The Captain & His Wife Had Them

Courtesy of the ever-so-talented FootnoteMaven.

[This is a submission for Jasia's 100th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted on her blog Creative Gene.  This is also a second installment to my "They Had Balls" series, which I hadn't planned on making a series, but everyone seemed to like it.  So here goes...]


I was all set to talk about the ancestor who was surrounded by a whole bunch of really upset people who had fire in hand when another ancestor started squawking about how I never talk about him.  "Was he not good enough? " he asked.  "Was his story not captivating enough?

[See?  I told you on a good day I can't get some dead people to shut up.]

Anywho, this particular ancestor went on and on at 3am this morning.  Then he proclaimed that if his story couldn't captivate y'all, then no one's story could because, after all, he was a pirate.  [That's right.  A pirate.]  And that he didn't brave the high seas and defy nations just so everyone could forget him.  And that if he had wanted to be forgotten, he would've just been a candle maker.  [His words, not mine.]

[Sigh.]  Between you, me, and the gate post, some ancestors are really high maintenance.  And I should've guessed this one was when I met the man ~ Captain Edmund du Chastell de Blangerval.  See what I mean?  High.  Maintenance.

And I don't even know for sure if he really is mine.  I mean, his story took place such a long time ago, but I think I can make a pretty good circumstantial case that we are indeed related with tax rolls, militia rolls, land records, and wills.  I even tracked all the possible family members with the last name Casteel (which is what the Captain's last name ended up evolving to) through 1840 on a digital map using Family Atlas software.  And barring any male siblings along the way who managed to not leave a paper trail of some kind, I think the Captain is my 8th great-grandfather.

And why would I go to so much trouble?  Well, I think all ancestor's stories are worth the trouble, but we're talking about a pirate here.  Yes.  A pirate.  How cool is that?  [Aargh!]

So before I feed the Captain's ego any more, let's get to his story.

The Captain's recollections of his beginnings are rather fuzzy.  In his defense he says, "Who could blame me?  It happened a long time ago.  Before my pirate gig."  And he's right.  It's rumored that he was born in about 1668 in Kent, England and that his Flemish family fled to there because of their Huguenot status.   It sounds a bit "romantic" to me, but hey, he's a pirate.  And I haven't made it across the pond research-wise because I have my own Captain identification problems over here to sort out.

Here's what I do know about him.  He married a woman by the name of Christian VanBon (which later evolved into Bonde).  And what kind of woman married a soon-to-be pirate?  I dunno.  Probably some one with a whole lot of patience and faith, I would guess.  Also, she'd have to be able to handle the household by herself for long stretches of time.  At least she had her parents nearby there in Philadelphia.

To be fair to the Captain, though, he wasn't always known as a pirate.  He was more of a merchant and privateer.  And the difference between a pirate and a privateer?  Privateers owned and ran armed ships and they had a commission from the government to use these ships against nations and to capture merchant ships.  So.  Government-sanctioned hired guns.

And a pirate?  Non-government-sanctioned hired guns who have gone rogue, or at the very least, they're working for the enemy.

How did the Captain become known as a pirate?  Well, we only have one written reference to him being called a pirate.  When Captain Thomas Robinson came from England to report back to the Earl of Romney in 1697, he says there were warrants out for the arrest of some men, including our one and only Edmund du Castell.  He also complained to the Earl that these men were cocky "pyrates" who walked around Philadelphia liked they owned the place and no one seemed to care.  [I'm paraphrasing.  Obviously.]

Well, duh.  Of course they were cocky.  Who would want an indecisive pirate or privateer, right?  For goodness sakes, look at both job descriptions.  Would you really want someone who couldn't make a decision or someone who wasn't sure of one's self or their abilities to seek out and take over hostile ships with deadly force?  Of course not.  Personally, I want my pirate to bring his "A-game".


And I think Queen Anne wanted her pirate, um, I mean privateer, to bring his "A-game" to her war in 1702.  The sloop Resolution was outfitted for the one and only Captain Edmund du Chastell, and he went about doing what he did best under a Letter of Marque from Queen Anne.


So, pirate or privateer?  I would imagine he was a little of both depending on whose payroll he was on.


Either way, he had balls.  No two ways about it.


And Stephen Talty in his book, Empire of Blue Water, [which is a fantastic read about the life and times of Captain Morgan] explains how Captain Morgan's pirate ships would hunker down and wait out a hurricane while at sea.


Excuse me?  Wait out a hurricane?


On a ship in the middle of the sea?


A wooden ship?  [Shiver me timbers.]


Oh, and there was the time in 1701 when Captain Edmund was so sick in Barbados, that he had his ship's physician help him with making his will.  He was that sick.  Not to mention far away from home.  Could you imagine?  In that time period?  Yet, a year later he was working for Queen Anne.


No doubt.  The Captain had balls.


But he wasn't the only one who had them.


Christian, his wife, had some pretty big ones herself.  I would imagine she had a few sleepless nights while her Captain was out working.  Out making "it" happen on the high seas.


And I bet some days she wished the Captain had just been a candle maker.

Surname Saturday ~ Martin

Have You Seen This Surname?
At times, it seems as if my Martin's came from, well, nowhere.  Everyone, I'm sure, who researches their family lines feels like this from time to time.  Ah, but no one comes from nowhere ~ so we must press on ~ diligently looking for our family, turning over every rock.

Wanted!
So, here's my "wanted" poster for my Martin family line.  Yes, I am aware that this is an extremely common name, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?  Here's what I do know:

• Nelson Martin [my 3rd great grandfather] was born abt. 1820 in North Carolina.  [No pesky details to clutter up this story.  No sireee.]
• Nelson Martin moved to Wayne Co, TN sometime bet. 1820 and 1841.  [Alas, no travel log left behind.  I guess they thought no one would care when they moved or who they moved with  They thought wrong...]
• Nelson Martin married Mary Ann "Polly" Casteel in Wayne Co, TN in 1841. [I'm so glad he didn't marry someone with a common name.  I mean, why make it harder? ;) ]
• Nelson & Mary [Casteel] Martin ~ their first 4 children were born in Wayne Co., TN: Joel Harrison b.1842 [my 2nd great-grandfather]; William Green b.1844; Genoria Ann b.1846; and Andrew Taylor b.1847.
• Nelson, Mary, and their 4 children moved to Johnson Co, IL sometime bet. 1847 and 1850.  [Could you imagine?  Almost 400 miles with the little kiddos?  I wonder if they heard the phrase, "Are we there yet?" a few times.]
• The Martin's are said to have known and traveled with at least 2 other families: the Kerley's and the West's.
• The Kerley Family: Daniel and Mary "Polly" [?] Kerley and their son Osburne Kerley.  [Well, I'm glad that my Mary "Polly" had another Mary "Polly" with whom to discuss the importance of...being a Mary "Polly"?]
• The West Family: Woodson and Martha [Casteel] West.  [This Martha Casteel is thought to be a sister of Mary...Perfect, Mary and Martha, get it?]
• Not only is it said that these 3 families knew & traveled with each other, but it's been said that Daniel & Mary "Polly" Kerley raised both Nelson and Woodson as their own along with their son Osburne.  [Why?  Why?  Oh, why?]
• In the 1850 census Nelson Martin and his family are living with Daniel Kerley and his family in Johnson Co., IL.  ["Polly?"  "Yes," they replied in unison.]
• In the 1850 census in Johnson Co, IL, Woodson West and his family are living nearby the Kerley's and the Martin's, and Osburne Kerley and his family are living nearby his parents, the Martin's and the West's. [Snug as a bug in a rug.]
• In May 1851, Nelson's and Mary "Polly's" fifth child is born: Martha Jane.
• In July 1851, Nelson buys his first 40 acres of land in Johnson Co., IL ~ near all the "fam."
• In May of 1852, Nelson buys his second 40 acres of land in Johnson Co, IL.
• Nelson and Mary "Polly" Martin go on to have 5 more children in Johnson Co, IL: James Henry b.1854; Mary E. b.1855; Nelson Alexander "Nell" b.1861; Rosencious b.1863; and John Franklin b.1870.
• Nelson Martin died 7 Jul 1887 from  "debility from malignant tumor" as per his death record.
• It's been said that Nelson was a Republican in a decidedly Democrat county in southern Illinois, having been one of only 40 votes for Abraham Lincoln in 1860 in Johnson Co., IL back in the day when your vote was made vocally...in front of everyone.  [Douglass received 1563 votes.]
• It's been said that Nelson Martin served as Justice of the Peace and was a farmer in Johnson Co, IL.
• It's been said that Mary "Polly" was a midwife and knew herbal medicines, and was said to have had her own horse and buggy in order to make house calls.
• Two of Nelson and Mary "Polly's" sons ~ Joel Harrsion [my 2 great-gf] and William Green ~ both served in the Civil War for the Union side.

Please note: Anytime that I used the phrase, "It's been said..." means this information is not verified, but I included it just in case it "rings a bell" with another researcher.  [A girl can hope...]  However, I wish I knew more about Nelson's origins, and more about the relationship between him and the Kerley's and the West's.

So, have you seen this surname ~ MARTIN?

My Mary & Martha Drama

Grand-Aunt Mary

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced you to my Grand-Aunt Mary on my dad's side.  This was the Mary who married Harry, who owned a dairy.  [Sorry, couldn't resist...]  I also mentioned she wasn't my only Mary in my family tree.  [...not by a long shot]  Name rhymes aside though, what we name our children is very personal, and so it's logical to think that it was the same way for our ancestors.  Furthermore, these naming practices lead to patterns, which are helpful for researching our family trees.

Mary & Martha Drama

Today I'd like to introduce you to another Mary and her sister Martha [or who I believe is her sister].  [I kid you not ~ a Mary and a Martha.]  Since I only want to point out the naming patterns, I'm going to give you a quick synopsis of each of the involved families and their supposed relationships with each other.  Not all the information is proven; I'm still in the process of researching.  However, there have been many obstacles in my research and in reviewing the information [repeatedly], I came across some convincing naming patterns, of which my Mary and Martha are involved.  Let me just state first what my theory is.  Mary's and Martha's maiden name is Casteel.  That's a fact, and I think that they are "missing" daughters of a Henry and Mary Casteel of Wayne County, Tennessee, but I'm lacking proof.  With that being said let me introduce you to the cast of my "Mary & Martha Drama."

The Cast and Some of Their Past ~ Not To Mention the Setting

1. Remember my Paw Paw [my grandmother on my dad's side]?  Her 1st Great Grandparents [which are my 3rd great-grandparents] were Nelson & Mary Ann "Polly" (Casteel) Martin.  Nelson was b. abt 1819 in NC, and Mary was born in abt 1820 in Davidson Co., TN.  They married in 1841 in Wayne Co., TN.  They moved to Johnson Co., IL between 1841 & 1850, and were living there in District 2 in the 1850 census.  [Side note: This is the line that I'm named after with my middle name, Martin.]

2. Daniel & Mary "Polly" (?) Kerley [another Mary] were both born in NC, Daniel b.abt 1790.  Relationship to my Nelson & Mary: supposedly Daniel raised my Nelson.  In the 1840 census Daniel & Mary are living in Wayne Co., TN, and in the 1850 census, Daniel & Mary are living in Dist.2, Johnson Co., IL.  Guess who's living with them ~ my Nelson & Mary with 4 of their children.  They probably moved together between 1841-1850 from Wayne Co., TN to Johnson Co., IL.  Also, Daniel and Mary had a biological son name Osburne who was b.abt 1812 in NC.

3. Woodson & Martha (Casteel) West ~ Woodson was b.abt 1809 in NC & Martha was b.abt 1815 in Davidson Co., TN.  They were married in Williamson Co., TN.  Relationship to my Nelson & Mary: I believe Martha is a sister to my Mary.  Woodson was supposedly raised by Daniel & Mary Kerley, like my Nelson.  In the 1840 census Woodson & Martha are living next door in Wayne Co., TN. to Osburne Kerley, who is Daniel & Mary's son.  Woodson & Mary's first 6 children were born in Tennessee.  In the 1850 census Woodson & Mary are living in District 2, Johnson Co., IL near the rest of this "cast".  Obviously, they, too, probably moved from Wayne Co., TN to Johnson Co., IL with everyone else.

4. Osburne & Mary (?) Kerley [sigh, another Mary] were both born abt 1811/1812 in NC.  In 1840, they were next door neighbors to Woodson & Mary (Casteel) West in Wayne Co., TN.  Osburne was the son of Daniel and Mary Kerley, and was suppposedly raised with my Nelson Martin and Woodson West.  In 1850, they were living in Dist. 2, Johnson Co., IL next door to his parents and my Nelson and Mary.

5. Henry & Mary "Polly" Casteel [Good grief on these Mary's, right?]  The only Casteel heads of households in the 1840 census for Wayne Co., TN are Henry and his son Andrew.  Andrew is on the same census page as Osburne Kerley and Woodson West.  Henry is also living nearby.  Now, Henry is believed to be born in Greene Co., TN, and based on common migrational routes of the time period, for Henry to go from Greene Co., TN to Wayne Co., TN, he probably would've traveled through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, then back down into Tennessee into what is now known as Nashville, Davidson Co., TN.  Then south, possibly through Williamson Co., to Wayne Co., TN.

Confused?  Don't worry.  I was just trying to establish their relationships with each other based on some proven information and some supposed clues.  There are more than just naming patterns here, but basically you have several families that knew each other and all but Henry & Mary Casteel moved from Wayne Co., TN to Johnson Co., IL.  Now, let's take a look at the names of these families.

CASTEEL
Henry & Mary "Polly" (?) Casteel's children: Andrew, Preston Henry, William Riley, John James, Edward, and Lucinda.  [This is the family that I think my Mary & Martha belong to.  By the way, their birth dates fit into this family, too.]  Below are these children's families.  In bold are the ones that seem to repeat.

Andrew Casteel's children: Mary Ann Margaret, Sarah Jane, Lydia C., James Anderson, Louis C., Nancy Adeline, William Henry, John E., and Franklin

Preston Henry Casteel's children: John Henry, Martha Ann, Lydia Jane, and Mary E.

William Riley Casteel's children: Narcisa Tebetha, Joseph F., Minerva Elizabeth, Nancy C., John Henry P., Eliza J., Martha A., William Lafayette, Sarah Malissa, and Susan Jane.

John James Casteel's children: James A., Mary "Polly" Ann, Martha Jane, Sarah R., and Elizabeth

MARTIN [my family]
Nelson & Mary "Polly" Ann (Casteel) Martin: Joel H. [my 2nd great-grandfather], William Green, Andrew Taylor, Genoria Ann, Martha Jane, James Henry, Mary E., Nelson Alexander, Rosencious, and John Franklin. [The Nelson's here aren't a part of the Casteel name pattern, but a part of the Martin one.]

WEST
Woodson & Martha (Casteel) West: Henry, James A., Osburne H, Mary, Martha, William, Amanda E., Narcissie Catherine, Fannie, and Emily.

KERLEY
Osburne & Mary (?) Kerley: Noble A., Daniel McQuillen, Woodson B., Elizabeth, and Nancy E.

[The Woodson and Osburne patterns, as well as the Nelson Martin one, strengthen the theory of the relationships between these families.  They aren't a part of the Casteel name pattern.]

Please tell me you see the naming patterns/repetitions here, too.  They don't follow a particular pattern, but they do repeat.  Mary and Martha both named children after themselves as well as each other.  In the families of the known children of Henry & Mary Casteel, in the listing above either a Mary and/or a Martha and/or Mary's middle name [Ann] were used.  Plus,  the names of the sons of Henry and Mary Casteel appear in Mary's and Martha's childrens' names.  Also, everyone seems to use the name Henry.  When I put these patterns/repetitions into the migrational and relational context [that I provided when I introduced this cast], I felt so much more motivated to pursue my theory of Mary and Martha being sisters and daughters of Henry Casteel and motivated to prove it.  My point in all this, I guess, is that looking for and finding naming patterns/repetitions can help find your family.  Now, I know that some people cringe when looking at so many of the same names in the generations of a family, and it can be discouraging.  Some people view it even as a curse.  I prefer to look at it as a blessing, though.  Albeit, one that I curse now and again!

Modern Naming Patterns

Remember my Grand-Aunt Mary that I mentioned before?  You know, the Mary who married a Harry, the owner of a dairy?  Well, I, too, am a grand-aunt.  [I love that title!]  My grand-niece is part of a naming pattern, too: my mom, her first-born daughter, and her first-born daughter, and my grand-niece [who is also first-born]  all have the middle name Marie. So as far as I'm concerned, everyone can keep honoring other family members by naming their children after them, even [and it pains me to say this] the Mary's. [As if you needed my permission...]  By the way, need I point out that Marie is a form of Mary?  Sheesh!  What is it with these Mary's?

Good Ol' Johnny

I liked Thomas MacEntee's idea of "Surname Saturday" @geneabloggers on Twitter so much that I decided to use it for my blog today [plus I didn't have to come up with my own theme - thanks Thomas!]

Now, I know this is supposed to be a list of surnames that I'm researching,...and I'll get to that...just as soon as I tell you a story. [You didn't really think that you'd get away without a story did ya'?...Ha!]

First, though, a little quiz: does anyone know what Johnny Appleseed's real name was? [Yeah, I know, a quiz AND a story - What can I say? It's 2 for 1 day]

When my son was in 2nd grade, he was asked to play Johnny Appleseed in a play because he read so well [proud mom]. Does everyone remember ol' Johnny Appleseed [ya' know, the guy with apple seeds who went everywhere with a pot on his head]? Well, because they were 2nd graders, they were going to read their parts instead of memorizing them [Hallelujah! Have you ever tried to get a 2nd grader to memorize a lot of lines for a school play?].

Well, everyone read their parts, sang their songs, drank their cider, and basically had a grand time. There's nothin' like seeing your 7 year old son wearin' a long beard and and a pot on his head! [Johnny's later years.]

Little did I know, at the time, that we actually had a connection to good ol' Johnny Appleseed [well, my husband and children do...sorta']. While researching the Hackett's on my husband's side, I found him [or, he found me - aren't those the best finds?].

In a biographical and regional sketch of Bloominggrove, Richland County, Ohio, Johnny Appleseed was purported to have gone through there at one time or another [note the preciseness of the account].

"Really?", you ask. A guy named Johnny Appleseed actually went through a town named Bloominggrove?...in a county named Richland?...in the great state of Ohio, no less? [Say it ain't so, Joe.]

I know, who'd a "thunk" it? [more Texas-speakl]

O.K., so we're not related to good ol' Johnny [at least, not that I've found], and maybe he didn't stay with "our" Hackett's there, but he is [again, purported] to have stayed with their neighbors [only hundreds of acres away - he did like to walk, so, who knows?].

Was it coincidence that my son played Johnny Appleseed in 2nd grade? [I dunno. This is a rhetorical question.]

Do you know what Johnny Appleseed's real name was? [This is not rhetorical. Drop me a line and your answer in a comment, please.]

So, speaking of elementary school, does anyone have a John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt in their family? [me neither...& apparently, no Appleseed's either - at least not of the name variety. I have plenty of fruits and nuts in my family tree, though...]

Note: Along with no animals being hurt in the writing of this blog, I do have appropriate documentation to substantiate my writing, and it's available for your perusal. [Just as soon as I track down my 2nd grade teacher and have her sign a statement in the presence of a witness and notary affirming that she did, indeed, tell me the story about good ol' Johnny...I think it was 2nd grade...or maybe it was 1st...hmmm...]

O.K., here's a few of the names that I'm researching:

Hackett [PA>OH>IA]
Casteel [TN>IL]
Marshall / Marschall [Posen Prussia>TX]
Blacketer [VA>KY>IN>IA>MO>TX
Truitt [VA>MD>DE>KY>TX]
O'Brien [IRL>LA>TX]
Martin [NC>TN>IL>TX]
Vaughn / Vaughan [VT>CAN>MI>TX]
Vaughn / Vaughan [NC>VA>TN>KY>IL]

Caroline