The optional theme this week was “How Do You Spell That?” There was no shortage of usual and hard-to-spell names!

Cheryl Biermann Hartley of My Search for the Past documented the numerous names assigned to her great-great-grandmother, all of which are hard to spell. Elizabeth Handler of From Maine to Kentucky raises a good point about variant spellings being a clue as to how the family pronounced the name.

I’ve long been a fan of Roberta Estes and her blog, DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy. Last week, Roberta wrote “Luremia Combs (c1740-c1820) and the Revolution on Her Doorstep (52 Ancestors #67).” I enjoyed reading not only about Luremia, but also Roberta’s research process. I think many of us will understand why Roberta said she was drawn like a moth to a flame to her ancestor’s land!

My 52 Ancestors post this week was about Laurestine U. Dinsmoor Debolt, sister-in-law to my 3rd-great-grandmother Matilda Debolt Skinner Crossen Brown McFillen. I’m guessing that Laurestine had to spell her name for people more than once in her life!

It’s Your Turn

Who did you write about last week? Leave a link to the post, along with the name and a little bit about the ancestor, in the comment below. While you’re here, take a look at the posts from Week 14. There are a lot of fun posts, including ones who followed the optional theme of “Favorite Photo.”

Upcoming Optional Themes:

• Week 16 (Apr 16 – 22) – Live Long
• Week 17 (Apr 23 – 29) – Prosper
• May themes

Remember, the optional weekly themes are just that — optional. Feel free to use them or not! The point of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks isn’t to follow the themes. The point is to write more about our ancestors. What you write about is up to you!

It’s hard to believe that in a few days we will begin the 5th month of the year. Is anyone else astonished how quickly this year is going?

For those of you who like to work ahead a little bit, here are the optional weekly themes for May 2015:

Week 18 (April 30 – May 6) – Where There’s a Will: Do you have an ancestor who left an interesting will? Have you used a will to solve a problem? Or, what ancestor showed a lot of will in his or her actions?

Week 19 (May 7-13) – There’s a Way: What ancestor found a way out of a sticky situation? You might also think of this in terms of transportation or migration.

Week 20 (May 14-20) – Black Sheep: Each of us has an ancestor who was the troublemaker or the ne’er-do-well. This is their week.

Week 21 (May 21-27) – Military: This week, the United States will be observing Memorial Day. Do you have any military ancestors? Were any ancestors affected by the military or by war?

Week 22 (May 28 – June 3) – Commencement: Countless schools will be having their commencement ceremonies around this time. Think not only about school, but also about commencement meaning “a beginning.”

The weekly recaps will be posted on Thursdays; you can add your links to those posts when it’s time. I look forward to seeing your posts!

Hard to believe we’re in Week 14 already!

With the week’s optional theme being “Favorite Photo,” I knew it would be an even more interesting week than usual. (And that’s saying something!)

Melody Lassalle of The Research Journal shared a photo of the 8 Pacheco brothers, taken circa 1905 in Kauai, Hawaii. (By the way, Melody, you weren’t the only one to ask how you were supposed to pick only one!) Amy Wood Kelly of Shaking My Family Tree showed Molsie Jane Talbert Litaker and gave a brief history of tintypes. Brenna G. of Green Family Archives posted a really cool photo of the Twin Doctors Green — neat photo from med school!

My contribution this week (also combining with Week 13, with a passing reference to her husband), was my great-grandmother Clara (Mason) Young: “Great-Grandma Young Wasn’t Always Old.” It’s one of my favorite photos, and it also got me to think about how our mind’s eye can warp our perceptions of people.

It’s Your Turn

Leave a comment with a link to your 52 Ancestors post from this week, along with the ancestor’s name and maybe a bit of context. Also take a look at the entries from Week 13. There are a lot of “different” posts there!

Upcoming Themes:

• Week 15 (Apr 9 – 15) – How Do You Spell That?
• Week 16 (Apr 16 – 22) – Live Long
• Week 17 (Apr 23 – 29) – Prosper

The April themes post has ideas for ways you might think about the optional weekly themes. The optional themes for May will be posted on April 15. (It’s definitely more fun than Tax Day!)

Week 13! Thirteen isn’t usually seen as a lucky number, but I think there’s a lot to be said for Week 13. It marks the 1/4 mark in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge!

Eileen Souza of Old Bones Genealogy wrote about her black sheep relative William T. Meisberger, who gave a lesson on why you should look at out-of-town newspapers. Caroll Budny of Trace Your Genealogy wrote about “Frisky! Alex Rusenko and Nervous Nellie.” You’ll want to see what was written on Alex’s border crossing record. Elizabeth Handler of From Maine to Kentucky wrote about how differences between spouses might account for the many divorces of her grandfather Charles Pyle.

The optional theme in Week 13 was “Different.” You could say that I followed the theme by doing something different. I didn’t write about anyone in my family tree. I might “catch up” next week…  or I might not. Remember — this is supposed to be a “low stress” challenge

Your Turn

Who did you write about last week? Also, while you’re waiting for the Easter Bunny to show up, take a look at the great writing from Week 12.

Upcoming Themes:

• Week 14 (Apr 2 – 8) – Favorite Photo
• Week 15 (Apr 9 – 15) – How Do You Spell That?
• Week 16 (Apr 16 – 22) – Live Long
• Week 17 (Apr 23 – 29) – Prosper

The April themes post has ideas for ways you might think about the optional weekly themes.

March Madness is in full swing. If your bracket is like mine, let’s just say that there’s always next year. (I’ve long held a theory that genealogists like March Madness because the brackets look like ancestor charts.)

Hollie Ann Henke at Relativity wrote about Hugh Clark, her 4th-great-grandfather and fellow music lover. Andrea Kelleher of How Did I Get Here? My Amazing Genealogy Journey told about her 3rd-great-grandfather Jacob Kerr and how she’s sorting out the wheres and whens of his life. (I love the use of Google Earth!) Colleen Greene of Colleen & Jeff’s Roots shared the reason why she’s beginning the search for her biological mother. (Colleen — we all wish you well as you start that journey.)

The optional theme this week was “Same.” I featured the only other Amy in my database: Amy Skinner, daughter of my 4th-great-grandparents Robert and Elizabeth (Spencer) Skinner. The post is almost more about her minister and how he provided insight into Amy’s life.

Your Turn

Who did you write about this past week? Leave a comment with a link to your post and the name and a bit about the ancestor. (Cousin bait!) Also, take a look at the posts from Week 11. Reading some of those might help you forget about how poorly your bracket is doing.

Upcoming Themes:

• Week 13 (Mar 26 – Apr 1) – Different
• Week 14 (Apr 2 – 8) – Favorite Photo
• Week 15 (Apr 9 – 15) – How Do You Spell That?
• Week 16 (Apr 16 – 22) – Live Long
• Week 17 (Apr 23 – 29) – Prosper

The April themes post has ideas for approaching the optional weekly themes.

It’s easy to focus solely on our relatives. After all, they’re the ones we’re trying to learn more about. However, sometimes we need to take a look at the others they associated with to get a better idea of their lives.

Amy Skinner was a daughter of my 4th-great-grandparents Robert and Elizabeth (Spencer) Skinner. She married William Yost in Perry County, Ohio on 18 January 1838.¹⁾William Yost and Amy Skinner marriage, Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013, FamilySearch.org; digitized image of Perry County, Ohio marriage volume 1, page 246. Amy died in Perry County on 29 December 1886²⁾Perry County, Ohio Death Records, Volume 1 (Junction City, OH: Perry County Chapter, OGS, 1986), p. 423. Note: her FindAGrave memorial lists the year as 1888; I’m inclined to believe the death record. and is buried in the Lutheran Reformed Cemetery in Thornville.³⁾Amy Skinner Yost, memorial 127790110, FindAGrave.com.

Her burial in the Lutheran Reformed Cemetery caught my eye. The Skinners were from a long line of Baptists. Amy’s parents, Robert and Elizabeth, are both buried in the Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery. Amy’s brother William married Matilda Debolt, the daughter of Baptist minister George Debolt. So where does this tie to the Lutheran Church come in?

I re-examined her marriage record. Amy and William were married by Charles Hinkel, Minister of the Gospel. Time to do a little digging on Charles.

William Yost and Amy Skinner marriage record, Perry County, Ohio marriage volume 1, page 246.

History of Perry County, Ohio by Clement L. Martzolff states, “This church [the Lutheran Church at Somerset] and most of the other Lutheran Churches in the county was served by Rev. Chas. Hinkle who is buried in the old cemetery.”⁴⁾Clement L. Martzolff, History of Perry County, Ohio (by the author, 1902), p. 100. Available on Internet Archive. So Amy’s connection to the Lutheran Church goes back at least to her marriage to William Yost.

This split with her parents’ religion didn’t seem to alienate her from the family, at least not officially. Amy was mentioned in her father’s will with the bequest that the daughters “share and share alike.”⁵⁾FamilySearch.org, Ohio Probate Records, 1789-1996, Robert Skinner will, Perry County probate case 559; Perry County Probate Court, New Lexington, Ohio. We’ll likely never know if there was tension in the family because she married a Lutheran. But taking a look at the minister who married Amy and William gives a little bit of insight into Amy’s life.

There was a lot of green in this week’s posts. That’s not surprising, considering the optional theme was “Luck of the Irish.”

Some of the many posts that stood out to me this week include: Cheryl Biermann Hartley of My Search for the Past wrote about the lucky McGaughey family Bible. Patricia Rohn of Shaking the Tree wrote about her great-grand uncle Amandus Logue who worked on construction of the Panama Canal. (Cool name and a cool photo!) Melissa Wiseheart of A Wise Heart’s Journey wrote about Zerilda Eleanora Rakestraw Springer, who she calls “almost a ghost.”

Another post that I’d like to highlight is by Roberta Estes of DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy. Roberta said that doing the 52 Ancestors challenge got her to thinking about how her research has progressed over the years… and how she has 11 things she’d do differently.

My contribution this week was James Orr, one of my many ancestors with rather fuzzy Irish origins. No Famine immigrants for me — my Irish were already in North America by 1800, which makes it a bit challenging. (As if Irish research weren’t already challenging enough!) Ironically, within just a few hours of posting that, Ann Lamb left a comment with clues on where I might be able to find him. Thank you, Ann! It goes to show that writing about your ancestors really can help your research.

Upcoming Themes:

• Week 12 (Mar 19 – 25) – Same
• Week 13 (Mar 26 – Apr 1) – Different
• April themes