Week 5: Oops (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 5 is "Oops." We all make mistakes. This week, consider writing about a mistake that an ancestor made or that you've made in your research.  Click here to check out all the Theme’s for 2023!

My Great grandparents, Orville Charles Hiltz (1873-1959) and his wife Mary Alice O’Brien (1884-1925) were married on Oct 26, 1902 in New London, Wisconsin, USA. I always thought New London was in Outagamie County. So, I traveled to Outagamie County hoping to find their marriage record. I know that Wisconsin didn’t mandate recording vital records until about 1907, so I knew it may not be there. I like Marriage Records because they often list the parents of the bride and groom and may even have their mother’s maiden names. It is with these documents, that I can jump another generation.

I looked and it was not found. So, I thought this was the end of my journey. 

Several years went by and Ancestry added a new database titled “Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Index, 1808-1907”. Therefore, I typed in the surname of Hiltz and found O C Hiltz. This record may not seem very useful, since it doesn’t give the spouse information. 

However, I found a little work around, if you click on the title in O C Hiltz screen; a new search screen comes up for this database. I type in the year, the location, the page and volume number. This brings up a list of people married in this year for the desired county. 

This brought up many pages of records. I use my browser's Find and type in 26 Oct 1902 and then click the next page, then find until I find the record. It was on page 7. So this method can take a little while.

I found May A O’Brien married on the same day. My person is Mary A O’Brien. However, I have found Mary misspelled as May on many transcribed indexes. Finally, it dawned on me that the county is Waupaca and not Outagamie. I thought New London was in Outagamie County. I do a little more research and discovered that all the churches in New London are actually in Waupaca County. The county line runs through New London.

I make a trip to Waupaca County and I am rewarded with their marriage record. 

I might have avoided this “OOPS” had I done a little more research on the churches in New London. However, what I really discovered is how useful Ancestry’s Indexes are in my research. They save me time, by allowing me to browse the index from the comforts of my home to see if a record might exist in that county. Keep in mind, that this doesn’t replace actually looking for the record in the county. The index might not be complete and accurate for a number of reasons. 

These indexes allow me to create a lookup to-do-list for a county and I will look for known records first, gather and record whatever information I want then try looking for records that I think should be there, but were not on the indexes. This saves me valuable time. Online resources are very helpful, however will never replace visits to courthouses for me unless, I can see the actual image of the records. I have found many errors in the transcription versus the actual record.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 4: Education (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 4 is "Education." There are lots of ways you could approach this theme: teachers, yearbook photos, tales of being a good (or bad) student. You could also highlight an ancestor who got their education at the "School of Hard Knocks." As always, there is no wrong way to interpret the theme! Click here to check out all the themes for 2023!

My mother and her sister were both teachers. Even though, my mother only taught for one year and then proceeded to have a large family, my aunt taught her entire life. So, growing up, education was always something important. I had several siblings who went onto higher education; however, it was one of my brothers who was the first of the siblings to finish and obtain a bachelor’s degree. I myself, received an associate’s degree in computer science.

My paternal grandmother, on the other hand, only had an eight-grade education. I don’t know if this was the standard back then, or if this was because her mother passed away, and being the oldest, she was expected to raise her younger siblings, which included a toddler. 

So, when I go through my family tree, I am always fascinated by the doctors that I find. I wonder what kind of doctor and where did they get their education. I have found quite a few Dentists and I get really excited when I see that they attended Marquette University in Milwaukee. My youngest daughter, went to Marquette, not to be a dentist but still attended and graduated with honors.

Marquette began as a dream of the Rev. John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of Milwaukee. After a trip overseas to find an investor, Bishop Henni worked on his dream for the next eight years until he could purchase a parcel of land on a hill topping today’s North 10th and West State streets. Nearly three decades passed before the doors of Marquette College, a small liberal arts school for men named after Rev. Jacques Marquette opened on Aug 28, 1881. Bishop Henni died just two days later. 

However, it was wasn’t smooth sailing for Marquette College. Attendance was haphazard. Students came and went throughout the first year of operation. Milwaukee’s finest young scholars lacked the preparatory background to undertake collegiate studies in the Jesuit tradition. Seeing a need to prepare students at the “academic level” brought about the creation of the Marquette University High School. Finally in the fall of 1883, the first regular college classes were taught at Marquette College.

During the school’s opening decades, the “academic” and “preparatory” (grade school age) students always outnumbered the college students by a handy amount. Overall, this all-male population ranged from about elven years of age to twenty or more and it included youngsters of many faiths. 

The institution that is now the Marquette University School of Dentistry came into existence as the Dental Department of the Milwaukee Medical College on September 26, 1894. On May 7, 1907, Marquette University had been created through the affiliation of Marquette College and the Milwaukee Medical College with three departments, dentistry, medicine and pharmacy and the hospital which included a school of nursing. 

After twenty-five years as a small, liberal arts college, Marquette blossomed into Wisconsin’s largest private university through its affiliation with the Milwaukee Medical College in 1907, the purchase of two, privately-owned law schools in 1908, the establishment of an engineering college that same fall, and finally, the opening of journalism and business programs in 1910. By this time, the institution had moved from its original hilltop site at Tenth and State streets to Grand Avenue, alongside the Church of the Gesu. 

Soon Marquette set a course toward coeducation, the first Catholic college/university in the world to make this choice. In June of 1909, against the normal Jesuit’s practice, Marquette University open it doors to Women into their Bachelor of Arts classes. Within two years, the Jesuit’s Superior General in Rome gave his approval for the co-educational program which now had women and men taking classes side-by-side in all programs. Thus, Marquette University was the first Catholic institution of higher education to admit both men and women. 

In 1919, the dental school graduates 140 students and the Encyclopedia Britannica describes the school as one of the largest dental schools in the country. By year 100, the Dental School had graduated a total of 7,962 Dentist. 

My paternal 2nd great aunt, Margaret O’Brien’s husband, Roy Charles Rowley (according to his obituary) was in the first graduating class in dentistry from Marquette University.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

Week 2: Favorite Photo (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 2 is "Favorite Photo." I've had this theme in almost every version of 52 Ancestors because, let's face it, who can choose just one?! Plus, we should be telling the stories of those photos so they don't get lost to time. Click here to check out all the themes for 2023.

I don’t have many photos of family. I am terrible about taking photos too. I have no problem taking a picture of a beautiful sunset or a newly snowed landscape however, taking pictures of my love ones, not so much. I think it is because I don’t want to stop the fun, we are having to take a picture. Let’s be honest, if we have a cell phone, we most likely have a phone on us at all times. I need to do better.

Anyway, a favorite photo. I decided to pick a new picture rather than an old one. A photo that I managed to stop and take. I picked this newer picture, mostly because I could not find the photo that first came to mind. However, perhaps this photo is a better choice.

Here is a photo of my youngest daughter, Sami and my only grandchild, Austyn. This was taken in February of 2011. It is the first time, for both girls to have played in snow. We lived in Arizona since 1999 and Sami was just two years old when we moved and Austyn was born in Arizona. This photo was taken when we returned to Wisconsin, to bury my father on the anniversary of his 81st birthday. The weather that week was strange. If I remember correctly, we had a light snow when we landed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We swung by a Goodwill to pick up snow boots and snow pants for the children. 

The snow melted so we could bury my father on his birthday, and then we had a huge snow storm the next day. I think it was a gift from my father so the girls could play in their very first snow. It was beautiful snow; big flakes and it gave them lots of fresh snow to play in.

What I really love about this picture is how my daughter is soaking in the joy of the new snow and the love my granddaughter is showing towards her aunt. They played for a long time together. I think they tried to build a snowman, but the snow wasn’t a wet snow and thus they didn’t succeed in that activity.

A few years later, we visited the Grand Canyon in January, which was about four hours from our Arizona home. These two girls got to see lots of snow there too. Northern Arizona had a huge snow storm on January 1st and the highway between our home and the Grand Canyon was shutdown. We had planned on going on January 1st. It was the first time I saw the Grand Canyon in snow, truly a different experience that I will never forget either. I am glad I took some people pictures on that trip.

I usually end my blog posts with Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy! However, I want to add, don’t forget to stop and take some pictures of your love ones while enjoying life!

 

Week 1: I’d Like to Meet (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for January and for Week 1 is "I’d Like to Meet" Most of us have an ancestor who we'd like to meet (even if it's to ask, "What are your parents' names?") This week, write about that ancestor or why you'd want to meet him or her. Feel free to be creative! Click here to check out all the themes for 2023.

When I think of this theme, all I can say is Who I’d like to meet, let me count the ways. I have so many I would like to meet, not only to ask questions, but to see what they look like and get a feel for their personalities.

My 3rd great grandfather, Amos Booth just appeared in the United States around 1850 as a single 25-year-old who was born in Canada. Even though my nephew has almost certainly figured out who his parents are. I would still like to meet him and confirm this. I want to know what brought him from Eastern Canada to Northern Illinois. What happened to him during the Civil War that caused his estrangement from his wife and children?

My 2nd great grandfather, James Crinion. I want to know who his parents are. I have found three siblings, all sisters, but did he have more siblings? Did any remain in Ireland? Did any siblings not come to Wisconsin? Also, what made him so bitter that he wrote his dead daughter’s children out of his will. He stated he left them nothing because they did nothing for him in his life. WOW! Losing a mother is tragic and perhaps it was their father that kept them from him. I just want to know more about him and this sad family situation.

My 3rd great grandfather Lawrence Hiltz/Hilts. I want to know not only his parents but his grandparents’ names. My tree starts to fall apart around here. Too many Lawrence Hilts and I can’t figure out his lineage back to his immigrant ancestor who came to American in 1710. Also, was his wife Nancy also a Hilts descendant. It would explain why my DNA matches with Hilts descendants seem to have more DNA than expected. Actually, I want to know all about the Hilts clan. Why do some spell their surname as Hiltz while others Hilts? It keeps getting changed back and forth from one generation to the next and even siblings spell it differently. 

Finally, my 2nd great grandparents, Timothy O’Brien and his wife Mary O’Reilly. Not only don’t I know their parents’ names, I don’t know of siblings either. Tim was married twice, what was his first wife’s name. Was the witness at your and Mary’s wedding, Mary’s sister? What happened to her?

I could go on like this for days. As family genealogist know to well, once one question gets answered we have three new questions. This is a never-ending cycle.

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

 

Week 52: Looking Ahead (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

This week's theme is "Looking Ahead." Who do you want to find more about in 2023? Now would be a good time to write up what you know (or what you think you know!) and consider what your next steps are. (Of course, feel free to interpret the theme in other ways!) Click here to check out all the themes for 2022

Even though this week’s theme is “Looking Ahead”, first I want to review 2022. I managed to participate in 27 of the 52 weeks of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Even though I didn’t participate every week, I am very proud of what I have accomplished. I even had many of my blog posts promoted in Amy Johnson’s Crow’s weekly email notifications. I must admit, it never got any less excited to see that my post was highlighted. Thank you, Amy!

Now, “Looking Ahead”, I always like to make goals for myself. Some people might call them resolutions, but these are more like goals for me. 

Goal one: participate in more weekly theme’s this year than last year. Thus, more can mean 28 or more weeks. I just need to make sure to set time aside for this goal. I can easily achieve this goal, by bringing out my laptop and working on this in the evenings, when I like to unwind in front of the television. Currently, I was doing this on Monday mornings, in my home office but sometimes, life and other commitments get in the way. So, if I don’t do it Monday morning, there really isn’t anything preventing me (besides myself) on doing it on Monday evenings.

Goal two: just to work on genealogy more. After getting Covid in late May, early June, my research motivation went way down. But then again, the weather got nice and I was doing more outdoor activities. However, I could just schedule some weekly time for genealogy and then stick to that schedule. So, my goal is to look at my schedule and figure out when this might be the easiest for me to achieve.

Goal three: this goal is an ongoing goal. I am trying to figure out the lineage of my Hiltz/Hilts branch. This is my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. This family has been in the America’s since about 1710. Some branches moved to Canada during the Revolutionary war and some remained in New York and surround areas. I have lots of DNA matches with this branch of the family. I have found this branch to be more like spider web, with various branches marrying back into itself. Probably why I have so many DNA matches. Anyway, my goal is to continue researching this branch, and expanding the lines, and placing my DNA matches into my tree.

Goal four: To clean up my old paper files. Again, this is an ongoing project that I just don’t ever seem to get around to. I am going through my binders and inherited binders from my aunt. I am scanning items and then shredding those that are not original, such as vital records, funeral cards, etc.…  I switched from binders to folder filing many years ago. One rule I made for myself, nothing goes into the folder unless it has been scanned, inputted and sourced. Thus, I am verifying that I have the information in my genealogy software program. I need to look at this goal in a different light, instead of dread because going through the binders are kind of boring at times. This process really has many benefits, finding overlooked clues, cleaning up my genealogy software database and just giving branches I haven’t looked at a new set of eyes. However, I get side tracked doing new research as I go through these binders, and I need to make a task list of things I can look at after I am done with the cleanup. It can be after I have done one hour of clean up or one day of clean up. 

Looking at these goals, they are very achievable.  Are they totally measurable, well Goal one is definitely, goal two needs to be refined to say how much more time do I want to work on genealogy and it would tie into goal three and four. If I say I want to do two full days of genealogy a week with working on goal three one day and goal four another day, my goals because more measurable. Plus, this still gives me lots of free time for other genealogy research and of course all the non-genealogy stuff I do in my life. Yes, there is more to life then genealogy, just don’t tell anyone I said that.  

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!