52 Ancestors #30: Robert Muir (1875-1956): Union Mine Organizer?

Ancestor: Robert Muir, Great Grandfather
Haplogroup: Unknown

Robert Muir was born on 16 March 1875 in Swinhill in the parish of Dalserf, Scotland to James and Margaret (Semple) Muir. He was the couple's second child together but their oldest son had died the previous year. When the 1881 census was enumerated Robert lived with his mother at the farm of his maternal grandparents, Peter and Janet (Torrance) Semple. His father was not at the home when the census was taken.

Remains of Robert Muir's Sottish birth registration; personal collection

In June of 1887 James Muir immigrated to the United States. Margaret followed later that year with their living children.  They arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 30 September 1887 aboard the Allen Line's S/S Manitoban. The ship had sailed from Glasgow, Scotland, and made a brief stop in Ireland before reaching Philadelphia. Margaret, Robert, and his siblings likely took the train to Streator, Illinois, where James worked as a coal miner. Robert Muir became a naturalized United citizen on 10 October 1896 at the Livingston County Courthourse.

In 1900 he lived with his mother and two younger brothers in Reading, Illinois, where he worked as a coal miner beside his brother Peter. Each had been unemployed for six months during the previous year.

He and Ida Mae Riggin applied for a marriage license on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and were married shortly thereafter. They lived in Troy for about a year after their marriage; then moved to Novinger, Missouri, where they were living when Robert's cousin, Peter Muir, listed him as his contact when he arrived in the United States in 1903. They moved to O'Fallon, Illinois, just before Ida Mae (Riggin) Muir died in 1909. The couple had two children, Henry and Alice.

In 1910 Robert and his two young children lived in O'Fallon, Illinois, next door to his mother. I imagine she helped care for his children as they were not yet school aged.

On 26 September 1911 Robert married Elizabeth "Liz" Fausz in St. Louis. They both claimed to be over 18 years old and that was certainly the case with Robert, but Liz was only 17 and pregnant. When Robert was required to register for the World War I draft in 1918, the family lived in the Edgemont Station area of East St. Louis, Illinois. Robert's appearance was described as being of medium height and stout build with blue eyes and partially gray hair. He and Liz had four children together. All but Henrietta was born in Illinois.

Robert was not enumerated in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. federal census. However, he was listed in the East St. Louis city directories between 1924 and 1930. He owned a home on 436 North 80th Street.

His daughter, Alice, my grandmother, always said her father was a union organizer and traveled frequently to coal mines across the country trying to get the workers to unionize. She said he'd been blackballed from several mines, threatened and even shot at. I always thought these stories were fantasies of a young girl who didn't know her father very well. However, not finding him in so many census records makes me wonder.

Robert Muir applied for the new Social Security insurance program on 4 December 1936. At the time he submitted his application he lived in Iaeger, West Virginia, and worked for the Pocahontas Red Bird Mining Co.

Social Security application with Robert Muir's signature; personal
collection

He divorced Liz some time before 1940. When he retired from mining, some time after 1942, he bought a small piece of property along a river in Van Buren County, Tennessee. On that property he lived in an abandoned bus.

Robert Muir's Coal Miner's Certificate from the West Virginia
Department of Mines; personal collection

He was hospitalized in September 1956 while in southwest Virginia visiting his family. He died on 23 September 1956 at the Clinch Valley Clinic Hospital in Richlands, Virginia, of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease. He was 81 years old at the time of his death and was interred at Iaeger Memorial Cemetery in Roderfield, West Virginia.

Robert Muir died without a will. His real and personal property was auctioned off in two separate sales on 11 October and 15 November 1956. When his estate was settled in 1957, each of his six children received $310.52.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Colorful," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, Robert Muir, is Ancestor number 10 on my family tree:

10 Robert Muir born 16 March 1875 in Swinhill, Dalserf, Lanarkshire, Scotland, to James Muir and Margaret Semple; died on 23 September 1956 in Richlands, Virginia; married 1) Ida Mae Riggin, daughter of John Wesley Riggin and Clementine Wells, on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and 2) Elizabeth "Liz" Fausz, daughter of Peter Fausz and Margaret Dietrich, on 26 September 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri (divorced)

10.1 Henry "Jack" Muir born 29 May 1903 in Adair County, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin; died 24 May 1986 in Gretna, Louisiana; married 1) Mary Frances Canterberry, daughter of Howard Canterberry and Nancy Robertson on 3 July 1921 in Walls Creek, West Virginia, (divorced) 2) Armitar Ormmueth Alleman, daughter of Arrestide Alleman and Alice Istre, on 24 February 1930 in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, (divorced) 3) Eppa "Eppie" (Swan) Childs Swafford, daughter of William Henry Swan and Edna Sarah Norvell, before 1953, likely in Louisiana, and 4) Edith Mary (Davenport) Samples in May 1979 in St. Bernard Parish.

5 Alice Muir born 16 March 1906 in Novinger, Missouri, to Robert Muir and Ida Mae Riggin; died 14 December 1993 in Pamlico County, North Carolina; married Marvin Edward Jennings, son of Charles Edward Jennings and Effie Beard, on 13 May 1924.

10.3 Robert Muir, Jr. born 7 January 1912 in O'Fallon, Illinois, to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 22 February 1959 in Welch, West Virginia; married 1) Sadie Viola Cline, daughter of John Estil Cline and Maude Rasnake, on 1 November 1930 in Russell County, Virginia, (divorced) and 2) a woman named Carrie after 1949.

10.4 Verna Muir born 3 July 1917 in Illinois to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 18 April 2010 in Ravenswood, West Virginia; married Franz "Frank" Burglechner, son of Unknown Burglechner and Maria "Mary" Miller, before 1935.

10.5 Henrietta Muir born 14 January 1920 in Tralee, West Virginia to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 23 February 2008 in Eglin, Illinois.

10.6 Margaret Elizabeth Muir born 26 September 1924 in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Robert Muir and Elizabeth Fausz; died 14 June 1988 in Richlands, Virginia; married Cecil Roy Hess, son of Charles Robert Hess and Jessie Mae Fitzgerald, on 24 October 1942 in Buchanan County, Virginia (divorced).

_________________
'Remains of Robert Muir's Scottish Birth Registration,' personal collection
'Robert Muir's Coal Miner's Certificate,' personal collection
'Social Security Application,' personal collection
1881 Scotland Census, 03/04/1881 Semple, Peter (Census 1881 638/02 002/00 018)
1900 US Federal Census, Census Place: Reading, Livingston, Illinois; Roll: 318; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm number: 1240318
1910 US Federal Census, Census Place: O'Fallon, St Clair, Illinois; Roll: T624_323; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0155; Image: 641; FHL microfilm: 1374336
Alice (Muir) Jennings' Genealogy Notebook, page 4, 8
Scotland, Statutory Registrations, 1855-2013, 1875 Muir, Robert (Statutory Births 638/02 0037)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1924 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1926 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1928 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, City Directories, 1821-1989, 1930 East St. Louis, IL (Muir, Robert)
US, Illinois, Livingston County Court, Naturalization Application, 10 Oct 1896
US, Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, 1911 Muir, Robert - Fausz, Elizabeth
US, Pennsylvania, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1800-1963, 1887 Muir, Robert
US, Social Security Application, Number: 235-10-9644
US, Social Security Card, Number 235-10-9644, State: West Virginia
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator, Settlement of and with C. C. Greer, Administrator, 27 Jun 1957
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator, Goods and Chattels Sale, 11 Oct 1956
US, Tennessee, Van Buren County Court Administrator Estate Sale, 11 Nov 1956
US, Virginia, Death Certificate 1956, Muir, Robert, No. 22810
US, West Virginia, Department of Mines, Coal Miner's Certificate No. 93665
US, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, State: Illinois; County: St. Clair; Roll: 1614579; Draft Board: 1

52 Ancestors #29: James Muir (1848-1926): Scoundrel

Ancestor Name: James Muir, great great grandfather
Haplogroup: Unknown

James Muir was likely the twelfth child of Robert and Henrietta (Brown) Muir. No parish church record exists for his birth. His birthday, 13 June, is listed on his death certificate and in my Grandmother's genealogy notebook. The birth year is more confusing. My Grandmother believed it was 1847. James' second wife believed it was 1845. I have settled on 1848. The closest record to his birth is the 1851 Scotland Census. That census was enumerated on the night of 30-31 March, which would make James Muir 2 years old, and that is his age as recorded on the census. He would turn three in June, hence 1848 as his year of birth.

When the 1851 Scotland census was enumerated, he was living with several siblings in Kirkton village, but his parents were not at home the night the census was taken. It is likely his mother had died by this time. We know she died before 1856.

Ten years later, James was living at 2 Birkenshaw in Larkhall with his father and several siblings. He was 13 and already working full-time in the coal mines. His father was no longer working in the mines but his older brothers still living at home were also miners. I have been unable to definitively locate James Muir in the 1871 census.

He married Margaret Semple on 4 Jul 1873 in Swinhill, Dalserf, Lanarkshire. She was the single mother of a young girl named Janet "Jessie" Semple. Margaret was pregnant with their first child at the time of their marriage, and that child was born on 4 October 1873. Their first son was named Robert Muir, after his paternal grandfather. Sadly, little Robert died on 25 January 1874 of hydrocephalus, which is the build up of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. It is commonly called "water on the brain."

Parish church in Dalserf; photograph commissioned by me and taken by
Andrew Scorgie in 2013

My great grandfather also named Robert Muir was born on 16 March 1875. After my great grandfather, six more children were born in Scotland:

• Peter Semple Muir (14 February 1877 -- 23 March 1877)
• Peter Semple Muir (5 July 1878 -- 8 September 1878)
• Peter Muir (12 July 1879 -- 23 July 1879)
• Henrietta Brown Muir (29 July 1882 -- 9 January 1884)
• Margaret "Maggie" Muir (6 May 1884 -- 29 August 1966)
• Peter Semple Muir (3 February 1886 -- 30 October 1947)

Peter Semple was Margaret's father's name and naming a child in his honor was obviously important to her.

On 27 May 1887 James boarded the Anchor Line steamship Ethiopia in Glasgow and sailed to the United States. He arrived in New York City on the 6th of June and traveled to Streator, Illinois. Because the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, I do not know if he had relatives or friends who had already immigrated and settled in Streator or if he saw advertisements for Streator at the train station. 

James' wife, Margaret, and the living children followed him to Illinois, arriving in the U.S. on 30 September 1887. Margaret's daughter, Jessie, also traveled with her mother and half-siblings.  Margaret and James had two more children in Illinois: Alexander Muir (13 May 1889 -- 6 May 1957) and Jane "Janie" Muir (29 November 1894 -- 23 January 1990).

In 1900 James was living in Mystic, Iowa, a lodger at the home of Mrs. Margaret Greenbank. Appanoose was described as "one continuous mining camp" when James arrived. He claimed he was divorced. His wife, Margaret (Semple) Muir, however, was living in Reading, Illinois. According to her census records, she still believed she was married.

James married Margaret (McIntosh) Greenbank on 9 January 1913 in Princeton, Missouri. Princeton is in Mercer County, Missouri, which borders Iowa. I am left wondering after looking at the map, if Mercer County was a "Gretna Green" county, meaning it was possible to get a quickie marriage. Or perhaps county officials didn't look too closely at your documentation. I've found no evidence that James Muir actually divorced his first wife, nor can I find any evidence that Margaret Greenbank was divorced from her husband, Thomas, who was still alive, though living in the Mount Pleasant Hospital for the Insane.

Proximity of Appanoose County to Mercer County; image courtesy of
FamilySearch.org

I have not found James in the 1910 census. When the 1915 Iowa state census was taken, James claimed he had lived in Iowa since 1895. If that is true, then he left his first wife when their youngest child was barely a year old. In 1920 he lived in Nineveh, Missouri, and was a boarder in the home of Mrs. Ida Logsdon. Her home was very close to the home James' first wife and the home of their daughter, Maggie, and her husband, Robert Caswell.

The 1925 Iowa state census indicated James was still married and back in Mystic, Iowa, and lived with his second wife. At the time two of Margaret's sons by her first husband also lived in the home as well as 11-year-old Robert H. Muir, who was listed as a grandson. I believe he was actually the son of Ethel Greenbank, one of Margaret's daughters by her first husband. James Muir did have a grandson named Robert Muir, Jr. He was born in 1912 so it is possible he was living with his grandfather in 1925 though I do not know why this would be.

James Muir died on 18 March 1926 at his home in Mystic of arteo-sclerosis and chronic bronchitis at the ripe old age of 81. He was miner, retired from the Egypt Coal Company. He was interred in Highland Cemetery in Mystic on 20 March 1926. His second wife was the informant listed on the death certificate. She is also buried in Highland Cemetery.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Music," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, James Muir, is Ancestor number 20 on my family tree:

20 James Muir born 13 June 1848 in East Kilbride, Scotland; died 18 March 1926 in Mystic, Iowa; married 1) Margaret Semple, daughter of Peter Semple and Janet Torrance, on 4 July 1873 in Dalserf, Scotland, and 2) Margaret (McIntosh) Greenbank, daughter of William Keir McIntosh and Christian Brown and wife of Thomas Greenbank, on 9 January 1913 in Princeton, Missouri. Interred at Highland Cemetery in Mystic, Iowa.

20.1 Robert Muir born 4 October 1873 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 25 January 1874 in Dalserf.

10 Robert Muir born 16 March 1875 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 September 1956 in Richlands, Virginia; married 1) Ida Mae Riggin, daughter of John Wesley Riggin and Clementine Wells, on 12 October 1902 in Collinsville, Illinois, and 2) Elizabeth Fausz, daughter of Peter Fausz and Margaret Dietrich on 26 September 1911 in St. Louis, Missouri (divorced between 1930 and 1940).

20.2 Peter Semple Muir born 14 February 1877 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 March 1877 in Dalserf.

20.3 Peter Semple Muir born 5 July 1878 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 8 September 1878 in Lesmahagow, Scotland

20.4 Peter Muir born 12 July 1879 in Lesmahagow, Scotland; died 23 July 1879 in Lesmahagow.

20.5 Henrietta Brown Muir born 29 July 1882 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 9 January 1884 in Dalserf.

20.6 Margaret "Maggie" Muir born 6 May 1884 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 29 August 1966 likely in Vermilion County, Illinois; married Robert Caswell, son of John Caswell and Elizabeth Russell, on 3 August 1902 in St. Joseph, Michigan.

20.7 Peter Semple Muir born 3 February 1886 in Dalserf, Scotlankd; died 30 October 1947 in Detroit, Michigan; married Mame Zebio, daughter of Louis Zebio and Mary Frey, on 1 July 1908, according to my grandmother's genealogy notebook.

20.8 Alexander Muir born 13 May 1889 in Streator, Illinois; died 6 May 1957 in Seattle, Washington; married Bertha I. Cloren, daughter of John Patrick Cloren and Janet Ann Milnes on 13 June 1914 in Adair County, Missouri.

20.9 Jane "Janie" Muir born 29 November 1894 in Reading, Illinois; died 23 January 1990 in Centralia, Washington; married Herbert Bartist Beck, son of John B. Beck and Christina Beyerle, on 20 Jun 1912, according to my grandmother's genealogy notebook.

Margaret Semple had a daughter, whose father is unknown, before she marred James Muir. Jessie was raised as part of the Muir family.

20.10 Janet "Jessie" Semple born 25 November 1871 in Dalserf, Scotland; died 23 February 1942 in Adair County, Missouri; married Alexander Hutchison, son of Alexander Hutchison and Lilias Ewings, on 2 January 1889 in Streator, Illinois.

_______________

Sources:

Alice (Muir) Jennings Genealogy Notebook, undated, personal collection
'Dalserf Parish Church,' personal collection
'Iowa and Missouri Counties' map, FamilySearch
1851 Scotland Census, Parish: East Kilbride; ED: 15; Page: 17; Line: 2; Roll: CSSCT1851_152
1851 Scotland Census, 30/03/1851 Muir, Elisabeth (Census 1851 643/00 015/00 016)
1861 Scotland Census, Parish: Dalserf; ED: 6; Page: 34; Line: 18; Roll: CSSCT1861_95
1861 Scotland Census, 07/04/1861 Muir, Robert (Census 1861 638/01 006/00 034)
1900 U.S. Federal Census, Census Place: Mystic, Appanoose, Iowa; Roll: 416; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 0024; FHL microfilm: 1240416
1920 U.S. Federal Census, Census Place: Nineveh, Adair, Missouri; Roll: T625_902; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 17; Image 329
Global, Find A Grave, 144021172
Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950, 1873 Muir, James (father)
Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910, 1873 Muir, James - Semple, Margaret
Scotland, Statutory Registrations, 1855-2013, 1873 Muir, James - Semple, Margaret (Statutory Marriages 638/02 0011)
U.S., Iowa Gazetteer, Appanoose County, page 93
U.S., Iowa Select Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990, 4-1537
U.S., Iowa Census Collection, 1836-1925, 1925 Muir, James
U.S., Iowa Census Collection, 1836-1925, Card No. A239
U.S., Iowa, Certificate of Death, 1926, Muir, James, 4-1537
U.S., Missouri Marriage License, 1913, Muir, James - Greenbank, Margaret, 4850
U.S., Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, License No. 4850
U.S., New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1857, Year 1887, Muir, James
U.S., Washington, Select Death Certificates, 1907-1960, Muir, James (father)

52 Ancestors #27: John Bryan (c1710-1799): French-Indian War Veteran

Ancestor: John Bryan, five times great grandfather
Haplogroup: E-M35

John Bryan, Sr., (often John Andrew Bryan in written genealogies) was born about 1712 in Northern Ireland, likely in County Down near Banbridge. His parents weren William and Margaret (maiden name unknown) Bryan, who lived in County Down, Ireland and attended the Ballyroney Presbyterian Church in Banbridge.

Family tradition has it that William sent his son John to get a stick of wood to be made in to a handle for a weaving hook. While searching for an appropriate stick, John was arrested for poaching. After much trouble and expense, his father was able to clear the charge; but the incident caused him to decide to immigrate to the American colonies where he said timber was free and there were no constables.

The Bryan family sailed to American 1718 likely landing in Philadelphia. They were said to have lived in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before migrating to southwestern Virginia where William Bryan became one of the first settlers of the Roanoke Community of Virginia. He acquired 400 acres and established Great Spring plantation. His land was on the Roanoke River a few miles from present-day Salem.

John Bryan, Sr., married Mary Morrison on 10 March 1742 and moved to the Bordon Colony near present-day Fairfield in Rockbridge County. The community had been established in 1737 and at the time was the furthest outpost in the Shenandoah Valley.  Some genealogies indicate the colony was harassed by Native Americans too often for John's liking. So he moved his family, likely before 1753, to the Roanoke Community and secured a grant of 242 acres of land along the Great Road a few miles east of his father's planation near present-day Salem in 1756.

Map of original land grants in southwest Virginia; courtesy of Kegley's
Virginia Frontier 1740-1783, page 562

John Bryan is said to have served in Capt. Peter Hogg's company under George Washington during the French and Indian War and fought at the Battle of Great Meadows and at the siege and surrender of Fort Necessity on 4 July 1754. Many published sources also indicated he served during the Revolutionary War in Capt. Thomas Merriwether's company, First State Troops; however, Daughters of the Revolution (DAR) genealogists credit that service to John Briant of Caroline County, Virginia. John is a DAR Patriot, having been proved to have provided supplies to the cause of independence. Two of his sons, Andrew and John Jr., served with Capt. Leftwich's company under Col. Christie and saw action at the Battle of Brandywine.

About 1779 John Bryan, Sr. sold his holdings in the Roanoke Community and moved to Campbell County by 1783-84. He purchased 329 acres from Richard Stith and 639 acres from Benjamin Arnold. The smaller tract was near Molly's Creek and the larger tract was two miles southeast of Rustburg.

Last Will and Testament

"In the name of God Amen, this is the 19th day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety, I John Bryan of Campbell County, on Mary's Creek, being in perfect health of body and sound of mind and memory but calling to mind the mortality of my body and that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form as followeth, viz:

First, I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same by the might power of an Almighty God and my body I recommend to be buried in a decent and christian manner at the discretion of my executors. And as touching such worldly goods which it hath pleased God to bless me with, I give and devise and dispose of them in the following manner and form.

Imprimis, I give and bequeath unto by beloved wife Mary one whole third part of all my estate in goods and money that is if she survives me to be at her disposal and to my son William I give and bequeath one silver dollar as a legacy and to my beloved daughters, Mary, Jean, Margaret, Agnes and Katherine, I give and bequeat the other two thirds of all my money, goods and chattels, the other third part if my wife dies before me excepting my daughter Jean Davis forty shillings more than her sisters and to my sons, Andrew Morrison and John Bryan, I give and bequeath to each of them one silver dollar.

Lastly, I appoint Patrick Gibson and John Akers my sons-in-law to be executors of this my last will and testament and I hereby revoke and disannul all and every other will and testament by me made, confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this day and year above written.

John Bryan (seal)

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said John Bryan to be his last will and testament in the presence of us.

John Forbes
John Depriest
John Reid"

On 9 October 1799 John Bryan wrote a codicil to his will that has caused me much confusion.

"This ninth day of October 1799 I john Bryan Sr. of Campbell County being in a very low state of health and weak of body though sound of mind and judgment do appoint Daniel Evans as an executor in place of Patrick Gibson, he being at present at too great a distance from this place as witness my hand and seal the day and year above mentioned.

John Bryan (his mark)

Witnesses

John Bryan, Jr.
Caty Bryan
Elizabeth Adams"

John's will was proved on 9 December 1799 so we know he died sometime between 9 October when he wrote the codicil to his will and 9 December.

The confusion caused by the codicil revolves around Patrick Gibson, who is one elusive fellow. I have only found three references to him to date:

1. He received 2,356 pounds of tobacco for building the court house in Campbell County.
2. The references above in John Bryan's will and codicil
3. And in two books of Bryan family genealogy which indicated he married Margaret (Bryan) Mitchell, my four times great grandmother, after the death of her first husband, Daniel Mitchell, Sr. in about 1820-21. Margaret and Daniel Mitchell were said to have married in 1772 and their youngest child was born about 1797. So Patrick Gibson could not have been married to Margaret when her father wrote his will in 1790. He had to have been married to another daughter of John Bryan's. But which one? That is a mystery on which I am currently working.

This is my entry for Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. The theme for this week was "Independence," which I did not follow.

Using the Ancestral Reference Numbering System, John Bryan, is Ancestor number 154 on my family tree:

154 John Bryan, Sr., born about 1712 in Northern Ireland, likely County Down, to William Bryan, Sr. and Margaret (maiden name unknown); died between 9 October and 9 December 1799 in Campbell County, Virginia; married Mary Morrison on 10 Mar 1742. Several years ago, their bible was in the possession of the Dinwiddie family of Charlottesville, Virginia and included the following information:

154.1 Margaret Bryan, born on 3 March 1743; likely died before 3 March 1752.

154.2 William Bryan, born on 20 April 1744.

154.3 Jane "Jean" Bryan, born on 6 August 1746; likely died before 16 May 1761.

154.4 Andrew Morrison Bryan, born 14 April 1748; buried in Greene County, Ohio; married Mary Akers.

154.5 Mary Bryan, born 16 May 1750.

77 Margaret Bryan, born 3 March 1752; died on an unknown date; married 1) Daniel Mitchell, Sr., son of Robert "the Elder" Mitchell and Mary Enos, and 2) married Patrick Gibson some time after 1820-21.

154.6 John Bryan, born 2 Jun 1754; likely died before 19 December 1756.

154.7 John Bryan, born 19 December 1756; married Catherine Evans.

154.8 Jane "Jean" Bryan, born 16 May 1761; married John Davidson.

154.9 Agnes Bryan, born 9 August 1763; married 1) John Akers and 2) Reuben Bagby.

154.10 Catherine Bryan, born 21 October 1765; married Samuel Cole.

I have done no research yet into the lives of John Bryan, Sr. and Mary Morrison's children.

_______________
Sources:

Brien, Lindsay M. Bryan Wills and Deeds with Genealogical Notes, pages 24-35.
Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, (Rosslyn, VA: The Commonwealth Printing Co., 1912), page 223 (accessed 5 Jun 2018).
Daniel Mitchell, Sr. (c1750-c1821): Tavern Keeper, Tangled Roots and Trees (accessed 6 Jun 2018).
Genealogical Research System (database and images), DAR, John Bryan, Sr., born circa 1712, died 9 Dec 1799; citing Ancestor No. A016254 (accessed 2 Jun 2018).
Kegley, F. B. Kegley's Virginia Frontier 1740-1783: The Beginning of the Southwest The Roanoke of Colonial Days, (Roanoke, VA: Southwest Virginia Historical Society, 1938), pages 103, 109, 256, 562, 609.
McKenzie, George Norbury and Roades, Nelson Osgood (editors). Colonial Families of the United States of America, etc., (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1966), Volume VI, The Bryan Family (accessed 2 Apr 2018).
Shearer, James William. The Shearer-Akers Family "Combined with The Bryan Line" through the Seventh Generation, (Somerville, NJ: The Press of the Somerville Messenger, 1915), pages pages 11-14 (accessed 1 Apr 2018).
William Bryan (c1685-1789): From Ireland to Virginia, Tangled Roots and Trees (accessed 4 Jul 2018)
Y-DNA Classic Chart, Bryan DNA Project (accessed 2 Jun 2018).

William Bryan (c1685-1789): From Ireland to Virginia
Daniel Mitchell, Sr. (c1750-c1821): Tavern Keeper

Nicola Walter (c1720-1804), the Immigrant

At our first Lange Cousins reunion held in June 2015, my Aunt Katherine asked me to look into her father's Walter family as she did not know much about him. I was able to trace this family back to the original immigrant, Nicola Walter, who was born about 1720 in what is now the Rheinland-Pfalz region of Germany. I also learned two descendants had written a book entitled Nicola Walter and His Descendants. A terrific Ancestry.com member sent me an electronic copy of the book, but it is also available on microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

Here is the story of Nicola Walter's life from the aforementioned book.

"Nicola (Nicholas) Walter, with whom this history begins, was born in the Rhine Valley (Palatinate) area of Germany in about 1720. There he grew to manhood, married and began raising a family. Probably as a result of the almost complete devastation of his homeland by the Thirty Years War and the subsequent economic hardships, he decided to migrate to America. In the spring of 1751, he took passage on the ship 'Patience,' Hugh Steele, Master, at Rotterdam, Holland, together with his wife Margaret and four young sons. From Rotterdam the Patience proceeded to the port of Philadelphia, via Cowes, England, arriving after a voyage of about four months on September 9, 1751.

Advertisement for the ship Patience; image courtesy of Google

The family located originally, in the area of Goshenhoppen (now Balley), Berks County, Pennsylvania, in what was then a small German Catholic community (62 men and 55 women). The name Walter appeared a number of times in the early records of St. Paul's Church or Goshenhoppen Chapel as it was commonly known (now the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament), which dates from 1741.

About 1758 Nicola moved his family to the rapidly growing town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The records of the period list his occupation as a 'taylor.' Nicola apparently found some measure of prosperity in Lancaster, for in 1763 he purchased a lot on King Street and in 1766 added to his land holdings by purchasing an adjoining lot. Sometime during this period (1764-1767), Nicola's wife Margaret died.

In about 1779 Nicola, his family now grown and having remarried moved with his second wife, Rosanna, to McSherrys Town, Heidelberg Township, York County, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a five acre lot (lot #6) on the north side of Main Street and built a house. McSherrys Town, at that time, was populated by many of the German immigrant families who had originally settled at Goshenhoppen. Nicola lived in McSherrys Town for the remainder of his life and taught school there, probably in the church school associated with Conewago Chapel, now the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He died on September 21, 1804 and was buried in the church graveyard.

In 1850 Conewago Chapel was enlarged in the direction of the oldest section of the graveyard. Rather than disturb the graves of those who had been laid to rest at the rear of the church in the early part of the century, the church addition was built directly over many of the older tombs. as a result, Nicola Walter, our forebearer, rests in eternal peace under the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, McSherrys Town, Pennsylvania.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; photograph by Find A Grave volunteer
Maggie Mac

Nicola's children[1]:

1. Nicholas Walter, Jr. born about 1744, died 30 November 1816 in Baltimore, Maryland; married 1) Mary Eva Kuhn and 2) Anna Maria Weber
2. Joseph Walter about born 1746, died 1790; married Christina
3. Peter Walter born about 1748, died 10 October 1830 in Frederick County, Maryland; married Margaret
4. John Walter born about 1750, murdered 21 August 1771 one mile from Elkridge, Maryland; married Elizabeth (Aunt Katherine's three times great grandfather)
5. Maryann Walter born about 1752, date of death unknown; married Peter Will, Jr. 
6. Lewis Walter born about 1764

It is possible he is also the father of Margaret, Magdalen, and James Walter."

_______________

[1] I have added death information and spouses from my family tree.

Carroll Families of Colonial Maryland

Aunt Katherine asked me to look into her father's Walter family last year at the Lange Cousins Reunion as she didn't know much about them. I was able to trace the Walter family back to Nicola Walter (about 1720-1804), who immigrated with his wife and children from Rhineland-Palz and arrived in Philadelphia on 9 September 1751 aboard the Patience. Then Aunt Katherine and her son, my first cousin, agreed to be DNA tested so I thought I should research her mother's Carroll family so that I would have a better opportunity to identify their DNA matches.

Aunt Katherine's mother's maiden name was Carroll and her family had lived in Maryland for generations. There were several prominent men named Carroll in Maryland's Colonia-era history and I wondered if Aunt Katherine was related to one of them. But I could only get her Carroll family back to James Carroll, who was christened on 4 May 1768. His christening record listed his parents as William and Eleanor Carroll, but I have not yet found out anything about them.

Aunt Katherine's pedigree chart; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Once I hit a dead end working backwards from Aunt Katherine, I decided to learn more about the Colonial-era Carroll family. Perhaps, there would be a clue about William Carroll following that research avenue.

It turns out there were two separate, seemingly unrelated prominent Carroll families in Maryland during the Colonial-era. Both were from Ireland and one was Catholic and one was not, though I believe the original Carroll in that family was Catholic but converted so that he could more fully take part in the business and political affairs offered by the colony.

The first Carroll to arrive in Maryland was Charles Carroll "the Settler" (1661-1720). He arrived in the province on 1 October 1688 and had secured the position of Attorney General before his arrival. His second wife was Mary Darnell, the daughter of Colonel Henry Darnell, Charles Calvert's chief agent in the colony. Two of their sons became known as Charles Carroll "of Annapolis" (1702-1782) and Daniel Carroll "of Duddington" (1707-1734). Charles Carroll "of Annapolis" married Elizabeth Brooke, and their son, Charles Carroll "of Carrollton" (1737-1832) was the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who was Catholic.

The first Carroll to come to Maryland from what became the Protestant branch of the family was Dr. Charles Carroll, Jr., who was born in Ireland in 1691 and arrived in Maryland in 1715. He renounced his Roman Catholic faith upon arrival and became Anglican, settling in Annapolis where he engaged in the practice of medicine and land speculation. He married Dorothy Blake. Their eldest son became known as Charles Carroll "the Barrister (1723-1783), who was an American lawyer and statesman. The Barrister's heir was one his sister's sons, James MacCubbin, who changed his name to James Carroll (1761-1832) in order to accept his inheritance. His son, James MacCubbin Carroll (1791-1873), was a director of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company. He also served Maryland in the U.S. Congress.

According to author Ronald Hoffman, who wrote Princes of Ireland, Planters of Maryland: A Carroll Saga, 1500-1782, Dr. Charles Carroll, Jr.'s brother was Keane Carroll. His grandsons were Daniel Carroll II (1730-1796), who was one of the founding fathers of country, participated in the Constitutional Convention and was a Senator from Maryland, and Archbishop John Carroll (1735-1815), a prelate in the Roman Catholic church who was the first bishop and archbishop in the United States.

I believe the two Carroll families are related in some way back in Ireland. Dr. Charles Carroll, Jr. and Charles Carroll "of Carrollton" did business together, forming the Baltimore Company Iron Works in 1731 and used the salutation "Cousin" when writing to each other. But how?

On the Hathi Trust website I found, Families of Dr. Charles Carroll and Cornet Thomas Dewey, by Douglas Carroll. The book included letters between Dr. Charles Carroll, Jr. and Sir Daniel O'Carroll dated 1748 and a series of letters between Francis O'Carroll and a Charles Carroll dated 1882-83 which discussed the genealogy of the Carroll family. Francis O'Carroll included this chart with his letter:

Snippet from page 7 of Families of Dr. Charles Carroll and
Coronet Thomas Dewey

Honestly, I don't know what to make of it. The letter in which it was contained purports the chart outlines the connection between the Carroll families. Also included on page 2 was this chart printed by Sir Bernard Burke about 1870:

Snippet of page 2 of Families of Dr. Charles Carroll and Coronet
Thomas Dewey

So I am still completely at sea. I cannot figure out how the Colonial-era Carroll families are related nor can I figure out if the father James Carroll (born in 1768) was a member of either family. But it was an interesting rabbit hole to wander through!

Robert Mitchell, the Elder

Robert "the Elder" Mitchell was my five times great grandfather. He immigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, with his parents as a boy or young man, lived with them in Pequea, Pennsylvania, then migrated to Bedford County, Virginia. When I first took over our family's genealogy research from my father in 2012, I had no idea the Mitchell surname was in my family tree. Dad had just learned the surname of his grandmother was Beard and had not been able to do much with it.

Effie Beard's mother was Barbara Ann Mitchell, the daughter of Daniel Mitchell and Sarah "Sally" Wood. As I researched the Beard family, I saved researching Barbara Ann Mitchell for another time. Then I received a message from a person who administered DNA test for his cousins. My name was in their list of matches and he believed the connection was likely to be in Bedford County, Virginia. As I looked through his family tree, I felt the connection had to be with great great grandmother, Barbara Ann Mitchell. I spent the next several days researching the Mitchell family and found the connection.

The DNA match identified our common shared ancestor after I traced my
Barbara Ann Mitchell back to her great grandfather; courtesy of Ancestry.com

Though the Mitchell family emigrated from Ireland, they were Scots "planted" in northern Ireland by the English sometime in the 1600s. They followed the Scottish naming convention religiously and in my new Mitchell line, I had a sea of men named Robert and Daniel Mitchell. Wills, deeds, tax lists, chancery court cases, and other Mitchell researchers helped me straighten out my tree, which I believe is mostly correct now.

Snippet of page 134 of Rev. William Foote's Sketches of Virginia; personal
collection

In a biographical sketch about Rev. James Mitchell in Rev. William Foote's Sketches of Virginia, I found a description of my five times great grandfather, Robert Mitchell, who lived from 1714 until 1799:

"The Rev. Jacob D. Mitchell, says under date -- Lynchburg, Nov. 1st 1854: Robert Mitchell, was born in the north of Ireland, but emigrated to America while yet a youth. He is reputed to have been a man of vigorous intellect and devoted piety, well instructed in religion, and a devoted and thorough Presbyterian. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Enos, was, it seems, of Welsh extraction. She, like her husband, was an eminently pious Presbyterian. This excellent pair resided in Bedford County, for many years, and were members, the husband being ruling elder, of the Church, of which their son was pastor. They both lived to a good old age. He lived to be 85; of her age I am not informed. They had 13 children, of whom not one died less than 70 years old. The Mitchel family seems to have been remarkable in former times for piety and longevity. Robert Mitchel it seems was converted while yet a boy. The immediate means of his awakening was the fact of overhearing his great grandmother, at her secret devotions praying for him. She was then more than 100 years old; she lived to the age 112.

Rev. Foote went on to say "Robert Mitchel, tradition says, very fond of music, and did much to promote singing in the congregation. He talked much of Derry and the affairs of that noted town, and the sufferings of the Mitchel family in that famous siege.[1] The peculiar dialect of his countrymen was marked in his speech. As an elder he was worth of double honor."

Snippet of page 135 of Rev. William Foote's Sketches of Virginia; personal
collection

Robert Mitchell's parents were Robert Mitchell and Mary Innes. Because of the similarity between the surname Innes and Enos, many family trees have combined the two women and turned the father and son into one person. This is not correct.

In order to keep the two men straight, I have given them nicknames: Robert "the Immigrant" Mitchell was born well before 1689 in Ireland and Mary Innes was said to be from Edinburgh. They had at least two sons, Daniel and Robert "the Elder" Mitchell. It was Robert "the Elder" Mitchell who married Mary Enos and removed to Bedford County, Virginia.

At least two DNA-related mysteries remain about Robert "the Elder" Mitchell. Tradition and secondary sources indicated he and his wife had 13 children and they all lived to adulthood. I have 15 in my tree:

1. David Mitchell (1737-1817); removed to Ohio
2. Frances Mitchell (c1742-unknown)
3. *#Susannah Mitchell (1744-1813); married Josiah Campbell
4. Enos Mitchell (c1744-unknown)
5. #@James Mitchell (1747-1841); married Frances Blair Rice
6. *#Stephen Mitchell (1749-1806); Ketturah "Kitty" Wade
7. *^Robert Harvey Mitchell (1752-1818); married Mary Witt
8. +#@Mary Mitchell (c1755-1843); married Samuel Beard
9. *#Samuel Mitchell (c1758-1835); married 1) Siner Pullen and 2) Margaret "Peggy" Claytor
10. Sarah "Sally" Mitchell (1756-unknown)
11. John Mitchell (1760-1839); married Elizabeth Hardwick
12. #Margaret Mitchell (1762-unknown); married Adam Beard
13. Andrew Mitchell (1764-1834)
14. #Martha Ann Mitchell (1767-unknown); married Samuel Claytor
15. *#Daniel Mitchell (unknown-1821); married Margaret (maiden name unknown)

Update 24 July 2016: I reviewed my Robert Mitchell (1714-1799) DNA circle today and one DNA match to the circle (but not with me) descends through Child No. 7, Robert Harvey Mitchell (1752-1818). 

_______________
* Mentioned in will of Robert "the Elder" Mitchell
+ Father paid surety for marriage bond
# Relationship in multiple primary and secondary sources and proved through DNA
^ Relationship in multiple primary and secondary sources and in a Robert Mitchell DNA Cirle
@ Direct ancestor

[1]The Siege of Derry (or Londonderry) occurred in 1689.

Who Was the Original Jennings Immigrant?

The first documented Jennings direct ancestor in Virginia was my four times great grandfather, Benjamin Jennings (about 1740-1815). He first appeared on a payroll record for the Virginia Milita on 9 September 1776, serving as a private in Captain Thomas Gaddis' company. He married twice, had eight known children, and owned land in Powhatan County. His life was fairly well documented after the Revolutionary War, including a will.

Many public trees claim his parents were James Jennings and Mary Dickerson. James was a son of Colonel William Henry Jennings and Mary Jane Pulliam. There is much documentation to support the life of the colonel, that he immigrated to the Virginia colony from England, and had a son named James. The only problem is there is also evidence to support that his son, James, ever had a son named Benjamin and was ever married to a woman named Mary Dickerson.

I set a research task for myself to discover all of the immigrants to Virginia with the surname Jennings. My plan was to research those men until I have proved they are not related to Benjamin or, if I am lucky, were related.

Tobacco ships on the James River in the 1600s; image courtesy of The
Maritime Heritage Project

During a trip to the Library of Virginia in Richmond, I created the following list of people as possible ancestors:

• Edward Ginnings, 1663, transported by Thomas Mudgett
• William Jennings, 1635, transported by William Woolritch, who received a grant in Elizabeth City County
• Edward Jennings, 1643, transported by John Wall, who received a grant in Northumberland County
• Edward Jennings, 1662, transported by Richard Iliffe
• John Jennings, 1643, transported by George Levitt
• John Jennings, 1662, transported by Valentine Allen, who received a grant on the south side of the Rappahannock river
• John Jennings, 1635, transported by Thomas Fowler, who received a grant of 900 acres in James City County near the Chickahominy river
• Nathaniel Jennings, 1643, transported by William Lawrence, James City County
• Philip Jennings, 1635, age 25
• Richard Jennings, 1636, transported by Elizabeth Hawkins and her son, received land in Elizabeth City County
• Symon Jennings, 1643, transported by Richard Howe, Gentleman, Henrico County
• Thomas Jennings, 1636, transported by Walter Daniell, James City County
• Ed Jennings, 1664, transported by Thomas Philpott, who received a grant in Westmoreland County
• Henry Jennings, 1635, age 24, a minister, transported from London to America in the Truelove de London, Robert Dennis, Master
• Henry Jennings, 1658, transported by James Kimygam and James Fullerton, who received a grant in Rappahannock County
• Jane Jennings, 1635, age 25, transported on the David
• John Jennings, 1635, age 18, transported by Peter Blacker
• John or Jonas Jennings, 1638, transported by Edward Travis and John Johnson, James City County
• Matthew Jennings, 1623, died in Virginia
• Michaell Jennings, left Virginia on 26 September 1679 bound for Jamaica aboard the sloop, Butter
• Nicholas Jennings, 1634, age 22, bound for New England April 1634
• Richard Jennings, 1635, transported by John Flowers, master of the Dora
• Richard Jennings, 1636, received a grant in Henrico County due to his wife, Dorothy, widow of the late Edward Garner
• Richard Jennings, 1651, transported by George Eaton, Northumberland County
• Richard Jennings, 1653, transported by Matthew Tomlin, Northumberland County
• Sarah T. Jennings, 1635, transported by John Flowers, master of the Dora
• Thomas Jennings, 1638, transported by Roger Davis, Charles City County
• Thomas Jennings, 1639, transported by Walter Daniell, James City County
• William Jennings, 1679, in the sloop Trufriendship, Charles Kallahana, commander

That's a lot of Jennings!

If I was sure this was a complete list, I might continue with my original plan, but right now, I am rethinking my research strategy.

Suggestions?

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

Family Memories Meets DNA

My sister-in-law was convinced her maternal great grandfather was a mean old man, who left his wife and children in Germany when he came to the U.S. She thought her grandfather Fishtahler had to pay his own way over and that his mother and sisters never make the trip. She remembered stories her mother used to tell of the old man swatting the family cat, which proved all manner of bad things. I found records that shot holes in those memories, but she wasn't convinced until the DNA proved those records must be correct. It's funny how often that happens.

Her great grandfather, Leopold Fishtahler was born about 1854 in Hungary, which was part of the Austrian Empire ruled by the Hapsburg dynasty. (Another issue for my sister-in-law was her mother always said the Fishtahler family descended from Bavarian royalty.) Not long after Leopold's birth Austria was forced to sign the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 and a dual monarchy came into existence. While the two countries were ruled by one monarch, the Austrian Emperor, Hungary was allowed its own parliament.

1854 Mitchell Map of Austria; courtesy of Geographicus

Leopold married Elizabeth Grotohville and they had at least four children, though likely there was also an older daughter, who had married a man named Dreaker and already immigrated to the United States before 1899.

Leopold boarded the S/S Willehad on 7 September 1899 in Bremen, Germany, he told immigration officials his destination was his son-in-law, Franz Dreaker, who lived in Philadelphia. Leopold worked as a joiner, or carpenter, and his last permanent address before immigrating was Bavaniste, Serbia.

Wife, Elizabeth, three daughters, and their only son Jacob, had planned to sail aboard the S/S Noordland on 2 August 1905 from Liverpool. Their destination once in the United States was Butler, Pennsylvania, where Leopold lived. Elizabeth and children had last lived in Novi Sad, Serbia, and Elizabeth had $15. For some reason, though, they did not sail on the Noordland.

Novi Sad, Serbia, c1890; purchased from 123rf.com

Jacob successfully made the trip alone, leaving Bremen, Germany, aboard the S/S Cassel on 14 December 1905. He landed in Baltimore on 28 December and was headed to his uncle, Jacob Hammer's, home in Pittsburgh.

Elizabeth and three daughters finally immigrated in 1907 sailing from Bremen to Baltimore aboard the S/S Breslau.

Jacob Fishtahler had moved to Detroit by 1907 and he and his father were painters. When the 1910 census was enumerated Leopold, Elizabeth, Jacob and their daughter, Theresa, lived at 375 Lansing Avenue and Jacob worked as a carpenter in a furniture factory.

The last record I have for their daughter, Rosa, is a 1908 Detroit city directory. She lived at 304 Frederick Avenue and worked as a domestic. The last record I have for their daughter, Johanna, is the 1918 Detroit city directory. She lived with her father at 361 Lansing Avenue and was a seamstress.

Jacob met Elise (who went by Elsie after immigration officials mangled the spelling of her given name) Adametz, an Austrian woman who immigrated in 1906. They married some time before 1912 when their first son was born.

Theresa Fishtahler married Elmer Edward Marvin on 23 November 1916 in Detroit and they were the grandparents of my husband's DNA match -- one only only DNA match with a known shared ancestor:

AncestryDNA match

Elizabeth (Grotohville) Fishtahler was buried on 5 Jun 1922 at the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit according to the cemetery database but no Michigan death certificate has been located even though she died in a period covered by the death certificates available on SeekingMichigan.org. Her husband, Leopold; son, Jacob; and Jacob's wife, Elsie, are buried beside her.

S/S Captain Cook: A Ship with History

My third cousin once removed immigrated to New Zealand from Scotland in 1958 aboard the S/S Captain Cook, which was owned by the Ministry of Transport and chartered it to the New Zealand government. They ran the ship between Glasgow and Wellington, but she had a rich history before that.

The steamship S/S Letitia was built in Govan by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. She launched in 1924. By 1925 she was part of the Anchor-Donaldson company and sailed between Glasgow, Montreal, and Quebec during the summer. In the winter months, she sailed to Halifax and St. John's.

The S/S Letitia became part of the Donaldson Atlantic Line in 1935 and that same year ran aground twice -- once at Cape Papas, Greece, and again entering the Belfast Lough.

The British Admiralty requisitioned the S/S Letitia in 1939. She was armed with eight 6-inch guns and two 3-inch guns and flew pennant F16. After performing convoy duty, the Admiralty decided ocean liners were too exposed and instead used the ship for transport duty starting in 1941. The S/S Letitia was badly damaged in 1943 and sailed to the U.S. for repairs. For the rest of the war she was used by the Canadian government to bring wounded soldiers home.

She was sold to the Ministry of Transport in 1946. The ministry renamed her the Empire Brent. A collision in the Mersey river required her to be dry docked for repairs. She was again turned into a troop transport and used between India and the Far East. In 1949 she began immigration runs between the U.K. and Australia.

S/S/ Captain Cook in Wellington Harbor, New Zealand sometime in
the 1950s; photograph courtesy of the National Library of New Zealand

In 1950 she was out of service for six months to be refitted for the U.K. to New Zealand run. She began sailing to Wellington via the Panama Canal in 1952 as the S/S Captain Cook. A fire broke out aboard her in Wellington Harbor in 1957 and caused extensive damage. She was able to limp back to the U.K. for repairs. She made her final return trip to Glasgow in 1959 and was laid up at Falmouth, Cornwall. In 1960 she was sold to British Steel. The company towed her to Inverkeithing where she was broken up.

52 Ancestors #2: Fleeing a Tsar

Ancestor Name: Wilhelm Schalin (1859-1952)

We know the Schalin family considered themselves German, but we have no idea from where in Germany they originated. Wilhelm Schalin's great grandfather married Anna Dorothea Rosnian in 1791 at Wladylawowo, Poland, which is located on the shores of Gdansk Bay. Prussia, Austria, and Russia had taken chunks of the country in 1772 in what became known as the first Polish partition. In and 1795 the three countries partitioned Poland again until it was erased from the maps of Europe.

Wladylawowo, Poland, the first reference of the Schalin family in Poland

When Prussia took over their Polish territories, they discovered about 1,500 German villages had already been established. During Prussia's rule, they established more settlements. In 1806, Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw. But it was short lived. Russia pushed Napoleon out of Poland in 1812-1813. In 1815 Congress Poland was created, but its foreign affairs were controlled by Russia. Portions of Poland that were under Austria's control were added to Congress Poland and German settlement spread to those areas. By the mid 1800s, there were about 325,000 Germans living in what is now Poland's western half of the country. In 1831 there was a Polish uprising and Russia took full control of the country.

Russia had also acquired the Volhynia region of what is now Ukraine during the Polish partitions and controlled its destiny for 120 years. The vast areas of the region were largely unsettled wilderness which had never been cultivated by its former owners, Polish nobility. In 1862, Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs from the land and many left the farms for better work opportunities. The Boyar landowners were left with large tracts of land but no workers and no income from the land. The owners encouraged Germans living in Poland to lease their land. The Germans responded in large numbers. In 1861 there were less than 5,000 German families living in Volhynia. By 1915 there were 235,000 families. Wilhelm's father, Gottlieb Schalin moved his family to Volhynia between 1861 and 1863.

A German farmhouse in Volhynia; photograph courtesy of Lucille Fillenberg Effa

In 1881 Alexander III became tsar of Russia. Unlike his father, he was very conservative and reversed several of his father's liberal policies. He believed the country could only be saved by the political ideal of single nationality, language and religion. He attempted to realize this ideal by mandating the teaching of Russian throughout the empire, outlawing any other religion but Russian Orthodoxy, and weakening foreign institutions in whatever manner possible. Alexander III rescinded the ban on German men serving in the Russian army and levied new taxes on German communities. By this time many of the Germans living in Volhynia were German Baptists. Their religion was outlawed and their ministers arrested.

Wilhelm Schalin, my great grandfather

Wilhelm Schalin decided it was time to leave Volhynia. His family and several others traveled to Liverpool, England, and boarded the S/S Sarmatian on 21 April 1893. They arrived at the port of Quebec on 4 May 1893 and traveled by train to Winnipeg, Manitoba. After purchasing needed supplies, the families continued west and homesteaded land in the Leduc area of Alberta, Canada, which at the time was part of the North-West Territories.  Wilhelm Schalin homesteaded section SW15-T49-R24-W4. A year later my grandmother was born on 23 May 1894.

S/S Sarmatian

And that's how my Schalin family came to live in Canada.

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

_______________
This post was originally published on 27 March 2014.

Starvation Faced Fredericksheim
History of Fredericksheim
Fearless Women: Religion
Differing Memories or Family Reunions Can Be Dangerous

Starvation Faced Fredericksheim

This story was adapted from a letter written by Ed C. Jeager and appeared in the book entitled From the Frontier Days in Leduc and District, which was published by the Leduc Historical Society to commemorate Alberta's 75th anniversary.

As the last forms were being locked up for this book a letter came from Mr. Ed. C. Jaeger telling of pioneer days at Fredericksheim, and that goes back to 1893 when Rev. F. A. Mueller led a group of Russian settlers into that district, first white homesteaders southeast of Leduc. There were the Falkenbergs (two families), Schalins (two families), Bienert, Hammer, Hiller, Boelter (or Belter), Khunert, Klatt, Roth and a few others. The colony faced actual starvation when the federal government and Winnipeg people sent flour, for rabbits then had a disease that made them unfit for food. Rev. Mueller tried valiantly to comfort his lamenting, homesick colony, predicting great things if they only stayed and had faith in God.

A German farmhouse in then Volhynia, Russia; photograph courtesy of
Lucille Effa Fillenberg

So most of the settlers braved the adversities and after many years their faith was more than justified for it's a fine district today. Later immigrants, also from Russia, were terrified at the echoing howls of the coyotes, which they were told were prairie wolves, and two men without families and with pocket money started walking back. They were Muth (Courage in German) and Froelich (Happiness in German) and they finally made it to Winnipeg overland but with shoe soles gone. The remainder of the newcomers stayed with Rev. Mueller and his people, only because they and no money to return to the old land, where they had left good homes. Later on they could laugh at their troubles, as had a Mr. Hiebert from Oregon who came on the same twice weekly train to Leduc and thought it highly amusing that men named Courage and Happiness were wailing louder than the coyotes they were afraid would eat them alive!

Typical southern Alberta pioneer home; photograph courtesy of Norm
Kerychuk

It's quite different from the homes they left in the Volhynia region of what was then Russia don't you think?

History of Fredericksheim
Fearless Females: Religion
Fearless Females: Immigration
Being German in Tsarist Russia: Why They Left
Moving Halfway Around the World in 1893