Part 701d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1880 Birth and Baptism – Great-Grandaunt Catherine Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

You NEVER know what the day will bring in a detailed, or not so detailed, Genealogy Hunt. Just be prepared...

The last child of gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty is great-grandaunt Catherine. The 1880 St. Paul's Baptism Registration of great-grandaunt Catherine Doherty indicates that she was baptized 22 August 1880. Her birth date is provided as 11 August 1880.

Above is the page copy from the St. Paul's Register of Baptisms and from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084].

My transcription -

116

Register of Baptisms

1880

Date - Aug 22
Name of Child - Catharine
Lawful Child of - Phil & Marg Dougherty
Born - 11 Aug (1880)
Sponsors - Jas F Kane & Ellen Kane
Name of Priest - M. Fallow

And I thought that this next document in my genealogy search of the Doherty Family was to be my last discovery.  But no, you would not believe what I just found this morning... but I am not going to say that which I found until I see the possible documentation and recording in the Registers of Baptism of St. Peters.  At first glance, it looks like it just might be correct. Stay-tuned...

The top image is of St. Paul's Catholic Church, established 20 December 1869. Photograph: Courtesy of Archives, Diocese of Wilmington.

Please contact me if you have any thoughts, ideas, comments, and questions.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 700d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1878 Birth and Baptism – Great-Grandaunt Elizabeth Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good day,



And this genealogy thing continues.


It is a wonder at times trying to decipher the possible discrepancies found on individual documents. I have made it a personal goal to gather as many different types of facts and near-facts as I can. I have discovered, through my searches and research... And drive to keep looking, that there are definitive differences of data and information.

Next in the discovery queue is the 1878 Baptism Registration of great-grandaunt Elizabeth Doherty. Great-Grandaunt Elizabeth was either the 9th or 10th child born to gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty.

I will address the issue of 10 or 11 Doherty children, albeit great-grandaunts and great-granduncles shortly. Stay tuned.

Above is the page copy from the St. Paul's Register of Baptisms and from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084].

My transcription -

92

Register of Baptisms

1878

Date - June 30
Name of Child - Elizabeth
Lawful Child of - Phil Dougherty & Marg
Born - 26 June (1878)
Sponsors - Jno Dougherty & Annie Kelly
Name of Priest - M. Fallow

Please contact me if you have any thoughts, ideas, comments, and questions.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 699d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1876 Birth and Baptism – Great-Grandaunt Mary Agnes Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

Not even June 1st and we're in the throes of a great soaking from Beryl, number 2 on the radar scope. Methinks that NOAA may have to adjust the start of the Hurricane season to mid-May versus the current June 1. The powers that be should set the new schedule for 2013, that is if the Mayans allow us to see a new year.

And I just continue my genealogy trek into the Doherty (aka Dougherty) Famly Line.

The next child of gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret (nee Doherty) Doherty is great-grandaunt Mary Agnes. She is number 9 of the possible 10 or 11 children.

From the St. Paul's Register of Baptisms and from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084], above is my best copy of the Baptism Register image.

And my transcription -

74

Register of Baptisms

1876

Date - Aug 13
Name of Child - Mary Agnes
Lawful Child of - Philip Dougherty & Margt
Born - 4 Aug (1876)
Sponsors - Jas Kane? & ? Dougherty
Name of Priest - M. Farrow

And now I sally forth... Two possibly three more Doherty Baptism Registrations to find.

I certainly welcome your comments, ideas, thoughts, and questions.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 698d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1874 Birth and Baptism – Great-Grandaunt Fannie Annie Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good day, and once again a meaningful Memorial Day,

One key to Genealogy Research is organization… and boy do I need, at times, a good dose of organization.

The next of the Doherty great-grandaunts and great-granduncles that I have been able to locate is reference to the 1875 Baptism Registration of great-grandaunt Fannie Annie Doherty… The copy of the page of the St. Paul’s Register of Baptism is fairly hard to read and decipher as it is extremely dark. In my work of capturing the image I had to cut and paste a couple of images in order to produce a reasonable and somewhat legible copy.

Initially I was looking for a registration at St. Paul’s Church in Wilmington of one Frances Doherty, but to no avail. The one I did find, and whose parents are listed as “Phil. Dougherty & Margt”, is one for a “Fannie Annie”. According to the Baptism Register document great-grandaunt Fannie Annie was born 20 December 1874 and baptized on either the 5th or 15th of January 1875.

Downloaded from the St. Paul’s Register from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084], here is my reconstructed image.

My transcription, as best as I can read –

65

Register of Baptisms

1874 & 5

Date – Jan 5th or 15th
Name of Child – Fannie Annie
Lawful Child of – Phil. Dougherty & Margt
Born – Dec 20 (1874)
Sponsors – Jas Kelly? ? ?
Name of Priest – M. Fallon?

All-things-being-equal, great-grandaunt Fannie Annie Doherty is the same person as great-grandaunt Frances Doherty. What appears to be coincidental, at this point in my research is the finding of the Death Record of the Fannie Doherty who did live at 731 Madison Street and died on 24 May 1895. (See Part 696d.)

In 1874 and 1875 gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty, with their children, including their newborn daughter, Fannie Annie all lived at 731 Madison Street in Wilmington. Was great-grandaunt Fannie Annie named for the elder Fannie Doherty? Perhaps?

If you have any question, thoughts, ideas, and comments please feel free to email me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 697p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – 1917 Divorce Notice

Good Day, and Happy Memorial Day,

In this genealogy research, the date is now 17 November 1917. I have found a small clipping in the News In Brief section of the Saturday Edition of The Flint Daily Journal. The following is most definitely a part of the mystery of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway.

GGG-Grandfather Brayton is now asking for and filing for divorce from his second wife, Johanna (née Plischke). This marriage lasted approximately three years as he married her around November of 1914 while he was touring Austria and Europe.

I discovered the following clipping at Genealogy Bank.

I am currently working on ggg-grandfather Brayton’s Time Line Chart and his journey in the mapping from Ancestral Atlas.

If you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or ideas, please feel free to contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 696d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1895 Death – Fannie Doherty – 731 Madison Street, Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

In my genealogy search of the Doherty Family Line I chanced upon the following Return of A Death in the City of Wilmington that has raised some questions. My primary question is “Who was she?”

The following document is from the Delaware Death Records, 1811-1933 and downloaded from Ancestry.com.

The person who passed away 24 May 1895 was 82 years old Fannie Doherty. She may have had a heart attack as the Cause of Death listed was “Heart disease.” The curious part of this find is that the Street and number provided on the Return of Death document is 731 Madison. 731 Madison Street is the address of the same house where our Dohertys lived. Great-Great-Grandfather Philip Doherty also passed away in the same house at the same location two years later in 1897. He was 65 years old when he died.

The document is from the Delaware Death Records, 1811-1933, Delaware Vital Records available at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover and downloaded from Ancestry.com.

My transcription –

Doherty, Fannie

RETURN OF A DEATH in the City of Wilmington

1. Name of deceased – Fannie Doherty
2. Color – White
3. Sex – Female
4. Age – 82 yrs
5. Widowed, Married or Single –
6. Date of death – May 24th 1895
7. Cause of Death – Heart disease

Dr. Howard Ogle, Physician.

(TO BE FILLED BY THE UNDERTAKER).

8. Occupation –
9. Place of birth – Ireland
10. When a minor,
Name of Father –
Name of Mother –
11. Ward – 5
12. Street and number – 731 Madison
13. Date of burial – May 27
14. Place of burial – Cem Cathedral

Daniel T. Killroy

Eighty-two year old Fannie Doherty was listed as Single on the Return. She would have made her about 19 years older than great-great-grandfather Philip.

At the time of Fannie Doherty’s passing, great-great-grandmother Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty would have been about 56 years old. This calculates that she, Fannie Doherty, would have been about 26 years older than gg-grandmother Margaret.

And so my questions are:

1. Was Fannie Doherty a relative of either gg-grandparents Philip or Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty?

2. Could she have been an elder sister to either one?

3. Could she have been an aunt, again to either gg-grandfather Philip or gg-grandmother Margaret?

I also located a copy of Page 50 from the Register of Deaths. This Register is also available through the Delaware Public Archives.

Downloading from Ancestry.com, here is a copy.

And my transcription –

50

NAME – Doherty, Fannie
Age – 82
Color – 49268 – White
Nation or State – Ire
If a Foreigner, how long in the United States –
Residence – 731 Madison
Occupation – -
Single, Married, Widowed – Single
Sex – female
Name and Nation of Parents – -
Cause of Death and Complications – Heart Disease
Date of Death – 5 – 24 – 95
Date of Certificate – -
Date of Registration – 7 – 18 - 95

This one is a hard mystery to solve based on the current information and data. We could make assumptions… but that necessarily may not be the correct direction to follow. It could be a logical deduction, but then again until I have more detailed information and data I would not conclude an actual relation between Fannie Doherty and gg-grandparents Philip and Margaret.

If anyone has any details, information, family history, that may shed some light to who was this Fannie Doherty, I would certainly appreciate hearing them. Please feel free to contact me.

And enjoy,

Jim

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Part 695d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1873 Birth and Baptism – Great-Granduncle John Patrick Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

This is my 900th Posting to A Genealogy Hunt. A Genealogy Hunt began as a blog in May 2009. All-things-being equal this may mean that I take about 65/6 days off every year. Maybe, but how do I account for the 240 Postings to Quilts SB during the same time period.

The second St. Paul’s document in my genealogy search that I was able to find is the Baptism Registration of great-granduncle John Patrick. His birth, in Wilmington, is recorded 13 March 1873 and his baptism was celebrated 16 March 1873.

Based on the documents that I have found and we now have on file the following are the Doherty (aka Dougherty) siblings up to 1873:

Baptized at St. Peter’s –

1. Gerald – Born 28 November 1864 (Part 678d)

2. Helen - Born 25 March 1866 (Part 679d)

3. Mary Ellen – Born 14 January 1868 (Part 683d)

4. Margaret – Born 22 December 1869 (Part 684d)

Baptized at St. Paul’s –

5. Philip – Born 3 September 1871 (Part 693d)

Here is the image of the page 36 from the St. Paul’s Register of Baptisms. I have downloaded it from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084].

And my transcription –

36

1873

Register of Baptisms

Date – March 16
Name of Child – John Patrk
Lawful Child of – Phil. Dougherty & Margt
Born – March 13
Sponsors – Jas Kane & Cath. Kane
Name of Priest – M. Fallon

Note that the priest, once again, did enter the Doherty surname as “Dougherty” in the Register of Baptisms.

Stay tuned for the next update to the Doherty Family Line.

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, and ideas please free to contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 694p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – Is Gablonz, Austria, Jablonec in the Czech Republic?

Good Day,

Could this genealogy research get a bit more confusing? Yes, of course it can… And I can guarantee that the research and search of information and data for ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway is going great. I definitely feel like a life-detective as I try to piece each part of his puzzle into the credible story of his life.

According to the 25 February 1915 Pinckney Dispatch front page article, ggg-grandfather Brayton worked, at some time, for a gas company in Gablonz, Austria. It also indicates that his second wife, Johanna (née Plischke), whom he married around November 1914 was from Austria. Of course the question I immediately ask – “Was Johanna Plischke from Gablonz, Austria?”


And where is this Gablonz, Austria?

From Wild Things Beads

The German bead industry is still alive, but only just. It is based out of southern Germany, in the Bavarian city of Neu Gablonz, named, of course, after Gablonz, the Bohemian city which was the capital of the Austrian bead industry during the Austrian Empire, and later Czechoslovakia, when the name was changed to Jablonec nad Nisou. The local chamber of commerce dates Jablonec back to 1356 when it was first mentioned in documents, but permanent settlement only occurred in the 16th century when a glass works was established in Mseno, which is now incorporated inside the city limits of Jablonec.

When I try to understand the timing of ggg-grandfather Brayton’s travels and journey, I do have a bit of confusion as the 25 February 1915 article in the Pinckney Dispatch relates that ggg-grandfather Brayton was in “absence about nine years which time has been spent in roaming through nearly every land in Europe.” In Part 691p I discuss the time frame calculation and confusion.

Further on in the article it states that “For 4 years Mr. Placeway has not known the taste of pie. Upon his arrival in New York, pie (good old American desert)… (and not my spelling mistake)… was the first delicacy he devoured with keen delight. Mrs. Placeway did not know the existence of such a food until her first taste in New York.” If I read this literally, I would calculate that ggg-grandfather had not had any apple pie since 1911. Again I’m perplexed at the time factor.

Okay here’s a real puzzler. GGG-Grandfather Brayton, according to the article, had not had apple pie in four years, and his wife, Johanna (née Plischke) did not have any inkling regarding pies… GGG-Grandfather Brayton had worked in Gablonz, aka Jablonec for some time. From Wikipedia “the town’s name means “place with apple trees”. And then I think, what about apple strudel? Well, again I search, and according to Wikipedia “Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine but is also a tradintional pastry in the whole area formerly belong to the Austro-Hungarian empire.” Yes I know pie is not strudel… but… What can I say?

Stay tuned for more revealing facts and information into the reconstruction of the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 693d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1871 Birth and Baptism – Great-Granduncle Philip Doherty – Wilmington, Delaware

Good Day,

What exactly has caused me to give into this obsession of genealogy? I think it is the adventure of the search and the thrill of the find. Either that or I am just plain obsessed and headed out of my mind. But the pleasure and rush is sweet when I find that which I am searching for.

And now as I promised, I have found 6 more of the 11 Baptism Registrations that I started out to find. Following from Part 684d and the 1869 Birth and Baptism of great-grandaunt Margaret Doherty I have located the documentation of another sibling. This time it is of great-granduncle Philip Doherty.

It appears that the great-great-grandparents Philip and Margaret (née Doherty) Doherty relocated their family’s place of worship from St. Peter’s Church to St. Paul’s. St. Peter’s is at N. West Street and W. 6th Street in Wilmington. St. Paul’s Church is at the corner of 4th and Jackson Streets, in Wilmington. The relocation happened about 1870.

The first document I was able to turn up is the Baptism Registration of great-granduncle Philip. His birth, in Wilmington, is recorded 3 September 1871 and his baptism is celebrated 10 September 1871.

Here is the image of the page 20 from the St. Paul’s Register of Baptisms. I have downloaded it from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084].

And my transcription –

20

1871

Register of Baptisms

Date – Sep 10
Name of Child – Philip
Lawful Child of – Phil. Dougherty & Margt
Born – Sep 3
Sponsors – Jas Adams? & Anna Stranger
Name of Priest – M. Fallon

Note that the Priest did enter the Doherty surname as “Dougherty” in the Register of Baptisms.

Stay tuned for the next update to the Doherty Family Line.

The above inserted picture is of St. Paul's Church as found at the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington website.

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, and ideas please free to contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 692p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – Barnum and Bailey Circus – Gablonz, Austria

Good Day,

At this point in my genealogy search of the information and data of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway, I have to make sure that I can disseminate noteworthy news and records.

From the 1 February 1915 Emergency Passport Application and the 25 February 1915 Pinckney Dispatch article “Just Arrived From Germany – Brayton Placeway and Wife Reached Here Last Week”, I learned that ggg-grandfather Brayton had married his second wife, Johanna (née Plischke) sometime around November 1914. I also find out that Johanna (née Plischke) was “of Austria”.

According to the Pinckney Dispatch article ggg-grandfather Brayton had worked and toured Austria and Germany with the Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. The Emergency Passport Application lists that his occupation as of 1 February is that “of Theatrical Artist”. Who knows what type of job he may have had with the Circus?

The Pinckney Dispatch further states that he had been a “Germany-English interpreter for a gas company in Gablonz, Austria.”

Three leads begin to open up a number of research paths. The three leads are:

1. Theatrical Artist and Barnum and Bailey Circus
2. Johanna (née Plischke) of Austria
3. Interpreter for gas company in Gablonz, Austria

And where does ggg-grandfather as a Theatrical Artist fit into a role with the Barnum and Bailey Circus? Did he tour with the Circus and eventually meet Johanna while on tour in Austria?

Information and dates from the Princeton University Library and the McCaddon Collection of the Barnum and Bailey Circus, 1871-1907, expand that:

1897-1902: 5-year Barnum and Bailey European Tour. Ringling Bros. Circus becomes dominant American Circus

1907: Ringling Brothers purchase “Barnum and Bailey Circus” (shows remain separate).

1919: “Ringling Brothers Circus” combined with “Barnum and Bailey Circus” to create “Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus”

And of course this leads me to the questions, based on the presumption that ggg-grandfather was, as listed in the 1910 US Census as of 15 April 1910 an Apprentice Seaman with the US Navy and a patient at the United States Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia:

1. During what years was he with the Barnum and Bailey Circus?

2. When did he work as an interpreter for a gas company in Gablonz, Austria?

3. And what type of "Theatrical Artist" was he with the Barnum and Bailey Circus?

I have to ask these questions. It is all a part of my research into the past life or lives of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway. And the more and more I read, the more and more curious and inquisitive I tend to become.

Enjoy, and stay-tuned for more...

Jim

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My Tangent – Two Are Definitely Better Than One – Three Are Better

Good Day,

In Genealogy, one’s research in trying to decipher the life of a past ancestor can be somewhat baffling. It is key that only one source of information may not be the only final consideration for presenting a fact, or composed truth, concerning an ancestor.

One document, a family history, a newspaper article, data on the Internet may be the only contemporaneous source of an inkling of information… The question is, what type of source is it? There are criteria espoused by various Genealogy organizations which categorize the levels of importance of various types of sources.

I agree that this/these evaluations are legitimate and well worth studying and researching. I am stating that I use the idea that multiple and more than one document and source of a life event, if available, may be critical to my understanding of the ancestor and the life event. Two, or three or more, are better than one.

On another note, there are reams of inputted data and information in Interland. This data may be correct, and then again it may be somewhat deviate. There is a ton of family tree and ancestry information out there. I always look for the cited source. If there isn’t any I attempt to contact the originator of the information. If that is a dead end, it is my responsibility to find the best possible source of the information.

Just some thoughts,

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 691p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – And Where Were You On 25 February 1915?

Good Day,

And this is where in genealogy I must be careful what, and how I read something. In my search for documentation and newsworthy items regarding the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway, it is amazing that of which I have been able to stumble upon.

Front page news on the Pinckney Dispatch, of Pinckney, Livingston County, Michigan, and on Thursday, February 25, 1915 reads “Just Arrived From Germany – Brayton Placeway and Wife Reached Here Last Week”. The article begins “Brayton Placeway has returned to Michigan after an absence of about nine years which time has been spent in roaming through nearly every land in Europe.”

Now the strain I have is with the text “to Michigan after an absence of about nine years…” My simple math abilities calculate from 1915 back about 9 years is the year 1906. And this is where I get a wee bit confused. GGG-Grandfather Brayton’s daughter, gg-grandmother Edith Placeway was born 22 July 1909 in Pinckney, Michigan.

If I read the 25 February 1915 news article as it is written, I understand that ggg-grandfather Brayton, gg-grandmother Edith’s father was in Europe before and after she was conceived and born. The article postulates that he was not in Michigan from about 1906 to 1915… Huh? What gives?

But my confusion does not stop there. According to the 1910 US Census, on 15 April 1910 ggg-grandfather Brayton was a patient at the US Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. (See Part 673p.) But the Pinckney Dispatch reporter intimates in the news article that ggg-grandfather Brayton may have been somewhere in Europe. Again… Huh?

Now I will concede that the article does state that ggg-grandfather Brayton “has returned to Michigan…” by 25 February 1915. This could be the reporter’s spin that ggg-grandfather Brayton was absent from Michigan only during the supposed “nine years” to add some foreign spice for the readers of the small town. (As of the 2000 US Census, the population of the village of Pinckney, Michigan was 2,141 people.) But I am a muddled when I try to superimpose the years and time and the actual locations of note in the life of ggg-grandfather Brayton.

Here is the complete article from the 25 February 1915 Pinckney Dispatch.

Oh and just a note, this is where I discovered, according to the article that ggg-grandfather Brayton's second wife, Johanna's maiden name was Plischke. And, that she was from Austria.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 690am – Smith McCullogh Genealogy – Could Marsingate Be Marsingale? – GGGG-Grandmother Mary (née Marsinga?e) Aldridge

Good Day

Continuing from Part 653am and my trek with the genealogy of the Aldridge Family Line, I have discovered a possibility that gggg-grandmother Mary Aldridge’s maiden name may have been Marsingale. This is a wee bit different from the Marsingate of which I first transcribed from the 1 June 1801 Marriage Registration.

From a search through Family Search.org I discovered an indexed entry for a Marriage dated 30 May 1801 of Thomas Aldridge and Mary Marsingale.

There is no image of the entry but the citation and source refers to the microfilm collection of Marriage bonds and allegations for the Diocese of York, 1618-1887, Church of England. The microfilm is on order from Salt Lake City.

I have been searching, via the Internet for the surname Marsingate and the pickings of connections are few and far between. Even though there is only a two-day discrepancy between the two sources 1 June versus 30 May, and the surname Marsingate versus Marsingale, there are considerable similaries that would lead me to believe that these two bits of information and data are specific to the same event – the 1801 Marriage of gggg-grandparents Thomas and Mary Aldridge.

Note, too, that the year indexed as gggg-grandmother Mary (née Marsingale) Aldridge is entered at 1780. This is a fair date provided.

I have also tweaked and sharpened my Aldridge Descendant Chart, as follows.

Now to wait for the actual FHL microfilm to compare the two documents.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 689p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – 1888 Birth Registrations

Good Day,

In Genealogy research, one day the documentary pickings are dry, and the next, you just don’t have enough time in a given 24 hours to keep up with the onslaught. In this day and age the question is which of the many online doorways I venture past to see if my information and data is there. Last night I opened a door (albeit a link) at Family Search and there, even though I wasn’t looking for the exact register pages guess what I found.

The secret to my genealogy search and research is to look under every nook and cranny, open every door and gateway, so-to-speak. I try not to limit myself to only just one, in this case, online service.

Even though there are reams and reams of paper and old books and portfolios just stacked on shelves in some deep and dimly lit basement that have not made it into the elusive Cloud, somewhere in place and time, the modern offensive of technological acquisition seems to bring a new set of finds daily.

This time from Family Search, and the extensive program of digitizing the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I have chanced upon a gem of a find. Last night I discovered the Birth Registration of the twin brothers, ggg-grandfather Brayton C. and ggg-granduncle Clayton C. Placeway. The original document pages are at the Michigan Department of Vital Records, Lansing, Michigan.

This document is in the Collection – Michigan, Births, 1867-1902; DGS Film Number 4204545. (The DGS is the Digital Folder Number.) Included in the Collection are 137 microfilms of which the one that has the Placeway Births Registrations is FHL [2321094].

At present and according to Family Search there are 164,866 images of pages in this Collection which, I would tender to guess that the work at digitizing all 137 microfilms is still in progress.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection

"Michigan Births, 1867-1902." database and digital images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org: accessed 17 May 2012. entry for Brayton C. and Clayton C. Placeway, born 17 April 1888; citing Birth Records, FHL microfilm 4,204,545; Michigan Department of Vital Records, Lansing, Michigan.

But I just happened to luck out. Images 163 and 164 of 820 of the DGS 4204545. Here are the images of the two pages.

My transcription –

86

TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF MICHIGAN
Return of Births in the County of Livingston for the year ending December 31st, A.D. 1888.

RECORD NUMBER – 279, 280

DATE OF BIRTH
MONTH – April
DAY – 17
YEAR – 1888
SURNAME, AND CHRISTIAN NAME, IF ONE BE GIVEN – Brayton C. Placeway, Clayton C. Placeway
MALE OR FEMALE – Male, Male
WHITE, BLACK, MULATTO, ETC. – White, White
STILL-BORN ILLEGITIMATE, TWINS, ETC. – Twin, Twin
BIRTHPACE – Putnam, Putnam
PARENTS
FULL NAME OF EACH – Wm H. Placeway, Arvilla Placeway
RESIDENCE – Putnam
BIRTHPLACE OF EACH – Mich., NY.
OCCUPATION OF FATHER – Farmer
DATE OF RECORD – July 2nd, 1889

My next question - What did gggg-grandparents William and Arvilla Placeway have in mind when the named their twins each with the middle initial "C"?

And now the actual documentation of the 1888 Birth of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway is on file.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 688p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – You Never Know What You May Find

Good Day,

You never know what you may find when you walk down the path into the lives of one’s ancestors. And this is Genealogy…

I stumbled upon a somewhat gruesome headline on GenealogyBank while I was doing my search for articles and details of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway. Here is the headline –

Published in the 8 February 1915 edition of the Jackson Citizen Press, in Jackson, Michigan, and in the section News of Michigan, I was a wee bit dumbfounded on how this Detroit byline could be attributed in any way to ggg-grandfather Brayton.

And as I read I was amazed at the incident was over $2.00… And then I read that the police officer, albeit Patrolman, was ggg-grandfather Brayton’s twin brother, ggg-granduncle Clayton Placeway.

Relish the article…

One never knows what type of skeleton is lurking in those far distant ancestors’ closets.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 687p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – Pinpoints of A Life

Good Day,

As I have said and written a number of times before, I have always been a visual person… That is, in my work with genealogy and delving into the past lives I need to see the schemata of highlights.

Using Ancestral Atlas I have plugged key times and dates reflective of those events of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway that I have been able to discover.

The application adds the tags of the Life Events to the Google map. I’m not sure if there is a functionality in Ancestral Atlas to add the Years or the line connects, so I have superimposed them on the map.

The year labels, at the life tags, represent those key Life Events that did occur, based on the found documentation and data. I have started with ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway’s birth as recorded in Pinckney, Wisconsin in 1888. You can follow his life events from my various Postings in A Genealogy and on his Life Timeline. It is readily accessed from the Groh Heading and pull down menu at the top of each page of A Genealogy Hunt.

Here is a repeat image of my Life Timeline of Brayton C. Placeway.

Enjoy, and stay tuned for updates.

Jim

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My Tangent – A Genealogy Hunt NOT Affected by NBC’s Move

Just a quick thought, and Good Day,

It appears that NBC has decided not to renew their show, Who Do You Think You Are. There looks that there will not be a 4th season. Viewer-ship must be down.

And the fallout continued, yesterday, as share value of Ancestry.com dropped down $3.59 to $22.57. That is an almost 14% plummet. Ancestry.com is the major sponsor of the cancelled show.

Well, I’m sorry to hear that the show is on its way out. There is no residual or after-math effect on the effort, research, and search of A Genealogy Hunt, this blog and site.

Now of course, A Genealogy Hunt does not nor did not have the resources and fiscal responsibilities as propelled into the Who Do You Think You Are efforts and shows. Neither does A Genealogy Hunt have the team of experts to provide the immediate and extensive research work… just me, family, friends, and acquaintances.

So I can’t say that A Genealogy Hunt will be affected. The work that goes into genealogy research and the search efforts are considerable and take much time… but as I am obsessed with the hunt, A Genealogy Hunt will continue.

And this is my 890th Post on A Genealogy Hunt since June 2009… and Visits just keeping going up.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 686p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – 1900 US Census – Putnum Township, Livingston, Michigan

Good Day,

Sometimes in the trek of genealogy one has to take a step backwards to go forward. In the case of my search to re-construct the live and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway I am now going back in time 15 years, from my last Posting Part 685pp and his crossing the Atlantic from Liverpool to New York.

I have discovered the Placeway Family on the 1900 US Census, dated 11 June 1900, in Putnam Township, Livingston County, Michigan.

In the family house in Pinckney are ggg-grandfather Braten C. (aka Brayton) and his twin brother, ggg-granduncle Claton C. (aka Clayton) and their parents, gggg-grandparents William H. and Arvilla L. Placeway. Also in the house is one Nellie G. Tish, a Servant, and Frank Newman, a Lodger. It appears that Frank Newman, a “Farm Laborer” must have worked for gggg-grandfather William as he is recorded as a “Farmer”.

Both boys, Brayton and Clayton are enumerated at 12 years old and listed that their birthdays are in April 1888. Both are also listed as “At school”.

Another critical piece of information is that the US Census notes that gggg-grandparents William and Arvilla had been married for 17 years. This would, roughly calculated indicate that they were married circa June of 1883.

The source of the 1900 US Census is the United States of America Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900, T623. I was able to download the image from Ancestry.com.

Another piece of the puzzle of the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton is now in place. I will be updating my Timeline shortly.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 685pp – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – 1915 S.S. Tuscania Manifest

Good Day,

Following up to my Posting Part 680p it appears that ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway upon getting his and his wife Johanna's Emergency Passport, they must have traveled from Berlin, Germany to Liverpool, England between 1 February 1915 and 7 February 1915.

Ain't Genealogy fun... especially when I am trying to piece together the life and times of an ancestor. This ancestor is ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway.

Based on the Manifest of the S.S. Tuscania, ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway and his second wife, Johanna (née Plischke) sailed from Liverpool, England 7 February 1915 and arrived at the Port of New York 16 February 1915.

There is limited information on this page List of United States Citizens of the Manifest regarding the ggg-grandfather Brayton C. and his wife, Johanna. It does indicate that Johanna “If Naturalized, Give Name and Location of Court Which Issued Naturalization Papers, And Date of Papers” is a naturalized to the United States" “By Marriage”.

The source of this document is The National Archives: Year: 1915; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm T715_2397; Line 9; Page Number 81. Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957. I downloaded the page via Ancestry.com.

Typically Passenger Manifest pages consisted of two completed pages of information for each passenger. I can only find one page referencing ggg-grandfather Brayton. I have searched all the pages as presented of this specific voyage. And now another question, “Why is there only limited information on the Manifest for ggg-grandfather Brayton C. and his second wife Johanna (née Plischke)?

Just a couple of notes that I discovered regarding the S.S. Tuscania. The SS Tuscania, a luxury ship of the Cunard subsidiary Anchor Line, was launched September 1914. It carried 2,500+ passengers... and was torpedoed and sank in 1918 by the German U-boat UB-77 while carrying American troops to Europe. (From Wikipedia).

Check out the Brayton C. Placeway Life Timeline. You can pull the Groh pull-down menu at the top of the page.

Enjoy,

Jim

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