Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Tuesday's Tip~Gettin' By With Help from Our Friends-The Family Sluether


Today's Tips come from Michael Dyer author of the Family Sleuther Blog. Michael gives us his tips for planning a family reunion.

Summer Is Coming: Time to Plan Your Family Reunion

It’s time for genealogists to think about summer.

I know all of us family historians are currently in our happy place. Winter weather still blankets the country in chilly temperatures giving us a good excuse to cozy up with our research, but it’s time to think of sunshine and the living. It’s time to plan this summer’s family reunion.

Family reunions are the perfect opportunity to set aside our ancestors of yesteryear and engage with those loved ones who share our past. As Alex Haley observed, “In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” Family reunions provide us an opportunity to celebrate and remember that shared history while connecting with the living and budding branches of the family tree.

My Family’s Reunion Success
I’ve had some success with family reunions.

For several decades, descendants of my second great-grandmother’s eight children would gather at a Kansas lake over Memorial Day weekend. Camping, fishing, bonfires, and catching up were all on the agenda. The reunions were so popular and well-attended that they regularly made the society pages of the local newspapers.

Sadly, as members of the oldest generation began to pass away, attendance at the reunion dwindled. Eventually, the ties that bind seemed too weak and uncertain – “how are we related?” – and the reunions stopped altogether.

Fast forward to last year when we gathered family that had scattered and lost contact, and brought everyone together for a reunion that saw over 100 people in attendance.

How did we do it? Here’s how and some tips for you to undertake your own reunion.

Three Tips to Organize Your Reunion

1.     Take It Online - Social Media as Event Planner:
Social media is a no-cost tool with expansive reach. I created a Facebook group dedicated to my second great-grandmother. Slowly, membership grew to include many of her descendants. We posted birthday and wedding tributes commemorating her and her now deceased children. In a matter of months, we rebuilt a sense of connection, belonging, and reestablished how we were all related.

With that renewed sense of family and community, we were ready to give the reunions another shot. After reserving a space back at the lake in Kansas over Memorial Day weekend, I created a Facebook event invitation. It worked like a charm! The event invitation spread like wildfire and the RSVPs poured in.

2.     Share Ownership
To help grow participation and interest in the reunion, it’s a good idea to broaden ownership of the event.

Ask for volunteers. Put family in charge of different components. I bet you’ll find that people want to help. They want to have a role to play. Perhaps someone is in charge of reserving the venue, others are in charge of coordinating food, and others are in charge of set-up on the day of the event. Sharing ownership eases the burden off any one person.

3.     Reminder, Reminder, Reminder
Remember, your family is only human. They need reminders, and they’re easy to do with a quick post to your Facebook group. I was able to use humor (posting old portraits of my second great-grandmother – who always frowned with furrowed brow – with text bubbles saying, “I’ve got my party face on. I’ll see yours in May!”). With each posted reminder, the RSVPs would climb higher.

Don’t forget to take photos of the event. I strongly recommend pulling everyone together for one large group photo. Yes, it’s a huge pain in the neck, but I think you’ll discover it’s a tremendous marketing tool for the next reunion.

As soon as we posted last year’s group photo to Facebook, family members who didn’t attend commented that they were locking in vacation days and making arrangements so they wouldn’t miss the next reunion. No one wants to be left out! That’s good for attendance.

Do you have experience organizing family reunions? What tips have worked well for you?






Michael Dyer is author of the Family Sleuther blog (www.familysleuther.com). Since 2010, he’s been an avid family historian pestering relatives, wading through vital records bureaucracy, and passing the spittoon for DNA samples to uncover his roots.



Thanks, Michael for your great tips that will help as we plan a reunion for our family later this year! 

What are your tips for planning a reunion? I'd love to hear from you!






Sunday, January 29, 2017

This Week On My Family History Calendar

January 29 - February 4



Nothing to report on my calendar this week! More research into my ancestors that I don't have birth, marriage and death dates for may change this for these days. 


Do you need help finding ancestors for your Family History Calendar? Please contact me! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!





Sunday, January 22, 2017

This Week On My Family History Calendar

January 22 - January 28


January 24~
 Loretta (McManus) Daughrity (1894-1936), my maternal Great Grandmother, died 81 years ago in Sumter, Sumter, South Carolina. Etta was 41 at time of her death. She is buried in the Sumter City Cemetery, Sumter, South Carolina.

Headstone
Loretta (McManus) Daughrity
Sumter City Cemetery
Sumter, South Carolina
©Cheri Hudson Passey


  My 5th Great Grandfather, Phillip Roberts, II (1763-1864) was born 254 years ago in Cumberland County, North Carolina.


Do you need help finding ancestors for your Family History Calendar? Please contact me! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!





Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!



You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.



                                                                 
My Happy Dance This Week:  
 I flew toSalt Lake City and was able to spend a couple of days with my friend Annette and her family. We have known each other since we were 12!  We woke up to 8 inches of snow yesterday morning. I haven't seen this much snow in years! 
Off to the first day of SLIG this morning! Looking forward to seeing so many genealogy friends and learning from the best!


 What had you dancing this week? Please share so we can celebrate together!



                                                                                           Share your discovery!
                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!




Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!
Thanks so much for stopping by!


Friday, January 20, 2017

DearMYRTLE Genealogy Proof Standard Study Group-Chapter 3 Evaluating Records


With Google Hangouts up and running, DearMYRTLE's GPS Study Group met to discuss Chapter 3 of Christine Rhodes's book.

The discussion focused on writing. Myrt warned us about being too wordy when writing up a case study and following the proper format.

She reminded us a properly written report consists of:

Introduction
1. Research Question
2. What do we know
3.What documents are found
4. Analysis, Correlation, Resolving Conflicting info
5. Conclusion, End notes or Footnotes (citations)
    Images ( inline vs. appendices)


As we went through everyone's homework, we looked for those elements.  Our challenge for next week is to rewrite one of our previous homework assignments using this format. We were cautioned not to be too wordy.

This week my homework dealt with a problem with a census record. The 1940 U. S. Census is the only one that records who the informant for the information it contains. 
With that knowledge, you would think since my great grandmother was the informant for her family it would contain accurate information. 

Genealogy Proof Standard Study Group
Homework Chapter Three-Evaluating Records
Cheri Hudson Passey
Reference: Christine Rose, Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case 4th Edition Revised, (San Jose, California: CR Publications) 2014

A major part of the Genealogical Proof Standard is evaluating the records used in our research.
Learning how to determine what type of record you have and the type of information given in it is key to understanding if you can trust what it is telling you.
Census records that are digitized online can be considered an original document.
In the 1940 U.S. Federal Census, there is a mark beside the name of the person who gave the enumerator the information to fill out the form for the family.  Knowing who this person may help to determine if they were in a position to know the facts about the family.
The 1940 US Census of Richland County, South Carolina shows a problem with my 2nd great grandmother, Bessie Mae Price, and son Frank. Bessie is marked as the informant. Looking at the record, it appears that Bessie correctly identified her son Frank as the Head of the household and herself as Mother. From other records, Bessie’s age is correct but Frank’s?  Born in 1914, Frank would have been 26, not the 57 as written.
 Apparently, someone looking at this record felt the same way and decided the relationship “Mother” was a mistake and wrote “wife” above it.  Where Bessie indicated she was a widow, it is crossed out, and the letter M written above it.  
The image online shows this change in faint writing, but it is dark enough for indexers to see and incorrectly list them as husband and wife.  
Bessie and Frank Price - 1940 Richland County, South Carolina Census




1940 U.S. Census, Richland County, South Carolina, population schedule, Arden, Enumeration District [ED] 40-44, p.2B (penned), house number 5801, visited number, Bessie Price: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed12 January 2017); from National Archives microfilm publication 
T627, roll 3834.

Anyone not using the Genealogical Proof Standard may have come across this census and stopped there. They would have found what they thought was a couple and recorded this information in their tree and tried unsuccessfully to find them in other records.
The GPS (Genealogical Proof Standard) requires reasonably exhaustive research, which means looking for any records that may be available. In this case, the GPS  leads to additional census records for the previous years showing a consistent family unit with Bessie, her husband Campbell and children Beulah Mae, David, George, Nellie, and Frank.
Bessie became a “widow” (it is unclear what happened to her husband, Campbell, as he disappeared in 1922 according to family lore) and did not remarry. Her death certificate and obituary name Campbell Price as her husband.  Named in son Frank’s 2002 obituary is his mother, Bessie, and father, Campbell.
Following the GPS standard of Evaluating Evidence, the census entry was determined to be correct, except for the age of son Frank, when it was originally recorded. The crossing out of the terms mother and widowed was a mistake by someone who based the decision on the mistake in Frank’s age.

The Campbell and Bessie Mae Price family in the 1920 Richland County, South Carolina Census. 



                                     1920 U.S. Census, Richland County, South Carolina, population schedule, School District 4, Enumeration District [ED]98, p.49A (penned), dwelling966, family 1003, Cam Price: digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 13 January 2107); from National Archives microfilm publication T625, roll 1707.


                                                                          Bessie Price Obituary


                                                               The State, (Columbia, South Carolina), electronic newspaper, archived, (http://www.Newsbank.com]: accessed 12 January 2017), Mrs. Bessie Price, p.9


                                                                   Death Certificate of Bessie Price


South Carolina Department of Archives and History, “South Carolina, Death Records, 1821-1961” database, Ancestry (http://ancestry.com accessed 13 January 2017), entry for Mrs. Bessie M. Price, certificate number 10072 (1943).


Frank Price: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice
State, The (Columbia, SC) - June 20, 2002
Deceased Name: Frank Price
WEST COLUMBIA - Services for Frank Earle Price, 87, will be held at 11 a.m. today at Faith Lutheran Church, conducted by the Rev. Tommy Lineberger, with burial in Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery, Bethlehem Circle, Leesville. Pallbearers will be Scott Broam, Harold Davis, Rick Gartman, Michael Coffey, Brent Ridenhour, Jonathan Smith, Jamey Ricard and Larry Sease. Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington is in charge. Memorials may be made to Faith Lutheran Church.
Mr. Price died Tuesday, June 18, 2002. Born in West Columbia, he was the son of the late Campbell Bertrand and Bessie Mae Eargle Price. He had been a lifelong area resident and was a member of Faith Lutheran Church. He was a lifetime member of the PTA, treasurer of Faith Lutheran Church Sunday School and had retired as secretary of ACTW Union. He had retired from M. Lowenstien-Pacific Mills.
Surviving are his wife, Drucie S. Price of West Columbia; sons and daughters-in-law, Reginald L. and Brenda Price of Lexington, Edsel B. and Sandy Price of Leesville; granddaughter and spouse, D'Etta Price and Scott Broam of Lexington; great-grandchildren, Hannah Broam and Noah Broam. He was predeceased by a son, Edwin Earle Price and a granddaughter, Merika Lynne Price.
Edition: FINAL
Page: B4
Copyright (c) 2002 The State

The State, (Columbia, South Carolina), electronic newspaper, archived, (http://www.TheState.com]: accessed 20 June 2002) Frank Price, p.B4

Click to watch the Hangout for Chapter 3

Next week, I will be at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and won't be able to participate in the study group. My plan is to rewrite on of my assignments as requested and submit it. 
Week 4's Hangout will be archived so I will watch and share.


Missed a Chapter? Here are the links to previous Study Groups.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2

What can I do to help you discover your ancestors? Please contact me!


Thanks so much for stopping by!



Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Tuesday's Tip~Gettin' By With Help from Our Friends~Lisa-Dawn Crawley!



This week we hear from Lisa-Dawn Crawley of the LDC: The Zombie Genealogist

Tuesday’s Tips for Locating Elusive Books

AWESOME!! You have just discovered the existence of a book which has the potential to unlock the secrets of a family you are investigating! Cue that ecstatic, vigorous yet silent *HAPPY DANCE* for which every genealogist longs. Careful! Don’t throw your back out!! You want to be able to devour the thing as soon as possible, not be stuck in bed with your heating pad for weeks.

Okay, deep breaths to recover composure. Now, typing fingers ready! You just have to get your grubby little paws on those secret-laden little pages…

Soooo... your local library sucks; Chapters-Indigo and Coles’ shelves are frustratingly barren; Amazon offers everything including the kitchen sink but, of course, not the one stinking book that could make your entire life.

What now????  

When the usual sources don’t pan out, as they are wont to do -- don’t despair! Refrain from letting your anger out on that poor laptop! There ARE other tricks you can try.

1. Give WorldCat.org a whirl!

WorldCat is the world’s largest network of library content. You can search this database by keyword, title or author to discover which libraries across the globe hold particular books, music CDs, articles, downloadable audio books, digital books and more.

There are many useful tools this site offers that you should play with; however, for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the search results. Not every single library in existence is a part of this database but comprised are many collections from all over the world, including traditional public libraries and university libraries. If you’ve registered and logged in as a user or input your location, results should come up in the order of closest proximity to you.

In order to access any materials that come up in your search results, you must download (if available) the digital version or check it out with your active membership to that particular library. Sometimes, it is possible and affordable to purchase a membership to a library that is not local to you; but what does a desperate genealogist do when that is not the case?
2. Look into an Interlibrary Loan (ILL), that’s what!

If your local library belongs to a broader but still local network, as mine does, you will be able to order items within that network to be delivered to your local branch for check out and pick up. For example, the library that is physically closest to me is one branch on a tree of connected libraries (additional branches) that service my city. I can order any item from within this city-wide system with my membership but, technically, this is NOT an interlibrary loan since the request comes from one of the many locations of the same library.

An interlibrary loan comes into play when you want access to items not held in the collection of your local library system. This is where, after double-checking that your local library does not have your item of interest, you would use the information you’ve found via WorldCat.

Talk to your local librarian or review the library’s website to determine how to submit your request and, if applicable, how many requests can be made at once. Depending on the location and availability of your desired item, your library’s ILL service’s delivery can take a broad range of time (ie, from three to eight weeks) and be free or fee-based. My library, for example, charges between $2 for a simple return postage fee to $40 USD to cover loan fees from some American libraries. International loans may be even more expensive but patrons will likely be informed of costs before they are committed to the purchase. Expect strict loan periods and steep fees for overdue items and loss or damage as this affects your library’s reputation as well as your own.

Researchers would be wise to look into all restrictions on their local ILL service which could vary according to individual library policy and staffing issues. In particular, researchers should be aware that some items may be marked for “in library use only” which means that items cannot be taken out of the physical library location. In such circumstances, photocopying services may resolve this problem.
3. The Family History Library (FHL) catalogue and/or your local Family History Centre might also come in handy!

You might discover that the holdings of the Family History Library may show up in your WorldCat.org search results. In order to access these items, you will need to make a request through your local Family History Centre (FHC). There are almost 5000 individual centres in about 134 countries around the world, so I’m willing to bet that there is probably one fairly close to you.

Use the FamilySearch.org website to locate the Family History Centre (FHC) closest to you. Though all connected to the FHL in Salt Lake City, FHC’s are locally operated and supervised; therefore, facilities and resources differ by location and can range broadly in service ability and hours of operation. So, to avoid frustration and wasted time, you will want to contact your local centre in advance of visiting.

On top of access to what is available via the FHL catalogue (which researchers can search directly by clicking here: https://familysearch.org/catalog/search), each FHC usually has its own collection of location-specific materials and resources of interest to their particular patrons. For example, here in Ottawa where there is a large Irish immigrant population, the local FHC has a large collection of local Irish resources. Such special collections may include copies of rare or privately published books (like the one you’re looking for!) that could help your research but may not be found commercially.  You will want to make a point of investigating these special collections which may or may not be connected to the main FHL catalogue or otherwise searchable.

For more tips on how to locate elusive books, look for upcoming posts on Lisa’s blog.


Bio:
Lisa-Dawn Crawley is the voice of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa’s member exclusive monthly eNewsletter. She also serves as BIFHSGO’s Youth Consultant and as part of their social media team. Lisa’s life-long interest in genealogy culminated in 2010 when she located and introduced her stepgrandfather's “first family” to his “second family”. 
Now, LDC finds herself working toward multiple certifications from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies with plans to graduate in 2017. A chronic insomniac, Lisa (aka The Zombie Genealogist) narrates this genealogical journey and her endeavours to bring the dead back to life on a blog of the same name. Her 2400+ Twitter followers enjoy a wide range of tweets illustrating LDC’s diverse background and interests.




Thanks so much for the fabulous book tips, Lisa!
What books are your favorite? We'd love to hear your thoughts!


Thanks so much for stopping by!






Sunday, January 15, 2017

This Week On My Family History Calendar

January 15 - January 21


January 19~
        My maternal 2nd Great Grandfather, Manning David Daughrity, Sr. (1844-1918) died in Statesburg, Sumter, South Carolina 99 years ago. He is buried in the Sumter City Cemetery, Sumter, Sumter, South Carolina.
  

   
Manning David Daughrity, Sr.
Obituary
Sumter Watchman (Sumter, SC)

 23 January 1918 pg.5


  January 20~
          Martha (Parnold) Brazell (1795-1876) my maternal 4th Great Grandmother, was born 222 years ago. She may have been born in the Richland County area of South Carolina. 



Do you need help finding ancestors for your Family History Calendar? Please contact me! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!



Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!



You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.
                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. This can be done by scrolling down and adding your story to the comments section. You may also put a link to a blog post.



                                                                 
My Happy Dance This Week:  
This has been a hard week for me and several genealogy friends. 
We lost one of our own due to a senseless tragedy. There has not been much dancing but sharing of love and memories. I am continually amazed by the genealogy community and how it rallies when a member or their family needs our love and support.  So instead of sharing a Happy Dance, I want to celebrate and remember my friend Pam Wolosz and share my gratitude for all of you who have taken the time to send love, prayers and financial aid to her loved ones. I am proud to be part of this great group of people! Thank you, my friends. 

 What had you dancing this week? Please share so we can celebrate together!


Help get the word out about sharing our Happy Dance moments.
Please click to tweet:


                                                                                           Share your discovery!
                                                                                   Let the dancing commence!



Do you need help discovering your ancestors? Please contact me!
Thanks so much for stopping by!



Thursday, January 12, 2017

DearMYRTLE Genealogy Proof Standard Study Group-Chapter 2-Building a Solid Case


Graphic created by DearMYRTLE
used with permission

Yesterday, despite technical problems with Google Business Hangouts, our Study Group continued using Go To Meeting.
 DearMYRTLE and Cousin Russ once again worked through the issues with this platform and we were able to have a great discussion.

My homework was presented first and I spoke about the importance of reading about and understanding why a record was created and the information explaining what is included in the database.  My example was looking for my Grandfather and his brothers in the WWII Draft Cards records on Ancestry and discovering after wasting time, that they don't have South Carolina listed in the States represented in the collection!

Due to the limitations of this format on the number of people who can participate via webcam, I turned mine off and listened as the rest of the homework was presented by the other panelists.

Take a look at this week's recording to get some great tips on research and using the Genealogical Proof Standard! 





I find it amazing how we can all read the same chapter but each come up with a different topic to do our homework on! Did you notice that MYRT calls me Cheryl instead of Cheri in this Study Group? It's because of fellow panelist Sheri and the need to clarify who she is talking to!! 
  
My Homework for Chapter 2-

Genealogy Proof Standard Study Group
Homework Chapter Two-Building a Solid Case
Cheri Hudson Passey
Reference: Christine Rose, Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case 4th Edition Revised, (San Jose, California: CR Publications) 2014


As stated in this chapter, before beginning research in any record group, we need to read any information given about the source and why it was created.
If you don’t understand the reason for the set of records and what it contains, your may be searching in vain.


An example of understanding the what and why of a record set is  Military Draft Records. You may have determined that your ancestor was of the age to have fought in a war. Family stories tell of him being a veteran. A search is performed to find what you hope will be a record giving you information on that Ancestor’s service but there are no hits. Why?  Reading the source information and when and why that particular record was created may help you answer that question.


When searching for information on my Grandfather and his brother who served in WWII, I was frustrated by only finding my Grandfather’s Draft Card. I knew for a fact that two of his brother’s died in the War and two others also served.  It wasn’t until I actually took the time to read the information about the database I was searching that I realized my mistake. While my Grandfather, who was living in Charlotte, NC at the time he filled out his Draft Card, his brother’s were in South Carolina. This database does not include SC Draft Cards yet. I wasted a lot of time by not reading and understanding the important facts about this group of records. Their father, who I thought may have had to fill out a draft card wasn’t found either. Why? Again, because he lived in SC and he was too old. The group of men in these records are between the ages of 18 and 45. Their father would have been too old.


Discovering the “Old Man’s Registration” that took place in 1942 and recorded men between the ages of 45 and 64, I thought that he may have a card in the database. This time, I looked at the information given about the record group before searching and realized that once again, South Carolina was not included in the States represented.  Having that knowledge prevented me from wasting time researching in a record that could not produce the results I wanted.  


Looking for more information on my 3rd Great Grandmother, Mary (Stafford) Dorrity, I turned to the South Carolina Civil War Widow’s Pension Applications. Many of these documents have been digitized by the Department of History and Archives in Columbia, SC and are available on their website.
This time I began by learning about the process for Widows to apply for a pension in South Carolina after the Civil War. The first pensions were given starting in 1887 to Widows whose husbands died in service or to Vets who were disabled or had other injuries. By 1896 the pension qualifications were extended to those Veterans that were over 60, poor and uninjured and to Widows who were over 60 and poor. This lasted until 1919. The Confederate Pension Committee was formed at that point and the eligibility requirements were changed to include all Veterans and Widows who were over 60 and had married before 1890. By 1920 a widow's age requirement went to 55, 50 in 1921 and 45 in 1930. Marriages had to have been performed in 1900 or later in 1920 and changed in 1929 to a new rule that said the Veteran and his widow must have been married for at least 10 years. Interestingly in SC, the last Confederate Widow died in 1990.
Only a few of the pre-1919 Pension Applications are extant.
With this information, I determined that my 3rd Great Grandmother, Mary Dorrity, fit the criteria for a 1919 Widow’s Pension and later. I knew from the census and other records that her husband, a Civil War Veteran had died, she was in her 70’s and was not a wealthy woman.
A search of the online index produced a link to an online image of her Widow’s Pension Application in 1919.


This digital copy of Mary Dority’s Pension Petition can be considered an original document.
The questions asked were answered by Mary herself. It was signed by an X representing her mark, so it appears that she was the informant, but not the one who actually wrote the answers supplied in on the form. The information about her age, date of marriage, husband’s death and financial status are all primary information. She would have also had first-hand knowledge of his service in the War. Her reasons given for needing the pension are that she has no one to support her. She was living  with her 2 sons who are invalids and “cannot do for themselves”
The information about Manning Dority’s service is also validated by several witnesses who served with him. These witnesses provide primary information and concur with Mary’s information.


When looking at who provided the information for a record, it is always good to consider if there was a reason to lie in the document. In this case, it could be conceivable that Mary didn’t tell the truth about her marriage date or her age to make sure she was eligible for the pension as the rules stated in 1919. It is not known if there were any supporting documents provided with this application. None were included with the digitized record.  
Following the guidelines of the Genealogical Proof Standard, more records would need to be located to determine if the information provided by Mary Dorrity on her birth, marriage, status of her children and financial ability is correct.


Information about the record group you are interested in can usually be found on the same page as the search box for that particular set of records when online.  An internet search can provide help if there is no guidance. When doing research offline in an archive or another facility, asking questions of those in charge can help determine if you have the correct set of documents to answer your genealogy question.


DorityMaryElizabethPension1.jpg
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, "Records of Confederate Veterans, 1909-1973" database, South Carolina Department of Archives and History,(http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov: accessed 1 May 2016) entry for Mary Elizabeth Dority, Sumter, Sumter County Application for Pension for Manning Dority, Service Company G, Twentieth Infantry Regt., S.C., p.1, (1919).


DorityMaryElizabethpension2.jpg
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, "Records of Confederate Veterans, 1909-1973" database, South Carolina Department of Archives and History,(http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov: accessed 1 May 2016) entry for Mary Elizabeth Dority, Sumter, Sumter County Application for Pension for Manning Dority, Service Company G, Twentieth Infantry Regt., S.C., p.2, (1919).


Copy (2) of DorityMaryElizabethPension.jpg
South Carolina Department of Archives and History, "Records of Confederate Veterans, 1909-1973" database, South Carolina Department of Archives and History,(http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov: accessed 1 May 2016) entry for Mary Elizabeth Dority, Sumter, Sumter County Application for Pension for Manning Dority, Service Company G, Twentieth Infantry Regt., S.C., p.3, (1919).


2017-01-09_11-07-29.jpg


Record information on the US WWII Draft Cards, Young Man, 1940-1946 from Ancestry.com
(http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2238)


Missed a Chapter? Here are the links to previous Study Groups.
Chapter 1

What can I do to help you discover your ancestors? Please contact me!

Thanks so much for stopping by!





Monday, January 9, 2017

Mailbox Monday~Letters from Mattie-Part 3

Kate and Jimmy Ryan
1940's
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Kathryn Louise (Baker) Ryan (1899-1987) was my paternal Great Grandmother's sister. Affectionately known as "Auntie Kate", she was the genealogist of her generation. Much of my early research on the Baker family comes from the information she collected and passed on to me. She kept many things belonging to the generations before her including pictures, bibles, obituaries, documents and personal items. 

When Auntie Kate died, my father rescued a box full of her treasures from the trash. Among these items were letters she received from her Mother, Martha "Mattie"Victoria (Bradford) Baker (1862-1947) which all seem to have been written about 1925. Kate and her husband were living in Wadesboro, North Carolina at the time these were sent to her. 

Letters from Mattie
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Only two envelopes were included with the 4 letters. They were both empty. None of the letters included a date, but some gave enough clues to narrow down a month in which it was probably written. Fortunately, one held enough information to determine which envelope it had been sent in. 

Mattie Baker
Before 1935
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Letter 1-
This letter is not dated and doesn't give any information as to when it was written, but the people Mattie writes about puts the letter in the 1925 time period. It possibly could be the letter that goes in the empty February 5, 1925, envelope.

Mattie is writing to daughter Kate about a trip taken to visit son James Alpheus Baker (1893-1974) who they called "Allie". 
Allie, wife Ethel Vivian (Ogg) Baker (1895-1979), and daughter Dorothy Alpheus (Baker) Billings (1915-1987) were living in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Her  granddaughter, Mary (Baker) Hudson (1920-2010) -my grandmother- is on the trip with her. 
It appears that she is writing the letter from the home of her daughter, my Great Grandmother, Emma Ruth (Baker) Early (1901-1993). She talks about riding in the car belonging to "Jube", my Great Grandfather Jubal Ransom Early (1888-1964). Mattie is having quite the time visiting her children and says that she will be going to the home of her daughter Ella"Bess" Fair (Baker) Wells (1889-1971) next. 
Mattie also talks about "Didy". This may be a nickname for Auntie Kate's husband James  "Jimmy" Patrick Ryan (1893-1950).
       
1  Tuesday, a.m.  
Mattie Baker Letter pg. 1
©Cheri Hudson Passey

 Well I am still among 
 the red hills not doing
one thing but eating
and sleeping and riding
 around having a good
time, but we can't ride
now for Jube had to go
off in the car and will
be gone all week
 but you know I am not
any crazy about a car
no way and I love to walk
 when I feel well. I intended
going to Besses [sic]Thursday
but Jube said if I would







2
stay until Sunday that  
Mattie Baker Letter pg.2
©Cheri Hudson Passey
they would take me to
Columbia in the car and 
I would so much rather
go that way than on the
train so I will stay until 
about Tuesday with Bess
and then go on home. I
made my stay at Charlotte
short and sweet for I
could not make myself at
 home they treated me all
right but oh my that                          
 Dorothy she was just to [sic]
much for me and she was










3
Mattie Baker Letter pg. 3
©Cheri Hudson Passey
so mean and cross to
Mary the poor little thing    
 look like she was
miserable the whole time we
was there when we got to
Ruth's she look like a
bird out of a cage and
I was all most as bad for
she fed me just about the
way she did you and you
know that did not suit
me at all and Allie was
not there at all only at
night and would leave'soon every morning so I
did not see much of him
and Ethel spent the evenings 
in bed reading so you see
I had a lively time not
knowing anybody





4
Mattie Baker Letter pg. 4

but oh my I have been  
eating since I've been
here just like I did there
and enjoyed it they all have been so sweet to me
I speck [sic] I will be saying
I don't want to go home
why would love to see
the folks at home for I
know they need me at
home tell Didy I hope that
his business is still
improving since I left.
for Allie said I must
have brought him good
luck to his I think I
better come again. I have told all the news so I will close
so I will say by by [sic] for this time
love for you both from Mother




What fun to read about Mattie's adventures at her children's homes! From her irritation at her son's home to riding around in a car at her daughter's my Great Great Grandmother's personality comes through in these four pages. 
Letter number two will be posted in a couple of weeks as Mailbox Monday~Letters from Mattie continues.


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