Week 31: Flew the Coop (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 31 is "Flew the Coop." The phrase "flew the coop" means to have escaped or run away. It can also refer to someone when they leave their parents' home. Or it can be chickens. Take your pick. Click here to check out all the themes for 2023.

When I think of the phrase "Flew the Coop," my mind conjures up images of elusive relatives who seem to vanish from our lives. These are the ones who are present during census records, but as soon as they come of age or get married (especially for women, whose names may change), they become hard to track down. Even young men tend to go their own way, and we are left wondering where they have ventured off to.

However, there are several options available to find these elusive individuals. Sometimes, we can discover valuable information in obituaries, where people may list their siblings' names, including the married names of women. This can lead to new leads and "locations" to search for their whereabouts.

Another helpful tool is DNA testing and matching. Platforms like Ancestry's Thrulines allow us to select our ancestors and explore potential descendants. It's possible that our matches have built out their family tree from one of those relatives who seemed to disappear. Additionally, the Shared Matches tool can reveal relatives who may not have an extensive family tree but could be connected to the elusive ones. By expanding their family trees, we might find a path back to the missing relatives.

Once we successfully locate these individuals who have "Flew the Coop," the feeling of gratification is indeed quick and rewarding. It brings a sense of completeness to our family history, knowing that we have reconnected with these previously hidden branches of our family tree.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 30: In the News (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 30 is "In the News." Have you found an ancestor in the newspaper? (I sure hope so -- newspapers are wonderful resources!) Another possibility for this theme is to consider what historical/newsworthy events an ancestor witnessed or would have read about in the newspaper. Click here to check out all of the themes for 2023!

I remember the days when I used to sit in the library, scrolling through microfilm on a reader, meticulously flipping through page after page, all in the hope of finding some mention of a relative. Thankfully, in today's digital age, many old newspapers have been digitized and made available online. With just a few keystrokes, you can input a search term, a date, and a location, and like magic, you are presented with options. Admittedly, the technology isn't always flawless, but it does serve as a fantastic starting point. Nevertheless, not all newspapers have been digitized, and there might still be instances where a trip to the library is in my future.

For me, one of the most significant uses of newspapers is searching for obituaries. They often contain valuable information about family members, such as the names of spouses, parents, siblings, and children. Another delightful discovery is stumbling upon engagement or marriage announcements, which often provide details about the parents of the couple and even the names of their siblings. Additionally, finding birth announcements that include both parents' names is like uncovering a hidden gem. However, the true treasures lie in stumbling upon your relatives' names in other significant events.

I have a particularly poignant memory surrounding my mother's first husband, Quentin McAbee. He tragically passed away in a work-related accident, falling 540 feet from a skyscraper in the Chicago area. His story made the front page, and it was heart-wrenching for my mother, especially since she had just discovered she was pregnant with their sixth child. She had to raise her children without her life partner by her side. I later discovered that my mother had filed a lawsuit seeking damages for herself and the children. Although I never found an article that listed the outcome of the lawsuit, I do know that she was awarded some compensation, and each of the children received a trust in their name on their 18th birthday.

While searching for more information on this tragic event, I stumbled upon another accident that Quentin had been involved in during World War II. This bus accident had almost slipped from my memory until I stumbled upon the old newspaper articles. Initially, I had been told that Quentin rescued some people during the accident, but the truth was far different.

Quentin himself had suffered severe injuries in the bus accident, and when I think about how fortunate he was to survive it, I can't help but feel grateful. If he hadn't made it through, my siblings wouldn't exist, and it leads me to contemplate the "butterfly effect" of how our lives are interconnected. My mother's second husband, my father, was introduced to her through her sister's husband. If she hadn't married Quentin and become a widow, who knows if she would have ever crossed paths with my father. It's truly astounding to think about the chain of events that led to my existence.

Now, let's take a look at the news article that appeared in Quentin's local newspaper about that fateful night. Green Bay Press-Gazette; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Tuesday, November 18, 1941, Page 7.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy! 

Week 29: Birthdays (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 29 is "Birthdays." Is there an ancestor with whom you share a birthday? (My dad and his sister shared a birthday -- and, no, they weren't twins!) You could write about an ancestor that had a lot of birthdays or a memorable birthday party. Don't forget newspapers. Small-town newspapers especially would have stories about birthday parties or "milestone" birthdays. Click here to check out all of the themes for 2023.

Birthdays in my family meant, the birthday person was able to choose the type of cake they wanted. With 11 in our family, it also meant the birthday person got two pieces of cake, that was our present.

Anyway, I have two sisters born on the same day, five years apart. They have different fathers too. My mom’s first husband died and thus one is his child while the other is my father’s first-born child. She was born on my father's first Father’s Day too. 

One of my brothers, the youngest of the oldest six, was born after his father passed. He was born on my mother and her first husband’s wedding anniversary. Ironically, my brother's son is born on his wedding anniversary. I have two siblings whose birthdays are next to each other, one on the 13th and the other on the 14th. Between August 7th and September 7th, 6 of us have a birthday. My father and his two siblings all had a child born on September 7th. 

My paternal grandfather may or may not share a birthday with his mother. He never would tell anyone his exact birthday and celebrated it both on Aug 21st and Aug 23rd. His mother’s birthday was Aug 21st.  When my mother was pregnant with me, her ninth and last child, I was due on July 22nd and when August 1st came around, my mother still haven’t given birth, my grandfather asked her if she was waiting for his birthday. My mom, playing along said sure, when is it, he said Aug 21st. My mom replied that she would then have me on that day. But he said his birthday was really Aug 23rd. My mom replied that she would have me on the 23rd. After going back and forth between the two days, my mom finally stated, enough, I will have it on August 22nd. Since this is my birthday, I guess I had the final laugh. My grandfather’s World War I Registration Card states his birthday is Aug 23, 1899 while his tombstone shows Aug 21, 1900. 

I ran a filter on my family tree and found 38 people who share my birthday of August 22nd, one is born the same year as me. My 2nd great grandfather, the father of my paternal grandfather’s mother is also born Aug 22nd. This might be the reason my grandfather picked the 23rd as another birthday, since he appeared to not want to share his birthday. However, his birthday could be the 23rd. I don’t know because sadly he passed when I was only five. He has no actual birth record or baptism record that I can find. 

Anyway, who shares your birthday in your family tree?

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 28: Random (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2023 Version)

The theme for Week 28 is "Random." Sometimes we find the most random things about our ancestors. For me, it was discovering that my great-grandfather had a tattoo on his upper arm. You could also pick a random ancestor and write about him or her this week. Have fun with this theme! Click here to check out all of the themes for 2023.

I decided to write about my 2nd great grandfather, Myron O’Brion. This man was just another name on my tree, I never thought very much about him. Then one day, a distant cousin wrote me and told be more about Myron O’Brion.

Myron was born in 1835 in New York, the son of John O’Brion and Jane Margaret Kress. After spending much of his childhood days in Dodge County, he married Mary Goodwin about 1859 in Fox Lake, Dodge County, Wisconsin, USA. Mary was born January 1, 1839, the daughter of Thomas Goodwin and Jane Burns. After marriage, they moved to a new home in Fountain Prairie, Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. The farm was located one and one-half miles northwest of Fall River. After living there twelve years, they moved to a farm in the Lost Lake area of Dodge County. I have identified 7 of their 8 children. Per the 1900 US Census, Mary had 8 children, and 7 are still living. Myron lived there until his death on November 19, 1883, Mary also lived on the farm until her death on March 18, 1910. 

As Paul Harvey would say… “the rest of the story”

SUICIDE. - On Tuesday p.m. last Justice Calkins, of this place, was called to hold a coroner's inquest upon the body of Myron O'Brien, found dead by the road side some four miles from his residence, in the town of Westford. The justice, accompanied by Dr. Bliss, went to O'Brien's house and a jury was convened the same evening, which rendered a verdict that the deceased came to his death from poison administered by his own hand. The facts as developed at the inquest are as follows: Mr. O'Brien left his home on Monday, on foot, stating that he was going to Columbus, and that his family would not see him again alive. His son accompanied him a mile or so, vainly trying to persuade him to return home. He arrived at Columbus and had his will drawn up by a lawyer, signed and duly attested. On Tuesday morning after procuring a bottle of whisky and a vial of strychnine, he started for home on foot. When found, the whisky bottle in his overcoat pocket was nearly empty and the strychnine bottle duly labeled was found in his bootleg, with about a teaspoonful of the powder taken out. The presumption is that on his way he had drank enough of the whisky to nerve himself up or case him then added the strychnine and taken a last and fatal drink.   Mr. O'Brien was a farmer, some 60 years of age, supposed to be well to do and not a man of sufficiently in temperate habits to impel the commission of the act. He had been in a depressed mental condition for some days, induced, it is said by some temporary pecuniary trouble and a difference of religious views between himself and the family, they being Catholics, while he, we believe, was not a member of any church. His suicide is doubtless attributable to the combination of these causes.

“Now you know…the rest of the story,”

One final thing to note: most of the family spelt their name O’Brion not O’Brien. This does help with genealogy, because when I come across the spelling of O’Brion, most likely they fall into this branch, somewhere.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!