Ancestor Biography: Katherine McGee Watt

Katherine McGee, my paternal great grandmother, was the oldest of four children born to Richard McGee and Sarah Jackson.  Katherine was born on 2 September 1862 in Collingwood, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  (Note:  In 1862 Collingwood was part of Grey, it is currently part of Simcoe county)  Other children born to Richard and Sarah were:

1. Isabella McGee:  Born 1 October 1868, Collingwood, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  She married Richard Simmons in 1896 and eventually moved to Duluth, Minnesota.
2. William John McGee:  Born 10 July 1871, Collingwood, Grey, Ontario, Canada.  He married Laura Kirby in 1900 in Thornbury, Grey, Ontario, Canada.
3. James McGee:  Born 25 February 1877 in Ontario, Canada.

The Richard McGee family can be found in the 1871 Canadian Census:

1871, Collingwood, Grey North, Ontario, Canada, district 37 Grey North, subdistrict Township of Collingwood, division 1, p 78, Family Number 282, Richard McGee ; digital images, Ancestry.com, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 October 2010); Roll C-9953.

Katherine was 14 when her mother, Sarah, died in 1877.  I often wonder if Katherine had to take on the duties of mothering her siblings as they were 9, 6, and 2 months old at the time.  Very little is known of Katherine during her youth and teenage years. 

Between 1877 and 1881, her father, Richard, married Mary May.  Richard was twenty four years older than Mary.  They had six children:

1. Margaret in 1881
2. Mabel in 1883
3. Samuel Zachariah in 1885
4. Hibernia in 1887, who married William H. Heighes
5. Laura Myrtle in 1890, who married Arthur W. Reid
6. Edna May in 1893, who married James Francis Charles Boell

The David and Katherine Watt Family

First Row: (L-R) David, Burton, Katherine, Mary

Back Row: (L-R) Sarah (my grandmother), Jean, John, Eva, Florence

(A son, David, died at the age of 14 months, in 1888.)

Katherine McGee married David Watt on 16 May 1883 in St. Ignace, Mackinac, Michigan.  They settled in Marquette, Marquette, Michigan where they had eight children.

1. John Richard (23 August 1883-27 October 1959)
2. Sarah Lilla (23 November 1884-31 March 1965)
3. Jean Ethel (4 March 1886-1914)
4. David A (24 August 1887-28 November 1888)
5. Eva May (June 1889-January 1921)
6. Florence Isabel (17 December 1890-?)
7. Burton Lewis (10 December 1892-6 March 1994)
8. Mary Katherine (27 August 1894-?)

Katherine Watt, with grandchildren Richard and Warren Watt

David and Katherine Watt lived and raised their children in Marquette, Michigan.  They can be found in the 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930 U.S. Federal Census for Marquette, Marquette, Michigan.  The 1910 Census is below:

Source:  1910 U.S. Census, , population schedule, Ward 4, enumeration district (ED) 191, p 8B, dwelling 174, Head of household-David Watt; digital images, ancestry.com (: accessed 8 October 2010); Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1910. T624, 1,178 rolls..

Mrs. David Watt Obituary

The Mining Journal, Marquette, Michigan

 23 January 1932 page 2, Column 3

Katherine Watt died on 22 January 1932 in Marquette, Michigan at the home of her son, Burt.  She had been ill for 18 months.  I ordered a copy of her death certificate and with further research discovered a few errors on it.  The following information is in error:

• Marital status:  Widow  Correction:  Katherine was married at the time of death.
• Surname before First Married:  Catherine Jackson  Correction:  Surname was McGee; Jackson was her mother's maiden name.
• Father's Name:  Richard Wallace  Correction:  Father's name was Richard McGee

Park Cemetery (Marquette, Marquette, Michigan, USA) 

Photo by Brenda Leyndyke. Personal Visit. July 2009.

Katherine McGee Watt is buried in Park Cemetery, Marquette, Michigan in the Watt family plot. 

Alexander Glover's Will

My new found 'Glover' cousin shared Alexander Glover's will with me.  Alexander Glover is my paternal 4x great grandfather (Alexander, Samuel S., Samuel S., Jr, Frank, Harry, Bruce, Me)  First of all I would like to thank Jared Willson, Esquire, for his superb handwriting.  This is one of the easiest to read wills I have seen.   

Alexander's Will:
In the name of God Amen!  I Alexander Glover of Phelps county of Ontario and state of New York considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound and perfect mind and memory, blessed be Almighty God for the same, do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say.  First I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Sarah Glover all my personal property of every description whatsoever, except the farming utensil and one home  And I do further give and bequeath to my beloved wife Sarah all the rents issues profits and income of all my real estate for her own benefit and to be at her own disposal during her natural life.  And I also give and bequeath to my son Charles Williamson Glover all my real estate together with all and singular the hereditaments and appurtenances there unto belonging or in anywise appertaining and to have full possession there of at the decease of my beloved wife Sarah on this express condition that he shall and will pay or cause to be paid the following legacies vis.  to my son Philander one dollar. to my son Alexander one dollar, to my son George Whitfield one dollar. to my son Samuel Stillman one dollar.  to my grandson Cotton Crittenden five dollars. to my grandson William Salisbury Crittenden five dollars in one year after the decease of my beloved wife Sarah.  To my daughter Elizabeth Melvin one hundred dollars. to my daughter Sophronia Powell one hundred dollars. to my daughter Polly Glover one hundred dollars. to my daughter Milly Eddy one hundred dollars to be paid to my four daughters in three equal annual installments after the decease of my beloved wife all of which legacies aforementioned  I do give and bequeath unto each of the legatees severally as above mentioned to be paid out of my real estate if my son Charles Williamson Glover refuses or neglects to comply with the condition herein contained.  In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twelfth day of March one thousand eight hundred and twenty  Alexander Glover Seal

Alexander's belief in God and love of his wife, Sarah was evident in his will.  I have found 12 children born to Alexander and Sarah (Salisbury) Glover:  Philander, Sarah, Elizabeth, Alexander, Sophronia, Rachel, George Whitfield, Charles Williamson, Samuel Stillman, Polly, Amelia, and William Salisbury.  Alexander's will lists nine children.  The three not mentioned are Sarah, Rachel, and William Salisbury.  I know that William Salisbury Glover died at the age of 1.   I have often wondered about the middle names of the children in my Glover family.  A few times I have found surnames as middle names, I wonder how many of Alexander's children's middle names have clues in them.

Happy 184th Birthday, Great Great Grandma Fenn

Elizabeth Ann Poor was born 18 October 1826 to Samuel B. Poor and Eleanor Begole, in New York.  She married Daniel C. Fenn sometime between 1848 and 1850.  Elizabeth died 20 September 1894 in Hersey, Osceola, Michigan.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun-Who's To Blame?

Randy Seaver at Gena-Musings posted his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun assignment.  This is my first time to participate, so here goes.

Randy writes:  Hey geneaphiles - it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun for all Genea-Musing readers.  Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and we need more of you to do this, otherwise it may end...), is to:

1) Read Brenda Joyce Jerome's post Who or What Do You Blame? on the Western Kentucky Genealogy blog. She asks these questions:

* Can you identify person or event that started you on this search for family information?  My introduction to genealogy came when my dad decided to write his autobiography.  He knew very little about his family.  He knew his parents and grandparents names and that was about it.  I thought this might be fun to try and help him discover who and where he came from.  My initial goal was to fill in a five generation pedigree chart.  Who could stop at that?  From there I have researched many, many generations.

* Did you pick up researching where a relative had left off? No one else in the family had done any research.  I had to start from scratch.

* Did your interest stem from your child's school project on genealogy? No, but I do remember my daughter asking her dad's mother a few questions for a school project once.  I saved the letter her grandma wrote to her and it helped when I researched my husband's side of the family.

* If you have been researching many years, it may be hard to pinpoint one reason for this journey. The main reason I undertook this journey was to help my dad find his past.  Over the past few years of researching I have found lots of interesting information to share with him. 


2) Write your responses on your own blog, in a comment to this blog post, or in a note or comment on Facebook.   See above.

Thanks to Randy and Brenda for the Saturday Night Fun.

Follow Friday: Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collection

My alma mater, Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, Michigan is the repository of records for 12 southwest Michigan counties:  Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun. Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St. Joseph, and Van Buren.

Some of the records one can find at WMU Archives and Regional History Collection include:  public records, county histories, regional manuscripts, diaries, letters, photographs, regional governmental records, state and federal census, university archives and much more. 

One of the interesting university archive collections is WMU's yearbooks.  The WMU archive website has online access for WMU's Yearbooks, 1906-1975.  I was excited when I discovered this as my father graduated from WMU in 1950.  I searched page by page to no avail.  I guess he was photo shy!  It was interesting to see the buildings and culture of Western while he was there though.

The archives can be found at Room 111, East Hall, on the East Campus of Western Michigan University, off Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Current hours are:  Tuesday through Friday 8-5 and Saturday 9-4.  The archives are closed Sunday and Monday.  Some metered parking is available as well as a $5 visitor parking pass. 

Check out the WMU Archives and Regional History Collection, a great resource for southwest Michigan.

Workshop Wednesday: Beyond the Basics-Church Records

Church records can be a great help in your genealogical journey.  The only church records I have used are those that are on the family search website.  Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana recently held a two day workshop:  Beyond the Basics.  It was an excellent workshop that I was glad I attended. 

Steven W. Myers M.L.S presented the session on church records.  Steve stated, "research is incomplete if you haven't checked church records."  He talked about the importance of these underutilized and valuable records. 

The types of church records kept include baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmation and communion.  Other church business related records may be found also, ie. meeting minutes, membership, financial, etc. 

Before you can identify church records you need to determine your ancestor's church affiliation.  Are your ancestors buried in a church cemetery?  Do you have a memorial card?  Check their obituary.   Does their marriage certificate list a minister?  These are all ideas of how to identify church affiliation.

Lastly, the workshop reminded us of etiquette when using church records.  If you are going to a specific church, it is a good idea to make an appointment, be courteous and make a donation.

What tips do you have for using church records?

Military Monday: My Brave Mechanics

Do you have one ancestor that intrigues you more than another?  I seem to be intrigued with my great great grandfather, Samuel Stillman Glover, Jr, lately.  Samuel is the civil war veteran who's pension file I ordered.  Once I found out about Samuel's civil war service I wanted to find out more.  I knew that he served in Company H, 1st Regiment of Engineers and Mechanics for Michigan.  So, when I discovered a book on the Michigan volunteers I headed to the library.

There is a book by Mark Hoffman, "My Brave Mechanics" that I should probably buy as every time I go to the library I read a little more of it. (It is part of the local history section and unavailable for checkout)  The book is a well written, sourced account of the brave men and their service in the Civil War.

The Engineers and Mechanics were a volunteer group organized to support the Corps of Engineers for the Union.  These volunteers gathered for training in Marshall, Michigan at the county fairgrounds.  This military camp became known as Camp Owen, named after the Michigan state treasurer, John Owen.  In Chapter 3, Hoffman describes the camp conditions.

The part of the book I was most interested in was on page 90, Hoffman describes General Buell's supply line.  He talks of the confederates attacking all along the supply line with the Michigan Engineers being in harms way.  He continues, "Samuel S. Glover was sent on July 13 as a mounted courier from Shelbyville south along the pike to Buell's headquarters at Huntsville.  While crossing over Elk Ridge near Fayetteville, Glover was shot in the right knee by bushwhackers.  In great pain he clung to his horse and barely escaped capture by outdistancing his attackers.  His wound never healed properly and was still troubling him thirty five years later"  Hoffman cited sources for this entry.  The sources included the Compiled Military Service Records, William H. Kimball Diary, Ezra Stearns Diary, Regimental Order Books, Special Orders and Regimental Descriptive Rolls.

The information on Samuel Glover supported the information found in his obituary and civil war pension file.  Each time I read about Samuel's civil war service I am in awe of his bravery and how close he came to being captured or even worse, killed.

Hattie's Bible: Marriages

Source:  Glover, Hattie L. "Fenn", family data. In The Holy Bible: with Revised New Testament. Chicago: GW Borland & Co., 1882. Original owned in June 2010 by Brenda Leyndyke, [address for private use].

The following marriages were recorded in Hattie L. Fenn's bible.  Frank H. Glover and Hattie L. Fenn were listed first.  The other marriages are of their children:  Claude R, F.H (Frank H. Jr, or Harry), Addie, and Merle.

F.H. Glover & Hattie L. Fenn May 12 1882

Claude R. Glover & Lizzie Bellinghausen Oct 7, 1905

F.H. Glover, Jr & Emma Winkler Oct 2, 1911

F.H. Glover, Jr & Lilla Watts Aug 25, 1919

Adeline Glover & Victor Tyson Feb 25, 1922

Merle M. Glover & V. Genevieve Dout May 31, 1927

Claude R. Glover & Edythe Sarasin Booker 5-17-41

Adeline Glover Tyson & Leonard G. McKie 4-24-46