My Trails into the Past

John Edward Lundquist was born 120 years ago today on 31 Dec 1892 to Pehr Alfred Lundquist and Mathilda Lovisa Eriksson-Holm. [1] He was their first of three children.  The family was living in Stanton, Montgomery County, Iowa and his father was a farmer. His parents were both from Sweden but met in Iowa. I have a copy of John’s birth record, written out in 1983.    Birth record for John Edward Lundquist Here his father was listed as Peter Lundquist and mother as Holm.  I also have a photocopy of the family bible where it was written in Swedish of John’s birth: “ Sonern John Edward föd den 31 December 1892” (son John Edward born the 31 December 1892). John would later move to Hilmar, Merced Co., California with his parents and marry Signe Maria Hilena Johnson. They had one son. He spent his life as a farmer and died 23 Oct 1970 in Turlock. ------------------------------------------- [1] Montgomery County Register of Births, Bk 2, Birth...

I love land records—though it is truly a love-hate relationship. Land records can give you a lot of information but they are not as forthcoming with easy information like those of vital or census records. You have to dig a bit.  You have to analyze a lot. There are complicated words and abbreviations you must understand. One record does not tell you much. You need to collect all of the land transactions for your ancestor. There are some questions to ask, too, such as: When did he get the first piece of land? How did he get it? Did he buy it, get it as a land grant, homestead it, or was it bounty land? What happened to it later when he moved or died? This journey into land records began with the 22 October 1927 obituary for William C. Gleeson, the brother of my great-grandmother, Anna M (Gleeson) Sullivan. The obituary stated that he was “prominent in Eastern Oregon some years ago, where he was one of the first to engage in dry land farming.” [1] William li...

Here's my version of a surname Christmas tree. These are all the surnames I am researching on my side and my husband's side of the family.  The idea came from Randy Seaver and Leslie Ann . Thanks!  It was fun. Copyright © 2013 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past

Michael J Sullivan & Sarah Ryan, 30 Apr 1900 My great grandfather’s brother, Michael J. Sullivan had three children: Margaret Mary Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan, and John M. “Jack” Sullivan.  Michael’s wife was Sarah V. “Sadie” Ryan and they were married in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana on 30 April 1900. [1] This family lived in Butte, Montana most of their lives and I searched the Silver Bow county records for Michael’s and Sadie’s marriage but couldn't find it. Well, today, I had luck. I found marriage indexes and images at FamilySearch.org. There they were, right in Deer Lodge Co in Anaconda. Why were they married there?  Well, the marriage record gave Sadie’s residence, and she was a resident of Anaconda! Still don’t know how they met. The marriage included the license so I learned that Michael Sullivan lived in Butte, was 31, and born in Michigan to Jerry Sullivan and Mary Sheehan. Sarah Ryan was 25, lived in Anaconda, born in Iowa to Dave Rya...