28 September 2012

In Three Places at Once

Comments after the jump.

 Mary Jane Madison Johnson
 Born: 13 May 1836

 1880 Census
 (date, residence, family surname; head of household, spouse, and children)
    
 June 7, Polk GA, Johnson; William 40, Mary J 43, Andrew J 15, Mattie 14, Lou Ella 11, Lara 9, Rosa 5

 June 18, Paulding GA, Walker; William 53, Mary 46, Margaret 24, Hillyard 13, Robert G 6

 June 28, Lincoln LA, Walker; Mary J 44, Wid. or Div., John R 22, Drucilla 14, Nannie L 12, Mary E 10, William M 8

24 September 2012

My Father, My Husband

The next time you think you’re having a bad day, image how Valerie Spruill felt when she discovered that her husband and her father are the same person.
That is the beginning of an article [link below] about one woman's real life. 
On this blog I make fun of those trees that unintentionally turn their ancestors into zombies, bigamists and victims/perpetrators of incest. Except for the zombies those things happen in real life. It is never my intent to make light of those situations but to reinforce the idea that our ancestors should be respected. You will most likely find skeletons in the family closet. There is no need to make them up.
With distant ancestors it may be easier to be accepting or forgiving of their faults and actions. The times they lived in were drastically different and we didn't know them personally. For older generations we may have known, even briefly, digging up those skeletons can give us a better perspective on their personalities and maybe help us empathize. In a few cases we won't find a reason for their actions and will just have to live with the fact that the person was a horrible human being. Whatever the case, if it weren't for them we wouldn't be here so our goal should be to find the truth.
The bravery it took for Valerie Spruill to search out the truth should be applauded. She knew this outcome was a possibility and went forward anyway. Many others would have ignored their suspicions or swept the results under the rug. May she continue to be strong for her entire family.   

One Twisted Family Tree - woman finds out late husband was also her father  
by Beacon Journal Columnist Bob Dyer

Valerie Spruill, Ohio Woman, Finds Out Husband Was Her Father  
by Cazan Sieczkowski at The Huffington Post


PREVIOUS POST: Not Dead Yet
NEXT POST: In Three Places at Once

21 September 2012

Not Dead Yet

Spouses are listed at the top. All children are color coded to their mother,
have the Walker surname and are listed by their birth year.

Comments after the jump.

 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER

 Maria Pennie Hickman (1840-1910) Children born in Illinois
 Harriet (1830-????) Children born in Tennessee
 Mary Elizabeth Fulwood (1864-1947) Children born in Florida
 Ollie Mae Carr (1878-1956) Children born in Illinois
 Emily Clemence Buchman (1886-1958) Children born in Texas
 Emily McGill (1887-????) Children born in Texas
 Lillie Viola Murvin (1888-1962) Children born in Idaho and Utah
 Sallie J (1861-1885) No children

 TIMELINE
  
 1860  BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER is born.
 1860  Viola
 1860  Viola
 1863  James Daniel
 1864  Sherman, Henry
 1864  Sherman
 1866  Wyley
 1867  George Hickman
 1868  Frank
 1869  Maggie
 1869  Maggie
 1870  Susie
 1871  Cora D
 1871  Cora D
 1872  William
 1873  John R
 1873  John R
 1878  Mary E
 1878  Mary E
 1879  Ella
 1883  MARRIAGE to MARY ELIZABETH FULWOOD
 1885  Bertha Edith
 1886  William Albert
 1886  Nora Edna
 1889  Robert Archibald
 1893  Mattie Rose
 1896  Grace Myrtle
 1896  BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WALKER DIES.
 1898  MARRIAGE to Ollie Mae Carr
 1900  Glen, Clyne
 1902  Bonnie Mae, MARRIAGE to Emily Clemence Buchman
 1902  Mary Julie Ann
 1903  Mary
 1906  Beryl
 1907  Lucile
 1908  James
 1909  Hilda Beth
 1910  Benjamin
 1911  Roxy LouDean
 1912  Lydia
 1913  Theadore Franklin
 1915  William Reagan
 1921  Steve Abraham

17 September 2012

My Mother, The Zombie II

The first My Mother, The Zombie post is here.
Comments after the jump.

 Genevieve Lefebvre dit BOULANGER
 Birth: Feb 1838, Canada
 Baptism: 1834, St-Gervais, Quèbec
 Marriage: 26 Oct 1851, Burlington, Vermont to John King (1828-1900)
 Death: 1855, Yamachiche, Quebec, Canada

 CHILDREN with John King
 NAME                            BIRTH DATE
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Cyprien LECLAIR             05 May 1853
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Ellen LECLAIR                 13 Nov 1856
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Genevieve LECLAIR         29 Jan 1857
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Marie Helene LECLAIR     13 Nov 1859
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Celina LECLAIR               03 Jul  1861
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Tutfield King                        abt 1862
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Mary LECLAIR                 04 Apr 1865
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Philomene LECLAIR        10 Aug 1866
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Henry LECLAIR               10 Jan 1868
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Emma LECLAIR               14 Mar 1869
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Juellie LECLAIR               28 Apr 1871
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 Julia LECLAIR                 20 OCT 1874
 mary leclair                               1877

 CHILDREN with Unknown Spouse
 NAME                            BIRTH DATE
 Napoleon LECLAIR            1 Jun 1858
 Ellen King                                 1860
 Sufrone King                             1866
 Emma King                               1870
 Julie King                                  1872
 Marie Agnes LECLAIR      18 Aug 1877
 Agness King                              1878

 SOURCES
 Quebec, Vital Church Records
    - Burial in 1855 for Genevieve Lefebvre Boulanger

 3 Ancestry Member Trees
    - 2 of the trees have her married to Cyprien Leclair (1828-1886)
    - The same 2 trees have no death date for her, the 3rd has 1867.
    - The 3rd also has most of the above nonsense.

 1902 Burlington (VT) Business Directory page (attached photo from another tree)

14 September 2012

Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.

Below are census details for records attached to one profile.
Comments after the jump.

CHARLES SWEENY
B: abt 1885, Canada
D: 3 Dec 1964, Vermont

1900  
>Sweeney Family in Montpelier, VT
 Charles 28 (Fr Canada), Mary 25, Charley 8, Mary 7, Jennie 5, Mabel 3, Paul 2, Robert 10/12
>Sweeny Family in Cleveland, OH
 Charles S 44, Dorcas 44, Charles 15 (OH), Harold 12
>Sweeney Family in Brooklyn, NY
 Charles B 53, Blanche R 46, Charles T 23 (NY)

1920   
>Sweeney Family in Worcester, MA
 Charles 52 (MA), Jennie L 49, Charles A 14, Eleanor G 12
>Sweeny Family in Manhattan, NY
 Chas 33 (NY), Edna M 29, Charles 3
>Sweeny Family in Dover, NH
 Charles 35 (NH), Mary 32

1930              
>Sweeney Family in Philadelphia, PA
 Charles 56 (Ireland), Mary 56, John 28, Robert 23, Herman 22, Anna 18, Thomas 15, Eugene 13
>Sweeney Family in Buffalo, NY
 Charles 44, NY, Mary 45

10 September 2012

It's Online So It Must Be True

This week I ran into someone who had Roman emperors on his tree. He invited others to look at his tree and when people pointed out a few of the numerous errors he claimed it was "all from Ancestry" and "I didn't make that stuff up." No, other people made stuff up and you mindlessly copied it. 
I had initially started this post with the 900+ Nefertiti trees found while writing last Friday's post. But after this run in I decided to switch to Roman emperors instead. The point is the same: It's all online so it must be true. 
So here's the profile that started this. Of course there's more after the jump ;-)

AUGUSTUS GAIUS OCTAVIUS V CAESAR Roman Emperor
B: 23 Sep 1963
D: 19 Aug 1914
Spouse: Scribonia Libo Octavian Augustus 
              B: 25 Jul 1968
Child:     Julia Augusta 
              B: 39 - D: 15
Father:  GAIUS IV, Praetor of Rome, Governor of Macedonia, OCTAVIUS Rufus
              B: 25 JUN 85 BC - D: 27 JUL 59 BC
Mother:  Atia Balba, of Rome, Caesonia
               B: 85 BC - Aug-Sept 43 BC

07 September 2012

Coming or Going

Comments after the jump.

 Relationship to NEFERTITI                                           BIRTH                 DEATH

 FATHER             Amenhotep III Nubmaatre               ABT 1425 BC        ABT 1367 BC
 MOTHER            Gilukhipa                                       ABT 1415 BC
 SISTER              Mery-Khiba Mery-Amon                   ABT 1560 BC
 SPOUSE             Moses Ben Amram                                1597 BC         ABT 1451 BC
 CHILD                Merytaten Bas Moses                            1743 BC

 OCCUPATION    "Queen or Egypt" [sic]

03 September 2012

Too Many Cookes

All three profiles are from the same tree.
Comments after the jump.

 Susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: ????
    Mother: Frances Ironmonger (1654 - 1695)

 Susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: Mordecai Cooke (1623 - 1667)
    Mother: ????

 susannah Cooke (7 Dec 1693 - 21 Nov 1749)
    Father: Mordecai Cook II (1649 - 1718)
    Mother: JOAN Constable (1458 - ????)