A few more genealogical resolutions

For Christmas 2012 (or maybe for my birthday, it falls close to Christmas) I was given the gift of Y-Chromosome DNA testing, in order to try to make the McNally leap back across the ocean.  I chose the Family Tree DNA service, based in part on their extensive history and deep member base.  I received my swabs, took my samples and sent them back to see what would happen.  

A few weeks later, I received my results (in stages, due to the number of markers I had tested).  Between sending my samples and getting my results, I had enrolled in a handful of relevant studies to try to find matches, hopefully still in Ireland who might be able to trace back to Christopher McNally's ancestors. 

When my full results were finally back, I had one good match, a young man in Ireland who carries the McNally surname.  I sent off on e-mail of introduction and waited for his to respond, which he did after a week or two.  He only had information back to his great-gradfather (I think he has an aunt that is the genealogist of the familiy) but he was willing to exchange e-mails and share information as it came available.   We e-mailed back and forth a few times, the last time back in July of 2013.  After that, my genetic genealogy project languished, solely due to my lack of effort.  

Fast forward to last week.  I received in the mail an advertisement for the AncestryDNA test for $79.00.  The AncestryDNA test is an autosomal test, which covers all lines of ancestry, both paternal and maternal, rather than a direct line test unlike the Y-DNA test I have on the books (the Family Tree DNA analog would be their "Family Finder" test"), so I decided to give myself a late birthday present and give it a go.  I have not received my testing kit yet, having just ordered it, but I'll keep the blog updated on that progress.

After looking over my last post, I realized that I had included no resolutions related to my genetic genealogy endeavours, so here they are.

First - I'm going to follow up with my Irish contact to re-open the lines of communication and see if he has learned anything new.

Second - I'm going to be more active at the FTDNA website and on the studies that might be relevant.  

Third - I'm going to be a bit more proactive in trying to confirm or deny a theory I have about Christopher, starting right here - In March of 2012 I proposed a theory about Christopher McNally's parentage, that he might be the son of a Laurence McNally and Mary Dillon.  I would encourage any male McNally's that can prove a line of descent from Laurence and Mary to contact me.  In a subseuent blog post I will post all of the information I have about this family to aid in this.

Fourth - The book "DNA and Social Networking" by Debbie Kennett has some fabulous suggestions about how to make genetic genealogy more effective, so I'm going to re-read the DNA part and follow up on some of her ideas.

Finally - I'm going to do whatever I can with the Ancestry test to cast a wider net for relatives in my extended family to share with and learn from.

Here's to making 2014 a good genealogy year.

Resolutions Genealogical

2013 was a great and productive year in many ways, but not for my genealogical research or for this blog - the demands of keeping up with a pair of toddler boys proved too great to allow much in the way of time or energy in that regard.  I intend to do better in 2014, although admittedly, that wouldn't be difficult, as I only completed one post in 2013.  That said, here are my genealogical resolutions for 2014.

Resolution the first - I resolve to produce a new blog post about every two weeks, roughly two a month.  This resolution shall be aided by one of my Christmas presents - a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad, allowing me to write more efficiently with the pad, as I do not have to resort to the touch screen keyboard.

Resolution the second - I purchased Legacy Family Tree 8 back in early December.  I am going to move my tree into Legacy 8 and source everything according to Evidence Explained.   My sources in my current database are a mess and need to be redone.

Resolution the third - I am going to use either Clooz or Evidentia (or both) to analyze my sources more fully.  I'm trying to take my genealogy to the next level, and I think these tools can help.

Resolution the fourth - I am finally going to get my genealogy workspace set up and organized.  Right now my files are boxed up in shambles, and I have boxes of loose papers to get filed.  Its a big mess that needs fixing.

Resolution the fifth -  I am going to photograph and transcribe the three or four small cemeteries that are within a few miles of my house.  I believe that the local branch of the OGS has done transcriptions, but I am unaware of any photos of these cemeteries.  Where I post the data is still to be determined.

There's more I could tackle (and might), like a McNally one-name study, but the five resolutions I have made should keep me plenty busy in the new year.

Good hunting, and happy new year.

Current doings

The boys have been keeping me busy, not leaving much time for actual genealogical research or posting new stories to the blog. This doesn't mean I've been sitting idle, watching the world go by and twiddling my thumbs. I steal a few minutes here and there to do some looking on Ancestry, and I've started to dig into the 1940 census records. I've found most of my living ancestors, but there are a few holdouts hiding in the paper trail, waiting to be discovered. I've also been preparing for a trip to the Ohio Historical Society Archives, after making some discoveries on FamilySearch.

I've also been doing a lot of thinking about how I want to move the blog forward, to keep telling stories and to keep connecting with far-flung relatives, and I think that the way to best do that given my time constraints is to hold true to the blog title, and start telling stories in the form of a pedigree chart in story form. Using standard pedigree chart numbering, my sons are numbers 1a and 1b, I am number 2, my wife, 3, and so on. Of course, with living people on the tree, those entries will be highly abbreviated to protect their privacy.

The first few entries will be short, so here they go.

1A & 1B. My sons. Although I have countless stories of their antics, some of which are entertaining, the simple truth is that their stories are yet to be told, and while I hope to be a significant part of those stories, they will not be mine to tell.

2 & 3. Myself and my wife (living Bone ) Hopefully, our stories are also largely to be discovered, and maybe one or both of my sons will tell them.

4 & 5.  My father (living McNally) and my mother (living Farley). They're both still alive so in order to protect their privacy, no further information shall be provided.

6 & 7. My wife's father (living Bone) and mother (living Kinder). Same thing applies here.

That gives you a brief outline of the tree so far. While there are still a few more living ancestors to be glossed over, the stories begin in ernest on the next post with number 8 on the tree, my paternal grandfather, Gerald Richard McNally.

The Return of the Blogger

It's been quite some time (almost five months) since I last posted on the blog.  It's been a busy time, adjusting to a new infant and managing a rambunctious toddler, but we're finally settling into what will have to pass for a routine under the circumstances. 

A major reorganization project in my basement has left my genealogy files in quite a shambles.  On the plus side, when the project is done, I will have a better space overall, and I won't have to haul my files and laptop to the kitchen table to work, only to have to hurry to put everything away when my work time is over, so as to keep my files from the clutches of my toddler son. That's progress.

I haven't been completely idle in this intervening time.  I've managed to sort a few boxes of loose papers into folders by family so that they are accessible at the appropriate time.  And I've continued to integrate the work my wife has done over the past ten or so years into my database, citing sources, organizing the files and figuring out what other documents might be available to tell those stories.  I know that there are some interesting stories to be told about her family from helping her with her research over the years, but those stories require information, organiization and documentation to become anything more than just a family legend, so it might take some time before I get them told. 

I've also kicked my Twitter usage up a notch, following (with some reciprocity) all manner of interesting genealogy-related people.  It's interesting to hear what the genealogical community has to say on all manner of topics.  Dick Eastman's feed is particularly illuminating, as it generally links back to articles on his blog.  If you are on Twitter, he's worth a follow (@dickeastman). 

Updates will be coming more frequently now.  Until next time, stay safe and keep climbing those (family) trees.

A brief note

There hasn't been much activity on the blog the past few weeks and there likely won't be for the next few, probably not until mid-June or so. It would be safe to say that the blog is on a bit of a hiatus. The primary reason is that in the next few weeks, I will be otherwise engaged - first preparing for, then welcoming my new son into our home. He hasn't been born yet, but is due very soon, and adding a second child to the mix is simultaneously exciting and scary. More genealogy stories about the past after I make a story for the future. 

Military Monday - William J. Miller

I have at least three direct ancestors that served in the Civil War (all Union), and my wife has at least two that fought for the Union and one that fought for the Confederacy.  A few weeks ago, I relayed the story of Isaac Edward Wentz, laid low by poor sanitation conditions in a Confederate POW facility and the runs.  Today, I continue the tales of ancestral military woe with William J. Miller.

Willam J. Miller is my third great grandfather, on my paternal grandmother's maternal line. He was born 12 September 1826 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania and died 24 January 1901 in Blair County, Pennsylvania.  He married Mary Jane Sneath on 10 July 1850 in Blair County.

In early March of 1865, he enrolled and mustered in to the Pennsylvania, B - 6 Cavalry, and in the few short months before the end of the war, he was transferred to Company F and the Pennsylvania Provisional Cavalry.  He saw action in this time, as he suffered injuries that compromised both his health and his hearing.  And in July 1865 after the end of the war, he went home, back to Blair County to be with his family, where he lived until January of 1901.

In November 1911, his widow filed for a Widow's Pension under the terms of the 1908 Act, and filed the following Declaration:

Here's a link to a copy of the document you can enlarge.

In December of that year, Mary Jane Miller received a reply

 According to the Army, William was a deserter as of 14 July, 1865, and as such, neither he nor his spouse were eligible for a pension.

This prompted some back and forth between the Millers and the Pension's Division, including this letter from the Millers.

It does not appear anywhere in the record that the charge of desertion was ever removed or that Mary Jane ever received a pension. 

I'm sure that there are countless other soldiers who suffered the same fate, who simply went home when they thought the war was over and never received a proper discharge and were then denied an invalid's or widow's pension.  I sometimes wonder if there is any action I could take to clear the charge of desertion from William Miller's record, or if anyone other than me would even care.  For what it's worth, I don't think of William as some sort of criminal or scoundrel, just a man broken by the war and, when hearing it was over, just wanted to go home.

Tombstone Tuesday - Christopher and Rosanna McNally

I've got a pair of tombstones to share today - Christopher McNally, who has been discussed at length, and his wife Rosanna (Pearson) McNally.


Christopher:

Rosanna:

I don't have a picture of them together - poor planning on my part, as it would have taken an extra fifteen seconds to line up the shot.

These photographs were taken in October of 2011, during a very brief trip to Altoona last fall.  Their graves are at the St. Patrick's Catholic cemetery in Newry, Blair County, Pennsylvania.

In looking at the markers, it appears that Rosanna's marker is original, and in pretty good shape for its age and material, whereas it appears that Christopher's marker is newer and looks like it might be a replacement.  I've thought this for years (I first found the graves about ten years ago), but have never bothered to investigate.  Perhaps I'll contact the church and find out who would have those records.

Here's a little about what I know about Rosanna.  She was born Rosanna Pearson, on 13 February 1831, daughter of Edward and Maria Pearson.  The Liebgott Collection (I believe that is spelled correctly, please correct me if it is not) at the Martinsburg Public Library has Edward's wife as one Margaret Bookhammer.  I have not confirmed or refuted that name at this time.  Rosanna and Christopher married on 6 February, 1861, with Rosanna converting to the Catholic Church for the marriage.  She and Christopher raised their six children in a house on Ore Hill Road and were known in the community for their generosity and kindness.  As she aged, she lost her hearing, and on 25 March, 1896, while walking along a rail line, she was struck and killed by an ore car from the Duncan mines. 

I know that this is just a brief sketch, and expect to see more about the Pearson family in the future.