Things To Come In 2012

William Noah Crow and Fannie Mae Whitten (ca. 1903) - g grandparents

Beginning my quest of discovery this year to go back to my roots has been an awarding experience beyond measure. I began with a major thrust last winter and never looked back.  Making this all the more interesting, I began to pursue the families of all four of my grandparents.  The number of individuals and families has become massive and it may take my lifetime to completely analyze all of my sources.  I'm no professional genealogist and they would likely say that I need to correct my methods and source collection - among other things.  But that too is all the process of discovery. I've slowed my research a bit to begin to pace myself and to try to patch up informational and procedural mistakes before I go further.  Yes, I've made mistakes, and there will be mistakes found as you go through the links to the family trees, but I view these as only beginnings and items to be corrected.  However, I need the help of my cousins, and aunts, and uncles, to assist me in this endeavor.  

The Phil Erwin's Family Story website is only the beginning.  This Plains Holly Tree blog is intended to convey stories handed to me or learned by me during the process of discovery. I am proud to hold the record here and to share it with all my relatives. But I am also sharing with scores of people who are on their own missions of discovery as well.  Several distant cousins from the Crow, Street, and Erwin lineage have now contacted me via their search as they discovered these sites, and they are telling me much about our common ancestors.  My parents and their siblings have found a renewed interest to rediscover their past and their memories.  I think this can only grow from here out.

I have started something here I would love to see grow into a movement by my cousins.  In the coming year, I will endeavor to find the best solution to provide each of my cousins a place to come and to write about memories and stories of our ancestors. This can be a diary of memories. It will not just be my story of discovery, but yours as well. My intent would be to provide a single place to just come and write, or send scanned documents, for sharing. I also encourage each of the younger cousins who would like to start their own sites, or might like to contribute to this one, to reach out to our elders and begin to convey their information to paper or to digital storage.  Let's discover our lost treasures of photos and other documents and begin to share with each other.  There is a wealth of memories and shared history to give to each other.  In the process,  I believe this will also bring us back together.

This work is a gift to myself.  But it is also my gift to all of my family.  I've learned in rediscovering my cousin Lynette, whom I had not seen in so many years, that there is great warmth and strength in the bond of family. It has never lost us.  We lose each other.  There is much for us to rediscover and to find anew. There are lifetimes of stories to share with each other.  I hope you will find my website as a beginning for this endeavor and we can build up from this foundation. 

Hardy Street - g grandfather

For 2012, you can access my Ancestry.com page, 'Erwin/Street - Howard/Crow of Oklahoma' .  It also has Ricard links for my wife, Mary. Yes, I've been busy.  It's also accessible at a link at the bottom of the Family Story main web page. If you want to start your own search, I recommend you try my 'Reference and Other Genealogical Research Sites' page for starting places.  The Google form at the top is handy in trying to use Google Search to find information on family.  There's a lot of information out there beyond Ancestry.com and other genealogy web sites.  The great thing about genealogical research is that everyone helps each other.

Ancestry.com has some new items coming up for 2012 which is working to make it more useful to researchers everywhere. Everyone is all excited about the 1940 census coming online later this Spring and there will be multiple ways to access those records.  It's important to note that you don't have to have a paid subscription to any site to be successful in your research, but they can have conveniences you might find helpful.  It's not only about accessing records, but having them organized and traced with other families.  You can access the earlier census records on Internet Archive (a free site), but digging through them - and knowing the right one - is the chore. Find the paths of least resistance and you'll be less frustrated.

David Jackson Howard and Helen Warhurst Howard - g g grandparents

Finally, in 2012, I hope to find the courage, the time, and the resources, to be able to go find people and locations and share and talk about our ancestors.  To date, I have done very little outside of web research and collecting the known information from relatives, like Uncle Lawrence, who have committed great time and resources to discover our past.  At some point, I have to go down the roads not yet traveled.  This is the true great journey still before me.  I hope from my heart you will share in this exploration with me.

Any guesses?

The French Ricard Invasion

It has been several months since I last updated the GEDCOM files for the Erwin/Howard genealogy page so I thought it was about time I brought us up to speed on the research to date.  It's been a slow summer for finding new information on Howards, Crows, Streets and Erwins, though I did post a few discoveries on this blog.

As to the French invasion, I resolved to begin an investigation into the allied families of my wife Mary. Her family name through her father is Ricard which migrated in the mid-nineteenth century to America (around Rutland, Vermont) from the Montreal, Canada vicinity.  The Ricard name, of French origin, had established itself near Montreal by an immigrant named Jean Ricard in 1664 after he arrived there on the Dutch ship Le Noir.  Jean Ricard was not a Huguenot of the group that had settled in America (discussed in a previous posting), but was devoted to the Catholic faith. Although you will find names going further back to southern France on my ancestral charts, I have not been able to substantiate the parentage of Jean with any accuracy. It's pure speculation and picked up form other sources. I'll leave the information on the tree for confirmation.

There was one critical link between Edward Ricard (Mary's g-grandfather) and the family Fortier I found in the 1900 census that confirmed the Ricard family linkage established in The Ricard of North America website.  I was able to find more information on the Van Guilder family from an old post honoring Mary's great-grandparents,  Raymond Van Guilder (1885-1978) and Mary Durham (1890-1982).  Raymond's father, James Franklin Van Guilder (1845-1924), was a Civil War veteran of Company G of the Vermont Volunteer Cavalry.  Since I have ancestors (the Phillips) who also came through Vermont not far from Rutland, I'm intrigued to find if there might be any connections with Mary's extended families from the past two centuries.

James Franklin Van Guilder (1845-1924)

I have not yet begun to scratch the surface on the Garza side of the family. Mary's mother, Andrea, passed just last year, and I hope to be able to establish a solid family tree in her honor. There is a rich heritage from southern Texas and Mexico waiting to be discovered.

Anyway, the main website is now updated and the family tree is loaded with over 1800 names now listed. I've added a new Ricard/Garza page that is currently under construction as is much of the other individual family sites that haven't had much touch up since last Spring. I'll try to have more done on those before Thanksgiving so family can have access for our big gatherings. I'm learning more and more about using Google Sites web pages and beginning to realize the potential uses of them.

The family is having difficulty looking into the history of our dear Fannie Mae Whitten (Crow) who was born in Purcell, Oklahoma in 1888. This seems to be my 'brick wall' that is the most frustrating to address. I have also stalled my search on finding the immigrant Howard who first settled these shores. There tends to be plenty of confusion by the time we get back to Kentucky who came from where.  The earlier Crow, before John Crow (1765-1864), is also still a mystery as I have serious doubts to some connections that were made to an Isaac Crow of the Sabine River, Texas, at the beginning of the 19th century.

I'm learning new tools as I go deeper into genealogy and yet I feel I've only scratched the surface.  Fortunately, new databases are coming online and I'm getting anxious to start digging into the 1940's census records when they become available early next year.  It's exciting times for the genealogist - no matter your level of involvement or skill.

The Orphans of John Nelson Erwin

I suppose it is in the history of all families we find the stories of children facing the death of a parent. We see this recorded in my families and notably on this blog several times in the stories of Rufina Vincent and Nancy Street.  It is through the 'Robert Woodley Family History Web Site' that I was able to find record of the death of John Nelson Erwin (1789 - 1841) and how his large family was placed under the care of another. As it is with genealogy, many of our discoveries are found from the detailed work of our far distant cousins. Though I found some collected data in this source that may not be correct (namely, the history of the family in America before John Erwin), the recorded documents by the courts speak for themselves.

John, a young farmer of Pennsylvania, was married to Susan Bailey (1796-1885) on December 4, 1814.  Peter Erwin, their first born in 1817 (and my great-great grandfather), would later lead his own family westward to settle near Tecumseh, Nebraska. In the years after the birth of Peter, Julia Ann, Rebecca, Hannah, Else, Susanah, Jacob, Christiana, Charles, and John, Jr. came along before the elder John Erwin died in 1841.  

The following was recorded.

"Book D, page 211, Orphan’s Court January Term AD 1842

A summary of the minor heirs of John Erwin:

Minor children under the age of 14:

Jacob Erwin
Christiana Erwin
Else Erwin
Charles Erwin
John Erwin

Minor children over the age of 14:

Hannah Erwin
Julian Erwin
Susanah Erwin

Children, not minors, mentioned in this or in other Court documents:

Peter Erwin, listed as their next friend
Rebecca Erwin, listed as the wife of George Richart in signing off on a deed.

Note that Jacob Bailey, named as guardian, was probably the brother of Susan Bailey, the mother of the children and widow of John Erwin.

Petition of Peter Erwin for Guardian for the Minor Children of John Erwin Deceased

The Petition of Jacob Erwin, Christiana Erwin, Else Erwin, Charles Erwin & John Erwin by their next friend Peter Erwin 

Humbly showeth that the said Jacob Erwin, Christiana Erwin Else Erwin, Charles Erwin & John Erwin otherwise late of said County Decd. all under the age of fourteen Plead That the said Minors have no person legally authorized to take charge of their persons and Estates, therefore the said Peter Erwin, in behalf of the said Minors, prays the Court to appoint some suitable person as Guardian for the purposes written mentioned and he will ever pray the etc. - Peter Erwin July 5th AD 1842.

Petition made and the Court appoint Jacob Bailey Guardian for the Minor Children as set forth in said petition etc. direct him to give bail in the sum of $500 each Samuel Bellman approved as bail.

by the Court, E. Youngman, Clk

Petition of Hannah Erwin, Julian Erwin, Susan Erwin for Guardian

The Petition of Hannah Erwin, Julian Erwin & Susanah Erwin 

Respectfully represents That your Petitioners are Minors Children of John Erwin late of said County Decd. that they are above the age of fourteen years state they have no person legally authorized to take care of their persons and Estates and they pray the Court state they may be permitted to make choice of a Suitable Guardian for that purpose and they will pray etc. - Hannah Erwin, Julian Erwin, Peter Erwin for Susanna Erwin.

July 5th AD 1842. 

by the Court E. Youngman Clk

Petition read and the Court give leave to choose whereupon the Minors Choose Jacob Bailey and the Court approve & direct him to give bail in the sum of $500 for each Minor. Samuel Bellman approved as bail."

It appears that Susan Bailey received assistance from her brother(?), Jacob Bailey for a period of years after John's death. However, a later recording indicates that Jacob Bailey would pass away and a new person was appointed to care for the young Erwin children. Peter Erwin, the eldest brother, was nearby to support his mother and his siblings.

"Book E pg 25, Nov term 1846

Susan Erwin widow of John Erwin comes to the court and says that Jacob Bailey is now deceased. Needs a new guardian for children. Charles Tallman is appointed."

All of the children would eventually grow up and find themselves married to raise their families in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, or move on to distant places.  Peter had married Mary Goodlander in 1838.  He, with his family, would go west with his young brother Charles, to Jo Daviess County, Illinois and eventually Nebraska.  Peter's eldest son William, who was just two years of age when John Erwin passed on, would be killed at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee in 1863.  Having successfully raised her children with the support of the family and local community, Susan Bailey died in 1885 in Jo Daviess County.

Note:  I found a record of a Charles Tallman in the Lycoming Co. area, but it is unclear if this would be the same person. There are connections of the Tallman and Bailey families in Pennsylvania and this may be a Charles Tallman cousin.

Genealogy Site Rankings

A fellow blogger has made a compilation of the global rankings of a selection of genealogy-related websites.  Link in and begin your search.  I've also listed them below.  My favorite sites are noted in bold.

Most of these websites are not linked on the reference page of my website.

ancestry.com 1,103, (1,076), (984)

myheritage.com 3,524, (4,573), (3,886) - My site is basic and not yet built.

geni.com 7,768 (7,068), (8,086)

familysearch.org 8,497, (9,138), (9,120)

genealogy.com 12,295, (12,691), (12,190)

archives.gov 17,366 (17,053), (18,209) - recently upgraded with census records.

ancestry.co.uk  15,944, (17,199), (17,243)

nationalarchives.gov.uk 21,600, (21,801), (18,550)

23andme.com  41,077, (38,146), (41,700)

genesreunited.co.uk 50,347, (51,699), (46,279)
ancestry.ca 54,036, (51,631), (42,325)

familytreedna.com  57,972, (67,246), (80,397)

findmypast.co.uk  68,220, (69,394), (81,411)

cyndislist.com 116,532, (101,523), (86,990)

eogn.com 135,238, (123,589), (150,226)

jiapu.com 129,664, (176,217), (168,666)
genuki.org.uk 177,305, (194,673), (193,436)
freebmd.org.uk 178,177, (204,998), (212,655)

familytreemaker.com 216,098, (198,889), (161,170)

worldvitalrecords.com 205,946, (250,031), (175,547)

familytreemagazine.com 296,260, (309,746), (201,288)
cwgc.org 304,733, (307,860), (527,236)

legacyfamilytree.com 325,569, (334,563), (273,131)

automatedgenealogy.com 471,773, (452,499), (296,376)

rootsmagic.com 528,067, (469,630), (372,173) - excellent free tree builder. 

ngsgenealogy.org 292,785, (507,702), (770,719)
americanancestors.org 568,638, (413,274), (276,418)
genealogyintime.com 615,133, (839,046), (784,440)

geneabloggers.com 671,941, (635,502), (438,407)

genealogywise.com 702,073 (895,754), (525,834)

whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com 1,023,413, (993,634), (994,049)

sog.org.uk 1,050,849, (965,288), (708,746)

globalgenealogy.com 1,101,224, (1,019,853), (830,338)

ffhs.org.uk 1,201,950, (1,210,668), (1,267,779)
anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com 1,407,276, (1,624,999), (2,418,382)
scottishancestry.blogspot.com 1,414,288, (-), (-)

ogs.on.ca 1,487,132, (1,440,397), (1,289,655)

genealogicalstudies.com 1,555,150, (1,328,035), (1,093,695)
rootsuk.com  2,030,679, (2,724,618), (1,340,610)
bcgcertification.org 2.329.800, (1,874,498), (1,601,646)

family-tree.co.uk  2,407,513, (1,684,518) (1,836,425)

lostcousins.com 2,427,784, (1,815,516), (2,677,921)

deceasedonline.com 2,452,985, (1,902,137), (1,648,569)
bifhsgo.ca 2,541,927 (4,938,796), (7,145,992)

familychronicle.com  2,763,979, (2,224,075), (1,881,611)
arcalife.com 2,803,254, (2,343,474), (2,356,437)

bcgs.ca 3,361,982 (3,459,358), (3,313,414)

internet-genealogy.com  10,981,334, (10,510,651), (3,234,636)

qfhs.ca 12,118,104, (9,884,139), (6,654,860)

Historical Recordings Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Historical Recordings Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

The Howard Family and The Huguenots

The Huguenot Cross

In my short time of conducting our family tree(s), I've come across some interesting branching that not only links our heritage to Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland but go to other shores.  The Oklahoma Howard lineage also has some connections to German (Trout) and French ancestry.  The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia is the standard bearer in America for helping us understand the history of the people of France who had escaped the worst kinds of religious persecution.  

The family ties to the Huguenots includes five generations of Allegre's:

HOWARD - Monroe Howard - David Charles Howard - Helen WARHURST - Rufina VINCENT - Elizabeth ALLEGRE - Giles Allegre - Matthew Andrew Allegre - James Giles Allegre - GILES ALLEGRE.

Who were the Huguenots? The Society provides details and resources to help learn more about them.  

"In France as early as 1522 certain clergy and laity became so concerned with the worldliness within the Established Church of France that they sought reforms. This having failed, they began to withdraw and form congregations which they felt adhered more closely to the Bible. The French Court and the Church were allies and considered the Reformers heretics, calling them Huguenots in ridicule. Persecutions became so severe that hundreds fled to other countries rather than give up their new faith. After two tragic massacres King Henry IV granted them the Edict of Nantes in 1598. This Edict gave them limited religious and civic privileges. Afters his death in 1610 the extreme persecutions were renewed. In 1685 Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes thus outlawing the Reformers. Hundreds of thousands escaped under drastic circumstances to friendly countries, many of whom reached the American Colonies.

In 1700 King William III, and other prominent leaders of London, concerned with the welfare of the Huguenots who reached England, made possible the emigraiton to manakintown. The first settlers came on the "Mary and Ann" and "Ye Peter and Anthony." Some who came on the "Nassau" and two other ships also settled at Manakintown.

The Virginia House of Burgesses granted them 10,000 acres for homes and farms on the south side of the James River west of subsequent Richmond. On December 5, 1700 the House of Burgesses established King William Parish and the church which became manakin Episcopal Church. The first church building was erected in 1701 on glebe land granted for that purpose. The present brick building, the fifth church building, is modeled after Col. William Byrd's Church at Westover. The Parish House is nearby. manakin Church is the only congregation in King William Parish."

Giles Allegree is listed as a 'qualified Huguenot ancestor' for purposes of tracing a connection to the Virginia colony and is important for seeking membership into the society. I have yet to pursue the question of membership qualifications for members from our family, but this will be a matter for consideration once I can provide confirmations of my research to date. Membership is not my goal but I am looking to learn more of a bit of history of America that I have never explored.  I also wish to learn more about Giles and his parentage, and the region of France (Lyons) from which he originated. 

Before this is over, I may wish I would have learned French.

Charles Page and The Home

In 1903 Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Hardie Street and Margaret Kennedy married and started their lives together in Phillips, a town just south of Coalgate. They had six children, with a seventh on the way, when Hardie died suddenly of a stroke on December 8, 1917. Hardie was buried near his mother, Nancy (who had died just two years earlier), in Rose Hill Cemetery in Wapanucka. As harsh as this was, times were to become much more desperate for Margaret and her family. On February 13, 1918, her new son William Hardy was born.

Charles Page, a man building a fortune in oil, had planned and built the city of Sand Springs and was sharing his wealth with the orphans of Tulsa County. He had built a dormitory, called 'the home', where the children he rescued from a failed orphanage could be raised with many of the same opportunities as more fortunate children. Aside from the dormitory, he built a widows colony in 1912 to provide shelter and aid for widowed and divorced women with children to support.  The colony had a chapel and nursery and provided for free rent and utilities and a quart of milk per child per day.

Margaret learned of the home and made the decision to travel north to Sand Springs where she and her family would find a new start and have hope of staying together.  However, the sorrows did not end as Margaret's toddler son, William, died in 1919.  Margaret did all she could do to keep her children safe and fed, but how she could keep her six children together without the help of Charles Page and the colony is uncertain. She worked as a laundress to make her way while the 'Charles Page Home' provided for the additional care and education of the children, the oldest of which, Dreada, was fifteen.  She did not give up and the children would grow up healthy and ready to venture on to their new lives.

Margaret's second daughter, Nancy Lou, or 'Nanny', was my grandmother who, from all accounts, was a most loving and caring soul who gave her all for her family.  Perhaps some of that love was grown from knowing the generosity of another caring soul like Charles Page.

Sand Springs Home is going strong still today, nearly 100 years later, providing hope for desperate and divided families. The legacy of Charles Page lives on in not only in the city he built, but for the many lives given hope.