Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Did Your Grandparents Know Their Grandparents?

We have a really fun challenge today for Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.

1.  Marie Cooke Beckman on her blog, MarieB's Genealogy Blog--Southeastern USA, asked and answered this question, and it is right up the SNGF alley:  Did your grandparents know their grandparents?  Thank you for the idea, Marie!

2.  Tell us about your grandparents and their grandparents in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook post.  Please leave a link on this post if you write your own post.

This is a really cool topic!  I love it!

My maternal grandparents were Abraham Meckler (1912–1989) and Lillyan "Lily" E. Gordon (1919–2006).

• Abraham Meckler's maternal grandparents were Gershon Itzhak Nowicki (c. 1856–1948) and Dube Yelsky (c. 1848–1936).  Gershon and Dube immigrated to the United States in 1922 and lived in Brooklyn.  They changed the spelling of their family name to Novitzky, and Dube used the name Dora.  My grandfather knew both of them.  My maternal uncle Gary Meckler, who was born in 1951, was named after Gershon.

• Abraham's paternal grandparents were Simcha Dovid Mekler and Beila (birth and death years unknown for both).  They both died in Europe, almost definitely before my grandfather was born, and he never met them.

• Lillyan Gordon's maternal grandparents were Mendel Hertz Brainin (c. 1862–1930) and Ruchel Dvojre Jaffe (c. 1868–1934).  The immigrated separately to the United States in 1906 and lived in Manhattan.  They used the secular names Morris/Max and Rachel Dorothy, and my grandmother knew both of them.  She was born in their house.

• Lily's paternal grandparents were Avigdor Gorodetsky (c. 1863–1925) and Esther Leah Schneiderman (c. 1867–1908).  Esther Leah was my grandmother's birth name, following the Ashkenazi tradition of naming after a deceased ancestor (my grandmother changed her name as an adult).  Esther Leah's death was what precipitated the chain migration of this branch of my family to the United States.  Avigdor came in 1914 and changed his name to Victor Gordon.  My grandmother knew him, and I have a big family photo with the two of them in it.

My paternal grandparents were Bertram "Bert" Lynn Sellers, Sr. (1903–1995) and Anna Gauntt (1893–1986).

• Anna Gauntt's maternal grandparents were Frederick Cleworth Dunstan (1840–1873) and Martha Winn (1837–1884).  They both died in England before my grandmother was born, and she never knew them.

• Anna's paternal grandparents were James Gauntt (1831–1899) and Amelia Gibson (c. 1831–1908).  Everyone lived in Mount Holly, New Jersey and the nearby vicinity.  Since Anna was born in 1893 and James died in 1899, there's a reasonable chance she knew him.  Amelia died when my grandmother was 15 years old, so I'm pretty sure she knew her.

• Bertram Sellers' maternal grandparents were Sarah Ann Deacon Lippincott (1860–aft. 1904) and Joel Armstrong (c. 1849–c. 1921).  I don't know if he knew them.  I don't have documented dates of death for either person or confirmation that they were divorced, which I believe to be the case.  I suspect he might have known his grandmother; I'm pretty sure she's in the household with Grandpa's mother in 1900, so his mother was apparently on speaking terms with her mother.  If I have researched the correct person, his grandfather remarried and had a second family, so maybe he didn't know them, but I really don't know.

• Bert's biological paternal grandparents are still unknown to me, as I have not yet determined his biological father.  His adoptive father's parents were Cornelius Godschalk Sellers (1845–1877) and Catherine "Kate" Fox Owen (1849–c. 1923).  As Cornelius died so young, none of his grandchildren knew him.  Kate had a second husband, George W. Moore (1840–1920).  Bert did know Kate, and we have a photo of her.  In fact, she's the person who paid for his father's funeral, as he also died very young.  It's reasonable to believe that Grandpa probably knew George Moore, even though we don't have a photo of him, as Grandpa's brother was named after George.  I was told that Grandpa's father loved his stepfather so much that he named his second son George Moore Sellers after him.  That certainly suggests he was around the family.

And I am proud to say that I didn't need to look up any of the above information except some of the birth and death years.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Ancestor Photographs

We're going on another scavenger hunt through our family hstory holdings for this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun with Randy Seaver!

Here is your assignment, if you choose to play along (cue the Mission:  Impossible! music):

(1) How many ancestors do you have photographs of?  What is your oldest ancestor photo (the year it was taken)?

(2) Tell us in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or on Facebook.  Be sure to leave a comment with a link to your blog post on this post.

At first I (mis)read this challenge to be how many photos do you have of each ancestor, instead of how many ancestors!  I was thinking, How in the world am I going to count all those photos Zadie took before the end of the day today?  Phew, thank goodness I only need to figure out which ancestors had photos taken of them.

• Parents (Bertram Lynn Sellers, Jr.; Myra Roslyn Meckler):  I have many of both, going back to childhood, teenage years, marriage, and later, including after their divorce.

• Paternal grandparents (Bertram Lynn Sellers, Sr.; Anna Gauntt):  A good number for each of them individually and one of them together.  I think the oldest are for their teenage years (none when they were children), and then throughout their lives.

• Maternal grandparents (Abraham Meckler, Lillyan E. Gordon):  Many of my grandmother (a lot taken by my grandfather), very few of my grandfather.  The ones of my grandmother go back to when she was fairly young.  I have one of my grandfather when he was 13 and then only three or four during young adulthood, but I have many more from while he was married to my grandmother.

• Great-grandparents (Cornelius Elmer Sellers versus Mr. X; Laura May Armstrong):  Only one of Elmer Sellers, my grandfather's adoptive father and the only father he knew; it is with Laura Armstrong.  Mr. X, my grandfather's biological father, is as yet unidentified.  A few of Laura May Armstrong, mostly later in life.

• Great-grandparents (Thomas Kirkland Gauntt, Jane Dunstan):  A couple for each of them when they were younger, and then several during their life together.  I think I have cousins with more photos of Thomas Gauntt.

• Great-grandparents (Morris Mackler [Moishe Meckler], Minnie [Mushe] Zelda Nowicki):  One photo each of Morris and Minnie.

• Great-grandparents (Joe Gordon [Joine Gorodetsky], Sarah Libby [Sore Leibe] Brainin):  A few of them here in the States, including two from before they were married (one is an engagement photo).  One of Sarah in Europe circa 1905.

• Great-great-grandparents (Catherine Fox Owen, Cornelius Gottschalk Sellers):  One of Catherine (Owen) Sellers, none of Cornelius Sellers.

• Great-great-grandparents (Joel Armstrong, Sarah Ann Deacon Lippincott): One that has been identified as them, but I'm not sure the identification is correct.

• Great-great-grandparents (James Gauntt, Amelia Gibson):  One of James Gauntt, none of Amelia Gibson (although cousins might have photos of her).

• Great-great-grandparents (Frederick Cleworth Dunstan, Martha Winn):  None.

• Great-great-grandparents (Simcha Dovid Meckler, Baila):  None.

• Great-great-grandparents (Gershon Itzhak Nowicki, Dube Yelsky):  Two different photographs of them as a couple, one from Europe and one from the United States.

• Great-great-grandparents (Victor Gordon [Avigdor Gorodetsky], Esther Leah Schneiderman):  Two or three of Victor Gordon, one of them from Europe, which includes Esther Leah.

• Great-great-grandparents (Morris [Mendel Hertz] Brainin, Rose Dorothy [Ruchel Dvoire] Jaffe):  One of Rose Dorothy Jaffe in Europe; one of the two of them in New York City.

• Great-great-great-grandparents:  Only one possibility, 3x-great-grandfather Gersh Wolf Gorodetsky.  What I have is a photo of a photo, so dating it accurately is pretty much impossible.  It being of Gersh Wolf is my best guess based on the little bit of information I have.

I think the oldest photo I have is the one of Avigdor Gorodetsky and Esther Leah Schneiderman in Kamenets Podolskiy, Russian Empire, circa 1890.  And I counted a total of 25 ancestors of whom I have photographs.

I really should talk to cousins about getting more copies of photographs.

Twelve Mothers

Significant Anniversaries of 2020

Genealogists collect dates and facts about our relatives, but instead of just filing them away and forgetting about them, it's good to think about them and remember them, tell the stories of what happened.  So as I did last year, I searched through my family tree program to see what milestones from my family's history will occur this year.  Unlike last year, there's a good balance between events from my father's and my mother's sides of the family, which is good, so people don't think I'm researching only one side.

150 Years Ago

My paternal great-grandfather Thomas Kirkland Gauntt, son of James Gaunt and Amelia Gibson, was born May 23, 1870 in Fairview, Medford Township, Burlington County, New Jersey.  He was the father of my paternal grandmother.  I've written about him a few times before on my blog:  I celebrated when I found his birth registration on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City; I have found him in eleven censuses (but no 1890); and I created a timeline based on all the records I have found for him.  I'm also fortunate to have a few photographs of him.  I did not know him, because he died before I was born, but my father remembered him well.

My great-great-grandparents Cornelius Godschalk Sellers (son of Franklin Peter Sellers and Rachel Godshalk) and Catherine Fox Owen (daughter of William Owen and Sarah Fox) were married in January 1870, most likely in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I don't write about the Sellerses as much as I used to, after determining that my grandfather became a Sellers by informal adoption.  But neither Grampa nor any of his siblings knew that, and Grampa did know his grandmother Kate, so I thought it fitting to commemorate the 150th anniversary of her first wedding.

100 Years Ago

In the 100-year category I managed to hit the trifecta, with a birth, a marriage, and a death.

Morton Eli Perlman was born August 18, 1920 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  He was the son of Louis Perlman and Jennie Novitsky and was my first cousin twice removed through the Novitskys (and my grandfather's first cousin).  Jennie was the sister of my maternal great-grandmother Minne Zelda (Novitsky) Meckler and filled the role of mother-in-law for my maternal grandmother, as Minnie died before my grandparents married.

I met Mort once, when I went to Florida to see my grandmother.  She had his address and thought it would be nice to visit him.  He had done some genealogy research and shared what he had collected on the Novitskys and Perlmutters, which has been invaluable in my research now, as he was the only one who had saved that information.  I was very fortunate to have met him when I did, as he died suddenly a few months later.

On January 18, 1920, Benjamin Brainin (son of Morris Brainin and Rose Dorothy Jaffe) and Yetta Braunstein (daughter of Max Braunstein and Betsy Schwartz) were married in The Bronx, Bronx County, New York.  Benny was my great-granduncle, the youngest brother of my maternal great-grandmother Sarah Libby (Brainin) Gordon.  Benny worked with automobiles in some form or another for most of his life.  I never met Benny or Yetta, but I know their granddaughter Janis (Brainin) Monat.  Along with (kind of) sharing the same given name with me, she also is interested in family history, and is one of the few relatives I've met who had done some family history research.

Benny was born in the Russian Empire, probably in some part of what is now Latvia.  There is a family story that he was shot by a Cossack when he was 3 or 4 years old, while walking in a cemetery.  I don't know if I'll find a way to prove or disprove that, but it's an interesting story!

Eight days after Benny was married in the Bronx, his brother William Brainin died, on January 26, 1920, in Manhattan, New York County, New York.  He was probably about 31.  While Benny was the baby of the family, Willie was two children before him.  He died of complications of the influenza virus, which he probably caught while he served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War I.  My grandmother used to tell a story of how when he was sent home he infected his sister (my great-grandmother) while she was pregnant (with my grandmother), but I don't know how much of the story is true.

There was at least one photograph of Willie that we had in the family.  When I was sorting through photos with my grandmother, she pointed one out and said, "That's my Uncle Willie in his Army uniform."  But the photo has mysteriously disappeared.

75 Years Ago

Raymond Lawrence Sellers was born September 23, 1945 to Dorothy Mae "Dottie" Sellers and (probably) Clarence Newcomb "Zeke" Lore, in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, New Jersey.  I've been looking for Raymond for a little more than four years now, which I realize isn't very long.  Dottie is my paternal aunt, and she asked me to help her find Raymond, the son she gave up for adoption.  I write about him a few times every year in my blog.  Because New Jersey adoption records are very, very closed, we don't know anything about what happened to him after Dottie surrendered him.

If Raymond is still alive, he will be turning 75 this September.  I realize, however, that he might not be alive.  I don't know what his name was changed to, if he ever married, if he had children, or anything that happened to him.  All I know is that I want to find out before my aunt, who is currently 94 years old, passes away.

50 Years Ago

My great-grandmother and my father's paternal grandmother, Laura May (Armstrong) Sellers Ireland, died October 23, 1970 at the age of 88 in Niceville (yes, that's really the name), Okaloosa County, Florida.  I never got to meet her, even though she lived until I was 8 years old.

Nanny Ireland, as she was called throughout most of her adult life from what I can gather, was definitely an interesting woman.  She bore my grandfather as an illegitimate child and declined to state the name of the father on the birth certificate.  She married Elmer Sellers seven months later, and he raised my grandfather as his own son, with neither my grandfather nor his siblings ever knowing anything different.  She and Elmer had eight children together (notwithstanding rumors that not all of those were Elmer's), three of whom survived to adulthood.

Elmer died young, but that didn't stop Laura (because she wasn't Nanny Ireland yet at that time).  Three years after Elmer had passed away, Laura had another child, and again declined to name the father on the birth record.  Sadly, little Bertolet (yup, that was really her name) died before reaching the age of 6.  And would you believe that even on her death certificate, Laura did not name the father?

In 1929, Laura married a man named John Ireland.  I was told by one of my cousins that she did so because someone had convinced her that she needed a man to help her take care of her children and her affairs.  I was also told that soon after marrying John, she decided that was a load of crap and got rid of him (one hopes by divorce).  But the name Ireland stuck, and she became known as Nanny Ireland.

I'm really sorry I didn't get to meet Nanny Ireland.  She would have had some fascinating stories to tell, if she had been so inclined.

Events in My Family Tree: March 9

This is another one of those days when many of the individuals are not related to me but were married to my relatives.  Every death for this date was a spouse of a relative.

Births

Sophia Bodder, daughter of Peter Bodder and Regina Ditor, was born March 9, 1762, probably in Pennsylvania.  She is my 4x-great-grandmother.

Joseph Gantt (originally Gaunt), son of Joseph Gaunt and Mary A. Lobaugh, was born March 9, 1796 in Pennsylvania, possibly in Perry County.  He is my 1st cousin 5x removed.

Joseph Sellers, son of John Leonard Sellers and Elizabeth Wenger, was born March 9, 1828 in Waynesboro, Franklin County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 3rd cousin 4x removed.

John L. Bauer was born March 9, 1907 in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.  He was married to Elizabeth E. Moore, daughter of Howard Evans Moore and Edith E. Wells, who is my 1st cousin 2x removed on my Owen line through the Moores.

Dorothy A. Pollack, daughter of Isaac Pollack and Bessie Brainin, was born March 9, 1916 in Manhattan, New York County, New York.  She is also my 1st cousin 2x removed, but via the Brainins.

Arthur Levy, son of Charles Levy and Elaine Gordon, was born March 9, 1955 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  He is my 2nd cousin once removed via the Gordons.

Sharon Mae Carter was born March 9, 1960.  She is my 5th cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line.

Marriages

John Longanecker and Mary Mack, daughter of Jacob Mack and Nancy Moser, were married on March 9, 1841 in Pennsylvania.  Mary is my 2nd cousin 5x removed.

Charles S. Gaunt, son of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Margaret S. Scott, and Susan A. Haines were married on March 9, 1912, probably in New Jersey.  Charles is my 1st cousin 3x removed.

Joel Rothwax and Ellen Beth Millstein, daughter of Irwin Millstein and Julia Baena, were married on March 9, 1974 in Connecticut.  Ellen is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Gordon line through the Millsteins.

Deaths

Elizabeth Kirby died March 9, 1869 at the age of 75, probably in New Jersey.  She was married to John Gaunt, son of Samuel Gaunt and Achsah Taylor, who is my 2nd cousin 5x removed.

Mary A. McGowan died March 9, 1878 at the age of 72, probably in Pennsylvania.  She was married to Joseph Gantt (see above under Births) and died on her husband's birthday.

John Bowker died March 9, 1910 at the age of about 79 in Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.  He was married to Louisa J. Armstrong, daughter of Joel Armstrong and Catherine Stackhouse, who is my 3rd-great-grandaunt.

Neil Bethell Sinclair died March 9, 1956 at the age of 70 in San Bernardino County, California.  He was married to Elizabeth A. Johnson, daughter of John Daniel Johnson and Elizabeth S. Atkinson, who is my 2nd cousin 3x removed on my Fox line through the Johnsons.

Joseph Henderson died March 9, 2014 at the age of 73 in Seneca, Oconee County, South Carolina.  He was the third husband of Carol Beth Sellers, daughter of Bertram Lynn Sellers, Sr. and Anita Clarice Loveman, who is my paternal aunt.

Events in My Family Tree: March 3

After two days of only a few items, suddenly there's an explosion of events for March 3, eight of which are Gaunt/Gauntt cousins.

Births

Catherine Fahnestock was born March 3, 1774, probably in Pennsylvania.  She was married to Solomon Gorgas, son of Jacob Gorgas and Christina Mack, who is my 2nd cousin 6x removed via the Macks.

Elizabeth Darstein, daughter of Abraham Darstein and Catherine Sellers, was born March 3, 1778 in Hilltown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  She is my 2nd cousin 5x removed via the Sellerses.

Clayton Decou Gaunt, son of John Gaunt and Elizabeth Kirby, was born March 3, 1820, possibly in New Jersey.  He is my 3rd cousin 4x removed.

Edwin Elias Sellers, son of Samuel Sellers and Barbara Ann Wampole, was born March 3, 1840 in Spring Garden, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.  He is also my 3rd cousin 4x removed.

John Edward Lawrence, Jr. was born March 3, 1929, probably in New Jersey.  He is the 2nd cousin once removed of my 1st cousin Albert Lore.

Mary Lu Sherman, daughter of Warren Sherman and Merle Gaunt, was born March 3, 1934.  She is my 6th cousin via the Gaunts.

Thomas Samuel Ellis, son of Samuel Naglee Ellis and Eleanor Jernee Thomas, was born March 3, 1947 in New Jersey.  He is my 2nd cousin on my Gauntt line.

Loretta Sue Gaunt, daughter of Everett Elwin Gaunt and Selma Loretta Larson, was born March 3, 1950 in Kings County, California.  She is my 5th cousin once removed.

Linda Susan McStroul, daughter of Darwin Monroe McStroul and Rose Ruth Bloom, was also born March 3, 1950, but in Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.  She is the 1st cousin of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Lourdes Maria Martinez was born March 3, 1954.  She is the second wife of Samuel Socherman, son of William Socherman (originally Szocherman) and Anna Tania Jakowszycka, who is my 4th cousin on my Nowicki line through the Szochermans.

Robert Graham Armstrong was born March 3, 1966 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  He is married to Beverly Ann Moss, who is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line.

Alexander J. Niemann was born March 3, 1996.  He is the 3rd cousin once removed of my half-sister Laurie Sellers.

Marriages

James Gale and Hannah Gaunt, daughter of John Gaunt and Jean Satterthwaite, were married on March 3, 1774, probably in New Jersey.  Hannah is my 1st cousin 6x removed.

John B. Gaunt, son of John Gaunt and Euphemia Thornton, and Priscilla Dye were married on March 3, 1849 in Miamin County, Ohio.  John is my 2nd cousin 4x removed.

John Dunstan, son of Richard Dunstan and Jane Coleclough, and Frances Ashton were married on March 3, 1856 in Manchester, Lancashire, England.  John is my great-great-granduncle.

Joseph Russell Allen, son of Russell Allen and Stella Horner, and Jean Kumple were married on March 3, 1950.  Joseph is my 5th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Kenneth Lawrence and Barbara Ann Leonard were married on March 3, 1960.  Kenneth is the brother of John Edward Lawrence, Jr. (above) and also the 2nd cousin once removed of my 1st cousin Albert Lore.  Kenneth must have liked his brother a lot to have married on his birthday.

Mark Gershwind, son of Irving Lawrence Gershwind and Frances Perlman, and Marjorie Diane Jacobson were married on March 3, 1968.  Mark is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Nowicki line thorugh the Perlmans.

Deaths

Samuel Gaunt, son of Reuben T. Gaunt and Hannah Lewallen, died March 3, 1839 at the age of about 12, probably in New Jersey.  He is my 1st cousin 4x removed.

George W. Moore died March 3, 1920 at the age of 79 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.  He was the second husband of Catherine Fox Owen, daughter of William Owen and Sarah Fox, who is my great-great-grandmother.

Lewis Allen Gaunt, son of Lewis Cass Gaunt and Mary A. Kindlesparger, died March 3, 1947 at the age of 59 in Peru, Miami County, Indiana.  He is my 3rd cousin 3x removed.

Events in My Family Tree: February 27

Well, I certainly fell behind again, and after working so hard to catch up!  While I was at RootsTech I couldn't keep up with my events because Family Tree Maker does such an awful job of searching for dates.  I tried downloading Personal Ancestry Writer, a free Macintosh genealogy program, but it doesn't permit date searching at all, and I unfortunately have never installed Reunion on my Mac laptop.  I guess I'll have to plan better before my next trip!

Births

Jonathan Easlick was born February 27, 1840, probably in Pennsylvania.  He was married to Susannah Sever, daughter of Allen Sever and Elizabeth Ann Gaunt, who is my 1st cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Phoebe Thomas was born February 27, 1861, possibly in Pennsylvania.  She was married to Daniel Taylor Gantt, son of John Gantt and Rachel Carl, who is my 2nd cousin 4x removed.

Alfred Joseph Chase was born February 27, 1897 in New Jersey.  He was married to Emma Naylor, daughter of James Mason Naylor and Martha Ann Murdock, who is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line through the Naylors.

Shelley Robin Garfield was born February 27, 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  She is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line.

Gabriel Garfinkel was born February 27, 1985 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  He is also my 4th cousin on my Meckler line.

Matthew Steven Chesler was born February 27, 1990, possibly in Morristown, New Jersey.  He is my 2nd cousin on my Gordon line.

Daniel Ely Minuk was born February 27, 1992, probably in Canada.  He is my 4th cousin once removed on my Meckler line.

Megan Haley Rocke was born February 27, 1994 in Santa Cruz County, California.  She is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Meckler line.

Marriage

Jerry A. Socherman and Sharon Robin Fisher were married on February 27, 1993 in Miami-Dade County, Florida.  Jerry is my 4th cousin once removed on my Nowicki line.

Deaths

William Owen died February 27, 1878 at the age of about 68 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 3rd-great-grandfather.

Daniel Leon Easlick, son of Allen Severs Easlick and Mary E. Shemeley, died February 27, 1960 at the age of 70.  He is my 3rd cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Easlicks.

Florence Bernstein, daughter of Sam Bernstein and Rose Gordon, died February 27, 1974 at the age of 45, probably in New York.  She is my 1st cousin 2x removed.

Events in My Family Tree: February 21

It's always sad to find the deaths of very young children, but less surprising somehow when they occur before the 20th century.

Births

Elizabeth Holsinger, daughter of David Holsinger and Lydia Mack, was born February 21, 1811, possibly in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.  She is my 2nd cousin 5x removed via the Macks.

Andrew L. Long, son of David Long and Margaret Mock, was born February 21, 1843 in Knox County, Ohio.  He is my 4th cousin 4x removed via the Mocks.

Mary Frances Sellers, daughter of Peter Franklin Sellers and Rachel Godshalk, was born February 21, 1853 in Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  She is my great-great-grandaunt.

Dorothy Simcox, daughter of Russell Simcox and Eleanor Malinda Eckman, was born February 21, 1925 in New Jersey, probably in Burlington County.  She is the 1st cousin once removed of my 1st cousin Albert Lore.

John Howard Bauer, son of John L. Bauer and Elizabeth E. Moore, was born February 21, 1941 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.  He is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Owen line through the Moores.

Abby Jennifer Bernstein was born February 21, 1968 in New York.  She is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Gordon line.

Jordan Taylor Ortiz was born February 21, 1995 in Huntington, Suffolk County, New York.  He is my 3rd cousin on my Gordon line.

Deaths

Mary Kinsey died February 21, 1825 at the age of 56, probably in New Jersey.  She was married to John Gaunt, son of Joseph Gaunt and Elizabeth Borton, who is my 4th-great-granduncle.

Enoch A. Gaunt, son of Benjamin Selah Gaunt and Hannah Ann Peters, died February 21, 1849 at the age of 2 days, probably in New Jersey.  He is my 1st cousin 3x removed.

Catherine Fisher died February 21, 1877 at the age of 87 in Hainesport, Burlington County, New Jersey.  She was married to John Fox, son of Emanuel Fox and Anna Margarethe Mack, who is my 4th-great-grandfather.

Paul B. Lavin died February 21, 1964 at the age of 2 months, probably in Montclair County, New Jersey.  He is the second cousin of my half-sister Laurie Sellers.

Events in My Family Tree: February 17

It's very sad to see the two young Fuller children who died on the same day in 1882.  My guess is that they both died of the same cause, maybe some sort of illness.

Births

Enos Sellers, son of Abraham Sellers and Catharine Kulp, was born February 17, 1797 in Franconia, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 2nd cousin 5x removed.

Jeffrey Allen Gaunt, son of Robert Gaunt and Mary Evelyn Westbrooks, was born February 17, 1957.  He is my 6th cousin.

Heather Renee Wright was born February 17, 1975.  She is also my 6th cousin, coincidentally through my Gauntt line.

Jill Hunter was born February 17, 1981.  She is my 5th cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line.

Jeremy Leal was born February 17, 1989, possibly in Canada.  He is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line.

Marriages

Victor Claude Palmer and Catherine Johnson Deacon, daughter of Benjamin Deacon and Sarah Fox Johnson, were married on February 17, 1909 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Catherine is my 2nd cousin 3x removed on my Fox line through the Johnsons.

Shane Freitag, son of Benny Freitag and Dobby Kushner, and Sharon Aizanman were married on February 17, 1985 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Shane is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line through the Kushners.

Deaths

Peter Sellers, son of Philip Henry Söller and Catharina, died February 17, 1820 at the age of about 83, possibly in Hilltown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 5th great-granduncle.

Elizabeth Schellenberger died February 17, 1845 at the age of about 51, probably in Pennsylvania.  She was married to Thomas Sellers, son of Samuel Sellers and Catharine Yost, who is my 1st cousin 5x removed.

Carrie L. Fuller, daughter of James H. Fuller and Lorina G. Tripp, died February 17, 1882 at the age of 5 in Stony Creek, Warren County, New York.  She is the 1st cousin 2x removed of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Eddie Fuller, son of James H. Fuller and Lorina G. Tripp, died February 17, 1882 at the age of 4 months in Stony Creek, Warren County, New York.  He is also a 1st cousin 2x removed of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Charles F. Gaunt, son of Daniel F. Gaunt and Mary E. Hancock, died February 17, 1935 at the age of 68 in Camden County, New Jersey.  He is my 3rd cousin 2x removed.

Charles S. Gaunt, son of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Margaret S. Scott, died February 17, 1963 at the age of 76.  He is my 1st cousin 3x removed.

Esther Wells Moore, daughter of Howard Evans Moore and Edith E. Wells, died February 17, 1998 at the age of 79 in Belle Mead, Somerset County, New Jersey.  She is my 1st cousin 2x removed on my Owen line through the Moores.

Events in My Family Tree: January 26

There are no marriages in this list, but three of the deaths are for ancestors, as opposed to collateral relatives.  I really should have a photograph of great-granduncle Willie Brainin somewhere, but I appear to have misplaced it.  I hope it isn't lost forever.

Births

John R. Gaunt, son of Redden N. Gaunt and Pauline E. Smuck, was born January 26, 1859, probably in Indiana.  He is my 3rd cousin 3x removed.

Grace Elizabeth Easlick, daughter of Allen Severs Easlick and Mary E. Shemeley, was born January 26, 1906, probably in Burlington County, New Jersey.  She is my 3rd cousin once removed on my Gauntt line.

Joseph Quinton Votaw, son of Millard Votaw and Ida May Fisher, was born January 26, 1910, probably in Indiana.  He is my 4th cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line.

Eleanor Jernee Thomas was born January 26, 1919 in Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey.  She was married to Samuel Naglee Ellis, son of Levi Ellis and Carrie Florence Gauntt, who is my 1st cousin once removed through the Gauntts.

Russell Oliver Ellis, another son of Levi Ellis and Carrie Florence Gauntt, was born January 26, 1922 in Lumberton, Burlington County, New Jersey.  He, of course, is also my 1st cousin once removed.

Grace Allen, daughter of Russell Allen and Stella Horner, was born January 26, 1926.  She is my 5th cousin on my Gauntt line.

Adele Garfinkel, daughter of Eliezer Louis Garfinkel and Doba Ajzner, was born January 26, 1936 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  She is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Nowicki line and the sister of my dear cousin Esther (Garfinkel) Weinstein.

Samuel M. Socherman, son of William Szocherman (originally Szocherman) and Anna Tania Jakowszycka, was born January 26, 1942 in Habana (possibly in Guanabacoa), Cuba.  He is my 4th cousin on my Nowicki line.

Christina Anna Disanza was born January 26, 1971.  She is married to Gregory Socherman, who is my 4th cousin once removed, also on my Nowicki line.

Nicole Mich was born January 26, 1987.  She is my 5th cousin 2x removed via the Gauntts.

Deaths

Justus Fox, son of Charles Fox (originally Fuchs), died January 26, 1805 at the age of 69, probably in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 6th great-grandfather.

William Brainin, son of Mendel Hertz Brain and Ruchel Dwojre Jaffe, died January 26, 1920 at the age of about 27 in Manhattan, New York County, New York.  He is my great-granduncle, brother of my maternal great-grandmother.

Catherine Fox Owen, daughter of William Fox and Sarah Owen, died January 26, 1923 at the age of 73 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey.  She is my great-great-grandmother.

Victor Gordon (originally Gorodetsky), son of Gersh Wolf Gorodetsky and Etta Cohen(?), died January 26, 1925 at the age of about 59 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  He is my great-great-grandfather.

Martha Ann Surran, daughter of William Earl Surran and Martha Ann Naylor, died January 26, 207 in Lawrenceburg, Anderson County, Kentucky.  She is my 3rd cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Naylors.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Two Degrees of Separation

This week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is one of those where I tend to come up on the short end because of limited information about my family on one side and short lifespans on the other.

1)  Using your ancestral lines, how far back in time can you go with two degrees of separation?  That means "you knew an ancestor, who knew another ancestor."  When was that second ancestor born?

2)  Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, in a status line on Facebook or a stream post on Google+.

1.  Similar to one of Randy's connections, I have been told that I met my maternal great-grandmother, Sarah Libby (Brainin) Gordon, but I don't remember it.  My mother told me she flew with me from California to Florida shortly after I was born in 1962, when I was just a babe in arms, so that her grandmother could see me; my father remembers that it happened.  Unfortunately, my mother's father, who took photographs of everything else in the family, somehow didn't commemorate the four generations of women.  My great-grandmother was born about 1885 in the Russian Empire.  She was the daughter of Mendel Herz Brainin and Ruchel Dwojre Jaffe.  Based on the naming patterns in her family, it's likely that she knew at least one and probably most of her grandparents — Solomon and Yetta Brainin, and Joseph and Anna Jaffe — who would have been born at the latest about 1840 in the Russian Empire and possibly as early as the 1820's.

2.  I met my paternal grandmother, Anna (Gauntt) Stradling, more than once, while she was living in Florida (I think in Jacksonville?).  She was born in 1893, as I recently discovered, the daughter of Thomas Kirkland Gauntt and Jane Dunstan.  Because her family members lived close together in Burlington County, New Jersey, she almost definitely knew her paternal grandmother, Amelia (Gibson) Gauntt, who was born about 1831 and died in 1908.

3  I knew my paternal grandfather, Bertram Lynn Sellers, Sr., born in 1903, the son of Laura May Armstrong and Cornelius Elmer Sellers (if my grandfather was actually a Sellers, but that's still research in process).  He may have known his maternal grandfather, Joel Armstrong, who was born about 1849 and seems to have died about 1921 or so in Burlington County.  Grampa also probably knew his paternal grandmother, Catharine Fox (Owen) Sellers Moore, who was also born in 1849 and died in 1923.

So with two degrees of separation, I can reliably get back to a great-great-grandmother born about 1831.  That's 50 years shy of Randy.  Even accounting for the fact that Randy is 20 years older than I am, I feel kind of deficient.

Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Where My Ancestors Were 150 Years Ago

This week for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver suggested people locate their ancestors 150 years ago:

1)  Determine where your ancestral families were on 16 May 1865 - 150 years ago.

2)  List your ancestors, their family members, their birth and death years, and their residence location (as close as possible).  Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?

3)  Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

I discovered I don't have any specific information for where people were living just after the American Civil War officially ended.  I've found most of the U.S. ancestors in the decennial censuses but not the in-between years.  For my Jewish ancestors, who were all still in Eastern Europe, I have no real information on locations but can make educated guesses.

Rachel (Godshalk) Sellers (1809–1894), my 3rd great-grandmother, was probably living in Belvidere, Warren County, New Jersey (where she was in 1860) or in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where she lived in 1870).

Cornelius Godshalk Sellers (1845–1877), my 2nd-great-grandfather, had not yet been mustered out of the army after the end of the Civil War; he mustered out on June 6.  He was somewhere in the Washington, D.C. area.  (I really need to get his unit's morning reports.)

John Fox (1786–1880) and Catherine (Fisher) Fox (1789–1877), my 4th great-grandparents, were living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I don't know exactly where.

William Owen (~1809–1878) and Sarah Fox (1816–1878), my 3rd-great-grandparents, were living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with their daughter, Catherine Fox Owen (1849–1923), my 2nd-great-grandmother.  I don't know exactly where.

Catherine (Stackhouse) Armstrong (born 1796–1800), my 4th great-grandmother, may or may not have been alive.  I have narrowed down her death to 1860–1870.  If she was alive, she was living somewhere in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Franklin Armstrong (1825–after 1870), my 3rd-great-grandfather, was living in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey with his son, Joel Armstrong (1849–~1921), my 2nd-great-grandfather.

Abel Amos Lippincott (1825–after 1885) and Rachel (Stackhouse) Lippincott (~1825–after 1885), my 3rd-great-grandparents, were living in Burlington County, New Jersey.  I don't know exactly where.

Sarah Deacon Lippincott (1860–after 1904), my 2nd-great-grandmother, was almost definitely living somewhere in Burlington County, New Jersey.  In the 1860 census she was not yet born and in the 1870 census she was not with her parents, however.

James Gauntt (1831–1889) and Amelia (Gibson) Gauntt (1831–1908), my 2nd-great-grandparents, were almost definitely living in Burlington County, New Jersey.  I don't know exactly where.

Frederick Cleworth Dunstan (1840–1873) and Martha (Winn) Dunstan (1837–1884), my 2nd-great-grandparents, were living in one of the suburbs of Manchester, Lancashire, England.  I don't know exactly where.

Zvi (died before 1903) and Esther Mekler, my 3rd-great-grandparents, were probably living in Kamenets Litovsk, Russia (now Kameniec, Belarus), with their son Simcha Dovid Mekler (died before 1903), my 2nd-great-grandfather.

Bela (died before 1924) (I don't know her maiden name), my 2nd-great-grandmother, who would later marry Simcha Mekler, was probably somewhere in the area of Kamenets Litovsk, but that's just a guess.  She would have been young, maybe between 5–10 years old, and probably living with her parents, but I don't know their names.

Abraham Yaakov (died before 1896) and Sirke (died before 1893) Nowicki, my 3rd-great-grandparents, were probably living in Porozowo, Russia (now Porozovo, Belarus) with their son Gershon Itzhak Nowicki (~1858–1948), my 2nd-great-grandfather.

Ruven Yelsky (~1838–~1898) and Frieda (Bloom) Yelsky (~1838–~1898), my 3rd-great-grandparents, were probably living in Porozowo, Russia with their daughter Dora Yelsky (~1858–1936), my 2nd-great-grandmother.

Gersh Wolf Gorodetsky and Etta (Cohen) Gorodetsky (died before 1891), my 3rd-great-grandparents, were almost definitely living in Podolia gubernia, Russia, probably near Kamenets Podolsky (now Kamyanets Podilskyy, Ukraine).  Their son Isaac/Avigdor Gorodetsky (died 1925), my 2nd-great-grandfather, may have been with them; I have approximated his birth year to 1864–1868.

Joine (died before 1893) and Chane Etta (died before 1891) Schneiderman, my 3rd-great-grandparents, also were likely living in Podolia gubernia, Russia, probably in the area of Kamenets Podolsky.

Solomon (died before 1909) and Yetta Brainin, my 3rd-great-grandparents, were probably living near Kreuzburg, Russia (now Krustpils, Latvia) with their son Mendel Hertz Brainin (~1862–1930), my 2nd-great-grandfather.

I don't have photographs of any of the residences and don't know if any of them still exist.  (I hardly have any photos of the ancestors in this list!  I think I have photos of eight of them.)  I suspect none of the homes in Eastern Europe are still there, though.

It appears that I had 36 (maybe only 34) ancestors who were alive on May 16, 1865.  The breakdown is:
• 3 4th-great-grandparents
• 18 3rd-great-grandparents
• 15 2nd-great-grandparents

None of my great-grandparents had been born yet.

This was an interesting exercise.  It really pointed out to me how many birth and death years I am lacking for my mother's ancestors.

She Was in the Book!

Catherine Fox Owen
Sellers Moore

I have been interested in my family history since I was very young, because my mother and grandmother always spoke about family members.  I grew up knowing names, relationships, birthdays, and anniversaries and hearing lots of stories.  But what really got me hooked was an assignment in junior high school to fill in a family tree back four generations.

I still have that purple mimeographed tree (that special smell is long gone, though).  I also have all the notes I made when I interviewed my relatives.  I knew a fair amount about my mother's side but not as much on my father's.  To learn more, I spoke with my dad, my aunt who lived nearby, and my grandfather.

One of the facts that everyone seemed to agree on at the time was that my grandfather's paternal grandmother was Kate Moore.  Everyone told me that.  So I dutifully wrote it down (no personal computers with family tree programs back in the mid-1970's) and began my search for her.

Over many years of searching I was not able to find a Kate or Katherine/Catherine Moore who married a Sellers and had a son named Cornelius Elmer, but I kept looking.  Sometime around 2000, I found a book on eBay about the Benjamin Moore family of Burlington County, New Jersey, the county in which the family lived for many decades.  It wasn't going for much money, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

The book arrived just before Labor Day weekend.  I was going to a convention in Los Angeles for the weekend and brought the book with me for "light reading."  I checked the index and found one mention of a Sellers, but it was for a Catherine Owen Sellers marrying someone named Moore, which didn't fit what I had been told.  In addition, there was no son named Cornelius Elmer.  I read through most of the rest of the book, which seemed well put together, but it didn't appear to be my family after all.  When I packed up to return home at the end of the convention I tossed the book into the van with everything else.

A month later, I discovered that one of my grandfather's sisters was still alive (you'd think someone in my family would have already mentioned this to me, wouldn't you?).  Of course, I immediately wanted to talk with her.  My aunt gave me Aunt Betty's phone number, and I settled in on a Sunday afternoon to call her.

When Aunt Betty answered, I introduced myself and told her I was the granddaughter of Bert (her brother) and that I wanted to talk to her about family history.  She sounded suspicious but said, "Tell me what you know," in a no-nonsense tone.  I ran through a quick overview of the information I had.  She started to warm up to me, so I figured I must have been reasonably accurate.  Then I mentioned that I had been told Kate Moore was the mother of Cornelius Elmer (Aunt Betty's father).  She said, "Well, you know that Moore was her second husband."

What??!

Aunt Betty proceeded to explain that Kate's first husband, Cornelius Elmer's father, had died young and that she had married George W. Moore a few years later.  That's how she became Kate Moore.  She also told me that George and Kate had a son, Howard Evans Moore.  Cornelius Elmer had loved his stepfather so much he named one of his own sons after him:  George Moore Sellers (who later was known as Dickie).

Wow!  That was certainly going to change my research.  I thanked Aunt Betty and wrapped up our call.  I went through my notes and made sure the scribbles were legible, then called my dad.  When I told him that Aunt Betty had been very short and matter-of-fact at the beginning of the call, he said, "Yeah, that's Aunt Betty, all right."  He also was surprised to hear about Kate Moore's second marriage.

The next morning I was telling someone about my conversation with Aunt Betty when I suddenly remembered the book I had read a month previously.  I jumped up and said, "I'll be right back!"  I ran out to my van, got the book (yes, it was still in the van a month later — don't ask), and ran back inside.  Lo and behold, when I looked again at that Catherine Owen Sellers, whom did she marry?  Why, George W. Moore, that's who.  And wouldn't you know, they had a son named . . . Howard Evans Moore!  So she was in the book after all!

In 2002 I made a special trip to Florida to meet Aunt Betty in person.  We had a great time and got along beautifully.  I'm really glad I was able to go when I did, because she passed away less than two years later.  Thanks for your help, Aunt Betty!  You are still in my thoughts.

My Many Mothers

Wordless Wednesday