My great-great-grandmother, Sarah Fox Hickey, was the daughter of John Fox and Mary Livezey. Most of the documents I have which refer to Sarah give her name as Sarah N. Fox (or Hickey). One of my third cousins had theorized that Sarah's middle name was Nice, after her mother's sister (Sarah Livezey Nice). This seemed like a good theory, since it was a common practice in Mary Livezey's family to name daughters after married sisters. For instance, Sarah's youngest sister was named Tacy Hallowell Fox after her mother's sister (Tacy Livezey Hallowell).
Although I thought my cousin was probably right about Sarah's middle name, I had never come across any documents to confirm or refute this theory; that is, of course, until yesterday. My husband and I made a trip to the Maryland State Archives yesterday to do some genealogy research. We spent most of the time looking at microfilmed copies of death certificates. One of the death certificates I looked at was for James and Sarah Hickey's youngest daughter, Agnes Matilda ("Tillie"), who died in 1965.
I was mostly trying to fill in some gaps in my research, such as where and how Tillie died. I did find that information, but Tillie's death certificate also provided me with an unexpected bonus.
Later death certificates list the names of the deceased's parents. There is a place on the certificate for the mother's maiden name. However, sometimes the person supplying the information about the deceased did not know the maiden name and would just give the mother's first name or her first name and married name. At first glance I thought this was the case with Tillie's death certificate. The name on the certificate was pretty faint, and when I first looked at it I thought the name was Sarah Hickey.
When I took a closer look at the name, though, I realized that the last name was not Hickey at all. Tillie's son had given her mother's name as Sarah Nice Fox. So I finally had confirmation for Sarah's middle name, when I wasn't even looking for it.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Detective work
As I said in my first blog, genealogy is much like detective work. Like a good detective, a genealogist must be persistent, looking for clues and drawing conclusions. She must then find evidence to support those conclusions. While a police detective works to uncover criminals, a genealogist uses some of the same methods to uncover relationships and dead relatives. (Of course in some cases the results are the same. Many a genealogist, in the search for relatives, has uncovered a criminal or two in her family!)
Modern detectives use physical evidence (like fingerprints and DNA) and the testimony of witnesses to solve crimes. Genealogists, on the other hand, must rely on written records (the census, newspaper articles, city directories, etc.)
Unfortunately, some genealogists don't go far enough in their research. It is important to look at more than one source. If a detective showed up in court with only one piece of evidence, he would not have a very strong case.
The favorite source for many genealogists is the federal census returns, which can be very informative. However, information found in the census should be verified in other sources.
In my research of the Wolf family, for instance, I had drawn some conclusions about Andrew Francis Wolf, but I needed to find evidence to prove my conclusions. I had already proved that Andrew F. Wolf (from the 1930 census) and Frank Andrew Wolf (from the draft registrations) were one and the same person. I next wanted to prove that Andrew F. Wolf, who was listed as the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf in the 1900 census, was also the same person.
I was able to do this by checking the 1910 and 1920 census and verifying that the address was the same as for Frank Andrew in the World War I draft registration. This was pretty good evidence that Andrew Francis was the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf. I still plan to verify this fact by checking the church records. A marriage record for Andrew Francis and Elizabeth Buchinger should give the names of their parents.
Once I knew who Andrew Francis's parents were, I wanted to find out more about them. First I wanted to prove that Joseph Wolf was really the son of Matthias Wolf of Landshausen. To do this, I searched the Baltimore City Directories. Fortunately for me, many of the directories have been digitized and put online, so it was fairly easy to locate Joseph and his family.
I knew from the census that Joseph and Barbara were married about 1892, so I started searching the directory about 1890. Sure enough, I came across Joseph W. Wolf, candymaker, living at 564 Union in 1890 and 1891. At the same address were Matthew (listed as Matthias in 1891) and Charles Wolf. I already knew from my previous research that Matthias Wolf's youngest son was Charles, so this was pretty good evidence that this was Matthias Wolf of Landshausen and his two youngest sons.
I was also able to use the city directory to find an approximate date of death for Matthias Wolf. He was listed in the directory through 1901, but not in 1902. I then searched the Baltimore Sun (also available online) for a death notice for Matthias, which showed that he died in September 1901.
Next I searched the Baltimore City marriage index to see if there was a record for Joseph and Barbara Wolf's marriage. I discovered that Joseph Wolf married Barbara Hasselberger on October 6, 1891, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Baltimore.
I was pretty sure this was the right marriage, since they had been married about 8 years in 1900. Also, Joseph had moved out of his father's house between 1891 and 1892. In the 1892 directory Joseph was living at 1225 Patapsco Street, which is just a few blocks from Holy Cross Church. I also remembered that, in 1920, a cousin named Ernest Hasselberger had been living with Joseph and Barbara. Again, I will try to confirm this by looking at the marriage records at Holy Cross.
I next turned my attention to Barbara Hasselberger, to see if I could find her in the census. I was able to find her in the 1880 census as Barbary Hazelberger. Her parents were Sigmund and Maggie, who were born in Germany. I was not able to locate Sigmund in any other censuses, so I once again turned to the city directories.
I was able to locate Sigmund Hasselberger, off and on, in the city directory from 1879 to 1892. From about 1890 to 1892, Sigmund was living at 1225 Patapsco Street, the same address as Joseph Wolf in 1892! So I'm pretty sure that Barbara Wolf was the daughter of Sigmund Hasselberger, but I'll check the church records to be sure.
Modern detectives use physical evidence (like fingerprints and DNA) and the testimony of witnesses to solve crimes. Genealogists, on the other hand, must rely on written records (the census, newspaper articles, city directories, etc.)
Unfortunately, some genealogists don't go far enough in their research. It is important to look at more than one source. If a detective showed up in court with only one piece of evidence, he would not have a very strong case.
The favorite source for many genealogists is the federal census returns, which can be very informative. However, information found in the census should be verified in other sources.
In my research of the Wolf family, for instance, I had drawn some conclusions about Andrew Francis Wolf, but I needed to find evidence to prove my conclusions. I had already proved that Andrew F. Wolf (from the 1930 census) and Frank Andrew Wolf (from the draft registrations) were one and the same person. I next wanted to prove that Andrew F. Wolf, who was listed as the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf in the 1900 census, was also the same person.
I was able to do this by checking the 1910 and 1920 census and verifying that the address was the same as for Frank Andrew in the World War I draft registration. This was pretty good evidence that Andrew Francis was the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf. I still plan to verify this fact by checking the church records. A marriage record for Andrew Francis and Elizabeth Buchinger should give the names of their parents.
Once I knew who Andrew Francis's parents were, I wanted to find out more about them. First I wanted to prove that Joseph Wolf was really the son of Matthias Wolf of Landshausen. To do this, I searched the Baltimore City Directories. Fortunately for me, many of the directories have been digitized and put online, so it was fairly easy to locate Joseph and his family.
I knew from the census that Joseph and Barbara were married about 1892, so I started searching the directory about 1890. Sure enough, I came across Joseph W. Wolf, candymaker, living at 564 Union in 1890 and 1891. At the same address were Matthew (listed as Matthias in 1891) and Charles Wolf. I already knew from my previous research that Matthias Wolf's youngest son was Charles, so this was pretty good evidence that this was Matthias Wolf of Landshausen and his two youngest sons.
I was also able to use the city directory to find an approximate date of death for Matthias Wolf. He was listed in the directory through 1901, but not in 1902. I then searched the Baltimore Sun (also available online) for a death notice for Matthias, which showed that he died in September 1901.
Next I searched the Baltimore City marriage index to see if there was a record for Joseph and Barbara Wolf's marriage. I discovered that Joseph Wolf married Barbara Hasselberger on October 6, 1891, at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Baltimore.
I was pretty sure this was the right marriage, since they had been married about 8 years in 1900. Also, Joseph had moved out of his father's house between 1891 and 1892. In the 1892 directory Joseph was living at 1225 Patapsco Street, which is just a few blocks from Holy Cross Church. I also remembered that, in 1920, a cousin named Ernest Hasselberger had been living with Joseph and Barbara. Again, I will try to confirm this by looking at the marriage records at Holy Cross.
I next turned my attention to Barbara Hasselberger, to see if I could find her in the census. I was able to find her in the 1880 census as Barbary Hazelberger. Her parents were Sigmund and Maggie, who were born in Germany. I was not able to locate Sigmund in any other censuses, so I once again turned to the city directories.
I was able to locate Sigmund Hasselberger, off and on, in the city directory from 1879 to 1892. From about 1890 to 1892, Sigmund was living at 1225 Patapsco Street, the same address as Joseph Wolf in 1892! So I'm pretty sure that Barbara Wolf was the daughter of Sigmund Hasselberger, but I'll check the church records to be sure.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Kissing cousins
Last week one of my cousins asked me to help her with her family tree. I already had plenty of information for her mother's side of the family (our common ancestors), so I decided to do some research on her father's family. One of her father's ancestors was a man named Andrew Francis Wolf. The only info I had for him was his name, but no dates of birth or death. Since Andrew, Francis, and Wolf are all very common names I didn't have much hope of finding him.
I did have one piece of information about Andrew, though, that was very helpful. I knew that his wife's name was Elizabeth Buchinger. Since that was a rather unusual surname, I decided to start with her. Searching through the census on Ancestry, I was able to find her pretty quickly. In 1900 she was living in Baltimore City with her parents, Vincent and Mary Buchinger.
Once I had found Elizabeth Buchinger, I turned my attention to Andrew. I did a search on Ancestry and checked the results for the 1930 census. There were 5 Andrew Wolfs living in Maryland at that time. One of them caught my eye: Andrew F. Wolf and his wife Elizabeth. When I viewed the image of the census record for this Andrew Wolf, I discovered 3 other people living with Andrew and his wife and daughter: Mary Buchinger and her 2 daughters! So I knew that I had the correct family.
According to the census, Andrew was born about 1896. I next turned my attention to the World War I and World War II draft registrations on Ancestry. I discovered a Frank Andrew Wolf, who was born in August 1895 or 1896. Fortunately for me, Andrew had not moved between 1930 and 1942, so I was able to confirm that Frank Andrew and Andrew Francis were one and the same person.
Once I had some more information about Andrew, I checked the earlier census records to see what I could find out about his parents and family. I found an Andrew F. Wolf in the 1900 census, who was born in August 1895 and was the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf.
I did not have any luck finding an Andrew Wolf in 1910 or 1920, so I decided to search for a Frank Wolf born about 1895. Sure enough I was able to find Andrew again, living with Joseph and Barbara. His address in 1910 and 1920 was the same as that for Frank Andrew Wolf in the first draft registration, so I was able to confirm that Joseph and Barbara Wolf were Andrew's parents.
In the midst of all this, I remembered that years ago I had researched another family named Wolf. I decided to go back and look at my previous research, on the off chance that there might be some connection between the two families.
My grandfather's grandfather, Johann Georg Imhof, came to Baltimore in 1850 from a village in Baden called Landshausen. Several of his relatives immigrated to Maryland about the same time. Among those were three brothers named Joseph, Matthias, and George Wolf.
Matthias Wolf was born in Landshausen in 1824 and was married in Elsenz, Baden, in 1845. He and his wife had 11 children. Their ninth child was Johann Joseph Wolf, who was born in Baltimore in December 1864.
I checked my family tree database and discovered that this Johann Joseph Wolf had a wife named Barbara and 7 children. I was shocked when I saw the name of their third child: Andrew F. Wolf, born in August 1895!
So it turns out that my cousin's father and mother were actually related, though I'm sure they had no idea. My genealogy software has a tool for calculating the relationship between two individuals, so I was able to determine that her parents were seventh cousins!
I did have one piece of information about Andrew, though, that was very helpful. I knew that his wife's name was Elizabeth Buchinger. Since that was a rather unusual surname, I decided to start with her. Searching through the census on Ancestry, I was able to find her pretty quickly. In 1900 she was living in Baltimore City with her parents, Vincent and Mary Buchinger.
Once I had found Elizabeth Buchinger, I turned my attention to Andrew. I did a search on Ancestry and checked the results for the 1930 census. There were 5 Andrew Wolfs living in Maryland at that time. One of them caught my eye: Andrew F. Wolf and his wife Elizabeth. When I viewed the image of the census record for this Andrew Wolf, I discovered 3 other people living with Andrew and his wife and daughter: Mary Buchinger and her 2 daughters! So I knew that I had the correct family.
According to the census, Andrew was born about 1896. I next turned my attention to the World War I and World War II draft registrations on Ancestry. I discovered a Frank Andrew Wolf, who was born in August 1895 or 1896. Fortunately for me, Andrew had not moved between 1930 and 1942, so I was able to confirm that Frank Andrew and Andrew Francis were one and the same person.
Once I had some more information about Andrew, I checked the earlier census records to see what I could find out about his parents and family. I found an Andrew F. Wolf in the 1900 census, who was born in August 1895 and was the son of Joseph and Barbara Wolf.
I did not have any luck finding an Andrew Wolf in 1910 or 1920, so I decided to search for a Frank Wolf born about 1895. Sure enough I was able to find Andrew again, living with Joseph and Barbara. His address in 1910 and 1920 was the same as that for Frank Andrew Wolf in the first draft registration, so I was able to confirm that Joseph and Barbara Wolf were Andrew's parents.
In the midst of all this, I remembered that years ago I had researched another family named Wolf. I decided to go back and look at my previous research, on the off chance that there might be some connection between the two families.
My grandfather's grandfather, Johann Georg Imhof, came to Baltimore in 1850 from a village in Baden called Landshausen. Several of his relatives immigrated to Maryland about the same time. Among those were three brothers named Joseph, Matthias, and George Wolf.
I checked my family tree database and discovered that this Johann Joseph Wolf had a wife named Barbara and 7 children. I was shocked when I saw the name of their third child: Andrew F. Wolf, born in August 1895!
So it turns out that my cousin's father and mother were actually related, though I'm sure they had no idea. My genealogy software has a tool for calculating the relationship between two individuals, so I was able to determine that her parents were seventh cousins!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Going digital
My husband and I just returned from an overnight trip to the Philadelphia area. The main purpose for our trip was a return visit to the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College, so that I could do some more research on Sarah Fox Hickey's Quaker ancestors.
On my last visit, I had looked at some records from the Abington Monthly Meeting where Sarah's ancestors were members. I had found lots of helpful information and had made many paper copies of pertinent records.
This time I decided to be "daring" and try something new. One of the microfilm readers at the library is set up so that you can made "digital surrogates" of the microfilm images. For a fee of $5.00 you can bring your own thumb drive and save as many images on it as you like. I tend to be "technically challenged," so the idea of this made me a little nervous. I decided to give it a try, though, and was very glad that I did.
Once I got used to the method of saving files, it was pretty easy to do. I found some new information and was able to make digital copies of the records. I also went back and made digital copies of some of the records I had copied last time. The advantage of having a digital copy is that you can zoom in on the image and can also enhance the image by adjusting the contrast, etc.
I went back to the library today to look at a book about the Livezey family. (Sarah's mother was Mary Livezey Fox.) The book was very helpful and had a lot of information that I wanted to copy. I started out carefully transcribing the information by hand.
Then I remembered seeing something on the library's website about using a digital camera. For $5.00 you could take as many photographs as you liked. I realized it was going to take me all day to transcribe the information by hand, so I decided to try using my digital camera (which I had brought in with me) to make copies of the pages of interest.
In less than an hour I had photographed all the pages I needed. Even copying them on a copying machine would have probably taken twice that long, and the copies would not have been nearly as good. In almost no time at all, I had about 30 crystal clear copies which I can now look over at my leisure.
So I have finally "gone digital," and I'm glad I did. I could really get used to this.
On my last visit, I had looked at some records from the Abington Monthly Meeting where Sarah's ancestors were members. I had found lots of helpful information and had made many paper copies of pertinent records.
This time I decided to be "daring" and try something new. One of the microfilm readers at the library is set up so that you can made "digital surrogates" of the microfilm images. For a fee of $5.00 you can bring your own thumb drive and save as many images on it as you like. I tend to be "technically challenged," so the idea of this made me a little nervous. I decided to give it a try, though, and was very glad that I did.
Once I got used to the method of saving files, it was pretty easy to do. I found some new information and was able to make digital copies of the records. I also went back and made digital copies of some of the records I had copied last time. The advantage of having a digital copy is that you can zoom in on the image and can also enhance the image by adjusting the contrast, etc.
I went back to the library today to look at a book about the Livezey family. (Sarah's mother was Mary Livezey Fox.) The book was very helpful and had a lot of information that I wanted to copy. I started out carefully transcribing the information by hand.
Then I remembered seeing something on the library's website about using a digital camera. For $5.00 you could take as many photographs as you liked. I realized it was going to take me all day to transcribe the information by hand, so I decided to try using my digital camera (which I had brought in with me) to make copies of the pages of interest.
In less than an hour I had photographed all the pages I needed. Even copying them on a copying machine would have probably taken twice that long, and the copies would not have been nearly as good. In almost no time at all, I had about 30 crystal clear copies which I can now look over at my leisure.
So I have finally "gone digital," and I'm glad I did. I could really get used to this.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
An unexpected discovery
Today I ventured down to the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis to do some research on the Hickeys. It's quite a hike for me (about 1 1/4 hours on a good day, even longer in heavy traffic), so it's always nice to come home with some information I can use. For the most part, I had a very productive 4 hours of research. I found some death records, a marriage record, and some wills. The best discovery I made today, though, was something totally unexpected.
The first roll of microfilm I looked at was a roll of Baltimore City death certificates. I was hoping to find death records for George Miles and James Hickey, my grandmother's cousins who drowned in 1895. (See my June 12 blog for the story of their deaths.) The certificates are filmed in sequential order, so as long as you have the certificate number it's pretty easy to find a specific record.
I quickly found certificates for the two boys and began transcribing the information. When I got to the bottom of the certificates, something caught my eye. The name of the physician who signed both certificates was P.V. Benson, coroner. It just so happens that P.V. Benson is Philander Virgil Benson, who is my husband's great-great-grandfather!
The first roll of microfilm I looked at was a roll of Baltimore City death certificates. I was hoping to find death records for George Miles and James Hickey, my grandmother's cousins who drowned in 1895. (See my June 12 blog for the story of their deaths.) The certificates are filmed in sequential order, so as long as you have the certificate number it's pretty easy to find a specific record.
I quickly found certificates for the two boys and began transcribing the information. When I got to the bottom of the certificates, something caught my eye. The name of the physician who signed both certificates was P.V. Benson, coroner. It just so happens that P.V. Benson is Philander Virgil Benson, who is my husband's great-great-grandfather!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Looking at the big picture
I would have had a lot less trouble finding Mary Bailey Arrington (see my last blog) if I had remembered another lesson I've learned from my genealogy research: look at the big picture. Instead of focusing on one specific line of a family, I find it's best to look at collateral relatives as well. I learned early on in my research to take a very close look at godparents, confirmation sponsors, and witnesses of marriages. More often than not, these people are close relatives of the person being baptized, confirmed, or married.
This is especially true in German families. Parents often chose siblings or cousins as godparents for their children. When I was researching my German ancestors, I was able to "grow" my family quite a bit just by looking at these godparents.
Rather than having "tunnel vision," as some genealogists tend to have, I prefer to look at the family as a whole. After all, we are not isolated individuals living out our existence. We interact with family members and other members of society, and this interaction helps to make us who we are.
A few years ago, I had run up against a brick wall with my great-grandmother, Ottilia Margaret Schnapp. I had found her with her family in the 1870 census and had found her family (without her) in the 1880 census. However, I had never found her in the 1880 census. Since my great-grandparents were married in 1882, I was particularly interested in where she was living right before her marriage. I searched in vain for many months, but was unable to locate her.
I turned my attention, then, to another branch of the family. Ottilia's future father-in-law had several cousins who lived in the area and attended the same parish. (I had found them through the baptismal records.)
One of the cousins was a man named John Sebastian Deck. I was following his family through the census and came across his family in the 1880 census. Sebastian's family was listed at the bottom of one page, then continued at the top of the next page. When I went to the second page and scanned the names listed there, I could scarcely believe my eyes. At the end of the listing was the family's domestic servant, a 21-year-old woman named "Tillie Snapp."
I knew immediately that this was the great-grandmother for whom I had searched so long, and I had found her without even looking for her. If I had not been looking at the big picture and researching those cousins I never would have found her.
If I had just remembered this lesson while researching the Baileys, I might have found Mary Bailey Arrington a lot sooner. After I found Mary and her husband, I was looking back over some old notes from several years ago, where I had recorded a marriage record for Mary's sister, Cora. In my notes were the names of the witnesses at the marriage: Mary Bailey and Thomas Arrington.
This is especially true in German families. Parents often chose siblings or cousins as godparents for their children. When I was researching my German ancestors, I was able to "grow" my family quite a bit just by looking at these godparents.
Rather than having "tunnel vision," as some genealogists tend to have, I prefer to look at the family as a whole. After all, we are not isolated individuals living out our existence. We interact with family members and other members of society, and this interaction helps to make us who we are.
A few years ago, I had run up against a brick wall with my great-grandmother, Ottilia Margaret Schnapp. I had found her with her family in the 1870 census and had found her family (without her) in the 1880 census. However, I had never found her in the 1880 census. Since my great-grandparents were married in 1882, I was particularly interested in where she was living right before her marriage. I searched in vain for many months, but was unable to locate her.
I turned my attention, then, to another branch of the family. Ottilia's future father-in-law had several cousins who lived in the area and attended the same parish. (I had found them through the baptismal records.)
One of the cousins was a man named John Sebastian Deck. I was following his family through the census and came across his family in the 1880 census. Sebastian's family was listed at the bottom of one page, then continued at the top of the next page. When I went to the second page and scanned the names listed there, I could scarcely believe my eyes. At the end of the listing was the family's domestic servant, a 21-year-old woman named "Tillie Snapp."
I knew immediately that this was the great-grandmother for whom I had searched so long, and I had found her without even looking for her. If I had not been looking at the big picture and researching those cousins I never would have found her.
If I had just remembered this lesson while researching the Baileys, I might have found Mary Bailey Arrington a lot sooner. After I found Mary and her husband, I was looking back over some old notes from several years ago, where I had recorded a marriage record for Mary's sister, Cora. In my notes were the names of the witnesses at the marriage: Mary Bailey and Thomas Arrington.
Monday, August 16, 2010
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again
One thing I've learned in my many years of family history research is that it's often helpful to stop researching a particular line for a while, especially when coming up against the proverbial brick wall. After a few months, or even a few years, I go back and take a fresh look at the family. Many times this results in fresh leads.
I had an experience with that just a few months ago. I had spent many years researching the Hickey line of my family. I found plenty of information, but also had plenty of gaps. A few years ago, I switched gears and started researching my husband's family.
Now that I am ready to write a book about the Hickeys, I've been going back over my research to see what I know about the family and what I still need to find out. A few months ago, I was looking over the family of Mary Ann Hickey (James and Sarah's oldest daughter). I noticed that I did not have a death date yet for Mary Ann's son, Harry Columbus Bailey, so I went on Ancestry.com and did a search for Harry. I did not find any information about his death. However, in Harry's WWII draft registration, I found a new piece of information about another member of the family.
Mary Ann Hickey and her husband, John Louis Bailey, had 5 daughters. I had found marriage information for all but one of the daughters: Mary Ann Bailey. Years ago, I had searched and searched for a marriage record, but to no avail. Imagine my delight, then, when I saw the following on Harry's draft registration: "Name... of person who will always know your address: Mrs. Mary Aaronson - 3658 Ash St. (sister)."
I could scarce believe my eyes. Now that I knew Mary's married name, I could find her in the census and other records (or so I thought). I immediately did a search on Ancestry and other sites for Mary Aaronson. To my disappointment, though, I came up with nothing, zilch. I could not find a single reference to Mary Aaronson.
After many frustrating hours searching for Mary, I gave up. Then, a few days later, I had an inspiration. Since I had Mary's address in 1942, I decided to try to find her in the land records.
The Maryland State Archives has digitized all the land records for Maryland and put them on line at http://www.mdlandrec.net/. The search engine for Baltimore City records allows searches by street address for records created after 1972. The later records always cite the previous records for that property, so that you can follow a chain back in time to previous owners of the property.
I did a search for 3658 Ash St. and was able to get back to 1926, when the property was purchased by Mary A. and Thomas Arrington. Eureka! Now that I had the correct last name and the first name of Mary's husband, I was easily able to find them in the census and other records. I even found one of their descendants on Ancestry, who is also researching the family.
So, as the old adage says: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." You never know what you might find.
I had an experience with that just a few months ago. I had spent many years researching the Hickey line of my family. I found plenty of information, but also had plenty of gaps. A few years ago, I switched gears and started researching my husband's family.
Now that I am ready to write a book about the Hickeys, I've been going back over my research to see what I know about the family and what I still need to find out. A few months ago, I was looking over the family of Mary Ann Hickey (James and Sarah's oldest daughter). I noticed that I did not have a death date yet for Mary Ann's son, Harry Columbus Bailey, so I went on Ancestry.com and did a search for Harry. I did not find any information about his death. However, in Harry's WWII draft registration, I found a new piece of information about another member of the family.
Mary Ann Hickey and her husband, John Louis Bailey, had 5 daughters. I had found marriage information for all but one of the daughters: Mary Ann Bailey. Years ago, I had searched and searched for a marriage record, but to no avail. Imagine my delight, then, when I saw the following on Harry's draft registration: "Name... of person who will always know your address: Mrs. Mary Aaronson - 3658 Ash St. (sister)."
I could scarce believe my eyes. Now that I knew Mary's married name, I could find her in the census and other records (or so I thought). I immediately did a search on Ancestry and other sites for Mary Aaronson. To my disappointment, though, I came up with nothing, zilch. I could not find a single reference to Mary Aaronson.
After many frustrating hours searching for Mary, I gave up. Then, a few days later, I had an inspiration. Since I had Mary's address in 1942, I decided to try to find her in the land records.
The Maryland State Archives has digitized all the land records for Maryland and put them on line at http://www.mdlandrec.net/. The search engine for Baltimore City records allows searches by street address for records created after 1972. The later records always cite the previous records for that property, so that you can follow a chain back in time to previous owners of the property.
I did a search for 3658 Ash St. and was able to get back to 1926, when the property was purchased by Mary A. and Thomas Arrington. Eureka! Now that I had the correct last name and the first name of Mary's husband, I was easily able to find them in the census and other records. I even found one of their descendants on Ancestry, who is also researching the family.
So, as the old adage says: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." You never know what you might find.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Research Trip Part 2
On Wednesday morning, we headed for Oxford Township, where Sarah Fox was born. Our destination was Trinity Episcopal Church, where Sarah's parents were married. I hoped to get some pictures of the church and cemetery. I was also hoping to find tombstones for Sarah's grandparents, who are buried in the church cemetery.
The weather forecast for Wednesday was a chance of rain and storms all day, but I was praying that it would hold off long enough for me to get some pictures. The Lord answered my prayers, and gave us a bright, sunny day (very hot, but perfect for taking pictures).
Trinity Church was built about 1711. According to the parish profile on the church's website, parishioners worshipped at this site as early as 1698. For the first 10-15 years, though, they met in a log cabin which had originally belonged to the Quakers.
The original church building is still standing, but has been added to over the years. In 1786, for instance, an addition was built on one end of the church to make it longer.
In 1833, about the time that Sarah Fox was born, two more sections were added on either side of the 1786 addition.
In 1839 the church was again lengthened, with a new section built on the end of the 1786 section. After the 1839 addition, the church took on the shape of a cross, like many older Catholic churches.
The last addition to the church was a bell tower, added in 1875. This was the only part of the church that was not in place when the Fox family worshipped there over 150 years ago.
The weather forecast for Wednesday was a chance of rain and storms all day, but I was praying that it would hold off long enough for me to get some pictures. The Lord answered my prayers, and gave us a bright, sunny day (very hot, but perfect for taking pictures).
Trinity Church was built about 1711. According to the parish profile on the church's website, parishioners worshipped at this site as early as 1698. For the first 10-15 years, though, they met in a log cabin which had originally belonged to the Quakers.
The original church building is still standing, but has been added to over the years. In 1786, for instance, an addition was built on one end of the church to make it longer.
In 1833, about the time that Sarah Fox was born, two more sections were added on either side of the 1786 addition.
In 1839 the church was again lengthened, with a new section built on the end of the 1786 section. After the 1839 addition, the church took on the shape of a cross, like many older Catholic churches.
The last addition to the church was a bell tower, added in 1875. This was the only part of the church that was not in place when the Fox family worshipped there over 150 years ago.
The cemetery surrounding the church was quite impressive. Some of the burials dated back to the 1700's. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate the burial place of Sarah's grandparents, as many of the stones were unreadable.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Research Trip to Philadelphia
My great-great-grandmother Sarah Fox was born in Oxford Township, which is now at the very northern edge of Philadelphia. For years I have wanted to research her and her family, but did not feel up to tackling Philly by myself.
A few months ago, my husband suggested we take an overnight trip to Philly, so that we could spend some time together and so that I could do some research. I jumped at the chance.
We were both able to get a couple days off from work this week, so were able to leave early Tuesday morning and return home on Wednesday evening. It was a wonderful, relaxing, and productive trip. I thank God for my wonderful husband, who braved the horrible Philly traffic to get me to all the places I wanted to visit.
Sarah Fox's mother, Mary Livezey, was a member of the Society of Friends (the Quakers), so the first place we visited on Tuesday was the Friends Historical Society at Swarthmore College, about 10 miles southwest of the city. This library, which was founded in 1871, has the largest collection of Quaker records in the world.
Mary Livezey's family were members of the Abington Monthly Meeting. (I will not go into detail here about the oddities of Quaker society, but think of the monthly meeting as a sort of parish.) Today Abington is a suburb of Philadelphia, just a few miles north of Oxford Township in Montgomery County. Abington was one of the earliest meetings established in this country. Its records date back to the late 17th century.
When a Quaker engaged in some behavior that the other members felt was wrong or immoral, he or she could be "disowned" (that is, barred from membership in the Society). One of the most common reasons for disownment was marrying someone who was not a Quaker, or being married by a minister of another faith (what they referred to as a "hireling" minister). Since Mary Livezey married an Episcopalian, I wondered if she had been disowned. My hope was to find some record of her disownment in the meeting minutes.
Many Quaker meeting records are not indexed, so finding something can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I was in luck, however. When I told the librarian what I was looking for, she brought me a very detailed name index for the Abington records. When I couldn't find a marriage reference for Mary under her maiden name, the librarian told me to check under her married name. I looked under Mary Fox, and sure enough there was an entry with the abbreviation "dis" (disownment) and also "mos" (married out of society).
There were not just one, but two entries about Mary's "misbehavior" in the records. The first entry appeared in the women's minutes, where it was reported that a committee of 4 women had been appointed to "pay her [Mary] a visit and report their sense to the next monthly meeting." (This was the usual procedure; a committee would visit the "accused" and try to persuade her of the error of her ways. If she repented and made a public apology, she would be welcomed back into membership.)
Apparently Mary was not persuaded, for an entry in the men's minutes reported that the committee of women had produced testimony against her "which after being read and considered was concured with and handed down to Women friends for their approbation...."
Mary was also given a copy of this testimony: "Mary Fox late Livzey hath been guilty of unchastity and hath accomplished her Marriage with a person not in membership with us by the assistance of an hireling Minister...."
According to the report, Mary was "treated with by friends" but "did not appear in a suitable state of mind to condemn" her actions. The members therefore disowned Mary "from any right of Membership with us as a religious Society" until she was ready to publicly admit her "wrongdoing." It seems likely that Mary never had her disownment reversed, for a few years later she was baptized into the Episcopal faith.
In searching through the index to the Abington records, I made another discovery. Apparently Mary was not the first member of her family to be disowned by the membership. Almost 30 years earlier Mary's father, John Livezey, had also been disowned for the same reason.
A report in the meeting minutes of 1794 stated that John had "gone out in his marriage" and had "accomplished the same by the assistance of an hireling Minister, without his Parents consent, with one not in Membership...." However, John must have "seen the error of his ways" and publicly acknowledged his "guilt," for he seems to have been a member in good standing by the time his children were born.
Besides finding the reports of Mary and John's disownments, I also located some birth, marriage, and death records for Mary's family. I just barely scratched the surface of the information available at the Friends library. All in all, though, it was a very productive morning, especially considering that we only spent a few hours there.
This blog has gotten very long, so I'll save the rest of our trip for another day.
A few months ago, my husband suggested we take an overnight trip to Philly, so that we could spend some time together and so that I could do some research. I jumped at the chance.
We were both able to get a couple days off from work this week, so were able to leave early Tuesday morning and return home on Wednesday evening. It was a wonderful, relaxing, and productive trip. I thank God for my wonderful husband, who braved the horrible Philly traffic to get me to all the places I wanted to visit.
Sarah Fox's mother, Mary Livezey, was a member of the Society of Friends (the Quakers), so the first place we visited on Tuesday was the Friends Historical Society at Swarthmore College, about 10 miles southwest of the city. This library, which was founded in 1871, has the largest collection of Quaker records in the world.
Mary Livezey's family were members of the Abington Monthly Meeting. (I will not go into detail here about the oddities of Quaker society, but think of the monthly meeting as a sort of parish.) Today Abington is a suburb of Philadelphia, just a few miles north of Oxford Township in Montgomery County. Abington was one of the earliest meetings established in this country. Its records date back to the late 17th century.
When a Quaker engaged in some behavior that the other members felt was wrong or immoral, he or she could be "disowned" (that is, barred from membership in the Society). One of the most common reasons for disownment was marrying someone who was not a Quaker, or being married by a minister of another faith (what they referred to as a "hireling" minister). Since Mary Livezey married an Episcopalian, I wondered if she had been disowned. My hope was to find some record of her disownment in the meeting minutes.
Many Quaker meeting records are not indexed, so finding something can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. I was in luck, however. When I told the librarian what I was looking for, she brought me a very detailed name index for the Abington records. When I couldn't find a marriage reference for Mary under her maiden name, the librarian told me to check under her married name. I looked under Mary Fox, and sure enough there was an entry with the abbreviation "dis" (disownment) and also "mos" (married out of society).
There were not just one, but two entries about Mary's "misbehavior" in the records. The first entry appeared in the women's minutes, where it was reported that a committee of 4 women had been appointed to "pay her [Mary] a visit and report their sense to the next monthly meeting." (This was the usual procedure; a committee would visit the "accused" and try to persuade her of the error of her ways. If she repented and made a public apology, she would be welcomed back into membership.)
Apparently Mary was not persuaded, for an entry in the men's minutes reported that the committee of women had produced testimony against her "which after being read and considered was concured with and handed down to Women friends for their approbation...."
Mary was also given a copy of this testimony: "Mary Fox late Livzey hath been guilty of unchastity and hath accomplished her Marriage with a person not in membership with us by the assistance of an hireling Minister...."
According to the report, Mary was "treated with by friends" but "did not appear in a suitable state of mind to condemn" her actions. The members therefore disowned Mary "from any right of Membership with us as a religious Society" until she was ready to publicly admit her "wrongdoing." It seems likely that Mary never had her disownment reversed, for a few years later she was baptized into the Episcopal faith.
In searching through the index to the Abington records, I made another discovery. Apparently Mary was not the first member of her family to be disowned by the membership. Almost 30 years earlier Mary's father, John Livezey, had also been disowned for the same reason.
A report in the meeting minutes of 1794 stated that John had "gone out in his marriage" and had "accomplished the same by the assistance of an hireling Minister, without his Parents consent, with one not in Membership...." However, John must have "seen the error of his ways" and publicly acknowledged his "guilt," for he seems to have been a member in good standing by the time his children were born.
Besides finding the reports of Mary and John's disownments, I also located some birth, marriage, and death records for Mary's family. I just barely scratched the surface of the information available at the Friends library. All in all, though, it was a very productive morning, especially considering that we only spent a few hours there.
This blog has gotten very long, so I'll save the rest of our trip for another day.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Walking in my ancestors' footsteps
When I first located James and Sarah Hickey and their family in the census, I was very surprised to learn that my great-grandmother (Bridget Hickey) worked in a cotton mill as a child. In 1880 the Hickeys were listed in Howard County in a village known as Elysville. Bridget, who was 10 years old at the time, worked in the mill along with 4 of her siblings. According to the census enumerator, the population of Elysville at that time was 322.
Through further research, I was able to discover that Elysville (also known as Alberton, then Daniels) was a mill town on the Patapsco River. Most of the village was in Howard County, but part of it was in Baltimore County. The mill that Bridget Hickey worked for was most likely the Alberton Cotton Mill, which produced cotton duck well into the twentieth century.
I also learned that a Catholic church once stood on a hill within the boundaries of the town. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church had quite a rich history. It was built in 1879 to serve the Catholics living in Elysville/Alberton. It was built up on a steep hill, on land donated by James Gary, the owner of the mill. The church did not have a resident priest, but was rather served by priests from Woodstock College, a Jesuit seminary a few miles away. In the winter the priest would skate down the frozen Patapsco River on ice skates to say Mass for his parishioners.
The church was dedicated in December 1879 by Cardinal Gibbons. About 100 people attended the Mass and dedication that day. I like to think that James and Sarah Hickey and their family were among the number in attendance.
The interior of the church was destroyed by fire in 1926. The outer stone walls, however, remained intact for many years. Recent newspaper accounts indicated that the ruins of the old church were still visible today within the boundaries of Patapsco State Park.
I was fascinated by the stories of the ruined church and wanted to visit there. It took me quite a few years, but I was finally able to visit the site about 5 years ago.
The forest is beginning to take over the site, but much of the walls still look as they did over 100 years ago when my ancestors first saw them. James and Sarah may have climbed these same steps to attend Mass here. There is a small cemetery beside the ruins of the church. James and Sarah's oldest son, John, and some of his family are buried there.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Family "hi-story"
When I first started homeschooling over 20 years ago, I used a "boxed" curriculum. (That is, all the materials came in a box: textbooks, lesson plans, even pens and pencils.) Since this was a new experience for me and I had no teaching experience, having lessons already planned out for me had its advantages. The disadvantage, though, was that the person planning the lessons did not know my children and did not necessarily have the same teaching style as I did.
After several years of this approach I found myself becoming more and more frustrated with the lesson plans. I was especially frustrated with the curriculum supplier's approach to history. There was a big emphasis on memorizing names and dates. Yes, I know it's important to know when certain events occurred, but I was more concerned that my kids understood what made those events or people important, and how they affected the lives of ordinary people. After all, history is really just a story (hence the title of this blog, emphasizing the "story" in history).
After 3 years of homeschooling, I discontinued the boxed program and put together my own curriculum. For history we read biographies, historical fiction, and the lives of the saints. We looked at how the people lived during a particular time period: the clothes they wore, the foods they ate, the houses they lived in, etc. The kids created beautiful, illustrated timelines to place events and people in context. Instead of taking tests, they applied what they learned by writing historical newspapers. By this method, I hope that I instilled in my children a lifelong love of history.
In the same way, genealogy is not just about names and dates. It is family history, the story of a family. Many genealogists get so caught up in the search for names and dates that they miss out on the most exciting aspect of genealogy; that is, walking in their ancestors' footsteps and getting to "know" them. I'll admit that I get pretty excited when my "sleuthing" leads me to discover a new name or date in my family tree. However, it's even more exciting for me to find a story in a newspaper about a family member, because it gives me another little glimpse into his or her life.
Since I started "doing" genealogy over 10 years ago, I have always wanted to write a fully annotated family history to pass on to future generations. I want my children and their children to know the story of those who came before them.
Many of the published genealogies that can be found at libraries or historical societies are collections of charts with names and dates. They can be of great value to other genealogists, but they are not the types of books you sit down and read.
I wanted my family history to be different, to be a "story" that my family would want to read, but how to do it was the challenge. I am not one of those people who was blessed with a diary or letters written by my ancestors.
In recent years, I came across 2 books that showed me how to write a family history as a story. You Can Write Your Family History and Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History both explain how to fill in the gaps in a family history.
So for the past few months I have been reading up on things that would have impacted my ancestors (the Irish potato famine, daily life in the 19th century, etc.). I have visited some of the places where my ancestors lived and worked. I have also done a lot of research in old newspapers. Little by little, I feel like I'm getting a picture of what my ancestors' lives were like.
I hope that within the next year or two I will be able to complete a book about the Hickey family. So far, I have written the first chapter, which is about the Irish potato famine and James Hickey's journey to America. The next chapter will be about Sarah Fox and her family, about life on her father's farm, and about her meeting and falling in love with James Hickey. The rest of the book will be about James and Sarah's life together and about each of their children and their families.
So wish me luck with my project and help me to stay on task.
After several years of this approach I found myself becoming more and more frustrated with the lesson plans. I was especially frustrated with the curriculum supplier's approach to history. There was a big emphasis on memorizing names and dates. Yes, I know it's important to know when certain events occurred, but I was more concerned that my kids understood what made those events or people important, and how they affected the lives of ordinary people. After all, history is really just a story (hence the title of this blog, emphasizing the "story" in history).
After 3 years of homeschooling, I discontinued the boxed program and put together my own curriculum. For history we read biographies, historical fiction, and the lives of the saints. We looked at how the people lived during a particular time period: the clothes they wore, the foods they ate, the houses they lived in, etc. The kids created beautiful, illustrated timelines to place events and people in context. Instead of taking tests, they applied what they learned by writing historical newspapers. By this method, I hope that I instilled in my children a lifelong love of history.
In the same way, genealogy is not just about names and dates. It is family history, the story of a family. Many genealogists get so caught up in the search for names and dates that they miss out on the most exciting aspect of genealogy; that is, walking in their ancestors' footsteps and getting to "know" them. I'll admit that I get pretty excited when my "sleuthing" leads me to discover a new name or date in my family tree. However, it's even more exciting for me to find a story in a newspaper about a family member, because it gives me another little glimpse into his or her life.
Since I started "doing" genealogy over 10 years ago, I have always wanted to write a fully annotated family history to pass on to future generations. I want my children and their children to know the story of those who came before them.
Many of the published genealogies that can be found at libraries or historical societies are collections of charts with names and dates. They can be of great value to other genealogists, but they are not the types of books you sit down and read.
I wanted my family history to be different, to be a "story" that my family would want to read, but how to do it was the challenge. I am not one of those people who was blessed with a diary or letters written by my ancestors.
In recent years, I came across 2 books that showed me how to write a family history as a story. You Can Write Your Family History and Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History both explain how to fill in the gaps in a family history.
So for the past few months I have been reading up on things that would have impacted my ancestors (the Irish potato famine, daily life in the 19th century, etc.). I have visited some of the places where my ancestors lived and worked. I have also done a lot of research in old newspapers. Little by little, I feel like I'm getting a picture of what my ancestors' lives were like.
I hope that within the next year or two I will be able to complete a book about the Hickey family. So far, I have written the first chapter, which is about the Irish potato famine and James Hickey's journey to America. The next chapter will be about Sarah Fox and her family, about life on her father's farm, and about her meeting and falling in love with James Hickey. The rest of the book will be about James and Sarah's life together and about each of their children and their families.
So wish me luck with my project and help me to stay on task.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
It's a small world
One of my favorite things about genealogy is connecting with other genealogists and with cousins I didn't even know I had. Over the years, I've met quite a few distant relatives, some of whom have become very close friends.
Genealogy has made me realize what a "small world" it really is, as the saying goes. A few years ago, I found some Hickey cousins through a message board online. They put me in touch with another cousin who lived in Maryland. When I contacted the Maryland cousin, she said that she wasn't doing genealogy any more but had a niece that was. When she told me where her niece lived, I was shocked. She lived in the same small town as me, less than 5 miles from my house! I called her up and was able to meet her, as well as her mother and uncle (who were my mother's second cousins).
A few years later I was researching James and Sarah Hickey's daughter Elizabeth. While searching the 1930 census for Elizabeth, I discovered that she was living on Aldershot Road (near Catonsville) that year, with her daughter Elizabeth Minogue and her family. This was quite an interesting development, because my husband and I had lived one street up from Aldershot when we lived in Maryland.
This discovery brought to my mind an incident which had occurred about 20 years earlier, shortly after we bought our house in Maryland. At that time, there were a series of arson fires in our neighborhood, mostly small blazes set in nearby dumpsters. One day, though, the property behind us caught on fire. We called the fire department, but by the time they arrived the garage was ablaze and the flames had spread to the back of the house. The next day we learned that an elderly woman had been asleep in an upstairs bedroom and had been rescued by the firemen.
When I discovered that Elizabeth Hickey and her daughter had lived on Aldershot, I wondered which house they had lived in. The next time I was in Maryland I drove down Aldershot and checked it out. I could hardly believe it when I saw that it was the house directly behind our old house, the same one that had caught on fire. I later learned that the woman rescued by the fire department was none other than Elizabeth Minogue, the daughter of Elizabeth Hickey and also my grandmother's first cousin. I only wish that I had known at the time that she was a relative. I would like to have gotten to know her.
Genealogy has made me realize what a "small world" it really is, as the saying goes. A few years ago, I found some Hickey cousins through a message board online. They put me in touch with another cousin who lived in Maryland. When I contacted the Maryland cousin, she said that she wasn't doing genealogy any more but had a niece that was. When she told me where her niece lived, I was shocked. She lived in the same small town as me, less than 5 miles from my house! I called her up and was able to meet her, as well as her mother and uncle (who were my mother's second cousins).
A few years later I was researching James and Sarah Hickey's daughter Elizabeth. While searching the 1930 census for Elizabeth, I discovered that she was living on Aldershot Road (near Catonsville) that year, with her daughter Elizabeth Minogue and her family. This was quite an interesting development, because my husband and I had lived one street up from Aldershot when we lived in Maryland.
This discovery brought to my mind an incident which had occurred about 20 years earlier, shortly after we bought our house in Maryland. At that time, there were a series of arson fires in our neighborhood, mostly small blazes set in nearby dumpsters. One day, though, the property behind us caught on fire. We called the fire department, but by the time they arrived the garage was ablaze and the flames had spread to the back of the house. The next day we learned that an elderly woman had been asleep in an upstairs bedroom and had been rescued by the firemen.
When I discovered that Elizabeth Hickey and her daughter had lived on Aldershot, I wondered which house they had lived in. The next time I was in Maryland I drove down Aldershot and checked it out. I could hardly believe it when I saw that it was the house directly behind our old house, the same one that had caught on fire. I later learned that the woman rescued by the fire department was none other than Elizabeth Minogue, the daughter of Elizabeth Hickey and also my grandmother's first cousin. I only wish that I had known at the time that she was a relative. I would like to have gotten to know her.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A forgotten hero
James and Sarah's Hickey's tombstone at Holy Family is one of 3 Hickey stones in the cemetery. James and Sarah's stone is on the left. The larger stone on the right marks the final resting place of their second son, William, and his wife Grace.
James ("Jimmy") Hickey was the oldest of 5 children born to William and Grace Hickey. George Thomas Miles, born in 1880, was the oldest child of William Hickey's sister, Catherine, and her husband, Samuel Miles. George had a little brother, Samuel, Jr., who was about a year older than Jimmy Hickey. The three cousins lived in Baltimore, a few blocks away from each other.
The Baltimore Sun described George Miles as "unusually muscular" and "a plucky fellow." On the morning of July 22, 1895, George took his little brother and Jimmy Hickey fishing at Gwynn's Falls. The 3 boys found a place to sit, on a rock near the public bathhouses. About noon Jimmy got up to move to a different spot on the rock. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell into the water.
George, with no regard for his own safety, immediately jumped in to save his little cousin. Sadly, though, George was not able to reach Jimmy in time, and he lost his own life in the process. Samuel Miles had run for help, but it was too late. Both boys had drowned before help arrived.
Two days after this tragic accident, the two cousins were buried at Holy Family cemetery. According to the newspaper account of their funeral, the boys were buried side by side in the same grave. However, the only name on the tombstone is that of James Hickey. How sad that the boy who gave his life trying to save his little cousin does not even have a stone to mark his grave.
I am currently working on a book about the Hickey family. I plan to include George and his story in the book, so that others may know of his heroism. I want to make sure that George and the many other "heroes" in the family are not forgotten.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Joy of Discovery
In searching out my ancestors over the years, one of my favorite things to do has been to visit cemeteries. I know that may sound morbid to some, but I find them fascinating, especially the older ones with their decorative monuments.
Today I returned to a cemetery that was the site of a wonderful discovery for me almost 10 years ago. It was at this cemetery that I first "met" my great-great-grandparents, James and Sarah Hickey.As I said in my last blog, I had started out searching for my ancestors "Male Hickey" and "Female Fox." How was I to find them, though, without knowing their first names?
I did some research and learned that a good genealogist always starts with what she knows and works backwards. I knew that my grandmother's parents were Jesse Dell and Bridget Hickey, so I started with them. I was able to find out a lot about the Dell family, but Bridget's parents were still eluding me until I sent away for a copy of Bridget's death certificate.
When the death certificate finally arrived after many weeks of waiting, I had the information I sought: Bridget's parents were James Hickey, born in Ireland, and Sarah Fox, born in Pennsylvania.
Bridget and her husband and many of the Dells were buried in the cemetery of Wards Chapel Methodist Church in Harrisonville. I made many trips to the cemetery to transcribe tombstone inscriptions. While searching old maps of the area around the church, I had noticed that there was once a Catholic church on the other side of Liberty Road, just a little south of Wards Chapel. Since the Hickeys were Catholic, I wondered if this may have been their parish.
The day after Bridget Dell's death certificate arrived, my husband and daughter and I made another trip out to Wards Chapel. On the way to the cemetery, I decided to look for evidence of an abandoned church.As we were driving up Liberty Road, I spotted the remains of an old church building and a sign which said "Holy Family Cemetery / Roman Catholic / Founded 1876." We decided to check it out, and pulled into the driveway beside the building.
As I walked around the cemetery, looking at the stones, I said a prayer that if any of my family members were buried there I would find them. As soon as I finished my prayer, I turned around to look at a row of stones beside the church. What I saw sent chills through me. There, right in front of me, was a stone marked with the name of Hickey. On the front was the inscription: "In loving remembrance of our father and mother."
One of the sides was inscribed with the name of James Hickey and this beautiful epitaph: "Farewell dear father / sweet thy rest. / Weary with years / and worn with pain. / Farewell till in some / happy place / We shall behold thy face again.
"The other side was inscribed with the name of Sarah Hickey and the following: "Oh mother thy gentle / voice is hushed / Thy warm true heart / is still / And on thy pale and / peaceful face / Is resting death's cold / chill."
I could hardly believe my eyes. At last I had come "face to face" with the couple that I had been seeking for so long. James and Sarah had spent over 40 years together as husband and wife. In death, they were not separated for long. James died on November 5, 1893. His beloved Sarah died just 3 weeks later, on November 28.
Today I returned to a cemetery that was the site of a wonderful discovery for me almost 10 years ago. It was at this cemetery that I first "met" my great-great-grandparents, James and Sarah Hickey.As I said in my last blog, I had started out searching for my ancestors "Male Hickey" and "Female Fox." How was I to find them, though, without knowing their first names?
I did some research and learned that a good genealogist always starts with what she knows and works backwards. I knew that my grandmother's parents were Jesse Dell and Bridget Hickey, so I started with them. I was able to find out a lot about the Dell family, but Bridget's parents were still eluding me until I sent away for a copy of Bridget's death certificate.
When the death certificate finally arrived after many weeks of waiting, I had the information I sought: Bridget's parents were James Hickey, born in Ireland, and Sarah Fox, born in Pennsylvania.
Bridget and her husband and many of the Dells were buried in the cemetery of Wards Chapel Methodist Church in Harrisonville. I made many trips to the cemetery to transcribe tombstone inscriptions. While searching old maps of the area around the church, I had noticed that there was once a Catholic church on the other side of Liberty Road, just a little south of Wards Chapel. Since the Hickeys were Catholic, I wondered if this may have been their parish.
The day after Bridget Dell's death certificate arrived, my husband and daughter and I made another trip out to Wards Chapel. On the way to the cemetery, I decided to look for evidence of an abandoned church.As we were driving up Liberty Road, I spotted the remains of an old church building and a sign which said "Holy Family Cemetery / Roman Catholic / Founded 1876." We decided to check it out, and pulled into the driveway beside the building.
As I walked around the cemetery, looking at the stones, I said a prayer that if any of my family members were buried there I would find them. As soon as I finished my prayer, I turned around to look at a row of stones beside the church. What I saw sent chills through me. There, right in front of me, was a stone marked with the name of Hickey. On the front was the inscription: "In loving remembrance of our father and mother."
One of the sides was inscribed with the name of James Hickey and this beautiful epitaph: "Farewell dear father / sweet thy rest. / Weary with years / and worn with pain. / Farewell till in some / happy place / We shall behold thy face again.
"The other side was inscribed with the name of Sarah Hickey and the following: "Oh mother thy gentle / voice is hushed / Thy warm true heart / is still / And on thy pale and / peaceful face / Is resting death's cold / chill."
I could hardly believe my eyes. At last I had come "face to face" with the couple that I had been seeking for so long. James and Sarah had spent over 40 years together as husband and wife. In death, they were not separated for long. James died on November 5, 1893. His beloved Sarah died just 3 weeks later, on November 28.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
About me
Those who know me well know that I have a passion for genealogy. For the past 10-15 years, I've spent thousands of hours "hunting down" long-lost ancestors and relatives.
I first became interested in my family history back in 1995 when I attended a family reunion. Some of my cousins had compiled a book with family trees, photos, and stories for the reunion. In the book was a story about my great-great-grandparents, whom I had never heard of.
According to the story, "Female Fox," a Quaker from Philadelphia, had met "Male Hickey," a Catholic from Ireland, on a boat coming to America. They had fallen in love and had run off to Ellicott City to get married, after which the woman was disowned by her parents for marrying a Catholic.
I was intrigued by the story of this anonymous couple and their forbidden love and wanted to know more about them. The challenge was how to find them, especially given that I had no first names and that their last names were both very common.
Through many years of research and lots of detective work, I was able to identify the couple as James Hickey and Sarah Fox. Little by little, the details of their lives and the lives of their 11 children have come to light. As is often the case, I discovered that the story I had read about the Hickeys was a combination of fact and fiction. The true story of their lives, though, was no less fascinating (at least to me).
I think my fascination with genealogy goes back to my lifelong love of history. As a young girl in school, I always enjoyed field trips to places like Gettysburg and Harper's Ferry. In my later years, I enjoyed reading historical novels and watching historical shows on TV.
Another of my lifelong interests has been mystery and detective stories. As a girl I read all the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew stories. Later I read Agatha Christie's mysteries and enjoyed watching Perry Mason and other detective shows on TV.
Genealogy is the perfect blend of these two interests. Looking for lost relatives involves following clues and using a lot of deductive reasoning. It's like being a detective in a mystery story. It also involves history, not so much wars and famous people, but the history of everyday people like you and me. I'm beginning to learn what life was like for them, the challenges they faced, and the sacrifices they made.
I first became interested in my family history back in 1995 when I attended a family reunion. Some of my cousins had compiled a book with family trees, photos, and stories for the reunion. In the book was a story about my great-great-grandparents, whom I had never heard of.
According to the story, "Female Fox," a Quaker from Philadelphia, had met "Male Hickey," a Catholic from Ireland, on a boat coming to America. They had fallen in love and had run off to Ellicott City to get married, after which the woman was disowned by her parents for marrying a Catholic.
I was intrigued by the story of this anonymous couple and their forbidden love and wanted to know more about them. The challenge was how to find them, especially given that I had no first names and that their last names were both very common.
Through many years of research and lots of detective work, I was able to identify the couple as James Hickey and Sarah Fox. Little by little, the details of their lives and the lives of their 11 children have come to light. As is often the case, I discovered that the story I had read about the Hickeys was a combination of fact and fiction. The true story of their lives, though, was no less fascinating (at least to me).
I think my fascination with genealogy goes back to my lifelong love of history. As a young girl in school, I always enjoyed field trips to places like Gettysburg and Harper's Ferry. In my later years, I enjoyed reading historical novels and watching historical shows on TV.
Another of my lifelong interests has been mystery and detective stories. As a girl I read all the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew stories. Later I read Agatha Christie's mysteries and enjoyed watching Perry Mason and other detective shows on TV.
Genealogy is the perfect blend of these two interests. Looking for lost relatives involves following clues and using a lot of deductive reasoning. It's like being a detective in a mystery story. It also involves history, not so much wars and famous people, but the history of everyday people like you and me. I'm beginning to learn what life was like for them, the challenges they faced, and the sacrifices they made.
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