Monthly Archives: March 2014

Of Bowling and Visiting Family

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bowl-signI come from a family of serious bowlers. Mom, Dad, my aunt, and uncle had a team that bowled on Sunday nights for years. Dad bowled in several leagues. (In fact, he asked that Mom try to have me on a night that wouldn’t conflict with one of his bowling nights. I’m not sure if I complied with that request!) My cousins were also serious bowlers, some of whom competed in traveling leagues during their teenage years.

My cousin Kevin was going to bowl in a weekend tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. This was a decent drive from our hometown of Columbus, Ohio, but definitely “do-able.” Our grandma, the dear, sweet lady that she was, got very excited when she heard that my aunt, uncle, and cousin were going to Louisville.

“Oh! While you’re down there, you can visit your brother Ronnie!” she told my uncle Alfred.

Nice idea, except that my uncle Ronnie lived in Fort Myers, Florida.

Grandma was a dear, sweet lady, but she was a bit geographically challenged. When someone in the family is traveling to Kentucky, we still joke that they should go down and visit uncle Ronnie.

Why Don’t I Do This More Often?

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A few weeks ago, I mused about recording family stories and how we need to just do it. Thegenealogygirl took the message to heart and flew to Spokane, Washington just to interview her grandma and other family members. In her “Trip Report in Brief,” she poses the question, “Why don’t I do this more often?”

Mom at the Mackinaw Bridge, 1958

Mom at the Mackinaw Bridge, 1958. We’ve been going to that area for vacation for years.

Indeed, why don’t any of us do it more often?

Sometimes a blogger participating in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks will ask me if it’s ok to skip a week or they will apologize for a post being “so short.” (I’ve been guilty of that one!) My response is always the same: Write what you can. Anything you write is more than what you had before.

It’s the same with our stories. Any story you capture — however you capture it — is more than what you had before.

52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 12 Recap

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52ancestors-week12Week 12 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. March Madness — it’s not just for basketball anymore!

Juli at Life in the Past Lane shared an awesome photo of her great-grandfather. Dave wondered about his ancestor’s sister who stayed behind in Ireland. Deborah asked if she was related to Albert Einstein — and came up with a couple of interesting answers.

My contribution was about my 4th-great-grandmother Elizabeth Peden Ramsey who was not a hidden woman.

Breaking the Mold of the Hidden Woman: Elizabeth Peden Ramsey (52 Ancestors #12)

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The female half of the tree is harder to research. In most western cultures, a woman’s surname changes with each marriage, so you don’t always know what name to look for. She is often omitted from records because of her less-than-equal legal standing. Even a man’s will might leave a bequest “to my beloved wife” without actually listing her by name. Elizabeth Peden Ramsey, my 4th-great-grandmother, broke out of the mold of the hidden woman.

Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Peden and wife of John Ramsey, left significantly more records than many woman of her time. In 1807, she began the purchase of the southeast 1/4 of section 28, township 18, range 17 (in present-day Thorn Township, Perry County, Ohio).[1] In doing so, she became the first woman to purchase land in present-day Perry County from the federal government.[2] What’s really neat about this — her husband was still living when she began the purchase.

When John died c1810, it was Elizabeth who was named as the administratrix of his estate.[3] She was also named the guardian of their two minor daughters Mary and Sarah.[4] It’s important to remember that the role a guardian was to protect the legal interests of the minors; it wasn’t to raise the minor. Although in this case, Elizabeth was doing that as well. What legal interests did Mary and Sarah have? Their portion of their father’s estate, including his land. They may also have been heirs to their grandfather’s estate, as there is a notation in John’s estate about money being paid to their sister Elizabeth receiving a bequest from it.

Elizabeth Ramsey appointed guardian of Mary and Sarah Ramsey. Case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.

Elizabeth Ramsey appointed guardian of Mary and Sarah Ramsey. Case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.

In another unusual move, Elizabeth actually left her own estate when she died in late 1832.[5] I still need to comb through the rest of her land records in Perry County, but apparently she died with enough property (or enough debts) to warrant opening an estate to settle it.

For all of the difficulties in tracing women, it is refreshing to have an ancestor who broke the mold.

References:
[1] Land Grand Records, Chillicothe, Ohio Land Office. Ohio Historical Society, Columbus.
[2] L. Richard Kocher, A Listing of Entrymen on Lands in Perry Co, Ohio, Columbus: Woolkoch, 1993. [This book lists the original purchasers of land in present-day Perry County. The listing was read for female first name. Elizabeth Ramsey’s entry in 1807 is the earliest with a female first name.]
[3] John Ramsey estate, case 65, Fairfield County, Ohio Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio. [Note: Thorn and Hopewell Townships, where John and Elizabeth lived and owned land, was part of Fairfield County in 1810.]
[4] Mary and Sarah Ramsey guardianship, case 1114, Fairfield County Probate Court, Lancaster, Ohio.
[5] Minute Book F, Perry County Probate Court, New Lexington, Ohio, page 66. [Robert Fullerton and James H. Ramsey were appointed administrators of her estate in the November term, 1832.]

Civil War Tombstones: A Quick Primer

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After bragging on my daughter last week for knowing the difference between a Union and a Confederate tombstone, I thought it would be good to look at government-issued Civil War tombstones in a bit more detail.

In a nutshell, the difference between Union and Confederate tombstones is the top of the stone. Union tombstones, such as that of Chas. Fetters, have rounded tops. Confederate tombstones, like that of Sgt. R. Shipp, have pointed tops.

Tombstone of Sgt. R. Shipp, Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Photo by Amy Crow, 8 Oct 2004.

Tombstone of Sgt. R. Shipp, Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Photo by Amy Crow, 8 Oct 2004.

Tombstone of Chas. Fetters, Stones River National Cemetery. Photo by Amy Crow, 4 June 2005.

Tombstone of Chas. Fetters, Stones River National Cemetery. Photo by Amy Crow, 4 June 2005.

A common question about tombstones such as Chas. Fetters’ is “How do you know what war he was in?” It’s a good question, since U.S. government-issued tombstones (other than Confederate) have this same basic shape. The answer lies in the shield.

The shield surrounding the name and the state (and, in this case, the grave number) was used by the federal government for graves of two wars: the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. Graves of Spanish-American War veterans should have “Sp. Am. War” inscribed on the stone, though this was occasionally missed.

Genealogy, The Walking Dead, and a Proud Mom Moment

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My daughter and I both love “The Walking Dead” on AMC. When she was getting ready to head off to college, one of the things she sad about what that we wouldn’t get to watch “The Walking Dead” together. Skype to the rescue! Most Sunday nights will find us in front of our respective TVs and laptops, watching it “together.” (It’s especially fun when there’s a 4-second difference between our two TVs.)

She has also been to more cemeteries than most people her age. (Some moms take their little girls to Build-a-Bear. I took mine to cemeteries. Don’t judge.)

Confederate tombstones, Camp Chase Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 8 Oct 2004.

Confederate tombstones, Camp Chase Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio. Photo by Amy Crow, 8 Oct 2004.

The March 9 episode of “The Walking Dead” featured the characters Daryl and Beth. Early in the episode, they walk through a cemetery. (Yay! A cemetery!) They stop to look at a tombstone; all the audience can see is the back of it.

The tombstone they’re looking at appeared to be white marble and was shaped like the ones here at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery. Wanting the zombie apocalypse to be historically accurate, I said, “That better be a Confederate tombstone they’re looking at.”

My daughter, via Skype, replied, “Yeah. Union tombstones would be rounded on the top.” She’s exactly right.

It was indeed a Proud Mom Moment.

[UPDATE: See this post for a quick primer on Civil War tombstones.]

52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 11 Recap

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52ancestors-week11People sometimes ask me if it takes a long time to put together the weekly recap. It isn’t fast, but it would be a lot faster if the posts weren’t so good! I can’t help but stop and read them!

Paul’s story of searching for the sister he never knew is touching. Denise Lemon Knapp’s story sounds like daytime television: “Today on Maury: She Married Her Own Son-In-Law.” Deborah Holman teaches us some good lessons about reading quickly, citing sources, and maybe not always believing everything your father tells you about famous relatives. Schalene Dagutis shows that when it comes to murder, you can’t believe everything you read. Niki Davis shares why she doesn’t like to go to the basement during storm warnings in “How an F5 Twister Shaped a Man.”

My contribution this week: “An Enigma Wrapped With a Bow: Clara Mason Young,” the only great-grandparent I knew.

And now, on to the posts…

An Enigma Wrapped With a Bow: Clara Mason Young (52 Ancestors #11)

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It’s amazing what you think you know until you go to write about it. Such is the case with Clara Mason Young, my great-grandmother. Perhaps it’s because I have several photographs of her. Perhaps it’s because she’s the only great-grandparent I ever met. But for someone who I thought I had a good handle on, it turns out I know fairly little.

Clara Mason, the daughter of  Eber and Lavada Jane (McKitrick) Mason, was born in West Virginia 10 October 1884, according to her death certificate. Though census records seem to be in agreement, I’ve yet to find a birth record for her.

By 1900, she had moved with her parents and siblings to Washington County, Ohio. It was there that she met and married Robert Andrew Young.

Clara (Mason) and Robert Andrew Young. We believe this photo was taken around the time of their wedding in 1903.

Clara (Mason) and Robert Andrew Young. We believe this photo was taken around the time of their wedding in 1903.

Clara and Robert had ten children; my grandmother Adah was their oldest. When I started into genealogy, I got a kick out of discovering that my dad is older than one of his aunts (Clara and Robert’s youngest daughter, Vida).

Clara (Mason) Young with her great-grandchildren, 1964.

Clara (Mason) Young with her great-grandchildren, 1964.

I’m fortunate to have several photos of her, including this one of her with her great-grandchildren in 1964. (This photo was scanned from a slide. Eat your heart out, Instagram.)

Great-grandma Clara (Mason) Young and me. Photo taken in my grandparents' (Stanley and Adah Young Johnson) back yard.

Great-grandma Clara (Mason) Young and me. Photo taken in my grandparents’ (Stanley and Adah Young Johnson) backyard.

Despite the photos, I don’t feel like I know her as well as I should. I need to go back through Grandma’s memoirs and see what I can glean. I also need to talk to Dad and my Aunt Clara (named for her grandmother) to get more stories.

Clara (Mason) Young died 25 August 1970 in Licking County, Ohio and is buried with Robert in Wilson Cemetery. Dad has promised to go with me to the cemetery if this winter would ever stop.

Keeping Busy With My Writing

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Though my 52 Ancestors post last week was really short, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing lately. I haven’t shared much of my work-related writing here, so I thought you might like to see what I’ve been up to with my day job.

Breaking Down Marriage Records” was for the Archives.com blog. Ever get confused about all of the names and dates on a marriage record? Don’t worry — you’re not alone. This post takes a marriage record from Grayson County, Texas and explains each part.

Women of the West” was for the Ancestry.com blog. It highlights a gem of a book with short biographies of more than 1,100 women in western states. It’s a cool resource that makes me wish I had a relative out there!

Ohio map by Anthony Finley, 1827.

Ohio map by Anthony Finley, 1827.

The piece I enjoyed writing the most was “Ohio Resources: Family History Sources in the Buckeye State.” That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me! I love opportunities to talk about Ohio research. Hmm… maybe I’ll start sharing a bit more Ohio-based information here on No Story Too Small.

52 Ancestors Challenge: Week 10 Recap

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52ancestors-week10Week 10! Can you believe it?! We’re in the double-digits!

There were more great posts this week. Among them… I’m waiting for the follow-up to thegenealogygirl’s attempt at contacting her long lost great-grand aunt. Lorine McGinnis Schulze has good reason for calling her ancestor a naughty girl! (And it was for good reason she was called that!) Though Lorine’s ancestor isn’t nearly as naughty as Denise Lemon Knapp’s “Girls Gone Wild, 1800s Style.” The Creola Genealogist tells of a ship lost at sea and “The Day Brava Lost Its Men.”

My entry this week was a quick look at my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Deffenbaugh Danison of Perry County, Ohio.

Submitted for your reading approval…