Connecticut about 1657-58. 

Four generations and about 150 years later, the Ranney family made their way to the Ohio Western Reserve.  They were in the sawmill business in Ohio, until Luther's grandfather, also named Luther Boardman, moved the family to Clinton County, Michigan (north of Lansing).

My great-grandfather, Luther, and Bessie had three children:  Kenneth, Alice, and Ethel (my grandmother).  Alice was sick as a child and had TB.  So about 1921, the family moved to California to take advantage of the dry climate for Alice's health.  They chose California and the San Bernardino County area because Luther had a maternal uncle, Jonathan Hesser, and his family who lived in that area.  That way they would have family nearby and wouldn't feel so alone in a new place.

My mother was just a baby when Luther passed away so she has no memories of him.  However, her grandmother, Bessie, was a very important person in her life.  She was literally her foundation.  Mom was very close to her.  When Bessie passed away in 1960, my grandmother, Ethel, and her husband, Charles Tapley, who was originally from Georgia, moved back east.  Mom followed when she graduated from junior college in 1962.  Mom would not return to California until our visit in 2010.