Genie Road Trip

My Great Aunt Beulah Johnson Noonan would have turned 80 yesterday. I didn’t know her well—though did get to know her better in her later years when she and Uncle Don would head down to Dewitt, for Uncle John’s Cider Mill’s Fall Craft Show to sell hand tooled leather goods. It always felt like she was the baby of my Grandfather’s family, despite having a younger half-brother. She married Donald Noonan in 1950 and the couple eventually relocated to Walkerville, Michigan—a tight-knit community surrounded by the Manistee National Forest—for their life together. They had two daughters, Barbie Jo and Donna Lee but, sadly, Aunt Beulah outlived both her daughters and Uncle Don.

Happy hunting,

Jess

I am very lucky to be a descendant of American veterans who survived their various enlistments. Both my Grandfathers served during the Korean War, my uncle Mike served during the Cold war, my 3^rd Great Grandfather Henry R. Massy served briefly in the Civil War as did two of his brothers, and my 7^th Great Grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. And that’s leaving out the many uncles and cousins who also served or for that matter are serving now. That said I am so thankful for those who gave their life for our country and our freedom.

Happy Memorial Day!

Jess

This is my Grandfather, Levie Trotter, in deep conversation with two of his brother-in-laws at a York Barbeque in 1982. I believe they are Grandma Trotter’s brothers Herman and Arverse York (also children Philip Henry York and his third wife, Sally Wheeler). If there are any Yorks (or Trotters for that matter) monitoring the site… correct me if I’m wrong.

Happy Hunting,

Jess

It never hurts to be reminded… you have to keep an open mind. For years I have been aware of two Bailey families coming in the Rockford, Kent Co, MI area around about the same time, those of Smith Bailey (the family of my Step-Great-Grandfather) and Ethan Allen Bailey. To the best of my knowledge they aren’t closely related, though I’ve often wondered about Ethan’s line. On the other hand Bailey is a common enough name, right.

But, in the process of filling in blanks with death records from SeekingMichigan.org this past week it occurred to me that, Ethan’s daughter-in-law, Rachel (Deer) Bailey, and my 5^th great aunt Sarah J. (Deer) Helsel, share a maiden name.  So, out of idle curiosity, I went searching for their Deer families and I think that I found them together in Allegheny Co, PA.

Listed here: Sarah Deer and her children: Hannah, George, Rachel, Sarah, and Washington.

Further investigation places everyone but Washington in Kent County by 1870. Hannah married, John Jacob Reinshagen, George a woman named Catherine, Rachel married Harvey Bailey, and Sarah married Henry L. Helsel. And their mother, Sarah, was living with George in 1870. The death certificates for the first three children all list the same parents. Sarah’s certificate does not, so for me this is not definitive… but my gut is pushing me to find more information—especially after I found, a marriage between Sarah’s daughter Zoa and Hannah’s nephew, Henry Reinhagen.

This one’s still an ongoing hunt but, whether or not anyone else needs to be reminded, I need to remember not to focus too hard on a particular possible relationship… often others will present themselves—especially when you’re following a cluster of families.

Happy hunting,

Jess

And for your viewing pleasure on this Wordless Wednesday… This is my Great Grandfather Robert Shea, my 2^nd Great Aunt Grace Packer, and my Great Grandmother Cora (Packer) Shea. It was probably taken in the early 1920s before Grace married Harold Elliott in 1925.

Happy Hunting,

Jess

This week marks both the anniversary of my birth and, unfortunately, the anniversary of my Grandpa Bill’s death. Luckily, we overlapped briefly. And since I am likely to scrounge up baby pictures of others around their birthdays I thought fair’s fair. So, here we are.

I am thrilled to say someone in my family had enough money to make the pages of several county histories—including pictures—giving me a bunch of good (if occasionally confusing) leads to track the family back and I am extremely thankful considering we’re talking about a man with the highly original name of William Johnson. He was my 3^rd Great Grandfather and today is his 182 birthday.

William Johnson is a great example of the inconsistencies in family stories as their shared over the years. From Chapman’s History of Kent County (1881) I learned that he was born May 8, 1930 in Norfolk, England and he came to America with his brother Matthew when he was eighteen(p. 685). From A. W. Bowen’s 1900 City of Grand Rapids and Kent County I learned he was sixteen when he crossed the Atlantic alone and settled in the Empire State until he came to Kent County in 1854 (p. 793-794). And according to Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan (1918) William lived in Orleans County, New York until 1852 when he came to Solon Township (p. 261). All a little contradictory… but certainly worth looking into.

Here’s what I think I know… William was born on May 8, 1830 in Horsey-Next-the-Sea, Norfolk, England to Richard and Sarah (Suffling) Johnson. He did cross from England and neither he nor his brother Matthew was listed in their father’s household as of the 1851 Census for Horsey, Norfolk, England. I haven’t been able to isolate either on a passenger list but by 1855 the family was reunited and enumerated in the stats census for Orleans County, New York, though the household had added their cousin Elizabeth (Gibbs), who married Matthew in 1854. In October of 1855 William married Mary Gordon of Kent County, Michigan and the pair started their family on a farm in Solon Township. In the 18 years they lived there they had 10 children (5 died young) the youngest surviving child was my 2^nd Great Grandfather William Amos Johnson.

William was a successful farmer and served his community as one of the organizers of Solon Township and Township Treasurer. The family removed to 160 acres in Section 30 of Cannon Township in 1873 and there William continued to be involved with his community serving again as Township Treasurer and giving generously to support and advance the congregation of West Cannon Baptist Church. William died December 24, 1908 and was laid to rest at Cannon Cemetery.

Everything in the histories gave me new source material to look into and a rough time frame to work with—and I needed it. As it happens not only is William Johnson one of the most common names in my family but there was a second highly successful William Johnson family in the Rockford area during the same period as my own.

So, don’t forget to check out local histories. You never know what you might find. Seriously, check out the picture of William and Mary from a 1907 county atlas  (p. 129). It was a fabulous surprise when I found it.

Happy hunting,

Jess

Today is my Uncle Christopher’s Birthday… and I miss him! He was always great with his nieces and nephews.

This was a fun find… I knew I had it somewhere but as it’s from my original research—which was not well planned or organized—I just found it again. These are the four eldest children of Charles and Lula (Holden) Porter from Left to Right: My Grandma Crystal, Zelma, Alton, and Reva. Based on ages I’d guess this was taken sometime between 1914 and the birth of their next son, Darcy in 1917. The original resided in my Great Aunt and Uncle’s photo collection.

Happy hunting,

Jess

So, in the process of trying to track down a set of pictures this past Sunday I went through a lot of papers. Blessedly, I got rid of a lot in the process but then again I don’t really feel like I made a dent. However, I did come across material I hope to share on the blog as time permits and first up is this timely find.

I have no idea about the whereabouts of the original of this picture. This is a scan of a scan—almost certainly printed on my old inkjet printer and thus losing even more definition. But regardless, this is my Great Grandfather Harrison Trotter who was born in Johnsville, Bradley County, Arkansas, 122 years ago today. To the best of my knowledge he was the youngest child of Sam and Josie (Johnson) Trotter but was raised largely in the household of his Uncle and Aunt, Levi and Janie (Johnson) Hampton. He had at least 5 full siblings: Henry, Susan, Pearlie, Matt, and Belle plus 3 more half siblings: Sarah and Richard (Mother, Maggie Goodlock) and Cora (Mother, Etta Stanfield). He married Rhoda Rogers in 1911 and they had 15 children included my Grandpa (Levie) Trotter. He was a farmer and lived out his life in Bradley County. He died April 9, 1975 at Pine Lodge Nursing Home, in Warren, Arkansas.

Note to any Trotters and Allied family out there: If any of you have seen the original of this picture could you let me know? I think it may be cropped from a larger shot. And, while I’m throwing questions out there, does anyone know why he was called “Papa Monk”?

Happy hunting,

Jess