My Family Tree

Applying to DAR

*Follow up 08/01/2016... Finally received my certificate in the mail!

*Follow up 3/22/2016... Good news!!! My Mother and I are now members of Daughters of the American Revolution!

Recently, I found a magical document about my 5G-grandfather, Simeon Skeels.  It is his Revolutionary War pension file.  I nearly did a back flip when I found the following family record included within the pages:

There it is, in black and white, handwritten, nearly 200 years ago... Isaac Skeels (my 4G-grandfather), born April the 6 AD 1793, son of Simeon Skeels and Asenath.

Once you see Isaac's obituary, you will agree, that I am the luckiest woman in the world:

And to tie this up nice and neat, proof that my #G-grandfather Thaddeus Skeels was the son of Isaac and his wife Anna:

Here is where things could get potentially sticky... Thaddeus and Mary's daughter, Ella Skeels (my 2G-grandmother), married Benjamin White:

Do you see the witnesses? Thaddeus & Mary Skeels.  I have the 1860 & 1870 census that show Ella living with her parents. So why does Ella's death record say that her father's name was Myron Skeels?

Clearly, Ella's youngest daughter was not the best informant, as she was only 3 years old when her grandfather passed.

And then you have Ella's marriage record to her second husband, John Parker that states her father's name was Theodore S. Keels:

The Michigan marriage records are full of transcriptions errors.  From what I understand, the powers that be in the county would submit their records to the state once a year.  The registers available are from the state and if the submitter had really bad handwriting, Thaddeus Skeels transforms into Theodore S. Keels, for all of eternity.

I am not sure if this inconsistency will be an issue for the DAR or not.  It's both amusing and annoying that the older records are more accurate than the newer.

To wrap up my connection to Simeon, there is my great-grandfather, Vern White, son of Benjamin & Ella:

Vern married Hazel Rogers and they were my Grandfather's parents.  My Grandpa passed away in Janurary at the age of 95.  He was the very best Grandpa that a girl could ever ask for.  

My Grandparent's Memorial on Find A Grave

Donald White

Audrey Mae Brownell White

Vernon Johnson

Ruth Evelyn Kebler Johnson

A document to cherish

My great-grandmother, Lillian Ora Wall Johnson passed away after giving birth to her second set of twins in 1908.  This 121 year old piece of paper was her diploma.  What makes this even more special is that her father's name, Erastus J. Wall, is also on it because he was on the district board.

Interesting Photo

After doing some research on the names from the back of this photo I have come up with the following:

Front L to R: Eber Blair 1859-1947, Milton Foss 1848-1933, E.J. Wall 1843-1918.
Back L to R: Hollenbeck or Cornelius Lane 1864-1947, and Walter Wall 1871-1950.

Hollenbeck is likely, William Hollenbeck 1849-1934... He was married to Rhoda 'Anna' Brooks, a sister to Almira Brooks Knapp. William and Rhoda lived in Mecosta County.

I still have no idea why these men had this photo taken. Walter doesn't look any older than 30 in this photo, so I believe that this was taken around the turn of the century.

Trying to locate cousins

Why is it so much easier to find people who have been dead for 200 years than it is to find your third cousin?

Georgia to Michigan

Today I found a letter written by a Wm. S. Montgomery in Brick Store, GA that mentions Erastus J. Wall. How on earth would these two have ever met?

It appears that each served in the Civil War.  Wm. S. Montgomery served in the Confederate Army and Erastus J. Wall served in the Union Army.