SNGF: Guess Your Ancestor's 1940 Census Data

Here's tonight's topic from Randy Seaver:
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Guess Your Ancestor's 1940 Census Data

Hey genea-census-holics... it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (come on, you know that you want to!), is to:

1) Pick one of the persons from your ancestry who should be in the 1940 United States Census.

2) Using the column headings below (from 1940 United States Census Questions), predict what the entries will be in each column.

3) Share your predictions on your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook status or a Google Plus post.

Like Randy, I'm going to do my mother. She was bummed out 10 years ago that my dad was in the 1930 US Census and she wasn't. Well, time has passed and on Tuesday, she will appear. Here's what I think I'll find. It's hard to know where her family was in 1940 because my grandfather moved them back and forth between Shannon Co. SD and Sheridan Co. NE often during these years. My mom claims she had 5 different teachers in 5th grade because of all the moves.

*  State:  Hard to say, she may be in South Dakota or Nebraska
*  Populated Place: White Clay, Sheridan Co., NE or Pine Ridge, Shannon Co., SD
*  Ward of City:  I don't think either of these places is big enough to have had wards
*  County:  Sheridan Co., NE or Shannon Co. SD
*  Township or other division of county:  No idea
*  Block Nos.:  ???
*  Enumeration District:  I still need to look these up

1.  Location - street, avenue or road:  ??? (Luckily these are sparsely populated areas)
2.  Location - house number:  ???

3.  Number of household:  ???
4.  Home owned or rented:  R
5.  Value of home (if owned) or monthly rental (if rented):  $100
6.  Does this household live on a farm?  Maybe
7.  Name of person:  Shirley A. Ogden
8.  Relationship of this person to head of household:  Daughter

9.  Sex:  F[emale]
10.  Color or Race:  W[hite]
11.  Age at last birthday:  8
12.  Marital Status:  S[ingle]

13.  Attended school or college any time since March 1, 1940:  Yes
14.  Highest grade of school completed:  C-2

15.  Place of birth:  Minnesota
16.  Citizenship of foreign born: [blank]

17.  Residence on 1 April, 1935 - City or town:  Batesland
18.  Residence on 1 April, 1935 - County: Shannon
19.  Residence on 1 April, 1935 - State or foreign country: SD (Thank you, 1935 SD Census!)
20.  On a farm?  Yes

21.  Was this person AT WORK for pay or profit in private or nonemergency Gov't. work during week of March 24-30? (Yes or No): No
22:  If not, was he at work on, or assigned to, public EMERGENCY WORK (WPA, NYA, CCC, etc.) during week of March 24-30? (Yes or No): No
23. If neither at work nor assigned to public emergency work. ("No" in Cols. 21 and 22), Was this person SEEKING WORK (Yes or No):  No
24. If not seeking work, did he HAVE A JOB, business, etc.? (Yes or No):  No
25. Indicate whether engaged in home house-work (H), in school (S), unable to work (U), or other (Ot): S
26. Number of hours worked during week of March 24-30, 1940: 0
27. If seeking work or assigned to public emergency work. ("Yes" in Col. 22 or 23); Duration of unemployment up to March 30, 1940 - in weeks:  0

28.  Occupation: Trade, profession, or particular kind of work, as frame spinner, salesman, rivet heater ,music teacher:  [blank]
29. Industry: Industry or business, as cotton mill, retail grocery, farm, shipyard, public school:[blank]
30. Class of worker: [blank]
31. Number of weeks worked in 1939 (Equivalent full-time weeks): 0

32.  Income in 1939 (12 months ended December 31, 1939): Amount of money wages or salary received (including commissions):  0
33. Did this person receive income of $50 or more from sources other than money wages or salary (Yes or No): No
34.  Number of farm schedule: [blank]

Surname Saturday - 63: Bolten

Today is the last of the lines of my great-great-great-grandmothers. Next week (God willing and the creek don't rise) I'll start on my great-great-great-great-grandmothers. Expect a lot of gaps.

1. Kevin Joseph HUIGENS

2. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS
3. Shirley Ann OGDEN

6. Emery Julius OGDEN (b. 9 Sept 1896 in Elk Point, Union Co., SD, USA, m. 19 Mar 1929 in Gordon, Sheridan Co., NE, USA, d. 8 Apr 1984 in Martin, Bennett Co., SD, USA)
7. Esther Louise JOHNSON (b. 23 Feb 1902 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 24 Mar 1984 in Rapid City, Pennington Co., SD, USA)

14. Gustav Adolph JOHNSON (b. 18 Aug 1867 in Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, m. 4 Sep 1899 in Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 25 Dec 1941 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)

15. Rosabell "Rose" STRAYER (b. 23 Aug 1872 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 7 May 1955 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)

30. Abraham STRAYER (b. 2 Sept 1822 in Dover, York Co., IL, USA, m. 10 Jul 1847 in Clark Co., OH, USA, d. 13 Feb 1893 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA)
31. Harriet Alice HOWARD (b. 30 Apr 1829 in Dayton, Montgomery Co., OH, USA, d. 2 Apr 1914 in Davenport, Scott Co., IA, USA)

62. Samuel Howard (b. btwn 1790 and 1800 in England, m. ? in ?, d ? in ?)
63. Sarah Bolton (b. btwn 1790 and 1800 in England, d ? in ?)

I have little info on my more recently arrived English ancestors. They were in Dayton, OH in the 1830 Census; that's all I know about these English lines.

Follow Friday: EOGN

EOGN is short for Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter. Dick Eastman's blog is one of the first I started following when I was setting up genealogy blogs on Google Reader.

Dick's posts are my main source of information about the intersection of technology and genealogy. With so much happening so fast at this intersection, we are all very lucky to have this veteran of both worlds keeping his finger on the pulse. (Wow, that's a lot of metaphors in that pileup.)

I don't subscribe to the Plus edition newsletter. I have more than enough free sources that I don't have the time to read. I'd feel real guilty if I was paying for something that I never got around to reading.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 13 - Local Societies

Week 13. Local Societies: Local genealogical and historical societies are the lifeblood of genealogy. Members and volunteers give their time and money to preserve local history and promote family history. Tell us about a local society for which you are thankful.

I am most thankful for the Clinton Co.IA Historical Society. I've only visited there once, but I found Clinton and Lyons city directories that helped me place my Iowa Irish ancestors over the years. Plus they have a huge county map from 1865 that shows the location of the Kennedy and Kain farms in Hampshire Township. The one thing they have that I need to go back for is a book of wills that has a will for a John Kennedy. I'm hoping it's my John Kennedy and his brother-in-law of the same name.

The other historical society that is a must visit for me some day is in Creighton, NE.  I've corresponded with someone there, but have yet to get out there. They have photos and other information that covers the area where the two halves of my father's ancestry linked up. They also have the wedding dress of the bride of my grandmother's uncle, John Kennedy, Jr. I'll get there some day and spend a day or two absorbing information about and photos of my ancestors and relatives.

Wordless Wednesday: The Kains of Creighton #2

These are my grandmother's younger siblings. This picture was probably taken at the same time as last week's. In this one, left to right, are Iona Kain, Margaret Kain and Edmund Kain.

Tombstone Tuesday: The Johnsons

This is the last set of photos of my great-grandparents' grave markers. Gustaf Adolf and Rosabelle (Strayer) Johnson are buried in Inman Cemetery, Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN.

I've now posted pictures of all the grave sites for my grandparents and great-grandparents. Next week it's on to the great-great-grandparents.

Mystery Monday: Schaeffer Hattrick

What the heck, my last two blog posts have been about my 4th great-grandfather, George Schaeffer, so let's make it a trifecta. I don't have any info on the place and date of his birth, death or marriage to Elizabeth Klinefelder. I do have very exact info on the places and dates of her birth and death. My brother added this couple to our ancestry.com on-line tree, probably using other ancestry.com trees.

I've done a little bit of disorganized searching on ancestry.com looking for relative historical records. I'm finding conflicting info, mostly in Sons of the American Revolution applications. I can find applications for a George Schaeffer, but the maiden name for his wife Elizabeth is different. His son is given as Adam Schaeffer. I have also found applications for an Adam Schaeffer with a wife of Elizabeth Klinefelder. Very confusing.

This is a bigger mystery than I want to get involved with right now. I have more recent questions to work on answering. If I was tackling it, I would start by looking for records for Catherine Schaeffer, my 3rd great-grandmother. A marriage certificate from early 19th century York County, PA might list her parents. York County histories might also have history on the Schaeffer family. There are also church records from Dover, PA           that could provide info on her baptism or marriage. I get the feeling that my German York Co. ancestors are all tied together in the community.

Census Sunday: George Shaeffer 1790 US Census

Yesterday after posting about my Schaeffer line, I decided to do some quick research on my 4th great-grandfather, George Schaeffer. I have his wife, Elizabeth Klinfelder, living in Pennsylvania between 1760 and 1835. His daughter, Catherine Schaeffer, my 3rd great-grandmother, was born in Pennsylvania in 1784. That lead me to surmise that I could probably find George somewhere in Pennsylvania in 1790. I searched the 1790 US Census for a George Schaeffer living in Pennsylvania. I found several, but one was living in Dover, York County, which is where the family of Catherine's husband, Andrew Strayer, comes from. I clinked on the link to view the image and I immediately recognized it. I posted it a couple of weeks ago because John Peter Stayer and his father-in-law appear near the top of the page. About halfway down the page is George Shaffer. 

It will take a lot more research to verify that this is the right George Schaeffer, but his close proximity to future in laws makes me think I've found the right man. Plus his wife was born in York Co., PA. I still have no info on when and where he was born and died, but this is a start.

Surname Saturday: 61 - Schaeffer

Here is on of the last lines in the lines starting with my 3rd great-grandmothers.

1. Kevin Joseph HUIGENS

2. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS
3. Shirley Ann OGDEN

6. Emery Julius OGDEN (b. 9 Sept 1896 in Elk Point, Union Co., SD, USA, m. 19 Mar 1929 in Gordon, Sheridan Co., NE, USA, d. 8 Apr 1984 in Martin, Bennett Co., SD, USA)
7. Esther Louise JOHNSON (b. 23 Feb 1902 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 24 Mar 1984 in Rapid City, Pennington Co., SD, USA)

14. Gustav Adolph JOHNSON (b. 18 Aug 1867 in Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, m. 4 Sep 1899 in Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 25 Dec 1941 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)
15. Rosabell "Rose" STRAYER (b. 23 Aug 1872 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 7 May 1955 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)

30. Abraham STRAYER (b. 2 Sept 1822 in Dover, York Co., IL, USA, m. 10 Jul 1847 in Clark Co., OH, USA, d. 13 Feb 1893 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA)
31. Harriet Alice HOWARD (b. 30 Apr 1829 in Dayton, Montgomery Co., OH, USA, d. 2 Apr 1914 in Davenport, Scott Co., IA, USA)

60. Andrew STRAYER (b. 18 May 1781 in Dover, York Co., IL, USA, m. ? in probably Dover, York Co., PA, USA, d. 1855 in Dover, York Co., IL, USA)
61. Catherine SCHAEFFER (b. 1784 in PA, USA, d. 1875 in Dover, York Co., IL, USA)

122. George SCHAEFFER
123. Elizabeth KLINEFELDER (b. 27 Dec 1760 in Shrwesbury, York CO., PA, d. 10 Nov 1835 in Madisonberg Center, York Co., PA)

I don't have any information on my 4th great-grandfather, George Shaeffer. I'd guess he was spent at least a large part of his life in Pennsylvania. He may have been old enough to fight in the Revolutionary War. That's a possible line of research.

Follow Friday: Genealogy Tip of the Day

One of my favorite genealogy blogs is Michael John Neill's Genealogy Tip of the Day. I read it every day. It helps that it's always pithy and to the point. Nuggets of knowledge. Pearls of perspective. Nearly every day I learn something helpful in a relatively short time. And that's important to me because I'm having trouble finding (or making) time for genealogy these days.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 12 - Podcasts

Week 12. Podcasts: make it easy to learn about genealogy on the go. Which podcast is your favorite? Who hosts it and how has that person, pair or group helped your family history research?

I've listened to episodes from two genealogy podcasts: The Genealogy Guys and Genealogy Gems. In fact, I have several back episodes of Drew and George's show in my Hotmail folder called "Listen to me." I need to win the lottery so I have endless free time accomplish everything I'd like to do if I didn't have to earn a living, including listening to genealogy podcasts.

I find Drew and George educational and informative. Most of the genealogy news I get from other sources, and it's all old hat by the time I get around to listening to it. My favorite is when they take questions from the audience and provide advice on sources and resources. 

I haven't listened to any recent episodes of Genealogy Gems, either. I stopped paying attention to them in my Google Reader stream because most of the time I was getting links to old out-dated episodes. It appears that stopped happening, so I will have to start looking for them.

For some reason, neither of these two feeds was associated with my podcasts label in Google Reader. In fact, nothing was. I wonder how I managed that. Anyway, I've rectified it and now I can find all of my podcasts in one convenient location. Maybe that will encourage me to listen more. We'll see.

Wordless Wednesday: The Kains of Creighton NE #1

In the back is Richard Kain. The others, left to right, are Nora, Francis and Mary Julia Kain. Mary Julia is my grandmother; the others are my dad's aunts and uncles. The picture was most likely taken in Creighton, NE in about 1902. The rest of the children will appear next week.

Tombstone Tuesday: William and Mary Ogden

This is a picture of the grave marker for my great-grandparents William Fredrick and Mary Elizabeth (Herren) Ogden. They are buried in Pleasant Lawn Cemetery in Geddes, SD. William died thirteen years after Mary. He was living in Platteville, WI at the time. He had two funerals, one in Platteville and one in Geddes. I don't have any birth or death information on his second wife, Mary Charbonneau. My genealogy to do list just keeps getting longer and longer. I barely have time to organize the information I already have without running off after new sources.

Mystery Monday: Death of Joseph Wend

My great-grandfather's half-brother, Joseph Wend, (2nd from the left in the back row) was born in Illinois in Sept 1871. My great-grandfather, John Huigens (farthest on the right in the back row), named his son, my grandfather Joseph Huigens, after his half-brother. My grandfather named my father Joseph. My middle name is Joseph. One of my son's middle name is Joseph. And it all started with Joseph Wend. How he ended is the mystery.

I think I found him in Hennepin Co., Minnesota in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 US Census records. He is single in all those records. I have not been able to find a death date for him. I've looked in the MN Historical Society's on-line index, Family Search and Ancestry.com. I have found an index record for a Joseph Lester Wind dying in Minnesota in Nov. 1950. It might be him. No time or place of birth. No mother's maiden name. As far as I know, no way to tell if it's him. If he was single, there was probably no informant to provide that information. All of his brothers and sisters had died by 1950.

The only thing to do is to order the record and see  if there is any additional info. But that will have to wait because I have other records I want to spend my limited genealogy budget on.  Other options are to find a baptism record down in Marshall Co. to see if the middle name matches or look for an obituary, which would probably have little info that was not on the death certificate.

Census Sunday: 1800 US Census

I was hoping to have a census image to post for the 1800 US Census. I have not been able to locate one though. Last week I posted a 1790 record John Peter Stroher/Strayer. I can't follow up with another of his because he died in 1794.

I haven't been able to locate his widow, Maria Jacobina Stauch, who died in 1823. She may have been living with a relative. My 3rd great-grandfather, her son Andrew Strayer, turned 9 in 1800. That's the only child I've got in my records for them. They had been married for 15 years when Andrew was born, so I'm sure they had more children that Andrew.

Maria Jacobina's father, John George Stauch, died in 1803, so he should be in the 1800 US census somewhere, but I have been unable to locate him, either.

To find the 1800 US  Census records for either my 4th great-grandmother or my 5th great-grandfather, I'll need to find more information on family members with whom they might have been living. I'll add that to my genealogy to do list. If I'm lucky a distant Strayer or Stauch relative who has done this work will contact me and put me on the right track. One can only hope.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun; Limerick

Randy Seaver's SNGF challenge this week is:

1) Make up a limerick about genealogy - it should be A-A-B-B-A in rhyme (don't worry about iambic pentameter and all that). 

Ah, well, he was born in County Armaugh, not Count Limerick, but he'll do.

My great-great-grandpa John Kain

Did not leave the old sod in vain.

Mary Fox was his wife

And they spent their life

On an Iowa farm growing grain.

May God bless and keep all my Irish ancestors until I can find them,

Kevin

Surname Saturday: My Irish Lines

For St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd recap my Irish lines of Kain, Kennedy, Fox and Collins.

1. Kevin Joseph HUIGENS

2. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS
3. Shirley Ann OGDEN

4. Joseph Andrew HUIGENS (b. 9 Mar 1891 near Creighton, Knox Co., NE, m. 18 Feb 1914 at St. Ludgers Catholic Church in Creighton, Knox Co., NE, d. 8 Nov 1957 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE)
 (b. 19 May 1896 in Knox Co., NE, d. 29 Apr 1979 in Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE)

10. Francis Joseph "Frank" KAIN (b. 14 Oct 1861 in Clinton Co., IA, m. 14 Feb 1888 at St. Iraneaus Catholic Church in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA, d. 12 Dec 1930 in Yankton, Yankton Co., SD)
11. Margaret H. "Maggie" KENNEDY (b. 9 Sep 1864 in Clinton Co., IA, d. 8 Dec 1831 in Creighton, Knox Co., NE)

20. John KAIN (b. 11 Jun 1819 in Armagh, County Armagh, Ireland, UK, 2 Jul 1848 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in St. Louis, St. Louis Co., MO, d. 16 Nov 1893 in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA)
21. Mary FOX (b. 29 Sep 1823 in County Leitrim, Ireland, UK, d. 12 May 1890 in Lyons, Clinton Co., IA)

22. John KENNEDY (b. 2 Jun 1826? in King's County, Ireland, m. 10 Nov 1854 in ?, d. 6 Nov 1913 in Clinton, Clinton Co., IA)
23. Hanora COLLINS (b. 25 Mar 1830 in Glenbrohane, County Limerick, Ireland, d. 24 Nov 1888 in Clinton, Cinton Co., IA)

44. Michael KENNEDY (b. ? in Ireland, m. ? in ?, d. ? in ?)
45. Unknown NOLAURD? (b. ? in Ireland, d. ? in ?)

Future research plans include getting Iowa death records for all four of my Irish great-greats. I also need to look for the will for John Kennedy at the Clinton Co. Historical Society. I want to do more research on Mary Fox's brothers: Thomas, who died young in Clinton Co. and Patrick, who I believe was a teamster in St. Louis.  I also need to reconcile John Kennedy's account of his early years in the US with that of his probable sister, Mary (Kennedy) Lawler Kennedy. I also need to find out more info on Hanora (Collins) Wallace Kennedy's early years in the US with her first husband. Naturalization records for John Kain and John Kennedy are also on my to do list. Once all that is done, I can begin the search back in the Old Country.

Follow Friday: Ask Olive Tree Genealogy

Ask Olive Tree Genealogy by Lorine McGinnis Schulze is one of my favorite genealogy blogs. It's one of the few genealogy blogs that's marked with my "0 -Must Read" tag in Google Reader. (That zero at the start makes this tag the first one listed in my list of subscriptions.)

I love reading Lorine's case studies. It's like following a good murder mystery, And that's coming from someone who has read all 60+  novels and 150+ short stories by Agatha Christie. The only thing I like better than reading how other people tackle research questions is tackling them myself, when I get to play detective.

And my research is made much more fruitful by the information I glean from reading blogs like Lorine's.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 11 - Technology

Week 11 – Technology: makes it possible for genealogy classroom learning to come to you. Webinars are now hosted by many instructors on a variety of family history subjects. Share with us a webinar or series of webinars that you appreciate.

Webinars? I decide to make Thursday the day for Abundant Genealogy and the first thing out of the box is webinars? How embarrassing. I haven't done a whole lot of webinars, if any. I've watched several educational videos and I have a whole bunch more queued up to watch. I know that I signed up for a webinar once, but something came up and I was unable to attend. I think a recording is still available for me to watch.  I've got it in a queue somewhere.

On the plus side, I did add "webinar" and "webinars" to whatever spell check dictionary Chrome uses for its auto-spell check. Got rid of all those pesky squiggly red lines. Now there's an accomplishment. 

Wordless Wednesday: The Huigens Siblings about 1912

This is the last photo I have of the entire Huigens family of Creighton, NE. I'd guess it was taken about 1912. The sons in the back row from left to right are Henry, Edward, Joseph and Bernard. The parents, John and Mary, are seated in the middle. I am unsure on who is who among the daughters. I'll have to track that info down. <sigh> Another item on an unending genealogy to-do list.

Tombstone Tuesday: Kains in Creighton, NE

This is the grave marker for my great-grandparents, my father's maternal grandparents. They died when he was still an infant. They are buried in St. Ludger Cemetery in Creighton, NE.

Mystery Monday: My grandfather's birthplace

After reading the discussions about evidence-based vs. conclusion based over the last two weeks, here's some of the evidence I have on the birthplace of my grandfather, Emery Ogden in 1896.

His obituaries comes from unknown sources and were collected by my mother. Both list his birthplace as Elk Point, SD, which is in Union County. The source is probably my mother who was his oldest child. His death record has no info on his birth place.

The funeral card my mom has also lists Elk Point as his birthplace. Again my mom was probably the source of the info.

There is an on-line database, South Dakota Births, 1856-1903, at ancestry.com. His entry there lists Union Co., SD as his birthplace. I need to locate the source of that database to evaluate the information given. He filed a delayed certificate of birth in 1961 when he turned 65 so he could collect Social Security. On that the city is left blank but it lists Union Co., SD as the birth county.

All of the US and SD census records for him from 1900 to 1945, list South Dakota as his birthplace, as does the copy of the Nebraska marriage register I have. So far so good. Everything points to Elk Point, Union Co., SD as his birthplace.

However, on his WWI draft registration card, it has Clay Co., So Dak as his birthplace.

And his SS-5 Social Security application lists his birthplace as Elk Point, Clay Co., SD. That's odd because there is no Elk Point in Clay County. The application is from 1952, several years before he filed the delayed certificate of birth.

On the 1945 SD Census records for himself, his birthplace is just SD. On all of his children's cards in the same handwriting on each one that is different from the one on his, the father's birthplace is Elk Point, Spink Co., SD. There is no Elk Point in Spink Co., SD, either. I have no idea who the informant was for that info, probably my grandmother filling out the cards for all the children.

So where does that leave us? My conclusion is that he was born in or near Elk Point, Union Co., SD. For several decades he probably thought Elk Point was in Clay Co. He probably figured out his error when he was gathering information for his delayed certificate of birth. Clay Co. is due west of Union Co. The Spink Co. error is possible because my grandmother was born in Illinois and lived in northwest Nebraska. She was not familiar with the geography of southeast SD. Spink Co. is way north of Union Co. 

Other sources I can try to locate that might give more information are land records that show where his parents were in 1896, county directories from that time period, newspapers from around Elk Point that might have carried a birth announcement. I also need to get my grandparents's Sheridan Co., NE marriage license to see what info it has on it. 

If I was conclusion-based, I'd enter my conclusion in my genealogy software and use his delayed certificate of birth as the source. If I was evidence-based, I'd put in all these sources with alternate facts and mark my conclusion as the primary fact. If I was organized I'd make a choice and actually enter the information into the database one way or the other.

Census Sunday: Johan Peter Stroher 1790 US Census

Here is the oldest US Census record I have for any of my ancestors. My 4th great-grandfather is listed as Peter Stroher, second from the top in the left column. Below him is his father-in-law George Stauch, my 5th great-grandfather. My other colonial ancestry lines (Ogdens, etc.) were Loyalists who headed up to Canada after the US won its independence, so they're not in the US census until they come back later for homesteads in South Dakota.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 9 - Cemeteries

Week 9 – Cemeteries: Genealogists understand the full value of cemeteries and appreciate them in ways most others can’t see. Share a cemetery or cemetery experience for which you are most thankful. What makes this place special? What does it mean to you and your family history?

Right after I posted my week 10 entry for this series, I realized that I never got around to doing one for Week 9. D'oh!

The cemetery that means the most to me is one that is located in the middle of a cornfield near Henry, Marshall Co., IL. This is where my great-great-grandfather Evert Huigens is buried as well as his mother-in-law, my 3 x great-grandmother Maria (Schmitt) Toemmes. I wrote about my great-great-grandfather's broken tombstone in this post. The tombstone was knocked down and broken by vandals in 1925, according to a Henry newspaper article I have a copy of. 

Here is a satellite view of the cemetery. You can see how it sits in the middle of a corn field just of of IL highway 29. I worry about the long-term future of this resting place for my ancestors.

 

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Week 10 - Genealogy Road Trips

Week 10 – Genealogy Road Trips: No two genealogy road trips are the same but they’re always fun and meaningful. Describe a memorable trip in your past. Where did you go? What did you find (or not find)? Did you meet any new cousins? What did the trip mean to you and your family?

In June 2006, I went with my girlfriend on a genealogy road trip to Clinton, IA. It was our first trip together after meeting on eHarmony a few months earlier. It was my first trip to Clinton since I had discovered that it was where my two sets of Irish great-great-grandparents had settled. Anne Marie also had a connection to Clinton that I stumbled across while doing preparatory research. Her grandfather had been in the house moving business and had moved a 26-room mansion up the side of a hill in Clinton in 1902. It took three months to move the house eleven blocks and up the side of a very large and steep hill. The path was near where my great-great-grandfather, John Kennedy was living and both men were Irish Catholics, so it's possible that our ancestors met over a century before us.

The trip was wonderful. We went to the Clinton library where I visited the Roots Cellar genealogy resource for the first time. I gathered a ton of useful information and only managed to scratch the surface of what is available there. The librarian was very help and was even able to provide Anne Marie with lots of information on the Lamb House. She let us know that the house had burned down a few years before, so we weren't able to see it, but we did visit the site where it was moved to and followed the route the house had taken. We still marvel over how they got it up the side of that hill.

We also visited the sites of my ancestors' farms, which were adjacent to each other, the Catholic churches my ancestors were associated with, the county historical society and the cemetery, where we found the grave markers of my ancestors and other relatives.

That weekend there was a big hot air balloon festival in town. On Sunday morning, we went for the early morning mass launch of dozens of balloons. A most impressive sight.

All in all, it was a marvelous time filled with laughter. I enjoyed myself so much that I decided that Anne Marie was someone I would enjoy spending the rest of my life with. A few months later I proposed to her. She accepted and we were married in Sept. 2007.

Surname Saturday - 59: Persdotter

Back to the Swedish patronymics. This will be last one for awhile.  In the future I may just skip over the Swedes on Surname Saturday or just do one big blog post that covers all my Swedish ancestors of a given generation.

1. Kevin Joseph HUIGENS

2. Joseph Anthony HUIGENS
3. Shirley Ann OGDEN

6. Emery Julius OGDEN (b. 9 Sept 1896 in Elk Point, Union Co., SD, USA, m. 19 Mar 1929 in Gordon, Sheridan Co., NE, USA, d. 8 Apr 1984 in Martin, Bennett Co., SD, USA)
7. Esther Louise JOHNSON (b. 23 Feb 1902 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 24 Mar 1984 in Rapid City, Pennington Co., SD, USA)

14. Gustav Adolph JOHNSON (b. 18 Aug 1867 in Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, m. 4 Sep 1899 in Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 25 Dec 1941 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)
15. Rosabell "Rose" STRAYER (b. 23 Aug 1872 in Milan, Rock Island Co., IL, USA, d. 7 May 1955 in Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN, USA)

28. Carl Jacob JOHNSON (b. 1 Jul 1832 in Vrångfall, Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, m. 4 Sep 18 in Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, d. 17 Oct 1915 in Orion, Henry Co., IL, USA)
29. Christina Lotta JÖNSDOTTER (b. 4 Jul 1839 in Slottsbäcken, Locknevi, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, d. 10 Oct 1919 in Gordon, Sheridan Co., NE, USA)

58. Jonas NILSSON (b. 12 May 1796 in Junkerhorfva, Hjorted, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, m. 7 Feb 1819 in Hjorted, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, d. 14 Oct 1862 in Locknevi, Vimmerby, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden)
59. Lisa PERSDOTTER (b. 22 Oct 1796 in Strömsnäs Av Bergebo, Hjorted, Kalmar, Småland, Sweden, d. 22 Apr 1848 in Sweden)

118. Peter STAL (m. 1788 in Sweden)
119. Kierstin LARSDOTTER (b. abt 1766 in Sweden)

The ancestry.com shaky leaf leads to 6 on-line trees with more info on Peter and his ancestors and descendants. Two of the trees are those of my 1st cousin Michael and my 3rd cousin Brenda. Not all of the trees agree on the details and I don't have time right now to evaluate the sources and citations, so for now we'll end with Peter.

Looking for relatives in LofC Newspapers

Watching the Jerome Bettis article on WDYTYA tonight reminded me about the Library of Congress newspaper archive, Chronicling America. I went back tonight and searched for "Huigens" in Nebraska starting in 1884. I found four hits.

The first is from The Norfolk [NE] Weekly News-Journal, September 27, 1907, Page 3. It mentions my great-grandparents, John and Mary Huigens of Creighton, NE as visitors to Norfolk on the previous Sat. No idea who they would have been visiting.

The second is in a column called "Thursday Tidings" from the 19-Feb 1909 edition of the same paper. BJ Huigens would be my dad's uncle, Bernard Joseph (Barney) Huigens. He would have been about 25 years old.

Barney also shows up in the next item from the same paper 21-Apr-1911. It appears he won an election to the village board of Herrick, Gregory Co., SD as a "wet" candidate, meaning he opposed Prohibition.

The last item mentions a Huigens from Sioux Co., IA in the Omaha Daily Bee of 9-Jun-1890. The column title is "Iowa Items." I'm not sure how or if we are related to the Sioux Co. IA Huigenses. I've got a couple of census of records, but so far have not been able to tie them to the Creighton, NE line. I guess I'll have to search the newspapers for Huigens in Iowa. I'll let you know what I find.

March 2012: Status of Research on Emery Julius Ogden

Below is where my research stands on my maternal grandfather. He sure did not like to stay in one place for very long. I tried to keep notes during a conversation with my mom last summer about where she spent her childhood, but I could not keep up and she had trouble keeping times and places straight. Maybe there are local directories that I'll find some day that will help straighten out the time line.

6. Emery Julius OGDEN
What was his full name?

Emery J OGDEN: 1910, 1930 US Census, WWI draft registration, grave marker, 2 obits

Emery Julius OGDEN: South Dakota Births, 1856-1903 (on-line database at ancestry.com), SD state death certificate, funeral card, SD delayed certificate of birth, SS-5

Emery Ogden: NE state report of marriage

To-do: children’s vital records, church baptism record, newspapers, Sheridan Co. marriage license

Who were his parents?

William and Mary OGDEN: 1900 US Census, 1920 US Census

William F and Mary E OGDEN: 1910 US Census

Wm OGDEN and Elizabeth HARRIN: NE state report of marriage

William and Mary Elizabeth (Herren) OGDEN: obituary

WIlliam and Mary (Herron) OGDEN: obituary

William Frederick OGDEN and Mary Elizabeth HEEREN: SD delayed certificate of birth

William OGDEN and Mary HERREN: SD state death record

William Fred(e)rick OGDEN and Mary Elizabeth HERREN: parents’ obits

William Fredrick OGDEN and Mary Elizabeth HARREN: SS-5

To-do: church baptism record, newspapers, Sheridan Co. marriage license

When was he born?

9-Sept-1896: South Dakota Births, 1856-1903 (on-line database at ancestry.com), WWI draft registration, funeral card, grave marker, obituaries, SSDI, SD state death record, SD delayed certificate of birth, SS-5

Sep 1897: (Age 2/3 before his birthday; possible changed from 3 to 2 to match misstated birth year) 1900 US Census record

1896: 1910 (age 13 before his 1910 birthday), 1920 (age 23 before his 1920 birthday), 1930 (age 33 before his 1930 birthday) US Census records, 1905 (age 8 before his 1905 birthday), 1915 (age 18 before his 1915 birthday), 1925 (age 28 before his 1925 birthday), 1935 (age 38 before his 1935 birthday), 1945 (age 48 before his 1945 birthday) SD Census cards (Family Search database)

1896: derived from age of 32 on NE state report of marriage in Mar 1929

To-do: church baptism record, newspapers, Sheridan Co. marriage license

Where was he born?

Elk Point, Union Co., SD: obituaries, funeral card

Union Co., SD: South Dakota Births, 1856-1903 (on-line database at ancestry.com), SD Delayed birth record

SD: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US Census records, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, 1945 SD Census cards

Clay Co., SD: WWI draft registration

Elk Point, Clay Co., SD: SS-5

Spink, Union Co., SD: Marriage License

Elk Point, Spink Co., SD: Children’s 1945 SD Census records

To-do: find exact location of family in 1896, land records, county directories, newspapers, children’s SD census records

When did his family move from Union Co. to Charles Mix Co.?

Between 1896 (birth) and 1900 US Census

To-do: land records, county directories, newspapers

Where did he go to school?

No place of graduation given: 1915, 1925 SD Census

To-do: ask Mom ,SD school census

How long did he go to school?

1910 US Census states he had attended school sometime since 1-Sept-1909, when he was almost 14 (too old for 6th grade!  Did he go past 6th but not through 8th grade graduation or High School graduation?)

Common: 1915 SD Census (he turned 19 in 1915)

6th gr.: 1925 SD Census

6 g: 1935 SD Census

6th: 1945 SD Census

To-do: SD school census

When did he move to Tripp Co.?

Between 1915 SD census and 5-Jun-1918 WWI draft registration

To-do: land records, county directories, Winner directories, newspapers

What are the details of his military service?

Enlisted Sep 1918, discharged in 1919: obituary

To-do: Order his military records; order his last pay record; order copy of discharge papers from Mellette Co. court house

When did he move to Mellette Co.?

Between 5-Jun-1918 WWI draft registration and 1920 US Census

To-do: County directories, Winner directories, land records, newspapers

When did he move to Todd Co.?

1920: Mary Herren’s obituary

Between 1920 and 1925: 1920 US Census  and 1925 SD Census

To-do: County directories, land records, newspapers

When did he move to Gordon/Rushville?

Between 1925 and 1929: 1925 SD Census and 1929 Marriage

Living in Rushville when he met Esther and got married: Interview with Mom July 2011

To-do: County directories, land records, newspapers

When did he marry?

19-Mar-1929: Emery and Esther obits, newspaper article from Rushville on 22 Mar 1929, NE state report of marriage

1929: 1935 SD Census

1930: 1945 SD Census

To-do: Rushville Morse Memorial Methodist church marriage record, Sheridan Co. marriage license, other newspapers

Where did he marry?

Rushville Morse Memorial Methodist church: Emery and Esther obits

Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE: NE state report of marriage

To-do: Rushville Morse Memorial United Methodist church marriage record, Sheridan Co. marriage license, newspapers

Where did he live and when between wedding and settling in Rushville?

Henning, Otter Tail Co., MN:  after the wedding according to his obit (not true says mom)

Rushville, Sheridan Co., NE: 1930 when Ardis Rosemary was born, 1930 US Census in April, when Mom was born 7-Aug-1931

Sold City Service Garage in Feb. 1930 according to news article in Sheridan Co. historical column—was in Rushville

According to 1945 SD Census, he spent 3 years living outside of SD (1929-1931?)

1945 SD Census says Esther had been in SD for 14 years, meaning she arrived in 1931

1945 SD Census says Mom had been in SD for 10 years, meaning she arrived in 1935,doesn’t match her mother’s info

Donald was born in Rushville in 1934; 1945 SD Census says he spent 1 year outside SD, means they moved in 1935, ,doesn’t match his mother’s info

In Rushville when mom was born

on a farm N of rushville when Don was 1 and mom was 3

to batesland about when mom started school

Batesland, Shannon Co., SD: 1935 SD Census; Sep 1938 when his mother died according to her obituary

went to part of 1st grade in Batesland and boarded with a family because no school near farm, but part way through they had a teacher so she went home and went to country school near Denby west of Bates land, near family named Shepardson

Roselyn was born in Martin in 1936; 1945 SD Census says she spent 0 years outside SD lived near Denby maybe

Bill was born in Gordon in 1938; 1845 SD Census says he spent 0 years outside SD lived near Denby at that time says Mom

5 different teachers in 5th grade because of moves between SD and NE

PR in school

dad had store in white clay they lived behind it between time in extension and pine ridge store

Margie was born in Rushville in 1940; 1945 SD Census says she spent 0 year outside SD lived north of Pine Ridge on a dairy farm

Carol was born in Rushville in 1942; 1945 SD Census says she spent 0 years outside SD lived in the Exension near White Clay, NE

Kay was born in Rushville in 1943; 1945 SD Census says she spent 0 year outside SD lived at the Middle Store in Pine Ridge in apt behind store

Pine Ridge, Shannon Co., SD: 1945 SD Census (When did they move from Batesland?) Mom went to Gordon HS because no HS in Pine Ridge for white student stayed with Mercy Froehman

Back to Rushville before Mom started HS (fall of 1945): notes from Mom

before fall of 1946 moved to Rushville and grandpa commuted to Pine Ridge

Left Rushville for Gordon when Mom was in HS (before fall of 1948): notes from Mom

June of 1948 bought store in Martin and moved family there; mom stayed and roomed with Evans family to finish HS in Rushville 1 yr in Gordon and 3 in Rushville

Martin, SD: 1948 to mid-Sept 1961 (mom), May 1951 when father died according to his obit kay and dennis bought the store

Gordon, NE: 1961 to 1974 (source?)

Martin, SD in Aug. 1952: SS-5

To-do: Directories, land records, newspapers, 1940 US Census

What did he do for a living?

Managed Chevrolet garage in Rushville, store in Pine Ridge, Martin Clothing Store, store in White Clay, dairy near Pine Ridge, farm near Denby: Mom interview Aug. 2011

Self-employed in Aug. 1952: SS-5

To-do: Newspapers, county directories

When did he die?

8-Apr-1984: Obituaries, grave marker, funeral card, SD state death record

Apr-1984: SSDI

To-do: Rushville church records (Morse Methodist), probate records

Where did he die?

Bennett County Memorial Hospital in Martin: Obituaries

Bennett County Community Hospital: SD state death record

To-do: Nothing

What was the cause of death?

Cardio-respiratory arrest caused by advanced chronic obstructive lung [pulmonary] disease [COPD] along with ischemic heart disease and cardiac insufficiency: SD state death record

To-do: Nothing

Where is he buried?

Fairview Cemetery in Rushville, NE: Obituaries, grave marker, funeral card, SD state death record

To-do: Nothing