December’s Theme and Week 49: Handed Down (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 49 is "Handed Down." Do you have something that has been handed down to you, whether it's an item, a story, or even a name? This week is a good time to write about it! Check out all the2024 prompts.

Traditions are also handed down. My family’s Christmas Eve Tradition that was handed down started the second year my parents were married. My dad married my mom, a widow with six children. My dad was so looking forward to that first Christmas Morning, watching the all the kids open their gifts. However, that is not exactly what happened.

On Christmas Day, my siblings quietly got up in the morning, something we always did on days off, because my mom likes to sleep in. They crept downstairs and quickly proceeded to open their gifts. By the time my father awoke, he found all the kids quietly playing with their gifts. Being so disappointed, he told my mother that from now on, they will be opening presents on Christmas Eve.

Thus, our tradition is having a wonderful dinner. After dinner, when the dishes have been cleared from the table and the adults and older children are washing dishes, by father gathers up all the little ones and we pile into the car (a station wagon). He would drive around and we would look at all the Christmas Lights. We drove through our town park which was decked with lights and had music playing. One of the downtown stores even had a small animated Christmas display of Santa’s workshop with elves busy making toys. I swear it felt like hours, but I loved looking at all the lights.

While we were out driving, Santa always managed to show up at our house to drop off the presents. Being the youngest of nine and becoming an aunt at seven, meant we had a full house and lots of Santa presents. I remember one Christmas where our huge living room had presents that took up half the room. I didn’t really notice that it was because of the gaps between the gifts or that no gifts were stacked on top of other gifts. Another Christmas my eldest brother, who would always bring his children’s Santa gifts to my parents, had a bike waiting for my oldest niece. The joy that was on her face was priceless.

My parents moved to Arizona when my children were young, and thus, we didn’t spend many Christmases with my parents. Therefore, it was up to me to keep up with the traditions. I still love driving and seeing all the Christmas Lights. Sadly, it’s not like when I was a child, many people don’t bother putting out lights. The first time, I did this when I moved to Arizona to live nearer my parents, I found many sections were very unlit. Thus, I go out ahead of time and try to find the areas that have lights, so that I was not randomly driving around town and not finding anything.

My children are grown, but just like me, my youngest daughter and I still love the tradition. My other children and my almost grown-up grandchild, humor us and accompany us on our drive. It was always my husband’s job to get the hidden presents and put them under the tree.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy! 

Week 47: Random Number (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 47 is "Random Number." This is a fun exercise -- pick a random number between 1 and 100. Then, either take a list of everyone in your tree and scroll down to that number or print out an ancestor chart and pick the person in that number slot. (You might need to go to a second chart if you picked a big number!) Then write a little bit about that person. Click here to find out all the Themes from 2024.

I decided to print out an Ahnentafel Report using my Family Tree Maker software. This report numbers my ancestors with myself as person 1. It will give the father of each person a number twice their number and their mother will be twice plus one.

I wanted 100, however I haven’t input this person in my tree. I do have his child, #50 – William Long who was born on Sep 3, 1812 in England and he died on Jun 14, 1885. He married Mary Thompson who was born on Dec 22, 1819 and died on Jan 13, 1892. I have found at least eight children, my ancestor is #25, Sarah Agnes Long who was born on Dec 27 1843, supposedly in Canada. I say supposedly, because her immediate older and younger sibling were born in England.

I am confident that Sarah Agnes Long is my ancestor, however, I am not so positive of her birth information, since I obtained it from Find A Grave. 

Therefore, my research will start with her.

Using the hints on Ancestry, someone posted a 50^th Anniversary newspaper article about Sarah and her husband George Tyler. It states that both Mr. and Mrs. Tyler came from England when children. Thus, Sarah was born in England, not Canada. It also means her parents came to America. George served in the civil war and at the close was married. The couple traveled overland from Illinois to Audubon County, Iowa in a covered wagon. But they did not remain long, returning in a short time to Illinois to be near Mrs. Tyler’s Parents. Thus, Sarah’s parents were still alive after the Civil War. Also, this probably means that they most likely died and are buried in Illinois. Later, the couple came to Iowa again, settling on a farm near Chapin. I don’t have a wedding date for George and Sarah and the article states that the anniversary was September 21^st. The article was from the Mason City Globe Gazette, dated Oct 5, 1915 on page 5. Thus, their marriage date most likely is Sept 21, 1865.

Also, among the Ancestry hints is a Baptism record, dated Nov 1, 1844 for Sarah Long with a father of William Long and mother of Mary Thompson Long. No birthdate is giving in this transcription only record.

The hints have her Wisconsin marriage record, with image with a marriage on Sep 21, 1865 in Gratiot County, Wisconsin. It has George’s parents of Peter and Sarah Tyler, stating George was born in England. Sarah Long’s parents are listed as Wm and Mary Long. No birth place for bride is asked on this certificate. The place, town or township and county where the marriage was consummated is difficult to read. I do know it is in Lafayette County, per the label from Ancestry.  I use google to look up, Gratiot, Lafayette County and there is a town by that name in Lafayette County.

Sarah is found in the 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 US Federal Census and her birthplace never changes from England. Her age starts at 26 in 1870, 36 in 1880, 56 in 1900 and 66 in 1910. She is found in the Iowa State Census for 1915 and her birthplace is England and her age is 72. Her immigration Year is listed as 1848 in the 1900 census. The 1910 census states she had eight children, and only 7 are still living. This matches previous information I found about her second born child who died at the tender age of 6.

I don’t find any Census records for Sarah before 1870. She should be in the 1850 and 1860 US census if she immigrated in 1848.

The only other England records I find are for a Sarah Ann Long who is born in 1843, her parents are John Long and Mary possibly with a maiden name of Booth.

When I follow a hint from Mary Thompson Long from Sarah’s baptism record, I find Mary age 20, living with her husband, William and son George 10 months old in England. Further research would be needed to see if this William and Mary are my Sarah’s parents. I don’t have a George as a child of my William and Mary in my records.

When I look at other people’s tree’s on Ancestry for Sarah Agnes Long, no one has a census record before 1870. Some appear to have records for the Sarah Ann Long attached to their tree for Sarah Agnes Long.

If I want to figure out who my ancestor #100 is, I will need to first investigate Sarah Agnes Long parents and see what kind of records I can find for them.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!