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The next book in the Kaye Eliot Mystery Series will be released at the end of March. Something the Sundial Said continues the adventures of Kaye and her family, first seen in How Her Garden Grew. To catch up, get a copy of How Her Garden Grew (click here).

Something the Sundial Said:

“In 1995, Kaye and her young family attend a country auction, never dreaming the stone sundial in the garden is the site of a century-old murder. They end up buying the house and property but someone else buys the sundial. Then Kaye finds a diary written in 1880, chronicling the days leading up to the murder.

When Kaye reads the diary, she decides to search for the sundial and return it to the property. And she follows clues in the diary to discover who shot Rodney in the sundial garden.

At every corner, she is outmaneuvered by a local genealogist who is anxious to obtain the diary and keep information damaging to her family hidden. The woman will go to ridiculous lengths to obtain the diary, even stalking Katie, Kaye’s teenaged daughter. As Kaye discovers someone is entering her house at night to find the diary, she wonders who she can trust.”

Here is the cover art for Something the Sundial Said:

sss cover image

Cover art for How Her Garden Grew:

jdb1_1280

All my best,

Jane

Written by jane tims

February 20, 2020 at 12:51 pm

Posted in books by Alexandra Jane Tims, Kaye Eliot Mysteries, Uncategorized

Tagged with cozy mystery, genealogy, Kaye Eliot Mysteries, mystery, sundial

Norman Families Living in Missouri in 1870

with 11 comments

In my search for my Great-Grandfather Frank Norman, I became interested in where Norman families were living in Missouri in 1860 and 1870. Frank was born around 1855, so it is likely his family was still in Missouri for the 1860 Census and may have been there in 1870. Locating all the Normans in Missouri also helped me be certain I have not missed any possible Frank Normans in my search.

In a previous post, I located the Norman families living in Missouri in 1860 on an 1856 map. Today’s post shows the Norman families in Missouri in 1870. Each black dot represents one to three households living at that location in 1870. I have included the table of households at the end of this post, in case this information would help other Norman families in their genealogy searches. I have double-checked the information but please be aware, there may be households missing or incorrect. My next genealogy project is to map the Norman families in Missouri in 1880.

Norman Families in Missouri 1870

In 1870, there were 148 households in Missouri with people having the surname Norman (in 1860, there were 92). Some of these were families, some with more than one generation in the household, some with as many as nine children. Some were young men or women living or working as servants or laborers with other families. Some were young children, living with foster families or in one case, in an orphanage (Lucy Norman, 12 years old).

To see the change in the Norman families, compare the 1860 and 1870 map below. The numbers of Norman families have increased due to migration from other states, or because older children have established their own families. Some families or their members have migrated to the cities of Saint Louis or Kansas City.

By comparing the family lists, the whereabouts of various families can be traced. For example, in Laclede County in 1860 there were two Norman families, including Moses and Betsy Norman who I think may be Frank’s parents. By 1870, this family is no longer in Laclede County or anywhere else in Missouri. Also, I know from other records that their son Benj has died. The other 1860 Norman family (Moses and Lucinda with eight other family members) is now represented by Lucinda and four other family members (Moses died in 1873, so it is unknown why he is not with the family at Census time). I can trace remnants and descendants of this family through to 1880 (Lucinda died in 1891). There are two other Norman families in Laclede County in 1870, Newton Norman and William Norman. Newton Norman is Lucinda’s son and has his own family. I do not know the relationship, if any, of William Norman to the Moses and Lucinda family.

Norman Families Missouri 1860 Norman Families in Missouri 1870

Six of the 1870 Norman families had sons named Francis/Frank. There is also a Frank L (born 1836) in St. Joseph, Buchanan County who is too old to be my Frank, and an ‘F. Norman of uncertain age in St, Louis. I think my ancestor was Francis M. Norman, son of Moses and Betsy Norman, living in Hooker, Laclede County in 1860. In 1870, he is 18 years old and if his parents have died, he could be anywhere. Sad sentence for a family historian!!!

Family Number (for my own reference)	Male (usually husband but also father or son)	Age	Female (usually wife but also mother or daughter)	Age	Number Other Normans in House-hold (* son Francis)	Township	County	Living with another family

135			Salina	26		Rochester	Andrew	Cook
139			Laura E.	20		Lincoln	Andrew	Jackson
124	Alexander	16	Nancy	57	1	Deer Creek	Bates
47	Caleb	37	Josephine	35	4	Boone	Bates
110	William	29	Julia	19	2	Capps Creek	Barry
80	Marion	24			1	Fristoe	Benton
7	W. L.	59	Mary	60	4	Cedar	Boone
35	James	41	Armina	23	5 *	Cedar	Boone
138			Maj	21	2	Cedar	Boone
22	Enos	48	Nancy	47	6 *	Jackson	Buchanan
121			Charlotte	63		Center	Buchanan	Smith
41	Charles	39			4	St. Joseph	Buchanan
42	John	39	Mary E.	21	9	St. Joseph	Buchanan
55	Frank L.	34	Stacy J.	26	2	St. Joseph	Buchanan
68	James	30				St. Joseph	Buchanan
69	Jas	30				St. Joseph	Buchanan
115	B.F.	27				St. Joseph	Buchanan	Thompson
141			Mary	16		St. Joseph	Buchanan	McClean
144			Josephine	13		St. Joseph	Buchanan	Cunningham
32	Smith	44	Hannah	41		Hamilton	Caldwell
71	Fayett	29	Elen	26	4	Warren	Camden
48	Caleb	33	Josie	26	4	Dolan	Cass
9	George W.	57			5	Cedar	Cedar
131			Hillina	32	1	Twnshp 53	Chariton
15	Hiram	52	Juda	52	4	Polk	Christian
62	William	33	Sarah	30	3	Polk	Christian
91	William	26	Elisabeth	22		Wyaconda	Clark
143			Mary	14		Jackson	Clark
54	A.M.	34	Fannie	26		Saline	Cooper
113	William	28	Eleanor	20	1	Greenfield	Dade
27	Eldridge	46	Julia	40	2	Benton	Dallas
57	William	34	Lucy	30	8 *	Benton	Dallas
107	Thomas	21	Adeline	20		Benton	Dallas
24	Joseph	47	Phoeba	43	3	Jefferson	Davies
117	John F.	27				Sherman	Dekalb	Tenneson
99	James M.P.	23	Mary F.	23		Findley	Douglas	Ellison
31	Henry	44	Emilie	24		Boles	Franklin
72	James T.	11			1	Miller	Gentry	Setzer
82	William J.	23				Miller	Gentry	Sutzer
94	Louis C.	25	Martha F.	25	2	Cooper	Gentry
16	James	52	Sarah	40	4	Pond Creek	Greene
25	William	47	Mary	41	6	Center	Greene
56	Robert	34	Mary	30	2	Wilson	Greene
60	Josiah	33	Sarah A.	34	1	Taylor	Greene
108	Jesse	29	Susanna	23		Taylor	Greene
123	Daniel	17	Malinda	58		Taylor	Greene
112	Olon	28				Trenton	Grundy	Hansen
147			Hattie	12		Marion	Grundy	Johnson
77	Milton S.	25				Lewis	Holt	Prie
88	Andy	20				Richmond	Howard	Patterson
2	Thomas	64			3	Kansas City	Jackson
45	Thomas	38				Kansas City	Jackson
63	Henry	32	Laura	21		Kansas City	Jackson
95	A.J.	24				Kansas City	Jackson
96	Thomas	64			3	Kansas City	Jackson
105	James	21				Kansas City	Jackson	Madison
118	Joseph	27	Mary J.	23	3	Kansas City	Jackson
3	Thron	62	Mary A.	55	3	Marion	Jasper
20	Aaron Vanormond	49	Sarah	44	4	Benton	Knox
5			Lucinda	52	4	Hooker	Laclede
46	William	38	Mary	33	3	Lebanon	Laclede
111	Newton	28	Virginia A.	35	3	Hooker	Laclede
102	Joseph	22				Buck Prairie	Lawrence	Cummings
109	Milford	29	Mary	23	3	Buck Prairie	Lawrence
132			Amanda	30	2	Monticello	Lewis	Howard
33	William	44	Mary	32		Chillicothe	Livingston
51			Minnie	12		Chilicothe	Livingston	Reugger
140			Namie	18		Chillicothe	Livingston
142			Basha	15		Chillicothe	Livingston	Bargdoll
65	Henry	31	Alice A.	25	2	Medicine	Livingston
129			Elizabeth	35	2	Blue Mound	Livingston
83	George	22				Warren	Marion	Hanley
134			Nancy L.	26		Somerset	Mercer	Duree
28	J.B.	45	Rosan	38	7 *	Pilot Grove	Moniteau
86	James M.	21	Anna	66		Pilot Grove	Moniteau
64	J.W.	32	Mary J.	31	2	Willow Fork	Moniteau
92	Joseph W.T.	25	Louisa A.	20	2	Clay	Monroe
122			Eliza	58		Jackson	Monroe	Vaughn
18	Allen	50	Catherine	40	4	Danville	Montgomery
90	Robert	19	Melissa	23	1	Danville	Montgomery
29	William	45	Sarah	35	6	Mill Creek	Morgan
13	Thomas M.	53	Julia A.	37	5	Oak Grove	Oregon
100	John	23	Nancy	25	1	Oak Grove	Oregon
120	George	26	Mary	23	2	Oak Grove	Oregon
127			Hester	49		Oak Grove	Oregon
38	M.G.	40	Mary	38	6	Piney	Oregon
11	A.	54	Roda	36		Marion	Ozark
67	James	30				Bowling Green	Pettis
74	Jas	26	Mary	24	5	Bowling Green	Pettis
75	John D.	26				Calumet	Pike	Kissinger
116	C.N.	27				Carroll	Platte	Adams
61	Thomas F.	33	Mary	28	4	Madison	Polk
85	William T.	22	Lucretia	52	5	Looney	Polk
1	Stephen	64	Mary A.	38	2	Sherman	Putnam
43	L.M.	39	Susan	34	4	Sherman	Putnam
101	Eph	22				Sherman	Putnam	Neff
14	George	52	Eliza	46	5	Center	Ralls
73	Harry	17	Margaret	14	1	Jasper	Ralls	Brasher
79	Johnithan	24				Saline	Ralls
81	Thomas	24	Mary	23	1	Salt River	Ralls
78	Jas B.	24	Sarah	19		Polk	Ray
104	Jack	21	E.D.	45	2	Current River	Ripley
26	Albert	46	Mary	39	6	Fabius	Schuyler
37	James	40	Hannah	66	3	Fabius	Schuyler
39	Minor	40	Ellen	34	5	Fabius	Schuyler
50	Doctor	35	Martha	25	4	Independence	Schuyler
6	James	60				Kelso	Scott
128			Caroline	37	1	Kelso	Scott	Hankerson
23	Charles W.	47	Mary E.	41	4	Moreland	Scott
53	William	35	Diana	45	2 *	Moreland	Scott
70	John C.	30	Ann E.	23	2	Moreland	Scott
84	Reuben	22	Harriet	25	2	Moreland	Scott
89	James K.	20	Altha	24		Moreland	Scott
145			Mary L.	13		Commerce	Scott	Archer
12	Birkett	54	Carlonie	54	3	Tiger Fork	Shelby
40	Thomas	40	Sally	24	1	Osceola	St. Clair	Barth
8	Daniel	58				Bonhomme	Sr. Louis	Campbell
17	John	52	Mary	38		St. Louis	St. Louis
19	Pat	50				St. Louis	St. Louis
21	Daniel	49	Lucy	39		St. Louis	St. Louis
49	David	35				St. Louis	St. Louis
66	F.	??				St. Louis	St. Louis
87	Saml	21				St. Louis	St. Louis
93	Leslie R.	25	Mary	26	1 (Eliz 49)	St. Louis	St. Louis
98	Henry	24				St. Louis	St. Louis
103	Michael	22				St. Louis	St. Louis	Heinsey
119	Dennis	26				St. Louis	St. Louis
126			Lizzie	50		St. Louis	St. Louis	Washington
133			Angeline	30		St. Louis	St. Louis
136			N.	25		St. Louis	St. Louis
137			Louisa	22		St. Louis	St. Louis	Nayler
148			Lucy	12		St. Louis	St. Louis	Winter Orphanage
10	Christ	56	Catherin	56	3	Ste. Genevieve	Ste. Genevieve
4	William	62	Sarah	38	2	Castor	Stoddard
30	Wm	45	Sarah	38	8	Castor	Stoddard
44	Matthew J.	38	Christian	35	6	Castor	Stoddard
106	Levi	21	Missouri	21	3	Castor	Stoddard
58	Andrew	36	Martha	34	6	Liberty	Stoddard
36	Eli	40	Eliz	40	4	Liberty	Stoddard
125			Elizabeth	42	3	Liberty	Stoddard
146			Elizabeth	42	3	Liberty	Stoddard
97	Enos W.	24	Mary E.	20	1	Clay	Sullivan
59	John A.	33	Margaret	23	4 (Louisa 53)	Cass	Texas
34	Alfred R.	43	Cornelia	39	6	Henry	Vernon
52	Jacob F.	35	Eliza	33	3 *	Henry	Vernon
76	George	25	Nellie L.	29	1	Osage	Vernon
130	Henry	17	Nancy	33	3	Warrenton	Warren
114	W.S.	28	Sarah C.	22	2	Various	Wright

Written by jane tims

June 3, 2016 at 7:35 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1860, 1870, family history, genealogy, history, map of families, Missouri, Norman, Norman family

Norman Families Living in Missouri in 1860

with 6 comments

In my search for my Great-Grandfather Frank Norman, I became interested in where Norman families were living in Missouri in 1860. Frank was born around 1855, so it is likely his family was still in Missouri for the 1860 Census. Locating all the Normans in Missouri also helped me be certain I have not missed any possible Frank Normans in my search.

To do this, I searched the 1860 US Census for the name Norman and located each family on an 1856 map of Missouri. Each black dot represents one or more households living at that location in 1860. I have included the table of households at the end of this post, in case this information would help other Norman families in their genealogy searches. I have double-checked the information but please be aware, there may be households missing or incorrect. My next genealogy project is to map the Norman families in Missouri in 1870.

Norman Families Missouri 1860

In 1860, there were 92 households in Missouri with people having the surname Norman. Some of these were families, some with more than one generation in the household, some with as many as eight children. Some were young men or women living or working as servants or laborers with other families. Some were young children, living with foster families.

Four of Norman families had sons named Francis. As I have explained in earlier posts, I have eliminated three of these as possible candidates for my Great-Grandfather. I think my ancestor was Francis M. Norman, son of Moses and Betsy Norman, living in Hooker, Laclede County.

Norman Families in Missouri in 1860 in order of County (from US Census)

Household Number (for my own reference)	Male (usually husband but also father or son)	Age	Female (usually wife but also mother or daughter)	Age	Number Other Normans in House-hold (* son Francis)	Township	County	Family name if living with another family

14	Jas	37	Margaret	35	4	Jefferson	Andrew
34	Lewis	47	Martha	26	4	Liberty	Barry
35	Joseph	35	Mahala	33	7	Liberty	Barry
47	Joel	39	Mary Ann	26	3	Shoal Creek	Barry
73	George	68	Rachel	68		Liberty	Barry
24			Mary	31	3	Cedar	Boone
74	Jas T.	32				Cedar	Boone	Senor
65			Charlotte	60		Center	Buchanan	Smith
29	William	43	Eliz	27	4	Williamsburg	Callaway
8	Jas	22	Eliz N.	24		Wakenda	Carroll
54	C.P.	26	Josephine	18	2	Dolan	Cass
12			Louisa	15		Jackson	Clark	McMillan
31	Charles	9				St. Francisville	Clark	Wayland
75	Jos	23				Moniteau	Cooper	Jones
53	Samuel	34	America	38	4	Benton	Dallas
25	Joseph	36	Phoebe	32	4	Jefferson	Davies
66			Elizabeth	60		Jefferson	Davies	Downs
30	William	9				Clay	Dunklin	Smith
76	John	40	Angeline	20		Union	Dunklin
9	James	14			1* (F.)	Boone	Franklin	Brauley
44	William A.	36	Mary A.	30	4* (Wm.F.)	Wilson	Greene
57	James C.	42	Sarah	30	2	Pond Creek	Greene
77	Robert P.	25	Mary L.	19		Wilson	Greene
61	Aaron (Vanarman)	39	Sarah	34	4	Center	Knox
38	Moses	65	Lucinda	35	8	Hooker	Laclede
39	Moses	29	Betsy	30	2 * (Francis M.)	Hooker	Laclede
60	William	14				Buck Prairie	Lawrence	Grammar
78	J.B.	30	Unknown	25	1	Twnshp 57	Linn
18	B.F.	27	Malinda	24	4	Chillicothe	Livingston
79	Elias	30	Lefy	20	1	Chillicothe	Livingston
13	B.	46	Caroline	45	7	Warren	Marion
80	Giles	27				Ohio	Mississippi	Knowles
20	A.R.	32	C.A.	29	2	Twnshp 44	Moniteau
21	John	34	Rosanna	29	5* (S.F.)	Twnshp 44	Moniteau
22	Alfred	60	Ann	56	3	Twnshp 44	Moniteau
63			Ann	56		Twnshp 44	Moniteau
81	George	21				Twnshp 44	Moniteau
82	Jacob F.	24				Twnshp 44	Moniteau
10	Thomas	14	C.C.	16		Jefferson	Monroe	Scobee
11	Handkerson	30	Nannie	36	3	Jefferson	Monroe
68			Clarissa	45		Marion	Monroe	Irons
27	Allen	40	Catherine	30	5	Danville	Montgomery
28	Barry	35	Dulcina	34	4	Danville	Montgomery
64			Susan	69		Danville	Montgomery	Whitesides/Armstrong
45	Samuel	7				New Madrid	New Madrid	Fluty
83	William	28				New Madrid	New Madrid	White
26	Oliver	26	Arraminta	18	2	Nodaway	Nodaway
5	Thomas N.	40	Julia A.	25	5	Oak Grove	Oregon
6	Benjamin	52	Hester	39	1	Oak Grove	Oregon
23	M.G.	30	Mary A.	29	3	Piney	Oregon
7	John B.	17	Chlany	32	4	Clarkesville	Pike
84	William	45	Eliza	32	4	Pettis	Platte
40	Thomas J.	49	Lucina	43	8	Johnson	Polk
41	G.W.	43	Eliza	36	6	Johnson	Polk
19	L.M.	29	Susannah	26	3	York	Putnam
85	Henry	32				Spencer	Ralls
1	Samuel	22				Fabius	Schuyler
2			Hannah	53	3	Fabius	Schuyler
3	A.	36	Mary	28	4	Fabius	Schuyler
86	James	29	Anna	19		Fabius	Schuyler
87	Minor	26	Ellen	18	1	Liberty	Schuyler
49	John	30	Mary	30	4	Mount Pleasant	Scotland
59	Hankerson	59	Eliz	50	1	Harrison	Scotland
15	Charles W.	37	Ally	72	4	Moreland	Scott
16	John	50	Diana	36	5	Moreland	Scott
48	Louis	43	Permelia	43	3	Kelso	Scott
58	Washington	23	Bennetta	42	2	Kelso	Scott
69			Bethia	43	1	Rickland	Scott	Archer
70	James	50				Kelso	Scott
71	Henry	35	Eliza	30	3	Jackson	Shelby
88	James	26				Tiger	Shelby	Graham
33	John	42	Mary	30	1	St. Louis	St. Louis
56	Robert	20				St. Louis	St. Louis
72	Dan	45				St. Louis	St. Louis
89	Betson	63				St. Louis	St. Louis
90	John	30				St. Louis	St. Louis
91	William	30	Anna	30	1	St. Louis	St. Louis
36	W.W.	53	Belinda	40	6	Castor	Stoddard
37	William F.	37	Sarah	28	6	Castor	Stoddard
42	Eli	32	Eliz	34	6	Liberty	Stoddard
43	Elija	32	Elizabeth	32	3	Liberty	Stoddard
92	Mathew J.	30	Christian	22	3	Castor	Stoddard
46	Thomas	7	Mary	8		North Salem	Sullivan	Harris
50	Joseph	34	Virginia	34	5	West Locust	Sullivan
51	George	35	Alcinda	35	8	West Locust	Sullivan
52	Stephen	54	Frances	60	3	West Locust	Sullivan
55	James	22	Mary	18		Ozark	Texas
32	John	38	Deborah	38	6	Ozark	Webster
67			Martha	49		Marshfield	Webster
62	Peter	25				Jackson	Westport	Thoes

Written by jane tims

May 18, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1860, family history, genealogy, history, map of families, Missouri, Norman, Norman family

Where is Frank?

with 6 comments

In an attempt to keep making progress on my explorations of family history, and to justify my monthly contributions to Ancestry.com, I have implemented ‘genealogy Saturday’. On most Saturday’s, I pledge to discover more about my family, and to organize into a written account the information I already have. We’ll see how long this intention lasts.

I continue to be interested in the life and family of my great-grandmother Ella (Mary Ellen) Hawk Norman (1859-1933). I now have information on much of her life. Thanks to the City Directories at Ancestry.com, I know where she lived almost every year from 1894 onward.

My only photo of my Great-Grandmother Ella (Hawk) Norman (in about 1928). She is second from the right, with her hands folded. The group is standing in front of Harowitz’ Restaurant in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she worked as a pastry cook in the early 1900s.

I also know about her husband, my great-grandfather Frank Norman, from the date of their marriage in 1886 onward

(see my post about their marriage

https://janetims.com/2014/05/15/the-tale-of-a-marriage-certificate/

and about Frank’s fall from a horse https://janetims.com/2014/05/12/searching-the-newspapers-2/).

But I know nothing about him before 1886. Most of all, I would like to know the names of his parents, my great-great-grandparents. Of my sixteen great-great-grandparents, these are the only two names I do not know.

Unfortunately, the name Frank Norman was common in the mid-eighteen hundreds. I know from various documents that Frank was born about 1855 in Missouri. There were about forty Frank Normans born in Missouri in the mid-century and deciding ‘who was who’ has taken a major effort.

I used the following ‘rule base’ to help me sort through the many Frank Normans:

1. Discard any females (the names Francis or Frances have been used for both males and females)

2. Discard any Franks born before 1845 or after 1870 (he was at least 16 in 1886 when he married and no older than 40). Since Frank’s birth year (1855) comes from two sources and is likely near to correct, I was more stringent than this when looking at each record. I have often found birth dates in the Census suspect, probably because people were vague when providing information to the Census taker.

3. Discard any Frank Normans who had other spouses before 1896, especially those with children born in the 1880s (Ella and Frank divorced in 1896, so he could have remarried). This takes careful searching through the Census records and family trees, going back and forth to see who was in the various Frank Norman families. It is too bad we don’t have the 1890 Census !

Hooker, Laclede County is in south-central Missouri; Bethany is in Harrison County in northern Missouri

After all this, I have found only one Frank Norman who meets my criteria. Francis M. Norman (born 1852 Missouri) lives with his father Moses Norman (born 1821 Tennessee), his mother Betsy (born 1820 Tennessee) and his brother Benj (born 1848 Missouri) in Hooker, Laclede County in Missouri (1860 Census).

1860 Census Missouri

There were two Moses Norman families living in Hooker, Laclede in 1860. The other Moses Norman (born 1895 Tennessee) lives with wife Lucinda and their children. Moses 1895 was a landowner in Laclede. Although I have not been able to connect the two Moses Normans, it is reasonable to think they were related. In the Census, they are living fifty houses from one another, perhaps a long way in the days of large farm properties and the ‘open country neighborhood’.

I cannot find Moses and Betsy in any Census after 1860. A person named Benj (died 1873) is buried in the Moses Norman Cemetery in Sleeper, Laclede and this may be Moses’ (1821) son Benj.

On Frank’s Application for a Marriage Licence (1886), he wrote that he lived in Bethany, Harrison County, Missouri. There were Norman families in the Bethany area by 1880 and Frank may have gone there from Laclede to live or work.

I may never know the names of my great-great-grandparents for certain, but Moses and Betsy sound like good candidates. I will keep looking until the powers invent a time travel machine just for genealogists!

Written by jane tims

April 15, 2016 at 7:00 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with family history, genealogy, history

family history – changes in 10 years

with 4 comments

As I look into my family history, I am often amazed by the changes that occur in families in short periods of time. An example is found in the early life of my great-grandmother Ella – Mary Ellen (Hawk) Norman. In the ten years from 1860 to 1870, she experienced dramatic changes in her family.

The 1860 US Census shows Ella’s family living in Chestnut Hills Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The family included Josiah Hawk (Ella’s father, a shoemaker), Sallyann (Sarah Ann) (Ella’s mother), Owen and Ella (Ellen). Mariah Hawk, Ella’s paternal grandmother was also living with them.

In the next decade, the family underwent remarkable change. First, five children were born – Flora, Sarah, twins Edwin and Otto, and Emma. Of these, Otto and Emma did not live (Josiah and Sallie had already lost a child in 1957). Then Josiah died on June 28, 1865, a month and a half after Emma. Also, sometime during the ten-year period, Maria Hawk, who lived until 1880, went to live elsewhere.

John Franklin born Sept. 15, 1855 (died Dec. 26, 1857, two years old)

Owen born April 21, 1857 (death date unknown)

Ellen born January 4, 1859 (Ella, my great-grandmother, died 1933)

Flora Alice born June 25, 1860 (death date unknown)

Sarah Ann born Dec. 11, 1863 (Sadie, my great grand-aunt, died 1921)

Edwin W. born 1864 (Ed, my great grand-uncle, died 1940)

Otto born 1864 (death date unknown, before 1870)

Emma Lydia born Jan. 7, 1865 (died May 9, 1865, 4 months old)

From: Atwood James Shupp, 1990, Genealogy of Conrad and Elizabeth (Borger) Hawk: 1744 – 1990, Gateway Press, Baltimore).

In 1870, Ella’s mother, Sallie, married again to Joshua Popplewell.

The 1870 US Census shows the results of all this change. In 1870, the family is living in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. The family now includes Joshua Popplewell (step-father), Salie (Sara Ann) (mother), Owen, Mary (Ella), Flora, Edwin and Sarah (Sadie).

The person most affected by these changes must have been my great-great-grandmother, Sara Ann (Sallie). During the decade she gives birth to five children (including a set of twins), her husband dies, she remarries, and she changes the location of her home at least once. In the only photo I have of her, she seems a formidable woman, steeled to withstand all manner of disruption in her life. I also see great sadness in her eyes.

my great-great-grandmother Sallie – Sarah Anne (Kresge) Hawk Popplewell (1835 – 1910)

Our lives are dynamic, full of change. New people enter our lives, others leave. The place we call home shifts to a new location. We go to school and graduate, we take a new job, we retire. Our focus changes, along with our point of view. Some change is dramatic, some subtle. Some change makes us laugh, some makes us cry.

What changes do you see in the decades of your life?

Written by jane tims

July 30, 2014 at 7:33 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1880s, brothers and sisters, change, family, family history, genealogy, history

Where they came from …

with 2 comments

With a little more research, I have some more information on where some of my ancestors came from before they arrived in the United States and Canada.

John Winslow (b. 1597) Droitwich, Worcestershire, England (Fortune 1620, probably 1821)
Mary Chilton (b. 1607) St. Peter, Sandwich, Kent, England (Mayflower 1620)
Patrick McMullen (b. 1704) Scotland
Peter LeValley (b. 1675) France
William Spavold (b. 1810) England (Trafalgar 1817)
Eliza Greenfield (b. 1790) England (Trafalgar 1817)
Stephen Hopkins (b. 1581) Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England (Mayflower 1620)
Elizabeth Fisher (b. unknown) England (Mayflower 1620)
Francis Cook (b. 1583) Gides Hall, Essex, England (Mayflower 1620)
Hester Mahieu (b. 1585) Canterbury, Kent, England (Anne 1623)
William Latham (b. 1608) Chorley, Lancashire, England (Mayflower 1620)
Conrad Hawk (Sr.) (b. 1744) Germany
Conrad Kresge (b. 1730) Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayern, Germany
Johan Ulrick Kohl (b. 1702) Pallatine, Germany
Solmey Cooll (b. 1702) Germany
Johann Nicholas Borger (b. 1720) Wertheim, Main-Tauber-Kreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (1753)
Ottila Shafer (b. 1725) Nassig, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Michael Fisher (b. 1720) Germany
Maria Elizabeth Storm (b 1725) Germany
John Clark (b. 1793) Straiton, Ayrshire, Scotland
Jane Cooper (b. 1799) Greenock, Scotland
Margaret Miller (b. 1798) Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
William Aitcheson (b. 1794) Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland (1832)
— Wayborne (b. 1836) Rockbeare, Devon, England
John Johnson (b. 1780) England

I plotted these on a map of the world. Each red line represents the voyage of one or more of my ancestors across the Atlantic from the place of their birth in England, Scotland, Germany or France.

Written by jane tims

June 2, 2014 at 7:05 am

Posted in family history

Tagged with 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, arrival, family, family history, genealogy, immigration

I’m from Canada …

with 16 comments

As I have been building my family tree, I am discovering how many ‘places’ my ancestors have called home.

my grandmother and her brother and four of her sisters appear in this photo at a school in Nova Scotia in the early 1900s

The people I would call grandfather or grandmother (with greats added) include people who came to Canada or to the United States from England, Scotland, France, and Germany. Some of their parents came originally from the Netherlands.

John Winslow (b. 1597) Droltwich, Worcestershore, England (1620)
Mary Chilton (b. 1607) St. Peter, Sandwich, Kent, England (Mayflower 1620)
Patrick McMullen (b. 1704) Scotland
Peter LeValley (b. 1675) France
William Spavold (b. 1810) England (Trafalgar 1817)
Eliza Greenfield (b. 1790) England (Trafalgar 1817)
Stephen Hopkins (b. 1581) Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England (Mayflower 1620)
Elizabeth Fisher (b. unknown) England (Mayflower 1620)
Francis Cook (b. 1583) Gides Hall, Essex, England (Mayflower 1620)
Hester Mahieu (b. 1585) Canterbury, Kent, England (1623)
William Latham (b. 1608) Chorley, Lancashire, England (Mayflower 1620)
Conrad Hawk (Sr.) (b. 1744) Germany
Conrad Kresge (b. 1730) Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayern, Germany
Johan Ulrick Kohl (b. 1702) Pallatine, Germany
Solmey Cooll (b. 1702) Germany
Johann Nicholas Borger (b. 1720) Nassig, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
John Clark (b. 1793) Straiton, Ayrshire, Scotland
Jane Cooper (b. 1799) Greenock, Scotland
Margaret Miller (b. 1798) Hoddam, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
William Aitcheson (b. 1794) Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland (1832)
— Wayborne (b. 1836) Rockbeare, Devon, England
John Johnson (b. 1780) England

To make me, how many different people from so many different places had to get together!!! As my aunt used to say, just being here, we have already won the greatest lottery of all …

One of my next genealogy / virtual cycling project will be to track down when they came to Canada or the United States. Immigration records and passenger lists of ships will help me in this endeavor.

Written by jane tims

May 19, 2014 at 2:57 pm

Posted in family history

Tagged with family history, genealogy, history, Mayflower, nationality, origins, Trafalgar

the tale of a marriage certificate

with 2 comments

Of my eight great-grandparents, I have found myself most drawn to the story of Ella Hawk and Frank Norman. Before I became interested in them, my aunt did a considerable amount of work, so I have only had to fill in small gaps of information. If you follow my Blog, you will know I have looked diligently for information on their lives before 1886 when they married in Laramie, Wyoming (for a poem about Ella’s early life, see https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/occupation-shoemaker/

I know several bits of information about the day Ella and Frank married – July 24, 1886. For one thing, I have stood in the Methodist Episcopal Church where they were married (see https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/sacred-spaces-2/ ). Also, the newspapers for July 1886 are a great source of information on Laramie and the people living there at the time.

I also have copies of Ella and Frank’s Application for a Marriage Licence and their Certificate of Marriage. On the documents, Ella identified herself as Mary Ellen Rhoderick since she was previously married.

Marriage Licence Application for Frank Norman and Ella Hawk (Mary E. Rhoderick)

Certificate of Marriage for Frank Norman and Mary E. Rhoderick

Who were the people who signed my great-grandparents’ marriage documents?

George W. Fox, with the very elegant signature, was the County Clerk in Laramie from 1885 to 1888. An 1875 history of Laramie describes him as a ‘city alderman’, who, in 1866 crossed the Plains with an ox train, by way of Fort Laramie and the Big Horn’ to eventually work in the Laramie meat and vegetable market, and in the sales of dry goods. The history says: ‘by fair and honorable dealing has very much endeared himself to our citizens. In fact as a benevolent, high minded, business gentleman Mr. Fox has no superior’ (History and Directory of Laramie City, Triggs, 1875). George W. Fox is also known for his diary, kept in 1866 as he crossed the Plains (Annals of Wyoming 8 (3):580-601; https://archive.org/details/annalsofwyom8141932wyom ). His stories of encounters with stampeding cattle and rattlesnakes vividly portray the wild west.

S.H. Huber was the Minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. According to the July 10, 1886 Daily Boomerang newspaper, Pastor Huber had been in Laramie for two years. He was in poor health and would stop preaching and leave for Illinois within the month. Another article says he performed the Sherriff’s marriage the week before Ella and Frank’s marriage. The First Methodist Episcopal Church, which still stands at 150N Second Street, was constructed in 1860 and was eventually moved across the street where today it is the oldest church building in Laramie.

Although there are other possibilities, it is likely that Lizzie Langhoff was a friend or acquaintance of Ella. Among three Langhoff families in the Laramie area in the 1880s are Charles and Almena Langhoff with their children Lizzie, Emma, Anna, Louis and Minnie. By 1884, this family had come from Plattsmouth, Nebraska (1880 US Census) to live in Laramie. Lizzie, Louis and Anna appear in the Roll of Honor for schools in the Laramie area several times from 1884 to 1886 (Daily Boomerang). Lizzie was born January 6, 1871, so she would have been 15 years old in July of 1886, perhaps old enough to witness a wedding. Lizzie Langhoff died in Laramie on April 25, 1892 (Wyoming: Find a Grave Index 1850-2012) at the age of 21.

Methodist Episcopal Church in Laramie in 2002 – this is the back and side of the original church which was rolled across the street to its present position

Ella and Frank did not stay in Laramie for long. In the 1890s they lived in Denver Colorado where my grandfather Leo was born in 1890.

Leo Norman, born 1890

Unfortunately, Ella and Frank’s marriage did not last. I have the paperwork for their Divorce Decree in 1896. Nevertheless, I owe my existence to their decade-long marriage and the sense of adventure their short time in Laramie has brought to my own life.

Written by jane tims

May 15, 2014 at 7:20 am

Posted in family history, sacred spaces

Tagged with family history, genealogy, George W. Fox, history, Laramie, marriage, S.H. Huber

snags in the search for my ancestors

with 4 comments

I have spent a lot of the weekend searching the genealogy records for information on the whereabouts of my great-grandfather before 1887 when he married my great-grandmother. It seems he had a common name and a simple search turns up a bewildering array of possibilities. Also, some of the facts do not seem to aid in the search. For example, I know he was born in Bethany, Missouri, but the only person in the census record with his name is about 10 years too young.

To find my great-grandfather, I have looked at endless family trees, searched through long lists of possible relatives on http://www.Ancestry.com and looked at every person who lived in southern Wyoming and vicinity in 1880! I have come to know, quite well, at least three families associated with a person of the same name and age as my great-grandfather only to discover a fact that makes a connection with my family impossible.

My post for today is only to appeal to you to think of your future family when you keep the records of your own life. Someday, my descendants will look for me (I hope they will be interested) and they will be frustrated by three mistakes I have made in record-keeping:

1. they will be disappointed to learn I have not been very consistent about my name. First, in my work, I used my maiden name as well as my married name. Second, I have always been called by my second given name but government documents refer to me by my first name. Only last week, I was almost turned away for an appointment at the hospital because I forgot they might list me by my first name.

2. they will be dismayed to see that, although I have nice, legible handwriting, I have not always been careful about filling out forms. In fact, I know I have been very sloppy on several occasions.

3. they will cry when they find all the photos I have taken over the years. I have only identified people and dates in a small percentage of our home photos. When I look over our photos, I try to add information, but often I only scribble the first names of the people in the photos and I frequently have to guess at the date a photo was taken.

When I look at my own assemblage of family information, I encounter these problems quite often. For example, who were the young women whose photos I have in my family history collection? My Mom thought perhaps they were friends of her grandmother at nursing school in Boston. I treasure their photos, but I will never know who they were.

And I may never find, with any certainty, the whereabouts of my great-grandfather in 1860, 1870 and 1880.

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