(1) We all have eight biological great-grandparents. Where and when were they born, where and when did they marry, and where and when did they die?
Well, we may all have eight great-grandparents biologically, but that doesn't mean we know who all eight of those people are.
Paternal Great-grandparents
• Someone, probably a man named Mundy. No idea when or where he was born or died. He did not marry my great-grandmother.
She was Laura May Armstrong, who was born May 7, 1882 in Bustleton, Florence Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. She was married at least once, November 7, 1903, to Cornelius Elmer Sellers (the only father my grandfather knew), in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey. She died October 23, 1970 in Niceville, Okaloosa County, Florida.
• Thomas Kirkland Gauntt was born May 23, 1870 in Fairview, Medford Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. He died January 21, 1951 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.
He married Jane Dunstan on September 2, 1891 in Greenland, Camden County (I think), New Jersey. She was born April 28, 1871 in Manchester, Lancashire, England and died August 1, 1954 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.
Maternal Great-grandparents
• Morris Mackler (originally Moishe Meckler) was born about 1882, probably in Kamenets Litovsk, Grodno gubernia, Russian Empire (now Kamyanyets, Belarus). He died July 27, 1953 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
He married Minnie Zelda Nowicki (originally Mushe Zelda[?] Nowicki) about 1903, possibly in Porozowo, Grodno gubernia, Russian Empire (now Porazava, Belarus). She was born about 1880, probably in Porozowo. She died August 4, 1936 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
• Joe Gordon (originally Joine Gorodetsky) was born about 1892, probably in Kamenets Podolsky, Podolia, Russian Empire (now Kamianets Podilskyi, Ukraine). He died May 2, 1955 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.
He married Sarah Libby Brainin (originally Sore Leiba Brainin) on April 4, 1914 in Manhattan, New York County, New York. She was born about 1890, possibly in Kreuzburg, Courland, Russian Empire (now Krustpils, Latvia). She died July 23, 1963 in Miami, Dade County, Florida.
Five of my great-grandparents were immigrants to the United States, four from the Russian Empire and one from England. Two of my great-grandparents were Jerseyites through and through. And I still don't know the name of my paternal grandfather's biological father. His adoptive father was born in Philadelphia but lived most of his life in New Jersey.
On my father's side, the three great-grandparents about whom I have information all died in New Jersey. On my mother's side, three of them died in Brooklyn, while the one who died most recently moved to Miami after she was widowed and died there.
Like me, you have several Eastern European greats. I've been studying records from my family's villages and am amazed at the strength they had to leave a very rough life at home for a totally different life in the U.S. Our ancestors were made of sturdy stuff.
ReplyDeleteThey definitely were. And they were in the minority: Most people stayed put. We're descended from the ones brave enough to try something new.
DeleteI do hope you find that bio great grandfather some day.
ReplyDeleteI haven't given up yet. That's a good sign, right? :)
DeleteI too have Eastern European roots :)
ReplyDeleteAt first I read Kremenets, not Kamanets...my dad was born in the former (when it had its Polish name, Krzemieniec)...I wonder how close the two places are?
According to Google Maps, they're about 140 miles apart. :)
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