Monday Musings

Been a busy few weeks here and an awesome weekend to top it all off.   We've been staying busy with yard work.  This past winter was so cold here in Michigan and the snow amounts were so bad...  I know I've not seen this much snow here since I moved here 21 years ago.  That said,  our roses took a major hit.  After much research and discussion we opted to cut them back drastically and see if maybe over the next few months they will come back.  I'm pretty sure that at least two are done.   We have many flower beds here at Karma Gardens and keeping up with them at times can be a daunting task.  That's okay, the beauty they provide more than outweighs the work we do to keep them up.

Took a break from the upkeep of the property and went to Lansing on Friday and Saturday for the Summer Seminar put on by the Abrams Foundation & the Michigan Genealogical Council.  What a great job they did.  A wide variety of speakers covering a wide spectrum of topics.  I think all the attendees really enjoyed themselves.  Friday night was the lock in,  38 lucky persons were "locked" in the Michigan Archives for an evening of research.  What a great evening.

There will be another seminar at the library on Saturday November 1st.   All the details are in process but from what I saw at this past weekends seminar, the focus will be German & Pennsylvania research.  Mark your calendars!  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Happy Monday everyone!

Karen

Monday Musings...

Well, after 9 days on the road, I'm back home.  We got back and promptly stepped back into the routine we call life.

Gotten used to my new Mac, it helped taking it on the road.  I had a chance to use it when we were in Salt Lake City researching.  More on the research there along with the findings just as soon as I get a chance to get those pages scanned.  It was awesome to say the least.

After many gedcoms and much pondering, thinking and rethinking I've decided that I'm going to do what I need to do to make REUNION genealogy software work for me.

I've loaded my latest gedcom and I've started to correct the sources.  I also figured out that anything that I had in my notes and made bold now has a series of characters both in front and behind.  Luckily I didn't do that very often.  I'm spoiled by Legacy allowing me to search for females either by their birth surname or their married surname.  I haven't quite figured out how to make that happen (if at all) in Reunion. 

So yes, I do have some work to do, but I really think it will be fine in the long run.  If I decide to give up I've always got Legacy sitting over in Parallels.  Lets hope not!

On the brightest side, we find out today (if baby cooperates) what the gender of the new grandbaby is...  Did I mention I bought a pink t-shirt on our trip just for the new granddaughter errrr grandbaby?

Happy Researching!

Tombstone Tuesday

JOHN T. LIGON, FORMER NEBO RESIDENT DIES  

  Funeral services for John Thomas Ligon, 89, former Nebo merchant, tobacconist and farmer, who died at 11:50 am. Saturday in his home in Detroit of infirmities incident to age, will be conducted at 2 pm Tuesday at the Nebo Christian Church.  The Rev. H. B. Self, Henshaw will officiate.  Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Madisonville.

   Before Mr. Ligon moved to Detroit twenty two years ago he had operated a general store at Nebo for thirty years.

   The body arrived in Madisonville at 9:25 pm. Sunday and will be at Harris Funeral Home, 134 North Main, until the funeral.

   Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Georgia Eudaley Ligon; a daughter, Miss Ruby Ligon, 433 East Arch, who was the only child born of Mr. Ligon's first marriage, his first wife being Miss Minnie Osburn; six children by Mr. Ligon's second marriage, James D., Thomas D., Robert G., and Kenneth M. Ligon, all of Detroit; Mrs. John Mahan, Washington, D.C., and Mrs. William F. O'Bryan, Detroit; fourteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and a sister, Mrs. John Bosquitt, Madisonville, rfd. 2.
                                                                          ****

DEATH NOTICES (Detroit Free Press) LIGON - John T., June 2, at residence, 167 W. Hollywood; husband of Georgia; father of Ruby, James, Thomas, Robert and Kenneth Ligon, Mrs. John Mahan and Mrs. William F. O'Brien.v Funeral from Harris Funeral Home, Madisonville, Ky., Tuesday, 2 p.m.  For further information call TO 8-4798.

Tombstone Tuesday - Thomas W. Morris (1934)

T.W. Morris Rites Saturday Afternoon

Funeral services for Thomas W. Morris, 66, who passed away Thursday morning will be held Saturday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, at Westminister Presbyterian Church. The Rev. W. B. Holmes will conduct the last rites, and the balcony of the church will be reserved for the colored people who were the employees and the friends of the deceased. The remains will be laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery.

Mr. Morris, who had been superintendent of the Hopkinsville Water Company since its organization 39 years ago, subcumbed to a heart attack at his home at Walnut and seventeenth Streets. He had been in poor health for some months but his passing was entrely unexpected, and came as a terrible shock to his family and host of friends. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ella Hurt[Hurst] Morris, and by two daughters, Mrs. Edith Cook, of this city, and Mrs. J.D. Ligon of Detroit, Mich., and by one sister, Mrs. Ed. O'Brien, of Hopkinsville.

 [This obit was in a file of things given to me by Dorothy Shanklin Trott. No date or newspaper name was found on the clipping.]

Tombstone Tuesday - James D. Ligon

                                                                      James Ligon

James D. Ligon, 77, former owner of Hamill Mfg, died last Thursday at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

  His funeral Sunday was one of the largest ever in Almont.

  Hamill, which had 4 plants in the Thumb area, manufactured automotive parts. He retired about 8 years ago.  Since then, he and his wife, Mary, who survives him, divided their time between Ocala, Florida and their home in Almont.

  He was a member of Almont F & A.M. No. 51, a life member of RAM and a member of Knights Templar in Romeo.  He had been a prime mover in founding the Almont-Romeo Community Hospital.  In Ocala he was a member of the 1st Christian Church.

  He was born Sept. 5, 1902, In Nebo Kentucky, son of John & Georgia Ligon.

  Mr. Ligon leaves three sons, James Thomas of Almont, Robert Morris of Scotsdale, Arizona, and Richard Glenn of Delmar, California;  2 daughters, Patricia Ann Sexton and Mary Jean Campbell both of Almont; a brother, Robert Glen of Jacksonville, Florida; two sisters, Mrs. Lilly O'Bryan of Detroit and Mrs. John Mahan of Nashville, Tenn., 19 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

  Services were held Sunday in the First Congregational Church in Almont with the Rev. Larry Rieck officiating.  Burial was in West Berlin Cemetery.  Arrangements were by Muir Bros Funeral Home in Almont.

Military Monday - Death Of A Civil War Veteran

  Civil War Veteran Is Taken By Death

Calvin Morehead, Aged 93, Succumbs To Senility At Home Of Daughter Here

 Calvin Morehead, aged 93, who fought in 18 battles during the Civil War and became a first Lieutenant in the Union Army before the close of the war, died of senility at 1:30 am today at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Grace Schubert, 1621 East Washington Blvd.  He had resided in this city the past 18 years.

  Mr. Morehead, with four brothers, had enlisted in Company H., Fiftieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry on September 8, 1861, at Van Wert, Ohio.  He was captured in the battle of Stone River, but later returned to his company.  He was appointed a first Lieutenant March 12, 1865. He was mustered out of service November 21, 1865.

  Following the close of the war, Mr. Morehead located at Willshire, O., where he lived until coming to this city.  He was a member of Bass-Lawton Post of the G.A.R. here.  Surviving are three sons, Arthur, of Kalamazoo, Mich.; William, of Lima, O., and Calvin, of Minneopolis, Minn.; four daughters, Mrs. Thomas Vawters, of Lima, O.; Mrs. George Pennell, of Marion, O.; Mrs. Goldie Gambel, of Muskegon, Mich.; and Mrs. Schubert, of this city.

  Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 1:30 pm at the C.M. Sloan & Sons Funeral Parlors with the Rev. E.A. McKim officiating.  Burial at Willshire, O.*  Daughters and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War will hold services Tuesday night at the funeral parlors.  The G.A.R. and the W.R.C. will hold services at 1 o'clock Wednesday.

*Buried in Willshire Cemetery,  Willshire, Van Wert County, Ohio

**The News-Sentinel, Ft Wayne, Indiana, Monday, 25 APR 1932

Tombstone Tuesday - J. T. Ligon (1951)

JOHN T. LIGON, FORMER NEBO RESIDENT DIES

   Funeral services for John Thomas Ligon, 89, former Nebo merchant, tobacconist and farmer, who died at 11:50 am. Saturday im his home in Detroit of infirmities incident to age, will be conducted at 2 pm Tuesday at the Nebo Christian Church.  The Rev. H. B. Self, Henshaw will officiate.  Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Madisonville.

   Before Mr. Ligon moved to Detroit twenty two years ago he had operated a general store at Nebo for thirty years.

   The body arrived in Madisonville at 9:25 pm. Sunday and will be at Harris Funeral Home, 134 North Main, until the funeral.

   Surviving are the widow, Mrs. Georgia Eudaley Ligon; a daughter, Miss Ruby Ligon, 433 East Arch, who was the only child born of Mr. Ligon's first marriage, his first wife being Miss Minnie Osburn; six children by Mr. Ligon's second marriage, James D., Thomas D., Robert G., and Kenneth M. Ligon, all of Detroit; Mrs. John Mahan, Washington, D.C., and Mrs. William F. O'Bryan, Detroit; fourteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and a sister, Mrs. John Bosquitt, Madisonville, rfd. 2.

**Madisonville Messenger,  date unknown

Wedding Wednesday - Mark 58th Wedding Anniversary

Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Thacher, of Auburn, celebrated their fifty-eighth wedding anniversary Monday evening with a family dinner at the Petite Cafe in Auburn.   They were married September 25, 1881 in Branch County, Mich., and have been residents of Auburn for 26 years.   Mr. Thatcher is 83 and his wife 78.  They have one son, Charles Thatcher of Auburn; one daughter, Mrs. Pansy Martin of Quincy, Mich.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.   **Fort Wayne(Indiana)Journal-Gazette, 27 SEP 1939

Heat & Ancestors

They say that the temps we've been experiencing have made this the hottest July in Michigan history!   I've been trying to spend an hour or so every day out weeding, picking and watering the flower gardens we have in our yard.  Its pretty grueling. 

So many times we see movies about the lives of our ancestors and they really "pretty" it up.  Yes, I am aware that slaves did alot of the actual work, but a little reality check here, unless you were "comfortable" financially, slaves were not the ones who did ALL the work.  My ancestors were not of the financially secure type.  We didn't own plantations or monster farms.  Most of the work on those farms was done by US.   US being my ancestors both male & female.  Air conditioning was not something that was had by all.  In fact my grandparents did not have central air at all in their houses, a wall unit here or there maybe but full central air... never.

I find myself, especially in this heat, thinking about how good we have it.  Note I didn't say "I" have it, I said "WE" have it.  Yep, I included you.  In all the stuff I have seen there were no dishwashers, no clothes washers, no dryers, no microwaves, no crockpots, no lawnmowers, no cars, no vacuum cleaners and no central air conditioning.  In comparing my life to that of my ancestors I think we have it pretty good.  Not only did they have none of the conveniences that we enjoy,  but there was no option, cooking had to be done everyday,  gardens had to be maintained in order to eat, cows had to be milked, sewing had to be done.  And it had to be done wearing much more clothing than most of us ever wear today. 

Next time I start to moan & groan about how hard life is today I think I'll look back at my ancestors and rethink the attitude!   How about you?

Happy Researching!
Karen

Progress... At Least I think So

Been working on quite a few projects for the past few weeks.  The marriage record searches continue, I figured the other day I've added about 300 marriage dates, alot of them in Georgia marriage records - most of them from the Georgia Virtual Vault.  Bouncing around quite a bit in there also digging around for death records and pension records.  Sort of one stop shopping for Georgia records.

The other place I've been digging for marriage records is of course, Family Search, more one stop shopping once you figure out how to get around.  Much success there as well, more on Ohio than Georgia here.

The largest progress is on the data entry front - I've completed the entry on the Medina County, Ohio obituaries I pulled there.  I don't recall the total number I pulled but they are all pulled and typed in.  Some even hit the scanner for linking as well.  On to the Miamisburg, Ohio obituaries next.  So the progress on the data entry is good.  I still have quite a bit to get scanned, some land deeds & maps need to be scanned & linked.  Those will wait, I'm working on my laptop down in the dining room so I can enjoy the birds & flower gardens outside the windows & patio doors.

So progress is being made.  With July being the hottest in Michigan's history, I guess its been a great time for data entry!  Glad something good came out of all this heat!   How about you?  How is your progress on your projects??

Happy Researching!
Karen

Weekend Adventure - On The Road Again... Berrien Springs, Michigan

As many of you know when I get the chance to run off and research presents itself, I don't turn it down. Last Thursday Mark announced that he would have a car "that needed miles on it" for the weekend. He is an engineer with one of the automakers here in town. At times when they change things on the brain of one of the newer models they are working on, they need the car driven some miles to check how it works out. Of course we volunteer to help. Wouldn't you?

So Saturday we ran off to chase a few families that had migrated over to Berrien Springs, Michigan. Berrien Springs is in Berrien County, Michigan which is very close to being on Lake Michigan on the western side of the state. Basically the most Southwestern county in Michigan.

First stop - the library. A nice library, with a genealogy room that clearly needs a bit of tlc. The librarian was helpful. I had printed out group sheets on the two families that were of interest to me.  I've included the larger of the two here. 

Remember that you can click on the image and it will open in a seperate window with a larger image.  Use your browsers back button to return to Genealogy Frame Of Mind. 

The family we were working on was that of Jesse Garber & his wife, Amanda Coning.  Amanda is a Boomershine descendant.  As you can see from my group sheet we were busy.  Mark went for the books, I went for obituaries.  The first thing I found were several notebooks, arranged alphabetically.  I noted the words non-inclusive on the spine with the title.  My search of the notebooks yeilded nothing.  Very nicely done but didn't have what I was looking for. 

 Next to the notebooks I found a small six drawer cabinet.  I pulled out a drawer and found cards with obituaries that had been removed from newspapers.  After a quick search, they were alphabetical as well, I came across the obituary for one of the sons, Vernon Edward Garber.  Nice extra - it had his photo! Luckily we had the camera!  It named names & places.  A very good find.  It also stated he was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.  We already knew that his parents were there so no surprise really.  With his obituary I also noted that one of his sisters had remarried, something we didn't have. 

With no further luck I sort of felt a let down. Was that the end?  As I turned around to talk with Mark who was still checking out the offerings on the shelf, I noted yet another multi-drawer cabinet on the counter top between us.  Quickly pulling out a drawer, I began a search for the surnames in question.  BINGO!  I quickly located two of the sisters and a niece.  I had surnames for the husbands but not first names.  These obits yeilded those names as well as other information on locations for the remaing siblings not in Berrien Springs area. 

Mark had found the cemetery books and we started to look for burial locations.  We found the one for Rose Hill cemetery and it had maps, complete with plot locations, and a listing of burials.  With the location of this we were able to locate all that we had found obituaries on.  Very cool! 

I still had two more that I knew died there, but could not locate any obituary for in the boxes or notebooks.  One was from this group sheet, the other was the one on the other group sheet.  I checked the cabinet and found the newspapers I needed.  Both obituaries were quickly found on the front page of the day after their death.  SUCCESS!   The downside was that the microfilm reader handle did not work so all film had to be loaded & rewound by hand. Did I mention that the film reader did not print?  So both obits were typed into the computer as found.  A chore but worth the effort with the location of the two obituaries.

After cleaning up all our books and putting our microfilm away we thanked the librarian, said our good bye's and headed out to Rose Hill.  We located all but two of the graves we searched for.  They are now photographed, renamed and linked in our software. 

A day trip succesfully researching with the love of my life -  It's a very good thing!

Happy Researching!

Karen

Tombstone Tuesday - The Davison's

These two stones sit side by side in Oak Grove Cemetery, Breckenridge, Gratiot County, Michigan. They belong to Josie & Eugene Davison. The stones are not huge, both maybe 11-12 inches tall - I didn't have a ruler to measure them. There are no other family members nearby with the same surname. I found these two stones to be rather unique so I just had to snap a few photo's.

The stone below belongs to Josie Davison, and as you can see it has been hit a few times, probably by the mower, breaking the one gate totally off and damaging the one side of the stone. As best I can read the dates for Josie Davison are 7 OCT 1862 - 25 JAN 1940. Left image is the backside and the right appears to be the front with the name & date inscribed.















Below is the headstone of Eugene Davison, on the left is the back side, and the other, showing the name with the dates 7 APR 1860 - 5 APR 1938. Eugene's stone is in better shape than his wife, Josie's.

Researching There When You Are Here...

Today as we drove south from Michigan I began to think about all the places along the way that I had researched. I was really quite surprised with the list and how much of my time has been spent researching there...

We left Michigan at about 9:30 this morning. Although I say we have no ancestors in the state we actually have some family members of ancestors who spent time over near Grand Rapids and up in the Traverse City area. Researching in Michigan on those parties was not real difficult as I used the resources at the library of Michigan, primarily birth/death & marriage records and the old newspapers in the newspaper collection. Those vital records are now on line at Family Search

After leaving Michigan we crossed into Ohio. I have more fun researching in Ohio. With friendly county clerks and an abundant supply of online records how can we loose? That same record site I mentioned for Michigan has Ohio death certificates thru 1953 that can be saved to your hard drive or printed and viewed. What an awesome resource. With studmuffins relatives being in Cuyahoga, Lorain & Medina counties and mine being in Montgomery, Preble, Darke & Miami Counties we've always had tons of Ohio research to do. Most of those counties being within driving range, its easy for us to make a weekend run and photograph headstones or spend a day at the library.

Took us a bit to get thru Ohio but after a while we finally got into Kentucky. I have no ancestors in the state of Kentucky but Studmuffin does. Primarily in Hopkins & Christian Counties - with a spattering of Daviess County as well. Ancestry has quite a bit of Kentucky resources and the state of Kentucky has done its own Vital Records project as well. So Kentucky death records are availble on line without you spending a dime!

Tennessee was up next - and again I have no ties to Tennessee but stufmuffin does. Claiborne and McMinn Counties are the primary area's of focus but a few other counties also have area's of interest as well. Tennessee has some records on line, some of the genweb pages are loaded, Ancestry also has some Tennessee stuff. Not alot outside those that I have found so far.

Georgia - the birth place of my father and his ancstors. The research here can be frustrating but rewarding. Finding info on the internet can really be a challenge. George death certificates are on line but only thru 1927, how I wish that number would change. The University of Georgia campus in Athens has an awesome newspaper collection and my semi yearly trips there for newspaper stuff has been a tremendous help. Cemetery photography here can be difficult with its own challenges. Probate courts also offer big challenges.

Florida - very minimal research here but what I have needed I have been able to find, some on line, some with the very helpful staff at the Manatee County public library. Florida has all its Civil war Confederate pensions on line - a great move for them and for those lucky enough to need them!

This is just the tip of the iceberg on our research journey's. I won't go into the coastal states and our research there in this blog, that's material for yet another day.

All in all I have to say, despite the obstacles that researching "there when you are here" (Michigan) seems to toss at us, we still seem to be able to find the things we want and need, it just takes a wee bit of extra work and sometimes thinking out of the box, but it is doable!
Happy researching!

Karen