Was Emma Catholic or Lutheran?

L: St. Joseph's Catholic Church
R: St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica
Galveston, Texas
Pics taken Aug 2016; Collage: Feb 2017
© Copyright 2016-17 Caroline M. Pointer

Just like I knew her tombstone was there, I knew my Great Grandmother Emma had lived and died in Galveston, Texas, but other than who she married and the children she birthed, I didn't know much else about her.

But I so desperately wanted to know more.

So, I started digging.

(In records. I didn't dig-up her grave ... Do you think that might help? Just kidding. Sorta. Did I mention 'desperate'? ;) )

Born 14 Feb 1857, Emma's parents were Otto Schleicher and Bertha Schumann and she was baptized a little after her 14th birthday, 30 Mar 1871, at the First Lutheran Church in Galveston. [1]

Original Baptismal Font, St. Joseph's Catholic Church,
© Copyright 2016 Caroline M. Pointer

However, all of her children, including my grandfather Big Paw Paw (Joseph Marschall), were baptized at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. [2] When I toured St. Joseph's last summer, I learned that it served the German community, specifically the German farmers and others in the German working class in Galveston. All of the details on the ceiling in the church were painted to make it look like carved wood detail instead of it being actual carved wood detail.

And it turns out Emma and John were married in St. Mary's Cathedral (Catholic, now a Basilica) in Galveston after obtaining a dispensation from the bishop. [3, 4] Emma was not Catholic and in order to marry John Marschall, who was Catholic, they had to ask for special permission to marry. What's interesting to note here is that Emma did not decide to become Catholic in order to marry John, and that John didn't decide to become Lutheran to marry Emma. (Something to ponder in the wee hours of the night...)

Emma Marschall's tombstone,
Lakeview Cemetery, Galveston, Texas.

After Emma died 30 Jun 1928 in Galveston, she was buried in Lakeview Cemetery. [5, 6] Interestingly, her burial record appears in the First Lutheran Church's records.

I find that curious, especially since her parents — Bertha Schumann and Otto Schleicher (Listed as "Oston" on the marriage record.) — are married 28 Oct 1846 in Galveston by a Methodist Episcopal missionary, Henry P. Young [7] (a.k.a., Heinrich P. Jung, a missionary from the Methodist Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas).

And as mentioned, Bertha has Emma baptized at the First Lutheran Church in 1871. I've not found any other church records for Bertha. (Note: I said "church" records. I've found out quite a bit about her in other records. More to come later!)

However, both Bertha's and Emma's choices in churches seem to have one thing in common — they offered services in the German language. Kind of important considering Bertha immigrated to Texas from Köthen in the Duchy of Anhalt (Prussia) probably arriving 8 days before she married Otto, who emmigrated from Görzig, near Köthen, probably on the same ship. [8] Gee, did they know each other before getting on the ship? Or did they meet during that 3-month voyage? But I digress...

So, it seems Emma was, indeed, Lutheran, and not Catholic. But her mother and her husband John Marschall had been Prussian and, more importantly, they spoke German.

While I don't know if Emma spoke it fluently, it's not a stretch of the imagination to believe Emma probably spoke at least some German, especially since her husband spoke it as well. I wouldn't be surprised if she spoke both German and English fluently.

Not surprisingly, her family's language (and her friends) probably influenced her choices of where she worshiped, and her marriage to a Catholic certainly influenced her to have their children baptized, at least, in the Catholic Church.

Makes me wish I had taken German in high school instead of French. For my senior year of high school, I had registered for French 3, but they put me in German 1 because the pre-requisite of 10 students didn't register for French 3. (No idea why. *snort*) But even though the German teacher begged me to stay in German 1 (I'd made a 100 on our first quiz.), I chose to switch out of it into Sociology because after taking 9 years of Spanish and 2 years of French, I didn't want to start another language right before graduating. I regret that now.

However, I'm thinking of taking a German language class locally. Because why not? (I also love German food. It'd be great if I could find a German language/German cooking class, but I'll settle for a German language class, a German restaurant, a German cookbook, YouTube videos, and some spare time...*snort*)

And I also need to visit the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Galveston to take some pictures. You know, to complete my collection. ;)

Which brings me to an upcoming blog post teaser: Emma had a sister who lived to be an adult and at least two other siblings who didn't. More on them and their parents, my 2nd great grandparents, later. But her sister's place of worship changes too. And it's a different church than any listed above. Oh, these Schleicher women!

~Caroline

Notes:

1. "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 May 2016), Texas > Galveston > First, Baptisms, page 118 (image 712 of 1592), Emma Schleicher entry, 1871; citing original data in: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.
2. Josephum Marschall baptism entry (1893); certified translation issued 2016 by Lisa May, Archivist, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas, citing vol 1, p. 252. Privately held by Caroline M. Pointer, address for private use.
3. Marschall-Schleicher marriage entry, (1880); certified photocopy of entry issued 2016 by Lisa May Archivist, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas, citing St. Mary's Cathedral, volume 7, p. 10, second entry. Privately held by Caroline M. Pointer, address for private use. 
4. Johanneni Von Marschall-Emilium Schleicher, dispensation granted, 13 January 1880, unpaginated entry; "Marriage Dispensations, Galveston," Dispensation Files; Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Archives, Houston, Texas.
5. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K37W-GNG : 5 December 2012), Emma Marschall, 30 Jun 1928; citing certificate number 25815, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,114,541.
6. "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Records, 1875-1940," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 Apr 2016), Texas > Galveston > First, Burials, page 392 (image 1449 of 1592), line 135, Emma Marschel entry, 1928; citing original data in: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. ELCA, Birth, Marriage, Deaths. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Chicago, Illinois.
7. Galveston County, Texas, Record of Marriages, vol. A (1838-1850): 79, 1846 entry for Oston Schleicher and Bertha Schumann; County Clerk's Office, Galveston. Texas State Library and Archives microfilm No. 1008865. 
8. Chester W. and Ethel H. Geue, A New Land Beckoned: German Immigration to Texas, 1844-1847 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1982), 141. The authors obtain their information from multiple sources including German Immigration Contracts, passengers lists in various archives, etc. Bertha's mother, brothers, and future husband are all listed in this book as coming to Texas in 1846 on the Margaretha ship. I haven't obtained the passenger lists to ascertain if Bertha or her sisters are listed specifically. 

Review of All the Players

For the benefit of those who are new to Big Paw Paw, I thought I'd give you a run-down of those related to Big Paw Paw [blood-related & those unfortunate enough to marry who married him].  Because I can get even more blog posts outta Big Paw Paw what I found at the courthouse will make a whole lot more sense.

Players [or if you're Big Paw Paw, Playa']
 
John Marschall - was Big Paw Paw's dad and a Prussian immigrant who was born 6 Jun 1856 in Gorszewice, Kreis Samter, Posen, Prussia. [Saying that 5 times real fast won't be harder than it was for me to find the name of that dang village.]  John passed 20 Sep 1927 in Hitchcock, Galveston County, Texas.

Emma (Schleicher) Marschall - was Big Paw Paw's mom who was born to Prussian immigrants on 14 Feb 1856 in either Guadalupe County or Comal County, Texas.[You'd think it'd be easy to find the Schleicher family in Texas back then. And you'd think it'd be easy for me to get to those counties for research. No. On both counts.] Emma passed 30 Jun 1928 on Galveston Island, Galveston Co., Texas.

John Jr. - Big Paw-Paw's big brother & eldest child of John & Emma's. (1880-1943) Had several occupations including being a dairyman before settling on being a realtor in Galveston.  Married Josephine Ballou and was an "Islander" (Born, lived & died on Galveston Island) [I wonder if he was called Big John? *snort*]

Robert - Another older brother of Big Paw Paw's born in 1883 but died as a young child, so Big Paw Paw never knew him.

Jane - Big Paw Paw's oldest sister (1884-1954); married Otto Rosin; After the Storm of 1900, Otto and Jane moved to higher ground in San Antonio, Texas.  Otto was the son of Wilhelm and Caroline (love her name) Rosin, who brought their family to Galveston Island from Prussia.  Otto had a younger sister named Emma who was born after the family came to Galveston.  Otto and Jane go into the same business as Big Paw Paw in San Antonio after a stint with a dairy farm.  So, family & business competitors.  [That always turns out well.]

Antoneta "Nettie" - Another older sister of Big Paw Paw's (1886-1953); married Nikolas Pericles Legatos/Legate (but they just called him Pete), son of Greek immigrants; It's probable that Pete taught Big Paw Paw to fish, but whether that's true or not, they did fish together for a living back when Big Paw Paw was 17 yrs old in 1910.  Also, Nettie died in Rusk State Hospital [mental institution] under mysterious circumstances. [More detective work needed.]

Laura Ellen "Ella" - (1890-1962) )Another older sister of Big Paw Paw's married first Miles Breen. Then when he passed, she married Thomas Cobb.  My aunt remembers visiting her once.


Rolland or Roman (but probably Rolland - long story) - (1891-1912) Another older brother of Big Paw Paw's, Rolland died as a young adult from a massive heart attack.


Mary - (1895-1922) Big Paw Paw's younger sister, Mary married Harry, who owned a dairy. [True. Can't make this stuff up.]  She and her husband passed early in their marriage in San Antonio- Harry from diabetes and Mary a couple of months later from Strep. [Thank God for modern medicine, eh?]


Child - Name Unknown - John & Emma had another child but it must have died before they could christen him/her.


So, Big Paw Paw was the baby brother to all except Mary.


Emma Rosin - In 1917 in San Antonio Big Paw Paw married Emma Rosin, his older sister's (Jane's) husband's (Otto's) baby sister.  I know this because I have their marriage record.  She also appears in various land records that Big Paw Paw and she were involved in due to what he called Burnett Wrecking Company that included wrecking homes but also buying them first and the land and re-building and he sold and rented homes and he had lumber yards.  So it really wasn't just a wrecking company, but more like real estate development.  Big Paw Paw's business transactions involving land and homes are well-documented in Bexar County's historical land records. [Hallelujah.]


These land records, though, left a lot of clues about his personal life.  Suddenly in the transactions, Emma just isn't there.  Did she die? Did they divorce? Big Paw Paw was born and raised a Catholic, and perhaps Emma was too?  I dunno.  But Big Paw Paw couldn't have divorced her, right? I mean, he'd be in trouble with the church and his family, especially his mother.  But I do know there was something that happened in the family that caused a "break" between Big Paw Paw and his family. Could this be it?


Further along in his land  transactions, Big Paw Paw files an affidavit concerning some land that basically says that a particular piece of property located in San Antonio was his before he married Oveta Marshall and that she had no interest in it whatsoever.  AND that Oveta had not lived with him for 6 months and that she abandoned him.  It's dated 5 Dec 1927, but it wasn't filed until 7 Mar 1928.  Funny, that.


Hold the presses!  Who the heck is Oveta?  Is this Emma? Was this a second wife? If so, what happened to Emma?  No matter, I'm guessing someone was gearing up for a divorce, and Big Paw Paw was bound & determined to not lose that land.


Then on the same day, 7 Mar 1928, Big Paw Paw sold this same piece of land to a John Marshall, Jr. of Galveston, Texas for $5000. [Bound & determined.]  I've always been 99% sure that this was his older brother.  Also note that in the land record, John's last name was spelled Marshall and not Marschall.  However, further research suggests that Big Paw Paw is the only one in the family that changed his last name to Marshall.

Next, 18 Jul 1928 John and Josephine Marschall of San Antonio, Texas (but they were really of Galveston, but I guess because their land was in San Antonio?) conveyed this same property & 26 shares of stock that they owned of the Farm & Home Savings & Loan of Missouri to the same for $5 to secure $2600 owed to the Association.  Apparently, if I read all the legalese properly, Big Paw Paw still owed $1600 on his original loan on this property that he originally purchased 15 Aug 1925.  Also it involved a renewal of a $350 loan by John & Josephine to pay an indebtedness of Oveta Marshall's as per a divorce decree filed 13 Aug 1927, Cause No. B-47593 "Oveta Marshall v. Joseph Marshall".

It also goes on to state that John & Josephine's homestead was in Galveston, Tx and not at this property. [Of course, it took them 2 paragraphs, lots of commas, & half a page to say that John and Josephine didn't live in that house, but one in Galveston.]


So, the plot thickens.  At this time, I still didn't know if Emma & Oveta were one and the same, right?


Before I get back to these land transactions [Who knew they could be so interesting?], it's important that you know that I have old photos of my grandma, Paw Paw [I know. We're a creative bunch, aren't we?], and Big Paw Paw together as a couple with the earliest dating 1930, and their hair, dress, & other details in the photos substantiate the date.  Now, back to land.


In 1932, John Marschall, Jr. (and Josephine) sell this same piece of land to Otto Rosin, his and Big Paw Paw's brother-in-law.  [Also, um, a competitor of Big Paw Paw's.]  Now, though, they include the actual names of the streets: corner of Burnett and N. Palmetto Streets.  However, no amount was recorded, just "for a good valuable and sufficient consideration."  [*snort* I bet Big Paw Paw was none too happy about that.  The phrase, "fit to be tied" comes to mind.]

In 1937, Otto Rosin then sells it to his wife Jane (Big Paw Paw's sister) for $3000. [Again. Fit to be tied.]

Then 2 things I found in the San Antonio newspapers that applied to either the land or, um, his relationships with women [Had to clarify because Big Paw Paw was always in the papers selling stuff or suing people or getting sued.] were:


In 1937, Big Paw Paw files a lawsuit against Jane Rosin, et al. for theft of damages of property. [Any guesses as to what property? Anyone? Anyone?]


In May of 1936, Joseph Marshall files for divorce from Ola Mae Marshall. [I discovered this right before I went to the courthouse.]


29 Dec 1936, My dad is born to Rettie Mae Martin, my Paw Paw. [Huh. I wonder why Big Paw Paw needed to get a divorce?]


And Holy Toledo, Batman.  Who the heck is Ola Mae?


So there ya' go.  That's the background and the info which led me to the Bexar County Courthouse's basement and to the purchase of a really cool necklace.

Stay tuned for the next post. It'll help to tie some of this stuff together.

Family Stories at the Courthouse

Image via Wikipedia

Yes, I went to San Antonio, Texas the week after Christmas to visit my sister and family.  But I also had high hopes of discovering more about my secretive grandfather, Big Paw Paw.  And all his women.

And I was not disappointed.

Before going to the courthouse for uncovering all of Big Paw Paw's secrets research, I visited with my aunt (Big Paw Paw's daughter; my dad's sister), and she reminded me of something about him that I hadn't really forgotten but really needed to hear again.  He hadn't been a nice person to his family.  He had been mean.

I know I've mentioned all that to y'all before.  It's just easy to forget because I never knew him, and I have distance.  So when I make fun of him and make you (& myself) laugh at him, I'm really making fun of him and laughing at him.  It's no mistake that I use a lot of sarcasm.  I mean, shouldn't some good come from Big Paw Paw? It's high time he caused people to smile, don't you think?

So the day after visiting with my aunt, my sister took my kids to North Star Mall in San Antonio, a place I love. Sisters can be so mean, right?  But I love genealogy more.  So she offered to buy the boots like hers for me that I had tried on in her closet & instantly wanted.  Badly.  And I set off to go digging around in Big Paw Paw's past at the courthouse.  (So, sisters aren't so mean, eh?)

Image via WikipediaParking is easy and great for a city of San Antonio's size.  Plus, it helps that I know downtown like the back of my hand.  So after going through security, I headed down to the basement.  Yes, I said, "basement".  In Texas.  You see, the river runs through downtown, and there's a river level with shopping and restaurants.  Then, there's a street level with, well, the downtown area.  Like many of the buildings downtown, there's a river level, or "basement", and then the above ground levels or stories.  And the place I was looking for, the District Clerk's office, was down below.  And easy to find.  A lady took me behind a door with a security code to the much coveted area of original city recording books, microfilm, and way cool automated microfilm readers.  And beautiful jewelry?  Yes, a friend of the ladies in the basement was selling some handmade jewelry, which we all were oohing and aahing over.  With the thought that this was meant to be otherwise why was it here? thinking, I purchased a really cute necklace.

Image via WikipediaWith the shopping out of the way, the lady who was assisting me asked me the years and surname that I was interested in looking at so she could pull the correct record book.  She pulled it and directed me to an unoccupied desk.  She was really pleased that I already had the file number of my grandfather's divorce suit.  I also told her that I'd like to peruse the "Marshall" surname and all the entries for more of Big Paw Paw's lawsuit activity, and she said it'd be no problem.  She went to shop for jewelry, and I began to shop for Big Paw Paw's secrets.  I wasn't disappointed.  Big Paw Paw had been popular, or maybe infamous, at the courthouse.  I quickly wrote down the necessary info for them (There were several very nice and generous ladies in the office.) to pull the microfilm.  

The microfilm that would tell me some of Big Paw Paw's secrets.  

Secrets about his family and women.


[Stay tuned for Big Paw Paw's secrets. I didn't really have to tell you that, did I? ;) ]

It's A Small World After All

Worlds Apart
Have you ever heard or used the term, “worlds apart”? It's usually used to indicate how far apart two people's lives, ideas, beliefs, faith, etc. are from one another. Before I started researching my family's genealogy, I thought I was "worlds apart" from other people. I thought I was not really connected to much ~ not to other people nor to history. Nothing. Oh, I knew who my family was [mostly], but not where my family fit into things. Where I fit into things.

Now, I know. Genealogy has become sort of a map for me to show me where I and my family fit into things. I have also come to realize how I'm connected to others ~ blood relations and non-blood relations. In fact, the more I research my family, the more people I run into and stumble upon who I am connected to.

It's really rather amazing at times. How we're connected, that is.

Postcard Connections
This idea of genealogy being a map and everyone being connected to one another crossed my mind while I was trying to select an appropriate postcard for the “Geography” edition of “Festival of Postcards”.

Most postcards have either photos of places or photos of people in places. I know when we travel anywhere, I always buy postcards from the places we've visited. Furthermore, if I were to take my postcards and lay them out on a map, they'd not only be a wonderful representation of where I've been, but each one could tell at least one family story as well.

They'd tell of places on my family tree.

They'd tell of places on my genealogy map.

They'd tell of some of the people I'm connected to ~ by blood or otherwise.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who collects postcards of where they've been because I stumbled upon some old postcards and photographs of my mother-in-law's that she had collected. They were from a trip that her mother, N. Virene Richardson, had taken her, her sister, and some friends in the mid-1960's to Washington, D.C. from Iowa. From the photos, I can tell they had an awesome time. However, I know they had an awesome time visiting our nation's capitol because I took that same trip in seventh grade. Yup. All the way from the tip of Texas to D.C. I remember looking at all the monuments and thinking how incredible they were to see in person, but there was one monument I had seen before.

Mother-in-law's postcard from visit to Arlington National Cemetery in 1960's.

The Iwo Jima Statue. 

And apparently, it had been remarkable for my mother-in-law as well because she had bought a postcard of it.

The postcard instantly reminded me of the same Iwo Jima statue that stands in Harlingen, Texas ~ a town that's about thirty minutes east of the small town that I'm from, Weslaco, Texas. It also reminded me of some recently acquired information that I'd stumbled upon while doing some research of Weslaco, Texas for another blog post. This was the day I found I had a connection to the Iwo Jima statue. [O.K., it's a small one, but I do have one.]

Of Course There's A Story Behind It
The story behind this statue is quite interesting. It depicts the 2^nd raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi 23 Feb 1945 by 5 U.S. Marines and 1 Navy Corpsman at Iwo Jima in World War II. Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press took the photo, and from it the the 3 men that survived the war that had raised the flag, became famous due to the popularity of the photo and what it represented.

When it came time to identify the men from the photo, there was a mistake made in the 5^th marine's identity ~ the one closest to the ground. It was incorrectly identified as Henry “Hank” Hansen who had actually died in between the first flag raising and the second flag raising.

And when the correct marine's mama saw the photo 2 days after it had been taken in the newspaper, she, according to Wikipedia, exclaimed, “That's Harlon!” She even stated, “I know my boy.”

Now, I just love that statement. I'm a mama too. I would know my children anywhere. I would know “my boy.” It's just a “mama thing.” There's just something about the bond that's made between a mama and her child before the child even takes his or her first breath. Yup. There are no two ways about it. I would've known my boy too.

His identity was later corrected. The 5^th marine was Corporal Harlon Block, and he was killed in action less than 2 weeks after the photo was taken. The first statue of Joe Rosenthal's photo was sculpted by Felix de Weldon, and it's now located next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia [just outside of D.C.]. The original plaster working model of the first statue is located in Harlingen, Texas [near my home town], on the grounds of the Marine Military Academy. The story of Cpl. Block and the other 5 men who raised the American flag in Iwo Jima is told in the book Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley from which a movie by the same name was directed by Clint Eastwood and released in 2006.

I Should've Known
Now, I never knew Corporal Harlon Block, but...

I've played in his park. [Now it's a sports complex.]

I've walked the same streets that he did. [Some look the same, some look a little different.]

We attended the same high school. [Definitely looks different.]

My Dad took me to see the Iwo Jima statue in Harlingen, Texas a couple of times in the 1980's after the statue was donated. [In 1995, Cpl. Block was moved from the Weslaco City Cemetery to lie next to the statue where he still is today.]

My Dad paid for the Washington, D.C. trip where I saw the original statue that marks Cpl. Block's involvement in such an important day in our nation's history.  [Had an awesome time.]

That's right. Corporal Harlon Block and I come from the same small border town of Weslaco, Texas.

What are the odds, right?

I don't remember my Dad ever telling me that Cpl. Block was from Weslaco [or maybe I just wasn't paying attention]. Maybe he just thought that I already knew. I should've known, tho'.  I mean, I'd been playing in the park named after Corporal Harlon Block in Weslaco for, like, “forever.” [rolling eyes heavenward]

Aaah. Those connections are everywhere. We just have to open up our eyes and find them.

For we're all connected ~ some in big ways and some in small ways.

Connected by genealogy, history, people, and geography that criss-cross through our lives like roads on a map. Hopefully, we've collected a postcard or two along the way to help us remember.

I don't believe we're all “worlds apart” anymore.  Nope.  I think Walt Disney got it right.

“It's a small world after all.”

[This blog post is a submission for  Evelyn Yvonne Theriault's Festival Of Postcards on her blog A Canadian Family.]

Part 2 of Dancing With the Storms

Part 2 [For Part 1, click here.]
One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

Lighthouse on Bolivar Peninsula, Texas.  2010

By 4 June 1900, Daniel, Annie and their five children [one of which is my 1st great-grandmother Boo] are living in Eagle Pass, Texas, which is no where near the coast. In fact, it's on the other side of the state on the Texas-Mexico border.  So why did they move?  I'm not real sure, but I do know one thing.  On 8 Sep 1900, they missed the single most devastating hurricane that has ever hit the United States coast.  That's right, the Storm of 1900.  [Obviously, we still hadn't started naming them yet.]   Everyone hears about the devastation that occurred on Galveston Island and the estimation of 8000 that perished from the storm because it was so much more populated, but since Bolivar Peninsula is so close to Galveston, it was devastated too.  Over 120 people used the lighthouse for shelter, but dozens didn't make it to the lighthouse and died.  In fact, the only ones that lived were the ones who had sought out shelter in the lighthouse on the Peninsula.  If Daniel and Annie had stayed, would they and their family have made it to the lighthouse?

Which kind of brings me back to why they moved.  

So far away from the coast.




View Bolivar Peninsula-Eagle Pass in a larger map
Also, how'd they get there?  Well, they didn't walk, and I don't think they went by wagon [but they very well could have].  But they may have gone another way.  You see, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway had completed the railway to Spoffard, Texas then on to Eagle Pass in 1882.  After that it was extended into Piedras Negras, Mexico, the town on the opposite side of the border from Eagle Pass.  The completion of this railway facilitated exportation and importation of goods.

Photo courtesy of Texas Transportation Museum

Basically connecting the Port of Galveston with Mexico. 
And Eagle Pass' population soared [pardon the pun]. 

But why did Daniel and Annie leave Bolivar Peninsula?  Well, in the last census where the family is listed in 1880, Daniel is listed as a carpenter, and he's listed as being unemployed for the last 12 months. 

With his wife Annie. 

With their 2 year old son. 

And they were living in a boarding house.

View of Bolivar Peninsula Lighthouse from ferry. 2010

Not being able to access the 1890 population schedule, I don't know what their lifestyle was like on the Peninsula in 1890.  Had it been any better?  Additionally, how much did his old fracture from the Civil War affect what Daniel could do physically?  I mean, at the time his leg was fractured in the Civil War did it get set immediately?  I dunno, but if things weren't looking too good financially and he got wind of the opportunities available in Eagle Pass, maybe he decided to risk it all and move his family.

Eagle Pass, Tx.,  1887 Bird's Eye View of Eagle Pass Maverick Co, Texas. 1887, 1887. Lithograph (hand-colored), 16 x 22 in., Lithographer unknown. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth. Gift of Mr. Charles Downing.  Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Of course, Eagle Pass [and the border in general] was not a very safe place to be.  You've heard of the wild west, haven't you?  Well, before the railway, Eagle Pass had a rough reputation.  Not exactly the best place in which to settle and raise your family.

So, it couldn't have been an easy decision for Daniel and Annie to make.  To leave what they knew and go to something they didn't know.  However, it was the right decision and not just because they had avoided the Storm of 1900.  In the 1900 census in Eagle Pass, Daniel was listed as a dry goods merchant.  Obviously taking advantage of the population growth due to the expansion of the railway in the border town.  They were renting their home, but they were in a home ~ not a boarding house. 

I wonder how Daniel and Annie reacted when they heard of the destruction made by the Storm of 1900 to the place they had called home for over 13 years?  Had they worried about those they had left behind?  Their friends?  I suspect they were counting their blessings when they finally heard the terrible news.

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

The logical part of me says that of course they moved for the opportunity at a better life.

But a part of me wonders, though, if perhaps Daniel and Annie just had a 6th sense when it came to the Gulf Coast and hurricanes.

And what of his leg?  If it had bothered him when he lived on the Gulf Coast, did moving to a drier climate make it feel any better?

In any case, having the ability to look back on their lives, it seems to me that Daniel and Annie were very good dancers.

For they had danced with Mother Nature.

And were never voted off the show.

[Snort.]  Yes, I've seen the show Dancing With the Stars.  Unfortunately. 

Ironically, the first time was right after Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Island.  Our electricity and cable were still off, and with our generator, t.v., and rabbit ears, we were only able to tune-in clearly 2 English-speaking channels.  One evening after dinner [from a can], we settled down to watch some T.V.  What was on?  One channel had the news.  The other had Dancing With the Stars.  Since we were tired of watching and listening to news and since no one in my house speaks Spanish except for me, Dancing With the Stars won that night.

[rolling eyes heavenward]  Below is a small slide show of some of the photos I took yesterday on Bolivar Peninsula.  Most of the damage from Hurricane Ike is evident in not what is there, but what is not there.  The peninsula [which is a misnomer because it's actually not connected to the mainland by land but by a bridge on the other end] is clean, but bare.  They have a long way to go in rebuilding.  However as history reveals, they are not alone, for those who came before, had to rebuild too.

Dancing With the Storms, Pt 1

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

Fort Brown, Texas from 23 Mar 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly

 When looking at your ancestors' lives, have you ever wondered if maybe they had a 6th sense that led them away from trouble?  Or maybe it's just how everything worked out. And we, having the ability to look and analyze their lives as a whole, can simply see patterns about their lives that they had no clue that they were making.

Either way, the patterns are there.

My 2nd great-grandfather, Daniel Rook Vaughn, served on the Union side in the Civil War for the state of Michigan [where he was born].  He enlisted 10 Oct 1861 and was discharged 10 Jun 1865.  He took a little time off from the military, working -at least part of the time- as a machinist.  However for whatever reason, Daniel reenlisted in the U.S. Army in Rochester, New York on 28 Oct 1867.  He was stationed at Fort Brown, Texas.

Fort Brown?  Really?  Geez. If I'd only known.  While growing up on the Texas-Mexico border I could've easily visited where my 2nd great-grandfather had spent 3 years of his life.  I must have passed by this fort a gazillion times on my way to the beach [South Padre Island].  Now?  I live seven hours away. [sigh]

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

Anywho, before Daniel actually made it to Fort Brown, the soldiers that were there had already started to rebuild the fort due to the damages sustained in the Civil War.  Then, the seventh hurricane of 1867 that formed Oct 2nd, hit the Port of Brownsville, wrecking all the work they had done on Fort Brown.  So, when Daniel showed up at Fort Brown, which would've been after his enlistment date 28 Oct 1867, he was just in time to help rebuild.

Daniel served his 3 years ~all at Fort Brown~ and was discharged 28 Oct 1870, but not before he was counted in the 1870 census at Fort Brown.  [Thank God.]  I have no records of him for the next 3 1/2 years until he marries my 2nd great-grandmother, Annie O'Brien in New Orleans, Louisiana 19 Mar 1874.  What I wouldn't do to know what he was up to in that time period, and why he ended up in New Orleans.  There's a lot of mischief to be had in New Orleans, or so I've heard.  [Wink.]

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

Now, right before my Annie O'Brien came to New Orleans, Louisiana from Dublin, Ireland in 1872, there had been a bad hurricane that hit New Orleans leaving a lot of damage in its path the previous year.  Talk about timing, huh?  Or maybe Annie had brought the luck of the Irish with her. [Shrugs.]

Somehow and some way Daniel and Annie met in New Orleans and married.  [Again, what I wouldn't do to know what was going on with either one before their nuptials.]

View TX-LA Gulf Coast in a larger map
For whatever reason, they moved to Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County, Texas by 7 Apr 1878.  [FYI: Bolivar is pronounced like the name "Oliver," but with a "B" in front of it.  Otherwise, if you pronounce it any other way, you'll sound like an outsider.  And you don't want that.]  I know they were here by this time because that's the birth date of their son, Henry Lewis Vaughn, who was born on the Peninsula.  Now, this is four years after their marriage, but according to a later census, it's reported that Annie had 5 children living out of a total of eight, which may explain some of the time between their marriage and Henry's birth. 

Turns out, though, they moved just in time.  A hurricane that sustained 100 mph winds hit near New Orleans 1 Sep 1879.  [Honest.  I couldn't make this stuff up.]

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three... 

Sunset from Ferry to Bolivar Peninsula

So far, between the two of them that's 3 hurricanes that Daniel and Annie had "just missed."  However, they must not have been too scared of these storms because Bolivar Peninsula is just a ferry ride away from Galveston, Island.  I really don't blame them, though, because the sunrises and sunsets on both Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island are incredible.  And it's easy to be lulled by the sound of the hypnotic waves as they break on the shore.  Of course, if you've read a few of my posts, you know I have a "thing" for beaches and islands.  Who knows, maybe Daniel and Annie had a "thing" for them too.

Daniel Rook Vaughn, Enumerator of 1890 Veteran's & Widow's Schedule

They were still living there in 1880 and 1890.  Because Daniel had been in the Civil War on the Union side, he was counted in the 1890 Veteran's and Widow's census.  [Thank God.]  Actually, he counted himself.  How can that be?  He was the enumerator for this schedule.  I know.  I'm lucky.  I have nothing of Daniel's -no pictures, no artifacts, no letters, and no stories.  Nothing.  Zilch.  But I have this 1890 Veteran's and Widow's census that has his handwriting.  And what excellent penmanship!  This census find was really a coup because it confirmed his Civil War service information and he listed his disability from the war -a fracture on his left leg above the knee.  [Wince.] 

I've heard there's nothing like the arthritis that can set-in an old fracture.  And the weather here on the Gulf Coast can turn on a dime.  I wonder if his old war injury ever bothered him?

It seems that their ability to evade storms faltered the next year, a little more than 5 months after their last son was born in 1891 a hurricane hit Bolivar Peninsula.  However, it wasn't that much of a storm ~ just a category 1 with minimal damage.

One-Two-Three...One-Two-Three...

Note: Because I'm really serious about my research,
I took off today with my kids to visit Galveston Island
and Bolivar Peninsula.

What can I say?  I.  Am.  Dedicated.

And I wanted to take some photos for you to give you
a better idea of what the area looks like.

I'm even going to sample the food and frolic
on the beach for you.  [Snort. Wink.]

No thanks needed.  Really.  It's my pleasure.

While I'm off "researching," here's some questions to ponder, & I'll
be back tomorrow with the rest of Daniel and Annie's story.

Did Daniel & Annie really have a 6th sense about these storms?

Did they continue to live on the Gulf Coast?

Do you have a "thing" for beaches?

[For Part 2, click here.] 

Wordless Wednesday: Found in the Paper!

My, That's a Big Rose!

I found this picture of my grandfather in the San Antonio Express newspaper from 12 Nov 1922.  Ah, the newspapers.  You never know what you're gonna find...

Source:
Photographer/Journalist Unknown, "Rose Has 63-Inch Stem," San Antonio Express, 12 Nov 1922, p. 6, col. 2; digital images, Ancestry.com ( http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 Feb 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

Being Ready

It's like that ~ more often than not.  And it's a good thing, too.

Genealogy and family history research is constantly changing, and some would say at neck-breaking speed. Funny that. Researching history, the past, something not changing is changing. Hey, I don't make the rules. I just play by them. [Sorta.] 

One thing is for sure, though, you have to be ready.

So what does this have to do with a family story, particularly one of mine? Everything. [Of course, why else would I mention it?]

My big Paw Paw's [my dad's dad's] family story is relatively new to me. My family really knew nothing about where he came from, and who is family was. Nothing. Zilch. [A common theme in my family.] In fact, this was the first thing that I decided to tackle when I started researching my family's history. Despite keeping secrets that he probably thought he took to the grave, I eventually found that he, indeed, came from somewhere. I chronciled this first research effort of mine in a 6-part series starting here.

To summarize it though, he was born on Galveston Island, Texas in 1893 to John and Emma (Schleicher) Marschall. His mother, Emma, is a ghost for me [Well, at least her name isn't Mary, right? However, "Emma" is a pretty popular female German given name. *rolling eyes heavenward*]. She's actually a separate secret family story, and when I finally discover it, I'll let you know. John and his family is who I've done the most work on and have been successful with. In my search, I discovered his U.S. Passport application on Ancestry.com. He applied and was approved for his passport in Mar 1910. This was a phenomenal find because it pulled together several clues that had helped to point me in the right direction as to the origins of John Marschall.

I cannot tell you how excited I was with this find at the time. I mean, have you seen these applications? Questions on there include birth date, birth place, ship's name, and on and on. The genealogical information available on these documents is incredible. However, I had one eensy, bitsy problem with his application. Remember back in the day of typewriters, when you'd replace a dried-out ribbon with a fresh one and you'd discover that "quality control" had a long way to go? Specifically, the new ribbon would be "over-inked," leaving black splotches of ink across your document with only a hint of the letters legible. Yeah, well apparently this particular phenomenon had been occurring for a while because this is what happened with this application. Not totally unreadable if you're already familiar with the information, but the information that you're not familiar with? You know, the information you've been looking for and praying for? Not so much. A perfect example of "almost, but not quite," which happens to be a common theme for me in genealogy, and I'm sure with others as well. [And if not, just lie to me to make me feel better. ;) ]

There were two particular answers on this application that I could not, for the life of me, figure out, but, oh, how desperately I wanted to. I cannot tell you how many times and how many ways I've looked at the print out of this application trying to figure out the name of the ship he sailed on and the name of the town or village in Prussia that he was born in. I've contorted my body in numerous ways in order to figure out what these letters were and what they spelled. With magnifying glass in hand in the car line to pick up  my kids from school, I have studied this copy of the document ~ from the front, from the back, up against the light coming through my sun roof, etc. All to no avail.

Because it was reported in the 1880 census in Galveston Co., Texas that John was born in Posen and in subsequent census it was reported he was born in Prussia, Poland, and Germany, I had come to the conclusion that he was probably born in the region or province of Posen and not the city of Posen which is located in the Posen Province. [Confusing, I know.] And this passport application had listed a village that started with the letters "Go-" and ended with the sound "wice". Also on his Declaration of Intent to become an American citizen that was filled out upon his arrival to Galveston, the village name was listed as "Gersenwace," which I had looked up and was unable to find any town or village with this spelling, or near it, either online or in the European atlas that I have. [Sigh.]

Additionally, in that same car line and in my office I've spent untold amounts of time sitting with my eyes closed sounding out this village's name. Trying to come up with alternate spellings to hopefully find this village, if it even still existed. In order to do anymore research further back, I had to identify this village and the county [a.k.a. kreis] in order to find the parish of the church that he may have attended where his vital information as well as his parents' names might be recorded.

So, I let it go after a while. Not permanently, just until the time was right. I figured the genea-gods would let me know when the time was right. I'm sure they had a good laugh the day I stood on my head looking at the copy of the application. I'm know they were entertained by me "sounding out the name" over and over and over again to myself.

Just when I was knee-deep into some other genealogy conundrum, the genea-gods struck me senseless with some "genea-gold." My daughter is in 7th grade, and here in Texas all 7th graders study Texas History for a full school year. She is in a "Pre-Advanced Placement" class, which, from what I can tell, means she has bunches of small projects and large projects all year long. [Good thing we like school projects.] Anywho, her latest one is genealogy-related. [Could we get any luckier?] Specifically, she has to pick a family line that came to Texas and complete genealogy-related reports, such as a pedigree chart, family group sheet, etc.; an interview with a family member; and a presentation. The presentation can include photos and artifacts, and can be presented in a traditional manner, as a PowerPoint presentation, or as a movie.

My daughter chose John Marschall to do her project on because he came through Galveston, he and his family survived the Storm of 1900, we [the kids and I] have discovered where they lived and where they're buried on Galveston Island, and we have a copy of the manuscript listing the family having survived the storm. Additionally, my grandfather [John's son] Joseph, was in World War I, and we have one of his medals and we have tons of photos of him. And knowing that I have the software to make a DVD movie presentation, she chose that option.

Needless to say, I now really wanted to find that village. I thought it'd be cool to try to find photos of it or near there to start the family history movie with. So last week, I Twittered what I knew to see if any one had any ideas. And Regina [ @Kinfolknews ] suggested a link [Thank You! Thank You!] that had some other links, and I ended up on a website called Kartenmeister that is a database of Gazetteer information of provinces in East Prussia including Posen and it allowed wild card searching. BONUS! And I found a village with two different spellings: German- "Gorschewice" & Polish- "Gorszewice" with the Polish spelling looking like it matches the spelling on the passport application.  It listed the Lutheran and Catholic parishes so I now can order film from the Family History Library.  So, why wasn't I able to find it before on atlases? Because it's a wee village that in 1905 had a population of 150. On Google Maps, you have to zoom-in a whole lot before it comes up. It's still there today and is the center of archeological research in the area. It's also 3.8km from Kazmierz. I've not been able to find any photos of it, but I did find some photos of Kazmierz, some of which are looking over into the countryside. If he was Catholic there like he was here in Texas, then he would've attended Catholic mass in Kazmierz.  [Pictured below is Gorszewice on a Google map.  You can use the the Zoom-out button to get a better idea where it's located in Poland.]

View Overview of Poland in a larger map

And the ship's name? I'm still working on that. Of course, passenger lists are not available for the years 1872-1895 for the Port of Galveston, and his arrival was in 1878. I've taken lists of ships' names for that time period, and tried to match them up with the ink blob ~a.k.a. the recorded ship's name~ on the passport application, but with no success. My next avenue for researching the ship's name is in the passenger lists in the German newspapers that were printed in the German communities here in Texas at the time the ships arrived in Galveston. I also have to keep in mind he may have been on a ship whose first stop wasn't Galveston, but another American port.

You know, it's not like I didn't look for a website and/or database at the time that could help me with this. I just never found this one, if it even existed when I was looking for it. I also was more concerned at the time with finding more information on him and his family here in Texas than I was with "going back to Prussia." Not to mention, learning more on how to research German/Polish records. Certainly it's been on my "to-do" list.  I guess I just wasn't ready.

Sometimes genealogy is like making soup. You add all the ingredients into a pot, bring it to a boil, then put it on one of the back burners, and let it simmer.

Till the genea-gods think you're ready.

It's like that ~ more often than not.

And it's a good thing too. To be ready, that is.

Wordless Wednesday: Boys & Their Toys

Boys & Their Toys
Some pics of my dad and his cars and some of his dad's cars too [my Big Paw Paw]. My dad was a little wild back then & liked to drag race.  [rolling eyes heavenward] Boys will be boys...

Tombstone Tuesday: My Grandfather

My grandfather, James Wesley Blacketer, is buried in Fort Sam Houston Cemetery located in San Antonio, Texas.

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.

Wordless Wednesday : Brazos River

Where the Family & I Went on Sunday

Here's My Plan, Stan

[Note: This is a series of posts that is an investigation of 5 murders.  The first post was "He Had Me At 'Detective,'" and this post is my plan of attack, so to speak.]


Here's the Problem:

If the fire that killed my grandmother's brother, Roscoe Benton Martin, and his four children in 1957 was ruled as arson, then who killed them?  Whether the arson investigation was solved or not, who set the fire and why?

So, What Do I Know?

• Roscoe Benton Martin was born on 19 Mar 1911 in Bloomfield, Johnson County, Illinois to Joel Arthur Martin and Lillie May (Alley) Martin. He was the second of four children in total and the first of three children surviving to adulthood.
• His mother, Lillie May died 6 Jun 1918 when Roscoe was 7yo.
• Roscoe is found with his father and two sisters in Stonefort, Williamson County, Illinois in the 1920 population census.
• Roscoe was in the United States Army [as per 2 photographs of my grandmother's now in my possession].
• Roscoe was living with his two sisters, Rettie Maye and Mabel Irene in Precinct 8, Fort Bend County, Texas in the 1930 population census.
• Roscoe married Norma Ethel Conroy sometime before 1942 in Johnson County, Illinois.
• Roscoe and Norma had four children: Jack, Bill, Jerry, and Cheryl Maye [exact dates need verification].
• Norma Ethel Conroy was born abt. 1922 in Johnson County, Illinois to Emmett Cecil Conroy and Frieda A. Hall. Her siblings were William N. Conroy and Raymond Lester Conroy.
• According to my grandmother, Roscoe died in a house fire trying to save his children in Illinois.
• Information found in two newspaper articles (The Hammond Times 16 Jul 1957 and 17 Jul 1957 accessed on Ancestry.com) is as follows:

1. Roscoe (46yo), John (14yo), William (12yo), Jerry (10yo), and Cheryl (3yo) were all killed Sunday, 14 Jul 1957 in a house fire approximately 6 miles north of Vienna, Illinois.
2. Don Pender (a guest in the home), Roscoe, and a Billy McCuan (from nearby Tunnell Hill) were all “in the home prior to the fire”.
3. Norma Martin, Roscoe's wife, escaped from the fire “uninjured”.
4. The fire was reported by Don Pender, who also escaped the fire.
5. “Billy McCuan was found sleeping in his car near the home.”
6. An empty 5-gallon gasoline can was found outside the home and two rooms in the home were found to have gasoline in them, leading investigators to suspect arson.
7. “The bodies were retrieved from under a portion of the tin roof.”
8. “Firemen were hindered due to a lack of water near the residence and had to draw water from a nearby pond.”
9. “Three state investigators, armed with a lie detector, launched an arson investigation.”
10. Norma Martin (Roscoe's wife), Don Pender, and Billy McCuan were all “given a lie detector test and were completely cleared from any connection to the fire.”
11. The Johnson County, Illinois sheriff at the time was Orlan Cox.
12. The police chief (of Vienna?) was Bill Barnett.
13. After the lie detector test, Sheriff Cox still felt that it was arson, but “had no leads.”
    

What Do Others Know?

Online memorials were found on findagrave:

• A wife of a distant cousin created online memorials on Findagrave for Roscoe, John, William, Jerry, and Cheryl. She mentions the fire, and that they were all killed in it.
• Also states the full names of Roscoe and his children: Roscoe Benton, John Winston, William Lester, Jerry Ray, and Cheryl Maye.
• States all of their ages at death, full birth dates [John b.14 Sep 1942; William b. 26 Apr 1945; Jerry b. 18 Sep 1948; Cheryl b. 2 Oct 1953] and their death date.
• The birthdate that is listed on the online memorial for Roscoe Benton Martin is the same birthdate that my Paw Paw listed on the back of his Army headshot photo.
• States that Roscoe had been in the United States Army from 1929-1939.
• States they are all buried in Taylor Cemetery in Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois.
  

  So, I Think I Have A Few Questions...

• Was Roscoe employed at the time of the fire? If so, what was his occupation? Had Norma been employed outside of the home?
• How was Roscoe's and Norma's relationship? Were they “getting along”?
• Who were Billy McCuan and Don Pender, and how well did Roscoe and Norma know them?
• According to the newspaper article, the bodies were retrieved from under a portion of the tin roof. How were the bodies laying, exactly, and where? Were they all together?
• How big was the house? Did each child have their own room, or did they share?
• Was Don Pender going to stay the night? Where was he from?
• Why was Billy McCuan sleeping in his car? Had he or any of the others been drinking alcoholic beverages?
• What time did the fire start, and when was it reported?
• How did Don Pender report the fire? Did he make the phone call before he exited the house?
• Were there other houses nearby? Had they been living in a neighborhood or in the country?
• What 2 rooms in the house had been doused with gasoline?
• How can a lie detector test be used to clear 3 people in an arson case in 1957 when in 2009 the results of a lie detector test aren't usually admissable in court?
• How accurate was a lie detector test in 1957? What is the timeline & history of the lie detector test?
• Where was Roscoe's father, Joel Arthur Martin living at the time of the fire? What other relatives lived in the area?
• Did Norma's family live nearby?
• If 2 rooms in the house had been doused with gasoline [obviously before the fire] and the house had been occupied by Roscoe, Norma, Billy McCuan, and Don Pender before the fire, why didn't they smell the gasoline? The fumes would have been quite noticeable.
• Previous to their guests coming over, had they left the house unoccupied on the day of the fire, Sunday? When and for how long?
• Where had the children been? Was the fire before “bedtime” or after?
• Has this arson case ever been solved? Where would this investigation paperwork be located now?
• If 3 state investigators gave the lie detector test, would there be any state-level investigation paperwork, and where would that be located?
• What happened to Norma after the fire? Where did she go?

So, Where To Look?

• Johnson County clerk's office [Illinois] http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/countylisting.htm
• Johnson County Genealogical and Historical Society [membership = $13] http://johnsoncountyil.net/
• My aunt [my dad's sister]
• Wife of distant cousin from Findagrave http://findagrave.com/
• Illinois Regional Archives Depository [IRAD] http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/iradhome.html
• Southern Illinois University at Carbondale [houses Johnson County records] http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/irad/siumap.html
• Illinois Genealogy Trails http://www.genealogytrails.com/ill/
• Johnson County, Illinois Genealgy Trails http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• ILGenWeb for Johnson County http://johnson.ilgenweb.net/
• Rootsweb for Johnson County Illinois http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iljohns2/
• Rootsweb for other researchers. [mailing list]
• Ancestry.com [census, newspapers, military, message board, SSDI, obituary, etc.] http://ancestry.com/
• Genforum message boards. Check through surname and county boards] Http://Genforum.com
• Contact the Barnett surname/family researcher that I met through Genealogy Wise of this target area to see if there's any relation to the Police Chief Bill Barnett
• Contact the Vaughn family researcher that I met through Ancestry.com Message Board.
  
• Google Earth & Google Search
• My Illinois Genealogy [Johnson County] http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• Pope and Johnson County Illinois Information http://www.myillinoisgenealogy.com/il-county-johnson.html
• The Family Tree Resource Book for Genealogists [Ed. By Carmack and Nevius]
• Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, Houston, Texas http://www.houstonlibrary.org/clayton
• Montgomery County Memorial Library, Conroe, Texas http://www.countylibrary.org/gen.htm
• Family Search http://familysearch.com/
• Interment, Cemetery Records Online http://www.interment.net/
• National Archives and Records Administration http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html
• Johnson County, Illinois Sheriff's Dept. http://www.road-police.com/police/Illinois/Vienna/property_3524/police.html

What To Do First?

I will outline my strategy in the next post/update as well as any research I've completed at the time. My plan involves using genealogical skills combined with some “creativity”. It's also going to take some ingenuity because I have no budgetary plans to travel to Johnson County, Illinois [unfortunately]. The first thing I'll need to do is give you the “lay of the land,” so to speak. I've never been there, but all of my grandmother's lines come from there, and I've had the opportunity to “meet” some researchers from this area online as well as research the area. Hopefully, this will help. It was a close-knit community then, and it's a close-knit community now. Moreover, it's an area where “outsiders” aren't really welcome, but I'm getting ahead of myself. More on this community and the time period in which this crime took place will be in my next post. So, that's my plan, Stan. Have I forgotten anything? [I'm sure I have...] Or do you have any additional questions that you think I should be asking?  Let me know.  Please, post your comments below.