Gravestone of Charles Waldo Glover

Charles was a popular name in the Glover line. Thank you to his parents, Samuel S. Glover Jr. and Adaline Dyer Glover for giving him a unique middle name of Waldo. Here is Charles gravestone in Fairview Cemetery, Bear Lake, Manistee, Michigan.

CHARLES W.

GLOVER

1859 Masonic Symbol 1927

My research, based on Charles' father's civil war pension, Charles' marriage record, and Michigan death certificates, gives his birth year as 1858.

Burton L. Watt, Marquette, Michigan Obituary

My dad's maternal uncle, Burton Watt, or as we called him Uncle Burt was a wonderful man. Burt would visit us when we lived in Deckerville, Michigan. His daughter, Jean, lived in Flint and the whole family, Uncle Burt, Aunt Fran, Jean, her husband, Ed Schuler and their daughter, Kathy, would drive over to see my dad. This is such a short obituary for the 101 years that he lived. I will have to honor him in another blog post. Burton L. Watt's obituary transcription from the Marquette Mining Journal, 11 March 1994, page 5A, column 6:

Burton Watt

Traverse City-Burton L. Watt, 101, of Traverse City, died Sunday, March 6, 1994 in Traverse City.

Surviving are one granddaughter, Kathryn Philibeck of Marquette; one great-grandson, Thomas Philibeck of Marquette and one great-granddaughter, Stefanie Philibeck of Marquette.

Mr. Watt was preceded in death by his wife, Dora (Frances) Nelson Watt in 1992; a daughter Dorothy Jean Schuler in 1975; one brother and five sisters.

Cremation has taken place.  A memorial service for Burton and Frances will take place at 11 a.m.  April 27 at the Skandia United Methodist Church.  A lunch will follow at the church.

Where in the World is William Powers of Vermont and New York?

 Where in the World is William Powers?

Where in the World is William Powers?

FACT	DATE	PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Birth	14 January 1777	Bennington, New Hampshire, British America
Marriage		Lucinda “Lucy” Pixley
Residence	1802	Vernon, Windham, Vermont, United States
Census	1810	Seneca, Ontario, New York, United States	Roll 33, Page 834
Military	1812	Ontario county, New York
Death	22 October 1813	Possibly Ontario County, New York

Where in the World is William Powers?

Obviously, I have a little more research to do for my fourth great grandfather, William Powers. He died young at the age of 36 from injuries suffered while serving in the War of 1812. His wife, Lucinda "Lucy" Pixley applied for a pension in lieu of bounty land. 

I found William Powers pension records on Fold 3, but do you think it would give a marriage date and place for William and Lucy? No. It did give me a marriage date,"on or about the 10th of February 1818, and name of her second husband, Walter Hyde. William left six children under the age of 15.

William Powers is a common name and I have yet to single my William out in the 1790 and 1800 U.S. Federal Census. The other record I would like to find is William's and Lucy's marriage. 

 

My Mother's Birthday

 Audrey and Brenda, Circa 1958

My mother, Audrey, celebrated a birthday today. She is in great health, and I was able to spend the afternoon with her. She lives in an independent apartment about 6 minutes from me.

Neither one of us is ready to go into a restaurant to eat so I stopped at one of her favorite places, Ziingo, in Portage, Michigan. My mom calls it the Thai place. It is more Asian fusion, but I know what she is talking about.

 

Today's Ziingo Choices

The workers guide you through your order. There is a chalkboard of the daily options. I started with two bowls of pad Thai noodles, added chicken, veggies, and sauce for me. No sauce for my mom. I declined any appetizers, but crab Rangoon is one of my favorites. Last you can add fresh items to the top. I chose spinach for me and carrots for my mom. I delivered it to my mom's apartment, and we enjoyed lunch together. It was delicious.

Since Covid entered our universe, I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with my mom. The senior living place where she lives has strict covid protocols. Even today, I had to sign in via a tablet and have my temperature checked. I am not complaining, I am happy they are keeping their residents safe. There has been a case or two here and there, but they are doing a great job with protecting their residents. Masks are required in the common areas, but once I got into my mom's apartment I could take it off.

I enjoyed my afternoon with my mom. She doesn't use the computer, so I showed her some pictures of her great grandchildren that were on Facebook. I showed her a picture of a friend of hers from when my mom and dad lived in Deckerville. Her friend is 95 years old, and she went on a snowmobile ride. The home where her friend lives videotaped it and put it on their Facebook page. Next, she started asking me if so and so died, so I used my phone and googled a few people for her. Next, I went to two funeral homes that were in small towns where she lived, and she looked at a few obituaries.

It was a different way to spend her birthday, but she is quite isolated from her aging friends that live far away. My dad was the computer person and she never wanted to learn how to use the computer. She didn't even like reading things on the computer. My dad would print it for her.

My mom isn't a big cake person, so I bought lemon bars for her. She loves lemon desserts. One year I made her a lemon meringue pie for her birthday. Since it was just the two of us, I didn't want that much dessert. While we were eating the kitchen sent up three homemade cupcakes with birthday greetings. She will be in a sugar coma if she eats all that. I told her to share them with her friends.

I am fortunate that I still have my mom to celebrate on her birthday. I am the only one of four children that lives in Michigan. The birthday may not have been like they were years ago, but I was happy to celebrate with her.

 

 

The Gift of an Autobiography-Fort McClellan, Alabama

The post I wrote about military newspapers, Using Military Newspapers in Your Research, got me thinking about my father's time at Fort McClellan, Alabama. My dad wrote about his time at Fort McClellan in his autobiography.

THE POST WAR YEARS 1945-46

     "The most beautiful sight I think I ever witnessed up to this time of my life occurred on the voyage home when our ship entered New York Harbor and for the first time I saw the “Statue of Liberty.”  What excitement to finally be coming home to see Mom, Dad, and all my friends. I was given a two-week furlough before an assignment at Fort McClellan, Alabama as a physical Training and Bayonet Instructor. We all figured it would only be a matter of time before we would be heading to the Pacific Theater. I did not have enough points to get out yet. While at Fort McClellan I also coached and played on a company basketball team in the evening for recreation. We didn’t have a very good team. At the end of the season there was a post championship tournament in which the seven regiments stationed there selected all-star teams from their regiments. Colonel Reeder, the Regimental Commander of the 7^th Regiment, of which I was a member, asked me to coach the team which I gladly accepted. We had two weeks to practice, pick our team and get ready for the Tournament.

      The 3^rd Regiment won practically every year and were heavy favorites as they had some college players, including one who played some at Notre Dame. I was discouraged when I held our first couple of tryouts as there seemed to be hardly any talent at all. Then one night I heard a knock on my door in the Officer’s quarters and a Captain from another company in our Regiment said he just got a shipment of new trainees fresh out of New York high schools and they wanted to play basketball and was there any openings. I would have accepted anyone at this time and told them to report to the gym the next night at 7 o’clock. Five boys reported and all of them had either played together or against each other in New York City schools.

     WOW ONE TRIP UP AND DOWN THE FLOOR AND I HAD MY STARTING FIVE. Jack Gilcrest was a 5-10 guard who could shoot the eyes out of the basket. An Italian lad named Pommerano was 6-2 had all the moves in the middle, shooting, passing, and rebounding. The other three boys were equally impressive, and they blended as a team as if they had played together all their lives. To make a long story short we won the tournament breezing handily through the first two games and whipping the 3^rd Regiment in the finals by two points. I, along with the team, was the Toast of the Regiment as a result. My biggest contribution was probably staying out of the way and letting them play. I honestly believe this experience was a catalyst for launching my coaching and teaching career at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, following my release from the service.

     While at Fort McClellan the War in the Pacific ended in August 1945 with the surrender of the Japanese forces. I was honorably discharged at Camp McCoy north of Wisconsin on May 2, 1946, after 33 plus months of service. I left the service with the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and a World War II Victory Medal."

 

I wanted to find out more about the tournament he coached and since I am not able to go to Fort McClellan at this time, I thought I would see if there was a Facebook page for Fort McClellan. I found one, Fort McClellan Memories. I posted the paragraphs from my dad's autobiography and pictures of the tournament asking if anyone knew of any newspaper archives available. I did get a couple of interesting comments. One was from someone who had worked at Fort McClellan and said the gym was Miller Gym. Another thought the records were archived at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. This led me to more ideas for research. I will share my findings as I get replies from a few written inquiries.

My dad's autobiography has been a gift that keeps on giving. I am happy he wrote and published it. He gifted it to every family member. Since his death, in 2018, I have been asked by his former athletes and students if they could get a copy. I have shared it with those who ask. 

 Picture Information: The picture is one that was in my dad's collection. Bruce Glover is the last one on the right. I do not know who was in the picture with him and my father didn't remember their names.

Are You Using These Genealogical Sources?

Are you satisfied with low hanging fruit genealogical sources, or do you strive to dig deeper with your ancestry? Most genealogists will tell you to start your research with the census. The census is readily available online and easy to use. Other easy sources to find are death and marriage records. I consider these low hanging fruit sources, ones that are easy to find.

Digging deeper or using records that are tougher to use and harder to find are important when doing genealogy research. I used to think if I could fill a five-generation pedigree chart with names, birth, marriage, and death data I would be happy. The more I research the more I want to know. I am not satisfied with 'just the facts'.

Some records aren't used as often as they should. How many of the records below do you use regularly in your research?

Genealogical Records to Pursue

Land Records-you either love them or hate them. Usually, land records are easy to find. They are recorded at the county or state level and have been archived. Family Search and Ancestry have numerous land records in their databases. I will admit I like the information I find in land records, but do not enjoy reading them. Reading them on microfilm is even more challenging. Once I read so many land records on microfilm, I think I got motion sickness.

Land records are important because they show where your ancestor purchased or sold land. Remember they may not have lived on that land. They can show family relationships. Finding, using, and understanding land records provides valuable information.

A tip I received from Rhonda McClure at the New England Historic Genealogical Society was to add all the land bought and sold. If the numbers aren't equal, there is more to find.

Voter or Poll Records-qualifying to vote can provide records of interest to genealogists. Potential voters must prove residency. I have seen addresses, ages, previous voting place, and naturalization information in these records. Voting records are held at the city, town, or township level.

Criminal Records-do you have an outcast in the family? Look in newspapers and court records for more information. Information gleaned from these records can lead one to other records of importance.

Probate Records-Probate records are coming online more these days. I know Calhoun county, Michigan has microfilmed their probate records and the index is available online at Willard Library, Battle Creek, MI. The Archives of Michigan is in the process of scanning all the probate records in their possession and will be available at Michiganology when completed.

Tax Records-Benjamin Franklin says nothing is certain except death and taxes. Tax records are the first ones to be re-recorded in the case of a fire or damage. The government wants their money, and the taxpayer doesn't want to pay twice. The taxpayer will bring receipt of tax payment to the assessor. Information varies on what is recorded, but they are well worth finding.

Manuscripts-genealogists underutilize manuscripts because they are harder to find, or one doesn't know where to look. Finding aids are important when looking for manuscript material.

• World Cat-provides the researcher with access to over 10,000 libraries and archives. Information varies, but look for a diary, oral history, church membership, and other records. I found church records for Ypsilanti Presbyterian Church by using World Cat. They are stored at Bentley Historical Library at University of Michigan. 
• NUCMC-National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections leads the researcher to archival and manuscript materials. Once you learn how to search at NUCMC a world of resources is open. Repositories include historical societies. Family letters, bible records, plantation owners, tax lists, marriage records, and more can lead you to your family.
• Archive Grid-is a great resource for unpublished resources. Finding a diary, school record, or store ledger is a genealogical gem for those looking for them. The difference between Archive Grid and World Cat is that Archive Grid is for unpublished resources and World Cat covers published resources.

Most manuscript collections are not digitized, but the catalogs listed above will lead you to the repository. Next, you will need to plan a road trip or contact the repository for access information. 

If you haven't explored manuscripts, please do, you won't be disappointed. I have found items I had no clue existed by being creative in my search. A few examples of my searching included: Manistee Lutheran minister, Lemke; lighthouse keepers in Michigan; Ypsilanti MI Presbyterian church records, justice of peace records for Detroit, Michigan, Governor Begole records, and so many more.

 

My March Ancestors

and

                                         

The first of the month is a good time to share anniversaries of births and marriages from my family tree. Below is the list of people and their anniversaries. No living people are included in my list.

1 March 1699/1700	Joseph FULLER (322)
2 March 1742	Ambrose SALISBURY (280)
2 March 1763	Christina LIVENGOOD (259)
2 March 1800	Mary KINGSLEY (222)
3 March 1636	Uli MAST (386)
3 March 1693	Hans MAST and Anna MISHLER (329)
3 March 1742	Anna Margaretha GERMANN (280)
3 March 1837	Henry Pierce Strong GLOVER (185)
4 March 1671	Mehitabel OSGOOD (351)
4 March 1772	Elihu ROWLEY (250)
4 March 1787	Mary SCHROCK (235)
4 March 1846	Daniel C. FENN and Jane E. POOR (176)
4 March 1871	Julius ZOBEL (151)
4 March 1886	Jean Ethel WATT (136)
6 March 1789	Alexander GLOVER (233)
6 March 1805	Anna Caroline KONIG (217)
6 March 1838	Adaline L. DYER (184)
7 March 1796	Charles Williamson GLOVER (226)
7 March 1865	Samuel MAST (157)
8 March 1646	John HASELTINE and Joan ANTER (376)
8 March 1941	Carl Edward MCDONALD and Betty Leona BOND (81)
9 March 1727	Jonathan ROWLEY and Anne FULLER (295)
9 March 1891	Laura Myrtle MCGEE (131)
9 March 1893	Edna May MCGEE (129)
9 March 1935	Raymond Paul GRAF and Virginia MILLER (87)
10 March 1743	Moses POOR (279)
10 March 1766	John "Hans" SCHROCK (256)
10 March 1845	Frank Cushman BEGOLE (177)
11 March 1817	Fredrick BEGOLE (205)
11 March 1861	Gustav Ernst RADKE (161)
11 March 1883	Annie Eliza "Mabel" MCGEE (139)
11 March 1889	Laura Myrtle MCGEE (133)
11 March 1917	Francis Mae GRAF (105)
13 March 1915	Margaret Ruth CHALMERS (107)
14 March 1689/90	Jonathan CLARK (332)
14 March 1699/1700	Joseph POOR (322)
17 March 1779	John LIVENGOOD (243)
17 March 1844	Harriet M. A. "Annette" GLOVER (178)
18 March 1789	Huldah ROWLEY (233)
19 March 1843	George DYER (179)
20 March 1653	Mary ROWLEY (369)
20 March 1756	Alexander GLOVER (266)
20 March 1867	Silas R. FENN and Elizabeth BUSH (155)
20 March 1906	Lenore BRUCE (116)
21 March 1618	John MAYO and Tamisen BRIKE (404)
21 March 1796	Mary "Maria" MAUST (226)
22 March 1916	William Arthur FREDRICK and Grace L. FILLACY (106)
23 March 1739	Hannah SANTCLARE (283)
23 March 1767	Johann Friedrich GRAF (255)
23 March 1797	Peter BEACHY (225)
23 March 1884	Mary H. FREDRICK (138)
24 March 1774	John MOTT and Mary ROWLEY (248)
24 March 1818	William Powers GLOVER (204)
24 March 1841	Jesse YOUNGS (181)
24 March 1881	Margaret "Maggie" MCGEE (141)
24 March 1888	Hibernia Sarah "Bernice" MCGEE (134)
24 March 1899	William Wilfred MCGEE (123)
25 March 1696	John WEST and Mary WEBSTER (326)
25 March 1787	Christian L. LIVENGOOD and Elizabeth FORNEY (235)
25 March 1792	Joshua BEGOLE (230)
26 March 1698	Mary POOR (324)
26 March 1906	Catherine Louise CHALMERS (116)
26 March 1921	Mabel Louise RUFF (101)
27 March 1700	Elizabeth GLOVER (322)
27 March 1867	Georg GRAF and Lena HANKS-GAHS (155)
27 March 1922	Murriel Elaine GYOLAS (100)
27 March 1948	Michael Fay FREDRICK (74)
29 March 1769	Elizabeth FORNEY (253)
31 March 1696	Henry GLOVER and Mary CREHORE (326)
31 March 1767	Moses POOR and Hannah SANTCLARE (255)
31 March 1837	Henry Pierce Strong GLOVER (185)
1 April 1635	Governor Thomas PRENCE and Mary COLLIER (387)

 

12 Years of Blogging

 

Happy Anniversary to me or should I say to my Journey to the Past blog. Thank you to all my readers for sticking with me the past twelve years.

Twelve years ago, today, I decided I wanted to share my family history via a blog. I started out doing very well and even won an award or two, but then as often happens life gets in the way and my blogging suffered. Hopefully, I am back to regular blogging.

I looked at my top ten posts and find it interesting that in the number one spot is my ancestor biography of Daniel C. Fenn. If you are viewing this as a relative of Daniel, please email me. I would love to make new cousin connections.

I am happy to see people are looking at my Pure Michigan Genealogy posts. I updated all ten of the posts in January, 2022. I like to use my blog to promote Michigan records and repositories.

The only surprise is number 7, Do You Have Summer Genealogy Plans? I didn't share anything newsworthy. I just shared five goals I had hoped to accomplish.

These are the top ten all time viewed posts.

1. Ancestor Biography: Daniel C. Fenn
2. Historic Adventist Village, Battle Creek, MI
3. Pure Michigan Genealogy: Records
4. Michigan's Role in the War of 1812
5. Ancestor Biography: Otto August Fredrick
6. Tech Tuesday: Social Media for Genealogy Analysis
7. Do You Have Summer Genealogy Plans?
8. Was Your German Ancestor Recruited to Come to Michigan?
9. Surname Saturday: Livengood
10. Pure Michigan Genealogy: Migration and Immigration