Author: FHadmin

Mystery Man

Posted on by FHadmin

The smallest piece of information generally is the one that gets me involved in a crazy genealogy hunt.  And, sometimes they lead to the biggest discoveries.  In this case, it was a photo with a name that I found unusual that started it all.

 

The Photo

The photo had been taken at a long defunct studio in Ft. Scott and included two boys with an older gentleman.  The boys were identified on the photo as Clate Farmer and Willie Potter.  Given their birth years, I could determine that the photo was taken around 1900.  Additionally, I knew the gentleman must be related to the Peelle family since Clate and Willie were cousins in that family.  However, the photo only identified the man as “Ail” followed by an indication that he was a Civil War veteran.

 

The Search

 

The Name “Ail”

I began searching family records and records in the areas where the Peelle family lived.  However, I had no luck finding anyone named Ail.  Then, I began searching various names that could have “Ail” as a nickname.  I found that Ail was a nickname for quite a few different names. Still, I found nothing that seemed to be a match to anyone in my tree.  So, I moved on to other research.

 

Totally Unrelated Research

One day, when researching some information regarding Martha Johnson Peelle’s family, I found that her grandfather was Eleazer Smith.   I began researching and I found an Eleazer Johnson. Now, this was very interesting because Martha’s mother was a Smith and her father was a Johnson.  I wondered if Eleazer Johnson might be her brother or cousin.

 

Since Martha’s parents (William Johnson and Rachel Smith) had died very young,  little was known about the family.  However, her obituary had said that she was the last of eight siblings.  None of the names were known as her parents had died in the days where census records only recorded the name of the head of the household.  By the next census, Martha had married Passco Peelle and any siblings that existed were lost in the “Sea of Johnsons.”

 

Answers, Finally

Suddenly, the answer dropped out of the sky.  Since Eleazer isn’t a name that had come up in my genealogy.  I researched it to learn where it might have originated.  Lo and behold, “Ail” can be a nickname for Eleazer.  Two plus two led to the theory that the gentleman in the picture was Eleazer Johnson. 

 

Now, to prove it.  Mostly, it required being lucky and finding the right pieces of information at the right time.  I will spare you all the details, but it included identifying Martha’s youngest sibling Lydia Johnson Harris, someone posting a letter online that Lydia had written to a cousin asking about information on her parents, an old business card that my grandmother had kept, Civil War records, census records, and some newspaper articles.  In the end, I was able to conclude that conclusively that Eleazer W. Johnson was Martha Johnson Peelle’s brother.  I never found absolute proof that  “Ail” was the same person as Eleazer, but in all likelihood it appears that they were the same person.

 

Who Was Ail?

Assuming that we accept that Ail is Eleazer W. Johnson, he would be Martha’s older brother.  Eleazer was born in Wayne County, Indiana 9 months after his parents marriage with the name Eleazer W. Johnson.  His middle name is yet to be discovered, but it may be William as his father and grandfather in the Johnson family were named William. 

 

It is not known what he initially did after his father died.  However, he would have been almost 17.  Thus, he likely went in search of work.  By 1850, Ail was living in Jackson County, Indiana to the southwest of where he was born. He is listed as a laborer and was living with a family where the head of the household was a miller.  By 1860, he had made his way westward and was living in Warren County, Illinois, west of Peoria and about 25-30 miles east of the Mississippi River.  At this time, he is living with the Holeman family.  No occupation is listed for Eleazer, but Mr. Holeman was a farmer.

 

Civil War

Eleazer enlisted in the Union Army in December 1861 in Richland County, Illinois.  At Jonesboro, Illinois on April 1 (or 10, records vary) of the following year, he mustered into service.  He served as a private in Company A of the 63rd Illinois Infantry until October 12, 1862 when he was discharged for “disease of the throat.”

 

His Marriage

On February 7, 1875, Eleazer married Elizabeth Bennett Walker in Coles County, Illinois.  Elizabeth had been widowed a year earlier.  No indication of a previous marriage for Eleazer has been found.  Nearing 50, Eleazer and Elizabeth never had any children.

 

After their marriage, Eleazer and Elizabeth moved to Cherokee in Cherokee County, Iowa, where Eleazer finally settled.  He would farm and become the postmaster in Cherokee.  Eleazer also joined the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.).

 

Eleazer remained in Cherokee until Elizabeth died.  After she died, he moved in with his sister Lydia and her husband James A. Harris in Cass County, Iowa.  Eleazer died in 1902 of old age.

 

Afterward

The prompt this week was to write about someone or some place that begins with a vowel.  The first instance of names and locations that begin with a vowel are highlighted in red.

 

 

Lights Out

Posted on by FHadmin
https://pixabay.com/photos/candle-light-candlelight-flame-2038736/

 World War II brought the threat of attacks from the skies.  As such, the coasts began blackout practice, which entailed extinguishing or covering anything that could emit light.  The  idea was that enemy pilots would not know where to attack if there were no lights along the coast.  By the end of 1942, the practice had moved inland to the center of the U.S. mainland, where most of our relatives lived.

 

The Rules

 

The rules of the blackout were simple, but disruptive to people’s lives.  From the time the signal sounded until the all clear signal was given, everything was to go dark.  All lights of any kind, electric, gas, candles, and even cigarettes were to be completely obscured from anyone looking from anywhere outside. Not the tiniest bit of light was to escape.  Officials believed that the light from a single candle could be seen from twelve miles away if the pilots eyes were well adjusted to total darkness.

 

In The Buildings

 

If someone was home, they were to extinguish all lights of all types.  If a light was absolutely required for some reason (birthing a baby was an acceptable reason), the occupants were required to  use  the most minimal light possible and to cover the windows so that no light – not even a small sliver shown.   This same rule applied to businesses and any other buildings.  The only exception was  factories creating war goods, which had been running 24/7 since before the United Stated entered the war. The government did not demand that these businesses  go dark for tests, but would be in a real emergency.  Boeing, where dad’s sister O’Ella worked in Wichita, chose to have an abbreviated test lasting 5 minutes.  This allowed them  to show that they could go dark if necessary. Yet, it limited the down time to a minimum.

 

If individuals and business owners were going to be away from their home or business, they were to  extinguish all lights prior to leaving.  Once the signal was given, it was too late for the people to return and extinguish them.

 

On The Streets

Only air raid wardens or others assisting with the blackout enforcement were allowed on the streets during a blackout.  If the signal was given while some was outside, the person was to take shelter in the nearest open building.

 

Automobiles and other vehicles were also required to go dark.  If someone was  driving down the street when the signal was given, they were required to pull to the curb and turn off all lights for the duration.  They were also supposed to leave the key in the ignition (why I am not sure).   People were strongly encouraged not to be on the highway for planned blackouts.  However, if they were, they were to pull on the shoulder or a side road.   People then were to extinguished all their lights just like if they were in town. 

 

These rules applied to public transportation as well with the exception of trains.  They were not required to participate in the blackout practice.  However, most drew their curtains and dimmed their headlights to the minimum required for them to navigate. 

 

The Telephone

 

Southwest Bell advertised to not use the telephone during or for 30 minutes after the blackout except in an emergency.  Although restricted telephone usage wasn’t required for a test, they wanted people to become accustomed to the rule should a real blackout occur. 

 

The Signal

 

Each city and town determined how to signal a blackout in their community. Each signal was unique to the particular community.  The towns used fire signals, train whistles, church bells, school bells, or air raid sirens.  Generally, the alert was given in some pattern, such as, two long whistles/sounds or a long followed by a short.  From the time the signal sounded until the all clear signal was given, everything was to go dark – every house, car, store, restaurant, and more. 

 

People in rural areas couldn’t hear these signals.  So, in many cases, they used emergency rings of the telephone system to alert residents of the test.

 

The First Local Blackout Practice

 

The first blackout practice that impacted a majority of our family was the Army Seventh Service Command’s  9 state test covering over 700,000 square miles. It covered Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and a few counties in Illinois near St. Louis.  People across the area were given advance notice  through the newspaper and radio of the blackout practice at 10:00 p.m. on December 14, 1942 (Monday). 

 

That night many people prepared by shutting off as many lights as possible ahead of the appointed time.  Photographs from Wichita, Kansas showed a major street almost completely dark five minutes before the  signal was to be given.  However, most of our families were farmers and they were almost always in bed at this time of night.  So, this first test had little impact on them.

 

Once the signal was given the air raid wardens and others who had been signed up to assist in blackouts, leapt into action  looking for the glimmer of light anywhere.  Additionally, officials flew overhead to see if light could be seen from the skies.  As a result of enforcement and threats of penalties, almost every light went out.  It was estimated that communities had 95-100% participation. Any lights that found on were, in most cases, quickly extinguished.  Likewise, any cars found driving on the streets or highways were asked to immediately pull to the side of the road and extinguish their lights.

 

Consequences

 

Compliance was encouraged by the penalties assessed for lights that were shining.  In Wichita, for example, leaving a light on could cost you up to $500 and time in jail.  For the first test, they only gave warnings to people who had unintentionally violated the rules.  However, they assured people that a second violation would cost them.  Other places were not so lenient fining people small fines for even minor infractions.

Leaving a light on when you weren’t home, could be even more expensive.  Besides the fine, “Block wardens” and others supporting enforcement had the authority to break a window to get in your house and turn off your lights.   Thus, inadvertently leaving a light on could also cost the price of replacing a pane of glass.

 

Unintended Consequences

 

The men manning the streets watched to minimize any criminal behavior.  However, no one could think of all the possible consequences of the blackout.  At McPherson College, when the lights went out, the “boys” rushed from their dorm to the “girl’s” dorm.  The matron couldn’t keep them out on her own and had to call for help.  Just shows that people will make a good thing out of anything OR take advantage of any situation.  It all depends on your perspective.

 

Another interesting unintended consequence was that when the signal was given, the people started talking in whispers.  It was not required, but it was observed in many locations.

 

Ongoing Blackout  Practice

 

Future blackout practices came with little or no warning. Thus, much of the preparation of the first test, could not be performed.  Lights couldn’t be turned out in advance and people couldn’t plan not to be on the roads.  Although tiresome, these subsequent tests were much more representative of a real surprise attack.

 

Targets

 

Our family regularly participated in these practices as required.  Some family members were much closer to potential enemy targets than others.  The McCracken and Pellett farms were over 40 nautical miles from an ammunition plant near Parsons. The plant was likely the closest potential target to them. 

 

The Thomson and Helm families were about 10 nautical miles closer to a potential target, as a B-26 bomber factory had been built at Offutt Field outside Omaha.  However, Dad’s sisters  lived in Wichita were in a much more vulnerable area, not only because it was a city, but because it was the air capital of the world.  What enemy wouldn’t want to take out a series of airplane manufacturing plants?

 

Rural Enforcement

 

Enforcement of blackouts in the rural areas where most of our families lived could not be done on foot.  In those areas men would drive cars would drive down the country roads to ensure they saw no lights.  Dad said that in their household they would extinguish the kerosene lamp in the kitchen and the gas lamp in the living room.  He didn’t think either lamp gave off enough light to see with if you were next to them.  Thus, he didn’t quite buy into the belief of the power of a single candle to be seen from far away.  He thought that a bomber would have to be flying mighty low to see the faint glow coming from their house.  And, that the same would be true if the family lit every lamp they owned.

 

Safer Than the Coast

Despite the repeated tests and strong enforcement, it was doubtful that anyone really thought the enemy could reach the interior of the country unscathed.  The chance of an attack from the air in Kansas and Nebraska was really low.  Therefore, collections of sculptures and paintings by famous artists, including Renoir, Van Gogh, and Rembrandt were moved from galleries and museums  in more vulnerable areas of the country to the Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City for safekeeping until the war was over.

 

 

Image:  Pixabay.com

 

 

 

Grand Army Of The Republic

Posted on by FHadmin

The Grand Army of The Republic (G.A.R.) was an organization for veterans of the Civil War that fought for the Union.  It existed from 1866 to 1956, when it was dissolved due to the natural course of life.  There was no requirement for veterans to join the organization, but many who had served chose to become members.   Numerous direct ancestors and other relatives were eligible for G.A.R.  This article focuses on two specific ancestors that were very active with G.A.R.  To learn more about GAR click here (after reading the article of course).

 

Joseph Gazzan Klinefelter

(Thomson family line)

 

Civil War Service

 

Joseph served as a private in the Union Army during the Civil War.  He served from August 27, 1862 to June 14, 1865 as an “artificer” in Company E of Knap’s Independent Battery of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was a light artillery unit.  Just a few weeks later on September 17, he was  wounded and captured at the battle of Antietam, near Sharpsburgh, Maryland.  He was taken to Libby Prison  in Richmond, Virginia.  He was “paroled”  from the prison likely as a part of a prisoner exchange.

 

In 1863, Joseph participated in battles at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Wauhatchie, Tennessee.  In the latter battle, Joseph received a wound to his left arm, which resulted in him being hospitalized in Nashville.  The following year Joseph’s unit participated in the many battles that ensued as part of Sherman’s March to Atlanta and the Sea.  After that it was time for the Grand Review on May 24, 1865.   The battery mustered out on June 14, 1865 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

After The War

 

After the war, Joseph joined  J.B. McPherson Post #177 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   He enjoyed visiting different G.A.R. encampments across the country. In 1899, Joseph and his wife Caroline attended a week-long national encampment and convention in Philadelphia.  The Philadelphia Inquirer provided extensive multi-page coverage of the event.  Business of the organization included the election of offices, deciding on Chicago for the 1900 encampment, a vigorous discussion of military pensions, a discussion of allowing veterans of the Spanish American War join, various parades, and many meetings and reunions of specific units.  Joseph most likely joined the meeting and parade of the ex-prisoners of war, along with the meeting of his unit.

 

The G.A.R. members enjoyed many other fun activities as well.   In one day, nearly 1900 people visited City Hall and took the elevator ride up the tower. Meanwhile, others visited the Philadelphia Mint, Independence Hall, and the warships on the Delaware River. Atlantic City was also a fun destination, which the Pennsylvania Railroad advertised as an excursion for $1. The Philadelphia Inquirer also provided the G.A.R. members and their spouses with rides in in the most luxurious horseless carriages in the city.  Joseph and Caroline were among the G.A.R. couples that opted to be chauffeured through the streets of Philadelphia in one of the $3600 carriages. (Were they made of gold?)

 

In 1905, on a trip to the National Encampment in Denver, Joseph took his wife and his granddaughter Blanche, whom he and Caroline had raised.  It was on that trip that Blanche met Herbert Thomson, a farmer from Nebraska and her future husband, which most likely was the biggest way G.A.R. impacted Joseph’s life as she moved to Nebraska.

 

Over the following years, Joseph continued his membership in several societies, including G.A.R. and the Union Veteran Legion #1. For Memorial Day in 1910, details of the local G.A.R. visited the public schools and the school children collected plants to be planted on the graves of soldiers.  On that day, Joseph visited Garfield School, a short distance from his home.  The next year, as commander of the post, Joseph gave a Memorial Day address.  It was later that year that he died while still holding the office of commander.

 

Willis Alexander Conner

(Pellett Family Line)

 

Civil War Service

Willis had multiple stints in the Union Army during the Civil War starting when he was only 14 years of age.  On May 31, 1864, he enlisted in the 133rd  Regiment, Illinois Infantry commanded by Colonel Thaddeus Phillips.  The unit organized at Camp Butler with a 100 day commitment to the war effort. Willis served as a private in Company C , guarding prisoners of war. He was discharged, along with many other men,  by Lt. Sumner at Springfield, Illinois on September 24, 1864.  Willis also reported that measles had settled in his lungs during his service.

 

By February 15, 1865, Willis was back to the war effort  when he enlisted in the 152nd Regiment, Illinois Infantry for one year.  The unit organized at Camp Butler before moving into Tennessee. Their main role was to protect the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad.  Willis’ service, however, was cut short as the war ended.  He mustered out of  Company I on September 11th of that year at Memphis, Tennessee. 

 

After The War

 

 

By 1868,  Willis had moved to Kansas.  When the 19th Kansas Volunteer Calvary was called into service to address issues in the west with “hostile Indians.”  Colonel Crawford (namesake of Crawford County) who was the governor of Kansas,  resigned and led the regiment.  Willis signed up to serve the six month term on October 18, 1868 – only 8 days after a proclamation stating the need for a regiment had been made.  

 

Between 1200 and 1500 men gathered at Topeka before the regiment set out to the southwest.  Over the next six months they would venture into Indian Territory.  It was a very difficult journey as the winter was very harsh and supplies were extremely limited.  Many horses were also lost leaving the men to march through the cold and deep snow.  During the time they faced no fierce fighting with the Native Americans.  And, peace was achieved with some.  The entire regiment mustered out at Fort Hays on April 18, 1869.

In 1887, Willis joined the W.H. Lytle Post #32 of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) at Fort Scott, Kansas.  Although G.A.R. started shortly after the war, It didn’t really get started in Kansas until 1880.  The post in Fort Scott mustered on December 12, 1881.  Willis was the 317th patriot to apply and be accepted by the local organization.  It appears that he served in an official role with the organization around 1900.  In addition, in the 1890s, he was an assistant to the Grand Marshall for the Memorial Day Parade, which were elaborate events with multiple GAR units, the Kansas National Guard, various civic organizations, schools, and local officials participating.  Ex-slaves and Native Americans also participated.

 

The W. H. Lytle Post recommended and actively supported the creation of a soldier’s home for veterans.  Interestingly, Willis ended up spending the last months of his life at the Soldiers Home in Dodge City.  It had been established in 1890 and is still in use today.

 

Afterward:  The encampment in Philadelphia could be an entire article.  It was fascinating with so much written about it.

 

Don’t Burn The Child

Posted on by FHadmin
pixabay free to use image no attribution required

I never knew how close I came to not existing until I heard the family story of  Archibald Crawford Jr., who nearly died at the hands of the British when he was just a young boy. 

 

Support For the Revolution

 

Young Archibald’s father Archibald Sr., who had been born on a ship while his parents crossed the Atlantic, was a strong supporter of the American Revolution.  However, he was unable to join the men fighting for independence due to a deformity of his hand.   Yet, his support for America did not go unnoticed by the British Army.

 

The Fire

 

In  the fall of 1779 the war was being fought near Archibald Sr.’s property in Pound Ridge, New York. It was then that the British soldiers brought the war to Archibald’s home. Early one morning, they came and lit his home on fire as a penalty for his support for America.  The story as passed down through the family is that they spread fire throughout the house even putting burning sticks in amongst the families’ clothes.

 

The event happened quickly and the family fled the house.  In the confusion, his young son Archibald was accidentally left inside. Fortunately, a British soldier saw the young boy through a window  in the upper level and exclaimed, “For God’s sake, don’t burn the man’s children.”

 

Archibald Sr. rushed into the house going  through smoke and flames to reach his young son.  Wrapping Archibald Jr. in a quilt, he ran back outside, saving his son.. The family lost nearly all their belonging, but they all survived the attack.

 

After The Fire

 

The family moved into their barn to live through the cold winter.  Archibald Sr.’s wife was pregnant during this time and life must have been very challenging.  When it was time for the baby to come, she went to the nearby home of John Wood to have the baby.   It is said the John joked that the baby boy (Robert) was his son.  That later became true as Robert, along with Archibald Jr., would later marry daughters of John Wood. 

 

Archibald  Jr. and his wife Mary are my 4th great grandparents in my Pellett line as their granddaughter Aseneth  Crawford married Seth Pellett.  Had he not been noticed and the soldier not cared enough to call out, many lives would have been erased.  His survival is just one reason his many descendants should feel lucky!

 

 

 

 

Translating “Old Speak”

Posted on by FHadmin

Most things that I encounter in genealogy require some level of translation or interpretation.  The obvious is when a record is in German or French.  However, there are other things in genealogy research that require translating and interpreting. One of the most challenging is translating “old speak” into something understandable by  the general public today.

 

Old Speak?

 

What do I mean by “old speak?”  This is a term that I use for words and phraseology that are very rarely used today if at all, but which occur in old documents.  Old speak is most likely to become an issue when reading old free form documents, such as wills and church records.  Newspapers also may contain words or phrases unfamiliar to most people today. On the other hand, census records and other things that are standardized at the state or federal level are less likely to contain unfamiliar language, but are not immune to such language.

 

General Terms

 

One will that caught my attention was that of Christian Stetler Sr. (Klinefelter line).  In his will, he indicated what was to happen to his plantation.  This raised questions to me because he lived in Montgomery County Pennsylvania only a short distance from Philadelphia.  Not only did I not associate plantations with Pennsylvania, I hadn’t found him to be overly wealthy.  One record indicated that he had 125 acres, but many men in the area owned more land.  With research, I found that at that time  (early 1800s), a plantation was simply another name for farm.  It did not necessarily imply wealth, or acreage.

 

Another word that shows up a lot in old records is “instant.”  It basically means “next” except that it comes after the word it modifies in sentences.  For iexample, “Thursday instant” means “next Thursday.”  Similarly, instead of saying, “last August,” back in the day they would have used “August last.”

 

Now, this one may make you scratch your head. 4-great grandfather William Bassett’s records of  his service were lost (that is a whole other story) and he had to provide an account of his service along with other evidence to receive a pension. In those records, he refers to the term “skiner” This term referred to the British using the end of their bayonets to injure the people fighting for America’s independence.

 

Medical Terms

 

The first words that come to mind as old speak are medical terms.  Many old death records that included a cause of death use terms that are unfamiliar to most people.  For example, Joseph P. Ellis, son of Joseph Andrew Ellis (great-grandma Rosa’s brother) died of consumption.  Today, we would say that he died of Tuberculosis.  In this case, the information appeared in a newspaper article and said enough that without a medical dictionary or the internet, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out that it was at a minimum a chronic disease that would have resulted in someone moving in hopes of improved health.

 

Another example that can’t be as easily determined as to the exact cause of death is the case of great-great-great Grandmother Sally (Cox) Peelle.  She died at age 56 of bilious fever, which is a term no longer used by medical professionals.  Research shows that this was often associated with what we would consider Malaria, but some cases may have been from a form of hepatitis or from sepsis. 

 

Interesting Meanings

 

A newspaper from the 1700’s mentions that William Hurrie would not be responsible for the debts of his wife.  At first I did not realize the social and legal consequences of such a statement.  It didn’t simply mean that he thought she was spending irresponsibly or that she had separate finances.  Stating publicly that he would not be financially responsible constituted what is called self-divorce.  He was basically stating that their marriage was over.  No paper work needed to be filed as it had been openly stated.

 

Of course, before you can even interpret the old words, you have to be able to read the handwriting and get passed the nuances of handwriting at various times.

 

 

Image Source: Newspapers.com