The Distinguished Susannah Johnson

Posted on January 11, 2026January 11, 2026 by FHadmin

Susannah Johnson’s 1819 will is quite lengthy and quite interesting, detailing every dress and providing for several slaves. Where did she get all of these possessions? Why didn’t they simple go to her husband? Well, she had inherited money and possessions from her first husband and from her father. And, when she re-married, she had a pre-nup!

Who was Susannah Johnson?

Johnson was Susannah’s married name. Susannah was born in the mid-1700s in Virginia. She was the daughter of Abraham and Rebecca Marshall (Davis) Lewis, my 6th great grandparents.

Marriage to John Butcher

Susannah married John Butcher, son of Samuel Butcher, in Virginia in 1779. John died in 1805, leaving her without any offspring. However, he left her his plantation (farm) in Loudon County, Virginia, horses, livestock, wagon, farming utensils, corn for the animals, and fourteen barrels of flour. She was also to retain all the household furniture and Lishay(?), a slave. The only caveat was that upon her death the plantation was to go to the church that had been known as Butcher’s Meeting and was now known as Ebenezer’s Meeting.

Susannah was also one of the executors of her husband’s will.

In addition to her inheritance from john Butcher, Susannah had inherited £15 after her father died. After both parents died, she was entitled to one quarter of the land her father owned after other distributions.

Marriage to Jessie Johnson

Shortly after John died, Susannah married Jesse Johnson. Unlike many situations where a woman with property married and the husband gained the property, Susannah retained her property, both personal and land, when she married Jesse. This was done via a legal agreement that today we would called a pre-nup. It was focused solely on Susannah retaining all of the property that she had. Matter of fact, the document went on to say that if she should die without a will that her property was to be distributed according to inheritance rules that would have applied if she hadn’t been married.

Some of the items in Susannah’s possession at the time of the pre-nup:

One female slave
One “negro” boy named Vincent and one girl named Linah. Both were approximately 16 years of age.
One wagon and two horses
Household furniture
Land in the state of Virginia of approximately 250 acres
Land in Madison County, Kentucky
3 Horses
$400 in the hands of the man who was helping her manage his estate

Susannah’s Will

Because of the pre-nup agreement, Jesse didn’t automatically get any of Susannah’s estate. However, she did include him, giving him horse, a bed, first choice of furniture, and all the farming utensils.

Kentucky Bank Shares

Susannah had shares of stock in the Bank of Kentucky. When issued, these shares had a value of $100 each. She gave four shares of stock to her husband, and three shares to her brother Isaac. She gave her niece Susannah (Lewis) Finley six shares and her niece Susannah (Lewis) Ellis, my 4th great grandmother, three shares.

I don’t know why the two Susannahs were called out to receive significant inheritances. Perhaps it was simply because they were her namesakes. However, Susannah’s first husband John Butcher had also named Susannah (Lewis) Finley in his will, giving her a cow. Thus, she likely was very close to his wife or both of them. According to AI, by leaving stock to her nieces with her name, she was likely attempting to ensure that her name continued to be associated with status and wealth in the next generation.

Susannah wanted two shares of bank stock be sold with the proceeds shared between her a long list of people. It would seem that was a way to include them in her will without giving them a significant amount of money. (Names included: her brother Isaac Lewis, Isaac’s daughters Anny Lewis and Betsy Lewis, James Lewis’ daughters Nancy and Tacy, Kesiah Beverly, Anny Lilley, and her husband’s daughter Polly Johnson.)

She also gave $150 from her stock to Sterling Johnson, who it appears is likely Jesse’s son by a previous marriage.

Land

Susannah stated her desire for the land she personally owned in Madison County to be sold with the proceeds to be given to her sister Martha. If Martha was not living, the money was to be split evenly between seven of Martha’s children: Moses Beck, Joseph Beck, John Beck, Brister Beck, Patsey (Beck) Brister, Sally (Beck) Lee.

If the land was not able to be sold, it would go to her sister Martha. If Martha was not living, it would be split between the children listed.

Likewise, anything that remained after distributing her property according to her will, was to be sold with the proceeds to be distributed in the same manner as the proceeds from the land.

Slaves

Susannah also had slaves separate from any that her husband Jesse had.

Susannah declared that her “negro woman” Valitia be freed from servitude upon her death. She did, however, desire that Valitia stay with her children, who were to remain with her husband Jesse until they became of age. However, she said that despite her desire, Valitia was free to choose whether to stay or not.

Valitia’s children were to be granted their freedom from servitude upon reaching age 21. Her daughter Loussey was seven years of age, having reached that milestone on February 24 (born 2/24/1812). Her son Tilford would be five on July 23 (born 7/23/1814). And, the youngest was a girl Ellender who would turn four on June 20 (born 6/20/1815).

The children were to remain in Madison County until they received their freedom. I assume this is because their mother was currently located with her. Susannah specified that if her husband were to move or die before they received their freedom, her executor was to take the children and “bind them out to such trades as he may think most advisable” until they reached age 21.

Susannah also had a “negro man” Vincent whom she bequeathed to her husband for a term of 15 years after which she also granted him his freedom. Like the children, Vincent was not to be removed from the county. She included specific actions the executor of her will should take if her husband was to move. In this scenario, she did not state what was to occur if her husband died.

She also had a boy Randol who was eleven years old. His birthday was January 3. Initially, she wrote that Randol would be turned over to her executor to bind him out until he turned twenty one at which time she granted him his freedom. However, before she signed her will she made an adjustment and decided that Randol would stay with her husband until he received his freedom. He also was not to be removed from the county.

Personal Items & Wearing Apparel

Items For Valitia, Randol, and Vincent

Susannah provided some items for the three oldest of her slaves. Vincent and Randol each received a coverlet (bedspread) that were woven in the “bird’s-eye” twill pattern. Randol also received a linsey blcnet, which was a very warm handmade blanket. He also received one dress that was to be used as fabric to make clothes for him.

Valitia received numerous items, likely to give her a start in life as a newly free person. Valitia received all of Susannah’s “coarse” clothing, which would have been her everyday work clothes. In addition, she was to receive two of the “coarsest” of Susannah’s homemade dresses. Susannah also provided her with approximately twenty yards of linen. For her bed, Valitia received a green hand-woven coverlet that was woven in the “bird’s-eye” twill pattern and a a linsey blanket. Lastly, she received a trunk in which to keep her new clothing.

Her Step-daughter Polly Johnson

Susannah’s step-daughter Polly Johnson received several items, which shows that they maintained a close or at the very least very cordial relationship. To wear, Polly received a flowered black silk shawl and a white-ground dress with green spots. This was a light-weight everyday dress. It is likely that Polly received this dress instead of a fancier dress as she was still a teenager at the time the will was written

For her bed, Polly received a counterpane (bedspread, quilt) that featured the nine snow ball design. She also received a trunk and a whip.

The Changeable Silk Dresses

Susannah owned two changeable silk dresses. These dresses were made of 100% silk taffeta with fabric woven with one color of thread used horizontally and another vertically. It was an ultra luxury fabric. The dress would appear to be one color. However, the presence of the two colors created “an iridescent, shimmering effect.” As the wearer moved or the light changed, the dress would appear to change color.

These dresses were very valuable. They would have been professionally made as working with this fabric required special skills and the dresses had to be fitted perfectly. Additionally, the fabric itself was quite expensive. It would have been imported and the color choice could add significantly to the cost, which is estimated in that time period to be around $75 per dress for evening wear. However, some changeable silk dresses exceeded $100 in value. The value varied depending on the specific style and the embellishments on the dress.

Susannah likely wore these dresses to balls, formal dinners, or when calling on on someone of status. They were clearly designed to make Susannah stand out as the primary colors were yellow for one and red for the other.

Yellow was a color associated with high-fashion. It took special skills to dye changeable silks yellow making it a bit more rare, but it also was seen as a turning point toward optimism and bringing sunny skies into clothing. It was also considered a bit daring. The yellow likely was paired with white with green, or blue. These would have created a sunny look, a lime shimmer, and a iridescent gold, respectively.

The red dress may have cost more to dye depending on the specific “red” of the dress. Vibrant red required expensive special dyes and techniques. Red changeable silks often paired the red with black, blue, or white. The white created a silvery rose effect while the blue created a purple effect and the black a more of a crimson. This dress would have turned heads. Everyone would have noticed this powerful, daring woman.

The dresses were given to two women who I believe were her nieces. If the dresses didn’t fit or couldn’t be slightly modified, they could have a dressmaker take the dress apart, clean the material, and resew it into an different style that could be made with the quantity of material salvageable.

Other Fine Clothing

Lustring Silk Dress

Susannah Finley, who received the most shares in the Bank of Kentucky, inherited a black lustring silk dress. The dress would have had a glossy shine created by stretching the silk during the weaving, which caused it to shimmer in candlelight. The cloth was surprisingly stiff and would likely have had significant ruffles or other decoration at the hem. The material would have made a rustling sound when she walked.

Susannah would have worn this dress for sophisticated events, events where she wanted to put on an air of wealth, and for second-mourning. In the early stages of mourning, a woman would never wear a shiny dress. However, in the second stage, the dress was perfect as it was shiny, but black. This showed that she was beginning to transition out of mourning. Susannah had likely obtained the dress when her first husband died if not before.

Like, red, black was an expensive dye unless you wanted the black to appear as an off-color. Thus, a black lustering silk dress was no small purchase. However, it was a good one as it stayed in style for decades. The younger Susannah could continue to wear the dress for decades.

Slip Jaconet Dress

Susannah Finley’s sister Mary inherited a slip Jaconet dress. Although made of cotton, this dress was also a sign of luxury. The bright white garment was made of expensive, high quality, imported cotton. It could only be worn by a woman of higher-society because maintaining the pure white polished look was very difficult. However, unlike silk, it could be laundered and it could stand up to bleach.

The slip jaconett dress was simple and usually had minimal sleeves if any. It was used as a layer underneath a lace or sheer tunics or frock. The pure white accentuated the color and design of the top layer. It could be paired with many different top layers to create a variety of outfits. However, they were not necessarily plain as many had extensive embroidery. It was often also done in white using various techniques to create interesting textures.

The slip jaconet dress with its appropriate outer layer would be worn to daytime parties or when calling on friends.

Dress and Shawl

Another woman inherited a dress that was described as deep blue ground with white stripes. The deep blue was another color associated with sophistication. Thin white stripes were added as a popular accent as they were used to show-off the empire waists, high under the breast, that were popular at the time. The stripes could be achieved via weaving white cloth in with the blue or by using a process that removed the blue dye to create the stripes.

This dress was to be worn in the daytime with different uses based on the type of fabric. She could have worn it for a walk in the park or to make afternoon social calls. No matter where Susannah wore the dress, it showed that she was a sensible woman who had authority.

The same woman received a striped red silk shawl. The shawl would have been lightweight and likely had a bit of a sheen. The stripes were probably added during the weaving process. The most popular style during this era was to have horizontal stripes on the ends. However, it could have had vertical pinstripes throughout the shawl.

It is unlikely that the two were meant to be worn together unless it was to be a patriotic outfit. However, since both were striped, that may have been the intent.

Miscellaneous Other Clothing

Susan Finley, who seemed close to Susannah, also received a riding dress saddle and blanket. Sterling Johnson received a trunk and a blanket.

Susannah gave her two living sisters and sister-in-laws her caps and handkerchiefs. They were to be divided equally among them. The remainder of her clothing, including her stockings, were to be divided between ten different women including two that may have been friends as Susannah did not state a relationship to her and I have not found that they were related.

Her Silver Watch

Almost as an after thought, Susannah added that she bequeathed her silver watch to her husband Jesse. It is likely that he gave it to her and she wanted him to have it as a token of their time together.

Conclusions about Susannah

Gemini made the following observations.

“This woman was a master of “Soft Power.” She used her pre-nup to keep her money, her bank stock to empower her namesakes, and her fine Virginia silks to clothe the next generation of Kentucky’s elite.”
“The owner of this will was likely a woman of the “Gentry.” She had her “formal” silks for the night and her “pristine” white jaconets for the day”.
“This woman clearly had a full social calendar! “

Based solely on the dresses Susannah owned, Grok said,

“In 1819 America would mark this woman as quite wealthy — comfortably upper-middle class at minimum, and likely solidly affluent or even elite by the standards of the time.”

Furthermore, by the fact that she distributed her fine wearing apparel, it is clear that she was not ultra-wealthy, as women in this class would not have bothered themselves with giving dresses to friends or relatives. Besides, their heirs would likely be offended by such gesture. However, the type of dresses she owned, the land, stock, and slaves, all indicate that she was a woman of significant wealth.

Grok.com and gemini.google.com were used extensively for this article. They created text from handwritten documents and were also used to research items listed in Susannah’s will.

Prompt: A Record That Adds Color

#52ancestors52weeks

Overcoming Challenges

Posted on January 3, 2026January 3, 2026 by FHadmin

The thing that I most admire about my ancestors isn’t if they are wealthy or famous. It isn’t even if they built a town or a business. What I admire most is the ones that got through really challenging times in their life.

This article takes a look at some of the challenges ancestors overcame during each century starting with the 1600s.

The 1600s

Lawrence Peelle

9th Great-Grandfather

Challenge: Staying Alive

Lawrence Peelle, my earliest known ancestor in the Americas, came across the ocean with the London Company in 1621. He settled in Elizabeth Citti, Virginia.

Prior to 1625, 7,389 people had come to Virginia. However, by the end of February of that year, only 1,095 were still living. That was a death rate of 85%. (Source: The First Pioneer Families of Virginia by A. C. Quisenberry)

Deaths came from diseases, clashes with Native Americans, and overall harsh living conditions. Lawrence was very lucky to have lived in Elizabeth Citti as it was spared the Powhatan Uprising, which killed approximately 350 settlers. Still, it is amazing he survived

Elizabeth Veepon (Pearson) Stackhouse

Hubby’s 9th Great-Grandmother

Challenge: New Country, No Parents

Elizabeth Veepon (Pearson) Stackhouse endured her father undergoing religious persecution in England.

Then, the family decided to move to America. Her father died on the journey and her mother died soon after. Elizabeth was only a teenager. She had two sisters, but it isn’t clear that they were able to all stay together as they dealt with life as teenage orphans in a new country where disease was running rampant and the population was very small.

It is amazing that she survived and thrived.

John Tilton

9th Great Grandfather

Challenge: Religious Persecution

John Tilton and his family’s religious beliefs didn’t align with the beliefs of the Puritans. Living in the 1600s near Salem, MA, that was a problem.

However, John and his family’s problems didn’t end there. They moved to an area that is now within New York City. When members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) arrived, they joined with them. They housed them and held meetings.

This was not to the liking of the locals. Again, John underwent persecution for his religious beliefs. He was arrested and banished. His wife was accused of being a sorceress.

Still, they continued their faith.

The 1700s

William Bassett

4th Great Grandfather

Inside Front Cover of the Bassett Bible. In the possession of Ronald “Smokey” Bassett

Challenge: Possibly deported from his homeland, POW, wounded, living in wilderness, threat of Native Americans

William Bassett was born in England. He came to America possibly as a deportee. If so, he was only 12 years of age when he arrived.

William fought in the Revolutionary War. If he was a deportee, one can imagine he was strongly in favor of independence. He was both wounded and a prisoner of war.

After the war, William moved to the Kentucky wilderness where he cleared land to live on, and was involved in skirmishes with Native Americans.

William had to fight to get a pension for his service to the country as he lost his papers when fighting with Native Americans. Thus, he recounted his entire history in the military in order to obtain the small pension.

The 1800s

Arthur Reid Thomson

Hubby’s Great-Great Grandfather

Arthur Reid and Margaret (Ronald) Thomson

Challenge: Life on his own at a young age

As the story goes, Arthur Reid Thomson was orphaned as a child. It is said that Arthur and his brother Alexander “Sandy” went to live with their grandfather in Edinburgh, Scotland. When Arthur was sixteen, his grandfather apparently sent him to America to live with his uncle.

Arthur never arrived at his uncle’s home. Instead, he went to Canada with some of the others on the ship. It is unclear how he made a living or what he did over the next few years. However, he eventually made his way to Wisconsin and then to Nebraska, which was just opening for settlers.

It is hard to imagine losing your parents and then being shipped to a foreign land with little to no contact with the people you know. But, Arthur Reid married, had a large family, and was relatively prosperous for a farmer on the frontier.

Read more in A Long Road to a Homestead.

Louisiana (Matteer) Badgley McCracken

Great-great Grandmother

Challenge: Loss, children to raise, distance to family

Louisiana (or Louisanna) married young and had two children by the time her mother died. Louisiana was not yet twenty at the time.

Then sometime between 1851 and 1859, Louisiana’s first husband, James Badgley, appears to have died. They had been living with his father, Isaac Badgley, who sold some land to her husband in early 1851. Later that year, they sold the land. Those are the last records that have been found for James or Isaac.

It is unknown if James died in Ohio, whether they were moving west and he died along the way, or if he died in Iowa where she later lived. If both James and his father died in Ohio, where they were living in 1850, that would have left Louisiana there without her close family. And, if he died along the trail, she would have had to make the remainder of the trip without a husband.

Anyway, she ended up in Iowa, where her father lived. alone with two young children. In 1859, she married Lemuel McCracken and they had a blended family with children from each of their earlier marriages, plus their own.

Read more about Louisiana’s life.

D. Lawrence & Joseph (Henry) McCracken

Half-3rd-Great Uncle/ 3rd-Great Uncle

Challenge: Living away from parents and siblings at a young age.

Both Lawrence and Henry somehow ended up living with families that were not relatives. Because of this, they ended up living in totally different states than their parent(s).

Lawrence was Lemuel’s son with his first wife. By the time Lawrence was twelve years old, he was living with a family in the area. When he was about 15, Lemuel and Louisiana moved to Kansas. Apparently, Lawrence did not go with them.

Henry was Lemuel and Louisiana’s son. After Louisiana died, he lived with the Dudley family. The family decided to move from their home in Bates County, Missouri to Kansas. Henry went with them.

Somehow they managed to keep in touch with at least part of their siblings/half-siblings/step-siblings. It seems that Mary Ann, Louisiana’s daughter with her first husband, was the one that maintained contact with everyone. Still, we did not know about Lawrence or Lemuel’s first marriage until I uncovered it while doing research.

Franz Xavier Wittmer

Hubby’s 4th Great Grandfather

Challenge: Losing his wife when their children were still young, struggling to make a living

Franz Xavier Wittmer’s wife, Anna Hilbert, died in 1847 leaving him with six children, five of which were under the age of majority. The youngest two were four and six.

Franz tried very hard to provide for his children. He was a farmer. He also worked as a tailor, a miner, and a forest observer. It isn’t clear who helped care for his children while he worked. However, it is known that as hard as he tried, he struggled and remained poor.

By 1857, one married daughter had died and three other of his children hadn’t just left the nest, they had left the continent, choosing to venture to the United States. So, Franz Xavier decided to make the move across the Atlantic as well. He and his two youngest would make the move relying on their maternal inheritance and the sale of a small property that he owned.

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, things changed for the better as multiple of his sons did well in business.

Read about the Wittmer’s business ventures.

The 1900s

Dessie May (Thomas) Pellett

Grandmother

Clifford & Dessie (Thomas) Pellett and Their Son Marvin

Challenge: Loss & Raising Children

Grandma dealt with a lot of loss in her life. Her mother, Sarah Ellen “Sadie Ella” (Ashby) Thomas, died in childbirth (the baby also died) when Grandma was only 15 years old. She was left to manage the household and care for her five younger siblings. The youngest was only two and a half.

She married and while her children were still young, her husband, Clifford Claney Pellett, ended up in a VA hospital. He had injured himself in a fall and got gangrene in his leg. In addition, he had what we would likely term PTSD. He spent the rest of his life in a VA hospital in Iowa. Again, she was left to care for the children.

She stayed on the farm until the children were high school age. I suppose she got a pension from her husband’s military service, but they were still quite poor. Marvin, the oldest and the only son, helped out by working for neighbors and helping his mother sell produce. The neighbors knew the family was struggling and they found ways to help.

As soon as Inez graduated high school, she went to work at The Western. Between her work and Marvin’s work, the family bought a house. All four children graduated high school, and three of the four went to community college.

Grinda (Hansen) Van Allen

Hubby’s Great -Grandmother

Challenge: Loss & Raising Children

Grinda (Hansen) Van Allen married a man, John (Warren) Van Allen, who was 25 years her senior.

After 14 years, 7 children, and several moves. Warren was injured in a farming accident. About the same time, Grinda’s young daughter received serious burns. Her daughter would recover. However, although Warren lingered a bit, he would eventually succumb to his injuries.

Grinda was left with seven children to raise. She was also the step-mother to seven adults. Instead of going back to where she grew up and where her family lived, she moved the children to Lincoln, Nebraska where she worked many hours every week doing domestic work in homes.

She also dealt with several accidents involving her kids and herself and more deaths in her family.

Grinda persevered. She outlived most of her siblings and most of her step-children.

Accidents Deaths and other challenges

McCracken Family

Challenge: Disruption, Loss, Not Knowing

Almost everyone alive during the 1940s experienced a world war in one way or another. Some more than others. The McCracken family first experienced rationing and the children scattering to various places to work.

Rationing lasted throughout the war. They managed the entire war with bad tires, exchanged ration coupons with others for shoes so that they could put shoes on growing children’s feet, and learned to like unsweetened tea.

When their two oldest sons, Dewey and Howard, were drafted, Dad quit school to manage the farm.

Life went on, but it was different and full of worry. Like most people, they knew people who had lost their sons to the war and that only managed to increase their worry.

And, then Howard went missing never to be seen again. The family struggled with that for the remainder of their days.

Read more about Howard going missingand his last letter home.

Matilda (jury) Peelle

Great-Grandmother

Challenge: Loss

Matilda lost her mother before her third birthday. She was raised by her father, John Jury Sr., with help from his mother, sister, and possibly his brother’s wife.

Over the next several years, her family would leave their home in Canada, move to Kansas, Missouri, back to Kansas, to Michigan, and finally back to Kansas. Thus, Matilda never got to put down roots anywhere for very long.

She married William Johnson Peelle and had three children. Again, they moved several times, but at least they stayed within a few miles of Hiattville, Kansas.

Then in 1911, she lost her father and her husband in the span of two days. Her father’s death was likely somewhat expected as he had cancer. However, her husband’s death was completely unexpected.

Matilda was left with three children, William J.’s elderly mother, a farm to manage, and a load of lumber that William J. had just picked up for a new building.

Matilda eventually left the farm and became a city lady. She never remarried.

The 2000s

Joseph Edward McCracken

Father

Challenge: Medical and life altering decision

Dad had the constitution of a horse. He didn’t get sick often and he generally rebounded quickly. However, in 2012, he started having pain and feeling generally unwell.

A stress test in February 2013 led to an immediate CT-Scan and hospitalization. During testing, they determined that he needed open heart surgery and they saw what they suspected was cancer in his colon.

He asked the doctor if he could just do the colon surgery. They said, “No.” The doctors told him that he would not live through colon surgery without the heart surgery. And, they said, that it would be a waste to do the heart surgery and not the colon surgery.

He really wanted us to make the decision about what to do. He finally decided to do both surgeries. The heart surgery turned into a septuple bypass. Several weeks later he had colon surgery. That decision gave him 9 more years.

Featured Image: By olenchic via pixabay.com

Prompt: An Ancestor I Admire

#52ancestors52weeks

2025: My Research In Review

Posted on December 27, 2025 by FHadmin

This article explores the current status of research for the three family lines that I most actively researched in 2025 and a look back at the articles I wrote during the year.

The Family Tree Evolves

Currently, my tree on Ancestry contains 45,344 people and my off-line, official tree contains 42,547 people. That is an increase of 833 on ancestry.com and an increase of 64 in my official tree. The reason for the discrepancy is that I am adding people to the McCracken and Peppard lines that I know are related. However, I haven’t added them to my official tree as the exact connection (e.g. Lemuel’s parents) is not known.

Rod’s family trees are much smaller mostly due to the fact that his family immigrated to the United States much later than most of my family. His trees contain 3,744 people and 5,263 people on Ancestry and in our official database, respectively. That is an increase of 54 on ancestry.com and 43 in the official tree.

People in both trees are proven in to varying degrees. In recent years, I have gone back and double-checked people in my direct line and noted in my official tree if they are verified. So, for instance, information seems to point to Lucy Ann Storms’ father being Conrad Storms and we are definitely related to many Sturm/Storm/Storm(s)(es). However, no record has been found that I can use to confirm that relationship. Thus, in the official tree, Lucy Ann is marked verified and Conrad is included in the tree, but is not marked verified. This capability now exists in ancestry.com. However, I have used it only on a limited basis, mostly to identify someone who is definitely in question.

Projects

Although I am always working toward generally growing and improving the family tree, I usually have at least one special project in the works for our families. Those are projects that typically involve using DNA, doing local research, and traditional research online, to try to find information on a person who has been difficult to track down.

Three special projects are currently most active. Let’s take a look.

Lemuel McCracken’s Parents

Nothing has been found to disprove or alter the assumptions about Lemuel’s parents. Y-DNA showed that his father was a Peppard. Thus, his mother is a McCracken. I still believe that his mother was most likely a daughter or granddaughter of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken. Likewise, I still believe that his father was likely one of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Gilmore) Peppard’s sons.

These families lived close to each other in Wayne County, Ohio in the early 1800s.

DNA Research

Matches Identified

Below is an update on the number of McCracken and Peppard DNA matches that have been identified as fitting into each of the categories listed.

DNA Matches that are	Begin 2025	End 2025	Comment
Descendants of Lemuel and his first wife	23	30
Descendants of Lemuel and Louisiana	62	67	Includes those that tested for me
Descendants of Louisiana and her first husband	11	13
Total	96	110

Descendants of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken	83	131	Includes some branches that have strong evidence that they belong to this family, but have not been 100% proven.
Descendants of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Gilmore) Peppard	121	188
Bonus Peppard matches through the Bailey family	18	26	This family did not believe they had any ties to the Peppard family. However, both autosomal DNA and Y-DNA say that they do.

DNA Analysis

In addition to looking at new DNA matches as seeing how they align with the families involved, I also spent quite a bit of time looking at the strongest matches to see if any pattern appeared. I started by looking at the older generation. I have 4 samples for that generation.

McCracken

Among my samples. there are only 4 matches to descendants of James and Rachel (Kelly) McCracken at over 100 centimorgans. Two of these are descendants of Nathaniel McCracken, and two are descendants of Thomas McCracken. Nathaniel had one daughter who would have been old enough to be Lemuel’s mother. It is important to note that Nathaniel’s descendants may be doubly connected to us. This isn’t clear. However, DNA matches to both us and Nathaniel’s descendants seem to match in a different way.

Thomas’ family has been more difficult to connect as Thomas died young and his wife died only a few years later. However, I have DNA matches that appear to possibly be descendants of his daughters. Unfortunately, he only mentioned his two young sons in his will. Thus, I haven’t been able to prove the relationship.

When I look at total number of DNA matches in the range I am considering (>30 centimorgans), Thomas and Nathaniel show up with the largest numbers. That is not, however, meaningful since it relies on the number of descendants that have tested.

Peppard

Among the same samples, there are only two matches to descendants of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Gilmore) Peppard. They both descend from his son John. When looking at total number of DNA matches, John also leads his siblings. In addition, it seems most likely based primarily on circumstances that the Bailey matches are descendants of John. This would increase the number of DNA matches to John significantly.

Rebecca also has a number of descendants. However, being female, she is out of contention as a parent. She has no known children old enough to be Lemuel’s father. It is,, however, possible that she had a child when she was young who would be old enough to be Lemuel’s father. Still, it seems more likely that Rebecca’s descendants have a double connection that increase the strength of the match.

I have now expanded this analysis to include people in my generation as part of the sample. I am now working with a much larger data set and it will take some time to see if patterns emerge. In addition, I am also looking for connections to various women. For instance, if one of Thomas McCracken’s assumed daughters is Lemuel’s mother, descendants of his wife’s family should show up in DNA matches. Unfortunately, it is a common name and we have multiple possible connections to that name.

Read about Lemuel and Louisiana: A Journey of Discoveries.

Read research notes. Follow the links on the pages to different pieces of data regarding this research. Not all research has been added to this series of webpages.

Arthur Reid Thomson’s Parents

According to Arthur Reid Thomson, he was an orphan. He had lived with his grandfather in Scotland before making his way across the ocean. It is unknown if his grandfather was his mother’s father or his father’s father.

He was supposedly sent to live with an uncle in New York, but went to Canada with “friends” instead. He later came to the United States. It is believed his father was also named Arthur and that he had a brother Alexander and sister, Gennia, who remained in Scotland. Supposedly, he lost contact with his family for many years, but did make contact later in life.

Read about Arthur’s Long Road to a Homestead.

DNA Research

Y-DNA

Rod did a Y-DNA test. The results included four men – all with different last names. One of the men did have the name “Thompson.” That could be a variation of Thomson or it could be a totally unrelated surname. I am currently searching ancestry data (autosomal DNA) for the surnames. I have found a good-sized group that have ties to Scotland and North Ireland. However, they are very distantly related to Rod’s branch and most are distantly related to each other. Only a very small number show the name Thomson in their tree. However, it isn’t clear that Rod connects to them on that specific branch.

In Addition, I have found a group with strong Canada ties. However, it isn’t clear how they are related to Rod. I found a couple of pieces of data that indicate they might be distant relatives in the Van Allen family line, but there is more work to do.

Autosomal DNA

We have not been able to identify any matches that are definitely Thomson matches beyond direct descendants of Arthur. It would seem that if his uncle was in New York, that matches to some descendants would be found. However, it is possible that the uncle was a maternal uncle.

We recently tested three additional members of the family – two in Rod’s generation and one in his dad’s generation. Since everyone in a family inherits different pieces of DNA, we are hoping that the additional testing will result in new matches that help determine the names of Arthur Reid Thomson’s parents.

Roger Ellis’ Parents

This year I started systematically researching Roger Ellis’ parents. He is my 4^th great-grandfather and our earliest known Ellis ancestor. There are theories about his parents, but it doesn’t appear that any of them are based on anything other than other Ellis families in the general area. It may, or may not, be important that this family often spelled their name Elless or Elles. Additionally, the family Bible spells the name of the original owner as David Alles. Although, the entries apparently are with the name Elless.

Read research notes. Follow the links on the pages to different pieces of data regarding this research. Not all research has been added to this series of webpages.

DNA Research

DNA Matches that are	Begin 2025	End 2025	Comment
Descendants of Roger Ellis and his wife Susannah Lewis		176	Includes people that tested for me.

All the DNA matches that I have been able to definitively tie to our Ellis family line are descendants of Roger and Susannah (Lewis) Ellis. I do have a couple of groups of interest that I have identified.

One group contains descendants of Enos Ellis, who was born in 1786, which would make him a contemporary of Roger. However, the name Enos Ellis does not appear in the family Bible, which lists Roger and what appear to likely be some or all of his siblings. The name Ellis is super common and it is possible that this group connects to us in a different way.

The second group is clearly associated with the Ellis family or one of the allied families. People cluster under several different names and some of the clusters are in West Virginia. Since George Nicholson, another ancestor, was from West Virginia, it is possible that this group ties into his family line instead of the Ellis family. However, I am in the middle researching them, so I have no definitive answer yet. If they are related to George Nicholson instead of Roger Ellis that could help solve the mystery of George’s parents. Some people have identified who they believe are George’s parents. However, I have not found enough evidence to date to add those people as his parents.

2025 Articles

This year I didn’t keep up with an article each week. However, some of the articles were quite in-depth. They required extensive research. I have one that I started about my 3rd great-grandfather Henry Thomas in the Seminole Indian Wars. It was one of those that required a lot of research. I hope to finish it in 2026.

Below are the articles I wrote this year.

Anderson (Van Allen)

The Wall Tumbles Down

Ashby

A War Years Letter

Brooks (Klinefelter)

Life at the Home for Aged Protestant Women

Ellis

Buried in the cemetery or not?

Joe Ellis: Frontiersman

South Dakota’s Grand Old Man of Aviation

Hanson (Van Allen)

Accidents, Deaths, and Other Challenges

Hurrie

Near Kin

Matteer

The Search For Louisiana

McCracken

An Amazing Lady!

Four Brothers and One War

In My Dreams

Shhhh! Don’t Tell

Suddenly Getting Older

The Artistic Obituary

The Last Letter

The Old Sawmill

When You Open A Can of Worms

McGinley (Klinefelter)

Astonished!

Peelle

Did a Family Name Start as a Nickname?

It Started With A Pulley

The Mystery Music Man

Pellett

A Pellett Journey

Chicken And Noodles

Sleigh Accident

The Children’s Librarian

What A Name!

Peppard

The 1762 Princeton Graduate

Stackhouse (Klinefelter)

I Take Thee . . .

The Deadly Voyage

Thomas

Grandma’s Rocker

Thomson

The Freedom Train

Multiple

All Roads Lead to Bourbon County

A Thousand Memories

DNA Ethnicity Meets Traditional Genealogy

Fire After Fire

Hiattville: A Rural Town

My Ancestral Religious History

The Beginning of 2025

The Signature

2026 Research

It is very likely that George Nicholson’s parents will end up getting worked with the Ellis research since possible DNA matches to that line are popping up when looking at distant Ellis matches.

Future Projects

Future projects under consideration:

Was Elizabeth Brown Donaldson really kin to Chief Justice John Marshall? I have worked on this one quite a bit with traditional research. Additionally, I contributed to a project looking at this with DNA. Read about the John Marshall research.
Was Tabitha Dunigan really a daughter of President John Adams who was born out of wedlock? To date, I have not found anything that proves or disproves her parentage. Read Creative Genealogy – The Story of John Adams and our Family.
Am I related to women who were persecuted during the Salem Witch Trials? It is thought that my Thomas family might be related, but that we are not a direct descendant. At least one other family needs to be researched as they had ties to the area.
Who were George Nicholson’s parents?
Who were Martha (Johnson) Peelle’s 5 missing siblings and what happened to them? I have worked on this question on and off, but have never undertaken a special project to find them.
The German ancestry of Helm, Kutzner, Schmidt, Ackermann, Stetler etc.
Identifying descendants of William Hurrie, who rang the Liberty Bell.
A woman who was buried at the same cemetery as William Hurrie’s granddaughter claimed to be related to William Hurrie. Basic research shows she was German and he was said to be from Scotland. Not sure if she was related to his granddaughter’s husband, William’s wife or if there was really no connection despite her claim.
Is Matthias Matteer’s ancestors who they appear to be?
Who was Mary Rogers/Rodgers’ parents?

Featured Image: Source: Pixabay.com

AI Generated

Family Tree Family Life Cycle royalty-free stock illustration. Free for use & download.

Prompt: Memorable

#52ancestors52weeks

The Mystery Music Man

Posted on December 12, 2025 by FHadmin

Who is this young man and what is the musical instrument that he is holding?

The Photo

The original photo is a tin type photo of a young man holding a wind instrument. The photo is 2.5 inches by 4 inches and is not in a paper sleeve. It was referred to as a “large gem” and considered a slightly upscale version of the tiny gems, which were really tiny. The size alone dates the photo to 1870 or later. These specific types of photos were most popular from 1872 to 1874.

I am hoping knowing the possible date range of the photo will help identify the young man in the photo. He appears to be in his late teens or twenties. Based on his minimal facial hair, grok estimated his age as 17-22 as during the 1870s most men wore some amount of facial hair.

Let’s see what else we can learn from this photo.

Family & Location

Dad had a number of tin type photos. Several of them are unidentified. However, they appear to have been with other photos of the Peelle family. In addition, the young man’s hair line is similar to that of a number of the men in the Peelle family. Thus, it seems likely that this photo is of someone related to the Peelle family. Given that, it is likely that the photo was taken in Indiana, possibly in Randolph or Wayne counties.

It is important to note that this type of photo was known to be taken in Richmond, Indiana, which is in Wayne County. It is also known that the Peelle family had family in Richmond. Another location where these types of photos were taken is Indianapolis. The family had ties in Indianapolis, too. However, it was further from where most of the family lived.

Photo Progression

The following shows a progression from the tin type to a black and white photo with more detail and finally with a colorized photo. By doing the black and white and colorized versions many new details of the photo can be seen.

Original Tin Type

Photo after cropping and being converted to black and white

Photo colorized and enhanced by Google Gemini AI

The Clothing

Grok referred to his jacket as a “sack jacket.” It was clothing typically worn by workers and indicates he was lower-middle-class or below. It is consistent with the time period of the photo type. His jacket, shirt, necktie, hair style, and even his pose are all consistent with the photo being taken in the 1870s.

A possible braid showing on the cuffs may indicate that he was a part of a firemen’s brass band or a town band. Although I can’t see enough detail to know, grok believes that it is the same pattern that various firemen’s bands had in several states, including Indiana. It is believed to show great similarity to surviving uniforms from Richmond during this era.

The Instrument

The instrument is an over-the-shoulder E♭ alto saxhorn. The design indicates it is a later version near the time that they started changing the design of the horn. This style was popular up until around 1880, although some were used after that date. This model was made by Isaac Fiske’s company and sold in Indianapolis.

It appears that the young man was a member of some type of band. It could have been a town band or a firemen’s band.

It was popular for members of bands to have photos taken with their instruments. Often they were in their uniform, but not always. The photo could have been taken in a studio, but it might also have been taken at the county fair or other special event by a traveling photographer. This specific style instrument is common in photos from 1872 to 1877.

Studio Setting

The backdrop was very common in the 1870s. In addition, the stool complete with fringe was a popular prop of that era. The combination of a fringed stool and a similar/same background image is found in surviving examples, including from traveling photographers in various states, including Indiana. In addition, this specific background has been found in at least eight tintypes from Indiana. Those photographs were taken between 1873 and 1877 with one of the confirmed photographs having been taken in Indianapolis.

Image after colorization and age progression to age 60 via Gemini.

Profile

If we use 1873-1877 as suggested by grok for the date range for this photograph and the likely age given of 17 -22, it implies that this man was born between 1851 and 1860. I like to expand a bit on the suggested year ranges given people in more rural areas didn’t wear the latest styles or might not have had the “in” instruments. Likewise, he might be a bit younger or older than he appears. Thus, I think this man likely was born between 1847 and 1865.

One of his parents was likely a Peelle, although it is possible that the tie to the family was at his grandparent’s generation. It seems most likely that he lived in Indiana and possibly in or near Richmond.

The image shows an age progression of the man to approximately age 60. I included it so that it could be used if photographs of the man when he is older are found.

Further Research

If I do not identify this young man, further research can be done at the Indiana State Library and the Indiana Historical Society. Both institutions have collections of tintypes, including those of bands. This might help identify the location or exact date of the photo. If I get really lucky. I might be able to identify the man through their collections.

AI apps: grok, Gemini

Prompt: Musical

#52ancestors52weeks

Grandma’s Rocker

Posted on December 8, 2025 by FHadmin

My Grandma Dessie May (Thomas) Pellett’s rocking chair is likely my oldest piece of furniture. If the conclusion by grok (AI) is accurate, it is “a classic Victorian-era Eastlake-style spindle rocker” made by New York Wire and Spring Company in 1888.

Memories

Always There

Grandma had an old wooden rocking chair. It seems like she always had that chair and I definitely don’t remember it suddenly arriving in her home. That said, I don’t know when she got the chair. It is possible that it was her mother’s rocker or that it belonged to her husband Clifford Claney Pellett’s family. Other possibilities are that she bought it at a sale or it was given to her by a neighbor or family member.

If I had realized the age of the rocker, I would have asked about its history. As it was, it just seemed like and old rocking chair and I liked sitting in it when I visited.

How did it survive

Most rockers of this age haven’t survived and it is amazing that this one did. For a time, it was painted blue-green. Afterwards, it was refinished, but not by an expert. Traces of paint are still visible, especially in the less obvious locations. Probably around the time it was refinished, a new seat was put in.

In addition, the rocker wasn’t always in the house. For a period of the time it sat on my grandma’s back porch. Kansas weather, even when sheltered by a roof, is really hard on wood furniture. However, it survived it all.

Elma Lorene (Pellett) McCracken holding her first grandchild in Grandma’s rocker

My Rocker

My grandmother gave her old rocker to me many years ago. I used it when each of my sons were born and it has traveled with me from house to house. In our move to Kansas City, I was heart-broken when one of the rockers broke. Based on where and how it broke, I didn’t think there was any way that it could be fixed without the “fix” being obvious. However, the moving company hired an amazing company that restores antique wood items. They fixed the rocker and most people would ever know. Today, it has the perfect spot in our home. And, no, I have never sat it outside.

Identifying The Rocker

Since I was going to write about the rocker, I thought I would try to learn more about it. I didn’t know if anything could be learned about it, but I thought it was worth a try. So, I started exploring using three different AI tools: Chatgpt, Gemini, and grok. I provided photos and asked questions. For this specific task, grok seemed to dig into the details the quickest. Thus, the results shown below are based primarily on its responses.

Initial Assessment.

It was initially determined to be “a classic Victorian-era Eastlake-style spindle rocker” and a wide range of years was given. However, various characteristics of the rocking chair helped narrow down the date of production to 1888. In some instances, a series of questions and/or photos were used to ensure we had the right time period.

The Maker

In general, the design of rockers changed over time and a general timeline could be created based on those attributes. However, the most critical attribute to determine a specific year of the rocker was identifying the company that made it.

Grok gave guidance on locations where a maker’s mark might have been place. One location was on the underneath of the seat. This is where a one-inch high “N” was found. This was the mark of the New York Wire and Spring Company. They had used “NYW&S” and a single “N.” However, they soon opted for a smaller “NYW&S” as their maker’s mark. This change in their makers mark helped narrow down the years that it might have been manufactured.

Heart design

The heart design on the back of the chair is actually quite elaborate with floral type swirls in addition to the heart. Many manufacturers made heart designs. NYW&S made multiple designs with hearts. One had a single heart and another had a heart with simple geometric patterns.

Wood

Rocking chairs of this general type were often made of oak or maple. The wood grain helped determine that the chair was made of quarter-sawn white oak. Not all of NYW & S rockers were made of this specific wood. Many were made of a mix of oaks. Again, this factored into determining the specific year and model of the chair.

The grain of the wood was critical in determining that it isn’t a cheap copy. Imitations typically use pine, which appears completely different.

Rush Notches

The original seat is long gone. It has been replaced by a padded seat covered in fabric. However, the under side of the seat provides enough information to determine the type of seat that the rocking chair originally had.

On the underside of the rocker next to the hole that contained the original seat are two notches. Those indicate that it originally had a “rush seat.” This type of seat was made from “dried stems of the Junucus effusus plant.” They were woven in a “seven-strand envelope weave.” It would have been in a clockwise spiral with no knots visible on the upper side, creating a herringbone pattern with distinctive diagonal ridges.

Shape of the rocker

One very important attributes is dating the rocking chair was the shape of the rockers under the chair. The rockers turn upward at each end. They are described as having ski-tips.

Attributes of the arm posts

The arm posts of NYW&S’ rocking chairs varied. Some were plain, some bulbous, and others “acorn” shaped. Grok felt that this chair fell into the latter category. This was also critical in determining the age of the rocker.

Spindles on back

The shape of the spindles that create the back of the chair helps determine the date and model of the chair. However, the number of spindles are also very important because NYW&S Co. only made rocking chairs with seven spindles of this type in 1888 and 1889.

Determining the Year and Model

When the time period of all the attributes were considered, 1888 was the only year that the NYW&S Co. made a style of rocking chair that included all of the attributes of Grandma’s rocker:

Ski tip rockers
Seven spindles
A heart design with floral swirls
Acorn supports
Rush notches (Rush seat)
“N” makers mark
White oak

Fortunately, a catalog from 1888 survived. From the catalog, grok learned that was a Model 88-H (Fancy/No. 1) that sold for $7. It was an expensive rocking chair costing $1.50 more than the most expensive option from 1887 and 75¢ more than the 1889 option.

My Thoughts

I treasured the rocker before I researched it and I am glad to know more about its history. Based on the fact the rocker was considered a high-end model and cost more than others at that time, I think it is most likely that Grandma bought it used. I just don’t see either family spending any significant amount of money on a rocking chair.

If it had the original finish, was fully restored, and was in perfect condition (which it isn’t), grok claims it could be valued as high as $2900. As is, it is not monetarily valuable. Instead, it is what it has always been, a chair that I like to sit in.