The American Civil War Genealogy Blog Challenge--Happy Dance Time

A would like to send a BIG Flipside THANK YOU to Bill West over at West in New England for challenging us to blog about a Civil War ancestor.  While I was working on my blog last night, I decided that I needed to find the links on the net for the listings of two paternal Civil War soldiers for my sources and it lead to a monumental discovery.

I located my two fellows easily enough, by putting their names into the search engine out at the West Virginia Division of History and Culture website.  Then I decided to try my paternal great great grandfather, John Oliphant VanGilder again using "Van Gilder" rather than VanGilder or Vangilder.  How often have we all located a surname simply by tweeking the spelling?  What came up literally sent shivers down my arms.

There, staring back at me from the screen, were two letters actually written by my great great grandfather!  Both deal with the commission of James A. Davis, who apparently was elected as a First Lieutenant and Second Lieutenant on the same day....September 22, 1862.

I notice that my great great grandfather also seems to have an issue with the spelling of his surname using both Vangilder and Van Gilder in the letters.  No wonder I have trouble with it!

A little more investigating on the website and I came up with two service records for John.  One listing his service as Captain with the 76th Monongalia County Militia in 1861 and the second as a Captain with the Company C Monongalia County Militia in 1864. 

I do tend to recheck websites periodically to see if new information has been added.  I had neglected the West Virginia site for some time.....that won't happen again ;-)

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



The American Civil War Genealogy Blog Challenge--Where Are My Paternal Bluecoats?

April 12, 2011 marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Bill West of West In New England has issued "THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR GENEALOGY BLOG CHALLENGE" to mark this defining event in the life of our country.

     For years I searched for a list of Civil War soldiers on my father's side of the family tree.  Dad was a Civil War buff....we are talking an ardent enthusiast, especially once he retired.  It was his passion and he decided that he would "teach" the Civil War seminar when he was living at his retirement village.  The amount of energy he devoted to "his course" was truly remarkable.  I was on hand for the opening seminar with a little surprise for Dad.

     Once I turned my genealogy research on full throttle, Dad lamented that I had documented a "ton" of Revolutionary War soldiers in his line, but only one from the Civil War.  The gauntlet had been thrown down!

     Now, Dad's paternal side of the tree were all from England and his grandfather arrived in the US after 1900....no bluecoats there.  It was all up to my Grandmother Hughes to supply a few union soldiers.  She was always proud to announce to anyone who would listen...."I'm from WEST by God Virginia!"  Certainly there must be a few civil war soldiers among her ancestors from Morgantown.

     The easy one was William Lanham Pool, Dad's maternal gg grandfather, my ggg.  I found information on William in  the Morgantown series books, the 1890 Special Census for Surviving Soldiers, Sailors And Marines, and Widows and finally his Civil War pension file.  William L. Pool served as a private and a corporal with Company I, 14 West Virginia Infantry between August 20, 1862 to May 9, 1865.

     Two more ancestors, John Oliphant VanGilder and Sampson Frum Pool were the right age to have participated in the war.  John and Sampson were my Dad's maternal great grandfathers, my gg.  There was simply no information on these two men's involvement in the civil war.  Odd, that Sampson's father, William Lanham Pool, had a record of service, but not his son.

     The research lay fallow for years until the advent of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History website.  In 2003, while I was noodling around on the site looking at the death records in Monongalia County, I happened to see that there was an archives and history section that was searchable.  

     First, I plugged in the name "John O. VanGilder" and voila, up came several pages of West Virginia Adjutant General's papers, Union Militia 1861-1862.  It was slow going reading and scrolling down the pages until I began the "happy dance".  There was our ancestor....and he was a Captain of Company 4 of the 76th Regiment of the Virginia Militia.

     With this success under my belt it was only natural that I would search again, this time for Sampson Pool.  And there he was, written Samson Pool,  he served as a private in Captain L.S. Hayes, Company B, 14th Regiment of the West Virginia Union Militia.


A surprised look on Dad's face. 
Now I wish I had taken a better photograph
of the presentation board.  Only a
small corner of it shows here.

     This new information was found a month before Dad began his seminars.  As a surprise, I decided to make a presentation board featuring the three Civil War soldiers in Dad's ancestry.  After Dad completed his first seminar, I stood up and asked the group's indulgence as I made my presentation to Dad of his civil war history.  He was surprised and pleased.

Sources:

1. 1890 Special Census for Surviving Soldiers, Sailors And Marines, and Widows, (Eleventh Census of the United States, Special Schedule), Page 1, Supervisors Distrit 168, Enumaeration District 78, # 8.
 
2. Civil War Pension File, William Lanham Pool, #974,081.
 
3. Core, Earl L., The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History III. Discord, McClain Publishing Company, Parsons, West Virginia, 1979, page 533.
 
4. Pool, Sampson Frum, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Memory Project, West Virginia Militia Database.
 
5. VanGilder, John Oliphant, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia State Archives,  West Virginia Adjutant General's Papers, Union Militia Papers 1861-1862, Monogalia County Transcriptions 1862. (Sixth and Seventh from the bottom of the page.)

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Friday Family ProFile--Jesse Pinyerd and Melvina S. Rider Pinyerd

     Jesse Pinyerd, son of Thomas A. Pinyerd and Mary Coner was born on March 5, 1828 in Bedford, Pennsylvania. He married Melvina Rider on July 15, 1853.  Both Jesse and Melvina were from Clarksville in Greene County, Pennsylvania when they married.  She was born on August 11, 1838 in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Thomas Rider and Mary B--e.


     Jesse Pinyerd was a blacksmith and moved from area to area during the mid to late 1800's. From Washington County, the family was next enumerated in Jefferson Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania in 1870 and Cumberland Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania in 1880. On this census Jesse's son, John,  is also listed as a blacksmith, undoubtedly assisting his father in the shop.

     During the 1880's and up to 1907, the family was located in Rices Landing, Greene County, Pennsylvania. For an unknown reason, Jesse and Melvina moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois in October, 1907. One of their daughters, Dorcus Sabina Pinyerd Allfree lived in Chicago; however not in the area where her parents moved. 

     Jesse and Melvina had only lived in Chicago for four months before Jesse died from a influenza on February 5, 1908, one month shy of his 80th birthday. His body was taken back to Rices Landing and is buried in Hewitt Cemetery.

     Following Jesse's death, it appears that Melvina went to live with her son, George T. Pinyerd in Bucyrus, Ohio. She died ten months after her husband, on December 27, 1908 at age 73. She was buried beside her husband and two children, Ida Ann and Jesse, Jr. in Hewitt Cemetery.


Children of Jesse and Melvina Rider Pinyerd:

1. Jessie Pinyerd  1854-1939
2. Dorcus Sabina Pinyerd 1857-1948
3. John A. Pinyerd  1859-1951
4. Uriah R. Pinyerd  1862-1932
5. Ida Ann Pinyerd  1863-1863
6. George T. Pinyerd  1865-1923
7. Jesse Pinyerd, Jr.  1869-1877

Sources:
- 1860 Pennsylvania Census, East Bethlehem, Washington County, page 449.
- 1870 Pennsylvania Census, Jefferson, Greene County, page 277.
- 1880 Pennsylvania Census, Cumberland, Greene County, ED 68, page 163B.
- 1900 Pennsylvania Census, Cumberland, Greene County,
- Hewitt Cemetery Listing, Rices Landing, Pennsylvania
- Pinyerd, Jesse, Illinois Death Certificate, Cook County # 13448.
- Pinyerd, Melvina Rider, Ohio Death Certificate, Crawford County # 261.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



National Tartan Day



Clan Ferguson Tartan



Clan Houston Tartan

Tartans of my two primary Scottish roots originating from the paternal side of my family tree. John Ferguson, born 1730 in Maryland, probably the son of Duncan (Dunkin)Ferguson, a Scottish Jacobite, who was transported to Maryland in 1716 as an slave-rebel.


Second, Robert R Houston, who arrived on American shores in 1659 from Scotland. He descends from a long line of Houstons orginating in Houston, Scotland.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Wordless Wednesday--Who's That Tapping at My Window?



Julie finds a new friend
22 stories up



I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Tombstone Tuesday--Alice R. Lepard Ayres Kaufman

     Alice R. Lepard, daughter of Isacc Lepard and Sarah Woollet, was born on July 23, 1863 in Attica, Seneca County, Ohio. Alice is my second cousin twice removed.  

     I first found the Lepard family when I was searching for my maternal great grandfather, Alfred Frederick in the 1860 Ohio Federal Census.  He was living with Isaac and Sarah Lepard.  I had no idea who they were; however, with a little detective work, I found that my great grandfather was Sarah's first cousin through the Frederick line.

     On April 20, 1890, Alice married William H. Ayres in Seneca County, Ohio.  William, son of David Ayres and Mary Hall, was born in Plymouth, Ohio in September, 1854.  There is a discrepancy on William's birth between the 1900 Ohio census and the death certificate as to the month.

     The Ayres had one child, a son, James, born in April, 1892 in Ohio, probably Attica, Seneca County, Ohio.  William was the owner of a furniture store in Attica. 

     On October 15, 1928, William died at Mercy Hospital in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio.  He was buried at Attica Cemetery, Attica, Seneca County, Ohio

     Alice married Emanuel M. Kaufman; a second marriage for both.  Emmanuel was the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Kaufman and was born in Crawford County, Ohio on December 2, 1856.  Emanuel predeceased Alice on April 13, 1931 at Attica, Seneca County, Ohio.  He is buried in Attica Cemetery beside his first wife.

     Alice died on July 11, 1946 at age seventy-four.  She is buried beside her first husband, William H. Ayres in Attica Cemetery.  She spent her entire life in Attica.

Sources:

- 1900 Ohio Federal Census, Attica, Venice Township, Seneca County, ED 119, Sheet 16 A ( 206).
- 1910 Ohio Federal Census, Attica, Venice Townshkip, Seneca County, ED 172, Sheet 7 B.
- 1920 Ohio Federal Census, Attica, Venice Township, Seneca County, ED 141, Sheet 7 B.
- 1930 Oho Federal Census, Venice, Seneca, Ohio; ED: 38, Page 7A.
- Ayres, William H., Ohio Death Certificate, Seneca County # 63356.
- Kaufman, Emanuel, Ohio Death Certificate, Seneca County # 26926.
- Kaufman, Alice Lepard, Ohio Death Certificate, Seneca County # 44941.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser



Saturday Night Genealogy--The 1940 Census

I can't wait to get a peek at the 1940 Federal Census and thank Randy over at Genea-Musings who has challenged us to think about it for this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

A cousin of mine just sent me the blank 1940 census so I could see what the questions would be.  I did notice one, that I don't think has been on a census in the past:  Highest grade of school completed.  I have no idea how far some of my ancestors went in school.  I have heard that all my grandparents....maternal and paternal....completed 8th grade.  I believe that was the norm in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  They all went to work after graduation.....one as a draftsman, one as a numbers cruncher, one as a secretary and one as a stenographer.

There are several people I am particularly interested in finding after the 1940 census opens. I have not been able to locate my paternal great grandmother and my paternal great great grandmother in 1930 and I know they were either living in Woodlawn or Monaco, Pennsylvania. Hopefully, I will be lucky in 1940.

Lately, I have been blogging about my Pinyerd family and I am curious to see if the husband and wife are still living together in 1940 as my research had lead me to believe that they may have separated.

Of course I want to find my Mom and Dad, who would both be nineteen and in college.  I wonder if they will be included....did they enumerate college campuses?  It will be my Aunt Faith's first census.

My primary targets will be family whose whereabouts I already know....and I think I will only search for those in smaller towns.

I can't wait!!!!  I hope I make it for the 1950 census opening as it will be my first enumeration.  WAHOO

FYI on the 1940 Federal Census:
- Questions asked on the census report.
- Copy of a blank 1940 census report.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. All comments are welcome; however if they are inappropriate, they will not be published. 

PLEASE post your e-mail in the comment section if you would like to network about a particular surname or topic. I will capture it for my use only and not include it when I publish your comment.

© 2011, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser