Category: Indiana
Families that lived in the state and left records behind there.
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And how did he know it? George William Callin (1846-1921) was one of us: a genealogist. He was active during a time when Americans enjoyed a newfound sense of optimism and possibility about their place in the world and when average men, like those in his family, were documenting their own lives as if they…
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The Milton Township Diaspora (part 3) When we last talked about Sarah (Montgomery) Davidson and her family, they set out from Fulton County, Indiana, and took to the Oregon Trail in 1852: Sarah and Henry Davidson took their four children and their adopted niece, Sarah Farrell, on the trip; we have only talked about Sarah…
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Seeking unknown children can be a roundabout task Last time I talked about this family, I pointed out that Adam Smith (1792-1847) and Experience Garretson (1800-1897) probably had more children than were named in the 1850 Census, based on the 1840 count of their household: Today, I want to build the case that I found…
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Spoiler: it was also called “Smith” I can’t help myself. The focus of today’s post is the Smith family, so my brain immediately and urgently goes to Mary Poppins: Since Adam Smith died in 1847, I don’t think he’ll be coming after me anytime soon. I’ve spent some time lately updating the WikiTree profiles for…
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The Milton Township Diaspora (part 2) Sarah Montgomery was born in Milton Township, Richland County, Ohio, on 27 December 1824 and married Henry Davidson (1818–1894) in Fulton County, Indiana, on 22 Apr 1841. They took their family—including their adopted niece, Sarah Ferrell—on the Oregon Trail in 1853. In my last post about this family, I…
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A tale from when the West was still young Once upon a time, several families founded a town in Ohio. Benjamin Montgomery (1766-1841) brought his wife, Nancy, and their six children from Virginia to settle in Weller Township, Richland County, Ohio, where they laid out a town in 1816. Benjamin called the town “Olivesburg” after…
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Using lessons learned from a different family In January I talked about finding some of my wife’s ancestors in the records of the Society of Friends (also called “Quakers”) in Indiana. As it happens, the skills I picked up as I learned about the Dyer family may help me learn more about my Scottish immigrant…
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William “Zardie” Sly (1882–1954) – a.k.a. Jack St. Clair William Zardie Sly (1882–1954) took his middle name from his maternal grandfather, Gilbert Zardius Avery; most of the references I have found refer to him as “Zardy,” or by his initials “W.Z.” which probably served to distinguish him from the generations of William Slys related to…
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Discovering the origins of Valentine Shuffler (1853-1916) Writing an accurate history means leaving out assumptions. Sticking only to facts and evidence, and refraining from speculation about things that we cannot know, such as personal motivations or attitudes of the people involved. But writing a complete history means adding a human element to the facts—putting what…
Mightier Acorns 