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There have been several times in the past where I’ve come to a brick wall – more like a cement wall – unmovable and indestructable. When I’ve come to a screeching halt in my research, I’ve generally focused on either other activities or other names in my ancestry. I think it is usually a case where I’m looking so hard at one thing, I can’t see what’s right in front of me.
However, there are still some brick walls that I haven’t been able to even knock one brick out of in order to see a little glimmer of light from the other side.
Parents (and therefore their ancestors) of:
- William Amore (my 2nd g-grandfather) b. Feb. 6, 1828 in Troy, albany, NY d. Feb. 9, 1896 in Franklin Twp, Coshocton County, Ohio.
- Charlotte Imons (my 2nd g-grandmother, wife of William Amore) b. Aug. 4, 1828 in Ohio d. Oct. 9, 1862 in Coshocton County, Ohio.
- Frances Ogan (my g-grandmother, wife of James Emory House) b. Nov. 29, 1846 in Ohio d. Feb. 18, 1915 [I posted about her story here.]
- Julia Lewis (my 2nd g-grandmother, wife of Florus House, mother of James) b. Dec. 24, 1815 in Ohio d. Oct. 6, 1899 in Coshocton County, Ohio.
- John Blazer (my 3rd g-grandfather) b. abt. 1812 in Ohio d. Unknown probably in Indiana.
- Martha McManaway (my 3rd g-grandmother, wife of John Goul) b. abt. 1801 in Germany or Rockingham, Virginia d. Oct. 7, 1855 probably in Indiana.
- Frederick Goul (my 5th g-grandfather) b. in Germany. (No information on his wife either.)
- Jacob Johnson (my 3rd g-grandfather) b. Dec. 11, 1787 in New Jersey d. May 2, 1855 in Center Township, Rush County, Indiana.
- William Shields (my 4th g-grandfather, father of Ann Shields, father-in-law of Jacob Johnson).
- Thomas Stanley (my 4th g-grandfather).
- Sarah Smithey (my 4th g-grandmother, wife of Thomas Stanley).
- George Mullis (my 4th g-grandfather) b. 1768 in Wilkes County, North Carolina d. 1833 in Surry County, North Carolina.
- Johnathan Wilt (my 3rd g-grandfather) b. abt. 1800 in Virginia.
- Catherine Hollinger (my 3rd g-grandmother, wife of Johnathan Wilt) b. 1799 in Virginia.
- Alexander Nash (my 3rd g-grandfather) b. about 1808 in Pennsylvania. (No information on his wife, Elsy’s, family.)
My research has included checking the census records for the areas in which they died and going backwards as well as any other on-line documentation – wills, marriages, births, deaths, obituaries and newspaper articles. I’ve also asked living family members what they have heard about ancestors in case oral histories have been passed down.
So many times when we locate an ancestor they have migrated from where they were born or married or built a home, to another area possibly a great distance away. What prompts these moves? What was it they were searching for or hoping to gain by moving?
There are many web sites dealing in reasons including: California Gold Rush, Oregon Trail, the Dustbowl of the 1930s, the Homestead Act of 1862, immigrating from another country in search of a better life, religious persecution, and more. Today many people move from one locale to another due to a change in occupaton or a relocation, stationed at different spots due to military service, to get out of small towns or big cities, to go to school, and more.
I thought I would detail some of my ancestors’ migration patterns. I don’t have enough proof to document the reasons why they moved – just that they did.
Frederick Goul (5th great-grandfather)
Frederick took his wife, son, and daughter by ship (possibly the “Rawley”) from Frankfort, Germany to America in the mid-1700s. By the time they reached Philadelphia, his wife and daughter had died.
Adam Goul (4th great-grandfather)
Adam married Elizabeth Lutz in Pennsylvania and several of their children were born there. They moved to Rockbridge County, Virginia by 1804 and by 1817 had migrated west to Goshen Twp, Champaign County, Ohio. Adam and Elizabeth are buried at Treacles Creek Cemetery in Champaign County.
John Goul (3rd great-grandfather)
One of Adam’s and Elizabeth’s sons, born about 1802, in Philadelphia, he was with his parents when they moved to Ohio. About 1823 he married Martha McManaway. John and his wife didn’t move from Champaign County.
Malissa Goul (great-great grandmother)
Malissa met Franklin Blazer in Champaign County and they married. The couple moved west to Madison County, Indiana before 1860 and most of their children were born there. One son, John, and one daughter, Martha (Mat), remained in the area. Daughter, Katie, grew up in the County and only moved in 1930 with her husband to live with their son in Greene County, Indiana. Daughter, Rachel, moved west to Missouri and Kansas. Son, Wesley, moved to Champaign County, Ohio where he married, brought up children and died.
Glen R. Johnson (maternal grandfather)
My grandfather (son of Katie Blazer and John L. Johnson) was born in Anderson, Indiana and never moved away until he was in training for WWI at Ft. Omaha, Nebraska and then on to Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas. He went to France toward the end of WWI and then returned to his wife, son and home in Anderson. During his career in the Army Air Corps (later the Air Force), he and his family moved East to Greene County, Ohio. This is the place they considered home for the remainder of their lives. Yet they also moved according to the military to Wiesbaden, Germany. My grandfather also spent some time in Washington D.C., Tullahoma, Tennessee; Finschafen, New Guinea; Orlando, Florida. Returning to the Dayton area before 1960, he and his wife lived out the remainder of their lives in that area.
Jacob Johnson (3rd great-grandfather)
Jacob was born in New Jersey in 1787. He moved (probably with his parents and family) by 1816 to the Southeastern section of Ohio in Brown County, Ohio. His wife’s family (Ann Shields) has also been located in that area. By 1840 Jacob and family were living in Center Township, Rush County, Indiana, where he spent the remainder of his life.
James Wilson Johnson (great-great grandfather)
He was born in Ohio when his parents, Jacob and Ann, lived in Brown County. As a child he moved with them to Rush County, Indiana. In the 1880 Census James and his second wife, Margaret Gordon, are living in Stoney Creek Twp, Madison County, Indiana. James spent some time in Michigan in his later years living with each of his daughter’s and their families. He moved one last time – when he was buried in Little Blue River Cemetery in Rush County, Indiana.
John Mullis and Dolly Stanley (3rd great grandfather and mother)
In-laws of James Wilson Johnson, they moved from Wilkes County, North Carolina before 1838 to Rush County, Indiana.
Perhaps as I continue with my research, I will discover the reason why these people moved from one area (or country) to another. It has just been quite interesting to see their migration patterns.
Here’s some more of my family statistics.
My maternal grandparents – Glen Roy Johnson Sr. and Vesta Christina Wilt – had:
– 4 Children (the last was premature and died at 6 weeks)
– 8 Grandchildren
– 16 Great-grandchildren
– 16 Great-Great-grandchildren
Total of 44 Descendents!
My paternal grandparents – Lloyd William Amore and Ella Maria House –
had:
- 8 Children (the last was stillborn)
- 14 Grandchildren
- 35 Great-Grandchildren
- 24+ Great-Great-Grandchildren
- 7+ Great-Great-Great-grandchildren
That is a total of: 88+ Descendents!
My husband likes to say that family trees should look like a tree (smaller at the top and getting larger as you get to the bottom) not look like a box! That’s because he doesn’t understand what the fascination is to find out all the children of the 5th great aunt or uncle and their descendents. I have tried to explain that sometimes when you find one of those far-reaching relatives that they might end up pointing you in the general direction of where your primary ancestors were living way back when.
For example I have the reunion minute book of the Johnson-Shively reunions beginning in the early 1900s and going through the early 1940s. Most of the minutes are very stiff – except sprinkled throughout are a few death dates and marriage dates. Other family names are mentioned. Searching for some of the other family names made it possible to find primary ancestors. If I hadn’t “branched out” (so to speak) I may still be hitting that brick wall.
As I was thinking about that this morning, I thought it would be interesting to make a list of the number of close relatives I have. Here’s my family stats:
Grandparents – 4
Parents – 2
Siblings – 2
Children – 4
Grandchildren – 3
First Cousins – 16
First Cousins Once Removed (children of First Cousins) – 30+ (the plus is because I know one of my first cousins has some children but since he won’t correspond with anyone, I don’t know how many!)
Aunts – 5 (two of them died as infants)
Uncles – 5
Great-Aunts (sisters of my grandparents) – 7 (this includes 2 half-sisters of my paternal grandmother)
Great-Uncles (brothers of my grandparents) – 17 (this includes 1 haf-brother of my paternal grandmother)
(Update)
Nieces – 1
Nephews – 2
Great-Nephews – 2
Great-Nieces – 1
(End of Update)
Maybe I’ll get to other relatives soon! Have you counted up the number of close relatives?
All My Branches (Mirror Site) 