Sympathy Saturday -Catherine Percival Gray

Catherine Percival was born March 7 1886 in Los Angeles, daughter of Dr. William Bush Percival and Susie Bell Graves (or Sara).  She married Jacob Gray in 1911 and died August 31, 1959 in Los Angeles. You may visit her Find-a-Grave Memorial here.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Freaked Out Friday - Why Aren't They There?

Every so often, when researching or searching for a blog post topic, I come across missing documentation. Such was the case in Wednesday's "Wedding Wednesday" post. I have family information that Ray and Mary Zimmeth were married from another family member, but when I searched for a marriage record, was stymied by the lapse in information. Sigh. I'd also like to find a death record for a distant Percival relative in California. My last information was that he was living in Nevada county, but I can't find a record for him either since there are no online records for Nevada county before 1940. Sigh. Then there is the mysterious Dr. Herbert Davidson Percival who may have gone to Hawaii! I keep looking!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

WDYTYA? Cindy Crawford

I found this episode very interesting, when tracing Cindy's genealogy back to Massachusetts and Connecticut. Even the skip back to England was interesting. But I get so irritated when a researcher unrolls a genealogy that takes her back to Charlemagne with absolutely no information on how they got back that far!



Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wedding Wednesday - Ahern and Zimmeth

Miss Mary Ahern married Raymond Zimmeth (my second cousin once removed) August 28, 1954 in Minnesota. Unfortunately, all the indices skip over the period between 1950 and 1958, so I don't have an actual record for this.  Ray died a tragic drowning death in Lake Huron in 1978.  Mary remarried and died in 2002.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Burning the Midnight Oil.

I get some of my best ideas at night. Unfortunately, some of them come while I am trying to get to sleep, and if I don't get up and write it down, it is gone in the morning.

The other night, I decided to check for one of my Bowmans on Find-a-Grave. I found him and his father. And other Bowmans. I might get a little distracted.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Full Swing

DH and I are prepping for our next trip. It's going to be a busy week or so, as I plan wardrobe and plan to-do lists and map out our routes. And maybe clear some of the stuff on my desk. That has been the most onerous task this summer.

One of our tasks involves trying to make our Mouse the cat feel like she is not being abandoned. Taking her with us is just not an option. I don't want to turn our sweet little cat into howling mess on the road. Fortunately, Older Daughter will be watching her for us. 

And so the prep continues.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Sympathy Saturday - Dudley Mitchum Bowman

Dudley Mitchum Bowman was born February 28, 1864 in Kentucky, the son of  Dudley Mitchum Bowman and Virginia Smith. He married Mary Dunlap, in 1891, probably in Kentucky. He died, August 24, 1938 in St. Joseph, Missouri and was buried in Spring Hill cemetery in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. You may visit his Find-a-Grave memorial here.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Freaked Out Friday - Getting a Move On!

From the looks of our house, you'd think we were packing up and moving. In reality, we are doing a little rearranging and soon enough things will be put right. I'm calling it an upgrade.

Speaking of upgrades, there was an update to my Families app, that I am not particularly happy with. It's messed up the display on the family screen so that you can't read names or vital information on people. Grrr. I've commented on the troubleshooting forum, so hoping I can get a clue about this. Just what I need before a research trip. I did finally find on the forum, how to find out the "name" of my microSd card according to my tablet. And I finally got that family tree where I want it and where it isn't eating up space in the internal memory!

And speaking of research trips, the lists are going slowly. I haven't even double-checked my cemetery list against Find-a-Grave recently. I try to keep it current. Every so often, I knock a few people off my Lexington (KY) Cemetery to-do list!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Too-Too Thursday - WDYTYA? - Chris O'Donnell.

I am appalled that Mr. O'Donnell did not know the significance of the Star-Spangled Banner? Really? I thought every child learned about Francis Scott Key's "poem" in school.

And it seems since Kelly Clarkson's over-the-top reaction to everything she learned, each person has been more toned down.

The most heartening thing about the episode was Chris's niece is a budding genealogist. You go, girl!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wedding Wednesday - Klijewski & Turowski

On August 21, 1907, in Detroit, Michigan miss Leokadya Klijewska (daughter of Leon Klijewski and Urszula Lyskawa) married Roman Turowski, son of Stanley Turowski.

I found this branch of the Klijewski quite accidentally, while researching in Polish church records. Leon Klijewski was first married to Appolina Pilarska, and their son Maksymilian was hubby's great grandfather.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Happy Birthday -- William D. McHatton

William McHatton was born on August 20, 1828 in Kentucky to James A. McHatton and Susan H. Chinn. He married Ann Eliza Graves on December 25, 1849 in Lexington, Missouri and died April 20, 1897 in Lafayette county, Missouri. He was my 1st cousin 4 times removed. His mother was my great-great-great grandfather's sister.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday Moanin' - Weather Stuff

When we moved to Tennessee way back in the Fall of 2007, they were in for a couple of drought years. So far, 2013 has been anything but dry. Mid-August and our rainfall is just below 50 inches for the year. I can't believe it has only been 50 inches. I need some sunshine.

We are doing some stuff around the house before we leave on our trip. I've also been taking a second look at stuff I want to look at in Fort Wayne and Lexington. My research to-do lists are like my bible when I go researching. I love checking things off those lists. I don't think I'll ever not have a to do list to work from because I never seem to get everything. Sometimes that book or periodical or newspaper is not available for my use. Maybe someone else is researching in the county atlas I want to use. And every time I knock 5 items off the list at the Lexington, Kentucky Public Library, I seem to add one or two more. And poor hubby, that list at the Lexington Cemetery? It just gets bigger and bigger. And we've taken hundred of photos there. Maybe not hundreds left, but quite a few nonetheless.

Then there are the family visits. Gotta make sure that our meetups are scheduled. DH and I have a day of not quite lazy travel planned between the Detroit area and Buffalo, but don't plan on making it in one day. This totally goes against my usual "get in the car and drive" attitude.

I am getting excited about the trip. Last year's vacation was two nights in Chattanooga (a gift from our kids) and a summer spent recovering from knee replacement surgery. Since I do at least 50% of the driving, both of us have to be in shape for it.

I hope the weather improves for our trip. I hate driving in heavy rain. And it always seems to rain somewhere along the line!

Back to my lists now!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Sympathy Saturday - Abraham "Abe" Bowman, Jr.

 Abraham Bowman, Jr., or Abe as he was known, was born to Abram Bowman and Mary Gist Bowman (her maiden name was Bowman) on May 5, 1850 in Lexington, Kentucky. He died August 17, 1931  in Savannah, Missouri. His parents were first cousins and Abe was my second cousin three times removed.

He was buried in the Savannah City Cemetery in Savannah, Missouri.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Too-Too Thursday: WDYTYA? - Zooey Deschanel

Well, apparently she is well known for more than her "Cotton: the Fabric of Our Lives" commercials. Here is an articulate woman, who could hold an intelligent conversation about Quakers, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. I found the episode mildly entertaining, but not very helpful in the way of research.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wedding Wednesday - Chinn & McDaniel

On August 14, 1908, in Kansas City, Missouri, Miss Elizabeth Isabell "Bess Isabell" Chinn married Dr. Joel McDaniel.  She was the daughter of Thomas Markus Chinn and Ottie Benning.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

It's a Ball!

When you research your family tree for any length of time, you can't help but get on mailing lists. Such is the case with a request for info at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I sent them a contribution because they sent me several 8 x 10 photos of graves in the cemetery for Percivals.  So now I get tons of snail mail from them.

They even invited me to their Gravedigger's Ball! Here is the front of the invite. It's a great concept, but we don't do black tie or $175/person!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Plan Ahead

Hubby and I have a trip in the works, and now I figure it is time for me to start working on my to-do lists. Let's see, there is an Allen County Public Library to-do list, a Lexington Public Library to-do list, and a Lexington Cemetery list. I am reasonably certain two of those lists will be used, not sure about the Cemetery.

Scheduling meet-ups for the first part of the trip and the middle of the trip. Still have to firm up some other meet-ups. This is the first long driving trip since my knee surgery in 2012, so not sure how long days of driving will go. All we can do is plan.

In the meantime, I am looking at software for my genealogy, revising my thinking about Legacy Family Tree. There are still some things I do not like about it, so might be using RootsMagic still. I don't know how that will work.

Now if I can only get some other plans to work out in a timely manner.


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Sympathy Saturday - Edwin Paul Carter

Edwin P. Carter, died on August 10, 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. He was my first cousin 3 times removed and a son of John Leonard Carter and Rhoda Sage. His grandfather, Edwin Harvey Carter was my great great great grandfather.

His Find-A-Grave Memorial can be viewed here.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Trolling Databases

I do love trolling databases. I didn't find anyone in the latest one I trolled,United States Index to the Gorgas Hospital Mortuary Registers, 1906-1991, which is in the Panama Canal zone. Unfortunately, I didn't find anyone I knew in it. 

Usually, when I see an odd database like that, my first hope is that I will find Dr. Herbert D. Percival, my dad's great uncle, who did disappearing act in about 1893-94 from California. Supposedly, he went to Honolulu. No luck there. So I keep looking. 

Then I head to Family Search's continental Europe collection. I've not found anything interesting there recently either. 

I guess I'll just have to keep on looking.


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Too-Too Thursday - Arcane Databases

I saw this database on Ancestry.com and it almost makes me want to upgrade my Ancestry.com back to a World membership:  London, England, Clandestine Marriage and Baptism Registers, 1667-1754.  I did search it and saw several Percivals, several Maitlands, lots of Oliphants, a few Chinns and no Kirtleys. I love the time frame also. 

If you don't have a subscription to Ancestry.com, try this link to read why and where these marriages may have been performed. 

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wedding Wednesday - Percival & Hamblen

On August 7, 1822 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, Miss Chloe Percival, daughter of James Percival and Fear Crowell to Mr. Benjamin Hamblen.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Good News - Bad News

The good news? My friend Karen K. found a land record between an Early and a Kirtley. Both are in my lineage.

More good news? I had someone offer me a better picture of my great-great grandmother's headstone for her find-a-grave memorial. You can visit it here.

The bad news? In the photo you can see that the headstone next to hers, her mother's - Barbara Garland Graves Chinn - has toppled and split.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

The App Geek!

Since I first got my Smart phone several months ago, I've been looking at the different apps available for Android. For sometime before that I checked out the apps in the App Store for my iPod Touch. Now, with the addition of the Nook HD+ in my techno arsenal, I've become more interested in what's out there.

I was surprised to find the Find-a-Grave app beta version for Android today. I've been a F-A-G contributor for several years, and with a trip in the works for next month that will hopefully include some genealogy research and perhaps some cemetery work, I can see where that might just come in handy.

I mentioned when I bought the Nook, that I also purchased the "Families" app from TelGen. It has made me take another look at Legacy Family Tree. Since there is a new version coming out soon, I purchased the Legacy Unlocked book by Geoff Rasmussen, which allowed me to download the PDF version of it.

Really, it is not that I am unhappy with RootsMagic v 6. I truly like it, but their Apple app is awful. It's purely show and tell, even it is free. I'm still waiting on the Android version, but that doesn't look to be out soon. And again, it will be a show and tell version. No editing or adding and syncing back with the database.

In the meantime, I will continue to look at different apps that will aid in my research.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Sympathy Saturday - Susannah Wright Bowman Richardson

Susannah Bowman was born May 4, 1790 in Virginia to Isaac Bowman and Elizabeth Gatewood. She married in 1811 to William Hervey Richardson. Susannah died on August 3, 1849 in Lexington, Kentucky and was buried probably in a family plot, but was moved in 1864 to the Lexington Cemetery.

You can visit her Find-a-Grave memorial here.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Family Friday - I Don't Know My Grandfather's Name.

Yesterday, I alluded to family legends, lores and lies. One thing that always puzzled me was my father-in-law not knowing his father's father. Okay, so his family moved away from Buffalo in the 1920s. That can be one reason. But he did know who his maternal great grandfather was, where he lived and what he did for a living.  He knew his maternal grandfather's name and what he did. Did he know who his grandfather Kruszka was? Nope. Not at all.

This would make sense if his grandfather died in the 1920s or 1930s. But he didn't have a clue. I found the information for him in my research. His name was Michael Kruszka and he died in 1950, when my husband was an infant. There were no memorial cards for either Michael or his late wife, Josephine, who died in 1927 in my in-law's collection of memorial cards. It's possible that DH's aunt had them, but her children are amazingly reticent on the subject of photos and documents.

I've been more fortunate. My parents knew their grandparents' names. At least my mom knew their first names. Dad had more information, as both his grandfathers and his grandmothers died during his lifetime. My mother knew her maternal grandmother's name was Amelia and her paternal grandmother's name was Augusta Wilhelmina "Minnie." I think she knew there was also a Philomena in there too. And there was, Philomena Beckmeyer being her great grandmother.

My mother-in-law had information that was incorrect. She thought both grandmothers were named Agatha. I think it was Agnieszka (Agnes.) She also didn't know all the names of her mother's siblings and nothing about her father's family except for some photos.

My kids? Much more fortunate than I, in that they knew and had relationships with their grandparents. My grandmothers both died young, so I never knew them. By the time I was born my maternal grandfather was married to his 3rd wife and my paternal grandfather was married to his second. I called them grandma, but I was a teenager before my parents admitted they were step-mothers.  We called Grandma Florence's daughter, Aunt Jackie, but my dad said he only had a brother. Talk about family confusion.

Some day, my kids will be a little more interested in their ancestors, and I will be happy to enlighten them as to their origins. Until then? I'll mind my business and keep on hunting for clues to my brick walls.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Too-Too Thursday - WDYTYA - Christina Applegate

This was a much more toned down episode. Some things really puzzle me, however. For one thing, Christina's father thought he was older than his birth certificate said. The other thing, is how any grandparent can coldly tell a child that his mother was dead. Even though said child had no memories of his mother.

There are many things in family history that puzzle me. Have you got any family puzzles, legends or lies?

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes