Stray Branches of Our Family Tree

Home-made noodles drying. I have a certain fondness for homemade noodles. When I was little, I used to stay over at Grandma and Grandpa's a lot (Fleeces near Roundhead, Hardin County, Ohio). One of the things Grandma and I would do together was make noodles. I don't remember her having chickens for eggs but I know she did earlier in her life; the farm women of her generation generated income by selling eggs and also butter if there was a milk cow. The chicken house was out beyond the apple orchard, and northwest of the house. Grandma Claribel and Grandpa Ira heading to the Hardin County Fair about 1922.  (Sorry it's crooked!) My noodle-making days with Grandma was in preparation for the Hardin County Fair, for lunch. It was served under the grandstand, always on the western side. I can't remember who had the eastern side but I think it was one of the school band groups. We always served beef and noodles, chicken and noodles, sloppy joe sandwiches, ...

I have this "thing" about visiting my dead relatives. I'm not sure why, maybe it just helps me feel more connected to them. Alphabetized indexed legend in the kiosk at the cemetery. My now-husband and I stopped at the National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia one summer on the way to Florida to visit his dad. They had an interment book, easy to read because it was typed, and alphabetized and with plot numbers. How hard could it be? There was no listing for my ancestor. What? I was devastated. I didn't know what to do, and I was overwhelmed. We finally stopped at an unknown soldier marker which I photographed so I would at least have something and headed off to Florida. One day, many months later, I happened to be driving through Urbana, the county seat for Champaign County, Ohio where Hiram lived. His parents were early settlers and there were many pastors on both sides, so I pulled into the parking lot, thinking I might run across some biographical i...

June 27, 1864:  The day Hiram Hancock ended his participation in the Atlanta Campaign as a Union soldier. There is ample information available on the campaign leading up to this point, but that is not within the scope of this blog. I am including the basic outline below though, which is an excellent resource for locating additional information about the unit: http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/cw113.html March to relief of Knoxville November 28-December 8.  Return to Chattanooga and duty in that vicinity till May, 1864.  Demonstration on Dalton, Ga. , February 22-27, 1864.       • Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Face Ridge February 23-25.  Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1 to September 8.       • Tunnel Hill May 6-7.       • on Rocky Face Ridge May 8-11.       • Roost Gap May 8-9.       • Battle of Resaca May 14-15.    ...

I only have two ancestors who fought in the Civil War. I have not yet found the time to concentrate on the men who were siblings of my ancestors - the sons of the mothers in my line who watched them leave. Some, I'm sure, did not return home and one of these years, it will be my research goal to concentrate on their stories. I suspect the photograph was taken around the time of his marriage to Lavina Counts in 1853. There are no known photographs of any of their children at a young age, which is not necessarily proof as they could have been lost to time. It would have seemed likely that a family portrait would have been taken, rather than two separate ones of Hiram and Lavina. However, Hiram's tiny tie dates to the late 1840s so I am doubtful this is an 1863 photograph. The photographs were presented to me at my parents' 50th anniversary party by a distant cousin whose name I cannot recall, on a floppy disk. Does anyone remember those? Lol! (I will definitely give...

A stock photo that looks shockingly like the road where my maternal grandmother spent part of her childhood, which coincidentally, was around the country block from where i was raised. SO WHAT ARE MITO-MONDAYS? I realized a few years ago that my mom enjoyed talking about her childhood. In fact, she was the main reason I have gotten involved in genealogical research, but that's another story. I lived a few states away from Mom and we would talk once a week or so on the phone, for an hour or two. When I look back on it, it's actually quite surprising because I had a stroke a few years ago and talking on the phone with anybody can be quite grueling. Somehow, it wasn't with Mom. We often turned to family stories of which I started making notes. Eventually I asked her about DNA and blogging, both of which she thought exciting. So I started a blog we called The Mito-Trail. We concentrated on researching the last line I had not yet worked, because it was McMillen, M...

THE DOCUMENTED TRAVELS OF ANCESTOR ICHABOD CLAWSON - THROUGH AT LEAST SEVEN STATES - 1,600 MILES - 50 YEARS OF MIGRATION (and some biographical information). Ichabod Clawson is my one ancestor who has put the most miles under his feet here in the U.S. that I'm aware of, not including military ancestors (most never went beyond Ohio). Although I know various places he landed, I do not know what routes he traveled yet. Image above from the Library of Congress. 1) About 1780 -- Born in New Jersey according to the 1850 census. Some of his children in later census records when asked about birthplace of parents, indicated New York, among other places. With ever-changing boundaries as the country moved forward, this could have been true literally, or could have meant after it became something else.Vermont became a state (previously New York) in 1791. 2) 1807 -- Married in Fairfield, Vermont - There is a Nathan Closson listed in the 1800 census (age 26-44 age bracket) but...

MY WEST CENTRAL OHIO PIONEERS Following is the surnames of ancestors who migrated from various states and eastern or mid-Ohio counties to west central Ohio, from Shelby and Champaign Counties up to the Allen-Hardin Counties line to within a couple miles on either side of that border. I spent most of my life in Hardin County but worked and married for a time in Logan County. I now live in Middle Tennessee but 2/3 of my generation and the one below me still live in Hardin and Logan Counties - a span of more than 200 years! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Places of “From” and “To” are listed as it was at the time of the event. Some boundaries may have since changed. * Logan / Hardin Counties = generally the Belle Center but bounced back and forth across the county lines, sometimes multiple times. SURNAME - From - To Ohio County - Year CLAWSON - Franklin County VT - Shelby County - 1820 CLAWSON - Unknown ...