52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 7 "Outcast"

When I think of outcasts in my ancestry, I think of my Loyalist ancestors, cast out of New York to New Brunswick after the American Revolution. My research has focused mainly on Michael Ogden and his son Jonathan Ogden, but my Clark and Morrell ancestors in New Brunswick were probably also outcasts.

Jonathan probably deserved his fate, since he did serve in the Loyal American Regiment (more about the LAR here) and fought against the colonial army. He was probably aboard either the Ann or the Apollo when  they sailed from New York to New Brunswick in the fall of 1783, after the formal end of the war, removing Loyalist soldiers from the new country that they had opposed. His father joined him in New Brunswick probably at a later date.

Michael and Jonathan were granted land in Long Island, Queens County, New Brunswick in July of 1786. 

I need to do much more proper analysis of Jonathan's service and the petitions and land grants for the Ogdens, Clarks, and Morrells. I could also see if any Clark or Morell ancestors served in any British provincial units. 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2 "Favorite Photo"

This week is easy. I use my favorite genealogy photo as my Mastodon banner.

I came across this photo several years ago when I was browsing through a copy of a book called "Bon Homme County [South Dakota] History" (Hoover Herbert T, Carol Goss Hoover, Dottee Blaha, and Bon Homme County Historical Society. 1994. Bon Homme County History. Tyndall SD, Vermillion SD: Bon Homme County Historical Society ; H.T. Hoover.)

I knew I had ancestors in that county and I was hoping to find a mention of them. I found something even better--a photo of them!

The caption said something like "William Ogden visiting his grandparents John and Isabella Gibbon outside their sod house near Scotland, SD." (I don't have a copy of the exact wording, but that's pretty close.) I thought "Hey! I know those people!" A genealogy happy dance ensued.

William Fredrick Ogden (1871-1951) was my mom's paternal grandfather. (My mapapa using my shorthand notation. See the "Ma and Pa" tab on this blog.) He is visiting his maternal grandparents (my 3xgreat-grandparents) John Gibbon (1803-1899) and Isabella Davidson (1811-1890). These are my mapapamapa and mapapamasma. The "s" in there is because Isabella was John's second wife--a step-mother to my 2xgreat-grandmother Hannah Gibbon (1837-1927), who married James Robert Ogden (1836-1910).

My Gibbon line were originally from Aberdeenshire in Scotland. They went first to Ontario, Canada in 1835. Some time in the 1870s they made their way south to the Dakota Territory where they settled in Bon Homme County outside of the town of--wait for it--Scotland. 

The quality of the photo is not very good, but who cares? I have a photo of my ancestors from around 1880 and that is truly wonderful.