Genea-Musings :Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Earliest Known Birth Date in Your Family Tree

Once again, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings had issued a challenge 
This week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is to look for the earliest known birth date in your family tree.
For this challenge, we are to show who it is and how we found out.
He also says we get bonus points for finding the birth date for the earliest ancestor to be born in the Northern Hemisphere.


My earliest birth date is for my 11th great grandfather Richard Taylor born about 1574 in Kent County, England. From my notes section for Richard in Legacy, I  have recorded that Richard is said to have arrived in Virginia in 1608 on the Mary Margaret and settled at the neck of land in Charles City. He was classified as an "Ancient Planter" A muster roll from January 1624 shows Richard, a wife, and a three-month-old daughter. Son Robert, my 10th great grandfather who is said to have been born about 1624 may be my first ancestor born in North America.

There is much to do on all my lines, and this is most likely to change as I gain more information.

How did I find out which ancestor?
I located the information by pulling up my Legacy Family Tree software and going to the search form.
In it, I clicked "Individual" with the conditions "Birth Date" and "Before"  and "1600". 
The name with the earlies birthdate found was Richard Taylor. 


Take the challenge! Who in your family tree has the earliest birth date? What about North American births? Who was the first?

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun from Randy Seaver-The Day Your Grandmother was Born

Mary Ann (Baker) Hudson about 1921
©Cheri Hudson Passey

Every Saturday night, Randy Seaver from the GeneaMusings Blog issues a challenge.
This week he says:

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1)  What day of the week was your Grandmother born (either one)? Tell us how you found out.

2)  What event was a headline in the newspapers on that date?  Tell us how you found out.

3) What has happened in recorded history on your Grandmother's birth date (day and month)? Tell us how you found out, and list five events.

4)  What famous people have been born on your Grandmother's birth date?  Tell us how you found out, and list five of them.

5)  Put your responses in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a status or comment on Facebook.

Here are my answers:

 Mary Ann (Baker) Hudson about a year old.
©Cheri Hudson Passey

1-I choose my paternal grandmother Mary Ann (Baker) Hudson (1920-2010) for this challenge. Mimi as we called her was born on 5 May 1920. Not only did I always remember her birthday as I was growing up, but it is also on her birth and death certificates. I used the calendar tool in my Legacy Family Tree genealogy software to discover she was born on a Wednesday.

Source: The Watchman and Southron (Sumter, South Carolina) 05 May 1920, Wednesday, Page 1.

Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com: accessed 30 June 2018. 

2-The front page of the local paper The Watchman and Southron reported the death of the Crown Princess of Sweden, the rise of teacher's salary at Winthrop College and worries over cotton prices.

3- From the website This Day in History this list was given for the 5th of May:

Lead Story

 1961 The first American in space

American Revolution

1776 Clinton excludes Howe and Harnett from amnesty offer

Automotive

1944 Driving pioneer Bertha Benz dies

Civil War

1864 Grant and Lee clash in the Wilderness forest

Cold War

1955 Allies end occupation of West Germany

Crime

2004 Human remains found in suitcase near Virginia Beach

Disaster

1995 Hail storm surprises Dallas residents

General Interest

1821 Napoleon dies in exile

1862 Battle of Puebla

1945 Six killed in Oregon by Japanese bomb

1981 IRA militant Bobby Sands dies

Hollywood

2002 Spider-Man is first movie to top $100 million in opening weekend

Literary

1816 The Examiner publishes John Keats’ first poem

Music

1979 Peaches and Herb top the pop charts with “Reunited”

Old West

1877 Sitting Bull leads his people into Canada

Presidential

1985 Reagan visits concentration camp and war cemetery

Sports

1904 Cy Young throws perfect game

Vietnam War

1970 U.S. forces capture Snoul, Cambodia

1972 North Vietnamese turn back South Vietnamese relief column

World War I

1919 Italian delegates return to Paris peace conference

World War II

1941 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returns to his capital

5-Some famous people born on May 5th-

Country singer Tammy Wynette

• English Comedian Micheal Pallin
  English Singer Adele
  American Singer Chris Brown
  This information came from the website On This Day.

Then there is the big celebration of Cinco de Mayo! My cousin used to call it Cinco de Mimi!!

What was happening the day your grandmother was born? Take the assignment and see what you can learn!  Write a post and share it here and on Randy's post!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun- Lifespans of Your 3rd Great Grandparents

Photo Credit: Pixabay CCO license

Each Saturday, Randy Seaver issues a challenge on his GenaMusings blog.
This week's challenge is:

1)  We each have 32 3rd great-grandparents.  How did their birth and death years vary?  How long were their lifespans?  

2)  For this week, please list your 32 third great-grandparents, their birth year, their death year, and their lifespan in years.  You can do it in plain text, in a table or spreadsheet, or in a graph of some sort.

Here are the ones I have information on. The years depict their age at their death.

1-Thomas McRady (1821-1896) 74 years
2-Mary (Brown) McRady (1821-1894)  73 years
3-William J. Dority (1820-abt. 1897)  About 60
4-Martha (Mathis) Dority 1820-1905) 84 years
5-James C. Stafford  (1815 to before 1870) About 61
6-Marina (Mathis) Stafford ( 1815 to after 1880) About 65
7-Thomas Phillip Roberts (1830-1893) 62 years
8-Eliza Atiza (Brazell) Roberts (1836-1890) 52 years
9-James Brazell (1827-?)
10-Nancy (Dial) Brazell (1831-1910)  Age 79
11-Adam Price (1847-     )
12- Sallie (?) Price birth and death unknown
13-George David Eargle (1827-1886)  Age 59
14-Elvira America (Booth) (1834-1898) Age 64
15-Jones Early  Birth and death unknown
16-Fanny (?) Early Birth and death unknown.
17-William A. Martin (1813-1887) Age 74
18-Matilda C. (?) Martin (1812-1876) Age 64
19-Alpheus J. Baker (1824-1917) Age 93
20-Mary Ellen (Jones) Baker (1826-abt, 1865) About 40
21-Samuel J. Bradford II (1815-1875)  Age 60
22-Mary Alice (Dargan) Bradford (1825-1875) Age 49
23-Jacob Hudson (1788-1870) Age 82
24-Mary (?) Hudson (1810-1889) Age 79
25-Henry John Smith (1807-1849) Age 42
26-Martha Julia (Epps) Smith (1808-1854)  Age 46
27-Thomas Lemuel Thames (1827-1863)  Age 36
28-Rebecca Hannah (Stukes) Thames (1830-1870) Age 40
29-Benjamin Reese Gibson (1824-1907) Age 83
30-Margaret Cantey (Walker) Gibson (1830-1900) Age 70

The average lifespan of the 25 great-great-grandparents I have birth and death information on is 64.  They range from 36-93.
The woman's average lifespan is 62 years and the men's 66.

Two of my 3rd great-grandparents remain unknown and 5 have incomplete information for their birth and deaths. Looks like I have some researching to do!

What is the average lifespan of your 3rd great grandparents? 



Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun~Pauleen's Christmas Meme

This week Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has challenged the community to participate in Pauleen Cass' Chrismas Meme. Pauleen writes the Family History Across the Seas blog.

There are a series of questions to answer about our holiday traditions. Here are my answers.
1-Do you have any special Christmas traditions in your family? 
We have several.  We have a trim the tree party where everyone comes and hangs their ornaments on the tree. It's fun to watch grandchildren help their parents.  A Christmas Eve program where everyone participates with some kind of talent and the reading of the story of the birth of Christ is the ending of the night.  A book of 25 stories was given to us years ago. Each night a story is read until Christmas along with watching an advent calendar from Jackie Lawson. Recently, we have added participating in the #LighttheWorld campaign and encourage each other to follow the suggestion for service each day.
2-Is church attendance an important part of your Christmas celebrations and do you go the evening before or on Christmas Day?  
We always attend our church's Christmas celebration, usually on a Friday in December, watch the worldwide Christmas Devotional and attend services when they fall on a Sunday. We don't have a special service on Christmas Day if it doesn't fall on a Sunday. This year Christmas Eve will be even more special since it will be on the Sabbath Day.
3-Did/you or your children/grandchildren believe in Santa?
Yes! Some of my favorite Christmas Decorations are photos of my children and grandchildren sitting on Santa's lap! As I write this, a test has come in from one of my daughters with pictures of her three with Santa. One with big smiles, and the two younger ones not so sure they want to meet the big guy in person!
4-Do you go caroling in your neighborhood?
We have often gone with our church youth group. One of my favorite caroling experiences was when my oldest son lived nearby. He rented a trailer to pull with his van, added some hay and we drove around the neighborhood singing. All 11 of my children with their children were together on that special night.
5-What’s your favorite Christmas music?
I love listening to the music from my teenage years. The Osmonds, Carpenters and Amy Grant's Christmas Albums always bring back wonderful memories of being with my parents and grandparents.
6-What’s your favorite Christmas carol?
I'm not sure I have a favorite. I love the classic songs and especially love December when we sing them in church.
7-Do you have a special Chrismas movie/book you like to watch/read?
My husbands are "A Christmas Carol", so we watch that every year along with "It's a Wonderful Life". If it's a Christmas Movie, we will be watching it sometime during the season.
You can catch me watching the Hallmark Christmas Movies all month long!
8-Does your family do individual gifts, gifts for littlies only, Secret Santa (aka Kris Kringle)? 
Since we have a large family, the children have a sibling assigned to them each year to buy for.
The kids still at home get presents and filled stockings. My married children receive a package with a present to open for each of the 12 days before Christmas.
9-Is your main Christmas meal indoors or outdoors, at home or away?
Christmas Dinner is usually at my mom's house. Whoever is in town comes and it can get quite noisy! Each has an assignment for what food to bring so that one person doesn't have the burden of cooking for so many!

10-What do you eat as your main course for the Christmas meal?
Turkey, Ham and all the fixings are on the menu.  Chocolate, pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert with plenty of eggnog ( non-alcoholic, lol!)
11-Do you have a special recipe you use for Christmas?  
My mom makes the most delicious Christmas candy every year. She dips all sorts of things in chocolate and white chocolate. My favorites are the candied orange slices and the Ritz crackers with peanut butter in between two. Whether they've been dipped in white or regular chocolate, they are amazing!
12-Does Christmas pudding feature on the Christmas menu? Is it your recipe or one you inherited?
I have made a Christmas pudding from time to time. It is a recipe found in a cookbook years ago.
13-Do you have any other special Christmas foods? What are they? 
Our Christmas Eve dinner is made up of appetizers. This was started years ago so that we could graze as we participated in and watched our family program. We have taco dip, spinach balls, ramachi, BLT tomatoes, meatball, and the list goes on and on! A tree in our kitchen has popcorn balls, cookies, and candy canes hanging on it for dessert.
14-Do you give home-made food/craft for gifts at Christmas?
We usually make a plate of goodies for neighbors and friend from work and church.
15-Do you return to your family for Xmas or vice versa? 
When I was little, we would take turns at grandparents homes if we could. My dad was in the Air Force and many years we were too far away. Today, we go to my mom and dad's and our children who are out of town come when they can.
16-Is your Christmas celebrated differently from your childhood ones? If yes, how does it differ? 
They are still full of family and love. The only difference is that we are active in church and have more of a religious aspect to Christmas now that I have a family of my own.
17-How do you celebrate Christmas with your friends? Lunch? Pre-Christmas outings? Drop-ins?
Lunches, parties, and other gatherings.
18-Do you decorate your house with lights? A little or a lot?
White icicle lights on the house and luminarias are put out on Christmas Eve.
19-Is your neighborhood a “Christmas lights” tour venue?  
No, but many in our cul-de-sac and the streets around us have wonderful light displays!
20-Does your family attend Carols by Candlelight singalongs/concerts? Where?  
Many of our children have been and still, are involved in Bands and Choirs. Each year we attend Christmas concerts at their schools. We've now added grandchildren's  Christmas programs!
21-Have any of your Christmases been spent camping (unlikely for our northern-hemisphere friends)?
No, but it sounds like fun!
22-Is Christmas spent at your home, with family or at a holiday venue? 
Typically is in with the family at home, but we have spent a Christmas in a beach house and at Disney World in the past.
23-Do you have snow for Christmas where you live?
When we lived in Utah and New Mexico we always had a chance for a white Christmas and had several. Now that we live in South Carolina near the beach, chances are very small we will see one here!
24-Do you have a Christmas tree every year?
Yes! We have a real tree in our family room, and artificial ones in the sunroom, kitchen and master bedroom. The kids have small tabletop trees in their rooms.
25-Is your Christmas tree a live tree (potted/harvested) or an imitation?  
From childhood, I have always had a live tree. We continue the tradition along with the artificial ones.

26-Do you have special Christmas tree decorations?  
My children have received an ornament every year until they left home. We still have them and they are put on the live tree each year. One day I will give them to them, but I am not ready to give up the memories yet! I have a special stuffed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer that I put near the top of the tree each year. When I was a child, I insisted it go on the tree and not anywhere else!
27-Which is more important to your family, Christmas or Thanksgiving?
Although Thanksgiving is important to us, Christmas is the favorite for most.

Thanks, Randy and Pauleen! What fun to think about and answer each of these questions!

What about you? Will you take the challenge and participate in Pauleen's Christmas meme?
If you do, add the link to your post to Randy's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post and leave Pauleen a comment letting her know you joined in!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun~Timelines

This week Randy challenges us to Make an Ancestor's Timeline.

Here's mine made with Legacy Family Tree genealogy software for my maternal 5th great grandfather and Revolutionary War soldier, Phillip Roberts (1763-1854).

The options tab gives several choices in the way a timeline can look and what it contains. There is even a choice for using colors for individuals and events. A list of historical timelines can also be added.

Timelines are very useful in genealogy research. They are a visual representation of the events in an ancestor's life. This tool can help to see holes in your research and by adding what was happening historically, clues to record sets are found. From this short timeline of Phillip Roberts, I can see much more needs to be discovered about his life.

Do you use timelines in your genealogy research?

Thanks for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,

Randy's Saturday Night Genealogy Research Fun~Research Grief

Photo Credit: Made with free Pixabay creative license

This week's Saturday Night Research Fun challenge from Randy Seaver of the Genea Musings blog is- Research Grief. The question asked is "Which ancestor gives you the most researching grief"

A very easy question to answer for me.
It is my great great grandfather, Bertrand Campbell Price (1876-?).
You see, Cam, as he was known, is a mystery.
He disappeared one day and was never seen again.

There are several different stories floating around.

• He was robbed and murdered.
• He was killed by a storm and his body was not identified.
• He went looking for work and was killed in a train accident.
• He ran away with all the family money.

The last person who saw Cam Price seems to have been his son Frank.

 "He last saw him at a tent revival on Huger Street in Columbia.  He had on a new suit and he put down a handkerchief to sit on the rough plank seat.  Frank thinks his sister Beulah might have known something but she never told."

Cam's wife Bessie Mae went to court in 1932 to have her husband declared legally dead. She was successful and received money from his life insurance policy.

I have written about Cam before:
Fresh Start~Did He or Didn't He deals with the rumors surrounding Cam's disappearance.
Surprise!~Did She Know? Did daughter Beulah Mae know something as her brother Frank suspected?

AAAAHHH!!! Where did you go, Cam? Did you run off or did you go looking for a job? Were you the victim of a crime or storm? Were you on that train that crashed? 
There has to be something, somewhere to let me know. 
And? One day I will find it and you! 

So what about you? Which ancestor gives you the most grief?

Thanks so much for stopping by! 
Helping you climb your family tree,

SNGF: Playing Along With Randy~What Are the Top Locations In My Tree?

Tonight's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge from Randy Seaver is to use our Genealogy Management Program to discover how many places we have in our family tree.

 Using Legacy Family Tree's Statistics information, I was able to get a list of the Top Nine locations in my tree.

 For those of you who are familiar with my research, you won't be surprised at all.

 Drum Roll Please

 The Top Nine are:

1) South Carolina, United States    222 

2) Sumter County, South Carolina  201

3) Clarendon County, South Carolina  111

4) Williamsburg County, South Carolina  86

5) Columbia, Richland, South Carolina  81

6)Camden, Kershaw, South Carolina   69

7)Richland County, South Carolina 63

8) Aiken County, South Carolina  61

9) Lee County, South Carolina  50

Surprised? Didn't think so!

According to the Location Statistics Chart, there are 454 Unique Locations in my tree.  

Most of these are in the Carolinas. Yep, again, proof that I am a Carolina Girl!

What are the top locations in your family tree? Visit Randy's blog, Geneamusings, and play along!!

Are we kin? Need help with your research? Please contact me.

Together we can find our people.

Thanks so much for stopping by!