~ ~ All that Glitters~ ~

     The topic for week 8 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was 'Prosperity' and I knew as soon as I saw that word who I would be writing about.  The Devine brothers were miners of gold and quartz in Maricopa, Arizona at the beginning of the 1900s.
     My 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa Devine's older brothers, Martin, John, and Patrick from her father's first marriage had moved west before 1900.  I don't know what year their journey to a new adventurous life began.
     Martin Devine, the oldest of the Devine boys who moved west to seek their fortune in mining was born approx 1856 in Dutchess County, NY.  Martin died March 20 in 1911 and his death certificate states that he had been living in Arizona for 18 years which would make his arrival in Arizona territory to be about 1893.  His burial was March 22, 1911 in Pioneer Gravesite, La Paz county, Arizona.  I have tried and tried but have been unable to locate this cemetery.
     John J. Devine, Martin's younger brother, was born July 13, 1859 in NY.  I don't know when he moved to Arizona But I know it was before Martin because in 1887 he was working in Tucson as a deputy collector for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  At some point, John travelled further west to California where he settled in Ventura. John died Oct 19, 1944 in Ventura, California and is buried in Ivy Lawn Memorial Park.
     Patrick Devine,  the youngest of the Devine brothers to head west was born 6 July 1862 in New York.  I don't have any information other than what I saw on the 1900 federal census.
     The 1900 U.S. Federal Census shows Martin Devine along with his younger brothers, John and Patrick living in Sunset precint of Maricopa county which was in Arizona territory.  They were owners of a gold mine.  I don't know how successful the Devine brothers were with the gold but the older two, Martin and John relocated to Yuma according to voter registration records and I have no idea what became of Patrick.
     The 1910 federal census shows Martin and John living in Yuma and owners of a quartz mine.  What happened to the gold?  Were they any more successful with quartz?  Sadly, Martin died the following year in March of 1911 and John remained in Yuma for at least a few more years according to voter registration records.  I was not able to find John in any of the censuses after 1910 and actually didn't see his name again until a record of death in October of 1944.
     I don't know how prosperous the Devine brothers were but they say "all that glitters is not gold."

                                     

                                                             

I Found Emily!

     The topic for week 7 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was 'Favorite Discovery' and I didn't need to give this one a second thought. I knew who I was writing about.

                        

     I first learned of Emily when I was looking at my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa's death certificate.  It listed her parents as Patrick Devine and Emily O'Leary.  I also had a copy of Teresa's baptismal certificate which listed her mother's maiden name as Sheridan.  So, was Emily's last name O'Leary or Sheridan?  I would be more inclined to believe it was Sheridan rather than O'Leary because that name on the baptismal certificate was supplied by Emily herself whereas the name on the death certificate was the informant who might not really know.  I had two last names for Emily and needed to confirm the correct one.  I contacted the church where she was baptized and ordered her certificate.  I was surprised to see this one had Emily's last name listed as Sheldon.  Both baptismal certificates I now had with names of Sheridan and Sheldon were handwritten/typed by someone in the office.  I didn't want to bother the church again but I needed to know the correct name.  The man I spoke with was very nice and made a photocopy of the page with the entry for Teresa's baptism.  I can see the handwriting with the name Sheldon.
     Emily J. Sheldon was born approx. 1846 in the beautiful Emerald Isle.  I do not know what county in Ireland my 3rd great-grandmother was born.  She immigrated to the United States in 1851 and by 1865 was married to Patrick and step-mother to his three children from his first wife.  I traced Emily and her family through the years using census records.  I believe this family fell off the face of the earth and were unavailable for the 1880 federal census.  The 1890 census was destroyed by a fire but Emily resurfaced again in 1900 living as a divorced lady with her youngest son, 18 year old William.  In 1905, Emily was living with her daughter, Emma and Emma's family according to the New York state census.  The next census taken would have been in 1910 and I have no idea where Emily was.
     I searched and stalked for years thinking I would never find Emily until one day I made a great discovery.  I have made many great discoveries over the years, some that would have me doing back flips if I were acrobatic like that but my "favorite discovery", which is actually the topic for week 7 is finding Emily.  I had a hint on Ancestry.com which was a Canadian death record for an Emily Devine who was born in Ireland near the year of birth for my Emily.  At the time I only had the U.S. subscription so even though I was able to see that there was a hint, I was unable to actually view the record.  I asked a friend who had the worldwide subscription to look up that record and email it to me.
     I finally found Emily!  I learned that she had been living in Ontario, Canada for the last ten years of her life.  The last five were with her daughter, Emma and son-in-law, Simon.  She died 12 March 1928 in Toronto, Ontario.  So, if she moved to Canada in 1918 then where was she in 1910?  I couldn't find her in the census.  The informant on this death record was Emily's son-in-law, Simon and I guess he didn't know her parents names because that was left blank.  I guess it would be a waste of time and money to order an actual death certificate.  Emily was buried in Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery three days after her death.

                                                           Rest in Peace, Emily

                                                                                                      

* Eleanor Ferris *

     The topic for Week 6 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was 'Same Name.'  I thought I might write about my 2nd great-grandfather's name, Daniel until I found Eleanor Ferris who was my 5th great-grandmother.
     Eleanor Ferris was my 5th great-grandmother.  She was born about 1763 and died 4 May 1842.  I'm sure she had a large family with a ton of children like many women back then but I can only account for two of them.
     Eleanor's son, Charles, was my 4th great-grandfather who was born in 1800 and died 30 Dec 1851.  He is buried in Anning Smith Cemetery, the same cemetery as his parents.  Charles had a son named Ferris who I am guessing was named after Eleanor.  I've come across many ancestors whose first name was the maiden name of a parent or grandparent.  Charles had another son named William who was my 3rd great-grandfather.  William named one  of his sons Ferris and his youngest daughter was named Elnora.  William's son, Daniel was my 2nd great-grandfather.  Daniel was one of 13 children but he and his wife had only three children.  Their middle child was named Eleanor.  Daniel's oldest child, Samuel, was my great-grandfather.  He and my great-grandmother had five children.  The first born child was my grandmother, Eleanor, born in 1917.
     Eleanor Ferris, my 5th great-grandmother, is smiling down from Heaven seeing her name being passed down through the generations for almost half a century, from her birth in approximately 1763 to my grandmother, Eleanor's birth in 1917.
                                           Rest In Peace Eleanor    

                              


















Copyright 2020 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

~ Long Ago & Far Away ~

The topic for Week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was 'So Far Away' and I had planned on writing about my 3rd great-grandfather, Patrick and his life.  Instead of writing about a person this time, I choose to write about a place.
     Long ago and far away, in a land of rolling green hills, lived a boy named Patrick who dreamed of better days in a new country.
     I have always been fascinated with Ireland, the land of my ancestors.  I used to sit and watch the St Patrick's Day parade with my grandmother and wish I could visit someday.  My grandmother died many years before I became interested in genealogy so I never asked about our family or who exactly were the Irish family members.
     From my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa's death certificate and baptismal certificate, I learned the names of her parents.  It took thorough research and patience to discover that my 3rd great-grandfather, Patrick Devine was born about 1838 in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland.  He immigrated to the United States in 1853 and I think I have a date of death but haven't confirmed it yet.  I still have not found the county of birth for Patrick's 2nd wife, my 3rd great-grandmother, Emily but I haven't given up.
     My mother visited Ireland a few years ago with a tour group but didn't visit County Mayo.  I hope to visit soon.  I cannot wait to visit the land of my ancestors from long ago and far away.


                                                 

                                    


















Copyright 2020 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

* No Place Like Home *

                                                        


     The topic for week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Close to Home" and all I could think of was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  Dorothy told us "there's no place like home" and she was right but then she lived in a warm, cozy, loving environment and not everyone had that.
     My maternal grandmother's sister died at the age of 3, a day before her brother William's 1st birthday in January of 1927.  I can not even begin to imagine how my great-grandmother, Josie must have felt losing her little girl at such a young age and still having a baby and three other children to tend to.  According to the 1930 federal census, my grandmother was living with her maternal grandmother and her uncles in Brooklyn, NY.  Her brothers were with their father and paternal grandparents upstate in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Josie was nowhere to be found.  I wonder if Josie had a breakdown and was hospitalized?  In 1940, Uncle Billy was a 6th grade student living at the Greer School in Millbrook, NY which is only about a half-hours drive from his paternal grandparents in Poughkeepsie.
                              
               
     Greer School was founded in 1906 as Hope Farm, a home and school for disadvantaged children.  Located in a beautiful, scenic, country setting of  Dutchess County, NY; it provided a home like atmosphere and wholesome environment.  Along with the daily educational curriculum, the children learned domestic skills such as sewing and cooking.  There was also the canning of tomatoes, milking cows, farming, gardening, carpentry, and more.  They received pay for their work and attended church on Sunday mornings.  It was not all work and no play at this residential school.  There were all kinds of sports from football and basketball, their main sports, to hockey and baseball.  They had outdoor activities such as hiking and biking, swimming, boating, and fishing in the warm weather, sledding and ice skating in the winter months.  They had scouting, movie nights, dances, and field trips.  There were children who went home during the holidays and some remained year-round.  I'm guessing and hoping that Uncle Billy went home especially since his family didn't live too far away.
     After graduation, Uncle Billy enlisted in the Navy.  He served out country in WWII and the Korean War.  He went to college on the G.I. Bill and became an engineer.  Sadly, he chose not to keep in touch with his family.  I have a photo of him looking handsome in his uniform during the late 1940's early 50s.  I think this was the last time he saw his sister.
     I found him decades later and he told me his story.  He felt unloved and unwanted when he was sent away to school.  Although this school provided a home with love and many activities that most children would never have received with their families, this wasn't the case with Uncle Billy.
     Uncle Billy lived close to home at this school but it was not the home sweet home that he craved.  Is there "no place like home?"      

                                                                 
                               Uncle Billy in 1939, I think this was at school


blue dot in center is a pond, Rapallo next to it was the cottage that Uncle Billy lived in with close to 20 other boys


  Rapallo was the name of this cottage,  where Uncle Billy lived





Copyright 2020 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

Generations of Patriotic Gentlemen

   
                                                
     The topic for Week 3 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was 'Long Line' and I had absolutely no idea what to write about.  I was already behind schedule in my writing and wasted more time trying to figure out what to write then I was home with a sick child.  I left my writing notes at work but the longer I delayed writing the more research I did on Ancestry.com and I went back another generation.
     After giving this topic much thought and looking at the pedigree chart on Ancestry.com, I saw the long line of Davis men who served this country during the different wars throughout history.
     My maternal grandmother, Eleanor Davis, who I called MaMa, was married to a very patriotic man who served in WWII and the Korean War.  I remember standing with my grandmother watching my grandfather march proudly in the Veterans Day parades.  MaMa had three brothers who all served during WWII.  Two of her brothers were in the Army and her youngest brother, William (Uncle Billy), served in the Navy.  Uncle Billy served our country during WWII and the Korean War.  He went to college on the G.I. Bill and secured an excellent job as an engineer.
     My great-grandfather, Samuel George Davis, was 33 years old in 1918 when he registered for the draft for WWI but did not serve.  I love the WWI draft card records because it gives a physical description of the person with such details as height, and build (slender, medium, stout), hair and eye color and any physical condition which would disqualify such as loss or arm, leg, eyesight, etc.  Samuel was 57 years old when he registered for WWII draft in 1942.  If I don't have a photo of an ancestor then I can visualize what he looked like from the WWI draft card.  Samuel's father, Daniel was deaf and couldn't serve but his brother, Samuel's uncle Melville, registered for the draft in 1918.
     My 2nd great-grandfather, Daniel did not serve in any war due to hearing loss from the Scarlet Fever he had as a child.  Daniel's younger brother, Melville registered for the WWI draft at the age of 42 but he didn't serve.
     My 3rd great-grandfather, William H. Davis registered for the Civil War draft in June of 1863 at the age of 28 or 31 but did not serve.  His older brother, Isaac registered and served as well as three of his younger brothers.  William's younger brothers were David, Daniel, and Ferris.  Daniel Davis had deserted but then returned.  Daniel Davis was mustered into a New York regiment in August of 1862.  He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, captured at the Battle of James City in Virginia, and died at the Belle Isle POW Camp, Richmond, VA in January of 1864.  Ferris Davis was wounded at Chancellorsville.  It had been noted that he was disabled upon discharge from Army.
     My 4th great-grandfather, Charles L. Davis was born in 1800 and died in 1851.  He did not serve his country but his father and four of his sons did.
     My 5th great-grandfather, John Davis, at the age of 19, was a messenger from West Point, NY to Newburgh, NY in 1779 during the Revolutionary War.  He was in Captain John Hasbrouck's company in the third regiment of Ulster County, NY.
     From 1779 during the Revolutionary War until the Korean War in the early 1950s (1950-1953), my Davis ancestors proudly fought for their country.

                                                        God Bless America
                                                     
                                 













Copyright 2020 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

~ Fascinating Photo ~

     I'm late once again with the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge.  I had started writing my story for week 2 but I guess I was still caught up in the first week's story that all I could think of was my main goal for this year.  I was ready to post this but my son was home sick and I left my writing at work.
     The theme for Week 2 was "Favorite Photo" and I was all set to write about any of the photos I have of my favorite grandmother when I came across this mystery man.                                                        

                                                    

     I loved looking at the old black/white photos with my grandmother and listening to her stories about each photo.  There was no story to accompany this man's photo.  This photo is a copy of a tintype.  Who was this man?  I had been told that he was her grandfather (don't remember if she told me how many 'greats') and that he was an American Indian.  My mother and I took DNA tests with Ancestry.com and there is no trace of Native American in us.  My grandmother who I called MaMa didn't talk about her ancestors and I never asked.  MaMa's maternal line came from Ireland and Austria.  Her paternal line I was not able to trace back to the 'old country' for anyone.
     This photo looks like it was taken during the Civil War era and if so then he would be her great-grandfather.  MaMa's paternal great-grandfather's were William Davis, born1832 in Milton,NY and Samuel Braught, born approx. 1820 somewhere in Ulster County, NY.  I have William's photo but not Samuel's.  Is this mystery man my 3rd great-grandfather, Samuel?  I don't know much about Samuel other than an approx. year of birth and his death.  He died during the Civil War.  I would love to get military records but it is not in my budget at the moment.  MaMa's maternal great-grandfathers were Stephen Duper who was in Austria during the 1860's and Patrick Devine who emigrated from Ireland to the United States in approx. 1853.  I don't know if Stephen came to the United States with his son in 1888 or arrived later.  Is this a photo that Stephen's son brought with him?  Maybe this is Patrick, my 3rd great-grandfather from Ireland.
     Who is this mystery man?  I wish I had a clear photo with better details and I wish there was someone who could assist me but they are all gone.  Those who have answers are looking down from Heaven and smiling in amusement as I try to piece together the puzzles of the past.    

I edited the photo hoping for an improvement..
             





Copyright 2020 by Annmarie, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

* My 2020 Vision *

#52Ancestors

                                               
                                               

     It is a new year and a new writing challenge for one of the genealogy groups I'm in on Facebook.  I never finished last year's challenge due to migraine headaches.  I fell behind and never caught up so  I just gave up.  I'm back now and I'm ready.  For these writing challenges we are given a different 'prompt' or 'topic' each week.  The first prompt for this year is "Fresh Start" which I thought would be easy if I were writing about any of my ancestors.  Most of my ancestors had to make a fresh start at one point or another but who would I write about?  I had too many ancestors to choose from so I decided to write about my 2nd great-grandfather, Daniel Davis because he was born on New Year's Day, the start of a new year, and he made a fresh start in his life when he moved from New York to Ohio.  Happy New Year and Happy Birthday in Heaven to Daniel Davis.  He moved from New York to Ohio at some point after his 20th birthday and in 1883, at the age of 23, he married a 20 year old girl named Flora.  Well, that's it...  that's all I've got...  I can't write about Daniel so I'll start this year's challenge with myself.
     Welcome to the 20's!  It is a new year...  a new decade...  and new adventures await.  I have plans for 2020.  My son who is an 8th grader in a Catholic school will be graduating in May.  I will have no more monthly tuition payments after June of this year.  My tax refund will be used to pay a bit of debt and make repairs on my house.  I have an appointment next month with a neurologist to do something about these migraines and I just know I will be happier, healthier, and wealthier this year.
     I will devote more time to genealogy and I'm excited to report that I've already made progress within the first week.  I started this writing challenge a little late because I was on vacation and lost track of the days and dates so I need to hurry and get this story posted to my blog and the Facebook group I'm in then start writing for week 2.  My poor, neglected blog...  I'm bringing it back!
     Week 2's prompt will be "Favorite Photo."  Let me go find a photo so I can start writing then go back to knocking down brick walls and adding branches.







Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

The Road

#52Ancestors

     The theme for week 18 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Road Trip."  I could write about the scenic drives I used to take on Route 9W along the Hudson River in Ulster County, NY to visit rural cemeteries and take pictures.  I could write about driving from South Carolina down to Florida to visit a cousin I didn't know existed until I started researching my maternal grandmother's mother's family.  My grandmother's father, Samuel Davis, had ancestors who served in the Civil War.  I could write about driving from South Carolina to New York and making an unplanned stop in Pennsylvania when I saw a sign for Gettysburg.  I'd always wanted to visit Gettysburg.  As I was driving through town I saw a sign for the Gettysburg National Military Park and remembered my 3rd great-grandfather, William Davis had three brothers who served in the Civil War and that there was a monument for their regiment.  The Davis brothers were in the 120th NY Infantry Regiment.  I had to find that monument and take a picture.
     I am not writing about any of the road trips I had taken.  I'm writing about an actual road, a scenic road that runs along side a mountain with beautiful views of the Hudson River and Hudson Valley in New York.  Storm King Highway is a 3 mile stretch of road, part of Route 218, that was formed from the side of Storm King Mountain which is on the west bank of the Hudson River.  This narrow, curvy road runs from the town of Highland by West Point Military Academy up to Cornwall-on-Hudson and is sometimes closed due to rock slides and inclement weather. I have driven this road once and will never do it again.
     Construction on Storm King Highway began in 1916 and with my 2nd great-grandfather's help it was completed and open to traffic in 1922.  Stephen Duper was born approx. 1873 in Austria.  He immigrated to the United States in 1887 or 1888 and was naturalized in 1892 in Rosendale, NY which is in Ulster County.  He died 16 July 1931 at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, NY.  Stephen Duper was a dynamite foreman who worked on Storm King Highway.  My grandmother's cousin told me in a letter that he died of rock dust in his lungs.  His death certificate states that he worked in construction as a rock driller and the cause of death was 'pleurisy-suppurative'.  Rock dust from the rocky road?
                         
                                                               R.I.P.
                                                         Stephen Duper
                                                            1873-1931
 

                                                                         







                             
Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

+ Let Us Pray +

#52Ancestors
                                                         
                                               8 year old Gregory

     The topic for week 17 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "At Worship."  When I saw this I thought of my 12 year old son.  Gregory attends Catholic School and is an altar server.  When he is scheduled, he serves 8am Mass on Sunday mornings.  Gregory likes serving but sometimes he doesn't want to get up.
     Every now and then Gregory will sometimes complain about getting up early to go to church and tell me that he had just gone to Mass on Friday then ask why he has to go again.  I remind him that my mother attended Catholic school and had Mass every morning, Confession on Saturdays, and Mass again on Sunday.  I have told Gregory many times that he doesn't know how good he has it.  When my mother attended church as a child the kneelers were not padded, there was a lot more kneeling back then, and the Masses were in Latin.
     Gregory is a good boy.  He recently served a First Holy Communion and a Confirmation a few days later.  At the Confirmation, he was one of the 'Vimps' (wore the fuzzy white shawl called 'vimpa' and assisted the Bishop). He was a vimpa last year as well.  He has also served many funerals.  Gregory likes serving and has gotten many compliments.

                                                        Let Us Pray

11 year old Gregory (2018)                                        12 year old Gregory (2019)
assisting Bishop at Confirmation                              assisting Bishop at Confirmation

                  










Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

Out of Place

#52Ancestors

     The topic for week 16 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Out of Place."  I have no idea what I can write about.  Should I write about a person who might have felt out of place in a particular situation or environment or maybe some recordkeeping/records that I found were 'out of place?'
     After much thought, I chose to write about my 3rd great-grandparents, Patrick Devine and Emily Sheldon.  These are my favorite people to write about.  I was not working on genealogy while my maternal grandmother, Eleanor was alive nor did I know about Patrick and Emily.  Once I found out about my Irish ancestors I was obsessed!  I've always been fascinated with Ireland and long to visit that island.  Patrick and Emily were a mystery to me when I first started this research.  After quite a bit of stalking and with the help of census records, I found the names of all their children beside my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa.
     William Vincent Devine was Patrick and Emily's youngest child, born sometime in February 1882 in upstate New York.  The 1900 federal census shows him living with his mother who was listed as divorced in Ulster County, New York.  I think his father was in a poorhouse in 1900.  At some point after the 1900 census was taken, William moved to New York City, Manhattan, New York.  On the 25th of January in 1903, William died of head injuries in Manhattan.  His death certificate states that he had been residing there for two years.  I found out about William's death from hints on Ancestry.com then ordered the death certificate hoping this was my William Devine.  Yes, this was my William, my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa's baby brother.  He was only 21 years old when he left this earth.
     St Peter's Cemetery in Rosendale, NY is the final resting place for William Vincent Devine.  I was excited to find William's place of burial.  I felt I was getting closer to my Irish ancestors who were hiding from me.  I called the cemetery to get the location of the plot so I can visit and also ask if anyone else is buried there.  I was told that Patrick purchased the plot.  I don't know when he bought it but I guess it was before 1900 when he and Emily were divorced.  The tombstone has William's date of death and age as well as the names of his parents but there are no dates of death for Patrick and Emily.  I later discovered that Emily had relocated to Ontario, Canada and is buried in Toronto.  I have no idea where Patrick is.
     Patrick and Emily are Out of Place.

                                                               Rest in Peace
                                                      William Vincent Devine

                                            


Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

Who am I?

        

                                                               
still late with these writing assignments....

     For week 15 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge, the topic was "DNA."  Maybe tardiness is in my DNA because this story is late.
     I had always known that I had German and Irish ancestors and never really had a desire to take a DNA test.  I bought my mother a DNA kit a few years ago as a Christmas gift.  She is mostly Irish which is no surprise since her 2nd great-grandparents emigrated from Ireland in the 1840's. My mother's results state 24% Ireland and Scotland and 25% England, Wales, & Northwest Europe. I had read somewhere that 'Davis' is a Welsh name so maybe her Davis ancestors were from Wales.  I finally bought myself a kit when Ancestry.com had a super sale at Thanksgiving time.  I submitted my saliva sample and eagerly awaited the results.
     Who am I?  What am I made up of?  I know about the Germans and Irish but what else do I have thrown in the mix?  Where are my people from?  Days turned into weeks then finally...   the email  I'd been waiting for...   the DNA results are in...
     I'd been stalking my 3rd great-grandparents, Patrick Devine and Emily Sheldon for years.  I focused mainly on Emily because I had found out that Patrick was from County Mayo in Ireland but no idea what county Emily emigrated from.  I needed to find her date and place of death so I could order her death certificate and hope the informant supplied more than country of birth.
    So, how Irish am I?  St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday.  I love watching the St. Patrick's Day parade and hope to visit the Emerald Isle one day.  I was so excited!!!
     I cannot believe this!  Only 3%? ? ? ?  My mother is 24% Irish and all I got was 3.  I have 54% German which I guess isn't too bad.  There are beautiful castles in Germany I would like to visit.


                GERMANY!                                                            not much Irish here....
      
                                             





My mother stealing all the Irish from me...     :)






Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

- - Braught family Brick Wall - -

                                                  
                                                               BRAUGHT family

     Yes,  I'm late again....

      For week 14 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge the theme was "Brick Wall."  I'm always writing about my maternal grandmother, Eleanor Davis.  She was the first born child of Samuel George Davis and Josephine Agnes Duper.  Samuel's parents were Daniel Davis and Flora Braught.  I had already written about the Davis family but I had not written about the Braughts and put them on hold because I didn't have much information.  I would consider the Braught family to be my brick wall.
     My 2nd great-grandmother, Flora Helen Braught was born March 4, 1863 in Ohio.  Her parents were Samuel C Braught and Eleanor J Clark.  The 1870 federal census has 7 year old Flora listed as  'deaf & dumb' and living with her 39 year old mother Eleanor, a widow who worked as a domestic servant. By 1880, 17 year old Flora was still living with her mother who had remarried since the last census but her husband is not with them.  I don't know where Eleanor's husband was but she had Flora and her 23 year old son living with her.  In 1870, Flora's older brother would have been 13 year old and I have no idea where he was living.
     I learned from the 1870 and 1880 censuses that Flora was born in Ohio.  Her mother, Eleanor and Eleanor's parents were born in Vermont.  Her father and older brother were born in New York. I did not find my 3rd great-grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor in the 1860 federal census.  I found a Samuel Braught with wife Jane and some children in the 1850 census.  Eleanor's middle name was Jane. I have found many censuses that have the person's middle name listed instead of the first. Are these my people? If so, at some point, Samuel and Eleanor moved to Ohio where their youngest child, Flora was born.  I wonder if she was born in Fulton County because that is where she lived in 1870 and 1880. I wonder if the children on the 1850 census stayed behind in New York or accompanied their parents if their parents are indeed my 3rd great-grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor.
     In March of 1864, Samuel C Braught enlisted in the Army and three months later died in a field hospital in Tennessee.  His death was not caused by battle wounds but instead he died of acute meningitis on 22 June 1864.  He is buried in the Chattanooga National Cemetery.  I have no idea when or where Eleanor died.  I also do not know if the family in the 1850 census is mine and if so then I have no information about the children.  I only have the dates of death for Flora, her brother, and their father.


                                                   

                                Flora                                                       Samuel
                                                     

                                                       BRAUGHT Brick Wall
                                  
                                                                      R.I.P.



Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

~ Newsworthy ~

#52Ancestors

     It is week 13 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge and the theme is "In The News."  Aside from obituaries for this ancestor or that one, I have a few family members who made the news.  In June of 1945, my maternal grandmother's name and address as well as her age was mentioned in a short article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper from Brooklyn, NY.  She was in a trolley car that was struck by another when that other trolley rolled back down a hill.  There were no serious injuries.  My 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa (Devine) Duper and her youngest son Gerald made the newspaper post mortem in an article about a fire in their apartment that claimed their lives.  Teresa's cousin, Anna Devine, was a schoolteacher in a one room schoolhouse in the rural upstate NY town of Rifton,.  Anna's comings and goings was always reported in the local newspaper along with her school's activities such as spelling bees and plays.  Anna was a local celebrity in that town.  She was a good person and everyone loved her.  She even had a school named in her honor.
     This week's story is not about any of the fine folks I just mentioned but about one of New York City's finest, Steven Duper, my great-grandmother's younger brother.

                                                     
                                                           
     Stephen John Duper, the third child born to Stephen Duper and Teresa Devine was born 20 May 1897 in Rosendale, NY which is upstate in Ulster County.  Stephen married a Hungarian lady named Mary and they lived in Brooklyn, NY.  In 1923, he joined the NYPD.  On October 7, 1924 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper reported that Stephen missed four days of work due to cough medicine knocking him out.  This reminded me of those vintage advertisements and the potent ingredients that these medicines contained.  I guess if it didn't kill you then it would eventually cure you. According to the article, Stephen stated that he took two drinks of the cough mixture on September 7 and didn't return to his senses until the 12th.  Patrolman Stephen Duper was absent for four days without notifying his superior officers.  He had pleaded guilty and stated that he didn't know what happened to him.  The trial commissioner asked Stephen if he was married.  He said that he wanted Stephen's wife there on the next trial day and the case would remain open until she appears.  Stephen liked his drink.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was a little something more than couch medicine that kept him out of work.
     On October 20, 1928, Patrolman Stephen Duper was dismissed from the New York City police department.  He had been charged with neglect of duty and violation of the regulations.  He was absent without leave for five consecutive days. I guess he had one too many violations and apparently was not one of New York City's finest.  

                                                                                                                                           
       What kind of Cough Mixture did Patrolman Stephen Duper take???          

I found vintage medicines and ads...
               
              




Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

"12"

#52Ancestors
                                                                                                             
                     

     The topic for week 12 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge is "12."  What can I do with the number 12?  What can I possible write about?  Can I find an ancestor with '12' children, an event that occurred in December, the 12th month of the year, or maybe an interesting 12 year old?  I looked over my tree, glanced at the pedigree chart to see who I can focus on for week 12 and I've got it.
     I wrote about the Davis family for week 11.  This was my favorite grandmother's father's family.  Week 12 will be about her mother's family.  I've got a 12 year old, as well as two births, a marriage, and two deaths in the month of December.
     When I first looked for my grandmother in the 1930 federal census, I expected to find a 10 year old girl living with her parents and two younger brothers. Instead, I found my maternal grandmother, Eleanor Davis was a 12 year old living with her maternal grandmother, Teresa (Devine) Duper and two uncles, Steven and Gerald Duper.  Eleanor's mother was Josephine Duper.  Josie was born 11 December 1894 and married Samuel Davis 18 December 1916.  Josie's granddaughter, Carol, Eleanor's youngest daughter, was born on Josie and Samuel's anniversary in 1949. Just a few years later, on New Year's Eve in 1955, Eleanor's grandmother, Teresa and Teresa's youngest son, Gerald, died tragically in a fire in their apartment, a month before they were planning to move.
     December, the 12th month of the year had us celebrating new life and love but also mourning the deaths of our loved ones.  Rest in Peace to my beautiful grandmother, Eleanor and the rest of her family in Heaven.

                                                      






Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

~ DAVIS Family ~

#52Ancestors

     The topic for week 11 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Large Family."  My favorite grandmother, Eleanor Davis was the first of five children born to Samuel Davis and Josephine Duper.  Her father, Samuel was the oldest of only three born to Daniel Davis and Flora Braught.  Her grandfather, Daniel, who was my 2nd great-grandfather, was one of 13 children born to William and Emily.
     My 3rd great-grandparents were both born upstate New York in Ulster County.  William H Davis was born 1832 in Milton, NY and Emily Martin was born 1836 in Lloyd, NY.  I don't know where they met but they were married in 1853 according to the 1900 federal census.  Their first born child, a daughter named Cordelia, was born in 1854 and two more children followed before my 2nd great-grandfather, Daniel made his appearance on New Year's Day in 1860.  The 1900 census shows that there were 13 children born but I have only 11 names. I'm guessing the missing two children were born and died between censuses.  Unless a baby was born in 1861, after Daniel's birth in 1860, William and Emily welcomed twin boys in 1862.  Ferris and George were born on the 20th of May in 1862.  Sadly, George died on October 16th in 1880 at the age of 18 when he fell from an apple tree near Milton, NY.  The news article stated that he fell a distance of 20 feet.  Ferris married a lady named Sarah and together they had five children.  Two of the children died as babies when they were just a few months old but the other three lived to adulthood.  Ferris died at the age of 85 on December 12, 1947.  After the birth of the twin boys, William and Emily were blessed with three girls from 1866 to 1874.  Another boy followed in 1875 and finally a girl in 1879.
     William and Emily lived in Marlborough, NY in Ulster County their whole married life.  The 1900 federal census has their residence listed as Marlborough but I wonder if they moved in with one of their children after 1900 because their place of death is across the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, NY which is in Dutchess County.  William died 6 August 1902 and Emily died five years later on the 28th of July in 1907.  They are both buried in the Milton-Marlboro United Methodist Church Cemetery.


                                            William Davis                    Emily Martin                                     

                                                 
                                                     
                                                                  REST IN PEACE

                                        

                             


   









Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

~ Uncle Gerald ~

#52Ancestors

     For week 10 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge, the topic is "Bachelor Uncle."  It was not difficult choosing an uncle to write about because most of the uncles in my tree were married.
     Gerald P. Duper, my maternal grandmother's uncle was born 22 September 1910, the youngest of six children born to Stephen Duper and Teresa Devine.  In 1930, the federal census shows that Gerald was a 19 year old knitter in a sweater factory in Brooklyn, NY.  He was living with his mother, older brother Steven who was separated from his wife, and his niece, Eleanor who would become my grandmother.  Ten years later, a 29 year old Gerald was working as a shipping clerk for a confectionery according to the 1940 federal census.  My bachelor uncle (2nd great-uncle) was still living with his mother.  His niece, Eleanor was still there as well.
     I asked my mother if she remembered much about Uncle Gerald and what could she tell me.  She told me  that she doesn't remember much since she was only 7 or 8 years old when he died.  Although my mother spent a lot of time visiting with her great-grandmother and saw Uncle Gerald while she was there, he usually kept to himself so she never really got to know him.  Teresa rented a bungalow every summer in Rifton, NY which is upstate in Ulster County where her schoolteacher cousin taught in a one room schoolhouse.  My grandmother, Eleanor and her two daughters spent the whole summer there.  The men in the family had to work so my grandfather visited on weekends and sometimes Uncle Gerald would visit.  My mother remembers Uncle Gerald's visits but once again didn't really talk to him so she couldn't tell me anything about what type of person he was - personality, character traits, etc...  I know absolutely nothing about this man other than two jobs that he's had and that he smiles for the camera.  If I had to guess his personality based on the photos I've seen then I would say he was a friendly fellow who liked to laugh and socialize but I have no idea.
     My bachelor uncle died tragically in a fire along with his mother on New Year's Eve in 1955.  He was only 45 years old.


                                                         Gerald P. Duper
                                                             1910-1955
                                                           Rest In Peace
                                           
 
                                                    










Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

At the Courthouse

#52Ancestors

                                                   

     I'm a bit late again.  For week 9 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge, the topic was "At the Courthouse."  I can't think of anything to write about.  I don't know of any ancestors who were married at a courthouse.  I know of a few divorces and adoptions but I don't have details so I can't write about them.  After speaking to my mother about this topic she informed me that my maternal grandmother worked in a courthouse.
     My favorite grandmother who I called MaMa was an interpreter for the deaf.  I had already written about my great-grandmother, Josie who lost her hearing at a young age due to Scarlett Fever.  MaMa communicated with her mother using sign language so when she found this job it was the perfect opportunity to be the voice for those who can't speak.



                                                






















Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.

Family Photo?

#52Ancestors

     For week 8 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge the topic is "Family Photo."  I looked through the photo album of old black/white photos that had belonged to my grandmother and great-grandmother looking for a family photo that I could possibly use to tell a story.
    The photo I chose is one of a man who I was always fascinated with when I was a child looking at old photos with my grandmother.  She told me that he was an Indian (Native American) and her grandfather.  I know now that he wasn't her grandfather or great-grandfather but I don't think she ever told me how many greats.  I was told that this photo is a copy from a tintype photo.  My grandmother died a week after my 14th birthday and long before I became interested in genealogy.  There is nobody alive to ask any questions about ancestors from way back when so I'm on my own.
     This mystery man is not a grandfather on my grandmother's maternal side.  My grandmother's mother, Josie was born in upstate NY.  Josie's mother, Teresa was also born in upstate NY but her parents were from Ireland.  Josie's father, Steven was from Austria.  My grandmother's maiden name was Davis.  I have traced the Davis men back to Charles Davis, my 4th great-grandfather who was born in  NY in 1800.  I don't have a photo of Charles who died in 1850 but I don't think this mystery man is him.  I have photos of his son, grandson, great-grandson, etc … down to my great-grandfather, Samuel (Josie's husband).  If this man is truly an ancestor, a grandfather, great-grandfather, etc... then he might be the father or grandfather to one of the Davis wives if not then I have no idea who he was.
     Mystery Man will probably remain a mystery.

I made a copy of the photo but it looks a bit dark so someone in one of my genealogy groups on Facebook was kind enough to lighten it for me. I do not think this man is Native American.


                                     
.


Copyright 2019 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.