UPDATED: Bad Things Happen to Good People

Original Post: [Well, I stayed up til 2 Am doing more family history research. I received a message from a family mailing list that I belong to, which led me to do some research. It's my husband's side, the Lindsey line. I received a message saying that a Lindsey was killed early in his life and that his brother-in-law had something to do with his death.

so I checked the family line first to see if I had recorded these particular family names yet; I hadn't. Probably uncles, brothers, or cousins. so I went on line and googled the names. I found a news paper article (Tennessee 1921) describing the very sad events. It was a murder. This poor man (William Lindsey)was trying to encourage his brother-in-law (Marshall Wood)and gave him multiple chances to act but all in vain so when he went to talk to him, the man shot him. Terrible. This murder left a woman, (Nora Wood Lindsey) now widowed, with 6 children to raise on her own and it was her own brother that did the shooting so there goes that relationship.

So now I need to research brothers and uncles and see if this one get attached to my hubby's tree.

That is family history, though sad, it's part of the how a family evolved, why they move, who they remarry, etc. This story, others like it, is way I do genealogy. I love finding clues and bits and pieces of what the past has to say about people. My people. My husband's people. We get to know them even though they may have been dead for a hundred years. It's what keeps me up reading and searching til 2 am.

It's so cool!! We have people!!]

UPDATE:  I don't get to research as much as I use to, you undertand, job, volunteering, etc.  But when I do it is like a kid in a candy store!   

After some research I was able to find the death certificate showing that William Lindsey had died of a gun shot wound.  Death Certificate .
As far as connecting Bill Lindsey, verifiably, that is harder than you think!  Just like the Wheeler family that is buried in the cemetery here where we live, with the pattern of naming children after grandfathers and uncles and brothers, then EVERYONE is a William or a John!  I will keep plugging away, and all of you fellow researchers out there can appreciate this; anticipating the day I can travel and research in person for the hardcopy documents needed!

UPDATE! Clarys in Virginia

ORIGINAL POST: [As I look further back in history searching for the details of my ancestors' day-to-day life, I wonder if I could have lived the way they did.  I have a fear of the unknown and they had alot of unknowns!
Thomas and Judith arrived in America from Ireland and migrated to Virginia, UK (at the time) with their families.  They met and married and began to raise a family.  Their four children; John, Thomas, William and Ann were all born in Surry County, Virginia.   Though Thomas and Judith moved to Maryland, Thomas and William lived and died in Surry County.  Don't know yet if Ann stayed in Virginia.  John Clary also moved to Maryland, where he married and raised his family.
Some of the Clarys moved to Brunswick County, Virginia and some moved on west to Tennessee, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and eventually my direct line; to Nebraska.  Having been a military wife to a man who was raised in the military, I thought we moved too frequently!!  I am working on mapping my families' migration paths and it should be interesting to see how they have crossed across this country.]

UPDATE: My trip to Virginia was fruitful and surprisingly emotional. When I floated across the James River on a ferry, accompanied by my youngest son, I had an overwhelming feeling of melancholy and awe. That we were in the same places as our ancestors and if they hadn't lived and survived, we, me and my sons, wouldn't be there at that moment.

We visited the Surry County Historical Society and was able to peruse records, though few, of the Clarys. One of the women there turned out to be a distant relative! Small world, indeed. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vaschsm/

On our return trip, we took some time to wander along the shores collecting shells. Those shells are displayed here in my office as a reminder that I walked where they walked.

Update! In Honor of My Irish Ancestors Part 2

Update for St. Patrick's Day!

Original Post -
[I feel a need to speak their names, to write their names and to think about the trials and hardships they had gone through.  How very frightening to leave their beautiful country with the family members still alive, and to move somewhere that they were not wanted.

I am proud to be the Great-Great-Great granddaughter of Alexander Moore, Great-Great granddaughter of James Moore, Sr. and Jane Bowden, Great granddaughter of John B. Moore, Sr. and Jeannie Belle Montgomery.  (and many more in my paternal line).

I am proud to be the 10-Great granddaughter of Thomas Clary and Judith Laton, the 9-Great granddaughter of John Clary I, the 8-Great granddaughter of John Clary II, the 7-Great granddaughter of John Clary III, the 6-Great granddaughter of William Deveron Clary, the 5-Great granddaughter of John Swearingen Clary, the 4-Great granddaughter of Zachariah Clary, the Great-Great-Great granddaughter of Henry James Clary, the Great-Great granddaughter of Albert Alva David Clary, the Great granddaughter of Ethel Marie Clary.  (and many more in my maternal line).

It is so comforting to know where I came from.]


UPDATE:

Research - Check! Real Ancestor - Check!

John Moore, Sr. was born in Newtownards, Down County, Ireland. After he had been in America, served with the Co. A, 9th Ill. Cav., he returned to Ireland and, on 26 Feb 1866, he married Jeannie Belle Montgomery at Wierston, Scotland. When they returned to the United States, they located in Keokuk Co, Iowa. They had lived all around the same are-Tilton, Thornburg, Prairie, Adams, Deep River and What Cheer.

Cemetery Found - Check! Time to Go - Check!!

This is so exciting! I happen to have a meeting in Des Moines this Saturday and the cemetery where my ancestors are buried, just south of the highway where I will be travelling! I probably have 6-8 relatives buried in the White Oak Cemetery just north of Thornburg. It is just so awesome that I am living in the state where a 15 years ago, I didn't even know these were my family members in the first place and now I will drive through where they lived, walk where they had walked and maybe even see their home, if it's still standing.

Did Your Ancestors Know My Ancestors?

Here are a few names of dear friends and neighbors that lived near by the town of What Cheer, Iowa. Maybe your relatives hung out with mine! Mind blown!

Mr. and Mrs. Issac Swain
Mr. and Mrs. Charley Acord
Mrs. Peter Roth
Mrs. Fred Holland
Mrs. Jane Harding
Mrs. Baxter
Mrs. Molyneaux
Mrs. James Molyneaux
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Roth
W. R. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Eli Horn
Mrs. Jane McClune


I love when a genealogy research plan comes together!
I will post pics when I get back, be sure to come back and visit to check it out. Bye for now.

In Honor of My Irish Ancestors Part One

Original Post: [I am traveling to Virginia for a conference and researching for a client.  But I will also be researching my own family while I'm there.  Here's what I know so far.

Thomas CLARY, born 1630 in Ireland married in 1659 to Judith LATON, born 1634 in Ireland had a son (not the only child but the line I am from), John CLARY I born 1660 in Surry, Surry, Virginia.  Surry is southeast of Richmond.  He married a Sarah (or Sally) unknown maiden name and born 1662 in Europe.  They married and had several children; one being John CLARY II born 1684. Now he was born in Frederick, Maryland. I have  Now before I continue I should clarify about Maryland and Virginia.  In the 1600s there were no state lines drawn yet, so most of what we know as Maryland was actually part of Virginia.  If you do a search online there are maps available showing this.  So sometimes, as it happened to me, when I tried a search in Maryland for someone, I was able to find them.  You must research the period of time.  This goes for counties too.  Many county line have been redrawn over the years and some counties don't even exist anymore.  And if you want to go even further, towns.  Whole towns have disappeared and no longer exist.  
Back to my CLARYS:  John CLARY III wa born 1706 in Prince George's Maryland (At the time this was probably Virginia). (Records show a brother, William.  A will written by William Deveron states another brother, Daniel, married to his daughter along with John III).  He married Mary DEVERON in 1733 and had a son William Deveron CLARY.  William married Sarah SWEARINGEN in 1756.  they named one son John Swearingen CLARY born in 1759.  He married Susannah PRICE, who was born in 1765 in Tennessee.  Now here I had run into another issue when doing some online research.  I had come across someone else's research showing that John S. CLARY being born in 1859.  Well, it would not have been a big deal but his death was a matter of record being 1823 so obviously someone fat fingered a date.  So be careful when you are transcribing and abstracting your information.  Someone else may publish that misinformation and it will just continue being passed around.  Double check!!!
John and Susannah had several sons:  John Allen, William Price and Zachariah.  I am of the line of Zachariah.  Though if you follow the CLARYS you will find that they have now moved to Illinois.  Here the CLARYS, ARMSTRONGS and GREENES are very well known.  I don't have all the documentation but this is the part of the family which owned and sold a store in Clary's Grove, Illinois where Abraham Lincoln was known to have grown as a young man.  If you want to know more about that, google Clary's Grove.  I think I will pause here and post more later.]