The Genealogy Genie

In The Genes

2011-12-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Please Click Image To Enlarge

I was asked about genealogy and DNA today. I thought it would be nice if I posted a partial picture of my DNA chart I was given from Ancestry.com. That top line is me. This is a Paternal Lineage Test, so my brother took the test for me. Now, if you put my brother and me in a room together, there'd be no doubt we both fell off the same turnip truck! LOL!!!! We definitely share the same DNA.

A few things you should know: 1. This is a 46 marker test. Forty-six different values were tested, which are represented on the right (DYS19a, DYS19b, etc); 2. Basically, the more markers that match another person (represented here by the number of lines), the closer related you are; and 3. MRCA, or Most Recent Common Ancestor, refers to how many generations apart a common ancestor likely lived. The MRCA number for me and the person on Line 1 is 13 generations. Our common ancestor likely lived around 13 generations ago. That would be my father's father's father's father's....plus eight more father's father side. You get the idea. Or if you don't, if a new generation is born every 25 years or so, our common ancestor lived about 325 years ago.

Now I'd like to bring attention to the word likely. Because DNA mutates, there is actually a probability rate for determining MRCA. So basically, the kind folks at Ancestry.com are telling me that it's more likely than not my most recent common ancestor with the person on Line 1 was 13 generations ago. In reality, there's really a 50.2% chance that our common ancestor was 13 generations ago, about a 75% chance it was 18 generations ago, and a 97% chance our common ancestor lived 30 generations ago*.

If you are curious about your haplogroup, genealogical DNA can be very fun and informative. At this time though, do not expect it to break through any of your brick walls. By the way, I belong to Haplogroup R1b.

*To determine MRCA probability, there are several good MRCA Calculators out there, like this one. To understand more about genetic mutations, I suggest reading up on MRCA, alleles, and the infinite alleles model. Pretty techie DNA stuff.

Census Records And Biographies- I Just Love 'Em

2011-10-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

My struggle and continued research on the VAN SICKLE name has led me to one Moses Van Sickle (1806-1891) of Fulton County, Illinois. While I cannot connect my own line with this branch of the family name, it is Mr. Van Sickle's connection with Southwestern Ohio and his unknown ancestry that has grabbed my attention. Hey, that sounds just like my family!

At least [I believe] I've had more success with researching the ancestry this branch. Both Mr. Van Sickle's biography from History of Fulton County, Illinois (1879) and Portrait & Biographical Album of Fulton County (1890) have been very helpful. It was from the ladder that confirmed many facts, including:

Moses was the son of Abraham and the grandson of John, both of whom were born in New Jersey.
The Van Sickle family removed to Pennsylvania when Abraham was "quite young".
The family lived in Venango County, Pennsylvania before moving to Ohio in 1815.
John died in Hamilton County, Ohio and his son Abraham in Butler County, Ohio (circa 1817).

Census records that span over 30 years clearly show that Moses was born in Pennsylvania, and so I know that the Van Sickles were in the state from as early as 1806. Census records also show both a John and Abraham in Venango County, Pennsylvania in the 1810 Federal Census. Though there were none by the surname recorded in Venango County, pre-1810, a John Van Sickle is enumerated in both the 1790 and 1800 Federal Census in nearby Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

1810 Federal Census, Venango County, Pennsylvania

Check the actual census rather than the index.
John Van Sickle (Line 4), spelled here as VAN SIGLES,
was listed in an index as VANRIGLES.

If I were to guestimate the birth year of Abraham and John based upon the age of Moses, I would say Abraham was born circa 1781 and John circa 1756 (assuming both were age 25 when their son was born). The age does fit with the census information for the John of Westmoreland County.

A check in John Waddell Van Sickle's book on the surname show a very likely match- a John, baptized in New Jersey in 1757, who had five children including one called Abraham, and who had another son who was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. This son also moved to Dearborn County, Indiana, which borders Hamilton County, Ohio. Bingo- I'm convinced!!

Back up...I've been fooled many, MANY times before. I've learned enough through the years to know that although the Van Sickle book is a great resource, it is not a family Bible. And so, though my tree on this branch does list the above to be true, there is also a big fat "Ancestry Not Proven" comment besides John's name.

Genealogy and Slavery

2011-08-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Summer will soon be coming to an end. I should think about finishing some of my genealogy projects. Right now, I am indexing the Logan County, Kentucky, Will Records from 1833-1838. Not too many people died in the county during that time, or perhaps the decedents just did not leave a will. Though I don't have too many names to look for, I do have a lot of pages to look through. Reading 1830's script has put a strain on my eyes and some permanent "squint lines" on my forehead.

Since I've been doing some Kentucky indexing, I thought it to be a good time to bring out my Stone family again to see what I could find. Most of what is out there on Elisha Stone has been put out there by yours truly. Though a recent website has Elisha as the son of Thomas Stone and Betty Jackman, I'd still like to find some proof (although I do tend to agree with that assumption). Last night, as I squinted my way through dozens of Mercer County records, I managed to find a copy of my ggg-grandpappy's will from 1829. I've read a partially transcribed copy of the will before, but here in front of me was the copy of the real Mccoy! You bet I was excited!!

The will talks a bit about Elisha's children, mentions his deceased father (though not by name) and a mother-in-law, which judging by the tone of the document, may actually be referring to a stepmother. I then had a queasy feeling in my stomach when I read "...bequeath to my son...a negroe boy...", and felt disgusted when I read, "...the balance of the negroes I give to my daughter..."

Elisha Stone, willing a "negroe" to his son, Elisha Jr.

With the majority of my family having come from northern states, slavery is rather uncommon in my tree. It did exist here and there. Early ancestors who settled in Virginia and in the Carolinas had slaves. My ancestors though had a pioneering spirit and set out to explore the west early in our country's history. By the time of the Civil War, all of my family lived in the mid west for a generation and had long given up the cruel and inhumane business of slavery.

Free Lookups

2011-07-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

I realize that since moving to RootsWeb, the California Genealogy & History Archives has not been receiving as many hits. So for those of you who would rather request a lookup through my blog, I am more than happy to do so. As with the website, please do limit your requests to ONE book and name at a time. And if you don't see a book listed, please ask. I did not list all of the books I have access to here.

Statewide
History of California, 1897
California, Vol. 1-4, 1930
History of the Greater San Francisco Bay Region, 1966

Alameda
History of Alameda County, California, 1883
History of Alameda County, California, 1928

Alpine
Cemetery Inscription in California Counties of Plumas, Alpine, and Sierra, 1964

Butte
Early Records, Butte and Tehama Counties, California, 1956

Contra Costa
The History of Contra Costa County, California, 1917
History of Contra Costa County, 1940
Illustrations of Contra Costa County with Historical Sketch, 1952
History of Contra Costa County, California, 1974

El Dorado
California’s El Dorado, Yesterday and Today, 1915

Humboldt
History of Humboldt County, California, 1882

Imperial
The History of Imperial County, California, 1918

Kern
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California, 1891
Where Rolls the Kern: A History of Kern County, California, 1934

Kings
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California, 1913

Lassen
Fairfield’s Pioneer History of Lassen County, California, 1916

Marin
History of Marin County, California, 1972

Merced
History of Merced County, California, 1925

Monterey
Monterey County, 1889
History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California, 1925

Napa
History of Napa and Lake Counties, California, 1881
History of Solano and Napa Counties, California, 1912

Nevada
Bean’s History and Directory of Nevada County, California, 1867

Placer
Directory of the County of Placer for the Year 1861, 1861

Plumas
Cemetery Inscription in California Counties of Plumas, Alpine, and Sierra, 1964

Sacramento
History of Sacramento County, California, 1880
An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California, 1890
History of the Sacramento Valley, 1961

San Francisco
The History of San Francisco, 1931

San Joaquin
History of San Joaquin County, California, 1879
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County, California, 1890
History of San Joaquin County, California, 1923
History of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, 1933

San Luis Obispo
History of San Luis Obispo County, California, 1883

San Mateo
History of San Mateo County, 1916
History of San Mateo County, California, 1928

Santa Barbara
History of Santa Barbara County, California, 1927

Santa Clara
History of Santa Clara County, California, 1881
History of San Jose, California, 1933

Santa Cruz
History of Santa Cruz County, California, 1892
History of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, California, 1925

Shasta
Shasta County, California, 1949

Solano
History of Solano County, California, 1879
History of Solano and Napa Counties, California, 1912
History of Solano County, California, 1926
Pioneer Collections of Solano County, 1980

Sonoma
History of Sonoma County, 1880

Tehama
Early Records, Butte and Tehama Counties, California, 1956

Tulare
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California, 1891
History of Tulare and Kings Counties, California, 1913
History of Tulare County, California, 1926

Tuolumne
From the Backwoods of Old Tuolumne, 1943

Charles S. Frost & Andrew Frost

2011-05-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda county message board at Ancestry.com:

Charles S. Frost is buried in the Mt View Cemetery, Oakland, CA. His data is: b 28 Feb 1828 d 9 Aug 1897. Also buried in the cemetery is Andrew Frost who was b April 1827 (Denmark) and d 18 April 1901. I am trying to learn if they were related.

Thanks, Bettye

Hi Bettye. It appears that there is no connection between the two gentlemen. Here is what I was able to find:

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Tuesday, August 10, 1897

FROST- In East Oakland, August 9, 1897, Charles S. Frost, a native of Maine, aged 68 years, 8 months and 12 days.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Tuesday, August 11, 1897

Death of C. S. Frost.

Charles S. Frost, a native of Maine, aged sixty-eight years, died at his home, 1523 Eighth avenue yesterday. He had resided in Oakland for fifteen years.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Thursday, April 18, 1901

FROST- In Fruitvale, Peralta avenue and Hyde street, April 18, 1901, Andrew, beloved husband of Mette S. Frost, a native of Denmark, aged 74 years and 9 days.

Oakland Tribune , Oakland, California , Thursday, April 19, 1901

If you'd like help finding additional information on either gentleman, please do let me know.

Japanese Benevolent Society Of California Obituaries

2011-05-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

When it comes to posting obituaries online, I am all over the web. In order to help me slow down my pace, for the next several weeks I will only be posting obituaries at the Japanese Benevolent Society Of California.

P.S. Okay...I'll post one more obit here before focusing on the JBSC for a little while.

Close But No Cigar

2011-04-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am alive. Keeping up three blogs is a lot of work. Obviously, I've let this one go a bit. But you know me- I never stop researching.

I really do love to help others with their genealogy, and though I've been so happy to help some of the people at the Van Sickle group at Ancestry.com, it's been SO FRUSTRATING to have found nothing further on my own family line. And so several months back, I ordered yet another record- the marriage record of my gggg-grandparents, William Van Sickle and Rachel Jones.

Argh- it is only an index!! I had this information all ready. Oh well, another dead end... or maybe not...

FamilySearch recently has released Ohio County Marriage Record images to the public. On their Ohio marriage page, it says, "During the early 1900s, counties began using preprinted register books, with only two entries per page." Cincinnati's courthouses have been plagued by fire over the decades, the last one [to my knowledge] happened in the late 1800's. The image above, written in the 1900's style [not to mention 1900's penmanship] recorded an event that happened in 1818. Could it be that the original marriage record has survived and is housed somewhere in Cincinnati??

Of course, if I'm lucky enough to find a copy of the original record, there is no guarantee that there is any more information listed on the document. In fact, an example of an original marriage record from 1817 is on the FamilySearch site. No additional types of information is listed on the example. Still, I won't let that stop me from trying to get a copy of the original document.

I'm really stumped on this line. Private researchers I've hired have turned up nothing, and unless I miraculously wake up in Cincinnati or Salt Lake, I may have to put a big ol' stop sign up on the end of my Van Sickle tree.

If you're looking for a genealogical challenge, I sure have one for you. Please, if you have any advice for me on how to find the ancestry of William Van Sickle, I'd appreciate it greatly.

William Van Sickle
Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown,though likely before 1830
Married: 29 January 1818, Cincinnati
Spouse: Rachel Jones; she married Mr. Nehemiah Blake circa 1830
Siblings: Unknown
Parents: Unknown
Census Location/Information: Unknown

We're All Cousins

2010-10-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

So President Obama is related to Sarah Palin! That's one thing about genealogy that I've always loved: every family is full of surprises.

Doing family research for all of these years, one would think that I am aware of every famous relation to myself. It wasn't until I read about the Obama/Palin relationship yesterday that I decided to take a deep, deep look into my tree to see if I share some roots with some famous people.

It sounds difficult, but finding famous relations is actually not so hard if one of your family lines has an Ancestral File Number with the LDS. Pick an ancestor at the LDS website, locate the ancestral number next to the name of your ancestor, and enter it at Relative Finder. Then click on what type of report you would like (Presidents, Kings and Queens, etc.), and tah dah...famous. Or in my case, royalty. Royalty? ROYALTY! You've got to be kidding!!

Queen Bunny

Yes, it turns out that I am directly related through my dad's side (yes, the same guy that lives in t-shirts with sayings on them, faded jeans, and worn out cowboy boots) to some very well-known European royalty, including Charlemagne and William the Conqueror.

I am also distantly related to some extremely well known and very respectable names like George Washington and Winston Churchill. It's an honor to be related to them!

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I am distantly related to three Mayflower passengers (I've always wanted to claim a relation, so woo hoo for me!) , as well as to a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As you may know, I am completely fascinated with the colonial period of American history, and I'm so thrilled to be able to claim relation to some heavy hitters during that time.

But does it matter to me that Edward III of England is my 20th great-grandfather (that's great-grandfather times 20). Heck yeah! I love history and think it's awesome that I am related to all of these people. Can most people claim relation to famous people too? I think so. You have to remember that there wasn't television back in the day. People had to occupy their time doing something!

Where Have I Been?

2010-10-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

Though you may think that this blog has become permanently inactive, I've been planning a new direction for it. I'd still like to fit an obituary in here and there as well as answer a question or two, but I'm eager to begin a new path for this blog.

Being inactive here doesn't mean I'm being inactive though. I'm always working on genealogical pursuits. My time has been focused primarily on transcription work for the LDS, Ancestry.com, and more recently at SFGenealogy.com, as well as keeping very active at Find A Grave. I also have been adding plenty of obituaries and death certificates at The Van Sickle DNA Group, where I am administrator, and some old Van Sickle articles at one Van Sickle message board at Ancestry.com, where I also am administrator....[takes a breath]...and putting my two cents in to answer questions at another Van Sickle message board at Genealogy.com, volunteering at Newspaper Abstracts, and adding to my 1,000,000 Pioneer Californians Project. [Breathe, Jeannie!] Wow, it's no wonder I haven't been here at my blog!!

My own genealogy research has come to a screeching halt. I'm putting a little money aside for next year to see if I can get my Brown family back another generation, and to see if I can break my Van Sickle brick wall (which must be reinforced with steel). I'm also organizing my pictures and info. to make a genealogy scrapbook for my two wonderful nephews for Christmas.

Oh, but you're probably wondering what is going to happen with this blog? I'm going to [finally!] join the Association Of Graveyard Rabbits. I'm sure Cheryl has given up on me, but I didn't forget my promise to her. Here's a small preview of what's to come: one day per week I will drive to some old or desolate graveyard and take some nifty pictures to share. I've seen some pretty remarkable graveyards and gravestones that I think deserve some more notice.

Looking For My Mom's Birth Family

2010-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda county message board at Ancestry.com:

My mom was adopted at birth and I was looking for her birthfamily. She was born at east Oakland Hospital in Oakland, ca on January 19, 1944. All she knows is her birthfamily is Irish and French.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet found anything concrete on your CLEMENT family, but without a doubt, I have located your mother's maternal ancestry. Your mother's mom was born Claire Marie NATHANSON in Ohio and was the daughter of Louis NATHANSON (1888-1967) and Rose RAPHAEL (1888-1969). Louis and Rose were both born from Romania. They were married in Cleveland, Ohio on 9 March 1908.

I was also able to find the obituary of Mrs. Rose NATHANSON. From the Oakland Tribune, 25 November 1969:

Good luck with all of your family research!

Thank You For Letting Me Serve You!

2010-05-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise I received this morning when I opened an email from Lisa at Old Stones Undeciphered. She decided that this blog was worthy of the Ancestor Award, and has passed this honor onto me. Thank you so much, Lisa!

The rules of this award specify to list ten things I've learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled, or enlightened me.

Rarely have I taken an opportunity on this blog to discuss my own family research, preferring instead to use the blog as a mean of helping others. Those who know me are aware of the great amount of admiration and love I have for those who have come before me. It's my pleasure to share with all of you more about my ancestry.

1. SURPRISING- I am a VAN SICKLE by blood. I only heard the name a handful of times growing up. I recently had the privilege of passing this information onto my younger nephew and I think he was just blown away! And though there are many by that name, there are not many left from my particular branch. Who knew that I'd be the one that would carry on the knowledge of these hard-working people! In fact, I'm so captivated by this name that I have a personally-researched database on the family- 7,000 people and counting.

2. SURPRISING- There is an eerie resemblance between my ggg-grandfather and my father. I've also learned through pictures that long, narrow faces are a dominant trait in my family, as well as having a thin upper lip and a long torso. I can pinpoint the family lines where each of the above traits began.

3. ENLIGHTENING- Many of the people in my family share the same birth date and/or death date. I am in the hands of Father Time, but there may be clues to the date of my demise in my family tree.

4. SURPRISING- My ggg-grandfather, William BROWN, lived to the ripe old age of 102 years and 5 months. Years of research has convinced me that longevity is a genetic trait- phew!!!

5. SURPRISING- I always knew that I am a "Western European mutt", but I never knew that I have several French family lines. Vive la France! I've always wanted to go to France!!

6. HUMBLING- I have a deep admiration the women in my family who for the most part married very young, raised many children, and provided their children with a good future.

7. SURPRISING- A gggg-grandfather was married six times and a ggggg-grandfather impregnated his wife's sister. I guess it's not really all that surprising since this was before the time of television. :D

8. ENLIGHTENING- Almost all of my family lines on my father's side can be traced back to Colonial America. I am very much a part of this country.

9. HUMBLING- The distant relatives I've talked with through the years all are genuinely kind and giving. That's a lot to live up to!

10. HUMBLING- Whenever I've been able to help someone with their family tree, I feel a deep sense of connection between all people. And when someone tells me that I've made them cry with joy, I cry too.

Greengrove Dudley

2010-05-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt county message board at Ancestry.com:

"Looking for information on Orrin Dudley and Greengrove Dudley from Ferndale, CA. Also other's in the family - Thalia Robinson and -----Art? ---Kersaval ( ? spelling?"

I'm not related, but I do have a small amount of information on the descendants of Greengrove DUDLEY and his wife, Mary Ann CUMMINGS.

Serena Genevieve DUDLEY, born 5 December 1870, was married to Leonard HICKS in 1896. Serena died in Mendocino County, CA on 1 February 1947. She had one son, Linus Serenus HICKS (1897-1980).

Flora May DUDLEY, born September 1869, was married to Thomas A. VARIAN in 1895. Their daughter that you mentioned, Thalia (born 17 March 1896), was married to Arthur KERCHEVAL. Thalia died on 16 September 1970. Her obituary below, from the Humboldt Standard, was published on the 19th of the month.

Please click to enlarge image

James B. Crooks

2010-04-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt county message board at Ancestry.com:

"In 1880 he is married to an Ella, but by 1900 he's remarried to May Gertrude Ontis, Married about 1887, probably in Humboldt County California....California Death index has:

ROBINSON GERTRUDE E 11/09/1876 ALBEE F CALIFORNIA HUMBOLDT
Fortuna 11/02/1965 88 yrs.

This may be our “May” Gertrude Ontis, born in Sonoma County Cal to John Ontis & Jane Weaver-Cathey-Ontis?"

Here is Mrs. Robinson's obituary. From the Humboldt Standard in Eureka, 4 November 1965:

I was a little surprised that I have been unable to find a death date for James B. Crooks. I'll keep looking. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do.

Coleman

2010-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt county message board at Ancestry.com:

I am looking for an Obit for Rosetta A Evans Coleman. (b) Jul 8 1870 & (d) Jul 20 1958 in Eureka Humboldt California. Thank you, Debbie

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Humboldt Standard, 21 July 1958:

Stephens

2010-04-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be easier to fill the obituary request here at my blog since I am unable to post images at Genealogy.com. I do believe that Roy Stephens is still living, as I was unable to locate him in the Social Security Death Index.

Here are the obituaries that you requested:

Mrs. Anna Stephens
Oakland Tribune, 20 February 1953

Mr. Walter Stephens
Oakland Tribune, 9 October 1953

John B. Minna

2010-04-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the California message board at Genealogy.com:

I'm looking for info on John Minna,his wife was Roberta Zabiskie,DOB4-8-1914/DOD 11-12-1987,in San Diego,Ca. They lived in San Diego,Ca.,there kids are,David Anthony Minna-John Dorrance Minna-Judith M Minna,I have info on Roberta only, Thanks,Fred, fearlessfreddy44@gmail.com

Here is Dr. Minna's obituary. He sounds like he was a very remarkable man! From The San Diego Union Tribune, 18 October 1999:

Please click on image to enlarge.

John Frederick Gay

2010-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Contra Costa county message board at Ancestry.com:

Looking for a newspaper obit. for:
John Frederick Gay
Born: 13 NOV 1919 Ohio
Died: 20 NOV 1996 Walnut Creek, Contra Costa Co., CA
Thank you for your help and kindness

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Contra Costa Times, 26 November 1996:

Allen

2010-02-13T12:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Alameda county message board at Ancestry.com:

"Seeking information pertaining to James Allen born in Scotland Dec. 24, 1846 or '47. His parental household was in Wyandott Township, Butte Co., CA in 1860. Parents were James and Helen or Ellen Allen, siblings Virginia, Helen, Carey?, Mary, John. Henry (1860 and 1870 census).

James was twice married, his first wife's name is unknown to me, but they had at least two children, sons Wesley and Harmon. 1900 census of Slate Range Twp,, Yuba Co., CA shows James 53 and widowed with three names following, the last of which is indecipherable.

James would later marry Julia A. (maiden name not known) a native of Germany, they appear on the 1910 census of Nevada Twp., Nevada Co., CA.

James Allen died April 26, 1931 in Nevada City, CA., his obituary lists surviving family members as: Sons Harlow of Oakland; Wesley of San Francisco. Daughter Mrs. Inez Taylor of San Francisco; Step-daughters Mrs. May McCarty; Mrs. Mary LaValley; and Mrs. Ellen Frazer, all of Oakland. Does anyone know anything about this family or any of the descendants? Thank you."

James Allen's first wife was a Miss Beasley. I obtained the surname from the listing in the California Death Index when I found their two sons, Wesley Fremont Allen (1884-1962) and Harlow Edward Allen (1888-1958).

The third child in the 1900 Census is James Millory Allen (1894-1917). He can be found in the 1910 Census in Oakland in the household of his brother-in-law, Robert Edgar Taylor (1874-1956) and sister, Mrs. Inez V. Taylor (1878-1949).

I hope that you find the following obituaries prove helpful in tracking down James Allen's descendants:

James Allen Jr. Obituary Oakland Tribune, 14 September 1917

James Allen Obituary
Oakland Tribune, 30 April 1931

Robert Edgar Taylor Obituary
Oakland Tribune, 15 May 1956
(Please click image to enlarge)

Harlow Allen Obituary
Oakland Tribune, 1 April 1958
(Please click image to enlarge)

Please Note: Harlow Allen's wife was named Nina Louise Sibley (sometimes seen as Sebley). She was the daughter of James Allen's second wife, Julia.

Straughen/Waldie

2010-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Alameda county message board at Ancestry.com:

"I have recently discovered that two of my grandmother's sisters emigrated from England to Alameda in 1908/9. Their married names were Margaret Ann Waldie and Rachel Straughen.
The Waldies had a daughter (Rachel Minnie) and a son John Ernest. The Straughans had two sons (Thomas and William Lloyd) and two daughters (Dora and Vera) The daughters married two brothers called McClelland who were from Scotland.
I have a little information about these families, but I wondered whether anyone could illuminate further."

I have been able to find quite a bit of information for you. I'll group the two families together so it is easier to follow. From the California Death Index:

Straughen, Frank R.; born 28 April 1871; died in Alameda County on 31 August 1955
Straughen, Rachel; born 7 April 1877; died in Alameda County on 18 November 1948
Straughen, Thomas; born 6 July 1901; died in Alameda County on 5 July 1970
Straughen, William; born 11 July 19o4; died in Alameda County on 10 January 1992
McClelland, Dora; born 1 November 1902; died in Alameda County on 23 April 1963
McClelland, Vera; born 1 November 1902; died in Alameda County on 20 December 1974

Waldie, Ernest Cecil; born 18 May 1885; died in Sonoma County on 13 January 1952
Waldie, Margaret Ann; born 7 February 1881; died in Sonoma County on 17 August 1950
Moller, Rachel Minnie; born 29 April 1908; died in Sonoma County on 2 March 1997
Waldie, John Ernest; born 22 July 1909; died in Marin County on 2 March 1951

I also found some obituaries (unfortunately I was unable to find one for both Rachel Straughen and Margaret Waldie):

Ernest Cecil Waldie Obituary
Oakland Tribune, Alameda County, CA
14 January 1952

Frank R. Straughen Obituary
Oakland Tribune, Alameda County, CA
1 September 1955

Thomas Straughen Obituary
Oakland Tribune, Alameda County, CA
5 July 1970

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. Good luck with your research!

Woodcock

2010-01-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt county message board at Ancestry.com:

Seeking an obituary for James Sheldon Woodcock, son of George Woodcock and Mary Ellen Wilson Woodcock. He died 21 September 1977 in Humboldt, California, leaving a wife, Mae and a son. I am especially interested in knowing where he and Mae are buried. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Eureka Times Standard, 22 September 1977:

Please click on image to enlarge.

Silas Davis

2009-12-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Mendocino county message board at Ancestry.com:

Hello: Working on project for Placer Co. Archives tracing people and have found some in Mendocino.
I found this in the Newspaper Vital records on the Mendocino Co. Gen page: Davis, Silas (Si), Death, 3/5/1948, Dispatch Democrat.
This man was in 1920 Census in Santa Rosa, then nothing. No record in CA Death Index. Have finally found this.
I hope someone has access to this newspaper. Please help.

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Dispatch Democrat, 5 March 1948:

P.S. I researched the California Death Index and Silas is listed, though his birth date is incorrectly listed as 1 April 1944.

Paine

2009-12-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

I've been ill on and off for the last couple of months. It's nice to be back online!

I saw this request at the PAINE surname message board at Ancestry.com (from 2007):

"Does anyone have any pictures, newspaper articles, obituaries, death records, census records, etc of the Paine family listed below they could copy and send to me. Louisa Floss Paine is my Great Great Grandmother..."

I was very touched when I read the other posts you have made regarding Louisa's mother, Alice Florette ALLEN, so I dug up a few things for you. It's been a couple of years since your posts. You may have all of this already. (Please click on images to enlarge.)

Eureka Times Standard, 3 January 1955

Eureka Times Standard, 7 August 1952

Eureka Times Standard, 18 May 1968

Hugh Donovan

2009-10-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Contra Costa County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I am researching Hugh H. Donovan born 1894 Texas. He has his recollections listed on Stratton Students Recollections of San Francisco 1906 Earthquake. In around 1945-50 I believe it is the same Hugh H. Donovan that is a Judge Superior Court, Contra Costa There is also a Hugh H. Donovan #1063 listed on The History of Contra Costa - 1926. My Hugh Donovan was the son of John J. Donovan and Mary E. Murray Donovan.

If anyone could help with a look up on the above or any information it would be a great help.
Ontario, Canada"

I know that I posted the biography of Hugh Donovan on the message board, but I decided to post his obituary here for convenience. From the Oakland Tribune, 19 June 1973:

Lane

2009-09-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Mendocino County message board at Ancestry.com:

Hello-

My Great Grandfather was John C. Lane, his father was William R. Lane. Does anyone have any info on the Lanes? John married Alice Ann Bishop in 1877.

Hi! John and Alice moved to the Santa Barbara area in the teens and to San Lorenzo by the early 1930's. To follow are their obituaries:

Dispatch Democrat, Ukiah, California, 24 August 1934

Daily Review, Hayward, California, 22 September 1936

Wise

2009-09-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I need an obituary of Fred Wise.
He was born in 1887 in Germany and lived in Ravenna, Michigan and married Blanche Studevant and divorced.
He remarried Ruth and moved to Howe Street in Oakland California.
He died Sept 7 1968 in California.
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks."

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Oakland Tribune, 10 September 1968:

Roach

2009-09-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Contra Costa County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Requesting an obit lookup for Michael Alfred Roach. He died on Dec. 12, 1964 in Contra Costa California. Surly there is one on him, he was a firefighter for Oakland Co. Ca."

It never even dawned on me to look for an obituary for Mr. Roach when I answered your post the other day about the Oakland Fire Department. I am so sorry for that! From the Oakland Tribune, 14 December 1964:

Askew

2009-09-04T12:31:00.001-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

I am in search of obits for the following:

1)Jack Kenneth Askew, d.01 May 1986 in Fresno County, CA, lived in Clovis & Fresno.

2)Alpha Cowetta "Connie" (Taylor) Askew, d.25 Feb 1989 Contra Costa County, but lived in Clovis & Fresno.

3)John Knox Askew, d.19 Jul 1955 Fresno, lived in Kingsburg
4)Essie Georgia Askew, d.03 May 1963 Fresno County, lived in Kingsburg.

Any help appreciated!
Amy
jeffsouthall@att.net

Hi Amy! Recently I have stopped volunteering with one genealogy organization and so now I no longer have access to as many obituaries from the Fresno area. I was only able to find one of the four that you requested. From the Fresno Bee Republican, 4 May 1963:

Sorry I wasn't able to do more. I hope you will find the obituary useful.

Harry Friend

2009-08-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

Need Help to find an obit for:
Harry Friend
DOD: 29 Jun 1944 Fresno Co., CA

Your help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Thanks for the request! To follow is Mr. Friend's obituary. From the Fresno Bee Republican, 1 July 1944:

Clyde Weddell Nelson

2009-07-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I'm looking for 2 obituaries. One for my great uncle, Clyde Weddell Nelson. He died Aug 2, 1968 in Fresno Co. The second one is for his wife, Bertha May Nelson. She died Jan 30, 1933 also in Fresno Co. I'd appreciate any information you can provide."

To follow is the obituary of Clyde Nelson. From the Fresno Bee Republican, 4 August 1968:

According to the obituary, Mrs. Bertha Nelson was still alive at the time of her husband's death, but just to make sure, I checked the death index. There was no Bertha Nelson that died in California in 1933.

I think that Mrs. Bertha Nelson died in Fresno County on 1 June 1977. The age and birth place given in the death index matches the information on Mrs. Bertha Nelson in the 1930 Federal Census (who was then in San Diego county). Please let me know if I'm mistaken and I'll check my records again.

Webb

2009-07-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Genealogy.com:

"Born Aug 4, 1893 and died Fresno Jan, 1969. Thanks for any help!"

I am sorry that I did not see your post until now. Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Fresno Bee Republican, 10 January 1969:

Lasiter

2009-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I'm trying to find obituaries for Roy David Lasiter and his wife Ruth Wilma Phoenix Lasiter. They both died on Nov. 1, 1958 in Alameda County. Thanks for any help."

I was very sad to read about the accident that took the lives of the Lasiter family. Here are the articles that I was able to find for you:

Oakland Tribune 1 November 1958

Oakland Tribune 4 November 1958

Oakland Tribune 4 November 1958

Bertholet

2009-07-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"...If you have any knowledge of Benoit Bertholet, the sandstone quarry, or possible descendants who I could contact, I would like to hear from you. New information that I find will be added to our web site."

Hi Peggy. I have somewhat familiar with the Benoit BERTHOLET family and would be very happy to help you trace his descendants. I can tell you that Mr. BERTHOLET died in Yolo County on 29 January 1910, at the age of 71. To follow is his obituary. Please feel free to save the image for use on your website. From the Woodland Daily Democrat, 2 February 1910:

Ogden

2009-06-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

I am searching for an obit for Rose Ann Marshall (Muller)(Ogden)(Pilcher). She was born in 1907 in Washington State and died 24 Sept. 1962 in Alameda County, CA Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Kathy

Hi Kathy. It took me a little bit to find the obituary, since I was not sure of Roseann's surname at the time of her death. You'll be pleased to read that the obituary also lists her place of burial. From the Oakland Tribune, 26 September 1962:

Vogel

2009-06-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Can someone please help me find an obituary for: Joseph S. Vogel b. 18 Dec 1907 North Dakota, d. 09 Jun 1993 Fresno Co., CA. Any help is appreciated. Thank you."

Judging from your other posts on the Vogel family, I assume you are seeking living descendants. While the death notice I found for Joseph Vogel won't be very helpful, I did locate the obituary of Joseph's wife, which lists their children:

Fresno Bee, 14 January 1993

Fresno Bee, 13 June 1993

Emma Jean Allen

2009-05-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Genealogy.com:

"Please Help:

Need the obituary for Emma Jean (nee Cox) Allen, b. 28 Sep 1929, MO, died 5 Oct 2007, Newark, CA. Alameda Co.
Hoping for survivors' names, and predeceased family. Don't know her husband's name.
Might list sisters Velma, Florence, brother Floyd.

thanks so very much,

patty
gtfetch@juno.com"

Here is the obituary, Patty. I hope that you will find it helpful in your research. From The Argus, Newark, Alameda County, California, 10 October 2007:

Please click on image to enlarge

Off The Boards...On My Family (Just For Today)

2009-04-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

With all of the research I do for other people, you'd think my own family tree was complete. Far from it! I thought I'd take a moment and instead of answering a post, talk about all the exciting genealogy related things that have happened to me recently.

1. Really, I couldn't have had a better way of starting off my day today! After I got a very sweet note from Bill VAUGHN at FindAGrave, I felt both very happy and eager to do more research for people. Thanks, Bill! I'm in research mode now. :D

2. I'm still giddy from receiving a copy of a record written by William Edgar BLAKE on his family from Debbie two days ago. William's grandfather, Nehemiah BLAKE, was the second husband of my gggg-grandmother, Rachel JONES. Did I know this before Debbie told me years ago? All I knew is that Nehemiah BLAKE was the step-father of my ggg-grandfather, Stephen VAN SICKLE. I did not know the name of Stephen's mother. This tiny little record is the only proof I have of Stephen's parents (I later learned that Rachel JONES married William VAN SICKLE in Hamilton County, Ohio on 29 January 1818):

And several years of on and off correspondence with Vicki has almost convinced us both that Rachel JONES was the daughter of Stephen JONES and Keziah STRAWN. I'm waiting for the results of a DNA genealogical test that may one day help confirm our suspicions.

3. Speaking of giddy, that's just the beginning of how I feel about the email I got the other night from Sharon. I found the surname of Sharon's ancestor, Nancy (wife of James HEDRICK) and connected her to a descendant of the HEDRICK family. Sharon later wrote a rather beautiful and genealogically impressive essay on her family to document her research and she dedicated the essay to me- of all people! Wow, what can I say!! Truly, I'm beyond flattered.

3. March's TUCKER/CHAPPELL research through the Dade County Genealogical Society proved unfruitful. Not that that Betty didn't work very hard to send me everything she could get her hands on. Sometimes there just any information to be had. I'd highly recommend if anyone has family in Dade County, Missouri, to not hesitate to ask the DCGS for any assistance.

4. April's research in nearby Cedar County, Missouri was a wonderful success. Although a little more money than I wanted to spend, I got the obituaries of my gg-grandparents, Henry BROWN and Frances TUCKER-BROWN. Kay Griffin Snow is so awesome! But I've known that for a long time. I actually volunteer with a book lookup on her website- another place where you can find me.

5. Now back full circle to my VAN SICKLE family: I've finally found a descendant of the VAN SICKLE/GILLESPIE line. Although Karen might as well have said, "What's a Van Sickle?", she's been kind enough to share all she knows on the GILLESPIE family with me. And I'm only too happy to share everything I have with her. And it turns out that we are definitely related because we're so much alike. We love to talk to each other every chance we get. It's great to have found a distance relative, but even better to have found a friend.

James Middleton

2009-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I would like to have an obit for James Middleton who died May 15, 1945 and is buried in the Hills Ferry Cemetery near Newman. Thank you very much for your time."

I found two articles pertaining to James Middleton's death, both from the Modesto Bee And News-Herald newspaper. I hope you find these articles to be helpful:

Modesto Bee And News-Herald
17 May 1945

Modesto Bee And News-Herald
19 May 1945

Gieser

2009-03-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Ancestry.com:

I need a couple obit. lookups please.

Maxwell (Max) F. Gieser
b. Oct 7 1889, Russia
d. Oct 17 1971, Turlock, Stanislaus, CA.
m. Helen (Sanger) Gieser
parents: Frank Gieser and Elizabeth Groll...

Helen (Sanger) Gieser
b. July 18 1896
d. Sep. 15 1972
m. Max Gieser...

If anyone is willing to take headstone photos if you find out where they are buried at, I would love that! Thanks in advance.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to take headstone pictures for you, but here are Max and Helen's obituaries:

Modesto Bee And News Herald, 19 October 1971

Modesto Bee And News Herald, 22 September 1972

Perhaps some kind soul at Find A Grave can help with the headstone pictures. Good luck with all of your family research!

Gray

2009-03-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

Seeking information on the children of Dolly F Admire Gray and husband Charles P. Gray. The 1930 census shows the family living with their five children: Allen L, Cleto, J.W. Laveda, Melzina and Vivian.

Dolly is my great-aunt. Have lost touch with her children.
Any information appreciated.

I hope that this obituary will be helpful. From the Fresno Bee, 30 October 1977:

Gaertner

2009-03-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Jeannie,
Thank you so much. Now it lead me to search for Kathleen "Kathy" Ann Gaertner. Died October 8, 1965 in Stanislaus CA. Can you help me with that one?

Thanks again,
Kathleen"

I decided to post the obituary here, Kathleen, since we were at the Alameda County board instead of the Stanislaus board. From the Modesto Bee And News-Herald, dated 10 October 1965:

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is anything else I can do.

The Dittemore's Of Oakdale

2009-02-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Genealogy.com:

"Looking for any information concerning the Dittemore Family, Early arrival to Oakdale was John Loren Dittmeore who came to Oakdale around 1910, followed by Katherine Dittemore,who taught at Oakdale High for around 40 years,Last is John H Dittemore who was born in Oakdale in 1914 and left around 1938...

John Dittemore"

Hi John! A search through the California Death Index found that John Loren DITTEMORE was listed as Loren John. He died in the county on 15 May 1937. To follow is his obituary. From the Modesto Bee And News-Herald, 18 May 1937:

This find was very exciting for me! I'm recording California pioneer families and have gathered a fair amount of info. on your DITTEMORE family. I've recently placed two obituaries at Newspaper Abstracts of Laura MOORE and Henrietta MOORE-HOWARD- both daughters of Lutitia MOORE-CRENSHAW (a sister of Loren's father, John Wallace DITTEMORE). You can find the obituaries through the links below:

Obituary Of Miss Laura Alice MOORE
Obituary Of Henrietta MOORE-HOWARD

Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help with your research.

Thanks,
Jeannie

Manuel and Nora Neves Avilla

2009-01-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I am searching for the family of Manuel and Nora Neves Avilla. They had 3 children - Clarence, Laverne and Marie. They should at least be on the 1920 and 1930 Alameda Co. census but I cannot find them. Does anyone have any knowledge of this family? Thanks. Judy"

To follow is the obituary of Clarence Avilla. I hope that you find it helpful. From the Modesto Bee, dated 11 May 1993:

(Please Click Image To Enlarge)

William Babb and Margaret "Jennie" Lassiter

2009-01-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Genealogy.com:

"I am seeking descendants of William Babb (1862) and Margaret "Jennie" Lassiter (1874). They are listed on the 1930 census of Ceres, Stanislaus Co., CA. Their children were: Marvel, Minnie, Annie, Johnie, Thomas, Charles Amos, Otis Dorward, Margaret "Jennie", Basil, and Courtney L. If anyone has information on any of these children and their descendants please let me know. I have a picture of Jennie Lassiter's parents, and other family information. My husband descends from a 1/2 brother of Jennie Lassiter's mother. I have found some information on census and SS death index, but have not yet found any living descendants."

I think these obituaries will help you find some descendants of the Babb family. From the Modesto Bee and News-Herald, 12 March 1973:

From The Modesto Bee, dated 5 April 1998:

From the Modesto News-Herald, dated 31 January 1931:

Virginia Lee Henderson, Died 4 Sep 2007

2009-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Sonoma County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I am looking for an obit for my great-great aunt, Virginia Lee Henderson, who died 4 Sep 2007. The SSDI says that her last residence was Healdsburg, Sonoma, California. Any help would be greatly appreciated."

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 9 September 2007:

Armenian Thompsons of California (Fresno County)

2008-12-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I am looking for more information about the descendents of Peter (Bedros Paloutzian) Thompson (1874-1936) and his wife Mabel (Hnazant) Bagdaserian Paloutzian (1879-?).

They had a ranch in Selma, CA and 8 children:
Soren (1899-1974)
Queenie (1900-?)
Agnes (1903-?) m. Kervork Boston, 3 children: Richard, Lucille, Eugene

Ernest (1904-?)
Helen (1907-?)
Clara (1909-?)
Peter (1911-1997) m. Rose, daughter: Caroline
Haig (1913-1946)

If this is your family, or you know of them, contact me! We're cousins!"

Hi Michelle! I don't know if you remember me, but I sent you some obituaries of your Paloutzian and related families about six months ago. Anyhow, I'd be very happy to help you with your Thompson family as well.

Here is Peter Thompson's obituary. From the Fresno Bee Republican, dated 27 October 1936:

And the obituary of his son, Haig. From the Fresno Bee, dated 18 May 1946:

Haig was a flying instructor and died in a plane crash. I can send you a more detailed article if you'd like.

Here is some more info. for you. From The California Death Index:

MONOOGIAN, Queenie, born 7 April 1900 in California; died in Los Angeles County on 19 October 2000
COLWELL, Helen Eleanor, born 9 Jun 1907 in California; died in San Diego County on 17 May 1998; father's surname: THOMPSON; mother's maiden name: BAGDASARIAN

This is what I found just right off the bat. I haven't done any detailed research, but I'd be more than happy to. Please email me if you'd like any further research.

Happy holidays!

Tupper

2008-11-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Seeking info on two brothers - Henry C Tupper and Walter D Tupper. Attornies in early Fresno county circa 1875-1890. Firm name was Savle, Tupper & Tupper. The Savle partner was Judge G.C. Savle....."

Henry Clay Tupper died on 29 Feburary 1928 and is buried in Mountain View Cemetery. Please see the articles below (please click on images to enlarge):

Fresno Bee, 29 February 1928

Fresno Bee, 2 March 1928

As to your other questions, I will look into them and get back to you very soon. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Update: Henry's widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson Tupper, died in Fresno on 14 March 1932:

Fresno Bee, 15 March 1932

DeVilbiss

2008-11-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Hi, I am looking for information on John M. (Possibly Milton) Devilbiss who married Charlotte 'Lottie' F. Combs (born Feb 1876) in Greene Co., Indiana on March 4, 1897...."

Here are some names and dates for you. From the California Death Index:

WORRELL, Edith G.; born 8 September 1905 in Indiana; died 31 May 1996 in Santa Clara County; mother's maiden name: COMBS; father's surname: DEVILBISS.
DEVILBISS, Carl W.; born 10 November 1903 in Indiana; died 8 January 1990 in Orange County; mother's maiden name: COMBS
DEVILBISS, Clyde Boyer; born 19 August 1899 in Indiana; died 12 May 1992 in Alameda County; mother's maiden name: COMBS
DEVILBISS, Charolet (sp?) F.; born 8 February 1876 in Indiana; died 19 December 1963 in Alameda County; mother's maiden name: FANCETT
DEVILBISS, John Boyer; born 15 March 1873 in Indiana; died in Stanislaus County on 23 July 1948; mother's maiden name: BOYER

And I found the obituaries for both John and Charlotte:

Modesto Bee And News Herald, 24 July 1948

Modesto Bee And News Herald, 20 December 1963

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do. Good luck with your research.

Kathryn Nielsen Healey

2008-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I'm trying to find some info on my gg-grandmother, Kathryn Nielsen Healey. Specifically, I'm looking for her obituary, where she is buried and some info on her siblings."

I was able to find Mrs. Healey's obituary. From the Oakland Tribune, 15 March 1918:

Fred and Hazel Irwin Abbott from Oakley, Contra Costa Co.

2008-11-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Contra Costa County message board at Ancestry.com:

"They both died in Feb of 1973. I am mainly interested in their obits for the names of survivors, and also why they died the same month. They were my aunt and uncle and according to county rules I am not eligible to obtain death certs.

You can reply to me directly at venturaoma@sbcglobal.net

Thank you!"

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate Hazel's obituary, but I found one for Frederick in the Oakland Tribune:

Oakland Tribune, 11 February 1973

(Please click image to enlarge)

The Contra Costa County Library may be able to locate Hazel's obituary. This is a free service. When filling out the form, you will need to know that Hazel died on the 16th of February.

I also know of no limitation on receiving death certificate from Contra Costa County. You may obtain an Informational Copy of a death certificate online through the California Department Of Public Health. Just click on Application for Certified Copy of Death Certificate and fill in the box for "Certified Informational Copy".

Adams and Tierney in San Franciso, 1900 Census

2008-11-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the San Francisco County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I just recently found a census record that appears to be for my family in SF in 1900. In 1900 there was the father John, the mother Mary, 3 sons and 2 daughters. In 1910 however the family has relocated to McKinley Street in Oakland and John and a daughter are missing. Did John and that daughter parish in the quake and fire of 1906?...I would like to know what happened in SF but its not easy to get information as I'm on the east coast. But I'm open to suggest as to where next to look."

My records for San Francisco are few and far between, but I have quite a bit for Alameda County. I'll continue to look there for any information for you, but in the meantime, I hope this obituary helps fill in some holes for you. From the Oakland Tribune, dated 10 July 1924:

Harvey Hildreth

2008-10-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Looking for the Obituary of Harvey Hildreth, he died Jul 1977 in Modesto, CA. it could be under Virgil Harvey Hildreth but he's in the Soc Sec deaths as just Harvey Hildreth, he was born Aug 8, 1898. any help is much appreciated. thanks. Jane valjan@ptd.net."

Hi Jane! Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Modesto Bee, 26 July 1977:

Additionally, this was located right next to the obituary:

Obit Henry G. Beyers 1919- Oct 1966

2008-10-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the San Francisco County message board at Genealogy.com:

"I am looking for the obituary of Henry George Beyers. He was born to Louis and Henrietta Ince Beyers on May 17, 1919 in Christian County, Missouri. California Death Records say he died in San Francisco on Oct 26, 1966. His mother's obit lists his residence as Oakland in 1963. This is all the information I have about him and I would like to find more. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Peggy McAlpine"

Hi Peggy! When a search in both the San Francisco and Oakland newspaper turned up empty, I decided to check nearby counties. I am so glad I did! From the San Mateo Times, 29 October 1966:

I also saw your post on Edmond Beyers and found his obituary as well. From the San Mateo Times, 21 February 1974:

Fraga

2008-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Could I get a obit on Joe Fraga died in the fresno area. I'm trying to find out if this was my grand father. I believe his name was actually Joseph Fragus but some of the census show his name spelled Fraga JOE C Fraga 10/02/1869 M FRESNO 08/14/1944 74 yrs"

I hope the obituaries help answer your questions. Please let me know if there is any other way I can help:

Fresno Bee Republican, 14 August 1944

Fresno Bee Republican, 17 August 1944

Harry Reid of Woodland, CA

2008-09-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Yolo County message board at Genealogy.com:

"I am looking for information on the father of Harry Reid. I think he was born in 1896. His parents were Harry Reid and Mary Davenport. Harry's wife's name is Grace. They had a daughter. I think her name is Cathy. Harry and Mary also had another son named Frank."

Hi again Cricket! Your REID family has been a pleasant challenge for me. Case in point: I wasn't able to find any info. yet on Harry Jr. in Woodland (Yolo County), but I found an obituary for his daughter, Beatrice, in Modesto (Stanislaus County). From the Modesto Bee And News-Herald, 10 March 1934:

Further research shows that Harry Jr.'s wife was named Grace KANN. Beatrice was born in Mendocino County in 1919 and Patricia, the other daughter mentioned in the obituary, in Lake County in 1920.

Since it appears that the REID family lived all over Northern California and the Central Valley, I should be busy with them for a long time. Talk to you soon.

Obit-Patricia Ann Mosher-1959

2008-09-21T00:42:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Looking for the obit of

Patricia Ann Mosher
Born: 22 March 1893 Oklahoma Territory
Died: 29 Jan 1959 ,Humboldt, California

parents surnames listed as Buffington & Phillips

I'm trying to prove that Patricia may actually be who our family called "Hattie"

I don't have the exact place in Humboldt County for her death so I was hoping what information I do have would be good enough.

Thanks and information is appreciated.
mitchell7953@sbcglobal.net

Robert"

Hi Robert! I hope that the articles below will help you out. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do:

Eureka Times Standard, 29 January 1959

Eureka Times Standard, 31 January 1959

Obituary for Joseph Hepenstall Baker

2008-09-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"I am looking for the obituary of Joseph Hepenstall Baker, who died in Fresno, California on October 17, 1968. He was born in December 5, 1896 in Lucas County, Iowa. His parents were Evan Rhodes Baker and Bessie Mae Hepenstall. Thanks!!"

Thank you for your request. The obituary was printed in the Fresno Bee on the 18th October 1968:

Mason family of TN>Tulare, CA

2008-09-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Tulare County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Eldorado "Rade" Mason of White Co. Tennessee married Alice Hamilton in Tennessee in 1896 and moved his family of 7 children (so far) to Dinuba, Tulare Co. between 1910 and 1913, the children were Frank, Beulah, Kilmer, Halley, Linnie May, Leo Boles and Walter. They settled in Dinuba and had 4 more children: Leroy, Hollis, Wallace and Ray. My late 1st husband was the grandson of Leo Boles and Helen Margaret (Nelson) Mason thru their son Donald Dean Mason. Leo Boles died in Fresno in 1968, Donald Dean in Oakhurst in 1995. Any information on the ancestors or descendants of this family are appreciated! Obits would be GREAT if anyone has any. Thanks, Heather Mason-Clark"

I was very pleased to have found both the obituary for Rade Mason and his wife, Alice Hamilton-Mason, in the Fresno Bee Republican newspaper:

Fresno Bee Republican, 29 June 1942

Fresno Bee Republican, 17 February 1955

I hope that these obituaries will prove to be helpful. Please let me know if there is any way that I can help.

Aloysius Marcus Hugenroth

2008-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Looking for information on the family of Aloysius Marcus and Eva H. Hugenroth. Their children included Rita, Phillip J., Mary E, Elizabeth, and Daniel M. In 1930 the family lived in Redwood City, CA. Aloysius died November 11, 1971 in Clovis, Fresno Co., CA.
Aloysius was the son of Joseph Phillip and Mary Kirsch Hugenroth. He was born in Wisconsin 27 April 1894/95."

A quick search resulted in several short articles on the Hugenroth family, including the one below. From the Fresno Bee, 6 April 1962:

(Click On Image To Enlarge)

Please let me know if you'd like the other articles and I'll be glad to email them to you.

SSGT Anthony Enos CARVALHO

2008-08-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

I saw this request at the San Luis Obispo County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Anthony Carvalho died on June 19, 2007 - I believe his obituary was in The Tribune - can anyone help me with obtaining a copy of this obituary? Thanks."

Thank you for listing the name of the newspaper. That helped greatly in finding the obituary. From the June 16th 2007 newspaper (Please click on the image to enlarge it):

Padula-Johnson Wedding Lookup

2008-08-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Merced County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Marilyn Padula married Cecil Johnson on Nov 4 1945 in Los Banos, CA. Would you be so kind as to see if there was an item in either the Los Banos Enteprise or Merced Sun-Star? - Thank you."

I was unable to locate any articles in the Merced newspapers, but I found two articles in newspapers from the nearby area. I hope that you will find these useful:

Fresno Bee, 18 November 1945

Modesto Bee And News-Herald, 10 November 1945

Exciting Genealogical Changes And Additions

2008-07-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited with the recent changes made at Newspaper Abstracts. It is not only quicker and easier to find an article, but to submit one now takes no time at all. I'm hoping to add several new articles per week. Check out my profile to read what I have submitted thus far.

I've also been having a blast volunteering for FamilySearch. I'm helping to transcribe some very rare records. It'll be so fantastic when the transcriptions are complete and people can search through them (for free!).

Obituary: James Thomas

2008-07-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board at Genealogy.com:

"Obituary lookup, James Thomas

James Thomas born 15 December 1905, died Modesto 28 January 1993. Thank you for any help."

Here is the obituary that you requested. From the Modesto Bee, 30 January 1993:

Update: Harry A, and Ettie Wallace, Alameda

2008-07-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

NOTE: This is additional information regarding the post from July 2nd.

Vicky- Unfortunately, I could not locate the obituaries for either Arthur KELLAR or Ettie.

I will post additional info. here as I find it. If you can provide me with some additional information on Stuart HEMBUE, I will be very happy to see what I can dig up.

Thanks,
Jeannie

P.S. I was able to find some information on the descendants of Effie KELLAR-CURTION. I hope that it will be useful to you. If you would like for me to research any specific individual, please do let me know:

Modesto Bee, Modesto, CA, 18 June 1962

Children of Thomas CURTION include:

Christine F. PIKE (1918-1945)
William CURTION (1921-1991)
Waunita P. MARSHALL (1927-1989)
Floyd T. CURTION (1930-1970)

I found the recent obituary of Hugh BASS, a son of Waunita P. CURTION-MARSHALL through her first husband.

Daily Democrat, Woodland, CA, 10 September 2005

Anderson

2008-07-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the El Dorado County message board at Ancestry.com:

I am in need of finding the obituary of Beth Marian Anderson who died on July 24, 1995 in Camino, CA. She was the daughter of Williard and Olive Schwerin of Sacramento and later Placerville. She was born Sept. 4, 1927. She was survived by two daughters. I would like to make contact with them. Beth and my mom were cousins, same age. I don't know the daughter's names so would very much like a copy of the obituary. Any help with some information would be appreciated. Thanks for you time.

Here is the obituary that you requested. From The Mountain Democrat newspaper, Placerville, California, 27 July 1995:

Harry A, and Ettie Wallace, Alameda

2008-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Genealogy.com:

Hello,
I am looking for information on a Harry A. Wallace born about January 1869 in California. By 1930 he is living with a wife, Ettie, Ettie had been married before to a Arthur K. Kellar and had one son, Ernest L. Kellar. On the 1930 census, Ernest is listed as a roomer, but this is Ettie's son, Ettie was born in Missouri, lived in Oklahoma, and Crawford Co., Kansas, do not know her maiden name or where or when she married Harry A. Wallace.
Any information on this couple after 1930 would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your post! I found the obituary of Harry A. WALLACE. I hope it will help provide you with some clues to Ettie's ancestry. In the meantime, I'll keep looking and will let you know when I find something.

From The Oakland Tribune, 14 January 1933:

Update: I was able to locate the obituary of Ernest Kellar. From the Hayward Daily Review, 27 March 1966:

It mentions that he had a sister named Mrs. Lauretta MCELWAIN (She was born in Kansas in 1907). When I found her death in the California Death Index, it listed her mother's maiden name as MILLS and father's name as BALDWIN. The 1920 Federal Census (in Leroy, Barton County, Missouri) shows Lauretta's mother to be Mrs. Maud E. BALDWIN (nee MILLS, born circa 1892 in Kansas).

The mention that Ernest KELLAR and Lauretta MCELWAIN are siblings is puzzling. By any chance was Ernest KELLAR adopted out to this family?

Update #2: I last found Ettie listed in the 1938 California Voter Registration in Alameda County, but she is also listed in the California Death Index as Ettie I WALLACE, age 55, died in Alameda County on 17 September 1930. Another puzzling bit of information! I will try to find an obituary.

Update #3: Arthur K. KELLAR died in Alameda County on 29 November 1923, at the age of 53. If I cannot find either his or Ettie's obituary, you may want to try the Oakland Public Library.

Cemetery lookups in Fresno Co - Keyes, Carpenter, Pickrell, Dechant

2008-06-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

I have many relatives who died in Fresno Co but I cannot find out where they are buried. I have dates of death for most of them. Going to the cemetery websites has mostly proved to be fruitless.

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply directly to venturaoma@sbcglobal.net

Thank you!

Jan

Hi Jan! Because you did not give any first names, I had to look at your previous posts to see whom may be researching. I hope that these two obituaries are helpful to you (please click on the images to enlarge them):

Edith Keys-Weston, Fresno Bee Republican, 19 April 1954

Vincent Keyes, Fresno Bee Republican, 18 May 1958

When I Am Not Searching Message Boards...

2008-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

...I am doing other genealogy work. I am always working on my main project- of recording 1,000,000 California pioneers. I also receive tons of emails during the week to answer. And in between, I try to add more information at FindAGrave and Newspaper Abstracts.

Jones

2008-05-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

I'm seeking the obituaries of Clinton Frank Jones and his sister, Florence Audrey Jones.
Clinton Frank Jones: b. 12 Oct 1912; d. 10 Mar 1945; buried 13 Jan 1949.
Clinton died from wounds on Iwo Jima on 10 Mar 1945. He was a Marine. Note that his burial was 4 years after his death (I'm not sure why).
Florence Audrey Jones: b. 23 Nov 1923, d. 07 Jan 1946, buried 10 Jan 1946.
I heard from a relative that Florence's death was very tragic, but I have no other information.
Both are buried at the Kingsburg Cemetery.
Thanks for your help.

Bob Warren

Here are the two obituaries that you requested. Please click on the article if you need to enlarge them. Both deaths are very tragic- an unfortunate truth that I often find in doing research.

Fresno Bee Republican, 5 April 1945

Fresno Bee, 8 January 1946

Jensen Family Fresno County

2008-05-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

I was contacted through the Fresno County message board at Ancestry.com:

Hi Jeannie,

My father's paternal grandparents, Soren and Karen Marie Jensen, migrated to the Fresno area circa 1881. His paternal grandfather Jakob Feldvoss arrived there via Ellis Island in 1906 and was followed in the spring of 1907 by his newest wife Elisabeth, and daughter Anna, then in the fall of 1907 by his daughter Helene.
Soren's daughter (oldest child)Sena married Hans Larsen and they had three daughters, one of whom, Karen Marie, married Marko Pestorich and I believe many of the Pestorich family still reside in the Fresno area. Her brother Marius (the youngest and my grandfather) married Helene Feldvoss.
Neil Peter married Mary Stahl, but they were childless.
I am seeking any genealogical info I can get on any of these three families, so any help you are willing to give would be greatly appreciated. If you are of a mind to do so, I have a web page with some info:

http://et109.com/

And a public tree on Ancestry.com:

Soren and Karen's Family in America

Thank you,

Jack Jensen
et109@rcn.com
jmjphilly@gmail.com

Hi Jack! I have already found a little on your family. For instance, I learned from Marius Jensen's obituary, that his mother had been previously married to a man named NIELSEN, and had a half-brother:

Fresno Bee, 9 March 1931

You don't seem to indicate this half-brother on your family tree. If you have any information on him, I will be glad to see what I can find. Otherwise, I will stick to researching the names that are in your tree.

Thanks for contacting me. I will get back in touch with you very soon.

Bessie Mae LANGLEY

2008-04-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Tuolumne County message board at Ancestry.com:

Have a Bessie Mae Langley (nee Tesnear) b April 4, 1934 in SC. D May 1, 1996 in Tuolumne, CA. Mother's maiden name - Salts and Father's surname Tesnear. Interested in getting obit and death certificate as she is a distant cousin and appears to show a positive link to the Salts name. Do you know of anyone, or does the Tuolumne County Library have this service? (Ours in Spartanburg County, SC offers this service.) Thanks for any insight you can give me. John Tesnar Duncan, SC

I was unable to find Bessie Mae Langley's obituary in the Union Democrat Newspaper (Tuolumne County), so I did some research on her children. I was hoping to find the obituary published in another newspaper. Luckily it was- in Modesto, near where one of Bessie Mae's daughters were living at the time of her death.

I hope that the obituary will assist you in your family research. From the Modesto Bee, dated 3 May 1996:

UPDATE: I sent an additional obituary to the person who made this request (Bessie Mae's brother, Monroe TESNEAR):

"Fresno Bee, Fresno, CA, 15 January 1998

TESNEAR, MONROE - Private cremation arrangements for Monroe Tesnear, 74, of Madera, will be held under the direction of Jay Chapel. Mr. Tesnear, a dairyman, died Friday."

Alice Rebecca BRADLEY

2008-04-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Tulare County message board at Genealogy.com:

"i am looking for any family information on alice rebecca mcclure - married name bradly. dont know first name of man she married. she was born 6 of june 1876, died 10 feb 1945 in tulare? i am related. she had a sister ethel maebel mcclure, married name driscoll. i would like to find living family and info. thanks"

Alice Rebecca MCCLURE was married to Charles Edward BRADLEY. I found the couple with their young daughter, Emily, in the 1910 Federal Census (Lindsay, Tulare County):

Charles BRADLEY, age 30, born in Ireland
Alice BRADLEY, age 33, born in Missouri
Emily BRADLEY, age 4, born in California

By 1920, the couple had two sons, Kenneth Edward BRADLEY (1912-1956) and Herbert R. BRADLEY (1914-1973). In the federal census (again in Lindsay, Tulare County), your relative, Ethel DRISCOLL, and her daughter, Helen, were recorded in the household:

C. E. BRADLEY, age 38, born in Ireland
Alice BRADLEY, age 44, born in Missouri
Emily BRADLEY, age 10, born in California
Kenneth BRADLEY, age 7, born in California
Herbert BRADLEY, age 5, born in California
Ethel DRISCOLL, age 34, born in Missouri
Helen DRISCOLL, age 5, born in California

Charles and Alice had divorced by 1930 and Alice was recorded as head of household in the federal census (Lindsay, Tulare County):

Alice BRADLEY, age 53, born in Missouri
Kenneth BRADLEY, age 17, born in California
Herbert BRADLEY, age 10, born in California

Charles Edward BRADLEY died in Tulare County on 18 June 1937. He and Alice are both buried in Visalia Cemetery.

KNITTEL Post 2- Brothers August And Max

2008-04-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

From The Fresno Bee The Republican, 1 December 1941:

I am so glad to know that I was of service, Glenn. Do contact me again if I can help research this or any other family.

KNITTEL Family Burials

2008-03-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Stanislaus County message board Ancestry.com:

Hello,

I'm looking for anyone that might know of any Knittel or Knittel related family burials in this county. I believe there a couple in Hills Ferry Cemetery, I was hoping there may be more in other cemeteries. I'm also open to anyone that has any Knittel family burial info in any other counties also.
My e-mail is : glp0426@aol.com (the "0" is a zero)
Thanks!!
Glenn Palmer

Thank you for your request, Mr. Palmer. I found the obituary of Ted J. KNITTEL. I hope that it will be useful to you. From the Modesto Bee And News-Herald, 11 December 1974:

I also have information on August KNITTEL (1870-1941) and Max KNITTEL (1882-1941)- two brothers who lived in Fresno county. Please contact me if you'd like information on these individuals.

Obit Request- Margaret E. DUNN

2008-03-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board Ancestry.com:

"Trying to determine if information I obtained from California death index is correct and was told to try and get obituary for confirmation. Is there somebody who could look up a Margaret E. Dunn who died on November 20, 1912? I am not sure if this is my Margaret E. Dunn and would hopefully be able to tell by obituary.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I have been having a terrible time getting information on this ancestor."

I hope this is the obituary is of help to you. From the Oakland Tribune, dated 21 November 1912:

Stephen Douglas & L. Elizabeth AUSTIN, ca 1920

2008-03-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Madera County message board Ancestry.com:

"Looking for info on Douglas, ae 61, & L. Elizabeth Austin, 55, who were farming on Barendas Road, Twp. G, Madera Co.,CA, on 20 Feb 1920. Search of Madera GenWeb was negative."

After checking the census record you listed, I checked the family in previous records. Douglas and son, Lewis, were recorded in San Francisco in 1910 and in Larimer County, Colorado in 1900:

1900 Federal Census

AUSTIN, Douglas, born December 1855 in Michigan
AUSTIN, Lizzie, born April 1866 in Ohio
AUSTIN, Wesley, born November 1881 in Nebraska
AUSTIN, Lewis, born October 1883 in Nebraska
AUSTIN, Agnes, born June 1885 in Nebraska
AUSTIN, William H., born August 1889 in Nebraska
AUSTIN, Frank, born May 1892 in Nebraska
AUSTIN, Bertha, born November 1896 in Nebraska

I returned my attention to California, where I found Wesley AUSTIN in the California Death Index:

AUSTIN, Wesley; born 20 November 1882 in Nebraska; died 2 June 1948 in Fresno County; mother's maiden name: MAY

Searching the Fresno newspapers, I found a wealth of information, including the obituaries for both Elizabeth AUSTIN and Douglas AUSTIN (who was listed as A. Douglas AUSTIN in the newspaper and Stephen A. AUSTIN in the death index.)

I also found the obituaries for two of the sons, George and Wesley.

KENNEDY MCNALLY CONNIFF

2008-03-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board Ancestry.com:

"Seeking information about descendents of sisters
Ellen Kennedy who married William J McNally; lived in Oakland and died in Alameda Co California in 1955.

Winifred Kennedy who married Patrick Conniff; lived in Oakland and died in Alameda Co California in 1946.

Their parents were Patrick and Bridget Kennedy of Old Castle, Co Galway Ireland."

I found the obituaries for both Mrs. Ellen McNally and Mrs. Winifred Kennedy. I hope that they help you with your research.

Henry Edward CHADBOURNE

2008-03-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this request at the Humboldt County message board Ancestry.com:

"Born South Fork 1875. Son Edward Chadbourne born Phillipsville 1900. Anyone have info on the maiden name, etc of Henry's wife? When and where did he die?
Thanks..."

Thank you for your questions. Unfortunately, I was not able to to locate a death date for Henry Edward CHADBOURNE. But I did find a lot of information that I think will help you out.

According to the 1910 Census (in Mendocino County), Henry's wife, Dora, was married to Thomas THURMAN for six years, so Henry likely died between 1900 and 1904.

Dora, born in January 1881 and who died in Humboldt County on 14 December 1924, was the daughter of Daniel SUTHERLAND and Ellen, an Indian woman. I have found very little information on Ellen.

Dora had a few children with Thomas THURMAN, including Ida Ellen THURMAN (1907-1983). She was married to Alonzo GOATES and is buried in Ukiah Cemetery in Mendocino County.

I was also able to find some information on Dora's siblings. To follow are the obituaries for Dora's brother, Enoch Phelps SUTHERLAND, and sister, Mrs. Florence HUNTER:

Please contact me if you would like further information on any of the families mentioned.

BROWER Family, Mendocino County

2008-02-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Mendocino County is one of the areas in California where do a lot of research. I was working on the MAZE family from this area, and in particular, Laura J. MAZE. She had married Joseph Troll BROWER. According to census records, Joseph was a widower by 1910 (I cannot locate the couple in the 1900 Census). I am unable to find a death date for Laura, which only increases my interest in this family. When I saw this post left at the Mendocino County message board at Ancestry.com, I decided to dig further into the BROWER family in the hope of finding information pertaining to the death of Laura MAZE-BROWER.

I find it interesting that Joseph's father, John Daniel BROWER, named a son after Joseph's father-in-law, Eugene MAZE. This son, Eugene Maze BROWER, died in Nez Perce County, Idaho, an area where my own family had once resided and an area where I also do a fair amount of research. I wonder if there is more than one connection between the BROWER and MAZE families.

So although I am still coming up empty on Laura's death date, I am developing an increased interest (and decent amount of information) on the BROWER family.

NOTE: For more information on Mendocino County families, please visit one of my favorite genealogy websites, Mendocino County Indexes.

John Frank & Ethel Eloise WHITE-WALKER

2008-02-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

I saw this request at the Alameda County message board at Ancestry.com:

"Looking for obit for Ethel Eloise White-Walker b. 17 Jun 1873 in Australia, d bet 1920-1930 in Oakland, CA, per census records.
and her husband John Frank Walker b. 08 Jan 1872 in NV, last record of him is the 1930 census and voter registration in Ca. Last address I found was 1941 5th ave, Oakland, Ca.

Thanks so much"

Thank you for your request. The California Death Index lists that Mrs. Ethel Walker died in Alameda County on 28 October 1924. To follow is her obituary. From the Oakland Tribune, dated 29 October 1924:

Cedar And Dade Counties, Missouri

2008-02-13T10:41:00.001-08:00

Besides recording California pioneer families, I am also working on early families from the counties of Cedar and Dade in Missouri. While researching my BROWN line, I became very interested in these counties. After nine years of research, I have gathered nearly 30,000 names from these areas. I've concentrated on the family names below, but please contact me if you would like assistance with researching any family from either county. (Note: I am a direct descendant of the names in bold italic print).

Cedar County:

ACHORD, BACON, BAIRD, BAKER, BOSTON, BROWN, BUTNER, CAMPBELL, CHAPPELL, CHISM, CURL, DEARDORFF, DIXON, DODD, EDGE, FAIRCHILD, FRIEZE, GANNAWAY, GIPSON, GRIMES, HAMMONS, HEMBREE, KITSMILLER, O'CONNOR, PHILLIPS, RONK, SIMMONS, UNDERWOOD, WHITE, YORK

Dade County:

ACHORD, BOWLES, BROWN, CAMPBELL, CHAPPELL, CHISM, COBLE, DICUS, DILDAY, FINLEY, FRIEZE, FUNK, GILMORE, JONES, KILLINGSWORTH, LOLLAR, MCCLURE, POINDEXTER, SCOTT, SNADON, STEELEY, TUCKER

I will do free lookups in the following books:

"Historical Sketches Of Cedar County, Missouri", Clayton Abbott, 1968

"Marriage Records, Dade County, Missouri (1863-1872) And Abstracts Of Wills And Administrators (1841-1867)", Mrs. Howard W. Woodruff, 1971

"We're Connected To Every Other Human Being"

2008-01-31T22:54:00.000-08:00

My true love, besides my husband of course, is genealogy. Tonight as I sat at my desk, excitingly working on a friend's family tree, I received an email from Whitney from FamilyLink.com, Inc. She asked me to place a YouTube video on my blog in anticipation of their upcoming launch of their World Collection, "which contains more than 1.5 billion records from 35 different countries". So I checked out the link that Whitney sent to me:

My work is never done, and for that, I am so very grateful.