Events in My Family Tree: June 21

I will go out a bit on my family tree, as shown by the explanation accompanying the death of Abraham Bogus.  If anyone can help me research the Bogus family and/or the connection to Jan Peerce, I would appreciate it!

Births

Georgiana Gaunt, daughter of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Margaret S. Scott, was born June 21, 1877 in New Jersey, possibly in Burlington County.  She is my 1st cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

John Henry Talbot was born June 21, 1937.  He was the first husband of Jean McStroul, the sister of my aunt Mary McStroul.

David Alan Youssiem was born June 21, 1957 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  He was/is the husband of Shelley Robin Garfield, who is my 4th cousin.

Rhonda Fay Minuk, daughter of Julius Minuk and Esther Golub, was born June 21, 1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  She is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line through the Golubs.

Seth Hartley Feller was born June 21, 1969.  He is my 3rd cousin.

Haley Renee Meckler was born June 21, 2005.  She is my 1st cousin once removed.

Marriages

Russell Simcox and Eleanor Malinda Eckman, daughter of John Eckman and Martha Johnson Atkinson, were married June 21, 1919 in Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Eleanor is the grandaunt of my 1st cousin Al Lore.

Paul B. Lavin, son of Bernard J. Lavin and Mary E. Gaynor, and Mary E. Murray were married June 21, 1957 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.  Paul is the half 1st cousin once removed of my half-sister Laura Sellers.

Douglas Charles Bowen, son of Robert Francis Bowen and jean Drake, and Paula Donelle Harman were married June 21, 1980 in San Diego, San Diego County, California.  Douglas is the 1st cousin of my half-sister Laura Sellers.

Dean Roger Allen, son of Clarence Allen, Jr. and Grace Stagnato, and Joanne Fazio also were married June 21, 1980.  Dean is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Nora Walsh, daughter of Donald Walsh and Charlotte Perlman, and Brian Mendes were married June 21, 1987 in Rye, Westchester County, New York.  Nora is my 4th cousin on my Nowicki line through the Perlmans.

Andrew Eugene Meckler and Carla Maria Martinez were married June 21, 1997 in Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, California.  Andy is my 1st cousin.

Joel Richard Kent III and Caroline Louise Speir Thomson were married June 21, 2003 in Negril, Jamaica.  Joel is my (half) nephew.

Deaths

Abraham Bogus died June 21, 1922 in Manhattan, New York County, New York at the age of about 42.  He was the father of Ida Bogus, who was married to Harry Herman Meckler, who was my maternal grandfather's brother and my granduncle.  Ida is supposed to have been a cousin of Jan Peerce, which could explain why Peerce sang at my maternal grandparents' wedding, and I'm still working on making that connection.

Hazel Pauline Gauntt, daughter of Henry H. Gaunt and Sarah Allison, died June 21, 1968 in Alexandria City, Virginia at the age of 64.  She is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line.

Events in My Family Tree: June 20

Is it a good thing to decide to get married on your brother's birthday?

Births

Mary Gaunt Githens, daughter of Thomas Githens and Mary Gaunt, was born June 20, 1826 in New Jersey.  She is my 2nd cousin 4x removed via the Gaunts.

David H. Gaunt, son of Benjamin Selah Gaunt and Mary A. Allen, was born June 20, 1854 in New Jersey.  He is my half 1st cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Selma Krebs, daughter of Isaac/Isadore Krebs and Frederika Weiss, was born June 20, 1871 in Obersilesia, Prussia.  She is the grandaunt of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Lulu Harris, daughter of Robert Miller Harris and Blanche Gaunt, was born June 20, 1894 in Indiana, possibly in Peru, Miami County.  She is my 4th cousin 2x removed via the Gaunts.

William Easlick, son of Vinton Thompson Easlick and Beulah Anna Elizabeth Bozarth, was born June 20, 1931 in New Jersey.  He is my 4th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Easlicks.

Marcia Bernstein, son of Sam Bernstein and Rose Gordon, was born June 20, 1936 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  She is my 1st cousin 2x removed via the Gordons.

George William Sellers, son of George Russell Sellers and Joan Barbara Haypak, was born June 20, 1938 in Camden, Camden County, New Jersey.  He is my 2nd cousin on my Sellers line.

Marriages

Charles Milton Vanaman and Julia Ann Gaunt, daughter of Benjamin Selah Gaunt and Mary A. Allen, were married June 20, 1890 in Vincentown, Burlington County, New Jersey, on Julia's brother's birthday (above).  Julia is, of course, also my half 1st cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Harry David Garfield, son of Morris Garfinkel and Mirka Ajzner, and Susan Loffler were married June 20, 1954 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Harry is my 3rd cousin once removed on my Meckler line through the Garfinkels and the brother of my dear cousin Esther Garfinkel.

Deaths

Carrie W. Adams, daughter of John White and Alma Adams, died June 20, 1986 in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio at the age of 67.  She is the half-grandaunt of my not-quite-cousin Angela Williams.

Dorothy Mae Gaunt, daughter of Harvey Joseph Gaunt and Jane Marie Conway, died June 20, 1992, possibly in New Jersey, at the age of 72.  She is my 2nd cousin once removed via the Gaunts.

Debra Lorene Hutson, daughter of Roscoe Freeman Hutson and Bessie Leone Scifert, died June 20, 2008 in East Jordan, Charlevoix County, Michigan at the age of 57.  She is my 7th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Hutsons.

Events in My Family Tree: June 19

I wonder what it is like to share a birthday with a sibling, even though three years apart.

Births

John Lewallen Gantt, son of John Gantt and Rachel Carl, was born June 19, 1845, possibly in Perry County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 2nd cousin 4x removed via the Gantts.

Blanche Mildred Sax was born June 19, 1924 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.  She was the wife of Samuel Michael Brainin, son of Nathan(?) Katz and Lena Brainin, who is my 1st cousin 2x removed on my Brainin line.

Diane Emily Furman, daughter of Leon Furman and Evelyn Buzen, was born June 19, 1956 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  She is my 2nd cousin on my Meckler line through the Furmans.

Andre Joachim Rocke was born June 19, 1963.  He is my 2nd cousin.

Riana Amine Rocke was born June 19, 1966.  She is the sister of Andre Rocke and also my 2nd cousin.

Erin Brooke Kirsh was born June 19, 1990.  She is my 4th cousin once removed.

Marriages

William Heath, son of George Heath and Philadelphia Lucas, and Emily Lucas were married June 19, 1849 in Hambledon, Surrey, England.  William is the great-great-granduncle of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Amos Valentine Gaunt, son of Moses M. Gaunt and Margaretta Baucher, and Sadie Penneo were married June 19, 1896 in Camden, Camden County, New Jersey.  Amos is my 2nd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Harry Garfinkel, son of Eliezer Loius Garfinkel and Doba Ajzner, and Bella Raber were married June 19, 1955 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Harry is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Meckler line through the Garfinkels.

Clarence Allen, Jr., son of Clarence Allen and Agnes Viola Ledger, and Jean Sylvia were married June 19, 1971.  Clarence Jr. is my 5th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Deaths

Amelia Gibson, daughter of John Gibson and Mary, died June 19, 1908 in Lumberton, Burlington County, New Jersey at the age of 77.  She is my great-great-grandmother and died one day after what would have been her late husband/my great-great-grandfather James Gauntt's 77th birthday.

Abraham Sam Perlman, son of Maishe Eli Perlmutter and Ethel Nowicki, died June 19, 1982 in Manhattan, New York County, New York at the age of 85.  He is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Nowicki line.

Sidney Baker died June 19, 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada at the age of 69.  He was the husband of Adele Garfinkel, daughter of Eliezer Louis Garfinkel amd Doba Ajzner, who is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Meckler line through the Garfinkels, as is her brother Harry, listed in the marriages above.

Raymond Merle Darr, son of Raymond A. Darr and Ethel K. Gaunt, died June 19, 2000, possibly in Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, at the age of 76.  He is my 2nd cousin once removed via the Gaunts.

Events in My Family Tree: June 18

When my mother named my sister Stacy, she didn't know that we had several Stacys in our family tree on our father's side, or that they were all male!

Births

James Gauntt, son of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Abigail Atkinson, was born June 18, 1831 in New Jersey, probably Burlington County.  He is my great-great-grandfather.

Altha M. Harvey was born June 18, 1911 in Stanislaus County, California.  She was the wife of Donald E. Gaunt, son of Elmer Boone Gaunt and Edna Wright, who is my 4th cousin 2x removed via the Gaunts.

Kerri Ann Rogers, daughter of Stanley C. Rogers and Shirley June Gaunt, was born June 18, 1958 in Alameda County, California.  She is my 5th cousin once removed via the Gaunts.

Steven Lloyd McHenry was born June 18, 1974.  He is my 6th cousin.

Marriages

Gene Dawson Champ, son of Ralph Champ and Lucile Claycomb, and Elsie M. Blunk were married June 18, 1960, probably in Indiana.  Gene is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Claycombs.

Paul Brainin, son of David Harry Brainin and Rebecca Harbour, and Elvira Frazer were married June 18, 1967 in Millville, Cumberland County, New Jersey.  Paul is my 1st cousin 2x removed on my Brainin line.

William Boyd and Jane Anne Gaunt, daughter of Burman J. Gaunt and Gretchen K. C. Hopman, also were married June 18, 1967, possibly in Indiana.  Jane is my 6th cousin via the Gaunts.

Deaths

John F. Gaunt, son of Jacob Gaunt and Melvina F. Bennett, died June 18, 1877, probably in Jay County, Indiana, at the age of 10.  He is my 3rd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Stacy Gaunt, son of Samuel Gaunt and Achsah Taylor, died June 18, 1887, possibly in New Jersey, at the age of 87.  He is my 2nd cousin 5x removed via the Gaunts.

Leonard B. Eckman, son of John Robert Eckman and Mary Sousa, died June 18, 1998, possibly in New Jersey, at the age of 68.  He is the uncle of my 1st cousin Al Lore.

Miriam Jaffe died June 18, 2001, probably in New York or New Jersey.  She was the wife of Donald Lawrence Lederman, son of Gabriel William Lederman and Anna Gordon, who is my 1st cousin 2x removed via the Gordons.

Events in My Family Tree: June 17

I did not expect to find a day with absolutely no marriages during the month of June.

Births

Thomas Githens was born June 17, 1791, possibly in New Jersey.  He was the husband of Mary Gaunt, daughter of John Gaunt and Mary Kinsey, who is my 1st cousin 5x removed via the Gaunts.

Jane Gaunt, daughter of John Gaunt and Mary Kinsey, was born June 17, 1806 in New Jersey.  She is also my 1st cousin 5x removed because she is the sister of Mary Gaunt.

Harriet L. Fuller, daughter of Lyman Fuller and Eliza, was born June 17, 1833 in Stony Creek, Warren County, New York.  She is the great-great-grandmother of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Henry Purdy, son of Simeon Purdy and Mary A. Gaunt, was also born June 17, 1833, but in New Jersey.  He is my 2nd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

John Dunstan, son of Richard Dunstan and Jane Coleclough, was born June 17, 1836 in Manchester, Lancashire, England.  He is my great-great-granduncle.

Mary Elizabeth Gantt, daughter of John Gantt and Rachel Carl, was born June 17, 1840, possibly in Perry County, Pennsylvania.  She is my 2nd cousin 4x removed via the Gantts.

Leroy Herbert McGinnis, son of Herbert McGinnis and Mary Jane Gaunt, was born June 17, 1907 in Kings County, California.  He is my 4th cousin 2x removed via the Gaunts.

Irving Lester Gauntt, son of Joseph L. Gauntt and Rebecca Elizabeth Coverly, was born June 17, 1909 in Moorestown, Burlington County, New Jersey.  He is my 4th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line.

Lenore Schachter was June 17, 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  She was the wife of Irwin Garfield, son of Jack Garfinkel and Martha Freedman, who is my 3rd cousin once removed on my Mekler line.

Yvonne Ann Allen, daughter of Raymond Charles Allen and June Yvonne Johnson, was born June 17, 1947, possibly in New Jersey.  She is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Gayle Sue Williams, daughter of Robert R. Williams and Miriam Gaunt, was born June 17, 1948, possibly in Indiana.  She is my 6th cousin via the Gaunts.

Deaths

William M. Zelley, son of Ridgway Zelley and Rebecca Gaunt, died June 17, 1909, probably in New Jersey, at the age of 75.  He is my 2nd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Mark Lewallen Gaunt, son of Joseph L. Gaunt and Elizabeth Hopkins, died June 17, 1929 in Chester Township, Burlington County, New Jersey at the age of 68.  He is my 2nd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: What Did Your Father Leave You?

As anticipated, with today being the day before Father's Day, Randy Seaver has chosen Father's Day as the theme for this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge.

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

(1) It's Father's Day in the USA on Sunday, so let's talk about our fathers.  

(2) Your father probably lived a complete life, and you probably have memories of him.  What memories and attitudes did he "leave" you with?

(3) Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook post.

My father was Bertram Lynn Sellers, Jr. (1935–2019).  I was the oldest child of his marriage to my mother; he used to call me his "favorite middle daughter" because my half-sister, from his first marriage, is his oldest child.  Yes, he did leave me with memories and attitudes.

• Love of cars.  I've written many times about my father's lifelong love affair with cars.  He raced, he was a mechanic, he loved to hang around cars and other people who liked them.  I guess I was the kid who liked cars the most, and I used to hang out with him while he worked on engines.  I used to be able to identify all the engine parts and knew all the tools by name; he could ask me for a tool and I would run and get it.  I still love cars, and the smell of engine grease in a garage makes me feel at home.

• Love of music.  My father was a talented musician who might have gone far with it if (1) he hadn't been more interested in cars and (2) he hadn't been pretty lazy.  He played guitar and piano.  When he was 17 he competed with a swing band on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour and came in second to a young Gladys Knight, in her first televised performance.  He used to play songs on his guitar for my siblings and me when we were young.  I love singing and performing; I started young and kept up with stuff until my move to Oregon, where I have not yet found a compatible gig.  I have taken piano and guitar lessons, although I admit that I like my fingernails more than I like having to keep them trimmed to be able to play properly.  I don't have the same level of talent as my father, but I still enjoy the same types of music he did, mostly swing, novelty songs, and country and western.

• Love of spicy food.  Daddy liked his food spicy, even when his stomach didn't.  He would ask my mother to make the chili spicy and after dinner yell for his bicarb (bicarbonate of soda) to settle his stomach.  I've bumped it up quite a bit from the level of spice that my mother used to cook with and have added Thai and Szechuan to the styles I like to eat.  I don't know if Daddy would have liked the spice level I tend to go with nowadays, both at home and in restaurants, but he was the spark.

• I credit both of my parents, but more so my father, with my openmindedness and lack of bias.  I grew up with my parents having Black, Hispanic, and gay friends when that was not the average white family's experience.  Even though my father's swing band came in second to a Black singer, he didn't remember that; he only knew that they lost to a female singer.  He had no recollection she was Black until I researched his group's appearance (I was trying to find a recording) and discovered the winner was Gladys Knight.  I still find that impressive for a white kid from rural New Jersey in 1952.

• And since Randy mentioned ancestry, I have my father to thank for my interest in Quakers.  As I researched my paternal grandmother's family, I discovered that New Jersey is the real Quaker state; it's almost impossible to do research without tripping over Quaker families that have been there for hundreds of years, and of course have intermarried.  The vast majority in my family were hard-working farmers.  Some lines apparently trace back to the Mayflower, but I haven't worked on that yet.

 

Events in My Family Tree: June 16

I have quite a few more marriages for June 16 in my database, but for the Sellers family prior to my grandfather, which I'm not posting about anymore.  But they do maintain June as a busy wedding month.

Births

Susannah H. Gaunt, daughter of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Mary Elizabeth Rose, was born June 16, 1826, probably in New Jersey.  She is my half-great-great-grandaunt via the Gaunts.

Georgia Grace Gaunt, daughter of Walter Clayton Gaunt and Lulu May Sherman, was born June 16, 1904 in Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  She is my 5th cousin once removed via the Gaunts.

Lawrence Joseph Gauntt, son of Joseph L. Gauntt and Rebecca Elizabeth Coverly, was born June 16, 1907 in New Jersey, likely in Burlington County.  He is my 4th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line.

Abram Gorodetsky, son of Aron Gorodetsky and Gittel, was also born June 16, 1907 (Gregorian), but far away in Beltsy, Bessarabia, Russian Empire.  He is my likely 1st cousin 3x removed on my Gorodetsky line.

Deanna Clark, daughter of Charles Ruben Clark and Dorthea Virginia Lynch, was born June 16, 1947 in Indiana.  She is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Clarks.

Stacy Ann Sellers was born June 16, 1964.  She is my sister.

Marriages

Walter Williamson, son of Isaac S. Williamson and Ella J., and Maude Smith were married June 16, 1911 in Medford, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Walter is my 2nd cousin 3x removed on my Armstrong line through the Williamsons.

William Ralph Fowler, Jr. and Stacy Ann Sellers were married June 16, 1990.  Stacy is my sister and got married on her birthday (above).

Deaths

Hosie Malone, son of Charlie Malone and Hattie Crawford, died June 16, 1936 in Columbua, Muscogee County, Georgia at the age of about 24.  He is the 1st cousin 2x removed of Angela Williams on her Crawford line.  Angela is the niece of my aunt Mary McStroul.

William Lippincott Gaunt, son of Benjamin Franklin Gaunt and Mary A. Woolman, died June 16, 1938 in Beach Haven, Ocean County, New Jersey at the age of 49.  He is my 3rd cousin 2x removed via the Gaunts.

Catching Shellfish — Yum!

It's June 18, which means it's National Go Fishing Day!  What?  You say you've never heard of National Go Fishing Day?  Hey, I hadn't until two years ago, but since I have fishing stories to tell, I latched on to it quite quickly.

So far I've posted twice for National Go Fishing Day, both times with stories about fishing with my father.  I didn't really fish with him for shellfish, though.  He might have been the one to teach us three kids (my brother, my sister, and me) the basics, but it might have been one of our neighbors in Villa Tasso, the tiny unincorporated settlement where we used to live.  They probably had more experience with this type of fishing.

We were within really easy walking distance of the beach at the bayou (which was an arm of Choctawhatchee Bay), so it didn't take long to get to the water.  The shellfish readily available to us were crabs, shrimp, clams, and oysters.

Crabs used to hang out on the supports of the small dock.  Those we caught with long-handled nets, scooping them up from underneath.  They likely were blue crabs, like that guy above.

We used handheld nets to go seining for shrimp.  There would be two of us, each holding one end of the net, and we walked slowly through the water and netted the shrimp.  The shrimp weren't very big, but we caught a fair number of them this way.

I can't remember what we stored the crabs and shrimp in.  It was probably a cooler or something similar.

Clams and oysters we found by walking through the heavy wet sand beneath the water but near the edge of the beach.  We pushed down with our toes and felt for shells, then reached down and pulled them out, loading them into buckets.

After we had caught what we thought was enough, or gotten tired or bored enough, we would bring everything back to the house and announce to our mother that we had caught dinner.  At that point we left it to her to clean everything.  We just delivered it.  I guess that was kind of lame of us, but I don't remember her complaining.  I think she was happier with cleaning than with going down to the beach to catch it all!

There are many things I don't miss about Florida — 95/95 weather, entrenched mindsets about non-WASPs and about a woman's proper place in the world — but I definitely miss being able to catch our own shellfish for free and eat it the same day.

Photo:  Animals of Core Banks, North Carolina:Atlantic Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) caught at the Long Point Dock.  Attribution: Jarek Tuszyński / CC-BY-SA-3.0.  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Events in My Family Tree: June 15

One of the outcomes of doing this exercise is that I am becoming aware of juxtapositions of dates.  George Trombulak, who was married June 15, was born June 9.  June 15 was a Friday, which doesn't seem much of a marriage date to me, but his birthday was a Saturday, which seems more so.  How did they decide on the 15th for the wedding?  Did the ongoing war have any effect on the choice?

Births

Burman J. Gaunt, son of Orlan Fay Gaunt and Beth Irene Waybright, was born June 15, 1918 in Jay County, Indiana.  He is my 5th cousin once removed via the Gaunts.

Linda Diane Layton, daughter of Edwin Earl Layton and Lois L. Vaughn, was born June 15, 1947 in Los Angeles County, California.  She is also my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line, through the Vaughns.

Christine Hise was born June 15, 1973.  She is my 3rd cousin once removed.

Lori Elizabeth Burke was born June 15, 1981.  She is my 5th cousin 2x removed.

Katy C. Wickham was born June 15, 1985.  She is the 3rd cousin once removed of my half-sister Laura Sellers.

Marriages

Lewis Allen Gaunt, son of Lewis Cass Gaunt and Mary A. Kindlesparger, and Opal Esther Westrick were married June 15, 1922 in Ft. Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.  Lewis is my 3rd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

George Trombulak, Jr. and Elizabeth Ann Funk, daughter of Earl G. Funk and Hazel Pauline Gauntt, were married June 15, 1945 in Alexandria City, Virginia.  Elizabeth is my 3rd cousin once removed via the Gauntts.

Thomas Gerald Allen, son of Elwood Lambert Allen and Beatrice Graham, and Doris Filer were married June 15, 1956.  Thomas is my 5th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Kevin George Tucker, Jr. and Angela Jean Williams were married June 15, 2002.  Angela is my aunt Mary McStroul's niece.

Deaths

Harry Hourel Thomson, son of William Thomson and Almira B. Githens, died June 15, 1950 in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana at the age of 81.  He is my 3rd cousin 3x removed on my Gauntt line through the Githenses.

Mary Jo Bonifas, daughter of Charles D. Bonifas, Jr. and Janell Wilkinson, died June 15, 2006 in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana.  She is my 6th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Bonifases.