GENEALOGY Do-Over, Weeks 11 & 12: Breathing time!

Look how close we are to finishing this group of topics!  I've been finding the last few weeks significantly easier than the first few weeks:
Week 11 - Reviewing Social Media Options; Building a Research Network
Week 12 - Sharing Research; Reviewing Research Travel Options

Here's my brief summary of my SOCIAL MEDIA options, with my own information.  As for who I follow - too many to list.  It's my particular research and educational network - sometimes depending on the particular area and problem.  So I've somewhat skipped over RESEARCH NETWORK here:

• I have two BLOGS:  Twigs and Trees, my personal genealogy blog, and Terwilliger Souvenir Album, which is a page-by-page inventory of my great-grandfather's Album.
• I TWEET using TweetDeck:  @celialewis  - on many eclectic topics, #genealogy, #writing, and various science and STEM topics. Whatever catches my eye and fills my buckets. 
• I am on FACEBOOK as Celia Lewis - but it is focused on family, friends, cousins, other romance writers and writing colleagues, plus some few genealogists I follow. Not strictly genealogy, because I have several other passions (I know, you're cringing aren't you?!).  I also copy my two genealogy blog posts on my Facebook page, to intrigue my cousins and kids!  Looking for someone to pick up the passion, eventually.
• I'm on GOOGLE PLUS [G+]  as +CeliaLewis, and we'll see what changes may be taking place there later this year. This is a major source of morning wonders for me, as well as a quick check-through on people I love to follow - genealogy, nature, photographs [of birds, insects, various animals], sciences, geology, astronomy, and more.
• I have a Genealogy Board on PINTEREST  as CeliaWinky - along with other Boards of my special interests. 'Winky' by the way, is my Grandma Winky name.
• I follow about a dozen YOUTUBE genealogists or companies for genealogy education purposes. Of course, I also follow quite different people for jazz/folk/old-time blues music, spirituality support, and more.
• I follow half a dozen or so of genealogists' blogs and posts, including BLOG-TALK RADIO and other PODCASTS, particularly those with their unique educational flavour to their genealogy and history.  

You get the picture.  Social Media and I are pretty friendly, even though I'm not on "everything" social, nor am I an expert.  I do feel comfortable digging around on different social media sites, for what I'm learning or struggling with.

In RESEARCH SHARING - I am tagging all my photos correctly, finally.  There are a few which I am going to be marking as my own personal photographs, therefore they are copyright (with explanations).  I have already requested permission to share several photos of my son-in-law's great-grandparents and received permission along with some additional information and a friendly connection.  I've been doing this for some time now, so I am only being more detailed, more thorough, and going back through my older items.

I keep my own family tree on my computer [thoroughly backed up in 3 ways], in either of 3 or 4 different programs. I use Legacy as my primary program, but move the tree back and forth to the others for learning purposes as well as to access different reports, etc.  At least once a year, I teach genealogy for beginners so I try to understand the programs likely used by students.

I have my Ancestry online family tree set as private but searchable by others;  my family & cousins have access (but not edit rights). I have had a number of requests to view my tree, almost all of which I have approved. In a couple of cases, the requester had the wrong person for their family (which I could see very easily when I looked at their family tree online), so I gave him/her some hints on where to be looking instead.

I post on several Message Boards regularly, updating the post yearly or so, in hopes of finding cousins.

Re the online tree: events, places, names - if I am unsure of them, I usually mark as NOT PROVEN, or unsourced. That way, anyone seeing them will be aware of the caution and not simply copy. Truthfully, most people requesting to see my tree are looking for 1600s to late 1700s ancestors, and the research for that era can be challenging. I've received some wonderful old maps and sketches from 'relatives' of my direct ancestors, by asking very nicely if they could let me know how I could find that oh-so-wonderful land map of the late 1600, for example. I received direct links to not only the land map, but half a dozen more great documents directly related to the common ancestor we shared. I love sharing.

As for RESEARCH TRAVEL - that is a big dream of mine.  However, the reality of my situation since retirement in 2008 is that being retired with no pension or assets and therefore with a miniscule budget for "extras" means I tend to spend money on monthly costs I can budget: monthly Ancestry, monthly Evernote, monthly FindMyPast, monthly LegacyWebinars, etc. You get the picture. Saving money per month for anything larger than say, $50 or so, is out of the question.  With no financial buffer, I get wiped out any month there's an unusual expense or a yearly expense, like the genealogy society memberships (4), or medications needed after my recent eye surgery, or the veterinarian cost/meds for my bird the other week. Life. It is what it is.

I do have a dream list of what I'd like to do for genealogy research travel, of course.  Why not dream?  Who knows?  One day "someone" may make me a gift of enough money to travel, maybe $400-$800 should more than do one or two, I think:
1.  5-8 days at Salt Lake City Library - maybe every year or two! September?  March?
2.  Southern California Jamboree - held in June each year
3.  RootsTech - February 2016
4.  A ramble over various places of my Northeastern USA 1600-1700 ancestors: PA, ME, NJ, NY, and CT. April or May would be good months, eh?
5.  A trip across the pond to Barrow In Furness Lancashire, then to the Black Midlands to Dudley/Netherton Worcestershire, with a stop in Islay for a wonderful single-malt scotch tour [big dream], and then to Northern Ireland to County Tyrone as well as Belfast.
6.  Well, if I'm going across the pond, obviously I should hit London once more (I was here for 13 days back in the 1990s), and visit the Society of Genealogists, and the British Library, as well as...

In the meantime, my Do-Over Legacy tree is coming along, slowly and carefully.  And I'm constantly reviewing how to make the original Master Source, then make the correct Citations - I'd done it completely wrong in my old tree.  Basic misunderstanding of how to do what!

I'm using my son-in-law's family tree as a perfect way to START RIGHT!  My documents for my his family tree are correctly labeled and filed, ditto for the photographs and maps. I'm actively using the Research Logs I've made, including the document log  - Excel is my friend indeed. Oh, and isn't it fun to colour-code the tabs? Very cool!

All in all, I'm very pleased I started this Do-Over process. My desk is tidier than ever, as a bonus. Through the year, I'm going to be working my way through my old tree and all my documents, maps, books, and other miscellaneous items for my genealogy. Tune in next year, to see what I've accomplished! A huge Thank You to Thomas MacEntee for suggesting this incredible journey.

You can contact me via calewis at telus dot net or via Comments below, and hopefully Google is letting me reply to comments. There was a problem when I updated, and I'm still trying to figure out which defaults got changed!! So if I don't reply to your Comment, know that I'm totally thrilled that you came to read my post and commented! You make my day.

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No.12: "Same" - Grove TERWILLIGER

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was "Luck of the Irish,"  and this week, SAME, as in same as me.  This was difficult - no one had my same name, although there were a few "Cecelia" names. No nurses.  No similar experiences... Ah. But there WAS an ancestor who had a very similar passion for family history:  my great-grandfather, James Grover "Grove" TERWILLIGER.  

That's right - THAT Terwilliger, the one who made a huge many-paged Souvenir Album, filling it with obituaries, letters, cards, tickets, and other bits and pieces of his life.  His Album inspired me to continue searching for more information about my ancestors, my 'larger' family. I had started several years before I retired, thinking it would be a way to know how I related to a much broader range of family members. 

On a separate blog I am attempting to inventory the entire Album, page by page, name by name, event by event. Here is my other blog, TERWILLIGER SOUVENIR ALBUM, where you can follow along.  There are about 120 pages, and I'm only up to page 34!  

A dozen years ago, when I opened my deceased grandmother's box, and dug into one package and box after another, I was surprised and disappointed to find nothing of apparent value.  No gorgeous jewellery or beautiful silk dresses or scarves, no lovely hand-sewn or embroidered keepsakes. I put it away after poking in it casually, thinking I'd look more closely when I had more time.

And, when I did have time to be more thorough, I was thrilled to find so many genealogy and family history clues. Here are only a few of the genealogy/family history items:

1.  Several detailed genealogies my grandmother's brother Hal Terwilliger had drafted out for her in order to qualify for membership in either The Holland Society, and/or for Daughters of the American Revolution, and including photocopied pages from several surname history books. Names: TERWILLIGER, GRAVES, GRISWOLD, MERWIN, MORGAN, TREAT.
2.  My grandmother's typed out "Memoirs", dictated to a friend of hers about 5 years or so before she died here in Vancouver.  I must get these many pages into a blog at some point in the future.
3.  Several notes/letters, again from her brother Hal Terwilliger, about how we related to several famous surnames, or important places.
4.  A timeline list of my grandmother's medical events in her handwriting. 
5.  Photographs of my grandmother and her children, with her own mother, and grandparents.
6.  A bag of very cheap costume jewellery (sigh!), quite out of date, not taken care of, and not particularly valuable.  I wanted to find them attractive or valuable for any reason, but - no.
7.  A huge bulky heavy box, which, when unwrapped and all the tape sliced through, showed a huge book, labeled "TERWILLIGER SOUVENIR ALBUM." Very large, it is 17"x14"x6" - large, and heavy, and in fair-medium shape.

This Album is a different kind of treasure chest. It contains so many useful items about my great-grandfather's social and family life, including several pages with family obituaries and newspaper articles about a number of relatives. It was from these pages of history, as well as pages of wedding cards, that I was able to prove various family relationships and add to my family tree. Many clues are in this Album, and I keep finding another one, and another one, as I inventory each page. I'm impatient to get to the end.

Did I do a similar Album?  No. Although one year my mother [his granddaughter] made separate photo albums for all three of us children, when I was about 28, starting with the phrase "In the Beginning...".  And I did something similar for my own 4 children.  

No, it wasn't making such an Album which is the "Same" relationship.  Rather it is the passion to save family history, to remember family members through various means, to pass on knowledge of one's family - that is the "same." 

I'm sure if he were alive at this point in time, he would be thrilled to be doing genealogy research on his/our relationships. Yes, I doubt his eyes would glaze over - he'd probably want to go with me on trips to find more information, and tramp over cemeteries!  

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES No.11: Luck of the Irish: DONAGHY & GILLESPIE

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was Stormy Weather, and this week it is "Luck of the Irish."  Here is shown the links of how my daughter's great-great-grandmother and my son-in-law's great-grandmother lived a stone's throw (or two) from each other in Ireland, and their descendants met and married in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada - half-way 'round the world.

My greatgrandmother, Catherine ARMSTRONG, bap. 3 May 1853 in Parish Clogher, Augher, County Tyrone, N.Ireland, married George GILLESPIE in 1875 in Augher. I have written a number of times about my GILLESPIE line, and this photo of  Catherine is taken in 1895-1898, from a family photograph. 

The Parish birthplace - Clogher, County Tyrone - was listed on their 1911 Census in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England. The family had moved from Ireland just before 1881. The village of Augher shows on the birth registration of their first son, my grandfather, Wm John "Jack" GILLESPIE, who was born there.  His birth was attended by the Informant, Margerie Armstrong - who could be Catherine's mother, grandmother, aunt, or sister... I have yet to find any record of Margerie.  As you can see on the extreme right box, it took several months to finally name Grandpa! I wonder why? 

Transcription: Births registered in the District of Clogher, in County of Tyrone:  #439.  Birthdate:Twentythree August 1876; blank box for name of baby, M[ale]. Father: George Gillespie; Dwelling place: Augher;  Mother: Catherine Gillespie formerly Armstrong; Father's Profession:  Labourer;  Informant: Margerie Armstrong "X" her mark, present at Birth, Augher; Date Registered: Twenty Eighth August 1876;  [Frar. Scraggs]; Bapt. Name if added after Registration of Birth:  Wm John, 23rd October 1876. 

Now recently, I was asked to research my son-in-law's family, their British & German roots, and ran across a great-grandmother of his born in Ireland. Another Irish connection. How interesting, I thought.  [Happy St.Patrick's Day!]

Martha Jane DONAGHY, b. abt 1877, in Emyvale, County Monaghan, N.Ireland, married 2 Aug 1898 in Glasgow, Scotland to James PERRY, b. 1875 in Hartshill, Warwickshire, England.  Her parents were Patrick DONAGHY and Martha McGUINESS, both of Ireland. The 1911 Census of England & Wales gave the birthplace for each person, which was my first finding of the village of Emyvale in Monaghan for Martha Jane DONAGHY's birthplace.  

On a map, I saw that the village of Emyvale was very close to the northern edge of County Monaghan... and just for a lark, I looked for where the village of Augher was in the south of County Tyrone.  CLOSE!  Very close: 10.8 miles (17.4 km), in fact.  With a steady walk, it's only a few hours away. Click on the link to see the region on Google Maps.

So I have found that my daughter and her husband, both have direct ancestors - great-grandmothers - who took different routes emigrating from their nearby villages in Northern Ireland. And their descendants ended up across the ocean, across Canada, in Victoria, British Columbia, where they met and married. Amazing. Half way round the world.

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of Martha Jane DONAGHY Perry.  Apparently a box or two of photographs is coming "soon".  I can't wait to see if there are photographs of her in the box. 

If you have further information on any of the people listed here, do contact me directly via calewis at telus dot com.  I would love to continue adding more details and photos to my son-in-law's family records.  

NOTE: My Blogger account is acting up and not allowing me to reply to comments just now. Assume that I am absolutely thrilled you took the time to come by, read the notes, and comment. You make my day!

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 10: "Stormy Weather" -

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was Close to Home, and this week it is "Stormy Weather."  

Living on the "wet coast" (BC), we haven't had the stormy weather the eastern states and Canada have had to deal with this winter.  I haven't seen anything in my ancestors' lives to indicate a literal issue of stormy weather, so I'm using a figurative example of stormy weather. 

My father's parents were William John GILLESPIE, known as Jack all his life, and Harriette BUNN (photo on right).  Grandpa was born in Augher, Co.Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 23 Aug 1876; Grandma was born in Netherton, Staffordshire, England in 31 Oct 1879.  Both ended up in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England where their fathers and other relatives were able to find work in the booming economy in Barrow.  Ship-building, steel-manufacturing, and related industries drew workers from far away.

On the 1881 Census in Barrow, my 5 year old Grandpa Jack, his 3 year old little brother Jim, his parents George & Catherine, his 2 uncles Andrew & Robert and his aunt Margaret , and his grandparents James & Elizabeth, all lived in a cottage termed "#262 Brick Cottages".  There were about 300 of these built for the workers, and every family member of working age, worked. 

The economy went quite well until into the early 1900s; Grandpa grew up and on the 23rd of May 1899, he married Harriet Bunn, whose parents - following a step-brother/uncle -  had moved up to Barrow shortly after the 1881 Census. The photo you see above is a tintype photo taken in Barrow, and is described in the family as their  "engagement photo".  

Around 1905, Grandpa Jack moved his family across Hadrian's Wall and into Scotland, to Cambusnethan (near Wishaw and Newmains), where he worked in the Newmains foundry.  Their 4th child, Beatrice, died of tuberculosis in 1907, aged 3 years. That same year, my father was born, and 3 years later to the day, the youngest Gillespie child, Elizabeth "Lil" was born.   Also in 1907, Grandpa's little brother, Jim (nicknamed "Rusty") decided to go to Canada, and left (with a Bible from Barrow), sailing from Glasgow on 16 Mar 1907, for the port of Halifax, Canada.  Jim eventually settled in Ontario, marrying and raising a family of four children there.

Several years later, England experienced a minor economic depression, and moving to Canada was very attractive for many English (and other Great Britain countries).  Grandpa decided to come to Canada, and left the port of Liverpool on the Empress of Britain on June 2, 1911 with his father-in-law George Bunn Sr., following not only his brother Jim Gillespie, but also his brother-in-law, George Bunn, who was in Vancouver by 1910.  Unfortunately, his father-in-law became sick and returned to Barrow shortly afterwards.  Grandpa travelled on to Vancouver, finding work as a longshoreman.  Although the family story is that his first job in Vancouver was being tagged on the main street (Granville?) for jury duty and being paid for it - his first income!  

All very well, you're thinking... but where's the 'stormy weather'?  Grandpa left Barrow  on June 1911, leaving his wife Harriette, and children aged 12-2 yrs old: Elsie, George, Winnie, John, and Lil. They were separated for several years. Years. Not months or weeks, but years. Tough times, I suspect. 

And finally, after over three years, Grandpa borrowed money from the Salvation Army and was able to get his family out of England on October 22, 1914.  That's right - 1914. Several months after the start of World War 1.  Stormy weather indeed.  The ship they travelled on  across the ocean was the Virginian, which was immediately refitted for war and sent to the Mediterranean after it returned to Great Britain.  

If Grandpa had not been able to pay the fees to bring his wife and 5 children over at that time, they might not have made it across until after the war - another 4 years!   
Between the start of WWI and the 3 years since leaving Barrow, the couple went through difficult times, apart. The formal photo here is of the family in 1917, several years after finally settling in back together, in Vancouver BC.  

I don't recall anyone in the family talking of this over-3-year's separation period.  But I think it must have been somewhat difficult to be apart this long and then back together again.  Over the next number of years, several others of Harriette Bunn's family emigrated to Canada, coming to Vancouver.  

Stormy weather - Marriage can be stormy weather at times, and this period of time must have been challenging for my grandparents, as well as their children.  

If you have questions or information, do contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.  I appreciate any corrections as well.  

NOTE: My Blogger account is acting up and not allowing me to reply to comments just now. Assume that I am absolutely thrilled you took the time to come by, read the notes, and comment. You make my day!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - My great-grandmother & plane, 1927

On the back of this photo is written (in my grandmother's handwriting): Madee ('mother') took this plane in 1927.  She would have been about 70 at the time.

An intrepid traveller, she lived to 97 years, buried on her birthday 5 Nov 1955 in Syracuse, Onondaga, New York. Clara Augusta "Gussie" "Madee" GRAVES m. James "Grove" Grover TERWILLIGER on 2 Oct 1879, Syracuse, Onondaga, NY.

52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES. No. 9, CLOSE TO HOME: The HEALY Sisters

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog, but based on Themes. Last week, it was GOOD DEEDS, which I found a challenge.  This week, the theme is Close to Home.  

The HEALY sisters who married two brothers... not an unusual pairing. I have several similar family pairings.  And they make sense, don't they?  Your families go to the same church, your families live nearby, help each other out, go to school together... There are so many reasons why it is logical to marry into the same families. Here are two sisters who married into my ex-husband's Rice family line.

Originally from Vermont, Calvin HEALY (1801-1881) and Mary OLIN (1809-1872) had 7 known children born in White County, Illinois.   Their near neighbours in the area of Indian Creek, were the RICE family, originally from Vermont and Kentucky states: Abel RICE (1792-1846) and Lydia GHOLSON (1792-1850).  

The RICE family had 11 children, 5 of them boys: Tolliver G. b. 1816, Eliza R. b. 1818, Hulda b. 1819, Martha b. 1820, Sarah M. b. 1821, Allan M. b. 1824, William Emerson b. 1826, Henry C. b 1827, Elizabeth I. b. 1829, Mary Ann b. 1830, Joel b. 1832.  

The HEALY family had 7 children, 3 of them girls: Arletta M. b. 1830, Charlotte L. b. 1835, George Calvin b. 1837, James H. b. 1840, Jerusha Ann b. 1844, Joseph M b. 1847, and Henry Gilbert b. 1849.  

As you can see, the children's ages overlapped.  I can imagine the younger Rice girls Elizabeth & Mary Ann visiting with the Healy girls nearby, maybe after school, and after chores.  Henry and Joel Rice likely hung out with George & James Rice. Picnics together.  Farming chores. Church socials. Their fathers probably did road work together when needed, talking together about their children, the future, standing around together after church. The girls put together their hope chest or dowry chest - a trunk of linens, embroidery and quilts, needed for when they got married. Sitting together in the winter, sewing, planning, dreaming.

Arletta M., the eldest HEALY, married Henry C. Rice on 30 Jan 1850, and had 4 children, 1 boy and 3 girls: Ezra Joel, Ophelia, Marion Janette, and Rutha Roseanna.  

Several years later, the 2nd Healy child, Charlotte L. married the youngest Rice boy, Joel RICE, on 19 Aug 1854.  They had 5 children:  Henry Luther (direct ancestor), Caroline O., Sarah A., Charles, and Mary N.  

Their eldest child, our direct ancestor, Henry Luther RICE, continued to live in Illinois, marrying two wives, with 11 children born.  Eventually he moved to California with his 2nd wife and all the children, where he died in 1934, in Redlands.

If you have any information about the Healy or Rice family, I am happy to hear from you, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.

NOTE: My Blogger account is acting up and not allowing me to reply to comments just now. Assume that I am absolutely thrilled you took the time to come by, read the notes, and comment. You make my day!