52 Ancestors — #12: Mary Sumner Green, Who Had a Big Heart, Literally

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I just caught up with the fact that since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” Looking back over my previous postings, I see that I have featured mostly male ancestors. So, with this posting in my 52 Ancestors series (see below for info), I am focusing on a female ancestor, Mary E Sumner Green, one of my maternal great grandmothers.

First, here is how I am related:

Mary E Sumner (1851 – 1884) was my great grandmother
Grace Darling Green (1879 – 1948) was the daughter of Mary E Sumner
Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) was the daughter of Grace Darling Green
Wallace Dingman Huskonen is me, and I am the son of Mary Jane Dingman

Second, here are the brief facts about Mary E. Sumner as I have learned them: When she was born in 1851 in Conneaut Twp, Ashtabula County, Ohio, her father, Harrison, was 23 and her mother, Harriet, was 23. She married Jared R. Green in about 1866 and they had one son, Edwin, and one daughter. Grace, between 1867 and 1879. After Jared died in 1879, she married Stephen Edwin Furman in about 1881 in Conneaut Twp. She died as a young mother on December 10, 1884, in Ferry, Oceana County, Michigan, at the age of 33.

In this report, we will examine census records (obtained on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org) and a letter written by Mary’s aunt at the time of her death, but first we want to present a transcription of her Death Journal entry in Michigan found here on FamilySearch.org :

Name: Mary E. Furman
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 10 Dec 1884
Event Place: Ferry, Oceana, Michigan
Gender: Female
Age: 33
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Housewife
Birth Date:
Birth Year (Estimated): 1851
Birthplace: Ohio
Father’s Name: Harrison D. Sumner
Mother’s Name: Harriet Sumner
Reference ID: p 2 rn 29
GS Film Number: 2363673
Digital Folder Number: 004207813
Image Number: 01294

In the same Oceana County Death Journal, the entry right above  Mary’s death record reveals another fact: Mary E Furman bore a daughter just a month before her death. According to this earlier journal entry, her baby lived only three days and was never given a name. The infant’s died on 3 Nov 1884 and was caused by “inflammation [of] lungs.” Stephen E Furman was listed as the father. The entry reported that both parents were residing in Michigan, but gave no specific details about place of residence.

Shown here are exerpts from page 1 (top) and page 2 of the Death Journal showing the two entries of interest on lines 28 and 29 (click on images to enlarge) :

Death Certificate, Furman, Baby, MI 1884 p1 Death Certificate, Furman, Baby MI 1884 p2Death Certificate, Furman, Baby MI 1884 p2Death Certificate, Furman, Baby, MI 1884 p2

If you want to see the full digital images on FamilySearch, go here and here. Death Certificate, Furman, Baby MI 1884 p2

Note that her family name in these records was Furman. I have every confidence that these record are correct because she was living with family members who were knowledgeable about her situation, and obviously cared about her. We’ll get around to that letter I mentioned and to her husband, Stephen Edwin Furman, later in this report. At this point, however, I want to use census records to track Mary’s life from Conneaut Twp to Ferry Twp in Michigan.

In the 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Mary Sumner was enumerated on the 27th of June as being 10 years old and living in Conneaut Twp. She was living in the household of Harrison Sumner, age 36 [her father]; Harriet Sumner, age 37 [her mother]; and four siblings: William, age 16; Charles, age 14; Emily, age 12; and George, age 6. Harrison was born in New York State and was a farmer, and Harriet was born in Pennsylvania. All the children were born in Ohio. There is no value listed for Harrison’s real estate, but his personal estate was valued at $500.

In the 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Conneaut Twp, Mary is enumerated as Mary Green, 20 years old, keeping house in the household of Jared D Green, age 34, who we know was her husband. I haven’t found a record of their marriage, but it probably was about 1866 or 1867, when Jared returned from the Civil War. Also living in the household were Frank Green, age 10, and Evelyn Green, age 7, children born to Jared’s first wife, Mary Drake, who died in 1865. Jared was listed as a “grocer – retired.” His personal estate was valued at $150. (I posted a report about Jared on Feb 25, 2014. You can read it here.

Jared passed away in Nov 1879 (cause of death was emphysema) according to the 1880 Mortality schedule, so in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Mary E. Green was enumerated as head of household, 28 years old, widowed, and living in Conneaut Twp, with her daughter, Gracie D, age 1. Her occupation: keeping house.

Sometime after the 1880 census, Mary married Stephen Edward Furman, who also lived in Conneaut Twp. I don’t have any record of their marriage, or of where they lived in Ohio. Sometime after they got married, however, they traveled across Ohio and up into Michigan, probably by railroad, to join relatives. Mary’s uncle had earned a homestead with 40 acres in Ferry Twp, in Oceana County. The county is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and has gained a reputation as the “Asparagus Capital of the World” for its high production of asparagus. In the 1880s, however, the area was attracting homesteaders who wanted to operate fruit tree farms, and that is what Mary’s uncle, George Sumner, did.

By 1884, Mary was pregnant, and probably having a hard time. After the birth–and death–of her baby, she was living with her Uncle George and Aunt Harriet, according to a letter written by Harriet to a friend, Jennie Morley, in Andover, Ohio. Somehow the letter survived over the years among the papers of Frank Green (I’ll give a report on Frank at some point in the future). The paper on which the letter was written remains in good shape, but the ink obviously was cheap, and the writing has faded over the ensuing 130 years, even though it was hidden away from sunlight.

According to Harriet (Mary’s aunt, not her mother), Mary had come to live with them in Ferry Twp, not “those Furmans” living nearby. Marywas bed-ridden after she gave birth, and a doctor told her she had an enlarged heart (her literal “big heart” of the title of this report), and that she might not have long to live.

According to a definition offered online by the Mayo Clinic,

An enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) isn’t a disease, but rather a symptom of another condition. The term “cardiomegaly” most commonly refers to an enlarged heart seen on chest X-ray before other tests are performed to diagnose the specific condition causing your cardiomegaly. You may develop an enlarged heart temporarily because of a stress on your body, such as pregnancy, or because of a medical condition, such as the weakening of the heart muscle, coronary artery disease, heart valve problems or abnormal heart rhythms.

As we know now, Mary did succumb to her “heart disease.” That meant that Gracie was essentially an orphan, because Stephan Edward Furman was living elsewhere in Michigan and did not offer to care for her. Also, George Sumner had become “sickly” and he and Harriet didn’t think they could care for Grace. Under these circumstances, Harriet wrote the letter to Jennie Morley suggesting that she take in Grace and raise her. And that is what happened, and yes, I will discuss this in another episode in my 52 Ancestors series.

In about 1998, I undertook a research trip to Oceana County to see what I could learn about Mary’s stay there. This was before genealogical and family history data had became available on the Internet. The drive there took about five and a half hours, and I stayed in a bed and breakfast in Hart, the Oceana County seat. I did find the cemetery in Ferry Twp where Mary was buried in a family plot purchased by George Sumner. For Mary’s burial, George acquired a simple head stone with the initials MS engraved on it. I was able to confirm that this was Mary’s final resting place as a result of a chance encounter with the cemetery caretaker, and that she was the first family member to be buried in the plot. The caretaker was mowing grass when I flagged him down to ask where the cemetery records were kept. He said that he had them in his pickup truck and that he would show them to me. There, in the cemetery record book, I found that Mary Sumner Furman was indeed buried in the George Sumner family plot.

My great grandmother Mary’s life, and especially her final days, must have been difficult. But she brought forth a daughter who was to be my Grandma Grace. I’ll have more to report on Grandma Grace in a future episode. (Actually, I posted on Feb 4, 2014 some recollections of a stay with her in Cleveland in 1946. For that episode, go here.

This posting on Mary Sumner Green is part of my participation in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. For more details on her Challenge, go here.

52 Ancestors — #11: Baptist Robert Brush, My Irish Ancestor (sort of)

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Today, on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m writing about Baptist Robert Brush, my fourth great grandfather as the eleventh subject in my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series. He was born in about 1750 in Antrim, Northern Ireland. He had 11 children with Esther Gamble. He died in 1810 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 60. (For more on the 52 Ancestors series, see the end of this posting.)

Here is how he is related to me:

Baptist Robert Brush (1750 – 1810) is my 4th great grandfather
Baptist Brush (1784 – 1857) is the son of Baptist Robert Brush
Jane L Brush (1826 – 1900) is the daughter of Baptist Brush
Andrew Simpson Dingman (1853 – 1909) is the son of Jane L Brush
Wallace Betts Dingman (1881 – 1920) is the son of Andrew Simpson Dingman
Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) is the daughter of Wallace Betts Dingman
Wallace Dingman Huskonen is me, the son of Mary Jane Dingman

Actually, I haven’t learned much about Baptist, the father, and only a bit more about Baptist, the son. Here is what I found in History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : Its Past and Present : Including Its Aboriginal History, Its Early Settlement and Development, published in 1888. The following is found on p. 1129 (note that even this source soon moves on to Baptist, the son):

Baptist Brush was one of the early settlers of Salem Township. He was a native of Ireland, and came to this county with his family [in] about 1798. He located on the farm now owned by Samuel North [in 1888], where he resided until his death. His son, Baptist, was born in Ireland in 1782, and had reached the age of sixteen when the family settled in Mercer County. He [the son] married Esther Simpson, whose parents [also] were from Ireland and early settlers of the county, and located on the homestead, where the balance of his life was passed. Eight children were born of this union, four of who are living, viz.: Simpson, John P., Jane, wife of Nelson Dingman, of West Salem, and Mary, wife of William Allen, of Salem Township. Baptist Brush was a sergeant in Capt. Gilliland’s company in the War of 1812. He died June 18, 1857, and his widow October 8, 1860, both in the faith of the United Presbyterian Church.

Here are the other brief facts I have learned about Baptist, the son: When he was born about 1782 in Limerick, Ireland, his father, Baptist Robert, was 32 and his mother, Esther, was 30. Baptist, the son, married Esther Simpson in about 1820. Their children are listed above. He was 73 when he died.

In the 1800 United States Federal Census, both Baptist, the father, and Baptist, the son, were enumerated living West Fallowfield Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania. By 1810, the father and son had moved about 250 miles westward to Salem Twp, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and they were enumerated in separate households in the 1810 U.S. Federal Census.

In 1812, Baptist, the son, served in Capt. Gilliland’s Company in the War of 1812.

The book, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : Its Past and Present, reports that Baptist and his brother, James were elders in the Presbyterian Church.

The 1820 U.S. Federal Census enumerates Baptist as living in Salem Twp, and it was sometime before then that he married Esther Simpson. Their first child, Mary, arrived in 1822, followed by Jonathan and Simpson [twins? or errors in birth years?] in 1825, and Jane in 1826. Some family trees have another son, James, born in 1839, but that seems unlikely to me because Esther’s age in 1839 would be 54, and because an explanation is suggested by the 1850 census, which you can see below.

In the 1830 and 1840 U.S. Federal Censuses, Baptist Brush was again enumerated as living in Salem Twp.

By the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, the Brush family household included Baptist, age 66; Ester [sic], age 65; Mary, age 27; and Jonathan, age 25. A boy 11 years of age by the name of James Johnson, also was enumerated as living in the household [this may be the James supposedly born to Baptist and Esther in 1829]. Occupations of Baptist and Jonathan were listed as “farmer.” The value of the real property was listed as $2000.

As noted above, Baptist passed away on 18 Jun 1856. Unfortunately, I have no information on where either Baptist, father or son, or their spouses were buried. Jane Brush, born on 07 May 1826 to Baptist and Esther, in Salem Twp, and died on 10 Mar 1900, in Williamsfield, Ashtabula County, Ohio, the wife of Nelson Dingman (who I will write about later), is buried in Park Lawn Cemetery in Jamestown, Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

The first records of my Brush ancestors are from Antrim in what is today Northern Ireland, so their family line probably originated in Scotland, and they should be considered Scots-Irish, rather than plain Irish. This conclusion would be supported by the involvement of Baptist, the son, as an elder in the Presbyterian Church in Salem Twp mentioned above.

So that’s the brief story of my ancestral immigrants from Ireland.

For more details on the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, go here.

52 Ancestors–#10: Alonzo Green, Cheese-making Entrepreneur

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This report is another in my 2014 series of postings about ancestors and relatives (see end for details). Alonzo was my great grand uncle. In the 1870s, Alonzo was a major owner of an important cheese factory in Amboy, a populated place in Conneaut Township in Ashtabula County, Ohio. He obviously prospered as a farmer to the extent that he could invest in the cheese factory.Alonzo Green

Here is how his cheese-making enterprise is described in “History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Pioneer and Most Prominent Men,  1798-1878. Philadelphia: Williams Brothers 1878” as accessed at the Ohio Genealogical Society website in the members-only Heritage Pursuit database under the subheading Cheese Factories:

Amboy Cheese Factory:The first cheese-factory built in the township was that at Amboy. This was built in 1869-70 by a stock company. The building is in size thirty-two by seventy feet, and three stories high, and cost, with the necessary equipments and utensils, four thousand dollars.

The first officers were J. D. Ransom, president; P. C. Ryan, secretary; Lyman Luce, S. Hazeltine, and J. D. Ransom, directors. The factory commenced operations in the spring of 1870. N. P. Tillotson was operator for three seasons, T. Buffington two, and L. Luce two. There has been an average annual manufacture of about one hundred thousand pounds of cheese until the past three seasons, when both butter and cheese have been made. Alonzo Green owns the controlling interest at present [1878].

Here is how I am related to Alonzo Green:

Alonzo “Lon” Green (1827 – 1900) is your great grand uncle

Joab Green (1785 – 1849) father of Alonzo “Lon” Green

Jared R. Green (1832 – 1880) son of Joab Green

Grace Darling Green (1879 – 1948) daughter of Jared R. Green

Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) daughter of Grace Darling Green

Wallace Dingman Huskonen is me, son of Mary Jane Dingman

When Alonzo “Lon” Green was born on June 28, 1827, in Amboy (Conneaut Twp), Ashtabula County, Ohio, his father, Joab, was 42 and his mother, Rebecca, was 38. Joab was an early settler in Conneaut Twp, arriving before 1820. He had seven sons, including Alonzo, and four daughters with Rebecca (Johnson) between 1808 and 1832. For my report on Joab, go here.   Alonzo had two sons and two daughters with Mary Elizabeth McCreary between 1854 and 1869. He died on May 18, 1900, in Ashtabula, Ohio, at the age of 72, and was buried there.

The first record I have found for Alonzo Green is in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census for Conneaut Twp. in Ashtabula County, Ohio. He appears as Alonzo Green, age 23, living in the household of Rebecca Green, age 61, with Jared, age 18. Occupations: Alonzo, mill wright; Jared, farmer. No relationships are reported in the 1850 census, but we know from other sources that Rebecca is Alonzo’s mother, and Jared is his brother. (Note: The census records mentioned in this posting were found on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.)

In the 1860 U. S Federal Census for Conneaut Twp. (Post Office: Amboy), Alonzo Green was  age 32 as the head of household. Living in the household were Mary E Green, age 32; William L Green, age 6; George J Green, age 2; and Rebecca Green, age 71. Again, no relationships are not reported in this census, but we know Rebecca was Alonzo’s mother, Mary was his wife, and William and George were his sons. Alonzo’s occupation was farmer, and the real estate was valued at $800 and personal estate at $300.

The 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Conneaut Twp. (Post Office: Amboy) reports  Alonzo Green, age 43, as head of household; Value of  his real estate, $6,800, value of his personal estate, $1,000; and his occupation: farmer. Household members: Mary E Green, age 43; William L Green, age 16; Geo J Green, age 13; Agnes B Green, age 9; and Jennie L Green, age 1. Also living in the household was Almia Whittaker, age 19, born in Pennsylvania, domestic servant.

In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census for Conneaut Twp., Alonzo Green, age 52, was head of household; Marital Status: Married; Spouse’s Name: Mary E. Green, age 52; His father’s birthplace: New York; his mother’s birthplace: Massachusetts; His occupation: farmer. Other household members were  George J. Green, age 23; Agnes B. Green, age 17; Jennie L. Green, age 11. Alonzo’s son, William, apparently was living next door with his wife, Jennie, age 21, and two daughters: Minnie L, age 2, and Gertrude, age 11/12. Both Alonzo and William were farmers, and George J also was working at farming. No property values were enumerated in 1880. The photo below shows Alonzo and Mary about this time.

Alonzo and Mary Green large

The 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed by fire, so the next record for Alonzo is his death record for 18 May 1900. He died in Conneaut Twp. at age 72. The source of this record “Ohio, Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F6J3-62T : accessed 14 Mar 2014), Alonzo Green, 18 May 1900; citing Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio, reference v 2 p 80; FHL microfilm 890260.

Alonzo Green was buried in Amboy Cemetery in Conneaut Twp. His family crypt can be found on the free website: Find A Grave.com at Memorial #21567941.

Alonzo Green Crypt, Amboy Cemetery Large

 

The plaque on the crypt lists Alonzo Green, 1827-1900; Mary Green 1827-1910; Albert Harper, 1864-1928; and Agnes Harper, 1842-1933. Agnes was the daughter of Alonzo and Mary.

Plaque on Alonzo Green Crypt, Amboy Cemetery Large edited

The Ohio Obituary Index, provided by the Rutherford B. Hayes Library, shows that an obituary for Alonzo Green of Amboy, Ohio, year of death 1900, appeared in the Deshler Flag on 10 Aug 1900. The same database does not list an obit for Alonzo from Ashtabula County, which is disappointing because the Ohio Obituary index carries all indexed obituaries collected by the Ashtabula County Genealogical Society. In any case, for $3.00, I am contacting the Patrick Hentry Public Library in Deshler, Ohio, for this obituary. Watch this space for an update when I receive the obit.

The U.S. Federal Census for Conneaut Twp was enumerated beginning on 01 Jun 1900, a few days after Alonzo died. I did find his wife, Mary Elizabeth, age 73, as head of household, with daugher Jennie, age 31, living in Conneaut Twp., probably in the house on the family farm.

While Alonzo apparently acquired modest wealth, his brother Jared, about whom I wrote a post on Feb 25 (go here) was much less successful, and left my great grandmother Mary as a widow and my grandmother Grace as a small child in difficult straits. I sometimes wonder why I haven’t found any evidence that Alonzo extended assistance to Jared and his family. I will report on Mary Sumner Green and Grace Green (adopted name Morley) in future installments on this blog.

For more details on the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, go here.

52 Ancestors — #9: William Henry Morley, Moving from Massachusetts to Andover, Ohio

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This is another posting in my quest to record stories about 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, to meet the challenge issued by Amy Johnson Crow, back at the beginning of January, 2014. I am one of hundreds of people who have risen to the challenge of creating a weekly blog posting about an ancestor. For more information on  The 52 Ancestors Challenge, go here:< http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2014/01/10/the-52-ancestors-challenge/>

This episode isn’t about an actual ancestor. I don’t descend from William Henry Morley, but we have a relationship, nevertheless. His son, James Morley, and daughter-in-law, Jennie, “adopted” my grandmother at a very early age. I’ve not found any formal adoption records, but Grace considered herself to be the daughter of the Morleys, using Morley as her family name. She inherited their house in Andover in Ashtabula County, Ohio, when they passed away. We’ll have more to report about James, Jennie, and, of course, Grandma Grace in later reports.

William Henry Morley was born on July 28, 1804, in Massachusetts, when his father, Walter, and his mother, Charlotte, both were 39. William and Sybill were married in Spencer, Worchester County, Massachusetts. The couple had four sons and two daughters between 1827 and 1834. One daughter died in infancy.  After Sybill died in 1857, he married Mary J. Strickland  in Andover, Ohio. He died on March 5, 1877, at the age of 72, and was buried in Andover. Much of this information comes from various Family Trees on Ancestry.com, confirmed with census and other data.

In fact, I have tracked William Henry in several U.S. Federal Census records provided online by Ancestry.com  and www.familysearch.org. I found him first in the 1830 Census, enumerated in Southport, Tioga County, New York.

The 1830 Census does not name names of people living in a household other than the “head of household.” William H Morley was enumerated as the head of household, one of two males between the ages of 20 and 30 (he would have been 26), along with two males under the age of five years, one female between 20 and 30 years of age (which would be his wife), and two younger females, one under five years of age and the other between 15 and 20. The combination of males and females and their ages does not exactly account for the Morley family in 1830, but people outside the family may have been living with them.

It’s not clear from the census how “permanent” William considered his residence in Southport. He could have stopped there just for a few months to practice his craft as a blacksmith and save up some money. Many people from Massachusetts and other New England states moved from place to place through New York and Pennsylvania on their way westward to Ohio country and beyond.

By 1840, William H Morley lived in Andover, Ohio, where he and his family were to play a big role in the affairs of the area. Like the 1830 Census, the 1840 Census does not report names of household members living with William. There were eight people living in the household, six males and two females. A male and a female in the age brackets 30 to 39 would account for William and Sybill. The age breakdown for the persons under 19 accounts for one female child and five males 19 or younger. That probably included the four Morley sons plus one other. (Note: a second daughter apparently died as an infant.)

Historical accounts indicate that the Morley family arrived in Andover in 1834, without providing any specifics about the family’s migration. We can deduce a few details about their journey, however, by studying the facts reported in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census.

That’s because by 1850, census enumerators were instructed to record much more information about the people they were visiting. The 1850 Census for Andover shows that William H. Morley was 46 years old and lived in Andover, along with his wife, Sybil, and sons, Charles H, age 22; Edward W., age 18, and Byron, age 16, and daughter, Mary E, age 20. The enumerator reports that William and Sybil were born in Massachusetts, Charles and Edward were born in New York, Mary reportedly was born in Pennsylvania, and Byron was born in Ohio. This information gives us some reference points about the journey of the family to Andover, i.e. they were in New York State when Charles and Edward were born in 1828 and 1832 respectively. For Mary’s birth in 1830, they were in Pennsylvania, and by the time Byron was born in 1834, they had reached Ohio. As for occupations, William Henry and Edward H were listed as farmers.

The oldest son, James S Morley, was born on 03 Jul 1826 in Spencer, Worcester, Massachusetts, according to the database, “Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915” provided by the free online database provider, FamilySearch.org at https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FCKP-MLS That indicates that William and Sybill were still in Massachusetts in 1826. Furthermore, another record on FamilySearch gives the marriage date and place for William and Sybel [spelling?] as 25 Feb 1825 in Leicester, Worcester, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find other vital records for the Morley family.

Nevertheless, we can draw up a rough timeline for the Morley migration, based on the  birth record for James and the 1850 census data for his siblings, as follows:  1826 in Massachusetts, 1828 through sometime in the 1830s in New York, in Pennsylvania from 1830 (Mary’s birth year and place) to about 1833, with the final leg to Andover, Ohio, taking place by 1834.

In the 1860 U.S. Federal Census for Andover, William H Marley was 56 years old, living with his second wife, Mary (Sybill had died in 1857). By then, all the children had moved on with their lives, including the oldest son, James S Morley, age 37, who was enumerated in a household next door to his father. Living with James were his wife Maria, age 32; daughter, Maggie, age 4; Mary Knoxan, age 15 (probably working as a servant), and brother Byron, age 22. William and James were working as merchants, and Byron was a clerk, perhaps working for his father and brother.

These family members had prospered as the real property of William was listed as valued at $4,000 and that of James as $2000. In addition, Mary had real property valued at $1000.

In the 1870 Census, William H Morley was 65 years old and living with his second wife, Mary, age 48, and Eva Strictland, age 14, probably Mary’s daughter by her first marriage. No occupations were reported in the 1870 Census, but William’s real property was valued at $6400 and his personal property at $2400.

When I was a teenager, I worked at the Andover A & P (yes, it was the Andover store of the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company). It occupied half of a building which I learned later was known as the Morley Block, with a 5&10 store occupying the other half. This probably was where the Morleys had their company, W.H. and J. S. Morley. At the time of my employment at A&P, I didn’t realize how close to family history I really was.

William Henry died on 5 Mar 1877, at age 72, and was buried in what was known formally as Andover Township Union Cemetery, which occupies a lot behind the Andover Congregational Church (now the United Church of Christ). The only image I have for William Henry Morley is his cemetery monument, which I found here on Find A Grave:

Cemetery, Morley, William Henry 1877

The fact that William H Morley brought his family from Massachusetts, passing through New York and Pennsylvania, and finally settling in Andover some 180 years ago, played a big role in determining where I would live until going to college. And the Morley family laid the groundwork for making Andover into a vibrant small town in which to grow up.

For that, I’m thankful to William Henry Morley!

52 Ancestors — #8: Nelson Andrew Dingman, Cheesemaker

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I’m aiming to create postings about my maternal grandfather, Wallace Betts Dingman, his twin brother Walter Chase Dingman, and their older brother Nelson Andrew Dingman. I’m starting with great (or grand) uncle Nelson for the simple reason that he died relatively young and therefore left only a limited number of records.

When Nelson Andrew Dingman was born on March 21, 1878, in Williamsfield, Ashtabula, Ohio, his father, Andrew, was 24 and his mother, Mary (Betts), was 18. He married Florence Marie Pratt on January 1, 1901, in Ashtabula County (probably in Williamsfield), Ohio. They had two children during their marriage (see below). He died on February 15, 1913, in Ashtabula, Ohio, at the age of 34, and was buried in Williamsfield, Ohio.

And here is how I am descended from Nelson Andrew:

Nelson Andrew Dingman (1878 – 1913) is your grand uncle
Mary Elizabeth Betts (1859 – 1920) is the mother of Nelson Andrew Dingman
Wallace Betts Dingman (1881 – 1920) is the son of Mary Elizabeth Betts
Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) is the daughter of Wallace Betts Dingman
Wallace Dingman Huskonen — You are the son of Mary Jane Dingman

Let’s start with the obituary that appeared in the Ashtabula Star Beacon on 17 Feb 1913. You’ll see that it  contains the details of his unexpected death:

NELSON DINGMAN: Williamsfield; Word was received here Sat morn of the death of Nelson Dingman of Simons at Ashtabula General Hospital, where he underwent an operation for appendicitis several days ago and to all appearances was recovering nicely until within a few hours before his death Sat morning. He leaves a wife, 2 daughters, a mother and 2 brothers to mourn his death, besides a host of relatives-friends. Mr Dingman was well-known here and the news of his death will be a shock to his many friends here.

A brief note of explanation about the given name Nelson is appropriate before we proceed. Nelson Andrew’s grandfather was also named Nelson Dingman (b 1818–d 1907). The elder Nelson moved from Charleston Town, Montgomery County, New York to Salem Twp, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in 1846. I hope to do an extended post about this Nelson at a later time, for I’ve collected lots of data about him, and his life and times.

In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Andrew N. Dingman [note transposition of his given names from Nelson Andrew] was 1 year old and living in Williamsfield Twp with his father and mother on a farm about a mile and a half east of the center of Williamsfield Twp on U.S. 322.

The 1900 U.S. Federal Census, lists two Nelson A Dingmans in the southeastern corner of Ashtabula County. One is Nelson A Dingman, 20 years old, enumerated on 13 Jun 1900 as living with his parents, in Williamsfield Twp (same as above), and employed as a cheesemaker. About five miles north, another Nelson A Dingman was enumerated as living as head of household in Andover Twp on 18 June, age 21, and employed as a laborer in a cheese factory. I have no doubt that these two enumerations are for the same person, living at “home” in Williamsfield Twp, and as probably a boarder in Andover Twp.

The next year, Nelson married Florence Marie Pratt, and the couple had two children: Ruth May (never married, 1902 – 1989) and Florence Faye (married name: Wagner, 1903 – 1976). While I don’t have a marriage record–only a transcription of a journal entry–for the couple, they probably were married in Williamsfield Twp because Florence was born there, according to “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994”, found on the FamilySearch.org website at https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XD4C-QDH. That record simply states that they were married in Ashtabula County.

In the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Nelson, age 31, and his wife Florence M, age 27, daughter Ruth M, age 7, and Fay F, age 6, were enumerated as living in Williamsfield Twp. For this census, his occupation was “works in creamery.” The enumeration dates for this page were June 20 and 21.

Nelson’s rather short life ended less than three years later, on 17 Feb 1913, when he died in Ashtabula General Hospital from complications following an appendectomy (see obit, above). He was buried in Williamsfield Center Cemetery, and his Find A Grave is Memorial #53687597 at www.findagrave.com. Unfortunately, the only image I have to go with Nelson Andrew is the photo of his headstone from Find A Grave:

Image

Sometime after Nelson’s death, his widow, Florence, moved to Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio, with her two daughters. The 1920 U.S. Federal Census for Youngstown shows that she was working as a milliner in a millinary store, and operating a boarding house. Her daughter Florence Faye would wind up marrying Al Wagner, a prominent auto dealer in Youngstown, and they are worthy of their own story sometime in the future.

So ends my brief report with everything I know about my great uncle Nelson Andrew Dingman.

52 Ancestors – #7: Jared Green, Civil War Veteran from Conneaut, Ohio

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Jared R. Green was the youngest of eleven children of Joab and Rebecca (Johnson) Green. When Jared was born in 1832 in Conneaut Twp, Ashtabula County, Ohio, his father was 47 and his mother was 43. Jared married Mary L. Drake and they had three children together between 1856 and 1863. He then married Mary E. Sumner and they had two children together between 1867 and 1879. He died in November 1880 in Conneaut, Ohio, at the age of 48.

Here is how I am related to Jared: I am Wallace Dingman Huskonen, son of Mary Jane Dingman (Huskonen). Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) was the daughter of Grace Darling Green. Grace Darling Green (1879 – 1948) was the daughter of Jared R. Green. That makes Jared my great grandfather.

For a few details on Joab Green, check this posting: 52 Ancestors – #6: Joab Green, Early Settler in Conneaut, Ohio.

Spoiler alert: Records are scanty for Jared. He never accumulated much in the way of land or possessions and didn’t make much of a mark on the community in which he lived: Amboy, a populated place within Conneaut Twp. His birth, marriages, and death all occurred before recording of vital records was made mandatory in Ohio. The main sources of records for Jared R Green are Federal Census records on Ancestry.com (by subscription) and Civil War records provided by various sources (free and by subscription). In fact, his short service in the Civil War, relatively uneventful as it was, probably was the highlight of his life.

The first record for Jared is in 1850 United States Federal Census, when he was 18 years old and living in Conneaut Twp, in the household of his widowed mother, Rebecca (Joab had died the year before). His occupation was listed as farmer. The value of Rebecca’s real estate (farm) was listed as $1800, and Jared apparently was responsible for operating the farm, for the other male in the household, Alonzo, age 23, was listed with the occupation of millwright. In addition to his older brother, the household also included Jared’s older sister, Lovenia, age 28.

On 25 Apr 1854, Jared married Mary L Drake in Ashtabula County, Ohio, according to the free online database, “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” provided on FamilySearch.org. No ages are given in this database.

In the 1860 United States Federal Census (census date: July 1, 1863), Jared Green was 28 years old living in Conneaut Twp, apparently on his own small farm with a property value of $300; he also had personal property valued at $200. Living with him were Mary (Mary Drake, his first wife), age 23, Edwin, age 4, and Frank D, age 11/12. (Note to family members, Edwin was the father of Frank Morley Green, who I will profile at a later date.)

Jared next appears in online records in 1863 in the U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865, available on Ancestry.com. The following is my transcription of the digital image provided by Ancestry.com:

Schedule I—Consolidated List of all persons of Class I, subject to do military duty in the Nineteenth Congressional District, consisting of the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Portage, and Geauga, State of Ohio, enumerated during the month of June 1963, under the direction of Danius Cadwell, Provost Marshall.
Ashtabula County
Green, Jared R, age 31, white, farmer, married, place of birth: Ohio, no former military service.
Received in Washington, D.C., 10 Jul 1883, signed, Darius Cadwll, Provost Marshall

Jared decided to enlist in the Army, probably late in 1864, when he as about 32 years of age. Bounties were being offered to enlistees, and that no doubt was a factor in Jared’s decision to enlist, especially when the War was going well for the Union. I find Jared in the U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 free online database provided by the National Park Service. This database contains the names of approximately 6.3 million soldiers who served in the American Civil War. In addition to their names, information that may be listed for each soldier includes regiment, company, and rank.

For Jared, I found the following:

Green, Jared R.
REGIMENT NAME: 188th Regiment, Ohio Infantry
COMPANY:
SOLDIER’S RANK IN: Private
SOLDIER’S RANK OUT: Private
NOTES: See also 197 Ohio Inf.

I should note that this data also is available from Ancestry.com, which made an arrangement in 2007 with the National Park Service to provide access to the Civil War Soldiers database through the Ancestry.com search engine.

The One Hundred and Eighty Eighth was organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, on the 4th of March, 1865, and the same day received orders to report to General Thomas at Nashville, where it arrived on the 9th. The regiment, organized by Colonel Jacob E. Taylor, was assigned to duty under Brigadier General Van Cleve, and ordered to Murfreesboro’, Tennessee, where it remained two months, and then ordered to Tullahoma. Here it remained two more months, under very strict discipline, and was then ordered to Nashville, where it remained on duty until it was ordered to be mustered out. On the 21st of September [1865] the muster out was completed, and the next day the regiment started for Camp Chase, where it arrived on the 24th, and was paid and discharged on the 28th of September, 1865.

I did not find any enlistment or discharge date for Jared with the 188th Regiment. A note in his service record with the 188th suggests that Jared also served in the 197th Regiment, Ohio Infantry. I was able to find his enlistment in this unit in the same Civil War Soldiers database as follows:

Green, Jared R.
REGIMENT NAME: 197th Regiment, Ohio Infantry
COMPANY:D
SOLDIER’S RANK IN: Private
SOLDIER’S RANK OUT: Corporal
I was also able to find one record of his service:
Enlisted in Company D, Ohio 197th Infantry Regiment on 04 Apr 1865.
Mustered out on 31 Jul 1865 at Camp Bradford, Baltimore, MD.
Birth Date: abt 1832
Sources: Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio

This was in an online database provided by Ancestry.com here.

The 197th Ohio Infantry was organized April 12, 1865, for one year’s service, under Colonel Benton Halsted. It was the last Ohio Regiment organized. Its members were mostly veterans who had served in old Regiments. It served on garrison duty near Washington City until May 5th, when it moved to Dover, Delaware, and performed guard duty on the railroad to Baltimore. The Regiment was mustered out July 31, 1865.

The unit records above were retrieved 2014 02 25 from the free online database Ohio in the Civil War. Brief unit histories from: Report of the Great Reunion of the Veteran Soldiers and Sailors of Ohio Held at Newark, July 22, 1878. Under the Auspices of “The Society of the Soldiers and Sailors of Licking County, Ohio.” By Major Charles D. Miller. Secretary of the Society. Newark, Ohio: Clark & Underwood Printers. 1879 Two separate databases were provided for the 188th and 197th.

The discharge of Corporal Jared R. Green, from Company D of the 197th Ohio Infantry, was recorded as taking place on 7 Aug 1865. I retrieved this on 2014 02 25 from Heritage Pursuit, a database that provides access to a digital copy of History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, among other county histories, in a members only database on the website of the Ohio Genealogical Society.

We should be aware that Jared’s wife, Mary (Drake) Green, died on 11 Apr 1965, according to several family trees on Ancestry.com. (Note: I haven’t yet found my own documentation of her death date.)

Sometime after Jared returned home, probably in about 1866, he married Mary E. Sumner, age about 14 [you’ll see that this age and several others given for Mary do not necessarily agree]. In about 1867, Mary gave birth to Edwin D. Green.

In the 1870 United States Federal Census, Jared R. Green was 34 years old, living in Conneaut Twp. His occupation was listed as grocer but the enumerator also recorded that he was “retired.” Living in the household were his wife, Mary, age 20 [?], son Frank and daughter Evelyn (both by Jared’s first wife), and Edwin, age three. All were born in Ohio.

In about 1879, Grace Darling Green (my maternal grandmother) was added to the family. (Note: I have never been able to find an exact birth date for Grace, since, as I’ve noted, recording of births was not yet mandatory in Ohio.)

In the 1880 U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedule Jared was enumerated as follows: Jared, Age 48, life-long resident of Conneaut Twp, Married, Born in Ohio, Occupation: none listed, Cause of Death, emphysema, according to attending physician, W. A. Ward, MD. This enumeration was cross-referenced to Family 70, page No. 6, enumeration District 7, Conneaut Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, in the regular 1880 U.S. Federal Census.

That listing showed that surviving Jared were his second wife, Mary E (Sumner) age 28 [?], and daughter, Gracie D, age 1. This page was enumerated on the 4th and 5th day of June, 1880, by J. R. Cushing, who also compiled the Mortality Schedule.

An entry in the free online database, Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997, on FamilySearch.org, lists Jared’s occupation as Pedler [sic].

I have not been able to find any veteran’s pension application for Jared R Green, although he probably would have qualified, being ill with emphysema according to the diagnosis recorded in the 1880 mortality schedule. And Mary, his second wife, apparently never applied for a widow’s pension, either.

Thus, the life of Jared R. Green, my maternal great grandfather, ended before he reached age of 50.

52 Ancestors – #6: Joab Green, Early Settler in Conneaut Twp, Ohio

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Joab Green was born on 15 Nov 1782 in Vermont, one of eleven children of Josiah and Sarah Green. He had seven sons and four daughters with Rebecca (Johnson) between 1808 and 1832. He died on 11 Jun 1849, in Conneaut Twp, Ashtabula County, Ohio. Joab was an early settler in the northeastern corner of Ohio, and one source states that he built the first frame building in Conneaut Twp.

Here is how I am related to Joab: I am Wallace Dingman Huskonen, son of Mary Jane Dingman (Huskonen). Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) was the daughter of Grace Darling Green. Grace Darling Green (1879 – 1948) was the daughter of Jared R. Green. Jared R. Green (1832 – 1880) was the son of Joab Green. That makes Joab my 2nd great grandfather.

Only limited genealogical information is readily available online at the present time. Joab appears four times in census records on Ancestry.com, as follow: In the 1810 U.S. Federal Census, Joab Green is listed as living in Herkimer, New York. In the 1820, 1830, and 1849 U.S. Federal Censuses, Joab Green lived in Conneaut Twp, Ashtabula County, Ohio. As in all censuses before 1850, only the head of household is named.

Before arriving in Conneaut Twp—and before the War of 1812—Joab apparently lived for a period in Harborcreek Twp, Erie County, Pennsylvania. After that war, he moved west along the shore of Lake Erie and settled in Conneaut Twp. A researcher included this tidbit about Joab in a query about his son, Silas, on Ancestry.com (which I haven’t yet verified).

Another item I found online by searching for “Joab Green” in Google Books is the Green/Greene Genealogy, vol 11, published by Anne Long in 1994. She puts Joab Green, b 14 Nov 1782, as the first son of Josiah Green.

Early in my involvement in genealogy, I found a website hosted on Rootsweb for Ashtabula County, that featured several transcriptions of tax lists and local censuses for Salem Twp (That was the original township name when it was organized in 1804. It was renamed Conneaut Twp in 1833. In one such tax list transcription, Joab Green was listed as a “White Male Inhabitant above the Age of Twenty one years in Salem Township, County of Ashtabula for the Year 1815.”

In the transcriptions of local censuses taken in 1819, 1823, and 1827, Joab was listed as a resident. The 1819 census also listed Josiah Green, who no doubt was Joab’s father. Unfortunately, these web pages are no longer available. I didn’t include in my notes the original source of this information (my bad), but they probably were made from microfilm available from FamilySearch. They also may be available at the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS) in Cleveland.

At WHRS, I did find Joab listed among people in Ashtabula County who claimed bounties for wolf scalps between 1811 and 1828.

Joab owned a small farm in the area of Conneaut Township known as Amboy < http://ohio.hometownlocator.com/oh/ashtabula/amboy.cfm>. When he died intestate, his surviving children signed a quit claim deed for his son Alonzo to take over the property. The quit claim deed is on file at the Ashtabula County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division in Jefferson, Ohio.< http://courts.co.ashtabula.oh.us/probate_court.htm. The children of Joab and Rebecca, in addition to Jared, my great grandfather, were: Elvira, Almeda, Harlow, Saphronia, William, Silas, Lovinia, Edwin, Alonzo, and Joab (Jr). Joab was buried in the Amboy Cemetery (also known as West Lakeville Cemetery). Joab’s name appears on a Green family monument with Rebecca, sons William and Edwin, and daughter Saphronia. Go here: Amboy Cemetery. The Amboy Cemetery is located in Conneaut Twp near the border with North Kingsville Twp. on the South side of Route 20.

One final note about Joab: Because he arrived in Ohio before 1820, I was able to qualify for membership in the First Families of Ohio heritage program of the Ohio Genealogical Society (for info, go here: http://ogs.org/pdf/OGSLineageRules2009.pdf.

52 Ancestors – # 5: General Sherman Bosseller Becomes Sherman Volser

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Parents sometimes bestow unusual names on their children, and in some cases the children change or de-emphasize those unusual names later in life. One such example is General Sherman Bosseller, who was born in November 1864, when General William Tecumseh Sherman was conducting the Civil War campaign known as Sherman’s March to the Sea. General Sherman Bosseller was my second cousin, three times removed (I used a relationship chart to figure this out. About.com has a nice relationship chart to use for this purpose.)

When General Sherman Bosseller was born in Salem Twp, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, his father, Leonard, was 39 and his mother, Violetta, was 39. He married Nancy “Nannie” Vosler in 1891. They had three daughters over 21 years. He died on 28 Jan 1942, having lived all of his 77 years in Salem Twp. He was buried in Stevenson Cemetery in Greenville, Pennsylvania. After being named General Sherman Bosseller at birth, his cemetery marker reads simply “Sherman Vosler.”

In 1870, General Sherman Bosseller was 5 years old and lived in Salem Twp with his parents, Leonard and Violetta, and with three brothers and three sisters. (Note: in following references to censuses, I will use the name the enumerator recorded for our subject. All census research was performed at www.ancestry.com)

The first change came in 1880, when Sherman Vosler was listed as 15 years old and living in Salem Twp with his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters.

According to the 1900 Census, Sherman Vosler married Nannie in 1891. The census reports that by 1900, they had had two children, both of which were living. The Census lists Mabel born in Dec 1891 and Naoma born in Oct 1894. In 1900, he was 35 years old and a farmer in Salem Twp.

In 1910, General S. Vosler was 45 years old and working as a farmer in Salem Twp, Mercer, Pennsylvania with his wife, Namie, age 39, and two daughters. Mabel V was 18 years old, and Naoma J was 15.

In 1920, G. Sherman Vosler was 55 years old and working at general farming in Salem Twp, Mercer Pennsylvania with his wife, Nannie, and daughter, Dorothy, age 7.

In 1930, G. Sherman Vosler was 65 years old and was a farmer in Salem Twp, Mercer, Pennsylvania with his wife, Nannie. His daughter, Dorothy, age 18, had married John L Roberts, and they and their five month old daughter, Betty L, were living with Sherman and Nannie. John listed his occupation as fireman at a saw mill.

G.S. Vosler is listed as residing at Rural Route 1 on page 240 of the 1932 Greenville, Pennsylvania, City Directory found at www.ancestry.com.

As of April 1, the 1940 U.S. Federal Census shows Sherman Vosler as 75 years old and living in Salem Twp with his wife, Namie. The occupation column is blank for Sherman, indicating that he probably had retired from active farming. John Roberts and his wife, Dorothy, were living in the household, along with two granddaughters, Betty Lou, 4 [14?] and Roberta, less than 1 year old. The 1940 census enumeration states that all the family members were living in the “Same House” in 1935.

Sherman Vosler died on 28 Jan 1942 and was buried in Stevenson Cemetery, Greenville, Mercer, Pennsylvania. In later life, both his given name and family name were to simplified to Sherman Vosler from his birth given and family names of General Sherman Bosseller.

A year later, his wife paid for the following newspaper memorial: “In memory of Sherman Vosler who departed this life 1 year ago today, Jan. 28, 1942. Gone but not forgotten. Sadly missed by his wife and family. Mrs. Sherman Vosler and Family,” which I retrieved from www.newspaperarchive.com as being published on 28 Jan 1943 in The Record-Argus, Greenville, Pennsylvania, p 2.

52 Ancestors – #4: Guy Bradley Dingman of Venango County, Pennsylvania

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The subject of this blog post is Guy Bradley Dingman, born 17 Sep 1892 and died 10 Mar 1941. He is my 2nd cousin twice removed. He lived an unremarkable, even sad, life, but tracking down details of his life, using only online resources, was interesting to me as I researched in Venango County, Pennsylvania, for the first time, and worked with some new record sources, as described below.

First of all, here is how we are related:

Guy Bradley Dingman (1892 – 1941) is my 2nd cousin 2x removed
John M Dingman (1863 – ) was the father of Guy Bradley Dingman
Hiram B Dingman (1826 – 1905) was the father of John M Dingman
Jacob Dingman (1786 – aft 1830) was the of father Hiram B Dingman
Nelson Dingman (1818 – 1907) was the son of Jacob Dingman
Andrew Simpson Dingman (1853 – 1909) was the son of Nelson Dingman
Wallace Betts Dingman (1881 – 1920) was the son of Andrew Simpson Dingman
Mary Jane Dingman (1908 – 1975) was the daughter of Wallace Betts Dingman
Wallace Dingman Huskonen is me, the son of Mary Jane Dingman

So, our common ancestor was Jacob Dingman, who migrated from Schodack, Rensselaer County, New York to Charleston Town, Montgomery County, New York, where he lived most of his life. Nelson (my great great grandfather) left Montgomery County, New York, in 1846, according to the History of Mercer County, pub in 1888, page 1174, found 24 Nov 2007 on the Mercer County (Pennsylvania) Rootsweb site, and moved to Mercer County. Hiram B Dingman (my great great uncle) either came with his older brother, Nelson, or joined him later in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. I blogged briefly about how local newspapers charted Nelson’s lifetime on 13 Nov 2013. Go to http://www.collectingancestors.com/2013/11/28/ancestors-life-recorded-in-newspapers/. I plan to post more about Nelson in the future.

Various sources show that Guy Bradley Dingman was born on 17 Sep 1892 in Plum Twp, Venango County, Pennsylvania, when his father was 29 and his mother Ella (Bradley) was 24.

The 1900 census shows that Guy, age 7, was living in Butler, Butler County, Pennsylvania, with his father and mother and sister, Vera, age 8 months. (This census record and the others following are found on Ancestry.com.) John gave his occupation as oil well pumper.

The 1910 census shows that the John M Dingman family, including Guy (age 18), was now living in Sugarcreek Twp, Venango, Pennsylvania.

A city directory (available online on Ancestry.com) for Oil City, Venango, Pennsylvania, for 1912, places the family at 1 Elm St. Guy was living with his father and mother, and his occupation was listed as “student” even though he was 20 years old.

Two years later, the 1914 Oil City directory shows the three Dingmans at the same address. Guy’s occupation was now poultryman.

In the 1916 city directory, Guy was still living at the same address with his father and mother, but he listed his occupation as florist.

When Guy registered for the World War I draft on 6 Jun 1917, he stated he was living in Sugarcreek, Venango County. On his draft card, he reported that he was an assistant florist, working for Chas. Miller. I have not yet been able to find any information on a florist in Venango County named Chas or Charles Miller.

By the way, I did a little research on Sugarcreek and found it is a borough of more than 37 square miles, making it the largest borough in Pennsylvania, according to Wikipedia.com. A borough in Pennsylvania is one of four types of incorporated municipalities: Cities, boroughs, townships, and towns, again, according to Wikipedia.

Guy enlisted in the Army on 15 Jun 1918 in Franklin, the county seat of Venango County, Pennsylvania, and was “mobilized out” (honorably discharged) on 4 Feb 1919 at Camp Sherman, in Chillicothe, Ohio. This information is found in the online database, “U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938,” on Ancestry.com. His service was in Co. 15, Cas. Det. Infty. ( a unit designation that I have not been able to decipher). We’ll get back to this database later.

Guy resumed his career as a florist in a greenhouse after serving in the Army. That is the occupation he reports in the 1920 census, and he again was living with his parents and sister in Sugarcreek. His father, John, was employed as a watchman for a “tool company.”

A city directory for Oil City for 1927 shows that Guy was still living with his parents, now at 136 James St, Oil City, and his occupation was now listed as laborer.

I was not able to find an entry for Guy in the 1930 census, but I did find his father, John, now widowed, living in Sugarcreek, in the household of Vera and her husband, Wallace Shaffstall, and two Shaffstall kids. John listed his occupation as laborer in a machine shop, perhaps the same shop where Wallace was working as a machinist.

Incidentally, the family moves from Sugarcreek to Oil City and back probably covered only about four to five miles.

In 1931, Ancestry.com does show that Guy was a patient at the National Soldiers Home in Bath, Steuben, New York. He was admitted on 14 Jan 1931, and discharged 17 Mar 1931. He then was readmitted on 25 Aug 1931, and discharged 15 May 1833. Diagnoses: Hemorrhoids and neurocirculatory asthenia, (in layman’s terms, the later diagnosis means he suffered from palpitations and shortness of breath following slight physical exertion).

The next record I was able to find online for Guy was the 1940 census, in which he was listed as being a patient in the Warren State Hospital (Mental Hospital) in Conewango, Warren, Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Guy was listed as living in the “same house” in 1935 (the 1940 census gathered information about where people were living also in 1935). The fact that he does not show up in a regular 1930 census suggests that he may have been a patient there in 1930, as well.

Guy’s life came to an end on 11 Mar 1941 according to his burial card found in the online database “Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-1999,” made available by Ancestry.com

The transcription of his burial card by Ancestry lists the county of burial as Franklin, so I mistakenly spent some time trying to track down any burial listings for a Franklin Cemetery in Franklin County. I came up with no results, obviously because there is no Franklin Cemetery in Franklin County. Then I went back to the burial card, and finally saw that it very clearly reports that the cemetery is in Franklin in Venango County. I then went to Find-A-Grave and searched for Guy in Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania. This search was successful, producing a simple entry for Guy, listing only his birth and death dates, which suggests to me that it was created from cemetery records. There is no photo of a head stone. His listing, Find-A-Grave Memorial # 121880425, was created by a volunteer, Doris Hartman, on 18 Dec 2013.

I also found a nice map showing the layout of the Franklin Cemetery at http://venango.pa-roots.com/cemeteryfranklinmap.html. From Guy’s burial card, I learned that he is in Section L, lot no. 27. Section L on the map is on the back side of the cemetery, which is another suggestion to me that there is no head stone.

When I started this project, I knew nothing about Guy Bradley Dingman, or even his parents, John and Ella, or his grandfather, Hiram B Dingman. I learned about them while trying to track down direct line Dingman relatives in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Guy appeared among the “green leaf hints” on Ancestry.com in that effort.

Researching Guy’s life of just shy of 50 years showed the range of records that are created for even the most ordinary individual in the 20th Century—and it demonstrated to me once again the power of 21st Century online family history research, particularly when using Ancestry.com. In the process, I learned about some new (to me) record sets, about a new county—Venango—in Pennsylvania, and some new possibilities for further Pennsylvania research on my Dingman ancestors.

Ancestry DNA Results for a Niece

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Just got an exciting email from a niece. She reports that she has taken the AncestryDNA test!

Her results:

Europe 100%

  1. Europe West 46%
  2. Finland/Northwest Russia 34%
  3. Ireland 10%
  4. Great Britain 8%
  5. Trace Regions 2%

At a quick glance, this squares up with what I would expect.  She has great grandparents on her mother’s side (my sister) who emigrated from Finland, at the beginning of the 20th century, which accounts for the percentage from Finland. In addition, on her mother’s mother’s side, she also has Colonial and early 19th century ancestry from England, Scotland (Scots Irish) and Ireland, plus a couple family lines from Germany. Although I’m not as familiar with her father’s lineage, I’m pretty sure that it contributes to the Europe West component of her DNA.

I looked quickly at the information provided by Ancestry.com on AncestryDNA. Here is what it says:

Why AncestryDNA

AncestryDNA is new and more comprehensive

Autosomal DNA

AncestryDNA looks at autosomal DNA. Autosomal DNA tests, unlike Y- or mtDNA tests, survey a person’s entire genome at over 700,000 locations where genetic markers that identify an individual typically appear. Plus, autosomal DNA tests look at both maternal and paternal lines, meaning discoveries come from both sides of your family tree.

A DNA test for both men and women

AncestryDNA is gender neutral, so both men and women can take the test. They are tested in the same way for the same number of markers, and their tests provide the same level of detail.

The power of Ancestry.com

Consider the millions of family trees on Ancestry.com. How valuable would it be to link to those trees via DNA? You’d be able to determine genetic connections and uncover new family lines, deep relationships, and insights like you never have before. AncestryDNA helps you do all that. And more.

The limitations of older tests

Previously, DNA tests looked at only a few dozen DNA sequences on either the Y chromosome or mitochondrial DNA. Because only men carry the Y chromosome, only men could take a Y-DNA test. As a result, Y-DNA test results would follow just the males in a single paternal line — fathers and sons.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests, on the other hand, could be taken by anyone. But the test results traced only an all-female line moving from mother to grandmother to great-grandmother, and so on. MtDNA tests could tell you more about your ancient ancestry, like where your family originated tens of thousands of years ago, but not who your cousins were.

A few years ago, I took a DNA test provided by Ancestry, but the results were nowhere as comprehensive as my niece’s recent test results. Maybe I have to take another test?!