Surname Saturday: McLALLIN

My paternal surname,McLALLIN, is interchangeable, spelling-wise, with McCLELLAN and other variations. The meaning appears to be Scottish and Irish. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Mac Gille Fhaolain" (Scottish) and "Mac Giolla Fhaoláin" (Irish), which means "son of the servant of (Saint) Faolá. The pronunciation of "Fhaolain" is similar to the English "Whelan."

This line has been incredibly difficult for me to research for several reasons. Besides the many, many spelling and pronunciation variables, this is my paternal grandmother's biological line. She was an adoptee. Also, early deaths of adults left orphans in the family, and there seems to have been a low literacy rate in this line. As a result, there were no stories, documents, or photos passed down to the present generations.


Stories and History:

Ahnentafel #188 - William McLALLIN (d. bef. 1850) - my earliest known ancestor; he married Rachel [--?--], born about 1797 in Ohio.

Ahnentafel #94 - Levi Edward McLALLIN (c. 1823 - 1882) - probably born in Montgomery Co., New York. He married first to my ancestor, Clarissa Mary CLEVELAND (c. 1832 - 1877), in 1848 in Cottrellville Twp., St. Clair Co., Michigan. They had at least four children: William, Cornelia, Edmund, and Ira. Levi was a farmer and a carpenter, and served in Company C, 27th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. He was promoted to corporal during his service. After Clarissa's death, he married Mary C. FORD (c. 1831 - 1894). Levi died of consumption related to a wartime bullet lodged in his lower chest cavity. His body is supposed to be buried at Chesterfield and Lennox Union Burying Ground, Macomb Co., Michigan; however, inquiries to the cemetery have yielded no record or apparent tombstone.

Ahnentafel #47 - Cornelia McCLELLAN (1856 - 1919) - born in St. Clair, St. Clair Co., Michigan, Cornelia married my ancestor and Civil War veteran, Sylvester FREDENBURG (1844 - 1879), in 1872 in Ridgeway, Lenawee Co., Michigan. Sylvester was a widower with two small daughters. He and Cornelia had three more children: George, Mary Jane, and William. Sylvester died of disease contracted during the war. Cornelia then married another Civil War veteran, Washington Foster JUDD, also known as Charles F. KING (c. 1830 - 1896). They married in 1893 in Lapeer, Lapeer Co., Michigan. After Washington's death, Cornelia's third and final marriage was to Clark CRAWFORD (b. 1854) in 1897 in Leonard, Oakland Co., Michigan. Cornelia was illiterate and poor. She probably had to keep marrying to support herself and her children. She died in Lake Orion, Oakland County of cerebral thrombosis, and was buried in the Orion Cemetery.

Ahnentafel #23 - Mary Jane FREDENBURG (1875 - 1962) - born in Chesterfield Twp., Macomb Co., Michgan. Married four times; her first marriage was to my ancestor, Orlando BARBER (1868 - 1910). She died in Lapeer, Lapeer Co., Michigan (obituary).

Ahnentafel #11 - Mary Jane BARBER (1909 - 1975) - read her AnceStory here. She also married at least four times. I don't have one of her husbands listed in her biography yet. Again, I descend from the first husband, Howard Merkel YORK (1898 - 1945).

Ahnentafel #5 - Jane Marie YORK (a.k.a. Jeanne Marie HOLST) (1924 - 2012) - my paternal grandmother, an adoptee. She was born Jane Marie YORK and her name was changed at adoption. She married Robert Louis ROBBINS (1920 - 2003) in 1940.

Ahnentafel #2 - my father (living)

Ahnentafel # - myself


More About the McLALLIN Family:

1. Online database (I update this at least once a month): McLALLIN and McCLELLAN ancestors and relatives (no info on living persons available)

2. Posts about McLALLIN and McCLELLAN ancestors and relatives on this blog


My McLALLIN Immigration Trail:

Montgomery Co., NY > St. Clair Co., MI > Macomb Co., MI > St. Clair Co., MI > Lapeer Co., MI > Genesee Co., MI > Ottawa Co., MI > Alaska > Stevens Co., WA > Spokane Co., WA

Chasing Clarissa Across the Internet

I always enjoy the time between Christmas and New Years Day. It's a time I always have off from work (I'm a middle school staff member), the pressure and stress of preparing for the Big Day has come and gone, the house is still clean (!), and I feel I can relax without guilt and wallow in genealogy and the Internet simultaneously!

Christmas Night I started out on a hunch to try to find the parents of my brickwall ancestor, Clarissa Mary CLEVELAND (c. 1832 - 1877). I knew from the Civil War Veteran's pension file of her husband, Levi Edward McLALLIN (sometimes spelled McCLELLAN[D]) that they had been married 6 August 1848 in Cottrellville Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. Levi and Clarissa can be found in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census in China Township, St. Clair County along with a woman named Rachel who is probably Levi's mother, and a man named Reuben, likely Levi's brother. I've been poking and prodding at the McLALLIN family tree for sometime now, trying to find out what became of Reuben and a man named William with the same surname that served in the same unit as Levi during the Civil War, and I'm not coming up with much success. Part of the problem is the complication of the surname spelling and variations, even using Soundex searches (Mc vs. Mac or no prefix at all; Cl vs. L or no leading C or L at all [McCALLUM or MELLON]; -n vs.-nd vs. -m). However, I realized that CLEVELAND has a lot less variations, and it was likely Clarissa had parents, siblings, or other relatives living in St. Clair County at that time.

My first search for any CLEVELAND household in St. Clair County in 1850 brought up the China Township household of Wm R. CLEVELAND (b. c. 1795, MA), his presumed wife Lydia (b. c. 1797, NY), and their presumed daughter, Catherine (b. c. 1838, NY). Those of you familiar with the censuses understand that relationships of those in the household to the head of that household are not stated until the 1880 census. Also in this household are John (b. c. 1822) and Ann (b. c.  1823) KELLY and their children Robert (b. c. 1844), David (b. c. 1846), and Sarah (b. c. 1849). All the KELLY family members were born in Canada.

Searching in St. Clair County for CLEVELANDs in 1860 brings up William R. and Lydia CLEVELAND once again in China Township (minus Catherine, who may have been married or deceased by this time). It also finds in the same location the household of Ambrose CLEVELAND, b. c. 1828 in New York, his presumed wife Jane (b. c. 1833, NY), and their presumed children Sylvia (b. c. 1849), William (b. c. 1853), and Margret (b. c. 1857), all born in Michigan. At this point, I'm thinking Ambrose is William and Lydia's son and possibly my Clarissa's brother.

Next, I found William in 1870 in the household of Jacob (b. c. 1834, NY) and Cordelia (b. c. 1839, NY) ALLEN in Casco Township, St. Clair County. Interestingly enough, there is an Ada McCLELLAND (b. c. 1862, MI) also in the household! This is my key...my little bit of evidence that suggests that Clarissa is William and Lydia's daughter!  Why would Clarissa (and Levi)'s (possible) daughter be living with William, Jacob, and Cordelia? Perhaps she was helping out Cordelia with housework, as there are no other children listed. Perhaps Levi and Clarissa were having difficulty feeding all the mouths in their own household. For whatever reason, this census record gives evidence that there is a relationship between this CLEVELAND household and a McCLELLAND household that likely could be--or linked to--my Levi McLALLIN/McCLELLAND and Clarissa CLEVELAND. Also, it appears that Cordelia is another daughter of William and Lydia CLEVELAND.

William does not appear in the 1880 census, so my next stop was FamilySearch's Record Search, in the Michigan Death Records. I looked for both him and Lydia, knowing she probably died between 1860 and 1870 and that Michigan started keeping track of death records in 1867.  I did not find Lydia, but I did find William's death record. He died 17 March 1877 in Chesterfield Township, Macomb County, Michigan. Chesterfield is a location where the two eldest children of Clarissa's daughter, my ancestor Cornelia McLALLIN, were born. His parents are listed as [--?--] CLEVELAND and Sylvia [--?--]. Ambrose CLEVELAND's oldest daughter is named Sylvia. Also, in attempting to find Lydia's death record, I found the death record for Mrs. Cordelia ALLEN (b. c. 1838). She also died in Chesterfield on 2 February 1878, the daughter of William R. and Lydia CLEVELAND.

Further searches at FamilySearch to locate the whereabouts of Ann and John KELLY, Catherine CLEVELAND, and Jacob ALLEN after his wife's death, were futile. I then went to Seeking Michigan and looked up Ambrose CLEVELAND's death certificate, verifying that he was the son of William CLEVELAND and Lydia SHAW. Aha! a maiden name for Lydia at last! Ambrose was born 1 March 1828 in New York and died 10 March 1908 in Riley Center, St. Clair County. Riley Township was the location in which Sylvester FREDENBURG, Clarissa's son-in-law died in 1879.

So far, I've verified that William R. CLEVELAND and Lydia SHAW had at several children, Ambrose (b. 1828), Catherine (b. c. 1838), and Cordelia (b. c.1839). It's possible that Catherine and Cordelia are one and the same person. Ann KELLY is another possible daughter, and Ada McCLELLAND may be a granddaughter. This CLEVELAND family lived in locations that mirror those of my McLALLIN family and their descendants.

So where can I go with this? I've already searched through online versions of the history of the CLEVELAND family and so far can't place William definitely in any of the family groups listed within those volumes. I did find another researcher on a message board who is researching "William Riley CLEVELAND and Lydia SHAW, " who has information on two more daughters; Lucretia, b. 1818, and Sylvia, b. 1824. Both were born near Troy, New York. Lucretia married Stephen PARTLOW, possibly in Rensselaer County, New York, and Sylvia married John PARTLOW. The latter couple went to Wisconsin. I will be contacting this researcher and perhaps we can put our skills and resources together to find out more about this family group.

What offline resources can I check out? A probate record of William R. CLEVELAND could tie in my Clarissa as a daughter of his, although it's possible it might not. He died in March 1877 and she died in September of that same year. I should find the marriage records of Ambrose and his wife Jane, and Cordelia and her husband Jacob, to see if Clarissa appears as a witness on them. I should also reexamine my McLALLIN records to see if any of the individuals or surnames mentioned above appear in any of their documents. I'll be checking the Family History Library Catalog for microfilms of the records I need and order them to my local Family History Center.

While I don't have solid evidence that William and Lydia are my Clarissa's parents, my theory is still a strong one and I'll continue to pursue these leads until I am certain they either are or are not!

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 27 Feb and 28 Apr 1866

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets.

[In upper left hand corner, partially illegible because page corner was folded over before being photocopied]
April 30/66
[initialed] f

[In upper right hand corner]
Detroit
62957

WAR OF 1861.
ACT JULY 14, 1862

Brief in case of Levi E McLallin Copl of Company C, 27 Regiment Mich vol.

POST OFFICE ADDRESS OF APPLICANT:

New Haven Macomb Co Michigan
Enlisted Oct 22, 1862, Discharged Jany 20, 1865.

CLAIM FOR AN INVALID PENSION.
DECLARATION AND IDENTIFICATION IN DUE FORM.
PROOF EXHIBITED.

[illegible] disability--Gun shot wound entering cavity of chest--also by a piece of shell in right side [illegible] ribs--May 12 64

Off for [illegible] that he received his wound when in the line of duty at Battle of Spotsylvania May 12 64

Dr Stockwell reps Feby 6 66 3/4 disability--from gun shot wounds of chest

Admitted April 28, 1866, to a Pension of $6.00 per month, commencing Jany 25, 1865 Feby 27--66

Disability 2/4 Disabled by Gun shot wound chest

Claimant
New Haven
Michigan
Name and Residence of Agent

Examining Clerk.
[signed] A Johnson

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 27 Feb and 28 Apr 1866 - Jacket

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets.

[This is the jacket for the next document, which will be featured next week.]

No. 103,729

ACT OF JULY 14, 1862.
WAR OF 1861

Vol. 3, page [blank]
Levi E. McLallin
New Haven
Macomb Co. Mich
Pri Co C 27 Mich Vol
Corp
Discharged Jan 20, 1865.
Admitted [?] $6.00
April 28--66
[signed] A Johnson

[signed] Joseph H. Barrett
Commissioner.

Received, Feb 27, 1866
Claimant
[blank]
Attorney.

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 7 Feb 1866

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets.

[obverse]

State of Michigan}
County of St Clair.} S.S.

On this 7th day of February AD1866 personally appeared before me Geo F. Collins Clerk of the Circuit Court for said county Levi E. McLalin aged forty-four years, a resident of New Haven Macomb County Michigan, who being duly sworn according to law declares that he is the identical Levi E. McLalin who enlisted in the service of the United States at St Clair Mich on the 22d day of October 1862, as a private in company "C" commanded by Frederick Meyers Captain, in the 27th Regiment of Michigan Infantry Voltrs in the war of 1861, and was honorably discharged on the 20th day of January 1865; that while in the service aforesaid, and in the line of his duty he received a gun-shot wound in the right breast, and a fracture in the right side of the body caused by shell, or grape-shot, both of which wounds were received while said soldier was ona charge with his regiment, at the Battle of Spottsylvania Va, on the 12th day of May 1864.; that applicant has resided in St Clair Mich since his discharge, until a short time since when he removed to New Haven Macomb Co Mich, that he has been unable since leaving the service to carry on any cocupation, except at times to act as a teamster.

My Post Office Address is New Haven

Macomb County Michigan

[signed] Levi E McLallin


[reverse]

Also appeared Geo H. Hammond and John L.McKinch residents of St Clair Mich persons whom I certify to be respectable and entitled to credit, and who being by me duly sworn say that they were present and saw Levi E. McLallin sign his name to the foregoing declaration; and they further swear that they have every reason to believe from the appearance of the applicant, and their acquaintance with him that he is the identical person he represents himself to be; and they further swear that they have no interest in the prosecution of this claim.
[signed] Geo H Hammond
[signed] John L. McKinch

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 7th day of February AD1866. And I certify that I have no interest in the prosecution of this claim, direct or indirect.
[signed] Geo F. Collins
Clerk

[embossed seal affixed to document - illegible]


[jacket]

Invalid Pension Claim
Act July 14 1862.

Levi E. McLallin.
a private of Co "C" 27th
Reg't Michigan vol Inf'ty.
---
Declaration & Proofs
---

[stamp]
DEPARTMENT
OF THE
INTERIOR
Feb 27 1866

[signed] T. C. Owen
Atty
St Clair
Michigan
PENSION OFFICE

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 6 Feb 1866

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets.

Examining Surgeon's Certificate

----------------

Applicant's Service.
I hereby Certify, That I have carefully examined Levi E. McLallin, late a Corporal in Co C of the 27th Regiment Mich. Vol. Inf. in the service of the United States, who was discharged at Petersburg Va on the 20 day of January 1862, and is an applicant for an invalid pension, by reason of alleged disability resulting from Gun Shot Wound of right Lung.

Degree of disability.
In my opinion the said Levi E. McLallin is three fourths 3/4 incapacitated for obtaining his subsistence by manual labor from the cause above stated.

Origin.
Judging from his present condition, and from the evidence before me, it is my belief that the said disability occured [sic] in the service aforesaid in the line of duty.

Probable duration.
The disability is Permanent.

A more particular description of the applicant's condition is subjoined:

Particular description.
The wound was received from ball entering the right lung just above the nipple & passing through backward diagonally but not passing out. The lung is extensively solidified as also is the right lobe of the liver. Two floating ribs, of same side he states were broken by an injury received while being conveyed from the field--One still presents considerable deformitys [sic]

[signed] C. M. Stockwell
Examining Surgeon

not Ordered

Residence
New Haven
Macomb Co
Mich

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 3 Feb Jan 1865

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. The transcriptions will not be posted in date order, but by transcribing and then filing the documents, I hope to order the entire file. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets.

[obverse]

Examining Surgeon's Certificate
------

Port Huron February 3rd 1865

Applicant's Service.
I hereby Certify, That I have carefully examined Levi E McLallin, late a Corporal in Co 'C' of the 27th Regiment Mich. Inf. Vol. in the service of the United States, who was discharged at Petersburg Va, on the 20th day of January, 1865, and is an applicant for an invalid pension, by reason of alleged disability resulting from Gun Shot Wound of lung & liver w/fracture of ribs.

Degree of disabililty.
In my opinion the said Levi E McLallin is three fourths incapacitated for obtaining his subsistence by manual labor from the cause above stated.

Origin.
Judging from his present condition, and from the evidence before me, it is my belief that the said disability occurred in the service aforesaid in the line of duty.

Probable duration.
The disability is permanent although will be much reduced in time.

A more particular description of the applicant's condition is subjoined.

Particular condition.
The ribs were broken by a concussion of a piece of shell & being the last head[?] never united properly. The ball entered just above the right nipple apparently passing obliquely downwards wounding lung & liver & probably lodging in the [illegible] organ producing considerable increase in size & is yet very tender.

[signed] C M Stockwell
Examining Surgeon

Paid

[reverse]

[stamped]
DEPARTMENT
OF THE
INTERIOR
Feb 9 1865
PENSION OFFICE

L E McLallin
Lung [illegible]

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 20 Jan 1865 - Reverse

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. The transcriptions will not be posted in date order, but by transcribing and then filing the documents, I hope to order the entire file. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets. The following is the reverse (back) of the document of 20 January 1865.

CERTIFICATE OF DISABILITY FOR DISCHARGE

IN THE CASE OF

Levi E McLallin a Corporal of Co. "C" Twentyseventh Reg't of Michigan Infty.

HdQrs 27 Mich Vols
January 14, 1864
Respectfully forwarded
Approved
[signed] Chas Waite
Lt Co Comdg
D.B.3.

Head Quarters First Brig. First Div.9th AC
Jan 15, 1865
Respectfully forwarded Approved
[signed] Sam Harriman
Col. Comdg Brig.
Received (A. G. Office) [blank], 186[blank]

(267.4)
Hd Qrs 1st Div. 9th A.C.
January 17th 1865
Respectfully forwarded
[signed] [illegible]
[illegible] Maj. Genl Comdg

Head Qurs., 9th A.C.
M. D. O., Jan. 18, '65
Approved
[illegible] Taylor
[illegible rank]
Surg. U.S. A.
Med. Div.

[The above was covered with the following stamped text. There is a second stamp also, the only text I can make out being "...of the ...ter...10..."]
Adjutant Generals' Office,
Feb 9 1865
Duplicate for the Pension Office
[signed] Sam.l [illegible]
Asst. Adjt. Genl

Head Qrs 9th A.C.
Jan 18th 1865
To be Discharge
By Command of
Maj Gen B Parke
[signed] Chas. Eulicellom [?]
Asst. Adjt Genl

NOTE 1.

The company commander will here add a statement of all the facts known to him concerning the disease or wound, or cause of disability of the soldier; the time, place, manner, and all the circumstances under which the injury occurred, or disease originated or appeared; the duty, or service, or situation of the soldier at the time the injury was received or disease contracted, stating particularly whether the injury was received or the disease contracted in the line of his duty; and whether other facts may aid a judgment as to the cause, immediate or remote, of the disability, and the circumstances attending it.

When the facts are not known to the company commander, the certificate of any officer, or affidavit of other person having such knowledge, will be appended--as the surgeon in charge of a hospital, the officer commanding a detachment of recruits, &c., &c.

NOTE 2.

When a probable case for pension, special care must be taken to state the degree of disability-- as 1/2, 1/3, &c., &c.; to describe particularly the disability, wound, or disease the extent of which it deprives him of the use of any limb or faculty, or affects his health, strength, activity, constitution, or capacity to labor or earn his subsistence. The surgeon will add, from his knowledge of the facts and circumstances, and from the evidence in the case, his professional opinion of the cause or origin of the disability. In the case of discharges by Medical Inspectors, the last paragraph will state that the "discharge was given by consent of the soldier, after a personal examination, and for disability, the nature, degree, and origin of which are correctly described in the within certificate."

Par. 1260 Regulations, Edit. 1861.

Medical officers, in giving certificates of disability, are to take particular care in all cases that have not been under their charge; and especially in epilepsy, convulsions, chronic rheumatism, derangement of the urinary organs, ophthalmia, ulcers, or any obscure disease liable to be feigned or purposely produced; and in no case shall such certificate be given until after sufficient time and examination to detect any attempt at deception.

DIRECTIONS.

This certificate will be made out in duplicate by the soldier's company commander, or other officer commanding the separate detachment to which he belongs, and sent by him to the surgeon who has charge of the hospital where the soldier is sick. The surgeon will then fill out and sign the surgeon's certificate, and forward these papers to the regimental, detachment, or post commander, who will forward them, with his action endorsed thereon, through the proper channel, to his division commander; or, if the troops are not attached to a division, to his corps, department, or other commander or officer to whom the authority to discharge enlisted men may be specially delegated.

These certificates, after having received the action of the highest authority to which they are required to be sent, will be returned through the same channel to the regimental, post, or detachment commander, who will, if the discharge is authorized by the endorsement of the proper authority, sign the soldier's discharge, and the last certificate on this paper; see that the soldier is furnished with the proper final statements in duplicate, and forward BOTH of these certificates direct to the Adjutant General United States Army at Washington, D. C.; they will not, under any circumstances, be given into the hands of the soldier.

Pension File of Levi Edward McLALLIN - 20 Jan 1865 - Obverse

I thought I'd join John Newmark of Transylvanian Dutch in his Amanuensis Monday. I have been needing to transcribe the pension file of my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi Edward McLALLIN. The transcriptions will not be posted in date order, but by transcribing and then filing the documents, I hope to order the entire file. Any of my notations within this transcription are both italicized and in brackets. The following is the obverse (front) of the document of 20 January 1865.

ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
CERTIFICATE
OF DISABILITY FOR DISCHARGE

Corporal Levi E. McLallin, of Captain Fredrick Meyers Company, (C) of the 27th Michigan Regiment of the United States was enlisted by [?] Mon of the Twentyseventh Regiment of Michigan Infty at St Clair Michigan on the Twentyfour day of October, 1862, to serve 3 years; he was born in Kingston in the State of New York, is Thirty nine years of age, Five feet Eight inches high; Light complexion, Grey eyes, Light hair, and by occupation when enlisted a Farmer[.] During the last two months said soldier has been unfit for duty 11 days.* He received His wound in the right Brest while in line of Duty, at the Battle of Spotsylvania, Va May 12th 1864[.] His conduct as a Soldier was always good[.]

STATION: New Petersburg
DATE: Jany 14th 1865

[signed] James Moynahan
2nd Lieut
Commanding Company

_________________

I CERTIFY, that I have carefully examined the said Levi E. McLallin of Captain Fredrick Meyers Company, and find him incapable of performing the duties of a soldier because of †Wound recd May 12th '64 at Spottsylvania. Minnie ball entered cavity of chest through rt nipple, causing by its presence considerable irritation. Was at same time struck on rt side by a piece of shell fracturing two or three ribs. They are not united. Is unable to wear equipments. Disability 1/2. Not fit for Transfer to V.R.C.

[signed] Wm. Ingalls
59th MassV.V. Surgeon
Prest. Med. Ex. Board-

_________________

DISCHARGED, this 20th day of January, 1865, at or near Petersburg Va.

[signed] Chas Thaite [?]
Lt[.,] Co[.] C
Commanding the Reg't.

The Soldier desires to be addressed at
Town St Clair County St Clair State Mich
*See Note 1 on the back of this. †See Note 2 on the back of this.

[A. G. O. No. 100 & 101--First.]

[DUPLICATES.]

Miriam's note: the birthplace of Kingston, New York is different from the birthplace of Montgomery County, New York, given elsewhere in this pension file by Levi himself.

Friday Findings: McLALLIN Pension Record (Again)

Hands down, my biggest find this week was receiving the 72-page Civil War Veteran's Pension Application for my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi E. McLALLIN. In an earlier post, I spelled his surname "McCLELLAN," but his signature on many of the documents has established for me that this was the way he personally spelled it!

What a treasure trove! First, I was amazed at the speed at which I received it, having ordered it December 26th online from the National Archives and having it arrive in my mailbox on January 19th! I have had experience with four other direct ancestors' pension files, so I knew what to expect for the most part, but also understood that some information I was seeking might not be forthcoming. There was such a nice amount of details given in this file that I was not too disappointed not to find anyone with the surname of CLEVELAND as a witness, hoping to find a quick connection for Levi's first wife--my ancestor--Clarissa Mary CLEVELAND.

Here are the highlights of new information I discovered for this man who is one of my brick walls after visually scanning through the record twice (my first phase of analysis):

1. His full name was Levi Edward McLALLIN; this, from only one document, created after his death by the family physician, Dr. A. THUERIER, who along with another family physician, Dr. Myron BATES, have become some of my genealogical angels due to the obscure yet vital details they left behind in this file!

2. He was born in Montgomery County, New York (unfortunately, no complete birthdate was given, so it still stands at "c. 1823").

3. He married my ancestor, Clarissa Mary CLEVELAND, on 6 August 1848 in Cottrellville Twp., St. Clair Co., Michigan. From a sworn statement by the county clerk in 1885, who testified that the Justice of the Peace whose name appears on Levi and Clarissa's marriage certificate was indeed a serving in that county at the time, I discovered that the marriage record was never entered in the St. Clair County libers. A photocopy of the original marriage certificate is in this pension file!

4. While the majority of Levi and Clarissa's children, including my ancestor Cornelia McCLELLAN (this is how her name is normally spelled in documents), are not mentioned in the file, it does list the youngest child of Levi and Clarissa--Ira--quite frequently, since after Levi's death, financial support was needed to raise this minor child. Ira's full birthdate and place are given: 29 June 1870 in New Haven Twp., Macomb Co., Michigan. This information was given by Dr. BATES, who delivered Ira.

5. Clarissa died 17 September 1877 of consumption, and although the location is not given, there is inference it was in New Haven Township. Again, this information supplied by the wonderful Dr. BATES, who treated her for her consumption for about two years prior to her death.

6. I already knew that Levi had married a widow, Mary C. (FORD) COREY, but I discovered her birthplace: Orange County, New York. Old information: she was born c. 1831 and they married 16 December 1877 in New Haven Township.

7. Throughout the documents there were many different addresses (city and rural) given for Levi which helped me understand why he's been so hard to track. He and his family just moved around a lot. I'm still within the second phase of my analysis of sorting the documents in chronological order to determine the timeline of his residences.

8. While certainly not a highlight for poor Levi, I discovered why he qualified for a pension: he was 75% disabled due to a gunshot wound in his right chest sustained at Spotsylvania, Virginia on 12 May 1864. The ball never exited the body and was believed to be lodged in his lower lung or in his liver. This pension file is large because he requested numerous times for an increase in his pension. He was unable to work at his regular occupations of farmer and carpenter due to his disability, but occasionally worked as a teamster.

9. He was 5' 11" and his weight varied from 160 to 175 pounds, depending upon the documents and timeframe. He had a light complexion, light eyes and dark hair.

9. He died 6 March 1882 in Hamtramck, Wayne Co., Michigan (his death is not listed in the state death records found at FamilySearch Record Search).

10. He was buried 8 March 1882 in Chesterfield and Lennox Union Burying Ground in Macomb Co., Michigan. I believe this is probably now known as Hart Cemetery, also known as Chesterfield Union Cemetery.

11. His widow, Mary C. (FORD) COREY McLALLIN, died 11 February 1894. I've since been able to find her record at FamilySearch Record Search, but while the index information gives me her death location (Mt. Clemens, Macomb County), it does not list her parents' names (they were probably not given). The image given for the record is the first page only.

There are many names of witnesses that I need to research, so this will keep me busy for some time!

Other research reports for this past week include a couple of lookup requests (one for Kent County, Michigan; the other for Newaygo County), finding Sylvester FREDENBURG's grave location at Find A Grave's listing for Powell Cemetery in Romeo, Macomb Co., Michigan (Sylvester was the above Levi's son-in-law); receiving e-mails from a woman related to one of my great-grandaunts by marriage inquiring into the ABBEY family; and a descendant of the CHRISTIAN branch of MIDKIFF family trying to confirm names of children in that family group. I also heard from a HOLST descendant whose grandfather was the brother of my adoptive great-grandfather, Alfred Henry HOLST. Last, but not least, my dad sent me some more photos of his mother as a teen with her adoptive family members, including her dad, the aforementioned Alfred HOLST.

Friday Findings: McCLELLAN Pension Record, E-mails, Atlas Project, BORCHERS

I ordered the Civil War Pension Record for my 4th-great-grandfather, Levi E. McCLELLAN (McLELLAN, McLALLIN, etc.). That along with subscriptions for Internet Genealogy (renewal) and Discovering Family History (new) were some of my Christmas gifts this year.

On Saturday, I e-mailed the VALK and LEWIS cousins that had left comments in my website's guestbook a couple of weeks ago. I also went through my Juno email inbox (nearly 900 messages), deleted all the junk and forwarded the good e-mails to my Gmail inbox. I used to use Juno for many years, and keep this freebie account open for those times when a distant relative or other researcher comes across a query I left on a message board with the old address. One of the messages was the following:

I have been searching for over 5 yrs. for a missing link, my Gr. Grandfather Lewis Harding. I knew his name, his wife’s name, when he was born, where he is buried and I knew that he came to Michigan when he was 2 yrs. old. I spent some time on looking at the Atlas Project, did a search and found him in the biography of George M. Campbell. Thank you so much for your Atlas Project. I not only found Lewis Harding’s parents, but also his sisters and brother. I have an old album that belonged to my grandparents, M.C. and Matilda Harding that has pictures of several of the people named in the Atlas Project. I knew they were relatives, but I didn’t know their connection and thanks to you now I do. I am thrilled to get this information that I have been seeking for so long.

Thank you again.

As you can imagine, this made my day! I haven't worked on the Atlas Project in a couple of years so it's nice to know that the information I put on it has helped someone. Here's another person I need to contact to see if she would be willing to add her photographs to the website for the benefit of others.

I heard back from my LEWIS cousin we are collaborating. I have the information she needs on the earlier, older generations and she has information I've been wanting on the more recent ones--info I couldn't access because of restrictions to current vital records. I also sent her quite a few ancestral and gravestone photos. I'm very excited to find how easy it is to find things and send them to others using my new filing system for documents, photos, and research notes.

Speaking of which, I spent a lot of time this week organizing digital files, answering a backlog of emails, and even got some scanning done. My dad loaned me the funeral book of my paternal grandmother's adoptive father, Alfred Henry HOLST. There are lots of gems inside: obituaries, signatures of nearly everyone in town (including other relatives), and pages where relatives are specifically listed. One of the list of relatives had some unfamiliar names on it. I remembered that I had discovered that Alfred's father, John, had a sister that had also immigrated from Germany; this was from John's FBI Case File, which I found at Footnote. His sister was listed as Mrs. Anna M. BORCHERS, so using Ancestry and FamilySearch Record Search, I was able to piece together her family and identify the individuals by the same surname listed in the funeral book: Anna's sons and Alfred's cousins. Doing research on this family uncovered that Anna and her husband Claus immigrated from Germany in 1874, so when John and his wife and infant son Alfred immigrated in 1882, it was obvious that they were joining his sister and brother-in-law. I love how putting pieces of the puzzle (facts) together gives a larger, deeper look into the family history!

Lastly, I happened to go to the Zeeland (Netherlands) Provincial Archives website and saw that they had added birth records, which they were lacking before. I've been able to add quite a few details and family members to my TON and VanKLINKEN lines.

Friday Findings: VALK, LEWIS, McCLELLAN, Markham Twp Ancestry

I haven't done a Friday Findings post in a while, and as I'm slowly returning to posting more of my regular "columns", I thought I'd start here. Friday Findings is a feature I started last summer to record my weekly research finds and cousin connections. I hope to do a better job of keeping up with this. This post covers the past two weeks.

LEWIS and VALK
Last week, I had two cousins leave comments on the guestbook at my family history website, also named AnceStories. I'm delighted to hear from them, and need to take the time to compose thoughtful, comprehensive e-mails as responses.

McCLELLAN
I have spent a lot of my online research time during the past two weeks trying to find as much as possible about one of my brick wall ancestors, Levi E. McCLELLAN (or McLELLAN). The Michigan vital records at FamilySearch Record Search helped me to determine that he was indeed married twice, and not just once. Confusion came about because both wives had similar names. His first wife, my ancestor Clarissa Mary (or Mary Clarissa) CLEVELAND, was born c. 1832 in New York state. She last appears on the 1870 Federal Census with him and the children, William, Cornelia (my 3rd-great-grandmother), and Edwin in New Haven Village, Macomb Co., Michigan. In 1880, Levi is living with wife Mary C. FORD, along with a 10-year-old son Ira, and two step-children in Detroit. Finding son Ira's marriage record, also at FamilySearch Record Search proved that he was Clarissa's son and not Mary's. Mary appears in the 1890 Veteran's Census as a widow of two veterans, Levi being one of them. So Levi died sometime between 1880 (when he appears in both the Federal Census in Detroit and the 1880 Detroit City Directory) and 1890. The 1850 Federal Census gives me a possible mother, brother, and niece for Levi. I've decided to spend my Christmas money on obtaining Levi's Civil War Veteran's pension record from the National Archives to see what genealogical gems I can glean from it.

Markham Twp., York Co., Ontario Ancestry
Janet Iles was kind enough to let me consult her regarding what Markham Township records are available so that I can try to knock down some other brick wall lines, my WILKINSON and either TERRY or LAMONEAUX lines. I'm hoping to find the marriage record of Richard WILKINSON and his wife Mary, who seems to have two surnames (TERRY and LAMONEAUX).

A Civil War Soldier: Cpl. Levi Edward McLALLIN (c. 1823 - 1882)

How Related: My 4th-great-grandfather

Born: c. 1823 in Montgomery Co., NY

Parents: father's name unknown; mother is probably Rachel [--?--] (b. c. 1797 in Ohio) who lived with him in 1850

Siblings: possibly include William J. McClellan (1822 - 1881) who also served in the same company and regiment, and Reuben (b. c. 1822 in Ohio)

Married: 1) 6 Aug 1848 in Cottrellville Twp., St. Clair Co., Michigan to Clarissa CLEVELAND (b. c. 1832 - d. 1877); 2) 16 December 1877 in New Haven Twp., Macomb Co., Michigan to Mary C. (FORD) COREY (b. c. 1831, New York)

Children: known children include: William (b. c. 1855), Cornelia (1856 - 1916) - my ancestor, Edmund McCLELLAN (b. c. 1863) and Ira McCLELLAN (1870 - 1939) - all with first wife Clarissa; and stepchildren Martha A. MILLER (b. c. 1864) and George A. COREY (b. c. 1866), children of Mary

---

Source: Civil War Pension Index Card of Levi E. McLallin. Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900. National Archives and Records Administration. Publication T289. Digital image purchased at Footnote [http://www.footnote.com/].

Enlisted: 24 October 1862 in St. Clair, St. Clair Co., Michigan; private. Enlisted 11 November 1862 in Co. C, 27th Michigan Infantry. Promoted to full corporal 18 July 1863.

Side served: Union

Discharged: due to disability on 21 January 1865 at Petersburg, Virginia

---

Biography or Information of Interest: This man has been very difficult to research because McCLELLAN can be spelled so many different ways, and when I've found them on censuses, all the names and ages of the children are always a bit "off." He is a recently discovered ancestor, so I have a lot to learn about him, and he and his family have provided me with many research challenges. Levi served in same company as William J. McCLELLAN, who may have been his brother. He also served in the same regiment (but different company) as William Lee MASSEY. Levi's great-grandaughter, Mary Jane BARBER, married William's great-grand-nephew, Howard Merkel YORK 45 years after the end of the Civil War. They were my great-grandparents. Levi's daughter, Cornelia, was married to two different Civil War veterans, who have already been listed in this series: Sylvester FREDENBURG and Washington Foster JUDD.

Died: 6 Mar 1882 in Hamtramck, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, from consumption as a result of a gunshot wound to his chest while serving in the war

Buried: 8 Mar 1882 in the Chesterfield and Lennox Union Burying Ground, Macomb Co., Michigan

A Civil War Sailor: Boatswain's Mate Washington Foster JUDD (c. 1832 - 1896)

Signature of William Foster Judd, a.k.a. Charles F. King, from Civil War Veteran's Widow Pension Application of Cornelia (McClellan) Fredenburg Judd Crawford.

How Related: Second husband of my 3rd-great-grandmother, Cornelia McCLELLAN

Born: c. 1832 in New York (probably in Madison County)

Parents: Franklin Foster JUDD (c. 1797 - aft. 1880) and Julia BURLINGUETTE (c. 1797 - 1878/80)

Siblings: known siblings include John (b. c. 1835), Charity (b. c. 1839), and Abigail JUDD (b. c. 1841), and possibly a sister named Harriet (b. c. 1821)

Married: Celis RABAR (d. aft. 1873) in February 1854 at a Catholic Church in Chatham, Kent Co., Ontario, Canada. He divorced her 11 December 1873 in Lapeer, Lapeer Co., Michigan on the grounds of desertion. Married widow Cornelia (McCLELLAN) FREDENBURG (my ancestor) on 18 May 1893 in Lapeer.

Children: With his first wife, Washington had two daughters: Elvira C. (b. 1854) and Rosa JUDD (b. 1857).

---

Source: Navy Survivors' Certificate of Washington F. Judd, alias Charles F. King. Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Civil War and Later Navy Veterans (Navy Survivors' Certificates), 1861-1910. National Archives and Records Administration. Publication M1469. Certificate Number 16826. Pages 1 - 3. Digital image purchased at Footnote [http://www.footnote.com/].

Enlisted: 15 September 1861 at Buffalo, Erie Co., New York

Side served: Union

Ship: U.S.S. Signal

Discharged: 29 July 1863 at Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee

---



Source: U.S.S. Signal on the Western Rivers, 1863-64. Digital image found at Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Signal_%281862%29]. Photo in the public domain. Photo number NH49977.

Biography or Information of Interest: Before I obtained the pension record of my 3rd-great-grandfather, Sylvester FREDENBURG, I did not know that his wife, my ancestor, Cornelia McCLELLAN, married twice after his death. Thus, I had not known about Washington Foster JUDD. Sylvester's and Washington's pension applications were combined, as both were applied for by Cornelia after their respective deaths. While there were not many documents about Washington, what existed has given me great details of the events in his life. For instance, I learned that he was 5' 8" tall, with light hair and complexion, and blue eyes. There was no hint, however, of why he used an alias during the war, although he was not the only one between my husband's and my families to do so. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Signal, which, as a gunboat, served as a convoy escort. On 12 December 1862, the U.S.S. Cairo encountered a mine while attempting to clear the river of these dangers (the Signal and another ship had already discovered these mines while patrolling), and sank in 12 minutes. While assisting the crew of the Cairo to safety (all survived), Washington slipped and fell, rupturing his right side. He was treated by the surgeon of the flag ship of the convoy. By 1890, at age 58, his physician testified that he was still suffering from the rupture, as well as from chronic diarrhea, heart disease, and lumbago. Like many who survived the war only to suffer for years afterward, he died of the dehydrating effects of diarrhea. Washington was fortunate that he was discharged when he was; his ship was later burned by the Confederates and the crew held as prisoners of war at Camp Ford near Tyler, Smith Co., Texas.

Died: of chronic diarrhea on 23 May 1896 in Arcadia, Lapeer Co., Michigan

Buried: unknown, possibly in Arcadia Township Cemetery, Lapeer Co., Michigan?

Found! - Cornelia McCLELLAN in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census

Perseverance pays off. Sometimes, boredom does, too. Some of you know that I've been home all week with a nasty case of laryngitis; since I teach, I'm pretty much useless at work. I'm not feeling too badly; just a little fatigued, and mostly bored. So I've spent a lot of time on the computer the last few days.

At loooooooooong last, I've found my 3rd-great-grandmother on a census prior to 1880. Cornelia McCLELLAN appears with her parents and two younger brothers in the 1870 U.S. Federal Census in New Haven Village, Armada Township, Macomb County, Michigan. It took some tricky searches to find them, as her father is enumerated as "Levy MACLALLEN." Cornelia herself was indexed as "Amelia" and her mother as "Charissa." Thank goodness for Ancestry's "correct an error" feature for census records! I sent in the correct and alternate spellings for all three.

I still can't find these people in 1860, although I have done many rigorous searches late last night and early this morning. A search in the 1880 census for the other family members (I already had Cornelia's enumeration for that one), gave me a possibility for Levi in Detroit, with a possible second wife (Mary C.), new son (Ira, age 10), and step-son (George, age 14). This Levi matches in approximate birth year, birth place, and occupation (carpenter) my Levi of 1870. Clarissa and Edmund (probably both deceased) are nowhere to be found. There are several possibilities for William in the state.

The 1900 census does not enumerate Levi, or at least, I haven't found him. I did find an Ira whose birth year and birthplace match, residing in Washington Twp., Macomb County. His occupation is a (stove/steve/? joiner). Joiners and carpenters are pretty much the same occupation, and if this Ira is Levi's son, above, it's possible he learned the trade from his father.

Any of you who've done this for a while understand what I'm talking about when I say there are certain families that you can trace all the way back to the ship, with plenty of supporting documents; and then there are those that make you want to bang your head on the wall (like this family)! However frustrating the latter are, they are the ones I learn from the most. I learn to use alternate spellings, think creatively, analyze, organize my information, and simply to persevere. And these are the ones that make genealogy so interesting and rewarding!

Online Research Form

As I blogged in my New Year's Resolutions, I have wanted to keep better track of my online research and search results. When using online databases, it's so easy to lose track of exactly what you searched for, especially when refining your searches to adjust for name spellings, locations, ages, etc.

I created an Online Research Form to help me document my research a little more carefully and efficiently (hopefully, no more repeating searches with the same parameters). A sample of what I have done is shown below, and you can also view a full-size version of it here (use the magnifying class icon above the image to zoom in).



The purpose of this particular search is to find my 3rd-great-grandmother, Cornelia McCLELLAND on the 1860 U.S. Federal Census. This woman has been extremely troublesome to find in many records. I believe the main reason for this is that she was illiterate - she signed her name with an "X" on all the paperwork in the Widow's Applications for the pensions of her two Civil War veteran husbands. She may simply have had very little schooling, and by not being able to write down dates, had nothing to rely on except her memory. Every record in which she (or a relative) states her birthdate or her children's birthdates seems to never coincide with any of the others. The most consistent records indicate she was born in late 1856 or in 1857, in St. Clair, St. Clair Co., Michigan. I finally discovered her parents' names on one of her marriage records (she was married three times): Levi McCLELLAN and Clarissa CLEVELAND.

Some of the many spelling possibilities I've come up with for this family's surname are: McCLELLAN, McCLELLAND, McCLELAN, McCLELAND, McLELLAN, McLELLAND, McLELAN, and McLELAND. Now change the "Mc" to "Mac" and you have eight more spellings! Another possibility is "M'." I could also remove the "M'/Mc/Mac" altogether. I could change the letter "a" to any other vowel, including "y," and still get the same pronunciation. The "e" could also be changed to another vowel.

In addition, CLEVELAND could be spelled with or without the final "D," with a variety of vowels in the last syllable, and a variety of spellings (CLEAVE- CLEEV-, CLEFE-, etc.) in the first syllable.

Levi can be a mis-transcription of Lewis; Clarissa could be Clara, Clare, or Clair, not to mention Rissa, or LaRissa. Cornelia could be Cordelia, Corrie, Connie, Nell(ie), Delia, or mis-transcribed as a male, Cornelius.

Soundex searches can be extremely valuable, but wouldn't work in differentiating between McCLELLAN and CLELLAN. I'd have to search both. You can see for all these variations, I definitely need to keep track of what I am searching for! By listing every search I make for this family, I can make sure I've covered all the bases. I can also double-check previous searches when I get a brainstorm for a new spelling or nickname...or an idea of a different location they may have resided in.

If you would like a copy of this Online Research Form, drop me an e-mail at kidmiff@gmail.com. I will send it to you in a Word Document. It is set up in landscape view, and you may need to adjust your printer margins for it to print properly. I hope to eventually make this available online using Google Documents or Adobe, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet!

My Genealogy Gift List: Victoria's Secret? Never!

The other day, my 16-year-old daughter and I were watching television together when a commercial for Victoria's Secret aired during the break. The gist of the message was "every woman wants Victoria's Secret for the holidays." I rolled my eyes and said to Missy, "Not this woman. Give me death certificates or census records any day!"

As I thought it over, I realized that there were actually a few Secrets I'd like, none of them having to do with women named Victoria, however. For instance, there's Mariah Emily DAILEY and her daughter, Emma Alice LYTON, my children's father's 2nd-great- and great-grandmothers, respectively. Just exactly where were they when the 1880 Federal Census was being taken? They should have been in Iowa, specifically in Thurman, Freman County. Mariah's first husband, George TURK, assumed the name Henry LYTON, and immigrated to the U.S. from Ontario to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. After his death, Mariah married German immigrant John KLINDER in 1875. By 1880, Mariah and John had two children, Nancy Florence and Laura Luella, as well as Emma and Agnes LYTON from her marriage to Henry. Mariah's Secret or Emma's Secret would be great gifts for Christmas!

And in my own ancestry, I have yet to figure out Mary Jane's Secret...Mary Jane FREDENBURG, that is. My 2nd-great-grandmother was 8 years old in 1880, yet she and her six-year-old brother, George Franklin FREDENBURG, are missing from the Greenwood Township, St. Clair County, Michigan home of her widowed mother Cornelia (McCLELLAN) FREDENBURG, younger brother William Anthony FREDENBURG (age 3 1/2), older half-sister Sarah E. FREDENBURG (12) and paternal grandparents Anthony and Hannah (FOX) FREDENBURG. Can't find them anywhere in Michigan, or the U.S., for that matter.

I did get Helen's Secret and Rena's Secret for Christmas last year. My children's father's paternal grandmother, Helen Mary WESTABY, and her mother, Rena (LERFALD) WESTABY, went missing, along with father George Rice WESTABY, III, during the 1920 Federal Census. I thought I had figured it out when I read George's obituary a few years ago. It stated that he had come from Montana to Washington State in 1920. "Aha!" I thought. "That's why I couldn't find them...they were moving, en route across the Northwest." I was right...sort of. I was given some significant missing details by my children's paternal grandfather during our 2005 Christmas visit. He told me that his grandfather George had been employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad in Montana, along with George's father and brothers. Seems George and his brothers made a little extra on the side by selling brass they stole from the railroad. George apparently sold to the wrong person, and managed to discover his mistake shortly before his impending arrest, making a midnight move with Rena and little Helen west to the Yakima Valley, where they likely hid out at the home of George's cousin, Charles WESTABY. If they weren't exactly in transit when the census was taken, it is certain that neither Charles nor his wife would have divulged to a government employee (i.e. census enumerator) that they were harboring a fugitive from the law!

And I did uncover another Mary Jane's Secret this year...I think. Mary Jane BARBER, my great-grandmother and daughter of Mary Jane FREDENBURG mentioned above, was married many times. In fact, she apparently was married so many times, even her family members may not have known the exact count. My records show she first married my great-grandfather, Howard Merkel YORK, when she was only 14 years old, in 1924. That unhappy union ended three years later. Mary Jane later married her step-brother, Archie Louis KELLER, when both were in their thirties. After that divorce, Mary Jane married what we had believed to be her third husband, Jay DUNLAP. It was my searching for Mary Jane in the 1930 Federal Census that led to my theory that there was another husband between Howard and Archie. Since I couldn't seem to find Mary Jane, I looked for her older brother Jim. I found a man with his name, the right age, birthplace and parents' birthplaces in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Coincidentally, there's also a Mary Jane KUPSH in Manitowoc, age off by only one year, born in Michigan, parents born in Michigan. Ordering Arthur KUPSH's marriage record to Mary Jane should clarify if this is my great-grandmother. Interestingly, I asked Uncle Jim's widow if she had ever heard that her late husband and sister-in-law had lived in Wisconsin. She said no; however, Jim's widow came late into the family, as a second marriage for both Jim and herself. She may not have known Mary Jane's Secret.

So a few Secrets uncovered...yet many more to be found! So put away those laces, satins and silks...give me dusty documents, faded photographs (but not too faded!), or samplers stitched with my ancestress' maiden name instead:

My genealogy gift list for myself (and for you!) is to uncover a few more family secrets in 2007...a few more surprises, a few more times exclaiming "so THAT'S where they were!" and many more genealogy happy dances to jig!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. When I originally published this post at my old blog site, Lee left the following comment on December 18, 2006:

Love your post! Who has a need for Victoria Secret when there are juicier secrets out there just waiting to be uncovered?

~ Lee