Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - How many Autosomal DNA Matches Descend from your Eight 2nd Great-Grandparents?

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

1)  How many autosomal DNA matches do you have descended from your eight 2nd great-grandparents (they would be your 3rd cousins)? Do you know how they are related to you? Have you corresponded with them? Why are your numbers high or low?

2) Share the number of your autosomal DNA matches for each of your 2nd great-grandparents, and answer the questions above on your own blog, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook or other social media post.  Please leave a link to your post on this blog post so readers can respond.

Here's mine:

The number of autosomal DNA matches I have on AncestryDNA (using the numbers from ThruLines) with a known common 2nd great-grandparent is:

    * George Washington Tapley (1814-1880) & Elizabeth Hicks (1824-1880):  64

    *  Solomon Page (1800-1860) & Elizabeth Caroline Scoggins (1802-1880):  288

    *  James William Drake (1829-1908) & Mary Ann Brantley (1837-1891):  13

    *  William Robert Harrell (1838-1908) & Catherine M Odom (1841-1875):  15

    *  James Madison "Jim" Tapley (1847-1912) & Elizabeth Rebecca 'Becky' Page (1844-1924):  49

    *  George W Schwalls (1837-1908) & Lincelia E "Celia" Claxton (1839-1882):  13

    *  Comfort Ranney (1838-1920) & Mary Margaret Hesser (1842-1920):  1

    *  Charles Kelso Carter (1843-1916) & Sarah Schoonover (1840-1918):  0

TOTAL = 443 (380 paternal; 63 maternal)

I am sure that there are many duplicates in the Tapley line.  

A1:  I have traced the lines from my 4th cousins (and closer) back to our common ancestor and entered them into my family tree in Family Tree Maker.  However there are many matches that that I have not been able to trace back to a common ancestor.  There are a lot of matches without family trees or I can trace only so far down but some generations are a black hole.  

A2:  I have tried to correspond with many of my matches, but I haven't had much luck.  Most never respond.  I seem to have more luck with finding cousins through my blog. 

A3:  The numbers are high or low for many reasons... some families have larger families than others (Tapley vs. Page for instance); some families have had more members test their DNA; my great-grandmother Carter was adopted so there are no matches on that line; and like I mentioned, a lot of DNA matches do not have a family tree or a very small family tree.  

I did not include matches I have at MyHeritageDNA because I could not figure out how to find matches per generation in an easy way like ThruLines.  

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Five Funny, Strange, Interesting or Unique Surnames in Your Family Tree

 From Randy (my cousin) over at Genea-Musings:

it's Saturday Night - 

time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

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

1)  We all have a plethora of surnames in our family trees, and some of them are funny, strange, interesting or unique.  Please share five of your funny, strange, interesting or unique surnames in our ancestry.  How are they related to you?

2) Tell us about the surnames in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook or other social media post.  Please leave a link on this post if you write your own post.

Here's mine:

1)    Richard Schoonover (1800-1880) is my 3rd great-grandfather. He was born born in New Jersey and died in Wisconsin. He changed the name slightly from his father - it was Schoonhover.  His father also changed the name slightly from his father's ... it was Schoonhoven.  

2)  George W Schwalls, Sr (1837-1908) is my 2nd great-grandfather. He migrated from Germany and added an "s" to the end of the original version.  He died in Georgia.

3)  Nancy E McClammy (1777-1838) is my 3rd great-grandmother. She was married to Wright Scoggins (?-1837). She was born in Alabama and died in Georgia.

4) Richard Treat, Sr (1584-1670) is my 9th great-grandfather. He was born in England and died in Connecticut, USA.

5)  John Edgar Knipher (1903-1984) was the husband of my 1st cousin, 1x removed, Mozelle Elizabeth Lampp (1903-1993). He was born and died in Georgia. 

Please comment on this post by clicking the title of the post and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of the post.  Feel free to share it on social media.  Or you may contact me by email at liz.genresearch@gmail.com. Note that all comments are moderated and may not appear immediately.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - How Many Children Did Your Ancestors Have?

 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)  Thinking about your direct ancestors back through 2nd great-grandparents - in other words, ancestors #2 to #31 on your ahnentafel chart - how many children did they have?  How many of those children lived long enough to marry?  How many died before age 10?

(2)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a post on Facebook.  

Here's mine:

#2 and 3:  My parents Gilbert Earl Tapley (1928-2008) and Linda Irene Tapley (1942-) had 2 children - a boy and a girl.  One of them married.  One of them died before age 10.

#4 and 5:  My paternal grandparents Lusion Keman Tapley (1870-1935) and Nealie Vermell Drake (1895-1970) had 6 children - 5 boys and 1 girl.  All of them grew up and married.

#6 and 7:  My maternal grandparents Charles Morgan Tapley (1907-1973) and Ethel Irene Ranney (1913-1973) had one child - a girl.  She grew up and married.

#8 and 9:  Great-grandparents James "Jim" Madison Tapley (1847-1912) and Elizabeth Rebecca "Becky" Page (1844-1924) had 12 children - 7 sons and 5 daughters.  Nine of the children grew up and married.  One never married.  Two children died before age 10.

#10 and 11: Great-grandparents William John Drake (1857-1927) and Emma Vermell Harrell (1867-1935) had 9 children - 4 sons and 5 daughters.  Eight of their children grew up and got married.  One died before he had that chance, but not before age 10.

#12 and 13: Great-grandparents Lusion Keman Tapley (1870-1935) and Mattie Schwalls (1877-1912) had 4 children - all sons.  Three grew up and married. One died before age 10.

#14 and 15: Great-grandparents Luther Boardman Ranney (1870-1943) and Bessie Alice Carter (1883-1960) had 3 children - one boy and two girls.  They all three grew up and were married.

#16 and 17: 2nd Great-grandparents George Washington Tapley (1814-aft 1880) and Elizabeth MNU (1824-aft 1880) had 7 children - 3 boys and 4 girls.  Three children grew up and got married. One never got the opportunity to marry because he was killed in the Civil War, and three children possibly died before age  10.

#18 and 19: 2nd Great-grandparents Solomon Page (1800-1860) and Elizabeth Caroline Scoggins (1802-1880) had 4 children (that I know of).  Of those, all 4 were girls and three grew up and married.  One I am not sure.

#20 and 21: 2nd Great-grandparents James William Drake (1829-1908) and Mary Ann R Brantley (1837-1891) had 9 children - 5 boys and 4 girls.  Four of the children grew up and got married.  One child died before age 10.  The others grew up, but never married.  

#22 and 23: 2nd Great-grandparents William Robert Harrell (1838-1908) and Catherine M Odom (1841-1875) had 3 children - 2 girls and a boy.  All off them grew to adulthood, but only two of them married.

#24 and 25: same as #8 and 9.

#26 and 27: 2nd Great-grandparents George W Schwalls Sr (1837-1908) and Lincelia E Claxton (1839-1882) had 7 children - 3 boys and 4 girls.  Six children grew up and got married.  One child died before age 10.

#28 and 29: 2nd Great-grandparents Comfort Ranney (1838-1920) and Mary Margaret Hesser (1842-1920) had 4 children - 2 boys and 2 girls.  They all grew up and married.

#30 and 31: 2nd Great-grandparents Charles Kelso Carter (1843-1916) and Sarah Schoonover (1840-1918) had one adopted daughter.  She grew up and married.

There were 36 male children and 30 of them married.  There were also 36 female children and 25 of them married.  (Does this indicate that men marry more often or that there were not enough men to go around?)

Two families had only one child; one family had two children; two families had 3 children; two families had 4 children; one family had 6 children; two families had 7 children; two families had 9 children; and 1 family had 12 children.  

That's a lot of family in four generations!

Time Capsule Tuesday

 I liked the time capsule genealogy fun post so much that I have decided to make it a regular feature here on the blog!  So welcome to the first Time Capsule Tuesday post.

Today, I chose to travel back in time to the birth date of my great-grandmother, Bessie Alice Carter. 

Bessie was born February 9, 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Bessie was adopted by Charles Kelso and Sarah Schoonover Carter shortly after her birth.  We have no information on her birth parents.  We have checked with the state of Wisconsin but their records do not go back that far.  Through DNA, my mother and I have discovered that she must have been from Swedish and/or Norwegian descent. I ended up with an Ethnicity Estimate of 7% Sweden and 5% Norway. No one else in the family came from either of those countries.
 

February 9, 1883 was a Friday.  

The top headlines that month:

Feb 8 -          Louis Waterman begins experiments to invent the fountain pen

Feb 10 -        Fire at uninsured New Hall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, kills 71.

Feb 14 -        First state labor union legislation; New Jersey legalizes unions

Feb 16 -        "Ladies Home Journal" begins publication

Feb 23 -        Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law

The top songs for 1883:

Polly Wolly Doodle                                                      La Golondrina

Only a Pansy Blossom                                                There's a Tavern in the Town

A Handful of Earth from Mother's Grave                  The Farmer in the Dell

My Nellie's Blue Eyes                                                Strolling on the Brooklyn Bridge

The U.S. President was Chester A. Arthur.  However, there was no vice president in office on this date. 

1883 Prices:

Bread:                    2 cents/loaf

Milk:                     16 cents/gallon

House:                   $5,000

Average Income:   $500/year 

Famous people born on February 9th:

- Wilhelm Maybach,, German engineer, designer of first Mercedes - 1846

- Carmen Miranda, Portugal, vocalist/actress (Copacabana, Date with Judy) - 1909

- Alice Walker, U.S. novelist (Color Purple) - 1944

Here's a little diddy to get stuck in your head.  Shirley Temple singing Polly Wolly Doodle from the 1935 film, The Littlest Rebel:

Source:  dMarie Time Capsule

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Which Ancestors Would You Like to Talk To?

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) We sometimes find we have questions we would love to discuss with our ancestors - the who, what, when, why, and how questions that might help with our genealogy research.  

(2)  Which ancestors would you like to talk to?  What questions would you ask?

(3)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a post on Facebook.

Here's mine:

(1)  Of course, the first ancestor I'd like to question is my 2nd great grandfather, George W. Schwalls, Sr. (1837-1908).  I would ask him where in Germany he was from; who his parents and grandparents were; how he came to America and with whom; how did he become an American citizen; and how is he related to the George Michael Schwall that lived one county over?  Oh, and how did he meet his wife, my 2nd great grandmother, Lincelia E. Claxton (1839-1882)?

(2)  My grandmother, Nealie Drake Tapley, 1895-1970:  I would ask my grandmother who were all the people in the unmarked photos she left behind.  

3)  I would ask my 2nd great grandmother, Elizabeth (1824-aft 1880), married to George Washington Tapley (1814-aft 1880) what her maiden name was??

(4)  I would ask my 2nd great grandmother, Elizabeth Caroline Scoggins (1802-1880), married to Solomon Page (1800-1860) who her parents and grandparents were.

(5)  I would probably have some very personal questions for my 3rd great grandmother, Sarah Tapley (1775-bet 1850-1860).  Like how did she deal with having her twin boys (George Washington [1814-aft 1880] and James Marion [1814-1884]) out of wedlock and dealing with the treatment she must have received because of that?  And why she fell for a married man (Canneth Swain, 1770-1831)?  Why did she give the twins her last name when they grew up knowing who their father was?? And what was her mother's name?  

(6)  I would like to sit all the Hosea Tapleys down and ask them which one was which and who was married to whom already?!  Hosea Tapley, 1691-1778, my 6th great grandfather; Hosea Tapley Jr, bet 1708-1710 - 1770, my 6th great-uncle; Hosea Tapley III, abt 1730-1779, my 1st cousin, 6x removed; Hosea Green Tapley, 1767-1799, my 2nd cousin, 5x removed; and Hosea Tapley, dates unknown, my 3rd cousin, 4x removed, son of Hosea Green.  

(7)  My 2nd great grandparents, Charles Kelso Carter (1843-1916) and Sarah Schoonover (1840-1918):  I would ask them if they or their parents knew the biological parents of their adopted daughter, Bessie Alice Carter (1883-1960), my great-grandmother.  If so, who were they???  

 Those are the biggies.  I am sure I'm going to be the one in heaven running around with a clipboard and pen, from ancestor spirit to ancestor spirit, asking them a million questions!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Ancestral Homes 150 Years Ago

From Randy over at Genea-Musings: 

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

 

 

 Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1)  Determine where your ancestral families were on 1 June 1863 - 150 years ago.

2)  List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible).  Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?

3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

Here's mine:

 

*  My 2nd great-grandparents, George Washington Tapley (1814-aft.1880) and Elizabeth MNU Tapley (1824-aft. 1880) were living in Johnson County, Georgia.  I do not have a photograph of their home; it has long since been destroyed.  The household included my great-grandfather, James (Jim) Madison Tapley (1847-1912).  

*  My 2nd great-grandmother, Elizabeth Scoggins Page (1802-unknown), was living in Johnson County, Georgia.  Her husband, Solomon Page (1800-1860), had already passed.

 

*  My great-grandmother, Elizabeth Rebecca (Becky) Page (1844-1924) was also living in Johnson County, Georgia, probably with her mother.  I do not have a photograph of their residence, but my cousin has pointed out the location to me.

*  My 2nd great-grandparents, James William Drake (1829-1908) and Mary Ann R. Brantley Drake (1837-1891) were living near Adrian in Emanuel County, Georgia.  In 1863, James was serving in the Civil War in G Company of the 32nd Infantry from Georgia.  Also in their household was my great-grandfather, William John Drake (1857-1927).  

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Francis Bryant Drake (1806-1875) and Selina King Drake (1812-1899) were living near Adrian in Emanuel or Johnson County, Georgia (Adrian sits half in each county).  I have no photographs of any of the ancestrial homes near Adrian.

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, James K. Harrell (1814-1895) and Nancy Beasley Harrell (1814-1898) were either still living in Darlington County, South Carolina or had already located to Emanuel County, Georgia.  In 1863, I believe my 2nd great-grandfather, William Robert Harrell (1838-1908), was still residing with his parents as he didn't marry until 1865.  

*  My 4th great-grandparents, Archibald Odom III (1798-1873) and Isabella Elizabeth Anderson Odom (1796-1873), were living in Emanuel County, Georgia.

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Elijah Samuel Odom (1816-1870) and Rutha Goff Odom (1812-1895) were living in Emanuel County, Georgia.   

*  My 2nd great-grandmother, Catherine M Odom (1841-1875) had recently been widowed and could have still been living in Johnson County or with her parents in Emanuel County, Georgia.

*  My 2nd great-grandfather, George W. Schwalls Sr (1837-1908) was living in Johnson County, Georgia.  In 1863, he was serving in the Civil War in Company E of the 48th Infantry from Georgia. 

  

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Zachariah W. Claxton (1806-unknown) and Lincelia Bush Claxton (dates unknown), were living in Edgefield County, South Carolina.

 

*  My 2nd great-grandmother, Lincelia E. Claxton (1839-1882) was recently widowed and living in Edgefield County, South Carolina.  

*  My 4th great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hubbard Ranney (1790-1868) was most likely living in Summit County, Ohio. 

 

*  My 3rd great-grandfather, Luther Boardman Ranney (1809-1890) was also most likely living in Summit County, Ohio.  My 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah Maria Carter Ranney (18121846) had passed away and Luther was remarried to Caroline Clapp Ranney (1821-1895).  

 

*  My 2nd great-grandfather, Comfort Ranney (1838-1920) was living in Boston, Summit County, Ohio and was serving in Company D, 61st Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.

 

*  My 4th great-grandparents, James Warren Hesser (1819-1906) and Sophia Humphrey Hesser (dates unknown), were living in Summit County, Ohio.

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Jonathan Hesser (1791-1876) and Casena Viers Hesser (1800-unknown) were probably living in Ohio, too, though I have not confirmed that fact.  They were in Ohio by 1870.  

 

*   My 2nd great-grandmother, Mary Margaret Hesser (1842-1920) was also living in Summit County, Ohio,  mostly likely with her parents. I have no photographs of any of the ancestrial homes in Ohio. 

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Samuel Carter (abt. 1815-unknown) and Polly Marie Ozmun Carter (1817-unknown)  were probably living in Summit County, Ohio.  Their son, my 2nd great-grandfather, Charles K. Carter (1843-1916) may or may not have been living with them.  

*  My 3rd great-grandparents, Richard Schoonover (dates unknown) and Sara Ozmun Schoonover (1800-1870), along with their daughter, my 2nd great-grandmother, Sarah Melissa Schoonover (1840-1918) were living in parts unknown in 1863.  They were probably in Ohio, but I do not know if Charles and Sarah were married by then or any other details. 

I believe that is all of my ancestors alive in 1863 - 3 great-grandparents, 12 second great-grandparents, 15 third great-grandparents, and 5 fourth great-grandparents.  The lived in Georgia, Ohio, and South Carolina.  

I have no pictures of homes where they were living in 1863.  In most cases, I do not even know a location.  I also see where there are huge holes in my research as to the 1860 census and where many of my ancestors were living at that time.  MUST GET BUSY researching.  

Wordless Wednesday: Sarah Melissa Schoonover Carter

My 2nd great grandmother

Thankful Thursday: Without their sacrifices, I wouldn't be here

 Today is Thankful Thursday and it also happens to be St. Valentine's Day.  So as Daisy-dog and I were returning from a McDonald's run with my dinner, thanks to a Valentine's gift of McDonald's gift cards from my mother (Thanks, Mom!), I began to think about my family, my ancestors, and how the brave things they did made it possible for me to be the person I am today.  It was their sacrifices and hard work that created a family and left a legacy that I am thrilled to track down today.  Here are a few things they did that I am thankful for:

- That several of my ancestors gave up the life they knew in their home countries and made the oftentimes treacherous and certainly terrifying voyage to the New World to make a life in America.  Among those:

   * George Hubbard (my 9th great-grandfather) left England and came to Hartford, Connecticut before 1639.

   *  Richard Watts (my 10th great-grandfather) brought his family, including his daughter, Elizabeth, who married George Hubbard, from England before 1640.

  * Thomas Rany (my 9th great-grandfather) left Scotland and settled in Middletown, Connecticut about 1657.

  * Hosea Tapley (my 6th great-grandfather) left England and came to North Carolina between 1691 - 1743.

  * Johann Conrad Hesser (my 6th great-grandfather) came from Germany sometime in the 1700's.

  * George Schwalls Sr. (my 2nd great-grandfather) left Germany and came to Georgia in the 1850's.

-  I am thankful that my 3rd great-grandmother, Sarah Tapley, was ahead of her time.  She bore and raised her children out of wedlock with her head held high, and she obviously raised them to be proud and productive members of society.

- I am thankful that so many of my ancestors and family members served in the military and fought for their country during the greatest conflicts in our history, including:

  * Nathaniel Ranney, my 6th great-grandfather, served in the American Revolutionary War.

  * Archibald Odom, my 4th great-grandfather, served as a horseman in the Georgia Militia during the War of 1812.

  * Francis M. Tapley, my great grand uncle, was killed at the Crater near Petersburg, Virginia, during the Civil War.

  * James Madison "Jim" Tapley, my great-grandfather and Francis's brother, fought during the Civil War and fortunately made it home.

  * George Schwalls, Sr. also fought in the Civil War after only having been in this country for a few years and suffered several health problems resulting from his service.

  * James William Drake, my 2nd great-grandfather, along with at least three of his brothers:  Francis Milton, John Saffold, and Richard Franklin, all fought during the Civil War.

  * Comfort Ranney, my 2nd great-grandfather, fought during the Civil War... on the Northern side.

  * Charles Morgan Tapley, my grandfather, served in the U.S. Navy twice, including in action during World War II.

  *  My uncle, John Russell "Russ" Tapley, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

  *  My cousin, James Cullen "J.C." Tapley, gave his life in Italy during World War II.

  *  My brother, Harry Earl Tapley, was a career Marine and served during the Vietnam War.

  *  And all the others who served.

- I am thankful that a childless couple named Charles K. and Sarah Melissa Schoonover Carter adopted an orphaned baby girl and doted on her their entire lives.  That little girl was my great-grandmother, Bessie Carter Ranney.

- I am thankful that my grandmother, Ethel Irene Ranney Tapley, persevered and retained her sweet soul despite being unable to walk and confined to a wheelchair for over half her life. 

- I am thankful that my grandmother, Nealie Drake Tapley, was such a strong, God-fearing woman.  She raised five sons and a daughter by herself, worked many jobs to feed  her family, and still found the energy to drive her horse and buggy over 10 miles each way on Sunday to play the piano at Powell's Chapel.

- I am especially thankful for my mother, Linda Irene Tapley, who is always there for me.

- I am thankful and proud that I have been able to devote a good part of my life to preserving my family's stories, histories, heirlooms, and facts.  I do not write this blog because I don't have a life; I write this blog because it enriches my life. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Where Were They 100 Years Ago?

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

Dear genealogists everywhere, it's Saturday Night!  Time for some Genealogy FUN.  

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

 1)  Determine where your ancestral families were on 1 January 1913 - 100 years ago.

2)  List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible).  Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?

3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

Here's mine:

Tapley:
 
 * My grandparents Lusion Keman Tapley (born 31 Mar 1870) and Nealie Vermell Drake Tapley (born 29 Jan 1895) were not yet married in 1913.  Lusion was a widower with four children.  His oldest child, daughter, Annie Jane, was living with and being raised by his mother.  His three sons, James Tillman, Charles Morgan, and Champ Lusion were only 8, 5, and 3, respectively.  My grandfather was a farmer in Johnson County, Georgia.  He was mostly likely still living near his mother and siblings on the 58 1/2 acres in the 1326 District G.M. of Johnson County that he purchased from his father for $500 in 1906. 

* My grandfather, Charles Morgan Tapley (born 1907)  as mentioned above was only 5 years old at this time and was living with his father and brothers in Johnson County, Georgia.  I can only theorize that he stayed with his grandmother, Becky, while his father worked the fields. 

* My great-grandmother, Elizabeth Rebecca (Becky) Page Tapley (born 08 Sep 1844) had just been widowed two months earlier.  She kept busy running her own farm, raising her granddaughter, Mary Jane, and having her spinster daughter, Vianna Bell Tapley, age 27, still living at home.  Most of Becky's children, lived right around her, including my grandfather, Lusion.  

Drake:

* My grandmother, Nealie, would have been 17 years old.  She was living with her parents and siblings in the 395 District G.M. of Emanuel County, near Adrian, Georgia.  

* My great-grandparents, William John Drake (born 23 Sep 1857) and Emma Vermell Harrell Drake (born 04 Sep 1867) were living in Emanuel County, near Adrian, as mentioned earlier.  In the past year, they had lost two children to typhoid fever.  They had probably six children still at home, ranging in age from 17 (my grandmother) down to age 4. William John was a preacher.  

Ranney:

* My great-grandparents, Luther Boardman Ranney (born 11 Mar 1870) and Bessie Alice Carter Ranney (born 09 Feb 1883) were living near Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan.  He was a farmer.  They had two children, Kenneth (age 3) and Alice (age 18 months).  Bessie was expecting, and their third child, Ethel (my grandmother), wouldn't be born for another six months.  

My 2nd great-grandparents, Comfort Ranney (born 07 Feb 1838) and Mary Margaret Hesser Ranney (born 17 July 1842) were also living in Clinton County, Michigan.  As of three years earlier, on the 1910 Census, Comfort still listed his occupation as farmer. 
 
Carter:

My 2nd great-grandparents, Charles K. Carter (born 12 Oct 1843) and Sarah (Sally) Melissa Schoonover Carter (born 13 Jul 1840) were living with their daughter, Bessie, in Clinton County, Michigan, having left Iowa some years earlier to be near their only child.  I can imagine them spending their retired days enjoying time with their grandchildren.  More than likely, he was still working:  helping his son-in-law on the farm while she was busy helping her daughter feed the farmhands, keep house, and watch the children.  

Unfortunately I do not have photographs of any of the homes where my ancestors lived.  I have stood and had my picture taken where my great-grandparents Tapley's home used to stand.  That is as close as I've come.  I do not know if any of the homes in Michigan still stand.  

Photo courtesy of Keith Tapley; Jim and Becky Tapley's homeplace location, Johnson County, GA, September 2012.

Those Places Thursday: Eagles Grove, Iowa

Eagles Grove, Iowa is located in Wright County. 

State of Iowa with Wright County highlighted

My great-great grandparents, Charles K. Carter and Sarah Melissa Schoonover Carter relocated there sometime between 1880 and 1900.  Their daughter, Bessie Alice Carter, my great-grandmother, was raised there.  Charles was a jeweler and a farmer.  They lived in a beautiful farmhouse:

From left:  Bessie Carter Ranney holding her son, Kenneth Carter Ranney; her husband, Luther Boardman Ranney; and her parents, Charles K. Carter and Sarah Schoonover Carter, circa 1910

The history of Eagle Grove as recounted on the City of Eagle Grove website at www.eaglegroveiowa.org:

"Eagle Grove Junction was first located here by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad in the mid 1800's.  It's location was chosen because of the abundance of natural springs in the area.  This was ideal for the railroad to supply water for the steam engines and thus a station was located here.

Eagle Grove received its name many years ago because of an enormous eagle's nest perched high above the Boone River bank in a large grove of oak trees. In 1851 Mr. N. B. Paine came to Wright County, purchased a piece of property and built a log cabin. Directly west of his cabin is where the grove of trees was located sheltering the bird of our national heritage. The nest was over six feet in diameter and had the appearance 

of having been located there for some time. It could be seen for miles around. The eagles were at home in the spring and summer of 1855-56, but in the spring of 1857 they were shot and killed by a trapper. Eagle Grove was thus named in honor of the grand old bird of freedom.
Eagle Grove was incorporated as a town in October of 1881."

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- What is Your Matrilineal Line?

From Randy over at Genea-Musings:

Dear genealogists everywhere, it's Saturday Night!  Time for some Genealogy FUN.

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

 1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Status line on Facebook or in your Stream at Google Plus.

4)  If you have done this before, please do your father's matrilineal line, or your grandfather's matrilineal line, or your spouse's matrilineal line.5)  Does this list spur you to find distant cousins that might share one of your matrilineal lines?  

Here's mine:

(1)  My matrilineal line:

- Mary Elizabeth Tapley (that's me!)

- Linda Irene Tapley, mother (b. Los Angeles, California)

- Ethel Irene Ranney Tapley, grandmother (b. July 6 1913 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan; d. Nov 12 1973 in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia)

-  Bessie Alice Carter Ranney, great-grandmother (b. Feb 9 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; d. April 14 1960 in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California)  (She was adopted at birth.  I know nothing of her birth  family.)

- Sarah Melissa Schoonover, great-great-grandmother (b. July 13 1840; d. May 23 1918 in Elsie, Clinton County, Michigan)

- Sarah Ozmun, 3rd great-grandmother (b. Oct 23 1800; d. Nov 7 1870)

-  Sarah Jordan, 4th great-grandmother (b. Sept 29 1762 in New York; d. Aug 12 1812 in New York)

(2)  I have had my mitochondrial DNA tested and the Haplogroup I am in is U5a1a1.  This Haplogroup was centered in the Scandinavian countries.  

(3)  Done!  ;)

(4)  Will do in another post!

(5)  I am always eager to find near and distant cousins, especially on my mother's side because I know very few on that side of the family. 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - List Your Matrilineal Line(s)

From Randy Seaver over at Genea-Musings:

Hey genealogy buffs - it's Saturday Night again -- time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Status line on Facebook or in your Stream at Google Plus.

4) If you have done this before, please do your father's matrilineal line, or your grandfather's matrilineal line, or your spouse's matriliuneal line.

5) Does this list spur you to find distant cousins that might share one of your matrilineal lines?


(1)

- Elizabeth "Liz" Tapley (me)

- Linda Irene Tapley (my mother)

- Ethel Irene Ranney (b. 1913 in Elsie, Michigan; d. 1973 in Dublin, Georgia), married Charles Tapley (grandmother)

- Bessie Alice Carter (b. 1883 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; d. 1960 in Redlands, California), married Luther Boardman Ranney (great-grandmother)

- Sarah Melissa Schoonover (b. 1840; d. 1918 in Elsie, Michigan), married Charles K. Carter (great-great-grandmother)

- Sarah Ozman/Ozmun (b. 1800; d. 1870), married Richard Schoonover (3rd great-grandmother)

- Sarah Jordan (b. 1762 in New York; d. 1812 in New York), married Abraham Ozman/Ozmun (4th great-grandmother)

(2) Yes, I have had my mitochondrial DNA tested. I am in the maternal haplogroup U5a1a1.

(3) Done!

(4) N/A

(5) I was already interested in finding distant cousins from my matrilineal lines. I know so little about the Carters, Schoonovers, or Ozmans/Ozmuns. I have been contacted at 23andme.com by persons who are possible 3rd to 5th cousins or further out, but shame on me, I have not had a chance to follow up with any of them yet.