52 Ancestors 2021: Week 12: Loss

 For this weeks topic, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the loss of children and just how many of our ancestors buried multiple infants or young children. So in this blog I'm going to discuss the children lost by three sets of my ancestors: Clint Mefford and Edith Bastin, Frank Bastin Sr and Ilena Singleton, and Charles LaRue and Carrie Byrd. 

First, Clint and Edith.

My Great-Grandparents, Clinton "Clint" Mefford and Edith, nee Bastin, were the parents of eleven children; only eight of those surviving past being a toddler or very young child. 

The first born child was named Billie on November 28th, 1927, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, likely near the community of Ennis. Billie is the only child that I haven't been able to obscure a death certificate for but his tombstone gives his date of death as March 27th, 1931. He's buried in Allen's Chapel Cemetery near his father, Clint, and other siblings. 

Billie appears in the 1930 census living with his parents and his younger sister, Mary Ellen (1929-2009). Aunt Mary told me years ago that all of the children died of the same thing, so chances are, young Billie died of bronchial pneumonia. 

After Billie's birth, Clint and Edith had Mary Ellen in 1929, Barbara Ray in 1933, Ima Jean in 1936, Glen Bastin in 1938 (my Granddad), and then came Clinton "Clint" Mefford Jr in 1940. 

Clint Jr was born on June 29th, 1940, in the community of Ennis, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. On his tombstone, his date of death is given as February 2nd, 1941, but according to his death certificate, it was February 1st, 1941. For Clint Jr, I do have a death certificate -- bronchial pneumonia / Influenza listed as the cause of death. 

The next child after little Clint was Wanda Lee Mefford, born on December 4th, 1942, again in the community of Ennis; and she died of bronchial pneumonia on January 1st, 1943, according to her death certificate. Again, her tombstone is off -- her birth date by two days and her death date by one. 

The dates on the death certificates are what I'm using as primary information, because the informant (and who helped fill out the certificates) was Clint himself so I believe he knew his children's birth dates and death dates. 

After Wanda Lee came Owen Lee in 1944, Vernon Lee in 1946, Michael Wayne in 1949, and Sharon Ann in 1953. To my knowledge, Clint and Edith never lost another child. It's tough to say why they were plagued by bronchial pneumonia between the years of 1931-1943. Why did only Billie, Clint Jr, and Wanda succumb from this illness? 

It's no doubt that probably the other children: Mary, Barbara, Ima, and Glen probably got sick with the same Influenza their siblings had. Why did they survive and these three didn't? I guess some immune systems are better than others. Age at the time of the influenza played a factor as well, I'm sure. 

Granddaddy Clint worked in the coal mines and Grandma Edith was a homemaker who stayed at home and took care of her home and family. It's tough to say if their living conditions helped the influenza thrive -- I wouldn't think so, as I've heard my Granddad Glen say numerous times, they didn't grow up poor by any means. The coal mining business was obviously very good to Granddaddy Clint and his wife and children, from what my Granddad Glen has said over the years. 

Regardless, in 2021, Billie has been gone for ninety years; Clint Jr for eighty years, and Wanda for seventy-eight. These are entire lifetimes these kids have been gone... Only one sister remains living that would have any recollection of Clint Jr or Wanda, and that would be my Aunt Barbara Palmer of Chicago. Sadly, none alive today would have any memories of little Billie, as he was the first to be birthed, and the first to pass away. It's up to someone like me, the family genealogist, to keep his memory alive. 

I will share this one old photograph of Granddaddy Clint, Grandma Edith, Aunt Mary (standing in the back), Aunt Barbara in Clint's lap, and Edith holding Ima Jean. My Granddad hadn't been born yet, but probably would be conceived within a few months of this photo being taken. 

Second, Frank and Ilena. 

My Great-Great-Grandparents, Franklin Payton Bastin Sr and Ilena Singleton had eleven children in total; but only seven that lived past infancy. 

Bessie was their first child born in 1896, then came Bernice Marie in 1900, Frank Jr in 1901, Jennie Merle in 1904, and Edith Mae in 1908 (my Great-Grandmother). In the 1910 census, Ilena says she's birthed 6 kids at this point and only 5 are living. So there is a child born between 1900 and 1910 that mustn't have a tombstone - could have been a miscarriage early on, even; so perhaps it never had a proper burial. It deserves to be counted as a child, though. It existed. 

Next came William Norman in 1912, and then came the three that died very shortly after their births. First was Arthur F Bastin, misspelled Auther on his tombstone. He was born on December 10th, 1914, in the Nelson area of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, and died just two days later -- December 12th, 1914. The dates on his tombstone are incorrect -- they say December 8th and December 11th. The death certificate says he died of malformation. 

I'll note that his tombstone looks pretty rough -- and when/if I'm able, I'd love to be able to clean it with some D/2 Biological Solution. 

Arthur is buried in Nelson Creek Cemetery in the community of Nelson, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

The next child that came was Carl D. Bastin, born on November 15th, 1915, and he died March 22nd, 1916. His death certificate is a bit hard to read but I believe the cause of death reads "lung cold followed by bronchial pneumonia." 

There isn't a photograph of his tombstone on Find-a-Grave so that tells me that nobody has found one, but I would imagine since his brother and sister have a tombstone, that he does as well. I probably just need to get down to that cemetery and prod around for the tombstone -- it could be broken and under six inches to a foot of dirt. 

The next to come along was Vernerd Lee Bastin, born on June 29th, 1918, and died on October 24th, 1918. Her date of birth is off by a day on her tombstone. Her name on her death certificate looks more like "Vernon" or "Verna" or "Vermie" as it's been transcribed, but on the tombstone, it's Vernerd. On the birth index, it's Vernon -- she's marked as female on the death certificate as well. The cause of death is listed as influenza and probably labor pneumonia. 

Her tombstone, too, could use some T.L.C. with D/2. The epitaph bittersweetly says, "not lost, just gone before." 

After Vernerd, only one more child was born to Frank and Lena -- Roy Ferguson in 1919. It's another tough nut as to why certain ones of the Bastin children passed away and not the others. Why three in a row? Were they born a bit sickly to begin with? Well, we know Arthur died of malformation...so could Carl and Vernerd also have dealt with being a bit malformed? Frank Bastin, too, worked in the coal industry and his wife, Ilena "Lena" was a homemaker. This was in the 1910 and 1920 censuses whereas by 1930, he gave his profession as farmer. 

It's been 107 years since Arthur passed away, 106 for Carl, and 103 for Vernerd. There isn't a soul alive today that remembers these three Bastin children, nor the one that was born and died sometime between 1900-1910. There's no written record for that child, no family bible mentioning him or her... it's up to me to keep the memory of Arthur, Carl, and Vernerd alive.

Third, Charles and Carrie. 

My Great-Great-Grandparents Charles Clarence LaRue and Carrie Annie Byrd had eleven children but only eight made it past infancy or young childhood. 

First they had Shelby Clark in 1905, then came his little brother, John Franklin, born October 28th, 1906, in the Smith Mills area of Henderson County, Kentucky. John makes an appearance with his parents and his siblings: Shelby and Rosa, in the 1910 census... but he passes away shortly after. He is buried unmarked at the Smith Mills Cemetery (according to family story.) As Kentucky doesn't have any death certificates in 1910, it's unclear what he passed away from.

The next child born was little Mary Ernestine on November 17th, 1908, and she died October 18th, 1909. Whatever took Mary Ernestine in 1909 could very well be what took little John Franklin in 1910. Mary, too, is buried unmarked in the Smith Mills Cemetery near her parents and other siblings. Given that so many of my ancestors have lost children to bronchial pneumonia or influenza -- I ponder if their deaths weren't because of that. 

The next kids to come along were Rosa Lee in 1909, Woodrow Wilson in 1912, Verna Lorene in 1914 (my Great-Grandmother), Bonnie Wyonia in 1916, Ann Bessie Louise in 1918, and then the next little one to pass away young... Francis LaRue. He was born on February 24th, 1921, and died September 30th, 1921. He is the only one to have a death certificate -- but still no tombstone in the Smith Mills Cemetery. 

On his death certificate, he's listed as dying of membranous croup -- that's familiar to me as my other Great-Grandmother Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur also lost a sibling, Vannie Louise Thompson, to membranous croup in 1915. A contributory cause to Francis' death was cardiovascular, interestingly enough. At least, that's what the word looks like to me. Truth be told, I thought it said something like "cord laubaum" or something but I don't believe that's right. 

After little Francis came Opal Lois in 1922, and James Alma in 1924. Dad LaRue was a farmer in occupation, and the LaRue's didn't have a whole lot in the way of money, honestly. Their living conditions very well could have impacted the lives of their young children... but as I've said twice already in this post, who knows why death struck three of the LaRue children and just these particular three and not the others. 

When it comes to the children of Frank & Lena and Charles & Carrie -- they're all gone now. For the children of theirs who died young, there's no one left alive with a single memory of them. There aren't any pictures, that I'm aware of... there's no written diary entries mentioning them or anything, as far as I know. So it's up to me, as the family historian, to keep the legacies of these little tots going for generations to remember them. 

It's been 111 years since John Franklin LaRue died, 112 since Mary Ernestine died, and exactly one hundred years this year since Francis LaRue died. That's not just one lifetime ago... that's multiple lifetimes. Without tombstones, these LaRue children would be forgotten about if it wasn't for Francis' death certificate, John Franklin appearing in the 1910 census, and as for Mary Ernestine, I'm guessing we have a family bible somewhere in one of the lines of the family mentioning her birth and death or else...who would know about it? The Smith Mills Cemetery sure isn't the best for keeping records, that's for sure. 

I have several more ancestors who lost more than one child young... but these three stuck out to me to talk about for this blog. Not just because I had tombstone photographs, and not just because I had some death certificates... but it struck me as interesting that each lost three... or at least three were documented, in Lena's case, as there's the missing one between 1900-1910. 

Plus, I haven't had the chance to write too much, yet, on my Mefford or Bastin side. I know way more about my Mom's side of the family.. a lot of them being Catholic, the record keeping is much better. But my paternal side is ever bit as important and with time I intend to write more blogs about them. 

Thanks for reading my ramblings tonight, it means a lot. If you haven't joined Blogger/Blogspot yet, you can create a free account and 'subscribe' or 'follow' my blog here. You can also leave a comment if you'd like. Thank you all!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 11: Fortune

 I just wrote a blog the other day on "prosperity" and talked about my 2x Grandparents - John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson and how they acquired various bits of wealth throughout their life. 

This week... I want to talk about one of the highest real estate values I've ever seen an ancestor of mine to have in the census -- Berryman Gibson and his wife, Susan (Duncan) Gibson, my 5x Grandparents. 

Before I get to the actual numbers -- I'll tell you a bit about Berry and Susan; it seems only fitting. 

Berryman "Berry" Gibson was born June 13th, 1785, in Caswell County, North Carolina. He was the son of Joel Gibson and Eleanor Davis, who migrated here, with a lot of their children, in the early 1800's. Their arrival to Henderson County was about 1813. In the 1810 census, they were in Christian County, Kentucky. 

Joel and family settled in the area now known as "Dixie." It's kind of a little community on a road that goes from Corydon to Cairo. In census, it's either labelled on some as Corydon and in others as Cairo.. but the farm never moves. It's just the boundaries that do. 

In about 1809, Berryman married Miss Susan Duncan. I'll take a guess and say the marriage probably happened in or near Christian County, Kentucky. She was born on January 18th, 1791, in North Carolina; the daughter of Nathaniel Benjamin Duncan and Jane Rainey. 

Berryman and Susan were the parents of the following children: James William (1810) who married Mary Watson, Elizabeth "Betsey"(1811) who married Solomon Stone, Joel E. Gibson (1813) who married Margaret J. Martin, Martha (1815) who in the 1850 census, still lives with her parents and is unwed; John Gregory (1816) who married Mahala Caroline Busby (they're my 4x Grandparents); Bailey (1818) who married Sirena Weldon, Robert W (1822) who married Catherine Pritchett, then Lucy Ann Floyd, Mary Susan (1823) who married William Tapp (it is their descendants who I believe still take care of the Gibson Family Cemetery in Corydon to this day); William C (1825) who married Mary Frances Floyd, Nathan Alander (1828) who married Eliza Jane Robinson, Susan Ann (1833) who married William Lafayette Welden. 

The Gibson Plantation, first owned by Joel Gibson, and then owned by Berryman Gibson, was quite substantial. The acreage, as far as I know, historically, was everything that lies between Hughes-Sights Rd to the North, J. Gibson Rd to the South, Hwy 145 to the West and Rock Springs Dixie Rd to the East. The original "main" Gibson Family Cemetery rests on a hill on Hughes-Sights Rd. There is a second Gibson Cemetery, started by Berryman's son, James William Gibson, that is in a field off of Hwy 145 directly in front of where J. Gibson Rd begins. 

I believe the Gibson's monopolized, at one point or another, much of the land in Corydon/Cairo/Dixie areas that didn't already belong to other established families like the Agnew's, Poole's, Pritchett's, Powell's, and others. 

In the 1830 census, Berry Gibson owns zero slaves. In 1840, the number is still zero. By 1850, the Gibson Plantation had grown and so had Berry's wealth -- he owned seventeen slaves. In 1860, the census I really want to point out the numbers in... he owned twenty-four slaves. Those numbers are important, and I hate that he owned any slaves at all... but this is history and I have to report the good sides as well as the bad sides. In context, it was horrendous he owned slaves... but also in context, it spoke to his volume of money and how "well" he was doing for himself by that point. 

In the 1860 census, and these are the highest numbers I've seen thus far, for any of my ancestors in the 1860 census... his real estate value was $29,000. That is $847,840.34 in today's value. His personal estate value was $25,000. That is $730,896.84 in today's value. I am absolutely GOBSMACKED. I don't think it ever TRULY dawned on me just how huge the Gibson Plantation was, at its peak. 

Speaking back at the discussion of slavery and the number of slaves Berry owned -- it's actually been said, but not 100% proven, that Joel Gibson, the patriarch of the Gibson family was partially colored himself. It's said he was the son of a white (possibly of Scottish descent) slave owner and either a fully colored or mulatto woman. So Joel himself would either be 50% to 25% African. Supposedly, it was in a history book (which I haven't been able to find) that Joel Gibson and Eleanor Davis were listed as an "interracial marriage." It's hard to believe that any marriage was interracial (unless it was incredibly hush hush) in the 1700's. 

What we do know, if there was any African DNA in the Gibson's -- it "bred out" eventually. My Mom met her Great-Grandmother (my 2x Grandmother) Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson.. she would have been the Great-Granddaughter of Berry Gibson, and the 2x Granddaughter of Joel Gibson... and Mom said Janella had perhaps "one or two" features that could make a person speculate if she was fully Caucasian or not. My Great-Grandmother, whom I met, Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur, too, in my opinion had a feature or two that might make a person question her entire ethnicity. 

As it happens, though, I got 1% African in my DNA on Ancestry and my Mom got 0%. According to MyHeritage, though, my Mom is 6.7% African -- I feel that absolutely comes from her Gibson or her Moss line. My 1% African, I do believe, is coming from my Dad's side of the family as he got the same 1% and his Aunt got the same 1%... it's always the same area of African -- Congo, Cameroon, and Southern/Western Bantu peoples. We believe it comes through our Bowers line which "supposedly" was Native American but actually wasn't -- I believe it was actually African. They were from Sullivan Co, TN, which was home to a lot of Melungeon's. 

Back onto the topic of Berry and Susan -- Susan passed away on February 2nd, 1865 and is buried in the Gibson Cemetery. Sadly, she didn't see the end of the Civil War. I'm not sure that any of the sons of Susan or Berryman ended up serving in the Civil War -- most of them I believe were a bit too old even for the draft. But they probably had a grandchild or two who served. At the start of the war, Henderson County (like a lot of Kentucky) was Union, (although Kentucky was very much a swing state.) But by the end of the war, Confederates had indeed captured Henderson. 

Henderson notably had several family member vs family member when it came to the War. I have ancestors from Henderson that fought for the Union side, and fought for the Confederate side. In fact, there are cases in Henderson where it was brother vs. brother and father vs. son. 

Berryman passed away in September of 1869, in Henderson County, Kentucky, and he too, is buried in the Gibson Family Cemetery. His tombstone says September 1st, 1870, but his mortality schedule actually says September 1869, and since I can't find him in the 1870 census... this probably is correct. I do believe it is a newer tombstone, honestly, and that's probably why the date upon it is wrong. The original tombstone probably had the correct date, but the original tombstone may have been damaged beyond recognition or beyond legibility. In the 1850 and 1860 censuses, he gives his birth year as 1787 so honestly his birth could have been anywhere in the ball park of 1785-1787. His will wasn't probated until September 5th, 1870, which adds just a slight bit of credence to the 1870 death year, but I still believe 1869 is correct. 

I believe the original tombstones were either removed or destroyed/lost completely as I've been to the Gibson Cemetery numerous times and have never found them. Why do I believe that this tombstone has to be newer? Well, take a look for yourself. 

This doesn't look like a tombstone for people buried in 1865 and 1870. As a matter of fact, their son, John Gregory Gibson's tombstone, from 1890, looks worse than this one.. and looks more appropriate to the era. So I do believe this is a newer tombstone from probably the 1930's or 1940's perhaps even later. With time, their son John, and his wife Mahala, should probably get a new tombstone as well.. Maybe I could raise the funds to do so, eventually. 

Thanks for reading my rambles this evening on my 5x Grandparents, Berryman Gibson and Susan Duncan. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 10: Name's the Same

 My family tree is more than likely not unlike anyone else's -- a common theme of names are presidential, and I believe that's the theme I'm going to go with today for "Name's the Same." 

Currently in my tree, I have five George Washington Mefford's (well, I say five because I'm pretty sure my 5x Grandfather, George W. Mefford is a George Washington Mefford as well.) in my family tree. I have six Andrew Jackson Mefford's in my tree. 

Over all, there are 198 people in my tree with "George Washington" as their first and middle name (and one being the actual George Washington -- I relate to the Washington's, distantly, because of family that hail out of Virginia). 93 with Andrew Jackson. 9 with Grover Cleveland. 87 with Benjamin Franklin. 70 with Thomas Jefferson. 2 with Andrew Hamilton. 5 with John Adams. 4 with Abraham Lincoln, including the actual Abraham Lincoln (the midwife during his birth is a relative of mine!)

12 John Hancock's, 12 Jefferson Davis', 6 Ulysses Grant's, 30 James Madison's (including the actual James Madison), 27 James Monroe's, 2 Martin Van Buren's, 4 William Henry Harrison's, 2 John Tyler's, 3 James Polk's, 2 Zachary Taylor's, 6 Millard Fillmore's, 7 Franklin Pierce's, 9 James Buchanan's, 3 James Garfield's, 1 Chester Arthur, 7 Benjamin Harrison's, 7 William McKinley's, 6 Woodrow Wilson's, and I believe that's it. 

I believe it's become less of a trend as years went on to name kids after President's. My tree has 92,837 people in it and after Woodrow Wilson, there aren't anymore presidential names. No John Kennedy's, no Lyndon Johnson's, no Calvin Coolidge's, no Herbert Hoover's, Richard Nixon's, Ronald Reagan's, etc etc. 

So the ancestors today that I'm going to talk about are my 5x Grandfather, George W (pretty sure it's Washington) Mefford, my 4x Grandfather, Andrew Jackson Mefford, and my 3x Grandfather, George Washington Mefford.

First, before I talk about this, it'll be easier for you to see the Mefford endogamy in pedigree tree format. This tree begins with my 2x Grandfather, French Mefford. His parents were 1st cousins, and his Grandparents were DOUBLE first cousins. 

So as you can see, I descend from George W. Mefford and Anna Hudlow once, but I descend from Jacob Mefford and Susanna Hudlow twice. Therefore I descend from John Mefford and Mary Lemon a total of three times and Jacob Hudlow and Susanna Peters a total of three times. 

My 5x Grandfather, George W. Mefford was born on January 11th, 1789, in Virginia. He married his wife, Anna Hudlow, around the year 1811, probably while still living in Virginia. By the time his son Andy, my 4x Grandpa, was born in 1817, they were living in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, where Anna passes away in 1859. I haven't found him listed in the 1820 census, but I can for the 1830 census; 1840, 1850, and 1870. I've found  him on the slave schedule for 1860 but that's it so far.

George re-marries to Nancy (Ward) McIntire on February 6th, 1868, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Eventually George passed away while living in Butler County, Kentucky, on October 24th, 1877. He and his first wife, Anna, are buried in New Midway Church Cemetery in Rochester, Butler County, Kentucky. 

George and Anna were the parents of the following children: Mary (1812) who married David Fisher, John (1813) who married Faith Arendell, Jacob (1815) who married Patience McKnelly, Andrew Jackson (1817) who married Catherine "Katie" Mefford, his double first cousin; Susan (1823) who married William "Bill" Williams, Eliza Ann Francis (1825) who married Samuel S. Bell and Daniel Joseph Revo, Mary Elizabeth (1829) who married Zebulon Campfield (also spelled Camfield), Pelitha A (1831) who married her double first cousin as well, Andrew Jackson Mefford. 

My 4x Grandfather, Andrew Jackson Mefford was born February 25th, 1817, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He married his double cousin, Catherine "Katie" Mefford on July 10th, 1839, in Muhlenberg County. Katie died sometime between the birth of their last child, Adaline in 1851 and when Andy re-married to Nancy C. Webb on January 4th, 1858, in Muhlenberg County. 

Andy consistently stayed in the Muhlenberg area -- he's found in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses.  I believe he served in the Civil War but, it could be another "A.J. Mefford" that served -- as he did have a double first cousin named Andrew Jackson Mefford. He passed away on July 28th, 1873, in Muhlenberg County. It's unknown where he's buried, but it very well could be New Midway in Butler County, since that's where his parents are buried. 

Andy and Katie were the parents of the following children: Caroline (1840) who married Joseph Webb, Jacob "Jake" (1840) who married his first cousin Annie Lorena Campfield and secondly to Prudence "Prudie" Maxie, Eliza Ann (1841) who married Zebulon Campfield (yes, the same Zebulon Campfield who was first married to Eliza Ann's aunt, Mary Elizabeth Mefford. The same Zebulon Campfield who's daughter, Annie, married Eliza's brother, Jake), secondly she married James William Turley; George Washington (1847) who married his first cousin, Amanda Hardison; Elizabeth "Lizzie" Mefford (1848) who married Jacob Hardison and second to Thomas C Traughber; Franklin Pierce (1849) who married his first cousin Louisa Campfield (another dau. of Zebulon Campfield & Mary Elizabeth Mefford), second to Mary E Cottrell, and third to Mary Arendell; and lastly, Adaline (1851) who died young in 1855. 

My 3x Grandfather, George Washington Mefford, was born July 13th, 1847, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He married his first cousin, Amanda E. Hardison on March 19th, 1868, in Muhlenberg County. They stayed in the Paradise/Skilesville/Ennis areas of Muhlenberg County for the rest of their lives. Amanda predeceased him in 1918 and then George went to the Lord on January 30th, 1930. 

George and Amanda are buried in Union Chapel Cemetery in Ennis, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The dates I use for George come from his death certificate -- but his tombstone reflects a birth date of July 6th, 1846. I don't believe that's accurate. He also didn't die on January 10th -- he died January 30th, according to his death certificate. 

George and Amanda were the parents of seven children (according to the 1900 census) but only four that lived: Cordelia (1871) who married Robert Edmond Zeck and moved to Texas, French (1874) who married Emma Lillie Turner, Buck Morton (1879) who married Cordelia Jenkins, and Annie Hazel (1888) who married John Blackburn Fleming. 

The Mefford's marry into the Fleming's several different times. My late step-Grandmother, Nancy Lou (Estes) Fleming Mefford; her first husband, Bobby Fleming, was a cousin of ours through the Mefford's. 

It is through Annie Hazel (Mefford) Fleming that I am related to Scott Porter of the Tennessee Wraith Chasers (of Ghost Asylum and Haunted Towns fame on Travel Channel). Scott and myself are DNA matches on Ancestry DNA (his Dad has also tested, and so has my Dad. We all match each other of course). Scott and I are third cousin once removed.

The Mefford Family reunion that happens every fall in Dunmor, Kentucky, is usually comprised of those who descend from French Mefford and Buck Morton Mefford. That's how I met my 3rd cousin 1x removed, Kim, who I consider one of my best friends and favorite cousins today. 

As you can tell from my earlier paragraphs -- we marry into the Campfield/Camfield family several times as well. They're a difficult family to work on, as well, because of the inter-marrying. The Mefford's have been a nightmare because of it. All of our DNA matches appear closer than what they actually are. I'll match a Mefford 2nd/3rd Mefford cousins at almost a first cousin level. Half first cousin/high 2nd cousin level anyway. My Dad matches them even higher than I do, obviously -- he really does match his 2nd and 3rd Mefford cousins at a 1st cousin level. 

Thanks for reading my Mefford ramblings this evening. I much appreciate it!

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 8: Prosperity

John Rowan Thompson wasn't born into riches, nor was he an incredibly wealthy man in today's standards... but back in his day, John R. Thompson didn't do half-bad for himself. 

My Great-Great-Grandfather, John was born October 4th, 1876, in Union County, Kentucky, more than likely the more rural area of the county - perhaps somewhere between Morganfield and Uniontown. 

He was the son of Martin Henry Thompson and Elizabeth Levina "Lou" Nally. His father was a farmer and of course, John followed in his Dad's footsteps. 

On October 28th, 1902, in Henderson County, Kentucky, he married Miss Mary Janella Nally, the daughter of Henry Oliver Nally and Vandalia Delia Gibson. John and Janella were second cousins. 

In the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses, they live in the Smith Mills area of the county. This is verified in the fact that my Great-Grandmother, John & Janella's daughter, attended Smith Mills School. 

Sometime in around 1920 to 1925 -- John bought a Ford Model T and according to family story, he was only the third person in Henderson County to own one. Sometimes the story is told he was the third person in Henderson County to own a car period, but, I believe that's a stretch -- I believe more realistically, he was the third person in the county to buy a Model T. 

Ford began manufacturing the Model T in 1908 and quit by 1927. I believe it was probably around 1920, but possibly as late as 1925 when John bought his. He had certainly made enough money farming to do so. 

By the 1940 census, John had moved himself, his wife, and the two kids left at home: Milka and Jake out to the Niagara area of Henderson County. I'm unsure if John built the house they lived in, or if he moved into it, but they lived there for many many years... and certainly through the end of John's life. 

Even during my Mom's childhood -- the house never had indoor plumbing. My Great-Great-Grandmother, Janella, I honestly don't believe she ever had proper indoor plumbing until she moved into the Henderson Rest Home in the late 1960's/early 1970's. 

I believe it was around 1954 when John R. Thompson sold some of his land for the Henderson County School System to build the new Niagara Elementary School, the one that stands today. Because I know in 1955, when the new Henderson County High School opened (where North Middle School is today) -- my Grandma was in her 9th grade year and was of the first class there. 1955/1956, then she was a sophomore in 1956/1957, junior in 1957/1958, and a senior in 1958/1959 -- she graduated May of 1959. If the High School at Niagara hadn't closed -- she would have started school there, instead, because they lived out on 416 in Niagara. 

Sometime between moving to Niagara in the late 1930's and him passing away in 1959 -- John R. struck oil on his land. He never sold his mineral rights, the county paid him for the oil on his land. My Mom believes by the time she was born in 1963 -- the oil wells had dried up. By that point though, Mom said that Janella had plenty of money and lived quite comfortably. 

After John's death in 1959, it was Janella, the eldest son Stron, and one of the daughters, Milka, that lived there. In 1964, Milka passed away. Some years after that, Janella moved to the rest home and then passed away in 1972. Stron continued to live in the old house until the mid 1980's, when he ended up having to move into the rest home as well. He passed away on my birthday, February 12th, in 1989. 

Ultimately, their prosperity came from many things: farming, oil, and selling property to the school system. I guess you could say John and Janella Thompson were a bit of entrepreneurs. In the 1940 census, John says that his home is OWNED and it is only worth $500... which in 2021, that would be about $9,342.21. That's a pretty substantial house for 1940, for a farmer out in the county, in my opinion. I'm unsure just how many acres he owned, but it was enough to sell to the school and have plenty left over. 

John Rowan Thompson passed away on January 15th, 1959, and his wife followed him in death on December 29th, 1972. If you're ever here in Henderson -- stop by Roselawn Memorial Gardens and pay them a visit sometime. Buried beside of them is their son Stron and their daughter Milka. I'm sure they'd appreciate the visit. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 9: Multiples

   John M. Thompson, who died in Henderson County in 1870, was the lawful father of twenty-nine children; eighteen were by his first wife, three by the second, and eight by the third. Thirteen of these children, eight sons and five daughters, are still living -- Union County History Book, printed 1886

The topic this week is "multiples," and nothing seemed more fitting than to talk about John M. Thompson and his twenty-nine -- yes, you read that correctly -- twenty-nine children. I have been doing my own family tree for twenty-one years now and I STILL haven't found all of the children: as of right now, I've only found 21. That count had been 20 -- until I made a discovery in my DNA.

We'll start from the beginning and I'll tell you a bit about my 4x Grandfather, John M. Thompson. John was born, roughly, in the year of 1810 in the Rolling Fork area of Washington County, Kentucky. He was the son of Thomas Thompson and Elizabeth Oard. By the mid 1820's, he had arrived in Union County, Kentucky, and married for the first time, to my 4x Great-Grandmother, Mariah Ann Mattingly, on December 30th, 1829. 

With Mariah, he fathered eighteen children -- I've only found 13. It's quite possible that the remainder of the children died in childbirth or shortly thereafter and back in those days, not every single birth was recorded. However -- John and his wife Mariah were Catholic, and the Catholics 99% of the time keep phenomenal records. That's how I've found a few of the children they had together. 

While I'm at this point -- I'll go ahead and tell you how I discovered one of the "missing" children of theirs. So my maternal Grandparents were 3rd cousins through their Nally lines.

Grandpa's line being -- himself > Dick Blanford > Agnes Nally > Thomas Sidney Nally > Pius Nally (this ancestor makes them 3rd cousins) > Leonard Nally.

Grandma's line being herself > Anna Thompson > John R. Thompson > Elizabeth Levina Nally > Pius Nally > Leonard Nally.

My Grandmother actually had a second Nally line.. herself > Anna Thompson > Janella Nally > Henry Oliver Nally > Sidney Nally > Leonard Nally. 

So my Grandmother's grandparents -- John R. Thompson & Janella Nally -- were 2nd cousins. 

Anyway. Dick Blanford, my Great-Grandfather, and Lorene LaRue, my Great-Grandmother (through my maternal Grandfather).. they married each others sibling. Dick's brother Tom, married Lorene's sister Opal. So every DNA cousin I have that is through Dick/Lorene or Tom/Opal (or more exactly, anyone who comes through Dick & Tom's parents -- Martin & Agnes) matches my Grandmother's side of the tree -- IE: the Nally's. 

Well for some reason, my Ganno cousins were matching my Grandma's side of the tree. Lorene LaRue & Opal LaRue had another sister -- Bonnie LaRue who married a Ganno. Bonnie LaRue has no Nally line, as she isn't a descendant of Martin Blanford & Agnes Nally. So why are these Ganno cousins matching my Grandma's side????

I took a look at the Ganno family tree. Martin Ganno was the son of Charles Ganno and Martha Ellen Thompson. Hmm, my Grandma's side has Thompson's in it. So let's pursue this. Martha's parents were a Peter Thompson and Nancy Ann Mills. The only record of Peter is his marriage record to Nancy Mills -- April 21st, 1873, in Henderson County, Kentucky. 

Nancy was born in 1841, so I've estimated Peter being born around 1840. Probably anywhere between 1835-1840, to be honest. We know Peter has passed away sometime between 1873 (the birth of Martha Ellen Thompson, his daughter) and the 1880 census, as his wife, Nancy, his re-married by then. 

But, who are Peter's parents? Well. I started digging in the "shared" matches between me and my Ganno cousins. They were absolutely matching my Thompson/Nally's... then I realized they were matching my Thompson/Mattingly's.... and then I realized, they're matching my Mattingly/Shanks'. Jackpot. 

Peter had to be one of the "missing" children of John Thompson and Mariah Mattingly. But why isn't he in the censuses with his parents? 1850, 1860, 1870? The answer could be -- Peter jumped household to household and never got pinned down for a census. It's also possible Peter wasn't his first name, or perhaps on census, he went by a middle name? There's tons of explanations. But as of yet, he hasn't been found in ANY census.. even though I know he was alive in 1850, 1860, and 1870. 

So thanks to my Ganno cousins, I was able to discover Peter and make the connection of him being a son of John & Mariah. The children I have, so far, for John & Mariah are...

One. George Washington Thompson -- I believe in the 1830 census, he is the "male, under age five" that is listed. By 1840, there is a boy listed between 10-14 years of age. This is probably George. But after that... he disappears. I believe he was born around September or October of 1830, as John & Mariah married Dec. 1829. 

Two. Martha E. Thompson, born about 1831 or 1832.. it's possible her name was Martha Ellen. She, too, probably died sometime between 1840-1850.

Three. John Henry Thompson, born January 23rd, 1831 (per church records), and buried September of 1831 in Sacred Heart Cemetery, per church records. 

Four. Elizabeth Jane Thompson, born December 16th, 1831, and died February 10th, 1878. She married George Henry Wedding on August 15th, 1849, in Union County, Kentucky. She, too, was buried in Sacred Heart. 

Five. Frances Elizabeth Thompson, born April 18th, 1833, in Union County, per church records. I've found no evidence of her marrying or dying... so I imagine she died pre-1850. 

Six. Jeremiah Thompson, born September 27th, 1835, and died August 8th, 1841. He was named for his Grandpa, Jeremiah Mattingly. Buried in Sacred Heart.

Seven. Minerva Jane Thompson, born around June 1837 (according to 1900 census). She married Richard Henry Wedding on December 15th, 1853, in Ohio County, Kentucky. Her will was made in 1899, but the admin bond wasn't registered until November 1905. So she likely died late October/early November 1905.

Eight. John Rowan Thompson, born November 10th, 1839, and died January 28th, 1898. He married twice -- first to Mary Elizabeth Fuqua in 1860, second to Sarah Ann Raley on April 27th, 1870. He had somewhere between 15-20 children, too, between his two wives. My 2x Grandfather, John Rowan Thompson, was named after him. 

Nine. Peter Thompson, born around 1840.. I've already given you the information you need on him. 

Ten. William Horace Thompson, born January 10th, 1841, and died May 23rd, 1913. He married Elizabeth Frances Fuqua in 1866. He and his wife moved down to the Fancy Farms, Graves Co, KY area and populated them with some more Catholic Thompson's. 

Eleven. Willis R. Thompson, born July 8th, 1844, married Emily Adeline Pritchett on November 10th, 1864, in Union County, Kentucky. He died sometime around 1870, and Emily re-married in 1871. 

Twelve. Sarah Ellen Thompson, born February 7th, 1846, and died April 6th, 1921. She married William Henry Girten on January 5th, 1863. 

Thirteen. Martin Henry Thompson, my 3x Grandfather. Born July 28th, 1850, and died August 16th, 1921, in Western State Hospital in Hopkinsville. He married first to Elizabeth Levina Nally on October 26th, 1869, then to Mary Belle Floyd on February 5th, 1911. They were divorced, however, by 1920.

Mariah Ann Mattingly Thompson then passed away on April 26th, 1851. It's possible she died during childbirth.. that could be one of the "missing" children. Ultimately, I'm missing five children between her & John Thompson as it's documented they had eighteen. 

John Thompson married for the second time on September 11th, 1851, to Anne Isabella Shanks. They had three kids, but I can only find two. 

One. Samuel Philip Thompson, born August 20th, 1852, and died March 15th, 1898. He married Susan Frances Raley on October 27th, 1874. He, too, moved down to the Fancy Farm area of KY. 

Two. Isabella Thompson, born about 1854. She's alive in the 1860 and 1870 censuses but afterwards, she disappears. 

Anne Isabella Shanks passed away on April 19th, 1855. It's possible she died during childbirth, perhaps that's the third child I'm missing between she & John. 

John Thompson married for the third and final time to Priscilla Cissell on October 21st, 1855. They're said to have eight children, I've found six, so I'm missing two. 

One. Thomas Hardin Thompson, born October 28th, 1857, and died September 10th, 1912. He married Laura Adaline Gibson on January 21st, 1885. They, too, migrated down to Fancy Farm. 

Two. Benjamin Joseph Thompson, born May 21st, 1859, and died March 25th, 1913. He married Nancy Hughes on April 26th, 1881, in Henderson County, Kentucky. 

Three. Robert Harrel Thompson, born January 18th, 1861, and died January 25th, 1938. He married Senie Ann Watts on October 27th, 1885. 

Four. William Franklin Thompson, born November 29th, 1862, and died November 2nd, 1940. As far as I can tell, he never married. 

Five. Julia Catherine Thompson, born July 10th, 1867, and died April 7th, 1958. She married first to Louis Clement Greenwell on November 23rd, 1897 in Union County, Kentucky. Secondly, she married Thomas Edward Kibby. 

Six. Mary Joe Thompson, born June 21st, 1870, and died March 9th, 1914. Mary was born four months after her father's death. She married John Thomas Girten on January 15th, 1901, in Union County, Kentucky. Her death certificate incorrectly lists her as 37 years old at her time of death, putting her birth year around 1877. She was actually 43 when she died. Age was more fluid back in those days, that's for sure. 

At this point, I'm fairly certain the rest of the "missing" children were probably ones who died in infancy/toddler/early childhood years. I believe my DNA and my Mom's DNA would have yielded some "surprise" cousins (like our Ganno mystery that was solved) if there were any more adult Thompson's who had children, but ya never know. DNA might unlock the door for one or two more. You'd think an obituary would help, but no... I can't find a good obituary for any of them that might list their surviving brothers and sisters by name. 

So the next time you meet a Thompson and they hail from in or around Union County, Kentucky, ask them if they've got an ancestor named John M. Thompson, because chances are, they just might. I have heard, too, that John might have owned a few slaves and bred with them as well -- but I haven't found evidence of him owning said slaves. I do know his father-in-law, Jeremiah Mattingly, did have slaves. Jeremiah Mattingly and John Thompson, both, were two of the largest farmers/land owners in Union County, Kentucky at one time. 

In the 1860 census, John Thompson's real estate value is $2,000. Personal estate value was $1,000. Those are pretty big numbers for back then. Thompson is still a very prominent last name in both Union and Henderson County. Still a heavily Catholic family, too.