My Trails into the Past

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's  Saturday Night  again -  Time for some more  Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to: 1)  If you could go back in time to interview one of your ancestors, what questions would you ask him or her?  Tell us your selected ancestor's name, their birth and death years/locations, and their spouse's name and marriage date/location.  List at least five questions to ask that selected ancestor. Here's mine: The ancestor I’ll ask questions of is my great-grandmother, Anna Maria Gleeson , born 13 February 1860 in Carleton County, Ontario, Canada, [1] and died 3 January 1912 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge Co, Montana. [2] She married John H. Sullivan sometime in 1882, likely at Mitchell, Davison Co, Dakota Territory. [3] I wished I had asked my grandmother questions about her childhood and her parents. But she died before I became interested in genealogy. Questions to ask: ...

Three Gleeson sisters were school teachers. Elizabeth (1865-1942), Helena Mary (1867-1950), and Margaret T. (1873-1941) grew up first in Carleton County, Ontario, Canada, and then moved to Davison County, Dakota Territory in 1879. By the 1890s, Elizabeth and Helena were living in Anaconda, Montana, and worked as school teachers. Margaret arrived before 1900 and followed in their footsteps. None of these women married. Helena and Margaret taught school for their entire life. Elizabeth had other adventures after teaching for a few years and ended up being a landlord in Los Angeles. However, what do school teachers do in the summer months? Take trips. Newspapers reported on these trips, so it is interesting to see where they traveled. Summer of 1899 “Miss Elizabeth Gleeson left last evening via the Northern Pacific for South Dakota on a visit to her former home.” [1] Her parents still resided in Mitchell. The Northern Pacific Railroad line traversed from Seattle to Minneapolis. A ...

Madison, South Dakota, was sixty-seven miles from Mitchell, South Dakota, if traveling on main roads, and about the same if traveling diagonally across smaller roads between farm fields to Madison. That’s how far Margaret would have traveled to attend normal school in Madison, a town in Lake County. The Dakota Normal School was founded in 1881 and was the first to train teachers in Dakota Territory.[1] Margaret’s older sisters, Helena and Elizabeth, were also teachers, but no documentation has been discovered for their teacher training. Margaret graduated from the school on 12 June 1895 along with another Mitchell girl, Viola I. Mills.[2] According to a publication published in 1890, the institution was “a four-story structure, 76 x 84 feet. West Hall The course of study consists of four divisions, namely: elementary, requiring three years to complete; advanced, which runs with the elementary and requires four years; commercial, of one year; and professional for those who, having taken...

It’s not a family secret, but few people know my great-grandmother, Anna M. Gleeson (1860-1912), was naturalized as a single woman and got 160 acres of land from the federal government. She was born on 13 February 1860 in Carleton County, Ontario, Canada, to John Gleeson and Margaret Tierney.[1]  In 1879, the family, including her nine brothers and sisters, moved to Davison County in Dakota Territory, first living in Mitchell, the county seat. On 7 October 1880, she and her brother, Martin, filed their intent to naturalize.[2]  On the same day, she also made a claim on 160 acres of federal land. This land included portions of sections 9 and 10 of township 104 in range 60. Six months later, she petitioned to settle the claim and purchase the land for $1.25 per acre totaling $200. At the time she made her proof, she said she had built a one-story 14 by 16-foot framed house and had broken 16 acres of land.[3]   Her father, John, her brother, Martin, and her brother, Joh...

My 2x-great-grandparents had ten children, all of whom grew to adulthood. Five boys and five girls were born to John Gleeson and Margaret Tierney, all in Carleton County, Ontario, Canada. In 1879 the entire family moved to Dakota Territory and settled in Davison County. John and his three oldest children, including his daughter, Anna Marie, purchased land from the Federal Government. But farming the prairie had its troubles and only Martin continued while the others lived in the town of Mitchell. These photos of the children were taken in Mitchell, South Dakota. I am not sure who is who, except for the youngest boy and youngest girl. Six of the children married. The four eldest had children, giving John and Margaret thirteen grandchildren. The first to die was my great-grandmother, Anna Marie Sullivan, who died at age 51. All except one child moved from South Dakota and settled in Montana, Oregon, and California. Three daughters taught school. One son worked for the highway departmen...

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: It's Saturday Night again - Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Here is our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings : 1)   Choose an ancestor who experienced or did something unique or memorable (such as an event, family life, trip, etc.).  2)  Share about your ancestor and his/her unique experience and how it may have affected their life in your own blog post or on your Facebook page.  Be sure to leave a link to your report in a comment on this post.  [thank you to Linda Stufflebean for suggesting this topic!] Here's mine : My great-grandaunt, Helena Mary Gleeson, was a school teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools in Anaconda, Montana. She was born on 31 October 1867 in Ontario, Canada, to John Gleeson and Margaret Tierney. [1] The family moved to Dakota Territory in 1879. By 1892, she lived in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana. She and her sister, Elizabeth, performed in Gilbert & Sull...

Many of the women on my father’s side were teachers. This was a common occupation for women, especially those who never married. This was the case for Margaret Teresa Gleeson, my great-grandaunt. Margaret, the daughter of John Gleeson and Margaret Tierney, was born on 28 July 1873 in Carleton County, Ontario, Canada and baptized on 24 August 1873 at St. Philip’s Church in Richmond. [1] She was their ninth child and fifth daughter. She would have one younger brother. Childhood When she was six years old, her family moved to the United States, settling in Mitchell, Davison County, Dakota Territory. The youngest three children were not listed as attending school in 1880. [2] She attended Mitchell High School. On one program held at the school in October 1889, Margaret gave a recitation titled “A Slave’s Heroism.” [3] In the next month, she recited “Spinning.” [4] During Arbor Day in May 1890, gave an essay on grasses, “showing that many plants not generally known as grasses reall...