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!