Category Archives: Genealogy

Arthur Leslie Keith

25 Saturday Apr 2020

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Arthur Leslie Keith

Arthur Leslie Keith was born on April 25, 1874 in Worthington, Indiana.  His parents were John Lawson Keith and Mary Ann Robertson.  He had two sisters–Mattie and Gertie, three brothers–Ison, Thomas and Cecil, and two half-brothers from his mother’s first marriage–Elmer W and John H Bicknell.  As a small boy, Arthur’s  family resided in Van Buren Township in Monroe County, Indiana where his father farmed until his death in 1884.  Mary Ann moved the family to Lancaster, Nebraska, presumably to be somewhat closer to her family who resided in Iowa.

On June 13, 1900, Arthur married Mabelle Homerick in Nebraska City, Nebraska.  At that time, Arthur was living in Saline County, Kansas,  and that is where they made their home.  In 1905 they were blessed with their first child, James Lawson Keith, however, he passed away before he turned two.  A second son, Arthur Leslie II, was born to the couple the following year.  The family then moved from Kansas to Chicago, where the elder Arthur pursued his PhD at the University of Chicago in the Department of Greek Language and Literature. While in Chicago, young Arthur passed away in 1909.

Arthur Leslie Keith

As Arthur finished his doctoral studies, he and Mabelle were blessed with a daughter.  The family moved to Northfield, Minnesota where Arthur taught Latin at Carleton College.  Unfortunately, young Mary Elizabeth suffered a fate similar to her brothers and died as a small child in 1912.  The couple remained in Minnesota until the early 1920s when they relocated to Vermillion, South Dakota.  Arthur continued to teach Latin, now at the University of South Dakota.  After almost 42 years of marriage, Arthur passed away on March 1, 1942 at the age of 67.

 

Arthur Leslie Keith was my 3rd cousin 3x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1880, 1910, 1920, 1940
  • Kansas State Census, 1905
  • South Dakota State Census, 1925, 1935
  • Nebraska Marriage Records
  • Find A Grave website
  • US College Student Lists, 1763-1924
  • World War I Draft Registration Cards
  • Cook County, IL Deaths Index
  • Minnesota Death Index

Michael “Mitchell” Kaiser

24 Friday Apr 2020

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Mitchell Kaiser

Michael Kaiser was born in the Alsace Region on April 24, 1838 to Michael Kaiser and Marie Anne Claussmann.  The younger Michael frequently went by Mitchell as evidenced on various documents bearing his name.  Family stories relate that as a young man, Mitchell was in Army.  With the political turbulence in that region of Europe, he found himself either in the French Army or the German Army at any given time.  As the story would have it, one night he slipped away from the encampment along the Rhine River and met up with a friend who had a boat.  Passenger lists for arrivals into New Orleans indicates a seventeen year old Michel Kaiser arrived from LeHavre, France on the Nuremberg on April 21, 1855.  Also arriving on that ship was his fifteen year old brother John B. Kaiser.

 

Mitchell Kaiser Land Vincennes Twp

Mitchell Kaiser farm south of Vincennes.

By 1860, Mitchell had made his way to Knox County, Indiana where he was working as a farmhand on Lambert Halter’s farm.  On January 15, 1861, Mitchell married Lambert’s daughter Mary Elizabeth. Mitchell acquired about 50 acres of land near his father-in-law south of Vincennes and supported his ever growing family by farming.  Over the course of the next twenty years, Mitchell and Mary Elizabeth were blessed with at least ten children, four of which lived to adulthood–Michael, Rose, Lambert, and Anthony.  In August 1881, their first born daughter Mary Elizabeth died at the age of seventeen.  A few short weeks later, after giving birth to their youngest daughter Elizabeth, Mitchell’s wife passed away on October 10, 1881.  The babe unfortunately died two weeks later.  They were all laid to rest in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

On Jun 14, 1887, at nearly the age of fifty, Mitchell married his second wife, Magdalena Keller.  She was the daughter of John Keller and Magdalena Fleck.  Magdalena gave birth to seven children, three of which reached adulthood–Magdalena, Raymond, and Clara.  Mitchell continued to work the family farm until he succumbed to a bout of pneumonia on February 27, 1912 at the age of 73.  He, too, was laid to rest in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

 

Mitchell Kaiser was my 2nd-great grandfather on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Indiana Marriage Collection
  • New Orleans, Passenger Lists
  • Find A Grave Website
  • Halter Family History, compiled by Phyllis Vennard Halter, 1979
  • Vincennes Daily Commercial–April 5, 1888 & July 17, 1888
  • The Vincennes Commercial–February 28, 1912

Henrietta Polk

23 Thursday Apr 2020

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On April 23, 1848, Henrietta Polk was the third child born to Isaac Polk and Mary Jane Cox.  She was preceded by Jeannette and Benjamin, and followed by six more siblings–Charles, Rachel, Alice, Harriet, Florence and Jonathan.  The family resided in the Oak Station (Widner Township) area of Knox County, Indiana, where her father apparently had a sizable farm.  When Henrietta was eleven, her mother died, leaving Isaac with many mouths to feed.  Two years later, Isaac married Martha Couchman Ferguson, the widow of John Ferguson.  They added three more daughters to the family–Delilah, Hester and Eva for a total of twelve children born to Isaac.

Henrietta attended school as a youngster and lived on her father’s farm well into her twenties.  On November 8, 1879, she married single father Ellis Hill.  Ellis had been married and widowed twice previously–first to Lavinia Risley and then to Henrietta’s older sister Jeanette.  Both women appear to have died as a result of childbirth complications.  Henrietta, consequently, became a stepmother to nine year old Mary.

Ellis and Henrietta made their home in the north central part of Washington Township in Knox County where Ellis farmed 80 acres of land.  Over the next two decades, they had five children, three of which made it to adolescence–Walter, Fannie and Hallie.  Hallie apparently had some health issues and was sent to live with an aunt in Idaho where the climate was more favorable for her.  Unfortunately, the improvement was short lived and she died in April 1906 in Idaho.  Henrietta, who suffered from paralysis, passed away a few short months later on July 17, 1906 on the family farm on the outskirts of  Bicknell, Indiana.

Henrietta Polk Widner

Isaac Polk farm in Widner Township, Knox County IN

Henrietta Polk Washington

Ellis Hill farm in Washington Township, Knox County, IN

 

Henrietta Polk was my 2nd cousin 4x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Indiana Marriage Index
  • Find A Grave
  • The Western Sun, April 27, 1906
  • Combined Atlases of Knox County, Indiana, 1880-1903

 

Martha Bonnel Tompkins

22 Wednesday Apr 2020

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Christoper Kent and Martha Price KentMartha Bonnel Tompkins was born April 22, 1841 in New Jersey.   She, along with her twin sister Mary Esther, were the youngest of four children born to Ashbel Allen Tompkins and Mary Noe “Polly” Bonnel.  Her older siblings were Philemon and Huldah.  She resided with her family in New Providence until November 17, 1869 when she married Christopher Kent.

Christopher and Martha made their home in nearby Summit, New Jersey.  Christopher supported the family as a general mason.  They were blessed with one son, Alfred Tompkins Kent, in 1873.  Martha left this world too soon on April 7, 1883 in Summit.  She was laid to rest in the New Providence Presbyterian Churchyard in New Providence, New Jersey.

Martha Bonnel Tompkins

 

Martha is my 4th cousin 5x removed on my dad’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880
  • New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index
  • New Jersey Marriage Records
  • Find A Grave website

Mildred Ann Atkinson

21 Tuesday Apr 2020

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On April 21, 1914, Mildred Ann Atkinson was born to James Weley Atkinson and Maude Rogers in Bicknell, Indiana.  She was the youngest of four children born to this family.  Her siblings included her brothers Eugene and James and a sister Esther.  Eugene died of meningitis at the age of fourteen before Mildred was born.

Mildred attended Bicknell public schools and graduated from Bicknell High School before attending Lindenwood College in Missouri.  She started her career as a high school teacher at her alma mater teaching Latin.  She later would move to Indianapolis where she taught English in several of the high schools there until her retirement in 1974.

In 1936 Mildred married Virgil Edwards.  Shortly thereafter, they moved to Indianapolis where they made their lifelong residence.  Virgil was an accountant and served in the Navy.  He co-owned a florist shop in Indianapolis for over 30 years.   Mildred and Virgil were the parents of two children.

After 61 years of marriage at the age of 84, Mildred passed away on October 23, 1998.  Virgil followed three years later.

Mildred Atkinson

Mildred was my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my dad’s side. 

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • Indiana Birth Certificates
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Vincennes Sun-Commercial via Newspapers.com
  • Find a Grave website

Hazel Phillippe

20 Monday Apr 2020

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Hazel Phillippe was born April 20, 1890 in Bicknell, Indiana.  She was the oldest of at least five children born to William Franklin Phillippe and Nancy Jane Gilmore.  She had three brothers–Goldie, Frank and Albert–and a sister Flossie.

In 1909, Hazel married Martin Franklin Green and they had two sons, Dallas and another son who died in infancy.  Martin worked for the railroad as a fireman.  The Greens lived in Bicknell until 1951 when Martin died of a heart attack at age 62.  Hazel continued to reside in her home town until 1975 when she, too, succumbed to heart failure at the age of 85.  She is buried in the Asbury Chapel Cemetery in Ragsdale.

Hazel Phillippe

 

Hazel was my 2nd cousin 3x removed on my dad’s side.

 

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • WPA, Indiana Births, 1880-1920
  • Indiana Death Certificates
  • Indiana Marriage Index
  • Vincennes Sun-Commercial via Newspapers.com

Barbe Bonneau

19 Sunday Apr 2020

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Barbe Bonneau was born April 19, 1756 at Fort Vincennes to Charles Baptist Bonneau and Genevieve Charlotte Dudevoir.  She had at least seven siblings–Charles, Genevieve, Jean Baptiste, Marie Josephe, Pierre, Angelique, and Anne Jeannette.  The family name has taken on several different spellings including Bono and Bonneaux, with either one or two “n’s”.

Barbe married Michel Brouillette in the early 1770s at Fort Vincennes.  Michel was at least ten years older than Barbe and had established himself as a trader in the Wabash River Valley.  In 1773, as the story goes, he purchased an unfinished house on First Street in Vincennes from Barbe’s father and this is where they started their family.  Over the next twenty years, Barbe would give birth to at least eight children through the height of the Revolutionary War.  During this time, her husband was captured by the Indians working with the English and changed his allegiance between the English and the American cause more than once.  Barbe and Michel’s children included Michel Jr, Laurent, Barbe, Marie Louise, Pierre, Genevieve, Ursula (who died in infancy), and Lorant (who did not reach his majority).

After the War, Michel continued trading goods and headed up the local militia.  He passed away in 1797 at Vincennes.  Barbe continued to raise their children in Vincennes until her death in 1802.

Barbe Bonneau

While not a lot is known about Barbe, her family has made a definite impact on the history of Vincennes.  The “Old French House” is touted as the only French Creole style house left in Indiana.  Michel Jr built the house in 1809.  It was restored and opened as a museum in 1976.  It sits near the corner of First Street and Seminary Street.  Barbe’s great-grandson Thomas started TA Brouillette & Son in 1866, a family-owned and operated company that lasted 135 years serving the Vincennes area.

 

Barbe was my 2nd cousin 7x removed on my mother’s side.

 

REFERENCES

  • Find-A-Grave website
  • Terre Haute Tribune-Star – April 4, 2009
  • Vincennes Sun-Commercial – October 28, 2001, August 2, 2015

Minnie Myrtle Cardinal

18 Saturday Apr 2020

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Minnie Myrtle Cardinal was one of the six children born to William Jerome Cardinal and Mary Frances Connell who lived to adulthood.  She was born April 18, 1885 in Knox County, Indiana, and had four sisters–Effie May, Florence, Gertrude and Laura–and a brother named Everett.  The family resided in the southwest portion of the county near Decker until the late 1890s, at which time they moved across the river to the community of Billett in Lawrence County, Illinois.

Around 1901, Minnie met and married James Joseph Wheeler, son of Bill Wheeler and Sarah Carey, who was originally from the St Thomas area in Knox County.  They started their family in the Billett area with the births of daughters Allie and Flossie.  By 1907, they returned to Johnson Township where Willard and Sylvia Irene were born.  James supported the family as a farm laborer.  They remained in Indiana for a few more years, however, the family returned to the Billett/Lawrenceville area by the time Leo was born in 1914.  Leo was followed by brother Herbert in 1920 and sister Dorothy in 1923. As many others in Lawrenceville did, James worked in the local oil refinery.

As 1930 approached, the children grew into adults and started to leave home.  Allie married and Willard moved to California where he worked in a variety of occupations.  During the 1930s, Flossie and Sylvia married.  James retired from the refinery, however, he left Minnie a widow in 1938.   In 1940, Minnie, Herbert and Dorothy were living in a boarding house in Lawrenceville and Herbert was working for the WPA.  With the start of World War II, both Herbert and Leo were drafted.  Unfortunately, Leo did not make it home.  He was attached to the Armored Forces Tank Units and suffered extensive injuries from artillery shrapnel in May 1944.  He did not survive.

Minnie remarried at some point in the 1940s to Frank Higgins.  They resided in Sumner and later Lawrenceville. She died on November 11, 1949 after suffering from a brief illness.

Minnie Cardinal

Minnie Cardinal Wheeler Higgins was my 3rd cousin 3x removed on my mother’s side.

 

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
  • Find A Grave website
  • Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index
  • United States WWII Draft Cards
  • United State WWII Hospital Admission Card Files
  • Indiana Birth Certificates
  • Vincennes Sun Commercial, November 13, 1949

William H Lennington

18 Saturday Apr 2020

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William Lennington pictureWilliam H Lennington was born on April 17, 1825 in Madison, New Jersey to James Lennington and Sarah Bonnell.  He had at least three siblings–twin brothers Thomas and Nathaniel and a sister Martha.  In the mid-1830s the family began their journey westward and settled in Ohio.

At the age of 26, William married Julia Condit on 28 April 1851.  He supported his family as a merchant.  Their first two children, John and Helen, were both born in Ohio.  After Helen’s birth in 1856, William moved his family across Indiana to settle in Champaign, Illinois, where their son Grant was born in late 1857.  In 1859, Julia, along with several others in the area, were stricken ill and died.

William Lennington

Living in a rural settlement, William took to farming to support his two living children.  He married a second time in 1861 to Lucinda French Pearson.  Over the next decade, William and Lucinda added four sons to their family–Wade, James, Charles and Allan.  William continued to support his family as a farmer throughout the years.  As he grew older, his focus shifted to one of real estate and leasing property to others.

Shortly after the beginning of the 20th Century, Lucinda passed away at approximately 70 years of age.  William continued on another decade or so, passing to the afterlife on January 17, 1913.

 

William Lennington is my 3rd cousin 6x removed on my father’s side.

 

REFERENCES:

  • United States Census – 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910
  • Illinois, Compiled Marriages
  • North America, Family Histories 1500-2000

William Puloski Ireland

16 Thursday Apr 2020

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William Puloski Ireland was born on April 16, 1846 in Brownstown, Indiana to David and Mary Ann (Sanderson) Ireland.  He was the second born of at least five children.  In the early to mid 1850s, William’s family decided to move westward, stopping for a few years in Lucas County, Iowa before continuing their journey which ultimately led to Polk County, Oregon.  He met Cornelia Jane Staats and on February 10, 1869 they were married in Polk County.William P Ireland

William made his livelihood through farming and ranching, amassing a sizable amount of land over the years.  He and Cornelia raised a large family of eight children, seven of which matured to adulthood.

  • Ora Dell m. Minnie Goodrich
  • Annie L m. Columbus Tetherrow
  • Perly Leon
  • Clarence Edwin m. Stella Cooper
  • Glenn O m. Harriet Brown
  • William Willard m. Minta Taylor
  • Fred Melvin m. Maud Whitaker
  • Bessie m. Merrill Hammell

In 1912, William was widowed when Cornelia passed on.  About a year later, he married Ruthannah Murphy.  William died on January 17, 1918 at home following several weeks of heart issues.  Ruthannah and seven of his children survived him.

 

William is my 1st cousin 5x removed on my father’s side of the family.

References:

  • The Weekly Gazette-Times (Corvallis, OR) from Newspapers.com
  • United States Federal Census: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910
  • Iowa State Census: 1856
  • Oregon County Marriage Records
  • Oregon Death Index
  • Find A Grave