The Thomas and Judah Farrell DNA Project: ask me, I'm excited!

Do you ever get so wrapped up in a family group on your tree that it's almost as though they're haunting you? No peace day or night because there they are in your mind taking up all available space. Well it's been like that for Mom at times and now it's like that for me. (Mom, as you might remember is 95 and still working on genealogy. It keeps her young but it's about to wear on my brother's last nerve because Mom wants her computer moved so she can work more. You go Mom!)

Let me tell you a bit about the Farrells and then I'll fill you in on this DNA project. It might take a couple of posts to cover all the ground but it should be worth it in the end. I have a partner in this work and that's a first for me... well, besides Mom. And neither of us are experts in DNA stuff so we're learning as we go. And we're not doing a big surname DNA study either because of the problem of not having all the Y-DNA. We are using chromosome matching and find it fascinating as a way to proceed. OK, so that's where we're going, and now let's go!

First about the Farrels.
Thomas was born in 1797 in Ireland and he married Judah (or in the common version of that name at the time, Judy) who was born in 1815 also in Ireland. Honestly we haven't even scratched the surface of finding this happy couple in Ireland yet, but you can read about what Mom remembers that her mother told her about them here.

The sons, it seems, reverted to the traditional version of the surname and used O'Farrell. I've been told that dropping or keeping the O' was a choice that came and went on the tides of fashion and political sentiment, and that keeping the O' was a nod to Irish tradition.

Thomas and Judah married in Ireland and had two girls there, my second great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Farrell in 1835, and then her sister Catherine in 1837. I often wonder if they followed the naming traditions of naming the oldest girls after the father's and the mother's mothers. That might be a clue in locating them in Ireland... or not.

All four, Thomas, Judah, Mary Elizabeth, and Catherine came to the USA from Ireland about 1840 or 1841. Thomas applied for naturalization in Cumberland, Allegany, Maryland in 1841. Now, exactly why he came her is a mystery to us because they came before the Great Famine years. We imagine that times were getting hard. Were they forced off the land and into a poorhouse as so many others of their generation? Perhaps. But they were part of a great exodus west then, out of Ireland and on to America.

Once on US soil they lived over in West Virginia in Morgan County in a little town that's not there anymore called Magnolia. He farmed. (You can read about Magnolia here.)

Once settled in Magnolia, Thomas leased a piece of land called the Widmeyer Tract, and you can see part of that indenture between Thomas and Mr. Aaron Harlan, dated 22 February, 1845, below. I'm transcribing it now because we are searching for any and all details  about this family, no matter how small.

Once in Magnolia, they had these children: James born 1842, Thomas born 1843, and then the four youngest girls, Ann born 1845, Ellen born 1846, Bridget born 1849, and little Sarah born 1851. Am wondering if the boys were named after Thomas and Judah's fathers?

So there the family is, happily working the land and making a go of it, filling out the family with strong sons and beautiful girls, one hopes;) Then somehow, it all turns sad. Thomas the father died in 1851. Judah died in 1857.

We know what happened to the four oldest children but not the 4 youngest girls. Last we see these little ones is in the 1860 census and they all are working as servants, as follows:
* Sarah is but 9 years old and serving in her sister Catherine Farrell Boxwell's house in the Magnolia area. We guess she married someone close by and find a Sally (common for Sarah) Farrell marrying in 1880 in Berkeley County, West Virginia to a man named John W. Wageley, working as a railroader, whose parents were William and Susan Wageley. In the 1880 census there is a son in the family but that's got to be her husband's boy from a first marriage.
* Ellen is 12 and serving in the household of John Coulhan (?), a merchant, and living in Cumberland, Allegany, Maryland. He too was born in Ireland. Then we lose her.
* Bridget is 13 and serving in the household of Patrick Connor in Clarysville, Allegany, Maryland. He was born in Ireland and is working in the coal mines near there. And then we lose her.
* Ann is 16 and serving in the household of a Mr. Cosgrove in Morgan County, West Virginia, who is a railroad watchman and was born in Ireland. Then we lose her.

It strikes me that this is a good Catholic family and they placed the girls in Irish households to be with other Irish Catholic families. Maybe the girls all married in the locations where they worked. So where can we look for the girls marriage records? Ellen in Cumberland which is St Patrick's Parish. But Bridget in Clarysville? What parish is that? Can it be our own St. Michael's in Frostburg where Mom was born and still lives?

Well that should set it up for you. Mom and I are all excited about this project, as is Cousin Rich, and I didn't even start telling you how he comes into this. Let's save that for tomorrow because it's all about DNA and then collaboration.

My second great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth (Farrell) House (1835-1917)

Born in Ireland, died in Western Maryland.

Had 16 children.

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-thomas-and-judah-farrell-dna.html

Wishful Wednesday: Where, oh where, did my Irish ancestors come from?

One of my greatest frustrations in pursuing my Irish ancestors is not knowing the town or parish they came from. At this point I'd even settle for a county! It seems that you need to have a town or parish name or at least a county before you can go search records with some purpose, especially when dealing with common names like Kelly and O'Kelly... one on every corner! The only place to look for those locations is, obviously, American records. We have a poverty of such records for our Irish ancestors and really I don't know where to look next. Is there some magical document that usually has the birthplace or county of origin for immigrants, and not the ubiquitous "Ireland"? If so I've just plum missed it!

But I can't complain because Mom's been fortunate in finding what she did. Let me tell you about that, but first look at these photos and then a little story.

Way back when Mom got going on genealogy she became a devoted graveyard rabbit. Off she'd go in the car, with or without Dad, to some cemetery or other looking for familiar surnames. She has a dandy collection of tombstone photos too. Remember, this was back starting in the 1970s and before the very helpful web sites that all of us use, such as Find A Grave or Billion Graves.

While my paternal grandfather Kelly was still living she found his grandfather's burial place in St. Michael's Cemetery in Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland. Grandpop refused to believe that was his grandfather because he swore that he and his own father would have known where his grave was, they would have cut the grass and tended the grave.

Long story short, yes that's his grandfather and my great grandfather whose tombstone you see above. (My guess would be that some other sibling was tasked with taking care of that particular grave.) The stone told Mom exactly where in Ireland he was born, that being Shannonbridge in the parish of Clonmacnoise.

That was a very lucky find indeed! We have not been so lucky as regards our other Irish immigrant families. So as an exercise, let me relate here what we know and then you'll see what we don't know. Maybe some kind soul will have a good idea and pity us and give a clue. And then again maybe the Wee Folk are around and will point us in the right direction towards our home places in Ireland when they hear our pleases. Hey, it could happen!

Here's the line up. On Mom's side we have the O'Farrell / Farrell bunch and also the Caton group. On Dad's side we also have the Corcoran family who married into those Kelly folks. Bridget Corcoran and John Kelly met and wed here on this side of The Pond. Here's what's known.

O'Farrell / Farrell
The journey for this line starts with Thomas Farrell. Presumably the surname was streamlined from O'Farrell to Farrell because some of his sons kept the unfashionable and then fashionable again "'O". Here's what my Surname Saturday post looked like, below.
62. Thomas Farrell, formerly O'Farrell (1795 - 1851)
63. Judah LNU (last name unknown) (1815 - 1859)
Mom has searched for them for years because it was the Farrell line that originally got her started and interested in family history back in the 1970s. All she really knew was what she had been told as a child: that her great grandmother came from Ireland, from "where St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland." Hmmm. Not a lot to go on.
Her foundational work and networking with other genealogists lead Mom to the County Clare clue, but it's still not proven absolutely. Quite a while back Mom corresponded with a researcher in Ireland and they ruled out County Longford.
Thomas and Judah, sometimes listed as Judy, immigrated between 1839 and 1840 as a married couple with two daughters. Their son James was born in Maryland in 1841, so it seems that the couple came to Maryland before moving on to Magnolia, Morgan, West Virginia (then Virginia).
Why they immigrated is a curious thing because it was before the Irish Famine years. Perhaps it was a brother or uncle who might have lured them there to work on the canal or railroad. But it appears that Thomas was a farmer because of an indenture for the rental of land (a copy is in Mom's possession) and his occupation listed as farmer in the 1850 US census.
Interestingly, some of his sons fought in the Civil War on the Union side and remained O'Farrells throughout their lives. Remember, this is the part of Virginia that became West Virginia where neighbor's sons fought on opposite sides! Brothers, too. But the O'Farrell boys stuck together in war and by name.
Thomas and Judah had the following children, some of whom went to live with friends or relatives after the couple died, Thomas in 1851 and Judah in 1859.
31. Mary Elizabeth Farrell (1835 - 1919). Born in Ireland and married Samuel Albert House.
* Catherine Farrell (about 1835 - before 1910), born in Ireland and immigrated with her parents and sister, Mary Elizabeth and my 2nd GGM, she died in Magnolia, Morgan County, Virginia, (now West Virginia). She married James Edward Boxwell.
* James O'Farrell (1842 - 1914). James was born in Maryland, and is age 9 in the 1850 census. He married Henrietta Michael in Morgan County, VA/WV, but they both died at Mora, Pettis, MO. His son's kept the O'. James served in the Civil War on the Union side.
* Thomas O'Fallell ( 1842 - ????) Thomas also kept the O'Farrell, and as did his brother James, enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War.
* Ann Farrell (1845 - ????)
* Ellen Farrell (1846 - ????)
* Bridget Farrell (1849 - ????)
* Sarah Farrell (1851 - ????)
What's next:
* All of the boys were born in America, and some moved out west. I could do as Mom did and try to make contact with another Farrell researcher to see if we can do better as a combined force.
* I might try tracing their immigration path over again to see if a detail has been missed or become available.
That's all I've got. Can you think of anything at all??

Caton
60. Patrick Caton 1814 - 1881
61. Rebecca House 1808 - after 1851
Patrick Caton was born in Ireland in 1814. Because of where he ended up in America, which is now West Virginia on the Potomac River near the long gone town of Magnolia, he most probably was lured by work on the railroads or the canal, as were countless other Irishmen, including possibly the Farrells mentioned above.
In the 1850 US Census he's listed as a farmer, but Samuel (calling himself Samuel Biggerstaff) and Patrick's brother, Francis Caton a man of 30 years living in the household, are listed as laborers. Presumably based on history of the area they were most likely employed by the railroad or the canal digs.
Patrick and Rebecca had the following children:
* Mary Caton 1846 - ????
* Margaret Caton  1847 - ????. She married George W. Meade.
They cared for:
30. Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917
What's next:
There's a whole lot to do here. Everything, really. Immigration trail and naturalization, and whatever records are still existing for the back woods of West Virginia in the mid 1800s. I really need to talk to Mom about what she found when researching this line. Perhaps we haven't given it too much attention because Patrick Caton was not Samuel Albert's father.

Corcoran
16. John Kelly 1829 - 1891
17. Bridget Corcoran 1830 - after 1910
John and Bridget were both born in Ireland. We know that John was born in Shannonbridge, in Clonmacnoise Parrish, County Offaly (was Kings), but haven't a clue as to where Bridget was born... and without a town and a county we're outta luck with our Irish research.
John came to the United States, met Bridget and married here. They married 21 June 1848 in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland. They are there in Cumberland in the 1850 US census with Mary, age one year.
John died first in 1892. The Bridget died in 1912. That lovely Irish cross tombstone serves for them both even though there's only an inscription for John. Perhaps, as with other families, they ran out of money to have it inscribed.
For years we thought that her surname was spelled Corkrane, but further records searches showed that it was absolutely Corcoran! Imagine our surprise, but not too much when you pronounce both versions:)
They had eight children:
Mary Ann Kelly 1849 - ????
8. Francis Patrick Kelly 1854 - 1923
Catherine Elizabeth Kelly 1857 - ????
Michael Kelly 1859 - 1909
Margaret Kelly 1862 - ????
Theresa Kelly 1860 - ????
Thomas Kelly 1868 - ????
John Kelly 1872 - ????

Bridget's parents were James Corcoran born in Ireland about 1806, who married Anna Dolan also born there but about 1810. This information has come to us quite recently from a geanea-pal who combs old records of Western Maryland, and long story short, she found what we could not! Were we thrilled!! So here is what we know of this family unit. Here are the parents:
James Corcoran (about 1806 - ?)
Anna Dolan (about 1810 - ?)
They had these children.
17. Bridget Corcoran 1830 - 1912. born in Ireland.
* Thomas Corcoran 1835 - 1893. Born in Ireland, he married Mary Ryan and they both died in Shawnee, Perry, Ohio. (Find A Grave Memorial# 41251606)
* Isabella Corcoran 1840 - 1916. She was born in Allegany, Maryland, and married John F. Kenny and died in Crooksville, Perry, Ohio. (Her Find A Grave number is 43044520). John is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland.
* Catherine Corcoran
* Francis Corcoran
Look at that: Thomas and Isabella both died in Perry County, Ohio. Googling it's history I find that it was known as a coal rich area and is found on an almost direct line west from Cumberland, Maryland. It looks like Thomas and wife Mary went out to Ohio so that he could work the coal mines, and then after Isabella's husband John died, she went to live with her brother, died there and was buried in the same cemetery.
I took another look at the 1860 census for Allegany County, Maryland on the page where James and Anna (recorded as Ann) are listed. Of course he's a miner. Then as we all like to do, I nose around on the next page and find James and Anna's daughter, Bridget married to John Kelly, and living that close by.
And from a birth index for Perry County, it looks like some others in the area might have used that Corkrane spelling too. I'm just saying.
Thomas interests me so I searched about Perry County, Ohio and found this interesting passage.
SHAWNEE is eight miles south of New Lexington, on the Straitsville branch of the B. & O. R. R. It is one of the greatest coal-mining points in Ohio.
And also this from the same source as above, and continues to paint a picture:
A recent visitor writes; "New Straitsville is in the heart of the richest coal-producing district west of Pennsylvania; it is only three miles over the high, steep hills to bustling Shawnee, with its mines and blast furnaces; southward are Gore, Carbon Hill, and finally Nelsonville, all strong mining towns of the Hocking Valley.
What's next:
So much to do! The entire family of James and Anna is ripe for research. Can't wait to get started, with a list and everything! This has been long overdue.
* They were here by 1840 because their last child, Isabella was born here and the rest were born in Ireland. Where did they come from in Ireland?
* Where-oh-where are the parents James and Anna buried? My best guess would be a cemetery in Allegany County, Maryland, but nothing turns up. Bummer. Want to look for this because I need death dates and some closure.

Looking for your Irish ancestor's home place?
I was googling around for an overview of typical documents generated here in the States that might have your Irish ancestor's place of origin. Irish Genealogy Toolkit has a seemingly comprehensive listing here. So now the first thing I'll do is take that list and check off what's been reviewed and what's yet to be checked. The only one glaring omission from our scrutiny of that list is military records. I don't hold out too much hope for that as all of these men immigrants would have been in their 60s during the Civil War.

This is not going to be easy. It might just be impossible. If you have any tips to point us in the right direction, Mom and I would be forever grateful.


Wishful Wednesday is a blogging prompt from Geneabloggers. If you're thinking about starting a blog this is the source for all things


The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/07/wishful-wednesday-where-oh-where-did-my.html

Surname Saturday: O'Farrell, then Farrell

Here's the next installment of Surname Saturday, the blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers! We're into the 2nd great grandmothers now and looking at the O'Farrell clan from Ireland who tossed off the "O" and became the Farrells in America, mostly.

The Farrells came to America between 1839 and 1840 but we've not found solid evidence of the ship or exact date of their arrival. Mom observed that Thomas Farrell and his wife Judah (last name unknown) were married when they arrived here and traveling with two small children to a very wild area of what would later become West Virginia, near the small town of Magnolia, and that most likely Thomas had a brother or uncle already here because there was one other Farrell/O'Farrell male nearby. It's disconnected info such as this, requiring more substantiation, that wants and begs to be woven together. Some days Mom and I feel as though the work has just begun!

1. Diane Kelly Weintraub

2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, (living and loving it)

6. Cambria Williams (1897 - 1960)
7. Emma Susan Whetstone (1897 - 1956)

14. Joseph Hampton Whetstone (1858 - 1938)
15. Catherine Elizabeth House ( 1865 - 1947)

30. Samuel Albert House (1832 - 1917)
31. Mary Elizabeth Farrell (1835 - 1919)
I wrote a longish blog post about Samuel Albert House this week and his strange life which you can find here. It tells the story of various jobs and moving and finally settling in Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland. But this Surname Saturday we're interested in the grandmothers four generations back, so it's Mary Elizabeth we're wanting. She was born in Ireland in 1835, most likely in County Claire, and came over with her parents, Thomas and Judah Farrell about 1839 to 1840, more or less. More about this below.
She married Samuel Albert House 20 Aug, 1855 and they had a big bunch of kids. There's also an amusing post about two of them, the Counterfeiting Twins here, who were Rev. Edward Francis and Joseph Martin.
They had these 16 children:
James I. House 1844 - ????. He married Sara C. Wilson
John T. House 1855 - 1954. He married Sarah Dennison.
William H. House 1858 - 1907. He married Ada Elizabeth Garlitz.
Mary Amelia "Molly" House 1861 - 1949. She married John R. Davis.
Samuel T. House about 1862 - ????. He married Emma Siebert.
Garnet Soloman House 1864 - ????. He married Rhoda ?.
15. Catherine Elizabeth House 1865 - 1947
Rev. Edward Francis House 1868 - 1926. He married Martha Edith Dennison.
Joseph Martin House 1868 - 1950. He married Rose Praut and upon her death married Madge Cook.
George House 1870 - 1871.
Sarah Ellen "Sadie" House 1870 - ????. She married William Harvey Reckley.
Margaret Anna "Nan" House 1872 - 1968. She married Philip Long.
Sadie F. House 1873 - ????.
Charles Harley House 1875 - 1945. He married Blanch Perdue.
Michael A. House 1878 - ????. He married Lillian Meade.
Nora House 1879 - 1964. She married Denton R. Kaseycamp.

62. Thomas Farrell, formerly O'Farrell (1795 - 1851)
63. Judah LNU (last name unknown) (1815 - 1859)
Most likely born and married in County Clare, Ireland but the actually parish or town remains unknown to us at present. Pity, that.
Mom has searched for them for years because it was the Farrell line that originally got her started and interested in family history. All she really knew was she had been told as a child: that her great grandmother came from Ireland, from "where St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland." Hmmm. Not a lot to go on. Her foundational work and networking with other genealogists lead Mom to the County Clare clue, but it's still not proven absolutely. Quite a while back Mom corresponded with a researcher in Ireland and they ruled out County Longford... close but no cigar. So here we are at one of our fascinating brick walls! Do you know how many Farrells and O'Farrels there were in Ireland in the 1830s?! Too many!
Thomas and Judah, sometimes called Judy, immigrated between 1839 and 1840. Their son James was born in Maryland in 1841, so it seems that the couple landed there before coming on to Magnolia.
Why they immigrated is a curious thing because it was before the Irish Famine years. Perhaps it was that brother or uncle, the other Farrell/O'Farrell male in the area of Magnolia, who might have lured them here. In those years, work could be had on the railroad which ran right through where they settled. But it appears that Thomas was a farmer because of an indenture for the rental of land (a copy is in Mom's possession) and his occupation listed as farmer in the 1850 US census.
Interestingly, a couple of his sons fought in the Civil War on the Union side and remained O'Farrells throughout their lives. Remember, this is the part of Virginia that became West Virginia where neighbor's sons fought on opposite sides! Brothers, too. But the O'Farrell boys stuck together in war and by name.
Thomas and Judah had the following children, some of whom went to live with friends or relatives after the couple died, Thomas in 1851 and Judah in 1859.
31. Mary Elizabeth Farrell (1835 - 1919)
Catherine Farrell (about 1835 - before 1910), born in County Clare, Ireland and immigrated with her parents and sister, Mary Elizabeth and my 2nd GGM, she died in Magnolia, Morgan County, Virginia, (now West Virginia). She married James Edward Boxwell.
James O'Farrell (1842 - 1914). James was born in Maryland, and is age 9 in the 1850 census. He married Henrietta Michael in Morgan County, but they both died Mora, Pettis, MO. His son's kept the O'. James served in the Civil War on the Union side.
Thomas O'Fallell ( 1842 - ????) Thomas also kept the O'Farrell, and as did his brother James, enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War.
Ann Farrell (1845 - ????)
Ellen Farrell (1846 - ????)
Bridget Farrell (1849 - ????)
Sarah Farrell (1851 - ????)

Next Steps
I long to know more of this family. Their saga has enough elements that make for good story telling and that keeps me fascinated. Here's what I want to know:
1. Where did they come from in Ireland and what is the name of the town or parish?
2. Why did they come?
3. Did they land in Cumberland? Was Judy pregnant with James when they arrived in America? I'll look for them in St Patrick's Catholic Church records, Cumberland, Allegany, Maryland, and for James baptismal record. They have to be Catholic, right?
4. Why did they die? Guess I'll not find that out.
5. Where are they buried? There are only a couple of cemeteries in the area, that being Horn and Cherry Orchard. You'd think a person could find them, but the land is rough and the cemeteries overgrown. Some graves are no longer marked.

Three Women with the Same Face, Almost
Wanna see something cool? This photo right below was sent to me by Cousin Rich who visited Mom this week! We were marveling at the family resemblance of these related women!
Hey, Cousin Rich, do you have a photo of Katie Boxwell Kessler's mother, Catherine Farrell Boxwell? Now, wouldn't that be fun?

Catherine "Katie" Boxwell Kessler (1871 - 1953).

She was daughter of Catherine Farrell Boxwell (1838 - 1910),

who was sister to my 2nd GGM, Mary Elizabeth Farrell House.

 

Here's a photo of Catherine Elizabeth House Whetstone (1865 - 1947),

cousin to Katie Boxwell Kessler, above. Could be the same person!!

Here is a photo of Mary Elizabeth Farrell House (1835 - 1919), Catherine Elizabeth's mother. 

See a family resemblance? Mom and I do!

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/04/surname-saturday-ofarrell-then-farrell.html

House Heirs Association: Part II: Follow the Money

If you missed the first installment of this new series you can find it here. I promise, this is interesting to more people than just Mom and me!

Here's a recap of what the House Heirs Association is all about. In a nutshell, the descendants of one Andrew V. House (1700 - 1797) believed that he and his son, John Valentine House (1739 - 1843), had supposedly been swindled out of payment from the US Government for a 99 year land lease on an immense tract of land they owned, reported to be as large as 64,000 acres. At the end of the lease the government and people living on that land in about 1884 or 85, located roughly in Frederick County, Maryland, all forgot that the House family were the rightful owners.

In this installment we'll follow the money and watch the numbers in an attempt to uncover some of the tangled plot. So here it is, by the numbers.

1. The value of the land, if one can believe its size, is estimated at 64,000 acres, was claimed to be $6 billion in 1899 by the National Secretary of the House Heirs Association (HHA).

2. The US Government offered the House heirs a deal of $30 million sometime before the first large general meeting of the HHA in 1899. If accepted, this deal would have resulted in approximately $2 million for each of the House heirs, and ... a $2.5 million dollar pay day for the attorney. (Too bad they didn't take it!)

3. The attorneys. By the meeting of the HHA in1900 in Chicago, funds had been collected from the 300 members (or continued to be collected) for paying an attorney. It seems that Messrs. Marchant & Clay (perhaps the guys who had negotiated the deal mentioned in #2 above) were no longer involved. A Mr. Hutson, who was put forth as the man to do the job, stated through his representative at the meeting, that he "gained a great deal of valuable information through his recent investigating" and that he was "confident" that a "settlement could be reached in 18 months time".

4. Where is Mr. Huton? At the meeting of 1901 in Kokoma, Indiana, Mr. Huton was a no-show. He said that he "found it impossible to be present", but felt that a meeting with himself and the House heirs was still necessary. He also reported by letter that a settlement was possible "but it would take time and a considerable amount of patience." (He was no longer talking about that 18 month time table!)

5. Dissatisfaction with the representation? The HHA notes from the 1901 meeting indicate members discussed that Mr. Huton should be "investigated." A committee was formed to take a closer look at the contract with Mr. Huton.

6. Mo' money needed. A collection was taken at that 1901 meeting for "current expenses".

7. Circular letter, date unknown. Throughout this whole HHA saga, letters were circulated informing members of what was going on. The problem expressed in one letter is that Mr. Huton is slow in gathering supporting documentation. By the time of this particular letter it is reported that the attorney has found "no important records."

8. Time and trouble. In a letter dated 26 Sept, 1906 from the HHA Secretary, it's stated that there are now over 450 House heirs. The letter goes on to say that, "We have never been able to raise sufficient money to carry it through," referring to documentation that was already in hand and important documents that needed to be found. It's at the point, I think from reading this, that the attorney (not mentioned by name and likely not Mr. Huton) consulting with the HHA Secretary believes that an deal could still be reached.

Yikes! Looks like no one got anything out of this House Heirs Association, except the lawyers! I'd guess that Messrs. Marchant & Clay worked on contingency. When they saw the House heirs not jumping at the $30 million settlement, they bailed. Looks to me like Mr. Huton milked them for what he could doing as little work as possible himself and letting members bring him documentation. I surmise this because it was about that time that the House heirs started submitting whatever they had about the matter of the land as well as their ancestral history tracing back to John V. House. Just my guess.

I feel especially bad for the writer of that 1906 letter who had worked tirelessly on this for four years investigating what she could. By that time people might have gotten weary of contributing to a case that went no where. By 1923 the HHA is disbanded when someone absconds with whatever funds are left... but I'm getting ahead of myself!

Next time, more about how the property came to Andrew V. House. That's really interesting!

Marriage record for Samuel Albert House (1832 - 1917) and Mary Elizabeth Farrell (1835 - 1919), dated 20 Aug 1855.

 

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/04/house-heirs-association-part-ii-follow.html

Surname Saturday: House - Biggerstaff - Caton

It's Surname Saturday time again which is a very useful blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers. Every time I sit down in front of the glowing magic screen and craft my Surname Saturday post I make mental connections about the ancestors and write them down here. I recently started making notes within the post of items yet to do just to insure I don't forget. I swear if we ever meet in person I'll probably have a post note on my forehead:)

I truly don't know how to handle this line because it's probable that Samuel Albert House was illegitimate. The question for me is, do I follow his natural father's line or his step father's line? I guess that I shouldn't follow his House line because some time after the age of sixteen he started calling himself House, and that's his mother's family's surname.

Well, since it's my blog and I've lost the number of the genealogy 411 people, think I'll post what's  known about everyone, except his mother because that will be coming up in rotation. Both the natural father and step-father's history end rather abruptly because Mom and I have been busy trying to prove what we can about Samuel Albert's life and frankly have neglected the rest. We'll get to the Biggerstaff and Caton history later when we know more.


1. Diane Kelly Weintraub

2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly 1916 - 2007
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it

6. Cambria Williams 1897 - 1960
7. Emma Susan Whetstone 1897 - 1956

14. Joseph Hampton Whetstone 1858 - 1938
15. Catherine Elizabeth House 1865 - 1947

30. Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917
31. Mary Elizabeth Farrell 1835 - 1919
I wrote a longish blog post about Samuel Albert House this week and his strange life which you can find here. It tells the story of various jobs and moving and finally settling in Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland.
There's also an amusing post about the Counterfeiting Twins here, and those two, Rev. Edward Francis and Joseph Martin, were SA and Mary Elizabeth's children.
They had these 16 children:
James I. House 1844 - ????. He married Sara C. Wilson
John T. House 1855 - 1954. He married Sarah Dennison.
William H. House 1858 - 1907. He married Ada Elizabeth Garlitz.
Mary Amelia "Molly" House 1861 - 1949. She married John R. Davis.
Samuel T. House about 1862 - ????. He married Emma Siebert.
Garnet Soloman House 1864 - ????. He married Rhoda ?.
15. Catherine Elizabeth House 1865 - 1947
Rev. Edward Francis House 1868 - 1926. He married Martha Edith Dennison.
Joseph Martin House 1868 - 1950. He married Rose Praut and upon her death married Madge Cook.
George House 1870 - 1871.
Sarah Ellen "Sadie" House 1870 - ????. She married William Harvey Reckley.
Margaret Anna "Nan" House 1872 - 1968. She married Philip Long.
Sadie F. House 1873 - ????.
Charles Harley House 1875 - 1945. He married Blanch Perdue.
Michael A. House 1878 - ????. He married Lillian Meade.
Nora House 1879 - 1964. She married Denton R. Kaseycamp.

Now we're down to the fork in the road and taking either path results in a short ride right at the moment. Samuel Albert's natural father was Isaac Biggerstaff. His step-father was Patrick Caton. It's interesting to note that he took his mother's surname, House, as his own. Was that the custom?

Previous relevant posts about Isaac Biggerstaff are here:
The Dunkards
The "why" of Isaac and Sarah not wedding
We recently discovered an index from cousin William that lists Samuel Albert's father as Issac Biggerstaff. Now, we have a whole branch of the tree to build out because there is good solid information on this line available. It's time for Mom and I to get busy and research the Biggerstaffs!

The step-father was Patrick Caton, a solid man who most likely loved his wife, Rebecca House, and here's how his part of the tree looks.

60. Patrick Caton 1814 - 1881
61. Rebecca House 1808 - after 1851
Patrick Caton was born in Ireland in 1814. Because of where he ended up in America, which is now West Virginia on the Potomac River near the long gone town of Magnolia, he most probably was lured by work on the railroads or the canal, as were countless other Irishmen. In the 1850 US Census he's listed as a farmer, but Samuel (calling himself Samuel Biggerstaff) and Patrick's brother, Francis Caton a man of 30 years living in the household, are listed as laborers. Presumably based on history of the area they were most likely employed by the railroad or the canal digs.
Patrick and Rebecca had the following children:
Mary Caton 1846 - ????
Margaret Caton  1847 - ????. She married George W. Meade
And then of course they cared for:
30. Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917

The end. Or rather, the beginning because we're off to research the Biggerstaff line. When we have something cobbled together there will be another Surname Saturday post, a bit out of order.

30. Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917 and 31. Mary Elizabeth Farrell 1835 - 1919

 

Their daughter Sadie House and husband William Reckley

with their daughter Blanche.

Garnet House and Rhoda's daughters, Fay and Wanda.

Estella Reckley, daughter of Sadie House and William Reckley.

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/03/surname-saturday-house-biggerstaff-caton.html

Mystery Monday: The Strange Life of Samuel Albert House

Samuel Albert House (1832 - 1917) had an strange life, at least to my prying eyes. As my second great grandfather, whom I share with plenty of other interested parties, he's the exception in the tree. By that I mean that there are numerous well-behaved ancestors, but Samuel Albert was something else. Oh, it's not just that he was, and Mom is real sure about this, illegitimate but it's that his life, at least from the comfort of my computer screen, appears to have been a tad of a mess. Let me tell you what we know about him and you can draw your own conclusions.

Samuel Albert House was born on 11 Feb 1832 in Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the vicinity of the small town of Magnolia. His mother was Rebecca House born 15 Feb 1808 in that same place, about that there's no discussion and here's what the Hampshire County, West Virginia /Virginia records say and the text of the listing for his birth:

HOUSE Samuel Albert                   Feb 11 ,1832           Isaac/Rebecca Biggerstaff

And here's the image:

And here's the URL of the index at "Hamshire County VA: Vitals: Births":

http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/hampshire/vitals/Births.txt

And the index is all we're likely to get because of fires and floods and whatnot at the courthouse. But as you can see it lists the parents of Samuel Albert House as Isaac and Rebecca Biggerstaff. Case closed, right? But why is the baby listed as having the last name of House? This makes me want to know more about this indexed record.

Back when Mom started this genealogy thing she went around asking her living relatives what they knew about the ancestors. Mom wanted to know more about her great grandfather, Samuel Albert House, so she went to ask Uncle Tuck. Uncle Tuck was Mom's absolute favorite uncle and he shared more than one bit of oral history with her and proved out to be a good solid source. Uncle Tuck gave her a few bits and pieces and then said cryptically, you shouldn't go nosing around because you never know what you'll find and you might not like it.

Now, you have to know Mom, because if you tell her she shouldn't know something, that's exactly what she's determined to find out! Off she went and found out something interesting about Samuel Albert right away. As you can see below, in the 1850 US Census he's 16 years old, living with his mother, Rebecca Caton, working as a laborer, and calling himself Samuel Biggerstaff. Rebecca House married Patrick Caton 13 April 1834, just after Isaac Biggerstaff, who had married Elizabeth Longstreth, died.  Here's the 1850 US Census.

 

 

And thus began Mom's journey to find out who Samuel Albert's birth father was, just who was this Isaac Biggerstaff, and piece together what might be known. You can check out a previous post to this blog here where you can see Mom's reasoning for arriving at this conclusion... and without much help from Uncle Tuck.

Quite a while back Mom received a write up of a House Family Reunion held in Ohio about 1910. In it attendees discussed how everyone in the community knew that Samuel Albert was illegitimate and that Isaac Biggerstaff was his father. OK, so Samuel Albert House was most likely illegitimate, big deal. If that's the worst thing that happens in a family it will be a miracle.

But as I'm piecing his life together, beyond the records, I start building an image of a troubled soul. Uncle Tuck is the source for a second story about SA House, and this one is not at all pleasant. But let's follow his life along using what's gleaned from records and the US Census returns. Here's his marriage record where he wed Mary Elizabeth Farrell on 20 Aug 1855 in Hampshire County VA.

 

 



In the 1860 US Census he's listed as living in the Piedmont area of Hampshire County, Virginia and working as a laborer and living with his wife and three children: John age 7, James age 4, and William age 2. So he'd gotten married, had a couple of kids, was working as a laborer (no skill mentioned, no employer mentioned specifically) going west from Magnolia, down the Potomac River to live and work near Piedmont.

Then there's the Civil War. Samuel Albert House joins up with the Confederate Army, even though all of his neighbors and relatives, especially his brother-in-laws, supported the Union. Family oral tradition (through Uncle Tuck) and Mom says that he got drunk, went "over the hill" into Virginia, and signed up with the Confederacy in August and was absent without leave by October of 1862. I found his war records on Fold3 and that's pretty much what happened.

It was difficult living in this part of Virginia that had just voted for secession from Virginia and become West Virginia on April 17, 1862. Skirmishes raged daily in the woods and streets. You could get killed hanging the clothes out to dry. A local story posted to the Hampshire County RootsWeb goes like this:
The Confederates built the cook fire one morning, the Yankees put the bacon on to fry, the Confederates ate it, and the Yankees put the fire out. The military would count this as one turn-over, but the beleaguered population considered it three turnovers.

By the time of the 1870 US Census, the Civil War has ended and he's moved his family again, this time to Springfield, West Virginia, and has a new profession working for the rail road. The railroad was the high-tech industry of the day and if you could land and keep a job there and could keep it, you were set for life. Springfield is about half way as the crow flies between Piedmont and PawPaw (near Magnolia or what's left of it, and read more about that here.)

In the 1880, 1900, and 1910 US Census he's living in Maryland but hopping around a bit. In both the 1880 and 1900 censuses he's a farmer.

And just why did he move from Virginia to Frostburg, showing up in the US Census there in 1910? Oral tradition has it that he was drinking a lot - too much - making a nuisance of himself and being abusive to his family. The adult male members of his family had what today we might call an intervention and moved him over to Frostburg where they could keep an eye on him. In that 1910 census he's in Frostburg and listed as doing odd jobs.

There was, as per Uncle Tuck, a particularly ugly scene in Frostburg, during which Samuel Albert threatened to kill his wife, Mary Elizabeth Farrell. Uncle Tuck's father walked in to find Mary Elizabeth kneeling on the floor saying prayers while Samuel Albert raised a hatchet over her head. Uncle Tuck's father put a stop to the madness by threatening in no uncertain terms to call the police if he ever raised a hand against her again. And he never did.

It seems to me to be a troubled life. I can't of course be certain of that but it would seem so from the details here and especially from the oral tradition handed down by Samuel Albert's grandson, Uncle Tuck, to Mom.

So what are the issues at play here and why am I posting this to the blog? First, they say it's difficult sometimes to set out what's known of a troubled ancestor's life. One needs to be objective and present factually accurate data about what's known and the source of that information, being respectful of lives I really know very little about.

And it's important to capture oral tradition too, which can be colored by personal leanings and the retelling of the story. Each person who retells it is a filter and can't help but change and modify the truth, whatever that was.

When looking at the gathering of research and stories I don't feel positively or negatively or judge; that's not for me to do. I can't know how his world saw him in the light of his well-known illegitimacy. Was it no big deal or a mark against him? It was remembered and talked about and recorded at the House Family Reunion in Ohio years later so it must have been something of note. But enlisting in the Confederacy when others in your family and community were fighting for the Union? And then going AWOL two months later? And the possibility that he was drunk when he enlisted and went AWOL is a tad unusual, don't you think?

The most difficult and egregious for me is his abusive of the family. The fact of it is not proven beyond a doubt nor documented in any manner except for oral history and I must remember that.

And then there's the need some of his other descendants feel to do what they can to cover-up his life. Changing names on a death certificate, looking and looking until they find an Isaac House, half-way across the state and presuming that he's the father, posting that to web sites near and far. Silly, really. Why not look at the man's life for what it was and lend some compassion to his presumed pain? And I do presume that he was is some sort of pain because drinking is mentioned in almost every story about him.

Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917

 

Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917 and Mary Elizabeth Farrell House 1835 - 1919

 

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/mystery-monday-strange-life-of-samuel.html

DNA Me!

I've been keeping an eye on this genetic genealogy stuff for a while now, trying to understand it all and wrap my mind around the various flavors and especially the reports and what they promise. At first, and like any new technology, the learning curve was steep. "What the heck... do I need this torture in my life?" I thought. But I do need this in my life. And now that some of the basics are clearer and all tortures of the learning curve have passed, I'm ready to select a service, work up a whole lotta spit, and wait by the email box. Oh, yeah, and the money part. I almost forgot about the money part.

There were a couple of recent blog posts that cleared the forest and let me see how DNA testing might help me. I have no allusions about big breakthroughs, no "non-paternal events", no deep dark secrets to be revealed or a lost second cousin to be found and a mystery discovered. I'm no genealogy thrill seeker. (At least not where DNA is concerned.) Not to say that if a surprise showed up I wouldn't be thrilled! I'm open to anything:)

CeCe Moore blogging as Your Genetic Genealogist really cleared the large brush in the forest for me with this post: http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/2012/12/comparing-admixture-test-results-across.html

This is a very cool practical analysis of her admixture of countries of origin. Because Mom and I pretty much know what our admixture should be going back six, eight or even ten generations, we don't suspect that we'll be too surprised about the results. Although as CeCe posts, if it comes up Mediterranean, we'll suspect the test and not Mom's research!

Thanks so much CeCe... you helped bring Mom and I down to the finish line on our DNA decision making! If you want to know more about DNA testing really check out her page of Resources  at http://www.yourgeneticgenealogist.com/p/resources.html

Judy G. Russell blogging as The Legal Genealogist posted this fascinating report recently that helped define the lines between the major players in the DNA for genealogist field: http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2012/12/16/december-dna-doings/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheLegalGenealogist+%28The+Legal+Genealogist%29

So which company are Mom and I choosing? 23andMe. We like the price, but that said, it's not the deciding factor. We like the medical results that are included too. Mom is 94 and not too much worse for wear, with all major systems a "go", so I can't wait to see what the medical reports say about her! Personally I can't wait for the autosomal results and Mom wants to look at the a mitochondrial DNA results. It's a holiday gift we are each giving to ourselves;)

Photo of the day from the Archive:

All the daughters of Samuel Albert House 1832 - 1917 and
Mary Elizabeth Farrell House 1835 - 1919.

Mom's great grandmother, her mother's mother's mother:

just think of all the mitochondrial DNA there!

 

The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/12/dna-me.html