My Trails into the Past

This is week 8 of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge” by Amy Crow from  No Story Too Small . Hulda Charlotte Anderson-Carlson was the second wife to Nils Malkom Nilsen, but the great-grandmother to my husband. They were married on 20 May 1893 in Youngstown, Ohio, just over a week after her arrival to America. [1] Marriage Records of Nils Malkom Nilsen & Hulda C. Carlson in Youngstown, Ohio, 1893 Hulda was born 14 Aug 1868 in Rappestad, Östergötland, Sweden to Anders Peter Johansson and Anna Larsdotter. [2] She was the second oldest child of six. Her parents were married in 1865 in Rappestad but neither had been born in this community.   So the first part of her surname came from her father, Anders, making her an Andersdotter. When she was 14, her father died and she lived with the Carlson family and took on their name. It is unclear how Nils Malkom met Hulda, but after the death of his first wife, he asked permission of the church where he served as P...

This is week 7 of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge” by Amy Crow from No Story Too Small . Ida Marie Hork was an older sister of my grandfather, William Cyril Hork, who was the youngest of ten.  She was born 24 Jan 1875 in Aurora, Illinois, nearly 24 years before him. [1]   In fact, she was probably not living at home at the time of his birth. She was listed in the Spokane, Washington 1897 city directory. [2] 1897 Spokane, Washington City Directory She married Martin J. Colmann in Eagle, Alaska on 11 Oct 1903 at a Catholic church in the Diocese of Fairbanks. [3]   How she met Martin, I do not know. I don’t know if she met him in San Francisco where he was from or in Alaska. Many people went to Alaska during its Gold Rush. I cannot find Ida in the 1900 census, but I did find her future husband, Martin. He was living in Eagle in the Northern Supervisors District, Alaska.  According to the census, he had arrived in Alaska Feb 1898 and was workin...

This is week 6 of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge” by Amy Crow from   No Story Too Small . Matilda Pearl Davey was my husband’s grandmother. She was born 18 April 1880 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky to Frederick Henry Davey and Matilda Wollenweber. She was the only girl with three brothers: Fred J, William Edward, & Leon Thomas. In her childhood, she was called “Tillie” like her mother or “Daisy.”  I will refer to her as “Daisy” to keep her straight from her mother’s name. The first record I have found of Daisy is the 1880 Federal US census in Clark County, Indiana. [1] Her parents were living with Matilda’s mother, Philopina Wollenweber and Matilda’s two sisters, Rickie and Julia. However, Daisy was recorded as “Mary R.” Perhaps Philopina’s German accent was difficult to understand. When Daisy was five years old, her mother died on 1 November 1885 of malarial fever. [2] She left four young children under the age of 10. According to the ...

This is week 5 of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge” by Amy Crow from   No Story Too Small . Leah Wollam was my husband’s 3rd great-grandmother. She was born 9 April 1800 in Maryland to John Jacob Wollam and Sarah Duffield. [1]   Most trees found online do not show Leah as a daughter of John J Wollam and Sarah Duffield. Sons Peter, John Balser and Ratchford are often mentioned. However, with John J and Sarah being married 24 Apr 1797, [2] there is a possibility that they could have had a daughter born in 1800 before the four boys were born. Columbiana Co OH, Marriage records 1818-1833 vol 2, p 273 She married Amos Gorrell in Columbiana County, Ohio on 24 May 1827. [3]   Between them, they had six children: Sarah, James, Duffield, John, Amos Jr, and Joseph Wollam. Only Amos and Joseph lived to adulthood. My husband is descended through Amos Gorrell Jr. The four older children died within the month of March in 1841 due to an epidemic. [4] ...

This is week 4 of the “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge” by Amy Crow from No Story Too Small . Jack Sullivan was my great-uncle, the only brother of my father’s mother, Anna Marie Sullivan. Jack’s parents were John H. Sullivan and Anna Maria Gleeson. He was born 9 Feb 1887 in Mitchell, Davison County, in what was then Dakota Territory and was baptized on 29 Mar 1887. [1] His father had attempted to homestead but by now they were living in town. Jack had two sisters born before him: Helena M. “Nellie” and Loretto M., and three sisters born after him: Rosemary, Ethel E. and Anna Marie. Rosemary, however, died as an infant. He moved with the family to Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana sometime before 1900.  I don’t know what brought them to Anaconda besides the mining industry that Jack’s grandfather, Jeremiah Sullivan, had been a part of back in County Cork. A lot of Irish worked in the mining industry and there were many “Sullivans” listed in census and city dir...

I have been working on preparing for a trip to Salt Lake City to research at the Family History Library. Six days of researching in the microfilm- and book-filled library is a wonderful and fulfilling experience. So I began to prepare by looking at the dead-end lines in my family tree, especially those on my mother’s side who lived in the South. My third great-grandparents fit that bill: Samuel Johnston and Elizabeth McCormack. Samuel Johnston was born about 1816 in South Carolina, based on age 34 in the 1850 census and age 44 in the 1860 census. [1] These are the only two census records I have found for Samuel. He did not appear on the 1870 census with his widowed wife and children. [2] It was difficult to find Samuel in the 1850 Yalobusha County, Mississippi census until I searched for some of his neighbors from the 1860 Yalobusha Co, MS census and found him near those same neighbors. I could see why he was difficult to find. His written surname looked like “Dehuson...

My husband’s third great granduncle, David Bishop, married Mary Magdalene Long on this date 15 Jan 1809 in Ross County, Ohio. [1] Ross, Ohio, Marriages vol A, p 96; FHL microfilm 281637. The marriage record does not say much:  "I hereby certify that David Bishop and Mary Long was joined in the Holy State of matrimony on the 15th day of January by me."                                                                     John Matthews, January 30th, 1809. Because it stated Holy State of Matrimony,  does that mean John Matthews was a minister? I checked other entries on the same page. One was from John Ratcliff, J.P. so now I know who was a Justice of the Peace. Another signature was John Collins, Minister of the Methodist E. Church.  Checking further pages answered the question. John ...