DNA Proves Family Lore

 As I work through DNA matches about which Ancestry suggests a common ancestor, I like to research everyone from the common ancestor forward through to the person with matching DNA. Then I add all the new information to my family tree.

My three times great grandmother was Anna Mariah or Marie Waldrond (1782-1868)1. Several of my Waldron DNA matches share Anna's father, Benjamin Walrond (died 1811) as our common ancestor as did this interesting match:

Ancestry.com suggested common ancestor; courtesy Ancestry.com

I had researched Thomas, John and Samuel Washington Waldron extensively. According to my research Samuel Washington Waldron didn't have a daughter named Sallie Bell and why was her maiden name Presley?

I found this note posted by Ancestry.com user Timothy Hunt in 2007:

Courtesy Ancestry.com

After much research, I discovered that the family lore outlined above was true as proved by my DNA to Sallie Belle's grandson as well as several other shared matches that could only be matches to me if a son of John Waldron fathered Sallie Bell. 

What Nina's grandmother, Bertha (Altizer) Waldron failed to mention however, was that Bertha's father Cecil Corbin Altizer was born before Bertha's marriage to Augustus Spotts Waldron, Samuel Washington Waldron's brother. Such a tangled, but oh so interesting family tree.

Relationships between Waldron and Altizer families; created using
Microsoft Powerpoint

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1 Spelling of the Walrond surname was later changed to Waldron.

A Shot Rang Out and Tore Apart a Family

One day a shot rang out and Lizzie Tolles was wounded. In 1895 a Douglas County, Oregon, grand jury determined there was enough evidence to charge Edward "Ned" Trent Bridges, Jr. with assault with the intent to kill. Justice seemed as slow then as it does today because the final judgment in the case was not rendered until 1899.

Douglas County, Oregon, Courthouse; courtesy of Genealogical Society of
Douglas County

Perhaps in preparation for being found guilty, Ned Bridges and his brother-in-law, Enon Lilly, did some fancy land trading. Ned sold his land to Enon and then, in turn, Enon deeded the land to Ned's wife, Mary Etta (Lilly) Bridges. My supposition was these transactions were to ensure the land could not be taken as a result of Ned's legal troubles.

Ned must have held out some hope that he would not have to go to jail because he was enumerated in the 1900 census with Mary and three of their children. Their son, Edward Trent Bridges, III, must have died sometime after his birth in 1891 and before 1900 because he was not included in the enumeration of the family. But sometime after the census, Ned did a runner.

He simply disappeared.

He and Mary had married on 7 January 1886 in Mercer County, West Virginia. Ned was son of Dr. Edward Trent Bridges, Sr., and Sarah Pope Claytor, daughter of Harvey Claytor[1] and Adeline Walker. He was 25 years old and Mary was 15. She was the daughter of Johnson Keatley Lilly and Alabama Gore. Ned and Mary had four children in Mercer County before Ned's grandmother, Adeline (Walker) Claytor, died. She made her grandson, Ned, Jr., the executor of her will. The Walker and Claytor were families prominent Virginia families and owned large plantations. Though the Civil War wrecked havoc on their financial position, there was still plenty of money.

Ned's inheritance enabled he and his family, along with his brother-in-law and his family to move to Oregon. The brothers-in-law bought a tract of land together in Douglas County on 9 May 1891.

Ned and Mary's oldest daughter married Authur O. Parks in 1907. Mary and the two youngest children, Bruce and Lucy, lived at 441 Fowler Street in Deer Creek, Oregon. Mary worked as a dressmaker to support her family. Her children also contributed to the family coffers as Bruce worked for the railroad as a fireman and Lucy was a clerk for a dry goods establishment.

And Ned, well, he was still alive and kicking. His runner had taken him almost 700 miles south to Butte County, California, where he boarded with Nathaniel and Clara Burns and worked as a hired man for a blacksmith. I don't know if he kept in touch with Mary and his children or not, but Mary had clearly had enough of her absentee husband. She was granted a divorce on 24 March 1919.

News-Review, 24 March 1919; courtesy of Newspapers.com

Ned Bridges, Jr. died on 22 June 1928 in Butte County, California, and was interred in the Old Oroville Cemetery.

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[1] Harvey Claytor (1800-1871) was my first cousin five times removed. This is the second new branch I've been able to add to my family tree as a result of DNA matches with other people who are related to Harvey Claytor, including:

In Celebration of Black History Month (or More DNA Discoveries)
Savior of the USS Indianapolis Survivors

William McMullen Peterson (1898-1960): Missing Wife

William McMullen Peterson was my third cousin twice removed, the grandson of Lafayette "Fayette" McMullen, a U.S. Senator and territorial governor of what is now Washington Sate. He was born on 22 January 1898 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to William Jacob Peterson and Mary Fayetta McMullen. He was their second child. William's father was a merchant and owned his own home on South Liberty Street.

Ten years later when the 1910 census was enumerated, William's family continued to live on South Liberty Street but his father was working as a musician for a church organization. On 21 December 1916, his father suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died five days later on 26 December at home. William was 18 years old at the time of his father's death.

On 12 December 1917 William was inducted into the U.S. Army at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He was sent the next day to Receiving Company No. 1 at Camp Johnston, located near Jacksonville, Florida. Construction began on the camp in October and the first recruits arrived 19 November 1917. It became the largest of all the Army's Quartermaster mobilization and training camps by 1918. William remained at Camp Johnston until March 1918 when he was assigned to Supply Company 310, Quartermaster Corps. Three months later, he was sent to Europe where he remained until 16 July 1919. I know little about his overseas military service except he was assigned to the St. Nazaire Casual Company, which was a temporary administrative unit for Army personnel awaiting discharge. William returned to the U.S. on 16 July 1919 and was honorably discharged on 23 July.

By 1920 William's family had scattered. His oldest sister, Pauline, graduated from Salem College as a teacher and was likely living in El Paso, Colorado, working as a teacher. His widowed mother and youngest sister, Agnes, lived in Washington, DC. I have been unable to find William in the 1920 census.

On 24 August 1925, William married Mildred E. White in Petersburg, Virginia. She was the widow of John L. Casper, Jr. and the daughter of Emory Charles White and Lula Parrish. The marriage index record indicated William was divorced, hence the missing first wife. Who was she? When and where did they marry? When did they divorce?

Marriage index record from FamilySearch.org

William and Mildred's marriage lasted less than five years. By 1930, William had moved to California and owned a paint and wallpaper store. He had also married again to Marion Edna Liddell, daughter of Robert Liddell and Mary Caithness. She had previously been married to Earl F. Levitt and had a daughter. When the 1940 census was enumerated William worked for the City of Los Angeles as a license inspector.

William died on 18 May 1960 in Los Angeles County was was interred at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. His wife died 31 years later in San Luis Obispo County.

If readers know anything about William McMullen Peterson's first wife, please contact me. Thank you.

Edward Henkel (1923-1944): Killed During Typhoon Cobra

Edward Henkel joined the U.S. Navy in 1940 at the age of 17; he survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, though his battleship sank; and several south Pacific operations, including Wake Island, Marshall Islands, and the Marianas Islands. But Edward did not survive Typhoon Cobra[1] after Task Force 38 sailed into the center of the storm. He was reported missing on 18 December and was memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the American Memorial Cemetery in Taguig City, Philippines -- one of the 790 Navy men who lost their lives that day.

Machinist's Mate 1st Class Edward Henkel on the Walls of the Missing at the
American Memorial Cemetery in the Philippines; courtesy of the American
Battle Monuments Commission

He was born on 8 May 1923 in Winnipeg, Canada, to Gustav Henkel and Karolina Ziprick (or Tiprik). His parents were of German heritage. His father had immigrated to Canada in 1912 from the Russian Empire, and his mother, with her parents, in 1909. When Edward was four months old, his parents immigrated to the U.S., entering the country in Noyes, Minnesota. They traveled by train to California and settled in Montebello in Los Angeles County. By 1935 they had moved to Antelope, California. Edward's father died in 1937 at the age of 45. His mother listed farming as her occupation in the 1940 census.

After three years of high school, Edward joined the U.S. Navy on 26 November 1940. I imagine he had a short training period at a naval base in California. When that was completed he was rated an able seaman and transferred on 18 January 1941 to the USS Utah (AG-16), an elderly battleship built in 1909. The ship had been turned into a radio-controlled target ship by the Navy in the 1930s and served in a training squadron.

On 14 September 1941, the USS Utah left Puget Sound and steamed for Pearl Harbor where she was to serve in her training capacity. On the night of 6 December she was moored on the west side of Ford Island opposite battleship row. During the surprise attack on the base by the Japanese, the USS Utah was hit by two torpedos and capsized. The ship was a total loss and 64 men lost their lives. There is a memorial platform at Pearl Harbor and parts of the ship are still visible today.

USS Utah (AG-16) after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; courtesy of
the U.S. Navy

Edward Henkel had been promoted to Fireman 2nd Class by the time the USS Utah arrived in Pearl Harbor. On 13 December, under emergency orders, he reported to his new duty station -- the USS Hull (DD-350), a destroyer, a type of ship often called the Greyhounds of the Sea. During World War II, they were small, fast, close-in combatants used to screen battleships and aircraft carriers or protect convoys.

During the rest of 1941 and 1942, the USS Hull participated in naval operations in Guadalcanal and New Hebrides. She operated in the Aleutian Islands during the early part of 1943 before returning to Pearl Harbor on 26 September. Three days later she left for strikes on Wake Island. The USS Hull returned to the mainland for amphibious training exercises in December, but left San Diego with Task Force 53 and sailed for the Marshall Islands.

In 1944 the ship and her men saw action at Truk before joining Admiral Lee's battleships for the assault on the Marianas Islands. With Admiral Mitscher's carrier task force the USS Hull took part in the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot," which succeeded in sinking two Japanese aircraft carriers. She patrolled off Guam for a month in July and then returned to Seattle for repairs. By October the USS Hull was back in Pearl Harbor.

She was ordered to join a fueling group departing Pearl on 20 November 1944 in order to rendezvous with Admiral Halsey's carrier strike force in the Philippine Sea. Refueling began on 17 December but operations had to be abandoned during worsening weather conditions. Unbeknownst to Halsey, his strike force had sailed into the teeth of Typhoon Cobra.

USS Maddox (DD-731), a newer class of destroyer during Typhoon Cobra;
courtesy of the U.S. Navy

The USS Hull was caught in trough between two mountainous waves and rolled 70 degrees. Water flooded the pilot house and poured through ship via the stacks. Her commander, Lt. Commander Marks, described her final minutes, "the ship remained over on her side at an angle of 80 degrees or more as water flooded into her upper structures. I remained on the port wing of the bridge until the water flooded up to me, then I stepped off into the water as the ship rolled over on her way down."

The Navy reported Machinist's Mate 1st Class Edward Henkel as missing on 29 December 1944. On 29 March 1945 he was listed as dead in an article in The Los Angeles Times. His body was never recovered -- one of the 202 men serving on the USS Hull who were presumed to have drowned during Typhoon Cobra.

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[1] Typhoon Cobra is also known as Halsey's Typhoon.

What Happened to Sophia, Widow of Terresha "Terry" Jewell?

A case in Virginia Circuit Superior Court and Chancery revealed Sophia Jewell was the widow of Terresha Jewell, known as Terry, often transcribed and indexed as Jerry, with three minor daughters -- Sarah Ellen, Frances Ann, and Mary Elizabeth. We know Terry Jewell died sometime before 14 May 1838 as that was the date Sophia appeared before the Kanawha County court requesting guardianship of her children who were described as the "orphan children of Terry Jewell, deceased..." Her motion was granted the same day.

Virginia Chancery case 1841-009, page 74; courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Those three little girls were my first cousins three times removed, nieces of my great great grandmother, Catherine B. (Jewell) Jennings.

Terry died when Kanawha County was still part of Virginia. Virginia did not require counties to record deaths until 1853 and West Virginia did not require statewide registration until 1917. Currently, this court case is the best evidence we have of his death until some other substitute record may be found, such as an obituary or funeral record. However, I did learn that Terry and Sophia were married in 31 March 1832 in Kanawha County by James C. Taylor. Sophia's name was listed as Sophia Ann Mahone, so I surmised that was her maiden name and her three daughters were born between 1832 and 1838.

Sophia married again to Hiram Harbour on 16 June 1839, according to the return sent to the Kanawha County clerk by Francis A. Timmous. Sophia was listed as Mrs. Sophia Juel. In 1840 Hiram was enumerated in the federal census as the head of a household comprised of seven people in Kanawha County:

1840 Household of Hiram Harber (Harbour); created with Microsoft Excel

We may assume Hiram was the male between 20-29 years of age, making the range of his birth between 1811 and 1820. Sophia was the female between 30-39 years of age. The three young girls are surely Sarah Ellen, Frances Ann and Mary Elizabeth Jewell. The mystery is the male between 10-14 years of age. Who was he?

By 1850 Hiram and his family had moved to Howard County, Missouri, and for the first time all the names of members of his household were enumerated. The mystery boy from the 1840 census was likely John Mahone, who was 23 years of age in 1850. My current theory is he was Sophia's son born out of wedlock and before her marriage to Terry Jewell. Terry's three daughters are also listed in the 1850 census as being 16, 14, and 12 years of age, respectively.

Sarah Ellen (16) and Frances Ann (14) disappeared from the records thereafter. I have not found a trace of Sarah Ellen, but believe Frances Ann died on 1 September 1851 and was interred in the Clarks Chapel Cemetery in New Franklin, Missouri.

Sophia's son John Mahone married Catherine Foster Rhoads in September 1852 in Sacramento County, California, which was my first clue the family had settled there after their sojourn in Missouri.

In 1855 Hiram was charged with assault with the intent to kill due to an incident where he shot Andrew Bates over some horses. Over the next few years he was in and out of court frequently on various matters.

By 10 March 1857 Hiram Harbour lived in Sacramento County and was placing advertisements, likely required by law, in the Sacramento Daily Union that his wife had "abandoned his bed and board" in December 1855 and he wasn't going to pay any debt she may have incurred.

One of five identical advertisements placed by Hiram Harbour in the Sacramento
Daily Union; courtesy of the California Digital Archives

An article in the same newspaper reported Hiram and Sophia were granted a divorce on 7 March 1859 in Sacramento County.

Mary Elizabeth Jewell married Benjamin H. Hereford on 13 January 1859 in Sacramento County. Benjamin was a city-county councilmen and the son of an attorney; his brother would become a U.S. Senator from West Virginia in the 1870s. They had two sons before Mary died on 27 August 1866 in Virginia City, Nevada.

In 1860 Sophia lived with Mary Elizabeth and her new husband, Benjamin, on their extensive ranch in Lee Township. A notice in the Sacremento Daily Union informed readers that Sophia died on 2 February 1862 in Virginia City, Nevada, where Mary and Benjamin had moved shortly after their second son was born in 1861.

View of Virginia City from a nearby hillside ca. 1867; courtesy Wikipedia

Virginia City was booming when the Hereford family arrived soon after the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859. It was once heralded as the most important city between Denver and San Francisco. Samuel Clemens began reporting for the city's newspaper, Territorial Enterprise, under the name Mark Twain in 1862.

NOTE: The Find A Grave memorial for Mary Elizabeth (Jewell) Hereford lists her birth year as 1839. A California mortuary and cemetery card listed her death date as 27 August 1866 and stated her age was 27 years, 3 months and 14 days, making her date of birth 14 May 1839. This cannot be true because she was listed on the request for guardianship, which was filed in Kanawha County court on 14 May 1838. I believe she was actually born in 1838.

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Discovering Henry Downs, Another 4X Great Grandfather
DNA Discoveries: Jewell Progress

Year in Review: Slow, But Steady Progress

This year was a year of slow but steady progress researching and writing about my family history. This blog and my research took a back seat to getting our Virginia house ready to sell. Thankfully, it sold in two days so the discomfort of keeping my home a pristine showplace was short lived!

11719 Flemish Mill Court, Oakton, Virginia.

Foyer of our Oakton home; courtesy of TTR Sotheby's International, The
Yerks Team

We are now temporary residents of upstate New York and I am learning to cope with below zero temperatures! We plan to be New Yorkers until my husband retires in late 2019. He had been commuting to work in Albany since 2012; so the move north of the Mason-Dixon Line (something I said I would never do) made sense even to me.

Before our move we held our second bi-annual Lange Cousins Reunion in Lake Park, Georgia. We are the grandchildren of Gustav and Wilhelmina (Schalin) Lange and there are 16 of us. So far most of us have managed to attend our reunions.

Assemblage of Lange first cousins; personal collection

I had promised to produce a pamphlet about the history of the Lange family. We knew a lot about the Schalin family from a book written by a distant cousin, Lucille (Effa) Fillenberg, but the Lange family was a mystery. I was able to navigate the Polish archives and learn a few things. The best gift, however, meeting by telephone the son of Grandpa Lange's youngest brother. He was able to provide so much more information and context. My brother John helped me sort through the ever-changing country borders before and after World War II and provide the context of life for civilians living in war-torn land.

Procrastinator that I am, the pamphlet was late, but it eventually got done a few weeks after the reunion.

Ludwig-Lange Family History

The Slave Name Roll Project turned two in February and was discovered when it was mentioned in an education video produced by Ancestry.com.

As a result, the project became more than one person can handle and I'm hoping to share some exciting news about the project in a few weeks. It's been very rewarding to watch this worthwhile endeavor grow.

Slave Name Roll Project

I was also interviewed for an article which appeared in the New Haven Independent, "She's Preserving Vets' Names for the Digital Age," which describes Heather Wilkinson Rojo's Honor Roll Project. Pete and I love to contribute to this volunteer effort as it gets us out exploring the countryside -- no matter the weather! I encourage everyone with a smart phone and transportation to think about contributing as well.

Honor Roll Project

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened this year was a "gift" received just after Christmas. A comment on my recent post, DNA Discoveries: Jewell Progress, referred me to a comment on Find A Grave and to a Virginia Chancery Court case, which was a goldmine of helpful information. There will be a post about the details in a few days, but the net result was I learned the maiden name of Catherine B. Jewell's mother, her mother's siblings, and maternal grandparents. Catherine B. Jewell was my great great grandmother. So I was able to learn the name of a three times great grandmother and a four times great grandfather. I had no expectation of being able to push my Jennings pedigree chart back in time as it is a line that has been researched for decades by a very able group of genealogists.

The DNA Discoveries: Jewell Progress post will be republished on 16 January in the RootsFinder blog for the "How I Solved It" series.

Traugott Lange's Descendants

As I write this post I administer seven DNA tests, have four in the lab being processed and have five kits on order. I'm still learning how to use DNA to effectively enhance my family history research, but what I have learned so far has been a big aid to increased understanding of my ancestors.

Of my four grandparents, the family history we knew the least about was my maternal grandfather, Gustav Lange, who was born in Zamosty, Russia (now in Ukraine); immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1911; married Wilhelmina Schalin in 1915; settled in Prince George's County, Maryland, where they owned a farm; and had nine children, who are now all deceased.

Mom's pedigree chart; image courtesy of Ancestry.com

Before Mom died, she took a DNA test and her results were unsurprising. The three matches with hints she did have were with her children -- my brothers and me. She was inordinately tickled to say we were proven by science! I was able to figure a few more relationships using her DNA matches. All were from her Schalin family, the history of which is well documented in a book entitled Our Schalin Family, 1770-2003, by Lucille Fillenberg Effa.

One of Mom's matches recently led to several breakthroughs in the Ludwig branch. Caroline (Ludwig) Lange was Mom's paternal grandmother. (Ludwig Breakthrough: DNA and Chocolates) Earlier this week a new match led to more discoveries about the Lange family.

Snippet of the master spreadsheet I maintain of all the DNA tests I administer;
the new match is highlighted; created using Microsoft Excel

What was interesting about this match was that it was the first one my brothers and I had on Mom's side of our family tree that wasn't also shared by Mom. If my brother had not tested, I could never have made the relationship connection. Another critical finding aid was the Lange family bible an aunt gave me earlier this year. Because of that bible, I knew one of Grandpa Lange's brother's was Traugott Lange. He went by Fred T. Lang when he and his family moved to California in the late 1920s.

The DNA test named A. L. shared no common ancestor. However, the shared geographies were Russia/Ukraine and Winnipeg so I suspected this was a match on Mom's side of the tree. As I looked through the pedigree of the person who took the test, the name Fred T. Lang jumped out at me, as well as his son, Peter Charles Lang (1919-2007). A. L. was the great grandson of Traugott Lange/Fred T. Lang. How exciting!

When Traugott and his wife, Katherina Magdalena Hirt, moved from Winnipeg to the U.S., they settled in Los Angeles County, California. Many of their descendants still live in the county. Thankfully, California is a fairly open state regarding public records so I was able to put a name to A. L. and learn more about him and his siblings. As they are all living, that's all I will reveal here.

Diagram illustrating the relationship between my brother and his new Lange/Lang
DNA match; created using Microsoft Powerpoint

3 Sep 2016 Update: Today the DNA test named A. L. matches with my Mom and me as well my brother mentioned in this post. I must have discovered the A. L. match when it was very new and results were still populating.

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Lange Family Bible Unlocks the Life of Traugott Lange
Ludwig Breakthrough: DNA and Chocolates

Barlow Sanitarium

My third cousin twice removed, Florence C. (Garrison) English, descended from Rev. James Mitchell (1747-1841), as do I. The reverend was my four times great grandfather. Florence was born on 17 May 1917 in Warren County, Kentucky, to Frank Young Garrison and Lelah (or Lelia) Collins. Florence died on 27 April 1997. When the 1940 census was enumerated, she was a patient at the Barlow Sanitarium in Los Angeles. It was a tuberculosis hospital.

Barlow Sanitarium campus circa 1907; courtesy of the Barlow Foundation

Barlow Sanitarium was founded by Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow, a doctor from New York, who was forced to move west in search of a warm, sunny, dry climate after contracting tuberculosis in 1895. It was built on a 25-acre property next door to Elysian Park on Chavez Ravine Road. He founded the facility two years before the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis was created. By 1944 effective treatments for tuberculosis had been developed, which was lucky for Florence Garrison as she went on to live for over 50 beyond her stay at the sanitarium.

During Dr. Barlow's lifetime the patients's care was governed by strict guidelines. One such document read as follows:

"Patients must not expectorate anywhere except in cups provided for that purpose. Cloths are to be used as handkerchiefs and burned morning and evening. Patients must not discuss their ailments or make unnecessary noise. Patients must not put anything hot on glass tables. Lights out by 9 p.m. Cold plunge every morning; hot baths Tuesday and Saturday. Patients are forbidden to throw water or refuse of any kind on the ground. When doctors think them able, every patient must do some work about the Sanatorium or go away. Patients disobeying these rules will be dismissed."

Barlow Respiratory Hospital; courtesy Wikipedia

Barlow still exists today on its 25-acre campus as the Barlow Respiratory Hospital.

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Tuberculosis: Greatest Killer in History

The Daughter Who Wasn't

William Peter Ternes came from a wealthy Detroit family of German descent. He worked with his brothers at Ternes Coal & Lumber, where he had been the treasurer since 1905. He was also a vice president of The Cooper Baking Co. In 1910 he eloped with Elsie Agnes Gerstner, who worked for the company as a bookkeeper.

Elsie Agnes Gerstner working at Ternes Coal & Lumber;
photograph courtesy of Randall Muir

William went on to found his own coal and lumber business and finally a real estate business before his death. He and Elsie had seven children before William Peter Ternes died of pulmonary edema at the age of 49 on 17 November 1926.[1]

Elsie married John Francis "Frank" Deacon, a widower with two children, on 27 June 1928. They had a daughter, Frances T. Deacon, the next year. When the 1930 census was enumerated the family lived at 722 Chicago Boulevard in Detroit, along with four servants. The house was valued at $50,000 and Frank and Elsie ran a real estate company together with Elsie acting as president.

Elsie (Gerstner) Ternes on the day of her wedding to Frank
Deacon. Left to right: Marian Ruth Ternes, Evelyn Ternes,
Elsie, and Joy Margaret Ternes; photograph courtesy of
Sally (Ternes de Reuter) Martinez

Fredrica Deacon, Daughter of Frank Deacon

Evelyn Ternes, Elsie's eldest child by William Peter Ternes, and Fredrica "Frieda" Deacon, daughter of Frank Deacon and his first wife, were good friends. A month after their parents married, they traveled to Europe together aboard the S/S Regina and returned aboard the S/S Arabia on 21 August 1928. At the same time the young women were in France, Frieda's future husband was also there. He departed Cherbourg aboard the S/S Pennland and arrived in New York on 6 August 1928 two weeks before the women.

Frieda and Frank married on 18 June 1929. Frank was a prominent attorney in Detroit. He died on 19 January 1933 after suffering for three days from uremia. Nearly a month after her husband's death, Frieda gave birth to their son, Frank J. Hester, Jr., on 10 February 1933. Frieda's mother-in-law apparently made several threats to take the boy away from Frieda.

Elsie (Gerstner) Ternes Deacon Dies

In 1932 Elsie, Frank Deacon's second wife, was diagnosed with breast cancer. After suffering for 18 months she died on 23 December 1933, leaving her new husband, six living children by her first marriage, and 4-year-old daughter, Frances Deacon. After her death, several people in the extended families, began trying to get Frank and Elsie's real estate business.

Move to California

To escape the business sharks and the mother-in-law who wanted to snatch her baby, Frieda (Deacon) Hester, and her father, Frank Deacon, moved to Santa Barbara, California, with their children, Frances Deacon and Frank Hester. Frank Deacon died there in 1936.

When the 1940 census was enumerated, Frieda owned a farm in Santa Barbara and lived there with two children, who were listed as Frances Hester, 10, and Frank Hester, 7. She married Adolph P. Kerr sometime before 1942. Frieda and Adolph remained in Santa Barbara until their deaths in 1975 and 1976, respectively.

The daughter, Frances Hester, was really Frieda's half-sister, Frances Deacon.

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I discovered this story while trying to find Elsie's six living children in the 1940 census. I thought I figured out Frances Hester and Frances Deacon were the same person but couldn't prove it until I contacted another Ancestry.com user who confirmed the details and provided the reasons why. Other portions of the story, came to me from descendants of Marian Ruth (Ternes) Muir.

[1]Elsie had their seventh child three months after William's death. One child, Ruth Marie Ternes (1914-1917), drowned at the family's summer place on Hickory Island.

Lange Family Bible Unlocks the Life of Traugott Lange

Based on the transcriptions and translation I conducted on the three pages of family information in my Grandpa Lange's bible, which I received from an aunt in March, I believe the bible originally belonged to Grandpa's brother, Traugott Lange. The family lore about Traugott was that he immigrated to the United States from Russia sometime in the 1920s, went to Alabama and was never heard from again.

It turns out Traugott lived a very different life from what many in the family believed.

He was born on 16 October 1890[1] and his birth was registered in the parish of Rozyszcze, Volyn, Ukraine (at the time of his birth, it was part of Russia), to Carl August and Caroline (Ludwig) Lange. He was their second son, two years younger than my Grandpa, Gustav Lange.

Grandpa left Russia soon after his father died about 1905 and went to Essen, Germany, to work. He immigrated to Canada in 1911 and settled in Winnipeg, Canada, where he lived with his maternal uncle, Gustav Ludwig[2] and his wife Matilda Yeske. They lived at 386 Thames Avenue.

386 Thames Avenue, Winnipeg, Canada; courtesy Google Maps

Traugott followed his brother to Winnipeg about 1912. When the Canadian census for what became the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan was enumerated in 1916, Traugott lived at 386 Thames Avenue with Uncle Gustav and Aunt Matilda and worked as a laborer at an iron works.

He married Katherina "Kate" Magdalena Hirt on 23 June 1917 in Winnipeg. She was the daughter of Nicholas "Mike" and Anna Hirt and had been born in Sanderfalva, Csongrad, Hungary, on 30 September 1899. Her mother and three of her siblings had immigrated from Hungary in 1905 and joined her father and oldest brother in Winnipeg. She was Roman Catholic and Traugott was Lutheran. Traugott became a naturalized Canadian citizen about this time.

Katherina Magdalena Hirt is second from the left; the bridal couple is
Mathias John and Anna Rose (Hirt) Becker, 1916; courtesy of Ancestry.com
member jay_barbara

Traugott and Kate had their first child, Peter Lange, on 5 March 1919 in Winnipeg. The next year, on 24 November 1920, the young family boarded a Canadian Pacific train and left for a long-trip across two countries to Maryland. They arrived in the United States at Noyes, Minnesota, indicated their destination was Cheltenham, Maryland, and they were going to see Traugott's brother, Gustav Lange. Gustav and his wife had moved to Maryland the year before after a buying a farm sight unseen. Was this when Traugott gave Gustav his bible?

When the 1921 Canadian census was enumerated in June, Traugott, his wife, and son, were lodgers at the home of his Uncle Gustav Ludwig, who had moved to 445 Riverton Avenue in Elmwood neighborhood of Winnipeg. On 30 August 1921 their daughter, Magdalene Elizabeth, was born in Dakota County, Minnesota.

Traugott and Kate received U.S. Alien Certificates in Winnipeg in 1923 from the U.S. Department of Labor after being examined by government officials prior to immigrating to the U.S. Traugott preceded his wife and children to Los Angeles, California. He likely stayed with his brother-in-law, Mathias Becker, who married Kate's sister, Anna Rose in 1916. Kate and her young children boarded Canadian Pacific train No. 110 in Winnipeg and arrived in Noyes, Minnesota, the same day. They told U.S. border officials their destination was 4204 Hubert Avenue in Los Angeles, the home of Traugott Lange.

Traugott Lange Alien Certificate; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Katherina Magdalena (Hirt) Lange U.S. Alien Certificate; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

It is entirely possible the family returned to Winnipeg soon afterwards. There are several records, which indicated Traugott traveled from Winnipeg to Los Angeles in November of 1924. On those records, he said his wife, Kate, lived at 404 Tweed Avenue in the Elmwood neighborhood of Winnipeg.

However, by 1930 the family had settled permanently in Montebello, California. Traugott owned a home at 4470 Lovett Street, which was valued at $3,000; no occupation was listed on the census form.

Traugott Lange died on 13 April 1932 in Los Angeles County, California, at the age of 41. Six months later, Kate married Sandor "Sam" Egrasky on 1 October 1932 in Los Angeles County. He had been married before. On 27 February 1935 Kate and Sam had a son, Sandor Nick Egrasky, in Los Angeles County.

In 1938 Sam and Kate were listed in the Los Angeles city directory living at 4470 Lovett Street in Montebello -- the house she had lived in in 1930 with Traugott. They remained there when the 1940 census was enumerated. Kate and Traugott's children, Peter and Magdalene were enumerated with the Egrasky surname.

Tragott and Kate's son, Peter, became a U.S. citizen on 11 April 1941. He had changed his name to Peter Charles Lang (no "e" at the end) before he earned his U.S. citizenship. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942.

Kate became a U.S. citizen on 10 December 1943 and still lived at 4470 Lovett Street in Montebello.

Kate (Hirt) Egrasky petition for U.S. citizenship, 1941; courtesy Ancestry.com

Sam Egrasky died on 19 September 1963 in Los Angeles County; Kate died on 18 December 1970. Kate's three children are all deceased.

_______________
[1]This is a Julian calendar date; it converts to 28 October 1890 in the Gregorian calendar, which was the calendar in used at the time Traugott lived in Canada and is still used today.
[2]More about Uncle Gustav Ludwig in a future post.

Grandpa Lange's Bible and New Mysteries

The Vanishing Mr. Hopkins

Richard Joseph Hopkins was born in 1897 in San Francisco, California. According to one of his marriage records, his parents were James Francis Hopkins and Philomena Cecelia Gleason. His father served on two different occasions in the U.S. Army as a musician. His mother's parents had immigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, from Ireland sometime before Philomena's birth.

In 1900 Richard and his family lived at 226 -- 23rd Street, which borders the current day Warm Water Cove Park and dead ends at the San Francisco Bay. His father continued to work as a musician. By 1910 Richard's parents had divorced and his mother was married to Charles Hensley, who rented a farm in Cloverdale, California.

On 20 July 1916 Richard enlisted in the 1st U.S. Engineer Battalion. He achieved the rank of sergeant and, like his father, was a musician in the battalion's band. After the United States entered World War I, the battalion was expanded to regimental size and assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, participating in the Lorraine and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. Engineer units were in charge of repairing the devastation of war to expedite troop movements, providing clean water, constructing or removing barbed wire, and launching gas attacks. Richard was discharged from the Army on 29 January 1920, likely at Camp Zachary Taylor in Kentucky.

Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Kentucky; image courtesy of Louisville
Historical Society

By 1924 Richard had relocated to Virginia and he married Annie Zeola (Brewer) Hamilton on 20 March 1924 in Fredericksburg. She was the daughter of Joel Alexander and Nancy Elvira (Shipwich) Brewer and had previously been married to a William Hamilton. Their marriage record indicated Richard had also been previously married but I have found no evidence of a first wife.

On 16 January 1928 Richard was admitted to one of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soliders in Hampton, Virginia. His physical description was listed as 5 feet 9-3/4 inches tall with a ruddy complexion and brown eyes and hair. His suffered from an acute gonorrheal infection of the urethra. According to his record he was still married although I imagine his illness did not sit too well with his wife, Zeola, which may have been why he listed his mother as his nearest relative.

National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Hampton, Virginia;
postcard courtesy of the Library of Virginia

He was discharged on 1 May 1928 but readmitted on 27 August 1929. By that time he was likely divorced as Zeola had married Frank Gindhart sometime before the 1930 census was enumerated and she was living in Ohio. Richard was discharged from his second stay in the soldiers' home on 8 May 1930.

He married Josephine Nelson Walker on 11 November 1933 in Charlottesville. She was my third cousin once removed and granddaughter of Alexander Miller and Ann Marie Jennings. It was her first marriage but it didn't last long. Josephine received a vinculo divorce decree, or total divorce, from the Corporation Court in Charlottesville on 14 January 1937. She accused Richard of desertion and abandonment and though he contested the case, she prevailed. She had been 16 years old at the time of her marriage, 20 years younger than Richard. Josephine went on to marry two more times before she died in 1973.

Richard Hopkins and Josephine Walker divorce decree; courtesy of
Ancestry.com

For a long time that divorce record was the last trace of Richard Joseph Hopkins I could find. Now, I believe he lived in Sharon, Pennsylvania, with a woman named Myrtle when the 1940 census was enumerated. Sharon is located 75 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and began as a coal mining town. By the time Richard and Myrtle lived there it had transitioned to steel making and other heavy industry.

While not 100 percent positive this is the correct Richard J. Hopkins, his age is correct; California was listed as his place of birth and his occupation was listed as musician, which are also correct. However, there is a woman named Charlotte Vaughn living in the home, too. She was 98 years old and her relationship was listed as mother. At first I thought she was Richard's mother-in-law, however Myrtle is 36 years, which meant Charlotte would have been 62 years old at the time of her birth.

State Street, Sharon, Pennsylvania; postcard courtesy of Family Old Photos

The best possibility for a death date is a U.S. Social Security Death Index record for a Richard Hopkins, who died in Nov 1968. He applied for Social Security insurance in Pennsylvania and his last benefit check was sent to Olean, New York. I could order his original application using a Freedom of Information (FOIA) request through the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, as he has not been dead for 75 years, his parents' names would redacted from the document. So not any help in proving this is "my" Richard Joseph Hopkins.

Any other thoughts on where or how to find Richard?

From the Army to the Ministry?

Often when I am researching a family group -- father, mother, and children -- things fall into place as they should. They are listed in the records you expect for their age, time and place. Every once in a while, however, for one child's life my research may lead to more questions than answers.

Such was the case with Edward S. Dawson, my first cousin twice removed and son of Dudley Dawson and Willie Ann Jennings, who was my great grandfather's half-sister. Edward was born on 22 June 1885 in Amherst County, Virginia, according to his World War I and World War II draft cards. His California death index and Veterans Grave Site records indicate he was born a month later.

By the time Edward was 15 years old, his family had moved to a farm in Bedford County. Willie Ann (Jennings) Dawson died in 1903 when Edward was 18. Four years later, his father married again and moved to Lynchburg.

Edward enlisted in the U.S. Army on 18 January 1909 in Amherst County. It was a fairly unusual thing for a young man to do as the Army at that time was quite small -- only about 200,000 men with approximately 80,000 in National Guard units. His military experience did not last much more than a year as he was discharged on 17 February 1910 at Fort Baynard in Santa Clara, New Mexico, due to some sort of disability.

Fort Baynard, New Mexico, circa 1915; photograph courtesy of USGenWeb

Edward made his way to Danville, Virginia, by April where he was enumerated boarding with Able Ruse and another young person. All three men worked for the Salvation Army. When he registered for the World War I draft registration on 12 September 1918, he lived in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, and was an out of work waiter. The only reason I believe this record is correct is that his birth date and place are correct. He listed a son named William as his nearest relative. I believe this William was the William E. Dawson who lived with his aunt and uncle, Benjamin and Emma (Dawson) Hudson in 1920. William was born about 1918 in Virginia so it is likely that his father, Edward went to Pennsylvania after the death of his wife.

I am not entirely sure where Edward was in 1920 or what his occupation may have been. The best possible census record revealed he lived in Washington, District of Columbia, as a boarder in the home of a Baptist minister. The census record also indicated Edward was an evangelical minister and that he was widowed. What gives me pause is whoever spoke to the enumerator said Edward's father was born in Ireland and his mother in England and that she spoke French. None of this is correct and I have been unable to find any trace of who his deceased wife may have been or when and where they married.

Salvation Army workers distributing Christmas baskets in Chicago circa
1903; photograph courtesy of the Chicago History Museum

In 1930 Edward lived at 100 Merle Avenue in Hempstead, New York, in a home he rented for $60. The census record is now correct as to the birth locations of his parents. He had married again to a woman named Anna Bell, who is 24 years younger than Edward. They had a four-year-old son named George, who was born in New Jersey. Edward worked as a clergyman with a missionary organization. This fact leads me to be believe the 1920 census document is for "my" Edward.

I can find no trace of Edward in the 1940 census. In 1942, when Edward may have registered for the World War II draft, he lived in Philadelphia and worked at a snack shop on the corner of 12th and Market Streets. He listed William E. Dawson as the person who would always know where he was. Again, his birth date and location were correct. So I have no idea what happened to his wife, Anna Bell, or his son, George. And I do not have any idea who this William was. Is he the son from Edward's first marriage?

Edward's appearance was described on three military records. While the first two sound like the same person, the third does not really:

• Army Register of Enlistments, 1910: 5'9" tall, brown eyes, black hair with a ruddy complexion
• World War I Draft Registration, 1918: Tall, medium build, brown eyes, dark hair
• World War II Draft Registration, 1942: 5'5" tall, 140 pounds, gray eyes, red hair with a ruddy complexion

I know nothing more about Edward's life until he died 11 July 1965 in San Francisco. He was interred in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

Edward S. Dawson's Headstone with the possibly incorrect month of
birth; photograph courtesy of Find A Grave member Marvin & Samme
Temple via Tom Brocher

Because he moved around so much, I simply have no idea where to look for additional records. My analysis to date of the records I have found which I believe to be related to Edward looks like this:

Analysis of records found for Edward S. Dawson

My questions are:

• Are all the records I have discovered for the same person or am I tracing portions of the lives of two men named Edward S. Dawson?
• Who was his first wife?
• Who was William Dawson, son? Is he the same person as William E. Dawson?
• What happened to Edward's second wife, Anna Bell, and their son named George?
• Where was Edward when the 1940 census was enumerated?
• Why did he leave the ministry?
• What was he doing in California where he died?

52 Ancestors #42: Mayor of Downey, California

Ancestor Name: Richard Marchand Jennings, Sr. (1912-1998)

I don't really get too emotionally invested in the ancestors I didn't know. After all, I never knew they existed until I discovered them in a document somewhere. We may have shared certain common genes, but they certainly weren't part of the me that was shaped by environment or the love I received from "family." I live by the words of a by-marriage ancestor, who was herself adopted, Edith Mary Madeline Ternes (whose birth name was Freda Isobel Watson):

"If any family tree is shaken hard enough, I am sure it will produce stories of heroes and horse thieves. Lives to be proud of, lives to imitate and some to regret. Your family tree will no doubt be the same, so I think it wise to remember that we are totally responsible for ourselves and our lives but we owe no debt to the past."

Recently, as I was researching the descendants of John William Jennings, Jr., an older brother of my great great grandfather, I stumbled upon the obituary for Richard Marchand Jennings, Sr., who was a former two-term mayor of Downey, California. The obituary went on to list several civic organizations with which the former mayor was involved. If I'm not proud of Richard Marchand Jennings, I can certainly admire his ethos of community service.

Welcome to Downey sign; image courtesy of Dying Downey

The official City of Downey, California, website describes the city:

"We are home to to where the Apollo space program began its journey to the stars. Downey is where you can find the world's oldest McDonalds restaurant and the site of the first Taco Bell eatery. This is the city where pop recording artists, 'The Carpenters,' were inspired with many hit records." Downey is located in southeast Los Angeles county about 13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

1955 map of Downey, California; image courtesy of the
Downey Historical Society

Richard Marchand Jennings was the second of three children of Archie Herbert Jennings and Stella (or Estella) Marchand. He was born on 3 August 1912 in Van Nuys, California. By 1930 the family lived in Longmont, Colorado, and his father worked as a foreman of a boiler room at a sugar factory.

By 1940, Richard had married Mildred Wadsworth and lived in Boulder, Colorado. He worked as a technician conducting experimental investigations. Their only known son, Richard Marchand Jennings, Jr., was born the next year. By 1952 Richard, Sr., and family moved to Whittier, California, and he worked for Standard Oil. By 1961 they lived in Downey, which is nine miles from Whittier. Their son married Virginia Martell that year and the couple had three children before divorcing in 1971. Sadly both Richard, Sr., and Mildred outlived their son, who died in 1973.

Richard served two terms as mayor from 1974-1975 and 1977-1978. Richard and Mildred remained in Downey the rest of their lives. She died in 1995 and Richard, Sr., died on 16 November 1998. Both were interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier. Their son and granddaughter were also buried there.

I learned Richard Marchand Jennings, Sr., had been a former mayor of Downey from the California Genealogy & History information on Rootsweb where his obituary was posted:

Former mayor Richard M. Jennings mourned

Downey -- Services were held 21 November at the Church of Latter Day Saints for Richard M. Jennings, a 30-year resident of Downey and former two-term mayor of the city.

He was born in Van Nuys 3 August 1912 and died 16 November.

Survivors include grandchildren Debra, Richard and Robert Jennings and six great grandchildren.

He served the community through service clubs and committees for more than 30 years, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the Downey Elks and Downey Rotary. He was a five-year trustee and six-year audit chairman for the Elks; a member of the Department of Public Social Services Commission; a member and former chairman of the Cerritos Corridor Diversion Project; a member of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Commission; a member and former chairman of the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority; a member of the Downey School District Vocational Education Advisory Committee; a member of the Downey Community Hospital Long Range Planning Committee; director of the Second Century Foundation; director of the Barbara Dawson School for the Handicapped; founding member of the American Society of Photogrammetry; and a licensed land surveyor in Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Alaska.

Bishop Robert A. Douglas of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints officiated. Burial followed at Rose Hills Memorial Park. Arrangement were by the Miller-Mies Mortuary of Downey.

Published in the Downey Eagle on 27 November 1998.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge optional theme Proud.

Near Miss and a Coincidence

I was recently contacted by a lovely gentlemen through Ancestry.com's message system. His wife's great great grand aunt was the sister of the first wife of my great grandfather. (I descend from his second wife.) Charles Edward Jennings' first wife was also his first cousin once removed, but honestly it's too confusing to figure how else I may be related to my new contact's wife. As we shared information about the common people in our trees, he mentioned he had a book about the Miller and Duff families of Virginia, which included a chapter entitled Jennings connections, as the families had so intermarried.

I have been using the information in that chapter to verify what my father had in his tree, source, and extend it using records available now, which were not at the time he did his research. Along the way, I've met many interesting ancestors. One of which is Arline Vivian Goff.

Arline was born on 6 May 1925 in Lynchburg, Virginia, to William Thomas and Viola (Martin) Goff. In 1940, Viola was living alone with her children and claimed to a widow. However, her husband, William Goff, had married Cora Cash Timmons by 1939, so I suspect he had left or abandoned his first family. William and Cora moved to Norfolk, Virginia, some time after 1940. Cora was given an absolute divorce decree in 1947 due to adultery on William's part. William apparently hung himself with his belt, or was killed by another prisoner, in a police station in Norfolk the next year.

Virginia Death Record for William Goff; image courtesy of Ancestry.com

But back to William's daughter, Arline...

In 1944 Arline lived at 310 West 25th Street in Norfolk. This address was listed as her father's usual residence on his death certificate. She and Frank Beasley, an aviation mechanic likely with the Navy, applied for a marriage license on 14 January 1944. He was born in Kentucky, but lived in Los Angeles at the time. He was a World War I veteran and had re-enlisted in 1942. He had also been married previously and had a child, though he claimed never to have been married when he and Arline applied for the license.

Virginia Marriage Record for Frank Beasley and Arline Goff; image courtesy
of Ancestry.com

Something happened to their relationship, however, as a note on their marriage record where the minister certifies the marriage took place said, "Rescinded not executed 22 May 1945." Perhaps she found out about Frank's previous marital history or one of them simply got cold feet.

She was back in her hometown of Lynchburg when she and Lee Hall Beasley married there on 13 February 1948. Lee Hall Beasley was the son of Robert Parker and Willie (McConville) Beasley. He was also my third cousin once removed. Lee had been married previously and had a daughter. He and his first wife were divorced in 1940. At the time Lee and Arline applied for their marriage license neither were working.

Virginia Marriage Record for Lee Beasley and Arline Goff; image courtesy
of Ancestry.com

In 1949 Lee was a trainee at Brown-Morrison, a shoe store or factory, and the following year, he worked there as a salesman. When he died in 1960, he was retired from the U.S. Post Office, where he had sorted mail. Arline died on 30 August 2009 at the age of  84. Lee and Arline were interred Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg.

I have not found any familial relationship between Arline's "almost" husband, Frank Beasley, and her husband, Lee Hall Beasley. But what a coincidence that the two men she considered marrying had the same surname!

I am just loving the new Virginia vital records on Ancestry and the stories they are revealing!

52 Ancestors #17: First Owners of Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, and San Leandro

Ancestor Name: Luis Maria PERALTA (1759-1851)

I don't usually have people in my family tree who have a biography on Wikipedia. In a nutshell, Luis Maria Peralta was born in Sonora, Mexico, in 1759, the son of a Spanish soldier, who followed his father into the army when he turned 21. He served the king of Spain from 1778 to 1820 when he was rewarded for his service, receiving Rancho San Antonio, a 44,000-acre land grant. It was one of the largest land grants ever given by Spain and encompassed most of the East Bay area of California, which is across San Francisco Bay from the city.

Luis Maria Peralta was described in the book, Alameda County, Past and Present, by Leslie J. Freeman and published in 1946:  "In person he was tall and muscular. His manners were those of the chivalrous men of his time and race. He died a respected, old man firm in the religious faith of his people."

1820 map of the proposed Rancho San Antonio land grand; courtesy of
University Terrace

The land was described in the same book as being:

"...rolling hills carpeted in green grass slowly sloping toward the [San Francisco] Bay -- here and there the hills' contour broken by a small grove of oak trees from which a bear is seen to slowly wend its way, across the ravine two deer approach a spring of water to quench their thirst, while high overhead, wild fowl cloud the sky in rapid flight toward their nesting ground."

Before his death, Luis gave his four sons equal shares of Rancho San Antonio. The brothers were rancheros, who owned about 8,000 head of cattle. Jose Domingo received the northern most quarter where Berkeley, California, is located today; Jose Vincente, the next southerly portion where Oakland, California, is today; Antonio Maria, the quarter that now embraces Alameda. The oldest brother, Hermenegildo Ignacio received the southern most section, which we know today as San Leandro.

Their lives on Rancho Antonio were described in Alameda County: Past and Present:

"...the brothers took up their residences respective estates. The herds were divided, four estates were created and the lives of these landed proprietors were passing in Arcadian tranquility. Until 1846, almost no intimation of a change in the quiet pastoral life they were leading had been given. Doubtless, the Peraltas cherished the belief that their descendants for generations to come would possess these delightful groves and that their herds and flocks would increase upon the hillsides."

But change was in the wind. United States soldiers were stationed on California soil by 1846 and white settlers began looking at Peralta land longingly. Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848 and California became the place to be for so many people who hoped to strike it rich. Eventually Hermenegildo Ignacio, Jose Domingo, Antonio Maria, and Jose Vincente Peralta sold or lost almost all of their land and their ranchero way of life disappeared, a victim of growth and progress.

1936 map of Rancho San Antonio; courtesy of University Terrace

Jose Domingo was described as friendly and courteous with with an "impulsive nature" that could manifest itself in "moody and argumentative behavior." He began selling off land in 1852. The parcels were defined on a map surveyed by Julius Kellersberger. His map shows the parcels that were to be sold as well as reserves for three of the four brothers. Jose Domingo's land is to the far left, Jose Vincente's, in the middle, and Antonio Marie's to the far right. No mention is made of Hermenegildo Ignacio.

Julius Kellersberger's map; courtesy of University Terrace

Not everyone wanted to buy parts of Rancho San Antonio from the Peralta brothers. They used other means to gain the land and the brothers had to fight off those people in court and in the state legislature where land grabs of "native land" were often made legal. Eventually, Jose Domingo his lost his remaining share of Rancho San Antonio and died a poor man. His brother, Hermenegildo Ignacio, seemed better able to adapt to the changing times and his son-in-law built a large, lovely home for his wife's parents in 1860. It is built in the Spanish Colonial style and is on the National Register of Historic Places in Alameda county.

Home of Hermenegildo Ignacio Peralta during construction in 1860;
courtesy of the Library of Congress

So how am I related to the Peralta family? My great grand uncle, John Andrew Riggin, married Barbara Alice Hatherly sometime before 1929 when they first appeared together in a Hayward, California, city directory. Barbara was the three times great granddaughter of Luis Maria Peralta.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge optional theme Prosper.

The Mysterious "Alice B" Revealed
A Wanderer Returns