WEDDING WEDNESDAY ~ The marriages of Henrietta Barnes in 1869 and 1876

 

You know how it happens that you go back through a folder, or a record and you find something that you missed or just passed over?

That is just what happened to me as I was reviewing Civil War Pension files this weekend.

This particular file was for Henrietta Barnes Thorp Bovie in the name of her deceased husband, Stephen B. Thorp. 

Stephen B. Thorp served as a Private and later a Corporal in Co. F, 122^nd New York Infantry from 1862-1864.

Stephen Thorp is my paternal 2nd great granduncle.

In scrolling through my online PDF file for this pension I located 2 beautiful marriage certificates.  I had looked through the file before, but it’s been a few years.  What I hadn’t done is pull these marriage certificates and add them to my Legacy file. I have no explanation for that oversight. 

But, here they are.  I don’t have many marriage certificates that are this nice among the records I have.

Marriage of Stephen B. Thorp to Henrietta Barnes - 15 Sep 1869 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Stephen and Henrietta were married after he discharged from military service.  Sadly, less than 2 years later, on 14 Jun 1871, at age 31, Stephen died from “lingering consumption.” There were no known children born to this couple.

Five years after Stephen’s death, on 19 Sep 1876 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Henrietta married Dr. William Bovie.  This couple had 5 children.

Here is their marriage certificate.

Marriage of Henrietta Barnes Thorp to Dr. William Bovie, 19 Sep 1876 in Yorkville, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Dr. William Bovie died 25 Apr 1901 of pneumonia.  Henrietta lived 33  more years and died a widow, at age 84. 

She saw two of her 5 children predecease her.

When she applied for a pension in the name of her deceased first husband, she was 81 years old and needed the extra income.  It is not stated in this particular file whether she was ever granted the pension.

Have you discovered items you overlooked or missed entirely? If so, I’d love to hear about them.

Reviewing our research is generally a good practice.  I know I’ve found my own omissions and errors in doing so.

If you are interested in my posts for Civil War pension files please click here.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2025   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

ON THIS DATE IN OUR FAMILY ~ December 31st

 

First of all, Happy Birthday to my Dad who was born 112 years ago today. I’ve written many blog posts about just him and thought I’d write about others in our family tree with a December 31^st significant event.

Of these the earliest one happens to be the first one.  The birth of Johan Jacob Strauss in 1736.  The fact that we can find records going back centuries is one of the joys of family research.

BIRTHS

1736 – STRAUSS, Johan Jacob, my husband’s maternal 5^th great grandfather. Born in Bernville, Berks, PA and died at age 56 in 1793. , Matthew, my maternal 3^rd great grandaunt’s husband’s brother.  I have no other information on him at this time.

1832 – SMITH, Herkimer, this is a distant relation – my husband’s 5^th great granduncle’s wife’s 2^nd great grandnieces’s husband.  Born in New York, died at age 78 in 1911. There is a possibility that Herkimer Smith is also connected to me via my Gould line, but I haven’t proven it yet.

1797 – SCOVELL, Matthew, my maternal 3^RD great grandaunt’s husband’s brother.  His family was heavily involved in the steamboat business along the Ohio River. 

1844 – MOSS, James Emerson, husband of my maternal 1^st cousin 4 times removed.  Born in Indiana and died at age 76.

1862 – HART, Harriet P., another distant relation – my paternal step 3^rd great grandfather’s wife’s 1^st cousin twice removed.  She died at age 2. She was the second child born to John Hart and Pamela Macomb.

1871 – SEED, Maurice J, husband of my maternal half 1^st cousin 3 times removed.  Born in Lawrenceville, Lawrence Co., Illinois.  He died at at 76.

1886 – KING, Charles Louis, my maternal 1^st cousin twice removed.  Born in Huntington, Cabell, West Virginia. He died at age 75.

1910 – HART, Lloyd M., my paternal half 3^rd cousin once removed. He was the son of Fred Ellis Hart & Edla May Lloyd. I know nothing else about this ancestor.

1912 – GOULD, Harry Norman, my Dad. Only child of Harry W. Gould and Marie W. Lindsay.  Born in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan. Died at age 78 in Trenton, Wayne, Michigan.  Still greatly missed by me.

Images connected with the ancestors named above

Left to right - Headstone for Johan Jacob Strauss, headstone for Herkimer Smith & his wife Mary and passport photo for Maurice Seed

On the left is Charles Louis King and on the right are my parents, Patricia Anne Milne and Harry Norman Gould in front of their first home in Detroit, Michigan

MARRIAGES

1807 – William BOWDEN & Rachael Louis PRICE – Married in Kenansville, Duplin, North Carolina.  This couple is in my database as part of my ongoing search for the parents of my maternal great grandfather Robert L. Bowden (please click here post for more information)

1867 – Jeremiah R. EARLES & Frances LUNDY – Married in Lawrence County, Ohio.  He is my 1^st cousin 4 times removed husband’s father.   

1877 – William J. MARCUM & Anna Americus LUNSFORD – Married in Lawrence County, Ohio.  She is my maternal 2^nd cousin 3 times removed.

1926 – Andrew NESS & Mary Jane LINDSAY – Married in St. Andrew, Dundee, Angus, Scotland.  She is my paternal 1^st cousin twice removed.  The interesting thing about this connection is that Mary Jane’s parents are John Lindsay and Catherine Milne. This is a paternal match via my grandmother’s Lindsay line.  However, the fact that one of the Lindsay’s married a MILNE may be the reason I have DNA matches that seem to overlap both maternal and paternal lines.  My mother’s maiden name was Milne.

Does this Milne line connect with hers?  So do my father and mother’s lines connect back a few generations?  Good question.

1983 – James S. MARINOS & Diane Schell Justice – Married in San Diego, San Diego County, California.  She is the maternal Aunt of my sister in law.

      Images connected with the ancestors named above

Left to right -  Jeremiah R. Earles, headstone for William Marcum and Diane Schell Justice

DEATHS

1821 – SUMNER, Capt. Samuel Lockheart, my paternal step 3^rd great grandfather’s wife’s father.  I believe him to be the father of Sally “Sara” Sumner who was the first wife of my 3^rd great grandfather, Henry Hart.  However, I have no solid evidence/proof.  There are DNA matches but they are small and I need more proof. My research dates back to 2009 and I need to revisit this connection.

1862 – GILLEN, Private John, killed in action during the Stones River battle in the Civil War.  He was only 21 yrs. old. He was a volunteer in Company G, 25^th Illinois Infantry.  I sent for and received his Civil War pension file.  To read about that please click here.  John is my 1^st cousin 4 times removed. The son of John GILLEN and Nancy MILLER.  RIP soldier.

1889 – HUDSON, Margaret nee DEAVER, wife of my maternal 4^th great granduncle, Elijah HUDSON.  Mother of 11 children.  Lived to age 83.  You can read about her here.

1909 – HART, Katherine nee DONALDSON, my step-3rd great-grandfather's wife's 1st cousin once removed wife.  That’s a mouthful. I haven’t done much research on her family. She was the second wife of Ashley HART.  I have no children recorded for them.

 Images connected with the ancestors named above

Left to right - headstones for Capt. Samuel Sumner, Private John Gillen and Margaret Hudson

Headstone for Catherine Donaldson Forshee Hart Glaspie (I do not know why the name on the headstone is that of her first husband and not her second or even her third)

NOTE…..

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

YEAR END STATS ~ Did I make any research progress last year?

 

As we say goodbye to 2024 and welcome a new year.  Let me take a look at my research for this past year.

This year hasn’t been my best year for research or blogging.  When two senior citizens move into a brand new home and are tasked with unpacking and setting up.  Well, let’s just say it takes a lot of time.

The very last thing to get set up was my office aka “the genie cave.”  Thankfully, I have a husband who can build almost anything.  He built me a beautiful desk and several shelves. My office isn’t quite done (still have ancestor photos to hang), but it’s good enough to allow me to research.

This has been my worst year for number of blog posts since 2010.  But, there have been finds and there has been progress in my Legacy database.

And, I didn’t post my progress at the end of 2023, so we will have to go back to 2022 to compare stats.

Let’s see just what kind of progress.  I’m afraid to look, but here goes.

Before we look at the results let me make a shout out to my friend and fellow blogger, Randy Seaver.  In my original post my percentages were incorrect.  Math was never my favorite subject in school.  LOL!  But, Randy being an Engineer is very good at it.  Thanks for letting me know my friend.  I have made the appropriate corrections.

Please click on any image to enlarge it.

I’ll say one thing.  I was happily surprised at the results.  Not very much work done, but the numbers do make it seem better than the percentages.  And as long as I made some progress during this incredibly busy year, I’ll take it.

I’m looking forward to a more productive genealogy year in 2025. 

I hope you’ll go along with me as I share more ancestor stories and research tips.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

FRIDAY FINDS ~ Family Search Full Text Search

 

I have always loved to learn new skills, or a new way to do things.

I attended my very first Mayflower Historian meeting this week.  I hope to soon learn what I need to in order to review Mayflower Society applications for the state of Montana. 

In the course of this meeting, we had a speaker. Shellie Karol-Chik.

Her subject was Advanced Searches on Family Search.

As most of you know, I’ve been researching for over 20 years. I’ve attended many a class, webinar, seminar and conference.  There are some things that you feel confident about.  Perhaps you are very good at searching on a particular website or using one of the genealogy software programs.

One of the sites I feel confident on is Family Search. BUT, just when you think “what will I learn today that I don’t already know?”  SURPRISE!!!

I learned about a semi-new area of the website called FULL TEXT AI SEARCH. ("This is an experimental Labs product and not guaranteed to always be available. You may also encounter errors and limited data")

GAME CHANGER

I began using this new skill the very next day and have located many documents I had never seen before.

Once you get to the site they have good explanations for Advanced Search Tips and how to use this new tool.  It would be superfluous for me to repeat those tips here.

What I will tell you is that the “quotations marks” make all the difference.

So, let me share some examples with you.

My thought was, why not enter the name of my biggest and longest brick wall.  My paternal 2^nd great grandfather John C. Gould – whose parents are still unknown to me after 20 years.

I did add the years 1830-1930 but you don't have to.  Play around with it a little and see what works best for you.

This is the result page that came up with my search. 11,983,158 results.  That’s obviously too many to view.  BUT, right away I see promising results in those first two records.  And what is that record in Dodge, Minnesota?  He never lived there?  Did he?  But, that record mentions a wife, Sarah M. Gould (which is the correct and only wife for John).  Of course I will look at the record. 

KEEP IN MIND THAT THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THESE RECORDS IS BEING DONE BY AI AND IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT YOU REVIEW THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT YOURSELF.  NOTE: The names you've entered in your search will be highlighted in yellow.

The first record, although John C. Gould’s name was listed in the brief description of the image, it actually reads John C. Fitzgerald. That isn’t my ancestor. A good example of why you must view the actual record.

Now to the second record St. Clair, Michigan Deeds 1866-1868.  What I see in the description is a mention of Sara M. Gould who IS John’s wife.

St. Clair, Michigan, Deeds 1866-1868

I see there is the sale of land to Lyman C. Hart who happens to be John C. Gould’s brother-in-law.  I will work on transcribing this image at a later date.

Now let’s take a look at that entry for Dodge Deeds 1863-1864 in, of all places, Minnesota.  Not a place I have ever connected with my John C. Gould or his wife Sarah.

Dodge, Minnesota, Deed 1863-1864

This appears to be a sale of land from John C. Gould & his wife Sarah M. Gould to Darwin Keller, in the County of Dodge in the state of Minnesota.

How did my ancestor come to own land in Minnesota?

This is a question I will explore.  I have no record of he or his wife ever being in Minnesota, I have only a handful of ancestors who have a Minnesota location at one time or another, but not from my Gould line.

I’m grateful to have located these bits of information about John C. Gould. Since I have yet to find evidence that proves who his parents were, any new information is welcome.

I’ve run several other ancestor names in this full text search and found a marriage record I didn’t have and other land records…..so far.

I hope many of you will try this feature on Family Search.  It has certainly yielded a few nuggets for me.  Let me know what your finds are. 

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

FOLLOW UP FRIDAY ~ The Last Will & Testament of Cornelius Fisher 1699 Massachusetts

 

A FOLLOW UP TO A BLOG POST I WROTE 3 JAN 2017 – You may read it here 52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS–Week #1–Cornelius FISHER, Sr. (1629-1698/99) of Wrentham, Massachusetts

Cornelius Fisher, Sr is my husband, Ron’s, 7^th great grandfather. 

When I wrote that blog post in 2017, I promised to transcribe it and blog about it. How time flies.

If words are spelled “incorrectly” or differently than we would spell them today, I left them as is. 

I've highlighted family names in yellow so they are easy to locate.

Here is an image of the beginning of the will.

The Probate of the Will of Cornelius Fisher late of

Wrentham deced and Administration granted thereon

Unto his Sons Cornelius Fisher and Eleazer Fisher

Executo^rs in the same Will names

Cornelius Fisher Probate

2523

William Stoughton Esq duely appointed and comissionated to be Judge of the Probate of Wills, and for granting Letters of Admin

On the Estates of person deceased having Goods, Chattel, Rights or Credits in the County of Suffolke within his Ma^tys Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.  To all unto whom these pyents shall come, Greeting.  Know ye that on the Fifteenth day of June in the year of our Lord on thousand Six hundred ninety nine Before me at Dorchester in the County afors^d The Will of Cornelius Fisher Sen. Late of Wrentham in the County husbandman deced to these present annexed was proved, approved and allowed.  Who having while he lived and at the time of his death Goods, Chattels, Rights or Credits in the County afors^d And the Probate of these Will and power of committing – Administration of all and Singular the Goods, Chattels, Rights & Credits of the deceased and also the hearing examining and allowing the ____ of the same, by virthue thereof, of right appertaining unto me The Administration of all and Singular the Goods, Chattels, Rights and Credits the deceased and his Will in any manner concerning was committed unto his two sons Cornelius Fisher and Eleazer Fisher 

Executors in the Will named.  Well and faithfully to administer same, and to dispose thereof according to the Will. And to make a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods, Chattels, Rights and Credits of the deced. And to exhibit the same into the Registry of the Court of Probate for the County afors^d at or before the Fifteenth day of December next ensuing.  Also to render a plain and true ___ of theirs Administration upon Oath in Testimony whereof I have here unto set my hand and the Seal of the Court of Probate Dated at Dorchester afors^d the day and year first above written.

In the name of God amen.  In the year of our Lord one thousand six ninety and nine, the third day of February.  I Cornelius Fisher Sen in the Town of Wrentham in the County of Suffolke in New England Husbandman being aged and _____ in body but sound in my understanding, condiering my mortalitie desire to set my house in order Do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking all forms Wills Improvis I commit my Soul into the hands of Jesus Christ my only mediator and my body to the Grave to be decently buried by my Executors hereafter named.  Item I do give to my dear and wel beloved Wife Sarah Fisher my best bed and furniture sufficient for it for her use during her natural life.  Item I do give to my eldest Son Cornelius Fisher my homestead to wit, my home Lott, pasture and Orchards and Buildings and one halfe of my meadow at pine plain, and all my meadow near the Sawmill and three cow common right in the Common Sand in Wrentham aforesaid  On this condition that he take this for his portion and maintain his mother in Law the whole term of her natural life with what she shall stand in need of for Food, Cloathing and Physick, and what else may be needful, suitable and convenient for an aged person or else pay or cause to be paid to her or her order six pound a year __wit Forty Shillings in money and four pound insuch currant pay as The shall have need of during her life and other ___ to wit, at the choice of my wife Sarah Fisher, and also pay to the rest of my children twenty five pound, Vis To my son Eleazer Fisher five pound; To my Daughter Leah five pound; To my daughter Experience five pound: To my daughter Anna five pound; and To my daughter Sarah five pound, and all this within one year after my Wife decease. Item I give to my Son Eleazer Fisher one halfe of my meadow at pine plaine the prive of it to be discounted in his portion  Item I give to my Son in Law Benjamin Hall my meadow Land at Stoney brooke the price of it alike to be discounted in his portion Further my mind and my Will is that all the rest of my Estate both in Sands and moveables Goods and Chattels be equally divided amongst my children First Eleazer and Sarah and Experience and Anna & Sarah they each of them reckoning or accounting of what they have received in part of their respective portions, First Eleazer Eight pound beside the meadow above named; Anna six pounds, Leah six pounds Experience three pounds, Sarah Seven pounds.  Finally my mind and my Will is that my children agree in love as to the premises and to that end do order, and my mind and Will is that if any of the he or she that unjustly make disturbance or not sit downe in quiet by this my will shall loose the one halfe of his or her part above mentioned and to be divided among the rest  I do nominate and appoint my two sons Cornelius Fisher and Eleazer Fisher to be sole executors and In Confirmation hereof I have set to my hand and seal Cornelius Fisher and a Seal In presence of Jn Ware Robert Ware John Maccal.

In Inventory of the housing and lands, goods & chattels of Cornelius Fisher, Sen. dec’d in Wrentham taken June the 20^th 1699.

This is a rough transcription of his inventory.  Many words I am unable to read.  The total came to £242,,19,,8

His wearing cloaths 4^th his armes & ammunition

His homestead, housing and land, pasture & orchards

His outlands and meadows and common rights

Brass and pewter, linnon, books

Ironware, earthenware and glasses

Spinning wheels and cards  wooden ware

Linnen yarne and flax  Joyner ware

Chairs and cushions ___a remnant of cloth

4 meal sacks 8 grain caprenters tools

Husbandry tools & tacklin   a pigeon net

A barrel of cyder   a cyder mill and press

Cash  Coppers ware  Lumber

Cattle  Bovine

An old pillion

Appraised by John Fairbank, Sam’l Fisher, John Ware

By the Hon^ble William Stoughton Esq. Judge of the probate __Cornelius Fisher and Eleazer Fisher sons and executors of the last will and testament of Cornelius Fisher late of Wrentham husbandman deed exhinited the above written, and made oath that it contains a just and true inventory of the estate of the deceased so far as hath come to their knowledge and that if more hereafter appears they will cause it to be added.

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM ~ she was born 100 years ago

 
Today would have been my Mom’s 100^th birthday
 

I’ve written several posts about my Mom and Dad.  Her mother, Florence Bowden Milne was the genealogist in the family before me.  She, my grandma, left me many wonderful pieces of family information and photographs.

 

Here is a very brief bio of my Mom:

 

Patricia Anne Milne, born 3 Oct 1924, in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan. Her parents were Joseph Albert Milne and Florence Lenora Bowden.  Pat was the fourth and last child born to her parents.  Her siblings were Dorothy Irene Milne (1907-1920), Robert Andrew Milne (1909-1969) and Joan Esther Milne (1915-1985).  All born in Detroit.

 

Being much younger than her siblings and having never met her sister, Dorothy, who died before my Mom was born, Pat grew up spending quite a bit of time to herself.  She inherited a love of books from her mother and spent a lot of time reading.  I’m thankful that gene was passed down to me as well. She and I would pass books back & forth after reading them.  We both love mysteries and history.

 

Pat always loved animals and passed that love to us as well.  

 

My Mom was married twice.  First to Harry Norman Gould 9 Apr 1949 and second to Joseph Edward Cornelius 12 Feb 1971.

She had 3 children – her oldest, John Whitney Zimmerman, then me, then my brother Harry Norman Gould, II.

 
We lost Mom on 12 Mar 2016, at age 91.
 
HAPPY HEAVENLY
BIRTHDAY MOM!
 
 
Her are some pictures of our Mom through the years.

Patricia as a baby, as a 2 yr old in 1926 with her sister, Joan and their mother and on the bench as a 2 yr old 

Left is Pat with her Mom - the other picture has Pat being shy with the camera, standing are Florence Hunter Bowden (her maternal grandmother), Joan, her sister, Susan Gillespie Milne, (her paternal grandmother), and her brother Robert

With her paternal grandmother Susan Gillespie Milne and the smaller girl is her first cousin Betty - the pic on the right standing, her mother, Florence, her maternal grandmother also Florence, here sister Joan and Pat in the front

Pat as a teenager - 14-15 yrs old

School pic on the left about age 14, photo booth photo in the middle and on the right is a picture of Pat when she was about 20 yrs old

1956 celebration of the 50th anniversary of Pat's parents
Left to right - Joseph Milne, Robert Milne, Florence Milne and Pat

3 generation photo - my Mom on the left, me and my grandmother Florence - about 1976

Pat - circa late 1970s

Christmas 2005 in Ramona, CA
L-R - Pat, Myriah, Norm & Joshua Gould, me and Melinda Davies Gould

Here we are, her 3 children, John, me and Norm - this is in 2006 when our half brother John W. Zimmerman came to meet us for the first time.  He had searched for his biological parents for 40 yrs. and finally located me via an old genealogy website.  We had always known he was out there somewhere and were thrilled to meet him.  He had a 10 yr relationship with our Mom before she passed away.

Here's Pat on her 90th birthday - 2014

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2024   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION