What a Surprise!

It is amazing to me how the road I am traveling in this Family History journey can take a sudden turn, and lead me to a hidden treasure, beyond my imagination! Yesterday, I went to the local LDS Family History Library, to research the trove of resources that are linked in their databases. It was Ancestry.com that I would begin with, but when my search became roadblocked as a result of unavailable records  (my agenda included my Livingston ancestors across the seas in 1700 Ireland), I decided to explore what the other resources were; so as my gaze poured over the icons on the desktop I found a site for the American Civil War records. I began with what I knew, the names of my ancestors who had fought for that cause, and was pleasantly surprised at the details of the information that was presented there. After reviewing the available records and battle descriptions that each of my ancestors fought in, I found that my time was engaged in pursuing my Dunham and Bullard lines, since I was familiar with their names and where they resided at the time. As I entered the name of Dunham, and began clicking on each of the familiar male enlistees, I knew I would find information that I had viewed electronically in the past, including the heroism of Dayton Dunham and his son, Amos Dunham, in the battle of Fort Donnelson, in which Amos lost his life, and his father was wounded ( I will share the story at a later entry); however, to my amazement and delight, I was pleasantly surprised to find a photo of Dayton and his wife, Marilla, just as if it had been placed there for my view. Of course, when I find any scrap of family history that pertains directly to my ancestors, I take it personally! I think it is a beautiful way to remind me that I come from a wonderful heritage. You can find the photo posted and a description of the couple on the page My Fathers Family.

A New Year

As I reflect on the past year, with many accomplishments in my multi-faceted and busy life, I am so grateful for the opportunity to write in this blog, which was one of the biggest hurdles of my inner desires. I really enjoy writing, and sharing insights into my world, now and then; and having this site set up to be able to speak about my experiences with my Family History has given me a tangible outlet for putting it all into perspective. I do find it difficult to align all that I am within this physical mortal 5' frame; but I do try; and now I have another January to make new goals and look forward with renewed vigor to collecting stories, connecting the dots of my lost relatives in cyber space, learning new ways to organize all the data, and then pasting myself between the lines somewhere in time so that I can relate to the DNA that runs through my blood; be it Swiss Mennonite, Scottish, German, Dutch, French, English, Swedish, Pennsylvanian, Virginian, Etc, Etc!
 Sometimes I find myself transposed into some other world when I read about my Mennonite families and their hard work in preserving their family values through living a Separatist way of life. My Pennsylvania roots go deep across the Seas into Ireland when I travel back with the first Livingston families that immigrated into York County; along with my Postlethwaite families that intermarried with my Mennonite families and the Livingston families that intermarried with the Postlethwaite and Hendricks families. I am in awe when I study these families, and I so much would like to be there with them in the dirt floor and herbal remedy way of life that preceded this easy-access-to-anything  lifestyle that holds me captive in this Time Capsule. Why would I want to experience the menial, oft times mundane, simplistic lifestyle that seems to beckon my soul into the past, where I could run barefoot in the grasses of Ohio, or explore the winding Rivers on a Riverboat or Ferry Captained by a wayward cousin? Only in my romantic storybook can I live without the reality of losing a child to smallpox, or watching my one-room hand-cut log home burn to the ground because there was no water to dowse the engulfing flames.
What do I know about the fiber of character that is woven in my sinews, the very source that binds me to the past, and draws me into an abyss of  never-ending family lines? Maybe this year I can explore a little deeper into the lives that sacrificed so much so I can live the easy-access-to-anything lifestyle.
Well, here's to Another Year to explore! Another Year to dream! Another Year to Romance the Past!

A Thankful Heart

As I reflect upon my life as it is today, I realize that all that I am and all that I have, (aside from the fact that they are gifts from a loving Heavenly Father) I owe to my ancestors, who characterized life’s journey with sacrifice, hope and integrity.  Why did they do it? Vision!  With vision, they sacrificed their possessions to sail the great oceans, so they could raise families, and crops in a New Land; with promise of better tomorrows. With vision, they hoped for freedom of religion, to practice what they each believed to be right and honorable, in the sight of Their God, as their moral fiber dictated. With vision, they built a nation on principles of right and wrong, of courageous endeavors, and fortitude. I believe that my right to these freedoms comes from their sacrifices, and through the blood lines that I inherited. I believe that is my right and privilege, and duty to uphold these principles, and to declare, through one of the basic fundamentals of our Nations laws, Freedom of Speech, that the privilege of living in this Nation today, I owe to those few visionary souls who fought for these freedoms in whatever way they felt necessary to do; be it combative, political, religious, or giving up the very breath they breathed, so I could enjoy such extravagances of living as I see fit to enjoy.

My blood-line heritage comes down through Elizabeth Warren, whose father, Richard Warren, was among the passengers of the Mayflower. She married Richard Church, Jr, an early resident of Plymouth Colony, and became my 9^th great grandparents.

The following excerpt from a website, quotes Edward Winslow, whose granddaughter, Mary Winslow, married Edward Gray, and after her death, Edward married Dorothy Lettice, who became my 8^th great grandparents.   

I am eternally grateful for good men and women who followed their hearts, through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and their convictions to religious freedoms, to a foreign land, so that my birth would be shielded from the hardships that they had to endure. I can choose what I believe, who I believe in, and what to do with my free time. 

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING at PLYMOUTH

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together."

Edward Winslow

In early autumn of 1621, the 53 surviving Pilgrims celebrated their successful harvest, as was the English custom.  During this time, "many of the Indians coming... amongst the rest their great king Massasoit, with some ninety men."

That 1621 celebration is remembered as the "First Thanksgiving in Plymouth." 

http://www.pilgrimhall.org/f_thanks.htm

What's in A Name

I've been attending to my sewing business this week, after a busy two or so weeks of research on the net. I am glad to have varied interests, as burn-out is inevitable for me, for I tend to be like a dog with a bone, in any thing I endeavor.
 How I enjoy a mystery, but better still, to solve it! Family Research is rewarding to that degree; however,  when chasing after a William Patterson born in Pennsylvania  the road forks off in so many directions, I tend to be like Hansel and Gretel without the bread crumbs! Finding my way back to the original quest, after leads gone astray, can be daunting, leaving me with an overwhelming recognition that there is more to the story than just a name.  
Years ago, I learned that there is a naming pattern for certain cultures. For the Scottish folks, the pattern goes like this:
 First Son is named for the Father's Father
Second Son is named for the Mothers Father
Third Son is named for the Father's Grandfather, Fraternal
Fourth Son is named for the Mothers Grandfather, Maternal
Fifth Son is named for the Fathers Grandfather, Maternal
Sixth Son is named for the Mothers Grandfather, Fraternal
Seventh thru tenth Sons are named for the Fathers Great Grandfathers
Tenth thru Fourteenth Sons for the Mothers Great Grandfathers

First Daughter is named for the Mothers mother
Second Daughter is named for the Fathers Mother, Maternal
Third Daughter is named for the Mothers Grandmother, Fraternal
Fourth Daughter is named for the Fathers Grandmother, Fraternal
Fifth Daughter is named for the Mothers Grandmother, Maternal
Sixth Daughter is named for the Fathers Grandmother
Seventh thru tenth Daughter are named for the Mothers, Maternal Great Grandmothers
Tenth Thru fourteenth Daughter for the Fathers Great Grandmothers
 (Courtesy of http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scottish/ScottishNamingPatterns.html)

So, when searching for familial patterns in my own lineage, I have tried to determine whether these patterns have continued here in America, or followed after a more conventional approach.Once upon a time,  I stumbled upon a distant relative's personal recollections, or rather her version of how her family arrived in their final resting place 6 feet under in Seal Rock, Lincoln County, Oregon. She mentioned that her grandfather, Cabell Adair Breckenridge Patterson was the son of William Patterson, and that the tradition handed down in Their family, was that "the oldest son is always named  "Wm"", emphasizing that her "grandpa was named "Cab", because he wasn't the oldest son". I have followed after her leads, this many years, and up to now, have believed I was traveling down the right road. Now, after examining a census record for Fayette County, Kentucky, where I have just determined by careful examination that my William Patterson was residing near a Richard Patterson in the 1830 census, I am not too sure where that tradition started. I will continue to approach the search with this tradition in mind, but I might now consider that there could be a William "Something" Patterson that I am searching for, and that possibly the census record could be sharing the secret of a middle name, in disguise as a first given name. Much for Pondering; and then on again to chase after a very elusive clue. Till Next Time



 

Not just One, But Three!

Wow! the gifts of Patience and Tenacity are bearing fruit! My new cousin, Jim, just sent me an email sharing with me a letter written by his grandmother, Hazel Green Conser, the grand daughter of Charles Francis Patterson and great grand daughter of John D Patterson, who is the brother of my 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Lucretia Patterson Bullard. Well, I don't expect you all to get that straight; but for me, it is so gratifying to know that somewhere in time and in this vast cyber space of information, there is a connection so sweet as to create a lift that lasts!
So, what is all of the excitement about? In his correspondence, he reveals portions of the letter that was written specifically for genealogical purpose, in which Hazel recalls the siblings of her grandfather, Charles.
As I have been corresponding with Jim lately, we concluded that there must have been some male siblings that we had not located yet, as revealed in the collaboration of Census searches. Today, after he had discovered this letter from his grandmother, which incidentally had  been in his possession for some time, he verified that, in fact, there are two other brothers that we had not known about, but had just recently suspected.
So,  with Jim coming into the picture recently, adding another male sibling to my family of Pattersons, he has increased the numbers by not ONE, but THREE!
Several months ago, I decided to change my focus, because something was missing in my life. I knew what it was, because my life's work has been to increase my family, both here on earth and beyond the grave. Whenever I have left the path to pursue more worldly passions, I have been drawn back to what brings me more joy and gratification than anything else I could ever do. Raising my family of 5 wonderful children, and being rewarded with such beautiful and gentle people as adults; is my first and greatest joy. The second, is to know that family lives beyond this mortal tabernacle, and can reach down to us in this time and space, and connect us to each other with threads of compassion and comfort, healing that emptiness that we sometimes feel, even when surrounded with a roomful of  laughing people!
What Joy is Family! 

A New Cousin! Thanks to the Net

I am so grateful for the forums that are available out there on the net. A number of years ago, I posted a query on genforum.genealogy.com/ about my William and Lovey Patterson family, and last week I got a response from a distant cousin, who also gave me a new sibling for their family. I have been corresponding with a cousin in the same tree, who I just met in March of this year. She actually lives near the City where this family resided for several generations- since the 1830's. Since  having connected with these two cousins, I have come so close to solving the mystery of our William's parentage. At least we now have connected them to Fayette County, Kentucky, prior to their migration to Morgan County, Illinois. I knew many years ago where William and Lovey Truitt Patterson were married and when, but, until recently, I did not look into the details of what I had collected. After finding the "how-tos" of reading the census, I was able to make sense out of what had been scrawled on paper all of these years, and then actually discarding it all, because of the resources found on line.
It is because of the information that is so readily available, that we can connect with other researchers and further our work in less time than, say, about 15 years ago. I still have much to learn about the resources out there, and I can put a plug here for the upcoming 14th Annual Family History Day at the California State Archives 13 Oct 2012 (see details here http://fhdnewsline.blogspot.com/). I am looking forward to learning more about Genealogical Research. One of the classes I hope to attend is the Jewish Genealogy Research class. I just discovered last year that my husband's family name Haskel is Jewish, and I don't have a clue on how to research over the seas, much less Jewish Roots. His name is also said to be Russian or Polish. There will also be a class on Eastern Europe Research. Well, take a look at the website to see what you might be interested in if you happen to be in this area. If not, I hope when it happens in  your area, you will have a chance to attend.
I am also attending a class at my local Family History Center on Self-Publishing through Lulu.com
So, much to do and much to learn, but I am accomplishing much because of the generosity of others in sharing their experiences and research.
The work moves on!

Balancing and Passion

I suppose many of you who share this passion called genealogy, share the same dilemma: Balancing all of the duties and pleasures of life,while meeting the demands of those tugs on the heart from somewhere in time. I am amazed at the countless hours that have gone into this hobby/passion/obsession. One thing I can say,though, is that the reward of solving pieces of my family puzzle is far more gratifying than anything else I could have done in my life; except for caring for my living family. So, I guess F-A-M-I-L-Y is what this life is all about. I can even call my friends family, because we have shared those sacred commonalities in word and deed; to the point of building on a foundation of love and trust. I hope this writing might touch the hearts of my readers in recognition of the strands of thread that weave us all together into one human family.