BACKGROUND
Walter Cleveland LINDSEY and Marguerite (aka Margaret) Ethel Learn were united in marriage1 in the bride’s home, Nescopeck, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.2
Between 1908 and 1913 the LINDSEY family grew to include four children. Mary, born 2 January 19083; Walter Galloway, born 2 December 19094; William Gordon, born 5 November 19105; and Maretta Grace, born 10 July 19136.
By 1919 Walter and Margaret were divorced7 and by 1920 the children were scattered. Mary working for room and board on a farm located in Upper Allen, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and owned by Emmanuel Crone8. And, Walter G, working for room and board on a farm located in Cumberland, Adams County, Pennsylvania and owned by Beard O Sharretts. 9
The younger children . . . William G was placed in the York County Children’s Home located off of Clark Avenue and Home Alley, York, Pennsylvania.10
What became of Maretta Grace?
LOST (3)
What became of Mary, William and Maretta LINDSEY after 1920?
FOUND (2)
Since 2003, I have been a user and subscriber of ancestry.com; my family tree is public, which pays dividends in ‘cousin bait.’ And, my LINDSEY research has benefitted.
In November 2014 I received, via Member Connect, on ancestry.com, a message from a fellow user . . .
“Maretta Grace Lindsey, born 10 July 1913, was adopted by the Bailey’s. Maretta G Bailey shows up in the 1930 Federal Census. Then Maretta G Bailey married my Grandfather on my maternal side, Ralph Sylvester Ziegler. Together they had my mother [name omitted for privacy] (still living) who married my father [name omitted for privacy]. My mother told me about her Uncle Bill that was a truck driver for Lakeshore Motor Freight out of Newark, NJ. If you need more information contact [email omitted for privacy].”
Yes! Clues! The email mentioned “Uncle Bill,” I couldn’t get so lucky that Uncle Bill, was my Grand Uncle William (Bil) Gordon LINDSEY, could I? The first thing I did was to reply and thank the user for contacting me and sharing the information they had on Maretta G LINDSEY.
This user provided information, gave sufficient enough clues on Maretta that I felt I could follow up on, but, I was most curious about the “Uncle Bill” mentioned and if they had any further details. Was this “Uncle Bill,” William Gordon LINDSEY? What further information did they have on him? What became of him?
That same day, in November, I received further information on “Uncle Bill” which confirmed that he was both her Uncle and my Grand Uncle, William Gordon LINDSEY. Yes! I’d – with the help of a ‘cousin’ – found him! The information shared . . .
“1920 Census for York County Children’s Home shows William G LINDSEY, 8 years old, which he was born 5 November 1910. He was really 10 years old. The last time I saw Uncle Bill was between 1974 – 75 when he drove an 18-wheeler to our farm to see my mother, [name omitted for privacy], and us kids. He was a driver for Lakeshore Motor Freight. He had gone to the home when Grandma Maretta was adopted by Milton Henry Bailey and family. Why did their parents leave them behind?”
The email, as I said, confirmed what I already knew about William (Bill) Gordon LINDSEY and that we were indeed discussing my ancestor. It also provided some research clues. He was still living in 1974 – 75, so I’d find him in the 1940 census; question is where? Pennsylvania? New Jersey? He worked for a trucking company, Lakeshore Motor Freight, located in Newark, New Jersey. Does the company still exist? If so, do they have personnel records archived? And, could I obtain a copy of Bill’s file? He worked out of New Jersey; did he live in New Jersey or commute from nearby Pennsylvania? Philadelphia?
So, it was off to see what I could find. Initially I did a global search for William Gordon LINDSEY on both ancestry.com and familysearch.org; wanting to see what hits were returned. Nothing. I then shifted from ‘residence’ to a global search for marriage and had several hits that were possibilities. However, only one, really fit. And, it was the only one that had William’s middle name (Gordon) spelled out. I just had a gut feeling; I can’t be the only genealogist that has those visceral reactions can I? I just knew this was my guy. But, my gut isn’t proof, so I ordered the marriage license from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And, waited.
January 2015, the license arrived. My gut was right, the license was for my guy, William (Bill) Gordon LINDSEY and it confirmed his parents were Walter Cleveland LINDSEY and Margaret E LEARN, my Great Grandparents. William married Lillian Mae REEVES in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 3 September 1938. The license provided his address at the time of his marriage as 1628 N Sydenham Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.11
Okay, so Bill was living in Philadelphia in 1938, could he have been in Philadelphia in 1930? Yes. According to the 1930 census, Bill was now living with his Mother, Margaret Ethel (LEARN) and her third husband, Robert J HARRIS, at 1816 Camac Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.12
By 1940, Bill and Lillian are living with their daughter, Lillian, aged 1, at 1536 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. Bill was employed as a retreder for a tire company.13
And then, the trail goes cold. I have, thus far, been unable to find a military record, death record or obituary for William Gordon LINDSEY. I recently tried searching for death records for his wife Lillian Mae. One possible hit; Find-a-Grave. However, it provides very limited information and no picture of the headstone. The volunteer who created the memorial provided . . .
Lillian LINDSEY
Birth: Unknown
Death: September 1994
Burial: Rosedale & Rosehill Cemetery, Linden, Union County, New Jersey
Plot: WIN4T – 11 – 16 / SD14
Not enough information for me to determine if this is Bill’s wife, my Grand Aunt, Lillian Mae or not. I need to contact the cemetery. If it is her, she would have been about 75 at the time of her death. And, too, I am still unsure if William and Lillian ever lived in New Jersey. My searches in Pennsylvania, however, have come up negative.
Another avenue to pursue is a public tree on ancestry.com. The user’s surname is REEVES and he does have Bill on his tree, although a date of death is not provided. And, the spouse and descendants are marked as private. I am not sure whether this indicates that Lillian Mae is still living? It’s a possibility, she’d be approximately 96, today. Or, if the user has his / her reasons for keeping it private. I need to communicate with the user and see if they are willing to work with me.
Using the death date and location noted on the Find-a-Grave search result, I went to genealogybank.com to see what could be found there. Negative results. Google search – two possible candidates, both buried in Pennsylvania - on further inspection, they were not the Lillian LINDSEY I was looking for. First, both of their birth years were way off and they both were married to someone other than William Gordon LINDSEY. And, the volunteers who had added these memorials to Find-a-Grave provided pictures of the tombstone, so it was clearly evident that these two Lillian LINDSEYs were not my Lillian.
I next searched fultonhistory.com, with negative results. The search continues.
So, while I was not able to locate further information on William and Lillian Mae LINDSEY after 1940, I at least have learned that he resided in the York County Children’s home from 1920 until he turned of age, briefly lived with his mother in 1930; married in 1938 and by 1940 had a child, a daughter, and was gainfully employed as a retreder for a tire company and later, according to my ‘cousin’s’ email above, as a truck driver for Lakeshore Motor Freight out of Newark, New Jersey. I know too, that in the intervening years, he located his baby sister Maretta LINDSEY Bailey Ziegler, and had a relationship with her and her family. All good!
Being of a curious nature, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Bill and his mother reconnected in 1930. I don’t imagine that it could have been an easy reunion, after all, she had, I presume, given up her parental rights when she, placed him in the children’s home. I wonder if they stayed in contact with each other for the remainder of her life? His mother, my Great Grandmother, passed away in 1972.
My search for what became of Bill and his family after 1940 will continue.
Since receiving the initial email about Maretta Grace LINDSEY, I have, using the information about her adoption by the BAILEYs, been able to learn more. . .
Maretta Grace LINDSEY, according to both the email above and subsequent confirmation from her daughter, [name omitted for privacy]. was adopted in 1920 by Milton Henry BAILEY and his wife, Katherine Elizabeth. Maretta Grace was 6.
By 1932 Maretta was married to Ralph Sylvester ZIEGLER and had a son. The family, by 1940, were living in Shrewsbury, York County, Pennsylvania with their two children.15 She and her family, along with her adoptive parents, Milton and Katherine BAILEY and her in-laws, the ZIEGLERs, were members of the Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Church, Glen Rock, York County, Pennsylvania. Maretta was a choir member and in 1968 was employed by the church; this information is documented by her application (SS-5) for her Social Security Card.16
Maretta’s husband, Ralph, passed away circa 1969 and was followed by Maretta, 10 August 1982.17 Both are buried in the cemetery at the Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Church, Glen Rock, York County, Pennsylvania.18
While researching Maretta’s life, I wrote a letter to the Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Church. I cannot say enough about the very helpful, courteous, warm and friendly folks there. Immediately after receiving my letter Stuart, Jane and others went to work trying to honor my request for information and possibly a photograph. And, an additional blessing, Maretta’s daughter phoned and she and I had a lovely conversation. Both the church and Maretta’s daughter have sent a photo of Maretta in the choir and a photo of Maretta and her family (ZIEGLER) that had been previously published in their church directory.
I cannot thank the church and Maretta’s daughter enough for receiving a request from a distant relative, yet complete stranger, and being gracious enough to not only honor the request but to be so open to contacting me and sharing some of Maretta’s life and history with me.
That leaves Mary. Two years ago I took a bit of unique approach to trying to find Mary by publishing a Missing Ancestor Report. That post continues to attract attention; exactly what it was designed to do. And, every now and then, I repost it on a genealogy facebook page, in the hopes that a reader will see it and perhaps be able to offer a tip or better yet a clue.
One such clue recently came in . . .
A member of the Staten Island NY Genealogy (Richmond County NY) Facebook Group sent me a private message . . .
“Lindsey Mary
Apr 08
1905 127
Richmond
Found this marriage information for a Mary. The 127 is the record number. Not sure if this helps”
Yes! That looks promising. The Name, Surname, year of Birth were at ‘first blush’ accurate; the month and day were off. Mary was actually born 2 January 1908. I quickly emailed my research collaborator back and asked how she had found Mary? Where did she find Mary? . . .
”I looked on Italian genealogy.org It shows this MARY MARRIED A FRANK J HILL. I'm still searching for you. Sadly it didn't mention parents but maybe searching frank might help? I love to have records as proof as my rule of thumb three records or more. Anyhow let me dig a bit more see if anything comes along:)”
Italiangenealogy.org? I had heard of this site; my understanding was that it was a site that was exclusively geared toward New York City and its five boroughs. Being geographically challenged and not being from New York, I never realized that Staten Island, Richmond County, was part of New York City and its five boroughs. I know, I know. Lesson learned . . . the hard way!
So promising was this clue, I excitedly phoned a genea buddy in California and told her that we’d found Mary! And, the next morning, I went online to find the appropriate form – Italiangenealogy.org, had it on their site – to complete and mail in to request a copy of the marriage license. And, then . . .
While filling out the form, I suddenly and disappointedly realized this was NOT my Mary. The year of the license wasn’t included in the initial information I was sent, but prior to filling out the form, I had searched for Mary on Italiangenealogy.org and learned that the marriage took place in 1920. Back to filling out the form, and that’s when it sunk in . . . 1920? Nope, that couldn’t be my Mary. My Mary LINDSEY was 12 in 1920. And as noted above, she was living on a farm earning her room and board in Upper Allen, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Drats! She is still lost!
The search for Mary continues. My hope is, if you are reading this post, you will also take a few moments to read the Missing Ancestor Report and if anyone has information on Mary please contact me. Contact information can be found under the Surnames and Location Tab at the top of this page. Or, leave a comment here. And, I of course, welcome any suggestions, tips and tricks, that might aid my in finding Mary.
Two leaves restored; returned to the LINDSEY branches of the family tree. I’ll continue to search for Mary’s ‘leaf,’ in the quest to bring four siblings together.
Tracy
____________________________________________________________
Sources:
1Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885-1950," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KHFF-YYT : accessed 4 March 2015), Walter L Lindsey and Margaret E Miller, 30 Jan 1907; citing Marriage, Pennsylvania, county courthouses, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 2,260,850.
2The Democratic Sentinel. http://apa3.olivesoftware.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_BLOOMSBURGD&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=DES/1907/02/05&ChunkNum=-
3Ancestry.com, 1910 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Original data - Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Was), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1910; Census Place: York Ward 1, York, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1435; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0114; Image: 50; FHL microfilm: 1375448. Birth date: 1908
Birth place: Pennsylvania
Residence date: 1910
Residence place: York Ward 1, York, Pennsylvania. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1910uscenindex&h=123204164&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt.
4York, York, Pennsylvania, Birth Certificate, No. 28822, File No. 189736, Registered No. 1032, 2 December 1909, Walter G LINDSEY; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health Vital Statistics.
5Cindy Lobach, York, Pennsylvania to Tracy Meyers, e-mail, 25 June 2012, LINDSEY Family Information, LINDSEY Binder. William Gordon LINDSEY, born 5 November 1910, baptized 24 March 1911., Baptismal Records; privately held by Cindy Lobach, York, Pennsylvania.
6Cindy Lobach, York, Pennsylvania to Tracy Meyers, e-mail, 25 June 2012, LINDSEY Family Information, LINDSEY Binder. Maretta Grace LINDSEY, born 10 July 1913, Baptized 14 June 1914, Baptismal Records; privately held by Cindy Lobach, York, Pennsylvania.
7York, Pennsylvania, Protonotary Court Files, Protonotary 93, April 1919 Docket Entry, scanned copy. 3 March 1919 Walter C LINDSEY vs Margaret E Lindsey, reference divorce from Margaret Ethel LEARN.
8Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Reco), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1920; Census Place: Upper Allen, Cumberland, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1557; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 43; Image: 533.
9Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Reco), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1920; Census Place: Cumberland, Adams, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1507; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 200.
10Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.Original data - Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Reco), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1920; Census Place: York Ward 2, York, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1669; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 120; Image: 220.
11Marriage Indexes, License Number: 694566 "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11754-82532-88?cc=1388247 : accessed 25 December 2014), 1917-1938 > L > image 154 of 245; citi. Proves that Margaret Ethel LEARN and Walter Cleveland LINDSEY are William (Bill) G LINDSEY's parents
12Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626,), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 2116; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 0721; Image: 111.0; FHL microfilm: 2341850
13Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: T627_3694; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 51-222.
14Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012, Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi.
15Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Shrewsbury, York, Pennsylvania; Roll: T627_3644; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 67-83.
16Ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.Original data - Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security D), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Number: 183-44-9305; Issue State: Pennsylvania; Issue Date: 1968-1969
17Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com, Social Security Death Index (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.Original data - Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security D), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Number: 183-44-9305; Issue State: Pennsylvania; Issue Date: 1968-1969
18Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Church (EPC), Alphabetical Listing of Internments, Database, Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Church (EPC) (http://www.bethlehemsteltz.org/cemetery : accessed 7 March 2015), database entry for Maretta Grace Ziegler (1913 – 1982).
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
07 March 2015
15 March 2014
One Year–That was Fast!
Well, technically Family Preserve’s blogiversary was a month ago – 23 February to be exact.
The past ten months were fast-paced. Filled with lots of research on many different limbs and branches of my family tree. In December, it all came to a halt. I had caught up; but worse, I felt as though ‘burn-out’ was setting in. Just before the holidays I had found one or two documents, I ordered them and then set about waiting. But try as I might, until this past week or so, I just couldn’t muster a lot of energy or enthusiasm genealogy research.
While I’ve known from the start that I wanted to look back over my first year of blogging - I kept notes on successes, ‘cousin bating’ and the like. This too failed to initially energize me. Until this week.
This week I received the documents I had ordered before Christmas and a ‘cousin’ contacted me out of the blue after coming across my blog. 
This has gotten me excited again. And, I’ve been climbing and exploring my family tree with renewed vigor.
So, here we go, Family Preserves takes a look back on its first year . . .
Total Published Blog Posts February 2013 – March 2014: 34
My Favorite Posts From this Year:
Not the Waltons or the Ingalls
Postive Results: A direct result of the decision to launch the Family Preserves blog has been positive from the very first. A few examples of this are highlighted below:
Family Preserves launched in February 2013
‘Cousins!’
My research of the BEARDSELLS, LEARN, and McLEAN branches of the family tree yielded ‘cousins!’ ‘Cousins’ is used broadly here and encompasses closer and more distant relationships heretofore unknown.
BEARDSELL In tracing my Great Grandfather, Wallace BEARDSELL’s, entry in the US (Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), I discovered that he and his second wife, Clara, had a daughter together. Lidie Victoria BEARDSELL was my Grandmother’s half-sister. Sadly, I also discovered that she had passed away one year (2012) before I found her. She was 99.
LEARN A short time after the launch of Family Preserves, I found myself caring for my father who had just undergone open-heart surgery. To occupy the hours – mostly to keep from worry – I focused on the LEARN branch of the family tree. And, through a inquiry on one of many genealogy FaceBook pages, a ‘LEARN’ cousin reached out. From that connection I was invited and attended my first LEARN Family Reunion. A reunion equals an endless sea of ‘cousins!’
McLEAN The McLEAN branch of the tree is a collateral line from which I do not directly descend. However, the research of this branch helped solve a mystery, which I’ll get into a bit more detail about shortly.
Inspired an Interest in Genealogy Both with the launch of Family Preserves and finding more information on the families within our tree, there has been an increased interest among family members, that had not seemed interested in the preceding (20) years. The results . . .
Photos Largely due to 50th wedding anniversary that my Aunt and Uncle celebrated in April 2013, my other Aunt went through boxes and boxes of photos an slides. She came across old family albums that my Grandmother had put together and other photographic treasures of both my Grandfather’s (KOONS / KRIEBEL) and Grandmother’s (STARR / RAMER) families. And, she thought of me. SCORE!!
Family Interest Okay, my husband and I have been married 27 years and in all that time, I could never get the tiniest morsel of information out of my Father-in-law about his family. But that all changed January 2013. Prior to our visit that January, a cousin of my husband’s reached out to him on FaceBook, my husband hasn’t seen him since they were children. That is another story for another day. However, my husband had the forethought to mention to Jeff, that I was interested in the family history. Jeff responded by taking the time to write down what he knew – dates, times, places, names, etc. – scanned his scribbled notes and sent them to us. SCORE!!
With that start I was able to start filling in the leaves and branches with the MEYERS / ZEISSLER / STULTZ / VAN BUSKIRK and PATTERSON Families. When we arrived in Pennsylvania for our visit, I shared with my Father-in-law what I had recently learned and that my husband and I were going to make a point of visiting the cemeteries where my husband’s ancestors were buried; first we needed to Google the cemeteries and get the addresses for our GPS. My Father-in-law said, there is no need, I’ll take you and maybe afterward, if you’d like, I’ll show around where I grew up. Yes, I’d like very much. SCORE!!
More Interest On the other side of the family, I was both surprised and pleased when I received an email from my Uncle, he had come across an old photo (circa 1915) of a 4-door sedan convertible filled with KRIEBEL family members. The problem? He didn’t know who any of them were. But he thought of me – the family genealogist. SCORE!!
Ancestor Pages If you’ve read my post Family / Genealogy Addict you’ll note that back in the beginning of 2013 one symptom of my addiction was watching the many and varied genealogy tutorials that were out there on YouTube. One such tutorial, presented by Crista Cowan, was on creating an Ancestor Page on FaceBook. I created two.
One Mystery Solved (sort of) Well, one of many. As we genealogists know, there is a never ending supply of mysteries.
As mentioned earlier I was researching the McLEAN’s a collateral line through marriage. My Grandmother’s sister, Jane Ann (aka Jennie) BEARDSELL married Stanley McLEAN in 1908. When I started my research on this line, I knew that they had one son together, Ralph. I was able to follow the family through the 1910 census but after that . . .
I also knew that Jennie had remarried in 1928; her second husband, William J BROWN, Sr and Jennie had one son together, William J BROWN, Jr. And, I was able to follow the BROWNs in the 1930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Census. Jennie (BEARDSELL) BROWN died 10 February 1940 in Camden Township, Camden, New Jersey. Jennie’s death certificate indicated that she was interred at the Magnolia Cemetery located in the Tacony section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A call to the cemetery office and I learn that Jennie is buried along side her first husband Stanley McLEAN; Stanley died 20 years later in 1963. But, between 1910 and 1930 where in the world was Jennie McLEAN?
I did find Ralph living with his McLEAN Grandparents in Philadelphia on the 1920 census. I located Stanley McLEAN living in New Jersey, listed as a border, but for the life of me, I could not locate Jennie. Where in the World was Jennie McLEAN?
Not having any other leads, I started searching newspaper. However, I didn’t have any specifics to go on, so what did I do? I focused on the years that Jennie went missing, 1911 – 1930, and I searched paper after paper; page after page in both New Jersey and Philadelphia. My genealogybank.com subscription proved helpful here. And, many hours and days later, I found . . .
Stanley McLEAN arrested for assault and Battery and Disertion of his wife and three minor children. Wait, huh, three children? Okay, I knew about Ralph, but who are the other two? But then I remembered that Bill BROWN (Jennie and William BROWN Sr.’s son) had sent me a copy of a Family Tree that he had worked on more than 30 years ago. I got it out and Ralph and Leah McLEAN were listed as Jennie and Stanley’s children. Okay, two down and one to go. Then I remembered that there was a picture in the collection of old family photos; the picture was of my Grandmother’s and Jennie’s brother, George with a little girl – Edna McLEAN! All three children accounted for, yet I didn’t know anything about them and I still hadn’t found Jennie. Where in the World was Jennie McLEAN?
What I think I know today. . .
Leah and Edna McLEAN – I found them on the 1920 U.S. Federal Census living in the Clovernook Children’s Home in Philadelphia
Enda McLEAN – I’ve located a marriage record for Edna that indicates she married Edwin Stanley Ervin on 5 October 1935. This has been my most recent find, I just ordered a copy of the document using familysearch.org’s Family History Library Photo Duplication Request Form. The email I received this morning from the Family History Library indicates that I will have a 4 – 6 week wait. 
Leah - I still haven’t found her anywhere other than in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census.
While none of this is ‘proven’ I am confident that I am on the right track. So, I feel this is a SCORE!!
and lastly . . .
Another collateral line that I’ve delved into just before Christmas is the COSTELLO family. Again, I don’t directly descend from this line, but my Grandmother’s second husband, Edward P COSTELLO was well loved and respected by his daughter and two step-sons. His one step-son, my Dad, specifically asked if I would see what I could find on Ed and the COSTELLO family.
With the exception of Ed’s given name, which I have not been able to nail down – is it Edward Pierce; Pierce or Percy – you can read about that mystery here Crap!! I’ve had some luck . . .
Marriage record for parents (copy recently ordered)
Passport Application w/photo for brother
Philadelphia Passenger List – 1887 Arrival
U.S. Federal Census Records (1900 – 1910)
Death / Obituary Records for Parents
SCORE!!
Okay, so what are my goals for the coming year?
Blog Posts To be specific, more frequent posting.
My struggle this past year has been to post on a regular basis. I have had no problem writing about my research; in truth I have found that to be a successful methodology for me – I’d chronologically go through my research process; documents found; information the documents seemed to corroborate or refute; questions that the documents raised; and the like. This process helped me focus on what I was missing and where I needed to go from there.
Nor do have a problem with blogging about my successes and disappointments. But, what I do struggle with is blogging when there (seemingly) isn’t much to say. I am not good at short ‘chat / FaceBook’ size snippets. And, these past few months – really since November 2013 – my research, as I said at the beginning, has slowed considerably and until recently, it has been a struggle to get back into the tree and posting again on Family Preserves.
I would love to hear from other bloggers . . .
How do you blog daily / frequently when you’re going through a lull or burnout? Or . . .
Do you just blog when you have something to share?
The goal of blogging is to not only document family stories and research but also to get that information out there as ‘cousin bait.’ Right? But, do you worry that if you’re not blogging daily? Am I putting too much pressure on myself thinking about this?
Continued Education
Rootstech 2013 & 2014 This year I discovered Rootstech 2013 and 2014 webinars. I worked my way through all of them. And, I enjoyed them for their tips, tricks and stories.
LiveStream Tutorials I very rarely miss my very favorite genealogist, Crista Cowan’s Tuesday and Thursday tutorials. And, if I do, I catch them on the ancestry.com YouTube Channel. I cannot say enough about the depth and breadth of information that Crista puts out weekly on how to climb your family tree and how to pursue the research of your ancestors. If you have not seen her presentations, I highly recommend them. You can find the schedule for her LiveStream events here Barefoot Genealogist and the link to ancestry.com’s YouTube channel is here ancestry.com Channel.
Google Earth a year ago, I discovered Lisa Louise Cooke and her book “The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox” and her two CD’s “Google Earth Volume 1” and “Google Earth Volume 2.” Okay, I am not tech saavy, so I have been procrastinating . . . I haven’t yet installed the program on my computer. Since then, I have discovered Eric Stitt’s blog Genealogy Through Google Earth. I love 
the idea of mapping out my ancestor’s migration and so much more. Note to self, you must get this on the computer and start using it.!
National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2014 Family History Conference I will be attending my very first genealogy conference of any kind. The NGS conference this year will be held in Richmond, VA – just 2 hours from where I currently make my home. I am so looking forward to it.
All in all Family Preserves has had a good first year and I look forward to what next year will bring . . .
Bring on the ‘cousins!’
Bring on the collaboration!
Bring on more tips and tricks!
Bring on the stories and discoveries!
Bring on the genealogy victories!
I have enjoyed this past year with Family Preserves and its successes, I truly hope you, the reader, have enjoyed the stories and that you’ll continue visiting in the coming year.
Thank you, Tracy
20 July 2013
Mystery Solved . . . almost
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Jane Ann (Jennie) BEARDSELL
9 August 1889 - 10 February 1940
Back in March of this year, I shared the mystery that is my Grand Aunt Jennie (Jane Ann BEARDSELL); the purpose of the post was to help document the pieces of the puzzle that I had and to find the missing pieces, with the goal of putting the puzzle together to see the picture (her story) in its entirety.
Today, I happily share that this family history mystery is solved . . . almost. There is still a glaring hole (mystery) dead center of the puzzle; where is Jennie between 1911 and 1930?
What we now know and how we got there . . .
'Jennie' was born Jane Ann BEARDSELL, 9 August 1889, in Huddersfield, England. Her father, Wallace Arthur BEARDSELL was 26 and her mother, Elizabeth Ann (nee ROWBOTTOM) was 22. On 3 November 1889, Jennie was baptized, Jane Ann BEARDSELL; she was three months (12 weeks) old. The baptismal record states that she and her faily were living at 'David's' Cottage.
Baptismal Record
(ancestry.com)
And, in 1891, Jennie is living in Wooldale, England with her father and mother.
1891 England Census
(ancestry.com)
In 1895 Jennie, her brother George, and their mother, Elizabeth made the journey from the port of Liverpool, England to Pennsylvania, United States and the 'New World.' A journey of 11 days on the American Line, S/S Southwark. Their ship departed the port of Liverpool and the waters of England on 11 April 1895 and arrived the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 21 April 1895.
S/S Southwark
norwayheritage.com/gallery
S/S Southwark Passenger List
ancestry.com
The Immigrant Receiving Station located at the Washington Avenue, Philadelphia waterfront is where I imagine that Wallace Arthur BEARDSELL happily greeted his wife Elizabeth and two children, 5 year old Jennie and one year old, George. Wallace, who immigrated to Pennsylvania two years before, would have walked with his family a short distance to the waterfront neighborhood of Kensington and their new home. It is not currently known why the BEARDSELLs chose to leave their home in England, I can only presume that it was for the promise of better opportunities and employment.
Jennie would again sail the Atlantic in October 1898 with her mother and siblings, George and Edith. The ship, S/S Russia, set sail for Liverpool, England, 29 October 1898. The family would stay in England for a year and four months, setting sail once again for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in February 1900. Again, it is not known, with certainty, why the family returned to England, but I can only assume that it was to visit both the ROWBOTTOM and BEARDSELL families still living in England. Knowing that I don't travel well - any mode of transportation - I can only imagine what it must have been like for the young children and their mother on these trans-Atlantic crossings that were before the more modern and comfortable cruise lines that we know today.
S/S Russia
Library of Congress
S/S Russia Passenger List
ancestry.com
S/S Belgenland
youtube.com/watch?v=mHVzuevn1KY
S/S Belgenland Passenger List
ancestry.com
Sadly, a few short months later (August 1900) Jennie, at the age of 10, would lose her mother to tuberculosis. Eight years later, according to the 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Jennie is married and living with her husband, Stanley McLean and their son, Ralph, in Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey; Jennie is 20. (to date, I have not been able to locate a marriage license or certificate in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey for Jane Ann (Jennie) BEARDSELL and Stanley McLean).
1910 U.S. Federal Census
ancestry.com
And then . . . Jennie disappears.
In 1920, Stanley is living in a boarding house in Paulsboro, Gloucester, New Jersey.
1920 U.S. Federal Census
ancestry.com
And, their son, Ralph, is found living with his grandparents (his father's parents) in the Tacony suburb of Philadephia, Pennsylvania.
1920 U.S. Federal Census
ancestry.com
It is not currently known when Jennie and Stanley separated, nor when their divorce was finalized. While I have looked for Jennie in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; she had a brother, George; a sister Edith and her family; and her father Wallace who all were residents of Philadelphia at the time. I have been unable to account for Jennie's whereabouts between 1911 and 1930 when I next find her.
In 1930, Jennie was 40 years old and living in Merchantville, Camden, New Jersey with her husband William J Brown, Sr. and their son, William, Jr.
1930 U.S. Federal Census
ancestry.com
At the time that the 1930 census was taken, William Brown, Jr. was one year and four months old; having nothing else, at this time, to go by, I am assuming that Jennie and William, Sr. were married on, or about, 1928.
In 1940 at the age of 50 years and 6 months, Jennie passed away; her last known residence was 109 Monroe Street, Delaware Township, Camden, New Jersey. She was survived by her husband, William J Brown, Sr.,; her sons Ralph Stanley Mclean and William J Brown, Jr.; her sister, Edith Rose (nee BEARDSELL) Costello; her brother, George BEARDSELL; and her father, Wallace BEARDSELL.
Death Certificate
Personal Collection - TLCmeyers.blogspot.com
Jane Ann (Jennie) (nee BEARDSELL) Brown is buried alongside her former husband, Stanley McLean in the Magnolia Cemetery in Tacony, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lot 387, Section E, Grave 3.
Questions Remaining:
1. When and where were Jennie and Stanley married?
Pennsylvania? New Jersey?
2. When did Stanley and Jennie separate?
3. When was the divorce between Stanley and Jennie final?
Where were the papers filed?
4. Where in the world was Jennie, between 1911 and 1930?
5. When and where were Jennie and William J Brown married?
New Jersey? Pennsylvania?
If you are a descendant of any, who are listed here, and have information that could shed some light on the remaining questions, I'd love to hear from you. Or, if you are visiting and are working through a similar situation, I'd love to hear your research strategies and how you are working to answer your questions?
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