August Scavenger Hunt: "Find a Great-Grandparents grave."

 For the August scavenger hunt prompt: "Find a Great-Grandparents grave."

I'm finally sharing this on my blog in January -- and how appropriately on January 5th, 2023 - my Great-Grandpa's 110th birthday!

I don't have to go far for this set of my Great-Grandparents. Matter of fact, I can see their tombstone from my bedroom window. They're buried in Fernwood Cemetery here in Henderson.

Henry Lloyd Sandefur and Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur.

Henry, or Poppy, was born on January 5th, 1913, in Henderson to Eugene Henry Sandefur and Ollie Lee Moss. He was the fifth of six children.

Poppy and his siblings grew up at 1421 Clay St (the Sandefur's lived in that house from about 1906 through the 1950's) - their front door was quite literally out the front door of Audubon School, which Poppy attended until about sixth grade or so. He used to hide his books out in the shed and hop trains - he'd go to Nashville for a day or two and return home.

Anna Elizabeth, called Liz by some, Lizzie by others, and occasionally Lizbet by her youngest brother (although usually just called Anna) was born August 18th, 1916, to John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella Nally. She was the seventh of eight children.

Nana, as I call her, grew up in the Smith Mills area and attended Smith Mills School. I am not sure if she finished out school and graduated or not. If she did, I would have imagined she'd have graduated from Smith Mills, if so, it would have likely been 1933.

Nana and Poppy wed on August 25th, 1933, in Shawneetown. Nana was 17 years old and Poppy was 20... it was a shotgun wedding. Hence the elopement to Shawneetown.

They welcomed their first child, their daughter Carolyn, into the world on April 8th, 1934. By the 1940 census, they had a daughter and two sons (Donald & William 'Buddy'), and were living at 122 Burdette St. here in Henderson.

By the 1950 census, they had three daughters and two sons, living out at 1714 KY-416 (in Niagara). Back then, it was known as "Rural Route 2." They would have one more daughter about five years later.

After my Mom was born ('63) and my late Uncle Jay ('65), my Grandparents (Jady & Glynda) built a house next door to Nana & Poppy, at 1670 KY-416.

Poppy was a diabetic and also suffered severe heart problems. He passed away young on March 11th, 1970, at just 57 years of age. At the time of his death, my Nana didn't know where to bury him (as the spots near his parents in Fernwood were full.) Poppy's cousin, funeral director Paul B. Moss provided my Nana with the two plots - one for Poppy and one for herself. She tried to pay him back for the plots, and he wouldn't accept the money.

In the mid 1970's, Nana moved to town, and then my Grandparents moved to town as well. Nana lived for twenty some-odd years in Fair Acres until her Alzheimer's progressed far enough that we had to place her into a rest home (about early 1999.)

Nana passed away on October 2nd, 2001. I was in the third grade. I'll never forget coming home from school and getting the phone call about 40 minutes after I'd gotten home. That day and the following few days were without a doubt some of the worst in my life. I'll never forget her funeral - that was the hardest rain I've ever, to this day, experienced in my life. It certainly fit the mood. I felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces and it was never going to be whole again.

My Nana was my very best friend. She had been my babysitter early-on in my life. After she went into the nursing home, my Grandma and I went every day, and I quite literally mean EVERY DAY to the nursing home to visit with her. Sometimes we'd go two or three times in one single day.

Nana is the entire reason I started doing genealogy. None of my friends knew any of their Great-Grandparents back then, so at just seven years old, I realized it was a rarity/oddity to know your Great-Grandparents.. (even if it's just one of them.) So I pondered if Nana ever knew any of her Great-Grandparents - unfortunately due to Alzheimer's, she couldn't answer that question (not accurately, anyway). My Grandma and I took to working on our family tree to figure out the answer. I've been hooked by the genealogy bug ever since. 2022 marks 22 years I've been doing genealogy. I owe everything to this beautiful, intelligent, wonderful, compassionate woman.

Some of you might remember my Nana, actually, because she was a bus driver for many years. I believe she drove a bus in the 60s, 70s, and into the early 80s. I know she drove the route out in Niagara but she might have substituted for other routes as well. She and Grandma Glynda would bowl with other bus drivers. I unfortunately didn't inherit Nana's bowling ball, but I did inherit Grandma Glynda's. It's certainly one of my prized possessions now.

I come from a family full of bus drivers, actually, lol. Poppy drove a bus as well. Their late daughter, Carolyn, drove a bus, and my Grandma - Glynda (Sandefur) Blanford also drove a bus. I believe one of the sons might have driven a city bus back in the day, too.

Thank you all for reading about my Nana & Poppy. It means a lot. ❤️

52 Ancestors 2022: Week 3: Favorite Photo

Four Generations in One Photo x 2

Not every kid born in the 1990’s can tout that she has a photograph with her Great-Grandmother. In fact, not every kid born in the 90’s can say she has a four-generation photo comprised of herself, mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother. As a matter of fact, I have two four-generation photographs.

When I was growing up, it seemed to be rare that any of my friends knew a Great-Grandparent. More so, some of them hadn’t even had the luck of knowing a Grandparent. Now, rewind to the 1960’s when my Mom was a kid… she knew three of her Great-Grandparents and one of them lived to be 97 years old. He died when my Mom was 17.

I wish on everything I am that I could have had my Great-Grandmother until I was 17, but unfortunately she passed away on October 2nd, 2001, when I was 8 years old. The Great-Grandmother I’m talking about is my direct maternal line Great-Grandmother, Anna Elizabeth (Thompson) Sandefur. 

You'll notice me make mention of my Nana a lot on this blog and on my genealogy page on Facebook... because she's the entire reason I got into doing genealogy going on twenty-two years ago now (in the year 2000.) 

Nana, as all of her grandkids and great-grandkids called her, was born on August 18th, 1916, in the Smith Mills area of Henderson County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of John Rowan Thompson, a farmer who ended up making a bit of money in the oil industry, and Mary Janella Nally, a homemaker who ruled her home with a tender but firm touch.

Nana was the 7th child of 8 born to John and Janella. In fact, the 5th child, Vannie Louise, had just died of membranous croup on November 19th, 1915. It probably was just after that, that Janella got pregnant with my Nana. 

It was on August 25th, 1933, that Nana became Mrs. Henry Lloyd Sandefur — and it was indeed a shotgun wedding. They eloped to Shawneetown, Gallatin County, Illinois for the wedding and Nana lied about her age. Eight months later, Nana gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Carolyn. Two sons -- Donald "Don" and William "Buddy" came afterward and then the next girl — my Grandmother, Glynda Jane. 

Grandma was born at home when they were living on Letcher Street, here in Henderson, on Friday, June 13th. 1941. She was delivered by the late Dr. Walter O’Nan — the father of the doctor who delivered me almost 52 years later, Dr. William O’Nan. 

Now my Mom, she was the first of only two children born to my Grandparents -- Jady & Glynda. Mom was brought into the world at about 2:30 AM on January 8th, 1963, and her younger brother followed two years and three days later. Unfortunately, we lost my Uncle on July 5th, 2014.. he was only 49 years old. 

The two photographs I have that are four generations were taken roughly Christmas 1993 (when I was ten months old) and then the summer of 1996, I believe, when I was 3 years old. It *might* have been summer of 1997, when I was 4 years old. 

The photograph from Christmas of '93, being a typical kid... I had taken to it with an ink pen. There's a wonderful group on Facebook called "Random Acts of Photo Restoration" and they helped me edit the photo back to its near original glory. (Note for all you with kids out there....hide your family photos. Hide them until your kids are about 13 years old lol.) 

You can't even tell that Nana's face, all over Grandma's body, and even some over my face and my Mom's face had pen scribbles, can you? They did an awesome job! Kudos to that Facebook group!

The above photograph was taken in the backyard of my Grandparents house in front of their little 'barn' building. I actually just found another picture like this one but a little bit closer to us the other day. I knew the photo existed, but had forgotten what photo album it had been slipped into. So here it is for y'all to see. 

All of these photos were taken at my Grandparents house.. That house, even to this day, is my favorite place in the world. Sadly, it was sold at auction in August of 2015. I drive past it multiples times, every single day. Sometimes I just want to pull into the driveway and sit there a while. Reminisce on being a kid, on better times. I miss my Great-Grandmother, I miss my Grandparents, I miss my Uncle. I miss all of us being a family. 

They always say when the Grandparents pass away, the family splinters apart...that's no lie and no exaggeration. I don't talk to my cousins whatsoever now. I can't tell you hardly anything going on in their lives. One cousin makes the newspaper fairly often for her work with the Habitat for Humanity. I do speak to my youngest cousin... he's a Dad now. He sends us pictures of his baby boy fairly often. 

Well, that's the gist of my favorite photographs.. Photographs speak a thousand words and my how I wish I could hear the voices of my Great-Grandma and my Grandma again. I'm tearing up just as I type this. What I wouldn't give to sit on a bench and chat with both of them again for a while. Don't you just wish heaven had a telephone? Or visiting hours? Pack up a picnic and spend a Sunday afternoon up there.. 

Cemetery Spotlight - Hatchett Cemetery in Zion, Henderson County, Kentucky

This cemetery is located after you go through Zion, on the right side of the road (if you're heading towards Hebbardsville), behind a house, just before you get to Stone McClellan Rd, which is also on the right side of the road.

I took these photographs in November of 2014. I do believe it was sometime during fall of 2015 maybe when someone finally cleaned the cemetery up. If I can ever get back out to this cemetery - I'd love to prod for lost/broken stones as I didn't know about that technique, yet, when I originally visited the cemetery in 2014.

The oldest burial we found that day was for Benjamin Farmer Hatchett. Born 1815 and died 1846. Benjamin was the son of William Abraham Hatchett and Elizabeth Frances Farmer, also buried in the cemetery. He was the husband of Elizabeth Duncan Robertson.

I'll go out on a limb and say that most likely, the cemetery is on land that belonged to William and Elizabeth (Farmer) Hatchett. I looked at the 1880 Land Atlas for Henderson County and don't see the cemetery listed but, there's some land in the vicinity of the cemetery that does indeed belong to Hatchett's. One name -- "Mrs. E.D. Hatchett," could potentially be Elizabeth Duncan Hatchett, widow of Benjamin. 

The newest burial we found was for Eula May Moss Hatchett. Born 1863. Died 1940. Her tombstone is pictured, knocked over, at the top of this post. Her death certificate confirms the burial in Hatchett although no death date appears on the tombstone. 

Eula was the daughter of Reuben Eaton Moss and Virginia Ann Hazelwood. She was the wife of Fielding Lewis Hatchett, who she shares a tombstone with. He died in 1893. 

It seems like after Eula's death that the cemetery fell out of use. More than likely this is because more and more were able to afford being buried in city cemeteries like Fernwood or their church graveyard - like Cash Creek Baptist Church or Bethel Baptist Church, etc. 

Yes, many tombstones were knocked over, broken, covered by brush, etc. I am hoping whoever cleaned up the cemetery is keeping the tombstones in better shape now and has perhaps found some we didn't see on our trip in November 2014.

There are at least 34 burials in this cemetery. We found all but six tombstones that day... but I'm sure those stones are probably there - just broken and beneath several inches of dirt. 

Do you have any stories involving this cemetery? Family buried here? Tell me about them! I'd love to hear. :)

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 45: Stormy Weather

I really can't tell you about my ancestors and storms they've had to weather - I've never been made privy to many stories. I know the 1937 Flood impacted our area heavily and I know my ancestors that lived here in Henderson lived through it. My maternal Grandpa was less than a year old when it happened or else I'd have more stories from it to tell. 

The 1937 Flood decimated river areas of our county. The Alzey Bottoms, Scuffletown Bottoms, and other areas were never, ever the same. A lot of cemeteries, historically, are gone from the Alzey area after the '37 Flood. I believe it's what destroyed the remaining remnants of the Alves Family Cemetery, or so I've always been told. 

The '37 Flood was brought on by 21 inches of rain falling within an 18 day time period... and I also believe it was brought on by the fact that in 1936, it was so cold, the Ohio River literally froze over. All that ice melting had to go somewhere, y'know? 

It was because of that historic flood that Henderson gained its motto. "On the Ohio, but never in it!" 

A few of Henderson's more peculiar weather events include the Great Sleet of 1901, where sleet fell for three weeks straight in February of that year. A resident was quoted as saying, "Horses had to have special shoes to keep their footing on local roads." 

In 1908, Henderson was part of a drought that drastically reduced the Ohio River levels. In fact, according to history, the river level was so low that boys played baseball in the river bed. This is a particular event that I wish we had photographs of. It's hard to picture the Ohio River that dry. 

In 1914, Henderson was hit by what has been dubbed a "baby cyclone." "Hail as large as partridge eggs," according to a historian, fell for ten minutes straight and strong winds uprooted many, many large trees in the area. The storm only lasted for about thirty minutes, and on the north end of town, it seems they got the worst of it. It was reported that several homes were completely brought down. Just twenty-six days later, the city was hit by a tornado which left two dead and others injured, and much of the city in ruins. 

In my own lifetime, we've seen an increasing number of tornadic activity in Henderson County over the last few years. We also were hit pretty heavy in 2009 by the infamous Ice Storm. That was an insane event to live through. No more insane than what my parents lived through -- the Blizzard of '77 - '78. We also had quite bad floods in 1997, 2007, and I think 2009 as well. 

November 6th, 2005, we're known as the beginning point of a bad tornado that took many lives in Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana. The tornado, I believe, originally formed in the Smith Mills river bottoms in Henderson County. 

I remember back in my childhood, I want to say it was about 2003 or 2004, we had an awful storm that spawned a small tornado over our house. It twisted a tree in our front yard up out of the ground and the tree, when it came down, snapped our telephone line. I'm not sure that event was ever recorded as an official tornado, but it was very obvious by the 'twist' of the tree. It was just a small Bradford Pear, so it wasn't a huge Oak or nothing like that. Tornado probably was nothing but a little EF-0, but still, it scared me as a child. 

If I can think of any other historical weather events to add to this, I might, over time. For right now though, these are the major ones that come to my mind. I think I remember reading once where it snowed every month of the year. I think I also remember hearing about a 'hurricane' coming through - that might be the 'baby cyclone' I mentioned. It supposedly knocked trolley cars off their rails downtown. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 40: Preservation

It's no secret to anyone that I've been working on my own family tree since the age of seven years old. In the going on twenty-two years since the year 2000 (when I was 7), I've worked tirelessly on my own family history and not just trying to fill out branches but also preserve the branches and priceless information. 

A few years back, I put together a Mefford/Bastin family binder. I had the thought of doing a binder for each of my Grandparents - so Mefford/Bastin, Jones/White, Blanford/Nally, Sandefur/Thompson... but... I have too much information. Even now, about three years after putting the Mefford/Bastin binder together - I've now disproved some of my information (through DNA testing and whatnot) so the job is never finished. My binders will never be 'perfect.' 

I house my tree currently on Ancestry and I pay for a monthly subscription (World Explorer.) I also use Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank.com. It's very rare that I utilize FamilySearch or any other archival website. I do utilize our local library's obituary collection and Browning in Evansville.

Of course, I have my DNA on every website (or just about every website). Ancestry, 23andme, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, GEDMatch, LivingDNA, etc. I've got both of my parents on Ancestry and my Dad's tested at 23andme (still trying to get Mom to spit in her kit I bought, ugh.) 

My paid work has really slowed down the work I do on my own tree. In a way, that breaks my heart... sometimes genealogy starts to feel so much like a job, and not a job that I love and enjoy, that I have to step away and work on my own stuff or else I burn completely out and can't do a lick of genealogy at all. 

I'd say my best way of 'preservation' has been extensively researching each and every small cemetery in Henderson County - of course my most in-depth work has been on the Gibson cemeteries in Corydon, KY. Find-a-Grave has really helped me to preserve that information for generations that will come after me. 

My genealogy blog is another great way to help preserve my family history and my families legacy. I get behind in these writing prompts/challenges but, going at my own pace... it really gives me time to think out exactly what I want to write about for that particular prompt. Sometimes I write about the same thing for a second, or even a third time... but I always go more and more in-depth with new details I've found each time. 

I've been trying to get all of my old photographs digitized onto the laptop or my iPhone. I love playing with my old black and white photographs on Remini or MyHeritage. I've had a lot of success with them, to be honest, and couldn't be happier with the results. I've even started sharing some of my photographs to Instagram and TikTok to build a bit of a 'fanbase' for my genealogy, if you will. 

It is my hope that someday I will have a family history book in our local library talking about all the Henderson families of today and their roots to the original settlers. So many of my friends have roots going back in this county to within ten years of its inception but they have no idea. It always hurts me to know that someone doesn't know where or who they came from. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 37: On the Farm

When I think of farming and my ancestors -- the number one person who comes to mind is my Great-Grandfather, Richard Jerome "Dick" Blanford. I was fortunate enough to meet Papa Dick when I was a baby - but sadly he passed away just two months prior to my third birthday. 

Dick Blanford was born on November 5th, 1913, in Union County, Kentucky, to Martin Allen Blanford and Mary Agnes Nally. He was the eldest child out of six total - only five surviving to adulthood. 

Dick had a modest upbringing, growing up in the areas of Smith Mills and Corydon in Henderson County. The area known as "Walnut Bottom" in census, actually. Unfortunately, when he was only thirteen years of age - he lost his mother, Mary Agnes, to tuberculosis. I can only imagine how that shaped him as a person. 

On July 11th, 1931, he married Miss Verna Lorene LaRue, the daughter of Charles Clarence LaRue and Carrie Annie Byrd. His brother, Thomas Allen "Tom" Blanford would go on to marry Lorene's sister Opal Lois LaRue. 

Dick and Lorene stuck to the Geneva and Smith Mills area of the county. According to my Grandpa, in his youth, they lived in three different places that burnt down before they settled on the Latta Place. It was a small white house at the very end of Star School Rd in Geneva.. and now it's no longer there. It used to be surrounded by cornfields and bayou. 

After they were older, Dick built a large house on Trigg-Hooper Rd. At this house, Dick did a lot of farming, a lot of raising livestock, and even had an apple orchard. It was at this house that his kids, grandkids, and even some great-grandchildren formed a lot of precious memories. It was this house that I remember very, very vaguely. 

I had a snippet of a memory, like a flash in a dream that he was holding me outside on his lap and I could remember looking up at the night sky. Mom said I was remembering watching Fourth of July fireworks out there, most likely on July 4th, 1995.. I was two years and five months old. 

Over the last few years, I've found numerous articles from the Evansville newspaper chronicling when Papa Dick would sell some livestock, donate to charity, or have an auction at his farm. It's been quite a neat trip back in time to see some of the things I have and read some of things I have. 

To this day, we have an aerial photograph of the house and farm on our wall. We have laminated pages from where he made the Features section of the newspaper for his apple cider, hanging on the wall. My Mom lost her maternal Grandpa when she was just 7 years old so she built a special bond, after that, with her paternal Grandpa. I think in his own way, he tried to make up for her not having her other Grandpa. Very much like my own maternal Grandma made up for me not having my paternal Grandma.

Unfortunately, after Dick passed, the farm was lost. Dick knew that all of his everything -- personal, real estate, etc, would have to be sold because he had a kid or two that were too greedy for their own good and nothing would be able to be divided properly and 'kept within the family.' No one would be able to 'keep' anything without another child being jealous of it. Matter a fact, my Mom says he used to proudly wear a hat that said, "I'm spending my children's inheritance." 

To this day - it still ruffles a few feathers that my Grandpa Jady was given the antique roll top desk of Papa Dick's, and it ruffles even more feathers that Grandpa Jady left it to my Mom when he died. I now have two antique roll top desks - one from each of my Grandfather's and I couldn't be happier. A genealogist needs a proper desk...two or three in my opinion. 

I wish I could remember what Dick was like. I don't remember his voice. I don't remember the apple cider or anything like that. I do remember the apple butter and the apple pie.. as my Grandpa continued to make it long after Papa Dick passed away. My Dad still uses the pie recipe to this day. I remember taking apple butter to show and tell in first grade. Back when we could actually take homemade food to school, share it with our classmates, and it wasn't against the law. 

On December 14th, 1995, Papa Dick passed away at his home in his sleep -- he'd battled prostate cancer for many years. He and Mama 'Rene are buried in Saint Louis Cemetery, which I affectionately refer to as "Blanford Memorial Gardens," because the front of the cemetery has a lot of Blanford tombstones showing from the road, including their own. 

If you visit the cemetery any time soon, maybe stop and introduce yourself to one of Henderson County's most influential farmers. Dick loved meeting new people, and he didn't view anyone as a stranger -- a trait his son, my Grandpa Jady, inherited from him. Sit down for a spell and maybe he'll tell you a story while peeling an apple with a pocket knife. You might learn something. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 34: Character

There are several people in my family tree that could be listed as a 'character.' 'Someone who marches to the beat of their own drum.' Perhaps you use the term 'black sheep' for them or 'outcast.' Hell, that describes myself to be perfectly honest with you. 

My Granduncle Charles has always been a bit of a character - a very smart man, actually a university professor at one time or another. A devout Catholic, a family man, but definitely a character. He inherited the jokester nature of a true Blanford/LaRue. 

My late Grandaunt Motts and her spitfire attitude. She had no filter and she liked her coffee black as it could be. She was like the mascot for us black sheep and we certainly miss her to tears. 

Even my late Grandpa Jady was quite a character. He was one of the funniest men I ever knew but also one of the most serious. Grandpa Jady loved to tell jokes, construct riddles, and pull a prank or two every now and again. 

Apparently most of the Blanford's and LaRue's, and of course the Buckman's and Ganno's have gained their personality from Great-Great-Grandpa Charles Clarence LaRue who was quite a card. He loved to laugh, to joke, to pull a few pranks. He also seemed to love word games and mind puzzles. 

Another part of this topic asked if there were any actors or writers in the family. Despite listing a few of the 'characters' I'm related to, I'll go ahead and talk about the actors and writers. 

Actor Tom Hanks is my 7th cousin 2x removed.

Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks was born on July 9th, 1956, in Concord, California to parents Amos Mefford "Bud" Hanks and Janet Marylyn Frager. It is through his father's side of the family that we are related - hence his Dad's middle name of Mefford. 

His Grandfather was Ernest Hanks; his Great-Grandmother was Mary Catherine "Mollie" (Mefford) Hanks. She hailed from Shelby County, MO, but died in Tehama Co, CA. 

Mollie was the daughter of Jacob Mefford and Sarah (Critchlow) Mefford. Jacob was apparently born in Campbell County, KY, and died in Shelby Co, MO. His parents were John Mefford and Mary (Parker) Mefford. John, from what I can tell, lived his entire life in Campbell County, KY. 

John's parents were Jacob and Ellenor (possibly Hatten) Mefford. Jacob was undoubtedly born in Frederick Co, MD, and died in Campbell Co, KY. Around the 1800's, a lot of Mefford's migrated to Kentucky from many places - Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and surrounding areas - even Pennsylvania. 

Jacob was the son of Johannes "John" Meffert/Mefford; one of three sons of Andreas Meffert (my 8x Great-Grandfather) who is hailed as the patriarch or the forefather of the Mefford's in America. Johannes was born January 24th, 1732, in the Hesse area of Germany. He and his father and two other brothers arrived in America on September 15th, 1749. In about 1755, Johannes married Susanna Kuntz. 

Johannes' naturalization to 'John Mefford' happened on September 19th, 1762, in Chester County, PA. Johannes' first wife eventually passed and he remarried, then he, too, ended up in KY; supposedly dying in Scott County, KY, in 1796. 

It is through Johannes Meffert (son of Andreas) that Tom Hanks is related to another famous person, and of course, that means I, too, am related to him. 

Even long before knowing Tom was a Mefford - I've always been drawn to him and his movies. I absolutely adore him as an actor. Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, The Polar Express, and even A League of their Own - which was filmed right here in Henderson County! Here my Dad was, a Mefford, living here in Henderson and his cousin was here filming a movie and he didn't even realize it! Hah!

Actor Mr. Rogers is my 7th cousin 2x removed. 

Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20th, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. His parents were James Hillis Rogers and Nancy McFeely. It is through his mother that he is related to the Mefford's. 

His Grandfather was Frederick McFeely, his great-grandmother was Anna (Lindsay) McFeely. His 2x Grandmother was Susannah (Fish) Lindsay. 

His 3x Grandparents were Joseph Fish and Susanna (Mefford) Fish. Susanna was born in Pennsylvania and died there as well. She died in the Fayette County, PA area and is buried there. Susanna's second husband was an Evans. 

Her parents were William Mefford and Sarah (Holton) Mefford. William was born in Frederick County, Maryland, and died in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Johannes Meffert - thus making him a brother of Jacob Mefford, the ancestor of Tom Hanks.

Mr. Rogers and Tom Hanks are closer related to each other than they are to me. To one another, they are 6th cousins because they share 5x Great-Grandparents, Johannes Meffert and Susanna Kuntz. For me, though, they are both my 7th cousins 2x removed. 

I grew up watching Mr. Rogers and way back then, I'd have never imagined he could possibly be a Mefford. 

Author Debbie Dadey is my 6th cousin. 

Debra Sue Gibson, or "Debbie" as she's known to her legions of fans - was born in Union County, KY to Voline and Rebecca (Bailey) Gibson. It is from her mother's maiden name, Bailey, that she named her series of books -- the Bailey School Kids. 

Her father, Voline Everett Gibson was born in Union County, KY to Everett Wesley Gibson and May (Wicks) Gibson. Her Grandfather, Everett, was born in Union County, KY, as well. He was the son of Harbert Earl Gibson and Minnie (Utley) Gibson. 

Harbert Earl Gibson was born right here in good ol' Henderson County, KY. His parents were William Gibson and Sarah Elizabeth (Walker). They would be Debbie's 2x Grandparents. William's death certificate states he was buried in the Smith Mills Cemetery. 

Her 3x Grandparents were John William Gibson and Susannah (Covey) Gibson. They are buried in Gibson Cemetery #2 in Corydon - which you'll recall I wrote about in a longer blog back in September. They have old but still existing tombstones but they're in need of some tender love and care. 

Her 4x Grandparents were James William Gibson and Mary Watson -- they, too, are buried in Gibson Cemetery #2. The running theme with Gibson #2 is it seems to be for the descendants of James William Gibson. I'm not sure if he bought the land off of one of his brothers, cousins, uncles, or whatever and decided he wanted to start another cemetery on his own land separate from the 'main' Gibson family cemetery. It's only a stones throw away, honestly. 

This makes her 5x Grandparents Berryman Gibson and Susan (Duncan) Gibson who are buried in the main Gibson Cemetery up on the hill. Berryman and Susan, too, are my 5x Grandparents. 

This makes Debbie a 6x Granddaughter, like me, of Joel Gibson - Revolutionary War veteran who is also buried in the main family cemetery on top of the hill. All of the area surrounding the two cemeteries once belonged to the Gibson family -- they owned quite a fair bit of land at one time or another. 

I fell in love with Debbie's books as a kid attending South Heights school where I met her for the first time. I've also been privileged to meet her again at our local library a few years later. Then, most recently, I messaged her to let her know that my Mom's copy of Whistler's Hollow had disappeared many years ago and it had really made her sad. It was autographed and she felt horrid that, inevitably, the person she 'loaned' it to, never gave it back. 

So Debbie sent us a new copy, autographed, and also let me know some amazing Gibson family history as well. I'm excited to hopefully meet with her in the future if she ever comes back to town for a visit. 

Emmy-winning journalist and executive (in many forms of the word!) Betsy Fischer-Martin is my 5th cousin 1x removed. 

Betsy is the wife of journalist Jonathan Martin who currently is a political correspondent for the New York Times. Betsy is the daughter of George Fischer Jr and Sally (Ford) Fischer. It is through her late mother, Sally, that we are related. 

Sally was the daughter of Alexander Ford Jr and Ella Mae (Gibson) Ford. Ella was born right here in Henderson, KY, but ended up living life in several places before calling Louisiana home, where she passed away. 

Ella's parents were Barak Gibson and Gertrude (Thornton) -- they are buried in Fernwood Cemetery, right next door to me. Back in 2019, when the photo of me and Betsy was taken, I gave her a tour of the town and one of our stops was Fernwood. I told her a many interesting facts about the cemetery while we searched for her Gibson ancestors. 

Her 2x Grandparents were Stephen Gibson and Ella Brashear. Stephen/Steven died in a drowning accident in 1913 and is buried in Smith Mills Cemetery. His wife, Ella, died several years later and is buried in Louisville. 

Stephen was the son of Joel E. Gibson and Margaret J. Martin. Joel supposedly died young in 1853 - it's very possible he's buried in the main Gibson Cemetery or perhaps Gibson #2. His wife, Margaret, died a little over 50 years later and she is buried in the Smith Mills Cemetery. I'm not sure that in 1853 that Joel would have been buried there -- more likely buried in the main Gibson Cemetery, just without a findable tombstone. 

Joel E. Gibson was the son of Berryman Gibson and Susan Duncan, my 5x Grandparents. For Betsy, they are her 4x Grandparents - that's what makes us 5th cousins 1x removed. While she was in Henderson, she did breakfast with my Mom who would be her 5th cousin, as Berryman and Susan are Mom's 4x Grandparents as well. 

Funny enough, we went downtown to an antique shop and saw a framed photograph of firemen from back in the day. I told her in the photograph was my Great-Granduncle, Russell Sandefur.

Right after we left the antique shop - we headed to a porch tea party that I was allowed to tag along. The most crazy Godwink ever occurred. It was being hosted by a dear friend of Betsy's late mother and the woman turned out to be my Grandma Glynda's first cousin - Rita (Sandefur) Clement, the daughter of Russell Sandefur, in the photograph! 

We Gibson girls got together in a photograph (the other Gibson's in the photo are closer related to Betsy, than to myself) and then they grabbed a photo of me and Rita together - the Sandefur girls. Rita is not a Gibson descendant as that comes through my Great-Grandmother Anna (Thompson) Sandefur, and not her husband. 

Our last stop of the day, before we lost the daylight that September evening, was to the Gibson Cemetery so she could see the graves of her 4x Grandparents and her 5x Grandfather. 

You can actually see Betsy in the background of this photograph that I took of Joel Gibson's tombstone that day. Photographed with her 5x Grandfather, what a spectacle, huh? I'm not sure she felt it but every time I go out there... I'm overcome with the connection to my ancestors. Gibson Cemetery will always be one of my absolute favorite places on Earth. 

As always - thank you for reading about the interesting people in my family tree! I appreciate every read my blog gets whether you're a loyal follower or a newcomer. Thank you so much!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 30: Health

I did a thing for my genealogy page on Facebook (Genealogy by Brecca) a little over a year ago. It was a pedigree, of sorts, just showing the causes of death for my ancestors. I started it with my Grandparents - then went back further. 

My paternal Grandfather died of cancer -- it started out bladder cancer and spread to a lot of other places. My paternal Grandmother died young of a massive heart attack. My maternal Grandfather suffered multiple sclerosis for 35 years before it finally took him. My maternal Grandmother, her death certificate said cardiac arrest due to hypertension, dementia, and depression. 

My Great-Grandparents -- heart attack, don't know (no death certificate available yet), heart attack, diabetes, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart attack, and supposedly Alzheimer's (but I actually wonder if it was Parkinson's with dementia.) 

My 2x Grandparents -- cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, hypertension, bronchial pneumonia, cardiac decompensation, pulmonary tuberculosis, cerebral thrombosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, don't know (death certificate not available), cerebral hemorrhage, coronary thrombosis, don't know (death certificate not available), cerebral hemorrhage, and stomach cancer. 

My 3x Grandparents (I'll just list the ones I know instead of all the 'don't know's) -- chronic nephritis, liver cancer, cardiovascular heart disease, chronic nephritis, apoplexy, endocarditis, apoplexy, organic heart disease, tuberculosis, organic heart disease, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, chronic nephritis, senility, senility, consumption (tuberculosis), pneumonia, chronic nephritis, dysentery, cardiovascular heart disease, arteriosclerotic heart disease. 

4x Grandparents -- labor pneumonia, chronic nephritis, senility, and senility. 

Further back than that - it was before the use of death certificates and most of the times death ledgers didn't even show the cause of death, which irks me. They don't mention the cemetery they're buried in either which makes me so sad and frustrated. 

It's safe to say that I've got a little bit of everything that runs in the family -- especially heart problems, kidney problems, diabetes, and honestly, something happening to the brain (cerebral hemorrhages and cerebral thrombosis). Honestly the ones that passed of 'senility,' I think just died of natural causes / old age. But, senility might have just been the coroner's 'easy way of filling out the death certificate' without doing an autopsy, etc. 

I know cancer runs in the family - of all different kinds, shapes, and sizes, so to speak. Stomach cancer, bladder cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, the list could go on and on.

My paternal Grandmother dying at 48 years old (in 1982) of a massive heart attack... she was a small lady, only about 5' and heck, she probably only weighed 115 pounds, if that.. Now that I'm 240+ pounds, my heart has been hurting this year and not just from my constant depression. I've started working out quite vigorously in the last month and I've lost five pounds so far.. but my heart still hurts. I believe I have cardiovascular heart disease. I think I probably have organic heart disease as well. Possibly even arteriosclerotic heart disease. I know I inherited my maternal Grandpa's heart murmur. 

I'm predisposed to end up with type 2 diabetes. It wouldn't surprise me if I end up with some type of kidney disease before my life is over, and probably some type of cancer. I've already dealt with a cervical cancer scare already and that was a few years ago. 

As a genealogist - I certainly believe it's important to go back, if you're able, and look at the death certificates of your ancestors to see what their causes of death were. It's important to know your family health history. Even if that's the only reason you get interested in your family tree - it's a pretty good reason to get interested. 

Let me know if you've ever found an interesting cause of death while working on your family tree. I'd love to hear the story of it!

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 29: Fashion

My family tree is full of all sorts of different fashions from this era and that era. Unfortunately, I don't have a photograph of each one of my ancestors but, I'd like to share a few photographs of ancestors in different styles of clothing. 

This photograph shows my Great-Grandparents - Doc and Lorene (White) Jones and a couple of their youngin's. This photograph is from roughly the 1940's - I feel this is typical dress for that time period. The Jones' didn't have much money - they lived in a little community called Wyatt, Missouri, in Mississippi County. The house was built by my Great-Grandfather in the shape of an 'L' for my Great-Grandma, her name starting with an 'L.' 

This photograph is of my Great-Grandparents - Henry and Anna (Thompson) Sandefur. I believe this photograph is from the 1960's. I know it's pre-1970 as Poppy died that year. The dress my Nana is wearing, to me, is very reminiscent of the 50's and 60's. 

This photograph shows my 2x Grandparents - French Mefford and Emma Lillie (Turner) Mefford. It's dated circa 1945. I feel their clothing is very indicative of farmers in a farming community in the 1930's and 1940's. 

This photograph is interesting -- it shows turn of the century style for women. These are my 2x Grandparents - Bill and Icy (Bowers) White with their daughter Christine who was born in 1911. So I believe this photograph is about 1913 or so. My Great-Grandmother, Lorene was already born, but doesn't appear in the photo. Icy doesn't look pregnant at all. So it has to be 1913 or 1914 (Roughly.) To me, the 'suit style' clothing for women was just starting to come into style around that time. It especially became popular after WW1. Icy died in 1921 of tuberculosis. 

I'm unsure the date of this photograph - but it is also a photo of Icy (Bowers) White but this time with her sister. I want to say it's from the 1900's or 1910's as well. 

This photograph is my 2x Grandparents Martin and Mary Agnes (Nally) Blanford. I believe it was taken around their wedding - January 7th, 1913. I believe that might have been her wedding gown/dress. This photo has been colorized from black and white and creases/imperfections have also been fixed thanks to the group "Random Acts of Photo Restoration" on Facebook. I also used the Remini app to clear up their faces a bit. Agnes died young in 1927 -- tuberculosis. 

These are my 2x Grandparents, Charles and Carrie (Byrd) LaRue. I believe this photograph was taken in the late 1940's to very early 1950's as Carrie died in 1955. Dad LaRue was a farmer his whole life and while they didn't live dirt poor -- they certainly weren't wealthy. I feel their clothing is very typical for a 1940's farming family. 

This is my 2x Grandparents, Eugene and Ollie (Moss) Sandefur. This photograph I believe is from the 1940's as Eugene died in 1951. He was retired from the USPS. They didn't live dirt poor, but they weren't extremely wealthy either. They lived at 1421 Clay St. in Henderson, KY for the majority of their lives. 40+ years. 

This photo is of my Great-Great-Grandmother, Mary Janella (Nally) Thompson (on the left) and her twin sister, Camilla (Nally) Thompson (on the right) in 1898 when they were 16 years old. In my opinion, their dresses are very, very indicative of the styles of the 1880's and 1890's. Pre-turn of the century. They hailed from a Catholic farming family but I feel this photograph speaks volumes. I enhanced this photograph with Remini app to be able to see their features, especially their faces, more clearly. 

These are my 3x Grandparents - Phylander and Lucy (Knight) Turner. They died in the 1940's so I dare say this photograph is likely from the 1930's (even though it was dated 1915. I believe it's older than that.) Their clothing style in my opinion is very classic for the 1930's and 1940's for the 'elderly' if you will. 

My 4x Grandmother - Mary Ann (Mayhugh) Knight. She was born in 1833, and died 1923 -- so I'd say this photograph is from the 1910's, give or take. Her clothing still says 1890's or early 1900's to me (personally). She lived in a very rural, farming area of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. 

This is my 3x Grandmother - Eliza Catherine "Lidie" (Wilder) Bowers Carrier. She was born in Tennessee and eventually lived out the rest of her life in Portland, Oregon, after living in Arkansas for a long time. She died in Portland in 1938, so I believe the circa 1935 for this photo is probably correct. Lidie and her family certainly didn't have a lot of money so, her dress is very appropriate for an elderly woman in the early 1930's. 

This is my 3x Grandparents - John and Maria (Moore) Byrd. He died in 1922, so I know this photograph has to be from the 1910's. It's very turn of the century in their clothing styles, in my opinion. They were a poor Catholic farming family with many, MANY, kids. They had a lot of mouths to feed and they did very well in doing so. Their style is very simplistic but elegant, in my opinion. 

This photograph I believe is from about 1904, because the woman in this photo died in July of 1905. In fact, this could be from the spring of 1905. I believe the little boy in the photograph is Marion Ashby Sandefur who was born in 1903 and died in 1911. The woman is my 3x Grandmother - Susan Rebecca (Jarrett) Sandefur. Her half-brother was the outlaw John Jarrett who rode with the James-Younger gang. She's dressed in all black, and I've pondered if it was because she was in mourning or perhaps that was just the style she preferred to wear in her old age. 

This is my 3x Grandmother - Jane G. (Hazelwood) Moss Watkins. She died in 1928 -- so I believe this photograph is from the 1910's or early 1920's. She was a hefty woman, as you can tell. She came from a poor farming family, married into poor farmers.. Matter of fact, she and her second husband, that she's buried with, they don't even have a tombstone. They're buried in the cemetery next door to me -- Fernwood. I think her clothing is very indicative of the times and type of life she lived. 

That's all the old family photos I have that give you a good idea of clothing and styles throughout the centuries and decades and generations. I think it's safe to say most of my family came from nothing.. and some of them died with nothing. Some of them managed to make something of themselves and while they were born in poverty, they certainly didn't die there, I'm proud to say. 

I wouldn't call any of my ancestors 'fashionistas' by any means. I do believe I had some beautiful ancestors, especially my Grandma Mina, my 2x Grandma Mary Agnes, and my 2x Grandma Mary Janella. I've always found their beauty to be unparalleled. I wish so much that I could have inherited some of that beauty... alas, I hit the ugly branches in the family tree, instead. At least I nailed the intellect branches and personality branches. 

As always - thanks for reading about my ancestors!

Shoots to Save His Sister and Tragically Kills Her

This is one of the oddest yet one of the saddest of stories that I've come across while doing genealogy. Of course, like my previous posts, I came across this while working on the Gibson Cemetery meticulously back in August and September. 

A little bit of backstory about the people involved in this story.

Nora J. Walker and Eldridge Lee Walker were children of Eldridge Ellis Walker and Mary Babb. Nora was born on July 13th, 1877, and her younger brother on April 25th, 1880.

The assailant in this story was Owen Thomas Koonce, the son of Owen Thomas Koonce and Martha Ann "Mattie" Gibson. He was born July 7th, 1877. He was married to a sister of Nora and Eldridge -- Annie Walker, who was born on May 15th, 1885. 

According to the article: Owen Koonce admittedly declared his intention to take Nora home with him and possibly kill her. Nora had been staying with Owen and her sister Annie out in Zion. She came home; she was living, it appears, with her brother Eldridge. 

Eldridge was informed that evening by their other brother, Ernest, (born January 14th, 1893) who only lived a block away from Eldridge and Nora, that Owen had informed him that he was coming at 9 o'clock that night to kill Nora. 

Thinking he wasn't serious - Eldridge went to bed... but then he heard Nora exclaim, "Oh Lord, here he comes now." Eldridge jumped up and went to the window and thought he saw Owen coming towards the house with a pistol (something shiny.) 

Eldridge ran out of the room to grab a shotgun and when he returned, he saw Owen had raised a chair to strike Nora. Apparently Owen spotted the shotgun and immediately grabbed Nora to use her as a human shield just as Eldridge shot the gun. Eldridge states he shot at Owen's head - so he was almost sure he had hit him as Owen was taller than Nora. 

They both fell to the floor, but it wasn't until Owen clabbered up and ran out of the house, that Eldridge realized, he'd killed his sister instead. It was later discovered that when the police was contacted the first time over interference between the Walker's and Owen Koonce, he'd said he wasn't scared of them and he'd kill them if they came after him. 

In 2021 -- if someone were to threaten the police with that, they'd have been locked up and the unfortunate event that unfurled between Owen, Eldridge, and Nora wouldn't have happened. Nora could have filed an emergency protection order and her life could have been saved. Sadly, in 1919... things like that didn't exist. There wasn't the police presence there is today. There wasn't the manpower to protect like there is now.  It's cases like Nora's that help today's police take threats like this seriously. 

After the ordeal - Eldridge was arrested, initially, for the shooting and killing of his sister. But after all the facts were gathered, testimonies were heard... a coroner's jury cleared him of all charges brought against him. 

Nora Walker was laid to rest in Fernwood Cemetery on September 10th, 1919. She didn't have a Find-a-Grave until I came across this series of unfortunate events and I give reason to that as: she's buried unmarked. Her mother is buried in Fernwood as well, but her father is actually buried out at Liles Cemetery. Both parents passed away only two years after Nora's death.

I'm assuming Owen and Annie remained married after everything that happened as the two are indeed buried together (I certainly would have left the guy, personally) -- Owen died on April 13th, 1944, and is buried in Fernwood Cemetery. Annie ended up passing away in 1962. 

Their brother, Eldridge, never married and never had children; he died on July 3rd, 1965, and is buried in Fairmont Cemetery with a tombstone marked 'Uncle.' 

A moment of silence for Nora - violently taken way too soon in life. A moment of silence for Eldridge - who had to live with that horrendous accident for the rest of his life. 

Robert Jackson Sellars: A great loss.

I found an obituary in the Evansville Courier & Press for Robert Jackson Sellars. 

I thought it was interesting they said of him, "he was one of the most prominent farmers in the community and his death is a great loss." 

A great loss it was. 

He was the son of Isham Sellars and Lucy Ann Hughes. 

Robert married Malinda Belle Gibson on November 28th, 1888, in Henderson Co, KY. 

They reared just two children: Pearl and Fidelia, and unfortunately, Pearl died at just four years old. Possibly of typhoid fever herself - but I've found no death ledger. 

Malinda remarried to George Hickman Cates. The daughter, Fidelia, married Rufus Cates.

Robert and Malinda are buried in Gibson Cemetery #2 with their daughter, Pearl Sellars.

Eliza Thompson: The mystery of your family tree is no more!

 

I'm really ecstatic to have finally figured out the paternity of Eliza Thompson, buried in Gibson Cemetery #2. 

I knew Eliza was raised by her "adoptive" parents - James William Gibson and his wife, Mary Royster. 

Then I finally found James' will, which referred to Eliza was the 'daughter of Willie Thompson, desc'd.' Somewhere in the will it also states that Eliza had been in James' and Mary's care since she was "about a year old." 

Well, MY Thompson's pretty much stayed in the Union County, area.. but the Thompson's married into the Gibson's via my 2x Grandparents -- John Rowan Thompson marrying Mary Janella Nally, daughter of Vandalia Gibson. 

So I decided to look at neighboring families in the 1870 census of James William Gibson (who already had Eliza Thompson in his care by this point). Well, no Thompson's lived near by.. but sure enough a few doors down is Thomas Nally and his wife, Martha.. the parents of Henry Oliver Nally - who married Vandalia Gibson. 

I decided at that point... Eliza has to be from my Thompson's. Well. John Rowan Thompson's brothers are too young to be Eliza's Dad... so I looked at John Rowan's uncles. Hmm. He has an Uncle named Willis Thompson who was born about 1844 and died about 1870..

Jackpot. 

Willis Thompson's wife was Emily Adeline Pritchett -- and let's face it, the Pritchett's marry into the Gibson's umpteen times. Emily's second marriage was Jack Koonce, and the Koonce's are buried in Gibson Cemetery #1. Emily's sister, Sudia, married Robert Benjamin Gibson, who was a brother of Vandalia Gibson!

I already had Willis' daughter Elizabeth in my tree - birth date October 20th, 1868, and baptism (christening in the Catholic church) May 11th, 1869.. and Eliza's birth date is supposedly October 20th.. so jackpot. This is the correct person. 

Her tombstone looks more like a birth year of 1869, but, with some cleaning, it may reveal 1868 not 1869. Tombstones can sometimes be a year or two off, anyway. It lines up that 1868 is the correct birth date since she was christened in 1869 and is already a year old in the census of 1870 (she would have turned two after the census was taken that year.) 

So Eliza is my 1st cousin 4x removed. The mystery of your family tree is no more, cousin!!