The family of Marshall Monroe Crone

Marshall Monroe Crone Family

Marshall Monroe Crone

b. 31 October 1860

d. 15 April 1908

Marshall Monroe Crone was known as “Mart” and was the fifth of 12 children born to Elijah and Susan Muckey Crone.  He was born in Ipava, McDonough County, Illinois in 1860 and married Laura Louetta Hill in 1883.  They had seven children.

At age 19 Marshall Crone was a farm laborer (census 1880).

George Ernest Crone

b. 1884 d. 1965

He was known as Ernie.

Married Emma Belle “Belle” Howard in 1904.

Ernie and Belle Crone

Had Albert Howard Crone b. 1905 d. 19

            Not married, no children

            Laura Louise “Louise” Crone Ryan b. 1907 d. 2002

                        Married Ray Ryan

                        No children

           

            Dorothy Crone b. 1911

                        Married Mr. Trenholm

                        Many children

In the 1910 Census Ernie lived a few doors away from his mother and siblings.

Later he moved to Rockford, Illinois where he was a moulder in a foundry.

Lena Pearl Crone  

b. 1885 d. 1950

She was known as Pearl.

Pearl and Maurice

Married Edward Brasel in 1904

Had Helen b. 1905

Edith b. 1909 d. 2007

Maurice b. 1911 d. 1994

Sonja Janel b. 1915 d. 1997

Janel was a WAC in WW2

Jessie Grace

b. 1887 d. 1905

died in drowning accident when she was 18.

Frank, Ione, Fred, Pearl and Ernie

Frank William

b. 1889 d. 1972

He worked for International Harvester in 1942.  He married Bess after a long courtship while she was caring for her aged mother.  No children

Inez Marie b. 1891 d. 1894

died very young

Fred Elijah

b. 1893 d. 1968

Married Hazel Marie Cook and they had

            Maurice Frederick b. 1920 d. 1994

            Hazel Lorraine b. 1922

            Roy Lawrence b. 1923

            Robert Franklin b. 1928 d. 1967

Iona Jane

b. 1896 d. 1991

Iona Jane Crone - 1899

M1 – Beryl Baker Fulton

            Margaret Marie Fulton

M2 – Herschel Lee Davis

            Ralph Davis

            Paul Davis

            Laura Ruth Davis

M3 - Eugene Perry Smith

            John Eugene Smith

The Brothers Schulstad

I have already introduced the girls of this family.  Now the boys.

Lars Schulstad = Elen Meling

Lisbeth Larsine   (1870 - 1950)

Betty Hendriette (1873 - 1878)

Elma Lucie (1875 – 1875)

Ludvig Erenst (1876 – 1956)

Otto Leonard (1878 – 1901)

Betty Henriette (1880 – 1973)

Hilde Marie (1882 – 1977)

Ellen Lucia (1884 – 1956)

Melvin Norman (1887 – 1947)

Richard Hubard (1889 – 1959)

Marguerite Louise (1892 – 1969)

Of the 11 children born to Elen Schulstad only 4 were boys.

Otto was born in Bergen, Norway and made the trip to America with his family.  He died in 1901, in Chicago at the age of 23.  He hadn’t married nor had children.  He was a printer, in 1900, as was his brother Ludvid (as it is written in the census record).

Ludvig was also born in Bergen, Norway and made the trip with his family to America.  Lars and his daughter Lisbeth immigrated in 1882.  This is the year Hilde was born and Ludvig was 6 years old.  It looks like dad came ahead to get the lay of the land and brought his oldest to help, even though she was only 12.  They went to Austin, Minnesota, where his brother, Ludvig, lived with his wife and child.  The next year Elen came from Norway to Minnesota with Ludvig, Otto, Betty and baby Hilde.

Ludvig married Mary Carlson and had three children: Edwin, Bernice and Carl.  Ludvig died in 1956 in Chicago.

Melvin was the first child in this family to be born in Chicago.  This was 1887.  Ellen the previous child was born in Minnesota in 1884.  I have not yet discovered, exactly when they came, or the cause of the move.  I do know that their father, Lars’, brother Ludvig was living in Iowa in 1886.  For some reason both of the brothers left Minnesota and did not go to the same place.  Melvin met and married Mamie Konwinskich and they had 4 four daughters: Marguerite, Mildred, Edna and Louise.  Melvin died in Chicago in 1947. 

Growing up I “knew” this family had 13 children in Norway and went from Norway to Chicago.  I “knew” that grandma was the youngest and the only one born in the US.  That is some of that information I would list under “family tradition”.  The truth of the matter is there were 11 children.  Two died in Norway.  Five of them were born in the US, and only the last three were born in Chicago.

Richard is the youngest brother and 3 years older than Grandma Langbauer.  He married Adelaide Jacobson in Chicago.  They must have been around a lot as dad (Ernest Phillips) was growing up.  Dad spoke several times about Uncle Richard and Aunt Adelaide.  I have a lot of pictures of their two daughters: Adelaide (called Wee Adelaide) and Ruth.  My grandfather, Frank Phillips, kept a journal and I think he might have been friends with Richard before he became “interested” in Marguerite.  (It’s all coming.  Be patient.)  Richard died in LaGrange, Illinois in 1959.

Photo Day

Part of this effort is to preserve some of the many photos I have collected.  So today is a random group of Phillips family photos.  These probably aren't historically valuable - yet.  But are of interest to the Phillips kids and our kids.  This is sort of like inviting the neighbors to look at my baby pictures.

Young Phillips family in the mid-50s.  Sue, Mark and baby Betsy
in Mom's arms.  Dad is on the right.

Looks like Scott got finger paints
on his apron!  Kindergarden.

We lived in Germany in the mid 50s and there was no television.  Dad took up photography and mom took up coloring dad's photos.  It gives a very interesting effect.  This photo of Mark with dad's hat and gloves on is one of the pictures.  This one hasn't been colored.

Mark

Betsy's Birthday,
but they spelled her name wrong!

This is another of the pictures taken in
 Germany, but he isn't a Phillips kid

Sue, Eric and Mark,
inside house in Paxton, Illinois

We lived in Paxton, Illinois for a year while dad went to Korea by himself with the Army.  Paxton is the county seat and bigger than many of the farm towns around it.  We bought this house and lived about 30 minutes from mom's mom.  We had lived in New Jersey for two years, I was a high school freshman and dad was leaving for a year.  I had a rough year.  We all did.

Eric, Betsy, Mark, and Laura Phillips
Easter outside the house
 in Paxton, Illinois.

Eddie Bowers or Edwin Winkowski?

I was thinking about Mike’s grandma and realized I know only that his grandma was Ethel M Bowers, daughter of Edwin W Bowers and Carrie Smith.  Not much.  So I set to work and here is what I found.

Ethel Bowers Trope

           In the 1900 census for  Oyster Bay, NY,  27 year old Edwin Bowers, b. June 1872, is living as a boarder in the household of Benjamin Smith age 48, his wife Sarah, age 42,  with his daughter Carrie , age 20, daughter Elsie, age 15 and son Benjamin, age 3.  Edwin is a grocery salesman and Benjamin Smith is a wheelwright. (Historically, these tradesmen made wheels for carts and wagons by first constructing the hub, the spokes and the rim segments, and assembling them all into a unit working from the center of the wheel outwards. Most wheels were made from wood, but other materials have been used, such as bone and horn, for decorative or other purposes. In modern times, wheelwrights continue to make and repair a wide variety of wheels, including those made from wood and banded by iron tires. The word wheelwright remains a term usually used for someone who makes and repairs wheels for horse drawn vehicles.)  The Smith’s and the parents of the adults were all born in New York, but Bowers’ parents were born in England.  Bowers himself is listed as being born in NY.

  

Ten years later, in the census of 1910,  Edwin Bowers, 41 and Carrie Bowers, 30  are married and living in Oyster Bay, NY with their two children Ethel age 9, and Arthur age 1.   At this time Edwin is a school janitor.  Edwin lists both his father and mother as born in England.

Edwin and Carrie Smith Bowers

In 1920 Edwin, 52, and Carrie, 39, live in North Hempstead, New York with their sons Arthur age 11, and Charles age 9.   Daughter Ethel, 18, and her husband Frank Trope, 20, also live in this household. 

I loose track of Edwin and Carrie Bowers in the 1930 census.  Family tells me that Edwin died in 1942 and Carrie died in 1955.

I found Edwin Bowers in the 1880 Census with his parents Charles and Sarah.  Charles Bowers was born in Mass.  Edwin was born in NY but age was 2 years off.  But remember sometimes there are errors in the record.  I was very excited to find parents and siblings and a trail back to Massachusetts

            I sent an email to Arnie Trope and went to bed to ponder all this exciting news.  I love it when it all falls together so easily.

            But it wasn’t quite that simple.  Arnie tells me that Edwin changed his last name to Bowers from Winkowski and that he came from Poland.  Is that where the "W" in Edwin W. Bowers comes from?  He pointed out that people from Poland were not well received during that time, thus the name change.  Is that why he had said his dad was from Germany?  I will have to look at a map and see what was what at that time.  I think I might have to hit the bricks for this one.  I love road trips. Long Island here we come!  Maybe when the weather gets warmer.

            So there is much more that needs to be done to find the immigrant ancestor in the Bowers line.  I need to find death certificates for Edwin and Carrie.  The family knows where they are buried in Port Washington.  A visit there is in order.  Perhaps I can find a marriage license.  I will dig around a little.  If there was a legal name change I might find something about that.  I have found an immigration record for a Winkowski that I will follow up on. 

         I think there is some more "Smith" information that might be at hand.

The very best news is that Arnie put me in touch with a cousin who is also working on this family.  I look forward to comparing notes and doing more work to see what I can find.  I will let you know.

Valentines Day Couples

The Valentines Day Couple of 2011

Frank Trope and Ethyl Bowers

and runners up...

Oliver Davis and
Sarah Wetzel

Laura Davis and Ernest Phillips

Marguerite Schulstad and
Jack Langbauer

George and Bess Crone

Leon Winslow and
Elen Schulstad

Erik Garcia and Bethany Marshall

Laura Bare and Aaron Torrez

Arnie, This one's for you!

Every family has certain photographs that are special to them.  Maybe it is a wedding picture or a family group shot taken at some memorable event, but we all have those special ones.  This is one of the Trope family’s special photographs. 

Frank and Lou Trope
c. 1906

        It shows two young brothers standing in a horse drawn wagon outside of a grocery store in the early 1900s.  The boys are Grandpa (Arnie) Trope’s father (Frank Trope - age 7) and uncle (Louis Trope - age 4).  They are outside their father’s store in North Hempstead, Long Island, New York in about 1906.  I am pretty sure that the three other people pictured here are not family members.

            The comment I have always heard has been about how much these two little boys look like Arnie’s boys when they were little.  Check this out.

Jim and Mike Trope
1963

This picture is Mike and Jim Trope (Arnie’s sons) in 1963 when they were five and three years old.  It looks like they were on the hay wagon at their grandpa’s farm in southwestern Virginia.  I am pretty sure it was tractor pulled and not horse pulled. 

Not only is the resemblance uncanny, but the pose as well.

We are so lucky to have old photos like these.  I understand well why Arnie feels so special about this one.

Marshall Crone Family

I have been working on filling in more of the names and dates for the children and grandchildren etc. etc. of Laura Louetta Hill.  I mentioned before that these are the bones and the stories are the meat.  I will add stories for these people shortly.  Most of those you see here have passed away.  I am compiling a record of the next generations but don’t believe it is prudent to list those names and birthdates here.

If you can help me fill in some specifics or stories please do so and if your name would be among those not listed and you would like to help complete and then receive a copy of the list let me know.

Details on Marshall Crone Family

Marshall Monroe Crone = Laura Louetta Hill

b. 1868 m. 1883 d. 1908         b. 1865            d. 1923

            George Ernest Crone = Emma Belle Howard

                        b. 1884            m. 1904           d. 1965

                        Dorothy Crone

                        Louise Crone

Dorthy and Louise Crone in Playhouse Papa built

            Lena Pearl Crone = Edward Lawrence Brasel

                        b. 1885            m.                    d. 1950

                        Maurice Brasel = Frances?

                        Edyth Brasel = John Grimm 

                               (Helen Grimm is John Grimm’s mother)

                                   John Grimm

                                    Charlotte Grimm = Walter Winship

                                               

                        Janell Brasel = Mr. Berger = Mr. Ronk

                        Helen Brasel = Fred Del Principe

            Jessie Grace Crone

                        b. 1887            d. 1905

            Frank William Crone = Bessie Irene Ellsworth

                        b. 1889            m.        d. 1972

            Inez Marie Crone     

b. 1891            d. 1894

            Fred Elijah Crone = Hazel Marie Cook

                        b. 1893 Canton, IL       m.        d. 1968 Riverside, CA

                                   

                        Maurice Frederick Crone = Elizabeth Belle Benton

                               b. 1920 Canton, IL       m. 1941           d.

m. (2) 1967

                        Hazel Lorraine Crone = Arthur Riddle

                                b. 1922            m.                                d.

                        Roy Lawrence Crone = Dorothy Lucille Denler

                                b. 1923 Bloomington, IL           m. 1945        d.

                                                           

John Smith, David Noble
and Nancy Noble

   Iona Jane Crone = Beryl Baker Fulton

 b. 1896            m. 3 Jun3 1916            d.

 Margaret Marie Fulton = Richard Noble

  b.              m.          d.          

                               = Herschel Lee Davis

m. 1924

Paul Davis = Alice Davis

Ralph Davis =

            b.         m.    d.

Laura Ruth Davis = Ernest Leon Phillips
b. 6 Oct 1929 m. 26 Aug 1950                                

 Mark Phillips, Sue Phillips,
and Andy (Rich) Noble

                = Eugene Perry Smith                                     

                                    m. 17 Dec 1938 Covington, Indiana

                        John Eugene Smith = (Living)

                                    b. 3 July           m.        d.

John Smith

Iona Crone and Gene Smith

                         

Cindy's Puzzle

             After my mention of the “Hill Cookbook” my cousin, Cindy, asked about some notes she has that were handwritten by Grandma Smith.  The notes are recipes used in the “Hill Cookbook”.  The cookbook was put together by the granddaughters of Eliza Coykendall Hill in 1949 and the names on the list are those of her daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters. 

It is like a jigsaw puzzle dumped out on the table.  Some of the pieces are recognizable, some not so much.  We sort of know what the resulting picture will be, but not totally.  Let’s see if we can put this together.  This is not intended to be a full list of family members, but an identification of the women mentioned in the cookbook.

Note:  I will put given name at birth in “()” and “= “denotes marriage.  I will use “Mr.” or “Ms.” if the first name is not known and "?" if last name is not known.  

George Hill (George H. Hill) = Jane Hill (Eliza Jane Coykendall)

They had Frank Hill (Frank Given Hill), Lee Hill (George Lee Hill), and Laura Hill Crone (Laura Louetta Hill)

Frank Hill = Maggie (Margaret Jane Murphy)

            Myrtle Hill = Elon McVey

            Dorothy Hill = Clifford R. Edwards

 Lee Hill =Aunt Jennie Hill (Aledia J. ?)  His first marriage was to Hattie Johnson (Harriett E. Johnson).

            Anna Hill = Fred D. Rauch

Laura Hill = Marshall Crone

            Ernest Crone = Emma Belle Howard

            Lena Pearl = Edward Brasel

                        Maurice Brasel = Frances?

                        Edyth Brasel = John Grimm (Helen Grimm is John Grimm’s mother)

                        Janell Brasel = Mr. Berger = Mr. Ronk

                        Helen Brasel = Fred Del Principe

            Jessie Crone

            Frank Crone = Bessie Ellsworth

            Marie Crone

            Fred Crone = Hazel Cook

            Iona Crone = Fulton = Davis = Smith

                        Margaret Fulton = Richard Noble

                        Paul Davis = Alice Davis

Ralph Davis

                        Laura Ruth Davis

                        John Smith = Carol Kirby

                                    Cindy Smith

                       

These are the pieces left over that I don’t know where to fit in:

Catherine Edwards

Mrs. Donald C. Edwards

Mrs. B. H. Rauch

Mrs. R.L.Harder

When I showed this list to my mother, she commented that many people she knows are missing.  Remember, this is a list of mostly women descendants of Jane Hill.  Also, this is dated 1949.  With her help, I have added some names that are not in the book, to make this list a little bit clearer and added a couple who were not in the family in 1949.  There are many more of us since 1949.

I am still working on this.  Ernie Crone had children not mentioned and Fred Crone has a daughter, Lorraine, who might be in this picture somewhere.  He also has sons.   I have no idea who Mrs. Harder is, and I am working to sort out the Edwards and Rauch ladies.

I love jigsaw puzzles, but when some pieces drop to the floor, or pieces from other puzzles get mixed in, it takes a little longer.  I am always happy for help.  I will update this page as I learn more.

Recent History – 1970s

OR:  Who is Smitty and why do we call her that?  (Pictures are coming)

At the beginning of the seventies I was in college in Seattle, Washington.  My family was at Fort Ord, California and had been since 1966.  A few months after I left for college Dad was deployed to Viet Nam.   When he got back he was reassigned to Fort Ord and for the first time in my life my family had been in one house for more than 2 years.  But not me, I was in Seattle.  While I was there, I think it was my junior year; I got the letter that jokes are made of.  “Hope you are doing well in school.  We have moved to a new address.”   

They had bought a house and moved to the town neighboring Fort Ord.  The same year I graduated from college Dad retired from the Army.  He retired on Friday and on Monday went back to the same office as a civilian consultant. 

In the mid 70s we started getting married.  Brother Mark first, then me, then sister Betsy.  When Mark got married Grandma Smith came out from Illinois.  She was there for all of the weddings and never moved back to Illinois.

At the end of the 70s the grandbabies started coming.  Mom’s grandbabies.  In the summer of 1979 brother Mark had Katharine, I had Erik, and Uncle John had Cindy.  I had a son, niece and cousin all in a few months.  After that babies were a yearly occurrence for several years.  The next year came Laura, the next Annemarie, the next Jonathan then lastly was Andrew.  Erik was my only one and we were living in Virginia.  Mark and Betsy and their children were all in California and near enough to drive to Grandma Phillips’ house for the day or weekend.

That’s when it happened, I’m told.  When those babies started talking and saying “Grandma” both my mom and my grandmother would smile and look up.  The kids were getting confused.  By mutual agreement my Grandma Smith became “Smitty” and then everyone knew who they were talking about.  We all began calling her Smitty.  Even now when we talk about her we call her Smitty, and smile.

So that’s how it happened.  I will try to carefully call her Grandma Smith in these postings.  Partly to remind of the relationship of whom I speak.  But if, in my excitement and casualness I refer to someone as Smitty, please know it is with love and fondness that it is Grandma Smith I am speaking of.

The rest of this story is this.  Those kids who were born the summer of ’79 are growing up nicely.  Katharine and Cindy are both finishing graduate school this spring.  Erik was married 18 months ago and his lovely wife, Bethany is our newest family member.  However, as I write this I am waiting word from Betsy that Laura has given birth to the next generation in our family.  In the baby pool I picked February 3^rd, but they say it could happen at any moment.  Best wishes and Good Luck go out to Laura and Aaron, Betsy and David, Grammy and the new little boy coming soon.

Crone Family ~~ Characters Welcome!

If my project of tracing my roots was a cable network, “The Crone Family” would be USA: “Characters Welcome”.

This might be the hardest for me to begin to share because this is the grandparent I knew best, and yet have accomplished the least where research is concerned.  I don’t want to dwell on her, but rather her roots.  When I began working on my search of family history she was available and very willing to answer questions and scratch her memory for me.  It is difficult because right at the beginning, in her lifetime, in her immediate family, were two tragic deaths.  Her father and sister both died in untimely accidents.  I will share these stories with you, but not on the same day.

When my brothers, Scott and Mark were in school, each one, on separate occasions had the assignment “to write about a family member”.  They each chose Grandma’s brother, Uncle Frank.  He was a character.  At some point in their lives when Uncle Frank was alone and Grandma was alone he moved in with her on the farm.  We lived nearby for a year and were able to get to know him. 

At the time we had a Chevy station wagon.  The kind that the third seat faced backwards.  My memory is of Uncle Frank, who was getting up in years, climbing into the back seat of the station wagon and singing “Ring-o” all the way to town.  I don’t know if he knew the words or faked it until the chorus.  “Ring-o”.  It wasn’t about the Beatles. It was a song Lorne Greene put out about a cowboy.  Here is a link.  When we got to town we went to an ice cream parlor and he played it on the juke box the whole time we were there.

Uncle Frank put spinach on his hotdog and told us it was an Irish Hot Dog.  He would stand on the back porch and throw a handful of coins into the grass and have us scramble for the change.  On the Fourth of July he was riding in the back seat of the station wagon, again, to go and watch the fireworks.  Do you have a memory of Uncle Frank?   Share it with me so I can post it here.

Marshall Crone was married to Laura Hill.  Laura’s middle name was Louetta.  Her mom’s best friends were Lou and Etta.  Thus baby Laura’s middle name: Louetta.

Grandma Smith was the youngest of their seven children.  Three of her siblings had no children, but the children of the others all spoke lovingly of Aunt Ione.  It will be fun to find these cousins, where ever they are now.

I found a story about her father, George Hill, floating down the Ohio River to come to Illinois.  I plan to offer up some of the history of this part of the country, as it was settled largely as payment for military service.  This story was recorded in a cookbook put together by his granddaughters.  Get ready granddaughters of Iona Crone Fulton Davis Smith.  When I get to the Hill’s and share this story and recipes with you I hope you will share one of your recipes and we will put together the follow-up cookbook.  I am not sure we will ever make the recipes found in the old cookbook, but they are very interesting historically. It was George Hill who was remembered by Grandma as an invalid, having suffered wounds during his service in the Civil War.  I have his military record and will be able to tell you more about this character.  She said one of his children was born before the war, one during the war and one after the war.

George Hill was married to Eliza Jane Coykendall.  (Sounds like Kurtendall.)  I have been able to trace this family a little bit.  It looks like they go back to New Jersey and perhaps New York City when it was just beginning.  I feel certain we will find Coykendalls in the Civil War and perhaps in the Revolutionary War.

Marshall (also called Mark) Crone’s father was Elijah Crone.  Grandma knew he came from Pennsylvania and thought there was a spelling change from Krohn at some point.  My very early research showed him in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, but I am sorry to tell you I have lost that piece of information.  Since then, Cousin Gary Crone has done a lot of work on this family.  While primary evidence is elusive he has put together a good case for a connection to a Crone family in York, Pennsylvania.  What he has done is astonishing and convincing.  I hope to be in touch with him and share his thoughts on how Elijah goes to Illinois.  Perhaps the DAR genealogist can give us her thoughts on his deductions.

Then there is the Muckey Family.  Elijah Crone married Susan Muckey.  This family came from New York State and has the only Rev War soldier I have found, so far.  The catch to this is that he was a Hessian, hired by the British and captured during the Battle of Trenton on Christmas 1776.  I feel a history lesson coming on.  History changes for me when I find things like this.  I had an ancestor who not only fought at that battle and was captured; he was fighting for the English! 

Lots of characters to tell you about. 

I haven’t said much about Grandma Smith here.  I am hoping you will share your memories of her with me and the week of her birthday in May I will put up stories and photos of her.

Davis Family = The History Channel

If my project of tracing my roots was a cable network, the Davis Family would probably be the History Channel.  Previously I traced the path of the Davis Family back to the Revolutionary War and mentioned that Thomas Nicholas Davis lived in Maryland at that time.  According to my stated goal of finding the immigrant ancestor I will finish the Davis line by saying that before Thomas Davis my Davises were living in Delaware, Pennsylvania and came over from Wales before 1685.  I will offer more complete information on this as the weeks and months go by.  Remember, my research is not complete.  

Along with Thomas Davis I suspect we have Rev War patriots in the Brandenburg, Hendrickson, Clary, Spears, and Burger families.  There might be others as well.  I have inklings of service for the families I have named here and will continue to work on establishing the proof.  This is just on the Davis side of this branch. 

My Grandfather Davis’ mother was Sarah Ann Wetzel.  I still have a lot to uncover here, but I have started.

Her mother was a “Clark” from Ohio.  In my quick research I found it is possible (do I dare say this…POSSIBLE, but not nearly proved) that there is a link here to William Clark.  (Remember, I fanaticize a lot.)  The fun part is that in the same, very weak moment of FANTASY I traced my husband to Meriwether Lewis in Virginia.  This is where the Mythbusters say “probably not”.  How cool would that be?  Mike and Sue ~~ Lewis and Clark!  However, you will now have more incite to the fantasies of a genealogist.  A lot of dreaming on a little bit of fact.  This stays between us, okay? I will let you know how this one comes out.

The Clark, Cook and Deary family do go back into Virginia.  I was in a courthouse when I discovered the Cook-Deary connection.  Can you begin to imagine the feeling of coming upon something like this?  I was probably in jeans and a t-shirt, probably skipped lunch because I wanted research time and could eat later.  It was a will or land record and it took my breath away!  I let out a squeal and was grinning from ear to ear.  The worst part was I wanted to jump up and down and hug someone and yell about what I found.  As I glanced around I saw people looking at me.  This was a modern, working court house.  They were at the other end of the room.  I was looking at records from the early 1800s and they were in the mid to late 1900s.  Most of them had suits on and were carrying briefcases.  This was before computers were popular and portable, so I probably had a tote bag overflowing with notebooks and file folders.  I bet I was having a better day than they were!  One of the great things about this find is that "Deary" is not a common name.  I was having trouble with "Cook" in the Shenandoah Valley.  A fairly common English name.  But "Deary" will be much easier to follow up.

And finally the Wetzel-Wunderlich-Stoever group.  This was fun and eventful.  This group settled in the southern part of Pennsylvania.  I would put them from Lancaster to Carlisle.  The easiest ancestor of this group is John Casper Stoever.  He came from Germany (not Germany then).  Born in 1707, he came to “America” and established the first Lutheran church in this country.  We can trace his work here and his ancestors back to 1458.  A lot has been written about him.

See what I mean.  The History Channel.

Tracing the Davis family to the Revolutionary War and before

Davis Family

When I began working on finding my roots this is the branch I knew least about.  It is funny how genealogy research goes sometimes.  Almost immediately I found a book about the family that included my grandfather, Herschel Davis, and went back to the first Davis of this family coming from Wales in the 1600s.  They actually came to the area I am living in now!

My philosophy is that a book is merely a suggestion, or clue to what the truth could be.  I always try to verify with another source, hopefully a primary source, a government record, such as birth, death or marriage records, land records, census or wills.  Even these have been known to be erroneous at times.  But you get where I am going with this.  Verify when possible.  I do have a good example of no primary sources being available, but a strong case is made in another way.  This is very interesting and falls in the Crone family.

This book (The Davis Family in Wales and America) has been accepted by the genealogist at the DAR, so that’s good.  I have found several holes in the details in my direct ancestors that I am trying to fill and will keep you posted on that.  However, there is a lot of discussion and controversy about the same book and its connection to Jefferson Davis.  And on it goes.

I take it as interesting that Jeff Davis might be related to this family, but he is so far removed (something like fourth cousin seven times removed) that it is of little concern to me that it might be wrong and I will spend no time on this problem.

The book led me to Nicholas Davis, who was living in Maryland during the Revolutionary War and is name in the DAR as a patriot.  More details on him are coming, but today let me give you some of the information that we will be discussing.

I am the granddaughter of

Herschel Lee DAVIS (b. 1894 d. 1967 m. Iona Jane Crone) who was the son of

Oliver DAVIS (b. 1865 d. 1947 m. Sarah Wetzel) who was the son of

Alfred Ward DAVIS (b. 1826 d. 1875 m. Jeannetta Clary) who was the son of

Solomon DAVIS (b. 1802 d. 1871 m. Eliza Hendrickson) who was the son of

David Ward DAVIS (b.1762 d.1837 m. Elizabeth Brandenberg ) who was the son of

Thomas Nicholas DAVIS (b. 1741-42 d. 1805 m. Rebecca Ward) who was a Private 2^nd Co., 4^th Batt, under Capt John Mitchell in the war for independence

I call this information the bones, or skeleton of genealogical research.  I have done a lot of study on this family, and have a lot of meat to share with you.  I have done research in Illinois, Kentucky, and Maryland on these families and have followed up on each wife listed.  There is a lot more information to come, including several more DAR patriots and a couple of mysteries solved, I think.  I hope.  Questions like: where in Ohio was Solomon born and was Rebecca Ward’s father’s name really Pierre?  I will let you know what I find out.