I knew it, Genevieve.

Jane or Joanna Lennon Vaughan, one of my great-grandmother's [Alice Florence Vaughan's] younger sisters, was born 2 Dec 1884 on Bolivar Point and baptized a ferry ride away  at St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Galveston Island, Texas, 2 Apr 1888 by Father V. Gurry [sp].

And so was Genevieve Lennon Vaughan and to the same parents ~ Daniel and Annie (O'Brien) Vaughan.

How? Why? Were they twins?

Genevieve's Baptismal Register Entry

No. They're the same person. It's just that for whatever reason [Probably just to mess with my mind.], they called Jane or Joanna Lennon Vaughan by the name "Genevieve." [Joanna is the name given in the handwritten registry. However, Jane is the name used for indexing purposes.]

When I had traced the family through the census records and when I'd found her daughter's wedding announcements in the San Antonio newspapers, I had thought the name Genevieve was a little odd for this family. And then when I found Genevieve had married a man by the name of Claiborne Leander Bouquet, I thought to myself, "Hm. What a coincidence."

I mean, she had a French-y kinda name and then she ended up marrying a man with a French-y kinda name. [Ends up his paternal grandfather had been French-born. No surprise there.]

Just thought it was note-worthy that 2 non-French-y people ~ 1 of which was Irish-born ~ named  only one of their children with a French-y name, oui? But? Perhaps Annie was enamored with the name. Who am I to judge?

However as mentioned previously, Genevieve's name doesn't really "match" her siblings:

• James Cornel
• Henry Lewis
• Alice Florence [My Great Grandmother, a.k.a., Boo.]
• Viola Prudence
• Daniel Warren

And unlike her 2 siblings ~ James Cornel and Henry Lewis ~ both of whom I've blogged about recently, her baptismal sponsors' names offer no clues as to the origins of any parts of her names:

• Carolus Warren
• Allen (Helena)

[However, her younger brother's middle name may come from ol' Carolus Warren. Maybe.]

And like I've mentioned in previous posts, I've eliminated names from Daniel's side of thefamily, identifying the names, Alice and Prudence, as more than likely comingfrom his sisters' names.

Therefore, when I eventually jump across the pond to scour Irish parish records for an Annie O'Brien who was probably born in Dublin, Ireland; who was hopefully baptized there as well; and who is maybe the daughter of a James O'Brien, I need to keep in mind the following names while searching to help me to identify the correct person:

• Genevieve
• Jane
• Joanna
• Lennon

And then, of course, I need to keep in mind her older brother's name Henry which the origin of is unaccounted for by me.

Granted, Annie could have named her kids after neighbors, friends, pet cows, a character from her favorite book of poems [That is, if she had one.], etc. Anything is possible. But so is the fact that Annie may have used some names from her side of the family other than her father's name, James.

They are definitely clues to keep in mind.

Oh, and I'd be remiss at this point if I didn't mention the fact that in several records, Annie's middle initial is "J". Of course, this begs the question, "Jane or Joanna?" Or maybe something else entirely?

All very interesting, but still nothing to help me with my Daughters of the American Revolution and my United Empire Loyalists membership applications.

Just another reminder of a joyous birth of a baby girl to Daniel and Annie, my 2nd great grandparents.

View of a modern day Bolivar Peninsula - Galveston Island ferry. ©Copyright 2010 Caroline M. Pointer.

Another eventful ferry ride from Bolivar Point to Galveston Island, Texas.

A memorable trip to St. Joseph's Catholic Church ~ the first German Catholic church built in Texas and the oldest still-standing wooden building in Texas ~ where Jane or Joanna "Genevieve" Lennon Vaughan received her first of seven sacraments.

We can only guess as to how Daniel and Annie were feeling that day. Smiles?  Laughter? Tears of happiness? And if Genevieve's older brother, baby James, had already passed by this time, a bittersweet tear may have made its presence known. And did baby Genevieve cry as she was christened by Father Gurry [sp]?

We'll probably never know.

But one thing is for sure, my Great Aunt Genevieve.

I knew you were Genevieve.

And at the same time I knew you weren't.

I knew it, Genevieve.

~Caroline

Note: I'm in the process of getting all my records together in order to apply for membership into the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as the United Empire Loyalists. At the same time. With the same line. [Scandalous, I know.] And I've blogged about this quest previously. Also, when I ordered my great grandmother's baptismal record from the Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, the archivist graciously sent me my great grandmother's siblings' baptismal records as well. [At least, the ones who were baptized within that diocese.] Therefore, I've been blogging about their records and the story they reveal: James Cornel, Henry Lewis, and now Genevieve. Next will be Viola Prudence, and then finally my great grandmother, Alice Florence, whose record is the one I needed in the first place. The genea-powers-that-be were quite generous, oui?

St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Galveston, Galveston County, Texas). Baptismal Registers. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Houston, Texas.

Why Didn't You Name Me Alice?

"Why didn't you name me Alice," my daughter asked me. "It's a much better name than mine.  It's beast."

["Beast," apparently, is the new "cool."]

I sighed.  When I was pregnant [both times], I put a lot of thought into the names of my children.  I researched what each one meant and made a short list.  In the end, I chose Irish names to honor my Irish heritage.  [Interestingly, to hear my mom's family tell it, you'd think we're 100% Irish, which we're not.]

Unfortunately, my daughter's Irish name just happens to be very popular.  [You know, like the name, "Jennifer" in the 80's and 90's?]  I did spell it the old Gaelic way, but no matter how ya' spell it, there's a gazillion of 'em.


Truth be told, if someone had presented me with our family tree and maybe a few stories behind the names, I could've chosen names from there.  But, Alas!  This wasn't the case.

"Sweetie, but there's quite a few Alice's in our family," I responded.


"But it'd be different.  There aren't that many Alice's in the world, and it'd be neat to be named after our Alice's."


"Why," I asked.


"Cuz they're my family," she answered.

[Sigh.  Can I have a do-over?]

"Oh well," I told her.  "If you have a daughter,... "  [much, much later] "...you can name her Alice."


"That's what I'm gonna do," she said.

This discussion about the name Alice that I had with my daughter the other day is not a new one.  She loves the name Alice.  And I have a soft spot for the name as well since my Gran was Mary Alice.  My Gran's mother was Alice.  I even have a second cousin named Alice.


And it really burns my butt that I can't find who they were named after.  Well, I know who ~ it was my 2nd great-grandfather's, Daniel Rook Vaughn's, baby sister, Alice.  However, I only found her one time and that's in the 1850 census.  In fact, that's the last time I see Daniel and the rest of his family together.  And it annoys immensely.


So our discussion the other day about the name Alice reminded me of how badly I wanted to find Alice.


I decided to start right here in Texas with Daniel Rook Vaughan and his children [in birth order]:

• Henry Lewis Vaughan
• Alice F. (Vaughan) Truitt [my great-grandmother]
• Vyla P. (Vaughan) Sproul
• Genevive L. (Vaughan) Bouquet
• Daniel W. Vaughan

I previously found Daniel Rook Vaughan's death certificate, which stated that his father was "Benjamine Vaughn" and his mother was "Susiana Rook".


Because online databases are being updated all the time, I decided to look at Family Search's Record Pilot.  What I like to do with this database is to cast my net wide, so to speak.  I'll put in first and last names and the state, and then narrow from there.  With a name like Daniel, it could be spelled fully, shortened [Dan], or abbreviated [Danl].  Also, I try the common variations of the last name.  In this case, Vaughn and Vaughan.  In all my research of Daniel, this name is spelled both ways.  This database is not as voluminous as Ancestry's databases, and I also tend to pick up my ancestors in places I wouldn't have looked for them, otherwise.


When I entered all the variations, I had some success that I hadn't had previously.  Record Pilot has a database called "Texas Vital Records Index," which is a compilation of birth, marriage, and death information transcribed from filmed original records from repositories across Texas.  Yes, it's far from the primary source, but it's a good indication of where I need to look for records.  In case you haven't noticed, Texas is a big state.


The first record that comes up for Daniel Vaughan in Texas is entitled, Texas Births and Christenings, 1840-1981".  So, these are church records more than likely.  Here's some of the information on the first one:

• Henry Louis or Lewis [V]aughan
• Baptized/Christened 2 Jun 1878 at St. Mary's Cathedral in Galveston, Galveston Co, TX
• Birth Date: 7 Apr 1878
• Parent's: Daniel Vaughan and Annie O'Brien [who my Irish heritage comes from]

So, this is christening info for Daniel and Annie's 1st child.  I also found their next 2 children's [in birth order] christening info with their FULL names:

• Alice Florence Vaughan [my great-grandmother]
• Vyla Prudence Vaughan

Their 1st three children were christened on Galveston Island at St. Mary's Cathedral, which at the time was and still is today, a ferry ride from where the Vaughan's were living at the time, Bolivar Peninsula, Texas.  [Looks like I gotta go back to the beach.  Oops, I mean  Cathedral.  I gotta go to the cathedral. *sigh*]


Though I didn't find christening records for Genevive L. and Daniel W., I did find the middle names for Alice and Vyla: Florence and Prudence, respectively.  Now, I don't know where they got the name, "Florence," from, but I suspect the name, "Prudence," came from another one of Daniel's sisters [his older one], Prudence.


I also found death certificates for their children, Henry Lewis Vaughan, for Vyla (Vaughan) Brandenberg, and for their youngest son, Daniel Warren Vaughan.  So, Daniel's middle name was Warren and Vyla had married a man with the last name, "Brandenberg."  [Her first marriage was to a "Sproul".]


In addition, I found some death certificates and christening info for some of Daniel Rook Vaughn's grandchildren.  Now, get this.  Daniel Rook Vaughan's youngest child was Daniel Warren Vaughan who married [snort] an Alice Kelly.  [Yes, another Alice.]  Daniel Warren and Alice (Kelly) Vaughan had a son named Daniel Rook Vaughan in 1911, which was 2 years after the "original" Daniel Rook Vaughan died.  [Like we needed another "Alice." *rolling eyes heavenward*]


Anywho, finding Vyla's middle name was awesome.  I had already guessed it was probably that [Really, I had.] because I had found her in the census with the middle initial, "P," and I had already known that Daniel had a sister named, "Prudence."


But whatever happened to Daniel's sisters, Prudence and Alice?  I wonder if they ever thought that their brother's descendants would be named after them?  Specifically, I wonder if Alice ever thought that one of her 3rd great grand-nieces would be asking her mother, "Why didn't you name me Alice?"

"How 'bout Prudence?  Would you have liked to have been named Prudence?  You could've gone by the name, 'Pru.'  I like 'Pru,'" I told my daughter.


"Ewww, no," she replied.  Even if I went by the nickname, 'Pru,' on the first day of school, everybody would know my name was, 'Prudence.'  And 'Prudence' sounds like 'prunes' and then I'd be known as 'prunes' my whole life."

Huh.  She had a point.  Good thing nobody showed me our family tree so I could pick out names from it.  She SO would've been named "Prudence" so I could call her "Pru" cuz I like it. [Snort.]


Next on this quest for Alice, I will be taking a look at Daniel's parents and siblings in Ypsilanti, Washtenaw, Michigan.  [Really, is there any other place name that's any more fun to say?]

Wordless Wednesday: A Divine House

A "Divine" House



OK, So I'm Not So Wordless, But I Have A Divine Reason
I am way too excited about this house to keep my mouth shut!  Why?  Well, this house may not look so divine, BUT it's the house that my 2nd Great-grandparents, Daniel and Annie (O'Brien) Vaughn lived in when they lived in San Antonio, Texas in their later years. [Remember Annie and her Tin Cup?]  It's a duplex type of home ~ 2 houses connected, and a few of my family members lived in both homes in the early 20th century.  In addition to my 2nd Great-grandparents ~ Daniel and Annie ~ my 1st Great-grandparents, Claudius Roy and Mary Alice "Boo" (Vaughn) Truitt and my grandparents, James Wesley and Mary Alice "Gran" (Truitt) Blacketer lived in this house.  Another family that lived there was my "Boo's" sister and her family.  I love their names: Claiborne Leander and Genevieve (Vaughn) Bouquet. [Oooh, and Claiborne has a cool story, too...] So, now can you see why I think this house is divine?  I can't express how excited I was that I was able to find it this past weekend ~ that it was still standing after all these years.  I had never seen this house, but growing up, I had heard my Gran, my mother, and my aunt talk about it.  "Remember the house on Devine?" they'd ask each other.  I remember always thinking, "What's so great about the house on Devine Street?"  Now, I know ~ the family memories, the family stories.  That's what makes the house on Devine Street so, well, divine, and now I've seen it.  And lucky for the descendants of Daniel and Annie, I took photos of it.  [Your welcome.  It was my pleasure.]  They  won't have to wonder about the house on Devine Street.  They can simply bask in its...divinity.