Tradition...Tradition!

Family reunions are something I wish still happened. It seems that in today's world busyness rules the day. With technology today you would think staying in touch could be the easiest thing. But it seems we are further apart than ever.

In 1980 and 1990 a big family reunion took place in West Virginia with the Durig's. Family members from Switzerland made the trek.

Wishing I could find family across the ocean to connect with even if through a technological reunion.

Let me know if you are a Durig from Switzerland!

Let's Make a Deal

http://mayflowerhistory.com/history-of-the-mayflower/

I am the 10th great-granddaughter of a man who made the original deal in America by signing the Mayflower Compact in 1620. Richard Warren, one whom doesn't have much history about him, was the 12th signature on what can be looked at as our countries first document of governance.

From my research on what others have compiled on Richard Warren there are no definitive connections to any parent he may have had in England. He did leave his wife, Elizabeth Walker, and 5 daughters behind who would join him later in the colony by sailing on the Anne in 1623

My family descends from Nathaniel, his first son and first child born in the colonies in 1624. All of his children lived to be married adults with families and his wife Elizabeth lived to be 90! Richard only lived to  the year 1628 and in all of the primary sources there is barely a thing written about him. However, Elizabeth and her children are documented through records including wills. With his descendants surviving those terribly harsh years he has some of the most descendants credited to him today.

On November 24 my family has the privilege of celebrating the  94th birthday of his 8th great-granddaughter. Although many of us can't see her on that day- we wish her a wonderful day!

What's in a name?

When putting a family tree together you can come across some interesting names. Here are just a few I have found:

Puritans names of the Perry's: 

Remembrance , Freelove , Patience, Fear & Mercy

Prudence Hopson 1750-1860 was my 5th great grandmother 

Barzillai Swift 1745-1822 was my 5th great grandfather. 

Check out the article on Purtitan names in the link. Many Puritan families named children after virtues. My take on the name Fear was probably from the angle of having a "Fear of the Lord". To me a reverential fear.

Barzillai's name comes from the Bible, Hebrew name meaning "iron hearted". In English it appears to be pronounced (BAHR-zeel-yə)

http://www.behindthename.com/glossary/view/puritan_names

http://www.behindthename.com/name/barzillai/submitted

German:

Sidonia Braviers 1631-1717  with some interesting info on that name in this link. http://obscurebabynames.blogspot.com/2011/09/sidonia.html

Scotch/Irish:

Curan Ardelia Carothers 1850-1903  I can only find spelling Curran which is usually a male name https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curran_(surname)#

Welsh:

Rees Davies 1771-?

 Could it have become a first name from a mothers maiden name? Rees generally was a last name with variations. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rees

Biblical:

Absolom Titus Cain 1846-1918- Absolom from Hebrew "my father is peace" Titus, biblical companion of Paul

Magdalena Bokers 1650-1717

Rare Names:

Venna Brannan 1900-? only 5 women in 1900 named Venna. 

http://www.nameslist.org/english/names-meaning/Venna

Esthafina Johnson 1847-? No information on this spelling found. Many countries use something similar as the female version of  Stephen

Orphelia Johnson 1851-? No information on this spelling found. Could this have been Ophelia?

Be sure to leave a comment with any interesting names in your family tree. Do you know where they originate from or their meaning?

To be, or not to be...a Huguenot...that is the question

I have come to an impasse, until I can find more sources. Could the Rulong's descend from a Huguenot?

Ancestry.com

With possible name changes along the way how can I get concrete evidence that I am on the right track? I am certain of my pedigree back to Aaron Rulong (1768-1822) but then things get a little fuzzy. Based on some other trees the lineage looks like the above. My curiosity feels the need to dig deeper and verify this.

According to The Huguenots or early French in New Jersey, Ruel was the only protestant in his family and he was smuggled on to a ship bound for America.I am not sure how then someone with the same name appears on a ship manifest...unless that was the only way to get him past some type of security and he actually was named on the ship record? Big old mystery to me. Something I am looking forward to investigating!

http://www.clipartpanda.com/clipart_images/great-week-ahead-detective-2032146

We're Coming to America!

The Fitton's Arrive

In November 1848 the Fitton's arrive from the port in Liverpool, England to the port in Baltimore, Maryland. Below is the passenger list where #54 James Fitton and #55 Mary my 4th great-grandfather and grandmother listed along with #60 Luke my 3rd great-grandfather and his siblings.

Ancestry.com, "Baltimore, Passenger List, 1820-1948 and 1954-1957," Ancestry.com Operations Inc, Ancestry.com (2006), National Archives and Record Administration, Records of the US Customs Service, RG36: Series: M255: Roll 6

They arrived on the Steamship S.S. Scotia. I haven't been able to identify yet how long their voyage was.

Postcard purchased from eBay

However long the trip may have been the passengers were gracious to take out a classified ad in the Baltimore Sun to say thank you. And yep that is my 4th great-grandfather co-named in representing the passengers.

Hopefully the graciousness genes of my ancestors has passed on to us.

John V. Davies - Son of the Craig

Davis - Jones and Allied Families Genealogy Lineage¹

John Vincent Davies is my 3rd great-grandfather. He was born in Morriston, Glamorgan,Wales 20 April 1816. His father was David Davies I born in Treboeth, Wales in 1771. Davis seems to have had the nickname "The Craig" or "The Rock". In the great book I have it talks about generations of the family being workers in iron and steel.

John V. Davies left with his wife  Mary and 5 boys landing in New York, moving to Detroit and Pittsburgh before settling in Wheeling, WV. Clearly you can see these are cities that were hubs of the steel industry. 

Charlotte Ann Davis, my 2nd great-grandmother, was born in Wheeling, WV 18 December 1858. She was the 9th of 14 children! Notice the name change from Davies to Davis. 

¹ Schnitzke, Edith., Davis - Jones and Allied Families Genealogy Lineage (Beauchamp House, Los Angeles, 1950) pp. 15, 18-19, 26-27

Here is a link to worldcat.com for where hard copies of the book are located

Joseph Tomlinson-Pioneer

Growing up in a small town in West Virginia I took for granted the deep roots I had in the places I passed each day that my kin had founded. It never connected, until I moved away, how rich a history I had right in my sights.

Joseph Tomlinson 

5th Great Grandfather

12 Oct 1745-30 May 1825

This gentleman was the founder of Elizabethtown that became Moundsville. The Junior High I went to (former Moundsville High School) was the area in which he originally settled. Not only that Tomlinson Avenue is where my grandma lived. How many thousands of times did I pass this location with no clue!

Every once in a while I heard speculation of being related (through the Alexanders) but now I know for sure.

If you are looking for information on the Tomlinsons of Moundsville, WV maybe I can help. I will post more as I go.