May’s Theme and Week 18: Love and Marriage (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 18 is "Love and Marriage." There are so many ways you could approach this theme! Ancestors who got married multiple times; elopement stories; ancestors who were married a long time; or even the surname of Love! Click here to check out all the Themes for 2024.

I use Family Tree Maker for maintaining my genealogy. My main tree which is for my ancestry, shows there are 7,838 marriages for 21,282 people. 

Next, I wondered if I could print a report showing all the marriages. I went to the Publish workspace and under Relationship Reports there is a Marriage Report. This report will list the husband’s name, the wife’s name, their marriage date and relationship, such as Spouse-Ongoing. This report is great to see who is missing a recorded marriage date, I hate to say this, but way too many people. I also noticed that I don’t always have complete names for their spouses either. Then I decided to see how someone who remarried their spouse would show, and it only shows the preferred marriage. There was no option to specify to show alternate marriages. This report ended up being 185 pages long.

Thus, I decided to look if there was any other report about marriages that might be interesting. Under Other, I found a Calendar Report. This report allows you to pick the beginning month and year and how many months you want the calendar for. You can include birthdays, marriages and deaths. Thus, I unchecked the birthdays and deaths and looked at the results. Since I didn’t see my parent’s marriage listed, I looked at people options and realized I need to uncheck “Include births & marriages only if still living.” 

Now my parent’s marriage is showing, however, I wondered if it was cutting some people off because of the font size. I changed the Event font to Extra Small. It appeared to add people to the calendar. I even noticed that there is a checkbox for “use married name for female marriages. However, if unchecked then it cuts people out because of space and I decided I better leave it checked.

As I scrolled through the months, I saw that there were no blank days. Plus, since this is a leap year, I even had one marriage on Feb 29th. I decided to check out 2023 and see what happened to that marriage. It didn’t skip the marriage, but instead added it to Feb 28th, with (Feb 29) placed before the couple’s name.  

This calendar allows you to select just Immediate Family, Extended Family, All Individuals (this is what I selected) and Selected Individuals. 

I decided to try the Selected Individuals and where the marriage date is after 12/31/1899, which stated there was 6348 marriages. There were 1160 marriages before 01/01/1900. Next, I tried marriages after 01/01/1500 and there were 7430. When I tried marriages before 01/01/1500, I had 58 and I noticed an error since I saw people who were included had birth dates of 1923, 1956, 1957, etc… This was because they had a marriage month and day but no year.  Thus, I might want to find an actual year for these individuals. 

I tried seeing how marriages occurred before today (04/26/2024) and it reported 7474. Remember, FTM told me there were 7838 marriages. Plus, the marriages after 12/31/1899 were 6348 and the marriage before 01/01/1900 were 1160 this adds up to 7508. So, I have three different totals. FTM grand total probably includes those with no marriage date, or for people who were married more than once to the same person, such as my great grandparents, which had their preferred marriage only showing on the calendar.

Perhaps the calendar only counts the preferred spouse marriage for those who were marred multiple times.  However, I could not verify this, my uncle’s daughters all were married more than once and I could not find any marriage for them on the calendar. Perhaps there wasn’t room to include them? This is 15 different marriage dates for four female cousins. However, when I selected “Immediate Family” all their marriages were showing on the calendar.

When I selected “Extended Family”, it included my uncle’s wife’s first marriage.

Looking back at the Marriage Report, I see that I have the same "Individuals to include" options and if I want to dive deeper into the the numbers I got when running the calendar, this might be a good report to assist in this process. 

Anyway, this was a very interesting project. I learned that I need to find more marriage dates for people. The Calendar option is fun, perhaps printing one for a family reunion would be cool, keeping in mind that if it is printing preferred marriages, to make sure that the living people have their current spouse as preferred. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 17: War (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 17 is "War." One would be hard pressed to find someone whose family history was not touched by war. This week, consider someone in your family tree who was affected by war, whether as a soldier or a civilian. Click here to see all the 2024 prompts.

As the song goes, WAR, what is it good for, NOTHING. Actually, from a genealogy perspective, it can produce lots of genealogical records.

It was from Civil War pension files, that I was able to get more information about two of my ancestors. In fact, one of those ancestors gave testimony for the other’s pension. One was the son-in-law of the other, thus, it confirmed what my female’s maiden name was. These pension files shed light on what happened to my ancestor(s) during the war and afterwards.

I even found out that my female ancestor started collecting a death benefit on her “not so dead” husband. He was living in a Veterans Home in one state and she was living in the neighboring state. When he reached the age to start collecting a disability benefit, they found out she was collecting. They only gave her a slap on the hand, and just stopped paying her. It doesn’t appear they made her pay back any benefits. And then when he did die, she started collecting again. 

I have found other ancestors and relatives in draft card registrations. Even though they didn’t actually get drafted, they filled out a card. These cards sometimes give physical descriptions of my relative, along with their birth date and place, where they are living and who their “next of kin” might have been. I found a few who were married at the time of the draft that I never knew had married. 

If your relative did serve, perhaps a family member requested one of those special headstones for your relative. That generated another document, where it will give a birth and death date, a burial location and even date of service. My mother’s first husband died while she was married to him and the card has my mother’s signature on it. I just noticed that it was placed on the grave on the day my mother gave birth to my brother. She had just found out she was pregnant with her sixth child when her husband died from a tragic work-related accident.  

Don’t forget to explore the military paperwork that is associated with War.

Remember Just Do Genealogy!

Week 16: Step (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

The theme for Week 16 is "Step." When I wrote this theme, I thought about all of the "step" relationships in our family trees and how they are often overlooked. But there are numerous ways to interpret "step" -- steps in a house, long walks, steps in a process, etc. Feel free to be creative! Click here to see all of the 2024 prompts. 

When I think of Step, I do think of the steps in a process. Especially my steps during my research. Over the many years that I have been doing genealogy, my steps have changed. I could not afford or even justify the expense of having an Ancestry subscription because I didn’t do genealogy on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis to justify the expense. Thus, my research was done in spurts, I might set a weekend aside, usually when Ancestry was offering a free weekend and I would gather, collect and save all the documents I could find. Then I would sort through those saved documents and analysis if they were for my people. 

The problem, I rarely saved the source citation and thus inputting this information into my tree was lacking a very important part of the entire process, creating a source citation.

Thus, I decided to develop a process on how I would record information in my genealogy software. After, I analysis the data and determine it is for my person, I enter the information along with creating a citation. Then I will save the document to my computer in my genealogy folder, keeping it organized and giving the file a meaningful name. 

At first, this process, seemed daunting and cumbersome. I wasn’t familiar to all these new steps. However, in the long run, it actually saved me time, because I don’t have to guess where I found information. I can quickly find an image of a source document if I want to review it again. The process is so second nature, I do it without much thought.

Plus, my genealogy software package, Family Tree Maker, updated it’s features to allow me to copy the same citation to different facts and even different people. I used to have to retype the citation for every fact I wanted to associated it to. However, FTM now allows me to easily copy and link the citation to any fact I desire. Thus, if I click on a citation, I can easily see what other facts are found on the record.

Do you have process in place when you do your genealogy research? A process can assure that you aren’t missing an important step such as creating a citation. Trust me, unless you have an eidetic memory (which science has never found a single verifiable case), you won’t remember where you searched or where you found that piece of information. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 15 – School Days (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 15 is "School Days." Any teachers, principals, or school staff in your family tree? What about favorite stories of attending school or fun things you've found in school records or yearbooks? Click here to see all the prompts for 2024.

My mother was a teacher for a year. After graduating college from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, she went to work in the DePere, Wisconsin area as a PhyEd, Science and Math instructor. She met her first husband and were married within a year, thus she quit teaching once she was married.

Her sister, my Aunt Mary went to college in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and taught from graduation all the way through to retirement. Her first job was in my hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She taught one year there and then was able to obtain a job in her hometown of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin where she taught 3rd grade, I believe at the same elementary school during her entire career. She retired in the late 1980’s and even had to learn how to use a PC during her final year(s) of teaching. My aunt Mary is who helped me with my genealogy. I didn’t realize she was interested in genealogy until a family reunion in the 1990’s. 

We collaborated together for the next year; I gave her a computer to input all the pages of a book we published. She was using an electric typewriter. She was hooked on computers when she realized she didn’t have to start from scratch, if she wanted to insert new something on a page. 

I ended up working for a Community College in Arizona as the Enrollment Services Specialist. Basically, I was in charge of registration, collecting registration fees and verifying online enrollment. My busiest months were January and August. However, they slowly were offering more and more classes that started almost anytime of the year and my job had more busy days than not.

My eldest son works for an Elementary School in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as the computer tech support/library aide. This job was critical during the Pandemic when students were be taught remotely. He had to track the Chromebooks that were lent to the students, help teachers who might have issues with their on-line classes. While instructors could teach at home, he had to come into school everyday and be available to support the technology needs of students and teachers alike. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

April’s Theme and Week 14: Favorite Recipe (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

The theme for Week 14 is "Favorite Recipe." Food has a way of bringing up memories, whether it's the cooking of a favorite recipe, meals shared with loved ones, or memories of kitchen mishaps! This week, explore a favorite recipe and the person or people who make that recipe special. Click here to see all the prompts for 2024. 

My dad’s only sister, my aunt Mary always seemed to be able to make a big meal out just leftovers she would find in her refrigerator. I was always amazed by that. At least once a month, my dad, along with my mom and my two sisters and I would go and visit his sister. She lived 40 miles from us. Especially, before one of my dad’s business trips. Sometimes, he would take us all out to eat. However, my aunt would always offer to make dinner for all of us. She would just start taking leftovers out of the refrigerator and before we knew it, she had made a big dinner for all of us. She even would make new dishes out of the leftovers. They were always tasty.

My mom taught me later that there are certain items you should always make sure you have on hand to make a meal for surprise guests. Usually, it would be a casserole dish, but to this day, I always have extra food in my house.  This really came in handy during the Covid-19 Pandemic when food was scarce.  Or when unexpected bad weather prevents you from doing shopping. I just have to make sure that I clean out my freezer and cupboards once a year or at least use up the older food first. 

I even freeze and can my home-grown vegetables. It’s comes in handy, because my husband seems to find bargain meats on sale, however, never thinks about what we will eat with them. As Winnie the Pooh would say, “Oh bother”. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

 

Week 13: Worship (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 13 is "Worship." The lives of many of our ancestors were shaped by their choices (or lack of a choice) in how and where they could worship. This week, consider an ancestor and how their worship practices influenced their life. Click here to see all the prompts for 2024.

I remember my mother telling me about her paternal grandmother. Her grandmother was Emma Sophia Thielke. She was a small woman; I believe under five feet tall. She was born on Jan 10, 1874 in Watertown, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. She married August Frederick Hafenstein on Nov 6, 1901 in Watertown, Jefferson County, Wisconsin.   

They lived in Columbus, Columbia County, Wisconsin at 239A West James St. This was the upstairs apartment of the home. The home doesn’t exist anymore, it was torn down many years ago, and between 2013 and 2015, it was made into a parking lot for the library. 

My mother had fond memories of getting to stay overnight at her grandmother’s house. She once told me that her grandmother, who was Methodist, my mother being raised Catholic, would get up real early on Sunday and go to her church for service. Then come back and take her granddaughter to a local Catholic Church and stay with her through that service. 

From this story, I have a feeling that her grandmother valued religion even if it wasn’t the religion that she worshiped. I think, most grandmothers would have been satisfied to drag their grandchildren to their own church. However, to take the time to attend two different services is remarkable.

Emma passed away on Mar 14, 1955 in Columbus, Columbia County. By then, my mother who was married, already had four of her own children. 

One final remark for genealogical purposes, Emma wasn’t my mother’s biological grandmother, because my mother was born out of wedlock before Emma’s son and my grandmother were married. My mother was two years old when her parents married. My mother did not know this fact until she was 18, and she never told any of her children that she was adopted. However, the stories she told about her grandmother and grandfather were stories about loving, adoring grandparents, who didn’t care if she was their biological granddaughter or not. She was their granddaughter in all the ways that matter!

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

Week 12: Technology (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 12 is "Technology." When we think of technology today, we often think of computers, genetics, or the Internet. But technology for our ancestors would have been something we take for granted today, like electricity or indoor plumbing. How did technology affect the life of one of your ancestors? Click here to check out all the 2024 prompts.

I don’t have to look at the life of one of my ancestors, I only have to reflect on my own life to see how technology has changed and affected my life.

When I was born, we didn’t have personal computers, microwaves, or even Cable TV in our homes.

I remember some technology milestones from my own life. I remember when handheld calculators first started popping up. They cost $100’s of dollars, before you knew it, you could purchase a calculator for under $10. But think about it, if you have a smart phone, you have a calculator. They can be the fancy kind too. 

I remember when Cable TV came to my hometown, while I was still in middle school. Before cable we had about four or five channels. We had ABC, NBC and CBS. On a good weather day, we could get PBS and then I think we had an independent station on the UHF channels. We were so excited thinking that Cable TV would bring us lots of channels. We also thought it was going to be commercial free, well it was on Showtime or HBO. We got HBO and watching movies that weren’t formatted or edited for the time frame was exciting. Now people are cutting the cord from Cable and are subscribing to streaming services.

The next big electronic purchase my parent’s made was a Microwave. The huge box sat in the corner of our countertop. It could cook a meal in fraction of the time that it would take in the oven. Funny, I now use my microwave less today then when we first got them. They too have come down in price and size.

Personal computers didn’t really come out until I was in high school. I even knew some friends who were going into the computer field. I didn’t jump aboard until six years later when I returned to college and obtained my Computer Programming Degree. Computers made me feel stupid and I didn’t like that feeling. I loved the DOS operating system, and I always tell people, I went kicking and screaming into Windows. I can’t image using my computer today with the DOS operating system. Plus, my first computer, which was a “luggable”, cost over $2000. It didn’t even have a hard drive, just two 5 ¼” floppy disk drives and a built-in thermal printer. 

Does anyone remember Prodigy? It was the Interactive Personal Service, similar to AOL but cost less. It was a long-distance phone call for me, so I had to keep my usage down to a minimum. They had message boards for genealogy and I was so excited using it. When the Internet first was introduced, it was a little intimidating. Did you know that the World Wide Web became available to the broader public on April 30, 1993. That is only 30 years ago. I even tried my hand at creating a genealogy website for my tree. 

Even my favorite genealogy software program, Family Tree Maker has taken leaps and bounds over the years. I first stated using it in 1997 with version 4. It came on a CD, and had a Family Finder Index for its numerous family tree CD’s. I remember saving my money, so I could afford to buy it. After inputting so many names, it would prompt you to save to a floppy to send in for future CDs. The program went through changes as Windows and computer logic was changing. I don’t take to change really easy. However, I forced myself and always end up loving the changes. I can't image doing my genealogy without this wonderful program.

Finally, we can’t forget when cell phones were first coming out. How expensive it was to have, you paid for every call. I guess I really changed my cell phone habits around 2004 when I got my first iPhone. I still had a landline in my home until 2020, however when we moved, we got rid of the landline and only use our cell phones. Our cell phones are really powerful little computers, I can browse the internet, take pictures and even facetime people like on the Jetsons. 

Thinking back as a young child, watching my favorite shows like the Jetsons and Star Trek and thinking about what my future would look like is pretty amazing. I never imagined the technology we would have today; however, I am still disappointed that we don’t have flying cars like on the Jetsons. Perhaps that is a good thing, considering how badly a lot of people drive.  

Genealogy has really benefited from technology, with all the information we can find online, even though everything still isn’t online, so much more is, compared to just 20 years ago. 

Remember to have fun and Just do Genealogy!

Week 7: Immigration (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 7 is "Immigration." For many people, genealogy starts with a desire to know where our family came from. This week, consider an immigrant ancestor: where they came from, why they came, or how different their life was between their "old country" and their new one. Click here to check out all the 2024 prompts.

When I started my journey, 40+ years ago, my goal was to trace my lineage back to my Immigrant Ancestors. I was always told that my lineage was of more recent immigrants, those that came in the mid 1800’s. 

Image my surprise to find a few Revolutionary Patriots. They are of German descent who came to American between 1700 and 1710. In 1709 a group known as the Palatines made the journey from the Palatinate region of Germany. Palatines had trickled into British America since their earliest days. The first mass migration, however, began in 1708. Queen Anne's government had sympathy for the Palatines and had invited them to go to America and work in trade for passage. Official correspondence in British records shows a combined total of 13,146 refugees traveled down the Rhine and or from Amsterdam to England in the summer of 1709. Many died on the way over on crowded ships, but around 21,00 survived and settled in New York. 

A couple of books I used to research these two different branches of my family were “Early Families of Herkimer County New York, Descendants of the Burnetsfield Palatines” by William V.H. Barker and "Compendium of Early Mohawk Valley Families” by Maryly B. Penrose.

My 7th great grandfather is most likely, Christofel HÜLS, born about 1868 and died between 1725-1757. I say most likely, because my lineage from my 4th great grandfather to Christofel is not completely proven by me. I have some DNA matches through my 4th great grandfather, however, I haven’t really worked fully on this branch of the family because of the vast size of this family and the repeated names from generation to generation and brother’s naming their sons similar and many were born about the same year too. Christofel appears on the NY Palatine subsistence list of 1710 and 1712. The spelling through the years has changed from HÜLS to Hiltz or Hilts. Both spellings are being used by modern day descendants. Christofel’s grandson, Lorentz Hiltz (1754-1836) is the Patriot according to a pension record I found. However, I wasn’t able to prove my lineage to him.

My 6th great grandfather is Johannes Spanknable. He is my registered Daughters of the American Revoluation patriot, and thus he is my proven line. Johannes was born in 1747 in Germany. His Probate Abstract list him (of Palatine). His father-in-law, Johannes Philip Kring also might be a Revolutionary Patriot who served in the Tryon County Militia. However, this is a line I haven’t had a chance to full investigate. Plus, no one has yet proven him as a patriot through DAR.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 6: Earning a Living (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 6 is "Earning a Living." Knowing how our ancestors earned a living can give us insight into their lives. What occupations have you seen in your family? Is there an ancestor whose occupation wouldn't exist today or one whose job really resonates with you? Click here to check out all of the 2024 Prompts.

In my family, I have lots of farmers. I am sure I am not the only one who has lots of farmers in their family. 

Looking at my eight 2x great-grandfathers in the 1880 US Census, 6 of them were Farmers, one was an Engineer, and one was a laborer. The Engineer most likely worked for the railroad and I have no idea what kind of laborer the other was. 4 of the Farmers lived in Dodge or Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. The other two were farmers in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA.

Since I grew up in the city, I never really thought about farm life until I married my husband who grew up on a farm. Being a farmer is a hard life. Their livelihood depended on the weather. They also usually had large families, because the children became a valuable asset on the farm to help with chores. 

Looking at my four great-grandfathers in the 1900 US Census, I was down to two farmers and two laborers. One was a day laborer and most likely worked on a farm, and the other was a Yardman for a Lumber Company. 

Looking at my two grandfathers in the 1930 US Census, one was a Coremaker for an Iron Foundry and the other was a gardener at an Insane Hospital. I noticed that the size of families started to get smaller.

However, I am the youngest of nine children. My mother was a widow with six children when she married my father. My father was a mechanic for Kiekhaefer Mercury and Aeromarine. Which later became Mercury Marine a division of the Brunswick Corporation. My father worked his way up and became the International Service Manager for Mercury Marine and worked 35 plus years for them. 

My family history seems to mirror America’s history, where the number of US farms are falling sharply with the increased of nonfarm employment opportunities. Even in my husband’s family, none of his siblings remained on the farm. 

I didn't profile any of the women because most of them were homemakers. My maternal grandmother worked outside the home as a  maid, housekeeper and cook. My mother was the first to obtain a college degree and earned her teacher’s certificate but stop teaching when she married her first husband. She did go back to school to get her accounting degree but never did get hired as an accountant. Instead, she took a part-time job for the Miles Kimball Company, a mail order company where she opened the mail and input the orders. She worked there in the fall months to help with Christmas Orders. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

 

February’s Theme and Week 5: Influencer (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 5 is "Influencer." Although the word "influencer" has been watered down because of social media, all of us have had people who have influenced our lives. This week, write about that person or perhaps someone you know who influenced someone else in your family. Maybe you have a relative who would have been described as an influencer in their community. Don't let me influence how you interpret this prompt! Click here to check out all the 2024 prompts.

I decided to write about who the influencer of my genealogy was. It was three small children, who lived and died over a hundred years before I was born. 

One day my father asked me if I wanted to visit some relatives. I said sure. We went to his sister’s house and she led us to a small cemetery in Elba, Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. We found this small gravestone, which was laying broken on the ground. Since then, someone repaired it by standing it up. The stone has lost the very bottom portion of the stone, however on that day, I wrote down the information on that stone and I have the missing information at the bottom, which was his age of 2 years and 19 days and thus, I could calculate his birthdate. 

This gravestone started my many genealogy questions. Did the parents have any other children? Did they have to start their family over from scratch? I can’t image having to bury two children in less than two months apart. What did they die from? 

Many years later, I was able to answer some questions. The parents, my 2nd great grandparents did have other children, they had seven more children. These three children were their first born. Eliza being the oldest, Ann the second born and Patrick the youngest. I believe Patrick was name after James’ father. 

My 2nd great grandmother, Mary Ann McMahon was pregnant with her fourth child, my great grandfather, David who was born May 15, 1864, less than 2 months after Patrick died. The death of their first three children wasn’t the end of the parents outliving their children. Their daughter Rose, died during childbirth at the tender age of 24 in 1890. Their daughter Mary, died at the age of 17 in 1896. In 1899, Mary Ann died and left her husband a widow and raising their motherless granddaughter, Rose who was named after her mother.

Their youngest son, James died at the age of 28 in 1909. Finally, their daughter, Jane died in 1918, the mother of eleven children at the age of 46. 

James died in 1923 at the age of 91. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

 

Week 4: Witness to History (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 4 is "Witness to History." What historical events did your ancestor witness or live through? Don't forget that local history is just as important as world history! Click here to see all the themes from 2024. 

I decided to look at my Great Grandfather, David Crinion. He was born on May 15, 1864 in Fountain Prairie, Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA. Thus, he was born during the US Civil War which didn’t official end until April 9, 1965.

He might had been too young to understand the war, but he grew up being the oldest, since his three older siblings all died before he was born, most likely from small pox or scarlet fever. 

During David’s life he saw the United States expand with the addition of 13 states to the union, starting with Nevada on October 31, 1964 and ending with Arizona on Feb 14, 1912. 

David also had 14 different US Presidents during his lifetime. Starting with Abraham Lincoln and ending with Harry S Truman. How, ironic that his great-great grandson, my son served on the Aircraft Carrier the USS Harry S Truman. 

In 1871, not only did the Great Chicago Fire occurred in his neighboring state, but Wisconsin on this same day experienced the Peshtigo Fire that burned 1.2 million acres and killed between 1500 and 2500 people which is five times the number of people who died in the Great Chicago Fire. In addition to Peshtigo, 16 other communities were destroyed in the fire.

In 1878, the first Morgan Silver Dollars were minted, I wondered if he ever had any, or if he ever collected them.

In 1881, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona territory happened. I wonder if he read about it in the papers what he thought of Wyatt Earp and his brothers.

In 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge Open, in 1884 the Washington Monument was completed while in 1886 the Statue of Liberty was dedicated.

David most likely read about the Johnstown Flood also known as the Great Flood of 1889 that was caused by the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, 14 miles upstream of the town, Johnstown, Pennsylvania.   

In the Panic of 1893, David probably experienced the economic depression in the United States that didn’t end until 1897.

In 1895, he married his wife, Amelia Gadow in Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

In 1900, David most likely heard about the Galveston Hurricane that leave an estimated 6, 000 to 8,000 dead. 

In 1903, the Wright brothers make the first control flight.

1906 was the San Francisco earthquake that leaves 500 dead or missing and destroys about 4 square miles of the city.

In 1917 the U.S. enters World War I by declaring war on Germany. Armistice ending World War I is singed on Nov 11, 1918.

1918 saw the worldwide influenza epidemic strike and by 1920, nearly 20 million are dead with the U.S. having as many as 500,000 who perish. David’s sister, Jane Crinion Spooner died on Apr 12, 1918. Was it the from the influenza?

In 1924, he and Ameila divorce.

While Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927, did David listen to the events unfold on the Radio?

David experienced his second economic depression in his life during the 1930’s.

In 1931, he saw that the Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the national anthem. As a violinist, did he learn this new song?

In 1936, he remarries his first wife, Amelia. 

On December 7, 1942, on the radio he probably heard about the Bombing at Pearl Harbor and later listen the President talk and declare the U.S. entered World War II.

He buried his wife, Amelia in October of 1945.

David died on Mar 9, 1950 in Beaver Dam, Dodge County, Wisconsin. Before the US enters the Korean Conflict.

It’s amazing to see all the events that David saw in his life time. He went from train transportation to air flights. He, like me, lived through two different centuries. 

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 3: Favorite Photo (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 3 is “Favorite Photo.” This is one of my favorite prompts. Yes, I’ve used it in previous years, but it’s too good to not use again! Tell the story of a favorite photo; Who is in it, when and where it was taken, and why it was taken. (That last part is often left out!). Check out all of the 2024 prompts here.

One of my favorite pictures is of my mother. My mom, Orlien Mary Hafenstein was born On May 2, 1927 in Oshkosh, Winnebago, Wisconsin, USA. I am guessing she is about 2 years old in this picture. It was either taken in Oshkosh or Beaver Dam, Dodge, Wisconsin, USA. I don’t have the original and thus I don’t have the photographer information to determine where it was taken. 

I believe it was taken because my grandparents were married in 1929 and maybe while having their photo taken, they took this photo. Or since she was joining the Hafenstein family, she isn’t the biological child of her mother’s husband, they may have wanted a picture to share with his parents. I don’t know the specifics behind this photo because the first time I ever saw this photo was at my mother’s funeral. My eldest sister had this picture and was sharing it on the photo board.

What is your favorite photo?

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!

Week 2: Origins (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

The theme for Week 2 is "Origins." Genealogists often get the question, "Where is your family from?" With this week's theme, you could explore an immigrant ancestor, but you could also think about the origin of other aspects of your family. Who was the first person in your family to settle in a particular town? If you have a long line of people with the same occupation, talent, etc, who was the first person you know who did it? Check out all of the 2024 prompts here.

I know most of my family origins in general terms, such as Irish, English, German. However, I have actually been to the origins of my 2nd great grandfather, James Crinion. James was born on Feb 2, 1832 in Louth, Ireland. 

Many years ago, I started corresponding to a fellow Crinion, (lets call her M) actually she married a Crinion and she lives in Ireland. Anyway, she was working on the family and since this name is not common at all, we believe it was the same Crinion Clan. 

My father, two sisters and I took a trip to Ireland as part of a tour group. We decided to stay a few days later and meet up with M who lives on the original Crinion homestead with her husband and sons. Her brother-in-law actually lived in the big, original home, since he was the eldest and inherited it from his father. This land has been handed down in the family for generations. James’ father, Patrick and their direct ancestor were most likely brothers. Patrick being the 12th or 13th child and their direct ancestor being the eldest brother. Thus, we most likely share 4th great grandparents. 

We arranged to meet M at her home. Then she took us to a local hotel, named the Crinion Hotel. The current owner wasn’t a Crinion nor a descendant, however he claimed he had lots of documents on the Crinion Clan. He didn’t have them on him and sadly, I never did see anything. M then showed us where she thought Patrick, his wife and their children had lived. It was a small building, currently being used as a pole shed. It was hard to think, that Patrick, his wife and the four children I have found were living in this small building.

Lore has it that Patrick and his adult children left Ireland after Patrick’s wife, Ann died. I have never found any trace of Patrick in the United States. However, it appeared that the clan was a tight knit family. They first came to New York State, settling a short while in the Utica area, where many Irish Americans came. James younger sister, Margaret married her husband, Daniel Sullivan about 1861 somewhere in Livingston County, New York. Their first three children were born in Caledonia, Livingston, New York. By 1869, they moved to the Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin area and had 6 more children.

James older sister, Mary, married Hugh Peter McMahon on Sep 2, 1855 at St Patrick’s Church, in Doylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin. They had 6 children, all born in Columbia County.

James married Mary Ann McMahon, younger sister of his brother-in-law, Hugh Peter McMahon on Jan 7, 1857, most likely in Columbia County, Wisconsin. They had 10 children. Their first three had all died by 1864. 

James’ other younger sister, Anne married his other brother-in-law, Philip H McMahon about 1858, most likely in Columbia County, Wisconsin. Sadly, Anne died during child birth, having a daughter in Feb of 1860. The child survived and had six children of her own.

All these siblings and their spouses except Anne are buried in the St Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery in Dolylestown, Columbia County, Wisconsin.  Anne along with James and Mary’s three oldest children are buried in the Saint Columbkille Catholic Cemetery located in Elba, Dodge County, Wisconsin.  The St Patrick’s Catholic Cemetery was created later after a parishioner donated land next to the church for the cemetery. Thus, earlier burials occurred at the Saint Columbkille Catholic Cemetery.

M's husband and my father, both took the Y-DNA test through FamilyTreeDNA and they do show as relatives, and they have the same Y Haplogroup of G-M201. Thus, I am more confident than ever, that I did walk the land that my ancestors walked.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy! 

Week 1: Family Lore (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2024 Version)

It’s a new year and a new start of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks by Amy Johnson Crow. This challenge has helped me look at my previous genealogy with a fresh pair of eyes. Plus, there really aren’t any requirements, participate that week or not. Interpret the themes however I like. It’s just a fun challenge. 

The theme for Week 1 is "Family Lore." Many of us have heard stories from our grandparents about incredible feats our ancestors did or a famous person we're related to. What's a tale that has been passed down in your family? Did it end up being true or did it turn out to just be a good story? Check out all of the 2024 prompts here.

I had two major “Family Lore” stories in my family. The first is that we are related to John Wilkes Booth. Yep, that dastardly person who shot President Abraham Lincoln. My mother stated that her great grandmother, Neil Orlien (Booth) Hiltz was a cousin of John Wilkes Booth. In fact, supposedly, she even had his ring because she helped him with his broken leg. 

FACT: NOPE! I was able to research John Wilkes Booth family pretty easy, they came from England and settled in the Maryland area. My mother’s great grandmother wasn’t even Neil Orlien, her name was Wilina Ellen also called Nellie. My mother stated she was named after her great grandmother; my mother’s name is Orlien Mary. Wilina was born in 1854 in West Point, Lee County, Iowa, USA. Very far from Washington, DC. It’s a little over 903 miles. Plus, the President died in 1865 and Wilina would have been only eleven years old. Her father, Amos Booth, fought in the Civil War for the north. Amos’s family came from Elizabethtown, located in Ontario, Canada. My nephew has been able to research and find Amos’s parent, plus other ancestors and there appears to be no recent relationship to John Wilkes Booth or his family.

The second “Family Lore” is of a more recent relative. My great-grandmother’s sister was supposedly the grandmother of Michael Cole of the Mod Squad fame. Michael Cole was born on July 3, 1940 in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. I am from Wisconsin, too.  

FACT: Not my relative. My great-grandmother’s sister, Margaret O’Brien born 1883 was married to dentist, Roy Charles Rowley. Their children were born in Wisconsin, however they moved to California. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Rowley, born in 1909 married Walter Eugene Anderson Cole. They had two children, Nanci Elizabeth Cole and Dennis E Cole who was born in 1940 in California.

What “Family Lore” is floating around your family. Have you been able to prove or disprove it? It might be disappointing to find out you aren’t related to someone you thought you were related too, but maybe you will find much more exciting stories that are true that you can share with your family.

Remember to have fun and Just Do Genealogy!