Somehow Related

Friday, October 27, 2023

Storey OR Storms ~ Digging A Little Deeper

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 43 (DIG A LITTLE DEEPER)

Over, under, around - working on brick walls.

Thinking about this prompt I decided it was time to see if Ancestry Thru-lines could help me dig a little deeper on my maternal grandmother's paternal line.

The Bayes side of that line has been well researched because my X3 great grandmother is Artemissa Merrill who married Solomon Bayes. This Merrill line is connected to Princess Diana meaning it's a well researched and documented line.

Their son, Franklin Sheldon (Francis) (Frank) Bayes' wife is my current brick wall.

On the marriage registry dated July 12th 1898 X2 great grandma was Mary Ann Storey & her parents (my X3 great grandparents) are Peash & Venie (nee Unknown) Storey.

witnesses & dates for the Baptist marriage:

In looking at Ancestry Thru-lines I discovered a new match that had the last name STORMS in their tree.

I immediately thought about a conversation I had with my grandmother many years ago. We were talking about her family line when I said I found the marriage registry of Franklin Sheldon Bayes & Mary Ann Storey. She got a confused look on her face, and said that she thought her grandmother was Mary Storms. I showed her the marriage registry on my phone, and she decided maybe her memory was not correct.

In hindsight I wish I would have asked for more information at that time.

That is the problem when you think you already know the answer, and stop asking.

It's too late to ask grandma for more information because she is soon going to be 97, and her hearing is such that phone conversations just don't work. I live too far away to stop in for a visit & discussion.

I will need to dig a LOT deeper to figure this out.

I found a Peter Storms married to a Levina
*These could very well be Peash & Venie
BUT they were married in 1881.

The 1901 census record for Franklin & Mary Ann shows her birth as 26 March 1879.

Levina's death registry records her mother's maiden name as STOREY.

When I look at the shared match for the relevant tree the in common DNA in the range for the expected relationship of the theory.

I sent an inbox message to the tree owner.

This might be the way I can dig UNDER the brick wall that I have been searching.

I know that Ancestry Thru-lines can be problematic, but in this situation Thru-lines has presented a possibility that needs to be considered more carefully.

In reality my tree showing the last name Storey may be causing grief for others even if I have the marriage registry to back it.

When you find something that helps you dig a little deeper!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Relative Finder ~ Roots Tech 2024

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 42 (FRIENDS)

Roots Tech 2024 is February 29th to March 2nd.

With my work schedule I will be able to attend the entire online conference. This is the first time that will happen since RootsTech began virtual offerings.

What exactly does this have to do with FRIENDS?

RELATIVES AT ROOTS TECH is a feature that allows you to see folks who match you on the Family Search tree.

Since it's part of the conference this feature is only available until the end of March. For this reason someone started a Facebook Page that connects to a Relative Finder's Page.

During the conference I make sure all of my social media & genealogy profile photos are the same to ensure matches can find me.

I hadn't visited the pages since that spring so was curious and signed in.

I discovered there are 3,180 in the Facebook group, and I match 743 of them in the 8th to 15th cousin range.

None of these are to my husband's side of the Bramble Bush. He would need to register himself.

When I look at the names of the 3180 members on Facebook I discover that I don't recognize any of them. 4 have friends in common with me, but we don't know each other.

I look forward to Roots Tech 2024 to see if I can clean up some of the issues in my area of the shared tree at Family Search.

You can find the link to sign up (virtual or in person) for the conference in sources below.

Finding new friends via genealogy connections!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

RootsTech 2024 by Family Search. Retrieved October 19th 2023 from
https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/home

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

James Lee ~ American Revolution Soldier

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 41 (TRAVEL)

When looking at records for family members it's often hard to figure out the how & whys of their travel without looking at the big picture.

A perfect example of this is my husband's paternal 5th great grandparents:
James Lee
BIRTH 11 DEC 1757 • Littlay, Buchamshire, England, UK
DEATH 1804 • Saltfleet Tsp, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
and
Anna Hannah Margretha (Hannah) Corman
BIRTH 1760 • Fredrick, Maryland, USA
DEATH 31 JAN 1828 • Saltfleet Township, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada

How exactly did James & Hannah meet when he traveled from England to Canada, and she from the United States to Canada.

It makes a bit more sense when considering their son (Chris' 4th great grandfather) Samuel was born in Fredrick, Maryland, USA.

Even more sense when the 1782 Maryland, USA marriage entry for James & Hanna was found.

6th great grandparents William & Ann (nee Walker) Lee never left England. The records for James' siblings do not indicate anyone besides James left England.

Further searching to write this blog it appears that James came over as a soldier to fight in the Revolutionary War.

That still doesn't explain how they met, although there is a good chance it was via Hannah's brother Isaac - but that is a tale for another time!

6th great grandparents John & Sarah (nee Harrison) Corman were married in Fredrick, Maryland, USA in 1758, and all their children were born there. John was from the Netherlands. I haven't tracked Sarah's family back further than Virginia, USA.

Both John & Sarah died in Ontario, Canada.

Exactly how 5th great grandfather traveled to Fredrick where he met his wife Hannah is a mystery. Their first 3 children were born in Fredrick, Maryland, USA, all following children - were born in Ontario.

In 1792 James & Hannah Lee obtained a land settlement - Lots 21 & 22, Concession 4, Saltfleet Township, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada.

I was delighted to find this information about 5th great grandpa while searching online.

"Who Was James Lee?

James Lee was a British Soldier who served under General Cornwallis during the American Revolution. He married Hannah Corman and they settled down in Maryland after the war and lived there until 1792.

The British Government at that time awarded 200 acres of land in Canada to all disbanded soldiers. James and Hannah immigrated to Upper Canada and settled on lots 21 and 22, Concession 4 in Saltfleet Township. The family consisted of five sons and three daughters. The Lee family has been outstanding in various activities and played a leading role in the political affairs of Saltfleet Township from its early beginnings.

Their name is also connected with the war of 1812. A story is told that John Lee, a son of James, fought by the side of Sir Isaac Brock at the battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812. When Brock was wounded John Lee helped to carry him off the battlefield and later he was a pallbearer at his funeral. The Lee family has also been connected with the Battle of Stoney Creek." 1

We don't have a photo of James in his uniform, but history (and shows on TV) tells us he would have looked very close to the photo below.

photo source below

James' profile on WikiTree says that his last battle was on October 19th 1781 at the surrender of Yorktown portrayed in the photo below.

photo source below

James & Hannah are said to be buried on their homestead property.
Exactly where is unknown due to the loss of the stone markers.
It appears as though the original homestead is still held by the family.

4th great grandfather, James & Hannah's son, arrived in Canada at age 6
William Samuel (Samuel) Lee
BIRTH 25 AUG 1786 • Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
DEATH 22 AUG 1848 • Saltfleet, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
he married
Anna Shaver
BIRTH 5 APR 1791 • Oxford, Warren, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 13 DEC 1875 • Saltfleet Township, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
Anna came to Canada as a small child.

Their 5th (of 17) children is 3rd great grandfather
William Henry Lee
BIRTH 11 AUG 1814 • Stoney Creek, Wentworth Co., Upper Canada (Ontario)
DEATH 22 OCT 1887 • Northfield, Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
he married
Phoebe Swayze
BIRTH 26 OCT 1818 • Saltfleet, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 21 JAN 1890 • Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
This is the line that connects to Patrick Swayze (links to a prior blog post).

Their 3rd (of 12) children is X2 great grandfather
Alexander Burtsel (Birdsell) Lee
BIRTH 6 JAN 1843 • Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 11 NOV 1923 • Northfield, Burford Tp., Brant Co., Ontario
he married
Samantha Burtch
BIRTH 14 MAY 1843 • Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 15 MAR 1902 • Burford Tp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada

Their 11th (of 12 children) was great grandfather
John Franklin Lee
BIRTH 28 MAY 1883 • Northfield Centre, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 12 MAY 1952 • Burford Township, Ontario, Canada
married to
Martha J Isabel (Mattie) Smith
BIRTH 24 NOV 1873 • Ontario, Canada
DEATH 5 SEP 1902 • Brant, Ontario, Canada

They had one child - grandpa (AKA: Cliff, C.A.)
Clifton Alexander Lee
BIRTH 20 MAY 1902 • Northfield Centre, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 9 SEP 1979 • Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
his 2nd wife was grandma
Eva Alice Aspden
BIRTH 4 SEP 1922 • Simcoe, Norfolk Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 23 AUG 2008 • Penticton, British Columbia, Canad

Immigration travel patterns resulted in this Bramble Bush being Canadian!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1 Who Was James Lee? The James Lee Suites. East Hamilton Stoney Creek Health Association. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from:
https://jamesleesuites.com/who-was-james-lee/

Sources:

James Lee. Geni.com. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://www.geni.com/people/James-Lee/6000000007537694623

James Lee Sr. UE (abt. 1743 - 1804). WikiTree. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lee-1300

Loyalist Trails 2015-32. War of 1812 Plaque for Private Isaac Corman. Paragraph 4. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://uelac.ca/loyalist-trails/loyalist-trails-2015-32/#Plaque

The Ontario Pioneers and Available Genealogies "Leach to Lutes". Lee, James. Paragraph 5. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/ontario-pioneers/settlers-l/ontario-pioneers-leach-to-lutes

Who Was James Lee? The James Lee Suites. East Hamilton Stoney Creek Health Association. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from:
https://jamesleesuites.com/who-was-james-lee/

W.I. hope to preserve founder's home in Stoney Creek. Niagara Peninsula Weekly. The News of Stoney Creek and Saltfleet. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/FWIO/FWIO003218085_0242p.pdf

Photos:

British Soldier. Military Uniforms. Great Britain. England. 1743-1797. New York Public Library. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://picryl.com/media/great-britain-england-1743-97-ad9291

The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown A.D. 1781. Library of Congress. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://picryl.com/media/the-surrender-of-cornwallis-at-yorktown-ad-1781

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Monday, October 2, 2023

103 Years Old ~ X2 Great Aunt Mary Thomson

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 40 (LONGEVITY)

My paternal grandmother was named after her aunt,
Mary Thomson, who lived to 103 years old.

In the photo below is my grandfather (Thomas Thomson) on the left, Mary in the middle, and brother James Devlin Glass on the right.

Mary never married, and had no children.

According to the stories my grandmother told me, about the aunt she was named after, Mary was very connected to her siblings.
Looking at the photo above I definitely got the sense they were close.

On her 100th birthday she received a letter from the Queen.

The photo above was taken on her 100th birthday.

That's her brother, Henry who was 96 years old, with her.

They were the last 2 surviving children of Thomas & Isabella (nee Glass) Thomson.

Henry died less than a year later.

Mary lived for 3 more years.

She was the oldest of 8 children, and outlived them all.

Mary's family

Father:
Thomas Thomson
BIRTH ABT. 1849 • Buckhaven, East Wemyss, Fife, Scotland
DEATH 22 FEB 1919 • Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland

Mother:
Isabella Glass
BIRTH ABT. 1849 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 29 JUL 1943 • Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, Scotland

Their 8 children (1911 census confirms they had 8 children and all were still living):

Mary Thomson, lived to 103 years
BIRTH 28 NOV 1870 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 16 DEC 1973 • Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Never married, no children

Isabella (Bella) Thomson, lived to 77 years
BIRTH 6 JUN 1872 • North Berwick, Haddingtonshire, Scotland
DEATH 5 MAY 1950 • Deaconess Hospital, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
married: William Haughie, had 3 children (I have found records for)

Henry Thomson, lived to 97 years
BIRTH 19 JAN 1874 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 8 AUG 1971 • Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
married: Bessie, had 1 child (I have found records for)

Agnes Thomson, lived to 80 years
BIRTH 07 MAR 1876 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 30 JUL 1956 • 205 Berea Street, Pretoria, Eastern Cape, South Africa
married: Herbert William Smith, had 2 children (1911 census notes 2 children with both living, no records for other children have been found)

Thomas Thomson, lived to 60 years
BIRTH 10 MAY 1880 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 19 NOV 1940 • Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
married: Elizabeth Young Slicer. had 3 children (2 lived to adulthood)
My great grandparents

James Devlin Glass Thomson, lived to 80 years
BIRTH 26 SEP 1883 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH 31 AUG 1966 • Raumati Beach, Kapiti Coast, Wellington, New Zealand
married: Elsie Winifred Genge, had 6 children

Laura Edward Thomson, age at death is not known at this time
BIRTH 14 FEB 1887 • North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
DEATH AFT. 1940 (was listed as a survivor in brother Thomas' obit)
married: John Cleghorn (Cleghorn) Robertson, no records for children found

Richard Alexander Thomson, age at death is not known at this time
BIRTH 12 JUL 1892 • Tynemouth, Northumberland, England
DEATH BEF. 1940 (not listed as a survivor in brother Thomas' obit)
One Ancestry tree says he died of the Spanish Flu Epidemic 1918-1920

When you have family members who live to over 100 years old!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Family stories

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Surprise ~ 30 Years Passed in a Flash

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 39 (SURPRISE)

Surprise - I went away on vacation & missed 2 weeks of the challenge.

At first I was stressing
'BUT Deb, you made a commitment to yourself that you would write weekly'.

Then I realized that I made the rules so I can change them.
New rule - when we go away on vacation I will skip those weeks.

This is my 5th year of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. In past years those types of prompts really got my creative wheels turning. This year I'm just not feeling it when I try to focus on the hardships. Successes I definitely feel, but focusing on the negative has been hard for me lately.

I can't believe it's already been 5 years since I first began writing weekly about this Bramble Bush.

In a heartbeat years go by.

If you aren't paying attention you can miss it.

We vacationed in Northern Idaho with a quick trip to Montana to visit Kootenai Falls.

We had an amazing trip, and I was planning to write about it.

Life is what is happening while you're busy planning.

Something big happened this week.

Chris received a 30 year long service award.

WAIT - how did that happen?

30 years ago Chris fulfilled his dream of becoming a Paramedic in the province of British Columbia.In the 30 years spanning his career he had no idea what this career had in store for him.

He began in the small town of Nelson.

He then moved on to the smaller town of Grand Forks.

His next stop - the downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Then to the Whalley district of Surrey.

He finally moved to the community of Chilliwack (where we reside).

He then got the Princess Shift (days - no nights) in the tiny town of Agassiz.

With retirement in his sights Chris was promoted to Manager.

On the day in 1993 when he was issued his uniform he could never have imagined the amazing career he would have.

Surprise - he had hair!

This week he received his 30 year long service award.

As a paramedic he does not see the impact he has on the lives of those he cares for.

In his own words
We're kind of like a secret service.

We swoop in.
We deal with it.
We swoop out.
We drop them off at the hospital.
They spend the least amount of time in our world.
Sometime they get the most life saving technique in those few moments.

Over the years the workload has increased. Partly due to no longer being in small towns, and partly because the world has gotten busier.

Not always is the job of a paramedic high stress!

We have been together for almost 32 years.

I have watched his achievements in awe.

Today we celebrate this amazing human being who has impacted the lives of too many to count!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Bucky: A Paramedic's Story. Smitty Speaks. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAyNLs6P6zs&t=688s

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Friday, September 22, 2023

Heading Home ~ With a Twisp

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 38 (ADVERSITY)

This week we were still on vacay in Idaho so I shall share about the last part of this amazing tip instead of the prompt ADVERSITY.

We started this week with a 1 hour trip to Coeur d'Alene for the sunset dinner cruise.

We decided to go in earlier in the day to explore.

It wasn't until we got home that we learned the Human Rights Education Institute was very much needed given their history & realized the prompt ADVERSITY actually fit.

The waterfront boardwalk was a very nice stroll before dinner.

The sunset dinner cruise was beautiful & the food was very good. The tables were set up as shared & we connected nicely with the folks at our shared table.

Our day in Coeur d'Alene was one of the highlights of our trip.

One of the people we met on the Sunset Dinner Cruise worked at Sedlmayers in Spirit Lake. We decided to go on an evening they had musicians playing. It was one of our best dinners on this trip.

It was a bit chilly that evening. They brought us a heater to the table that made the evening temperatures perfect.

Chris and I love hearing about the history of places, and Sedlmayer's didn't disappoint.

The story of Bing Crosby having visited & then later mentioning them in lyrics wasn't exactly correct.

The song Moonlight Bay does not include the resort's name BUT it does appear in this performance of the song with Bing & Gary Crosby.

No trip is complete until I have visited the local library.

Our last evening in Idaho - picture perfect.

The next morning we headed to Grand Coulee Washington for one last night on the road before heading home.

We watched the video of Grand Coulee's history in the interpretive center before watching the Laser Light Show after dark.

We were surprised at how many were there to watch it given the chilly evening in mid September.

We enjoyed the animated lightshow, but there were parts of the messaging that left us troubled when reflecting on Truth & Reconciliation.

This town deer stopped by to say goodbye as we readied to head home

When we were checking out the advertised coffee & muffins were not available.

We headed out of town planning to stop at the first restaurant we saw for breakfast.

After a couple of hours I announced that if we didn't find food soon Cranky Deb would be making an appearance (honestly she had already arrived).

Moments later a sign with FOOD written on it appeared on the side of the road.

We immediately left the highway and traveled into the small town of Twisp.

The roads were barricaded off.

We had stumbled into a street festival of sorts.

After having spent more than a week in very conservative communities with little diversity it was refreshing to find a community and event that felt like my hometown of Nelson.

When you feel like you have arrived home!!!

This is why I search -

Cause ...

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Bing & Gary Crosby-Moonlight Bay - mentions Sedlmayer's Milk Bar in the performance while singing the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebuS01qjOas&t=44s

Grand Coulee Light Show 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QI1aajWA4g

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Friday, September 15, 2023

Vacay ~ Idaho & Montana

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 37 (PROSPERITY)

This week's prompt PROSPERITY seems appropriate since we went away on vacation to Idaho.

Why Idaho you ask?

We had to use our credits for the canceled September 2020 New York trip, and chose a place close enough to drive to.

A week at Stoneridge Resort in Blanchard, Idaho was where we chose to use our travel credits for half of our canceled New York trip (the other half was a week in Dominican last March).

The resort was very nice.

The restaurant at the golf course next door: the service was fantastic, and the food hit & miss, BUT the convenience & prices made it perfect. The first night we were serenaded by coyotes while enjoying our meal on the patio.

We enjoyed the resort offerings, and my activity tracker offered much congratulations on the amount of walking and active time we engaged in.

We had a friendly mini golf wager - the loser was the DD for the next night's dinner out at the Mexican restaurant in nearby Spirit Lake. Luckily Chris was the winner since he likes Margaritas!

Mi Pueblo had the best Chicken Chimichanga I have ever eaten (AND I have eaten a lot of them). Chris had hesitations about ordering the Margarita because this restaurant had a wine & beer license only so the margarita didn't have tequila in it. He's not sure how they made it, but he was not able to tell that it was made with wine.

The resort provided an activity sheet that included this community event.

This was a super fun event, and the rib dinner was very good. We met some friendly locals who told us about Kootenai Falls in Montana that was a little over 2 hours away.

We couldn't miss the opportunity to add another state to our visited list