Sunday, December 30, 2012

A Year Gone By :: 2012 in Review

Well, the year 2012 is almost history. It's been a great year for me for research, though not so much for blogging. With only 112 posts published, it's been the "worst" year since I started blogging. In fact, this is my first post for December! No excuses, really, but what I've "discovered" is that when I get involved with a project (be it actual research, transcribing documents, or simply standardizing my database) I tend to get really involved - to the point of doing little else until "that project" is completed. I must admit, I have missed the blogging...

January found me traveling westward from Louisiana where I had spent the holidays with extended family.  Highlights for the month were a short stop at White Sands National Monument, a meetup with a blog reader who turned out to be a distant cousin, a two-week stay at Lake Havasu City where there was a hot-air balloon festival and where I developed a naming scheme for organizing my digital files.

An Arizona Sunset. January 12th.

February was spent in Salt Lake City where RootsTech was on the agenda. I must admit, I was a little disappointed with the conference but enjoyed seeing old friends again. Of course, there was The Library that was calling my name for the entire month! Among other things while there, I began writing the series on the Hoffman-Huffman family of Ohio and Pennsylvania.

After a few days in Death Valley I made one final stop before heading back to Indiana in March.  May came all too quickly along with the NGS Conference in Cincinnati, which was absolutely fantastic. The sessions were (for the most part) outstanding, and being with like-minded friends was priceless.

The Grand Canyon looking north from Desert View. March 15th.

A short sojourn into Kentucky looking for the land of my Bray ancestors, then it was back to Indiana for a few more weeks. In early July I was notified that a seat had opened up in Thomas Jones' class at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh - I had been put on the waiting list in February when I was unsuccessful in registering - and was asked if I was still interested in attending. Of course, my response was a definite "Yes!" and I was shortly on my way to G.R.I.P. and what a "trip" it was - one of the most challenging yet exhilarating experiences of my genealogy journey!

I had thought that I might spend a week in Pennsylvania doing on-site research but after a week at G.R.I.P. my brain was fried. Instead, I returned to Indiana for a few weeks to assimilate what I had learned and to prepare a bit more to research those Pennsylvania Ancestors.

In August I spent about 10 days in Huntsville, Alabama helping a cousin who was recovering from surgery. While there, plans were made with another cousin for spending a few weeks in Maine. A couple days of research in Pennsylvania on the way there, a few more days afterward, a visit with my aunt and cousin in Maryland, then a few more days in Pennsylvania and I made it back to Indiana just in time for the Midwest Geneabloggers 2012 Fall Meetup (link to Tina Lyons' post) on October 13th.

Northern Maine. September 25th.

Since then I've been looking for more Hoffman and Switzer and Rupert descendants, and found quite a few of them too!  But most of the last month has been spent on "cleaning up" and standardizing my genealogy database in preparation for uploading it to ancestry.com or some other online tree site. It's been somewhat tedious and very time consuming. Sources still require a great deal of work and I'm beginning to think that this "clean-up" work could go on for ever!

It has been an interesting and rather satisfying year. A mixture of travel and research and a little of both combined. What could be better?

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "A Year Gone By :: 2012 in Review," Kinexxions, posted December 30, 2012 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-year-gone-by-2012-in-review.html : accessed [access date])

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Wiseman Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

Charles Wiseman came from Bern, Switzerland in 1833 to Switzerland County, Indiana where he lived the remainder of his life. He married Naomi Bray; they were the parents of five children. My Wiseman and Bray database has been posted on WorldConnect.

Charles Wiseman and Naomi Bray - my 2nd Great Grandparents
The Wiseman Family Bible
Children of Charles and Naomi Bray Wiseman
Charles Wilson Wiseman and Elsie Shuder - my Grandparents
Jack William Wiseman and Virginia Phend - My parents, he is son of Charles & Elsie
Personal History
Personal Ramblings and Thoughts

Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on June 1, 2012

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.


Wise Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on Wise and allied families (Hale, Hoffman, Kircher, Mohler, Shidler, etc.). Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

This research is my attempt to identify the twelve children of Peter and Christina Wise and trace their descendants. Though it is highly probable and likely possible that those listed below are their children, only one has thus far been positively proven (Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman).

Peter and Christina Wise
William Wise
Rebecca Wise Shidler
Catherine Kircher
Rosanna Wise Hale
Jacob Wise
John Wise
Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman, confirmed daughter of Peter and Christina Wise
Elmina Ella Mohler
Hannah Wise
  • In the 1860 census with Peter and Christina there is a Hannah, age 29, born in Ohio and in 1870 Hannah is 44 years old, born in Pennsylvania. This would seem to indicate that she was born in 1826 or 1831, or possibly somewhere in between. Hannah is not included in the published cemetery records for Miami County so, as far as I know, she is not buried in Gilead Cemetery where Peter and Christina and other family members are interred.
Elizabeth Wise
  • Elizabeth is listed with Peter and Christina Wise in the 1850 census in Miami County, Indiana. She is buried in Gilead Cemetery, in the same row, though some distance away from Peter and Christina. Elizabeth was born 24 Jan 1837 in Ohio and died 24 May 1854 presumably in Miami County, Indiana.

Originally Posted on March 5, 2008 :: Last Updated on December 31, 2009. Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Switzer Families :: Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

Jacob and Catharine (Brinker) Switzer are my 4th great grandparents. I am descended through their daughter Elizabeth who married Jacob Yarian. For years I “put off” researching this family, primarily because there was more than one man by the name of Jacob Switzer residing in Columbiana County, Ohio at the same time. In fact there were four men by that name living there at various times in the 1810-1860 time period.

In May 2011 I was fortunate to be able to spend several weeks researching at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It was with what was found there that I began to unravel the threads of the various Switzer families in Columbiana County, Ohio. The four families are:
  1. Jacob Switzer, born February 28, 1761 and died October 27, 1841. His wife was named Elizabeth (maiden name possibly Hoke and possibly married February 19, 1786).
  2. Jacob Switzer, born January 4, 1788 and died November 2, 1859. He married Catherine “Caty” Brinker on February 26, 1811. [This is my family.]
  3. Jacob Switzer, born December 25, 1794 and died August 29, 1849. He married Polly Skelton January 11, 1816. He is in Columbiana County by 1817 and is gone by 1830.
  4. Jacob Switzer, born November 8, 1788 and died March 25, 1859. His wife was Catharina Mummert. He appears in Columbiana County in 1830.
Below are the posts that have been written thus far on the Switzer Families of Columbiana County, Ohio. Posts specific to "my" Switzer family will be found below this first section.
  • The Three Jacob Switzers - - July 11, 2011 - - Identifies the three men named Jacob Switzer, and their wives, through cemetery records.
  • Not One, Not Two, Not Three, but Four of Them! - - July 31, 2011 - - A compilation of Land Records, Tax List Records, and Census Records used to “sort out” and distinguish the various Jacob Switzer families in Columbiana County.
  • Switzer Family Number 1 :: Jacob and Elizabeth - - August 12, 2011 - - Discusses the potential children of Jacob and Elizabeth. Jacob left no will and no probate record was found for him creating a bit of a puzzle regarding the makeup of his family.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Jacob and Catherine (Brinker) Switzer - my 4th great grandparents

Originally posted on July 30, 2011. Last updated on August 13, 2011.Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Shuder Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

My grandmother was Elsie Shuder. She married Charles Wilson Wiseman. Elsie's parents were Isaac and Nancy Jane Lavering Shuder.
Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on June 2, 2009
Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Rupert Family :: Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

John Rupert and his wife Barbara are my 5th Great Grandparents, through their daughter Eva who married Conrad Yarian. They moved to Hanover Township, Columbiana County, Ohio between 1803 and 1808, probably from Adams County, Pennsylvania.

A recent research trip (May-June 2011) to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City resulted in several “big finds” in regards to John and Barbara, namely his estate file and his will, which named his living children!

Below are the posts that have been written thus far on John Rupert and his family:
If you are related to any of the Ruperts mentioned in these posts or are researching the Rupert family, please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com


Originally posted on July 2, 2011 :: Last Updated on July 9, 2011
Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Robison Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

Henry and Ann Robison who lived in Whitley County, Indiana and Champaign County, Ohio are very good candidates (thus far, the only candidates!) for being my 4th Great Grandparents.

Robison/Robinson Families of Whitley County, Indiana reviews the information that is known about Henry and Anna.

Henry and Ann Robison :: Probable Children evaluates the census records to determine the children of Henry and Anna. Census records indicate they may have had eight children, with three of them named in his 1851 will.

1. James Robison born in 1816 (possible son, not proven: 1830 & 1840 census) married Tobitha Scott and had five children. Three of the children are buried in South Whitley Cemetery as are James and Tobitah. One daughter, Irene Ann, married Jacob Cripe.

2. Unknown female born 1816-1820 (1830 & 1840 census)

3. Lydia Robison 1825-1899 (probable daughter, not proven: 1830 & 1840 census) married Lysander Joslin and had 15 children. Lydia and Lysander are my 3rd great grandparents. See Joslin Family - Index to Posts for information on them and their children.

4. Unknown female born 1826-1830 (1830 & 1840 census)

5. Eliza Jane Robison 1828-1856 (known daughter: 1830, 1840 & 1850 census) married William McMannen. She is buried in the South Whitley cemetery next to her infant son.

6. Henry Robison Jr. 1833-1904 (known son: 1840 & 1850 census) married Lucy Strait. Henry and Lucy had four children, two of whom married and had families.
6a. Ella/Ellen Robison and C. M. Kimball
6b. Frank and Cora Robison of Marion, Indiana
7. Emily Robison born about 1835 (known daughter: 1840 & 1850 census) is probably the Emily that married Franklin Bair in 1861. Of their seven children, three were living when Frank died in 1917. Two of those children have been found. [Update December 12, 2008: The third living child was Flora/Florence Cathy/Katherine Bair.]
The Heirs of Emily Bair documents the information found in the guardianship file.

7a. Franklin Henry Bair married Nettie S. Ellis. They lived in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and had two children. Funeral notices for Franklin and Nettie.
7b. Charles Bair lived in Illinois, was married three times and had four children.
7c. The search for a "Detroit Cousin, Mercedes" is explored in Unraveling a little mystery. If my conclusions are correct, Flora Bair first married Massilon Leaman and then Robert "Jack" Hampton and had a daughter named Mercedes. Regarding Mercedes provides a clue to where she lived, but when?
8. Unknown female born 1836-1840 (1840 census)


Originally Posted on September 22, 2008 :: Last Updated on January 27, 2009

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.


Phend Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

John Phend and Susanna Kübli, my 3rd Great-Grandparents, came from Switzerland to the United States in 1832. They settled in Carroll County, Ohio. John and Susanna had one son, Jacob, who was only three years when the family left Switzerland. John also had three children from his first marriage who came with them to this country.
Jacob Phend and Louisa Fisher are my Great-Great Grandparents. They were married in 1847 in Ohio, lived for a while in Greene County, Indiana near his half-sister Barbara Feutz. By 1860 Jacob and Louisa had moved to northern Indiana and settled near Nappanee in Elkhart County. They had seven children: John, Christian, Samuel, William, Jacob J., Sophia and Henry.
Christian Phend
Jacob J. Phend
Henry Phend and Susie Yarian, my Great Grandparents
Rolland Victor Phend and Hazlette Brubaker, my Grandparents

Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on July 4, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.


Lysander Joslin Family - Index to Posts

Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

For information on Lysander's parents, siblings, and ancestors, please see Joslin Family - Index to Posts

See Robison Family - Index to Posts for information on Lydia's possible parents and siblings.

Lysander and Lydia were married in 1843 in Whitley County, Indiana and were the parents of 15 children, five of whom died young.
Children of Lysander and Lydia (Robison) Joslin:

1. Anna Eliza Joslin and William Klingaman
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
  • Greetings from... Iowa May 05, 2011 [A visit to McDowell Cemetery in Jefferson County, Iowa where Anna Eliza, William and several of their children are buried.
2. Mary Jane Joslin
3. Elcy Ellen Joslin
4. Malissa Joslin and William Brubaker (my 2nd great-grandparents)
5. Luther Marion Joslin and Phoebe Dorcas Elliott

6. Roxie Arminta Joslin and Jacob Henry Parkison Parkison
  • Baxter Springs November 27, 2007 [burial site of Jacob and Roxie Joslin Parkison]
  • The Joslin Sisters Photograph January 13, 2008 [Photograph of Roxie Arminta Joslin Parkison, Anna Eliza Joslin Klingaman, Malissa Joslin Brubaker Bower, and Mandella "Della" Joslin Quillen.]
7. John Lafayette Joslin was born November 30, 1855 in Whitley County, Indiana. He reportedly died in California, date unknown.

8. Esther Joslin
9. Minerva Fatima Joslin and William John Knight

10. Andrew Hanable Joslin and Elmina Himes

11. Lillian Arvilla Joslin
12. Ida Blanch Joslin Dressler Lewis
13. Della Joslin and James Downey Quillen
14. Elmer Joslin
  • Mary, Elcy, Esther, Lillian, and Elmer July 29, 2008 [gravesites in Adams Cemetery - Elmer was born June 4, 1868 and died June 30, 1868 in Jefferson County, Iowa. His gravesite has not been found.]
15. Elmus Robison Joslin and Catherine "Kattie" Kelly. Elmus was a twin to Elmer.


Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on May 10, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.


Joslin Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

Thomas Joslin and his wife Rebecca are (probably) my 10th Great Grandparents. They and their son Nathaniel and five other children arrived from England on the ship "Increase" in the spring of 1635. The Joslin family settled in Massachusetts and descendants lived there for over 150 years. Some descendants may still live there but my 5th Great Grandfather, Jonas Joslin, took off for Lower Canada about 1792. He lived there for a while then moved to Vermont where on February 6, 1794 he married Ruth Dyer. By 1818, Jonas and his family had moved to Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio.
  • My Greatest Genealogical Find Ever? January 02, 2008 [Nine of my ancestors traveled to New England together on the same ship! Joslin, Kilbourne, and Marvin. The first two connect to the Goodrich family.]
  • Pine Grove Cemetery October 15, 2009 [Tombstone photos of gravesite of Peter Joslyn (1666-1759) and Joseph and Sarah (Wilder) Joslin]
Jonas Joslin and Ruth Dyer (my 5th Great Grandparents)
Jonas and Ruth settled in Delaware County, Ohio about 1818. They had at least four children. It is likely that there were other children born to them. Those known (or presumed to be their children) are James, see below; Elizabeth born about 1803 in "Canada West" (according to the 1870 census); Jonas Jr. born 1807 born in Canada, Ohio, or Vermont depending upon which census you look at, though Canada is listed as his birthplace in 1850 and 1880; and Fanny born about 1810 in Canada according to the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census records.
James Joslin and Abigail Goodrich (my 4th Great Grandparents)
James and Abigail left Delaware County, Ohio in 1838 and came to Whitley County, Indiana. They had six known children: Lysander Price, Fanny Philanda, Edwin Mattoon, Joseph A., Emily Eliza, and Mary Lucicia.
Lysander Joslin and Lydia Robison (my 3rd Great Grandparents)
Fanny Philanda Joslin Shoemaker (probably daughter of James and Abigail)
Emily Eliza Joslin Long (daughter of James and Abigail)
Edwin Mattoon Joslin (son of James and Abigail)
Joseph A. Joslin (son of James and Abigail)
Mary Lucicia Joslin (daughter of James and Abigail)
  • Mary Joslin and John Whitted March 14, 2009 [researching Mary Joslin who married John Whitted in Henry County, Illinois in 1862. Is she the daughter of James and Abigail Joslin?]

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Research was done on the family of Joseph R. Joslin for descendants of his son George Washington Joslin, primarily in April 2011. Joseph resided in Noble County, Indiana and is a descendant of Abraham Joslin who was a son of the immigrant Thomas, thus very, very distantly related to me.

Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on June 7, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.


Jones Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on the family. Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

William B. Jones and Elizabeth Helms, my 4th great grandparents, lived near Dresden in Muskingum County, Ohio where their five children were born. William died about 1843-1844. In the fall of 1845, Elizabeth packed up the family's belongings and she and the children moved to Whitley County, Indiana where they lived the remainder of their lives.
1. Maxia Jones and Franklin H. Foust
2. Catherine B. Jones and William H. Dunfee
3. Dewitt Clinton Jones and Martha Bradshaw

4. Curtis Warren Jones and Elisabeth Shinneman
5. Mary Elizabeth Jones and James Sherwood

Originally Posted on March 3, 2008 :: Last Updated on June 2, 2011

Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.