Travel Tuesday- Dream Trip

 

I have started planning a fantasy trip to the Midwest.  It’s silly, I know, but if I were to win a trip anywhere in the world, I’d go to Russell, Iowa and Capa, South Dakota.  I think that because I don’t ask for Paris, I should get two small towns, don’t you?  I can work it in one trip, so they only need to fly me to Minneapolis (see how thoughtful I am?).

Here is my fantasy plan:

Fly into Minneapolis on a Wednesday.  See my Minnesota family and friends Wednesday night and then on Thursday drive to Chariton (it’s a 6-hour drive). Chariton is where I will stay for a few days (it’s close to Russell and where the library and courthouse are).  On Friday, I’ll visit the library and cemetery and just drive around, getting my bearings.  On Saturday, I’ll drive to Oskaloosa, What Cheer and Chillicothe, visiting the libraries and museums there.  On Sunday, I will visit Zero and, if they will have me, visit with my friends in Des Moines.  Monday I will spend in Russell walking the town and exploring.  Monday night will be the Lucas County Genealogical Society meeting, which I will attend.  Then Tuesday I will head to Minneapolis again and pick up Grampa (in my fantasy, Grampa flies out from Seattle to go with me to Capa).  I get Grampa and then we head to Midland where we have a hotel reservation.

We spend a few days in Midland while Grampa walks me through the ghost town of Capa.  We compare my working map with what he remembers this trip and make it more accurate.  I keep copious notes for the book about Capa that I will someday write.

We then head to Sheridan where Grampa can show me the work he did while in the CCCs.  Then to Lead and the other mining towns where Grandma’s family lived/lives.  We head back and I fly him home to Seattle and then come home myself.

I think it’s doable.  It’s my dream trip.  Pathetic, right?  But aside from pathetic… DOABLE!!!  It’s not really a “dream.”  It’s a to-do list for the future.

Happy 94th, Grampa!

Today is my grandpa’s 94^th birthday.  If you met him, you would be shocked by what a healthy, energetic 70 year old he is.  Then you’d find out he’s 94 and you’d fall out of your seat.

I live far away from Grampa, but I still feel extremely close to him and always have.  Growing up, he was always there for me and I was always, “Grampa’s Girl.”  He told me stories, took me places and just generally hung out with little ol’ me for much of my childhood and even into my adulthood. 

I love all the things that Grampa has done with his world and I even more so love that he shared a lot of his stories with me.  As I wrote them down for the family book, I realized that he carried on his ancestors’ American Dream.  He moved and settled and moved and settled, always having his family foremost in his thoughts and always reflected in his actions.  He worked hard his whole life (and continues do to so- he only stopped his work a couple of years ago).  I take after my grandfather in my pride in the work I do and so I think I can speak for him and say that I don’t think he would have that any other way. 

I love that I know so much about Grampa.  When we were with him before Dad’s death, my brother was asking him questions and I realized that I knew most of the answers he would give.  I’m proud that he honored me with those stories of himself and his life and I treasure them so very much.  My life has been greatly enriched by having my grandfather in mine.

I called him Bumpa when I was little and now he’s Grampa, but he will forever be my hero.

Happy birthday, Grampa!

Who Was Your Ancestral Doctor?

Link courtesy of: http://public-domain.zorger.com

I have a cousin in Scotland, who contacted me because of this blog.  When she first contacted me, we weren’t cousins, but we quickly became friends looking to be cousins.  She still lives in the town that our ancestors came from in Scotland and, due to her research, now we are cousins, too.  When my dad passed away, she sent me sweet notes and links and pictures of the town in Scotland almost every day.  It helped tremendously- more than she will know.  A couple of weeks ago she sent me the link below.  It’s a website dedicated to the town of Carluke, Scotland.  This link in particular is about the town doctor, who also was a geologist and paleontologist.

http://www.carlukecommunity.org/carlukes-people/24-dr-daniel-rankin

Since our Connor family lived in Carluke during the time of the doctor, it’s rather likely that he called on them.  While there are no records of our direct coal mining family’s daily doings, it sure is fun to read about the time and the town from which they came.  In reading about Dr. Daniel Reid Rankin (born 1805, died 1882), I enjoyed thinking that our Connors knew him and wondering what their opinions were of the wonderfully strange old fellow.

Dr. Rankin was described as humble, honest, brilliant and unfashionable.  He didn’t like to be the center of attention, never even bothering to pick up awards or have his name on a book he authored.  One time, he had a “hemorrhage” over being asked to instruct a class.  He lived in a small run-down thatched cottage at the corner of Market Place that is now the health center of Carluke.  He began his carrier intending to be a lawyer, but quickly changed to the study of medicine, obtaining his degree in 1829.

Handsome with long red hair, big bright blue eyes and an athletic frame, he was tall and wore tight-fitting coat with a flowing skirt, tight knee pants and riding boots.  Often, he wore a silk hat.  Dr. Rankin wasn’t religious- in fact, he was openly not religious. He loved to dance and loved to (yes, you are reading this right) stand on his head.  While it’s said that he lacked ambition, from reading about him, I think it’s more correct to say that he longed for learning, but not necessarily documenting that learning.  He didn’t care for formalities and, when faced with something he disagreed with, (here it comes…) he’d stand on his head.

Did our ancestors ever witness his head-standing?  Were they shocked and tsssking or did they applaud and laugh, egging him on?  When Dr. Rankin came for a house call, he would soar his horse right over the wall into your garden and soar back out the same way.   He would walk right into your house- no knocking.  If you weren’t home, he’d move all your chairs to the middle of the room and tell you later that you weren’t home so he left his calling card.  Did our Connors every have their furniture “Rankin-ized”?  

He had a great sense of humor, teasing those praying, headed to church, or gossiping about their neighbors.  In addition to a sense of humor, he also apparently had a live crocodile as a pet.  A pet that would escape and terrorize the neighborhood.  Did the crocodile ever bug our ancestors?  Did they shoo it with a broomstick?  Did he ever tease our ancestors about their gossip or anything at all?

As a doctor, he had the foresight to hate smoking and excess drinking.  He also didn’t care about money, often not billing at all even for the wealthy in town.  If they remembered and insisted, he’d ask for some produce and have it delivered to a poor patient of his. Did our really great grandparents ever get a basket of fruit?  Did they ever give one?

His collection of fossils sounds like it was better than any others of the time.  It truly sounds like the famous geologists of the time, including Charles Darwin, were literally drooling over his collection.  Darwin’s friend Dr. Huxley (“I’d rather be descendent from an ape than a bishop!”) actually came to Carluke to see the fossils, but arrived too late and then got food poisoning and never did see them.  Did our great great great greatgrandparents ever see those fossils?

Doctor Daniel Reid Rankin died in March 21, 1882 and had strict instructions that it was to have no ceremony and no headstone (although no one listened to that part and they did erect a headstone).    There is a granite plaque in Rankin Square with fossils carved into it in his honor.  I hope to see it one day.  Maybe stand on my head next to it.

Wordless Wednesday: Wedding Anniversaries

Newspaper Articles from my 2nd great grandparents' anniversaries: William Mason Conner and Harriet Price Conner

Tombstone Tuesday: The Connors

A very nice person granted my request for a photo of my third great grandfather and his wife's grave on Find-A-Grave.  Made my day (which was also my birthday!).

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=93719795

Connor Cousin Conundrum

Jackie and I have been trying to be cousins for quite some time now.  The names match, but then it seems all names in Scotland match ours.  But with old-fashioned detective work through document collection and handwriting analysis, we have finally stamped each other with the cousin brand.  Which is great because we have so much in common!  I was glad to call her friend, but cousin is even better.

We collected the following documents:

My side of the family

1.    Scotland Census- my third great grandfather (Thomas) and his parents, William and Jane Connor
2.    Statutory Marriages- marriage of my third great grandfather and 3^rd great grandmother.  Thomas is listed as the son of William Connor and Jane Simpson
3.    Statutory Births- birth of Thomas’ daughter Agnes.  Signed by William Connor, “father’s father”. 
4.    Statutory Births - birth of Thomas’ daughter Jane Humes Connor.
5.    Statutory Births - birth of Thomas’ son William Mason Connor (my 2^nd great grandfather)

Jackie’s side of the family

6.    Statutory Birth- Jackie’s 3^rd great grandfather’s birth. John, listed as the son of William Connor and Jane Humes.
7.    Statutory Birth- Son William of William and Jane Humes born. 
8.    Scotland Census- Lists William Connor and Jane H
9.    Statutory Births- Jane Connor (illegitimate) born to Martha Connor.
10. Scotland Census- lists William Conner and Jane (wife)
11. Statutory Deaths- John Connor (illegitimate) son of Mary Connor. 
12. Statutory Births- William Connor (illegitimate) born to Mary Conner.
13. Statutory Deaths- Jane Conner, married to William Connor
14. Scotland Census- Lists William Connor, unmarried, age 22 with his sister Jane, age 17, and his nephew William age 2.

Our goal was see if my William and Jane (in red) were the same William and Jane as Jackie’s (also in red).

The dilemma was four-fold:  1) almost everyone named Connor is also named William or Jane.  2) My Jane was listed with the maiden name of Simpson and Jackie’s Jane with Humes.  3) Jane has over 408 billion nicknames (Jess, Janet, Jane, etc.).  4) In the two census years, the family changes so that the only constants are the parents.

But we had some clues, too. 

1) The ages and Ireland birth for both William and Jane matched exactly as did the occupation (Ironstone Miner). 

2) In Carluke, there were only these Connors listed in the census. There are no others. 

3) Items #3, 6, 9 above all showed the same address- John Street, Carluke. 

And finally, the topper:

4) William signed several documents listing his relationship to the statutory record person and it’s the same signature: Items 3, 6, 7, 11, 13.  Ergo the same William.

The outstanding question is Jane/Janet.  Why was she “Simpson” in mine and “Humes” in Jackie’s?  Is it the same person?  And if it’s a second wife, why did his first wife’s son name his daughter for his step-mom? 

Here is the chart as we know it:

William Connor

b. 1822-1823 County Kerry, Ireland

m. 12 August 1838 County Kerry, Ireland

Janet Humes/Simpson

b. 1823-1825 County Kerry, Ireland

d. 9 June 1879 Carnurath Road, Carluke, Carluke, Lanark County, Scotland

d. 1885 in Iowa, USA

Children:

• ·         Thomas b. 1844 Ireland, m. 4 October 1861 to Janet Mason

Children:

§  William b. 10 November 1861, d. 1862

§  Agnes b. 2 September 1863, d. 1864

§  Thomas b. 5 January 1865, d. 1944

§  Jane Humes b. 14 January 1866, d. 1899

§  Elizabeth b. 13 February 1868, d. 18 February 1959

§  John b. 26 December 1869, d. 1928

§  William Mason b. 29 January 1872, 15 March 1970

§  Charles Mason b. 1873, d. 1874

§  Janet Mason b. 1875

§  Martha b. 11 April 1877, d. 21 August 1965

• ·         Martha Jane b. 1846 Ireland

Children:

§  Jane b. 1 December 1864 (illegitimate)

• ·         John b. 4 April 1855 in John Street, Carluke, Scotland. 
• ·         William b 30 April 1858 in John Street, Carluke, Scotland
• ·         Mary b 1853 in Scotland

Children:

§  John b 1875 d 27 April 1876 (illegitimate)

§  William b 21 May 1878 (illegitimate)

• ·         Jane b. 1864-65

Sources:

·         Ancestry.com. 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 Scotland Census.  Databases. http://www.ancestry.com: Accessed 2010

·         Scotland.  ScotlandsPeople.  Digital images. http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk: Accessed 2011

Wordless Wednesday: 1940 Patriotism

1943.  Grandpa, Dad (baby), Cousins in the back, Aunt in front

Taken in Booneville, Indiana where Grampa worked in the bullets for the war factory,

which was a Chrysler factory.  See Bullets in Booneville.

Wordless Wednesday:

Left to Right: Ann (Konst) Conner, William Mason Conner, Harriet (Price) Conner, Orville Thomas Conner, Carol Conner

Ann and Orville are my great grandparents.  William and Harriet are Orville's parents, my great, great grandparents.  Carol is Ann and Orville's daughter, my grandfather's sister.