52 Ancestors 2021: Week 4: Favorite Photo

 

This is a photograph of my 2x Grandparents -- Martin Allen Blanford and Mary Agnes (Nally) Blanford. I *think* it was from their wedding but I could be wrong. He's in a suit and she's in a white blouse with a nice hair-style so.. I'm thinking wedding. 

This photograph is one of my most treasured possessions, and it was one of my Grandpa's favorite pictures, as well. You see, Mary Agnes died very young. Let's talk about Martin and Agnes for a few, shall we?

Martin was born on February 28th, 1888, in Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky, to Samuel Blandford and Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" Raley. 

Mary Agnes was born November 6th, 1894, in Smith Mills, Henderson County, Kentucky, to Thomas Sidney Nally and Matilda Catherine McBride. 

On January 7th, 1913, in Union County, Kentucky, they wed, most likely in one of the Catholic churches -- Sacred Heart or Saint Peter's is my guess. 

They were the parents of six children -- one whom died/stillbirth. Of the living children, three were sons and two were daughters. 

On January 28th, 1927, at the young age of 32, Mary Agnes Nally passed away from pulmonary tuberculosis. She had been sick with this for about two years, according to the death certificate. She left behind children who were only 14, 12, 9, 6, and 4 (roughly) in ages. She was laid to rest in Saint Peter's Catholic Church Cemetery in Waverly, Union County, Kentucky. 

Thanks to an awesome group on Facebook called "Random Acts of Photo Restoration," I was able to get the crinkles fixed in the photo of Martin and Agnes. For the first time, I could really truly see Agnes' beauty. I used MyHeritage to help colorize the photograph and used the Remini app to "clear" up the photo a bit...and this is the final product. Martin and Agnes in all their glory in circa 1913. 108 years ago. 

If you're ever in Waverly, stop by Mary Agnes' grave and tell her hello. 94 years after her death, she is still deeply missed. There probably isn't anyone alive today who remembers her in person, as her children are long gone, siblings as well.. but, her Grandchildren feel her absence as the Grandmother they never got to know. My Grandfather would look at this photograph on his desk and think of his Grandfather, who didn't die until 1968 (my Grandpa would have been 32 in 1968)...but he always longed for a relationship with the Grandmother who died so young. It apparently shaped his father, Richard Blanford, who was their oldest child, in ways that I can't even imagine. 

Tuberculosis took another one of my 2x Grandmother's at a very young age... but that's a blog for another day. I'll wrap this one up by just saying.. remember your ancestors who died young, because without them.. you wouldn't be here today.

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 3: Namesake

My name is Brecca -- and sadly, I'm not named after anyone. In fact, most people mispronounce or misspell my name as Becca or Rebecca. My name is pronounced Brek-kuh. My first name actually came from my Dad sitting back and watching an old Western movie where there was a character named "Bricka," or something similar to that. 

However, there is a gorgeous name in my family that for a couple generations was "a family name," if you will, and then it seemed to have died out, quite literally. It's my absolute favorite name in my entire family tree...

Vandalia.

The first Vandalia was my 3x Grandmother, Vandalia Delia (Gibson) Nally. I, unfortunately, have no photographs of Vandalia, even though she lived well into the 20th century. I'm not incredibly sure what or who the first Vandalia was named after... my speculation is the Vandalia territory. 

According to Wikipedia -- Vandalia was the name in the late 1700s of a proposed British colony in North America. The colony would have been located south of the Ohio River, primarily in what are now West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky. 

It's possible the Gibson family knew of this proposed colony as they came to Kentucky from Caswell County, North Carolina, and would have undoubtedly traveled through eastern Kentucky to arrive in Henderson County, Kentucky in the mid 1810's. 

Vandalia was born December 21st, 1856, in the Corydon area of Henderson County, Kentucky, where the Gibson family had been settled since Joel Gibson, Vandalia's great-Grandfather, came to the area in 1813. He came with a passel of his children, including his son Berryman Gibson, who was Vandalia's Grandfather. 

Vandalia herself was the daughter of John Gregory Gibson and Mahala Caroline Busby. She was their ninth child -- their fifth daughter. Vandalia and her older sister Neosha, were the only two daughters that lived past their 20's. 

On January 28th, 1880, at Old Highland Missionary Baptist Church in Union County, Kentucky, Vandalia became Mrs. Henry Oliver Nally. She was 23 years old. On her marriage application, she is listed as "Vannie Gibson." Vannie was her lifelong nickname. 

Henry and Vandalia were the the parents of seven children -- of those seven, there were two sets of twins. Janella & Camilla being the first, and then Henry & Vandelia being the last.

Martha Vandelia "Vannie" (Nally) Williams was born on November 19th, 1891, in Corydon, Kentucky. She was the twin of Henry Oliver "Bud" Nally. Vannie married Richard James "RJ" Williams and bore him one daughter, Eleanor Dorothy (Williams) McKasson. 

Vannie unfortunately died young, on November 9th, 1913, just shy of her 22nd birthday. 

Looking back at another of Vandalia's daughters -- Janella -- she mothered the third, and final "Vannie" in our family line. 

Vannie Louise Thompson was born to John Rowan Thompson and Mary Janella Nally on November 24th, 1911, in Henderson County, KY. Unfortunately, Vannie didn't live a long life. At almost four years old, she passed away of membranous croup and was laid to rest along with the other Vannie's in the Gibson Family Cemetery. She died November 19th, 1915. That would have been her aunt, Martha Vandelia's 24th birthday, coincidentally enough.

The original Vandalia -- she lived to see the age of 92. She passed away on July 5th, 1949, in Henderson, KY, of arteriosclerotic heart disease. 

If you ever go to the Gibson family cemetery out on top of the hill on Hughes-Sights Road in Corydon, Kentucky, remember to pay your respects to the Vandalia's of our family, especially those who didn't live a long life at all. And also, remember to pay your respects to the patriarch of the Gibson's in Henderson County -- Joel Gibson, my 6x Grandfather. Without Joel, none of us would be here today. And when I say none of us, I quite literally mean just about every person in Henderson County, Union County, and even Webster County have a line going back to Joel Gibson. 

Joel, too, became a family name in the Gibson family but, it would take me eons to gather up information on every single Joel there is in the family. There are five when I type in "Joel Gibson" into my family tree on Ancestry, but I know there are more than that, that I haven't added in. 

I have another interesting "namesake" story in my tree that I could talk about... and that's my 3x Grandmother, Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" (Raley) Blandford. She was named after Olive Ann Oatman (1837-1903) -- an American woman taken hostage by a Native American tribe. The character of Eva Oakes, on the AMC show, Hell on Wheels, is adapted from Olive Oatman. 

The Wikipedia about Olive Oatman: Olive Oatman

Photograph below is of the real Olive Oatman, from the Wikipedia page.

My 3x Grandmother, Mary Olive Oatman "Ollie" Raley was born February 3rd, 1864, in Union County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of George Washington Raley and Frances "Fanny" Martin. She was one of at least nine children -- most of them being girls. 

On October 8th, 1883, at Sacred Heart Church, she became Mrs. Samuel Blandford, at the age of 19 years. 

Sam and Ollie had eight children together before she passed away on June 16th, 1906, at the age of 42. I'm unsure of what Ollie's C.O.D. was, as in 1906, Kentucky wasn't keeping proper death certificates yet. I believe, though, that she's buried in Saint Peters Cemetery in Waverly, Union County, Kentucky. However, no tombstone for her has been located. I've also never seen a photograph of Sam Blandford nor Ollie (Raley) Blandford. Sam re-married shortly after Ollie's death.  

I may, someday, revisit this topic and talk about all the Joel Gibson's in the family, if I ever find them all, LOL. But for now.. I think I'll wrap this up. :)

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 2: Family Legend

I think every American has a story of "my some-odd great-grandparent was Native American." For me, it's my 2x Great-Grandmother, Icy Lucretia "Credie" (Bowers) Wilson White. 

Now, I've heard that she was full blooded Cherokee. I've heard she was full blooded Shawnee. Cree. Sioux. You name it, she's been called it. My whole life, I was told that's where our coal black hair and chocolate brown eyes come from. High cheek bones, super tan complexion, etc, etc. 

So upon doing my DNA in February of 2018, and getting the results in April of 2018, I expected having at least anywhere from about 3% to 9% of Native American ancestry -- or at least something that Native American could pop on a DNA test. A lot of times it'll show as Indigenous America or even Eastern Asian. 

But hmm. Instead, I received 1% African. So then my Great-Aunt tested.. Credie would have been her Grandmother. My Great-Aunt should have about 20-30% Native American in her ethnicity results........ nope. 1% African. 

Then my Dad takes a DNA test and guess what? 1% African. All of my other White/Bowers cousins? 1-2% African. Consistently. The biggest story floating around is that Sally & Credie (sisters) were born and raised in Oklahoma and were full blooded Cree Indians. But let's face the facts: they weren't born in Oklahoma and as far as I can tell, they were never ever IN Oklahoma. There is also a family story of a photograph of Credie in full Indian head-dress... I've never seen such a photo, nobody has put it on Ancestry or FamilySearch, so I doubt its authenticity. 

Let us start looking at the actual facts about Icy Lucretia "Credie". In the picture below -- Sally is standing and Credie is sitting.

Icy Lucretia "Credie" Bowers was born October 21st, 1886, in Sullivan County, Tennessee, to Abraham "Abe" Bowers and Eliza Catherine "Cynthia" "Lidie" Wilder. In 1889, her sister Sara Lucinda "Sally" Bowers was born. The area of Sullivan County, TN, is known for its Melungeon people. 

Because of the 1890 census burning, we never see the family together with Abe Bowers as the head of household. It is reported that Abe died on September 12th, 1890, in Sullivan County, Tennessee. 

After Abe's death, Lidie (Wilder) Bowers went on to marry Daniel "Dan" Carrier on December 23rd, 1890, in Sullivan County, TN, and have a passel more children including: Robert, Nancy, Elcana, Isaac, Gertrude, Iva, Daniel, and Herman. 

By 1900, Dan & Lidie Carrier, along with her Bowers daughters, and her new Carrier children, are living in Clay County, Arkansas. In the 1930's, Lidie and Dan made the journey up to Portland, Oregon. Lidie died there in 1938. 

There is a photograph of Lidie in 1935 in Portland... she is pale white, she does have some high cheekbones, but.. she absolutely is not Native American. Lidie's parents Ike Wilder & Betsy Leonard were born in Tennessee & Virginia respectively. The Wilder & Leonard lines, I do believe, are English. 

Now, going back to Abraham "Abe" Bowers -- there are a couple different Abe Bowers running around Sullivan County, TN. I am NOT disputing that there is a Native American Bowers line but MY Bowers line is NOT it. I do believe some of our family has found an Abraham Bowers who moved to Oregon and signed the Dawes rolls. That is NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! and I repeat this again, that is NOT!!!!!!!!! our Abraham "Abe" Bowers. 

My Abraham "Abe" Bowers was born in 1866 in Sullivan County, TN, to Allen Bowers & Lizzie Alfred (Alford). Now here is where I believe our 1% African might be coming from on this line. Bear with me, please. 

In the 1850 census, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Alfred (or Alford) is listed as MULATTO with her mother, Sarah Alfred/Alford. Her husband, Peter Alford/Alfred must have died prior to 1850. Sarah, too, is listed as mulatto. Sarah's maiden name is reported as Sawyers.

By the 1870 census, where Abe is listed with his parents, Allen & Elizabeth -- the family is listed as white. Allen's death, I haven't been able to find, but Elizabeth passed in 1879, as Allen is a widower by the 1880 census.  

Allen Bowers' biological father remains a mystery. It is said he is the son of Nancy Anna Bowers, who had Allen, possibly out of wedlock, and then married she John Hays in 1849. She is consistently listed as white in census. Nancy was a daughter of Leonard Bowers & Rebecca Nave, who are ancestors of none other than country singer, Tim McGraw. 

It's entirely possible there could be some African ancestry through Allen's biological father, too. Perhaps that's why he took his mother's last name.. perhaps whoever the biological father was, it was a shameful family secret? Who knows.

Ultimately, I believe this "mulatto" is where our African (as tiny as 1% to 2%) is coming from in the Bowers line -- Lizzie Alfred/Alford Bowers and her side of the family. It is entirely possible that Peter Alford/Alfred was a white man and that Sarah Sawyers was a mulatto due to being the daughter of a slave and a slave master. Peter Alford could have also been mulatto or perhaps he was full African, but since he died before the 1850 census, I can't find his ethnicity. 

We know Sarah reports her birth place as Virginia and Virginia was quite a large slave state in her life time.. she was born 1809 and died 1896. She would be my 5x Grandmother. 

For Credie Bowers, the rest of the FACTS about her.. she married for the first time to O.G. Wilson in Datto, Clay Co, Arkansas on August 9th, 1903. The marriage was short lived because on February 11th, 1905, in Datto, she married William Joseph "Bill" White. 

Bill & Credie had five children: Homer, Christeen, Lorene, Thelma, and Wilma. 

They family lived in Clay Co, Arkansas in the 1910 census, and then the Ripley County, Missouri census in 1920. 

Credie died March 4th, 1921, in Ripley County, Missouri. Her death certificate names her "Lucrissia White". It lists her as WHITE, MARRIED, 35 years, 4 months, and 10 days old. 

It says she is the daughter of Abe Bowers and Lydia Wilders of Tennessee. The informant is her husband, Will White. She was buried in Black Cemetery according to the death certificate but a marker has been found for her (it's a new marker, probably placed by a descendant) in Richwoods Cemetery in Corning, Clay Co, Arkansas. 

More than likely, Black Cemetery was in Ripley County and is actually where Credie is buried. Likely, her tombstone in Corning is a cenotaph. 

So... fact: Credie was a white woman from Sullivan County, TN, who never was in Oklahoma a day in her life. Fact: She had no Native American blood (unless it was really far back). Fact: She likely had African ancestry and that's why her descendants are receiving African in their DNA results, not Native American. Fact: She passed away of pulmonary tuberculosis and died way too young. Fact: She left behind young children, one of them being my great-Grandmother, Lorene (White) Jones. 

I'm sure Credie was a fascinating woman.. her mother, Lidie, as well. I wish I could have met both of them. As a genealogist and family historian, all I can do now is follow the paper trail history has left me and the clues found in my DNA. 

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 3: Long Line

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, 2020 Challenges

Week Three: "Long Line."

Long line could be taken in a lot of ways. I could talk about the long line of bus drivers I descend from or the long line of jokesters I come from. Maybe the long line of farmers in my family. But I thought the best thing to talk about when it comes to "long line" is how far back my roots in America go on each branch of my tree. Or at least...the ones I've confirmed the furthest back. 

Firstly, my Mefford line. I have three of them, you know. My 3x Grandparents were first cousins...and then my 3x Grandfather's parents were double first cousins. *Yes, that is banjos you hear playing in the background.*

The first Mefford, or Meffert, in America was Andreas Meffert, born January 2nd, 1707, in Hessen, Germany. He migrated to America with some of his sons in 1749, coming in through, I believe, the Port of Philadelphia. Andreas or as he became to be known as, Andrew, spent the rest of his life living in the Washington County, Pennsylvania area, where he died on August 13th, 1760. His widow, Anna Magdalena Haas Meffert is said to have made the move down to Frederick County, VA, where she died in 1765. 

I descend through their son Casper Mefford. It's interesting to note, and I'll add it right here, that Tom Hanks and Mr. Rogers also descend from Andreas Meffert -- through his son Johannes "John" Meffert. Tom Hanks didn't know about his Meffert lineage until he went to portray Mr. Rogers in a biopic a couple of years ago. A couple genealogists put their heads together and found the connection. Imagine my surprise when I open an article to see the name "Andreas Meffert" in it. I about fainted. 

Anyway -- Casper Mefford was the first to use the spelling Mefford and keep it. He was born August 27th, 1741 in Hessen, Germany, and migrated with his father in 1749. He married miss Maria Siegler in Philadelphia on March 30th, 1763. Eventually, Casper, Maria, and their family migrated south to Virginia where Casper died on November 23rd, 1805, in Rockingham County. Casper's widow, Maria, passed away April 16th, 1816, also in Rockingham County. 

From Casper, I descend from his son John Mefford. John was born October 8th, 1764, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On January 8th, 1787, in Rockingham County, Virginia, he married miss Mary Lemon. By the 1820 census, John and his family were living in the Logan County, Kentucky, area. John died in Logan County on April 18th, 1842. John's wife, Mary, preceded him in death by at least two years. 

From John, I actually descend through two of his children. Twice through his son, Jacob; and once through his son, George. 

George W. Mefford was born January 11th, 1789, in Rockingham County, Virginia. In approximately 1811, probably in Rockingham County, Virginia, he married miss Anna Hudlow. By the 1830 census, he was living in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He died in Butler County, Kentucky, on October 24th, 1877, and his tombstone still stands. Anna preceded him in death on November 19th, 1859, in Butler County...and her tombstone still stands, too. 

As for his brother, Jacob -- he was born May 11th, 1790, in Rockingham County, Virginia. He married miss Susanna "Susan" Hudlow on December 21st, 1808, in Rockingham County. By the 1820 census, they appear to be living in Logan County, Kentucky. Jacob died in the Muhlenberg County area in roughly October of 1835. Susan reportedly died the following year, in 1836.

From George, I descend through his son, Andrew Jackson Mefford, who was born February 25th, 1817, in what was probably Logan County, Kentucky. On July 10th, 1839, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, he married miss Catharine "Katie" Mefford -- his double first cousin. Catharine was the daughter of Jacob Mefford & Susan Hudlow. She was born January 28th, 1817, in Logan County, Kentucky. Katie passed away August 26th, 1855, in Muhlenberg County, leaving Andrew a widower. 

Andy re-married and eventually passed away on July 28th, 1873, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. From Andy and Katie, I descend through their son, George Washington Mefford. George was born July 13th, 1847, in Muhlenberg County. On March 19th, 1868, in Muhlenberg County, he married miss Amanda Hardison -- his first cousin. 

Amanda "Manda" Hardison was born December 14th, 1848, in Logan County, Kentucky and was the daughter of John A. Hardison and Mary Anna "Annie" Mefford. Annie Mefford was a sister of Catharine "Katie" Mefford, thus making her a daughter of Jacob Mefford & Susan Hudlow. Annie was born circa 1819 and passed away sometime between 1860 and 1870. 

As for George & Manda -- Manda passed away on August 23rd, 1918, in Muhlenberg County. George outlived her and passed away on January 30th, 1930, in Muhlenberg County. From the two of them came only two daughters and two sons. I descend through the eldest boy, French Mefford. 

French Mefford was born April 2nd, 1874, in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. On February 7th, 1898, he married miss Emma Lillie Turner in Muhlenberg County. French died April 24th, 1955, in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Lillie passed December 14th, 1964, in Greenville, Muhlenberg County. 

From them was born one son and three daughters. I descend, of course, through their son -- Clinton "Clint" Mefford. He was born July 29th, 1903, in Ennis, Muhlenberg County. He married the lovely Edith Mae Bastin on June 26th, 1926, in Hartford, Ohio County, Kentucky. He preceded her in death on October 3rd, 1965, in Greenville. She went on to re-marry and lived until April 11th, 1988, passing in Daviess County, Kentucky. 

Their son, Glen Bastin Mefford, was my Grandfather.. and he sadly passed away on August 11th, 2020. From Granddad Glen to Andreas Meffert was nine generations. Nine generations between Granddad and the first Meffert to land on American soil. Even though, in 1749, we weren't quite the United States, were we? We were the British Colonies of America, I believe? 

****

Anyway... the second line I can talk about, that goes back even further in American history -- is my mother's maiden name, Blanford. It originally was spelled Blandford before someone dropped the middle D. We hailed from the area of Dorset, England. Just a short distance from the actual town of Dorset is a little place called Blandford Forum and I believe that's where we originated from. We got our last name from the town, more than likely..so who knows what our last name was before Blandford. Or perhaps...the town was named for us. Hmph!

Thomas Blandford was born about 1648 in the Dorset area of England. He is the furthest back documented Blandford I can trace. I believe he came to America around the year 1673, although it could have been as early as 1660. I had previously believed Thomas was a son of a John Blandford & Dorothy Wright, but, there's not a lot of concrete evidence to back that up. 

We know Thomas married Tabitha Wright on June 13th, 1678, in Calvert County, Maryland. The Blandford's at this point are starting to become well documented here in America because they're Catholic. And let's face it... Catholics keep phenomenal records. Thomas passed away in Prince George's County in 1698. Tabitha survived him until 1701. Tabitha had previously had children with William Mills -- that's also a very old name in Catholic America coming over from England. 

From Thomas & Tabitha, I descend from their son, Thomas Blandford. Thomas was born in either late 1678 or early 1679, Calvert County, Maryland. Around 1697 or so, he married Sarah Beaven. They both died in Prince George's County around 1749. 

From Thomas & Sarah, I descend through John Blandford. John was born roughly in 1709 in Prince George's County. His first wife was an Elizabeth Hagan, but his second wife, was a woman named Eleanor, who he married around 1751. Her last name right now remains a mystery. John passed in Prince George's, in 1770. 

From John and his second wife Eleanor, I come from their son, John Baptist Blandford. John Baptist was born about 1758, likely in Prince George's County, Maryland -- and around 1773, he married Elizabeth Clarke. Sometime after that, they made the "Great Catholic Migration" from Maryland down to Eastern Kentucky. John & Elizabeth both supposedly pass in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1797. 

Their son, John Baptist Blandford, comes next in my lineage. He was born about 1774, likely in Prince George's County, Maryland, and married miss Catharine Hagan on November 12th, 1795, in Nelson County, Kentucky. The Hagan's, too, are an old English Catholic family. John passed away, probably in Nelson or Washington County, Kentucky, in 1818. Catharine eventually migrated with her children to Union County, Kentucky, where she died May 7th, 1859. It is likely she was buried in Saint Vincent / Sacred Heart Cemetery but no tombstone exists today. 

Through them came a son named Richard B (probably Baptist) Blandford. He was born about 1810 in likely Nelson County, Kentucky. Through his second wife, Rosella Jane Boone, whom he married November 9th, 1847, in Union County, Kentucky, I descend. Richard passed away sometime between the 1860 and 1870 censuses, leaving Rosella as a widow. Rosella passed away in 1910 in Union County, Kentucky, and too, is likely buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery with no existing tombstone. 

From Richard & Rosella came a son named Samuel "Sam" Blandford and it is through him and his two wives that he populated present day Union County, Henderson County, and even some of Daviess County with Blandford's. I think even some crossed over the river into Evansville, Indiana. 

Samuel Blandford was born April 15th, 1860, in Union County, Kentucky and he married his first wife, October 8th, 1883, at Saint Vincent Church, in Saint Vincent, Union County, Kentucky... her name was Mary Olive Oatman Raley, "Ollie" for short. The Raley's, too, are an old English Catholic family. 

Ollie preceded Sam in death on June 16th, 1906, in Union County, Kentucky. Sam married again and eventually left his second wife a widow on February 1st, 1916, in Union County, Kentucky. I believe both Sam & Ollie are likely buried in Saint Vincent Cemetery, but again, no tombstones have been found. It's plausible they could be interred at Saint Peter Catholic Cemetery but, again, no tombstones have been located. 

Sam & Ollie bore several children, their son Martin Allen Blanford being my ancestor. Dad Blanford, as he was called, was born February 28th, 1888, in Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky. He married the beautiful Mary Agnes Nally on January 7th, 1913, in Union County -- likely at Saint Peter Church. Agnes bore him six children before the good Lord called her home at an early age -- just 32 years young, on January 28th, 1927. She died of tuberculosis. The Nally family, too, is an old English Catholic family. 

Dad Blanford married again and lived a long life -- he passed away April 24th, 1968, in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Dad & Agnes' first son, Richard Jerome Blanford, was my Great-Grandfather. "Dick" as he was known, was born November 5th, 1913, in Union County, Kentucky. 

On July 11th, 1931, probably in Holy Name Catholic Church, he married miss Verna Lorene LaRue and to them 13 children were born. They both lived long, but hard lives at times. Lorene passed away of breast cancer on May 8th, 1991. The LaRue's had been in Henderson County for quite a while, and Lorene and her immediate LaRue family were Catholic, but I don't believe the LaRue's were always Catholic. I'll talk about them again in a minute. 

Dick passed away from prostate cancer on December 14th, 1995, in Geneva, Henderson County, Kentucky. I actually had the pleasure of knowing my Great-Grandfather, just for a short while. I turned three the February after his passing. 

Their son, James Allen Blanford, who passed away six years ago today.. was my Grandfather. 

From my Grandpa Jady to Thomas Blandford of Dorset, England, are ten generations. Ten generations between the first English Blandford in America to my Grandpa. 

*****

For my LaRue kin -- we came to America as French Huguenots. As defined on Wikipedia -- "Huguenots were French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism." Now, my LaRue line can be traced further back into France than just what I'm going to talk about but -- my French Huguenot ancestor is my 9th Great-Grandfather, Abraham LaRue or "Le Roux". 

As per Wikipedia -- "The LaRue family and its descendants trace their ancestry back to the French Huguenot Abraham LeRoux, who sailed to America with his family around 1680 as part of a mass exodus from France. According to LaRue descendant and author of Six Generations of LaRue and Allied Families, Otis M. Mather, several attempts to trace Abraham's family to a particular individual or locality in France have been unsuccessful. However, Don Holland Watson began the search in 1961 and, along with his two sisters, visited Germany and France on several occasions, tracing the family from the sub-province of Lalloeu in France to Mannheim, in Germany, and from there to the USA, then tracking the family until modern times, all across the USA in personal visits.

Although there are dozens of family traditions describing in various ways how Abraham and his family first arrived in America, all sources agree that some of the LaRues were murdered during or soon after the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572, and afterward scattered across Europe and, eventually, America, where several members of the family were reunited.

Abraham LeRoux (LaRue) settled in New Jersey, where he died in 1712, leaving behind a son named Peter. Peter had three sons of his own; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from which sprang the LaRue families of Virginia and Kentucky."

Peter died in Frederick County, Virginia, in 1783. I descend from his son, Isaac LaRue Sr. Isaac was born 309 years ago today -- January 11th, 1712, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Around 1743, he married Phebe Carmen, and reared at least ten children who went forth and populated Kentucky & Virginia with LaRue's of all kinds. On March 20th, 1795, Isaac Sr dies in Frederick County, Virginia. 

From him, comes my 6th Great-Grandfather, Jacob LaRue Sr. Jacob was born May 1st, 1744, in Frederick County, Virginia. He married twice and had a slew of children with both women. I descend through his first wife, Mary Frost, whom he married in 1765 in Clarke County, Virginia. She died in 1804. Jacob eventually moved with a number of his descendants to present day Hardin County, Kentucky, where he died September 15th, 1821. 

My 5th Great-Grandfather was Samuel LaRue -- born about 1781 in Virginia. He married miss Elizabeth Dodge (Dodge is a very old American last name with roots in very early New England American history) on June 2nd, 1801, in Hardin County, Kentucky. Elizabeth passed in 1821 and Samuel shortly after in 1826. They mostly had daughters, which meant the LaRue last name was starting to die out... but they had two sons; one being my 4th Great-Grandfather. 

Josiah "Si" LaRue has been a tough man to trace down. He was born about 1804, likely in Hardin County, Kentucky, and by October 13th, 1828, in Floyd County, Indiana, he married miss Mary Castleman (old German family). They remain, however, in Hardin County in subsequent censuses. It seems they both die between 1850 and 1860. They had at least eleven children -- mostly sons, so the LaRue last name makes a come back! 

A lot of Josiah & Mary's descendants end up in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and even further west. I descend through their son, Benjamin Hardin LaRue. Ben LaRue was born about December of 1844 in probably Hardin County, Kentucky. For some reason, by the mid 1860's, he's made his way to Henderson County, Kentucky, where he marries miss Mary Philapine Lawrey. 

I'm unsure exactly when Mary passes away, but it was between the 1880 and 1900 census. She's likely buried in Smith Mills Cemetery in Smith Mills, Henderson County, Kentucky. Ben LaRue reportedly died on New Years Day 1901 and his will was probated on January 30th, 1901. He, too, is likely buried in Smith Mills Cemetery. 

They, too, had eleven children -- one of them being my 2nd Great-Grandfather, Charles Clarence "Dad" LaRue. Dad LaRue was born June 8th, 1883, in Henderson County, Kentucky. On April 27th, 1904, also in Henderson, he married Carrie Annie Byrd and they, too, had eleven children -- but only eight that survived past a few years old. Carrie predeceased Dad on June 29th, 1955.. and eventually Dad LaRue re-married, 

In 1973, Dad LaRue and his daughter, Verna Lorene LaRue (my Great-Grandmother) wrote into the local Evansville newspaper column "Bish Says" to try and get information on his parents. 

She goes so far as to say "Never heard his father mention any relative." Well -- Ben LaRue had eleven siblings and apparently, he'd never talked about them, either! Eventually, my Great-Grandmother received an answer from this article and came into contact with descendants of Josiah LaRue -- Ben LaRue's father -- who lived out in Kansas. My Mom, her parents, and my Great-Grandparents -- Dick Blanford and Verna Lorene LaRue, went on a road trip and went to Kansas to meet these cousins of Lorene. 

My Great-Grandmother might be gone, and my Great-Great-Grandfather might be gone, too, but.. I've solved the LaRue lineage. I don't, however, know exactly why Ben LaRue didn't talk about his parents or siblings or where he came from. I know he was born in 1844 and I believe his parents might have died between 1850-1860... but.. he still should have been old enough to have known who they were, known their names and whatnot. He had 10 siblings.. he should have at least known their names.. I suppose dementia could have played a factor. By the time he wanted to tell his son, Charles Clarence, about his family... maybe he didn't remember. 

The Lawrey line, too, though, has proved a tough nut to crack. That's a story for another time. 

*****

These are my furthest back and most well documented "overseas to America" lines. I do have my Sandefur, Gibson, Moss, Hazelwood, etc lines back to the 1700's but, I haven't made the official "jump over the big pond" with them. Not verified anyway. So perhaps I'll talk about those ancestors another day!

52 Ancestors 2020: Week 1: Fresh Start

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week One (January 1st - January 7th 2020)

Prompt: Fresh Start

Topic of Conversation: Outlaw, John Marion Jarrett, my 4th great-Uncle. 

The term ‘fresh start’ immediately makes me think of something like a divorce, a move across the country… in general, leaving your old life behind and starting anew. I could mention my 3x Grandmother and how after the death of her first husband, she moved from Sullivan Co, TN, to the Portland, OR area. I could talk about my 6x Grandfather and how he moved his family from Caswell Co, NC to Henderson Co, KY… but then I remembered the half-brother of my 3x Grandmother. 

John Jarrett was quite a character from everything I’ve been able to find out about him. He’s not the easiest person to research, actually. The man even let historians believe he and his family had died in a house fire in 1869… that was wrong. History wasn’t re-written until family historians like myself started researching him. I would have never researched him, honestly, if I hadn’t discovered he was the half-brother of my 3x Grandmother, Susan Rebecca (Jarrett) Sandefur. 

John Marion Jarrett was born on January 8th, 1833, to Joshua Jarrett and his first wife, Mary Elizabeth Dawson. According to documents, Joshua and Mary married on August 11th, 1828, in Nelson Co, KY. Mary Dawson was the daughter of Thomas Dawson and Nancy Sanders. After Mary died in 1838; it is reported that young John and his brother (who I haven’t been able to find) went to live with Mary’s parents. Joshua, however, re-married a woman named Martha Ann Washburn on March 29th, 1840, in Jefferson Co, KY.

They had at least one daughter — Susan Rebecca Jarrett. Martha died within a year or two later — around 1843. Joshua, at this point, moved to the Henderson Co, KY, area and married for his final time to widow Julia Harvey (Cheaney) Brooks. This marriage yielded no children. Joshua died sometime in 1849, in Henderson Co, KY, and in the 1850 census — you can see Susan is living with her step-mother, Julia.

Back in Nelson Co, KY, in the 1850 census, you can find John living with his grandparents, the Dawson’s. There isn’t another Jarrett living there. Sometime in about 1859, John Jarrett went to Jackson Co, MO for a visit. He came across the Younger family and ended up marrying Mary Josephine Younger — the sister of boys of the James-Younger gang. Within a year of the marriage to Josie, the Civil War broke out. John, supposedly along with an Uncle and some cousins, joined the Confederate Missouri State Guard. I haven’t found exactly which uncle and cousins this was… unsure if it was Jarrett side or Dawson. I haven’t found a Dawson or Jarrett in the Cass Co, MO area that fits the profile. 

When his enlistment term was over in December '61, John joined his brother-in-law, Cole Younger, who was riding with William C. Quantrill. During the spring and summer of '62 and '63, John was the Capt. of a group of bushwhackers riding under Quantrill and he participated in the battles of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Lexington, Missouri; and Hartville, Missouri. Around late '64, John was one of a group, including Cole Younger, who were sent on a secret mission to the Pacific Coast to purchase two vessels for the Confederacy. The four year conflict ended before their purchase was complete.

John Jarrett and Cole Younger took their time returning to Missouri; it's unknown if either of them participated in the Liberty, Missouri, bank robbery in February '66; although, they most likely knew of the plans for it. John's first peacetime robbery may have been Lexington, Missouri; after which he began the formation of what would become the James-Younger gang. John's experience leading men during the war, which included Cole Younger and Frank James, would have made him the most likely candidate for Capt. of the gang until his departure from them in 1875. 

In my research, John was definitely with the group when they robbed the bank in Russellville, Kentucky, in 1868. It’s interesting that they came so close to Henderson, KY, where John’s half-sister, Susan, was living with her now husband, Philo Hilyer Sandefur — he also fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War and was taken as a prisoner of war at one point.

I believe it was sometime after this that the James-Younger gang came to the Henderson area. There's supposedly carvings in a cave in the Robards, KY, area that have Frank and Jesse James' names carved in it. It's very possible that they came to Henderson to rest and "hide out" after the Russellville robbery and was probably treated like family by Susan & Philo Sandefur. 

Now… John Jarrett, his wife, and children were supposedly killed in a house-fire in Missouri in 1868/1869. In fact, John Jarrett let most historians believe this. But considering there wasn’t any newspaper news of it happening… it seems even now to be a stretch to believe such a lie. The two big pieces of evidence that proves they didn’t die — first, the 1870 census. 

In the 1870 census, John Jarrett, wife Josie, and two children — Mollie and Jeptha, are living in Carroll Co, Louisiana. His occupation is listed as a farmer. Previously, John had been a skilled carpenter. A comment made by George Sheperd confirms that Jarrett was living in Louisiana in 1872. It was after this that John and his family migrated north to the Henderson, KY area. Then comes the second biggest piece of proof that he didn’t die in 1868/1869. The marriage certificate of his daughter, Edwards Rosella “Edna” Jarrett. She states she was born on February 6th, 1875, in Henderson County, KY. She states on the marriage certificate that her parents were “John M. Jarrette” and “Josephine Younger.”

Before the move to Henderson -- the James-Younger gang was a part of a robbery in Bienville Parrish, Louisiana in 1874. I'm unsure if John Jarrett took part in that, or not... but it seems too big of a coincidence that the gang ended up down in Louisiana, probably looking for John after his "death" in the house-fire in '68/'69. This would give credence to Jim Cummins having said that he saw John living in Louisiana in 1872.

It appears that John was with the James-Younger gang for a bank robbery in Huntington, West Virginia, on September 6th, 1875. That was, supposedly, his last robbery. It was after that, that he moved his wife Josie and his children out west to California. It’s reported that a few years after arriving, his wife and son Jeptha passed away. That left him with daughters Marion “Mollie” and Edwards “Edna.” A researcher can find John Marion Jarrette listed in the voting census for San Mateo, California, in 1876. 

I have never found an 1880 census for the family. I would think that they’re still in the San Mateo area in 1880. It’s very possible that John used a false name for the census or perhaps they were over looked completely. According to Jim Cummins of the James-Younger gang — John Jarrett died in the Frisco Mountains of California in 1891. Again, I believe John Jarrett wanted people to believe he died.

John’s daughter, Mollie, re-appears in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada marrying Hugh Forbes Keefer on December 20th, 1890. In the 1891 census for Canada — his daughter Edna is living with her older sister, Mollie, and Mollie’s new husband, Hugh. On May 8th, 1893, Edna marries Robert H. “Bob” Leatherdale. It is said that neither daughter ever had anything else to do with their father again. 

Jim Cummins also said that Jarrett had been arrested for a robbery in California and that one of his daughters testified against him. Cummins isn’t a very reliable source for information, but perhaps there was a piece of truth to that. That could have been the reason he headed for Canada with his daughters. Or that could have been what drove his daughters away from him…and then he followed them. 

It’s reported that John spent the rest of his life in the railroad or mining businesses. For the last fifteen years of his life, he lived in the Greenwood, British Columbia area, where he died on April 20th, 1906. It’s hard for me to believe that he moved to British Columbia, probably with his daughters, and then never spoke with them again. I’m unsure when Mollie passed away — but there’s record of a Marion Keefer dying in San Mateo, California in the 1930’s. That might be her. I’m unsure. 

His daughter, Edna, passed away on November 13th, 1959, in Vancouver, BC. Her obituary doesn’t state that she was the daughter of the infamous James-Younger gang member, John Jarrett. I’ve never found any children of Hugh Keefer and Marion “Mollie” Jarrett — but I know Bob Leatherdale and Edna Jarrett had a number of children. In fact, one of their daughters — Mae Edna Leatherdale — died tragically at 16 years old. She and three of her friends parked beside of a frozen lake and decided to go skating…all four ended up falling into the lake and drowning. 

Edna Jarrett married a second time, to Robert Pell, and had at least one son. It makes me curious if Edna’s children or grandchildren ever knew that they were descended from John Jarrett. I ponder if it was something she ever talked about. I ponder if they have any family heirlooms from him. A man like that… I imagine he had a gun or two. Maybe a piece of money from a robbery? 

We could probably sit here until the cows came home talking about theories on John Jarrett. But the truth of the man was this: he was an outlaw. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father. He was a human being. No matter what he did during his life… over a hundred years later… his life makes one hell of a story.

Young Deaths of the Past, and Getting Today's Kids Interested in Genealogy

[[This is "Chapter 2" if you will, of my NaNoWriMo 2019 family history narrative.]]

How do you begin to get a kid interested in their family history? Well, it’s no easy task. I was one of the lucky ones in the fact that I got into it by having a burning question needing to be asked. Other kids — they aren’t that lucky. Most kids don’t show an interest whatsoever in knowing where they come from, let alone who they come from. A lot of kids aren’t even fortunate enough to know a parent, let alone a Grandparent, or more-so a Great-Grandparent. I’ve found a good amount of success in talking a lot about your family history and stories from the past. Growing up, I was always interested in what Grandpa had to say about his childhood, about his parents and Grandparents, and this was long before I had the burning question of “Nana, did you know any of your Great-Grandparents?” 

I grew up listening to my Mom talking about her Great-Grandmother Thompson and her Great-Grandfather LaRue. I think of some of these stories on the daily still and it’s almost been twenty years since I first started hearing them. I talk about my own Great-Grandmother almost daily and she’s been gone for eighteen years now. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, almost feels like it’s impossible that it’s been that long but… it has been. Soon enough, it’ll be twenty years, and then forty, and so on. Eventually, I might be one of the only ones to remember my Nana S. And just that thought alone makes me want to research as much as I can on my family history. Some of the names of ancestors I find… I might be the first person who’s thought of them in generations. Especially the young children that passed away that were older or younger siblings to one of my ancestors. 

Like my Great-Grandmother’s older sister, for example. Vannie Louise Thompson was born November 24th, 1911, and died on November 19th, 1915, short of her fourth birthday. If it wasn’t for a simple tombstone for Vannie in the Gibson Family Cemetery out in Corydon, which is one of my favorite places in the world, then poor little Vannie may have never been remembered by anyone ever again. Her parents are gone now, and her siblings are long gone. There’s nobody alive that remembers Vannie except for those of us who do family history. There are no pictures of her. All that we know of Vannie is what is on her death certificate that was filled out by her Uncle, Sam Thompson. He listed Vannie’s birth year as about 1910 — she was really born in 1911. 

The date of death was November 19th, 1915. The death occurred in the Smith Mills precinct of the county and that makes sense as that’s where the family had lived for quite sometime. Little Vannie died of membranous croup that lasted for two days before she succumbed to the illness. Her parents were listed as Johnnie Thompson and Jan Ella Nally (actually Janella). She was buried on the very same day she died… probably in hopes that the quick burial would stop the croup from spreading to the other children. 

In the Gibson Cemetery is a small tombstone for Vannie that only states — VANNIE. DAU OF JOHN & JANELLA THOMPSON. 1911-1915.

Vannie’s life was summed up in the space of a dash between 1911 and 1915. It makes me wonder what type of a child was Vannie? Did she have any hobbies at almost four years old? Was she looking forward to her fourth birthday on November 24th? Did she have any favorite toys? Did she have a favorite sibling? At that point she had three brothers and two sisters. What was her relationship like with them? What color hair did she have? What color eyes? Death certificates don’t divulge as much information as I wish they would. There aren’t cemetery records, either, with this type of information, not for a death occurring so long ago and especially not for a small family cemetery out in the rural part of the county. If it wasn’t for family historians like myself, Vannie would have been long forgotten years ago. But thanks to websites like Ancestry and Find-a-Grave, hopefully the memory of Vannie will live on. Albeit I never met her, she will never be forgotten. 

What’s even worse are the infants that never even stood a fighting chance. My Grandpa Jady had two siblings that died at birth — an older sister and a younger brother. The first child of Dick and Lorene Blanford was a stillborn baby in December of 1931. Nobody had known more than that, really, until I ordered off for what is called a stillbirth certificate. My whole life, I grew up hearing Grandpa talk about his eldest sibling having been stillborn and they buried the baby in a shoe box in the Smith Mills Cemetery underneath a large tree. I’ve been to Smith Mills Cemetery numerous times and I have my suspicions which tree he’s talking about, but we’ll never know for sure. I feel like there should be some sort of tombstones or plaque marking her final resting place but, there probably never will be unless I take the initiative to put it there. 

Anyway — when I ordered off for the stillbirth certificate, I learned a lot more about Baby Blanford. She was born and deceased on December 14th, 1931. The certificate states that the mother was about six months along — so the baby was without a doubt premature and died because of this. We’re unsure as to what caused the early birth, it could have just been something as simple as it was her first pregnancy. Perhaps her body just didn’t cooperate with the pregnancy. Most importantly, we learned it was a baby girl. Not much more information was provided. No burial location, but we had already acquired that from family stories. Grandpa said his mother really hated talking about the pregnancies she lost. Especially the first baby girl. 

In 1950, Lorene became pregnant again. By this time, this would have been her tenth pregnancy. On June 16th, 1950, Lorene gave birth to a stillborn baby boy and he was promptly buried at the back of the Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery here in Henderson. Upon the death of Lorene and Dick in 1991 and 1995 respectively, the baby boy was exhumed from the back of the cemetery and moved to the front to be re-interred by his parents. I wish they could have done that with the baby girl they lost in 1931 but, I’m sure they had their reasons as to why they couldn’t. I believe the baby born in 1950 was a full-term birth but, the funny thing is, none of us can find a death or stillbirth certificate for him. There isn’t even a birth index listing for him. It’s like he never existed at all and was a figment of someone’s imagination but — all of the siblings (older than the deceased baby boy) remember their Mom being pregnant. 

The infant boy has a simple tombstone that reads — INFANT SON OF R.J. & LORENE BLANFORD. JUNE 16 1950. 

The life of the stillborn baby boy is summed up in just those few words. But I’m sure his impact was much greater than that. But without family historians like myself, he would be long forgotten about by now as a lot of Grandpa’s siblings have passed, including him. 

52 Ancestors 2021: Week 1: Beginnings

[[ This is the introduction part of my 2019 NaNoWriMo project. I thought I'd share here with everyone. ]]

((This post is also being used for "Beginnings" challenge in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks -- Week one, 2021))

Getting Started

Genealogy, for me, started at a happenchance. I was seven years old, the year was 2000, and I had the brilliant question of, “Nana — did you know any of your Great-Grandparents?” You see, my Nana was my Great-Grandmother…and from what I had gathered at that young age, a general consensus was that not many people were fortunate enough to meet their Great-Grandparents. It was "kind of rarity," as my Mom would put it.

I had known another Great-Grandparent when I was very little but by the time I was seven, I didn’t have many vivid memories of him left. My Mom was fortunate enough to meet three of her Great-Grandparents and even a step-Great-Grandmother. She had very vivid memories of two of her Great-Grandparents, especially. My Dad… he hadn’t known any of his Great-Grandparents. He was lucky to just know his Grandparents considering he was always being bounced around, living city to city as he grew up. 

So the burning question of — Nana, did you know any of your Great-Grandparents — my Nana, unfortunately, couldn’t answer the question. She’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s just a few years previous and it was definitely taking a toll on her mental state (or rather, whatever it was, was taking a toll on her mental state). So I asked my Grandma, my Nana’s daughter, if she knew if Nana had known any Great-Grandparents… well, she didn’t know. So I asked her, how could we answer the question? Who could we ask who would know? 

Well, I’m not sure who told my Grandma about genealogy - I have the suspicion that it was probably my Great-Uncle Charles, but I could be wrong. My Great-Uncle had done a lot of the Blanford family tree probably twenty years previous so that’s why he comes to mind but it could have been anyone, truthfully. But genealogy is exactly what we took to, to figure out the answer to the question.

We made trips almost everyday to the Henderson County Public Library, up to their genealogy department. The room quickly became one of my favorite places in the world — the smell became one of my favorite smells — the sounds of people shuffling through books, a definite favorite sound. 

We took to census records, birth indexes, marriages, and deaths as well. It didn’t take us too long, maybe a year or so, to figure out that…no, my Great-Grandmother had never met any of her Great-Grandparents. They all died long before she was born. My Grandma even realized she’d known one of her Great-Grandmother’s…but really didn’t have any vivid memories of her, hence why she’d forgotten really ever meeting her.

By this point, though, a year had gone by and my Nana had passed away on October 2nd, 2001, at the age of 85. She was predeceased by her parents, husband, a daughter, and two sons. She left behind three daughters and a passel of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Still living was her elder sister and her younger brother. Numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins too.

I have no doubt that my Grandmother conferred with my Nana's eldest sister about genealogy - but how much information she was able to glean beats me. My Nana's eldest sister was Mary Lilly, and Mary only had one daughter - Noretta. I do believe Grandma was able to get some good family tree information from her. 

Even though Nana was gone, the genealogy bug had without a doubt sunk its teeth deep into me. I was absolutely obsessed with working on my family tree and learning anything and everything I could about each and every ancestor. I worked mainly on my Mom’s side for the first several years because my Dad really didn’t know much about his side of the family and there weren’t many people willing to talk to me about it. Whereas my Mom’s side of the family was very close-knit and my Grandparents knew lots of stuff about their family. Also a plus side— my mother’s father’s side was Catholic and I would soon learn that Catholic’s keep AMAZING records. 

My Dad’s side I was able to piece a little bit together when I was around ten or so years old. My Dad called his Dad’s oldest living sibling - my Great-Aunt Mary - and we were able to go visit her and she gave me some great information on their side of the family. We went out to a couple cemeteries and I got to see the graves of my Great-Grandfather Clint, my Great-Great-Grandparents, French & Lillie, and even my Great-Great-Great-Grandparents, Phylander & Lucy. I felt like a little kid in a candy store… or in a Toys r’ Us at Christmastime. 

Genealogy got a little easier as I got a bit older. I was able to get a paid subscription to Ancestry in 2013 and that unlocked a world of documents and records that my library didn’t have — as Aladdin would say, it was a whole new world…and trust me, I was enamored with genealogy all over again. Thanks to having Missouri records at my fingertips, I was able to get further back on my paternal Grandmother’s line. I broke down a lot of brick-walls, but slowly and surely, things simmered down. 

Until I did my DNA in April of 2018. Doing my DNA helped me breakdown even more brick-walls that I never thought I’d get past. I am definitely going to talk about those over the course of this narrative and the process of how DNA did break those walls down, not just the end results. I plan to also talk more about those initial genealogy hunts in the library, about my success stories in my own family tree, and also my friends’ family trees. I’ve also had a lot of success in working with their DNA and even found some biological family members they didn’t know about along the way. 

So hopefully you all will follow along in my journey and perhaps you’ll end up with the genealogy bug when this is all said and done. One can only hope, ;).