Meet Grandpa Duff and his family

James Kennedy Duff was born in Pennsylvania in 1819. His wife Mary Ann Bennett was born in 1827.  She's who I'll concentrate on, but James is important to my husband's family because after Mary Ann died in 1879, he moved the family to Osage County, KS, where we now live (plus I have a picture of him!, isn't he handsome?).  According to a sometimes sketchy, sometimes wonderfully detailed written down history by a gr-gr-aunt years ago, Mary Ann was the daughter of Robert and Mattie (Thompson) Bennett.  Now in the family history it mentions that Mattie's parents were Moses and Margaret Thompson and that Moses died in a snowstorm.  No dates, not other info.  Now that just pushes me to find more when someone gives me a great carrot of detail like that, so Moses and Margaret have always been one of my goals to find info on.  The other day I made a breakthrough!  I was checking into Robert Bennett's records on our family tree and I saw a notation that the proof of certainty that 1850 census I had for him was hinging on there being Kennedys & Thompsons on the same page (I refer you to James K. Duff's middle name, which is a family name too).  So I checked it out and these guys were on the same page...

I followed up on these guys on ancestry.  I have learned with other families that researching siblings has been fruitful.  And I found this...

 Looks pretty good!  So many things in genealogy after a certain point become circumstantial.  I try to be diligent in my research, and follow up and show wills, etc... too.
The moral of the story is, no matter how much you just want to keep moving backwards in the past, sometimes you have to go in a round about way, but because of that you might find some more interesting characters that make research more interesting!

Crazy times

Thinking on past winter researching has me thinking about all the crazy things my mom and I have done over the years since we started researching together.  Driving to a cemetery in the dark of night, searching by headlight and flashlight just because we didn't want to give up for the day.  Traveling down deserted roads in hopes of finding that secluded cemetery that might or might not hold an ancestor (this being before cell phones I might add).  And of course the one that led to this picture... we tromped all over this little cemetery uncovering the snowy mounds to see who's stone lay underneath.  Using our feet as sonar to find flat stones until we found ggg-grandma Pouppirt:)  Snow really brings out the inscription I might say (as well as mud, but that's another story!). I love "cemetery stomping" as we call it.

Border Ruffians

  Today the kiddos and I went with a few of our friends to Missouri Town 1855 in Lee's Summit, Missouri.  Missouri Town contains furnished buildings from the period, as well as actors who display some of the activities that common folk would have done during the time.  What a wonderful experience for our kiddos to be able to see history in action.

  We took a lunch and ate at an area with picnic tables.  When we were mostly through, the kids wandered down the hill to explore.  They came back running: "there's tombstones down there!".  Well, I just had to investigate.  What we found was a cemetery along the side of a brushy area where 5 stones were still standing with a handful of stone bases.  Since I had my camera, I took shots of all that I could.  The following is one of the stones:

    I later found out that the stones were ones acquired from the local police and had been victims of vandalism or ones that had been abandoned.   
    Once we got home, I loaded up ancestry.com and did some research.  Colby Cowherd Twyman was a slave owning farmer who moved to Missouri before 1840 from Kentucky.  The tombstone lists his death date as July 5, 1863.  To give some background on the hostility of the time, in late August of 1863, Quantrill burned Lawrence, KS, and Order 11 was put into affect.  Order 11 said that the four counties of Bates, Cass, Jackson and Vernon had to be evacuated - and this meant whatever force necessary.  Due to the border tension in the area and the time that he died I am assuming that he was killed by Free-Staters.  Some of the Twymans in the area had ties to William C. Quantrill as well as the Younger Gang, which reinforces this hypothesis. 
  Even though these stones came from sad circumstances, you can still gain alot of history from them.  Look for history everywhere, you never know what you'll find!

Family Treasures

     One of my favorite things about the antiques in my house is that every one has a story.  The most special ones are those that were owned by my ancestors, whether it be a small trinket, or a piece of furniture, each one has a tie to those that helped form who I am and I love it!

   One of my most unique items is a chair that belonged to my gr-gr-grandpa Milton Hight Gentry.  As far as family stories, I don't have many that flesh him out as a person.  Milton was born in 1843 in Indiana.  He was a farmer by trade and he and his brother and father served in the Civil War.  His brother was badly wounded and lost a limb at the battle of Antietam.  He married Flora Pribble in 1873.  The family moved to Woodson Co., Kansas in the mid-1880s, where they stayed for the remainder of their lives.

     When I was first starting on my research of this side of the family, I found a cousin who had the large research collection of an aunt of hers.  My mother and I spent several long days digging through boxes of unorganized research of this cousin, digging up precious nuggets of info and pictures that I only might be able to locate in my lifetime on my own. When we were there one day in that hot garage sifting through papers, my cousin motioned to a box that held pieces to this chair and told me that if I would do something with it then I could have it.  Of course, I jumped at the chance!  A few years later I had it put back together and have enjoyed it ever since.  I can just imagine Grandpa Milton reclining in it:)

"He's Deaf, Dumb, and Legless but the Hardest Worker in His Town"

I had a rare opportunity to research at the State Historical Society today.  I used to be blessed to research there every day when I worked there.  I would research on all my breaks - which were the wonder years of my researching:)  Today I went in search of more Isaacs/Judah/Burchett/Boular info.  I looked at early death records, which in Kansas are rare before they started mandating them in 1911.  I was able to find 4 or five for cousins in these families.  Nothing that proved any ties, but helped flesh some out.  The most significant find was an article on William "Deafy" Boular (mentioned in a previous blog http://adventureswithmyfamily.blogspot.com/2010/04/round-about-way-to-do-things.html).  It was a superb article complete with picture and really lined out how a deaf, legless, mute man was able to succeed mainly thanks to a kindly local doctor setting up a trust fund of sorts by taking wealthy locals out with him when he did his rounds and changed the dressings on William's leg wounds.  Totally amazing! 
  The article also spoke to the wonderful character of William.  He never asked for charity, but was such a hard worker and had a pleasant countenance that it was freely given to him.  "When there exists a man on this earth with the determination and the spirit of William Boular, it makes you wonder, as you drop a coin into the professional beggar's hat, why there are not more like him."
  I love researching my family and discovering wonderful people like this!

What's In a Name?

  The Isaacs and Judah (pronounced Judy) sides of my family have perplexed me for a very long time.  These guys were very close knit and were constantly living with different family members in the census. Without good family documentation, it has been hard to find who belongs in what family.  The 1850 census with my grandparents Amos and Ally Jane (Judah) Isaacs is one such example.  They have 8 children living with them, of whom only 2 are their biological ones (Nancy Jane, and Francis Marion), but all appear to have the Isaacs surname attached.

  When I originally looked at this document, I saw: Amos, Ally, Burget (which I assumed to be Bridget), Caroline, Richard, Martha, Mary, Amos A., Nancy J. and Francis M.  I had come to figure out that since Jesse,the man who I believed to be Amos' dad, went to California with some of his sons - Raleigh and Anderson, and son-in-law- Anderson Burchett, the kids must have been hanging out with Amos and Ally until the parents came back. Jesse had a daughter named Martha who fit the age of Martha in census, and Anderson had children named Mary and Amos A. who also fit the ages.  The other kids remained unknown.
  My mom recently called me and wondered if the Burget name could actually be Burchett - well, after a second look at the record, the sex designation was male instead of female - so no Bridget!  There was a John Burchett (I am not sure how he fits in) that was born in 1838 that was living with Ally's brothers in the 1860 census and would fit the Burget living with Amos and Ally in '50.  So a question answered, and more revealed.
  Lesson learned - always look at all the clues you are presented with.  Never assume you know what's going on.  And, never fully trust a census taker's version of how to spell names, etc...

What I Would Love to Have!

Every researcher would love to be more organized, have easier access to their records.  What I would love to have is an Apple Ipad!  It would be a portable way to transport my records when I'm out and about doing my field research - plus it would keep my kiddos (who frequently accompany me) busy when I wasn't using it:) I am entering a contest to see if I can win one: IPhone Apps for Kids .  The things I could accomplish with the help of an Ipad!

Don't Give Up!

As a genealogist, one of the things that makes me sad is to see old family pictures sitting in antique shops.  As I pass through, I have to search through the piles in case I find a familiar name or face.  Occasionally if they are cheap enough, I will buy them and try to find a family member who would appreciate them.  This week I saw the fruits of that hobby.
   Late last year,  I was browsing an auction when I saw a marriage certificate from 1880 that had Carte de Viste photographs with it.  What a treasure!  I was convinced that if it was affordable enough, I would buy it and track down these people's family.  When I actually did purchase it.  I created a separate family tree (using census records and the info provided on the certificate) for these people on www.ancestry.com and posted their pictures on there. 
   This week, a descendant of those two contacted me, totally thrilled to find pictures of her ancestors.  I no longer had the certificate, but kept scans just in case and was able to send them on to her. 

   On a separate track, every family has pictures that are unmarked in it.  With enough research, and patience you can make a dent in identifying those pictures!  On one unmarked picture that my family had (ca. 1860s) I was able to find a cousin that had the exact same picture.  Hers was unmarked as well, but we narrowed down the branch that the man belonged to.
  One site that I absolutely love for old pictures is www.deadfred.com.  On this site you can upload old family pictures, even ones that are unmarked, and then search by surname, town, or photographer.  It is a wonderful resource!
  Don't ever give up on those unmarked photos, or give up hope of finding a picture of those elusive ancestors.  Someone out there may be able to help you put together the missing pieces of your puzzle.

A Round About Way to do Things

  I have been working on trying to prove my relationship to Jesse Isaacs for YEARS!  So far it's been following one rabbit trail after another.  It doesn't help that he died out in California, or that my ggg-grandpa Amos Isaacs did not have a great obituary that would state the names of his parents, and died before death certificates were common.  It's been a frustrating endeavor.  Therefore, this year I have started researching families that I am just as sure are children of Jesse and siblings to my Amos, trying to make a connection from that.
  One such hopeful connection is Sarah Isaacs who married Archibald Boular in Buchanan County, MO in 1853.  I picked Sarah as a possibility because she's an Isaacs living in Buchanan County, and she matches an age range I have for a child of Jesse's in the 1840 census, plus she lives most everywhere he and Amos live.  I am trying to find an obituary for her, but can't find a death date.
  Following her has led me to a fascinating character, her son, William Boular.  William apparently contracted spinal meningitis when he was 4 which left him deaf.  After Archibald died and Sarah moved to Atchison, KS, William was playing on the railroad cars down at the tracks, slipped and was involved in an accident which left him blind and without legs below his knees.  Now, when I found info about his accident in the 1880 census, I figured that the poor guy would not be the one that would lead me to any great discoveries.  WRONG!

This man, beyond all odds, went on to become a bricklayer, foundry worker, beekeeper, and was married 2x.  He was even featured in Ripley's Believe it Or Not in the 1930s for laying 45,000 bricks in 8 hours.  His 2 page obituary in the Atchison paper not only gave me some great insight into this family's early life, but was a wonderful biography of a wonderful man.  "Deafy" Boular is one of Atchison's heroes and even has a display dedicated to him in their historical society.  "Deafy" is buried in Mount Vernon cemetery in Atchison where Gov. Martin of Territorial Kansas is buried, along with Amelia Earhart's family.

  While we were there to find William's grave, we took time out to see the other monuments.

  Now like all great discoveries, my mom and I found his obituary just as the public library was closing, so we didn't get to follow up totally on this lead, but I am excited to see what else we can find!

How I got Started