A New Year and New Goal

Here we are half way through January and I was curious what your New Year's Resolution goal is regarding Family History?  I belong to many genealogical pages on Facebook.  It seems often times they all share the same thing.  So they are not writing any new stuff just sharing from anther's site.  If Family Search makes an announcement, I have at least 20 shared announcements on my feed, and a few emails.  It's almost to the point of annoyance.

So I decided this year I was not going to write on my blog for the sake of writing and sahring, but hopefully I will give you some insight and maybe things you had not thought of before to explore.

Now I know we all know about newspapers.  I think it is one of the sources I usually go to as a last resort, but I need to change that thinking.  Often times if we want to confirm a story or gain a little bit of light on an ancestors life, newspapers are the way to go. 

My favorite site to go to is .http://newspaperarchive.com  I think the site is easy to use and there is a wide variety of papers to select from.  If you are near a Family History Center, it is one of the paid sites you can use from free at the center.

I serve every Thursday in our center here in Utah.  Last Thursday as I was fishing around on the site I found some interesting things.  One item was a legal notice that confirmed what I had been told regarding my grandparents on my Mom's side.  My grandmother, Oh my such a character!  The other thing I found made me laugh!

My grandfather Vernon Moore that I have written about before here was born in Taylor, Texas and lived there for awhile with his wife Grace.  Grace came from a very large and close family.  This newspaper article I found said my grandfather's home was burglarized!  The story goes my grandmother went to Houston to visit family so my grandfather was "batching" it.  But food was not a problem as he had made two pies and even frosted one.  You frost pies?  He put the pies out to cool and then was called away.  I am guessing he was called away for an electrical problem since he climbed electrical poles.  When he returned his pies were gone, but a note was left.  "Thanks for the pies!  They were delicious!" 

I can only imagine the look on my grandfather's face when he came home to this.  Can you imagine if they had surveillance cameras or the technology we have today?  I think there was a practical joke being played here especially if he was called away.  We will never know the rest of the story.

The one thing I love too is I can get a subscription for a month and search for my ancestors in the newspaper. I have done this before and learned interesting things of their death.

So in your research don't forget the newspapers!

More Info for Descendants of Arthur Lee Moore...

Thanks to Cousin Sherry Moore she suggested I try posting a message to my blog to find descendants of Arthur Lee Moore.  Well I already had...but she told me to specifically list I am looking for "Punky Moore".  Okay where are you Punky?????  If this is you or know who he is please have him contact me!!!  Thank you!!

And I will entice you a bit.....here is a picture of Lee Moore and his wife Florence Marrington so you know I really am looking for his descendants!!

Oh Where Oh Where Can They Be???

This morning I was racking my brains and using all the sleuthing skills I had to try and find descendants of a great uncle.  I sent a couple of emails to longshots and then thought WHOA!! Wait a second!!  Let's go back to my blog (that I know) I don't write on enough and put out the plea!!!

So here it goes, I am looking for descendants of Arthur Lee Moore who was married to Florence Marrington.  He had two children Rachel and Arthur Lee Jr.  Rachel married Grant Truax.  Arthur JR married Edna Dorothy Berg.  I have them with one child (I am sure there was more) but he was also Arthur Lee Moore III.  Arthur III married Sharon Lee Mosher/Moshler and they had a daughter Shannon Morie/Marie Moore.  And I am dead end.

Uncle Lee (that his how the family referred to him as) was the oldest of my great grandfather's children who survived.  My great grandfather was married twice, Lee's mother was Rebecca Burleson.

I understand Uncle Lee had alot of the family history and I am hoping it was passed down from generation to generation for starters.  Also, we are writing a family history and want to be able to include HIS story and not the one we are perceiving it to be.  So if you tie into this family please, please, please email me!!!

We have come quite far on this family.  We have pictures of all the surviving siblings (six) and contact with several of the descendants.  We are missing Lee, Jack and Bell's lines.

Also I finally caved in and took a DNA test.  We have broken through another brick wall....kind of!!  We know who Nathaniel's brothers are!!  Okay some of them....but still more than we had a month ago.  So there are lots of exciting things happening in this branch of the Moore's.  And by finding Nathaniel's brothers, we can most likely put together all these stray Moore's like Nathaniel and Uceba Moore and find their place in the family tree.

So please come help us expand!!!  If you tie in to the Thomas A Moore and Mary D Williams line, or Nathaniel J Moore and Rebecca lines, save this blog and EMAIL ME!!!  I know the descendants are out there....we just have to find them!!  C'mon let's have an exciting update soon!!!  Happy Hunting everyone!!

Why Having a Family History Blog is SOOO Important!

In 2009 I heard genealogist Crista Cowan speak on the importance of people being able to find YOU.  We always think that we are looking for someone else, why would anyone want to find us?  But in the genealogy world it is VERY IMPORTANT. Her lecture that day was "Hit a Brickwall searching backwards -- Search Forward."  She talked about the importance of a Family History Blog.

I began this blog shortly after moving to Texas; walking, seeing and living as my ancestors had over 100 years before.  Okay maybe not so much the living....but I needed them. I needed their presence in my life. I was at a standstill and didn't feel as though I could go forward.  Moving to Texas was one of the best decisions I ever made!!  It did help me to get to know more about my ancestors and where they lived, what they did, saw etc. 

In the process I have tried to journal my findings and happenings along the way. Today I went back and read my first entry.  Oh how I forgot about that day!  But after reading the entry the flood of memories came flying back.  It also makes me sad, as Ralph Love has passed on.  But what a great source of information he was to me.  It is a similar reason that brings me back to my blog today.

Sometimes when you write you wonder if anyone ever really reads it.  Maybe that is where I got with this blog.  I felt no one ever read it.  Oh how silly I am!!  I have had several contact me because of this blog.  I have written about my Moore Family mostly, but I have also written about my Schoenbohm family which is my grandmother's family.  I had one cousin email me and tell me, "I think we are related but I never knew this about my Great Grandfather!  I am going to ask my Mother!"  She was referring to the story about the "Dueling on the Stairs". Click the link for the story.

One of the posts I added two years ago was that I was looking for descendants of "Woodfren Grady Moore."  I had little hope of ever finding anyone.  Uncle Grady died very young and it seems very suddenly.  I was told he was beaten to death for not joining a union in Minnesota.  But what is on his death certificate and that does not jive.  I knew he had married an Anna Cummings and they had two children.  After Grady's death, Anna remarried, change their names to Thoele and that is where the trail went cold.

A Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago I returned home and found an email with the subject "Are you still looking for descendants of Grady
Moore?"  I sat in shock for a few moments and replied as quickly as I could YES!!!  Re reading the email Paula said she had married into the Moore Family.  I instantly threw up a red flag and tried to make the connection of how she was related to Grady. In going back to re-read the email again I had another message from a Sharon Moore.  In opening it up I gasped!  I had found Grady's Granddaughter, well she found me.

It was so interesting in talking to Sherry because we had similar information and she had documents I didn't have and I have documents she didn't have.  Together I believe we can tell Grady's story.  She even has a picture!!  She said not a good one, but a picture.  I tagged in her a few photos in my Family History Album on Facebook and I knew she had not seen most of them.  She saw photos her great grandparents for the first time.  I love when I can do that for my cousins!  I have been able to do it a few times!!

I will be updating this blog more regularly because there has been much progress and much I need to tell for those who may be searching this line as well.  We have cousins gathering in Taylor, Texas next month that will all be meeting for the very first time. How wonderful is that?  I unfortunately cannot attend due to my health.  But I will be there in spirit.

So please if you are even thinking about doing a blog, DO IT!!  I have people all the time tell me I wish I could find the information you do, or find cousins like you do. You need to put your info out there and when the time is right they will find you.

Stay Calm and Keep Blogging!! 

Teaching Family History

I have been asked to teach the Family History Sunday School Class at my church.  I have been amazed at the turnout and humbled by those who come and have complete faith in me to help them get started with their family history.  I thought I would share here with you some of thing things we have gone over in the class.

Our first week was a simple introduction of me and I had all students fill out a survey.  I think one of the things you must learn in Family History as a teacher is where everyone is, what the goals are, and a little about them (phishing out the fears!) We must be teachable in both directions!  I had to learn form the beginning as I know we all do.  Even 35 years later, I don't know all there is to know about Family History and still stumble when trying to find a record.  It often times take a group effort.

One of the things I love to hear is when someone says they are related to someone, and another will pop up and say, "Hey so am I!"  Been there and done that.  Makes me Snoopy Dance!!

We are very blessed here in Provo (yes I have moved back to Utah) in that we have a wonderful Family History Center at BYU and also have a training center in Provo where classes are only $5. If you ever make a trip to Provo, I highly recommend coming and taking time for these all day classes.  Well worth the time and money!!

/http://www.familyhistorytraining.org/

The instruction part of the class is 30 minutes for each segment, and then you get a hands on trainer sitting next to you for another 30-45 minutes.  How cool is that???

One thing I liked is they have a basic computer class.  For older people, this is beneficial because most do not know how to use a computer. Today we all need to learn how to use a computer to do research.  It will come if you struggle!!  Just keep at it.

What a great resource to have in the community! For any who want to come visit  our beautiful city,  I love to play tour guide!!!  If you come please let me know!!

The second thing is the BYU Family History Center.

There are about 130 missionaries and volunteers who help with the center.  If you have photos to scan, or documents to digitize, it is worth the trip there for help and to get it done!!  The library is also open the 2nd and 4th Sunday for classes and research. 

http://lib.byu.edu/sites/familyhistory/

Also don't forget to check into and join your own local Genealogical Societies.  These societies are so valuable to us as researchers. Often times it is the societies who will go through the records and compile births, marriages, deaths etc.  Please support them!!  Too many are dying out for lack of attendance and support.

Happy Searching everyone!!!

The Characters in My Closet

Many have asked if I could send them my writing on "The Characters in My Closet".  It was selected as one of the top three stories from the Chisholm Trail by the Williamson County Texas Genealogical Society.  Thank you WCGS!!!!  So here is the story.  Remember whenever you find that notorious character in your closet, just giggle and know you are not alone!!!!

The Characters in my Closet

We all have them.  Some call them “skeletons”.  Skeletons to me are scary and have no substance.  Characters on the other hand, are lively, have meat on their bones and get into all kinds of shenanigans.  If this story was about my “Shenanigan Ancestor” it would definitely be about my Grandma Hessie, she tops the list with the most. Although my great grandfather had fewer shenanigans, he had the grandest of them all making national headlines across the country in 1914.

Gerhard John (G J) Shoenbohm was born in Brehem, Germany in 1871.  At just 6 weeks old his parents, Merhring J Schoenbohm and Margaret T Schroeder immigrated to the US through Galveston and settled in Alice, Texas.  Gerhard married Carrie Matilda Gilplin Valls in 1892 and they had six children, four girls and two boys.  My grandmother Grace Linn was the oldest, followed by Monie, Bubba, Lottie, Kakki and Johnny.  Johnny died at two months old. 

After Monie’s death, her daughter found a small auto biography she wrote of her life.  In it, she talked of the love of her father, the distance between her mother, and how the circumstances surrounding their father’s death they were treated as though they had the plaque.  The family eventually was run out of Alice, Texas and settled in Corpus Christi, TX to the end of their years and where I was born.

Aunt Kakki wrote a small history on the Schoenbohm Family stating Grandpa Schoenbohm was a telegraph operator. The railroads were coming and he had a profession that kept him gainfully employed.  Another insight Aunt Kakki gave to me was that Grandpa Schoenbohm’s mother lived with them for 17 years until her death.  She spoke fluent German, and very little broken English.  Family folklore has it that German, Spanish and English was spoken in the Schoenbohm home, but not all together, the Spanish language coming from the hired servants.  My Grandmother Grace and sister Monie made up their own language between the three languages.  Before they could start school they had to learn English.  Creative and lively bunch aren’t they?  So just what did Grandpa Schoenbohm do that caused such a ruckus and run his family out of town?

From the Brownsville, Herald, August 17, 1014, “On a morning of August, 1914, a mysterious man arrived in Brownsville, TX from Alice on the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico passenger train.  According to T. J. Shanahan, the manager of what is referred to as the Valley Hotel on Levee Street, the man asked for recommendations of somewhere to eat. Mr. Shanahan directed him to a place down the street and the mysterious stranger returned later to the hotel and registered under the name of “Emmett Burgess”.  In registering he smeared his place of residence as if to hide it.  He asked Mr. Shanahan for some stationery and retreated to his room for the afternoon.

At approximately 4:45 that afternoon, Mr. Shanahan had been speaking with Mr. Burgess and then settled down to his desk to take on the day’s tasks.  Mr. Burgess sat on the balcony at the top of the stairs.  Upon hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Emmett Burgess walked to the balcony overlooking the stairs and began to shoot at the two men.  In a matter of minutes two men were dead and one wounded.

On Monday August 17, 1914 the Brownsville Herald Newspaper Extra headline read:

H. G. Dubose Assassinated – Shot down by G. J. Schoenbohm of Alice.[i] An extra edition of the Brownsville Herald was produced on this day to cover the story that went around the nation.  Stories also appeared in major newspapers across the country including Salt Lake City, UT[ii], Oakland, CA[iii] and San Antonio, TX[iv]. 

According to newspaper reports of The Brownsville Gazette, “H. G Dubose, Chief of the US Immigration Office and his brother E. (Ed) M Dubose, US Customs Inspector, were responding to a note that came from a mysterious Emmett Burgess.  Mr. Burgess claimed on the note that he had some information regarding a case that Ed Dubose was working on. Ed Dubose questioned folks around town, regarding “Emmett Burgess” but when no one knew or heard of him, he acquired the assistance of his brother H G Dubose, and came prepared for a possible ambush.  Ed Dubose escaped with a wounded leg but was charged with killing of G. J. Schoenbohm.  He was later acquitted.  H. G. Dubose had four bullets in him, and was killed.  G. J. Schoenbohm held 15 bullets in his bullet ridden body.  Schoenbohm was also disguised with brown hair die on his hair and eyebrows, was wearing brown gloves, shaved his moustache and wore shaded glasses to complete his disguise.  It was only through a letter on his personage and a casual friend he was able to be identified”. 

On Tuesday, August 18, 1914 the title read, Two Homes Mourn Fathers’ Loss[v]. 

This was my Great Grandfather G J Schoenbohm.  I am not sure how I feel about all this.  Do I label him as a murderer?  Assasin?  Scapegoat?  I get the gut feeling there are some unanswered questions and more to the story than what the newspaper reported. Reports were that his wife was having an affair with Ed Dubose. I believe it has something to do with immigration. I have contacted some DuBose descendants who did not know of this story, but also said, “It does not surprise me.  The DuBose brothers were scoundrels.”  This I do know, it is a part of my history, that I feel needs to be told and most likely would have been lost had it not been for Aunt Kakki’s history. 

In knowing this part of my grandmother’s history, it helps me to understand my life a bit more.  Even in the few short years we were together in Texas, there was never a great bond.  After leaving Texas, I occasionally heard from my grandmother, father and aunts, but years later I would learn that everyone claimed they did not know where we went after leaving Texas.  There are tragedies and circumstances that plague our lives for generations and affect the generations to come.  We do not get to choose the consequences of these actions, but maybe by learning their story we can have a bit more compassion, sympathy, and burning desire to know more than just the names of those who came before us.

---

[i] Brownsville Herald, August 17, 1914, Brownsville, Texas

[ii] Salt Lake Tribune, August 18, 1914, Salt Lake City Utah

[iii] Oakland, August 18, 1914 Oakland, CA

[iv] San Antonio Paper, August 18, 1914, San Antonio, Texas

[v] Brownsville Herald, August 18, 1914, Brownsville, Texas.

Are You Related to Grady Moore?

I am looking for the descendants of W Grady Moore, born June 25, 1890 in Taylor,Texas. He Married an Anna and they had two children,  Patricia and John.   They lived in the St Paul/Minneapolis Minnesota area, but in 1922 Grady was killed.  I so desperately want to find his descendants!!!

I thought I had found a granddaughter, but it was not the right person.  So now I am going to cyblerland in hopes that someone may decide to start working on Grady's tree.  If you are PLEASE CONTACT ME!!  I have much information for you, but not enough for me on Grady!!!  No picture, only bit and pieces of his life. 

By the way, the W in Grady's name stands for Woodfren.  Now you know I am legit!!!  Sorry Uncle Grady for revealing your secret!!!!  Thank you all who have helped in the search thus far!!!

Bringing Your Ancestors Full Circle......

When I began my genealogy journey in 1977, I was asked what my goal was.  I simply wanted to know who my Great Grandparents Moore's were.  I did not know their names, or anything about them.  The 1900 Census was out, but I needed to gather information on my Grandfather Vernon Doak Moore to know where to look.  The census was not yet indexed.  I learned he was born in Taylor, Texas and so there I started my search.

I found my grandfather on the 1900 census living with siblings and grandparents.  I turned to the volunteer who had been so kindly helping me and said,

"Why are they living with their grandparents?" 
"The parents have probably died at this point, so the children are with the grandparents." She replied.
"Nooooo! How will I ever learn who my great grandparents were?" I asked?
"You may never know and that is something you will have to accept" said the volunteer.

I did not like that answer.  So for the next 32 years on and off, I went in search of who were my Great Grandparent Moore's. I would eventually learn they were Jack and Minerva Moore.  But to break through on Minerva's line and find out who she was, was a long journey.

In 1999 my dad passed away, and because of that I connected with one of my cousins.  Two years later, visiting Plano, Texas I was able to sit down and visit with her sister.  It was odd, even though I knew who Lynn was I had no clue who Jennie was.  I always felt so estranged from my family It was  though I was thrown to this life and said, "Here survive if you can."  I learned things about my father this day that made me break down on the plane going back to Utah.  I was confused.  Why did I have such a passion for this family I did not know and did not seem to bring me any joy?  Why was my curiosity so high about them?

Because I knew more of the Moore Family History than any of my newly reconnected Aunts and Cousins, I decided to write a family history.  I realized each one of us had a bit and we needed to combine it all to tell their story.   I was really looking for pictures.  One suggestion led me to contact my Uncle Ed. There I hit the jackpot.  Uncle Ed sent me a box full of genealogy.  I know to anyone else it was just papers and pictures.  But I will forever be grateful to him sending me that box.

In the box was a letter from my Great Aunt Ellen (my grandfather's sister) to him and my grandmother.  She clued me in on where to find a picture of my great great grandmother Mary D Moore.  But for me the most exciting part were the words "my grandparents were Virginia Lyon and Cornelius J "Buck" Cain.  My great grandmother was a CAIN!!!  I cried.  I am sappy like that.  At this point I had been researching my grandfather's siblings, and learned with in a short more time (even without the box) I would have learned the name of Minerva Cain Moore.

In 2009 I sold everything and came to Texas to research my Moore's.  Shortly there after my mom passed away.  With her passing and finding many Moore records I had been looking for, I felt it was the time to work on my mom's family. For the next two years I made great leaps and bounds on my Campbell's, Thenne's and McGinniss's.  I would only stop for the Moore family when I was asked questions, or receive an email from a potential cousin.

The one thing that always bothered me about Jack and Minerva is that I could not find where they were buried.  I knew it had to be in Taylor.  I had a "maybe" death date for Jack, and knew when Minerva died.  But still no graves.  Finding their graves, brings them full circle and you are able to have closure on that part of your life. Throughout my whole journey on this genealogy road, I have found many many surprises.  I found my Great Uncle Lee had a first marriage we did not know about.  In blogging about him, I was able to connect with descendants from that line.  I have stood in the store my ancestors built in 1865 in Mooresville.  I met my great uncle who could tell me much of the Moore history, and even had my picture in the same newspaper where stories had been written about my great grandparents and ancestors through the years.  But the one thing that saddened me, was that I did not know where Jack and Minerva were buried.  It was something I thought I was coming to accept, but yet in my nightly prayers I asked for their guidance to help me find their graves.

And that is what happened on Monday March 19, 2012, WE found their graves.  I had connected with one of Minerva's great nephews, Burney.  He had done much research on the Cain family and did not know anything about Minerva.  She was not found on the 1900 Census, her mother was listed as 4 children, with two living.  They assumed that Minerva had died.  She had. But no one knew about the Moore family she left behind. Burney bless his heart, in our conversation asked me the golden question, "So where is Minerva buried?" I still get a lump in my throat. I did not know.  In all my research, this is one are I failed.  I felt I had looked over every rock there was in Taylor. I only knew her death date.  A few minutes later he emailed me some results for FindaGrave.

I am very familiar with FindaGrave, I have been there often.  I also know I checked FindaGrave for Jack and Minerva's graves, but never found them.  There was another Minerva Moore buried in Williamson County, but I knew it was not my Minerva.  Because I also sat on the Williamson County Genealogical Society Board (WCGS), I was also familiar with the Cemetery Project and combed through the cemeteries.  When I saw they were buried in the Hargis Cemetery, I thought how could I have missed them? I knew it was a cemetery that had been documented and put on FindaGrave.  Retracing my steps I saw where next to Hargis (on a spreadsheet we kept for WCGS) was the name Moore in parenthesis.   Did I not Google them as Burney did since November 2010?  I could have sworn I did. How did I ever miss that?   I think it must have been added later.  That is what I claim anyway to protect my sanity.

On the spreadsheet was only 13 graves, now listed on FindaGrave was 35 graves.  In contacting both photographers for the cemetery, I learned a bit more information.  The first pass of the cemetery was in such array photos were take as best from the front of the cemetery.  My Moore family was located in the back.  It took Jon Christensen with his great love and passion for this work, to dig his way through the cemetery and photograph the stones.  There is this cemetery lied, NJ Moore (my great grandfather), Rebecca Burleson Moore (NJ 's first wife), Thomas and Mary Moore (two children of NJ and Rebecca's), and Mary Moore (NJ Mother and my great great grandmother).  Also listed were some Meeks relatives by marriage.

I cried. My heart was full.  f you ever think there are no records, or at a wits end of trying to find that one small piece of information, ask your ancestors for their help.  They do now where the records are.  They will help you!!!  Last but not least, RIP in my Moore family!!  To say we have had a journey is an understatement.  But we have brought them full circle and now they will never be forgotten again.  Here are the pictures to the graves.  Thank you FINDAGRAVE.COM!!

NJ Moore

Rebecca Burleson Moore

Thomas J Moore (Son of NJ and Rebecca)

Mary Moore (daughter of NJ and Rebecca)

Minerva Cain Moore

Mary D Williams Moore (Mothe of NJ Moore wife of Thomas A (TA Moore))

Breaking through Brick Walls Part 6: Descendancy Research

Finding Current Descendants Part II

I am told quite often I am “lucky” when it comes to finding long lost cousins and those we do not know existed. Luck is not part of my life, I feel it comes from doing some good detective work and like anything else takes know how and practice. In genealogy we always start from what we know and that is what I have done. With finding both my THENNES and MAKOSKY cousins I started with what I knew; the surname and the hometown.

I had searched for the MAKOSKY’S before but could not find them on Facebook. I started with my four cousin’s names and they are not on Facebook, but one of the wives are. Did I know their wives names? No, but I was able to piece information together to find what I needed to find them.

The first place I went to was www.zabasearch.com. Zabasearch is not a database but a search engine that goes out looking for public record and compiles them into a list for you that may give you some additional info for your research. Not all the time, but sometimes it will list:

1. Middle initial

2. Birth month and year

3. Previous known addresses

4. Date of compiled report

When I looked for my cousins, I found three of the four here with middle initials. I knew approximate years and ages, but nothing exact until this info. Finding Jimmy with his middle initial was crucial for being able to find the right MAKOSKY.

With this information I then went to www.whitepages.com. White pages are a more recent list of where people are and can also give you more information on the people. Here I found wives names and for Jimmy was able to verify it was the right one I was searching for because part of the household also listed his parents. A cool side note here, if you are searching on a nickname such as Jim but the person is listed as James, Whitepages is smart enough to detect that and search for the combination of Jim’s.

So from this simple detective work, I took this information back to Facebook, typed in MAKOSKY and 170 popped up. I had the names of the wives and on the second page there was Jimmy’s wife. I instantly emailed her and received a reply and now we are connected.

So is Facebook a Good Thing or Bad Thing? In many, many ways it is a good thing. It is a great tool to help people re-connect and stay connected from far away. The downside for me and so many others, just like genealogy it can become addicting. If you do not have a Facebook page due to worry about privacy issues, then don’t post your private information! I will be interested to see how many of you decide to connect with Facebook, or maybe already are and have found long lost cousins. I know I am not the only one!!!

Breaking through Brick Walls Part 5: Descendancy Research

Finding Current Descendants

In the last year I have found TEN living families that are descendants from my Moore and Thennes line. I have found cousins I did not even know existed. How did I do it? By doing exactly what I have explained in the previous blogs on descendancy research. In the beginning it was cluster research where I sniffed out my grandfather’s brothers and sister in order to find out more about him. So cluster research and descendancy research go hand in hand.

Three branches of my family I found via their family trees. Remember I go searching for trees for my ancestors every few months or so. One branch of my tree came walking into my local Family History Center! No lie- we share the same third great grandparents, Nathaniel Jackson Moore and Rebecca Adams. Her great great grandmother was a sister to my great great grandfather.

The remainder five lines I found on ….Facebook! Yes Facebook!!! Let me tell you it does help to have “different” names to be able to search. Moore is a common name, but my Mom’s maiden name of THENNES is not. Shortly after my mom passed, I decided to go on a mission and learn about her father, my grandfather Fred Thennes. Now I know this has little to do with my Texas Moore History, but the concepts behind them are still the same.

With this line, I simply typed the name THENNES in to Facebook. I have been told any search under 1,000 is doable. Ha Ha This was under that number so I began to look at what had pulled up. The second name I clicked on did not have a THENNES last name but I figured her maiden name was Thennes. In looking at her profile, I saw that magical word of Michigan and the home town of my mom. I instantly emailed her, her reply to me was “How do you pronounce our name?” There are many different ways that people pronounce it, but only those in the family seem to know the right pronunciation. I passed the test and she accepted me as family. (Family branch 1) I had many questions because I had only met my grandfather once for just a few seconds and I truly wanted to get to know who he was. She told me she would ask her father my questions. When I did not hear anything from her in a couple of weeks, I posted on her wall. There her mother (Family branch 2) saw it and directed me towards her GRANDMOTHER (Family branch 3)!!! Her grandmother directed me to her first cousin and also sister in law (Family branch 4) who not only knew my Grandfather the best but took care of him. I learned a great deal about my grandfather. Not only did I come to love a man I never knew, but gained so much compassion and respect for him. I thought how sad how our remarks and judgments keeps us apart from people we would probably love if only given the chance.

Another line I found on Facebook also belongs to my Mom. I only knew one set of cousins growing up and that was my MAKOSKY cousins in Michigan. We spent many a summers in Michigan and they many a summers in Iowa. I had always wondered what became of them, especially Ricky. Tomorrow, I will tell you how I once again connected with this family on Facebook, but how it took a little bit of detective work to get to that point.

Facebook really is a great tool to connect with people. I know there are all the Privacy Issues, but my simple reasoning is if you don’t want people to have you phone and address DON’T LIST IT ON FACEBOOK. I have been on now for over two years with never a problem. I am actually very glad such a thing exists because it is a great way to gather long lost friends and family and connect with them!

Breaking through Brick Walls Part 4: Descendancy Research

Message Boards and Other Things

Have you discovered message boards yet for your research? Message boards are a great way to let others know who or what you are looking for. What are message boards? There are several different kinds, one of my favorites being the county message boards on www.ancestry.com.

Go to Collaborate | Message Boards

Ancestry Message Boards: http://boards.ancestry.com/

There are two different types of Message Boards on Ancestry.com. They are LOCALITY and SURNAMES. What are locality message boards? Just what it says, the location of your research. Because I want to keep this as much to my Moore’s and Texas research as I can, I will refer to the United States link. But just know that there is a county board for all the United States. To get to the United States Message Board you can follow these directions

Click United States | States | Name of State (aka Texas)| Counties | Name of County (aka Williamson)

OR

follow the link:

Ancestry State Message Boards:

http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.usa.states/mb.ashx

Once on the Message Board you can do a search, browse through the messages for submissions and answers, or post a new message.

To SEARCH a Message Board type a name or key word in to the "Search Field"

To START a new message is called “Begin a New Thread”

To BROWSE through the Message Board simply use your mouse to scroll through the posts

This is only to get you started and make you aware of the message boards. You can set up notifications when ever anyone posts to the board, and also find other boards that may assist you in your search. As genealogist we have a mind set to find names, dates and places. Often times with the Message Boards someone will be looking for help on a line they are searching and it is from there you never know what or who will come across your post.

What would my blog be with out a great Message Board Story? Someone had posted an inquiry regarding the Forehand Family from Tennessee. I was somewhat familiar with this family because Richard N. Forehand was married to my second great grandmother Virginia. Remember, when I found my Grandfather in the 1900 census he was living with his grandparents Richard and Virginia Forehand. One of the first things I did in my research was look for a Minerva Forehand with a Father Richard and Virginia. I found some maybe’s but nothing concrete. I searched the Forehand line to see if I could find who Virginia was. Nothing. I ran in circles trying to discover who Minerva’s parents were and who was Richard and Virginia Forehand. So when I saw the post about the Forehand family from TN (which is where Richard was from) I typed a quick reply stating I tied into this line but I was in the process of moving to Texas and would get back to them regarding what I had. I also stated in that reply that my grandfather Vernon Moore was in the 1900 Census living with his grandparents Richard and Virginia MOORE FOREHAND. Virginia was never a MOORE I accidentally added the MOORE by mistake. Ten minutes later I had a reply from a gentleman who told me, “Laura I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw your post.” He went on to tell me that Richard was his Great Grandfather and he had been chasing Virginia MOORE for years. I thought MOORE where did he get that? I discovered my mistake and posted a reply with her real name. Virginia’s maiden name was LYONS from Indiana. She married Cornelius Cain and when he died, she eventually married Richard Forehand. Part of the 32 year puzzle it took me to find. I often think what would have happened had I not added the wrong last name for Virginia?

Now you are probably asking yourself, “Hello Laura!!! Marriage record!!” I searched for a marriage record, but never could find one. I finally found their marriage record located in Travis County, Texas; a neighboring county. What I have learned since moving to Texas is I believe my ancestors were closer to Austin rather than Georgetown. So when it came time to file records they went to Austin and not Georgetown. Needless to say, this man was thrilled to be able to break through this brick wall and to have a copy of my great grandmother’s will, to see pictures etc. Message boards…..another possible break through on those brick walls!!

PS Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I tried very hard to get a screen shot to show you what I was talking about and it would not work! So please let me know if something does not make sense and I will do my best to help guide you to the message boards! Laura

Breaking through Brick Walls Part 3: Descendancy Research

Finding Uncle Claude

Part of the process I have learned when looking for descendants of my ancestors, is that you never know where they will pop up. Uncle Claude is a good example of that. I knew Uncle Claude existed. But I did not have any connection with his family and felt very hesitant to contact him. Plus I know he was born before 1930 as he was listed in the census and didn’t know how much help he could really be if he was still alive. Don’t every underestimate what an older relative can tell you!

One of the tasks I do with my Moore line is that I will do a “search” for my grandfather and his siblings. I know the word “search” takes in a variety of ways to go searching. Are you talking about Ancestry? Google? What are you talking about Laura? I search a few places for them about every four to six months.

One of the first places I search is www.rootsweb.com. Go to Family Trees | Search Family Trees. That easy, type in your names and see if you get any hits. This is a free site.

The second place I went to was www.ancestry.com. You need an account on Ancestry, even if it is a free account. What I like to do for my favorite pay subscription sites is to join for a month at a time and rotate between my favorite sites. Go to Search | Public Family Trees and type in the names you are searching. I like searching for family trees because I can possibly find other cousins who have been bitten by the genealogy bug and have posted a tree. This is how I found Uncle Claude.

Every 4-6 months, I will type in my grandfather and his siblings to see if there is a tree that someone has posted and/or working on. I had done this a couple of times before and I admit it was frustrating not finding any strong leads. So imagine my surprise when I typed in Ellen Moore’s name, (yes my dear Aunt Ellen to the rescue again) and a tree pops up. The tree had three names, Ellen’s, her husband Claude, and their son Claude. There were some dates, but other than that, that was the tree. After doing my Snoopy Dance I emailed the owner of the tree. Her response to me was, “Who do you belong to?” I got a chuckle out of that line! We share the same Great Grandparents, Nathaniel Jackson and Minerva Cain Moore. Her father is Claude, and to me the cutest 93 year great uncle ever- Uncle Claude!

I immediately sent her what I had and we drew up plans to meet a day in June 2010. I admit I was nervous. I did not know if they would accept me or reject me as I feel I had been my entire life. Looking at Uncle Claude I could see the Moore in him, and I teared up. I never thought in a million years I would ever get to this point in my life where I would meet someone who could help me with my Moore Genealogy. Uncle Claude had stories, and names, and places. I could go back to look for the records and he was right on. What a great blessing to have an older relative that could pass on these stories to me and others so we can preserve them.

It was interesting talking to Uncle Claude because there were things I was able to tell him that he did not know. One was about my grandparents, his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Grace Moore. I asked him if he knew there were actually four children, he did not. I told him the story of how I came about Baby Grace’s death certificate and the story behind her death. He lightly wiped his eye and said, “I am sorry to hear that.”

Even though I had a good handle I felt on my grandfather and his siblings, Uncle Claude was able to fill me in on small details like Grady. Grady died young in Minnesota and I learned he was beaten to death for refusing to join a union. Uncle Jack (Jr) had a liking to the bottle, and he was found in his room dead. Bell had joined the Marines or Navy and ended up in Portsmouth, NH where he stayed. I was glad to know his name was “Bell” and not “Bill” as all the obituaries seemed to list him as. Lee ended up in Santa Barbara, CA following his in-laws from MN to CA in the 1940’s I believe. Ellen was the glue of the family. In Jack (Jr’s) obituary it stated they were waiting on her arrival for the funeral. One of the highlights of the day with Claude was a letter from his mother Ellen to my Grandparents. They had a great time reading the letter and the history that was contained in it. That was only one of the highlights! When he told me he had contact with all my grandfather’s siblings’ descendants, I once again welled up. Not only did he have contacts with their descendants, he has pictures!!! I have not gotten copies yet, but I know I will.

I am just grateful to know there is someone out there who knew our history. This leads me to believe I am not alone. When I hear of those who say they have hit brickwalls, there is no one alive to help them I say “Don’t Give Up!!” Tomorrow I will talk about other places to look and other searches you might want to try in searching for those ever elusive cousins.

Breaking through Brick Walls Part 2: Descendancy Research

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Yesterday I spoke of how beginning to search my grandfather’s siblings I came across a few surprises.

Surprise #1: Ellen Erving was living with her brother A L Moore in 1920 in Minnesota. My first reaction was that I had the wrong Ellen Erving but in checking the data it all matched what I had already gathered for Ellen; her birth year, place of birth and parents birthplace. What didn’t match up was her brother. Her brother A L Moore was also born in Texas, his father’s birthplace was correct but not his mother’s. Then it dawned on me. Was there another marriage?

Now to make everything a bit more confusing, I will speak of two Jack Moore's. One is my great grandfather (Sr.) and the other is Jack Sr's son and my great uncle (Jr.)I went back to the 1880 Williamson County census and sure enough, I found a Jack (Sr.) and Rebecca who had two children, Arthur and John. The birth dates matched up and I was 99.9% sure this was my great grandfather and his first wife Rebecca. In finding the first marriage, I needed to know who Rebecca was. It took some looking but I finally found their marriage record in Travis County, Texas not Williamson County where they resided. I have actually found several marriage records in Travis County rather than Williamson County. With finding the marriage record, I learned that Rebecca’s last name was Burleson and was a niece to Texas hero General Edward Burleson. All this from finding Ellen living with a brother I didn’t know existed.

Surprise #2: Jack Moore (Jr.) (Ellen’s brother) in the 1930 census stated that he had a “sister” named Georgia Martin. A sister? Had I overlooked another sibling? I felt I had found all the census records I could find on my great grandfather Jack (Sr.) and the two families. The 1880 census Jack (Sr.) was married to Rebecca, and there was not 1890 census. So my next choice was to go through court records in Williamson County, TX and see if I could find Georgia listed as a sibling. Luckily, the Williamson County land records are online Williamson County Texas land records online, so I started there.

There are hundred’s of land records for Moore’s in Williamson County because they were some of the early settlers and had around 3600 acres of land in the Taylor area. I started with Jack (Sr. and Jr.) and searched the records again but found no inkling of a Georgia Martin as a sister. I then began to search each of the children starting with Arthur Lee Moore as the oldest and figured if Georgia was a sister he would be from my great grandfather's first marriage to Rebecca Burleson. Imagine my surprise to find a record for A L Moore that stated, “Here comes Arthur Lee Moore and his wife Lizzie”. I thought Lizzie? Who is Lizze? Arthur’s wife’s name is Florence. Could it be another marriage? So you see how this kept leading to more mysteries. Now I am searching for a Georgia Martin and a Lizzie Moore.

I have contact with someone who connects into Arthur’s line and I asked her if she knew about another marriage for Arthur, she did not. At the Georgetown Public Library is an index to Marriage Records for Williamson County. I picked up the book, laid it on the table, the book plopped open to the page where I saw A. L Moore and Lizzie Westbrook. “I’ll be danged!” I murmured out loud. Another patron in the Genealogy room asked, “Find something good?” “Oh yeah”, I said. “I just found a marriage record I did not know existed.” Then I told her about the book just plopping open to the right page. She said, “Okay that just gave me goosebumps!” All I could think of was I had searched this family for over 30 years, and all of a sudden I felt Lizzie was saying, “Wait don’t forget about me!!” Okay Lizzie, I found you, now what do I do with you!!!

Interesting enough I asked my Uncle Claude if he knew about the marriage. He just grinned and said, “Yes I did, but I want to know how you know about it?” I chuckled and said, “I am a pretty good little detective aren’t I?” Uncle Claude said he had overheard his mother and Uncle Lee (Arthur went by his middle name Lee) talking one day, but when his mother realized he was listening, the conversation ended.

So in looking for Georgia Martin, I came across a marriage I did not expect, but what about Georgia? Who was she? I had traced Jack (Jr.) through the Great Falls directories listed on Ancestry.com. I had a general idea of when Georgia died as she was no longer listed in the directory after 1944 and before 1947. But in my searches I could not find a marriage record. I asked a friend if I was missing something and she found Georgia had been married to a Joe Martin but we could find no record of Georgia and Jack being married, and in the 1930 census it stated they were brother and sister. I presumed from the beginning they were not brother and sister and had never married. However when I spoke with Uncle Claude he told me they had married. So I went back to the drawing board and finally found they were married on 06 Nov 1937 Townsend, Broadwater, Montana. Notice the date of 1937, seven years after the 1930 Census where someone claimed they were brother and sister and also out of the county where they resided.

So by simply finding Ellen living with her brother, A L Moore (Lee) I found another marriage for my great grandfather. By looking at the second child Jack, I found yet a second marriage for Lee, and eventually a first marriage for Jack. This was all becoming quite confusing to me as a very mixed up family!! Also notice how two of these marriage records were found outside the counties in which the families resided. Tomorrow I will tell you how I found Uncle Claude and how he helped fill in more pieces of the puzzle as well as bring more mystery!!