So much has happened since our last blog entry. Time to
reboot. 2015 has been full of adventure, but we’re been slackers on documentation.
Seems we get so busy with tedious detective work that we don’t often incorporate
this into a meaningful post.
We have been on numerous treks to places far and near in
search of ancestors, both living and dead. Some ancestors may be hidden in
plain sight (just under one’s feet, so to speak), some hidden between the lines
of historical documents, and some just plain hidden. During the past year we
have traveled thousands of miles through the eastern and southern states and overseas
in our quest.
All this traveling and research has not allowed a lot of
time to organize and document our findings, and the stacks of papers around the
house offer testimony. Thus we hereby resolve to get some of this recorded
before we forget about who did what to whom, when, where, and why.
Instead of following a logical time-event process we are
going to start with one of the most recent events (still fresh on our minds and
bodies). So, first up will be the recent wedding of our son William and Céleste
Wackenhut. This event took us to Paris, France. Please read the wedding blog on
this occasion, coming soon to this very internet address. This will be followed
by exploring some of our genealogical roots in Paris and other areas of France.
Back in the “new world” we will relate some of the
adventures over the past year as we trace the paths of some of the earliest emigrants
and settlers into Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
Kentucky, Tennessee and other places along the way. (We’ve already posted several blogs concerning
New England ancestors in CT and MA, but, eventually, there will be more on those
areas as well.)
During our adventures, we have discovered, or verified, two interesting
aspects of modern genealogy. First, we met a number of people who may be
classified as genealogy tourists. That is, they are travelling primarily for
the purpose of doing genealogy research. In Northern France we met people on
the trail of English, Scottish, Irish and other ancestors. We also met a number
of such tourists in the USA. For example, imagine our surprise when talking to
someone at a library table, a total stranger, even from another state, and
suddenly realizing they are a cousin researching the same person or family.
Another thing we have
had reinforced is that genealogy can be a slow process. As one of our astute
cousins recently put it, “we are like a couple of genealogical archeologists,” sifting
through debris and dirt for precious gems. In order to get those few prized
nuggets one has to “pan” a lot of personal and historical rubbish. Modern technology
(DNA; computers), and a growing “pop” culture of genealogy has stimulated great
interest and revealed vast amounts of information, along with a fair amount of
speculation and confusion. Unfortunately, perhaps in a rush to link ancestors (i.e.,
find treasures), some people may accept and post questionable information. It looks
like the real thing, contains aspects of real, but just does not qualify. When
people post tenuous findings or errors, even under the most innocent
circumstances, these take on a life of their own. Debunking and defragging genealogy
files can be tedious and frustrating. Adding to the mix is a growing number of genealogical
“entrepreneurs” who seem ready, willing and able to entice people to let them
help find demised ancestors. While we should all be thankful for the “new age”
access, we are reminded to also practice another American tradition – caveat emptor (let the buyer or consumer
beware).
During our travels this past summer we became acquainted
with court houses, cemeteries (lots of those), libraries, historical societies,
historical road signs, war and event memorials, government records, pioneer
homesteads, and other people, places and things. One clue often leads to
another, questions arise, dead ends surface, the quest continues….
In summary, we’re beginning to
learn something about where our (your) ancestors came from and why. What they
did, how they relate to one another, and where they are now residing. So, spelling
variation notwithstanding, you are on our ”hit list” if your family surname is
associated with:
Adams, Amyx, Anderson, Andrews, Austin, Ball, Bacon, Baltimore,
Banzin, Bartram, Bates, Beaufort, Birdall, Blair, Bliss, Bohun, Boleyn, Boone, Bourchier,
Bowman, Boyd, Bradford, Brandon, Brill, Brown, Bruce, Bryant, (Bryan/Brian), Bulkeley,
Burns, Bush, Butler, Cables, Capet, Carter, Carpenter, Casebolt, Castile, Caudill,
Cecil, Chads, Chaucer, Christian, Clark, Clarkston, Clason, Cleveland, Cleves, Colbille,
Coleman, Colton, Coley (Cooley), Cook(e), Cooper, Coplin, Cox, Crabtree, Crow, Culpepper,
Davis, Debusk, Delaware, Dickinson, Doyle, Duncan, Dunham, Estep, Evans, Farwell,
Feathers, Field, Fiske, Fitch, Fitzgerald, Ford, Fowler, Furguson, Gaunt, Gilbert,
Gittings, Gray, Grizzle, Green, Hainault, Haines (Haynes) Hairston, Hannum,
Hartsough, Havens, Havilland, Heckathorn, Henthorn, Higginbotham, Hines,
Howard, Huff, Hurt, Jacobs, Jenken, Johnson, Jones, Jung, LaPort (Layport/e),
Laidlaw, Lambert, Lancaster, Lang, LeMaster, Lesie, LeTaverner, Little, Littlejohn,
Longwell, Lovejoy, Manning, Mansur, Marshall, May, Meredith, Merrill, McCaslin,
McCormac, McMahan, Morgan, Mounts, Mullins, Nimn, Nelly, Neville, Oldfield, Paine,
Parson, Pennoyen/r, Plantagenet, Patrick, Parsons, Pennington, Petty, Pierce, Powell,
Priest, Raincrow, Rau, Readon, Reibel, Rice, Rich, Richards, Riggs, Roet,
Rombeau, Schert, Sheets, Smith, Somer/Sommer, Snyder, Spence, Spaulding, Sprigg,
Stanley, Stebbins, Steele, Stevens, Stiles, Stilwell, Stratton, Street, Strode,
Strong, Summers, Thomas, Thornton Throckmorton, Tudor, Tunnel, Turner, Tyng, Varner,
Walker, Warner, Washington, Watson, Webb, Welby, West, Wilcoxin, Williams, Wilson,
Winn, Witten, Wheeler, Whitfield, Wolcott, Wolterton, Wright, Yarborough, . . . and a few others.
As we try to put some of our recent findings into
perspective, bear with us. Ask questions, make contributions and share some of
the fantastic historical legacy left by our ancestors as they contributed to
this nation’s development. Some of this is solid stuff, some is well-reasoned and
seasoned inference, based on the most reliable information available. Occasionally,
even professional genealogists differ on a matter. We’ll try to adjust as new
facts come to light.
William & Jennie
